I can never remember if I do a preview for this show or not, but it’s undoubtedly TNA’s biggest show of the year so it deserves some attention. Throw in its connection to WWE via the NXT crossovers and the show is going to be special. There are some NXT stars appearing on the card and that should make for some interesting situations, even if the main event feels easy to predict. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInspiration(c) vs. Elegance Brand

This was thrown together just before the show and that’s kind of the best fit for it. While the titles are still important enough, it isn’t like there is much in the way of a division fighting over them. In other words, it’s the same problem that has plagued these things for years. The IInspiration won the titles rather soon, and in theory that should mean something for this match.

I’ll go with the champions retaining the titles here, as there isn’t much of a reason to put them back on the Brand so soon. Unless the title change was only for the sake of getting the IInspiration, and that didn’t need to be the case, I can’t imagine such a fast title reign. The titles stay in place here, even if there aren’t exactly many teams who can come after them at the moment.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

We’ll get this one out of the way early, mainly because we only know a handful of the people in the match. There are going to be twenty all together, but there are less than ten announced thus far. That is going to make things tricky, as one of those names is some kind of social media person. We don’t quite know much about the match and that leaves a lot of this in the dark.

Based on the people involved in the match, I’ll go with….geez I guess Mance Warner, who is in the final spot. Odds are this is going to wind up with someone who isn’t listed yet (Tommy Dreamer is all but guaranteed to be involved) but based on who is there, I can’t picture Nic Nemeth or Joe Hendry getting the win. Either way, just please don’t do the cash-in on the main event, unless the cash-in is failing.

Gia Miller vs. Tessa Blanchard

I have no idea why this is on the show. I get the story and everything, but you have a star like Blanchard and she’s fighting an interviewer who isn’t even a regular wrestler outside of TNA? In theory this is at worst some kind of punishment for Blanchard, but it feels like something that should be on Impact at best. Here we are though, and I’m still trying to get my head around it.

There is no reason to think that Miller is winning here (and TNA is absolutely insane if she does) so I’ll go with Blanchard taking it. This is one of those matches that almost needs to have some kind of interference or shenanigans to make it work, because otherwise we could be in for a near disaster. Blanchard needs to win and do something else or just get out of the company, as I have no idea why this is happening.

International Title: Frankie Kazarian(c) vs. Steve Maclin

I didn’t even realize this was on the card and that’s kind of telling about what it means. Kazarian took the title from Maclin not very long ago and we’re getting a rematch, which isn’t a bad idea at all. It isn’t like Kazarian has had the time to set something up with a new challenger so having him in there against a former World Champion is fine. Maclin has done well in his own right recently so this should be good.

Much like the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, I don’t see a reason for the title to change hands so quickly, so I’ll take Kazarian retaining. Odds are he cheats to win here, possibly with someone coming out there to help put Maclin down. It’s going to be a good one as both guys are more than solid in the ring and that’s a positive thing to have on any card, which is why it’s here.

TNA/NXT Tag Team Titles: Hardys(c) vs. Dudley Boyz

It’s a tables match (dubbed One Final Table) and…yeah if we just have to do this. I get the nostalgia aspect and all that jazz, but dang it’s hard to get my head around the idea that this is the best we have for the Tag Team Titles. Then again, it’s not like TNA has ever had any issue with pushing the Hardys WAY too hard so here we go one more time, as the clock is turned WAY back to the year 2000. In New York. In the WWF.

There is pretty much no reason to believe that this is going to be anything other than the Hardys retaining so I’m going to go with the most logical option. It’s going to be violent and probably bloody, but at the end of the day, it’s not likely that the Dudleys, who aren’t even a regular team anymore, are going to win the titles from two big time promotions. Just let them do their nostalgia deal here and move on with the Hardys retaining.

The System vs. Order 4

This is Hardcore War, which is basically WarGames without the cage. These teams have put together a nice story as I want to see them fight, which is a good sign. I’m not sure how much I need it to be hardcore, but it does feel like something that belongs on a show like Bound For Glory. What does hurt it though is that one team feels like it is on the decline while the other is on the rise and that’s what brings us to the result.

I don’t see much of a reason to believe that the System is winning here so I’ll take Order 4 to go over. This is the kind of match where Agent Zero could get some nice shine while Ali gets the win, which should make for a good moment. I’m hoping that they get to go insane here, as otherwise it’s not exactly going to be the most thrilling match, even with Order 4 winning.

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan(c) vs. Indi Hartwell

This is another match that feels rather thrown together, mainly due to the issue of Ash By Elegance being taken out of the picture out of nowhere. Jordan has been tossed into the spot and that’s about as good as they could have gone. Well granted it might have been better to put a TNA star into the spot instead, but I guess they’re going for the idea of a Knockout saving the title. Ignore that it’s from a not so evil champion.

So of course I’ll take Hartwell to win the title here. Even if she isn’t the most thrilling star to see out there a lot of the time, she’s the one that TNA seems to be going with at the moment, which means we’ll be seeing her get the title. Jordan is little more than a filler, and unfortunately that doesn’t leave much in the way of drama about what is likely happening here.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater(c) vs. Je’Von Evans

This is one of those ideas that pretty much sells itself. Here we have two incredibly talented wrestlers getting to go out there and go nuts for however long. It’s something that TNA has made work for years and that is what we are likely going to be seeing again here. Evans is someone that WWE clearly wants to push and Slater is someone who TNA is already giving quite the spot, so this should be a blast.

While I could see a slight chance of Evans winning here, I’ll take Slater to retain. TNA has lost more than enough to NXT over the course of their time together so there isn’t much of a reason to believe it will happen again here. It’s a match that should be all kinds of fun and they should be flying all over the place until Slater hits that awesome Swanton 450 to retain.

TNA World Title: Trick Williams(c) vs. Mike Santana

Here’s where we get to the biggest issue: I see a grand total of no reason to believe that Williams has any kind of a chance here. Williams has been the champion for a few months now and the idea has been that TNA needs to get the title back from the NXT invader. That’s where Santana comes in, and the fact that he has been built up so well makes it feel even more likely.

This very well might be the easiest pick on the card, as I can’t imagine that TNA would manage to screw this up two years in a row. Much like last year with Joe Hendry, Santana is ready to become the top star in the company and that is why we should be seeing a title change. Just go with what it needs to be and make the whole thing into a big happy ending for everyone involved. Unless they end with the Hardys again, which very well may be the case.

Overall Thoughts

I’m liking the show well enough, but as usual, it’s going to depend on how the two longer form matches go. In this case that means the gauntlet match and the Hardcore War, which could wind up being long and dull as they have been in the past. If we get the big happy ending of Santana winning the title though, it should work out well enough, as the card looks pretty good. Just make it more about TNA than NXT and everything should be fine.

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We’re going to a rather different place for this year’s Crown Jewel, which is quite the relief as we’re away from Saudi Arabia. At the same time though, the Crown Jewel Titles are a thing again, as we have the annual champion vs. champion matches. The two of them have been built up rather differently and now we’re going to see happens as we get into the last quarter of the year. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Crown Jewel Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Stephanie Vaquer

We’ll start here as this match just does not feel important. I get why they have to have it on the card, but it’s just not that interesting. Vaquer has been champion for a few weeks now and that doesn’t make for a big showdown against a long reigning champion like Stratton. They’ve been trying and the match should be good, but I’m only getting so much out of the setup.

