WWE: Unreal provides no more than a glimpse behind the curtain
Plus–a world title prediction SummerSlam and a potential new home for TNA
The Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of professional wrestling.
Contents for The Week in Wrestling:
WWE: Unreal provides no more than glimpse behind the curtain
Could a new wrestling war be coming to Wednesday nights?
An inside look at the past week in wrestling
A SummerSlam world title prediction
Tweet of the Week
WWE: Unreal provides no more than a glimpse behind the curtain
Leave it to WWE.
Even the behind-the-scenes moments in WWE: Unreal are manufactured.
That was one of the biggest takeaways from WWE: Uncut, WWE’s newest show on Netflix. While there were some genuinely compelling moments, it was apparent that this five-episode series was designed to have its own set of storylines–regardless of whether or not they were actually real.
If you have yet to watch, beware of spoilers.
If you already watched, or don’t mind a spoiler or two, this felt like the start of a very captivating project. If WWE and Netflix commit to Unreal, then that could lead to some fascinating stories. But the problem with these in-house projects is that WWE will forever be overly protective of their brand. That was the case here, where manufactured storylines became the focus of each episode.
One of the most infuriating, reality TV-esque moments occurred when IShowSpeed didn’t know he was going to be in the Royal Rumble match. With all of the potential content, how was that was identified as the best possible idea? It was nothing more than an insult to viewers eager for a behind-the-scenes show.
There were certainly a number of highlights. Seeing Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens interact after their outstanding ladder match at the Royal Rumble was fascinating, and we were introduced to Ed Koskey, who wields quite a bit of influence as a Senior Vice President-Creative Writing.
But when we saw the writers’ meetings in the second episode, it felt extremely contrived–and it was apparent that cameras were recording. Also, why was it necessary to introduce the idea that major decisions are repeatedly made on the fly? We saw that with the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble winners, as the series made it appear these were very last-minute decisions.
These types of series always battle the exact same issue. Is it for new fans–or your long-standing season ticket holders? WWE: Unreal attempts to hit both audiences, which is typically a recipe for failure. Fortunately for WWE, the episodes were carried by the likes of Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair, CM Punk, Jey Uso, and Chelsea Green, all of whom added a lot of color by offering perspective on their careers.
Clearly, this series was a chance to further integrate Stephanie McMahon back into WWE. The McMahon name feels like persona non grata in the company, but perhaps there is a way to keep Stephanie involved without constantly evoking memories of her father Vince, who was WWE’s be-all, end-all for four decades.
There was also an odd emphasis on swearing. There are repeated scenes where Paul “Triple H” Levesque (and multiple others) are throwing around curses. If that was a concentrated effort to feel cutting-edge, then it was a failure.
In the final two episodes, we are treated to a lot of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Nick Khan, and the heel turn of John Cena. It particularly picked up with the introduction of Brian Gewirtz, a former lead WWE writer who now oversees the creative direction of The Rock.
Gewirtz revealed that one of the ideas for Elimination Chamber, which was when Cena turned on Rhodes, was having the night end with Kevin Owens winning the belt. But the Rhodes-Owens story had concluded by then, so it makes sense that it never happened. It was also unique to hear Gewirtz offer that tidbit, while Levesque–the head of creative–never mentioned it.
Clearly, the powers-that-be in WWE were banking on striking gold by having Travis Scott part of Cena’s heel turn. Instead, the opposite happened, with the fan base almost instantly–and unanimously–rejecting his presence in the Cena/Rock/Rhodes story. That would have been a subject of great interest, but it was never broached on Unreal. It was a fine piece of revisionist history by WWE. Another story never touched on was The Rock’s disappearing act after Elimination Chamber.
But the Charlotte Flair-Tiffany Stratton promo, where Stratton mocked Flair for getting divorced three times, was covered. In the midst of that emotional moment, Levesque let it be known that Stratton would have to apologize. Of course, we never see an apology, and that story abruptly ends. The focus then quickly shifted to the possibility that CM Punk was going to defeat Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania, despite Paul Heyman turning on him. That was also discussed in the writers’ room, but it forces you to believe the unlikely scenario that Levesque did not know the winner of a major match only 11 days before the event.
