Superstar Sagas

Ivar of the Viking Raiders underwent neck surgery earlier this week in Birmingham, Alabama and is expected to return to WWE within approximately one year. Unfortunately, this sort of injury is extremely common in the professional wrestling industry. A couple of notable superstars who have had the surgery at least once are Daniel Bryan (who is currently away from WWE to care for his second newborn child) and Tommaso Ciampa.

Here is what SportsKeeda had to say about the situation:

“How will Ivar’s absence impact WWE programming?

For one, WWE will have to start finding ways to utilize Erik as a singles star. Erik hasn’t been a singles star in a long time and hasn’t been so once during his WWE run. While it may turn out to be a golden opportunity for him, it could work the other way, where WWE simply decides not to utilize him because they only see him as a tag team player.

Perhaps that approach wouldn’t have been bad if Ivar was only out for 2-3 months, but that isn’t the case. Ivar could be out for a year and by the time he’s back, the landscape of WWE and the tag team division may change entirely.” (Source: SportsKeeda)

Let’s say a prayer that Ivar’s recovery goes smoothly and quickly, and that his partner Erik continues to be used on Monday Night Raw (as he was on September 14 in a quick loss to the CEO of The Hurt Business Bobby Lashley). The Viking Raiders are former Raw Tag Team Champions, so this accolade should be enough to keep Erik relevant in some sort of WWE storyline.

The tag team AOP has officially been released from WWE. This was most likely partially due to the fact that one of the members – Rezar – suffered a major injury, and the team had been out for so long because Rezar was rehabbing his injury. This was unfortunate timing because AOP’s release coincided with Rezar fully recovering from his injury. He and Akam were set to return at SummerSlam and receive a sizable push by forming a rivalry with The Street Profits in the following months.

There is a small chance that Roman Reigns will make his WWE return after SummerSlam 2020. He has not directly said anything about this, but it’s highly feasible to see his return to WWE before the end of the year.

With that being said, there are several potential feuds The Big Dog could sink his teeth into once he does get back into the ring.

• Bray Wyatt/The Fiend – This may be the most likely rivalry for Reigns to get involved in immediately upon returning. Wyatt is already on SmackDown (the brand The Big Dog was performing on before he began his hiatus from WWE starting just a couple weeks before WrestleMania 36), and The Fiend will most likely be winning the Universal Championship from Braun Strowman at SummerSlam 2020. It makes the most sense on paper to throw Reigns right into a title feud when he returns – because he is such a massive star.

On the other hand, Reigns could start into a non-title program with:

1. Braun Strowman – The Monster Among Men is also already on SmackDown. This option would have a significant amount of depth because these two men have so much previous history together (most notably their long-term rivalry in 2017 which lasted for roughly 6 months). There is a very feasible way this new chapter in the Reigns – Strowman saga could take place as a long-term story lasting several months either immediately when The Big Dog returns to WWE right before he enters into a title feud with The Fiend, or it could take place after Reigns wins the Universal Championship – in which case it would be a title feud (either way The Big Dog will probably win the Universal Championship from Wyatt after a long-term program in order to protect the reputation of The Fiend as a menacing presence. As yet another possibility on SmackDown, Reigns could engage in a rivalry with:
2. Daniel Bryan – this could be for the Universal Championship or not – it doesn’t matter that much. These two men have tagged together a few times since their Pay-Per-View singles match at Fastlane 2015. For the most part, they have largely stayed out of each other’s business. They are definitely two of the top four or five workers in the entire WWE – maybe even the top two. A long-term storyline between them would be money. This might happen, however, a year or two down the road – for now, the priority will be the Universal Title.
3. There is a possibility that WWE could shift its plans by having Reigns return to Monday Night Raw – in this case, he would almost certainly begin a rivalry with whoever the WWE Champion is – either Drew McIntyre or Randy Orton. Again The Big Dog has a little history with both men, but not as much as someone might think. Orton has been doing some of the best work of his career, while McIntyre has gained much respect after defeating Brock Lesnar at Mania 36 for the WWE Title – and Randy Orton could propel his career to the next level.

