DMJ

Any thoughts on the report from the Observer that FOX is losing $150m+ annually on having SmackDown? I plead ignorance on where these numbers are coming from or their validity, but I'm guessing that, pre-SmackDown, FOX was airing either repeats of shows they already owned (Gordon Ramsay shows, second-run movie "premieres") at way, way less money and were getting the same advertising revenue? If that's the case, this report might be the most damning thing to come out this week for WWE. Nobody is going to pay NFL prices for Master Chef: Kids Championship numbers.

I don't think its that crazy to think that Vince wants to both "cash out" and "take over." Let's say he does strike a deal to sell to Fox - in this scenario, RAW somehow ends up on Fox Sports and the Network on Tubi or some shit - as Fox says, "Hey, we're already paying for SmackDown, let's just buy the whole company outright and put it across our channels/platforms." But really, it could be any major media group. In this scenario, I'm not sure Vince doesn't also include - as part of the deal - some sort of reinstatement of himself in a top position. I don't think Vince sees himself as ready to retire and once this deal goes through, the only thing he'd potentially have any real power in would be the creative side. And while one could argue that Fox would want to insert its own person at the top, its not like with Star Wars or Marvel Studios even where literally everyone agreed that new directions were needed in the 2000s/2010s after things went off the rails a bit in the 90s/early 00s. With the WWE, Vince is still not just the "best" promoter in history, but in some ways, the only promoter that has mattered for 25 years now. The heirs apparent - Steph and Triple H - just got publicly put in their place as still being subservient to "the old man" with one single press release. Fox will let Vince do Vince as long as the money's coming in. ...and the WWE under Vince over the past few years, despite the pandemic, has wildly successful financially.

I really enjoyed a whole bunch of what I saw this week. Us fans are going to nitpick stuff, for sure, but its impossible to put on a perfect show for a wrestling audience now, then, forever. - For example, as much as I loved the Darby/Joe match and Darby's victory, I'll never get behind someone like Joe "taking" a Code Red. The physics don't make sense...but, hey, the live crowd popped for it, Darby still finished him with two Coffin Drops, and we got a genuinely shocking win as I don't recall seeing anyone anywhere posting that Darby was leaving with the TNT Championship. I'll gladly admit that there are just certain moves that I have to "play along with" in 2023 as much as I did in 1998 when The Rock could debilitate an opponent for upwards of 40 seconds in order to hit the most basic of elbow drops. Same bullshit, different era. Joe had to "cooperate" to take that move just like dozens of guys had to cooperate every single time The Rock took inordinate amounts of time to cock his eyebrow, remove an elbow paid, wait for the crowd response, run the ropes, and then deliver an elbow. - I really enjoyed the Danielson/MJF segment, starting with the Tony Nese squash. Many of us complained about how much a Danielson/Nese match was going to just be them showing off their cardio, but it wasn't that at all. Instead, Danielson dominated and we then got an exchange that felt, to me, like what I've wanted Danielson to be for better or worse (and, to be honest, based on everything I've heard/read about the guy, Danielson is known for making stupid dick jokes backstage so you can't blame "the writers" for the 90s-era "yo mama" jokes if that is legitimately what Bryan finds funny and wants to do which, by the way, again, did pop the live crowd). A guaranteed 60-minute Daniel Bryan match is still a draw to me too even if I get that others are less excited. People are calling this whole angle repetitive - and it is - but what we also know now is that Bryan is going to be wrestling a whole bunch of singles matches this month and that, at Revolution, he's going to put MJF to the test (much like CM Punk put him to the test). I kinda dig the subversive way that MJF's gimmick is that he "can't work" but then has to go out and try to eke out a victory in matches that ostensibly favor the other guy and, more often than not, even in a loss, proves that he's tough (in kayfabe) and, to us nerds, not at all a bad "big match" worker. - That Dusty finish was exactly what a Dusty finish should be. I'm not a huge Acclaimed guy, but damn, they got me with that bullshit finish and I was legitimately about to stop my workout to post on here like some keyboard warrior about how dumb TK is...and then the finish was reversed and Acclaimed won. And, as someone else mentioned, there was some good logic there too as there were a whole slew of referees on the scene at the time. It wasn't like they reviewed the tape, it was literally that other referees were there and caught what the official referee missed. To me, that makes sense the same way that if you go to your job on your day off and you catch a co-worker making an honest mistake, you might chime in. Lame analogy aside, I appreciated the way that was laid out (I appreciated less how the guy in the Acclaimed took Jarrett's finisher, which looked horrible). - Not sure what to make of Saraya naming Toni Storm her tag partner. Was obviously lackluster, but maybe the necessary thing to just go ahead and take the L if Mercedes Mone isn't coming in. It would be worse if they kept a mystery until next week and then had Toni Storm come out. No reason to hold in a fart. While I obviously hope this is a swerve, if not, I'm fine with them moving on to the two natural feuds that are coming out of this - Shida vs. Storm and probably re-igniting Hayter/Baker. Let Saraya go after Jade Cargill or something. - Speaking of swerves, Swerve Scott is great. I hope they give him the W over Lee and then have him challenge Darby down the line. That match against AR Fox is the kind of match you can show someone and say, "This is what AEW is. Its not for everyone, but if you dig this, you'll like AEW." Was it "too much"? Probably...but that's kinda what AEW is and it isn't for everyone. - I think its funny how much people see ratings in the 800k-900ks and think this company is doing poorly. If AEW gets pulled off the air, it will be because the people in charge of TBS/TNT just don't want wrestling (a tale as old as time), not because these ratings are objectively "terrible." I feel like when AEW first started, people were throwing around ratings in the 300-500k range as being the goal. I think their ceiling is closer to 1.2-1.3m and it will take time to even get back there a couple times, but its not that out of reach. It'll be interesting to see how next week's show does because it is definitely a stacked card. I could write a ton more but nobody wants to read it and my wife wants me to put away the laundry and start helping with dinner.

