2022 Pro Wrestling Thread

I’m thinking this is legit. If it was a storyline, they could just have them get “hurt” somehow to get written off the show.

Someone else on Twitter pointed out how unusual it is for the E to put out a statement and how it’s possible they’re trying to get in front of a story.

 

Look, I’m all about suspension of disbelief. For gosh sakes, I’m a Danhausen fanboy. And as a child of the 1970s and teen of the 1980s who grew up watching Mid-South and WCCW, I absolutely LOVED Flair and the Four Horsemen. All those clips people watch on YouTube? I saw them when they originally aired. I’ve been able to recite the Flair mantra (limousine-Rodin’ etc) for 40-plus years.

All that is to say, holy shitballs, I do NOT want to see septuagenarian Flair in the ring. It’s a damned embarrassment.

 

Even better, one of the rumors is that on the other side teaming with Rock & Roll Express (no spring chickens themselves, but capable of a passable match) is Ricky Steamboat, who Jake the Snake said has had some health problems and has felt guilty for causing said problems with the famed DDT to the concrete.

Flair is supposedly teaming with FTR. As much as FTR stands up for the older generation, I have a hard time believing they'd aid and abett to this mockery.

 

WWE put out the same statement as before on their own social media as well.

 

Well, that’s just it - I don’t think FTR could turn it down out of respect for him. Even though they should.

 

I remember in the early 1990s, Buddy Rogers was going to have a comeback match in his 70s against Buddy Landell as a Battle of the Nature Boys. It was announced, but the promotion (Tri-State, which preceded ECW), went out of business. Rogers ended up dying a few months later and I couldn’t help but think he could have died in the ring had the match taken place.

I don’t have a good feeling here; even if Flair just does some chops and doesn’t take any bumps.

 

Was the Becky Lynch interview seg where she said they left before or after the statement? I’m watching on delay. Not sure if that timing offers any clue.

So the “6 pack challenge” was for the shot at Belair? Never a 3 way tag match? Only thing I can think of that would trigger a walk out is them having Sasha fight Naomi at some pt in the match for no reason…..that could be seen to be disrespectful of the tag belts

 

Flair posted a video on social media this week of him working out with Jay Lethal. It was normal Flair stuff — couple of chops, a strut and a woo — but he did take a basic bump or two. He can probably do a couple of limited minutes in a six-man tag, same as anybody who has done a job for 50 years can do the basics in their sleep. Doesn't mean I'd pay to see it, though, or even want to see him go through the motions for 60 seconds at the end of a random six-man tag.

 

Yeah, I saw that clip too. It’s sad, really.

 

Its a work and Matt Cardona knows it, he’s not gonna make fun of a serious situation right?

I put Naomi’s husband working a match in the middle of the show as if nothing’s going on also as a check mark in the “work” column

 

If it's a work, I think the SashaBanksWWE twitter account would have blasted out *something*, but its been silent except for a RT of a John Cena tweet that seems oddly relevant. Banks seems like one of those talents that WWE would be absolutely crazy to ever let go of, but there has been rumbling throughout the years that she hasn't always been happy there. Her non-wrestling work is also with ABC / Disney - not NBC - so its not like WWE has her hooked there, like it would with some others. Not saying its definitely legit, but I'm saying its more credible that Banks and Naomi (who also hasn't been treated great by WWE) are just abandoning WWE vs. like, Triple H and Baron Corbin.

 

As many wrestlers from outside the company that are tweeting their support for Sasha and Naomi, this is not a work. And I don't see WWE breaking the fourth wall for storyline, by putting out the press release referring to things as "scripted" -- especially when it's not a top-card act.

Even if was his wife, Uso would've been idiotic to have walked out, too. As much as Naomi and Sasha were afterthoughts as tag champs, the Usos have been at the top of the card for well more than a year in association with Roman.

It's just like when the WWE has released one significant other, but the second half of the couple remained (even if some were cut as part of a later axing) -- Killian Dain/Nikki Cross, Rusev/Lana, Zack Ryder/Chelsea Green, Tye Dillinger/Peyton Royce.