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Not many WWE updates this week, but a few developments in the wider world of wrestling:
•WWE legend Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) passed away this week at the age of 71. He leaves behind a divisive legacy in the world of wrestling. As a wrestler, Hogan was the torchbearer of the WWF in the ’80s and the fire that announced wrestling’s entry into mainstream fame in the ’90s with the NWO. A symbol of American exceptionalism, Hogan’s presence was second to none in the ring. However, outside the ring, Bollea soon became notorious for his racism, selfishness in backstage politicking, ego, and attempts to quell unionism among pro wrestlers. When uncovering the mask, Bollea’s name soon became viewed negatively compared to his on-screen counterpart, clouding his legacy permanently.
•Kurt Angle announced his addition to the new freestyle wrestling company, Real American Freestyle, as a ringside analyst. The company will feature collegiate wrestlers in shoot competitions with manufactured storylines. Joining Angle on commentary is UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen, while WWE alumni David Sahadi will handle production. The company’s idea may sound confusing, but at least the finished product will look halfway professional. And, assuming the paychecks actually clear, more avenues for freestyle wrestlers to make money is never a bad thing.
•Following his recent absence from WWE programming, Pat McAfee revealed that burnout has led to him stepping away from the company momentarily. While I haven’t been a fan of McAfee’s commentary work (not to mention his inaccurate statements on certain athletes), I commend him for prioritizing his mental health and wish him a speedy recovery.
•As we barrel down the road to Summerslam, it really feels like WWE has begun kicking into a second gear. While the months following WrestleMania have traditionally been WWE’s weakest, this year I’ve felt a particular sense of drainage from audiences that finally seems like it’s wearing off. Maybe it was the first lackluster WrestleMania main event in the past few years, maybe it was the sheer influx of content finally catching up to people, maybe tribalism caught people by storm. Whatever it is, it finally feels like all roads are leading to Summerslam, and the destination feels exciting again.
An important part of that is TNA Slammiversary, which aired this week to a divisive reception. Let me talk about that event briefly. I personally believe ending Slammiversary with both TNA world titles on NXT wrestlers was a bad idea. I understand it’s a ploy for the TNA originals to win them back at Bound For Glory, and to TNA’s credit they’ve built up the anticipation for their own version of WrestleMania later this summer. But, in classic TNA fashion, it really felt like they didn’t strike while the iron was hot.
•Cody Rhodes extending his title chase for a whole year was an anomaly, not the rule. Joe Hendry’s reign suffered from a stretched-out build, as did many others in TNA’s history, and Mike Santana seems to be in line for something similar. TNA’s largest crowd, peak fan anticipation, Santana’s OWN HOMETOWN? It was the perfect convergence of moments to give him the belt. Waiting until Bound For Glory feels like the moment won’t be anywhere near as momentous.
TNA may have left me high and dry, but did Smackdown last week do the same? Well, this week felt atypical, trading the show’s usual pacing for a slower style focusing only on three to four feuds. It’s been a while since The Bloodline got three segments in one show, much less hi-jinks as goofy as last week’s (more on that below). Something about the stories this week felt like they were being presented differently, with an emphasis on old-school southern rasslin’ logic rather than WWE’s trademark emphasis on continuity. Things felt goofier, a little more relaxed, and creatively it felt like the writing team had some fun this week. And I like it. Goofier chill episodes like last week keep WWE feeling fresh. This issue might be a little shorter, but I’ve never been more excited to talk about an episode. Let’s review:
SOME SMACKDOWN STALWARTS SAY GOODBYE
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 feuds with WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton and upcoming title challenger Jade Cargill, hinting at a cash-in during their eventual match.
However, in a plot twist, Naomi chose to cash in on the Women’s World Championship instead, walking away with the gold and subsequently joining the Raw roster.
In addition, Los Garzas have quietly stepped away from the Smackdown’s tag division war against The Wyatt Sicks. The duo quietly calmed their feud with faction leader Santos Escobar during a brief excursion to AAA where they won the AAA Tag Team Championships. Since then, the two have mostly made appearances on AAA to defend their belts.
