Content, Creative, and Crybabies, Oh My!

   Normally, the day before a WWE Pay-Per-View, I would write a blog about my predictions for that particular show. As you may know, tomorrow is TLC. However, I know I will get off on tangents due to it, so this blog will not be my normal prediction one. Though we have not yet found out what, if any, matches will occur on the kick-off show, it looks as though we're getting a total of 12 matches. Does that sound excessive to anyone else?  I know many of the old WrestleMania cards had as many as that, if not more, but this is just TLC, a run of the mill December PPV. After all, no one really cares about anything until the Royal Rumble anyway. In my opinion, that's way too many matches! 

   

   This therein leads into my next topic. Recently, some wrestlers and wrestling writers reacted to fans who have been criticizing the WWE product. Of course, this is not something new! However, Xavier Woods, for instance, said some fans were coming off as entitled crybabies. Writers said that fans don't seem to understand how hard it is to write a three hour show in Raw every week. First of all, I don't think fans are stating that they can write better wrestling television. There may be some know-it-alls out there, but not all fans should be lumped in with them. Don't get me wrong, because there definitely are fans out there that complain for the sake of complaining, act like crybabies, and possibly even some that claim they can write better shows. For instance, I really thought the crowd was being disrespectful during the Seth Rollins/Dolph Ziggler Iron Man Match at Extreme Rules. However, I know what I say is opinion and not fact and have never claimed to know anything about the business because I'm not in it. At the same time, I also don't want to be made to feel guilty for having an opinion.  Obviously, it has to be quite difficult to write a three hour show every week. Maybe that's the problem, though! Maybe there is just too much content for WWE fans, and especially WWE itself, to handle. 

   While I've always advocated for Raw to be cut down to two hours, that's not where it ends nor is it what I will mainly focus on in this blog. There is simply too much content out there! You've got a three hour Raw on Mondays, a two hour Smackdown on Tuesdays, a one hour 205 Live, a one hour NXT, a one hour NXT UK, as well as all of the PPV's and specials that occur often more than once a month. I can't forget the Takeover shows either! That's a lot of programming! I actually had no idea, but Main Event is apparently still going on as well. Not to mention, other original programming on the WWE Network! Lately, I've been more entertained by the thirty-minute Edge and Christian Show than the entirety of Raw. I also happen to love the way NXT is put together and often enjoy their one hour show over Raw or even Smackdown, which also more times than not, comes off more entertaining than Raw. NXT UK has just gotten started so they're not quite on the radar yet. As for 205 Live, as great as the matches can be, not as many fans watch it. For instance, the segment and match they gave to Mustafa Ali on Smackdown this week was probably more exposure than a talent like him has had since he began with WWE well over two years ago. 

   Am I nuts for not wanting all of this content? Perhaps! Then again, I've always adhered to the "less is more" approach. More doesn't always equal better! I'm definitely a quality over quantity guy. I know the ratings may not matter as much as they used to, but when the Smackdown deal with Fox goes down next year, they may affect WWE slightly. I don't think Fox is going to tolerate low ratings for long. Some even think Smackdown will end up presented as the A-Show over Raw. Raw has always been seen as WWE's A Show, even if Smackdown is often the better show. I find myself changing channels, dozing off, not paying attention or even missing a Raw these days because it's just not must-see anymore. I'm not comparing the product to the Attitude Era specifically, but back in those days, it was also the Monday Night Wars, where everything was must-see! 

   Let's start back at the top here for a second. I mentioned that a problem I see is that tomorrow night's TLC has 12 matches lined up. I'll be honest, half the card I don't care about whatsoever and are angles that can be cleared up on Raw and Smackdown, respectively. The following is the TLC card in no particular order. I might as well put my predictions in as well while I'm thinking about it!

1. WWE Title - Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
prediction - Daniel Bryan

2. Intercontinental Title - Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
Prediction - new Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose (possibly with a Renee Young heel turn)

3. Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax
Prediction - Ronda Rousey

4. Smackdown Women's Title Triple Threat TLC Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Prediction - Asuka (possibility that they pull Becky out for a higher purpose)

5. Smackdown Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match - The Bar vs. The Usos vs. The New Day
Prediction - The Bar

6. Cruiserweight Title - Buddy Murphy vs. Cedric Alexander
Prediction - Buddy Murphy

7. TLC Match - Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin
Prediction - Braun Strowman

8. Tables Match - Natalya vs. Ruby Riot
Prediction - Ruby Riot

9. Ladder Match - Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
Prediction - Bobby Lashley

10. Chairs Match - Randy Orton vs. Rey Misterio
Prediction - Randy Orton

11. Mixed Match Challenge Finals - R-Truth & Carmella vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox
Prediction - R-Truth & Carmella

12. Finn Balor vs. Drew Mcntyre.
Prediction - Drew McIntyre (unless Finn is the Demon)

   That is a lot of matches, half of which have little to no momentum behind them. Though the stipulation for the Mixed Match Challenge is for the number 30 spot for their respective Royal Rumbles, I feel it could have occurred on Raw, Smackdown, or even a dual-branded House Show. I don't consider Braun vs. Baron to be important enough to be a TLC match. Though a ladder match with a guitar hanging is intriguing, Elias vs. Lashley doesn't seem to be important enough to be featured. As much as I love both Balor and McIntyre, there hasn't been enough build for a PPV match. I listed those matches specifically for a reason. Since lately there has been an affiliation between Baron, Lashley, and McIntyre, I would combine these matches into a six-man tag team ladder match. I'm happy that a non-Title program in the women's division is happening in Natalya/Ruby, but I'm afraid it will get lost within the show. The same goes for the Cruiserweight Title match unless you watch 205 Live. 

   It's possible some matches may not even take place. The jury is still out on whether Braun will be cleared. Also, rumor has it that Balor may not be able to participate due to a recent illness. The bottom line is that this seems like more matches than necessary and some will not get the time they truly need. For instance, at Evolution, the Toni Storm/Io Shirai Mae Young Classic finals match was only given ten minutes. I enjoyed the match but feel both competitors were slighted and with more time could have been match of the night. 

   I understand that everything is dictated by money, which is why we have a PPV once a month, if not more, and why we have a three hour Raw. Let's also not forget that WWE runs House Shows several times a week, so it's straining on both creative and the performers. There has to be a happy medium where the monetary value is still reached. yet without as much content. The importance of things happening on free television has made PPV's seem less important. If you've already seen matches or angles on Raw or Smackdown several times over, why would you care when they reach the PPV? These days, Raw and Smackdown aren't even built towards the PPV's anymore but rather the next week. While I do think continuity is important, there has to be anticipation built up to care about what happens at the PPV. 

   Since we're still on the subject of PPV's, the time has increased for all of them, not just the big four. The big four have been expanded to four, sometimes five hours with a two hour kick-off show, while the rest have been expanded to four hours with a full one-hour kick-off show. This year, along with the PPV's and Takeovers, we've had several glorified House Shows as Network Specials. Both the Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel took place in Saudi Arabia on the WWE Network, while WWE presented Super Showdown in Australia. I'm okay with the emphasis that was put on these shows but they didn't have to be televised. I'm of the opinion that Shawn Michaels should not have come out of retirement but even more upset that his come-back was wasted in a tag team match that should have seemed a lot more important than it was. Triple H's injury notwithstanding, HBK carried the entire match.  One PPV a month is a lot for me and these other shows is just overkill at this point.

  

   More times than not, I enjoy Takeovers more than their main roster counterparts, even the big ones, even WrestleMania in some cases. NXT UK has just begun and is finding it's footing. However, I'm looking forward to NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. I've watched the shows and it's great to see what these men and women can bring to the table. UK Champion Pete Dunne always brings it, there's a great story with him and Mustache Mountain against the new group consisting of Wolfgang and the Coffey Brothers, a tournament will crown NXT UK Tag Team Champions, and inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion Rhea Ripley is making waves. NXT itself is always great to me and I look forward to each Takeover immensely. There is great story telling with little to no nonsense. I'm all for comedy in wrestling but sometimes I just want to get to the action and not have long drawn out promos made by wrestlers that can't really cut promos that well. I also think what wrestlers say is much too scripted but that's for another blog altogether.

