Between 10:30 and 11:00 (ET) on June 19, the state of Ohio suddenly became the hub of the sports (entertainment) universe.
First, the Cleveland Cavaliers ended more than 5 decades of professional sports frustration by besting the defending champion Golden State Warriors to claim the NBA title, amidst accusations in certain corners that the series was, well, rigged, or, in wrestling parlance, a work. I stopped watching pro basketball a while ago once I came to the conclusion that, yes, the NBA's media partners (ESPN/ABC & TNT) and certain sponsors had an unsettling influence on the league, especially during the longer-than-it-has-any-right-to-be playoffs, which run from April-June so the networks can milk the drama for ratings.
They'll never admit to it, of course, because it would irretrievably shatter the long standing illusion that the NBA is all about competition, but it became more about marketing once individual stars began getting endorsement deals, and were marketed as being more important than the team(s) they played for.
And, then, it was Cincinnati's turn.
In Las Vegas, a few hundred miles to the south of Oakland, where the NBA Finals wrapped, Dean Ambrose not only captured the Money in the Bank briefcase, but also cashed it in on his former Shield teammate, Seth Rollins, who had just won the title from Roman Reigns. Rollins' 2nd reign lasted just 8 seconds from bell to bell, and Ambrose, this generation's answer to Roddy Piper, captured the one prize that had eluded the late Piper, a World title.
In one fell swoop, Ambrose completed a sweep of the men's singles titles in WWE (World, US, Intercontinental), and became the 2nd man to cash in his briefcase the same night he'd won it (Kane in 2010 is the other). His hometown of Cincinnati is just as title-starved as Cleveland was. An online writer had made the analogy likening Ambrose to the NFL's Bengals, who've had playoff issues the last few years, and are 0-2 in Super Bowls. Now, the fans can stop whining about Reigns, whose 3rd reign was cut short after 2 1/2 months. The "Big Dog", with 3 titles in 7 months, can move down and start anew.
Oh, there will be rematches with Rollins, but Reigns will get his turn, too. So should AJ Styles, though I disagree with how his win over John Cena was booked, and that'll be the topic of the next Reaction Zone. For the fans, these are great times.
But where does WWE go from here? The predictable route, of course, given the heat on the air between Ambrose and Stephanie McMahon, but that shouldn't be, either. It's way past time WWE, or, more specifically, Vince McMahon, stopped insulting the intelligence of his audience, and gave Ambrose not only his props, but a lengthy title reign, the kind that Rollins had last year before he was injured, the kind that Daniel Bryan was denied because of injury. Only in this case, it should be free of any unnecessary drama.
But it won't. And the vicious cycle will continue.
