WrestleMania 42: SmackDown Fallout...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

 

Happy Friday! Well, it was a quiet one but news of WWE releases just dropped so I’ll get into that in a little bit. Besides that, nothing too crazy has been going on this past week. Yet, we got enough to have a chat so, let’s get into it, shall we?

 

To start, let’s swing by the Realm of AEW. They’re doing their thing but there’s been some talk about Lio “Blackheart” Rush’s “demented” reimagining of late. So, I took a couple ganders at it. I saw his match on Dynamite from last week out of curiosity and then took a look at this week's for the same reason. Commenters don’t care for it but I kinda understand it in theory. Lio Rush is like 75lbs on a good day so, he’s a little guy and that’s hard to get over when you got big brutes walking around. How does this little dude get the W? Well, a “psych out” can work. I don’t mind a person using their smarts or crazy to be believable out there.

 

However, what people generally don’t like is that the presentation is a bit disturbing. I’m not sure about 30-40 years ago but these days, we’re generally encouraged to be more accommodating and understanding when it comes to mental health. So, technically, if Rush did have some sort of “psychotic break”, why is he wrestling? Shouldn’t he seek out some sort of professional help? Think about it. Would a character like Mick Foley’s Mankind even work in this day and age? You could say he needs help not wrestling.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Foley but the kids just don’t respond to this like they used to. In the 90s, we liked some dark and weird shit. So, I’ll offer up the same suggestion I always do. Add some humor. He doesn’t have to go Danhausen with it but I think some 90s flair could work. When I was coming up, I loved the cartoon series The Tick and they had a “villain” the Evil Midnight Bomber (What Bombs at Midnight!). He talks in the third person, he’s totally self-involved and can barely operate in real time. I still think it’s hilarious but it’s clear the character is out of his mind. Kooky but essentially harmless, until… Perhaps Rush could steer it more that way. And if a more recent example helps promote my point, Kendrick Lamar does a stint in the Starz series Power that’s purposely off the wall. It’s a bit much for an AEW crowd but if Rush wants to take it in a prophetic/philosophical direction yet keep it crazy he can adjust the presentation accordingly. I wouldn’t give it up just tweak it and see if can land.

 

I appreciate the avant garde thinking but this is entertainment in the end and the people have to enjoy what they’re seeing. What I’m picking up is that onlookers are feeling cringe and getting the ick so, that’s what I suggest to make it more palatable. A spoonful of sugar as Mary Poppins says.

 

As for the Future, it has taken an interesting detour as the Riders of Death have taken an interest in Will Ospreay. Beaten and battered, Ospreay took on Big Mean Mark Davis and was damn near “left for dead” when the Riders swooped in, backed Davis off and rescued Ospreay. Claudio Castagnoli carried him off as they left through the crowd and I can only assume that they’ve taken him to their hideout to recover. I envision him hooked up to an IV drip and some second-hand, outdated heart monitor in some barely clean dark room somewhere. His wounds cleaned and bandaged as they wait for him to wake up with a start.

 

I don’t mind this. If you have any understanding of Jon Moxley, you shouldn’t be surprised that he’s found some sympathy for another wrestler who doesn’t know when to quit. Yet, if you have an understanding of Our Man Moxley, he also likes to “collect people” in this iteration. I can see him trying to convert Ospreay. But will the conversion take? Don Callis already had him in the family and that didn’t work out. Would this just be more of the same? Well, all unions must be broken so of course but, I can see them having an anxious union for a time. Daniel Garcia took some coaxing so Mox is willing to wait to earn a person’s trust.

 

This could also serve as a catalyst for the Riders’ implosion later on. Ospreay could disagree with Mox down the line and get in Garcia’s ear. Then maybe PAC’s and then Wheeler Yuta’s. I can see Castagnoli and Marina Shafir being holdouts, though that is where the implosion lies. Who knows they could even throw in a betrayal at some point if Ospreay ever heel turns and returns to the Callis Family for whatever reason. There’s some stuff to work with here and it keeps the general attention misdirected so, no complaints from me on that 😉 Good luck to them.

 

Now, over to the WWE Universe where the periodic culling has gone down. It’s a blood bath but I’m not entirely surprised. A bit disappointed but not all that surprised. It appears all of the Wyatt Sicks and the Motor City Machine Guns have been released. Some of the NXT roster is gone too but the names I’m seeing don’t ring any bells.

 

The Wyatt Sicks could certainly be resurrected because though WWE Creative doesn’t know what to do with them, they’re good performers and have a decent following. Moreover, people love Nikki Cross and I saw a lot of moaning on the social media feeds about how she hasn’t been in a match in ages. I supposed that can now be corrected but in another promotion for the time being if she continues to wrestle.

 

As for MCMG, I appreciated their skill but once I saw that they were like 120lbs combined, I knew they were doomed. The WWE Universe needs to see what the big deal is and no one was ever afraid of those guys.

 

I’m now seeing that Kairi Sane, Aleister Black and Zelina Vega were cut as well and these are the “shockers” that always accompany these moves. There’s always a few who drop jaws and these do. Now, it’s not totally surprising ‘cause Black was cut once already and Sane left before but there’s nothing wrong with these performers. They just don’t know how to sell ‘em and they’re making room for NXT callups. I don’t like it but something tells me they’ll probably be back, especially if they can’t make the callups work. We all know not everyone is gonna land like Oba Femi. They lucked up there. Besides, I still want a Black/Finn Bálor showdown before Bálor hangs it up so, we’ll see if they renegotiate any time soon. There’s still plenty that can be done with these performers. They can just ask around if the well is running dry.

 

And so, that leads us to SmackDown’s WrestleMania Fallout. This may have a bit of bitter taste as everyone processes the releases but we all know this is how WWE rolls. And so, for this evening we can anticipate Jacob Fatu waxing poetic on facing Roman Reigns. Paige will see how it feels to be back on SmackDown. Tiffany Stratton will see if Giulia is up for defending the US Championship. She should be rested but is she ready to go? Trick Williams will celebrate his US Championship win with Li’l Yachty. Something tells me that’s gonna get crashed. Rhea Ripley will take a victory lap as WWE Women’s Champion. And we’ll see how Cody Rhodes’ eye is doing. Randy Orton did a number on him.

 

I don’t have to cook tonight but I have to prep for tomorrow’s dinner so, I should be nice and comfortable come showtime. I understand if you need a minute but we have to get used to releases. You know WWE will maintain its bottom line.

 

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)