Opinion
Starr: “Worked Shoot” or Purely Unprofessional?
Most of us have heard or seen the interaction in question. So Tommy Starr asks the question; was if a work, brother, or is there beef?
The Nia Jax vs. Charlotte Flair match from the August 30 edition of Monday Night Raw has sparked much discussion over the past few days. While the speculation as to what exactly occurred in that match remains a mystery, the one thing that is universally agreed on is that the sight was not pretty. That said, the question of whether or not this was a worked shoot for storyline purposes or an extension of potential heat between the two wrestlers is an interesting discussion.
First off, it is important to understand the definition of the term “worked shoot.” According to Jim Cornette’s Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories, a worked shoot is actually a “phrase made up in the ’90s when people began to get smart to how wrestling was worked. Some promotions started doing angles acknowledging that much of wrestling was prearranged, but claiming their incident was real-hence, a ‘worked shoot.'” So by expert opinion, how can this incident be defined by something that does not exist?
Moreover, the “shoot” element of this argument makes no sense, because the match was not an unscripted or unplanned event. There were clearly elements in this match where Charlotte and Nia were uncooperative and stiff with one another, but to call this a flat out “shoot” is a misinterpretation of the historical term.
That leaves the presumption that whatever mishaps occurred during the match led to the incidents of Charlotte and Nia becoming visibly frustrated with one another. In result, the match broke down into several layers of miscommunication, awkward exchanges, and “no-sell” occurrences that left many people confused. It is hard to imagine that even WWE, in its current abysmal state, would script two wrestlers to intentionally sabotage one another in order to further a storyline. If this was WCW in 1999-2000, most people would not have bat an eyelash at the sight of seeing this occur. However, given PWInsider’s recent report that WWE sources were shocked at the incident as well, it seems more likely that Charlotte and Nia grew visibly agitated with one another and went into business for themselves.
Above all else, one very important question is yet to be answered in this entire fiasco, “What is the alleged beef between Charlotte and Nia that would possess these two to potato each other on live, national television?” As of now, there are no articles or headlines detailing the issues between Charlotte and Nia, if there are any to begin with. In fact, according to that same PWInsider report, Charlotte and Nia seem to be on “good terms” following their backstage encounter. Regardless of whether or not these two have real heat at the moment, it is absolutely unwarranted to allow those issues to spill out for public consumption. It is unprofessional, it is unacceptable, and moreover, it is outright dangerous! Had things grown more out of control than they temporarily did, both wrestlers could have sustained critical injuries. We already know Nia Jax’s track-record when it comes to her ability (or inability) to competently and safely work with others. And if you remember the Kairi Sane concussion debacle from TLC 2019, you would know that Charlotte does not have a clean record when it comes to handling “off-script” circumstances.
Nevertheless, it really can not be argued that this was far from compelling television in any way, shape, or form. Even in the land of WWE where the term “wrestler” is forbidden language, it is irrelevant here; whether you call them “sports entertainers” or “professional wrestlers,” neither of those terms fit this equation. On this show, Nia and Charlotte were not “professional,” and they certainly were not “entertaining.”
Sources:
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Cornette, J., Easton, B., Medri, D., Escuin, J., & Long, T. B. (2019). Jim Cornette Presents behind the Curtain: Real pro wrestling stories. IDW Publishing.
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Joest, M. (2021, August 31). Do WWE Monday night raw’s Charlotte Flair And Nia JAX have real Beef After Stiff Match? Fans have thoughts. CINEMABLEND. https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2572816/wwe-monday-night-raw-charlotte-flair-nia-jax-have-real-beef-stiff-match.
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Johnson, M. (2021, August 31). PWInsider – Wwe News, wrestling News, wwe. CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS. NIA JAX – WHAT HAPPENED? | PWInsider.com. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/150292/charlotte-flair-vs-nia-jax-what-happened.html?p=1.
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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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