Fair warning, folks… this week’s column is going to be A LOT shorter than usual. I just have something that I need to get off my chest.
Some of you are really starting to piss me off.
There is a lot of really good stuff in the world of wrestling these days. However, if you were to ask me what I think the worst thing in wrestling is at the moment, I would have an answer for you right away.
You dorks that are out to create a wrestling “war” where one doesn’t exist, nor does it even need to exist.
By now, those people are everywhere. If a website has people who write columns, you’ll probably find at least one. Social media is infested with them. Podcasts have them all the time. God forbid you ever read message boards, or any sort of comments section like YouTube, because you won’t be able to escape them.
You know the “war” I’m talking about. AEW vs NXT, or even AEW vs WWE as a whole.
Let me get this out of the way right here and now… like what you like. If your favorite promotion is AEW, that’s fucking awesome. It’s also great if NXT is the “promotion” that you enjoy the most. You know what? The same thing goes for WWE. It also goes for New Japan, Ring Of Honor, AAA, Impact, or the local independent promotion that runs shows near your place of residence.
Like I said, you can’t avoid this shit no matter where you go on Alexandra Daddario’s internet. Back when AEW and NXT were going head-to-head, AEW would regularly win the ratings and viewership battles. What were all of the top comments saying? “Raw and Smackdown are still beating their ass” and things of that nature. What do you get when an article is posted about WWE releasing wrestlers? “This is why WWE is the devil because AEW truly cares about their employees” like the company is going to keep everyone for the rest of fucking time. The list goes on and on and on.
Why do you people do this? I don’t want to hate you. You just aren’t giving me a choice.
If your Twitter handle has “AEW” or “NXT” or “WWE” somewhere in it, but you aren’t a contracted employee of said company… oh, yes, son, I’m talking to you.
When you bring up how many viewers tuned in to watch a random episode of AEW or NXT from four months ago, but you’re not being paid to do it… oh, yes, son, I’m talking to you.
If your first reaction to a Kenny Omega match is to talk about how great Roman Reigns is… oh, yes, son, I’m talking to you.
When you’re talking shit about something that happened on a show, then admit you didn’t watch the show… oh, yes, son, I’m talking to you.
If you’re doing these things as some sort of an internet “heel” persona, not only do I think you should play in traffic, but… oh, yes, son, I’m talking to you.
The worst part about it is… a lot of these hot takes are at least somewhat based on reality. When the AEW marks brag about beating NXT in the ratings, it’s because… AEW did beat NXT in the ratings. Damn near on a weekly basis, no less. You liking or disliking one company doesn’t change that fact. It’s also a pretty well-known fact that WWE has pulled off some very scummy decisions through the years. Those decisions range from small things that make people shake their heads to big things that probably guarantee several WWE higher-ups a nice spot in hell when they die. Again… you liking or disliking a company doesn’t change that. That’s fine, but random nitwits on Twitter and comment sections constantly bringing that up makes them look ridiculous.
Please don’t bring up the WWF vs WCW talk here, either. I’m well aware of the Monday Night War. I was in the middle of it. There were hardcore WWF fans that thought WCW was garbage “wrasslin” that was only buying geriatric wrestlers to try and become relevant. At the same time, there were hardcore WCW fans who thought the WWF was failing miserably to stay atop their throne and were going to be extinct sooner than later. The difference between then and now is very simple, folks. That really was a WAR. Both companies were out for as much blood as they could get. WWF was trying to put WCW out of business, and vice versa. Other than small groups like The Kliq, there weren’t a lot of friendships between wrestlers in both companies. When a WCW guy signed with the WWF, he was still viewed as the enemy. Same goes for a lot of the WWF guys that went to WCW. A motherfucking war.
This shit now… this is no fucking war. If they had their way, Xavier Woods would be playing video games on Up, Up, Down, Down with Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, and Cesaro RIGHT NOW. Do you think there would be fisticuffs if, say, Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes ran into each other at the airport tomorrow? Of course not. Adam Cole and Britt Baker have been dating for four-plus years. Cedric Alexander and Big Swole have been married for three years. Matt and Jeff Hardy have been related to each other for almost 45 years now. Until Lana’s recent WWE release, she and Miro were on opposite sides of this wrestling fence. Charlotte Flair and Andrade are together. Vickie Guerrero and the Mysterios are as close to family as you can be without sharing blood.
A lot of you mouth breathers are trying your hardest to create a war out of thin air, and it’s not working. Would AEW love to be as big a worldwide promotion as WWE and truly compete toe-to-toe with them? They sure would. Would WWE like it if AEW slowed their momentum down and stopped gaining fans? Uhhh, yeah. That doesn’t mean these people are looking to end their competition. They all seem to be having fun, pushing themselves because the opposition is pushing them, too. If THEY’RE enjoying this, why can’t YOU goofballs enjoy this??
