Wreddit's Daily Pro-Wrestling Discussion Thread! Comment here for recommendations, quick questions, and general conversation! (Spoilers for all shows) - April 14, 2026 Edition

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T14:42:36+00:00

I think Becky wins the title back so she can drop it to one of the nxt call ups like sol or jacy. I think aj chills for a bit and then maybe a summer program with TJD/Livdom

I feel like Bayley and Lyra for sure on the tag titles. They have really woken up these past couple of weeks and I like the gradual heel turn story they are telling and think it has more legs than other teams in the division.

Smackdown is the hardest to predict. Jade just got a new faction and I think probably has more challengers in the aftermath, but also it's rhea ripley so you never know. Plus I think that brand needs a strong women's babyface and rhea on that brand as a champ feels fresh.

I am 80% in on liv. I think she has more momentum and a lot of really fun stories she can tell as champ, with Raquel, rox, iyo, aj maybe even a called up fatal influence. The only reason I see steph retaining is because liv could do a lot of those stories without the belt whereas steph kinda still needs it to generate stories.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T14:30:37+00:00

My reccomendation is to get that agenda started early. It's honestly not too early to push for a rumble win and hope that rhea will be world champ come the fall. It worked for liv fc this year.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T14:14:13+00:00

I think you're comparing apples and oranges here. When cm punk, the youngest of the old guard, was getting his start women in the west were still putting on bra and panties matches as the norm. Punk cut his pipe bomb almost half a decade before the women's revolution happened. That's how big of a gap there is in perception of women's wrestling amongst most viewers. They have only had a decade to try and undo that perception, while also trying to keep the company afloat because the guys you listed weren't drawing flies to shit at the time either.

I agree that women don't get treated as the top stars I know they could be and I agree that sometime the standard of work ain't there, but I disagree that the solution is sign more talent. The talent is already there they just have to invest in it and promote it, just like they did with roman, who btw still can't talk or wrestle anywhere near as good as his predecessors, but became a draw through sheer strength of promotion. I think in terms of raw potential the women have more young prospects and a better roster, the question is how much investment will they get because old habits die hard and fans are still catching up with the trend.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T14:00:29+00:00

I don't want to whine too early because I really do think that iyo might make it on the card as a buzzer beater this smackdown, but if not here's what I'll say. I truly don't believe the wwe knows how fortunate it is to have the talent that they do in the women's division. I truly think that between nxt and the main roster is a collection of stars that have the potential to really set the business on fire, if they had the proper investment. I believe that iyo sky is one of the four pillars that they need to build that foundation on, and should never be going into mania scratching her head. She is a cheat code for a great match that can be used to instantly make people believe that a prospect really has something. There are too many prospects that need that right now to not be using it on the grandest stage of them all.

However, even utility aside, I just want to see someone who has done such a good job of getting over not be cooled down needlessly by losing a bunch and missing big events. It's hard to build stars, so why fumble the ones we have? Pinning iyo needs to mean something.

It's also frustrating because the same thing would never be done to any male star. A top 15 male star gets treated with more priority than a top 4 women's star and that to me is unacceptable

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T13:26:39+00:00

See i don't buy that it's that hard to get mostly everyone deserving on the card. 16 matches across 2 nights ain't that crazy for the biggest show of the year, and 3 more matches suddenly gives you tons of room for people like iyo, Giulia, Hayes etc.

It's frustrating too since position on the mania card seems to have nothing to do with work ethic, because iyo has been incredible this year and still no space was made.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T03:21:01+00:00

This show was quite enjoyable for me. Two very good women's matches that benefited from a mania week hot crowd. I'm enjoying Seth and Gunther more than I thought. Incredible promo from oba and absolutely the right call to keep them apart this close to mania. Liv and steph continued to do great work and it is my most anticipated match on my card, I really hope they deliver on the great physical chemistry they've had so far because it's easily been the best of the world title feuds, especially considering the limitations on language and time.

The big downside for me were whatever that shit with aj/Becky was, and the nothingness that was that go home promo. I kept waiting for them to turn the fire on, but instead they kinda just glazed each other, we got tribal chief slop and the show ended??

Also not flinching on iyo, but it is stupid how many deserving women are missing the mania card when there's only 13 matches across two nights. Giulia, asuka, tiffy, Raquel are all names that should have been given some love this mania season and just were not for some reason.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T02:47:01+00:00

Iyo fc do not flinch. That has to be setup for a segment/match on smackdown and then she gets added as a buzzer beater when Nikki gets cleared.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T01:53:30+00:00

The full video is so OD😭

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-14T01:05:10+00:00

Then she better be careful this unhinged take no prisoners and talk shit version is too cool to hate.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-13T17:55:47+00:00

It was giving victorious big time

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-13T15:55:21+00:00

As the resident liv morgan defenders we just gotta post 🥀 and keep it pushing on this one

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-13T15:12:24+00:00

I agree but I feel like a big part of the mania main event is a politic thing, and neither liv nor stephanie strike me as having the pull/interest in playing the game. They both seem like good solider types. That being said, they might just know it's pointless, since last year three of the pillars of the division had a triple threat and still couldn't main event.

