#DOES THE CRUISERWEIGHT DIVISION KNOW I LOVE THEM?????????????

[ariyadaivaris]

REAL 205 live loving hours here tonight on ariyadaivaris dot tumbler dot net

[thesurpriserollup]

Re-Drafting the 2020 WWE Draft

Note: I will only be putting the superstars who should’ve switched brands or stayed in their respective brands and why. If you don’t see your favorite superstar here it means I agree with the booking decision that was done to switch them to another brand or the decision to let them stay on the brand they were already on. I will be throwing in NXT into the mix just for fun. But it’s Raw & Smackdown superstars going to NXT via free agency.

Billie Kay

Drafted to: RAW/NXT

Okay, I’m already cheating a little bit but hear me out. Imagine Billie in “The Robert Stone Brand” that would just be the perfect match. That team with Billie and Stone, and as long as they recruit more credible talent, would be a fun angle. And if not NXT, I wanted her to stay on Raw. For two reasons. First, I just want “The IIconics” to reunite. Like it was beyond weird to see them split up for no good reason. The second one is, If we don’t get a reunion I want a heated Gentlewoman’s Match between them. Her and Peyton don’t have to have an issue. They could meet in a # 1 contender’s match or a tournament final. I just want them to face off if they’re not gonna reunite soon.

Andrade

Drafted to: NXT (Via Free Agency)

This has been speculated on social media since the draft happened. He’ll probably comeback to NXT and do a Moose-like angle reminiscent of what Impact is doing. Have him comeback with the NXT Title and claim he’s world champion out of the blue. Let me add a little something, I hope he comes back with the original NXT title design with the big “X”. that would be so cool. This booking could thrust him into the main event scene right off the bat while Finn Balor recovers for 6 weeks, at the time of writing, and Kyle O’Reilly as well.

Sasha Banks

Drafted to: RAW

I just want her and Bayley to be apart until the Rumble or ‘Mania. I’m not a big fan of this storyline, I honestly think it should’ve happened years ago so it doesn’t personally appeal to me as much. But, if we’re gonna do it right. Let Sasha win the Women’s Rumble and challenger for the Smackdown Women’s Championship and win it. It’s easy to book. But WWE decided to put her on the Blue brand. Hopefully this storyline doesn’t run out of steam at least until ‘Mania time.

Heavy Machinery

Drafted to: RAW/Smackdown

I’m gonna keep this short and sweet, that’s why I bundled Otis & Tucker together. No offense to both men, but they’re only good as a Tag Team. Otis’s win at MITB was different but realistically he’s not gonna beat whoever’s champion whether it’s McIntyre, Reigns, Orton, Etc. They should’ve stayed together on whatever brand. And Otis should cash in on a Tag Team and let them win the tag titles TOGETHER. Apart both men are gonna flounder in the lower singles card.

Big E

Drafted to: RAW

“The New Day” shouldn’t have split up it’s as easy that. And I know they wanna push Big E to the top but read my “Wave of the Future - Fantasy booking WWE” post here on Tumblr and you’ll know it could’ve been possible still without breaking them up.

Ricochet

Drafted to: NXT (Via Free Agency)

It’s time “The One and Only” comes back home. Imagine bouts with the likes of Damian Priest for the North American Title or better yet a showdown with Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. I hate how they book him on the main roster. Just let him come back to where he belongs.

Matt Riddle

Drafted to: Smackdown

I just want his real life animosity with Seth Rollins to become a storyline. As we’ve seen with the Edge/Hardy feud. Real tension makes a good storyline. No other reason than that. I want a hard-hitting but professional contest between these two. They’re professionals after all, I’m sure like with Matt and Edge. They could’ve acted civil enough with each other to put on high-quality matches. And a little side note, Goldberg seems to be on Smackdown so the door is wide open for them still fight each other at a big showcase.

Rey Mysterio

Drafted to: NXT (Via Free Agency)

I just want to see Mysterio Vs. Escobar at a Takeover in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the Title. Is that too much to ask? Santos is running out of opponents, well, credible opponents. Why not inject the Cruiserweight division with probably the Greatest Cruiserweight of all-time in Rey.

Dominik Mysterio

Drafted to: Smackdown

As you might have noticed I split up the Mysterio Father-Son duo. know, I know. He was drafted to Smackdown. But with his Father. I want him to go there alone, on his own. Let him do his own thing, since Smackdown is known as the brand for work horses. Let him have spectacular matches with the likes of Sami Zayn, Shorty G, Daniel Bryan, Etc. This kid needs to pave his own way.

Keith Lee

Drafted to: Smackdown

For the full story, read my Fantasy booking piece. But TL;DR. He could have amazing matches with Sami Zayn and capture the IC title. Defend it until he’s ready to conquer Reigns at the Showcase of the Immortals. I don’t know how they’re screwing him up on Raw but it’s so easy to book “The Limitless One”.

King Corbin - 

Drafted to: RAW

Corbin has done everything he can on Smackdown. Let him be a nuisance on Monday Night Raw. A change of scenery. Fresh matches and just a brand new stomping ground could remedy his already stale character.

Mickie James

Drafted to: NXT

As much as I want her to have a legacy run with either of the Blue or Red brand’s title. It’s not gonna happen. So let’s just put her in NXT. Like Rey, she could elevate young talent like Shotzi Blackhart or Dakota Kai for example. Have amazing matches for the rest of her career maybe even win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles with an up and comer from the yellow brand. Just let Mickie do her thing and end her career in a good way.

Bo Dallas 

Drafted to: NXT (Via Free Agency)

I wanted to “Bo-lieve” that he was the insurgent. I really did. I loved him as NXT Champion. Well, as we know now “The Insurgent” is Ember Moon. But we can still have come back to NXT. Be a mentor to the younger guys. Maybe even be a top contender for the North American Title. Or if Andrade doesn’t want to come back as a sham delusional champion. Why not let Bo Dallas do that, with the original big “X” NXT title design of course, that would be amazing. Just let us #Bolieve again.

Carmella 

Drafted to: RAW

Like Corbin, Carmella needs a change of scenery. She’s doing nothing at the moment. She’s about repackaged as like an “Emmalina” type of character. I think it’s going to work better on Raw since the Red brand is known for having outlandish characters anyway. Maybe a “Fabulous Truth” reunion is in the works too.

Humberto Carrillo

Drafted to: NXT (Via Free Agency)

Humberto had a decent start on the main roster when he first got there but I think he needs to go to NXT. He’s floating around Raw doing random matches. He was part of the Mysterio-Rollins angle but he was nothing more than a footnote. I feel he could be a major player in the Cruiserweight division in NXT. I like the kid he’s so talented. They just have to let him do what he does best and that’s wrestle actually meaningful matches.

Charlotte Flair

Drafted to : NXT (Via Free Agency)

It’s far-fetched in real life or storyline for either main roster brands to not draft Charlotte. But she’s on the shelf right now and it’s quite cool to think that she’d want to sign with NXT because she has unfinished business there. Her NXT Women’s title run was too short for my taste, although in hindsight it resulted in Io Shirai winning the title so that’s good. But I would’ve loved to see her had an extended run in NXT with the crop of talent they have there. She would put on great bouts with Storm, Kai, Lerae and of course Rhea Ripley as well as a one on one rematch with Io Shirai would most likely be in the cards. And hey, Andrade most likely will sign with NXT anyway and they’re a couple and WWE is more open to keeping couples together so that might be a huge factor as well.

Braun Strowman

Drafted to: Smackdown

Reigns needs a credible enough threat after this Jey Uso feud is over. At least until the Royal Rumble. Strowman is the main man to do that. He’s a former Universal champion who didn’t get his due diligence in terms of having the opportunity to earn a rematch to reclaim his title. It’s enough of a reason for him to stay on the blue brand. And besides I don’t want to see him face off against “The Fiend” again over on Raw. It ran it’s course far too long ago.

[queenlegacyproductions]

Miss Officer

Summary: Riley Carter is a WWE superstar dating Mustafa Ali in the cruiserweight division. During his tag match with Kalisto, She hears Enzo spew out a personal insult to Mustafa. After his victory, Riley gets an crazy idea on how to celebrate his victory and surprises him at the hotel with a new outfit.

Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Roleplay

Author’s Note: Hey, It’s me again. Back at it again with another fic. This time with the ever handsome and good looking Mustafa Ali! (Prince Ali! Fabulous he! Sorry, I’ll stop.) Anyway, enjoy!

Riley was walking - well, skipping backstage with Mustafa after he gets ready for his match with Kalisto going up against Enzo and Ariya. They meet uo with Kalisto at gorilla position.

“Good luck, Kalisto. Show Enzo what a true cruiserweight champion is.” She said.

“Don’t worry, Riley. I will.” Kalisto said before leaving when his music hits.

She turns to Mustafa. “Kick his ass, babe.”

Mustafa chuckles while pulling her close to him. “I will. For you, baby.”

Riley giggles before kissing him. He smiled at her before leaving to make his entrance.She skipped all back to his locker room to watch the match.

Enzo had had the upper hand over Mustafa. he tagged in Ariya and began to taunt him.

“Is it true you used to be a police officer? you wanna talk about police brutality? How about when hit me with the 450?”

Riley’s eyes bugged out of her head.

“Oh, he’s gonna pay for that.” She thought.

And he did with a swift kick to the face.

He then went to tag in Kalisto. Kalisto picked up the win with Salida De Sol on Ariya. She smiles as Kalisto holds up the title, staring down Enzo as Mustafa kneels beside him. She smiles mischievously as she leaves a note on his luggage as she grabs her things and left the arena.

She arrived at the hotel 20 minutes after she left. She quickly ran into the bathroom to change into her surprise before Mustafa gets back. She was slipping on her boots when she heard the door open.

“Hey, baby. You’re in there?” She heard him say.

She called out from the bathroom. “Yeah, baby. In here! I’ll be out in a minute!”

She hears him walk up to the bathroom door. “Whatcha planning, princess?

“You’ll see in a minute Just wait on the bed for me, ok?” She said, adjusting her  breasts in the outfit.

“Ok, baby girl.” He chuckles as he walks away from the door.

She breathes in and exhales as she looks at herself in the mirror.

‘He’s gonna flip his shit when he sees you in this.’

‘Good.’ She smirked in the mirror before opening the bathroom door.

“Holy shit, Ri.”

She giggled at his wide eyed, jaw dropped reaction at her current attire of a naughty cop.

She noticed that his eyes lingered on her chest a little longer when he was checking her out.

“Hey! My eyes are up here, boy.” She snapped, getting into character.

He throws his hands up in surrender with a smile. “Sorry, Miss officer.”

She walks over to him with a slight stern look on her face and grabs him by the collar. “You think this is a joke, son? I got a special place to put you in, pretty boy.”

He straightens up and loses the smile as he gulps. “No, ma’am. I don’t think it’s a joke, officer.”

She lets him go as she looks him over at the scared look at his face. “You know what? I’ll let ya go. under one condition.”

He licks his lips in anticipation. “What condition, Miss officer?”

“well, I’ll let ya go if you discipline me properly.”

His eyes bug out. “What?”

“I want you to spank me for abusing my authority.” She said. She sees the look of hesitation in his eyes.

“Then, bend your sexy ass over my lap.” He then gives her a hard look before patting his thigh.

She does what he commanded with no problem. He than caresses her ass gently. He then gives her a harsh smack on the ass.

“Ah!” She yelps as he keeps going. He chuckles as he stops spanking her and continues to rub her ass.

“So, princess likes to be spanked, huh?” She nods quickly.

“Yeah. Yeah, I like it.” She whimpers. He grabs her gently by the hair to pull her up.  

“Get up, baby. And lose the outfit. I wanna see you.” He whispered in her ear before nibbling on her earlobe.

She strips slowly to tease him. She gasps as she felt a smack against her ass when she bent over to take off her panties. “Quit teasing me, Princess.”

She turns around to face him and he kisses her passionately as he pushes back to the bed.

She falls back on the bed and he pulls back and he takes off his pants and strokes his dick as he stands at the foot of the bed. He curls a finger at her.

“Come here, baby.”

She crawls to the foot of the bed and strokes his dick before taking it into his mouth.

“Ah, fuck…” He moans, throwing his head back.

She takes him deeper into her mouth while massaging his balls.

He pushes her hair back as he thrusts slightly while he holds her hair in a makeshift ponytail.

“Oh god, baby. You’re so good at that.” he groans out. She smiles as she looks up at him and wiggles her ass. He chuckles and spanks her ass as she keeps sucking him.

“Mmm, fuck….” She moans as she takes a breather and strokes his cock. Mustafa pushes her back so he lays on her back on the bed. She whimpers as she spread her legs and rubs her pussy.

“Look at you. Already dripping for me.” He said with a smirk and got on the bed with her.

“I’ve been dripping for you since you put that little rat in his place tonight.” She said, biting her lip.

He chuckled and he kisses down her body. “So you like it when I get angry, huh?”

She smiles then bites her lip. “A little…” She bats her eyelashes at him. He smiles, shaking his head at her.

“You’re such a naughty girl, Riley.”

“And you’re such a saint, Mustafa.” He laughs with a smirk on his face.

“Oh trust me, babe….” He trailed off, kissing up her legs and stopping at her thighs. “I’m far from a saint.” He said before diving in between her thighs to the place where she need it most.

“Oh, fuck!” She screamed as he picked up his pace almost immediately.

She tugged on her hair as she felt herself draw closer to the end.

“F-Fuck! Mustafa, I-I’m gonna cum! Please!” He sucked on two of his fingers and shove inside her leaking hole.

“Cum for me, Princess.” He muttered against her lips, sucking on them. She squeals as she begins squirm as she release her sweet juices on Mustafa’s tongue. He growled at her taste, licking and drinking every drop of her essence.

“You know, I never get tired of your taste, baby.” She blushes at his comment and hides her face in the pillow nearby. He snatches the pillow away from her.

“Don’t hide from me, princess. You know I hate that.” She blushes deeper.

“Sorry, my prince.” He smiles before he kissed her, putting himself in between her legs. She gasps as he slides inside her, stretching her.

“Oh, fuck…..” She moans, wrapping herself around Mustafa.

“Shit, baby. So fucking tight.” He muttered in her ear as he runs a hand from her shoulder to her ass.

She moans as he begins a slow pace, his hands resting on her hips. “Oh, fuck…” She wrapped her hands in his hair. “Yes!”

“Fuck Riley, baby!” He growled as he began to thrust firmly into her.

“Shit! Mustafa!” She screams, arching her back as he keeps his pace.

Mustafa growls as he feels her walls tightens up. “Fuck, I can feel you tightening up against me. You wanna cum so badly, don’t you?”

She whines as she feels him hit her g-spot. “Yeah! Yes, I wanna fucking cum! Please let me cum! Please, Mustafa!”

He kisses her lips as he thrusts harder, drawing her closer to her release. “Then cum, baby. Cum on my dick, Miss Carter.”

She squeals as she cums, clawing at Mustafa’s chest. “Fuck! Mustafa!” He groans as his thrusts become sloppy. ‘F-Fuck, baby. I’m gonna explode inside you.”

She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him. She then whimpers, “Do it. Fucking shoot your cum inside me. I want it.”

‘Fu-Fuck! R-Riley, Ah!” He throws his head back and shouts as his hips still, shooting his warm load inside her. He pants as he pulls out of her, their juices dripping from her hole. He watches as she dips a finger inside her leaking hole and drops his jaw when she sucks the juices off of it.

