Evan Luebbe

SmackDown 3/13/2020

The March 13 edition of SmackDown on FOX was truly unprecedented as it was the first ever episode of Raw or SmackDown to be held at the WWE Performance Center (PC). NXT additionally aired live from the PC this week. This was also the first WWE event to ever be held with zero fans in attendance. It reminded me of the time when Mick Foley and The Rock had a WWE Championship match in an empty arena on Super Bowl Sunday in 1999 (I believe it was Super Bowl XXXIII). I don’t remember who was playing, because you have to remember I was only two years old.

All that can be said is that WWE did the best they could do given the circumstances that are currently going on in the United States with Covid-19. Fortunately, the best they could do was pretty damn good because I guarantee it took an awful lot of last-minute planning on Triple H’s part.

I would fully assume that WWE will be having every event (SmackDown, Raw, and NXT alike) in this setting at the PC for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, there is also a good chance WrestleMania will be postponed by at least a month given the conditions. It’s very good, however, that WWE’s most experienced broadcaster in Michael Cole was the first one of WWE’s broadcasters to experience this, because he is so trusted by WWE officials.

This was probably not a huge deal for experienced superstars like Jeff Hardy, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, or Roman Reigns. Fortunately, even the younger superstars did not seem to be at a loss for words or what to do because of the different environment, and that is a very good thing. They have been trained extremely well to do what they do no matter the environment.

Triple H did a fantastic job on commentary, and Mojo Rawley hyping up Michael Cole was the funniest thing I’ve seen on SmackDown in months. This will not be the type of environment Rob Gronkowski can expect to experience regularly, but he will likely most likely debut on SmackDown in this environment with an empty arena.

AEW Dynamite 3/11/2020

My primary takeaway from this episode of Dynamite was the organized feel to the first segment of the night, and how this reflects AEW’s organizational culture. The segment was so impressive because the company successfully incorporated several different storylines into one organized segment. Over the years, I have seen many different companies try to advance multiple storylines forward in the span of about 15 or 20 minutes and fail miserably. The entire segment normally feels disjointed and fans are left feeling very confused by what they’ve just seen.

Quite the opposite happened on Wednesday Night and it felt very refreshing. First of all, Cody had a great match with Ortiz of The Inner Circle and got a much-needed victory. Lance Archer also showed up with Jake The Snake Roberts, establishing who Cody’s next feud will be with. Matt and Nick Jackson also furthered their animosity with Hangman Adam Page. Lastly, Chris Jericho is establishing the fact that his losing the AEW World Championship is a big deal and he looks more dangerous than ever.

The fluid feel to this opening segment reflects the organizational culture of AEW. One can obviously see that all the employees within the company are on the same page. They work towards the same objective which is putting on the best show possible and not worrying about the success or failure of their competition. They are instead simply immersed in what they all love, and that fosters an extremely successful, healthy organization. This is a prime example of why I believe this company will do great things – and maintain a presence in the professional wrestling world for years to come.

WrestleMania Main Event Strategy

At this stage in WWE history, it really doesn’t matter anymore what WrestleMania match gets the main event spot because there’s such a high level of anticipation for the entire event. As long as fans are emotionally invested in the story the superstars are telling, it doesn’t matter where on the card the match is positioned. If this was 15 or 20 years ago, it might matter a lot more.

Whether it’s Lesnar-McIntyre or Goldberg-Reigns in the main event, it’s not a huge deal to me. I would be extremely passionate about seeing Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre going last if this were 15 or 20 years ago, but it might get the WWE universe talking and be a significant point of discussion if Goldberg and Roman Reigns end up in the main event slot because it would be totally unexpected.

One other element to consider that would obviously support Reigns-Goldberg being the main event is that WWE is making a concerted effort to continue to establish SmackDown as the new “A-show” as opposed to Monday Night Raw. WWE has been working on this since October when SmackDown’s TV deal with FOX began.

However, Mr. McMahon would also have to consider that there may be quite a bit of fan backlash if this happens. WWE fans might voice their displeasure if Roman Reigns is thrust into his fifth WrestleMania main event and turn on The Big Dog. We all know this would be the exact opposite of Vince McMahon’s intention, so he will do anything to avoid this again. From that perspective, Lesnar-McIntyre as the main event is the way to go.

