WrestleMania 41 Analysis and Predictions

April 19, 2025 by Leave a Comment

The WWE hits Las Vegas this weekend for a two-night celebration of professional wrestling at its best. The WWE has such a glut of talent on the main roster that even fourteen matches over two nights do not have enough spots for some familiar names. There was room on the card for Nia Jax, Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, or Solo Sikoa. But all that means is that we should expect the best of the best to attempt to collectively raise the bar from last year’s classic WrestleMania XL.

There are a lot of matches to analyze and predict so I will get right to it.

WrestleMania Saturday

The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) (c) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) in a Tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship

Kingston and Woods were working with the most tired and overused gimmick we have seen in some years and were overdue for a change when they turned heel. Despite the necessity for a change, the heel turn landed with a thud and these guys are still boring and uninteresting.

The War Raiders endured a litany of name and gimmick changes under Vince McMahon’s direction in the beginning of their WWE run. They’ve finally settled on something that works for them, a straight-talking, badass duo. They will undoubtedly be excited for this opportunity and will bring their A game to the show.

Prediction: Winners and still World Tag Team Champions, The War Raiders

Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano

Rey Mysterio is somehow still hanging on as a full-time performer in WWE. He is often referred to as the greatest luchador of all time. But he now has competition for that title as he faces off against El Grande Americano. This relative newcomer to the WWE is handling himself like a tenured veteran. This match will be a great demonstration of the lucha libre style of wrestling.

Prediction: Winner, El Grande Americano

Jade Cargill vs. Naomi

This match is barely fit for Smackdown, let alone WrestleMania. This feud is boring, and neither one of them is very good in the ring. These two are taking a spot that could be used by wrestlers that are compelling to watch.

Prediction: Winner, Naomi

LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu in a Singles match for the WWE United States Championship

LA Knight is good for his staccato catchphrase and not much else. His promos are short and sweet, and they resonate with the audience. But Jacob Fatu is force to be reckoned with. In his short time on the WWE main roster, this Bloodline member (where do they get so many of them?) has gotten over quickly with both his credible microphone work and his in-ring skills. This is a great opportunity for both guys to put on a signature WrestleMania match.

Prediction: Winner, and new United States Champion: Jacob Fatu

Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair in a Singles match for the WWE Women’s Championship

Many consider Charlotte Flair to be the women’s wrestling GOAT, yet somehow the WWE managed to botch her return from injury at the Royal Rumble. The crowd was not too pleased when she won the Royal Rumble match, punching her ticket to WrestleMania. Tiffany Stratton is the current champion but has not done much to distinguish herself. This program is so boring that the two of them had to dig into each other’s personal lives in a live segment just to get people talking.

Prediction: Winner and new WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair

Gunther (c) vs. Jey Uso in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Jey Uso shocked the wrestling world when he eliminated John Cena from the Royal Rumble to clinch a WrestleMania championship match. Out of all the entrants in the Royal Rumble, Uso was the darkest of horses to have his hand raised. But this former WrestleMania main eventer has what it takes to carry a big match, and he has an army of fans behind him.

Gunther is a legitimate superstar in his own right. He built a reputation as a no-nonsense bruiser who is almost adorned in championship gold. Most importantly, he is easy to hate, and he is the perfect foil for the fan-favorite Uso. This should be the hardest-hitting and most physical match of the night.

Prediction: Winner and still World Heavyweight Champion, Guenther

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) vs. Seth Rollins in a triple threat match

Leaving the company for ten years did nothing to help accelerate CM Punk’s timeline to main event WrestleMania, nor did his immediate injury upon his return in 2023. But here we are in 2025 and CM Punk is a WrestleMania main eventer for the first time.

This story behind this match blends a lot of real-world situations into the worked drama. Paul Heyman was a mentor, friend, and protector to Punk early in Punk’s career. Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns have a slightly less dramatized off-screen friendship to match their on-screen relationship. Seth Rollins harbors a grudge with CM Punk for leaving the company in 2013.

Heyman’s allegiances to Punk and Reigns will be tested. Rollins stands as the wildcard in this situation. These are three of the best wrestlers in the world right now and this match has instant classic written all over it.

Prediction: Winner, Roman Reigns

WrestleMania Sunday

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley in a Triple threat match for the Women’s World Championship

While the triple-threat main event on Saturday night has the potential to be an instant-classic, this triple threat has the potential to be a disaster. The big difference is talent. The Saturday night main event has three of the best wrestlers in the world. This match has two of the best female wrestlers in the world, and one of the worst.

Bianca Belair already proved she can carry a WrestleMania match very capably when she main-evented WrestleMania Saturday at WrestleMania 37. Rhea Ripley dominates the women’s division right now and can stand with anybody. But Iyo Sky is a mess. She is undersized, cuts bad promos, and does not look like a credible threat against anybody. This is one of the bigger booking mistakes we have seen in the Triple H-era, and it would have been much better had they rolled with Belair vs. Ripley only.

Prediction: Winner, and new WWE Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria in a Tag team match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

I watch a lot of wrestling, and I still wouldn’t recognize Lyra Vaklyria if she bit me on the ass. Is that on me? Or does she just not make an impression? Maybe I haven’t given her enough of a chance, but I do not have high hopes for this match. It will be tough for these four that were thrown together to find some chemistry with each other and make it look good.

Prediction: Winners, and still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

This match is slightly lost in the WrestleMania shuffle but has a ton of promise. Styles and Paul are two of the very best the WWE has right now, but with the logjam of talent at the top they are stuck on the mid-card of WrestleMania Sunday.

In his short and part-time WWE run, Paul has mastered crowd psychology like a 15-year veteran, and his athleticism is unparalleled. Styles wrestled all over the world and has been to the top of the WWE himself. This could be a hidden gem on this WrestleMania card.

Prediction: Winner, Logan Paul

Bron Breakker (c) vs. Penta vs. Finn Bálor vs. Dominik Mysterio in a Fatal four-way match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

This looks like one of those “let’s get everyone booked somehow” matches from afar. But under the surface, there is a compelling championship match between four entertaining wrestlers.

Breaker is off to a good start on the WWE main roster. He is still a little rough around the edges and has a bit of a ways to go, but his speed and athleticism have delivered some noticeable in-ring spots. I would not want to be on the receiving end of his 22mph spear.

Bálor and Mysterio are a bit of an unlikely duo but have undeniable chemistry in the Judgement Day. The jealousy and mistrust between the faction members is classic heel work.

The newcomer Penta is one of several luchadors on the roster but received an open-arms welcome by the WWE fans upon arrival. WWE fans always like new and Penta is fun to watch. This is a quick ascension to WrestleMania status for him so he should be motivated to try to steal the show in what should be an unpredictable match.

Prediction: Winner and new WWE Intercontinental Champion, Dominik Mysterio

Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre in a Sin City Street Fight

Much like Logan Paul and AJ Styles match, this match features two stars who could be in the main event themselves. Both are former champions and are known for putting on hard-hitting matches. If you want a preview of what you could see, check out the McIntyre vs. Punk Hell in a Cell match from 2024.

A Street Fight allows for a lot of creativity. Expect this match to go anywhere in the stadium, maybe even out to the Vegas Strip!

Prediction: Winner, Drew McIntyre

Randy Orton vs. TBA

Kevin Owens had to bow out of his announced match against Randy Orton due to a spinal injury that requires surgery. It is good to see Randy Orton still on the card with an open challenge match and I am looking forward to seeing who the surprise entrant is. An NXT callup? A top star left off the card like Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, or Solo Sikoa? A Hall of Famer? Goldberg?

Prediction: Winner, the other guy

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena in a Singles match for the Undisputed WWE Championship

The reaction that John Cena has received since “The Heel Turn Heard ‘Round The World” has been amazing. His heel promos are so good that the audience can’t help but cheer him when they are over. With Cena set to retire in 2025, he has saved some of the best work for the end.

Cody Rhodes is hanging on as a babyface champion a year after finishing his story at WrestleMania XL in an epic main event against Roman Reigns. It is not easy to keep the crowds hot for a year as a babyface in today’s WWE, but Rhodes has connected with an audience that loves him.

This is Cena’s last WrestleMania match it it might be his biggest one ever. Rhodes is no stranger to WrestleMania events, having competed in two at WrestleMania XL and in the Sunday main event at WrestleMania 39. All the ingredients are in place for this match to punctuate an epic WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas.

Prediction: Winner, and new Undisputed WWE Champion, John Cena

Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Top 10 Most Impactful Heel Turns of All Time

March 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Among the most important facets of professional wrestling is the heel turn. A wrestler who is favored by the fans does something to draw their ire, thus changing the trajectory of their character.

A heel turn can take on many forms. Some are surprise acts of betrayal. Others are teased over a longer period until the situation boils over. But whether you see them coming or not, the best heel turns have a lasting impact on the wrestling landscape.

It has been a week since John Cena turned heel (spoiler alert, it will make the list) and it was such a welcome surprise that it transcended WWE and was widely covered in the mainstream media. It had a huge impact on WrestleMania season and will define his farewell tour in 2025. This was a heel turn done right.

