The Mailbag, Part II
Questions from you–answers from me
The math is simple.
There isn’t a UFC card this weekend. And we haven’t had a mailbag since December.
So all roads lead to a new mailbag.
It’s a packed weekend. WWE is running Saturday Night’s Main Event, conveniently scheduled one night ahead of AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view. While a world title won’t change hands at either show, significant stakes are involved. Double or Nothing will set up AEW’s entire summer, as we’re likely seeing world title reigns from Mercedes Moné and the winner of Hangman Page/Will Ospreay.1 And WWE’s card has had a somewhat quiet build since Money in the Bank is also right around the corner, but it turns into a very significant night if Sami Zayn turns on CM Punk and joins Paul Heyman’s new alliance.
There are plenty of noteworthy UFC fights on the horizon, too2. I’m excited for Kayla Harrison to start her run as champ, which leads to a return from Amanda Nunes, and it’s impossible not to look forward to Max Holloway against Dustin Poirier. But UFC needs to sort out is heavyweight situation, as Jon Jones sitting out while Tom Aspinall waits for that fight is such a detriment to the company.
Now it’s time to hear from you.3 As always, these are real questions from real people.
The John Cena heel turn was immediately shocking but bogged down with some missteps. The lack of Rock at Mania. The mixed/cheer reactions. The lackluster R-Truth press conference. Does this run the risk of tainting Cena’s retirement?
–Robert Karpeles, Rumor & Innuendo host/mastermind behind the WWE Creative Humor account on Twitter
Some background here: Robert is one of the most creative minds in wrestling. His WWE Creative Humor account on Twitter is consistently funny, which is incredibly hard to do (and he has a unique perspective from previously working in WWE creative). And he asks an interesting question–this heel run has not tainted Cena’s greatness, but it certainly has dwindled in excitement from week to week. That is a major problem.
It all feels too predictable, right from Cena beating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. I also take issue with the convoluted finish at Backlash in the Cena-Randy Orton match. Orton wasn’t going to get pinned cleanly… but why not? Cena is promoting himself as “The Last Real Champion”. He’s going to need some legitimate wins to make that feel genuine. And no, R-Truth doesn’t count.
Cena has an upcoming feud with CM Punk to save this storyline. But week by week, his appearances are becoming less extraordinary and more ordinary. That should be a real concern within WWE creative.
Boston is known as The City of Champions. Just like the great steak tip restaurant in Peabody, MA… Champions. Who are some other previous champions from Massachusetts, and do you think John Cena will ever lose this version of the championship or truly be the Last Real Champion?
–Joe Murray, host of The Joe Murray Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub
Similar to handling a meal at Champions, let’s attack this one bite at a time:
Champions is renowned for their steak tip dinners. I prefer the cheesesteak sub, which is phenomenal. Not surprisingly, their burgers are also very good.
As for the premier champion from Massachusetts, it has to be Rocky Marciano. Had Nancy Kerrigan won the gold after that whole debacle with Tonya Harding, you could make a valid argument for her. But only one undefeated boxer from this state beat Joe Louis’ ass4, so I’m sticking with Marciano.
The Champ is here, at least until the end of the year/WWE Cena’s title run is unique in the sense that it has an expiration date. He’s made it clear that this is it and that he is retiring at the end of his dates in December, so there needs to clarity with the belt by the end of the year. As much fun as it will be to see Cena and CM Punk renew their rivalry, the whole point of this title reign is to further strengthen Rhodes as WWE’s top babyface. That’s why I don’t think we will see Cena have another program with Roman Reigns. The way I see it unfolding is Rhodes settling the score and regaining the title, Cena riding off into the sunset, and then Seth Rollins (with the Money in the Bank contract?) dethrones Rhodes. That would allow WWE to have Rhodes-Rock at WrestleMania 42 (which I assume Rock would win), as well as Rollins-Punk (where Punk finally gets his WM moment).
