WWE TV Megathread

[sek69]

You know what, props to Matt Cardona. Dude wanted to be back in WWE and worked his ass off to make it happen. 

[sek69]

Man, WWE really has been trying to copy anything Toni Storm does these days. 

[sek69]

So its weird, Drew pretty much had to win or be seen as a chump forever, but also doesn't seem like it was time for Cody to drop the title. I hope at least they give Drew a decent run out of this since he's been great for a while now.

[MikeCampbell]

After she pretty much got kicked out of the NXT NA Title scene, the initial theory was that Blake Monroe must be getting called up. Now, the word is that there are no plans at this time. I said it as soon as the incident with Thea happened: There may not have been any hard feelings as far as the agents, producers, writers, etc. in NXT, but that it would leave a bad taste in someone's mouth. I can practically hear HHH's response to someone suggesting it: "She couldn't kick out in a match that she was supposed to be winning, and you think she's read for prime time TV?"

[sek69]

Honestly even before that happened, I've never seen a wrestler regress so much as she did going from AEW to NXT. At least with Jade it was because they were trying to put her in a role that didn't fit her, with Blake they basically kept her doing the same Glamour gimmick and somehow it was like she left all her charisma in AEW. 

[Timbo Slice]

Or, you know, that charisma only worked because of Toni. 

[sek69]

7 hours ago, Timbo Slice said:

Or, you know, that charisma only worked because of Toni. 

Toni was the lead of course, but I thought she held up her end of the deal well enough. I wasn't expecting the void we've been seeing in NXT so far. 

[Coffey]

On 1/10/2026 at 5:30 PM, sek69 said:

So its weird, Drew pretty much had to win or be seen as a chump forever, but also doesn't seem like it was time for Cody to drop the title. I hope at least they give Drew a decent run out of this since he's been great for a while now.

The main event scene feels stale. Cody wasn't doing anything. Drew isn't doing anything. It feels like midcarders switching titles for no reason. Cody was megaover for awhile but things seem to be really cooling off. Jey Uso comes out & does nothing for no reason. Damian Priest got a title run. It's just weird. Even CM Punk you can see how many steps he's lost. They gotta start with the new guys, it's time. Oba Femi can't get there soon enough.

[sek69]

So far it seems like the folks just called up from NXT are getting a push right from the jump, hopefully it's the jolt needed to liven things up. If Obi Femi isn't a megastar it'll be booking malpractice. 

[sek69]

I've said it before, but seeing them on NXT TV full time really shows how Vanity Project has real douchebag heel potential. Clearly they still need time to cook, but I can see something there. 

[MikeCampbell]

The women's tag triple threat from Wednesday night was a lot of fun. The biggest standout for me was honestly Lainey Reid, her crucifix bomb may have been the cleanest one that I've ever seen, and the Blue Thunder she caught Kendal Grey with was every bit as smooth as when Takeshita does it.

[sek69]

Yeah, it looks like NXT may have found the next tentpoles for the women's division with Laney Reid and Kendal Grey. Both of those are starting to separate themselves from the pack.

[sek69]

Jacob with the early contender for 2026 promo of the year last night, dude is money. 

[sek69]

So EVIL is leaving New Japan and going to WWE? I get it from his viewpoint, I'm sure it's his biggest contract ever, but why does WWE want him? Unless this is some kind of NXT player-coach situation I don't see it. 

[sek69]

Watching the Rumble after work, and while the whole Saudi thing is what it is it's at least interesting tȯ see the designs the women come up with for their body suits. Sol rocking the 90s jeans look got a pop from me.

[DMJ]

I took a relatively lengthy break from watching any WWE content in 2025, not bothering to download the ESPN app despite having access to it via my Hulu account. Even knowing that the WWE's PLEs were just a click or two and an authentication away, I've just been so turned off by the company.

 

But the pull of the Rumble is hard to resist and the WWE (or ESPN or Disney or whoever) very, very wisely had it featured prominently on the launch page of Hulu (or at least it was on mine). This was something new compared to other recent PLEs, which I believe required subscribers to access the ESPN app. With this show, you could just click play so I started it this morning. My sample size is small, but based on my buddy in NY texting me to ask if I was watching it, I'm going to guess that there were likely many casual fans who tuned in simply because access to the show was much easier than the past few ESPN events. 

