RAW Starts the Long Haul to the Royal Rumble, I Guess....

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

This Monday treating you well? Meh, it’s a Monday to me. I won’t lie. As for the wrestling world, there are quite a few things to chat about but I’ll just pick a few. It would appear that I may be reading the lay of land quite well if I may say so myself. Well, I’ve had a good long look at this stuff. It ain’t that hard to decipher.

We’ll start with some confirmations. It appears that Willam Regal is set to return to WWE in the new year and will more than likely be in some behind the scenes role. I kinda knew it. There were obvious hints sure but if the rumors of AEW management being immature are true, that’s a sentiment I’ve touched on in past posts. Of course it is. His superiors are younger than him in most cases over there. It’s not their fault, have to start somewhere, but that’s why a more established promotion probably just suits Regal best. I’m not even sure how many AEW fans are aware of his WWE career. I know I don’t know much and I’m no whippersnapper. I hope this rights whatever was wrong in Regal’s world.

Moreover, there’s talk that Sasha Banks isn’t going to AEW. Some feel as I do and don’t feel it’s a good fit. Personally, I think she’s too “high maintenance” and wouldn’t have many ladies her skill-level to box with. I put her in the same space as Bray Wyatt. They need all the bells and whistles to some degree. It completes the presentation. Let’s face it. They’re more “sports entertainers” than “pro-wrestlers” but that doesn’t mean they lack skill. It’s just clear it’s more about the show.

Speaking of Wyatt, let’s take a moment to express our sincere concerns for the Rotunda/Windham families as one of theirs, a Barry Windham, is in the hospital after suffering a heart attack. I was not aware of Windham’s career but I did think of Wyatt when I saw the name and wondered if there was a connection. It appears there is a degree or two of separation but the relation is there. Let us wish this gentleman a full recovery and keep them in our prayers.

In lighter news, Bianca Belair went and verified her “-EST” status as she went and won the Wellness segment of a fitness competition in Atlantic City. I suppose these claims can’t just be self-professed. Ms. Belair intends to be bonafide 😉 Congratulations to her. I’m certainly not going to take up the task. Glad she did so undaunted.

So, that’s all that caught my interest. There’s plenty of other stuff to touch on but I don’t have much to say about it. I said my piece. And that brings us to tonight’s RAW. It sounds that we’re just waiting for the Royal Rumble so this is going to be an extended No Man’s Land period. We’re bound to see some ample experimentation and some seldom seen faces.  For instance, Elias and Matt Riddle will team up to face The Usos for the Tag Team Titles and the winner is slated to face Drew McIntyre and Sheamus on Friday for SmackDown. However, word has it that McIntyre isn’t currently medically cleared. We’ll see if that changes by Friday. Also, JBL is supposed to have a high stakes poker challenge at some point. 

Now, this is an aside for the kids ‘cause I just put together that JBL is WWE’s answer to JR Ewing. JR Ewing was played by Larry Hagman in the 80’s primetime drama Dallas. It’s a classic in its own right. I watched the series over the pandemic and man, they just don’t make TV like that anymore. It’s great! And JR is one of the best characters to love to hate. I get it now. I vaguely remembered the popularity from childhood and went and educated myself. It’s dated as hell but it still works on a lot of levels. I still think WWE should lean into that sort of tone. It’s catty and incendiary, just what you need to start a fight. If they can get these sort of burns going  backstage, you’d have the set up for a ton of showdowns either within the show or for the next one. Let me just leave you with some of his gems. Give them something to aspire to.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)