#oh and sonya vs bianca was good

[asenkaengel]

The best segment of the night was, as always, Roman Reigns being the most emotionally abusive parent/sibling ever.

And the Usos finding a positive support system in Sami and that being the REAL reason Roman is upset. He just used this "betrayal" as an excuse to get rid of Sami's positive influence on his cousins.

Roman is SO good.

And Sami's gotten so good on promos.

[danwhobrowses]

WWE Royal Rumble 2021 - Initial Thoughts

I know I’m late, but employment is still a thing, and I had to prioritize that over an all-nighter, but it’s time for the Royal Rumble, one of the more exciting shows of WWE’s schedule, so let’s get on with it!

Spoilers for Royal Rumble, you have been Warned

I might not invest too much in kickoff matches but the Women’s Tag Match was not a good time

It was fine before the end, but who the hell decided that Charlotte should control 90% of the champions’ offense and have the hot tag!? Asuka is the RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPION, not Charlotte. After the tag Asuka literally had one spot and she was dead, completely taken out of the match for *checks notes* being thrown over the Announcer’s Table...you know that thing several wrestlers come back from easily.

The finish was just too much too, Ric distraction didn’t work, Lacey distraction didn’t work, Kirufuda Clutch didn’t work but then the brass knuckles did. Too much.

And why TF are we putting titles back on Nia!? We should’ve just given the titles to the Riotts, or the winner of the Women’s Dusty Classic. It also cuts me deep that Asuka and Shayna are treated this way, even as champion Asuka is a side character to Charlotte T_T

Main show though and I don’t like the package and interviews between entrances

Drew vs Goldberg was just...meaningless.

It was cringy enough that Cole had to spout drivel to make 60 year old Goldberg seem strong but to have Drew be ‘injured’ by a barricade spear - something much more tired wrestlers have and will get back up from in less time and continue a longer match - was daft. Also saying that Goldberg’s spear or jackhammer is the best move of all WWE is stupid, it was a WCW thing

Thank God Drew Won, but the post-match does remind you of the meaningless circumstances this feud came about. Suddenly Goldberg is okay with Drew’s same manners of respect

I mean, Carmella’s entrance and gear is cool, but do you think it eats at Corey a little that Carmella’s ‘behind the curtain’ bit is a tad...red light district?

Sasha’s promo didn’t hit for me unfortunately

Reginald didn’t deserve to be ejected for that! He caught Sasha and get beaten up for it

Jesus Carmella! Sasha got barely any of that dive

Screeching and faffing aside, Carmella got a good showing...I do hate quick tap outs in title matches though

Sami cuts a good promo, but his content wasn’t exactly the best. New Day are hardly the management’s faves, it’s taken this long for E to get a singles run, Fans literally had to Yes Movement their way into giving Kofi the world title.

New Day’s Brodie gear was good though

Bad Bunny as the ‘Biggest Latin Artist’? Is Cole for real? I didn’t even know who he was before today

If the song is about Booker T then why is he dancing around GI Bro?

Come on Book, you hang on the Sucka! That’d be like if the Rock just went ‘If ya smell what the Rock is cooking’ without the drags or pauses

Ric’s ‘with a tear in my eye’ promo was after the Rumble though...

It’s actually a sad stat that just over half of the Rumble winners win titles

No Morrison segment for the escape spot!? He did it as much as Kofi dammit!

Sorry Greatest Royal Rumble is not canon for me

This Stat Attack has taken far too long

I’m okay with Mike Rome but couldn’t a woman have announced the Women’s Rumble? Where’s Lillian at!?

NAOOOOOOOMIIIIIIIIIIIIII GIRL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?

That hair is amazing as well

I know you can’t say it, but we all remember that Benoit won the rumble in the first two as well

Was...Bianca wearing earrings on her entrance, she looked like she was taking them off

Billie actually had the right idea, can’t be in the match until you enter the ring, it’s clever stuff

That tank did not look like it was meant to turn that direction XD

It actually surprises me every time how tall Shotzi is, I always imagine her short

Billie no...not with Shayna

The piped boos are highly unrealistic to boo even a heel Toni Storm

Shotzi eliminated and then horrible singer Jillian comes in? Urrrrgh, Bad Singer Jillian was terrible

Wrestling wise she hasn’t missed a beat though

Billie’s surprisingly being a highlight here with actual narra-OHMYSHITITSVICTORIA

Gear was a bit meh but Victoria definitely can still go

Oh Peyton the purple looks good on you, and her Widow’s Peak was not bad at all

Ah, good for Santana, for a moment I thought it said Santina and got a very bad chill

Damn Liv, Speed Machine!

Ooof, the betrayal is real Billie

THIS IS MY BRUTALITY!

Somehow I’m genuinely upset by every elimination so far, good job!

Aaaaaand then they got rid of Victoria and brought on Charlotte to immediately take out Rhea -_-

That was a clever move from Bayley but damn Ruby landed hard

Are we seeing a Bayley/Peyton team? Or is she just eliminating the Riotts for revenge for Billie, but also Liv Nooooo!

Torrie now, eh okay

Ouch for Dana

Lacey...no, this ain’t working

Poor Peyton, her elimination was a side chapter

And we missed Bayley’s elimination!? For Shame

Mickie! Good to see ya! Aaaaand being beaten by Charlotte...

Nikki Cross is back too! Hopefully they find a good story for her

Alicia Fox? I guess she sobered back into the good gra...R-Truth? No

Oh yeah, Humberto is a thing

Jerry shut the fuck up!

The 24/7 stuff was super unnecessary, we did not need to take focus off this match

Lacey eliminating Mickie, rude.

Dakota should’ve gotten more time, she barely lasted a minute

Reginald again deserves better

See Tamina vs Rhea would be exciting...if Tamina was booked better

Naomi’s chemistry with Bianca is really insane right now

Lana *reminded of her feud with Shayna and Nia* Also Lana *goes for Rhea*

That was a hard tackle on Alexa by Rhea...aaaaand she’s eliminated mid ‘transformation’ a bit worthless for me

Road Warrior Ember Moon! And right into the Eclipse that’s the good shit

Baszler probably shouldn’t have eliminated Lacey story-wise

The Betrayal is real for Tamina as well

What’s with the crazy camera cuts!?

Nia eliminating Baszler? Nah...

Hold on Cole, baiting Nia over the ropes isn’t a ‘tremendous elimination’

The betrayal is real for Lana too, Nattie sure shrugged off that double assault

I get that the narrative is that Charlotte has beaten both Bianca and Rhea before, but to hang against both of them after already being in a match and hanging on from two apron attacks was daft. Stop making her super strong, she’s mega talented yes but giving her the Brock Lesnar energy does her no favours

That close call though with Rhea and Bianca was great, need more spots of two wrestlers about to be eliminated at the same time

The final bit of chain wrestling too was great, that’s what you need at the final part of a rumble, the mini-match

I had Rhea as my win prediction but am more than happy for Bianca, who was my second choice. Winning at No. 3 is great and her emotional promo just gets her more over. Bianca vs Sasha’s gonna be wild too

Overall the Women’s Rumble was good, most of the women got shine and there were a few mini stories too, do wish that more time was given to some women and that Sonya was in the rumble but the returns were good and most of the eliminations got me good

Miz talking about guaranteeing a championship run like he didn’t lose the last cash-in and didn’t have a chance to cash in previously this night when Drew was ‘reeling’ from the barricade spear.

I reiterate that I wish Sonya was in the rumble, but do like her endorsement of Bianca

Again, this 24/7 stuff is wrong place and time right now

Last Man StANDing Match for the UniVERSal Championship

Cole, there is Champion’s Advantage. Triple H vs Michaels Last Man Standing, neither men made the 10 so Trips kept the title, 17 years ago. Royal Rumble 2004.