What's so great about this is that I will readily admit that I don't fully understand the actual financial and stockholder aspects of this. But like my previous post alluded to, I could say the exact same thing about the Waystar mergers and powerplays that go on in Succession. For any other company, knowing these details and actually understanding the legality and logistics of what Vince is doing would absolutely matter...but like watching Succession, it is inessential when we're talking about a company like the WWE and a man like Vince McMahon. This carny MFer doesn't give a single shit about the SEC, what stockholders or Wall Street have to say about it, or even what this means regarding his relationships with his own daughter and son-in-law, arguably the two people who have been his most devoted acolytes in his entire life. And threatening not to approve any TV rights deals? Talk about the nuclear option. It's also a bonkers threat to make when, if I'm not mistaken, a week ago the company got praised in a big article on Deadline about how they were one of the best-performing media companies in the US in 2022 and had brilliantly navigated a transfer of power into a remarkable level of stability.

Wow. This is the kinda thing that makes me feel bad for everyone working on the Vince documentary/bio-film that I feel like was in the pipeline at Netflix and/or elsewhere over the years (if its still being made). I have 0 interest in watching a documentary about Vince McMahon prior to 2021 anymore. I feel like I know it all anyway. Plus, up until 2021, the story was that Vince won, that Vince evaded multiple scandals that should've buried him, that at the end of the film, it would be Vince smiling and laughing that classic Vince laugh. It was a movie that I didn't care to ever watch because I not only knew the story, I knew that it would end with Vince being triumphant. But then in 2021, the story changed. He was forced out unwillingly. And while he's still a billionaire and still never really got the true comeuppance he deserved, he was still forced out. And now he's desperately trying to return to power (reminds me of his ex-President buddy). And this is the story I hope gets told some day - not The Vince McMahon Story that the WWE would produce, focused primarily on his life up till 2021 and all his victories against the government and the PTMC and Ted Turner - but the Vince McMahon Story from 2021 on. That's where the intrigue is for me. That's where you get your Succession-level drama.

