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sisterpiranha · 4 years

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What to do when you nemesis gets a boyfriend and doesn't have time for your rivalry anymore?

I woke up today and I couldn't get this idea out of my head. So I had to write it. Also. this is inspired in a post I've read on tumblr some time ago, but I can't find it now. If somebody knows what I'm talking about and has it at hand, let me know!

Also, yes, the first few paragraphs are just exposition. And this is completely self-indulgent and completely not serious. Not really sorry.

Nobody beta this but my own conscience.

Summary: Johnny gets a boyfriend and Daniel's whole world is shaken.

Pairing: Johnny Lawrence/Daniel Larusso (endgame), Johnny Lawrence/omc

Rating: No sex, but there’s some explicit language, I guess.

CHAPTER 1

Six months after Kreese was arrested and Johnny Lawrence got Cobra Kai back, things seemed to have gone back to normal. Daniel still wasn't happy about the other dojo, but he could now at least accept that it wasn't the same toxic place it had been in his youth. And the San Fernando valley was certainly big enough for both.

The two men reached an uneasy truce, that went as far as to refer students to the other dojo when they thought their philosophy was better suited for them.

And sure, he was now divorced, living on his own in an apartment. And he had also become little more than a figurehead in his own business. But it was fine, everything was fine. He was doing what he loved. Amanda and he had agreed to keep the relationship amicable. And his new place was closer to Miyagi-Do. He was, in short, generally happy.

When the date of the All-Valley Karate Championship arrived, Daniel brought most of his older students, but he knew that Sam and Robby were the ones who had the greatest chance of winning. And of course, Cobra Kai had to be there, too. They made its now traditional entrance to the delight of the announcer and the crowd. Johnny's flashy style had made the dojo popular, and, here and there among the audience, you could see people wearing Cobra Kai t-shirts and waving Cobra Kai flags. It made Daniel scoff. He would never debase karate like that just for the sake of merchandising.

Johnny entered after his students, followed by Miguel. The boy, decked in his black gi, moved swiftly on his crutches. He might not be competing, but he was his sensei's right-hand man and, in may ways, the heart of the dojo, so his presence was essential, even if it was just to give support.

Daniel tried to meet Johnny's eyes. He wanted the man to see him rolling his eyes at their flashy behaviour and needless commercialization of karate, but Johnny's eyes were focused on something else. Or rather, on someone else, a tall male someone else. He was standing in the sidelines saying something to Johnny and smiling. Johnny was also smiling and nodding. But the strangest thing of all was that, when the announcer started talking again, the man caressed Johnny's arm before he went to sit with the audience.

Daniel frowned just as Johnny looked in his direction. He couldn't decipher the man's expression, so he just turned his back and went to speak with Sam, deciding to ignore the whole incident.

And once the tournament started, Daniel forgot all about the stranger. He would never admit it out loud, but he loved seeing Johnny so supportive of his students. Win or lose, he'd be there to pat them in the back and give them words of encouragement. He regretted not seeing that sooner, not seeing how hard Johnny tried to do what was best, even if he didn't always go about the right way.

One by one, the students fought, and Daniel couldn't help but feel impressed about their progress. Eventually, Robby took the lead for Miyagi-do and Aisha, for the Cobras. And soon, they were facing each other in the final fight. They were well matched. Robby was a quick fighter with a knack for analysing his rival's style so he could predict their moves. Aisha was not as fast, but she had endurance on her side and an unpredictability that eventually allowed her to come on top.

When the referee raised her arm the whole place erupted in cheers. Robby was graceful in his defeat, he shook her hand and move away to let the celebrating Cobras surround her, and even some members of Miyagi-do joined them.

Daniel smiled at her from a distance, letting her enjoy her moment with her peers. Then he went to talk to Robby. He had fought a good fight and he told him so, but the boy didn't seem too concerned about having lost. He patted him in the back and went to look for Johnny. Robby wasn't the only one who could be grateful in defeat. But what he saw when he found him, stopped him in his tracks.

Johnny and the stranger.

Johnny kissing the stranger.

Johnny kissing the stranger who was a man.

And it wasn't just a friendly peck either, he could swear there was some tongue involved. The stranger's arms were around Johnny's neck, and Johnny's around his waist, their bodies plastered against each other. Daniel was fuming. It was completely obscene and inappropriate to do that in front of children. There must be some rule to forbid this in a public arena. And if there wasn't, maybe he would propose one in the next committee meeting.

He was already mentally drafting the proposal and considering if he could retroactively penalise Johnny when a hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"Dad?"

Sam was standing there, looking at him with concern.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I be ok?"

"You look... mad, what happened?"

"Nothing, well just..." he signalled Johnny and the stranger still going at it.

"What?" She looked behind his back, confused.

"It's disgusting!"

"Dad! They are just kissing!"

"In front of children!"

"Dad, you're not... You know that's normal, right?"

"I know it is! But not in public!"

Sam sighed. Robby appeared behind him.

"What's going on?"

"My dad has just seen Mr Lawrence with his boyfriend."

"His WHAT!?"

"Yeah, he told me Alex might come."

"Alex?"

"He's a lawyer. He helped my dad a lot with my case, and I guess they clicked."

"I think they are cute, your dad looks happy," Sam commented with a smile.

Daniel snorted but say nothing. The image of Johnny kissing that man was still engraved in his mind and it was making him queazy.

"We have to go. Moon is having a party and we need to change. You don't mind, right?"

"No, sure, go ahead."

"Thanks," Sam said kissing his cheek. "See you later!"

Daniel looked at his daughter and student walking away distractedly, as he mentally considered inviting the rest of the committee members to dinner to see if he could get them on board his "code of conduct" idea.

"Larusso."

And suddenly, Johnny was right in front of him. And at least he had the decency of being alone. But his cheeks were flushed and his lips were pink and wet, and Daniel couldn't stop looking at them.

"John," Daniel managed to say, trying to sound as cold and aloof as he could.

"What crawled up your ass? If you're mad about Aisha winning..."

"No, of course not!"

"Then what's happening?"

"What's happening your indecent spectacle back there," he said trying to control his anger and failing.

"My what? We were just kissing!"

"Just kissing?! That wasn't just kissing!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Larusso. I mean, if you don't recognise kissing when you see it, then I'm starting to understand why your wife divorced you," Johnny laughed.

"What did you say?" Daniel took a step forward, ready to pounce.

"Relax! It was just a joke!" Johnny said putting his hands up. "Really, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me. Since when are you gay, anyway?

"I'm not gay."

"Well, the guy sucking your face a moment ago may have something to say about that."

"No, I'm bi. Bisexual. I still like chicks, but I like some cock too if you know what I mean."

"Ugh, you're disgusting."

"I'd have never taken you for a homophobe."

"I'm not a homophobe!"

"You could have fooled me."

"I just don't like seeing children exposed to... that. You better not be doing that in your dojo too!"

"No, don't worry, I don't kiss him in the dojo," Johnny said smiling, "I just suck his dick."

Daniel groaned, which made Johnny laugh.

"I'm serious, Lawrence. I can get you banned from the tournament for indecency."

"Yeah? And what do you think the committee is going to do about you being homophobic?"

"For the last time, I'm not homophobic!"

"Sure, whatever you say, Larusso. I gotta go, my boyfriend is waiting for me outside. We are going to have dinner and then we are going to fuck our brains out, possibly right there in the restaurant."

"You're such a dick."

"At least I'm getting some. I hear all you're getting lately is your right hand. So I better go. I don't want to keep you from your date."

"Go fuck yourself!"

"I already have someone to do it for me!" and with that, Johnny walked away laughing.

Daniel looked around. Everyone else was gone. He wanted to kick something in the face, something blond and cocky. And maybe his boyfriend too. He kicked a balloon hard, but it just floated slowly for a few meters and then came down again. He needed to go to Miyagi-Do and do some katas.

#lawrusso #cobra kai #johnny lawrence #daniel larusso #needed the distraction #back to my bullshit #but I didn't abandoned my other bullshit #I have enough bullshit for both

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movienotesbyzawmer · 3 years

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April 12: Rocky III

(previous notes: Rocky II)

Because now that Rocky has done the unthinkable and become The Champ, we want to see him tackle the next challenge… win AGAIN.

I remember seeing this in the theater with my buddy. I don't know if I liked it. I'm pretty sure I found Mr. T to be as charismatic and as terrifying as they wanted. I'm pretty sure when I bought the ticket I hesitated and asked the cashier, "hey, wait, we get to see him do some variation on the triumphant steps jogging moment, right? Otherwise never mind I'll go see Poltergeist again". If I'm paying good money for boxing sequels, I want to be assured that the formula has not been altered.

Okay let's go.

Once again, this is Un Film De Sylvester Stallone.

Slight variation on the fanfare with the title, now there's a close-up of the Important Belt Buckle Of Punchsport.

Then we see the climax of the previous movie, maybe edited slightly for time. But not very noticeably different.

That segues immediately to a montage of Rocky doing many successful beatup games, scored by the enormous pop hit "Eye of the Tiger". I suspect this isn't the last we'll hear of this number.

The montage morphs into a different story, one starring Mr. T! He's watching Rocky win stuff and he is not pleased. He can also fist-game, it seems. But the montage makes it clear that it is our hero Rocky who is the star of commercial endorsements and marriage love.

I mock but this visionary filmmaker has indeed opened this movie with energetically cinematic choices.

0:8:40 - Arcade games! Paulie goes to an arcade and it is like the arcades I went to when this movie was out and I see games that I played! But Paulie doesn't like the Rocky pinball machine. It seems he is a sore brother-in-law.

Rocky is now very dashing. Paulie is drunk and whiny about how Rocky is such a big shot now, but he has a point about how prettied up he has become.

Later that night Rocky and Adrian are in their bed and it has a rich person headboard. The director, also visibly present in front of the camera, clearly instructed the production designer to create a bed that would reflect the elite level of financial flexibility that the protagonist has reached.

So apparently Rocky has gotten himself into the strange situation where he has to do a charity boxing match against a wrestler played by the increasingly famous Hulk Hogan. I had forgotten that Hulk Hogan is in this movie. Mr. T is watching this match and he looks intensely the same way he only ever does.

Whoa Hulk Hogan is way taller than Sylvester Stallone. Is that allowed? The rules have changed! And this whole thing is not boxing it is wrestling and it is that silliness instead of boxing. This is a long scene that is the same as a typical Wrestlemania thing, all manufactured drama made to seem like fighting and true menace, but at the end we see that they are just professional coworkers and we have all learned a valuable lesson haven't we.

At a statue-unveiling, Rocky announces that he is maybe retiring. MAYBE. But then Mr. T shows up talking smack, and ladies and gentlemen we have ourselves an end-of-Act-One.

As Act Two begins, we have a scene that was an A+ homework assignment for the screenwriting teacher of Rocky III's screenwriter, who you will recall is the craftsman Sylvester Stallone. Burgess Meredith is like "I quit! I won't help you with this fight! Mr. T is too hard to beat!" But then they talk it out to advance past that scripted complication. And now Rocky and Mr. T are training for their fight in their separate worlds.

Speaking of worlds, in the World Of Rocky, the famous theme that was introduced in the score of the first movie is actually known to the characters in this movie as Rocky music. They play it for him publicly to celebrate their pride in his violence accomplishments.

Apollo Creed appears to be retired, but he is a commentator at this Rocky/T fight.

0:40:00 - They're about to do the fight, but Mr. T is so The Way He Is that the wants to fight on the way TO the fight. That results in some tumult that makes BM have health problems. It was vague what happened, it seemed like BM was shoved aside by all the mad/scared/fighting people, so then he has a conversation with Rocky in a back room where he's like, don't stop the fight even though I am suddenly vaguely frail. He sort of clutches his chest like maybe there's a heart attack but just one of those everyday ones. I have those every time I click send on a work email. My friends should not be discouraged from championship fisticuffs when that happens.

This is the first Rocky movie to be made after Raging Bull came out, and I detect some influence in the boxing footage, like with close-ups of Mr. T.

Rocky loses that fight pretty quickly, and maybe the problem is that he didn't do a pre-victory steps jog. But the movie is telling us that BM is dying on a table in the back room and that's the real problem.

BM dies and SS has done some pretty ambitious cry-acting. Then the funeral is in one of those indoor above-ground file-cabinet-style cemeteries, which is not the normal cinematic choice so nice job there.

I can already tell that we're going to have another thirty minutes of a bummed-out Rocky to fill out Act Two before it starts to look like the setup for a fulfilling climax can begin. It's what I would have told him to write if he were my student at the third-rate community college where I'm a part-time screenwriting teacher in this scenario.

Apollo Creed has shown up to try to pep-talk Rocky, and he keeps saying "eye of the tiger" because of marketing departments. But also, he is a more mature person than in the first two movies. Even though it's a character shift, I do kind of buy it. It seems like another side of the character we knew slightly.

