Charlie Davis: My DNA feels like it was rewritten last week. But I am glad I made it to this week, even if I am feeling. Different.
Forrest Hollingsworth: After last week Iâm different! I donât need to eat, drink, or sleep anymore! Iâm gobblinâ up all the high spots, the low spots, the mat-based stuff and the cards like pure protein — Iâm a genetic freak and Iâm not normal!
Mikey Zee: Iâm completely normal and VERY tired, so Iâm glad this weekâs wrestling was a little more even-keeled than last weekâs. So letâs dig in, starting from the top.
Vishal Gullapalli: Iâm writing this buzzed on Saturday Night after my beloved colleagues have already given their intelligent and coherent thoughts, so letâs see if I can add anything of value!
Monday
FH: Welllllll itâs the Bad Show.
CD: Forrest. Itâs so bad. I thought the RAW after Mania would be at least serviceable, but it was NOT. At this point, it feels like itâs almost bad on purpose.
FH: I feel compelled to take us back all the way to Raw immediately after WrestleMania 2020 to explain whatâs happening here. Itâll be long, but if you stick with me I think Iâve finally seen enough of it to speak to what I think is going on.
CD: Iâll allow it.
FH: A year ago, in the post-Performance Center WrestleMania void, Paul Heyman — at the time producing and directing the writing team for Raw — restructured the show pretty dramatically to more dominantly feature new(er), viable talent. Andrade, Zelina Vega, Angel Garza, Aleister Black, Apollo Crews, more. His reasoning was clear, and in my opinion sound: that talent like Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss, Miz and Morrison, even then-champion Drew McIntyre are reliable draws, performers and characters but that they were also rapidly approaching overexposure and exhaustion. They needed a secure, post-WrestleMania solution to build new talent and storylines, and Heyman dedicated significant time weekly to establishing them. He would need time, and audience backing, naturally, but those performers clearly had both the character and athletic ability to eventually carry the show.
But Heymanâs vision was at odds with WWEâs (overly temperamental) marketing needs and viewership was actively declining. WWE saw this as a fan-backed condemnation of Heymanâs structure, of his storylines and characters, despite the clearer line being a global pandemic and the sterility of the Performance Center. They hastily pulled the plug, bringing back Bruce Prichard to direct the in-ring product.
Without enough time to turn Andrade, Apollo, and others into the draws they very realistically can be, and especially without live audiences to validate what Heyman was exploring, both Heyman and his prospects seemed like failures. Not failures, as far as WWE and Vince were concerned: those admittedly-legitimate draws like Randy Orton, Nia Jax, AJ Styles, others. WWE hastily forced them into all of the title pictures, restructured the show around talent they trusted — exhaustion or overexposure be damned — and have tried to ride out the storm with this kind of recognizable holding pattern. Sound, in the short term.
The problem is that weâre no longer in the short term and the stagnation that WWE thought they could rely on is becoming painfully, notably, strained (even in a new environment like the ThunderDome). Randy and Drew entered into a months-long feud that was almost entirely predicated on DQs and other botched finishes to maintain steam, Randy pivoting directly from that into more or less the same thing with the Fiend.
Lacking a legitimately built womenâs division (youâre either a main eventer or non-existent), Asuka went multiple PPVs without title defenses, the womenâs tag division, and championships became irrelevant. Worst of all, the over-reliance on established talent undercut the debuts of Keith Lee and even Retribution.
This weekâs Raw was nothing but a confirmation that they have overcorrected to such a degree that even in a perfectly viable post-Mania glow, thereâs nowhere else to go. Bobby Lashley seems new, but his stories arenât – circulating the same open challenges and defenses that the Hurt Business traded in before he had the title, Drew still sharing the spotlight with nowhere else to go.
