IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: November 4, 2005
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re in the big city this week and it’s a show that was taped before this week’s Taboo Tuesday. I’m not sure what we’re going to be seeing this week but odds are it’s time to start the build towards Survivor Series. Batista and Eddie Guerrero are actually working well together so we’ll see where that goes from here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Earlier today, MNM arrived outside and walked the red carpet. Teddy Long popped up to say they’ll be defending the titles against Eddie Guerrero and Batista tonight.

Opening sequence.

Rey Mysterio/Matt Hardy vs. Christian/John Bradshaw Layfield

Hardcore Holly is guest referee. Matt headlocks Christian to start but has to fight out of the wrong corner. A dive over the top is caught by JBL but Rey dives onto all three of them for a big crash. Back in and JBL unloads on Rey in the corner until Holly pulls him off. Not that it matters as Christian comes in for two off a faceplant as Cole recaps Taboo Tuesday. Hardy comes in for a failed save attempt and accidentally hits Holly as we take a break.

Back with Rey hitting the springboard hurricanrana for two but JBL runs him over with a shoulder. Christian saves JBL from a quick 619 attempt and hammers away at Rey’s ribs. The abdominal stretch goes on until it’s back to JBL for a super fall away slam. A regular version is countered though and the hot tag brings in Matt to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Matt’s middle rope legdrop gets two on Christian. Poetry in Motion hits JBL but Holly pulls a chair away from Christian. That doesn’t work for Christian, who hits Holly from behind. Holly is back up with an Alabama Slam, leaving Matt to hit the Twist of Fate on Christian for the pin at JBL walks off.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced and energetic match with Holly being there to add in….well little more than a gimmick really but that’s ok. The interesting point here was Christian making his last appearance for several years. He would be one of the first big names to jump over to TNA but certainly not the last.

Teddy Long is ready for Eric Bischoff to arrive.

Here’s Sharmell to introduce Booker T. for a chat. Booker sees a lot of suckers around here because these people are all suckers. Of course he knew what Sharmell was doing and we see some clips of Booker feigning ignorance to Sharmell’s interference. We also see last week’s fake apology to set up the big reveal…and here’s Long again because he’s busy tonight. It’s time for a title defense right after the break.

US Title: Booker T. vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit is challenging and has taped ribs. Booker goes after him in the corner to start but Benoit chops the champ out to the floor. A suplex makes it worth back inside and Benoit’s hard clothesline gets two. Sharmell’s interference doesn’t work as Benoit knees Booker in the ribs, only to get dropped ribs first onto the top.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Benoit elbows his way to freedom and snaps off the rolling German suplexes. Another Sharmell distraction makes the Swan Dive miss though and Benoit is down again. He’s right back up with the Crossface but Booker gets to the rope….and walks for the countout.

Rating: C-. This was almost a squash until Booker left as Benoit shrugged off almost everything Booker threw at him, as limited as it was. You can almost guarantee a rematch and it wouldn’t shock me to see Booker get himself disqualified to set up their next match as a result. That’s not a bad thing, but don’t run it into the ground.

We recap the Taboo Tuesday tag match and Batista crushing Coach.

Bob Orton Jr. vs. Roddy Piper

They really see something in this don’t they? Before the match, Orton says Piper has to do it by himself for once until the bagpipes cut him off. The referee is making sure Piper’s gear is properly stored in the corner, allowing Orton to get in a belt shot to the head. Orton, in street clothes, stomps away in the corner but stops to pose, allowing Piper to get to his feet. Granted Orton knocks him right back down though so it doesn’t seem to matter very much. The chinlock goes on followed by a backbreaker but Piper slips out of a slam and grabs the sleeper. Cue Randy Orton to jump Piper for the DQ.

Rating: D+. That’s on a sliding scale as both guys are old and can’t do much more at this point. At least there is a feud here though and it’s a good idea to keep this short, though I’m not sure how interesting it is to have these people continuing a story from about twenty years ago. Not terrible, but they couldn’t have let it go on much longer.

