SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
A few updates to go over before we get down to the analysis:
•Following her release from WWE, Indi Hartwell has signed with TNA (announced on TNA Rebellion last Sunday). The Aussie star found few opportunities to stand out in her stint on the main roster, despite her charming personality and standout powerhouse in-ring style. With TNA still in partnership with NXT, Hartwell may eventually find herself back on her old stomping grounds in Florida.
•Former NXT alumni Meiko Satomura wrestled her final match in Japan this week. While Satomura’s impact on NXT was minimal, her impact in joshi wrestling was incomparable, and PWTorch congratulates her for a long and illustrious career. Satomura hinted she would continue to work behind the scenes for Sendai Girls, much to our excitement. The wrestling world is a more creative place with Satomura.
•Hollywood agency Paradigm’s relationship with WWE talent began to pay dividends this week. Liv Morgan was announced as a main cast member in acclaimed Japanese director’s newest feature film Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, while CM Punk made his return to Hollywood in the new SYFY horror TV series Revival.
•With WrestleMania 41 in the rearview mirror, WWE silenced the critics with a one-two punch of two extremely electric Raw and Smackdown after Mania installments, which each upended the status quo and rocketed several rising talents into drastically different spots on the card. As I discussed in previous installments, WrestleMania 41 felt like less like the showstopper of an ending like WrestleMania 40, but rather the gateway to a new beginning.
And it truly feels like we’re in a new era. Feuds this week either began anew, or there was a deliberate attempt to tie up the last dregs of Mania’s fallout in a nice little bow. And boy, did it feel refreshing. After a stodgy build where much of the roster’s stories seemed to move at a glacial pace, a complete upending of the roster was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Don’t get me wrong, the show didn’t magically become perfect. Having solidified its position in the TKO family, the weekly viewing experience has never been more cluttered. With ads plastered all over the ring and commercials every other minute, it’s begun to impede my viewing enjoyment. I don’t begrudge WWE for trying to squeeze more profit out of its TV, but the beauty of classical wrestling (for me) was that it existed in a bubble. Especially for WWE, so much of it felt like a heightened reality that played by different rules than the real world. Bringing sponsorships into the ring like UFC makes WWE look, ironically, more realistic and therefore highlights the “fake” and “performative” aspects of the medium.
But nitpicking aside, where does Smackdown’s roster stand going into tonight’s episode? There’s a lot to go over, so let’s dive straight in:
CARMELO HAYES’S NEWFOUND GLORY
Latest Developments:
Following his victory AT the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Carmelo Hayes celebrated with his newfound tag-team partner The Miz, before the two stormed the ring so Miz could complain about not being on the WrestleMania card.
Analysis:
I’m torn on my anticipation for this one. In recent years, despite losing significance, the ARMBAR winner’s booking has traditionally been elevated substantially in the months following WrestleMania. While no longer an immediate star-maker, it does serve as a hint to who management has earmarked for an ascent up the card. Carmelo Hayes, a stalwart of NXT, has felt stifled on the main roster in comparison to his fellow call-ups of 2024. Following an intense feud with Andrade (that never quite reached its conclusion), Hayes being relegated to The Miz’s partner felt like a significant downgrade.
While the ARMBAR win could signify a return to solo competition, Hayes joining Miz for his promo despite the segment not being about him hints that WWE plans to keep the duo going a little while longer.
All in all, a promising hint for the future, with an iffy execution in the present.
Grade: C+
THE BLACK MASS COMES HOME
Latest Developments:
On the road to WrestleMania 41, mysterious vignettes began airing of smoke, which eventually spelled out the date 4.25.2025.
Last week, The Miz stormed the ring, complaining that he didn’t make the WrestleMania 41 card. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and a figure rose from the shadows. It’s Aleister Black! Making his return to WWE, the spooky one slowly walked into the ring, nailing Miz with a kick and sitting in the ring to thunderous applause.
Analysis:
WWE loves their AEW re-debuts, don’t they? Maybe this is me being pessimistic, but out of the returns and acquisitions WWE has trotted out in the past few months, Black’s upside feels the most limited.
Spooky gimmicks are notoriously hard to execute, as it’s very easy to diminish them if they lose in the ring (much more so than other wrestlers). Lore-heavy wrestlers also need the disproportionate amount of screen-time to ingratiate themselves with an audience, and then need the monster in-ring run to go along with it. With how stacked the roster is now, my hopes are slim that Black will be afforded the time & long-term creative needs to get this character over.
