THE BLOG OF DRU #14: WE NEED FRESH BLOOD

Pro wrestling industry, we meet again.

Well, me and the WWE/TKO in particular. Because once again, they are shooting themselves in the foot, as usual.

Now, before I go in, let me be transparent for a second: I don’t watch WWE as much as I used to. Outside of certain compelling storylines (Hi CM Punk vs Kevin Owens/Steen) I don’t really keep my finger on the WWE pulse. Truthfully speaking, I might watch more Indies and AEW a bit more and even they have their issues as well. Nowadays, I get my updates from websites (shoutout to Cageside Seats) and highlights on YouTube or Instagram. So, the love is still there for wrestling, but at a distance.

I remember a podcast appearance in 2014 from former CEO of the WWE, Vince McMahon. He was talking about certain talent on the roster at the time and one quote that’s been used before, but this time around it reached its zenith back in this timeframe. The quote he used to discuss pro wrestler (and underrated talent) Cesaro when asked why certain wrestlers are not being pushed was “they lack the drive/talent to grab the brass ring” in order to make it to the top of the main event card. That quote sparked a decade plus conversation about who and why some wrestlers, who are talented enough to be main eventers, don’t get the push that some fans (and backstage agents, I assume) think they deserve.

Fast forward to SummerSlam 2026 a few weekends ago. After night 1, the head of talent and creative (is he? Or is it TKO?) Triple H was fielding questions from the reporters. One of the topics that came up was about the backstage angle on Smackdown with Damien Priest and Cody Rhodes, when Damien mentioned he’s tired of the same wrestlers holding the high card spots. When pressed about that angle, Hunter’s answer was eerily similar to his father in law over a decade ago:

“We’re in a period of time where there’s a lot of top performers in top spots that, over time, have earned those spots, and that over time are selling tickets, and that over time are really popular, right? So you really have to do something.

“The narrative of like, ‘It’s my turn, I’ve been here for a while, it’s my turn.’ There are no turns in this sh*t. That’s not how it works. you earn the spot. Believe me, if somebody is getting over more than somebody else, we move that person into the spot and move the other person down.”*

As if that answer wasn’t already heavy on the imaginary “narrative” Hunter was asked again about certain wrestlers and the rumors behind the scenes of their push, mainly LA Knight (YEAH!):

”But it’s not just, ‘Oh, they’re getting a louder crowd reaction than everyone else.’ Are they going to be good in the spot? Are they going to hold up their end of the bargain? Are they going to screw it up if we give it to them? Are they going to make a mistake that we regret giving them that spot? All those things factor in.

“And I love the fact that sometimes talent are like, ‘Well, it’s frustrating’ or whatever – great. That means work harder. Work harder. Get yourself there. Figure it out. Figure out how it gets done. You know, I’ve seen a million talents succeed because of what they do. Not because of storyline, creative, or ‘they gave them the spot’ or whatever. 99% of the time in this business, the person gets over, then gets the push. That’s how it works. That’s how it’s supposed to work. You go do your s**t, then we follow it. Because otherwise, most of the time they will choke on it if it’s not what the fans believe in.

”Big believer in if you want the spot, go take it. It’s there for everybody to take. When anyone says ‘I don’t know why I’m not in that spot’…I don’t know, are you more over than Cody? More over than Roman? More over than Punk? Are you more over than Liv? IYO? Those are the people in that spot, get there, make those crowd reactions happen.”

Well Hunter, if that was really the case, then LA Knight should be a multiple time World Champion by now. And he’s STILL over, in spite of the backstage agents and TKO/Hunter’s booking. Because let’s be honest: there is no such thing as “brass rings” or “legitimate chances” to get over without your push getting halted. There’s plenty of wrestlers who were booked hot from the start (Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, and the aforementioned LA Knight) but now their push has kinda cooled off. Even though Oba Femi is hot right now, after his star-making trilogy with Brock Lesnar, will TKO look at him the same way in 6-12 months from now? (Despite rumors that he is being touted as the next big star and is on a historical collision course with Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 43). What about Trick Williams? Does he get the same chance to show he can make it to the top of the mountain? Most of the booking is based on the shareholders and who’s on the board. Very little has to do with the crowd reaction, because again if that was truly the case, then LA would be champ and Sami Zayn would’ve had a longer title run than the recent 9 day one, which was ended by CM Punk. No argument there, in terms of if Punk is a main event star or not. Clearly he is, but at some point he is going to get knocked off the mountain. Of course Roman Reigns is over, despite The Bloodline 2.0 angle being stale as a box of saltine crackers. But at some point, there’s going to have to be someone who will take the throne from him. And in order to see who can be that person, some wrestlers need the chance to run with the ball. There’s not that much patience from the writers in wrestling, nor there aren’t any risk takers from the bookers either anymore. And it clearly shows in 95% of the material we see on TV.

If there was relief in this ordeal, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are about to start a program. And I’ve said this before to others in private, but I’m glad Cody is far away from the title picture for the time being. It’s refreshing because he’s been in the title picture or near it for the last 5 years. So, with that being said, let’s hope that some talent can get more of a push or increased TV time.

Because no matter how much you try to grab the “brass rings”, they will always find a way to move them further.