Another week, another Rant and another wild week in worldwide politics. Makes ya wonder why we all drink eh’. On the positive side, the wrestling business is booming with everything from new signings to new matchups to the Road to Wrestlemania. The wrestling world always keeps us on our toes and fully entertained.
Here we go:
NXT has been known to produced most of todays WWE superstars with the women’s division leading the pack. If it wasn’t for The Four Horsewomen, I am not sure how the division would currently look.
While the Black & Gold’s roster was legendary, to me I find the current Women’s roster to be even stronger. From international talent to powerhouses to General Managers, this division is stacked. I dare anyone to show me otherwise.
TNA, AEW, etc. have a phenomenal Women’s roster but currently, I see more legitimate mega stars with NXT.
We all know WWE will be losing a lot of talent over the next 3-5 years due to retirement and typically transitional periods are always rough but I am sure many more to come will be ready to jump in at any given moment and look right at home.
Jordynne Grace, whose popularity exceeded my expectations immensely from the thunderous roar she received at the 2024 Royal Rumble. It showed me just how great her body of work is because as we know WWE diehards can be blind to anything other than WWE.
Her years of grinding and putting in the work both in the ring and transforming her physique, her fan following exploded. I will go on record right now and say in 10-20 years time we will be saying Jordynne Grace is the greatest women’s wrestler of all time.
Adding international icons like the incredible Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer and Zaria (formally known as Delta) are a shoo-in to main event Wrestlemania in the not-so-distant future. All 3 have a remarkable resume whose guaranteed to be a major draw for the company.
Signing all 3 was tremendously clever from all sides including their talent and their nationality as WWE has really been hammering down its global presence as of late. Having these 3 stars at the helm of the movement is a massive win for the fans, the wrestlers themselves, the company and future talent who these 3 will inspire.
Having talent like Arianna Grace who adds her beauty pageant background masterfully into her character makes for perfect star. She is a great promo who can tick the fans off and annoy them so smoothly and add the right amount of heat needed for the segment. With a few more years to really fine tune her work, she is going to really shine.
Current NXT GM Ava has been a perfect fit for the role. She started out as a wrestler, and I am not too sure why she stopped. While the company nor Ava herself has mentioned anything about in-ring retirement but if healthy at her young age, she still has plenty of time to fight.
Her GM role has been spot-on and seems to fit like a glove. While she obviously has a job for life with the company, she never once looked out of place and shines in her role.
While being the daughter of one of the greats in the sport along with being one of the top Hollywood stars, Ava’s talent has made me forget she is a Johnson and having that constant comparison and unrealistic high expectations society puts on generational talent, it speaks volumes of her greatness.
NXT also has the indie darlings who have been with the brand for a bit like Gig Dolin, Cora Jade and Wendy Choo, plus for now having Shotzi and Roxanne Perez in the lineup adds more star power.
Dolin, Jade and Choo both could make a huge splash on the main roster at any given moment. All 3 are boiling with talent and have the right persona that can translate well with the main roster. Shotzi just has had some bad luck but when given the ball she will run with it and show those naysayers just how incredibly talented she is.
Roxanne is main roster bound withing the next 2 months. She is and has been ready and is still extremely young yet a veteran in the ring. Her in-ring and character work will only grow even stronger, and she will help lead the pack for the “New Women’s Revolution.”
WWE finally announced the addition of The Natural Disasters into the upcoming 2025 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony after a few weeks of speculation. Recently the rumor mill has involved including Ken Shamrock and Kamala being included into this years even as well.
UFC Hall of Fame inductee, “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock’s career in wrestling was truly hall of fame worthy. Having mixed it up with the best of the best from the iconic Attitude Era, going toe to toe with the likes of The Rock, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, etc., he never looked out of place and quite frankly was a perfect fit in the business.
His background with UFC and his natural wrestling skills blended perfectly and that allowed his character to look believable, investing the audience into his upcoming matches just from his sheer look. As soon as he stepped foot inside the squared circle, you were 100% drawn in. Perfection.
