Each week, Sporting News runs down the biggest stories in the world of professional wrestling.
Cena and Reigns exchange barbs
John Cena and Roman Reigns got fans buzzing during their promo segment last Monday on "Raw."
While the two went at one another dropping truths and breaking the fourth wall, there’s no doubt that this was a scripted "worked shoot" pitting the two superstars against one another to get people excited about their upcoming match at "No Mercy."
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This was right in Cena’s wheelhouse. He has proved time and time again — especially during his feud with The Rock — that he is at his best in these no holds barred, one-on-one verbal jousting battles.
Cena destroyed Reigns, referring to him as a "corporately created John Cena bootleg." He dropped lines such as, "I’m still here because you can’t do your job" and "Congratulations, it took you five years to cut a half-decent promo." When Reigns seemingly forgot a line, Cena immediately jumped on him saying, "I’ll wait — it’s called a promo, kid."
Make no mistake about it: WWE wanted to put Reigns on the spot and test him against one of the best talkers of all time. It was by no means a complete failure for Reigns, who stood in there. This was more of a tough lesson of where he needs to improve in order to get to the same level as Cena and truly become the "top dog" in WWE.
I, for one, am curious to see what Reigns learned from this and what he does going forward.
WWE quick to give away big matches
You would think that a stage such as "WrestleMania" would be the place for huge, first-time ever matches involving top WWE superstars.
However, the Sept. 24 "No Mercy" pay-per-view includes not one but two of them, with Reigns facing Cena as well as Universal Champion Brock Lesnar squaring off against Braun Strowman.
Both of those matches feel much bigger than something happening on a secondary event. Instead, WWE is in a "right now" mode, giving away those matches following a quick buildup rather than one that grows and grows over months to a crescendo at a major event.
This is simply a business decision. WWE has tons of airtime to constantly fill, including the five hours of live television each week with "Raw" and "SmackDown Live" to the one or sometimes two pay-per-views each month. WWE wants fresh matchups to keep their audience engaged.
When it comes to "WrestleMania" and "SummerSlam," the argument can be made that those huge events sell themselves on name recognition and not the matches. Plus, WWE has a much different business model now with those shows airing on the WWE Network for just $9.99 a month.
It's tough not to hold off on first-time feuds and matches, but there needs to be a happy medium where WWE isn’t in such a hurry to give everything away. The original plan for "Raw" was to have Cena take on Samoa Joe in another big "first-time ever" match before it was pulled because of Joe suffering from a knee injury that may sideline him for about a month.
I say pump the brakes a bit. Let things breathe and build to them. While "WrestleMania" is always going to be the biggest show of the year, imagine the level of excitement if it was the stage for both the Lesnar-Strowman and Reigns-Cena first-time matchups.
That doesn’t mean I’m not excited to see those two matches at "No Mercy," as are both dripping with intrigue. Another explanation for doing the matches now is that WWE is going up against the NFL and “Sunday Night Football,” which is no small feat, while also trying to sell out the Staples Center in Los Angeles. These matches should help fill the place up.
You can bet this won’t be the first and only times we see these matchups, and WWE can build up to a rematch any time it wants and believe it can still be big business. But you can only do the first time once.
Let’s just hold out hope that the first time AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura square off in a WWE ring doesn’t happen until "WrestleMania," rather than a random Tuesday night on TV. That would be epic.
Ric Flair health update
Good news for the “Nature Boy,” who is getting better by the day. Flair still has a long way to go, but he is now walking around with some help as he recovers from multiple health issues including emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction.
His girlfriend, Wendy Barlow, posted this update on her Facebook page:
I wanted to update everyone on Ric’s progress as So many people have been reaching out and offering their Prayers and Support. He is doing very well for a Man who has been through so much! He will begin Physical Therapy shortly and will be stronger than ever and back out enjoying all the fans sooner than you would think. I can honestly say I have witnessed a miracle.
This positive message was also posted on Flair’s Twitter account:
Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been, to stand up taller than you ever were. Naitch WILL be back! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/v9YbIEykt9
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) August 29, 2017
Hopefully, it’s more good news in the coming weeks and months, and we get to see “Naitch” walk that aisle one more time.
News and notes
— In the blink of an eye, NXT re-established itself as the best weekly wrestling show with an infusion of talent and fresh storylines. Former Ring of Honor stars Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly have already packed a punch, jumping new NXT Champion Drew McIntyre minutes after he won the title at “TakeOver” and again on this week’s show airing on the WWE Network. You never know who or when the trio will strike, adding a nice surprise to the program.
The brand is stacked, with more coming in the expected TV debuts of Lio Rush and Donovan Dijak in the months ahead. Add in an intense McIntyre, the improved Andrade “Cien” Almas, a hungry Roderick Strong and the powerhouse Lars Sullivan and NXT has become the much-watch program for wrestling fans.
— A job well done by Sami Zayn as his “Sami for Syria” project to fund a mobile medical clinic in Syria is now operational and helping those in need of life-saving medical services. Zayn surpassed his original goal of $40,000 for the project, which has now raised nearly $68,000. He has a new goal of $90,000 to help fund the mobile medical units along with medication and staff.
Tears of joy on the proudest day of my life.
— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) August 31, 2017
Our mobile clinic in Syria is up & running!
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCEhttps://t.co/gvJde51MvN pic.twitter.com/e4SYtiKosZ
— Add another hit show to Nikki Bella’s resume, as she will be competing on the upcoming season of ABC’s "Dancing with the Stars." Bella is no stranger to reality shows as she continues to star in the E! reality shows "Total Divas" and "Total Bellas." And she happened to get engaged this summer to longtime boyfriend John Cena. "DWTS" premieres on Monday, Sept. 18.
— If you enjoyed the first season of "Southpaw Regional Wrestling," WWE’s spoof-tastic spin on ‘80s southern wrestling videos, you’re in luck as season two is now online. Hosts Lance Catamaran and Chett Chetterfield are back, along with a bevy of wrasslers as they promote the upcoming "Showdown at the Swamp" event in Shreveport, La.
The tag team Tex2Badd (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) is back and on the road as it looks to challenge The Butchers (made up of Seth Rollins as Dry Rub Doug and Rhyno as Frantic Frank). As much fun as they are, it’s AJ Styles who steals the show as Malibu Al, who, with his car emporium, insists that station wagons are the wave of the future.
— And if you want some more laughs, sing along with John Cena and Shaquille O’Neal on the new episode of "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" available on Apple Music.
Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on Blog Talk Radio.