Opinion
NXT: Who Should Go And Who Should Come Back?
With the WWE Draft upon us, Rob Bonnette takes a look at the NXT to see who should move up to Raw and Smackdown, and who should move back.
With the WWE Draft upon us, Rob Bonnette takes a look at the NXT to see who should move up to Raw and Smackdown, and who should move back.
The draft is upon us this weekend, and with it the changed prospects of people who will be moving from one roster to another. And while some folks will be moving from Raw to Smackdown or vice versa, what I’m really looking at is who goes to and from NXT. Now we already have some migration in some of the members of Retribution (Donovan Dijak, Mia Yim, Mercedes Martinez) from NXT to Raw while Ember Moon has returned to NXT. And there are some names that were supposed to move up before COVID happened who are now in limbo (Chelsea Green, Vanessa Borne). But what about the rest? Who’s ripe to move on from NXT and who could use a refresh by coming back to were things started? Some folks are better off on Raw or Smackdown (see the Street Profits) and some have found their way after returning like Finn Balor and Breezango. Now when it comes to making these lists it’s too easy to let personal biases overtake one’s thinking; moving someone off Raw or Smackdown to NXT so you don’t have to see them anymore is not the move for real. So I tried to not do that and instead come up with something a bit more objective. Here’s who I came up with:
Go: Johnny Gargano and Candace LeRae
It’s time for both members of the couple to move on. Johnny has held every title there is to have in NXT, and has wrestled everyone he could possibly face. He’s been there in some capacity since 2016, and it feels like it. It’s reached a point where Johnny’s name in a main event is a cause for dread because it brings with it the specter of an overlong match with too many kickouts. He very badly needs some boundaries put on his ring work and that’s not going to happen as long as he’s in NXT. Candace has not been there as long but after her loss to Io Shirai at Takeover, coupled with the returns of Toni Storm and Ember Moon, it’s pretty obvious that she has zero chance of ever winning the NXT Women’s title. Believe it or not she stands a better chance at winning a title on Raw or Smackdown than in NXT, based on how things have shaken out. The other thing with both of them is that the timing is now right because they finally have characters that they can play outside of ‘we’re great wrestlers and we’re married….yay!’ So everything is there and there’s nothing to stick around for. Pull the trigger on this one.
Come back: Chad Gable
Chad Gable is a great wrestler. As a character he’s……..a great wrestler. The much maligned Shorty G gimmick hasn’t worked, but even before that there wasn’t anything about him that appealed to anyone other than workrate enthusiasts. Which makes you a job guy on Raw or Smackdown unless some miracle happens. In NXT however, he can be ‘Chad Gable, great wrestler’ and just do promos around that and be just fine. He’d fit in working on top with Balor, Kyle O’Reilly, etc or in the midcard with Kushida, Damian Priest, and those guys.
Go: Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez
Dakota is in the same boat as Candace in that she got a shot at Io Shirai and failed to win, and is now stuck behind everyone else with zero chance of ever winning the title. Gonzalez hadn’t reached that level yet but probably won’t any time soon. The women’s tag team division could use another entry, so bringing them up together would make a lot of sense. And look, they can both work singles, too. Another win win here.
Come back: Peyton Royce
The dirtsheets have all run with the rumor that Peyton is the Iconic that is favored the most by Vince McMahon, but there’s real reason to believe that Billie Kay is the one who will do better. Neither are great wrestlers but Billie has some real potential doing character work on her own, way more than Peyton in my opinion. Of course there’s always the possibility of bringing them both back because I don’t see how you push either of them on Raw or Smackdown as anything but comedy acts without egregiously moving them ahead of several people who are better performers than them.
Go: Malcolm Bivens
After a long wait Malocolm finally got on TV earlier this year as the manager of tag team Indus Shur, who were looking they were going to run over all the lower level tag teams in NXT until they were ready to work against the better talents. Then one of the members spoiled the finish to Keith Lee/Adam Cole title match and we haven’t seen them since. Since he wasn’t there that long to start with and the tag team never got going much anyway, why not move him up where his personality and comedic skills would be better served? As far as someone for him to manage they could always move up someone like Dabba Kato, who isn’t doing anything on NXT right now anyway.
Come back: Riddick Moss
What exactly are they doing with Moss? He’s been in Raw Underground and has worked a bunch of matches on Main Event. He wins those matches, sometimes inexplicably, so somebody sees something in him, but after a quick run with the 24/7 title earlier this year there doesn’t seem to be any desire to jump in with both feet and actually push him. It doesn’t help that they just kinda throw him out there but if they have aspirations for his future it’s better to put him somewhere that he can work matches, show what he can do, and thus earn the respect of the fans who aren’t really here to see him beat anyone of any consequence right now.
So those my picks. Obviously there are names like Adam Cole and Karrion Kross out there, guys who will be on Raw or Smackdown sooner than later, and some of my picks aren’t likely to happen (Royce and Moss in particular). But not knowing is part of the fun, and makes for good surprises along this road of fandom. So here’s to the draft and here’s to Fridays. Happy drafting, 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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