The Kyro Factor - Blogs/Columns/Reviews

[Kyro]

#1

Good day to you readers, and an extremely warm WELCOME to the very first edition of THE KYRO FACTOR with me, Kyro, making my online Wrestling Blog debut!

THE INTRO

It has only taken me 38 years, a Wife, 2 kids and a Mortgage to finally step out the IWC shadows and ‘get amongst it’! I have been a Wrestling fan since I was 7 years old, vividly remembering watching Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6 on a VHS tape and thinking it was 2 real life Gods fighting for control of Mount Olympus. From this match I was hooked, and started to collect as many Wrestling tapes and toy figures as I could which would lead to a life-long fandom which has had many ups and downs...

I have always been in the ‘shadows’ of the IWC, reading but never posting, following news sites and amazing columnists like DaveyBoy and Mr Tito on the old LOP forums who I must credit for getting me interested in writing. Also shoutouts to my Youtube faves like Simon Miller, Busted Open Radio and dare I say the Wrestling Observer!

I feel now is the time to turn my true passion in life, Pro Wrestling/WWE, into my hobby and embrace my creative side. This little venture might only last one Blog or I could still be going in 10 years time...

I do not intend to have a fixed schedule at the moment. I will post when I can and when I feel like it, keeping in mind I have a full-time job and family to keep entertained as well as this hobby! I might post about a certain topic or storyline that interests me. I might post a random Raw or Smackdown review. I will likely post my predictions for PLEs. Whatever the vibe of my mind is, I will post about. I like to keep things flexible and not be too rigid which could dull the enjoyment of doing this.



KYRO’S THOUGHTS ON CURRENT STATE OF WWE

I absolutely loved the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras of WWE. For the times, it was awesome and created so many stars that are still relevant today. I thought WWE went through a bit of a lull from 2015 to 2022, with some truly horrific booking decisions (I am looking at you Big Dog Roman Reigns!) and Vince McMahon’s EGO ruining the product. I mean, do we all remember poor Pat McAfee having to sell those putrid clotheslines at WrestleMania 38....Cringing as I type.

The less spoken of Vince the better.

The revival of WWE in the last couple of years in my opinion has come from Triple H taking control of Creative and being helped by the AMAZING Bloodline story which was triggered by turning Roman Reigns heel and into our beloved Tribal Chief.

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This was long-term storytelling rebooted in WWE, and it has paid dividends as right now WWE is on its biggest hot streak since the attitude era. The company is COOL again in the mainstream and many celebs (Hey Travis Scott) are desperate to get involved. Whilst no company is booked perfectly, here are a few things I love about the current WWE:

• Wins and Losses matter. Momentum is built and stars created by WINNING
• Longterm storytelling which allows more audience investment in the characters
• Less scripted promos with more freedom for those that benefit from it
• Some longer title reigns which has built up prestige of the titles again
• Storyline investment for the midcard and lower card make EVERYTHING feel important
• Thriving Women’s division
• NXT performing very well under the guidance of Shawn Michaels

Heading into WrestleMania 41, WWE is in a great place. The European tour is giving us hot crowds and adding extra gravitas to every show. The Mania Card is starting to take shape...and damn that Main Event of Cody Rhodes vs John Cena just got a hell of a lot more interesting.....



KYRO’S THOUGHTS ON THE CENA HEEL TURN

Oh boy, where do I start with this one......Why John why?!? This moment genuinely shocked me in a way I have never been shocked as a WWE fan of over 30 years (maybe a Column idea for another time!). The IWC has been in meltdown and it is amazing to see how one booking decision can create so much opinion and debate online.

Personally, I LOVED the heel turn. I was perfectly happy to see Cena come back and play his greatest hits, probably win title 17 and then head off into the sunset. Kudos to WWE creative and Cena himself for having the BALLS to swerve us all and completely go off the beaten track. It is a moment we will never forget and will allow Cena to express a new side of his character before he hangs up his boots. This will also elevate Cody to a new level. EVERYONE IS A WINNER.

I am curious to see if John will remain a heel or if there is some sort of redemption arc at play where he will turn babyface again by the end of the year. My guess is we will get one of two scenarios play out:

1. Cena wins the title via Rock/Travis Scott shenanigans at WrestleMania 41 as a heel and remains a heel champion right up until his last match in December where he will drop the title to a conquering babyface (Cody/Punk) and then head off for retirement.

2. Cena loses to Cody at WrestleMania 41 and then becomes conflicted about his decision to turn heel in the following months. This will eventually lead to him betraying The Rock and turning back babyface and reconnecting with the fans. Cena can then rediscover his eye of the tiger (his RUTHLESS AGGRESSION) and fight his way back to a title match for his final dance in December. Imagine his last ever match is for a chance to win the 17th title....the SENSE OF URGENCY for that match would be off the charts!

Whatever scenario we get, or anything completely different, I trust the WWE completely with this and believe this could be one of hottest years in WWE history. Let’s just all sit back and enjoy the ride of HEEL JOHN CENA trying to win that 17th Championship. What a time to be a WWE fan!



THANKS FOR READING (IF ANYONE HAS!!)

