N/A
Brock Lesnar has one of the most sporadic schedules of any WWE Superstar, and you can never be quite sure when you'll see him next.
Every time he's had a sendoff that could be viewed as a retirement, he pops up at another random time to shock the WWE Universe and wreck everything in sight, as he did in October when he attacked Bobby Lashley and cost him the United States Championship.
Since then, The Beast Incarnate has made a few appearances, notably beating Lashley at Crown Jewel with a less-than-definitive victory, followed by The All Mighty beating him down after the match.
This feud is not over, but nothing has been announced for when Lesnar will return or how WWE will continue this storyline (or perhaps move on from it entirely.)
With that in mind, fans awaiting The Beast's return should have their sights set on the Royal Rumble come January 28.
Earlier this year, Day 1 was advertised to make a return on January 1, but the pay-per-view has since been cancelled. Lesnar could have been considered for a role there, after winning the WWE title at the event in a match that involved Lashley and began this feud.
With the Royal Rumble being promoted as the next PPV for main roster talent, Lesnar's next appearance can be heavily speculated upon.
The 45-year-old is one of the most popular Superstars in WWE and can add name value to any show. His presence at an event as grand as the Rumble is certainly welcome, if not just to showcase how big that multi-wrestler match can be.
The Beast is a two-time men's Royal Rumble winner who tied the record for most eliminations during his dominant 2020 run before being taken out by Drew McIntyre midway through the contest.
Lesnar is the perfect figure to enter the match, eliminate Lashley as a spark to rekindle that feud, and even make it to the final four or the runner-up spot before being taken out—either by some interference from Lashley or someone like The Rock eliminating him to boost his momentum en route to a clash with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
Lesnar's music hitting at some point after the crowd counts down the clock would be a major pop. He could follow that up with an appearance on Raw to cut a promo about how he and Lashley have unfinished business.
If The Beast turned up on a random episode of the red brand instead, it wouldn't make as much sense. The Royal Rumble is the perfect vessel for spontaneous returns that need no explanation other than those wrestlers wanted to win the match.
January 28, 2023, is when you should mark your calendars for the next appearance of The Beast Incarnate.
Lesnar will make an impact at the Royal Rumble as only he can, and we'll see the next phase of his feud with Lashley, which will culminate when WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 1-2.
Anthony Mango is the owner of wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, Spotify and everywhere you find podcasts. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
The New York Rangers had every reason for optimism heading into the 2022-23 NHL season. They were coming off a run to the Eastern Conference Final, took a massive step forward in their rebuild, and boast a roster that has at least one elite player at forward, defense, and in net.
But now that we are a quarter of the way through the season the Rangers have not yet looked like the Stanley Cup contender they were supposed to be, and it might be time to start wondering if it is panic time. Not only because the Rangers are demonstrating some of the same flaws that held them back at times a year ago, but also because the rest of the Eastern Conference might cause some problems for them in their playoff pursuit.
The Rangers enter play on Friday just barely on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and even though there is still a lot of hockey to be played this is not a position that anybody expected them to be in at any point in the season. While the Rangers seem to have stagnated in the first quarter, teams like the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and Detroit Red Wings have all taken big leaps forward. That makes an already top-heavy Eastern Conference that much tougher.
The Islanders have their own superstar goalie in Ilya Sorokin (who is playing at an absurd level) and have benefitted from a start that was not interrupted by a massive road trip and COVID complications like last year.
The Devils have suddenly transformed into an absolute machine and have been one of the league's best teams through the first two months, and have put themselves into a position where even if they regress in the second half they have a built-in cushion to soften the blow.
And even the Red Wings are starting to look like a potential playoff team after a big offseason. Add in the usual suspects at the top like Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Carolina, as well as a Florida team that is still trying to find its way, and suddenly you have 10 viable playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. Somebody is going to miss out.
Last year's Eastern Conference playoff race was unique in the sense that there was a pretty definitive gap between the eight playoff teams and the non-playoff teams. The closest non-playoff team finished 16 points out of a playoff spot, while only one other was within even 25 points of a playoff spot. From December on there was virtually no playoff race and the teams at the top had relatively little pressure.
That is not going to be the case this season, and the later into the season it gets, the more difficult it becomes to make up points.
But it's not just the fact there are so many more good teams in the Eastern Conference this season that has to be concerning for the Rangers.
It's that they still have some very concerning flaws of their own.
For starters, they do not generate anywhere near enough offense during 5-on-5 play. A lot of the Rangers' offensive success last year was generated by its power play. And while that can still be very impactful, you do not want to have to rely on that to carry all of your offense.
