REVIEW: ‘WWE #6′ Offers Fringe Benefits

Dennis Hopeless and Serg Acuña are back up in it on this issue of WWE #6. The next chapter of the Dean Ambrose saga features Sasha Banks as its second main character. After a rough night on Raw, Dean and Sasha go on a road trip to unwind while on their way to their next live event. Along the way, they dance, feast on some ribs, and spend time at a carnival — winning a demolition derby in the process. As they approach Dean’s hometown of Cincinnati, they’re nearly put out of commission after an altercation instigated by Charlotte Flair and Dana Brooke, which led to Sasha crashing their car. While waiting for their car to be fixed, Dean shares a few stories of him growing up in Cincy. After arriving in Cleveland for Raw, Bray Wyatt emerged from the shadows and grabbed Dean and Sasha’s demolition derby trophy, hinting that the Lunatic Fringe is his next target.

Right off the bat, the story had so much going on within the span of one week from start to finish, which was a little bit too much for me to take in. The choice of pairing up Dean with Sasha for this particular issue also had me raising my eyebrows. It seemed so random to put the two of them together as friends especially considering the nature of their gimmicks, but then again opposites attract.

Hopeless didn’t force any chemistry between the Boss and the Lunatic Fringe because their banter still captured the essence of their individual characters, so plus points for that. I think it’s best to view their relationship as platonic, especially if you know that Dean and Sasha are already married to their respective spouses nowadays. Plus with Bray Wyatt showing up at the end, it will be interesting to see where the next issue will go with this.

This issue’s side story is centered on John Cena (though I believe it should’ve centered on Tye Dillinger considering the title is “Ten” but I digress). Mairghread Scott and Max Raynor manage to capture Cena’s “Never Give Up” attitude as he rises up to beat the count of 10. Probably the only thing missing here is a Nike swoosh or a Jordan Jumpman logo at the end because it reminded me of a sneaker commercial, especially since Cena is primarily addressing the reader.

Interestingly enough, my main call-out in the last issue I reviewed (WWE #4) was that the story didn’t have much going on compared to other installments. This time, WWE #6 had too much going on. I know Hopeless is capable of striking a balance in terms of story pacing. I only hope that proper pacing can be done per issue on a regular basis. Despite this, the dialogues between characters were natural and on point, as always. As long as they have this going, they’re in a good place.

Photos courtesy of BOOM! Studios/WWE.com