Evan Luebbe, Author at Evan Luebbe

Shane Off TV

October 5, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

It’s being reported that Shane McMahon will most likely lose to Kevin Owens in their ladder match on SmackDown’s debut episode on FOX on October 4 so WWE can create a plausible scenario where they can write Shane McMahon off TV, at least as an authority figure, for a while. WWE would like to do this to create a more realistic atmosphere on SmackDown that makes viewers feel as though they are watching a weekly sports show.

This may mean acts more on the entertainment side will need to be moved to Raw in the draft. In order to foster this new culture, WWE intends to orchestrate “more conclusive finishes” and “fever interferences from non-wrestlers.”

FOX is doing an excellent job of promoting this new type of presentation, which has been Triple H’s vision for years, by having people like Colin Cowherd advertise the premiere of SmackDown during his daily sports radio show or having Troy Aikman advertise it during Thursday Night Football games.

Keeping Couples Together

October 5, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

WWE has the task ahead of them on October 11 and 14 of strategically planning the WWE draft. Vince McMahon amongst others will need to orchestrate which show various superstars are assigned so that it makes sense according to storylines. For example, Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura will need to be kept together on the same show since Zayn is managing Nakamura (which is working incredibly well by the way). The face-heel dynamic will also need to be balanced out. There cannot be an uneven amount of babyfaces or heels on a show. They need to be evenly distributed, and WWE needs to be aware of where they stand on the card. They cannot all be at the top or bottom of the card.

Finally, the company always does its absolute best to keep couples together. Because of this, the company will do everything in its power to keep all of the couples within the company happy by moving them respectively to the same brand, like Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins or Aliester Black and Zelina Vega. But it’s not quite that simple. Andrade is being managed by Vega in storyline, so he is a package deal to go wherever she goes. This also means Charlotte Flair would need to go with all of them, as she is engaged to Andrade.

The WWE draft will also be exciting not only because of the return of pyro along with lasers and flames to enhance the product, but entirely new sets will be introduced for Raw and SmackDown as well as new logos and new commentary teams for each show. WWE will have a brand-new look and style of presentation. Stay tuned!

3 Title Matches Next Week

September 28, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

NXT has had a beautiful opportunity over the past two weeks to establish it itself as the premier wrestling show on cable TV before AEW’s deal when TNT starts on October 2 – and they absolutely nailed it.

What I think people love about NXT, and the reason it is able to separate it itself and create a distinct feel as opposed to the main roster, is that the superstars are given more than enough time for each individual match. Therefore, they have the opportunity to turn what would normally be a very good story into a great one. The key word in that sentence is time.

NXT definitely has no shortage of performers, but they don’t have quite as many as the main roster does. This might actually be an advantage because the performers Triple H is able to sign are all viewed very highly, and they are given the opportunity to reach their highest potential. That might be the key reason why NXT is growing so quickly and why every performer who is there wants to be there and would not rather be anywhere else.

Matt Riddle finally cashed in after almost a year with NXT and armed himself with the No. 1 Contendership for Adam Cole’s NXT Championship. It should be a great episode next week. It will provide significant competition for AEW with this NXT Title match, the NXT Tag Team Championships being defended by Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly against the Street Profits, and Shayna Baszler defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Candice LeRae. The match between Cole and Riddle will be excellent and either man could win. The Street Profits will probably lose, because they would probably just skip over their rematch and go straight to the main roster if NXT had suitable contenders right now for the Undisputed Era.

Candice LeRae also most likely does not stand a chance against Shayna Baszler. While I love Candice, Triple H has put an awful lot of time and effort into establishing Baszler as a dominant Women’s Champion. It would only be believable at this point if she were to lose the title to a bad-ass woman, and LeRae doesn’t bring quite enough of that.

Side Note: Keith Lee has an incredibly bright future as a serious title contender in NXT, with his ridiculous athleticism for a man that size.

