Last week, I debuted a piece called Things That Make Me Go Hmmm, where I take a slightly cynical view at what’s going on in pro wrestling. I’ll bring that back periodically when I have more things to write about that make my head hurt, like Orange Cassidy’s current booking after being in the main event of All Out.
But this is The Cool Check In. Word to the Beastie Boys.
I narrated last week’s article and put it in our free Fight Game Media feed. You can take a listen below. I will also do so for this one later this week.
And on the cool check in…
The Rock Shows Up On SmackDown
On Friday, The Rock was on Pat McAfee’s ESPN show which was on location in Boulder, Colorado for the big Colorado University vs. Colorado State football game which happened the next day. Coach Prime, one Deion Sanders, was interviewed and The Rock showed up as well.
People’s Champ x @DeionSanders 🐐
Came to Boulder to support my guy 🤜🏾🤛🏾
We go back.
No blueprint for what this man is doing in college football.
Feel the mana in the air.
Electrifying morning!!! ⚡️⚡️⚡️@deionsanders @espn @CUBuffsFootball @CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/aPzPqwk2fy— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 17, 2023
My Spidey senses, along with everyone else’s who put two-and-two together that SmackDown was in Denver later that night, started to tingle and I was pretty sure that Pat was going to show up on SmackDown. But would The Rock? And if so, why?
When The Rock was being interviewed, he talked about a match idea with Roman Reigns being locked in for WrestleMania 39, though it eventually didn’t happen. All of a sudden, the possibility increased, but there was still a wonder of why. Roman Reigns wasn’t scheduled to be on the show.
Being on the West Coast, I don’t get to watch SmackDown until 8PM Pacific. Hulu Live doesn’t have an East Coast feed for FOX and I’m not about to watch commercials by logging into FOX’s website. But when The Rock showed up at SmackDown to help out his buddy Pat, I heard from several people who don’t normally watch wrestling. He brought the lapsed fans back, at least for twenty minutes.
I was – I’m still – completely blown away by this crowd reaction in Denver this past Friday night on SMACKDOWN.
My appearance was a 💯 surprise to everyone and this crowd of 14,000 erupted with the roar of 100,000 strong.
Top 5 loudest crowd reaction of my career 🤯🥹🙏🏾… pic.twitter.com/IYXcD0yCzN
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 17, 2023
Does this mean that The Rock is ready to do business again with Roman Reigns since he mentioned the match on McAfee? Is he looking to do something now that he has some extra time with all the strikes going on in Hollywood? Or was this just a one-time thing because of being on McAfee’s show?
My sense is that he’s interested in finally doing the long awaited match with Roman Reigns. The Bloodline storyline is still ongoing and who better to check Roman for his “Head of the Table” status than The Rock? But my main question is about the Hollywood strikes. What if they end? Everyone in Hollywood is going to be busier than every trying to get as much stuff done in the shortest time possible. That could eliminate the idea that he’d be available for whatever this “locked in” idea they had.
Coming back to WWE could do him some good for sure. After the disaster that was Black Adam, Young Rock being cancelled, and having to go back to the Fast & Furious franchise after saying he was done, there is some good will to be had. And let’s not forget that the XFL is coming back for year two. A little bit of WWE back scratching can help get more interest into the league.
I still have more questions than we have answers. And based off his SmackDown appearance, everything will be kept as a surprise anyway. I’m skeptical, but interested.
Jade Cargill to WWE or NXT
After last Wednesday’s AEW television taping, word immediately hit the street that Jade Cargill was probably done with AEW and might be headed to WWE. A recent report suggests that she’ll be at the WWE Performance Center this week.
If she’s ready to go (ahem) all in, WWE is the perfect place for Jade. She has the single greatest look in the history of women’s wrestling; built like a sculpted super hero. You don’t need CGI graphics for Jade. But in order to work in WWE, you have to be a lifer. You also might have to give up some of your independence as far as your side gigs are concerned. On her Instagram biography, she states, “A woman who knows her worth is a dangerous thing.” That will be tested here.
On the side of WWE, she’s a one-hundred percent no doubter if she’s game. But will her lack of in-ring experience give WWE cold feet and take her through the NXT route? It’s the safer route for sure. She can work at the Performance Center and train and have lots of practice matches while not being on the road. That might be the preferred strategy to make sure she doesn’t miss. But is it the right way?
If Jade does know her worth, it extends far beyond WWE’s C brand. Her worth is showing up on RAW or SmackDown and immediately challenging the biggest and the baddest of the women’s division. Not doing it that way would eliminate the social media/viral moment that WWE loves. Let’s just call it the Lex Luger shows up on Nitro moment. It would take her down immediately as a star to do it the other way.
The other thing I wonder about is if there is any synergy whatsoever between WWE and WME. Notice I didn’t write UFC. I wrote WME. WWE hasn’t been too kind to outside passions in the past and they’ve disallowed other non-WWE vehicles. If Jade has any intention of going into Hollywood, that connection with WME could be helpful. But would WWE want that? Would they be open to any synergy that doesn’t lock a wrestler in with them full-time?
Whatever happens with Jade, I can’t wait to see it. The sky is the limit with her.
Swerve and The Hangman
The Fight Game Media Discord has so many smart people in it that I’m constantly getting ideas for podcasts and written pieces like this one. One of those ideas came to me when the discussion turned to Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page at WrestleDream. Who should win?
On one hand, Swerve needs a win badly. He has all the upside in the world and needs AEW to get behind him as a star. They have too many folks who are almost there, or on the cusp of stardom. Hell, Ricky Starks’ entire character is about that right now.
But on the other hand, Hangman Page needs the win badly. Once one of their top stars and former AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Hangman has been mired in multi-person tags since the spring. A loss to Swerve doesn’t get him back into title contention.
I’m leaning toward Hangman needing the win more because he’s closer to the main event than Swerve. But it would be great if Tony Khan and company saw this being the perfect way to elevate Swerve into a main event position. I’m not confident they see that though.
Maybe Prince Nana mesmerizes Page with the Nana dance and he just goes to sleep?
Young Bucks did the Prince Nana "I swerve when I drive" dance and introduced him to Superkick Party. 😂 pic.twitter.com/YpBcEXBdtD
— Drainmaker 🌧️ 💵 (@DrainBamager) September 14, 2023
I don’t expect Swerve to win, but it would be quite the moment.