Post match Randy beats the heck out of Piper and says he’s the Legend Killer. Piper tries to fight back and gets RKOed for his efforts.

Bobby Lashley vs. Nunzio/Vito

Lashley drives Nunzio into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Vito’s cheap shot lets the villains get in a dog pile two count but Lashley drives them both into the corner. Vito is sent outside and it’s the Dominator to finish Nunzio in a hurry.

Eric Bischoff arrives and is met by security and the Boogeyman.

Long is in the ring to introduce Bischoff for a chat. Bischoff says Smackdown vs. Raw is out of control, though Long’s actions are remind him of his WCW days. They get to the point: Raw vs. Smackdown in a ten man elimination match at Survivor Series. Bischoff calls Smackdown the B show and insults the Smackdown fans (continuing a dumb tradition). Long accepts and says Bischoff will lose just like he did in the Monday Night Wars (Bischoff: “DON’T GO THERE!”). It’s such a good idea that we’ll even throw in a bonus at Survivor Series: Bischoff vs. Long. Bischoff accepts and gets taken away by security, leaving Long to dance.

Video on Undertaker. Gee you think he might be back?

Mr. Kennedy vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Kennedy kicks him down to start and takes him it outside for some rams into the apron. Back in and we hit the bearhug but Scotty slips out for a superkick. Kennedy crotches him on top though and the super Regal Roll is good for the pin. Basic and completely acceptable, even though Kennedy busted himself open in there somewhere.

Tag Team Titles: MNM vs. Eddie Guerrero/Batista

MNM is defending and Melina looks very nervous. Batista and Mercury get things going with Nitro coming in for the double teaming. One double clothesline has the champs on the floor as we take an early break. Back with Eddie choking Mercury from the apron behind the referee’s back (the classics always work) and it’s a slingshot hilo to make it worse. Batista’s backbreaker gets two with Nitro having to make a fast save.

It’s back to Eddie, who grabs a chair and the timekeeper’s hammer, but the referee catches him pretty easily. Two Amigos connect so Melina gets on the apron, meaning the chase is on. The distraction lets Nitro get in a dive onto Eddie and the champs take over for the first time. Mercury gets in his own corner choking (must have been paying attention) and the chinlock goes on.

The front facelock keeps Eddie in trouble but he dances his way to freedom (the backbreaker didn’t hurt either). Batista comes in to clean house but it’s quickly back to Eddie. Everything breaks down and Batista torture racks Nitro as Eddie hits Three Amigos on Mercury. Melina, with brass knuckles, comes in for a save so Eddie frog splashes her instead. Nitro gets in the knuckles shot to retain.

Rating: C-. The champs were nearly squashed here as while they were on offense, it never felt like they were going to be able to retain without a lot of cheating. Granted having the current World Champion and a former World Champion as the challengers didn’t do a lot of favors for the champs here. At least they didn’t go with the stupid title change, but they very well may in the next few weeks.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t too bad with the opener being entertaining and nothing too terrible throughout the rest of the show. The big Survivor Series announcement should help a lot going forward though and under the right circumstances, that could be a heck of a match. The rest of the stuff wasn’t great, but at least they have something big to work towards now.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Taboo Tuesday 2005
Date: November 1, 2005
Location: iPayOne Center, San Diego, California
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler

It’s the second edition of this concept and this time around the card is looking a little better. This show features a double main event of John Cena defending against Kurt Angle and another challenger to be determined (it’s going to be Shawn Michaels), but the bigger match is HHH vs. Ric Flair in a violent grudge match. Flair has begged to be put in a cage and I think you know where this is going. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is all about power with HHH vs. Ric Flair getting more attention than anything else, as it should.

Joey Styles is proud to make his regular pay per view debut.

The big keyboard stage is a cool visual. Do more stuff like that please.

The first vote is to decide which two Smackdown wrestlers will face Edge and Christ Masters:

Matt Hardy – 31%

Rey Mysterio – 29%

John Bradshaw Layfield – 17%

Christian – 13%

Hardcore Holly – 10%

Other than a match that had been taped in advance, that would be Christian’s last WWE appearance until 2009.

