SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Before we get started, WWE released several wrestlers over the past week, let’s go over them quickly:
- Giovanni Vinci: Following his ousting from Imperium, a slew of vignettes aired for Vinci reprising his Italian playboy gimmick from NXT. However, after a few quick joke squashes, Vinci stopped appearing on programming. Readers of this column know how high I was on Vinci’s potential, so it stings seeing him get cut off so quickly.
- AOP & Paul Ellering: The Authors Of Pain were rehired in 2023 and allied with Karrion Kross nearly a year later. While AOP made serviceable henchmen, Ellering’s inclusion made little sense in a group that already had a manager. As Kross pivoted to a solo act, AOP & Paul Ellering made few appearances before being released. But hey, at least Ellering finally got a Wrestlemania moment. Good for him!
- Blair Davenport: The former Bea Priestley was called up from NXT in mid-2024, but suffered from scant TV time and storylines. Unlike other releases, Davenport felt like she was never given a fair chance to succeed. And with a teased return to Japan, we wish her all the best in her career.
- Isla Dawn: One-half of the Scottish Witches is gone from WWE. While partner Alba Fyre (fka Kay Lee Ray in NXT UK) remains, Dawn has been cut. Aside from winning the Women’s Tag Titles in their hometown, the witches have been given little to do despite knocking it out of the park with their limited time. This one hurts.
- Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson: Following the dissolution of the OC, Gallows & Anderson returned to NXT for a brief spell before largely disappearing from programming. By all accounts, they were brought back by AJ Styles’ request, so their eventual release wasn’t surprising.
- Cedric Alexander: The last of The Hurt Business is gone from WWE. Following an illustrious career, Alexander spent much of 2024 on the sidelines, putting over talent in dark matches. Following a failed team-up with Ashante Adonis, his release ends a lengthy tenure with the company.
- Sonya Deville: The Pure Fusion Collective was doomed from the start, with a wordy name and three wrestlers lacking in good material. While Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark compensated with their in-ring talent, Deville was not so lucky, and her 8+ year tenure with WWE ends this year. Unlike other talent, Deville was not explicitly released but her contract will reportedly not be renewed.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and this year I have a date with Survivor Series (2002), a/k/a the PPV containing the first ever Elimination Chamber match. I’ve always had a soft spot for this stipulation, as it blends a traditional elimination match with the storytelling devices of a cage match. In wrestling lore, a cage match represents a blood feud with no other options. No way out. Introducing six participants into the mix makes for one of the most entertaining match types WWE has ever created.
And this year may raise the bar for one of the most well-built Chamber PPVs in history. With several long title reigns in the rearview mirror, WWE has built fresh champions each with a slew of contenders gunning for the titles. Unlike years past, there doesn’t appear to be an obvious recipient of a WrestleMania title shot. And that introduces a level of intrigue into the Chamber never seen before. If you’re an observant fan, it’s usually fairly clear who the winner of a chamber match will be on the road to Wrestlemania. There’s always some lulls as the jobbers get cleared. Not so this year. Each announced participant could believably main event Wrestlemania 41, a huge credit to the booking of WWE this year across the board.
With two title matches already confirmed for the event, the playing field is slowly beginning to narrow down to its key competitors. Last week’s Smackdown was a doozy, so let’s not waste any more time. Here’s where things stand:
KEVIN OWENS WILL NEVER FORGIVE SAMI ZAYN
Latest Developments:
After witnessing Cody Rhodes team with longtime enemy Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens turned heel and called out Rhodes for being a hypocrite. During a lengthy feud with Rhodes, mutual friend Sami Zayn found himself caught in the middle.
Over several weeks, the deluded Owens continued to gaslight Zayn into not picking a side and making him promise to offer Owens help. Several months ago, Owens stole Rhodes’ Winged Eagle championship belt following a failed title shot and began proclaiming himself as the true WWE Champion.
Nick Aldis set a ladder match for both belts at the Royal Rumble. During the match, Zayn was at ringside, but was more concerned with tending to Owens than stopping Rhodes from winning. Last week on Smackdown, Owens cut a promo blaming Zayn for his loss, saying he’d never forgive him. The following Raw, Owens attacked Zayn.