0:59:00 - Another scene beginning with dialogue that sounds like it was improvised by people who don't know what real life is like. "Come on you're going to be late to the airport!" "Maybe you should have packed another sweater" "no in California it's not too cold". AHA THEY ARE GOING ON A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA I AM ON TO YOU ROCKY III

When they go to Los Angeles and show us people on the street and the people have been told to look and act super different so that the audience will be like, wow California is different, then, well, we are at this part of Rocky III did you know.

Although there was my earlier expectation that we were going to have a prolonged funereal story arc, but what's happened is that Apollo is invested in training Rocky so they're showing us that side of Apollo, and that's interesting. But also it's the template of "Rocky is training and he doesn't look like he's going to get there, but then inspiration will hit and he will look like he is going to get there". S. Stallone, noted filmmaker, is using montages and flashbacks to show how recent bad news moments for Rocky are haunting him. It is working.

Adrian performs a pep talk monologue for Rocky. I don't understand her point. It's like a box of those refrigerator poetry magnets jumbled up together and spoken as movie script lines. I guess the gist is "don't give up" and he starts to think maybe he shouldn't give up. Then it's a new training montage, and it's got the classic "running far now" Rocky theme so we know it's going well. The twist on the classic cheering-atop-stairs cadence is it's Rocky and Apollo on the beach, and Rocky is a little faster than Apollo and that is great news for them both.

Now we're right before the final fight, and we heard Mr. T tell a reporter that he "pity the fool". I didn't hear the rest of what he said, I was just so happy to hear him say "pity the fool".

Oh but shortly after that he is asked what his prediction is, and he looks at the camera, OUR camera, at US, and says "PAIN". Submitted without comment.

That face-to-face moment right before the fight starts, Mr. T says "imma bust you UP" and Rocky says "go for it". Advanced Scripted Dialogue with Professor Stallone.

The final fight happens, and it's mostly the same as how the other ones went except without a montage summarizing a whole bunch of rounds. I think this whole fight ended in three rounds. But it ends with the exact same music that I'm getting sick of….

BUT! There is a follow-up scene this time! It's some other day later on and Apollo and Rocky are just palling around at the gym. And THEN the movie ends. I feel that the producers must have implored Stallone, artisan that he is, to just end the movie on that climactic moment right after the fight ends, just like the other movies, but he said NO. That is not ENOUGH for a SYLVESTER STALLONE FILM. We will have an additional scene with INCONSEQUENTIAL BANTER. It will last OVER ONE MINUTE. And here we are. Rocky III: it's like Raging Bull, but better!!

I think Talia Shire is the only female actor with any lines in this movie.

One thing that's very much worth saying about this movie is that there is WAY more actual boxing in this movie. The other ones had almost no scenes where there were live boxing matches, but this one had lots. Plus that wrestling one! And as I observed, the directing style with this one also had a newfound sense of visual pop. But the story seems like it changed not at all from how it was described in the first studio board room meeting where jackass producers blurted out what Rocky III might be like.

(next: Rocky IV)

#rocky 3

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keepitmusic · 3 years

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Billionaire Elon musk Made a statement that "California had too much power yet it's Influence in the world yet it's power is warning"

Telsa the most valuable auto- mobile maker is correctly valued at $500bn ( £362bn ).has its headquarters in California. But according to new updates and plans, it seeks to build it's a new factory in Austin.

Elon Musk spaceship company Space X already has some facilities built in Texas

Elon musk also informed the wall street journal that the "two big things that he has gone are the starship development that is taking place at the south of Texas and a new US Telsa factory that is being built. Mr. Elon musk went on to add living and spending time in California wasn't actually a great use of his time.

Remember, in May Elon musk threatened to move Tesla Company from California to Texas after he was engaged in a heated argument with California local officials when he decided to open the factory despite the threat of Covid-19

Elon musk went on Twitter and twittered "Frankly this act is my final straw"

Telsa will now move it's HQ from California to Texas and will immediately withdraw from working and doing any works in California and shall be independent and the Future of how it does it's works shall be different as well.

Republican Senator Ted Cuz should gratitude and welcomed Elon Musk in a Twitter he said "We at Texas love Jobs, and would gladly work with you, we are proud to welcome you as a Texans."

Silicon Valley at the moment is facing a lot of issue for instance there is growing cost of living , in addiction power housing .

Last week, a business-focused tech firm Hewlett Packard Enterprises made a choice to also depart from the premise to settle in Texas as well. Leaving beloved Silicon Valley due to its hostile environment on businesses

Another firm called Palantir which is a leading data tech firm also made a similar decision of moving from Silicon Valley to reside in Coronado, This year.

Mr. Elon Musk, Described California as a Sports team saying, They are good, they get excited, and in their pride, they don't win championships anymore.

"They had been winning for a long time but I guess now they are taking firms for granted" he added.

Moving to Texas Elon Musk might also get some Texas benefits since Texas does not collect income taxes while California collects the highest income taxes in The whole of the United States of America

Last month, Elon Musk become the world's second-richest person when he added $7.2bn to his net worth making him reach $128bn after Telsa shares increased.

The only man that is above Elon Musk when it comes to having more money is Amazon CEO Jeff Bezzo and that's according to the Bloomberg Billionaire index list

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danwhobrowses · 4 years

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AEW: Predicting the Next Champions (from Dec 2020 Onward)

Note: Spoilers for AEW Dynamite ‘Winter is Coming’ 2nd December Show

So Winter Came, and it came for Jon Moxley’s title reign. With a new champion, Kenny Omega’s reign will begin and most likely rule into and potentially beyond the year 2021 - along with what seems to be a budding relationship with IMPACT wrestling as well. At this current point I am expecting all the current champions: Darby, Cage, Young Bucks, and Shida to still be champions come the year’s end. So now is time to determine who will take the title from them? Note: While I am Legitimizing the FTW Championship for these predictions I am not doing predictions for the AEW Diamond Ring since it seems to be an annual trophy thing, the same applies for the Deadly Draw medals.

Potential AEW Trios Championship Prediction: Death Triangle Alternative Options: Jurassic Express, Best Friends & Orange Cassidy or Dark Order This is just an out-there one because there currently is no Trios Championship, but recently Tony Khan has noted that there is the possibility of a Trios Championship being introduced in 2021, and with several stables having 3 members it does look very likely. So for my money, PAC and the Lucha Bros’ faction Death Triangle (or Triángulo de la Muerte) will be the first to claim the gold. Currently a tween faction having feuded with Eddie Kingston and family, Death Triangle is definitely one of the most popular trios stables in AEW, to the point that we’ve anticipated their reunion longer than they’ve been a stable. Also, the Lucha Bros are due a title win, they fell short on the AEW Tag tournament and kinda hovered in the midcard, so they do need this the most. Alternatively, I can see other trios winning with the same appeal. Jurassic Express have been a favourite babyface faction who also seem to lose more than they win, the Best Friends with OC could use their experience to establish a solid reign and the Dark Order’s resurgence and usage of the Freebird Rule could allow them to enable dominance by numbers. While Team FTW and the Inner Circle could also be long shots, FTW have their own title and the Inner Circle, may have other plans for them. One can wish that the Trios Championship could be Intergender to allow more women to wrestle and be involved in factions, could have All-Women trios or mixed Trios but I do doubt so I won’t entertain for now.

FTW Championship Prediction: Cody Rhodes Alternative Options: Eddie Kingston, Lance Archer, ‘Hangman’ Page, Wardlow or Mr. Brodie Lee Recently the FTW Championship has been gaining attention due to Team Tazz’s prolonged feud with Darby Allin overlapping with Cody Rhodes. The rankings do have Cage and Starks very high up without title matches - save for Cage’s Casino Ladder Match victory entitling him to one. In the prior Dynamite, Tazz demanded that the FTW Championship be legitimized, and I feel like this will only happen if it changes hands to Cody. As much as he is talented and has a good head on him, Cody has unfortunately been reluctant to leave a form of spotlight. With the Shaq thing going nowhere like the Tyson thing was with Jericho, Cody making a ‘rise up’ feud with Cage and winning the FTW Championship would be a means to keep Cody in a top billing as he looks to legitimize the title only under his possession. This could also further storyline with Tazz, having ‘Hook’ perhaps side with his father and FTW fight to reclaim their branded title, or even Tazz vacating the title from Cody in stubborn rage. The alternative would be down to who else would have Brian Cage in their corsairs to be a legitimate threat. The FTW Championship this way could be a ‘Big Man’ belt since not many can beat Cage and share the FTW mantra Tazz would allow the belt to change hands for. With that in mind, Archer, Wardlow and Brodie are definitely ‘Big Man’ wrestlers capable of dethroning Cage and Eddie Kingston would definitely be someone who fits the FTW attitude, the man is money after all. Hangman Page would also be a decent shout to further his slow-burn storytelling, having Hangman fall into nihilism with this title, but for it to bring him no joy since this first singles title of his is from an illegitimate championship.

AEW World Tag Team Championship Prediction: Santana & Ortiz (Inner Circle) Alternative Options: FTR, Best Friends or Dark Order It is no easy feat to dethrone the Young Bucks. There’s not much else you can say about that, because of this it is not easy to determine who in the uber talented tag division can usurp them. Acclaimed, TNT, Private Party and Top Flight are not ready and Hybrid 2 are so talented but not in the champion mentality, the Trios Title talk also makes JE and Death Triangle less likely to just go for the tandem title. As a result, I am picking the former LAX to beat the Bucks. While Jericho and Hager seem to be representing the Inner Circle’s tag front right now, I do not think they would be successful to defeat the Bucks, this could trigger Santana and Ortiz to finally get involved. Like the Lucha Bros, despite some stellar matches they have found themselves aimless, so this is a good time to rebuild them to the great tag team we know them to be. With the advantage of the Inner Circle backing them also, it would restore legitimacy to the faction’s name. Other than the Inner Circle, FTR are probably the most likely to usurp the Bucks, I only don’t think they will because as the former holder it’d be a bit of a flip flop. The feud doesn’t need a title after all. Best Friends may not have to team with OC to capture gold, the same way that Dark Order don’t need to go for the Trios to capture gold, the Dark Order’s overness and the fact that the Bucks have taken responsibility for their booking could mean that they will seek to pay off the faction as a whole.

AEW TNT Championship Prediction: MJF Alternative Options: Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy, Ricky Starks, Orange Cassidy or Miro Darby Allin is definitely entertaining as hell, but now he has the test of seeing if he can carry momentum on a weekly TV basis as a champion. I am certainly sure he can do it, but his downfall can easily be putting his body in too much harm’s way, which fits the strategy of MJF. Potentially without the AEW Diamond Ring when his challenge comes around, MJF can certainly profit from being a title holder in year 2 of AEW, his prior snipes at Darby especially before his World Title match against Moxley can fuel his confidence going against him and with the Inner Circle and Wardlow flanking him it can lead to him resorting to cheat tactics for heat and potentially lead to his downfall for when he loses the title, as well as neutralizing the legendary Sting - who I expect to stick around Darby, or at the least have a paternity test - for that extra dose of nuclear heat. Ricky Starks is considered the common alternative right now given their long-term feud, but let’s not forget Sammy Guevara had a great series of matches with Darby in the early days too. Miro right now is in one of AEW’s weaker gimmicks at the moment but a TNT title reign can restore dominance to his character. One possibility we do have to consider though is the heel turn, Darby could easily become consumed with defending his championship by any means, or his challenger obsessed with claiming gold, the former would better suit against opponents like Orange Cassidy - who will then be forced to ‘try’ - or Jungle Boy - who would seek to establish himself as a future world champion and not just an athletic midcarder.

AEW Women’s World Championship Prediction: Britt Baker DMD Alternative Options: Abadon, Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa or Jade Cargill Despite its criticism, I believe that Hikaru Shida’s record-breaking title reign has been for the most part great. Shida herself has made a great fighting champion, calling on all contenders and having very good matches, to the point where we hold Shida matches at a higher standard to others. While I would love to have a strike match between her an a strongly-booked Tay Conti, I don’t think it’ll happen in time for Shida to still be champion, because the Doctor is in. Britt Baker was intended to be the Face of the Women’s Division, but after failing to connect with the crowd she became a revelation as a heel, only to be cut down by injury. In my opinion, AEW have maintained confidence in Shida’s reign because they want Britt to overcome her, likely by snide heel tactics to subdue Shida when she continues a juggernaut run through the division. Bringing a heel champion in will also open the door for more face challengers to shine, including returns for Riho, Statlander and Yuka Sakazaki. Currently Abadon has began to feud with Shida, crossing paths for the first time since Abadon’s only AEW loss against the then-not-champion Shida. Leaning on having the champion face fear, despite the Champion’s insistence that she is not afraid, it is still possible for fear to take over and for Abadon to win the championship, her gimmick definitely stands out and she has a definite following, there is also crossover value for her if AEW link her with or against IMPACT’s Su Yung and/or Rosemary. Other than Abadon, Statlander’s return from injury could start with a Heel turn of her own, allowing Statlander to use her power moves to more intensity, former NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa may also rekindle the rivalry for a second crack. While I’ll admit I’ve not seen Jade Cargill wrestle, if looks are to be judged, Cargill can certainly rule as a smarmy heel champion, and there can be added story with Vickie Guerrero allying with her and guiding her to get personal vengeance on Shida where Nyla failed.