   I've already mentioned it, but Raw would be better off as a two hour show. They've already gotten rid of the 15-minute over run on the USA Network for Raw so that's a good first step. I know the format for Raw and Smackdown is not the same as NXT, but sometimes those shows are hard to get through. We also cannot blame things entirely on creative when sometimes at the last minute, Vince McMahon himself will change everything and the performers have to improvise on the fly. Perhaps I'm the pot calling the kettle black with the amount of content in this one particular blog, but I have a lot to say on the subject. Thoughts? Comments? Anyone? Bueller?

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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The Authors of Pain: How the Mighty Have Fallen

  Winning Championships does not always equate success if the act is not booked strong and smart in doing so. Nothing can closer resemble that statement than the way the Authors of Pain have been booked upon arrival on the main roster.  I understand that not every talent coming from NXT will be portrayed quite the same or reach success on the main roster in a short period of time. That's not what this argument is about! I'm not expecting every call-up from NXT to immediately win Championships. What I am asking for is for creative to have a plan for these men and women when they end up on Raw or Smackdown. Clearly, WWE had no plans for the Authors of Pain, despite just recently having a run as Raw Tag Team Champions. Even in winning those Titles, they were not booked strongly whatsoever. 

   I'll go back to the beginning when these two behemoths made their debut in NXT. Akam and Rezar were humble students, green as grass, at the Performance Center, waiting for their chance to make it on NXT Television. In June, 2016 at NXT Takeover: The End, two large men in matching tactical gear attacked American Alpha, who had just lost their NXT Tag Team Titles to The Revival. Seconds later, legendary manager Paul Ellering appeared on the ramp, closing the show, indicating that he was associated with the two men. Ellering, who brought the Road Warriors to success and Tag Team gold several times over, said his two men, Akam and Rezar, would be known as the Authors of Pain.

   From that moment on, they dominated everyone in their path in NXT and the first chapter was written. By November, the AOP ran roughshod over every team in NXT and defeated TM-61 to win the second annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic at NXT Takeover: Toronto, bringing an end to their second chapter. In January of 2017, the dangerous duo, with Ellering at the helm, set their sights on NXT Tag Team Champions DIY, who had just defended their Championships against The Revival. AT NXT Takeover: San Antonio, the Authors of Pain defeated DIY to win the NXT Tag Team Titles; and chapter 3 began. They successfully defended the Titles against DIY and The Revival in a Triple Threat Match at NXT Takeover: Orlando in April of that year. At NXT Takeover: Chicago in June, they defeated DIY in a Ladder Match, retaining the Championships. Unrelated, this was the night Tommaso Ciampa did the unthinkable and turned on his DIY partner and long time friend Johnny Gargano.

   The Authors of Pain then got into a feud with the stable Sanity and became fan favorites. At Takeover: Brooklyn III in August of 2017, the AOP lost the Titles to Sanity. At War Games later that year, they teamed with Roderick Strong against Sanity and the Undisputed Era in a Triple Threat War Games match, in which the Undisputed Era came out the victors. At Takeover: Philadelphia in January of 2018, they unsuccessfully challenged the Undisputed Era for the Tag Team Titles. At Takeover: New Orleans, the Authors of Pain fought the team of Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong, as well as the Undisputed Era. It was clear they did all they could in NXT and were officially out of contention for the Championships. There was nowhere else to go but up.

   Just days later, the Authors of Pain showed up on Raw with Paul Ellering and fans were excited. Here's where it all fell apart! After their match, they dumped Ellering as their manager. After defeating a few jobber teams, they weren't seen on television for weeks. There were many reports questioning the reason for parting ways with Ellering. Rumors stated he did not want to travel but those were false. It was soon reported that WWE management felt he was too old, which is beyond ridiculous. In September of this year, 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick appeared on Raw at their side and became their new manager, in what was one of the dumbest ideas WWE creative has ever had.

   In November, the duo defeated Seth Rollins in a handi-cap match to win the Raw Tag Team Titles, since Rollins' partner Dean Ambrose turned on him weeks before. They did not look strong at all by defeating one man. Though they did defeat Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Bar at Survivor Series, the only thing people remember from that match is Drake Maverick pissing his pants. To make matters worse, this past Raw saw them lose the Tag Team Titles to the makeshift team of Bobby Roode and Chad Gable. The entire booking of the Authors of Pain has been absolutely dreadful. I'm almost at a loss for words at this point. How do you take a team that dominated in NXT and reduce them to jokes? They did the same to The Ascension and The Revival, and Sanity is barely even on television as it is. Again, I'm not asking for NXT talents to be pushed to the moon upon arrival to the main roster, but there should be at least some kind of plan or slow build booking. I honestly don't know how the AOP will recover from this. It's frustrating! What else can I say?

https://youtu.be/njpPFC2RgKg



 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Time To End the Failed Experiment Known As the Brand Split

   In a much shorter time period than the first, WWE's brand split is already running its course. Due to the brand split, the tag team divisions on Raw and Smackdown have both suffered. The same goes for the women's divisions. With the Universal Title barely being seen and the way the WWE Championship has hardly, if ever main evented a PPV, the top tier divisions have also suffered.  I may have indirectly pointed out that the reason why the brand split is failing its individual divisions could be because of too many Championships. Should the Titles be merged again, it would be more pointless to have split rosters. These problems definitely go hand in hand.

   For a long time, Tag Team Championships for the women have been rumored. While I don't hold a position on the subject either way, I can see both sides of the argument. How would this arrangement work? Would there be two different sets of Tag Team Titles for Raw and Smackdown like the men have? If that's the case, it continues to dilute a Championship's importance and adds even more unnecessary Titles. It's overkill! The more conventional idea would be to have floating Tag Team Titles for the women from brand to brand. If that's the case, which I would be more in favor of, doesn't it then become redundant to have two singles Titles for the women? I would only be in favor of Women's Tag Team Championships if the singles Titles are unified. Based on the way the men's tag team divisions look, I'm not too hopeful for the women.

   While I'm on the subject, I'll focus on the tag team divisions. Raw's is a complete joke at this point. While the Authors of Pain make sense to be holding the Titles, they weren't pushed correctly until recently and even then, their existence has been tainted by defeating only one man for the Titles, piss jokes, and the fact that WWE replaced Paul Ellering with Drake Maverick of all people. Don't get me started on The Revival! Who did they piss off? In NXT, they were the top team and their matches with DIY were classics. I know they have been plagued by injuries but that doesn't mean they should be treated like jokes when they are healthy. The B Team are jokes, the Ascension haven't been relevant on the main roster ever, you've got a makeshift nonsensical team in Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, and unless you've watched 205 Live, you'd have no idea where the Lucha House Party came from. WWE had Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler briefly hold the Titles in a ridiculous story with Braun Strowman and The Shield only held the Titles to help Roman Reigns not get booed as much.

   While Smackdown's division is better, it's only by a short margin. While The New Day, The Bar, and the Usos are great teams, it's getting a little tiresome to see the same teams feud. Sanity was brought up and have been barely used, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson haven't been used right since they left New Japan, and the Colons were never even relevant to begin with. I think it's time to merge the tag team divisions and Championships, get rid of the dead weight, stop using makeshift teams as much, and focus on teams that could use the spotlight every once in a while. I know they're different animals under the WWE umbrella, but NXT seems to have itself a pretty great tag team division, which I thought was not going to be the case after the heartbreaking breakup of DIY and the call ups of the Authors of Pain and Sanity. The Undisputed Era, now at full force with the return from injury of Bobby Fish, are absolutely killing it. The likely next Champions are the impressive War Raiders. Waiting in the wings are popular teams like Heavy Machinery and the Street Profits, the wily Aussies known as The Mighty, a team flying under the radar in the Forgotten Sons, and the underdog duo of Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. There's also Mustache Mountain, varying between the main NXT brand and NXT UK.

