By Nick Whitworth@pwpitstopNick
Does anybody know where the summer went? Wow, that went by quick. The summer was filled with beach days, BBQ’s, sun tanning, Kiki Challenges and outdoor events. Oh and I forgot, lots of wrestling too. Now that the summer is gone it is time for me to put away the 6 pack abs and break out the Dad bod. You know, have to stay warm for that Canadian winter we have slowly coming up. We traded beach days for pumpkin spiced lattes, we traded BBQ steaks for pumpkin spiced muffins, we traded roasting marsh mellows for pumpkin spiced… OK, Ok, you get my point. Fall is here and we are that much closer to Christmas. Anyways let’s get this bad boy going. Today’s topics are :
Kenny Omega : top spot in PWI 500
WWE vs NJPW
WWE Crown Jewel
Evolution
Shawn Michaels return
1: When Pro Wrestling Illustrated announced Kenny Omega as the top wrestler in their annual PWI 500 it wasn’t shocking. It was actually 100 % fitting. If anyone disagrees then they do not know wrestling in any form. Omega has been on a roll for the past 2 years and seems to not be slowing down anytime soon.
The Cleaner has pulled in classic match after classic match and has even taken the term “5 star match” and revamped it. He has put on three 6 star matches and that alone was mind blowing considering it was graded using the 5 star formula but Kenny being Kenny, himself and Kazuchika Okada (whom with Omega has put on these classics) upped it once more. This time their 2 out of 3 falls match in June was rated with a mind blowing 7 stars.
Kenny is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion who is one of the biggest names in wrestling today. He is just as popular, if not more then most current WWE stars. He is in a league of his own with another indie darling close behind (Cody Rhodes). Every promotion wants to bring him in and every fan wants to witness his magic inside the squared circle.
His number 1 spot solidified his mark in the sport. He has grinded and grinded the scene trying to make a mark in the business and I truly believe he has made one more then he will ever know. This guy right here can draw a huge crowd without ever having to use the term former WWE Superstar to his name. He is a major name with major credibility to back it up.
When the announcement came of him claiming the top spot I would bet Stamford, Connecticut started doing more talks then ever. Rumor mills have stated WWE is super interested in Omega, Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks and are willing to pay top dollar for them. Having Omega being claimed the best in the world, I would say has made the company want them even more then ever.
Out of the names I mentioned on WWE’s radar I would say the chances are higher for WWE fans to see Kenny debut then the rest. I think a solid WWE run is the best for Omega right now as if a failed run were to happen later down the road he might not have a chance to regain that fame he had previously to WWE. Cody has been there done that and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him and the Bucks do more of the ALL IN thing then we think.
Kenny has the WWE look, in ring talent and promo ability to make Vince swoon. Much like AJ Styles, Omega would bring in a massive fan following which for WWE is the smartest of them all. With fans becoming increasingly bored with the current WWE style and the popularity of Omega, his fans are sure to follow suit and that for WWE generates more money.
Boy things have changed. The best wrestler in the world doesn’t belong to the biggest wrestling company. One thing is for sure and that is Vince is probably unhappy knowing guys like Omega, Cody and the Young Bucks draw more money then half of his roster. That is proof that WWE isn’t as big as it use to be. Kenny is living proof of that as a guy who is so well known world wide isn’t under a WWE contract.
Whether or not Omega joins WWE means squat as he is one of the hottest stars in the game with no slowing down in sight. Will the next year be his biggest/best year yet? Odds are in favor here.
2: Every WWE Pay Per View and every New Japan Pro Wrestling Pay Per View has fans yelling back and forth on whose product is better. WWE’s decline is proper story telling and NJPW’s increase in 6 star matches have caused a sudden shift in WWE’s fan base.
Every fan, including myself, have become so frustrated watching WWE product that we have started to tune out from watching the television shows. Why watch 3 hours of Raw and 2 hours of Smackdown Live when you can watch This Week In WWE on the Network.
5 hours (not including Main Event, 205 Live and NXT) isn’t long if the product is right. The shows should be can’t miss action and should produce nothing less then stellar product. The company’s roster is so unbelievably stacked that each feud should be somewhat of a dream feud. All the championships should be meaningful and their is no reason for any filler matches. From the opening segment to the main event, everything should count but sadly even the main events lack any interest.
If I am being honest here I would just say the company has grown stale. They have become stagnant and seem to be stuck in a rut. They aren’t in trouble of loosing money but they are just loosing their long term fan base. I have been a WWE fan since I was 4 and I am not 37 and a half years old and I am at that stage where I don’t even look forward to their PPV’s anymore.
For some reason WWE thinks names like The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio can draw a huge crowd still. Instead of pushing guys like Kevin Owens and Finn Balor to the moon they bring back stars who have peeked years ago. We also witness meaningless matches with zero direction. It’s like they just put on matches just because.
