Are you a wrestling fan?
I know that you are — or at least, you were. We all were! Maybe you used to love sports entertainment during WWE's "Attitude Era" (you know, back when it was still WWF, before the pandas stole the name back). Or maybe you were more of a WCW fan, losing your mind when Sting descended from the rafters to take out the nWo. Heck, maybe you eschewed the mainstream and loved ECW. Or maybe you've remained a diehard to this very day. If so, you just had one heck of a week.
Regardless of where you stand — or once stood — this is a perfect time to jump into wrestling with both feet. The summer is typically the worst part of the sports calendar. There's no NFL, there's no NBA, there's not even any hockey. Yes, there's baseball (on your local FOX affiliate!), and this year brings us the Olympics (which you might or not be watching). But every year, we kvetch about the lack of sports programming in July and August. This year, however, WWE is offering a solution to your boredom ... if you're willing to tune in.
For those who might not know, WWE recently tried its second "brand extension." In a nutshell, its two weekly shows — Raw and SmackDown — are being split apart into distinct brands with their own rosters, championships and live broadcasts. Raw is on Monday. SmackDown's on Tuesday. To faciliate that clear separation between the two shows, WWE held a draft. No longer will superstars appear on both shows. They're either Raw- or SmackDown-exclusive, moving forward. And it all kicked off this week in what WWE is calling its New Era.
It was kind of overwhelming, especially coming off the "Battleground" pay-per-view this weekend. On top of that, it's not just Raw and SmackDown one has to watch each week. Wednesdays feature an hour of NXT (WWE's top-notch developmental show) and an hour of the Cruiserweight Classic. Truly, the wrestling cup runneth over.
Here's the upside, though: The wrestling was outstanding. Okay, SmackDown could have been better. But Raw was amazing, NXT was its usual fun, diehard experience, and the CWC continues to drop our jaws with some of the best actual in-ring work on the planet.
To be honest, this week felt like the Monday Night Wars were upon us once again — that mythical period in wrestling history when WWF and WCW pushed each other to be better and better on a weekly basis. I know, I know. Those were legendary times; to invoke the Wars is quite the compliment. But one week into the New Era, it's true. Why not check it out for yourself? After all, what else do you have going on during the week in August?
Of course, there's no guarantee that WWE can sustain this momentum going forward. We've seen lofty heights followed by fallow lows before in the wrestling world. And with so much programming to fill, there will be dips here and there. It's inevitable.
But you, my friend, don't need wrestling to be perfect. You're just looking for something to fill the time until football season, and WWE is the solution. For the next month, you'll have plenty of opportunity to watch all of the programming (plus SummerSlam in a few weeks, featuring a title match and a bout between Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton) and pick which shows you like best. Once the opening week of the regular season rolls around, you can skip the programs you don't like, staying up-to-date on either Raw or SmackDown (or, if you really fall in love, maybe even NXT).
Ideally, that should probably be SmackDown. The average sports fan's Monday night is already pretty busy in the fall and winter, so Raw might not work in that schedule. But that works well! SmackDown is the home of John Cena, Randy Orton, AJ Styles — thre names that you know if you've ever had an interest in wrestling. WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose lives on SmackDown, too, where he does an excellent rendition of a modern Brian Pillman with even better wrestling skills.
Maybe Raw will prove irresistable, though. That's where women's champion Sasha Banks, who recently defeated Charlotte Flair (yes, she's Ric's daughter), resides. Oh, and by the way, this isn't the old Divas division, where appearance was first and substance was dead last. The women of WWE put on some of the best matches, with some of the best storylines. In wrestling, unlike other sports, the genders have gained some modicum of equality.
Raw will also see the creation of a new title headed into SummerSlam. World champion Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown, after all, and there was no way WWE's flagship program could even exist without a belt. So sure enough, the "Universal Title" will be up for grabs at SummerSlam as top superstar Seth Rollins faces Finn Balor, an up-and-comer who was in NXT prior to the brand extension draft. At that point, each brand will have its own championship. Here's hoping they don't try to unify them down the line.
Speaking of pay-per-views, you're probably wondering what the draft means for the monthly shows. Are WrestleMania, Summer Slam, the Royal Rumble and all the rest going to feel the effects of such a titanic shift? That remains unclear at this point, but WWE did announce a SmackDown-exclusive PPV for September. Perhaps those will continue to be one-off events. Or perhaps WWE is going to have two PPVs a month most months, with the big pay-per-views bringing stars from both shows together a few times a year in a celebration of the product as a whole.
Either way, you can't tell a clothesline from an enziguri without knowing the superstars, so here are the major players at this point in wrestling history:
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Raw
Commissioner: Stephanie McMahon
You know Steph. She's the daughter of Vince McMahon, and she plays the same corporate character she always has. Frankly, she's damn good at it.
