LADIES AND GENTLEMAN…

My name is Chris Bernes. I wrote a column for 5 years on this site called “The Legacy Of Truth”. I was not the most popular writer on this site, but I always gave you the truth, no matter how hard it was to swallow (Insert a Young Bucks joke here).

I always went above and beyond for this site because I knew that Colin always had my back, and in turn, I’d always give him what I promised him. I loved this. I loved all of you (even Ginger, if you remember her), and I just loved wrestling.

Until tonight.

Let me start here… I was done writing for this site and about this business. My heart was not in it. It ended when a particular guy murdered his wife and son and many of you STILL sing his praises.

A few years ago my long time colleague Jonathan Beck reached out to me and asked me to write again because of the WrestleMania match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. I accepted.

That was my last writing here.

Before I rant, I need you to understand a few things. I operate on two premises: Facts don’t care about your feelings and WWE doesn’t care about any of you.

The proof of this came on Sunday, April 2 at SoFi Stadium. WrestleMania 39. The only time a championship gets decided at the home of the pathetic Chargers.

The mantra I have always heard from Vince McMahon, or by proxy his left hand Bruce Prichard, is SEND THE PEOPLE HOME HAPPY. What, Bruce…does “HOGAN MUST POSE” not resonate with the company today?

Now, you may say, “Chris, how can you say stuff like this, you don’t know.” I interviewed Bruce in 2017 on my former podcast and this was exactly the WrestleMania mantra.

So we come to 2023. The Tribal Chief, undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns versus the challenger, the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes.

And…they dropped the ball.

WWE has built Roman into an unstoppable monster. A monolith. The god amongst men. WWE has built Cody as the man who can overcome all odds to reach his destiny.

And in less than one hour, they absolutely screwed Cody Rhodes.

The story itself had legs. Cody returns to WWE after several years away, working for and building inferior promotions, the likes of which are only enjoyed by idiots and drunks. And when he saw how bad it was, he came home. Cody had a great re-emergence, had a great rivalry with the Joker of WWE Seth Rollins, and then the injury.

So fast forward to Royal Rumble 2023. Cody wins. The fans are ready. Cody is ready. WE are ready.

And at WrestleMania, we got screwed.

This was the moment that WWE could have allowed 81,000 plus walk away happy. This was the opportunity for WWE to give millions at home the payoff.

They failed.

I got a text from the owner/operator of this site just after the finish of the Cody/Roman match, when I expressed my displeasure of the outcome. His response was, “I am pissed”.

As am I my friend, as am I.

WWE had the opportunity to crown a champion who will carry the company and excite crowds for years to come. Instead, they went with what is comfortable.

There is a reason KISS has sold 200 million albums, and your favorite local bar band still stays in your local bar.

KISS took risks. WWE used to take risks.

Now, unfortunately, WWE stays safe.

Safe doesn’t make money. Safe doesn’t excite your crowd. Safe doesn’t grow TV ratings.

You’d think the head of WWE creative would know this, since he and his BFF basically started the WWE resurgence back in 1998.

WWE F’d you…. WWE f’d me….. WWE f’d us all.

I hope it was worth it.