The wrestling world needs to calm down. Seems like every day I come across news that makes me pop right out of my seat. Like yesterday’s AEW Dynamite, Zach Gowen took on Ricochet on live TV and then this morning read that word on the streets is Randy Orton vs Nick Aldis at this year’s SummerSlam. Sign me up right now. Gosh knows what else I will find out as the day is still very young. As always, let’s Rant shall we?
The way Ricochet started his WWE run to how it finished was a major head-scratcher. Right out of the gate in NXT, Triple H showcased The One and Only like the next big breakout star WWE’s main roster needs. While critics shoot on his promo work, his in-ring style takes the fans on a whole new journey.
He made his debut in a six-man ladder match which was the perfect setting to showcase his incredible style to the WWE audience. His match against fellow NXT mega star Adam Cole where Ricochet won the North American Championship was proof that this man can be the top star and a big draw.
When he was brought up to the main roster, I was worried because at that point it was evident that Vince McMahon was still riding the “Only I create the stars” thought process even with his son-in-law being the one who brings the new talent onboard.
His WWE run was up and down with not much substance to it. It did not service Ricochet’s talent and no service to the fans who know what Ricochet brings to the table. His match against WWE Champion Brock Lesnar for the championship was a slap in the face to Ricochet as he got his ass handed to him in a few short minutes.
With Vince out and Triple H in, I had high hopes that H would rebuild Ricochet back up to the Ricochet we all love. I was wrong and so when news broke about Ricochet leaving the company I got excited. I knew he was going to go out there and make WWE put their foot in their mouths and look foolish for dropping the ball with him.
I knew Tony Khan would instantly sign him up as his style is a perfect fit in AEW. I knew the AEW fans would go crazy over him, and I knew the fans watching were going to see some incredible matches in the not-so-distant future.
One thing I didn’t expect was the fans turn on Ricochet and legit hate his guts. So, what did he do? He embraced it and became one of the best heels going today. While I always envisioned him as a babyface and how being a heel wouldn’t work, I was WRONG.
Not only has he excelled as a heel, but he has also elevated his stock immensely. His cockiness comes across as being so natural and I love every second of it. All he ever needed was an opportunity to show he can turn lemons into lemonade.
While becoming a major player in the game, he hasn’t been shy on sharing his opinions of his former company. I don’t blame him one bit, I am just different than he is. Where I keep my negative feels, I have towards former employers to myself as I use that to fuel my continued growth.
While Ricochet has grown so much already in his AEW run, I don’t want his comments to overshadow his current work as it is some of the best stuff going. I am not taking a shot at him in any form, this is just how I feel, and I want his current heel work to be the highlight of interviews instead of his true feelings on WWE.
That little WWE bump in the road led him on a path that he currently shines in and has knocked the ball out of the park with.
I must say, Tony Khan has put together an incredible roster filled with every style out there. Call him a “mark” all you want but there is no denying the fact that Tony knows how to build a team.
The women’s division is filled with the best of the best, arguably the best in the business. He hired indie darlings, veterans, and big-name talents from all over the world. Literally, name another company who has such a wide array of well-known worldwide female wrestlers.
The men’s division is in the same boat. Will Ospreay, Mike Bailey, Josh Alexander are just 3 of some of the company’s recent signings and all 3 are household names. Kevin Knight opted for an AEW contract over a WWE tryout which shows the strength AEW has in the business as so many unsigned wrestlers no longer have the WWE only mindset.
When I think of overall depth of star quality, AEW is on top for strongest roster in the biz. For me, I find AEW doesn’t view talent with the same old WWE mindset of look and size. AEW focuses more on the W part of AEW while WWE’s main objective is E.
The hate AEW and Tony Khan receive online is quite often unwarranted. All Elite isn’t WWE so when fans hate on “lack of storylines” I shake my head. AEW is different then WWE and that is a good thing. Khan’s team focuses more on the in-ring work, and we all know WWE is all about building stories.
When the fans shoot on AEW for only signing ex-WWE talent it shows me they don’t pay attention to anything outside of the E. If you want to play that card, then look at all the talent WWE signed from the old Ring of Honor or from TNA. So theoretically that same comment should be aimed at WWE, especially with the recent amount of former AEW talent jumping ship.
My main issue with Tony Khan and his roster is when he signs a talent, who also has WWE aiming to snag them up, and does nothing with them making it look like they don’t even still work there (ex Kamille). But it is Tony’s company and Tony’s money so if he is ok with paying his talent to do nothing then who am I to complain?
Us wrestling fans have had it drilled into our heads by Vince McMahon that it is WWE and WWE only. The company is viewed totally differently globally than AEW is so comparing them shouldn’t even be a thing because it isn’t a fair fight. Tony Khan though doesn’t get enough credit for putting together a brand-new wrestling promotion and quickly becoming the number 2 wrestling company in the world (number one depending on who you are asking).