Following last week’s shock, the Internet was plastered with lists of the greatest or the biggest surprise heel turns. I have a different take on what makes a heel turn great, and that is the aftermath of the act itself. Here is my list of the top ten most impactful heel turns of all time.

#10: Triple H Breaks up D-Generation X at WrestleMania XV

A European Championship match between X-Pac and a corporate Shane McMahon took a shocking twist when Triple H interfered in the match on behalf of McMahon. D-Generation X was the hottest faction in WWE at the time and nobody saw it coming. The fans did not want to see D-X break up, but Triple H went on a decades-long run as a top superstar in the company, ultimately accumulating enough credentials to be enshrined as a two-time member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

#9: Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin double-turn at WrestleMania 13

The submission match between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin with Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee was the best match on an otherwise forgettable WrestleMania card. Hart was an established babyface at the top of the card. Austin was an upstart talent that found a character that worked so well, the crowd was beginning to cheer for him despite him being a heel.

The match was executed so well that over the course of the match, both men turned. The crowd turned on Hart and cheered a bloody Austin as he refused to submit to the Sharpshooter. One of the biggest babyface runs in WWE history was launched at that moment, due in large part to Hart turning heel to put Austin over.

#8: Roman Reigns returns to the WWE at SummerSlam 2020

Roman Reigns was a multi-time WrestleMania main-eventer and WWE Champion as a babyface. Despite, or maybe because of his overexposure, the fans never embraced his character. He seemed very disingenuous as if he was pretending to be someone he was not.

In real life, Roman Reigns is a cancer survivor and in the early days of COVID-19 in 2020, he decided it would be best to skip WrestleMania 36. A few months later, he made a surprise return at SummerSlam. Following the main event WWE Universal Championship match between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, Reigns attacked them both.

It was the heel turn the fans had been begging for. It was the beginning of The Bloodline storyline that dominated every WrestleMania from then on.

#7: Steve Austin makes a deal with the devil at WrestleMania X-Seven

During the Attitude Era Steve Austin and The Rock took turns as the top babyface in the company. Throughout Austin’s run, his chief rival was not a wrestler, but the authority figure of Mr. McMahon.

Austin and The Rock both entered the main event of WrestleMania X-Seven as babyfaces. But to the shock of everyone, Austin sided with Mr. McMahon to underhandedly tilt the match in his favor to defeat The Rock and become champion.

This was a controversial heel turn as the fans did not want to accept it. But Austin was able to take chances with his character and he did some of his best work with his ensuing heel run.

#6: Seth Rollins turns on The Shield: There’s always a plan B

The Shield was one of the first NXT success stories following their main roster debut in 2012. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose were an unlikely trio, but there was no denying their individual and collective talents. They worked heel at the beginning, but the crowd cheered them on anyway and they became a wildly popular faction.

At WWE Payback in 2024, a surging Shield defeated Evolution in a six-man tag team match. At the following Monday Night Raw, with The Shield in the ring, Triple H told them that there is “always a plan B”. Without warning, Seth Rollins smashed Roman Reigns on the back with a steel chair and broke up the stable.

The fans did not want them to break up, but it was time for them to move forward as individuals. All three eventually won the WWE championship. Ambrose foolishly departed the WWE for the obscurity of AEW, but Rollins and Reigns are still on WWE Hall of Fame trajectories in the WWE.

#5: Shawn Michaels attacks Marty Jannetty on The Barber Shop

The Rockers were an entertaining tag team. The relationship between Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels had begun to fray. They attempted to air it out their differences on the Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake hosted Barbershop. Just when it seemed like things were smoothed over, Shawn Michaels stunned Jannetty with a superkick. What happened next cemented the heel turn when Michaels violently through Jannetty through the Barbershop glass.

Shawn Michaels went on to be a two-time WWE Hall of Famer. Marty Jannetty went on to be, well, Marty Jannetty.

#4: Andre the Giant challenges Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship

Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan were long-time veterans of the professional wrestling territory circuits, working both as babyfaces and heels. But the era of nationally televised wrestling began with WWF in the mid 1980’s, so most fans knew them both as good guys.

On the eve of WrestleMania III in 1987 that was set to be held in the Pontiac Silverdome, Hulk Hogan needed a challenger for the WWF Championship. On an episode of Piper’s Pit, much to Hogan’s, and everyone’s surprise, Andre the Giant appeared with Bobby Heenan to challenge Hogan for the championship.

Hogan reluctantly accepted the challenge, and Andre was suddenly a bad guy. The interest in that main event sold out the Silverdome. WrestleMania went on to be the biggest annual event in professional wrestling.

#3: Vince McMahon: Bret Screwed Bret

In a turn of events at the 1997 Survivor Series colloquially known as The Montreal Screwjob, Shawn Michaels applied the sharpshooter to Bret Hart and Vince McMahon ordered the timekeeper to ring the bell despite Hart not submitting. While McMahon had always been the owner of the WWF, most fans only knew him as a television announcer and did not know he had actual authority in the company. On top of that, nobody in professional wrestling ever admitted to the fans that it was a work.

Vince McMahon had to make a critical decision about how to present things to the fans on Raw is War just two days later. Of all the things he could have done, he borrowed a move from 17th century Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes and interjected himself into the story.

In an interview with Jim Ross, McMahon said that let Hart go to the WCW for financial reasons and was forced to call the match short because Bret refused to drop the title to Michaels on the eve of his departure. He unapologetically declared that it was not his fault and that “Bret screwed Bret”. Not only did McMahon admit that wrestling was fiction and that he called the shots, but he gave birth to the Mr. McMahon authority figure character that was the reigning heel for the Attitude Era.

#2: John Cena turns on Cody Rhodes

There is some recency bias here, but in just one week this became known as “The Heel Turn Heard ‘Round the World”. In 2025, an all-time great John Cena is in the final year of his career. If there is any knock on him is that he was overused and was always a babyface for nearly two decades.

All that changed in an instant following his victory at the 2025 Elimination Chamber. The Rock came to the ring (accompanied by Travis Scott for some reason that is not clear) and asked Cody Rhodes if he was willing to sell his soul to him. Using some not-safe-for-work language, Rhodes declined The Rock’s offer. Cena gave Rhodes a celebratory hug, but The Rock gave Cena a throat-slash gesture and Cena’s smile turned to a frown. Cena kicked Rhodes in the clackers and all three men gave Rhodes a beatdown in the middle of the ring.

Not only did this upend the storylines for WrestleMania 41, but it was the most shocking and unpredictable heel turn since #1 below.

#1: Hulk Hogan joins The Outsiders to form the nWo

The heroic Hulk Hogan character that dominated the wrestling landscape for a decade had grown stale. In WCW in 1996 he needed a change. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had recently departed the WWE for the WCW and loosely branded themselves as “The Outsiders”. They teased the crowd by saying there was a third member of the group.

At the 1996 Bash at the Beach, Nash and Hall delivered a beat down to Randy Savage. Hogan walked down the ramp and appeared to be there to save his long-time friend from further damage. In a Shakspearian Twist, Hogan immediately delivered a leg drop to Savage and the newly formed trio beat him to a pulp.

In a post-beatdown interview with Gene Okerlund, Hogan admitted he was the third member of the group and called it the New World Order of wrestling. The nWo was formed at that moment and went on to be the most influential heel faction in wrestling history.

Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WrestleMania XL Postscript

April 10, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Triple H
Triple H during the first WrestleMania under his creative control

After an epic build up and a near-perfect execution over the weekend, WrestleMania XL is still generating significant buzz. That is not just because so many things went right. It is also because Triple H made an emphatic statement by declaring that we are in a new era of professional wrestling, and over the course of the weekend, he showed us what that era is going to look like.

WrestleMania XL was the first WrestleMania that was not under the creative direction of Vince McMahon, the hard-charging visionary that brought professional wrestling to the masses yet was allergic to the actual term “professional wrestling”. Despite the ugly ending to his career, there is no denying that Vince had an amazing run for most of his career. But the last five to ten years of his creative ideas were bizarre and off-putting to most long-time wrestling fans.

WrestleMania XL was an indicator that the Triple H era is a welcome change. There was a long-term storyline lead-in to most of the matches. The weekend itself told a continuous story with the main event on Saturday leading to the main event stipulation on Sunday. There were unexpected moments that fit in perfectly. It took us on an emotional roller coaster and reminded us why we were fans to begin with. It left us wanting more and ready to tune in to Raw and Smackdown week after week.

A lot of stars came out of the weekend looking better than before. A handful, not so much. Here are your losers and winners.

Losers

  • Becky Lynch: Her act is getting stale, and she is no longer the darling of the women’s division.
  • Austin Theory: He seems like the one star who is in decline without Vince McMahon calling the shots.
  • #DIY: These guys need to go back to the drawing board, their gimmick sucks.
  • The New Day: They just can’t keep on going without Big E, they badly need a breakup.
  • Karrion Kross: He looks lost in a WWE ring, there was no need to bring him back.
  • AJ Styles: Remember when AJ was cool? How does he get that back?
  • Seth Rollins: He went 0 for 2 on the weekend and lost a championship in the process. I guess someone has the be the doormat at WrestleMania, this year was Seth’s turn.

