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Now that (almost) a week has passed since WrestleMania 39 weekend, WWE fans and experts alike are starting to evaluate the show and determine who had huge weekends and who maybe didn't meet the mark.
In the opinion of Dave Meltzer, the weekend was largely a success, with only one match earning a rating of less than one star, The Miz vs. Pat McAfee and George Kittle, and one more, The Miz versus Shane McMahon and Snoop Dogg, coming slightly higher at a 1.5 rating. But what about someone who is actually in the industry, maybe a certain two-time WWE Hall of Famer who calls one of the promotion's weekly shows?
Well, you're in luck, as “Mr. Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams” himself, Booker T, weighed in on the weekend as part of his Hall of Fame podcast and let it be known that while he liked much of what was shown on the weekend, one match didn't quite live up to his expectations: Bron Breakker vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT World Championship.
“As far as the match goes, on a scale of one to ten, I give it a six,” Booker said via Fightful. “I'm not going to go too higher than a six just because I know what I'm looking for. If you're a gymnast, and you're doing the vault, what am I looking for? Most important thing in the vault? I'm looking to see if these guys stick the dismount. I'm still looking, still waiting. Did they go out there and perform? Yes, they did. I just thought they were walking their way through it as opposed to feeling their way through it.”
Fortunately, Booker does like the decision to have Breakker turn heel, as he believes this could serve as the next step in his character development moving forward.
“I thought it could have been a lot better,” Hayes said. “Do I think the right guy won? Yeah. What they did on Tuesday with Bron Breakker turning heel, I like that. I like Bron Breakker better as a heel. He should have started out as a heel, but with him having the pedigree, background, and name, you jumpstart him as a babyface, I get that too. I'm from the school that, you put him out there as a heel first and it teaches him everything he needs to know about being a babyface because he's working babyfaces.”
Is Booker's opinion on point? Will Breakker be able to take his run up a notch now that he's a heel? Or is it just simply a needless extension to his NXT run when it's clear he needs to be elevated to either RAW or SmackDown? Either way, it looks like fans will still get to see Breakker run shop in NXT and determine what his proper alignment should be when he rises to the main event.
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Bron Breakker gets an endorsement from a WWE mainstay.
Discussing his 2022 trip to NXT in an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Dolph Ziggler let it be known that he absolutely loved his time back in developmental and put over his opponent from the run, Bron Breakker.
“That was really cool,” Ziggler said, “one, because I thought I was going there to do what I do, help a young guy out. But they also go, ‘Hey, you get a little more creative to do what you want talking-wise.' And I go, ‘That's been a problem for me for 15 years.'” Ziggler explained.
“It was so fun because a lot of people didn't know I was doing it. I thought it was for like four weeks, work with [Breakker], help him out, and see if he's ready for the main roster,” Ziggler said. “He's such a good kid that if I hated him, I would've done the exact same work. But I'm happy for him because I like him, and I don't like a lot of people.”
To Ziggler's credit, his suggestion regarding the intentions for his NXT run was right on; Ziggler was able to provide Breakker with a main roster-seasoned performer to test his mettle against, and the “Baby Steiner” was able to win back his belt on an episode of RAW, which put the NXT standout in front of literally millions of eyes as a sort of teaser for his eventual WWE run. Even if Breakker ends up sticking around in NXT a little longer than some might have anticipated, it's clear he'll be hitting the road on RAW or SmackDown in no time.
