Five Hot Takes From The Week In Wrestling: What We Wish Had Happened & More (2/1/2024)

Welcome back to another edition of Wrestling Inc.'s weekly hot takes column, home of our most against-the-grain opinions about what we wish had happened over the past week, and what we want to see happen in the future! While some members of the WINC staff are still looking back with a raised eyebrow at the Royal Rumble, for example, others among us are already looking ahead to Elimination Chamber, or even WrestleMania and what we want to see on display at "The Showcase of the Immortals." As always, some of these might be spicier than others, and we want to hear all about what you think of them in the comments.

And now, our hottest takes from the week beginning Friday, January 25, and ending Thursday, February 1!

In a vacuum, I love the idea of CMLL talent getting a spotlight on a televised American wrestling program. I think that's legitimately cool. In context, I feel like an infusion of CMLL talent is the absolute last thing AEW needs right now.

The AEW roster is absurdly bloated, and it's not getting any better any time soon. Will Ospreay is coming, Mercedes Mone is probably coming, Kazuchika Okada might be coming, and at some point people like MJF are coming back. Moreover, AEW doesn't really do the WWE thing where at any given time, some people are getting used on every show while other people aren't getting used at all. AEW prefers to cycle through its roster, giving more of the talent TV time but with less regularity. For me, the consequence of this is that there are a lot of people on the AEW roster who I don't really care about, because I don't see them often enough, and I worry that it won't take long for the visiting CMLL talent to fall through those same cracks.

All in all, I just wish AEW would spend more time making the talent they already have feel important, instead of constantly bringing in new free agents or stars from their numerous partnerships. As much as I love the idea of CMLL on AEW TV, in practice, I'm having a very hard time caring.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

Last month, reports indicated Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was not expected to wrestle at WWE's 2024 Elimination Chamber. However, given a recent unfortunate series of events, this premium live event is now in dire need of star power.

Elimination Chamber is still weeks away, but two top stars are already confirmed to be off the card. Earlier this week, former WWE Champion CM Punk announced that he sustained a torn triceps — an injury that will keep him sidelined for several months. Despite being healthy and a regularly defending champion, Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER will also be unable to perform at the show as he is barred from leaving the United States due to the country's residency regulations. Gunther, a native of Austria, currently resides in Orlando, Florida.

Two other big names are also seemingly unlikely to wrestle on Elimination Chamber. Similar to CM Punk, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins has been hit with an untimely injury that will keep him out of action for the near future. In Rollins' case, he suffered a grade 2 MCL tear and a partially torn meniscus. Following news of his injuries, Rollins stated that he was "hoping to be back at full strength in around a month," which would line up around the time of Elimination Chamber on February 24. Even if Rollins is miraculously cleared to compete by then, I imagine that WWE will take a precautionary approach by gradually easing Rollins back into action, rather than thrusting him into an immediate title defense that could further jeopardize his WrestleMania status.

Another figure with an improbable Elimination Chamber appearance is "The Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar, who was recently implicated in a harrowing lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. Lesnar was initially slated to return to WWE at the Royal Rumble event, but given the magnitude of the lawsuit, WWE reportedly pulled him from the event, replacing him with former "WWE NXT" Champion Bron Breakker. According to Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer, it is possible that Lesnar may never enter a WWE ring again.

With GUNTHER and Punk off the table, and Rollins and Lesnar unlikely to wrestle, WWE may have to get crafty to not only boost the Elimination Chamber card but also counteract the championship void left by GUNTHER and Rollins' absences. Solution? Place a call to the fourth-longest reigning world champion in WWE history, and the current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.

Reigns last wrestled at last week's Royal Rumble event, successfully defending his title against AJ Styles, LA Knight, and Randy Orton. With Cody Rhodes — the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble winner — now pinpointing him as his WrestleMania 40 opponent, though, an appearance at Elimination Chamber could also be a valuable opportunity to intensify their story on a grander scale.

Written by Ella Jay

Drew McIntyre is on fire.

Ever since he rebranded himself into a ruthless heel who spends his free time making shady tricep workout videos, the case for him headlining WrestleMania 40 has become stronger and stronger. He was one of the final four in this most recent Royal Rumble match, which puts him in the company of the GUNTHER, the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion; CM Punk, one of WWE's most famous acquisitions; and Cody Rhodes, who ended up being the first person to win back-to-back Royal Rumble matches in over 20 years. His recent feud with Sami Zayn has shown an unabashedly aggressive side of the Scottish star — a far cry from his uncertain tweener persona during his temporary alliance with The Judgement Day — and his promo segments have only increased in quality. This version of McIntyre might be a bit more cruel and a bit more bitter, but he is also miles better than what he was when he won the world title at WrestleMania 36.

So, now that CM Punk has been sidelined with a torn tricep, a coveted spot at WrestleMania 40 is up for grabs. That spot needs to go to McIntyre.

