The Heel Flip AEW Bought Mistaken, Reserving WWE’s Subsequent SmackDown Return, Extra Fast Takes

One other eventful week for WWE and AEW noticed new stars make their mark and thrilling instructions teased for weeks’ price of programming.

Saturday’s version of AEW Collision was significantly newsworthy thanks to a different instantaneous traditional from FTR and Bullet Membership Gold over the AEW World Tag Staff Championship, the crowning of males’s and ladies’s Owen Hart Cup winners and Ricky Starks seemingly signaling a heel flip being on the horizon.

It was a questionable name with Starks reverse of the polarizing CM Punk, who has had a love-hate relationship with the viewers since returning to tv.

WWE, in the meantime, could possibly be bringing again a well-recognized face within the not-too-distant future if studies are to be believed, and the way they’re going to issue into the present panorama of SmackDown needs to be of utmost significance.

This installment of Fast Takes will sort out how WWE can guide stated Celebrity, one other tease for a Harm Enterprise reunion, execs and cons of AEW shifting to a month-to-month pay-per-view mannequin, and extra.

All indicators appeared to level to CM Punk going full-blown heel earlier than lengthy when he initially resurfaced on the premiere version of Collision final month. Though it has but to occur, the shades-of-grey tweener position he is been portraying as a substitute has been equally compelling.

The difficulty is that AEW’s resistance to turning Punk–or no less than at this present level–could possibly be coming on the expense of 2023 males’s Owen Hart Cup winner Ricky Starks, who has organically gotten over as a fan favourite this previous yr.

From Chris Jericho to Powerhouse Hobbs, he is racked up a number of spectacular wins and is prepared for the following step. Starks being unique to Collision going ahead could possibly be a serious optimistic for him and guarantee he’ll safe extra tv time, however he’ll even have Jay White and Samoa Joe to take care of on the prime of the totem pole for heels.

The Starks flip is not official, so him dishonest to beat Punk on Collision can realistically result in Punk snapping on him out of frustration that the group nonetheless sides with him. That does not look like their desired course, nevertheless it needs to be.

The secret is within the follow-up with Starks and preserving him at that elite stage by pairing him with perennial principal occasion gamers, no matter his character alignment.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens proceed to roll as white-hot Undisputed WWE Tag Staff champions and be the perfect a part of nearly any present they’re concerned in.

With Fairly Lethal now of their rearview, they sit up for contemporary challengers to their titles. Each manufacturers boast a ton of groups in the intervening time, however The Judgment Day is the one applicable reply.

The unstoppable unit defeated Owens, Zayn and Seth Rollins in six-man tag workforce motion final week on Uncooked. Finn Balor and Damian Priest went on to beat Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams an evening afterward NXT.

Balor and Priest (briefly) placing their variations apart and chasing the tag titles is a superb use of them and a worthy attraction for the SummerSlam card. It could be an enchancment over both of them (unsuccessfully) difficult Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship once more.

Judgment Day has crossed paths with Owens and Zayn on a good quantity of events because the 2023 WWE Draft and poses the largest menace to the dual titles. It may possibly function extra Judgment Day dissension and function one other step towards Priest lastly breaking away on his personal.

The Harm Enterprise will not be returning in its authentic incarnation, however any new model led by Bobby Lashley is just about assured to succeed.

The All Mighty returned to SmackDown this previous Friday following a two-month absence, teasing a possible alliance with The Avenue Income by inviting them into his limo outdoors of the world. There was zero indication that they’re going to be forming a faction, however it might make sense with the entire Harm Enterprise teases there have been earlier this yr.

For no matter cause, WWE by no means went by it and Lashley suffered in consequence. He is been directionless for the higher a part of the previous yr and no matter he could possibly be doing with the Income provides him instantaneous function.

The identical may be stated concerning the Income, who’ve been treading water on SmackDown because the 2023 Draft. This group may give them an opportunity to do one thing totally different, exhibit a extra critical facet to their characters, and probably flip heel for the primary time.

The blue model is loaded with expertise in the intervening time and Lashley being again within the fold makes issues infinitely extra attention-grabbing.

Probably the most interesting elements of AEW for a few years has been its easy four-show pay-per-view schedule because the firm’s inception in 2019. It will definitely expanded to 5 with Forbidden Door final yr, however the core 4 have remained the identical.

Per Fightful Select, AEW has been approached by father or mother firm Warner Bros. Discovery about increasing their pay-per-view lineup to function reveals month-to-month as a substitute of quarterly. As of this time, no choices have formally been made, however there are execs and cons to each.

Much less is extra with AEW and having fewer reveals yearly makes every of them really feel extra particular. It additionally makes the pay-per-view price ticket price it for followers, whereas there is no assure the month-to-month reveals could be as worthwhile or consequential.

On the intense facet, it might repair AEW’s problem of ready till the final second to announce full playing cards for these occasions and provides every match a correct construct. Ideally, it might additionally assist with the spacing of the storylines, however not usually is that the case with WWE.

Talking of WWE, their robust stretch of premium reside occasions in 2023 has not gone unnoticed, so the system can definitely be successful. It might impression how Tony Khan books programming from week to week, and delegating a few of these duties to others could be the neatest plan of action.

Editor’s observe: Bleacher Report is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

WWE could possibly be about to get cool, once more.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that former WWE Celebrity Carlito was due again in a full-time position beginning on SmackDown in Madison Sq. Backyard. Plans finally modified and it was for the higher as it might have been disappointing for such a memorable second to be overshadowed by that evening’s prolonged Bloodline angle.

Carlito’s greatest wager could be to be reintroduced as a member of the Latino World Order, choosing up the place he left off at Backlash earlier this yr. The group has sufficient members as it’s, so maybe Carlito feuds with Mysterio and convinces Santos Escobar to hitch him on the heel facet.

Even with an impressive physique, Carlito will very seemingly by no means be main-event materials, however he could be completely slotted towards the highest of the cardboard and there is not a scarcity of opponents for him to work with on SmackDown.

Difficult Austin Concept for the USA Championship might additionally work seeing as how he received that title the evening of his in-ring debut in 2004. The present might use extra credible heels and that is the place Carlito is available in.

He has a lot to supply at this stage of his profession and may preserve an everyday presence weekly on the reveals to ensure this rumored return is a particular one.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialised in sports activities and leisure writing since 2010. Go to his web site, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for extra wrestling-related content material.