The Long Road to WrestleMania Begins with Tonight's RAW...

A Merry Monday to You, Enthusiasts!

 

Did you catch the Super Bowl? Boring as all hell, wasn’t it? The Chiefs just got flat out schooled. We’ll see how that shapes this year’s season. As for the wrestling world, well, there are and aren’t things going on. We are at the beginning of WrestleMania 37 preparations and it’s hard to say what will hold up until show-time. So far, it appears that WWE is attempting to establish a sense of continuity. This is surprising because WWE seemed to pride itself on being completely random. Yet, with ridicule rampant and ratings falling they have to admit their flaws. It could be said that they are attempting to do something about these loose ends. Well, I would say it’s a case of better late than never.

 

On the other hand, we probably shouldn’t read too much into this. It could all prove to be red herrings. Christian’s return may or may not affect Edge’s title run. I think a primary method of WWE is sticking to whatever is the most popular. They’ll probably settle on the angle that gains the most chatter. There’s no talk of Edge making an appearance tonight. Seeing how his presence didn’t exactly pull people in could be a good indication of why. Also, WWE playing old tunes with Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre set to box again for tonight doesn’t bode well for ushering in a new era of solid storytelling. Let’s hope it’s a card that is “subject to change”.

 

In other news I have an article out. Well, technically I have 2. Just kinda forgot to promote one. It came out days before I made a post and just slipped through the cracks. The first one is about Sasha Banks, just tossing around possible feuds. The second is a bit more compelling in my opinion because it shows some pluckiness. Nikki Cross is doing what she can to not get left behind. Prior to the Royal Rumble she was posting promos online to keep her name in the mix. It’s not a bad tactic. Wrestlers should consider doing stints of self-promotion.

 

It’s just too clear that the creative department is run by a bunch of uncreative people. Wrestlers will have to be bold and sell themselves when WWE falls short. In the process, both parties may just figure out what to do with each other. If trial and error is all they got, they’ll have to work with it until something clicks. This is why correcting this course isn’t the easiest task. They need to settle on a vision and start crafting it. I don’t blame them for starting with what’s already in play. As for Cross, she had some “closure” with Alexa Bliss, falling to her in a brief, pre-taped match recently. Now, she has to find another story to tell. She looks like she may end up with RETRIBUTION but we all know that she can do better. She may have to find some other wrestlers to work with to either develop a feud and/or a faction. I hope she doesn’t give up. She may have to fight for herself.

 

Tonight’s RAW should give us some insight on where WWE plans to go. Though there are 2 more PPVs before WrestleMania, everyone is more concerned about how they set-up for WrestleMania. This is what I was getting at by saying WWE needs to get in front of us. With any other series, we’d be getting an idea of what the season finale might shape up to be. In WWE’s case, they should be steering away from doing too much of the same. It could lead to more fans losing interest. If WWE wants to change its street-cred from being lazy and repetitive to being sharp and fresh, it should start faking us out. We’ll see if this McIntyre vs. Orton match gets “postponed” due to Sheamus’ interference. And Charlotte will see if she can stop flashbacks from her past from repeating by confronting Lacey Evans. Outside of that, we’ll just have to wait and see. Funny tweets get retweeted and as for Likes well, it’s No Man’s Land and this is a bit of a longer stretch because the real endgame is WrestleMania. More than at any other time, WWE has to work hard to build our interest. Fans are getting tired of the same ole, same ole. WWE is only lucky that AEW isn’t much better. People may object but from what I’ve seen, the only difference is that they’re doing their own shit and not someone else’s. Whether WWE likes it or not, they simply have to do better. They shouldn’t balk at this challenge. If they’re the best, they’re going to have to prove it from time to time. It would appear that they have this challenge before them now. Don’t feel bad if they leave themselves open. Give them a reason to clean up their act.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)