January 3, 2021 - Evan Luebbe

WWE SmackDown New Year’s Day 2021

January 3, 2021 by Evan Luebbe

Mr. McMahon was deciding between Roman Reigns and Big E as the last two men in the decision-making process for who was going to be the next face of WWE after John Cena in 2015. It has been a slow but steady rise to the top of the company for Big E, but any intuitive member of the WWE universe could have inferred that (it’s still not complete until he wins a world title – that will happen when the time is right). As Paul Heyman alluded to a couple of weeks ago, this Intercontinental championship victory last week was the first step for E in reaching the same status as Roman Reigns.

The last time the current champion won the IC championship he held it for roughly 6 months, so he might hold the same title this go around for the same amount of time or longer to give him credibility as a champion right now and as a Universal champion in the future. 2021 is off to a great start for E, and this might be the time in his career that he remembers most fondly when it is all said and done. The New Day will be a wonderful chapter in his career (and maybe the most fun), but it will probably not be what he is most fondly remembered for.

Overall this is an absolutely fantastic time for SmackDown because the brand is led by two of its top athletes and most dynamic characters – Roman Reigns as Universal champion and Big E as Intercontinental champion. It is finally starting to pay off for Big E after 8 years on the WWE main roster, now it will be rather poetic if an incredible worker and surprisingly charismatic Cesaro were to experience something similar in the next couple of years. Cesaro is a man who has spent a significant portion of his career (just like Big E) as a tag team wrestler, largely with Sheamus as The Bar.

Big E will begin his second Intercontinental championship reign by defending against Apollo Crews just two weeks after winning the title on Christmas Day. It is very encouraging to see Apollo being spotlighted again by WWE after not having been featured on WWE programming since September when he feuded with Bobby Lashley over the United States championship on RAW. Crews was drafted to SmackDown in October 2020 and is beginning 2021 the right way with an intercontinental title opportunity. This is also the first Apollo has been used in the months since he switched brands in the draft.

Crews has moved between RAW and SmackDown more times than most people care to keep up with since being called up to the main roster from NXT in 2016 (right after WrestleMania 32). He was drastically underutilized on the main roster until the night after Mania 36 when he defeated Aleister Black (who Mr. McMahon is not particularly high on). The vibe and in-ring style Black presents are almost tailor-made to what Triple H and Shawn Michaels want to present in NXT but not as much for the main roster. Black has asked WWE management about returning to NXT, but he was told no.

Crews has undoubtedly had the greatest year of his WWE career so far, having become United States champion (his first title on the main roster). Right now the 33-year-old is kind of in the same boat as Ricochet, another former United States champion who Mr. McMahon is also not particularly high on. According to the Chairman of the Board, Ricochet was always more of a Paul Heyman project, so the push of The One and Only slowed along with that of Aleister Black when Heyman was relieved of his duties as Executive Director of Monday Night RAW.

Paul Heyman was only in charge of the booking duties for Monday Night RAW for a little over a year, but it doesn’t make much sense right now because the ratings for the program were experiencing a resurgence with Paul in charge. New superstars were being focused on and that was drawing many viewers. Now Monday Night RAW is in the proverbial toilet right now from a ratings perspectives (the program received its lowest rating in its history on December 14 of 1.527 million viewers).

But for right now the primary focus is Apollo Crews who Mr. McMahon is high on (there have been no reports to the contrary) and will be challenging Big E next week for his first intercontinental championship. It would also be his second title on the main roster.

WWE RAW 12/28/2020

January 3, 2021 by Evan Luebbe

Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss played with the emotions of the WWE universe, at least for a night with some great promo work before Monday Night RAW went off-air

I have a theory about the segment that took place this week as RAW went off the air in which Randy Orton set Alexa Bliss on fire (or at least that’s what WWE was intending to portray – this did not happen of course). My theory is that this segment is receiving a significant amount of criticism because much of the WWE universe was emotionally touched by the segment in some weird way, and not many people know exactly how to react to these emotions, so some people are lashing out at the company.