That being said, I’ll take Vaquer winning here, as there is not much of a reason to have her lose in one of her first big matches as champion. Stratton might not be the biggest star in the women’s divisions, but she’s more established than Vaquer at this point. It should be a nice match and they’ve been putting in the effort, but I’m just not that thrilled with it, even with Vaquer winning as she should.

Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Kabuki Warriors

To say the build for this has been melodramatic and over the top would be an understatement, but this is more about getting Ripley on the card in her home country. That’s the kind of thing that should make for quite the reaction but thankfully she has also been tied into the story rather well. It’s the idea of Sky being torn between her friend in Ripley and someone who has been so important to her career in Asuka.

I’ll go with the Warriors to win here, as they’re being turned into quite the force on Raw and need this kind of win to move forward. You can have Sky get pulled in different directions and ultimately get caught, likely with some mist, to wrap it up. WWE isn’t crazy enough to have Ripley take the fall here and while there is a chance she Riptides Sane into next week, I’ll go with the Warriors getting the win.

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed

This is a rematch from earlier this year in France and in this case it’s a street fight, which should play into both of their strengths. The interesting thing here is that it started over Reed stealing Reigns’ shoes and has turned into quite the feud as a result. Reigns has already been put out on a stretcher by Reed so he has even more of a reason to want revenge, which should help as well.

Give me Reigns to win here, as taking Reigns out once is a big enough deal and I can’t imagine that Reed is going to get to do it again (even if Reed didn’t win in the first place). Reigns isn’t around all the time and oddly he kind of needs the win to show that he’s still a force. Let him take a beating and then make the big comeback to win before moving on to…whatever it is that’s next for him.

John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Styles kind of summed up the issue with this match on Raw, as he said there isn’t exactly a story to the whole thing. It’s a match that is taking place because Cena is ending his career soon (as is Styles) and the fans wanted to see it one more time. That’s not a bad thing at all as these two have quite the history together. The quality isn’t going to be an issue here and that should make for quite the match.

As for a winner though….I’m honestly not sure. Cena winning would make the most sense, but I said the same thing last month against Brock Lesnar. They might be doing something where Cena goes on a losing streak before his big final match in December, though that’s quite the odd way to go. I’ll take what feels like the safe bet here and say Cena, even if it’s a pick I am not confident about whatsoever.

Men’s Crown Jewel Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

This is a very different story than what is being done with the women’s version, but it’s also not a traditional story in the slightest. The interesting thing here is that Rhodes is barely a factor in the whole thing. Instead, this has been almost entirely about Rollins and his self doubt about whether or not he can beat Rhodes. That makes for a unique situation and I’ll take that over what we usually get with this kind of a match.

I can’t imagine Rollins losing again, mainly because Rhodes has absolutely nothing go gain by winning. Rhodes won this thing last year and has beaten Rollins time after time. There is pretty much no need for him to win here so I’ll take Rollins, who actually needs to win this match. I know that’s thrown around a lot, including by me, but it seems to really be the case this time around.

Overall Thoughts

I have never cared about this champion vs. champion stuff and that is really the case again here. WWE has shown that these matches mean next to nothing and that doesn’t make for an interesting build. Hopefully the wrestling can overcome that and I’m sure a red hot crowd will help, but there is only so much you can do when the stakes do not feel like they matter whatsoever. With no real titles on the line, the stakes couldn’t feel much lower and it is going to take a lot of work to overcome that issue.

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Yes they’re really calling it that and no I can’t believe it either. The good thing is the show is pretty much absolutely stacked. There are some big matches on the card, including one of John Cena’s final matches and a World Title match. That should make for more than enough but we are also going to be all but guaranteed a new Raw Women’s Champion as the title is vacant. Let’s get to it.

Usos vs. Vision

Here we have a good old fashioned grudge match as these teams don’t like each other, but the problem is the Usos aren’t exactly on the same page at the moment. Jey seems to be having issues with being a good guy at the moment, but that might be more of an LA Knight thing. At the same time, the Vision are a pair of wrecking balls and that is not going to make this an easy night.

Either way, I can’t imagine the Usos winning here, as the Vision is the monster stable and they need to get a win here. At the same time, you have the Knight issue and it would not surprise me to see him cost the Usos the match. What matters is getting the monsters over and a win here would be a good step forward. Let them have an awesome match as the Usos can do, and move on from there.

Raw Women’s Title: Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer

The title is vacant due to Naomi’s pregnancy and now we get to see two of the best around getting a match for the title. That is a match that could go either way and that makes for things all the more interesting. Hopefully the match is able to live up to the hype, as the two of them respect each other coming in, which means we could be in for either a clean match or a bit of a twist.

That being said, while I like Vaquer a lot and she seemed to be in line for the title win, there are more options with Sky winning so we’ll go there. She already has issues with the Kabuki Warriors and Rhea Ripley, while Vaquer is in need of something to do. I’ll take Sky to win here, though it should be a heck of a match with the two of them hopefully getting to tear the house down.

CM Punk/AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch

This is arguably the show’s main event, as it has gotten more attention than anything else in recent weeks. What matters here is having Lee show up again after all these years and be treated as a legend. That should makes for a heck of a pretty awesome showdown, as there is a good chance she gets to face Lynch next month. Other than that, Rollins vs. Punk gets to continue forever, which shouldn’t be a shock.

There is pretty much no reason to believe that Punk and Lee are going to lose here, as there is a rather strong reason to believe that the two of them are going to be getting title shots against Rollins and Lynch. The good thing here for Lee is that she is going to be as over as anything else on the show (not named Cena) and that should be able to get her over just about any issues she has. Punk and Lee win here, as they should.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

This was added late in last week’s show and the interesting thing now is that since Rhodes has lost the title to end his first reign, it might not be as likely that he keeps it here. That opens him up to a lot more vulnerability and I’m curious to see what that means for Rhodes’ time as champion. McIntyre isn’t the top name I would imagine coming for the title, but he’s just dangerous enough to come after the belt.

That being said, I’ll stick with Rhodes retaining here, though he might not win the match. There is a good chance that this keeps going on towards a much bigger match either in Australia or at Survivor Series. Hopefully the match lives up to the hype, as Rhodes is able to do some of his best work when he’s ticked off and wanting revenge, which should be the case again here.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

Here we have the real draw for the show, as Cena is likely going to have only one or two more matches after this, as he’s running out of appearances. Putting him in there against Lesnar is a story that writes itself, which has pretty much had to be the case as the two of them have barely had any kind of interactions. The history alone should be able to make it work and the rest should just be a bunch of suplexes.

Of course Cena is going to win and then we get to see who is waiting for him next. I’m not sure who that is going to be, but there is a chance that this leads us into Cena’s last match. At the end of the day, Cena is all but guaranteed to win here so he can move on to whatever is waiting for him. This is going to be one of those matches where Cena barely survives, but it should make for a great moment one last time.

