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Good Morning!
Busy weekend ahead of us. I’ll be doing a preview for AEW’s Double or Nothing on Saturday or Sunday, depending on whether I try to push it to see if any more matches are added to that already bloated card on Collision. But today is for King and Queen of the Ring, a show I might not be watching because a) my wife is a better person than me and objects to those Saudi Blood Money shows, and b) we might have a Dungeons and Dragons game going at the same time.
But that’s the future! For now, we’ve got a show to preview and an in-house tournament to finish!
We haven’t really done the recap thing recently, because I’ve kinda had other things going on in life. Yard stuff, house stuff, you know. But I love this thing we’ve built, and I’m not abandoning it or anything. Just adjusting for life. So rather than the “every Friday, no matter what” setup, we’ll be keeping it casual and posting whenever I want to get something out of my head, or off my chest. I’ll post on the usual socials when something new goes up.
PPV previews are still gonna happen, though, because I really like guessing the outcomes of matches. So, we’ll use this weekend's previews as kind of a short recap of the storylines that got us to where we are now, i.e. violence.
I’d like to talk about the King and Queen of the Ring show, and WWE’s relationship with the Saudi government in general. I’ve heard a lot about why they shouldn’t be doing them, why the relationship is based on blood money, and why the Fed is awful (as a business) and why I shouldn’t watch. I even got called out for it on social media. I don’t like these shows at all.
I learned the term “sportswashing” because of Crown Jewel. It’s a term for, basically, holding big sporting events to distract, or whitewash, the numerous human rights violations that exist to this day in the region. Saudi’s current government, funded by an unlimited amount of oil money, has been actively using soccer, golf, F1 racing, and more in kind of a “look over here - not over there” move.
Stephanie McMahon, back when she was a member of the WWE board, made a big deal out of the WWE using its platform to make change. And they have made some progress – women have participated in these Jeddah shows, albeit fully covered up. Relations have improved enough between Saudi Arabia and Syria that Sami Zayn, himself a person of Syrian descent, has agreed to appear on the more recent PLEs from there.
The thing is, nothing is getting solved right away. For the WWE, that means they can justify taking those giant paychecks and running shows and having a museum of sorts in Jeddah, because they feel like they’re doing enough in the region to enact change. Before this weekend’s show, the photo I used as a header was taken at a conference that included women athletes in Saudi Arabia alongside WWE superstars. However, treatment of women in the region have barely improved, to say nothing of the local government’s opinion of queer folks. To put it bluntly, it’s not enough.
WWE is doing a little to make a change in a region that’s obviously opposed to it, and it’s going to take more than some pretend fights to address hundreds of years of history. It puts fans, especially the perpetually online fans who are aware of the conditions, in a rough spot. Do we boycott the shows? That was easier when they were big, glorified house shows – now WWE has title matches, King of the Ring, and storyline developments taking place on these shows. However, one could just as easily find the results online, or wait until Raw to be caught up on the event by WWE itself. Do we boycott the fed itself? It’s not like the entire company has a clear conscience. It’s currently embroiled in a sexual assault and trafficking lawsuit that allegedly involves former WWE owner Vince McMahon and employees John Laurinitis and Brock Lesnar. And while those three people aren’t currently with the company, it seems unlikely that no one who has been there since these events (allegedly) took place didn’t know anything.
One has to make their own call with this stuff. The more you know about a company, any company, the less you’re gonna want to use their stuff, or watch their product, or participate in what they’re doing. You can applaud efforts for change while still realizing there’s a lot of work to be done; you can also expect a company to be held accountable for the actions of the people who own it. If it’s too gross for you to give your time and money to a corporation willing to work with deviants and theocratic governments, there’s a ton of other wrestling out there – I cover it here with AEW, and there are countless other promotions. But I’m also gonna keep writing about WWE as well.
