Is Becky Lynch the new Stone Cold?
When 鈥淪tone Cold鈥� Steve Austin took pro wrestling to a whole new level in the late-1990s, he was the anti-authority figure and it gave fans someone they wanted themselves to be.
Austin鈥檚 rise began in 1996 and really took off towards the end of 1997.
WWE鈥檚 popularity soared and it became a billion-dollar company behind Austin鈥檚 fame, as well as the disdain for Vince McMahon on TV.
Now, more than 20 years later, and WWE is at its most recent version of Austin versus McMahon. This time, it is Becky Lynch against the McMahons and the feud could leave to a Lynch versus Stephanie McMahon, possibly at SummerSlam.
Lynch鈥檚 popularity has skyrocketed and she is the most popular wrestler in WWE.
Why does Vince feel the need to insert his family into the story lines anytime a wrestler鈥檚 popularity is growing by leaps and bounds? It is what they did with Daniel Bryan heading into WrestleMania XXX and they are doing it yet again.
Lynch does not need the McMahons to become more popular, and WWE is making a mistake of not going with Lynch against Ronda Rousey in a one-one-one match at WrestleMania.
Yes, the triple threat match between the two and Charlotte will deliver, but WWE is losing out on its biggest women鈥檚 one-on-one match in history.
Big hire for WWE
WWE has hired Bruce Pritchard to return to the company as a consultant. The former right-hand man for McMahon, Pritchard was in on almost all major decisions.
Known in the late-1980s and early-1990s as Brother Love, Pritchard has one of the best minds for the world of professional wrestling, or sports entertainment, depending on who you speak with, and he is definitely not a 鈥測es man.鈥�
Numbers have plummeted for WWE in all aspects so the Pritchard hire may be a way to look deeper at the issues. House show attendance is brutal and ratings for both Raw and Smackdown Live are down.
Maybe the biggest telling number with how far business has fallen is with its subscribers to the WWE Network. Right after WrestleMania 34 a year ago, the Network hit a record high of 2.1 million subscribers. That was in April 2018 but by the end of the year, less than nine months later, the number of subscribers has plummeted to 1.563 million.
Pritchard isn鈥檛 a miracle worker, but with Smackdown Live headed over to Fox in seven months, the WWE brass has to be a little nervous and hot under the collar.
Ciampa fighting neck issue
According to www.pwinsiderelite.com, last Monday鈥檚 episode of Raw had to be rewritten as NXT champion Tomasso Ciampa was not allowed to compete due to a neck injury.
The piece also says that all options are on the table moving forward as it is not known how long he will be out of action.
Raw in Pittsburgh on March 11
WWE returns to Pittsburgh for Raw next Monday. It is the first televised event after Fastlane, so WWE will be full-speed ahead on the 鈥淩oad to WrestleMania.鈥�
Thor to play Hulk
While not trying to overlap into my inner youth and use a Marvel connection, it appears that Chris Hemsworth will play Hulk Hogan in the upcoming biopic on the Hulkster.
Todd Phillips is directing the piece with Hogan serving as a consultant, while Eric Bishcoff will be a producer.
Hemsworth is best known as playing Thor in the Marvel Universe.
On This Day 鈥�
In 1997, the WWE crowned its first European champion in a match between reigning tag team champions. The British Bulldog defeated his brother-in-law, Owen Hart, in the finals of an eight-man tournament.
This show was the last one officially known as Monday Night RAW, as name was changed the following week to RAW is WAR.
This week鈥檚 question
Why did WWE hire Dana Warrior behind the scenes? She has zero experience in the wrestling business. Bob, Uniontown.
WWE has brought in Dana Warrior, widow of the late Ultimate Warrior, as a consultant for the women鈥檚 division.
Right now, it is just a short-term agreement but it could turn into something more long-term if the company feels her work is helping the division.