I don't watch the weekly TV often but I'm still on winter break so I did catch a good amount of RAW this week. Alexa/Bianca was not the match I wanted it to be as an Alexa fan. It was a weird pairing from the jump, at least to me, because Alexa has had one foot in the babyface pool and one obviously in the Fiend mode again for awhile now based on my irregular viewings. Based on their interaction 2 weeks ago (that was replayed prior to the match), the story seemed to me to be that Alexa feels disrespected as a highly-decorated former champion and Bianca is the fighting champion who isn't going to lay down for anyone. Its a dynamic that can work, but fans need to buy into Alexa Bliss as "crafty ring veteran" the way, say, fans can buy into Natalya (or Naomi even at one point) as seasoned pros who can sneak a win over anyone on any given night (even though, more often than not, they don't). Maybe I've missed it, but that just doesn't seem like a role Alexa has ever successfully played or been seen as. They end up wrestling an okay-at-best match that felt heatless and went too long just to end with Alexa turning heel after being re-programmed via a strobe effect on the TitanTron. A long walk to get nowhere really interesting because it had been telegraphed for weeks. I'm all about giving the women more than 6 minutes to have a match...when the purpose of said match is to be a competitive display of skill. But this match played out more like a really long walk to an underwhelming destination. As a fan of Alexa and Bianca, I wanted to like this match despite my misgivings, but this was bad writing/bad booking and I hope they just pull these two apart next week and have Alexa do her own thing while Bianca feuds with anyone else. There's just no chemistry between these two as characters or, sadly, even as workers (as much as Bianca's power moves mixed with Bliss' tumbling did result in at least one or two cool spots, it just wasn't enough). Its Rumble season and we know that typically means a few legends may appear soon, why not have some of them do some segments with Bianca? This potential feud with a supernatural Alexa is going to hurt them both.

Has anyone read any of the "History of the WWF" books by Jonathan Johnson? Well-researched, almost overly-detailed 300+ page books about wrestling minutiae is definitely my bag (I loved Nitro and the Pillman books, for example) so these books seem like things I would enjoy and I was given a Barnes and Noble gift card for the holidays and would prefer to spend it on a book that I know my local libraries will probably never get/have.

Seems like one of those things where an employee independent contractor does something that the boss doesn't like - D-von took a booking without checking first - and then the boss made a quick decision ("He can't do it") and now, even though that was clearly the wrong decision and there's little reason to disallow D-von from doing the show, the boss (who is still relatively new to the job compared to the old boss, who ran it for 40 years) has to keep the decision because doing otherwise would be undermining himself and showing "weakness." Its a shame that D-von can't do it and is losing an opportunity to make some extra cash, so I do hope Triple H considers that in the future. For all the experiences Triple H has had, working everywhere on the card, wearing every possible hat backstage, the one thing he hasn't had to worry about in 25+ years is what life is like outside of the WWE, having to go back to being a true independent contractor and figuring out how to earn an income doing indies or signing with second-tier companies like Impact or Ring of Honor or working overseas. It's very much wishful thinking and goes against the callousness of capitalism, but I do wish Triple H would maybe have better perspective on what a guy like D-Von or other former WWE Superstars go through when they find themselves jobless in their 30s/40s when the WWE has "nothing for them." Unlike Triple H, D-von knows that at any moment, they could do a downsizing and he's back out of a job, so maintaining good relationships with independent promoters is a concern for him that Triple H has never had to worry about.

Can I also add that, watching the botch, seeing 3 other guys not get touched but bump for the move anyway is equally awful? Like, yeah, I know not everyone can improvise on the fly, but that just made the whole thing even worse and more laughable.

I haven't watched RAW in years so I can't say much about whether I'd enjoy the TV more pre-Vince's ousting or post... But Vince's retirement and Triple H's ascension has been (as sek noted above) pretty much universally praised and seen as a positive - backstage, by the "IWC," by most every major critic/commentator via podcasts and what-have-you. And considering Vince couldn't stop the bleeding of ratings for the past decade, Monday's record-low rating (1.47m and a dismal 18-49 rating of 0.37) shouldn't be all that big of a shocker. The WWE's year-to-year ratings have been dropping for a long time and, if I'm not mistaken, in a predictable pattern. I'm not going to go back and crunch the numbers, but I vaguely recall that there was a 10% drop year-to-year before the pandemic for a series of years. (Someone feel free to fact check that.) There was a time when people - myself included - felt like the sky was falling when the WWE started getting ratings below 3m. Then it was, "Oh my god, they're below 2.5 million." Now they're lucky to crack 1.8m. But, year after year, its record profits and when its time to do deals for the TV rights, they're still seen as super valuable by major networks. Vince wanting to come back is 100% an ego move and has nothing to do with what's "best for business" because, to his credit, Vince made the WWE practically too big to fail.

