E-RockWrestling: January 2018

Monday, January 29, 2018

2018 Royal Rumble Review

The 2018 Royal Rumble event has come and gone. As a fan, I got what I wanted. Not to sound ungrateful, but the last time I was this happy about a Royal Rumble winner, was 2010 when Edge won the Rumble. Not only that, I was happy about the winner of two Rumbles, as there was the very first Women's Rumble match last night as well. To be honest, I didn't care too much about a few matches on the card. There were some fun surprises in the Rumbles and we got the debut of a certain someone.

KICK-OFF MATCHES

Kalisto, Gran Metalik, & Lince Dorado vs. Jack Gallagher, Drew Gulak, & TJ Perkins

Starting the kick-off was a six man tag team match featuring Cruiserweights from 205 Live. The entire Cruiserweight Division is going through some changes. After Enzo Amore's suspension and release a day later, the Cruiserweight Title is now vacant. A new Champion will be decided soon by a new General Manager for 205 Live to be announced. As for this match, Kalisto had been feuding with The Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher, with Gran Metalik joining in until Kendrick was injured. Gulak was in the "Zo Train" and TJP just returned. It was a fun match with the masked Luchadores picking up the victory. With a new Champion being decided, I'm sure all the Cruiserweights involved wanted to perform to the best of their abilities for a chance.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. The Revival

After their loss to the Good Brothers and humiliation by Degeneration X and others, The Revival had something to prove. Gallows and Anderson finally joined up with Finn Balor and the former Bullet Club members became the Balor Club. I chose Gallows and Anderson for the victory but the "Top Guys" came out on...top! Now that the teams have one win each, I expect a rubber match between them. I hope they can hold off until the Elimination Chamber PPV next month.

US Title Open Challenge - Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley

A few weeks ago, a tournament started to crown a new US Champion after Dolph Ziggler's win and subsequent relinquishment of the Title. Originally, the tournament was to conclude at the Royal Rumble. However, after Roode's victory in the Semi-Finals, the other finalist Jinder Mahal attacked Roode, leading to the Title being decided later that night. Roode won the Title and then decided to issue an open challenge at the Rumble. The man that chose to answer the challenge was Mojo Rawley, the man Roode defeated to get to the tournament finals. Just about anyone could have answered the challenge but Mojo was an underwhelming choice. Roode won and it was...Glorious!

MAIN SHOW

WWE Title Handi-Cap Match - AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

Due to there being two Rumbles this year, I expected one of them to open the show, which is why I thought it was strange that this match opened instead. As entertaining as the Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn pairing is, AJ just ended the awful reign of Jinder Mahal and I feel he needs to walk into WrestleMania as WWE Champion. Surprisingly, there was no interference by Smackdown's management, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. Though AJ had to face two men, he stood his ground. The match ended in somewhat controversial fashion when AJ pinned Kevin Owens. Since Zayn didn't actually tag Owens in, Zayn was the legal man. Owens and Zayn's bitter rival Shane McMahon seemed amused. As long as AJ walks into Mania as Champion, I'm happy.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles - The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin

If you want to talk about tag team of the year, look no further than The Usos! In the last year or so, their change of attitude has taken them to new levels and their in-ring game has risen even higher. With the legal man not being pinned in their recent match, Gable and Benjamin had another shot. This time, the match was two out of three falls. Two teams of this calibre did not disappoint. I thought for sure The Usos would drop the belts, especially after Jey Uso's recent DUI. To the shock of many, the Usos won two straight falls, which almost never happens in these type of matches. In the end, Gable and Benjamin couldn't escape the Uso Penitentiary. I should also note it was nice to see Gable's interaction with former partner Jason Jordan backstage.

Men's Royal Rumble Match

The first two spots in this Rumble made the fans come alive. Singing number one's arrival was Aiden English, as Rusev made his way to the ring, complete with a Hulkamania inspired shirt ripping. Rusev is over like Rover and it was a very Happy Rusev Day for the fans. The number two spot went to Finn Balor. Soon after was Rhino, to raucous ECW chants, and the Lone Wolf himself, Baron Corbin. Heath Slater had the distinction of drawing number five and Slater was a part of one of the funniest bits in Rumble history. Slater had trouble entering the ring because every time he tried to, someone else would attack him. However, when Big E was nice enough to insert Slater into the Rumble after feeding him some pancakes, Slater did the unthinkable and eliminated Sheamus, on the Celtic Warrior's Birthday, no less!

Elias came to the ring and after kicking Slater in the head, put on a performance and asked if everyone wanted to "Walk With Elias." Elias said the next man would not come out until he was finished singing his song. Unfortunately, his concert was cut short when the buzzer rang for number seven. It was the night's first surprise entrant as NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas appeared. Flanked by Zelina Vega, Almas entered the ring just one night after retaining his Title in a great match with Johnny Gargano. Almas had a good showing, lasting nearly 30 minutes. He "Almas" made it! The next big moment happened upon the countdown for entrant number ten. Last year, it was "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger. Not surprisingly, he drew number ten this year too. However, fans knew something was wrong when his music played and he didn't come out. Cameras cut to backstage where Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were taking their frustrations out on Dillinger. Sami Zayn then said "I got this" and walked to the ring, taking the place of Dillinger.

Other superstars soon joined in, including Bray Wyatt, New Day member Xavier Woods, Apollo Crews, and the popular Shinsuke Nakamura as the 14th man to enter the Rumble. Two spots later, Kofi Kingston came out and now all three members of The New Day were in the ring. After Xavier and Big E were eliminated, it looked like Kofi was next to go. You may be asking; "how did Kofi escape elimination this year?" Kofi was thrown over the top rope but only one foot hit the floor. The other foot was on Xavier's back. Xavier stayed in place while Big E took their plate of pancakes and put it under Kofi's other foot. Kofi climbed into the hands of Big E and Xavier and they spring boarded Kofi back into the ring. It's always an entertaining spot and this is the first time someone was saved by pancakes.

