Sports

WrestleMania 37 Predictions: Night #2

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

Everything about last night, from Vince McMahon making a rare public appearance to welcome the fans back to a live setting to Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks overcome with emotion at the start of their main event match made me incredibly emotional. It has been a LONG year. While it was incredibly frustrating to see MANY fans not adhering to the mask requirement throughout the night, it was great to see them back in the building and giving genuine ovations to the guys and girls that have worked so hard to keep the WWE machine moving during the pandemic era. I hope tonight exceeds expectations as well. 

Match #1: Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn 

Sami Zayn deserves all the credit in the world for making the most out of this mad scientist/conspiracy theorist-type character he’s been dealt with. It’s a far cry from the Sami Zayn who delivered the match of the year with Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Dallas a few years ago, which saddens me, but at least he’s taken the opportunity and ran with it. Kevin Owens is coming off a high-profile program with Roman Reigns that was, unfortunately, never going to be anything more than a placeholder feud leading up to Mania, but he did an amazing job. 

I’m not a huge fan of Logan Paul so I wasn’t particularly excited for his involvement. He hasn’t exactly added much to the Zayn/Owens program, but he has done a surprisingly good job of staying neutral in the situation and not going over the top. 

I was lucky enough to see Owens and Zayn wrestle at the post-Mania 34 RAW in New Orleans a few years ago and they, even in that low stakes scenario, tore it up together like only they can. These two wrestling on a Mania stage is a scary, scary thought for anyone else on the card. While Zayn’s change in character changes up his wrestling style too, I’d like to think that the bright lights will bring out a glint of the Sami Zayn of old. Owens has gotten the upper hand in the majority of the buildup to this match, so I can honestly see Zayn winning. 

Prediction: Sami Zayn  

Match #2: Riddle vs Sheamus- United States Championship match 

A triple threat between Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus could have easily been booked for Mania. It appeared like it might have been heading in that direction, but once they started having Sheamus in multiple matches with Drew on RAW, I knew he wouldn’t be a part of the Mania scenario. Instead, he’s thrown into a US title match with Riddle, who he’s gone back and forth with over the last few weeks. I’m a big fan of Riddle in general so I’m not keen on the idea of him losing the title, but Sheamus really should walk away with it. 

Prediction: Sheamus 

Match #3: Asuka vs Rhea Ripley- RAW Women’s Championship match

As great as Charlotte and Asuka’s matches are, I was not excited at the prospect of Charlotte, likely, beating Asuka at Mania for the second time. It is very unfortunate that she tested positive for COVID and has been involved in whatever backstage politics have occurred since, but this is a worthwhile solution. 

Mick Foley himself tweeted that WWE needs to go all in with Rhea Ripley on the main roster and that is exactly what they’re doing right now. I think a victory for her is a little less likely after Bianca Belair’s win last night…..I can’t see WWE wanting to strip titles from two major players in the women’s division in the same weekend. It IS a possibility…..we saw what they did with Paige back in 2014, but I’d hold off on strapping the rocketship to her back entirely until, say, Summerslam. Regardless, Asuka will make Rhea look like a million bucks in there. 

Prediction: Asuka  

Match #4: Big E vs Apollo Crews- Intercontinental Championship match- Nigerian Drum match 

I have no utter clue what a Nigerian Drum match is. Apollo Crews and Big E are both fantastic in-ring workers and don’t need any sort of gimmick to have a great match if they’re given the time for it. Based on Crews’ recent-ish character change, him winning the title would be a good way to show that they have an actual plan for him. 

Prediction: Apollo Crews

Match #5: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs Natalya and Tamina- Women’s Tag-Team Championship match 

As winners of last nights Tag Team Turmoil match, Natalya and Tamina get a chance at Nia and Shayna for the Women’s Tag titles. I must ask….is this REALLY the best they could do? They could have done this on ANY episode of RAW and it would have been fine. An open challenge answered by an NXT team would have been far more interesting and WrestleMania worthy. However, this is what we’ve got. Nia and Shayna win, easy. 

Prediction: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler 

Match #6: The Fiend vs Randy Orton 

For as long as this thing has gone on for, it is still genuinely interesting. The Fiend himself doesn’t need tons of screen time when you have Alexa Bliss serving as both the bait and the predator, which is great. He doesn’t need to be having squash matches every week on RAW, he should only be there when he needs to be. 

Randy Orton is a total gem. He has these highlight reel years so often that we should really stop acting surprised about it. He has done a great job of working with Alexa and slowly building to this match, which might, like with John Cena last year, be in some kind of cinematic form. That would only benefit them both, even if The Fiend can definitely still carry himself in a regular match. Whatever it is, Orton will need to try and overcome both The Fiend AND Alexa Bliss, which I can’t see happening. Hopefully, this will right the wrong from Bray Wyatt’s loss to Orton at WrestleMania 33 and be the definitive end to what has been a well-written yet still very, VERY drawn-out storyline. 

Prediction: The Fiend 

Match #7: Roman Reigns vs Edge vs Daniel Bryan- Universal Championship match 

What a match this is, even on paper. And who would have thought we would ever see this scenario? Edge and Daniel Bryan, both thought to have been retired due to “career-ending” injuries, back in the main event spot (where they belong) and Roman Reigns, who is, whether you like him or you don’t, the top guy in the business right now. No doubt. It would have been fine as just Reigns vs Edge, but it only makes sense to add Bryan in as well if this is, as they say, his last big moment.

Truly, even with Bryan in the match, I think we can write him off as the winner here. He’ll go out there and do what he does best better than anyone, but it really all comes down to Edge and Roman. What do you do? Do you allow Edge the complete full circle moment? He never did lose that title of his when he retired in 2011, so it really makes for an amazing feel-good story. And honestly, this moment cannot and should not happen anywhere else. It needs to happen at WrestleMania. There’s no doubt he’d want to work a champions schedule, so it’s a fair possibility that it may happen. However, Roman Reigns has finally found the inner beast we’ve all wanted him to be for years. He has beaten the best already, but he’s on a different level now. He’s up against the two people who can take him to the limit, so it’ll be a tough hill to climb. 

Honestly, I want it to go to Edge. So badly. The guy has been perfect in every aspect since he has been back and it has been inspiring to watch. I don’t need a year-long title reign for the guy, buy my God, just let him have the moment. 

Prediction: Edge 

Photo Credit: CNET.com

WrestleMania 37 Predictions- Night #1

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

By Noah Wade 

Tonight marks the first main roster WWE event with fans in attendance in over a year. It is the second time WWE will split WrestleMania into two nights, a decision they may stick with going forward. I think it’s a good one, since previous Mania’s, especially ones that I have been to, have been way too damn long. On a serious note, I’m thrilled and very emotional about the fact that they’re working for a live crowd tonight. This has been a tough year for us all and, while we may not be entirely back to normal yet, this is a really, really good start.

Match #1: Bobby Lashley vs Drew McIntyre- WWE Championship match 

WWE has officially announced this as the opening match of the night. That makes a McIntyre win almost inevitable, but it’s a head-scratcher. On one side you have Bobby Lashley, who has looked like an absolute monster for the last few months and on the other side you have Drew McIntyre, who hasn’t had a real title coronation with fans in attendance due to COVID. All signs seem to be pointing to McIntyre walking out of Mania with the belt, but if the only purpose for it is to get a live crowd reaction then what is the point? 

I’m not a fan of flip-flopping the title like it has been recently. From McIntyre to Miz to Lashley then potentially back to McIntyre and then back to Lashley again is just too much. As awful as it is that Mcintyre has had to carry the brand during the majority of the pandemic with no huge crowd moment, even if he has certainly earned it, they need to keep moving. Clearly, they decided that Lashley was their guy, so they should stick with him. McIntyre will get many, MANY more chances for it later. They owe him. 

Either way, this is going to be a great match. These are two big guys who know how to sell and have more stamina then guys half their size. If we’re gonna get a feel-good moment, I’m glad it’ll be a hard-fought one unlike the Rollins/Lesnar opener from a few years ago.  

