SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Some interesting developments in the wrestling world before we get into things:
•Following a match with Kairi Sane on Raw, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan suffered a dislocated shoulder. It has now been confirmed Morgan will require surgery, and be out for an extended length of time. Morgan had quietly been built as the centerpiece of Raw’s women’s division, and her injury will likely shift multiple planned matches for Evolution.
•Like all good couples, Dominik Mysterio follows Morgan to the injured list, with a rib cage injury taking him out of action momentarily. Reports indicate Mysterio will not be out for that long, to the point where programming indicates he will not be stripped of the Intercontinental Championship. However, Mysterio’s planned title defense against AJ Styles at Night Of Champions has been postponed.
•It seems the injury bug is rampaging through WWE, with Chad Gable also out with an injury requiring surgery. Gable was quietly written off television last week thanks to a beatdown courtesy of his new nemesis Penta. It is currently unknown if Gable’s close friend El Grande Americano will continue to make appearances.
•And, to round everything off, Elton Prince (one-half of Pretty Deadly) is currently out with injury. Pretty Deadly has been curiously absent from the rest of the tag team division’s war against The Wyatt Sicks, and now we know the answer why.
•With Night Of Champions looming on the horizon, it’s had me thinking about the increasingly archaic names for WWE’s PPV events. The original shtick behind Night Of Champions was a supercard-esque PPV with every single championship being defended. As of tonight’s go-home show, the scant five-match card contains less than a third of WWE’s active championships (and has less title defenses than Backlash in April).
It got me thinking about the increasingly scant TV and PPV time WWE has to spread across its roster. While, in a kayfabe setting, titles are effectively just props to further a story, there’s still an argument that maintaining their prestige is important when elevating wrestlers to the top of the card. While a PPV defense doesn’t mean a bigger spotlight in the age of everything being available on streaming, some champions do look lesser than others unintentionally when they can’t get on PPV. I know kayfabe is being lessened in importance nowadays, but compared to sister company UFC where even the blandest champions still make the main event (hi, Belal Muhammad), it widens the gap between WWE’s presentation and that of real combat sports. And, at its core, WWE is still a simulated combat sport. As much as we love “cinema”, we can’t forget that WWE’s acting is quite poor compared to even basic screen acting. That’s not what the medium’s supposed to be about.
•Additionally, I’ve found myself missing the uniqueness of a PPV setting recently. It feels like there’s a lack of pomp and circumstance on the PPV cards, no longer feeling like a step above the weekly programming. It’s the same minimalist stage, the same number of matches as an episode of Smackdown, and the same pacing. Part of what made PPVs special was the supersized experience. Bigger, better, bolder. I can’t argue with success, but it still makes the product a little less interesting visually to watch.
Also, for anyone here who’s also an AEW fan, you ever notice how much Jacob Fatu and Toa Liona look alike? Seriously, look that up, it’s kind of uncanny.
BLOODLINE VS. BLOODLINE
Latest Developments:
In 2025, Jacob Fatu began to unofficially take over as The New Bloodline’s leader, becoming the new US Champion.
Meanwhile, Solo Sikoa introduced Mateo as the Bloodline’s newest member, despite Fatu not trusting him. Sikoa attempted to force Fatu into being obedient, while insulting him in secret. This eventually backfired during Money In The Bank, where Fatu feigned helping Sikoa secure the titular briefcase before bellowing “I HATE YOU SOLO!!!” and viciously attacking him.
Last week, to JC Mateo’s skepticism, Sikoa met Fatu in the ring. Sikoa pointed out no one saw Fatu’s potential except him, and would be willing to make amends if Fatu apologized. Fatu refused, knowing Sikoa only brought him in to win gold, and challenged him to take the US title at Night Of Champions. Mateo beat Fatu down, before Jim Uso saved Fatu.
Analysis:
A surprisingly effective verbal spar from two wrestlers not known for their mic skills. Fatu still hasn’t quite nailed the babyface promo cadence yet, but giving a more buffoonish enemy to cut down with his no-nonsense style was the perfect choice. Sikoa has nailed the balance between goofiness and just enough menace that he doesn’t come across as pathetic.