 

Anyway...I've only watched the Women's Rumble so far, but here's some thoughts:

- Flair and Alexa's shtick in the beginning was fun as they teased eliminating each other but mostly worked as partners until Flair inadvertently eliminated Alexa later on (a recurring theme that probably would've been more effective had it happened just once in the match but it also happened with the Kabuki Warriors and The Judgment Day so I assume it won't be the cause of any future conflict.

- I thought most of this was pretty good aside from the usual moments when everyone else in the match plays dead so that the focus can go on just one or two women, like it did when Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair found themselves face-to-face.

- Sol Luca and Lash Legend got to shine. The women's roster really is incredibly stacked at this point that it is nearly impossible to "stand out" and I wonder if some of these women wouldn't actually benefit from runs in AEW where maybe they'd be forced to either develop fresh, new characters for themselves or collaborate within a system where there is more risk-taking. I mean, I just don't see how someone like Ivy Nile or Jacy Jayne are going to ever get to the front of the line despite clear talent and potential without finding a gimmick or character that really connects with fans (and I don't think WWE Creative really has them on their radar to give that extra creative energy).

-  The Saudi crowd chanting for John Cena during Nikki Bella's showcase was especially hard to stomach coming from a crowd of mostly men who live in a country where women having something resembling equal rights is only a recent phenomenon. Brie Bella got a huge ovation for her return and I liked Michael Cole's verbal gymnastics has he tried to express the homage she paid with her Yes/It Kicks without mentioning her husband.

- The final three was a fun stretch but I really feel like Triple H missed the boat with Liv Morgan's return and even this Rumble victory was only half-successful because of it. Morgan may not be the best in-ring performer, but her career has followed something of a classic modern WWE pattern that has gotten her over huge with the audience. She started out green in forgettable stables and teams, had her fair share of hot garbage storylines (Wikipedia reminded me she once professed her love for Lana), was booked as something of a joke during her first run with the Women's Championship after cashing in her briefcase against Ronda Rousey, and had some ups-and-downs due to injury in 2023 but had already begun to show chemistry with Raquel Rodriguez and, more importantly, Rhea Ripley.

In 2024, that chemistry with Ripley led to probably the best love triangle storylines the WWE has produced this century with Dom Mysterio and, from there, Morgan and Dom were basically the top heels on RAW week-to-week. And, of course, as has been a pattern since at least the rise of Steve Austin 30 years ago, if someone gets hot enough as a heel but consistently is among the most entertaining acts on a show, part of the audience is going to embrace them and that part tends to grow until they're essentially a babyface. With Morgan, the time to make that turn official was when she returned and the WWE squandered it by having her immediately re-align with Dom and the Judgment Day.

Had she come into this Rumble as a babyface, the stories they could've told with her and Raquel, Roxanne Perez, Rhea, and even Bayley, Becky, and Charlotte (as the locker room veterans one generation "ahead" of Liv) would've given this match much more cohesion. Instead, Liv got the win, but it didn't feel like the next step of a character trajectory as much as just a way to put her in the title mix after time away. She's still the same Liv Morgan she was when she got injured in June 2025 and that's a real shame because she deserved a more meaningful return story than what we got and it was so incredibly easy to do (she was literally replaced in Judgment Day by Perez and they could've also played up Dom Mysterio not being by her side as she rehabbed).

Overall, not a terrible Rumble, but it could've been better in front of a crowd that was more engaged beginning-to-end and a throughline that gave us someone to root for.

[sek69]

Not to defend Hunter, but it seems like every time Liv is about to hit the next level she gets injured. It's not even her fault, she just had some real shit luck. Also I didn't hate her staying with the Judgement Day since she seems like one of those who's better as a heel and her and Dom make an excellent villain pairing. I have doubts about Raquel as a singles act, so them teasing a feud between them feels like she's about to get Janetty'd. 

I do think Jacy Jayne will at least get a shot on the main roster since word is they've been high on her for a while. Her NXT run apparently opened some eyes on the main roster, so she should have at least a decent chance to make something happen.