SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Before we get started, one notable update to go over:
- WWE has officially launched the WWE ID program, allowing select independent wrestlers enhanced mentorship and a direct pipeline to a future contract with the company. While fan reaction originally leaned negative due to potential monopolization of the US wrestling scene, the program has begun to make positive waves both in and out of the industry. And, in addition to earmarking the stars of tomorrow, any program that allows independent wrestlers to get paid more is A-OK with us.
Did you notice something about last week’s episode of Smackdown? Both men’s singles champions didn’t make an appearance on the show (well, Cody Rhodes technically appeared for two seconds, but you get the point). Last week’s Smackdown was about one division, and one division only: the tag division.
Yes, after months of a stagnant title scene bottlenecked by a tired Bloodline reign, the arrival of new champs MCMG has jolted new life into the once underutilized division, and last week’s episode felt like it was making a point by giving numerous bench players a new character beat to sink their teeth into. Hopefully this builds into a division that can sustain feuds not wholly dependent on titles.
With the advent of a new championship in the women’s division (more on that below), hopefully the Smackdown women’s division will begin to refresh as the tag division did this week. The division has felt extremely top-heavy, with formerly over babyfaces spinning their wheels in meaningless rematches, and the champion siloed from the rest of the division due to her own ongoing story.
Additionally, SNME and Survivor Series continue to loom on the horizon, and potential matchups are starting to take shape. With how regimented the PPV schedule tends to be, it’s not often we get a rush of events one after the other. It adds a bit of unpredictability to the weekly product, as feuds don’t have a clearly defined end date to hit. Often, in Triple H’s WWE, certain feuds felt like they were stalling in an effort to have the climax conveniently land on the date of a PPV. Having two potential dates concurrently means that stories more of an option to take as long as they need to.
It’s making the weekly TV product move to a different rhythm, and I like it. There’s a lot to go over, so let’s get started.
NICK ALDIS HAS A HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT
Latest Developments
Last week on Smackdown, General Manager Nick Aldis unveiled a new midicard championship for the WWE Women’s Division: the WWE Women’s United States Championship.
Aldis did not elaborate on how the inaugural championship would be crowned, but hinted the title would not be brand-exclusive.
Analysis
First off, I applaud the intent behind creating this new championship. It allows the women’s division to not only be defined by its principal players, but by its entirety. The men’s division was at its apex during the Attitude Era, largely due to everyone on the card having something substantial to do even if they weren’t main-eventers. While a single championship won’t magically give the remaining ½ of the women’s division stories, it’s a great start.
Now the execution: I don’t think the creation of a midcard champ will be that transformative to the product on its own. Yes, it will allow some upper mid-carders a platform to eventually ascend to the main event, and give some lower-card wrestlers a clearly defined attainable motivation to fight for. But at the end of the day, if WWE isn’t willing to invest time into building characters in the women’s division, the championship will wind up doing nothing but cluttering up the title scene.
Triple H tends to book midcard titles as backdrops for character beats. A title loss often starts a grudge feud (see Jey Uso losing the IC championship, and immediately feuding with Solo Sikoa as a result). If the Women’s US Championship can truly be built up as a worthy prize, it could be the catalyst for multiple character-based blood feuds that could then build up the division and make it less top-heavy.
But that all depends on the title’s early booking. If WWE can ensure this new championship doesn’t get lost in the shuffle, it could provide a much needed shakeup in a division that sorely needs it.
Grade: A+
KEVIN OWENS vs. RANDY ORTON & CODY RHODES
Latest Developments
Since turning heel, Kevin Owens set his sights on Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton for their supposed hypocrisy in allying with The Bloodline. After several weeks of back-and-forth, Orton challenged Owens to a match at Crown Jewel. At the event in Saudi, Owens jumped Orton before the match could begin and the two brawled throughout the arena.
The match was eventually cancelled, with both men content to simply beat the life out of each other.
Last week on Smackdown, Orton dared Owens to meet him in the ring so he could get his revenge. Owens appeared, and the two brawled yet again. Owens eventually gave Orton a banned piledriver, causing him to be stretchered out alongside a worried Cody Rhodes.
Analysis
A short segment that felt like a natural ending point to write Orton off TV for a few weeks and allow Owens to resume his feud with Cody Rhodes.
While a second brawl between Owens and Orton felt a bit unoriginal, the use of simple heel tactics like using a banned move really helped to sell how vicious the Owens heel character has truly become. Credit to Orton for believably selling that Owens overpowered him despite his legendary status as a main event powerhouse.