Kairi Sane has officially wrapped up her tenure with WWE at least for now – primarily because she would like to return to Japan to be with her husband – which is totally understandable. The only thing that is somewhat disappointing about this is that she appeared to be hitting her stride in the ring. She had a victory over Bayley on the July 20 Raw episode and is expected to make her final appearance on the July 27 Raw event – because WWE taped two episodes on July 20. A reason for Sane’s departure will likely be given, and she might even put over another superstar because that is customary for superstars who are leaving the company.

Arn Anderson, who is currently working in AEW as Cody’s head coach, recently gave his two cents on why Roman Reigns is still booed by the WWE universe to a degree (it has gotten a lot better in the last year since he returned from his recent battle with leukemia. It’s obviously not a problem right now because he is still on hiatus due to concerns over the current pandemic – which I fully support by the way). Arn feels that the WWE universe is confused because Roman is climbing in the on-screen role of a tweener character that is not fully heal or face, so the audience just boos him as a default because his character doesn’t feel authentic. Anderson also claims Roman has a movie-star look which insights at least a hint of jealousy.

AA’s suggestion would be for WWE to book Reigns as either a pure babyface or a pure ass-kicking heel. The latter of these two was the way Stone Cold Steve Austin was booked in 1996. The only reason he became a face as time went on is that the audience could sense that the character was right in line with Steve’s personality and was uniquely authentic to him. Maybe WWE could consider trying this same gimmick with Roman Reigns upon his return to WWE.

The reason why this suggestion could possibly be considered is that Anderson has almost 40 years of experience working in professional wrestling – and nearly 20 years working as a producer for WWE. However, one reason why it might not be considered is that maybe this tweener character walking the tight rope between face and heal is what is most authentic to Roman, and if so (which is very possible since he has done this for about six years since The Shield broke up) it has to be admired that he has talked to the integrity of his character so vehemently. I admire him greatly for his level-headed mindset and never being bothered that much by criticism – at least he doesn’t show it. As a fan, I am just missing the presence of Roman Reigns and am excited for him to return to WWE programming – whether that’s in a couple months or in six weeks. I don’t really care how he is presented to the WWE universe upon his return, just throwing out suggestions and thinking out loud.

The Undertaker seems at peace with the way his career wrapped up after battling with this for about 10 years. He deserved this satisfaction after such a legendary career in which he endured so many injuries to entertain the WWE universe. The Undertaker is without a doubt the greatest character in WWE history. In theory he could have retired 15 years ago – he was so respected that no one would have complained. However, he is such a legendary figure in WWE that he of all people deserved to retire in a headspace where he was very satiated with the way his career ended.

Ironically, this also happened exactly a decade after The Undertaker wrestled Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26 and retired him. The reason this is so ironic is because The Undertaker was searching – for a decade – for the same level of clarity when it came to his career that Shawn Michaels had with the way his career ended. After a decade Mark Calaway has reached a peaceful state of mind and is comfortable hanging up the boots – that is indeed a satisfying state to hold after an extremely successful 30-year career.

This seems like a fitting time to chronicle The Phenom’s career after he has achieved peace and clarity (ironically enough he finally got the clarity he was looking for when he stopped looking so hard for it.)

Calaway first began his career in 1987 at the Dallas Sportatorium working for WCW and was originally managed by the man who would eventually become Paul Bearer in WWE. These two men developed a working relationship very early. His time in WCW was crucial because that is where Ole Anderson told him in 1990 that no one would ever legitimately pay their hard-earned money to see him perform. This was a crucial turning point for Calaway. When he received this advice, he had two options – 1) react by doubling down on whatever his current gimmick was, or 2) respond by listening and taking in the criticism – analyzing it to see what parts of it are true if any and using it for self-reflection.

He obviously decided to go with the second option, and subsequently became a legend by committing to his character more than anyone has ever done. He listened to the criticism he received and used it to fuel his passion – similar to what Lamar Jackson is currently doing in the NFL.

Calawy made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 1990 and defeated mostly jobbers until his first rivalry that meant anything – defeating Jimmy “Supefly” Snuka at WrestleMania 7 in 1991, following that with a WWE championship victory over Hulk Hogan later that same year.