Winners

  • Rhea Ripley: She is carrying the whole women’s division right now.
  • Jey Uso: Most times, splitting from your tag team and faction sends you on a one-way trip down the card, but Jey has managed to elevate himself as a solo performer.
  • Sami Zayn: If you haven’t noticed, Sami now has three great WrestleMania matches in a row, and he walked out of this one with a championship belt.
  • Gunther: He just finished up the greatest Intercontinental Championship run we have ever seen, there is only upside for the big man going forward.
  • The Rock: Despite his age and prolonged absence from the ring, he has never looked better. And he did it all as a heel, too.
  • Damian Priest: A feel-good WrestleMania for the former Mr. Money In the Bank. He would gladly trade that title for the championship he walked away with.
  • Drew McIntyre: Well, at least he can say he had a brief WrestleMania moment and won a championship while he was at it. His quick loss to Damian Priest is going to lead to some great storyline material.
  • LA Knight: It wasn’t a very hot storyline between Knight and AJ Styles, but he got a big win and looks good right now.
  • Logan Paul: His Prime Hydration company pulled over a billion dollars in sales last year, and this guy wrestles on a future hall-of-famer level.
  • Randy Orton: How great is it to see Randy back in a WrestleMania ring after suffering a career-threatening back injury?
  • The Undertaker: A chokeslam on the Rock for old-time’s sake!
  • Roman Reigns: His championship run was nothing short of epic. WrestleMania XL was the culmination of his pivot to the Tribal Chief character which completely changed the trajectory of his career.
  • Cody Rhodes: Cody is probably the most inspirational babyface champion the WWE has seen since Hulk Hogan.
Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WrestleMania XL Analysis and Predictions

April 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment

The Rock summarized it best when he said that professional wrestling is cool right now. How cool is it that he can even call it professional wrestling and not sports entertainment? A fantastic confluence of events led to both things.

The first was Vince McMahon being forced from the WWE for a second and final time, and it is no longer under his outdated creative control. The second is the plethora of top-level talent on the roster, both full-timers and returning superstars. The third is the #CodyCryBaby movement which altered the original plan for the Sunday main event and forced The Rock to work as a heel. Heel Rock is the best kind of Rock, and professional wrestling has not been this hot since the Attitude Era!

I was a fan of what was believed to be the original plan to have Cody Rhodes challenge Seth Rollins on WrestleMania Saturday, and for the long-rumored Rock vs. Roman Reigns match to take place on WrestleMania Sunday. The Reigns vs. Rock match needs to happen, and this year seemed like the perfect time to do it. Rhodes vs. Rollins would have been a great throwback-type main event between two of the best talents in the world in the prime of their careers. Not to mention that we got Rhodes vs. Reigns last year and I’m never a fan of consecutive WrestleMania main events.

Then the #CodyCryBaby movement took over and Triple H apparently pivoted as a result. The new plan features Rhodes, Reigns, and Rollins competing both nights, The Rock relegated to a tag match, and Drew McIntyre getting a World Heavyweight Championship title shot.

But the most important pivot of them all is that The Rock masterfully pulled off a heel turn. After all the years away from the ring and at age 51, he is still adding to his legacy as one of the greatest of all time and is doing some of the best work of his career.

A peek further down the card on both nights reveals a lot of other intriguing match ups. It is not just the main event talents that are firing on all cylinders right now, the mid-card stars are putting in some of their best work at the right time as well.

I am still a firm believer that WrestleMania should be a three-to-four-hour event featuring the best of the best. But the two-night event is here to stay, so I am looking forward to making a weekend out of it. I have high hopes for what is to come. Here is my breakdown of the card.

WrestleMania Saturday

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch in a Singles match for the Women’s World Championship

Rhea Ripley is arguably the best superstar to compete in the Women’s Division since the WWE decided to prioritize it in 2015. She has a great look and can work a convincing match without blowing any spots. She also has the distinction of being the leader of a popular mixed-gender faction, The Judgement Day. Traditionally, they have been fronted by men.

Becky Lynch has more charisma that in-ring talent. Often, that is good enough to make you an elite performer in the WWE. Just ask the Ultimate Warrior.

These two are veteran main event-level performers. If there is one women’s match on WrestleMania weekend that has a chance of being good, this one is it.

Prediction: Winner, and still champion, Rhea Ripley

Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn in a Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Gunther will forever be remembered as one of the most important Intercontinental champions of all time. He has already surpassed the length of Honky Tonk Man’s record title reign. His matches are brutal and convincing.

Sami Zayn is in his third straight big WrestleMania spot. This might be a bit of a step down from last year’s WrestleMania Saturday main event, but he is still being given a chance to stand out amongst the crowd. His vignettes with Chad Gable leading up to the match were equal parts hilarious, dramatic, and inspirational.

The only reason it would make sense for the underdog Zayn to unseat the champion would be to move Gunther up to the main event picture. Other than that possibility, this one is straight forward to predict.

Prediction: Winner, and still champion, Gunther

The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) in a Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship

This is one of those “let’s get everyone on the WrestleMania card and try to re-create an old-school tag team ladder match” type of matches that looks like it is going to be a mess.

Tomasso and Ciampa are terrible and need to be sent back to NXT. The New Day gimmick was overplayed even before Big E suffered a career-ending neck injury, and they should just break up. Theory and Waller were just thrown together and have no chemistry. Dunne and Bate have not done much to distinguish themselves at all.

The only two challengers to Bálor and Priest who deserve this spot and can be expected to perform well are The Miz and T-Truth, but they are going to get lost in this twelve-man mess. The Judgement Day deserved better.

Prediction: Winners and still champions, The Judgement Day

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso

Good guy versus bad guy? Brother versus brother? A singles match with no stipulations or title on the line? A grudge match based on a years-long storyline culminating at WrestleMania? Yes please! This one has the bad guy winning written all over it.

Prediction: Winner, Jimmy Uso

Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane)

What did Bianca Belair do to deserve this? She is the only other healthy woman on the roster on the level of Rhea Ripley. Damage CTRL has always been horrible, and they got even worse when Bayley was jettisoned. This is going to be a throw-away match that nobody will remember.

Prediction: Winners, Belair, Cargill, and Naomi

Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Santos Escobar and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio has emerged as one of the best heels in the WWE and is usually someone that you must watch. But this match does not seem to have much heat behind it. Maybe it is because Rey Mysterio is over the hill and the father versus son angle has been played out ad nauseum. Escobar and Lee are not going to enhance that storyline very much.

Prediction: Winners, Escobar and Mysterio

The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns) vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins

Stipulation: If Rhodes and Rollins win, all members of The Bloodline will be barred from ringside during the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match on Night 2.

If Rock and Reigns win, the championship match on Night 2 will be held under Bloodline Rules.

Take three of the best active professional wrestlers today and one of the best to ever do it and throw in a crazy stipulation that will directly affect the WrestleMania Sunday main event. That gives you all the ingredients you need for an instant-classic WrestleMania match. If the chips had to fall this way to fit the WrestleMania trajectory for Rhodes, we ended up with a great outcome.

Look for everyone involved in this match to shine. The Rock is going to look to prove to the world that he can still bring it. This is arguably the most important match of Rollins’ long career. Rhodes and Reigns are going to have to set up their WrestleMania event the very next day. Professional wrestling does not get much better than this.

Prediction: Winners, The Bloodline

WrestleMania Sunday

Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre in a singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Drew McIntyre backed his way into this spot when CM Punk was injured and the #CodyCryBaby movement ripped up the script. That is not to say that he does not deserve to be here. McIntyre was the WWE pandemic-era champion who was forced to perform almost exclusively on a television set with no live audience members. He carried the title well when we had nothing to do but stay home and watch TV. If Punk is not available to challenge Rollins, McIntyre is the best available option to step up.

This is the best championship run of Seth Rollins’ career. He is the second “face” of the WWE behind Roman Reigns. He is the champion we get when Reigns is on one of his regular breaks from WWE television. His Randy Savage-inspired style, his maniacal personality, and his top-notch work rate make him a compelling watch.

Rollins is working with a legitimate knee injury. He is also going to wrestle two nights in a row so I would expect that the injury works its way into the storyline during both matches. CM Punk, who is on commentary for this match, and seemingly is in a feud with both  Rollins and McIntyre will certainly factor into the outcome of the match.

Prediction: Winner and new champion, Drew McIntyre

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley in a singles match for the WWE Women’s Championship

This match is a great example of why I think WrestleMania is too long.

Prediction: Winner and new champion, Bayley

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

Remember when AJ Styles was champion? Remember when LA Knight was hot? This match seems like it has been lost in the shuffle. Maybe, despite a weak lead-in, these two veterans will leave it all in the ring and give us something to remember.

Prediction: Winner, LA Knight

Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens in a triple threat match for the WWE United States Championship

This should be a good one. Orton and Owens have both worked WrestleMania main events. Logan Paul continues to surprise wrestling observers with his amazing in-ring skill set despite his lack of experience. This match falls short of being over-booked and should be exciting from bell to bell.

