The First SmackDown of 2023 Sees the Return of Vince McMahon...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

Happy Friday. Well, you know what I’m gonna talk about. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

So, Mr. Vince McMahon is back at the helm at the start of Q1 it would seem. Word is he’s back to handle all the media deals back up for review and naturally discuss terms for a potential sale. Personally, I don’t see a problem as long as he sticks to the business end of things. We all know Triple H isn’t where he is due to his fiscal acumen. 

Many fans and commenters, however, feel it’s just the beginning of the return to creative misery in the WWE Universe. Well, I would believe that more if what H was doing wasn’t working. We’ve all been a lot happier with the content and I think Mr. McMahon is a type that will let something be if it’s effective. 

So, what was all these years of crap we had to suffer through, you might ask. To me, that was internal boredom. I really think Creative was generally sick of itself. They were sticking to an old, played-out model that didn’t allow for much maneuvering and they basically backed themselves into a creative corner. Just letting anyone else handle it for a while was bound to inject fresh energy. 

Let’s face it, content isn’t tremendously better, just more coherent. We still get repeat matches between PPVs but the focus is more on developing the feud as opposed to tossing wrestlers out there and saying “Dance!”. There’s some experimentation going on too but that’s to be expected. They don’t know what works anymore. Societal changes have made it more difficult to pinpoint. With the general consensus frowning on violence and petty arguments, it’s hard to get a foothold nowadays. How do you validate this madness? 

To me, that’s what humor is for. There was a time when it was more important to sell the action. Make it seem “real”. Well, we all know it’s predetermined but what’s real and kayfabe have gotten hopelessly conflated. Most people believe fiction to be real without knowing it. I think how people view Mr. McMahon is a clear indication.

He’s made himself out to be the Big Bad Corporate Bully and people now believe it. The skeletons that fell out the closet didn’t help but what I’m saying is we never knew the truth. Has any one of us spent a day with the man? You can’t trust what you hear in this Industry by default. You take everything with at least a Morton’s canister of salt. But try telling that to anyone commenting right now on the state of affairs. They swear they were sitting in on these calls and meetings we hear about. 

The one thing we can all count on here is that the WWE Powers That Be are more fixated on profit than anything else. That’s why Mr. McMahon is back. In terms of content, the numbers are good. As much as people profess the size of his ego, if the numbers are better than when he was fronting Creative, I think he’ll abide by those facts above any others. I’d say he’s fueled more by greed than ego any day. 

That’s also why I doubt the McMahon Family will ever sell WWE anytime soon. This brand is very particular. If it’s given a mainstream re-brand it falters. It’s not supposed to be Mainstream. It’s supposed to be a popular Cult alternative. It always has to have that underground edge. That’s the point. You should half wonder if you should even partake. 

Besides, I think the family will always want a cut. I think if a sale would ever be possible, some sort of royalty clause would have to be intact and perhaps the option to reacquire the company in the case that the new buyers tank it. I think it stays in their hands until someone comes along who gets it.

Now, when it comes to the concept of WWE, I feel the best way for it to flourish is to double down on its cult nature. Ideally, it becomes a safe space to vent our less savory emotions and feelings but that will take some time to establish. I envision that people out and about when they hear about someone’s hard time they may suggest an episode of RAW or SmackDown as a way to vent. Instead of having the argument or even a physical altercation, you can release those energies through a dose of “Sports Entertainment”. Go watch a show, have some fun shouting at a TV and hopefully that makes you feel better.

To get there, these “feuds” have to make sense but don’t exactly have to be realistic. The fun of it is the energy of the bout or competition. I don’t care what they’re fighting about to be honest. The content has to be incendiary but not necessarily serious. That’s a way to combat social morals. If it’s clearly not all that serious what’s to get your panties up in a bunch about? The feud could be over what’s a better cheese? Gouda or Cheddar? Doesn’t matter as long as the parties involved sell it like their first born is on the line. 

I’m angling for this all to be a rip-roaring good time in the end. It should be fun and hilarious so that people want to come back, not strain to understand and validate it. 

I know there was a time when the Titles meant something and all that but I don’t know if those days can be recreated. The jig is up to a certain degree. We know the outcomes are already decided so that sort of suspense just isn’t there. But if our performers have fun playing it all out, we have a good time and leave happy. Isn’t that the prime directive? Well, we’ll see if we ever get there.

In any case, that brings us to tonight’s SmackDown. I’m sure there are mixed feelings all around. Only time will tell what this “return to old times” really means. A lot of people are noting the timing of all this happening on January 6th, a sort of nod to the 2021 insurrection. I’m not sure this really applies. Mr. McMahon stepped down from his own company and now is returning to his company. It’s not like we the fans have any say whatsoever. And the shareholders appear to be fine with it so 🤷 Regardless, Charlotte will be in attendance to tell us all to get over her win over Ronda Rousey. There’s more where that came from. Ricochet and Top Dolla will battle for a spot in the Royal Rumble. And The Usos facing off against Sheamus and Drew McIntyre looks to be our main event. We’ll see if they can take our minds off the circular sea changes. 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)

Push for Drama