Analysis:
Looks like we’re getting Zayn vs. Owens at Wrestlemania again. It doesn’t matter how many times they run this feud, every time both wrestlers find a new character dynamic to explore that builds on their twenty-year history. The two are truly destined to fight forever, and their chemistry is off-the-charts.
This feud’s storytelling has been fantastic, with Owens twisting Zayn’s logic into knots to further his own ends. Owens’ writing truly feels a step above anything else in professional wrestling, leaning just enough on delusion to alienate the audience yet still making enough sense to stop Zayn from feeling overly trusting as a babyface.
With Cody Rhodes seemingly moving on, WWE’s pivoting of Owens to a more personal feud has been incredibly smooth. A self-righteous heel always works best when consumed by his obsession, and letting Owens’ anger be so all-consuming that he wants to destroy anyone who’s wronged him is such a clear-cut character base to build on.
Frankly, I’m surprised we got Owens attacking Zayn so quickly following Royal Rumble. I think there could have been more material in watching Zayn grow more unnerved with Owens for several weeks before Owens snapped on him. I hope WWE doesn’t fall into the same trap that caused Owens vs. Rhodes to sometimes drag. It feels like there’s only a few weeks worth of promos to really address, but we’ve got three months until Wrestlemania. If WWE doesn’t try to fill time with pointless brawling, we could have an all-timer. Otherwise, it could feel like a retread of Owens’ previous feud.
Grade: A-
CARMELO HAYES GETS A WIN????
Latest Developments:
Over the past few months, Carmelo Hayes has been complaining to Nick Aldis about his lack of opportunities and stardom. However, when it came to get in the ring, Hayes was on a losing streak to babyfaces like Jimmy Uso and Damien Priest.
During the Royal Rumble, Hayes was eliminated. Disgruntled, Hayes attacked Akira Tozawa on his way back to gorilla, preventing Tozawa from entering the Rumble.
Last week, Hayes again wanted an opportunity, and Aldis gifted him Tozawa on loan from Raw. Despite talking a big game, it looked like Hayes was due for another loss. However, he pulled out the stops at the last minute to secure the win.
Analysis:
With how much WWE emphasizes keeping wrestlers “protected” by not taking any clean pins, it’s a surprise that a heel act with an abysmal win-loss record wasn’t employed up until now. Hayes repeatedly acting like a big star despite racking up loss after loss has been extremely entertaining, largely due to his comedic chops.
It would be really easy to turn Hayes into a complete buffoon, reducing him to nothing more than a low-card comedy jobber. WWE comes close, but leans just hard enough on Hayes’ prior success in NXT to keep him feeling semi-plausible as a legitimate contender. The pacing of his matches has been immaculate, with short decisive losses but just enough back-and-forth to avoid being called a squash. The perfect length to solidify Hayes as a perennial loser but not a joke.
Then there’s Tozawa: the perfect example of a low-card jobber. I loved the comedic beats of Hayes’ opponents growing lower in stature each week. Allowing Tozawa to actually get some zingers sowed just enough doubt that Hayes would actually lose to him (and no one loses to Tozawa, let’s be real). It added a legitimate suspense to the match, and Hayes winning actually had some weight to it.
Now, obviously, we’ll see his ego rise to new levels and the writing could be promptly hilarious until he gets his ass handed to him. I don’t see a route for Hayes back into a serious program, but for now, this comedic storyline feels poised to level up its humor and character beats, which is always a good sign.
Grade: B
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
CHELSEA GREEN’S NEXT CONTENDER
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.
Last week, Green cut a promo about winning the Elimination Chamber, before Michin, B-Fab and Zelina Vega all interrupted. Vega teased a title shot, leaving the US Champ stunned.
Analysis:
With Yim and B-Fab taking a backseat, it looks like Zelina Vega is next in line for a title shot. I’m a huge fan of this move, with Vega providing a drastically different dynamic than Green’s previous contenders. Miniscule in stature, Vega doesn’t have the physical advantage over Green, leaving Piper Niven’s interference less crucial to Green getting the win.
