SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Before we get started, one quick update to go over:
•Apollo Crews is confirmed to be out of action with an injury for the next several months. Crews was slowly getting more air time after a lengthy stint as a jobber on WWE Smackdown. With the skills and personality of a true star, we can only hope that Crews’s push won’t stall out once he returns. Until then, we wish him all the best in his recovery.
The Royal Rumble has come and gone, and boy was it an eventful one. Cody Rhodes finally got the Winged Eagle belt, Charlotte Flair returned, Nikki Bella returned, iShowSpeed got speared into the next galaxy, and the Yeetman himself Jey Uso is going to Wrestlemania.It was an event for the ages, and for the first time in the past few years it feels like WWE is delving headfirst into the unknown.
The Royal Rumble, and WWE’s programming overall in the 2020s, has largely stayed safer and more logical than eras past. This has led to a huge uptick in the quality and consistency of storytelling, but fans of the chaos of yesteryear may have found Triple H’s booking to lack the shock value that kept viewers coming back week-to-week during the Attitude Era.
Last year’s Rumble was well laid-out, for example, but largely boring until the final two contenders because the plausible champs felt so narrowed down in each division. This year, both rumble matches had a crowd of potential main eventers with no clear path to get to Wrestlemania. And that kept audiences glued to the screen every step of the way. This year’s event broke records for the longest men’s Rumble ever, and I didn’t feel it for a second.
And then….. the winners. Charlotte Flair? Predictable, but I understand. All the booking points to Charlotte challenging Tiffany Stratton, which should provide the young wrestler a huge “passing of the torch” moment. As for Jey Uso, online discourse has never been more divided. Some call him a glorified catchphrase who can’t actually wrestler, others call him the most over man on the roster.
In any case, Jey Uso has made it much farther than anyone expected him to five years ago. This year’s Elimination Chamber could be the most packed in history, thanks to Uso stealing the title shot. And, frankly, if Uso’s win keeps me invested in future programming, then for now I consider that a win.
With the transfer window closed, and the wheels set in motion for Wrestlemania, where does the blue brand stand before tonight’s episode? Let’s dig in:
MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS & LOS GARZAS vs. DIY & PRETTY DEADLY
Latest Developments:
After turning heel, DIY succeeded in their long-awaited quest to reclaim the WWE Tag Team Championship by attacking #1 contenders The Street Profits backstage and taking their place, defeating the Motor City Machine Guns later that night.
As heels, DIY recruited Pretty Deadly to assist them in retaining their belts, promising them a title shot in return (although they continued deflecting attempts to set the match). Pretty Deadly then framed Los Garzas for attacking The Street Profits, and continued helping DIY cheat over the next few weeks.
To crown the next #1 contenders to the tag belts, Nick Aldis organized a tourney, where MCMG won despite Pretty Deadly’s attempts to stop them. Post-match, Pretty Deadly were chewed out by DIY.
Last week, MCMG teamed up with Los Garzas to face DIY & Pretty Deadly in an eight-man tag. During the match, Elton & Kit grew tired of Ciampa’s abuse, allowing the babyfaces to snag the win.
Post-match, Pretty Deadly were chewed out by DIY yet again.
Analysis:
A few great plot advancements on the go-home show. The eight-man tag finally pulled the trigger on some Pretty Deadly dissension. After being blue-balled for MONTHS by an A-Town Down Under breakup that never came, seeing tag teams get some great mid-match storytelling was so gratifying. Seeing Ciampa slowly take out his frustrations on everyone around him was so tense, and when PD finally disobeyed him you could palpably sense the crowd react. For all those who claim storytelling is different than in-ring wrestling, this is proof that you’re incorrect. In-ring augments storytelling, and vice-versa.