“Mmm…” She moans with a smile. “So good. I want more of it, Mustafa. I want more of your sweet cum.

“Marry me.”

She giggles at his comment. “You’re stupid.”

He chuckles and pulls her closer to him, kissing her. “Well, I can’t help it when I’m around you. You’re insatiable, baby.”

She giggles and she pulls the covers over her and Mustafa as he spoons her from behind. He smiles after he hears her snoring a few minutes later. He kisses her forehead.

“I love you, Officer Carter.”

A/N: Whew! Finally, I’m done! I know it’s late but the story got away from me. I hope you enjoy this

@tacoshu @gold--gucciempress @evilangel84 @ladytea19 @wwevampireamongkpop @nerdlife0612

[breadclubrising]

I am hearing news about Kota Ibushi actually signing with NJPW (instead of being a free bird)... does this mean... he will finally be the heavyweight champion?

OFFICIALLY, it’s still a rumor right now—we haven’t heard an official announcement from NJPW. So, because Kota… I’m going to wait until something official is announced. Keep in mind that he did the entire Cruiserweight Classic and was in NXT during that time, but still hadn’t for-sure signed in time to win the tournament. He then continued to be in NXT for a couple of months, even though he didn’t commit, and WWE kept offering him shorter contracts, better schedule flexibility, and more money. According to him, after all of that, he physically attended a secret hotel room meeting with WWE for the sole purpose of telling them no, never, and that his mind would not be changed by any money or promises they could make.

I’m not even really saying the rumor is dubious—I think it’s likely he has done exactly as he says—I’m just saying I’m gonna wait for actual official confirmation with this guy.

That said, I’m going to write a long thing about his character arc. It’s what I do.

Let’s start with the obvious: Kota Ibushi is really fucking good at wrestling. He could show up on the doorstep of any wrestling promotion in the world and be welcomed with immediate upper-card booking, open arms, and a fuckton of money. He’s just that good. He’s pretty much universally admired by other wrestlers and wrestling critics. Very few people would argue with you if you called him one of the greatest pro wrestling talents of all time.

And if breathtaking natural ability isn’t enough (it’s not), Ibushi has all the magnetism, star power, and understanding of emotion needed to make a wrestling superstar. Sure, it often gets missed or overlooked in light of his talent, and yeah, sometimes he really sucks at promos. Still, you don’t get to be ace of a company like DDT on flips alone. Don’t let the dumb jock act fool you: he’s the whole package. Let no one tell you otherwise.

In sports, a reputation like Ibushi’s usually comes with a small museum’s worth of titles, trophies, and accolades. But Ibushi doesn’t have the trophy case to back up the praise he’s earned. And that’s because in most sports, talent usually translates directly to winning and becoming legendary—but not wrestling.

Because, of course, in wrestling, the outcomes of matches are not decided by talent, they’re chosen based on the best interests of the wrestling promotion. Ibushi has been a freelancer since 2016, which neatly coincides with when he stopped winning stuff. 

Because he’s just that good, he’s gotten far better booking than most freelancers could ever dream of. But he hasn’t gotten serious pushes, because no matter how talented someone is, it ultimately doesn’t make good business sense for a wrestling promotion to have a champion who only works for himself, to invest money and reputation in someone who can’t—explicitly will not—promise your promotion a return on your investment. Which is why Ibushi’s trophy case is so empty compared to his reputation.

He obviously knows all these dots are connected. Titles never really mattered to him, back when he had titles more often. Now, he knows the reputation he has, and he knows that all he has to do is want to be the best in the world. Ibushi doesn’t love making choices, but this one he cannot avoid: achievement or freedom. His dazzling talent grants him access to both, to an extent that’s simply not available to others. And he’s actually had a really impressive amount of cake-and-eating-it-too as a freelancer; much more than most could hope for.

But since 2016, he’s deliberately chosen freedom, knowing that the cost is achievement. 

The truth is, when you’re as talented as Kota Ibushi is, sometimes your gifts feel like a burden. No matter what you want out of life, your talent is so obvious and striking that it demands you account for what you’re doing with it, both to yourself and to other people. Your talent is bigger than whatever it is that your heart wants, and you will be obligated to answer for that, to yourself and others, constantly—wherever you go and whatever you do. And that will remain true even if fulfilling your potential has a cost you don’t want to pay.

Ask Kota Ibushi. His amazing talent meant that NJPW and DDT were both willing to give him full-time contracts at the same time; he was the first wrestler to have two home promotions. Someone as good as he is almost has to accomplish unprecedented things like that, right? No one else can, and no one else would be allowed to even try—who else would be worth that level of accommodation; two promotions both willing to not only have a guy who spends half his time making money for a rival promotion, but both push him as far as he wants to go, and work their scheduling so he could successfully maintain two schedules? And even before that, he won Best of the Super Juniors as an outsider. He was the first. He was the only one. He did that. 

Buuut, the cost of fulfilling that amazing potential was his mental and emotional wellbeing. For one, it meant he had to give up one of the things that made him happiest—being a Golden Lover. For another, his life was not his own. He later said that he learned that even one schedule is incredibly draining for him, and that one of the hardest things was how little emotional investment he was able to give his performances and the storylines happening in each promotion. 

His surgery in late 2015, the reason he left both DDT and NJPW, was for a cervical disc injury he’d been living with for a while. It probably sucked, but it was also a way out of his contracts, because the bigger and more grindingly burdensome issue was that he was horribly emotionally and mentally burned out from answering to two promotions. 

In other words, to Ibushi: dismal failure. Leaving your job for mental health reasons in Japan is not a thing. He felt like he just couldn’t hack it, didn’t deserve the acclaim he receives. In his mind, he’d failed his fans and critics, and exposed himself for being the flaky, emotionally weak weirdo he always saw in the mirror. When he was well enough to wrestle again, he left Japan, a bit humbled and humiliated. If being exceptional in Japan didn’t work, maybe just one contract, but with the world’s largest and most famous wrestling promotion, home to the majority of history’s greats, would be a way to live up to all of that potential.

And just like NJPW and DDT did, WWE was willing to make accommodations they rarely make for anyone else—a major reason WWE organized the Cruiserweight Classic was to try to sign him. Not only did they famously beg him as I noted above, they offered him contract flexibility—WWE does not do that; the vast majority of WWE contracts are quite exclusive. They let it be a pretty open secret that Kota Ibushi was definitely going be the ace and crown jewel of their new Cruiserweight division. And when he didn’t sign in time to win the tournament he was going to win (if he’d signed), they didn’t tell him to fuck off. They let him stay as long as he was willing to entertain the idea of signing. 

But he ran up against the same problem: he doesn’t do well in a tightly-controlled, heavily scheduled environment. So he told WWE no, definitely not, never. And he went home, forced to come to terms with the fact that some people can handle the schedules that come with a full-time contract, but for him, it’s too emotionally taxing. 

So this perception of him that’s out there, that ‘haha that’s our fantastic dolphin son, what a ~free spirit,’ is a little unfair.  Dude isn’t a freelancer because he’s flighty, unserious, or afraid of commitment. He’s a freelancer because he quickly gets burnt out when he has to follow someone else’s rules/schedule, and his talent gives him the privilege of naming his price. It’s not that he just doesn’t feel like being serious, it’s that he hates his life when he has the kind of commitments that come with a full-time contract. When he talked about saying no to WWE, he said “I don’t wrestle for the money anyway.” That didn’t mean I don’t care about money because I love wrestling, it meant I literally can’t function as a person if I start to think of wrestling as the thing I do to get money.

That means that when he came back to Japan in late 2016, he did so on his own terms, because that was the only way he could. His solution to the problem of burnout and emotional health has been controlling his own time; deciding where, how much, and how he works (he has a school now apparently, and he does stunt work on the side too). 

But now, as the grim march of time eventually comes for all of us, his back is to the wall and he knows: if he ever wants the titles to match his talent, if he wants wrestling history to remember him as something other than a could-have-been, it’s now or never. 

So, it’s now. He’s clenching his teeth, apologizing to Tana, going back into Serious Wrestling Star mode. He even said last night that he’s still trying to get his feet back under him, and IMO that’s because he’s still readjusting to being Professional Working Guy again. ‘Cause that’s who wins titles, and he knows that now.

Back in baby Golden Lover days, Kenny looked at Kota and saw all the things he wasn’t: natural, easy talent, and the booking to match it. Kenny was jealous and felt lesser; he worried he’d be a footnote in the history of Kota Ibushi. So when the Golden Lovers broke up, Kenny chose achievement, and achieve he did. Now, Kenny has a legacy: a huge pile of best bouts, worldwide fame, a name that will never be forgotten by wrestling history. The only titles he hasn’t held in NJPW are the NEVER Openweight Championship and the Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.

Now, Kota looks at Kenny and sees someone who didn’t have the burden of obvious easy talent, but did do all of the things you’d expect of someone who did. He’s not jealous like Kenny was, but he thinks: what have I done with what I���ve been given? Kota hasn’t held a Heavyweight singles title in NJPW. Kenny’s had all of them. Kota feels overshadowed now, irony of ironies.

Now, Kenny’s choosing freedom, and Kota’s choosing achievement. But it’s not a simple swap, because there’s a third element here: happiness. Both Golden Lovers are quite obviously happiest when they’re together. The first time they were apart, they both tried to fill the void where happiness belonged; Kenny with achievement, Kota with freedom. Then, they came back together, and happiness was so important to Kenny that in the end, when he won the biggest prize, he managed to tell a story in which all that he sacrificed and fought for was ultimately, distantly, secondary in importance to being happy. 

Now they’re apart again, but don’t mistake it for the same story. Before, they thought they could replace happiness with personal fulfillment. They learned, after years of unhappiness, that they couldn’t. This time, the Golden Lovers aren’t under any illusions that they’re going to replace happiness with what they’re doing instead. Bittersweetly, the lesson is the same as before, but from the other direction: personal fulfillment isn’t compatible with happiness right now. Now, both of them are setting their sights on accomplishment, but it seems pretty clear that they’re doing so with the intention of being back together as soon as they can be. 

Serious Wrestle Guy is explicitly not personally happy. But Ibushi’s at his best when he’s happy, even if he’s not winning titles. Titles make him feel fulfilled, and he needs that, but being a Golden Lover makes him happy, and I think he’ll always return there, and so will Kenny.

In fact, I’d guess that’s why there’s been no announcement about Kota’s contract: even from the interview posted the other day, there were some allusions to the possibility of working with Kenny again in the future. I would imagine that NJPW is still trying to figure out their relationship with Kenny, and Kota’s still trying to figure out how involved he can be with AEW. (I think I just outed myself as a Golden Lovers Truther—yeah, I think it’s somewhat likely that they’re an IRL couple, and as many IRL wrestling couples do, they’re working on separate continents.) My guess is Kota’s contract won’t be final until those details are ironed out. I don’t think they’d do all that work to get back together only to close and seal the door on it.

Only time will tell, but Kota hasn’t changed: fundamentally, he is still motivated by happiness. It’s just that he was happy long enough to know he can have it forever if he wants it, but he only has a few more years to get the trophy case his talent demands, to be the Kota Ibushi he thinks wrestling history deserves.

[jonmoxleygivesmelife]

I have decided to write out and publish my personal predictions for Wrestlemania 35 this Sunday. Feel free to comment and discuss with me cuz I’m fuckin PUMPED FOR THIS SHIT! But like also don’t be an ass about it, these are my personal predictions and opinions for Sunday. (All this is subject to change)

Wrestlemania 35 Predictions:

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (Kickoff Show): Confirmed entrants -- Braun Strowman, Michael Che, Colin Jost, Andrade, Apollo Crews, Titus O'Neil, Tyler Breeze, Jinder Mahal, No Way Jose, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, Lucha House Party, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Viktor, Konnor, Mustafa Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Otis, Tucker, EC3:

I honestly have no pony in this race. I’m still very bitter that the Hardy Boyz are being wasted in this match and not doing a singles tag match with The Usos. If I had to pick a winner, I’d say Jeff Hardy or Mustafa Ali, tho it will most likely be Braun Strowman. Winner: Braun Strowman (Personal Choice: Jeff Hardy)

Women's Battle Royal (Kickoff Show): Confirmed entrants -- Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Lana, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Mickie James, Zelina Vega, TBA

This battle royal is such a waste of talent ohmygod. Every single one of these women has the potential to win, although I believe it will go to Asuka as sort of a payback (if such a thing even exists in this business) for the bullshit title run she was given as well as being dicked out of a Wrestlemania match. I would love to see Ruby Riott or Sonya DeVille win as well.                           Winner: Asuka

Cruiserweight Championship -- Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Tony Nese (Kickoff Show): I honestly have no idea who’s going to win since this is so underhyped and I haven’t been paying attention to the cruiserweights at all lately. I think there were much better options that creative could have gone with here, and I don’t see them stopping a long reigning title run for just anyone.                       Winner: Buddy Murphy

Raw Tag Team Championship -- The Revival (c) vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins: When the fuck did this match become a thing??? I promise you all that if the Revival lose their titles, I will fucking riot. I will burn the establishment down to the ground. We’ve had to watch the Revival lose how many weeks in a row to Ricochet and Aleister Black? And then THIS is what we get for Mania??? I don’t think so. This is a filler to have on the card. Revival will win. Next.        Winner: The Revival  

SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The Usos (c) vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. The Bar vs. Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura: Once again, what the fuck?? This is a horrible lineup. We could have had The Usos vs. The Hardy Boyz, but no, we get this piece of garbage match instead. WWE creative clearly has no idea what to do with their tag divisions at this current time. I’d prefer the Usos to retain their titles, but I still haven’t seen much about whether they have signed a new contract with WWE since their current one is up in May. I honestly believe the outcome of the match will depend on that. If they have signed a new contract, I would say the Usos will retain. However, if they haven’t, it will go to Ricochet & Aleister Black since they have been dominating both Raw and Smackdown since they were called up from NXT. Maybe a unification of the tag titles in all three divisions, like with the womens titles, if they do?? Food for thought.      Winner: The Usos

Women's Tag Team Championship -- Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina Snuka vs. The IIconics: I hate that this is another fatal 4 way for tag titles. As it stands, I wish they never involved Nia Jax & Tamina. They had their shot at Fastlane, they lost, let’s move along now please. I feel that Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Divas of Doom in their own singles match would have been a much better use of story and talent. The IIconics, on the other hand, are a natural tag team. They have the potential to have a great rivalry with Boss n’ Hug Connection, especially with both teams’ promo and in ring skills. I wish they had been focusing more on this part of the storyline without the added mud of the other two teams going into WM35. However, I believe Sasha & Bayley will retain and go on to have a feud with the IIconics post-Mania, and perhaps an NXT tag team will get involved.                           Winner: Sasha Banks & Bayley (Personal choice: The IIconics)

Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin (Farewell Match): Kurt Angle is about to whoop Baron Corbin’s ass and we all know it. Maybe WWE will swerve us with Cena and have him vs. Kurt but who fucking knows at this point? This whole damn show is a hot mess. Kurt wins no matter what though. Let the man retire with some goddamn dignity.                                                                          Winner: Kurt Angle

