The WWE Discussion Thread

[SelectiveGamer]

6 hours ago, GoodbyeBread said:

hello everyone

A lot has happened since then and I have been living under a rock in terms of wrestling. Any big changes?

 

Also, I noticed a John Oliver's video on WWE. Wonder what your thoughts are:

 

 

Aww I was going to post that. Too late. lol. Oh well.

 

Honestly I really have nothing to say in support or opposition of this. Everyone else can feel free to do so though. ?

[GoodbyeBread]

5 hours ago, Jesaya815 said:

 

Welcome back, Bread

 

Well, Charlotte won the Smackdown Women's Championship from Asuka two weeks before WrestleMania, which caused a shitstorm on social media. A lot of the female workers are upset right now as well.

 

John Oliver has done a great job addressing such a topic in a funny, yet informative and serious manner at the same time. I doubt it will change anything though, as long as no one is confronting Vince with these issues on a regular basis or let's say the wrestlers go on strike until they get health care. The McMahons didn't listen to Jesse Ventura, so why should they start listening to the fans and the host of a popular late show?

 

 

Glad to be back

 

My goodness, how did it play out? was it a long match or a squash match?

I'm just sad for Asuka  Ended the year of 2018 as the SD champion and then taken away. I'm not sure why they would do that to her. So two champions are in the main event.and only Ronda is defending her title. Very bone headed decision (To be honest, I'm starting to think the triple threat in mania is an insurance clause in case one individual gets injured. Still, it hurts Asuka in the process).

 

In my opinion, Oliver does well to bring up topics and awareness to the public, even though he isn't a journalist. But your are right. It would take a lot of coaxing to vince to even make that happen. Realistically, the only way the company will change is if Vince steps down and Hunter takes over, making amendments to their policies to guarantee health care . Or if AEW boasts about having a good health care for their employees, to which it would force them to do the same. 

 

2 hours ago, SelectiveGamer said:

 

Aww I was going to post that. Too late. lol. Oh well.

 

Honestly I really have nothing to say in support or opposition of this. Everyone else can feel free to do so though. ?

 

Sorry about that. XP

Well, If I may ask, what are your general thoughts on the subject? (I'm won't judge, just interested in other perspectives and want to know the why). I'll give mine just to start

 

My thoughts: It is important to treat your workers right. Coming from a family that has a very strict,but good work ethic where you earn what you put in, it's crucial to treat your workers well. Even the AAA video game industry has a problem with treating it workers well (Activision and EA laying off workers after boasting about their success, Konami (JPN) making their workplace like a prison and going out of their way to ruin their ex employee's lives, etc). At some point, something must change. Workplaces like WWE and the ones i mention can only think short term for so long that it can end up hurting in the long run.

[Dauersack]

11 hours ago, GoodbyeBread said:

hello everyone

A lot has happened since then and I have been living under a rock in terms of wrestling. Any big changes?

 

Also, I noticed a John Oliver's video on WWE. Wonder what your thoughts are:

 

A bit surprised they didn't go for the low hanging fruits when trying to tell people how much of a lowlife Vince McMahon can be in real life.

They briefly mentioned that Owen Hart died but not specifically that he died due to almost criminal negligence on WWEs part, and that Vince forced the wrestlers and commentators to keep the show going after they saw one of their colleagues fall to his death during it.

They did not mention that WWE only updated into the current bare bones health policy and banning of chair shots to the head after both Eddie Guerreros and Chris Benoits deaths in a pretty short timespan made the company look really bad.

They mentioned that CM Punk shat himself due to having to perform despite his concussion, but failed to mention that the WWE doctor almost killed him by refusing to treat his serious staph infection, because that would have meant some recovery time.

They never mentioned the huge steroid scandal Vince was involved in.

They never mentioned how absolutely disgusting the companies and especially Vinces behavior was towards the wife of Brian Pillman, only one day after his death.

