TJR Q&A: Adam Page Next AEW World Champion, WWE Breakout Stars, More
Hey yo. The question and answer session is also known as the TJR Q&A and it is back for the 80th time on TJRWrestling. It’s been a few weeks since the last one after the start of NXT 2.0, so now it’s time to get back to it. The questions come from the Facebook page right here where I selected some of the best questions. Let’s roll.
1. Nudge Adam Medley
Would you be happy if both Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt show up randomly on Raw or Smackdown? With Wyatt keeping his WWE twitter handle, I really hope that means this is one long drawn out storyline.
I think Bray Wyatt was the most surprising WWE release maybe ever. I didn’t think they would release a guy like him that was a WWE lifer in his mid-30s and is so smart creatively while also being pretty good in the ring. Why release him? It was strange. With Braun, it wouldn’t shock me if he sits out and doesn’t sign anywhere until WWE calls him around January to say “come back for Royal Rumble.” But I don’t know what his intentions are. Based on his interviews, WWE was stressful for him so it could be better for his mental health to do other things. I hope Bray is back. I don’t know if he will be.
2. Daniel Hill
I’m personally glad to hear king and queen of the ring are back. Who’s your early predictions and do you think it’ll be established stars like AJ or for ppl who can use it to push on like the old days, maybe Riddle of top of my head? Take care mate.
I think they like to put it on heels, so one of them will probably be a heel winner. I think Liv Morgan winning the Queen’s Crown would be a huge boost for her, but I don’t know if WWE is as high on her as the fans are. I think for the men, Sami Zayn would be a tremendous pick. Boost his ego some more. I just don’t know if he’s staying in WWE long term, so they might go elsewhere. Probably a heel.
3. Deryl Parnell Jr.
Do you see Finn Balor getting to win the Universal Championship again in 2022?
I sure hope so. Now he’s on Raw so it would be the WWE Championship. The fans love Balor, I think he’s very believable for a shorter guy and the Demon gimmick does get great reactions. I know WWE likes booking these 6-month reigns or more, but it may not be a bad thing to have three-month title reigns and get some different people holding the titles.
4. Matt Tome
Now that Big E has ascended to the WWE Title, and main event status, who do you feel will be the next guy or girl to get a shot in the main event/title picture that hasn’t been there yet?
That’s always a good question. I’d love to see Keith Lee, Karrion Kross or Damian Priest elevated to that level. There’s a lot of negativity from fans about how WWE doesn’t push recent NXT stars a lot. Those are three former NXT guys that are in their mid to late-30s that are ready for it and I think the company just needs to get behind them. Add Riddle too. He’s the most “over” of them.
I think for the women, Liv Morgan stands out so I hope there’s plan to push her over the next year. Maybe Shayna Baszler since she hasn’t held the Raw or SD Women’s Title yet, so she’s “new” even though she’s in her 40s.
5. Justin Irok
In the last 10 years, who is WWE’s biggest miss? A gimmick that was over that they didn’t capitalize on, a guy that should’ve been a star that wasn’t.
In the 2000s my answer was always MVP. That guy should have been a major WWE Champion/World Champion type.
In the early part of the 2010s decade I would have said Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow. I think it was dumb of WWE to not push Cody as himself instead of the silly Stardust character. Within the last few years, Ricochet is a guy that should be doing a lot more. The fans love the guy. He’s so gifted in the ring and in the air.
6. Toby Tobias
I would like to see NWA become a legitimate top tier level addition to AEW and WWE. Do you think they can under Billy Corgan’s umbrella, and how would you position the company if it were yours? I’ve liked what ive seen, but holy shit have I had to work hard to see it…
It’s tough. I watch it on Fite, but it’s tough to grow when you’re only on a paid website service. Do they even have a thousand subscribers? I have no idea. I think the venue for the last PPV and the last TVs in St. Louis has been really good and a lot better than the TV studio in ATL, but they are going back to ATL for the next tapings. They have a solid roster of some veteran wrestlers, but they need to mix in the younger talent. Problem is those younger talents are going to AEW or maybe WWE and it’s hard for NWA to add to the roster. They’re appealing to older fans, which is cool, but you need the newer fans to grow and I don’t know if they are getting them. I hope it grows. I just don’t know if it will.
7. JD Robert
Were you surprised that Raquel González, Walter, Pete Dunne, Grizzled Young Veterans, Dakota Kai were not part of the draft this past week?
Raquel yeah, but I think they are saving her for Royal Rumble and book her strong there, so then she can be main roster after that (like Rhea Ripley this year).
Pete Dunne I think they want him to be a main guy in NXT. He’s still young in his 20s.
