Recent events in the wrestling world prove that even when creative directions feel shaky, star power and in-ring excellence still drive the narrative. The latest analysis from Dave Simon and Ben Simon on the Ringside Report Network’s Wrestling Uncensored dove deep into the biggest shocks from WWE’s major events and the confusing, yet promising, final build to AEW’s Full Gear.
WWE: A New World Order, Led by the Best in the World
The biggest headline remains the crowning of CM Punk as the new World Heavyweight Champion, a win that genuinely surprised the co-hosts after they had predicted a Jey Uso victory last week.
“CM Punk now is the world champion on top as the top babyface on Raw with the belt, which is nice. Which is cool, I like it,” Dave Simon stated. He argued that Punk is currently the best choice for the top babyface on the Raw brand, over other options like LA Knight and Jey Uso.
The Path to WarGames: Logan Paul’s Betrayal and The Vision
The discussion quickly moved to the chaotic build for Survivor Series: WarGames and the heel turn that shocked the wrestling world: Logan Paul.
The turn happened during a tag team main event involving Punk and Jey Uso against the emerging duo of Bron Breaker and Bronson Reed. It ended in a full-blown melee. Logan Paul shockingly hit Punk with brass knuckles and then handed the weapon over to Paul Heyman, symbolizing his alignment with Heyman’s mysterious faction, “The Vision”.
Dave analyzed the bizarre alliance: “Heyman is talking a lot about this vision. And you’ve got to see the vision and join the vision”. He noted that Heyman is still actively trying to recruit Jey Uso —an interaction that doesn’t happen with Punk —suggesting a possible layer to the Bloodline saga.
This massive turn sets the stage for a likely WarGames match, though the teams are unclear just three weeks out. Dave speculated on a star-studded babyface team: “It might be Roman, Punk, and the Usos”. On the heel side, The Vision could be rounded out by Brock Lesnar, a name that was heard floating around. The lack of WarGames hype on SmackDown was questioned, with Dave noting, “They haven’t really told us what’s happened during SmackDown at all. They didn’t hype WarGames during SmackDown”.
The Rise of the Mega-Stars and the Next Generation
The conversation delved into the potential of young stars like Braun Breaker and Dominik Mysterio to carry the company.
- Dirty Dom’s Charisma: Dominik’s heat remains undeniable, with fans singing “Dirty, Dirty Dom, Dirty, Dirty Dom” every time he goes out there. The co-hosts acknowledged his potential, with Dave suggesting a WrestleMania main event featuring “Dirty Dom versus Braun Breaker” or “versus Cody”. Dominik’s commitment to the “scumbag character is excellent. Dave detailed the shocking crowd response to Rey Mysterio confronting his son on Raw, saying the audience was “not feeling it” and speculating they were chanting “kick his ass” toward Rey—meaning Dominik.
- Braun Breaker: Dave sees a clear push from management, with everyone calling him the future. “He could be the top babyface in all of the WWE in three to five years,” Dave noted. However, he cautioned that management is “overdoing it with Braun Breaker,” leading to audience resistance: “When the WWE shows you that the whole machine is behind them, then I think a lot of wrestling fans go, well, let’s see, you know, like, now you gotta prove it”. He compared the over-push to Roman Reigns’ initial run, noting that it often backfires on the audience.
Jade Cargill’s Dominance and the Women’s Division Strength
Another major title change came in the Women’s Division with Jade Cargill’s dominant win over Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship. Cargill’s physique and persona drew immense praise. “She looks more impressive, as impressive or more impressive, than anyone that has ever stepped foot in a WWE ring,” Dave declared. He stressed that this “mean Jade Cargill” is the version that got over in AEW, and it’s refreshing to see WWE present her as an unstoppable heel who simply declared: “I’m that bitch”.
The strength of the WWE Women’s Division overall was a central talking point. Despite the absence of top stars like Rhea Ripley (broken nose) and Bianca Belair (still dealing with a “broken finger and the knuckle” from WrestleMania), the division is “flourishing”.