No matter what goes down at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium, most WWE fans can agree that they would all love to see Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre walk out as Universal and WWE champions respectively. This would officially end the era of part-time champions in WWE and starting the new decade off fresh. WrestleMania season is like WWE ending one year and beginning another.

Overall, I’m very optimistic about how the reboot of Roman Reigns will play out the second go-around after it felt forced. Vince McMahon was simply making the WWE universe submit to his will by pushing the guy he wanted to be WWE’s top star rather than letting fans decide for themselves who that would be. No one wanted another face of the company who was so heavily endorsed by Mr. McMahon after over a decade of John Cena. This time with Roman it actually feels organic, which is what the WWE universe wanted all along. Booker T seems to agree with my optimism as he talked about it on his Hall of Fame podcast this past week.

Now Roman’s being allowed more freedom out there to be authentic to himself – and it’s working!

 

In-Depth Look at the Rivalry between Orton and Edge

One of WWE’s next tasks on Raw over the course of these last four weeks before WrestleMania 36 will be to lay out Edge’s perspective in his storyline with Randy Orton (which now includes Beth Phoenix) as clearly as they did for Orton. I’m sure the company will do an excellent job of this because Paul Heyman, the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw, is an excellent storyteller; this obviously began on March 9.

Vince McMahon might want to strongly consider booking Edge and Randy Orton to open the show at Mania. This match has earned a prestigious place on the card because it’s the most prominent storyline on Monday Night Raw heading into the biggest show of the year. It’s a prestigious spot on the card given that the Universal Championship was defended to open the show last year, and Seth Rollins walked away as the new Universal Champion under a new moniker – The BeastSlayer.

Edge and Randy also have earned that spot because the WWE universe is emotionally invested in their storyline to a deep degree. That is in essence the entire point of sports entertainment – for superstars to present their story to the audience in a believable manner and they should be rewarded for this. Randy Orton has done the best work of his career.

This match would work so well in this spot because the WWE universe is invested in the story and would even entice casual fans to watch the rest of the show.

Elimination Chamber 3/8/2020 – Last Stop on the Road to WrestleMania

Shayna Baszler dominates the other five women in the Elimination Chamber to make her WrestleMania 36 match against Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship 100% official

Baszler is a very Credible Opponent who seems at this point to have an excellent chance at taking the Championship from Lynch

It was smart of Mr. McMillion to stick with his original pick to face The Man at Mania in Shayna Baszler. I know he wasn’t crazy about the reaction she received from the WWE universe on the March 2 edition of Raw, but she ended up getting a solid reaction at Elimination Chamber, similar to the reaction that Samoa Joe consistently gets.

When you think about it, there was never much of an alternative anyway. The leading candidate to replace Shayna would’ve been Asuka. She faced Becky at Royal Rumble in January, and in my opinion, it feels kind of redundant to book a champion to face their will Royal Rumble opponent at WrestleMania.

The Miz & John Morrison retain their SmackDown Tag Team Championship in the Elimination Chamber, although Heavy Machinery is the Team that the WWE Universe was Clearly most Behind

It’s blatantly obvious WWE wants the storyline between Otis, Dolph Ziggler and Mandy Rose to play out as dramatically as possible. Otis and Tucker are quickly being turned into full-fledged superstars. They are being given plenty of time to show that they have the ability to go deep into a match and they are showcasing their passion for sports entertainment.

The momentum Heavy Machinery is building this year going into Mania is very reminiscent of the momentum that Kofi Kingston built with KofiMania. Heavy Machinery hasn’t had an 11-year journey in WWE, but they did last an extended amount of time in a gauntlet match which they did not win (just like Kofi last year). They were also heavily supported at Elimination Chamber.

At the end of the day, it was a smart decision to keep the titles on the champions Miz & Morrison (they just won them 10 days ago). The New Day and The Usos have so much credibility at this point that they don’t need titles to be taken as a serious threat. The New Day is getting very close to the WWE record of 10 tag team championships, which would obviously cement them as the greatest tag team in WWE history.

Aleister Black defeats AJ Styles with the Assistance of a Surprise Attack on AJ by The Undertaker

An appearance by The Deadman is always a welcome sight. This attack will serve as a build for the match in Tampa between Taker and Styles. AJ is so established that a loss here does nothing to discredit him. It makes perfect sense for him to put over a new star in Black. It also makes sense because Aleister is one of the several superstars that Paul Heyman has on his agenda to push very hard on Monday Night Raw in 2020. What better way to begin that push than with the biggest victory in Black’s career thus far?