Nia and Shayna have the same match every week, Apollo was moved to the superior show, and probably worst of all this week, Asuka and Rhea were given what? A wonderful opportunity to have the same match as WrestleMania but worse? Rhea missed a lot of cues – they clearly donât have chemistry and thatâs fine – it happens! Sheâs being rewarded for having massive potential, but itâs also potential she hasnât fully actualized. It would be less obvious with more going on, and I actively feel for her and the weight of the airs theyâve put on. Hopefully she doesnât lose the title to Charlotte in a similar overreaction to the one described above.
You canât expect anything more when the production quite literally isnât interested in growing or even flexing — with the rare exception of someone like Bad Bunny who I already feel they didnât fully appreciate — an over a year long diminishment of returns that I donât think theyâre capable of overcoming until crowds return to voluntarily or forcibly direct the product. At least itâs funny sometimes I guess, or compelling like a car crash, but on any given week I just donât have the energy to find ways to cover it outside of cheap Big Show jokes (reliable in their own way, coincidentally).
MZ: Great round-up, Forrest, and a perfect encapsulation of the issues with Raw as a product right now. I tuned in only for the segments that followed up on the stuff I was interested in, as per usual, but I want to touch on a couple of the things I saw as well.
I have to admit, the way they course-corrected what Fightful Select reported was a last-minute change in the Fiend/Randy Orton match actually⌠really worked for me, as it was essentially a retcon for the whole Alexa Bliss story. While the way theyâve handled that whole storyline has been markedly inconsistent, Alexa takes what could be cheesy and frustrating in any other performerâs hand, and somehow makes it work for me by implying that she interfered in The Fiendâs match because she didnât need him any more, and in fact found a more powerful thing unlocked in herself along the way. It would work a lot better, of course, had any of this been in the story along the way. But if this is what weâre given, itâs not the worst thing, considering the many issues weâve discussed with Alexaâs part in this storyline prior.
FH: Itâs⌠better! I like the idea of Alexa overcoming the supposed need for the Fiend or Randy, and in recapturing her own agency (which has been sorely lacking especially after her tag time with Nikki was predicated on Alexa finding herself and being more comfortable), but youâre right, Mikey, that it feels accidental. They stopped mentioning Randy and the Fiendâs history after Tables Ladders and Chairs because it was clear they had no satisfying narrative release for their feud to culminate with.
The effect, intended or not and bolstered by the confused, rushed finish of their match last weekend was the impression that they had run out of stories for The Fiend. What about Alexaâs new direction as of now doesnât imply theyâll do the same thing to her? I want to see her wrestle, and I want to see the womenâs division rise to meet her occultish, inhuman reign, but they might just not have the apparatus in place to execute it in a satisfying way. She does that built-in feud with Rhea after Ripely unceremoniously dumped Alexa out of the ring at the Royal Rumble, at least.
MZ: In terms of other, more favorable product⌠Being The Elite this week. Firstly, Brandon Cutler, donât think I donât see you wearing that Golden Elite shirt. (You know, the one that Matt told Nick he probably didnât need any more.) Secondly, sure was an emotional whirlwind, huh, Charlie?
CD: DON’T LOOK AT ME. I am using the pain scale to advise that the last five minutes of this week’s episode hurt REAL BAD.
Kenny Omega, a man who weâve seen very seldomly alone since his heel turn in December sits with his oldest friends and finally gives us an explanation for why he did what he did, and why he drug The Bucks down with him. The answer, ultimately, is that he lost himself after he Changed The World.
FH: Hey Iâm here too! (I could probably do really incredible things with all this free time, right?) I like this story, that the Bucks time and time again, reliably, have extended themselves too far to meet their friends where they are…and that Kenny — jaded, tired, overextended and seemingly sickened by the ârewards” of his work — can rely on them to come back to him with Donâs help. That Kenny can manipulate them into being who he wants them to be, to playing their roles for the televised product and for his retroactive idealism despite the necessary reasons for which they changed, to prevent them from extending themselves to their other friends because theyâre his.
