It’s time for the final pit stop on the Road to Wrestlemania because “Monday Night Raw” has to have its own pay per view because “Smackdown Live” did as well. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I have little interest in seeing this show and I’m worried about how the main event is going to go. There’s some interesting stuff on the card though so hopefully that outweighs the bad. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Akira Tozawa/Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick/Noam Dar

It’s a double feud match and there’s nothing wrong with that. The “205 Live” crew has taken a hit in recent weeks as there just isn’t much going on aside from whatever Neville is doing that week. However, there’s some hope in the Tozawa vs. Kendrick feud and Swann is still one of the most entertaining people on the roster so maybe he and Dar/Alicia Fox can do something entertaining soon enough.

As for the winners, I’ll take Swann pinning Dar but this isn’t a case where the winners really matter that much. This match is about getting the crowd ready for the show and the cruiserweights are some of the best possible options to do just that. It probably won’t be a classic or anything but it really doesn’t need to be, which is perfectly fine.

Cruiserweight Title: Neville vs. Jack Gallagher

We’ll stick with the cruiserweight them as Neville defends against his fellow countryman. Neville has turned into one of the best performers on the roster with this new King of the Cruiserweights character as he’s just channeling the hatred and anger so well. Gallagher is a scrappy guy who has looked very solid in the ring at times, though he’s much more over for his character and abilities with an umbrella.

That being said, I don’t buy Gallagher as having a chance in this one. Neville is just on a different level than anyone else in the division and Gallagher is only a step above a comedy character. In theory we’ll be seeing Austin Aries making his cruiserweight division debut and facing Neville for the title at “Wrestlemania XXXIII”, making this match little more than just a warmup for Neville.

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

This one depends on what you think they’re going to be doing later on in the show with Bayley vs. Charlotte. On paper, this seems to be a way to set up Banks’ heel turn on Bayley later in the night, which would suggest that Jax beats her and Banks gets upset that Bayley wasn’t there in her corner. This would certainly follow the theory that if you’re about to turn heel, you must lose every match beforehand.

Yeah Banks loses here and WWE continues to sit around wondering why the pops get weaker every time. In theory this helps to set up the four way at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” for the title but that means we have three heels and Bayley for the title. Banks seems primed for a heel turn and since WWE is rather odd at times (read as almost all the time), she’s likely to lose in a huge way on pay per view.

Tag Team Titles: Enzo Amore/Big Cass vs. Gallows and Anderson

Is anyone else starting to get a little tired of Amore’s schtick? He’s described himself as a heel character and it’s starting to show more and more. Unfortunately along with that goes a lot of the spark the team has to offer, which means there’s less and less value in them winning the belts. It seems that we’re getting ready for a Big Cass singles push and that might be better for everyone.

Considering that, PLEASE LET ANDERSON AND GALLOWS LOSE THE BELTS. They’re one of the least interesting teams I’ve seen in a long time as they’re really just there every week and offer almost nothing. The entire division is a mess right now and that makes for some very agonizing segments. As annoyed as I’m getting of Amore and Big Cass, they would be WAY better as champions than more of the Anderson and Gallows mess.

Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe

Now this has potential. If you have a need for a new monster (or any monster for that matter) to destroy someone and make it look good, you call on Zayn. These two have been feuding for a bit over the last few weeks and there’s a good chance that this match is going to steal the show. There isn’t much doubt on the ending but there’s some serious potential.

In case it’s not clear, Samoa Joe is going to wreck Zayn here and that’s exactly what should happen. Zayn is the kind of guy who can put up a great fight and come this close before falling victim to one heck of a Rock Bottom and maybe the Koquina Clutch. It’s what Zayn does and he does it as well as almost anyone ever has. Samoa Joe should be coming up on a major match at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” but he has to smash Zayn first.

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Charlotte

As mentioned earlier, this one is going to be dependent on the Banks match, which I think goes to Jax to set up Banks costing Bayley the title here. If that’s not the case, I still don’t think Charlotte gets the belt back here but I do think she wins. The big sales pitch is that Charlotte has never lost a title match on pay per view and there’s a chance that they could avoid taking the title off of Bayley just yet while keeping the streak alive.

Or, since this is WWE, we’ll go with the reality that is Charlotte becoming six time Women’s Champion because WWE wants to recreate Ric Flair’s record in female form. I have no idea why I should care about Charlotte winning the title again but it seems that we’re heading in that direction. Then, once we’ve gotten the worthless first title reign out of the way, Bayley can start the REAL title reign because that’s how WWE logic goes. Charlotte wins though, no matter how little sense it makes.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

This is a weird one as there isn’t really a good option for the ending. First of all, there’s absolutely no logical reason to have Strowman lose to Reigns via pin. He’s been treated as an unstoppable monster and there’s no reason for Reigns (or anyone) to beat him this soon. Unfortunately, that’s where WWE manages to screw up more often than not. Reigns winning would be the WWE answer and that’s the last thing that needs to happen.

Or there’s option C: Undertaker interferes and costs Reigns the match in retaliation for Reigns eliminating him from the Royal Rumble. That would set up one heck of a showdown at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” and Strowman goes on to do…..well probably to win the battle royal because that’s the best they can think of him for now. I can live with that as long as Strowman doesn’t get pinned by Reigns, who really doesn’t need to get this win.

Universal Title: Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg

This match terrifies me. Owens has recently rediscovered what made him great in the first place but there’s a buzzsaw called Goldberg waiting on him. I know there’s the option of Chris Jericho interfering to cost Owens the title and while that would make things MUCH better than Goldberg just hitting his finishers to win, Goldberg and Goldberg vs. Lesnar DOES NOT NEED to be for the title. The idea of Jericho taking the title from Owens in Orlando is great but Lesnar vs. Goldberg being for the title? Not so much.

Of course Goldberg wins the title here though because WWE has decided that Goldberg vs. Lesnar MUST be for the title for reasons I don’t even want to comprehend. Like I said, if Jericho interferes and costs Owens the match it’s much better, but words cannot describe how mad I’ll be if it’s “Survivor Series 2016” all over again with a match that lasts less than five minutes because Goldberg can’t do anything longer than that again.

Overall, “Fastlane 2017” just doesn’t need to exist. Other than the main event, you could easily see a lot of this show taking place on a few episodes of “Monday Night Raw” and that’s not good for a pay per view. The show has some potentially excellent matches but there are some that are likely to feel like they’re going to drag like a Stephanie McMahon promo marathon. Just please don’t squash Owens. It doesn’t help anyone but Goldberg and I could easily see WWE doing just that.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

We’re two weeks removed from one of the biggest shows of the year and that means we’re ready for another major pay per view which will likely change the way “Wrestlemania XXXIII” looks. That’s right, it’s time for “Elimination Chamber 2017”, a “Smackdown Live” show with two matches containing eighteen wrestlers between them. It’s a rather interesting looking card so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Mojo Rawley vs. Curt Hawkins

It’s quite the change to go from a Tag Team Title match to this in the span of two weeks. I’m not sure if this really is the best they can do but it really does show how limited the “Smackdown Live” roster is in some places. This seems more like a match that should set up a tag team later on but for now, we’ve got the two of them fighting in the battle over who was a better partner for Zack Ryder.

