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Rob: Hold Up On That Push

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Mandy Rose WWE

Mandy Rose has been at the forefront of WWE storytelling in early 2019, but Rob thinks we need to pump the breaks a little.

Even if you try to avoid reading dirtsheets like me it’s been pretty easy to watch Smackdown and read in the tea leaves that Mandy Rose is set to get a bigger push in 2019.  She spent most of 2018 tagging with Sonya DeVille with the occasional single match sprinkled in, and lost most of the time.  But as the year closed out she and Sonya were getting more TV time and even got a win over Charlotte and Asuka one week.  Then the storyline between she and Naomi started up and it was clearly that it was supposed to raise her profile going into the New Year.

Mandy looks good (y’all know that matters), and appeared to have gotten better in the ring since getting called up from NXT at the end of 2017, so it made sense to see if there’s any real money or top notch performances in her as an in ring worker and a character.  Well if this week’s Smackdown is an indicator it may be time to pump the brakes a little.  To be blunt she was not very good in her match with Naomi and flat out did not look like someone who can be counted on to perform well in bigger matches.  No she was not Eva Marie bad but she looked like she just flat out couldn’t keep up in a singles match that goes more than five minutes.  And that leads me to say that maybe the big push for 2019 needs to wait a bit, because it wouldn’t do anyone any favors right now.

The fact of the matter is that as an in ring performer there are a lot of ladies who are more compelling and flat out better than Mandy is.  And this isn’t the wasteland of 2013 and 2014 as far as the women’s division; anyone getting a regular spot is taking it from someone really good, including Ronda Rousey who literally came in off the street and got really good really fast, so there’d better be some kind of justification for it.  So if the ring work isn’t there then what about the business side?

Money always talks and if someone is generating interest and bringing in the money as a result then accommodations will be made.   So does she move the needle at all?  Here’s a little amateur research I did using Google Trends.  First I compared her to Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss:

Then I checked her vs Sasha Banks, Naomi, Carmella and Natalya.  Here’s how it turned out:

Now you go through all of that and things like Instagram follower counts and you’ll find that she’s way behind Alexa and Sasha on all fronts, and doesn’t outpace many of the other ladies either.  Even on image searches, which one would think would be her bread and butter compared to her co-workers, she got big spikes in interest that one week she was wearing the towel and when she fought Naomi in the hotel room but beyond that there isn’t any stark difference between her and women she’s supposedly considered hotter than.

Now I can’t see the books so I don’t know how all that is translating into money but when you see how far out ahead Alexa is from everyone vs how hard they push her then it’s got to mean something.  But when you look at how Alexa and Sasha do on average compared to Mandy at her highest point then one could easily come to the conclusion that there really isn’t any real value added.  If you had to go as far as to put her in a towel to get similar spikes in interest that Alexa and Sasha get for just showing up then what are we doing here really?  If women that you don’t see as much internet drooling over are getting picture searched just as much or more then what is she bringing to the table?

Am I being a hater here?  Maybe.  I’m not calling for her to fired or sent back to the PC like some folks I talk to.  I’m not even saying take her off of TV.  I am, however, not wanting her to take a valuable spot away from someone who is better at the job than she is, especially if there is no difference being made at the cash register.

I don’t think she’s a bad wrestler per se but I do think that there’s a pretty clear limit on what she can do right now in the ring and that her main attribute right now is being good to look at.  But pretty much every woman they put in front of a camera is good to look at so unless she’s winning that category, which it appears she is not according to the data, then it’s best to keep her in a position where she doesn’t reach a point of diminishing returns.  And from where I’m sitting for the forseeable future that’s in tag team matches.

Maybe that will change one day; she’s only 27 so she has time.  As for today I can’t see any scenario in which you’d put her in a program with Becky or Charlotte or Asuka and ask her to work a 15 to 20 minute match on a pay per view because she’s drag them down and get exposed in the process.

OK, so if not her then who?  After all, she’s not the only one there who they need to see what they have with.  If they’re going to slow things down with her then someone else should get that look.  Well, if we’re going to assume for the moment that things will stay as they are roster-wise on each show then I think the answer is pretty simple, just go with the woman standing next to her.

Sonya DeVille is a lot better in the ring, even in short spurts, and so long as she and Mandy stay together as a duo you can get whatever benefit Mandy is bringing by having her in Sonya’s corner for singles matches as opposed to in the ring, or teaming together with her.  Again, I’m not saying fire the woman.  But if they’re seriously looking at moving one of these two up the ladder and in way that will be best all around I strongly suggest switching the in ring roles around here.

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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.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

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 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

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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