Opinion
The WWE Universal Championship Redemption for Finn Balor
Sarah lays out the best thing to come from Raw this past Monday. Finn Balor is back in the main event picture, let’s see what she thinks about it!
It has been a long two, plus years for Finn Balor and his fans of the Balor Club when it comes to the WWE Universal Championship. Even though Balor lays claim to being the first Universal Champion, an ill-fated shoulder injury would force him to relinquish the belt as the injury sidelined him for several months.
In turn, it seemed that the plans for the future would take a backseat for Balor. He was sent to the back of the line time and time again. Frustration is evident, and Balor made that perfectly clear on this past Raw.
“I am a little tired of always being left out of these types of conversations.” He stated, pertaining to the Universal Championship picture.
He’s not wrong. If anything, Balor is owed that chance at redemption on the main roster. His world-renowned success speaks for itself in addition to his successful run in NXT. If fans needed a reminder, tune in to this past weekend’s NXT UK Takeover Blackpool. Forget the surprise factor; the ovation for Balor was tremendous in terms of respect that he’s earned over the years.

Photo: WWE
Balor’s redemption hasn’t come easy, and Monday was just another obstacle for the former Champion. CEO Vince McMahon automatically casts Balor as the underdog, setting forth what’s to come for him. No time was wasted in that fact, as Balor had not one, but two grueling matches to earn the Universal Championship match – something he never technically lost to begin with.
The underdog success is how great stories are told, but when the opponent is Brock Lesnar it is anything but. Lesnar has been damn near unstoppable since his WWE return seven years prior. Everyone has tried and failed from The Undertaker to Roman Reigns. Sure, Reigns was able to defeat Lesnar at last year’s WrestleMania, but it took him the better part of three years to get there.
So what makes the case for Balor seem that the writing is on the wall for him to get where he was supposed to be three years prior? Not only does his backstory write itself, but with Braun Strowman out of the Championship equation it presents a grand idea.
Strowman undoubtedly has unfinished business with the Beast Incarnate. Does this mean that he will find a way to cost Lesnar the Championship at the Royal Rumble? Never say never in this case, but if Strowman is on the quest to take him down then why not take away the one thing that seems to be dear to him? Not only does he get back at Lesnar, but at the same time, it drives the two to meet at WrestleMania, which isn’t a consolation prize considering Strowman’s injury status.
This is not to say that Balor can’t win the Championship on his own. It’s a pro wrestling David vs. Goliath with the veteran Balor taking on one of WWE’s greatest success stories. Balor has plenty of experience with his past battles, so the believable factor would heavily come to play on his end. Say if Strowman did provide the distraction, Balor can’t be blamed for taking advantage of the situation. Look at what he has had to overcome since his return to Raw.
But with Strowman having building tension with Baron Corbin, and Balor would need an opponent for WrestleMania post-Rumble, it leaves the idea up in the air. There’s still the Royal Rumble itself in addition to anything can happen between now and two weeks from now. WWE has done stranger things, however with Strowman recovering from his elbow injury in addition to Reigns’ long absence, the time seems right to pull the trigger on what Balor can be in the company.
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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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