I’ll go with Rawley here as he seems to have the bigger upside since Hawkins’ character has died a horrible death since having an interesting debut. Rawley could be something with his ridiculous charisma but I don’t know if it’s going to be enough to carry him past the midcard. At least he’s getting a shot here but it’s going to take more than the Hammer Time dance. He’ll likely win here though.

Women’s Title: Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss

It makes sense to get some of these out of the way as there are three women’s matches on this one show. We’ll start with Bliss defending the title in a pretty thrown together match, which actually isn’t as much of a layup as it seems. I know Naomi is the athletic freak who always seems to come up just short of winning the big one but Bliss seems vulnerable enough for Naomi to finally pull it off.

That being said, I don’t think she actually does it and Bliss will retain here. Bliss has turned into one heck of a champion and there are a lot of options to take the title off of her in a really big way. Losing it to Naomi at “Elimination Chamber 2017” really isn’t all that big of a deal and I can’t imagine Naomi defending the thing at the biggest show of the year. So yeah, Bliss retains in a match that could range from highly entertaining to a horrible disaster.

Kalisto/Apollo Crews vs. Dolph Ziggler

Can someone explain this one to me without making my head hurt very badly? From what I can gather, Crews and Kalisto have beaten the heel Ziggler now but due to him attacking both of them with chairs, they now get to fight him at the same time. You know, the faces getting the advantage over the heel who is supposed to be the one getting the big push out of this.

Somehow though, Ziggler probably wins here and we completely forget about his losses because that’s how things work in WWE: nothing matters until the ending, which makes things even dumber than they were in the first place. Kalisto and Crews aren’t likely to go anywhere (aside from a big ladder match for the Intercontinental Title) and for some reason WWE still things Ziggler is going to be the big deal all these years later. At least he’ll retain his title as most overrated and uninteresting performer in WWE.

Nikki Bella vs. Natalya

Now here’s the real women’s main event because we don’t know how much longer Bella is going to be around for us to call her fearless and stand in awe of her greatness. Again I’m not sure what the story is supposed to be here as Bella has looked like an idiot for not realizing that Natalya attacked her at “Survivor Series 2016” while everyone else knew it. Then there was something about who sells the most t-shirts and a potential wedding to John Cena because EVERYTHING IS ABOUT BELLA AND CENA GETTING MARRIED ONE DAY BECAUSE….sorry this isn’t “Total Divas” so we’ll move on.

Naturally Bella wins because Natalya is just a wrestler (yeah earlier this week, Bella said Natalya is only a great wrestler. I love that we’ve somehow reached the point where “YOU’RE REALLY GOOD AT WHAT WE’RE DOING!” is the biggest insult that can be mustered and by a face no less. Bella wins of course and I continue to try to figure out what the heck she’s talking about.

Luke Harper vs. Randy Orton

In a way this is one of the more interesting matches on the card, even though there’s only one way it could possibly go. It’s kind of hard to get behind the concept of Harper having a chance here as Orton is on his way to “Wrestlemania XXXIII” but at least we could get a strong performance out of him, as Harper is so often known to deliver. The idea here of Orton taking Bray Wyatt’s attention and Harper turning on the team as a result is interesting but it’s not enough here.

So of course Orton wins and I don’t think there’s an easier match on the show to predict. Orton is on a higher level than Harper right now (and has been for his entire career of course) so there isn’t exactly a ton of doubt to this one, nor should there be. If this were at another show with Orton not coming off winning the Royal Rumble, I might be able to be tempted into an upset pick but it’s just not happening here.

Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James

We’ll wrap up the ladies’ trifecta here with a straight grudge match. James says that she was the one who should get the credit for the Women’s Revolution while Lynch says James left when things started getting tough (of course we know that it was really Stephanie McMahon who started the Revolution by just talking about it). This was preceded by James dressing up like a luchadora, which kind of fits her given how off the wall she can be at times.

I think I’ll go with James here as I can’t bring myself to say WWE will go with Lynch as we head into “Wrestlemania XXXIII”. There’s a logic to having Lynch fight back and regain the title in Orlando but I have a feeling we’re more likely to get a big multi-woman tag or some mess like that instead. Therefore, James wins here and Lynch lives to fight another day, as is the case so often with her.

Tag Team Turmoil

There are so many teams in this match that aren’t worth mentioning so I’ll just go with the defending American Alpha and their most likely challengers, the Usos. There’s just no reason to believe that the other four teams have any real chance of winning so we’ll just go with these guys, assuming there’s no debuting team added on to the end.

That being said, I’ll take Alpha to retain and continue their rather ho-hum title reign. The problem here is the same thing that has plagued so many NXT talents: WWE feels the need to take everything that makes the team work in the first place and then get rid of those things for the sake of….well I have no idea actually. Alpha wins here and prays every night that the Revival is called up and half the roster gets a bad case of the flu.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. The Miz

And then there’s this, which depends on how much you believe in rumors and dirtsheets. If you buy into them, this is Wyatt’s all the way and his match with Orton is pretty much set in stone. If you don’t though, you have some options. To get it out of the way, Corbin, Ambrose (already Intercontinental Champion) and Miz are flat out not winning. That leaves us with three viable options.

Cena could certainly retain and go on to face someone at “Wrestlemania XXXIII”, though I’m not sure who that’s going to be. There’s also the chance of putting it back on Styles, though again, who would he face in Orlando? Cena again? I really can’t picture them going with that.

Given that I write for one, of course I’m going with the dirtsheets and picking Wyatt, which unfortunately means we’ll have to hear JBL’s ridiculous commentary talking about how evil Wyatt is going to be. Anyway, Wyatt winning is the logical choice here but I’m really worried about how the rest of the blue side is going to fall out for the big show.

This is one of the weirdest cards I’ve ever seen and that could mean multiple things. This could be a show where everything is a mess and shows off how horrible the Brand Split is or it could be one of the biggest surprises of the year. The whole thing is built around how well the main event goes and with the talent in there, I can’t imagine it being anything but solid at worst. I’m looking forward to the show but it still doesn’t need to exist.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

I really need to stop doing these when I’m half asleep, causing me to not post them on here on time.  Here it is for the sake of completion though.

This might be my favorite show of the year. There’s something so simple about the idea of a bunch of people being in the ring at once and the last person standing wins a big prize. The main event is one of the most anticipated matches of the year and there’s a lot more to it than just who goes on to the World Title match at “Wrestlemania XXXIII”. There’s a full card on top of the main event so let’s get to it.

1. Pre-Show: Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

We’ll start with the three pre-show matches, beginning with Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks. This is your old big vs. little match with Banks coming in with a bad knee and Jax liking the idea of torturing what she sees as the former Boss. Banks is of course ready for a challenge, as she always is.

I think I’m going with Jax here, as it seems that they’re prepping her for a run near the Raw Women’s Title. It’s not the worst idea in the world and Banks is certainly one of those characters who can just talk for all of ten seconds and be back in the fans’ good graces. The match should be entertaining, though I’m not sure how well this is going to go with the size difference.

