The weather is beautiful in Florida.
I love Chicago, but 70s and sunny every single day is something I could get used to.
What’s always strange to get used to is not watching pro wrestling during Spring Break. It’s a nice change of pace, but I missed it and I’m back. What the hell happened?
Chris Jericho is All Elite … again
-Well, Chris Jericho isn’t going to WWE after all. An end of the career run with the corporate juggernaut seemed like a great idea for the aging star, but alas, Jericho is All Elite … again. Jericho returned on AEW Dynamite last week and it kinda felt exactly like he did when he was last on the show. Jericho has been the master of reinventing himself over the years, but does he have another reinvention in the tank? Watching him walk out to “Judas” and cut his return promo was nostalgic in nature, which isn’t typically Jericho’s style. I don’t blame him for going down that path at this point in his career, but WWE was the better spot to play the hits. Will fans accept another Jericho reinvention? If yes, can Jericho perform well enough in the ring with top tier AEW talent to make it worth it? Both are fair questions now that he is back on weekly television.
-Holy shit, you guys. John Cena is back in the WWE! Are they kidding with this? Cena had his retirement match less than four months ago and he’s already back? As WWE, how do you scream “I’m desperate!” without actually yelling? This is how. Look, Cena never said he’d stay away from the ring forever after retiring. He’s not returning for a match and his retirement stands, but c’mon. WWE can ride the John Cena money train more effectively and efficiently if they had self-control and could wait. People love John Cena, but is anyone really buying tickets to WrestleMania to see him as host?
-Speaking of desperate, did you know that Pat McAfee is the man behind the savagery of Randy Orton? Well, he is. Excited for WrestleMania now? Ari Emanuel thinks you are. Where you at Triple H?
It is what it is
-It’s Seth Rollins vs. Gunther at WrestleMania 42. I like the match and the setup this past week on Raw was entertaining to watch. It feels a bit out of the blue, doesn’t it? Rollins and Gunther have both been around other things for the majority of the last year and now all of a sudden they’re in a match together because their two separate storylines inexplicably collided. This feels like Rollins needed a match and Gunther needed a match so …. boom. It feels like that because that’s what happened. It’s more important for these guys to each have a big match on the show and now they do. It is what it is.
-The Cody Rhodes and Stephanie McMahon promo segment on Raw worked nicely and Stephanie was better out there opposite Cody with a specific storyline to drive. WWE creative took a nuke to this entire thing after Pat McAfee was the big reveal as the “person Randy Orton was talking to,” but in a vacuum, the segment on Raw felt like WrestleMania hype.
Simple
-Hey, what do you know. The best CM Punk and Roman Reigns segment in weeks was a traditional pro wrestling style brawl. Go figure. Punk needed this moment to destroy Reigns. After Reigns called him old a couple weeks ago, Punk needed a way to shed that perception and the vicious attack did it. Intense and simple. Well done.
-WWE figured that the above brawl worked so well, why not incorporate something similar for other WrestleMania feuds on the show. Enter Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer. They had a fine brawl too. Roxanne Perez being back in the fold sets up a really nice match between her and Vaquer in the final lead up to Morgan vs. Vaquer at WrestleMania.
-A quick NXT comment. Lola Vice and Kendal Grey had a helluva match together last week. Well wrestled and a unique finish. I always advocate for a clear winner, but Stand and Deliver needed a triple threat I guess?
Leave the health issues out
-Let’s talk more AEW. Glad to see there was promo time given to build MJF vs. Kenny Omega at Dynasty. The match needed it. Omega played the medical card and it’s now at the center of his story going into this match. Fans don’t want to have to think about Kenny’s real medical issues when they watch him wrestle matches. They want to cheer for him, watch him do his thing, and win. This match didn’t need that angle to it when MJF, Omega, and the world title is enough already.
-MJF vs. Mike Bailey was a solid main event for AEW Dynamite. Good action.
-Without Mercedes Mone and Toni Storm on the show, the AEW women’s roster feels weaker than it has in a while. Thekla is holding it down as champion, but with the Kris Statlander feud in the rearview mirror, there isn’t a clear challenger for her right now.
-Some overall thoughts ….
Will WrestleMania 42 be good?
-The build to WrestleMania 42 has been questionable at best. Lots of holes. However, the card for the show is impressive. It’s not loaded with multiple-person matches. Singles matches are leading the way and most of them have a core reason to exist. The matches will have a chance to deliver. If they do, fan perception around the show will change. It feels like WrestleMania 31 in that regard.
-Here’s hoping Kyle Fletcher gets healthy quick. The healthy part is most important. Fletcher has forced himself into the future of AEW, but has to physically sustain himself in order to fulfill the potential. Less is more for him moving forward.
What pro wrestling show did you like most last week? Let us know in the comments!
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