Opportunity Knocks

The four participants from Monday Night Raw for both Money in the Bank ladder matches were announced. In terms of the four men and women who are competing in the two matches, one could have guessed who these participants will be (assuming you are a diehard). Just because I could have guessed who they are, however, I am still not complaining because these will make for excellent matches. How can anyone help but be ecstatic for Ricochet, who gained some necessary momentum on the main roster to begin his run which will hopefully solidify him as a definite champion in the future? To be honest, Braun Strowman, unfortunately, seems to be seen by Vince McMahon as more of a mascot for the company than a legit main eventer. Drew McIntyre has a legitimate chance to win the contract and become Universal Champion. His level of intensity combined with his look is exactly what Vince is looking for in terms of a champion who represents his company the right way. No one really likes Baron Corbin, but he is quickly becoming reliable now in the dastardly heel role like The Miz executed perfectly where people hate him for the right reasons.

The women’s Money in the Bank ladder match should be interesting as well with the four Raw participants in mind. Alexa Bliss is not a serious candidate to win this year considering she just won last year and successfully cashed in the contract, but she still adds another element of intrigue. Naomi may be considered a dark horse candidate to win this year, but it is very doubtful WWE will pull the trigger on this idea. Natalya almost has to be put in there simply because of her pedigree and the fact that she is still one of the best performers in the company when it comes to wrestling ability. And Dana Brooke, give me a break. Sasha Banks would make for a much more intriguing entrant and fortunately, this still isn’t out of the realm of possibility. So, the two winners of the Money in the Bank letter matches I’m assuming will be Drew McIntyre on the men’s side and a woman from SmackDown.

Since The Good Brothers are now on the same brand as AJ Styles, this would be the perfect excuse for WWE to reunite The Club. This strategy worked incredibly well three years ago against John Cena along with a few others, and it makes sense to do right now considering that Styles is being portrayed as the heel in his current feud with Seth Rollins as was evidenced by the contract signing that took place this week.

The events that transpired between The Revival and The Usos provided some more than necessary comic relief for Raw, with Dash shaving Dawson’s back because of his girthy lats. Fans have to feel at least somewhat bad for them because their bad luck continued later in the evening when they got beat by the Tag Team Champions Ryder and Hawkins (thrilled for them getting the opportunity to be champions again).

It resonated that Bobby Lashley was referring to himself in the third person on Miz TV because the only person to do that was The Rock. It is uncertain as to exactly what role he will play at Money in the Bank, but I am almost certain that he will play a role in the steel cage match at Money in the Bank between The Miz and Shane McMahon.

 

It looks like there are major plans in store for The Viking Raiders, and there should be because they have serious potential to dominate the tag team division for the men for an extended time spanning multiple years. There may even be a MITB ladder match for tag teams added to the pay-per-view soon (probably not this year but maybe next year to introduce The Undisputed Era) because WWE now has enough tag teams to do something like that on both brands. This could be a big moneymaker for the company.

It’s a great morale booster for Rey Mysterio to get a victory against Samoa Joe after being embarrassed at WrestleMania. Pay attention to Mysterio’s son Dominik, because I can almost guarantee that he was not brought into this story for nothing. He will almost certainly play a role to a degree in this feud.

WWE is attempting to give Sami Zayn’s new character an intellectual appeal by having him referred to the “psychological concept of entitlement” which I believe is the disease of the millennial generation. Fans may not love what Sami has to say because of his sarcastic delivery, but something can be learned from him. He could be in the beginning stages of a sizable push so that’s something to watch for.

I wanted to point out that I will be in attendance for Monday Night Raw next week, so that should be interesting. One downside of that is missing out on Corey Graves’ commentary for the week. No worries though because he’s on both weekly shows for WWE.

Categories RAW

Remaining Participants Announced

The remaining four participants in the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches were announced and some intriguing scenarios are sure to play out at the event on May 19. On the women’s side, the four that will be included in the match will be Bayley, Mandy Rose, Carmella, and Ember Moon. Corey Graves has been put in a pickle since his two favorites, Alexa Bliss and Mandy Rose, are both in this match. Ember Moon is my own personal pick to grab the victory.