Many people are saying that this cliffhanger was purely an attempt to desperately garner more viewers, and that may be true to some extent, but many people who critique this failed to recognize how effective it was at the same time. It made everyone – including me – envision a reality without Alexa Bliss at least for a night (even though everyone over the age of 10 knows full well that the world of WWE is fictional), and no one likes it – not even me. The intention of this segment was to get people to tune into the program next week, and it worked very well.

Keith Lee defeats Sheamus in a number one contender’s match to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE championship next week as we kick off 2021

Keith Lee has taken a massive step in his evolution to ultimately become one of the top few superstars in WWE. Will he ever be the face of the company – probably not – but he will be an integral part of the next generation of the company. One technique he uses to calm his mind is meditation – another top-level athlete who uses this technique is Aaron Rodgers who is the favorite right now in the NFL to win the MVP award. In addition, I meditate quite often myself, so I know from first-hand experience that this is an extremely effective tool. There is no right or wrong way to do it, all you need to do is make the decision to do it.

As Mark Henry and so many others have said before, this man could be the standard of what big men are capable of in the future. In terms of the booking decision this week for WWE to have Lee go over Sheamus to earn a WWE title opportunity next week, it would have made more sense for Sheamus to get the opportunity. The only event that transpired recently that made this make any sense was the fact that The Celtic Warrior was booked rather poorly on the December 14 edition of Monday Night RAW when he took a beating with a chair while he was hung up in the ropes. On top of that, he didn’t even come to his friend Drew McIntyre’s aid later in the night. Looking at this in hindsight, this may have been enough to stop Sheamus’ momentum at least for the time being.

As another small sidenote, the December 14 edition of RAW was also when WWE received a record low viewership number of 1.527 million. It was a great decision for Keith Lee to get the victory if one takes the perspective that WWE was making a concerted effort to create a massive star in The Limitless One roughly 4 months after his debut on the main roster. In that time, he has earned victories over Randy Orton (in late August at Payback) and now Sheamus, to established superstars, and now has earned his first WWE championship match to begin 2021. Some positivity can be found in any situation – all one needs to do is find the right perspective to choose (and it may vary from person to person).

Even though Keith Lee began 2020 by winning the NXT North American championship, he will not win a title to begin 2021 because WWE is firmly behind Drew McIntyre as the top guy on RAW to carry the company through the rest of this pandemic and beyond. After all, Mr. McMahon has been extremely high on McIntyre for over a decade.

WWE seems intent on booking McIntyre vs. Lee vs. Sheamus at Royal Rumble for the WWE championship to wrap up the friendship storyline (both challengers are friends with the champion but do not necessarily get along).

Asuka has been extremely reliable and has carried the WWE women’s division since May when Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy, even though she has been overshadowed by other women nearly the entire time

Asuka has been the RAW Women’s Champion throughout Becky Lynch’s entire pregnancy – since the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View in May – but she has been overshadowed in nearly every storyline since becoming champion. Since winning the title back from Sasha Banks at SummerSlam, she has not been the primary focus of any of her feuds but rather they have all been focused on the challenger. The rivalry with Sasha Banks and Bayley was all about them, then she put over the now-released Zelina Vega, followed by the storyline that was all about getting Lana over before WWE found out about the return of Charlotte Flair (after successful plastic surgery).

At this point, WWE is building toward Flair becoming RAW Women’s Champion (possibly at WrestleMania). This would be a great idea if the company decides to do it, but the creative team is surely well aware that Charlotte defeated Asuka for a women’s championship at the same event just three years ago. Maybe put the title on a different superstar before if that is indeed the plan. Asuka’s contribution has been incredibly underrated across the second half of 2020 as she has kept the RAW women’s division afloat and helped to create new stars.

Ricochet loses again to RETRIBUTION, and seeing that he might ultimately join the group and give them some much needed momentum; AJ Styles defeats Elias – Ricochet is most likely the next generation’s version of AJ physically, the one wrestler who is head and shoulders above everyone else

Similar to Keith Lee being the future of what big men can do in wrestling, Ricochet is the future standard of what a normal-sized man can do in wrestling. Shawn Michaels was the “standard” who was ahead of his time. AJ Styles is filling that role right now for the current generation of wrestlers and has been for many years. Ricochet is next in line to become the leader of the next-generation for in-ring work. There is just something different about this guy and the way he moves and can contort his body because most humans can’t do that.