I'm guessing Brock sees a match like Gunther/Sheamus and thinks, "Yea, they're beating the hell out of each other, but they're doing it 'the way it should be.'" Now, compare that to the infamous Brock/Braun incident and I think Brock rightfully thought, "This clumsy motherfucker just gave me a shoot knee to the jaw that I couldn't see coming. That's not 'working stiff,' it's taking liberties." Now, the booking is not something I have super high hopes for but I'm also not going to be naive about the likelihood of a Lesnar win. Its WrestleMania and ostensibly Brock is a babyface coming out of his feuds with Roman and Lashley. The crowd that night will want to see Lesnar win and pop accordingly. Gunther is also a guy that, theoretically, doesn't "need" a win any more than Owens "needed" to beat Steve Austin last year. I know the argument is that a win for Gunther would "make" him and all that, but considering this would be the biggest match of his career anyway and that you can re-heat him relatively quickly, I don't think its a career-ender for Gunther to take the L. Again, it's not necessarily what I would want to see, but the booking of the WWE for the past few years has basically been that Reigns and Lesnar are God Tier and everyone else is a full notch below. Even in a loss, Gunther holding his own would put him at the same level as, say, Lashley, Rollins, Owens, Orton, and Drew and that's just kinda the ceiling for everybody not named Reigns and Lesnar for the foreseeable future.

To me, the right move is to put the titles on FTR. I don't think the audience is going to turn them heel and, if they're both healthy, they're the best working team on the roster. They're also, IMO, a harder team to book without the titles than The Acclaimed. The Acclaimed are over enough with their catchphrases and their gimmicks to carry their segments quite handily (without the titles). You don't need them to put in a 20-minute match or try to work a clinic on every PPV. But with their intro rap and building up to some sort of Billy Gunn involvement, they can usually keep the crowd interest for an easy 10-12 minutes. They're such larger-than-life characters that they're perfectly fine foils for the lesser teams like the Ass Boys, Butcher & Blade, Bear Country, etc. and then are also over enough to make them potentially interesting opponents for the Bucks and FTRs of the company. I'm not sure FTR vs. Butcher & Blade works the same way without the titles. Same for FTR vs. the Ass Boys or FTR vs. some combo of JAS or BCC members. To me, FTR are that team whose gimmick really relies on them being able to say they're the best ("no gimmicks needed") and those sorts of characters are far easier to book, promote, and give credibility to when they have the titles. Plus, with Billy Gunn still able to do some work in the ring, they can fairly quickly and easily be transitioned into the 6-man "division" in a way that is more organic than finding a new buddy for FTR.

Its almost like Ronda Rousey, who's still understandably green when you consider the actual amount of matches she's had and how long of a break she took, looks great when she's given world class opponents who are very over with the audience (Charlotte, Becky, Sasha) or are big enough personalities/gimmicks to provide a nice contrast (Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Stephanie McMahon). Liv Morgan is neither. Shotzi is neither. Nattie is neither. Rousey isn't and has never been a super worker that was going to carry lesser talents to great matches. I think the bigger issue is whether or not Rousey thinks she's a super worker or if she's self-aware enough to recognize that she shines when she's in the ring with a more experienced wrestler and should do like Lesnar and hand-pick opponents that will allow her to shine. Lesnar against Danielson? Great. Against AJ? Awesome. Against Samoa Joe? Kickass match. Lesnar clearly likes working Reigns. But against Strowman? He didn't seem too eager to do a rematch. I'd reckon that he wouldn't be interested in facing Omos or Ridge Holland or any other guy whose still at that "not there yet" level. And, to be clear, Lesnar, when motivated and healthy, is actually talented enough and experienced enough to carry someone while Rousey, in comparison, is still a long ways from being able to do that.

