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justanotherprowrestlingblog · 7 years ago

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Greatest Royal Rumble: Review

Friday 27 April, from the King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Triple H vs John Cena:[***]

The show kicks off with a match you wouldn't expect as an opener and it was an actually good overall match: not their best match ever but actually watchable. They worked a smart match where they kept working the crowd as they were chanting for both but Triple H made sure he would get them to boo him which at the end he did. Cena picks up a rebound victory after he lost at WrestleMania as expected and now goes back being a part timer unless WWE needs him for something, while Hunter goes back doing behind the scene stuff. Solid opening.

Cruiserweight Championship: Kalisto vs Cedric Alexender:[***1/2]

This is weird to say but actually the cruiser did a better job than on the mania Kick-off and i wasn't expecting anything from this match. While the crowd did not give a fuck about the match, which it really sucks, i feel both guys delivered a really good and fun match that almost made us believe Kalisto could pick up a win but at the end of the day Alexander won with his lumbar check outta nowhere and it looked as cool as kalisto's springboard spanish fly. I would have loved the crowd to go more behind the cruiserweights, but still it was really a little surprising match, because as i said before, on paper it looked like a filler but it was actually one of the best matches of the night. Alexander now can fully move on with Murphy and they'll probably square off at Backlash.

Raw Tag Team Championship: Woken Matt Hardy&Bray Wyatt vs The Bar:[**]

I personally lost interest in this match after the Shake Up not because i thougth it was gonna be a bad match but because the result was very predictable: with it being the Raw Tag team titles, the title couldn't change brand like the IC or US title could and so it was clear that Bray and Matt would have won the match and the belts. The match itself was ok and there is not much to say about it. It will be very interesting to see how long will the team of Wyatt and Hardy last on Raw and also what's gonna happen to the Bar on tuesday nights because of how the tag team division on SD is quite stacked at the moment.

Us Championship: Jinder Mahal vs Jeff Hardy: [*]

Good god what an horrible match it was. It was really painful to watch even tho it leasted only 6 minutes and in this six minutes jinder even sold air after Jeff Hardy did not hit him with his twist of fate. Slow, boring, predictable, easy finish. It was really bad and even i wouldn't advise you to watch it even if you have the whole time in the world to fully watch this show.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Usos vs Bludgeon Brothers: [**]

This match had the same effects on me as the other tag team match did: it was ok but there isnt much to say about it. It also feels again like they could have done much better, and in the past they already did, but they were limited to do this and couldn't do much about it. Bludgeon Brother looks even more dominating after this win as they are going towards a possible showdown with Sanity, which at the moment are the only real threat to the BB title reign.

Fatal 4 way Ladder Match for the IC Championship: Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe vs The Miz vs Finn Balor: [***3/4]

This match is easily the best match of the whole event. It wasn't a ladder match for the ages but in this event it is enough to be the match of the night. It lacked same drama as to be fair Rollins winning was very predictable, unless you had Miz retaining, but then you had him to win again next sunday with Finn and maybe it wasn't to much for WWE to book and we know how heels get booked. It was a cool match but it kinda lacked some spots to remember but it's ok since they have another PPV next week and they don't need to go all out and risk their body for a “special event”. The finish was actually smart because protected the loser and made Rollins look smart, as babyface usually aren't booked as smart guys and for once it's cool and also it sets up Balor nicely as the next challenger after Rollins gets rid of Miz who is gonna get his head kicked by Bryan

WWE Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles: [***]

So i came into this match with the mindset that they were gonna do a better match than mania but even this time, the match didn't lived up the hype. It was a little bit better than the mania one but the mania one had a better finish. I was really enjoying the match because they were telling a story that was well fitting with the whole build up and it was showing why they went with Nakamura turning heel, which for me is really a great idea, but the finish killed the momentum for me. And now they set a rematch for Backlash and i hope this match will have a stipulation with no count-outs (it would make sense since how this one ended) and also with no DQ's (it would also made sense why Nakamura going always for the low blow), unless this time they want to have Styles losing by DQ because he low blowed Nakamura and set up another match for the next event, which if i'm not wrong, it's gonna be MITB. Let's see what's gonna happen on SD live and also what will happen on Backlash, hoping finally for a really great match between Styles and Nakamura

Casket Match: Undertaker vs Rusev: [*1/2]

Good lord. I was expecting a bad match but it was even worse than i thought. It was really really slow and Undertaker look really bad as he isn't even at 30%. They tried to deliver an Ok match but it felt too long and pretty much useless and never in a milion year Rusev would have won. Also i hope English didn't got seriously injuried because that tombstone piledriver looked really nasty. What's gonna happen next for the Dead Man? Hopefully he won't show up untill summerslam because he need really a long rest if he is gonna wrestle again.