Mustafa Ali defeated Ricochet this week and it appears as though he is going to eventually convince The One and Only to join RETRIBUTION. Maybe the addition of Ricochet will give the group the juice it has been missing so that they can fully get over with the WWE universe. Ali’s promos have only been able to compensate so much for the inconsistent 50/50 booking. The group is having a hard time gaining and sustaining any momentum since they take losses so often and are straining to gather four or five victories in a row. The WWE universe doesn’t know how seriously to take the group.

Elias is on the rise, and the addition of Jaxson Ryker adds a major amount of credibility to his overall presentation. The fact that The Drifter was booked in a match with a superstar as high up the ranks as AJ Styles is evidence. Elias is not yet at the level of The Phenomenal One, but it would be a very realistic goal for him to reach the status of a United States/Intercontinental champion by the end of 2021.

Loss of the Great Jon Huber Shakes the Wrestling World

January 3, 2021 by Evan Luebbe

Jon Huber (Mr. Brodie Lee in AEW, Luke Harper in WWE) abruptly dies at 41 years old due to a non-COVID related lung issue, leaving his wife Amanda and two sons shocked

Jon Huber was experiencing an incredible resurgence in professional wrestling with AEW as Mr. Brodie Lee. Before that, he experienced major success as Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family (along with Bray Wyatt – the leader – Erick Rowan, and Braun Strowman (who joined the group later in 2015). Most recently, his dog collar match on AEW Dynamite with Cody Rhodes for the TNT championship in October was an instant classic. My heart goes out to his wife and two sons (and his soul as well – wherever it is currently residing) because I am deeply saddened to learn about his death.

From what I have read, Jon was an incredible father. Chris Stewart will touch on this by saying that some human beings are just too good at heart for planet Earth. Huber touched many lives throughout his 41 years, and at the end of the day that’s the primary goal people should seek to accomplish in life-improving as many lives as possible while they are here on this earth in whatever way is authentic to them. Even though I don’t technically work for the business yet, I still feel like this man was a part of my extended family.

Bray Wyatt issued a quote about Brodie’s death. He appears to be deeply hurt and slightly confused – regardless of what his emotions are regarding this, he will most likely find a creative way to incorporate the passing of his dear friend into his WWE storyline whenever he returns. This unexpected and rather tragic event may serve to provide even more validity to the possibility of Bray Wyatt/The Fiend returning to win the 2021 men’s Royal Rumble match. It was already almost guaranteed that Bray would undergo a significant character evolution after The Fiend was burned by Randy Orton at TLC (it was a dummy because the match was taped earlier in the day), whether that means the end of The Fiend or not.

In All Elite Wrestling, Brodie Lee’s most notable contribution was the mentality he brought. He had the gift of elevating everyone around him and doing what was not only the best for himself but what was best for everyone in the company and launching them into stars. A perfect example of this was back in August when John Silver and Alex Reynolds participated in a match on Dynamite one week against Cody Rhodes and Matt Cardona. Cody and Matt got the spotlight that week, but one could not help but be impressed with the performances of Silver and Reynolds, who were still working for AEW under part-time contracts at that time.

The primary reason they were signed as full-time talents was that Brodie Lee was paying attention to the match, and immediately after he told AEW executives that they should consider signing those two guys (it has clearly worked so far). John Silver is often overlooked for his lack of height, but he is a fireball in the ring. What makes him so unique is that his character is somewhat of a heel during his backstage promos, but when he is performing he does it with such a palpable level of passion that it comes across as more of a babyface character, so he is therefore teetering on the edge of the face – heel dynamic (this is almost commonplace nowadays because there is such a grey area).

Silver, the 29-year-old, was quoted saying that he wanted to pay tribute to The Exalted One (who made The Dark Order into a legitimate group single-handedly because they did not have much momentum prior to Lee’s debut on March 18) on the December 30 in addition of Dynamite by becoming a workhorse for this particular match and hopefully sustaining that style every week.

RIP Jon – your contribution to the world of professional wrestling will always be remembered!