I think that the one thing any wrestling fan won’t argue is that the best part of wrestling is arguing. With so much going on in the world of WWE at the moment, Prince and Spencer sat down and went over a few controversial topics in the WWE.
#1 - Does NXT need a mid-card title?
Prince - No. Let’s not forget what NXT is - a developmental show. It’s also viewed as the third brand of WWE, and that’s fair due to its high in-ring quality and interesting characters. However, there are a lot of performers who don’t really have any story lines and are not really over with the crowd. In other words, they’re not as popular as some of the main acts. A mid card title wouldn’t really work as I doubt it would be put on home-grown talent. Instead, the title will placed on performers that fans are already familiar with. In my opinion, that doesn’t help the performers in the developing stages. Keep the NXT championship as the sole male title, as it continues to remain prestigious and important, and whoever is holding it is considered upper echelon talent who will eventually be called up.
Spencer - Absolutely! While I understand the hesitation given how the United States and Intercontinental Championships have been handled, it could be a great thing for NXT. While the third brand does an excellent job maintaining it’s rosters current stories, a second championship would give a clear direction to the wrestlers who aren’t “quite there” yet; think of what a title feud could do for wrestlers like Lars Sullivan, Kassius Ohno, or Oney Lorcan. Perhaps the smartest thing WWE could do is to introduce the U.K Championship as NXT’s secondary title; with no need to create another belt, it would give a directionless division some life, and give the WWE Universe a full-fledged taste of Pete Dunne - someone I consider to be one of the best wrestlers in the world. Given, there’s a ton of potential for it to go completely wrong, but I think it would be worth the risk.
#2 - Is “Woken” Matt Hardy working?
Prince - Not really. I am a fan of the gimmick and I am a fan of Matt Hardy, but the gimmick just isn’t working. Not yet at least. I have hope for the gimmick but Matt’s current feud with Bray is just a throwaway. I mean they built it for weeks with numerous laughing segments only for Wyatt to go over Matt in a short and mediocre match at RAW 25? I’m just gonna forget that match happened, but lets continue to see where this feud goes. I think Jeff Hardy returning as “Brother Nero” will help this gimmick tremendously.
Spencer - Absolutely! While there’s understandably some fans that are upset with how he’s been rolled out, he’s one of the most popular attractions on RAW. Remember, his original run in TNA wasn’t a short-term storyline by any means; WWE still has to work to get casual fans to buy in. However, it goes without saying he has some of the best theme music on RAW. He’s somehow managed to make Bray Wyatt fans forget about the horrid Finn Balor feud, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Most importantly, “DELETE” chants are already the loudest part of Monday Nights, and it’s only going to get better as the rest of House Hardy joins him.
#3 - Was Ronda Rousey debuted properly?
Prince - Yes! There were a lot of rumors that she would debut at #30 in the first ever woman’s Royal Rumble match, and I’m so happy that didn’t happen. Having her come out after the Rumble was smart. For one, it protects her in - ring ability. Secondly, it doesn’t take a spot away from the female WWE superstars. Yet, it still made enough buzz for people to talk about it. I don’t think it overshadowed Asuka’s win one bit, compared to if Rousey entered the Rumble. I am sad that WWE didn’t capitalize her debut the following night on RAW, but I think her debut was just fine.
Spencer - Absolutely not! While I appreciate not having her in the Royal Rumble, I still feel as though she took away from the match itself. It may have been overhyped by WWE, but the women truly were making history on the 28th, and it feels as though it’s a bit of an afterthought following Rousey’s debut. I think that if she were to have even waited until Monday Night RAW to debut, it would have brought more eyes to the product, and would have given the women on Sunday a much bigger spotlight. I spoke a little bit about it in my debut edition of the Over the Top Rope podcast - while I’m stoked she’s here, I wasn’t thrilled with her debut.
WWE: Last Five
- Over the Top Rope: Episode One
- NXT Tapings: February 1st (SPOILERS)
- Prince’s Thoughts: The Best Triple Threat of All Time
- NXT Preview and Predictions: January 31
- Smackdown Live Preview: January 30
