SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
A few updates to go over before we get down to the analysis:
•Reports indicate that Miro (f/k/a Rusev) has re-signed with WWE. Following a tumultuous exit over his dissatisfaction with his booking, and an equally tumultuous stint in AEW, it’ll be interesting to see how Miro contends with an increasingly crowded main-event scene that may not accommodate his specific visions for his character.
•WWE recently announced they would be moving to Netflix in India. As an Indian-American with the majority of my family in India, I’m so excited that it’ll be even easier to annoy my family with my love of professional wrestling. On a more serious note, while Netflix has a huge international presence, it often suffers from low usage in countries where cable is much cheaper (i.e India). I’m curious to see if this move actually translates to a greater number of eyes on the product.
•Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joined the Raw commentary team this week. He sucked.
•”The Death Of WCW” had a very interesting quote about wrestling promotions: When a promotion is hot, they can do no wrong. When a promotion is cold, they can do no right.
On the heels of last week’s extremely interesting Smackdown, I got to thinking about this quote. WWE is the hottest it’s ever been in two decades. Arenas are molten-hot, hype is at a fever pitch, and Triple H can’t stop bragging about broken records. But, stepping back, there’s no denying that the build for this year’s WrestleMania has begun to feel like a step down from years past.
The schedule hasn’t done WWE any favors. With nearly two months this year between Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania, many of the stories heading into the biggest show of the year didn’t really kick into high gear until after Elimination Chamber, rather than Royal Rumble. And while the length of time overall was the same, this led to builds feeling much shorter and rushed this year. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind shorter builds. But especially for the “long-term storytelling” that WWE prides itself on, there’s no denying that the pacing hasn’t exactly been on-point recently.
Combined with the year’s biggest feud (Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena) coming off as mildly deflating, the hype train doesn’t seem to be moving quite as fast this year. Cena’s character-work has been top-notch, and the concept of disrespecting the audience by refusing to change your presentation as a heel has been superbly executed. But it has the side effect of an audience unable to boo to their heart’s desire, which undoes the electricity of the overall show. This meta-heel style didn’t work for Cody Rhodes in AEW, and it’s falling flat here, too.
Combine that with a few other programs not quite at peak investment, and WWE for the first time has an uphill road ahead of them to execute WrestleMania at the level they’ve set for themselves since Triple H took over.
What exactly am I talking about? Let’s review:
NAOMI vs. JADE CARGILL
Latest Developments:
Following her return from injury at the Elimination Chamber, Jade Cargill viciously attacked her former ally Naomi, leaving mutual friend Bianca Belair stunned.
The following week, Belair begged Naomi to say that she was innocent. But Naomi admitted to the crime, claiming she did it for herself and Belair to be champions together. Cargill arrived, laying out Naomi multiple times over the next few weeks.
Naomi cut a promo, believing she did the right thing attacking Cargill, unable to understand why everyone called her the bad guy. After all, she was the one who had known Belair for years, and she deserved to be champion. Last week, following yet another brawl, a furious Nick Aldis had enough of the chaos and confirmed the two would have a match at Wrestlemania.
Analysis:
The first ever non-stipulation women’s singles match at WrestleMania. And, frankly, this feud found its way to the top of the hype train. This was the first week where Cargill finally seemed to have found some comfort in her character. The babyface beatdown felt less stiff and more passionate than usual, and Cargill’s emotion felt more raw this week. Her in-ring limitations still seem to be apparent, but WWE seems to have found a rhythm to building her matches that more effectively hides her weaknesses. If they can just stick to keeping this match as a messy brawl, Cargill should come out of it a superb babyface for the women’s mid-card.
But the real star of the show is Naomi. People laud Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre for reinventing themselves in other companies, but Naomi did the same thing. Over the past few weeks, she’s sold her new heel persona with a level of menace and brutality never seen before. Her blend of delusion and sadism is top-notch, and she’s carried the brunt of the program by being such an effectively dangerous antagonist for Cargill to bulldoze on a weekly basis. Naomi comes across as a heel superstar, the “Hollywood” Rock to Cargill’s Goldberg (remember that feud?).
