Five Hot Takes From The Week In Wrestling: What We Wish Had Happened & More (1/25/2024)

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly hot takes column, where we look back on the week that was and distill our strongest (and most unlikely) opinions! Obviously, with the Royal Rumble coming up, we have Rumble surprise-related thoughts, but we also have some suggestions for "WWE NXT's" Vengeance Day PLE and some issues with recent "WWE SmackDown" booking. While some of the stands we take might be on firmer ground than others, we're hoping they're not things you read a ton of other places. As always, your thoughts are welcome in the comments.

And now, our hottest takes from the week beginning Friday, January 19, and ending Thursday, January 25!

Last year, many wrestling fans began labeling the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships as "cursed" — a notion that WWE later played into by insinuating that The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn) put a magical spell on the titles. Last week on "WWE SmackDown," Fyre and Dawn returned to televised in-ring competition, challenging Katana Chance and Kayden Carter for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. Unfortunately, the menacing duo were swiftly defeated by Chance and Carter in less than three minutes.

Recent events suggest that these tag titles will likely shift into the possession of The Kabuki Warriors (Kairi Sane and Asuka), as the pair are slated to challenge Chance and Carter on this week's episode of "SmackDown." Ahead of this upcoming title match, WWE had a prime opportunity for Sane and Asuka to enact revenge on Dawn and Fyre while simultaneously launching a preemptive strike on Chance and Carter afterward.

I'm not usually in favor of a disqualification finish, especially when championships are on the line, but in consideration of the preexisting history with The Unholy Union (in which Fyre and Dawn attacked The Kabuki Warriors during December's Holiday Havoc match), interference seemed justified in this title match. Having Sane and Asuka attack Fyre and Dawn mid-match, and thus forcing a disqualification, not only keeps the titles on Chance and Carter heading into this week's title match, but it also preserves the intimidating and devious nature that The Unholy Union is built on. As a result, a disqualification victory for Fyre and Dawn may have been more beneficial for all the parties involved.

WWE's decision for Chance and Carter to retain cleanly, and in less than three minutes, however, weakens the appeal and credibility of Fyre and Dawn, who, eight months ago, carried the "WWE NXT" Women's Tag Team Championships.

Written by Ella Jay

Lyra Valkyria might be a current fan favorite in "NXT", but she should lose the "NXT" Women's Championship to Roxanne Perez at Vengeance Day. Why you may ask? Because it opens the door for a much more interesting story to be told.

The storyline between Valkyria and Perez, as well as Tatum Paxley stalking Valkyria have not been stellar or the most exciting to watch. However, should the two storylines overlap, it would make for much more compelling television. Valkyria has made it clear to Paxley that she wants nothing to do with her, chewing her out after she sent Perez through a table during their contract signing this past Tuesday. If wrestling history tells us anything, it's that the next major development in the story will see Paxley betraying Valkyria out of frustration, and there's no perfect time to do it other than February 4. Paxley could either cost Valkyria the title and inadvertently help Perez or align herself with Perez, but this would open up the avenue for the two to square off in a non-title match at Stand & Deliver.

Yes, Valkyria is still over with the "NXT" crowd, but there are more avenues to travel if she were to lose the "NXT" Women's Championship. Perez has been one of the top female stars on "NXT" programming over the past couple of years, and carrying the title could be beneficial in helping her to find her footing with her new heel character – something she seems to have been having some trouble doing.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

At WWE Crown Jewel, Solo Sikoa defeated John Cena, clean, in a singles match. Afterward, he executed a brutal attack on Cena, who hasn't been seen in a WWE ring since. It's difficult to imagine Cena putting over the budding superstar any more strongly.

That was almost three months ago. It's also the last time Sikoa won a televised match. Since Crown Jewel on November 4, Sikoa has wrestled four matches and lost all of them. And while two of those were tag team matches where his cousin Jimmy Uso took the pin, and another was a disqualification loss after Roman Reigns interference, it's impossible to ignore the fact that last Friday, Sikoa — the man who (for now) functionally retired Cena — cleanly lost a five-minute singles match to Randy Orton on "WWE SmackDown," and seems poised to lose again to LA Knight this week.

I get that Orton (along with Knight) is being built up for Saturday's Royal Rumble title match with Reigns, it seems like there are better ways to do that than by putting the 43-year-old veteran who doctors don't think should even be wrestling anymore over the 30-year-old up-and-comer who until recently was being presented as an absolute killer. And I'm starting to wonder how long Sikoa can stay in this holding pattern as the "enforcer" of The Bloodline without taking more losses to Reigns' future opponents. I don't know what WWE has planned for Sikoa now that we're starting down the Road to WrestleMania (and I strongly suspect they don't know right now, either) but the clock is ticking on his credibility. If WWE isn't careful, what was once one of their promising young stars will be reduced to a historical footnote, and his win over Cena to an obscure answer in wrestling-themed pub trivia.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

Following his departure from WWE in 2016, Wade Barrett took a brief hiatus from professional wrestling before returning to the business to fulfill various non-wrestling roles. The Englishman eventually returned to WWE as well, taking on a position as a color commentator. And while Barrett has expressed a desire to remain focused on his work behind the microphone, recent years have provided glimmers of hope that he may once again compete in a wrestling ring.

In 2023, Barrett teased the idea of coming out of retirement if it allowed him to face Austin Theory. On January 27, Barrett has a possibility to bring that image to life by meeting Theory face-to-face in the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble match. Though Barrett has not wrestled in eight years, it is not uncommon for wrestlers-turned-commentators to join the Royal Rumble match. Over the last 12 years, the likes of JBL, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T have momentarily stepped away from their commentary duties to enter the Men's Royal Rumble match. Considering Barrett is only 43 years old, he may also fare better in this match than his predecessors (who were 47, 62, and 47) did in their respective Royal Rumble appearances. It should be noted that Booker has participated in two rumble matches while serving as a WWE commentator, the latest of which occurred last year in San Antonio, Texas (when Booker was at the age of 57).

Should WWE want to create a truly unexpected moment, having back-to-back years with tenured commentators returning to the squared circle may be an option to seriously explore. Many members of the WWE Universe are also eager to see Barrett unload some "Bad News" on someone one more time, making the 2024 Royal Rumble a reasonable setting for it to take place.

Written by Ella Jay

It most likely read as ridiculous to say that someone who could be signed to the competition and was their world champion only a month ago should win WWE's first true marquee match of the year. But there is one thought-provoking question to stand the test of time — "What if?" — and if it's good enough for Marvel then it's good enough for me.

There is perhaps no one else not signed to WWE that embodies the values that should make a world champion in the company. So much can be said about the convoluted latter days in his AEW title reign but what cannot be disputed is that he never truly produced a bad match during his run atop the company. Let's also take a look at WWE's main event picture going into the Royal Rumble, comprised of two front-runners — Cody Rhodes and CM Punk — who have both stood toe-to-toe with MJF in AEW in acclaimed feuds, and perhaps more importantly look at who went over in those matches. There is an in-built story for MJF to win the Royal Rumble, ripping the moment away from not just one but both of the greatest rivals of his career thus far, and shooting straight into the main event scene of the company he has literally promised to join as soon as the moment befalls him. Sure, he is likely to have re-signed with AEW and will likely continue an already glistening run as the face of the company. But what if he didn't re-sign? What if WWE actually won the bidding war of 2024? What better way to truly position WWE as the Premier League of professional wrestling than to pluck a third AEW main event talent in less than three years? (Putting aside the fact that one was fired prior to their joining, of course.) The point is, MJF winning the Royal Rumble would be, to take a phrase from WWE's head of creative: "Best for business."

Written by Max Everett