by Andrew on Sat Apr 16, 2022 3:00 pm
A lot has changed since this topic was last bumped! I'm going to bump it again though, since the main wrestling subreddits are poorly-moderated toxic dumpster fires, radiating neckbeard energy. Anyway...
So, The IIconics both got released last April. I was pretty bummed at the time, though they'd already messed things up by splitting them up unnecessarily. It's been great to see them reform as The IInspiration, and have a run with the Knockouts tag titles in IMPACT. Indeed, that's given me another US promotion to watch, and I like some of the other wrestlers in that company as well, so it's been fun to get into. I'm glad they've been able to land on their feet, and branch out into some other projects, like their podcast. They're not for everyone, I know, but I really enjoy them.
Although I was down on WWE for a while after that, I've kept up with it. Wrestlemania 38 was a tremendous show! Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair was a great match, a fitting finale for a well-told story. Everyone was up in arms after Bianca lost so quickly at SummerSlam last year, but there was a method to the madness, and it paid off big time (no pun intended). Cody Rhodes' return felt like a big deal, and his match with Seth Rollins was awesome as well. Stone Cold returning for one last match topped things off. No, it won't please the workrate-obsessed smarks, but I enjoyed it. Hats off to Austin for taking some bumps on the outside, and to Kevin Owens for playing his role as the smug heel who gets his comeuppance after disrespecting an all-time great.
I'm actually intrigued by the Ezekiel/Elias storyline. Once again, KO is playing his role perfectly, and they've got a chance to do something fun there. I think the Elias gimmick had run its course, so even if this idea fizzles, it was worth trying something new.
I have mixed feelings about Roman Reigns these days. I'm not a fan of the "final boss" booking in WWE that has been passed from Brock Lesnar to Reigns. I believe that the show is more entertaining when there are a few viable contenders, and the top dog still has worthy opponents. However, it's at least leaned into the negative reactions to Reigns, and they're not trying to sell us on the idea that this big badass of a man is a plucky underdog. It's getting a bit stale for me and again, I do prefer when the top champion has rivals that are presented as his equals, but the reactions are right if nothing else.
On the Aussie scene, I'm still following my hometown promotion Newy Pro, and PWA down in Sydney. There's a lot of talent on our scene, and its produced a couple of people who are now over in NXT (Persia Pirotta and Grayson Waller). It's always a great vibe and an entertaining show when I'm able to attend, so I expect now that everything's kind of back to normal with events and whatnot, I'll be attending a few more shows this year.