Despite the storyline largely diverting from its original focus (Bianca Belair caught between her two allies), Naomi and Cargill have delved into the one-on-one feud with aplomb. Out of every program in the WWE, this one feels more visceral and violent, and the weekly pull-apart brawls actually feel warranted and add to the presentation. They truly feel like two violent forces colliding in the ring, with Cargill’s sheer power against Naomi’s manic violence.
Simple booking and character work, but an effective grudge feud going into WrestleMania season.
Grade: A
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
DREW MCINTYRE PREPARES FOR WAR
Latest Developments:
Drew McIntyre recently developed a rivalry against Damian Priest following Priest eliminating him from both the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber, and pointing out the logical flaws in his quests for revenge over the last year. McIntyre began targeting Priest as the man who benefited most from his downfall and personal vendettas over the past year.
Over the past few weeks, McIntyre and Priest continued attacking each other at every opportunity, and eventually began to interfere in each other’s matches. Two weeks ago, yet another violent altercation happened when McIntyre was ambushed by Priest after running his mouth, and thrown into a car windshield. In an apparent nod to CM Punk’s AEW altercations, a piece of glass was caught in McIntyre’s eye.
Last week, an eyepatch-wearing McIntyre cut a promo on Priest, claiming that he rode McIntyre’s coattails to relevancy. Despite believing he might never fight the same due to his eye injury, McIntyre warned Priest to be ready for him.
Analysis:
No one goes off the deep end better than Drew McIntyre. But, after over a year of tis heel character, it’s beginning to feel like McIntyre has mined all he can out of this dynamic. Out of all his opponents, Priest has the least amount of chemistry with McIntyre on the mic and it’s really caused the program to suffer. Outside of the title scene, McIntyre has worked best when his opponent is diametrically opposed to him. With Punk, it was his smarminess going up against McIntyre’s rage. With Jey Uso, it was his genuine desire to atone for his sins.
But with Priest? There just isn’t that clash of ideologies. If anything, McIntyre’s right. Priest has benefited more than anyone from McIntyre’s downfall in the past year, and the feud hasn’t allowed Priest to plead his case beyond simply engaging in brawls. And, despite both men being able to put on a good match with anyone, this hasn’t led to a super-interesting build.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s nowhere near bad. McIntyre’s still dynamite on the mic, and Priest plays a babyface surprisingly well. But overall, especially for WrestleMania, it feels undercooked and running on fumes. If given the time, we should get a great match out of this, but beyond that both wrestlers are due for something that allows them to explore a different dynamic.
Grade: B-
THE TAG TITLES PATH GROWS MORE TWISTED
Latest Developments:
Following months of anarchy and intertwined in the Smackdown Tag Team Division, Nick Aldis straightened things out by granting The Street Profits their long-awaited title shot against then-champs DIY, who had retained their titles against MCMG multiple times with the help of Pretty Deadly.
The following week, after a hard-fought battle, The Street Profits reclaimed the WWE Tag Team Championships. The Profits’ celebratory speech was interrupted by Pretty Deadly, who called their shot for the titles next (which they won in a hard fought contender’s match). Backstage, Pretty Deadly refused DIY’s offer to help them cheat, mirroring Pretty Deadly’s original toxic relationship with DIY treating them poorly while dangling a title shot over them. MCMG watched from the sidelines, laughing at DIY’s comeuppance.
Pretty Deadly lost their title match, allowing DIY and MCMG to fight it out last week to be the next #1 contender. Despite DIY’s violent offense, MCMG won and became the new #1 contenders.
Meanwhile, Carmelo Hayes and The Miz recently formed an alliance, and entered the tag title scene by mocking Pretty Deadly last week. Pretty Deadly fired back in kind, and the two teams set a match for this Friday.
Analysis:
I wasn’t sure about Pretty Deadly losing their title shot last week, and I’m equally not sure about MCMG becoming official #1 contenders two weeks out from WrestleMania. By all accounts, that seems like we’ve solidified the WrestleMania program. And, frankly, given that WWE has specifically called out the tangled-up state of rivalries in the tag division, it feels like a waste to seemingly be building up a one-on-one match. Out of all the rumored multi-man matches this year, this feels like the one division where that would be warranted. I’ve lauded WWE’s interconnected tag team storytelling recently, and letting the entire division go at it would actually be a serviceable finale to the web WWE has so skillfully created. Even if that’s the ultimate plan, the build not highlighting the sheer number of teams vying for the gold feels like a missed opportunity.
