5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (August 17)
4. That F*CKING REVIVAL SEGMENT
NXT TakeOver: Orlando, April 1, 2017.
Bitter enemies the Revival and #DIY are locked in heated battle with the monstrous Authors of Pain in a Triple Threat bout. Akam and Rezar, in the ascendancy as NXT Tag Team Champions, are invincible on the night - so much so that, in order to gain any sort of advantage, their opponents reconcile their differences and betray their very ethos. Dash Wilder - the no flips, just fists throwback - throws himself at the brutes, alongside Johnny Gargano, with a suicide dive. It's exactly the sort of flippy sh*t that he can't stand, but resorts to it because it's the only way of standing half a chance of survival. This is amazing storytelling. It is an unexpected, astonishing rush, a spectacular spot of athleticism, and it underscores the extent to which the pursuit of at-all-costs victory matters.
Monday Night RAW, August 13, 2018.
After months of either anonymity or embarrassment, Wilder throws himself at Bray Wyatt simply because it is a move to do - a move on the limited checklist of every bloody road agent phoning it in. We see it in 2/3s of all RAW matches.
What the f*ck was this?
No flips, just fists. Oh, and a suicide dive, because everybody has to do one. This is the company that's supposed to do storytelling. Everything else is flippy sh*t with no psychology, apparently. It's a farce. WWE storytelling is a farce. Bizarrely, the Revival were rewarded with another crack at the RAW Tag Team Championships even though they lost the match fairly. They were foiled by the same tricks they were once the masters of.
Character and narrative logic mean absolutely f*ck all. But you gotta learn how to work when you get to the major leagues, boy!