The ring started to fill up again. Joining next were wrestlers such as Cesaro, Jinder Mahal, Seth Rollins, and Matt Hardy. The countdown began for number 21, who turned out to be none other than John Cena. Cena ran immediately to the ring and started cleaning house. He tossed a few guys out and performed an AA or two. The next surprise of the Rumble took place for number 22. "Stand back, there's a Hurricane coming through!" To everyone's shock, The Hurricane came out and went face to face with John Cena. His efforts to choke slam Cena failed, as he was then tossed out of the ring shortly after. Though Rusev had been eliminated by this point, his partner Aiden English made his way to the ring to compete. The "Rusev Day" chants continued as Rusev would have to win vicariously through English. Another surprise came when the buzzer rang for number 23. Fans rose to their feet again when they saw it was...Adam Cole Bay-Bay! I've got to give this man credit after what he went through in his match with Aleister Black the night before at Takeover: Philadelphia. How this man was even walking was incredible after performing in a brutal Extreme Rules match.

Randy Orton was out next and business was about to pick up. Orton was giving out RKO's like a UPS driver would deliver packages. Following him were Titus O'Neal and The Miz. The countdown was on for number 27, the number that produced four Royal Rumble winners. Fans were delighted when the legendary Luchadore himself, Rey Misterio, appeared and entered the Royal Rumble. Rey didn't lose a step and can still entertain the fans with fantastic maneuvers. People were happy to see him, which differed from the last time, when Rey entered the 2014 Rumble and was booed for not being Daniel Bryan. Rey delivered a sweet double 619 to two of WWE's most polarizing figures, John Cena and Roman Reigns.

After Reigns entered to an ovation only the Philadelphia crowd could provide, Goldust came out next, followed by the man who drew number 30, Dolph Ziggler. The last time we saw Ziggler was on Smackdown two days after Clash of Champions, when he won the US Title and then relinquished it, telling fans they didn't deserve him. With Ziggler's inclusion, I thought he might have a shot. The final six in the ring were John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Misterio, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, and Roman Reigns. There was a showdown of generations as Cena, Orton, and Misterio stood toe to toe against Nakamura, Balor, and Reigns. Soon after, Orton and Misterio were eliminated, leaving a Final Four of Cena, Reigns, Nakamura, and Balor. Now Cena and Reigns stood side by side against two of WWE's most popular superstars. Balor was eliminated, leaving three. Namamura eliminated John Cena and then Reigns to win the 2018 Royal Rumble match. Shinsuke was my pick and I'm elated that he won. After the match, he was asked who he wanted to face for the Title: (side note - the Universal Title match hadn't taken place yet). Nakamura said he wanted AJ Styles and now the match that WWE fans have been waiting for will take place at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania! Truth be told, I made it sound like it was amazing but I found the Men's Royal Rumble to be a little boring. Also, it felt like the entrance intervals were really quick this year.

Raw Tag Team Titles - Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan vs. The Bar

This was a match I really didn't care about if I'm being honest. It was kind of just there for me. I understood the story of Kurt Angle putting his "son" with Rollins and them somehow winning the Tag Team Titles. That storyline is just awful and I want it over already, frankly! I would have just had them together for a while winning matches and eventually gaining a shot at the Titles against The Bar at the Rumble, only for it to fall apart here, which it dd. Jordan suffered an "injury" during the match, causing Rollins to basically go it alone and end up losing the Titles in the process.

Universal Title Triple Threat Match - Brock Lesnar vs. Kane vs. Braun Strowman

Speaking of matches I didn't care about! Usually I'm into anything Braun Strowman does but this match meant nothing to me and the Universal Title means nothing to me. Anyone that has read my blogs knows that I hate multiple World Champions and to me, unless you're the WWE Champion, your Title means jack squat. The problem I had with this match, besides how somewhat boring it was, is that it took not just one, but two competitors out of the Rumble. Since Brock and Kane never had a one on one match, I would have preferred that to happen here so Braun could join the Rumble. That was also my backup idea in case Nakamura didn't win. Brock won and it was pretty much written in stone anyway. Everyone knows it's Brock vs. Reigns at WrestleMania. Thankfully, we'll have AJ/Shinsuke, which is loads more exciting to me.

Women's Royal Rumble Match

When the Men's Rumble happened earlier in the night, I was hoping that the show would end with the Women's Rumble. I'm so glad that is the result because I hate when Rumbles end with a different match and I was afraid the Universal Title match would end the show. There were some complainers out there for sure but I have to say that the Women's Rumble was so much better than the Men's Rumble. I don't understand how people hated it! Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and the Smackdown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair came out to watch the match and Stephanie McMahon was out to do commentary. I was a little concerned because she seems to have this problem of making everything about herself and overshadowing the women that made all of this possible.

Within the first few minutes, I already loved the Women's Rumble. Sasha Banks made her way to the ring as the very first entrant in the first Women's Royal Rumble Match. The Boss awaited who was the woman that drew number two. That turned out to be Becky Lynch and I was already excited! After a great opening sequence, the ladies were joined by Riot Squad member Sarah Logan, followed by Absolution member Mandy Rose. The countdown began for number five and when the buzzer rang, the fans jumped to their feet when Hall of Famer Lita came out to the ring. I was going crazy myself at home. Lita still had it, as the fans told her, and she dealt out a couple of Twists of Fate, followed by a moonsault off the top rope. Unfortunately, she was eliminated fairly early and I'll get to why a little later. So far, off to a great start!