Well that is that, my first introductory edition of THE KYRO FACTOR done. If anyone has made it to the end I sincerely thank you. I am very rusty and this is the start of my writing journey and I am more than open to any constructive criticism, feedback or suggestions. I really hope to improve my writing style as I gain more experience.

Until next time, take care all and remember POSITIVE VIBES ONLY!

Follow me on X - @kyrowrestling

Website - kyrowrestling.blogspot.com

 

[Kyro]

The Kyro Factor #2 - Smackdown Thoughts and Show Grade - 21st March 2025​

Good day to you readers, and an extremely warm WELCOME to another edition of THE KYRO FACTOR with me, Kyro, where I will be giving my thoughts on the latest of edition of Smackdown on March 21st, 2025, which was held in Bologna, Italy and treated us viewers to another hot, raucous European crowd. These crowds are bringing so much fun and energy to these shows!

Here are the very brief results before we discuss the key takeaways:

• · Randy Orton and Kevin Owens make their match official for WrestleMania 41
• · Damian Priest and Jimmy Uso defeated Drew McIntyre and Shinsuke Nakamura
• · Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton had a face-to-face interview via video link
• · Braun Strowman defeated Jacob Fatu via DQ to earn a shot at the US title next week in London. This came after Solo Sikoa attacked Strowman.
• · Piper Niven defeated Zelina Vega
• · Liv Morgan defeated Jade Cargill following interference from Naomi
• · Street Profits defeated Los Garza
• · CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in ring confrontation turned into a 3-way brawl to end the show and the Triple Threat Match has been made official for WrestleMania 41.

‘BITCH OWENS BITCH’
I thought it was a smart move having an established star like Randy Orton open the show. The crowd love some voices in their heads and were lapping up Randy’s theme. Some amazing heel schtick from KO who interrupts Orton before he can speak and then apologises to Randy and says he wants them to make up and become Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania! LOL. Obviously, Randy is having none of this and says he is going to kick KO’s head off at Mania thus making the match official. Will we see the Punt again??
I mean, this was an OK segment, but I am still not really feeling this feud at the moment. I think there could potentially be a clash of styles between these 2 men with KO the brawler and Orton the more methodical slower pace technician. The chemistry isn’t right, and I am not exactly sure what this match will achieve other than getting 2 big names on the card. I suspect an Orton win will set him for a possible match with Cena at Backlash in his hometown of St Louis.
I am hoping both men can prove me wrong and pull out a banger at Mania!

DREW'S REVENGE TOUR
Like many of the IWC, I haven’t been completely sold on this Drew McIntyre vs Damian Priest match. Drew should be involved in a higher profile spot. However, as Drew has pointed out, there is a solid and legitimate reason for this match happening which goes back to WrestleMania last year where Priest cashed in on Drew and took his title after 5 minutes. Credit to both Drew and Priest, as they are obviously trying to make the most of it and are bringing the intensity.
This was a nice little tag match (shoutout to Jimmy for showing his brother Jey how to dive over the ropes!) and once again, as Drew has said, he will attack Priest ‘on sight’ whenever he sees him. The right result with Priest getting the pin on Shinsuke with the South of Heaven chokeslam. Damn I love that move!
Great post-match beatdown where Drew attacked Priest with some stiff looking shots. To be honest, this rivalry is just fine and will be a serviceable addition to the card. I think logically Drew needs to win as Priest has cooled down a lot since his feud with Judgement Day ended. I am guessing Drew will have some sort of alliance with Seth Rollins later in the year, so WWE need to keep him looking strong for that. Don’t be surprised if McIntyre gets cheered in this feud either as he continues to absolutely kill it in his promos and on social media.
As for Jimmy and Nakamura, they felt like afterthoughts in this and look likely to miss out on a Mania spot unless they get thrown in to some sort of multi-man match.... maybe the US Title could become a six-pack match?!?

DON’T INTERRUPT THE QUEEN
The Queen speaks first, and the Queen dominates the conversation! In all honestly, Charlotte Flair destroyed Tiffany Stratton in this video interview segment. Whether this was the plan or not I do not know but we got the vibe of the confident, entitled veteran putting down the anxious, inexperienced rookie. It did appear Charlotte went off script a couple of times which caught Tiffany by surprise. This could be part of the storyline in order to generate more sympathy for the underdog babyface, but it did seem Tiffy was a bit flustered and let Charlotte walk all over her. Flair saying Tiffy is underserving of the title because she won via Money in the Bank cash-in hit hard. There is still time for Tiffy Time to strike back in this, and I would love to see a proper face to face promo battle in the ring in the coming weeks. Let’s see where this goes....
All in all, this feud has my attention, and I think these ladies can surprise a lot of people at Mania if Charlotte is in a generous mood.