New Japan swooped in and really upped their game. The mega popular Bullet Club transformed the game for the company. They brought fans from all sides of the globe and put more eyes on NJPW then ever. Gaijin (non Japanese) wrestlers vs Japanese stars have put on pure clinics. Okada vs Omega matches will go down as some of the best work in all of wrestling. New Japan has suddenly became the 2nd best wrestling promotion in the world.
Recently NJPW have brought their product state side which has shown the growth of the company. They have a working relationship with the 2nd top promotion in the United States, Ring Of Honor, and have Mark Cuban’s AXS-TV. Having a guy who banks more moolah and testicular fortitude then Mr. McMahon shows the company is in the right direction.
WWE runs non stop with their talent burning out more often then none. You get the same matches at live events as you do on television. New Japan runs a lot of their shows using tag matches and multi men tag matches. This is brilliant as it gives the fans to see their favorites yet keeps their talent from burning out and reduces the chance of injuries. Yes anything can happen but the odds are higher in 20+ minute singles matches then in a 6 man tag match.
NJPW’s approach also saves on any over exposure or over used stars. It makes their big shows seem big and gives them more time to build as WWE will go into a feud and have them face each other for the next few months on the road. Yes it is nice to see but it is overkill. Less is more folks.
Both companies rosters are stacked to the gills yet New Japan’s just has that special feel to theirs. We have so much WWE on weekly television that it seems watered down. WWE can still make everything count and seem special but they themselves have to believe it. We can’t believe in their product if they don’t. Don’t just give us matches just for the sake of tv time. Make us want more. Leave us wanting more. That is what New Japan does and that is why their product is so highly praised. WWE lacks direction right now and it makes their product suffer.
While WWE will be around for a very long time coming, their work is in dire need of a shake up. Triple H’s reign can’t come soon enough.
3: WWE returns to Saudi Arabia on November 2nd for their second event, this time called Crown Jewel. This is all part of the company’s 10 year partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority. The Saudi’s threw the money at Vince so this deal seems pretty logic business wise.
While their first event “The Greatest Royal Rumble” fared well, there were a ton of fan backlash. While in the midst of their women’s evolution, the show wasn’t allowed to have any female wrestling due to the limited rights women have in Saudi Arabia.
By putting on a show where women aren’t treated fairly, it seemed like WWE were contradicting what they were claiming to stand for. It left a lot of fans with a bad taste in their mouths and extremely unhappy. All WWE seen was the money side of things.
Now let me rant a bit here. On a business level, making money is what you want. If you are a global empire and are trying to expand as much as possible you have to remember one thing… Every culture is different. So it is up to the company to decide where to expand and if it is worth the investment and troubles.
The weird side of it is the Saudi’s want the older stars more then any of the red hot younger talent. The Undertaker, Triple H, heck they even wanted Yokozuna and The Ultimate Warrior, both of whom have passed away. I mean it kind of is right up WWE’s alley as they also love showcasing their older talent so it was a win-win situation.
I think the move to expand into Saudi Arabia is smart but the move has to be smart as well. I think while heavily promoting women’s wrestling then hosting an event where the women aren’t allowed to participate should be handled a little differently. It is no secret WWE is racking in the dough from these events, the smart move is to compensate the women very graciously. Instead of giving Brock Lesnar a million dollars they should spread the money out evenly to all their female talent as a way to show them that even though they can’t perform that night that they are such an asset to the company and deserve a chunk of this pay day.
I am sure the females would be ticked off knowing they can’t have any input on this cash flow but the right move is to still reward them. Reward them for having to go that extra mile to get noticed, having to work harder just for a little TV time and for having the guts to challenge society by saying “we are just as good as the men”.
The events don’t float my boat but that’s purely based on my dislike for the usage of past their prime superstars. I do this making this expansion is a risky move and hopefully it was a very thought out process without solely thinking of the increased bank account.
It is a little odd to go from an event which is an all women’s pay per view to an event where the women aren’t allowed to be at. Again, WWE is trying to please a worldwide audience so some moves might not seem the smartest but they are for the overall growth of the company.
4: Now to switch gears here and talk about the upcoming all women’s PPV Evolution. While I find WWE’s build to be rather lacking for this event I still think it is going to be one of the better WWE events of the year.
The company is using all belts. Raw, Smackdown, NXT and even the new NXT UK championship. Smart move to showcase all champions in this historic event. While some matches are already confirmed, there are still a few to be announced.
While the “final” card was leaked a few weeks back and with it being the internet you just never know if it is true or not. Some of the matches on said card were recently confirmed so the possibility of its truth seems to lean towards “yes” here.
