SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath-the-surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
New Year’s resolutions
We are officially into 2023. Based on the first few days in pro wrestling, beginning with Shinsuke Nakamura defeating the Great Muta in Japan, the new year has the potential to be extraordinary.
WWE will move in a new direction, one not led by Vince McMahon. The company is now run by the trio of Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and a major goal will be securing a record-breaking television rights deal that will make their stock soar. The potential also exists for McMahon to return, which would ignite an altogether different year for WWE.
AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling are also entering vastly important years. Here are a handful of New Year’s resolutions for the top promotions and a couple of stars who were away from the ring during the latter half of 2022.
WWE: Cultivate a new babyface to challenge Roman Reigns.
To be the top guy, you need to be treated like one. Whether it was Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock or any other babyface champion, the company put the marketing machine behind them and made sure they were viewed as the best in the world.
Wrestling fans are intimately familiar with the Roman Reigns formula as champion. He is extremely convincing as the top man in wrestling, he cuts outstanding promos and he ultimately uses the help of The Bloodline to defeat his opponents. At some point in 2023, that needs to change. WWE needs to get fully behind a babyface. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes are three options that stick out, while Montez Ford likely needs more time. But now is the time to make this happen.
Once upon a time, Vince McMahon’s calling card was creating industry-altering babyfaces. This will be the first test for Paul Levesque to see whether he could do the same.
AEW: Sustain momentum.
Too often in 2022, AEW’s momentum was thwarted. There really wasn’t one specific culprit; injuries, backstage altercations and creative decisions each played a role. Injuries are going to occur, but the resolution here needs to be to control what you can control.
FTR was off television far, far too long in 2022. There was a moment when Wardlow looked like the next great champion for the company, but his appearances as TNT champ (starting with a title bout against fellow babyface Orange Cassidy) did not make sense until it was too late. Those are examples of what needs to change in ’23, and that extends far deeper than the new set for Dynamite that is scheduled to debut this week.
Pro wrestling is an infinitely better place with AEW. The company has three rising stars in MJF, Jamie Hayter and Ricky Starks. The ensuing months will be especially significant to its success this year, so finding ways to harness their momentum will be critical.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Find a way to bring back AJ Styles.
The more predictable move would be to reintroduce Kenny Omega into the title picture and challenge Kazuchika Okada. But if you really want to capture people’s attention, New Japan should find a way to bring back AJ Styles this year and have him win the IWGP world heavyweight title.
Styles could return to Raw with the IWGP belt around his waist. That would be extremely cutting edge, and undoubtedly cause a ratings surge for WWE’s flagship show. It would also put more attention on New Japan, specifically Okada, who remains determined to have an impact all over the wrestling world. Since New Japan has no intention of ever letting him leave, this would be a way to showcase him to a global audience. (WWE’s allowing Karl Anderson to drop his title at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom is a positive sign for the relationship between the two companies.)
This is unlikely, but if it ever happened, think of the possibilities. While in Japan, there could also be friction between the reigning Bullet Club and Styles and The Good Brothers. And once the program concludes, New Japan could build to Okada-Omega at next year’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Sasha Banks: Return home.
There is a huge void in pro wrestling without Sasha Banks. Once she returns to a wrestling ring, it will feel like home to viewers who recognize her undeniable brilliance.
Banks attacked Kairi at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 17, and they should make magic together. A motivation to make her work especially captivating away from WWE should be another driving force for Banks, who is now known as Mercedes Moné. There will also be constant speculation that she will appear for AEW, where she would instantly become a top star.
Banks has not wrestled since walking out of Raw last spring, far too long an absence. Watching her set the wrestling world aflame in 2023 should be magnificent.
CM Punk: Mend fences.
Even if it is brief, CM Punk should return to AEW once he is healthy.
What is there to lose? Punk already ended on miserable terms with his infamous All Out press conference. But why not come back on the right terms and work a few select matches? Punk could work with Ricky Starks, Bryan Danielson and have a run as trios champ with FTR.