They also easily could have gone into some detail how many WWE employees, especially poor old Jim Ross, have been bullied on and off camera for years.

 

Someone already said it in this thread, though I think it was for the wrong reasons, but I also hope Vince dies soon, and dies slowly while in agonizing pain. Him ruining the current show is no reason to wish harm upon him, but considering how many lifes this guy has ruined, how many people he indirectly killed and how much shady shit he most likely has done that didn't even come out, then he already had way too long of a life. I do not believe in the concept of hell, but if it exists he would be a prime candidate for it.

 

Regarding what happenes currently, barely anything truly new if you think about it.

They sell yet another first time ever womens match, and creating a lot of confusion by having two of the three people involved in the match in the possession of a championship.

They still try to get people to like Roman Reigns, now by picturing him as an idiot who is back in the ring despite still suffering from some drawbacks of his disease, people have sympathy for him now, but i expect that to die down soon at this rate.

Poor Braun Strowman is once again trapped in a very shitty angle at WrestleMania, which is a damn shame.

They are perhaps about to turn the legendary Kurt Angles farewell match on WrestleMania into a tragedy by booking Baron borefest Corbin as his opponent.

They try to repackage the Daniel Bryan underdog story from years ago, now with Kofi Kingston starring as Bryan and Daniel Bryan starring as the new antagonist, even recycling most of the phrases like the B+ player insult that Bryan himself now unironically uses.

They still have way too many multi man matches on WrestleMania.

They still haven't fired Nia Jax or put her back in training where she belongs, at this point they probably never will even if she cripples or kills someone.

Brock still only appears every few weeks and then barely does anything.

Many people are rumored to leave the company because they barely get to do anything, and when they do something they lose.

Many wrestlers are still trapped in endless back and forth rivalries that go nowhere, also currently many wrestlers get jobbed often, and not in a way that gets anyone over. Affects lower wrestlers few people care about, all up to wrestlers who should be protected like poor Samoa Joe.

 

All in all I have a few matches I am excited for, but what does it say about the overall quality of the card when The Miz vs Shane McMahon is one of the few I am more interested in? This might be the first time the match I look forward to the most in april is not at WrestleMania, but at NXT Takeover New York, Pete Dunne vs Walter.

[itachi-destroyer]

RAW was terrible. The tag team match was good but that's about it. I have a feeling this Wrestlemania is going to be one of the worst of all time, the card is weak and there isn't any match that really feels worthy of a Wrestlemania main event.

 

I will not watch the show live for the first time in years, however I can't wait for the true top show of this wrestlemania week... NXT Takeover.

[Jesaya815]

11 hours ago, GoodbyeBread said:

My goodness, how did it play out? was it a long match or a squash match?

I'm just sad for Asuka  Ended the year of 2018 as the SD champion and then taken away. I'm not sure why they would do that to her. So two champions are in the main event.and only Ronda is defending her title. Very bone headed decision (To be honest, I'm starting to think the triple threat in mania is an insurance clause in case one individual gets injured. Still, it hurts Asuka in the process).

 

Charlotte and Asuka wrestled for about 18 minutes. The match itself was good and worth a watch, but the way WWE is treating the women on Smackdown still sucks. They advertised a Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender's Match for a week, only to change their plans on Tuesday in a last minute decision to give Charlotte the title.

 

Most of the time, Asuka wasn't even on television. Her run basically was one of the worst in history. Asuka never got a real chance to be a great champion.

 

As far as the Triple Threat at WrestleMania is concerned, both championships will be on the line in a "Winner take all" match. So, at least the title switch makes a bit more sense now.

 

 

6 minutes ago, itachi-destroyer said:

 

I will not watch the show live for the first time in years, however I can't wait for the true top show of this wrestlemania week... NXT Takeover.

 

Me neither. Maybe I'll watch the Kickoff and the first hour live, but not the whole show. Kudos to everyone who's gonna sit through that eight hour event.

