The conversation this week keeps circling back to one name: Oba Femi. The man has everything β the look, the presence, the in-ring authority β and WWE is somehow letting him idle in neutral while the Bloodline storyline hogs every available spotlight. Since his Royal Rumble moment earlier this year, Femi has been treading water in ways that should genuinely concern anyone who watched the company mishandle Bobby Lashley’s prime years. This isn’t a minor booking quibble β it’s a flashing red warning sign that WWE’s creative team has a structural blind spot when a dominant, organically over performer doesn’t fit neatly into their main event soap opera.
Natalia Markova vs. Gretta Added To NWA 78
The NWA 78th Anniversary show at the 2300 Arena is shaping up with purpose, and Markova is exactly the kind of legitimate talent who elevates whatever card she’s placed on. Gretta arriving with a flank adds some intrigue and gives the match a built-in wrinkle beyond a straight-up singles bout. The NWA operates on a budget that couldn’t cover catering at a WWE premium live event, but they consistently put together cards that feel curated rather than thrown together.
Thekla Describes Her Beef With STARDOM’s Taro Okada, Says Tony Khan Is ‘Safe’ For Now
Thekla is doing exactly what good heels should do β making her real-world grievances feel like kayfabe and her kayfabe feel like real-world grievances, so nobody is entirely sure where the line is. The note about Tony Khan being “safe for now” is a nice touch that keeps the AEW door cracked while she’s burning bridges in STARDOM’s direction. This woman understands character work at a level that deserves a bigger spotlight.
Orange Cassidy Explains His AEW Character In The Most Orange Cassidy Way Possible
Of course he explained it simply β explaining it any other way would have broken kayfabe on his entire vibe. Orange Cassidy is one of the genuinely rare acts in modern wrestling where the meta-comedy and the legitimate in-ring credibility coexist without either undermining the other. Whatever he said in that Extreme Channel interview, the real explanation is that it works, full stop.
TNA Wrestling’s Matt Hardy Addresses He & Jeff Hardy’s In-Ring Retirement Plans
“Whenever our bodies tell us okay, we’re done” is either deeply sincere or the wrestling equivalent of a politician saying they’ll leave office when the time is right β and after 32 years, the Hardys have more than earned the benefit of the doubt. These two genuinely shaped what risk-taking in tag team wrestling could look like, and nobody is going to begrudge them however many final chapters they need. Just please, when it does come, give them a send-off worthy of the Swanton Bomb and the Twist of Fate.
SummerSlam Will Be the Crowning Moment for This WWE Superstar
Minneapolis is an enormous stage for a coronation, and the right breakout moment at SummerSlam can genuinely change a career trajectory overnight β ask Brock Lesnar, ask Roman Reigns circa 2015 (well, maybe don’t ask that one). The details here are thin, which is frustrating, but the intrigue is real. Whether or not WWE actually commits to the push is the variable that keeps us all anxious.
WWE’s Creative Blind Spot With The Bloodline
Oba Femi should be on a collision course with someone meaningful right now β a singles program, a championship chase, something with weight and consequence. Instead, the Bloodline’s gravitational pull is absorbing every available storyline oxygen, and Femi is being left to flex from ringside. WWE found lightning in a bottle here, and the longer they wait, the more they risk cooling a crowd that was ready to go all the way with him.
WWE NXT Results (6/23/2026): NARAKU, Lola Vice, Kendal Grey, More
NXT continues to be the most quietly consistent show in WWE’s weekly lineup, and last night from the Performance Center was no different. NARAKU and Lola Vice both bring a genuine edge to the brand, and Kendal Grey remains one of the most watchable performers on any roster right now. Tony D’Angelo on top always feels right β the man has never once been less than fully committed to the bit, and NXT is better for it.
Shane McMahon Attempted To Buy Wrestling Promotion Outside WWE
Shane O’Mac trying to purchase a major promotion outside WWE is fascinating context for understanding just how much tension existed within that family dynamic over the years. Whether it was a genuine bid or a negotiating tactic will probably depend on which version of the story you’re hearing and who’s telling it. Either way, the wrestling business’s history is littered with these almost-moments, and this one deserved to come out eventually.
JBL Defends Tommy Dreamer After TNA Exit, Tessa Blanchard Lands First Post-TNA Booking
JBL defending Dreamer’s character while acknowledging the booking criticism was messy is actually the balanced take the situation needed β nobody who watched that TNA run thought it was Dreamer’s personality that was the problem. Meanwhile, Tessa Blanchard landing her first post-TNA booking is the genuinely interesting thread here; her talent has never been in question, and a fresh start somewhere could remind people just how good she can be when the circumstances are right.
WWE Hall Of Famer JBL Says Wrestling Is Better With Vince McMahon In It
With respect to JBL’s loyalty, this is a take that requires a significant amount of selective memory given everything that’s come to light. The wrestling business is creative, chaotic, and thriving right now without McMahon’s direct involvement, and suggesting otherwise feels more like personal affection than honest industry analysis.
π€ The WAW Take
That’s your Wednesday wrapped β from Oba Femi being criminally underutilized to JBL defending everyone from Tommy Dreamer to Vince McMahon in the same news cycle, which is quite the range. The 2300 Arena will be rocking in July, Tessa Blanchard is about to remind people why she matters, and somewhere out there Orange Cassidy is shrugging at all of this. We’ll see you Thursday β keep your pockets in your trunks.