5 Hot Takes From The Week In Wrestling (1/18/2024)
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s latest and greatest opinion feature, where we look back on the week that was and provide our spiciest takes on the current state of the industry! Maybe we think a match should have been won by someone unexpected, or a character everyone likes has a serious downside, or some promotion is missing a golden opportunity. These are opinions you're unlikely to encounter much in the vast wilds of wrestling fandom, and while some of the stands we take might be on firmer ground than others, they represent a hard left when everyone else is turning right. Or at least they're supposed to — tell us how hot you think these takes are in the comments!
And now, our hottest takes from the week beginning Friday, January 12, and ending Thursday, January 18.
Sting's retirement deserves better than the new Young Bucks
You are never going to mistake me for a Young Bucks fan. In fact, my previous coverage of NJPW — often fueled by Red Bull and bits — led to me being blocked by the tandem on Twitter before AEW was even a thing. However, I've always understood the appeal. The Young Bucks might legitimately be as good as everyone says they are, and on paper, the team sounds like perfect opponents for Sting's retirement match. EVPs, one of the most decorated and celebrated tag teams in the company, the colorful, tassel-wearing, Too-Sweeting version of The Young Bucks, going up against the drab and dour goth duo of Darby Allin and Sting. Unfortunately, that's not what we're getting.
Instead, The Young Bucks showed up in the same black-and-white color scheme as Sting and Darby, sporting very serious expressions and very silly mustaches. Sting and Darby aren't getting the classic Young Bucks, they're getting a cranky, untested heel persona from the two brothers. Their recent interview on "Dynamite" was awkwardly scripted and never seemed to find a groove, with The Bucks hemming and hawing through inside baseball nonsense and hollow misogyny that had nothing to do with Sting.
I can't help but wonder if this would work better if all of this descent into egomaniacal madness happened after Sting's retirement. The Bucks could've come back, given Sting one last match in the tassels, and then, as the match goes on, get more and more aggressive. If Sting's retirement is supposed to be part of a storyline, then let it be The Bucks going "too far" to retire "The Icon" and let the spiral into cranky, mustachioed villainy come from a more natural place than "We are mad about CM Punk, and the internet, and the news media, and the fact that nobody likes us, and we're taking it out on Sting." The Bucks are too quick to cave to the court of public opinion, turning heel off-camera like cowards, robbing fans of an actual inciting incident that would give them reason to boo them in the first place.
The path to being a believable heel is a long road, a long and narrow way, and there's something about this heel turn that feels like a shortcut.
Written by Ross Berman
The 2024 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is already a disappointment
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has become a staple for "NXT" over the past few years and is always something to look forward to, with fun matches and a great opportunity to provide a stage for tag teams. However, this year, it kind of feels like things were thrown together last minute when WWE remembered they were running the tournament.
If you need any proof, just take a look at the semi-final matches. Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin and Nathan Frazer and Axiom both advanced to the semi-finals and are set to face one another, but neither of two of the teams are established as tag team partners. This isn't helped by the fact that they both beat Gallus and Hank Walker and Tank Ledger, who have been together in the tag division for quite some time now.
On the other side of the bracket, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are going up against the LWO. While both teams are established, neither of them seem like viable candidates to win the tournament. You could make the case that having Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams emerge victorious would be good in the build towards the split between the two, but it seems clear that Hayes will soon be moved up to the main roster with the appearances he's made on "SmackDown" and his recent Royal Rumble tease. Because of this, "NXT" only has so much time to finish up the story, and not having the duo win seems like it would progress that story faster. The LWO, meanwhile, are full-time members of the main roster, making them a poor choice of winner in any circumstance.
We've only made it out of Round 1, and all the established tag teams have been eliminated, leaving one main roster team and three teams that are unlikely to stay together after the tournament. Whoever ends up winning the Cup, it doesn't seem like it's going to be an "NXT" tag team.
Written by Olivia Quinlan
Dakota Kai should win the women's Royal Rumble
As the cracks within Damage CTRL continue to deepen, a Royal Rumble win for Dakota Kai would not only catapult her to WrestleMania, but also likely result in a dramatic change in leadership for the "WWE SmackDown" faction.
Heading into the 2024 Royal Rumble event, Bayley, the long-time faction leader, has vehemently expressed her desire to secure all of WWE's championship gold on the waists of Damage CTRL. As IYO SKY continues to reign as the WWE Women's Champion, Bayley looks to dethrone WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley while Asuka and Kairi Sane chase after the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. Meanwhile, Dakota Kai remains on the sidelines, recovering from a torn ACL she sustained last May.