AEW World Championship Prediction: ‘Hangman’ Page Alternative Options: PAC, Brodie Lee or Brian Cage Storytelling doesn’t have to be convoluted to be great, AEW and NXT have proven that with stellar stories even when we knew how it would end. And climbing Adam Page from the gutter to the top is certainly the story one would top off a big PPV or an Anniversary show on. Granted, it’d be a super slow burn, but Omega is certainly a champion you expect to hold ‘Big Platinum’ for a long time, it also serves AEW better to limit the amount of times their main belt changes hands, which I’m sure the EVPs are all well aware of. Kenny’s alliance with Callis can usher in some IMPACT wrestlers to perhaps bolster Kenny’s allies and opponents but for now I feel that AEW should keep their world title at the very list restricted to their roster. Outside of Hangman, PAC definitely has unfinished business with Omega, the Bastard’s talent cannot go amiss and his character has been a proven success in WWE and the Indies as strong titleholder. Brodie may also fit the top title, his feud with Moxley was brief but very entertaining, I would love him to have the same coveting that he did in the Moxley feud, even having Dark Order members carrying the title for him to the ring. The final option so far has to be Brian Cage, in NJPW Kenny had multiple foils; Okada, Tanahashi, but one of the major ones was the ‘Stone Pitbull’ Tomohiro Ishii, a man with plenty of physical similarities to Brian Cage. Cage’s deceptive speed and monster power could prove to be a similar foil to Omega as Ishii had been for him years prior. So yeah, congrats to AEW’s new champion, I wonder how many I’ll get right.

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rabbitcruiser · 3 years

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Back to the Future Day

Back to the Future Part II, released in 1989, starts out set in 1985 where the previous film in the series left off. Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, along with Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, and Jennifer Parker, played by Elisabeth Shue, travel to the future in Doc's DeLorean to save Marty and Jennifer's future children. The date they travel to is October 21, 2015, the date which would become the first "Back to the Future" Day. In the years leading up to the day, photoshopped images appeared online that claimed the day of the DeLorean's twenty-first-century time travel had arrived. But true fans of the film series knew they had to wait until 2015.

Many events were held during the inaugural celebration, some of which raised money for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Screenings of the film or the whole series took place in almost 2,000 theaters on the date and on the following weekend. Similarly, Esquire Network showed the trilogy all day and on the following weekend. We're Going Back was held at filming locations in California, the documentary Back in Time was released, and The Million McFly March was held. Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson appeared on Today, and Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd appeared in character on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The day prior, Universal Pictures re-released the Back to the Future trilogy on DVD and Blu-ray. "Back to the Future" Day has continued to be marked by fans of the film in subsequent years.

When the first "Back to the Future" Day arrived, comparisons were made between what October 21, 2015, looked like, and what the film portrayed it as. There were no flying cars or hoverboards, but there were big-screen televisions and virtual reality goggles. Mr. Fusion was nowhere to be found, and Jaws 19 was not playing in theaters. The film had predicted that the Cubs would win the World Series in 2015, but they didn't. However, they made it to the National League Championship Series that year, one step away from the World Series, and they won the World Series the following year, for the first time since 1908. October 21, 2015, was chosen as the date in the film because it was plausible that the World Series could take place on that date, and in the 1980s it didn't appear that the Cubs would win a World Series anytime soon. In 1988, the year the film was written, the Cubs had gone 77–84. This made 2015 feel like a distant time, a time so far-off that perhaps their victory could be possible then.

How to Observe "Back to the Future" Day

Some ways you could mark the day include:

Watch Back to the Future Part II or the whole trilogy.

Dress up as a character from the Back to the Future films.

See the DeLorean that was used in the films on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Check to see if any events related to the day are taking place near you.

Read a book about the Back to the Future series such as Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History or We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy.

Watch Back in Time.

Explore the official Back to the Future website.

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commenter2 · 4 years

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Changes for Pokémon franchise: 2020 edition (part 2)

This is a continuations of my updated list of things I personally would like to see happen in the future of the Pokémon franchise. The following are a list of ideas I would like to see happen for the Pokémon anime.

Less filler- Even after more then 20 years, the anime still has a problem with filler to a point that you can skip dozens of episodes without missing much. Admittedly from what I’ve seen in Sun & Moon as well as The Pocket Monsters/Galar saga, this hasn’t been as bad, but id thought id still put it here.

It would be great story wise to see the writers try and implement more important events happening in the anime, even if its something small like showing a Pokémon has learned a new move or go over something about the Pokémon universe itself that hasn’t been explored or hasn’t been talked about in awhile like how Pokeballs actually contain Pokémon in them or why evolution happens faster in some Pokémon then others rather then just an episode about helping a character of the day. There are other ideas that can help with filler but Ill explain them in more detail.

Ash and others catching/evolving more Pokémon- It always annoyed me how often the writers have Ash and the other characters meet wild Pokémon yet they never make a character catch it, especially when a characters bonds with it, showed interest it catching it earlier in the episode, or has room on there team for it.

Even when they do catch Pokémon the writers make them stop at the 6 Pokémon limit when its been shown on multiple occasions that characters can rotate there Pokémon whenever they want, only using it on special occasions, mostly championships. Sun and Moon are really guilty of this as they had so many main characters on the show but the writers didn’t make them catch many Pokémon due to how they specialized in certain types but even when there was a chance the writers didn’t act on it.

I can see multiple benefits of having the characters catch more Pokémon then just the usual 5-6 like helping the filler problem, seeing some trainers catch and use types they wouldn’t usually use, like Ash with a poison or dark Pokémon (which would be better then catching another water or grass type), and it can help if a Pokémon is getting a bit boring on the show as they can get a “break” which can save them from being written bad like what the D/P writers did with Ash’s Toterra. Some Pokémon don’t even need to be used much in the series, maybe they are caught just to solve a problem like how Ash caught his Muk or could be used a bit but are used often in another Battle Frontier like series like with Ash’s Phanphy.

Same thing goes for evolutions. I like how the writers have been making more of the character’s Pokémon evolve over the past few generations and I hope to see that happen more in Pocket Monsters, especially if they can evolve a character’s older Pokémon like Ash’s older water Pokémon as Kingler and Greninja are Ash’s only water Pokémon that have evolved over the series.

More recurring characters/antagonist- The Pokémon series has a big problem with the “Character of the Day” plot point but with Pocket Monsters having Ash going through all the known regions I think it would be a great opportunity for the writers to bring back older characters from the past and have them interact or even travel with Ash and Go for a few episodes. They have done this already and it would be great find out what the characters have been up to since Ash last met them and maybe even get a few battles like Ash meeting and battling Gary again for example.

Same for antagonist as though Team Rocket are still enjoyable and made interesting again by there Pokémon dispensing machine, they can still get a bit boring from time to time and when the series does get a new antagonist, usually an evil organization, there only there for a short period of time not enough to get real development hence the need for more recurring threats. Some ideas I have are the return of Pokémon Poachers, Ash getting an unwanted rival who causes unwanted trouble when trying to battle Ash, more Team Rocket members aiding Jessie, James, and Meowth doing crimes or a Pokémon.

Maybe a Pokémon can be an antagonist again. This Pokémon could stalk the gang because the Pokémon is one of the smartest Pokémon around and hates the idea of humans using Pokémon for battles/contest and tries to free them from there trainers or hates Ash or someone in his group cause its friend was caught by one of them and that evil Pokémon tries and save its friend no matter what its friends says to it.

The following are just minor things that I'd be ok seeing

Only give Ash ONE starter Pokémon- I understand why the writers give Ash most if not all of the starter Pokémon but you have to admit that it is kind of a boring cliché.

I mean not only does it limit the new kinds of Pokémon Ash can have on his team but its also kind of unfair in a gaming POV since with the exception of a few games you can’t obtain more then one starter Pokémon, making Ash Ketchum playthroughs more difficult.

It would be nice if similar to Hoenn and Kalos, the writers just give Ash have one starter Pokémon and give the other starters to other characters or even rivals.

Characters catching Pokémon, then befriending them- I can still remember that scene of Misty and Brock roasting Ash for how his Pokémon followed him instead of catching them cause its still happening to this day. It would be nice to see the writers make a character catch a Pokémon (that isn’t a flying Pokémon) then learn to work with it as the series progresses especially if it was something like a starter Pokémon or a popular/strong looking one.

Subtitles for Pokémon- It would be interesting to understand what the Pokémon are actually saying, especially when there are no humans around.

“James’s affectionate Pokémon battle royal” episode idea- If the writers ever decide to make Jessie and James reacquire any of their older Pokémon, then there needs to be a James centered episode about James’s affectionate Pokémon. The idea alone sounds amazing.

The episode could be about how James and his Pokémon like Mime Jr., Carnivine, Inkay, and Mareanie are excited to see James again after being away for so long, especially Mareanie but Mareanie quickly gets jealous of James’s other Pokémon getting close to him (especially Carnivine) till she eventually gets into a fight with them starting a contest to see who likes James the most, but during the contest something happens to James, like he gets kidnaped by a Pokémon that likes him or by his fiancée Jessebelle, and the Pokémon (along with Jessie and Meowth) work together to save him.

Of course in the end James is saved but maybe something happens during the rescue, like Mime Jr.who didn’t participate in the contest evolves into Mr. Mime or James’s Cacnea returns from training knowing more moves and maybe has evolved into Cacturne, I mean who says Ash is the only character who can reacquire older Pokémon ?

This last idea might get me some feedback but just hear me out

“Pikachu’s break from battling” arc- I love Pikachu as much as any other Pokémon fan but you have to admit that when it comes to him battling it can be really predictable and boring due to the same 3-4 moves and that he usually wins his battles. So what if there was a small arc where Pikachu couldn’t battle for a bit ?

Maybe during a battle with a rival or a member of an evil organization, Pikachu gets some of his bones broken and is told by a nurse Joy to not battle for a bit. It has been shown that some injuries (or odd instances) can last for long periods of time for some Pokémon, like that time Ash’s Sceptile couldn’t use any of his moves after evolving.

Though some could see this as a negative thing, it could lead to interesting things happening like Ash learning to fight without using his ace Pokémon, especially in a battle where an electric type would have been useful and it can give Ash (specifically the writers) an excuse to catch another electric type Pokémon, maybe an electric type that unlike Pikachu has close range electric attacks like thunder fang or thunder punch and has long range attacks that aren't electric.

Which of these ideas would you like to see occur in the anime ?

#pokemon #pokemon anime #ash ketchum #anime #nintendo #pikachu

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jrpneblog · 3 years

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Memories, what memories.

Fifty years ago on Saturday I experienced my greatest high watching our famous club. It took place in London on a Beautiful Spring day by the banks of the Thames. More of that later as first we must concentrate on the matters in hand with an excellent win at Coventry last Saturday and the visit of play-off achievers, Barnsley, to Deepdale on Saturday for our final home game of the season. Please God let this be the last home game ever played at Deepdale when no fans will be there to cheer the boys on.

Last Saturday we mathematically made ourselves safe from relegation and by the time Monday had come I was trying to work out if we could make the top half of the league or not if results went our way. North End beat and in form Sky Blues by one goal to nil scored by Captain Alan Browne and I think on the day North End deserved the victory. Coventry play a lovely brand of football and it is a credit to Mark Robins what he has done for them given the almost impossible circumstances surrounding the club. North End won with a stonewall penalty midway through the second half nicely put away by Browne. To be fair we should have had another but thats another story. The win left North End on fifty five points with two games to go and the real fear after the Luton defeat at home had dissipated.

On Saturday we face Barnsley at Deepdale in our final home game of the season. It has been so tough watching the boys on a computer and hopefully this will be the last time. The Tykes have done an excellent job in finishing in the top six and they have proved that money isn't everything in the Championship and their achievement should really give North End some inspiration for the next campaign. This is one of those game that you just cant judge who will do what. Will Frankie try a couple of fringe players with next season in mind or will he stick with his tried and trusted system and try to make his case to get the job full time stronger. With Barnsley you wonder will they try and keep going for fourth place to get the second semi final leg at home of will they rest one or two of the key players for the big play off games that lie ahead. I think it will either be a very boring 0-0 draw or might be a real full bloodied encounter. Lets hope its the latter.

