ASK TITO: Jericho/MJF, WWE Hell in a Cell, More Submitted by Mr. Tito on 10/23/2020 at 11:30 PM
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Welcome to the WEEKEND CHILL column here at NoDQ.com known as "Ask Mr. Tito" where I take your questions from Email, Twitter, and the Comments sections below my columns and answer them in this very column. Hopefully, this column provides you with some enjoyable weekend content and also an escape from reality. 2020 is a hot mess and daring to venture into the political realm will raise your blood pressure. At the very least, we're LESS than 2 weeks away from the Election and that's a good thing... Here's hoping for no post-election drama so that we can just relax for a moment.
But I honestly worry for Pro Wrestling right now... Ratings this week have been a complete disaster. Could that be higher viewership on Political Shows? I don't know, man... I seem to remember the Bill Clinton Impeachment stuff getting a ton of eyeballs during the late 1990s and both RAW & Nitro still drew record viewership numbers that today's promotions can't draw. BOTH RAW and Smackdown are now consistently under 2 million and AEW is dipping below 800,000 viewers again.
Always an excuse by the promotions themselves and by the marks that support them. Total viewership is too low? Why, let's focus on the 18-49 demographic instead. "Too much competition" as if we didn't have Cable TV, Video Games, and more things to do OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE.
The FACT is that the Management Infrastructure and Creative Teams of both WWE/NXT and AEW completely suck right now and nobody is being held accountable for sucking because the Cable/Satellite money is still flowing in...
What did you think of Chris Jericho and MJF's Dinner Debonair segment on AEW Dynamite?
Do you want to know my honest opinion about it? I would have been even more offended if it was just them singing in the segment. Instead, they had a bunch of beautiful women dancing behind them and that was often intercepting my attention from how absurd Jericho and MJF were acting on a wrestling show. THAT is what has been missing from many wrestling shows over the last 10+ years as corporate sponsors and Cable/Satellite channels have been freaking out ever since the Janet Jackson incident. Yet, what both AEW and WWE don't realize is that the majority of their fans are MALE and the majority of LOST FANS are also MALE. What do most males like? Well, hot women...
Yes, female wrestlers should be treated as serious athletes... Not disputing that. But who is your primary audience. MEN. If you look at Professional Sports leagues, nobody wants to watch WNBA, Women's College Basketball, other Women's College Sports, etc. Women's Tennis does a little better than the other sports but they also feature the female figure prominently. Women's Roller Derby Leagues have repeatedly failed as have Football, Hockey, and Soccer Leagues. We might care about the World Cup and Olympic stuff but more American pride is on the line there. Their normal sports leagues are a disaster.
Nobody wants to admit how big of DRAWS that Miss Elizabeth, Sunny, Sable, and Torrie Wilson were as beautiful and revealing women based purely on their looks and what they were wearing... If Stacy Keibler didn't look the way she did, would she have any other opportunities open for her? Trish Stratus didn't wrestle weekly as the other females yet she drew money because she was an insanely beautiful fitness model. Lita pushed sex appeal especially during the Rated R Superstar days. And how did Mickie James draw again? Oh, because she was infatuated with Trish Stratus for a relationship.
Much of the bad booking of the Attitude Era could be masked with the involvement of a beautiful woman. In fact, what prompted the infamous Ladder Match between Hardys and Edge/Christian? Oh yeah, trying to win over Terri Runnels.
Now, for Jericho and MJF... My usual review of "this is not wrestling" and "what will this do long-term for the product" come into play here. It completely goes against the "sports based wrestling" that Tony Khan and the EVPs were advertising. That is obvious... BUT, I'll say this... The segment allowed Jericho and MJF to show off their charisma, personalities, and singing abilities (who knew with MJF?). But like previous segments before them that barely had to do with wrestling, we'll forget about it soon.
And here is another point that I want to make... If Vince Russo did this same exact segment in WWE, WCW 2000, or anytime in TNA, the heavily biased and hateful sports media would thrash him for it. Instead for 2020, you're hearing Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez showering it with praise and expecting that segment to help AEW Dynamite CRUSH NXT in the ratings. It didn't... AEW's viewership numbers actually dropped bigtime this week. Point remains that if any other promotion tried this, guys like Meltzer and Alvarez would have thrashed them. But because it is AEW and Dave is their unofficial spokesperson thanks to his relationship with anyone who touches ground in New Japan or California Indy promotions, it was praised. What a joke.
In summary, Jericho/MJF proved that they are both talented, we're getting too far away from being a wrestling promotion, we need more hot chicks displaying their assets on television, and the pro wrestling media is incredibly biased and impaired. Got it?
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What are your Predictions for WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 Pay Per View?
Before you read my predictions, check out the NoDQ (Aaron, Virtue, Robbie, and Jeff) presenting theirs on NoDQ YouTube Video this week by CLICKING HERE.
