….they couldn’t.  Right?

Daniel Bryan/Shane McMahon vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

This is one of the most dangerous things WWE is doing. Not with putting Bryan back in the ring, but possibly with having everything going off the rails in short order. There’s a real chance that McMahon turns on Bryan here, but I’m really not writing off the idea of Bryan turning. It would be the dumbest idea in the world, but that’s why I think WWE might actually pull the trigger.

I’ll go with some hope though and say Bryan and McMahon win clean to send Owens and Zayn to “Raw”. I’m not sure who would be the next boss on “Smackdown Live” as there’s no reason to have Bryan around, especially if McMahon is taking a leave of absence (which likely means he’s done) but Bryan and McMahon winning to end the story makes the most sense. A turn isn’t out of the question, but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt this time.

This might be the match that interests me the most.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

Actually, this might be the match that has grabbed my interest more than anything else. They’ve turned this match into something that I actually want to see and I never would have guessed that would be possible. Either guy could pull this off and it’s going to be fun to see which way they wind up going to crown a new champion.

Really though, I think they have to go with Alexander. He’s come up short too many times before to have him lose yet again. Let Alexander FINALLY get the title and move on from there. I don’t want Ali to turn heel, even if both guys have been teasing turning in recent weeks. There’s no need to turn either here though as you can wait for that for later. For now though, Alexander needs to win and we can move on from there.

This is a long term issue.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Charlotte(c) vs. Asuka

While the Raw Women’s Title match is built up as a definitive end for the Bliss vs. Jax feud, this one is more about the long term storytelling. Asuka’s undefeated streak is one of the best streaks of all time and now she’s likely going to win a main card title. However, the question then is who stops Asuka down the road. Is it Ronda Rousey down the line or Charlotte here?

But yeah, I’m not going with any kind of a surprise here as I’m taking Asuka winning the title here as Charlotte can get a rematch in a month or so. Asuka can defend a few times before setting up the real showdown with Rousey either at “Summerslam 2018” or “Wrestlemania XXXV” but she wins here. Charlotte will be fine and a heel turn with her chasing the title could be interesting as well.

Please don’t waste this.

Intercontinental Title: The Miz(c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

This was almost a guaranteed layup title change (not sure who would have been winning) but then Miz became a father. Earlier this week on “Monday Night Raw”, Miz gave one of the most heartfelt speeches you’ll ever hear when he talked about looking at his daughter for the first time and wanting her to be proud of him. It almost turned Miz face on the spot and that made me wonder if things were as simple as they seemed. Throw in Miz being less than a month away from the most days as champion and it’s just not such an easy win.

I’ll take Rollins to win the title here though, as WWE seems like the kind of place that would forget what they did on Monday and go with their regular plans. Rollins getting the big win would be a nice boost for him, even though Balor needs the win more. I’d rather have Miz retain and set the record, but it would be a stretch to ignore that speech from Miz on Monday as it was that good.

With or without bonus toys.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. New Day vs. Bludgeon Brothers

There were rumors that this would be a TLC match and of course that’s always an option as WWE has added stipulations at the last minute before. The Bludgeon Brothers have looked like the most dominant teams in a good while despite almost never winning a major match yet. The Usos and New Day have been awesome against each other, but it’s hard to say what we might see with the monsters included.

I was going to go with the Bludgeon Brothers here but really, I could see the Usos retaining and then the Bludgeon Brothers taking the titles in a regular match. It wouldn’t make any sense and would be straight up dumb, but that’s the kind of thing WWE excels at. The Bludgeon Brothers are going to wind up with the titles at some point in the near future, but I just don’t think it’s here.

Pick from someone.

Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal

After all the controversy over Fabulous Moolah, it’s time to get down to the actual point…and it’s really hard to care. We just saw a much bigger and more important women’s battle royal about two months ago and now we’re supposed to get fired up for this. I haven’t been able to care about it for the most part as it’s just a match that we’ve seen recently without much else to it.

