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WWE Money In The Bank 2019 Preview/Predictions
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
The poster of this event is a microcosm of the problems that plague the main roster – the illusion that two’s better than one.
In a panicked reaction to low ratings, Vince McMahon introduced (in a half-assed manner, mind you) the “Wild Card Rule,” where four superstars from Raw could appear on SmackDown and vice versa. McMahon messed up the promo to explain it and then managed to break his own made-up rule as five superstars from SmackDown appeared on that very Raw.
Since its forgettable introduction, it has actually made Raw and SmackDown feel like the same show, with Elias, Roman Reigns, Shane McMahon, The Miz and The Usos being most of the “Wild Cards.”
We’ll get into the bigger problems later, but Money In The Bank comes at a time when the main roster needs unpredictability and luckily, the briefcase holders can contribute a bit of that to their respective Title pictures.
Posted in WWE
Tags: AJ Styles, Ali, Andrade, Ariya Daivari, Baron Corbin, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Charlotte Flair, Dana Brooke, Daniel Bryan, Drew McIntyre, Elias, Ember Moon, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Lacey Evans, Mandy Rose, Money In The Bank, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Cross, Predictions, Preview, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Roman Reigns, Rowan, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Shane McMahon, The Miz, The Usos, Tony Nese
WWE WrestleMania 35 Preview/Predictions
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
NXT TakeOver: New York (or TakeOver: Brooklyn V?) came, conquered and impressed everyone in all its glory.
300-pound Heavyweight Hanson performed a handspring back elbow and a top rope senton to the floor, Velveteen Dream was the GODDAMN STATUE OF LIBERTY and the main event between Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole delivered more wows than a summer blockbuster.
To be frank – WrestleMania will pale in comparison to its NXT counterpart and that’s to put it nicely, despite the fact that Mania will run more than twice the amount of time and contain more than three times as many matches.
Below are our predictions to shape Mania into a halfway decent show. If you’ve followed the Raw side (without falling asleep), the build has been abysmal while SmackDown has held themselves together better thanks to Kofi Kingston’s journey, but there are still some flaws here and there.
Let’s get to it.
Posted in WWE
Tags: Adam Cole, AJ Styles, Aleister Black, Ali, Andrade, Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Apollo Crews, Asuka, Baron Corbin, Batista, Becky Lynch, Beth Phoenix, Bo Dallas, Bobby Lashley, Bobby Roode, Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, Buddy Murphy, Carmella, Chad Gable, Charlotte Flair, Colin Jost, Cruiserweights, Curt Hawkins, Curtis Axel, Dana Brooke, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Dominic, Drew McIntyre, EC3, Elimination Chamber, Finn Balor, Gran Metalik, Hanson, Heath Slater, Jeff Hardy, Jinder Mahal, John Cena, Johnny Gargano, Kalisto, Karl Anderson, Kofi Kingston, Konnor, Kurt Angle, Lana, Lince Dorado, Liv Morgan, Luke Gallows, Mandy Rose, Matt Hardy, Michael Che, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya, Nia Jax, Nikki Cross, No Way Jose, NXT, Otis, Paul Heyman, Predictions, Preview, Pro Wrestling, Randy Orton, Raw, Rey Mysterio, Rhyno, Ric Flair, Ricochet, Roman Reigns, Ronda Rousey, Ruby Riott, Rusev, Samoa Joe, Sarah Logan, Seth Rollins, Shane McMahon, Shelton Benjamin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Smackdown, Sonya Deville, TakeOver: New York, Tamina, The Bar, The Boss 'n' Hug Connection, The IIconics, The Miz, The New Day, The Revival, The Usos, Titus O'Neil, Tony Nese, Triple H, Tucker, Tyler Breeze, Velveteen Dream, Viktor, WrestleMania 35, WWE, Zack Ryder, Zelina Vega
Notes In Observance – WWE SmackDown Live 2/21/17: Feel The Blow
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.Ā
(Aired 2/21/17)Ā
Feel The BlowĀ
– The opening video recapped last week as new WWE Champion Bray Wyatt had to defend against John Cena and AJ Styles. Also shown was Luke Harper’s attack on Wyatt as revenge, which only created another obstacle for the Champ. Sure enough, he battled through and actually pinned Cena to keep his belt. Autocorrect turned that into “belly.” Do with that what you will. Anyways, The “Era Of Wyatt” was set to continue and his influence was so great that even Royal Rumble Winner Randy Orton refused to face him for the belt come WrestleMania 33. What a loyal disciple. In turn, SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan determined that a 10-Man Battle Royale would take place to determine who would face Wyatt at Mania. Simple enough and we’ve got a huge main event on our hands.
