SmackDown Complies. We Await...BackLash...

How’s It Going, Enthusiasts?

 

Happy Friday! Well, there’s a lot of chatter in the IWC this week. I guess there always is but it’s been a bit more interesting and engaging to me of late. Gives us a few things to chat about. I don’t think I’ll be too long-winded but I won’t be holding back either so, we’ll see where I end up. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

In the Realm of AEW, I took a look at the Riders of Death’s tenuous acquisition of Will Ospreay and I can say that it’s a good start. The tone was nice and accessible. I could see that fun could be had but it could get “heavy” with the “wrong” exchange or look. It’s all very…we’ll see which is fair for this point in the story. Very good, gentlemen. This makes me generally less apprehensive. You want to have fun with this, not overshoot the mark. We like wrestling but most of us have other things to do 😉

 

Yet, the interesting news circulating in regards to AEW is the notion that Warner Bros./Discovery has no intention of renewing their TV deal. How true that is, remains to be seen but word is AEW has a little under 2 years on the current contract. That should be enough time for Tony Khan to shop it around if need be.

 

I don’t think it should denote the end of AEW. I do think AEW is a good thing. It’s never good when there’s a monopoly in business and we’ve seen how that just forces us to watch so-so content so, I hope they sort this out soon. There should be an alternative to WWE. It keeps everyone honest, if you ask me.

 

In terms of the Future, it could assist in ushering it in but it doesn’t need to be done overtly. The Future should come to pass due the “events” that incur it. It’s a response not anticipation of a company folding. In theory, one wouldn’t have anything to do with the other. It could get some players skittish if there’s any weight to the rumor but otherwise, I see Our Man Moxley too concerned with Rider affairs to be distracted by speculation. It comes with the territory, doesn’t it. We’ll see what happens.

 

In the WWE Universe, the recent releases are still a major topic of conversation. There’s some talk that some of the TKO/WWE higher-ups aren’t too keen on supernatural/dark gimmicks and that’s why the Wyatt Sicks, Aleister Black and Zelina Vega got kicked to the curb.

 

You know what, I don’t like ‘em either. I never understood the UnderTaker’s “Deadman” gimmick. If he’s so infused with “dark powers”, why would he be a wrestler? Wouldn’t he be lurking in the shadows with mysterious funding doing whatever the hell purveyors of the occult do? Is he just bored? Seriously, why would he be here? That shit only works on filmed television. Then we can suspend our disbelief. Nevertheless, he was and still is wildly popular. But they have stuck with the “American Bad-Ass” of late.

 

You all know that I despised when Bray Wyatt went the horror route with The Fiend. I couldn’t roll my eyes enough for that very reason. He’s so fucked up he’s now Freddy Krueger or some shit? Get the fuck outta here. But the demented cultish “preacher” from some Florida swamp…now that scares me. Mainly because that’s far more believable.

 

I feel if/when the Wyatt Sicks return, it should revert back to that sort of iteration. Left astray in the Indies, they seek some sort of new sense of “home” and reemerge under Bo Dallas but perhaps he should assume the surname Wyatt and be the new light in the darkness for these vagabonds to return to. I heard that Dexter Lumis has returned to Indi Hartwell’s side and Nikki Cross has assumed her old alias of Nikki Storm as they try their hand in other promotions.

 

In the event they return, Lumis should come back with Hartwell and Cross could perhaps fuse the last names and become Nikki Stormcross. All homages to their pasts and aspirations for the future. They’re now devote and disturbed followers here to recast the Wrestling World in their image. I see them as occasional saboteurs and detractors of whatever WWE hopes to put in play but not in a terrorist way or at least, not overtly. They should be a little too “far gone” for that to really work but they should be able to mess up a match or get in people’s heads that they’re compelling agents of chaos just enough for WWE Brass “not to intervene”. It’s entertaining.

