It’s been a long minute since any World of Wrestling pundit has earned their keep around here, but with all the excitement about tomorrow night, I had to put SOMETHING together to acknowledge just how spectacular the Fall of 2025 has been thus far.
When the season began back in July, things were really looking like they were on the up and up with ULW. The company had a ton of momentum following the JadeTrade Scandal, the arrival of Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles, and the debut of the company’s magazine. A week after AEW returned, ULW secured the first of what would be four ratings victories over BWM Inc., a historic marker for the company’s success under Lenny Mouse.
However, by September, that momentum would cool a bit, and things would go back to “normal” in terms of the ratings. With WWE’s return from a five-week break in October, we saw the moment we’ve been clamoring for since the start of the era: WWE won their first head-to-head-to-head three-way ratings battle. The show would see the shocking arrival of ULW Undisputed Champion and League Champion Seth Rollins, throwing the ULW into a state of absolute disarray.
During Rollins’ reign in ULW, Lenny Mouse and the two commissioners were hellbent on Rollins “not waiting his turn” and were determined to get the belt off him ASAP. Of course, this was all happening without the fans’ knowledge of WHY leadership was so determined to get the belt off of Rollins. They knew what we didn’t: Rollins was on his way out.
Now, from a pure booker standpoint, one could question why ULW would not only put themselves into a position of being without a men’s singles championship, but also why they’d put Seth in a position to win a gauntlet match to retain the belt that saw him defeat 50 men. Sure, not all of those “wins” were clean, but I do express grave concerns about putting one man over at the expense of literally EVERYONE else, especially when Jericho’s reign as champion and leader of The Peak was FINALLY starting to get over.
Speaking of The Peak, we’ve not seen much of them since Jericho lost the belt and Gary betrayed them for The Vision, a group that’s now totally defunct and directionless without Rollins or their mouthpiece, Vince McMahon.
I’ve maintained the long-shot theory that all of the booking that led to this point is a way to bring back Mickey and oust Lenny from power, ideally by starting something new for Cash Mouse Enterprises or reviving something old in the form of UWA. I just cannot see a situation where the ULW championship recovers from being pissed on during a recent episode of WWE Raw. Of course, I could be wrong, and if that’s the case, I’ll return and eat my words. But a 40-man tournament featuring a bunch of guys that just jobbed out to Rollins doesn’t seem like the ideal way to restore the belt’s prestige. (And that’s not to say I don’t think that the tournament will be fun or entertaining, just that it wasn’t the “earth shattering” response I’d expected.)
So much so that I’m not even fully convinced the tournament will happen, but again, a lot of that is going to depend on how tomorrow night goes and if Mickey Mouse truly returns.
Now I get it, it may seem like I’m being hard on ULW, but that’s not to say the company has been totally directionless throughout the fall. The Lesnar/Slammu program has been some of the best television we’ve seen this season, and Dragonfly’s Open Challenge concept could very well continue and carry him all the way through this tournament, if it happens and he decides to enter.
Additionally, the introduction of the Providence Championship is something I marked out for, specifically due to the ending of the stupid League Championship infinite cash-in opportunities that arguably put ULW into this position in the first place.
Furthermore, Sasha Banks has been a decent face of the Women’s division since winning the belt, and I fully expect that reign to continue tomorrow night when we merge the two belts in the division.
On the WWE front, there’s been a lot of ups and downs in the short time since they returned earlier this month. Crown Jewel Perth was full of great moments, including the feel-good cuck story of the century, in which Rhea Ripley won the WWE Women’s Championship while Dirty Dom defeated her real-life (ex?) husband Buddy Murphy to win Rhea’s heart for good. The following night on Raw, Rhea cut the promo of her career in front of her hometown crowd, and I ate up every bit of it. The real question, as always, is going to be how they follow through with the new champion when there isn’t a clear and present challenger waiting in the wings.
Another story that’s flown a little under the radar in WWE is the ending of John Cena’s World Heavyweight Championship reign. When Cena defeated AJ Styles for the belt, I honestly did not expect him to have a reign of any sort of significance. However, Cena reinvented himself and reached career highs with his lengthy reign, only to ultimately succumb to Jesse The Body Ventura (who was my dark horse choice for the man to end the Rock’s reign early next year). However, Ventura’s 25th World Championship proved to be a fleeting feel-good moment, as Damian Priest would win the belt in Ventura’s first defense. I’m not for certain where the championship goes from here. I half expect the Wyatt Sicks to sweep tomorrow night, but I’m also not entirely convinced that Braun Strowman is ready to be champ.
Other Notable Moments:
HBP’s Revival: WWE gets a lot of criticism for their lack of long-term storytelling, but that’s not applicable with the career revival of HBP. When he was drafted, I totally expected what happened in the first part of his story arc: that he would be humiliated on a weekly basis. What I did not expect, however, was WWE following through with his comeback tale. When HBP won the NXT North American Championship, I honestly felt something… and that’s saying a lot since I’ve never really been a fan. This just goes to prove, once more, that WWE can literally get ANYONE over.
So Long, Doc. Brown!: I’m fully expecting Johnny Quest to bitch and moan about Dr. Brown’s firing from WWE. I get it, he’s one of the most entertaining characters in the company. I’m a big fan of companies who cycle characters in and out, and I truly think a little time off-screen will do the character more good than harm. Especially with these comedy characters, it’s too easy for them to coast. In his firing, Brown gets the chance to let the audience rest while he reinvents himself for his next incarnation.
The Rise and Fall of Mr. Murrey: I admit, I’m not the biggest fan of just how fast Seth Rollins turned on the returning Murrey and the McMahon family, but the week the Revolutionaries were united was one of the most fun weeks in WWE history. Like Doctor Brown, I don’t anticipate that this is the last we’ve seen of Murrey or the McMahons. However, as fun and surprising as his return was, I wouldn’t have minded if it had had a little more room to breathe. That said, it’s just further proof that Seth Rollins cannot be trusted… he’s becoming one of the least trustworthy characters in the sport’s history. You hear that, Roman and Mox?!
The Return of Alexa Bliss: Another thing I’ve been critical of during my off time is how the whole Sister Abigail/Kiana James/Alexa Bliss story was initially being handled. However, by allowing Bliss to go away a bit and reappear, I find myself with a renewed interest. I do worry about the roster getting inundated with “phenom” characters, but man, was it nice to see Bliss return, more evil than ever!
Brock Anderson’s Rise: Since that Open Challenge match where he took Dragonfly to his limits, I’ve been wanting to see more from Arn’s boy. That wish was granted, as FTR extended an offer to Anderson, and Anderson finally took them up on it. As FTR continues their feud with the Steiner Brothers, one could probably reasonably assume that Anderson could make a good first opponent for the new Providence Champ, Bron Breakker.
Ron Killings’ Truth: When R-Truth was drafted back to ULW this past summer, I was anticipating some fun backstage vignettes and maybe even a renewed partnership between him and The Miz. What I didn’t expect, however, was for Killings to renounce his R-Truth name and get serious all of the sudden. After his recent promo explaining his actions, I’ve gotta admit, I’m here for it! Now let’s see where they land on the follow-through.
I have a LOT more I want to say, but unfortunately I’ve run out of time. I WILL, however, be back with some post-Halloween-time thoughts following tomorrow’s night of action, so stay tuned!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 