Ultimately, this could be a very important series for WWE–permitting this is the first step of a far-from-finished product. Unreal needs to detail more real stories, particularly the Cena retirement run. But WWE cannot overproduce or add drama to stories that do not call for it. If the right amount of attention is given to real stories, there is no ceiling for what this could become.
Otherwise, it will just be a footnote of what could have been.
Could TNA’s next home be on The CW?
Could we be on the verge of another wrestling war?
TNA is in search of a new broadcast home. The company wants to be live every week. TNA is also riding a high after its successful Slammiversary pay-per-view earlier this month, benefitting from their own emerging talent coupled with a partnership with WWE that has proven to be wonderful for the brand.
What, exactly, is WWE getting out of the relationship? Perhaps we are about to find out.
What if TNA were to sign a deal with The CW to broadcast live every Wednesday? That would directly oppose AEW flagship show Dynamite, and TNA could benefit from WWE resources if they aired the show from the Performance Center in Florida.
Even if WWE is adamant publicly that AEW is not their competition, it is a very different story privately. Tony Khan’s wrestling promotion has changed the wrestling landscape, forcing WWE to offer more lucrative deals to retain their talent (without AEW, for example, Sasha Banks would most likely be back in WWE–and Will Ospreay would be performing there, too) and offer a more creatively engaging product.
The CW already runs NXT programming every Tuesday. A question worth asking is whether the network would commit to two nights of wrestling each week. But it would be an enormous advantage for WWE, which could keep building its weekly NXT programming without rushing storylines or being constantly compared to AEW. That would be TNA’s role.
At least in the short term, this would also make TNA look like AEW’s direct competition. AEW has a more complete roster and a more engrossing product, so this could end poorly for TNA–but having WWE in their corner does afford them a whole new advantage.
If this scenario becomes reality, it will benefit wrestling fans. And it would make for a really interesting battle between AEW and WWE, with TNA right in the middle.
This past week…
A new tribute was presented to Hulk Hogan on Raw, which was even more emotional than the one that aired during SmackDown. A tribute to Hogan also aired last night on NXT.
Kevin Nash offered a tribute that was equal parts insightful, emotional, and honest on the life and career of Hulk Hogan.
Jon Moxley cut a passionate promo ahead of his world title rematch against AEW champion Hangman Page.
Mercedes Moné added another two titles to her collection. She is the new PTW women’s world champion, which she won in Poland, as well as Italian promotion BestYa Wrestling’s new champ.
Who is more popular: Dom Mysterio…
… or El Grande Americano?
Both will wrestle at AAA’s TripleManía on August 16, with Vikingo defending his AAA title in a four-way against Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and El Grande Americano.
Cena-Rhodes will be full of suspense at SummerSlam
I’ll make my prediction: John Cena is going to retain the WWE title against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam.
Rhodes is the odds favorite to win the match. But if Cena drops the belt on Sunday, then a title reign that started at WrestleMania 41 will have been nothing short of a disappointment.
The focus of Cena’s story is his desire to ruin wrestling, which he claims will be accomplished when he leaves at the end of the year. That will mark the end of his retirement run, and he has promised to exit with the title.
The longer Cena holds the title, the higher the stakes. But the story changes entirely if he drops the belt to Rhodes this Sunday.
If Cena loses the belt, it very well may be an admission that his heel turn has not worked out the way that it was anticipated. This was, after all, said to be the best heel turn since Hulk Hogan formed the New World Order nearly 30 years ago. But it has failed to meet those lofty expectations, as Cena is clearly better suited to play a crowd favorite.
But I still don’t see WWE creative changing course. They’re going to ride out Cena’s story, which means Cena is going to retain at SummerSlam.
Tweet of the Week
Cody Rhodes vs. The Wings of Death? Yes, that is appointment-viewing.
That's where you and I end up on opposite pages. What juice is left to squeeze outta this Cena run? Every time he has a match...something/someone happens. He can only get away with it for so long until karma catches up.
I'm sorry...he gotta turn babyface and run out the clock. Cody lost in a stinker, doing so again would damage him long-term. I'm getting sick of Smackdown being centerless.