Edge/Chris Masters vs. Matt Hardy/Rey Mysterio

Actually hold on as Lita says Edge isn’t wrestling tonight because he has nothing to gain from this. Here’s the replacement.

Snitsky/Chris Masters vs. Matt Hardy/Rey Mysterio

What a horrifying team. Masters jumps Mysterio from behind to start and Snitsky decks Matt on the floor. We start with Rey in trouble and a pair of referees (one from each show) in the ring. Snitsky’s slam gets two (each that is) so Masters hits a series of backbreakers, including one to bend Rey over his knee. The sitout bulldog is countered with a hard slam down but the chinlock doesn’t last long.

Rey gets the tag off to Matt so the place can pick up, including a Side Effect for two on Snitsky. A superplex (nearly a brainbuster) gives Matt the same with Masters having to make the save. The monsters send Matt hard into the corner though and Masters cranks on the arms to keep him down. Masters gets two off a heck of a clothesline with Rey needing to make a save.

We hit another chinlock before Snitsky goes with something more worthwhile in a hard spinebuster. It’s back to Masters for a front facelock but a missed charge gives Matt a breather. That’s broken up as well though and Snitsky goes with more sending him into the corner. Matt slips over the shoulder and gets in a reverse DDT though and now the hot tag brings in Rey.

Everything breaks down and Rey’s tornado DDT is countered into the Masterlock. Rey kicks off the ropes to flip onto Masters for two, with the Raw referee breaking up the count. Matt and Rey hit stereo dives to the floor, setting up a springboard sunset flip for two on Masters. Back up and Masters grabs a torture rack neckbreaker for the same on Rey with Matt making the save. That’s enough for Masters though and it’s a 619 into the Twist of Fate into the springboard splash for the pin.

Rating: B. The Smackdown team had potential but who would have thought that Masters and Snitsky had that in them? This was a heck of a match with a very hot finish and a much better showcase than I was expecting from these four. You can guarantee that this story isn’t over though and Survivor Series seems to be looming in a nice way.

Mick Foley and Maria’s luggage has gotten switched as Mick has lingerie and Maria has his Mankind mask. Maria: “Interesting smell!” Maria strips off screen and Mick has a nice day (their words).

Eugene needs a partner:

Jimmy Snuka – 43%

Jim Duggan – 40%

Kamala – 17%

Rob Conway/Tyson Tomko vs. Eugene/Jimmy Snuka

Eugene and Tomko start things off with the big bald gladly accepting a test of strength. That earns him alternating thrust chops to the throat but Tomko breaks up the tag to Snuka. Conway is so annoyed that he takes off his sunglasses before elbowing Eugene in the face. The chinlock goes on and a right hand breaks up the comeback attempt. Eugene finally gets in a clothesline on Conway and the diving tag brings in Snuka. The chops are on and everything breaks down. Tomko gets knocked outside and Snuka and Eugene headbutt Conway into a Rock Bottom. The Superfly Splash finishes Conway off.

Rating: D. What else were you expecting here? This was Snuka having little more than a cameo at the end of the match with Eugene working on his own. It’s fine for a short feel good match though and I can’t really get annoyed at that. It wasn’t good, but it did what it was supposed to do.

Post match Tomko goes after Snuka but Kamala and Duggan run in for the save.

Here’s who Carlito will be facing:

Mankind – 52%

Cactus Jack – 35%

Dude Love – 13%

We recap Carlito vs. Mick Foley. Believe it or not, it’s about being cool and apple spitting.

Mankind vs. Carlito

Carlito slugs away to start and hits a dropkick, only to get elbowed in the face. The Tree of Woe elbow connects and they head outside with Mankind grabbing a chair. A drop toehold sends Mankind into the chair into the steps so they head inside with Carlito snapping off a Russian legsweep.

