This week, WWE brought us desperation, manipulation and one hell of a mic drop
There’s a lot to talk about from Monday Night Raw, NXT and Friday Night SmackDown. Outside of just the shows themselves, there’s quite a bit of news circulating the web.
- Liv Morgan will likely miss significant time after a shoulder separation. Storylines ranging from the weekly Judgment Day segments and the tag titles, to the card for Evolution 2 are all going to have to change. Liv Morgan has been the lifeblood of WWE and the women’s division on Raw. May she heal well and return to the screen better than ever. It’s horrible timing that the most deserving woman on the roster won’t get to headline Evolution 2.
- SmackDown is reported to be moving back to two-hour shows starting around July 4. I have concerns, but I did post on X that it will be nice to not have to dedicate quite as much time to wrestling each week. Last night’s SmackDown proved that time can be cut. Even with names like Giulia and Carmelo Hayes not making appearances, it was obvious that multiple promos could be shortened. Yes, Ron Killings is angry, but he did not need to wait for Aleister Black to make nearly his full entrance to attack Kit Wilson.
Though some moments seemed to drag on, here are the ones that absolutely did land this week.
One Match
Jaida Parker vs. Thea Hail may be a surprise pick, but they are both capable of being future stars of the main roster.
The two were facing off in an Evolution Eliminator match for a shot at the NXT Women’s Championship. Thea attacked Jaida before she even finished her entrance, and the two showcased their talents well. Thea pushed the pace, while Jaida slowed her down with chinlocks and slams.
By the end of the match, Thea was throwing herself at Jaida to apply her Kimura Lock. Each time Jaida shook her off, Thea would literally jump onto her, and she made the move look devastating. Thea thought she’d won when Jaida tapped out and began celebrating too early. The ref didn’t see the tap. Her reward for her efforts? A Hipnotic from Jaida Parker that handed her a loss.
Thea Hail and Jaida Parker both have great characters on NXT, and with the in-ring talent they showed, it’s clear they’re going to be standouts for years to come.
One Moment
Backstage on Raw, Sami Zayn was interviewed by Cathy Kelley (Our Tribal Queen). But this moment wasn’t about Sami, it was about the man who interrupted him.
Throughout the year, Karrion Kross has been backstage pulling the strings and giving us the main event picture. Even before this year, he felt like a presence that has been tweaking things from behind the scenes.
Fans (myself included) have been asking for Karrion Kross to be given a bigger spotlight. We get glimpses of him: backstage moments with loud pops from the crowd, a match with AJ Styles, even his own WrestleMania moment.
Karrion Kross is a star, and Sami Zayn confirmed he will be setting up a match with him after King of the Ring.
Well, last night on SmackDown, Sami Zayn lost his semi-finals match against Randy Orton.
Tick tock.
Now we count down to their match.
One Promo
CM Punk dropped his infamous “Pipe bomb” promo 14 years ago.
John Cena dropped his own pipe bomb on SmackDown, and it’s been the best part of his heel run to date.
Cena hitting Ron Killings with his WWE Championship belt to get disqualified was a tired heel move—Ron Killings should have won.
After putting Punk through a table, Cena delivered his best promo of this run. The crowd forgot he was a heel and cheered and chanted for Cena.
“You’re just a loud-mouthed opportunist who will step on the necks of people who actually work hard if it gets you ahead… Hey Claudio Castagnoli. Hey Nic Nemeth. Hey Matt Cardona. How you guys doin’?”
It was a throwback to Punk’s original, and it was Cena breaking the fourth wall, both by talking into the camera and referencing non-WWE professional wrestlers.
The only issue with Cena’s promo is that the crowd still wants to love him on his farewell tour.
I’ve been texting one of my best friends constantly about how we both think Punk should’ve been the heel in so many of the feuds this past year. Perhaps tonight was the turning point.
Punk said he’d become a monster to stop Cena. This could be the road leading to a double turn, giving the fans a babyface Cena for his final goodbyes.
Darkstar Shady 
Leave a comment