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon (Falls Count Anywhere): I’m really excited for this match simply because it’s going to be mayhem. Shane McMahon will jump off lots of stuff, Miz will take some good spots, it’ll be great. With The Miz dominating the way he has been the past few weeks and becoming a beloved babyface, he has to win. I think with Shane attacking his father and the return of Miz’s reality show, they won't do Miz dirty here and his father may even intervene. Winner: The Miz

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre: I’m so excited for this match ohmygoodness. I love both of them so much and they will give us a great match. After Drew McIntyre brutalizing all of The Shield continuously for the past month, it naturally makes sense that Roman’s first single match since returning from hiatus will be McIntyre. This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful feud, but I don’t think Roman is going to win just yet. They’re introducing a new version of Roman that isn’t invincible like he’s always been in the past. He has a layer of humanity to him now and it would develop his new storyline much more to lose. I think Drew winning will rocket him to being the top heel of the company and it will spark great storylines for the future.                            Winner: Drew McIntyre

Triple H vs. Batista (No Holds Barred; Triple H's career on the line): I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want, and that’s for Batista to win this match. However, with Triple H’s career on the line (once again) I don’t see him having much of a chance. Triple H will take this one, but at least we’re getting a blast to the past of ruthless aggression, yeah!                                         Winner: Triple H (Personal Choice: Batista)

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton: So, I originally HATED the idea of this match. Like, I fucking hate Randall with every fiber of my being. I have my whole life and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. However, the latest episode of smackdown left me excited to see what these two will do in a ring together. What I really mean is that AJ Styles is about to make Randall look the best he has in almost a decade. This one goes to the good ole Georgia boy.                    Winner: AJ Styles

United States Championship -- Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio: This match is still up for debate on whether it’s going to happen or not. On the go-home SmackDown, it was announced that Mysterio had suffered an ankle injury during his match on Raw against Baron Corbin. He's set to be evaluated up until Sunday so who the fuck knows? I certainly don’t. However, Joe will retain. He deserves to win his first Mania match. ily Joe bby.                     Winner: Samoa Joe

Intercontinental Championship -- Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Finn Balor: The Demon King is showing up. There’s no question that Bobby will get the shit kicked out of him and Balor will take the title and move on from Buff Wayne Brady to bigger and better things.                                          Winner: Finn Balor

WWE Championship -- Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston: KOFIMANIA BABY! It’s time! I think this will be match of the night and we deserve it. So does Kofi. It’s going to be an amazing moment for everyone when our new WWE Champion is crowned. I think I might cry y’all.                             Winner: Kofi Kingston

Universal Championship -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins: At least someone actually gets their promised Royal Rumble match (I’m bitter about a lot of things but that’s another matter). I think this will be the biggest disappointment of the night. Everyone hates Brock. We’re tired of him. We want him to go away. Fuck Brock Lesner. Although, I don’t think Seth will win this match. Not after him standing tall over Brock on the latest episode of Raw. I think this is going to be a major let down, but we can’t always get what we want right? Vince’s obsession with Brock will never end until he fucking dies and we’re stuck with him until then. Unfortunately, Seth will be the sacrificial lamb for Kofi and Becky to win.      Winner: Brock Lesnar (Personal Choice: Seth Rollins)

Winner Take All -- Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Becky Lynch: God, what a fucking mess. I just want Becky to win dammit. Fuck Ronda. Fuck Charlotte. GIVE US BECKY. It’s what we deserve. It’s what she deserves. It’s what the world deserves. I know it’s going to be one hell of a match and I think if they pick anyone else to win they will have a riot from the fans and crowd so bad that people will throw drinks and shit into the ring. I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlotte wins, however, since Vince is obsessed with her, but the smart business move is Becky. If Ronda wins, I give up on everything and this show. Thank God we’re finally getting this match over with.                        Winner: Becky Lynch

See y’all Sunday ✌️

[magnolia-among-the-stars]

Things Needed in WWE Right Now

1.       A Final Four Horsewomen’s Showdown

It’s time we allow these four to rest. I’m tired of Bayley and Sasha’s feud. I’m tired of Becky and Charlotte facing off against each other. Give us the four of them in one last extreme battleground match and put it to bed. Allow them to face other women and that’ll elevate everyone else. Give me a feud of Sasha vs. Carmella where they fight about who’s the baddest bitch in the WWE or give me Sasha vs. Alexa because we know there’s real heat which brings the passion and hard work out of these women. Give me Ruby Riott vs Bayley where they both won’t give up, won’t back down because they’ve both got something to prove. Give me Charlotte vs Mickie James because Charlotte thinks it’s time for Mickie to retire but Mickie just needs one last match to prove she belongs here. Give me Becky vs. Everyone: make her a fighting champion who puts it on the line every night to show she’s a worthy champion and let her ride it out.

2.       A female tag division

This really builds on my point but it’s time. We’ve gotten the Royal Rumble, Hell in a Cell, Money in the Bank. Let’s create a women’s tag division. We’ve got The Iconics. Throw in Sonya and Mandy. Throw in Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. Bring back the Bellas. Give the women an opportunity to shine where there is some much room to grow. Can you imagine Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville being a tag team and then Sonya turns on Mandy because she’s holding her back? It’d bring a draw and you could have one belt that bounces between shows.

3.       A Massively Hated Male Heel

Who is there really that you can despise on the screen? When you think of heels in the WWE right now, who pops into your head? Not Braun Strowman. Not Kevin Owens. Not Samoa Joe. Everyone is still loved to some degree. Maybe Baron Corbin? Drew McIntyre? The Miz You know who we need on the main roster? Tommaso Ciampa. He’s evil. There’s no humorous villain characteristics to him. No funny expressions or wealthy behavior that makes him feel superior. He’s evil. Hated. And he does it with a smile.  There’s no one to really root against so there’s no one to root for. Get me?

4.       A Universal Champion

I feel like this is probably self-explanatory so I’ll make this short and sweet. How can someone care about a championship match when you don’t see the belt on a semi-regular basis? The only reason not seeing it is great is because when someone else does eventually win it from Lesnar, it’s gunna be a BIG deal.

5.       Serious Tag Matches

When I first started watching wrestling, the thing that drew me in was the tag matches: specifically, Edge & Christian, the Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz. Teams that had been working as tag teams for forever. Teams that wanted to work as a team, make each other the best. They weren’t individuals slapped together to get over. How are we supposed to care about tag matches when one of our champions is Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy and the Bludgeon Brothers who don’t really have personality? The Revival is the best tag team we have. Authors of Pain is a great edition but they’re just fighting jobbers. New Day’s gimmick is getting old because they aren’t champions. You have teams like the B Team, Breezango and The Ascension that could be great. You have the Usos, The Bar, Gallows and Anderson who’ve been working to craft as a team or have been a team this entire time, who work their asses off. Where is their opportunity?

6.       Make 205 Live a must-see.

I’m not saying the guys on 205 aren’t already great. But if you made everyone who was eligible for the Cruiserweight division to show up and compete? It would boost the audience levels by a thousand. It would make the Cruiserweight belt interesting. Finn Balor, Kofi Kingston, Karl Anderson, Sami Zayn, Xavier Woods, CHAD GABLE. Give them Chad Gable atleast. Then, allow them to be free agents on the main shows so that people who may aren’t already invested in 205 Live can move their asses over to watch because they’ll see what they’re missing. Or…better yet, let the women compete in 205 Live which brings me to my next point.

7.       Bring back Intergender Matches, the right way.

I’m not saying let’s have Battle of the Sexes, where Lita’s top was ripped off and Trish was spanked in the middle of the ring. But they clearly had something when we watched Charlotte put the Miz in a Figure Eight. When we watched Becky Lynch and all the women of Smackdown Live wreck Ellsworth. It’s not a fight toward domestic abuse, it’s a fight that shows women can stand up to men. That they can be equal. And 205 Live is a great place to start. Let Foxy kick some ass, tell them the Captain in here to claim her seat at the head of the boat. Let Candice LeRae come in and Ballsplex all of them.

[hazyheel]

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2019 Day 10 Review.

Before the start of the review, I should acknowledge that TAKA Michinoku has been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a foot injury on Day 9. So, I don’t want to just give everyone a bunch of point for the matches that he was forced to forfeit, so I will be increasing the points for the wrestlers that were supposed to go against him on the night. So, we start out of Dragon Lee moving up to 10.

First match of the night was Ryusuke Taguchi against Ren Narita. Narita refused to start with the double fist bump, and quickly took Taguchi to the mat. There was a lot of fundamental wrestling in the early going, and it was super cool to see Taguchi taking this match seriously. It took a long time to actually get into striking territory, where Narita just got too frustrated and beat him down. Of course, this gave Taguchi some time to fight back. They exchanged counters in holds, transitioning from ankle lock to sharpshooter over and over. Taguchi was able to get the win with a long ankle lock, but Narita lasted a long time in the hold. Ryusuke Taguchi: 10, Narita: 0.

Grade: B-. Good match with solid fundamental and technical wrestling. Narita seems to be experimenting with different styles, and it seems like he does well with both hard hitting action and slow technical wrestling. He seems like he will be a good wrestler, we just have to see if he gets over.

Next we had Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Jonathan Gresham. Gresham locked up Kanemaru by the neck and just refused to let go. He really tried to keep the wrestling on the mat, but Kanemaru was able to get strikes in here and there. Gresham focused on the arm as he normally does. They did the classic rolling around for the pin spot, but they did it for a really long time. Gresham had an awesome german suplex for a near fall. Kanemaru followed that up with a ref bump, and then swung the whiskey bottle at him. Gresham dodged it and locked in an octopus with the bottle still in Kanemaru’s hand, and he got the win. Gresham: 8, Kanemaru: 4.

Grade: B-. Good match, I liked the rollup sequences, and Gresham seems to really be feeling himself. I just love seeing Kanemaru lose, and Gresham gave me what I wanted. He really is the heel master. 

Then we had DOUKi vs. Rocky Romero. Rocky was coming off of his huge win against El Phantasmo. Douki started before the bell by attacking while Rocky was posing. Douki worked over Rocky’s knee that had been injured during the whole tournament. Douki exposed a turnbuckle, and continued to beat Rocky down, only for Rocky to jam him into the ringpost. Rocky hit his classic tornado DDT, followed by a falcon arrow into the armbar for a submission sequence. Douki hit a cool move where Rocky was in the gory special, and Douki dropped him straight on his knees. However, Rocky was able to fight back into it, and locked in an armbar for the win. Rocky: 6, Douki: 2. 

Grade: B. This was one of Douki’s better matches. He actually wrestled here, and shows that he has talent, he just isn’t really connecting. People wanted El Desperado, and he is just discount El Desperado. But this was pretty good, happy to see Rocky get another win and bring his total up. 

Into Marty Scurll vs. Titan. Scurll tried to keep things traditional, but Titan was able to use some very interesting offense to keep things in his favor, and he certainly had the advantage when they were going fast. Brodie King got a little involved by grabbing Titan’s foot, so Titan hit him with a big splash. Scurll went for the mask a little bit, getting inside Titan’s head. Titan was going super fast though, hitting thrust kicks and huge dropkicks, Scurll didn’t know what to do. He hit a package piledriver for a near fall, and eventually was able to hit the Black Plague for a near fall. Scurll: 8, Titan: 4.

Grade: B+. Another very good match. Titan really picked it up a lot, creating an interesting show where he took down Scurll with interesting technicality. His speed was super fast, and he was looking really good. Scurll was just able to get an interesting win here, a bit out of nowhere. However, Scurll should be booked strong as one of Ring of Honor’s top guys, so I get why they did that. Good stuff here.

Next up, Bandido vs. BUSHI in a battle of the Luchadores. Bushi actually offered a handshake, but quickly dropped the facade, and they started going fast and furious. At one point, Bandido went for a splash in the corner, and Bushi just stuck his feed out to intercept him. Bandido played to his advantages, and that was his strength game. Bushi was able to counter a 21 plex, sending Bandido through the ropes to hit his spike DDT and a fisherman neckbreaker for a near fall. At one point, Bushi hit a destroyer, and Bandido sold it crazy well, doing a headstand for a couple seconds, but just another near fall. Bushi then hit the MX for the shock win. Bushi: 8, Bandido: 6. 

Grade: B. Bandido’s selling made this match really good. He put over Bushi big right here. Bushi has been impressing me the entire tournament, but I never saw him as a top guy in the junior division. But if that is what they are building him to become, then I am all for it. Good match, good selling from Bandido and good offense from Bushi.

Then we had Shingo Takagi vs. Tiger Mask IV. Tiger Mask was being evasive throughout the match, because almost any strike was taking him to the ground. However, Tiger Mask used that to his advantage to try to pull Takagi into submission on the ground. Takagi wanted to take the match to the outside, but Tiger Mask refused, so Takagi destroyed the knee on the inside. Tiger Mask was actually able to hit the suplex off the top after a little bit of a struggle, but once again only a near fall.  He then hit a tiger driver for a near fall, reversing the kickout into an armbar, only to be powerbombed for his troubles. Tiger Mask even countered a pumping bomber into a crucifix bomb, and then reversed the kickout into a stretching armbar. Takagi hit several pumping bombers for some near falls, followed by Last of the Dragons for the win. Takagi: 14, Tiger Mask: 4.

Grade: B. Before this match, I really didn’t buy that Tiger Mask could even come close to winning, and by the end I thought he really good and might take it. Of course, he did not, but he put up a hell of a fight, and it was a good match. I like to see Tiger Mask still fighting, no matter how old he is.

Into El Phantasmo vs. YOH. Phantasmo was super pissed about his loss from the previous show, and Yoh is obviously friends with Rocky, so Phantasmo can now get a measure of revenge. Phantasmo attacked before the bell, and beat Yoh with just about everything he could. He threw the barricade on him, hit him with a shoe and threw him far into the crowd. Yoh tried to get a flash pin for the win. Phantasmo was beating down his opponent, and then disrespecting anyone that he could. He got mega heat from the crowd for everything he was doing, and getting boos from everyone. At one point, Phantasmo shoved Yoh into the ref, and grabbed his British Cruiserweight championship, but Phantasmo got caught. Phantasmo argued with Red Shoes, and Yoh rolled him up for another huge upset. Yoh: 8, Phantasmo: 10.

Grade: C+. I wasn’t a huge fan of this match, it felt a little slow. It lacked the fire from Phantasmo, who didn’t seem as pissed abut his previous loss as his pre match attack seemed like it would. They didn’t work super well together, but their Raw skill helped them out quite a bit.