I found myself surprised at how well Pretty Deadly became babyfaces. They always seemed an odd fit to cast as the underdogs, with their natural smarm being so perfectly suited to heels. But the Brits have done a fantastic job slowly peeling back the layers of their character and exposing more vulnerability. Watching their new faces of resolve as DIY chewed them out made audiences hyped up. DIY, as always, play the perfect heels, blending just enough kindness to mask their manipulations. The live crowds are clamoring for DIY to lose the belts, the most attention the tag division has had in years.
Grade: A-
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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LEGADO NO MORE?
Latest Developments:
Last week, Los Garzas teamed up with MCMG against heel teams DIY & Pretty Deadly, in an effort to get revenge for being framed several weeks ago. Los Garzas made it clear they’d come after MCMG if MCMG reclaimed the tag belts at the Royal Rumble. The two teams worked well together in-ring to seal the win later that night.
Meanwhile, LDF leader Santos Escobar tried to smugly ally with Damian Priest, claiming he needed some real winners watching his back. Priest, unimpressed, rebuffed Escobar and left.
Analysis:
First off, it seems we’ve officially turned Los Garzas face. So far, they’ve proven much more effective in the past few weeks, able to show off their natural charisma rather than just glowering behind Santos Escobar. Additionally, the duo had surprising chemistry with the Motor City Machine Guns, which frames them as a tag team on the same level as the (kayfabe) most experienced teams in all of wrestling. I love little interactions like this that augment individual characters just by proximity. It’s such a unique way of building stock in wrestlers.
Additionally, it was notable that Santos Escobar was unequivocally still portrayed as heel on the same episode that so emphatically turned his lackeys babyface. Escobar has largely faded into the background in the past few weeks, as Los Garzas have taken more of the spotlight. Several months ago, WWE seemed to be teasing a storyline of Escobar annoyed at the rest of LDF for not measuring up, with multiple segments of him berating them after a series of losses. However, the narrative was dropped with little explanation.
It seems like WWE are more explicitly moving the two acts in different directions. Hopefully, we get a defined breakup angle to give both members fuel with their new character directions. However, Escobar is extremely cold with live crowds following lackluster booking, and it feels like a lot of legwork will be needed to execute a breakup angle that would interest audiences. Is WWE willing to invest enough time in LDF to get them there? I doubt it. But we’ll see what happens.
Grade: C-
THE STREET PROFITS RETURN AND….. HELP DIY???
Latest Developments:
At the Royal Rumble¸ DIY faced off against MCMG in a two-out-of-three falls match. With the score tied 1-1, MCMG looked ready to seal their win due to DIY accidentally knocking into each other.
Suddenly, The Profits appeared and beat down MCMG, allowing DIY to steal the final fall and retain their championships.
Post-match, The Profits then laid out DIY as well before leaving.
Analysis:
Before anything, I wanted to discuss the storytelling utilized in the two-out-of-three falls match. Tailor-made for the big epic matches DIY was known for in its heyday, it felt overall like this match was lighter on storytelling than most longtime fans would expect. Having previously delved into DIY’s descent into heel villainy and departure from the honorable wars they fought as babyfaces, the plunder match felt designed to serve as the end of the team’s arc: showcasing DIY fully committed to their evil ways in comparison to MCMG, the always-pure babyfaces. However, it never felt like the match kicked into high gear and sold this arc. For the first two falls, the match just felt like a standard workrate-heavy spotfest.
However, the final fall finally began playing up DIY’s shortcomings with Pretty Deadly no longer assisting them. In a brilliant piece of acting, you could sense the sudden panic when Gargano accidentally struck Ciampa, as the two realized they had no one to save them from the babyfaces taking advantage. It was a great way to follow up from the go-home show’s fallout and added a great twist to the match.
And then The Street Profits. In a great misdirection, I really thought we were getting heel Profits again. I found myself surprisingly excited at the duo’s new devilish direction, which suits them much more than the stodgier serious personas the two tried developing last time they turned heel. Dawkins and Tez are two of the most charismatic wrestlers on the planet, don’t tone them down!