However, Vega is Green’s first opponent that can go toe-to-toe with her on the mic. So far, we haven’t shown Green show much vulnerability in her promos. She’s maintained her shtick until the bell rings, and then has Niven as a backup. Vega’s trademark roasts and swagger could be an opportunity for Green to showcase some more vulnerability and dynamism on the mic, deepening her character. This also stacks the deck against the plucky Vega, with only her wits to protect her from a two-on-one assault each and every week.
Vega has star potential, and it’s so gratifying to see her get some solo shine this year. With Green slowly but surely elevating the midcard, Vega feels the most likely to cement her place in the main event if she can pull off a babyface clinic against Green.
The one thing that confused me was Green hinting at being in the Elimination Chamber. I’m not opposed to champs going after multiple belts, but it feels like a weird shift in priorities while in the midst of a feud. Not to mention, an Elimination Chamber match feels ripe for Green to try and pull heelish antics like trying to escape the cage. But the PPV takes place in her home country, so logic would dictate putting Green in a singles match where she can play a situational babyface. It felt like an odd tease to drop in the middle of her promo.
Grade: B
THE STREET PROFITS WILL NOT BE DENIED
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 Street Profits reappeared after an onscreen beatdown several months earlier and beat down MCMG, allowing DIY to steal the final fall and retain their championships.
Last week, The Profits cut a promo about growing tired of everyone else coming in and taking their spots, hinting at a more ruthless turn.
Analysis:
Not too much to add here. This promo served one purpose: establish the motivation of The Street Profits. Before their absence, The Profits felt like they were being slotted into the underdog protagonist role of the Smackdown tag team scene. They had a lengthy history with DIY, and they were the cannon fodder for DIY to steal their title shot, turn heel and eventually become the end bosses of the division. It felt tailor-made for The Profits to rise from the ashes and take back their titles, especially after several months of a face turn spurred on by promos of the division supposedly passing them by.
But then, following their time off, WWE supposedly pivoted to Pretty Deadly as the underdogs for the time being (more on that below). This leaves The Profits in a weird spot, as they yet again feel like the division’s least prominent figures. The past month has cultivated a dynamic between the 4-5 major tag teams on Smackdown, and The Profits somehow feel… apart from that in a weird way. They feel somehow shoehorned into the title scene, and feel destined to be forgotten about by the audience.
Character-wise, they feel vicious as usual, but Tez specifically feels forced into the scowling anti-hero WWE wants to paint him as. Dawkins can pass it off, but Tez’s natural swag and athleticism feels tailor-made to be a babyface, and turning him into a scowling vengeful hero comes across as inauthentic.
Overall, an inoffensive promo that left me less than enthused for future programs.
Grade: B-
DIY vs. PRETTY DEADLY
Latest Developments:
After turning heel, DIY succeeded in their long-awaited quest to reclaim the WWE Tag Team Championship by defeating the Motor City Machine Guns.
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). After failing to stop MCMG from getting another title shot, Pretty Deadly grew tired of Ciampa’s verbal abuse and rebelled.
After retaining their belts against MCMG at the Royal Rumble, DIY were interrupted by Pretty Deadly last week, demanding their title shot at last. Against their will, DIY were forced into a title eliminator match by Nick Aldis, which Pretty Deadly won to earn their shot.
Analysis:
Pretty Deadly as the plucky underdogs and DIY as the snarky heels is such an odd dynamic to me, because both teams would be better suited the other way around. This week’s segment began with DIY doing an “in memoriam” riff to MCMG’s careers, which felt too sadistic for them. Even as ruthless heels, DIY has had a dorky edge to them, which suited their obsession with titles and mid-match cheating. This moment had a swagger to it that DIY has never had, and it came across more awkward than anything.
Additionally, Pretty Deadly seems to be blending their traditional smarmy line delivery with a more underdog babyface style, and the two clash. If Pretty Deadly were going to be babyfaces, they should have just leaned into the fans’ love of them (a la Eddie Guerrero) rather than paint them in a light they don’t really belong in. They just have too much cocksure energy for me to buy them as anything other than elitist heels.
Despite my misgivings, I’m still invested in this storyline enough to be excited about Pretty Deadly vs. DIY II. Their brief title eliminator match this week showed DIY being bested at their own game, with Pretty Deadly cheating to get the win. And if they lean into the shenanigans, the title defense could be an iconic match for the ages, and a sorely needed change of pace for DIY. DIY’s great with old-school big-match epics, but it’s rare they get the needed 20+ minutes to pull off that match structure, so a more comedy-based match would do wonders to get them over with less allotted time.
