Therapy
Tonal changes in stories is often tricky depending on the writer/director. Think of comedic relief in a deadly serious horror flick or the all of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Or a Roger Moore-era James Bond flick. It’s a high wire act that can make or break a story.
Which brings me to AJ Lee.
AJ, at her core, is a playful character
from a bygone era. She can be serious on the mic but she’s usually very meta, self-deprecating, and light. She skips to the ring but she’s not for playing with in that ring, as exhibited on the last SmackDown. But based on her promo this week, AJ’s added some levity to what was a very serious rivalry, and I’m not entirely feeling it.
As a reminder, Becky not only cost CM Punk a championship, but she did so by playing dirty. The Man then disrespected Punk standing across from him in the ring, but not before reminding him that his existence reminds her of apathy. This was all before she smacked him multiple times and dared him to do something about it. When AJ took the mic in Milwaukee, the emotional weight layered on top of this story suddenly lifted. Yes, AJ took umbrage with Becky slapping her husband around, but she also reintroduced herself in her usual lighthearted way. She shouted out the Millennial parents who went crazy when she returned, and said hi to their kids. She told everyone she’s their favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler, while posing with a smile. And she talked about her therapy journey, which I appreciated since part of her character was that she was a “crazy chick.” And I’m saluting any time a crowd cheers for mental health.
But it took the tension out of the story. Even when Becky & Seth Rollins eventually showed up, they came off as cartoonish villains twirling mustaches than complex characters. They played off AJ, so that made sense. And Seth, the guy who is usually steps ahead of his opponent, somehow didn’t see the CM Punk surprise coming from many miles away.
We got to the lovely forgone conclusion: AJ & Punk vs. Becky & Seth at Wrestlepalooza. I’m still looking forward to the match but this step in the story was a regression for me because I thought Becky and Punk were brilliant last week. More to the point, they established a tone that I hoped to maintain going forward. AJ’s presence doesn’t mean we can’t get back to that, but the vibe is different now.
B-Sides
Changes
Raw kicked off with The Usos formally announcing they’re back together and they have a match with the Bron Boys at Wrestlepalooza. Awesome. Jimmy Uso called Paul E. Heyman “the Orca” and Jey Uso said “he’s shaped like one.” Hilarious. Mean but hilarious. But things got interesting when LA Knight showed up.
I got some Stone Cold Steve Austin vibes from LA here. It was a nice bit of chaos from what felt like a formulaic segment. Through all that commotion, LA almost hit Jey. He didn’t, but he did move when a Bronson Reed Splash came his way, meaning it hit Jey instead.
Jey, like Michael Jordan, took that personally.
And this is where I really took notice. The last time we saw Roman Reigns, yes he gave Jey that advice, but he was a changed man. He was more selfless and sacrificing. And instead of just talking about holding down his family, he walked it like he talked it. Roman sounded and acted more like Jey while Jey is sounding and acting more like the old Tribal Chief.
At the end of this week’s main event featuring the aforementioned Los Angeles and Big Bronson, Bronson & Bron Breakker went to work on LA. Jimmy had his back but even that wasn’t enough. Jey, who everyone thought bounced, showed up with fire in his eyes. That still wasn’t enough to even the odds, which led to LA grabbing a chair and doing his best Aaron Judge impression. Unlike earlier where Jey wondered about LA’s intentions, it was clear that he saved The Usos. And yet, Jey still speared him.
After the save, after LA made peace with Jimmy, and looked ready to do the same with Jey, the former World Heavyweight Champion still put the man on his back. That’s an old Roman move if ever I saw one.
If all goes according to plan, Roman shouldn’t be off television that long. I really hope there’s juxtaposition between these two. Can Jey play the ruthless kingpin? It will call for him to do more on the mic but I think he can handle it. It would be the most interesting Bloodline-related development since the day Solo Sikoa took over.
And that feels like eons ago.
Album Cuts
- Dos Americanos! Another El Grande Americano showed up during El Grande’s match with AJ Styles. Before getting to that, the match itself was very satisfying. AJ and Ludwig work really well together, and I’m happy the extra Grande on the outside of the ring didn’t get too involved. We’ll get to why in a bit. I especially liked the ending exchange between El Grande and AJ that involved several reverses that AJ turned into a Styles Clash for the W. AJ is really hot right now and I wish that culminated in a title run for him. Alas.
- That ending was only possible because Dragon Lee made sure Dos Americano didn’t interfere at the last minute. This is seemingly setting up a tag match. Also, I’m clearly having a slow moment so I’m not sure who is the second masked man. Pete Dunne?
- Rusev wants an Intercontinental Championship shot. Penta wants an Intercontinental Championship shot. Especially because he believes Dirty Dom is a “pendejo.” When two people want the same thing in professional graps, they usually fight it out. That’s exactly what happened this week. The one thing Penta didn’t count on while wrestling the man formerly known as The Redeemer was New Day and Big G. They distracted him one too many times, which left the door wide open for Rusev to finish Penta with a powerful Machka Kick. This was a nice way keep Rusev’s momentum and create more animosity between Penta and New Day. He may have zero fear but he’s got three guys who will make sure he has zero titles so long as they’re around.
- I’m really digging Raquel Rodriguez in the ring. I know, I know, she’s very vocal about getting tips and tricks from Big Sexy. But it’s one thing to take those tips; it’s another thing entirely to put them into action. She wrestled Lyra Valkyria this week and looked really impressive. Lyra did too, but that’s nothing new for her. This was a well laid out match built around Lyra essentially fighting two people (Roxanne Perez, of course) and Raquel working Lyra’s back. Those two things collided in the third act after Lyra’s back kept giving out on her, which limited her offense, and when she finally had enough of Roxanne. She took her eyes off Raquel to deal with Roxy, which Big Mami Cool used to her advantage, if only briefly, through more blows to Lyra’s back. Lyra recovered and went to the top rope, but, once again, that back couldn’t support her. Lyra took so much time balancing herself on the top that it gave Raquel just enough time to come with a Tejana Bomb. Dope match with the right ending because Lyra has much more serious problems than Judgment Day…
- Bayley is still hearing voices and wants to make things right with Lyra. I really want to see how they execute this because I still think it has potential.
- No Stephanie Vaquer this week, but plenty of action happening between Asuka, IYO SKY, and anyone who dare speak to IYO. This week it was Nikki Bella. Nikki lost their match but since Asuka can’t let anything go, she clowned Nikki afterwards. That brought Rhea Ripley into the picture, which makes me think we’re getting Rhea & Nikki vs. Asuka and a very hesitant Kairi Sane. KAIRI!
Raw is solid. While I’m mixed on the power couples story at the moment, I enjoyed the rest of the show. Wrestlepalooza looks huge right now and there’s still time to make it bigger.
What say you, Cagesiders?
