This one matters.

If you have been around Straight Shoot for a while, you already know the names. If you are newer here, this is the kind of drop that brings everything into focus.

First and foremost, this edition puts a bright light on Jack O’Hara, who is officially leveling up inside the Straight Shoot universe. Jack is still new to a lot of readers, but he has already become a core voice in how we talk about wrestling. Smart analysis, fan-first perspective, and zero tolerance for lazy takes. You are going to be seeing a lot more of him across the newsletter, YouTube, and now his newly launched wrestling-focused Instagram. This is the ground floor moment.

At the heart of the issue sits Darrion’s Drop, and it is a heavy one. This is not a quick rant or a throwaway opinion. It is a long-form, nerve-hitting piece that digs into LA Knight, ceilings WWE refuses to acknowledge, and why organic momentum still scares a system built on control. This is the Drop people are going to argue about, bookmark, and reference for a while.

Wrapped around that, you get the reviews. Tight, clear, and purposeful. Raw coming out of the Royal Rumble. NXT crowning a new champion. Big angles, real direction, and enough context to understand what matters without drowning you in filler.

New voice. Big opinion. Clear direction.

This is Straight Shoot doing what it does best, and it is only getting louder from here.

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🎯Jack O’Hara

If you have been watching or reading Straight Shoot for any amount of time, you already know this. Jack O’Hara is a core pillar of what we do.

From sharp analysis to fan-first conversations that actually respect the audience, Jack brings the kind of perspective that makes Straight Shoot feel real. No forced takes. No talking down. Just honest breakdowns and opinions that come from someone who genuinely loves wrestling.

And now he is leveling up.

Jack is officially building out his second Instagram channel, focused entirely on wrestling content. Expect quick hits, instant reactions, clean breakdowns, and the kind of takes that actually spark conversation instead of chasing engagement bait.

📲 Follow him here: @oharaandfriends

If you support Straight Shoot, support the people behind it. Jack’s grind is just getting started, and being there early is always the move.

Roman Reigns vs CM Punk Go Head-to-Head

And speaking of Jack, what do we have here.

This week we got a true head-to-head moment live on YouTube, and the wrestling world felt it immediately. When Roman Reigns and CM Punk went face to face, everything stopped. No shortcuts. No smoke and mirrors. Just two of the biggest names in WWE history standing across from each other and unloading.

Many are already calling this the Promo of the Year, and for good reason. The intensity was real. The emotion was heavy. Every line felt deliberate. This was not just trash talk. This was layered storytelling with real history, real stakes, and real consequences.

In this breakdown, Jack O’Hara & MrTeshk dive deep into what made the segment hit so hard. From crowd reactions to the key lines that landed the loudest, they break down the mind games, the championship implications, and what this confrontation could mean for WWE moving forward. Moments like this are proof that promos still matter when they are done right.

So here is the big question.

Did CM Punk outshine The Tribal Chief, or did Roman Reigns remind everyone exactly why he runs WWE?

☝️ Watch the full breakdown now over on YouTube and join the conversation
Drop your take in the comments and let us know who you think won the exchange.

Date: Monday, February 3, 2026
📍 Xfinity Mobile Arena — Philadelphia, PA
🎙 Commentary: Michael Cole & Corey Graves
⏱️ Runtime: 2h 30m (Netflix)

RAW came out of the Royal Rumble with momentum, but also with a very clear identity: this was a story-first, promo-heavy episode with limited in-ring action. When it worked, it worked extremely well. When it dragged, you felt every minute of it.

This was less about wrestling volume and more about resetting the board for WrestleMania season.

💥 Opening Chaos: Bron Breakker Meltdown

Bron Breakker opened the show in full rage mode, destroying the announce area like someone whose entire year just went sideways. Chairs flying, desk torn apart, total loss of control.

The Vision arrived to “calm” things down, and it immediately turned into finger-pointing. Paul Heyman blamed Adam Pearce, citing visa approvals. Pearce fired back, embarrassed Bron over his Rumble showing, and hinted at internal manipulation.