And finally this week:- Indulge me as I take a personal trip down Memory Lane and to an event which now seems a lifetime away. The date is Saturday 1st May 1971 and the venue is Craven Cottage, home of Fulham Football Club, in West London. The game is Fulham v Preston North End and with the home side already promoted the Football league have brought the Third Division trophy to the game to present to Fulham after they have duly won the encounter. For Alan Ball`s Preston there is a chance of automatic promotion as North End sit three points clear of their only rivals, Halifax, with just two games to play (2 points for a win in those days). The equation is quite simple for Preston - win the game and we are promoted back to the second tier at the first attempt after being relegated 12 months earlier by Blackpool at Deepdale. I cried that night as a nine year old and thought the world had ended after my beloved North End had dropped into the third division for the first time ever. Just ten years after Sir Tom had retired and we were down with the also rans. The day started around 5.30am as I excitedly scurried about bursting with anticipation and anxiously asking my Dad was it time to set off for the coach. Fishwicks ran two coaches to the game from Leyland and they were to depart at 7am prompt with the long journey to London ahead of us.Finally the clock ticked round to 6.40 and we set off on the 10 minute walk to Fishwicks to catch the coach that would take us to our destination. London seemed like the other side of the world to me and as we passed Charnock Richard I thought that we must be getting close as we had been on the road for ages. My Dad and my Uncle chatted to the others on the bus as I just looked out of the window hoping to spot a blue motorway sign saying London. We stopped at Keele for half an hour and my excitement grew as there were hundreds of other North End fans on the same pilgrimage. Off we go with the next stop being Watford Gap. Even more North End fans who were singing and shouting and even though we were 90 miles from Fulham the atmosphere was starting to build. Finally I saw a sign “London 44”, we were getting nearer as Lunchtime approached and we hit the North Circular Road to take us towards Hammersmith. It must have taken us half an hour in those days to do the mile and a half from Hammersmith to Craven Cottage as the traffic was horrendous.At last we are there and are met with a buzzing around this famous old ground the likes of which I had never heard before. The crowd was officially recorded at 25,774 but it seemed almost like Wembley on Cup Final day with the chaos and noise around the ground. The queues to get in were massive but my Uncle Charlie could get where water couldn`t get (God rest his soul). Suddenly he burst out - “stay there, Stan” (to my Dad), I will be back in a few minutes. Incredibly he was back in no time with three stand tickets for the Stevenage Road stand right in the middle of the Fulham fans. Most of the North End fans were on the open Putney End but there were pockets of Blue and White all over the place. We are in and as the clock ticks round the teams run out separately at 2.55 with North End playing in Red.The Teams are announced, Fulham first then North End …. Kelly Ross McNab Bird Hawkins Spavin Heppolette Ham Lloyd Spark and Clark, with Dave Wilson as sub. John Gow from Swansea is referee and the game kicks off to a thunderous roar as North End are cheered by about 5,000 fans.The game is cagey but quite open and North End are holding their own kicking towards the Hammersmith End in the first half. Twenty two minutes gone and North End get a corner on the right hand side. Clive Clark jogs over and takes an in-swinger which Norrie Lloyd flicks on to Ricky Heppolette who gives North End the lead with a diving header into the Fulham net. The Putney end goes mad and all round the ground the satellite groups of North End fans are dancing with delight. Fulham counter quickly but Bird and Hawkins see them off like two rocks in the middle of the North End defence. Half time comes and goes as the Preston fans start daring to dream, can we do it against the odds at the home of the league leaders. North End are on the back foot in the second half but only really have one scary moment as Fulham throw everything forward. Five minutes to go, four, three, two, one, “TIMES UP” my Dad announces to the world as half the stand give him a look of disgust. How long will Mr Gow add on as North Ends slender lead remains intact? All eyes on the man in black as the whistle goes to his mouth Yeeessss…….ah No, wait, the whistle hasn`t blown and Fulham have the ball. Suddenly, from nowhere, the long shrill blow of the three whistles and we`ve done it - yes we`ve done it, Preston are back. Alan Ball runs on to the pitch and kisses the turf as the Championship Trophy quickly disappears from out of the stand. The Putney End is going berserk and me and my Dad and my Uncle are hugging each other amid a crowd of home supporters looking slightly mystified as to why the plan has not worked out. The North End players hug and congratulate but its not euphoria just a job done by the late great Alan Ball and his boys. We come down the steps to the stand entrance and our coach is the first one we see among about 60 others the length of Stevenage Road.Its 5.50 before we move an inch but nobody seems to care as the singing goes on and on until we finally make our way back up the M1. By the time we reach Coventry it is well past 8pm but the coach is thirsty and its an ale stop for the adults and pop and crisps for the ten or so kids on the bus who are entertained by a jovial coach driver. Finally we get back to Leyland, it`s Midnight but nobody seems to care as the streets echo to the sound of “Preston, Preston” and the road back to the second division is finally complete. Without actually trying to count them I have probably seen over 2,000 North End games since then but I doubt anything will ever surpass that day in West London and if it was ever in doubt before where my footballing loyalties would lie I knew from that day that me and Preston North End would be together for a lifetime.

JR`s HIGH FIVES

West Ham to beat Burnley 6/5

A £5 Stake returns £11.00 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £209.75 Stake £170.00 percentage profit + 23.4%

Predictions 34 won 19 lost 15

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meekbet-blog · 7 years

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Sportpesa MEGA Jackpot Games Prediction Tips 16th & 17th Dec 2017

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hazyheel · 5 years

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WWE Monday Night Raw 7/15/19 Review

We opened things up with Brock Lesnar coming out, with his newly won Universal Championship and Paul Heyman in tow. Heyman cut the same promo that he has been cutting for a couple years now. He said that he told everyone what would happen, but they refused to believe him. Heyman then announced a Battle Royal, with the top ten wrestlers on both brands, with the winner getting a shot at Brock’s belt. The men were Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Big E, Cesaro, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Bobby Lashley, and Roman Reigns. He said that although any of them could be champion one day, none of them will beat Brock.

Grade: B. Decent promo, we hear it all the time. I was interested in that match a bit though. A smaller battle royal would be very fun, especially with the talent that was involved.

Next up was Ricochet and the Usos vs. Robert Roode and The Revival in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Right when they started, on of the Usos nailed Dawson with a superkick, and then tagged in Ricochet who immediately followed up with the codebreaker, which has been renamed recoil, for the first fall. The heels then got the advantage, working over Jey for just a bit before getting the hot tag to Jimmy. Dawson then got the win back with a flapjack of all things, bringing the score to one apiece. When we came back from commercial, the match was not gonna last much longer, with the Usos taking out the Revival with suicide dives, and then Ricochet hitting Roode with recoil and the 630 Senton for the win.

After the match, The Club all came out to mock him, and Ricochet was having none of it. He just suicide dove onto Styles and layed into him. The heels fought off the babyfaces, beat them down a bit. The Usos gave all of the tag teams superkicks, only for Robert Roode to throw Jimmy out of the ring, and then feed Jay to a shatter machine. They were going to continue the attack, but Ricochet nailed all three with a flying crossbody, but then was taken out with a phenomenal forearm, and then a magic killer from the Good Brothers.

Grade: B-. A high energy match to open the show. Lots of action, with Ricochet continuing to look strong. The post match stuff set up a rematch for Ricochet with Styles, which I definitely want, and it also set up Usos vs. The Revival, which I do not need to see again. Hopefully these feuds develop more soon, especially the Raw Tag team championship feud, because that is so goddamn dull.

Then we had a Viking Raiders match, after so long. They fought some local talent, and utterly murdered them. They did the classic “pulling the shoulders up” move. They won with “the viking experience.”

Grade: B-. Inoffensive squash.

After they recapped the Taker and Roman vs. Shane and McIntyre match, we saw McIntyre challenge Cedric Alexander to a match, and as threatening as he was, Alexander was not having it. He wasn’t scared, and that is a match I need to see.

That match was next, and McIntyre started by lighting his chest up with chops, only for Alexander to quickly heighten the pace. That back and fourth did not last long though, as he started just chucking Alexander around. Alexander was only really getting flurries of offense here and there. However, as McIntyre was about to hit a reverse alabama slam, Cedric locked him in a pinning combination for the shock win.

Grade: C+. Huh, okay then. I’m glad Cedric is getting something here, he is an awesome wrestler, and hopefully they get to actually have a match, but this is probably a placeholder while they decide what to do with McIntyre for Summeslam. But if we get a great match out of it, then I will be happy.

Backstage, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe cut individual promos about their match for later in the night. They mostly said that they would win to get back in the winning conversation.

Roman Reigns had an interview backstage, talking about how he needs to get this win to complete on of the best weeks of his life. I’d actually be fine with this.

And then we had the aforementioned match, Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe. This match had next to no time to get going before Joe won with a crucifix, and then attacked after the match. He tried to get the Coquina clutch, but Balor fought back, hitting the Coup de Gras.

After the match, Balor’s music was hit, but it suddenly cut out. And the lights started to dim, until they went out. When strobe lights came back on, Bray Wyatt had Balor in a sister Abigail, and drilled him with it. Bray was wearing the fiend mask, and looked great.

Grade: C. This was going to be a D until that post match stuff happened. Joe looked kinda weak but got a win, while Balor was strong but lost. Neither was particularly benefitted. But none of that mattered, because the debut was really cool. I loved the lighting, I loved the mask, I loved all of it. Bray Wyatt is back. Hopefully his match with Balor will be better than their matches a few years ago, because if they are good, then this should be an awesome feud.

Then we had Drake Maverick and his wife, checking into a hotel under the name “Mr. and Mrs. 24/7 champion.” They went off to their room after a brief argument about registering their name as that. R-Truth then showed up to ask the front desk if someone named Hornswoggle came in, with a lower case H. But the guy didn’t know who that was.

Then the street profits yelled about how Maverick is a virgin. Then they talked about the women’s elimination match, and Dawkins mentioned how he is in love with Nikki Cross, which was funny. They then made predictions for the battle royal. Okay then, high energy and kinda funny, but ultimately not really worth anything.

Then we had Zack Ryder vs. Mike Kanellis. Before the match, Maria made fun of Mike for being a loser, and she said that she would beat Ryder. He was able to talk her down, and then entered the match himself. Ryder hit the Rough Ryder right away. The announcer even said that he won in under a minute. Maria then insulted Mike for losing, saying that her, not theirs, her unborn child had a better chance than Mike did.

Grade: F. Is it really worth Punishing mike and maria like this? They didn’t know they were pregnant when they signed the contracts, so they are burying them on raw, while they are doing fine on 205 Live. This is just awful.

Next up was another 6-man tag. The Lucha House Party vs. The Club. Styles and Gran Metalik started the match, and the heels just destroyed him to start things off. Metalik and Luke Gallows squared off for a little while, just exchanging huge blows. After a nice little tag combination, they Club all too sweeted, only for Ricochet to run out and attack AJ. There was a wild brawl, and they went to commercial, saying that they would restart the match. When we came back, Lince Durado was in the ring, but he was still on the defensive. He was able to hit a springboard stunner, and get the hot tag to Kalisto. He had a great hot tag, flying around at a million miles an hour. Eventually, all three members of the Lucha House Party hit suicide dives. Kalisto was about to springboard in on Anderson, but Styles distracted him, allowing Gallows and Anderson to hit the boot of doom. They then tagged in Styles for the calf crusher.

He kept the submission on after the match for a little bit, and the heels stood tall.

Grade: B. This was the best thing on the show up until this point. It was a good match with some really fun action. The winners made sense and they showed that the Club are still a very effective team. I have no doubt that Ricochet will fight Styles at Summerslam, but I am uncertain what the Good Brothers will do. Going into the Raw Tag Team title scene would probably be the best use of them going forward. Match of the night

Backstage, Seth Rollins was interviewed about losing the title last night. He said that he has to keep focusing on the future, and it kills him that he isn’t able to hold his belt right now. He briefly mentioned that Becky was not in the building, he said that she would be okay. He said that he would absolutely destroy anyone who is in his way. It was a good promo, he sounded desperate yet badass. Still though, Becky shouldn’t be that injured from the end of days, it is one finishing move. She is a tough girl, she should be fine. Other than that I really liked this.

Then we had a fatal 4-way elimination match for #1 contendership to the Raw Women’s Championship. It was Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss. Nikki Cross was at ringside, as was Becky Lynch. She came out limping, so I guess that finisher is much stronger than we realize. Early on in the actual match, Carmella continuously tried to eliminate Natalya and Naomi. She just kept trying to pin each of them a couple times in a row, to no avail. Bliss hid on the outside for the first few minutes of this match, running in to roll up Carmella for the first elimination. There was an actual commercial break during this match, so I assume everyone just lied around for a few minutes while they were showing commercials. Even after we came back, most of the match was Naomi vs. Natalya, as Bliss was still hiding. Naomi and Natalya had a really good little contest, that was constantly being interrupted by Bliss trying to score a pin. At one point, Naomi went for a split leg moonsault, but Bliss grabbed her leg, allowing Natalya to hit a huge powerbomb, but only a near fall. Nikki was also being funny on the outside, like when Bliss would yell “I know!” at the ref, Nikki would scream at the ref too, in support of her friend. However, despite having some nice action, the crowd chanted “this is awful,” and randomly booed. Natalya then rolled up Naomi for the elimination, leaving just Bliss and Natalya. Just then, Cross grabbed a mic and yelled at the crowd. She told them to cheer for Bliss, which prompted a lot of boos. In the finish, Natalya actually took out Nikki at ringside, and then ran into the ring to lock the sharpshooter in on Alexa for the win.

