IWC Scum — 25 Thoughts From the Year Thus Far (Jimmy Over Jey, Justice for Giulia, Wrestling Presidents, Yada Yada)

Welcome back to the column that puts the incessant whining and complaining in IWC. I’m a devout wrestling nerd named SkitZ who believes in purging oneself of their preposterous opinions. I also have the next 24 hours to kill, so let’s start hacking away.

…Even though it’s been Jey’s year, I’ve actually found Jimmy to be the more entertaining Uso here in 2025. While the reigning Royal Rumble winner struggled with confidence issues and getting blown up during his entrances along the Road to WrestleMania, Big Jim was holding his own against Drew on SmackDown and honestly should’ve competed for the US Title at WM41. It’s also no coincidence that the Jey/Gunther build felt lackluster prior to Jimmy becoming more involved. He’s been so consistently great across the board that it has me feeling like Naomi’s baby daddy deserves some singles gold. Not saying Big Jim should be the next World Heavyweight Champ, but I wouldn’t be mad at it either.  

…In hindsight, moving him over to RAW was an absolute blessing. Had the older Uso twin remained on SmackDown, Road Dogg would have Big Jim feuding with Little Jimmy right about now, because that’s what the head of Creative excels at – one dimensional storytelling lacking rhythm and redeeming qualities. I blame him and his shoddy show-writing for the sorry state of this Cody/Drew feud. 

…It’s become glaringly obvious which wrestlers the former boss preferred, and who the current regime favors. Austin Theory? Vince guy. Damian Priest? Triple H guy. Omos? Vince guy. Johnny Gargano? Triple H guy. Sheamus? Vince guy surprisingly enough. Karrion Kross? Neither apparently. Drew McIntyre? Ehhhh I’m starting to get the sense that he’s more of a Vince guy based on his booking this year. Isn’t it traditionally the babyface who gets screwed over time and time again in title matches? Drew not receiving a proper heel run as World Champ is a bigger headscratcher than Billy Kidman during his Flock phase.   

…Have you watched any of Braun Strowman’s new show yet? While I realize they probably filmed the series 8-12 months ago, it’s kinda hilarious that the show is presenting the Monster Among Men as if he’s still working for WWE, when in fact they let his ass go back in July. I’m happy Braun is pursuing other career avenues, but what’s next – becoming the new mascot for Brawny paper towels? Triple H looked at everything on the menu and said “yeah I’ll take the fresher, hotter Bron’s”. Can’t say I blame the man one bit. 

…Rhea & Iyo should be a package deal for the foreseeable future. With how stacked the women’s roster is on RAW, and given that they’ve collectively dominated the World Title picture over the past couple years, it would allow more opportunities for others to step up. Not only that, but Ripley & Sky have just as much chemistry as partners as they do as rivals. The women’s tag team division continues to gather steam, so why not carry that momentum all the way to late April? Don’t be surprised if Rhiyo are standing across the ring from Charlexa come WrestleMania (perhaps The Kabuki Warriors too in a three-way dance). 

…Welp, it only took four attempts and an overdue heel turn, but Jade finally ended Stratton’s 10-month title reign. Time will tell whether or not the new role suits Cargill as well as her wardrobe. Tiffany however has won enough this year. I’d transition her right into a ready-made program with Giulia where Stratton repeatedly puts over the United States Champion. The Japanese star’s title reign and competition have been one of the biggest running jokes on SmackDown, through no fault of her own. A couple victories over Tiffy would go a long way in solidifying Giulia on the main roster.   

…How wild is it that Stratton going off-script on Charlotte, coupled with Flair’s retort about Kaiser being in her DMs, could’ve ultimately been what led to the Tiffy/Ludwig split. El Grande Americano didn’t waste any time moving on, did he? Kaiser’s already proven to be a big hit south of the border, but clearly the latin women love him as well. Between his masked sidekicks and Andrea Bazarte, I’d say Ludwig’s 2025 has really taken a turn for the better.     