Analysis:
I wanted to quickly address these two departures before moving on this week’s feuds. Both Naomi and Los Garzas weren’t always involved in feuds near the top of the card, but moving them away from Smackdown even temporarily really made me aware of how WWE rosters no longer feel top-heavy anymore. At times, both acts didn’t get as much time as they may have needed to really get themselves over, but it speaks to WWE’s storytelling that they increased fan investment in themselves besides that.
Naomi is now one of the biggest heels on the roster, while Los Garzas went from coming out to crickets to getting an earth-shattering pop when standing up against Santos Escobar. There’s definitely more progress to be made, but it’s worlds better than what the company used to be in the 2010s.
Grade: A
THE ALLIES OF CONVENIENCE
Latest Developments:
Following her loss at WrestleMania 41, Charlotte Flair had been slowly unraveling due to audiences rejecting her. This resulted 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. Flair and Bliss lost the eventual match, but won the hearts of millions when Flair chose to save Bliss during the match, effectively turning her babyface.
Last week, Flair faced off against Raquel Rodriguez in a singles bout, working babyface. Thanks to Bliss’s interference, Flair scored the win, and the Allies Of Convenience earned another title shot at Summerslam.
Analysis:
After a monster pop at Evolution, WWE has truly struck gold with The Allies Of Convenience. While effectively a babyface now thanks to fan support (as evidenced by Flair working babyface throughout much of last week’s match, to some surprisingly loud cheers), I appreciate that the writing hasn’t forced Flair back into her vanilla “I’m The Queen” archetype. Following her heel crashouts post-Wrestlemania, it felt like a certain amount of psychotic ego was unlocked in Flair, and both for continuity and enjoyment, I’m glad that her viciousness isn’t being completely abandoned in this pivot.
The Allies Of Convenience is such a fun dynamic, as they both relish in slightly heelish tactics, but utilize them as payback against people worse than them. As much as I hate this comparison, it’s a classic Hogan-style comeback, who used eye rakes and foreign objects but only in retaliation to someone else’s cheating. Fans love it because they have an appreciation for cheaters not prospering.
The title rematch at Summerslam felt a bit fast, but I’m not mad at it. The two tag teams have great chemistry together, and the division has slowly gathered momentum in recent weeks, Flair & Bliss holding the belts could be a great babyface tag team to tide the division over until the fall.
If anything, I want to see these two continue to get consistent mic time. Bliss has great presence, and Flair is at her best on the mic playing straight-woman to a more insane presence (see: her short lived friendship with Shotzi in 2023, which feels like a precursor to this run in hindsight).
Grade: A-
THEY SEE ME (JELLY) ROLLIN’, THEY HATIN’
Latest Developments:
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.
There wasn’t much follow-up on this feud this week, and frankly I’m not mad. Celebrity feuds work best when delivering a level of storytelling just beyond the novelty of the celebrity taking a bump, but nothing more than that. At the end of the day, celebrities are normies, they shouldn’t be on the same level as professional wrestlers in kayfabe, either on the mic or in the ring aside from a few zingers. As much as Jelly Roll looks the part, keeping his appearances limited in building this feud is a smart idea. We already got a late-night crossover ending in Logan Paul going through a table. Sometimes less is more.
Grade: A-
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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JADE CARGILL vs. TIFFANY STRATTON
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 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, earning her a title shot against WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.
Meanwhile, Stratton recently defended her title against WWE legend Trish Stratus, who many called her the spiritual successor to. At Evolution, Stratton defeated Stratus in a passing of the torch moment.
Analysis:
Just like the above, this feud didn’t get much of an update this week aside from a brief hype package. However, it really felt like these two wrestlers could have used a segment immediately after the PPV weekend to sell the effects of their recent wars.
Cargill, for example, finally shed her superwoman status in a bloody war against Naomi, in undoubtedly the best in-ring work of her career that finally made her feel like a main eventer, yet also a vulnerable human that needed to dig deep and find passion to win rather than an untouchable god. Meanwhile, Stratton’s match with Stratus was largely built on their mutual respect, and the match itself felt like the old generation making way for the new.
On the backs of these seminal moments, seeing either wrestler emerge battered and bruised, but still stake their claim to walk out of Summerslam holding gold would have done a lot to inject some fuel into this build. I’m already skeptical of Stratton and Cargill’s in-ring chemistry, and neither of them are at the level where they can craft an amazing promo out of nothing. So not following up on the PPV’s events felt like a big missed opportunity to really get this match off to the races. I feel automatically cooled down going into tonight’s episode.
