Opinion
DeMarco: Top 5 Fears About WWE NXT 2.0 After WrestleMania Weekend
After WrestleMania season dies down, it’s time to look at WWE NXT 2.0, which could see changes. Are they ready? Greg DeMarco has some concerns.

After WrestleMania season dies down, it’s time to look at WWE NXT 2.0, which could see changes in the coming months. Are they ready? Greg DeMarco has some concerns.
WWE NXT 2.0 was always going to be a big more fluid, but we could be embarking on a very fluid period for the paint splattered WWE developmental brand. And that has me worried.
Worried about what? Read on and see!
Are Fans Turning On Bron Breakker?
Bron Breakker opened up the first WWE NXT 2.0 after Stand & Deliver, and the fans were…not welcoming their hero. Quite the contrary, they were chanting “We Want Ziggler!” and Bron didn’t have the wherewithal (or the freedom?) to respond, he just had to pause, and stick to the script. On top of that, when Gunther came out, they didn’r react nearly as much. Now, Imperium changed their music, and the old music definitely got a reaction.
Hopefully this crowd was an anomaly, because the NXT crowds have tended to be positive for anyone not named MSK. All WrestleMania weekend we didn’t have the snarky crowd–it was mostly the WWE loyal mainstream fanbase.
Regardless, Bron didn’t get called up (I expect it in the fall), and he’s moving on to a feud with Joe Gacy. Can he keep the crowd behind him? Or is the NXT faithful treating him like Roman Reigns?
Where is Roderick Strong?
I know Roderick Strong is currently active in NXT UK, pushing a mini feud with Ilja Dragunov. But he’s been out of sight, out of mind in NXT 2.0, to the point where there is no mention of him when Diamond Mine is on screen. That is most concerning.
What if Roderick Strong returns to the states and gets called up to the main roster? Is he Drew Gulak? Akira Tozawa? Or is he Daniel Bryan? Well, his promo skills aren’t Daniel Bryan–he needs a mouthpiece. Is there one to give him? Can he get over?
I’m torn, and that’s rough as Roderick Strong has long been one of my favorites dating back to 2005 Ring Of Honor. But he might be on the brink of a main roster run, or closer than we think to a 90 day vacation that ends in Jacksonville and the Undisputed Elite.
Can The Call-Ups Be Successful?
It seems likely that several talents will be called up. We have Imperium–probably just Gunther and Marcel Barthel after this week’s NXT 2.0. You also have the likelihood that Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzales move to the main roster as well. Finally, what about an LA Knight, who is turning 40 later this year.
Imperium had a great chance for main roster success, but the loss of Fabian Aichner could be a bigger deal than we think. He was the workhorse of the group, and carried the promos as well. And will Imperium have the same intimidation on TV? Gunther is 6’4″, huge by independent and NXT standards. On the main roster? Sheamus is 6’3″, Baron Corbin is 6’8″. Gunther is a special talent, but will what makes him special work on Raw or Smackdown?
Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzales can easily see early success as a tag team on the main roster–a place with so few women’s tag teams. They would likely win the titles and fly under the radar for a bit, and could have a long reign. But then what? Same deal–they break up, and Raquel becomes the star.
What if they don’t win the titles at all? How did that go for Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart?
There is no guarantee that LA Knight will be called up to the main roster. But why not? The man is going to be 40 years old this year, and when he has a mic in his hand he makes everyone else in 2.0 appear amateur. He’s main roster ready, and has been for years. If he’s given the chance, he can easily get over and have a run before it’s too late. But is he even being called up? We will know soon enough.
What’s Going On With Fabian Aichner?
Fabian Aichner is an unsung hero of NXT 2.0. He’s been carrying Imperium both as the workhorse in the ring and when cutting promos. He’s 31 years old, so he does have some time. My biggest fear is what happens after he’s without Imperium. What’s his gimmick? Does he go back to randomly wearing a vest? Does he get to maintain the same stature and attitude he had while serving The Ring General?
He’s essentually a more charismatic Cesaro, and with the right push (and maybe a manager–but it’s not 100% necessary), he could be a big success. I would love to see him get a run with Bron Breakker and a run with the NXT Championship.
Will he? Once again…time will tell.
Are The New “Top Guys” Ready?
I could have listed Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) among those getting called up, but I think we’ll see him back in a few weeks. He has top guy potential, and while I think he was turned heel too soon, I do think he’s ready.
Grayson Waller is in the perfect place in NXT. He has it all, just needs to be given time to be ready. The gimmick, the heavy–it all works. Just don’t rush it.
Toxic Attraction is money–another act not to mess with. I could see them getting drafted in October, and then I would worry. But this is Mandy Rose’s best work by far, and if kept together they can be a force on Raw or Smackdown.
Santos Escobar and Legado Del Fantasma are a strange case for me. I would have assumed they get moved up, but instead we seem to be headed to a showdown with Tony D’Angelo. Escobar is 37, so his clock has to be ticking as well. I have high hopes–we’ll see.
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Opinion
King’s WrestleMania Rewind: Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka from WrestleMania 34
Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!

Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!
We look back at Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka at WWE WrestleMania 34. ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’ put her unprecedented and historic undefeated streak of 914 days on the line against ‘The Queen’s’ SmackDown Women’s Championship.
For years, this was considered a dream match while Asuka dominated the roster in NXT, while Flair won numerous championships on the main roster on both Raw and SmackDown. The Empress made her long-awaited debut on the September 11th episode of Raw and began to tear through the competition.
Asuka outlasted all twenty-nine other women in the historic first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match to challenge for the title of her choosing. At Fastlane, she made her choice.
The WWE Universe was so excited for this match myself included. Both superstars delivered a fantastic performance on the Grandest Stage of Them All executing counter after counter. Asuka showed off some nasty-looking kicks to her opponent, and Flair hit a thunderous Spanish Fly off the top rope. Flair was seconds away from defeat at the hands of The Empress but she locked in Figure Eight and Asuka was forced to tap out.
I can’t even begin to explain how shocked I was at this outcome, as nearly everyone expected The Empress to continue her undefeated streak and walk away with the women’s title. This controversial decision was the downfall of Asuka’s momentum. She would ultimately win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the 2018 TLC pay-per-view in the triple-threat ladder match.
Fast forward to this year when Asuka has recently returned with her Japanese-inspired persona Kana. Kana is dangerous and ruthless and is heading into a championship with Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39. The Empress has regained all her momentum and is highly favored to walk away with the Raw Women’s Championship. Let’s hope that Asuka and Belair can tear the house down and deliver an A+ grade match both women are fully capable of.
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Opinion
King: Dominik Mysterio Needs To Do This At WrestleMania
Chris King is here with what WWE should do with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania in his long-awaited match against his father Rey Mysterio Jr.

Chris King is here with what WWE should do with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania in his long-awaited match against his father Rey Mysterio Jr.
On this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Rey Mysterio finally snapped and beat some sense into his disrespectful punk-ass kid Dominik. The member of the Judgement Day came out to push his father again for a match on the Grandest Stage of Them All, this time with his mother and sister at ringside. The ungrateful punk told his mom to “Shut Up,” as a father even I wanted to jump through the screen and whoop his ass.
Back in October of last year, Mysterio made the emotional decision to possibly quit the company but, instead, Triple H persuaded the Lucha libre superstar to move over to SmackDown to avoid his son. This came after Dominik shockingly turned on his father at Clash at the Castle. Mysterio did everything he could to refuse his despicable son’s challenge for Mania but, a man can only be pushed so far. Mysterio will be inducted into the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame and I expect Dominik to embarrass his father during his speech to further this personal feud.
Yes, the WWE Universe hates Dominik and wants to see him get the ever-loving crap kicked out of him but, this feud is missing a special ingredient to capitalize on the biggest heat possible. Throughout this feud, Dominik has made mention of the legendary Eddie Guerrero on several occasions going back to the “iconic” 2005 feud.
I know WWE might not want to go this route but, Dominik MUST come out to Eddie Guerrero’s theme at Mania. The disrespectful punk needs to come out in a lowrider to garner nuclear heat. It doesn’t matter if The Judgement Day comes out and causes interference for Dominik to get the win, all that matters is that both superstars get the biggest payoff of this nearly year-long feud. Just imagine the Roman Reigns heat after he defeated The Undertaker and multiply that by ten. Dominik portrays the perfect heel and he truly is the missing ingredient that The Judgement Day needed to grow and evolve into a top faction.
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