Despite Bayley's eagerness to elevate her stablemates to the next level, recent months have seen Kai emerge as a spokesperson for SKY, Sane, and Asuka –- a striking contrast from the dynamic that fans saw in the early days of Damage CTRL. On last week's episode of "SmackDown," Bayley faced Bianca Belair in singles action, and as usual, "The Role Model" attempted to use some sneaky tactics to gain an advantage. Unfortunately, Bayley's plan didn't go quite as expected, as Kai, SKY, Sane, and Asuka stood in place as the referee's back was turned, allowing Belair to shift the tide back in her favor and eventually win the match.
Following her loss, Bayley confronted her allies, to which Kai claimed that the referee was looking in their direction at ringside, hence why the quartet hesitated to interfere at ringside. Much to Bayley's dismay, Kai then informed her that in order to fulfill her portion of the vision, Bayley would have to win the Royal Rumble on her own accord, without the help of Damage CTRL.
While Kai was initially portrayed as a supporting character for Damage CTRL following her ACL injury, her recent actions suggest that she may be looking to take over the reins of the stable. And assuming she is cleared to compete at the end of January, a surprise win at the Royal Rumble certainly increases her odds of achieving that (in addition to throwing a wrench in Bayley's Royal Rumble aspirations). A Kai-Rumble win would also boost a new face into the spotlight, allowing Kai to build up her stock and finally pursue a singles championship on the main roster.
So, in the words of former WWE Women's Champion Mickie James: Watch your back, Bayley.
Written by Ella Jay
Hook should have defeated Samoa Joe on AEW Dynamite
More than a week before Samoa Joe successfully defended his world title on "AEW Dynamite," there was already controversy surrounding the match. This was thanks to AEW CEO Tony Khan, who took to social media to express his annoyance that fans were okay with WWE star Jinder Mahal facing Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship, even though his win/loss record is terrible, while these same fans were "upset" online over Hook getting a shot at Joe's AEW world title. With all the stirred-up emotions and free publicity, Khan should have given Hook the title — to prove his point, and just to mess with the wrestling world.
Khan was so passionate online about why Hook was getting a title shot and was more deserving than Mahal — if he really wanted to put his money where his mouth is, he would have given Hook the title just to prove Hook deserved the match (and that Khan believes in young talent not named MJF). Hook isn't a terrible wrestler, and it would have been legitimately interesting to see him with a title other than his dad's FTW Championship. An AEW with Hook as its world champion? What does that look like? I bet people would have tuned in to find out. Granted, it would have been a risky move, but it would also have blown Wrestling Twitter's collective mind, and that's never a bad thing!
Written by Kellie Haulotte
Nic Nemeth should re-unite the Spirit Squad
Don't give me that look. You know you'd pop for it.
What do we want out of Nic Nemeth, formerly Dolph Ziggler, now that he's made his debut for TNA Wrestling? Do we want him to be stuffy and serious, a no-nonsense contender for TNA's top title? Do we want him to do just another riff on the WWE "Show-Off" character? Or do we want Nic Nemeth to do be what wrestling needs most right now: a top-tier comedy guy? I know which one I'm picking. The man is a successful stand-up comedian who just escaped from Vince McMahon and the Land of Dick Jokes, he probably has tons of ideas for comedy wrestling (that would be actually funny) that he never got to use because they didn't involve gastronomy or women falling into mud pits. Some people are excited to see the kinds of matches he can have outside the WWE umbrella; I'm excited to see the dumb nonsense he can get into.
And where better than to start than with the Spirit Squad, a group that's already been brought back in promotions like CHIKARA and even briefly in WWE itself? Sure, you probably can't get Ken Doane, but Mike Mondo is definitely still wrestling, Johnny Jeter was not too long ago, and Cagematch informs me the former Mitch wrestled a match in Texas last year. Boom. And TNA is the perfect place for the Spirit Squad, who could be comedy characters while also winning matches and titles. In TNA (the promotion that brought you "Broken" Matt Hardy and the doomed Rosemary/Allie love story) the Spirit Squad — with Nemeth as an active part of it, something that's never happened before in any of the previous reunions — could grow and evolve, becoming something truly unique in the wrestling landscape. Under the right guidance, it could become a true work of art.
Or Nemeth could just be an ex-WWE wrestler who's slumming it as the top guy in TNA, I guess. That's probably never been done before.
Written by Miles Schneiderman