Its almost like Ronda Rousey, who's still understandably green when you consider the actual amount of matches she's had and how long of a break she took, looks great when she's given world class opponents who are very over with the audience (Charlotte, Becky, Sasha) or are big enough personalities/gimmicks to provide a nice contrast (Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Stephanie McMahon). Liv Morgan is neither. Shotzi is neither. Nattie is neither. Rousey isn't and has never been a super worker that was going to carry lesser talents to great matches. I think the bigger issue is whether or not Rousey thinks she's a super worker or if she's self-aware enough to recognize that she shines when she's in the ring with a more experienced wrestler and should do like Lesnar and hand-pick opponents that will allow her to shine. Lesnar against Danielson? Great. Against AJ? Awesome. Against Samoa Joe? Kickass match. Lesnar clearly likes working Reigns. But against Strowman? He didn't seem too eager to do a rematch. I'd reckon that he wouldn't be interested in facing Omos or Ridge Holland or any other guy whose still at that "not there yet" level. And, to be clear, Lesnar, when motivated and healthy, is actually talented enough and experienced enough to carry someone while Rousey, in comparison, is still a long ways from being able to do that.

Hey y'all, surprised this hasn't been discussed yet. There's a show on Peacock called Dangerous Breed that is all about Teddy Hart and his connection with a missing young woman named Samantha Fiddle. The story is way more interesting than the show, which I would say is basic cable-level true crime, sub-Dateline stuff. The documentary filmmaker who was filming Teddy over the past 10 years and is basically narrating the story is a bit annoying and needlessly inserts himself into the story (when I think a more straightforward Dateline-esque style would be better) and it does seem like this is one of those shows (like the new Pepsi documentary on Netflix) that could've been wrapped up in 90 minutes rather than 2.5+ hours or whatever. On the plus side, if you can handle watching a legit scumbag monster, Teddy Hart is one of the most insane characters in wrestling. He *was* one of my favorite podcast guests just because you never knew what this guy was going to say and he doesn't disappoint in terms of delivering ridiculous soundbites on this show. Of course, learning that he's a rapist and serial abuser means I won't be seeking out his appearances like I did when I just thought he was a drugged-out lunatic who only harmed himself. What might be even crazier than the story is that, towards the end of the second episode I noticed that it seems like the WWE is getting some sort of production credit. Like, woah. This being on Peacock means the WWE was going to be, at the very least, made aware of the doc, but its odd to see their logo anywhere near this show. I mean, its like seeing an NFL logo if someone made a documentary about OJ Simpson's murder trial. Like, sure, the WWE could/should let a Peacock-produced documentary use whatever limited footage of Teddy Hart they have in their vault from 20 years ago, but his connection to the company is so peripheral at this point that I don't know why they'd want their logo flashed on the screen for even a split second. Anyway, I'm curious about what everyone else thinks/knows about this story.

I disagree. In 97', after the Montreal Screwjob, after Bret left, Shawn Michaels and DX continued to mock Bret Hart. If I'm not mistaken, they did a segment where they beat down Jim Neidhart. Owen Hart came back in December 97' and they essentially beat him down and stuck him in a midcard feud with Triple H (that I think he lost) when most people would've reasonably said that he would've been a natural opponent for Shawn in January/February. But to say that Shawn didn't get his ass kicked is forgetting that, ultimately, it was "Stone Cold" Steve Austin who was given that spot and when he beat HBK for the title and started hitting stunners on Vince, it was Austin who was working as not just the audience surrogate but - in a very real sense - a Bret Hart surrogate. Similarly, in WCW, there was a fairly widespread feeling that they had botched Sting's victory at Starrcade 97'. That's not a revisionist thought. I was 13 years old and I remember watching that show, full-on pizza party sleepover with my fellow wrestling nerds, and all of us feeling a bit deflated by it. We were "smart" in the way that 13 year olds who frequented RSPW were "smart." So when Goldberg came onto the scene and started systematically taking out the nWo members and then whupping Hogan's ass clean on TV? That felt like the victory that Sting didn't get. I bring these up because, if you're a fan holding onto hope that CM Punk is going to be the guy to take down the Elite, you are likely to be out of luck. But CM Punk not being in that spot could mean that another star - like Austin was, like Goldberg was - becomes that fan surrogate. The fun thing is that AEW has several guys that might fit that bill. MJF would have a field day if he was allowed to cut loose on Omega and the Bucks. You could do a Wardlow-as-Batista vs. Omega-as-Triple H type thing. I'm not sure how you'd get there, but I'm a big Ricky Starks fan and wouldn't mind seeing him go up against the Elite (maybe even backed up by FTR). I think Hangman Page's potential to be that guy has passed, but I could see Jungle Boy involved in some sort of longterm Elite storyline. I'm not sure it will ever happen now, but Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly seemed to be "penciled in" for a feud with the Elite at one point. Saying that the Elite will never get their comeuppance seems a bit premature, just like saying that the Elite's mocking of CM Punk is "building to nothing." If their actions get people talking, get people wanting them to get beaten up, get people wondering what they'll do to antagonize the audience next, it doesn't need to be CM Punk who puts them in their place. And they don't need to be in their place next week or next month either. If anything, as someone else pointed out, drawing out Kenny Omega's next major defeat is a recipe that worked in the past and there's no reason to think it can't work again.

