SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Some interesting developments in the wrestling world before we get into things:
•I haven’t officially covered this match that much since it largely was built on Raw, but Goldberg officially retired after losing to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in his longest (and one of his best) match to date. While his in-ring acumen was lacking, Goldberg was one of the biggest stars of his era, and went out on a high after a decently well-built program with one of WWE’s best. That’s more than a lot of legends can say, and PWTorch wishes him well. Have fun in retirement, Goldberg, and thanks for the good memories.
•WWE Unreal, a Netflix Original BTS series detailing the writing process of WWE in 2025, is scheduled to debut at the end of the month. While kayfabe is all but dead, there’s been mixed thoughts on an unscripted show detailing the process for storylines that haven’t even reached their conclusion.
•WWE’s impromptu PPV weekend takeover is behind us, and the results were interesting. While the trifecta of Great American Bash, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and Evolution II were all individually great shows with a distinct aesthetic and feel to them, I walked away from the weekend having the sense that I had consumed too much of a good thing.
•It definitely feels like WWE has found the saturation point of their content, even among their biggest fans. While undoubtedly at a financial peak, there is such a thing as programming overload, and WWE tested that limit over the weekend. With an obligation for monthly PPVs, plus new TV specials and NXT PPVs, not to mention entire new TV shows like Evolve, it’s now down to WWE to prove they can maintain this extreme deluge of content without 1: burning out their audience, and 2: maintaining their standard of storytelling (some may argue that one’s already slipping).
Because, when you’re selling out, more shows = more cash. But when business dips, you’re now losing money across all those shows. Oversaturation can also accelerate a dip in business by overexposing or thinning a weakening product.
Okay, enough doom-and-gloom. WWE managed to thread some decent storylines across PPVs, which made everything feel can’t-miss. While SNME was largely carried by Goldberg’s last match (which was one of his best at the ripe old age of 58), Evolution II overcame its lack of build to bring us one of the hottest cards of the year. Everyone brought their A-game, and matches received enough time to work entire narratives in-ring and deliver character beats across the board. The Women’s Division came out shining like a rose, and enough pieces were shuffled to keep audiences guessing through the summer.
Take notes, WWE. This is what happens when you have a seven-match card and a tighter flow to your PPVs.
We’ve got under a month until WWE’s two night biggest party of the summer, so where do things stand? Let’s review:
THEY SEE ME (JELLY) ROLLIN’, THEY HATIN’
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, Drew McIntyre returned from injury to interrupt Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, trying to pit them against each other and eating an RKO from Orton in return.
Singer Jelly Roll made a guest appearance in WWE performing a song, until resident celebrity d*ckwad Logan Paul crashed the party, instigating a fight. Orton came to Jelly Roll’s aid due to a mutual dislike of Paul. McIntyre appeared and laid out Orton, allowing Paul to beat down McIntyre until Jelly Roll pulled him away.
At Saturday Night’s Main Event, Orton faced off against McIntyre with Roll and Paul in their respective corners. Thanks to Jelly Roll’s interference, Orton walked away with the win. Later, a fired-up Jelly Roll wanted payback, agreeing to team with Orton against McIntyre & Paul at Summerslam.
Analysis:
After a shaky start, last week’s segments have set the stage for a genuinely entertaining rivalry at Summerslam. At the center is Jelly Roll, a surprisingly effective babyface especially for a celebrity. With his real-life hard upbringing and genuine demeanor, Jelly Roll plays a great Dusty Rhodes-esque common man to Logan Paul’s elitist hypocrite character. Playing into fan reactions about celebrity involvement is a great way to spin Paul’s delusional heel character, and the two have great chemistry together.
In fact, all four wrestlers have great chemistry together. Orton manages to fit with Jelly Roll like a matched blade, bringing a grounded palpable glee in their segments together evoking the RK-Bro days of old. I love the juxtaposition of the two heels not being able to stand each other, but allying out of convenience. It’s a great way to not neuter McIntyre’s character, and showcase the differences between the two duos.