   Even worse than having two women's titles and two tag team titles is having more than one top Champion. Even in a brand split, it still makes no sense! How can one company have more than one World Champion? Which one is the top belt? You can't have two! For a majority of its just over two year existence, the Universal Championship has been with Brock Lesnar, who rarely makes appearances or Title defenses. To me, the Universal Title means nothing and is not a true World Title. Meanwhile, the WWE Title, which has been around for 55 years, is often considered an afterthought and its Champions are rarely, if ever, featured in the main event. While it was great to see AJ Styles have a year-long reign based on the Title's legacy, he was passed over in main events for Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns, therefore slightly diminishing his accomplishments. Unfortunately, Roman Reigns had to make a gut-wrenching announcement. Due to this, WWE scrambled and because of how they messed up Braun Strowman, they almost had no choice but to put the Universal Title on Lesnar again. I don't mind Lesnar's few and far between appearances, but I do when he's the Champion. He's at the level where he's an attraction and no longer needs Championships to be relevant. Unifying the main Titles would be a very welcomed thing.

   Some argue that having separate brands enables superstars to grow and win the top Championships they may not have won without the brand split. I can understand that, as without the brand split the first time around, would we have seen Eddie Guerrero or Chris Benoit win World Championships? On the other hand, the brand split saw JBL hold the top Title for nearly 10 months, which would have been doubtful if there was no brand split. In today's standards, the brand split saw Jinder Mahal hold the WWE Title, which would never have happened without it. The brand split may have given us Christian and Mark Henry finally getting their moments, but we also had to suffer through the Great Khali and Jack Swagger. I understand that not everyone can win a World Title and that's okay. Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, and Roddy Piper may not have won World Titles in WWE but it doesn't make them any less of the legends they are.

   While guys like John Cena and especially the Undertaker have earned being able to go wherever they please, it takes away from the purpose of the brand split, which is to create two different and unique brands. Because the brand exclusive PPV's weren't as profitable, WWE decided to have duel-branded shows. While it makes the cards significantly better, it also takes away from the point of the split. Also, some wrestlers appear on each other's brands haphazardly so it isn't a true split anyway. The "shake-up" is the new form of the draft but it has become pointless. Then there's the promotion of NXT talent to the main roster without any plans for these men and women. In fact, NXT is arguably more of a separate and unique brand than Raw or Smackdown.

   While the Championships may in fact be props, they should still be treated as if they're prestigious. Can we at least try to maintain some kayfabe? I believe unifying the World Titles and the Tag Team Titles would do loads of good. Also, Tag Team Titles for the women should only be introduced if there is a unification of the singles Titles. I'd be okay with the mid-card Titles both being around but then again, the end of the brand split should also unify those Titles as well. WWE ran for almost 40 years before the first split and did just fine. When the first brand split ended, it had lost all meaning a few years before anyway. The same could be said for this time around. It's time to end the experiment. It failed once and it is failing once again. This may not be a solution to all the problems within WWE but it's a start.



 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Evolution - Predictions vs. How I Would Have Booked It

   Before the announcement was made, and even just reading rumors, there was a time when I was excited about the upcoming first time ever all women's WWE Pay-Per-View, Evolution.  It diminished slightly when WWE made the announcement of a match between Trish Stratus and Alexa Bliss.  Alexa's fine and all, but she's not as good as people make her out to be.  To be fair, she's also not as bad as people make her out to be.  However, there are many others I would have chosen to go head to head with Trish.  Soon after, WWE announced Lita vs. Mickie James.  I thought that was fine because it was between two performers that can go, though we've seen if before.  At some point, they merged these matches into a tag team encounter, which improved it.  However, the Trish/Alexa match announcement was still okay with me and definitely not a deal breaker.

   An awful rumor started soon after and until it was made official, I didn't want to believe it, nor did I take it as gospel.  Of course, I'm referring to the likely main event of the show, Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella for the Raw Women's Championship!  On what planet does that sound like a good match to anyone?  In what way does Nikki Bella deserve to main event this show, compete for a Championship, or be presented as a potential threat to Ronda Rousey?  Some argue that Nikki is WWE's most well-known female competitor other than Ronda and that her star power is why she is there.  I'm sorry, I think the media, and specifically, WWE's media are making her out to be more famous than she actually is.  In that respect, Ronda's notoriety absolutely demolishes Nikki's.  WWE likes to spin Nikki and her sister Brie, the Bella Twins, as the reason for the women's revolution and evolution.  That might be true, but for the wrong reasons.  They were the antithesis of the women's evolution.  They represent everything that was wrong with women's wrestling in years gone by.  Even if we forgive all that, how in wrestling logic does it make sense for Nikki to receive a Title shot?  Just because she turned on the person that happens to be Champion?  How does that make sense!  There are much more deserving women in my opinion to get this match.  The only way I'm okay with this is either if it's a two-minute squash or Karma comes back for one night only and attacks the Bellas, comeuppance after all these years.

   Then you have a throw away six-woman tag team match pitting the Riot Squad against Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Natalya.  I feel like we've seen forms of this match on Raw for the last six months!  Don't get me started on the Battle Royal!  I'm not against it and unlike the one at WrestleMania, this one at least gives you a future Title shot instead of a trophy that looks like female organs.  I get that it's happening so they can fit in everyone on the card.  However, it's the fact that Asuka of all people is in it.  How does Asuka not have her own specialty match?  Unless she's winning this, which can make it okay.  Even with a Title shot, I still feel like Asuka needs to be showcased better.  Honestly, WWE's just about ruined her since coming from NXT.

   That's not to say that the entire thing sounds horrible.  First of all, we've got the Mae Young Classic finals between Io Sharai and Toni Storm, which I think will blow every other match out of the water.  We've got the rematch for the NXT Women's Championship between Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler to look forward to.  We may possibly see the UK Women's Championship be decided between inaugural Champion Rhea Ripley and another.  Also, despite WWE's nonsensical spin of Becky Lynch as a heel, she will be defending the Smackdown Women's Title against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing Match, which by the way is not the first.  I guess WWE is just going to ignore Asuka vs. Nikki Cross.  Does it not count because it happened in NXT?  Last I checked, NXT is part of WWE!  Even so, the match will be good.  There's enough to be positive about and I'll still watch it.  I just feel like they didn't put as much effort in as they could have.

PREDICTIONS

NXT UK Women's Title - Rhea Ripley vs. ?
   This one is hard to predict because no one really knows who Rhea's opponent it.  The NXT tapings that took place in August featured a tournament for the new NXT UK Women's Championship, which was won by Rhea Ripley.  However, those tapings have yet to air.  I think many people don't even know there is an NXT UK Women's Champion.  I've read rumors about her opponent being Isla Dawn, Killer Kelly, and several others.  Either way, I'm going with Rhea to retain considering she just won the Title.  No matter her opponent, this match will be good.  Her change in character from last year's Mae Young Classic to this year's has changed drastically and for the better.  She's a great wrestler, is a bad ass, and just looks like a star.

Six-Woman Tag Team Match - Riot Squad vs. Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Natalya
  Haven't we seen this on Raw?  It sure feels like it!  We've had basically every combination of babyface women against the Riot Squad on Raw since they arrived a year ago.  It should be okay but it's certainly nothing to get excited about.  I don't honestly care who wins.  I'll pick Sasha, Bayley, and Nattie just to keep the crowd happy.