 

NXT Takeover will be amazing, no doubt about that. Dream vs Riddle and Dunne vs Walter could really steal the show, though the main event between Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole will probably tear the house down. Both deserve to finally win the big gold. One of them is going to be the first ever NXT Triple Crown winner. I can't wait to see what happens

[SelectiveGamer]

I agree with what was said in the piece and it was funny. That's about all I can really say.

 

I doubt this is going to change anything.

[jackmadrox]

So this was the best thing to happen on RAW in years...

https://youtu.be/Yg49e7oB4lQ

[Maxximum]

The "winner takes all" stipulation already teases the burial of the brand split, so expect Survivor Series to be really different this year. The brawl throughout the ring and backstage with the cops was funny but the build up was overused and makes it now bland. 

 

They might even be capable of having Lacey Evans do her thing she does during matches and distract Brock Lesnar so Seth Rollins could execute a roll up for a win and become new Universal Champion. Anything can happen when it comes to booking behind the curtain. 

 

Alexa Bliss was right when she said SmackDown lost its spirit of competition. They don't even have a women's match at WrestleMania to anticipate. They are even hyping up the battle royal matches, one of which they parachuted Asuka into. Never knew they could change Eric Young's appearance like that and have all three beaten by Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere match that will happen at the PPV. I'm not mad about it, it's just how some things don't make total sense. Shane and Miz will definitely tear down the house all around the MetLife stadium. Can't wait to see the places they'll visit and beat the hell out of each other. 

[itachi-destroyer]

Smackdown was alright but watching Big E and Xavier Woods jump like idiots while Kofi was struggling to do a simple promo made me realise even more why he should not be competing for the top title in WWE at Wrestlemania. The main event should be AJ Styles vs Orton for the WWE Championship. 

On another note it really sucks that Rey Mysterio is injured AGAIN, the guy had a lengthy career but he should do like Kurt Angle and retire. 

 

20 minutes ago, ee28max said:

The "winner takes all" stipulation already teases the burial of the brand split, so expect Survivor Series to be really different this year.

 

I really don't think that's the case. When Smackdown moves to Fox the interactivity between the two shows will be almost non-existent I believe since Fox will not want to promote a show (RAW in that case) that is on another channel.

I would also prefer WWE going back to having PPV exclusives to RAW and Smackdown and only do the co-branded PPV for the big 5 PPVs.

Edited April 3, 2019 by itachi-destroyer

[AK-1138]

Making every high-profile babyface a grotesque Frankensteinian Bryan/Cena chimera is probably the worst thing WWE is doing these days. I was on-board with Kofi's push until they had him and his goofball compatriots bury half the SD roster to get there. He may have had the odds stacked against him, but getting in a title match through the doings of others is not a babyface thing to do. He also really choked on the go-home promo, saying nothing of particular value, or with conviction. I've got a soft spot for Kofi from back in the pre-New Day, but "Creative" ruined any chance of my enjoying his victory through sheer incompetence. Bryan has been on such a roll he should only drop the title to someone on his level... okay, considering he's one of the absolute best of all time that might be asking too much, but Kofi ain't the guy.

 

Despite the fact WWE probably more than ever have ruined the build with nonsensical choices, as always the magic of WrestleMania will abide. A good match can erase a poor build any day. As long as The Man comes around, everything else is just icing anyways.

 

Fighting to survive, just like that, just like that.

[SelectiveGamer]

Honestly I'm pretty angry.

 

Why have a brand split at all if they are going to only have one Women's Champion? Is it because they want to try to fill up the women's tag teams some more? Or is it because they don't like the brand split anymore?

 

Either way, for me, this is pretty ridiculous. ?

[AJ_Radio]

On 4/1/2019 at 7:03 PM, Nighcisama said:

~snip~

 

Vince needs to be put to pasture. I’ve said this for a long time now, but I realized that he is basically the big problem that plagues the WWE. 