Mixed with some extremely entertaining late-night talk show appearances, this feud is thriving on iconic moments. Seeing Logan Paul get chokeslammed on The Late Show is the exact kind of Attitude Era-style goofiness that this feud needed, and WWE knows better than to add any actual brevity.
The only “downside”, if you wanna call it that, was the SNME match. It wasn’t bad, but it exemplified the worst tendencies of an Orton match with it slow pace, excessive pauses for dramatic effect, and a lack of flow until the closing stretch. But even then, it was a great base to lay the groundwork for Summerslam.
Grade: A-
JADE CARGILL: BRUISED, BLOODY, AND VICTORIOUS
Latest Developments:
Last year, Jade Cargill won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Bianca Belair. Later, Cargill was attacked by a mystery assailant, sidelining her with injury. Naomi revealed she was the attacker, scheming to take Cargill’s success for herself. Cargill and Naomi faced off at Wrestlemania 41 in a grudge match, staying in each other’s orbit as Naomi became Ms. Money In The Bank several months later.
At Night of Champions, Cargill defeated Asuka to be crowned the new Queen of the Ring, earning her a title match against WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton at Summerslam. The following week, Cargill was attacked by Naomi again backstage, and a No Holds Barred match was greenlit between the two for Evolution II.
At Saturday Night’s Main Event, the two interrupted proceedings with an impromptu brawl. An exasperated Nick Aldis brought out the returning Bianca Belair to be the guest referee for the match. The following day, Cargill and Naomi put on a bloody war with gruesome table spots and toolbox projectiles. Eventually, Cargill managed to score the win.
Analysis:
It’s about time the women’s division got a blood feud where both wrestlers’ chief motivation is: “I want this person to die.”. The interactions between these two have been percolating for over a year now, and last week was the culmination. While Naomi’s spiral into a bonafide main event heel is the obvious highlight, Cargill’s babyface development is equally commendable. After months of stilted promos and botchy matches, Cargill finally came into her own, adopting a basic but effective hoss in-ring style and a minimalist promo delivery to match. While WWE’s previous efforts to pair her with Bianca Belair were commendable, Cargill’s presence works better when less quippy and more quietly threatening.
And, my god, their blow-off match was awesome. The perfect blend of “unstoppable force meets immovable object”, with Naomi’s erratic cheating and wild haymakers being countered beautifully by Cargill’s powerhouse brutality. Combined with some seriously gruesome spots even within WWE’s PG restrictions, and you’ve got the unquestionable highlight of Evolution II.
I loved the announcement of Belair’s involvement at SNME as a way to build hype for the following night’s PPV. It felt like old-school SNME, which had to plant seeds for future PPVs without the luxury of weekly television. Little storyline developments make these TV specials feel like events rather than glorified house shows. However, Belair’s actual use in the blow-off match was kind of pointless. It felt like there was opportunity to draw on her extensive history with both women, but instead she was just… there.
However, that doesn’t change that this was a great angle that launched Cargill into babyface stardom. She’s in a great spot for her upcoming marquee match at Summerslam, challenging for a world title. As for Naomi…. I think she’ll be alright.
Grade: A
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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TIFFANY STRATTON’S NEW CHALLENGE
Latest Developments:
Recently, the returning Trish Stratus appeared before WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton to a match at Evolution II. Stratus and Stratton, whose presentation mirrored each other, previously teamed up in a tag match at Money In The Bank Toronto. Stratus kept things cordial, putting over the significance of an all-women PPV.
Stratton announced she wanted to defend her title against Stratus at the event, which Stratus accepted, and the two faced off.
After an introduction from Stephanie McMahon, the two faced off at Evolution II, where Stratton defeated the old legend and retained her belt.
Analysis:
A bit of a boring go-home segment. Stratus returning is always a huge positive, having convincingly grown into an end boss/legend figure for the current women’s division, and a long-awaited dream match with Stratton is sure to impress.
However, after a few lackluster segments, it feels like WWE was content to let the match coast on name value rather than letting it inform either woman’s character. And, as such, their blow-off match at Evolution II never felt like it kicked into second gear. It was good, but there wasn’t much pacing or rhythms. The two just grappled and traded blows until Stratton managed to hit her finish once and win.