Overall Thoughts

The more I look at this show, the more awesome it’s feeling. This is actually a heck of a lineup with nothing feeling small, as we’re getting what feels like a top level pay per view in a spot that doesn’t often receive one. Granted the fact that I’ve got a ticket to the show makes it a bit easier to be excited, but hopefully it can live up to the hype, which is going to quite the trick.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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It’s time for the next pay per view and the show isn’t exactly feeling like a hot one. In addition to having come off of an only so good Forbidden Door, there are a lot of big names missing due to injuries or health issues. That’s going to make for a bit of a messy show, but the wrestling can often pull them out of the fire. Hopefully that’s the case again here so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Opps vs. WorkHorsemen

This was reportedly set for the show though I didn’t see it officially announced. I can’t blame AEW for not publicizing it more because…well would you really want to see it? The WorkHorsemen are another team that has a bigger guy who can move around fairly well and that’s about it for their appeal. They’re a team who aren’t bad at all but they don’t really stand out, which makes their addition to the show a bit unnecessary.

There is a grand total of no doubt about the winners here, as Joe and Hobbs can get a nice victory in what should be dominant fashion. I say should be because it won’t be, because this is a match that will likely get way more time than it needs. Joe getting to smash people is always fun though and that’s the appeal here, as he’s really good when he gets to do his thing.

Kickoff Show: Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata

It’s the third match in a trilogy where the first two matches were only so interesting in the first place. This is also coming just after Garcia joined the Death Riders so he’s going to be even more evil and….whatever you call the Death Riders. Shibata is likely going to be his usual self and that’s going to mean a lot of cool looking stuff without a ton of charisma behind it.

I have no reason to believe that Shibata is winning here as Garcia can get his revenge and get off to a nice start as part of the Death Riders. That’s a good way to go as beating Shibata still feels like an impressive feat. Garcia needs to show that he has gotten something out of his turn and this is as good a chance as he is going to have to start off pretty fast.

Kickoff Show: Harley Cameron/Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale vs. Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford/Triangle Of Madness

This is likely going to be the Kickoff Show main event as it’s a Tornado Tailgate Brawl, which is the latest term for a hardcore/weapons match. The good thing is that these teams have been fighting for a few weeks now so there is at least a story to the whole thing. I’ll take that over another randomly thrown together match and there will at least be some nice violence to start things off.

I’ll take Bayne and company to win here, likely beating Aminata in the process. Cameron’s team is a bunch of more fun people rather than tougher stars, which is going to be a problem against a monster like Bayne. Either way, there should be some fun spots in here and it feels a good bit more interesting than some of these things that we have seen over the previous shows.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Ricochet/Gates Of Agony

This is a rare instance of MVP getting back in the ring and that’s one of the only reasons to believe that the Syndicate is in danger. The Gates Of Agony are not going to be threats to Lashley and Benjamin, as has been proven before, so the only real chance the team has is to take out MVP. I’m not sure what is where it is going to go, but it makes for the only interesting option.

I keep wanting to say Ricochet sand the Gates win but I’ll take what feels like the more reasonable pick and say the Syndicate. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them move up to something more important in the near future (they might want their Tag Team Titles back) and that doesn’t involve losing here. Either way, it should be a nice power brawl, with MVP being able to hold up his end despite not being in the ring in a good while.

Big Bill vs. Eddie Kingston

So this one is just kind of happening, as Kingston has been gone for about a year and a half due to his injuries and didn’t have any major issues with Bill. Then one day Bill just randomly started talking about Kingston and the match was set. I kind of like the idea of mixing up a return rather than having Kingston show up to end a show for a change, but this is kind of out there.

Again, I don’t see any reason to believe that Kingston is losing here, as you don’t bring him back to lose in his first match. At the same time, I kind of wish it wasn’t Bill getting stuck with a loss as he’s been doing well, but the match is so random and out of nowhere that it’s not like they have another choice. Kingston wins here, because there is pretty much no reason for him to lose.

Tag Team Titles: Bandido/Brody King(c) vs. Young Bucks vs. Jet Speed vs. Don Callis Family

Hey look: a ladder match for the titles. It’s another match where they can do all of their stunts and dives without having to really put together a coherent match and that’s what always tends to happen. In this case we have the Bucks getting back into the title hunt because they’re the Bucks, Jet Speed because they’re the new tag team that AEW wants to push and the Family because…well there are so many of them that they have to go somewhere.

I’ll take the champs to retain here, as they haven’t had the belts for very long and could use a big win. While it would be better to have them beat some teams clean in a regular match where they can tear the house down, the best we’re going to get is this kind of a thing because AEW really likes having ladder matches. You knew this was coming so just enjoy the popcorn style match because it has to be checked off a list.

Unified Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada

This is two matches in one as you have the “get it before it’s gone” portion as the Unified part will be taken away for the sake of this year’s Continental Classic, along with the “here’s a match that would be better with two people but we’re doing three” with Dorada added. My guess is that AEW needs an excuse to talk about Okada being “the greatest tournament wrestler of all time” even though this has been a tournament only in the loosest sense of the word.

While Takeshita is the red hot hand at the moment, I’m thinking they keep the title on Okada so we can get Takeshita’s moment later on, perhaps in the tournament final. As in the other tournament final later this year with the Continental Classic. Dorada is likely there to take the fall as this keeps stretching out, despite it being the perfect time for Takeshita to end Okada’s however long reign with whatever title you say he has at the moment.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Riho

It’s time for the annual Riho push as she’s back from her hiatus for whatever reason it was this time and of course she’s right in the title picture. At the same time, Mone is coming off her loss to Toni Storm and needs another victim, so we’ve been lucky enough to have Riho get moved up to the front of the line. This match has felt entirely tacked on and yet it gets a pay per view spot anyway because Mone is a major star or something.

This feels like the next regularly scheduled victory for Mone so we’ll say the title stays in one place for the time being. I have no idea who is supposed to take the thing from her but hopefully she drops it sooner rather than later. Her matches are good but just watching her stack up her eleventy billion belts from places like BestYa Wrestling (yes that’s a real place) isn’t exactly interesting. Either way she retains here.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Kris Statlander

Here we have another match that feels like it should be a singles match as Thekla has been coming after Storm for a few weeks now but Hayter and Statlander are just kind of here too. That makes for another messy match where they can trade off on occasion, though I’m wondering if Willow Nightingale is going to get involved and cost Statlander the match in some way.

I’ll go with Storm retaining here, as she has been champion for a long time now but I’m scared that we’re building up to Mone taking the title from Storm in a rematch. For now though, it’s going to be a wild match with a bunch of things going on and people flying around, but Storm probably retains here. It still should be Thekla vs. Storm, though why do that when you can put more people into the match?

Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. FTR

This is a match that is about as much of a layup as you can get on paper, but somehow they’ve managed to make it feel less important. The problem here is that FTR has been doing their side feud with Adam Priest/Tommy Billington and had trouble beating them in two straight matches. Then they jumped back to Copeland and Cage, which just kind of made FTR seem weak leading into their huge match.

That being said, I’ll of course take Cage and Copeland to win here, as there is no reason to have them lose. It isn’t like FTR is doing much of note at the moment so having them lose to the legendary team is a smart way to go. Hopefully they don’t bother trying to do anything ridiculous for the sake of heat, as this should be one result without veering off the path no matter what.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

Well at least Moxley isn’t champion anymore. This is a coffin match, which is now Allin’s signature deal and hopefully a way to write Moxley off for a bit. In short, AEW needs a breather from Moxley, who has dominated the company for far too long. He’s no longer the World Champion but now he gets the chance to beat Allin for good and wrap up their feud that started like a year ago and then stopped for the sake of mountain climbing.