The Undertaker’s most difficult opponent was arguably Giant Gonzales in 1993 because Gonzalez was so physically limited it was a guessing game every night to figure out how much or how little Gonzalez could do. The Undertaker has openly said that working with that particular opponent probably took years off his career (it still lasted a very long time, so I have no complaints about that).

The Undertaker did not win the WWE championship again until WrestleMania 13 when he defeated Sycho Sid. Taker’s most memorable feuds between 1991 – 1997 were probably with Mankind in 1996 – with the Boiler Room Brawl at SummerSlam 1996, the Buried Alive match at in Your House 11: Buried Alive, in the match at Survivor Series 1996 with Paul Bearer suspended above the ring in a steel cage.

As WWE champion in 1997, The Undertaker subsequently entered an elaborate storyline surrounding his half-brother Kane (who Taker thought was his biological brother for their entire lives). As it turns out, The Undertaker’s mother had an affair with Paul Bearer and Kane was born. This is all in storyline of course, but this takes a lot of creativity to make this storyline work.

After Shawn Michaels cost Taker the WWE championship at SummerSlam 1997, The Deadman challenged Michaels to the first-ever Hell in a Cell match at Badd Blood: In Your House. Michaels’ primary job in this match was to sell and make The Undertaker look dominant. The Undertaker needed to tell the bulk of his story with Kane with facial expressions – because Kane finally made his debut with WWE which universe had anticipated for months.

The Undertaker refused to fight his brother for about six months until the story culminated with a match at WresttleMania 14 between he and Kane. Undertaker got the victory in an excellent match, and subsequently lit his brother’s arm on fire about a month later in the first Inferno Match in WWE history. Also, I would be remiss not to mention the Hell in a Cell match with Mankind in 1998.

Undertaker was slightly inhibited physically after his first hip replacement in 1999 – which coincided with his Ministry of Darkness gimmick.

Undertaker adapted his character to the times in 2000 in which wrestling characters were trending more towards being based more on the real personalities of the performers. Calaway introduced The American Bad Ass, which is essentially his real-life personality with the volume turned up.

Taker would then to pivot his character and become Big Evil for the next couple years. He won a WWE championship and even challenged – and defeated – Ric Flair at ‘Mania in 2002.

The Undertaker made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 20 in March 2004 as the Deadman in a match against Kane after The Big Red Machine buried the Big Evil persona of The Undertaker alive at Survivor Series 2003 (Undertaker defeated Kane at ‘Mania 20 as part of the streak. After this victory the streak expanded to 12 – 0, becoming more and more legendary each year).

Undertaker would then get into his groove as a performer – by defeating the likes of Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Batista at Wrestlemania 23 and Edge at WrestleMania 24 (both for the World Heavyweight Championship). However, his greatest accomplishments might have come in 2009 – 12 at WrestleMania when he faced Shawn Michaels two years in a row (including retiring HBK in 2010), immediately followed by two consecutive years of excellent matches with Triple H (I attended WrestleMania XXVIII myself in Miami, Florida).

Undertaker’s most underrated (or at least one of the most underrated) ‘Mania matches was in MetLife Stadium in 2013 against CM Punk. In all likelihood it’s probably because there is a stigma surrounding Punk to a certain degree. He and Vince McMahon ended their relationship in 2014 on unsteady terms – and the two sides have had difficulties finding common ground ever since. Nonetheless, in that match Undertaker extended his undefeated streak at ‘Mania to 21 – 0.

Who can forget the night Brock Lesnar ended the streak at WrestleMania XXX? This was by far the most meaningful accomplishment Lesnar has ever had in WWE, and it was extremely unselfish of The Undertaker to put The Beast over to ensure the longevity of the business. Not to mention that Taker proved his toughness (as if he hadn’t already) by wrestling a good chunk of the match with a severe concussion. He detailed in the WWE Network documentary that aired recently that he does not remember any of the match. Taker completely lost his confidence in the ability of his body after this and spent the next few years trying to get it back. The low point for him came in 2017 at WrestleMania 33 against Roman Reigns, who was a young stud at the time.

