I get it, WWE. Storytelling, especially long-term storytelling in the world of episodic TV with monthly payoffs is hard.
But can we really — like, really — pull the trigger on Sasha Banks vs. Bayley already?
I’m not asking for much. I’m not even asking for you to do it and finish it. But give me something to grab ahold of here.
I want to buy in. I want to sink my teeth into a bitter feud between two extremely talented women, one that recalls their past in NXT.
By dragging things out between the two for so long, fans have been given less and less reason to care, because of the fast shifts in tone. Things are getting heated in the parking lot, Bayley snaps in a wild, emotional moment and lays Sasha out, now they’re in ... silly therapy sessions?
Now, Sasha is stressing her love for Bayley in backstage segments after being forced to team together.
Obviously, we’re heading toward a match — more likely a series of matches — and that’s great. Do that.
Just establish a tone, establish a coherent story and build on it.
Bayley beat the living hell out of Sasha, then they sat in a therapist’s office together making little digs at each other. Now it’s about Sasha’s love and I doubt WWE is planning to explore the potentially abusive power dynamics that can exist even in heterosexual friendships.
Though, it might be helpful to explain the idea of non-romantic love, since they’ve confused this guy into thinking the whole thing is a lesbian angle.
Very few would argue against added depth in wrestling storylines when there is a focused, determined path to a destination.
But we don’t have that anymore. When the hate was building, Sasha and Bayley were doing a nice job of adding heat through their use of social media.
Now, the two women are tweeting ... something?
It’s almost as if they’re both slamming their heads against their keyboards.
And I understand the desire to do just that.
- Smackdown Live aired last night and you know we’ve got the reactions and the highlights.
- Kofi Kingston’s Twitter account served as the release point for New Day’s statement on Hulk Hogan. It was very good.
- NXT airs tonight, get your preview here before you hop into our live blog.
- Has WWE storytelling gotten even worse? (I mean, read above too)
- The ratings for Monday’s Raw were solid.
- Keith Lee and Io Shirai are grabbing the mic.
Let’s just take one final moment to appreciate The New Day as one of the best things in all of wrestling.
FEAST pic.twitter.com/xRZinjlmD6
— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) July 18, 2018
Want to yell at me about this daily column? Do it in the comments, or on Twitter: @BrentBrookhouse.