2. Pre-Show: Raw Tag Team Titles: Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson vs. Sheamus/Cesaro

Oh my goodness I’m already bored just thinking about this match. Anderson and Gallows couldn’t beat New Day for the titles so now we get to watch them chase the belts here even more. Neither team has done anything interesting since they started feuding and I have no real interest in either of them or anything they do.

That being said, I’ll take the champions to retain here because WWE REALLY likes them for reasons that aren’t clear to me in the slightest. Sheamus and Cesaro could be fine as singles wrestlers (as they’ve been for years) while Anderson and Gallows only seem to be better off together. That doesn’t make for a great match but it could make for a rather boring one, which would keep them on the same path they’ve had for months now.

3. Pre-Show: Becky Lynch/Nikki Bella/Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss/Mickie James/Natalya

This is a simple “take everyone and throw them into one match so entrances can take up a bunch of time” match and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not like there’s really a big challenger for Bliss’ Smackdown Women’s Title at the moment so it wouldn’t make sense to throw out something like Bliss vs. Naomi here. You also don’t want to blow off Lynch vs. James yet so this makes the most sense.

I’ll take good side winning with Naomi pinning Bliss, likely setting up their title match. Naomi might not be the most interesting character in the world but she’s more than capable of being the #1 contender and maybe even a short term champion. The other four can just be there for the sake of being there and there’s nothing wrong with that.

4. Raw Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Bayley

Somehow, “Monday Night Raw” has managed to botch the most over female since Lita. Bayley should be able to plugged into the title scene, fight against the odds and win the title in a big moment. Somehow though, she’s arguing with Stephanie McMahon about what it means to be a star and reading poetry in a segment that went on far too long. They’ve gotten closer with this “fan vs. star from birth” story but, as usual, it gets bogged down on the main shows.

Charlotte is likely retaining here because for some reason we NEED a four way title match at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” instead of just having Bayley fight against the odds like Daniel Bryan in a sports bra. It’s going to be a big moment when Bayley finally wins the title but it’s just not happening on Sunday.

5. Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Now this is more like it as WWE has managed to turn this into one of the best feuds over the World Title in a long time. Both guys feel like major stars (because they are major stars) and Styles is just beating Cena at every turn. Styles has been Smackdown World Champion since September and has been one of the best performers all year long by miles and miles.

That being said, I think he survives the Cena challenge here, perhaps with someone interfering to set up Cena’s next feud, and allowing Styles to drop the belt inside the Elimination Chamber (Meaning we get STYLES VS. SHANE MCMAHON because we’re just that lucky). Either way, it’s going to be a 20-25 minute classic, as if you would expect it to be anything else.

6. Cruiserweight Title: Rich Swann vs. Neville

Aside from the Royal Rumble itself, this might be the match I’m looking forward to more than anything else. Neville has been on fire since turning heel and Swann has really upped his game in this feud. They’ve made me want to see this match and that’s not something I ever expected to see out of the Cruiserweight Title, either in this generation or in its previous incarnation.

I’ll go with the logical choice and say Neville wins the title here but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them keep the belt on Swann for some reason. Neville has been the better performer in this story and plays his character to perfection but other than Cedric Alexander and maybe the debuting Akira Tozawa, I’m not sure who he could feud again. Neville should win though, and that’s what matters most.

7. Raw World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Let’s get this over with. I don’t remember the last time I was this uninterested in a World Title match and a lot of that comes down to the two stipulations. This match has had a six week build and the big idea is Chris Jericho being locked in a shark cage above the ring. Like really, that’s it. Then, to really hammer the point home, they turned it into a No DQ match, meaning that Jericho would be allowed to interfere anyway. You know, because there’s so much effort and thought put into this thing.

Actually I think Reigns loses here so Owens can drop the belt from a better perspective. Then again, there’s always the chance that WWE will continue to ignore everyone’s feeling on Reigns and set him up for a big face match at “Wrestlemania XXXIII”. I mean, word on the street has him as a face and going over Undertaker there so what do I know? But yeah, Owens keeps the belt here.

8. Royal Rumble

I’m going to get straight to the point here: I have no idea who is winning this thing. It’s very rare that WWE is capable of putting together a match where it really is wide open but they’ve pulled it off here. Looking at the twenty two names currently announced, there are at least seven (Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Baron Corbin, Undertaker, Miz, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton) serious potential winners and you could squint your eyes and get up to more than ten.

There are so many stories going around about what might be happening in Orlando this year and that’s what I love about this year’s Royal Rumble: it feels wide open. How boring is it when you’re just waiting around on the one or two guys who could realistically win and the rest is just seeing spots? You have to go back to 2012 at the very most recent where the winner wasn’t mostly obvious and that’s far too long.

Let’s pull a name out of a hat here and go with….Wyatt winning the thing. I know it’s not likely to happen but it’s not like there’s a dominant option out there this year. Wyatt winning and going on to face Orton for the Smackdown World Title at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” has been rumored so it makes as much sense as anything else. I have no confidence in the pick but it’s the best I’ve got.

As is so often the case, the Royal Rumble is going to come down to its namesake match but it has the potential to be something fun. “Wrestlemania XXXIII” is wide open this year and we’ll know a lot more about it the next twenty four hours. The winner isn’t always even the most important thing and that makes for a very interesting battle royal. If the rest of the show is even better, that’s just a bonus.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the History of the WWE’s Big Four Pay Per Views, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

It’s that time again as NXT will be taking over another Saturday night before we get to one of the Big Four pay per views. Unfortunately this show hasn’t had the best build in the world and a lot of that is due to a combination of the talent being taken up to the main roster and the two weeks spent on international shows that could have been used on the build towards the matches. Today we’re going to look at the build towards “Takeover: San Antonio” and see if it looks better on paper than it’s looked on “NXT” TV.

Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger

This feud has served two purposes: showing that Dillinger has a reason to still be in NXT and giving Sanity’s leader his first major feud. The stable has the potential to be something special and Dillinger’s TEN gimmick is getting over like almost nothing has in a very long time. The fans just want to cheer for the guy and he’s more than made up for it in the ring. He’s no Sami Zayn or anyone near that level but he’s doing enough to make it work.

That being said, there’s no reason for Young to lose here. I could easily see Dillinger moving up to the main roster for the Royal Rumble alone while Sanity with Young at the helm could dominate NXT for a good while going forward. Young wins here as he’s the only logical option along with deserving it (that was much easier to say that it should have been).

Andrade Cien Almas vs. Roderick Strong

I always forget that Strong is even in NXT as he just hasn’t done all that much yet. Almas is in a similar place as he’s barely established himself in the promotion. His in ring stuff hasn’t done much to impress me and I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to care about him (though his heel work has been better than his face run). Strong is entertaining though and I’ve always been a fan of the guy.