Out next was the winner of the Mae Young Classic, NXT wrestler Kairi Sane. The lovable pirate princess made her way to the ring and took on all comers. Her flying elbow is really something special and she busted that out. Soon, the ladies were joined by Tamina and Dana Brooke. The next surprise was Torrie Wilson, who we haven't seen in years. She looked fantastic and while she was never great in the ring, it was a blast from the past. Absolution's Sonya Deville and the Riot Squad's Liv Morgan were out next. It was time for the twelfth entrant to come out and I couldn't believe it when it turned out to be Molly Holly. I just met her in person a few months ago and she's a real sweetheart. She was one of my favorites and one of the women in the era right before the "Divas" took over. Molly looked great and she hasn't lost a step at all! Some people called this Rumble a nostalgia act but I say, so what? I enjoyed it immensely! Lana was out next and the fans started with more Rusev Day chants. The next entrant was another surprise, Michelle McCool. I felt it was unnecessary for fans to chant for her husband the Undertaker when this should be all about the women.

Ruby Riot came along at number 15 but by the time she got in, her Riot Squad partners were gone. I would like to have seen all three members of the Riot Squad causing havoc in the Rumble. The buzzer rang for the next entrant and all of a sudden, everyone heard the two words that made fans' ears bleed a few years ago..."Excuse Me!" It was none other than Vickie Guerrero! She kept repeating those words and started yelling at the women in the ring. Then she tried to make peace because she used to be friendly with Michelle McCool. All of the women ganged up on Vickie and eliminated her from the Rumble. There were so many fun moments here! Just as Vickie was leaving ringside, Carmella came down to the ring. Vickie grabbed Carmella's "Money In the Bank" briefcase and hit her with it before leaving. Carmella didn't get into the ring and I was wondering if she was going to be this Rumble's Heath Slater. Initially, she was, as Natalya came down to the ring next and dumped her accessories onto Carmella. Before entering the ring herself, she was kncoked off the apron by Carmella. Kelly Kelly then made a surprise appearance in the Rumble. It was glow time next when Naomi came out at number 20. Somehow, through attempted eliminations, Naomi ended up on the guardrail but hadn't been eliminated yet. She borrowed a chair from guest announcer Maria Menounos and proceeded to wheelbarrow herself back to the ring with her hands. She became the Women's Rumble version of Kofi Kingston.

The legendary Jacqueline came out next to a great ovation. Jackie was one tough woman and she didn't lose any of that, going toe to toe with anyone and everyone. The woman that's not like most girls, Nia Jax, was next to arrive. She dominated the Rumble going forward and tossed a few women out. The next superstar to enter the Rumble was NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon. Her left arm was in a cast due to her match with Shayna Baszler the night before at Takeover: Philadelphia. Even with one arm, Ember wasn't phased. She even hit a one-armed Eclipse and impressed everyone around. Nia Jax was still doing damage in the ring but little did she know, she was about to meet her match. The fans went nuts when number 24 was revealed to be Beth Phoenix. If anyone could match Nia's power, it was "The Glamazon." Watching these two women stand face to face was an amazing moment. Just when we thought things couldn't get anymore exciting, Asuka entered the Rumble. The Empress of Tomorrow took no prisoners when she got into the ring. Her face off with Ember Moon was amazing, as they had quite the feud going in NXT last year. They went at it and the fans were eating it up.

Mickie James came out next, followed by the returning Nikki Bella. Out next was Brie Bella and now the Bella Twins were ready to work some twin magic. The sisters worked together for a while but you know the rules of the Rumble and in this case, it's every woman for herself. The lovable Bayley came out at number 29. The number 30 spot went to Trish Stratus and naturally, everyone was extremely happy. Things got intense when she came face to face with former nemesis Mickie James. Their match for the Women's Title at WrestleMania XXII was a classic and here we are 12 years later and they're going at it one more time. This is why I wish Lita hadn't been eliminated so early. It would have been nice to see Trish and Lita go at it, as well as teaming up.

In something that shocked everyone, Sasha Banks double crossed best friend Bayley and eliminated her from the Rumble. The look on Charlotte's face when this happened was priceless! The final four were Sasha, Asuka, and the Bella Twins. The Bella Twins teamed up to eliminate Sasha and set their sights on Asuka. However, Nikki then eliminated her own sister from the Rumble. The fans were able to go home happy when Asuka eliminated Nikki and won the first every Women's Royal Rumble match. The night was not over yet, however!

The Women's Champions made their ways into the ring and it was time for Asuka to choose which Title she would go for at WrestleMania. Before Asuka was able to choose between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett played on the speakers and out walked former UFC competitor, the incomparable Ronda Rousey. It had been rumored for months and she finally signed with WWE. She stared at all three women and pointed to the WrestleMania sign. She attempted to shake Asuka's hand but Asuka wasn't into it. Rousey then left the ring, greeted fans, and walked right up to Stephanie McMahon. The two women shook hands and Rousey walked to the back without Asuka making a decision yet and leaving everyone wondering what was happening.

Overall, I enjoyed myself last night and it was a pretty good Pay-Per-View. There were a few duds but the positives outweighed the negatives. In my opinion, the Women's Rumble absolutely smoked the Men's Rumble. There were a lot of great surprises, staredowns, and fights all around. Also, two of my favorite superstars and my picks to win, won their respective Rumble matches and I haven't been this happy about a Rumble winner in a long time. Not only that, but we witnessed the debut of Ronda Rousey. The Road To WrestleMania has begun and I can't wait to see where it takes us!

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, 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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Takeover: Philadelphia Review

With Royal Rumble weekend being so big, I have to split this review up. I'll take care of Takeover here and do the Royal Rumble in a separate blog later today. I don't recall ever being dissatisfied with a Takeover event. Takeover: Philadelphia was another good one and it just proves that no matter how much talent moves on from NXT, more talent goes into NXT. Whenever NXT gets purged for talent, I worry for their roster a little bit. Sooner or later, I realize that more talent will arrive and NXT is the place to be. Everyone in NXT brings their A game to the Takeover events and this one was no different. I have to applaud everyone that participated. I'm not here to compare it to the Royal Rumble PPV the next night. It's apples and oranges and not a fair comparison. Besides all of the great matches, I should mention some of the newly signed members of the NXT sitting in the audience such as Ricochet and EC3. I also want to take a moment to appreciate the show's opening promo by Paul Heyman. I think having Heyman's endorsement of NXT in the city of Brotherly Love was a classy move and so fitting.