Grade: C-
CODY RHODES vs. JOHN CENA
Latest Developments:
Pn the road to Wrestlemania 41, John Cena turned heel for the first time, no longer respecting the art of pro wrestling after decades of love-hate relationships with the fanbase. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes faced off against Cena at Wrestlemania 41, where Cena won and became champion, vowing to take the title with him upon his retirement at the end of 2025 and end its lineage forever.
As Cena continued rampaging through the roster, Rhodes eventually returned, teaming with Jey Uso against Cena and Logan Paul (who Cena praised in his new heel form), where he won and vowed to take the title back. Rhodes eventually built himself back to Cena by winning the King Of The Ring tournament, earning a WWE Championship title shot at Summerslam.
Last week, Rhodes and Cena held a contract signing moderated by Adam Pearce. Immediately, Cena addressed the crowd and said he would be unable to compete at Summerslam because he was filming a movie in New York instead, and got up to leave. An incensed Rhodes then laid Cena out, forcing a pen into his hand and signing the contract.
Holding the belt high, Rhodes proclaimed that, according to the contract, their match would now be a Street Fight.
Analysis:
So, I was torn on this segment. First off, it felt like it sprung from 1987. Something about the tone, the wackier dialogue and faster pacing felt like such a throwback to the territory days. I could see Mr. Perfect cutting versions of Cena’s heel promo. And I liked it. Whenever you get a segment that highlights the logistics of working in a wrestling company, the more you realize how inherently goofy wrestling kayfabe is. Apparently an unconscious hand signing a contract makes it official. It makes no sense, but somehow it’s so enjoyable to watch in its own little world that I can’t help but be along for the ride.
After a rocky start, Cena’s heel turn has taken on a new life once he settled into his character rhythm being closer to a Hollywood sellout that no longer respects the institutions of WWE since the fans hated him. The generic “you people” promos and vague platitudes about destroying wrestling have really been focused into a more cohesive heel character. And by god, Cena had some dynamite lines this week. Talking about missing Summerslam because he’s filming a Netflix movie in NYC, when in actuality Summerslam would only be an hour drive to New Jersey? Peak heel comedy, but also such a great way to show disrespect to WWE by so openly prioritizing other endeavors.
On the flip side, I wasn’t a fan of Cody Rhodes’ more open aggression. Seeing his increasing rage at Cena’s disrespect was fun, but having him so openly jump to a beatdown felt a little jarring and out-of-character. Especially given that Rhodes’ anger hasn’t been a central point to his character over the past few months (it was more simple babyface motivation), so seeing him start swinging was a little rushed and made the segment feel abrupt. Also, since when does Cody do frog splashes? That was fun. Rhodes keeps his moveset pretty limited, so it really pops when he busts out these more athletic movements.
All in all, an enjoyable segment with some wonky pacing, that nevertheless set the hype train rolling for Summerslam.
Grade: B+
THE WYATTS’ NEW CHALLENGERS
Latest Developments:
After a lengthy hiatus, the long-dormant Wyatt Sicks made their return and laid out all the major teams in Smackdown’s 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 to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions.
Meanwhile, a new set of challengers emerged in Andrade & Rey Fenix, who formally announced themselves as a tag team after weeks of informally teaming together. Nick Aldis set a #1 contenders match later that night, which Andrade & Fenix won. Aldis announced their title shot against the Wyatts would be tonight.
Analysis:
After a good few weeks of cementing babyface alliances against the Wyatts, last week’s purpose was for Andrade & Fenix to join the fight against the newly-christened end bosses of the midcard. 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.
With Andrade and Fenix formally joining the tag division, it only makes sense to involve them in the Wyatt Family war. With Los Garzas MIA and Pretty Deadly out of commission, there’s space for more players to get screentime and fill out the babyface squad. While lacking the character base and history with the Wyatts, Andrade & Fenix’s trademark high-flying offense has gotten them massively over, and they could be just the right contenders to juice up the Wyatt Sicks.
Will the Wyatts lose? Absolutely not, but this should serve as a nice segue for Andrade & Fenix to eventually join the babyface tag team alliance, which would be a great place for both ring generals to focus on their characters in a division currently thriving on clashing egos and dynamics
Grade: B
R-TRUTH MADE EVERYTHING WORSE
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.