Carlito grabs the rare standing chinlock but Mankind is out fast enough, setting up a double clothesline to put both of them down. It’s Mankind up first to hammer Carlito down in the corner and there’s the running knee to make it worse. The Bang Bang elbow to the floor connects for two back inside and Carlito is reeling. The double arm DDT into the Mandible Claw (Mr. Socko is sporting an afro) to give Mankind the win.

Rating: D. The weirdest part of this: seeing a Mick Foley match that had no stipulations and ended clean. This should tell you a lot about where Carlito is at the moment as he lost the match in pretty short order and to someone who has not been a full time wrestler in several years. It wasn’t the worst but it was little more than a workout for Foley, who didn’t need a win like this.

Vince McMahon comes in to see Eric Bischoff and is annoyed that he missed the Raw vs. Smackdown match. Eric admits that Raw lost and Vince yells at him for messing up. Vince is tired of people like Eric being around here and waiting for Vince to save them. From now on, Bischoff is on his own.

Now we get two matches at once. Here’s who is in the Raw World Title match along with John Cena and Kurt Angle:

Shawn Michaels – 46%

Kane – 38%

Big Show – 16%

Those results also give us this.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Kane/Big Show vs. Trevor Murdoch/Lance Cade

Cade and Murdoch are defending and get knocked around before the bell. Kane beats on Murdoch to start and some running clotheslines make it worse. Murdoch actually gets in his own clothesline and brings Cade in, so Kane drags him over to Show instead. Well so much for that plan. Show comes in for the chop but it’s off to Murdoch, who completely fails with the kicks to Show’s ribs.

It’s back to Cade vs. Kane, with the two of them somehow messing up a big boot spot, as Kane kicks him mostly in the ribs and almost in the back. A little interference sends Kane outside and Sweet and Sour puts him in trouble for the first time. Murdoch cranks on both arms and Cade hits a neckbreaker…but Kane grabs him by the throat. Murdoch is smart enough to elbow Show off the apron so Kane beats up both champs without much trouble. Everything breaks down and Kane’s top rope clothesline hits Murdoch. A double chokeslam to Cade is good for the pin and the titles.

Rating: D+. Cade and Murdoch were almost squashed here but what are you expecting against Big Show and Kane? They’re the kind of team who are going to dominate things for a good while and really, who else were Cade and Murdoch supposed to face? The fact that we were less than a month into their reign and they were already at that point isn’t a good sign, but there hasn’t been much good for the Tag Team Titles in a long time.

Post break Murdoch tries to interrupt an interview and gets double chokeslammed as well.

Coach gives Vader and Goldust a pep talk because this could lead to him winning the WWE Championship.

The Divas come out in robes so we can find out what they will be wearing:

Lingerie: 43%

Leather and Lace: 32%

Cheerleaders: 25%

We recap Coach/Goldust/Vader vs. Batista. This was going to be Steve Austin vs. Coach but since Austin isn’t a complete numskull, he walked out before he had to put Coach over. This was going to be about Jim Ross’ job but since Austin isn’t a factor, that has been dropped.

First though, what kind of match are they having:

Street fight: 91%

Verbal debate: 6%

Arm wrestling: 3%

Jonathan Coachman vs. Batista

Non-title and Vader and Goldust are officially in Coach’s corner but they start the match in the ring because they actually understand the rules. Coach hides on the floor while the other two beat Batista down in the corner. That earns Goldust a spear so Coach comes in for some reason, earning himself a knockdown.

Coach’s kendo stick doesn’t work but Vader and Goldust take Batista down for a whipping with a belt. This time though Batista powers up and beats all three of them with the belt (Joey: “Batista is doing to Coach what Coach does to commentary every Monday night!”). With Goldust and Vader down, the Batista Bomb ends Coach in a hurry.

Rating: D. Batista has been presented as smart since his singles push began and he was intelligent again here, earning a pay per view payday for a pretty nothing match. That being said, there was no reason to have it be anything else, with Vader and Goldust being higher level lackeys but still lackeys nonetheless.