NXT Tag Team Titles - Undisputed Era vs. Authors of Pain

This was a good way to open the show. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish have been teaming for years on the independent scene and in Ring Of Honor, mostly known as Redragon. Their work on Saturday especially reminded me of Arn Anderson and Tulley Blanchard, the way they would focus on a body part. Their ring psychology is fantastic! The Authors of Pain, though they are powerhouses, are pretty agile as well. They have improved drastically since they first hit the scene and having Paul Ellering only increases their presence. The match ended with Akam accidentally colliding with Rezar, enabling O'Reilly to get a quick roll-up pin for the victory. The Undisputed Era injured the APO early on and it worked in their favor. I can see the Authors of Pain heading to Raw or Smackdown in the near future. Will they show up between now and WrestleMania? Will they show up the night after WrestleMania? Though they will make their main roster debut this year, I'd like to see them in a clash with the newly signed War Machine, who were seated at ringside for this event. And yes, Peter Rosenberg, War Machine is a tag team!

The Velveteen Dream vs. Kassius Ohno

Takeover: War Games was the coming out party, so to speak, for The Velveteen Dream. His match with Aleister Black was amazing and even in a losing effort, he was even able to make Black himself say his name, along with everyone else. After his loss to Johnny Gargano last week, he needed a big win. He promised to end the match in under 30 seconds against NXT's resident knockout artist Kassius Ohno. It looked like just that would happen in the match's opening moments when Dream nearly knocked Ohno out. However, his showboating cost him, as it gave Ohno time to recover. Ohno delivered some knockout blows of his own but couldn't put the Dream away. After a Purple Rainmaker, The Velveteen Dream scored a big victory. Although I wasn't initially on board with his gimmick, his match with Aleister Black made me respect his in-ring ability. Even watching Tough Enough, I knew Patrick Clarke had something in him to succeed as a wrestler.

NXT Women's Title - Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler

If there was ever a match where I worried that the Title would change hands, this was it! Before the show, Moon winning was not only my prediction, but my hope. I felt that this would be too soon for her to lose the Title she worked so hard to get. I'll tell you what, I think Baszler proved a lot of people wrong on Saturday night. Her psychology was great and really took apart Moon's left arm throughout the match. Having been in MMA and really trying to break people's limbs, I think it came natural to her. Credit to Ember Moon as well for her tremendous job at selling! I know I'm not supposed to know those terms and I would never use them in front of wrestlers, claiming that I know anything about the business.

This match told a story and every time that arm was being worked on, it made you think that the Queen of Spades could walk out as the new NXT Women's Champion. While performing her infamous Eclipse maneuver, Moon's arm was even worse for wear. She was in so much pain that she couldn't reach Baszler in time to go for the pin. After that, she was basically using her right arm the rest of the match. Baszler caught her in various arm bars throughout the match and was able to get away from the ropes several times so Moon would have nowhere to go. In a last ditch effort, Moon dug deep and used all of her weight into a pin. Because Baszler had her cross arm breaker locked in tight, she was not able to escape the pin. After the match, Baszler attacked Moon and continued to injure her arm. It left fans wondering if she was legitimately injured and if she would have to relinquish the Title. I can see a rematch in the future for sure! Both women put on a great performance.

Extreme Rules Match - Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole

I predicted that this would be match of the night and boy was I right! Wow! I mean, what more can I say? I don't recall seeing this brutal of a match in a long time. It was fitting that a Hardcore match like this took place in ECW's birthplace, Philadelphia, PA! Adam Cole's super kick into a chair led Black to fall backward into and through two tables. Cole then set up two chairs in the ring with vicious intent. He then turned the chairs back to back, almost resembling a sharp edge. Unfortunately for Cole, Black countered and delivered a Death Valley Driver onto the chairs. During the match, Cole almost had his thumb severed. It was taped up mid-match so he could continue.

It didn't take long for Cole's cohorts Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly to show up, as they hit the ring and delivered Total Elimination to Black. Just then, the three members of Sanity showed up and brawled with the Undisputed Era. While Eric Young and the returning Alexander Wolfe fought Fish and O'Reilly on the outside, the tremendously agile heavyweight Killian Dane performed a dive to the outside, taking out both his foes and partners at the same time. Meanwhile, Black hit a double foot stomp to Cole through a table, finishing the sequence with Black Mass for the win. This match accomplished a lot of as well. It most likely set up the next Tag Team Title feud and brought Black that much closer to the main events in NXT. This match was simply incredible!

NXT Title - Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Johnny Gargano

I was wondering if the last match could be topped. Well, I'll tell you this! This match came as close as it possibly could. Talk about telling a story! The fight within Johnny Wrestling is so endearing and with every match, win or lose, comes even more respect from the fans. While I still don't think Almas should have been anywhere near the NXT Championship, he's a good in ring performer, so I'll give credit where it is due. The way Gargano's eyes looked vacant in certain moments made people think the match might get stopped. But Johnny persevered! After Zelina Vega interfered and attacked Gargano, his wife and newly signed NXT wrestler Candice LaRea, who was sitting at ringside, had enough! LaRea chased Vega through the crowd. Meanwhile, Almas was able to pin Gargano and retain. After the match, when LaRea helped Gargano up to the ramp, Tomasso Ciammpa came out and hit Gargano with a crutch. If I had one criticism of the match, I wish that Ciammpa was the reason why Gargano lost. I know it would have taken him too long to make it to the ring but the spot on the ramp could have come during the match. Either way, we're about to continue with an extremely personal feud.