 

What truly pissed me off and made me quit watching WWE in general was when they refused to acknowledge anything regarding the Chris Benoit tragedy. They just shoved it under the rug like people were going to forget, but they didn’t. There was a slur of YouTube videos of people addressing this, which of course all fell under deaf ears. 

 

Then there was Linda McMahon getting involved in politics, and I think that was why WWE went from PG-13 to PG. There is a lot more leeway in PG-13, including more foul language and the usage of blood gushing on wrestler foreheads to create a scene and enhance the match. Changing the rating was stupid. Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in R rated movies blowing peoples heads off and was initially famous as a bodybuilder who took drugs. Didn’t stop him from becoming Governor of California. 

 

I just see John Cena to be a guy who caters mostly to children, and his character reflects that. 

 

Brock Lesnar has abused drugs but is still able to work at WWE part time. A guy that barely does anything, yeah let’s keep him around. 

 

Then there’s the fact that Stone Cold Steve Austin beat up his wife, which is something WWE would rather put under the carpet. Let’s have Floyd Mayweather Jr at WWE, even though he also beat up his wife. 

 

WWE is full of hypocrisy. Vince McMahon has a lot of explaining to do, which he never will because he is a coward and a 70 some year old man who is completely out of touch with the modern world.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Spaz

[JonAutomates]

Kind of sucks that how they've ruined Kofi's build up. That being said he'll win (I think), but make no mistake, the company still sees him as a B+ player. He'll get his lifetime achievement award championship, similar to how they did with Kane and they'll snatch it from him, within the month probably, by Big E heel turn, who is seen as an A+ player, has everything Vince likes and he's black which helps with the diversity thing. 

[Jesaya815]

Takeover was fantastic as always. I had to watch the opener twice, because it was so damn good. Incredible performance by Ricochet, Aleister Black, and the War Raiders. Hanson is such a beast. His unique style and agility reminds me of the late great Bam Bam Bigelow.

 

Matt Riddle vs Velveteen Dream - Riddle's best match on NXT so far in my opinion. The sky is the limit for this guy. Dream is amazing in his own right, though maybe he shouldn't "steal" too many famous moves. Not sure if he has done the Code Breaker before, but even if it's his shtick to copy legends, Dream tends to overdo it.

 

Dunne and Walter with the match of the night. Pete was an awesome champion, but it was the right time and the right place. Already looking forward to a potential rematch.

 

The Women's title match was a bit of a letdown. Nothing against Shayna, she's a legit badass. I just thought it was time for her to drop the title and get called up to the main roster.

 

The main event was epic. Both would have deserved to win the NXT Championship. Johnny was the plan all along, so the decision to give him the belt was okay. I'm happy for him and loved the ending (Gargano celebrating with Candice and Ciampa).

 

As a huge fan of The Undisputed Era, I'm just disappointed as well. Still waiting for them to shock the system. Adam Cole is the total package, yet he's basically losing all the time. The WWE youtube channel posted a video with The Undisputed Era arguing after the match. I hope they don't break them up…

[itachi-destroyer]

NXT Takeover was awesome and it will be the highlight of the Wrestlemania week as usual  

The opening match is my match of the night and match of the year, it was awesome from the beginning to the end !

 

The match between Matt Riddle vs Velveteen Dream was better than I expected. I have to admit I'm really not a fan of Matt Riddle and I don't see anything special in him but he at least made me change my mind a little bit about him since he delivered a really good match and I didn't think he would ever be able to entertain me with his (in my opinion, don't be mad if you don't agree  ) sh*tty gimmick and ridiculous look.

 

Dunne vs Walter was bad in the beginning but in the end it turned to a good contest and while I don't like Pete Dunne losing his title, he couldn't keep it forever. I can't wait to see what's next for him, hopefully it's a good place in the regular NXT roster and not the main roster.

 

The main event was the ultimate feel good story that any fan should expect during the WM week and even though I've always prefered Ciampa over Gargano, I still jumped and screamed when he won the title. Such a good way to end the show, we can really say that it was a true fairy tale ending  

[Maxximum]

NXT TakeOver: New York was amazing! 