King of the Ring winner, Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships plus other accolades outside of WWE such as NWA World Heavyweight Champion and appearances in TNA and NJPW just to name a few. A WWE Hall of Fame induction is well earned.
“The Ugandan Giant” Kamala was one of the first heels who drew me into wrestling as a young kid. His look and how he couldn’t speak literally had me hooked. I of course had to get a Kamala action figure added to my collection back then.
His face and body paint, his mask he wore along with the spear and shield he sported on his way to the ring, wrestling barefoot and then the way he slapped his stomach, he was levels above everyone else.
I find it shocking he hasn’t been already inducted if I am being honest. His resume speaks volumes to the impact he had on the business. Without Kamala there would be no Hulk Hogan and if you are any type of wrestling historian, you would 100% agree with that.
Kamala had feuds with literally the best of the best in the business. Everyone from Jake Roberts to Macho Man to The Undertaker. His matchups with Hall of Famers and icons, his appearances in companies like WWE (WWF then), WCW, AWA, WCCW, etc. shows the level of talent he had that every territory wanted to bring him in.
His character was so far beyond its time that it’ll be studied for years to come. Everything from his movements to his mannerisms, the Kamala character was utter perfection. Actually, he was so incredibly talented that you forgot Kamala was just a character and not an actual person portraying him.
Not having him inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame while he was alive and healthy is a travesty, but it is not too late. WWE needs to have James Harris and his character of Kamala into their Hall of Fame as soon as possible.
Word on the street is Jeff Cobb is listed internally as a member of the WWE roster. I know he has been on Triple H’s radar for some time now. I remember hearing about H’s love for him during the want for Tama Tonga as well, so it is no surprise to me that he potentially signed with WWE. I truthfully figured he would sign with AEW much like Speedball Mike Bailey (another one of HHH’s interest) did.
I won’t go into detail as why I think he will be a great fit with WWE because if you’re a wrestling fan then you’d know Jeff Cobb and his work. I think Cobb will have no issues getting over with the WWE audience and I don’t see any reason why Jeff won’t be at or near the top of the card more often than none.
His matches and style will have you hook right out of the gate, and I think the WWE universe will foam at the mouth once they see Cobb with zero restraints holding him back.
He has literally been everywhere, from television exposure on AEW and Lucha Underground to popular indie promotions like PWG and Progress. His greatest run has been with New Japan Pro Wrestling where he got to showcase his natural abilities inside that ring.
His road has passed through so many different channels that he brings an incredible mindset to WWE that not too many signees bring. Jeff is one who any company interested in his work should bend over backwards for and strap the rocket to his back because anything less is a slap in the face to the fans, to the company and to Jeff and his talent.
H, I am trusting you’ll do the right thing here.
WWE has hired Sean Waltman to be part of the WWE ID program. While initially people might complain about Triple H and only hiring his Kliq buddies but if you know the business your thought process wouldn’t be anything other then a “finally”.
X-Pac was hired to review all recorded ID matches and give constructed feedback to all involved. Pac’s knowledge and talent are far more then the fans tend to realize. Having him focused on helping the next generation improve is one of the smartest moves Triple H made.
This allows someone with a boat load of experience to critique the matches and really teach the talents all about attention to detail. All those little details that might have some loose ends, he will guide you on how to tighten those up to really elevate your match.
Sean has a worldwide range of experience so being able to teach that, that kind of knowledge is priceless.
There is so much into wrestling that goes far beyond just headlocks and superkicks. There are pauses that allow sequences to digest in the audiences’ minds, ways to build the match up to its peek while maintaining the audience’s attention to certain details that elevate the move/hold in the eyes of the fans. All the details in a match need to be connected to make it believable and X-Pac is the best one to help with that.
To have someone as great as Sean providing the next-gen with the proper tools, they need to put on top-notch matchups is exactly what this business needs. After Cody goes then there will be Carmelo, and after Carmelo there will be Obi, etc. The generations continue and things get missed along the way but by implementing a program to teach these next gens the ins and the outs, it keeps the important art form intact
Ok, Rant is done. Time to go grab a coffee, sit back and watch some Jeff Cobb highlights. Going to be a doozy that’s for sure.
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