Match #2: Seth Rollins vs Cesaro 

Normally, this would be the perfect match the start the show with. Let these guys go in there for 20-25 minutes and just have at it. That unfortunately won’t be the case, but these are two of the most technically gifted wrestlers in WWE so it’s pretty much guaranteed that they’re going to tear the house down

Seth Rollins’ track record at WrestleMania is pretty incredible to think about. He has won an Intercontinental Championship, beaten Triple H and Brock Lesnar in singles competition and essentially stole the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 31, cashing in his Money In The Bank at the most opportune time during the Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar main event. Cesaro on the other hand really hasn’t had a big WrestleMania moment since winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30. However, stats from one show shouldn’t matter, and they don’t. Cesaro could, and should, get the win here. We’ve seen Rollins lose at WrestleMania and go straight into a major title feud and he could easily do so again. Cesaro does not yet have that luxury but could really benefit from a win over a huge star like Rollins. 

Prediction: Cesaro 

Match #3: Bad Bunny and Damian Priest vs The Miz and john Morrison 

Yep, you read that right. Bad Bunny, one of the biggest stars in music right now, has a match at WrestleMania. He’s teaming with Damian Priest, a total stud of a “rookie” who was called up to the main roster from NXT way quicker than is usually scheduled against the veteran team of The Miz and John Morrison. 

Normally, this kind of thing would scare me. An untrained celebrity getting involved in a high profile storyline? What could possibly go wrong? I mean….we remember Snookie at Mania 27, right? In all seriousness, though, I think Bad Bunny will shock a lot of people. He has been a wrestling fan for most of his life, has been legitimately training for this and has shown some promise with the little bit of offense he has showcased on TV, so, really, it might not be bad at all. 

As awful as I feel for The Miz after his embarrassingly short run with the WWE Championship recently, I think that he needs to be the one to take the pin in this match. Preferably to Priest, just for, you know, legitimacy reasons, but Bad Bunny should, of course, be heavily involved in the finish. 

Prediction: Bad Bunny and Damian Priest 

Match #4: Lana and Naomi vs Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan) vs Natalya and Tamina- Tag-Team Turmoil match (Winners receive a Women’s Tag Team Championship match on Night #2)

The winners of this one will face Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for the Women’s Tag Team Championship match the following night. Now, as we know, the issue with the tag women’s division is that there aren’t enough of them to keep things fresh. These are the same four teams we see all the time. I’m very happy they’re all getting a WrestleMania check, but I would have loved for this to be an open challenge type thing. You could have had NXT teams, surprise teams from the past or dream pairings come in for the night. 

With that being said, I can see Lana and Naomi winning here. They are easily the most relevant team of the bunch and I, personally, think Lana deserves a big moment after all the work she has put in over the last year or so. She has really rose to the challenge. 

Prediction: Lana and Naomi 

Match #5: The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs AJ Styles and Omos- RAW Tag-Team Championships match 

I don’t particularly like AJ Styles being thrown into a random tag match a year after a main event match with The Undertaker, but this match is essentially more of a vehicle for Omos than anything. Why? I have no idea. He hasn’t shown much promise or, despite his stoic big-man Diesel-type character, any genuine personality, so I question WWE’s logic here. Kofi and Xavier will have to try, possibly very hard, to make him look good the same way they’ve had to do for the guys from Retribution. The stakes don’t feel high enough to be on WrestleMania and, quite frankly, Kofi and Xavier deserve better for no other reason than all their time dealing with Retribution, but at least they’re on the card. 

Prediction: AJ Styles and Omos 

Match #6:  Braun Strowman vs Shane McMahon- Steel Cage match 

Man, I am not here for this one. Shane’s Mania matches always end up being the big spectacle we expect them to be, but the build to this match has been drawn out and eyeroll worthy. Who in their right mind believes that he has a chance against Braun Strowman locked inside of a cage? Strowman has significantly cooled off since losing the Universal Championship, but there’s no reason for him to be chasing Shane around in the manner that he has. I hope they get whatever they want out of this and move onto something better for Strowman, even if the small window of opportunity he had seems to have past. 

Prediction: Braun Strowman 

Match #7: Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair- Smackdown Women’s Championship match 

WWE has officially announced that this match will serve as the main event and it is well-deserved for both ladies. Sasha Banks has served more time as champion during COVID times than she ever has previously and Bianca Belair, despite a slow start on the main roster, has proven that she can hang with the best of the bunch. 

The build for this hasn’t been great. Sasha was the ideal opponent for Belair to choose after her Royal Rumble victory, but the face/face dynamic going into it limited what they were able to do in the build to tonight. Either way, the first main event of WrestleMania between two women of color is both inspiring and historic no matter what. So hats off to these two for being the legitimate badasses they are to have gotten to this point. 

WrestleMania having fans in attendance is a big deal. I don’t think it means fans will be back at every show going forward, but it has been a long time coming and I’m sure the guys and girls are craving it just as much as we are. Therefore, I think Belair needs to win this one. A new, fresh face as champion would a perfect way to celebrate the occasion. Bianca is more than ready, 

Prediction: Bianca Belair 

https://images.app.goo.gl/sLgFfo7oLnveCQby5

Photo credit: WrestlingInc.com

WrestleMania 36 Predictions

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

Well, this is very strange. Not only am I not at WrestleMania this year, but NO ONE is at WrestleMania this year, because it’s happening at the Performance Center at Full Sail. For zero people. During what is probably close to the peak of a global pandemic. I hope everyone is staying safe, wherever you are, and I hope that this non-traditional edition of WrestleMania brings you some sort of happiness over the two night span of the event.

In my opinion, two nights is not necessary. This was clearly done in order to get as many of the wrestlers as possible their WrestleMania checks, but seriously though….there’s still 16 matches. Here’s my predictions on how both nights will play out.

Night #1

Match #1: Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler- RAW Women’s Championship match

WWE was right in cooling Becky off for a while after last years Mania. Not only did she probably need it, but she was also front-and-center for the most underwhelming finish to the most overblown Mania main event ever. Those girls did not meet the expectations. She’s kept the title for the entire year, engaging in great programs with Sasha and Asuka, but now, I feel like the time to take it off of her may be here. Shayna isn’t exactly the best thing we’ve ever seen, but I think a heel champion would breathe new life into that title. Where does Becky go from here? I don’t know, but I think it’s best to close the chapter before it runs its course. I think a No Holds Barred stipulation would benefit both of them, as so much of the build to the match has been about Shayna brutal attack methods, like biting. Becky has also expressed desire to do whatever it takes to win, so why not let them go at it?

Winner: Shayna Baszler

Match #2: Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins

Why does Kevin Owens always get inserted into the most drawn-out feuds ALL THE TIME? Poor guy had to make a program with Shane McMahon last about, like, two years, he’s always getting fake fired and now he’s at, what I hope will be, the culmination of a program with Seth Rollins, whose heel turn has been hit or miss with me. He has, at least, managed to get Buddy Murphy over in a way that Cedric Alexander was never allowed to get. For a while there he had Samoa Joe at his side, a tandem that made me salivate from the mouth, until Joe was suspended. He’s still got The War Raiders for backup, but where those guys are on the card is a mystery to me.

I’d like to see Owens win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if WWE’s getting ready for another main-event Rollins run. Either way, let Owens stun his way to a successful long-term feud for ONCE, please and thank you.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Match #3: Aleister Black vs Bobby Lashley

This is basically an exhibition match, considering these two have had nothing to do with each other until about two weeks ago when the match was announced, squashing any potential rumors of a 2-on-3 handicap match between The Undertaker/Black vs The OC. Lashley and Black have two totally different styles, but I think Black benefits more from a win here. I think he’s a viable contender for the WWE Championship should Drew McIntyre walk out as champion, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.

Winner: Aleister Black

Match #4: Bayley vs Lacey Evans vs Tamina vs Natalya vs Sasha Banks- Fatal-5-Way Elimination match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship

All we want is Bayley vs Sasha at WrestleMania. That’s all we’ve wanted for YEARS now. And they were SO CLOSE. They could have done it!! And it would have been SO much better than last years half-assed main event by Charlotte/Becky/Ronda. Instead, what do we get? A fatal-five-way with three girls who are all great and talented and whatever, but who have no business being involved in Bayley/Sasha. Sure, we’ll probably see those two as the final two anyway, but it won’t be the same with the other ones in there before we get to that point. I’d LOVE to see Sasha take the belt from Bayley, but I also want to see that happen on a big stage with people in attendance. I also don’t think they’ve done enough footwork with just the two of them for Sasha pinning Bayley to be as big of a moment as it could be. So, I’ll have Bayley retain here. Sasha can chase, and win, later.