KO – Shane Ladder Match

September 28, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

The final episode of SD Live on USA turned out to be a fun one. The new era on FOX will be a huge opportunity for WWE to further solidify itself as a company that is respected and beloved by mainstream society. Not only that, WWE has a great opportunity to change the way it is viewed by the majority of people and convince people worldwide to view it as a sport (Triple H has openly talked about how he would like WWE to be viewed as a sport as opposed to just entertainment).

One has to infer that the ladder match between Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon will take place on the premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX October 4. This will be a great combination to the long-standing rivalry between the two men. It will also be Kevin Owens’ first ladder match since WrestleMania 32 in 2016 if I recall correctly. This may mean Kevin Owens will finally be able to move on to a meaningful feud – possibly for the WWE Championship – without Shane McMahon hanging over his head.

Erick Rowan has improved remarkably over the last several years in the ring and he is also much more comfortable on the mic. He just seems to be a perfect fit as a monster heel in WWE. Daniel Bryan officially turned babyface again, aligning with Roman Reigns to form a tag team to take on the former Wyatt family members/Bludgeon Brothers Luke Harper and Erick Rowan at Hell in a Cell. I don’t know about you, but I think I might be more behind Daniel Bryan than I was before he turned heel in November 2018.

Kofi Kingston very well may have conducted his best and most authentic interview of his WWE tenure this week with Michael Cole. He seems very comfortable, secure, and deeply rooted in who he is as a person. As much as you’ve got to love Kofi Kingston’s attitude, it’s still inevitable that The Beast Brock Lesnar will win the WWE Championship next week on FOX.

Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch took the next step in terms of advancing their rivalry. Their match at Clash of Champions was extremely intense and the rematch will surely be every bit as intense and maybe even a little more. It’s a possibility at this point for Sasha to win the title from Becky so she can gain more heat from the WWE universe. But the creative team is in a good spot with this match because either outcome could have a very plausible and interesting story.

A massive amount of respect has to be given to Ali because, while he took the L this week, he displayed his toughness while taking a major beating from Shinsuke Nakamura. I’m not a doctor, but Ali may be at least slightly concussed after that one. We have to feel for Ali a little because he looked as though he might get an intercontinental Championship match against Shinsuke after picking up a victory against him in a non-title match on the July 30 episode of SD Live.

Side Note: I feel like Carmella deserves an honorable mention because she has been thrust into the spotlight a little more after becoming the 24/7 Champion.

Last Title Opportunity for Mysterio

September 28, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

One has to feel a little bit for Braun Strowman because it seems that every time he gets in the picture for a world title match, he comes up short (no offense Gable). In the eyes of any observant fan, this obviously means that Vince McMahon doesn’t trust Braun enough to carry the company as its primary champion and face. He has had multiple opportunities at the Universal Championship (most notably against Brock Lesnar), but for whatever reason WWE has been unwilling to pull the trigger on him. This week on Raw, however, Strowman gets a pass because he fell victim to an attack by The Fiend Bray Wyatt. “Oh my lucky stars! The Fiend made a new friend.”

I think Rey Mysterio shocked us all this week in a very good way. He has been teasing retirement recently, but when a parent is doing something for their child, they can make miracles happen. WWE must have big plans in store for Dominic, because he is already signed to a WWE contract. Dominic will be with the company for many years to come, since he is only in his early 20s and has been under the training of Lance Storm. Mysterio vs. Rollins next week on the season premiere of Monday Night Raw is sure to be a main event that will draw quite a few eyeballs to the show. Personally, I thought WWE creative might use this opportunity to springboard the career of Ricochet, because they clearly love him and rightfully so.

Robert Roode showed some serious potential to be a future world champion in WWE as well. I would’ve never guessed he would be one of the final two men in the fatal five-way match. It would be great to see him receive a push similar to the one Triple H gave him in NXT, where he was the premier champion for about eight months before losing it to Drew McIntyre.