Shawn Michaels is ready to win the title but here’s Kurt Angle to say they should team up on John Cena and then find out who the best man is. Shawn will think about it, mainly because it’s not a bad plan.

Women’s Title: Battle Royal

Trish Stratus, Ashley, Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Victoria, Maria

Trish is defending and everyone is in lingerie (Victoria may or may not be, as her gear is close enough). An early Stratusphere attempt almost has Trish eliminated so Mickie makes a save. Maria runs Candice over and poses, but Mickie and Trish toss her out without much trouble. Candice triangle chokes Ashley over the ropes and gets eliminated as well, followed by Trish getting planted by Victoria’s spinning side slam.

Victoria fights off elimination again and catapults Ashley out with ease. Trish and Victoria fight to the apron so Mickie makes another save. The Matrish is broken up with a knee to the ribs but Mickie spears Victoria through the ropes for the sacrificial elimination to retain Trish’s title.

Rating: D. This is a great example of “it was what it was”. There was no point to this one other than the eye candy and that’s all well and good. Trish and Mickie are at least having some kind of a story and that’s more than what you would usually get int his division. You can only run Trish vs. Victoria so many times and we are long past that point. Not a good match from a quality standpoint, but I have no idea why you would expect one.

Post match Mickie cuts off Trish’s interview to talk about how awesome Trish is. Trish seems annoyed as she leaves.

We recap HHH vs. Ric Flair for the Intercontinental Title in what might as well be the real main event. HHH came back from a hiatus and destroyed Flair, because he thought Flair was settling for mediocrity when Flair was happy being Intercontinental Champion. The attack sent Flair over the edge and he was his old self again, swearing revenge against HHH. Flair has begged for a cage match and I think you know where this is going.

So where is this going?

Steel cage: 83%

Submission match: 13%

One fall to a finish: 4%

Intercontinental Title: Ric Flair vs. HHH

Flair is defending in a cage. They stare each other down to start until the first chop in the corner annoys HHH. Flair fights out of the other corner and isn’t taking anything from HHH early on. A spinebuster works much better for HHH and he sends Flair into the cage to bust him open (that took longer than I thought). HHH’s look at Flair of “I have to do this” is great and he makes it better by raking his face over the cage.

The knee pad is lowered and, after a WOO, the bare knee hits Flair’s head. HHH goes up top to escape but Flair makes the stop and chops away in the corner. That means a double crotching and they’re both down again. HHH goes up top again and finds a chain, only to dive into a raised boot. Flair tries a quick Figure Four but gets punched with the chain for two. Flair is COVERED in blood so HHH hammers away in the corner, setting up the Flair Flop.

The Figure Four makes Flair scream but he flips HHH off and turns it over. Another Figure Four attempt is kicked into the cage and HHH is busted this time. That wakes Flair up and he unloads on HHH, including a big bite of the forehead. Lawler: “It’s getting a little bit easier to watch!” The head is raked across the cage and a knee drop to the head connects as Flair is doing everything HHH did to him. It’s time to go after the leg as only Flair can, including the Figure Four.

HHH finally sends the referee into Flair for the break so Flair goes up….and hits the shot to the head for two. That always feels special, as does Flair’s signature HARD low blow. Flair goes to the door with HHH making the save, though Flair does bring a chair back in with him. A testicular claw lets Flair hammer away and he backdrops HHH onto the chair, followed by a shot to HHH’s head. Some more chair shots to the head have fans gasping and Flair escapes through the door to retain in an upset.

Rating: A-. I’ve seen this match a few times before and it keeps getting better. This was an amazing story of HHH beating Flair down and giving him everything he had but drawing out the legendary Flair for one more night. It was a situation of “I taught you everything you know, but I didn’t teach you everything I know” and the violence made it even better. Outstanding stuff here and I loved every bit of it despite not being a huge Flair fan.

