Never did I think I’d ever be commissioned to write about professional wrestling, much less interested in doing so. Not since my middle school days of hootin’ and hollerin’ when Eddie Guerrero lied, cheated and stole his way to victory have I cared about the outcome of a match or followed any of the thousands of performers who stepped into the ring.
I’m 35 now and with a renewed and enthusiastic fandom for the sport, I – along with 8,000 other fans – will be in attendance on June 10 when the WWE brings its flagship program, Monday Night Raw, to the Huntington Center.
Having never been to a wrestling show of any sort before, my expectations are undefined. But from watching way too many clips online and reading the comment threads, I can tell you that wrestling fans are as rowdy and headstrong as they come in this country. I have a strong hunch the people watching at this event will be top notch.
Storylines to watch
As far as the action goes, some of the roster’s top stars, such as Rhea Ripley and Seth Rollins, have been out with injuries whereas other top draws, like Drew McIntyre, have recently been cleared to return to action. Therefore, RAW has relied on, for instance, the feud of Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn and the heel Chad Cable.
Gable acted as Zayn’s mentor in the latter’s upset victory at Wrestlemania 40 against Gunther; then the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in company history (and arguably the best wrestler in the company). Since then, Gable has retained a strong jealousy of “What About Me?” Even after his loss to Zayn at King & Queen of the Ring on May 25, Gable is still feasting for another opportunity to steal the IC Title away at any cost.
The Women’s Division has become a staple of the program, blossoming under the tutelage of Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. Their matches have become the highlights of the weekly programs as well as the Premium Live Events (formerly known as Pay-Per-Views).
For RAW, the focus of the Women’s division has been the “Liv Morgan Revenge Tour,” as her feud with previous champion Becky Lynch culminated in Morgan claiming the Women’s Championship at King & Queen of the Ring and retaining said title in a Steel Cage rematch on the Monday, May 27 episode of the RAW program.
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Both victories came by the bone–headed mistakes of Dominic Mysterio, a member of the “Judgment Day” faction; and a cub to Rhea Ripley’s “Mami.” For fans, a feud between Ripley and Liv is expected whenever the former recovers from a shoulder injury sustained in an attack by Morgan on the RAW after Wrestlemania; where Ripley had to vacate her title due to said injury.
The wild card act of RAW is “Main Event” Jey Uso, formerly of the “Bloodline” faction. Since his Wrestlemania victory against his brother, and former tag team partner, Jey has been a workhorse for RAW, delivering quality matches but coming up second too many times. For fans and this writer alike, it’s time he receives a title push.
Fandom aside, it’s unquestionable that Jey has the most exciting entrance of any performer on RAW. Once his name is belted over the P.A. and the music hits, the crowd is off their ass as the spectacle hits right where it counts.
History in our area
Even if you’re a hardcore aficionado of wrestling’s history, the region from Detroit to Northwest Ohio may still be left off of your Bingo card. For years before the McMahon takeover, the talent stretched through a number of professional territories such as Mid-Atlantic, Florida Championship Wrestling, Texas Championship Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South and Pacific Northwest Wrestling. For our neck of the woods, it would read that we’ve lacked any bit of crucial history.
Yet, the opposite is true. Detroit and the Northwest Ohio area – the entire Buckeye state for that matter – hasn’t slacked in its thumb print on the wrestling business or its history. Detroit has kept its chin above the curve like a great performer does. Stretching from last year’s Summerslam, all the way back to the late 1920s, when a man named Nick Londos held grappling matches at the Detroit Olympia.
These events gave birth to the types of supposed tough guys who’ve become stapled to our collective pop culture psyche. Thanks to him, professional wrestling in the region was born. Those events built into one of America’s first promotions, becoming Big Time Wrestling by the 1960s, when it hosted weekly house shows at the famed Cobo Hall; drawing legendary acts such as Bruno Sammartino, Fritz von Erich and Dick the Bruiser.
Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati boast the most as far as Ohio–based talent, with Dolph Ziggler, John Moxley, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, the “Social Media Megastar” Logan Paul (whom I always hate to admit is terrific in the ring) and, let us never forget one of the absolute Mt. Rushmore greats, the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, all hailing from those main points.
Promotionally speaking, Ohio has been strong in both past and present. Yes, Columbus and Cleveland may stand above but our stretch of the I-75 Corridor has held its own, with Championship International Wrestling continuing to hold shows in Toledo or WAR Wrestling of Lima celebrating its 21st season in action.
That stretch reaches all the way down to the Cincinnati & Louisville area where the renowned Ohio–Valley Wrestling continues its development of the next crop of superstars, as it did in the famed class of 2002 with its lineup of future Hall–of–Famers Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Shelton Benjamin and Dave Bautista.
I am beyond excited to see what happens the night of June 10 as we lead up to this year’s Summerslam on August 3. The stars and storylines should be aligning, giving the fans another bone to chew on as we wait for the outcomes.