When it came to 5-on-5 goal scoring, the Rangers averaged just 2.35 goals per 60 minutes (via Natural Stat Trick) a year ago, a mark that placed them 21st in the NHL and 14th among the 16 playoff teams (ahead of only Los Angeles and Dallas). For much of the season, they had major depth issues with their bottom-six forwards, and it was not until they added Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp, and Tyler Motte at the trade deadline that they started to get more dangerous at even strength.
A sometimes overlooked storyline this offseason was that Vatrano, Copp, and Ryan Strome (last year's No. 2 center) all left in free agency, while only Vincent Trocheck was brought in to replace them.
That was a lot of scoring depth going out the door. The Rangers were banking on Trocheck being an upgrade over Strome, and their collection of young forwards (Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Vitali Kravtsov) all taking steps forward and playing like the top picks that they were.
While Trocheck has been fine, he has not scored at the same pace that Strome did, while the young players are not really progressing with their production. If players like Lafreniere and Kakko do not become stars, it will really hold back the Rangers' ability to reach the next level.
Entering play on Friday the Rangers are still only 19th in the league (again via Natural Stat Trick) in terms of 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes. That is not where they want to be.
They do have around $2 million in salary cap space to play with and could use another significant tweak at the deadline like last year.
The other issue for the Rangers is that starting goalie Igor Shesterkin has been human this season, instead of unbeatable. Shesterkin's 2021-22 season was one of the best individual goaltending seasons in recent memory and helped mask an awful lot of Rangers' flaws, both offensively (allowing them to win low-scoring games) and defensively (covering up their shortcomings in their own end). As he went, the Rangers went.
As good as Shesterkin is, it was always going to be unrealistic to expect him to maintain a .935 save percentage over a full season every year. The Rangers had to be ready for regression there and have enough support to make up for that. It has not really happened.
Shesterkin can be better, and he very well might. But there is no guarantee he is as dominant as he was a year in what was a special year. If he is not, and if the Rangers do not get more even-strength scoring, they could suddenly find themselves in a real—and unexpected—scramble for a playoff spot in a dramatically improved Eastern Conference.
One of the four horsewomen of NXT.
First triple-crown winner as Raw, SmackDown and NXT women's champion.
First grand-slam winner as one-half of the inaugural WWE women's tag team champions with Sasha Banks.
On first glance, it would appear impossible to take someone with a resume as sparkling and historically significant as Bayley's for granted, yet as 2022 draws to its conclusion, that is exactly what has happened.
Fans of the WWE product tend to overlook The Role Model when talking about the best in the business. She has been left behind the more prominent stars such as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, and flashy breakouts like Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, among others.
Upon further review of Bayley's work, her ability to adapt to her role on a show and her significance to the history of the industry, it's time that trend came to an end.
Bayley Buddies to The Role Model: A History of Underappreciation
Bayley's story begins in NXT, where she adopted an uber-fan gimmick that captivated audiences and led her to become, arguably, the most beloved character in the brand's history.
She then completed her journey to the top of the women's division with a Match of the Year candidate against Sasha Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015 by winning the NXT Women's Championship.
Within a month, though, all the buzz surrounded Banks, who was beginning to make her jump to the main roster.
By the time Bayley followed The Boss to Raw, it was probably six months to a year too late. Sure, she popped the crowd upon winning the Raw Women's Championship from Charlotte Flair, then again when she captured the SmackDown Women's Championship by way of her Money in the Bank cash-in, but over time, it became clear that was more a result of the shock than the undying loyalty to the performer.
Eventually, the character struggled to translate to the main roster audience the way it had the fans in NXT, evidenced by the increase in jeers that ultimately led to a drastic change in character.
A heel turn in September 2019 sent her on a path that saw her emerge as one of the MVPs of the pandemic era of WWE television, thanks to an enormous personality and loudmouth heel persona that exploded through the silence of the empty arenas.
Upon a return from injury at SummerSlam this past August, she served as the first surprise of the Triple H regime, creating a buzz online and general excitement for the new-look product.
Bayley's ability to adapt from being a popular babyface to a detestable heel is a rare trait. Sprinkle in her superb in-ring abilities, and you have a generational talent.
Others, though, have taken precedent among fans.
Lynch and Flair's historic feats are heavily touted on WWE television and thus more widely accepted by fans at large. Belair and Ripley are clearly presented as the future of the promotion via increased wins and heightened stature on shows, so there is an understandable excitement surrounding them.