See, this is where a Finisher Spotfest works, because it’s not about pinfalls it’s about keeping people down

The camera switches are not doing good on this portion of the side of the thunderdome

Yes, attacking the knees, this is the Cerebral ‘rope breaks with his pinkie finger’ Owens I like to see

Ooof the Golf Cart, a la Kane and Stadium Stampede

Why is this training area just like a second arena

Lil’ running ref in the background

Right into that conveniently placed mini-ladder

Not the forklift! Think of Judy Bagwell!

Oh that curtain is the thing Becky took a photo of! I mean she was always gonna be backstage

Corey before the match ‘there must be a winner’, Corey after Owens went through the stage LED ‘The ref should consider stopping the match’

Did the Ciampa move there to stand up

I don’t think you’re allowed to use a Ref Bump that way

Then the Second Ref restarts the count and stops at 5!? If this doesn’t come back next SD it’ll be a misstep

It was a physical match, not the best I think the finish brought it down. The problem is that KO has lost 3 times now and the last time is a botch finish, and we can’t have him lose again - the poor guy needs a win

ON THIS DAY, I SEE CLEARLY!

I will say this immediately, revealing Edge and Orton as 1 and 2 beforehand was a terrible idea, just because you don’t have a live crowd doesn’t mean the people watching from home can’t be surprised

‘Number 3 is the worst number to draw on average’ - Belair just won at No. 3

Ali at 4? Then went after Edge and not Orton?

Sami, just don’t get in Orton’s face

Refs what are you doing? No rules in Rumble, where were you with Nia and Shayna with that logic

‘What does Shin need to do to be more successful?’ - for one not face AJ Styles, he is still a tag, US and IC champ as well as a RR winner, that’s quite successful

Carlito finally shows after the Legends Night tease and yes those are some abs

So...Randy’s just sleeping with this knee injury

Big E enters with some snappy camera angles again

I was hoping for more Ali - especially since Ricochet came immediately after - buy angry E was nice to see

Wait is that Elias’ entrance? Where’s the guitar strum?

Priesty, wonder if this is his main roster call

What DJ leaves his equipment on stage anyway?

‘The biggest star in the world in the music business’ - for real?

‘I’ve heard of flying squirrels but flying bunnies!?’ - Corey you need to watch Tokyo Joshi Pro, they got a flying sugar rabbit

To quote Ross Tweddell, MMMmmm Riddle...does not do it for me

Stop with the camera cuts I beg of you!

Mayor of Knox County!?

Ricochet eliminated by Kane, le sigh

The betrayal is real for DBry

Big Elim for Priesty though

‘Now it’s a Royal Rumble’ - reminder that Edge is a KOTR winner too, and that Nakamura is the King of Strong Sty-oh and Corbin eliminated him :/ what was the gauntlet about if you’re gonna Corbin him?

Otis’ new gear is slick

aaaaand Corbin’d again

Big Dom Fuck im Uhhhhhh Spinebuster’d

Damn he got him though

Dang that bounce sound from DBry

Bobby no why you gotta do Dom like that!?

Hurricane back from his Gangrel crossing and disposing Sammy Guevara’s broken body in Elite Deletion to do another rumble

One of these days, he’ll hit that Chokeslam and shit will go wild

Christian! This time getting the more emphatic reaction

Oh that smile, that hits you in the chest cavity...then Riddle ruins it

Rey comes in and WWE made him an advertisement ¬_¬

Edward James Omos what are you doing? well...I know what he’s doing, IC feud between AJ and E

Edward James Omos fuck you for eliminating Rey

The betrayal is real for Shamu

Cole how did you know it was Seth before his entrance hit?

I don’t think we were supposed to pick up Shamu welcoming Christian back but that was sweet

Then finally BWOAR

And Bwoar eliminates Cesaro, what was the point of his push? (it’s because his contract’s nearly up isn’t it?)

Again with the camera switching

Seth No! And where’s the boos pipe music!? DBry was a heavy favourite, that would’ve caused heat

Can’t believe Mmm Riddle lasted ahead of DBry

I didn’t forget about Orton, but the finish was good, that Orton tease got us good

It was a decent rumble, in hindsight you could tell Edge was winning given how they put express focus on Michaels winning at number on in the stat attack, Edge being face in peril for the first 10 entrants and Cole reminding us how long Edge has been in there

I don’t at all hate the end result, though I do question whether it was the best choice in the long run. Edge had his rumble win returning from injury already and throwing more legends at Drew does imply a heavy lack of depth in the current roster. Edge didn’t really need the win, but I’m not disappointed in him winning

The Men’s Rumble itself wasn’t as good as the women’s I don’t think, a lot of favourites of mine were unceremoniously dumped out quickly, any layered storytelling didn’t get enough time and it did feel a little by the numbers, almost a microcosm of modern WWE booking

Overall it was still a decent PPV, happy with the winners of the rumbles and that’s mostly all we need from a Royal Rumble. The Road to Wrestlemania starts here

[pan-matsuri]

I don't really use Tumblr much anymore, but I guess since I still have a blog

Royal Rumble Predictions

I don't watch wrestling regularly anymore either, for the same reason: fatigue. But recently I started watching clips again, and so I'm pretty up to date and have some thoughts on tonight's event.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz/Maryse

Prediction: I want Miz to win but it's probably gonna be Edge. I don't know, it feels like Edge wins a lot. I haven't followed this feud very closely but I've liked The Miz ever since Inferno 2.

Becky Lynch [C] vs. Doudrop - Raw Women's Championship

Prediction: Becky Lynch retains until Wrestlemania, where she drops the title to either Liv or Bianca. I've never really been high on Becky. Of the Four Horsewomen, I've always been a Bayley fan and thought Becky was the weakest of the four.

Roman Reigns [C] vs. Seth F. Rollins - Universal Championship

Brock Lesnar [C] vs. Bobby Lashley - WWE Championship

Prediction: Both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar retain tonight. Lesnar drops the title in Jeddah next month as a result of interference from the Bloodline, setting up their Mania match. Lesnar/Reigns is THE main event match, regardless of who wins. Whoever beats Lesnar in Jeddah (probably Lashley) will defend at Wrestlemania against the Rumble winner.

Men's Royal Rumble

Prediction: My first guess was AJ Styles. He's one of my favorite wrestlers and I think AJ winning is a sound choice. I also started to entertain Rey Mysterio winning, because it could be pretty fun to see him at the top again, even briefly, and it could set up Dominick for something big too. But then I started thinking even bigger, and the answer became clear to me: Austin Theory. Theory has been having big matches lately, and setting up a young star with a huge win could be exciting. Theory should eliminate someone like Omos too, to help make it seem like a real possibility. The final elimination is tough, because it should be someone that the crowd can be equally behind. I was thinking maybe Sami Zayn, but the crowd would go bonkers if he was in the final two. So maybe AJ Styles would be a good runner-up too. AJ rules.

Women's Royal Rumble

Prediction: Hear me out: Charlotte Flair to win the Rumble. Charlotte could absolutely main event alongside Reigns/Lesnar. But the story is in the runner-up: Naomi. Naomi will absolutely get screwed over by Sonya Deville, maybe it could be after Naomi and Charlotte both go over the top. Charlotte then wins and feuds with whoever until Mania. Maybe Sasha, or maybe Shotzi or some other new rising heel, but either way that's who Charlotte picks as her Mania opponent. Naomi can then run the anti-authority feud against Sonya to win a spot in the Mania match, making it a triple threat with Naomi going over.

-------------

Thanks for listening. Oh, and if you're here to tell me WWE sucks and I should watch AEW, then maybe this image will give you a hint about my thoughts on that.

