It is wild to me that here we are, Wrestlemania time already. Feels like it was only 3 weeks ago when Jey Uso won the Men’s Rumble. I guess they say, time flies when you’re having fun. Alrighty, let’s rant shall we
- Wrestlemania 41
Wrestlemania is set for this coming weekend. I will be on a beach down south with about 4 drinks in my hand, enjoying the heat and this is the first year where I am lucky, I am away and will miss Mania. As a wrestling fan this shouldn’t be the case.
The build to Mania has been horrible with matchups that aren’t “Wrestlemania” worthy. Yes, I am sure building a 2 day event would be tough mentally but this should be planned out months and months ahead. A week before the biggest event of the year isn’t the time to be adding matches. It seems lackluster.
The build to Wrestlemania should start after Summerslam. Not any in-ring builds but planning. January 1st should be the start of the building of Mania, the complete card top to bottom. WWE needs to start slowly with a concrete vision in place, then piece by piece, week by week put the plans into action.
I understand injuries can happen and derail some plans but showing the audience how unsure management is of the Wrestlemania card by adding matches to it so close to game time. You can build the entire 2 days starting in January without dragging it on. Start it out slow then ramp up. Like anything, let it simmer, then jack the heat up and get it boiling.
With typically 14 matches in 2 days, the audience needs to be invested in all 14 and by waiting until last minute, those matches will draw yawns from the fans. Give us a reason to want to watch the event and hold us tight from start to finish. Every match should be significant and if the company doesn’t see that then the fans will see that. Adding a match to the card a week out makes me believe this isn’t a significant match in management’s eyes.
Don’t get me wrong, there are incredible matchups. Rhodes vs Cena is exactly what a Wrestlemania main event is all about. Plus, there are so many possibilities and outcomes that could happen that makes this match even more exciting. The Fatal Four Way IC match, Naiomi vs Cargill, Styles vs Logan are just a few that could blow the roof off the joint.
My nag is and only is that it became obvious WWE goes off of the Wrestlemania name itself and not what is being lined up. It isn’t just Mania; it goes for all PLE’s. They lost a lot of steam due to not drawing in the audience using the full cards hype and importance. There should never be “beer” breaks because every match should matter.
- Joe Hendry vs The Miz:
News came out about failed plans involving the WWE-TNA relationship and I was shocked both in a good way and a bad way. Good, due to the plans themselves and bad because they never materialized.
Joe Hendry who received quite an ovation when he was a surprise entrant in the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble and there were more plans other then just that one.
The plan was for Hendry to feud with The Miz. I personally think The Miz is so under appreciated for his contributions to the business. He is an incredible heel who is perfect at pissing the audience off. I think this feud would have been a money feud and there are no arguments allowed as I fully stand behind that.
Miz would have added more eyes on not just Hendry but TNA as a whole. He is a household name and a rub from The Miz is quite an honor. Before things came into fruition, they were squashed.
It would have started out with TNA World Champion Joe Hendry taking a lose which would lead to nice feud. TNA executive producer Ariel Shnerer was having none of that and ended that real quick.
Business wise I 100% see Shnerer’s side and I see WWE’s side but just look at what WWE did for Jordynne Grace in the ’24 Rumble, they made her look like an absolute beast and while she ended being eliminated from the match fans were talking about her non-stop. Same would have happened to Joe Hendry.
Triple H isn’t Vince. Triple H will put outsiders over for the sake of the business. Leave the Sting part out as I am solely talking about Triple H’s new role. While The Miz might when the feud, H would make sure there was zero damage to TNA’s top guy, and I honestly believe that.
Business got in the way of something that could have been spectacular and who knows where it could have gone. Maybe even a match on a major PLE like Summerslam.
Hopefully Ariel didn’t fully close the door on this one or any future ones as I think conversations could be had that would benefit both sides.
I for one would have been all for this and I hope we get something like this soon on the main roster. TNA has feed WWE some major stars and WWE knows how important TNA is to them so let’s get more of this and make these happen. It is all about that money.
- More Bloodline to come:
While the Bloodline era seems to either be finished or on the backburner, more seem to be in the dugout waiting for their moment.
Hikuleo who is the brother of current WWE star Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa who signed with NXT a while back but is set to debut soon and expected to receive a solid push. His experience with New Japan Pro Wrestling, The Bullet Club, AEW, TNA give him a wide range of experience and I can almost guarantee he will make a major impact on WWE television.