I’ll take…Bayley to win the thing I guess, as she and Sasha Banks are pretty clearly ready for a big time feud. Other than that though, who else is supposed to win the thing? A lot of the names in the thing (of fourteen announced) are just cannon fodder and that leaves a handful of options to win the match. Other than that the only real options (barring a big surprise entrant) are Banks and Becky Lynch, unless you have someone out of left field win it and then go nowhere as a result.

We have arrived. It’s FINALLY time for the biggest night of the wrestling year and that means we’re in New Orleans for “Wrestlemania XXXIV”. There’s a huge card with some top level title matches, Daniel Bryan’s long awaited in-ring return and a few questions about what we may or may not be seeing. The card is actually stacked, but it’s hard to say what we might be seeing with all of the wild cards that might be thrown our way. It’s time to break the whole thing down so let’s get to it.

Raw Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss(c) vs. Nia Jax

I figured I’d start with what should be the shortest match on the card. This story is built around the idea of Bliss bullying the much bigger Jax for both her looks and her size, which has gotten to Jax after having heard this all her life. It’s turned Jax into a monster who wants to destroy Bliss once and for all. Jax has never won a title and Bliss has taken out almost everyone else, but now it’s time for the showdown.

Based on the story that has been told, this should be Jax squashing Bliss in under two minutes. Bliss can get in a few shots, but Jax should just snap up, throw Bliss into the corner, and wreck her in short order. There’s no reason to believe that Bliss can hang with her in a straight fight. Jax needs to destroy her once and for all, which is exactly what this has been setting up for.

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s a big wrestling weekend and that means it’s time for another NXT Takeover special. As is almost always the case, that means NXT could steal the weekend again. It’s not like they haven’t done it before as their previous special featured one of the best matches WWE has produced in a good many years. This time around there’s a match that has been built up for the better part of a year and if the build is any indication, it could be a masterpiece. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Ember Moon(c) vs. Shayna Baszler

We’ll get one of the easier ones out of the way first with this rematch. Moon won the title after Asuka moved up to the main roster and hasn’t exactly impressed as champion. She’s not very interesting and never actually beating Asuka didn’t do her any favors. Why should I buy her as the top star of the division when Asuka never lost and Moon gets to be the best of the ones still in NXT?

Naturally I’m taking Baszler to win here as there’s no reason not to. Baszler has been the best character in the division for a long time now and can choke people out for awhile until the next challenger is ready. There’s nothing left for her to do but win the title and dominate as champion, though I’m not sure where that leaves Moon. I’m not sure what she would do on the main roster other than just being another name, but there isn’t much left for her in NXT.

North American Title: Adam Cole vs. Killian Dain vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet vs. EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream

Take six guys, put a ladder above the ring and see what happens I guess. This is for the inaugural title and there’s really not much else to say. Two of the participants are brand new and the match is wide open. I’d rather this be a pinfall or submission match with elimination rules but that’s never been WWE’s path forward on something like this. The match should be fun but there’s a good chance of it being a total mess, as is often the case in a big match with ladders involved.

That being said, I’ll take…..geez Dream I guess. There’s no wrong answer to this and while seeing Sullivan win the title would make sense, I’m seeing Dream going on to Brooklyn and winning the NXT Title so this is a good place to start. I’ll give NXT this though: they’ve put together six people and you really could pick any of them to win the title. That’s not the case very often and it’s really cool to see for a change.

NXT Title: Andrade Cien Almas(c) vs. Aleister Black

The more I think of this, the more unsure I am of the outcome. Almas is being presented as Black’s next victim but that was the same thing that was said when he faced Drew McIntyre. I’m not sure if that’s the case here as Almas winning and holding on to the title until “Takeover: Brooklyn” could be interesting. I could easily see Gargano getting one more chance in Brooklyn, but I’m not sure that’s where they’re going.

I’ll take Black winning the title and getting rid of Almas to send him to the main roster, but I’m almost thinking I’m wrong as I write this out. Almas and Zelina Vega are an amazing act together and having him give Black his first singles loss could be a great crowning achievement for him. This could be interesting, but they better not let it main event with a certain other match on the card.

