Opinion
Carol: Can NXT Compete Against AEW?
Wednesday Night Wars are on the horizon! Does NXT have a shot against the AEW hype machine?
The war between WWE and AEW is heating up. For the past few months, Triple H and Cody Rhodes have been throwing jabs at each other. AEW is seen as competition, and given the way things are going with WWE, it’s not surprising why viewers along with a few wrestlers are jumping ship to the rival brand.
WWE is and always will be the top promotion in wrestling. Yet, when a rival company like AEW comes along and threatens to take away their audience, WWE retaliates.
When AEW announced their weekly broadcast would air on Wednesday nights on TNT, many were speculating if WWE would put on a program to counter AEW. The answer is yes.
Starting on Wednesday September 18th, NXT will start airing live on the USA Network. This is a big move from WWE and the fact that NXT premieres two weeks before AEW’s October 2nd television debut, shows that the Wednesday Night Wars are on.
The NXT announcement has drawn mixed reactions and it leads me to wonder if NXT can compete with AEW?
The one positive is for those that don’t subscribe to the WWE Network this will give them a chance to watch NXT. Just like AEW, NXT is filled with wrestlers that many fans don’t know. The move to USA Network will give NXT a new audience of viewers, who get to see the stars in action.
While the switch from the network to cable will help the NXT wrestlers, there’s the question of whether the show will have enough star power to keep viewers. Again like AEW, NXT is filled with indie talent. However, AEW does have a slight edge since they have former WWE stars, including Jon Moxley, who’s the hottest star right now. NXT has Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle, and Shayna Baszler to represent their brand. While these wrestlers are talented, will they be able to connect with the new viewers.
Another issue that has fans concerned is the creative direction for NXT. The brand is Triple H’s project and because of his vision, it’s become a huge success. If you ask WWE fans what their favorite program is, a majority of them would say NXT. RAW and SmackDown have come under fire for their lack of storylines, whereas NXT always has a storyline to keep fans invested in the show. The move to the USA Network has fans worried about Vince’s involvement in NXT.
Vince’s vision is different from Triple H’s and that’s a main reason why RAW and SmackDown’s ratings have declined. Some reports suggest that Vince will be hands-on with the NXT move, but other reports say nothing is going to change. If Vince becomes involved with the creative process, there’s a good chance NXT’s quality could diminish.
As I mentioned earlier, there’s a mixture of excitement and worry about NXT’s move. WWE seems to have faith in the move and believe they can compete with AEW. Much like their competitor, NXT has a lot of work to do to produce quality television in order to gain a new audience.
In a few weeks, the Wednesday Night Wars officially begin, and we’ll see how well NXT does against AEW.
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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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SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
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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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