In touting the division giants and the women who will lead it into the future, WWE has forgotten about the Superstar who was as responsible for the women's revolution as The Man or The Queen.
The company de-emphasizing Bayley and utilizing her as a more one-dimensional heel has only helped to fuel fan forgetfulness and appreciation in regards to her accomplishments and continued excellence.
As both the pony-tailed underdog who took NXT by storm and the loudmouthed villain, she has consistently left fans feeling one way or the other about her.
Yet, when discussing the best of the generation, she is curiously left out.
Changing Perception
At least part of the issue here is WWE's creative efforts.
Bayley is prominently featured on television but rarely as the focal point. Yes, she starred during the pandemic era, but even that was as the heel foil for Asuka.
The Role Model has always been the other woman in key storylines, as evidenced by her most recent feud, which saw her return to great fanfare at SummerSlam only to be fed to Belair in consecutive pay-per-views and then see her team beaten at Survivor Series WarGames.
Even projecting forward, a feud with Lynch appears to be more about reestablishing The Man than presenting Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky as a formidable heel presence on WWE television.
Of course, if there was greater recognition by fans for her consistent excellence, those in control of the creative direction of the character would have no choice but to push her more consistently.
And therein lies where things must change.
Appreciation for Bayley, her talents and place in WWE history as a revolutionary of women's wrestling begins with the fans. Go back and watch the classics with Banks and rediscover the feelings that feud generated. Check out the underrated pandemic work she did with The Boss and Asuka.
Pay close attention to her ability to manipulate the crowd into reacting how she wants them to, whether on the mic or in the ring. Focus on the small things she does, such as with the fans or commentator Michael Cole.
Odds are, she has captured your attention for something completely unrelated to her actual in-ring performance, something even her fellow Horsewomen cannot always claim.
The Role Model is an apropos nickname in that others should study what she does well and recognize her greatness while she is still an active competitor.
Too often, fans appreciate retrospectively. Look at legends such as Rick Rude, Jake Roberts and Brian Pillman, all of whom were more appreciated after their careers wrapped up than they were when they were active competitors.
Bayley has earned better than that.
Roman Reigns has been on a historic run with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
The Tribal Chief doesn't even lose in non-title matches such as The Bloodline's victory on Saturday night at Survivor Series WarGames.
While there is seemingly no end in sight to his era of dominance, and he's checked off many records along the way, things are about to slow down.
In fact, Reigns' next major milestone isn't on the horizon for at least a few more months.
He has reached a level where the next advancements become increasingly harder to match or surpass.
Reigns has already shattered Brock Lesnar's previous record for the longest Universal Championship reign of 504 days. The Head of the Table is over 800. Even when he reaches the 1,000 mark, it won't be especially newsworthy.
But his WWE Championship run is only at less than a year, putting him well below the top spot.
Just this week, Reigns overtook Diesel's rank at No. 16. Next up is The Rock at 378 days.
To crack the top 10 and overtake Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Randy Savage and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Reigns has to make it to 530 days, which should be May 30, 2023.
It will take until September 28, 2024 for him to overtake the fifth spot Pedro Morales has, while December 28, 2032 is the day he will surpass Bruno Sammartino's two combined reigns.
Even looking at single runs, Reigns is not even at the 250 mark for the WWE title and will need over 100 more days to reach the top 10.
The soonest Reigns can reach a notable achievement is actually WrestleMania 39 on April 1, 2023.
If he retains his title on Night 1 of next year's Show of Shows, he'll make history as the only WWE Superstar to do so three times in a row.
The likes of Hulk Hogan have walked out of 'Mania holding the top title three times or more, but they haven't been the champion heading into the show. Hogan retained twice and won the belt from someone else on three other occasions.
Reigns is in the unique spot where he's holding the same title he retained over Daniel Bryan and Edge at WrestleMania 37, held that Universal Championship and unified Lesnar's WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38. If he wins again this year, he will have retained the same belt in an uninterrupted title reign three years in a row.
No one—not even Austin or Cena—can say they've walked into three WrestleManias without losing their title and walked out still with that same gold around their waist.
So far, nothing has been confirmed for WrestleMania 39. There's no telling who his challenger will be, or if he'll even still have the Universal Championship come April.
But based on his track record, it is extremely likely The Head of the Table will be able to check this achievement off his list and do something that will probably never happen again.
That is, of course, unless Reigns makes it to WrestleMania 40 and turns this into a four-year accolade.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, Spotify and everywhere you find podcasts. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