NXT Women's Title - Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler
   This is now the forth match in their storied feud.  Of course, we all remember Kairi defeating Shayna to win the inaugural Mae Young Classic.  Shayna defeated Kairi on NXT television this year and at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV, Kairi defeated Shayna to become the NXT Women's Champion.  I was actually surprised by Kairi's win at Takeover, as I thought she'd come up short but then win at Evolution, followed by retaining against Shayna at War Games.  I've enjoyed the feud and certainly both can bring it in the ring.  I've got Kairi retaining, while Shayna goes up to either Raw or Smackdown in the near future.  While I'm usually skeptical about a call-up, considering how they've treated Asuka and had absolutely no plans for Ember Moon, I have high hopes for Shayna and I believe she will succeed.

Battle Royal
   This may be the obligatory battle royal to fit all the women in, but it does come with a great prize.  The winner will become number one contender for a Women's Championship in their respective brand.  This also has a mix of older wrestlers, as we'll see Ivory, Molly Holly, and Alundra Blayze, among others, in it.  I'm baffled as to how Asuka does not have a singles match on this card, which is why I'm choosing her to win here.  She needs a win badly to restore what little credibility she has left.  It should be fairly fun but ultimately, it's another match I care little for.

Mae Young Classic Finals - Toni Storm vs. Io Sharai
   As I stated before, I believe this match will steal the show.  Both women are incredible wrestlers and have put on great performances during the tournament.  Toni Storm's match with Meiko Satomura in the semi-finals was one of the most amazing matches I've ever seen, not just in the women's division but wrestling in general.  I'd be happy with either one winning and no matter the outcome, the fans are the real winners.  Io is already signed with NXT, as well as Storm, who has been reported to be on the NXT UK brand.  I could see this being Io's tournament to win, with a future storyline and Title opportunity against her real life best friend, Kairi Sane.  However, I really think it's Toni's time.  It's also amazing to note that she is just 22 years old and is one of the best wrestlers in the entire company, including all brands.

Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Alexa Bliss & Mickie James
   I went over this match earlier.  It doesn't do much for me, to be honest.  It's nice for Mickie James to be featured but I would have chosen other opponents for Team Bestie.  Not only that, we don't know for sure of Alexa will be cleared to wrestle, as she recently received a concussion.  Just in case, WWE has Alicia Fox ready to step in.  At the very least, her possible participation was at least explained in the story.  I think her inclusion makes the match less appealing, though.  I've got Trish and Lita going over here, as Mickie could take the fall.  However, if Alexa does not wrestler, I see Alicia taking the fall.

Smackdown Women's Title - Last Woman Standing Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
   For the life of me, I don't understand why WWE insists on painting Becky as the heel in the situation.  The fans refuse to boo her, no matter what she does!  Just go with it!  Besides, Charlotte works a lot better in the heel role.  I've heard Ric Flair may get involved in this match.  The result is up in the air to me.  My heart of hearts wants Becky to retain and move on.  However, based on WWE's track record and the fact that Becky has a jaw injury, it's possible Charlotte could win.  Bottom line, I'm choosing Becky whether that's realistic or not.  Rumors have been swirling since her debut that Ronda Rousey would be meeting Charlotte, likely the Royal Rumble winner, at next year's WrestleMania, possibly even in the main event.  That tells me Becky will retain.  However, it's possible we could see some kind of unification match between the two.  In that scenario, it kind of screws Becky.  On a side note, WWE is spinning this as their first ever Last Woman Standing Match when it is not.  That accolade goes to Asuka vs. Nikki Cross in NXT.

Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella
   This match makes me want to vomit!  Nikki does not deserve a Title shot, the main event, or an interaction and match with Ronda Rousey.  Ronda is a star and WWE still claims Nikki is too.  I'm not saying Nikki and Brie aren't famous, but their star power is nowhere near Ronda's.  In her short time, Ronda, while a little green, is already better than Brie and at the very least on Nikki's level in the ring.  I understand Nikki is much better than she used to be, but that's not saying much.  She is the last person I thought should be Ronda's opponent at Evolution!  As for the winner, it has to be Ronda.  I know eventually Ronda must lose but Nikki is not and should not be the one to beat her.  In a perfect world, either Charlotte or Asuka will do the honors.  This match should be an absolute squash.  I don't care how much Nikki has improved!  It's bad enough they had Ronda sell a ridiculous amount for Alexa.  Even though I think it's still too early for Ronda to be Champion, that is the reality and as long as she's Champion, she should not be humanized just yet.  Nia Jax took Ronda to her limit but that was at least believable!  At the end of the day, I've got Ronda with the win.  You make call me full of it if you want but I will not be watching this match.  I'm turning off Evolution before this takes place because of how upset I am it's taking place.  I did the same for WrestleMania XXXIII, as I did not want to see the Undertaker lose again at WrestleMania.  To this day, I have not seen and refuse to watch the Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns and I'm setting myself up for the same for this match.  I'll wait until I read the results and if the result is something I'd enjoy, I'll eventually watch it.

HOW I WOULD BOOK IT

   Much like a former member of What Culture Wrestling, this is how I would book it...because I'm a smart ass!  I'll start from the bottom up.  My idea is somewhat in sync with WWE's in that there is going to be a mix of older superstars and current ones, as well as ones making names for themselves.  The "Evolution" is having superstars of the past against superstars right now, while the future superstars fight their way through and show the fans what they're all about.

MATCHES I'D KEEP THE SAME
Smackdown Women's Title Last Woman Standing Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
(winner: Becky Lynch)

NXT Women's Title - Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler
(winner: Kairi Sane)

UK Women's Title (if it happens) - Rhea Ripley vs. TBA
(winner: Rhea Ripley)

Mae Young Classic Finals - Toni Storm vs. Io Sharai
(winner: Toni Storm)

Women's Battle Royal - The only difference here is that Asuka will not be in it
(winner: Ember Moon)

Bella Twins vs. The Iconics
   As you could obviously tell, this means Nikki Bella would not be in the main event with Ronda Rousey.  I would have kept the Bellas babyface and specifically on Smackdown, since Brie had been having issues with Maryse, stemming from a feud between their husbands, Daniel Bryan and The Miz, respectively.  My set up would be The Iconics getting involved in the one on one contest between Brie and Maryse and cost Brie the match.  It makes perfect sense for the new girls on the block to go toe to toe with the original mean girls, the Bella Twins.  I'd have The Iconics go over.

Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley 
   Sasha and Bayley were a big part of the women's evolution and I'd take them any day over any combination of Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and Alicia Fox.  If any two women were more deserving to face Trish and Lita, it's Sasha and Bayley.  I thought about possibly putting Mickie James with Trish and Lita and adding Ember Moon to the other team but I'm going with this tag team match.  Sasha and Bayley grew up watching Trish and Lita so it seems like the natural progression for them to wrestle their heroes.

Asuka vs.  Beth Phoenix
   Asuka is someone that should be pushed more prominently than she is.  She was undefeated for so long and since losing to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, she hasn't quite been the same.  She's lost to Carmella and made to look like a fool twice since then, she went away for a short time, and is now somehow tag team partners and best friends with Naomi in a throw-away feud with The Iconics.  In order to establish her dominance again, who better to be her opponent and push her to the limit than the Glamazon herself, Beth Phoenix.  I think Beth will be on commentary as she's been for this year's Mae Young Classic but judging by her performance in the Royal Rumble this year, it's clear she can still go.  This would be another incredible passing of the torch.

Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs. Natalya
   For this Pay-Per-View, my main event would be Becky vs. Charlotte, considering the magnitude of their feud.  I think it even takes precedence over something like Ronda's star power.  However, this match would be just before the main event.  I can't think of a more deserving person to have a match with Ronda than Natalya.  Nattie helped train Ronda in the ring and has a legitimate friendship with her outside the ring.  They both could even dedicate their match to Nattie's recently late father, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.  Natalya getting a Title shot would be great.  No matter who her opponent is, I'd still have Ronda win, but losing to Ronda doesn't exactly ruin one's reputation.  It's also been long rumored for Natalya to turn on Ronda, which could stem from this.  In fact, to justify it's status as deserving of the main event, the turn could have already happened.