Vince McMahon clearly has a significant affinity towards Baron Corbin and is making no qualms about it. He is clearly the most hated heel in the company – and it’s not close – and he is fully embracing the role. The boos are deafening and Reigns-esque. Fortunately, WWE is not trying to force-feed Corbin to the WWE universe by incessantly pushing him as a babyface. Gable is also proving to have major potential and is using his excellent in-ring chemistry with Corbin to elevate himself. His moonsaults look exactly like Kurt Angle’s (maybe Kurt could manage him in the future).

Vince McMahon is also reportedly a huge fan of Gable’s and this is the primary reason he has received a recent sizable push in the King of the Ring tournament. Chad reminds me of a Daniel Bryan type purely because of his size, so maybe Vince McMahon has a sweet spot in his heart for Gable because he is a former Olympian like Kurt Angle and he possesses similar size to Daniel Bryan (and both of those guys worked out well in the past).

The Sasha Banks-Becky Lynch storyline has the potential to become the main story in all of WWE. Two of The Four Horsewomen of WWE with abilities as they have – this very well may be money. It is very reminiscent of the Sasha Banks-Charlotte Flair rivalry from about three years ago.

It is also not looking as though the Women’s Tag Team Championships are a significant priority at the moment. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are currently in somewhat of a rivalry with Sasha Banks and Bayley, but they probably won’t be challenged at Hell in a Cell by them as Sasha will be challenging Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship and Bayley will presumably defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship at the event.

Regarding The Fiend, a few people on Twitter and YouTube have insinuated that this new gimmick for Wyatt could initiate the reunion of the original Wyatt family. Obviously for this to happen, Wyatt would need to lose his Universal Championship match to Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell (which seems unlikely), He would also need to be drafted to SmackDown with his brothers Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. They could even potentially convince Daniel Bryan to join them once again since he is currently a heel. This storyline would be a little different, but it would still have money written all over it (it probably won’t happen, but it’d be an awesome potentiality).

Corbin Second Option

September 28, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

It has come to light recently that Baron Corbin was WWE’s second choice to win the King of the Ring tournament. It’s not a big deal that my own personal pick Kevin Owens got booted, but it is telling that WWE’s original choice to win the tournament (and my second) was Drew McIntyre, and he was slated to be thrown into a program with Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship immediately after. This also tells the WWE universe that the creative team still has big plans for him in the future. He just had to have surgery at a rather unfortunate time (but we need him healthy for the road to WrestleMania).

Because of the unfortunate timing of this, don’t be surprised if WWE elects to do the KOTR tournament again next year and have McIntyre get the accolade. This would be reminiscent of when Triple H was positioned to win KOTR in 1996. Vince McMahon decided to give the accolade to Stone Cold Steve Austin instead because of the incident at Madison Square Garden.

The Kliq broke character to say their goodbyes to Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who were leaving the company for WCW. Triple H would ultimately win it the next year in 1997. The rise of Corbin is a pretty good consolation prize though.

Positioning for FOX

September 28, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

Some scenarios that would be great for WWE to make happen in connection with SmackDown’s move to FOX are:

Brock Lesnar wins the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston
A marquee feud develops for Roman Reigns following Hell in a Cell and looks like it will be a tag team match where he teams with Daniel Bryan to take on Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, and
I’m proposing that Seth Rollins loses his Universal Championship to The Fiend Bray Wyatt and subsequently gets drafted to SmackDown, immediately turning heel and starting a rivalry with Roman Reigns.

First of all, most WWE fans liked Seth Rollins better as a heel, and that maniacal laugh he can do so authentically is very heel-ish in nature. Quite some time has passed since this conflict between the two former Shield members, and this would be a great way to kick off the FOX era for WWE.

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are two of the biggest and most recognizable names WWE has to offer, and with Brock Lesnar being added to the equation as a potential WWE Champion, WWE could be in perfect position to garner a whole new audience on FOX. Seth has also never been featured regularly on SmackDown since the most recent brand split in 2016.

Another thing WWE may want to consider for the debut episode of SmackDown on FOX on October 4 is to orchestrate an attack on The Undertaker by The Fiend, since The Fiend already attacked The Undertaker’s brother Kane.

