The Post’s Joseph Staszewski brings you around the world of professional wrestling in his weekly column, Post Match Angle.
So many of the world’s best television shows and movies have led to successful spinoffs, whether completely separate pieces of entertainment or shows that feed back into the main franchise.
That appears to be what we are starting to see with WWE’s Bloodline story after four-plus years.
For a while, characters such as Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, CM Punk and Jey Uso have lived in The Bloodline’s extended universe. Their stories had some links back to their interactions with Roman Reigns and his family and how they wronged them.
What we saw Monday on Raw could be the start of something completely new, like a Marvel or DC television show on Disney+ or Max that eventually plays back into the next movie. For now, it’s just seeds that could sprout in many different directions.
It started with Zayn’s confident promo — which was sparked by a pep talk from Rollins — about being able to win the Royal Rumble and finally become a world champion at WrestleMania 41.
His words brought out Owens, who basically tried to guilt Zayn into helping him beat Rhodes at the Royal Rumble so the two old friends could square off for the Undisputed WWE championship in Las Vegas.
Owens told Zayn he didn’t hate him for his history with The Bloodline and for returning to the group to help Reigns beat Solo Sikoa’s stable at Survivor Series because they both had done similar things to each other already. He bascially told Zayn all is forgiven as long as you have my back and I have yours.
Then there is McIntyre, who has been in Rollins’ ears for weeks about how he isn’t being true to himself and thus being selfish. Rollins, who has promised Punk he’d keep him from winning the Royal Rumble, was able to sneak out a win over McIntyre in the main event of Raw. McIntyre then attacked Rollins out of disgust. While doing so he tells him, “We should be on the same team.”
Zayn came to Rollins’ rescue, but Helluva Kicked him when McIntyre moved out of the way, and The Visionary didn’t look happy about it.
There is some fan belief Rollins is heading for a heel turn — especially after Karrion Kross was seen behind him two weeks ago on Raw. Kross has become the heel-turn harbinger of late.
So you have Zayn, Rollins, McIntyre, and Punk all with different connections to The Bloodline involved in their own side story. This one could have major implications, potentially leading to Rollins turning heel and actually joining forces with McIntyre and Owens and maybe the beginning of Zayn’s journey to becoming a world champion by having to go through a bunch of former ones along the way.
All of this could continue to play out within the men’s Royal Rumble match with Reigns back in the picture for one night.
Spinoffs don’t always work — think “Joey” and “Baywatch Nights.” While others — think “Frazier” and “Better Call Saul” — became big hits.
WWE’s track record should have fans confident this lands in the latter category.
Rush Hour?
It’s clear why AEW is going right back to Toni Storm vs. Mariah May for the AEW Women’s World championship with Grand Slam in Storm’s home country of Australia. But is it too soon?
Will AEW blow through Storm’s time as an amnesia rookie and bring her “Timeless” character back in time to win in Brisbane?
Will AEW waste the moment of having Storm win the title in front of the hometown crowd to keep the story going with a loss that could trigger a Timeless return?
AEW clearly has a plan and Storm and May’s faceoff on this week’s Dynamite should give us further incite into what that is.
Let’s see if it all meets the moment.
Rocky start
Tessa Blanchard’s in-ring return for TNA wasn’t well received by it’s fan base.
Having “she’s a racist!” chants break out during Blanchard’s win over Jordynne Grace — who got the farewell treatment backstage after at Genesis — was all part of the risk TNA took bringing back the controversial star.
Blanchard faced allegations of racism and bullying by La Rosa Negra and other female performers in 2020 before her ugly exit from the company.
As I said in a past column, I’m OK with Blanchard getting a second chance, but it’s your audience that has to be on board with it. This wasn’t heel heat.
Sunday night could be the first sign the audence will reject her and should Blanchard decide to publicly apologize for the first time now, it might seem like a reaction to the chants and not a sincere one. There’s still time to win them over, but this was not a good start.
The 10 Count
The Hurt Syndicate is likely on the fast track to AEW gold. Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin take the tag team championships from Private Party and then the All Mighty or Ricochet, if he joins the group, beats Danel Garcia for the TNT championship?
Thought MJF delivered one of his better recent promos in the sense that nothing was off limits going after Jeff Jarrett, from his wife Karen’s previous marriage to Kurt Angle and The Last Outlaw’s feelings about the death of best friend Owen Hart. Jarrett’s jabs about MJFs one‐hit-wonder fears hit between the eyes but his “call‐girl” insults fell flat.
If that Texas Death Match with Hangman Adam Page really is the last of Christopher Daniels’ incredible career then it was one heck of a way to go. Daniels looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. While, I’m not sure I would have opened the show with the blood we saw and sad ending, it was a match Daniels can be proud of.
Very curious where this Max Caster storyline goes with The Acclaimed officially broken up. Caster should be determined to prove he is “the best wrestler alive.” So it feels like there can’t be a middle ground or 50/50-type booking of him. If he flops, Anthony Bowens should thrive without him and make Caster jealous enough to try to undercut his former partner’s run before they finally square off.
The tease of Charlotte Flair popping up before Tiffany Stratton’s match doesn’t feel like a coincidence. She is a big enough star that I can get behind her return being anticipated and not an out-of-the-blue surprise.
Feels like Bayley’s move to Raw opens the door for Flair to go to Smackdown to start a program with Stratton when she returns. Didn’t love Nia Jax just squashing Bayley like that.
Friday sure felt like a passing of the spotlight from Solo Sikoa to Jacob Fatu on SmackDown. The former Tribal Chief literally had nothing left to say but Fatu had a whole lot and his presence can command a TV screen.
WWE showed just how serious they are now with its partnership with TNA that it finally sent some of its NXT heavy-hitters over with Cora Jade and tag team champions Fraxiom appearing at the Genisis pay-per-view.
PCO went all Madusa-like when he took a sledgehammer to the TNA Digital Media championship at The People vs. GCW show. Tommy Dreamer revealed this was not cleared by TNA as PCO no longer works for the company. Stunts like that aren’t professionally worth the small bit of buzz they may create.
Speaking of Perez, the boos she and Cora Jade get show they maybe have some of the best heel heat ever in NXT, and that is a credit to the job they have done. It was also great to see Corey Graves back on commentary after whatever mess he created was last week.
Wrestler of the Week
Joe Hendry, TNA
It’s been quite the 10-plus-year climb for Hendry, whose charisma, catchy songs and ring work put him on a rocket-like rise for over a year. That culminated in a clean win over Nic Nemeth to become the new TNA world champion at Genesis on Sunday. He’s being handed the ball at a critical time with the company forging a partnership with WWE.
Social Media Post of the Week
Match to Watch
Gunther vs. Jey Uso, World Heavyweight championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event (Saturday, 8 p.m., NBC)
The result feels inevitable as Gunther isn’t losing the World Heavyweight championship before WrestleMania 41. But the new Bloodline hasn’t left Jey and Jimmy Uso alone since Reigns won back the Ula Fala and that feels like it needs a reason to come to head. The two brothers haven’t teamed since Money in the Bank 2023 against Reigns and Sikoa. What occurs Saturday could make it happen.