Next up was Will Ospreay vs. Robbie Eagles. Ospreay was super fired up for this match, because he could take the lead in the block at this point. Before the match, Eagles threw a Japanese flag patch at Ospreay, on that Ospreay gave him after a match between them in Australia. Ospreay wanted the handshake, but Eagles refused it. Ospreay gave Eagles a lot of respect during the match, and though not as much, Eagles reciprocated it. They quickly started flying around the ring as fast as anyone had before them. Eagles was trying to prove himself with his match, trying to climb out of Ospreay’s shadow, flipping around in the same way that Ospreay used to when he was a true junior heavyweight. Eagles softened up Ospreay’s leg, limiting his speed and making it easier for his submission. The two exchanged strikes at an incredibly fast rate, and Eagles finished it off with a splash to Ospreay as he ran the ropes, sending them both tumbling to the floor, followed by sliced bread on the apron. Ospreay nearly got counted out, but Ospreay made it back, only to hit a springboard 450 spike rana for a near fall. Ospreay had Eagles on his knees, and was unsure about hitting the hidden blade, and Eagles collapsed as he was about to go for it. Right then, El Phantasmo ran out to be in Eagles’ corner, and Eagles was able to lock in a Ron Miller Special. Eagles went for a springboard dropkick, but Ospreay countered by dropkicking him out of the air. The two then battled on the top rope, and Eagles hit a rana off the top, but Ospreay landed on his feet, hurting his knee, only for Eagles to hit the springboard dropkick to the knee. The two desperately tried to hit their biggest moves, and Ospreay wanted to protect his knee. At one point, Eagles tried to hit a spanish fly, but Ospreay held his ground and countered it into a powerbomb for a near fall. Phantasmo tried to run interference, but Ospreay kicked him off the apron. Eagles then countered a shooting star press with the knees for a near fall, and the kickout gave the ref a bump. While the ref was down, Phantasmo nailed Ospreay in the knee with a chair, which allowed Eagles to hit the 450 on the leg and lock in the Ron Miller Special for the win. Eagles: 10, Ospreay: 10. After the match, Eagles seemed a bit upset about the intererence, and he walked out on his cohort. 

Grade: A-. Big win for Eagles, and that gives B block an interesting story of 4 top guys. The match itself told an awesome story of mentor vs. student, and a student that had gone astray as well. They flew around incredibly fast, harkening to the matches of old from Ospreay. Eagles really impressed here, and both of their selling was awesome. I’d love to see another match between the two, a more fair match. I didn’t mind the interference, I think it made sense. I also think that it is only a matter of time before Eagles leaves Bullet Club, because he just doesn’t seem to agree with the kind of stuff that they do. I don’t know if that will lead to a match against Phantasmo or Ishimori, but either would be great. Match of the night right here. 

And the main event, we had SHO vs. Taiji Ishimori.  Sho targetted the arm during this match, wanting the armbar submission later on it the match. Ishimori had a speed advantage here and stay on his opponent to overwhelm him, but Sho was trying to overpower Ishimori. The clash of styles was interesting and entertaining. At one point, Sho copied a spot of his tag partner, missing a dragon suplex so going for a german instead. Sho was able to hit Shock Arrow, but only for a near fall. In the ring, ishimori was able to tie Sho up in a series of submissions that seemed like would never end. In the finish, Ishimori flipped out of a shock arrow and nailed a bloody cross for the win. Ishimori: 12, Sho: 6

Grade: B+. This match was really good, but it didn’t quite have the urgency to be great. They beat each other with their best moves that they had, and you could feel the desperation from Ishimori. They had a lot of good back and forth, and I loved the counters out of the shock arrow, and it was just really good to watch. Sho and Ishimori know exactly how to deliver, and that they did in the main event. 

Losses: Dragon Lee

Overall Grade: B

Pros: Douki vs. Rocky; Scurll vs. Titan; Bandido vs. Bushi; Ospreay vs. Eagles; sho vs. ishimori

Cons: phantasmo vs. yoh

[elmomachete]

Wrestlemania XXXV Predictions.

Yeah, yeah, they don’t use the Roman numerals anymore. They don’t even use regular numerals. Humor me, it’s out of habit. I actually watched most of NXT Takeover last night, mostly live. I’m still not entirely sold on Blackochet or Matt Riddle, but the War Raiders and Velveteen Dream are the tittyballs and so were both matches. I fell asleep during the UK Championship match and intended to finish the show this morning, but then the results were spoiled for me by Cageside Seats in article headlines. Weak sauce, gentlemen. The weakest of sauces. Oh well, I’ll finish the show eventually. Anyway, with a 42 match card, the pre-show is liable to start any minute now so I better get these predictions up before all the poor souls in New Jersey (I’m sorry, I meant “New York”) start freezing their asses off. Let’s get prognosticating, shall we? Fabulous Moolah Memorial Women’s Battle Royale Totally not promoting human trafficking since 2018. Who won last year, Naomi? It’ll be tough to live up to those standards. I’ll go with Lacey Evans as the winner, because I’m sure that makes sense as a payoff to her coming out, doing nothing, turning around and walking to the back in Crazy Uncle Vinny’s mind. It’d be nice to give Asuka something after her seemingly random dethroning, but Lacey seems more predictably random. Cruiserweight Championship: Tony Nese vs. Buddy Murphy (c.) 205 Dead Crowd. I watched the Cruiserweight match from the Rumble pre-show the other day, and Buddy Murphy seems like a pretty good wrestleperson. Let’s say he retains, because he’s marrying Alexa Bliss and the company still loves her even though she’ll probably never wrestle again. Andre Roussimoff Memorial Battle Royale (ARMBaR) Just look what it did for Mojo Rawley! How can they make up for having Braun Strowman win the tag titles with a ten year old last year? Have him feud with two schmucks from Saturday Night Live so WWE can end up on a legitimate sports program the next morning! So either he wins, or after he eliminates the aforementioned schmucks he eliminates himself and chases them to the back leaving it open for (randomly points at list of entrants with eyes closed) Curtis Axel to win. Side thought: I think next year they should bring back Nicholas and rehire Matt Striker, putting them against the Bar, the Usos and the New Day. Striker can tutor the kid on the road, and putting them over the entire division will really solidify Nicholas’ legacy as an undefeated two-time tag team champion. Raw Tag Team Championships: Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins vs. the Revival (c.) The Battle of the WWE Random Name Generator Recipients! ...good lord, they’re actually giving the Edgeheads a Mania match? For the titles? I know the belts don’t matter and that maybe a dozen people give a rat’s ass about both teams combined, but still - Ryder and Hawkins’ whole shtick is that they never win. That ALWAYS gets over. So obviously they have to win here to get their “Wrestlemania Moment,” in their “home state” of “New York.” Smackdown Tag Team Championships: Nakamusev vs. the Bar vs. Blackochet vs. the Usos (c.) Aren’t I so witty with my portmanteau tag team names? I’m glad Wikipedia exists to not only tell me all 107 matches, but to remind me that yes, the Usos are tag champs again. What with them losing in Brooklyn, I expect Black and Ricochet to win the titles to start off their big show (no, not that one) debut with a bang and to finally tie them to Smackdown instead of Raw. they’ll have better matches on that show anyway. Or the Usos retain because they’re related to the Rock, who cares. Shane McMahon vs. the Miz Because Super Shane needs to get his annual hyperventilating stunt show in. God bless the Miz, he may be the best company man since John Cena for doing whatever stupid shit they come up with for him. Case in point: this fucking match. Does anyone besides Shane or Vince give two shits about this? Logic says the Miz wins because he’s (somehow) the babyface, so I’ll say Shane wins and the Miz’s dad hugs him afterwards because even though his son main evented Wrestlemania and defeated John Cena (there he is again) and got married to a smokin’ hot model and had a kid, NOW he’s finally proud of him because he put up a valiant effort against the 50 year old son of the owner of the company. Women’s Tag Team Championships: the IIconics vs. Nia Jax and Tamina vs. Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs. the Boss n’ Hug Connection (c.) Who’s got the worse name, the Australians or the champions? I guess Trish and Lita said no, so they dusted Beth Phoenix off and pretend she’s important enough to justify her Hall of Fame induction. Nia and Tamina suck, Billie and Peyton don’t matter, Beth won’t be around the next day and I can’t see them changing the titles so soon after creating them. Bayley and Sasha retain. Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin John Cena Oh, shut up. You know it’s going to happen. Cena beats up Corbin on the way to the ring, spouts some jargon about hustling respect loyally, he drags Angle through three minutes of suck hoping he doesn’t accidentally kill him, somebody wins and they both go away. (Flips a coin) Cena wins, LOL. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton Fighting because reasons! Um... let’s say AJ wins, because Orton is a made man and they wanna thank AJ for not leaving for All Elite Wrestling (what a terrible name). Christ, how many pointless matches could they trim to make this a show of reasonable length? Not everybody needs a Wrestlemania payday... do those even exist anymore with the Network? United States Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe (c.) I’ve got nothing sarcastic to say about this match, I’m actually looking forward to it somewhat. Rey Mysterio can still go, and although people say Joe has lost a step since coming to WWE I’m actually a bigger fan of him now than ever. I think he’s benefited a lot from having to tone it down and only do two or three big spots in matches as opposed to a billion, although whether that’s due to the restrictions of the “WWE Style” or age/injuries is up for debate (I felt the same about Cesaro slowing it down going from Ring of Honor to WWE). Rey can survive a loss here and I think they wanna get as much out of Joe while they still can, so he retains. WWE Championship: Kofi Kingston vs. the New Daniel Bryan (c.) Remember when the “World” title wasn’t likely to be in the middle of the show? As much as I’d hate to see the Hempyweight Championship belt go (and no matter what it’ll eventually have to), I think the crowd would riot if Kofi didn’t win. So I reckon Kofi wins, then Big E. and Xavier turn on him right afterwards to piss the crowd off right after throwing them a bone. Y’know what? I think it would be interesting to see a riot at a wrestling show. Fans have threatened it with signs ever since Cena vs. Van Dam, but we’ve never actually seen one. It’d certainly be a “Wrestlemania Moment.” Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre Yay, Roman’s back! And he’s not in the main event again! Yet! I’m as glad as anyone that Reigns seems to have beaten leukemia, but the entire feud with Drew seems like something they threw together at the last minute because they didn’t expect him to come back so soon. I can never tell if they’re behind Drew or not, they seem to change their minds every other week. Roman wins, obviously, then probably goes right back into the Universal title picture. Triple H vs. Batista The epic final battle between Drax the Destroyer and whatever Triple H’s character was called in Blade 3. I’m interested in this match due to sheer sideshow curiosity. Big Dave hasn’t wrestled in however long, and last time Hunter wrestled he ripped a titty off his chest in the beginning of the match. I have enough faith that’ll it be something watchable at least, Triple H’s match with Angle and Rousey was good last year. Batista wins and rides off into the sunset, and Trips “retires” for about a year. Let’s give it a year and a half if we’re being generous. Universal Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar (c.) Prediction for number of German suplexes: 11. Now this one is a sticky wicket. On the one hand, it’d be nice to have the Rumble winner, y’know, win, and have someone with the belt who’ll be around every week. On the other hand, I’m sure Vince is already salivating over the thought of Roman conquering the unstoppable once every four months onslaught of Brock Lesnar. On the THIRD hand, they did make a t-shirt for Rollins that says “Beastslayer” which would be completely pointless to peddle at shows if he lost. I’ll go out on a limb and pick Lesnar, but whoever wins is getting Roman as a challenger  Intercontinental Championship: Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley (c.) Can we get this show over with already? I’m already bored just writing about it. The Demon wins back the title that he just lost for no reason a few weeks ago, Lio Rush probably gets beat up and the crowd continues to go mild for Bobby Lashley. Next. Women’s Championship, winner takes all: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (c., Smackdown) vs. Ronda Rousey (c., Raw) Becky. Becky, Becky, Becky. Wait, I have to say something other than that about the match? The build for this has been all over the place. Becky taps to Asuka at the Rumble, then takes Lana’s spot to win the Rumble match itself. Becky’s suspended, but she’s on every show anyway. Then she’s not suspended, she and Ronda break the fourth wall on Twitter, Charlotte replaces Becky, then she wins the Smackdown belt from Asuka and it’s a triple threat, and my God I think I’ve gone cross eyed. Who wins will really depend on where they place this match on the card. I know they’ve said it’ll be the “main event,” and if it truly goes on last then they’d be insane not to give it to Becky. I’ve been trying to reasonably predict the order in which the matches will take place. BUT... we all know WWE has been saying double main event, triple main event, whatever for years. If it DOESN’T go on last, it’s probably gonna be Charlotte. She’s already beaten Trish’s record for number of Women’s title reigns, and lord knows WWE wants to make her seem like the best at everything due to her name. I’ll (perhaps foolishly) put all my chips on Becky, but won’t be surprised in the least if it’s Charlotte. Oh yeah, Ronda’s in the match too. How ‘bout that. *whew* So yeah, sixteen matches on what’s liable to be a seven hour show. I’m likely to watch it in spurts, because A) my TV is always at the risk of being hijacked by a six year old, and 2) I’m going to fall asleep if I try to watch it all in one shot. I won’t be drinking, because I’d rather fall asleep due to boredom rather than alcohol consumption this year. I almost don’t want the women’s match to go last, because the crowd will be fucking exhausted by then. Of the sixteen matches, I’m confident about half will be good. So there’s that. We’ll have a couple overblown entrances, some forced “Wrestlemania Moments,” the possibility for an entertaining car wreck or two, maybe an Undertaker appearance. This is the first year though where I’m sort of dreading the Grandest Stage of the Showcase of the Immortally Ultimate Thrill Ride in twenty years of fandom, and that’s pretty disheartening. That Takeover sure was something though, wasn’t it?

[princedevitto]

The Golden Lovers Story, Most Beautiful Gay Story in Wrestling Industry

Kota Ibushi (left) and Kenny Omega after their reunion match in Honor Rising 2018. (doc.Voxcatch.fr)

For those of you who watches pro-wrestling probably glad with reunion of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi dubbed as Golden Lovers. Both man has been long known as one of prolific tag team in pro-wrestling business, especially in Japan. Golden Lovers most notably known with their heated rivalry with Apollo 55, Ryusuke Taguchi and Prince Devitt (now Finn Balor in WWE). But did you know that Golden Lovers is more than meets the eye? They’re not just a tag team, they like brother to each other or you could say long lost sibling.

Story of Golden Lovers is a complex one. For me, they are bromance goals, some would say a happy gay love story but i don’t care as long as they delivers and produce great matches. This story begins around 2008 when Omega’s friend showed him videos of Kota Ibushi working with Japanese promotion, Dramatic Dream Team (DDT). This promotion most notably known because of their comedic matches. Okay, after that Omega seems hooked with Ibushi and thinks that is his destiny to fight him. So he create a challenge video then uploaded it to Youtube. Luckily, DDT saw the video and invite him to Japan and they agreed for a match.

Their first encounter happens in summer 2008 when Ibushi winning after a phoenix splash from top of vending machine. Yes, you read that right, a vending machine. This match also involving scene at the parkit lot and boxes of werehouse. After the match, these duo fell to their emotion, Omega indeed crying covered in sweat. This led to Ibushi responds by saying i love you to Omega.

Early 2009, Omega finally sign a contract with DDT and offically making him part of the roster. DDT claims that the Canadian one is full of potential and could be a great rival for Ibushi. But Omega and Ibushi says no, they don’t want to fight each other they want to be a team, a tag team. Somehow DDT agreed and named them Golden Brothers because their different ethnicities. Later both says they have different name in mind. Thus the Golden Lovers is born.

At first, their gay gimmick seems creepy and many jeered towards them. As time goes by they become beloved and multi time tag team champion in DDT. Golden Lovers become fan favourite with their combining of gay gimmick and multiple sync moves, they put on some of the best chemistry back then. Omega also said that their end goal is marriage. About a year after formed, they go to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) to rise their name in wrestling business.

In NJPW they engaged a rivalry with Apollo 55 and on October 11, 2010, they win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, in a match that later named as 2010 match of the year by Tokyo Sports. Golden Lovers then defends the title in their home promotion against former champion and team of Gedo and Jado. Their run ended early January 2011 when they lost the title back to Apollo 55.

