Opinion
Why The WWE Title Needs AJ Styles

Jinder Mahal is the WWE Champion and a large portion of people are clearly not happy about it. Over the past few months, Jinder has held a tight grasp on the title, narrowly retaining it against the likes of Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura. However, while Jinder has been on the “top of the mountain” of the SmackDown brand, there is something that undermines him week in and week out.
The Main Event
The proof is in the card. The fact is, you’d be pretty hard pressed to find Jinder Mahal in any SmackDown main event match in recent memory. Although the same can be said about Raw and their top draws, an exception can be made on SmackDown because it is ⅓ shorter and in my opinion, it is also not as draining to watch.
Jinder Mahal mostly cuts repetitive promos on SmackDown, and to his credit I don’t think he’s doing an awful job. WWE clearly knows who people came to see, though, and who the big draws are on the blue brand (hint: not Jinder). In the months that Jinder was feuding with Nakamura and even Randy Orton, who was in the SmackDown main event? Who was purposely not put on the card and instead often featured in dark matches so that WWE could keep fans in their seats for 205 Live?

AJ Styles
AJ Styles was (and is) highlighted every week, especially when he was the United States Champion. During his reign, the SmackDown main event usually involved AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens or Baron Corbin. During that time frame, Jinder was in a parallel universe as the WWE Champion. In short, even though he held the “mid-card” title, Styles was considered the more important of the two male singles champions on the show.
When AJ Styles was US Champion, the championship roles on SmackDown were extremely odd to say the least. You have one title picture including AJ Styles and one including Jinder Mahal. Which one sounds more legitimate to you? I would tune into SmackDown this past summer and only think about how the title pictures should be completely switched with AJ at the helm and Jinder honing his craft in the mid card.

Post Survivor Series
Now that AJ is no longer US Champion and has his eyes firmly set on Jinder’s WWE Title, this transition seems like a no-brainer. It looks like WWE may be seeing the obvious dollar signs that are plastered all over AJ Styles and they may soon reward him for his efforts as the mid-card champion during the Jinder Experiment. However, this could go one of two ways.
WWE may have come to the realization that Jinder Mahal was a mildly interesting (and wildly unsuccessful) project and now it’s time to put the title onto one of the best workers in the industry. Or they want to continue their attempt to legitimize Mahal by feeding him AJ Styles. There’s a big gap between those two, and I’m not sure WWE necessarily knows which way they’ll go yet.
The Verdict
The WWE Title does not feel prestigious right now. It does not feel like the top title on SmackDown and it certainly does not feel like the top title in the WWE. The WWE Title needs AJ Styles to elevate it to new heights. Imagine if we were getting AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. That has WrestleMania main event written all over it. Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal sounds like a last minute house show match (no offense to Jinder).
I also think that if AJ takes the title next Tuesday in England, it’ll be a good move for Jinder. Without all the pressure of being the top guy, Jinder may be able to retool his character and find some success. I think he has a lot of potential and can eventually work his way to the top for a legitimate run. He definitely needs a stronger in ring arsenal and a finisher that isn’t garbage. Another important factor is that he must learn to deliver his English promos with the same passion that rings clear when speaking Punjabi.
AJ Styles is the right star to carry the WWE Championship and the SmackDown brand back into relevancy. Jinder Mahal is an up and comer who is ripe for a mid card run after being pushed to be such a big deal for so long.
Reverse the roles and reap the benefits, WWE.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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