I’m actually going to go with Strong in what could be considered an upset. Strong is a talented guy and can go with anyone in the ring but neither guy really has a strong personality. Both of them need something to do but I’d rather see Strong knock that smile off of Almas’ face than anything else and that’s enough to give him the nod here. I have next to no confidence in it but I’ll go with Strong.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Authors of Pain

Now this is where things get a little hazy. DIY is on a roll at this point and is one of the best teams I’ve seen in a long time. However, the Authors of Pain have been treated as nearly unstoppable monsters and the logical move would be to see them steamroll the champions for the titles. At the same time though, I can’t imagine DIY losing the belts that they spent so much time winning.

I see this one going along the lines of Sting vs. Vader in 1992: the Authors of Pain destroy the champs and then get disqualified or counted out for going a bit too hard. DIY will probably drop the belts to them later on but I don’t think it happens just yet. They did too much great stuff against the Revival to lose them to a team like the Authors of Pain, at least this early on.

Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Peyton Royce vs. Billie Kay vs. Nikki Cross

This one depends on where you think the title is going after the match as we get closer to the big Wrestlemania weekend show. Asuka has been running through the division for almost a year now and the only real idea is to have the three challengers in one match instead of lining them up one at a time.

That being said, I still think Asuka runs through them all with a fall on one of the Aussies. There’s no reason to have her go over Cross yet but I could easily see the big showdown between Asuka and Ember Moon at the big show in Orlando. They could throw in a big curve ball and have the Aussies basically be the NXT version of Laycool but again, I just don’t see it happening. Asuka retains.

NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode

The more I think about this match, the more confused I really am about the whole thing. NXT has managed to book a match where it’s hard to imagine either of them actually losing here. Roode has been built up as the big star but Nakamura is Nakamura, as in someone who requires a small cannon to finally put down. On paper this should be a squash it’s hard to not buy into Roode’s schtick.

At the end of the day though, I think it’s going to be Nakamura retaining the title and setting up a showdown with……well I have no idea actually (Kassius Ohno maybe?) but I don’t think Roode wins here. He’s the kind of guy who could get his heat back in the span of about five minutes so Nakamura goes over here after a match which far exceeds expectations.

I think I’ve talked myself into being excited over this show. If there’s a single promotion that can make me believe they can pull off what feels like a lackluster card, NXT is the one. I’m not sure it’s going to work but I’m more than willing to give the show a chance. If they can get most of the matches right and hit the ground running heading into Orlando, everything will be fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQKDV5O

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

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

It’s time for Roadblock and that means…..no that doesn’t mean we’re a month away from Wrestlemania. No actually it means WWE is really stupid for using the same name twice in a year when there are plenty of other names available for this show. I mean, was Vengeance taken? Or No Way Out? Or We Really Don’t Need to Have This Show But We’re Doing It Anyway? It’s a Raw show and that means we’re likely in for an annoying cameo from one or both of the bosses. Let’s get to it.

We’ll start with the pre-show match between Big Cass and Rusev. This is one of the few matches on the show I’m looking forward to as Cass is clearly on the rise but Rusev isn’t the kind of guy that is going to lose to someone who is making his solo pay per view debut. The match springs from the usual: someone beat up Cass’ buddy Enzo Amore and the big man is out for revenge. There was also something about Amore trying to sleep with Rusev’s seemingly willing wife but that detail might make Rusev seem sympathetic again so we’ll ignore that part.

As much as I want to go with Cass to start his rocket push, I really can’t imagine Rusev losing another pay per view match. It’s also a bit early for Cass to get a win like this, though I’ve heard of worse ideas. This really could go either way, though they would be better off having Rusev win via a Lana distraction or the threat of Amore getting hurt again. If nothing else, I want to see a mixed tag between these four down the line, assuming man vs. woman is allowed.

We’ll knock out a title match next with New Day yet again defending the Tag Team Titles against Cesaro and Sheamus. New Day set the record on Monday (for all intent and purpose) and now they get to defend against these guys again because WE WILL RESPECT CESARO AND SHEAMUS!

I know the obvious move is to change the titles not but I think I’m going to say New Day retains yet again with the big change coming at the Royal Rumble. There’s no reason to keep the belts on them any longer save for breaking the 500 day mark, which means a grand total of nothing. Maybe it’s just that I’m really not a fan of Cesaro and Sheamus but I have no desire to have them be the ones that finally get the belts off New Day. There’s a good chance I’m wrong and I probably am but I’ll say no title change here.

In another title match, Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann is defending the title against TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick in a triple threat match. Swann beat Kendrick for the title and both of them have gotten into it with Perkins, who is the only other man to hold this incarnation of the title.

It would seem that they’re setting up Noam Dar as the next challenger for the title and he would seem to match up best against Swann. I’ll go with another title being retained with Swann overcoming the odds. He’s a more interesting champion than both former champions and it would be a really bad idea to take the title off of him already. Either that or turn Perkins heel like he should have been from day one, but for some reason that seems out of the question.

We’ll jump towards the main events now with Chris Jericho facing Seth Rollins in a match that should be for the US Title. Jericho keeps costing Rollins World Title matches against Kevin Owens so Rollins Pedigreed him on top of a car. Instead of assault and battery charges, we get a pay per view match as a result.

I’m going to go with Rollins here, as the big match on the horizon seems to be Jericho facing Owens in some form. Therefore, with Jericho being more than ready to turn mega face for the match, the WWE is almost guaranteed to make him lose because that’s how they get people to cheer for you. So yeah, Rollins goes over and it’s Jericho vs. Owens, likely at the Rumble.

Now we’ll move on to the first of two timed matches on the card with Sami Zayn facing the monster Braun Strowman in a ten minute time limit match. This is about Zayn wanting to be like Mick Foley (I’m still not sure how that works) and not wanting to have to be treated like a baby because Strowman will crush him.

I think this goes to the draw with Zayn showing that he can hang in there with Strowman but barely surviving at the end of the match. Zayn certainly shouldn’t beat Strowman, who could be ready for a huge match down the line, but at the same time you don’t want Zayn to be completely destroyed. Strowman has Zayn done but the time runs out and it’s officially a draw.

In the other timed match we have Sasha Banks defending the Women’s Title against Charlotte in a thirty minute Iron Man match. This is being billed as the final match between the two of them but the stipulation sets up the prospect of a draw, meaning they get one more match.

That being said, I think they’ll put the title on Charlotte again because the big pay per view winning streak ending at Wrestlemania would be a better way to go rather than ending it at a nothing show like this. I like the Iron Man idea but it also brings up the problem of there not being much of a point to watching the first twenty five minutes of the match unless the two of them tear the house down, which of course they’re capable of doing.

We’ll wrap it up with the main event as Universal Champion Kevin Owens is defending against United States Champion Roman Reigns. As much as I can’t stand the idea of a double champion, I have a bad feeling WWE might pull the trigger on another Reigns title run for the sake of trying to be like the UFC with Conor McGregor.

That being said, I’ll actually go for the long shot and say Owens retains to set up a major title defense against Jericho at the Royal Rumble. Unfortunately that match can be done with or without the title so there’s no real need for Owens to hold the belt here. I really don’t need to see Reigns as champion again this soon as it isn’t exactly going to do much for making him into a bigger star.