This is the time when things start to run differently for both of them. They still formed Golden Lovers, but Ibushi getting more singles opportunites and wins championships. Many wrestling journalist saying what differ them is their talent. Ibushi is naturally talented while Omega is kinda hard working and never give up person, they like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of professional wrestling. This led to their second encounter when Ibushi succesfully defends his KO-D Openweight championship.

As time goes by, they are getting less and less fight side by side. Yes they twice won KO-D six man championships with temporary third man. But Ibushi making less appearance for DDT as he signs full time contract with NJPW, making him exclusive for both promotion. With NJPW, Ibushi entered a heated rivalry with Prince Devitt where both competing for IWGP Junior Heavyweight title and Best of Super Junior series. He even briefly goes up to heavyweight classes to be a part of G1 Climax tournament.

Meanwhile, Omega starts his time as singles competitor in DDT. Winning single titles such as KO-D Openweight championship and DDT Extreme Division Championship defeating like of El Generico (Sami Zayn in WWE) and Isami Odaka.

In 2014 Ibushi announce that he move up to heavyweight class. Later that year, Omega signs full time contract with NJPW after his DDT paper expires but still remain in junior heavyweight class. October 2014, Golden Lovers wrestle their last match for DDT in winning way. Month later, Omega make his debut under NJPW contract and revealed as the newest member of Bullet Club, very popular stable in NJPW consisting of foreigners who works in NJPW or simply called gaijin.

Their first meeting in NJPW came when Omega cost Ibushi a IWGP Heavyweight match against AJ Styles, which at that time is the leader of Bullet Club. While Ibushi compete in heavyweight class, Omega makes a name for himself in junior heavyweight division. He wins IWGP Junior Heavyweight title on January 4, 2015 at Wrestle Kingdom 9 defeating Taguchi, then succesfully defend it against Mascara Dorada (Gran Metalik in WWE) and Alex Shelley. On July 5, he lost the title to KUSHIDA and won it again two months later before lost it back to KUSHIDA on January 4, 2016 at Wrestle Kingdom 10.

A day later, Omega and the rest of Bullet Club turned on AJ Styles and named as the new leader while simultaneously declared he is now heavyweight. While Omega rose to main eventer scene in NJPW the opposite happened to Ibushi. Having two full time contracts burnt him out as his neck injuries keeps nagging him. He then subsequently waive those contracts and becoming freelancer. He also participates in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) inaugural Cruiserweight Classic tournament. Ibushi made it to semifinal where he defeated by then champion, TJ Perkins.

While Ibushi battling in CWC, Omega entered 2016 G1 Climax tournament and wins it, the first gaijin to do so. Eventhough they’re apart, they keep referencing each other. Omega always does Ibushi’s move along G1 Climax, while Ibushi’s gear includes a wing symbol referencing Omega’s finisher move One Winged Angel.

After winning G1, Omega state that he is now surpassed Ibushi as singles competitor while saying he’s waiting for Ibushi here in New Japan while doing his best. Ibushi then responds in separate interview,”You’re lonely aren’t you? Well, i’m right here. Waiting.” As time goes on, both are live their separate lives. Omega making historic three six stars matches with Kazuchika Okada and become first NJPW United States Champion, while Ibushi doing comedic wrestling things such as set up fireworks in his chest, wrestle a sex doll, and fought in merry-go-round theme park and dressed as cartoon character, Tiger Mask W, in NJPW.

And finally the G1 climax season come. Omega of course participates as defending champion. Surprise came when Ibushi also announced as participant but both are placed separate block. Through the G1 Climax there’s a hope that former Golden Lovers will meet each other in finals, including me. Sadly that’s not happen, only Omega makes it to finals. He then lost to eventual champion, Tetsuya Naito. At the backstage after the lost, Ibushi comes to see wounded Omega. They briefly talk before slowly push Ibushi away. This is also first time both meet after 2015 betrayal with AJ Styles.

Ibushi then engaged a rivalry with Bullet Club member, Cody. Both met at Wrestle Kingdom 12 and the golden star emerge victorious following phoenix splash. This match also has tremendous spot when Cody cross-rhodes Ibushi from appron to floor. A day after WK12, Cody is victorious in tag match against Ibushi. After that Cody and Bullet Club trying to beat down Ibushi. When former WWE star wants to hit with a chair, Omega comes and save Ibushi from beat down. He’s risking to lose Bullet Club after once he leave Ibushi for Bullet Club.

Weeks later, Omega lost the US championship to Jay White. After the match, fellow Bullet Club member, Hangman Page, come to the ring, snatch the belt and challenge White. But Omega neglect him and give the belt back to White. An angered Cody then give Omega cross-rhodes and put Omega’s Bullet Club status questioned. Ibushi then runs in through the crowd to save Omega from further beatdown and offers a handshake.

Omega refuse the handshake and seems self-loathingly after betraying Ibushi. When he want to leave Ibushi pulls him and both man shares hug while embracing tears, cheers, and confetti. The Golden Lovers are finally back together.

In an interview after that, Omega declares he always thinks The Golden Lovers are the best team and he miss it. Their relationship probably one most important things in his life. The Canadian also saying that he always waiting for Ibushi, that’s why he doen’t leave NJPW. Golden Lovers also do a adoreable documentary about their reunion and training to together to find rhythm again. And finally at Honor Rising 2018 on February 23 and 24 these duo fighting again side by side againts some Bullet Club member.

For myself The Golden Lovers storyline is probably one of tear jerking moment in professional wrestling. It’s hard to say whether it’s real or kayfabe (wrestling term for fiction story), they stands in blurred line but the fact is many people touched by this happy gay love story. This also proof that gay isn’t a taboo thing in wrestling business.

Professional wrestling is a form of mixed art with athletic sport. There’s no room for homophobe people especially when Omega is reportedly literally bisexual. Like The Rock says, it doesn’t matter if true or not. Just let them deliver storyline and we criticize it in well manner fashion.

It’s interesting where this storyline goes. So many speculations created by internet wrestling community, whether it’s Ibushi joining Bullet Club, Omega kicked out, or there’s gonna be new faction formed. One thing to say from me, i don’t want any betrayal again in Golden Lovers. They’re like meant to be each other. I prefer both battling each other for coveted prize, maybe Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi in IWGP Heavyweight championship match? I hope it comes true.

P.S:  Big thanks to Simpsons Reference (@EffingBoring) on twitter for his shared information in his tweets. Also for profightdb.com and cagematch.com for their stats and tokyo-sports.co for interviews that quoted.

[toosweetthoughts]

How WWE could potentially revamp 205 Live

We all know what everyone is saying about 205 Live. It is the sad story of a lot of hype that WWE built up and it slowly became another “Main Event” or “Superstars” type show. Which is really sad because the talent on that roster is really amazing. They put a lot of effort into everything they do but they just can’t  seem to get everyone to care. I think everyone’s immediate thought is to straight up end the show. While it is not a terrible idea, I for one do not want those superstars to get lost in the shuffle to an eventual release. That’s exactly what would happen. So option B is to revamp the show. How, you ask? Where, here you go:

GO BACK TO FULL SAIL: Full Sail University plays a big role in today’s WWE. It is basically the proving ground of the WWE. A small crowd that truly let you know if they like you or not. This is not only where NXT is held, but it is also the place where both the Cruiserweight and Mae Young Classics were held. Now although it is a small crowd, it is a crowd full of fans who care. The fans who go on the internet, like me, and discuss our likes/dislikes. So believe it or not, if Full Sail is screaming their pleasure for one of the cruiserweights, then it’s easier for more fans at the arenas to care about them once their on the main roster officially. 

REINTRODUCE THEM: We all know the 205 Live roster. But it is easy for us to to not pay attention to someone who’s not interesting. I don’t care what you say, characters matter in wrestling. I’ve seen some of the most talented wrestlers in the world suffer because they have no character or charisma (I’m talking to you Apollo). And a lot of it is not their fault. The majority of the wrestlers in 205 Live were brought up from the tournament in 2016. That tournament consisted of a bunch of amazing wrestlers from around the world that Triple H’s guys found. But that’s exactly what they were - wrestlers. What a lot of us fail to realize, no matter how much we try to forget it, is that WWE is Sports Entertainment. Give us a reason to care about these performers. Yes, TJP is an amazing wrestler. But he’s very cocky in the ring. For example, when dabs on someone after he does something cool. Give us more of that, but in your promos. Let’s see how cocky you are. And I think if they were in Full Sail, they could go to the Performance Center more often and work on that.

GIVE IT THE “NXT FEEL”: We love NXT for one reason: it’s different. Just enough promos to make us care about the characters. And just enough wrestling to remind us why the hell we love wrestling to begin with. Those matches are always timed perfectly and I don’t know how. Make NXT 205 Live like that! We don’t need long or short matches. Just matches that are timed right. Give 205 Live that “WWE’s biggest secret” feel, like NXT. 

DON’T LIMIT THEM TO 205 LIVE: Just because they’re cruiserweights, doesn’t mean they need to stay on that show. I’d still let the wrestlers be apart of both Raw and Smackdown, but allow them to show up on 205 Live because they wanna show that they’re the best cruiserweight in the WWE. Imagine if Finn Balor showed up on 205 Live just because he wanted to show that he’s the best. He can still stay on Raw and be apart of big feuds, but 205 Live is where the real wrestlers of that size are. Do you know how much legitimacy and prestige that would give the Cruiserweight Championship? It’s like when AJ Styles had already won the NWA World Championship 3 times, but he still had some work that needed to be done in the X Division.

LET WRESTLERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD PARTICIPATE: Yes, I understand there are contracts and all of that involved. But what if 205 Live felt like a show that wasn’t apart of the WWE? It was that show that the best wrestlers 205 pounds and under, from around the world, felt like they needed to be. For example, Marty Scurll is an amazing all-around performer. Seriously has it all. We know him from ROH and New Japan, but he doesn’t forget his British roots and still performs on Defiant Wrestling in the UK. What if he felt like he needed a shot at the wrestlers in 205 Live? He’s only 183 pounds. The Cruiserweight Title shouldn’t feel like a tertiary championship on the Raw show. It should be treated like the title that every wrestler 205 pounds an under needs to have. 

There are more ways that the company could revamp the show, but that’s just a few. However, it really should not die like a lot of people thinks it should. It has a lot of potential. It just needs effort from people in the back. I think the problem within WWE is that they come up with an amazing idea, they get it started, but don’t care to truly finish it. It’s why the UK Championship is still not as hot as it should be. It’s why Talking Smack is not around anymore. And it’s why 205 Live is failing. I just remember when the X Division was the true reason why TNA was succeeding. Nobody cared about Jeff Jarrett’s reign or the WWE rejects that showed up. It was always the X Division. Somewhere they lost sight of that, and now they’re in the position that they’re in. All 205 Live needs is effort. 

[ariyadaivaris]

- awiya get main event ^_^ yippee wahoo happy day !

- why is maverick even in the intro. when was the last time he even competed here. that man showed up to humiliate the kannellises for being right, sabotage his own character arc, and leave. like he hasnt even BEEN here since the last tournament and then it was shifted to an nxt feud. i mean if we're going by guys who are just on nxt and not 205 then half the shots in the intro would have to go but it really just. idk. baffling stuff altogether

- GOTH TONY? this gear is so funny to me there are NO design flourishes just the white block on the back of his kneepads and the tiny logo on his boots. the gear is just Black. its so funney im a big fan of it. SO pathetic. *said affectionately*

- "the tattoos an homage to his passion, the japanese culture" scrunches my face up so hard that it inverts

- tony not having a great day huh!!!

- i HATE to bring attention to anyone looking weird on camera but why is my guy ariya so SOGGY tonight

- OOOOOOOH that was a really smooth kick on ariya's part. he is being SNEAKY tonight!! he is stalking sterling through the grass...he is going for the achilles tendons like a swan does

- ariyaaaaaa <3

- what if he won though. like what if ariya won this match. i think that would be fun i would love if ariya got to win things (he does win things but everyone keeps acting like he doesnt its very irritating! i would love ariya to get a win that shocked people into taking him seriously)

- there IS something cool about ariya and tony both kind of persisting through a stubborn refusal to give up. but also they are the gatekeepers of the division! it would be cool to see them treated as somewhat legitimate! /i/ know they are legitimate because i have been in it for years at this point but like. sometimes going "oh its a big deal this is a big win for x generic punk cruiserweight" rings hollow when its against someone who is treated like kind of a joke! i dont know! tony has the title on his side at least, not that the title has been on 205's side in ages, but ariya...i dont even know WHAT i want. this is probably a roundabout way of going "the guy i like loses all the time :(" and making up reasons why its narratively unsatisfying (which, for the record, i do genuinely believe it is narratively unsatisfying, but i believe that about most of what 205 has done since the soft reboot) but. i mean. i AM sad that he loses all the time lol

[placetobenation]

Well, we asked you the question last week on how long it would take the WWE to break its own Draft rules. Well, it didn’t take long for our answer.

One week!

Just one week into the new landscape of RAW and SmackDown, we get SmackDown stars on RAW that weren’t supposed to be there. Otis, as El Gran Gordo, showed up to help his former Heavy Machinery partner Tucker. The Riott Squad, Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott took part in a fatal-four-way challenge to Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler.

But, in the very same season premiere episode of MNR, we are reminded that Big E can’t be with his New Day teammates due to the draft, so Big E shows up in the ThunderDome crowd to cheer on Kofi Kingston against Sheamus. Mixed messages? Damn straight.

See, that’s the thing about the WWE lately, especially on Monday Night RAW. They EXPECT you to not remember (or care) about the rules and the common sense. Storylines should, at the very least, be able to make sense and have us follow along at home. That’s how we get invested. It’s not that hard. NXT and SmackDown, along with other wrestling companies, understand this. I’m not quite sure why Monday nights don’t work the same way. But, then again, I do. It’s three words: Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

Enough said.

Now, it’s on to the week that was as we head straight to Hell (In A Cell)!

Star of the Week:

Love at first fright.#WWERaw @WWEBrayWyatt @AlexaBliss_WWE pic.twitter.com/on2qkL09H0

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 20, 2020

The Fiend & Alexa Bliss – Just one week in, they’ve taken over Monday nights. And we LOVE IT!

RAW

RESULTS

The Hurt Business defeated RETRIBUTION

AJ Styles defeated Matt Riddle

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka defeated Lana

Non-title WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defeated The Riott Squad, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke and Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans

Kofi Kingston defeated Sheamus

El Gran Gordo (Otis) & Tucker defeated The Miz & John Morrison

Braun Strowman defeated Keith Lee

LOVED IT:

#TheFiend didn't forget.#WWERaw @WWEBrayWyatt @AlexaBliss_WWE pic.twitter.com/WfE0olSIdq

— WWE (@WWE) October 20, 2020

Opening segment(s) – Gotta be honest, I haven’t been a big fan of the RETRIBUTION storyline, but having them mingled between The Hurt Business and The Fiend with Alexa Bliss to open the show Monday night is a chance to give them new life. Granted, having them lose cleanly to The Hurt Business again isn’t helpful, but hopeful it’s just the beginning of the storyline. The Fiend and Alexa Bliss are megastars and having them in multiple segments on Monday nights will make it more watchable. Also, kudos to Mustafa Ali for a well-done promo giving some backstory to RETRIBUTION. It’s something we thought we were getting last week, but good to see they didn’t forget about it entirely.