Luckily, he’s also incredibly talented in-ring, as his NXT Black & Gold run showed, and there’s tremendous upside to having a veteran like Black on the roster. But I feel like, after the Wyatt 6, my faith in WWE to maintain the “aura” (for lack of a better word) of a wrestler like Black isn’t high.
Facing the Miz is a great start though, as his motor-mouthed bluster allows Black the perfect chance to cut through the BS with a kick and smolder like a badass.
A decent debut, but one that has me skeptical for the future.
Grade: A-
TIFFANY STRATTON CAN’T ESCAPE HER PAST
Latest Developments:
After a messy feud with Charlotte Flair culminating in a successful title defense at WrestleMania 41, Stratton had a town hall segment where she laid her vulnerabilities out and stated she came out victorious and was ready to move forward.
After being interrupted by Jade Cargill (fresh off her own blood feud), the two had a friendly exhibition non-title match. Following some decent powerhouse moments for both wrestlers, the match was cut short when Naomi rushed the ring. Naomi and Cargill left the ring, leaving Stratton alone.
Suddenly, Nia Jax rushed the ring and laid Stratton out, following up on their own feud where Stratton turned face on Nia by cashing in her MITB last fall and winning the WWE Women’s Championship off of Jax.
Jax stood tall to end the segment.
Analysis:
As disappointed as I was that Stratton vs. Jax just kind of petered out on the road to WrestleMania, I’m actually less enthusiastic about the performers returning to it now. Stratton is on a babyface tear and Jax makes a credible monster, but it feels like all the momentum got sucked out of this pairing by ending it so anti-climactically last time (not even a big blowoff match, just kind of… pivoting the two away from each other).
Jax being taken off TV until past WrestleMania after having the best year of her career in 2024 was also a baffling choice, but one that suggests the plan was always to pick up where this feud left off, meaning that Flair vs. Stratton feels even more out of place now.
All that to say, it’ll take some serious uphill climbing from WWE’s writers to find a dynamic that’ll get the ball rolling, since we’ve already had months of Jax verbally abusing Stratton and Stratton slowly rebelling. Essentially, we got cut off right at the climax, and it’ll be really tough to build to that climax again without feeling repetitive.
Also, pointedly, no Candice LeRae backing up Jax this time around. If I had faith in WWE’s booking of the lower-card, I’d hope LeRae was being set up for another feud. But, realistically she’s probably just being taken off TV. And that’s a shame, as LeRae excelled as the mean girl sidekick thumbing her nose at Stratton.
Grade: C
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)
TABLES AND LADDERS AND CHAIRS, OH MY!
Latest Developments:
Following months of anarchy 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. MCMG watched from the sidelines, laughing at DIY’s comeuppance. DIY and MCMG battled to be the next #1 contender. Despite DIY’s violent offense, MCMG won and became the new #1 contenders, causing DIY’s downward spiral to sink even further.
On the go-home episode of Smackdown, DIY interfered in MCMG’s title shot. In return, an enraged Nick Aldis announced a TLC match between the Profits, MCMG & DIY.
Last week, the three teams engaged in a gloriously violent match, using a litany of weapons including a fan’s prosthetic leg. After nearly 30 minutes, The Street Profits retained.
Analysis:
It’s an absolute crime that this match didn’t make it on WrestleMania, but I’ve complained enough about that.
As a great diversion to last week’s promo-heavy episode of Smackdown, the night ended with an old-school weapon-filled brawl that lasted nearly 30 minutes (a rarity for WWE television), but kept viewers engaged the whole time thanks to a slew of creative spots and a molten-hot crowd.
MCMG’s input into the match could be felt, as the fast-paced offense and multi-man spotfests felt like a throwback to TNA’s X-Division heyday. Balancing over-the-top violence with goofy weapon-based humor, the match put all three teams over, gave individual wrestlers a moment to shine, and created a new suite of highlights for WWE’s social media. Hell, they used a fan’s prosthetic leg at one point. That’s a level of balls-to-the-wall nuts you don’t often see in WWE’s TV matches.
And more than that, this week felt like a nice end to the current iteration of the division. Following six months of remarkably well-contained interconnected booking, this feud feels like the three principal teams have put their feuds to bed and can move on. With secondary players like Pretty Deadly and Los Garzas already in new feuds, the field has been well and truly laid for some new challengers, and everyone found a chance to shine a little brighter along the way. There were some boneheaded booking decisions along the way (Pretty Deadly losing a title shot in their hometown after riding a huge wave of babyface momentum, and DIY gaining no heel heat in the loss), but overall a huge success for the tag division.
