By Nick Whitworth@pwpitstopNick
Oh, my, God Becky, look at these Rants… I just finished celebrating my son’s first birthday with a pretty wild party. It got real pretty quick…. Food on the floor, kids licking the patio door, no sharing and a theme of every kid here takes their turn at crying…. All in all a pretty lit party. Now that the craziness is behind me, time to Rant bay bay… Today’s topics are:
– WWE/ Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks
– WWE stops Ring Of Honor show in MSG
– Major Indie Wrestling event on the WWE Network?
– Tournaments return and a new brand
1: If WWE mentions another wrestler not signed to the company it means that they are signed and on their way. Remember in December 2016 when WWE posted an article on their website stating “Is AJ Styles, Gallows & Anderson and Shinsuke Nakamura headed to WWE”. Well of course they were. Why? Because why else would the company name drop these stars without actually bringing them in.
Fast forward to June 2018 and WWE posted an article hyping The New Day taking on Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks at the E3 convention with the teams battling it out over Street Fighter V video game. The company went into detail really putting over The Elite. WWE knew this would be a major deal even if it was only the teams playing video games.
WWE went as far as to add old footage of Kenny Omega (from his Deep South Wrestling days) to the WWE network. Heck, they even had a title of “Kenny Omega makes his first appearance on the WWE network”. First eh? What are you hinting at Vince.. I mean Triple H?
Rumors have been circulating at WWE is insanely interested in The Elite and are willing to offer some major coin to get them to make the jump. Rumors are rumors and these guys really know how to work their fans but back up to the previous paragraph, why put them on the website and put them over for no reason?
Triple H has stated that he would love to have a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling which is where Omega is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion and The Young Bucks are the current IWGP Tag Team Champions. Yes, the same guys who WWE put over on their website. The same guys who are arguably the biggest names in the business today. Coincidence?
The epic showdown of The New Day taking on The Elite at the E3 convention drew a massive crowd and generated a ton of hype. Even though it was a video game challenge the wrestling world was buzzing. These guys played the game, cut promos and had the crowd eatting out of the palms of their hands. This is proof that this match is what the fans want and need to see happen.
Will we see this dream match happen? Only time will tell. But I will say this…. The chances of this happening are a lot higher then ever before. To bring these guys in will cost a tremendous amount of money but if Brock Lesnar is worth $12 million with a dozen or so matches why can’t WWE make this move happen. Not to sound negative but The Elite will make WWE more money then Lesnar can and that is a fact Jack.
You see, maybe WWE just named dropped the trio in hopes to lure them in but if there were the slightest chance they wouldn’t be coming then I just can’t see the company promoting them like they did. The timing is perfect for both parties here. Omega/Bucks are globally known and WWE needs a big boost like they did with AJ Styles 2 and a half years ago. It is a win-win situation here and I honestly think WWE is working overtime here trying to come up with the perfect contract for these money making machines.
I think we will see these fellas inside a WWE very soon and I think WWE will make damn sure nobody knows about it. This will be the most shocking signing/debut we will have ever seen. I will say it right now… Where ever their debut will be, the crowd reaction that night will be so thunderous that here in Nova Scotia I will feel the rumbling effects. Move over “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, your iconic pops are about to become secondary compared to what we will hear this night and that’s the bottom line because Nick Whitworth said so (chugs a lemonade).
2: Madison Square Garden and WWE are like peanut butter and jelly. The late great Bruno Sammartino sold out the iconic venue for years and WWE even used the Garden for the first annual Wrestlemania. This is WWE’s turf and you must stay away….. Insert Ring Of Honor.
ROH has been the 2nd best promotion in North America for years and has been becoming globally known due to the indie wrestling boom we have recently seen. The internet showed the world that WWE isn’t the be all end all. Look at the top talent in WWE and see their background…. Ring Of Honor is there.
The company has gained a tremendous amount of traction over the years and recently has had a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling. This company has worked its tail off creating new stars and creating great booking. Their roster is stacked with everyone from veteran wrestler Christopher Daniels to the current ROH Heavyweight Champ Dalton Castle. The talent here is top notch and a must see.
Should WWE see ROH as competition? Hell yes, but they still aren’t even in the same league yet. They are still a long ways away from being the WCW that gave WWE a solid arse whopping. I am not saying Ring Of Honor should be WCW, I just mean in overall competition. They are on their way though and with continued hard work and stacked roster WWE could start trembling a wee bit.
When it was announced ROH will run an event at MSG I instantly thought “well that’s ballsy”. I figured they would draw a solid 5-6000 people and the show would be considered a success. I think the venue was a tad bit too much for the company but if that’s what they want then have at er’. Madison Square Garden just doesn’t jive with what I see with Ring Of Honor and it gave me the same feels I got when TNA decided to go head to head on Monday nights with WWE…. And we all know how well that went.
Then out of nowhere I read that MSG backed out of the current plan with ROH to run their event at the venue. I was shocked but not as shocked as I was when I read it was due to recent communications with WWE. That right there shows you how much power Vince McMahon has. I do not see the rationale behind this move but there has to be a reason.
Speaking from the heart, which I always do, I would say the recent All In event selling out 10,000 seats in under 30 minutes has ol’ Vinny Mac a little nervous. I believe he sees indie wrestling as major competition now and would hate to see another company pull in solid numbers at a venue who plays a major part in their history. It could cause a lot of harm in reality. It would show the world WWE’s drawing power is diminishing while others are increasing. Not good.
