This week, it was reported that John Cena is expected to perform at WrestleMania 39, after missing both this year’s show and last year’s as well.

Cena’s thriving Hollywood career has kept him away from the ring, with his most recent televised match taking place all the way back at Summerslam 2021.

John Cena has faced some of wrestling’s biggest names at WrestleMania, including Bray Wyatt, The Rock, the Big Show, and Shawn Michaels, but who is next for Big Match John?

4 – Austin Theory

To many people, the most obvious choice for WWE, a match between Cena and Theory makes a lot of sense.

It was earlier this year that the two teased a feud, with both men throwing shade at one another on social media.

At the time, fans predicted that a match at Summerslam 2022 was bound to happen, likely for the U.S. Title Theory held earlier this year.

That of course didn’t happen, and while he’s confident the Cena match will come in time, Theory has been on a downward spiral since then, recently failing in his Money in the Bank cash-in attempt.

At just 25 years old, Theory is a star WWE could get a lot out of for years, possibly decades to come, but they need to have that big win.

A match with Cena would be a fantastic mix of generations, and if Theory was to get the win, would set the cocky heel back on track on his road to the main event.

3 – Logan Paul

Fans may love him or hate him, but there’s no denying Logan Paul’s talent in the ring.

In just three matches, Paul has shown that he can hang with full-time WWE Superstars, and he could soon be sharing the ring with John Cena.

Cena’s thriving Hollywood career and Paul consistent YouTube fame would guarantee the match mainstream exposure, something WWE always wants, especially for WrestleMania.

The story would not need to be too complex, and while WWE could go with a heel Paul disrespecting the legend, the feud would also work as face vs. face.

It could be as simple as Paul saying that he wants to prove himself by facing the best, and boom! John Cena storyline, and Paul recently tweeted interest in the match.

? https://t.co/oiQ89KnMkc

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) November 9, 2022

The big question however is Paul’s recent injuries, which are expected to keep him out for the foreseeable future, and could force him to miss WrestleMania.

With that said, Cena himself became known for recovering from injuries at a near super-human rate, and if Paul can match that, then this unlikely dream match is a possibility.

2 – Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER

As anyone who watches SmackDown will know, 2022 has been the year of GUNTHER.

Debuting on the blue brand earlier this year, the Austrian quickly captured the Intercontinental Championship and has held on to it with an iron grip.

Of course, GUNTHER’s rise to prominence has come during Cena’s hiatus from wrestling, but a match between the two would be a spectacle.

The clash of styles alone would make this a potential Match of the Night, and the story would play into Imperium’s quest for respect for wrestling.

This match is more than wishful thinking, however, as like Paul, GUNTHER has also addressed rumors of a match, and is all for facing Big Match John.

Should he hold the Intercontinental title that long, there would also be the possibility of John Cena finally winning the gold and becoming a Grand Slam Champion, one of a select few accolades not on his resume.

GUNTHER’s title reign has done wonders to bring prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship, and having the biggest star of the past two decades would certainly add to that.

1 – Randy Orton

All matches so far are never before seen bouts, but what if WWE wants an opponent Cena is VERY familiar with?

Holmes and Moriarty. Batman and The Joker. Some opponents are made for each other. Orton and Cena are such a pair.

Fans may groan at the idea of seeing YET ANOTHER Cena-Orton match, but bear in mind that it’s been five years since their last bout, and close to nine years since their last match at a Premium Live Event.

Cena and Orton are two of WWE’s biggest stars, and a rematch (especially one billed as their final collision) is worthy of WrestleMania.

But there’s another reason why this match makes sense for WrestleMania 39: Time.

As we’ve seen, Cena isn’t around as much these days, and it’s not impossible to think that WrestleMania 39 could be the last time he competes at WWE’s flag-ship show.

There’s also questions that need to be raised about Orton, who’s missed most of 2022 with an injury, and is expected to miss the rest of this year.

If WWE wants one final epic Cena-Orton match, then the window of opportunity is closing, and WrestleMania 39 could be a fitting send-off for one of the biggest feuds in wrestling.

John Cena Reveals The Advice He Got From The Rock

Triple H made major waves in September when he dropped the insight in an interview that WarGames would make its debut on the WWE main roster at Survivor Series this year with not just one, but two matches under that gimmick. It’s a controversial move, given the match type may be unfamiliar to WWE-only fans who didn’t keep an eye on NXT. By all indications, Vince McMahon, who has owned the WCW intellectual property since 2001, didn’t see value in promoting such a match himself.

Nonetheless, given the rumors Triple H always wanted to work a WarGames match in his heyday, and the way he promoted it when he was in charge of NXT, it only makes sense that he’d make it a reality for the main roster this November. But what do fans want to see out of WarGames?

WWE Should Stick To Conventional WarGames Rules

One of the tricky things about booking WarGames is that fans can be uncertain what to expect. WCW and its predecessors booked it in relatively straightforward fashion with four or five-person teams going against each other, alternating which team got to add new combatants at timed intervals before the match could only via submission or surrender.

WCW contorted these rules almost beyond recognition in its final years to the point the matches were only WarGames in name. From there, NXT itself started running WarGames matches with a three teams of three format. While the resulting match was well-received, it was nonetheless refreshing when the matches to follow were composed of two teams of four.

Keeping the rules simple and traditional to deliver on what old school fans expect is key to the success of the gimmick as WWE both serves nostalgia and rolls WarGames out to a segment audience members who may not have seen it before.

WWE Should Tell Very Different Stories Between The Men’s And Women’s WarGames Matches

There’s always a danger when WWE books two iterations of a major gimmick match in the same night, as they’ve come to do regularly for the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, Hell in a Cell, and others. Will fans still be excited for the second go-round? How can WWE avoid fans feeling like they’re seeing the same story play out twice?

NXT was mostly successful at differentiating WarGames matches on the occasions when they booked two in the same night, so there is hope. There’s room for variation between which performers are booked into the match and what their storylines are, in addition to matters such as which team wins, what the key spots are, or if anyone turns on their team. Having one of the matches dedicated to male talent and the other to female talent will offer one step in that differentiation.

WWE Should Have The Bloodline Go To War

When WWE downgraded its Money in the Bank PPV from Allegiant Stadium to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, major names like Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar quickly disappeared from the marketing. Nothing suggests a “throwaway” PPV more than failing to feature the biggest stars.

While Money in the Bank generally had a good reception from fans, it also felt a bit underwhelming when it came to star power—reliant on the eponymous gimmick more so than the talents in the ring to sell the show.

One way to ensure WarGames does not feel like a crutch, but rather a vehicle for meaningful storytelling is to ensure big names and angles are in the mix. The Bloodline is the most obvious choice. Maybe it’s all five wrestlers, Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, The Usos, and Sami Zayn involved as the top pushed group in the company. Otherwise, it could be interesting if they promoted a four-man team with Reigns leading them to victory, or else sitting it out and setting up Zayn to cost them the match and jeopardize his tenuous standing in the faction.

WWE Should Not Feature WarGames At The Expense Of Traditional Elimination Tag Team Action

Survivor Series dates back to 1987, making it second only to WrestleMania as the longest running annual  PPV WWE has, and the original gimmick-match-based PPV. From the beginning and with very few exceptions, the show has featured elimination tag team matches, traditionally among four or five-person teams.

Having two WarGames matches both consumes a large portion of the roster and already sets up two team-based feuds going into the PPV. These dynamics may make booking big elimination tag team matches less practical, but it’s nonetheless a good idea for WWE to maintain some of its roots in this scenario with at least one traditionally formatted bout.

Feature A Surprise Team Member

Triple H has proven himself a master of booking surprise returns and debuts since taking control of WWE creative and talent relations. That includes Braun Strowman, Johnny Gargano, Damage Control, and the pair of Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bourdeaux among the most dramatic examples to date.

Having two matches likely to feature at least sixteen wrestlers invites at least one mystery team member or last-minute replacement to be in the mix. With no shortage of allusions to Bray Wyatt potentially returning soon and other part time talents and free agents conceivably in the mix, it both feels as though WarGames would be a great platform for a major surprise and such a surprise could be a good way of establishing WarGames on the WWE main roster landscape.

In the end, Triple H’s respect for the tradition of WarGames and drive to introduce it first to NXT and now to the main roster bode well for how the concept will be handled at Survivor Series. Time will tell how it all plays out, but it should, at least, offer a unique spectacle for the fans.

Austin Theory’s night on WWE RAW started off great with a singles victory over Shelton Benjamin. However, Theory would join the unfortunate list of superstars with failed Money in the Bank cash-ins at the conclusion of the show.

Seth Rollins had issued an Open Challenge for the United States Championship before the show. It appeared that Finn Balor was going to accept it but The OC interrupted. Mia Yim made her return to the company and joined The OC’s fight against Judgment Day.

The Visionary came to the ring at the end of RAW and issued the Open Challenge once again. Mustafa Ali showed up on the jumbotron to and a collective groan could be heard from the crowd. Bobby Lashley attacked Ali and accepted the Open Challenge.

However, the match never happened because Bobby opted to put Rollins through the announce table before the bell. Austin Theory took the opportunity to cash-in his MITB contract on the United States Championship, a mid-card title he’s already held, and it backfired. The 25-year-old hit the A-Town Down but Lashley dragged the referee out of the ring. Lashley attacked Theory and got him in the Hurt Lock. Seth capitalized and hit Theory with the Stomp to retain the title.

Soon? #atowndown pic.twitter.com/Rlnzpjnt81

— Austin Theory (@_Theory1) November 4, 2022

Here are three reasons Austin Theory’s failed Money in the Bank cash-in was the right call:

#3. The Crowd Didn’t React to Him

Austin Theory is a tremendous in-ring talent and has a bright future in WWE. However, he will need to find a way to connect with the crowd moving forward. The selfie gimmick has already been done and in a more entertaining fashion by Tyler Breeze.

Theory has one of the best Dropkicks I’ve ever seen but I can’t remember a word he’s said in a promo. The most memorable moment for Austin Theory on the main roster thus far is not his conversations with Vince McMahon, nor his “surprise” Money in the Bank win, it was when Roman Reigns mocked him. The worst reaction a wrestler can get from the crowd is indifference and far too often that was the case for Theory.

“Your daddy’s not here anymore.” – Roman Reigns to Theory

Fam.

(via @USA_Network)pic.twitter.com/aNrf51Y3MG

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) July 26, 2022

#2. He Never Should Have Won it in the First Place

WWE Money in the Bank 2022 took place at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. It was originally supposed to emanate from Allegiant Stadium but not enough tickets were sold to the event.

The men’s Money in the Bank ladder match closed the show and it ended on a sour note. Omos, Riddle, Seth Rollins, Madcap Moss, Sheamus, Sami Zayn, and Drew McIntyre were scheduled to compete in the main event.

However, WWE Official Adam Pearce showed up just before the bell rang and announced that Theory was added as the 8th superstar in the match. Theory had been having conversations with Vince McMahon and fans knew that the 25-year-old was about to be given a moment he hadn’t quite earned yet.

It appeared that Vince McMahon has picked his favorite and was about to shove him down the WWE Universe’s throat once again. However, everything changed on July 22nd. His biggest supporter, Vince McMahon, resigned on Twitter and it has been downhill ever since.

#1. He’s Not Triple H’s Guy

Vince McMahon saw a lot in Austin Theory and was positioning the young superstar to be the future of the company. That still may happen down the line, but Triple H clearly isn’t as high on Theory as the former CEO.

The wins have been few and far between for Theory since the regime change in WWE. Vince appeared to be building towards a potential matchup down the line between Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Austin Theory and that doesn’t appear to be on Triple H’s radar at all.

Unfortunately for Austin Theory, the Money in the Bank briefcase quickly became a hindrance. This has become a bit of a trend for WWE, at least with the previous regime. Otis won the MITB contract recently and then lost the briefcase in a “court battle” with The Miz with JBL serving as the judge.

Theory is far more talented than Otis, but who gets more of a reaction? Austin wasn’t ready to win the Money in the Bank contract and was forced into that situation by a CEO that had long since lost his fastball. The product has greatly improved since The Game has gained power and things will likely improve for Theory down the line as well. It is not the end of the line for the 25-year-old, just a much-needed reset.

Do you think Austin Theory should have lost his Money in the Bank cash-in? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

In a conversation of great years in professional wrestling history, 1992 has a tendency to go overlooked. The Golden Era in WWE was tapering off and business was slipping downward. Meanwhile, WCW went through its share of transitions, including Bill Watts taking over creative and instituting unpopular rules like making moves off the top rope illegal. Neither major promotion would really find its way the way they did again around 1996-1997 as the Monday Night War took off.

However, 1992 also featured a deceptive number of highlights and important shifts that set up the future of the business, making it arguably the greatest year in wrestling history, at least for the mainstream product in the US

1992 Had The Best Versions Of Important Matches

January 1992 saw the greatest Royal Rumble match of all time. Ric Flair put on the first iron man performance that culminated in a victory as he entered at number three and lasted an hour against a full catalog of WWE Superstars, including the Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, The Undertaker, Sid Justice, and Roddy Piper as legitimate contenders and a laundry list of iconic names in the supporting cast like Jake Roberts, Jim Duggan, The Big Boss Man, and The Texas Tornado to name a few. The match culminated in an electric finish with Hogan and Justice falling out—handing Flair the win and setting each other up as WrestleMania opponents. Speaking of WrestleMania, the event itself would feature arguably the best WWE Championship match in event history up to that point, with Flair defending against Savage.