WWE’s treatment of Stratton has been odd, where they’ve put her in situations seemingly designed to get her cheered, yet continue to highlight the ego and brattiness of her character and give her heelish tendencies. It feels like they’re tapping into an L.A. Knight-esque character, where her popularity will get her perma-cheered without really changing her character. But something about the execution being awkward.
With a Jade Cargill (hot off an amazing babyface match) program looming, WWE has a little work to do to find a concrete dynamic for Stratton to play in, else they risk their marquee Summerslam match getting a muted reception.
Grade: C-
THE WYATTS STAND AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
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. In the following weeks, the Wyatts continued steamrolling the teams individually, as DIY’s cowardice continued biting the babyfaces in the ass.
Last week, the Wyatts received a title shot against the Profits, which they won after a lengthy war.
Analysis:
After a good few weeks of cementing babyface alliances against the Wyatts, last week’s purpose was to cement the group as Smackdown’s midcard end bosses. Capturing the tag belts (which took up a decent amount of programming and were the lynchpin of tag team faction wars for the bulk of 2025) is a great way to keep the Wyatts at the top of the mountain, as well as give the babyfaces a plausible motivation to continue fighting against them.
A shortcoming of the Wyatts seemingly abandoning the more righteous motivations they once had in targeting their enemies is that there’s less apparent motivations in their feuds. Before, the Wyatts were the aggressors so it made sense for their heel opponents to want them gone. This time, the Wyatts just showed up and caused chaos, which isn’t much to go on. Giving them the tag belts now gives the babyfaces a reason to fight back rather than run for the hills and focus on their own priorities.
The internal logic to get here was clunky, but I’m intrigued at the Wyatts being tag champions, and we’ve got a good storytelling base for multiple babyface tag teams to get some shine.
Grade: B+
ANDRADE & REY FENIX ARE HERE TO STAY
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, with the Wyatt Sicks bringing the Smackdown tag division to a standstill, an exasperated Nick Aldis set a match between these two tag teams to get some semblance of a number-one contender.
Later that night, the luchador babyfaces snagged the win against the rookies, ending their winning streak since being called up to the main roster. Last week, Andrade and Fenix formally announced they were a tag team.
Analysis:
There wasn’t much to this segment, but its placement directly succeeding the Wyatts’ tag win was interesting. Andrade and Fenix are two players who’ve been largely floating around the Smackdown mid-card scene, and it makes sense to put them together now that the tag team scene seems to be getting the bulk of screentime in the wake of Smackdown’s move to two hours.
With limited time, it’s looking increasingly like the US title will be sequestered within the Bloodline civil war for the time being. It’s not ideal, but within WWE’s promo-heavy framework they struggled to showcase both elements. At least this way we continue to get the US title on TV and engaged in an actual narrative.
That being said, the U.S. Title scene is now fairly non-existent, which would have been the ideal landing zone for both Andrade and Fenix. While the pairing of two lucha babyfaces into a makeshift team feels a little lazy, it’s the best way to keep getting them screentime. And, to WWE’s credit, they’ve at least set the precedent for these two, with Andrade and Fenix sharing mutual enemies in Santos Escobar earlier this year. We may not have had the storyline to justify this, but at least the two have shared character beats that make it plausible that they’d want to team up in kayfabe.
Grade: B-
ALEISTER BLACK HAS HAD ENOUGH
Latest Developments:
At Wrestlemania 41, John Cena won his record-breaking 17th WWE Championship. Former fan R-Truth pled with Cena’s opponents not to hurt him, only for Cena to betray him. Truth faced Cena, intending to remind him of his true self, but lost decisively.
Following this, R-Truth was legitimately released from WWE, before returning as a new more violent persona, rampaging through the roster to get back to Cena. Although he earned another match, Truth’s anger led him to make enemies out of Aleister Black despite Truth’s foe-turned-friend Damian Priest vouching for Truth’s character.