   Overall, I basically made some minor changes.  My only complaints were Nikki in the main event, wanting better opponents for Trish and Lita, and to have Asuka featured in a singles match away from the Battle Royal.  The rest, as I said, could stay exactly the same.  This is just how I myself would book Evolution.  I also thought about Ronda facing Beth Phoenix while Asuka faces recent MYC standout, Meiko Satomura.  I'm just not as excited about this as I should be. 

Devolution

   Before it was announced, many fans speculated that WWE would one day put on an all women's Pay-Per-View.  Sure enough, we learned that day would come on October 28th in the form of "Evolution," an homage to the women's revolution that turned into an evolution.  Soon after, rumors began, speculating about the matches that would occur on the show.  When Stephanie McMahon made the announcement, because of course she did, she mentioned over 50 female superstars from the past and present will be part of it.  During SummerSlam weekend, the first match was announced, Trish Stratus vs. Alexa Bliss, which was met with mixed reactions, to put it nicely.  When fans learned about the rumored and eventual true main event in Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella, the reaction was nuclear.  The way things are going, especially with the latter match, (not to be confused with a Ladder match), it seems a little backwards to me.

   Evolution is supposed to mean growth and advancement, especially when it comes to the women's division in WWE.  Let's start with this main event, shall we?  I am completely fine with Ronda Rousey in this spot, as she is a major star and has improved by leaps and bounds since her debut match at WrestleMania.  While I think they hot shotted her to the Raw Women's Championship, she is the current Champion and I understand it.  Some say the reasoning for Nikki Bella being involved is that she is the most well known woman in the current landscape of WWE's women's division and the star power she has, along with Ronda's, would make the match seem important.  That couldn't be further from the truth!  I don't think her level of star power is nearly as high as WWE tells us it is. I can't speak for everyone but there are many fans that hate this, and I'm one of them.  Nikki and her sister Brie are the epitome of why the women's division needed to evolve.  They were and still are everything wrong with the women's division.  To me, those two are Divas all the way, a term WWE finally disposed of two years ago.

   Nikki has certainly gotten better but that's not saying much.  Brie seems to be getting worse, but she was never that good anyway.  Don't give me the excuse of ring rust due to her pregnancy!  She's always been bad.  Also, they are both awful actors and horrible on the mic.  I put the Bella Twins in the same category with Divas like Eva Marie, Kelly Kelly, and the like.  If the argument is star power, I think Ronda has enough by herself that would make most opponents for her make the match a big deal.  I can think of plenty of more deserving women for this match.  Sasha Banks has some kind of "injury," Bayley is doing nothing, and poor Asuka has been nearly ruined in WWE.  All of these women, even more respected veterans like Natalya and Mickie James deserve the match with Ronda much more than Nikki Bella.  

   As for what I would do, my ideal opponent for Ronda is Natalya.  Nattie doesn't have to win to be looked at as a good opponent for Ronda.  Just being there would give her the proper respect she has earned.  Also, her being Ronda's opponent makes much more sense than Nikki Bella, even if they've teased her involvement for over a month.  Natalya has more history with Ronda and it could be a match out of respect or a heel turn.  Either way, it would be more well received by the fans.  Otherwise, newer women like the others I mentioned could use the opportunity.  Natalya, however, is more respected and a much better choice than Nikki.  Don't get me wrong, the Bella Twins can still serve a purpose.  I'd put them against the Iconics and have the Iconics go over.  It seems like a better match placement to me.

   Let's go back to the first match that was announced, Trish Stratus vs. Alexa Bliss.  As far as the theme of trailblazers to current women, I get why this match was announced.  However, much like the other match I've been talking about, I think there are other women more deserving to face Trish than Alexa.  Another match that was announced was Mickie James vs. Lita.  That's certainly nothing to complain about, but I think it deviates slightly from the show's name and purpose.  On Raw this week, due to the underwhelming response to the Trish/Alexa match, WWE seemed to rectify the situation by combining these matches into a tag team encounter.  Trish and Lita have long been known to be best friends in and out of the ring.  Meanwhile, Mickie has been aligned with Alexa for the past two years.  Combining the matches makes sense and I believe it will be a better match.  Alexa is okay but she's not exactly the best in-ring woman in the business.  Having the match contain three experienced legends helps it significantly.  Even so, I wish we could have gotten Trish vs. Sasha Banks and Lita vs. Bayley.

   As for the rest of the card, it's still speculation.  The only other matches that have been confirmed are Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Title and the finals of the Mae Young Classic, likely between Toni Storm and Io Sharai, which, in my opinion will blow every other match out of the water.  They've also announced a Last Woman Standing Match for the Smackdown Women's Title between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.  Despite WWE spinning the wrong narrative of Becky being the heel, this should be a good match.  I may be complaining but I'm start enough to know that a couple of things I disagree with should not ruin the entire show for me.  There will also be a defense of the NXT UK Women's Title featuring Champion Rhea Ripley.

   What else could be in store for Evolution?  Unfortunately, Asuka has been an afterthought and someone who was once looked at as special.  She is someone that needs to get back on track.  Perhaps a match against Ember Moon would be good but then again, Ember could also use a win.  Now that Naomi's feud with the Iconics is over, they should move Asuka away from her.  Asuka could face Nia Jax but we've seen that both in NXT and on the main roster.  For me, the perfect opponent for her would be another legend, Beth Phoenix.  Just picturing the Glamazon vs. the Empress of Tomorrow sounds amazing.  We already know Beth will be there, and she is once again calling the Mae Young Classic.  Recently, Bayley tweeted at Ivory about a match but I don't think Ivory will be wrestling.  Would it be completely out of the question to see Alundra Blayze in the ring one more time? Who knows?

   Again, I'm not going to let some things I disagree with ruin an entire show for myself.  I have no problem with Nikki Bella being part of the show, but I definitely think she should not be involved in the main event.  It also doesn't make sense to have the Bellas heel now when Brie was just side by side with her husband Daniel Bryan against Maryse & The Miz.  Ronda being larger than life still needs to be maintained.  While she did a great job selling against Alexa at Hell In a Cell, I think she sold too much and now she needs to sell against Nikki.  These are two opponents that shouldn't be in Ronda's league, despite her inexperience.  They're humanizing her too quickly in my opinion.  I worry about the future of some of the women in NXT, NXT UK, or the Performance Center when they come up to Raw and Smackdown.  Sasha, Bayley, and Asuka, to name a few, have been treated poorly.

   As much as an issue the women's division and Evolution is, I believe the problem goes way beyond just that.  It's affecting the entire company in general.  Raw's ratings have been the lowest they have ever been as of late.  That is directly why Raw this week was much better in comparison.  I hate to say it, but WWE seems to push only one person on that roster and does not build new stars, which is why they have to rely on older ones.  I can't blame it all on Vince McMahon.  I think the problem is the yes men he surrounds himself with, such as John Laurenitas, and especially Kevin Dunne, who has the most backwards thinking, specifically towards the women.  I truly believe that when Vince passes his company to Triple H and Stephanie that they will get rid of Kevin Dunne.  Triple H especially has grown NXT to become the brand it is today and truly understands how to grow the business.  It will be in good hands!  What are your opinions on the topic?  Some of it just seems more like a devolution to me.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Comeback Matches For Shawn Michaels

   I was of the opinion that Shawn Michaels shouldn't and doesn't need to wrestle again based on the amazing retirement and sendoff WWE gave him.  Also, I wanted Michaels to truly be the one guy, the one wrestler that stayed retired.  At the end of the day, this is his decision and I'll support it, even if I disagree with it.  However, don't mistake my opinion for me not being excited about him wrestling again.  I know that sounds contradictory but so be it.  The little kid in me is happy about this.  Also, let's be honest; if you or I were offered whatever amount of money this is taking, we'd all do it. 