“The women’s division is so much better than the men’s division. Not even close,” Dave concluded. He noted that WWE is “missing so many of their top stars, yet you almost don’t even notice,” proving their incredible depth.
Look at those side plates for @Jade_Cargill 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/IkVdOl2FAd
— WWE (@WWE) November 8, 2025
Cody Rhodes’ Excellence and the Mid-Card Dilemma
The co-hosts spent significant time celebrating World Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes’ consistency in the ring. Dave praised his style as “old school professional wrestling”. “I don’t think we’ve had a champion face of the company that’s been this good a worker since maybe Bret Hart,” Dave asserted. He positioned Cody against other top champions of the past: “Cody’s a much better worker than Roman Reigns… The Rock was very charismatic, but as far as in-ring, not as good as Cody”.
This excellence stood in stark contrast to the mid-card, where a lack of charisma is hindering talent.
- The Problem with Personality: Dave critiqued the current crop of main roster and NXT call-ups who are “good little hands” but lack the star quality needed for the major leagues.
- Dragunov & Gargano: The SmackDown match between Ilya Dragunov (US Champion) and Johnny Gargano was called a “void of charisma”. Dave likes Dragunov but says, “there’s no real character here. When they talk, they’re just—it’s not interesting”. He compared them to “a guy that would be in the X division of TNA, like the mid-2000s”.
- Priest & Black: The pairing of Damian Priest and Aleister Black was also dismissed. Dave admitted he doesn’t know “anybody whose favorite wrestler is Damien Priest”.
Final Thoughts: The End of Cena’s Era and Mid-Card Woes
A 16-man “Last Time Is Now” tournament has been announced to determine John Cena’s final opponent. While John Cena’s final appearances are drawing massive crowds at venues like Boston and Madison Square Garden, the tournament format itself has been criticized for eliminating the element of surprise: “I’ve never seen it before, where it’s like you have a tournament to determine who the last opponent will be.”
Dave predicted the final opponent would be Gunther, arguing it makes sense for the “classic foreign heel to wrestle the American hero John Cena in his final match”. He believes Cena will win his final match to get the ultimate send-off celebration.
Meanwhile, the new US Women’s Champion, Chelsea Green, was celebrated for her outstanding work and entertaining heel gimmick. Her win was over Giulia, whose title reign was surprisingly short, leading Dave to wonder if management “lost some kind of faith in Giulia”.
AEW: Too Much of the Same, Too Many Belts
The outlook for AEW’s upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view was less enthusiastic, with co-hosts criticizing the card for feeling repetitive and overloaded.
- Rehashed Main Events: The card features a third consecutive match between Hangman Page and Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, and repeat match-ups in other divisions. Dave noted, “three out of the seven matches that they’ve announced for this show happened on the last pay-per-view a month ago. Outrageous”. The lack of a fresh story was a concern: “We didn’t really care to see it the first time… and now the fact that we’re doing it again, it’s like, OK. You got nobody else?”.
- Too Many Titles & Dumb Matches: The announcement of the AEW National Championship was panned, coming on the heels of title unifications. Dave exclaimed, “So many superfluous belts”. The inaugural champion will be crowned in a Casino Gauntlet match, a concept that drew intense ire. Dave described it as a “stupid ass match concept” that is “absolutely the last thing they should be doing”. He mocked the match logic: “You run the risk of not ever entering the match because it ends before your turn”.
- High Stakes, Low Interest: The TNT Title match between Kyle Fletcher and Mark Briscoe has a special stipulation: if Briscoe loses, he must join The Don Callis Family. Despite the high stakes, this is another repeat match, highlighting a lack of fresh storytelling.
Dave summarized the critical takeaway on AEW: “All of this—the title match, introducing a new belt, the exact opposite of what they should be doing for this company… it’s a big bull or wrong”.