Prediction: Winner and still champion, Logan Paul

The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins, and Montez Ford) (with B-Fab) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam, and Rezar) (with Scarlett and Paul Ellering) in a six-man tag team Philadelphia Street Fight

I do not know what happened to Bobby Lashley, but he has taken a pretty steep tumble down the card. The union of Dawkins, Ford, and Lashley has helped none of them. Kross should not even be on the WWE roster. Akam and Rezar have potential but have not done much since their recent return to the WWE to warrant a WrestleMania match. Do they really need two managers in their corner? This is going to be a mess.

Prediction: Winners, The Pride

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes in a TBD match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

Congratulations, Cody Cry Babies! You got the same main event you got last year. Is Rhodes going to “finish his story” this time? Is he finally going to win the championship his legendary father failed to grasp? Or are we going to get a repeat of last year when Reigns found a way to win?

I have a feeling that after these two compete against each other in a tag match on WrestleMania Saturday, this match is going to be somewhat of a letdown. It feels like a creative trap that will be hard to escape from. How many ways can they figure out how to work WrestleMania main events against each other?

Regardless of what stipulation is used for this match, The Bloodline will certainly play a role in the outcome of this match, much like they did last year. I have a feeling that the Cody Cry Babies are going to end up crying some more after this match is over.

Prediction: Winner and still champion, Roman Reigns

Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WrestleMania 39 Postscript

April 4, 2023 by Leave a Comment

All it took was one heel turn. Roman Reigns was a disaster as a babyface champion, and all of his WrestleMania main events were near dreadful affairs. In 2020 he took some time away from WWE and returned as the bad guy that we all wanted him to be. That moment set him up to finally live up to his potential as the best performer in the company.

The Bloodline saga was punctuated with two top-notch WrestleMania main events this year. There were plenty of other good matches that exceeded expectations, but this was The Bloodline show. Cody Rhodes won the fans over and was the betting favorite on offshore betting websites, but it was not meant to be for him. Roman Reigns was set to maintain his grip on the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship the whole time. The initial critical reaction was that Reigns vs. Rhodes was the greatest WrestleMania main event of all time. It might be a bit early to make that call, but it certainly felt like an important match that will be remembered fondly.

WrestleMania Sunday overcame two significant injuries to close the weekend on a strong note. Both nights were captivating from start to finish.  Most of the undercard matches were wildly entertaining. Matches were kept simple, and they were based on storylines that resonated with the audience. The broadcast duo of Corey Graves and Michael Cole nailed it on commentary.

The critical acclaim for this WrestleMania is no doubt due to the creative direction of WWE content under the stewardship of Triple H. He clearly learned well under the tutelage of Vince McMahon but brought a fresh perspective to the approach of storyline and character development that connected with the fans.

There were more ups than downs, and many wrestlers came out of the weekend in a better place in their careers, having elevated their status through their performances, or by cementing indelible WrestleMania legacies. The winners far outnumbered the losers.

The Losers

  • Bobby Lashley: Got the short end of the stick when Bray Wyatt had to pull out of action. The big guy deserved a spot on the card and didn’t get it.
  • Dominik Mysterio: Come on, kid! If you are going to step up to your old man, you better beat him.
  • Shane McMahon: Legitimately tore his quadricep muscle seconds into his first in-ring action in over a year. Maybe his body is telling him something.
  • Gable Steveson: Remember Steveson being introduced to the crowd twice during WrestleMania 38? What happened to him since then?

The Winners

  • Austin Theory: Welcome to the big time, son. A victory over John Cena at WrestleMania is as good as it gets.
  • Logan Paul: Triple H said it best, “he has no business being this good”.
  • Seth “Freakin” Rollins: Seth can be counted on to work with anybody anywhere and make it look great. He continues to author a great WrestleMania legacy for himself.
  • Gunther: What a great Intercontinental Championship run for this ethnic heel. He got a late start to his main roster WWE career, let’s see what else he is capable of.
  • Sheamus: Just put this guy in the Hall of Fame now. Sheamus has quietly been one of the most important players in WWE over the course of his decade plus career.
  • Drew McIntyre: Drew carried the championship well during the closed-arena era for WWE. But his calling card of late has been his ability to capture a moment. He did just that, along with Sheamus and Gunther in this match.
  • Snoop Dogg: Does Snoop even know how to throw a working punch? Or run the ropes? Or drop a People’s Elbow? None of that stuff is easy! Well, he sure figured it out on the fly.
  • “The Demon” Finn Bálor: He recovered from a nasty cut that stopped the match and put on a show with Edge. This was the best WWE match the 41-year old has been involved in.
  • Edge: He is already in the Hall of Fame so it’s not like he needs to add to his legacy. But he sure did anyway. With Triple H retired, he got to take over the “cool entrance” spot with his Brood Edge character set to Slayer’s “South of Heaven”. Amazing!
  • Kevin Owens: If you are keeping score at home, this is the second WrestleMania main event in a row for the kid from Quebec who learned English from watching WWE programming. Is there a cooler story?
  • Sami Zayn: The MVP of the WWE was prominently featured in both WrestleMania main events. He knocked it out of the park this year.
  • The Usos: They already surpassed Demolition and The New Day with the length of their title run. But most importantly, they are the backbone of the Bloodline, and I don’t think Roman would be as good without them.
  • Solo Sikoa: This rookie played a critical role in the main event. He wasn’t a competitor in the match, but he hit his time cues perfectly and delivered the final blow to Cody before the match-ending spear from Roman. Solo played his part perfectly.
  • Paul Heyman: Roman Reigns is in the midst of one of the greatest championship runs ever, but Paul Heyman gets to wear the championship title belts to and from the ring. That pretty much makes him the coolest dude in WWE.
  • Cody Rhodes: He got his big WrestleMania main event and will be remembered for this match forever. This loss isn’t going to set him back, it is just another chapter in his story. Watch this space.
  • Roman Reigns: The face of the WWE is in his prime and delivered his best WrestleMania match yet. Look for him to be in this spot again next year in Philadelphia.
Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2023 WWE Royal Rumble Analysis and Predictions

January 28, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Cody Rhodes returns to the WWE in the Royal Rumble after suffering a gruesome injury while training for Hell In a Cell

Welcome to the most unique WrestleMania season we have ever known. As far as we know, Triple H is entirely in charge of the WWE creative product and for the first time in the history of WrestleMania, Vince McMahon is not. I say as far as we know because McMahon weaseled his way back into the WWE board of directors after having had to retire in disgrace because he is a lecherous old man. Ostensibly, his role as chairman of the board is not the same as his hands-on role as CEO and he is just there to re-negotiate the television rights and possibly sell the company.

Wrestling fans and critics largely are hoping McMahon does not return to WWE creative as he had become increasingly erratic with his decisions regarding talents and the on-screen product, and he was severely out of touch with his audience. Triple H has taken things in a much different direction. He brought back fan-favorite talents that McMahon abruptly fired. The NXT callups to the main roster were given a chance to get over on television without being instantly buried. He even gave two-named wrestlers turned one-name wrestlers their first (or last) names back!

The product is far from perfect, but it has been noticeably more enjoyable with Triple H at the creative helm. But the pressure is going to be on for him to deliver at WrestleMania, and that will only be a success if things get off to a good start at the Royal Rumble. There are only five matches on the card and two of them are inconsequential women’s matches, but there is still a lot to unpack here.

Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match

It is good to see Bray Wyatt back in the WWE after he was unceremoniously fired from the company following WrestleMania 37. However it is somewhat incongruous for his supernatural character to be featured in a match sponsored by Mountain Dew. It remains to be seen (or not, I guess) what a Pitch Black Match looks like, but if this progresses Wyatt’s character headed into WrestleMania, it will be worth the icky corporate tie-in.

Prediction: Winner, Bray Wyatt

Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Kevin Owens in a singles match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

Roman Reigns may be the face of the WWE, but it is Kevin Owens that keeps the company running. There is no more important opponent for the main-event level talent in today’s WWE than Kevin Owens. This is his second high-profile match in the last twelve months, having experienced his career peak with a main event match against Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38. Owens can work with anybody in any type of match and can come off as a credible opponent.

The tie-in with Sami Zayn is critical to this angle. Zayn has never been more popular than he is right now. The crowds at live shows are enamored with him and his compelling storyline with The Bloodline. His tenuous status with the Tribal Chief and his cohorts changes from show to show, and the twists and turns in their relationship always leave us wanting more. There will certainly be a twist to this match that propels Sami towards a high-profile clash at WrestleMania 39.

Prediction: Winner and still Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

There is virtually no build up to the Women’s Royal Rumble Match as evidenced by the fact following the go home episode of Smackdown, there were only a total of twelve entrants announced. One of them is Emma (insert face palm emoji here). The only one that has doing anything of note right now is Rhea Ripley.

Ripley is the centerpiece of the only interesting storyline involving any of the female talent on the WWE main roster right now. The Judgement Day is a serviceable faction, and she is their most visible member.