Priest continued trying to smooth things over with Black, but was rebuffed.Last week, Truth faced Black in a singles match, where Truth tricked Black into nearly getting himself disqualified to score the win. The furious Black turned heel by attacking Damian Priest, who had yet again tried to stop Black from hurting Truth.
Analysis:
R-Truth’s new character may not have gotten the proper ending to his return feud with John Cena, but dear god, he’s still hilarious in-ring. Somehow, WWE unintentionally stumbled into the best version of a vicious R-Truth: someone who still relies on shenanigans in the ring but does so with devious intent. Truth, ever an amazing actor, blends a level of righteous anger, selfishness, and comedy in such a unique way.
Aleister Black plays the angry babyface to perfection, as Truth’s presentation and callousness provides the perfect base for him to grow increasingly frustrated, especially at the annoying Damian Priest poking his nose in. Despite Priest being likable as ever, WWE did a great job framing him as an obstacle to Black, who’s just seeking some damn retribution for his business being interfered with.
The ensuing heel turn was very well done, and extremely understated for WWE’s standards. In fact, this entire feud feels underplayed in a way that really makes it feel effective. The anger emanating from both sides isn’t explosive, its quiet. And somehow, that makes it feel all the more uncomfortable. I’m curious to see what the blowoff is, and how Black’s heel turn will manifest itself in different dynamics. But for now, it’s a much more engaging version of him than simply being a broody face who loses to the Miz.
Grade: B+
THE BLOODLINE’S NEWEST ENEMIES
Latest Developments:
Solo Sikoa introduced J.C. Mateo as the Bloodline’s newest member, beginning a rift between him and Jacob Fatu. This eventually backfired during Money In The Bank, where Fatu betrayed Sikoa and left the faction.
Fatu found an ally in Jimmy Uso, a former adversary of Sikoa. At Night Of Champions, Fatu and Sikoa faced off for Fatu’s U.S. Championship, which Sikoa won thanks to the debuting Tala Tonga. Rechristening his stable as the MFT Bloodline, Sikoa claimed his family was whole alongside the also-returning Tonga Loa.
Last week, amidst his feud with Seth Rollins, Knight appeared on Smackdown to talk about his future, but was interrupted by his old enemies the MFT. Fatu and Uso stood alongside Knight despite their own past acrimony, but the heels stood tall by the end of the episode due to the numbers game and interference from Rollins’ henchmen.
The gloating Sikoa challenged Jimmy Uso to face him for the U.S. Title at SNME, where Uso stood little chance thanks to the MFT’s numbers.
Analysis:
I loved the booking of the go-home segments, using the traditional Bloodline dual-segment pacing to work in a Raw narrative via L.A. Knight. The Bloodline’s dominance on programming has dragged a bit in recent months, but having multiple feuds collide for a single episode not only helps justify this extended screen time but gives the stable new faces to work against, if only briefly, and livens up the programming.
Not to mention, it’s credit to WWE’s booking that all the babyface’s character dynamics still make sense when taking into account feuds from last year. Knight’s lingering animosity with Fatu and Uso, the history of the U.S. Championship between both of them and Sikoa, even things like Bronson Reed’s previous alliance with The Bloodline logically threading into why the MFT Bloodline is playing nice with the Seth Riders (yes, I know that’s not their name, I don’t care, it’s funny).
New member Tala Tonga didn’t get much to do after his splashy entrance, and it highlights the biggest weakness of the MFT Bloodline: all the henchmen don’t feel like they’re playing to their strengths. JC Mateo working a slower heel style takes out his agility, which was always the biggest novelty of his work, and accentuates his promos which have never been convincing (especially as a badass heel). Same goes with Tala, who feels slotted into yet another heavy role rather than establishing any chemistry or nuance besides “he’s the tall one.” Maybe the new name was accurate, that’s all there is to him.
On the flip side, with the hindsight of Seth Rollins being out long-term with a knee injury, the go-home segment was an unintentional litmus test for how Breakker and Reed could function without their leader. Turns out, with Heyman by their side, the two human wrecking balls are still pretty dang compelling.
Grade: B-
CHARLOTTE FLAIR’S… NEW FRIEND?