Lance Anoa’i signed with NXT quite awhile ago, but an injury kept him off television. He as well has the experience to make a splash whenever WWE decides to give him the ball. I truthfully expected him to have signed with WWE a while back has, he has been on WWE TV numerous times. But timing is everything.
Zilla Fatu is one who has generated a tremendous amount of buzz. He has only been wrestling a few short years; he is one everyone is talking about.
His father is the late-great Umaga who was so talented that he literally made the world believe he was a loose cannon. He was in a league of his know, everything from his character to storytelling to psychology, Umaga was so ahead of the game.
Unfortunately, Umaga passed away when Zilla was a child, and I couldn’t imagine how that would/could affect their trajectory into life without having Pops around.
Fatu made some bad choices as a teenager which put him behind bars. We as teenagers all rebel, but Zilla didn’t have his father there to help guide him. Yes, Zilla made mistakes, but he learned from them and grew into a man who is the talk of the town in the wrestling business.
Booker T took him under his wing as Fatu has been a part of Reality of Wrestling and is currently their Champion. While his road to the top of Booker’s promotion wasn’t all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, it was Zilla realizing his talent and not wanting to let them go to waste. Kudos to Booker who seen himself in Zilla and has been a great role model for him.
I do believe WWE hasn’t signed Zilla yet is do to his past professional issues and is just waiting to see him stay on that straight line. As of now he is in the best position possible.
Fatu isn’t a Umaga knock off, he is a blend of the entire family. He honors everyone who paved the way for him to be in this position and I truly believe he is going to become a main event level talent in WWE.
I would put him in NXT to fine tune his in-ring skills as he has the character/personality side nailed.
- Chelsea Green is in a league of her own:
Chelsea doesn’t get the proper recognition she truly deserves. Her resumes speaks volumes to what she can do not just inside the ring but how well she is character wise. For me, she is everything you want in a talent and one who continues to prove she can knock anything out of the park that is thrown her way.
Her dream to be a WWE superstar had its ups and downs. While I was extremely confused when she was released back in ’21 I knew she would make it back sooner rather then later.
Her maniacal character was truly one of my favorite characters in recent years. Just from sheer look, that character had your attention. To make a big splash in the business and become marketable you need to set yourself apart from the pack and oh boy Green was way above anyone else.
I was absolutely stoked when Chelsea returned to WWE but was nervous because she was given a “Karen” type character. I should have known better, but I jumped to conclusions as I knew what she can do with any character thrown her way.
She was given the ball and ran with it, made lemonade out of lemons and rallied the WWE universe around her. Chels’ elevated her stock ten fold and is a major household name loved by all.
Not only the WWE universe, but fans in general support her not just because of her skills but due to the fact that whether she is given 10 minutes or 10 seconds she makes that time frame memorable to the audience. Again, way above everyone else.
No complaining on social media, no sourness for her first release or where she is positioned on the card, she maximizes everything and gives it her all, heart and soul.
I understand WWE is focused on Wrestlemania, has been and will be until Backlash, then it is pretty much a clean slate, and I am hoping Green gets the rocket strapped to her back and shoots her to the moon. I’m not saying right away but start in a month and slowly elevate her and I guarantee she will become the biggest babyface in the women’s division.
WWE is in that weird stage of newbies and veterans and are slowly creating new young stars to make the transition of talent smoother, but I believe Chelsea is the right one to carry the ball and lead this change.
I will predict this: 2025 Women’s Money in the Bank winner will be Cheslea Green. I think the fans want it and I think management wants it. She turns everything into gold, everything she does is memorable, can piss you off or make you fall in love with her in the blink of an eye and she is beyond ready. Plus, her overall attitude, beliefs, professionalism and integrity is 100 % what you want as a leader/champion.
I can rant for days about her as I am just amazed at everything she does and how she carries herself. As a parent whose kids are at the age of idolizing “celebrities”, Chelsea is exactly who I would want them to idolize.
- CM Punk misunderstood:
I am a big CM Punk fan, much like the millions around the world. I am currently wearing my Punk vs Chris Hero tee as I type this. I always speak the truth and expect the same in return whether it is good or bad. This one will be the same.