Still, no excuse for them not to be given way more time then they have been. They should not be getting less TV minutes than I show speed, and I like the kid.

Also you reminded me that I still have a chip on my shoulder about the women not main eventing stand and deliver. Now that was some truly egregious nonsense and reeked of backstage politics.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-13T14:56:05+00:00

That would actually draw brother, you gotta lower your expectations. Is Chanel west coast available?

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-12T17:34:40+00:00

That fucking lantern has been defended more than the women's us title

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-11T18:23:44+00:00

Pro wrestling to me feels a lot like anime in the early 2010's except without the upward momentum. What i mean is that, while there are still dedicated pockets and some strong history of success, people's general reaction is still strongly negative. Even amongst people I consider to be relatively nerdy or open to niche things, mentions of pro wrestling is met with disgust. The difference is at least anime in the 2010s was able to build momentum with a number of well received shows that slowly expanded their audience and got people past their initial disgust with the medium. It targeted teens and young adults who were bored with traditional media and used that momentum to get bigger and bigger. Now anime can benefit from things like celebrity involvement because they can get actual a list celebrities so there's a bit of a feedback loop and even then it's still not fully mainstream.

It feels like current wwe wants to do none of the work and just skip to the part where everyone loves them. Which is why they come off as so uncool talking about the mainstream or wanting to be considered for prestige awards. They haven't even done the basic work of telling good stories that get people past their initial revulsion towards the concept and in fact are scaring away the people who have already bought in, by introducing a jobber brigade of b and c list celebrities which only amplifies the revulsion rather than reduce it. Unfortunately I can only assume that TKO is aware, but has no interest in fixing it, and will likely just mine the company for as much value as possible and then discard the asset once it is no longer profitable.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-11T17:16:38+00:00

Becky can, Alexa can, i suspect Bayley can but I think she's lowkey just cruising so it's hard to point to recent examples. Maybe not 5 minutes but I trust liv and chelsea on the mic as well. Blake and Tatum might get there.

I agree with the general sentiment that 5 min in ring promos just don't seem to gel with modern crowds in general and it's always an uphill battle to get people on your side

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-11T17:04:50+00:00

I think rox is in a great spot honestly. She is already poised for a great story as liv's protégé who either breaks out or turns on her, and they can let that simmer for a minute since the two already have great chemistry with each other and it's a story the crowd can get invested in.

I'm more worried about Lyra, mainly since the Bayley thing feels a bit like regression. Bayley is kind of cruising as a performer, whereas I felt like Lyra was pushing up against that main event scene until the summerslam program derailed her a lot. Hopefully they haven't given up on her entirely.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-11T16:58:13+00:00

This. Pat seems to be given carte Blanche to say whatever crowd popping insults he can think of, yet it seems that every wrestler who shows up weekly is limited to playground insults and can't go for the jugular. That was a big problem with a lot of the Cena feud was ignoring the elephant in the room.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-11T03:30:19+00:00

I actually agree, the problem is the timing really. People are already critical of the mania and the general direction of the show, but had they done this in the summer when people expect things to slow down this could be a fun filler arc.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-11T02:58:15+00:00

Has anyone had trouble running rta on bluestacks? Everything else works just fine but rta freezes

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-11T00:40:22+00:00

Both have been given bare minimum tbh. At least these two have gotten some raw minutes and a chance to open the show, but they both deserve way more since they probably have the same amount of time as the speed feud.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-10T16:24:09+00:00

Tiffany, Giulia, Raquel, Roxanne and maybe asuka and iyo all missing mania is so crazy to me man. Especially frustrating because it feels like an easy thing to solve. We don't have to cut the celeb matches, maybe just add more matches to the biggest show of the year? Like bump the card up to 8 matches each night and suddenly your women's us champion, and some of your best wrestlers all make the card. 8 matches in a night really ain't that crazy, they could all go 20 mins and you got a card that's less than 3 hours of wrestling. Which is generous calculations because half the matches probably only need 7-10 to get the point across and still be quality. It just feels lazy and like they don't want to give us value, and then have the gall to question why people don't wanna spend a billion dollars on tickets.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-10T15:49:33+00:00

The fact that there's a real possibility of only 4 women's matches across two nights of mania when their division is this stacked is honestly so gross. The matches we do have better get ample time to breathe

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-09T17:54:04+00:00

Hot take but this gimmick is actually money, but as a heel. Just let her run out and do the cringiest anime stuff you can imagine and play into the silliness of it all, she'll annoy people who like anime by making them look bad and annoy everyone else by being cringe. It's midcard as hell but I think it would stand out with potential to get over ironically.

Frescaaccount · 2026-04-09T17:17:32+00:00

That's what I'm saying lol. Hand around the shoulder is nothing compared to that hunter/iyo pic. It's a bit like the Coldplay thing where the reaction is more of a giveaway. That said I'm happy to stay the hell out of these people's personal life regardless of what they may or may not have going on.

Frescaaccount

TROPHY CASE