Additionally, the surprise addition to the division in Melo Don’t Miz is interesting, but ultimately a disappointing reminder of Carmelo Hayes’s booking in the past few months. I was willing to give the “egotistical heel on a losing streak” gimmick the benefit of the doubt, but now it feels like that’s died out. He hasn’t exactly been buried, but it feels like he should be a little higher on the card than he currently is.
Grade: C+
L.A. KNIGHT vs. JACOB FATU
Latest Developments:
Braun Strowman and U.S. Champion L.A. Knight had both developed beef with The Bloodline’s constant heel presence on Smackdown. Following this, Strowman and Knight became situational allies.
Following his loss to Roman Reigns and losing the “Tribal Chief” title, Solo Sikoa left WWE programming. Meanwhile, Jacob Fatu began to unofficially take over as The New Bloodline’s leader following the loss of confidence of Solo Sikoa Their dynamic began slowly shifting, with Fatu asserting his presence in the group’s promos while the once-domineering Sikoa began to take a backseat.
Strowman won against Fatu in a #1 contender’s match for the title thanks to Solo Sikoa’s botched interference. But when Strowman faced off against Knight for the U.S. Championship, the match ended in a DQ when a vengeful Fatu interfered. Backstage, Fatu lost his temper, hinting he had lost faith in Sikoa and vowing to bring home gold with or without him.
Last week, after Knight defeated Tama Tonga in a quick match displaying his dominance over the Samoan family, Strowman and Fatu faced off in a Last Monster Standing rematch to determine the title’s next contender. After a fierce war, Fatu was able to beat the count and earn a title shot.
Analysis:
The subtle in-ring storytelling of Jacob Fatu wrestling like a main eventer was superb this week. Upon entering the U.S. Title scene, Fatu applied the same techniques he had always used: bulldoze through everything. WWE’s use of Braun Strowman, one of their best-booked big men in the past decade, as the opponent symbolized the history Fatu was proving he could stand up to.
Over the course of the past few weeks, while Fatu has slowly begun shedding the baggage of The Bloodline, he’s slowly begun introducing a more rounded technique into his work. Even his Last Monster Standing rematch against Strowman ended clean this time, as Fatu relied on his heart and willpower to beat the ten count rather than simply brutalizing his opponent until the match ended in a DQ. It’s this evolving ring work that lets audiences process the evolution from midcard enforcer to main-event heel, and it was done very well.
I appreciate that Knight vs. Fatu was built by building up Knight as well. Having him run through Tama Tonga and eviscerate Sikoa verbally really put over how complete of a threat Knight is. Over the past few months, watching Knight not just escape but beat The Bloodline on their terms has set him up to be the opponent only Fatu can conquer, truly putting him over as their new leader.
On to WrestleMania we go!
Grade: A-
RANDY ORTON vs. KEVIN OWENS…. HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Latest Developments:
After witnessing Cody Rhodes team with longtime enemy Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens turned heel and called out Rhodes for being a hypocrite. During a lengthy feud with Rhodes, mutual friend Randy Orton found himself the victim of a brutal beatdown from Owens, writing him off television.
Over the next few months, Owens’ violent crusade continued against Sami Zayn. Following a brutal unsanctioned match at Elimination Chamber, Orton made his return and violently beat down Owens as revenge.
With Orton hinting at a return to his more violent Viper persona, Owens began trying to mitigate the punishment he sensed was coming to him.
However, last week Owens addressed the audience, claiming he required neck surgery and that his match at WrestleMania would be cancelled. Despite a brief staredown with Orton, Owens left peacefully.
Analysis:
Welp.
WWE doesn’t often let wrestlers make these announcements in-ring anymore unless it’s either a work or an injury that may cause a longer-than-usual announcement. As Wade Keller reported, the injury is legitimate.