Back when Punk made a massive name for himself on the indie scene, I bought this DVD set with his top matches from IWA and when he signed with WWE I said to my buddies that he is about to change the game in that company.
His first run with the company I thought was great. He was a multi time champion, headlined numerous PPVs, and was beyond over with the WWE fanbase. Then word came out how management (I.E. Vince) viewed him, and I was shocked. Why hire a guy who is arguable the most over superstar on your roster when you think he isn’t worth much.
Punk who is a man who knows his own worth and expects to be respected and listened to. Vince treated him like garbage, and it was his iconic “Pipe Bomb” promo where he walked that line of “is it real or is it fake”. He verbally kicked the crap out of WWE as a whole.
He eventually had enough and bounced. Punk went on Colt Cabana’s podcast as cleared his chest. Unknowing circumstances, I viewed Punk as immature and ungrateful and was completely turned off and content to never watch a CM Punk match again.
Fast forward, Punk signs with All Elite Wrestling and of course was treated like God from the audience. I couldn’t care less. For some reason in AEW, backstage issues never stay backstage and get leaked for the world to know about which should never happen.
I quickly realized AEW, and its talent were jealous of Punk and how the fans viewed him as their number 1 guy. Jealousness hit quick and there were a lot of issues involving Punk and other AEW stars. I then kicked myself in the ass for how I previously viewed him because here was CM Punk doing what he was hired to do and is being treated like garbage by his teammates. I was appalled with the fact that Tony Khan allowed this to happen and continue to happen especially knowing you can only be pushed so much before you start pushing back.
Backstage fights started happening involving Punk and after his scuffle with Jack Perry, he was let go. I was relieved as he should never have been put in that hostile environment to begin with. Then for some odd reason Khan thought it would be a good thing for his company to save face with by showing security footage of his and Perry’s fight.
That moment showed the world how unprofessional AEW was and how unprofessional they were by aiming to hurt Punk’s reputation by airing the video but it backfired big time. It showed CM was pushed to his limits and had to do what he had to do.
I suddenly realized he isn’t a guy whose ego is too big and someone who brings poison to the locker rooms. I realized all he wanted was respect. His body of work shows what he can do yet nobody in management seen that. He’s proven he is the guy to lead the pack over and over again but would be passed over when big moments were needed. I’d be livid too.
Punk returning to WWE was something I just didn’t think would happen. Yes, Vince is gone and Triple H is a different person but I just didn’t think it was possible. Then….. Out walked CM Punk at the end of Survivor Series 2023 who literally turned the wrestling world upside down.
Since then, with things like the video of him returning to Gorilla Position being greeted by Stephanie McMahon and others like Randy Orton who were so happy to have him back. The video of him and HHH showed that not only was Punk home where he belongs, it showed H 100% respects Punk for all he has done and was just glad to have him back.
Yesterday I seen a video of HHH telling a story on how Punk wasn’t pleased with some creative for himself and how H went to speak to him face to face and said, “let’s go chat” and they got on the same page. That is exactly what you do as management to an employee who isn’t pleased with a decision. It is not a bad thing to dislike something and what Punk and Hunter did show that this is what CM wanted the whole time. He wanted someone who will sit down, hear both sides, lay everything out and come up with a solution. That showed just how great of a leader Paul is.
While Punk is a busy man wrestling wise, he spends a lot of free time down in NXT, helping and guiding the talent there. He watches the matches and gives instant feedback. Him and HBK have an incredible relationship, and it looks like Punk is being groomed to takeover NXT when Shawn Michaels retires.
You can view his career however you want but the best thing to happen to it was his AEW issues. It brought him back to WWE, brought him respect from the company and the millions of fans and it showed the world that he is one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots.
I was wrong for how I viewed Punk from his first WWE run without knowing the facts and am glad I was able to realize I was wrong as I am not sure I would have enjoyed his current run as much as I do and I definitely wouldn’t see or want Punk to eventually hang up the boots and don a suite and tie but I am all for a future WWE being lead by CM Punk (Cody Rhodes will take over for Triple H and Punk-HBK).
Ok, time for me to go print off some last-minute things needed for tomorrow as I head out on my yearly vacation with my family and friends. I will be lying on a beach, drinking 3 or 4 or 15 drinks, enjoying a stress-free week with not a damn thing on my mind.
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