The two have grown into the perfect counterbalances for each other, which no one expected when this iteration of The Bloodline began last year. Albeit, half the stable is currently out with injury, but it’s been worked into the story so seamlessly with the dwindling numbers giving Fatu the space to breathe on his own and realise how much better he functions when not forced into the enforcer role.
However, I found the title match to happen a bit fast. It fits with Fatu’s “all gas, no brakes” style, but the promo’s pivot to the gold felt a little too forced and melodramatic for the wrestlers’ style. The “is that what this is all about?” vibe doesn’t work for Fatu, and felt like he was responding to an instigation that never really came. It’ll be interesting to see the two of them in the ring together, as they wrestle very similar styles. It’s the perfect match for Saudi fans, a classic hoss fight.
All in all, a workmanlike promo that did the job moving the narrative along.
Grade: B+
NIA JAX vs. TIFFANY STRATTON
Latest Developments:
Last year, after winning the Queen Of The Ring tournament, Nia Jax became the WWE Women’s Championship and took on then-new callup Tiffany Stratton as a protege. Later, Stratton won the MITB briefcase, causing the champ to grow paranoid and begin mistreating Stratton in an attempt to keep her obedient. After months of verbal abuse, Stratton cashed in her briefcase against Jax and won the championship. The two feuded up until Wrestlemania 41, before drifting apart into other feuds.
Following her loss in the Queen Of The Ring quarterfinals this year, the frustrated Nia Jax called out Stratton and claimed she’d never be the champ Jax was. Last week, Jax continued her tirade against Stratton, before Stratton appeared and clapped back by calling Jax a toxic ex she couldn’t escape. To shut Jax up, Stratton finally greenlit their long-awaited rematch for tonight.
The two women began brawling, when suddenly the MITB holder Naomi rushed the ring intending to take advantage. Jax stopped Naomi, supposedly wanting Stratton all to herself.
Analysis:
The execution for this feud has felt slightly out of nowhere. The women’s division gets so little time on the mic that the initial callout felt random and got this interaction off to a muted start.
That’s not to say I’m against this little mini-feud. Jax and Stratton have incredible chemistry together, and never got the final blowoff match their feud demanded, which would have truly catapulted Stratton into a main event babyface (rather than a bizarre feud with Charlotte Flair that made her look ineffective and sloppy). With Stratton on the backburner for much of the last few months, this feels like a conscious attempt to heat her back up. And frankly, it does the job.
I loved the addition of Naomi trying to cash in. For the past few years, the briefcases have been deeply intertwined with existing storylines, and thus we haven’t had a holder who truly felt like they could cash in at any time. There was always a tiny bit of suspense in every beatdown segment knowing a briefcase holder could be lurking in the shadows. And Naomi’s heel character, some of her best and most unhinged work, is the perfect option to act as an omnipresent source of danger waiting to strike. Naomi looked strong and sneaky even in her failure, which additionally played into Jax’s want for revenge. An all-around very strong segment that heated up all three women involved.
Grade: A-
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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CHARLOTTE FLAIR GOES ON THE WARPATH
Latest Developments:
Over the past few weeks following her loss at Wrestlemania 41 to Tiffany Stratton, Charlotte Flair has been slowly unravelling due to audiences rejecting her, resulting in several angry tirades where she stormed out of the venue and angrily railed at the fans. Several times, a bemused Bliss offered to talk with Flair, who skeptically agreed.
Meanwhile, with Chelsea Green unavailable. Nick Aldis instead gifted her slot in the QOTR tournament to stablemate Alba Fyre, much to The Secret Hervice’s indignance.
Flair, Fyre, Bliss and Candice LeRae faced off in a QOTR qualifier later that night. Flair easily dominated proceedings, locking Fyre in a submission, but Bliss swooped in and stole the win, to Flair’s fury.
Last week, Flair and Green faced off in a singles match in the fallout of the tournament. With Green rocking a protective mask from her broken nose when losing the Women’s US title, Flair ruthlessly took advantage and submitted Green. The Secret Hervice jumped Flair, but Bliss made the save. Flair refused to acknowledge Bliss and walked away.