It’s a shame, as Orton vs. Owens was one of the best builds this year, and the ensuing match looked to be one of the most entertaining on the WrestleMania card. But on the bright side, the more cowardly side of Owens’ character in the past few weeks means they have a ready-made way to pick this feud back up once Owens returns. They can just say he was hiding from Orton with excuses.
In any case, heal up soon, Kevin Owens. PWTorch wishes you a safe and speedy recovery.
Grade: N/A
THE FENIX HAS LANDED
Latest Developments:
Following several weeks of vignettes, Rey Fenix made his long-awaited WWE debut (complete with awful Def Rebel theme), defeating NXT mainstay Nathan Frazer in a high-flying athletic showcase of a match.
Post-match, Fenix was interviewed in-ring by Byron Saxton, where he talked about how proud he was to finally be in WWE.
Elsewhere, Santos Escobar lectured Angel & Berto about how they need to be more like Fenix. Berto balked, setting up a match with Fenix for tonight.
Analysis:
So, Rey Fenix absolutely rocks. This felt like such an old-school debut, essentially serving as an athletic showcase for the second Lucha Brother, specifically highlighting the more high-flying riskier style differentiating Fenix from his brother Penta’s slower strike-based offense. Frazer was the perfect dance partner, taking some extremely scary neck bumps that made Fenix look like an absolute killer in the ring. With Frazer’s tag partner Axion also making a main roster appearance against Gunther several weeks ago, could we be looking at a main-roster call-up for the least dysfunctional bromance in NXT, Fraxiom? A man can dream.
Anyway, the in-ring interview with Byron Saxton really sold the old-school vibe of the debut, which I loved. It felt like a different way to present Fenix, compared to an NXT callup. Interviews in the ring have a classic ‘rasslin vibe that WWE doesn’t often do, preferring solo promos. This had a different touch to it, and people are taking notice.
Following a few cut segments last week, it looks like we’re yet again picking up the narrative of Escobar being dissatisfied with LDF, with Fenix caught in the middle. Which is…. not the most exciting thing Fenix could be doing, to be honest. In fact, debuting him so close to WrestleMania rather than on the PPV itself or the fallout show feels like a really weird choice. It almost guarantees he’ll be lost in the shuffle, especially with the LDF being so cold right now.
But last week’s segment at least felt like a hyped-up showcase for an exciting new member of the roster.
Grade: B
CHARLOTTE FLAIR vs. TIFFANY STRATTON
Latest Developments:
Following her return from injury, Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble and called out WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton. After some back-and-forth, the two were confirmed for a title match at WrestleMania. Over the next few weeks, the two constantly brawled throughout the ring.
Flair returned to the ring for a tune-up match against B-Fab, where she cockily brutalized her more than necessary. In sit-down interviews against Stratton, Flair egotistically kept steamrolling Stratton and belittling her accomplishments as champion.
Last week, Flair and Stratton met in-ring to verbally spar. However, after topics veered into Flair’s real-life divorce and the crowd booed her heavily, the two reportedly went off script. After calling her “0-3” for her failed relationships, Stratton left the ring while Flair taunted her claiming Ludwig Kaiser (Stratton’s real-life partner) was in her DMs. Replays on WWE streaming platforms cut several lines from the promo.
Analysis:
So that was, uh…. that was uncomfortable. I don’t believe that their entire promo was unscripted, as Tiffany’s “0-3” lines had the WWE-esque delivery typical in their promos. If I had to guess, I’d guess a lot more of this was scripted than it seemed. However, it was clear Flair was rattled by the crowd’s responses and the pacing of everything completely fell apart.
The parting shots definitely felt like shoots, given they made little kayfabe sense and the segment abruptly ended with Flair looking almost helpless. Coupled with a recent shoot interview where Flair spoke about her insecurities in her personal life and pressure to not be like Ric Flair, this entire segment came across really uncomfortable. It’s a shame that WWE’s constant bland booking of Flair has finally come to bite them. Many wrote off Flair’s presence as a McMahon-ism, so seeing it return under Triple H unleashed a torrent of hate that Ashley Fliehr the person does not deserve.