Winner: Bayley

Match #5: Otis vs Dolph Ziggler

I hate the soap opera stuff. I really do. The fact that this match is happening at WrestleMania is annoying to me, considering the storyline behind it has just been a muddled mess of a program with these two fighting over Mandy Rose for the last few months. I like Heavy Machinery, but they need to get away from this. Ziggler, a favorite of mine, deserves MUCH better on the grand stage of Mania. I’d love for Ziggler to Superkick Otis into oblivion and just put it to bed, but Otis will probably come out on top, because, you know, why not?

Winner: Otis

Match #6: The Street Profits vs Angel Garza and Austin Theory- RAW Tag-Team Championship match

These four guys are about to lose their WrestleMania virginity. Hell, both Garza and Theory are about to lose their main roster PPV virginity. Theory, a quick replacement for Andrade, is a great addition to the match, and I almost wish there was a gimmick stipulation added to this one to compliment the athleticism all four guys possess (though maybe it’s better that there isn’t, or else Angelo Dawkins may break his back overdoing a high spot for real this time). I feel like Theory still needs to get his feet wet with some NXT gold before being thrust into a main roster run, so I’ll be happy to see The Street Profits retain in what will probably be a stellar match.

Winners: The Street Profits

Match #7: John Cena vs “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt- Firefly Funhouse match

As John Cena said on Smackdown, he has no idea what a Firefly Funhouse match is. Neither do we. If they do it right, it could be one of the best matches of the entire weekend. We’ve already seen these two wrestle a traditional match on a Mania stage and four years later, it won’t be any more compelling, so it HAS to rely heavily on scare tactics and gimmicks. WWE needs to stop to make its audience believe that Wyatt’s loss to Cena caused his downfall. That’s not the case. Wyatt had all the potential in the WORLD to be a long-term champion, but they failed to pull the trigger. His reign this time around was excellent, but they fed him to Goldberg. It’s THEIR mistake. I hope they begin to right their wrongs by allowing him to finally put Cena away.

Winner: The Fiend

Match #8: Edge vs Randy Orton- Last Man Standing Match

If they give these two the main event slot on either night, I’ll be weeping before they even start. Edge’s return to the ring at the Rumble was a moment I’ll never forget watching, having seen what should have been his last match live at WrestleMania 27 nine long years ago. He truly does look to be in the best shape of his life, and his promos have been masterful. Randy has been at the top of his game too, once again proving that given the correct material, he can main event any show any night of the year. The idea of watching these two wrestle a Last Man Standing match for no one, and the thought of having to watch a guy lay there for a 10-count in silence is just plain eerie. I think it has to be Edge that does it though. It’s been all about grit, and he has that in spades. He probably won’t have a ton of chances to work in the ring, and I’d like to think that most his matches going forward will be used to put over new, younger talent, but for this occasion, the dude deserves to have his hand raised.

Winner: Edge

 

Night #2: 

Match #1 Goldberg vs Braun Strowman- Universal Championship match

Talk about a match with no build. What was supposed to be another Roman Reigns coronation will now most likely be an underwhelming Strowman coronation that will have WWE scrambling to figure out how they will either have to get the belt off him immediately, since he isn’t their ideal choice right now, OR how they could let him have a Mark Henry-type run with that title. I think it could be interesting to see. Goldberg could probably get away with lifting Roman, but never in a million years would he be able to lift Braun at this point in the game. I imagine it’ll be sloppy and sort of awkward to watch, but Goldberg should not be retaining here. It’s just not feasible going forward. They really had him squash The Fiend in Saudi Arabia for no reason. What a shame.

Winner: Braun Strowman

Match #2: The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross- Women’s Tag-Team Championship match

Man, I wish they could have held off on Asuka/Kairi’s feud with Charlotte/Becky till now. THAT would have been a hell of a Mania match, if the latter two didn’t have other things going on right now. Instead we get the Kabuki Warriors against Alexa and Nikki who are great in their own right, particularly Alexa when she’s a heel, but who I just don’t want to see beat two of the best female wrestlers on planet earth. I thought Kairi’s main-roster call-up may have been a bit premature, but she has SHOWN UP and absolutely killed it. Of course, Asuka is Asuka, able to make the comedic bits work while still being fantastic in the ring even if they’ve dragged her down to a shell of her former self. I’ll say Asuka/Kairi get the win, but don’t be surprised to see Alexa/Nikki get the win, if not for the visual of the pair jumping around the ring hugging.

Winner: Asuka and Kairi Sane

Match #3: Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley- NXT Women’s Championship match

This match is definitely going to be better on paper than in the ring. I think Rhea’s in-ring skills are still developing, even if she basically is the total package. She CAN work, she has the personality, she has the look and, based off the build up to this, she looks like a viable challenger for Charlotte (even though she’s the champion), someone who’s literally done everything and has beaten everyone there is to beat. However, I can’t see Charlotte running back to NXT. Even though the division there is stacked, there’s only a few girls there she could conceivably work with. Bianca is one of them, but she’s prime main-roster fodder once we get back to normal. Candace and Io should be as well. So really, the only option is to pull the trigger and allow Rhea to get that massive win. If they believe in her that match, good for her. Let’s see what she does with it.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

Match #4: Elias vs Baron Corbin

Yet another match that should not be happening on a Mania card, but is here to fill the runtime. Corbin has done some great work over the last 6-7 months, but I don’t know why he’s in a throwaway program with Elias, who WWE has seemingly allowed to return from bonafide obscurity for the occasion. Give the win to Corbin, please. Don’t make him look like an idiot on ANOTHER big stage.

Winner: Baron Corbin

Match #5: The Miz and John Morrison vs The Usos vs The New Day- Triple Threat Ladder match for the Smackdown Tag-Team Championships

I’m happy to see Miz and Morrison back together. They’re better together now than they were a decade ago. However, the glaring hole in this scenario is that the focus of the tag-team division on Smackdown STILL involves New Day and The Usos. They’ve had such a hard time building up new teams that it’s just been those two teams playing hot potato with titles and high-caliber match spots for years now. Regardless, this is going to be stellar, whether there’s an audience there to appreciate it or not. Miz apparently worked sick, which is a bit worrisome, but hopefully none of the other guys catch anything from him. I think Miz and Morrison retain here. They’re coasting right now.

Winners: The Miz and John Morrison

Match #6: Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan- Intercontinental Championship match

Sami Zayn is capable of playing any character, all while being a wrestling machine. This solo title run, a first for him, is well-deserved, even if all the outside interference is a little distracting. He’s recruited Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, two guys who WWE has crapped all over, as his right hand men. He’s matched up against Daniel Bryan, who’s second run in WWE has been Shawn Michaels-like; now, of course, at the stage where he’s working hard to get Drew Gulak, another masterful in-ring technician who has been floating around for a few years, over to the masses. All of these guys will most likely play a factor in this, but I’d really like to see Sami retain. He could have a really great heel run with the title if they let him.

Winner: Sami Zayn

Match #7: Undertaker vs AJ Styles- Boneyard Match

What exactly IS a boneyard match? Can you imagine if they show us a tape for an Undetaker match, like they did with The Wyatt/New Day match in the woods, on a show that’s ALREADY taped?? That would be some type of WrestleMania voodoo right there. I’m happy we’re getting Taker/Styles 1-on-1 instead of in the projected 2-on-3 handicap match that had been discussed, even if the lack of audience is going to make Taker’s weaknesses stand out that much more. Styles has Gallows and Anderson by his side for help, but Taker alluded to having help too, during his promo on RAW. Does Mayor Kane make an appearance?? I’d love to see Styles get that rub, but this is the ONLY match I’ll use the excuse that it shouldn’t happen due to lack on fan involvement. You can’t tell a story from audience reactions from home. Taker losing at Mania is big, and Styles is the guy to do it, but it’s just wrong place, wrong time.