From a character standpoint, Owens’ fixation on Orton for the past few weeks has felt like an odd booking choice. Even when Rhodes briefly appeared near the end of the segment, Owens barely acknowledged him. Ending the segment with a staredown between Rhodes & Owens would have helped to plant the seeds for a future confrontation, especially with precious little time to build a match before the next PPV cycle. But, given Rhodes’ and Owens’ impeccable character work in the past, they should be able to make it work.
I do hope, however, that the WWE Championship takes center stage in the ensuing plunder match. With Wrestlemania 41 on the horizon, the title should be front-and-center for the viewers. Another blood feud for Rhodes where the title almost seems inconsequential doesn’t feel like the right move for him after a seven-month reign largely defined by lackluster title defenses and never-ending Bloodline feuds.
Grade: A
TOMMASO CIAMPA CAN’T GET NO RESPECT
Latest Developments
Over the past few months, DIY has repeatedly tried to reclaim the WWE Tag Team Championships following the end of their reign at this year’s Summerslam, but came up short repeatedly.
Last week on Smackdown, Ciampa grew angry at Johnny Gargano for palling around with current champions MCMG rather than focusing on winning the titles back. Gargano tried to calm his partner down, to no avail.
Later that night, DIY won against Pretty Deadly in a squash match when Ciampa went berserk and beat the hell out of Elton Prince. They later tried to call their shot against MCMG, but Nick Aldis revealed The Street Profits had already received the next crack at the gold.
Analysis
Heel DIY is here, ladies and gentlemen! If you follow this column, you know I’m a huge fan of NXT Black & Gold, so this turn warms my heart. But, aside from my biases, it makes sense. Given the state of the division, there isn’t much left for DIY to do in their current state. Taking off the titles from MCMG would be a waste, and DIY have already challenged multiple times in the past few months. Non-title feuds are few and far between right now, so a heel turn makes more sense.
Yet again, this proves why making MCMG champions was such a good idea: their dynamics with tenured WWE teams can be malleable, and allow others a chance to work in a new rhythm. There wouldn’t be any other opponents where Gargano and Ciampa would have such differing ideologies.
Speaking of, I hope this leads to DIY turning heel together rather than a breakup. While Gargano is plenty serviceable as a solo babyface, he has a more laidback realistic promo style that makes him seem rather bland compared to the Cody Rhodeses of the roster. Turning DIY heel together (almost as the dark version of MCMG, a workrate-heavy team unconcerned with honor) would feel much fresher and newer.
The storyline of obsession leading to insanity isn’t the most original, but it’s one that Ciampa and Gargano both played to perfection in NXT, and seeing the once-affable team slowly descend into madness could make for some fascinating television if given the time it needs to be fleshed out.
Grade: A-
Check out the latest episode of “Acknowledging WWE” with Javier Machado, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
MCMG vs A-TOWN DOWN UNDER (& THE STREET PROFITS)
Latest Developments
Two weeks ago, new champions Motor City Machine Guns were offered the chance to go on “The Grayson Waller Effect” this week by A-Town Down Under. Last week, the two teams instead faced off in the ring.
After a match revolving around Waller’s attempts to be flashy failing in comparison to Sabin and Shelley’s actual experience, the champs secured the win. Post-match, MCMG were challenged by The Street Profits for a future match.
Analysis
While the match itself told an entertaining story about Waller’s showboating and ego ultimately costing him in the face of a duo who outclassed him in the ring, the sudden change to a match made this segment worse, in my opinion.
The proposed talk show segment last week would have allowed MCMG a much-needed in-ring chance to flex their promo skills, and expand their characters beyond just “experienced vets happy to be here”. While we achieved the same thing through the match, Sabin & Shelley still feel a little more cookie-cutter than WWE wants them to.
Additionally, A-Town Down Under continue to run in circles as the eventual breakup storyline continues to be put on ice. While I understand the need for a set of snivelling heels for the babyfaces to conquer, it feels like their character development has completely stalled. Waller feels like he’s doing 90% of the work while Theory is nothing more than a body. Even if the breakup doesn’t need to happen, I’d rather see some internal arguments now and then instead of relegating the two to fodder for main-events to run through in between major narratives.
The Street Profits re-entering the title picture is exciting given Tez’s comments on social media (work? shoot? who knows?). The Profits have lost much of their momentum following their failed heel turn last year, and it feels like some frustration is brewing. Could another heel turn be in the works? I don’t know if there’s room for a second team to be centered around “I don’t get enough opportunities” with DIY seemingly down the same road. But, in any case, this little tease was just enough to keep my interest piqued.
