WWE Musings

Happy WrestleMania, Enthusiasts! Are you excited for the show? I can’t say that I’m giddy with anticipation but the curiosity is pretty high. I’ll admit that. So, I’ll discuss a few of the matches that have my particular interest and then it’s on with the show. I got enchiladas to make 😉 So, first match we’re looking at is rumored to be Jey Uso vs. GUNTHER for the Heavyweight Championship. Jey went against general advice and went for the Emmy. Will he win it? Doubtful but there is an outside chance they give him the Championship.  Say what you will about Gunther, he does serve the role well and is settling into it nicely. I don’t mind him being champion. However, Jey has been slanging for a while and if this isn’t his day in the sun, I don’t know when it is. So, I won’t be surprised if Jey gets it but it may not be clean or it could be contentious. I also don’t expect his reign to be long but it should be the compliment it ought to be. This is as good a time as ever and Gunther co...

  How’s It Going, Enthusiasts! Happy WrestleMania Day 1.  So, this is a packed weekend and I got a lot on my plate on top of that so, I’ll take my time and also be brief. There are 7 matches on the card tonight plus whatever extras they got planned so this is gonna be a long day and that’s just the half of it. Let’s get into it. So, the first match I’m looking at is Bianca BelAir, Jade Cargill and Naomi teaming up to face the New Damage CTRL. Now, to look at it, it does look very lazy. The Black (African-American) women against the Japanese Women & Dakota Kai. I guess Kai technically makes the whole thing diverse but I don’t see many people really buying that. And so, why is this an issue? It doesn’t really have to be but in the face of a casual fan base with random new onlookers, one has to wonder what sentiments it conjures.  On the other hand, I wouldn’t want forced diversity just to quiet sensitive fans or head-off inadvertent backlash. WWE is good at getting the ...

Happy New Year, Enthusiasts!   Welcome to 2024. Can’t say what it will hold and don’t know how it will compare to last year but here we are. Let’s try to make it a good one. We don’t have anything too earthshattering to open the New Year with but we have enough to have a brief conversation. Shall we?   We’ll start in the Realm of AEW as Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) is no longer listed on their roster. There has been a lot of speculation that MJF already re-signed with AEW but for much of his tenure with the company, he has been professing the “Bidding War of 2024”. His contract supposedly expires this year and the “fight” for his talent has apparently begun. Can we expect an appearance on RAW ’s Day 1 show? I wouldn’t hold my breath but it’s not completely outside of the scope of possibility either.   I have nothing against MJF coming over to WWE. It feels like it will happen at some point, I’m just not sure if now is the best time. MJF is still young and yout...

A Good WrestleMania to You, Enthusiasts!   Welcome to Day 1. So, for those who are unfamiliar, I have the habit of commenting on my matches of interest come PPV time and this one is no different. I keep it to 3 due to my own fleeting attention span. This is an interesting time. Being in Los Angeles, there’s added pressure to put on a good show, especially with talk of a sale. This is as good a time as any to show the world what WWE has got. We’ll see if their pitch hits the mark.   To start, the first match that has my attention is Austin Theory vs. John Cena, The Past vs. The Future. This should be a fun go-round. I don’t expect Cena to win but if Theory wins, how he does so will be telling. Ultimately, though Theory is certainly talented and fun to watch, his youth is the biggest hurdle. We just aren’t gonna cater to some kid. So, if he wins, it’ll be to boos. That brings the question of good or bad boos.   The good boos tend to be ones that we’re meant to m...

A Good Monday to You, Enthusiasts.   Did you enjoy Day 1? Strangely familiar, wasn’t it 😉 But that doesn’t mean it was bad. It oddly accounted for itself with the supposed positive COVID testing of Roman Reigns. The plan upended, WWE makes do. I find this suspect but I have no theory as for the “work” of a positive COVID test so, I will accept what I’m being told but I don’t think it’s the truth but that is just a hunch.   Doesn’t mean something didn’t come up but I don’t fully believe it’s COVID a mishap or tummy trouble maybe but I don’t think we’re being given full disclosure. Regardless, Day 1 was a respectable event. The Twitter was saying how WWE doesn’t intend to use the term “Pay-Per-View” anymore. We are now witnessing “Premiere Live Events”. I guess that’s more in-line with the times. We don’t exactly pay per view anymore. We either get the subscription or watch the YouTube upload the next day. Fair enough.   In any case, Day 1 was palatable, as I w...