Obviously a battle against The Elite would be appointment-viewing, but if that can’t happen, then focus on other matches. Punk is too valuable for AEW to lose, and there would be massive interest if he was to return and pick up a live microphone on Dynamite or Rampage.
The (online) week in wrestling
- New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 concluded with Kazuchika Okada defeating Jay White to win the IWGP world heavyweight title. The show also featured Kenny Omega defeating Will Ospreay, as well as Sasha Banks—now billed as Mercedes Moné—attacking IWGP women’s champion Kairi.
- John Cena returned last Friday on SmackDown, helping expose some cracks in the foundation of The Bloodline—particularly involving Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.
- Charlotte Flair is back, and she quickly defeated Ronda Rousey (via a handful of tights, which is the way her father lost the title to Randy Savage at WrestleMania VIII) in her return. Rousey is a genuine trailblazer in MMA, but she is still struggling to connect with the audience at large in WWE.
- Dragon Lee announced last week that he has signed with WWE. He has the potential to be a major player in NXT, and there is every reason to believe he will be NXT champ.
- Giula defeated Syuri last week in the main event of Stardom’s Dream Queendom 2, becoming the new World of Stardom champion.
- Shinsuke Nakamura defeated the Great Muta in a wildly entertaining match in NOAH.
- Cameron Hawkins wrote an outstanding piece detailing the past, present and future of Sting.
- Uncle Howdy must be Bo Dallas, right?
- Following their music video last week, The Acclaimed suddenly has a big match tonight on Dynamite against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.
Konnan on El Hijo del Vikingo: “The goal is for him to go to the United States and become a huge star there like so many guys from AAA have done”
El Hijo del Vikingo closed out 2022 in Atlantic City, where he defeated Joey Janela.
The reigning AAA mega champion, Vikingo possesses a skill set unlike anyone else in the entire industry. He is an athletic marvel, and he crafts incredibly breathtaking wrestling matches. Now that he has a work visa that allows him to wrestle in the United States, a whole new opportunity exists for him in 2023 and beyond.
Vikingo could become the most distinguished luchador since Rey Mysterio. That is a lot like calling a basketball player “the next Michael Jordan,” as the mere premise is unrealistic. But wrestling legend Konnan discovered both Mysterio and Vikingo, and he sees a lot of similarities between the two.
“They have special talents no one else has,” says Konnan, who is the head of creative in AAA. “Natural, God-given talent, but they don’t rest on their laurels. They also train. There were a lot of guys I thought were going to be great, but once they reached a certain point, they became comfortable. Rey Mysterio, Vikingo, they’re always striving to be better. To invent something new.”
A special talent, Vikingo, 25, is mastering the art of lucha libre. That is a different style of wrestling from what is usually on display in the U.S. It is full of flair and excitement, as well as wrestling psychology, albeit in a different manner, and he conveys it in a compelling fashion.
A real breakthrough would occur if Vikingo wrestled against a mainstream star like Kenny Omega, CM Punk or Bryan Danielson. That opportunity would shine a whole new light on Vikingo.
“That’s a possibility,” says Konnan. “He is wrestling all the best wrestlers from AAA, and I want to do that with the wrestlers from America, too. Vikingo is ready for anyone. He just hasn’t been discovered because he hasn’t been in the United States.”
Paul “Triple H” Levesque just signed Dragon Lee, who will make an instant splash in NXT this year. But if he can also sign Vikingo, that would be a game-changer—and Vikingo would also be a great fit for AEW.
“The goal is for him to go to the United States and become a huge star there like so many guys from AAA have done,” says Konnan. “We need to keep that lineage alive. I’m so proud of him.
“Whether he’s in AEW or WWE, he’s going to be a star. If not, the day that we get our deal in the United States, he’ll be a huge star for us.”
Tweet of the Week
The Undertaker with mist … could that have lasted? Or would it have been viewed as a rip-off from Muta?
Justin Barrasso can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