If I were Ricky Starks, I'd try to get a remix going of his current song with Ghostface. Usually Ghostface and/or Raekwon + horns = bombastic braggadocios awesomeness and, I dunno, listening to his theme, it just screams should-be Wu banger to me. * And I know some of Ghost's views aren't super PC and would likely offend people with more progressive, liberal views, but its pretty easy to separate art from artists with the Wu for me.

Sorry, Outsider, your post reads like someone who's just "butthurt" because you're a Mox fan and were inexplicably holding on hope that Tony Khan was going to keep the title on a guy who openly was about to take a much-needed and deserved vacation after the last pay-per-view. Dude, this outcome was written in stone months ago and the only question was how MJF was going to win the title, not if. I also think all this talk of ratings is ignoring the much bigger issues - namely attendance (which is down) and, for lack of better words, "buzz" (which is not what it was). AEW is still performing considerably higher in TV ratings than initially expected (remember when folks said that AEW getting 250k weekly viewers would be a coup) and what TBS/TNT is paying for. Could AEW end up shit-canned because the people at the top believe it'd be cheaper and more lucrative to just play Big Bang Theory repeats and first-run movies on Wednesdays and Fridays? Sure. But AEW is still, more often than not, a top 5 cable show on its nights (at least Dynamite is) and its biggest rivals are live sports and politics, which aren't going away and are also not things that TBS/TNT are necessarily able to counterprogram (especially as the US is now in perpetual election cycle). Plus, we are talking about a genre and brand that could theoretically catch fire and go right back to drawing in the 900k-1 million range. (Don't think so? This time last year, people were saying the WWE was irrevocably damaged and would only continue to be basically unwatchable garbage and that AEW was the "hotter" company, but, right now in November 2022, one could argue that the WWE is delivering and AEW is stagnant.) I'm still an AEW viewer first and foremost and am staying optimistic about MJF's reign. My hope is that this is leading to a Daniel Bryan/MJF match as I think Bryan is in contention for GOAT status and that he and MJF is kinda like one of those combos that you may not think would work, but is actually fucking peanut butter and chocolate.

Austin just needs someone like Owens last year - a heel that can do a little brawling in the crowd, bump for haymakers like they've been struck by lightning, and bounce off a Stunner. If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on Theory and its not because I'm an Austin Theory fan. The issue is that the WWE is a bit light on heels that fit the bill. Rollins just turned face but would've probably been the ideal candidate. I'd like to see The Miz in the spot, but for whatever reason, I'm not sure he'd get the nod despite being the best possible choice (he can carry the feud via promos when Austin isn't around and making a smoke-and-mirrors match work is actually one of his strong suits). Sami has a babyface-in-a-heel-stable vibe so I don't think he'd be the guy, though he obviously deserves some sort of big Mania match after being arguably the company MVP since last Mania. Then you've got heels that would just make no sense - Judgment Day, Karrion Kross, Lashley now (?), Corbin....I don't know, none really strike me as more realistic than Theory.