The internal and externalized interdependency of their relationship is a nuanced, worthwhile one. Itâs sad and complex to a degree that wrestling doesnât get to be often enough, relying on a lot of history and a lot of previous knowledge, but also rewarding and real in a way that only people that have spent that much time together can deliver. This story is the real âhurt businessâ and I love and admire it, and that Kenny is willing to make himself seem like this kind of a âbadâ person at all, honestly…
…and yet they needed to fix the fucking audio. In a moment where Kenny, the champion of the entire companyâs ethos is laid bare, I could barely hear him. No subtitles, no mention of this on Dynamite, no sense of marketability or straightforwardness. That The Eliteâs story is already so indebted to NJPW, ROH, and others is already one layer of obfuscation deep for most of the audience, that even the work theyâre doing now isnât on the main product is maybe one too far. I canât help but feel that if this is the story they want to tell, and it is one they deserve to, that they need to have a serious discussion with Tony Khan about centralizing it and soon. Their operating and succeeding outside of the normal bounds of WWE for so long is really, earnestly, heartwarmingly commendable, but also guides a guerilla approach that undermines them in ways they donât mean for it to, and canât allow it to, in their new roles.
MZ: I agree with all of this Forrest, and if nothing else, it shows how AEW is still finding their sea legs as it were with how to balance all of their content and storytelling. I know initially there was a lot of storytelling–Kris Statlanderâs friendship with Orange Cassidy, the real personalities of the Dark Order–that were relegated to BTE because Tony Khan and others in oversight roles didnât feel like they would work well on the TV product.
If nothing else, BTE and Raw exist as two extremes on the spectrum of wrestling storytelling. I think the past year of both has shown that wrestling companies need to have confidence in their wrestlers as storytellers, while providing supplemental storytelling guidance as editors.
Tuesday
CD: Well now that NXT is on a new night and doesnât have to compete for my attention, I actually watched it this week. And dang, I think being on a new night gave them the time to put the pieces back together. Counterprogramming and hotshotting things can only work for so long, so I am so happy to feel the fresh air moving to a different night ushered into the product.
Kushida won the cruiserweight belt! I loved his match with Escobar and was not expecting a win here at all! But damn was I happy for him. Kushida is someone I watched a lot of when I was doing my NJPW watch, and if he can hang with a Jr Heavyweight Kenny Omega, well damn, he should have a belt in NXT. This weeks episode also provided me with some follow up Adam Cole content and while I was overall disappointed with his and Kyleâs unsanctioned match, this bit where they both ended up in the hospital and Adam was screaming that he was going to kill Kyle while being tied down to a stretcher is perhaps the most Adam Cole thing Iâve ever seen.
FH: This weekâs NXT was a pretty stellar confirmation that the shows will be better unopposed, right? Aside from the WrestleMania smarks intentionally cheering and booing the wrong talent (Kross, MSK) I thought it was a tight, athletically and narratively rich reset. Karrion laid out a poorly delivered but also straightforward mission statement that directly fosters a good environment for babyface challengers, Rhea and Biancaâs fakeout and subsequent celebration with Raquel was legitimately touching, and the confrontation with Franky Monet — former Impact Knockoutâs champion Taya Valkyrie — was electric and intriguing.
And! you touched on it Charlie, but Kushidaâs surprise win is also the kind of thing that you can, maybe even must, pull off after WrestleMania (or TakeOver, whatever). The final, chaotic mixed tag match was the perfect cap — a fun and messy, athletic and character-driven gauntlet that demonstrated NXTâs amazing ability to take itself both super-seriously and not at all signed by Indi Hartwell. Not much to complain about here at all, especially if they tone down on the AEW-opposing special shows and title challenges.
MZ: The moment with Rhea, Bianca, and Raquel was so good! As someone with not as much emotional investment in Rhea and Raquel as I have in Bianca just due to lack of familiarity, it had a level of gravitas that was conveyed through framing and genuine emotion. This is the kind of wrestling moment I love, and it helps that the emotion is clearly real as well. Congrats, ladies. You deserve it.
The mixed tag match similarly brought out the best of everyone in the ring, and was a genuine joy to behold. I feel like Johnny and Candice havenât gotten to show off their PWG chops much since their time in WWE. This match showed that they could still hang, and was a genuine crowd-pleaser to cap off an incredible night. Plus, Indi Hartwellâs saucy wink as she was carried out of the ring by Dexter Lumis? Such a great little moment!
