By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
JWeinCom on 25 April 2023
Edit Thread

So HHH unveiled a new World Championship and... meh...

I definitely think there should be two championships, but Roman Reigns' reign has been stronger because there was only one champion. And, I think beating him will mean more if it's for both champions. If the plan is still to have Cody beat Reigns, and it should be, then it would make more sense to me to have Cody win the titles from Roman, and then magnanimously relinquish one title to ensure that there are more opportunities. And they could have, and I still think should have, done that at Mania. If they are going to have this title, I think it should be Mcyntyre winning it. He really needs something to boost him, and fits what they seem to be looking for as the "anti-Reigns". And having a UK champion going into MITB makes sense, although it would make more sense if he won it there.

My real concern with this is that it seems like this makes the most sense if they're planning on Roman having the title much longer. There could be a long term story with the holder of the new title pointing out how they're a working man's champion eventually leading to some kind of clash. And that story *could* work, but it's way too late. The Bloodline story is great, but its run its course, and needs to end gracefully. Otherwise it becomes like the NWO, or the Vince/Stone Cold rivalry, or Evolution, stories that worked but went on way too long.

Overall the booking has been shaky since Mania. Whether that's Vince's involvement, the sale, or general post Mania figuring shit out. There are some things that are working well (Bronson Reed is being booked nicely, Trish's heel turn is looking good, Chelsea Green is becoming a great character, Dominic Mysterio is the best heel in the business atm), but some stuff that's not going well (the Bloodline stuff is meandering, Cody/Brock feels a bit like filler, neither women's champion really has a great feud, the women's division in general is not being booked all that well). Things aren't flowing together as well as they had been before mania with storylines connecting and intersecting in ways that made sense.

Hopefully, this is just the typical growing pains that happens after Mania blows off the biggest feuds and things will be back on track soon. But, while I hate to take rumors as fact, a lot of this stuff feels very Vincey. And while I think Vince still has a decent amount to offer, I don't think he should be the final say just one voice.

On the AEW side, looks like Punk is likely coming back soon. Which gives them potentially the biggest feud in wrestling, at least among the "smart" fans. Regardless of how you feel on Punk or the Elite, there's no doubt that his return could be at the very least, a hot angle. I think in retrospect all the CM Punk drama will be seen as either the fingerpoke of doom moment for AEW, a moment that turned off the most loyal fans, or the Montreal Screwjob, a largely unfortunate event that wound up leading to a big boom. We'll see which way it goes.