…It doesn’t take a genius to read the signs and deduce that they all point to Chris Jericho’s WWE return in 2026. From his extended absence and expiring contract, to Tony Khan’s comments on the matter, to abandoning the copyright for ‘Jericho Vortex’, to recently hanging out with Kevin Owens at a hockey game, how much more evidence does the wrestling world need? Y2J knows his years as an active wrestler are limited, and thus it’s time to come home. I just hope Jericho didn’t wait toooo long to make the move. He’s about to show up at the Royal Rumble looking like Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and wrestle like 2019 Kurt Angle.  

…As the year’s gone on, there’s been a lot of social media chatter regarding Randy Orton being underutilized and taken for granted by WWE management. I don’t believe that to be the case at all. My guess? The Legend Killer is still suffering from the same back issues that forced him to miss 18 months of his career; an extended absence he almost didn’t return from. I remember watching Orton’s most recent match against McIntyre, and the pain etched across his face looked legitimate, especially after the superplex spot. If Randy really plans on wrestling until he’s 50, dude might wanna opt for that Roman Reigns schedule.   

…This random friendship with Stephanie Vaquer has gotta be leading to a Nikki Bella heel turn, right? Nothing about her hugging and supporting the Women’s World Champion feels genuine. Nikki gives off such strong mean girl vibes that I can’t take her seriously as a babyface, or someone who Vaquer would ever pal around with in real life. Please job Bella out to La Primera and soon so we can move on to better programming. 

…You know what makes me laugh? Logan Paul claimed at the start of the year that he’d be fully committing to WWE, and then proceeded to appear as part-time as the previous couple of years. I was less amused by him showing up on RAW to request a shot at Punk’s title. 

…It’s crazy how much the perception of a pro wrestler can change within a year or two. There were really people hoping CM Punk would fail upon returning to WWE. So much controversy surrounded the man, and it just completely evaporated. The Best in the World’s redemption run has been a smashing success full of buzzworthy promos, feelgood moments and Match of the Year candidates. Now give me Punk versus Styles at Mania and I’ll be all set. Thanks in advance. 

…Would Seth’s archnemesis even be Heavyweight Champion right now if it weren’t for The Visionary’s untimely hiatus? Hard to say for sure, but one thing is for certain – Rollins habitually being sidelined whenever the World Title is strapped around his waist, and the company’s placed on his back. We watched it happen in 2015, 2023, 2025, etc. Whether he’s the company workhorse or insulated within a stable of thoroughbreds, Seth can’t catch a break unless it requires another surgery. 

…He has nothing on the rehab GOAT of wrestling though. Rey Mysterio has missed 7 WrestleManias due to injury throughout his 19-year tenure with WWE, and one of those matches turned into a 60-second squash because of him getting hurt right beforehand. There’s early rumblings about a potential Mysterio/Penta match taking place in Vegas at WM42, but if you’re a betting man, there’s a higher probability of the Hall of Famer hobbling into said event on the disabled list than actually competing at it. From a fantasy booking standpoint, Rey’s Mania curse has been as maddening as a certain video game franchise. At least he doesn’t appear to have passed it on to Dom. 

…And as if we needed another reason to retire the Money in the Bank concept, both of this year’s winners and eventual World Champions had to forfeit their respective titles shortly into each reign. It’s surrounded by bad juju I tell you! Ditch the cash-in gimmick and give us more tournaments instead. 

…Congrats to the eventual winner of Cena’s tournament by the way. You’ve been sorely missed, Gunther. Despite the criticism aimed at his booking this year, retiring Bill Goldberg and John Cena within a span of 6 months doesn’t sound to me like a guy who’s fallen off. The Ring General’s only been pinned/submitted on 4 occasions in almost four years, so settle down with the doom and gloom prognosticating.

…Hunter really moved Sami to SmackDown just to resume feuding with Solo and his gang of El Generico’s. A little black and white face paint doesn’t change the fact that I’d rather watch a 66-year old Sting wrestle than all of those schmucks combined. Creative really ended Zayn’s US Open Challenge streak at the 8-week mark so he could continue beefing with the bootleg Bloodline. What’s with this tedious story loop that Sami’s trapped in? Unlike the Tongan’s, he has an identity and agenda outside of the faction, remember? 