On the WCW side of the equation, 1992 was host to the greatest War Games match of all time as the babyface Sting’s Squadron not only won an epic battle, but effectively ended The Dangerous Alliance, a great faction that crumbled by degrees after their defeat. This match featured a perfect blend of current top stars like Sting, Ricky Steamboat, and Rick Rude, alongside up and coming top talent like Steve Austin and Dustin Rhodes, with a fine mix of highly skilled and over role players like Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko, Nikita Koloff, and Barry Windham rounding things out.

WWE SummerSlam drew a full stadium crowd in England for an event highlighted by arguably the best main event in the show’s history: Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog for the Intercontinental Championship. This would prove to the be the first of many one-on-one PPV headliners for The Hitman as he rose up the ranks.

1992 Saw Major Stars Defined

1992 saw the evolution of Bret Hart. He started the year as Intercontinental Champion, stole the show beating Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 8, and went on to main event SummerSlam and Survivor Series alike. In between those events, he won his very first world championship, cementing him as a top guy.

January 1992 also saw Shawn Michaels famously superkick Marty Jannetty and throw him through the window of Brutus Beefcake’s Barbershop interview set. More than a simple heel turn or tag team split, this was the launch of one of the most important singles stars of the decade to follow.

Early 1992 was a critical point for The Undertaker as well. After a highly successful first year in WWE as a monster heel, there was a real risk of the character running its course. A babyface turn offered longevity and the rise of an unlikely favorite among the fan base. He’d defeat Jake Roberts at WrestleMania, and though he wouldn’t get back to the world title picture for some time, this run set him up to become an iconic character who spanned decades, as opposed to a monster with a couple-year shelf life.

On the WCW side of things, 1992 was the year when Ron Simmons realized his potential at the greatest level, becoming the first universally recognized black world champion after he defeated Big Van Vader.

1992 Was a Great Year For In Ring Performance

One of the biggest arguments in favor of 1992 comes down to in-ring quality. The world title picture in WWE tells its own story as the first year since 1983 when Hulk Hogan didn’t get his hands on the WWE Championship at all. In his place were a trio of all-time-great workers: Ric Flair, Randy Savage, and Bret Hart holding down the fort and elevating the quality of main event matches to a significant degree.

In WCW, Sting quite arguably reached his peak as an in-ring worker—an incredibly athletic and dynamic powerhouse who took well to being the franchise player. Meanwhile, Vader rose up not just an intimidating monster heel, but rare one who could work at an extremely high level. Add in Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude, and Steve Austin all performing at the highest level and the company was quietly thriving when it came to big matches.

1992 may never get the full credit it deserves, but it was a historically important year, full of great wrestling as the business evolved and prepared for its next boom period. In addition the great signature matches, rise of top stars, and quality of performance on the whole, it was also the first year WWE staged a ladder match and the year WCW innovated Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal, all pointing the way toward even bigger things to come.

In July this year, Vince McMahon’s four-decade reign on top of the wrestling world came to a shocking end.

A month after stepping down as CEO and Chairman, McMahon’s time on top of the wrestling world ended in controversy, as he announced his retirement from his own promotion.

McMahon had been under serious scrutiny following the shocking allegations of Non-Disclosure-Agreements, totaling over $12 million, reported by the Wall Street Journal.

With McMahon gone, his daughter Stephanie has filled his shoes as Chairwoman and WWE, while she and Nick Khan share the title of Co-CEOs.

Best for Business

While Stephanie and Khan are the ones running the company, much of the responsibilities have fallen to Triple H.

Today marks 100 days since the Game was appointed Head of WWE Creative, replacing McMahon, and also serves as Head of Talent Relations, replacing John Laurinaitis.

At the time of McMahon’s retirement, there was plenty of uncertainty, but the stock market has bounced back nicely.

Last month, WWE’s stock reached a four-year high, closing the trading day at $74.12 a share.

This, ironically, benefitted Vince McMahon more than anyone else, as he still owns 28 million shares in the company, making him the majority shareholder.

When McMahon stepped down from his roles in June, WWE’s stock was at $62.23, and the new regime has certainly been good for the market.

Evidently, the markets appreciate what Triple H has done, and this is earning those with large shares in the company a small fortune.

Morale

It’s not just the markets that have been pleased with WWE’s post-Vince McMahon era, but the atmosphere behind the scenes has been said to have improved.

Not long after McMahon was gone, reports came out that things were far more relaxed backstage and employees no longer feel like they were walking on eggshells.

Many on WWE’s main roster first honed their talents in WWE working as part of NXT, and are said to be much happier working for him again.

An August 2022 report from Fightful said that morale backstage lifted “immediately” with Triple H in charge, a far cry from morale being at a reported all-time low in January this year.

It was during the Ruthless Agression era that fans would critique Triple H as someone who only thought of himself and his own ego, but the Game has proven to be a team player in his roles.

It’s hardly surprising, that someone who spent decades as a wrestler, knows what his wrestlers want, and Triple H has been an effective leader thus far.

Returns

Triple H’s tenure as Head of Creative and Talent Relations has been distinct with how many Superstars he’s been able to bring back.

Names like Dakota Kai, Braun Strowman, Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano, Hit Row, Karrion Kross, and more have all returned to WWE under the watchful eye of the King of Kings.

Triple H’s biggest success story is by far Bray Wyatt, whose return at Extreme Rules 2022 racked up millions of views within hours on YouTube.

At the time of his controversial release in July 2021, it was reported that Waytt had been creatively frustrated working with McMahon, but the future looks very bright now with Triple H in charge.

What’s next?

Triple H is just 100 days into his roles as WWE’s Head of Creative and Talent, but with the success so far, he won’t be leaving the role anytime soon.

Even now, the Cerebral Assassin continues to make big moves, including allowing Shinsuke Nakamura to compete at the Pro Wrestling NOAH event on January 1.

As to what the future will bring, that’s uncertain, but the Game has already proven to be someone WWE talent and higher-ups can rely on.

At a time when AEW has been thrown into dissary, with multiple suspensions and injuries to their name, Triple H’s work so far has only proven to fans not to give up on WWE just yet.

WWE has a lot of options open going into 2023, including allowing more Forbidden Door crossovers, seeking more international PLEs and the return of top stars such as Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.

In just a few weeks time, WWE will kick off their first Road to WrestleMania with Triple H in charge, and if the past 100 days are indicative of the future, expect a wild road with the Game in the driver’s seat.

Triple H’s Plans for Top WWE Superstar Reportedly “Pushed Back” Due to Sami Zayn’s Popularity

WWE SmackDown has been the superior show as of late and there are several reasons that is the case.

SmackDown flows better and features some of today’s biggest stars in professional wrestling. WWE RAW is overly long and lacks the star power to carry the three hours it asks of the viewer to stay engaged.

• 5 Ways Triple H Can Improve WWE RAW

Here are three ways WWE SmackDown is a better TV Show than RAW:

The Titles

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns rarely makes an appearance on RAW but WWE just announced that The Tribal Chief will be making a special appearance on tonight’s show.

Ahead of this Saturday's #WWECrownJewel, hear from the Head of the Table LIVE tonight on #WWERaw @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/PeOkIJ7KSq

— WWE (@WWE) October 31, 2022

The United States and the RAW Women’s Championships are currently the most important titles on the red brand. Bobby Lashley was an admirable US Champion before Seth, but the title hasn’t been built up enough to carry a brand.

Gunther and Sheamus have helped elevate the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown to a new level with their excellent rivalry. The Celtic Warrior and The Ring General put on an instant classic at WWE Clash at the Castle and followed it up with a solid rematch on a recent episode of SmackDown.

There should be a mid-card and main title for superstars to fight for on the red brand. Instead, there a whole bunch of superstars with nothing else to do besides chase the 24/7 Champion around or wrestle in tag team matches with no prospect of a title match against The Usos.

Roman Reigns is approaching 800 days as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The idea of one dominant champion sounds good on paper. However, Reigns isn’t a full-time superstar anymore and there isn’t enough star power on RAW to fill three hours.

It may be time to consider splitting the WWE and Universal Championships once again and make someone a star with a victory over The Tribal Chief.

Six Months On – Was Unifying WWE’s World Titles the Right Call?

The Stars

As stated above, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and Undisputed Tag Team Champions rarely appear on RAW.

The Bloodline has become the most popular act in professional wrestling. Every time they are on screen on Friday nights, they must watch television.

The ongoing friction between Jey Uso and Sami Zayn is highly entertaining to watch and most fans can’t wait to see how the story plays out. They just simply don’t have to tune in on Monday nights to find out.

WWE has had members of The Bloodline appear on RAW occasionally but they aren’t doing it enough. It is hard to imagine any fans complaining about seeing more of the Honorary Uce or upcoming star Solo Sikoa on the red brand more often.

In addition to The Bloodline, Bray Wyatt is also on the SmackDown roster. The wildly successful ‘White Rabbit’ teaser campaign captured the WWE Universe’s imagination for weeks leading up to Bray’s return at Extreme Rules.

Now, the story is getting even more interesting on Friday nights. “Uncle Howdy” interrupted Bray and called him a liar to end this past week’s edition of SmackDown on an intriguing note. If Bray Wyatt piques your interest, you don’t have to watch RAW on Monday nights at the moment to stay up to date with the storyline.

The Time

Yes, WWE RAW remains an hour too long. It is unlikely to change any time soon, as the extra hour leads to extra revenue. However, the difference between how RAW and SmackDown flows as a television show is jarring.

There often is a point during every episode of RAW where it becomes a slog or a chore to watch for the viewer. It might be the weekly thirty-minute Baron Corbin match with JBL on commentary for some, or it might be an edition of Miz TV, a 24/7 Championship segment, etc.

It is a lot to ask for a viewer to sit through every week. A three-hour show on Monday, a two-hour show on Tuesday, and another two-hour show on Friday is a lot of content for WWE fans to consume on a weekly basis, and that isn’t even factoring in the premium live events.

RAW dropping an hour would instantly eliminate a lot of the filler that hampers the show. The backstage interview with a superstar that has already cut a promo in the ring earlier in the night that provides nothing of substance won’t be necessary anymore. The entire 24/7 Championship scene can be eliminated or banished to YouTube where it belongs.

Two hours on a Monday night would force the company to focus on the stars that are more important. There will be fewer multi-superstar matches that go multiple commercial breaks just to fill time.

WWE SmackDown features the same high-profile stars on a weekly basis. RAW is an hour too long and lacks the names to provide enough reason for a casual fan to stick around the duration of the show.

Roman Reigns is closing in on 800 days as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and will be appearing on tonight’s SmackDown ahead of Crown Jewel.

Roman’s next opponent is Logan Paul at the Premium Live Event on November 5th. Logan enters the match as a heavy underdog with just two matches in his WWE career. While anything is possible, it seems likely that The Tribal Chief’s incredible run as champion will continue following the PLE.

• 5 Opponents for Roman Reigns After WWE Crown Jewel

Here are a few of the best matches from Roman’s historic title reign:

Daniel Bryan & Edge – WWE WrestleMania 2021 (Triple Threat)

Edge had won the Royal Rumble in 2021 and was in line for a match against Roman Reigns at the biggest show of the year. Daniel Bryan kept insisting that he get another title shot and WWE official Adam Pearce added him to the match, which resulted in Edge turning heel.

The match was the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 37 and it delivered. Roman Reigns entered a match against two of the best of all time as champion and was the only one left standing at the end. Roman stacked Edge and Bryan on top of each other to win in impressive fashion.

Just to make a point @WWERomanReigns really pinned both Edge and Daniel Bryan! 😤

CC: @HeymanHustle#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/THxThxz7Ym

— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) April 12, 2021

Daniel Bryan – WWE SmackDown (4/30/21)

Daniel Bryan’s last match in WWE was in the ThunderDome against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. Bryan had already fallen short a few times but got one last shot at the title on April 30, 2021.

The stipulation was that Bryan would have to leave SmackDown forever if he lost the match. Roman won the match without any outside interference by making Daniel pass out via the Guillotine Choke. It was a great sendoff for Daniel Bryan before he went to AEW and another feather in the cap of The Tribal Chief.

Cesaro – WrestleMania Backlash 2021

Cesaro’s time in WWE was frustrating for a lot of fans. It felt like the company would start to get behind him and then pull back. He was paired with Paul Heyman for a moment and then the plan was abandoned without explanation.

The Swiss Superman earned a title match against The Head of the Table at WrestleMania Backlash 2021. Even though WWE may not have gotten the best out of Cesaro, the promotion did a terrific job of building him up to be presented as a viable threat to The Tribal Chief.

Cesaro gave Roman everything he could handle but in the end, it was not enough. The 41-year-old now wrestles as Claudio Castagnoli in All Elite Wrestling.

Seth Rollins – WWE Royal Rumble 2022

The former Shield members met face-to-face with the title on the line at the Royal Rumble PLE in January this year. Reigns had never defeated Rollins at a Premium Live Event before and The Visionary pointed that out leading into the match.

