Anyone up for a little peeling back of the curtain? Guess what: Sometimes these “loves” and “hates” are hard to come up with — but that’s the assignment; that’s the gig. We gotta find something to go gaga over or rail on. For a long time, in the beginning of the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era (love the new on-screen name presentation, by the way), that was tough, because not a lot sucked. And you know what? Not a lot sucks now. But back then, I was reaching, and at least twice I pitched ripping on The Viking Raiders. I mean, both Erik and Ivar are phenomenal athletes and beyond gifted big men, but WHO IN THE WORLD DRESSES LIKE A VIKING?

Anyway, thanks to an infallible editor and a great colleague in ol’ What’s-His-Name, I pivoted away from my ideas about letting these guys continue to “be vikings” but maybe dress in, like, biker gear or something. And here we are, all this time later, with Ivar left to do whatever he can in the absence of an injured Erik (get well soon, sir!) and I’m loving all over this guy, yes, even in a “Hate” column.

What more could this guy have done to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber? I know, I know, LA Knight is everybody’s Johnny-come-lately favorite underdog (and I dig the guy to a certain extent as well) but what happened to barging your way into an opportunity? And who better than Ivar as far as that goes? And why didn’t we take advantage of the EASY OUT here in that AJ Styles owes Knight quite the receipt for costing him his own spot in the Chamber last week on “SmackDown?”

Maybe Mr. Viking Guy will find his way after all, though I’m not sure about that, what with a last chance battle royal for the ladies announced, and nothing similar for the fellas. Instead, I see him now as a big time contender in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal (if that’s till a thing). And that sucks.

Skol!

Written by Jon Jordan