As a note, I'm writing mine before Smackdown happens... Thus, if I posted this before Smackdown ended or didn't watch that show, keep that in mind:
- Jeff Hardy vs. Elias - Reportedly, the WWE wants to push Elias again. Yet, if you look at the WWE's history, they like to give the veteran the win first and then have the younger guy overcome them in the rematch. However, I don't see Jeff Hardy being a big player with the WWE moving forward and Elias needs some bigtime help. Elias wins.
- Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in Hell in a Cell - Hard to say, as I feel that the WWE is very happy with Bayley as the top dog. That said, Sasha is very popular and she's never had a strong Women's Title reign as she can't win on Pay Per View... I could also see the WWE stretching this out for a few more Pay Per Views, too. It being in a cage makes you think that the babyface will get the win but I'll go in the reverse. The heel somehow escapes or steals the win. Bayley wins.
- Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton - I could see the WWE stretching this feud out to another Pay Per View to shake things up. I could see Orton winning but then losing the title back in a rematch for Survivor Series. Then, Orton regains the title at Royal Rumble to prepare for Edge at Wrestlemania. RAW's viewership is in the complete tank right now and they need a change. Orton wins.
- Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso. Uso is a tag wrestler and I can see Reigns beating this guy into submission. Reigns has a submission hold now and that's all you need to know. Roman Reigns wins.
*****UPDATE***** - Per Smackdown, Miz vs. Otis for the Money in the Bank Briefcase. Sorry, but Miz has had many opportunities to be the top guy. Do you really think that the WWE wants him beating Roman Reigns (HELL NO) or Drew McIntyre/Randy Orton (HELL NO) at this point? Nope, Otis is going to retain his briefcase and then get pummeled when foolishly trying to cash it in against a pissed Roman. Otis wins.
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Where do you see Alexa Bliss's character going with Bray Wyatt/Fiend?
I still laugh at Aaron Rift's reaction when this question was brought up during the 10/17/2020 Great Debate and I just crapped all over the question. And of course, the readers bring it up again.
This feeds into my first question about MJF/Jericho and the dancers behind them... Alexa Bliss is praised heavily by wrestling fans for her beauty. So... Why not take advantage of that? With Bray Wyatt, not only dress her provocatively, but have her act it as well. If she's too fragile to work as a wrestler, then let her flaunt it as a non-wrestler.
Go back and watch SummerSlam 1988 and the looks on the faces of Ted Dibiase and Andre the Giant when Miss Elizabeth tore off her skirt to cause a distraction. Are you telling me that an opponent of Bray Wyatt's would be unable to ignore Alexa Bliss's beauty? Come on man... She could distract while the Fiend prepares to date advantage of his distracted opponent. It is so simple.
Otherwise, she's just a pawn in the stupid Firefly Funhouse which is so off-putting to casual wrestling fans.
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Do you believe that Bill Goldberg is going to return?
If you were offered 6 digits to millions to work ONE NIGHT... Would you turn that down? Hell no... I believe that we're going to see Goldberg potentially make the save at Hell in a Cell against Jey Uso or maybe on Smackdown afterward to potentially set up Goldberg vs. Roman to headline Survivor Series. If not there, it will happen at Royal Rumble. With Roman heel, it's a perfect match-up because the older fans like Goldberg and Roman is the heel that you've been pushing hard.
No way it happens at Wrestlemania. I believe that it's going to be ROCK or BROCK for Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 37. It all depends on who is available and how big the check will be...
Vince McMahon really wanted that Goldberg vs. Roman feud insomuch that he derailed the Fiend's dominance at the Saudi Pay Per View before Wrestlemania. With the WWE needing WWE Network subscriptions to grow again, paying a few million is the cost of doing business to bring in Goldberg for one night.
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Is there any hope for the WWE to push Chad Gable (now formerly known as Shorty G)?
Is he still 5'8" tall?
Next question.
Seriously, folks... If you haven't learned by now that "small won't get any push at all" in the WWE, then you aren't a longtime wrestling fan.
I'd put him in the Cruiserweight Division and LET HIM DOMINATE, period. He is listed as 202 which is under the 205 weight limit. Just let him maul all of those spot machines with his amateur wrestling background (he was in the 2012 Olympics!!) have him appear proud of being champion.
Why is being a Cruiserweight such a bad thing? Boxing makes millions off of Floyd Mayweather who is NOT a Heavyweight wrestler. UFC makes millions off of Conor McGregor and other fighters who are not in the Heavyweight class. New Japan does fairly well with the Junior Heavyweight title.
Both WWE and now AEW are completely IDIOTIC as wrestling promotions by not acknowledging weight classes. Instead, the WWE buries all of their smaller talent as job guys while AEW forces all of their top guys into competitive matches with guys smaller than them.
Maybe that is where Chad Gable needs to go? AEW would let him wrestle Cody weekly.
So just chill... Until the next episode!
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