We have a new record for Taboo Tuesday voting, smashing that whole one other time they’ve done this. Years later, WWE would probably include talking heads bragging about it in a documentary.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels

Cena is defending and Angle knocks Shawn outside so he can go after the champ. That earns Angle a suplex for one as Shawn is right back in for a save. Shawn stomps Cena down and covers Angle for two as Cena makes a save of his own. Everyone hits everyone else until Cena backdrops Angle over the top. Shawn’s clothesline puts Cena in the corner but Angle is back in for the German suplexes.

No one can hit a finisher so Shawn and Angle get together and pound Cena down. Cena gets sent shoulder first into the post and out to the floor but instead of fighting each other, the other two follow him out. There goes the Spanish announcers’ table and now it’s time for Shawn vs. Angle. Shawn gets hammered in the corner and a suplex gives Angle two. The bodyscissors keeps Shawn in trouble and Angle throws on a chinlock for a bonus.

Shawn turns around to escape so Angle runs him over without much trouble. Angle gets knocked off the top but runs the corner for the super Angle Slam and two more. It’s Cena back in for the high impact clotheslines to both with the second putting Angle on the floor. The Shuffle is broken up as Angle pulls Cena outside so Shawn hits a big flip dive onto Angle for a huge crash.

Everyone gets back in and Shawn forearms Cena down but Angle suplexes him to the floor again. Cena is back up with the Shuffle to Angle but the FU is countered into the ankle lock. The grapevine even goes on until Shawn takes way too much time to make the save via the top rope elbow. Sweet Chin Music hits Angle but Shawn walks into the FU to retain Cena’s title.

Rating: B. This was much more about Shawn vs. Angle but Cena did well enough to make things work well on his end. At the end of the day, Cena is very good but he’s not at this level yet and it’s ok to have the other two do most of the heavier lifting. It’s a heck of a match though and Cena getting another big win will only enhance his star power, which is what matters the most right now.

Cena can’t stand on the ankle to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and two main events carry this thing and make up for the horrible middle section, which was little more than a disaster. In other words, if this was an In Your House, it could have been a near classic. What we got was good enough as the middle section is full of short matches, but the cage match is great and the main event worked well. The gimmick still doesn’t work very well and the Tuesday thing adds nothing, but the good matches made this work rather well.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s kind of a big deal.

We’re finally here. It’s that time of year again and as weird as it is to have a two day Wrestlemania, I’m going to need two days to preview this whole thing. This is one of those VERY stacked cards (read as Wrestlemania) and that means we are going to be seeing a lot, albeit without any fans in front of them. This could mean a lot but we’re coming into this so differently that I’m only going to be able to guess how some of these things are going. Let’s get to it.

A preview for a show wouldn’t take six pages. As is almost always the case, these shows are just too long and I don’t think the two nights idea is going to make it better. Maybe the shows can make up for it (and they certainly could, just like last year’s did), but I can’t help sighing when I look at that very long card. That being said, it’s still Wrestlemania and that alone puts it on a different level. Have some fun and enjoy your weekend because there will never be another one like it.

IMG Credit: WWE

This time….for sure?

And we’ll wrap it up (maybe) with this, as the Royal Rumble winner gets to headline the show. Lesnar has been champion so many times and for so many days now that it is hard to imagine him losing again here. That being said, and it has been said many times before, Lesnar has been champion for so long that it would be nice to see him doing ANYTHING else besides another lengthy Lesnar title reign.

McIntyre has to win here because it would be up there with Reigns losing back in 2018. Just go with what makes sense here and have McIntyre kick Lesnar’s head off. At some point you need to just push someone as the next big star and that is where we are with McIntyre. He might bomb as champion but you can only have Lesnar keep the title warm for so long and we passed that point years ago. McIntyre wins here and we move on from there, but he has to win the title first.

IMG Credit: WWE

Now why did it take them this long?

It’s another match that hasn’t been announced yet, even though Roman Reigns himself has already announced that he won’t be wrestling on the show due to health concerns. There is nothing wrong with that whatsoever, but there is something wrong with WWE advertising him up until the night before WrestleMania when they know he won’t be there. There isn’t time for a tweet, a website article, a voiceover? Not a single thing in all that TV time they have to fill?