I do think it was uncalled for and a weak move on Vince’s behalf but this is business and business is a dog eat dog world. You see a potential threat and you shut it down. The only reason why I question the move is because WWE needs to really see they have competition because since WCW went in the pooper, competition has been slim pickings. WWE needs competition to keep them from growing stale, which tends to happen more often then not.
To kind of counter my previous statement, WWE does see and recognize ROH as a potential threat and that is why they tend to raid their roster every few months. I just think it took the All In event to really open Vince’s eyes to what is really happening around him. That is why they are itching to ink Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. I think that is why Triple H is playing such a prominent role in the going ons within the company.
I really hope Vince rethinks this and decides to head into battle here as nothing is better then seeing a great fight. Vince’s track record shows he has the guts to challenge anyone but maybe with age he has less fight in him then we know. Triple H, well he will work with them to give all fans the dream matches we want.
We all know the loss to MSG wont hurt ROH in the slightest. If the can with stand loosing Tyler Black, Kevin Steen, El Generico, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong……… They will be just fine.
3: Recently news got out that WWE is looking to host a major indie event on the WWE network which instantly peeked my interest. Of course no other information has been released but it has potential to be a blockbuster event. It just depends on how it is tackled.
WWE works with a few promotions already like WWN Live, PROGRESS and Pro Wrestling NOAH plus the potential relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling. So however you slice it, the event has a ton of potential to be out of this world. Plus who even said it was an event involving one promotion.
If WWE really wanted to shake the wrestling world to its core the event would be a best of the best event. No signed WWE talent, all independant talent with the chance to showcase their talent on a major platform with the chance to get signed.
WWE of course would promote the event but so would each star much like they do now through Twitter and Instagram. The talent would use their social media accounts to reel in their fan base and add more customers to the WWE network. See Vince, already making money.
This event needs to be treated like a major deal much like the UK Championship Tournament, the Cruiserweight Classic and the Mae Young Classic and it has to be stocked with the who`s who of independant wrestling. That line up should be treated like a Wrestlemania line up or it will come across as a typical WWE watered down show.
While the news of this event is shocking it actually doesn`t surprise me. Triple H (who I continue to praise) sees so much potential outside of the WWE and knows how to check his ego to better the business which is something Vince struggles with. Hunter knows how red hot the indie scene is and he wants a piece of that. This event would be the perfect way to do just that.
Until we hear more on this event we can only guess and hope on who is lined up for the show. With Hunter`s track record it is a safe bet to say this event will be none other then brilliant. It will be much like a NXT Takeover event except turned up a few notches. Who knew that is even possible since Takeover is always fully cranked.
So I will end this topic with 3 simple words… More to come…
4: The United Kingdom Championship Tournament is back and better then ever. Much like the first tourney, it was a 2 day event with the winner of the tournament receiving a title shot against current UK Champion Pete Dunne.
There was a few slight changes from the original as there was Triple Threat #1 contender match for the NXT Women’s Championship and there was also a tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championships as well. Add in a few matches involving major NXT stars and this tournament on paper is set to destroy the first.
Even though WWE spoiled the results on their website I wont go into detail on the matches as there might be a few people left in this world who do not read spoilers and this event has yet to happen (as of this writing). I did find it strange that WWE would do this but maybe they just figured it would get out there anyways so they might as well be the first to leaks the results.
Much like the first tournament I am pretty excited for this. I look forward to seeing who can top Pete Dunne as Dunne set the bar insanely high (Tyler Bate as well) in terms of what to expect. I do like that WWE added in women’s and the tag straps into the event as it makes this a much more well rounded tournament instead of focuing solely on one type.
Also announced was the return on the mega popular Mae Young Classic. This tournament I absolutely loved. Every match was executed perfectly and that was due to the brilliant pairing of the best women’s wrestlers across the globe. Triple H really did his homework here and that is why the event was a massive success.
I was blown away that NXT didn’t sign a few stars who I thought were shoe ins for a contract but I am hoping they are on MYC 2. Mercedes Martinez, Piper Niven and Mia Yim would be a perfect fit on either brand for WWE so I am hoping they are given a second shot here.
I know the roster will be much like the first, being jacked to the gills but I am really hoping Triple H adds the deserving Saraya Knight. Sweet Saraya, if you do not know who I am talking about, is the mother of current WWE star Paige.
Saraya has put in the work, busted her butt and overcame more then I could handle. Even if she doesn’t win, I think if anybody out there deserves a spot in the MYC it is her. It would be such a bittersweet moment to see her step foot inside a WWE.
Then to keep the ball rolling Triple H announced a new brand to the WWE empire and that is NXT UK. As we all know NXT has been producing the best product of any WWE brand for the past 2 years and shows zero signs of slowing down and by adding this to the mix….. Look out.
Since the first UK Championship Tournament, WWE has been trying to figure out how to have their own UK brand and while it might have taken longer then some hoped, NXT UK is finally here. They will of course include the UK Championship but they plan on introducing a women’s and tag team division to the mix as well. Suffice to say Triple H is all in here.
Going under the NXT brand is the smartest move as Hunter will deploy the right people for the job. As we all know he has been recruiting staff to work for him so when it is his time to take over WWE his team will know exactly what to do. I figure he already has his set people rocking and rolling in this brand and I fully expect nothing but the best. I think we are all in for a major treat here.
I can gush over Triple H as much as I want to but we can all agree here with the fact that he is changing WWE for the better and these few things I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg here. Plus I am also a part of Hunter’s team so that plays a big part into his success…..
Well look at the time, geesh, I didn’t realize it was getting late. Time to grab a danish and turn on 90 Day Fiance’…. I mean turn on SportsCentre… to catch up on the sports I missed….