Triple H not revealing that the mystery participants are Beth Phoenix and/or Candice LeRae would be a real foreseeable misstep. Which is why, as long as those spots are TBD, my money is on Sasha Banks and Naomi returning. I think Triple H realizes something that Vince certainly didn't - the audience is sick of trolling from the company itself. Sure, heel characters can troll all day and night. Triple H did that non-stop as an on-screen character. But crowds hijacking shows? Booing babyfaces? Chanting for wrestlers you don't have under contract and can't deliver? Its a bad look. And an unnecessary one. If you announce Beth Phoenix on the go-home show, she gets a huge pop at the show and nobody can say there was a "bait and switch." Having an empty spot going into the show, in Sasha's hometown, with rumors that her and Naomi are returning (they were recently added back to the pre-show video package, I believe), and then bringing out Beth Phoenix is a Vince move not dissimilar to that Rumble where the fans were dying to see Bryan, but the last entrant ended up being Mysterio. Now, we all agree, Mysterio is an all-time babyface, just like I think we'd all agree that seeing Beth take it to Rhea will be a great moment, but this crowd is going to be wanting Sasha. There's no reason to tease something that you can't deliver and I think Triple H knows it.

I know Braun isn't the world's smartest or most eloquent man, but everyone jumping on him for what was clearly a tongue-in-cheek tweet is kinda cringe too. Braun has said some really dumb shit in the past, but this, to me, read more like he was trying to do an FTR-like thing ("No flips, just fists"), but because he has such a shit reputation, it flopped hard. The reference to earning 47 stars? Clearly a joke. Referencing that too many of the "flippy guys" look like grocery store employees and couldn't pass the "Airport Test"? Seems perfectly within bounds from a kayfabe perspective and, if he really was trying to talk down about the smaller guys on the roster or in other companies, he did it in such a general way that it's barely a recognizable slight. Again, not defending every dumb thing Braun's ever tweeted, but this latest tweet was so clearly just a failed attempt at humor that I actually feel sorry for the guy a little. And, yeah, I know Strowman's involvement in the Control Your Narrative shit was lame, but it felt like he was just seeking some work at whoever was willing to pay him. Meanwhile, Chris "My Wife Was Actually At The January 6th Failed Coup" Jericho piling on is his usual M.O of jumping on any opportunity to promote himself and Mustafa Ali, well, I like the guy, but, dude, Braun Strowman ain't one of the people who booked you on the midcard hamster wheel for the past 3 years.

- I'm surprised that everyone is so on-board with this MJF face turn. To me, his promo last night felt a bit like pandering at times ("I love you West Virginia...despite your shortcomings"). I dunno. Just feels like they rushed through the inner turmoil stuff when that's the most captivating part. The post above mentions The Rock in 98', but MJF last night seemed like The Rock in 2000 - fully-established babyface and mostly just testing catchphrases to see what the next tee-shirt design should be. Again, I'm not saying MJF shouldn't be a babyface, but it just seems a bit sudden and out-of-character for him this soon *and* while he's building a match towards another babyface. I would've kept this face turn on simmer until Full Gear, have him win clean there (or relatively), and then, on the next Dynamite, have his first challenger be a heel (and please not be Smart Mark Sterling or Jay Lethal). Maybe that's too obvious, but to me, that was the beauty of Austin (and The Rock) going from heel-to-face: they didn't change the character, they just changed the positioning. - Also, I know this won't be a popular note, but Renee is so damn good at what she does...but she looked like New Brood-era Matt Hardy last night. Call me old fashioned, but I want my commentators and interviewers and announcers to be dressed like real sportscasters. I know there are exceptions, but Renee shouldn't be one of them when, during her WWE run, she genuinely came across like she could co-anchor SportsCenter or be interviewing athletes at the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, or World Series. Sean Mooney couldn't do that shit. Mean Gene? Nope. Not Cole or even JR either. But Renee had that quality. Maybe having the freedom of her wardrobe is a major plus for her and allows her to show her laidback, fun personality...but from a viewer's perspective, as the old adage goes, there should be a difference between how the fans in the crowd look and how the people on TV look. She looked like a fan. I miss the broadcaster that looked like she'd been grown in a lab by ESPN-sponsored scientists for maximum marketability and professionalism. - I'm gonna go ahead and contradict myself. My first point was that MJF's face turn seems too rushed, but I'm gonna just go ahead and say I'd be perfectly fine if we skipped a few weeks and had Swerve as a major heel. Like, I don't need the turn on Keith Lee or even a feud between the two. Just give me Swerve being an asshole and guys like Darby or Starks or Wardlow trying to unsuccessfully shut him up.