VG: Stand and Deliver was a really satisfying reset of NXT, a shift to the new era much like we got with Takeover Dallas or Takeover New York back in the day. This episode felt like a season premiere – new debuts, new rivalries, old hostilities remaining entrenched. Itâs no secret that NXT is my favorite show every week, and this one definitely showed why, at least for me – we got a big title upset that I LOVED, the women got some real shine, and I think best of all, the main event was goofy in a way that didnât make anyone look bad but instead made the entire thing feel really fun – it reminded me of PWG matches that Iâve seen in a very good way. I cannot wait to see how NXT moves forward now that itâs not constantly trying to win viewers over.
Wednesday
CD: I started Wednesdayâs edition of AEW Dynamite terrified. Matt and Nick had been teasing dropping the fringed gear and bright colors for something else and while I appreciated the commitment to the heel turn last week, I was concerned. Itâs pretty readily apparent that the endgame of cutting The Bucks out of Kennyâs story for months now was to grind them down to this exact point. Kenny has them again and will be rebuilding them thusly. The Bucks arenât without their agency, they have made a choice, but they were pushed to the brink in order to do so.
The start of the episode had The Bucks drenched in red light, telling us exactly why they did what they did. Then⌠well THEN they emerged in new white gear and promptly had an incredible match with Death Triangle. It was so good and refreshing to see The Bucks heel antics in the ring again. They both felt revitalized, but Nick especially. Heâs a bit of a chaotic entity, but thatâs gotten lost as he’s tried to prop up his spiraling brother for months.
This match stole the show for me, as illustrated by the gif below, which is only a sample
but I also want to talk about The Bucksâ new gear… which is perfect and also so 2000s boy band it makes me scream. Cut to that time Kenny, Matt and Nick went to a BSB concert. Please watch the clip I’ve provided, it’s a good BTE memory in this trying time. Shout out to the woman behind them who has CLEARLY had enough of all three of them.
MZ: Oh, geez, and the photoshoot they put up on Instagram with the gear? The kneeling in sneakers heard round the world, and subsequent debate over whether the shoes were real, frankly had me in stitches. Iâm just glad the Bucks get to live their best heel lives right now AND look like they came straight out of Millenium doing it.
CD: While I was not paying attention during any segment with Mike Tyson, the rest of the show was pretty good too. I loved immediately throwing to Hangman after The Bucks win⌠it keeps him looped into this story in an important way. Also, Iâm sorry Forrest, but Christian did not join team TAZ.
FH: Itâs kind of amazing that they made me care about that in what, two weeks? When Christian turned down TAZ I was like âaw, manâ. TAZâs boys are breaking up and I just want to see him thrive because heâs done a good way of carrying and championing the product, yâknow?
Either way, I thought that aside from the five-star-earning Bucks and Death Triangle match (which absolutely fucked, donât get me wrong), this was a lackluster Dynamite. The Tyson inclusion is disappointing, if not actively detrimental to my enjoyment of the entire show, The Factory didnât do just quite enough to justify their allotted time, and the show-ending title defense was chaotic at best and incomprehensible at worst. I donât dislike all of the factions in AEW to the degree that some do, but I do also find that when things get that big the focus gets lost — if the story is about Matt and Darby, they should be given the room to tell it. Just not a show for me, and maybe more notable than usual because they have been doing very well in the coveted âForrestâ demographic lately. Kris Statlander looked great!
MZ: I know Anthony Ogogo debuted in this episode too, but I didnât get any vibes from him. Just absolute neutral vibes. He feels very much like he needs to grow in the ring for me to be invested in his screentime or matches. Maybe AEW Dark Elevation wouldâve been a better place, though with him being a real sports person, I imagine they put some money into signing him⌠oh well.