Analysis:
WWE has cracked the code on using tournaments as storyline advancement. While the four-way matches were less built up than a single-elimination tournament, what could have been a simple throwaway match to get Flair more ring time and show off her more ruthless edge going submissions now feels like it’s been built thanks to clear threads from last week’s qualifier.
Flair beating down Fyre the whole match naturally makes her the ire of the Hervice (also a fun babyface moment for them by being a bunch of doofuses that look out for their own), and allowed Bliss to make the save and further that interaction as well.
Flair continues to be the most interesting she’s been in years, simply by staying out of the title scene and adjusting her wrestling style to suit her character rather than letting them remain at odds with each other. Flair simply oozes heel attitude, and locking into a mat technician style devoid of posing and “aura farming” makes her feel so much more cold and calculating.
However, I do wish we got a little more of Bliss’ motivations. Right now, while it’s interesting seeing her alternately screw over and befriend Flair, we see so little of her motives that it’s muddling the crowd’s response. Give us a few signifiers to cheer or boo. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown alignment, but some guides for the crowd would ensure Bliss doesn’t cool off with live audiences at all.
Grade: B
L.A. KNIGHT vs. SETH ROLLINS
Latest Developments:
At Wrestlemania 41, Seth Rollins turned heel and allied with Paul Heyman, eventually recruiting Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed as his lackeys and vowing to reshape the WWE in his own image.
At MITB, Rollins competed against multiple competitors including fan favorite LA Knight, who had vowed to win for the fans on his third straight attempt. Unfortunately, Rollins secured the briefcase when Breakker and Reed cleared the competition including Knight.
Rollins and Knight continued beefing on the road to KOTR, with Breakker and Reed beating down Knight after a tune-up match and costing him his qualifier, and Knight retaliating by costing both henchmen in the same tournament.
Last week, Knight finally called Rollins out on the mic, drawing out Heyman. Heyman put Knight over, before claiming he was making the wrong enemy. Knight didn’t back down, threatening to fight Heyman on the spot. Breaker and Reed ambushed Knight, setting up an impromptu match between Reed and Knight later in the match. Knight put up a good fight, but was overwhelmed by the numbers game.
Analysis:
The beginnings of a feud that smartly held off on a one-on-one promo battle between Rollins and Knight. Like Reigns before him, it’s interesting to see Rollins being booked more like an end boss than a fighting champion, a subtle but very effective change in his new heel persona. Trotting out Heyman as a proxy until Knight earns his way to Rollins is a great way to signify Knight’s babyface pursuit, while still giving him one of the best talkers in wrestling to create some incredible verbal moments.
And by god, did he deliver. Knight’s recent runs have been hampered by a lack of mic time (his greatest asset). Letting him cut loose on Heyman was such a treat, as Knight came away looking like an unflappable main eventer even during the beatdowns by Breakker and Reed. The ensuing match was nothing special, but highlighted that Knight is climbing uphill to make it to Rollins. The upcoming weeks should signify just how strong Triple H plans to book Knight. If they keep him solo against Rollins’ faction, he’s being booked like a Rhodes-level main eventer. If they give him a consistent ally, that’s a brief step down (though not too much, but still noteworthy).
It’s also interesting to see Heyman getting individual moments of chemistry with Reed and Breakker. I appreciate that WWE is making them feel like more than faceless goons. It’s not much, but there’s still hints of the undeniable charisma that both men have shown in their solo runs. It definitely feels like the long game is fo Heyman to turn on Rollins in favor of Breakker and/or Reed (just based on Heyman’s past clientele in comparison to Rollins), and planting seeds for that early is a strong choice.
Grade: A-
ZELINA VEGA vs. GIULIA
Latest Developments:
Giulia was recently called up to Smackdown after a monster run in NXT. Soon after, Giulia punched a ticket to MITB.
Last week, Giulia cut a promo talking about her goal to have main roster gold around her waist. Backstage, Giulia ran into Women’s US Champ Zelina Vega and the two jaw-jacked.
Later, Vega faced off in a Street Fight against Niven. The Secret Hervice tried intervening, but Giulia fought them off for Vega to get the win. Post-match, Giulia turned heel on Vega, laying her out and holding the Women’s US Championship.