With the move to FOX drawing closer, it appears to forebode that WWE will make a real effort to establish SmackDown as the A- show over Raw. Don’t be surprised if WWE elects to move some top superstars over to SmackDown so they are in a position to garner a brand new fanbase on FOX. Stars such as Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, The OC and Braun Strowman could all move.

We can’t forget either that Brock Lesnar is already there for what looks like the foreseeable future given that he will most likely win the WWE Championship. Vince McMahon has a real affinity towards former UFC athletes (particularly Lesnar), especially when you look at the career paths of stars like Matt Riddle, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler.

Undisputed Prophecy Fulfilled

September 19, 2019September 21, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

Draping The Undisputed Era in gold is a very smart business decision on the part of Triple H to begin NXT’S new frontier on USA, which is sure to grow in the future. As a new audience on USA gets more and more accustomed to the format of the show, they will want more, and this will ultimately lead to the second hour of NXT also being included on USA.

But back to The Undisputed – they have proven to be massive draws for NXT and fans love them despite the fact that they are heels. Roderick Strong, the last member to join the group, took down Velveteen Dream and completed the prophecy by winning the American Championship. It only took The Undisputed Era about two years to make their predictions come true.

The addition of Mauro Ranallo to the commentary table back in 2017 had to be a major factor in NXT being able to make a successful jump to the USA Network. Ranallo was with the main roster on SmackDown Live for a short time back in 2016 and 2017, but it just wasn’t meant to work out. A few months later, he got the position as the play-by-play announcer for NXT and has since become a cornerstone of the brand (“Mamma Mia”).

It is absolutely fantastic to see a new superstar in Candice LeRae getting an opportunity for the NXT Women’s Championship against Shayna Baszler, as she has proven she deserves it. The NXT universe is firmly behind her and can sense her charisma. It also can’t hurt that she is the wife of the heart and soul of NXT, Johnny Gargano.

It’s also very encouraging to see Lio Rush return after a lengthy hiatus from WWE to become the no. 1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. He should be able to put on a barnburner with Drew Gulak.

Lesnar is Back

September 19, 2019September 21, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

Any person who even remotely considers themselves to be a fan of WWE had to fully expect some big plans to be revealed for the October 4 episode of SmackDown Live, which is the debut episode on FOX. The plans are huge indeed, as the return of Brock Lesnar always proves to be a major draw (no matter how many fans refuse to admit) in an era where virtually no one by themselves is a draw anymore. This was Lesnar’s first appearance on SmackDown in about 15 years, because he hasn’t appeared once on SmackDown since making his return to WWE in 2012. He (and Paul Heyman) challenged Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship on October 4, which will be on FOX, the go-home episode before Hell in a Cell.

One has to wonder what the plan will be for Lesnar and the WWE Championship at the Pay-Per-View (I don’t see a feasible scenario where Kofi retains his title. He’s reigned as WWE Champion for much longer than anyone would have expected, and he’s been a great champion too). I can’t imagine a major title not being included at all. The Undertaker is also scheduled to make an appearance on the first episode of SD Live on FOX. This network jump is a monumental move for WWE. Well done, Vince. Triple H also deserves major credit for NXT’s move to USA starting this week.

So, Kevin Owens may not be going to NXT as many believed (he still might, given that they could use more star power with their move to USA, which begins this week). The fact is that Kevin has a legitimate case in his lawsuit against Shane McMahon could mean that they will be involved in a huge storyline heading into WrestleMania. It is just not what I would have chosen because they already had a rivalry in 2017 that ultimately led to a Hell in a Cell match in which Shane put his life on the line for a second time by jumping off the Cell. The WWE universe might quickly grow tired of seeing this rivalry play out for a second time.

AOP will imminently be a force to be reckoned with in the WWE Tag Team Division, whether they get drafted to Raw or SmackDown. They are being portrayed as intimidating freaks of nature who were too violent for UFC. WWE may want to consider drafting them to the same show as the Viking Raiders, because those two teams could do some serious damage in a match.