   Now that we know for sure that Shawn Michaels is coming out of retirement, I wanted to make a list of the matches he should be involved in.  I said "matches" because he's rumored to participate in up to five and frankly, as cool as Degeneration X vs. The Brothers of Destruction is, I don't want that match to be his one off, nor do I want it to be at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.  With that being said, I've got five matches for HBK that I'd like to see and in the order I'd like to see them in.  The speculation as to whether he wrestles again is over so I've made peace with it and decided to be positive about it.

Degeneration X vs. Brothers of Destruction - Crown Jewel

   Before the match between Triple H and the Undertaker took place at Super Showdown, hints were already placed for Shawn Michaels' return.  He seconded Triple H to the ring while the Undertaker had his brother Kane in his corner.  After the match, a show of mutual respect was shown between all four men.  However, the Brothers of Destruction soon turned on Triple H and Michaels.  The latter showed up on Raw soon after to reform Degeneration X and challenge the brothers to a match at Crown Jewel on November 2.  This is a match I've always wanted to see and I'm surprised it is happening in 2018 of all years.  It would actually be fitting if this was inside Hell In a Cell, although we just saw that Pay-Per-View last month.  This will likely lead to another one on one match between Michaels and the Undertaker.  As for the result, I believe the Brothers of Destruction should take the victory.

Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker - Survivor Series

   You're going to think I'm crazy for suggesting that a WrestleMania worthy match should take place at the Survivor Series.  Well, I've got my reasons.  For one thing, these two already fought at two WrestleManias, one of which led to Shawn's career ending.  Secondly, there's other matches I and other fans would like to see Shawn Michaels involved in that could use the WrestleMania treatment.  Thirdly, I feel the Undertaker should retire and believe he wants Michaels to be the one to do it.  Even though the Undertaker had an amazing WrestleMania streak, how fitting would it be for his last match to be at the event where he made his debut, the Survivor Series?  In case you haven't guessed, I have Michaels winning this match.

Shawn Michaels vs. Johnny Gargano - NXT Takeover: Phoenix

   Shawn Michaels is one of the most well respected legends in the business.  These days, he is helping out the next generation in NXT's Performance Center, giving back.  One of the wrestlers who has been influenced by Shawn Michaels is Johnny Gargano.  At the Performance Center, Michaels has helped Gargano with his progress, among other things.  This match could be monumental for someone like Gargano, as well as for NXT as a whole.  A main roster star would be big enough to for a Takeover but a legend like Michaels would take it to another level.  Having a superstar of this magnitude wrestling at an NXT event would be amazing.  While there are many other talented individuals down in NXT that could use the rub, it would mean more if his opponent was Johnny Wrestling.  Win or lose, Gargano would gain from this match.  However, I think Gargano should pick up the win, as the momentum could lead to finally defeating Tomasso Ciampa at Takeover the night before WrestleMania to become the NXT Champion.

Shawn Michaels vs. Daniel Bryan - Elimination Chamber

   Another wrestler that has been largely influenced by Shawn Michaels is Daniel Bryan.  Michaels and William Regal are responsible for training Daniel Bryan.  Bryan wrestled Regal in 2010 but has not faced Michaels.  In fact, when NXT was in it's infancy, Michaels retired from the ring.  Similar to Michaels, Daniel Bryan made a return to the ring after a long absence and injury.  He came back at this past WrestleMania and has since been wrestling great matches on the Smackdown brand. Michaels and Bryan could put on a show.  Although I consider this match important, there is one match I will put above the rest as Michaels' final five within this short return.  While Bryan could certainly benefit from a win, I have Michaels going over here, perhaps with some unwanted assistance by The Miz during the match, leading to a Miz/Bryan blow off match at WrestleMania.

Shawn Michaels vs. AJ Styles - WrestleMania XXXV

   If ever there was a dream match, this is it!  Even if it will be between a 53-year-old Michaels and a 41-year-old Styles, this is certainly worthy of a WrestleMania.  This is a match for the ages, which is why I chose this as Michaels' WrestleMania match over the Undertaker, with whom he already had two WrestleMania matches.  This is a match many have wanted to see and there is a strong possibility we could see it happen next year.  It also excites me because I will be in attendance for the event.  I'd have AJ take the win here in an epic battle.  Are there any other matches you would like to see when it comes to Shawn Michaels?  I'm sure superstars are lining up for the chance to take on HB Shizzle.  

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Super Showdown Predictions

   Other than the Undertaker against Triple H, I don't really care what happens at this event in Australia.  Of course, I'd also be happy if Samoa Joe ends up taking the WWE Championship.  Much like the Greatest Royal Rumble this past April in Saudi Arabia, this is also a glorified House Show to me.  In fact, I disliked that event enough that I didn't bother to review it.  Speaking of which, I think people are misinterpreting the word "Greatest."  I believe the this term was used to describe the amount of competitors and not in the subjective way.  In my personal opinion, the 1992 Royal Rumble was the greatest Royal Rumble in terms of entertainment.  Back to the heart of the matter, I'm here to give my predictions for this event.

Cruiserweight Title - Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy

   I'm going back and forth with the winner of this match.  I'm tempted to choose Murphy as the winner, being that Australia is his home country.  Also, should he win, he'd be the first Australian born wrestler to win a singles Championship in WWE.  Murphy has the distinction of having been the first Australian born wrestler to win any Championship in WWE, as he won the NXT Tag Team Titles along with Wesley Blake.  Then again, WWE has the tendency to have wrestlers lose in their home countries.  That's why I'm having a hard time choosing the winner.  Ultimately, I don't really care, as I don't watch 205 Live and consider it purgatory in WWE, where once someone is called up from NXT gets lost there.  For instance, I feel 205 Live and the Cruiserweight Division itself type casts wrestlers and Cedric himself is too talented to be stuck in 205 Live.  I'm going with Cedric to retain. although I expect Murphy to get a tremendous response from the Aussie crowd.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

   I originally had The Miz winning the match, along with his win over Bryan at SummerSlam.  However, since I see Samoa Joe becoming the WWE Champion, I have Daniel Bryan taking the win here.  Since this is for number one contender, Bryan wins and goes on to face new WWE Champion Samoa Joe after AJ gets his rematch.  The Miz then screws Bryan out of the Title and they continue their feud towards WrestleMania next year.  Before Samoa Joe was in the picture, I originally had Miz defeating AJ for the Title, Bryan winning the Rumble, and then beating Miz at WrestleMania.

Ronda Rousey & Bella Twins vs. Riot Squad

    It has been speculated for quite some time that Ronda Rousey will be defending the Raw Women's Title at Evolution at the end of the month against Nikki Bella.  Though that is unfortunately likely, I think we may not actual see that, as the story just wouldn't make sense just weeks away from Evolution.  Besides not wanting to see the match, I feel it might not be safe for Nikki, with a fragile neck, against Ronda, who is still pretty fresh.  Also, it's odd with Brie also having a rivalry along with her husband Daniel Bryan with Maryse and The Miz on Smackdown, while possibly playing heel at the same time on Raw.  Not to mention, Brie's recent botch in giving Liv Morgan a concussion.  If you've noticed, Natalya is always in the background but always close by to what Ronda is doing.  I have Ronda and the Bellas winning with the Bellas giving the ring to Ronda to celebrate.  Afterwards, Natalya comes out to congratulate Ronda, only to turn on her, setting up a match for Evolution.

Smackdown Women's Title - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

   Just after SummerSlam, I predicted Becky and Charlotte to perform an Austin/Hart like double turn at Hell In a Cell, followed by Charlotte cheating to retain here at Super Showdown, followed by Becky finally winning at Evolution.  With the current circumstances and with Becky now Champion, I have her retaining over Charlotte here.  WWE seems dead set on presenting Becky as a heel but the fans just aren't going for it.  We've made our choice and that choice is Becky Lynch!