Overall Roadblock is really just there, much like most Raw pay per views. The wrestling should be fine but WWE is going to manage to make it feel like it’s overstaying its already limited welcome. The main event scene is ice cold right now as I can barely even remember why Owens and Reigns are fighting in the first place. There will be some good stuff but this is just a filler show until we get to the important stuff in January.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQKDV5O

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

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

It’s been long enough since the last pay per view right? I mean, two weeks is more than enough time to get ready for the next big show. This Sunday we have “Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2016” from “Smackdown Live”, meaning it’s time for the big gimmick based show with all the matches built around the name of the show. No I don’t mean Survivor Series. Let’s get to it.

To begin with, we have a match that has been built up for a few months despite both guys barely being in the same place. We’ll start with the chairs match between Baron Corbin and Kalisto, which was recently enhanced by Corbin ruining Kalisto’s Cruiserweight Title shot and therefore keeping the cruiserweights over on “Monday Night Raw”. Kalisto then attacked Corbin with a chair for the sake of having a chairs match on the pay per view.

There’s really no reason to put Kalisto over here so I’ll go with Corbin, who seemed to be ready for a push towards the main event but was thrown back into this for reasons that aren’t clear. I’m sure Kalisto will get in some impressive offense but I can’t imagine this ending with anything other than a big power move onto a chair with Corbin getting the pin.

We’ll just to a title match now with Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending against Alexa Bliss in a tables match. These two have feuded for months now but they’ve managed to only have one title match in that span. Yeah imagine that: building up a feud by means other than having them trade the title back and forth. On this occasion, we’re having a tables match after Bliss pushed Lynch through one on “Smackdown Live” earlier this week.

On paper, this is the perfect way to put the title on Bliss but I think we’re going to see Lynch retain the title in a surprise. They seem to be getting ready for the big showdown with Nikki Bella because that’s just how things work on Tuesdays. Bliss has gotten a lot out of this feud but I don’t think she’s ready for the title just yet. I wouldn’t be stunned if they change the title but I think Lynch retains here.

We’ll stick with the title matches for now with the Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton) challenging Heath Slater and Rhyno for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Slater and Rhyno are the inaugural champions and have held the belts for a few months now, which really has surprised me after expecting them to fall apart in the span of their first feud.

That being said, if there is any reason for the Wyatts not to get the titles here, I have no idea what it could be. Somehow Wyatt has never won a title in WWE and Orton would seemed destined to turn on him eventually, so the title change here makes sense. Also it’s not like Slater and Rhyno losing to one of the biggest stars ever and a top name like Wyatt is going to seem like an upset. They’re playing with the house’s money here so the loss is fine. Give the Wyatts the belts they deserve and arguably need.

Before we get to the two big matches on the rest of the show, let’s take a look at the grudge match between Nikki Bella and Carmella, who will be facing off in a No DQ match. This isn’t the most interesting thing in the world but it’s been built up well enough over time and I wouldn’t mind watching it again. I mean, assuming Bella doesn’t shrug off Carmella’s finisher time after time again.

This time though I think I’m going to go with Carmella in an upset. The weapons are a nice way out and as much as I’m sure they want to push Bella as this unstoppable force, Carmella needs this win a lot more. Carmella could challenge Lynch down the line and while there’s a very good chance this is the Bella show all over again (in addition to her two other shows), I’m going with Carmella in a surprise.

Now we get to the portion of the show involving climbing high objects, starting with Miz defending the Intercontinental Title in a ladder match against Dolph Ziggler. These two have feuded for what feels like forever and this is being billed as the big final fight. I didn’t really need Miz losing the title in the first place as I could have gone with a big long title reign but Ziggler’s win was great.

I’ll go with Miz retaining here as Ziggler really doesn’t need anything at this point. Unfortunately I have a bad feeling they’re going to go with Ziggler getting the big win again because that’s worked so well in the long term all those other times. Miz winning, hopefully without Spirit Squad interfering this time, sets up something bigger for him down the line while Ziggler can be built up for his latest “I JUST WANT ONE SHOT!!!” speech.

That leaves us with the main event with AJ Styles defending the Smackdown World Title against former champion Dean Ambrose in a TLC match. Styles won the title back in September and Ambrose has yet to get his one on one rematch. This is the kind of match that is fun almost by definition: take two talented people and have them beat each other with various hard objects over and over again until one of them is done.

I’ll take Styles retaining here as the word on the street is Undertaker vs. Styles for the belt in San Antonio. On top of that there’s a pre-made story of Undertaker being mad at Ambrose for costing “Smackdown Live” the Survivor Series match. Even if Undertaker doesn’t interfere, Styles winning makes the most sense and hopefully wraps up this feud for good.

Overall, Sunday’s show is going to be the same as it always is: a lot of fun depending on the level of violence they’re allowed to involved. I always look forward to this show and it’s a great way to wrap up the year. No big storytelling moments, no technical wrestling exhibitions and no overly complicated gimmicks. Just a bunch of matches with people beating on each other with various metal objects.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQKDV5O

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

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

For only the second time in history, WWE has a pay per view series reach thirty entries as we arrive at Survivor Series 2016. In what is the most important thing a Survivor Series can do, there’s actually something on the line here, albeit just bragging rights, as Smackdown faces off with Raw in a series of three elimination tag matches. It’s only a six match card (for now) so it should be interesting to see what they’re doing with the show. Let’s get to it.

We’ll start with the ladies in the first Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown match. This looks almost completely one sided on paper as Smackdown has Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella, who are nowhere near enough to counter the combined forces of Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Bayley and Nia Jax. However, never underestimate the power of WWE pushing Bella to the moon and back, meaning she has a good chance of overcoming the odds. She’s fearless you know.

That being said, I really can’t imagine Raw has much to worry about here. No matter how you look at it, there’s just too much talent on the red show, even if they have all their in fighting. This should be a glorified layup as Carmella and Alexa Bliss are such liabilities for the Smackdown team that there’s almost no way around their limitations. I’ll go with Raw winning here in what shouldn’t be much of a challenge for them.

On a side note since I don’t have much material to talk about here with such a short card, is anyone else completely uninterested in seeing Bella vs. Charlotte treated as a huge showdown? We saw it last year and it was nothing special but now that Charlotte has become possibly the most successful women’s wrestler ever and Bella was on the shelf for months, we’re supposed to care? That doesn’t make sense, though again, never underestimate the powers of a reality “star” in WWE.

Next up we have a title match as Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick defends against Smackdown’s Kalisto. This is a little bigger than your usual title match though as the winning brand gets the entire cruiserweight division. There isn’t much to the feud as Kalisto was just named #1 contender a few weeks back on Smackdown.

I’m really hoping logic takes control here because there’s not much of a reason to keep the title and the division as a whole over on Raw. Tuesday night has a little more open space and is better suited for an action based division than Raw, which is almost entirely storyline driven. Couple that with the upcoming 205 Live, which is being taped after Smackdown instead of Raw and there’s really no reason for Kendrick to walk out with the title. If nothing else, maybe Kalisto can breathe some life into the title instead of being another mat based cruiserweight.