It seems like the theme tends to be more of a dream match style event with matches as Mickie James will take on Lita and Alexa Bliss will challenge Trish Stratus. Even rumored Ronda Rousey will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against the recently returned Nikki Bella. While I like dream matches I would of preferred not to use retired superstars. This would have been the best time to use big names like recent signee Mia Yim and indie legend Mercedes Martinez. While Lita and Mickie James were the first to main event Monday Night Raw, that was also not yesterday. I think they have a better chance to really look clunky in the ring where as someone like Yim would not only slide into the mix with ease, it would be the perfect platform to debut her.
With my true love Rousey taking on Nikki I do have some reservations about the overall match. I do like Nikki Bella, I just don’t see this match coming off as great. I don’t want this to be a snooze fest and suddenly make Ronda Rousey seem like Ronda Drowsy… No?… Anyone?… Tough crowd here, geesh…
The writing is on the wall here for the main roster debut for Shayna Baszler. Yes Baszler has a match on the card against NXT Women’s Champ Kairi Sane but remember this… The Bellas. There will be 2 of them and one of Ronda so a simple Bella beat down on my lady with Baszler making the save is an easy way to not only put her on the main roster but immediately giver her a solid feud .
Having the finals to the Mae Young Classic on the event is the perfect place to showcase 2 skilled stars who could use this exposure to really boost their stock. A history making event is the best place to show the world the skill you have. By having this match on the card it shows the world how big and important WWE sees in the MYC.
There is also the rumored WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships making its debut on the card as well. I would love to see a women’s tag division but I don’t think the company is ready for this. They could really make this division shine on Monday Night Raw since the show seems to have a lot of wasted time on their 3 hour show. I just have this gut feeling the company would add this title for the initial fan response but would not have the slightest clue on what to do with it. I just couldn’t stand seeing a men’s and women’s tag division used for fillers.
Overall I think this event will be fantastic but not as good as it should and could be. It could end up being an okay PPV but would still outshine most of the main roster’s events. Dear Lord baby Jesus, please do not allow James Ellsworth to make an appearance here. I think I would quit watching WWE… But then I would get message from Vince saying ” I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you everyday for a year. It wasn’t over.. It still isn’t over.”…..
5: The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels is my all time favorite wrestler. He could literally wrestle a broomstick and that match would be Match Of The Year. I mean he did wrestle Hulk Hogan…. His retirement was a sad day in the Whitworth household but Shawn did what a lot don’t and that is retire on his own terms.
HBK was still putting on classics after classics, with no end in sight so his retirement hit most in the feels but made for a fantastic feel good moment. His farewell speech on Raw was the perfect send off and Michaels was now free to enjoy life and enjoy his family whom he spent a majority of the time away from.
Being close to 10 years ago, with all the temptations for a comeback, for all the temptations for a one off match, Shawn stuck to his word and said “I am retired”. He recently has been working with his good friend Triple H down in NXT which seems only fitting given the two’s history together. While not being an active in ring performer he was still very much a part of the WWE family.
With the upcoming WWE Super Show- Down event coming up in a few short weeks, Shawn will be in the corner supporting his bestie Triple H as he battles The Undertaker who will have his brother Kane in his corner. I personally have zero interest in this match and after hearing rumors that this will set up a tag match with Trips against both Taker and Kane at Crown Jewel gives me a headache.
I totally understand the money side of things. HBK was probably offered a whack on money for this match but I just wish his return would have been with a different opponent. There is a quick fix for him or a major win for the company. I am sure fans wont be rushing to their TV screens to see a match involving wrestlers who are all well past their prime.
Every fan out there would pass out if WWE announced HBK vs AJ Styles. That match would sell so many tickets, it is crazy. Add in a solid build up and this thing would go down as one of the company’s best matches of all time. Styles is so good that he could make up for anything Michaels couldn’t do.
I just don’t see any gain (besides his wallet) in having Shawn wrestle. It just would ruin the perfect send off his had if this match is a slop fest. Kane doesn’t wrestle much as he is the Mayor of Knox County. The Undertaker’s matches are hurting his legacy as it is showing he just isn’t as good as he once was and Triple H just shouldn’t be wrestling anymore. There is no need of him in there.
I am sure I have a lot of support here in saying I wish Shawn would just stick to the retirement life but and insanely nervous his work just isn’t as good as I remember it to be. Shawn, I know you are reading this, please think about your loyal fan base here and 86 any thought of an in ring return.
Well folks, that is all I have for today. I have a big day a head of me tomorrow. I am going to a big concert so I need a solid 6 hours of sleep. I just can’t believe in 1 day I will be watching, singing and dancing along with The Wiggles….. Wow, times sure have changed eh. Oh, I got to go, I see Shawn Michaels is calling… Must be important….