Steel Cage for the Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar: [*]

Well...another really really bad match between those two and to be fair in some aspects this one is even worse then their match at wrestlemania. It was just a really disconnected finisher matches just like those on older wwe videogames where both wrestler started with 3 or 5 finsihers. And then a real trainwreck of a finish as Roman speared brock through the cage and his feet touched the ground first but Brock still won. If this was a football game (soccer for my american readers), it would be a great spot pro VAR (video assisting referee), but since it's not, it just a really bad botch and WWE had to find a way to justify it to not ruin the plans. Now, whats gonna happen next? Roman will complain, beat Joe and probably get one more match and maybe beat Lesnar for title, but still it feels like they are waiting and waiting and waiting too much to move on with a new Universal champ.

First ever 50 men royal rumble:[***]

Let's finally talk about the reason we had this event: many people loved it, many people didn't liked it and then there's me standing in the middle between them. It was a good rumble, not great but still watchable and in some aspects really enjoyable and i'm not talking about Titus O'neil sliding under the ring (best royal rumble moment ever). The thing i hated about this match is how they used the surprise, because it makes no sense that a guy that has yet to make his debut on WWE nxt TV, gets a chance to perform in the biggest rumble ever. Or why in the fucking hell should we care about a sumo wrestler, than the majority of us didn't knew nothing about, being in the squared circle. Why instead not using more 205 live guys or even some returning legends(better than hornswoggle) or even some people that actually wrestled previous in the night or wrestle regularly on NXT. Braun wins and makes the new record for most eliminations in a single rumble as Bryan makes the new record for being the wrestler that was in the match for the most time. Also Cass eliminating Bryan makes sense for their match on Backlash. So i'd say it was a good experiment even tho if they doing it again, i hope next time they'll pick the spots in the match more wisely and a great spot also for Botchamania, because between Lashley, Cass, Dawson eliminating himself and Titus doing a Shockmaster is full of stuff for Botchamania

Overall: so what to say about the greatest royal rumble ever? For me it's an ok event that had some good matches, some ok stuff and some shocklingly bad stuff. If you're short on time, just watch the cruiserweight match, HHH vs Cena and the ladder match, if not you can watch also the rumble and Nakamura vs Styles. The rest is not worthy unless you have 6 hours of spare time. The event felt important even tho the result didn't felt as important, but still an Ok experiment if they are gonna do another similar event, even with the time zone being different (praise the gods for giving me an event that ended at 11PM and not at 5AM...i live in italy so usually WWE PPVs start at 2AM for us) in the future. [6]

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writings-of-dumpy · 8 years ago

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I Want To Write You a Song - Bucky song imagine

Summary: Bucky loves Y/N, but doesn’t know how to say it, so he tells her all the things he wants to do for her. Based on the song by One Direction

Characters: Reader Y/N, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers

Notes: I LOVE ONE DIRECTION. I’m sorry, I do. This has been sitting in my drafts for MONTHS and I felt bad about not posting this weekend, so here! It’s short, but hopefully you all like it :) Sugar daddy is next, I promise.. It’s just taking a very long time to get the story right.

Tony decided to hire a human PA for the Avengers about a year before Bucky joined. She was lovely and was very good at her job. She knew exactly what each member of the Avengers needed to do on each day and she was a great help when it came to the aftermath of missions. She knew what each member wanted to do, what they wanted to eat and what they wanted said to them–especially after a bad mission.

Bucky had admired her from as afar as one can get when people live together for nearly a month. He watched her get everyone’s meals ready and watched her send everyone off to training with the appropriate equipment and he watched her say encouragement to each team member. He watched her when she wasn’t doting on the team’s every whim and it seemed like she was a student. He often found her typing on her laptop with a book full of notes next to her. Even when she was studying, though, she had the full attention if every member who happened to page her for assistance. It seemed as though she was their mother, but when it came time for a mission, she let them all prepare individually. She didn’t know what the outcome of it would be, no one did, but he saw her work diligently on preparations for their arrival back home.

Turns out it was a bad mission, and it had been Bucky’s first with the Avengers. Not that it wasn’t unsuccessful, but there were a few complications and not everyone was saved. There was a device created that made earthquakes occur and after finally discovering who was behind it and where he was located, the Avengers set out to destroy the device and gather any intelligence they could about it. During the mission, the device was set off, but to it’s highest level so a sinkhole was created, taking civilians’s lives as it split the earth.

