Am I the only one? Finn Balor’s dirty laundry; Mayor Kane’s dirty secret; Kevin Owens gets done dirty

Kevin Eck

Am I the only one? Finn Balor’s dirty laundry; Mayor Kane’s dirty secret; Kevin Owens gets done dirty image

Every week, former WWE creative writer Kevin Eck will run down his burning thoughts from "RAW," "SmackDown Live" and the rest of the pro wrestling world.

‘RAW’ thoughts

Am I the only one who …

… found it curious that Finn Balor was back wearing his rainbow T-shirt after not having it on at the “Greatest Royal Rumble” in Saudi Arabia?

Balor debuted the “Balor Club Is For Everyone” shirt — which was designed to promote inclusivity of the LBGTQ community — at WrestleMania 34, but he did not wear it in Saudi Arabia, where same-sex sexuality is illegal and punishable with imprisonment, torture or even death. In response to chatter on social media about him not wearing the shirt at GRR, Balor tweeted the following:

I applaud Balor for promoting inclusivity, but he’s not fooling anyone with his “dirty laundry” excuse. In fact, WWE’s whole Saudi Arabia money grab feels dirty, from WWE promoting Saudi Arabian propaganda, to the women not being allowed to perform on the show, to Sami Zayn (who is of Syrian descent) not being booked, to Ariya Daivari (who is of Iranian descent) receiving death threats for an angle he did on the show, to Balor not wearing his rainbow shirt.

MORE: Getting a grip — WWE Greatest Royal Rumble causes a stir

… thought it was silly for Corey Graves to attribute the negative reaction Roman Reigns received to the fact that the show was taking place in the “Bizarro World” of Montreal?

If Montreal was truly “Bizarro World” the fans would’ve greeted Reigns with a Road Warrior pop.

… wondered why Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley saved Roman Reigns from the 3-on-1 attack by Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Jinder Mahal instead of Seth Rollins?

Some friend Rollins is. What, was he too busy wetting down his hair to help out his buddy?

And why would Strowman and Lashley care about Reigns? I might’ve missed it, but I don’t think the announcers ever acknowledged that it wasn’t all that long ago that Reigns and Strowman were literally trying to kill each other.

… wondered why Kevin Owens did the job in the six-man main event?

I have no problem with Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley getting the win over Owens, Sami Zayn and Jinder Mahal, but couldn’t Zayn or Mahal have dropped the fall instead of KO?

Owens has a very good spot in WWE but I believe he has the talent to have an even better one. (Honestly, I think he could be WWE’s top babyface if ever given the opportunity.) There was just no need to take the fall on him in this match, especially since it was in Montreal, which is close to his hometown of Marieville.

MORE: The five most underappreciated talents in WWE today

… thinks we need to hear something from Bobby Lashley?

I don’t recall Lashley saying a single word on “RAW” since he made his return to WWE on the April 9 episode (although he did do a brief interview on WWE.com). I’m not saying he needs to cut a long promo, but it would be nice to hear from him as to why he’s back and what his goals are. How about a sit-down interview or at least a video package with sound bites? How is the audience supposed to connect with him otherwise?

… thought WWE blew it by showing one too many angles of Bobby Roode hitting the turnbuckle “throat first?”

Roode did a good job of selling that he had injured his throat, and the first couple replays — which where shot from behind him — created the illusion that he did indeed strike the turnbuckle with his throat. Then WWE showed a close-up in slow motion, shot from the other side, and it was obvious that Roode hit chest first. Kayfabe, guys. Kayfabe!

… smiled while watching the match between Mickie James and Natalya?

I’ve had the opportunity to work with both of them, and they’re incredibly down to earth and professional. That aside, they’re also two of the best all-around performers the WWE women’s division has ever seen. That these two veterans, who both are still at the top of their game, are wrestling each other on “RAW” in 2018 is just really cool.

… thought Corey Graves had a good point when he asked why No Way Jose’s conga line is allowed to be at ringside during his matches?

I find it extremely hard to believe that every member of the conga line filled out the necessary paperwork to apply for manager’s licenses.

… is sick of Jonathan Coachman’s weekly “one word” for each hour of “RAW?”

I’ve got two words for you, Coach.

‘SmackDown Live’ thoughts

Am I the only one who …

… was shocked that Shane McMahon was actually off TV selling the big bump he took at the “Greatest Royal Rumble?”

For those who didn’t see it, Braun Strowman pushed McMahon off the top turnbuckle and sent him sailing through the air and through the announce table. But that happened on Friday. You mean to tell me that Super Shane couldn’t make it to TV four days later?

I guess that chant Shane O’Mac received from the crowd back in the day is true after all.

… thought the bit with the little person dressed up as Daniel Bryan was lame?

The “little person as (insert name of WWE star here)” trope is tired and was never funny or clever to begin with. Plus, after seeing this same type of segment multiple times over the past 20 years, how stupid does the little person have to be not to realize that it’s going to end badly for him?

The one positive thing about this segment was that Big Cass once again was very good on the mic.

… knew Shinsuke Nakamura was going to sneak up behind AJ Styles and give him yet another low blow?

Honestly, I think the only one who didn’t see it coming was Styles. Nakamura has low-blowed Styles so often that I think he’s had more contact with Styles’ family jewels as of late than Styles’ wife.

… looked at The Miz’s outfit and thought he was about to start singing “Working for the Weekend?”

For all you youngsters, that’s a reference to '80s rock band Loverboy. And for all you older types (like me), here’s what Loverboy lead singer Mike Reno looks like now (he’s the fellow on the left).

… is wondering what happened to the “SmackDown Live” Top 10 list?

Actually, before it was referenced by The Miz this week, I had forgotten all about it. There’s only one list in WWE that I care about.

Miscellaneous thoughts

Am I the only one who …

… thinks the media is missing the big story with Glenn “Kane” Jacobs” winning the Republican primary for mayor in Knox County in Tennessee?

Doesn’t anyone care about what this monster did to poor Katie Vick? Talk about a skeleton in the closet. Literally.

… thought the “table read” on the “Being The Elite” Season 2 teaser was the funniest, most clever segment in pro wrestling this week?

Marty Scurll isn’t British? I haven’t been this shocked since I found out Razor Ramon wasn’t Cuban.

Kevin Eck