There’s no reason for Allin to lose here so we’ll go with Moxley losing to hopefully start the downfall of the Death Riders. There is little reason to even consider Moxley winning here, as he dominated the company for so long that he needs to lose some big matches for a change. While I’m scared that Moxley might get the win to set up some final showdown with Allin, I’ll take the logical move of Allin winning.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mark Briscoe

This is a Tables N Tacks match because reasons of tables n tacks need to be a thing. It’s supposed to be little more than violence and Briscoe getting revenge on MJF for everything he has done, which will work out well enough. At the same time though, it’s hard to believe that Briscoe is going to win here because Briscoe is just not the kind of person who wins big time matches.

So yeah, I’ll take MJF to win here, as it’s one of those matches that seems to be set up for him to lose, only for him to pull off the win in the end. It’s the kind of thing that makes the most sense, with MJF getting to head back to his World Title feud with Page, while Briscoe heads back to being the kind of weird guy who pops up and beats midcarders but loses to bigger opponents. It makes sense, even if I could go for Briscoe getting a nice win for a change.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. Kyle Fletcher

I’m liking Fletcher more and more in recent weeks, but at the same time I’m nowhere near close enough to seeing him as a viable World Championship challenger. He feels like someone who is being thrown out there because we need someone to face Page. The idea of having Fletcher doing this on his own is a good move, but I’m not sold on the idea that the Family stays out.

I can’t imagine this actually closes out the show but either way, Page wins to retain the title. He’s likely going to be moving on to the next challenger, whomever that might be, as Fletcher is dispatched in a long match. That’s where it should go at least and I can’t imagine it being much of anything else. Fletcher is going to be fine after the loss, though I have no idea how he is the best option available as a reigning champion.

Overall Thoughts

I’m still not feeling this show, as a lot of it feels like it should be featured on a big time TV special rather than a pay per view. There are some parts that look good, but a lot of it feels like they threw things together without many better options. The action will wind up being very good as every AEW pay per view is, but I’m not overly interested in seeing this show and that’s not a great feeling.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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We’re back overseas for another pay per view and that means it’s time for some rather rowdy fans. That can make a not so great card all the better, which might be needed given the state of the card. This show is also a bit longer than usual, with six matches instead of the usual five, which may or may not be a good thing. Let’s get to it.

Sheamus vs. Rusev

This is a Good Ol Fashioned Donnybrook, which is the latest term for street fight. The two of them have been having big fights for weeks so it makes sense to put them together in a match like this. There is something fun about the idea of having two monsters tearing each other apart and that is likely what this will be, making it what should be a rather entertaining part of the show.

I’ll take Rusev to win, as despite him not exactly showing much since his return, it seems that WWE has at least some plans for him. Sheamus is someone who can be reheated rather quickly if necessary and losing big matches is kind of a thing for him, so odds are he’ll put Rusev over here. I’m not sure what WWE has in mind for Rusev, but he’ll probably get a big enough win with this one.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks(c) vs. Street Profits

The story here continues to be that the Wyatts are some kind of a dominant force in the division and all of the other teams are afraid of them but…I’m just not seeing it. That’s how the division talks about them but it isn’t how they act, which is making for a weird story. The idea is that someone is going to have to take them down and the Profits are probably the best bet at the moment.

That being said, I can’t imagine the Wyatts drop the belts so soon, as it doesn’t tie into what they’re doing. At the same time, Bo Dallas was talking as himself this week and that gives the team a new dimension, which they have been needing. Hopefully the match is good, but it feels like it could very well wind up being little more than a popcorn break for the fans (assuming that’s a big deal in France).

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Nikki Bella

The build for this one has been all over the place, as you would think that Bella is the villain in the whole thing given what she has been saying. The idea is supposed to be that Bella is the veteran who is more famous but….it’s Becky Lynch. She’s the biggest star in the history of women’s wrestling and reached a level that Bella never touched, which makes Bella’s comments sound nearly delusional.

While there is always the chance that Bella wins for the sake of her being a legend and all that, this should and hopefully will be Lynch retaining. She could give someone a heck of a rub when she loses the title and that isn’t something that Bella needs. The match should be fine as Bella isn’t as bad in the ring as she is often described as being and Lynch can work well with anyone, but Lynch wins here, as she should.

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed

Here we have a match that shows how important star power and personal issues can be. To make this simple: they’re fighting over two pairs of stolen shoes. That’s something out of a sitcom about fourteen year olds and it is the setup for what should be an awesome hoss fight. What matters is the people involved and how it has been presented, with Reed stealing from/humiliating Reigns, which is a fine way to set up this fight.

Outside of some interference, this should be going to Reigns, who is still one of the biggest stars in the company but hasn’t done much on his own in a long time. Somehow this is his first singles match since January and it is quite the moment for Reed to be his opponent. They just happen to be fighting over shoes, but it’s enough to get Reigns back to the singles ranks and hopefully to the pay window. Or is it winduh? Winda? Windo?

John Cena vs. Logan Paul

The Cena farewell checklist continues as I am still marveling over the fact that they just had Cena turn face out of absolutely nowhere with the reasoning of “eh, the heel turn bombed”. It shows you what you could have had for those six months, but at least he is on track for the big push towards the end. Odds are he had a big say in picking Paul for this match and that’s a great sign for Paul’s future.

While it would probably be a better move for Paul to win here and get one of the biggest victories of his career, you don’t put Cena in a spot like this with only a few months left in his career to have him lose in front of this audience. Therefore, Cena wins and gives the fans the big feel good moment. At the same time, he’ll probably give Paul the big line about how he’s learning or something, which is only going to get Paul so far but it’s Cena’s retirement year so there you go.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. LA Knight vs. CM Punk vs. Jey Uso

Here we have the likely main event and it’s one of those matches designed to make you think that Rollins has no chance to retain because of the numbers against him. Therefore, commentary is going to be all “how can he overcome the odds???”, likely right before he overcomes the odds. There is a good chance that we’ll be seeing a bunch of interference from the Vision, and that will likely be the big turning point.

Naturally I’ll take Rollins to win, as they aren’t about to change the title so soon after the shocking (it wasn’t shocking) and unpredictable (it was predictable) cash in at Summerslam. Odds are he pins Knight because that’s what Knight’s role seems to be, which will likely result in some of the challengers fighting later. For now though, Rollins retains and gets ready for a singles match against…well probably Punk.

Overall Thoughts

This show feels very much like a B level pay per view and odds are that’s what it’s going to be. At the same time, that makes a good deal of sense as the fans are going to go quackers over just about anything presented to them. There is enough variety in the show to make it work and if they can follow last year’s pay per view in France, everything will work out well enough. I’m not overly excited for the show, but it should be fine.