I myself have watched the Fed since I got into wrestling over thirty years ago. It was what was on TV, and I’ve always liked the storytelling and the stars. As time has passed, and social media has allowed us to learn more about both the performers as people, I’ve only liked it more, with the exception of guys who out themselves as turds. However, you also learn a lot about the bad things companies and people do through social media too. And even if you don’t find that yourself, don’t worry – there’s no shortage of people online whose sole joy in life is pointing out why you shouldn’t like the thing you like. I’ll keep watching, and hope things change, the same way I hope Amazon, or Apple, or Boeing, or any number of other places that make things we all use will eventually be overtaken by decent folks who put people over profit. One can hope, right?
One last point, that my wife actually brought up to me. There are kids at these shows, little wrestling fans that are the age a lot of us were when pro wrestling really got its hooks in us. How cool was it to see those larger-than-life athletes in front of us? How cool must it be for those kids in Jeddah, especially those little girls in the stands, to see a Bianca Belair or Becky Lynch and think they could do that?
Anyway, TL;DR I’m probably gonna put the show on because I have Peacock and I watch the Fed, and because covering this stuff is part of trying to make this dumb blog a real thing people really read. I understand if you don’t, and I’m happy to land on that grenade for you if you’re curious but don’t want to support what they’re doing over there in Connecticut and Saudi Arabia.
The Let’s Watch Some Wrestling King of Kings of the Ring Finals!
The LWSW King of Kings of the Ring tournament began earlier this week, with three brackets representing three stretches of Kings of the Ring. Eight participants per bracket were whittled down to one, and the winners met in a triple threat match for the coveted title of King of Kings of the Ring. I thought about a ladder match, but the guys involved seem more like grapplers and brawlers, not the high flyers you’d want in a modern day ladder battle.
Harley Race, the original King of the Ring. Owen Hart, the King of Harts. And Brock Lesnar, the Beast Incarnate. Only one can become the One True King, The King of Kings of the Ring. Let’s get this party started!
Brock did Brock stuff early, going after both Hart and Race before Harley got wise and dipped out of the ring. Owen recovered enough to reverse a few moves, and when the action went outside Hart went for no less than three weapons – two kendo sticks and a chair. Back in the ring, Brock shattered one of those canes on Race’s forehead, opening him up for the second time in two matches. Owen saw the opportunity and went after Brock with a cane of his own, but by the time Harley was back on his feet Brock was back in control again. Owen allowed Lesnar to hit a triple powerbomb on Race before tagging the Beast with a chair and going for a pin, but Harley had enough left in him to kick out.
As is often the case in WWE 2K24 triple threat matches, the AI made some poor decisions once red started to build up on everyone’s health meters. Finishers were applied by everyone, but the third man was always right there with a chair to break up the pin that followed. And while Brock was the obvious threat, both Hart and Race spent way too much time wearing each other down.
Hart nearly lost to a cane shot while Race was outside the ring, stunned, but he somehow kicked out after 2.99. More weapons were introduced, more violence was performed, but in the end a package piledriver stunned Owen, which Harley Race followed with a running knee to Lesnar’s face, bloodying the big guy. Somehow, the match continued, with Brock just getting mad from that blood and going after everyone with a steel chair, including the referee.
Honestly, the CAW for Owen was nearly perfect. He was opportunistic, and smart enough to know when to get out of Brock’s way. However, that ended up costing him, as he tried to take advantage when Brock had just hit an F5 on Race. An attempted belly-to-back suplex was reversed, though, and Lesnar had enough left in him for another F5, getting Brock the win and the title.
Not the best outcome for me personally, but it was a fun match to watch! And there’s something to be said for a shady guy to win at one of the shadier events of the year, I guess. It’s not irony, but it’s something.
So, until next year when we revamp this, we’ll move on, with lil’ Brock Lesnar as our King of Kings of the Ring. Watch out for Money in the Bank season, when I’ll somehow figure out a tournament to do the Most Money in the Bank.
The Let’s Watch Some Wrestling King and Queen of the Ring 2024 Preview
The King and Queen of the Ring Finals
Short of skipping Friday night’s Smackdown, we’re kinda stuck as to who will face Gunther and Lyra Valkyria in the King and Queen of the Ring finals. I believe Randy Orton and Nia Jax are the safe bets, and when it comes to the Saudi shows, it’s typically the bigger stars who get the matches. So, if we’re assuming those bookings are correct, I’ll go with Gunther and Nia Jax as our 2024 King and Queen of the Ring. Gunther doesn’t need a bauble, per se, and I don’t think he’ll do the whole “royal” gimmick, but he can say that he’s been a general for so long, that royalty isn’t that far fetched.
