Opinion
NXT Minus 6: Takeover 31, After
After ranking WWE NXT Takeover 31’s matches beforehand, Bradley Jay is back with his post-show rankings. What changed?
After ranking WWE NXT Takeover 31’s matches beforehand, Bradley Jay is back with his post-show rankings. What changed?
Here’s the dillio. Before the show, I ranked the matches based on my excitement for them. Now that the show is over, let’s see how things worked out.
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6. Damian Priest versus Johnny Gargano 3 stars
I don’t expect insane spots off a ladder for no reason or a thousand chair shots. For a Takeover match, I do expect something special, some moment that makes the match stand out. Sadly and surprisingly, this did not have that moment. It was a good match. It was a Wednesday night match. Something was missing. I thought that a lot watching this PPV. In fact, it should have been called Takeover 31: Something is missing. Dropped from 1 to 5
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5. Io Shirai versus Candace Lerae, 3 stars
As good as she can be, I feel like Shirai isn’t consistently bringing her A-game. Her matches feel repetitive. Her moonsault has lost some of its air. And the revelation of not one but TWO returning superstars that I don’t care about seemed to drag everything down. Up from 5 to 4
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4. Swerve Scott versus Santa Claus Ice Cream Bar, 3 ½ stars
Swerve did his thing, and that’s always a good thing. I don’t mind the interference, because that’s what factions do. They stick together and cheat. If someone is going to make the save, it at least has to be someone we recognize. Drake Maverick? Fandango? Even Tony Neese would have made sense. I feel bad for Swerve. I hope they don’t move on from his chance to grab the gold, but I’m afraid they will. Up from 4 to 3

3. Kyle O’Reilly versus Finn Balor 4.2 stars
You know you’ve done something special when you lose the match & still come out smelling like a rose. Kyle O’Reilly showed us that he’s ready to be a singles guy. His combos and transitions are as good as anybody. His one man leg sweep looks almost as devastating as Total Elimination. He was made for a long run as the intercontinental champion. Up from 3 to 2
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2. KUSHIDA versus Velveteen Dream 4.6 stars
When this match ended, I gave it 4.4 stars. The post-match beatdown was fan-flipping-tastic, so I gave it an upgrade. Hyper violent KUSHIDA is wicked awesome. I get the same savage vibe from him that I get from Timothy Thatcher. These are 2 guys who can brutalize an opponent without weapons. This was the only match of the night that was as good as I thought it would be. Bonus points to VD for the Marty McFly reference. Up from 2 to 1

1. Overall, it was a good show. Everybody worked hard. Nothing was horrible (except for Ridge Holland), but nothing was MOTY. Maybe it would have been better if the bar for Takeover wasn’t so insanely high, and if the production didn’t suck ass. Sometimes there was crowd noise. Sometimes it was silent. Some cheering seemed real. Some sounded piped in. Sometimes the ring itself sounded like it was cranked up to 11. And I don’t see the value in having faces in the audience if we don’t get the accompanying crowd noise. It all felt disconnected and detracted from the overall atmosphere. But if this was the stepping stone for KUSHIDA and O’Reilly, then it was all worth it.
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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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