Then, The Profits attacked DIY and their intentions became more clear. When the dust settled, I found myself asking why WWE took this approach. The Profits were written out portrayed as the eventual babyface underdogs destined to eventually capture the belts from DIY. Thematically, it made sense. They were Sting, while DIY was the NWO.
So, even as babyfaces, this new more aggressive energy feels like a left turn. Underdog babyfaces shouldn’t feel unpredictable to this degree, and it causes me to question if The Profits’ role in the tag title scene is about to be shifted. Could they be taking on more of a “wild card” role instead? I suppose we’ll see.
Grade: B-
THE MIZ vs. ANDRADE
Latest Developments:
The Miz, finding his footing as a recent transfer to Smackdown, crossed paths acrimoniously with Andrade two weeks ago. Last week, Miz was trashing Andrade, until Andrade appeared and challenged him to a match.
Later that night, Andrade swiftly defeated Miz with a roll-up.
Analysis:
Not much to discuss here. This was a simple segment intended to keep Andrade looking strong despite some lackluster booking in the past few weeks. A hallmark of Triple H’s booking is the want to keep everyone on TV week-to-week. While that’s great for brand retention, it also casts a harsh spotlight on talent that WWE creative clearly has nothing for.
Since his failed crack at the US title, Andrade has been floating around without substance. Being one of the weaker promos in WWE, Andrade always felt limited in his character work. And following his acclaimed feud against Carmelo Hayes, it’s felt like WWE hasn’t figured out the secret to utilizing him in promo-based stories. Even last week, Andrade displayed painfully awkward chemistry against Miz, one of the easiest heat magnets to play off of. Their match elicited little reaction from the audience, and didn’t do much besides remind viewers that Andrade’s being booked strongly.
Miz also felt like the wrong choice to take a meaningless loss this week. Following his return on Smackdown, it’s been clear that Miz is being built to a confrontation with the Wyatt Sicks. WWE needs to avoid Miz accumulating losses, else the Wyatts will come across overly heelish by (essentially) kicking him while he’s down. The Wyatts being babyface is already a hard sell, but outnumbering their opponent who’s already on a losing streak wouldn’t help them get over with audiences as the “honorable ones”.
Grade: D-
CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN vs. MIA YIM & B-FAB
Latest Developments:
At the inaugural Saturday Night’s Main Event, Chelsea Green (with help from her ally Piper Niven) defeated Mia Yim to become the inaugural Women’s US Champion, continuing a long-term rivalry between the two throughout most of 2024.
B-Fab eventually began feuding with Green independently, allying with Yim after losing a title shot of her own. After B-Fab & Yim defeated Green & Niven in a tag match, Yim received another title shot from Nick Aldis to Green’s dismay.
Last week, Green retained her belt against Yim by getting DQed for using a kendo stick mid-match.
Analysis:
I like the slow-burn storytelling of Chelsea Green slowly being cornered by Mia Yim, and resorting to increasingly desperate tactics to retain her belt. At the beginning of this feud’s inception, Green was scoring (mostly) clean pins over Yim. However, thanks to Yim getting an ally to counteract Piper Niven’s constant interference, the power levels of both women have slowly shifted in favor of Yim.
I love the pacing of this feud. It’s so much fun seeing Green squirm as the spectre of Yim grows larger and larger. Green’s pre-match promo fixated on winning the Royal Rumble and moving onto Wrestlemania. In a sense, she’s already looking past Yim, not registering her as a threat. In contrast, Yim is entirely fixated on Green, ready to avenge her previous losses. It’s this dichotomy that keeps the feud entertaining, while also keeping Yim sympathetic as a babyface powerhouse who still has enough respect for her opponent to not underestimate her.
Looking at the calendar, it feels like Elimination Chamber would be a great slot for this feud’s plunder match. Being in Green’s hometown, it would allow Green to play situational babyface for a night, and put a nice button on this rivalry in time for Wrestlemania. With how stacked Wrestlemania cards tend to be, I can’t see Green vs.Yim making the cut as a solo match, and I don’t think this feud has enough juice to make it past April. Frankly, I’d rather it wraps up sooner so Green can begin elevating the rest of Smackdown’s midcard.