LA Knight stormed in, laid out The Vision with chair shots, and vanished through the crowd.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A chaotic, high-impact opener that tied directly into the Rumble fallout and kept multiple stories moving at once.

🌀 Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano

Je’Von came in taped up but still looked explosive. Kaiser-as-Americano controlled stretches with help from Bravo and Rayo, but the finish protected Evans and advanced the impostor storyline.

Chad Gable appearing to distract the fake Americano was the key beat, allowing Evans to hit the OG Cutter and get the win.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¼
A strong TV showcase for Evans that also gave the Americano angle real legs.

📽 Post-Rumble “New Era” Spotlight Package

WWE highlighted the breakout Rumble performers: Evans, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne, Oba Femi, Sol Ruca, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, Jordynne Grace, and Royce Keys.

This mattered. It made the Rumble feel consequential instead of disposable.

👊 Gunther Sends a Message

Gunther mocked AJ Styles by hitting his poses before reminding everyone he collects legacies. Dragon Lee jumped him, triggering a violent pull-apart that ended with Gunther cracking Lee with the bell and choking him out on the floor.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gunther continues to feel like a career-ending final boss, and Lee gained credibility just by stepping up.

🧱 Oba Femi Destroys The War Raiders

This was not a match. Oba Femi flattened Erik and Ivar in seconds and finished it with Fall From Grace.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
Short, dominant, and effective. Oba looks like a real problem.

📼 Finn Bálor Declares War

Bálor made it clear he is done playing fair and is coming for CM Punk’s title. The tone screamed Elimination Chamber season.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Simple, focused, and purposeful.

👯 Bella Twins Return

The Bellas returned, ran the nostalgia lap, and declared interest in the Women’s Tag Titles.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️½
Functional setup, nothing more.

🦂 Bronson Reed vs. Penta

Reed controlled the power game, Penta kept things fast, and the finish protected everyone. LA Knight returned post-ejection, planted Reed with a BFT onto a chair, and caused the countout.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Smart booking that advanced Knight vs. The Vision while keeping Reed strong.

🏆 Women’s World Championship — Philly Street Fight
Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez

The workhorse match of the night. Weapons, tables, chains, and sustained intensity throughout.

Key beats included Raquel powerbombing Vaquer through a table early, Vaquer’s repeated Devil’s Kiss brutality, Liv and Roxanne’s interference backfiring, and Vaquer retaining.

Liv Morgan immediately Oblivioned Vaquer afterward to claim the spotlight.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
The best match on the show, with a finish that clearly points toward WrestleMania.

👑 Roman Reigns Chooses CM Punk

Roman soaked in the Philly crowd, teased both title paths, and let the audience decide. Punk answered, and the promo turned personal fast.

Punk framed himself as the fighting champion. Roman framed Punk as someone who returned in Roman’s era. Roman sealed it by choosing Punk out of spite and legacy.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Elite WrestleMania-level promo work that sold the main event without shortcuts.

Three Stars of the Night

🥇 Roman Reigns
🥈 CM Punk
🥉 Stephanie Vaquer

Final Thoughts

RAW delivered clarity more than spectacle. The show was overly talk-heavy and light on wrestling, but the angles that mattered landed. Roman Reigns versus CM Punk is now the undeniable road to WrestleMania, the women’s title picture gained definition, and multiple post-Rumble stories moved forward with intent.

The pacing needs tightening, but the direction is finally locked in.

Final Score: 7.25 / 10

I am going to be honest right out of the gate, and maybe this is the Canadian in me talking. Bret Hart is my favorite wrestler of all time. Always has been. Always will be. He could wrestle a cardboard box and make it compelling. He could grapple, sell, elevate, and carry people far beyond their limits. He was selfless in ways people forget, especially when it did not benefit him politically. You had to be there to fully understand it.

I also loved Razor Ramon. Scott Hall had the look, the swagger, the presence. One word promos that felt cooler than entire scripts today. “Hey-yo” was enough. He was effortless. He made you want to watch.

That era is gone. The eighties are gone. The nineties are gone. The Attitude Era is not coming back no matter how badly nostalgia accounts try to will it into existence. Wrestling has evolved, audiences have changed, and the business has moved forward whether we like it or not.

