ASK TITO: Lana & Nia Jax, Undertaker, and More Submitted by Mr. Tito on 11/28/2020 at 09:39 AM
Follow Mr. Tito on Twitter by going to the following link: @titowrestling
For the first time ever, there exists Mr. Tito merchandise! Via NoDQ's Merchandise Shop, you may buy t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and even masks of your favorite NoDQ.com personalities. If you scroll down near the bottom, my merchandise is is red with white lettering and some yellow mixed in. On the front, you'll see "Mr. Tito" with an added gimmick on the "O" letter while on the back it has my phrase Excellence in Column Writing. All proceeds from the sales of my stuff are reinvested directly back into the NoDQ.com website.
While you're there, buy some general NoDQ merchandise along with the merch of other NoDQ content providers like Virtue, Interstate Kyle, Jeff Meacham, the Ladies of NoDQ, Big G, Robbie Vice, and others.
Check it out! What can say "Merry Christmas" better than a Mr. Tito t-shirt for the loved ones this year?
The HARDEST WORKING COLUMNIST ONLINE is back to answer your questions in another weekend edition of ASK MR. TITO. Questions are tallied up from your emails, Twitter conversations, and Comments sections. We're almost 4 months into my NoDQ.com tenure and just look below at all of the columns and YouTube content that I've provided so far. There is a TON of content for you to read. That's why I joined NoDQ... To not only help do some special projects ("Great Debate", for example), but to help provide some written boost to the Opinions section of NoDQ. Now, the Opinions section has lots of diversity between written and YouTube content, which you don't see many websites offering.
Been a busy week for me, as just in the last calendar week, I pumped out 4 columns... Usually, I start writing "Ask Tito" on Thursday nights and finish during Friday night or Saturday morning... Well, I was exhausted from Holiday and Work related stuff that I couldn't fulfill that schedule. Today, I'm writing this as fast as I can on Saturday morning.
In case you missed it, here are my last 4 columns that I pounded out during the previous week:
What is the endgame for this Lana and Nia Jax storyline?
Have you ever seen the movie Back to the Future where George McFly comes to the rescue of Lorraine (his future wife) of being potentially assaulted by the bully Biff? At first, Biff overpowers George and shoves him aside... But the anger with George McFly starts to boil and he makes a tight fist to completely knock out Biff in one punch! That, of course, really impresses Lorraine and they lived happily ever after to create a stronger marriage in the future.
And that is exactly what Lana should do to her bully, Nia Jax. However, Lana needs to develop some sort of equalizer. After all, Lana is about 120 pounds in weight and Nia is clearly above 200 pounds. There is a REASON why Boxing and UFC has Weight Classes... Larger individuals not only can absorb more punishment, but they can hit harder as well. In the case for pro wrestling, Nia can use her weight and strength to her advantage to slam the lighter Lana anytime she wants to. Hence why we saw about 9 table slams from Nia onto Lana. Simple physics.
Lana needs some kind of equalizer to defeat larger women, like a hard punch or something. For example, Daniel Bryan ALWAYS appears credible against larger wrestlers because he has those striking kicks that will hurt anyone. Someone like Chris Benoit had those knife-edge chops and of course, the top rope headbutt that probably concussed him everytime. And then someone like AJ Styles who very fast and can hit wrestlers with a variety of offensive moves in the air or on the ground. THAT is a lesson that many 5'10", 180 Pound wrestlers need to learn from great veterans like Bryan, Styles, and Benoit (not the concussion part). You need something to make yourself look CREDIBLE against larger opponents.
They already have this with Lacey Evans... She has that deadly punch but she's still kind of new and she's never been put in a storyline situation where she need that as an equalizer. Lana NEEDS SOMETHING that she can individually do that can knock out Lana in one shot. Maybe like an Uppercut? She could crouch down and jump to deliver a shut underneath Nia's chin? Maybe should "Shoryuken" while doing that? How about a Discus Punch, like of like Kerry Von Erich or Scott Hall used to do? Or how about this? A Heart Punch... The announcers could sell it like she hit the RIGHT SPOT on the body and that causes Nia's heart to skip a beat!