I keep thinking that this should be a layup answer, but then I can’t decide which one is the layup. In theory it should be obvious that Goldberg loses and goes back to whatever he does when he isn’t on another WWE run but the idea of Strowman actually winning the title doesn’t seem possible. They have had so many chances to do it before and I’m not sure I can picture it happening here. I’ll go with Strowman, but I won’t believe it until I see it.

IMG Credit: WWE

This could be wacky.

This is your other on location match and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. It would seem to be a match taking place in the Firefly Fun House, which hopefully isn’t treated as some mystical place after Seth Rollins attacked it at one point last year. The match could be a heck of a mind trip if they let some creative people work on it and really, that is the best thing you can do in something like this. Having the Fiend just come out there and wrestle doesn’t really work, so let it be all zany.

There is no reason to give Cena the win here as odds are he is gone after WrestleMania anyway. The Fiend could be a heck of a monster down the line, perhaps even getting his win back from Goldberg (which was TOTALLY necessary) down the line. This should be a big win for Fiend, as Cena can fight back but ultimately fall to the Mandible Claw, because we need to build Fiend back up. Again.

IMG Credit: WWE

BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???

Here’s your other personal match, along with your “what does that mean” match. This is a Bone Yard match, which sounds like something that is going to be taking place on location in a cemetery, which might not be the best name to use in the current world. It also seems to be more like BikerTaker than Dead Man Undertaker, which makes a lot of sense. If you’re in a small building with no fans, the Undertaker mystique goes away.

As for the match itself, I’ll go with Undertaker because it’s Wrestlemania, but I’m having some issues with making myself care about it. I’ve never been hue on the biker character but it’s something different and given the situation, it’s the right move. If nothing else, just mixing things up after another sixteen year run with the Dead Man is a good idea. It could be a solid brawl, but I’m not exactly intrigued.

IMG Credit: WWE

Too little too late?

Dang this would have had fans drooling a few years ago. Now though, Zayn is banged up and more annoying than anything else but it’s still nice to see him finally get a title reign like this. At the same time you have the rather interesting Bryan/Drew Gulak pairing, which could go in a few different and entertaining directions. This match could as well, but I think I know which it is.

Remember that after this show is over, WWE is going to have some TV time to fill. Over on Smackdown, I think there might be some mileage out of having Bryan, as the new Intercontinental Champion, pick an opponent and go out there to fill in twenty or so minutes every week. He’ll have to win the title in the first place here though and I think that is what happens here.

IMG Credit: WWE

They’re the new generation.

The deeper we get into this the more difficult they become. Back in November/December of last year, they had no choice but to make Ripley into the star. She was over, she was nailing the matches and there was nothing to hold her back. That should be the case again in the biggest match of her career, but there is one problem: it’s Charlotte, who gets more pushes and title reigns than any woman in history, seemingly because she’s Charlotte. She’s better than most women, but we have seen it so many times now (including with the NXT Women’s Title) that I don’t think we need to see it again.

For once I’ll give WWE the benefit of the doubt and hope that they will go with what makes sense, which would be Ripley retaining. Charlotte absolutely does not need this title and while Ripley got the big win over Baszler, having her lose to Charlotte here would take a lot of that status away. It doesn’t make sense to do that and while I’m sure WWE will be tempted to do so, I think they’ll do the right thing and keep the title on Ripley.

IMG Credit: WWE

Three out of six ain’t bad?

So here we have a scheduling issue as the match is already going to be changed to something else, but since I’m putting this together early, the best I can do is go off of spoilers. The word on the street is that the triple threat tag team ladder match turns into a triple threat singles ladder match for the titles. The good thing is that doesn’t change my pick.

The champs retain here because that’s one of WWE’s favorite booking tropes: have the champs lost over and over and over but hey they win in the title match so everything else is forgotten. At the same time, the Usos and New Day have been champions so many times already and neither of them need the belts again. Let Miz and Morrison win, and then have them win a few more times on top of that so they can look like champions for a bit.