February 16, 2020 - Evan Luebbe

SmackDown 2/14/2020

February 16, 2020 by Evan Luebbe

John Cena Returning

Renee Young announced on WWE Backstage on FS1 this week that “The Champ” John Cena will be coming to SmackDown for the first time since it moved to Fox on 2/28 the day after Super Showdown. Cena is very likely to begin a buildup to a WrestleMania match on April 5. WWE fans will also be curious to find out if he will make an appearance – or even wrestle a match – at the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View on March 8.

The Fiend to go over on Goldberg and Retain Universal Championship

“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt is expected to retain the Universal Championship against Goldberg at Super Showdown. WWE is still planning on booking a Universal Title match between The Fiend and Roman Reigns for ‘Mania. Thankfully… I might faint if Goldberg became Universal Champion again. WWE needs to focus on making this current era as great as it can be – not on reliving the “good ol’ days.” I, quite frankly, thought it was a mistake to put the championship on Goldberg by having him win it from Kevin Owens and subsequently dropping it to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 in 2017.

Mustafa Ali Lacking Direction

One has to wonder why Mustafa Ali has become lost in the shuffle in recent months. Vince McMahon had big plans to significantly push him up until February 2019 when Randy Orton injured him to derail those plans.

He was replaced in the Elimination Chamber match by Kofi Kingston as a result of a great performance in a gauntlet match shortly before the PPV, thus starting KofiMania which led to his eventual title victory from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 and his subsequent six-month long reign with the WWE Championship.

Perhaps Ali could ultimately emerge as a contender for the Intercontinental Championship and end up taking the IC Title off Braun Strowman. This would go a long way toward getting the former police officer over as an ultimate babyface. It may even help Strowman too, as it would demonstrate his respect for the hierarchy of WWE and his willingness to build younger superstars and contribute to their success down the road.

Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan defeat The Miz and John Morrison, with an attack from King Corbin coming Immediately after the Pin

I think I speak for most everyone when I say that we are looking forward to the story between Reigns and Corbin hopefully ending at Super Showdown, and this result appeared to be a step in the right direction. There has been too much TV time devoted to this same storyline in recent months. It’s not that either of them is doing a bad job – there’s only so much they can do with this particular story.

Bayley defeats Carmella to Retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship

I figured this match might take place at Super Showdown, but that’s okay. On a positive note, Bayley is defending her title again on a regular basis after going about three months without doing so, from October through January. Unfortunately for Carmella, who Booker T accurately described as being “the female Miz in WWE,” Naomi appears most likely to get a victory over her next week and receive the next title match against Bayley. Naomi has a little more momentum right now since she just returned.

Elias on the Rise

It may take a little while for Elias to bring his in-ring scale up to par. It’s a little rough at times, but I guarantee he is a future star in WWE. He may not ever be the face of the company, but he’s made the audience care about what he does and sometimes that’s the hardest part.

Sheamus defeats Apollo Crews and Shorty G

Sheamus is getting a whole lot of fan favoritism again. He may have at least one more major championship reign left in him before he retires. He could be a potential Universal Champion before the end of 2020 if fans continue to respond to him at the level they have in the last few weeks.

Dolph Ziggler steals Otis’s Date and Breaks his Heart

This was just outright mean, but it was a great way to keep the WWE universe confused in whatever transpires next in this story. It left fans feeling dejected and wanting more, which is exactly what Vince McMahon wants.

AEW Dynamite 2/12/2020

February 16, 2020 by Evan Luebbe

Dynamite Continues to Win the Wednesday Night Wars in 2020

AEW Dynamite is establishing a regular routine in 2020 of garnering over 900,000 viewers each week on TNT, while NXT on the USA Network is averaging about 150,000 less viewers per week. Even though WWE is currently losing the Wednesday Night Wars, NXT’s move to the USA Network is still considered by most to everyone in WWE to be largely successful.

Jon Moxley defeats Santana and is Immediately Attacked by The Inner Circle and their Mercenary, Jeff Cobb

This beatdown accomplished its intent of getting as much sympathy as possible for Moxley before his title match with Chris Jericho at Revolution. AEW’s newest signee, Jeff Cobb, will be a major acquisition because of his versatility, which is virtually a prerequisite in this era of professional wrestling.

The 2004 Olympian has been around in the pro wrestling business since 2009, competing for PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, which Excalibur helped found), Lucha Underground, ROH (Ring of Honor) and NJPW, as well as multiple other independent promotions. Cobb could wind up joining The Inner Circle, but then again maybe not because that would essentially eliminate the need for Jake Hager. Both men would fill basically the same role, and two of the same almost never works in wrestling.

Cobb should be given the freedom to carve his own path in AEW. The Hawaiian will be unstoppable if he is allowed to be what he naturally is – a no-nonsense, nose-to-the-grindstone athlete.

Nyla Rose wins the AEW Women’s World Championship from Riho

This was a great match from Riho, showcasing strength on multiple occasions to lift a woman literally twice her size. She just might not have the level of raw charisma required to carry the AEW Women’s Division. There is no shortage of talent with Asian wrestlers – they just don’t talk, so it’s hard to connect with them and get insight into what is going through their minds. Nyla Rose, however, will create the aura the Women’s Division desperately needs of a dominant and intimidating champion everyone fears.

The Story between Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page got a Chance to Breathe

There was a successful title defense. The segment was largely building toward the number one contender’s battle royal next week on Dynamite.

MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman) Defeats Jungle Boy Jack Perry, Wardlow Attacks him after the Match

People like these two guys are the future of AEW since they are all in their early 20s. It makes sense for MJF to build up as much heal heat as possible leading into his match at Revolution with Cody (which I fully assume Cody will win and close the book on this chapter of his career). MJF doesn’t need a victory of this magnitude yet at this stage in his career because, while he is on the right track, he hasn’t reached the level of true superstardom.

Dustin Rhodes defeats Sammy Guevara and Challenges Jake Hager to a Match at Revolution

Very solid match. No complaints about the execution or the result considering it was in Rhodes’ hometown. Sammy comes across as being very entitled and annoying, but he is excellent in the ring – that’s what makes him so effective as a heel. It’ll be nice to see Jake Hager finally do something other than stand around as protection for Jericho – and it will be so easy to root for the 30-year veteran Dustin (who is still surprisingly athletic). Darby Allin should have a fantastic match with Guevara at Revolution.

Dr. Britt Baker’s Feud with Tony Schiavone

It will be interesting to see if anything comes of Baker constantly knit picking at Tony. I find myself almost feeling bad for him because he just sits there and takes all the Starbucks criticisms so convincingly. Maybe he will eventually choose a woman to represent him and face Baker, but it’s very entertaining for now.

WWE Raw 2/10/2020

February 16, 2020 by Evan Luebbe

This past week’s episode of Monday Night Raw was very low-key and didn’t get any major pops from the audience. This is most likely because neither Champion was present on the show. Brock Lesnar did not show up as WWE Champion, but he deserves some credit because he has been in every episode of Monday Night Raw except this past week. He also gave a performance in the Royal Rumble match that lasted over 25 minutes. The missing United States Champion’s (Andrade) presence is due to his violation of the WWE wellness policy and he is not eligible to wrestle. No one can be positive, but this may be his last to return to Super Showdown.

Becky Lynch defeats Asuka and is subsequently attacked by Shayna Baszler to set up what will be a Huge Clash come WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, FL

The rivalry between Becky Lynch and Asuka that lasted over a year has been a good example of long-term storytelling. It was an excellent idea to have it come to an end because the audience’s attention span could have started to grow thin since there are no real stakes anymore. This feud produced excellent matches while it lasted, but there’s no more story to tell.

Shayna Baszler has finally made her presence known on Monday Night Raw to build for a WrestleMania encounter with The Man, as has been speculated for weeks. Baszler’s loss of her NXT Title was not only to give the NXT universe a fresh Champion but also to free her of all ties to another brand so she could solely focus on building to a ‘Mania match with Becky. It was a good segment on Monday night with Baszler attacking Lynch’s neck in Hannibal Lecter fashion, except the blood was clearly fake.

A Baszler Title victory at WrestleMania could give the WWE universe a fresh face as Raw Women’s Champion. It would also free the engaged couple of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch to each take a hiatus from WWE for a few months after ‘Mania to recharge. They are both workhorses for the company combined with the fact that Becky will have been the face of the Women’s Division in WWE for an entire year. Shayna has been booked to have a presence like a female Samoa Joe.

Seth Rollins, Murphy & The AOP Defeat Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe & The Viking Raiders

Seth Rollins and his disciples got another cheap victory… surprise, surprise! This result was never in doubt, but it did its job of gaining more heel heat for the stable. Vince McMahon has shortened yet another name. The latest man to have his name shortened is Buddy Murphy, as he lost his first name and is now referred to as just Murphy. It will be interesting to see if he ever gets his first name back like Erick Rowan and Mustafa Ali did.

Matt Hardy Questions Randy Orton

Matt Hardy more than accomplished his job on Monday night of garnering sympathy for Edge. He was able to do this so well because the WWE universe lost both he and his brother. One can only guess what Matt’s contract situation looks like. There was some speculation that he may be going to AEW, and there still is, but he continues to make appearances for WWE. No one can be sure, but this may be his last one – Randy Orton’s attack may have given him an avenue through which to exit WWE.

Ricochet Defeats Bobby Lashley

The “One and Only” proved to Lashley without much doubt that he is the rightful number one contender to Brock Lesnar’s WWE Championship for now. However, I would be shocked if there is not a highly anticipated bout between the two former MMA fighters. Lashley has publicly stated in the past that he believes the act of coming back to WWE for another three years would be a waste of time if he isn’t booked in a match with The Beast Incarnate.

WWE has a little time to build to this match before Lashley’s contract expires in April 2021, and there is not much doubt (from me) that this will ultimately happen. This potential match has money written all over it because of the sheer size of Lesnar and Lashley. Both men are in their 40s, but it seems it could happen.

Angel Garza Defeats Cedric Alexander

Angel Garza further established his name on Monday Night Raw as a force to be reckoned with, using his innate and almost nonchalant sense of charisma. The thing he does with ripping off his pants in the middle of matches is also a hilarious touch.

Aleister Black Defeats Akira Tozawa and Disposes of him Quickly

If WWE is interested in a long-term storyline with Black as I suspect they are, management may want to book him to continue his undefeated streak all the way through the year 2020. He’s a guy who Paul Heyman is extremely high on and is looking to give every potential opportunity to succeed, along with Ricochet, Murphy, and Drew McIntyre. However, he does deserve a competitive rivalry that will intrigue fans. This will also serve to get him over with the WWE universe. Fans are growing tired of seeing him squash opponents.

Perhaps a feud with the United States Champion Andrade and his real-life wife Zelina Vega would be appropriate. It would create an avenue for him to get to that next level of stardom because fans would feel more connected to him if they knew he had personal ties in the regulatory.

The 24/7 Championship has returned to obscurity now that it’s out of the hands of Mojo Rawley and Riddick Moss is the titleholder.