Opinion
Steve Cook: Lars Sullivan Shouldn’t Have Used The Internet
Steve Cook weighs in with the root cause of the Lars Sullivan debacle in WWE.
If I was to give young wrestlers (including Lars Sullivan) one piece of advice, it would be the same piece of advice I’d give anybody living on Planet Earth in 2019:
Don’t say anything.
That’s easy for me to say. I’m a pretty shy individual. I’ve always had a tough time sharing my thoughts & feelings with other people. A therapist may speculate this has something to do with a lack of self-esteem, that I’m reluctant to share my feelings because I don’t think people will care & don’t really see the point. They’re probably right.
I know I’m not the only one with this issue. One of the great things about the Internet is that it’s made it easier for people like me to be ourselves and put things out there without as much fear of rejection or being ostracized. Sure, there’s always the comments, but it’s easier to ignore an angry comment section than it is an angry classroom full of peers that can make the next few years of life a living hell.
The Internet has changed social interaction. In many ways, it’s replaced social interaction. While I can see how many of the results have been bad, I can also see the good. It’s good that people like me who have some difficulty in social environments can find places where we feel like we belong. The Chairshot serves as one of those places for me, along with the other websites where I write and post. I assume if you’re reading this, you likely have your own places on the Internet where you can do the same. Whether it’s a message board, a Twitter account, a chat group or whatever, everybody has their “safe space.”
There’s always one thing you need to remember…
The Internet ain’t that safe.
WWE Superstar Lars Sullivan wasn’t always WWE Superstar Lars Sullivan. Once upon a time, he was a regular on bodybuilding.com’s message board. Hey, bodybuilders gotta have somewhere to shoot the bull too. If he didn’t know many bodybuilder types in his area, why wouldn’t he find a circle on the Internet? Perfectly natural by twenty-first century standards.
There is one problem with message boards built around one interest. Eventually, they start talking about other interests. Throughout my time on wrestling message boards, I’ve made a habit of not frequenting the political threads. Talking politics leads to talking about other topics that don’t lead anywhere good. You can end up in this “locker room discussion” place where people with “non-politically correct” beliefs feel free to shoot off at the mouth about it.
Lars did that. You can read all about it here. He was more than happy to share his views against racial, religious & sexual minorities with anybody who would listen, most likely because it was the Internet and there wasn’t somebody standing in front of him. It helped that many of the posters there shared these beliefs.
I’ll be honest. As somebody that isn’t racist, sexist or homophobic, I have a tendency to think less of people that are. Too often, I have to turn on my blinders and ignore the fact that way too many professional wrestlers fall into at least one of those categories. Including ones that I’ve praised repeatedly over the years & love watching in the ring.
- AJ Styles often yelled homosexual slurs at the top of his lungs during his 2000s indy matches.
- Kevin Owens used a racial slur in what he called an attempt to get heat by using a movie quote.
- Rhea Ripley recently dropped a homosexual slur while cutting a promo on a fan, but apparently these things are more acceptable in Australia. Though, by that logic, I should also cut Styles some slack since he’s from the American South.
And many, many more.
If you wanted to, you could do some digging on any pro wrestler and find something they’ve said or even something they Twitter liked that you don’t like. Me, I don’t have time to waste on such things. I do think less of racists, sexists & homophobes, but at the same time I realize this is America and people still have the right to make a living.
If Lars Sullivan fails in WWE, it should be because of his failings in the ring & on the microphone. So far, I’ve seen him do one thing really effectively…look like a badass. WWE sure could use more people that do that in 2019, so I see why he’s getting a chance.
I can also see why people are against it. To them, I have one thing to say:
It’s WWE.
Are we really expecting a company run by Vincent Kennedy McMahon to punish somebody for posting things on a message board that Vince probably would agree with? And yes, I’m including the post where Lars said he would watch a Stephanie McMahon video while pleasuring himself.
There’s going to be some bad publicity in the short-term. But as laughable as it is when I read headlines saying “WWE Hopes Lars Sullivan backlash will blow over”, it’s 100% accurate. Lars might succeed, he might flop. Heck, the flop rate is pretty high in WWE these days, right? People will move on to the next thing soon enough.
When’s the next Saudi Arabia show going down?
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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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