[anxiety-trademark]

The week in review:

Raw 10/26 NXT 10/28 NXT UK 10/29 Smackdown 10/30

Raw:

Wonder what 19/11 means.

...Arsenic??... What in the-- WHY IS SHE SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

Boy y’all really nailed home how agonizing his suffering was before he died. My head hurts, this show is demented.

My god there are legitimately 2 of these psychopaths now.

wwe production should give Alexa’s voice a reverb effect whenever she says “let him in”

Girl is actually laughing hysterically while Bray ruthlessly murders Rambling Rabbit. Goodbye.

This act works so much better as a duo, Alexa was right in requesting to work with Bray.

kekekek Shayna makes a list of women she wants on her Survivor Series team; Nia snags the list and sees she’s not on it. Whose idea was this tag team? Need to know who I’m sending a fruit basket to.

Appreciate Mandy clarifying that Otis and her are still close, but I don’t understand why wwe separated them.

What is with everyone wearing black??

Lmfao this man really tried giving his rose to Shayna SIR PLZ. He had a better chance giving it to Sonya lesbireal.

Dana actually having a decent speaking segment. Half point.

“I feel like this is a joke. Is this like punk’d? Are we-- are we getting punk’d?” Nia came to entertain tonight.

Why can’t wwe just implement GMs again? Love Adam Pearce but he’s literally just playing the role of GM. Just keep them in the background with the mere purpose of cohesion. Good example: Paige. Bad example: Corbin.

This actually makes sense. You have the tag champs automatically being added, cuz duh, and the tag team who are undefeated since forming and moving to Raw. So have the 5th team member fight for the spot. I don’t hate that at all. At least there’s logic being applied.

I will never not hate Peyton’s theme. Yikes.

WHAT THE FUCK IS NIKKI CROSS’ NEW THEME LMFAO why are we throwing some bland, midwest country rock track with such a slow tempo at her??!? oof rip. Sucks for Nikki that Alexa wanted something more for her career but one could not possibly blame her, so.

ahahahaha I just noticed Nia took Byron’s seat. She’s so fucking funny.

Look if y’all are gonna do the move where someone lifts you over the top rope to set you on the apron, FUCKING JUMP FOR THEM. They’re not supposed to dead lift you.

Nice kick to Nikki by Lana; sloppy vault over the top rope. It’s kay, she isn’t even the worst one in this match lesbihonest.

Lacey gets Nikki in position for a suplex off the top rope, and Peyton - as quick as can be - jumps in to throw Lacey in a German suplex. That was smooth with very minimal set up. Points.

So Lana steals the win by pinning Nikki and the camera pans to all 4 team members looking absolutely shook. I am dying.

Interesting to see them focus on Peyton’s disappointment.

aaaaand rip Lana for the 6th time.

Such a jarring remix of Alexa’s song.

I know y’all are super weird and choose to sexualize/fetishize everything that you don’t understand, but I appreciate Alexa’s new persona. It’s like Firefly Funhouse characters meets Disney themed characters (which is core to Alexa) meets Harley Quinn. It’s a fitting cosplay with fitting demeanors. So if y’all could quit talking about ageplay like a bunch of weirdos, that’d be great.

Alexa and I are the same age and tbh I’m kind of shook on her behalf to see her share these segments and storylines with Randy Orton. Like I was a kid watching his feud with triple h. We were mere preadolescent kids lol. Good for her.

I like that she’s immune to Fiend’s name now that she’s fully embraced him become brainwashed.

Omg she’s just sitting on the turnbuckle laughing at them.

So Fiend is just a looming threat to Orton rn? Just letting Orton know that eventually he’ll have to answer for the fire he started all those years ago? I wasn’t here for Bray’s run back then so I’m kind of trying to piece this all together. Anyway fine segment. I don’t much care about Drew vs Orton but I appreciate Orton selling the intensity of the Fiend. He’s a good worker.

Highlight: Completely split between Nia being hilarious & Alexa being creepy as hell

---

NXT:

Well at least they’re keeping Ember backstage for her promos. That’s an improvement.

True, Dakota as a babyface was awful. Not sorry. Her character consisted of “scared” and “sad”... That’s it.

Big fan of the set for nxt tonight.

It’s so rare to see someone handle Rhea, what a nice dynamic.

These 2 are best friends irl, aren’t they? Enjoyable to watch them go punch for punch back and forth. If nothing else, they’re definitely selling that they’re pretty evenly built.

True though, Rhea does have her athleticism going for her. Rhea’s kicks are a beautiful thing to see. Soccer player ftw.

Really like this match. It’s cool to see the range of different matches Rhea can have. It’s not often you see her in an underdog type of role, and you wouldn’t think she could thrive as one, but it works for her just the same as being a dominant powerhouse. Shouldn’t be surprised though, her vs Charlotte at wm was a banger, and Charlotte was definitely the dominant force in that match.

Commentators said Rhea’s inverted cloverleaf has tapped out “many” superstars in nxt, and I just wanna know who? Cuz I have zero recollection of such.

Good showing for Raquel. Gave zero shits about her prior to this. She’s always just been the Diesel to Dakota’s Shawn Michaels.

GREAT counter by Rhea from the one armed powerbomb into nearly a headscissors takedown.

This match is very well paced.

Oh yes, that’s the type of match that easily could’ve gone longer and left me wanting more, which is a hell of a compliment. I underestimated how good this would be.

Wow they’re having Poppy rob us of Io’s theme song? For shame.

So how does the wheel actually work? Do they really not get a chance to plan out their stip matches? That’s weird. I love it, but it’s weird. Is it rigged? It’s gotta be rigged, right?

Love the black and orange themed ladders.

lmao Candice’s reaction to the bag of body parts. Fantastic.

Did Candice hit Io in the face with a laptop?? Honestly, points.

Lol chalk outlines on the tables. The theme is great.

Oh man, a moonsault straight onto chairs. rip Io’s midsection.

Wicked suplex onto the sitting chair, oof. Looked like Io clipped that.

Meteora into a steel ladder, which then fell on Io. She taking a beating lol.

Commentators mentioning Johnny counter: 3

Kinda cool spot twisting Candice’s ankle in a chair. Of course, it’s not like Candice sold the damaged ankle anyway, so.

Swinging neckbreaker through the tables - a spot that would’ve been great if the commentators had actually sold it and there was a real crowd.

idk who the hell is helping Candice, but I think it’s just fantastic that Shotzi came in to stop them.

“LeRae can’t reach,” as if this match wouldn’t have been over if she would’ve just climbed up one single ring.

Welp Candice is dead now. Fell off the top of the ladder through another ladder. Nasty landing. rip. 

Brutal match, but it still wasn’t better than their first match. At least Candice did work and this wasn’t boring unlike their last takeover match. Points for the damage they caused to their bodies, eesh.

Highlight: Rhea vs Raquel

---

NXT UK:

Oh nice UK added some monitors. Good for them, even if the stream quality is kinda poor.

I like this match up. Dani Luna is an athletic powerhouse, and Valkyrie is an athletic technician. This is more the type of quality match that I’d expect on the MR - minus the storytelling/performance aspect, but that’s okay.

Really appreciate Luna’s strength for how small she seems.

Valkyrie is fun to watch. Her arm drag takedowns and counters are entertaining.

Damn Valkyrie can do a springboard cross body and a pele kick as well? What an intriguing skillset she has.

Holy shit that snap German suplex by Dani was effortlessly CLEAN.

I’m not big on Dani’s look tbh. I feel like she’d be more of a standout if her hair was a different color. I don’t think blue works for her, personally.

An interesting finisher by Valkyrie... I don’t hate it. I’m all for the result, though. Good show of respect between both competitors. Wouldn’t mind watching them again in the future.