Last week, Priest continued getting mocked by Carmelo Hayes, leading to a match between the two later that night, ending in a DQ when Black laid Priest out mid-match.
Analysis:
There’s a fun bit of character continuity in R-Truth unknowingly making life harder for everyone that likes him, only this time its through his reckless violence rather than goofiness. I love little thematic thorough lines, as they keep characters feeling cohesive even through drastic changes.
Case in point: Priest openly wondering why he’s even invested in Truth anymore was such a low-key funny moment, calling attention to Truth’s lovability superseding storyline logic with a wink and a nod. Priest has struck the balance between well-meaning babyface energy and intimidating big brother protectiveness perfectly, staring down Black and Hayes yet simultaneously being just as exasperated at Truth. Not everyone could have made this character feel cohesive, hats off to Priest.
The antagonists of the week, Black and Hayes, didn’t do much but glower and posture respectively, but hopefully as this midcard continues escalating they’ll get more solo moments on the mic to flesh out their own characters rather than simply being opposing forces for Priest.
As it stands, a quick serviceable segment this week that kept this feud in the audience’s brain, but didn’t leave much else.
Grade: B-
STEPHANIE VAQUER IS HERE
Latest Developments:
At Evolution II, Stephanie Vaquer won a 20-woman battle royal for a world championship match at Clash In Paris later this year.
Last week, Vaquer made an appearance on Smackdown, facing Alba Fyre in a singles match that she won easily. Post-match, Piper Niven arrived to beat down Vaquer, but the babyface Vaquer fought back and stood tall to close the segment.
Analysis:
Not really much to say with this one. With the minor reshuffling between rosters, this week’s match was largely to put over Stephanie Vaquer as a main-event level threat to the Smackdown roster. Pairing her no-nonsense style against the goofy shenanigans of the Secret Hervice was a great touch, and the post-match segment seemed to indicate that Vaquer will be running through the entire stable en route to her eventual title match.
It was a quick, serviceable segment that immediately allowed audiences to place Vaquer into the Smackdown pecking order. With fresh feuds abounding, I’m curious to see if this confirms that Vaquer will remain on the blue brand and challenge for the WWE Women’s Championship. If so, her presence could provide an intriguing wild card to the confirmed title match between Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill.
Grade: C
SOLO SIKOA STAGES A CAR ACCIDENT
Latest Developments:
Following his betrayal of Solo Sikoa, 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, Sikoa claimed his family was whole alongside the also-returning Tonga Loa.
The gloating Sikoa challenged Jimmy Uso to face him for the U.S. Championship at SNME, where Uso stood little chance thanks to the MFT’s numbers.
Last week, the show opened with MFT being involved in a car accident being inspected by medical personnel. Police arrived, wanting to speak to Fatu for questioning. Reluctantly, Fatu agreed to go with them.
The MFT hit the ring, as Sikoa decried Fatu’s villainous act. However, Uso found proof clearing Fatu’s name, and Sikoa was arrested instead for fabricating a crime scene while Uso and Fatu looked on victoriously.
Analysis:
This was a running segment that felt ripped from the Attitude Era in the best way. It was a great wya to juxtapose the Old Bloodline under Roman Reigns compared to the MFT, highlighting the journey the stable has gone on in the past few years. Under Reigns, the stable was featured in dialogue-heavy segments about allegiances and loyalty, riffing on mob movies.
But the MFT? Nah, they get a Looney Tunes-style staged car accident culminating in Solo Sikoa getting arrested (with one of the funniest reactions of all time, as Tala Tonga began protesting like a student boycotting an unlawful arrest). It’s a great way to highlight the comedic talents of Sikoa, as well as subtly show the degradation of the stable under his control without devaluing their characters.
For once in their partnership, Uso got the chance to be the hero for Fatu, using his savvy to exonerate his friend where Fatu’s “all gas, no brakes” style may have otherwise gotten him into trouble. It was a fun way to make audiences see Uso as a capable fighter in his own right rather than a less fun version of Fatu.
Storyline-wise? Nothing really was accomplished. But for a show heavy on storyline progressions as they barrel down to Summerslam, it was nice to have the show-long segment be a little zanier. Tonal variation is the cornerstone of professional wrestling, and I loved it.
Grade: A-
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