The Superlink Party: Bray Wyatt Is Changing, Mark Henry Says More About Hulk Hogan

This week’s “Superlink Party” examines Mark Henry’s comments on Hulk Hogan, Big E comparing pro wrestling to jazz, Alexa Bliss’s character, and Bray Wyatt’s forthcoming character change.

We’ll start with Mark Henry, who told TMZ Sports last month that if Hulk Hogan wants to rejoin WWE, he would need to personally apologize to every black wrestler in the company.

Today, Henry spoke more about the Hogan issue on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, and he said, “I don’t know if I’m ready. There’s a lot to be done.”

What must Hogan do in order to return? Henry outlined a few things that would have to be done as part of the process, as transcribed by Cageside Seats:

"”There’s gonna have to be more community service and outside work. Support for programs and even creative programs that deal with diversity in the workplace. … I don’t process everything like everybody else. I believe that everybody should be given a second chance but I also believe that you have to own your issue, whatever that issue is. You gotta try to make closure on everybody else’s behalf, not just yours.”"

This is an incredibly important quote to keep in mind, because it’s becoming increasingly clear that WWE would like to move forward with bringing Hogan back into the company in some capacity.

Essentially nothing is stopping them, save for the reactions from the WWE Universe. Even then, the WWE may choose to ignore the fans, knowing that there’s money to be made off of Hogan. It’s obvious the WWE loves to rewrite the histories of its legends who have said or done terrible things, which can be seen by the way the company attempts to honor the Ultimate Warrior and the Fabulous Moolah.

Henry’s comments about Hogan are a reminder that his racist comments will not be easily forgiven by those who are actually affected by it, and it’s sad that Vince McMahon and the WWE as a corporation seem willing to let those slide by. There’s room for forgiveness, but words that sound like an apology aren’t necessarily an apology, nor are they impactful enough to appropriately atone for what Hogan said.

Hogan is scheduled to appear at the Andre The Giant documentary’s premiere on Mar. 29, and Cageside Seats’s Sean Rueter has an excellent piece about how this lines up with WWE’s ostensible plan for a Hogan return.

Alexa Bliss Just Gets It

Cody Rhodes, The Miz, and Tommaso Ciampa are widely regarded three of professional wrestling’s greatest heels today, and Alexa Bliss is just as good as any of them. Even though she sells plenty of merchandise, you can’t help but hate Bliss when she comes out and verbally undresses her opponents, despite how wonderful she is with words. And when Bliss retains…lord, you should see some of the tweets people send me.

What makes Bliss so effective as a heel is that she just gets it. Don’t believe me? Check out what she said about the goals she has for her character in this tremendous interview with SportsNet that is indeed worth your time.

"“I knew if I were to ever be a champion as bad guy, I didn’t want to be a flashy champion. I want to be that person that people genuinely don’t like as a bad guy. I feel like that’s the only way that you’re going to set yourself apart. There are people who portray bad guys but still want to be liked or want the cheers and the glory. I want my character to be genuinely hated. … If I get a positive reaction, how do I turn it into a negative?”"

I love this old-school mentality from Bliss, and this is exactly how a heel should behave, especially in today’s era where heels get cheered and perceived in-ring excellence is deemed as the most praiseworthy trait in a wrestler’s toolbox by the majority of wrestling fans.

Big E Compares Pro Wrestling To Jazz

The New Day and The Usos had arguably the WWE’s best rivalry of 2017, and they stole the show on multiple pay per views. Their match at Battleground made that disaster of a pay per view salvageable, they had one of the two best matches on the card at SummerSlam, and their bout at Hell in a Cell was one of the greatest tag team matches I’ve seen in my life. Yes, it was that good, and, yes, I have watched it a handful of times since then.

In an interview with 107.7 The Bone’s Baby Huey and Bimbo Jimbo, Big E spoke at length about The New Day’s critically acclaimed (no, I will not reconsider changing the phrasing of that) rivalry with The Usos. And in it, he made an interesting comparison.

BIG ups to PW Insider’s James Kincaid for the transcription:

"“There is a real friendship there, and a real brotherhood, and I have known those guys since I was signed…For us to gel so well I think we also see the business and the way matches should work in a very similar way. I think a lot of guys are too worried and too concerned about looking strong or getting their stuff in…To have a great match I think you really have to be selfless and understand that hey at this point in this match it’s not about me looking good it’s about what do we do to get the best reaction…In many ways I think of really great wrestling like jazz.”"

I usually hear people compare pro wrestling to a “dance”, but I like the “jazz” comparison a lot more. And the overall message from Big E couldn’t ring truer. There are plenty of wrestlers in WWE who could learn from the likes of The New Day, The Usos, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Roman Reigns and John Cena when it comes to giving the opponent more offense in order to make the overall match look much better.

Is Bray Wyatt Going Broken?

Recently, colleague Tom Clark wrote that he’d like to see Bray Wyatt go “Broken” and join forces with Matt Hardy, and it’s a sentiment that I’ve seen echoed by many. It makes all the sense in the world. Wyatt has felt lost without Luke Harper and Erick Rowan by his side, and those two have moved on as the Bludgeon Brothers on SmackDown Live with a Tag Title opportunity at WrestleMania on tap.

Meanwhile, Wyatt lacks direction, his character feels both stale and far too hypocritical, and there’s no better way to usher a character change than after being thrown into the Lake of Reincarnation with no recoverable body.

Wyatt sent out this ominous tweet yesterday, and I wonder if the “you” is Sister Abigail.

Around The Web

I can’t recommend this piece about Titus O’Neil’s life and journey by Mike Mooneyham of The Post and Courier enough. This will be one of the best articles you read today.

If you want to read a really good, honest critique of the Ultimate Deletion match, which I personally enjoyed, then look no further than this piece on “The Wrestling Blog”.

PWTorch.com’s Kelly Wells took a great look at the Street Profits’ current work and future trajectory. A lot of people are high on these two, and Montez Ford, in particular, has the makings of a future star on the main roster.

Next: WrestleMania 34 Match Predictions

Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells ranked Randy Savage’s greatest WrestleMania moments, and now I know how I want to spend my Sunday nostalgia run.