Winner: The Undertaker

Match #8: Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre- WWE Championship match

It’s also wrong place, wrong time for McIntyre, but I think they should pull the trigger with this one. Drew’s ascension to the top has been stellar, and he’s looked like the biggest badass on the planet in the entire build to this match. Calm, cool and confident, the look he gave Brock, repeatedly, after Claymore kicking him out of the Rumble match said “Try me, bitch. I’m ready.” In their interactions since, Drew has been ready, countering Brock’s normally devastating moves with ease. Brock has been stellar too though, as always. The way he sold his body, the look in his eyes, after his Rumble elimination was absolutely fantastic, as was his desire for Drew to look as strong as possible after the trio of Claymore’s on the stage a few weeks back. He may have been a bit loud in telling Drew to hold up the belt, but the visual was necessary. If this is Drew’s crowning moment, I’ll be so very proud of him. He’s a viable champion, and has been since his return to main roster status when he aligned himself with Dolph Ziggler. Brock’s run has been great, but this is the job he needs to do. He needs to give Drew this moment.

Winner: Drew McIntyre

 

Wrestlemania36

WrestleMania 35 Main Event: What Went Wrong?

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

With WrestleMania 35 over a week behind us, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on the main event match between Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch. The first EVER woman’s main event in WrestleMania’s iconic 35 year legacy. A winner-take-all match for both the Smackdown and RAW Woman’s Championships to close out the show in front of 80,000+ in the shadows of the greatest city in the world, New York City. It truly does not get bigger than that, does it?

Unfortunately, the match didn’t live up to the hype. Neither did the build-up. It was an overblown mess of ideas that never needed to go any further than the very simple seed that was planted months and months before. Let’s discuss.

 

The Build 

Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch was set in stone for Survivor Series. That feud was white hot just six days before the match, but was unceremoniously halted by one haywire punch from Nia Jax that broke Becky’s nose. The final scene of the go-home RAW leading to Survivor Series was a bloody Becky Lynch taunting Ronda, down on the mat after a vicious beating with a chair, from the crowd. Speculation immediately began online that Becky was hurt and that the match would probably have to be scrapped. The next night, Charlotte Flair was announced as the substitute. Flair and Rousey had a great match at Survivor Series, but it did not have a definitive end. There was unfinished business. But it could wait.

Becky dropped the Smackdown Woman’s championship to Asuka at TLC and failed to win it back from her at the Royal Rumble. “How does Becky get to WrestleMania now??” asked the casual fan. Simple. You do exactly what they did. With Lana “injured”, you have Becky take her spot. She walks in the ring and the first person she steps up to is none other than Nia Jax, the person who took her out of a white-hot feud with Ronda in the first place. When I watched that match and saw Becky march right up to Nia as soon as she got in the ring, my heart skipped a beat. I screamed. I did all the things. It was just too perfect. Becky won the Rumble after a nice back-and-forth exchange with Charlotte Flair, and finally, the unofficial main event of WrestleMania was set.

Soon after that though, it all fell apart. They had 10 weeks or so of television to write and it became very obvious that they were running out of ideas. Becky’s leg was injured, then all of a sudden it wasn’t. Becky is suspended, then all of a sudden she isn’t. Ronda is pleading with the McMahon’s for Becky’s suspension to be lifted when she’s supposed to be playing the heel, who is not supposed to WANT to be challenged for their title. They tried to make Becky look like Stone Cold for a while, then that stopped out of nowhere. Perhaps an angle with Vince himself was coming, but it never happened and Becky cooled off a lot. It was all just very sloppy.

But still, it never needed to be anything more than Ronda vs Becky.

Then Charlotte Flair was added to the mix. Two freakin weeks before WrestleMania, she captures the Smackdown Woman’s championship from Asuka, resulting in the winner-take-all stipulation. That little bit HAD to have been a VERY last minute decision, as there was a multi-woman match booked for that episode of Smackdown to determine who would face Asuka at Mania and it was probably going to be Naomi. Did WrestleMania NEED another match to add to it’s already monstrous card? No, but the two would have absolutely killed it. Instead, you leave Asuka and all those girls with nothing but a spot in the Mania woman’s battle royal. Charlotte held onto that title for TWO WEEKS before losing it to Becky. It was very disheartening and very frustrating, as Asuka is clearly one of the best in the world but Vince McMahon does not see it that way, apparently.

The saving grace was the go-home show for Mania when those three girls kicked the living crap out of each other while being detained by police. It was a hysterical, magical sight to see.

The Match

The main card of WrestleMania didn’t start until 7 p.m. There were 13 matches on the main card, so by the time we finally got to the main event, it was midnight. For those of us who were there, by that time, all we wanted to do was leave. MetLife Stadium is in bumblef*ck New Jersey and I knew, I KNEW that there wouldn’t be enough transportation to get everyone out of the area quickly and efficiently. It was a far cry from last year in New Orleans where my friends and I walked down the steps of the Superdome and down the 10 or so blocks to our hotel in 20 minutes or so. By the time the match started, there was no way the hype for it was going to be anywhere near what it should have been. This was the first time EVER that a woman’s match is main-eventing a WrestleMania…..this is a HUGE deal. But after 16 matches prior to it, including Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston’s emotional title wins earlier in the night, the crowd was just not in a place to really give those girls the kind of ovation they deserved.

The match itself, regardless of how lukewarm the crowd was, was rushed and sloppy. Ronda and Charlotte were blown up not even halfway into it. Ronda wasn’t as noticeable, but, as always, it was etched all over Charlotte’s face and it showed in her in-ring performance. There were a few spots that I thought were well-executed, but the bigger ones, especially the table spot, were not. RARELY does a table-in-the-corner spot work. And really, after Charlotte’s botched table spot in the Hell In A Cell match with Sasha Banks, she should have never been given the green light to go for another one in an another high-pressure situation. The table barely cracked, again, and it made all of them look foolish.

The biggest pop of the match came from when it was Becky and Ronda alone in the ring, staring each other down. THAT was the match. THAT was what it could have been. You could have gotten THAT reaction the entire time.

The finish was awkward and clearly not-intended, but still, it happened. The first ever woman’s main event of WrestleMania ended with a roll-up pin. It HAD to have been definitive, but it wasn’t, and that is really disappointing. Sure, you can blame the referee, but you can also blame Ronda. Her shoulders were up before he even counted one, so if she saw that he was still going, why didn’t she kick out again?? Quick thinking could have saved the situation. She’s a professional, and she gets paid big bucks to perform in these major events. She should be able to think on her feet.

I saw with my own two eyes that the match ended on a roll-up pin, so I cheered for all of 5 seconds before I was like “wait, what the f*ck?” I looked at my dad and said “Let’s go.” I didn’t care to see the celebration, the fireworks, nothing. I was glad it was over. It could have been something so beautiful and it was just something so mediocre and half-baked.

Reports are now going around that WWE will want to do Becky vs Ronda one-on-one at some point. I, personally, will not care for it as much when it happens. It was written in the stars for WrestleMania 35 and it could have happened. It could have been such an incredible moment. Instead, it was an average moment that fell flat.

The woman’s evolution has happened. They main-evented WrestleMania. They did it in New York. There’s nothing else to build upon. I’m very happy for everyone involved, but this was Vince McMahon’s last attempt to get the big moment right, and he failed. He wanted Charlotte to tap out to Becky when it should have been Ronda. Instead, we got a botched finish under his watch. In 10 years from now, when we talk about why the first ever woman’s main event of WrestleMania has been largely forgotten, we know who to point the blame at.

 

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WWE Predictions: WrestleMania 35

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

Well, I tried doing this yesterday and almost none of it saved so I guess I’ll have to go for a trimmed-down version. I’ll be discussing the top five matches on the card in-depth and will note the rest of my predictions in bullet-point form.

WrestleMania 35 comes to you LIVEEEE tomorrow night from Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. I’ll be in attendance for my 9th Mania and even though I’m from New York and could not be any more lukewarm on this whole thing than I already am due to the lack of travel, I’m stoked to be a part of the biggest event in the industry once again.

Pre-Show

Winners 

 

  • Buddy Murphy
  • Lacey Evans (Woman’s Battle Royal)
  • EC3 (Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal)

Main Card 

Winners:

  • Ricochet and Aleister Black
  • Roman Reigns
  • Samoa Joe
  • Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
  • Shane McMahon
  • Baron Corbin
  • Bayley and Sasha Banks
  • Finn Balor

WWE Championship match: Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston

11 freakin years man. Kofi Kingston has been a mainstay in WWE for over a decade and has done almost everything there is to do in the company. He’s taken a back seat over the last few years with New Day so that Xavier Woods and Big E could have the shine, but now, with the big man upstairs apparently smiling down on him, it’s led to the opportunity he has tonight. He is wrestling Daniel Bryan, who has never been hotter, for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania in New York. What a crazy moment.