From top to bottom, NXT Takeover: Philadelphia delivered. The Black/Cole match was phenomenal! Almas/Gargano told a great story. Ember Moon and Shayna Baszler put on a great match. Moon sold incredibly and Baszler's psychology was fantastic. The Velveteen Dream continued to rise and the Authors of Pain may have had their swan song in NXT. Seeing War Machine, Ricochet, and EC3 all sitting at ringside were also great moments. I really can't find much to complain about here, as it would just be nitpicking at this point. I wouldn't call it the greatest Takeover by any means, but it was special and entertaining.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Royal Rumble 2018 Predictions

Royal Rumble weekend concludes tonight with the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View event. After last night's excellent Takeover event, the Rumble needs to deliver, and I'm confident that it will. For the first time ever, we will witness a 30-woman Royal Rumble match, along with the men's. Both World Titles and both sets of Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight, as well as Bobby Roode's US Title challenge. We may see some returns or big surprises tonight as well.

KICK-OFF MATCHES

Jack Gallagher/Drew Gulak/TJP vs. Kalisto/Gran Metalik/Lince Dorado

This six man tag team match featuring some of 205 Live's Cruiserweights has been added. With Enzo Amore's recent controversy and firing, the Cruiserweight Title is vacant for the first time since its return in 2016. I'm sure all of these men want to prove they belong, especially after the clinic Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali just put on. Gallagher is feuding with Kalisto, due to the injury The Brian Kendrick sustained. I'm thinking the heels come out on top over the masked Luchadores tonight.

Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows vs. The Revival

Finn Balor, Anderson and Gallows have now formed the Balor Club officially in WWE. On Raw's 25th Anniversary, the Good Brothers defeated The Revival. After that, the Balor Club, DX, and Scott Hall took turns performing their finishers on The Revival. Will the "Top Guys" return to glory and put Gallows and Anderson in their place? Or will the Balor Club reign supreme? I can see the match going either way but my gut tells me to go with Anderson and Gallows for the win.

Bobby Roode's US Title Challenge

New United States Champion Bobby Roode is putting out an open challenge for his Title tonight. There's a lot of speculation as to who that might be. One person I think it won't be is Dolph Ziggler. It wouldn't make sense for Ziggler, who deliberately relinquished the US Title after winning it, to then challenge for it again. No matter who takes the challenge, I'm picking Bobby Roode to retain the United States Championship and it will be...Glorious!

MAIN CARD

Raw Tag Team Titles - Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan vs. The Bar

This one is hard to predict because both Jason Jordan and Sheamus have injuries they are dealing with. I'm not generally fond of makeshift tag teams winning the Titles. To be honest, I don't really care about this match. All four men are going to be involved in different things soon enough, especially Jordan. I'm predicting Jordan at some point turning his "father" Kurt Angle. I hope he admits it was all a ruse too because this storyline is crap. I see Rollins and Jordan retaining in this match.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles - The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin

When Gable's partner Jason Jordan went to Raw, he was on his own. Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan gave Gable a new partner in the amazing Shelton Benjamin. So far, they have gelled well as a team. Meanwhile, the Usos have been the tag team on Smackdown. That's saying something, since The New Day are there as well. With Jey Uso recently getting a DUI, I'm taking Gable and Benjamin to become the new Smackdown Tag Team Champions.

WWE Title Hand-Cap Match - AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

AJ's got his hands full tonight when he takes on both best friends Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Since Zayn saved Owens from Shane McMahon at Hell In a Cell, he's been such a funny and pain in the ass heel. His sarcasm and chemistry with Owens makes him entertaining to watch. With both of Smackdown's authority figures Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan in the mix, there's sure to be some shenanigans in this match. If this were around SummerSlam time, I might give the win to Owens and/or Zayn but since we're on the road to WrestleMania, I don't see how they could take the Title off him. I know they did it last year but let's be honest, neither Owens or Zayn are John Cena! AJ just ended Jinder Mahal's 6-month reign not too long ago so I don't see him losing just yet.

Universal Title Triple Threat Match - Brock Lesnar vs. Kane vs. Braun Strowman

I almost wish this was a one on one match between Lesnar and Kane. One reason is because the two have never faced off one on one before and two, this match takes a potential winner like Braun out of the Rumble. I think it's obvious to most people that Brock is keeping the Title and that's my pick. If a Smackdown guy wins the Rumble or the winner decides to challenge for the WWE Title, I think both Braun and Kane would have a chance anyway by winning Raw's Elimination Chamber. Also, most people assume we're getting Brock vs. Roman at WrestleMania anyway! Either way, Kane is there to eat the pin.

Men's Royal Rumble Match

I'm going to take care of this first since history is being made tonight with the first ever women's Rumble match. Last year, someone I didn't even think could win in Randy Orton won the thing. However, Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns ended up being the main event anyway and Orton's Title match with Bray Wyatt wasn't that good. You can make a strong case for Roman Reigns this year since it's likely he'll go on to face Brock at WrestleMania. However, Reigns doesn't need the Rumble to do that. With Raw hosting Elimination Chamber and Brock not being advertised for it, I predict that a Smackdown guy will win the Rumble, or possibly John Cena, who can go wherever he wants because he's John Cena. However unlikely, I'm picking Shinsuke Nakamura as the winner this year so we can have the match many people would be more excited for, Shinsuke vs. AJ. Even if this does happen, I still see them putting Brock/Roman above it as the main event of WrestleMania.

Women's Royal Rumble Match

This is it, folks! It's been a long time coming but the women will finally have their own Royal Rumble match. Unfortunately, Raw and Smackdown's Champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte are sitting this one out. Also, Paige's past injury is keeping her out this year and will possibly end her career, but that's a topic for another time. There's a good chance former UFC star Ronda Rousey will debut tonight in the Rumble match. While I do see that happening, I just don't want her to win the Rumble. To me, it shits on every female superstar who has worked so hard to get to this moment. Like Roman Reigns, she's in a position that she doesn't need to win the Rumble to get a potential Title shot. With that being said, my pick from the start has been and will continue to be Asuka. You could argue she doesn't need the win either, but she's been in a wrestling ring for a long time. I'm not talking about her dominance or undefeated streak either! Picking her has nothing to do with that. I just think it's the right moment. I also love that the same rules in the men's Rumble will take place here. There will be 30 women and all eliminations must occur over the top rope with both feet touching the floor.