Fortunately, The Undertaker had surgery for some nagging injuries and felt much better. The Deadman had a fantastic match with John Cena at WrestleMania 34 in 2018, but he (and probably the entire WWE universe) would have liked for The Undertaker to have been tested a little more to see if he was still capable of putting on a 30-minute classic match.

The Undertaker was legitimately okay with the idea of not being on the WrestleMania 35 card in 2019 until the show actually started and he got the feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him that he should be out there. Unfortunately, Undertaker had to live with this misstep. Taker had his next match at Extreme Rules in July 2019 in a tag team match. This was a great night because the match exceeded Mark Calaway’s expectations. Actually, a month before that in Saudi Arabia, a bad day at the office happened for Taker and Goldberg, but the most important part is how satisfied Taker was after the Extreme Rules tag match.

Undertaker was then approached by AJ Styles about working a ‘Mania match in 2020. Taker agreed because he saw AJ in the same light as Shawn Michaels. As a result of the pandemic stuff, the two men did not get the opportunity to deliver a classic wrestling match that they both envisioned. The Boneyard match, which was shot like a movie, worked out about as well as it could have. Most importantly, The Undertaker was satisfied with the way the match was put together. To summarize: Mark Calaway can now retire with mental clarity.

While WWE is succeeding in just about every way possible in the company’s efforts to get Drew McIntyre over and make him look like a credible challenger to Brock Lesnar, the same cannot be said for Roman Reigns. Unfortunately, the company is still having trouble adequately getting The Big Dog over as their top babyface. On the March 13 edition of SmackDown, the company focused on Roman getting another major title match in WWE rather than building his animosity with the champion Goldberg.

Instead, Goldberg has appeared on The Bump on the WWE Network recently and explained openly how much he admires Reigns and has no negative feelings towards him whatsoever. It’s great that they respect and admire each other so much, but this does not build any sort of tension between the two superstars to make fans interested in their Mania clash. The WWE universe, however, will still be very interested in this match simply because of how big of superstars Reigns and Goldberg are, so it might not matter. There might not need to be any more build for this.

Goldberg simply looks to squash opponents and is not big on storytelling. It might prove to be enough of a story that he can still give a somewhat decent performance at his advanced age – 53 years old. However, I have to say that I am still looking more forward to Drew McIntyre almost certainly taking the WWE Title from Brock Lesnar.

The Beast has displayed his respect for the hierarchy within WWE by being extremely unselfish and doing everything possible to put McIntyre in position for success as the WWE Champion post-WrestleMania and in the months ahead (I imagine McIntyre will have a pretty long first run with the WWE Championship).

JBL was one of the greatest heels of all time because there was absolutely nothing redeemable about his character. I would call him a prototype of King Corbin, because the same is true with him. The most significant thing JBL did during his tenure with WWE was to successfully put over John Cena as the face of WWE for the next decade plus. This was in large part due to the contribution of JBL. He has absolutely earned this honor.

The Viper is a master of playing the role of a deranged sociopath and giving the WWE universe enough content to emotionally connect with for a week but not too much as to where they can’t digest it. Orton’s rivalry with Edge may have begun over a month ago, but The Apex Predator has done a brilliant job of spacing out the events leading up to their eventual match which will come to fruition at WrestleMania. The WWE universe is still very engaged with the rivalry and is clamoring every week to find out what happens next. Somehow, it still feels like the feud just started. That means fans are interested in what is happening, which is the entire point of sports entertainment

Samoa Joe has reportedly been suspended 30 days due to a wellness policy violation on top of the head injury he suffered while filming a WWE commercial. Joe is now the third superstar to violate the wellness policy in about three months. However, WWE may be simply giving Joe a slap on the wrist, because if they were serious about this punishment they would have waited until he is healed from his injury to begin his suspension. The company, however, is not doing this – they most likely want to give the Samoan Submission Machine the opportunity to compete at WrestleMania. He has already missed the biggest show of the year three of the four years he has been on the main roster.

Joe has had an incredibly messy few months with untimely injuries piling up and now a wellness policy violation – his first offense (no one has violated more than one). Nonetheless, Mr. McMahon will have the option of including on the Mania card if he so chooses. Samoa Joe is eligible to return to WWE later this month, which gives him a little time to build interest for a match on April 5 in Tampa Bay.