Why is everyone counting out Charles in his fight against Ilia for the “vacant” lightweight title?
–Justin Perry, Los Angeles, California
It’s always a joy to hear from Justin Perry, who I had the pleasure of meeting while working at Sports Illustrated. We’re still in talks to have Justin seize control of all marketing/social media for Undisputed. If that ever happens, you’ll know it when you see it.
As for the question, it is unfathomable how Charles Oliveira has become a mere footnote in Ilia Topuria’s rise to greatness. Oliveira was counted out the moment he was announced for this fight, where the winner will claim the lightweight title vacated by Islam Makhachev. The money matchup is Topuria against Makhachev, but despite his claims to the contrary, it certainly feels like Makhachev wants to stay as far away from Topuria as possible.
Makhachev and his team are incredibly smart. To me, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the Bill Belichick of MMA5. Nurmagomedov knows how to bend the rules for his fighters. Whether that’s the alleged IV liquids before Makhachev’s first Volk fight, or taking on opponents who are working off short rest, that team is in constant pursuit of an advantage. Makhachev moving to welterweight to challenge new champ Jack Della Maddalena allows him to collect a new piece of gold, as well as avoid Topuria, and here comes the kicker–watch Topuria get his first loss.
Topuria is a -400 favorite for his UFC 317 fight against Oliveira. That is absurd. Oliveira is bigger, stronger, and an altogether different fighter than anyone Topuria has fought, and that even includes Holloway and Volkanovski. Oliveira is a future UFC Hall of Famer, holds the most submission wins in UFC history, and becomes lethal the moment he takes his opponent’s back. What happens to Topuria when that happens?
I don’t see this ending well for Topuria. Despite the gambling odds, there is a much better chance this unfolds in the exact manner that Makhachev wants.
Why did Bret Hart roll his eyes at Triple H during the Hall of Fame ceremony at WrestleMania? What’s the issue between those two?
–John Curley, formerly Las Vegas, Nevada
Triple H and Bret Hart had a unique moment at WrestleMania 41.
During the Hall of Fame ceremony that places at WrestleMania, Triple H shook hands with Hart… who wasn’t particularly impressed by the man who currently helps run the company.
This isn’t anything new. Hart has had problems with Triple H and Shawn Michaels since the buildup to the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” in 1997. But it’s interesting to compare the way Hart speaks publicly about Triple H and Michaels.
There is always a caveat to Hart’s criticisms about Michaels. Even if Hart is expressing his frustrations over the way that Michaels conducted himself in ‘96 and ‘97, or flat-out lambasting Michaels for his role at Survivor Series in Montreal, he is still sure to mention HBK’s contributions to the wrestling world.
In an interview that ran a decade ago, Hart said something that stuck with me:
“One of my favorite matches was the first time between him and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania,” said Hart, referencing Michaels’ WrestleMania 25 match against The Undertaker. “That’s actually one of the biggest reasons I buried the hatchet with Shawn.”
Even at the height of their animosity, Hart always complimented Michaels as a wrestler. He has been far less complimentary over the years to Triple H. Part of that may be because Hart and Michaels shared a bond as tag team wrestlers long before they were major stars for the company. That was different with Triple H, who had no prior history with Hart upon his arrival in WWE, and their introduction largely took place when Triple H aligned himself with Michaels.
As for the aftermath of WrestleMania, there won’t be any. Hart will be called when he is needed, which shouldn’t be any time soon.
It’s this whole thing with popular heels. Jacob Fatu is a menace but people chant his name. I see the appeal, but it’s harder for the good guys in the current landscape. So out of these two good guys–LA Knight and Bianca Belair–who wins their next title first?
–Carolyn G., Albany, New York
Tough question. Bianca Belair hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania after suffering a broken finger on her left hand. And LA Knight’s second run as United States champion was all about setting up Jacob Fatu to win the belt at WrestleMania.