After advertising a face off between the two, the segment was cut for time, instead being relegated to two brief backstage interviews on X.
Analysis:
Not sure why an advertised segment got bumped to X, especially when concerning an upcoming title defense. At this point, it just speaks to the increasing disrespect towards the women’s midcard championships in favor of the men’s division getting longer talking segments. After consistently getting time over the past few weeks, bumping the face-off (the most crucial segment to building heat) feels like it’s destined to cool off both competitors.
Additionally, Giulia’s main roster booking is starting to underwhelm. While it’s admirable she wants to do English promos, she hasn’t quite nailed the ferocity of her in-ring attacks in a verbal form, and as a result her interviews feel too genuine and earthy in comparison to the viciousness of her heel work. It feels like there’s no attempt to play to either wrestler’s strengths or even give them the space to work.
Grade: D-
NO ONE LIKES THE WYATT SICKS
Latest Developments:
After a lengthy hiatus, the long-dormant Wyatt Sicks made their return and laid out all the major teams in the Smackdown tag division.
The following week, The Street Profits cut a promo claiming to run the division. One by one, the other teams (Fraxiom, MCMG, DIY) appeared to cause trouble, before The Wyatt Sicks appeared and laid out all the teams, standing tall as the segment closed.
The Profits suggested an alliance to team up against the Wyatts. Fraxiom and MCMG agreed, but DIY hesitated. Last week, Nick Aldis selected MCMG to be the first to take on the Wyatts, but they were dominated quickly by Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy.
Analysis:
Nothing much happened here last week, just a brief segment with the teams arguing again. It’s a shame seeing The Profits regurgitate the same points each week while each team does nothing but cower at the Wyatt 6. The matches aren’t entertaining enough to carry The Wyatts as an omnipotent force, and it feels like the real magic is in the character interactions between all the teams which isn’t getting the airtime it needs.
Oh, and Los Garzas are back with the tag division, and people barely acknowledge they hold the AAA Tag Team Championships. It looks like we’re largely treating the two narratives separately. OK.
Grade: D-
QOTR SEMIFINALS (ASUKA vs. ALEXA BLISS)
Latest Developments:
In the first QOTR qualifier of the night, Jade Cargill, Michin, Nia Jax and Piper Niven faced off for a shot at the crown. With a battle of the hosses, the women began the match by brawling across the arena. Cargill took the brunt of the punishment, with the other three wrestlers frequently teaming up against her. However, Cargill managed to take advantage, seize an opening and win the match.
In the semifinals, Asuka defeated Alexa Bliss to earn a spot in the finals at Night Og Champions. Jade was interviewed soon after about her own semifinal against Roxanne Perez, where she confidently said she would take no prisoners. Sure enough, on Raw, Cargill won and cemented the final match as Asuka vs. Cargill for the PPV.
Analysis:
It felt like the primary purpose this week was to establish that the QOTR winner will likely be pursuing Raw’s Iyo Sky rather than Tiffany Stratton. With Stratton already feuding with Jax on Smackdown and Sky doing… nothing of substance, it’s likely that this feud gets Iyo a marquee match at Summerslam. With Liv Morgan out of action, Sky is one of the many casualties, and as a result has been floating around with little to do in the past few weeks. With barely any screentime not related to Morgan, pivoting the QOTR to Sky feels natural if that’s indeed the direction.
However, the finals match isn’t particularly one I’m excited for. Cargill’s in-ring work hasn’t lit the world on fire, and her babyface persona gets cheers when faced against a dastardly heel. But Asuka has also been getting babyface pops since her return. Their powerhouse moves should make the PPV match a slugest watchable enough for the live crowd, but this feels destined to be the filler match that doesn’t garner much investment from the crowd.
Meanwhile, Bliss is now freed up to continue courting Charlotte Flair, which despite its lack of screentime feels more interesting than anything in the title scene. WWE seems to be coasting on the equity of their belts, with neither champ defending except on rare occasions. And while the intent may be to make each defense feel like an event, the double standard of John Cena getting 15 mins a week and multiple defenses instead just makes the women feel like an afterthought.