I do feel like I need to shout out that this episode of Dynamite had an awesome showing from the ladies of AEW. I love Red Velvetâs new entrance gear: something Kitana from Mortal Kombat might wear crossed with an apron, which I probably donât need to tell you is a fucking aesthetic. Red Velvet and Jade Cargill put on a pretty great TV match, too.
FH: It absolutely rules that Jade Cargill came out of seemingly nowhere and will be the biggest thing in womenâs wrestling in probably less than a year.
MZ: Yeah! I think it helps that sheâs clearly interested in the storytelling element too (since sheâs most likely an X-Men fan), and is kind of a natural talent in the ring too. Damn. I canât wait to see where she is in a year from now.
Britt Baker had a pretty incredible promo, too, and I really, really hope she gets a title shot at Double or Nothing, even though we have a lot of viable contenders for the title now. Thunder Rosa also got a video package, and then… we got to see Kris Statlander in action! The match itself was largely unremarkable, but what WAS remarkable was the adorable thumbs-up she got from Orange Cassidy. She has friends now! I keep saying that The Best Friends are my favorite young adult superhero team right now, but itâs so true. They just have this wholesome quality that elevates everything theyâre involved in for me.
VG: For the first time in a long time, I tuned into Dynamite. And honestly, while I did genuinely enjoy myself, it didnât feel like a great sales pitch for people whoâve been following NXT instead. And I get it, weâre midway through the post-PPV stretch, they canât just start up new things now, but it was more than that.
The Bucks vs Death Triangle was fantastic – I want to get that out of the way first. But it also reminded me why I never felt energetic about Dynamite, at least for the past few months. Itâs the commentary. Excalibur is a good play-by-play commentator, but he can only really mirror the enthusiasm of whoeverâs in the booth with him. Tony Schiavone is generally good at bringing an emotionality and passion to the booth that Excalibur can bounce off of, but itâs not consistent. JR is pretty lifeless on average. And Don Callis, when he shows up, makes the entire commentary team feel bored with whatever theyâre watching.
When I watch wrestling, commentary matters a lot to me – less the things they say and more the energy they provide – when commentary is energetic, it accentuates the fast moments of the match, and when they slow down, it serves the slower recovery phases. But the Bucks and Death Triangle almost never have recovery phases – both teams are energetic and jumpy and frantic with everything they do. So when Excalibur and Tony sound sullen because Don Callis is antagonizing them, it hurts my enjoyment of the match.
The best part was the mask spot – thatâs when Excalibur snapped out of his funk and seemed genuinely enraged at what was happening in the ring, and thatâs when it sold to me that the match in the ring mattered. And it also finally made me appreciate the Young Bucks – Iâve been saying theyâre the worst ever since Dynamite started, and I am very grateful that theyâve proven me right and also managed to be really entertaining while doing so. Theyâre much better as unabashed heels.
The rest of the night wasnât bad by any means, but I also donât really remember it a couple days later. Tayâs apparently #1 Contender, which, good for her, but I donât really feel like sheâs memorable enough to beat Shida. Yet, anyway. Darby fought Matt Hardy and did a wild coffin drop for the win, but by that point I was kind of checked out mentally already. I⌠do not remember much else from the show, if Iâm being honest. At least I had something positive to say about the Bucks?
Thursday
FH: We primarily cover the in-ring stuff here but none of that would exist absent the companies, and talent, that give their all financially, physically, emotionally to produce it. Itâs a people-driven industry, and thatâs never clearer than on days like this.
CD: I would insert a joke about how I missed Impact this week, but honestly Forrest youâre super-correct. A year, right down to the day, that WWE released dozens of its employees while we were all staring down the barrel of a pandemic, they did it again. I was speechless then and Iâm speechless now looking over the names of talented people who were squandered in a company that cares not for them. I talked to you about this before Forrest, but I feel the worst for the people who worked so hard because WWE was their end goal. To be thrown away by a company you worked your ass to get to…god. Not to mention the dozens of people who remain employed after serious allegations have come to light.