Seth and Roman beat the hell out of each other in this match and there wasn’t a dull moment. The weakest part of the bout was the finish. Roman applied the Guillotine choke but didn’t let go after Seth reached the ropes and was disqualified.

Time will tell if WWE revisits this rivalry while Roman is still the champion. Seth is now focused on holding the United States Championship for as long as he can on WWE RAW.

Kevin Owens – WWE TLC 2020

Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens battled at Royal Rumble 2021 in an entertaining match. There was a handcuff spot that was botched and messed up the flow of the match.

The Head of the Table and KO also clashed at TLC 2020 during the ThunderDome Era. Owens put Reigns through an incredible about of punishment in the TLC match but could not keep him down.

Jey Uso interfered toward the end of the match to help his cousin retain the title. Kevin has recently hinted at revisiting the rivalry by claiming Roman “owes him one” and mocking Sami Zayn’s involvement in The Bloodline as the Honorary Uce.

Brock Lesnar – SummerSlam 2022

The vibe heading into this match wasn’t very positive for a lot of wrestling fans. Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar certainly is a main event level match, it just had been done so many times before.

However, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns provided us with an awesome Last Man Standing match at this year’s SummerSlam in Nashville. The Beast driving to the ring on a tractor and lifting Reigns up in it is a moment most WWE fans will never forget.

Jey Uso – WWE Hell in a Cell 2020

The Bloodline may be the most dominant faction in WWE now, but things weren’t always that way. Roman Reigns and Jey Uso had an all-time great rivalry during the ThunderDome era. It was Reigns first feud as Universal Champion and remains his best in my opinion.

Jey Uso showed that he was much more than just a role player, or a tag teammate. He is excellent at his craft and was perfect in this storyline. It was the family connection that made the story so interesting and the WWE Universe slowly watched Roman morph into a heel.

Reigns and Jey met at Clash of Champions 2020 and had a great match. They put on a classic the following month at the Hell in a Cell PLE. The two battled in an I Quit Hell in a Cell match, with Jey having to acknowledge Roman as The Tribal Chief if he lost.

The finish to the match was brilliantly done and displayed just how evil Roman had become. Jimmy Uso entered the cell and Reigns got him in the Guillotine choke. Roman refused to let go until Jey uttered the words “I quit” to end the match. While Jey may currently have some minor issues with Honorary Uce Sami Zayn, the root of all his troubles is The Head of the Table.

What are your favorite matches of Roman Reigns’ title run so far? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Jon Moxley has been the MVP for All Elite Wrestling in 2022. The company has gone through unprecedented drama this year but Moxley has always been the constant. He has formed a connection with AEW fans and has signed a new deal that will ensure he’s with the promotion for years to come.

• 5 Reasons Jon Moxley is AEW’s MVP in 2022

Here are three ways Jon Moxley saved AEW this year:

The Constant

All Elite Wrestling has been through it this year. At AEW All Out, the company crowned a new AEW World Champion in CM Punk and the inaugural Trios Champions in Kenny Omega and The Elite. They were all stripped of the titles on the following Dynamite.

AEW President Tony Khan was put in an impossible position during the AEW All Out media scrum. AEW World Champion CM Punk sat down directly beside Tony and went on a rant that insulted the company and several of its top stars. Tony was left to do nothing besides take a sip of his coffee and hope that Punk eventually stopped talking.

Jon Moxley had just lost the AEW World Championship to CM Punk at the PPV. He was set to go on a vacation but then Brawl Out happened. The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega went into CM Punk’s locker room and a brouhaha erupted.

Moxley became AEW World Champion once again because CM Punk couldn’t get it done. Jon was the AEW Interim Champion during CM Punk’s injury and is now carrying the ball after Punk dropped it. CM Punk is a two-time AEW World Champion without making a single title defense. Jon will make another title defense tonight on Dynamite.

The Promo

Wrestling fans were ecstatic when Jon Moxley arrived in All Elite Wrestling at Double or Nothing 2019. He made his way to the ring through the crowd and confronted Chris Jericho. Moxley planted Jericho with the Paradigm Shift and then battled with former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

If you take a step back now, Moxley’s debut remains the most important for AEW. Bryan Danielson is popular but hasn’t connected with AEW fans as much as Jon Moxley. Most of the other ex-WWE signings get a huge pop for their debut then quickly fritter away. Moxley has not only stuck around, he’s made it to the top of the company and isn’t going anywhere.

Jon cut quite possibly the best promo of his career on the Dynamite following All Out. AEW President Tony Khan had just been booed by AEW fans as he awkwardly announced that Punk and The Elite were being stripped of their titles. MJF had just hoodwinked the Buffalo crowd by wearing a Bills jersey and pretending he was their friend.

Mox made his way to the ring and told Maxwell that this was not the time. He added that MJF’s theme music sucks before delivering the promo that AEW fans needed to hear. Moxley stated that winners always want the ball when the game is on the line and went on to defeat Bryan Danielson at Dynamite: Grand Slam to once again become AEW World Champion.

The Future

The most important thing Jon Moxley has done for AEW this year is provide them with a foundation. AEW has seen an absurd amount of drama this year, whether it be Sammy Guevara, Thunder Rosa, CM Punk, Andrade El Idolo, etc. It has been never-ending this year.

Moxley inked a five-year contract extension with the promotion. The AEW World Champion is sticking around for a long time. His wife, Renee Paquette (formerly Renee Young in WWE) also recently signed with the promotion.

Details on Jon Moxley’s 5-Year AEW Contract Extension

Jon’s new contract also expands his responsibilities to include coaching and mentoring younger talent. The 36-year-old might not be everyone’s cup of tea but there is no denying that he puts in the work.

Moxley has performed in the independent scene during his time in All Elite Wrestling and was the GCW Champion up until recently. Jon’s new contract states that he will work exclusively for AEW and its international partners, including NJPW. Less time on the indies means more time for Moxley to devote to helping AEW.

MJF will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear. It was clearly supposed to be CM Punk in this spot, as Maxwell confronted the former champion at the conclusion of the All Out PPV.

However, the brawl at the media scrum forced All Elite Wrestling to change course and revert back to the man that has been there all along. Jon Moxley now has the task of helping MJF not just become a bigger star, but become the face of AEW. Moxley’s track record in AEW suggests that Tony Khan made the right call by making him champion once again and Jon will deliver at the PPV on November 19th.

Chris Jericho keeps adding to his incredible career and legacy. Jericho recently acquired his 8th world title at Dynamite: Grand Slam. He defeated Claudio Castagnoli to become the new ROH Champion at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

After winning the title, Chris Jericho vowed to defeat every former ROH Champion he can and even attacked ROH ring announcer Bobby Cruise. AEW President Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor earlier this year and is hoping to secure a weekly TV show for the promotion in the near future.

• Chris Jericho’s Best Gimmicks Ranked

Here are three reasons Chris Jericho is the right choice as the ROH Champion:

Reliability

Chris Jericho has proven to be one of the most valuable performers in All Elite Wrestling. His reign as the inaugural AEW World Champion laid the foundation for the promotion to be successful, and now Tony Khan is relying on Chris to do the same for Ring of Honor.

Jericho’s run as AEW Champion lasted 182 days after defeating Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing 2019. He eventually lost the title to Jon Moxley at Revolution 2020.

Jericho’s career has spanned three decades now and he has shown no signs of slowing down as of late. He recently got into the best shape of his life and is delivering consistently solid matches for AEW at 51 years old. Jericho signed a three-year contract extension with AEW last week.

It was rumored that WWE was expecting him to return to the promotion in 2024, which only further proves how valuable he remains in the professional wrestling business.

WWE Expected Chris Jericho to Return in 2024 (Report)

Creativity

Whether it be Y2J, Le Champion, or The Wizard, Chris has demonstrated an ability to reinvent himself countless times throughout the years. His run as Le Champion was a memorable one, and his “a little bit of the bubbly” catchphrase spawned a successful champagne brand for the wrestling legend.

Chris has already had two different factions in All Elite Wrestling and both of them have been a success. The Inner Circle and now the Jericho Appreciation Society. JAS refer to themselves as “sports entertainers” and oftentimes wear flashy outfits and ridiculous hats.

The storyline leading up to the ROH Championship match between Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson surrounded ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia. Bryan Danielson wanted Garcia to be a professional wrestler and join the Blackpool Combat Club, while Chris wanted him to remain in JAS and be a sports entertainer.

Ultimately, Garcia opted to align with Jericho instead of his hero growing up, Bryan Danielson. Jericho Appreciation Society have already positioned themselves to be the focal point of Ring of Honor when the promotion launches a weekly TV show.

Chris can enter into a feud with anyone and make it entertaining. It is hard to imagine a trait more valuable than that when trying to build new stars in a relaunching a promotion.

Recognizability

Naturally, Chris Jericho has accumulated millions of fans throughout his thirty years in the wrestling business. Jericho performed in Mexico, Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, ECW, and WCW early in his career. He interrupted The Rock to make his WWE debut in 1999 and has remained a star ever since.

Jericho had three successful runs in WWE before returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2017. Chris captured the IWGP IC Title at NJPW Dominion in 2018. AEW made Jericho it’s inaugural champion to instantly provide credibility to the promotion.

In addition to being a familiar face in wrestling, Chris has also become a star in the music industry. His rock band, Fozzy, debuted in 2000 and has released seven studio albums. Jericho’s entrance theme, “Judas”, is Fozzy’s most popular song to date. The music video is currently closing in on 60 million views.

Chris was also one of the first professional wrestlers to enter the podcast game. His “Talk Is Jericho” podcast has over 900 episodes to date and features interviews with some of the biggest stars in the industry today.

Jericho has a massive following and helped bring fans to All Elite Wrestling when the product first launched three years ago. It appears that we are about to watch history repeat itself when it comes to Ring of Honor.

AEW has had its pitfalls recently, but overall the promotion has provided what it set out to be, an alternative for wrestling fans. Chris Jericho carried the torch when AEW first launched and it will be interesting to see what the wrestling legend has in store for fans as the Ring of Honor Champion. One thing is for certain, many fans will tune in to find out.

Has Chris Jericho Revealed how he Really Feels about CM Punk?

Renee Paquette is widely regarded as one of the most likeable non-wrestling personalities in the world of professional wrestling. She made headlines when she debuted for AEW in October, making good on longstanding rumors she may one day join her real life husband Jon Moxley as well as a host of friends from her WWE days on this stage.

Paquette talked over what led to her decision and what it was like to make her first appearance on an episode of her podcast immediately after her debut. Amidst the conversation, Mean Gene Okerlund came up, and she briefly joked about starting her own hotline in the tradition of what the broadcaster did first for WWE, then for WCW back in the 1990s. Whether it was intended purely as a joke or not, the idea has potential.

Renee Paquette Tends To Get Compared Gene Okerlund

No one would ever mistake Renee Paquette for Gene Okerlund based on their physical appearances. However, the two have drawn a high number of comparisons based on the respective roles they’ve played in the wrestling industry, primarily working as backstage interviewers and hosts, in additional to forays into the commentary booth. Most specifically, there’s a relatively frequent assessment that Paquette is “the best backstage interviewer since Mean Gene.”

Paquette, to her credit, doesn’t shy away from the comparison or dispute her standing, but rather expressed in the podcast that she was flattered to be mentioned in the same breath as Okerlund. She even went so far as to reference that the two were able to work together on some projects for WWE, and that she enjoyed grabbing a bite to eat with him after work, describing him as a class act.

An Actual Mean Gene-Style Hotline Could Be a Great Nostalgia Play In The Short Term

Mean Gene Okerlund famously facilitated a hotline first for WWE, then for WCW. The gist was that he would tease major news or rumors on TV, inviting the viewer to call a 1-900 number that charged an initial fee, plus extra money for every minute the caller stayed on the line. Typically, there was a conscious design to keep the customer listening for a while to get more money out of them.

As Eric Bischoff has discussed on his 83 Weeks podcast, it was Okerlund, personally, who brought this business over to WCW, suggesting it as a revenue stream he knew well and could facilitate.

The idea of a hotline itself is pretty outdated in 2022. Just the same, AEW could bring back this concept—be it following the traditional model on the phone as more of a novelty Internet or app-based utility. The nostalgia-factor alone would probably draw some old school fans to call Renee for an inside scoop—throwing few dollars or a download at it for their entertainment.

AEW Could Switch From A Hotline To Something More Modern For Renee Paquette

While Renee Paquette running a fee-based hotline might be able to create some revenue and good will in the short term, the idea probably wouldn’t have much of a shelf life. The Internet and social media are so robust in their coverage of wrestling news and rumors nowadays that it’s hard to image many fans calling an old school hotline nowadays more than a handful of times.

Either after or instead of the hotline model, though, AEW might use similar branding for a more modernized take on the concept. Perhaps it would be a news source with a paywall like Fightful Select or the way The Wrestling Observer offers some of its content. AEW would, after all, have unique access to share news on this kind of platform about upcoming events or matchups, or taking control of news reporting about backstage happenings.