The Royal Rumble has always been my favorite event and I'm looking forward to tonight. What surprises will we see? Who will show up? At last night's Takeover, the audience included Hansen and Rowe of War Machine, Ricochet, EC3, and Candice LaRea, who was watching husband Johnny Gargano in the main event. Bobby Lashley has been rumored. Will Dean Ambrose or Samoa Joe suddenly have a clean bill of health to enter? Will Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega take their feud to WWE? How will Kofi Kingston escape elimination this year? There are so many possibilities! It's even more exciting this year, with the addition of the women's Rumble match.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Takeover: Philadelphia Predictions

It's Royal Rumble weekend and tonight it starts with NXT Takeover: Philadelphia. I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and predictions about tonight's festivities. It looks like a pretty good card and it's rare that the Takeover specials disappoint. I almost would have preferred a mini NXT Royal Rumble match but with there already being two Rumble matches, I understand why there isn't one. I have a feeling there will be some things happening tonight that will directly affect the Takeover show during WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans.

The Velveteen Dream vs. Kassius Ohno

Although I was not a fan of the character of The Velveteen Dream, I came to at least appreciate his performances. That said, his match with Aleister Black at Takeover: War Games was incredible! I believe he gained so much from the match, even more so in a loss. For the former Patrick Clarke, it wasn't about winning the match, it was about respect and Dream's ego's need for Black to say his name. In the end, Dream got what he wanted, as not only did he get Black to say his name, it looked like in that moment he gained Black's respect. He shut critics up, including myself. I have no doubt his match with Kassius Ohno will be entertaining. Ohno has seemingly become NXT's new resident gatekeeper. He was the first credible challenge for the rising monster Lars Sullivan and I think he'll do the same tonight. Ohno, formerly Chris Hero, has always been a good hand in the ring. Dream, although in his early 20's, has already shown great skill and it's only going to improve. I think The Velveteen Dream comes away the winner but the real winners are the fans who get to watch it.

NXT Tag Team Titles - Undisputed Era vs. Authors of Pain

This is really a toss-up, to be honest. Going back to Takeover: Brooklyn III, I never expected AOP to lose their Titles. Since then, the men who took them, Sanity, have dropped the belts to the Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish. Together in Ring of Honor, those two were known as Redragon and were multiple time Tag Team Champions. While the Authors are much bigger and stronger, they also have a wrestling genius like Paul Ellering by their side. However, the UE also have Adam Cole bay-bay! I can see AOP getting the Titles back but my pick is the Undisputed Era. Part of the reason is because UE just won the Titles. Also, I have a strong feeling we may see the Authors of Pain on the main roster between now and the next Draft/Shakeup shortly after WrestleMania. Both teams have chemistry, evidenced by their clash at War Games. It should be a fun, hard-hitting match.

NXT Women's Title - Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler

After finally reaching her destiny to become the NXT Women's Champion, Ember Moon is the driving force of the women's division in NXT. She came the closest out of anyone to dethrone Asuka, but didn't quite get there. After Asuka relinquished the Title upon going to Raw, Moon won the Title in a great Fatal Fourway, hitting an incredible double Eclipse to become Champion. One of those other participants was Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane. Enter Shayna Baszler! With the imminent debut of Ronda Rousey, her fellow MMA Four Horsewoman Baszler is sure to make a splash in NXT. Baszler attacked Kairi Sane after nearly breaking the arm of Dakota Kai. Baszler, still clearly upset about her Mae Young Classic finals loss to Sane, wanted to make an immediate impact. It got the attention of new Champion Ember Moon and now we have a Championship match. Although I can see Baszler potentially winning the NXT Women's Title, I'm sticking with Moon as my pick. I feel it would be an injustice to take the Title from her just after her incredible and deserving win. Baszler will have her time. I can actually see Baszler in a match with Kairi Sane at Takeover: New Orleans, while Ember Moon takes on a new challenger. In the event of a Baszler win, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Ember Moon appear in tomorrow night's women's Royal Rumble match.

Extreme Rules Match - Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black

If there's a match I'm really looking forward to on this card, this is it! I feel like there's a lot riding on this match. Cole and his Undisputed Era cohorts recently cost Black a shot at the NXT Championship. After all, Black defeated Cole to get into that match in the first place. Not only did Cole cost Black a Title opportunity, he took away Black's undefeated streak. I can see both men pulling out all the stops and I predict it will be the match of the night. It can go either way but my gut feeling is that Aleister Black will be victorious. Of course, where he goes afterward is hard to predict, as it may depend on the outcome of the NXT Championship Match. There will surely be interference from Fish and O'Reilly but the Dutch destroyer can certainly handle it. Whether they face each other again or have different opponents, I think both will play big parts at Takeover: New Orleans.

NXT Championship - Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Johnny Gargano

I know it's just NXT and they are essentially WWE's developmental brand, but I don't even consider Almas to be on the NXT Championship level. I know it's just speculation but I get the feeling had it not been for Drew McIntyre's injury during his match with Almas, we wouldn't have had a new Champion. Not to say that he hasn't improved. His heel turn, coupled with his partnership with Zelina Vega months later, has made him a new man, a lot more focused and determined. On the other hand, we have Rocky come to life with Johnny Gargano. After Gargano and his DIY partner Tomasso Ciammpa lost the NXT Tag Team Titles. Ciammpa turned on his partner in a brutal attack. Since then, although Ciammpa was out with an injury from that match, Gargano has had to fight and claw to get opportunities. He failed to defeat Pete Dunne for the WWE United Kingdom Championship but he took The Velveteen Dream's spot to defeat Kassius Ohno and advance to a Fatal Fourway, to become number one contender to the NXT Title. After defeating Dream just days ago, Johnny Wrestling is in for the fight of his life.

