Happy WrestleMania Eve!....

A Merry WrestleMania Friday to You, Enthusiasts.

 

How’s it treating you? I’ve had worse ones; I’ll just say that. So, there’s still a lot of speculation and question marks hovering in the air. Let’s talk about a few of them, shall we?

 

Will or won’t Cody Rhodes appear this weekend is still being debated. Word is now that he bailed. I’m sticking to what I thought before. I think all of this is some sort of work. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s behind the scenes discussions as to whether to debut him now or later. The surprise of it is kinda ruined so I don’t blame them reconsidering when to do this but if they don’t do it now, they shouldn’t go for the lame substitution. With Kevin Owens goading fans with the hope of Steve Austin recently, that may have run the WWE Universe’s general tolerance to a new low. Not that Owens didn’t execute the Heel move well, it’s just that many fans have been teetering on their last straw for a while and if some of the rumors are true, to have someone like Shane McMahon come back to box Seth Rollins instead, it is sure to get rolled eyes and groans.

 

I have no problem with WWE being a Heel company. It’s just that they have to get cleverer about how they do so. They want people kicking the ground that they got fooled not people getting sick of them. It’s a delicate balance that can easily be spoiled. However, to counter, there’s a lot of talk of Windham/Bray Wyatt of late. Could that be a surprise reacquisition?

 

If you ask me, it should be. Wyatt was always WWE material. Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if he went a little off kilter, it can happen. I know it can feel stifling in an atmosphere like WWE’s. One may feel stunted and restricted. I can see how one could feel forced to adhere to what one is told to do and go unheard. Yet, there are some cases where that is warranted. Wyatt has creativity but it doesn’t mean it will always work in real time. That’s why I always had a problem with The Fiend. It doesn’t work in real time. You need editing and proper staging not to mention a believable premise. I know plenty of people ate it up anyway but who knows why. He could return but he’d have to leave The Fiend stuff behind. Alexa Bliss not being around this WrestleMania somewhat proves my point. She did better with the idea but it still just doesn’t make sense in real time. Neither one of them are any kind of supernatural and no one will believe different.

 

So, the next question is why does it more or less work for Finn Bálor? What’s the difference? The difference is the backstory. The Fiend is just “the ravings of a deranged mind”. How the fuck does that suddenly get magical? He can be off his rocker completely, but there’s no hocus pocus. Maybe cunning booby traps but no magic. Bálor was smart and went with mythology/legend. Now, an audience can suspend its disbelief. And the kicker with that is the less hocus pocus, the more likely it lands. You got to get into people’s heads with that angle. Bálor is untapped potential. If they can just approach from an adult perspective, I think WWE would be pleasantly surprised. As for Wyatt, he just needs to accept facts. As I’ve said before, the most obvious next step is to become “The Preacher”. He could profess that he’s a changed man and has seen the error of his ways and has embraced the Holy Spirit, whatever that “Spirit” may be. All the while, he’s just as crazy as ever and he could be for the rest of his years because he believes he works in the name of "Heaven". It works every time because he believes he’s “good”. We can now not think of it too seriously. He’s being his psycho self, which we love, without challenging social acceptability. It’s just how it is.

 

As for other sightings during this WrestleMania weekend, both Asuka and Bayley have been seen walking around. We’ll see if that amounts to any in-ring action. Last I heard we shouldn’t count on Bayley but Asuka is a strong maybe.

 

And so, that takes us to tonight’s SmackDown. All that’s really advertised is everyone who doesn’t officially have anything to do for WrestleMania will jump into the ring tonight to have the Andre the Giant Battle Royale. We’ll have to tune in to see about anything else. RAW was decent but it seemed very contrived at times. I think WWE should focus more on the organic aspects of the Industry. Trying to manufacture the fun takes the fun out of it. The beauty of live television is witnessing live reactions and interactions. That’s why the Oscars were so interesting this year.

 

Not that I want some uncomfortable shit to go down but they need to let it all breathe, be alive. That’s what makes it fun. Someone may flub a line or improvise a better one. Those real moments are what makes it all that much more entertaining. They shouldn’t try to script it too tightly. Some wrestlers will need a firm hand just because it isn’t their forte. WWE needs to take note and play to their strengths until they find a happy medium. When it doubt, stick to the usual methods. They’re the standard for a reason.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)