Another thing that’s extremely positive to see is that WWE creative is maintaining Chad Gable as a priority. He showed potential in the King of the Ring tournament to eventually develop into a Daniel Bryan-type character the WWE universe could embrace wholeheartedly and really put their arms around. Let’s hope the creative team doesn’t miss the boat with this one as they did with Rusev Day. I have a feeling that he will only be relevant otherwise for a finite amount of time. The WWE universe may not relentlessly fight for him to get pushed as they did for Daniel Bryan (Gable might not have quite as much natural and authentic charisma; Bryan truly is one all a kind.)

WWE might elect to book Charlotte Flair and Carmella, because in the recent past, Carmella hasn’t been doing anything except frantically helping R-Truth keep hold of the 24/7 Championship. It would be nice if she had something more meaningful to do.

King Corbin

September 19, 2019September 21, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw was an entertaining episode because the pacing of the matches, as well as the backstage segments, were given a decent amount of time to develop. This week was headlined by Baron Corbin winning King of the Ring and the return of Kane (or should we say Glenn Jacobs, Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee). He won the 24/7 Championship and returned as Demon Kane during the main event. However, the most pivotal role he played, in my opinion, this week on Monday Night Raw was when The Fiend took him out with the Mandible Claw. This adds another name to the list of legends that have been taken out by The Fiend.

The Fiend should absolutely win the Universal Championship from Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell simply because of how much the WWE universe loves him and their response to him (even though he is a heel). As I have said before, he could win the title at the Pay-Per-View and hold it until WrestleMania and continue his reign of terror only for Finn Balor to return and take the title off him at ‘Mania (probably in the main event).

No one can argue very much that Baron Corbin absolutely deserves to become the King of the Ring, especially when considering how passionately the WWE universe reacts to him (even if it is mostly negative). He received “Baron Corbin, Corbin sucks” chants last week on Raw, something that has been reserved for superstars such as John Cena and Roman Reigns (although Reigns is pretty much universally accepted now by the WWE universe).

It also can’t hurt that Vince McMahon is very much behind him and feels that he helps significantly with drawing female viewers to the product (I don’t know how true this is because I’m a guy). Chad Gable was able to showcase how talented he is, and he should continue to be utilized in the future.

It makes total sense that Paul Heyman is making a real effort to keep Maria Kanellis involved in storylines because of how much he reportedly loves her mind for sports entertainment. It’s also great to see Rusev back and looking better than ever. I would have personally preferred to see him return as a babyface, nonetheless it’s still great to see him because there were reports that he was going to leave the company.

Cedric Alexander has not been quite as fortunate as Maria Kanellis, as Paul Heyman is reportedly high on him but Vince McMahon is not – it’s rumored he wanted to bury him, which would explain his recent booking (he’s been taking major beatdowns from AJ Styles). This happened a couple of years ago with Baron Corbin, as he had a match with John Cena to open SummerSlam in 2017 and Cena refused to put him over because he didn’t think Corbin was ready (this turned out to be a very smart move in hindsight). It has all worked out for the best with Baron Corbin, and I maintain optimism about Alexander’s future. Similar to Roman Reigns, something is transpiring behind the scenes that the WWE universe doesn’t see and may, or may not, need to know about.

It would be a great story for Sasha Banks and Bayley to win back the Women’s Tag Team Championships down the road after losing them at WrestleMania and Sasha subsequently taking her hiatus from the company to find out what truly makes her happy away from WWE. This may be something to watch for in the coming months.

Also, a return to in-ring action can be expected soon from Drew McIntyre and The Usos (hopefully SmackDown for The Usos so they can form a Samoan Shield with Roman Reigns). Mojo Rawley has also targeted next year’s SummerSlam to have a potential match with his buddy, retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. This would be perfect because SummerSlam next year emanates from the city of Boston where Gronk resides.