Tag Team Titles/Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Adam Cole/Kyle O’Reilly(c) vs. Authors of Pain vs. Roderick Strong/Pete Dunne

This is one of those things that will be wrapped up by the time you read this and really, I’m not sure where to go here. Bobby Fish being injured throws everything up in the air, though Cole and O’Reilly continuing for months as a team would be just fine. This is getting more and more confusing the more I think about it as they really could go with any of the three teams here and get the right call.

I think I’ll go with Undisputed Era retaining and winning the tournament at the same time (ignore how ridiculous that sounds). The Authors don’t have anything else to win and I’m not sure if they’re going to go with a makeshift team winning to give Dunne a second title. The Era feels like the safe pick here but just like in the ladder match, it’s a wide open field where anyone could come out with the titles.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

This needs to main event the show, full stop. These two have put on one of the biggest rivalries in years, despite not actually having a match yet. This is unsanctioned and anything goes (as it should be) but it’s going to be all about emotion. If you have a match where they both come out looking to kill each other, it’s a complete pick em and could be one of the most heart wrenching matches NXT has ever done.

I’ll go with Gargano in what should be a layup. I’m scared of the idea of him going to the main roster and being the latest big star on “205 Live” because that place hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in the near year and a half’s worth of chances it’s had. I want to see these two tear each other’s heads off and that’s not something you can put together over night. Let us see something special, and let it close the show.

Overall Thoughts

I’m looking forward to this, which is almost a weird feeling coming in to a Takeover. For some reason the build doesn’t always have me fired up for a show but this could be a classic up and down the card. NXT has stolen many a big wrestling weekend and there’s no reason they can’t pull it off all over again. This is what they do and I hope to see them pull it off one more time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s almost the middle of March and for some reason we’re talking about a pay per view that isn’t Wrestlemania. Due to the calendar going the way it’s set up, we have a “Smackdown Live” pay per view to get through, leaving us four weeks to get ready for “Wrestlemania XXXIV”. WWE hasn’t exactly done much to make this show look good, but of course we have to deal with it as well. Therefore, “Fastlane 2018” comes off more as something that we have to do rather than something I’m likely to enjoy. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s Smackdown if you need a recap.

Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. New Day

I know this seems like little more than a way to fill in time before the Bludgeon Brothers take the titles but at least we should be having a great match on the way in. These teams have some of the best chemistry in WWE today and their previous matches have been nothing short of outstanding. I could go for watching these teams for days and thankfully they’ve taken some time off so the feud doesn’t get stale.

I’m going to take the Usos to win here, as the New Day just doesn’t need to win the titles. Above all else though, they’re better opponents for the Bludgeon Brothers down the line. They’re tailor made to get in the Brothers’ faces and then get beaten later on. New Day would make the team too much of a joke and that’s not the way you want to go with a team like the Bludgeon Brothers. Either way, great match, which is exactly why you put these four together.

Becky Lynch/Naomi vs. Carmella/Natalya

This is a match that was tacked on to the card earlier this week and I’m really not sure what the purpose is, aside from reminding us that Carmella and her Money in the Bank briefcase exist. Carmella hasn’t been much of a factor in recent weeks and this match doesn’t feel like the biggest deal in the world. At least it’s going to fill in some time though and we’re at a point where you can trust these four to give you ten minutes of good to quite good action.

I’ll take Lynch and Naomi for the win here as there’s not much of a point to the match. Odds are this goes on after Usos vs. New Day for the sake of letting the fans cool down a bit before the main event. Natalya is going to be fine for a spot here and Lynch/Naomi are both great at firing up the crowd. Carmella is a good character and passable in the ring so the match should be fine, albeit nothing worth remembering.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev

Here’s the second match that was added to the pay per view on this week’s “Smackdown Live” and that’s not the best thing in the world. Nakamura is coming up on a Smackdown World Title match at “Wrestlemania XXXIV” and for some reason this is his highest profile match since winning the Royal Rumble over a month ago. It’s like they’ve forgotten about him for some reason. Speaking of forgotten about, I won’t even bother getting into the rant about how Rusev has been treated like an afterthought since striking gold with Rusev Day.