Point is, we have a perfect storyline where Lana is trying to overcome a bully and she needs to knock her out but also be feared by other women moving forward. Giving her some kind of special striking move that she can use to knock out Nia and then defeat other women moving forward would be ideal, in my opinion. 2020 has been a rough year, as her Chronicle show indicates... The rage of emotional events, cyber bullying, and real life bullying could cause Lana to put all of her energy and focus into delivering 1 hard strike on Nia Jax to knock her straight. And then the "cherry on the top" would be Shayna Baszler looking on in absolute shock and then running away like a coward.
After that, you have a made Lana... It is literally that simple.
FREE booking advice provide to you... I can provide more where that came from and I'll work for FREE as long as travel is provided and I can work remotely. Where else will you find that kind of discount and will solve your Creative problems?
TITO IS YOUR HOOK-UP!
*****
Do you think that the Undertaker will stay retired as an in-ring performer for the WWE?
Money talks. Didn't Shawn Michaels also say that he was retired? And then Saudi Arabia gave him a BIG PILE OF MONEY to make 1 return match. Once COVID-19's vaccine is distributed enough to give confidence to attend mass gatherings again, I'm with Aaron Rift from this week's NoDQ Review... Aaron suggested that when the WWE returns to doing live shows with crowds, he will pull out all of the tops and deliver top names to draw fans again. The Undertaker could resist but history shows that when Vince McMahon calls him, Undertaker listens and always gives in. If he gives the Undertaker a 7 figure paycheck to work ONE NIGHT, he'll take it.
And who wouldn't? Money talks... However on Undertaker's end, will he calm down his wrestling style for that paycheck. Undertaker NEVER half-asses any wrestling match. The man gives full effort, even at the detriment of his own health.
When Saudi shows start up again, they'll pony up the money to get the Undertaker to wrestle... But does the Undertaker already have enough money piled up that he doesn't need to wrestle? Remember when the Undertaker's contract expired a few years ago and when he almost tried to do Conrad's Starrcast show? Caused the WWE to give the Undertaker a big fat contract and it didn't matter how many dates Undertaker would work. It was straight up guaranteed money in the millions to just be exclusive to the WWE and clear any interviews that he does with them.
If you're 55 years old and $3 million is offered to you to work ONE NIGHT... How can you resist? But my advice for the Undertaker is to work a modified style to protect his body a little better. Do more inside the ring MMA stuff and be careful on who slams you.
*****
Why are there no backstage news reported on AEW like we see for WWE?
Well, duh... The main information source on Pro Wrestling insider news is Dave Meltzer. And thanks to his love of New Japan wrestling (if you worked for them at any point, Dave will never criticize you), his love for California Indy Wrestling (if you worked for any local promotion at any point, Dave will never criticize you), and since his former Financial Writer of the Observer works for AEW (Chris Harrington)... He's not going to openly rip AEW like he does WWE. Furthermore, he will NOT disclose any rumors about talent or reveal any creative. It's an obvious bias that Dave needs to come clean about and it was really exposed when his Observer Hall of Fame elected Kenny Omega WAY TOO EARLY.
Let's be honest about Dave... He HATES the WWE. You can see past commentary from 30 years ago where he was critical of how the WWE operates. He was the primary news driving source on the Steroid and Sexual Harassment trials of the early 1990s and all over the WWE on the Chris Benoit stuff. I 100% agree that he SHOULD post news on that, but don't tell me that other promotions haven't had their own controversies either. WWE is the biggest fish in the pond and Dave makes money by going after that biggest fish.