I wonder if Mr. McMahon has considered including Black in The Undertaker match at WrestleMania 36. Now that I think about it, his vision might be to have The Undertaker pin AJ Styles this year and have a retirement match for Taker next year at WrestleMania 37 in Los Angeles in which he takes a loss to The Harbinger of Fury. Aleister Black presents that same type of aura, so why not put him in that role? WWE tried to do it a few years ago with Bray Wyatt and make him the new face of fear but the company decided against it.

Braun Strowman loses the Intercontinental Championship to Sami Zayn in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match

This was the only one of Mr. McMillion’s Elimination Chamber decisions that felt out of place. He must see some sign of immaturity from Strowman behind the scenes that makes him hesitant to put a major title on him and make The Monster a face of the company. Strowman would be the man otherwise. His unique combination of size, speed, power, agility, and charisma are everything Vince McMahon typically look for in a sports entertainer.

Instead, he loses his first singles championship (which it took him 4 ½ years to win) roughly 6 weeks after he won the strap.

It might be safe to assume that Zayn’s shoulders are feeling healthier, considering that’s why he has been in a managerial role rather than a wrestling role for the last several months: good timing because it is just in time for Mania.

The Street Profits retained the Raw Tag Team Championship against Seth Rollins and Murphy

Good call here to keep the titles on The Street Profits. They have a deep connection with the WWE universe, and Rollins and Murphy at this point feel like old news when it comes to tag teams on Raw. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins feel fresh.

Of course, some steps toward WrestleMania 36 were also taken. Kevin Owens showed up during the match and gave Rollins a stunner, which will set up a Mania clash between the two men and made Seth and Murphy lose their titles. The Viking Raiders also attacked The AOP, which will likely lead to a match between the two teams on the WrestleMania 36 kickoff show. This should be a fantastic encounter even though it won’t get a whole lot of attention.

Daniel Bryan defeats Drew Gulak

It sort of feels like Daniel Bryan put over Gulak despite beating him; for Gulak, merely sharing the ring with a superstar the caliber of Bryan (whom his style virtually mirrors) puts him on a significantly higher level in the eyes of the WWE universe. Perhaps this will be a step towards getting Drew out of a comedy role in which all he does is make PowerPoint presentations and where he could be taken as an actual threat.

Andrade has lost a little steam since returning from his suspension. It was the right decision to book him to retain his United States Championship against Humberto Carillo because Carillo is so early in his WWE run that he doesn’t have quite enough momentum yet to carry a title. However, Andrade may need to drop the title at WrestleMania so he can pivot and start fresh. There’s no doubt that the future is prosperous for Andrade, and those prosperous days may begin sooner rather than later.

WWE focused more on building toward the future with the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View as the company often does. It was refreshing to see, because the company focused on nostalgia acts in Saudi Arabia last month – namely Bill Goldberg.

SmackDown 3/6/2020

Goldberg’s Title Reign

Most WWE fans don’t like it, but the Universal Title was put on Goldberg for two reasons. The first is so Roman Reigns is more likely to be cheered at WrestleMania 36. This is Mr. McMahon’s primary goal, and he figured that since The Fiend is so new, fresh, and intriguing, fans might opt to cheer him rather than Roman at Mania. Because of this apprehension, Mr. McMahon decided to go with a safe option in Goldberg.

The second reason Mr. McMahon decided to go with Goldberg as Universal Champion is because he knew that putting the strap on a man like Goldberg, while it may not be necessarily loved by everyone, it would certainly draw fan interest. He knew that people were going to care and be more interested in the events at WrestleMania regardless of whether they approve of who was champion. Goldberg as Universal Champion will surely draw money in large amounts due of the level of attachment wrestling fans collectively have toward the almost mythical figure.