So, when I match rosters, saying who has the better roster is a tough call. Both can make fantastic arguments on whose is better, and it would make sense. I look at it like this, all long as one is doing well it pushes the other to grind even harder. Competition keeps you on your toes and with both companies vying for that number one spot complacency is only going to halt your momentum.
Who here is extremely excited to see Nattie Neidhart vs Kenzie Page for the NWA World Women’s Championship say “Me”. Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
I have been waiting for years and years for WWE’s own Natalya to show the world what she has, and this match is going to be a Match of the Year contender, and I am beyond ready for this.
I was shocked when the announcement of Natalya’s match at the upcoming NWA Crockett Cup event. Not shocked in a bad way as I love the idea of this but more of, I just didn’t see this coming. WWE works with Bloodsport so her match there I understood, and they work with TNA so I am all for seeing her there but unless I missed the memo, I didn’t see a WWE-NWA partnership.
After the initial excitement started to subside then Natalya started releasing promos on her socials which amped that excitement right back up. The build thus far has been showcasing her in a different light. She has been honest in her promos about being held back and she plans on wrecking havoc.
Being dubbed now as Nattie Neidhart, we can expect to see the Natalya I have been waiting for all this time but with some extra aggression. I just hope this leads to a major push in WWE for her unless WWE plans on using her to further expand working relationships.
So, I began to think, should WWE do this type of stuff more often? WWE has done this before (heck even Vince himself appeared at an indie event) but not on this level. For me, I think this is brilliant. I am not saying send a Seth Rollins or anything but sending well-known stars to other promotions is a win-win for everyone, especially the overall wrestling business.
This allows those talents to not only perform but also perform on a more intimate level. It also generates a boat-load of buzz around their match. It is almost a guaranteed money-making move. It doesn’t hurt WWE in one bit, but it helps others along the way. WWE is a massive global enterprise so by helping others out along the way is such a smart business move and such a smart move for the love of the biz.
I would love to see this branch out to even more smaller promotions like OVW or ROW. Especially with WWE’s relationship with Scott D’Amore, I would love to see Triple H send some WWE talent to D’Amore’s relaunch of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.
I just think that since WWE can’t use all its talent all of the time why not do what they are doing with Nattie-NWA? It is their way of giving back as so many of its own talent came up through the independent scene grinding it to make it to WWE.
Come on Trips, don’t stop now, keep this going because “It’s Time to Play the Game”
The poor old legends of WWE who would spend 300+ days a year on the road, using their own money for flights, car rentals, hotels, etc while today’s talent have it totally different.
AEW pays for everything while WWE pays for flights only, unless international tours. I was and am still shocked that WWE, a mega-money corporation, doesn’t cover all aspects of travel. While some make fantastic money, the cost of this stuff would add up.
The high-level talents have tour buses and whatnot added to their contracts but not everyone is in that boat.
Live Events was where WWE made a ton of money. It was all I as a fan ever knew so the decrease in these shows is sad to me. It is the end of an era so to speak.
For the overall health of the talent, the less live events the better. The less in-ring work is less damage on their bodies so that alone makes this a smart move. I have witnessed firsthand a wrestler getting hurt at a live event. It happened right in front of me as me and the boys were sitting front row. So, was the risk worth the grind? Not to me.
The wrestling world has changed. YouTube, social media, etc. are all avenues to go down which generates money and at a cost of zero dollars. The focus on the longevity of life and health and the awareness of CTE has put a spotlight on risk to reward.
Documentaries and movies are constantly being released. OVW has a 1 season series on Netflix, numerous films like The Iron Claw, Queen of the Ring and Fighting with My Family have hit the big screen and series like Heels and Young Rock have made wrestling more mainstream than ever.
WWE has so many paths for revenue that those 300+ days a year of driving from town to town are no longer needed for the sake of money. Same goes for each superstar as well. Chances to make more money for less physical work is the perfect solution and a better chance at having a healthy future.
The ones who lose out on the Live Events are ones in small cities whose only chances of catching a WWE event is through these live events. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and our largest venue holds about 10,000 which means the chances of me seeing a WWE event anytime soon would be if I flew to Toronto which would cost way too much.
That is just me, there would be so many others in the same boat. So, while I am all for the overall health of anyone, being a WWE fan, I accepted I will never see a live show again. Sucks, but facts.
The business has evolved which is great for the talent. Their salaries compared to the damage they put their bodies through doesn’t match up so being able to pump the brakes and allow more free time for the wrestlers and their health without the old-school mentality of “I will lose my spot if I take a break” is a win-win for all involved.
It is a great position for WWE and all its employees to be in.
Time for me to go grab a coffee and grind out the last few hours of work then I will go home, sit on my back deck, turn on some music, sip a nice glass of whiskey and enjoy this beautiful summer-ish day. All I need now is for the water to warm up so I can go to my favorite swimming spot and escape reality. Until then I’m sure there will be enough breaking news that I will need to rant. So, hang tight as I’m sure a new Rant will drop soon.
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