Neither is being primed for a title run, but I can see LA Knight wrestling for a title a lot sooner than Belair. Knight would make a solid opponent for Cena, but the problem is the lack of suspense over the winner of the match (of course Cena would win, which puts Knight in a tough spot… similar to where he was when wrestling Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel in 2023). Still, that would be a great spotlight for Knight, one that is much brighter than he is currently working with the new Bloodline. So I’ll go with Belair, who is overdue–she hasn’t been a singles champ since the summer of 2023.
My biggest question: Has UFC lost its fastball, and are other promotions, and even boxing, starting to catch up? If so, what’s the major reason for UFC’s lack of interest as of late?
–Shemar Woods, Phoenix, Arizona
If you recognize the name, that is because I had the distinct pleasure of working with Shemar at SI. He is a tremendous editor, writer, and professor, and he also knows his MMA.
The lack of interest in the UFC is directly related to the heavyweight division. Brock Lesnar is not walking through that door6. Neither, apparently, is Jon Jones, the reigning heavyweight champ who last fought in November. Interim champ Tom Aspinall has been out of action even longer. His last fight occurred when he demolished Curtis Blaydes in a minute last July.
So that’s a big strike against the UFC. They need their heavyweight title picture to move the needle, which is impossible when the most action you’ll see from the top of the division is a tweet from Jones.
There’s no Conor McGregor. Or Israel Adesanya. Or Ronda Rousey. Or Anderson Silva. Or GSP. Or Chuck Liddell.
And it runs deeper than that. Aspinall is a rising star–the most lucrative commodity in a field built on commodities–yet he isn’t fighting. We saw Shavkat Rakhmonov fight twice in 2023, but only once in 2024. Khamzat Chimaev has been hyped for years, but it is the same issue: he fought once in 2023 and only once in 2024. It’s hard to build stars out of fighters who aren’t active.
The company had been carried by Alex Pereira, but he dropped the belt to Magomed Ankalaev. Sean O’Malley briefly appeared to be the next UFC superstar, but he was manhandled by Merab Dvalishvili last September. Interestingly, despite not fighting since dropping the belt to Dvalishvili, O’Malley is getting a rematch for the bantamweight title in June at UFC 316.
But UFC is in not in any sort of position for a competitor to overtake them. Boxing, even with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Fund Chairman Turki Alalshikh seemingly removing TKO from his newest boxing enterprise, remains a fundamentally flawed enterprise. PFL has their business model, which is designed to be profitable–not to be the top MMA promotion in the world. Bellator offered a legitimate alternative under Scott Coker, but that option has long since been removed.
So we wait. For the stars to return. And new ones to emerge.
People ask, What if it all works out? But I’ll pivot to the other side and ask, What is the point of living life to the fullest if as soon as you die, all your experience and memories go with it?
–Juliet S., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
So much for going out on a light note. But I’ll bite.
Existence precedes essence, which means we exist before we have any idea of who we are. We become who we are through our actions, choices, and decisions. That means the meaning of life is to be alive. The purpose… well, that’s up to you.
I'm a believer in the beauty of the everyday. If the ordinary is, in fact, extraordinary, then there is ample reason to make the most of each day.
On that note, enjoy the long weekend. I’ll be back with the Sunday Notes (focused on SNME and the WrestleMania location change), then a Double or Nothing recap on Monday. The newest edition of High Above Ringside will be in your email on Tuesday, with no shortage of topics to discuss from the world of pro wrestling.
My head says Ospreay, my heart says Hangman. Predicting Tony Khan’s booking can be very difficult at times (which is a good thing), but I still think Hangman wins.
Who else is all in on Patchy Mix in the UFC?
Subscribers, send a message on Substack if you’d like your question in the next mailbag.
Louis was 37 years old when he lost to Marciano - not 75, 76, or 137 years old.
No, not because he has a 24-year-old girlfriend.
Though, based off the recent photo, Lesnar doesn’t look gray or old.