So, as they filed in, one by one, looking completely distraught and exhausted, Y/N got them each a hot towel (something they all wanted) and a select few were given things at the door while others had things waiting in their rooms. She handed Natasha a fresh towel and loofah for her shower, Wanda recieved her favorite Sokovian book and bath salts, Tony got a cup of coffee, Vision got a broken computer in his room to play with, Sam got the latest episode of his favorite shows recorded and ready for playback, Clint got a plane ticket back to his wife and kids, Thor recieved a bottle of vodka, Bruce got a new shirt and Steve had pictures of praising headlines laid out in his room. She wasn’t sure what Bucky wanted yet, but Steve told her that one of his favorite things was girl scout cookies. So, in Bucky’s room, there sat three boxes of girl scout cookies. One box of Trefoils, one of Samoas and one box of Thin Mints.

Bucky was happily surprised– he hadn’t had a girl scout cookie in a very long time. So when he came back to his home feeling horrible for letting even one person fall into the sinkhole, he found a slight comfort in something so familiar. However, what he really wanted, was a shower. He wanted someone to tell him it was all okay and that he did his best, but he knew it wouldn’t happen. So, he jumped in the shower, washing the dirt and grime off of him as the sun set.

When he changed into his sweatpants and shirt, he heard a light knock at the door. Expecting it to be Steve (who else would visit him?), he merely grunted a faint ��it’s open’. If he had known that it was Y/N at the door, he probably would have greeted her properly. When he first came to the tower, she was the one to greet him. She was so hospitable and downright beautiful that Bucky couldn’t help the lump in his throat whenever she came near him. He knew it was her job to get close to all of the Avengers so that she could suit their needs the best, but he was a very guarded man after all that had been done to him. He felt bad for making her job more difficult, he just didn’t want to risk scaring her away. They had spoken at length only a few times, but it was enough to make him get a solid crush on her.

He turned and saw her standing there in her semi-casual work outfit (Tony didn’t really stress a dress code–she could have worn sweatpants and he wouldn’t care, but she said she wanted everyone to know that she took the job seriously and she was still relatively new) and had a worried look on her face.

“I was just wondering if you needed anything… Steve tipped me off on the cookies, but I didn’t know which kind you liked the best, so…” she said and awkwardly gestured as if to say ‘that’s that’.

“No, no, they’re wonderful, thank you so much,” Bucky said, wanting to assure her that she had done him a great kindness.

“Of course. What I really want to know, though… What do you really want after a mission? Everyone has their thing that I get for them. I didn’t know this time around for you, so I just took a guess,” she explained.

“Oh.. You don’t have to do anything for me…” Bucky said.

“I can tell you’re upset and I’m not going to make you talk to me about it if you don’t want to, but it is my job to make you feel better…” she said calmly. Bucky’s heart sank, her saying it was her job broke the spell a little.

“I’m okay, really. You don’t need to fuss over me, even if it is your job,” Bucky told her with a forced smile.

“Well, if you think of something aside from Girl Scout cookies, I’ll get it or do it for you, okay?” she said and gave him a sweet smile. “I’m not just going to do nothing after you’ve put yourself on the line.”

Bucky thought that night. She had come to see him and make sure he was alright. Yes, it was her job, but she was just so sweet to him. He wanted to get to know her better.

It would only be three days until their next mission, and this one was much smoother than the last. The team came home to the same treatment and Bucky recieved three more boxes of Girl Scout cookies and was amazed at the flavor choices.

Again, Y/N visited him.

“Have you thought of anything?” she asked. Bucky had thought about what he wanted after a mission. He wanted a shower and to talk with Y/N. She calmed him down. He wanted to know her better. He felt guilty for asking this of her after missions, but he figured he’d give it a shot.

“I’d.. I’d like to talk to you for a while. That’s what I want–your time,” Bucky asked sheepishly.

She blushed and looked slightly startled. “Oh… Well, if it’s what you want then yeah, we can talk for as long as you want.”

Bucky couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you…”

She sat next to him on the floor and they began to talk about various topics. Mostly small talk and preliminary getting to know each other. They discussed their favorite foods, drinks, colors, types of music, what books she was reading, how he liked his coffee and his preferred breakfast. Bucky never wanted to stop talking to her. The way she formed words with her lips and how she intently listened to him with those same lips sometimes between her teeth enchanted him.

Mid sentence, though, she yawned. Bucky felt panic rise in him. Was he boring her?