Daniel Bryan turning heel was the best thing he ever did. At the start it was very, VERY jarring and a long, drawn-out program with AJ Styles didn’t help, but now he’s really locked it down and the crowd eats into it like crazy. He and Mr. McMahon have done everything they could to not only devalue Kingston, calling him a B+ player (sound familiar?) but also to keep him out of this match. They threw everything they could at him and he would fall just short of the moment. It’s very fitting that it was Big E and Woods who got him into this spot by winning a tag-team gauntlet match, with the deck stacked against them as well.

Mania is meant for those storybook-ending moments that send the crowd into a frenzy, so I can absolutely see Kofi winning tonight and finally checking that final box off the list. I don’t think there’s anything we, the fans, want to see more.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

AJ Styles vs Randy Orton

If Randy Orton’s matches against Seth Rollins and CM Punk at WrestleMania’s 31 and 27 respectively are anything to go by, I’m very excited about this. Randy Orton, while out of the major title pictures for the most part, has done some of the best work of his career over the last year or so. For Styles, he’s cooled down a bit after spending a huge chunk of time as WWE Champion, but is certainly still at the top of his game. These two at WrestleMania is a dream and I hope they get a good 15 minutes to really go back and forth. In the end though, I’d like to see Orton walk away with the win, most likely after countering AJ’s high-flying offense with an RKO that’ll make all 80,000 of us jump to our feet. I think, should Kofi Kingston win the WWE title from Daniel Bryan, an obvious first challenger for him, after Bryan gets his rematch, is Orton. Kofi beating Orton emphatically would really be a full-circle moment.

Winner: Randy Orton

No-Holds-Barred match; Triple H vs Batista; If Triple H loses, he must retire from in-ring competition

Soooooo, Batista hasn’t wrestled in a few years and Triple H sustained a serious injury just a few months ago and is already getting back in the ring so I’m sure this will just be an absolute mess. They have the No-Holds-Barred stipulation to hide behind so they can very easily just throw each other all over the stadium and hit each other with chairs and sledgehammers and whatever else they fancy without really having to try for an in-ring classic, so maybe that will be the saving grace.

Batista attacking Ric Flair on RAW was a fantastic moment, but nothing after that in the build to this has kept anyone’s attention other than, of course, Triple H’s quip about the “guardians of the indie scene”, which I still find hilarious. There’s been nothing physical, just a lot of screaming. And, there are absolutely no stakes to this. It’s happening because Batista wanted to work with Triple H as his last match. We’ve known that for years. Now, it feels dated. I hope they go out there and kill it, but this one sounds much better on paper.

Winner: Batista

Universal Championship match: Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins

Brock’s matches with Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor at Survivor Series and Royal Rumble respectively were absolutely fantastic. When Brock really cares about what he’s doing, he is absolutely one of the best. He made both of those guys, especially Bryan, look like a million bucks when, on paper, it looks like a total mismatch physically. Seth is among the same breed as those two guys….smaller, quick, agile, high-flyer, the whole thing. For some reason though, I just don’t see this match coming anywhere close to what we got with Brock vs Bryan/Finn. Seth winning the Rumble was such a predictable choice and the path was clear right from the get-go. I think Seth would be an excellent champion but I think the fans have built him up to be something bigger than what he is and it just turns me off from him. Plus, everything seems so calculated yet so easy for him. Every feud, every program he’s in….it starts off as a struggle but always ends with him on top. It’s just not fun to see that all the time. Everyone wants a full-time champion on RAW, but if it wasn’t Finn, I would have loved it to be Drew McIntyre. For me, it’s just not Seth’s time right now.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Winner-Take-All match for the RAW Woman’s Championship and the Smackdown Woman’s Championship: Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am absolutely honored that for the rest of my life, I’ll be able to say that I was in the building for the first-ever woman’s MAIN EVENT of a WrestleMania. Like, they’re not just calling it a main event, they’re going on last. Whoever wins will hold the titles up and that will be the last image we see of WrestleMania. That is legendary and I am humbled.

Sure, this has been a jumbled mess. Let’s break it down

  • Last year, Asuka/Ronda was being discussed
  • Then it was Charlotte/Ronda
  • That match happened, so then it was open season for Becky/Ronda exclusively
  • Charlotte is added to the match for NO REASON

And here we are now with these three ladies. I still 1000% think Asuka should be added to the match as well considering she was supposed to have a match, most likely with Naomi, for her title, but they changed plans pretty much last minute and now Asuka doesn’t have a title. She’s in the battle royal and it’s really insulting, but there’s no changing it now.

I don’t know why you NEEDED to make it winner-take-all. It was a big enough deal already and now it’s just kind of excessive. Hopefully the match lives up to everything it could and should be though. In the end, I want Becky to make RONDA tap while Charlotte attempts to crawl back in the ring. Ronda is apparently on her way out for a while and Charlotte has had one too many legendary moments end with her hand raised. Becky has earned this moment. To be at WrestleMania in New York and have 80,000 people look at her, as a dual champion, in awe.

Winner: Becky Lynch

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WWE Predictions- NXT TakeOver: New York

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

It’s WrestleMania week!! Very excited for everyone getting to travel to New York, possibly for the first time, to experience the city (if you have time) and a weekend jam-packed full of wrestling events. I’m from New York so this is just another weekend in the city, but I’m very excited to be in attendance for both TakeOver and Mania. This is my 5th TakeOver, and I am very excited to be back at the Barclay’s Center for another stacked night.

Main Card

Match #1: Velveteen Dream vs Matt Riddle- NXT North American Champinship match

Even without much of a build or a personal storyline, this match has a ton of potential. If there was ever a time to pull the trigger on Matt Riddle, it’s right now. Give him a secondary title to play with for a while and let Dream go on to be either Cole or Gargano’s first challenger for the NXT Championship. I know that particular title scene feels very much like a rotating ball with about 5-6 guys in it, but I don’t think anyone cares.

What we saw between these two in the fatal-five-way was enough to make me want to see what they can do together in a full-on singles match. Dream, though sometimes clumsy, is so good at getting the crowd to hold onto everything he does, as well as making everything he does look so grand and dramatic. Riddle has come a long way in a very short amount of time and I could honestly see him on the main roster, doing well, right now. Though a hard-hitting match it will be between two hungry young guys, I want to see Riddle make Dream tap out in the middle of the ring.

Winner: Matt Riddle

Match #2: Shayna Baszler vs Io Shirai vs Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair- NXT Woman’s Championship match

As good of a match as this will be, because all four of these woman are great at what they do, it’s very much a “year in review” booking of the NXT woman’s division. Kairi and Shayna had an excellent program last year and they continue to have stellar chemistry, Belair, who has been white hot, is looking for another shot after a losing effort and Io Shirai is the representative of the new class to come out of the Mae Young Classic.

One of the two WrestleMania endings being discussed is Baszler, along with Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, joining Ronda Rousey for a showdown between the WWE and UFC Horsewomen teams. If that’s the case, Shayna would need to be called up to the main roster. I’m not sure how successful she’ll be there, even if all you need to say to Vince McMahon is that she could very well be a female Brock Lesnar for him to understand her, but she’d need to be called up indefinitely. That means losing the title. The only logical winner here is Belair, who is nowhere near ready for the main roster, but has proven herself to be a top draw in NXT. NXT failed to build Candace Larae up to where she could have been in this match, will all the time they had, but instead we have Io Shirai. Talented, a veteran, all of it, but just not someone I see winning the biggest title of the division at the biggest event of the year in New York.

Winner: Bianca Belair

Match #3: Walter vs Pete Dunne- WWE UK Championship match

I don’t think anyone will forget the incredible Dunne/Bate match at TakeOver: Chicago back in 2017 where Dunne captured the UK Championship. It was the start of an absolutely fantastic championship run for Dunne, who has held the title for almost 700 days. It would be hard to name even one of his title defenses that wasn’t stellar. A great sign going forward for the Bruiserweight.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Walter will be Dunne’s greatest challenge to date. I don’t get to watch a lot of the new UK show, but you don’t need to watch a weekly show to know that Walter is an absolute monster of a man. I think the match will be competitive….it’s TakeOver, so how could it not be, but I would absolutely love to see Walter run through Dunne in under 5 minutes. Establish the dominance quickly, and leave no doubt in anyone’s mind who is running the show now. Still, I think it’ll get a good 10-12 minutes and Dunne will come close to getting Walter to submit, but will ultimately fall to the giant.