I like GYV a lot as a well-polished tag team. I just don’t know if they would get enough time on Raw or SD.
Dakota Kai should have been drafted to Raw or SD. I’d rank her ahead of Aliyah, Shotzi, Tegan Nox as an overall talent and that’s not a knock on those three. I just think Kai is awesome.
As for Walter, the belief is that he doesn’t want to move his family to the US and live in the US, so he must really be strong in beliefs in wanting to live in Europe.
8. Rob Black Bear
Any favorite Reggie Parks championship belts?
The Winged Eagle WWE Title for sure and the IC Title from late 80s into the 90s. Rest in peace, Reggie.
9. Pete Sooklall
Favorite wrestling event you ever attended live?
WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans for that event and that entire weekend in New Orleans being so much fun. Loved going to NXT in October 2015 for two days. So much fun. Also going to live events sitting row one a lot in the last decade. I guess I’m spoiled a bit.
10. Joe Harris
What wrestler would benefit from leaving AEW for WWE? And what wrestler would benefit from leaving WWE for AEW?
A guy like Brian Cage could do well in WWE considering his body type, but I don’t know if WWE was ever that interested in him. He seems lost in the shuffle in AEW. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky are two others.
Lots of WWE guys could benefit from going to AEW too, but would Chad Gable be pushed that hard? I don’t know. Might get a few wins and then get lost in the background. Maybe Kevin Owens. He has a lot of friends that are big names there, so that helps. Johnny Gargano is another guy that could be going to AEW some day.
11. Marlon Nedd
Now that the draft is over, who do you think will be the breakout star on Raw and Smackdown?
I hope Keith Lee is a breakout star on Raw. Riddle as a singles guy too. For women, I will put over Liv Morgan again. She’s great.
Smackdown is harder to pick, but I really want to see Xavier Woods break out more as a singles wrestler. That would be fun to see.
12. John Harper
Thoughts on Tessa having a big part to play in WOW, and the return of AJ Lee to wrestling… kinda?
I wish them the best. I know people don’t like Tessa and she has done stupid things, but people can learn and grow. Good for AJ Lee if it makes her happy. I don’t know if the WOW thing will work. It has been relaunched so many times. I have my doubts.
13. Leo Carter
AEW is really hot right now…but at some point, so was WCW & even TNA. What does AEW need to do to keep their momentum going for the next decade?
They have money, they have TV deals that are going to earn them raises and a nice mix of young guys/veterans that are well known to the viewers. I don’t know if they are going to grow that much more, but they will be consistently strong for most of this decade. I don’t see why not.
14. Daniel Mount
Should ROH get more credit for helping AEW get off the ground?
Sure they deserve credit for hiring a lot of people that ended up starting AEW and working for AEW. Also, a lot of WWE guys have ties to ROH too, so there’s a lot of wrestlers that should be grateful for ROH. I think ROH does an amazing job of signing guys in their 20s, getting them on television and then that opens up opportunities for guys.
15. Brian Coats
How would you book Bron Breakker going forward? Do you think it’s too early for a title run?
It’s certainly possible that he wins the title. I would have liked to see him get more singles win before the title shot, but clearly WWE is all in on this guy. I can see him holding it until January, debut at Royal Rumble, then he forfeits NXT Title and he’s on Raw or SD after that.
16. Joseph MA Thomas
Do you think AEW is strong enough to go head-to-head Monday night with Raw yet or in the near future? If not what would it take to make them competitive?
I know Tony Khan said early on over two years ago he’ll never go Mondays (or Thursdays) because his dad/family owns the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, so it would be dumb to go against nights where the NFL has games. I really don’t think AEW is going to ever do it.
17. Joshua Millwood
Does Bron get the NXT title at Halloween havoc, meaning Ciampa winning was merely transitional because Joe got hurt…or will they gimmick the finish and do a rematch later at a takeover/ppv?
I don’t know when the next Takeover is. Maybe they choose to do it Survivor Series weekend, so I guess that’s possible if they wait for that. I might Breakker to win at Halloween Havoc. I don’t see him losing often.
18. Van Wilhoite
What do you think would be a creative way to get the RAW and Smackdown women’s titles back to their rightful shows?
I think they should have Banks win the triple threat at Crown Jewel. Have her pin Belair to do it, but Belair is also protected a lot. There aren’t a lot of great options to beat Charlotte on Raw. Maybe they can do a multi-woman match, have somebody get a surprising pin and Charlotte loses without getting pinned. Just saying that’s how WWE would do it!
Another option is just to keep them on Charlotte and Becky and have them swap like when New Day/Street Profits swapped in the past. It may be that even though some fans hate it.
