SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
“One day I feel I’m ahead of the wheel, and the next it’s rolling over me.” (Rush, “Far Cry”)
The drama of professional wrestling centers around winners and losers.
The narrative expression of this drama lies in who wins and loses matches and championships.
But the real-world expression is centered around entertainment. Wrestlers compete to be cast in the best light, deliver the most compelling performances, and elicit the strongest reactions. Winners are typically rewarded with more important roles, greater TV time, and commensurate pay. Losers get the opposite.
As wrestling fans, we can enjoy both dramas simultaneously. We can get lost in the story, or evaluate the script and its performance.
Today, we focus on the latter.
Rising Star of the Week: Becky Lynch
Sports Illustrated is right. Lynch is the greatest women wrestler of all time. None other has been so successful for so long. Why has she been such a success? Her promos on Raw and Smackdown this past week are apt reminders.
Lynch appeared before two UK crowds anxious to show her their appreciation, and turned them against her. So much so that fans were ready to cheer any babyface willing to stand up to her, even ones far less charismatic like Tiffany Stratton and Nikki Bella.
She dishes out clever insults for Bella (“Broke-neck barbie”) and Manchester (“The only good thing that came out of here died a month ago” in a reference to Ozzy). However, Lynch allows her opponents to get the best digs in (“If you’re not a dog, why are you whining like a little bitch”) and sells them as if she’s devastated.
Lynch is clearly having fun with these exchanges, which helps make her fun to watch. Her 2021 heel turn felt forced, but this time around, it’s working far better.
Changing her entrance music from fan favorite “Celtic Invasion” to the somber “New Lows” helps fans react appropriately. If only her husband would take note.
First Runner-Up: The Judgment Day
The Judgement Day have been the unsung heroes of Monday Night Raw in recent years, providing innumerable hours of entertainment in the form of excellent matches and amusing backstage sketches. The faction has succeeded against the odds, as its name has never really been explained, and its founder Edge lasted a few months. The within-group chemistry and ongoing drama seems to have brought out the best in its members.
This week’s Raw was no different. The Judgment Day shined even in defeat, giving fans the best matches of the night. Finn Balor had an excellent match against A.J. Styles which treated fans to a clean finish. Roxanne Perez over-performed against Rhea Ripley in what may have been the match of the night. J.D. McDonagh wrestled an exciting match with Dragon Lee, although it’s unclear why Lee’s victory should be tainted by a distraction as McDonagh hardly needed to be protected.
Although rarely positioned at the top of the card, this faction delivers the goods, week after week. Although their story is not yet fully told, I believe the Judgment Day will be remembered as one of the great wrestling factions.
Second Runner-Up: Chelsea Green
The biggest story coming out of NXT Heatwave was not Oba Femi’s successful title defense, nor Ash by Elegance (the former Dana Brooke) winning the TNA Knockouts Title. The most newsworthy event of this week’s PLE was a mutinous crowd going absolutely wild for Green.
Fans appreciate talent and effort, and Green has displayed plenty of both over the past couple years in her heel run as a comedic Karen. She has taken tremendous bumps and been humiliated routinely in the name of our entertainment. Her NXT pairing with Ethan Page has been particularly effective. However, I believe it was Green’s sympathetic portrayal on WWE Unreal which truly made fans care.
As a heel, getting such a crowd reaction is notable but far from ideal. It hardly helped her opponent Tyra Mae Steele whose debut match was all but disastrous.
It remains to be seen whether this reaction at Heatwave was a one-off or the start of something bigger. Either way, the Hot Mess is a hot act, and one to keep an eye on.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
Fading Star of the Week: Cody Rhodes
After his triumphant reclaiming of the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes should be on top of the world. Yet, he seems increasingly irrelevant.
With Smackdown’s focus squarely on John Cena, who failed to congratulate or even acknowledge his loss to Rhodes, our champion has been something of an afterthought.
Rhodes’s absence from the last two episodes of Smackdown due to a storyline injury hasn’t helped his case. Neither has his podcast “What Do You Wanna Talk About?”, which fails to show Rhodes in his best light, casting him as more of a self-important, pretentious celebrity than a heroic fighter.
The Manchester crowd on Raw even booed when Roman Reigns mentioned Cody, a troubling sign.
If anyone can bring Rhodes back to relevance, it should be Drew McIntyre. However, he seems distracted by Randy Orton for the moment.
Cody Rhodes is the most successful babyface in WWE in recent decades. But the shadow of his failed AEW stint looms large. His character needs to be treated with utmost care so that history does not repeat itself.
That is an American Nightmare the WWE doesn’t need.
Runner-Up: Tavion Heights
An accomplished amateur wrestler who represented the USA in the 2020 Olympics, Heights came to WWE in 2022 with no lack of credibility. He was rarely featured on NXT TV until joining the No Quarter Catch Crew in June 2024. Heights spent over a year in the undercard as part of the NQCC before breaking away to defeat Charlie Dempsey and leave the stable.
In recent weeks he challenged NXT North American Champion Ethan Page in his first major singles feud. Paired with newcomer and fellow Olympian Tyra Mae Steele as all-Americans in opposition to Page and Green’s Canadian alliance. Despite Heights considerable in-ring ability and passionate promos, the program has not gone well.
The USA vs. Canada storyline feels ill-timed, given the current political climate. Even worse, the live crowd has been far more interested in his villainous opponents. As stated previously, his Heatwave tag team match was all but highjacked by the rebellious audience cheering for Green, effectively ruining Heights’ first PLE appearance.
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Right now, Heights has nowhere to go but up.
Second Runner-Up: Wes Lee
Wes Lee is a remarkable talent. His athleticism and in-ring ability are top notch, and his mic skills are solid. Only 2 years ago Lee had a record-breaking reign as NXT North American Champion, and his excellent matches were a staple of NXT programing.
It’s been all downhill from there.
After returning from a six-month hiatus due to injury in April 2024, Lee failed to regain the title and was featured less and less often.
The formation of High Ryze with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont failed to garner much attention, as have his returns to TNA. As of this writing, Lee has been absent from NXT TV for the past month.
It’s unclear why NXT creative seemed to cool on Lee, who always performed well in his assigned roles. Perhaps he is at high risk for reinjury, although this is just conjecture.
Whatever the cause, Lee’s once bright star has faded into the background, and NXT is the worse for it.
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