 

And naturally, they should all be formidable enough in the ring to be valid threats to the mid-card prizes. And they could provide interesting consideration to events like the Royal Rumble and when a Battle Royale is had as they will pool their crazy together to forge unexpected outcomes. I’m down. Storm needs to get a title run of some sort for her trouble. And Dallas should as well ‘cause he does have the chops just doesn’t get the chance to show it.

 

Also, they should keep Bray’s spirit alive as professing him as “The Founder” and so they can still have gut-wrenching vulnerabilities like the Lantern and perhaps the Rocking Chair that they hold “holy” in their minds. They need to become a movement in a way. Not everyone should buy into it but we all know that The Wyatts are a kooky bunch that you shouldn’t rub the wrong way, if you know what I mean. There are plenty of those walking around for real whether anyone likes it or not. That could work with relative ease and I don’t even do this for a living.

 

As for Black and Vega, they were never really “supernatural”, yes there was “lore” and the occasional “fireball” but those are just tricks of the trade so to speak. I never saw them as “otherworldly” just dark. Black’s Danish for godsake that kinda comes with the territory as far as American Entertainment is concerned: Death Metal, Vikings and stoic dispositions. They both have the charisma to work with that.

 

In their case, they should just dial it back to when Black was cut the first time. That was landing. Perhaps to ease them back in, strange occurrences begin backstage. Planned matches can’t happen because one of the players had an encounter. What they now know, makes it “impossible” to continue. Others respond with “overcompensation” in fear of losing their place. There is an interloper. Who can it be? We’ll soon see that they have returned and this time, they’re not leaving.

 

The previous tone can be adjusted for the present but take it back to the beginning and with some pointed commentary. They should feel burned and misunderstood. Yet, the sentiment should be one of invoking some regret to start. They should simply be nailing their mystique to the point that it makes us truly wonder why they were ever cut at all. Short-sighted suits are why but that’s neither here nor there. In the event they return, those who defy them will naturally invoke their quiet wrath.

 

I envision this will allow them to build a hodgepodge faction of all the players that are fearful of one day being cut so arbitrarily as they were. Perhaps aligning with them will spare them. Afterall, they do return. And that should certainly feed into the mystique. Try as they might to “kill” them, they return not diminished but stronger.

 

Now, let’s get real for a minute ‘cause I hear Black is in his 40’s so, the clock is ticking so, if he does come back, this should be where he retires. Nevertheless, in the meantime, I’m gonna double down on what I said last post and suggest he gets in the best shape of his life and just fully embrace the Aleister Black character and trajectory. The “failures” were arbitrary. Ultimately, he should be used to others lacking comprehension. As always, it should be their loss.

 

I’m not worried about Vega. If anything, she can add a little light by adding some comedic relief and expertly elevating her beloved with her devotion. Others may approach her first in hopes of gaining Black’s guidance/wisdom. Let her be “The High Priestess”.  You know I would eat it up with a spoon and so would my other gothic fans. These 2 are for the intellectuals. As I stated in my Introduction, not everyone who watches is some slack-jawed yokel. These days, Brass probably thinks they’re 15-year-old kids who don’t get anything not on TikTok or their parents. Yeah, some of them. But a lot of the fanboys/girls are nerds. Give them something to chew on.

 

All right, I’ve said my piece. As for tonight’s SmackDown, we got to get ready for BackLash that’s coming up next weekend. But first, we get formally introduced to Ricky Saints. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go back to Starks at this point. At some point, Trick Williams and Sami Sany will continue to stew their beef. Charlotte Flair will see what this new kid, Jacy Jayne has got. Paige and Brie Bella will try to remain in one piece as Nia Jax and Lash Legend come for what we can only assume they believe are their Tag Team Titles. Jacob Fatu will be on hand now that he got himself a title shot against Roman Reigns. And we’ll see how Cody Rhodes is healing up.

 

Dinner is simple tonight so I should be nice and settled in for the show. In the future, I may have other things on the agenda from time to time but in those cases, I’ll probably watch live and then go out like those who enjoy the nightlife. But for now, I just want to veg out and gobble up some “wrasslin”. You’re always welcome to join me. You know where I do what I do.

 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)