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We’re back to the international themed show and in this case it’s actually going international. In this case the show is taking place in London, which should open up quite the excited audience. The big main event features Lights Out steel cage match, which has the potential to be quite the spectacle. Other than that, there are multiple title matches, which makes sense in a promotion that has so many titles. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Paragon/El Desperado/Yuya Uemura vs. Cru/Don Callis Family

This is your latest reminder that Cru is in fact still employed. It’s a match that was thrown together on the Collision before the show, meaning it doesn’t have much in the way of a backstory, though the action should be fine. Paragon is getting more serious and wants revenge for Adam Cole being injured, so maybe they can start things off here, even if Kyle Fletcher isn’t around.

I’ll take the good guys to win, as there are too many people on the other side who could take a fall. Cru has absolutely no value at the moment so beating one of them is a perfectly fine way to go. Paragon or one of the guest stars can get a win so this is likely going to be fine, albeit without much drama. In other words, it’s fine for a match on the Kickoff Show, assuming it isn’t coming up fourth.

Zero Hour: Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne vs. Harley Cameron/Kris Statlander/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale

This one was set up on Collision so points for having an actual build to the match for a change. The villains are another group trying to dominate without actually winning anything and that’s not the most thrilling deal, but Bayne is someone who could be put into the title picture at the drop of a hat. Other than that, you have the in-ring return of Cameron, which should work out rather well.

When I was putting the participants down for this match, it was a case of looking to see who would be taking the fall and it’s hard to imagine it being anyone but Aminata. Odds are Bayne pins her and gets to look all dominant while saving the others for bigger stuff. That’s a good way to go and a nice effort to get a bunch of women on the show, though it only feels so important.

Zero Hour: Gates Of Agony/Ricochet vs. Jet Speed/Michael Oku

I still don’t know if I get the appeal of Oku, who is fine in the ring but never really comes off as a huge star. That being said, he’s fine as a guest star here as the fans will know who he is and he’s a bigger deal in England than he is in the United States. The rest of the people involved seem to be cases of “get them on the show one way or another” and there are worse options for that status.

I’ll take the good guys to win here, for the sake of having the guest starring Oku win. The Gates have shown that they can lose over and over (and over and over) without really changing so they should be fine here. Ricochet very well could get the win here and if that involves him getting to beat up Mike Bailey along the way, I can think of a few worse outcomes for the match.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: Opps(c) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs

It’s better than no main event at all. The Opps are at least turning into something of an established team with the titles so I’ll take that over another thrown together team with no reason to be in the title picture. At the same time, they’re facing an established faction so this could be a heck of a lot worse (as it tends to be when either set of six person titles are defended around here).

I’ll go with the champions retaining in a hard fought match, which will be another nice win on their resume. The Opps have already been champions for several months and there is a good chance that they’ll hold the titles for a long time to come. Let them face other established teams (as many of them as there are) and their reign will feel even better, with this being a nice example.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Persephone vs. Alex Windsor vs. Bozilla

We’ll get one of the international matches out of the way here with challengers from AEW, CMLL and Stardom. The problem with Forbidden Door season is that Bozilla and Persephone have barely been a factor while Windsor has been the real challenger to Mone. In theory that’s going to be the match at All Out, as it’s certainly the match that has gotten the most attention on the way to this show.

So yeah of course I’m going to take Mone to win, as she needs to get a victory back after losing to Toni Storm (and since winning those random titles means a grand total of nothing, this is what she can do). Odds are she beats either Bozilla or Persephone to retain, leaving Windsor free to get the title shot later. It should be a good match, though it would be that much better as a singles match.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher(c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

This is another match where there isn’t exactly much in the way of drama about the result. Fletcher just won the title a few weeks ago and seems primed for a big run. Takahashi is an incredible talent in his own right but he feels like he’s there for the sake of making Fletcher look good. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but it doesn’t exactly leave much in the way of questions about how it’s going to go.

Naturally Fletcher retains here, albeit after a heck of a match. Fletcher can work well with anyone and Takahashi is one of the most talented starts you’ll find today. This has the potential to steal the show (or at least come close) but I can’t find a way to believe that Takahashi is going to win here. It’s part of the issue of the international theme, but at least the match should be great.

Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. Matriarchy

I’m still not sure if that’s the right name for the team or not but I’m going with it. Now I’m trying to figure out something to say about the match, as it’s rather amusing to suggest that this has any kind of drama. The team is back together after twenty plus years (ignoring two matches in March 2011 because…well they don’t really matter) and they’re coming up on the pay per view in Toronto. What do you think is happening here?

You can put Killswitch in there all you want and it isn’t going to matter, as Cage and Copeland could go out there and split a sandwich and they would find a way to win. This is all about getting the big reunion and that should get quite the reception. I’m sure the match itself will be fine, but there is just no reason to believe that the Canadian legends are going to have any real trouble.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Zack Sabre Jr.(c) vs. Nigel McGuinness

So again, there isn’t much drama about who is walking away with the title here, but also again, this should be a heck of a match. Sabre can get in the ring and torture anyone, while McGuinness is a technical master in his own right. Both of them are from England as well so the fans will be way into things. At the same time though, there is a wild card to be considered and that’s not going to go well.

While Sabre is all but a lock to retain here, McGuinness is likely to give him a run for his money and probably get close with some submission attempts. That being said, ever since McGuinness won the Technical Spectacle to get the title shot, there has been a big countdown going until Daniel Garcia turns on him. That likely happens here, with Garcia likely costing McGuinness the title to set up something of a teacher vs. student match at All Out. McGuinness comes close here, but ultimately comes up short, thanks to Garcia.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate(c) vs. Bandido/Brody King vs. FTR

This is the result of a #1 contenders tournament, because tournaments don’t need to have conclusive winners in the name of a triple threat title match. If nothing else, it’s nice to have a match which could go in a few ways though and that’s what we have here. While the Syndicate is great at what they do and have been dominant champions, they might not be able to hang in there the whole way here.

While there is always the chance of having the Syndicate win and move on to All Out as champions against fresh challengers, I’ll go with what feels like the more likely path of FTR winning here. That means they can face Copeland and Cage at All Out, possibly even in a ladder match for the belts. While that match doesn’t need the belts (or the ladders), it’s what feels the most likely, so we’ll say FTR wins here.

Unified Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Swerve Strickland

Now we’re getting into the interesting stuff, as while Okada would seem like the heavy favorite here, beating Strickland is no easy feat. That could make for some interesting results, as Strickland is certainly a worthy challenger. Okada is someone who could run with the title until the Continental Classic, but there is also an interesting situation with Strickland possibly taking it.

I’ll take Okada to retain here, but dang it should be a fun one. This is one of the matches that has me the most interested and hopefully it lives up to its potential. Strickland has shown that he can hang with anyone in the world and beating Okada isn’t out of the question. Either way, Strickland needs something to do, though I don’t think it’s going to be winning the title.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Athena

Here we have another one that has me really intrigued. Storm is one of the most successful stars in the history of the women’s division (if not the most), but at the same time, Athena has been Ring Of Honor Women’s Champion for so long that it’s hard to remember not having the belt. She’s absolutely hit the ground running in AEW and feels like she could easily carry the division. That being said, I’m just not sure if she will.

