This week, the WWE was tasked with ending their European Tour on a strong note while keeping things relevant and on point. Over a week removed from Payback, and still a week to go before Smackdown and NXT take centre stage with their PPVs, these seven days were about moving feuds along, and putting the first few pieces together for the summer.
Here is what we learned from watching the WWE this week:
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#1 There might be a power struggle on the horizon
It has been a pure joy to see Kurt Angle running Monday Night RAW over the past few weeks. He still has the ability to bring both humour and passion to the WWE product in equal measure, and as much as we might respect Mick Foley, Kurt still feels fresh and relevant, even after taking such a long leave of absence.
One of the best things about the Angle era is that since Wrestlemania we haven’t seen Stephanie McMahon on TV. It’s hard to quantify why RAW is more enjoyable without her, but anyone who knows anything about professional wrestling will realise Stephanie’s work needs to remain behind the scenes, as her on-screen persona helps nobody and simply encourages people to fast forward her segments.
This week on RAW, alarm bells began to ring after learning that Stephanie, being upset with Angle’s decision to make Ambrose this week’s GM, made sure the heels were also represented by installing The Miz as the co-GM. There was nothing wrong with this per se, the dynamic of The Miz and Ambrose was fantastic and proved that their feud is fast becoming must-see TV.
The problem was that it felt like the first manoeuvrings towards a power struggle between Stephanie and Kurt. It’s inevitable that Stephanie will return at some point, considering she can’t help but get involved in the running of the show, and with Angle very much a babyface, it’s entirely possible that we will see a repeat of the McMahon vs. Mick Foley storyline that led up to Wrestlemania. Anyone with a good short-term memory should be very concerned about this.
#2 Bray Wyatt is still in limbo
Despite becoming a WWE Champion for the first time in his career, 2017 has not been a fantastic year for Bray Wyatt. In fact, breaking up the Wyatt Family and going it alone has only weakened his character overall. His feud with Randy Orton made Bray look completely incompetent as a main eventer.
Fans hoped that after being drafted to Monday nights as part of the Superstar shake-up, Bray could position himself into a much more favourable situation, perhaps going after Lesnar’s Universal Title, or the Intercontinental title at least. Instead, he’s currently not doing much of any importance on RAW.
For a start, there is some confusion as to who he is supposed to be feuding with. On his first night after the shake-up, he appeared to be going after Finn Balor, but that storyline has not really been touched since his first promo. More recently he seems to have been gunning for Dean Ambrose instead.
This has effectively made Wyatt into a chess piece in the ongoing feud between Ambrose and Miz over the IC title. He may have been in the main event of the show this week, but his involvement was very much a secondary concern. The result alone told us all we need to know.
Despite getting the win, it wasn’t without the help of The Miz. Are we supposed to think of Bray as too good for the IC title feud or not good enough? It’s hard to tell at this point, but one thing’s for sure, the thought of him main eventing a RAW PPV at the moment is almost laughable.
#3 The WWE have been Googling British stereotypes
One thing us British fans have to put up with whilst watching WWE is the constant attempts to pander towards British stereotypes every time they come to the UK.
Usually, it is the red telephone box and the black taxi on the stage and the constant references to the queen and Royal family. This week, however, the company seemed to go all out and really cranked up the cheese factor in their attempts to ‘blend in’.
This was truer on Smackdown than on RAW, starting with James Ellsworth calling everyone in attendance a ‘plonker’, a reference to a well-known English insult made famous by the TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses. Then he brought up the age old wives’ tale that British people have bad teeth (because, why not?).
Things really took a turn for the bizarre during the segment involving Breezeango – or the fashion police – whatever they’re calling themselves. Dressed as Sherlock Holmes, Fandango went around investigating suspected crimes against fashion, stumbling across the Ascension in the process. It’s safe to say the jury is still out when it comes to Breezango, but at least some effort is being put into helping them get over.
Far be it from us Brits to moan and groan about the WWE’s imagined perception of us, though. We just want to see more PPVs coming our way – maybe even a Wrestlemania.
#4 Smackdown is good at being patient
Taking this week by itself, RAW probably outdid its Tuesday night rival in the overall enjoyment factor. While there was nothing actually wrong about Smackdown this week, the show felt a little formulaic and not a lot happened to move storylines along, apart from maybe Jinder Mahal pinning the WWE Champion 12 days before their showdown at Backlash.
What Smackdown is able to do, however, is play the long game. RAW is still the flagship show, there’s no denying it, but that comes with a certain amount of responsibility. They need to be putting out the most captivating product they can on a weekly basis in order to satisfy the television network.
This is often what leads to PPV worthy matches being given away for free, or feuds being over saturated by meaningless matches. Smackdown, on the other hand, operates at a much slower pace, without feeling the need to throw everything at an episode to gain the most ratings.
