Photos for Headline Surfer courtesy of WWE / TOP: Triple H and The Rock: Are they on the same page? BELOW: Hulk Hogan and Hooters could be a winning combination.
By Jeff Wilen @JAWBreaker386 / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Is WWE in a drought? No.
Are there too many events? Yes.
Are the storylines stale? Maybe.
Under Triple H, WWE thrives with Raw in the Netflix era, and SmackDown lasts three hours. But keep in mind that now, more than ever, WWE's only goal is making money under the Endeavor umbrella.
It means pulling WrestleMania from New Orleans and giving it to Las Vegas, even if the Las Vegas crowd is boring and quiet as a mouse.
It means even higher ticket prices, almost permanently eliminating house shows, and making that annual visit to an event more unlikely for most families.
Yes, WWE has too many events. While Saturday Night's Main Event is a nice return, it means Money in the Bank is right around the corner. It means Evolution will get a run for the women's roster on July 13th. And what used to be four big pay-per-views each year (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Summerslam, Survivor Series) is now those four (mostly) over two nights, not one, and another big event, or two or three more, each month.
Some fans aren't happy with WWE's storyline direction, mainly disappointed with how John Cena's heel turn has played out. The Rock was involved at first, then disappeared. Until this past weekend's SNME, Cena's heel turn was challenging to explain. Something's missing. Yes, he's getting his big-time and interesting feuds with Randy Orton and R-Truth, but now it's reverting back to Cody Rhodes.
MULTIMEDIA: SNME John Cena vs. R-Truth
Headline Surfer YouTube download / WWE video / John Cena vs. R-Truth: Saturday Night’s Main Event, May 24, 2025
Advancement in the storyline with Cena is desperately needed, and the conclusion must be reached in seven months. Time will tell, but it'll most likely lead to a satisfying ending.
There are rumors of Triple H and The Rock not getting along. While no one knows for sure, and with Vince McMahon completely out of the picture, it makes for fascinating speculation. Has The Rock purposely been gone so that Triple H sinks the company himself? Doubtful.
Is The Rock too busy to be involved in the storylines? Yes. Will The Rock show back up to conclude the Cena-Rhodes angle? Probably. But don't think for a moment that Triple H and The Rock don't have the same goal of making WWE the most money it can -- even if you, the fan, are left with that nasty "too corporate" feeling and a sour taste in your mouth.
SNME: Yes, the commercials were annoying, and the show flow suffered. But I thought this was a good show. Good to see Bronson Reed back, but pairing him with Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker under Paul Heyman makes that trio too powerful. CM Punk doesn't stand a chance. I'm not a big Zelina Vega fan - her finisher is tough to pull off. Chelsea Green is more interesting. I was surprised to see Damian Priest defeat Drew McIntyre, but Priest needed the win. Jey Uso vs. the always impressive Logan Paul served its purpose, even if the ending with Rhodes was rushed.
Money in the bank: The June 7th event is fast approaching. Who is your pick to win the men's and women's briefcases?
HULK HOGAN NEWS
Hulk Hogan to buy Hooters? I spoke with the Daytona Beach Hooters manager last week about this rumor. He hadn't heard about it, but was super excited about the possibility. Hooters, which has been having financial troubles for years, would get a major publicity boost with Hogan as a figurehead. Hogan would be able to launch his Real American Beer even more. It's a win-win for both sides. Would it be called Hulk Hogan's Hooters? Real American Hooters?
Chael Sonnen. Sonnen will be a Real American Freestyle analyst and commentator: Name value. Good move, here.
Enhanced Games. This potential new Olympic-style competition start-up will permit the use of most performance-enhancing drugs currently banned in global sports. With a rumored 2026 Memorial Day weekend debut in Las Vegas, one of its founders, Aron D'Souza, encouraged Peter Thiel to bankroll Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker (which later went bankrupt).
The Hogan haters: Keyboard warriors are just that, keyboard warriors. They don't appreciate wrestling history. They confuse the character with the individual. They bring in politics. Most wrestling fans will agree that Hogan is the GOAT. Those outside of wrestling definitely think he's the GOAT - hence the reason Hogan-Hooters would be a big deal and a reason why Hogan is involved with Real American Freestyle.
Yes, Hogan is 71 years old. His appearances over the last month or so are with the New World Order facial look; that's not dirt on his face. This confuses the non-wrestling Hogan fans who are only familiar with the 1980s Hogan red and yellow, and provides verbal ammunition for the Hogan haters. Hogan brought the WWF into prominence and helped start WrestleMania. He launched WCW into dominance and into a heated rivalry with WWE that forced WWE into the Attitude Era and saved its company.
Yes, Hogan is 71 years old. His appearances over the last month or so are with the New World Order facial look; that's not dirt on his face. This confuses the non-wrestling Hogan fans who are only familiar with the 1980s Hogan red and yellow, and provides verbal ammunition for the Hogan haters. Hogan brought the WWF into prominence and helped start WrestleMania. He launched WCW into dominance and into a heated rivalry with WWE that forced WWE into the Attitude Era and saved its company.
He's hanging around now with Real American Beer, Real American Freestyle, and possibly Hooters. He's doing it again, like it or not.
IF I WAS BOOKING ...
Mya Lesnar in the RAF: First Real American Freestyle event, August 30th in Cleveland. End of the women's main event. Music plays, Mya Lesnar walks out, turns to the winner and says, "Party's over, Grandma." Book it.
Marc Raimondi in Daytona Beach: Raimondi's book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys" is about how the New World Order changed America.
Seems like a book signing, at minimum, would be a no-brainer for Atomic Legacy's Wrestling event July 27th at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center - which is the home of the NWO and Hogan's heel turn.
It could even be a same-day, different location stop for Raimondi. Step further, if he got an ALW invite: Do an angle with Shelton Benjamin. Book it.
ALW COMING TO DAYTONA BEACH
Atomic Legacy Wrestling (which airs on Triller TV) will be at the Daytona Beach Ocean Center on July 27th.
Nine matches are scheduled. These will happen: Shelton Benjamin vs. Kenta AND birthday boy Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) vs. Matt Cardona AND Elayna Black (formerly known as Cora Jade) vs. Izzy Moreno AND a battle royale. Also scheduled are Ken Anderson (Mr. Kennedy), MVP, Gangrel, Sinn Bodhi, Mad Man Fulton, The Backseat Boyz, Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse, and Alicia Fox.
Go to ticketmaster.com NOW to order tickets, and be a part of wrestling history in the legendary Daytona Beach Ocean Center.:
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About the Byline Writer:
Jeff Wilen is an award-winning journalist who worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal from 1993 to 2019 as a sports writer, assistant sports editor, and senior multimedia copy editor. Wilen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He lives in Ormond Beach, Florida, with his wife, Shannon Sullivan Wilen, and their three daughters. Wilen has written his JAWBreaker wrestling column for 20-plus years.
About the Online News Site:
Headline Surfer is the award-winning 24/7 online news site launched in 2008 by Henry Frederick that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.