There are a two ways this match may go down but both involve the same thing. In the first Rocky film, Rocky did not win and since this is Gargano's first Title opportunity, the same might occur. In the case of Gargano losing, which happens to be my prediction, I can see it being by the hands of a returning Tomasso Ciammpa, setting up a match to continue an exciting rivalry going into New Orleans. Though I have chosen Almas as the winner here, I can see arguments about Gargano wining the Title as well. If that's the case, I also think Ciammpa gets involved but he will attack during Gargano's celebration. Either way, I think we're going to get Gargano/Ciammpa one on one during WrestleMania weekend. Since I predict Almas to retain, I can ultimately see Aleister Black being the challenger in New Orleans in Takeover's main event, possibly taking the NXT Championship. Of course, that might depend on how his match with Adam Cole goes. Despite not being too high on Andrade, he's good in the ring and if his match with Gargano is anything like their match at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III, we're in for a real treat.

I am so pumped about Royal Rumble weekend! It's nice to have Takeover events the night before "The Big Four" events. I can see a last minute match addition of Killian Dane against Lars Sullivan, as a battle of those two behemoths is bound to happen sooner or later. I have no problem with any of these matches and I think all will be entertaining. Though it's apples and oranges, several times in the past, I've enjoyed Takeover events more than the WWE PPV the next night. However, with this being such an important Royal Rumble, especially due to the inclusion of a woman's Rumble match, I don't see that happening this weekend. I hope everyone enjoys Takeover: Philadelphia tonight and stay tuned tomorrow for by Royal Rumble prediction blog.

Friday, January 26, 2018

2017 Royal Rumble Thoughts

Well, I've done it! Today I write about the 2017 Royal Rumble event and I've done 30 Rumbles in 30 days! It's kept me busy, to say the least! History was made at 2017's event and it's time to talk about how I felt. John Cena tied Ric Flair's World Championship record of 16, we got to see Chris Jericho in a Shark Cage, and a Rumble featuring the likes of Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and the Undertaker in the same ring. It also took place in San Antonio, TX at the Alamo-Done on the 20-year Anniversary of hometown hero Shawn Michaels winning his second WWE Championship.

ROYAL RUMBLE KICK-OFF

Becky Lynch, Naomi, & Nikki Bella vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, & Natalya

This year's Rumble had three Kick-Off matches before the event officially began. The women's divisions on Raw and Smackdown were finally given the time they deserved. There were other feuds between the women along with programs for each brand's Women's Titles. This was a great way to start the Kick-Off, with what the Smackdown women had to offer. It combined two feuds together, Becky Lynch's issue with Smackdown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and Mickie James, as well as Nikki Bella's feud with Natalya. Naomi won the match for her team after a split-legged moonsault on Alexa Bliss, earning herself a shot at the Smackdown Women's Title at the next Pay-Per-View.

Raw Tag Team Titles - Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows

The unlikely duo of Sheamus and Cesaro came together in the Summer of 2016 when Raw General Manager at the time, Mick Foley, ordered them to team up when their best of seven series ended in a draw. Though they hated each other at first, they bonded during a bar fight and ended The New Day's record-breaking Tag Team Title reign. The former Bullet Club members Anderson and Gallows and their pal AJ Styles were drafted to separate brands in 2016. However, they found success on Raw. Due to a match with Sheamus and Cesaro weeks earlier that ended in controversy, involving two referees, two referees were assigned to this match. This time around, the Good Brothers became the new Raw Tag Team Champions.

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

In my opinion, Sasha Banks was booked horribly in 2016 and 2017. After trading the Raw Women's Championship back and forth with Charlotte in a short period of time, it diminished the value of the Title. Banks won her Titles on non-PPV times, while Charlotte had a Pay-Per-View winning streak that WWE wanted preserved. My preferred scenario going into the "Road To WrestleMania" would have been a heel Sasha being chased by Bayley as the challenger. After losing the Title to Charlotte in the first ever women's Hell In a Cell match, Sasha got into a feud with Nia Jax. Since Nia's arrival on Raw, she ran roughshod over the women's division. Sasha was in for a heck of a night against the much larger Jax. Nia Jax dominated this match and won decisively.

MAIN CARD

Raw Women's Title - Charlotte vs. Bayley

After a long program with Sasha Banks, Charlotte was ready for a new challenger. This time, it was in the form of Bayley, the ultimate underdog. Though many assumed the outcome based on Charlotte's streak, it was a great match. While Charlotte had the size advantage and a Championship pedigree, you can never count Bayley out. Bayley gave it her all but in the end, the Queen reigned supreme. After brutally delivering Natural Selection to Bayley on the apron, it was all over for the girl that was all about the "Hug Life."

Universal Title No Disqualification Match - Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns

After Finn Balor's 24-hour reign as the first Universal Champion, he relinquished the Title due to injury. Not long after, Kevin Owens became the new Champion, with a little help from Triple H. At the same time, Owens gained a new best friend in Chris Jericho. With help from his best bud, Jericho defeated Roman Reigns for the US Title. Jericho was always around to interfere in Kevin's matches and did so during Owen's Title defense against Reigns at TLC. Because of this, Jericho was forced to be locked inside a shark cage hanging from the ceiling. However, it was a No Disqualification Match! It looked like Owens' days as Universal Champion were numbered as Reigns was closing in on a victory. Out of nowhere, Braun Strowman appeared and attacked Reigns. After the "Monster Among Men" drove Reigns through a table with a power slam in the corner of the ring, Owens capitalized and retained the Universal Title. Jericho was then let out of his shark cage and celebrated with Owens. Unrelated, this would not be the last time we'd see a shark cage involved in a WWE match in 2017.

Cruiserweight Title - Rich Swann vs. Neville

In the Fall of 2016, WWE created a 32-man tournament called the Cruiserweight Classic, containing the best Cruiserweights around the world. The winner's prize was huge, as that man would become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Since it's inception, the Title went from TJ Perkins to The Brian Kendrick, to the charismatic Rich Swann. After Swann's win, a friendly face Neville returned from injury to seemingly congratulate his friend Swann. Neville turned on Swann and viciously attacked him. Neville angrily stated that he was neglected during the Cruiserweight Classic and said he should be the Cruiserweight Champion, staking his claim for the Title. In the closing moments of a very entertaining bout, Neville forced Swann to submit. Not only did he become the new Cruiserweight Champion, he declared himself "King of the Cruiserweights!"

