By Nick Whitworth@NickWhitworth
I just got home from spending the day at the beach… You know, working on my tan… I had a group of girls come up wanting to take a picture with me. Not strange because I am use to this kind of stuff as these Rants have put me over into celebrity status. Anyways after meeting the ladies I told them to enjoy their day and they say the usual “You too”. Then I hear “I can’t believe Finn Balor is here”….. Anyways today’s topics are:
– Shayna Baszler: not the 1st or last Rant from me either
– Ricochet
– NXT main roster call ups : no direction
– Chris Jericho : no longer just a WWE guy
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1: Shayna Baszler made her official NXT television debut in December and became NXT Women’s Champion by April. Pretty obvious Triple H has big plans for her. It might seem shocking that they went so in on Baszler right away but that is how you do it my friends.
You would never know by watching her in the ring that she has under 5 years experience. Her facial expressions are just so perfect and fit so well into her toughness persona. Her MMA background gives her that bad ass feel and they way she applies her moves so effortlessly just looks so natural. Her holds come across as painful just she is very safe with her opponent. That my friend is a true star.
There is no way you can disagree with me when I say Baszler is going to be a mega star for the WWE. If so then I am missing something. Maybe I don’t know as much as I do…. Ah who am I kidding, I know everything.
The way she has been showcased is exactly how she should be showcased and how you get behind a new star. By Triple H strapping the jet pack to her and shooting her to the moon makes us believe she is the real deal. Then put in the work she has been doing inside that ring, she truly belongs at the top. Plus going all in on her not only creates a new star but you could always end up creating another as the one to dethrone Shayna will receive a lot of attention.
I hope she isn’t sent up to the main roster too early, much like my Velveteen Dream topic from Rant #23. She needs to remain dominate so when the time comes and she makes that move her debut will mean more. Her debut needs to come across as “business just picked up” and not just an ordinary call up. You want the fans eyes to pop out, the women wrestlers jaws to drop, you want the announcers to really put her over as a very intimidating factor. Her debut can’t be flat. She is a big deal and she needs to come across that way.
Rousey is looking great (calm down, I mean in ring wise), Baszler is next to follow in her footsteps and the MMA’s Four Horsewomen are soon to make a serious move on the WWE. This could be a way to call Shayna up and we all know the crowd would pop huge for the group but I have reservations on this. Ronda is over with the crowd and rightfully so but imagine how fantastic she would be as a heel. Baszler is the best female heel in WWE period. Making her a babyface just isn’t my cup of tea, but that is only because she is so magnificent as a heel. The Four Horsewomen will be an instant hit so you really don’t have a choice on whether or not she is a hero or a villain.
Maybe do not put a label on the group. Have them challenge anyone at anytime. The group is guarantee money. By just letting them be themselves, that will sell big time. Rousey is a draw, Baszler will be a draw. The MMA Four Horsewomen will sell out arenas everywhere.
Back to putting the spotlight strictly on Baszler….. She is a future mega star and a talent you really want to invest a lot of time and money on. Just look at her run thus far and tell me she isn’t all that… Impossible. Wait another year and see the impact she has on WWE. Ah, I can’t wait. Right after the Mae Young Classic I was sitting here foaming at the mouth just waiting for her to show up on NXT television and boy did I mark out. Name another heel who has made this much noise for the WWE in recent years… Can’t eh’.
Shayna, I can not wait to see you takeover the main roster and walk through those women showing the world just how dominate you are. Until then, I will order my Shayna Baszler t-shirt (I live is Nova Scotia so I can only wear tee’s for a short period of time) and watch her create havoc in NXT.
2: To only be with NXT for a few short months and already be called “The One And Only” says one thing…. Ricochet is about to change the game for WWE.
The signing of Trevor Mann caused me to freak the heck out but I had some serious reservations about what the company would do with him. He is such a unique talent that I could easily see him get under utilized due to not knowing how to show him off. Insert my man Triple H.
Ricochet kept his name and everything he has worked so hard for on the indies. Not one thing has changed about his character. Oh, actually one thing has. His mic work has improved immensely. His mic work reminds me of AJ Styles because as much as a Styles fan I was I always cringed when he spoke. He got to WWE and had the right team with him to really work on that missing part. Ricochet is in the same boat. His promos are short and sweet, highlighting what needs to be highlighted gradually letting him improve those mic skills.