There are two perfect examples of this, firstly Shinsuke Nakamura’s main roster debut match, which is being held back until Backlash. If Nakamura was drafted to RAW, we probably would have seen him in action about five times already. Not having him wrestle at all so far has really increased fans’ desire to see him perform, and he is being made to feel like the big, important attraction that he is.
Another example is Rusev. The Bulgarian Brute’s condition isn’t very clear at present, but there is a large section of the WWE Universe that is eagerly anticipating his debut, and they are also being made to wait. Having him appear in small video segments keeps us guessing as to where he will end up when he does finally begin to wrestle again.
Chances are he will be going after the WWE Champion, whoever that may be. There might even be a mini feud brewing between him and Shane McMahon. If Shane’s performance at Wrestlemania is anything to go by, there’s no reason why we should have to wait another year to see him in action again.
The WWE have struggled in its recent history to hold things back from fans. We may say we would like this or that match to be on RAW or Smackdown right away, but when we are asked to practice patience, it all feels that much more special.
#5 Nikki Cross is a special talent
In an industry as old as professional wrestling, it becomes increasingly difficult to stand out as unique amongst your peers. Even the best superstars today normally borrow bits and pieces from earlier legends and try to put their own personal spin on them.
Every now and then, however, you come across superstars that immediately grab your attention for being unique, and make you genuinely excited about the prospect of witnessing their career pan out. For me, Nikki Cross is a current example of just this.
It’s probably is a little easier for the female superstars to build a unique feeling character, considering the WWE and other companies have relied on the same stereotypical personas for so long. With the women’s revolution comes the chance to try things not previously seen in quite some time, if at all. Cross is clearly putting a lot of effort into her character at the moment, and she is quickly becoming the most important part of the NXT women’s division as a result.
Take her ‘’interview’’ this week. After witnessing a nice video segment involving Ruby Riot, one of Cross’s opponents at takeover Chicago, where Riot talked a little about herself and her love of tattoos, we got something totally out of the ordinary when the time came for Cross to take the camera.
Her demented, free-spirited attitude towards life saw her basically refuse an interview, making it impossible for the media tech to place a microphone on her. She then took over the interview completely, talking into the camera directly at her opponents, as opposed to the usual bland interviews we see so often on all three main WWE shows. It’s little things like this that eventually make a star, and all going well, Cross could well be on her way to tearing it up on RAW or Smackdown very soon.
#6 NXT Takeover Chicago looks stacked
It looks like WWE fans could well be in for a treat in just over a week’s time. Sunday 21st May will see Backlash, the Smackdown Live PPV, try to outdo its RAW equivalent, Payback. Also, in that weekend, NXT will join Smackdown with its own PPV, Takeover Chicago.
While there are several reasons to be excited about Backlash - the debut of Nakamura and a couple of intriguing championship bouts - Takeover Chicago is looking like it will more than hold its own. This week we learned that Hideo Itami will be challenging Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship.
Itami has been earmarked for championship glory ever since debuting at WWE. Unfortunately, injury concerns have prevented that from happening, but next Saturday’s showdown still feels like a huge deal.
We will also be seeing a triple threat match for the NXT Women’s Championship between Asuka, Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot. Ember Moon’s absence is a real shame, of course, and that probably means that Asuka will be retaining, but Cross and Riot have shown in recent weeks that they know how to put on a show.
The UK Championship will also be defended – and for anyone who missed the UK Championship Tournament a few months ago, they are in for a thoroughly enjoyable experience, watching Pete Dunne take on Tyler Bate.
Also announced this week is a ladder match for the NXT Tag Championships between the Authors of Pain and DIY. These four men, along with the Revival, were involved in the match of the year for 2016, so we really ought to be looking forward to seeing a repeat of that sensational display.
Backlash really does have its work cut out if the Smackdown stars want to prove they are worthy of being on the main roster ahead of the developmental talent.
#7 And the Superstar of the Week is… Hideo Itami
Undoubtedly the match of the week has to go to Itami Vs. Roderick Strong in their battle for the number one contendership for Bobby Roode’s NXT Title. It was a glorious way to end the week, and assigning the Superstar of the Week accolade probably would have gone to whoever won this match.
As previously stated, Itami might have already been NXT Champion by now if it wasn’t for his recent injury complications, but since his return, he has done everything he can to remind everyone exactly why.
Anyone who misses the likes of CM Punk or Daniel Bryan in a WWE ring should be thankful that Itami is now back in the spotlight. He fights a very similar style to Bryan in particular; it’s a real shame we never got to see that match up in a WWE ring! Nevertheless, his feud with Bobby Roode should be one for NXT folklore. Long may his second NXT run continue. Congratulations, Hideo Itami.
