Wrestling Fans Deserve a Victory

The current Champions on SmackDown Live (AJ Styles and Becky Lynch pictured above) are facing the darlings of WWE: Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey. Photos courtesy of the WWE

By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt)

November 7, 2018

Wrestling Fans Deserve a Victory

To say the WWE hasn’t acknowledged the fans’ existence and opinion…would actually be a lie. Over the last couple of months in the Women’s division and the last year in the men’s division, the WWE has given us the champions we desire on SmackDown Live: Becky Lynch and AJ Styles.

AJ Styles reign as the WWE Champion

AJ Styles came into the WWE with already high accolades and great deal of respect from the wrestling community. The fans probably would’ve never guessed that AJ would be champ, let alone be champ for over an entire year. Styles reign as champion is unprecedented considering he is not a home-grown talent. Of course…neither was CM Punk, but did we really think the WWE would be this generous with AJ?

Styles is already garnering conversations of beating Punk’s record (and why not? I’m sure the WWE would be more than happy to take that name down). By the time TLC rolls around (December 16 at the SAP Center), AJ Styles will be around 404 days. Putting him 30 days away from being the longest reigning champion in the modern era and almost assuredly the owner of that title, since the Royal Rumble will be 42 days away.

We don’t know if the WWE is going to execute on this, but the fact that the conversation is happening is amazing. Do we have anything to complain about then? Well, lets continue…

Becky Lynch is STILL the Women’s Champ

How ironic that ‘the Man’ is our favorite Women’s Champion?

I jest, but again, it has to be recognized that the WWE is giving us what we want here, by booking Lynch as a strong champ. A Women’s champ that we all believe in and love. One that we feel we hand picked and helped reach the summit. A champion who asks for nothing and takes everything. A champ that we’ve anointed as being ‘stone cold’ in her performance.

Becky Lynch is our champion and has been allowed to take down the Queen of the women’s wrestling division…TWICE! She’s being pushed in all of the ways we always hoped we would get from Daniel Bryan. But she is no Daniel Bryan and that’s a good thing!

Becky is our champ and because of the rules of Survivor Series, she’s going to stay our champ for a little while longer. Is that enough? Should we be content that she’s going to be our champion till mid-December?

Survivor Series

While we know the WWE is no stranger to strategic programming (take a look back at the last month with their shitty announcements mixed in with heartbreaking story and real-life tragedy), one could definitely argue that the only reason we have been given AJ Styles and Becky Lynch was because the WWE wanted to make the big money deals on RAW. Meaning that the WWE would be able to let Brock Lesnar hold onto the title (and I’m talking about everything before his victory at Crown Jewel) and have Roman Reigns carry the Championship too. The same could be said for Ronda Rousey and her title reign.

Obviously, things have changed for Roman and Brock. Roman has since left to be with his family during this troubled time. Lesnar, who we all thought we wouldn’t have to see again, picked the title up at Crown Jewel after one heck of shitty match. Brock, now being the title holder, is booked to go one-on-one with the Phenomenal AJ Styles.

On the women’s roster, Ronda Rousey is the women’s champ and will be onto her third month as the title holder, once Survivor Series rolls around. Since the new game-plan for Survivor Series is to have champions face off, we’ll be getting Becky Lynch and Ronda in the ring together.

Likely Results of Survivor Series

The most likely and predictable results that we will get at Survivor Series is Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey winning and then two victories for SmackDown in the Survivor Series matches. For some reason…I just can’t picture the alternative occurring.

The WWE will want to continue to book their darlings in the most bright of lights. That means AJ loses to Brock and Becky loses to Ronda. Now, neither will lose their title so that’s all that should matter…right?

We’ve been gifted these title reigns (the reigns of AJ and Becky) so we shouldn’t want more than that. We should understand that AJ is out of his weight class and Becky can’t compete with a real fighter. AJ will try his ‘darnedest’ and Becky just won’t be strong enough. It’s what we’ve been taught to expect as smarky wrestling fans and its the depressing outcome we’ll most likely be suffering through, come Monday morning.