The remaining participants for the men will be Ali, Randy Orton, Andrade, and Finn Balor. Balor has the highest likelihood of these four to win the contract, as he may be in the early stages of a large push very similar to the one Seth Rollins began receiving towards the beginning of last year which culminated at WrestleMania when he won the Universal Championship. It’s doubtful that even his momentum will be able to overcome the dollar signs Vince McMahon sees painted all over Drew McIntyre. Andrade and Ali don’t have enough momentum yet, and it feels like Randy Orton is in the same boat as Natalya when he was placed in this match because of the work he has done.

Kevin Owens is also fitting perfectly into the top heel role on SmackDown Live in to make up for the absence of Daniel Bryan. People in the company probably had a feeling that he could do it, but now he is finally getting the opportunity to prove that he can carry a show and have the top storyline revolve around him.

The news about Jeff Hardy’s bad knee is heartbreaking. WWE will suffer a huge blow since he will officially be out for 6-9 months. Because of this, the Hardy Boyz must obviously relinquish the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Lars Sullivan is a freak, and this is a good way for him to get over as a heel. As far as I am concerned, R-Truth was a casualty.

WWE badly needs to pull the trigger with Bray Wyatt quickly before the gimmick gets stale. Gimmicks such as his have a history of not lasting. Fans get enthralled with it for a couple of weeks, then grow tired of it because they realize the stupidity. WWE could get a title run or two for Wyatt, but they need to strike while the iron is hot.

It’s no surprise at all to see Roman Reigns getting a victory over the B-Team but it’s always good to see him in action because there is a brilliant level of fluidity to his movements.

Kushida?

Hopefully, WWE can make it work with Kushida. I would like to be very optimistic about this but I just can’t be given the history of what has happened with performers such as Shinsuke Nakamura (who is in the midst of a fairly forgettable run on the main roster) and Hideo Itami (who was released from the company earlier this year and will be returning to the independent scene this summer).

Velveteen Dream’s takeoff on the national anthem was wildly emerging. He should be able to have a decent rivalry with Dominik Dijakovic (there is some real potential in him).

Also, look out for a potential match in the future of John Cena vs. Velveteen Dream. The reason I say this is because Cena has publicly stated in the past that Dream is the future and will have a very successful run on the main roster.

Side Note: The first seeds may have been planted for the dissolution of The Undisputed Era since Adam Cole offended Rodrick Strong by pointing out that he dropped the ball last week by losing to Johnny Gargano.

Categories NXT

Rush Out?

Lio Rush apparently has a rocky relationship with multiple superstars’ backstage, specifically Finn Balor. There was one incident when Balor noticed that Rush’s wife was almost always around during training or other events specific to WWE superstars. Balor, attempting to be a friend and mentor to Rush, simply pointed out to him that Vince McMahon may not take very kindly to Rush’s wife being present so exclusively when she is not a member of the roster. Rush responded by getting very defensive and that incident, along with a couple of others, rubbed the locker room the wrong way.

It makes sense in a way because Lio Rush is reminiscent of a toned-down version of Enzo Amore (although the conditions surrounding his departure are a little bit different, with rape allegations and all of that mess).

Regardless of the presence of Lio Rush, WWE might want to make a concerted effort to maintain the momentum of Bobby Lashley. This could really help to bolster the quality of the product. It may be tough to accomplish with the mental energy of the creative team going towards pushing newer people like Ricochet, Robert Roode, the returning Bray Wyatt, and Lacey Evans, but Lashley is so much of a physical specimen. It’s been said that WWE can’t afford to relegate someone like him to Midcard mediocrity.

Why Big O, Why?

Are you serious, bro (Zack Ryder, Raw Tag Team Champion)? It is absolutely genius of Vince McMahon to come up with the idea to have Kevin Owens stab The New Day in the back by superkicking Kofi Kingston and by all assumptions becoming the next challenger for the WWE Championship. It’s a very smart business decision on the part of management because KO is more than capable in the ring, and in hindsight, who else was going to challenge Kingston? It can’t hurt that he’s a great heel, too.

Becky Lynch is also owed a massive amount of respect for being willing to defend both of her titles at Money in the Bank, because quite frankly, that is a ton of work and most superstars might have the endurance but certainly not the work ethic to do something like that. Corey Graves is so negative about her chances to retain both belts, but I cannot fault him because I think he is great. It’s amazing how he portrays such a stoic and professional personality while saying the most hilarious comments.

Going back to the women, it was expected that Charlotte Flair would be awarded the opportunity to challenge Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank. Bayley is showing an increase in intensity that is very admirable in this profession and may serve to get her more universally cheered again by fans. A future title opportunity may very well be in store for her if she keeps this up. It might be due to the possibility of Sasha Banks leaving the company, and Bayley’s apprehension and uncertainty about that is being outwardly expressed through this newfound aggression, or I may just be overthinking it.