Current day has KLR still as champion (#foreverchampion) but I’m guessing they’re really gonna have Piper be the one to inevitably end it. Should be Valkyrie as far as I’m concerned. Even if she’s trash on the mic - not saying she is cuz I have no idea - she’s super entertaining to watch.

Highlight: Dani Luna vs Valkyrie

---

Smackdown:

New year, same old Nattie trying to be the Survivor Series captain.

Billie Kay is entertaining but wbk.

Bianca, ma’am, you JUST started going here. Calm down.

“Bianca nobody really cares, or knows, what EST means, it’s totally irrelevant. I’m the boat.” lmao I genuinely love Nattie, not sorry.

SHE CLAPPED AT HER goodbye. Give me a Bianca vs Nattie match, entertain me plz.

Ah a triple threat? That’s fine I suppose, what the hell.

Why does wwe keep depriving me of Bianca’s entrance? I hate this company.

Billie Kay: *jumps in the ring to catch Bianca in a random pinfall; fails; proceeds to leave the ring once more*

Billie Kay really is a special level of awful, but at least she has character work going for her.

Good cover by Bianca to set up the basement dropkick by Nattie to break up the pin.

Boy Bianca sure did take her time breaking up that sharpshooter. You got both Nattie and Billie Kay screaming and she’s in lala land lmao.

I will genuinely cry if they ever change Bianca’s music, I stg. Good for her btw. Appropriate result.

What’s the purpose of the polaroid camera?

Soo did they basically give Carmella the layout of Sasha’s gimmick while turning Sasha babyface? Is that what’s going on? What rules is Carmella making? What shots is she calling? Why does this girl have champagne? You know who would rock the “fuck y’all I’m rich, look at my Gucci and diamonds” gimmick? The Ice Queen, Charlotte Flair.

What an adorably tiny cross.

Carmella you’re not really known for winning, but alright.

Hate this music btw.

Lol this fucking chair. Okay.

“Long time rivalry renewed” didn’t Asuka and Sasha have a minor feud a mere 5 months ago? That lasted one month?? Is that considered long time now???

Sasha’s makeup is off key ngl. I hate that outfit as well.

Yes, yes she was your best friend and that was really sad, but you’re not saying anything different than you have before. And you’re STILL not likeable. But hey, I’m happy for you all the same, now be as entertaining as Bayley plz.

“The whole world knows that you can win a championship, but even you know that you can’t hang onto one. Unlike me.” pppffffttttt she’s not wrong.

Who do I gotta pay to permanently separate you 2? hiac was great, let’s end the debacle now plz.

“You made me sign that hiac contract under duress,” THANK YOU BAYLEY see someone knows their legal jargon. 

Peep that gnarly bruise on Bayley’s arm. Whew.

She’s so annoying lmao.

“Backstabbing bitches never win,” hi, Sasha? Longest reigning Raw women’s champion, first ever wm main eventer, first ever women’s dual world champion, face of the company, cover of espn and 2k20 Becky Lynch just called; said that is absolutely not true.

Highlight: Bianca, Billie Kay & Natalya backstage segment

---

*Raw shined the brightest this week, but I have to shout out NXT as well for their 2 matches, particularly Rhea vs Raquel.

[placetobenation]

RIP Jon Huber.

Words can’t do justice. To all that knew him, he was a devoted father, husband and wrestling superstar. Gone far too young at the age of 41 due to a non-COVID-19 lung issue. We’ll always remember Brodie Lee, Luke Harper and Jon Huber.

Kudos to All Elite Wrestling for a tremendous tribute Wednesday night on TNT. Extremely well done on every front.

This one's for you #BrodieLee pic.twitter.com/2wNFJEK82y

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 31, 2020

A tribute to #BrodieLee #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/ZptMKH1Hst

— All Elite Wrestling on TNT (@AEWonTNT) December 31, 2020

The WWE also released a tribute after AEW’s show.

Husband. Father. Friend. Superstar. WWE Superstars & friends pay tribute to Jon Huber. (via @WWE) pic.twitter.com/8CUd1fQnwZ

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 31, 2020

RAW

RESULTS

Keith Lee defeated Sheamus to win shot at WWE Championship

Gran Metalik defeated The Miz

Shayna Baszler defeated Dana Brooke

AJ Styles defeated Elias

Mustafa Ali defeated Ricochet

Charlotte Flair defeated Nia Jax by DQ

The Hurt Business defeated The New Day, Jeff Hardy & Riddle

WHAT is @AlexaBliss_WWE thinking? WHAT is @RandyOrton thinking?!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/tBXlzsBHve

— WWE (@WWE) December 29, 2020

Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton

That was something I will say that. I didn’t know whether to love it, hate it or just walk away from it. Yes, it was some sight seeing Alexa Bliss call out Randy Orton, begging him to light her on fire as he did to The Fiend. Of course, we don’t know whether Orton dropped the match to a fully engulfed with gas Bliss as the show ended. It was indeed a true cliffhanger in that mode. But, do we really believe that Orton would now intentionally murder two people on national TV? I’m not quite sure, other than shock value, what the WWE is looking for with this angle. We’ll all see Monday night for the next episode of RAW.

Thumbs Up:

Keith Lee vs. Sheamus was as good as expected. I really did think it was going to be Sheamus going over in this one, but I do think it works better having Lee get another shot at McIntyre while Sheamus stews the defeat and puts off an encounter with his BFF for a bit.

.@AliWWE: "Join RETRIBUTION. What is your decision?@KingRicochet: #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/PJcAGuQDjs

— WWE (@WWE) December 29, 2020

AJ Styles vs. Elias was very good. Good to see two “bad guys” go at it and just get after it without the old heel cliches. Mustafa Ali vs. Ricochet was its usual good stuff. I wish they would come to a resolution to the matter as its not helping either side with the same ol’ story each week. I’d like to see a darker side or Ricochet in my mind. Take off the masks from RETRIBUTION and form a true stable that has a chance to do something.

They were right all along…@mikethemiz is ONCE AGAIN Mr. Money in the Bank! #WWERaw @TheRealMorrison pic.twitter.com/Xvt6T6VHYl

— WWE (@WWE) December 29, 2020

The Miz getting his Money In The Bank briefcase back is a good thing. Having him lose to Gran Metalik to bring him down wasn’t needed. It only would’ve made sense to bring The Miz down if they had dragged it out for a couple of weeks. Having him down for about an hour or so did nothing. They need to build The Miz up to more than a cartoon character of comedy to truly be a challenger worthy of Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship.

Thumbs Down:

Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax – I just can’t get behind anything that Nia Jax is doing these days. Charlotte Flair is The Queen, but there’s no flow or chemistry when these two get together. Why waste it? And another thing. Let Shayna Baszler be a bad ass by herself. It would work better for her.

Angel Garza. Please, I’m begging them to stop the romancing the rose storyline. It’s been old since they started it back around WrestleMania. It’s even older now. It’s doing nothing to move Garza forward. At least he got the 24/7 Championship victory over R-Truth on Tik Tok!

NXT

RESULTS

Bronson Reed defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Breezango

Mercedes Martinez defeated Valentina Feroz

Pete Dunn defeated Roderick Strong

Lucha House Party defeated Legado del Fantasma

NXT North American Championship Match: Johnny Gargano defeated Leon Ruff to retain the title

.@Lady_Scarlett13 likes what she sees.

#WWENXT @WWEKarrionKross @ArcherOfInfamy pic.twitter.com/mUjkxY9r29

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 31, 2020

Thumbs Up:

Pete Dunne vs. Roderick Strong. The rivalry continues between the Kings of NXT and The Undisputed Era. Dunne’s look really good the past couple of weeks in singles competition against TUE. As for Roddy, well, he continues to be Strong.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is back!#WWENXThttps://t.co/JJ72EIWNb1

— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2020

Another year of the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Adam Cole and Roderick Strong make an interesting entry. I’d love to see WWE bring in a few teams from outside NXT to make things interesting too.