Perhaps this is not as hot of a take as I think it is, but in a world where the main event of WrestleMania 40 is so clouded with confusion and will-they-won't-they's, I think it needs to be clearly said: McIntyre deserves to main event WrestleMania. After a career like McIntyre's, most people would become complacent, rest on their laurels, and throw in the towel — after all, it doesn't get much better than winning the Royal Rumble and defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. McIntyre's recent work has implied much of the opposite. Even after clawing his way to the top of the men's locker room, McIntyre has continuously put more and more effort into perfecting his craft. His ruthless promos and heel work with Punk and Zayn have attested to that, and even two years removed from 40, he looks better than ever. McIntyre's momentum feels like the genuine, untainted result of the incredible work he's put in during this WWE run. It only makes sense for him to be in the main event of WrestleMania 40, most likely for the World Heavyweight Championship. In his own words, he needs to "live CM Punk's dream, again".

Did I mention how good his heel work is right now?

Whether or not he actually wins the title in front of a live crowd at WrestleMania, that is a question for another day. The first order of business is to actually cement McIntyre's WrestleMania spot. With how skilled he is, and how much more skilled I expect him to become, that shouldn't be much of a struggle to do.

Written by Angeline Phu

It's been clear for a while now that WWE's plan for WrestleMania 40 involved Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal title and Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk for the World Heavyweight title. Unfortunately, Punk is now injured and will not wrestle at Mania, a situation that (combined with the potentially permanent inavailability of Brock Lesnar) clearly has WWE creative on their heels. On "Raw," they punted, teasing a Rollins vs. Rhodes World Heavyweight Championship match there's no way is actually happening to stall for time while they figure out what to do. In my mind, however, the correct answer is very simple.

"Raw" has also clearly been building up an intense feud between Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn, which is presumably set to culminate at Mania. Between McIntyre's uncertain contract situation and the fact that Zayn has never beaten him before, Zayn is presumably set to emerge from that victorious. Given that this feud exists, and that it involves "Raw" main-eventers who were Rollins' opponents in three of his last five title matches, why not simply fold Rollins into that feud and make the Mania match a triple threat?

It's an easy set-up — since there will presumably be an Elimination Chamber match at the upcoming PLE of the same name to crown a No. 1 contender for Rollins' championship, just have Zayn and McIntyre, as the last two competitors, get some sort of inconclusive double fall where both men have an argument that they won. From there, it's an easy path to Adam Pearce declaring that both men will compete in the title match at Mania.

This accomplishes several things. First, it gives Rollins a Mania match, but also makes it so that he doesn't have to carry a full 50% of the contest — Rollins is currently struggling to rehab a knee injury in time for Mania, and even assuming he makes it back, a triple threat helps protect him. Moreover, if his rehab suffers a setback and he doesn't make it back, you can run Zayn vs. McIntyre as a singles match like you were going to do before, only with the vacant title on the line. The triple threat format also allows you to protect Rollins in defeat, as Zayn would basically have to pin McIntyre to make this scenario narratively satisfying. In doing so, you give Zayn a world title reign just before he turns 40, rewarding him for his amazing work over the past two years, and you create a huge feel-good moment with Zayn winning the championship that could help compensate for the loss of Punk on the card.

And sure, if Zayn's title reign ends up being a month long, fine. He probably wouldn't object. Personally I'd give him a longer one, just because if you want someone who will continue what Rollins started in terms of making the WHC a workhorse world title, Sami Zayn is your guy. But whatever, if Damian Priest cashes in him on the same night and takes the belt away as soon as Zayn gets it, you can do that. The point is that Sami becoming a world champion, even just for a night, is one of the only things that might help fans forget that Punk isn't walking through that curtain.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

Given how over he is right now, this certainly won't be something that everyone will agree with. But hey, there's a reason that they're called hot takes.

Despite Seth "Freakin" Rollins pleading his case to Rhodes as to why he should choose to face him for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40 on Monday, "finish the story" has been a phrase that has been uttered by many anytime Rhodes is on screen over the course of the past few weeks. Between that and the announcement that both he and Roman Reigns will be on "SmackDown" tomorrow night, it seems pretty clear that he will choose to challenge the leader of The Bloodline for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Having Rhodes and Reigns square off in a rematch from last year's "Showcase of the Immortals" makes sense and should be what WWE is doing. However, building the storyline up in a similar fashion with Rhodes winning the Men's Royal Rumble for the second year in a row makes things a little boring. It would be much more interesting to watch Rhodes have to work his way back up from losing the Men's Royal Rumble and a different change of pace that would make the build feel less formulaic.

As far as who should've replaced Rhodes as the winner, the obvious answer would've been CM Punk. Him and Rhodes were always going to be the final two left standing, and WWE seemed to be planting the seeds for a feud between Rollins and Punk. However, with Punk having suffered a torn tricep during the match, Finn Balor could've easily been another viable candidate. Having him score the win would not only look great on his list of career accomplishments, but it would've been a good way to create further dissension within Judgment Day with Damian Priest still holding the Money In The Bank briefcase (and although any member of the group would've worked here, Dominik winning the match might've incited boos that you could hear from across the world).

Wrtten by Olivia Quinlan