The Iconics vs. Naomi & Asuka

    Similar to Buddy Murphy's situation could be Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, with the Australian duo possibly losing in their home country.  That's my pick, regardless of where they are.  I just don't think Asuka can afford to lose again.  I'm sorry, but she's almost been ruined.  I don't really care about this match going in, to be honest.




Bobby Lashey & John Cena vs. Elias & Kevin Owens

   I'm thinking a little outside the box here.  While normally it would be a no-brainer having Lashley and Cena winning, frankly, Elias and KO need the win more.  Therefore, I'm choosing the latter to go over.  However, it won't be clean.  In fact, the win will be caused by Lashley turning on Cena.  I feel like Lio Rush could be that antagonizing nuisance alongside Lashley and take bumps from Cena.  You heard it here first.  Lashley's turning, giving the win to Elias and Kevin Owens.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles - The New Day vs. The Bar

   With The New Day only just winning the Titles the day after SummerSlam, I don't see them losing just yet.  The Bar is a great team and Sheamus and Cesaro have proven that every day, along with a few reigns as Champions themselves.  While The Bar is a formidable team, I'm picking The New Day here to retain and remain Champions at least until the end of the year.  Either way, the match will be entertaining and that's what matters the most.

WWE Title (No Count Out/No DQ) - AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

    As I've stated in my prediction for the Daniel Bryan/Miz match, I've got Samoa Joe all the way, becoming the new WWE Champion.  I think it's long overdue and I believe AJ is truly on his last legs of his second reign with the Title.  As for the future of the Championship, it's hard to say.  I'd have Joe and AJ have one more match at Survivor Series, while Daniel Bryan gets his shot in December, getting screwed by The Miz/  As for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, I'd be thrilled if Rusev is given the honor.

The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, and Dolph Ziggler

   This mess has been going on since SummerSlam.  WWE nonsensically turned their biggest babyface in Braun to a heel for an unnecessary Shield reunion, just to get Roman Reigns over.  They've sacrificed almost the entire Raw roster trying to make Roman the number one guy.  Meanwhile, you've got both the Raw Tag Team Titles and Seth Rollins' Intercontinental Title taking the backseat to the Roman agenda.  Lately, a heel turn by Dean Ambrose has been teased.  However, I feel like it's been teased so much that we're expecting it; therefore, it won't happen just yet.  I have the Shield winning due to a miscommunication by the other team, possibly leading to a defection by McIntyre.

Triple H vs. The Undertaker - One Last Time

   Let's face it!  Going into this event, this is the most important and talked about match.  Triple H will have his best friend and fellow DX member Shawn Michaels in his corner, while the Undertaker will have his Brother of Destruction Kane in his.  Most are speculating that this is just a set up for Michaels' in ring return from retirement.  Since we will witness all four of these men, the natural next step is for the teams to face each other at either WWE Crown Jewel or the Survivor Series, ultimately leading to Michaels and Taker one more time at WrestleMania next year.  I'm going with Triple H getting the win.  I wanted to get these all in before the show starts in just under four hours in Australia.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Should Shawn Michaels Wrestle Again?

   In professional wrestling, retirements hardly stay intact.  I can't remember how many times Terry Funk has retired.  Mick Foley has come back to wrestle every once in a while.  The Undertaker is practically retired, wrestling less than a handful of times a year.  There are some wrestlers that never truly retired, even if they've been out of the limelight for quite some time.  You'll find them at independent wrestling promotions throughout the world.  My point is, retirement hardly ever sticks when it comes to wrestling.

   For the last eight years, Shawn Michaels has stuck to his promise and has thus far stayed retired.  In that time, there have been constant rumors about him lacing up the boots one more time.  Also, many fans have been clamoring for it, shouting "one more match" at the Heartbreak Kid.  The latest set of rumors, which could actually be more, are that he will be wrestling at next year's WrestleMania, if not as soon as WWE's second show in Saudi Arabia on November 2nd.  When Shawn Michaels appeared on Raw weeks ago to promote the last match ever between the Undertaker and Triple H in Australia on October 6th, he certainly teased another match, specifically when the Undertaker joined him in the ring.  Michaels mentioned that he stayed retired out of respect for his promise and to the fans but more importantly, out of respect for the Undertaker himself.  

   I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be excited about Shawn Michaels wrestling one more time.  Rumors state he may wrestle several matches.  But to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if he should or if I even want him to.  I'll take you back to the night Ric Flair retired, incidentally at the hands of Shawn Michaels himself at WrestleMania XXIV ten years ago.  Flair had an emotional goodbye between being inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before, his match at WrestleMania, and his incredible send off the next night on Raw.  He couldn't have asked for a better retirement than what he received.  We all thought for sure that Flair would stay retired.  Two years later, he showed up in TNA and within months, what did he do?  He wrestled!  He pretty much spit on the emotional sendoff WWE gave him.  While Michaels didn't chastise Flair for this, he did say that he wanted to be the one guy that actually retired.  That's where my opinion comes from.

   Not unlike Flair, Michaels got similar treatment on Raw the night after his career ending loss at the hands of the Undertaker.  So far, Michaels has been the one guy that stayed retired and I respect him for it.  He went out at the top of his game and while he can probably still go, I want to remember him the way he was.  Stone Cold Steve Austin went out in his prime as well, though his career ending injury was a lot more severe than Michaels.  Even so, for years after, fans wanted Austin to wrestle one more time.  Even if his neck would have allowed it, I wouldn't have wanted him to. Shawn Michaels is a legend and there is nothing that will take that away.  I'll respect him no matter what he decides but I'd honestly prefer him not to wrestle again.  It's okay that we didn't get some dream matches.

   Here's the thing!  If they are in fact leading up to yet another match between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, it deserves to happen at WrestleMania.  I sincerely hope, if it does happen, that it does not occur in Saudi Arabia in November, especially if it's his one and only match out of retirement.  Instead of being the referee for the Undertaker/Triple H match, he will be in Triple H's corner.  Not to be outdone, the Undertaker will have his brother Kane in his corner.  With that being said, it leads many to believe that somewhere along the line, if Michaels has multiple matches, we may see Degeneration X vs. the Brothers of Destruction.  Of course, should Michaels participate in a few matches, I hope it's more than just the Undertaker.  I'm sure there would be a line out the door of superstars wanting to wrestle Shawn Michaels.  The list would likely consist of AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Johnny Gargano, or any number of wrestlers.

   Please don't let my previous paragraph seem like I'm contradicting myself.  I mentioned all that out of the possibility of him wrestling again.  I still stand that he should leave his legacy be.  If he does not wrestle again, I feel like I can predict the outcome of the Undertaker/Triple H match.  I'm not talking about the winner, but rather the aftermath.  If Shawn does not wrestle, I can see the four men raise each other's arms out of respect and take a bow, similar to the way Shawn, Triple H, and the Undertaker did after the "End of An Era" match at WrestleMania XXVIII.   Just as I won't be angry if he does wrestle again, I hope at the very least people won't be angry if he doesn't.  Whatever happens, it's his decision at the end of the day.  I'd just like to point out that just because things seem like he might wrestle again, doesn't guarantee that he will.

   I'm curious to know the thoughts of others.  Are there people who agree with me and think Shawn Michaels is done?  Are there those that are chomping at the bit for him to wrestle again?  Perhaps some are indifferent?  I'm sure there are people that fall into each category when it comes to this topic. 

   

205 Live: Can It Be Saved and Is It Worth Saving?

   Two years ago, WWE presented on the WWE Network, a 32-man tournament featuring the best Cruiserweight wrestlers from around the world.  This came to be known as the Cruiserweight Classic.  This tournament consisted of some of the best Independent wrestlers in that weight class, such as Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi.  We got to see the return of stars like Tajiri and The Brian Kendrick.  The tournament was presented in front of Full Sail University, the same crowd that is live for NXT.  Mauro Ranallo commentated the event with someone who had a love for Cruiserweight wrestling, the still retired at the time, Daniel Bryan.  The eventual winner was TJ Perkins, who also become WWE's new Cruiserweight Champion, reviving the Title.  The success of the Cruiserweight Classic conceived the revival of the Cruiserweight Division and a new show for the Cruiserweights to hone their craft called 205 Live, based on a weight limit of 205 lbs or below.

