It’s Friday, slow day here at work, an off week for Ole Miss, and I enjoy talking about wrestling so I wanted to strike up a conversation with the wrestling fans on the board b/c it’s been quite the newsworthy week for WWE on multiple fronts. Instead of just stating the various topics, I’m going to break down each one to give some context for those who may not fully know the backstory, and hopefully to convey a good discussion. Just to get this out of the way, yes, I know pro wrestling is scripted but I find it highly entertaining, which is more than I can say for Ole Miss football, so leave me be haha.
1. Crown Jewel- WWE officially announced yesterday that it would move forward as scheduled with Crown Jewel taking place in Saudi Arabia on November 2nd. The event has been a major topic of discussion since the news came out about the Saudi Arabian government‘s potential involvement in the death of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2nd. Despite major pushback from the media, its fans, and even some of its employees to either cancel or move and delay the event, WWE has decided to remain put with the event which is part of a 10 event, multimillion dollar deal with Saudi Arabia. As expected, the decision has been heavily scrutinized. I know it’s been confirmed that John Cena has refused to go, who has been advertised to participate in the “WWE World Cup” tournament during the show, and heavily rumored that Daniel Bryan has refused to go, who is scheduled to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. What is your stance on Crown Jewel? Do you think it should have been canceled/moved, or do you agree with WWE’s decision? Do you plan on watching it, which will take place in the middle of the day next Friday, and what is your opinion on the card itself?
2. Roman Reigns- WWE and really pro wrestling as a whole was a dealt huge blow this week when Roman Reigns announced that he would be having to step away from wrestling b/c he had been diagnosed with leukemia, 11 years after beating it for the first time. I’m 27, have been watching wrestling my whole life, and I don’t think I’ve ever been as floored as I was Monday night. It took me a good hour or so before I could back invested into the show. I think this may be the first time that I can remember that the #1 guy in WWE was having to put his career on pause to go fight for his life. Reigns, real name Joe Anoai, former All-American DT at Georgia Tech, has been a polarizing figure for the company for a few years now mostly b/c it became the cool thing to do to boo him despite the company trying to push him as the #1 babyface (good guy) and actually being really good in the ring. What were your reactions to the announcement, and how did you feel about the WWE piggybacking off of that to turn Dean Ambrose into a heel (bad guy)?
3. Evolution- The first all women PPV is this Sunday. What are your general feelings going into the show? Dave Meltzer tweeted yesterday that Vince didn’t view Evolution as a major show. I feel the build, or lack thereof, would resemble that feeling b/c this show has been mostly built around three matches. I think Becky Lynch vs Charlotte has the best story going in the company right now, and the last woman standing match going to steal the show in my opinion. Ronda Rousey/Nikki Bella has picked up steam in the last couple weeks thru their promos, and the tag match of Trish Stratus and Lita vs Alexa Bliss and Mickey James is now in the air b/c Alexa suffered a concussion on a house show last weekend. Everything else on the show has just been thrown together for the most part but I’m looking forward to the show and hoping it goes well.
1. Crown Jewel- WWE officially announced yesterday that it would move forward as scheduled with Crown Jewel taking place in Saudi Arabia on November 2nd. The event has been a major topic of discussion since the news came out about the Saudi Arabian government‘s potential involvement in the death of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2nd. Despite major pushback from the media, its fans, and even some of its employees to either cancel or move and delay the event, WWE has decided to remain put with the event which is part of a 10 event, multimillion dollar deal with Saudi Arabia. As expected, the decision has been heavily scrutinized. I know it’s been confirmed that John Cena has refused to go, who has been advertised to participate in the “WWE World Cup” tournament during the show, and heavily rumored that Daniel Bryan has refused to go, who is scheduled to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. What is your stance on Crown Jewel? Do you think it should have been canceled/moved, or do you agree with WWE’s decision? Do you plan on watching it, which will take place in the middle of the day next Friday, and what is your opinion on the card itself?
2. Roman Reigns- WWE and really pro wrestling as a whole was a dealt huge blow this week when Roman Reigns announced that he would be having to step away from wrestling b/c he had been diagnosed with leukemia, 11 years after beating it for the first time. I’m 27, have been watching wrestling my whole life, and I don’t think I’ve ever been as floored as I was Monday night. It took me a good hour or so before I could back invested into the show. I think this may be the first time that I can remember that the #1 guy in WWE was having to put his career on pause to go fight for his life. Reigns, real name Joe Anoai, former All-American DT at Georgia Tech, has been a polarizing figure for the company for a few years now mostly b/c it became the cool thing to do to boo him despite the company trying to push him as the #1 babyface (good guy) and actually being really good in the ring. What were your reactions to the announcement, and how did you feel about the WWE piggybacking off of that to turn Dean Ambrose into a heel (bad guy)?
3. Evolution- The first all women PPV is this Sunday. What are your general feelings going into the show? Dave Meltzer tweeted yesterday that Vince didn’t view Evolution as a major show. I feel the build, or lack thereof, would resemble that feeling b/c this show has been mostly built around three matches. I think Becky Lynch vs Charlotte has the best story going in the company right now, and the last woman standing match going to steal the show in my opinion. Ronda Rousey/Nikki Bella has picked up steam in the last couple weeks thru their promos, and the tag match of Trish Stratus and Lita vs Alexa Bliss and Mickey James is now in the air b/c Alexa suffered a concussion on a house show last weekend. Everything else on the show has just been thrown together for the most part but I’m looking forward to the show and hoping it goes well.