Paquette has already established herself as a highly skilled interviewer via not only her on-air wrestling efforts, but her podcast. Offering conversations, for example, with Tony Khan himself or other major figures from AEW could offer an additional incentive for fans to pay a modest fee to listen.

While wrestling fans by and large enjoy free content, it only seems fair for a promotion to take advantage where there’s a potential revenue stream the fans might clamor for. Renee Paquette is that rare figure in wrestling hardly any fans have anything negative to say about, and no one could blame AEW for cashing in with some variation of a hotline concept, taking advantage of Paquette’s personality and Mean Gene Okerlund nostalgia.

MJF has taken the professional wrestling world by storm and he’s just getting started. Maxwell became wildly popular after his “pipebomb” promo about AEW President Tony Khan on the Dynamite after Double or Nothing.

He had skipped an autograph signing leading up to the PPV and there were rumors he was going to no-show the PPV. Friedman ultimately did show up and got squashed by Wardlow. However, it was MJF that emerged as the bigger star following the PPV.

Here are 3 reasons MJF is already a generational talent:

The Mic Skills

MJF has a skill that most of today’s wrestlers do not possess, he can captivate an audience with his words.

Maxwell doesn’t just hold the audience’s attention when he speaks, he has them hanging on every word. He’s an old-school heel that will say whatever it takes to get his opponent off their game. MJF is also old-school in regard to his interviews. He rarely breaks character and is the same on Dynamite as he is on a podcast.

The rivalry between former AEW World Champion CM Punk and MJF culminated in a Dog Collar match at AEW Revolution. Punk emerged victorious in the match to even the record up at 1-1. Time will tell if we ever get to see the third match in the series.

MJF has made the claim that his feud with CM Punk will go down as one of the best of all time. Their promo at Dynamite: Thanksgiving in 2021 alone makes their rivalry a memorable one.

The Character

It is easy to dismiss MJF as a jerk or just another heel, but you aren’t paying attention if you do so. Friedman has referenced being bullied in the past for being Jewish, as well as hinting that he’s not the biggest fan of himself recently.

AEW Dynamite had a special Tuesday night edition of Dynamite this week. During the show, Tony Schiavone was set to interview Blackpool Combat Club’s William Regal. MJF quickly interrupted and brought up an email Regal sent him 7-years ago.

Max had tried out for WWE and Regal told him that he was too young, but to email updates on his work. Regal apparently scolded MJF in one of the emails and Max resented it. William mocked the 26-year-old, called him sunshine, and claimed that he’s had it easy in his career if he’s hung up on an email.

Following Hangman Page’s injury, MJF and Jon Moxley had an impromptu promo while William Regal was ringside. MJF announced that he will be cashing in his chip for a shot at the AEW World Championship at Full Gear. He added “for once in my miserable life, I’m going to earn it” as Regal grinned.

Thus, he’s not a complete vile character. There is a kernel of dignity somewhere within MJF’s character that fans get to see from time to time.

The Future

MJF may just have the brightest future of anybody in wrestling.

There was a brief moment when Austin Theory appeared to be on his way to the top of the industry, but the 25-year-old seemingly hasn’t won a match since capturing the Money in the Bank contract.

At 26, the future is incredibly bright for Maxwell Jacob Friedman. He’s established himself as an attraction, meaning he doesn’t get inside the squared circle often. However, whenever MJF does get in the ring he proves that he is one of the best wrestlers on the planet as well.

It is must-watch television when MJF delivers a promo. When MJF wrestles a match, it is must-watch television because you don’t get to see it often and you know it is going to be worth your time.

MJF’s epic rant at The Forum in Los Angeles following Double or Nothing, and his subsequent absence from AEW TV, has made him a massive star in the wrestling industry. It was a promo that only a qualified oratory exhibitionist like MJF could deliver. The following months without him only proved how much AEW needed him.

His return at AEW All Out was overshadowed by CM Punk’s rant and the brawl at the media scrum after the PPV. However, Max has gotten fans to talk about him and less about the controversy since All Out.

It sure looks like MJF will be capturing the AEW World Championship at Full Gear on November 19th. He will also likely be heading into the bidding war of 2024 as one of the biggest free agents the industry has ever seen. MJF is Salt of the Earth, better than you and you know it, and has set himself up to become a legend in the years to come.

• 5 Reasons MJF Should Win The AEW World Championship

WWE has canceled its Day 1 Premium Live Event and is expected to make more changes in 2023. It was reported over the weekend by Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer that WWE may be moving away from gimmick PLEs next year to focus on international events.

#WWECastle was a massive success for @WWE across all lines of business and the #WWEUniverse in the UK… the next question is where should we go next?! pic.twitter.com/mX5xLbC6HZ

— Triple H (@TripleH) September 12, 2022

Here are three reasons WWE switching up its strategy for Premium Live Events is a good thing:

The Potential For New Fans

WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H has already laid out his vision for NXT in multiple interviews. The Game noted that he wants NXT to expand into an “almost World Cup scenario“, with brands like NXT Europe, NXT Australia, NXT South America, etc. NXT UK was shut down this year but the company will be launching NXT Europe in 2023.

It makes sense for his vision for WWE’s developmental system to also be implemented in some fashion on the main roster. The company held its first stadium show in the UK in over thirty years in September with WWE Clash at the Castle. The Premium Live Event attracted over 60,000 fans to Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. There are markets all around the world that will be overjoyed to see WWE live.

The long-term goal in that is to be in markets all around the world. With products that eventually can be competing against each other, world cup type scenarios, that are feeding into RAW, and to SmackDown, and to WrestleMania.

Triple H has a vision of WWE in markets around the world competing on a world cup level. That also feeds into Raw, Smackdown and Wrestlemania #WWECastle pic.twitter.com/q58wyGOwU0

— Spartaprimez (@Spartaprime) September 3, 2022

The Demand Is There

The shows in Saudi Arabia and Clash at the Castle have proven that WWE fans will come to the arena all around the world. Crown Jewel will air on November 5th from Mrsool Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Mrsool Park has a seating capacity of 25,000. For comparison, Survivor Series will be held at the TD Garden with less than 20,000 tickets available for purchase. Survivor Series is one of the most recognizable Premium Live Events to fans but Crown Jewel will likely earn more money for the company.

WWE held the Elimination Chamber PLE at the Jeddah Super Dome earlier this year with 33,328 in attendance. The company has a global audience, with transcendent stars like Roman Reigns that will instantly draw fans. The inclusion of celebrities like Logan Paul only brings more fans to the product as young people from all over the planet follow the 27-year-old.

Another market that WWE will likely be focusing on is India. The hashtag #SearchForMerch recently went viral as there is no option to purchase official WWE merchandise in India at the moment. Triple H responded to the hashtag and told fans “we hear you”. It feels like it is a good time to try and expand the audience when there are viral campaigns to be able to buy your merchandise.

We hear you. #SearchForMerch #IWF https://t.co/BAr5CqmMqj

— Triple H (@TripleH) October 1, 2022

Reserve The Gimmick Matches

Extreme Rules aired this past weekend and the card featured six gimmick matches. There was an Extreme Rules match, a Ladder match, a Strap match, an I Quit match, a Donnybrook, and a Fight Pit match.

While many fans enjoyed the show, there were definitely some that found it to be overkill. In other words, there’s an issue when the gimmick matches don’t feel special. Hell in a Cell used to be reserved to feuds that have become some personal, the two wrestlers needed to be locked inside a steel structure to sort out their differences.

Now, the feuds leading up to the Hell in a Cell PLE rarely reach the level of animus required for the stipulation to mean anything. A HIAC match should be special, and it instantly isn’t when there are multiple of them on the same show. Plus, the more gimmick matches you have, the quicker the audience will get tired of seeing it.

Cody Rhodes battled Seth Rollins at WWE Hell in a Cell earlier this year in June. It was the third time the two had faced each other in 2022 and The American Nightmare emerged victorious in all three. Rhodes went into the match with a torn pectoral and showed off the gruesome injury before the bell.

The Hell in a Cell stipulation added to the match tremendously given the brutal nature of Cody’s injury. It was also fitting that they battled inside the steel structure because their rivalry had been going on for months. The potential change in strategy in regard to Premium Live Events allows WWE to expand its audience while reserving gimmick matches for the rivalries that truly deserve them.

Before they step inside Hell in a Cell this Sunday, @CodyRhodes and @WWERollins give the @WWEUniverse a preview on #WWERaw. pic.twitter.com/3cWkNdXXLJ

— WWE (@WWE) June 2, 2022

After extended teases, Bray Wyatt at last made his return to WWE television at Extreme Rules. The comeback has sparked quite a bit of speculation. In particular, a great deal of reporting suggested that Vince McMahon was constantly at odds with Wyatt’s creative vision during his original run with WWE. The conventional wisdom is that Triple H will be a better creative partner. One way or another, there are quite a few fresh matchups and storylines available for The Eater of Worlds. There’s also some merit in looking backward, revisiting some concepts that could work better on a second run-through.

What Went Wrong For The Original Wyatt Family

The Wyatt Family originally launched on NXT, and got over enough that the faction was fast-tracked to the main roster. The core group consisted of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan and got some immediate buzz with upper card feuds, culminating in Wyatt working his first WrestleMania match opposite no lesser opponent than John Cena.

The biggest challenge to the success of the Wyatt Family came down to inconsistency. The group more than once got together, went their separate ways, and reunited without much clear rhyme or reason. Moreover, there inconsistency in how Wyatt was pushed, getting built up only to job to Cena at WrestleMania 30, then encounter the same dynamic opposite The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31. Wyatt rose up so far as to win the WWE Championship heading into WrestleMania 33, only to drop it to Randy Orton there (despite the use of newfound magical powers to get in The Viper’s head).

Harper and Rowan faced a similar rollercoaster journey, pushed as monsters only to fail in their bids to take the tag titles off The Usos. They peaked as The Bludgeon Brothers—away from the faction—but when that run got cut short due to injury, WWE dropped it altogether. Braun Strowman experienced a similar story—brought into the group to dually play an impressive heater on screen and to sit under Wyatt’s learning tree backstage, but he enjoyed the greatest successes of his tumultuous run away from the group.

WWE Can Incorporate Firefly Funhouse Personalities

Whether WWE calls a new Bray Wyatt faction the Wyatt Family, The Wyatt 6, or something else altogether, there remains the possibility of leaning into Firefly Funhouse lore more so than the original swamp cult sensibility Wyatt put forth. Costumed figures, mirroring the Funhouse cast, appeared around the arena at Extreme Rules before Wyatt showed his face. Indeed, fans also picked up on hints—the fact that they were human beings rather than puppets, not to mention the women’s championship belts beside the Abbie the Witch figure—that these characters would become physical presences in the ring moving forward.

It’s unclear how well received a wrestling rabbit or pig character would be. The fact that fans are discussing this very real possibility now, though, speaks to the unique aesthetic Wyatt brings to professional wrestling. These unconventional, presumably masked personas would also open the door to radically rebrand some talents whom fans have been conditioned not to take seriously, or who don’t have very well-defined characters out on their own.

A New Wyatt Family Could Offer A Home To Other Talents

One of the more promising elements of a new Wyatt faction is the idea of revisiting old connections and doing them justice, in contrast to the up-and-down booking The Eater of Worlds and his associates have faced in the past. Alexa Bliss has been directionless most of the year, and teaming up with Bray Wyatt again could reignite her career. Braun Strowman still has some buzz from his own return to WWE, but enough time has passed that fans may welcome seeing him team up with Wyatt again, too, before long. As far as the public knows, Erick Rowan is a free agent whom might be recruited back to WWE as well.

The rumor mill suggests Bo Dallas is set to return to WWE. The company shied away from acknowledging he’s Bray Wyatt’s real-life brother in the past, but it may be time to play that card. A number of fans have speculated that between the tease of women’s title belts and her seemingly casting off her Almost a Super Hero persona recently, Nikki Cross would be an aesthetic fit to team up with Wyatt, too.

One of the refreshing aspects of Triple H taking the reins of WWE creative has been how open he seems to factions, with The Brawling Brutes sharpening their focus, Hit Row re-signing, Imperium and The Club reuniting, Legado Del Fantasma getting their call up to the main roster, and Damage CTRL taking shape. (That’s not to mention The Bloodline continuing their dominant run and Judgment Day getting some momentum.) The Wyatt Family, or some variation on the concept, could offer another group with built in creativity and genuinely different identity than anything else WWE has going today, besides giving a wide swathe of talent something interesting to do in the months ahead.

Bryan Danielson debuted in All Elite Wrestling last year at All Out.

He arrived just after Adam Cole made his debut with the company as well. Danielson stood by Christian Cage and former AEW Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express’ side and battled The Elite to end the PPV. Danielson has had some tremendous matches in All Elite Wrestling but some fans were hoping for more for The American Dragon in the promotion.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1434725051727859713?s=20&t=W18cc0LHRYRcspblFQmT2g

Here are the 3 ways Bryan Danielson has been underutilized in AEW:

Zero Title Reigns

Bryan Danielson arrived in All Elite Wrestling with all the fanfare a wrestler could imagine. His match AEW World Championship with Kenny Omega at Dynamite: Grand Slam last year was legendary. The crowd in Arthur Ashe popped just because the bell rang. Omega and Danielson had a tremendous match that ended in a time-limit draw.