But I also insist that someone within WWE has been quietly feeding him "Vince is senile" stories and I believe that it's a faction led by Triple H. Triple H is has been head of talent for 8 years now and nobody is critical of him? Jim Ross did that job WELL and he took tons of arrows from WWE talent leaking info to Dave about how he did his job. Yet nothing on Triple H? When I wrote about that theory in a past column, that caused Dave to block me on Twitter which still remains to this day. And I used to get into heated debates with Dave on Twitter and he never blocked me. When I put it out there that I believed that Triple H is feeding him WWE insider stories, he blocked me.
Dave has a lot to answer for his newsletter, as he has put his entire chips on AEW succeeding. Eventually, his readers might revolt when they start seeing the bigger picture. Maybe... People are so desperate for a WWE competitor that they'll cling to AEW so hard that they'll ignore its creative and talent problems. When AEW Dynamite breaks 800,000 viewers, it's becoming a miracle lately.
*****
Why did Kevin Owens become the next Roman Reigns opponent? What about Daniel Bryan?
It's pretty simple... Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) is a throwaway Pay Per View and the WWE would rather save the Daniel Bryan match for the Royal Rumble. Easy as that.
Now, on Kevin Owens's end, this is a grand opportunity to advance his career. If he can sell this storyline well and then deliver a strong 4-star or above match with Roman Reigns at a "throwaway" Pay Per View that people will remember for years to do, THAT is how Owens can benefit from this feud.
I've said it for YEARS now... Roman Reigns does NOT have a strong portfolio of matches. Most of his Wrestlemania and SummerSlam matches are boring at best, with Roman being too reliant on doing his trademark moves (Driveby, Superman Punch, Spear) and literally waiting around with his opponents until he could deliver those moves. He just didn't work well as a babyface, either... Now that he's a heel and has Paul Heyman whispering into his ear, along with actually having experience under his belt, he's working now.
Roman's best matches are a few encounters with Braun Strowman, the Hell in a Cell with Bray Wyatt, the 2 matches with Daniel Bryan, and the 2 matches with AJ Styles. The latter 2 were world class workers who have performed greatly with everybody and could get broomsticks over if needed. The Wyatt match worked because both wrestlers were willing to put their bodies on the line with violent spots. Had they just worked a regular match, it would have failed... Ditto with the Braun Strowman matches, as they were gimmicked brawls instead of rules based wrestling. Somehow, Roman Reigns had BAD MATCHES with Brock Lesnar multiple times, John Cena, Triple H, the Undertaker (Roman couldn't lift him, it was his fault!), CM Punk, and Randy Orton.
All that we've seen from Roman is working with Jey Uso... His Smackdown match with Braun Strowman was actually subpar. See what happens when you wrestle Braun without brawling gimmicks? The resume as a heel is kind of THIN for Roman Reigns and if Kevin Owens can seriously push Roman Reigns to a 4-star match or even "Match of the Year" contender, he'll be appreciated more backstage. Nothing would get Vince McMahon off more than if someone made Roman Reigns look like an absolute star.
I keep saying this about Kevin Owens... WWE has poorly marketed this guy. He's a dad, much like the many 35 and older crowd that the WWE has an audience. Why can't he be marketed like that? I know that Owens prefers to play heel, but when I see Kevin playing with his kids and being a devoted husband, I instantly think "that's me!". Plus, I don't want to take off my shirt at all, either. If the WWE could just market Kevin's real life and incorporate that into his character, they could have "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes 2.0... Well, Canadian Dream... Could you imagine hearing a Dusty Rhodes like theme but it was "Canadian Dream" instead? That would be crazy.
He's a dad and you could have him conduct striking promos on Roman that by acting as a heel now, Roman is not setting a good example for his own children. Kevin Owens can explain that he followed heelish ways before and it "made things difficult at home when tucking my children in at night". And when that angers Roman and causes a violent attack, it backs up what Kevin just said while piling on sympathy for Kevin and bolsters Roman more as a heel. It's also a great opportunity to show how much Paul Heyman is swaying Roman to the dark side, too...
Stuff writes itself... WWE just has to figure it out creatively.
So just chill... Until the next episode!
Comments and feedback are welcome. Follow and Tweet me @titowrestling or login in below to post comments.