Happy New Year, Enthusiasts!   So, here we are at Day 1 to see if this is the first day of something. I know I’m saying it’s the revolution but I should add that it’s a realistic revolution. This is born out of necessity not outrage. With talent like Toni Storm walking out, you can’t exactly say it’s your best days. WWE may anyway just to prove a greater point but they run the risk of people not caring enough to get their real meaning.   So, Day 1 has some pressure on it. The question has become, why should people keep bothering? Just out of sheer habit? The numbers will only continue to dwindle. We all know they don’t want that. Can’t maintain a profit with interest waning. How to turn the tide? They don’t know. And to be honest, those who think they do, would find that it’s no easy task.   The WWE Universe is not exactly or exclusively comprised of pro-wrestling fans so, sticking to that original construct isn’t guaranteed to gain the interest of the common ...

  A Merry Monday to You, Enthusiasts.  For those who celebrate it, I hope your Christmas was splendid. I have to say, I enjoyed mine. Kinda miss my Entertainment Industry days when I more or less had the last 2 weeks of the year off but alas, those days are no more, just another casualty of the pandemic. Not complaining, just noting the difference. As for news in the wrestling world, there are some stirrings. Let’s chat about them, shall we. So, this Hook kid is following in his father’s footsteps over at AEW. Some are taking note of how he no-sold a pile driver recently, never mind how he slapped Cody Rhodes after getting out of school this week too. He’s definitely making waves but he reads like a punk 15-year-old. Why doesn’t Wardlow cram him into a locker? Maybe I’m a bit too WWE but this kid isn’t winning me over. I know I’m not the demographic but I officially don’t get the hype. Is he cruising for a bruising or are we supposed to take him seriously? Personally, he looks...

  Happy Friday, Enthusiasts! I hope it is treating you well. So, there are a few things of note going on in the Wrestling World this week. I’ll touch on a few that caught my interest. Care to join me?   First item of note is Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page performing an unofficial Iron Man Match which resulted in a draw. I haven’t seen the match yet ‘cause it’s hella long but I will get around to it because I’m sure it is a stellar match. Yet, for all that to end in a draw says a lot. AEW clearly doesn’t want to diminish anyone but keeping everyone “even” isn’t any fun either. WWE usually defaults to some DQ or No-Contest finish in those cases which can at least demonstrate character. The heels are punk-ass and Faces become appalled which makes sense. In AEW, with Kenny Omega and with Page, it seems like they’re just being too nice in a way. Omega needed to go get surgery and that’s fine. Page and Danielson have just begun but is this the first in a slew of no-decision...

How Are You, Enthusiasts?   This Monday treating you well? Given the news that’s floating around, this isn’t the best Monday, yet for me personally, I’ve definitely had worse. In any case, let’s chat about some of the lighter news. I’m in no mood for downers.   The first item of interest was Taz’s kid, Hook’s debut on AEW Dynamite. Commenters had nothing but raves so I had to check him out. He’s skilled, I’ll give him that but the persona reads like a little punk so I don’t know how to feel. He’s not that big so plenty would think they could take him in theory. I can’t say I was intimidated but his attitude definitely reads. He’s looking like an AEW / pro-wrestling lifer to me. I can’t see WWE fans taking him seriously. Those who praise him are probably fine with that.   In WWE news, Bayley has started to tease her return. This was good news to hear because I was starting to miss her. That’s kinda strange because I tend not to lean too much towards any wrestle...

  A Good Friday to You, Enthusiasts.   I hope you had a good one. There isn’t a whole lot going on in the wrestling world so let’s chat about what stood out. Game?   So, let’s start with AEW. Their ratings appear to be going in the wrong direction and interest in pro-wrestling across the board seems to be on the decline. Why? Social norms changing primarily. As I’ve been saying in this blog, the violence has to be validated in these times and in AEW’s case, they tend to cater to the sadist with their stunts. Cody Rhodes’ latest one is a case and point. I don’t need to see anyone maim themselves for my amusement. We all know that everyone out there are just doing their jobs and we want them to retire intact and happy. I like action but a lot of that comes from the comfort of knowing all the carnage I’m looking at is staged and not actual bedlam. You see how people complain when someone isn’t safe or how the mood changes when someone takes a bad bump. We generally d...