FH: In total, WWE released 10 wrestlers: Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mickie James, Chelsea Green, Tucker, Kalisto, Mojo Rawley, Bo Dallas, and Wesley Blake.
WWEâs reasoning is budget cuts — releases perfectly timed between WrestleMania and their next earningâs call — but in their most profitable year ever, with a $1b+ Peacock TV deal, and a controlled schedule and production environment, it feels inexcusable, appallingly sad, and confusing. You should, can, and probably will hope for a kind of career reinvention that a lot of the immensely talented releases from last year have pulled off be it at AEW, in the indies, wherever. But you should, can, and probably will be frustrated too, especially in circumstances where the anti-black-lives-matter Jaxson Ryker retains his job over the two Forgotten Sons he was directly responsible for taking off from television.
This is a company with dozens of produced hours of content per week, multiple shows, televised and online content, more. There is space, there is need, there is an obligation to do right by the people you employ. WWE ignores this wantonly, willingly, recklessly and you can see it in the product week to week. Itâs hard to believe the company really does wish them the best in their âfuture endeavorsâ but thatâs all the more reason for us as an audience to actually do it, too.
MZ: I know Samoa Joeâs release was especially shocking to many fans, but for me the truer crime here is releasing Billie Kay and Peyton Royce of the IIconics. They were broken up as a tag team last August, supposedly as part of a big singles push for Peyton Royce, after losing to the Riott Squad in a match where the losers had to disband. Then they were drafted to different WWE products (Billie to SmackDown, Peyton to Raw), and Peyton… tag teamed with Lacey Evans until Lacey had to stop wrestling due to her pregnancy? She cut an amazing promo on Asuka on Raw Talk, and got to face her and lose in what would become her last WWE match a month before Black Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Bllie Kay was forced to sling her resume around and tag team with anyone who would take her, doing the best she could with what little she was given. She finally teamed up with Carmella at WrestleMania in the #1 Contendership Tag Team Turmoil, only to yet again lose to the Riott Squad, the same tag team that forced the IIconics to break up. And then both of them were let go from WWE.
VG: This sucks. I generally donât tend to mind WWE releasing talent that theyâve mostly kept to prevent other companies from using, but thatâs not what this was or felt like. This felt like a LOT of really talented wrestlers not being able to shine in the company because an out of touch old man doesnât understand why anyone likes them, and then losing their jobs after not being allowed to do anything significant. The IIconics are the biggest example – they were an absolutely delightful tag team, fan favorites, and when WWE didnât have the crowd pop to justify their existence, they split them up, gave them extremely middling stories and opportunities, and dropped them without any warning. It sucks.
Tucker, Kalisto, Mojo Rawley, Chelsea Green, Mickie James, and Wesley Blake are also all really frustrating and unfortunate. In some cases like Green, injuries prevented them from doing anything and itâs unconscionable to punish them for something out of their control. Wesley Blake really grinds my gears because as far as I can tell the only reason he got pulled from TV is because Jaxson Ryker, the leader of his stable the Forgotten Sons, revealed himself to be a horrible bigot. But while Rykerâs back on TV and showing up at Wrestlemania, Blake was wasted on the sidelines and then cut. For doing literally nothing wrong, as far as I can tell.
Iâm less upset about Samoa Joe getting cut, because itâs very possible that WWE decided they couldnât clear him for competition, and of all of the talent here heâs got the best prospects elsewhere. But by that metric, why not cut Aleister Black, who has been doing absolutely nothing for months? Why hold people hostage like that? Itâs gross and evil.
(Ed. Note: Robert wanted to jump in on this one)
RS: I have gotten people into wrestling by showing them videos of the IICONICS. They have always, always, up until their very last appearances, done their best with any and all material that this company has given them. All the releases are egregious, but this one feels so much worse in two ways. First, it appeared, given the timing, that WWE forced J McKay to shut down her youtube channel. We canât know for certain, but the timing syncs up with increased enforcement against WWE freelancers using âthird party platforms.â If this is the case, then the company which would eventually fire her (while weâre still in a period of economic strife and a global pandemic which prevents most wrestlers, like most live entertainers, from doing their job) also stopped her from doing anything that could have provided a financial cushion until she found new work.