No #HurtBusiness for @TitusONeilWWE. Just hurt.#WWERaw @fightbobby @The305MVP @Sheltyb803 @CedricAlexander pic.twitter.com/cxNUpwXI3f

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 20, 2020

The Hurt Business – Speaking of the strongest faction going in the WWE right now, The Hurt Business continues to be strong and do what they do best – whatever the hell they want. This week, it’s beating down Titus O’Neill after he wanted to bring his Worldwide brand to THB. THB is starting to remind me of the Four Horsemen, if only Bobby Lashley was the World Champion. And let’s be honest, MVP could outwrestle JJ Dillon any day.

Raise your hand

if #ElGranGordo is your new favorite @WWE Superstar.#WWERaw @tuckerwwe pic.twitter.com/hF1MVkNRWi

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 20, 2020

El Gran Gordo – Yes, I know, having Otis break the one-week old draft rule is worrisome, but I’ll take the entertainment of the storyline over the common sense for now. Having Otis, as El Gran Gordo, don a luchador mask to be Tucker’s tag team partner against The Miz & John Morrison is throwback to the days of the Machines (Andre, Roddy, Hulk, etc.), The Big Yellow Dog (JYD) and The Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes), not to mention Tommy Rich in mask in Atlanta.

Fun – Monday Night RAW has missed some of its fun, comedic elements of late and having El Gran Gordo and The New Day around will help fix that. The New Day can bring levity to any segment and it’s a nice breather in a three-hour long show. Plus, they can still bring it in the ring as the tag team champs. Good to see Big E in the ThunderDome crowd! Again, why can Otis, The Riott Squad and others appear on RAW but Big E can’t? Hmmm…..

Go home segment – Randy Orton’s final segment promo inside of the Hell in a Cell was gripping. As he went through of his HIAC matches with the likes of John Cena, The Undertaker, Daniel Bryan and others, it reminds us how good Orton truly is. One more notch on his belt I think is coming this Sunday to capture his 14th WWE title with a win over current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Great way to end it too with McIntyre cutting his way into the cell and yelling “your ass is mine” to Orton as the final shot of the night. It sets up a MUST-SEE match Sunday night.

Why?

Lana – We told you it was a complete waste last week to have Lana win the Battle Royale to face Asuka and the match proved it. It was a complete waste of time, only there to set up Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and a fatal-four-way tag match. Asuka deserves better than this. It’s like having a non-title match on WWE Challenge back in the day.

Elias – Another concert and another guitar shot. At what point do we get more from Elias than just the singer who gets interrupted gimmick. The ironic thing is that the Jeff Hardy vs. Elias feud could be pretty decent.

Big things to come?

To say this was a HUGE win for @AJStylesOrg would be an understatement. #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/q9FyGwHRc0

— WWE (@WWE) October 20, 2020

AJ gets a bodyguard – Well, it looks like the end of RAW Underground is here (thank God!) as the official bouncer of RU, Omogbehin, is now AJ Styles new bodyguard. It’s more of the old school coming back in 2020 and I like it! It’s so striking the size difference between Styles and Omogbehin. Unfortunately, I don’t think Omogbehin is going to be that good in a ring to ultimately turn on AJ and face him in a match. But then again, one never knows in the WWE world of booking. Very good rematch by the way between Styles and Matt Riddle, who continues to shine win or lose.

Battle of the low blows – Who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? I can’t tell at this point between Braun Strowman and Keith Lee. Both of been tweeners, complete with a couple of low blow spots (look familiar Roman Reigns?). Not quite sure where this one is going or if it’s going to help either guy and just go the way of 50-50 matches for a few weeks. Speaking of 50-50, it was no shock to see Strowman get the win after being submitted, or is it passed out, by Roman Reigns last week on SmackDown.

NXT

RESULTS

Triple Threat Match: Kushida defeated Tommaso Ciampa & The Velveteen Dream

Ember Moon defeated Jessi Kamea

Bronson Reed defeated Austin Theory – twice

Legado Del Fantasma defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jake Atlas & Ashantee “Thee” Adonis

Ever-Rise defeated Drake Maverick & Killian Dain by DQ

Kacy Catanzaro defeated Xia Li

NXT Tag Team Championship Match:  Danny Lorcan & Oney Lorcan defeated Breezango to win the titles

LOVED IT:

𝑲 𝑼 𝑺 𝑯 𝑰 𝑫 𝑨 !@KUSHIDA_0904 gets the better of @NXTCiampa & @DreamWWE on #WWENXT on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/oTpajmfYmy

— WWE (@WWE) October 22, 2020

KUSHIDA – It keeps getting better and better for KUSHIDA. I hope they push it all the way to him vs. Finn Balor for the NXT Championship! Sure, he got a little help from The Velveteen Dream’s armed cast, but a win is a win, especially over Tommaso Ciampa!

*STOPS ON BURIED ALIVE* "WHY DOES THIS WHEEL WANT ME DEAD?!" #WWENXT (via @WWENXT)pic.twitter.com/YIzr9bewFU

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) October 22, 2020

"Spin the wheel, and FEEL the pain." – @ShotziWWE

#HalloweenHavoc #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/2ixrDrIsJv

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) October 22, 2020

Halloween Havoc build – Spin the wheel and feel the pain! Brilliant from your host Shotzi Blackheart. Plus, now we get a Haunted House of Terror match between Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes. Should be a tasty treat come Wednesday night!

Six-man tag – It’s no surprise that they killed it again, but Legado Del Fantasma simply brought it against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jake Atlas and Ashantee “Thee” Adonis. The cruiserweight division is no afterthought with Santos Escobar and his boys at the top. Quality each and every week!

Beat-down to a build-up:

IS THIS FOR REAL?!?

@PatMcAfeeShow is BACK! #WWENXT #NXTTagTitles @ONEYLORCAN @strongstylebrit pic.twitter.com/cj3Zi34NHr

— WWE (@WWE) October 22, 2020

The Undisputed Era/Pat McAfee – Nice twist to the tag team title match between Breezango and TUE. First, Bobby Fish gets beat down. Then, Roderick Strong gets beat up. So, in goes Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch to sub for them. And the mystery man, Pat McAfee gets revenge on Adam Cole & TUE by getting his boys, Lorcan & Burch the tag team gold. Brilliantly done. Never saw it coming! Now while I liked Breezango as entertaining champs, this keeps them in a mix for the titles with a bigger feud and higher profile storyline. It works on every angle.

Friends and foes:

Kacy vs. Xia – When Xia Li needed a match, her one-time friend Kacy Catanzaro stepped up for the fight and to Li’s surprise, beat her. Then, as Li attacked after match, Raquel Gonzalez tore in Li, Catanzaro and Kayden Carter to give her a boost heading into next week’s Halloween Havoc match with Rhea Ripley. A good use of all four, plus Kacy gets a surprise victory.

Bye-bye:

"That's it. I'm done… I QUIT." – @austintheory1 #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/ox4OEwX58P

— WWE (@WWE) October 22, 2020

Austin Theory – Did he really quit after getting beat (twice) by Bronson Reed? Probably not. Probably a re-dux coming.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens & The Street Profits defeated Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Bianca Belair defeated Zelina Vega

Lars Sullivan defeated Short G

Seth Rollins defeated Murphy

LOVED IT:

We will never be equal. Never bite the hand that fed you. #BossoftheCell pic.twitter.com/5ICEaF4N3e

— $asha Banks (@SashaBanksWWE) October 24, 2020

Sasha seals the deal – So, Bayley wouldn’t sign the contract for Hell In A Cell? No worries. Sasha Banks just beat her senseless into submitting to it. Well done as the infamous chair takes center stage once again! I can only imagine the carnage that will come Sunday night inside the Hell In A Cell!

They got you, @WWERomanReigns. #SmackDown #HIAC @HeymanHustle @WWEUsos pic.twitter.com/6rMqaRPuSJ

— WWE (@WWE) October 24, 2020

Double Trouble – Jey Uso brings out Jimmy Uso to try and dupe Roman Reigns. Jey’s physicality gave us a little belief that he could have a chance in the family feud come Sunday. As for the consequences for the I Quit Match inside Hell In A Cell that Roman promised? Reigns puts the family on the line if things don’t fall into line from Uso on Sunday night.

Watch her shine, now!

#SmackDown @BiancaBelairWWE pic.twitter.com/K5T9oZRKn8

— WWE (@WWE) October 24, 2020

Bianca Belair – She’s a superstar folks! Nice start to her SmackDown career with a victory over Zelina Vega.

Didn’t we see that before?

Shorty G is no longer. It's GABLE now, CHAD GABLE. #SmackDown @WWEGable @ScrapDaddyAP pic.twitter.com/qtg9upfXKs

— WWE (@WWE) October 24, 2020

Shorty G – So, Shorty G quits..well, at least he quits his name. He’s back to being Chad Gable again, which is a good thing. Gone is the gimmick that needed to go a long time ago. But, hey, didn’t we just the quit angle on NXT two nights earlier? Seems a little forced but a nice way to put forth another Lars Sullivan squash match to build him up.

Wild and fun:

8-man tag – Anytime you can get the amount of in-ring talent that the opening match gave you – Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens & The Street Profits, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura – it’s going to be good. I like the idea of Owens and Bryan joining forces too to go after the tag titles. Plus, having The Street Profits get the pin makes perfect sense.

ORDER IN THE COURT.

Per Judge @JCLayfield, @otiswwe will battle @mikethemiz this Sunday at #HIAC! The winner will 𝒈𝒆𝒕 and 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 the #MITB contract! #SmackDown @tuckerwwe @TheRealMorrison pic.twitter.com/pb5n9ieoFQ

— WWE (@WWE) October 24, 2020

Court TV – While not as wild as the tag team match to start the night, Otis vs. The Miz inside a courtroom with JBL as Judge and Ron Simmons as bailiff in an APA reunion was some comedic relief for the night. Not only did we get a pay-off from The Miz to win the trial, but we get a pay-off in a match for this Sunday as Otis has to put his Money In The Bank contract on the line against The Miz. But, again with the draft breaking rules with Asuka showing up on SmackDown as a witness. She’s funny, but can’t we just abide by the rules at any point?

Same ol’ story:

Seth vs. Murphy – Different night. Same storyline. Same result. Count me as one who is no longer interested in Murphy vs. Rollins with the Mysterio family as the sidebar. It’s time for Rollins to turn Aalyah or move on.

Parting Shots:

Having Talking Smack follow SmackDown was a nice idea. Probably would’ve been a better idea for WWE Backstage to be in the timeslot back when it started though. If it did, it might still be around. The Paul Heyman segment/shoot about what makes a true Heyman guy was fantastic. So much realism and truth there. No scripts needed and a breath of fresh air. Again, something we thought WWE Backstage was going to more of, but wasn’t.

Hell In A Cell PPV – Updated Card

WWE Championship Hell In A Cell Match: Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton

Universal Championship Hell In A Cell I Quit Match: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso

SmackDown Women’s Championship Hell In A Cell Match: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Money In The Bank Contract Match: Otis vs. The Miz

Jeff Hardy vs. Elias

Predictions: Randy Orton takes his 14th WWE title. Roman Reigns remains at the head of the table. Sasha Banks gets her revenge in the match of the night. Otis keeps his MITB contract. Elias takes part 1 vs. Jeff Hardy.

Coming up this week:

RAW: Hell In A Cell fallout

NXT: Halloween Havoc Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal NXT North American Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal NXT Women’s Championship Match: Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae Haunted House of Terror Match: Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez

SmackDown: Hell In A Cell fallout

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a

Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

[wrestlinghasmelike-blog]

Monday Night Raw Review December 11, 2017

What’s up, everyone!? It’s Monday again, I had half of my finals this morning, and now it’s time for Raw! Here’s my review!

Please let me know what you thought of the show tonight, and what you thought of my review. Any type of feedback is welcome! Thanks so much!

Opening Segment- Samoa Joe

The show opened with Samoa Joe calling out all three members of the Shield, but Roman Reigns was especially on Joe’s list. I love hearing Joe on the mic because he’s good at cutting a promo. He’s always very intimidating and powerful on the mic, and it just works for his character so well. I liked how they had that moment in the back where they showed Seth and Dean watching Joe and they were like, “Go get Roman and show him this.” It was just something I appreciated. I think sometime in the near future we need to see Samoa Joe as a champ again. I think he would be a fighting champ and a damn good one. Roman finally answered Joe’s challenge, and this segment ended with all members of the Shield and the Bar in an all-out brawl, with Samoa Joe hanging his head high. The crowd didn’t seem too impressed with anything until the Shield came out, but hopefully, they wake up later in the night.

Women’s Tag Match- Bayley/Mickie James v. Paige/Mandy Rose

This promises to be a good match! I’m still not over my excitement about Paige being back, it’s been so great to have her back! I think that ABSOLUTION works for Raw, and only Raw. I love Ruby Riott and her squad on Smackdown, don’t get me wrong, but I think if they wanted this, it should have been done a bit differently on both brands. I want Mandy Rose to change up her hear a little bit, though. If you wanna say “Women’s Division” or “Women’s Revolution”, I don’t think that the image she presents says that. She gives me a “Diva’s” vibe, and everyone wants to move past that. While I’m still talking about gear, I thought Bayley looked like a Wild Berry poptart! This match was okay, nothing special or hard-hitting in my eyes to be honest. Bayley had a good leg sweep on the apron on Paige that I thought really gave this match the momentum that it needed, but Paige and Mandy picked up the win in a very heel way, and that was that!

Finn Balor v. Curtis Axel

Hi um yes please don’t call Finn the “first universal champion” if you aren’t gonna give him another shot at the title. I hate seeing Finn in a position like this where he’s wrestling bottom-card guys who don’t help him get anywhere. Finn is a future hall of famer, and he just doesn’t deserve this treatment. (also I sent him a tweet this weekend and he liked it! It wasn’t a retweet, but I’ll take a like!) YOU ALSO DON’T CUT TO COMMERCIAL DURING HIS ENTRANCE WHAT THE FUCK! I did really like how Curtis and Bo were mocking Finn when they came out to the ring, that was cute, and we got a Finn chuckle in the ring! The attack on Finn in the beginning was bogus, I didn’t need that at all. Curtis didn’t look half bad for this being his first match in what feels like years, and that snapmare takedown he had was nice! This match only got like, 6 minutes, which is so not okay. A coup de grace got Finn the win, and that was it. Nothing else. Of course I’m happy to see Finn every week, but he deserves something better. #FinnBalorDeservesBetter

Seth Rollins v. Sheamus

There have been a lot of rumours circulating that Sheamus might have spinal stenosis, which is the same condition that retired Edge and Stone Cold, and I hope that this isn’t the case and that Sheamus is okay. Both of these guys are fantastic wrestlers, and with the right storyline, they could put on a great main event PPV match! During this match, I’m mostly paying attention to the bumps that Sheamus is taking, to see if he’s specifically protecting his neck. It didn’t seem like Sheamus or Seth were being too careful, and he’s getting thrown everywhere in and out of the ring! Sheamus had some really great spots all throughout the match, especially with the axe handle in the beginning, and that cloverleaf submission was beautiful! Seth found his energy again towards the end but quickly lost it because he was selling his leg/knee during the match. Seth found that energy again with a huge superplex and a falcon arrow, but another kickout from Sheamus! Sheamus looked strong the entire match, but Seth picked up his victory with that weird knee strike he does as his finisher? Best wishes to Sheamus as the week goes on, I really hope this rumor isn’t true.

