Opinion
Was Smackdown A Consolation Prize For NXT?
NXT became DXT and invaded Survivor Series DX-Nitro style, complete with a jeep! But was that a consolation prize for what’s happening at Survivor Series?
NXT became DXT and invaded Survivor Series DX-Nitro style, complete with a jeep! But was that a consolation prize for what’s happening at Survivor Series?
That weird image of HHH, Road Dogg, and Shawn Michaels standing atop the Smackdown ramp as NXT brawled with Smackdown and Raw superstars probably sums up a lot of things that are wrong about WWE, and about Survivor Series (at least how WWE perceives it).
The cool visual of those guys riding a jeep to the ring, a la 1998 WCW invasion, is instantly hampered by the fact that it is those guys who are doing it. In a perfect world, Undisputed Era would have been the ones to lead the raid not HHH and co. We don’t have to go through the obvious things, but we need to do that or else there will be no point writing this piece.
First, HHH and co won’t take part in any match at Survivor Series, so why they were there stealing a bit of the spotlight from the NXT stars?. Second, why is everybody loyal to the point they completely drop any kind of animosity for brands’ sake?. Finally, Is anyone really sure that WWE will stnd behind NXT and book them well on Sunday?.
Onto the real point, though. The conclusion of this week’s Smackdown made it feel like NXT are being prepared for a mugging at Survivor Series, and this was their 15 minutes in the sun (or whatever anyone wants to call it). Yes, NXT got some important wins, and had some decent mic time to cut promos (as short as they were), yet nothing feels special anymore. The gold and black brand could not rekindle the fire that was Wednesday’s show, although that may heavily fall on the shoulders of Vince and co. who are in charge of booking Smackdown. Rhea Rhipley got a pinfall over Charlotte Flair, but I wouldn’t call it a victory because she was a third wheel (despite being really good) to both Charlotte and Sasha in that triple threat. The way she got that pinfall tells the story actually, as she was portrayed as a sneaky heel or worse, an incompetent one.
The Undisputed Era had a better roll of the dice against New Day and Heavy Machinery, yet their victory feels bland. The New Day could have easily eaten a pinfall loss, and it would not harm them. What does UE get by beating Heavy Machinery, who are despite how over they can be, a no-name compared to them or the New Day. UE would have done better by just battering the New Day and making a strong statement ahead of Sunday, especially considering that New Day are almost bullet-proof at this point. Speaking of Strong, he picked up the win, yet had his ass handed to him by Sami Zayn who is not going to wrestle (by the way, i would love to see that match between them) and how does that make Undisputed Era look dominant? No Idea!.
Now let’s talk about the go-home angle, which was messy as hell. To be fair, it is expected to have a MASSIVE brawl like that closing out the show, but the devil hides in the details. Aside from the usual continuity issues, (again) why HHH and co. should be the ones leading and giving orders. I mentioned in my article about whether NXT needs a clean sweep at Survivor Series, that this invasion may quickly become a mirror of the 2001 invasion. For me, that was a shade of that, although not quite as centered around the McMahons as 2001’s was. In the end, I felt that Smackdown was a show built around NXT getting as many good moments and victories as they can, because they might be jobbed the hard way on Sunday (which is a bad booking by the way). If that happens, I will probably start to sour on WWE. If not, I will give them enormous kudos even If NXT only wins one or two matches.
This is only one man’s opinion after all, tell me yours in the comments below and reach out to me on twitter @Austin316Tn. Till next time.
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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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