Grade: C-
BAYLEY vs. CANDICE LERAE
Latest Developments
Due to a mix-up between Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton, Candice LeRae found herself entangled in a feud with Bayley & Naomi. Alongside former partner Indi Hartwell, LeRae took on Bayley & Naomi in a tag match but lost due to accidentally pinning the wrong woman.
Last week on Smackdown, LeRae found herself in singles competition due to Hartwell’s shoot release. LeRae fought Bayley in a singles rematch, but lost yet again after trying to sneak a pin by faking an injury mid-match.
Analysis
I found myself more invested in this new LeRae storyline than I expected. The concept of a heel slowly turning face because their heart just isn’t into it anymore, is a pretty unique twist on a typical redemption arc. I’m not even a huge LeRae fan, but my heart broke seeing LeRae offer a high-five to a partner no longer there.
LeRae and Bayley told a nice overarching story about LeRae resorting to trickery to try and win, but failing due to her execution. But whereas most booking would have a post-match moment of the heel looking foolish, LeRae just looked… empty, as if lost and unsure of herself. If this leads to an arc of LeRae finding a new twist to her character, it could be a great way to rejuvenate a wrestler who has suffered from stop-start booking and slapshot character arcs over the past year.
However, I struggle to see how this fits into LeRae’s other arc with Jax & Stratton, explained in more detail below:
Grade: A
BIANCA BELAIR & JADE CARGILL vs. NIA JAX & TIFFANY STRATTON
Latest Developments
Ever since winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill have been defending their titles across all three brands. At Crown Jewel: Belair & Cargill successfully defended their titles against Damage CTRL, Meta-Four, and Chelsea Green & Piper Niven.
Meanwhile, WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax has deepened the chasm in her relationship with protégé Ms. MITB Tiffany Stratton, by turning her affections to Candice LeRae and continually berating Stratton. At Crown Jewel, the vengeful Stratton teased a MITB cash-in, distracting Jax and causing her to lose the WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship.
Last week, Stratton attempted to mock LeRae’s singles loss to Bayley before Jax put her in her place, admonishing her for getting them booked against Belair & Cargill in a tag match that night. During the match, Stratton attempted to impress Jax with her plan to secure the win, but wound up getting pinned instead. LeRae attempted to interfere, but Naomi intercepted her.
Analysis
This week’s segment largely felt like a filler week, offering little new advancements to the character dynamics. This felt like it only existed to get all four women on the card. And on one hand, I respect that. Keeping your champions fighting regularly is how you build prestige to the belts and establish your franchise players on each brand. And clearly positioning Belair & Cargill as the obstacles for Jax & Stratton to overcome kept the tag champs looking dominant despite the tag belts generally being held in lower esteem than the women’s singles titles. It may be a little overboard, but WWE has certainly succeeded in making Belair & Cargill seem unbeatable. Whoever finally unseats them for the belts should get a huge rub.
Stratton continues her slow face turn, as Jax continues to pile blame in her direction. However, after Crown Jewel’s failed cash-in, it really feels like we should be hitting a turning point in this relationship. While engaging, there’s only so many weeks of Stratton being kicked like a dog viewers can take before it loses impact. The teased cash-ins have been a great way to chart Stratton’s slow loss of respect to Jax, but it’s time to strike while the iron is hot. I don’t think Stratton’s cash-in can sustain the hype to last until Wrestlemania 41, simply based on the diminishing crowd reactions.
Meanwhile, re-introducing LeRae as Jax’s heel heater felt a bit odd given her match earlier in the night where she leaned face. I hope WWE remains invested enough in LeRae to not sacrifice her solo character arc in service of Jax, given that they may have found a goldmine in turning LeRae face if done correctly.
Grade: A
ANDRADE vs. CARMELO HAYES vs. LA KNIGHT
Latest Developments
Nothing. None of the three men made an appearance last week.
Analysis
The decision to have none of these three men appear on last week’s episode felt deliberate, an effort to display that their feud is finished and the three will be moving on to other things.
For Andrade and Hayes, this felt mildly disappointing. It felt like we were robbed of a true conclusion to the pair’s acclaimed best-of-seven series this summer. It was clear the intent was to raise the profile of the US championship by having the belt be the prize at the end of the road, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The feud relied too much on Knight interjecting himself into the pair’s rivalry, and it didn’t feel organic. The ensuing three-way almost put heel heat on Knight, it felt like he was making it all about himself rather than being the target for both Andrade and Hayes to fight for.