"It means something to me. To me, it's proof. Not only proof that I belong in the ring with you, but proof that I belong at the top of #WWENXT." You deserve it, @KORcombat. #WWENXT #NXTAwardMatch @FinnBalor #NXTYearEndAwards pic.twitter.com/JyI8HPBvse

— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2020

A wild brawl just broke out between @WWEKarrionKross & @ArcherofInfamy on #WWENXT! pic.twitter.com/bVm6lB7sHt

— WWE (@WWE) December 31, 2020

Balor vs. O’Reilly. That’s about as good as it gets on the mic with these two. You could feel the passion, the reality, the urgency and yes, we’re ready for round 2! Adding Karrion Kross into the mix with Scarlett just puts it over the top. Doomsday is here. Tick. Tock. Oh, hi Damien Priest. That was a very good segment!

Rhea vs. Raquel vignette. The Last Woman Standing match is going to be awesome. Let’s just say that New Year’s Evil is stacked folks!

Highway Robbery:

Shotzi Blackheart over Pat McAfee for Breakout Star of the Year. There’s no bigger Shotzi fan than me, but even I can admit that McAfee took NXT by Storm and is a star in the making. He proved it on the mic, behind the scenes and yes, even in the ring during WarGames. Here’s hoping the WWE doesn’t keep him on the shelf too long.

Lucha Like!

Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado showing up to take on Legado del Fantasmo was a cool surprise. Long live Lucha Libre! Pretty cool week for Gran Metalik with wins on both RAW and NXT over 48 hours.

Meh:

Year-end awards presentation. They were kind of just there. Obviously, the tie-in with Balor vs. O’Reilly for the match of the year was a home run to set up their in-ring promo. All the rest, I could’ve done with online.

Johnny Gargano’s curse-breaking win over Leon Ruff did what it needed to do. That’s about all.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Non-title Intercontinental Championship Match: Big E defeated King Corbin by DQ

Big E & Apollo Crews defeated Sami Zayn & King Corbin

The Riott Squad defeated Tamina & Natalya

Carmella & Bayley defeated Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair

Otis & Daniel Bryan defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

Kevin Owens defeated Jey Uso

Another level:

.@WWERomanReigns just sent @FIghtOwensFight crashing inside the #WWEThunderDome!!!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Xz2e8JCqqH

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

Sure, on its face, another Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso match seems like filler. But, oh no. Not when the Head of the Table is involved! First off, Owens and Uso beat the snot out of each other with KO getting the expected knockout victory. Then, and you could see Roman Reigns foreshadow it earlier in the show by saying “they” don’t understand, “they’re” trying to take away what we have, Reigns was going to get Owens for making a match against Reigns’ wishes. Every week, they take the best angle in the WWE up a notch! It’s the very first attack through the ThunderDome crowd! I’ll be honest though, I thought Adam Pearce was in danger of an attack too. Maybe that’s next week?

Thumbs Up:

.@WWEBigE and @WWEApollo pick up the win on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/5tXhcI6UqE

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

I like the way they are bringing a lot of people into the mix for Big E’s Intercontinental Title run. Sami Zayn as former champ, King Corbin as first challenge and now Apollo Crews as friend and Open Challenge acceptor for next week will keep it fresh. Zayn is awesome no matter what and making Big E look strong out of the gate will eventually make him a contender for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship.

The Riott Squad keeps winning. After months of going nowhere, it’s good to see Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott on a winning streak even if it is beating Tamina and Natalya with the help of the annoying one, Billie Kay. There’s got to be a better way to use Billie, right?

#SmackDown Women's Champion @SashaBanksWWE has encountered an obstacle in this tag team match… a negative one! pic.twitter.com/9lqE7jV4Om

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

Sasha. Carmella. Bianca. Bayley. Getting them all together in the same ring makes Friday night a winner for all of us. Loved that Carmella gets the pin to get her some juice back after losing at TLC. Damn, Reggie has some moves! Can’t wait to see him in a ring soon too!

WOAH. @SonyaDevilleWWE is BACK on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/AcId1KWFDV

— WWE (@WWE) January 2, 2021

Sonya Deville is back! That’s good for business although we do need an explanation as to how one loses a loser leaves town match and then returns back so soon. We know the reality of it due to her stalking case, but how the WWE plays it on TV will be interesting.

I could’ve done without the drums and the predictions, but that was one helluva beatdown by Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler on TSP. The Dirty Dawgs deserve some gold in their future!

Interesting:

Otis & Daniel Bryan teaming up was fun. Chad Gable + the YES movement sure is inspirational. Will it be more than a one-time effort? Even Otis looks better with Bryan, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura in the same ring. The three amigos salute at the end was hilarious!

Annoying:

Billie Kay’s gimmick.  

Parting Shots:

With so many tag teams forming on the fly in the WWE these days, I’d love to see an old-school Crockett Cup tournament in the WWE. Take it across all three brands, maybe bring in some indy teams as well and I think it would be a fun event for 2021. There’s absolutely room to make some odd and unique pairings and match-ups instead of the old and tired matches.

Coming up this week:

RAW Legends Night WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee

NXT – New Year’s Evil hosted by Dexter Lumis NXT Championship: Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly Damien Priest vs. Karrion Kross Fight Pit Match: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher Last Woman Standing: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar vs. Gran Metalik

SMACKDOWN Intercontinental Championship Match: Big E vs. Apollo Crews

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

[truesportsfan]

WrestleMania 36: What to follow in WWE with one month to go

WWE Elimination Chamber is behind us and WrestleMania 36 is less than a month away. Here are 36 observations as we get ready for the big show on April 5 in Tampa, Fla.:

1. Edge versus Randy Orton feels like the main event at WrestleMania — but it won’t be. This is a superb, clear and emotional story, and Edge reminded us on “Monday Night Raw” that he can go to that dark place, just like Orton. We are in for some theater from these masters.

2. I know WWE likes to announce things in advance in hopes of popping a rating, but did we really need to know Edge was going to be back on “Raw” on Monday? How about making his return a surprise, get a big pop and make people feel they need to watch the show to not miss moments like that.

3. The women’s Elimination Chamber match was not a great match and under-delivered in many aspects, but it was the best booking of Shayna Baszler we’ve seen on the WWE main roster: The quick tapouts and her brutalizing of Liv Morgan gave us a glimpse of the killer we loved to hate in NXT. You can make the case they didn’t go far enough with how she ran through her opponents. Break and bend some limbs. Maybe leave one opponent bloodied.

4. Baszler is starting to build the heat she needs going into WrestleMania. She will need it for her persona to better translate to the Raw audience, which will want nothing more than for their hero Becky Lynch to send Baszler back to NXT. If not, a Baszler-Asuka feud could be waiting.

5. Does anyone else feel as if Lynch is Rocky Balboa in “Rocky III” before he got destroyed by Clubber Lang? The Man has been positioned as overconfident, strutting her GOAT status. Her promo to open “Raw” did set a great tone going forward and finally brought Ronda Rousey into the storyline.

6. Why should the audience care about the implosion of the Riott Squad when WWE continues to treat them like jobbers and fails to let their story truly play out in the Elimination Chamber? Ruby Riott, not Liv Morgan (so much for her push), can be the breakout star of the group. Just give her time.

WWE

7. Say what you want about Brock Lesnar, but the last two years, he helped leave his WrestleMania opponents (Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) in better standing than he found them. The cheers for Drew McIntyre keep growing, and Lesnar told McIntyre to grab the title while selling a beatdown from last week’s “Raw.”