Grade: A+
FRAXIOM IS HERE! AND THEY’RE STILL FINE, GUYS, DON’T WORRY
Latest Developments:
NXT’s favorite totally-not-dysfunctional duo was officially called up to Smackdown last week, facing Angel & Berto in a tag team match.
With the crowd firmly behind them, Axiom and Nathan Frazer displayed their high-flying moves against Los Garzas, winning decisively and making their intentions to dominate in the division clear.
Analysis:
Fraxiom is a booker’s dream: a source of never-ending drama where the joke is…. they always find a way to reconcile, and then start the process over again with something else. As the sleeper MVPs of NXT last year, the kooky duo blended cartoony humor with genuine nuance in their character arc of dysfunctional dorks turned friends. While it may be hard to fully sell main roster audiences on the beauty of Fraxiom thanks to their storied legacy existing only on NXT, the duo’s shtick of constantly having a disagreement is catnip for storylines on the main roster.
Especially at this moment, when the tag division field has been cleared out for new contenders, Fraxiom finds themselves in a prime opportunity to rocket up the ranks and get a shot at the gold. Their brief match this week proves the two have plenty of mileage as babyfaces on Smackdown, with an iffy crowd fully coming alive for the duo. Los Garzas did a great job putting over the new guys (although it’s still annoying seeing their own character work constantly getting shafted in favor of boring Santos Escobar drama or one-note jobbing like this).
More Fraxiom, please and thank you. And one day, when the two eventually do break up, it’ll be just as devastating as the Festival Of Friendship if Triple H ever pulls the trigger (looking at you, A-Town Down Under).
Grade: A-
CHELSEA GREEN vs. ZELINA VEGA
Latest Developments:
Over the past few weeks, Zelina Vega has been a thorn in the side of Women’s US Champion Chelsea Green and her stable, The Secret Hervice. However, Green always escaped unscathed thanks to her goons Piper Niven and Alba Fyre running interference on her opponent.
Last week, Green was scheduled to face Vega in a non-title match, and was seen banging on the door of the injured Secret Hervice (fresh off a gauntlet match which left them injured). Forced to take on Vega alone, Green got into an argument with ringside officials and accidentally lost the match by countout, inadvertently earning Vega a title shot.
With nowhere else to run, Green took on Vega in a singles bout last week, where Vega overcame Green’s superior strength to defeat her and become the new Women’s US Champion.
Analysis:
I loved the booking of Green finally losing the championship when she had nothing left to hide behind. No shtick, no heel tactics, no goons to run interference. Unlike a Roman Reigns-type, this booking was meant to highlight that Chelsea Green the wrestler is a level behind the main event when she stands alone. As she’s essentially become bulletproof due to her incredible comedy, this subliminal booking detail provides a great vehicle for Green to level up in her inevitable babyface turn.
And then we come to Zelina Vega, who finally gets a chance to run solo as a babyface champ. Real fans remember the Queen Zelina arc, but while insane heel Vega provided a great low-level boss for the division, Vega unlocked a new level of babyface likability following her stint with the LWO, and she finally gets a chance to show it off.
Paired with a supremely underrated wit on the mic, and Vega could shine brightly if she gets the leeway to do some solo town hall segments thanking the crowd. The “I’m so happy to be here” promo is an eye-rolling one nowadays, but Vega makes it work, selling genuine emotion with an earthiness that never feels performative or schmaltzy.
With a whole new set of opponents on the horizon, I truly hope Vega gets a few solid feuds to sink her teeth into. The women’s midcard titles have faded into the background in recent months, feeling less like championship belts and more like accessories to juice up a midcard heel act. And, so early into their inception, they should feel like a worthy prize to fight for, and Vega as a babyface champion excels at the “underdog fire” match type that sells fan investment. After all, if the babyface is fighting for the belt with their life, the fans will learn to care.
A great choice for a title change, and a promising future on the horizon.
Grade: A+
DREW MCINTYRE vs. DAMIAN PRIEST
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.
At WrestleMania 41, the two engaged in a brutally hard-hitting street fight that ended with McIntyre snagging the win.
In 2025, Jacob Fatu began to unofficially take over as The New Bloodline’s leader. Their dynamic began slowly shifting, as Fatu hinted he had lost faith in Solo Sikoa. Having made enemies with US Champion LA Knight, Fatu began his quest to bring gold back to the faction by himself by winning a title shot against Knight.
At WrestleMania 41, Fatu steamrolled Knight after a hard-fought match to become the new US Champion.