Nonetheless, it is almost guaranteed to be a short run with the title for Goldberg similar to his stint with the Universal Championship in 2017 when he dropped it at WrestleMania 33 to Brock Lesnar. The only difference this year will be the man to whom he drops the title. This year Goldberg will help to cement Roman Reigns as “The Guy” – at least this is Vince McMahon’s vision and has been for the past half-decade. The Big Dog will walk out of Mania with a championship for the first time since WrestleMania 32 at JerryWorld in 2017 in Dallas, TX when he beat Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

WWE used this week to intensely focus on building anticipation for the Mania match between Otis and Dolph Ziggler, and the inevitable Otis victory.

It’s nice to see WWE acknowledging the history between John Cena and Bray Wyatt so even newer members of the WWE universe can relate to the story.

Right now, it appears that Mr. McMahon doesn’t know who to book Bayley to work with at WrestleMania 36, but I’m confident he’ll find a suitable opponent to work with her in the next four weeks.

AEW Dynamite 3/4/2020

The Inner Circle Stands Tall

Chris Jericho will always be Le Champion, belt or not. He has over 30 years of earned credibility. It takes a supreme amount of confidence to be the face of a brand-new wrestling company, but if anyone could do it, Jericho’s the man. However, I need to support my fellow Cincinnati man Jon Moxley, who is thriving with this newfound sense of creative freedom. He will be the man for at least the next several years. He looks like he’s enjoying his ride on the train of life more than ever, and that’s what the experience on this earth is intended to be – enjoyable.

Jake The Snake Roberts makes a Surprise Appearance

Jake said that he got tired of hearing Cody whine about his situation with MJF. Roberts also told Cody that he had a new client to take on The American Nightmare in his next feud after Cody successfully made Maxwell Jacob Friedman into a budding superstar in AEW. My prediction is that The Snake’s new client will be Lance Archer, who has been advertised to be debuting for the last few weeks. He was even advertised to be debuting this week, so it’s almost guaranteed, the way I see it, that Lance Archer will be the next wrestler Cody will make an effort to turn into a bigtime star.

Now that I think about it more, there’s also a possibility that Jake The Snake’s client would be Brodie Lee who will debut in a few weeks.

It is clearly the intention of the entire company to create as many new stars as possible, and everyone seems to be fully on-board with that. This is exactly how successful new companies operate – every employee from the top down works towards the same vision, and they all believe in it 100%. This is the exact reason why AEW will be successful.

MJF is so Entitled and Unlikable

As unlikable as this kid is, everyone needs to admit that there’s a certain quality to his presence that captivates audiences. He will be a star for many years to come. Although I don’t see how he could ever be a babyface, since he is so brash that he doesn’t hesitate to give the middle finger to 7-year-old kids. Talk about never breaking character.

Hangman Page cannot Turn Heel

The AEW audience loves and resonates with Adam Page and his Boy ways too much. His somewhat nonchalant attitude meshes perfectly with the values of the company of challenging the status quo. Since Page is involved in a storyline with The Elite, a good option would be to potentially turn The Young Bucks and/or Kenny Omega heel and keep Hangman in the money-making role of a beloved babyface. This would make a whole lot of storyline sense because The Bucks have shown a much more aggressive side to their personalities as of late, most notably at Revolution.

Nick Jackson was absent as he is home awaiting the birth of his child.

It looks like Pac and The Lucha Brothers will dominate the middcard scene for the foreseeable future with the formation of Death Triangle. They will feud with Best Friends and Orange Cassidy. The latter of these two trios is gaining momentum every week because they don’t take anything too seriously. A loss to Pac at Revolution did absolutely nothing to the momentum of Freshly Squeezed Orange Cassidy – quite the opposite!

AEW fans should be on the lookout for Pac to get elevated to the level of an AEW World Championship match against Jon Moxley in the coming months.

Congratulations to John “Bradshaw” Layfield, or JBL, on being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

JBL was one of the greatest heels of all time because there was absolutely nothing redeemable about his character. I would call him a prototype of King Corbin, because the same is true with him. The most significant thing JBL did during his tenure with WWE was to successfully put over John Cena as the face of WWE for the next decade plus. This was in large part due to the contribution of JBL. He has absolutely earned this honor.

WWE Raw 3/2/2020

Becky Lynch and AJ Styles have essentially the same character when you really think about it, but one is loved and the other is hated because of the quality of energy that each person brings to their character. Becky comes across as very sure of herself and has a great time while doing it, but AJ comes off as very arrogant and full of himself. He seems entitled right now, like he believes he deserves everything that’s coming to him – and should have gotten it a long time ago. To say the least, the quality of Becky’s energy is quite clearly a lot more appealing because she is having a good time with life.