I cannot even begin to describe how thrilled I, and I’m assuming the entire WWE universe, is for Roman Reigns to be officially getting back into the swing of things as far as his career goes by beginning a brand-new year in WWE. He will begin the year by facing Elias at Money in the Bank, with a very plausible situation being possible of Shane McMahon getting involved.

Aleister Black is developing a very cryptic and dark persona in the early days of his singles push, and it could not suit him better. The guy has future WWE Champion written all over him as I have stated before. He may have slightly more success on the main roster than Ricochet, however I think both men will be successful and probably win multiple titles.

Lars Sullivan will surely have a large amount of success due to the way he has been pushed in his first couple weeks on the main roster. It also can’t hurt that Vince McMahon historically loves big men.

Welcome to the Grind – Dream Match, Anyone?

It’s officially Post-WrestleMania time, so events will slow down a bit and we can take time to catch our breath. This is also a time for newer, younger superstars who we may not be quite as familiar with to receive a plethora of opportunities. With that being said, let’s get to the weekly events that took place.

First and foremost, how amazing is it that AJ Styles is going to challenge Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship at Money in the Bank. I think it’s safe to say the WWE universe has been desperately yearning for this match to take place ever since Styles debuted at the Royal Rumble in 2016. There is absolutely zero doubt these are two of the best performers in the world. This match will be a pure spectacle without a doubt. The Styles Clash to Rey Mysterio on top of Samoa Joe was also ridiculous.

The next topic I will bring up is how Sami Zayn’s entrance is a perfect contradiction of his heel character. When he makes his entrance, you can’t help but smile because the music is so upbeat and uplifting. Zayn is also a true one-of-a-kind when it comes to cutting promos.

A little sympathy would have to go out to Cedric Alexander because he did not get a great opportunity to showcase the moves in his arsenal that truly make him unique, and those moves obviously involve his highflying ability.

Cesaro, on the other hand, is the true cream of the crop. If any superstar wants to truly test their abilities, they will have a match with the bruising Swiss Cyborg. Cesaro may be a dark horse candidate to win this year’s Money in the Bank ladder match, although WWE likely will go with a more popular star to get the victory. This would be a KofiMania moment for Cesaro.

Sheamus’ concussion is also worth noting. The possibility is worth considering that this could mean the end of The Bar. Sheamus is 41, and it’s widely documented that he has not been 100% for the last several years due to spinal stenosis.

The return of Bray Wyatt in a vignette is a welcome addition to Monday Night Raw. It’s great for business as well as for selfish reasons. The #ImissRoman on Twitter may also be foreshadowing that he will move to SmackDown and begin a feud with Roman Reigns sooner rather than later.

A change in character may have been just what Bobby, or… Robert Roode needed. The Glorious gimmick had run its course, Roode is a natural heel anyway (as he was in NXT as champion), and the new character will completely disassociate him from his TNA days. The mustache makes him look like a completely different person, and his personality in the ring seems to be much more authentic.

The final topic I will discuss from this week is the hilarious comments made by Becky Lynch regarding her opinion (kayfabe) that Lacey Evans receives favors from management in the form of championship matches by doing what I don’t need to repeat, but all of us adults know what was insinuated.

Categories RAW

The Raw Layout of the Land

Considering Raw historically focuses more on the mic work and promo ability of its superstars, and SmackDown generally provides a heavier concentration on the in-ring work of performers, this dynamic may be in for somewhat of a change with the likes of Andrade and AJ Styles switching brands. A surprising number of superstars switched brands, including The Miz, Ricochet and Aleister Black, The Viking Experience, Cedric Alexander, Andrade, Rey Mysterio, Lars Sullivan, The Usos, Naomi, and AJ Styles. Each one of these will be covered in depth.

The Miz’s rivalry with Shane McMahon will likely be moved over to Raw, which doesn’t make much difference as it will be entertaining on either brand.

It looks like WWE has finally found a home for Ricochet and Aleister Black. They will do just fine and surely are both future champions.

Next is The Viking Experience (I don’t know about you, but I’m not digging that name; War Raiders was a good name). They will be major players in the tag team division, nonetheless. Cedric Alexander has money written all over him. The cruiserweight division is being elevated over the last couple months, and these guys deserve it. Alexander becomes the second cruiserweight to debut on the main roster (the first being Ali, and his name was in fact shortened from Mustafa Ali, as Vince has done with several superstars over the last several years).