This might deserve its own thread, but.... WrestleMania XIII: The Show That Never Was (too dramatic?) I've been watching the WWE PPVs from November 96' - January 97' and it has me thinking about the direction the WWE was going in before Shawn "lost his smile" and Vince had to re-calibrate WrestleMania XIII. In December 96', it certainly seems like they're building to Bret vs. Shawn. Shawn dropping the title to Sid and winning it back at the Rumble seems like it was always the plan just based on the storyline and the location of the Rumble being in Shawn's home state. Austin was engaged in an on-going feud with Bulldog and while they could've ended that feud at the February In Your House, I'm thinking the real story there was that it was going to be Bret vs. Austin for the title shot (due to the ending of the Rumble) and maybe Bulldog screws Austin. Does this make Bret less a face? It sure does...but re-watching the In Your House: It's Time show, it seems like Bret was already drifting towards heel anyway. His works the match against Sid there as a 90% heel. Meanwhile, at the Rumble, Vader beats Undertaker with help from Paul Bearer. Seems to me like a rematch at Mania was in the cards there. The Ahmed Johnson/NOD feud isn't disrupted at all by Shawn's departure. The Chicago Street Fight still happens 100% as planned. But it does leave a handful of guys and titles without a match...for example, if Sid isn't the champion going into Mania, what is his match? Does he face Owen (1/2 half of the Tag Team Champions)? I kinda love the idea of a Sid vs. Mankind match personally just because Foley was so damn good around this time. So...here's the card for if Shawn doesn't leave and I have the pen... WWE Championship Match - Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels * I think it'd be extra interesting because the Chicago crowd would've probably cheered Bret even if he was going into the match as a "tweener." Its one of those things where I think the WWE's diehard fanbase had fairly clearly seen Austin as the new top babyface, Bret as the whiny-but-respectable veteran, and Shawn as the pandering pretty boy. So it makes sense they'd cheer Austin over Bret, but no way does Shawn get cheered over the Hitman in Chicago in 97'. Undertaker vs. Vader Austin vs. Bulldog Sid vs. Mankind Ahmed Johnson & LOD vs. Farooq/Vega/Crush (Chicago Street Fight) Helmsley vs. Goldust Owen Hart vs. Rocky Miavia - or - Flash Funk * I like the idea of either feud just because I think Owen would've made it work. If it's Miavia, I'd have loved to see Owen take umbrage with Rocky's "3rd generation" superstar hype by talking about how the Hart Family are the true greatest wrestling family in history. If its Funk, I think you could still do something fun with Owen claiming he's a better dancer than Flash and then the match itself would've been a nice display of high-flying and speed and whatnot. The actual show had a 4-way tag match involving a bunch of B-level teams. I guess that would fill out the card.

With all the talk about Bray these days, how could I forget Waylon Mercy being Max Cady from Cape Fear?

Maybe its been asked in another thread or even on r/SC, but can anyone maybe rattle off a list of 5-10 other WWE/WCW superstars that were as blatant a rip-off of an existing IP as Dexter Lumis. My first thought is Jason The Terrible. I don't know much about the character or his career, but I presume he was just basically "Jason" from Friday the 13th? Impervious to pain, slow moving brawler? Any which way, as far as I know, he never made it to the WWE, WCW, or even ECW with that particular gimmick. Then I think of Magnum TA looking like Tom Selleck, but even then, it wasn't like Magnum TA's gimmick was that he was a private eye who resided in Hawaii. The Goon was sorta like one of those brothers from Slap Shot, but I could also him being based on Bob Probert. I know in Japan various wrestlers have been based on popular mangas and anime (?), but I'm thinking more in the US. So, I put it out to all you wrestling superfans, who else would you compare Dexter Lumis as a gimmick that is just so, so, so obviously based on an existing IP (Dexter Morgan from the Dexter books and TV series). I mean, they didn't even change his first name. I feel like I'm drawing a blank but there are a ton of examples I just can't think of...