“Second Chance” Fatal Four Way- Cruiserweights

First of all, I am very happy that WWE took a stand against Rich Swann following his arrest for domestic abuse. That is not okay at all, and I’m glad WWE stood by their no tolerance policy. I am hoping that this division can wow me again this week because I’ve been so happy with them lately I love it. Tonight, we get to see Tony Nese, Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, and Davari in a fatal four way to see who faces Drew Gulak next week. Over these past few weeks, I have loved seeing all the fast-paced action that these competitors bring to the ring, and tonight was no different. Cedric and Ali were my favorite ones to watch, but Tony Nese really impressed me tonight as well. Ali had that great popup dropkick in the beginning, and that was the moment that I was really into this match. The athleticism that these competitors showed was amazing, but it did falter in energy for me through the middle of the match. It picked up again when Ali hit that reverse 450 splash, and again when Cedric hit his finisher. Cedric ended up with a second chance victory, and will face Drew Gulak next week to contend for the cruiserweight title.

Cesaro v. Roman Reigns

Another “open-challenge” where we know who’s fighting before the show even starts. I guess this isn’t an open challenge then. I still love Roman’s “fighting champion” schtick and I hope he continues it for a while. Once the bell rang, these guys were ready to start fighting. This match really took awhile to get going, and it didn’t have anything behind it until the ending moments in my opinion. There weren’t many spots before the commercial break, and then when they came back from break, it wasn’t any better! Cesaro had Roman in a lot of holds and arm bars and submissions, which is fine for Cesaro, but it really keeps the momentum low and the crowd uninterested. Roman finally rallied back, and then he did that weird apron kick, and it just didn’t work for me really. The biggest moment for me I think is when Cesaro threw Roman into the ring post shoulder first because it was so loud and so hard-hitting. Cesaro is a great competitor and I feel like this wasn’t his greatest showcase. Roman finished the match with a spear, and retained his title again.

Women’s segment

I wanted this to be Asuka vs. Alicia again! I should’ve known that ABSOLUTION was gonna come out and ruin this. I wish this was an actual match and not a waste of time like it ended up being

Dean Ambrose v. Samoa Joe

I forgot this match was happening because this episode has already been so packed with matches. The opening moments of this match were already better than Roman’s match. Jason Jordan decided to sit on top of the ramp like Joe did last week and Jordan can just go away I’m so done with him. Before the commercial break, Joe hit Dean with an overhead kick, and I think Joe is more athletic than some people think and give him credit for. When the show returns, the crowd doesn’t seem too excited about anything, and it just feels like nothing is happening in this match. Dean slapped Joe in the face, and Joe had the best reaction. The camera keeps going back to Jason and I just don’t wanna see him anymore. Dean brought Joe over the top rope and I thought the way they did that was very cool! Dean also launched himself over the top and collided with Jordan and Joe, which was also great. I’m already predicting that Joe and Jordan will have a match next week and I hope that Joe kills him. Dean ended up being the only member of the Shield that lost tonight, as Joe locked in the clutch. 

Braun v. Kane

The moment in the back with Titus Worldwide and Gallows/Anderson before the match was really funny because Braun just screamed his name and everyone ran away! I don’t super like this match because Big Guy vs. Big Guys isn’t really all that exciting to me, but I think this will prove me wrong because Braun is so athletic and fast. Braun is really pressing Kane tonight, and Braun’s speed is really helping here. I’m surprised Kane went for the chokeslam so fast, but Braun barely kicked out at 2! And Strowman got a chokeslam in on Kane! BOTH MEN WENT THROUGH THE BARRICADE! A DOUBLE COUNT OUT! COULD THIS MEAN THAT ONE MR. FINN BALOR IS OVER AND WILL FACE BROCK NEXT WEEK!? Thank god nothing happened in this match, I did not want to see any more of this.

I didn’t love tonights Raw to be perfectly honest. There wasn’t really a favorite match that I had, and it was just meh. A lot of times, the commentary was more interesting than the matches. I’m hoping with that double DQ tonight, Brock will come by next week and then Finn will come out and challenge him. I guess we’ll have to wait another week!

Thanks for reading!

-Casey

[wwesmutdonedirtcheap]

Two Faced

Prompt: TJ and the reader “can’t stand each other” and end up being forced to share a bed together. Then feelings get confessed. @caramara3

I’m combining with another request for Bad Boy TJ being in love and not telling the reader until she makes the first move saying she shouldn’t want him but she does. After they have sex, TJ admits his feelings. @irishpoetlover

I have written a Seth fic where the two share a bed so I hope I’m able to make this one different. I’m crossing my fingers that I can get my creative mind going.

Again, tags suck.

“What do you mean, you’re booked up?” I leaned over the counter, my face flushing with anger as I stared at the desk clerk.

She looked as enthusiastic to be there as I was. I was sure the overnight shift sucked but that wasn’t my fault. Neither was the fact they had double booked some of our rooms for the night, including mine.

Of course, I didn’t find out all of this until I rolled into the lobby at midnight.

“Ma’m, I am so sorry but there isn’t a single room available for tonight,” the woman lamented, trying her best to appear apologetic.

“What am I supposed to do?” I huffed, tossing my phone onto the counter.

“Since this was our mistake, perhaps the lobby could…”

“What?” I narrowed my eyes at her “I can’t sleep in the lobby. Are you serious?”

“Seems like the only option you’ve got, princess.”

I heard a loud pop of chewing gum and I felt my shoulders tense tighter than they already were.

“Perkins,” TJ walked up beside me.

The clerk, who was around our age, blushed when he smiled at her and hurried through the computer to find his reservation.

“Yes, Mr. Perkins. Room 450,” she slid a card across toward him slowly.

“No Mister,” he winked at her, taking it and shoving it into his back pocket.

“TJ!” I turned around as he started to walk away.

“What?” he laughed sarcastically, spinning his suitcase around to stare at me “What do you want me to do? Give up my room? I got a show to do tomorrow. I need to get some rest.”

“Excuse me?” I stepped toward him, my heels clicking across the tile floor “You aren’t the only one who has a show.”

“You do interviews, sweetheart,” he cocked his chin at me condescendingly “I actually need my energy.”

“Fuck you,” I growled, folding my arms across my chest.

“Yeah, that’s not the way to get me to change my mind,” he scoffed, popping his gum even louder.

Ever since TJ decided he wanted to play Mr. Tough Guy as Neville’s lackey, I wanted to punch him every time I saw him. He used to be so sweet, so polite. Any other night, he would have offered the room up to me. Now, there he stood enjoying the fact that I was most likely going to have to camp out on a pleather sofa in the lobby.

I walked closer to him, until we were practically touching. My eyes bore into his cold ones and I felt my blood boiling.

“I need a bed. You have one.”

“The key word being one,” he smirked “You sayin’ you’re gonna cuddle up all next to me until the sun comes up?"

“Can I sleep in your room or not?” I spat loudly.

The smitten clerk’s eyes were on us and I heard her gasp quietly. When I jerked my head around, she dropped her attention to her keyboard.

“Fine,” he shrugged “It’s a king bed. Won’t even have to be near you.”

“Good,” I grabbed my stuff and followed after him toward the elevator.

“You’ve changed, you know that?” he looked over at me as we waited.

“Me?” I laughed, running my hand through my hair “What about you? Playing lap dog for Neville, like some idiot.”

“You call me that again and you can sleep in this lobby, you hear me?” he rolled his things into the suddenly open elevator.

“Ok, harsh word,” I sighed, following him “But you’re so much better than that.”

“I’m doing what I gotta do,” he chewed obnoxiously on that gum “I wasn’t getting any recognition for my work on the roster. Shit, I’m the fucking winner of the Cruiserweight Classic. You think that meant shit to them?”

“Apparently not,” I fidgeted.

The elevator dinged and we walked out, heading down the hall with our eyes trained looking for the room number.

“How do you think I’ve changed?” I asked, as we both realized it was all the way at the end of the hall.

“You’re just different,” he shrugged “You got this snotty ass way about you now.”

“You’re calling me a snob?” I stopped walking and stared at him.

“I was gonna say prude but snob works too,” he shrugged sharply, hoisting his duffle bag higher on his shoulder.

“Prude?” I shrieked and he reached over, capping his hand over my mouth.

“It’s fucking midnight,” he hissed quietly “Keep your voice down.”

I shoved his hand away and he sighed in annoyance.

“How am I a prude?” I scowled “I want reasons. Give me some. Right now.”

“Fine,” he ran his hands over his face angrily “You stick that microphone in everyone’s face like you’re on CNN or something. You don’t go out with us anymore because you wanna look professional. You walk around like you’re better than everybody…”

“Whoa,” I rolled my eyes as we started walking again “You do the exact same things. I don’t go out with you guys, because I can’t stand Neville. Besides, since you think he has your back, you think you’re untouchable.”

“I am untouchable,” he looked at me with a dead serious expression “No more nice TJ Perkins. I’m in this for me now. Just me.”

We reached the room and clamored inside with our stuff. It was fairly large and the bed was a king like TJ said. I made a line straight to the bathroom and I heard him laugh outside the door.

“What?” I called through it.

“Take your time, princess. Not like anybody else needs to use it.”

“I will!” I shouted back, a smirk of satisfaction on my face.

I took a long shower, on purpose of course. About halfway through washing my hair, the door to the bathroom flew open.

“What the hell are you doing?” I shrieked as I saw TJ through the fogged up glass.

“I gotta piss!” he slammed the toilet seat up.

I groaned and shoved my head under the water.

Thirty minutes later, I came out in my pajamas to find him already changed and glued to his MacBook.

He didn’t have on a shirt. That immediately bothered me. Before he became such an asshole, I had actually had feelings for him. He was so kind and gentle and caring. He always listened to me and asked how I was doing. Back then, I did go out with him and some of the other guys. TJ was big on places with games and go carts. He always got the most tickets when we went to a Dave & Busters. He was so much fun then.

Now he was so serious and so moody.

Staring at him topless with nothing but a pair of plaid pajama pants on, literally made me draw in a sharp breath.

“Finally,” he glanced up from his computer and his gaze held.

I wasn’t sure why. I had on a t-shirt and shorts, nothing sexy or inviting at all.

“What?” I raised a confused eyebrow at him as I sunk down on the bed.

“Nothing,” he shook his head “You just look more like yourself without all that crap on your face.

He was referring to the heavier makeup that Creative had suggested I wear. I was second in the interviewing spot now, next to Renee. I also did all the 205 coverage on my own. They were trying to bump up my appeal I guess.

“Feels good to take it off,” I admitted, rolling my side of the blankets back.

I glanced back over at TJ and saw his war wounds from the night. He always got scratched and bruised on up on his chest when he wrestled. He used to say it was a mark of victory…Now who knew what he said?  We never talked much anymore.

I pulled my own Mac from the bag I had set down by the bed and opened it. The next few minutes were filled with the tapping of keyboards.

“That’s really distracting,” he glanced over at me.

“What?” I asked, not looking up from my email.

“Do you have to type right now?” he popped his gum yet again.

“Yes. Why? Do you?” I started typing faster.

“I have things to do,” he sighed.

“And I don’t?”

He opened his mouth to speak.

“And don’t you dare say because I’m an interviewer that I don’t!” I pointed my finger at him.

He let the cocky grin on his face fade and slammed his Mac shut.

“Go to sleep,” I huffed.

“I can’t with you typing like that,” he folded his arms across his bare chest “What the princess wants…”

“Why are you calling me that?” I sat my own computer down “You never called me that before, you’re being so condescending…What ever has happened to you…Really sucks, you know that?”

He didn’t speak. He just stared straight ahead at the blank television.

“You used to be this really great guy. Someone I really respected,” I continued anyway because I had wanted to say something for months.

He shifted but never looked at me.

“You were my friend. You were supportive. Now you’re just this raging asshole who has absolutely no right to call anyone snotty or changed. Because you are the one whose changed, TJ. And it sucks.”

He let out a deep sigh through his nostrils and leaned back, spitting his gum in the trash can, adjusting his pillows and turning off his bedside lamp.

I sat there, anger building that I couldn’t even get a response from him.

“You have nothing to say?” I turned toward his back “Nothing?”

“I told you, I need my sleep,” he mumbled.

“What happened to you?” I shook my head “What was so wrong with the way you were?”

He sat up angrily, the light going back on and he turned to me with his whole face contorted with frustration.

“I told you what happened. I get no fucking respect in this company. Nobody takes care of you here, you know that? You’ve got to look for your opportunities when you can get them. I saw it. I took it.”

“And changed who you were,” I slid closer to him “Changed who you are for what? To get more air time?”

“To prove a point,” his nose was almost touching mine “To prove that I am the absolute best this division has and they are throwing away opportunity and opportunity to showcase that!”

He was so determined, so fired up and so passionate. It was kind of…hot. Yes, I had crushed on the old TJ and still wanted him back but the way he was being right now was sort of attractive in it’s own way.

“I shouldn’t want this,” I whispered.

“Want what?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“You,” I said barely above a whisper.

“What?” he laughed, as if he didn’t hear me.

“I cared about you TJ. So much. And when you changed…I thought my feelings did…But maybe they didn’t.”

“Wait,” he sat back a little “You had feelings for me?”

“Have, had, I don’t know,” I fumbled nervously “I just…I thought I’d lost our friendship….I know I have.”

“No,” he chewed on the inside of his cheek, propped up on his arm facing me “No, you haven’t…I’ve been really shitty to you.”

“Why?” I turned completely toward him.

“Neville basically has a list of people he associates with…a very short list.”

“And I’m not on it,” my smile fell and I shrugged.

“I guess, I guess I let all that get caught up in my head you know?” he sighed “But I meant what I said. I’m going to show everybody to never doubt me. Never bet against me….I’m sorry about you though…You didn’t deserve it.”

“No, I didn’t,” I whispered with my eyes trained to my hands “Let’s get some sleep.”

I reached for the lamp but I felt his warm hand on my shoulder.

“Which is it?” he asked quietly.

“Which…what?” I shrugged in confusion.

“You did or you do have feelings for me?”

“Does it even matter, TJ?” I shook my head.

“Yeah,” his hand trailed up my shoulder “It kinda does.”

His fingers curled in my wet hair and pulled my face closer.

“Don’t,” I pressed my hands against his firm chest “Don’t play with me right now.”

“I’m not,” a grin came across his face that I recognized “I’m being completely serious.”

His lips hovered in front of mine, our eyes staring intently into each other’s quietly.

“What if…I like calling you princess,” he ran his tongue over his bottom lip “What if…I wanna call you mine someday?”

“Someday?” I closed my eyes nervously.

“Everyday,” he changed it, causing me to open my eyes quickly.

“TJ,” I whispered softly.

“Come here,” he groaned, pulling my mouth the few centimeters it needed to reach his.

His lips were soft as they pressed against mine. Sweet kisses at first, then more hurried. His hands roamed down to trace across my jaw line and before I knew it, he had pulled me over to straddle his lap. His hands moved down my sides and brushed along my hipbones.

“You want me to stop?” he broke his mouth away.

“No,” I shook my head, as a smile spread across his face.