Grade: B-
THE NEW BLOODLINE vs. L.A. KNIGHT & DAMIAN PRIEST
Latest Developments:
At Survivor Series, L.A. Knight lost the WWE U.S. Championship to the returning Shinsuke Nakamura. The following week, The Bloodline laid out Knight as he confronted Nakamura, intending to make a statement to the locker room.
Knight’s continued disrespect to The Bloodline led to them interfering in his rematch for the US title. In the following weeks, Knight continued battling Tonga & Fatu.
Last week, new Smackdown member Damian Priest cut a promo about the Royal Rumble. Tonga & Fatu interrupted him, laying him out before Knight made the save. Knight & Priest reluctantly agreed to team up against The Bloodline, defeating Tonga & Fatu in a tag match later that night in the main event.
Analysis:
Damian Priest and LA Knight is the odd-couple bromance I never knew I needed. Forget long-term booking, I honestly just want these two to get a run with the tag belts. Both wrestlers have an ungodly amount of swagger, but complement each other perfectly. Knight’s old-school Type-A throwback presentation perfectly accentuates Priest’s more laid-back cool delivery. Like Fraxiom in NXT, I could see these two striking gold with a “reluctant BFF” tag team angle.
But enough fantasy booking: last week’s angle in a vacuum suffered from being almost exclusively a buildup to the Royal Rumble. It was a way to spotlight Priest, Knight & Fatu for audiences on the go-home show, as all three were set to be major players on the PPV that weekend. I tend to dislike go-home segments like this, as it feels like storylines take a backseat for random pairings that can stall the momentum of an episode if done incorrectly. Luckily for WWE, Priest & Knight’s chemistry carried the segment to an extremely enjoyable conclusion.
I wasn’t a fan of the main event’s aftermath, where The Bloodline beat down the faces to stand tall yet again. I understand the intent, to keep Fatu looking strong. But at this point, I think audiences can get the picture without a post-match beatdown ending the show every week. We’ve seen Fatu send Braun freakin’ Strowman to the hospital, we can put together that he’s still extremely dangerous.
Grade: B+
CHARLOTTE FLAIR’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA
Latest Developments:
Last week, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton was interviewed about potential winners for the Royal Rumble, but showed no fear. Former teammates Candice LeRae & Nia Jax confronted her, calling Stratton jealous and regretful for betraying them. As Stratton fought back, Jax laid her out.
At the Royal Rumble, Charlotte Flair returned from injury to win the women’s rumble for the second time. The next night on Raw, Flair cut an emotional babyface promo to mixed reactions.
Analysis:
In and out of kayfabe, it’s been heavily hinted that Charlotte Flair would challenge Tiffany Stratton at Wrestlemania. On paper, this makes sense. The two’s characters mirror each other in several ways, and WWE has intentionally begun setting up the next generation beyond the Four Horsemen. The Royal Rumble specifically even had a standoff moment between three of the Four Horsemen and the new grads from NXT. Commentary even acknowledged it.
It’s clear that it’s time for a new set of wrestlers to step up. Given that Stratton has had the rocket strapped to her, it only makes sense for Charlotte to put her over. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Charlotte’s babyface promo skills, so I’m curious to see if WWE turns her heel during the road to Wrestlemania, especially given Stratton has been quietly turning babyface and the theme of her interview last was that of not showing fear in the face of adversity.
Plus, let’s face it, no one on Earth is cheering Charlotte over Tiffany right now. Please don’t shoehorn these women into the wrong spots WWE!
Grade: B-
CARMELO HAYES vs. JIMMY USO
Latest Developments:
Following a string of recent losses to Jimmy Uso, Carmelo Hayes whined to Nick Aldis about moving brands. Aldis offered him the new transfer from Smackdown which wound up being Priest.