Moving forward, I’m curious to see if Andrade and Hayes can keep their momentum. Their feud was largely built in-ring (a rarity in WWE), and neither’s promo skills are that impressive. Hayes’ promo about Saudi being the best place to fight for the US title was hilariously subpar. The two will have to find ways to work in a different rhythm moving forward, but I hope WWE continues painting them as forever rivals whenever they inevitably cross paths.
As for Knight? I hate to say it, but his momentum has completely halted. He’s done his job as the midcard’s gatekeeper, but doing so has brought the heelish aspects of his character out a little too much. Unless the plan is to turn him heel (which would be a huge waste of his crowd support), Knight’s next feud needs to firmly allow him to be the defiant underdog rather than a powerful swaggering champ.
Grade: C+
GIOVANNI VINCI (MISSING) IN ACTION
Latest Developments
Vinci continues to make no appearances.
Analysis
A waste of a great repackaging. Nothing else to say.
Building up the gimmick for so long, immediately burying it with a squash and then taking the wrestler off TV feels like a surefire way to ruin any remaining goodwill Vinci had with the WWE viewing audience.
If he ever even makes it back on TV, it’s gonna take some work to rehabilitate his image. Shame.
Grade: F
THE BLOODLINE CIVIL WAR
Latest Developments
At Crown Jewel, Sami Zayn tenuously aligned himself with the Original Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso), despite not trusting Roman Reigns. However, following a botched kick, the Original Bloodline devolved into arguments as Solo Sikoa watched on and continued attempted to recruit Sami to his side.
On Raw the next night, Jey implored Zayn to meet with Reigns on Smackdown and hash everything out. Reluctantly, Zayn agreed.
Last week on Smackdown, Zayn and Reigns came face-to-face. Zayn insisted Reigns apologize to Jey for his mistreatment, but the egotistical Reigns rebuffed Zayn. Reigns instead attempted to call out Sikoa, but Jacob Fatu appeared and cut Reigns down to size. Later, the Usos angrily reprimanded Reigns, reminding him that he promised to listen to them.
In the show’s closing moments, Reigns met Sikoa’s Bloodline in the ring. Sikoa taunted Reigns for having no one to stand by him, and officially challenged him to a WarGames match. Sikoa attacked Reigns, but the Usos and Zayn came to the rescue. Zayn and Reigns put their ones up together hesitantly, and the OG Bloodline stood tall.
Analysis
It’s always funny to me that The Bloodline saga operates like a mini-TV show within the world of WWE. More so than any other story, each episode of Smackdown has a new Bloodline conflict that eventually gets resolved or leads to a future setup. In a world where things change on the fly, it’s remarkably consistent storytelling.
Unfortunately, it yet again feels like the story is artificially moving a little faster than it wants to, to get to the eventual endgame at Survivor Series. While I love that Reigns is still the egomaniac he was as a heel, it didn’t feel like the Zayn-Reigns ideological conflict really had time to set in. WWE feels almost afraid to give Reigns major moments of contrition, which would go a long way in endearing him without neutering his character. Having him continually rebuff Zayn makes Zayn (and even Jey) look like a chump for siding with him again so quickly.
On the flip side, Sikoa has never looked stronger as a promo. While never truly feeling comfortable as the stoic Haku-like figure WWE painted him as, watching Solo become a snide weasel has become truly delightful to watch. With the OG Bloodline, Sikoa has been allowed to grow a little bit of an ego, allowing the wrestler to turn on the ol’ Ucey charm that let Jey and Jimmy become so beloved even as a heel. Even his comedic timing and delivery has improved drastically.
The road to Survivor Series feels a little bumpy. If WWE plans for the OG Bloodline to be a functional unit and go over by November, they have an upward battle to make Reigns & Zayn’s teamwork feel believable given their history. But if Survivor Series is instead a precursor to further conflict, then the company has done a great job cementing the New Bloodline as main-event villains going into 2025, to the point where it wouldn’
Grade: B
Stay right here and keep the flow going. We think you’ll like to read this next…
RECOMMENDED NEXT: WWE RAW FEUD TRACKER: Assessing and grading Gunther vs. Priest, Bloodline Saga, New Day Split, Belair & Cargill vs. Liv & Raquel, more
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s WWE Raw Hit List: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, Gunther and Damian Priest, Kofi Kingston vs. Pete Dunne
(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com. You can also send live event results and news tips to that email. Also, we’re always looking for volunteer contributors to help us round out of coverage of the pro wrestling scene.)
Follow us on Blue Sky: @pwtorch / @thewadekeller
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.