Opinion
Rob: Who’s Going Over at Wrestle Kingdom?
Rob gives us his take on the Double Champion contenders!
Wrestle Kingdom 14 is merely a day away, and the big change this year is that it is a two night extravaganza instead of a single long ass show.
Also, instead of one heavyweight title match there’s a four man tournament with both heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada and Intercontinental champion Jay White plus the respective top contenders Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito. The winner will be the double champion (I still don’t know if that means the belts are being unified or you’ll just be Okada Two Belts or Ibushi Two Belts when it’s over).
So who’s most likely to win and how? Here’s what I think.
Jay White
No chance. There is no way Jay is winning both matches and walking out as double champ. I’ve come around on White as a performer, but out of these four guys he’s fourth on damn near everyone’s list. Now you can make a case for him winning on night one because he and Okada have split in big matches so there is a legit storyline reason if that ends up as the final. But’s that’s as far as it goes for him at the Dome. Switchblade will be in the title picture throughout 2020, but he’s not walking out with one at Wrestle Kingdom.
Tetsuya Naito
Oh Naito, Naito……….Naito has been the worst booked top tier guy out there for some time now. Win the I-C title, lose the I-C title, win it again. And then there was the year long march to Wrestle Kingdom 12, complete with a G1 Climax victory, that was sold to us as the culmination of a multiyear redemption story, that ended in an unceremonious clean loss to Kazuchika Okada. As bad as it felt as a Roman Reigns fan to watch the Big Dog go down to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 at least he did finally beat Brock a few months later. (On another note imagine being a fan of both Reigns and Naito like me…….the temptation to drink after a major show is really high) Naito has had no such booking luck, and us Naito fans fully expect him to lose on one of the two nights of Wrestle Kingdom and come out empty handed. I think he’ll beat White on January 4 at least but who knows. Gedo has us so jaded that the question isn’t will he screw Naito over but just how will he do it. Win the first night and lose again to Okada? I can see it. Lose to White and then also lose to either Okada or Ibushi the next night? Wouldn’t rule it out. Lose to White and then to Okada on night two? The ultimate turning of the knife isn’t out of the question. Anything other than beating White then losing to Ibushi, or winning both nights warrants a big middle finger to Gedo at this point. Losing to Ibushi in the final would be fine given that they’ve split two big matches and Ibushi has just recently committed long term to New Japan. But another loss to Okada and/or White? Nope. And if he loses to White then Okada in the losers bracket? Please brother, get the hell on the next plane to New York and come to Titan.
Kota Ibushi
Kota Ibushi is a popular pick and for good reason. After being sought after by everyone for years he finally settled down and signed with New Japan, and was promptly rewarded with a G1 victory and brief IC title reign. Setting Kota up like this just to pull the rug out from under him would definitely be an interesting decision but it’s not like they don’t do it with Naito and it’s not like they haven’t pulled the old ‘let’s not crown them right away just because it looks like it’s time’ trick with not just Naito but Kenny Omega a year earlier. I figure this goes one of two ways for him. Either he wins both nights or he loses to Okada and beats either Naito or White the next night. Now way he’s taking two losses and no way he beats Okada just to lose the next night.
And now we get to the last man involved……
Kazuchika Okada
Okada is the default/de facto champion even when he’s not holding the title so it would be unwise to just assume he’s losing here. Should he win on night one then he gets either White or Naito; no way he loses to White and as much as us Naito fans would like to hold out hope that this could be the year he finally beats Okada at Wrestle Kingdom we’re not betting the house on it. Like Ibushi I don’t see him taking two losses for the weekend. Either he wins the whole thing or he loses to Ibushi then beats White on night two. Until you actually see him lose though, I’d pick him to win because Gedo can’t help himself.
So to sum it up, here’s how I rank what I consider the possible outcomes from least likely to most likely to happen for each person:
White: win both nights, win night one/lose night two, lose night one/win night two, lose both nights
Naito: lose both nights, lose night one/win night two, win both nights, win night one/lose night two
Ibushi: lose both nights, win night one/lose night two, win both nights, lose night one/win night two
Okada: lose both nights, win night one/lose night two, lose night one/win night two, win both nights
So yes, I’m going with Okada as the likely winner. Why? Like I said until you see him lose a title match you don’t bet against the Rainmaker when Gedo is booking. Either we come out of this thing with Ibushi crowned the new champion or Okada becomes certified as the greatest champ ever in IWGP history and Ibushi gets set up as his new chief rival. I will be totally shocked if Naito wins both nights and if he loses both nights he best be on the next plane to Stamford because it will be clear where he stands with Gedo – always the bridesmaid, never the bride – so you might as well get paid to be a perpetual bridesmaid and get to work a WrestleMania or two.
So that’s what I think and we’ll see what happens (ok those of us who were relying on AXS TV for our New Japan viewing won’t, but I’ll read about it for sure). Enjoy the show everyone!
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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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