01/17/2024 03:00:00 PM
Okay. It's been close to three weeks as I write this series of essays, but I can only wonder: why only now? I guess it's because I now have the time needed since the past month and these past couple of weeks had been too busy for me to collate and compile all those thoughts that ran into my head for 2023.
It is safe to say that after three years, the world is really back to its normalcy. In TV lingo, we call it “back to regular programming.” For what its worth, 2023 didn't just had a roller coaster ride – there's also a see-saw and a swing. It was a carousel-like experience. I'm just glad I still manage to get back into writing because after all, who still reads blogs today – at the era when reels and vlogs became the name of the game in content creation?
Well, never say never, as resilient people would tell; so that being said, here is just one of the pieces that contain my sentiments on whatever issue or event I have experienced during 2023.
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| Photo thumbnail from WWE's YouTube channel |
Just when I thought 2022 was the year of The Bloodline, no... it wasn't. I was wrong. I was dead wrong.
These Samoan clan of sports entertainers definitely made headlines on an almost month after month basis. Hell, if WWE would still stage Slammy Awards in 2023, they would take home the accolade for Faction of the Year.
They certainly put everyone on the map, from short-timed allies to definitive rivals. Sami Zayn became a main event talent for real, especially during the Elimination Chamber premium live event held in Canada last February. Heck, the swerve we probably expect from him really paid off in Alamodome. The once-blinded Honorary follower got a wake-up call from his long-time colleague (a friend and rival, at the same time) in order to snatch the undisputed tag team gold titles from the cousins (who has another story coming, but we'll get into that later).
Sad to say someone didn't finish the story during the Show of Shows, though. And unfortunately, with the way things are going in the WWE as a whole, the “finish the story” might turn into a running mocking gag for the 'American Nightmare' Cody Rhodes. Hey, CM Punk is the loudest name in the business even before his AEW return two years ago, right? Guess what, he's also back (but that's also another story we would probably want to talk about) in the fed. Plus, Dwayne Johnson spilling a tea during his surprise return at RAW Day 1? Good lord, the plot now thickens like a condensada.
But perhaps, the downside of this saga is the fact that Roman Reigns The Longest and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion in the Modern Era had an insignificant reduced exposure – just another product of Paul Heyman's 'special attraction' character writing which makes people shake their heads (or even knock them) in disbelief in such same manner as how Brock Lesnar was groomed during his championship run in the mid to late 2010s.
Everyone wants to have a piece of that universal championship, from the returning Randy Orton (after being shelved into injury bay for 18 months), to a tweener-like AJ Styles, to the Megastar LA Knight. But enough of The Guy. It's a challenge now for the writers and producers on what match they would probably have for Roman in the coming months. Hell, I even doubt someone may dethrone him come Mania, but I hope I'll be proven wrong. Now, let's move on...
The twin cousins also had a fair share of the stories of the year. Their eventual split during SummerSlam was something I less expected. Although, the seeds were slowly planted after they lost their share of gold the Night 1 of WrestleMania 39. Not to mention, their Tribal Combat tag team match at Money In The Bank was damn monumental – no one pinned Reigns in 3 ½ years until Jey did so. Man, that's like having a volcano inside O2 Arena and blew its roof up high.
Although from one confusion to another: Jey moved to RAW and Jimmy reunited with his cousin Roman and brother Solo at SmackDown and even forged an allegiance (although partial as it seems) to another faction Judgment Day – who now had a comic relief of their own in R-Truth and slowly taking over as the Best Faction in WWE during the latter months. One thing's for sure, though, is that Jey won his first gold without his twin brother.
But don't count out Solo Sikoa. Perhaps he managed to massacre John Cena (who was only there since there was a writer's strike in America and he needs a job, LOL) in their duel at Crown Jewel. That was, perhaps, the biggest stamp of approval he needs to alleviate himself as a WWE superstar because his constant alignment with Roman Reigns did only little favors as an enforce with silent rage issues.
The question: where do he go from there? He's now the crowned Prince of The Bloodline; and sooner or later, Jimmy might flip the character switch again.
Interesting drama, as it seems, especially with Nick Aldis being the real General Manager the WWE needs. However, with RAW slowly punching its way back to being the 'A Show' again after xx years, we can only expect little from this clan, especially with the Head of the Table being a paper-like, part-time champion, and the crowd may wind up being disinterested with a character that can only defend once in a blue moon while chasing record-making history numbers that will never be replicated or even broken for the coming decades.
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