We’ll go back to the elimination tags as we have the tag team version, featuring a staggering twenty wrestlers in one match. This kind of match hasn’t been done at this level since 1988 and the previous incarnations were borderline classics and among the best Survivor Series matches of all time. I’m not sure the talent is there to pull that off this time but at least there’s a great chance for some exciting action.

Picking an accurate winner here is a lot more complicated though as neither team really stands out. Raw probably has the better lineup from top to bottom but Smackdown has American Alpha and better continuity. Unfortunately Raw has to deal with the Shining Stars and the issues between Cesaro and Sheamus. On the other hand, Heath Slater and Rhyno are playing WAY over their heads at the moment and I don’t think they’re going to be able to make that last against the Raw teams.

In a pick I’m not entirely confident in, I’m going to pick Smackdown to win here, if nothing else so there can be something on the line in the third match. Neither team looks great but I could certainly go for Cesaro/Sheamus vs. American Alpha with the technique vs. clubbing power formula. This should be a lot of fun if they do it right though and that’s what matters in a match like this.

We’ll go back to the title matches now with Miz defending the Intercontinental Title against Smackdown’s Sami Zayn in another match where the title can switch brands. Miz won the belt back from Dolph Ziggler earlier this week and Ziggler not being on the card seems like a red flag.

At the end of the day though, I can’t imagine Raw losing two titles and not having a midcard title to fall back on whatsoever. As much as I’d love to see Sami get a title, this doesn’t really seem like the time to pull the trigger. Miz is a great Intercontinental Champion and can pick right back up where he left off after that pesky Ziggler run.

That leaves us with one Survivor Series match to go and this one is the biggest tossup of them all. I really don’t know which one to pick as you would think Smackdown would be at a disadvantage with Shane McMahon on the team but he went thirty minutes with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. The rest of the lineups pretty much cancel each other out though and that’s rather influential in a match like this.

I’ll go with Smackdown as WWE has a long history of putting the blue show over when the two of them go head to head. There’s nothing on the line here so it’s not like this is going to mean much either way, but the bragging rights are always worth a chuckle at worst. If nothing else we don’t have to listen to Matt Striker shouting “IN YOUR FACE! IN YOUR FACE! IN YOUR FACE!” when someone wins.

That leaves us with the main event, which is only somewhat interesting but is the focal point of the show. Twelve and a half years ago, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar had one of the worst major matches in wrestling history and for some reason we’re supposed to forget all that and just enjoy them fighting again. It’s also Goldberg’s first match since that night and I’m not sure how bad this could really get.

Obviously I’ll go with Lesnar, but neither guy is really a good option here. You don’t have Lesnar set up as this unstoppable monster and then have him lose but at the same time, Lesnar beating Goldberg means as much as Hulk Hogan beating the Ultimate Warrior in 1998. Lesnar wins here after Goldberg doesn’t do much besides throw spears. At least there should be some energy here and Goldberg will have a better chance than Dean Ambrose had.

Overall, Survivor Series has a lot of potential but it could be good or bad. If they let these matches have a lot of time (which they should given the four hour run time) and only add one more at most, they could have the time to build into something entertaining. Unfortunately they could also build into a disaster with the fans getting bored and matches that aren’t the most interesting. I’ve been excited for this since it was announced though and I’m going to try to keep that optimism.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQKDV5O

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

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

For the first time ever, it’s an NXT Takeover in the Great White North and, in another first, it’s an NXT Takeover on Survivor Series weekend. As is usually the case, this isn’t feeling like a huge show on paper but there’s a good chance that NXT is going to surprise us again because that’s what they do. These shows are almost always a case of a big pile of good adding up to a solid show. Either way, it’s almost a guaranteed good show at worst so let’s get to it.

We don’t really have the deepest card here so we’ll start with the only match with nothing on the line as Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger battle it out to be king of Toronto. This is an interesting one as Roode is the huge smark favorite due to the power of that entrance but Dillinger is on a roll at the moment with the TEN gimmick. The winner here is nowhere near as interesting as the crowd reactions.

The main reason the winner isn’t interesting is because it’s not in doubt. Roode looks destined to be the next challenger for the NXT Title and he’s not going to be doing that if he loses here. Dillinger is in a bit over his head here and while he’s getting better, he’s not about to beat Roode here. I’m sure Dillinger will get in some offense and the match will be entertaining so Dillinger saves some face but there’s no way Roode is going down here, not with the roll he’s on at the moment.

We’ll move on to a title match now as NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Mickie James, who is making her first WWE appearance in years. This might not be the most interesting match on paper but the problem is how weak the women’s division has been left after all the callups over the last few months. The division is getting better and there’s hope for the future but they’re just not ready yet.

Much like the first match, I don’t think there’s much drama about who is going to win. James might not even be around after this match so keeping the title on Asuka is the only possible option. She’s getting close to setting the record for longest reign as champion (which she’ll break in early February) and I really can’t imagine anyone beating her straight up right now. That being said, they’ve built her up as such a monster that the first person to actually pin her is going to be set for a long time. But yeah, Asuka retains here after a strong match.

Now we’ll move on to the other non-title match but it’s for a bit trophy. In this case it’s the finals of the second annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, which turned out to be a big deal last year. This time though we have two normal tag teams instead of guys being thrown together for the sake of a singles angle. That means TM61 vs. the Authors of Pain and I’m a lot more confused about who goes over here.

I really don’t get the appeal of TM61. They’re starting to grow on me but they’re really missing that fire that sets them apart from everyone else. Granted it’s not helping that they’re the next team in line after American Alpha, DIY and the Revival and they had a huge international reputation as they came in. Unfortunately they haven’t quite lived up to it, though they’re far from bad. That leaves them just kind of there but maybe this can be their big pickup.

On the other hand you have the Authors of Pain, who are just old school monsters. They run over everyone in front of them and only DIY gave them a run for their money. Manager Paul Ellering will be in a cage above the ring to keep things even but I’m not sure that’s enough to keep them away from the trophy.

I’m going with the Authors here but I’m really not sure on it. Either team could win here but it basically comes down to who you see getting the next title shot. Either team could face either champions but I just can’t imagine giving the Authors their first loss just yet. They seem to be the team that dominates the titles until someone breaks through to take them down and that’s a long term feud instead of a one off loss. So yeah, the Authors take the tournament in a good match.

Speaking of the Tag Team Titles, let’s look at what should be a classic between DIY and the defending Revival in a 2/3 falls match. These teams have traded wins for months now and this should be the big blowoff. Their previous match got rave reviews and I see no reason this one shouldn’t be just as good if not even better.

I’ll go with the champs finally dropping the titles here as Revival has held them for a long time now and, assuming I’m right about the tournament final, there’s no one left for them to fight. This is likely going to be the treat of the show though and I can’t imagine it doesn’t go three falls. NXT knows how to do those white hot near falls as well as anyone has ever done and that’s what we’re going to get here, along with new champions.

That leaves us with what should be one of the most violent brawls NXT has ever seen as NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defends against Samoa Joe. These two had a huge match back in Brooklyn, which wasn’t quite the wild brawl that everyone was expecting. However, that’s the story they’ve been setting up here and these two are more than capable of pulling it off.

