The Post’s Joseph Staszewski brings you around the world of professional wrestling in his weekly Post Match Angle.
Roman Reigns may have set up one of the most interesting chapters of The Bloodline story with the will-timed and gleeful smirk and slight pause before uttering the words “Call the Wiseman.”
Reigns appeared so pleased with himself to make the call — much like Heyman has throughout this story — to get his Wiseman back and make his Bloodline complete again. It made the moment when Heyman’s line was disconnected that much more painful and concerning for Reigns and raised plenty of questions for the audience.
Is Heyman actually upset with Reigns? Was he too distraught to pay his phone bill?
He has reason to be miffed with Reigns because Heyman’s “Tribal Chief” left him to the wolves with Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu and would not answer his calls he tried to hold The Bloodline together in Reigns’ absence after WrestleMania 40.
Those same Wolves power bombed Heyman through the announce table and we haven’t seen him on WWE TV since late June.
Did Heyman just disconnect from the world after that? Does Reigns need to try to call Heyman’s Zach Morris-like Paul E. Dangerously phone instead? Was Heyman watching on TV and will he reconnect his phone?
How Heyman returns matters maybe most of all. You audibly heard how invested the audience is from the pop when Reigns makes the call to the silence when it didn’t connect. Heyman is the one who might truly convince Reigns to change.
He has been with Reigns since the beginning of this run in 2020 and has been the most fiercely loyal to him.
Will he be the next person Reigns must make amends with on this journey of atonement — which now likely includes Seth Rollins being his Survivor Series team’s fifth man — or just blindly return when Reigns needs him most?
With only two weeks left before Survivor Series, there is time for Reigns to either go seek Heyman out or maybe make a heartfelt plea to him this week that brings him back at Rogers Center.
If Heyman returns at Survivor Series, does he get to deliver a blow to Sikoa that adds insult to injury after Reigns’ team wins? Does he get to put the Ula fala back on Reigns?
If Heyman comes back and Reigns’ team is without a fifth man if Rollins doesn’t come around or he is taken out before the match, does the Wiseman bring Brock Lesnar with him? Lesnar, if WWE and TKO are ready to bring him back, should have enough mutual respect for Reigns and Heyman to want help. But it feels like a long shot.
If Sikoa’s team wins and Heyman doesn’t return, does it force Reigns on an even more desperate search for his Wiseman before facing Sikoa at the Royal Rumble for the title of Tribal Chief? Would Heyman ever turn on Reigns?
There might be something even more interesting in waiting out Heyman’s return — but a full OG Bloodline assembling moment would be more likely.
WWE raised a ton of questions on SmackDown and the answers could be the most important in this act so far.
On The Surface
Maybe I’m asking for too much too soon. Maybe, I’m not appreciative of some of the things we haven’t seen before from women in AEW during Mercedes Mone’ and Kris Stantlander’s feud. Mone’ and Kamille nearly ran over the TBS championship challenger with a car and Statlander put both of them through a wall backstage — all things we have seen in high-profile WWE feuds.
But it leaves me to question if those are been done to mask there isn’t a deeper story between Mone’ and Statlander — like ramping up special effects around a basic story in a move. Maybe they are there to begin to lay the groundwork for tension between Mone’ and Kamille — even after what feels like a too-quick four months of the pairing.
While I believe Statlander and Mone’ can have an amazing match at Full Gear given their contrast in size and styles, it just feels like the added substance I thought Mone’ would bring to AEW’s creative is missing on the way to it.
The 10 Count
Has there ever been a more stressed feeling going into a WWE celebration than what’s going to happen with The New Day whenever it finally gets a date? Either it’s the heartbreaking end of one of the most joyous and fun factions ever or a joyous moment that gets Kofi Kingston back on the same page with Xavier Woods — with maybe help from Big E (who fans still hold out hope will wrestle gain).
There was a counter Naomi pulled off from the top rope in her match with Nia Jax that showed how much better the latter has gotten in the ring. Naomi may have led the move, but you need two to tango.
I was a little disappointed WWE didn’t actually send Cody Rhodes or Kevin Owens to each other’s house after the Undisputed WWE champion hinted at it to SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. It could have added to the already unorthodox storytelling and further shown how unhinged Owens is.
Breaking up Chase U — with Ridge Holland beating Andre Chase with the faction on the line Tuesday — isn’t the worst thing for those involved. It feels like the story has run its course and not getting a bigger push. It also doesn’t seem like something that will play on the main roster.
Really dig Shawn Spears leading his own faction. He looks very comfortable in the role, already using it to get a North American championship match and it feels like it will elevate Brooks Jensen and Niko Vance.
Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay’s promo duel was fantastic. They laid out their personal history and as smug Fletcher made it clear that he plans to surpass everything Ospreay has done with what he’s going to do. It left me genuinely intrigued by which direction they’ll go at Full Gear.
I’m all for Bo Dallas finding a way to pay tribute to Bray Wyatt through his character and Uncle Howdy, but in the vignette we saw on Raw it felt eerily similar to his brother. For now, I’m conflicted if that level of tribute is better than something more unique
Shinsuke Nakamura returned as what appears to be a ruthless big bad attacking United States champion L.A. Knight. Unlike the last time, WWE needs this Nakamura — especially with their Pro wrestling Noah relationship — it will be hard to take him seriously as a threat.
The International Women’s Cup announced late Tuesday for Wrestle Dynasty is a cool step forward for women’s wrestling and cross-branding. It’s also a great way to quickly make a deserving new star in all four promotions. Would love to see a Billie Strarkz or Julia Hart come out or maybe it helps a Jamie Hayter jump the line on the AEW/ROH side.
For the record, Kurt Angle deserved a better retirement match than Baron Corbin, and Baron Corbin deserved a longer and more fruitful run as Sad Corbin.
Wrestler of the Week
Harley Cameron, AEW
If used right, Cameron has a chance to be a babyface version of Chelsea Green on AEW. But she needs to get in front of a live audience for promos. She can legitimately sing as we saw during a fun Rampage promo and she is showing she can hang in the ring after a fine match with Mina Shirakawa. Cameron can bring a comedy that is lacking in AEW shows.
Social Media Post of the Week
Match to Watch
Jon Moxley (c.) vs. Orange Cassidy for the AEW World championship at Full Gear (Saturday, 8 p.m., Triller)
Moxley and Cassidy are at the center of the champion’s “hard reset” in AEW, so everything that happens around this match matters. This is Moxely’s first title defense and Cassidy’s first singles match for a world championship. AEW can’t afford to have this storyline fizzle before it gets started, so this match needs to be a bold statement.