 

One of the best PPV openers ever with War Raiders and Aleister Black & Ricochet giving everything to the match. Hanson never ceases to amaze people with his skills, I mean, what type of match would it be if we get Hanson vs Keith Lee? It was also a good way to send off Aleister and Ricochet with a perfect standing ovation from the crowd. 

 

Not too surprised by Velveteen Dream retaining, I mean it was probably better for Matt Riddle losing sooner than later, so he won't have to through what Asuka has gone through since losing at WM34. Let's just keep both, giving quality matches and so on...

 

It was about time Pete Dunne dropped the title. He was an amazing champion for 685 days and he'll most likely go to the main roster as he gets called up in the shake up, but with a rematch in the works, I'm not sure anymore. 

 

Okay, Shayna's retain surprised me. She's a two time champ and the second reign is already longer than the first. There's probably a reason for this though. Maybe Candice LeRae will be the one seeking revenge and become NXT Women's champion soon. We might see the 4HW help Ronda retain. 

 

The main event stole the show! Awesome build up and the 2 out of 3 falls stipulation actually made sense after all. I thought Adam Cole was going to be the winner, but then I thought to myself and remembered all of Johnny's losses last year and that he was going to win anyway had Tommaso Ciampa still had his title. I just hope this doesn't lead to an undisputed break up; these guys are already one the greatest factions of all time. Of course Vince McMahon would create a break up story as they go to the main roster. It's so annoying. 

[GoodbyeBread]

So Bret Hart got attack at the HoF

http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/bret-hart-attacked-at-wwe-hall-of-fame/#.XKlRiVVKiUk

[Banana_Sausage47]

14 minutes ago, GoodbyeBread said:

So Bret Hart got attack at the HoF

http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/bret-hart-attacked-at-wwe-hall-of-fame/#.XKlRiVVKiUk

What a douchebag. Did you see Dash Wilder punching the guy as they escorted him out?

[AK-1138]

Jee... what can a man say about TakeOver? Apart from the usual braindead crap from the Velveteen Pissbreak (now he's tainted Riddle as well, and he ain't no Gargano; bouncing back will be the real litmus test for OGBRO) and Baszler still being an overrated thumpin' bore whose "minimalism" verges on the nonexistent... well, it's just bloody great wrestling, isn't it?

 

They manage to revive tag wrestling every time Vince seems to have buried it for good; WALTER is a monster; Io Shirai may be the best woman (if not the best MAN) of her division; Gargano is the best male babyface since Bryan. To say nothing of Cole, who was equally worthy of the win. It may not have been what Gargano vs. Ciampa would have been, but both men did their best to make up for it. Genuinely gripping and emotional... spates of finisher kickouts and superhuman resilience bedamned. Ranallo was right, 24 K magic was in the air.

 

And this weekend's just getting started, baby.

[Yuna4353]

17 minutes ago, GoodbyeBread said:

So Bret Hart got attack at the HoF

http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/bret-hart-attacked-at-wwe-hall-of-fame/#.XKlRiVVKiUk

It is such a disgrace that there are people like this, I dont think this set up will be used again because of this. 

[itachi-destroyer]

Just realised we still have not done our predictions so I'll do mine ranged from the matches I'm the least interested in to the ones I look forward to the most.

 

Wrestlemania 35 predictions

 

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Winner : Braun Strowman

The monster among man will have his wrestlemania moment (...) by winning this useless battle royal and the Andre The Giant trophy will get these hands.

 

Intercontinental Championship Match  : Bobby Lashley (c) vs. "The Demon" Finn Balor

Winner : Finn Balor

The Demon has always been Finn Balor's best side and with the demon making his wrestlemania debut, I don't think there is any chance they make him lose in a fight so unimportant.

