The Week In Wrestling (1/18/24): 3 Promos That Rocked & 3 That Fell Flat
After our devastatingly successful debut, Wrestling Inc. is back with another breakdown of all the week's most compelling promos from the wrestling world, and also the cringiest! The second edition of this column covers the week from Friday, January 12 to Thursday, January 18, and moves forward in chronological order. Join the WINC writing and editorial staff as we take you through all the most important parts of this week's professional wrestling that didn't technically involve any professional wrestling!
Which promos hit our souls and lifted our hearts, and which left us cold? It's time to find out!
Fell Flat: Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal argue backstage (AEW Battle of the Belts)
All Elite Wrestling really doesn't know what it's doing with WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett or two-time ROH World Champion Jay Lethal. This past Saturday's Battle of the Belts special had a bizarre backstage segment between Jarrett and Lethal, who were shown bickering and on the verge of disbanding.
The argument hinged on Jarrett blaming Lethal for the group's collective lack of wins, referencing Letha's failure to win a match during the Continental Classic tournament. Karen Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt were still trying to get everyone on the same page when Satnam Singh entered the locker room. He's the "funny one" of the group, it seems — he thought food was going to solve all their problems, offering Lethal some homemade desserts in consolation for his losses. The whole thing was as pointless as the entire "Battle of the Belts."
In the end, it was just weird. It seems that anything to do with this stable at the moment ends up embarrassing for the members. AEW can do better, especially for Jarrett and Lethal; this isn't late 2000s TNA.
Written by Kellie Haulette
Rocked: The Dashing Ones (WWE Raw)
Despite his failed efforts in capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Drew McIntyre continues to keep himself toward the forefront of the main event scene. Following a fiery verbal exchange with CM Punk last week, "The Scottish Warrior" shifted his focus to the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble winner — Cody Rhodes — on Monday's episode of "WWE Raw."
Upon their meeting, McIntyre referenced his previous history with Rhodes, particularly with their run as The Dashing Ones. In addition to being former WWE Tag Team Champions, McIntyre also reminded Rhodes of the similarities in their career paths, as both unceremoniously departed from WWE, reinvented themselves, and re-joined the company with a major increase in stock.
Despite their obvious commonalities, Rhodes later identified one glaring difference between them — while Rhodes is grateful for the second chance he was given, McIntyre keeps complaining about his. In response, McIntyre questioned Rhodes' decision to endorse Jey Uso and CM Punk, both of whom McIntyre has shown vehement disapproval for. While he may personally like Rhodes, McIntyre made it clear that he isn't afraid to take out anyone who infringes upon his pursuit of the world championship, which continues at the 2024 Royal Rumble.
Given the previous mention of their 2017 match at WhatCulture Pro Wrestling (McIntyre's last independent appearance before returning to WWE), Rhodes ended the promo segment by pointing out, much to the dismay of McIntyre, that it was a contest he had won.
Written by Ella Jay
Fell Flat: We're still doing this? (WWE Raw)
I love Shinsuke Nakamura as much as anyone, but I am really starting to get bored with these backstage promos he cuts almost every week. Especially if it doesn't seem like they're going anywhere. First, Nakamura teased that his feud with Cody Rhodes might not be over, which — come on man, do you really need to lose another one? You're not beating Cody, you already lost to him, just move on. Second, Nakamura talked about winning the Royal Rumble. And I know WWE has an interest in presenting everyone in the Rumble as a threat to win the Rumble, but Shinsuke Nakamura is not winning the Rumble. I'm looking at BetOnline right now, Nakamura doesn't even have the best odds among Japanese former multi-time IWGP Heavyweight Champions, and the other guy doesn't even work there yet.
So what was the point of this? Can we give Nakamura someone else to menace with elaborately intimidating subtitles (maybe someone he actually has a prayer of beating)? Or, failing that, can we just get a break from these every once in a while? It stops being cool when you spam it.
Written by Miles Schneiderman
Rocked: Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo meet face-to-face (AEW Dynamite)
Aside from her character, Toni Storm's third reign as AEW World Champion has been relatively unmemorable, having only defended the title twice against Skye Blue and Riho in storylines with limited build. However, her segment with Deonna Purrazzo this past Wednesday on "Dynamite" is a great indicator that all of that is about to change.
