By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
The following are the notes I’m taking while watching the five-part “WWE Unreal” season two on Netflix.
-It took less than a minute for me to learn something. Seth Rollins wrestled as God. Who wouldn’t want to see God wrestle? How did those shows not draw millions? I have a theory. The outcomes were too predictable. Who can beat God? No matter how many challengers the Sinister Minister lines up, God is going over. Anyway, Rollins also spoke about how Dusty Rhodes came up with his WWE name.
-If Becky Lynch is The Man, can Kit Wilson’s anti-toxic masculinity character be The Woman? Anyway, there’s some nice footage of Rollins and Lynch at home with their younger daughter.
-Lyra Valkyria spoke about how influential Lynch was to her. She recalled crying when she met Lynch the first time, and having to tell her that she normally doesn’t get like that.
-Paul Levesque told the creative team that Lynch was petrified that she would return and be less over. Lynch was shown telling the series producers that she wouldn’t be surprised if the fans booed her. She was shown expressing more concern to TJ Wilson at the Gorilla Position while backstage at WrestleMania 41. Of course, Lynch’s concern was all for nothing, as she received a monster pop from the live crowd. Rollins was shown watching from the Gorilla Position, and he said the crowd’s reaction almost made him cry.
-Lynch heaped praise on Valkyria. “She’s so good,” Lynch said. “I genuinely told her, I said, ‘You are my biggest hope for the future. Because I want people to be like her. She’s kind. She wants to work hard, and you need people like that.”
-Lynch showed her new WWE Women’s Tag Team Title belt to her daughter Roux, who asked if Lynch got a new belt for her. Lynch said she could hold it and had her say, “I’m the champ now.”
-Footage aired of Lynch and Valkyria losing the tag team titles on the Raw after WrestleMania, which was followed by Lynch turning on her partner. Valkyria said you hope that the fans will boo the bad guy, but it doesn’t always happen. Lynch said it wasn’t ideal. Valkyria said she’s still building a connection with the crowd, and it’s going to take time. Valkyria gets it.
-Bruce Prichard spoke about having the Backlash premium live event a few weeks after WrestleMania. “It is a pain in the ass having to come up with a Backlash after you spend as much time as you have to spend to create a WrestleMania, to create the mega event of the year.”
-The focus shifted to Pat McAfee facing Gunther at Backlash. Levesque said McAfee “is the face of WWE to a lot of people.” He said he was vaguely aware of who McAfee was “when he was a kicker for the (Indianapolis) Colts.” McAfee was a punter, but close enough.
-Michael Cole recalled bringing in McAfee to take part in the pre-shows for NXT. Cole said that they developed a friendship over the next three or four years. He said they decided to use that by having McAfee stick up for him.
-Footage of the initial angle that launched the feud was shown. Gunther put McAfee in a sleeper hold. They showed footage of Levesque having producer Bobby Roode tell the referee not to have Gunther release the hold right away. They also showed Levesque making sure the referee told McAfee that the camera would stay on him as he walked to the back and once he was backstage.
-Footage aired of the creative team discussing the finish of the Gunther vs. McAfee match. There was some talk of having McAfee steal the win and then having Gunther go on a tear after that. WWE VP Creative Writing Jonathan Baeckstrom spoke up to say that he didn’t understand why McAfee would beat Gunther. He recalled Gunther stating in a promo that he was more focused than ever. Baeckstrom logically questioned why he would follow that statement by losing to the color commentator.
-As footage of the match aired, McAfee spoke about how painful Gunther’s chops are. He also said that you’ll never hear him say he was good in the ring, but he will say that he is proud. Footage aired of John Cena praising McAfee’s performance.
-Footage aired from the Lynch vs. Valkyria match at Backlash. Lynch offered more praise for Valkyria. “I believe that Lyra is the future,” she said. “I think she has the right mindset. Like, she is always trying to analyze what’s good, what’s bad. Why does this work? Why doesn’t that work? How do I get better? We need people like that.”
Powell’s POV: I could have done without the footage of Levesque having Roode tell the referee to instruct Gunther on how long to keep the sleeper hold applied. It would be fine had that occurred during a pre-match conversation, but I don’t know what good comes from showing the level of micromanaging that occurs during the matches. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable, yet fairly forgettable episode. Lynch and Valkyria came off really well, and I enjoyed the stroll through the Gunther vs. McAfee build and match.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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