Randy Orton tells Beth Phoenix a Story

That was by far the best promo of Randy Orton’s career. He painted a very detailed picture with his words in the form of a story about him going to a WWE house show with his father Cowboy Bob Orton and he told Beth that he was very touched by the hospitality. Edge told him that if he played his cards right, then maybe someday they could work together, and that comment motivated Randy. That prophecy eventually came to fruition, but when Randy made some poor life decisions it was Edge who pulled him out all the funk he was in.

So, The Viper told Beth that he simply returned the favor and took out Edge because The Rated-R Superstar thought he was going to return to in-ring action on a regular basis after his emotional return at the Royal Rumble. Randy had to do what he did in order to provide Beth and her two children with the father they deserve.

This was very relatable emotionally, and Beth Phoenix played the role of a concerned wife beautifully – with tears streaming down her face as Orton was talking. All the while, Randy had a somewhat deranged look on his face not really feeling any of it. He presented it so it looked like all he was doing was regurgitating information, and he connected to the collective heart of the WWE universe. Because of this, his big blow-off match with Edge at WrestleMania will feel even more personal (as if it didn’t already). The RKO to a woman also fits his character perfectly, as it’s not the first time he’s done that to a woman (Nia Jax at the 2019 Royal Rumble).

Brock Lesnar, WWE’s Highest Paid Star, is fully behind the Idea of Putting over Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36

The WWE universe proved how emotionally invested they are in the rise of Drew McIntyre over the last 20 years when his 3 Claymore kicks to Brock Lesnar nearly blew the roof off the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Most importantly, Brock Lesnar showed how invested he is in pushing the 2020 men’s Royal Rumble winner to the top of the card in WWE by advising him to lift the WWE Title belt over his head, to which he got a massive pop.

The Street Profits will inject new energy into the Raw Tag Team Division while also freeing Seth Rollins of the responsibilities of being a tag team Champion so he can begin building to a singles match with Kevin Owens at Mania.

They will bring an energetic and lighthearted sense of fun back into the Raw Tag Team Division as a result of WWE striking while the iron was hot. It is a very palpable feeling, and the best way to articulate it is that the WWE universe resonates powerfully with their joyous energy.

I couldn’t understand why Vince McMahon decided to go with Rollins and Murphy as Raw Tag Team Champions as opposed to an actual tag team in AOP, but I’m sure he had some reason for it. It might have been partially due to the fact that Mr. McMahon doesn’t view tag team wrestling to be a very big draw. He believes that most WWE fans attend shows to see their favorite singles stars in action, and, at least in my opinion, he is exactly right in that thinking.

Categories RAW

AEW Revolution 2/29/2020

Jon Moxley wins the AEW World Championship from Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho wisely and unselfishly wasted no time in putting over a new star and face of the company in Jon Moxley. It’s occasionally frustrating when WWE appears at times to be reluctant to give certain superstars the nod to carry the company into the future. It’s nice to see AEW provide a change of pace by decisively giving that platform to Moxley.

Jericho still definitely has a lot left in the tank despite already being a legend. He still needs to be featured on Dynamite every week in a prominent role so he and The Inner Circle can continue to help younger talent in launching their careers. Moxley will also put over another wrestler in a major way whenever the company decides to book someone to beat him. It’s still perfectly reasonable however for Jericho to take an occasional hiatus due to his somewhat advanced age, just to give his body a break.

Kenny Omega and Adam Page defeat The Young Bucks to retain their AEW Tag Team Titles

The Revolution PPV was definitive proof that the company is prioritizing its tag team division every bit as much as its singles division. This match was an absolute roller coaster of emotions from start to finish, and the possibility of Hangman Page’s heel turn any week now will keep fans turning in to Dynamite every week.

MJF defeats Cody

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has solidified his status as the most hated heel in all of wrestling. He most likely did not need the victory here, but this win will springboard his career into superstardom. No one likes him, but as we have learned from Roman Reigns it doesn’t necessarily matter if fans love you or hate you, it just matters that they feel strongly one way or the other.

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Disclosure: This site is not affiliated with WWE – just a diehard fan writing commentary on events.
 
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