Bryan Danielson vs Kenny Omega last year at Grand slam was genuinely one of the best matches I’ve ever seen.

THAT pop! You just had to be there, man.

Take me back.
pic.twitter.com/IaIaSoIWea

— HNCH? (@HNCHDynamite) September 20, 2022

Speaking of time-limit draw finishes, Bryan Danielson wrestled Hangman Page to a 60-minute draw at AEW Dynamite: Winter is coming on December 15th, 2021. It was another great match, but the build-up to it was what was special in my opinion.

Danielson had morphed into a heel and was doing some of the best work of his career. Hangman Page had just defeated Kenny Omega at Full Gear in November 2021 and had the crowd behind him. Danielson used the time-limit draw as a way to get another match for the title a few weeks later on Dynamite.

Hangman went on to defeat Danielson in just under a half hour to retain the AEW World Championship on the January 5th Dynamite earlier this year. In the past month, Danielson has lost his two other opportunities at a championship. He lost the finals of the Tournament of Champions at this year’s Dynamite: Grand Slam to Jon Moxley. Danielson battled Chris Jericho for the ROH Championship on this past Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite and once again was on the losing end.

There have been multiple opportunities to elevate Bryan Danielson to a higher status on the roster. The timing may not have been right to put the title on Bryan during his feud with Hangman. However, in hindsight, he probably would have gotten a lot more out of a feud with Adam Cole than Hangman did in his forgettable rivalry with him earlier this year.

Just A Part Of The Group

In the months after losing both title matches to Hangman Adam Page, Danielson entered a rivalry with Jon Moxley. They battled at AEW Revolution and Moxley picked up the victory. Bryan was still a heel at the time and wanted to form a partnership with Moxley. Jon wasn’t interested until the two bled together. After the match, Danielson and Moxley continued to fight until the legendary William Regal arrived and thus began the Blackpool Combat Club.

WILLIAM REGAL IS ALL ELITE. WOW ?#AEWRevolution

(via @AEW)pic.twitter.com/raudQ1QvLG

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) March 7, 2022

Following Revolution, Danielson & Moxley wrestled as a tag team for three episodes of Dynamite in a row (3/16, 3/23, 3/30) and then that was it. They didn’t go after the tag titles, instead, they expanded their group. Wheeler Yuta joined the Blackpool Combat Club, followed by former ROH Champion Claudio Castagnoli. Claudio debuted in AEW as Bryan Danielson’s replacement at Forbidden Door on June 26th.

Blackpool Combat Club entered a rivalry with Jericho Appreciation Society that I thought culminated in the Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing in May, but is somehow still going on. The Anarchy in the Arena match pitted Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Santana, Ortiz, and Eddie Kingston against Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Daniel Garcia.

The finish of the match saw Bryan Danielson pass out due to being in the Walls of Jericho and being choked out by Jake Hager at the same time. Danielson’s last victory at an AEW PPV came at Full Gear last year in November against Miro in the finals of the World Title Eliminator tournament.

He then went on to defeat members of the Dark Order until losing to AEW World Champion Hangman Page twice. Somehow Bryan Danielson has found himself as a role player in Blackpool Combat Club and Moxley is firmly established as the biggest star of the group.

Ignoring Today To Build The Stars Of Tomorrow

The storyline between Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson revolved around Daniel Garcia. The 24-year-old is a phenomenal talent in the ring, and the idea of wrestling icons Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson arguing over the direction of Garcia’s career sounds great on paper.

Garcia’s struggle over deciding whether he’s a “sports entertainer” or a “professional wrestler” was entertaining, and prompted the “AEW Galaxy” to chant “you’re a wrestler!” at Daniel several times.

"You're a WRESTLER." Bryan Danielson tells Daniel Garcia here on #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/qdSX1gznmb

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 25, 2022

Jericho Appreciation Society wears ridiculous outfits, is flashy, and parodies Vince McMahon’s “sports entertainment” vision for wrestling. The issue is Vince McMahon resigned from WWE three months ago and the goofiness has already started to fade from RAW and SmackDown. So who are they parodying at this point?

There’s no doubt that Daniel Garcia will benefit from being in Jericho’s group, and would have been a great addition to the Blackpool Combat Club. One has to wonder if there was a better way of telling the story without handing Danielson additional losses.

Cody Rhodes exited All Elite Wrestling because he didn’t want to be a “gatekeeper wrestler”. The American Nightmare put himself into a bit of a box by stating that he wouldn’t challenge for the AEW World Championship again as an EVP if he lost to Chris Jericho at Full Gear 2019. Cody lost the match after MJF threw in the towel on his behalf, and hit Rhodes with a low blow after the bell.

Now, it appears that Bryan Danielson is penciled in as a role player, or a storyline device in All Elite Wrestling. He’s referred to as the “best wrestler on the planet” by AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, but just can never seem to defeat his fellow Blackpool Combat Club member. Or anyone for that matter when a title is on the line.

There is plenty to love about AEW and there is also a lot to criticize. The same could be said for any promotion on the planet. However, the missed opportunities for Bryan Danielson are starting to mount and who knows how long The American Dragon has left inside the squared circle. It would be nice to see Danielson have a moment or two in AEW before it is too late.

Since its inception, AEW has had its core body of devoted fans. They’re the supporters who believed in the company’s vision of posing a meaningful alternative to WWE. They’re fans of the WWE alumni who have been better used under the AEW banner, like Jon Moxley and Christian Cage, as well as fresher talents AEW gave an opportunity to shine like MJF and Hangman Page. They’re fans of faster-paced AEW style embodied in acts like Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

However, for all the fans AEW has amassed, the company also has its vocal critics who have only intensified with time, AEW’s higher profile, and particularly a web of controversies that have put the company under siege in recent months. One common talking point from these critics has been that AEW is looking an awful lot like WCW. While there are superficial similarities, these comparisons are mostly wrongheaded.

Why Some Fans Compare AEW With WCW

There are surface level reasons why someone might relate AEW to WCW. Like WCW, AEW is a rival promotion to WWE, and just so happens to air its weekly programming on Turner cable networks. Just as WCW was financially backed by billionaire Ted Turner and his organization, AEW is owned and operated by billionaire Tony Khan. There’s also the narrative line that like WCW relying on WWE-established stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Bret Hart, AEW has heavily featured talents like Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson.

Additionally, the controversy around CM Punk this summer drew a spotlight to issues with talents having undue influence on the product (as Punk arguably did and may still), besides wrestlers like Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks serving in executive vice president roles. These dynamics harkened back to the narrative of “the inmates running the asylum” in WCW, with figures like Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash wielding different levels of formal or informal stroke during their tenures as on-air talents. WCW was all but synonymous with chaos in its late stages. Between the Punk issues, talents requesting their releases, and the most recent issues pitting Sammy Guevara against Eddie Kingston and Andrade El Idolo, AEW has started to feel the same way to some spectators.

The Management Structure Of WCW Posed Very Different Challenges

One of the fundamental differences between AEW and WCW is the management structure each organization had.  Personalities ranging from Bill Watts to Kevin Sullivan to Eric Bischoff to Vince Russo to Kevin Nash dictated the creative direction of WCW at different points. Regardless of each of these men’s talents and limitations, there were always awkward structures around them answering to non-wrestling people within the Turner or Time Warner organizations.

In his first book and his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff discussed his frustrations working with executives who couldn’t even name what night of the week Nitro aired on. Bischoff has gone on to paint a clear picture that, particularly after Time Warner took over, the powers that be were more interested in ridding themselves of the pro wrestling albatross than setting up WCW to thrive.

Like anyone producing a television product, AEW’s Tony Khan has network executives, advertisers, and other business partners to please. The ownership structure and chain of command is much more streamlined, however. It’s possible Khan could run his company into the ground, but if he does, it won’t be because of decisions that were made over his head within the company, which poses a fundamental difference from how WCW was structured.

AEW Had Been Steady In Its Aesthetic

When fans look back on WCW, there are very distinctive different eras they might consider from its twelve-and-a-half year run. In its early days, WCW largely reflected the same talents and style as Jim Crockett Promotions, in particular anchoring itself around Ric Flair and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

From there, Hulk Hogan signed and launched a two year period in which WCW felt like a WWE Golden Era “tribute band”, featuring many of the big names WWE had spotlighted in the 1980s and a cartoonish vibe.

That gave way to WCW’s greatest commercial success when it recentered around a more realistic tone, rooted in the New World Order faction, accented by the Crow version of Sting and the emergence of stars like Diamond Dallas Page and Goldberg. The wheels came off in the years to follow as WCW teetered out of control with erratic booking and over-reliance on worked shoot angles.

To be fair, AEW has only existed for a little over three years, so it’s too soon to speak to its long-term style and aesthetic. Just the same, from what we’ve seen so far, the company’s direction has been largely steady with an emphasis on in-ring action, a faster pace, and storytelling that is provocative, while rarely soap opera-esque. This is a style of presentation that bears little resemblance to any stage of WCW, instead feeling a bit more like a hybrid of the original ECW and ROH’s heyday.

In the end, every wrestling promotion has some degree of similarity to others, and over time it’s possible AEW will come to legitimately offer more similarities to WCW. For now, though, there are far more differences than commonalities between the two major promotions, and fans are best served to consider AEW on its own merits.        

After weeks of QR codes, Jefferson Airplane blaring at arenas, and hidden messages, the White Rabbit was finally revealed last night at WWE Extreme Rules.

Matt Riddle defeated Seth “Freakin” Rollins last night in the Fight Pit match at Extreme Rules. Following the match, the lights in the Wells Fargo Arena went out and the Firefly Funhouse puppets were shown in human form in the crowd.

A mysterious door then appeared and Bray Wyatt walked through it to an enormous pop from the crowd as Extreme Rules went off the air.

Here are 3 things Bray Wyatt instantly brings to the WWE:

Buzz

Bray Wyatt’s return has been a huge success for WWE in terms of numbers of social media. The return video on YouTube already has garnered close to 1.7 million views less than 24 hours later.

PWInsider provided the following metrics earlier today and they have already gone up drastically:

• YouTube: 1.86 million views (between two videos)
• Twitter: 1.2 million views, 5,252 retweets, 27,200 likes
• Instagram: 437,045 likes
• Facebook: Around 500,000 views
• TikTok: 73,000 views with 20,000 likes

The two videos of Bray’s return (the reveal at the end, Firefly Fun House comes to life) have no accumulated 2.7 million views between the two videos. The numbers provided by PWInsider earlier today were already some of the highest numbers from WWE in 2022. It will be interesting to see how far the views climb over the next few days.

Creativity

WWE’s ‘White Rabbit’ teaser campaign captivated the wrestling world as they tried to put together the pieces from each clue. The QR codes kept viewers locked in and had every wrestling site on the edge of their collective seats trying to post the clues before each other.

It was reported that WWE was mainly “hands off” in the creative process of the White Rabbit campaign because fans were having so much fun with it. The company used fan-assisted viral marketing with the White Rabbit campaign and it was seen as a major success backstage within the company.

Bray Wyatt’s character “The Fiend” wasn’t beloved by every wrestling fan, but there is no doubt that it was creative. The split-personality aspect of the character was compelling as well, as Bray would often portray a demonic Mr. Rogers of sorts in the Firefly Fun House segments. Bray even “wrestled” John Cena in a Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36 in a match you either enjoyed or absolutely hated.

Unfinished Business

Bray Wyatt was released from WWE in July 2021. His final match was a loss against Randy Orton during Night 2 of WrestleMania 37. The Fiend had the match in control but was betrayed by Alexa Bliss at the conclusion of the match. It was never explained why Alexa turned her back on The Fiend and Orton simply moved on from the feud.

Randy spoke with The Ringer Wrestling Show earlier this year about feuding with The Fiend and admitted it was difficult.

You go out there and do your best job. Even though I am lighting a dead guy on fire and he’s the babyface. I had a very hard time trying to make that real, but I feel like I did a good enough job to where even though it was a little cringe-worthy for some people

Randy Orton on working with The Fiend (via The Ringer Wrestling Show)

Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon and Bray Wyatt reportedly had issues during their time working together. AEW star Matt Hardy revealed that Vince and Rotunda (Wyatt) had a strange relationship. Matt claimed that Vince would praise Bray when he did something he liked, but would get overly angry when Wyatt did something he was not a fan of.

Following Vince McMahon’s resignation in late July, Triple H took over the promotion’s creative as the Chief Content Officer. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named the new co-CEOs of the company. Triple H has brought back several released WWE Superstars and Bray Wyatt is the latest at Extreme Rules.

Bray presumably now has more creative freedom than he’s ever had in his career. The Game spoke about Bray before his debut with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport and claimed that Bray can sometimes be a victim of his own mind.

He is one of the most, and I mean this in the best way possible, crazy creative people I’ve ever been around. His mind just never stops thinking of creative, but it’s like being in a whirlwind of stuff, without the harness and without somebody to point the tornado, it’s just all over the place. And he’s a victim of his own mind.

Triple H on working with Bray Wyatt (via BT Sport)

If Triple H can serve as the “harness” for Bray’s tornado of ideas, the WWE Universe could be in store for the best run of Wyatt’s career in years ahead.