I’m going to go out on a limb and take Athena to win here, with the full on feeling that Storm will wind up winning so she can put Mercedes Mone over and give her the win back later on. Athena needs the win more, and it isn’t like Storm is going to be hurt by losing anything. Hopefully Athena wins and I’ll go with that as my pick, albeit one that I expect to be wrong.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. MJF

So this was the contract match from All In but instead we’re getting that later, because the Money In The Bank style thing HAS TO BE AROUND. As annoying as that is, we should be in for a good match here, as MJF has an ability to bring it on the big stage. The stipulations of Page being able to lose the title by countout or DQ make things more interesting and that’s a positive sign for this.

That being said, it’s almost impossible to imagine Page losing the title in his first pay per view defense after the big title win at All In. I’ll take Page to win here as it makes the most sense, though hopefully we get the contract for another match immediately thereafter to burn that thing off for good. Either way, Page overcomes the odds to win and retain the title.

Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi/Darby Allin/Hiroshi Tanahashi/Will Ospreay vs. Death Riders/Young Bucks/Gabe Kidd

This is a Lights Out steel cage match with Will Ospreay likely not being around much longer after this due to needing neck surgery. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but having ten people in a single cage is kind of asking for trouble. That being said, I have no reason to believe that they’re all going to stay in the cage anyway, which tends to be the case with these things.

At the end of the day, this is a match which could go either way and I’m curious about how it goes, but I’ll take the villains to win here. It allows Moxley to get a big win back after his World Title loss and sets up Allin to be the one to finally take Moxley and the Death Riders down. This also could be the match where Ospreay is written off television, even if it means sacrificing him getting a big win in the main event in front of his home country.

Overall Thoughts

If I didn’t know any better, I might miss the fact that this is Forbidden Door. The build has been far less than previous years and that is making it a lot better. Instead of taking a big side trip with all of the guest stars, the outsiders are little more than bonus pieces on the show and that has me a lot more interested. The show might not be a guaranteed smash hit, but it fees a lot more interesting coming in and I’ll definitely take that.

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It’s time to do the other half and since we’ve never actually done that before with Summerslam, it’s hard to say what we’re going to be getting here. We have the same amount of matches as last night so everything should be balanced equally, though the star power kind of varies a bit from one night to the other. This could work well too though so let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. AJ Styles

When did Mysterio become one of the best things going in WWE? His stuff with Styles has been all over the place but rather funny at the same time, with Mysterio doing everything he can to avoid Styles. The good thing here is Styles is going to be able to make Mysterio look great here and that’s exactly why they’re being put into this match on this stage. Mysterio is on a roll, and I’m curious to see how far he can go.

Of course I’ll go with Mysterio retaining the title here, as Styles isn’t someone who needs any kind of gold or accomplishments at this point in his career. Let him go out there and make Mysterio look even better than usual. I’m not sure what is next for Mysterio, but at least he’s getting this kind of a spot, as he can more than hold up his own end in the ring by now.

Raw Women’s Title: Naomi(c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky

Now this is one of the bigger surprises in a good while, as Naomi has absolutely nailed the heel run and is feeling like a star every time she’s out there. That’s rather impressive after she was destroyed by Jade Cargill multiple times. She’s gotten the PROCEED WITH CAUTION deal over and I could go with seeing where she goes from here. At the same time, you have the awesome Ripley and Sky, who have to merge with Naomi to make this work.

So how well will it work? Well I’ll go with Naomi retaining the title, as it feels too early to take it off of her so far. Other than that, Ripley and Sky should both be able to nail their usual stuff and carry the action. At some point they’ll have their singles rematch later on to carry on from their classic at Evolution, but this is more about Naomi retaining as she can get a big win.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Lyra Valkyria

This is anything goes as well as Valkyria’s last shot at the title, which feels like it’s setting up something for the ending. Valkyria has been trying as hard as she can to make this work and is getting close, but it really isn’t working yet. Lynch has been her usual good self, though it still feels more about making the title feel important. There’s one more factor to mess with the whole thing though and that might be enough to sway the result.

I’ll take Lynch retaining here, likely with the recently distraught Bayley interfering to cost Valkyria the match. That’s the story they’ve been setting up and it’s something Bayley might be needing. For now, it should be enough to give us another Bayley vs. Valkyria match and I could go for seeing how that goes. Lynch can move on to someone else though, as she’ll retain the title here.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks(c) vs. Street Profits vs. Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. DIY vs. Fraxiom vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is the big six team TLC match as they’re trying to recreate their instant classic from earlier in the year. That is going to be one heck of a trick to pull off but I can’t blame them for trying to pull it off. This is going to be the total car crash match of the show and there is a good chance that it works. I’m not sure if it’s going to get enough time to really get that far, but at least they’re doing the logical thing at this point.

As for a winner, there’s never much of a way to predict these things but I’ll go with the Wyatts winning to retain. The idea is supposed to be that the division is getting together to deal with the evil Wyatts, but it would be a much better result to have one of the teams take the Wyatts out. That can happen later on when more of the hope is lost, which only comes if the Wyatts retain here.

US Title: Solo Sikoa(c) vs. Jacob Fatu

In a cage, which should make for a nice spectacle. Obviously the question hers isn’t whether someone will interfere but rather when and how many. That’s exactly what should be happening here, as the idea of Sikoa being able to hang with Fatu one on one is nonsense. Instead this is about whether or not Sikoa has enough backup to hold Fatu off, which is far from easy.

This feels like a way to keep Fatu from getting the title back while giving him an out so I’ll take Sikoa to retain. You could easily have him slip out of the cage to escape while Fatu is attacked or distracted somehow, which would show Fatu that he needs more help. Fatu is likely going to get his win back down the line, but this feels more like a way to keep the title on Sikoa, which should be the case at the moment.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena(c) vs. Cody Rhodes

Finally we have this one, which was turned completely on its head during this week’s Smackdown. Cena seemingly turned back to the side of good after months of being evil, and that opens up the field quite a bit. There are several ways this could go, and unfortunately I’m not exactly feeling most of them. Now we just need to see which direction they actually take.

The more I think about this, the more sense it makes for Rhodes to get the title back here, but now we have to wonder about how. There is always the chance that Rhodes takes Cena’s place as the Corporate Champion, which opens up a bunch of weird options. I’m not wild on that idea, but I’ll absolutely take it over Cena swerving us to keep being a villain. The Cena heel run has been weird to say the least and I’d much rather they just abandon it for his last five months in the ring.

Overall Thoughts

This night is rather stacked and the action should be very good, but I’m almost afraid of how they’re going to get out of that main event. What matters is, at least for now, they seem to have dropped one of their weakest ideas and are moving in a new direction. That’s what we get to see in the main event, and if the rest of the card lives up to it, this has a lot of potential of its own.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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For the first time ever, we have a double night edition of the show and that means that, barring any last minute changes, we’re going to be seeing six matches a night. That should make for a good weekend as the cards are looking good enough. This week’s Smackdown has me curious about what we’re going to see and hopefully they can live up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day(c) vs. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss

The idea here is Charlotte and Bliss work well together but they’re both skeptical about calling themselves friends. This has led to some fairly amusing moments, including both of them acting as the other’s cheerleader. What matters the most here is that the fans are seemingly getting behind the idea, which I’m sure has nothing to do with Charlotte not going after a singles title for a change.

