Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Hyatte here, and though I originally planned to do a Mop-Up, I’ve decided I’m too drained to give an in depth summary of four wrestling shows this week – so, instead, we’re dusting off a classic, and we’ll take a look at the 3 R’s of wRestling: The Right, the wRong, and the Ridiculous!
The Right:
- PWI Scores a Victory*: Of course, the asterisk on this one is that while PWI scored a ratings victory, it came in the form of second place, and not the conventional “first place victory” we tend to think of when we think about ratings victories. Listen, I called this as a thing to watch for in 2023; PWI being PWI, was of course a little behind the curve and decided to delay it til 2024. I have it on good authority that the top brass at PWI finally agreed that perhaps they had some pacing issues, and they worked hard to address that. Asylum flowed from top to bottom, and felt like more of a complete narrative than five matches and the occasional storyline. It’s clear the the road to Armageddon 4 is the MAIN story in PWI, and they did a good job of weaving that into an over-arching narrative, and we saw advancements in that plot. It’s literally all I’ve ever asked for. Meanwhile, they advanced the world title scene with the duel number one contenders in a way I honestly didn’t see coming. I am compelled to tune in next week, and it’s hard to deny that the company is FINALLY gaining some momentum. When my cohort Lenny Mouse mentioned it was the company’s first “win” in 14 years, I was dumbfounded. I knew it had been a while, but that really puts things in perspective for an company that still touts the USWA days. There’s NO reason it should have taken so long to get a SECOND PLACE victory. We’ll see if they can use Global Conflict I to build on that, or at the very least hold firm.
- The Royal Rumble: I was a little offended by Lenny Mouse’s diss on the world title picture in the WWE, because while I agreed with his assessment that I wasn’t sure what would come next for Drew had he retained the WWE Championship, I disagree with him that the title scene hasn’t been compelling. Not only did I think the WWE did an excellent job building towards the triple threat match, I think they pulled off a legitimate “swerve” with the Rock’s title victory. The Rock’s contract was gifted to the WWE by the AEW, as part of the companies continued good will towards each other, but you have to wonder if Sami Zayn is kicking himself for handing them their next World Champion. In the WWE, anyone can be a star, so long as Jeff Murrey believes it. That said, the Rock was already a star, and with the WWE Championship, he could be a bonafide megastar again. No one had a title change on their BINGO cards heading into this one, but it totally works. Drew’s set up for his next program, and the Rock will be moving onto a program with Big E. (I’m sure there will be some criticism of Big E’s Rumble win, but as I said moments ago, in Jeff Murrey’s company, he can legitimize anyone. If Big E wasn’t a star a week ago, he will be a week from now. Mark my words.) The whole show was great top to bottom, and WWE continues to pay off their weekly shows with the PPV broadcasts.
- Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Orton: I touched on this a bit already, but the PWI presented a first-time ever main event match on Asylum, and did so in a way that kept both men strong AND kept the title picture moving. The obvious move here is to build towards Dragonfly vs. Orton again, but the Ultimate Warrior wasn’t about to lose his return match. The title match next week is a HUGE match to give away on a Monday night, even if the finish is somewhat predictable. Hell will freeze over before Dragonfly drops that belt just shy of 500 days, especially as he and AJ Styles just generated a ton of buzz following their remarks about the other…
The wRong:
- HCW: And this isn’t my normal “HCW shouldn’t exist” diatribe, more of a, ‘If it is gonna exist, can we at least pretend it’s important?’ In terms of short shows, 3 matches is about as low as you can go when you’ve got a whole roster you’re trying to build. And granted, the HCW roster has been beefed up, but we’re still at a major disadvantage in terms of the raw star power all the other brands possess. Adding the Ascendants roster helped solve some of that, but only if they’ve got the time to develop them. Two matches is just not enough time. The only storyline we’re ever able to advance usually resolves around Ted Brown and the Conflict, with a slight advancement to the English and Rhyno stories being shoehorned in. Maybe it’s a little too late to try and legitimize the brand, and maybe creative WANTS them to feel like the underdogs, but I just think there are a lot of guys who stand to benefit from adding another segment to the show.
The Ridiculous:
- This isn’t about anything either company did ridiculously wrong this week; no, this is about you – THE FANS. How am I the only one who donated to Johnny Lawrence’s GoFundMe??? THE MAN NEEDED OUR HELP! I gave him my help, and you know what he gave me in return? An absolute BANGER of a Royal Rumble performance, eliminating ALL of Murrey’s Misfits! Money well spent! Shame on you all for refusing to help out a good, hard working man!
That’s it for this week, join me next week as we look back at the week that was in professional wrestling!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 