8. I’m all here for Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg and The Fiend vs. John Cena at WrestleMania. I just wish the former was simply Spear vs. Spear, New vs. Old (without the belt) and the other was Cena going for The Fiend’s WWE’s title, which would be his record 17th world championship.

9. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley is one of WrestleMania’s most intriguing matches. Flair, who has run through pretty much all of the main roster, would benefit taking the title: She would get fresh matchups in NXT, could help ratings and be used to put over Bianca Belair. Otherwise Ripley gets a big rub from beating WWE’s Golden Girl at WrestleMania. Either outcome has big implications.

10. Undertaker’s surprise appearance at Elimination Chamber was exactly how you should use him and added to the anticipation for his WrestleMania match with AJ Styles.

11. I do have a challenge for WWE: Get me an Undertaker WrestleMania feud that isn’t just about the next guy calling him out for a match. That may be asking a lot from a company that long-term booked Erick Rowan’s cage holding a giant fake tarantula, which McIntyre quickly destroyed.

12. What if this whole Undertaker-Styles feud is about getting Aleister Black a star-making rub? Black also went over Rollins on Monday’s “Raw.”

13. Black Mass is one of the best finishers in WWE. Tell me otherwise.

14. Rollins feels very natural in his Monday Night Messiah role, but how many multi-man tag matches can one wrestler be booked in?

15. Happy Sami Zayn finally earned a singles title on the main roster. It’s about time. But did it have to come at the expense of Braun Strowman so quickly? Strowman has been waiting for a championship run, too. WWE didn’t pull the trigger on him as a world champion a few years ago. Not sure he can afford another start and stop.

16. WWE playing hot potato with the Intercontinental Championship, even in a 3-on-1 handicap match, continues to devalue the once-proud title. It easily could flip back to Strowman at WrestleMania.

17. The feud among Andrade, Humberto Carrillo, Angel Garza and Rey Mysterio has been compelling and fun in the ring, even with being built around Andrade’s Wellness Policy suspension. But it is time to get to the next phase of this story. Any one of them is a worthy U.S. champion. Andrade and Carrillo are the front-runners. Would WWE think about doing Andrade vs. Zelina Vega’s real-life husband Aleister Black if Andrade retains?

18. As good as Andrade and Carrillo are in the ring, you can make the case the charismatic Garza comes across the best on screen. WWE could turn him babyface and make Vega choose between him and Andrade in a post-WrestleMania feud.

19. What Daniel Bryan is doing with Drew Gulak is fantastic. They told an excellent story during their match at Elimination Chamber in Gulak’s hometown of Philadelphia. Bryan also got Heath Slater and Curtis Axel some TV time. Hope the plug isn’t pulled too quickly on this, but WWE could want a more marquee match for Bryan in Tampa.

20. “Who sent Otis the text to spoil his Valentine’s Day date with Mandy Rose?” is a storyline WWE needs to make more prominent, despite Rose telling Otis she’s moved on. Otis vs. Ziggler needs to end with either Otis getting the girl or Sonya Deville being the one who sent the text. If not, what was the point?

21. At the least, WWE has an increasingly over, non-New Day babyface tag team in Heavy Machinery. Will they capitalize on it? Heavy Machinery was the second team out of the Elimination Chamber after getting a huge rub from the gauntlet match on last week’s “SmackDown.”

22. The SmackDown tag team match was the best on the pay-per-view as the division continues stealing the show. Please continue to give them the time and respect they deserve and keep them off kickoff shows.

23. John Morrison and his acrobatic move set has been a fun addition to the WWE roster. How soon until he turns on Miz and starts a singles run?

24. Thank you WWE for giving us more of Robert Roode’s glorious entrance. It used to be one of the coolest in wrestling, and is still up there.

25. Props to Lince Dorado for that shooting star press from hanging from the roof of the Elimination Chamber. Crazy.

26. Ricochet has been relegated to matches on Main Event. He deserves better than the burying he’s getting right now.

27. Does WWE actually have a women’s tag team division? The 24/7 title has gotten more or equal TV time in recent months. At least the Kabuki Warriors were revived on Monday.

28. The Raw tag team match at Elimination Chamber featured two singles stars in Rollins and Murphy against the Street Profits in a match that was more about advancing Rollins’ feud with Kevin Owens.

29. When does Kevin Owens get to work his magic at the top of the card or is he destined to be an upper-midcard storytelling star?

30. The Street Profits are fun, they bring energy and they have a great connection with a live crowd. They are stars. WWE needs to start booking them that way.

31. King Corbin feuding with Elias sounds about right.

32. The Revival’s contracts in WWE should be up in June. If and how they are booked for WrestleMania 36 could be a telling sign about their future.

33. Jeff Hardy is returning to SmackDown this Friday after a long hiatus. It was wonderful to see Hardy look refreshed and healthy on “WWE Backstage” last week.

34. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder almost made it to the pay-per-view Sunday, but lost on the kickoff show instead.

35. WWE said last week WrestleMania 36 is going on as planned in Tampa, Fla., though they are monitoring the outbreak of the coronavirus. If other major sports, such as the NBA, NCAA or NHL start forbidding fans from attending games, at some point you have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and reevaluate.

36. Stone Cold Steve Austin returns to Raw for 3/16 Day. Oh, hell yeah!

source https://truesportsfan.com/sport-today/wrestlemania-36-what-to-follow-in-wwe-with-one-month-to-go/

[placetobenation]

What a week!

Of course, you expect a lot of things to change when the Royal Rumble hits and the Road to WrestleMania begins. But what we got this past seven days from the WWE was simply amazing!

A huge crowd, solid storytelling and a surprise return that’s turned the WWE on its edge is where we begin for that fateful night in Houston.

Roman Reigns keeps his strong Royal Rumble performance going by not only defeating King Corbin in the opening match, but Reigns also goes nearly an hour in the Rumble match itself before being the final elimination by winner Drew McIntyre.

Then, in the women’s Rumble match, Bianca Belair makes her mark with a 33:20 stay and eight eliminations before being ousted. Beth Phoenix not only returns, lasting until the final five, but does it with a gutsy performance that saw her blonde locks turn red after being posted in the back of the head by Belair. In the end, it’s a tremendous finish as Charlotte Flair ousts Shayna Baszler, who eliminated eight superstars herself, with a leg scissors and flip over the top rope. Nice to see Molly Holly, Kelly Kelly and of course, Santina Morella too!

The Fiend outlasts Daniel Bryan to keep his Universal Title. You have to wonder if Roman Reigns is up next for Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania.

Not to be outdone, Brock Lesnar eliminates the first 13 men to start the Rumble match! Now that’s Beastly! In a great bit of detail, Lesnar gets eliminated after Riccochet low blows him (payoff for Brock’s RAW ballshot) and McIntyre claymores Lesnar over the top rope. The shock on Lesnar and Paul Heyman’s face is worth the price of admission. Also, I loved Lesnar’s “who’s this MF’er” when Keith Lee came out at #15. It’s that attention to detail that makes the payoff all the more sweet! It’s almost like we got two Rumbles – the Lesnar part and then the McIntyre part. Well done!

And then, there was Edge! After nine years away in retirement due to his neck injury, Edge comes in at #21 and makes a moment with his former Rated RKO superstar Randy Orton. It wasn’t until one night later that we would see the ultimate payoff in that one.

Get yourself a man like @otiswwe!#RoyalRumble #WomensRumble pic.twitter.com/0dFYJu8lOj

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 27, 2020

Oh yeah, nice save Otis! I’m sure Mandy Rose enjoyed the ride!

Star of the Week:

Edge and Beth Phoenix – How could we not give it to the new first couple of WWE? Both returned to the WWE ring with complete fanfare for their Rumble matches. Both showed amazingly well even despite Beth’s injury. Then, the explanation by Edge as to how he came back and subsequent dastardly, cowardly acts by Orton on RAW gave us an incredible end to Monday night and the beginning to what should be a twist-and-turning Road to WrestleMania in Tampa in April.