A reader named Christopher Maxwell chimed in too: “I had an idea that they add Charlotte to the Crown Jewel match and reuse the two fall for two titles stipulation from WM2000. Have Charlotte win the SD title then she loses the Raw title to Becky. It’s a swap but at least it’s in a match.”
I guess that could work too!
19. Christopher Saheed Houston
Don’t you think it’s time WWE scraps the 24/7 title and the segments? It’s the same thing every week …..one guy being chased by a bunch of guys and then doing some acrobatic flips to evade them …..I look at guys like Ricochet, Ali and John Morrison, the Lucha House Party and think to myself ….these guys can do so much in AEW with their athleticism.
Yeah, I think it’s pretty lame and it doesn’t help the show or the wrestlers. I would get rid of the 24/7 Title for sure.
20. Roderick Walker
What are some of your favorite No Mercy matches ever?
Some favorite No Mercy matches would be Angle/Benoit vs. Edge/Rey 2002, Edge/Christian vs. Hardy Boyz 1999 and Jericho/Michaels 2008.
21. Lonnie Nawrot
I always thought it would be cool if WWE brought back the “elite manager” days. They had the Heenan Family, the Hart Family etc. AEW is trying, but Do you think the days of the elite stables are over, or do you think they can be resurrected in WWE?
I’m a big fan of managers. I like most of them in AEW. I think Malcolm Bivens in NXT is amazing. I think Drake Maverick should be a manager. They should have more managers in WWE, but I don’t think Vince wants to go down that road again.
22. Alejandro Rodríguez
What happened with the supposed negotiations between WWE and NJPW? Also with the next Wrestle Kingdom being 3 nights, do you think it’s possible for people like Bryan Danielson and CM Punk to be there?
I think WWE President Nick Khan was trying to facilitate a deal, it never happened because AEW has been working with NJPW and that’s why it fell apart. I would love to see Danielson and Punk at a WK show along with other top AEW guys.
23. Giles Hart
When time allows you or if work doesn’t put you off, do you occasionally watch any other companies apart from WWE and AEW at all now? For a change of scene or the pure enjoyment of it all.
Sometimes Impact and ROH. I watch NWA most weeks. I record Impact, but sometimes never get around to it. Been bad at watching NJPW of late. I don’t plan on reviewing any more current shows. Five is a lot right now.
24. Zenny Jack
Do you think it would be a good idea to take the “Raw” & “Smackdown” names out of the Women’s & Tag Team championships? I like the idea of “WWE Women’s, Universal Women’s, WWE Tag Team & Universal Tag Team” names.. your thoughts? Reason why I’m asking is because I didn’t like New Day & Profits just switching belts last year. They have the same dilemma with Charlotte & Becky this year.
I like those names for the shows they are on. I’m sure the networks that pay WWE a lot of money like it that way too because you’re telling the audience where you can watch those title matches. I see you’re point, though. You would have less issues at draft time, but I doubt WWE cares too much about that.
25. Stephen Rankine
Do you think CM Punk’s lovefest is copying Chris Jericho’s smiley gimmick when he came back? Some of Punk’s comments come across as heelish yet folks still cheer him.
How dare he look happy! I’m kidding. I know what you mean. I don’t know if he’s going to turn heel any time soon. I don’t see why when they’ve got The Elite and MJF’s group as heels. Punk could have long-term feuds with either.
26. Jay Hinchey
What are some of your favorite Brand Specific PPVs?
Vengeance 2003 comes to mind. Backlash 2016 is a great Smackdown show too. No Mercy 2002 that I posted earlier this week too. Liked that a lot. All three are Smackdown shows.
27. Geoff Landtbom
I’m a Hangman Page guy. Is he going to win the AEW Championship? Because I have a very real fear that they’ll fuck this up and not give it to him.
I sure hope so. I think he’s certainly ready, there is an easy story to tell since The Elite guys were his best friends and then they went against him. Page is also the former tag team championship partner of Kenny Omega, the current champion, so there’s that story there with Page as the guy to take the title off him.
Maybe some day Bryan Danielson and/or CM Punk will be AEW World Champion. That’s fine. It shouldn’t be before Hangman Page, who is the best choice.
28. Jason Weber
Who do you see as the MVP for AEW so far?
I think for male wrestlers probably Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho (in the first year especially) and Kenny Omega, all of whom have been World Champions. Young Bucks and Lucha Dragons for tag teams. For the women, definitely Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida too.
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That’s all for now. Thanks to everybody that participated and to you for reading. Check out our Q&A archives here as well.