SmackDown Makes Saudi Arabia Home for a Short While...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

 

Happy Royal Rumble Eve. The action will be tape-delayed this evening and I’ll be catching up late tomorrow so, this will be a very leisurely post. That’s the only downside of the Rumble being abroad. It’s hard to have the collective experience but I suppose we should get used to it. Progress dictates that the big shows should expand so, prepare for when WrestleMania and Summer Slam are had on foreign shores. It’s the natural next step.

 

We’ll get more into the implications later but first, let’s start over in the Realm of AEW as the Future is simmering nicely. This will be a pivotal year for it but the pacing will be key. So far, Jon Moxley continues to entertain takers for the Continental Championship. Anyone who can keep him in the ring for 20 minutes gets a shot and this week’s offering came in the young Ace Austin. It’s the first I’ve seen of the kid and he’s a stocky yet agile thing. He gave Mox a few things to think about but not enough to prove a current threat but certainly in the future.

 

Yet, it was what happened after the match that I was watching. The Don Callis Family has its fingers in many pies but they’re certainly making sure Mox and the Riders of Death know that this beef has only begun to stew. After the match, respected Callis Family member Konosuke Takeshita entered the ring to stake his claim to the Title. Yet, it served as a mild distraction as a Mark Davis and Jake Doyle ambushed Mox from behind.

 

This gave Mox cause to affect the outcome of the Tag Team Championship Match that happened later in the night as Davis & Doyle made a bid against FTR. Mox used his own Championship belt to take one of them out and allow FTR to retain. This could have been more of a scene but I appreciate the cool burn. There’s a long way to go and the Riders should look as if they’re only standing up for themselves as opposed to taking any chance they can to unleash carnage.

 

However, as time goes on and the Callis Family start to escalate the retaliation, it should get harder and harder for Mox to be the “bigger person” in this feud. I hope they’re using this interim to brainstorm ideas. They should have as much fun with this as they can as the point is to “trigger” Mox in the end. We all know he can be “unstable”. If Callis & Co. want to have the upper hand, they have to exploit Mox’s “weaknesses”. The more they can get him to do himself in, the better. But for now, the understandable tit for tat is fine. Let the Callis Family figure out how to be cunning dicks. Regardless, the Future remains Bright. Enjoy fleshing out how to make it shine Brighter.

 

Over in the WWE Universe, the name of the game is the Royal Rumble however, it is tinged more politically than in recent years. With things as they are in the United States, many Americans are being forced to think about the state of affairs more than usual. Even wrestling serving as an escape reminds us of the uncomfortable truths that surround the implications of doing business with Saudi Arabia.

 

A lot of fans/commenters are expressing a decision to not watch this year’s show as a form of protest for some of the ills in this world. We may not be able to do much but a boycott does say something. This is all about money and showing that it can be affected is fair play. However, I feel that this should always remain a safe space even if WWE does questionable business. That is more about capitalism than politics and in that vein, to each their own.

 

I will watch the show, just not at 11am PST. I’ll wait until about 4:30pm or 5pm depending on when ESPN has the replay up and treat it like any other PPV/PLE. Remember that the Saudi fans have little say in the matter so try to give the innocents the benefit of the doubt. If it’s important to you to take a stand, go ahead. I’m no activist but I’m not blind to the goings-on. People will do as they do. I don’t condone these actions but I like to enjoy my pastimes so I’m going to opt to do just that.

 

That all said, we have pre-recorded action to look forward to this evening. Everyone who needs to be is currently in Saudi Arabia. And so, for our viewing pleasure, we have Axiom seeing how tough Johnny Gargano is without Tommaso Ciampa. Ilja Dragunov will show The Miz what happens to people who interfere with his matches. Cody Rhodes will have a few things to say before getting all mixed up in this Royal Rumble. And Drew McIntyre will try to be nice for a few minutes as he and Sami Zayn share some final words before they throwdown tomorrow.

 

I have to cook tonight but the worst of it is the preparation so, I should be focused enough on the action. We’ll get started at 8pm PST and I’ll have the Matches of Interest post up later tonight. I’ll keep it short since a lot of people have mixed emotions on this event. ‘Til then.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)