 Many of the wrestlers from the Cruiserweight Classic were signed to WWE deals and started appearing both on Monday Night Raw and the new show 205 Live.  TJ Perkins found himself in a feud with The Brian Kendrick, who became the new Champion.  A few months later, the charismatic Rich Swann captured the Title, and the hearts of wrestling fans around the world.  Before the end of 2016, one glaring omission from the Cruiserweight Classic tournament returned to WWE in the form of Neville.  He had been injured but felt he was overlooked, coming back with a new look and change of attitude, attacking new Champion Rich Swann and inaugural Champion TJ Perkins.  By early 2017, Neville became the new Champion and proclaimed himself to be the "King of the Cruiserweights."  So far, things were going well, as the Cruiserweights were focused on during both Raw and their own show, 205 Live.  Neville was brought back to prominence as he dominated the Cruiserweight Division.  

   Despite Neville's character revival, there was a problem in the Cruiserweight Division.  Many of these wrestlers were brought to Raw without much of a back story to their characters or wrestling ability.  After all, those who watched main stream wrestling shows like Raw may not have watched the Cruiserweight Classic.  While it was good to see the division on Raw, WWE felt it was important for them to be featuring exclusively on 205 Live.  There were some great wrestlers like Cedric Alexander, who got signed after a match on NXT TV, due to the crowd loving him.  Triple H, who was the man behind NXT and innovator of the Cruiserweight Classic, came out after Cedric's match, embraced the crowd's reaction, and signed him shortly thereafter.  After a brief run in NXT and a commentary gig on Raw, the world renowned Austin Aries made his debut in the Cruiserweight Division, leading to a feud with Neville towards WrestleMania XXXIII.  Unfortunately, to me, Aries was a step ahead of the Cruiserweight Division and was completely miscast.  He didn't even win the Cruiserweight Title!  Factoring this along with his perceived bad attitude was a recipe for disaster and he left WWE in mid-2017.  WWE really missed the boat by sticking Aries in the Cruiserweight Division in the first place.  Since his departure, he has become the Thanos of wrestling, collecting as many Championships as he could.

   The popular tandem of Enzo Amore and Big Cass broke up in 2017 when Cass turned on Enzo.  Cass defeated Enzo at Great Balls of Fire in July and then the Big Show at SummerSlam the next month.  In a rematch with Enzo the next night, Cass was injured.  Now fully on his own, Enzo and his shtick were thrust into the Cruiserweight Division and 205 Live.  Although Enzo went into his Title match with Neville a fan favorite, the entertaining Enzo came out as a heel, while Neville walked out and was eventually released from his contract.  Enzo started running down the entire division with his mic work.  He took several men in, creating the "Zo Train," which gave roles to Drew Gulak, Tony Neese, Ariya Daivari, and Noam Dar.  Before the year's end, Enzo was caught up in controversy due to real life issues and was subsequently let go from WWE.  

   Some time during 2017, the Cruiserweight division was no longer featured on Raw and was strictly used on 205 Live.  This was another problem!  At least on Raw, those who didn't necessarily follow 205 Live would be caught up on story lines featuring those in the Cruiserweight Division.  As I mentioned before, the Cruiserweight audience didn't always translate to Raw's audience.  In turn, without them featuring on Raw, the Cruiserweight Division were barely known to the WWE audience as a whole, only on 205 Live.  

   Another problem with 205 Live during this time was its time slot.  While being live was a great concept, the timing was awful.  It was put directly after Talking Smack, which was Smackdown's after show.  When Talking Smack was cancelled, to the detriment of fans, 205 Live was put on directly after Smackdown.  The problem had a lot to do with the previous issue I mentioned, meaning the fans that watched Smackdown didn't necessarily watch 205 Live.  By the time 205 Live came on, many fans at the arena were tired after having watched Smackdown and were leaving.  Therefore, much of 205 Live was presented in front of half the arena's crowd.  Not only was the time slot wrong, but so was the day of the week.  

   If WWE is intent on keeping 205 Live as a show, it is imperative that the show is featured in a different time slot and a different night.  After Smackdown is not the way to go, both due to fans exiting after Smackdowm, as well as the audience translation.  With that being said, perhaps 205 Live should be presented towards an audience that might better appreciate the amazing work these men have done in the ring.  It is not fair seeing these great wrestlers come out to crickets, getting nearly zero reactions during their matches.  205 Live in front of Full Sail, much like its predecessor the Cruiserweight Classic,  would be a great transition into NXT on Wednesday night, as NXT's audience would appreciate this kind of wrestling more.  205 Live would be a great lead-in for NXT.  If not there, put it on Thursday night but at least present it in front of Full Sail.

   Vince McMahon's vision of the Cruierweight Division and 205 Live was more character driven, especially when they were presented on Raw, as evidenced by the division being overtaken by Enzo Amore.  After Enzos' release, a tournament was set up to determine a new Cruiserweight Champion, with it culminating at WrestleMania XXXIV.  During this time, 205 Live was now run by Triple H and out of McMahon's hands.  While that is definitely a good thing, 205 Live still has a long way to go and I don't think even Triple H can ultimately save it, for it might be too late.  At WrestleMania, Cedric Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali for the Championship and holds it to this day.

   In my opinion, WWE should scrap 205 Live altogether.  While being presented on Raw again would be a plus, I'd even go as far as to get rid of the Cruiserweight Championship and Cruiserweight Division as a whole.  While there are positives for wrestlers who may not even get the time of day on WWE television normally, I think it holds people back.  For instance, I think Cedric Alexander and Hideo Itami are way too talented to be hindered in the Cruiserweight Division, on a show not many watch.  I think these men and several others are better than the Cruiserweight Division and it would be unfortunate to see these wrestlers be type cast.  Itami for instance, while not translating to Raw like he was on NXT, was brought into 205 Live.  Despite his problems with injuries and WWE starting to run out of patience because of it, Itami should have remained with NXT, where he'd be featured and thriving a lot more, especially now that the brand has a mid-card Championship.

   Cedric Alexander is another example of someone who could benefit a lot more on NXT, as well as great in-ring talents such as Mustafa Ali and 205 Live's resident Luchadores.  Jack Gallagher would be better served going back to being a babyface in the persona that brought him to WWE.  He has a good enough character to maintain on major WWE television but could also be featured prominently in WWE's upcoming UK brand.  Drew Gulak, while solid in the ring, now has a character and can stay on Raw without getting too lost, where as The Brian Kendrick is an established veteran that should be featuring more on Raw and Smackdown.  Again, not only would I get rid of 205 Live, I'd get rid of the Cruiserweight Division.  Unfortunately, there would be casualties, as several Cruiserweights are just kind of bland.  I would take Jack Gallagher, Noam Dar, and Mark Andrews, and place them on the UK brand, while several others can attain glory by going to NXT.

   Sadly, despite the pool of talent, I look at 205 Live as obscurity.  For instance, I worry in general when guys like Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, Adam Cole, and Ricochet eventually get called up to the main roster.  However, the worry intensifies when I think about the possibility of these men going to 205 Live, getting lost and eventually released.  Their talents are too good to be stuck on 205 Live.  The same thing has already happened to Cedric and Itami.  I don't want Roderick Strong, who revitalized his career by joining the Undisputed Era to be "called up," only to end up a lost boy in 205 Live.  I don't think even Rey Misterio could save 205 Live!  Ultimately, I don't see 205 Live lasting, even with the change of direction under the guise of Triple H.  

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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