Winner: Walter

Match #4: War Raiders vs Ricochet and Aleister Black- NXT Tag-Team Championships match

This could very easily be the best match of the night. On one side, you have the War Raiders, who are easily one of the most versatile tag-teams I’ve ever seen and one that has adapted beautifully, considering where they came from, to the NXT/WWE style. On the other side you have Ricochet and Aleister Black, a team that feels SUPER forced but one that is actually working, which is no surprise considering who it’s made up of. Black and Ricochet have been working triple duty (NXT, Raw and Smackdown) for weeks now, picking up victories everywhere and hopefully getting in Vince McMahon’s good graces. It’d be nice if he were to watch any of their singles work so he knows what to do with them after this little experiment is over, but I digress.

Please, give these guys 15-20 minutes and let them go to hell. Let it be emotional, let people be flying around everywhere, let it be cringe-worthy in the best was possible and really, just let it be as good as it could be. Aleister and Ricochet have been getting overexposed lately and I think it’s time for the complete main-roster summons for both of them, so I don’t think a win  is appropriate. War Raiders have a lot left in them and I think another year in NXT would suffice before they get called up and ultimately brought to their knees by lack of creative direction and artistic freedom. But for right now, before anyone goes anywhere, let’s just enjoy four of the best wrestlers in the world going absolutely ballistic on each other.

Winners: War Raiders

Match #5: Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano- 2 Out Of 3 Falls match for the NXT Championship

This match is a blessing in disguise. The main event of TakeOver: New York was originally supposed to be ANOTHER match in the seemingly never-ending Gargano/Ciampa saga. After Ciampa definitively outsmarted Gargano at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, and especially after the two started teaming together once again as DIY on Raw and Smackdown, I thought it was over. But no, the two were heading for the FINAL CLASH or whatever you want to call it. Unfortunately, Ciampa is out with an injury, and now we have Cole/Gargano.

Though there wasn’t a ton of time to build this up, it’s a different dynamic then what we are used to and I am all for it. You have Gargano, who has failed at every chance he’s had to win the big one, and Cole, who hasn’t had his shot yet. You have Cole, who has improved significantly over the last few years but is vastly overlooked outside of Undisputed Era, and you have Gargano, who is absolutely a crowd favorite and will always be wherever he goes. Still, Gargano is the underdog. Cole takes pride in stomping the underdog out. The obvious outcome is for Cole to underestimate Gargano and take the fall, but I really think Cole is walking away NXT Champion. A 2-out-of-3 falls match favors Cole, who has three hungry watchdogs standing by his side. Could Gargano overcome the numbers game? He could, but I think he overcomes the numbers on the outside only to fall to Cole in the ring. Or, this is finally going to be Gargano’s moment and I’m raining on everyone’s parade. Oh well.

Winner: Adam Cole

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WWE Predictions: NXT TakeOver- Brooklyn IV

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

TakeOver: Brooklyn IV will come to you LIVEEEEE from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. I’ll be in attendance for my third year in a row and, as usual, cannot wait to be there to see NXT’s best tear the house down.

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Main Card

Match #1: Adam Cole vs Ricochet- North American Championship match

On paper, especially after the clinic Ricochet put on with Velveteen Dream at TakeOver: Chicago, this doesn’t seem very exciting. Even the build has been pretty uninteresting. “I want to fight you”. “I’m not going to fight you because I’m better then you.” *Undisputed Era attacks the guy backstage*. You know, whatever.

Honestly though, Adam Cole has really, really been killing it lately and while I think the total difference in styles will be a little awkward, it could be a great opener. I was not expecting Ricochet to go over against Dream, but I don’t think he should here, unless Cole and the entirety of Undisputed are being called up, which I think would be a mistake. I’d love for Ricochet’s first title win to be for the NXT Championship, so keep Cole strong for the moment.

Winner: Adam Cole

Match #2: Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong) vs Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate)- NXT Tag-Team Championships match

This is becoming a bit like New Day vs The Usos. It’s the match you’ve seen 100 times, in every variation, but you don’t care cause they’re just so freakin good. Roderick Strong, who I absolute adore. looks so good in his role right as a part of this “boys club” thing they have going on right now and I don’t want to see him lose any of his muster. We’ve already seen Seven and Bate win the titles in a huge feel-good moment so I really don’t think we need to see it happen again. O’Reilly and Strong are so captivating in the ring and they really fill the gap of there being literally no other heel tag teams, besides the War Raiders, I guess, in NXT. Undisputed/War Raiders is a money match and program, so I give them the win here.

Winners: Undisputed Era

Match #3: EC3 vs Velveteen Dream

I’m a little nervous for this one. A lot of people seem to be excited about but I just don’t see it on the same level as Dream/Black or Dream/Ricochet. EC3 has certainly looked really good in the ring since his arrival in NXT, something I wasn’t particularly expecting, so maybe these two will surprise me with a ton of chemistry. The build-up has really been about the gimmicks….they’re both so good at being larger-then-life personas, each with special characteristics and mannerisms that set them apart from the rest, that it has worked thus far, I just hope it delivers in-ring.

You really don’t lose any momentum by losing a match in NXT, but if they have Dream lose at a major event AGAIN, you’re basically making him out to be the guy who can be the most over with the crowd and have the most talked-about match, but loses just so a new face can get over. That’s why I’ll give him the win here. EC3 can easily get back in the shuffle if the Gargano/Ciampa feud finally ends for good and a new contender has to be crowned.

Winner: Velveteen Dream

Match #4: Kairi Sane vs Shayna Bayzler- NXT Women’s Championship match

These two have obvious history….Sane defeated Bayzler in the finals of the inaugural Mae Young Classic last summer. Now, Bayzler, as champion, has rolled through every competitor that has been put in her way in NXT thus far, while Sane is just now starting to recover from a  bit of a rough patch.

Bayzler defeated Sane on an episode of NXT a while back, so they are even at 1-1. If Bayzler loses here, I think it would be appropriate to call her up without a rematch. She could really be an excellent addition to the main roster women’s division….some stiff competition for Ronda if she is successful against Alexa Bliss on Sunday. I think Sane may be the chink in her armor once again, and I think it’s well deserved.

Winner: Kairi Sane

Match #5: Johnny Gargano vs Tommasso Ciampa- Last Man Standing match for the NXT Championship

What would have been a triple threat match pitting these two against each other and Aleister Black is now the rubber match in the incredible series of matches the two have put on over recent months, due to Black’s injury. When McIntyre went down in November, he was called up to the main roster for his return, but I think it’ll be a real shame if Aleister doesn’t get to finish what he started.

If the match had stayed a triple threat, I would honestly have had Ciampa retain the title. Now, in a Last Man Standing situation, a kind of match that serves as the be-all end-all, I think it is finally time to give Gargano that belt and leave the fans with an incredible moment to end the show, especially if we’re being treated to another Roman Reigns coronation tomorrow night.

Expect all the brutality from their first few matches, and then some. Whoever wins the match is going to do so by the tip of his tounge, answering the 10 count just in time after both men look to be down and out. No doubt they will continue to wow us, but if all is right in the world, at least for one night, it needs to end with Gargano’s hand raised.

Winner: Johnny GarganoD77DD2C7-DA9F-4273-8FB9-97948927261C.png

WWE Predictions: Money In The Bank

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

Tonight’s installment of Money In The Bank comes to you LIVEEEE from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. You know, usually I’d try and be optimistic, but after the absolute bloodbath the NXT roster left in their wake at TakeOver, all the main roster can do is just try and hope for the best. MITB is a bloated card that could almost be cut in half, but we’ll just have to see what happens.

Preshow

Match #1: The Bludgeon Brothers vs Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson- Smackdown Tag-Team Championships match

I mean, I’m not head over heels excited about this one but I love everyone involved so why the hell not. I’d rather see this on the main card instead of Roman/Jinder or Cass/Bryan if it meant they got some time to play. Harper and Gallows pounding away at each other is something I can get into.

Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers

Main Card

Match #1: Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal

At this point, this belongs on the preshow. No one in the right mind believes that Roman, the guy who beats almost everyone all the time, is losing to a guy who was only enhanced by a championship run that overstayed its welcome. If it was anyone else I’d be like “Oh, maybe that’s why they’ll do it”, but they’d be nuts to feed Roman to Jinder if they are indeed doing Roman/Lesnar again at Summerslam.

Also, this feud has been boring. No offense.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Match #2: Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass

This belongs on the preshow too. We’ve already seen this match, where Bryan made Cass tap out clean, so there’s no point in this program continuing. However, they have insisted on pushing it down our throats for some reason, having Cass cost Bryan opportunities at the MITB ladder match on multiple occasions when clearly that’s a spot he should be in at this point. WWE loves 50/50 booking, so I would not be surprised to see them attempt, and fail, to build up Cass further by having him beat Bryan.

Winner: Big Cass

Match #3: Carmella vs Asuka- Smackdown Women’s Championship match

Really though, Asuka is only challenging Carmella because everyone else is either occupied or not ready for the opportunity. While Carmella has improved, there’s almost no way Asuka will get all that great of a match out of her. It seems like a foregone conclusion that she’ll walk out with the title easy, which would be REALLY underwhelming considering everything she had to do to get to Charlotte and her title at Mania only to fall short, but something tells me she won’t. Wouldn’t you want her to beat someone on Charlotte’s level for that title instead of some cop out win against a girl she would have squashed in three minutes a few years ago in NXT?

Winner: Carmella via shenanigans

Match #4: Seth Rollins vs Elias- Intercontinental Championship match

This match will be one of the few saving graces of a card with generally no real interest behind it. Seth and Elias, particularly the former, are easily two of the most if not the most over guys in the company right now. Rollins is for sure on the roll of his career, but having him fall to Elias here would be an excellent way to get him into the Universal Title picture. Lesnar/Rollins at Summerslam has been talked about, but Lord knows that plan lasted for two seconds before Vince crossed it out and went back to Roman/Lesnar.

Winner: Elias

Match #5: Ember Moon vs Sasha Banks vs Natalya vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch vs Alex Bliss vs Naomi vs Lana- Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder match

I’m not as excited for this one as I should be. Maybe because Ruby Riot isn’t in it. Hmmmmmm

In all seriousness, I’m not worried about them at all after last year, even though the inaugural women’s ladder match wasn’t perfect. Ember, Sasha and Naomi will shine brightest, but I don’t think any of them will end up the winner. There have been rumblings that Natalya could win in order to spark some sort of feud with Ronda down the line, but I really hope they don’t throw the match away over that. While I think the Natalya/Ronda story will be important in Ronda’s growth, I don’t want the MITB contract, something that could really help elevate someone, given to someone who is essentially fodder for a bigger picture.

If it’s me, I give it to Becky. It’s been a long time coming, and WWE have continued to not utilize her the right away just to spite the fans.

Winner: Becky Lynch

Match #6: Bobby Lashley vs Sami Zayn

Here’s a match that I’d be really excited to see 99% of the time, but because of the absolutely embarrassing, horrid buildup to it, I’m almost going to have a hard time separating it from the match itself. Lashley has proven to be pretty bland since returning the night after Mania, but that shouldn’t be news to anyone, as he’s always been bland. Sami has had to carry this program through, but with the worst writing imaginable. I’m sure he’ll carry Bobby to an excellent match as well, bumping around like a lunatic in order to really sell Lashley’s strength and athleticism, but they really killed the whole vibe of this.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Match #7: Bobby Roode vs Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor vs Rusev vs The Miz vs Samoa Joe vs Kofi Kingston, Big E OR Xavier Woods- Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder match

First off, I’m REALLY hoping that the New Day member included in the match is Big E. Sure, there’s already a few big men in the match already, but I wanna see what he can do, alone, in that situation. I think he’d thrive.

As for the rest of them, this has the potential to top NXT’s ladder match from TakeOver: New Orleans. It’s really interesting, because Finn Balor is really the only out of the bunch that really fits the mold of a ladder match specialist, but then you have Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe, who have not touched each other since their brief encounter in NXT years back, but who could really be the catalysts, the leaders, in this scenario. Braun Strowman has seemed unstoppable leading up to this moment, and as interesting as a Strowman cash-in would be on Lesnar, I don’t think they need to give him a second huge accolade, the first being the Greatest Royal Rumble win, in the span of a month and a half.

For me, it’s down to Samoa Joe and Finn Balor, as it could really benefit both longterm, but I think it’s got to be Joe. He can terrorize the Smackdown champion, whoever it may be after tonight, with the contract, becoming the face of that brand in the process.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Match #8: Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax- RAW Women’s Championship match

I think people are getting too butthurt about Nia “bullying” Ronda throughout this program. Ronda is still a face who doesn’t really know how to express herself adequately on the mic in the professional wrestling sense just yet, and up until this thing got going, Nia was also a face. One who finally took the prize she had deserved by the friend who had been holding her back for so long. How boring of a feud would it have been if it had all been friendly bs? The build to Nakamura/AJ at Mania wasn’t thrilling for that exact reason.

I’d feel really bad if Nia lost the title on just her second defense of it, but putting Ronda on a rocketship and having her take it all right away could be a smart move business wise. It could also back her into a corner she’s not ready to get out of yet, as she still does have so much to learn. A feud with Natalya over the title is a given, but they should build that up for it to have a real effect on people/

Winner: Ronda Rousey

Match #9: Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles- Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship

The Last Man Standing match is designed perfectly for the heel to win, automatically. If a face wins, they just had their opponent down for a 10 count, which should signify the end of a feud right there. As much as I would have loved to see Shinsuke win a world title by standard pinfall or submission, they very well might have him do it in this fashion, but they’re going to have to be dramatic about it. I don’t want him standing there over him the whole time, because then that kills any chance of AJ getting a shot at redemption.

Not that anyone really wants to see AJ get that shot after how much this program, which should have been incredible, has somewhat floundered. A year ago it was sacred, and now we’ve seen it way too many times with seemingly no end in sight. It’s very frustrating, but we can only hope that the pull the trigger on Nakamura here, because if they don’t, they never will.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

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WWE Predictions: NXT TakeOver- Chicago II

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

This installment of NXT: TakeOver comes to you LIVEEEE from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. While not the most interesting card for a TakeOver, two matches in particular are most likely to be definite Match Of The Year contenders. Even though their hero has fallen on the sword, Chicago is still one of the most electric cities WWE goes to, so expect an incredible atmosphere.

Main Card

Match #1: Shayna Baszler vs Nikki Cross- NXT Women’s Championship match

This is such an interesting dynamic, and I think this will be the match that surprises people the most. Nikki’s title match against Asuka was one of my favorite NXT matches of last year, so now you put her against Shayna, who is just as quick, hard-hitting and versatile and you have another excellent pairing.

Shayna and Ember’s feud from earlier in the year was much more personal. Built on Ember’s injury at the hands of Shayna and the fact that she stole the win over her in their first match, by the time they got to New Orleans, the tension, at least in their promos, was palpable. The build to this has been thrown together pretty quickly, and there’s really been no reason for Shayna, the heel, who is not supposed to take challenges easily, to accept a match with Nikki. Nonetheless, I’m still excited to see it.

Winner: Shayna Baszler

Match #2: Aleister Black vs Lars Sullivan- NXT Championship match

As much as Lars has progressed over the last few months, I still think it’s too early for him to be given a title match. He is clearly a threat to Aleister’s title, but as we’ve seen over the last year or so with the champions being called up to the main roster directly after losing their title, I don’t think it’s Aleister’s time to go up yet.

Even watching Lars hit the Freak Accident on Black three times the other night on NXT TV, I sort of looked at it very impassively. It was like watching Braun Strowman’s program with Brock Lesnar. You think “Maybe, but I doubt it.” Assuming Ciampa wins the main event, I would absolutely obsess over a title feud between him and Aleister and that’s where I think they might go with it anyway. Where Lars fits into the plans afterwards, I don’t know, but having him go into the match looking so dominant might just be a ploy for Black to take him down, keeping him as strong as ever.