Of course Nakamura wins here and there’s not much of a doubt about that whatsoever. Nakamura is just a bigger deal and Rusev is glorified cannon fodder for him at the moment. Let Nakamura get a big win (well, biggish) under his belt before he goes after AJ Styles and the title. He should be against a bigger name but take what he can get here, which is a sad thing to say about the #1 contender.

US Title: Bobby Roode(c) vs. Randy Orton

Now this one I’m not sure about. In theory this is designed to set up another match down the line with Jinder Mahal added to the mix (save us now) but at the moment, it’s just a solo effort. Roode is starting to find his groove as the champion but at the end of the day, Orton is Orton. They’re playing up the idea that Orton has never won the title, though the question is whether that’s enough to change things here.

I’m thinking no, as I’m expecting Mahal to interfere and cost Orton the match. Orton complains and a triple threat rematch is made for “Wrestlemania”. This isn’t exactly thrilling stuff as there’s little reason for Roode to want to face Orton, though at least Orton has a reason to go after the title. This could be a pleasant surprise, but it completely depends on which Orton shows up.

Women’s Title: Charlotte(c) vs. Ruby Riott

While I don’t see the ending as being in doubt, this one intrigues me quite a bit. This match is going to be a way to test Riott’s abilities in a big match and that could open some doors for her in the future. Charlotte is capable of having some of the best matches with anyone and it would be nice to see what she can get out of Riott.

Of course I’m going with Charlotte to retain here as most signs seem to point towards her defending against Asuka at “Wrestlemania”. This can be a nice tuneup for the champ before she heads to New Orleans, but again I’m more interested in Riott here. She’s done well on the mic and her matches have been better, so it should be interesting to give her a shot on a much bigger stage against a better opponent. Maybe she can make something of it and if that’s the case, well done.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena

If one match sums up every problem that I have with WWE’s booking in one long list of names, this is it. Instead of writing up a more interesting story or having two of these people in a singles match with a feud of their own or even having one of them face Nakamura, everyone is thrown into one mess of a match. Why have creative be creative when you can have them be, well, not creative?

Styles retains here, but the more interesting question is what happens to everyone else. You can almost guarantee Owens and Zayn having issues that are going to lead to something between the two of them, but the others are all just kind of there. Cena won’t be going to “Wrestlemania” because this is his LAST option (until a gong sounds of course) and that really leaves Styles as the best option (Ziggler and Corbin winning is laughable). This is all about Styles winning and a lack of effort otherwise, but that’s a rant for another time.

Overall Thoughts

I think I’ve made my take on this show pretty clear already. A week or so ago I dubbed this show Speed Bump because it’s slowing things down instead of moving us forward to something actually worthwhile. There’s some stuff on this show that interests me but at the same time, the show feels like something we’re getting through rather than something worth watching. I just want to get it done and move on to something actually worthwhile, like Wrestlemania for example.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Since WWE can’t just let us go from the Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania without multiple pay per views in between, we now have “Elimination Chamber 2018” and that means a double shot of Elimination Chambers. Why bother making one of the matches work better when you can just do it twice and hope people will care more that way? It’s a rather slim card but a double Chamber match should help a lot. Let’s get to it.

In case you’ve forgotten it, here’s last year’s show.

And the go home episode of Monday Night Raw.

Kickoff Show: Anderson and Gallows vs. Miztourage

This feels like a way to extend (Or is it start?) Miz vs. Finn Balor, and that’s not the worst idea in the world. I can always go for a battle of the goons, especially when Miz’s goons are very good at what they do. There’s a good chance this sets up a six man or just a singles match down the line and for a match that doesn’t have a lot of meaning to it, that should be just fine.

I’ll take the Miztourage as this feels like the kind of match where they would set you up for Gallows and Anderson to win easily and then throw in a swerve. Miztourage winning via cheating would make sense and draw Balor in, which seems to be the goal of the whole thing. This should be fine for an opener though and that’s all it needs to be.