Latest Developments:
Following her loss at Wrestlemania 41 Charlotte Flair had 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 Alexa Bliss offered to talk with Flair, who brushed her off.
Bliss eventually tried reasoning with Flair, claiming the two didn’t have to be friends but rather “allies of convenience,” which softened Flair somewhat.
Adam Peace announced a four-way match at Evolution II for the Women’s Tag Team Titles held by The Judgement Day. To Charlotte Flair’s dismay, Bliss was announced to be her tag team partner.
However, following a few preview tags, Flair slowly warmed to Bliss, and at Evolution II the duo lost the eventual four-way match to The Judgement Day but worked cohesively in-ring.
Analysis:
Evolution II had to juggle a lot of story beats in a few matches, thanks to the lack of build. This was the one narrative that I really felt was held back from that approach. Despite having a longer lead-up than other feuds going into the PPV, the odd couple of Bliss and Flair took a backseat to other wrestlers in the tag-team four-way matches, and instead took us down a different journey where the conflict seems to be less about Flair slowly growing into Bliss’ friend, but rather seeing how they work together from the get-go.
The go-home show was instrumental in portraying Bliss as the wrestler to beat, as she steamrolled the other competitors in the preview four-way matches. It felt like a conscious effort to raise Bliss up to Flair’s perpetual main-event levels in kayfabe. The two felt like a cohesive team walking into the PPV, rather than leaning into the odd-couple dynamics that most similar stories may have done.
Instead, it felt like we slowly watched the birth of a new elite team, ready to take the division by storm. While The Judgement Day retained in the end, Flair and Bliss had the majority of the match’s highlight-worthy moments, and the focus was clearly around them surprising their competitors with surprisingly effective chemistry. It’s an approach that keeps Flair closer to title contention than she needs to be right now (after years clogging the main event, Flair’s best work has always been outside the title picture), but at the very least it allows both players an engaging dynamic to play off of rather than rehashes of their previous singles runs.
Grade: B+
MS. MONEY IN THE BANK MAKES HER MOVE
Latest Developments:
At Money In The Bank several months ago, Naomi defeated the other participants to become Ms. Money In The Bank. At the time, Naomi was embroiled in a feud with Jade Cargill, who won the Queen Of The Ring tournament the following month to earn a title shot against Tiffany Stratton at Summerslam next month. Given Naomi’s concurrent beef with Stratton, it seemed like storylines were being set up for Naomi to eventually cash-in during their title match.
However, in a plot twist, following her loss to Cargill at Evolution II, Naomi surprisingly chose to cash in on the other world championship, suddenly appearing during Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley’s match for the Women’s World Championship, cashing in, and walking away with the gold.
Analysis:
First off, massive credit to Naomi for her sensational work as a heel. Ever since turning, she’s developed a character base of equal parts fiery vengeance and menace, making her feel genuinely unhinged even within the trappings of WWE’s PG kayfabe. Barring a few badly-written lines (her brief racist comeback to Iyo on Raw springs to mind, which reeks of bad writing in a misguided effort for “cheap heat”), Naomi stands out as one of the most effortlessly watchable heels in the company. At a time when the women’s division is the most stacked it’s ever been, Naomi doesn’t look out of place at all at the top of the mountain. Well done.
I also loved the swerve of Naomi cashing in against Sky and Ripley. For months, Naomi had built up blood feuds against Cargill (and Stratton, to a lesser extent), and had just lost the grudge match against Cargill. With a big title match already announced, it felt so obvious to me that Naomi would cash in there. The best part is: it was never explicitly hinted on TV, but only made apparent for viewers paying attention. That’s what elevated the swerve beyond a typical WWE misdirect: it was telegraphed, but only slightly to the hardcores that were paying attention.
In comparison, Naomi had zero contact with either Sky or Ripley, so cashing in on them elevated her stock as a smart competitor rather than completely blinded by vengeance and petty goals. Not only does Naomi look more dangerous than ever, she now has two new babyfaces to feud with, the Raw women’s division has a new villain. Everyone came out better, and the result was a genuinely surprising moment in an era with not enough of those.
Good shit, WWE.
Grade: A+
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