His ring work is in a whole other level. He might rely on the high risk maneuvers to “WOW” the crowd but it is the way he executes them that is so awe inspiring. So crisp and precise it is just breathtaking to watch. Some say he can’t tell a story but the truth is he tells the story a totally different way. The game has changed from when I started watching wrestling in the 80’s but I am not stuck in my ways to see that the story telling is told a different way now.
There is no other superstar on the WWE roster who can move like Ricochet can. There is no other superstar on the WWE roster who has that mega appeal that he does. The women will go googly eyed over him due to his good looks and his crazy physique ( much like the women do here when they see me at the beach), the kids will really dig his character and the adult males will be hooked on his high flying athleticism. He honestly is the total package (not Lex Luger).
Hunter knows exactly how to sign them and it shows with this signing. He left the Ricochet recipe alone and is letting him do his own thing. Actually he is letting him really show his high flying moves more then anyone else. It is his major selling point and Triple H knows it. His moves excites the crowd and really gets fans into whatever match up he is on. Trips seen what made him a big name and just gave him a bigger platform and a broader audience to showcase that to. Smart move Hunter, smart move.
The only tad bit of nerves I have with Ricochet is I worry he could get put on 205 Live. I am not saying that 205 Live is a bad thing, I love 205 Live and we all know Triple H really got that brand over in recent months. I am saying Ricochet is the guy who can be a headliner on a major card. He really needs to be showcased as a main event talent.
Vince wants a top babyface, well Vince, here you go. Go all in on Ricochet. Not too quick, just let his push grow organically until you reach that boiling point and you tap him on the shoulders and say “Now go for it”. If done correctly I am telling you with my abundance of knowledge WWE will have a red hot superstar.
3: We all know NXT is WWE’s number 1 brand. It has produced most of the main rosters top talent and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. NXT went from being a developmental brand to a brand that honestly seems like it isn’t a part of WWE.
When Vince decides to bring up some new talent to the main roster those stars usually elicit a solid reaction from the crowd. The call ups are predictable but us fans want to see them. When one is called up we tend to get excited to see if they can match the success they had in NXT. More often then none it seems to be a let down.
Triple H, who we all know is the man behind the mega popular NXT brand, has said he doesn’t want Vince to call up stars without any real direction but that tends to be the case more often then none. Unless you are stars like Samoa Joe or Seth Rollins you tend to get lost in the shuffle.
I do not understand how the transition from NXT to the main roster can cause stars to loose so much steam that they end up treading water. Tye Dillinger for example was one of NXT’s most popular star with his “10” chants becoming the next “YES” chant. When he was called up I expected big things for him and now he is barely seen on television and when he is it is always on the loosing end. His character lost all that steam he worked so hard to build up all because the company had zero direction for him. Such a shame. The sad thing is the list doesn’t consist just Dillinger, it consists of quite a number of tremendous talent who’s work is being wasted.
Finn Balor was brought in and instantly sky rocketed to the top becoming the first Universal Champion for the Raw brand but sadly was injured in the match and forced to relinquish the strap the following night on Raw. Fast forward almost 2 years and Balor just isn’t the same. He never received his rematch and more often then none seems lost. It seems like the company gave up on him because he ended up hurt at the beginning of his mega push.
There are a few who have maintained the main event level status but there are far too many who we barely see. I am not saying everybody deserves to be at the top because if that was the case then how in the heck would you put on a main event… With a fatal 20 way?? What I am saying is I just can not figure how why the stars can’t make the transition as smoothly as they should.
It is like Vince sees a working formula that he wasn’t involved in and tries to put his stamp on it thinking his way is what works, forgetting Triple H’s formula has been hitting home runs on a daily basis. Vince should be bringing these stars in with the proper push as per Hunter and just follow exactly what they have been doing. The overall product would be a lot different that is forsure.
Lets just look at this years call ups with Authors Of Pain and Sanity. Both are non existent, well Authors Of Pain at least made their debut then dipped off where as Sanity has yet to debut on television. They were called up for the hell of it really. Instead of having concrete programs arranged for the new stars they make the move and bring them in with nothing for them. When Authors Of Pain make their re-returns they will be basically starting from scratch and Sanity will come in with little fan fare as the fans would have given up hope on the group due to the prolonged absence.