After swiftly losing to Priest, Hayes continued talking trash to old rival Jimmy Uso before their rematch. Last week, Uso dispatched Hayes quickly, leaving him raging in defeat.
Analysis:
With Roman Reigns off again, Jey Uso embarking on a singles feud with Gunther and Sami Zayn busy with Kevin Owens, Jimmy Uso yet again feels lost in the shuffle. This mini-feud with Carmelo Hayes feels like it’s not helping anyone. Jimmy doesn’t get much mic time, he feels like a casualty of the Bloodline storyline seemingly moving on without him, and crowds clearly aren’t interested in his matches. Seriously, you could hear a pin drop during his match against Melo last night.
Jimmy Uso needs a feud where he’s allowed the vulnerability that his brother so effortlessly got to show off. During the brief moments of the Bloodline storyline where Jimmy took center stage, he showed a level of pathos suggesting he too had it in him to ascend to the main event singles stage. But he needs a chance to show it, because right now he feels like another name lost in the crowd.
Oh, and Melo’s still here just to lose. It is what it is, someone has to do it. It’s clear that WWE brass still like him enough to keep him on TV every week. This doesn’t feel like a burial, and I’d hazard a guess that Melo’s in for a big push post-Wrestlemania. But for now, he’s stuck jobbing to the stars.
Grade: D
CODY RHODES SURVIVES ANOTHER DAY
Latest Developments:
Since returning to ally with Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes was betrayed by longtime ally Kevin Owens due to his supposed hypocrisy in teaming with the enemy. After a long violent feud, Rhodes and Owens faced off for the WWE Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event where Rhodes won. Owens stole the original “Winged Eagle” let and began calling himself the true WWE champion.
In the following weeks, Owens challenged Rhodes to a ladder match at Royal Rumble. Over the next few weeks, the two brawled on sight, and a fed-up Nick Aldis announced the bout would unify both belts. Meanwhile, on Raw, Owens began manipulating old friend Sami Zayn into siding with him.
At the Royal Rumble, Rhodes defeated Owens in a brutal match to retain his championship. On the following Raw, Owens turned on Zayn for tending to him instead of stopping Rhodes from winning.
Analysis:
The WWE champ took a much needed break following a truly brutal ladder match at the Royal Rumble. As a self-professed mark for ladder matches, this one might have been WWE’s best in the past few years. Rhodes, a sneaky good deathmatch wrestler, truly looked like he had been through a war. After a reign marked by the actual championship taking a back seat to interpersonal rivalries, this plunder match felt like the quintessential match Rhodes needed to stamp this reign as truly a success.
Tonight’s episode will likely feature Rhodes in a more ancillary role, as Elimination Chamber will likely decide his opponent at Wrestlemania. Similar to his interaction with CM Punk last week, I expect Rhodes to be involved in the build to the men’s chamber match by solidifying himself as the man everyone wants to take down. Rhodes can cut a good promo against a tree, so he’ll likely be able to drum up some babyface fire against anyone WWE puts against him. We’re in for some classic babyface promos, folks. Get ready!
Owens, meanwhile, is likely moving on to have a singles match with Zayn at Wrestlemania. I haven’t covered much of their burgeoning feud since it’s been on Raw, but the writing has truly been head-and-shoulders above anything else in WWE right now. Owens growing mad at Zayn for his hypocrisy is one thing, but calmly gaslighting him over it lends him a dastardly nuance far beyond most heels in WWE history. I’ve never been able to track a delusional heel’s line of thinking so clearly, yet still perceive it as utterly incorrect. It’s genuinely great, nuanced character work. I often roll my eyes at WWE being called ”cinema”, but this might be the first time I’ve been impressed with character work to this degree. Well done, writing team.
Credit to Zayn & Owens for continuing to find new angles to advance their relationship. The two are truly destined to fight forever, like Batman and The Joker. One day, we’ll be watching them hit each other with canes at a nursing home, and it’ll probably be just as entertaining.
Grade: A-
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