Opinion
Steve Cook’s Fave Five: October 2020
Cook looks for some positivity in these trying times. How’s his hope chest of October looking to everyone?
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a bit of a downer lately. 2020 has been difficult on many fronts for all of us, and it’s definitely had an effect on my usual philosophy of good times & great memories. That’s probably evident in much of my recent writing, as I’ve never been great at concealing my actual feelings.
That’s why the Fave Five has become one of my favorite columns to do each & every month. I get to cast aside all of the things I’d rather not spend my time writing about, and focus on the people that are entertaining me the most. A little positive energy hopefully goes a long way, and I hope you enjoy the October edition of my Fave Five.
5. Mustafa Ali
I’ll probably end up regretting saying this at some point. But as awkward & awful as RETRIBUTION has been at times on Raw, it’s doing some things that work for me. Yes, T-Bar is an awful name for a wrestler, but he’s been hilarious on the Twitter Machine. I’m not sure if Mia Yim really fits in with the group as Reckoning, but she’s getting a push on television. Mercedes Martinez, same thing. I don’t completely hate them.
Especially now that Mustafa Ali has been revealed as the leader of the group.
Mustafa Ali is a man with a proper bone to pick with WWE. We’re talking about a man that was on the verge of a WWE Championship push heading into WrestleMania 35 before he got hurt & Kofi Kingston took that moment. What did Ali do when he finally came back? A whole lot of nothing. A hacker storyline that went nowhere…or did it? The hacker was looking to create chaos from within, very similar to the goals of Retribution. There’s no guarantee that this whole thing works, but I’m all about Ali being given a chance to run with the ball here.
4. Thunder Rosa
It’s been no secret that AEW’s women’s division has been looked at as one of the weaknesses of the promotion. How do you try and make it better? By bringing in better talent, even if they happen to be under contract with the NWA. Thunder Rosa came in for All Out, challenging Shida for AEW’s Women’s Championship and making sure to have her NWA Women’s Championship belt with her. It was good business for everybody involved. The NWA benefits from being featured on AEW Dynamite, a show with more viewers than Powerrr had at its height on YouTube. AEW benefits from having Thunder Rosa up the match quality.
Call me a sentimentalist, but I like it when wrestling promotions can actually get along. Rosa getting to showcase her ability more places is only good for wrestling. It doesn’t feel like we’ve seen the last of her in AEW.
3. Sami Zayn
SmackDown has seen something of an uptick in quality lately, as it often does before the WWE Draft comes along and shakes things up. Funny how that happens. I attribute most of SD’s recent success to the returns of some key talent. Roman Reigns has certainly made an impact with his new attitude as the Tribal Chief. Sami Zayn doesn’t exactly have a new attitude, but he has revitalized the mid-card scene by once again accepting the mantle of the Intercontinental Championship.
It was wrong of WWE to take the title from him in the first place. Fortunately, Sami corrected that mistake and now holds one of the most prestigious championships in wrestling. I can think of few better men to carry on the proud tradition of the IC strap.
2. Ricky Starks
I’ve been high on the Stroke Daddy since his early appearances on NWA Powerrr. This cat has all the tools to be a big star. The look, the gift of gab, the in-ring ability…there’s no box next to Ricky’s name that you can’t put a checkmark next to. There was no doubt in my mind when he got a shot on Dynamite against Cody that he would be signed and figured into AEW’s future plans.
Starks has been feuding with fellow youngster Darby Allin and associating himself with Brian Cage as part of Team Taz. He definitely stands out as one of those guys that will be on top of AEW sooner rather than later. I don’t think I’m breaking any news here to anybody that’s seen Ricky Starks on AEW television.
1. John Silver
I’ll be honest, the thing I enjoyed most in wrestling last month was the Dark Order segments during Being the Elite. As Vince McMahon himself would say…such good shit. Silver has stood out amongst the pack with his goofiness & willingness to say or do anything to get a joke over. It really makes Monday a highlight when you know you’ll at least get that.
Will Silver’s BTE spots get him more attention on AEW’s wrestling shows? Maybe? He’s been trading wins & losses on Dark, but has been Mr. Brodie Lee’s top choice as a second for his TNT Championship matches. He typically gets to hold the title belt, and takes bumps when Mr. Brodie needs him to create a distraction. Being a top lackey can keep one employed & relevant for many years.
Though, it is still kinda weird that this guy was named after a pirate that inspired a fish restaurant.
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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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