"One of the most crazy, creative people I've ever been around. It's like being in a whirlwind, without someone to point the tornado it's all over the place.

I ???? working with him."

When @arielhelwani asked @TripleH about Bray Wyatt in September ?

He's home ? pic.twitter.com/Q38rtzFp4e

— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) October 9, 2022

More from SEScoops:

• WWE & AEW React To Bray Wyatt’s Return
• Bray Wyatt Breaks Silence Following Return At WWE Extreme Rules
• Closer Look At Bray Wyatt’s Creatures From WWE Extreme Rules

Gunther will be defending the Intercontinental Championship against Sheamus this week on the season premiere of SmackDown.

The Ring General and The Celtic Warrior put on an instant classic at Clash at the Castle. In the end, it was Gunther who emerged victorious but the crowd in Cardiff gave Sheamus a standing ovation after the match.

The Celtic Warrior was without his stablemates this past Friday on SmackDown. Butch and Ridge Holland of The Brawling Brutes were stuck in Florida due to the hurricane. Sheamus tried to get in a few shots with his shillelagh but the numbers game caught up to him. Imperium beat The Celtic Warrior down and left him laying in the ring. Sheamus will now enter his Intercontinental Championship match on SmackDown at a distinct disadvantage.

Here are three reasons Sheamus deserves to win the Intercontinental Championship on the season premiere of WWE SmackDown:

The Storyline

The main reason Sheamus should become the Intercontinental Champion is because of his storyline with Gunther. The Ring General has already proven he can defeat Sheamus, but has he proven he can bounce back from a loss?

Gunther has yet to lose a singles match on the main roster and losing a match to a veteran like Sheamus does not equate to getting “buried”. It presents an opportunity to show the WWE Universe just how vicious Gunther can be in his pursuit to get his title back.

Gunther has lost two singles matches in NXT during his WWE career. He lost the NXT UK Championship to Ilja Dragunov in an incredible match at TakeOver 36 and to NXT Champion Bron Breakker in April. Gunther made his main roster debut a few days later on SmackDown and defeated Joe Alonzo in a squash match.

A loss for Gunther would give WWE a reason to have them fight again at an upcoming Premium Live Event. There likely won’t be too many fans complaining about these two facing off again if their match on SmackDown delivers as expected.

In January of 2023 @Gunther_AUT will have been with @WWE for 4 years.

And in that long period of his run he has only suffered TWO clean singles losses.

Crazy statistic to behold. pic.twitter.com/kTG0n81xwF

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) October 5, 2022

The Fans

The Brawling Brutes seemed like they were an act that was destined to fail. They came off as a Vince McMahon creation that maybe would have connected with fans in the 1950s as they would have been wearing similar attire in the audience. Many fans were disappointed to see Pete Dunne portray “Butch”, a scrappy underdog comedy character, instead of The Bruiserweight the WWE Universe had grown to love in NXT.

After Triple H took over creative responsibility for the company, The Brawling Brutes have been presented as a group that fans should take seriously. They battled The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships in a great match a couple of weeks ago on SmackDown.

Butch and Ridge Holland were moments away from becoming champions before Imperium interfered. The Usos escaped with the titles but the crowd was heavily behind The Brawling Brutes.

The crowd in the DCU Center in Worcester this Friday will likely be cheering for Sheamus as well. There is currently a heel faction dominating the top of the promotion with The Bloodline, why not have a babyface group run the midcard?

Sheamus has called this the greatest moment of his wrestling career.

Goosebumps. pic.twitter.com/O6KvPrfpgR

— Humble Wrestling (@WrestlingHumble) September 23, 2022

The Legacy

Sheamus spoke with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport ahead of his Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther at Clash at the Castle. Ariel asked why the title was so important Sheamus gave two reasons.

“The first reason is it’s the one championship that I need to complete my collection and become WWE’s first-ever Ultimate Grand Slam Champion. And number two, it’s because to me it is the first title I watched when I started watching WWE as a kid.

It was the title that was always on television. It was the title I saw every single week and it was the working man’s title. That was a great platform for a lot of talents who started out like you know, Macho Man, Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Shawn (Michaels), all those guys.

Sheamus joined the main roster in 2009 and has had an incredible 12-year career in WWE thus far. The 44-year-old is a four-time World Champion in the company and a three-time United States Champion. He captured the RAW Tag Team Championships four times as well with former WWE star Cesaro, now known as Claudio Castagnoli in All Elite Wrestling.

The Celtic Warrior won the King of the Ring in 2010, the Royal Rumble in 2012, and the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match in 2015. The only thing missing from his resume in WWE is the Intercontinental Championship and it would be great to see that rectified against Gunther on SmackDown.

..is that all you’ve got @Gunther_AUT? See you in Worcester. #kingofthebangers #smackdown pic.twitter.com/y0AIU0OJJI

— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) October 1, 2022

Would you like to see Sheamus win the Intercontinental Championship or would you rather see Gunther continue his dominance this week on WWE SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below.

WWE will present the 14th incarnation of their Extreme Rules event this Saturday night on Peacock and the WWE Network.

There’s been some really good Extreme Rules events in the past, to be sure. But maybe you’re having a hard time even remembering some of them at all, let alone the details of what transpired. In all honesty, many of the shows have been pretty unremarkable with little to remember. That said, there have been a handful of Extreme Rules events that absolutely rise above the rest, including one that is far and away the best in the history of the concept (2012).

So as we prepare for yet another night of WWE Extreme Rules this weekend, let’s take a look back at the best Extreme Rules events in the company’s history (so far).

WWE Extreme Rules 2019

This isn’t a show with any match of the year contenders. What it does have is several very good, above average matches. Perhaps more-so than any other Extreme Rules card, this event was extremely solid and consistent nearly all the way through.

Two of the best tag teams of the 21st century, The Revival (FTR) and The Usos wrestle on this show. You also get Roman Reigns teaming with The Undertaker against Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon, a match that is better than it sounds. Plus, this incarnation of Extreme Rules also includes: Aleister Black vs. Cesaro, The New Day vs. Daniel Bryan and Rowan vs. Heavy Machinery, and AJ Styles vs. Ricochet.

Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe, a match that looked good on paper, didn’t live up to the hype, and this was unfortunately the era where Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch’s real life romance was first turned into an on-screen tag team (absolutely obliterating Becky’s momentum) and they work against Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. But top to bottom, this card is very good for the most part.

WWE Extreme Rules 2016

This was a two-match show, but those two matches are absolute bangers.

A fatal four-way Intercontinental Title Match featuring The Miz, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn absolutely tears the house down. That match is followed up by a main event featuring WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns taking on AJ Styles in an Extreme Rules Match.

Both of these contests were match of the year contenders in 2016 and were significantly better than anything on that year’s WrestleMania (32), a show which was universally seen as disappointing.

WWE Extreme Rules 2011

This card didn’t have any match of the year contenders, but what it did have was three very high level matches. The crowd in Tampa received a treat from top to bottom.

The standout contests were: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk in a Last Man Standing Match, Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match, and John Cena vs. John Morrison vs. The Miz in a triple threat Steel Cage Match.

WWE Extreme Rules 2012

There’s not really much of a debate around the fact that the 2012 edition of Extreme Rules is the best in the history of the show. That year’s event from Chicago was loaded with great matches, including: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match, CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight, and John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules Match.

Cena vs. Lesnar is quite the spectacle. Lesnar’s first PPV match since returning to the company and a brutal one at that. Cena’s take some hard elbows to the face and bleeds hardway to a level that hadn’t been seen in WWE for many years. The decision to put Cena over was criticized at the time, but the match itself is absolutely phenomenal.

• John Cena Shares Heartwarming Story About Record-Breaking WWE Fan

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news. Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

At WrestleMania 38, Roman Reigns unified the WWE and Universal Championships, defeating Brock Lesnar in the Night Two main event.

The title unification came just over eight years after WWE had unified the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships (TLC 2013,) which was 12 years after unifying the WWF and WCW titles (Vengeance 2001.)

From the moment the title-unification match was announced this year, the response was mixed, to say the least.

Even some in the industry have expressed displeasure with the decision, including Drew McIntyre

Now, six months (and one day) later, we ask: did WWE do the right thing?

The Good

On paper, WWE’s decision to unify the titles makes a lot of sense.

AEW, the NWA, Impact Wrestling, and virtually every other promotion in the world have one singular top championship which all wrestlers aspire to win.

While WWE boasts a roster arguably bigger than any other company, the idea of a singular World Champion remains the same.

It’s hard to say that a wrestler represents the very best in your company when there’s someone who gets the same praise on the other brand.

With his victory, Reigns became WWE’s sole champion and settled once and for all who the more dominant star is.

Sure, Reigns had been dominant, entering WrestleMania on day 581 of his Universal title reign, but Lesnar had always been considered just as big a star, if not bigger.

Very rarely can there be two top stars of an era.

We also can’t fault WWE for wanting a high-profile match at WrestleMania, which this certainly was.

An argument can be made that the unification was necessary, to add some much-needed stakes to Lesnar and Reigns’ third WrestleMania outing.

Fans had seen the Beast and the Tribal Chief battle plenty of times before, almost always for a World title, so nothing new would have been created with a third performance.

Instead, the unification gave WWE something new to promote, and seven years into their feud, new was needed.

The Bad

If WWE’s decision to unify the titles made sense on paper, it didn’t work in terms of the fall-out.

Not long after his win, Reigns would compete far less for WWE, and it would be confirmed that his new contract with the company would mean far fewer appearances.

In September, Reigns had just one televised match, and had zero in August, hardly the figures of a champion.

And yet, WWE had invested so much in Reigns by that point, that taking the title off him was impossible.

Now, fans have to wait months to see title defenses from the Tribal Chief, leaving a disgruntled viewing audience.

Sure, the Bloodline has been awesome, but as social media is proving, the collective patience of fans is wearing thin.

It’s not just audiences who aren’t pleased with the prospect of the one title, as folks at the USA Network are said to be unhappy.

We can hardly blame them. Reigns is, after all, a SmackDown Superstar first, and on TV, he makes far more appearances for Team Blue.

Reigns on Raw does happen (and will next week) but it is much rarer with the USA Network losing one of their biggest features, the WWE Championship, and getting a handful of appearances in return.

If the USA Network is unhappy, then we imagine the roster themselves aren’t too thrilled either.

Sure, the idea of two World Champions both being the ‘top guy’ may not have made sense, but it gave some names a chance to shine.

Can you imagine that Daniel Bryan, Christian Cage or Mark Henry would have been given the opportunity to be World Champion, had WWE only had one title in 2011?

All of these stars were deserving of title reigns but at a time where John Cena and CM Punk were dominating the WWE title picture, it’s far more likely that the likes of Cage, Bryan and Henry would have been coming up short at best.

The Future

WWE has one Undisputed Universal Champion at this time, but it may not have one for long.

Not long after Reigns’ April victory, it was reported that WWE had plans to introduce a new, second World title.

There’s no word on whether that plan is still the case, but it was reported more recently that WWE is working on new title designs, including for their richest prize.

However, it wouldn’t be just one championship belt to represent the Undisputed WWE Universal title, but two belts like we have currently, implying that the titles could be separated once again.

We can’t forget a recent report that WWE finds the Reigns situation ‘complex’, wanting two World title matches at WrestleMania 39, but are against Reigns taking a loss before then.

Was it Right?

Ultimately, none of us have the decision power to unify or deunify WWE’s titles.

In April, that power rested solely with Vince McMahon, but rests in the arms of the likes of Triple H, Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon.

But was it right? The majority of people seem to think no, and that a second World title is only fitting for a WWE roster this size.

Will Reigns carry on as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion for much longer, only time will tell, but from what’s been reported, the unification of April 2022 was a huge moment WWE will praise as ‘history-making’ that they are eager to undo.

Roman Reigns Didn’t Know Logan Paul Because He’s ‘Not A 15-Year-Old Little Girl’

One of the realities of professional wrestling is that it’s difficult to predict any individual performer’s career trajectory. It has become a well-known part of John Cena’s story that, at best, he was the fourth brightest prospect from his developmental class behind Brock Lesnar, Batista, and Randy Orton, before emerging as the defining star of his generation.

By contrast, though, there are WWE acts like Crush and Adam Bomb who appeared to have all the tools to be breakout stars and eventual main eventers, only to fall short of that potential. In an even unlikelier outcome, though, these two wound up finding their greatest success teamed up with one another in WCW years later.

Crush Had Several Stages In His WWE Career

Crush debuted in a relatively generic big man role, as a younger third man to join the Demolition tag team, and help cover for Ax’s limitations as he aged out of his full-time wrestling career. Demolition put over a newly arrived Legion of Doom in what felt like a dream blow off of sorts between the two heavy-hitting big men teams of the 1980s, known for face paint and spikes. The feud rang a little hollow, though, for Demolition both having run its course and not being quite the same with a diminished Ax and green Crush representing them.

Crush enjoyed a second life in WWE as a babyface who leaned into his Hawaiian roots, getting a tan and wearing neon as he became a fan favorite. Unfortunately for him, he ran into a roadblock in the form of Doink the Clown. As much as the evil clown had real momentum as a heel act, it was nonetheless hard for the big man to bounce back from losing this feud (though he threatened to as one of the few stars who proved powerful enough to almost body slam Yokozuna when he challenged American wrestlers to try to topple him).

