Opinion
AEW vs. NXT: Countdown to the Next Great Pro Wrestling War?
This single event has brought more excitement, more publicity and more hope, to the industry than anything in recent memory.
AEW and NXT are preparing to do battle on the national television stage. Pro wrestling fans are heavily anticipating this upcoming war and with good reason. This single event has brought more excitement, more publicity and more hope, to the industry than anything in recent memory.
The hope is that finally, a legitimate contender can rise to oppose Vince McMahon’s WWE. Tony Khan’s company openly admits that it does not have the history behind it, nor does it have the firmly entrenched mainstream audience that follows the product throughout the world. But that does not mean AEW will not make an immediate impact on the business.
It’s a dream come true for many fans, there is no doubt about it. For years, the pro wrestling industry has essentially been monopolized by WWE. Of course, other companies such as Ring of Honor, New Japan and Impact Wrestling have operated during this time, but they were not considered to be mainstream material for the casual audience.
Viewers had to know where to find those companies and more importantly, they had to care enough to know. So when another promotion that’s built from the ground up with real money, using real stars, signs with a major cable network, then even the casual fans take notice.
Indeed, people who have perhaps never watched wrestling before have seen AEW’s advertisements on TV. They know the company is new, just as they know it’s promising to deliver something different. AEW seems to be starting off well but it has an uphill battle ahead and everyone in the company surely understands that.
The stigma attached to southern pro wrestling has followed the Turner networks for years. TBS and TNT once featured the NWA as well as WCW of course and both companies were wildly successful during their respective eras. But both have had somewhat of a negative connotation attached because of location. WWE was the company “up north” and they were entertaining an extremely diverse crowd. At least, that was the prevailing notion at one time.
But Cody Rhodes and company didn’t run from the roots of Dusty and Ric Flair. In fact, AEW embraced that era and the company now openly celebrates those days. This is a good thing for the business, as oftentimes, younger fans only get a glimpse of the Territory Era through the WWE Network. The McMahons promote their product over all others as the best of all time and that’s just the way it is.
However the times are changing and now AEW is on the eve of perhaps becoming a profitable player in the pro wrestling pantheon. But if anyone believed that WWE would simply allow that to happen without a response, then they obviously thought wrong. This is where NXT comes into play.
What began as WWE’s developmental brand has now morphed into something much larger. NXT has become a viable showcase for promoting tomorrow’s stars today. Making the journey to the main roster of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live is perhaps not as important as it once was. NXT is now a destination, not a starting point.
This is the newly transformed brand that WWE is bringing in direct opposition to AEW. It could even be said that if NXT did not exist, most of the talents involved would perhaps be on AEW’s payroll right now. This means that both companies desire similar stars and that’s understandable. After all, veterans who are past their primes cannot build a promotion for the future. That construction is up to the contractors with more daylight ahead of them than behind them.
Shots have been fired from both sides of course and that’s to be expected. WWE has taken subtle jabs at AEW on TV. Kenny Omega took blatantly obvious shots at NXT online. Each company is keenly aware of the other’s efforts to undermine and none of this has surprised longtime fans at all. Those fans have witnessed these types of wars before and they’ve seen much worse.
But how bad will this get? Could AEW’s ratings tank on week two, leading the company to try something drastic? While no one expects Tony Khan to be lowered into the ring on a Harley Davidson and challenge Vince McMahon to a match, there is some expectation that things could go south very quickly.
If that happens, then how will WWE respond? Will the company shore up its efforts to destroy AEW and improve its own product in the process? What happens if AEW doesn’t hit a rut in the ratings and actually builds a massive audience that rivals WWE over the next year?
The truth is that anything can happen in this new war and that’s what fans are hoping for. No one can predict what will go down but it’s clear that WWE is in this for the long haul. Whether or not the same can be said for AEW remains to be seen. Ether way, this should become some highly captivating television and the audience will surely be the winners in the end.
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
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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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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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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
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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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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!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
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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