After the match, Natalya was interviewed in the ring. She tried to give an inspirational speech, but the crowd just wasn’t having it. Becky then got on the mic. Becky told her that there is no way that Natalya could beat her. She said that she has no problem wiping the floor with her. Becky had a weird line saying that she was better in war than love. Natalya then said that she must be a bad lover then, bitch. Natalya then kept up the tough talk, and they had to be separated.

Grade: B. This was a C+ without that promo, but I really liked the promo. Natalya is a new and interesting choice for the spot, its a fresh match that should be good. And Nattie’s mic work here was great. She really held her own against one of the best talkers in the company, which was exciting to see.

Then we had Dolph Ziggler as a guest on Miz TV. Ziggler implied that there were rumors about Miz right away, saying that he is a corporate puppet. Miz took offense to it, but Ziggler continued to push. He said that Miz is no longer trying to be the best, and he also said that Miz became everything he hates. He then said that all he cared about was fortune and fame, just like his wife. So Miz then attacked him.

Grade: D+. If they are setting up a feud between these two, it was a clumsy way to do it. Ziggler basically said that the only reason he came to be on the show was to cause a problem, which is just dumb. Could be a good feud though, their last one was great. Also, Ziggler said that his match with Kevin Owens was “Goldberg Bad” which was funny but also insulting. I guess we have a new feud then.

Then we saw Drake Maverick throwing rose pedals on the bed, while Graves said that he normally needed to pay for stuff like this. Drake said that he was ready for love, stripping off his bathrobe with his 24/7 championship around his waist to block is dick. Suddenly, room service came by, and dropped off champaign while Drake desperately tried to maintain an erection. He then realized that the man dropping off the champaign was the ref, and began looking around for Truth. Truth jumped out from underneath the cart, and try to roll up Maverick, but only for a two count. Then Truth gave him a splash onto the bed and won the belt back. Maverick then chased him away, leaving his wife in bed alone. The segment ended with Graves saying that he would have used the small package.

Grade: B+. This was the highlight of an otherwise boring and monotonous show. This was funny, Maverick was funny, Graves was funny, this belt is really fun. Bummed to see Maverick lose it though. It’s also tougher and tougher to separate him from his 205 Live character.

And in the main event, we had the 10 man battle royal. Big E vs. Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro vs. Randy Orton vs. Braun Strowman vs. Rey Mysterio. Brock Lesnar came out to watch from the stage. Strowman and Lashley started to fight right at the bell, and Corbin nearly eliminated Rollins right away as well. Cesaro ran around the ring for a while and gave just just about everyone a european uppercut. As Cesaro was about to give Big E the big swing, Lashley tackled him and gorilla pressed him out of the ring. Soon after, Strowman eliminated Lashley, and then faced off with Big E. Big E was able to hit Strowman with the big ending, only for Orton to give him an RKO, and then get eliminated by Zayn. Zayn celebrated a little too hard, and ate an RKO then a 619 and an elimination. Reigns then tried to take on Orton, only to eat an RKO and a 619 of his own. Soon after, Corbin elminated Mysterio. At one point, Orton was lying on the outside, leaving Rollins, Strowman and Reigns in the ring with Corbin. So naturally, he got some comeuppance. He ate a huge right from Strowman, a drive by and a superkick before being elminated. Strowman then took on both Reigns and Rollins, and dodged a spear from Reigns, sending him into Rollins. Reigns then desperately tried to pull Strowman out of the ring, so Rollins bodyslammed both of them, leaving just Rollins and Orton. Orton had control here, giving Rollins a rope hung DDT when Rollins refused to be eliminated. However, when we went for the RKO, Rollins was able to hit the curb stomp, and then won the battle royal by eliminating him.

After the match, Paul Heyman mockingly introduced Rollins as the #1 contender. Rollins grabbed a mic of his own, and said that he was only talking to Brock here. He said that he is a man possessed, and he promised that he would beat Brock by stomping his head into the mat. Rollins even challenged Lesnar to a fight right now, which only amounted to Lesnar throwing a chair in the ring.

Grade: B. A fun main event, but not the greatest match. Everyone did their greatest hits and then Rollins won. He was really the best choice, other than maybe Reigns. But at least they didn’t just give Rollins the rematch, he had to earn it. This story is very similar to Rollin’s title chase earlier in the year, so I think they are just trying to recreate that magic. Hopefully we actually get a match out of this though, instead of a low blow at the beginning of Wrestlemania. If it is a match, then I will look forward to it. I’m sure they can put on something good.

Overall Grade: C+

Pros: Heyman Promo; Lucha House Party vs. Club; women’s 4-way; wyatt debut; 24/7 stuff; main event

Cons: Mike Kanellis stuff; miz tv; just generally boring episode.

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fromtheringapron · 6 years

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WWF Royal Rumble 1999

Date: January 24, 1999.

Location: The Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.

Attendance: 14,816.

Commentary: Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler. Shane McMahon joined commentary for match 4.

Results:

1. Big Boss Man defeated Road Dogg.

2. WWF Intercontinental Championship Match: Ken Shamrock (champion) defeated Billy Gunn.

3. WWF European Championship Match: X-Pac (champion) defeated Gangrel.

4. Strap Match for the WWF Women’s Championship: Sable (champion) defeated Luna Vachon (with Shane McMahon).

5. I Quit Match for the WWF Championship: The Rock defeated Mankind (champion) to win the title.

6. Royal Rumble Match: Vince McMahon won the match by lastly eliminating Steve Austin. Other participants included (in order of appearance): Golga, Droz, Edge, Gillberg, Steve Blackman, Dan Severn, Tiger Ali Singh, The Blue Meanie, Mabel, Road Dogg, Gangrel, Kurrgan, Al Snow, Goldust, The Godfather, Kane, Ken Shamrock, Billy Gunn, Test, Big Boss Man, Triple H, Val Venis, X-Pac, Mark Henry, Jeff Jarrett, D’Lo Brown, Owen Hart, and Chyna.

Analysis

The 1999 edition of the Royal Rumble may be one of the most memorable in the history of the event. Let me clarify, mind you, that memorable doesn’t necessarily mean great, as this show is far from it. But few capture the spirit of the Attitude Era quite like this one, for better or worse. The WWF is reaching enormous heights in popularity thanks to its brand of crash TV. The fans in the arenas are submerging under a tidal wave of crass, neon signage. The matches are constantly booked with run-ins and outside interference. Storylines move have more twists and turns than a Mario Kart course. When the product isn’t serious and gritty, it’s campy and oversexed. Everything has the vague feeling of a nu-metal concert. Sure, the era’s success carried on into the early 2000s, but you can’t deny the time period in which this show takes place is smack dab in the middle of the Attitude Era vortex.

And you really can’t acknowledge this time period without mentioning Vince Russo, the man responsible for turning the WWF into a barrage of Jerry Springer theatrics and all the bad taste that comes along with it. Under Russo’s watch, every member of the roster is given a storyline It’s wonderful to learn that, say, Steve Blackman and Dan Severn are feuding or that the J.O.B. Squad and The Brood are feuding. It should be noted, however, that this doesn’t mean every member of the roster is given a good storyline because it’s still Russo at the end of day and there’s going to be content that’s varying degrees of problematic. Still, giving everyone something to do is a great idea and certainly one of the hallmarks of the Attitude Era that WWE should implement today.

On the other hand, one thing is they should not implement today is basically try to stuff an entire episode of Raw into the Royal Rumble match, which is what happens here. As I explained in my ranking of the Rumbles, the match isn’t boring. There’s just so much going on that there isn’t really a lull but, amidst all of that, the actual Rumble feels like the least important thing. Sure, there’s all the intrigue of Austin vs. McMahon at its zenith, but it’s a story so big that it can’t help but overshadow considerable portions of the match. Plus, it leaves the winner options pretty limited. Either Austin wins for the third year in a row, a logical choice but wouldn’t fly in an era that would deliver swerves just to avoid the predictability, or McMahon wins, which everyone would know to be a ruse the instant it happens. Literally anyone else winning would seem out-of-the-blue.

The Royal Rumble undercard, no matter how good it may be, always feels like something to pass the time until we get to the main attraction. This show isn’t an exception to the rule, but it does feature one of the most legitimately brutal contests of its era: the I Quit match between The Rock and Mankind. We, 20 years later, know so much more about the dangers of unprotected chair spots but the late ‘90s was a much different time where wrestlers were upping the ante on risky high spots just to pop a crowd or a TV rating, much to the detriment of their own health. It’s weird how there’s a spot where Mankind gets thrown into an electrical circuit board and people kinda forget about that now. The real spot of the match is Mick Foley is shedding years off his career, and possibly life, by taking a series of legit, unplanned chair shots to the head. It’s hard to watch now, but it’s the rare occasion where an undercard Rumble match may be more remembered than the Rumble itself.

As a whole, Royal Rumble 1999 isn’t the most satisfying Attitude Era show, but it does gives you a good taste of an extremely popular time in wrestling history. Just don’t try to consume the whole thing all at once. For every good idea in the era, there’s a bunch that don’t work, and like Mick Foley on that January night, the WWF doesn’t seem to know when to call it quits.

My Random Notes

Of course, this show’s coverage on the documentary Beyond the Mat is a huge reason why it’s so memorable. Does it get any more real than watching Mick Foley take all those chair shots as his children look on in terror?

This show immediately got me thinking about the WWF Attitude game I had for the Game Boy Color, which I rage quit several times because I never knew how to pin an opponent or get up off the mat.

I had the privilege of watching this show live on pay-per-view and I was so pissed that Mr. McMahon won the Rumble that I swore off wrestling, which only lasted like two seconds because it didn’t stop me from watching WrestleMania XV. Whoops!

Ugh. I also wanted Gangrel to win the European championship so badly and he got so close on that botched pinfall. I was such a mark for him. Heck, I’m still a mark for him.

Oh, and looking back now, I wish Luna Vachon was women’s champ at some point. It’s actually next-level sad that storyline never came full-circle.

Kudos to the dudes in the front row bopping along to the Oddities and The Brood entrance theme. I bet they were delightful at, I’m assuming, the several Korn concerts they attended back in the day.

Imagine being so pathetic that you actually find the time to make a sign that merely says “Sable is Old!” and then wave said sign just so it can be seen in front of a live pay-per-view audience. Some fan was that pathetic on this particular January evening. I mean, wow.

I can’t just not mention the amazing Mr. McMahon training montages leading up to this show. I still quote the whole “I HATE AUSTIN!” thing pretty often.

Terri Runnels accompanies D’Lo Brown to the ring by, um, performing an interpretive dance?!?

You know what? Kane’s character development throughout 1999 is amazing to watch. They did such a good job of making him a more relatable, human character. Easily one of the best parts of the Rumble is when he wrecks shit and receives a major pop for it. For someone whose character is so prone to jokes and truly execrable storylines, it’s great to remember all the times when he’s been, excuse the pun, fire.

On Chyna entering the Rumble: This seems like a fairly minor step forward now in the time of the all-women’s Royal Rumble but for as much as Chyna is thrown in the discussion of trailblazers in the Women’s Revolution, she’s still pretty much on her own level. Sure, there’s all the talk of her as the first woman to do this and that, and rightly so, but nobody has quite thrown up a middle finger to the whole concept of gender quite like Chyna did. No wonder she’s a queer icon.

#royal rumble #attitude era #mick foley #the rock

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danwhobrowses · 4 years

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AEW Full Gear 2020: Review

Didn’t watch it live but I still have the time to review the next day, after the problems All Out faced Full Gear was definitely something fans were hoping won’t repeat the same mistakes, so it’s time to see if it delivered Spoilers for Full Gear of course

The Buy-In Most of the Buy-In was just the video packages save for a MJF and Kingston Family promo (though props to Alex for interviewing the Lucha Bros in Spanish, that was a nice touch), which I feel was a bad move. The promos were of course fantastic but my qualm was the video packages: the packages are on the countdown show anyway, there could’ve been 2 matches at least and a few segments that could’ve set up the TV feuds considering that it was over an hour. NWA Women’s Championship: Serena Deeb (c) def Allysin Kay (Submission via Serenity Lock) A solid pre-show match, Deeb and Kay are crisp given their veteran history. Kay worked on her height and strength while Deeb worked on her yoga-based flexibility. There was a lot of good chain wrestling as you’d expect from the NWA alums, a shift to an Octopus Stretch, Deeb working the Leg with a Dragon Screw and Kay still managing to muscle out of Deeb’s offence. After a Kay salvaged herself from what looked a bit like an elevated Styles Clash with a leg on the rope, Deeb forced her to tap with a Serenity Lock on the worked leg. While the match was fine the intrigue came after when Thunder Rosa wearing all the tassels she could to make Shawn Michaels blush came to the ring to challenge Deeb for a rematch. With Rosa gesturing the AEW ring it is clear that the AEW/NWA partnership and Thunder Rosa’s time with the Elite is far from over.

