Opinion
NXT Year in Review: Awards!
Brad Abel continues his look at (most of) 2021 in NXT with his personally chosen special awards!
Brad Abel continues his look at (most of) 2021 in NXT with his personally chosen special awards!
I’ve got some random accolades to give out before we get to the main event.

Rivalry of the Year: Meiko Satomura versus Kay Lee Ray
Talk about quality over quantity. They fought two times, and both are MOTY candidates. Normally I would want more from such a flawless pairing, but in this instance I’m happy with those two matches frozen in time.
Mama Mia! Award: Bronson Reed flattens Santos Escobar through the security wall at In Your House
Reed is the first and only repeat winner of the Mama Mia, given to the one moment I could watch on repeat. He actually squished Escobar through a wall on two separate occasions. Does that make him a three time winner? It’s fun watching big guys throw their weight around.

Self Burn of the Year: Cameron Grimes
“I’m so rich I live under two bridges!”

Most unappreciated match of the year: Meiko Satomura versus Aoife Valkyrie, NXT UK Television 04-29
In general, unless your name is WALTER, NXT UK doesn’t get the love it deserves. This featured some absolutely amazing ground work from both women. It’s easily Valkryie’s best showing yet, which is to be expected against a pro like Satomura. The end was a bit disappointing as each woman spent extended time in submission holds that they no-sold, but once you’ve checked out the typical top 10 this match is very much worth your while.

Actual Burn of the Year: Adam Cole
“You know what they do to make Adam Cole feel special? They ring the freaking bell!” In hindsight, that line might have been the one to seal the fate of Karrion Kross.

Faction/Stable of the Year: The Way
I could not in good conscience have a superlatives list without Johnny Gargano. Hit Row came on strong but got 2.0’ed. Legado Del Fantasma had their moments. Overall, no group was as consistently entertaining as The Way. It’s a shame Gargano never got to pass the torch to Austin Theory, but we’ll always have the No-Look High Five.
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Best Takeover: Vengeance Day
It feels like this happened a lifetime ago. I am so sad that we’ll never get this again from NXT, but so happy that we got what we did. Five matches, and four came in at 4.3 stars or higher: Kai & Gonzalez/Blackheart & Moon, Gargano/Kushida, Balor/Dunn, GYV/MSK. And it ends with Adam Cole throwing a one-man superkick party! Oh wrestling, I’ll always be your bitch.

The Most NXT Match of the Year Ilja Dragunov versus Sam Gradwell NXT UK TV 03-04
This is not the best match of the year. It is the match that best exemplifies what NXT is (was) all about. In 2021 NXT UK absolutely perfected the one-week storyline, and this match is a master class. It started out with really interesting grappling and broke down to a savage brawl. Post-match, Gradwell is laughing because he got knocked out and Dragunov is attacking a ref. Top notch action. Beautiful characters. Insane drama. This was as good as a mid-week match could be with minimal build and nothing bigger on the line. Good. Things. Happen. When. You. Let. Wrestlers. Wrestle!
Next Up: Wrestlers of the Year
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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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SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
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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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