Last week, Sikoa took credit for Fatu’s championship gold, before an offended Fatu cut Sikoa off and warned him not to get it twisted. Knight interrupted, vowing to win back his US Championship. McIntyre then crashed the party, choosing to target Fatu’s belt due to considering John Cena unimpressive as an opponent.
Knight and McIntyre began butting heads, causing Nick Aldis to set up a #1 contender’s match later that night, which ended in a no-contest when Priest interfered and cost McIntyre.
Analysis:
More than any other this week, this segment felt like a post-WrestleMania reset. The Bloodline’s town hall segment re-affirmed that there’s still meat on the bone with another Bloodline breakup angle, this time with Fatu as the rebel. Sikoa still plays the delusional heel to perfection, and his dynamic with Fatu still feels unique enough compared to The Bloodline’s past incarnations that crowds can get invested.
The babyface challengers largely felt like filler, a way for the division’s upper mid-card to get a quick showcase in before the summer season allows for longer feuds to develop. And it did the job, albeit a little bit bland. Knight’s been circling the US Championship for nearly a year now, and it’s beginning to feel like he’s outgrown it unless he brings a drastically different angle to the hint of a third shot at the title.
Priest being the one to ruin the contender’s match is interesting, displaying an aggression and active hostility that feels different from his pre-WrestleMania demeanor, hinting that WWE will continue slowly transitioning McIntyre into a more sympathetic light (or at least one that audiences can genuinely root for).
The match itself? Pretty bland and close to tamping down the crowd until the interference began. It’s telling recently that WWE crowds just won’t pop for contenders’ matches unless there’s crazy high-flying or a strong build. They’ve been conditioned to not look for in-ring storytelling unless it serves to augment out-of-ring promos. I don’t mean that as a negative, just an observation that WWE has truly defined the actual matches as a singular beat to a story rather than an arc within the story itself.
Grade: B
JOHN CENA vs. RANDY ORTON
Latest Developments:
In February, John Cena won a title shot for Rhodes’ WWE Championship at WrestleMania by winning the Elimination Chamber. Following the match, Cena shockingly turned heel and joined The Rock.
Over the next weeks, Cena angrily berated the fans for hating him throughout the years while he bled for them every day. He claimed he would win the WWE Championship because no one else deserved it after all his sacrifices. At WrestleMania 41, Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win his record-breaking 17th WWE Championship. On the following Raw, Randy Orton appeared and RKOd him.
Last week, Cena and Orton met in the ring. Orton was disgusted at Cena, claiming there was a void in his life and he should be a better human being (perhaps have some kids?). Cena rebuffed Orton, claiming he wasted his life raising the WWE fans for a generation, angrily disavowing the fans for hating him. Orton challenged Cena, who made the match official for Backlash. Orton RKOd Cena and stood tall.
Analysis:
When I began writing for the Torch in 2024, Cena vs. Orton wasn’t a feud I thought I’d ever cover. It’s crazy how comfortably Orton has slipped into the babyface role, which somehow provides a new dynamic to a feud that’s lasted over a decade. While the execution fell a bit flat, WWE leaning into both Cena and Orton’s veteran status lent the feud a nice gravitas. Seeing these two talk about kids and legacies like old legends felt real and grounded, like watching two old warriors on a battlefield. There was no huge “gotcha” line, but both men managed to make each sentence hit hard simply because of the history behind it.
However, the subject matter itself felt a bit stilted. Focusing entirely on Cena not wanting kids felt like a strange place to take the promo, when the intent was to symbolize his lack of a personal life due to his dedication in a larger sense. And that’s the biggest issue with Cena’s feuds so far as a heel. The zeroing-in on a tiny plot point and contriving it to feel epic, when there’s plenty of epic material already available.
Case in point: Cena hinting that leaving with the championship destroys the legacy of the belt would hit much harder if the belt hadn’t been vacated due to retirement multiple times in its history. The story of an old legend refusing to respect the new guard would have been enough, but simplifying it to a single plot point ironically makes it all feel less realistic.
That being said, I’m excited for Cena vs. Orton at Backlash. Orton can sell a slow, methodical match better than anyone, and with the right molten-hot crowd these two should tear the house down. For better or worse, Orton’s character is less susceptible to “dumb babyface” booking since his face character is equally as vicious as his heel character. Therefore, I have much more faith in the booking of this program, as Cena tries to rapidly scurry away from the inevitable RKO headed his way.
All in all, a routine promo elevated significantly due to the history behind it, and a dream rematch run back one last time. If Cena’s going to speedrun through some dream feuds in his first few months as champ, I’m about it.
Grade: B+
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