He ran his hands up my back, underneath my t-shirt. I reached down and pulled it over my head. Our mouths met again and this time, he was much more aggressive.

His eager mouth went to my ear, then my neck. He was being very methodical, his open mouth sucking and moaning against each part of me.

“TJ,” I sighed as I started to roll my hips as I sat on top of him.

“You like that?” he gasped against my neck “You want more?”

This was the bad boy side. The TJ that I never thought I wanted…But I did for tonight at least.

He rolled me underneath him and quickly glided his pants off. His dick was up against his stomach and I couldn’t help but stare at him.

“It won’t bite you,” he kidded, his tongue teasing the tip of my nose playfully “Come on…”

I reached my hand down between us, encircling him and he closed his eyes. He rocked forward, rocking his dick up and down between my tightening grip.

“Take my shorts off,” I whispered.

He looked back down at me, his fingers hooking into them and sliding them down to my ankles. I kicked them off my feet and he groaned, lowering his mouth to kiss along my collarbone.

His dick was getting harder, throbbing between my fingers.

“TJ,” I gasped, his mouth sliding down between my breasts.

He moaned, but he didn’t respond, as he ran his tongue all over them while his eyes trained on mine.

“Shit,” I whimpered, my hand going into the back of his hair.

“What is it, princess?” he teased, his hand sliding down to rub across my clit.

“Call me that again, and I’ll…”

I didn’t finish. I couldn’t.

His thumb and forefinger were working a number on my body and I finally released his dick, bucking my hips up against his hand.

“Fuck,” I gasped and he laughed against my ear.

“Not that prude after all,” he licked at the shell of it before moving his mouth to my lips.

“Fuck you,” I bit into his lower lip and he laughed again.

“Shouldn’t have said that,” he smirked, withdrawing his hand.

“TJ!” I snipped quickly, the yearning between my legs now throbbing in agony.

“I got something better,” he ran his tongue over the bite on his lip, before he plunged his dick up inside of me.

“Oh my god,” I gripped his chest, digging my fingers into his skin and leaving my own marks behind.

“Yeah? You like that?” he crashed his pelvis against mine “Hold on, sweetheart.”

He quickly rolled us over again, with me landing on top. His fingers started jerking my hips violently on top of him. I bared down on him, my ass bouncing from my quick movements. He must have noticed, because his hand railed down on it several times.

“Fuck yeah,” he would groan every time he did it.

I stood up off him and he grunted.

“What the fuck?”

Suddenly he realized, I was turning around and I sank down on him, my ass firmly in his face.

His hands immediately started gripping it, rolling the flesh tightly between his rough fingers. I leaned over, squeezing his knees between my hands.

“Ride me, that’s it,” he encouraged me and the sound of his voice, all dominate and commanding, made me even wetter around him.

“Shit!” I squealed sitting back up and propping my hands back on his chest.

I once again, dug my nails into him. This time it was his pecs and he hissed between his teeth.

“Too much for you?” I glanced over my shoulder, biting down on my lip.

“Fuck no,” he laughed, his hands guiding my hips to move quicker.

I felt my body starting to gain momentum and I moaned loudly into the mostly dark room.

“What do you want me to call you?” he asked.

“What?” I gasped, my orgasm rising by the mili-second.

“What should I call you?” he asked again, his voice more hurried.

“Baby,” I whimpered, as I clamped down around him.

He grunted and in a few seconds, his moans met mine. His body shuttered up against my weak one. I dropped down after a minute or two, sliding on my back to cuddle next to him. He reached down, pulling the blanket up over us in the cold room.

“Baby,” he whispered, as his hand danced in my hair and his lips finally landed on the crown of my head.

I nodded sleepily against his shoulder.

“That sounds like I’m your boyfriend,” he tilted my chin up to look at him.

“As long as you don’t act like a raging asshole to me or refuse to play skeeball with me, then we’re good,” I danced my fingers up his chest.

“You suck at skeeball,” he chuckled, grabbing my hand and kissing the knuckles.

“I know,” I smirked “But I like playing with you.”

“Can I tell you something?” he linked his fingers through mine “If you promise it won’t freak you out?”

“Promise,” I whispered hazily against the curve of his smooth chest.

“I love you,” he stated, his voice never faltering.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I felt my heart leap into my throat, but I was trying to remain calm.

“Because I’m an asshole,” he gripped my hand tighter.

“I know that,” I smiled, pulling myself up in the bed “This TJ, I love too…So much…That TJ, the one whose out there every night and goes drinking with Neville…I only like here…In bed.”

He laughed so hard his chest shook and I smiled playfully.

“I’m serious!”

“I know,” he grinned “And baby, you can have the best of both worlds…But just you….Baby.”

I burrowed my face in his side shyly and he ran his hand down my hair.

[bastardnev]

The King and the Prince

*honks la cucuracha horn* HEY GUESS WHO WROTE A FIC FOR A SHIP THAT ISN’T WADE/NEV

for @champnatalya!!

(like to ao3)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Wrestling Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mustafa Ali/Pac | Adrian Neville Characters: Mustafa Ali, Pac | Adrian Neville Additional Tags: Denial of Feelings, nev's a Big Angry Gay Mess, mustafa's a Big Cutie, And a bit of a flirt Summary: A few lighthearted comments from Mustafa causes Neville to rethink how he'd been feeling the past few months.

If someone could kindly remind Neville as to why he agreed to spend the rest of his evening with a group of peasants, then that would be lovely.

He had originally planned on going back to his hotel room after 205 Live went off the air that week, getting some rest before heading off to the next location in the morning, but the rest of the division had other plans. Seeing as everyone was in a good mood, Cedric proposed going out for drinks once the taping was over, and they wanted the King to go with them.

The answer seemed obvious -- of course Neville was going to reject their offer. Why would he want to spend any more time with these guys than he had to? Between Raw and 205 Live, he spent two whole days of his week with them -- two days that he would have rather spent doing literally anything else. Did they really think that they could ask him to tag along with them on their late night adventures and that he would be eager and willing to go?

Then Gallagher went and made an offhand comment about being able to outdrink Neville in a way that 'only a gentleman could'. Nothing made Neville tick quite like snide remarks from the arguably inferior Englishman. Vowing to prove him wrong, Neville finally accepted their invitation, knowing damn well that he would be standing tall in the end just like the last time he and Jack had faced off.

Later, Neville was making his way back to the locker room following his main event match (and successful title defense) against TJP. He was actually in good spirits, having once again proven to the WWE Universe that there was simply no one else on the 'Neville Level' and as such there was no one who was good enough to take him down. And despite his prior hesitation, he was even looking forward to going out, the anticipation of getting yet another victory over Jack causing a devilish smirk to form on his face. He had already won one fight that evening, and nothing was stopping him from winning a second.

Neville pushed the locker room door open and immediately spotted Mustafa sitting at the far end of the room, playing around on his phone. Neville's smirk melted away, and his cocky expression was replaced with the usual annoyed one that he always wore.

Mustafa Ali had made quite a name for himself ever since arriving in WWE, earning a reputation among fans and colleagues as being one of the best high flyers in the company, and his sights were set firmly on the purple strap that could always be seen resting on Neville's shoulder. He had made his title ambitions quite clear, going as far as to tweet him about how it would take a 'Prince' like himself to dethrone the King. There would even be some times during their matches where Neville would knock him down only for him to defiantly stand back up, the fire in his eyes burning even fiercer, the challenging expression on his face unwavering. He had so much passion, ambition.

Neville hated that.

Their issues found their way outside of the ring as well. All it took was one passing glance from Mustafa for Neville's attitude to do complete one-eighty. An unusual feeling would well up inside him, almost as if there were butterflies in his stomach. Sometimes they would accidentally bump into each other in a crowded hallway and it would take a whole ten minutes for Neville to stop shaking. He felt... uneasy in his presence and would much rather be as far away from his as possible.

At the same time, if Mustafa weren't around, then Neville would be wondering where he was, why he wasn't hanging out with the other losers in the division. It was a unique hatred that not even Neville himself fully understood. He wasn't sure if he wanted to.

As Neville washed up in the showers, he toyed with the idea of simply ignoring him, but there was something nagging at him. Was Mustafa going with the rest of the roster to the bar? Would he be watching him obliterate Jack in their drinking contest? Hell, had he even been asked to go in the first place? Neville knew that whenever Mustafa had a match -- even if it was against a local competitor, as was the case that night -- he spent a good amount of time alone as he mentally prepared himself. It was possible that no one had gotten around to inviting him.

The way Neville saw it, he had two options. He could go through with his original plan of ignoring him, believing that if the other cruiserweights were really Mustafa's friends then they would have already told him about the evening's festivities. That, or he could simply ask him about whether or not he'd been invited. If not, then he could make fun of him for having fake friends who didn't truly care about him. The latter seemed more fun.

Neville shut the water off and quickly dried himself before heading over to his bag, digging around for more casual clothes to slip on. It was as he was sliding a t-shirt over his head that he look a look over his shoulder at Mustafa, who was still doing God knows what on his phone. "What, are you too busy screwing around on Twitter to even acknowledge your King?" Neville asked.

Mustafa finally looked up from the device, letting out a sigh through his nose before replying with, "The last time I greeted you when you came in the room, King, you told me to shut up."

"Maybe so." Neville took a seat on one of the benches, clasping his hands together on his lap and hunching forward. "But this time is different. I actually want to speak with you."

"Do you?" He looked a little surprised.

"I want to know what you're doing tonight." Neville smirked. "If you have plans to go anywhere."

"Uh... no, I don't," he admitted. "Why do you want to know?"

Huh. Neville thought. So they didn't ask him. What good friends he has! "How about you accompany your King to the local bar tonight? I'm in the mood for celebratory drinks. Or does someone such as yourself prefer to hole up in his hotel room? Is that more your definition of 'fun'?"

Mustafa's eyebrows raised at Neville's offer, what appeared to be a faint blush growing on his cheeks. Neville couldn't even begin to imagine what he was so bashful about. Then again, he had no way of knowing how the mind of a peasant worked. "Well?" He asked. "Answer me."

"King..." Mustafa let out a little embarrassed chuckle, the sound of his laughter as well as the smile on his face making Neville go a little red himself. What the hell was he laughing at? Was he mocking him?!

"I don't think there's anything particularly funny about this, Ali." Neville scolded him with a cold glare. "You should know better than to disrespect your King. Haven't you learned anything from the last time you did that?" Neville had no problem locking Mustafa in the Rings of Saturn once again if it meant getting him to behave.

"I'm not trying to be disrespectful at all." Mustafa raised his hands self-defensively, his grin having grown wider. "I just think it's funny, that's all. You? Asking me on a date? It's not what I expected."

Neville felt his mouth drop open, the slight shade of pink on his cheeks now having grown full-on crimson. What?! A date?! Mustafa thought that Neville was actually asking him out?! "Don't think so highly of yourself, Ali!" Neville shot up from the bench. "You're not worthy enough to be anything even close to my lover." His fists clenched. "I'm asking you because all of the others are going out tonight."

"So it's not just you? Damn. Here I was thinking I was getting some alone time with the King." Mustafa clicked his tongue, though he offered Neville a wink, which caused him to swallow.

"You had better cut that out--" Neville took a few steps towards Mustafa and abruptly stopped when the locker room door opened, and they both looked to find TJ now standing in the doorway. He looked between the two of them with a puzzled expression, like he wasn't sure what in the world he'd just walked in on. Neville backed away from Mustafa and snatched his bag up, huffing and storming towards the exit.

"I'll see you later, King!" Mustafa called after him. Neville ignored him and rammed into the door with his shoulder, stepping out into the hallway. It was as the door was closing that he overheard TJ mentioning the plans to Mustafa. Just my damn luck. Had I waited a few more minutes, that bullshit could have been completely avoided.

Where the hell did Mustafa get off saying those kinds of things, anyway? Did he really think that he was that important in Neville's life to the point where Neville would actually ask him out on a date? To the point where Neville would actually be interested in being in a relationship with him?

Christ, imagine if the two of them were actually dating? Neville's mind was suddenly flooded with images of the two of them hanging out before the show started, talking about their respective matches, actually being nice to each other. He thought of greeting him with a hug, giving him a good luck kiss, waking up next to him in a hotel bed... The same butterfly feeling that Neville usually got when thinking about Mustafa returned with a vengeance, and when paired with this context, it almost seemed... nice.

NO. Neville's eyes shot open wide, his grip on the handle of his bag growing almost impossibly tight. There was no way in hell that that was what was truly going on. Neville would be damned before he-- before he actually developed feelings for someone like Mustafa. Neville was the King, dammit. He didn't have time for crushes or things of that nature. Someone who was a constant thorn in his side couldn't possibly have worked his way into his heart...

...could he?

[briesbella-blog1]

Ok so your reply re: Finn v baron showed up in the Finn tag. Finn has a problem with his own weight as he has literally been told he is too small to be out there and not in cruiserweight division. Baron pointed out his weight first. Someone can body shame and it not be about being larger. They both were body shaming

i feel like i’m repeating myself at this point. so this is going to be the last thing i say about this topic. 

i know baron said something to finn first, and it was wrong. i have acknowledged that i also am not blaming finn in anyway and have stated that finn’s comment was not the one that bothered me per se. 

i understand, that it sucks for both of them. finn being called small might make him feel inferior and that he has to work harder to prove he has a right to be there, and they sucks because i love finn and i never want him to feel like he doesn’t belong. because he does, and a lot of people love him, support him, and he has fans coming out the wazoo for him and telling him how great he is and a full support of the wwe fans he is well loved and i’m so happy the he got such a pop from the wwe. a lot of people (fans, commentary, interviews) talk about finns health and his body and how he is in peak condition. so to make myself clear, yes i know baron started it, and i know he was wrong to do so, and i feel bad for finn because he didn’t deserve it either. 

but, in my most humble opinion, he also didn’t have to comment back. 

AND i also stated that this encounter literally was not the one that bothered me the most. friendly fire i understand. like i get it, they both could have been joking. i included it in the post as an example to show that it was not an isolated incident for baron. i wasn’t doing it to make an example out of finn, i wasn’t doing it to even make an example out of john cena. i was just including both of them to show that it has happened more than once. i’m not mad at finn, i’m not mad per se at john cena. i’m just upset that it has happened more than once in a short period of time. 

and the reason i made the post was to focus on the fact that it was happening to baron corbin outside of the wwe. i used those two examples because they could have started a ripple effect into the wwe universe where people have seen john cena comment on baron’s weight and it flowed into baron’s twitter and it promoted the acceptance of body shaming. 

okay so to cover my bases:

1.) i’m not blaming finn balor. i love him, and i understand he goes through similar instances as well.

2.) i’m not blaming john cena, i’m just upset he was allowed to say what he said. especially as an advocate against bullying and being a role model for children i feel like he could have made fun of barons hair, or shirt, or anything before making fun of his weight. 

3.) my sole intention was to stand up for baron because it maybe bothered me more personally that he was getting attacked by his bigger size. this is not to say i don’t recognize that smaller people get picked on too.

4.) body shaming as a whole should not be present in the wwe. it makes me uncomfortable and i know it makes others uncomfortable too. 

5.) and to conclude like i did for my last post, i also know that the wwe is not perfect. but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement when something comes up that maybe can be avoided. 

i hope this cleared things up, and this is the last thing i’m going to say on the situation.