General manager: Mick Foley
Mankind. Cactus Jack. Duuuuuuuude Love. Some of the greatest gimmicks ever belonged to one of the greatest men who ever stepped into the squared circle. Foley's the man, and his surprise announcement as the GM of Raw was amazing.
Top wrestlers:
Seth Rollins: If you watch Raw, Rollins is the guy you'll cheer for. He's a fantastic worker, he knows how to work the microphone, and he's probably going to win the new Universal Title at SummerSlam.
Roman Reigns: Vince McMahon has always loved big, hulking behemoths. Reigns fits that bill, but because WWE has tried to elevate him to the main event before he was ready, fans have turned on Reigns. He desperately needs to become a heel and capitalize on that heat.
Brock Lesnar: Brock was drafted to Raw, and he'll make a few appearances before SummerSlam, although not in the ring. Don't expect Lesnar to be on WWE programming all that often.
The New Day: The three-man tag team currently holds the WWE Tag Team titles. They put on some of the best pre-match promos in the business, and they even have their own cereal: Booty O's! They make sure you ain't booty.
Sasha Banks: Banks is Snoop Dogg's cousin, and she's wanted to be a wrestler since she was a little girl. This week on Raw, she defeated Charlotte to become the women's champion, and fans lost their minds. She's a clear favorite in WWE, and you'll fall in love with her in a matter of seconds.
Charlotte: She's the perfect heel, someone you love to hate. But she's a spectacular wrestler, too, which she demonstrated with an amazing moonsault at the most recent PPV.
Rusev: The United States title is still around, and it belongs to this Bulgarian brute who comes to ringside accompanied by the lovely Lana, to whom he just married in real life.
Enzo & Cass: These might be my favorite superstars, full stop. Cass is a 7-footer who moves like he's Shawn Michaels, and you can't teach that. Enzo, on the other hand, is the most confident gnat you've ever met — and his promos have quickly become the stuff of legend. All it takes is one E&C segment to renew your faith in wrestling.
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SmackDown! Live
Commissioner: Shane McMahon
After a long hiatus, Shane O Mac is back. SmackDown is supposed to be the show that does away with old traditions; having Shane at the helm is a perfect way to accomplish that.
General manager: Daniel Bryan
Bryan was one of the top wrestlers of the post-Attitude era. He's an outstanding in-ring technician whose Everyman appearance and long journey to WWE won the hearts of fans. Injury cut his career short, but he recently re-joined the WWE as a commentator and now, as GM.
Top wrestlers:
Dean Ambrose: Ambrose emerged from a triple-threat match on Sunday as the WWE World Champion in a surprising twist. He used to be in a stable with Raw's Rollins and Reigns, where he was kind of an afterthought. WWE let him blossom into a loose cannon who can capitalize on his opponents' weaknesses and gets into their heads, and he became one of the most entertaining superstars in the company since.
John Cena: Cena ruled in the era after the Rock, Stone Cold and all the rest. But this isn't the same Cena we saw at the turn of the decade. He cast off the "Thugonomics" gimmick to become a fantastic talker who can back up his barbs in the ring. If you can watch Cena with an open mind, you'll see how good he is — and why the kids love him.
AJ Styles: You might remember Styles from other promotions, particularly TNA. He's a bit of an antihero who doesn't have time for people getting in his way. Currently, he and Cena are locked in a feud that centers around Styles trying to beat the hell out of Cena. That could end up influencing the title picture on SmackDown moving forward.
Becky Lynch: The "Lass Kicker" is a fireplug in the women's division, but Lynch has had a rough go of it lately, feuding with former friend Natalya (whose uncle is wrestling legend Bret Hart) and losing several matches she was expected to win. After the brand extension, though, we're expecting a big push for Lynch.
Bray Wyatt: Wyatt's kind of channeling the Undertaker. Sort of. Really, though, Wyatt's forming something unique as a creepy, backwoods giant who wants to bring you into his cult. If Wyatt seems off-putting at first, understand that's part of his shtick. If you stick around, he'll grow on you.
The Miz: Once upon a time, there was a scrawny kid on 2001's season of The Real World by the name of Mike Mizanin, and he wouldn't shut up about his dream to become a WWE champion. 15 years later, The Miz and his Intercontinental title are on SmackDown. He plays a smarmy heel, and he's great at it.
Randy Orton: Orton looks like the prototypical wrestling superstar. You can't help but watch him beat the hell out of others. He's not the greatest talker in the industry, but he makes up for his (admittedly improving) mic skills with a finishing move called the RKO. It's basically a Diamond Cutter (shoutout to DDP!) that Orton takes to the next level by hitting it when you least expect it. Hence, the "RKO out of nowhere."