WWE Title - AJ Styles vs. John Cena

AJ Styles had an incredible 2016. He debuted in a huge way at that year's Royal Rumble, wrestled Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, defeated John Cena, and won the WWE Title all by September, finishing out the year as Champion. With AJ having more wins over Cena than the other way around, many could claim AJ was on top of his game and ready to #beatupJohnCena! The other story was about John Cena's desire to tie Ric Flair's 16 World Championship record, as he was one Title reign away. AJ Styles is simply phenomenal and there's a reason why Cena has been nicknamed "Big Match John." Both gave their all in an incredible match but in the end, Cena rose to the occasion to become Champion for the 16th time. While the match was very good, I wasn't exactly fond of Cena tying such a record. Although, one could argue that Flair had more reigns, depending on research but 16 was WWE's mythical goal. In another blog, I mentioned that in my opinion, any "World Title" reign in WWE that wasn't the WWE Title, didn't count as a World Title reign. That would make Cena's real number 13. Another point I made was that Cena had all those runs in half the time of Flair's career, mainly because for most of Cena's career, there was more than one World Title in the company. I could go on and on about the semantics and my opinions but at the end of the day, I can't say anything bad about the actual match, as both men proved why they belong in the main event.

Royal Rumble Match

This Royal Rumble match, although not perfect, was miles ahead of the previous few. It was entertaining, there were some surprises, and big names were involved, setting up a few WrestleMania matches. There was only one thing that I didn't like, though it was more a general wondering of why we got the winner we did. It was just an odd choice but not exactly a bad choice necessarily. I'll get to that later! The first two entrants in this year's Rumble were Big Cass and Chris Jericho, respectively. The first surprise of the night came at number five in the form of Jack Gallagher. In what many call his "Mary Poppins" moment, "The Extraordinary Gentleman" floated from the top rope into the ring with his trusty umbrella, William the third!

Braun Strowman entered at number seven and continued his destruction, eliminating seven men in total. Following Braun were Sami Zayn and the Big Show. After Braun eliminated a few men and had a great battle with Big Show, it was soon time to find out who drew number ten. A heavy rumor at the time came true when the countdown ended. The buzzer rang and the music began for "The Perfect Ten" himself, Tye Dillinger. The crowd was delighted and engaged with "ten" chants throughout Dillinger's time in the match.

The ring started to fill up once again with more superstars, such as Mark Henry, Dean Ambrose, and Baron Corbin. Corbin impressed many when he was able to eliminate Braun Strowman from the match. He then set his sights on Kofi Kingston! Yes folks, it's that time again! Kofi climbed to the top rope and then climbed even higher, to the very top of the ring post. With evil intentions, Corbin pushed Kofi off, with The New Day member almost getting impaled! Somehow, Kofi was able to use his legs to climb up and back into the ring. While not as impressive as other showings, Kofi escaping elimination is always fun. More superstars entered the chaos including The Miz, Sheamus, Rusev, and Apollo Crews. Bray Wyatt entered at number 21 and later found himself trying to keep peace in the Wyatt Family between members Randy Orton and Luke Harper. Since Orton's induction into the family, he and Harper didn't get along, and it was intensified when Erick Rowan went out with an injury. Despite Bray's efforts, Harper attacked both Orton and Wyatt himself, causing more divisiveness within the Wyatt Family.

Brock Lesnar entered at number 26 and became the new dominating force in the Rumble. He lived up to his "Beast" moniker by brutalizing his opponents and giving out multiple F-5's to those in the path of the storm. Goldberg entered the ring at number 28 and immediately went face to face with Brock Lesnar, who he defeated in one minute and twenty-six seconds at the Survivor Series. Goldberg once again got the better of Lesnar and eliminated him from the Rumble. Rusev and Luke Harper were other casualties of Goldberg. The Undertaker entered next and it was the first time ever that he and Goldberg shared a ring to battle. The Phenom did the unthinkable, as he eliminated Goldberg from the match. The possibility of these two in a one on one match was mind-blowing!

Everyone waited with anticipation to see who number 30 would be. To the detriment of many, it ended up being Roman Reigns! Although I shared a collective groan with the fans, mine was for a different reason. For me, it wasn't because it was Roman Reigns. I disliked it because generally, wrestlers that already had their chance in World Title matches on the card, would not be able to enter the Rumble. However, since several have done it anyway in the last third of the Rumble's history, I guess it doesn't matter! Reigns eliminated the Undertaker, setting up their match at WrestleMania. The final four were Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Roman Reigns. Reigns eliminated Jericho and Wyatt and targeted Orton next with a spear. Orton countered with a devastating RKO and eliminated Reigns to win his second Royal Rumble match.

With Cena having won the WWE Title earlier in the night, fans were not exactly delighted with the prospect of yet another Cena/Orton match. I just thought Orton winning was odd! It became a little more clear when Bray Wyatt won the WWE Title in the Elimination Chamber, however! Unfortunately, their match at WrestleMania disappointed and were overshadowed by the Universal Title match between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar anyway! Even so, the Rumble match was entertaining. We had confrontations such as Goldberg face to face with the Undertaker, Jack Gallagher's "Mary Poppins" moment, and the "Perfect 10" entrant! John Cena secured his 16th World Title in a hell of a match with AJ Styles, Charlotte's apron Natural Selection made everyone cringe, and Neville became the "King of the Cruiserweights." It was a solid event overall with very minor complaints. Now this Sunday we have the 2018 Royal Rumble, featuring both men's and women's Rumble matches, respectively. The Royal Rumble is always exciting and I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on the first 30. Stay tuned for my Royal Rumble predictions and my reviews of the events during Royal Rumble weekend, including NXT Takeover: Philadelphia.