Main Card Of course with JR coming to commentary the main card is scheduled to begin. Unfortunately, I had been spoiled some results in advance (no thanks to Youtube or the 2 hour PC update that allowed the youtubers to reveal this while I was waiting to update) but a handful were in line to how I predicted them, so it didn’t fully harm the outcome. Don Callis though came out as well, they’ve hinted at it with Kenny but to actually see Don on commentary was definitely a surprise. AEW World Title Contendership Tournament Final Kenny Omega def. ‘Hangman’ Adam Page (Pinfall via One Winged Angel) Omega came out first the same way he’s done all the tournament, the cleaner dancers and the very long-winded braggadocios introduction. Pyro but no cosplay, Omega oozed confidence as proven by his plate as the leader in most victories in AEW. Page however paced towards the ring with nervous energy with the hilarious plate of ‘Focused Yeehaw Man’, less show but still drive, which really perfectly divulges the styles of both men as wrestlers. A snubbed handshake by Page did lead to back and forth, chops and counters as both men anticipated the stylist moves of the other. Hangman took over the early offence with strong moves, big boots, fallaway slams and a superplex did hint at some potential for the Hangman to gain the advantage. But then Omega with a moonsault from a railing put Kenny in control, Kotaro Crusher at 2 and a belated You Can’t Escape (he slipped after the first part but landed the sault after a pause) for 2 as well, then into the usual repertoire, the tope con hilo, the Back Head Missile Dropkick. Both men almost set up a One Winged Angel but then a V Trigger shut down a Buckshot but got bombed on the ramp after a series of counters, another pop-up bomb at 2 for Hangman. Trading blows, a Rolling Elbow was broken even by a V Trigger and then a Tiger Driver at 2 for Kenny. Back and forth as both escaped Suplexes, both hit Rolling Elbows but Hangman then got the clothesline, he lands the deadeye...but does not get the 3. Buckshot reversed to a crucifix but Hangman sits the pin for another 2, Dragon Screw and V-Trigger on the ropes for Kenny gives him the energy to roar back, ducks the vicious swing of the Buckshot and hits 2 V-Triggers, Hangman tries to fight out of the One Winged Angel but the move hits and that’s 3.

Destiny comes true for Omega, he had to fight for it though. Definitely a physical match, the emotional layer didn’t all reflect on the match but Hangman definitely reels in disappointment afterwards, more isolated, more alone, and set to descend to new lows as Omega returns to the main event picture.

Orange Cassidy def. John ‘4′ Silver (Pinfall via Beach Break) Two cult heroes for AEW, Silver on BTE and Cassidy on Dynamite, fighting as a side story to the TNT title picture, JR gets props for calling Silver a “Human Bowling Ball” as both men enter with their respective faction members. Silver continues to play to OC’s jokes as he protests OC’s pockets, before being annoyed by OC’s counter wrestling - especially screaming ‘It doesn’t hurt!’ to OC’s monstrous kicks. Silver literally depockets OC for monster heat - no seriously he rips the pockets out of OC’s jeans! A lot of bravado follows from Silver’s power moves, throws and kicks to keep the heat going. Silver’s power also impressively suplexes out of OC’s swinging DDT attempt but the crowd chants definitely get to Silver as OC counters Silver’s irish whips with some turnbuckle shots, a crossbody and the swinging DDT, Silver though powers back, a one-handed Gorilla press into the ropes, a back head boot as he sets up the Spin Doctor, but then OC gets the headscissors, Michinoku Driver for 2 as the wrestlers at ringside argue the count of 2 or 3 (Heels and Faces kept either side). Silver rolls up OC trying the Orange Punch, counters again but gets hit with the stunner, counters again and lands the Spin Doctor but it’s another 2! Silver motions to homage Mr. Brodie Lee with a discus but it’s dodged into an Orange Punch and Beach Break for 3. Best Friends come to the ring to give the people what they want, the hug with the rainmaker zoom. A nice fun match, it really gave Silver some props to hang with OC as both characters shone through. I was surprised that Dark Order didn’t try to get involved and no post-match stuff. TNT Championship: Darby Allin def Cody Rhodes (c) (via Pinfall) TITLE CHANGE! Allin rode in with a painted car and a half-painted driver before smashing his skateboard (with ‘The New Face of TNT’ emblazoned on it) into the windscreen. Sporting a veiny style of paint, no words are written on him like previous title matches, it’s all business. Cody (using his surname now) rolls in with his grandiose gates and pyro with Brandi beside him before being flanked by all the remaining members of the Nightmare Family - including Gunn Club and Lee Johnson. He’s also promoting a new shirt. Mike Chioda is announced as the Ref for this, giving a bigger fight feel to this title match.

Cody flaunts his strength advantage early on, knowing full well that Darby has never beaten him, but Darby is defiant to his insulting ‘politeness’ and cockiness - slapping Cody in the back of the head to wake the champion up. Encouraged to ‘muscle around’ Darby by Arn, he almost gets baited into a pin, he leaves the ring but gets suicide dived from his back (after a Ricochet-esque moonsault feint), in retaliation Cody just dumps Darby on back first on the ramp, harming Allin’s left elbow. Cody hones in on that injury with wrist locks and stomps, Darby also selling by being unable to use both his hands to pull the heavier opponent with an irish whip and being unable to lock the arm for a backslide - the latter getting him into another submission. Taunting the injury by exclaiming ‘that arm is trash’, Cody doubles down the arm, using it to ground any of Darby’s counter efforts. But every time Darby refuses, Cody grows more frustrated, an avalanche shoulderbreaker and a cross armbreaker attempt selling that Cody is using things outside of his usual moveset, but the missed moonsault gifts Allin a respite. Yoshi Tonic is Darby’s first signs of a rally but he’s shut down by a superkick, Darby pulls off the middle turnbuckle pad resisting Cody’s Cross Rhodes attempt and Cody is dazed by running into it but a rollup is at 2. Assured that he’s in control by Arn, Cody lands an Avalanche Cross Rhodes but Darby’s arm is under the rope, he counters a backpack sleeper by dropping from the turnbuckle which rolls Darby out the ring - Arn demands Darby stay down but he breaks the count. ‘Stay Down’ barks from Arn and Cody from continual powerslams but Darby refuses, even inviting Cody to continue. Frustrated, Cody brings that small white belt to the ring but is told by Chioda to not use it, dropping it behind him, Darby uses it to sweep Cody into a jacknife pin for 2, counters Disaster Kick with a Last Supper for 2, Flip Stunner and Coffin Drop follow, but also 2! Cody tries a Cross Rhodes but Darby counters with a Sunset Pin, Cody sits on him, 2, Darby rolls him, 2, Cody pulls back, 2, Darby rolls again, 3! Post-match, Cody hands Darby the title on one knee as Allin finally claims his first win over Cody and his main prize. Tazz however walks up to promo against the emotional moment as Cage and Starks blindside both men. However, dissension appear when both Starks and Cage both tussle for holding the TNT title, Tazz grabs it and gestures to Darby, with Cage carrying Darby outside of the ringside, Cody tries to fight back but fails, Darby thrown through a set piece and laid on the car he came in, they attempt to slam the door with Darby’s arm in between but Will Hobbs with a chair chases them down. It was a good title match, good narrative throughout. I think the finish could’ve been a bit more spectacular, Cody does seem to exude a Hogan-esque philosophy to losing at times, this one did feel like he wanted the loss to feel like a fluke. Darby’s win is deserved but the FTW shenanigans did dampen it, I expected Tazz and his crew to show during the match but in post-match it just kinda killed some of the wind in Darby’s sails. Interview Segment The Natural Nightmares - instead of backing up Cody - promo against Butcher, Blade and Bunny, specifically Allie for her using of QT to set up their Dynamite match, Dustin reveals that it’s gonna be a ‘Bunkhouse Match’. Dustin is a great promo but I have no idea what a Bunkhouse Match is, plus this is the segment you would see on the Pre Show. The Dynamite card is also revealed with Penta vs Fénix 2 as previously revealed and new match Conti vs Red Velvet. AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) def. Nyla Rose w/ Vickie Guerrero (Pinfall via Knee Strike x4) Nyla rolls up with Vickie Bluetista style with a blue and cyan gear which really didn’t suit, Nyla’s gear has always been a mixed Bag The longest running Women’s Champion adds more colour to her Tifa Lockhart gear, her name plate finally on the belt (as detailed on her youtube channel, the name plate is more difficult to put on given its curved shape). Shida and Nyla are ready to go even before the bell as they trade blows, the Champion putting pressure on Rose with knee strikes and dropkicks but noticeably fails on the lift. Shida keeps her advantage of cutting Nyla down and landing the apron knee while Vickie screeches. The chair launch is cut off by a clothesline from Nyla but her attempts to pull a table is refused, giving Shida the chance to land the chair launch and sending her through the rail. Vickie though blindsides Shida’s knee with a kendo stick, giving the Native Beast the advantage she needs. Nyla uses the underneath frame of the ring to wrench Shida’s knee, then the ring post and a chop block to limit Shida’s use of the Tamashii (formerly called the Tamashii no 3 Count). Nyla continues to hone in on the leg, splashes and single leg crabs, even biting the knee to maintain her advantage. Shida rolls out of the senton and muscles a suplex for 2. The Tamashii is blocked by hitting the injured knee but Shida crossbodies, the knee continues to be the focus as Nyla keeps grasping and dropping Shida on it. My favourite Nyla Move, the Beast Knee is smashed into the injured knee for 2 as Nyla uses her weight against Shida’s injury. The champion pump kicks Nyla to the ramp after some turnbuckle shots for a corner dropkick, then a second in the ring at 2. The leg gives out on the Tamashii again so Nyla can powerbomb but foolishly pulls Shida out of the count, adding insult she lands the Tamashii, but only gets 1! A Back body press gives Shida the energy she needs, an Avalanche Falcon Arrow follows but Shida then breaks the pin, she tries the Tamashii but Vickie psyches her out (it was a botch but not a bad one), Vickie tries to kendo Shida while she’s hoisted and Shida just throws Nyla into Vickie. A half-hearted Falcon Arrow hits 2, Tamashii lands but another 2, second Tamashii and 4 Knee Strikes end the match. Being carried out of the ring by Aubrey, Vickie and Nyla are left in the ring as Guerrero screeches venom at Nyla, slapping the former Women’s Champion as she leaves.