Grade: B-
KOTR SEMIFINALS (RANDY ORTON vs. SAMI ZAYN)
Latest Developments:
Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn (despite the continuing negative influence of Karrion Kross) and Jey Uso all won their KOTR qualifying matches to make it to the semifinals.
Last week, Rhodes and Uso hit the stage, shaking hands and wishing each other luck before their semifinals. Orton and Zayn soon joined, as all four babyfaces were cordial with each other. Immediately after, Orton and Zayn faced off in a semifinal which Orton won. On Raw the following Monday, Rhodes and Uso similarly faced off and Rhodes won, locking in the finals as Rhodes vs. Orton.
Meanwhile, Zayn got fed up with Karrion Kross continually egging him onto the dark side, and challenged him to a match at Night Of Champions.
Analysis:
This segment was a strange one. The concept of four babyfaces in the semifinals was already extremely atypical for WWE. I spoke last week about how the potential field lacking a heel added a unique unpredictability to the booking which was genuinely unique and fresh for WWE. Each competitor had huge history with the others, and could conceivably build to a PPV match. It felt like a new dynamic.
That being said, while Rhodes vs. Orton is sure to be an amazing match (an old school face vs. heel with both men’s style working straight out of 1986 NWA should make for an amazing match heavy on posturing and drama), it does feel like the most thin option storyline-wise. The meat of Rhodes and Orton’s history was almost a decade ago in comparison to many of the other possible combos for the finals, and WWE hasn’t addressed it much in promos. It’s clear that Orton’s cancelled Wrestlemania match with Kevin Owens was going to lead to Orton’s more violent edges returning, which would have added some fuel to the fire. But right now, it just feels like a dream match for the sake of it. And that’s fine, but there were more exciting options.
I also was curious what the point of this week’s segment was. Hammering home respect on all sides is normally a Chekhov’s gun for a heel turn, undoing all said respect. But in both semifinals, none of the men really worked heel or hinted at a turn. The PPV feels marked for a big moment, so I’m not ready to write this off just yet, but right now the segment dragged quite a lot to make a point that never really landed.
Grade: C+
JOHN CENA vs. THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS R-TRUTH
Latest Developments:
At Wrestlemania 41, Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win his record-breaking 17th WWE Championship. Rhodes took an absence from WWE while Cena racked up defenses against Randy Orton & R-Truth.
Following this, R-Truth was legitimately released from WWE to negative reception.
At MITB, Cena allied with Logan Paul against Rhodes & Jey Uso in a tag match, where the heels lost after R-Truth returned and cost Cena the win.
In the ensuing weeks, Truth shaved his head and became more violent, rampaging through the roster to get back to Cena. Although interfering in Cena’s matches earned him another match, Truth’s anger led him to make enemies out of Aleister Black until former foe-turned-ally Damian Priest calmed him down.
Cena and Truth faced off in a rematch, where Cena quickly dispatched of Truth.
Analysis:
Well, that was underwhelming. Seeing Truth be brought back after a legitimate release, debut a new character to work his way back up to Cena, only to be dispatched in barely five minutes felt like a missed opportunity. Here’s where Cena’s run gets into a gray area: there’s a legitimate argument to be made that the abrupt match plays into the heel persona. Cena’s so far above everyone else in kayfabe, and no longer cares about sportsmanship so of course he’d only care about dispatching his opponents in as little time as possible.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s redoing the Super Cena greatest hits, only this time they’re meant to piss off an audience on purpose. With Truth already being set to feud with Aleister Black (an odd fit for Black, whose spooky shtick works best when he gets to be the brooding violent one), this move definitely felt planned out. With Truth’s return being unplanned, this was likely just to tie up loose ends rather than be a significant part of Cena’s remaining run.
However, there was definitely a way to make Truth look a little stronger in defeat. After all, Truth’s on his last run too, this new character deserves not to have the air taken out of its sails quite so much.
Quick note, I loved the callback with Truth and Priest making amends and promising to celebrate together. After months of Priest getting annoyed with Truth, seeing them grow fond of each other was genuinely kind of sweet.
Grade: B+
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