Professional wrestling is an interactive environment. The wrestler wrestles, we respond. The wrestler responds, and we interact with them and the cycle breeds its next rotation. There are certainly moments where it would be ill-advised to stray from the course. You may argue the point that Cody Rhodes should have defeated Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal championship at WrestleMania. While this was a very popular reaction, the consequence would have been being robbed of the best part of Roman’s reign.
His ultimate downfall.
If HHH and WWE had pull the triggered on that title switch, we’d be robbed of Jimmy and Jey turning on Roman and ultimately the grand moment of them pinning him this past Saturday at Money in the Bank. We’d lose out on the seemingly forthcoming rematch between Roman and “Main Event” Jey, and down the line what will likely be the end of his reign at Cody’s hands with all of his Bloodline connections severed.
What has made Roman Reigns’ run on top almost inarguably legendary has less to do with the predictability of his path forward and more the journey toward the inevitable end. This run has never been conventional. It’s always been in service of building Roman from the man we knew to this unstoppable juggernaut with the thousand day world title reign mirroring the Roman Empire of antiquity in its rise and rule. We know the tragic ending, but it’s been so well executed as recently as this past Saturday that we’re OK with it because the crumbling empire has been that well constructed.
However it’s also an exception.
WWE more than any other company has been accused in the past of being tone deaf when it comes to their fans, opting to not change course when it’s clear fans are trying to steer them toward another direction. While there are plenty of examples of WWE changing course toward a net positive, such as when they tried to make Becky Lynch the heel against Charlotte a few years ago, the predominant overarching feeling has been when there’s a groundswell of support around someone the choices WWE makes feel as though they’d rather stick to their guns for the sake of the story rather than pivot and go all in on someone like LA Knight like they could have at Money in the Bank when it arguably makes sense.
Catching Lightning
We’ve had this conversation before. If we look back in our shared histories and recall moments where it felt like someone was so decidedly over with the crowds that it would be foolish to not act on their popularity, we could find many even just in the last decade where someone is so popular that it should be a slam dunk. You’d almost have to, right?
Yet WWE, with exceptions, have far more instances of choosing what they want to accomplish with their booking as opposed to–not necessarily allowing fans to direct that booking, but–having reactions inform the decision and have an alternate proposition that fans will love and can get behind. We all know the Alberto Del Rio cash in on CM Punk, or when Baron Corbin won a few years ago and ultimately did nothing with it, and so on. These are examples where you can’t help but question the reason behind the choices.
To their credit WWE has done a great job in the past with the briefcase winners. They have done a great job of using them to propel the likes of Liv Morgan, Bayley, or especially early winners like Edge forward. Both of this years’ choices feel story-driven, as though both are meant to sew seeds of dissension within Iyo Sky and Priest’s respective factions. This doesn’t mean they don’t deserve them, but this is what’s evident when you consider the stories they’re involved in. Look no further than the main event of Money in the Bank where Priest appeared during the match and indirectly cost Balor the title against Rollins. This was a callback to an earlier encounter when Priest fought Rollins for the same title and Balor appeared at ringside as an indirect distraction.
So, let’s break Priest’s options down logically. What titles could Priest theoretically challenge for?
- The WWE Undisputed Universal championship? Roman has that locked up we assume until next WrestleMania. At this point the Bloodline story is its own galaxy and nothing frivolous is going to enter its orbit.
- Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship? It’s more plausible for him challenge and succeed against Seth, but it feels too early to switch the titleholder when the revived title really needs to be cemented; the best route to that end is allowing Seth to run with it for a while longer. And even then, as Monday’s Raw showed, Priest winning the briefcase seemingly had far more to do with the win being a plot device to sew further discontent among Judgment Day than it was the genesis of a big push up the card.
- What about Austin Theory and the U.S. title? This isn’t a 1:1 switch unless someone beats him first, naturally a babyface, and then Priest would cash in and probably regain his former championship.
- Challenging Gunther. No.
- KO and Sami for the tag titles? Perhaps with Dom Mysterio, sure, but this feels very similar to the Reigns story in that they’re off in their own story far removed from most of what’s happening outside the Bloodline sphere. Not implausible, but even for a cash-in it feels very inorganic.
Should any scenario be completely ruled out? Certainly not. Regardless there are only some that make sense for where Priest is now, and even then it’s very evident how the briefcase is going to be used. It reads as a failed cash-in by Priest.
The question we then have to ask as fans is that what we want, and how do we feel about the decision? Priest is definitely a talent with enough merit to warrant big opportunities, but such a big moment to only be used as a plot device to push Judgment Day toward a break-up feels like a missed opportunity for a wonderful moment where someone like an LA Knight can take the win with the crowd completely behind them and then build to that moment of the cash-in.
LA Knight is unmistakably over, and is selling the loss extremely well on social media. Whether you only know him under his current moniker, or if he’s been “talkin’ to ya'” for years, he’s just the right amount of over that it feels like a completely missed opportunity to give him the distinction of “Mr. Money in the Bank.” Criticize the point as you will but over is over and that is not a matter of booking or mathematics, it’s an organic result of his connection to the fans.
Moments Matter
Lightning in a bottle only comes so often, and when it does it needs to be recognized and captured. Wrestling is built upon physical stories told through combat, and the intricate weavings of plotlines matter as much as the individuals do. It’s Reigns being pinned by Jey; Austin 3:16; AJ Styles WWE debut. Hell, it’s something as simple as Bryan Danielson coming out to Final Countdown at Forbidden Door, or CM Punk returning in Chicago.
Those moments are what stick with us. We remember Roman’s reaction on Saturday as vividly as we do Austin’s promo and demeanor in 1996. We remember the feeling of Final Countdown’s opening chords, or when AJ’s name appeared on the tron seven years ago. The crux of the point is wrestling is a business built of special moments, and the most successful and important ones are those that grab you by the hand and guide you down the rabbit hole. Most importantly, how you feel and interpret what you see and experience is unique; that’s the difference between genuine joy when something huge happens, and when something relatively less emphatic happens only to serve a less than compelling story.