Grade: B-
CHARLOTTE FLAIR vs. TIFFANY STRATTON
Latest Developments:
After a lengthy absence due to injury, Charlotte Flair returned at the Royal Rumble, eventually winning it and choosing to challenge WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.
Two weeks ago, Flair cut an emotional return promo that was met with boos. Last week, Flair cut a more heelish promo claiming she was better than everyone. Stratton joined Flair on stage, admitting she used to be a fan. Flair coldly shut her up, snootily calling Stratton a child and belittling her.
Old enemies Nia Jax and Candice LeRae crashed the party, still out for blood against Stratton. Jax proclaimed she had gotten a rematch for the WWE Women’s Champion, which is set for next week.
Analysis:
Promo-wise, this was…. not very good. Sometimes we take it for granted how well WWE does in scripting promos nowadays, because we don’t get many stinkers. But this segment? Yeesh. Flair’s delivery was halting, flat, and didn’t convey much other than boredom. Stratton’s inclusion initially livened up the crowd, but the two displayed very little chemistry and Stratton’s anger didn’t have a place to bounce off of, leaving her looking flat and uninspired.
It’s a shame, because I actually love the booking of Flair’s character. After years of bland “I’m a champ” material, it’s nice to see Flair leaning into her history and becoming the rude elitist her character was always destined to be. Continually cutting off Stratton like a popular girl to a superfan was such a fun dynamic to explore, and perfectly lays the groundwork for Stratton to get rocketed into the stratosphere by taking down one of the original Four Horsewomen.
However, that all depends if Flair can keep audiences hooked enough to want her to fall. And so far, it feels like we’ve all collectively rolled our eyes at the program’s execution. WWE has a lot to do if they want to cast off the bad vibes from Flair’s super-woman booking in the past few years, else they risk fans losing investment in Flair as an insurmountable obstacle and viewing her only as a boring act taking up screen time.
I do also enjoy that Nia Jax hasn’t forgotten Stratton’s betrayal. It felt like we lacked a true fiery plunder match to blow off that feud, so its nice to see the dynamic kept alive in the meantime. It’s likely this rematch will result in a clean win from Stratton, giving her a concrete babyface win over a main-eventer on the road to Wrestlemania. How will that affect the Flair-Stratton relationship? I guess we’ll have to see.
Grade: C-
JEY USO’S WRESTLEMANIA CHOICE
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 Royal Rumble where Rhodes won.
Meanwhile, in a shocking upset, Jey Uso won the Men’s Royal Rumble and earned a title shot at Wrestlemania.
Last week, Rhodes congratulated Uso on Smackdown and encouraged him to make the right choice for Wrestlemania. Suddenly, Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu interjected, wanting to reclaim the WWE Championship for the Bloodline.
In the main event, Rhodes & Uso defeated The Bloodline in a tag match before Solo Sikoa returned from hiatus and attacked Rhodes.
On Raw the following Monday, Uso chose to face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.
Analysis:
Not too much to say here. This was essentially a filler angle to get us to Solo Sikoa’s return and feud with Cody Rhodes. I’ve never been a fan of a champion essentially begging the Royal Rumble winner to pick them. I understand the intent is to raise the prestige of being a Rumble winner (similar to the G1 in NJPW), but it comes across odd and devalues the world champions. Plus at this point, it’s painfully obvious that WWE won’t risk neutering either of their two most popular babyfaces by having one play situational heel for a night at Wrestlemania. Everyone knows we won’t get Rhodes vs. Uso, which made the opening segment drag on.
The Bloodline tag match itself was uneventful outside of Jacob Fatu getting more and more promo time. Putting Fatu against Jey really highlighted the subtle differences in their promo style. Fatu comes the closest to the classic Uso charm, but his feral energy lends an unrelenting menace to his character and we really got to see that element on display in comparison to Jey’s more genial and confident tone.