Watch what you want to watch. Enjoy what you want to enjoy. If that’s every company, so be it, but if it’s just one, that’s also fine. Just chill on the bullshit, will you? This isn’t a knock on AEW at all, but come back to me when Dynamite is pulling in the same numbers as Raw and Smackdown. Then… and only then… will we freely talk about a new “war” in the world of wrestling.
Until then… I’m going to need you AEW marks to stop having such a little-man syndrome about every fucking thing, and I’m going to need you WWE geeks to stop acting like the company’s shit doesn’t stink.
Give it a shot, will you?
Weekly Power Rankings
- Kenny Omega vs Jungle Boy: Going into the match, I said that this was probably being viewed as a test run, of sorts, for Jungle Boy. There wasn’t a chance in hell he was winning the AEW World Title here, but if he could show AEW bigwigs that he “belonged” in the main event, it would only bode well for his future. Well… he passed the test with flying colors. He looked fantastic in the match. I have zero doubt that he’s going to win the AEW World Title at some point in the future. Don’t be surprised if it happens in 2022. Even though he wasn’t victorious in this one, Jungle Boy was still a winner nonetheless. More on that in a bit.
- Drew McIntyre vs Riddle vs AJ Styles: I get that a very large portion of the WWE Universe feels that the “wrong” person won this match. That’s fine. The match itself was great, though. It was pay-per-view quality, going nearly 30 minutes and allowing all three men their opportunities to shine. It might… miiiiight… be their plan, but WWE needs to be very careful with how they handle booking Drew McIntyre moving forward. A growing portion of fans on social media are beginning to grow tired of McIntyre being at the top of the Raw scene month after month. You have to wonder if that will start to carry over once WWE is back in front of live crowds again. We could be looking at the start of a heel turn for Drew. Or, because it’s WWE, he’ll remain a face for years, even though he’s getting booed harder all the time.
- Io Shirai & Zoey Stark vs Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez: A wild, car crash of a match. I mean that in a good way, of course. Just a ton of action from bell-to-bell. I don’t know if I should be, but I’m a little surprised to see Shirai and Stark come out victorious here. They now move on to an NXT Women’s Tag Team Title shot against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell on next week’s episode of NXT.
- Isaiah “Swerve” Scott: The brand new NXT North American Champion. It really seems like NXT is all-in on Hit Row. That’s perfectly fine with me. There aren’t many acts in all of WWE that are clicking more right now than the group, and you have to think we’re going to see Ashante Thee Adonis and Top Dolla go after the NXT Tag Team Titles before too long. As for Bronson Reed, the rumor mill is already going in full force. He’s been working main roster matches on Main Event, and now he drops the North American Title? Oh, he’s GONE gone. If he hasn’t officially debuted on the main roster by then, look for him to be selected in the upcoming WWE Draft.
- “Hangman” Adam Page vs Powerhouse Hobbs: Page continues his roll as one of the hottest acts in the business right now. Hobbs continues to grow as an in-ring performer. A really nice clash of styles here.
- Jungle Boy: Making out with Anna Jay, while grabbing an entire handful of Anna Jay’s ass? Yeah… Jungle Boy is winning right now.
- Konnan: A man who has always had the gift of gab, Konnan was able to show that off once again. He absolutely tore into Tully Blanchard in their promo segment. The line about Tully needing to learn Spanish so that he could speak to his grandkids one day? *chef’s kiss*
- Big E vs Apollo Crews: Have we seen these two square off a million times in 2021? Yes. Was this still a good match? Yes. Big E is already shaping up to be the overwhelming fan favorite to win Money In The Bank. We shall see.
- Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch: Congratulations to these love birds on getting married. They were originally supposed to get married last year, but you know, COVID and all. Now, we await Becky’s inevitable return to the ring.
- Smackdown Returning To Madison Square Garden On September 10th: Even after all these years, there’s just a special feel to WWE shows at Madison Square Garden. It’s going to be fun seeing the company return to the world’s most famous arena. There must be something special about the date, too, because September 10th will be two years to the day since the last televised show from MSG.
This Week’s Playlist: “Layla” by Derek & The Dominoes… “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N Roses… “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits… “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath… “Learn To Fly” by Foo Fighters… “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC… “Back In Black” by AC/DC… “Message In A Bottle” by The Police… “La Bamba” by Los Lobos… “Breaking The Law” by Judas Priest… “Alive” by Pearl Jam… “Seek & Destroy” by Metallica… “Cemetery Gates” by Pantera… “Zombie” by The Cranberries… “Miserlou” by Dick Dale… “Symphony Of Destruction” by Megadeth… “Cats In The Cradle” by Ugly Kid Joe… “Pull Me Under” by Dream Theater… “Welcome Home” by Coheed & Cambria