“Oh, sorry, I guess I’m a little sleepy…” she explained.

“No, no, that’s alright. Am I boring you…?” Bucky asked before he could stop himself.

“Goodness, no, Bucky! You’re probably the most interesting person I’ve ever talked to… I just haven’t been sleeping very well, what with studying and all…” she explained. While Bucky was relieved, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for keeping her from her studies and up late.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I didn’t mean to keep you up…” Bucky said, his guilt worsening when she smiled at him like he’d never done anything wrong in his life.

“I enjoy talking to you, Bucky. Don’t think I don’t for even one second because I do,” she told him gently, but meaning every word.

Bucky partly smiled. “Alright.. Well, thank you for talking with me… Get some rest.”

Y/N nodded and waved goodbye, leaving Bucky alone to feel very warm and fuzzy.

~*~

“Bucky, you have to tell her how you feel,” Steve said. Bucky grunted in response.

It had been six months since Bucky and Y/N had become friends and Bucky had very strong feelings for her. On a sleep-deprived impulse decision, Bucky had told Steve about them.

“Every time I see her I can’t breathe! When she talks to me, I can’t stop thinking about kissing her and when she’s stressed out, I am too and I just want to hold her and take all of her pain away. Every time she smiles at me I feel like my chest is going to explode, Steve. What the hell is wrong with me?” he had said.

“Bucky, I think you’re in love with her. That’s good,” Steve had told him. Bucky had slept over in Steve’s room after an extensive conversation about how Bucky could tell her and then he decided to avoid her, but Steve was having none of it.

“Bucky, get up and go tell her that you love her. She’s on a break from school, maybe you can take her out for dinner or something,” Steve coaxed him.

Bucky looked up and entertained the idea, but then decided the anticipation would kill him faster than a bullet to the brain.

“No, no, I can’t..” he said.

“Well then, go talk to her now,” Steve said.

Steve, not giving Bucky any time to reply, pulled him by his right arm to Y/N’s room and knocked on the door, then swiftly left with a grin.

“Come in!” her velvet voice rang through Bucky’s ears. With a shaky hand, he turned the knob. There she stood, the angel he had always wanted but hadn’t met until he came here, a few books and papers on her floor.

“Hi, Buck! What’s up?” she asked. Bucky’s mouth went dry and he couldn’t speak. He wanted to ask her out, to hold her hand, to kiss her, but he couldn’t.

“I, um… How, how are you?” Bucky said and immediately wanted to melt into the floor. He was flustered because he loved this girl and he knew it.

She smiled. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m, uh… Do you want to maybe get dinner tonight?” Bucky blurted out. He blushed fiercely and it felt like a lifetime before Y/N answered.

“Sure. What are you guys in the mood for?” she asked, getting out her phone to write it down.

Then it clicked. She thought he meant for the team, which made his job harder because he would now have to say the words ‘I want to take you on a date’ to her.

“No, I meant just the two of us… Like a date…” Bucky said. She looked a little shocked and Bucky panicked slightly. “Um, nevermind… It was st–”

“Yes,” she said, cutting him off. “Yes, I would like to go on a date with you.”

Shortly after, they were sat at an Italian restaurant enjoying each other’s company. Bucky was nervous beyond belief and he had no clue how to even talk to her. It was like he was from another planet. They had been friends for six months now and Bucky’s even referred to her as his best friend, but for some reason, going on a date with her was hard. She looked wonderful in her skirt and long-sleeved shirt she wore. The way she politely smiled at the waiter as he came around to take their orders and give them drinks made Bucky’s heart swell. It had only taken half a year for him to lose his mind over this girl completely. And now that she was willing to give him a chance, he felt like he was blowing it. His mouth was dry, so his voice came out raw whenever he spoke and he took frequent drinks to try and make his mouth less parched. Every time she locked eyes with him, however, his stomach knotted and his heart fluttered.

“Bucky?” she asked after a silence fell between them when their food arrived.

Oh, God, when she said his name he could feel himself going deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of feelings for her. He replied, “Yes?”

“What’s wrong?“ she asked him curiously.

Uh-oh. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You’ve been acting funny all day. Did something happen…? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, her brow crinkling, signaling her worry.

“No, no, you’ve done nothing wrong, you’re perfect,” Bucky babbled like an idiot. He couldn’t help it.

A smile smile teased her lips and she looked at him and said, “It’s just me, Bucky. Nothing is different.”