There was one more reboot in store for Crush in WWE, this time as a heel who focused his attention of feuding with Randy Savage. Their issue came to a head at WrestleMania 10 in an innovative variation on a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Crush held his own, but went down in defeat and never really broached that level of stardom again in WWE. He rode out his time with the company the Nation of Domination faction, after which he led the Disciples of Apocalypse group to feud with them in the gang warfare angle.

Adam Bomb Had Big Star Potential In WWE

Adam Bomb emerged for WWE during the New Generation. Big, powerful, and athletic, he overcame what might have otherwise been dismissed as a cartoonish gimmick to mount a winning streak and look as though he were on the cusp of a main event push.

Bomb had new life breathed into his character with a babyface turn. While he did feud with some big names like Bam Bam Bigelow, he nonetheless felt permanently caught in the upper mid-card mix, never breaking through the glass ceiling to better his prospects.

Kronik Became One Of WCW’s Greatest Homegrown Tag Teams

In WCW, Crush went by his legal name, Brian Adams, and Adam Bomb was first billed as Wrath, then reverted to his own real name, Bryan Clark. Each man enjoyed varying degrees of success in the mid-card. Adams was the in nWo mix as an enforcer type for a time. After getting stuck in a strange sub-division of the roster with Glacier for a while, Clark enjoyed a major winning streak, only to be fed to Kevin Nash en route to his feud with Goldberg.

Adams and Clark found one another as part of the New Blood faction, forging a tag team called Kronik. 2000 was a tumultuous year for WCW, but this team presented a real bright spot as the duo were well cast as dominant big men who thrived as heels and faces alike over the course of the year. They had noteworthy battles with The Natural Born Thrillers as well as the pairing of The Great Muta and Vampiro, before settling into a gimmick something like the APA in WWE—muscle for hire that destroyed anyone in their crosshairs.

Unfortunately, Kronik’s tremendous success was largely shrouded by what happened when the team crossed over to WWE during the Invasion angle. Things looked promising when they were positioned opposite The Undertaker and Kane, The Brothers of Destruction. However, The Dead Man and The Big Red Machine crushed them in kayfabe, and Kronik wound up looking terrible in their televised matches, appearing unworthy of their featured spot. Jim Ross discussed the team’s WWE run on his Grilling JR podcast, and suggested that Vince McMahon wanted them to step back into developmental to improve upon their act, but the tag team felt insulted and it was the beginning of the end of their WWE returns.

In the end, the Kronik and its component pieces never quite realized their potential in WWE. For a moment in WCW, though, they were transcendent—one of the best big man pairs and homegrown tag teams the promotion ever had. Their accomplishments have grown lost to the sands of time, but they were a special unit at their peak in 2000.

The Daily Mail was one of the first online publications to post a story about the Sept.30 death of Antonio Inoki, the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Desperately seeking a sports figure to compare Inoki, the Mail called him “Japan’s Dennis Rodman.” Other than using their respective sports for ill-advised diplomacy to North Korea, the two had nothing in common. Rodman had taken a group of basketball players to North Korea in a diplomatic move, which was against advisement of the US government. Inoki ran a joint show in the country with WCW and New Japan in the 90s in front of 300,000 people.

There’s no one in Western life comparable to Inoki, someone who became as influential as any major politician and celebrity. His own life story and resume would make for a great museum exhibit.

His childhood was fraught with family tragedy and athletic accomplishment. His own ambition got him fired twice from Japan’s biggest promotion. His starpower led to a fight with Muhammad Ali when the heavyweight champion was the most famous person in the world. He saved pro wrestling in Japan and grew it to massive heights – then nearly killed it years later.

Inoki was born on Feb. 20, 1943, just weeks after the last Japanese soldiers retreated from Guadalcanal, the tipping point of the war. His father died when he was 5. In the 1950s, with Japan’s economy still reeling from the war, he moved with his mother, grandfather and family to Brazil. His grandfather didn’t survive the trip. In South America, he continued to excel in sports, mainly track and field. He met Rikidozan – the father of Japanese wrestling – when he was 17 years old and returned to Japan to train with the master himself and Karl Gotch. Among his fellow students was Giant Baba. The two were the clear standouts, and the trajectory of wrestling in Japan was set for the next half century.

When Rikidozan died in 1963, Inoki found himself on the outs with his mentor’s promotion, Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA). In 1966, he went to the U.S for nearly two years, wrestling in high profile matches throughout many of the of the top NWA territories at the time. Houston, Central States in St. Louis, Southwest Sports in Texas, Dallas, WWA in California among numerous others. He won the NWA Texas title wrestling for Fritz Von Erich in Dallas and two versions of the NWA World Tag Team titles, once in Dallas with Duke Keomuka (an innovative judo practitioner and father of 80s and 90s AWA, NWA and WWF star Pat Tanaka) and in Tennessee with Hiro Matsuda, who trained Hulk Hogan.

By late 1967, he returned to Japan and was wrestling tag matches with Baba. Their list of opponents included American names that would fill a Hall of Fame – including Dick Murdoch, Harley Race, Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr. Baba and Inoki lost the NWA International Tag titles to the Funk Brothers in July 1971, according to cagematch.net. He opened New Japan a year later, defeating his former trainer Karl Gotch, on the Opening Series card.

The fight against Ali began with a flippant remark at a banquet, when he was introduced to a Japanese amateur wrestling official and said he would pay any “Oriental” fighter $1 million if they could beat him. .

The statement sparked headlines in Japan. Inoki accepted, with financial backers in Japan offering Ali millions for the fight. The two sides came to a deal in the spring, with Inoki famously giving Ali a crutch and it billed as The War of the Worlds. Gene LeBell was picked as the referee. Ali supposedly trained with The Sheik leading up to the fight, and took on pro wrestlers in two televised exhibition fights. Reaction to the fight was split between fans, reporters and fighters, with some deriding it as a fix and others seeing it as a true martial arts test. The fight later became known as a precursor to mixed-martial arts.

One factor was Inoki’s technique of laying on his back and swinging kicks at Ali’s legs, which he did constantly during the fight. This sparked outrage from people who watched the fight, but the same strategy was employed for years in the UFC whenever grapplers faced opponents with strong standup and boxing backgrounds. An estimated 1.4 billion people watched the fight on television, according to The Japan Times, in article published after Ali’s death in 2016.

The fight was a draw, which sparked a riot at Budokan and at several arenas worldwide where the event was being broadcasted. Ali suffered blood clots in his legs, which hampered his famous agility the rest of his career. The fight was considered a blemish on both men, with the draw and the negotiated rules of the fight giving both outs. Many blasted Inoki for laying on his back, accusing him of being fearful of approaching Ali, but he blamed the rules that were negotiated that didn’t allow him to exercise chops, tackles and other offensive moves.

Inoki held the WWF title after a 1979 win over Bob Backlund in Japan, but the win was never acknowledged by the company. He also remained active as a trainer. His students include The Great Muta, Shinsuke Nakamura, Akira Maeda, Satoru Sayama (the original Tiger Mask) among dozens of others.

New Japan became the birthplace for the light heavyweight and cruiserweight style that became popular in the United States in the late 1990s in WCW. The style is now the default for wrestlers of all sizes in the U.S. A series of matches between Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid from 1981 to 1984 brought the style to prominence in Japan and to the WWF, when the two wrestled for the company in the U.S. Jushin Liger became one of the most traveled and influential wrestlers in the world as the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion.

By the mid 1990s, New Japan was a powerhouse, running the Tokyo Dome four times a year. By this time, Inoki was also in politics and was elected to office in 1989. He met with Saddam Hussein to negotiate for the release of Japanese hostages prior to the beginning of the Gulf War. Ironically, Ali was also in Iraq during this period asking for the release of U.S. hostages who were working in the country.

The promotion was working regularly with WCW during the period, including the Collision in Korea card. The show was broadcast on PPV in the U.S., but hasn’t been made available since. The show had many near-misses for talent who came into the country. North Korean officials wanted Ric Flair to read off a propaganda card claiming that North Korea was superior to the U.S. and could easily defeat them. He instead said the country was beautiful. Many of the WCW talent felt the show was an attempt by Inoki to push his political career, and weren’t ready for the circumstances they were going to deal with inside the country. They were monitored almost constantly and several incidents between security and wrestlers resulted. The show was the subject of an episode of Dark Side of the Ring.

Inoki’s last blast in pro wrestling led to him selling his company. With the emergence of MMA in the mid 1990s and the success of Pride Fighting Championships, Inoki began pairing pro wrestlers against shoot fighters in New Japan and in his own UFO fighting promotion. What resulted was a disaster for New Japan, with many of its top stars getting injured or having their images wrecked in shoot fights they weren’t trained. By 2002, many of New Japan’s top stars began leaving the company over “Inokism,” which was the name given to Inoki’s obsession with mixing pro wrestling and MMA and Inoki sold the company to Yuke’s – a video game maker – in 2005. Inoki would remain on commentary for many of New Japan’s shows, but he was no longer booking them. His brother remained involved until Yuke’s moved tag wrestled Gedo to the role in the late 2000s.

Gedo’s booking brought the company back to pro wrestling and into the present. Relying on Hiroshi Tanahashi, who brought the company back to profit and sellouts, starting with his first IWGP World title run in 2006. Emphasizing traditional Japanese wrestling, along with Gedo’s love of American NWA territory style storytelling, the company began to boom. One of Inokism’s biggest victims – Shinsuke Nakamura – would become one of New Japan’s new faces, as he dropped his MMA sports style and adopted a new style based on his love of rock stars Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson and became the company’s leading heel.

Inoki returned to politics in 2013, winning election to the Diet again. He stayed in office before retiring in 2019 from politics, around the time his second wife died. He would appear at an event for the ZERO-1 promotion that year.

Despite the achievements as a promoter and politician, Inoki’s most memorable moments were in the ring.

While his fight with Ali is still his most memorable bout – whether booked or shoot – it was two matches that have kept in the conscious of the modern wrestling fan. A match against The Great Antonio – turned into an actual fight. He began stiffing Inoki with shots and no-selling his offense. Inoki returned the favor by stomping his head repeatedly before the fight was called by the refs.

The other was the debut of Big Van Vader in 1987. Inoki was looking to create a hot gaijin, and Vader fit the role with his massive size and athletic ability. When the rookie Vader debuted against Inoki in 1987 at Sumo Hall, Inoki lost in mere minutes – his first defeat in years. Fans were so shocked by the loss they began rioting and tore the ring apart – similar to what happened after his fight with Ali.

Saraya, formerly known as Paige in WWE, made her debut for All Elite Wrestling last Wednesday at Dynamite: Grand Slam.

The special edition of Dynamite aired live From Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. Toni Storm defended the AEW Interim Women’s Championship against Britt Baker, Serena Deeb, and Athena. Toni won the match to retain the title was attacked from behind by Britt and Serena. Jamie Hayter made her way to the ring but it was revealed that she is still aligned with Britt Baker.

The heels beat Toni Storm and Athena down until Falling in Reverse’s “Zombified” blared through the speakers. Saraya made her debut and came down to the ring to a tremendous reaction. Britt, Serena, Rebel, and Jamie all retreated as Saraya stood tall with Toni and Athena in the ring.

Star Power

Saraya instantly brings star power to the women’s division as evident by the reaction she received during her debut. She was The Anti-Diva in because she didn’t look like other female WWE Superstars and many fans connected to her.

People around the world also found out about Saraya (Paige) on the hit reality show Total Divas. Her debut at Dynamite: Grand Slam has already garnered close to 1.5 million views in five days. She also has 2.7 million followers on Twitter, 9 times the amount of MJF and Britt Baker, and over double the total of followers former AEW EVP Cody Rhodes currently has.

Thanks @Lizzy_Cupcake for capturing me in my prime hiding attire last night ? pic.twitter.com/YsVXEvjT5K

— SARAYA (@Saraya) September 22, 2022

Experience

Saraya performed in WWE as Paige from 2011 – 2022. Her final match for the company happened at a house show in 2017. Sasha Banks connected with a kick to the back of her neck and it marked the end of her in-ring career for WWE.

She became the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion and held the title for 301 days. Her reign only came to an end because she defeated AJ Lee to become the Divas Champion on the RAW after WrestleMania 30. She would team with AJ Lee to defeat The Bella Twins a year later at WrestleMania 31, in what would be AJ’s final match.

After becoming the youngest Divas Champion in company history at the age of 21, she shared the ring with some of the best female wrestlers on the planet for years in WWE.

Following her in-ring career, Paige served as the SmackDown GM for a bit before becoming a manager for former WWE Superstar Kairi Sane and Asuka’s tag team known as The Kabuki Warriors. Asuka and Kairi eventually turned on Paige by spitting green mist in her face.

She also was a co-host of the talk show WWE Backstage on Fox from 2019-2020. Saraya has been a full-time wrestler, a GM, a manager, and a media pundit all before the age of thirty. WWE opted not to resign Paige and her contract expired earlier this year in June.

Today 7 years ago at WrestleMania 31 (03/29/2015)

AJ Lee and Paige defeated The Bella twins in a tag team match making AJ 2-0 at WrestleMania!