Following her win over Anna Jay, Purrazzo and Storm exchanged jabs with one another. While this is in no way a revolutionary concept, what stood about this particular encounter was the fact that they did a whole lot in what little time they were given. The exchange was engaging and funny, which is the perfect set-up for their inevitable title match likely to happen at AEW Revolution in March. Moreover, the segment had the perfect ending with Storm throwing her shoe at Purrazzo before Purrazzo threw it back (except not at her but Mariah May instead).
If AEW keeps putting out segments like this and positioning Purrazzo to be one of the top players in the women's division (or the entire company for that matter), then this will certainly be one unforgettable feud.
Written by Olivia Quinlan
Fell Flat: Who do the Young Bucks think they are? (AEW Dynamite)
Oh, boy. This was rough.
So the Young Bucks are going by Nicholas and Matthew Jackson now. They're wearing suits, talking about taking their Executive Vice President duties more serious (their grammar, not mine) and generally acting like people with tons of power in the company. Ironically, while the portrayal might reflect more of reality in terms of their actual backstage power in AEW, the Bucks are not naturals in this role at all, and thus far they're pretty spectacularly bad at it. Much like their buddy Jack Perry when he decided to get serious, they're just not believable in these roles, to the point that you start to wonder whether the characters are actually meant as parody and we're supposed to be laughing.
And granted, parts of this do feel like parody, but it's a very smug, very downward-punching kind of parody that seems to be, at its heart, about the Bucks' relationship with the fans. They're basically doing exaggerated versions of the people many fans have accused them of being over the years: Arrogant executives who get themselves booked in all the best matches and want to push all the big stars out of AEW. Which is fine, except for the fact that it's completely disconnected from the internal reality of the show. When Matt lays into Renee about "rumors," asking if she believes the stories about all the terrible things they've done to keep AEW alive ... what are they talking about? What rumors? What stories? Is this about Punk? Are they really still stuck on CM Punk, which is what the references to "cancerous" older stars and toxic locker rooms made it sound like? Are they still out here trying to passive-aggressively feud with a guy who doesn't even work there anymore? It makes so little sense they have to completely change course when it's time to talk about Sting, because none of that other stuff was about Sting, the guy they're feuding with. But in that case, who was it about?
The only possible answer is that it's about the fans, and in the end, it's just more of AEW's infuriating tendency to respond to any and all criticism with mocking contempt. Do you think AEW is relying too heavily on older stars? Here's Matthew and Nicholas Jackson to show you why you're stupid. Do you think a show that began as something revolutionary has lost its edge in recent months, occasionally resembling the status quo to a less-than-comfortable degree? Guess what, you're an idiot. That's AEW's response to your criticisms: Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. That's you. That's how dumb they think you sound.
Written by Miles Schneiderman
Rocked: Mark Briscoe shares a miracle with the AEW crowd (AEW Dynamite)
When Jay Briscoe died tragically just over a year ago, he was not the only member of his family in the truck when it crashed, as both of his daughters were also involved in that terrible wreck. Fortunately, both girls managed to survive the accident, but not without heavy injuries. His oldest daughter was not expected to ever walk again. On Wednesday, Jay's brother Mark introduced his niece, walking once again, to the AEW audience before sharing a hug with his family and paying tribute to his fallen brother.
I am, by all accounts a secular man, with an agnostic view of the spiritual world, but I do believe that when someone defies the odds and makes a recovery like the one Jay's brave daughter did, the only word one can use is "miraculous." How else can one describe the perseverance of the human spirit in the face of tragedy and adversity?
These kinds of stunts are the heart of tent revival church service, where a faith healer restores sight to the blind or helps an old lady walk, but I've never believed in faith healers, and those are usually just that — stunts. What Mark Briscoe showed the AEW audience on "Dynamite" was real. It is one of the single most emotional displays I've ever witnessed on a professional wrestling show.
I desperately wish that I never knew how AEW handled tragedies. The fact that they have had — time and time again — to find a way to keep the memory of a fallen comrade alive, and done so genuinely, and with real humanity, is no small task, and as far as I'm concerned AEW bats 1.000 on that front. From Brodie Lee to Jay Briscoe, AEW has proved that you can use tragedy and loss to drive the emotion of a segment, without taking a page from Fritz Von Erich's woeful exploitation of WCCW's myriad of tragedies.
Written by Ross Berman