WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is scheduled to defend the title against that dumbass GUNTHER at Clash In Italy. During last week’s contract signing, the Ring General caught my attention when he referred to Rhodes as the “golden boy” and derided him for his typical American behavior. In this case, he was talking about Rhodes trying to take the spotlight away from the major news of GUNTHER’s official move to the blue brand. The American Nightmare acknowledged his patriotic (but still hideous) neck tattoo before going on about GUNTHER making things “weird” with his behavior. Their exchange got me thinking that WWE may be leaning into the lazy trope of the Heroic American vs. Evil Foreigner as part of the build to their title match at Clash In Italy. Given the very stupid war that USA’s President Trump picked with Iran that is raising gas prices and hurting most people’s wallets domestically and abroad, it’s certainly not the best time to go down this route, unless the idea is for Rhodes to actually be the Evil Foreigner when the bell rings in Italy.

This Friday night, the time for talking is over. Talla Tonga relies heavily on how big he is, and for good reason. Talla is a monster of a man. That said, Shinsuke Nakamura isn’t called the “King of Strong Style” just for anything. Nakamura is one of the most talented and dangerous individuals the professional wrestling industry has ever seen, and when push comes to shove, he can chop down any giant. It’s no secret that Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa have had their differences, and many believe Tama is already considering that he may not want to run with MFT for long. However, Sikoa keeps insisting he is his right-hand man, even though Sikoa and Talla left him to his own devices against Damian Priest.