Asuka vs. Nia Jax

Now this one doesn’t do much for me. The whole thing has been about Jax being the one to dethrone Asuka and end the undefeated streak and…..why would I believe that? We’ve been here multiple times with Jax now and she just doesn’t win the big matches. They’ve built her up as an unstoppable monster in both NXT and WWE and it’s the same thing every time.

So yeah, Asuka wins here and does so in the same manner she’s done it every single time now: survive Jax’s impressive offense and then win in the end with some kind of a hold. They’re not going to give her the Women’s Royal Rumble win and then lose the undefeated streak six weeks before “Wrestlemania XXXIV”. That doesn’t make sense and we’ve been here before. Stop with the same story.

Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt

This is another match we’ve seen before and it’s already lost a bunch of its steam. Wyatt is the same person he’s been for years and Hardy is now feeling like he’s playing the Woken character rather than being the Woken character like he was back in TNA. The fact that we’ve already seen them fight doesn’t help either and now we’re watching them again, which doesn’t make me care about it any more.

I’ll take Wyatt to win here as Hardy is already down lower than he was when he became the new character in the first place. Wyatt could be built up for a “Wrestlemania XXXIV” match but Hardy is seeming more and more destined for some thrown together match. That’s not the most surprising thing, but maybe they’ll throw him a win here and give it one more try. I wouldn’t be stunned, but I’m really not expecting it.

Tag Team Titles: The Bar(c) vs. Titus Worldwide

This is a thing that’s happening too and while I get why (we’ll get to that in a minute), it’s not the most thrilling match around. Titus Worldwide has been built up as being able to beat the Bar (except that one time they didn’t) so there’s some drama, but it’s not like this is the most thrilling match in the world.

That being said, I’ll go with new champions in WWE’s effort to celebrate Black History Month. This wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the world and that’s not a bad thing, as the tag division really needs some fresh blood. Giving Titus Worldwide the titles, even for a short while, would offer that fresh blood and you could always go back there later if necessary. For now though, the Bar loses but they’ll likely get the belts back soon enough.

Women’s Elimination Chamber

Here we have another of those firsts that WWE loves to do anymore and….yeah I really don’t see why they shouldn’t. The women’s division has been built up well enough to support something like this so why not do one? It’s not as big as the Royal Rumble last month but it also doesn’t feel tacked on for the sake of tacking it on. It’s better than the tag version in 2015 at least.

I’ll take Alexa Bliss to retain here because really, what other options are there? Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are this match’s Carlito and Chris Masters, Mickie James isn’t winning anything anytime soon, and Bayley is a lost cause. I guess there’s a possibility of Sasha Banks winning it, but Jax vs. Bliss is about as logical of a match as you have for the title at “Wrestlemania XXXIV” so we’ll go with that.

Men’s Elimination Chamber

After this Monday’s insane gauntlet match, I can appreciate WWE trying to do something with this. Really, I can. The result has worked well enough too, as the obvious ending is still obvious but at least they’re giving us a reason to think something might be changing. The gauntlet match kind of gave it away, but at least they’re trying.

And of course Roman Reigns wins. Like really, what else are you expecting? It might take three or four spears to Braun Strowman, but Reigns is going to New Orleans whether we like it or not. Now, like I said, they’ve actually done a good job of making you believe it won’t happen and I completely applaud them for that. Before, ti’s been the most obvious result in the world from January on. Now it’s late February and we’re just getting to it, which should at least make things easier to sit through.

Overall Thoughts

I’m really not feeling this show, but that’s more to wanting to get to the big build more than anything else. We have six weeks to go before “Wrestlemania XXXIV” and all I ask for here is some good action. Yeah the booking is pretty obvious, but just let us have something fun along the way. The Chambers should be worth seeing, but the rest of the card doesn’t exactly thrill me. Still though, things might be ok.

Oh and Ronda Rousey’s contract signing. That’s certainly a thing that’s happening too. I’m betting Stephanie McMahon gets involved and that’s the setup for “Wrestlemania XXXIV”, because we’re ALL looking forward to McMahon getting that moment that has eluded her for….well at least a few days by this point.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6