Prediction: After countless blown spots and anti-climactic surprise returns, your winner will be Rhea Ripley.

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss in a singles match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship

Alexa Bliss is in the longest yo-yo of a career arc we have ever seen. She was aligned with Bray Wyatt until his firing from the company, and the unwind of her supernatural character was pretty much wrapped up when he was rehired. So, it appears that she is headed back to be part of a faction with him. Other than that possibility, there’s nothing to see here.

Prediction: Winner and still champion, Bianca Belair

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

The return of Cody Rhodes from a gruesome torn pectoral injury has been the talk of the rumble. There has been criticism levied at the announcement of his return instead of making it a surprise. But this was obviously going to happen for quite some time, so it made sense to build up his return.

There are still at least ten entrants that have not been announced yet so there is room for legitimate surprise entries into the rumble. Edge seems like the most logical one because it is time for him to return to gear up for his WrestleMania program. After that you can let your imagination run wild. It could be a few NXT callups, a returning Hall-of-Famer who gets tossed in thirty seconds, or maybe The Rock?

I would guess that the winner is in the pool of entrants that were already announced. I have them bucketed as follows:

No Chance in Hell:

Kofi Kingston, Santos Escobar, Ricochet, Baron Corbin, Omos, Karrion Kross, Dominik Mysterio, Xavier Woods, Braun Strowman

Dark Horse Winner Potential:

Edge, Austin Theory, Rey Mysterio, Gunther, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, The Miz

High Probability of Winning:

Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Bobby Lashley

Odds-On Favorites:

Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes

In reality, the condition that the winner of the Royal Rumble goes on to face the champion at WrestleMania is a creative trap that limits the pool of potential winners to a select few. But WrestleMania is two nights long now so there is potential for multiple angles to be set up from the outcome here.

Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WrestleMania 35 Postscript

April 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment

IMG_3222

The view from my seats at MetLife Stadium for WrestleMania 35

I was fortunate to be able to attend WrestleMania 35 in person last night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.  It certainly was the most unique spectacle I’ve seen at MetLife Stadium, and the excitement in the crowd was high.  Even though the overwhelming consensus among my viewing group was that the show was just too damn long, we all had a great time.  The show exceeded my expectations and I am sad that it is over.

Aside from notable one-off performances by returning veterans no longer on a full-time schedule such as Triple H, Batista, and Beth Phoenix, the content of the show focused on showcasing the vast number of talented performers the WWE has on the active roster.  This WrestleMania did not rely very heavily on featuring aging stars of the past.

Of course, the focus was on the women’s division, which historically participated in the WrestleMania main event for the first time ever.  The crowd was as hot as it could be for that match, considering most of us were in our seats for almost seven hours by the time the bell rang!

Professional wrestling is a story that never ends.  But WrestleMania is both a time of closure of careers and storylines, as well as a launching pad for new ones.  Based on the outcome of yesterday’s results, there is going to be a big shuffle at the top of the card in both the men’s and women’s divisions, centered around who now holds, and who will chase the top championships on both Raw and Smackdown.

Both Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey are looking at long hiatuses, with Lesnar possibly making another UFC run, and Rousey having suffered a broken hand during last night’s main event.  The new title holders, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch should get some clarity relatively soon with who they will be facing in their first title defenses.  The Universal Title picture is wide open right now, any number of Raw superstars are primed to step up and face Rollins for his newly won strap.

The situation with Lynch could simply reduce her feud from a three-way to two-way with just Charlotte Flair.  This would depend on if the Raw and Smackdown titles are united into one, or if she is forced to defend both.  The women’s roster isn’t as deep at the top as the men’s roster is, so the number of compelling competitors for Lynch isn’t nearly as deep as those that Rollins could face.

Kofi Kingston had the best night of his career.  He went from B+ player to A player at WrestleMania when he captured his first WWE Heavyweight Championship after 11 years of toiling in the mid-card.  What remains to be seen now is if WWE believes he can be a long-term “face of the company” or if he is a transitional campion who will drop the belt in short order at an upcoming pay per view.

There is a lot more to dissect from a show that contained sixteen matches.  There were a lot of winners and losers, and not just because of who won or lost their match last night.  A look at some of the losers and winners:

Losers

  • Ronda Rousey: Was on a tear in her first full year in WWE but suffered a badly broken hand during her match last night. She was rumored to be taking a hiatus sometime soon anyway, but this was a tough way to go out.
  • The Cruiserweight Division: If the best this division could do was a short match at the beginning of the pre-show, it is time to decide if the division is needed at all.
  • The Miz: The Miz is out of place as a babyface. Let’s hope that last night’s loss sends him back down the right path.
  • Kevin Owens: They couldn’t find anything for KO on this card? Why did they bring him back from injury before WrestleMania if they weren’t going to use him?  This is very peculiar, and I can only hope that they use this to get some heel heat on him in the immediate timeframe.
  • All participants in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: This match never helped anybody, and it never will. It was a consolation prize for most of the competitors who wouldn’t have been on the show otherwise.  Braun Strowman yet again didn’t get a very good spot at WrestleMania, let’s hope this trend isn’t permanent.
  • Rey Mysterio: Looked like a Barry Horowitz-type jobber on his way to getting squashed. Time to call it a career.
  • Drew McIntyre: Couldn’t pull out the victory in this match, the WWE needs to decide if it wants to get behind him or not.
  • Roman Reigns: Well, he won in life because he beat cancer and that’s what’s important. But he sucks just as bad as ever in the ring, delivering yet another snooze-fest of a WrestleMania match.  At least he didn’t ruin another main event.
  • The Undertaker: What has become of The Deadman? WrestleMania was his show for over two decades.  His WrestleMania win streak ended five years ago, and he appeared to retire two years ago when he lost to Roman Reigns and left his ring gear in the ring to end the night.  Well, he didn’t retire because last year he returned to WrestleMania to plant John Cena.  Then what?  No mention of him at all this year?  Don’t we deserve a little something better than a start-and-stop sendoff if his WrestleMania career is over?  And if it’s not over, why wasn’t he there last night?

Winners

  • Seth Rollins: Four years after he defeated Brock Lesnar for the title at WrestleMania 31, he managed to do it again last night. Look for a lengthy title run from this workhorse.
  • Brock Lesnar: Just because he lost the match doesn’t mean he wasn’t a winner. Another big payday for Brock, and when he wants another check, he’ll come right back to the WWE.  See you in Saudi Arabia, big guy.
  • Becky Lynch: Anytime you get your hand raised in the last match of the night at WrestleMania, you achieve professional wrestling immortality.
  • Elias: He can’t seem to ever get a match at a big show, but his routine of starting a song and being interrupted hasn’t gotten old yet. They will probably keep this up for some time to come.
  • John Cena: He didn’t have a WrestleMania match for the first time since he made his debut at WrestleMania XX, but he stole the show anyway in a surprise appearance in the Elias segment. He should return to his roots as a freestyle rapper more often.
  • Triple H: Returning from injury for the first time since October, The Cerebral Assassin delivered a punishing performance against his long-time friend Batista.
  • Batista: Congratulations to Batista on a great career as he announced his retirement on Twitter after the match. What a way to go out.  See you at a Hall of Fame ceremony very soon!
  • Ric Flair: This cat has nine lives! It was great to see him make a brief but effective run-in during the Batista vs. Triple H match.
  • Kurt Angle: Asking the crowd to serenade you with a “you suck” chant as you walk out of the stadium for the final time as an active performer is a form of retirement celebration that you would only see in the WWE!
  • Baron Corbin: He taunted the crowd that wanted John Cena in this match instead of him and went on to win. This is going to really help his development as a heel and help to move him forward.
  • Shane McMahon: The Best in the World showed yet again why he is WrestleMania’s best stuntman.
  • Samoa Joe: A quick and brutal victory, that was exactly the kind of WrestleMania performance Joe needed. He can build on this.
  • The Usos: Finally, finally, finally, they had a real WrestleMania moment. Any four-way tag team match has the potential for ugliness, but the Usos came through and looked impressive in their victory.
  • Daniel Bryan: This loss was really one of the biggest wins of his career. A year after his improbable return to professional wrestling following a brain injury, he participated in the best match of the night.  In any other year, this could have been the WrestleMania main event.
  • Kofi Kingston: As I said earlier, this was the best night of his career. The WWE handed him the football and he ran it in for a touchdown.IMG_3222

That is a wrap on WrestleMania 35 season, and I already can’t wait for WrestleMania 36 season next year.  In the meantime, there are a lot of potential happenings to come starting tonight.  I’d expect some NXT callups, as well as a “superstar shakeup” between Raw and Smackdown over the next few months.  And maybe The Undertaker comes back for another Saudi Arabia show!

Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WrestleMania 35 Analysis and Predictions

April 6, 2019 by 1 Comment

Me and Daniel Bryan

Myself with WWE Champion, The New Daniel Bryan and WrestleMania Axxess

East Rutherford, New Jersey will be the most important place in the world on Sunday!  WrestleMania week is here!  The excitement is in the air in my home state of New Jersey where WrestleMania 35 will be held at MetLife Stadium.  There is no better tailgating scene in the NFL than at Giants and Jets games, and my crew and I are going to extend our parking lot grilling skills to WrestleMania.