WWE follows a predictable copy and paste formula so why are they messing up this one? Our one true savior will be Triple H and we all know the business will take off to a whole new level when Vince decides to hand things over to his son in law and I will be the first to say…..Hurry up and make the switch…
4: For the past decade Chris Jericho has worked a reduced schedule allowing him to pursue outside ventures like working with his band Fozzy or hosting television shows. But the one thing that makes his schedule work so well is Y2J always returns with something new added to his character.
Jericho, at the young age of 47, is the only wrestler who can come and go and always remain so relevant. Everytime he pops back up he brings something new and fresh and that keeps him from ever growing stale. Plus, he seems be like a fine wine and gets better with age because let me tell you, he is better now then he ever was.
Jericho had a nice run with WCW but it was Vince McMahon and the WWE where Y2J really became the mega star he always was. He became a big house hold name and made WWE a whack of money so in turn Vince has bent over backwards allowing Chris to do his thing both with WWE and with his outside ventures. The Jericho/McMahon pairing works perfectly.
Because of what all WWE has done for Jericho and his career Chris has gone on record numerous times stating he is WWE for life and will only wrestle inside a WWE ring. We will never see him in a TNA, oops, Impact ring, a Ring Of Honor Ring… Only a WWE ring. Or will we?
Late last year Jericho popped up in New Japan Pro Wrestling and issued a challenge to one of the worlds top wrestling stars Kenny Omega to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 (this past January). I had high expectations for that match and it still managed to blow my mind. Chris showed the entire world that age is only a number. The 5 star match proved that Y2J is that damn good.
I thought the match in New Japan was a one off… Wrong. Jericho attacked Tetsuya Naito setting up a match at NJPW:Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall. Like always The Alpha did what The Alpha does and that is putting on a brilliant match. The 2 put on a match that had me glued to the screen barely having time to blink because I didn’t want to miss a single second. Jericho ended up pinning Naito and captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Wow. Nothing but greatness Chris is.
So after stating he is WWE for life and will only compete in a WWE seems to have shifted. He has competed in Japan and as of late has been called out by current Impact Wrestling star Sami Callihan. There is now a possible Impact run as well. I know Callihan mentioned showing up on his Cruise which features Ring Of Honor stars and now the possibility of Impact as well, Y2J seems to be making his way around.
I know Triple H has stated he wants to have a working relationship with numerous companies, one has to wonder….. Is Chris Jericho the guy who WWE sent out to start these relationships? WWE recently posted an article about Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E’s upcoming Street Fighter V match up at the E3 video game conference taking on current New Japan stars Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. The article really puts over Omega and The Bucks which seems odd since Vince usually hides from these kinds of things.
So Jericho, current IWGP Intercontinental Champ, will he return to WWE? I am going to go all in here and sound crazy but I see him showing up with that belt solidifying a working relationship between the 2 companies. Again, call me nuts but why all of a sudden would Chris start stepping on toes with the WWE and why all of a sudden does WWE acknowledge Omega and The Young Bucks.
I fully expect a whack of readers to roll their eyes at my last statement and that is fine. I am allowed to think outside of the box here. Remember WWE is working with Impact Wrestling for footage for an upcoming Hardy Boyz DVD and an upcoming AJ Styles network project surrounding his TNA run. Times are changing and working relationships are more common and even someone as stubborn as Vince could jump on board. What’s best for business….
Well that’s a wrap folks. Time to hit up a solid workout… And by workout I mean chase toddlers… Heck, they keep me lean and trim…. Who needs a treadmill for cardio when you have a 2 year old nut ball and a 1 year old who walks around like he drank 8 beer… That will keep you in tip top shape. Oh dang it is almost 10 PM, way past my bed time… Hey, remember a 2 year old and 1 year old so 10 PM is the new 3 AM in my books. I remember when midnight came too quick, now 7 PM and my eyes are rolling around like a Cookie Monster doll. Until next time, keep on spreading the word about these Rants as the more you gush about them the more sex appeal you will have… Who needs Tinder…