As great a fighter as Joe is, it’s WAY too early to take the title off of Nakamura just yet. He’ll need about three Kinshasas but it’s going to be enough to take Joe down. This is going to be in the vein of Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn from earlier in the year where both guys were barely able to stand but that’s exactly where Nakamura shines. It’s going to be a blast and that’s what this show needs.

There’s also the possibility of a six woman tag being added with Billie Kay/Peyton Royce/??? vs. Liv Morgan/Aliyah/Ember Moon, though I’d bet on that taking place on NXT next week. As for a partner, I’d guess the Aussies bring in some lower level name like Daria Berenato, who can get a nice rub on a big show as a result. Either way, I’ll take Morgan’s team as either she or Moon will be the big challenger to Asuka going forward.

The thing to remember about Takeover is that while a lot of the matches aren’t in question, the fun part is in the journey. It’s going to be a lot of fun to see most of these matches, which have potential to be something special. The main event and Tag Team Title matches in particular should blow the roof off the place (assume it’s fixed in between) and that’s going to make for one heck of a kickoff to this huge weekend.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQKDV5O

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

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

It’s time, once again, for that Halloween spectacle where WWE takes one of their biggest concepts and does it three times in one night before wondering why the thrill and mystique left so very long ago. It’s time for “Hell in a Cell 2016” with three matches taking place inside the Cell, plus a handful of other matches that don’t mean quite as much. Let’s get to it.

We’ll start on the Kickoff Show with Lince Dorado/Cedric Alexander/Sin Cara vs. Tony Nese/Ariya Daivari/Drew Gulak in a rematch from this week’s “Superstars”. Yeah the Kickoff Show is now copying the D show that only airs on the Network. The first match was something that indeed happened and I can’t seem to remember anything else about it despite watching the match yesterday. My guess is that’s due to the lack of personalities, characters or almost anything interesting about any of the six. I’ll take Alexander and company to win on the grounds of a coin flip as there’s not much to care about here.

We might as well get rid of the cruiserweights here with Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins defending against Brian Kendrick in the third match in a series that I don’t think most people needed to see go to a second match. They’ve traded wins to set up Kendrick’s second shot at the title, which is becoming less and less important every single week. I’ll go with Kendrick getting the belt here as he already lost to Rich Swann, which would seem to set up Swann as the first challenger to the new champion. That makes enough sense, assuming you think having the cruiserweights around on the main roster still makes sense.

Let’s go to something a little more fun as Enzo Amore/Big Cass face Anderson and Gallows. This is an interesting one as you have the highly entertaining and incredibly popular Amore and Cass, who have yet to actually win a regular tag match on pay per view while Anderson and Gallows came in hot and have floundered since the Draft. The question here is which one actually breaks through and wins something.

I think I’ll take Anderson and Gallows winning here as the whole idea of Anderson and Gallows wanting to crush the silliness out of the division makes sense if you’re building towards Amore and Cass winning the titles at “Wrestlemania XXXIII”. However, the idea of giving a team a new gimmick has never stopped WWE from having them lose on pay per view right out of the gate.

Anderson and Gallows seem to be more gatekeepers than contenders, which is kind of a shame on one hand but at the same time Amore and Cass eventually winning the titles is a better story. I’ll go with the bald guys here with the promise of a bigger payoff for the popular guys later.

Let’s go to one of the biggest matches as we step inside of the Cell for the first time with Roman Reigns defending the United States Title against Rusev. Once you get past the idea that Reigns has been the heel for most of this feud by doing stuff like attacking Rusev’s wife and beating on a defenseless Rusev with a chair, there’s been a very physical feud in there with both guys beating the heck out of each other.

I don’t know why, but I think Rusev wins here. It’s nothing but pure instinct, but I think they’ll give the title back to the Bulgarian here and let Reigns move on up to the World Title scene again. Keeping in mind that my gut instincts are almost never right, take this one with a barrel or two of salt. However, I’m going to stick with that idea and say Rusev actually gets the belt back here, despite how little sense it would make in either the small or grand scheme of things.

Next up we’ll look at something a bit less intense as Dana Brooke faces Bayley. This is another confusing one as Brooke won their most recent match, though it seemed to be a somewhat botched ending. Aside from that, Bayley hasn’t exactly been on fire since she debuted on the main roster as the crowd is still behind her but there’s not much of a spark to her.

I’ll still take Bayley to win though as she has more potential as a challenger to whoever walks out of the Women’s Title match with the belt. Brooke isn’t the most interesting thing in the world and is a good obstacle for Bayley to overcome. I really can’t imagine a scenario of Brooke challenging for the title and unless Nia Jax is reappearing on “Monday Night Raw” to go after the title, this is Bayley’s match to lose and there’s no real reason to go any other direction.

We’ll clear out the last non-Cell match with New Day defending the Tag Team Titles against Cesaro and Sheamus. Several people, including myself, have gone on several rants about how stupid it is to just throw Cesaro and Sheamus together after all those weeks of them fighting each other but ok, whatever. They’re getting the title shot here.

That being said, there isn’t the greatest case for new champions here. Sure New Day has gotten a little more stale over the last month or so, but they’ve held the titles for well over a year and are about six weeks away from setting the all time record. If WWE just MUST go with Cesaro and Sheamus as a team and wants them in the title picture, let New Day break the record and then go with the new champions sometime around Christmas. New Day should keep the belts here, not defend them at “Survivor Series 2016”, and then lose them at some point in the future.

Now we’ll move on to the two major matches, starting with Sasha Banks defending the Women’s Title against Charlotte inside the Cell. This is the first time any women have participated in this particular match and on top of that it’s in Banks’ hometown of Boston. Why they didn’t just wait until this show to do the title change isn’t clear but the match being inside the Cell is a huge milestone for women’s wrestling. If this match closes the show (more on that later), it’s the biggest match in the women’s wrestling history.

This is where I get scared of WWE as there’s always a chance that they’ll have the biggest layup imaginable and screw it up. Banks retaining here should be an easy concept but WWE seems to have no problem crippling their stars’ hometown fans. If Banks loses and this doesn’t go on last, I have no idea how they expect the fans to care about the main event.

But yeah, Banks wins here and goes on to feud with either Bayley or Jax in the first part of the new year as we somehow get to the Four Horsewomen in a match at “Wrestlemania XXXIII”. Charlotte will be fine as she regroups and fights someone else (I’m not sure who though.) but Banks should go over here.

That leaves us with the Raw World Title match as Kevin Owens defends against Seth Rollins. Where do you even start with this one? Owens is being overshadowed by Chris Jericho who doesn’t have a role on this show and Rollins is being overshadowed by HHH, who may or may not show up tomorrow night for the sake of a slight advancement in this glacial paced story which seems to be setting up Rollins vs. HHH because that’s the rub Rollins needs.

Rollins has even come close to saying that winning the title isn’t the point here because it’s all about impressing or showing up the Authority, which is the real title on this brand. Owens has been completely forgotten as champion as he was handed the belt as part of the HHH vs. Rollins feud and has since been turned into a glorified Jericho lackey. But somehow, this is one of the pay per view’s main events.

