Wrestling fans had themselves a very stacked schedule over the weekend.
WWE began it on Saturday with Night of Champions, which saw the coronation of the King and Queen of the Ring, among other matches. TNA then kicked off Sunday’s action with Slammiversary, where every title was defended. After that, WWE and AEW traded blows with NXT The Great American Bash and Forbidden Door, respectively.
In the fallout of all four events, here is one major lesson learned from each of them.
In an alternate world, Bron Breakker would be one of wrestling’s biggest and most successful stars. He is the son of Rick Steiner and the nephew of Scott Steiner, both famous former wrestlers. He is a six-foot, 250-lb. monster of an who is both strong and fast, and his spear is one of the best in the business.
Sadly, Breakker’s current booking has done him no favors. The Vision was supposed to be the springboard to stardom, but injuries to both him and his peers and creative meandering have left him in a rut.
The most recent example of this predicament is Breakker’s loss to Seth Rollins on Saturday. While he did win their first encounter at last month’s Backlash, the steel cage match in Saudi Arabia was meant end the feud, and he fell short.
If Breakker is to ascend to the heights that Oba Femi has, he will need to reinvent himself…
TNA Slammiversary saw multiple title changes, but nothing proved more consequential to the promotion’s future direction than the main event.
Mike Santana’s five-month reign as TNA World Champion ended at the main event by the hands of Nic Nemeth, fka Dolph Ziggler. It was an action-packed banger that ended when Santana froze while attempting the Spin the Block, allowing Nemeth to hit the Danger Zone. With that, Nemeth is back on top, looking forward to another momentous reign.
What is more interesting, however, is Santana’s future. It has been no secret that WWE has wanted him since his stints on NXT programming, and this result confirms it.
In the main event of The Great American Bash, Lola Vice lost the NXT Women’s Champion to Kendal Grey after nearly three months. This, however, is only the beginning for her, as wrestling stardom awaits her on the main roster.
NXT callups have been hit or miss lately. On one side, there is Sol Ruca, who is now the women’s Intercontinental champion after being called up in April. On the other, there are the likes of Giulia, who has largely floundered after since being promoted.
Vice, however, will be one of WWE’s bigger hits. She has a charismatic look, she has been a major presence in AAA, and she is dating a current Superstar in Damian Priest. Those factors alone should facilitate her ascent in the women’s division.
AEW’s Forbidden Door featured the finals of the Owen Hart Cup as part of its triple main event.
In the women’s tournament, Mercedes Mone retained her last remaining belt by submission against Maya World. Meanwhile, Will Ospreay clinched the men’s tournament against archrival Swerve Strickland.
Both winners make sense when it comes to the wrestling narrative. World’s Cinderella run after her brother’s untimely death has been inspiring, but Mone vs. Thekla is easily the biggest women’s match AEW can book right now. It will be a clash of heels with massive egos, and “The CEO” should conclude her comeback by nabbing the grandest prize of all.
As for Ospreay, All In marks a return to his home country of England, and only one scenario makes sense:
Him vs. MJF, title on the line. The hometown hero vanquishes the arrogant foreigner champion. Fireworks fly, “Rule Britannia” plays, and Ospreay happily kisses his wife Alex Windsor in the ring. Wrestling cannot get any more emotionally charged than that.
The big shows may be over, but the action is not yet done.
WWE and TNA will enter cooldown phases that deal with the fallout, but AEW is not resting on its laurels. Mark Briscoe is already challenging MJF this Wednesday, though it will probably result in defeat. The week after that is the Beach Break special, which features a Survival of the Fittest match for the vacant TBS Championship.
Until then, everyone should stay tuned…
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