Nia, on the other hand – I want the velvet cape, crown, scepter, awful British accent, the whole shebang. I think she’ll have a lot of fun with it, and her recent run has been some of the best work of her career.
[Edit: the people I expected to get in, got in. Also, Bianca Belair got a preshow match added that will see her and Jade Cargill defend their tag team championships against Indi Hartwell and Candice LaRae. Which Bianca and Jade will win, unless Bianca’s bad knee – which cost her the match against Jax – comes into play again. But it seems FAR too soon for a breakup.]
Sami Zayn © versus Bronson Reed versus Chad Gable in a Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Championship
This story has been rolling along since before WrestleMania, when Chad Gable failed to defeat Gunther a number of times, then failed to defeat Sami Zayn for one more chance at ‘Mania. Chad turned on Sami after Zayn won the title, in an impressive visual that featured Sami and his wife hugging at ringside before Gable suplexed Zayn out of his wife’s arms. Since then, Gable has gone full heel, and Sami has been dealing with Chad, an unwilling but complicit Alpha Academy, and Bronson Reed all gunning for him and his belt.
I think Sami retains here, because while this story has been well told, it’s also still technically Sami’s first big rivalry since he won the Intercontinental Championship. Triple H likes long reigns, and this hasn’t been long enough just yet. I do like Gable’s current heel character, although it’s a little too abusive to Maxxine, who I always feel bad for because WWE keeps putting her in the spotlight despite a lack of experience or natural talent in any facet of pro wrestling. You just know Otis is gonna snap sooner rather than later – I just don’t think it’ll be at this show.
Becky Lynch © versus Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship
Another match where the reign is simply too short to end this quickly. However, there’s hope for a change! Becky Lynch’s contract is up soon in real life, and she’s alluded to it more than once on TV. Liv has been a champ before, and this “Liv Morgan Revenge Tour” she’s been on since her return has given us a more vicious and calculating Morgan than we had in the past, even when she was a baddie. Her frequent background canoodling with members of the Judgment Day, her willingness to leave allies to the wolves when it doesn’t directly benefit her…these are good heel moves, and while I still think she’s kinda goofy on the mic, she’s doing great in this run.
More importantly, Becky keeps bringing up the fact that Liv has never beaten her before. She’s basically overlooking Morgan, a fact that historically ends up biting wrestlers in the ass. So, I’ll go out on a limb and say that Liv Morgan will win the title here. I can’t remember the last time a title changed hands on a Saudi show, and maybe that’s the big hook for this one, where the biggest announced stars are in the main event.
Cody Rhodes © versus Logan Paul for the WWE Universal Championship
Cody’s next defense after Wrestlemania comes on the heels of his surprisingly excellent match in France against AJ Styles. Maybe “surprisingly” is too strong a word – these are two world class talents that are a little older, but no less talented than they were in other companies. AJ and Cody proved that they can put together a hell of a banger when called upon, and that crowd definitely gave them something to feed off of.
Logan Paul has proven time and time again that he’s naturally talented at this wrestling thing, and willing to put in the work to get even better. He’s gold on the mic as a douchey heel, and always has friends willing to put their well-being on the line in order to help Logan retain his United States Championship – kind of like how people are willing to do the same for popular YouTubers in order to get their own channels over. Meta!
Regardless of who shows up in Jeddah, Cody’s not dropping his title here. I could see Logan’s brother, Jake, or even Mike Tyson showing up – maybe both? There are almost always surprises on these Saudi shows, even if they’re mostly predictable when it comes to match outcomes.
Closing Up Shop
…in which I say goodbye for now
And that’s it! I’ll be posting an AEW Double or Nothing preview on Saturday night or Sunday morning, and hopefully will find the time to recap both of the weekend’s big shows on Monday or Tuesday. As always, I’ll post on the usual socials when I do.
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