Brock probably has it built into his contract that he won’t lose to anybody not named Roman. And I’m sure getting Roman on that list was difficult. Brock’s legacy needs to be kept strong. I hate that…but it’s easy to admit that is the WWE’s priority. Roman beating Brock is (supposed to be) one of the greatest victories and upsets ever (again…that’s what the WWE believes). Giving AJ a victory over Brock, when the title will still be over his shoulder come November 19th, will do nothing for the WWE’s main goal: keeping Roman and Brock looking strong.

Ronda, on the other hand, now has a chance to look strong against a real wrestler. Her current winning streak includes wins over two sneaky heels (Nikki and Alexa Bliss). Ronda has yet to really be tested (unless you want to count her ‘no decision’ against Nia Jax). This victory will cement her as a legitimate champion and as much as we’ll all roll our eyes, the WWE will do it because they need to. Giving Rousey all that money to be an average wrestler was never the plan. How do you make her more than average? Have her take down ‘the man’.

But I’ll still hold out hope that either Becky or AJ can pull off the unthinkable.

Becky Lynch and AJ Styles Should Win

This notion is short and sweet. the WWE has screwed up…a lot…of the last two months with every decision they’ve made that revolves around big money. Their trips overseas were a slap in the face of the domestic consumer. If you don’t believe that…watch the show again with your credit card bill in your hand. Or better yet, look at how much you’ve spent on the Network since its inception. That show was garbage…the fact that it happened is garbage…and the fact that it’ll happen again…is absolute cold, wet, smelly garbage.

The WWE needs to put a smile on the fan’s faces and can do it with some easy booking at Survivor Series.

I’ll say this too: I don’t need a clean victory for AJ Styles or Becky Lynch.

Setup Brock Lesnar’s next opponent by having Braun Strowman crash the ring to destroy Brock. Give AJ the victory because it was too much to handle for Brock. The monster among men and the best wrestler in the world can take him down.

The alternative is boring. Brock destroys AJ with 12 F-5’s and then the night ends. Woop-de-doo. But give the little guy a chance to take down the beast? That is great TV. And will be an obvious nod to the fans who have put up with the WWE and their bullshit for the last 2 months.

I definitely don’t need AJ Styles to be ‘booked better’. When you’re potentially the longest reigning champ in the modern era, what else could you ask for? But Brock winning is not good for this program and does nothing in regards to what happens next. We know Brock is tough. But we also all hate his title reigns and see no reason for him to have been given the title back.

Same goes for Becky and Ronda. Ronda shouldn’t be beating Becky yet and I think Ronda, the human, would agree. Becky is being pushed as the premiere women’s wrestler on the roster. A loss to Ronda tarnishes everything…while a loss for Ronda is chalked up to her inexperience in the ring.

Just like Brock, we know Ronda is a bad-ass, but it won’t hurt her to lose a match. Her storyline should always be about her push to get better and the WWE should focus on her building a fan base first. She’ll struggle to build a fan base if she keeps winning. That sounds dumb, but the fans will push her away if she looks unbeatable. We already know Becky is beatable, so despite her current streak, that is not what is being done with her push. Charlotte…however…was being booked as unbeatable. And the fans turned on her. Granted…she’s a little clumsy in the ring and stumbles on the mic, but she did have everything going for her. Now, she needs to build up her character again or redefine it.

If you absolutely need to, I’ll allow (yes…I allow it) Nia and Tamina to head the ring and destroy Rousey. Setup the next big fight (just like Brock) and you’ve got no complaints from me!

I don’t hate Rousey…not even a little. But even a blind man can see its not time for her to be taking down Becky.

It’s Never Enough

I’ve asked throughout the article if “its enough” to have Becky and AJ as champs? No…its not. I pay good money for t-shirts…Royal Rumble tickets…the WWE Network…and I’m sure other things. This bologna with Saudi Arabia was enough for me to finally (purposefully) not watch a pay-per-view.

But if the plan going forward is to just let everyone know that UFC fighters are better than the ones I love (and pay for)…then I am truly a fool among fools. Not only do they not value their brand enough to shy away from blood money, but they think the brand of UFC is better than theirs. Like some twisted world where Sprint’s commercials feature plugs for how much better Verizon is than Sprint, the WWE would be doing themselves no favors here.

Please…PLEASE…FOR THE LOVE GOD AND FOR ALL THINGS HOLY! LET BECKY AND AJ BEAT BROCK AND ROUSEY!

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