Reigns accepts his surprise win on Monday night./Credit: wwe.com
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ost of the time, my articles have a definite point and are about one specific topic. It’s been a busy week for WWE, and a few things have been rolling around in my mind. So with that said, let’s get into it and address the hot topics of the week.
The Superstar of the Year
The downside to any superstar getting a mega push, be it organic or orchestrated, is that the moment it starts, the IWC lets their supposed rage and armchair expertise flow forth. Really, they’re the hipsters of wrestling and they’re everywhere. The reaction to Roman Reigns winning the Slammy for Superstar of the Year over Daniel Bryan is a prime example; everyone is outraged as Bryan’s Cinderella story was obviously overlooked and despite being out on injury when he was just starting to get into his singles run, Reigns is poised to get a mega push, despite the possibility of not being ready for it. Winning that “coveted” little trophy is proof.
I’m alongside the fans in this. I don’t think Roman should have won. He’s had a banner year, to be sure. But Daniel Bryan was far more deserving; his story was unlike one we’ve ever seen and most likely will never see again. However, I think everyone’s missing the real point and message behind Roman’s win. It’s not that he’s about to get the mega push and be the next franchise player. It’s that at this point, the chances that Daniel Bryan will be coming back are very slim, possibly none. They’re trying not to get the fans hopes up. I guarantee they knew that this outcome was going to cause the havoc in the fan base, and they were right. But what’s worse: having someone who isn’t ready win an award? Or having someone who is more deserving win it and plant the idea of a return in the fans minds, only to be forced to come up short? We all know that the latter is true, the fans would have read too much into the win, no matter what. It’s about choosing the lesser of the two evils.
Charlotte vs. Natalya and the insult to our intelligence
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how, in an effort to promote NXT: R Evolution, they should call up a few of the NXT Divas in a showcase match. It had gone over well the previous two times they did, and the WWE Divas division needs the shakeup. WWE did just that, but not in the way that we expected.
They brought up Charlotte, who is set to face Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship tonight. They put her up against Natalya, of whom Charlotte wrestled in May for that belt as part of a tourney. We were all excited; that match was easily one of the best matches of the year and a prime example of how good Divas can really be when allowed to actually wrestle. What we got was a travesty: 2 ½ minutes and a pin by Natalya via the weakest rollup I have ever witnessed. Even Charlotte had a look on her face that screamed, “What the hell just happened?” We’re right there with you, girl.
Now, I’m not saying that Charlotte should have won. It would have been ideal, so she looked strong going into tonight’s event. Conversely, if Natalya absolutely had to go over, that’s understandable. But they could have made it look like foreshadowing (since most likely Sasha Banks will win tonight), and at least have let Charlotte bring the fight to her.
The point is that this was not only a piss poor promotion for NXT, but indicative of the attitude towards the main roster Divas division as a whole. These two women are second and third generation stars, talent who have wrestling royalty running in their veins. (Natalya being a Hart, Charlotte being the daughter of Ric Flair.) Natalya has always been a tremendous talent that’s oft overlooked, and Charlotte is a freak of nature with her skills. But with most Divas matches that aren’t in NXT, they were treated like filler and not given the chance to wow the crowd. Someone, or a few people backstage, simply still do not care, when they should care. They want us to care about their Divas division, but they need to lead by example. Show us why we should care for any Diva that’s not A.J. or Paige.
Sami Zayn taking center stage
The most talked about match going into NXT: R Evolution tonight has to be Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville, with the stipulation that if Sami looses, he’s quitting NXT. We were already captivated by who is actually going to be in the match. This sort of dire situation just leaves everyone guessing and ensures the butts will be in the seats (so to speak) tonight.
At first, I thought Sami’s win was a given. He’s earned that belt and should be given a run with it to test his chops as a champion. Neville will get called up to the main roster, but they’re most likely gonna hold off by having rematches and starting an angle where Neville is willing to go to any lengths to get his coveted gold back, emphasize a heel turn, if you will, more so than when he supposedly “turned” a few weeks ago. I honestly thought Neville’s time was finally coming.
However, reports over the past few weeks have stated that they’ve been bringing Zayn in to work dark matches during WWE shows, and the recent European tour featured the two battling it out at a few UK shows. There have been rumors running around for months, with them heating up recently, that the bunny in Adam Rose’s entourage is actually Sami. All that said, do not be surprised if Sami loses and we see him on the main roster in a couple months. All signs point to it. Where he goes from there, I don’t know. Obviously, a successful run in the midcard is in the works. I can see him dominating much in the way Dolph Ziggler has. If he is the bunny, than it seems like his first feud will be with Rose, and given that they’ve been slowly hinting that Rose is going to go heel, this could make for an interesting feud. Zayn has the chops and Rose is much more brutal in the ring when he’s not gallivanting around and being happy-go-lucky. I’m iffy, but let’s remain optimistic.
After all, it’s Sami Zayn and regardless of if it’s in NXT or WWE, he’s about to get his time to shine.