…Shame on WWE for not capitalizing more on the kooky-ness of The Wyatt Sicks. Why not occasionally book them in matches with weird stipulations to set them apart from the rest of the tag teams on SmackDown? Where’s the eerie cinematic stuff? The vignettes with Uncle Howdy speaking in riddles? Where’s the conscious effort to make them feel special? Otherwise, this current version of The Wyatts is just as much a parody of the original as The MFT’s. Big missed opportunity with not having The Sicks invite Solo’s squad to a showdown at a remote location on last Friday night’s Halloween episode. Bring back the Boiler Room Brawl!

…What in the Marty Jannetty is this company doing with The Street Profits? This prolonged split tease between Tez & Dawkins is reaching Randy/Cody levels, meaning it should’ve happened at least a year ago. Are we waiting for Bianca to resurface as a heel and assist her hubby in finally dropping the dead weight? No offense to Angelo Dawkins, but imagine where Montez Ford would be right now had WWE pulled the trigger on his singles push three years ago.  

…Nic Nemeth’s recent interview with Chris Van Vliet was insightful as always, despite the stroll down memory lane mainly serving to piss me off all over again. Dolph Ziggler should’ve been Seth Rollins’ equal; not only in star power, but career accolades as well. The launching pad presented itself in the closing moments of Survivor Series 2014, and somehow Vince fell asleep at the controls. Nemeth’s trajectory gradually tanking after that night was a shame, which is why I love to see him thriving in TNA and receiving the type of top guy treatment that The Showoff deserves.    

…How about the powers-that-be reward LA Knight with a match against John Cena at Survivor Series since they refuse to give him a legitimate shot at the World Heavyweight Championship? Inconspicuous by his absence on RAW and by his exclusion in the long list of names Punk gave as potential challengers, I’m sincerely hoping that’s the plan for The Megastar. Odds are Knight gets lumped into the Bloodline/Vision clusterfuck at WarGames, but fingers crossed he lands a larger role on the show because fan morale for the dude is dropping at a rapid pace. 

…Conversely, the excitement surrounding Charlexa and their off-the-charts chemistry is at an all-time high. Bliss herself wins biggest surprise pop of 2025 by a comfortable margin. I’ve gone back to rewatch her return at the Royal Rumble at least a dozen times since then. Holy goosebumps. AJ Lee’s reaction comes closest, but it was the worst kept secret in wrestling by the time we actually got there.

…Your boy SkitZ has become quite the fan of this Damian/Aleister feud over the last handful of months. The mindgames and bad blood have reached a boiling point where I feel it warrants them settling things inside Hell in a Cell. There hasn’t been one since Punk and Drew brutalized each other over a bracelet, so we’re long overdue. A match of this caliber undoubtedly belongs on a PLE, but with WarGames making it logistically impossible and the next SNME being too far away, might as well stick with the trend by booking that shit for a random SmackDown. Just please don’t bring R-Truth back into the mix because you can’t find anywhere else to fit him on the show. The last thing this rivalry needs is forced comedy.   

…Feel free to lump me in with the countless others complaining about WWE’s relentless price gouging. And I’m not even referring to these Mania ticket packages that you’ve gotta sell body parts and newborn babies to afford. Nope, this strictly pertains to the amount I’m spending just to watch from home on my phone and flat screen. These motherfuckers have gotten so money hungry that I now need 4 separate apps to stay up to date with the product; Netflix, ESPN, Peacock & YouTube TV (aka ghetto cable for middle class America). It’s ridiculous. Don’t be surprised when I start a GoFundMe in order to keep cranking out these columns. 

…My uneducated ass typically tries to avoid politics as much as possible, but if the last couple terms and elections have taught as anything, this country of ours is rightly fucked. As a worldwide celebrity and WWE Hall of Famer, Trump’s a transitional president in the sense that he’s unknowingly prepping us for pro wrestlers to take over as our nation’s leaders. Seriously, picture this: The Rock versus Kane in 2028 with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance. Dwayne Johnson and Glenn Jacobs battling one another for the keys to the White House has a nice ring to it, eh? I mean c’mon, The People’s Champion against The Big Red Machine practically writes itself! A campaign clash for the ages full of silly catchphrases, raging infernos and eyebrow raising speeches. Who gets your vote?