There has almost never been a more peculiar time to be a WWE fan.  Ratings for Raw have been at historic lows, despite the glut in talent from the NXT feeder system.  There has never been a deeper WWE roster, but creatively, the WWE can’t seem to get out of its own way.  In recognition of the low ratings and viewer apathy, Vince McMahon returned to WWE television and promised to shake things up.  The shakeup included firing both general managers of Raw and Smackdown just to insert the McMahon family back as authority figures (because we’ve never seen that movie before), and promising a bunch of NXT call ups that either didn’t show up (what’s with that Lars Sullivan guy?) or completely failed to get over (EC3, I had such high hopes for you!).

But hey, WrestleMania 35 is here and there are at least 15 matches crammed into what will be a six-plus hour show.  Time to get excited!  We have title matches, battle royals, grudge matches, farewell matches, you name it!  The possibilities are endless!  We have no idea if The Undertaker, John Cena, or most oddly Kevin Owens are even going to be on the show.  But if they do or they don’t, this card has all the makings of what can become a top-five-best WrestleMania of all time.

Since there are so many matches, unlike the WWE, I’m going to practice a little brevity with my blog and not take your entire day with it.  But, if you are betting the matches offshore, you’ll want to take my predictions to the bank!

Special Attractions

Alexa Bliss is going to be the WrestleMania host.  The way they’ve been playing things out on TV, she’s been more of a heel commissioner type by creating matches for superstars, rather than being a host.  Either way, this is going to play out somehow, and will likely dictate the direction and finish of at least one match on the card.

Elias is going to put on a special musical performance.  I expect him to insult the crowd and get interrupted, which perhaps will turn things into a spontaneous match.

Triple H. vs. Batista in a No Holds Barred match with Triple H’s career on the line

After having completely botching Batista’s last return to the WWE ahead of WrestleMania XXX, the WWE got this one exactly right.  He’s back on a hot, reality-based, and emotional angle against his former mentor, Triple H.  Of course, Triple H is the perfect foil for this type of angle, always able to get any kind of storyline over.

For the second straight WrestleMania at MetLife Stadium, Triple H’s career is on the line in a match.  Unlike WrestleMania XXIX where he survived to see another day by defeating Brock Lesnar, don’t expect HHH to duplicate that feat.  He has looked older and slower in recent years during his one-off matches, and he suffered a major injury when he last competed at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia last year.  Time for the Cerebral Assassin, The King of Kings, The Game, whatever you wanna call him, to finally hang up his boots.

Prediction: Winner, Batista

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere match

Grudge matches don’t get much better than this.  The rivalry between these two was built in a slow-burn angle that started with The Miz begging Shane to be his tag team partner so The Miz could make his dad proud of him.  So, when the team failed, it set the stage for a masterfully executed heel turn by Shane when he attacked The Miz from behind in front of The Miz’s father.

The falls count anywhere stipulation was added to this match to accent McMahon’s talents as a stuntman.  There will certainly be some big spot that includes him taking a death-defying leap and exploding through a large object at the bottom of his fall.

Prediction: Winner, Shane McMahon

Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Tony Nese in a singles match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

This match is a complete waste of time and shouldn’t be on the card.  I wouldn’t know either guy if he bit me on the ass, and I’m betting you wouldn’t, either.  Not gonna bother making a prediction for this match other than I’ll probably ride it out on the nacho stand line in MetLife Stadium.

Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin in Kurt Angle’s farewell match

Kurt Angle finished his career out well after his return to the WWE at WrestleMania 33.  He’s a Hall of Famer and was featured in a high-profile WrestleMania match at WM 34.  He’s going out on a high note with a feature farewell match at WrestleMania 35 against Baron Corbin.

This is a great spot for Baron Corbin, to be featured in Kurt Angle’s last match.  He’s a great heel judging by the fan backlash against him being in this match.  He knows he’s annoying and that people hate him, and he doesn’t care.

Wrestling tradition dictates that when someone leaves town, he puts the new guy over.  It never fails.

Prediction: Winner, Baron Corbin

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

They’ve spent weeks on television trying to one-up the other on the microphone.  There’s no gimmick, no titles on the line in this match.  Just two of the best veteran professional wrestlers in the world in a heated grudge match.  It will be a treat to watch them trying to one-up the other in the WrestleMania ring.

Prediction: Winner, Randy Orton

André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Ah, the refuge of the damned.  The Sixth annual André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, the match that exists to “get all the wrestlers on the card” and hasn’t really produced any memorable moments.  It hasn’t helped any careers either.

It is unfortunate that Braun Strowman is stuck in this match.  This guy never seems to have any luck when it comes to WrestleMania booking.  He’s got some silly feud going with two guys from Saturday Night Live that nobody has ever heard of.  And there are 27 other competitors in the match, none of whom are marquee names.  Boring.

Prediction: Winner, Braun Strowman

Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio in a singles match for the WWE United States Championship

After a long wait, Samoa Joe finally gets a one-on-one matchup at WrestleMania.  Joe is one the most dependable heels on the roster and he is good at getting any storyline over.  This is a great spot for him to be in, and he should really be able to carry the inferior and undersized Rey Mysterio to an exciting match.

Prediction: Winner and still champion, Samoa Joe

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

Roman Reigns isn’t going to be in a fifth straight WrestleMania main event and that is a good thing.  He wasn’t any good before he went away to get treated for Leukemia.  He didn’t improve during that time, but the human-interest story stemming from his cancer battle seems to have finally gotten him over with the fans.  That’s a long way to go to get over!

Drew McIntyre is believed to be a future WWE champion by many.  This is going to be the biggest match of his life, so expect him to deliver a brutal performance.

Prediction: Winner, Drew McIntyre

The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks) (c) vs. The Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya) vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) vs. Nia Jax and Tamina in a fatal four-way tag team match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection is far and away the worst name for a tag team the WWE has ever come up with.  I can’t even think of something that compares.  Bayley has the poorest gimmick in the WWE.  Just no to this whole thing.

Prediction: The team with the dumbest name wins

Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Finn Bálor in a singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Finn Bálor is a scrawny little twerp who smiles too much.  His Demon King gimmick is lame and illogical.  I don’t get what the big deal with this guy is.  Bobby Lashley is the total package and has already participated in one of the highest profile WrestleMania matches of all time when he represented future WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump.  Bobby won his match, giving them the right to shave Vince McMahon’s head bald.  Expect another big performance out of Lashley this Sunday.

Prediction: Winner and still champion, Bobby Lashley

WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal

I love WrestleMania, but there are way too many matches on this card.  If this match wasn’t on the show, not a single person in the world would think any less of WrestleMania.

The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) (c) vs. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder in a tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship

Hey, good for Hawkins and Ryder to be featured in a straight-up tag team match in a crowded card.  They haven’t done anything to distinguish themselves lately, but hey, here’s a chance!  Well, they’ll probably get smoked in a quick match, but you never know.

Prediction: Winners and still champions, The Revival

The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) (c) vs. Ricochet and Aleister Black vs. The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev in a fatal four-way tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship

There’s a lot to unpack in this match.  To summarize the most important things you need to know about it:

  • The Usos: Veteran tag team that only made their first main-card WrestleMania appearance last year, only to get squashed and lose the titles. They want to put on a better show this year.
  • Ricochet and Aleister Black: Recent NXT callups that were randomly made into a tag team. They are hot right now and have a great deal of upside.
  • Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev: Why are these guys a team? In fact, why is Nakamura still in WWE and why is Rusev constantly cooling off every time he gets hot?
  • The Bar: After middling singles careers, these two have turned into one of the best tag teams we’ve ever seen.

Prediction: Winners and new champions, The Bar

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins Singles match for the WWE Universal Championship

Big Brock Lesnar continues to dominate the competition on Monday Night Raw.  That is, when he decides to show up!  Much to the chagrin of most fans, a part-timer is WWE Universal Champion.  Of course, none of them realize that there’s money in getting them to hate the guy, no matter what the reason.

As good as Seth Rollins is, expect Vince McMahon to continue to troll you all with a Lesnar win.  He can then go on to defend the title the next time the WWE heads to Saudi Arabia this year.

Prediction: Winner and still champion, Brock Lesnar

The New Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston in a singles match for the WWE Championship

After a three-year layoff due to a brain injury, Daniel Bryan has been firing on all cylinders since his return a year ago.  Questions about his working style or the WWE’s commitment were quickly squashed when he became a heel champion in 2018.  The WWE has never committed to him more than they have right now.  Daniel Bryan is at his best when he works heel and is a breath of fresh air to see him shun his “Yes Chant” and trust in his ability to make the crowd hate him.

Kofi Kingston is playing out a role reversal with Daniel Bryan from Bryan’s lead in to WrestleMania XXX. The fans wanted Bryan to get a title shot so WWE creative asserted the storyline of him being labeled a “B+ player” who was being oppressed by the McMahon Family and had to earn his shot to main event WrestleMania.