In spite of it’s short build it was a good match, the final section was a little sloppy on the vicious vixens’ part but Shida sold her knee wonderfully. Expected Vickie to have more involvement and the post-match seemed to back out on Nyla turning on Vickie but maybe there’s more tale to tell. As a personal preference I hate when wrestlers willingly break their own pin, especially in a title match, it’s just a daft strategy but it was good to see that Shida’s stock has elevated to the point where she didn’t need the DQ stip to win like she did when she won the title, her early dominance would give her extra confidence and extra heat for who I think will be her usurper, Dr. Britt Baker DMD. Next time though, give Shida and her opponent Dynamite feud building. AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks def FTR (c) (Pinfall via Superkick, Matt to Cash) TITLE CHANGE! With Matt previously cleared to compete, the Bucks strolled up in Black, Yellow and Purple to their usual money rain, but the pomp and confidence is limited, Matt noticeably slower up the ropes as he nurses his ankle. The champions roll up in White jumpsuits with Tully - who the Bucks protest on since he’s banned from ringside due to his prior attacks, he does leave on his own accord. A nice touch from FTR are the star colours; red, blue, yellow and gold, aka tag champs in Raw, Smackdown, NXT and AEW. Mind games of ‘Greatest Tag Team of All Time’ as well also there to get into the Bucks’ heads. Matt was confident to show that his ankle was fine by going first, Cash going for the injury but being out-wrestled to his frustration. FTR’s quick tag action is halted by the Bucks rushing them to a stalemate in 2s. Nick and Dax trade some chain wrestling with again the Bucks frustrating them, the Bucks almost seem to be playing FTR at their own game plan, until Nick is punched in the face. Both teams take to the ring leading to the Bucks doing a Rana into a ground pound on the champs before sending them out of the ring with their patented tandem offence. Dax busts open his hand hitting the ring post after Matt dodged, reeling from the ankle attack, the Bucks relish the opening to equialize on Dax’s hand for catharsis. A bit of a miscommunicated spot followed where Matt’s moonsault was ‘dodged’ by Dax not paying attention, and his throwing Matt into the ropes looked ugly as fuck as Matt nurses his ankle and Dax tags out for Doc Sampson to dress his hand. When he returns he quickly goes for vengeance on the ankle in mostly a same manner as Nyla did to Shida prior. Cash jumps for Nick to pull him away from the Hot Tag which grants Dax the opening for a Superplex but Cash gets knees from the follow-up splash. The hot tag again thwarted after Cash hit the railing but Dax throws him in ring to tag in, the two men stand between the brothers as Cash flies over the ring post to the floor and Dax is baited into the DDT, Nick storms into the hot tag, wriggling out of FTR’s grapples with kicks and the dual clothesline/bulldog but is eventually caught by FTR who land the Hart Attack. Nick regains advantage with a Cheeky Nandos Kick when FTR were setting up the Powerplex, blind tags Matt who spears the baited Cash and gets a knee in the face, but it’s only 2. Matt’s involvement leads to the knee giving out on a lift, leading to an Electric Chair bulldog combo from FTR, they go for Goodnight Express but Matt superkicks Cash, then Dax, Cash rolls out of ring leaving Dax alone to the Bucks, 3-D! Twist of Fate! Swanton! 2! Lovely homage to the tag team greats. Superkick Party is called, but Cash sweeps Matt’s ankle and Nick gets a rebound powerbomb, but Matt is legal and get 2 on a sneaky pin. Dax gets overzealous with the Dusty Punches and uses his injured hand, but Matt also gets overzealous and uses his bad ankle, both men use their injured limbs for a punch/superkick trade-off, but Dax beheads Matt with a lariat. Homaging DIY they meet in the middle but only get 2, they try the Spike Piledriver but Nick throws Cash off, a tandem move and a swanton onto the ramp leaves Matt room to use a Sharpshooter on Dax, Dax gets to the rope but Nick superkicks the injured hand before Sharpshooter on Cash, FTR clutch each other’s hands but get pulled away but Matt’s ankle gives out to continue the hold. Matt pulls a finger break on Dax’s injured hand (an awkward spot given the scrutiny Marty Scurll is under right now with the SpeakingOut movement) leading to the BTE Trigger, but Cash cannons himself to break the pin. Matt brings out the chair but it’s not legal, Dax goads Matt to hit him but Nick tells him not to, Matt relents and sets up the Meltzer Driver but Cash grabs Nick for a Powerbomb through a ringside table, a very well done twist by Dax leads to the Spike Piledriver but the leg Cash hooks drops onto the rope. Furious, Cash takes Matt’s shoe off, leglock and stomp leads to an inverted Figure Four and ankle lock, but Nick is rising and Cash sees it! He tries the suicide dive but Nick ducks it, breaks the submission with a 450 but Matt only gets 2. Cash superkicks Nick out of the ring, gesturing Two Sweets to Matt before another superkick, but Cash keeps looking at the top rope, he misses the 450 and Matt hits the unbooted Superkick for 3. Kenny came to congratulate the Bucks afterwards as Hangman hovered by the tunnel - wanting to congratulate his friends but still feeling isolated. This is one where I would’ve benefitted not being spoiled, but thumbnails are a bitch. With the narrative that Bucks needed to win to keep on competing and were already at a disadvantage definitely sold the stage to be for Matt to shine. Personally I thought time would run out and there would be some semantic fenagling but it was clean as a whistle. A great match as well, definitely delivered on its build, FTR definitely lacked the presence of Tully to keep their heads in the game in a narrative sense, it’s a shame their tag reign was short but the story has always led to this moment, there was no way Cody AND the Bucks would not be able to challenge for their main titles. I would have one criticism though, the early stages of the match did feel like it was just 1v1s, the tag match needed more tag team offence. Elite Deletion: Matt Hardy def Sammy Guevara (DELETION via Pinfall) The cameras shift to North Carolina where Sammy rides ominously on a golf cart to the Hardy Compound, but Matt also seems to be sorting out business on the phone saying that Sammy’s on his way - fearing that he may need backup if the numbers go against him. Neo 1 confronts Sammy, providing a hologram of Matt welcoming him to the compound and disabling the golf cart. Having crushed a toy monster truck on the way in, Sammy’s face drops at the revving of a full sized monster truck next to him helmed by BROKEN Matt, who flattens the cart before exclaiming that the act was ‘orgasmic’ and ‘now that was a squash job’. Setting the zany tone, Sammy goes all around the truck and hits Matt with a trash can to begin the match. Moonsault off the Truck’s tire as he hammers Matt across the woods. Commentary kinda took you out of it as they tried to fill the silence with their ‘state the obvious’ as the fight sprawled to the front lawn. Sammy doing some great taunts such as saying ‘it’s my house now, daddy’s home!’ and trying to drown Matt in the fountain but Matt grabs the ‘Scepter of Mephistopheles’ to hit Sammy with, missing only the headshot as they go to a backyard ring. As Matt reminds Sammy that he asked for this, Sammy takes advantage with the ring work until a Side Effect is hit and a powerbomb through the table. The pin however is broken by Santana and Ortiz, who double on Matt. Through a walkie talkie though Private Party are called for support to negate the former LAX - though Matt gets hit by a Street Sweeper and a Twist of Fate in the meantime. ‘Roman Candles’ are next on Matt’s mind as he and Sammy both grab a few to fire at each other while PP and Santana & Ortiz tussle in the ring, PP using some of the patented offence of the Hardy Boyz. The latest ‘Sammy Run Away’ meme appears as Sammy is chased by fireworks before slipping in some mud, flattened by a Twist of Fate. As Matt prepares to throw Sammy into the Lake of Reincarnation, a Gangrel (yes, Gangrel! From the Brood) threatens The Hurricane (yes, Shane Helms, the Hurricane) as a hostage, claiming that Matt never gave him any loyalty while in the Brood, PP arrive to help free the superhero, who asked why it took 2 years - leading to Hardy to funnily quip ‘I’m sorry, long-term storytelling, I had to go to AEW just to finish this’ leading to Hurricane’s famous catchphrase. Hurricane almost gets Sammy with a chokeslam but he throws him in the lake, saying ‘What’s a Hero to a God? A Spanish God’ before trying to throw Matt in. Shane Helms the reporter then comes in, asking if the feud is cursed, but he gets thrown in too (this one seen as he flails around the shallows). Hurricane reemerges to help PP fight Santana, Ortiz and Gangrel but Santana saves Sammy by hitting Hardy with a pipe as the two wander into the darkness of the woods, the heel allies in control as they follow. Sammy stalks Hardy with a hammer with his friends also in view, but Hardy calls for Skarsgard, Sammy quickly rolling out of the way from the dilapidated boat’s all-or-nothing dive, Neo 1 is also in sight though, and Hardy commands him to lock Hardy and Sammy inside the ‘dome of deletion’, locking Sammy’s allies out. A ring, tables, ladders, chairs, mowers of lawns, wheels of chairs, a pram, a casket, the dome has it all, but Sammy instead unhooks the ropes to hit Hardy with the Turnbuckle bars, choking him with the middle rope. Sammy lays Matt on a Table near a ladder as high as the roof, landing the swanton but only gets 2. Hardy gets a Twist of Fate which seems to hurt his neck, Hardy then spears him into tables outside the ring, where we see Sammy with a small blood pool behind his head (a worked one, the camera angle on the dive ensured you didn’t see the concrete so it was definitely safe) Sammy struggles to stand as Hardy sets up a chair, hitting him on the head with the edge like his legit injury, telling Sammy ‘You made me what I am’ he cracks Sammy with a Con-Chair-To for the pin. After the match, Matt calls Private Party in to ‘take out the trash’, putting Sammy in a wheelie bin, a cut to the outside allows Sammy to be swapped out for kayfabe, as the bin’s loaded into the back of Senor Benjamin’s truck (Benjamin getting a huge pop) as Reby ends the match playing the piano to some highlights.Matt, PP, Skarsgard, Reby and Hurricane then celebrate to fireworks. As cinematic matches go it was good for ending the feud and continuing the Hardy Compound narrative, commentary did sometimes take you out of it and there were less supernatural stuff going on in this one, it was more found footage than the usual cinematic Deletion matches, but lots of quips, lots of fourth wall winks and both men did really well, can’t complain. Intermission Promo After the deletion match, commentary is told about Lance Archer being on a rampage backstage, which leads to a promo by Jake and Lance as he is wasting some jobber against the wall. Jake notes how they are tired of training and that they’re demanding that someone stand up to Archer, Archer waxes lyrical about his intent to break everyone in AEW because Everybody Dies. Archer’s promo game continues to be on the up, which will make you wonder about how long can the Snake coil around him? Right to Join Inner Circle: MJF def. Chris Jericho (Pinfall via Roll-Up) MJF claimed that he would do ANYTHING to beat Jericho, he began with the mind games by doing the Y2J pose in a fairy light robe, getting the fake pop from the fans who were expecting the Demo God. Jericho does get the pop by cutting MJF’s music short in a skull-themed spiked jacket as Diamante wins the ‘Incoherent Judasing’ moment of the night using Ivelisse’s hand as a mic. The chorus of Judas echoing as the limited crowd echo the arena to Jericho’s subdued delight. Sparing a thought for Aubrey though, who has to call this match despite both of them hating her XD MJF tries to start by feeding from the crowd, but the crowd only boo him and cheer Jericho, he gestures to a handshake amidst ‘You Suck’ chants but Jericho slaps him instead. Jericho held an early advantage but MJF got some advantage with a few clotheslines, but his adversity to the crowd once again gives away the advantage. Jericho pulls his camera middle finger spot after powerslamming him on the outside (shout out to KiLynn King as well for all her crowd enthusiasm). Dodging a Judas Effect leads to an injured arm to Jericho after his elbow hit the very busy today ring post, which he focuses on since it’s key for his Salt of the Earth, biting (which has also had a busy night) also ensues between both men but MJF capitalises on his counters and submissions. The heel nature comes out in Jericho with an eye poke, shoulder barges and a lionsault fire up the crowd and a Frankensteiner turning back the clock. MJF though returns to the arm with that double stomp while Jericho’s holding the rope, shoving the veteran as he spouts insults at him, a back and forth leads to MJF locking in the Salt of the Earth on the injured arm but Jericho shifts him into the Walls of Jericho as MJF chews the crawl to the rope. Aubrey’s enmity of both men comes into play when MJF uses her to shield him from Jericho’s kicks, a failed Heatseeker leads to a mid-rope Codebreaker instead from MJF, followed by a successful Heatseeker for 2. He tries the Lionsault but lands on his feet, and instead gets hit with Jericho’s Codebreaker for 2 as well. An Inside Cradle for 2 leads to Jericho trying the Judas Effect, but MJF catches it and cinches in the Salt of the Earth, but Jericho makes it to the ropes. Wardlow was noticeable absent from ringside at the start, having left after MJF’s entrance, but he was called to the ring by MJF to give him the Diamond Ring, his presence distracting Aubrey, MJF misses though and Jake Hager (who was also noticeably absent from the Elite Deletion) reveals himself on the other side throwing the Painmaker Bat to Jericho, Jericho winds up but MJF gives him the finger and drops Eddie Guerrero style. Aubrey turns to see the supposed outcome leading to Jericho turning his back, roll-up by MJF with a handful of tights gives him the win and membership.

Post-Match, Jericho cuts the music as MJF offers a handshake again, Jericho though this time takes it, hugs him and welcomes him and Wardlow to the Inner Circle. Wardlow holds the ropes for MJF, MJF holds the ropes for Jericho but nobody holds the ropes for Hager - who continues to stare off with Hager.

As a wrestling match it was good, for the situation I felt it was a little underwhelming. MJF said he’d do anything but we didn’t see anything outside of his usual tricks. Narratively it works to see MJF and Jericho stick together and we can only wait and see what stories will come out of it. AEW Revolution promo & Best Friends Interview The first PPV of next year is hyped for a February 27th showing. Dasha interviews Orange Cassidy asking his thoughts on his win, OC replies that he ‘has no thoughts’. Miro, Kip and Penelope however roll up as Kip demands an apology from OC for almost putting Penelope in harm’s way during a prior Dynamite. OC does apologise but Kip slaps him, saying that it wasn’t good enough, OC stops the Best Friends about to jump Miro and Kip and says ‘cool’ before walking away.

AEW World Championship ‘I Quit’ Match: Jon Moxley (c) def. Eddie Kingston (Kingston quits via Barbed Wire Bulldog Choke) Kingston rolled up in a shirt saying something that cameras failed to highlight despite his gesturing, (commentary later reveal that it was in homage to the late Tracey Smothers who recently passed away) his eyes like vengeance. Moxley struts in a Goldberg-esque entrance without the security, once again coming from the side of the stadium - this time no dumbass fan trying to charge him. Kingston stares daggers and shouts bloody murder at him during his entrance as Mox tries to get in his groove. Bryce Remsburg is also reffing this match, adding the personal level since Eddie revealed after his last Moxley match that the three go back.

