Opinion
Cook: The Future Is Bright For Zelina Vega’s Boys
In bleak times, we look to the future. For Zelina Vega and her crew, that future is bright.
In bleak times, we look to the future. For Zelina Vega and her crew, that future is bright.
There’s no hiding the fact that pro wrestling, along with almost every other form of business out there, is going through tough times. Most promotions are completely shut down. WWE has obtained clearance to run some shows, and AEW has a number of shows in the can, but both feds are seeing television viewership take a tumble. Part of me doesn’t really want to blame them considering the uncertain times. Yet, I also have to note that most Americans are sitting at home and watching more television/streaming services than normal, so the fact that numbers are getting as low as they are is probably more troubling than usual.
I mean, the uncertain times sure haven’t hurt those Tiger King numbers.
We’ve talked about what WWE Superstars are going through right now, and the obstacles they’re facing are vast. During a time where travelling is something people aren’t doing, WWE Superstars are heading to Orlando at least once a week. They’re violating social distancing guidelines by getting closer than six feet to other people. At least one WWE employee has contracted the virus, and it’d be surprising if more didn’t before this whole thing is over.
Here’s the thing. I realize it sounds insane. But even if fewer people are watching, now is the perfect time for unheralded WWE Superstars to step up. Wrestlers that improve their game and take hold of opportunities now in spite of everything can earn a ton of respect and ensure future success. With some of WWE’s regular top stars out of the mix or not working as much, fresh young talent can get a chance to shine.
That’s usually how things go after WrestleMania anyway. All the part-timers are gone, so the regulars & newbies get a chance to step up. Who will it be this year? After watching Raw on Monday night, it looks like one newly-formed stable is ready for the challenges ahead.
Fans were surprised when Andrade was the first man to challenge Drew McIntyre on Monday night. Should they have been? After all, Andrade did beat Drew for the NXT Championship. He’s the current United States Champion. He’s connected behind the scenes. Oh, and the guy’s pretty darn good in the ring. He got a Wellness suspension a couple of months back, but those don’t seem to derail WWE Superstars for too long.
Did I mention his manager, the lovely & talented Zelina Vega?
Andrade has been ear-marked for big things since arriving under the WWE umbrella. Many feel he could be that next Latin-American star to appeal to the Hispanic audience. If it isn’t Andrade, there’s a good chance it’ll be Angel Garza.
It seemed like NXT wasn’t sure what they had in Angel Garza. One week he was a despicable playboy. The next week he was proposing to his girlfriend after winning the Cruiserweight Championship. After that, he was back to his old ways. It was tough to figure out. His character on Raw…not so hard to understand. Self-obsessed bad guy with an eight-pack. The kid has a ton of potential, and since he’s 27 I can call him a kid by pro wrestling standards.
Let’s be real: most of WWE’s top stars are pretty old.
Andrade is 30, so both he & Garza have their best years in front of them. They have a stablemate who makes them both look like old men, and he may have the brightest future of the group…
Austin Theory is 22 years old. He arrived on NXT television on Christmas 2019 after successful stints in EVOLVE, PROGRESS & Mexico. As we know, talent tends to remain in NXT for quite awhile before getting moved to Raw or SmackDown. Theory did not. Why?
Well, he’s a Paul Heyman guy.
Heyman’s been impressed with Theory for awhile, and when Garza needed a tag team partner on the WrestleMania card due to Andrade suffering a rib injury, Theory got the nod. Austin’s performances thus far have been impressive enough to keep him on Raw, and now he finds himself in Zelina Vega’s stable of talent. Not a bad place to be in.
Austin Theory has a ton of potential. He’s already very good in the ring. Is he ready to be a top star in WWE? Probably not. Will he be ready in five years? It’s very possible. I honestly haven’t seen enough of him on the microphone to judge that aspect of his game, and he’s got plenty of time to improve on that if he needs to. The one real knock I have against him is that he looks a little too much like the default on a WWE video game Create-A-Wrestler screen. The guy’s in good shape, and I wouldn’t say he’s ugly or anything like that, but he doesn’t stand out. The gear’s a bit generic as well. Again, these are things that can be worked on.
The future looks bright for all three of these men.
The next couple of months look good too, provided they avoid the virus. This is one dangerous group of young talent that can excite some crowds once we have crowds again. If I had to pick one group to keep an eye on this spring & summer, this would be it.
Oh, and did I mention Zelina Vega manages them? That’s pretty cool.
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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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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!
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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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