C.S.

What is the story here?

Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, and Hideo Itami were introduced on camera as Kevin Steen, Fergal Devitt, and KENTA before going through the NXT Name Generator, so Starks not even having his name announced ahead of time will pose much less of a problem if WWE opts to change it.

I said this in the other thread too: If Ethan Page got to keep his name, I don't see why Ricky Starks wouldn't, but you never know.

Whether they "want" to or not should be irrelevant. Tony just saying "oh, okay" to that when he's their boss makes no sense to me. He should be able to sue their asses or at least suspend them without pay if he wants to avoid a lawsuit. Black is the most overrated guy there is. Like Andrade, it will be another lateral move at best. I like Miro, but if he's his own worst enemy, that won't help him in WWE either. Ricky Starks just showed up in NXT - sans name - so we'll see if he gets to keep his. If Ethan Page did, I don't see why Ricky Starks wouldn't, but you never know.

It's bizarre to me that Tony Khan just keeps people at home for a year or more instead of at least using them to get others over. AEW isn't big enough anymore and doesn't have enough viewers at this point to "de-value" anyone by taking them off TV, so TK may as well get some benefit out of wrestlers he's already paying anyway. But, hey, it's his money.

The Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) on ESPN in the '90s went through several eras in only a few short years, and one of them definitely veered toward the cartoonish and absurd: Examples: - A Bungee Match - A Moon Rock Match - Announcer David Webb thinking he was Elvis

Sounds like Heaven to me!

I don't know where the truth lies with Pat Patterson, but I can believe Billy Graham made up a bunch of shit because he was a two-bit carny while also believing Pat may have behaved inappropriately at times considering the WWE culture. I don't believe for a second, though, that a gay man would go after children. That homophobic bullshit really needs to die. P.S. Superstar Billy Graham blocked me on Facebook years ago. I still have no idea why.

Sonya hurts. She and Athena could have bangers in ROH though. Whether TK thinks so, or whether there's any interest from Sonya in that direction, is another story. Blair Davenport was Bea Priestley in AEW. Put her together with Jack Perry! I liked AoP, Paul Ellering, and Cedric Alexander, but they weren't exactly being used. Cedric is in a relationship with Big Swole, so does that mean AEW is out of the question? (Edit: @The Thread Killer wondered the same thing above.) Kross has grown on me a bit, so I think he stays - for now. This was known years ago though.

I had the same reaction. All he's done for the past year in WWE is take up space. Major star in Mexico, but started off ice cold in NXT, only warmed up thanks to great matches and the combined efforts of Zelina Vega and Johnny Gargano, never really found his footing on the main roster, became less relevant in AEW, and is now once again just another wrestler in WWE. I predict the same trajectory for Aleister/Malakai Black, to be honest.

I'll give you Fella - that was a surprise for sure - but I don't remember Nakamura winning being any kind of real shocker.

I'm not a Yeet Fan, but I love that we finally got an unpredictable finish for maybe the first time in Rumble history outside of the Russo "it's a swerve, bro" years.

Did Penta's feet touch the floor?

As great as that would've been, you know people would bitch that it wasn't Vaquer, Giulia, Jordynne Grace, etc. etc.

I would've preferred a Nia win, and I'm not exactly a fan of hers either.

I spoke too soon. Good match. Bad winner. No one gives a shit about Charlotte.

Best Women's Rumble ever?

Cena/Gunther would make more sense to me, but I'm guessing Cena doesn't win the Rumble, doesn't win Elimination Chamber, faces someone else at WrestleMania, and wins one of the World Titles later in the year.

I have a bad feeling the Yeet Geek is winning here.

Strowman never recovered from being cucked out to Roman/Brock, his toxic social media presence cooled him off further, and his eventual World Title reign was too little too late and laid an egg. He's the drizzling shits. Jacob Fatu is just plain awesome.

I think it was your drink. I thought the match was a boring slog. Of course, it doesn't help that Nia isn't compelling to me and the outcome was never in doubt.

I agree that "YEET" is definitely something for younger fans, but if that were the only thing I didn't "get" about Jey's act, I'd understand. The guy just doesn't do it for me at all on any level. Punk trolling Hogan was fantastic.

It's possible Alvarez said it, and my mind filled in the blank with Meltzer because they're both from the same site.

I thought everyone on PWO was nuts praising The Usos as an all-timer of a tag team years ago. They were fine in the ring but had nothing else going for them. When they finally did get to show off their "personalities," they were annoying as hell to me, and Vince-led segments like "Ucey Hot" definitely didn't help. Now we're getting the YEET crap, which the crowd loves - so Jey and WWE are rightfully rolling with it - but it does nothing for me.

It shouldn't. Britt is more over than 99% of the AEW women and many of the men. Might be a BS rumor anyway. DM and probably others are already refuting it.