This would be AJ's final WrestleMania before deciding to retire ? pic.twitter.com/iqDSTnFMgT

— C. ??? (@LitasaultBanks) March 29, 2022

Leadership

In addition to accomplishing so much in her career that there has already been a movie made about her, Saraya has also experienced the downfalls of being a public figure.

She has been subjected to personal leaks, a dysfunctional relationship that played out in the public eye, suspensions, injuries, you name it, she has dealt with it.

Saraya has been through everything there is to go through when it comes to being a popular professional wrestler. AEW appears to have an abundance of backstage issues as of late, including the AEW Women’s Champion bowing out of her title match a few days before All Out.

It remains unclear if Saraya is cleared to return to the ring or has signed with All Elite Wrestling for another role. As proven throughout her career, Saraya can do just about anything in the wrestling business. Saraya will address the crowd tomorrow night on Dynamite in her first promo in AEW.

Following her shocking arrival at #AEWDynamite: Grand Slam that blew the roof of Arthur Ashe stadium, we will hear from @saraya this Wednesday night on #AEWDynamite LIVE at 8pm ET / 7pm CT on @TBSnetwork pic.twitter.com/9YvHuSy4Ub

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 26, 2022

Welcome to @AEW! @Saraya is ALL ELITE!

Thank you to everyone watching #AEWDynamite Grand Slam TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/8DUePoOsar

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) September 22, 2022

Are you excited about Saraya’s arrival in AEW? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Sami Zayn’s journey to becoming an Honorary UCE has been wildly entertaining and some of the best content WWE has produced in years.

On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Roman Reigns made it seem like The Bloodline was finally going to betray Sami. The Honorary Uce had spent months trying to join the group despite Jey Uso’s objections. The Tribal Chief demanded that Sami remove his The Bloodline shirt after he dared to speak.

Roman instructed Jey to rip off the shirt and Uso obliged. The Locker Room leader stood in the ring, shirtless and heartbroken, as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion continued to mock him. Reigns then suddenly changed his tune and tossed him a new “Honorary Uce” shirt to signify he’s a member of The Bloodline. Sami quickly put on the shirt, acknowledged Roman as his Tribal Chief and gave him a hug to end the segment.

While the ideal situation for Sami would be to become Intercontinental Champion and bring more gold to The Bloodline, the odds are that eventually the group will view him as expendable.

https://twitter.com/mckenzieas93V2/status/1573768210293424128?s=20&t=OUrNJqSA6VxfvG41yYyJww

When the time comes, here are three ways The Great Liberator can destroy The Bloodline:

With An Old Friend

The Usos have been Undisputed Tag Team Champions for an incredible 433 days. Sami’s old friend and rival, Kevin Owens, recently tried to talk some sense into The Locker Room Leader but Sami wasn’t hearing it.

Jey Uso then battled Kevin Owens in a singles match and Sami had the opportunity to hit KO with a steel chair but opted not to. This led to Jey getting angry at Sami and taking his eyes off of Owens. Kevin then planted Jey with the Stunner for the pinfall victory.

KO has not held a championship in WWE since he was United States Champion in 2017. He’s never held a tag team championship in the company. It would make sense for Kevin to come to Sami’s rescue if The Bloodline ever turns its back on him. The Usos versus Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens is a match the WWE Universe would certainly be excited about.

To clarify, I didn’t hit Kevin Owens because I felt the ref could see me in his periphery and I didn’t want to cause Jey Uso to lose by DQ.

I’ve explained this to The Bloodline and the issue has been resolved. Friday’s championship celebration will proceed as planned. Thank you.

— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) August 31, 2022

From Within

Solo Sikoa made his main roster debut at Clash at the Castle during the main event. Roman Reigns defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre at the Premium Live Event in Cardiff, Wales. It appeared that Drew was going to walk out as the new champion but Sikoa interfered. The Tribal Chief was able to capitalized with his third Spear of the night to retain the championship.

Sikoa then went on to win the NXT North American Championship, successfully defend the title against Madcap Moss on an episode of SmackDown, only to have it stripped from him on the following NXT because was not “sanctioned to compete” in the title match against Carmela Hayes.

Despite those questionable booking decisions, one thing that is not in question is Solo’s admiration for the Honorary Uce. Sikoa has shown no animosity towards Zayn and that has only caused Jey Uso to get more frustrated. Sikoa had his main roster debut match against Drew McIntyre on the September 9th edition of SmackDown.

Solo said he wanted to go into the match alone but told Sami that he appreciates his offer to help him. Jey got frustrated and said that the entire Bloodline would be ringside for the match. On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Ricochet and Madcap Moss had a conversation with Sami Zayn backstage. They tried to tell him that he’s not actually a part of The Bloodline and Solo brutally attacked them.

It was later announced that Sami & Solo will battle Madcap & Ricochet next week in a tag team match. Sami and Solo could team up against The Usos if The Bloodline were to ever implode, or Zayn could have Sikoa’s back if he decides he’s done answering to The Tribal Chief.

pic.twitter.com/rBPz2lfOTG

— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) September 24, 2022

On His Own

Sami Zayn is a former NXT Champion and a three-time Intercontinental Champion. Much like Kevin Owens, he also has never been a tag team champion in the company. Unlike Kevin Owens, he’s never held a major championship in WWE. Owens captured the Universal Championship in 2016 after Triple H betrayed Seth Rollins and hit him with a Pedigree.

This scenario seems highly unlikely, but this is wrestling so anything can happen. Sami’s already become one of the more entertaining parts of SmackDown as he tries to fit in with The Bloodline, it’s hard to imagine how popular he’d be if he was the underdog that refused to stand down against them.

Zayn versus Reigns looks and sounds like a mismatch because it is. However, Daniel Bryan versus Triple H was a mismatch. Daniel Bryan versus Batista and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat was a mismatch.

The crowd bought it because they were invested in Daniel Bryan because he is one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet that also has the ability to connect with fans. In my opinion, Sami has already proven to be more than a B+ player because he made a match with Johnny Knoxville memorable. It is a long shot, but in a weird way it could be what is “best for business”.

.@SamiZayn has OFFICIALLY become the Honorary Uce of #TheBloodline!@WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/kDEuGLGkNX

— WWE (@WWE) September 24, 2022

How would you like to see the storyline between Sami Zayn and The Bloodline play out? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sammy Guevara and Eddie Kingston are set to battle this Friday night at AEW Rampage Grand Slam from Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Grand Slam is one of All Elite Wrestling’s biggest events of the year and there are several exciting matchups on both Dynamite and Rampage this week. Friday’s Grand Slam edition of Rampage will be a special two-hour show.

Guevara and Kingston were supposed to square off at All Out but real-life personal issues prevented the match from happening. The issue stemmed from a Rampage taping in August. Sammy cut a promo in the ring with Tay Melo and called Eddie a “fat piece of sh*t”. Kingston got heated about the comments and confronted Sammy backstage.

The altercation led to Eddie getting suspended for two weeks and their match at AEW All Out being canceled. Eddie apologized for his actions, Sammy issued a statement, and the two men have apparently put the real-life issue behind them so that they can work together again. The promo never aired on television but a fan uploaded the footage and you can check it out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zYSIwrxvMg&t=42s

The Benefit of Using Real-Life Drama In Storylines

Eddie Kingston cut a promo about the upcoming match and stated that he doesn’t respect Sammy Guevara and thinks he’s a horrible person. Kingston vowed to “beat the piss” out of Guevara this Friday at Rampage Grand Slam.

“You may think I don’t like you or I don’t respect you because of the things you say, or because you are so in love with Twitter, and the only reason why you are in this great sport is to be famous. You don’t care, but nah Sammy, it is not because of any of that. No man, I don’t like you and I don’t respect you because inside when I look into your eyes, I see nothing but a horrible, rotten human being. You make me sick and that is why I am going to beat the piss out of you in Queens.”

The heated rivalry comes to a head when @MadKing1981 collides with #JerichoAppreciationSociety’s @sammyguevara this FRIDAY at #AEWRampage #GrandSlam for a 2-hour special at 10pm ET/9pm CT on @TNTdrama pic.twitter.com/9g5oMfRywj

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 18, 2022

Eddie’s brief promo above is a great example of how a real-life issue can be spun into a positive in the wrestling business. He clearly does not like Sammy personally, but that doesn’t mean they cannot provide an entertaining product to fans as professionals. The Mad King is always passionate in his promos, but you can tell when there is something extra behind it.

There was nothing cute about what he said about Sammy Guevara and there were no jokes. He simply called Sammy a horrible person that he wants to beat the hell out of in the match. Enough said, I’m sold. Kingston also got personal in his memorable rivalry with CM Punk leading up to their match at Full Gear and it added to the rivalry. This was before CM Punk decided to get offended about such things.

An explosive scene on #AEWRampage all channeled toward @CMPunk vs @MadKing1981 at #AEWFullGear this Saturday on PPV – Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE NATIONWIDE on @tntdrama NOW! pic.twitter.com/bYJieRLXz9

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 11, 2021

Can CM Punk & The Elite Do The Same?

It seems ludicrous to suggest that CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks could put their issues behind them at this point, but some fans are still holding out hope. In case you’ve been under a rock, CM Punk went on an expletive-filled rant about Colt Cabana, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks following winning the title at All Out.

Instead of talking about becoming champion again, Punk opted to go on a twenty-minute rant while eating muffins. To make matters worse, he was also injured during the match and relinquished the title again. He is a two-time AEW Champion without making a single title defense.

The former AEW Champion claimed that the EVPs (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) could not even manage a target and blamed them for starting the rumors that he wanted to get Colt Cabana fired. The EVPs then confronted CM Punk in his locker room and a wild Ace Steel appeared. Ace Steel is/was an AEW producer that was unknown to the audience until the Wednesday before All Out, in which he delivered a passionate promo to convince CM Punk to accept the match against Jon Moxley.

The circumstances surrounding the brawl make it seem highly unlikely that CM Punk and The Elite could work together in the future, but they would have everyone’s attention if they did. AEW Brawl Out remains one of the biggest stories of the year and people are still awaiting to find out the repercussions for everyone involved.

While CM Punk probably shouldn’t be relied on to carry the company anymore as he’s injured again, a Trios match with FTR against The Elite would be instant money for AEW. One can only hope that CM Punk and The Elite can follow in Eddie Kingston’s footsteps and put the past behind them. Hopefully, a positive can be found in Punk’s injury and it might actually allow the time needed for cooler heads to prevail.

• CM Punk is Probably Not Returning to AEW

Whoever made this CM Punk – Dark Side Of The Ring parody deserves a bloody raise… pic.twitter.com/NlcODNdD6K

— Adam Wilbourn (@adamwilbourn) September 7, 2022

Two weeks after the attacks on Sept. 11, a then 12-year-old Jacob Grondy was on his way to the airport – and he was scared.

Not only was this his first flight, but he was dealing with what many in the country were feeling – fear of flying due to the recent attacks. But a surreptitious introduction with a few pro wrestling passengers – thanks to the just-released Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 issue – assuaged his fears.

Grondy’s flight out of the Raleigh, N.C. airport was shared by the Hardy Boys, Amy Dumas – who wrestled for the WWF at the time as Lita – and Shane Helms on board. They were four of the hottest acts in the WWF at the time and were heroes to a 12-year-old Grondy, especially after they turned what could have been a traumatic experience into one of his favorite childhood memories.

“I was honestly trying to act tough,” Grondy said. “But as we were getting closer to the airport, I was visibly scared. I wasn’t talking at all, which was extremely rare (for me) as a kid.”

On the way to the airport, his dad gave him a copy of the PWI 500 issue to read and keep his mind off the recent attacks. Growing up in North Carolina, Grondy said he was immersed in pro wrestling. As a kid he watched WCW and the WWF religiously and was excited when ECW made its TNN television debut. He’s continued to be a fan well into adulthood. He hosts a podcast called Curtain Jerkin’ on Spotify.

The issue provided a bit of a distraction, but it was who he saw in the airport that relieved his fears.

“I don’t remember anything other than getting to the terminal, sitting down and looking up – and there was Jeff Hardy,” Grondy said. “He was dressed exactly how you would see him on TV. I leapt up in excitement. My dad had a pen on him and gave it to me so I could ask to get my PWI signed.”

Jeff walked Grondy over to his brother Matt Hardy to get his autograph. Matt then said they should get him Lita’s as well. As he walked back to his dad, his dad was smiling with relief, that he wasn’t as scared as he had been when he got to the airport. As he sat back down, he was approached by Shane Helms – who had just joined the WWF after the WCW sale and was beginning his Hurricane Helms gimmick. He said Helms asked to sign the issue, then asked if he could read it on the plane.

“As I let him read it, that’s when I realized that no terrorist was going to take down this plane, Team Extreme wasn’t going to let that happen,” Grondy said.

Grondy shared this story with Jeff at a meet-and-greet a year ago.

“He thought it was pretty cool.”

Grondy and his dad were flying to the United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis. It was the final race of the Formula 1 season, and was the first international sporting event to take place after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“(I) couldn’t tell you who won the race we went to, but every year the PWI 500 comes out I look back at that moment fondly. It was definitely a childhood highlight.”