But it is… I know now that I love you… Bucky thought. Instead of saying these words, he simply exhaled a breath he didn’t know he held and smiled.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right, I just… As you know, I’ve been out of the dating game for a while now, and you’re so pretty I–oh, man, I’m so bad at this…” Bucky rambled, not even realizing what he was saying until it was already out of his mouth.

Y/N began to giggle. “Bucky, relax…”

Bucky smiled at her small laugh and took a deep breath. That same breath was interrupted by Y/N reaching her hand over and gently gripping his human fingers, as his metal ones had a fork in them.

“I like you, so just relax and have a good time with me, okay?” Y/N calmed him with a gentle smile.

Bucky relaxed at her touch. After their meal, she suggested that they walk around Central Park as the sunset looked absolutely beautiful there.

“You know, I love fall, but I’m not fond of how chilly it gets at night,” Y/N said as she and Bucky sat on a metal bench and watched the sunset. The brightness of the sun was dimmed by the clouds that formed overhead and Bucky seemed to remember hearing that a thunderstorm was coming that evening. He looked down at Y/N and saw that goosebumps had risen on her skin, though she made no indication of being cold.

“Here, borrow my jacket,” Bucky said and took his fleece outerwear off. Underneath he wore a long-sleeved shirt, so he wouldn’t feel the chill in the air even without the jacket.

“Bucky, I didn’t mean for you to give me your sweater, I just was making a comment,” Y/N giggled and didn’t take his sweater.

“I didn’t think that at all, I saw your arms and legs chill up, so, here, I insist…” Bucky said and wrapped her up in his coat.

She blushed and put the article on and leaned against him and watched the sunset. He wrapped his arm around her and smiled contentedly.

~*~

“Where the hell have you two been?“ Steve asked when Y/N and Bucky came through the door, both soaked from the pouring rain. As Bucky had suspected, a storm came over the city almost as soon as the sun was fully set.

“We got caught in the storm, sorry,” Bucky said.

“I’m gonna go shower, I’ll see you in a bit, Bucky and thanks again for the date!” Y/N called out as she headed upstairs to her part of the tower.

“How’d it go?” Steve asked Bucky, whose gaze hadn’t left where Y/N disappeared to.

“What? Oh, it went great except for the storm,” Bucky said, recalling how much he wanted to kiss her before they heard a loud thunder clap and a flash of lightning.

“So are you two… a thing?” Steve asked, gesturing to Bucky and where Y/N had gone upstairs.

“I.. I don’t know. She said she wanted to watch a movie with me after we got back and she had a shower… I should take one, too…” Bucky told him.

“Bucky, this is only going to build up and then you’ll regret not telling her sooner…” Steve advised.

Bucky knew Steve was right, but he didn’t want to rush anything. It would be three months before Bucky finally decided to tell her what he’s been thinking since he met her. They had been official since the night they went out and got caught in the rain, Bucky asking her what she wanted their relationship to be during the movie after their showers.

Throughout the three months of their courtship, Bucky had written poems of sorts about his feelings because he couldn’t bring himself to write or speak the words ‘I’m in love with her.’ It annoyed him to no end that his walls wouldn’t come down for her even though he wanted nothing more than to let her in. He trusted her completely, he realized, but he still couldn’t let her see his many levels.

He brought this problem to Steve, who smiled widely and immediately claimed to have a solution.

“Give these to her. If you’re too nervous to say it, then let her know through these love letters,” Steve told him. Bucky nodded and knew exactly what to do.

He gripped the pile of papers in his hands, noticing the slight tremble he had as he approached her room. Pushing his self-doubt down, he knocked on her door, only to second guess himself and want to run far away.

“Oh, hi, Bucky!” she greeted him, a gleaming smile on her face.

“Hey, doll…” he said and smiled at her, his nerves increasing ten fold.

She let him into her room and he saw her eyes fall to the paper in his hands.

“What’s that?” she asked him.

Bucky bit his lip. “It’s… It’s how I feel about you… Here, I want you to read them, if you want…”

Y/N stared at him and a smile stretched across her lips. “I’d love to..”

Bucky raked his teeth and tongue across his lips and handed the stack of paper to her. She looked at the first page–a hand drawn portrait of her–and smiled widely. As she moved through the small stack and read the last of his words of true adoration and love, Bucky saw her eyes gloss over. When she had finished, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

“Are my cheeks really that soft?” she asked.

Bucky smiled and nodded, remembering the first time she had fallen asleep on him and how he had caressed her cheek and written about it. “The softest.”

“Bucky, this is… incredible..” she said and sorted the papers back to their original order.

“What do you think?” Bucky asked, his heart pounding in his ears and eyes anxious.