Kofi caught lightning in a bottle in a gauntlet match on Smackdown that he wasn’t even supposed to be in. Filling in for the injured Ali, he put in a nearly hour long effort until finally losing to AJ Styles. After 11 years of toiling in the mid-card, Kofi was embraced by the fans who demanded that he get a title shot at WrestleMania. Since WWE creative had some time to kill, and apparently, they were out of new ideas, they replayed the exact same “B+ player who is being screwed by the McMahon Family” angle on Kofi. Of course, Kofi persevered, and now here he is in the biggest match of his life.

This match most certainly should be the best match of the night.  These are two of the best workers on the roster, and for the first time in 11 years, Kofi will go from a B+ player to an A player.  He’s still going to lose, though.

Prediction: Winner and still champion, The New Daniel Bryan

Ronda Rousey (c; Raw) vs. Charlotte Flair (c; SmackDown) vs. Becky Lynch Winner takes all triple threat match for both the WWE Raw Women’s Championship and the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship

They said it couldn’t be done, but for the firs time in WWE history, women will headline the show in the main event.  As my faithful readers now, I am no fan of what is formerly known as the “Diva’s Division”, having suffered years of sub-par bra-and-panties matches, and other waste of time segments of the like.

That was then and this is now, and the WWE has fully committed to making the Women’s Division equal to the Men’s Division.   Although I’m still not really a fan of most of the division, I have to say that two of the best they have are in this match, in Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.

I was convinced Rousey was going to absolutely suck when she burst onto the scene last year and I was surprised at how well she took to the business.  Her promos are raw and personal, and she is a workhorse in the ring.  I was initially interested in Charlotte Flair because she is Ric Flair’s daughter.  But she went on to distinguish herself almost immediately and is an imposing figure in the ring.

I am not sold on Becky Lynch.  She seems to have gotten over in the same manner as Daniel Bryan five years ago, and Kofi Kingston this year.  Her performances aren’t the best, and she is going to be overshadowed by the other two superior performers in this match.

Even I must hand it to these three.  From a division that was lucky to have one match on the WrestleMania card just six years ago, to the division that is in the main event, they certainly earned this opportunity.  I’m not sure what to make of this match, and the crowd is going to be exhausted after sitting through fifteen matches prior to this one.  The are going to have to bring their best in order to win over this crowd.  Expect them to try something special that we won’t forget.

Prediction: Winner, and new double-champion, Charlotte Flair

That’s as brief as I could make it!  I will see you at the show!

 

Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guest WrestleMania Spot

April 4, 2019 by Leave a Comment
by Ned Moraghan, special to The North Jersey Nonconformist

WrestleMania 35 is this weekend.  This will be the fourth time I will be attending in person and the first that I’m taking my kids with me.  I’m very much looking forward to going.  I also am trying to figure out which matches I will remember years from now.  At WrestleMania 18, it was Hogan vs Rock.   Hogan was supposed to be heel but we were going to have none of it.  We nearly willed Hogan to victory but he came up short.  I still remember being exhausted at the end of the match.  Of all the sporting events, concerts I’ve attended in my lifetime, I’ve never been a part of a crowd like that.  For WrestleMania XX, both main events were awesome.  I also vividly remember Lesnar vs Goldberg getting booed out of the building.  Punk vs Taker stole the show at WrestleMania 29.  The irony is that it’s Punk’s last WrestleMania match as well as the last match that Taker won in the Streak.

Now to figure out which matches have a chance of having that WrestleMania moment.

  • Angle vs Corbin – I’m very torn on this.  I’ve following Angle’s career and been at some of his most memorable matches (first title win against the Rock, street fight against Shane, WrestleMania XX against Eddie).  Angle’s matches were always must see.  He was an Olympic gold medalist and picked up pro wrestling so easily.  However, he’s now 50 and has definitely lost a step.  This is his retirement match and he’s facing Baron Corbin.  That is a huge disappointment. Ric Flair got HBK for his final match.  HBK got Taker.  I’m glad that I get to see his last match but I wish it was against a better opponent.  Winner: Corbin.
  • Miz vs Shane – The Miz is right, he is must see TV.  I’m not aware of any current wrestler that is better than the Miz both in the ring and on the mic.  He gets Shane who is now 49.  AJ Styles carried Shane to a decent Wrestlemania match.  I believe that Miz can too.  The falls count anywhere guarantees some crazy spot will happen, hopefully the rest of the match is good too.  Winner: Miz
  • HHH vs Batista – Really don’t see the need for this match.  Winner: HHH
  • Battle Royal(s) – The second year in a row they are wasting Braun Strowman.  Hopefully they move him over to Smackdown to face Daniel Bryan.  As for the women’s side, they have also wasted Asuka who can actually put on a decent match.  Winners:  Strowman and Asuka
  • Bryan vs Kofi – This match could steal the show.  Both are great workers and here is Kofi’s first chance to shine on the grandest stage.  Bryan’s heel turn has rejuvenated his career.  I think Bryan hangs onto the title for a little bit longer.  Winner: Bryan
  • Styles vs Orton – A sleeper pic for match of the night.  Styles has put on some classic matches since joining WWE.  I think Orton has one more classic still in him.  Winner: Styles
  • Reigns vs McIntyre – I’m happy that Reigns has beaten leukemia.  I’m also happy that Reigns is not in the main event this year.  Raw is lacking some top heels.  Hopefully, they let McIntyre become the monster heel.  Winner: McIntyre.
  • Lesnar vs Rollins – Similar to Angle, I also in person for Lesnar’s first title win, also against the Rock.  His part time status hurts more than helps.  The Universal championship should be defended at every ppv and for years now that hasn’t happened.  It’s time to let Rollins run with the title one more time.  Winner: Rollins
  • Rousey vs Flair vs Lynch – the WWE has done a great job booking this match.  The seeds were planted at Summerslam when Lynch beat the crap out of Flair after losing the title match.  That was the spark that pushed this feud into high gear. SummerSlam was also Rousey’s first title win.  I thought that Rousey was going to be the female equivalent of Angle. Unfortunately she is the female equivalent of Lesnar.  One year in and she’s already burnt out.  Lynch is going to win, the question is will it be the match of the night.
Filed Under: Guests, WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WWE WrestleMania 34 Analysis and Predictions

April 7, 2018 by 1 Comment

 

29513102_10155660149166443_4842946269998844288_n.jpg

It’s the best time of year to be a WWE fan!  No weekend out of the year is better than WrestleMania weekend!  WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans will have a stacked card from start to almost the finish!  Roman Reigns is set to ruin a fourth straight WrestleMania main event, but even the lack of suspense surrounding the outcome of his match won’t dampen my enthusiasm for the card.

In fact, there is enough mystery baked into this card to keep us guessing for most of the night.  In addition to there not being too many obvious winners on the card, there are a lot of questions that we don’t have answers for right now:

  • What is this “performance” that Elias has promised us going to entail?
  • What’s up with John Cena calling out The Undertaker to no avail? Is Cena really not going to have a match?  Would they have an unadvertised Cena/Undertaker match on the card?  Is something else going to happen?
  • Who is Braun Strowman’s TBD tag team partner? Or is he not going to have one and use some sort of reverse Feebird Rule to win the tag title himself?
  • Is this Brock Lesnar’s last match before returning to the UFC?
  • What happened to Bray Wyatt in the Lake of Reincarnation at the Hardy Estate two weeks ago? Is he going to make a surprise return with a new persona?
  • Is there going to be a heel turn we don’t see coming?
  • Is a WWE alumnus going to make his return? Will an NXT call up have an impact on the card?  Will someone from NJPW crash the show?

The WWE is at its best when it can actually keep storylines secret and you don’t have any idea what is going to happen.  It makes the show all the more enjoyable to sit back and watch.  I expect that this could be one of the best WrestleMania’s we’ve seen in the past 10 years, and we could be treated to at least one or more top-10-all-time best WrestleMania matches.

On to my expert predictions.

AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a Singles match for the WWE Championship

It’s hard to believe how far Shinsuke Nakamura has come in just one year on the Smackdown roster.  He showed up on the Smackdown following WrestleMania 33 with a violinist playing in his bizarre entrance.  He called himself the “King of Strong Style” and got the crowd to sing along with his entrance music in the following weeks.  He started to stand in the middle of the ring, do a squat, and scream “Come on!” at his opponents and the crowd ate it up.  Lastly, he came up with the catch phrase “Knee to Face” and that seemed to put him over the top.  I can’t figure out where the substance to any of this is, but the fans seem to really like it.

AJ Styles, conversely, is one of the top performers in the company right now, both on the microphone and in the ring.  His in-ring work is unparalleled on the WWE main roster right now and that has earned him the fans respect.  He reminds many of a master wrestling technician who can also sell and tell a story, like a young Shawn Michaels.  Even in his early 40’s, he’s the subject of anybody’s dream match right now.

The build for this match has been lackluster.  Anytime you have a big babyface vs. babyface match, the angle is a bit of a creative trap. They have to protect both guys image, and nobody can generate any real heat.  They have to pretend like there is a mutual respect for each other, and that is a very uninteresting way to promote a match.  Either way, when they get to the ring they should deliver.

