Opinion
Chad’s Throwback Slant: DIY & The Dynamic Duo
Chad D. Aaron draws a comparison between one of today’s biggest feuds and one of history’s biggest: Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa and Chris Adams vs. Gino Hernandez.
Chad D. Aaron draws a comparison between one of today’s biggest feuds and one of history’s biggest: Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa and Chris Adams vs. Gino Hernandez.
So many things in wrestling have changed since I first became a fan. Kayfabe was put out to pasture. Television went from a way to get butts into seats in local arenas, to a way to sell Pay-Per-View buys. Storytelling has changed drastically as well, yet the core of a good guy fighting a bad guy still permeates nearly every match. The athleticism of the wrestlers is off the charts, although certain wrestlers who have throwback styles are regularly praised. The lights are brighter, the scrutiny of each decision made more intense than ever before, and still, arenas get filled and millions and millions of dollars are made. The business is more mainstream. Wrestling today looks and feels almost nothing like it did 35 years ago, and yet is familiar enough that you could step out of a time machine and know exactly what you were witnessing.
Each week, I am going to talk about some similarities between things happening today and things that I saw happen back then. I will talk plenty about some of the differences as well. I will start this week with the recent conclusion of the feud between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.
As you well know, this battle has dominated NXT for most of the past few years. It was deeply personal. There were times it had a title on the line, but it was the kind of battle that did not need one to be put high on the card. It was what every wrestling feud strives to be. The promos were always passionate. The action was always intriguing. It was easy to suspend your disbelief enough and actually believe what they were saying and doing. That is no small task in this day and age.
The battles brought out different sides of both men. We saw a heel-ish Johnny and a sympathetic version of Ciampa. Anyone who watched the turn in Chicago that night would probably have not believed that was possible. The entire run was well done through and through. Both men are top-notch wrestlers, which certainly helped, but they could have told this story with no suplexes, superkicks, or submission moves. The brawls and fights were generally better matches to watch than the technical wrestling portions. As a old-school wrestling fan, the feud reminded me of days gone by. Specifically, it reminded me of a bitter, intensely personal rivalry I watched in my childhood.
Living in Texas, there were no bigger babyfaces than the Von Erich brothers. Most wrestling fans are familiar with their legendary battles with the Fabulous Freebirds. However, it was their less acclaimed, but just as intense feud with The Dynamic Duo – Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez – that really caught my attention back then.
Adams had turned his back on the Von Erichs to team up with the arrogant heel, Gino. Those two worked together so well. They could both talk you into the arena. They could both go in the ring with any of the best of their contemporaries, and they could both brawl around an arena and make you believe it was real.

They battled the Von Erichs for months on end. At a major card in the famed Cotton Bowl, The duo lost a hair vs. hair match. Both were shaved bald as the good guys triumphed. Gino, the self-absorbed, cocky one, naturally blamed Adams. He turned on his partner shortly thereafter, blinding him with the famous “Freebird Hair Cream” Adams went home to England to recover, and Gino crowed about what he had done.
To me, the intensity and heat between Adams and Hernandez and the Von Erichs was instantly transferred to the Adams/Hernandez feud. You felt it in every interview, saw it in every match, and heard it in the crowd reactions any time either of these men was in the ring. Much like the Full Sail crowd loved to chant “Fight Forever” at Gargano and Ciampa, the crowds in World Class territory could not get enough of either of these two men.
Adams was suddenly a sympathetic figure, and the crowds turned their venom wholly on Hernandez. And people believed it. When Gino was found dead, famed investigatory body Scotland Yard is said to have actually interviewed Adams at his home in England to determine his potential involvement in his former partner’s demise. When a police agency on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean believed the intensity, you can be sure the fans were buying in as well.
Ciampa’s injuries were unfortunate, and they derailed the story between he and Gargano, robbing us of the experience of the culmination of it all on the biggest stage. I feel much the same of the death of Gino Hernandez. His death cost us what was shaping up to be a violent, personal rivalry that could have lasted months, even years. Adams went from face to heel to face, and the crowds bought it every time, much like Gargano and Ciampa were able to keep support as their roles shifted during their run.
Of course, booking was different in those days. Last Man Standing and Empty Arena matches were not really used. I always assumed World Class would blow off the feud off at a Texas Stadium Parade of Champions card in either a Texas Death Match or Steel Cage. Of course, we never got to witness that. But I can assure you, the intensity in that match would have been on par with the Empty Arena encounter Gargano and Ciampa recently gave us.
Until next time, watch some wrestling this week, stay safe, and never forget to #UseYourHead!
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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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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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