 

Raw Tag Team Championship Match : The Revival (c) vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder

Winners : Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder

I don't even know why this match is on the card to be honest. It should at least be entertaining if they don't make this a comedical act but in the end the stupidity of the RAW writers will shine by making the jobbers win. (B-Team all over again...)

 

Falls Count Anywhere Match  : Shane McMahon vs. The Miz

Winner : The Miz

I have to admit that I'm not really sure of the winner of this match but I'll go with The Miz since he was one of their most valuable and entertaining wrestlers the last few years and he definitely deserves to get a nice push by defeating a McMahon. The match should be solid as the two men know how to entertain people while wrestling safely but I don't expect something awesome either.

 

United States Championship Match : Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

Winner : Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is going to put Rey Mysterio to sleep in front of his son but it isn't going to be an easy victory either. I expect this to be the beginning of their feud and it may also be their way to re-introduce Rey's son to the WWE universe before he makes his debut in a few months/years.

 

WWE Championship Match : “The New” Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston

Winner : Daniel Bryan

Am I crazy ? Maybe. But I don't want to think that WWE is stupid enough to put their top belt on someone that is really nothing more than a B+ player. The match should be really good though so even though I don't care about the feud or the result (as I don't like Bryan either) I'm still looking forward to what should be an exciting bout.

 

Kurt Angle’s Farewell Match  : Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin

Winner : Kurt Angle

I'm beginning to think that this match will really be Kurt Angle's last match but I still don't think they would let Kurt lose to someone like Corbin (as opposed to most fans I don't dislike Corbin but I still don't think he should be the one to retire Kurt). I hope this match doesn't last too long because Kurt is just unable to do a long match without being on the verge of collapsing.

 

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match : The Usos (c) vs. The Bar vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black

Winners : Ricochet & Aleister Black

I wasn't particularly excited about Ricochet & Aleister Black being a tag team at first because they don't really feel like they match with eachother but they have proven me wrong and they showed that they may be the best tag team in all of WWE (Well, behind the War Raiders because they actually fit really well together but Ricochet & Black are as good as them) so it may not be so bad to put them in a team for a while since they wouldn't even be on the card if they were not a team... I expect them to be push really quickly in 2019, both as a tag team and as singles competitors and I think Wrestlemania is going to be the beginning of their rise to the top.

 

Universal Championship Match : Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins

Winner : Brock Lesnar

Whether people like him or not, Brock Lesnar is their biggest attraction and until someone worthy of beating him cleanly faces him, he should not lose the belt. I must say that even though I'm a Lesnar fan (because I know he can be awesome in the ring if Vince wasn't asking him to do only supplexes and F5) I really hate his reign. But even if that's the case I want someone that isn't part of their stupid Shield faction to dethrone him. Something like Brock Lesnar vs McIntyre at Summerslam would be really awesome...

 

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

Winner : Roman Reigns

There is absolutely no way they make Reigns lose now that he is a fan favourite and he just won a fight against leukemia. Drew McIntyre has been built up greatly only to make Roman Reigns look strong ... I hate it but that how it is going to be until the old Vince dies or retire (which is just never going to happen).

 

No Holds Barred Match : Triple H vs. Batista

Winner : Triple H

I admit that I'm looking forward to this match because of the nostalgia factor more than anything. Batista is my second favourite wrestler of all time and I'm really happy that WWE finally gave him what he wants   The match should be a good one if Triple H doesn't injure himself again and Batista really trained to have one last good match despite his ring rust and his age. I would love to see The Animal win but the fact that Triple H's career is on the line is making the result way too much predictable.

 

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

Winner : The crowd AJ Styles
My match of the night ! I have huge expectations for this match and I really hope they let them have a long match (something like 20 or 30 minutes would be awesome) because these two are definitely in the conversations for greatest of all times. Even though I always imagined this dream match to be for the top title I'm still happy it is happening. I had a really hard time chosing a winner since neither would suffer from a loss but I decided to chose AJ Styles because he would certainly benefit more being the winner than if they gave the win to Orton. The Phenomenal one is also a relatively new face in WWE and he should have a lot of Wrestlemania moments to truly make him one of the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time when his career ends.