Second, given that history you outlined, Mikey, it looks like they punished these people for the decisions the company made. The company chose to break them upâ the company had no stories for themâ the company realized they werenât working anymoreâ and so rather than just go back on their bad decisions, the company fired them. I think itâs pretty wretched stuff. They are some of my favorite performers in the businessâ probably my favorite tag teamâ not just because theyâre fun, and because theyâre funny, and because theyâre so incredibly talented that they can just create an iconic moment off the cuff, unexpected and unscriptedâ but because they clearly put so much effort and passion into everything they do. And this is what they get for it.
MZ: One thousand percent agree, Rob. It legitimately makes my blood boil to think of how poetically awful the whole sequence of events is. I hope everyone let go is able to find their footing elsewhere.
Friday
CD: The RAW after Mania was SO BAD, itâs almost impossible for SmackDown, a show thatâs been so good to even great at times, to match it. And honestly, even if it didnât blow me away it was still pretty good. Cesaro challenged Roman! Bless. Cesaro should have had a world title by now, but my issue with anyone stepping up to Roman at this point is…I know no one is going to beat him. I can hope all I want, but the way WWE works tells me no one is going to take it off him unless that someone is probably named Brock Lesnar. Which I uh. Hate.
Sami and KO seem to be moving forward together, a feud I can really sink my teeth into if it means that Kevin is going to work match after match to try and bring Sami back to himself. Bianca deserved a better segment to celebrate her wonderful win and…well the main event of Cesaro and Jay ended in a DQ. Sigh.
FH: I think those are really sound frustrations, CD, but I also think SmackDown as a product right now is doing a very good job of subverting the normal thinking around those things. Cesaro challenged Roman in the moment because he knew (and we do too) that Reigns would use every tool at his disposal to avoid putting the title on the line, Seth inserting himself for the DQ recontextualized him not as an ending point but as a kind of legitimate hurdle for Cesaro on the path to Roman that I think works surprisingly well narratively even after WrestleMania.
Youâre also right that it doesnât mean itâs totally immune to some confusing finishes (and WWE seems especially averse to clean ones right now) however. The Sami and Kevin match where Kevin gives the stunner after the disqualification instead of ending on it just feels confusing and indicative of this. But I have to give credit at the same time because theyâre still getting Sami on television and heâs doing that good work:
The major detraction for me is still the tag titles, so poorly booked that they werenât on WrestleMania at all, and lacking a concrete story even with the Mysterios, Otis and Gable, and the Dirty Dawgs on the card frequently, and in moments where they play at a feud between Biance and Bayley (Batista give me what I want dot gif) but also needlessly skirting around Bayley mentioning that she has, in fact, beaten the reigning champion before. Ultimately, a fine show, but NXT was the clearest post-Mania winner in an otherwise messy week of highs and really low lows.
But hey, let’s end on some nice takeaways!
Rumblings & Takeovers
- Renee and Moxâs pregnancy photos! Everyone likes Renee:
- Danhausen on Conan OâBrienâs podcast! Danhausen is by definition very nice (and very evil) after all:
- The wrestler formerly known as Allie Kat teased a new look and a new gimmick on Twitter, which has us super-excited for what she does next:
- AEW wrestler Allie and special guest Abadon taste-testing Oreos is simultaneously hilarious, frightening, yet also heart-warming!? Do yourselves a favor and watch this one, folks:
Charlie Davis is the worldâs premier Shatterstarologist, writer and co-host of The Match Club.
Forrest is an experimental AI that writes and podcasts about comic books and wrestling coming to your area soon.
Vishal Gullapalli is highly opinionated and reads way too much.
Robert Secundus is an amateur-angelologist-for-hire.
Mikey is a writer, graphic artist, and tabletop roleplaying designer based out of Columbus, Ohio. In his free time, he watches wrestling and indulges in horror media. Find him on Twitter @quantumdotdot.