She smiled and set the papers aside to grip both if Bucky’s hands. “I think I love you.”

Bucky couldn’t help the smile that he was sure reached his eyes upon hearing her say those words. He let one of her hands go in order to gently cup her cheek with his hand. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a passion that rivaled the heat of the sun. He felt her soft lips become pliant under his own and she moved freely with his guiding lips and tongue.

“I love you,” he told her with his lips ghosting above hers.

She smiled and kissed his lips again and they happily slid into each other’s arms.

–

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky imagine #bucky fluff #captain america #steve rogers

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heff88 · 8 years ago

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Hi Wrasslin’ fans, lapsed or otherwise, you may or may not be aware that this little thing called Wrestlemania is tonight and if we get behind it, it might just make it!

We (wrestling nerds) will return to our normal dismissals after tonight, but here's a place for everyone to discuss the biggest AMERICAN wrestling event of the year in all its silly splendour in case any casuals want to get involved. Are you staying up for it? planning on catching up (full or highlights) tomorrow?

In the UK you can watch it either on Sky Box Office or WWE Network, the pre-show starts at 10 pm tonight and the main card at midnight. Given the amount of matches, it's probably safe to say this thing is gonna run til about 5 am...

But anyway, let's break down the card! (Order TBD)

PRE-SHOW: ANDRE THE GIANT MEMORIAL BATTLE ROYALE a.k.a that sweet, sweet WrestleMania payday

Mostly just a bit of fun really, throwing everyone who doesn't have a match in here, INCLUDING THE SMACKDOWN TAG CHAMPS THE USOS. Interestingly, Luke Harper isn't listed (though he might be a surprise) so at the moment the only really credible guys here are The Big Show and Braun Strowman (who should win, really). Couple NXT guys Tian Bing and Killian Dain have announced as debuting here too so look at them as outsiders, otherwise pretty forgettable. There is also rumours that a certain larger than life NFL player may make an entrance...

Prediction: BRAUUUUUUUN

NEVILLE VS AUSTIN ARIES - CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE

Shame this is on the pre-show really, they've spent the better part of the year trying to build these guys up and finally seem to have struck gold with "King" Neville proclaiming "F*** the Mackems" and no one will see them on the big stage. If you are new, (Adrian) Neville is a high-flipping Geordie lad who has recently kicked out in frustration at always been looked down upon (because he's a wee, weird looking Geordie guy) and it's been pretty great. It's kinda off Aries is the face here but anyway, this should be a good match between two excellent workers with an alright story behind it to boot.

Prediction: Aries

MAIN CARD:

Smackdown Women's Title 6-pack challenge Alexa Bliss (c) vs Becky Lynch vs Natalya vs. Mickie James vs. Carmella vs. Naomi

This WAS on the pre-show but WWE actually responded to complaints that its a bit off for the women's division they've spent the last year and a half building as a credible thing to end up on the pre-show. That said it's probably a good shout it will just open the main show instead. I love Alexa Bliss but no chance Naomi isn't taking this, she never "lost" the title and now gets to do it in front of her hometown crowd (was her "injury" a work?) but these are all credible challengers (except maybe Carmella) so should be entertaining enough. This isn't an elimination match, however, so don’t expect it to be too long.

Prediction: Naomi

RAW TAG TITLES LADDER MATCH The Club (Gallows and Anderson) (c) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Enzo & Cass

Because who doesn't love big ol' tag ladder matches at Mania? This division is a mess after tonight's hosts The New Day (don't sleep on them getting involved) ruled the titles for over a year. This should be fun at least, the only way to make this match a bit more entertaining was to throw some ladders in the mix, although big fella Sheamo might not agree after he received several stitches taking a ladder shot on RAW this week. There are also A LOT of rumours of the Hardys getting involved here but I'm not sold on that just now (would make sense regarding ladders mind). But if not, I think, sadly, this is Enzo & Cass's coronation even though they are clearly the weakest team of the bunch...

Predictions: DELETE! DELETE! DELETE! (but if not S-A-W-F-Ties Enzo & Cass)

INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH Dean Ambrose (c) vs Baron Corbyn

I'm surprised this isn't a no-DQ match given the build of this one. For the uninitiated, Ambrose is "TOTALLY INSANE" whereas “Big Banter Breakfast” Corbyn is a "Lone Wolf" who's gimmick is that he really believes himself to be the next top guy (and fair play to him, I guess). Highlights have included Corbyn trying to murder Ambrose by crushing him with a forklift (which they keep mentioning totally earnestly because WRASSLIN’) and Ambrose literally switching Corbyn off during an interview. Hard to know where Ambrose is at the moment, he started last year SUPA HOT FIRE and seems to have lost all momentum, so would expect this to be Corbyn's moment to prove himself.