Posted in WWE
Tags: 205 Live, AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, American Alpha, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch, Bray Wyatt, Breezango, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Gentleman Jack Gallagher, JBL, Kalisto, Luke Harper, Maryse, Mauro Ranallo, Mickie James, Mojo Rawley, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Randy Orton, Renee Young, SmackDown Live, The Miz, The Usos, Tom Phillips, WrestleMania 33
Notes In Observance – WWE SmackDown Live 2/14/17: The Era Of Wyatt
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.Ā
(Aired 2/14/17)
The Era Of WyattĀ
– The opening video brought us back to the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View, with highlights of all the matches headed in and the big finishes. The most progressive developments were obviously Luke Harper proving himself in the ring with Randy Orton, Naomi taking home the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship and Bray Wyatt finally being WWE Champion.
Posted in WWE
Tags: AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, American Alpha, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch, Bray Wyatt, Carmella, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, James Ellsworth, JBL, John Cena, Luke Harper, Mauro Ranallo, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Randy Orton, The Ascension, The Usos, TJ Perkins, Tom Phillips, WrestleMania 33
WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Reaction
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Back in the Pay-Per-View fold after a year’s absence, the infamous Elimination Chamber was all a part of the blue brand’s WrestleMania build.
With Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton in the wings for a Title shot, six of the best would battle it out to see who he’d face, a few in the first Chamber match of their careers.
On a night where a few undercard talents had their moment, other bouts got lost in the shuffle, but as always, SmackDown delivered when it counted.
Posted in WWE
Tags: AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, American Alpha, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch, Booker T, Bray Wyatt, Breezango, Carmella, Curt Hawkins, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Elimination Chamber, Heath Slater, James Ellsworth, JBL, John Cena, Kalisto, Luke Harper, Maryse, Mauro Ranallo, Mickie James, Mojo Rawley, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Randy Orton, Renee Young, Rhyno, Sam Roberts, SmackDown Live, The Ascension, The Miz, The Usos, The Vaudevillains, Tom Phillips, WrestleMania 33
Notes In Observance – WWE SmackDown Live 2/7/17: The Latest Chapter
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.Ā
(Aired 2/7/17)Ā
The Latest ChapterĀ
– Announced last week, this was a notable occurrence where the Royal Rumble winner would challenge the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, nine days removed from said Rumble event. Now, enter Randy Orton and Champion John Cena into these roles and you might have a different reaction to that in 2017. Of course, we’ve all seen their past 34,000 encounters between 2006-2011, so this wasn’t any new territory, but the opening video accomplished an almost-impossible task – it made it feel like important history. We guess all that nostalgic footage also helped out. That was the nature of it all and surely, there was lots of footage at the old video library to rummage through for this piece. Give that Production Employee a cookie, dammit.
Posted in WWE
Tags: AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, American Alpha, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch, Bray Wyatt, Breezango, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Elimination Chamber, Heath Slater, JBL, John Cena, Kalisto, Luke Harper, Maryse, Mauro Ranallo, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Randy Orton, Rhyno, The Ascension, The Miz, The Usos, The Vaudevillains, Tom Phillips, WrestleMania 33
Notes In Observance – WWE SmackDown Live 1/31/17: Chamber Music
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 1/31/17)
Chamber MusicĀ
– Given that the Royal Rumble was won by a SmackDown guy (that’s Randy Orton, The Wyatt Family-Friendly version in case you didn’t know), the opening video gladly reminded us of all that jazz. WWE took it upon themselves to quote various media outlets with the most generic sentences on planet Earth. We’ll give an example. “That was a Rumble!” – Forbes. No kidding. You’d also be crazy if they didn’t sprinkle in footage of the epic rematch between WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and AJ Styles where history was made and such. However, the Rumble madness is over and thanks to WWE’s killer Pay-Per-View schedule, we’ve got Elimination Chamber in a mere two weeks.
Posted in WWE
Tags: AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, American Alpha, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch, Bray Wyatt, Breezango, Brie Bella, Carmella, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Delilah Dawson, Dolph Ziggler, Elimination Chamber, Heath Slater, James Ellsworth, JBL, John Cena, Kalisto, Luke Harper, Maryse, Mauro Ranallo, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Randy Orton, Rhyno, Shane McMahon, The Ascension, The Miz, The Usos, Tom Phillips
WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Reaction
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
While January begins with a countdown from ten to one, wrestling fans most associate the month with the same countdown towards another festivity – the Royal Rumble.