Moxley got the first part of the venom, hammering punches until Kingston got to his knees, chops were traded as Moxley tried a takedown, only to get his ear bitten (biting man...) by Kingston. Slap trades follow as Kingston works on throws and cutting Moxley at the legs, Moxley hitting a tope when Kingston went to get a chair. Moxley then twists Kingston’s fingers key to his finisher, a suplex on concrete leads to the first ask but Kingston refuses, a Crossface/Bulldog Choke is countered by Kingston biting the arm. Throwing 2 chairs into the ring, a busted Moxley retaliates with the Barbed Wire Bat before kicking down the chair setup. Eddie also is busted in the mouth, then the forehead when the bat is pressed against his head - Moxley claiming that he ‘don’t wanna do this’. Kingston disarms Moxley with some Backdrops and throws a chair at Moxley, Moxley then gouges both eyes of Kingston but the Mad King throttles him. A small botch at Kingston was meant to drop Mox on the bat was rectified with more chair shots, Kingston hurts himself by wrapping barbed wire over his hand to pound into Moxley as he laughs maniacally, Uranken and a Kimura follows so Moxley has to break the hold the best way to hurt someone at Full Gear - Bite Him! Kingston restores the chair layout he had before, setting up for a suplex, Mox swaps though and lands Kingston on the flat of one chair. Kingston clotheslines Moxley to get time to get a black bag, which JR quips ‘well, it’s not a bag of chocolate’ - I mean you don’t know that JR! But alas, it wasn’t, it was your traditional thumbtacks, those silver hershey’s kisses (so hey it is a bag of chocolate), after trading suplexes Moxley snaps a vicious clothesline all away from the tacks, Moxley tries a Paradigm Shift on the tacks but Kingston does a twisting Urinage, planting him back first into the tacks - half on the elbow, half on the back. Kingston returns to the Rubbing Alcohol from Doc Sampson’s desk after learning that Moxley didn’t quit, low blows hurt Moxley but the champion only gives him the finger, Eddie then uses the alcohol on the punctured back (which I said at the same time as commentary). Kingston again hurts himself punching Mox with a handful of tacks, he goes for the barbed wire a second time but again changes his mind, going for the Bulldog Choke, Mox refuses still, with thumbtacks still in his head as Kingston lays in on the head shots, he dodges a knee and hooks in the Rear Naked Choke, turns him into the Suzuki Piledriver and then the Bulldog Choke, knowing that Kingston needs to be conscious Moxley changes to a Paridigm Shift, locating the Barbed Wire as he tells Kingston there’s ‘No Other Way Out’, asking him not to make him do this as he wraps his hand around the wire, Kingston only gives him the finger. Moxley considers turning away, but then launches into the barbed-wire enforced Bulldog Choke, Remsburg pleading with Eddie to quit as a vacant expression covers Moxley’s face, telling Kingston that ‘it’s done’, Eddie finally quits and Mox immediately lets go, a somber look on his face as his friend lays fallen.

Post-Match, Moxley tells the camera that ‘that’s what makes a champion: heart, blood and soul - Blood and Guts!’, whether that alludes to the special we were meant to have pre-COVID is yet to be seen. He then pulls Kingston up but Kingston sways away, leaving the ring on his own. Omega then comes out to the ramp to remind Moxley of his presence and their championship match in the due future.

A hard-hitting match, you knew that Kingston and Moxley would deliver on the hardcore level and a little on the emotive level. Sadly this match did suffer from WWE giving fans an inch-perfect I Quit Match in Hell in a Cell, so the bar was very high and it unfortunately could not reach that level. Again I’m surprised that factions didn’t get involved, Kingston’s family didn’t even go with Eddie to the ring, a surprise PAC appearance was hoped but we can’t be too torn up about that. Overall it was still a good title match, albeit an inevitable outcome given that Moxley and Omega have more history.

Conclusion Though there were a few small mistakes, there was not a weak spot in this PPV. On the other hand there wasn’t a match that blew me away, it was overall a well-done PPV: worth the money but there could’ve been more. There was meant to be a tease of a debut as well but I guess that was just rumor rather than an actual promise by the company. I will critique the Team Tazz stuff again because it really puts down Darby’s championship win, some matches could’ve ended more emphatically and the Buy-In needed more matches. Also just a personal thing but they overdid the biting spots, spots like those have a 2 match threshold at best on a card. But narratively we got a lot going on, a lot of consequences for the matches on the card including the Buy In and the Bucks did make good on their FTR promise by being Match of the Night. Elite Deletion and Silver/OC was a bit of light fun, the Women’s Match was strong, the opener hard hitting and we begin our build to Revolution.

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15 Predictions for the WWE in the coming year

*15 WWE predictions for 2019

The past few years of WWE consumption has undoubtedly been, for the most part, a painstaking undertaking (no pun intended). But what can we say? We are fans, right? It’s the product we love to hate! Even when we have hit the power button on the clicker out of sheer frustration, it is undeniable that for many of us, wrestling is in our DNA. Whether you have fond memories of sitting with a parent or grandparent who loved it, or you were the kid who ran around the playground giving random students stone cold stunners, and telling someone you didn’t like (or did) to “suck it.” It is the reason we congregate on fan sites, video blogs, dirt sheets and the like. To hate it, to love it, to dissect it like that frog in biology. Picking apart every single outcome and possibility to create an equation that make sense to us.

In my fandom, I find it interesting to speculate, as I am sure many of us do. So the following is my attempt to play spoiler to the masses with a list of 15 predictions for the WWE in 2019: Some predictions are bold takes, and others not so much. Here it goes….

1. Drew McIntyre will finally realize Mr McMahons prediction that he is a future WWE champion.

Perhaps not the boldest prediction, as it certainly seems that even before the absence of Roman, Drew was slowly being put in place to have a major run over the next year. Drews first run in WWE left a lot to be desired. Though, in the past he had shown flashes of the aggression that has made him a main event caliber performer these days, it is much more evident that he is more than capable of holding his own as a main event level heel on the main roster. I smell a championship in his near future.

2. Bray Wyatt will become a top tier face.

Bray Wyatt has (what SHOULD BE) one of the best characters in the entire industry. But something is missing, and nobody knows what the hell it is. Not the writers, not the producers, not even Vince. The place went crazy a couple of years ago when a seemingly hopeless character in Wyatt, realized his potential and became the holder of the WWE’s top prize. But a terrible storyline and horrible execution, quickly de-railed his moment on top.

Though we know that wrestling is character-driven, it seems that Brays character is viewed by officials as more over-the-top than it needs to be. There is no need to go back to the supernatural goings on that left crowds stunned during the unfolding of The Undertaker’s story. Bray is very capable of telling his story without tacky images of bugs on the canvas, and House of Horrors matches. If they let Bray BE Bray, they will BE fine. And I am hoping, as well as speculating, that they will in the coming year.

Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to have him win matches as well….

3. Lars Sullivan will debut…start hot…and fizzle out, all in the same year.

Now, let me start off by saying, I AM being biased. But, that does not mean I am wrong. I look at Lars and I see a freakish looking individual with hands the size of frying pans, the strength of an ox,…..

and the personality of a paperclip.

And not those $1,500 gold paperclips they are selling online at Tiffany’s.

Also, not the paperclip that used to help you use Microsoft Word

(You know what? This might just be an insult to paperclips…but you get my drift). He is not good. He picks things up and puts them down. Even his finisher “The Freak Accident” is the manifestation of being aggressive AND lazy at the same time. Now, I will probably be proven wrong to spite me and other naysayers because the WWE loves that he is a homegrown talent, and they are desperate to create their own stars. I get it. There is just nothing that Lars Sullivan has done up until this juncture that leads me to believe he will be anything worth not taking a bathroom break for

4. The Women WILL main event Wrestlemania 35

I mean at this point it’s a foregone conclusion right? The WWE has one thing they have NEVER had in their history, and that is almost an embarrassment of riches in the women’s division. You have Charlotte, who has already put herself in the conversation as one of the greatest female superstars of all time. There is the only undefeated NXT champion in history, and current smackdown womens champion in Asuka. You have Ronda Rousey who is a legitimate badass fighter, as well as a figure who can draw in the casual fan based on name alone. Finally you have Becky Lynch who has probably done the best job of any woman that my memory serves in getting white hot in an organic fashion. I don’t care if it is two of them, three of them, or all four of them. There is no better story going on this company than the one being told by the Women right now. They are the link between both of the main brands, and have managed to make things even remotely interesting. The main event scene in the womens division is the standard bearer for the entire roster right now. And if they are not the Mania main event, they have been robbed of history

5. Matt Riddle will be the next face of NXT

NXT always seems to have guys who play roles for every generation of NXT. Gone are the days of Tyler Breeze and Tye Dilinger playing the loveable gate-keeping losers that Full Sail loved. No, that role is now reserved for one, Kassius Ohno. And on the flip side, you have guys who join NXT and ya just kinda …KNOW. You KNOW they are there to be champions and carry NXT into the next wave or phase of the brand. With Aleister Black more than likely to be called up any minute once his feud with the (former?) DIY members is done, NXT will undoubtedly be looking for a new face to usher it through 2019, and into 2020. Well, look no further than your resident King of Bros! It isn’t rocket science to see that everybody loves a flip flop wearing board short rocking blonde weed-head, with a theme song that makes you want to dust off your PS2, load up San Andreas and bust a cap in some mark ass busters! (I digress)

This is far from a bold prediction, but it appears Riddle is going to be the man that holds the gold in the coming year.

6. Andrade Cien Almas will win the MITB briefcase

I know I know…You really want me to explain this right? Like what could possibly make me think that Andrade would be the money in the bank holder? Well fear not, for I have an explanation! And that is…that…I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY think that it’s going to happen!

That’s it. Nothing more to see here people!

Seriously though, it would just look good to have him carrying it around with Zelina. And I correctly predicted the two winners last year, so I’m trusting my gut here.

7. The Undisputed Era will be the next big faction

Teams coming out of NXT have gottn really bad deals on the main roster. However, I don’t see that happening for Undisputed Era. There is too much talent and too much personality and chemistry between the four of them, to allow it to go to waste. I predict they will be the greatest faction to make the jump to the main roster out of NXT.

8. Ember Moon will be Smackdown womens champion

Yes, I know she Is a RAW superstar, but with the new announcement that the McMahon family is essentially taking over both brands from….well….themselves? It would stand to reason that the brand split rules will not be as strict as they have been the past few years. The way that rivalries are playing out in the division we COULD see a scenario where Ember wins the Rumble and challenges the Empress of Tomorrow in a continuance of their rivalry from NXT and an effort to finally get that monkey off her back!

WOW I just booked that so GOOD!

9. Braun Strowman is going to break things…. except for his streak of losing to Brock Lesnar

Like honestly guys….at this point, Braun beating Brock is just laughable. You would think that Brock SHOULD lose to a guy like Braun. But seemingly, Brocks weakness is guys that are actually smaller than him. It’s like Brock just can’t catch those little suckers! I don’t know if Braun will ever do more than break things and throw people, and beat up property, and people…with other people. But I know that whatever he does, it won’t be at Brocks expense.

10. The Undertaker WILL NOT wrestle at Wrestlemania

Ok, this isn’t a prediction. It is a WISH. I don’t see anyone on this roster who will benefit from beating him or having a match with him at all. Stay home please!

11. Mandy Rose will win the Womens MITB match

She has the 3 B’s on her side

Blonde...Boobs....and Because….

just…….because

12.

Aleister Black will debut as a heel and exercise Finns Demon

Ooooooohhh! Sounds good don’t it? I seriously have no clue what they are actually going to do with Aleister once he hits the main roster. But I think a feud between he and Finn would be great, especially if we could get Black vs the Demon. I know we like to throw people on SDL from NXT in hopes that they are treated better, but I think Aleister would be a much better fit on RAW right now, since they are thirsty for stars.

13.

There will be an NXT versus Main Roster angle in some way shape or form

I am of the idea that the brand split is essentially in the beginning stages of being over. While that may not shape out this year, I do believe that by survivor series, the whole idea of Raw and Smackdown competing just doesn’t hold the same weight. So barring anything unforeseen, such as renaming the ppv, my next best guess would be another NXT angle. Of course, this current group of NXT stars would be overall, a step up from that last angle.

14.

Miz face run will be a total failure

The Miz is not a face! Mike Mizanin may very well be a great guy who communicates with his wife…loves his baby girl….lets his mother in law follow them around on tv…all of thay. But The Miz?? No. He is one of the constants in the WWE. Everyone knows Miz=very good heel. Idk where they are trying to take his character now after all these years, but I don’t wanna go along for this ride. Nope. Bring back old Miz!

And finally….

15.

THE ELITE WILL SIGN WITH WWE

The WWE is DESPERATE! Though the women are thriving right now the men have no such luck. There are many conflicting reports on the deal offered to the Elite, or if there were deals at all. What was rejected..who isn’t ready….blah blah blah. Listen, the bottom line is that if Vince really wants to get them there, they will be there. Kennys IWGP title run hasn’t gone the way one thought it would be after finally defeating Okada. Perhaps the people over in Japan know something we don’t? Plus I don’t believe these rumors about them rejecting wwe deals are simply to be taken at face value. I believe it’s a tactic to get people buzzing but keep them slightly at bay by sprinkling some doubt in there.

Either way, I expect for talks this year to start heating up out of nowhere and for us to see the former Bullet Club members finally make the transition back to the WWE.

And that, my good people, are my predictions for the coming year in the WWE. Feel free to share your opinions on what was discussed in this blog OR give your own predictions!

Until next time…

#WWE RAW NXT SDL

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