10 Candidates For WWE's Bizarre Post-WrestleMania 36 Push

5. Tino Sabbatelli

mojo rawley
WWE.com

The Italian-American Gary Strydom, Vince McMahon is going to stop dead in his tracks the first time he lays eyes on Tino Sabbatelli. REO Speedwagon is going to soundtrack the scene. The dramatic piano keys of I'm Gonna Keep On Lovin' You will convey his arrested, spellbound gaze.

Look at Sabbatelli.

Look at those delts, those traps, those abs. That body is so dry. It's a wonder. And so, Vince learns, curling the telephone wire, is his ring work! Sabbatelli is a telegenic bodybuilder programmed to perform in the preferred WWE in-house style only, a devout student of the curriculum. A good boy.

He's also 36, isn't a fit for NXT's workrate-heavy ethos, and is very, very much the sort of performer destined for the big push, the vignettes, the lavish production values, the hyperactive commentary sell-job. He's back after a lengthy injury layoff, and it just feels like it's time to do something with him at last. If this all seems optimistic, consider that Riddick Moss made it to RAW well before Matt Riddle.

This company is deranged.

 
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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!