Winner: Aleister Black

Match #3: Undisputed Era (O’Reilly and Strong) vs Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch- NXT Tag-Team Championships match

Lorcan/Burch and O’Reilly/Fish, Roderick Strong for the time being, are the finest workhorses NXT has. Lorcan and Burch in particular are like little pitbulls, if pitbulls were able to steamroll people with uppercuts and other incredible, fast-paced offense. The two have been embroiled in a program with the members of the Undisputed Era for a few months now, overcoming the numbers game and delivering excellent matches with each of the teams members.

This will most likely be the best-wrestled match of the night, and easily the most exciting visually. I can HONESTLY see these two taking the titles and would be absolutely thrilled about it, but there’s just something about those sneaky, technically proficient heels on the other side that make me think it’s going to be a dead end for the dark horses.

Winners: Undisputed Era

Match #4: Velveteen Dream vs Ricochet

We got a little taste of what these two will do here a few weeks ago on NXT when they went for about 8-9 minutes before being interrupted by Lars Sullivan, and if you haven’t been salivating for more since, there’s a problem.

Since then, the feud has escalated to new heights, with both talking up a big game, playing the “Anything you can do I can do better” card, and the scary thing is that they might actually be right. I think Ricochet is far more advanced and far more accustomed to performing in high-profile situations, but Dream is the young lion waiting to take his spotlight.

The sensuality he brings to the table on top of the athleticism and charisma has only been amplified by this program, and it’s been SO SIMPLE. Main roster writers need to take note, because the “how did we get here” part, which is important, has been effortless, and it’s the best received part of the show every week at this point. I fully expect them to go for 20 minutes and to have the Chicago crowd going absolutely wild. Cannot wait to see it.

Winner: Velveteen Dream

Match #5: Johnny Gargano vs Tommasso Ciampa- Chicago Street Fight

This has been disgustingly good. My only thing with this is that matches should be elevated along with the program itself, and going from an Unsanctioned match to a Street Fight seems like a step back, but the story has been so dramatically enhanced by Candace’s involvement and the desperation Gargano has shown to make Ciampa pay for putting her in that position that I don’t even care. Have at it boys.

Mauro Ranallo, NXT’s flagship announcer, is going to miss this particular show, and as he was an integral part of what made the Unsanctioned match feel so brutal and raw and is an integral part of the storyline in general, demonizing Ciampa and his actions in the most prolific way possible, that is a void that the other announcers will have to fill. Regardless, the chemistry those two have spill out into every corner of the Allstate Arena, and maybe even outside the venue as well. The two of them are both insane, so I can’t even imagine what they have planned.

Winner: Tommasso Ciampa

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WWE Predictions: Backlash

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view comes to you LIVEEEE tonight from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It is the return of the dual-branded PPV, and I could not be happier about it. Two (possibly three if there was a TakeOver) major WWE events per month was quite tiring, and it required the creative teams to really dig deep to find enough content to cover a full pay-per-view. This is a much better format.

Preshow

Match #1: Ruby Riott vs Bayley

WWE have been teasing a full-fledged Sasha Banks/Bayley program for months now but have failed to pull the trigger. Should they wait till Summerslam, it’s quite possible that the fans will genuinely lose interest, which is a shame considering what they can accomplish together when given the chance.

For now though, Ruby Riott is shining bright. It’s only been a few months since her NXT call-up and yet she has fully adjusted to the main roster style, and her character is refreshing in the women’s division. She defeated Sasha this past Monday on RAW, so I fully expect her to defeat Bayley here. She’s a perfect choice to win the women’s Money In The Bank match, so you really need to slowly build her up until that moment.

Main Card

Match #1: Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton- United States Championship match

Well, this is VERY cool for those who have been fans for a decade or so. These two had EXCELLENT matches together in 2008 and now a decade later, both still on top of the wrestling world, they’re going at it again.

Jinder Mahal won the US title at Mania, then Randy Orton earned the opportunity to face him for that title. In the mess of the Superstar Shake-Up, Jinder lost the title to Jeff and now here we are. I’d LOVE for these two to get a good 12-15 minutes and give us something a little old school.

Winner: Jeff Hardy

Match #2: Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass

Daniel Bryan wrestling again is great for the business, but I would not have picked a returning “Big” Cass as his first one-on-one opponent at a major event. Cass isn’t exactly a light worker, which makes me nervous. Yes, Bryan did wrestle for over an hour in the Greatest Royal Rumble, so he’s certainly good to go for real, but he was able to pick his spots in that match and work with guys who could protect him. Cass will always be green to me, but we’ll see what happens. I don’t know how you book this, considering this is Bryan’s big comeback and because Vince seems to be super high on Cass, so maybe a false finish? If I’m writing it, I just have Bryan win clean and move on with his life, but I would not be surprised if Cass absolutely wipes the floor with him.

Winner: Big Cass

Match #3: Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss- RAW Women’s Championship match

Nothing of interest has really been done to further this storyline since Mania, where Nia won the title in “convincing fashion. The build to that moment was months in the making, so I can’t see Alexa winning the title back AGAIN so quickly. Nia as champion is a nice change after seeing the title flopped around between 3-4 names for what feels like a REALLY long time, and even though she still has a tremendous amount of work to do, being in that position will push her to be better.

Winner: Nia Jax

Match #4: Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Strowman and Lashley, each of whom have had monumental moments in recent weeks, are a formidable team. They should be tag champions right now, but I’m not even going to get into that. Zayn and Owens are sort of in limbo right now when they should have so much more to do, but it’ll be hard to justify them beating those two monsters right when they’re hot. If I’m right about these and this show ends up being a very heel-heavy night, no way these two are winning anyway.

This is way down the line, but I NEED to see a Finn Balor/Sami Zayn IC title feud in the fall. Like….please

Winners: Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley

Match #5: Seth Rollins vs The Miz- Intercontinental Championship match

It’s amazing how truly over Seth Rollins is. The reaction he got from the crowd in Canada this past week was absolutely surreal, but the man works hard for it. Miz is at a point in his career where he could be a legitimate world champion, unlike his first run in 2011, but with Brock Lesnar at the top of RAW, that is not a viable option. Instead, he serves as fodder, despite how great the matches and programs are, to guys like Seth and Finn Balor, simply because of the way heels are booked.

We’ve seen this match countless times before, but it always delivers. A Finn Balor interference is predictable but would make ME very happy, so I’d love to see it. Finn tries to run in and distract Seth, only for Seth to still win the match and feud with Balor over the title through the summer. Ironman match anyone??

Winner: Seth Rollins

Match #6: Charlotte Flair vs Carmella- Smackdown Women’s Championship match

Carmella finally cashed in her Money In The Bank contract on the Smackdown post-Mania and stole the title from Charlotte. On paper, this is an absolute mismatch and normally it would be a very quick, one-sided thing, but I’d love to see Carmella work a little bit and prove herself to the detractors. 2-3 months with the title, sneaking her way to victories over the likes of Charlotte and Naomi would do wonders for her.

I don’t think Charlotte needs the title back yet, and I’m sure the Iconic Duo will be a factor into why she doesn’t take it back tonight.

Winner: Carmella

Match #7: Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles- No Disqualification match for the WWE Championship

WWE overhyped the Mania match between these two, despite what they really intended it to be. No matter how good it was, it was ALWAYS going to be compared to their excellent match in Japan from a few years ago, so of course it wasn’t going to live up to everyone’s expectations.

The finish to the match in Saudi Arabia was perfect. Now we have a stipulation attached….one that Shinsuke, now a full-fledged heel, will benefit from. Even with that in mind, part of me thinks that because AJ has taken so many hits over the last few weeks, as the face, that he’ll come out on top. Backlash does not seem like the appropriate stage for Shinsuke to finally capture the big title, but if he loses clean again here, then he doesn’t appear to be a viable contender anymore. So maybe he will take it, and the two of them, or maybe a third person, can kill it all summer.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Match #8: Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe

As monumental of an event as Shinsuke’s first main roster title victory is, Samoa Joe defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of a major PPV is worth pushing it back for. Roman lost clean to Brock at Mania and in controversial fashion in Saudi Arabia, so he doesn’t have a lot of ground to claim right now. Samoa Joe missed another Mania, but has already expressed, after being drafted to Smackdown, that he will be going after the WWE Championship. If he is to do that, he will need to built up like the monster he is. Roman losing damages him a little bit, but it benefits Joe so much more. These two are awesome together, so I’m looking forward to it.

Winner: Samoa Joe

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