Prediction: Corbyn takes the Intercontinental title, labour party, to new heights.

BIG SILLY MIXED TAG TEAM/MARRIAGE PROPOSAL MATCH John Cena & Nikki Bella vs The Miz and Maryse

Holy crap, what a build, what a year these guys have had. On any other year (remember these two headlined a WrestleMania only 6 years ago) this would be the stupidest match on the card... and it is and will be, but that is not a bad thing. This will be pure "sports entertainment" and you know what, I'm actually kinda looking forward to it? Everyone involved's stock has flown up over the course of the last year, and the build for this between them has actually been amazing (If you haven't seen them, do yourself a favour and check out Miz and Maryse impersonating Cena and Nikki, it's been amazing). This will be a classic "Good guys conquer bad guys" match Cena has been having forever, but for once he's (well, WWE) aren't burying young talent and can see Miz and Maryse coming out of this looking great. I expect Daniel Bryan will get involved in some way (returning the kicks Miz stole from him probably) and Cena proposes to Nikki after, with the rest of the show just being the two of them banging in the middle of the ring.

Predictions: It would be AMAZING if Miz and Maryse won, but it's not going to happen, so let's just enjoy this for what it is.

UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH (but oh so much more) Chris Jericho (c) vs Kevin Owens

This is a title match, but it is SO MUCH MORE. This has had almost a year build, as Jericho and Owens became best friends and literally carried post-split RAW for its first few months. Owens had to give up the big boy title for the big boy match for this, and everyone kinda forgot Jericho was a champion, so the title isn't really important, this is the culmination of the greatest betrayal since The Shield or Shawn Michaels put Marty Jannetty through the barber shop window. This has the potential to be MOTN as Jericho is still "the best at what he does, maaaaaaaan" and Owens is just a fantastic heel. Owens should win, however, for this story to really make sense (but this might carry over to RAW tomorrow)

Prediction: KOMania2

RAW Women's title match, 4-way Elimination match Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

You'll notice (if you're still reading) both women's matches are basically just big smodges just to get everyone (except Dana Brooke, lol) involved. The Women stole the show last year, but I can't really see it happening this year. Since that incredible encounter, Charlotte and Sasha have fought forever, as have, to a lesser extent, Bayley and Nia Jax, and so here we are. Bayley's not had a great run as champion and kinda needs to go back to being the underdog. Sasha has been teasing a heel turn which very much could/should happen here, Nia Jax is big and that so if she doesn't win she's probably getting DQ'd? (If that's a thing, wrestling can never make up its mind about that) Or if not ganged up on. So I guess that leaves Charlotte to become a 5 time champion on her run to match (or beat) her father's record in the space of like 2 years through short reigns (I'm sure Flair had a few microscopic runs too during mid-90s WCW). The most intriguing thing about this match is that it is elimination, but otherwise, thoroughly un-hyped for this one, sadly.

Prediction: Sasha heel turn on Bayley, Nia gets screwed somehow, Charlotte wins.

MAIN EVENT MATCHES: Shane McMahon vs AJ Styles (because we had nothing better to do for our universally praised wrestler of the year than fight the boss's son)

Who the hell knows, we could have had Michaels vs Styles man. I respect Michaels decision not to come out of retirement, but man, we're left with THIS? I don't really know what to say, they're building this as a regular wrestling match, so in theory Styles should squash Shane O'Mac, but I guess he's gonna need to jump off something for some reason because it's him? I have faith in Styles to produce some magic with Shane (because, hell, if he can do it with Ellsworth then surely here) but man, they better be putting the title on Styles for a year after this to break CM Punk's record or something.

Predictions: Shane to jump off the rollercoaster set or the giant fake ring above the normal one (which looks really weird by the way), Styles obviously to win because otherwise, I might just give up.

"NON-SANCTIONED" MATCH Seth Rollins vs Triple H

When did Un-sanctioned become Non-sanctioned? Anyway, if you don't know what this means, basically its a "kayfabe" (storyline) way of saying this match "shouldn't be happening officially" and therefore these two can use all of WWE's facilities to beat the crap out of each other. Or something. This match pretty much depends on how healthy Rollins is (apparently he's had the flu all week, the guy really can't catch a break huh?) and he's returning from a knee injury (hence the non-sanctioned thing). If he's healthy and all is good, this could be a decent blow-off to a long, drawn out build in which Triple H screwed Seth out of the title back in August and then everyone forgot about it for a while. We will just have to see.

