In Episode 7 of The Daily Wrestling Podcast, Aatif and Armaan have a discussion about Raw Reunion, the value of legacy stars and Bray Wyatt’s lack of evolution in WWE. They also have a heated discussion about the value of the NWO vs the value of Degeneration X.
With news breaking of Kevin Nash’s legends contracts being suspended, Aatif and Armaan evaluate the value of ‘iconic talent’ regularly appearing on WWE programming. Monday’s Raw will be presented with a ‘Raw Reunion’ theme and feature appearances from WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels, ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair and Razor Ramon/Scott Hall. But is this a good thing for the product or does it hurt their legacies with longtime fans?
In their discussion, Aatif draws attention to another Hall of Famer – Edge – and his recent treatment on Raw. One of the most decorated and adored wrestlers of the modern era, Edge was reduced to a has-been who was one blow away from being paralysed for life. Armaan makes the point that this does little to put Seth Rollins over as the top heel in the company.
Also discussed in the podcast is Aatif’s assertion that ‘DX is the most overrated stable in the history of WWE’, an assertion Armaan balks at. Armaan credits DX as being one of WWE’s focal points during it’s rise to prominence in the Monday Night War. Aatif responds by suggesting that DX was ‘one of many’ factors which resulted in WWE regained it’s position as market leader – he instead attributes WWE’s success to a myriad of stars, with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and The Rock being the two biggest factors. He backs up his assertion by noting that WWE’s first ratings win over WWE in over a year came from a segment that didn’t involve DX and their highest ever rating came from the infamous ‘This Is Your Life’ segment featuring The Rock and Mankind. Armaan muses that DX ultimately outlasted the NWO which was built on WWE star-power and eventually had it’s appeal completely diluted.
Armaan reserves specific criticism for Bray Wyatt and his inability to capitalise in the creative team’s renewed interest in him. Having been given a highly publicised win over Dean Ambrose in an ambulance match on Raw, Armaan is frustrated that Wyatt ‘hasn’t changed his promo style which is becoming increasingly non-sensical and unappealing’. Aatif suggests WWE look at it’s own history of building and evolving characters with a supernatural dynamic i.e. The Undertaker and Kane – and work backwards from there.
Also on the podcast, the duo discuss where they see John Cena’s character going (specifically his role at Wrestlemania), present the daily Dean Douglas Award and recommend their match of the day.
Do you agree with Aatif or Armaan? Or do you think they’re both bonkers? Tweet. Email. Comment away!
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