RAW

RESULTS

Drew McIntyre defeated The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows)

Rey Mysterio,Jr. defeated MVP

Aleister Black defeated Kenneth Johnson

Raw Tag Team Title Match: Buddy Murphy & Seth Rollins defeated Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe to retain the titles

US Title Match: Humberto Carrillo defeated Champion Andrade (DQ)

Charlotte defeated Asuka (DQ when Kairi Sane interfered)

24/7 Title Match: Champion Mojo Rawley defeated No Way Jose; R-Truth defeated Mojo Rawley; Mojo Rawley defeated R-Truth

Liv defeated Lana

Erick Rowan defeated Branden Vice

What we loved:

R… K… No! Instead of a #RatedRKO reunion, @RandyOrton delivered an #RKO on his former pal @EdgeRatedR. #RAW pic.twitter.com/SaBtASLiDc

— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2020

The return story – Edge’s explanation, straight from the heart, as to how, why and the struggle to come back to a WWE ring was perfect. And then, to have Randy Orton come out, reunite, hug and then stab his former friend in the back with an RKO left the live crowd and tv audience speechless. Then, a conchairto to further injure Edge’s neck cemented Orton’s dark place in Heelville, a place that suits Orton best. Can’t wait to see how this unfolds.

And if ya don't know, now ya know.#WrestleMania @BrockLesnar @DMcIntyreWWE pic.twitter.com/SVY6onsV9J

— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) January 28, 2020

Drew picks Brock – Why drag it out! Drew wants Brock. Brock wants Drew. Let’s get to the physicality between these two heavyweights! The question will be how do the fill the six weeks until Tampa with enough intrigue.

Charlotte picks … no one – I, for one, am glad they are not trying to shove another Charlotte vs. Becky match down our collective throats. Charlotte vs. Bayley would be nice. But, I’d rather see Charlotte vs. either NXT Champion Rhea Ripley or Shayna Baszler. Those two matches have a big-match feel to them if built up properly.  And oh yeah, BTW, interesting how no one came to Flair’s rescue when she was getting double-teamed by the Kabuki Warriors. Hmmmmm….

MVP’s last WWE match – Even if it was just for 24 hours, we got MVP back and MVP vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr. one more time.

What we didn’t love:

Bye bye Andrade – With his 30-day suspension at hand, you knew they were going to find a way to write Andrade off tv for a month. Humberto Carillo’s face-plant on the concrete floor does that and makes for title match down the road between these two in Tampa. Making chicken salad out of you know what there folks. Had to be done and a title switch was too soon in this feud.

Erick Rowan – broken record for the past countless number of RAW episodes. Squash match, no reveal of the cage. Blah, blah, blah. It better be something good in there!

Liv vs. Lana – After a white-hot wedding, this one’s fizzled out quicker than a candle in a rainstorm. Two minutes for a match and the boys banned from ringside. No payoff on the Liv angle with no story being told. Such a bad follow-up, but not unexpected.

NXT

Finn Balor defeated Trent Seven

Shotzi Blackheart defeated Deonna Purrazzo

Dominik Dijakovic defeated Damian Priest

Tegan Nox defeated Dakota Kai

Kayden Carter defeated Chelsea Green

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: The Broserweights (Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne) defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake)

Things that may you go hmmmm…

What has @NXTCiampa done?!?!?! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/6Ccp0gqMKS

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 30, 2020

Ciampa vs. Cole – Was it me or did Tommaso Ciampa do all the bad stuff yet still got all the cheers? Beating up The Undisputed Era, bullying his way to a title shot and then signing the contract in his own blood. Don’t get me wrong, Cole’s a bad dude too, I just like the tweener role for both guys who are not quite babyfaces and not quite heels. Grey fits them well. Hmmmm……

Balor vs. Seven – Was it me or did Seven look a little too good against Balor? Just sayin. Hmmmm….

NXT Women’s Championship – With no Rhea Ripley or Shayna Baszler, it left me longing for what they will do next. Seemed odd that it wasn’t even addressed, not even a little bit. Hmmmm…..

COOLEST entrance of the decade right here!

Everyone's talking about @Shotziblack on #WWENXT! pic.twitter.com/VApZ7JtRD9

— WWE (@WWE) January 30, 2020

Shotzi’s tank – If you’re a fan of social media (and who’s not), was Blackheart’s ride to the ring in a miniature tank a nod to AEW’s Sammy Guerra’s knock to the old WWF invasion over the weekend in Sammy’s hometown of Houston? Hmmmm…..

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Smackdown Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Match: The Miz & John Morrison defeated The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder), The Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik& Lince Dorado), & Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker)

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defeated Fire & Desire (Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville)

Intercontinental Title Match: Braun Strowman defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win title

Sheamus defeated Chad Gable

Losers Eat Dog Food Match: Reigns & The Usos defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode

What we loved:

Happy Valentine’s Day Otis – Heavy Machinery may not have won the #1 contender’s match for the tag team titles, but Otis My Man has himself a Valentine’s Day date with Mandy Rose. What could go wrong!

January would end like this.#SmackDown @BaronCorbinWWE pic.twitter.com/5cgTkBPyCy

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) February 1, 2020

The end of Reigns vs. Corbin – Here’s hoping with the dog food payoff by Reigns over Corbin, we get the end to this underwhelming and long feud. Both need to move on.

Champion Braun – Well, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen the exposed turnbuckle backfire but it works to Strowman’s advantage as he wins the I-C Title! Plus, could this be the crack that gets Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn? Shinsuke can’t be happy with Zayn’s mistake that ultimately cost him his championship.

This Week in WWE History – Love looking back especially when we get a Rock vs. Mankind empty arena match from 1999’s Super Bowl to look back at. Halftime Heat was really cool back in the day!

What we didn’t like:

Super Smackdown? – I get that FOX wants to make sure that we know that they have the Super Bowl on FOX Sunday, but there’s was nothing really SUPER about this Smackdown. Good, but not great and no real surprises like we had on RAW earlier in the week. A pair of rematches from past Smackdowns and the Royal Rumble does not make a Friday night SUPER my friends. Next week, we get the return of the Dirt Sheet with Miz & Morrison and Firefly Funhouse.

Parting shots:

I know the Road to WrestleMania is just starting, but I wonder if we’ll get exits including The Undertaker or Ronda Rousey this year. Eventually, I’m sure, we’ll get the very final sighting of the Dead Man, but will it be in Tampa, Saudi Arabia or somewhere else in 2020. As for Rousey, I’d love to see her back, although it seems unlikely according to her social media game.

Welcome to RAW Tom Phillips. It was good to hear him replace Vic Joseph as the voice of Monday Nights. Nothing against Joseph, but Phillips is a bit more energetic for my tastes. Not so sure we needed a return of Byron Sexton though. Phillips and the King would be just fine IMHO.

WrestleMania card (confirmed to date): WWE Championship – Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

[placetobenation]

It’s here! The road to WrestleMania officially begins with this weekend’s Royal Rumble at Minute Maid Park in Houston. What’s the over/under on mentions of the Astros cheating scandal by the announce crews on commentary and the pre-show? About 100?

Anyway, as always with Royal Rumble weekend, it’s about the surprises. It’s about who will show up when that clock hits :00 for the next contestant to enter the ring. This year, who’s first is not left to predict as WWE Champion Brock Lesnar has already announced his intentions to not only enter the Rumble but be its first entrant. So, who will be the first 5-10 “lucky” superstars who get eliminated by the reigning, defending, conquering Champion? You know it’s going to happen!