Andrade is someone who could be a major player over the next decade or so since he’s the closest thing WWE has to the second coming of Rey Mysterio. This was also evidenced by the fact that Andrade scored a pinfall victory this week over the Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor, and he is surely in for a title match at Money in the Bank. There is a very conceivable scenario where Andrade could win the title and Balor subsequently wins the Money in the Bank ladder match.

My own personal pick to win it this year is Roman Reigns. I’m just putting it out there that it is a conceivable scenario. Several superstars have a realistic chance of winning this year.

Monday Night Raw may be the place where Rey Mysterio wraps up his WWE career because he is 44 and has said publicly that he only envisions himself wrestling for a couple more years. No one can blame him as he has been doing it for 30 years and has given his heart and soul to the industry. In the meantime, however, if they are anything like me, fans couldn’t help but feel bad for him as he was slaughtered by Lars Sullivan. Sullivan is sure to be a major force in WWE for years to come.

The Usos also made an appearance on Raw beating Roode and Gable, so the Samoan Shield with them and Roman Reigns is still a viable option.

Alexa Bliss teased this week that she may be headed to SmackDown but it is likely that she will stay put because she is a perfect fit for the type of contact that they look to create on Raw.

Sami Zayn is flourishing in his new role since returning last week. The new wrinkles to his heel character were inspired by the self-discoveries he made during his time off due to injury. He is blaming WWE’s most passionate fans for his character’s shortcomings. He has corrected these problems in his own personal life and decided to insert them into his WWE character. These character changes were inspired by Robert Evans, the WWE writer who recently quit and is very good friends with Zayn. It’s also genius that he came up with the catchphrase “see you in hell” (being directed toward the WWE universe).

Naomi has also been moved over to Raw, probably a request to be closer to her husband. Anyway, she teamed up with Bayley to defeat The IIconics after Sasha Banks no-showed like she said she would. The obvious question then becomes “will Bayley and Naomi receive a championship match against The IIconics despite the fact that they are not formally a tag team.”

Some strange vignettes have appeared in recent weeks on WWE TV for what I’m assuming will be the return of Bray Wyatt. Wyatt last appeared at Starrcade in Cincinnati, which I attended back in November. It will be great to see him return in any capacity.

It looks like EC3 has finally been assigned to Monday Night Raw after a few months of being in WWE’s version of purgatory. It was incredibly exciting to see AJ Styles come back to Raw after nearly three years away. It was great seeing him build SmackDown Live into what it is today, but the timing felt right for him to come to Raw. Someone like him could be a potential candidate to challenge Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship in the coming months.

Categories RAW

Team Switch Highlights & Barrage of New Women

Kevin Owens, or Big O, did an amazing job filling in for Big E as an honorary member of The New Day. It made perfect sense to pick him, at least for this week, since WWE was in Canada, but he might be able to do it permanently at least until Big E returns. Big E tore his meniscus and is expected to be out for at least six weeks.

Finn Balor should have no problem fitting in on SmackDown Live since they focus so much more on in-ring work. He is obviously one of the best in the world in the ring.

Samoa Joe was not able to appear on Raw or SmackDown this week due to a combination of illness and travel issues, but there is about a 95% chance that he moves to Raw upon his return with the Intercontinental Champion switching brands.

It’s not good for business if WWE features two Midcard champions on one show and none on the other, which is WWE’s flagship show, so expect him to move to Raw with Braun Strowman probably being his first target. Check out the Bleacher Report’s – WWE: 99 Midcard Superstars Who Helped Make the Legends what they are Today.

Andrade can’t get screwed out of a title match with Finn Balor, just because Balor switched brands so he may have to work on both brands for at least a short time.

I don’t think anyone is certain about the future of Lars Sullivan, although I feel he and his big red diaper should be featured on SmackDown. Maybe he will be featured on both brands for a short time too. He is sure to dominate wherever he goes because Vince McMahon undoubtedly loves big men.

A barrage of new women debuted last night, which should add a lot of depth to the women’s division. It appears to be growing at a good pace. The most notable acquisitions were Bayley, Kairi Sane, and Ember Moon. Becky Lynch and The IIconics will presumably be featured on both brands since they have championships which are advertised to be featured regularly on both shows

Buddy Murphy will be the third man from the cruiserweight division and 205 Live to be brought up to the main roster. He will do some good things and probably win at least the United States Championship sooner rather than later. Even when he was an NXT Tag Team Champion with Wesley Blake, I always had a feeling he may become the bigger star of the two primarily because he has a more distinctive look.

