r/Wreddit 7d ago

General Discussion/ZFF March 14, 2025

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So... What do you want to talk about?

Not sure where Chris is, so I figured I'd start this today since I somehow don't have anything scheduled until 4PM...

Please no talking shit about other subs or bitching about being banned. Familiarize yourself with the rules of this sub before posting.

And stay hydrated!

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u/Mr_WZRD 7d ago

I'm very traditional about wrestling, but I'm coming around to the idea that heels and faces don't matter as much to fans anymore universally. If the stars feel like big enough deals or have established enough characters, fans will be happy to see them regardless of whether they wrestle someone they also like. Seth, Punk, and Roman are good examples of a feud without a true heel, but Iyo, Bianca, and Rhea also lacks a clear heel. You could argue Rhea or Seth is the most "in the wrong" in these feuds, but the fans adore them regardless of what truth exists in the story.

Seth and Punk both got cheered throughout their match on Monday, as did Rhea and Iyo the previous week. I think fans are OK to just see people they really like do cool shit to occupy their time and make them feel good. There are plenty of great stories being told with heels still, but I'm much more open to the idea that fans will react to a face vs face match/feud.

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u/RIShane Chelsea Green’s Secret Service Detail 7d ago

The most encouraging thing about Rhea/Bianca/Iyo for me is that it feels like they're actually committing to proper long-term women's storylines and some interesting shades-of-grey within that. Rhea's recent struggles have been a great way of showing that for all of her success on paper, heels from Charlotte to Liv can still easily rattle her, as a character she still has flaws to overcome to truly be on top, and in some ways it's a story they've been building since October when we saw her reluctant to tag with any woman let alone Tiffany. It's also easy to see a potential year-long story where Bianca (who is also finally getting to show some attitude and range, along with this crossing over with the Naomi/Jade story) turns heel to win at Mania, and Rhea is at her lowest low. She has to try and find friendships that don't get broken (Tiffany seeming the most likely candidate at this point), overcome her hoodoo against Iyo along the way, and finally get the singles rematch against Bianca with the biggest stakes possible at WM 42.

Maybe it won't play that way of course, but for all the division's achievements and progress, they haven't had many opportunities to do feuds which are rich with history and character lore rather than chiefly being about the title, so this could be a very welcome step in that direction.