This year’s rumors have veterans like Edge, CM Punk and the hometown hero, Booker T as possible entries. And how about the NXT stars? So, far, there’s been no mention of any involvement from the Full Sail gang. It should seem obvious that Keith Lee, off his Survivor Series performance and winning the North American Championship this past week, would be a no-brainer!

And how about the return of Ronda Rousey? Do we get it this weekend or at some point on the Road to WrestleMania? With so few female superstars already announced for the Royal Rumble, there’s plenty of room to add in from all three brands.

But, before we get there, there’s a Saturday night special for NXT and NXT UK to take on each other with Worlds Collide. Here’s the card:

Pre-Show: Mia Yim vs. Kay Lee Ray

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Moustache Mountain

NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Angel Garza vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks

Finn Balor vs. Ikja Dragunov

NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

Eight-Man Tag Team: Undisputed ERA vs. Imperium (James Drake & Zack Gibson)

Star of the Week:

Keith Lee – Lee wins his first NXT singles championship, pinning North American Champion Roderick Strong Wednesday night on the USA Network. This could be just the start of a very good week for Lee with Royal Rumble weekend being the next piece of his stardom.

RAW

RESULTS

United States Championship Title Ladder Match: Andrade defeated Rey Mysterio to retain title

Aleister Black defeated local competitor

Drew McIntyre defeated Randy Orton (DQ when The OC interfered)

RAW Women’s Championship Non-Title Match: Champion Becky Lynch defeated Kairi Sane (Submission)

RAW Tag Team Championship Title Match: Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy defeated The Viking Raiders to win titles

Erick Rowan defeated Matt Hardy

Lashley & Lana defeated Rusev & Liv Morgan

What we loved:

#LaMuñeca to the rescue.#RAW #LadderMatch @Zelina_VegaWWE pic.twitter.com/t5tde5thMD

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 21, 2020

Viva La Ladder – Kudos to Andrade and Rey Mysterio, Jr for putting it all out there in this one! Brutal and a good story to boot! And how about Zelina Vega throwing caution to the wind, climbing to the top of the ladder to stop Mysterio from winning the title! Now, we get Humberto Carrillo coming to his hero’s aid to start a feud with Andrade next. Good stuff!

The #MondayNightMessiah just worked a miracle.#RAW @WWERollins @WWE_Murphy @Akam_WWE @Rezar_WWE pic.twitter.com/NPlIkPUIGp

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 21, 2020

New champs – What’s the easiest way to get more heat on the most hated faction in the WWE? Put the gold on them! And the surprise is that it’s Rollins and Murphy who got the title shot and not the pure tag team in the AOP. Could that be a sticking point down the road when this faction destroys itself later this year? It’s like The Undisputed ERA (until this week) or The Four Horsemen holding all the titles back in the day.

Best seat in the house belongs to @WWEAsuka. #RAW pic.twitter.com/OINqnT9RAT

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 21, 2020

Becky vs. Kairi – Quality match, plus we get Asuka on the top turnbuckle during the middle of the match. A different visual that was pretty interesting as to what she would or could do throughout the match and then, of course, a perfect spot to make a post-match attack on the champ heading into Asuka’s title match at the Royal Rumble.

What we didn’t like:

Last 30 minutes of RAW – The last 30 minutes of RAW did nothing for me. First, another squash of Matt Hardy by Erick Rowan. Been there. Done that. Enough said.  Then, there’s no need for Lashley/Lana vs. Rusev/Liv Morgan to be a main event. Especially when you’re only going to give it less than five minutes. There’s no surprise, intrigue or better yet, a swerve or great match to be had there. If you’re going to keep me for three hours, give me a payoff.

NXT

RESULTS

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Grizzled Young Vets (Zack Gibson & James Drake) defeated The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)

Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai (DQ when Bianca Belair interferes)

Finn Balor defeated Joaquin Wilde

Shayna Baszler defeated Shotzi Blackheart (Submission)

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: The Broserweights (Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne) defeated Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner)

NXT North American Title Match: Keith Lee defeated Champion Roderick Strong

What we loved:

2020 is looking #LIMITLESS!@RealKeithLee has the #NXTNorthAmericanTitle and ALLLLLL the momentum!!!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/x0XmLc4a0k

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 24, 2020

Bask in his glory – It’s here. The first NXT title for the big man, Keith Lee. His stock has been on the rise since Survivor Series last November and it hasn’t stopped! It will be interesting to see how long his reign will be and if it’s just a stepping stone to the eventual NXT Championship.

#Imperium vs. #UndisputedERA#NXTUK vs. #WWENXT This colossal Eight-Man Tag Team Match can only be contained this Saturday at #WorldsCollide! pic.twitter.com/ty3iQqYOAT

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 24, 2020

An eye for an eye – As TUE and Imperium build up to their World Collide meeting, it’s only fair that they get each other out of the Dusty Rhodes Classic right? Imperium strikes first to start the night off giving the Grizzled Young Vets a semi-final win. Then, TUE fights back to end the night with a big brawl. If that doesn’t make you want to see them face-off Saturday in Houston, nothing will.

Meh:

Shayna Baszler – Usually I’m all into a Baszler match, but it just seemed like she was a little off. From the pre-match promo to the match with Shotzi Blackheart, who eliminated her in the Battle Royale last week, there was something missing for me. That desire and killer instinct just was a smidge from where it usually is. Maybe it’s me.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

The Usos & Roman Reigns defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville went to no-contest when Lacey Evans & Bayley interfere

Elias & Braun Strowman defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura

John Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston

What we loved:

Go big or go home – From start to finish, this was a very good set-up for Royal Rumble weekend for the Smackdown crew. Quality stuff in the ring starting with a very good 6-man match between Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, advancing storylines and an emotional, get-to-know-me moment from Lacey Evans. And how about that ending, The Fiend signing the contract in his own blood! Emotions and expectations are surely running high for Sunday night in Houston!

"It doesn't matter where you come from… if you keep pushing, you can accomplish your goals." – @LaceyEvansWWE #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/sKl34H4D6e

— WWE (@WWE) January 25, 2020

Lacey’s backstory – Give me more of the heartstrings from Lacey Evans. What’s not to like about her. A strong Mom and Marine who’s been dealt a rough hand with her father’s issues and not battling a pair of bullies in Bayley and Sasha Bank. It’s going to be nice moment when she wins the Smackdown Women’s Title.

Braun can sing – Count me as one who likes this new pairing of Elias and Braun Strowman. I get a more human, fun side of the big man plus Elias back in the ring for the first time in forever. That’s quality stuff for a Friday night Give me more!

Contract signed… in @WWEBrayWyatt's own BLOOD. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/1dKohtBD5F

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) January 25, 2020

Sealed with a strap and some blood – Finally, we get a contract signing that’s not long and drawn out with the same ol’ non-sense and dribble. Bray Wyatt and The Fiend get straight to the point as The Fiend answers the call to whip Bryan into submission while signing the contract in his own blood! The only bad part of it all was that annoying red light that didn’t let us see the blood at home until after The Fiend left the ring.

Parting shots:

It’ll be interesting to see how the WWE treats NXT going forward this weekend at the Royal Rumble and on the Road to WrestleMania. The rumors have been that there will be NXT involvement in Tampa at WrestleMania, but to what extent? I would expect that at the very least the NXT Championships will be defended in some respect on the card. But let’s see first how big (and successful) they’ll be in Houston. This year’s WrestleMania could be stacked, but first they must deliver this weekend.

BTW: Can’t wait for the debut in NXT of Scarlett Bordeaux!

And oh yeah, some predictions (IMHO):

Drew McIntyre and Shayna Baszler will win the Royal Rumble matches unless Vince McMahon tries to slam us one more time with Roman Reigns. Lacey Evans wins the Smackdown Women’s Title while The Fiend survives the strap match.

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!