For a long time, I drifted. I watched here and there. I knew who the top guys were, but no one truly grabbed me. No one felt undeniable. Wrestling became something I checked in on instead of something I lived and breathed.

Then MrTeshk dragged me back in. Fully. Reluctantly at first, then completely. And somewhere in that return, I found my current favorite wrestler.

It is LA Knight.

He can wrestle. He can talk. He understands timing, cadence, and crowd manipulation in a way very few people in this era actually do. His promos feel alive instead of rehearsed. His presence feels earned instead of manufactured. He looks like a star, carries himself like a megastar, and most importantly, the crowd treats him like one.

The loudest pop at the Royal Rumble was not an accident. That reaction was not piped in. That was not nostalgia. That was organic connection. The kind WWE claims it cannot create anymore, yet somehow refuses to fully embrace when it appears.

So here is the uncomfortable question.

Why does LA Knight always feel like he is standing at the peak of the mountain, yet never allowed to plant the flag?

Over the last couple of years, the pattern has become impossible to ignore. LA Knight gets hot. Very hot. Crowd reactions spike. Merch moves. Social media lights up. WWE acknowledges it just enough to keep the engine running, then redirects him back into the same holding pattern.

A United States Title run that felt more like a reward than a launchpad. Feuds that orbit the same family of opponents. Constantly circling the Samoan vortex without ever being allowed to break through it. Always positioned as important, never positioned as inevitable.

The IWC has noticed. Reddit threads repeat the same frustration. Fans ask why someone this over is treated like a supporting character in his own momentum. Others argue age. Others argue timing. Others argue that WWE already has its chosen top guys and Knight does not fit the long term mold.

Here is the thing though. Those arguments fall apart when you actually watch the shows.

LA Knight does not feel like a temporary act. He does not feel like a nostalgia play. He does not feel like a guy getting courtesy reactions. He feels current. He feels relevant. He feels like someone the audience has chosen, not someone the company has instructed them to cheer.

That is the part that seems to make WWE uncomfortable.

The company loves control. It loves slow builds that it authors. It loves stars that rise on its schedule, not the audience’s. LA Knight broke that rule. He got over loudly, quickly, and without permission. WWE responded by keeping him busy instead of letting him ascend.

This is not about needing him to be champion tomorrow. This is not about hotshotting titles. This is about direction and belief.

When someone consistently gets the reactions Knight gets, the story should be moving forward. Stakes should be rising. Losses should mean something. Wins should change his trajectory. Instead, he keeps resetting to the same elevation point, like a character stuck at the final checkpoint who is never allowed to load the next level.

Fans feel that. Audiences sense it. Over time, frustration replaces anticipation.

We have seen this movie before. The guy who is always in the conversation but never the decision. Always credible, never crowned. Always trusted to deliver, never trusted to lead.

And that is the real nerve here.

LA Knight has done everything WWE asks of a top star in the modern era. He shows up. He delivers. He connects. He adapts. He stays over. Yet the ceiling remains firmly in place, invisible but immovable.

The Drop?
LA Knight is not missing anything. WWE is. This is not about him needing to prove more. This is about the company deciding whether it actually believes in organic momentum or just likes to borrow it temporarily. Knight feels like the guy fans want to ride with right now, and history has shown that ignoring that kind of connection rarely ends well. Being perpetually at the peak without the payoff turns belief into resentment. If WWE truly wants stars who feel real in the 2020s, eventually they are going to have to let one climb all the way to the top instead of stopping him just short of the summit.

Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2026
📍 WWE Performance Center — Orlando, Florida
🎙 Commentary: Vic Joseph & Booker T
⏱️ Runtime: 2h 05m (USA Network)

NXT delivered a major inflection-point episode, crowned a new NXT Champion for the first time since Oba Femi vacated the title, and quietly entered a new leadership era with Ava officially done as General Manager.

This was a show with one very clear truth: the ladder match carried the night. Everything else ranged from solid to overlong, but the main event gave NXT the jolt of energy it needed to reset the brand moving forward.