I’ll take the titles changing hands here, as this version of Judgment Day was thrown together due to Alexa Bliss’ injury. That means it might already be time to switch the titles again. Charlotte and Bliss staying together for the time being sounds good, as I don’t think I can take another Charlotte betrayal and singles heel run. If nothing else, just keep Charlotte doing something different for awhile as it’s refreshing.

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

This is about whether Kross is right about Zayn needing to embrace the dark side. On the other hand, Zayn is fighting back, saying that he believes in the fans and wants to be himself. The loser has to admit that they were wrong about the winner and that could make for an interesting moment. This seems to be another step on Zayn’s eventual (or maybe very eventual) path to the World Title and that could make for an interesting situation.

This could go either way, but I’ll take the safe path and go with Zayn winning to get rid of Kross. While Kross has been hot with the fans as of late, there are ways to present him without having him beat Zayn. I’m not sure what is next for Zayn, but he shouldn’t be losing a fairly high profile match like this one. It could go either way, but Zayn winning is the right option here.

Randy Orton/Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre/Logan Paul

So here we have the celebrity match of the show, which feels like something of a handicap match as Paul could hang with Orton on his own. That’s before you get to the monster that is McIntyre, which leaves Orton having to take care of Roll and do everything else on his own. Unfortunately that means having to slow things WAY down for Roll, which isn’t exactly an inspiring usage of people this good.

As simple as it should be to have McIntyre and Paul smash through Orton and Roll, I have a bad feeling that they’ll go with the celebrity win. That’s what we’ll say happens, as Roll gets a rollup win over someone which doesn’t feel right in any way. Odds are this won’t be it for Roll as WWE loves itself some celebrity interactions, but please let him be at least decent at the whole wrestling thing.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton(c) vs. Jade Cargill

Here we have a showdown between two members of the upcoming generation, which is a nice thing to see for a change. Stratton has already become an established star and that title she’s wearing helps a good deal. At the same time you have Cargill, who might feel like a major star but hasn’t got the hardware to back it up. That’s where things get interesting here, and it might lead to a change.

Despite Stratton doing rather well as the champion, this feels like the place where the title changes hands and Cargill gets her big moment. I’m not wild on the change as Stratton is doing well enough that she shouldn’t be losing, but WWE seems all in on the Cargill train. I’ll go with her winning here, even if that doesn’t seem like the best option for everyone involved.

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker

This is the latest stop in the never ending saga of everyone involved here, which is only so interesting. This week’s opening Monday Night Raw segment where Paul Heyman tried to sew some seeds of doubts in Uso’s mind didn’t do much for me. Later in the night though, things got into a wild brawl, which is what works best for these guys. That’s what I want to see, as you can only hear these guys talk so much.

As for a winner…dang I’m really not sure. I can’t imagine Reigns taking a fall, but Breakker shouldn’t be pinned either. That leaves Uso or Reed so….we’ll say the good guys win, likely with Reed taking the fall. It’s a match which could go either way, though Reigns and Breakker could have a heck of a showdown and something of a tease for later. This is a match that should be big, but it only means that we’ll likely be coming up on another match in the near future.

Raw World Title: Gunther(c) vs. CM Punk

Here we go. This is the match where I’m rather curious to see what happens, because it could go either way, including a third way. In this case, that means we’re going to be seeing a match which has a lot of drama. Punk is arguably the biggest star on all of Monday Night Raw (or very close to it) and having him win the title would be a huge moment. At the same time, Gunther beating Punk would be a huge coup for his career. So where do we go?

I’ll take Punk winning the title, as Gunther has already had a lengthy reign and then the start of another one. Punk hasn’t picked up anything outside of personal wins since returning, and having him win the title would be a great change. That being said, the big question is Seth Rollins, who could very easily SHOCK THE WORLD again and have his knee injury be faked to come in and steal the title. I’m not sure they’ll go there, but my goodness if they do, the heat on Rollins could be incredible. Either way, I’ll take Punk to win the title, but I’m not sure if he’ll leave with it.

Overall Thoughts

The more I look at this card, the more interested I am in the whole thing. The show feels big and we could be in for more than one big moment. Hopefully they can live up to the hype and make Summerslam feel important again. That’s one thing that has been needing to be fixed, and having half of Summerslam go beyond the hype would be a great start.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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After a long weekend of wrestling, we get to wrap it up here with what feels like something of an afterthought. WWE is bringing back the all women’s show and while it’s a nice idea, things have changed so much since the original version that it doesn’t feel as necessary. That’s how the show has been treated as well and hopefully they can overcome some of the issues. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton(c) vs. Trish Stratus

This is basically a battle of the generations and feels mainly like a way to get Stratus in a featured match. I like the idea of Stratus doing a passing the torch moment, but that has already been done a few times so there is only so much impact. The good thing is that Stratus has shown that she can hang in the ring with the modern stars so the match itself should be good.

I can’t fathom a world where Stratus wins here so we’ll say Stratton retains the title. Stratus will probably get some near falls but can’t hang with Stratton’s athleticism. There is a good chance that this works rather well as tends to be the case with Stratus, though the match doesn’t feel overly important. They’re going to have to over deliver and thankfully that is something that feels possible.

Naomi vs. Jade Cargill

This is anything goes, which feels like a way for Cargill to destroy Naomi again. That’s something we’ve seen a few times now and I’m really not sure why this needs to be taking place. The curve this time is that Bianca Belair is going to be the guest referee, which could make things a bit more interesting. This almost has to be the big blowoff to the whole thing, as it has been going for far too long already.

As logical as it would seem to have Cargill smash through Naomi here, I’m thinking they might have Belair accidentally cost Cargill the match, with Naomi getting to steal a win. Naomi has the briefcase and very well may use it at the show, with Cargill already having the Summerslam title shot in her back pocket. There are a few ways this could go, which is nice to see, but at the same time, it’s only so interesting after seeing Cargill smash through Naomi more than once.

NXT Women’s Title: Jacy Jayne(c) vs. Jordynne Grace

The more I’m thinking about this one, the less sure I am about how it goes. The winner here moves on to face Masha Slamovich at next weekend’s Slammiversary event. That could very well mean a big rematch with Grace, but at the same time, that might be a bit too easy. I’m not sure where it’s going and that’s a good feeling to have in a match like this one.

I’ll go with…geez I guess Jayne, who is built around the idea of being the most beatable champion in the company. Having her escape and retain again is not a bad idea, though I’m not sure what that is going to mean for Grace’s future. She needs to win a big match in NXT sooner rather than later, though I’m not sure that is going to be the case here. Jayne winning is an interesting way to go, though I could go for either option here.

Battle Royal

So this is where things get confusing, as battle royals could go just about anywhere. This one is for a title shot at Clash In Paris, meaning this is actually going to matter in some way. There are some talented stars in this one, including the returning Nikki Bella, who is pretty much the focal point of the whole thing. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, though she is always an option to win something like this.

I’ll go with Stephanie Vaquer here, as she feels ready to move up to the next level and a title shot on a big show could do just that. It’s little better than a blind guess here, as there is always the chance of a total wild card getting the shot. Vaquer feels like the best option, though it would not surprise me in the slightest to see Bella pull it off. Hopefully they go with something other than some special moment, though this is the big wild card match on the whole show. Have I made it clear enough that I have no idea who is winning here?

