Previously on GBU, Bobby Lashley debuted, G*ldberg rumors swirled, and Dirty Dom's stock spiked.
In the week since, there's been a lot of activity that includes everything from a PLE in WWE's Crown Jewel and a seemingly slightly disgruntled superstar's social media posts. There's plenty of good, lots of bad, and, yes, a dash of straight-up ugly, so without further ado, let's mark out and scrutinize all of it.
Jey Uso is the most over anyone's been since ...
... 2014 Daniel Bryan? When was the last time someone was drawing reactions like this? I mean, look at this, he had a crowd singing like they're at karaoke long after his theme song stopped playing.
Jey's spectacular, participatory popularity has been something to behold and while it earned him a brief Intercontinental Title run, something this good could launch him into the world champion picture in 2025.
Mariah May's title defense
A match against Anna Jay ended with May retaining her title, but I believe both were winners -- Jay showcased her progress in the ring and the champ continued building her reign. Both are doing well while actively upping their game and they're still young -- fresh lightbulbs in a bright future. That's good.
Iyo Sky is the No. 1 contender
Sky continues to be arguably the best women's wrestler on the roster, and it's nice to see the story reflecting that. She appears primed for another title run, but ultimately whether she wins the belt or not, the fact that she's in the picture is undeniably very good.
Jacob Fatu's back-to-back moonsault + middle rope dive
A man of this stature moving this nimbly is something to behold. This man is special and he has that intangible factor that's got everyone eager to see him in bigger spots. I LOVE YOU, JACOB.
LA Knight's double BFT
LA Knight's title reign continuing is the lede I'm not going to bury here, but can we just take a moment to appreciate the smooth manner in which he retained the title? Knight, Melo and Andrade have wild chemistry and a perfectly coordinated group project-style BFT serves as evidence.
The Hurt Syndicate is here
The sharp suits. The business card shtick. MVP as the vocal leader, and Lashley and Benjamin both looking like forces. The AEW might have something special here. Kicking things off with a Swerve Strickland feud is bold, but assuming you want to establish dominance early to legitimize the trio, it's only right they clash with one of AEW's top dogs, and let's hope it leads to something wild enough to put it on the GBU list for weeks to come.
The non-profit vs. Jacob Fatu ordeal
For a fleeting moment it looked like Jacob Fatu might wind up on the bad list, but fortunately I don't have to play Santa this week because the non-profit that accused him of taking payment for a booking before ghosting the show was actually paid back in June. That's a pretty wild claim to make only to be like, "Oops, he paid, takesies backsies."
Montez Ford seems frustrated
For the past few years now, many fans have questioned why Montez Ford hasn't been given a singles push. The in-ring talent and charisma are clearly there, leaving one thing missing -- an opportunity. After being part of the 2023 Elimination Chamber and landing a wild spot that blew people away, Ford hasn't been prominently featured as a singles superstar and now it seems he's a bit unhappy and perhaps rocking the boat a bit publicly to change his situation. I could see this going either way, with Montez Ford finally being given a meaningful story, or, months from now, being All Elite.
The New Day is getting honored on "Raw"
One of the winningest tag teams in WWE history being recognized for a decade of success is a beautiful thing, but, it's hard not to feel like the long-hinted Xavier Woods heel turn might finally come. Even if you think it's been telegraphed too hard for it to actually happen, it feels like a twist with negative connotations might be coming to turn the New Day's celebration into a funeral.
Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell and Tegan Nox were let go
First of all, if this tweet was in fact how Hartwell found out she was being let go, that makes all of this even uglier. While it's disappointing to see Nox go, injuries and a lack of use make it slightly less surprising that she parted than Hartwell, who was on Smackdown less than a couple weeks ago.
Then, there's Corbin.
From the Lone Wolf to Bum-Ass Corbin, this man has managed to pull off characters that were badass or that were providing R-Truth levels of comedic entertainment. He always felt like a legitimate threat considering he looks the part of fighter and is known to have hands, so what went wrong?
Personally, I blame the WWE's decision to have Corbin unsuccessfully attempt to cash-in his Money in the Bank. That was the moment it all came crumbling down. From then on it felt like Corbin wasn't booked to succeed, though he managed to be highly entertaining no matter how subpar the story. While I don't think it's the last we'll see of any of the three, I'll take a moment to appreciate their contributions and hold out hope that they'll be back on our screens sooner than later.
This Darby Allen collision
Getting yeeted into a ring post is a bump I'd save for a larger event rather than a random Wednesday night, but as always, respect to Darby Allen and every bone in his body for constantly doing the most in the name of entertainment, no matter how flat out ugly.