Hopefully this match delivers because I don't know how I would feel for the rest of the show if my most anticipated match of all time sucks  

Edited April 7, 2019 by itachi-destroyer

[Jesaya815]

WrestleMania 35 Predicitions

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match - Buddy Murphy vs Tony Nese
Winner: Tony Nese
It's undeniable that Buddy Murphy is a great champion. However, all good things must come to an end. Murphy defended his title against almost everyone on the roster. I say give Tony Nese the strap and let him be the face of 205 Live for a while.

 

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Winner: Braun Strowman or one of those SNL clowns
I wish I wouldn't care that much, but it seriously pisses me off when celebrities show up, don't sell shit, take all the spotlight away from the talents, embarrass themselves and the wrestlers, and then leave. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal should be about tradition, not about such nonsense. Strowman, Andrade, Ali, EC3, Roode, Gable, The Hardy Boyz…so many superstars being wasted.

 

Women's Battle Royal
Winner: Asuka
I would like to quote Naomi, because what she wrote on twitter summed up my thoughts when I heard the announcement: "Y’all sure this ain’t going to get cancelled too? Btw thank you so much for the opportunity."
That was just one of the many tweets she posted over the past two weeks regarding this match and how badly Asuka was treated. Props to Naomi for wearing her heart on her sleeve, but I guess this also rules out the possibility of her winning the Battle Royal for a second time . If WWE wants to make amends with Asuka, she's leaving MetLife Stadium with the trophy. Or they simply fuck her over for the sake of a Lacey Evans or Mandy Rose.

 

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match - Bobby Lashley vs Finn Balor
Winner: Finn Balor
So, Finn confirmed that he is going to unleash The Demon at WrestleMania. Balor must be desperate if he needs his Demon persona to defeat "The Almighty" Boring Lashley. Anyway, it's obvious that Finn will be the winner.

 

WWE United States Championship Match - Samoa Joe vs Rey Mysterio
Winner: Samoa Joe
Rey, Rey, Rey, haven't you learned from AJ's mistakes? Bringing your family to the show is never a good idea when Samoa Joe is around. I can already hear him calling out Dominick (Oh, Niiiiickyyyy ). Joking aside, I wouldn't be shocked if the title changes hands, but Rey is dealing with an injury and Joe's reign merely started. He definitely deserves a longer run.

 

WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match - The Revival vs Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder
Winners: Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder
Both Men's Tag Team title matches were added just days before the event. The creative team had weeks if not months to prepare! It can't be so hard to write some proper stories for the champions and their respective challengers. With a little bit of dedication, the division could actually be really exciting. For this match, I'm rooting for the hometown heroes. Yeah, I know, New Jersey isn't New York, where Ryder & Hawkins were born, but it's not that far away either. I called that match back in January, when we were speculating about the card and I'm sticking to my words - the former Edgeheads get their feel good moment.

 

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship - Fatal 4-Way Match - The Usos vs Aleister Black & Ricochet vs Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura vs The Bar
Winners: The Usos
Everyone wanted to see The Usos and The Hardyz put on a clinic. What do we get in place of it? A star-studded Fatal 4-Way, which most likely will end in chaos. Since The Usos have signed new contracts with WWE, I see them retaining here.
Fun fact: Aleister Black & Ricochet are the only team to ever fight for the RAW, NXT, and Smackdown Tag titles in the same week.

 

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship - Fatal 4-Way Match - The Boss 'n' Connection vs The Divas of Doom vs The IIconics vs Samoan Slaughterhouse
Winners: The Boss 'n' Connection
I'm pretty sure that Sasha & Bayley take the win. Nia & Tamina are a disgrace to women's wrestling. Billie & Peyton have been booked poorly on Smackdown. Considering that Jim Neidhart got inducted into the Hall of Fame yesterday, Beth and Nattie may have a slim chance though.