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day(c) vs. Alexa Bliss/Charlotte vs. Sol Ruca/Zaria vs. Kabuki Warriors

Here we have the match with the idea being getting a team from each brand on the show. The process for doing that has been kind of all over the place, though in this case that might be a good thing as it meant less qualifying matches. Believe it or not, the titles are in a weird place again as Roxanne Perez has replaced the injured Liv Morgan. That makes things a bit trickier and there is a good chance it changes something here.

With quite the hope that I’ll be wrong, I’ll take Bliss and Charlotte to win here. They’ve received quite a bit of focus and it would make sense to give them the titles. It’s not a story that I care to see, but it feels like the most likely result. I can’t imagine the NXT women getting the titles and while the Warriors feel like an option, this feels like a “well who would have seen that coming” moment with Bliss and Charlotte taking the belts.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

This might be the most interesting match on the show as it is the one with the best buildup so far. Valkyria is mad about getting cheated out of the title and about Bayley not talking to her. Bayley is mad at Valkyria for costing her a title shot last month and Lynch is just being herself throughout the whole thing. It’s a match where you could see it going any way and that is a nice feeling to have.

As tends to be the case in something like this though, I’ll go with the champion to split the difference of the arguing challengers and retain. Lynch hasn’t been champion long and giving her a long run with the title could go a long way to building up the title. Giving her a win in a personal felt like this could make things interesting and Bayley and Valkyria can have a showdown of their own down the line. For now though, Lynch wins.

Raw Women’s Title: Iyo Sky(c) vs. Rhea Ripley

I’m assuming this is going to be the main event, as it certainly feels like the biggest match. The idea here is that Ripley can’t beat Sky, with looks back at her various losses over the years. That makes for a nice way to go and the question is if Ripley can finally get the monkey off her back, as well as regain the title. That’s a nice story to tell and the match should be able to back it up.

I want to say that Ripley wins here as she could use a big moment, but the more I think about it, the more I think Sky retains. Sky has come a very long way to become a much bigger star and feels like she belongs among the elites, though a big loss could hurt her a good deal. Ripley doesn’t need to be losing again here, but I keep thinking that Sky retains here in a heck of a match.

Overall Thoughts

After looking at what is set up for the show, there is only so much that draws my interest. The show hasn’t been treated as a big deal, with Saturday Night’s Main Event and even Summerslam being treated as more important. There is a very good chance that the women tear the house down because the talent is absolutely there, but I could go with a lot better build on the way there.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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It’s time for the latest Saudi Arabian offering with something that could be considered a theme show but is really just more of a big pay per view. The main event is John Cena defending the Smackdown World Title against CM Punk for the final time, plus the King and Queen Of The Ring finals. That should be more than enough to deliver a big time show so let’s get to it.

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

This one has been brewing for a good while now, albeit without Kross actually wrestling. The idea is that Kross wants Zayn to go all evil to finally get what he wants but Zayn is having none of it. Zayn has finally had enough of Kross and decked him, setting up the match earlier this week. That’s more than a good enough setup, with Zayn being crazy over in Saudi Arabia as usual.

There is pretty much no reason for Zayn to lose here so we’ll take him for the feel good moment. Zayn is pretty clearly getting ready to go after his first World Title and he shouldn’t be losing to Kross on the way there. This is Zayn getting to beat someone who has been bothering him about not being what he wants to be and that is a story that can be relatable for everyone.

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

This is the hoss fight on the show as it’s two women who can use the power stuff and on top of that it’s a street fight, allowing them to be even more violent. What matters here though is Ripley getting a win, as she has somehow gone fairly cold in the last few months. She’s still a huge star and probably the most over woman in the company, but she hasn’t really felt like focal point lately.

I’ll go with Ripley to win here, even if there is a good chance that Roxanne Perez will get involved on Rodriguez’s behalf. That very well may be the long term solution to the Women’s Tag Team Titles in Liv Morgan’s absence but for now, Ripley getting built back up is the more important idea. She’s been all over the place lately, even after being in the awesome Women’s Title match at Wrestlemania. Ripley should win here, mainly because she needs to.

US Title: Jacob Fatu(c) vs. Solo Sikoa

As much as it feels like Fatu should be running through Sikoa here, I can’t help but think Sikoa might need to steal the title here. At the end of the day, Fatu is already being treated as the unstoppable monster, but at some point he’s going to have to lose the title. On the other hand you have Sikoa, who needs a big win to feel even remotely important. Having him steal the title, likely with JC Mateo (or even Jimmy Uso’s) help isn’t a bad idea.

But will they go that way? I’m not sure I can picture it, even though it seems like it might be a smart play at the moment. I’ll reluctantly say Sikoa steals the title here, while calling it my pick most likely to be totally wrong. I could see it happening though, as I’m really not sure how many more losses Sikoa can handle in a big match. While I would be stunned if it actually happens, I’ll take Sikoa to win here.

Queen Of The Ring: Asuka vs. Jade Cargill

So Asuka is back and already wrecking people, which shouldn’t be a surprise as that is what she is known to do. That being said, there is a difference between normal people and Cargill, which could be quite the problem for Asuka’s comeback. Cargill feels like a different kind of star around here though and that’s going to the big issue here.

I’ll take Cargill, who feels all but destined to be the next big thing in WWE, whether she’s ready to do it or not. Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton sounds like a huge match at Summerslam and it would not surprise me a bit it set up here. Asuka putting Cargill over would be a big moment for Cargill’s career and it isn’t like Asuka is going to lose any status after walking Cargill through a match like this.

King Of The Ring: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

Orton is back in the finals against another major star and in this case…yeah he’s probably in trouble again. At the end of the day, Orton is a top guy but Rhodes is still THE top guy. At some point Rhodes is going to get his hands on John Cena again and Summerslam sounds like a very strong possibility. That would mean another awesome match here, and that very well may be what we’re getting.

So yeah, I’ll go with Rhodes winning here, as it sets him back on track for the big rematch from Cena. The good thing is that this should be a heck of a match, as both guys are capable of delivering in the big moments. Rhodes makes more sense at the moment, as we’ve seen Orton vs. Cena earlier this year and it feels wrapped up. Cena vs. Rhodes doesn’t though and that is where we should be going next.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena(c) vs. CM Punk

This is rather similar to the Randy Orton match at Backlash, with Cena getting to face one of his greatest rivals (if not his greatest rival) one more time. Punk vs. Cena is something that had to be done again and the stealing the other’s signature promos was a nice way to make things feel interesting. Punk saying that Cena could never beat him at his best gives it some drama, but that’s where we get to the ending.

As nice as it would be to have Punk be the one to end Cena’s title reign, that isn’t what makes sense here. The point of Cena’s run is that the clock is ticking and that isn’t going to be solved with about six months to go before his final appearance. Odds are this ends with either some kind of interference or another belt shot, but Punk isn’t going to be the one to take the title from Cena.

Overall Thoughts

It really is amazing how much more complete the show feels by bumping it up to six matches. WWE has been needing to tighten their shows up a bit, with the ridiculously long gaps between the matches taking away a lot of their steam. They might not be able to do that with an additional match or two and I could go for the change. The card itself should be the usual quality work, but we’re really just setting the stage for Summerslam in August.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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