I mean no disrespect to Elias, but Roman Reigns is clearly the biggest acquisition in SmackDown history who Vince McMahon was referring to. Roman Reigns should help to boost SmackDown ratings when they moved to FOX this October. This could freshen up his character and gave him the freedom to add some new wrinkles to his persona. However, it looks like the possibility of a Samoan Shield with The Usos is dead for the time being. I never expected WWE to do it now, but I was hopeful. Vince should explore this before they retire considering they are about the same age and they seem to be a close family.

Side Note: Let’s pray Daniel Bryan is not only in good health since we have not seen him on WWE TV since WrestleMania but that he develops an epic rivalry with Roman Reigns.

Some “Amazing” Things

  • That Kofi Kingston can somehow be taken seriously as WWE Champion while maintaining his full commitment to the New Day.
  • That pancakes, Bootyo’s, and twerking are accepted and beloved in WWE. I never thought I’d live to see it. I am made fun of constantly by my brother for loving the New Day, and the worst part is – he is three years younger than me.

The Shield should also be mentioned because the WWE network is premiering a special about The Shield’s final chapter this Sunday. It’s scary, yet inspirational, to conceive that Roman Reigns faces an ever-present possibility of his illness returning and will have to receive oral chemotherapy for the rest of his life, as was talked about in part two of the WWE Chronicle about Reigns and his illness.

Stellar Buddy Murphy Performance

Buddy Murphy will almost certainly do great things on the SmackDown Live roster because he is an extremely talented superstar. I won’t say he’s once-in-a-lifetime, but nonetheless he is special, as was demonstrated this week on NXT TV in a stellar performance Murphy put on in a match against Velveteen Dream.

Another wrinkle Triple H could add to the Johnny Gargano – Adam Cole rivalry that would garner major attention is the possibility of Roderick Strong pinning Gargano next week, causing dissension in The Undisputed Era over who should be awarded a shot at the NXT Championship.

Categories NXT

Rollins perfectly positioned & reboot Stroman’s character

Seth Rollins’ booking has positioned him perfectly to a point where he does not necessarily need a title to be a relevant piece on Monday Night Raw, so WWE should take advantage of this by booking Seth to be the first of the major babyfaces who won a title at WrestleMania to lose, because this is sure to provide at least a temporary jump in viewership for Raw.

On the SmackDown side of things, Rey Mysterio recently talked about the fact that he only sees himself wrestling for a couple more years. This is more than reasonable as he is 44 years old and he has been wrestling since age 14. He has given his entire heart and soul to the industry and deserves a proper sendoff.

The third topic that needs discussing is the fact that Braun Strowman’s character desperately needs a reboot. A move to SmackDown Live would do just that for him. If not, a feud with Lars Sullivan, a rivalry with Samoa Joe could revitalize him in the same way. This may be the route that WWE has decided to go since Joe and Strowman had a confrontation this past week on SmackDown Live. Joe’s intensity brings the best out of his opponents and makes them look very strong, whether it’s providing a suitable challenger to Lesnar or saving AJ Styles’ WWE Championship reign.

Sasha Banks has also stated, rather impulsively I might add, her disapproval with the company for orchestrating she and Bayley’s loss of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships after they are the ones who worked so hard to bring them to the company. This logic completely makes sense, however Sasha’s relationship with WWE is so tightknit and the company has done so much for her in life and vice versa that I have a very hard time envisioning a scenario where the two sides part ways. She will probably come to this realization after some self-reflecting and deep introspection.

Lastly, Dana White has asserted in a recent press conference that the media basically put words in his mouth by insinuating that a fight between Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar was imminent and that a fight between the two has not been discussed. Because of this development, Lesnar will probably be staying with WWE, which is not a problem by any means. Lesnar is a great performer but there are complaints of how little he is around, and with good reason. A perfect opponent for him may be Bobby Lashley. Lashley is a very credible opponent who looks like he would have a reasonable chance to beat Brock while keeping him busy outside the Universal Championship picture. The fact is that Lashley has an extensive MMA background is just icing on the cake. There will surely be some entertaining promo segments between Paul Heyman and Lio Rush.