 

Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
Winner: Kurt Angle
So far, Kurt Angle's WrestleMania opponents were Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kane, Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Triple H & Stephanie. Sounds like a damn good list to me, which is why I refuse to believe that Baron Corbin will be the last one.

 

Falls Count Anywhere Match - Shane McMahon vs The Miz
Winner: Shane McMahon
I wanted to pick Mizanin, but I changed my mind when they added a special stipulation. Falls Count Anywhere also implies No DQ, which means SAnitY, Shelton Benjamin and Primo could interfere at some point to help Shane win the bout. Heck, maybe even The Mean Street Posse makes an appearance for old times sake.

 

AJ Styles vs Randy Orton
Winner: Randy Orton
The build up was simple, yet excellent at the same time. On one side you have the Indy darling. Styles traveled the world and worked his way up to the big leagues. Everywhere he went, AJ made a name for himself. On the other side you have the perfect WWE prototype. Orton is a third-generation superstar. He was built for greatness and handpicked by the men in charge. As much as the McMahons might respect The Phenomenal One, Randy is their go-to guy. Always has, always will.

 

Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns
Winner: Drew McIntyre
I'm going out on a limb and pick Drew McIntyre. Roman is the odds-on favorite, but he wouldn't benefit much from a win. McIntyre on the other hand has been such a dominant force as of late. I hope the reason behind that is to make Drew the next big thing and what better way than with a victory over "The Guy" on the grandest stage of them all.

 

No Holds Barred Match - Batista vs Triple H
Winner: Triple H
This will unquestionably be a good old fashioned slobberknocker between two of the very best. Batista has to bring his "A" game, if this truly is his final match. Hunter won't retire anytime soon and thus prove that he indeed can beat The Animal.

 

WWE Universal Championship Match - Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins
Winner: Seth Rollins
I suppose the match can go either way, although I can't stress out enough how important a title switch would be. Brock Lesnar has held the championship hostage for too long. This unbearable stagnation has to stop. It has to end sooner rather than later - preferably on Sunday.

 

WWE Championship Match - Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston
Winner: Kofi Kingston
The time has come for Kofi's big moment. Vince has done everything in his power (well, not really) to prevent it, but the power of positivity was stronger. Together The New Day defeated 13 other guys combined. Current champions, former multi-time champions, main eventers, you name it. They put so much effort into Kofi that any other outcome would be a huge surprise. But please don't change the WWE Championship into a Pancake Spinner Belt with Unicorn Side Plates.

 

WWE RAW Women's Championship & WWE Smackdown Women's Championship - Winner takes all -Triple Threat Match - Ronda Rousey vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair
Winner: Becky Lynch
I'm glad it's "Winner takes all" and not "Winner takes some", as it was rumored. Imagine how stupid it would be, if both championships were on the line, but only one would potentially find a new owner, depending on who gets pinned. A lot has been said and a lot has been done during the Road to WrestleMania. In the end, the only thing that matters is the payoff - Becky standing tall over Ronnie and Charlotte.

 

 

[skidmarkgn]

Alright revival, you were given the titles to be pacified, had one of the worst championship runs of all time and lost to Hawkins.  Go to AEW now please.

 

I'm a bit behind so I have only watched Seth and Brock, seems painfully obvious every title's gonna change hands tonight, especially after the "is this a sign of things to come" comment made by Renee(?) after Ryder and Hawkins won.  Think the only potential surprises coming tonight will have to be from either Cena, Taker, or both.

 

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Well, that theory died quick.  All caught up now and we have a 100% Samoan win rate

Edited April 8, 2019 by skidmarkgn

[jackmadrox]

Whew. What a show. I still need time to process it.

[Dr_Mayus]

So who else thinks Paul Heyman was shooting when he talked about going on first.

 

I can legit believe Brock asked "am I closing the show? No? Then fuck it put me on first so I can get out of here."