Prediction: Rollins, Triple H might be a heel but his actual real-life heel days are long past. That said, it being a non-sanctioned match, expect a lot of shenanigans from Samoa Joe (and/or maybe Finn?) given he'll be allowed to basically turn this into a handicap match.

IT'S MY YARD! NO, IT'S MINE! MATCH Roman Reigns (boo) vs The Undertaker

Holy S***, Roman Reigns got booed at the Hall of Fame induction. That is some seriously dumb, needy reactions from the fans but it is also a sign of things to come. It takes a lot for me to feel sorry for Reigns but that was insane. Anyway, this match is much more dependent on The Undertaker who isn't, in fact, a dead man and is indeed ageing quite rapidly at this point. He did not look good at the Rumble at all and he barely had to do anything against Shane last year, so who knows. Reigns, love him or hate him, is a reliable safe pair of hands in "big matches" and you know what, it actually makes much more sense for him to beat The Undertaker and go full heel (PLEASE WWE, we beg you). Triple H made an interesting comment the other day that "Well, Reigns basically is a heel to most of you anyway, so we can kinda book him how we like" so maybe not. Anyway, there's some chat that this should close the show, but I don't think so, personally, unless this really is Taker’s last dance. This might be alright, we'll have to see how long it takes Taker to get to the ring (gonna guess half an hour) but PLEASE guys if you are putting Reigns over tonight PLEASE do not get Taker to raise his hand in respect. You WILL get a full-scale riot on your hands (then again, maybe that's what they want).

Predictions: Reigns (sadly?). Apparently, J.R is calling this one too, fuelling the retirement rumours.

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WILLIAM GOLDBERG (c) vs BORK LESNAR w/ Paul Heyman

*sigh* The main dispute over who closes the show is between the two title matches. I personally think it will be this but in the spirit of the rumble winner, we will stick to that format for now. This match could be good. It could be. It just depends on if Goldberg (who also got booed at the Hall of Fame, interestingly) can go longer than 5 minutes. This is the big epic culmination of the grand total of about 3 minutes of actual wrestling so far, as Goldberg squashed Lesnar at Survivor Series (which was a great moment in all honesty) and then eliminated him with relative ease at the Rumble. This is also a "WrestleMania XX apology match" after that utter car-crash of a match which ruined an otherwise solid, though controversial, purely because of Benoit, Mania. So basically, this match HAS to be at least 5-10 minutes. It doesn't need to be a big long "slobber knocker" but it does need to at least feel like a big bruising end to one of the company's biggest but most controversial storylines, given two part-timers are fighting over one of its main belts. I'm quietly confident that they will deliver something worthwhile, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it's an utter mess.

Prediction: Lesnar finally conquers Goldberg, although apparently the latter is booked for RAW tomorrow? Also, maybe, just maybe Finn Balor shows up (here or tomorrow).

WWE TITLE MATCH Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton

This might be on before the two other matches, but as Randy Orton is this year's Royal Rumble winner, let's stick with “tradition” for the purposes of this write-up.

This storyline has been wild. It has also been a lot of fun and very self-referentially "Attitude Era Wrasslin’" so I must say I've enjoyed it a lot and if nothing else, Bray Wyatt has actually finally got to be the champion for a bit and looked pretty menacing doing it. There's still the Luke Harper issue to be resolved here (and perhaps a return for forgotten Wyatt family member Erick Rowan?) but this should be a pretty solid main event. Orton isn't amazing, we all know that, but he does have the ability to turn matches on their head in an instant (as does Wyatt, for that matter) and this storyline, crazy as it has been, has been great for both of them. Expect maybe some supernatural happenings too given the whole "NO, I HAVE THE SPIRIT OF SISTER ABIGAIL" dispute.

Prediction: Orton.

And so there we have it. Phew, this took as long to write as its probably going to be to watch it, but there we are. I hope this was worth writing down for someone anyway. Overall, this is an intriguing Mania which hasn't had the best build but, on the Raw side especially, that's kinda typical of where WWE is at right now. There are a lot of variables going into tonight, but there is a lot of potential too. We shall see. I just hope not to be too drunk/tired and end up missing the main event like last year (although to be fair, that was a total snoozefest).

Let me know your thoughts, feelings, predictions and Wrestlemania plans! Or tell me to shut up and I'll get a mod to merge this with the other wrestling thread. For now, I'm off for a walk while I still can.

#Wrestling #WWE #Wrestlemania #WM33

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