I LOVE YOU SOLO......MAYBE!
We had another dose of Thor vs Hulk with everyone’s favourite unhinged Samoan Werewolf Jacob Fatu taking on that big SOB Braun Strowman, and it was announced earlier on the show that the winner would face LA Knight for the US title on the next Smackdown in jolly old London.
This was the typical affair from these two brutes, and they seem to work well together. I enjoy watching a motivated Braun Strowman and pairing him with someone like Fatu just brings out the best in him. Shoutout to the Italian crowd for the ‘Oleeeeee, Oleeeee, Fatuuuu, Fatuuuu’ chants which seemed to bring a smile from Jacob! The European crowds mixing Wrestling with Football/Soccer chants is awesome to me!
Braun won the match via DQ as the dethroned Tribal Chief Solo Sikoa interfered and attacked him, much to the disgust of Jacob. LA Knight then came down to save Strowman from the three on one beatdown.
The US title scene is an interesting one going into WrestleMania. We now have LA Knight vs Braun Strowman next week and I predict the match will end in a DQ after more interference from Fatu/Solo. This could then lead to a Fatal 4 Way at Mania (6-Way if you want to chuck Jimmy and Nakamura in there) which I predict Solo will win as his reward for all his good work in the Bloodline story. We could then have US Champ Solo being chased by Jacob Fatu who now ‘Hates’ Solo! Just fantasy booking so please indulge me here!

THE MONA LIVA
Absolutely love the Italian fans who brought ‘The Mona Liva’ with them in worship of Liv Morgan! Very creative and again shows how fun Pro Wrestling can be with this sort of good natured ‘Banter’
Liv has become something of a ring general (sorry Gunter) recently and unsurprisingly gave Jade her best showing in WWE to date. Things ran smoothly here and there was no sign of sloppiness that has marred a couple of Jade’s earlier showings. Credit to Jade, she looked good and showed signs of improvement and WWE clearly knew that Morgan would look after her in the ring.
Big statement win for Morgan after a solid match thanks to interference from our new favourite bitch Naomi. Naomi then beat Jade down after the match as per standard fare!
I am enjoying this heel side of Naomi and it is something I could not imagine a few months back as she was so likable as a babyface. I notice she has been taking Social Media tips off Drew McIntyre as well which should help promote this feud further. It would be great to see these ladies given a spot on one of Mania’s nights as we don’t often see a non-title women’s feud get given this privilege. I am rooting for them and would expect to see Jade get given the rub in the blowoff.
Let’s also get Liv and Raquel on that card! I feel they have elevated those tag team titles, and Liv particularly deserves a spot after the amazing work she has done in the last year.

THE BRAWL IN BOLOGNE
This one is going to be polarising....and I am not talking about John Cena. We got treated to (ANOTHER!) pull apart brawl, this time for Punk, Rollins and Reigns. Admittedly, it was pretty damn cool, and the crowd ate it up. These 3 men are just super over right now that they could just stand there for 20 mins not saying anything and the crowd would chant ‘This is Awesome’
Our Tribal Chief started the segment before being interrupted by his former Shield brethren Seth Rollins, who rightly pointed out that there would be no Roman Reigns without Seth Rollins and vice versa and he wanted to finally settle this once and for all....cue Cult of Personality. CM Punk then expectedly interrupted, and we had another hint of ‘the favour’ that Paul Heyman owes him and now Punk seems to be playing mind games with Roman Reigns. Before any more talking could be done, Punk attacks Reigns which causes Rollins to get involved the 3 men proceed to try and beat the hell out of each other, with half of the WWE workforce trying to keep them apart.
This was fine for me, but I understand some part of the fanbase wanted more of a promo battle rather than a brawl. But we still have a lot of time to kill before WrestleMania so I would expect there to be time for talking over the coming weeks. The hints in this segment suggest maybe ‘the favour’ will be ‘cashed in’ for this match which adds an extra layer of intrigue, although I would still love to see a number one contender stipulation added for the winner, maybe for the next PLE or SummerSlam to add extra gravitas.

Overall, this was a solid effort for the blue brand, perhaps made better than it actually was because of the mega hot Italian crowd. There was nothing offensive on the show, but 3 hours is a long trek to get through. I was leaning towards rating this show a B-, but will settle for a generous B.
KYRO’S SHOW RATING: B

Until next time, take care all and remember POSITIVE VIBES ONLY!
Follow me on X - @kyrowrestling
Website - kyrowrestling.blogspot.com

 

[Dale]

That back to back with Charlotte was so bad for Tiffany, she came off looking so bad and out of her depth. I'm not even a fan of Charlotte promos aswell (for the most part) but the class difference between the two was night and day. I'd be worried for Tiffany if they had another one but face to face in the ring. Match should absolutely deliver though.

 

[Kyro]

That back to back with Charlotte was so bad for Tiffany, she came off looking so bad and out of her depth. I'm not even a fan of Charlotte promos aswell (for the most part) but the class difference between the two was night and day. I'd be worried for Tiffany if they had another one but face to face in the ring. Match should absolutely deliver though.

I’d be really interested to find out if Charlotte did go off script. It almost felt like she was ‘testing’ Tiffany to see how she would respond. Similar to when Cena destroyed Reigns on the mic years ago but maybe not to that extent. If this was the case, Tiffy wasn’t ready for it. I’d like to see her get given another chance at some point to see if she has learnt from the experience. I have no worries about this match though, I think it’s going to be awesome!