There’s a lot on the line in this match.  Styles gets his first opportunity to defend a championship at WrestleMania and Nakamura has never wrestled a bigger match in his life.  His Tokyo Dome experience from NJPW is the little league compared to having to perform on the Grandest Stage of Them All.  Both of these men, at this stage in their careers will want to make a statement in this match.  It has the potential to be the match of the night, and perhaps a top-10 greatest WrestleMania match of all time.

Prediction: Winner and still WWE Champion, AJ Styles

The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

The Miz has come a long way since his WrestleMania XXVIII main event against John Cena in which he successfully defended the World Championship.  In many ways, he’s a better wrestler now, and his reign as Intercontinental champion has been more impressive than his World Championship.  He is the best heel in the business and is considered by many to the WWE MVP.

Seth Rollins has lost a great deal of momentum since he lost the WWE Championship following an in-ring injury.  He was the feel-good story coming out of WrestleMania 31, when he stole the championship from Brock Lesnar in the main event with a surprise cash-in of his Money In The Bank contract.  Since the injury which cost him a spot at WrestleMania 32, he hasn’t had too many noteworthy moments.  He flip-flopped back and forth as a heel, he re-united The Shield, but that angle fizzled due to illness and injuries to the other two.  He had a slow-burn angle with Jason Jordan which came to a quick end when Jordan himself was injured.  Rollins needs his luck to turn around, and a big match at WrestleMania 34 would certainly do that.

Finn Bálor is a one-trick-pony.  He has a slick entrance with audience participation.  Other than that, he’s a scrawny little twerp who wears tights with a leather jacket.  He should be in the 205 division, wrestling guys his own size.  He doesn’t look right wrestling guys who outweigh him by 75 pounds.  He has zero personality to make up for his lack of size.  I don’t expect him do much of anything interesting in this match.

I’d prefer to see this as a two-man match, but this is better than the typical 5-man ladder match they usually put on for the IC title at WrestleMania, so I’ll take it.  Triple-threat matches are all about timing the big spots between the three competitors and are stylistically very difficult to pull off.  The Miz and Rollins are going to have to be at their best to pull this off and carry Bálor.

Prediction: Winner and still WWE Intercontinental Champion, The Miz

Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev in a Fatal Four-Way Match for the WWE United States Championship

Not to be outdone by the triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship will be decided in a fatal four-way match.  A match like this will be either memorable for years because it was so good, or bowling shoe-ugly. Everybody will try to get a signature move in at some point in order to stand out.

Randy Orton continues to plod through the later stages of his career.  His championship win at WrestleMania was noteworthy because the crowd of over 70,000 was mostly silent throughout the match.  He’s going to need something better out of this year’s WrestleMania match.

Bobby Roode is the least interesting competitor in this match.  Over-produced entrance, an underwhelming personality, and way past his prime.  Nothing to see here.

Rusev snuck into this match because he suddenly has a popular catch phrase: “Rusev Day”!  It’s kind of weird but it works for him and should last for a little while longer.  I thought he was better as a monster heel, but I guess he’s selling more merchandise this way so good for him.

Jinder Mahal is the biggest home-grown star we’ve seen in years in WWE.  He’s had an amazing rebound from being fired from the WWE to his return and eventual ascension to WWE Champion.   He’s got a great look and played the part of the cliched ethnic heel to the best of his abilities.  If anybody deserves a WrestleMania moment and a win in this match, it’s Mahal.

Prediction: Winner and new WWE United States Champion, Jinder Mahal

Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax in a singles match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship

If you’ve ever followed this blog, you know what I’m about to say.

Prediction: This match will suck

The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and/or Xavier Woods) vs. The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) in a Triple threat tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship

Big build up all around for this match.  The Usos finally get a match on the main WrestleMania card for the first time in their careers.  They’ve put in the time and they did a good job re-inventing themselves after their bland Hardy Boyz-ripoff gimmick they started off with.  This is a big opportunity for them.

The New Day is as stale as can be, and this team is dying to be broken up.  Big E will go straight to the top, Xavier Woods will go straight to the middle, and Kofi Kingston will go back to being a jobber.  They’ve had a fantastic run, but it is high time for a swerve and a heel turn for one of them, bringing this faction to an end.

The Bludgeon Brothers are hot right now.  Harper and Rowan (having just lost their first names!) are the two most underrated big men on the roster right now.  These guys have all the tools to be the best in this game.  Their outfits are a little over the top, but everything else about this team screams heel champions.  Their build to this spot was masterful, having them lay waste to a host of jobbers and making them look unstoppable.  Watch this space, these guys are going to be big.

Prediction: Winners and new WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions, The Bludgeon Brothers

Cesaro and Sheamus (c) vs. Braun Strowman and TBD in a tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship

How great is this?  The best tag team on Raw takes on the hottest talent on Raw, with a bone-fide mystery partner by his side!  This is WWE at it’s best, creating a ridiculous situation that we’re dying to see.  Could you imagine paying to see the Yankees play a home game against a mystery opponent?  Wouldn’t ever happen!  But in professional wrestling, this is creative gold!

People have argued that this isn’t the best spot for Braun Strowman and that he deserves to be in the main event.  I’m a huge fan of his, but I think this is a great spot for him.  Roman Reigns is the “chosen one” and there’s nothing we can do about it.  Strowman is still going to get his push, and he’s going to take the ball and run with it.  He does monster heel, he does comedy, he performs ridiculous feats of strength.  What’s not to love about the guy?  Just because he’s not in the main event, doesn’t mean he can’t be awesome.

Who is his partner?  I’ve read all kinds of speculation that it could be a returning hero, an NXT call up, or someone else already on the roster.  What’s the point in trying to figure it out now?  Just sit back and let the show come to you!

Cesaro and Sheamus always deliver.  They are going to nail their parts in this match and you can count on that.  When they lose the title, it will be fun to watch them chase it back down.

Prediction: Winners and new WWE Raw Tag Team Champions, Braun Stroman and TBD

Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship

Out of respect for Ric Flair, I won’t disrespect his daughter.  But this match is as good as it gets for women’s wrestling because the bar is set so low.  Asuka is average at best and her gimmick is annoying.

Prediction: Winner and still WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair

Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match

Kurt Angle made a hero’s return to the WWE last year at the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony, and then re-joined the regular show as Raw General Manager.  Rumor had it there would be a big build to a WrestleMania 34 match for the Olympic gold medalist.  Instead, he got saddled with this abortion of a match.

Ronda Rousey left the UFC as a loser and a shell of her former badass self.  In the time between her UFC days and her WWE days, she did nothing to repair her reputation.  Thus far, she has completely bombed on the WWE stage.  Her promos are embarrassingly awkward.  As one of my readers pointed out to me “she had the personality of a wet blanket in UFC” and apparently, her ability to memorize and read lines the WWE creative team feeds her is zero.  Who even knows if she can wrestle?  Probably not very well.

I can’t feel too sorry for Triple H, he’s had some very good WrestleMania matches in his career.  But Kurt Angle deserved better than this.  I don’t think either one of them can save this mess.

Prediction: Winners, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a tag team match and if Owens and Zayn win, they will be rehired to SmackDown

Daniel Bryan’s surprise return to Smackdown changed the current landscape in the WWE in a way nobody saw coming.  He was close to the Shane McMahon rivalry with the Owens/Zayn duo for months, and he is perfectly positioned to return in this match.

Kevin Owens is the top heel on SmackDown, and the story arc of his simmering feud with Shane McMahon has taken on many Shakspearian twists since it began in 2017.  It’s now involved Sami Zayn, included the both of them sending McMahon to the hospital, and then getting themselves fired by Daniel Bryan before beating him up on the night he announced his return to active competition.  This was top heel work and WWE creative at its best.

This could be the most entertaining match of the night.  It has three of the best workers in the WWE right now, along with Sami Zayn who will play his supporting role as well.  It has “win” written all over it for Zayn and Owens, and it will be fun watching the aftermath on Smackdown when it’s all over.

Prediction: Winners, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Roman Reigns in a singles match for the WWE Universal Championship

A fourth straight WrestleMania event is about to be ruined by Roman Reigns.  It’s a good thing this card is so stacked because the show will end with a thud with this match.  We’ve known for a year that Reigns is going go win the match.  The “like me because I’m a full-timer and Brock is a part-timer” angle is boring and has not helped Reigns improve one bit.  He still sucks on the mike and his in-ring psychology is poor.  No matter how many WrestleMania main events he gets, he never improves.

Brock Lesnar is about to walk out on the WWE.  His act has gotten tired and it will be good for the WWE to move on from him at the top. He had a great run since his return as a part-time special attraction, and something needs to be said about how less exposure can actually help a superstar in the WWE.  But it is time to go.

This match is going to fail to entertain.  The crowd will be tired, Lesnar will have his eye on the exit, and Reigns will continue to stink.  Try to stay awake if you can.

Prediction: Winner and new WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns

Filed Under: WWE Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page»