5/24/2017 - THE WEEKLY WRESTLER - The Maharaja Era, Cruiserweight Complaints, and More!!!!

May 24, 2017

5/24/2017 - THE WEEKLY WRESTLER - The Maharaja Era, Cruiserweight Complaints, and More!!!!

The Maharaja Era
Jinder Mahal shocked the world. Perhaps we should rephrase that opening: Jinder Mahal shocked wrestling fans that aren't at all smart to the business. If you've been paying attention to Cheap Heat Wrestling over the last month and a half, you would know that the Jinder Mahal era has long since been predicted. Mahal is the new WWE Champion for several reasons. The first and most important is simply business. Mahal, of Indian descent, has the ability to tap into an Indian market of 1.3 billion people, a market the WWE has desperately wanted to reach for years now (see Khali, Great). The untapped Indian market represents millions (Dr. Evil face) of dollars and lest we forget the WWE is a publicly traded business, with a fiscal responsibility to its share holders. The second reason Jinder Mahal is WWE Champion is because he deserves it more than any other wrestler on the SmackDown roster. Before you throw whatever it is you are holding in your hand at the computer screen (Cheap Heat Wrestling takes no responsibility for any damages that may occur in such an event), hear me out. Jinder Mahal has done everything he's been asked to do since debuting in the WWE in 2011. Jinder knew the 3MB gimmick was a bad idea for his career. He did what he was told anyway. Jinder also didn't like jobbing, week in and week out. Still, he did what he was told. Mahal had not won a SmackDown match since 2012 before his recent push, losing to titans of the wrestling business like El Torito; but, he did it anyway, putting forth maximum effort that did not go unnoticed. Then there is his work ethic which is evidenced by his physique. While the common fan screams accusations of performance enhancing drugs, the WWE knows its own Wellness Policy is legitimate. If it wasn't, do you think, for one second, that Roman Reigns would have ever been suspended for a Wellness violation? Vince McMahon sees Mahal's work ethic in his chiseled physique and it pleases him immensely. The final reason Mahal is champion is that what once worked simply does not get over anymore. Fans are tired of seeing Randy Orton with a world championship. It's been done thirteen times before and it's exhausting. There's no financial headway to be made with the same old same old; but, there's an unlimited amount of money to be made in the Maharaja Era, where the Indian market will pay to see Mahal win and the West will pay to see him lose.

Quote of the Week
"The sound of that kendo stick across Bayley's back makes me salivate. I will make sure Bayley's entire back is tattooed in welts." - Alexa Bliss

Five Things I Think I Think
1. How did the Usos spend a year floundering on the RAW roster? They are legitimately one of the best tag teams in the world of wrestling and are absolute titans on the microphone. Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan have a good thing going with these two brothers as SmackDown tag team champions.
2. Three Hours is still too long for a weekly wrestling show. SmackDown is just the right amount of time to be watching a wrestling show. It's fast paced with no filler and more wrestling than talk. Watching a three plus hour RAW is an exercise in endurance these days.
3. WWE is killing the Cruiserweight division by putting it on RAW. I understand the point of the cruiserweights being on RAW. Give them exposure. Give them television time. Introduce them to an audience that won't ever watch 205 Live; but, even with a three hour show, the characters and feuds are stale (only a handful of Cruiserweights) and not given enough time to develop. The matches are almost always high quality; but, the stories being told in the ring need plenty of work. My fear is that the Cruiserweight Division is becoming what the Divas Division once was: a reason for a bathroom break.
4. Roman Reigns needs to take the shoulder wrap off. Braun Strowman is out for at least six months: out of sight, out of mind. It's time to stop selling that injury and move on to another feud.
5. Roman Reigns needs to take the SHIELD gear off entirely. His constant association with the group is one of the factors holding his character back. He is more than the SHIELD now and if he is ever going to be "the guy" the WWE wants him to be, he will have to stand out on his own. Dean Ambrose has his own character apart from the SHIELD. So does Seth Rollins; but, Roman still comes out in his old SHIELD gear to his old SHIELD song. Why was there no development to Roman's entrance and wardrobe after the SHIELD broke up, especially after there was so much invested in him? Until relatively recently, he even made his entrance through the crowd ala the SHIELD. The man is a heartthrob with the body of a Superman. Why hide him in a vest and long black pants? There needs to be more updates to Roman's character, as he is already stale with many fans.

Cruiserweight Complaints
If the WWE is truly moving toward the future then we all must make the acknowledgment that separating wrestlers by size is an outdated facet of old school wrestling. Cruiserweights are exciting, fly higher, and move faster than most of the bigger wrestlers; but, that doesn't mean they are incapable of mixing it up on equal footing, with the rest of the roster. Why is Kalisto not a Cruiserweight? Why is Finn Balor not a Cruiserweight? If the WWE is going to have a Cruiserweight Division then the least they could do is show consistency with how they divvy up the roster. Most wrestling fans are now accustomed to the David and Goliath story that has worked since Biblical times. We know Kalisto can beat Braun Strowman. We know that Rey Mysterio is capable of winning a Royal Rumble. We know that Daniel Bryan is capable of beating three men on the biggest wrestling stage on Earth. Are we supposed to now forget? As a fan, I want to see Austin Aries, one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, compete for the WWE Championship or the Universal Championship. He is every bit as talented as any of WWE's main roster contenders; but, are we to be deprived of seeing an Aries world championship opportunity simply because of his weight? While many find the Cruiserweight Division to be exciting (and it is) it is also a relic of the past, when folks in an older era couldn't believe that smaller wrestlers were legitimate world title contenders. That simply isn't the case anymore and we need to adjust accordingly.

This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse
Despite competing together in Japan, A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura teamed together for the first time ever and it happened on yesterday's SmackDown in Toledo, Ohio, USA. The two internationally renowned superstars teamed for the victory over the pairing of Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens.

Tweet of the Week

In India, fans will pay to see @JinderMahal win. In America, fans will pay to see him lose.

And thats SMART business. 💰#SDLive
— Bubba Ray Dudley (@bullyray5150) May 24, 2017