Given the “Big Four” treatment, equivalent in 2017 to a NXT TakeOver event the day before, a two-hour pre-show and a five-and-a-half-hour Pay-Per-View, it was treated as a huge deal.
It probably also helped that it emanated from San Antonio’s Alamodome, with a house count of 52,020. It was practically WrestleMania without being it.
Given the Rumble’s star power of Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, The Big Show, Goldberg and The Undertaker, there was an unpredictability headed in that severely lacked the previous few years.
Posted in Uncategorized, WWE
Tags: AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, Apollo Crews, Austin Aries, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Big Cass, Big E, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Byron Saxton, Cesaro, Charlotte, Chris Jericho, Corey Graves, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Enzo Amore, Goldberg, Jack Gallagher, James Ellsworth, JBL, Jerry Lawler, John Cena, Karl Anderson, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Lana, Luke Harper, Mark Henry, Maryse, Mauro Ranallo, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Mickie James, Naomi, Natalya, Neville, Nia Jax, Nikki Bella, Paul Heyman, Randy Orton, Rich Swann, Roman Reigns, Royal Rumble, Rusev, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Shane McMahon, Sheamus, Stephanie McMahon, The Big Show, The Miz, The Undertaker, Tom Phillips, Tye Dillinger, Xavier Woods
Notes In Observance – WWE SmackDown Live 1/24/17: Brother Vs. Brother
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 1/24/17)
Brother Vs. BrotherĀ
– The General Manager Daniel Bryan/Miz/Maryse backstage segment was another perfect example of chemistry done right. For months, Miz had been at his boss’ head ever since he was criticized in that infamous Talking Smack promo. There was no better way to set up a Lumberjack Match than have Miz boldly claim he “paid all of the locker room’s salaries with star power.” Bryan, apple aside, was all wits, as he used Miz’s statements against him to give him a WWE Intercontinental Championship rematch, but under his rules to prevent outside interference. Welcome to the world of logic. None of that on Raw.
Posted in WWE
Tags: Aiden English, AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Becky Lynch, Bray Wyatt, Carmella, Curt Hawkins, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Heath Slater, James Ellsworth, JBL, John Cena, Kalisto, Konnor, Luke Harper, Maryse, Mauro Ranallo, Mickie James, Mojo Rawley, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Randy Orton, Rhyno, Royal Rumble, Simon Gotch, The Miz, The Usos, Tom Phillips, Tyler Breeze, Viktor
WWE Survivor Series 2016 Reaction
Posted by Nicholas Jason Lopez
By Nicholas Jason LopezĀ
If WWE in 2016 has taught us anything, it’s that content outweighs logic.
After an hour and 51 minute pre-show came a three hour and 26-minute Pay-Per-View for a total of five hours and 27 minutes of air time.
Nothing screamed “filler” like interbranded 10-man elimination tag matches, with little consequences. Three of them, to be exact.
It’s like watching the World Series between two teams you don’t like. There’s no emotional investment besides the ones who’re directly involved.
Luckily, the best build ironically went to Goldberg-Brock Lesnar, the personification of the overhyped “Fantasy Warfare Just Got Real” catchphrase.
In this case, some things should stay fantasy.
Posted in WWE
Tags: AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox, American Alpha, Ariya Daivari, Baron Corbin, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Big Cass, Big E, Booker T, Brain Kendrick, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Breezango, Brock Lesnar, Byron Saxton, Carmella, Cesaro, Charlotte, Chris Jericho, Corey Graves, Dana Brooke, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Drew Gulak, Enzo Amore, Goldberg, Heath Slater, James Ellsworth, JBL, Jerry Lawler, Kalisto, Kane, Karl Anderson, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Lita, Luke Gallows, Luke Harper, Maryse, Mauro Ranallo, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Naomi, Natalya, Nia Jax, Nikki Bella, Noam Dar, Paul Heyman, Randy Orton, Renee Young, Rhyno, Rich Swann, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, Shane McMahon, Sheamus, Stephanie McMahon, Survivor Series, The Hype Bros., The Miz, The Shining Stars, The Usos, TJ Perkins, Tom Phillips, Tony Nese, Xavier Woods