To be charitable, this may be the most interested fans have been in this program, as it contains more genuine intrigue than any other on the card. Unfortunately, said intrigue is largely of the “trainwreck” variety, but it’s enough for both wrestlers to find a way to salvage this next week before WrestleMania. Both are dynamite in the ring, and every wrestler has off nights. It just takes one segment leaning into the reaction properly to get people back invested. And, frankly, I have faith in Flair and Stratton to pull it off.
But right now? Stratton looks like a drowning babyface, Flair looks even worse, and this story’s ready to be a wash.
Grade: F
SETH ROLLINS WANTS A FAVOR
Latest Developments:
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins reunited their long hatred for each other at WrestleMania 40, where Reigns’s hatred of Rollins cost him the WWE Championship. In the aftermath, Rollins and C.M. Punk engaged in a lengthy feud while Reigns dealt with The New Bloodline.
Last year, at Survivor Series: WarGames, Punk joined Reigns’s team as a favor to mutual friend Paul Heyman. In return, Punk said Heyman owed him a mysterious favor. Throughout the match, Punk and Reigns were combative but seemed to find some measure of respect.
At the Royal Rumble, Punk eliminated Reigns and Rollins. Rollins went berserk and attacked both Punk and Reigns. In the following weeks, Rollins and Punk’s feud intensified, culminating in a cage match. Reigns interfered, laying both men out. The three set a triple threat for WrestleMania 41.
Last week, Punk addressed his hometown Chicago crowd before Heyman joined him, begging him to end the suspense and tell him what his favor would be. Annoyed by Roman Reigns not being present, Punk refused.
The stressed Heyman was goaded by Seth Rollins, who pointed out that neither Reigns nor Punk ever truly cared about him. Reigns later arrived, belittling Punk until Rollins intervened and shot him down. Punk finally arrived, revealing the favor to be Heyman staying in his corner at WrestleMania. The distraught Reigns ordered Heyman to refuse, but Heyman kept his word to his best friend Punk, as Rollins cackled on.
Punk laid the tearful Reigns out as Heyman was torn in agony as the show closed.
Analysis:
The point of this segment was to fully establish the character dynamics of the triple threat. Reigns finally felt comfortable in a babyface role, breaking down and showing true vulnerability as Heyman was ripped away from him. Rollins, the agent of chaos, didn’t do much except laugh at the chaos, but WWE has done a great job elevating his “agent of chaos” role thanks to his background with both men. Punk’s character has always thrived in the balance between charmingly likable and conniving. This week dipped a little too much into conniving. If WWE doesn’t plan to turn Punk heel following WrestleMania, they’ll need to do some heavy-lifting to ensure he still gets cheers. Ripping apart Reigns and Heyman may be enough for the long-term WWE fans to disavow their beloved C.M. Punk for good.
The storytelling last week was top-notch, structuring the show around Punk’s favor, establishing Heyman’s internal conflict at the outset and gradually introducing each of the three wrestlers to show how they were adding to his gradual anxiety. Casting Heyman as the central character in this feud was a risky move, but he lends an authenticity that grounds the storyline. Despite his weaselly exterior, Heyman’s allegiances to both Punk and Reigns come from a genuine place. His beloved Chief vs. his best friend, and seeing him interact with both (as well as get poked by Rollins, who has zero respect for him) is the secret sauce between these three.
Was the reveal of the favor itself worth it, though? Well, not really. Even the crowd felt a little deflated from the reaction, as being in one competitor’s corner just…. isn’t a groundbreaking change in the parameters set by WWE. The post-reveal character shifts felt much more interesting than the favor’s reveal, and it would have been nice to have a few extra weeks exploring Reigns’ vulnerability without his Wiseman and his genuine sadness vs. teasing out the reveal for over a month.
Again, despite the genuinely interesting character dynamics, this is a feud stifled by its position on the card. As an opener on one of the two nights, it’d be dynamite. But as a main event, it feels a little forced. Every moment has to be big and earth-shaking, in order to justify giving the program the most prestigious spot on the card. But with no titles featured and a three-way feud naturally not having the same fire as a singles feud, it’s hard to buy into.
But besides that, this was a very good episode that furthered plots, gave each wrestler a few great moments and beautifully set the stage for WrestleMania.
Grade: A-
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