🧠 Leadership Shift: Shawn Michaels Names Robert Stone Interim GM

Shawn Michaels opened the show by confirming what had been rumored backstage: Ava’s contract has expired, and she is officially finished as NXT General Manager. In her place, Michaels named Robert Stone as Interim GM, citing his seven years with the brand and familiarity with the locker room.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A clean, logical transition that keeps the show functional without overcomplicating the power structure.

🏆 NXT Women’s North American Championship
Izzi Dame (c) vs. Thea Hail vs. Lola Vice

The triple threat moved fast and gave everyone shine. Momentum swung constantly, and the finish was driven by outside chaos, with Kelani Jordan taking Vice out and opening the door for Dame to capitalize and retain.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¼
A fun sprint with good energy, though Thea Hail continuing to come up short is starting to feel like a limiting pattern.

🎙 Tony D’Angelo Explains His Return

Tony D finally addressed the silence, the absence, and the attacks. He framed his mission clearly: not vengeance, but punishment, with Darkstate firmly in his sights. He also teased a second reason for holding back, suggesting bigger ambitions down the line.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Strong character work that gave emotional clarity to his actions and subtly positioned Tony near the NXT title picture.

⚡ WWE Speed Tournament (3-Minute Limit)
Charlie Dempsey vs. Elio LeFleur

LeFleur picked up a quick, clean win at 2:52, keeping his momentum alive after the Ethan Page loss.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️
Did exactly what it needed to do, nothing more and nothing less.

🏅 TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships
Heather & M By Elegance (c) vs. Zaria & Sol Ruca

The story here was Zaria’s ego. She refused to cooperate, missed tags, and the miscommunication cost them when Sol accidentally struck Zaria, allowing the Elegance Brand to retain.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chaotic in a productive way, and the slow-burn Zaria heel turn feels inevitable and necessary.

🎓 Chase U Continues to Crack
Chase U (Dixon & Connors) vs. Lexis King & Stacks

A short match, but the story mattered more than the bell-to-bell. Connors had a chance to save Dixon and chose not to.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️½
Simple storytelling that continues pushing Connors toward the King, Stacks, and Arianna Grace orbit.

🎤 Jacy Jayne, Fatal Influence, and a Crowded Title Picture

Fatal Influence hit the ring, and the segment expanded to include Zaria, Sol Ruca, Kendal Grey, and Wren Sinclair. Robert Stone eventually cut through the noise and booked next week’s match: Sol & Zaria vs. Wren & Kendal, with the winners earning a Women’s Title shot in Atlanta.

Segment rating: ⭐️⭐️½
The outcome was fine, but the segment took far too long to arrive at a straightforward booking.

🪜 MAIN EVENT — NXT Championship 7-Man Ladder Match
Ricky Saints vs. Sean Legacy vs. Dion Lennox vs. Jackson Drake vs. Shiloh Hill vs. Keanu Carver vs. Joe Hendry

Joe Hendry climbed the ladder and captured the vacant NXT Championship.

This match absolutely carried the show. Keanu Carver was booked like a walking catastrophe that everyone had to neutralize. Saints felt like the slick favorite. Legacy, Drake, Hill, and Lennox all had defining moments. The finish, Hendry and Saints battling at the top before Hendry finally pulled it down, landed perfectly.

Match rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾
A strong, crowd-supported main event that reset the brand and crowned a champion fans are ready to rally behind.

Three Stars of the Night

🥇 Joe Hendry
🥈 Ricky Saints & Keanu Carver
🥉 Izzi Dame / Thea Hail / Lola Vice

Final Thoughts

This was a solid NXT episode elevated almost entirely by its main event. The ladder match did the heavy lifting, delivered the energy the show needed, and gave the brand a fresh centerpiece in Joe Hendry. The rest of the card ranged from serviceable to slightly bloated, but the destination mattered more than the journey this week.

Joe Hendry as NXT Champion immediately opens new matchups, new promos, and a new tone for the brand, and that alone makes this episode an effective reset.

Final Score: 7.0 / 10

Be Good People🤘
mr.teshk

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