WWE's World Title Tourney Finals, Booking AEW All In Main Event, More Quick Takes

Between WWE Backlash being a massive success in Puerto Rico and AEW selling an unprecedented amount of tickets for All In, it was quite the historic weekend for wrestling.

It served as a small taste of what fans of both products can expect from the electric summer season ahead, specifically with how many massive shows are on the horizon.

AEW All In will be the big blow-off at the end of August, and with 60,000-plus tickets already sold, it's shaping up to be a milestone event for the industry as a whole.

What the main event of that spectacle of a show will look like remains to be seen, along with who will ultimately face off in the finals of WWE's World Heavyweight Championship tournament set to culminate at Night of Champions.

Twelve top talents are confirmed to compete in qualifying matches kicking off on this week's editions of Raw and SmackDown. Of everyone announced, only an elite few have a legitimate shot of advancing and becoming the inaugural champ.

This installment of Quick Takes will examine the field for the World Heavyweight title tourney, Iyo Sky's strong showing at Backlash, AEW's questionable usage of Jay White, and more.

Booking a Hot Main Event for AEW All In to Match the Hype

Without a single match or name announced for the event, AEW All In has quickly shattered ticket projections with over 60,000 sold for Wembley Stadium. The number should increase once the card becomes clear in the coming months, most notably the main event.

Just under four months remain until the historic pay-per-view and thus it's impossible to say what it will be exactly. Anything can change with Double or Nothing and Forbidden Door happening beforehand, but based on AEW's current roster, MJF defending the AEW World Championship against a high-profile opponent would likely make the most sense.

That could be the returning CM Punk, who is expected to appear at All In if he returns in June as has been rumored. Punk vs. MJF one more time for the top title would certainly sell, but not as much as a match pitting Punk against someone he has had legitimate bad blood with such as The Elite.

Whether it be Punk and FTR vs. The Elite or Punk vs. Kenny Omega in a straight-up singles match, both blockbuster bouts would be worthy of the main event spot. Otherwise, AEW would have to heat up a feud and make it meaningful enough to close out All Out.

WWE Must Capitalize on Iyo Sky's Strong Showing at Backlash

Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky at Backlash was always expected to be excellent, but no one could have imagined that the rowdy crowd in Puerto Rico would rally behind Sky the way they did.

Sky has largely been positioned as a background player in Damage CTRL with Bayley being the centerpiece since the stable's debut at SummerSlam. A singles push for Sky has been long overdue and now fans are finally starting to see what she can bring to the table on her own.

She took Belair to her absolute limit, and although the finish played out predictably with Bayley's interference backfiring, it was what needed to happen in order for the story to move forward. Now, Sky will have a reason for wanting to firmly break away from the group.

Failing to follow up accordingly with Sky coming out of Backlash would be a missed opportunity. A feud with Bayley is the next logical step, and once that ends, she can set her sights on singles gold once again.

Belair will need credible challengers to work with if her reign continues for the foreseeable future and Sky should be one of those people provided her ascent has only just begun. Depending on where things stand at that time, that could be where Sky finally dethrones The EST.

AEW Has Already Failed to Make Jay White Feel Special

For as big of an acquisition as Jay White for AEW a month ago, it's somewhat surprising he's been booked to feel like anyone else on the roster instead of the special attraction he is.

AEW has had a track record of marginalizing talent soon after they sign because of how deep their roster is. White should have been the exception given the momentum he had following his departure from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and WWE nearly snatching up him, but that has yet to be the case so far.

On one hand, he's been feuding with Ricky Starks from the moment he arrived in AEW and will likely go one-on-one with him at Double or Nothing. On the other, both men need wins at the moment and White should be slotter higher on the card.

It doesn't help that his television time has been limited and that an alliance with Juice Robinson feels beneath him.

None of this is to say that White's booking can't be redeemed at some point, but AEW should be doing more to ease the mind of fans who were worried he'd be lost in the shuffle if he were to sign with the promotion. So far, that's exactly what has happened.

NXT Call-ups to Keep an Eye on Post-WWE Draft

Superstars switching shows in the 2023 WWE Draft was fairly uneventful, whereas the biggest highlights involved talent from NXT being called up to the SmackDown and Raw rosters.

Both brands picked up some promising talent, Grayson Waller being chief among them. Thanks to his exceptional abilities in the ring and on the mic, the Aussie standout was consistently in the main mix in NXT and has a bright future ahead of him on SmackDown.

Cameron Grimes will be joining him on Friday nights after sitting on the sidelines for the last several times. He got over organically as a babyface in NXT and can be successful in a similar role on the main roster with the right push.

The tag team scene has desperately needed new blood for a while now, and Pretty Deadly will provide just that. Despite his inexperience, Odyssey Jones is another nice pickup for Raw, and JD McDonagh is a seasoned veteran who can work well with just about anyone.

The women's division will also benefit from the additions of Indi Hartwell, Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Zoey Stark, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. WWE will just need to put the time and effort into introducing them to the audience and giving them a reason to care.

Who Will Advance to the Finals of World Heavyweight Title Tournament?

WWE's World Heavyweight Championship tournament is absolutely stacked on paper with 12 of Raw and SmackDown's finest battling to become the inaugural champ. The finals will be held at Night of Champions and will pit a Raw Superstar against a SmackDown Superstar.

Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Shinsuke Nakamura and The Miz are among those representing Raw on Monday night. Without knowing who will be in each Triple Threat match, it's safe to say Rollins and Rhodes are the strongest contenders to advance.

Rhodes should be fully focused on finishing his feud with Brock Lesnar as well as his story with Roman Reigns, so Rollins should be the one fighting for the gold at Night of Champions.

It gets slightly trickier on the SmackDown side of things. Sheamus, Rey Mysterio and Austin Theory are the odds men out, but Edge, Bobby Lashley and AJ Styles all have a legitimate chance of competing for the championship.

Edge is arguably the best bet of the three, but regardless, Rollins is the only option that makes sense to emerge as champion. He is the perfect person to lead Raw right now and has the unparalleled popularity to prove it.

---

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.