I’ll go with Owens retaining via HHH interference because you have to have some kind of cheating in a major match like this because that’s how pay per view main events work. Rollins can go on to feud with HHH while Owens and Jericho probably get into it over the title, assuming Jericho is going to be sticking around and not going on tour with Fozzy instead. Owens wins here and is probably a lot worse off as a result because the title means that little anymore.

That leaves us with the big question: what goes on last? There have been stories all over the place about whether Rollins vs. Owens or Banks vs. Charlotte is the main event with “Monday Night Raw” General Manager Mick Foley officially saying it would be the women but then backtracking with the lame excuse of there can be multiple main events.

Here’s the thing: Banks vs. Charlotte main eventing is a major story and a first time ever moment that makes WWE look like they’re trying to do something special. If Owens vs. Rollins goes on last, it’s just not that interesting. They’re in a lame feud and it’s not going to matter to have them go on last. Just let the women, in Banks’ hometown, do something historic for a change so the fans can have some fun.

Overall, this is a moderately interesting show on paper but I’m much more interested in the upcoming “Survivor Series 2016”, which has left this one feeling pretty unimportant. Having three Cell matches waters the concept down but at least there’s going to be a big feeling with something this big taking place…..at least the first time they do it.

http://wrestlingrumors.net/heres-latest-whether-sashacharlotte-will-main-event-hell-cell/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY6766K#nav-subnav

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

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

We’re already at the second Smackdown only pay per view and the card is already stronger than the “Backlash 2016” offering. If nothing else they already have more matches set up for this show, meaning we probably won’t have to sit through a ten minute opening segment and no team is going to have to work twice. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin

We’ll start with this rematch from earlier in the week on “Smackdown Live” where Swagger won via submission. However, it’s not quite that simple as it sounds. In the first match, Corbin claimed to be reaching for the ropes instead of tapping out so there’s a much more logical reason for a rematch. It’s much better than having a rematch for the sake of having a rematch after one of the people wins completely clean.

I’m going with Corbin here as there’s really no reason to have Swagger win. Swagger is on “Smackdown Live” to lose matches to upcoming names, as he’s been stuck doing for years. Corbin is the kind of guy you could throw out there as a midcard title challenger at the drop of a hat so there’s no reason to have him lose to someone like Swagger in a spot like this. Odds are there will be a third match but hopefully this wraps up their mini feud.

Curt Hawkins vs. ???

This is the easiest call on the card as you don’t bring in someone for the sake of having them lose. Hawkins has had some entertaining vignettes but I don’t really see him doing much on the roster. There’s nothing wrong with filling the show with warm bodies though and a quick run for Hawkins isn’t the worst idea in the world. The opponent doesn’t really matter here because he’s going to lose to Hawkins in about five minutes.

Tag Team Titles: Heath Slater/Rhyno vs. Usos

Here we have another case where there isn’t a ton of suspense. Slater and Rhyno were never meant to be a long term solution at the top of the division so we can get to the big Usos vs. American Alpha showdown for the belts. The thing to remember is that Slater has already gotten his contract and done his big story so they can switch the titles and everything will be fine.

In case it’s not clear, I’m going with the Usos to win the belts. There’s no logical reason to keep the belts on the makeshift team when Alpha is waiting in the wings after having beaten the Usos in such quick fashion in the tournament. Salter and Rhyno don’t need to team together anymore after this as Rhyno can go off to be a politician while Slater can be a loveable goofball.

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella

It’s the first of two women’s matches as we have an actual grudge match for a change. In this case, Carmella has been tormenting Bella since she returned from injury, even calling her a Kardashian wannabe, which somehow didn’t seem to offend Bella in the slightest. This has been an actually well set up feud with Bella making Carmella look way better than she has any right to.

That being said, I think I’m going to go with Bella here as she hasn’t had a big win since here comeback. I’m not sure you can call beating Carmella a big win but at least there’s been a story to set this up. Carmella has already gotten a big boost from this feud and will be fine going forward. It would make more sense to have Carmella win here but I’ll go with Bella, who just hasn’t had enough publicity lately.

Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss

We might as well cover the other women’s match here as Lynch is having her first title defense after winning the title last month. Bliss still isn’t great but the Harley Quinn look has done wonders for her and she’s gotten even better than she was at the start. Lynch is on a roll too and looks like the star of the division.

I’ll stick with the champion keeping the title here though as Bliss just isn’t ready to be the face of the division. It’s pretty clear we’re getting ready for a Lynch vs. Bella showdown over the belt and there’s just no reason to switch the belt in Lynch’s first title defense. The match should be fine and they did a good job of setting things up on Tuesday so this should be entertaining, albeit a bit predictable.

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton

That leaves us with the big matches and we’ll start with the non-title entry. This was supposed to happen last month but Orton was still out due to injury, leaving us with an uninspired yet necessary Kane vs. Wyatt match. Orton is healthy now and that means we have an interesting match to look forward to.

As much as it pains me, I’ll go with Orton here, partially due to a lack of anyone else to go after the World Title after this show. With rumors or John Cena and Dean Ambrose taking time off, odds are AJ Styles retains the title (excuse me for jumping ahead of myself) and needs an opponent. There really isn’t anyone left other than Orton, meaning he has to win here. I’m sure Wyatt will be fine as he loses so often that he has to be used to it by now. Even with the potential debut of Sister Abigail, Wyatt loses here and that’s a shame in many ways.

Intercontinental Title: The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler

It’s more than a title defense for Miz as Ziggler is putting up his career. I’m not going to waste your time with any sort of pretense here: I’m a big Miz fan and I wouldn’t mind if Ziggler got lost at sea and turned into the king of a small island where he oversold poi burgers and coconut shakes. I’d love for Miz to win here and go on to a big story away from Ziggler and his “IT JUST MEANS SO MUCH TO ME AND I NEED TO WIN ONE MORE TIME” schtick which he’s been stuck with for months now.

That being said, I think they’ll actually do it here and have Ziggler lose in a big surprise. There’s nothing left for Ziggler to do in WWE and I really wouldn’t mind to see him leave for good. Miz has been on fire in the last few months and doesn’t deserve to lose to someone as stale as Ziggler. The story has been told well but Ziggler sucks the life out of me and I have no interest in seeing him do anything at all.

World Title: AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena

Styles is defending and we’ve already covered the result earlier on. There’s no logical reason to have Cena and/or Ambrose take the title from Styles here and if both of them are leaving for a bit, it would make even less sense. Styles has been the most consistent performer in WWE for a LONG time now and he deserves to keep the title for several months. There’s not much more to this one as the ending is pretty clear and the best case scenario all around.

Overall “No Mercy 2016” is just there, though I have some optimism for the show. I’m not wild on the idea of having another pay per view this soon but at least the card looks solid. If nothing else they have eight matches this time around and “Smackdown Live” has shown the ability to set up an entertaining show. My guess is this will be a perfectly acceptable use of three hours (Repeat: THREE HOURS. Not three hours and another fifteen minutes. Three hours AT MOST.). The wrestling will be fine and they’ll use the Smackdown style of setting up simple stories but paying them off well.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY6766K#nav-subnav

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

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