The post-match angle of Sikoa’s return is likely to set up a feud with Rhodes, but it’s painful how much he’s been eclipsed by Fatu during the interim. Sikoa’s presence feels so plastic and fake compared to Fatu’s genuine anger. While I’ve grown to be a fan of Sikoa in the main event, I think he thrives when he can be a little more goofy and confident. The style of this return makes me think we’re getting the return of the silent powerhouse Sikoa, which is his least engaging form right now.
Grade: B
WOMEN’S ELIMINATION CHAMBER QUALIFIERS
Latest Developments:
Last week, Bianca Belair earned a spot in the Elimination Chamber by defeating Piper Niven, while the recently returning Alexa Bliss did the same by defeating Candice LeRae.
Analysis:
Belair’s inclusion in the Elimination Chamber comes at a curious time, namely due to her still being one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions with Naomi. As of late, Naomi has begun showing more heelish tendencies due to her solo pursuit of glory. With Belair effortlessly dispatching Piper Niven and getting closer to a world title shot herself, it’s easy to see how this could continue fueling Naomi’s jealousy and bring us closer to a full-on betrayal.
Naomi has long been teased to be Jade Cargill’s attacker, but with Cargill nowhere in sight, it’s increasingly looking like Belair & Naomi will be the brunt of whatever program is decided for them. And frankly, I’m beginning to think Belair should have just moved on if Cargill’s absence was going to be for this long. The whole point of Belair leaving singles contention was to elevate Cargill (still relatively green in-ring and on the mic). It hasn’t been worth keeping Belair locked into the tag scene just for a blowoff feud with Naomi.
Meanwhile, Alexa Bliss remains more of a wildcard due to her long absence. It’s been theorized that Bliss being on the same brand as the dormant Wyatt Sicks is no accident, due to her long affiliation with Bray Wyatt (RIP). I’m curious to see how the two acts feature into each other. But for now, WWE seems committed to pushing Bliss as the same babyface scrapper she slotted into before.
I found myself wondering if Bliss could keep up with the division’s elevated in-ring work, but she held her own in a sprint match against LeRae, which did wonders to re-establish her in the Triple H workrate-heavy era. Given that Bliss’ win was less than dominant, I’d guess that Bliss will play a minor role in the chamber, likely just enough to get a big spotlight on her after a lengthy sabbatical before she transitions into a (hopefully) buzzy Wrestlemania program elsewhere.
Grade: B+
MEN’S ELIMINATION CHAMBER QUALIFIERS
Latest Developments:
Following his elimination at the hands of Damien Priest at Royal Rumble, Drew McIntrye angrily disavowed Raw and made his return to Smackdown full-time, pledging to win the Elimination Chamber and finally avenge his title loss from WrestleMania the year prior.
Jimmy Uso interjected, vowing to put up a fight in their elimination chamber qualifier triple-threat. L.A. Knight joined the party, emulating Macho Man in a heartfelt promo about real men showing their emotions before returning to savagely roast McIntyre for his behavior.
After a fierce triple-threat, McIntyre pinned Knight to win a spot in the chamber.
Analysis:
Not much of an underlying story between these three specific competitors, unless you count the worked-shoot comments alluding to dirtsheet beef between McIntyre & Knight following a botched Royal Rumble spot. Frankly, I don’t like delving too much into work-shoot comments, as they rely on out-of-canon knowledge and don’t feel super consistent with the kind of work WWE is doing right now (C.M. Punk notwithstanding).
However, I loved that each contender felt plausible in their own way: McIntyre feeling scorned after the Royal Rumble, Knight trying to reel from his U.S. Title run being over, and Uso continuing to try and carve out a solo niche. The ensuing triple threat was perfectly paced, playing to each man’s particular character beats and (most importantly) painting all three as relatively equal which did wonders for Uso in particular. Standing toe-to-toe against two main eventers immediately legitimizes him.
The personal beef seems to be brewing against McIntyre and Knight due to Knight’s pre-match promo (following a hilarious ode to Randy Savage, way to acknowledge the greats). Taking aside work-shoot comments, McIntyre needs a high-profile feud he can win after a string of losses, while the bulletproof Knight needs to re-establish himself on the mic after a lackluster title run where he felt pigeonholed by limited mic time. McIntyre should rightfully win without affecting Knight’s standing, which would cement him as a main eventer. It’s the perfect pairing for each man going into the biggest event of the year.
Grade: A-
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