It's that time again. Just accept what's going to come out my mind this week. It can't be stopped.
Here's hoping that they do the right thing and open WrestleMania with the Daniel Bryan match. I know that sounds crazy but it's not. It will be a 4 hour broadcast at the least. Let that sink in for a moment. Not even the SuperBowl is that long from game start to game end. But the pre-show is two hours long. So 6 hours at the minimum, the minimum for WrestleMania. You shouldn't put the Yes! chants in hours 4 or 5 of the show. By then people will put all their energy into that chant and burn themselves out for the rest of the show. And no, not even The Rock making a "surprise" appearance in the match before the main event will get them back.
Speaking of the main event it should not be Lesnar versus Reigns. If the show is going to end with any match it should be the W.W.E. Championship match. I know people will expect Cena versus Undertaker as the alternate to the Universal Championship match. That match is not as relevant as it would have been four years ago. The W.W.E. Championship should close the show to have a happy ending to the night. No matter what happens in the Universal Championship match won't be as positive as the ending to Styles versus Nakamura. The idea of Lesnar leaving the company that night will get him booed even if he wins won't be a happy ending. Reigns will obviously get booed unless he goes full heel. If that happens then the happy ending goes completely out the window. In order to please the sponsors and city government folks in New Orleans this show needs to match or exceed the joyous end that was WrestleMania 30.
(By the way I was at number 10. We were booing John Cena, NOT cheering.)
Having said all that lets break somethings down. First of I would not be against Charlotte versus Asuka as the co-main event for this show. Here's a possible spoiler for you. Like in WrestleMania 31 you have the championship match end in a Money in the Bank cash in. That means Carmella cashes in the briefcase at WrestleMania. It's what I would. Doing it on the SmackDown after WrestleMania doesn't have the same effect. This way you get your big surprise for the show. Remember the briefcases contract is only good for 1 year of it's being claimed. We're getting close to that year being up. Carmella pins Charlotte setting up that feud on SmackDown while Asuka technically remains undefeated since she was not pinned.
Speaking of women in important spots at the show I am against Ronda Rouseys match co-main eventing the show. I know Triple H and Stephanie will do their part but I think that match needs to be in the middle of the show. I look at it like this. The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match will steal the show. Everything else revolves around the match before or after that match. So if it were a 10 match show I would expect that match to be either number 7 or 8. For Rondas match she should be in the 5 or 6 slot to protect her from a crowd that may turn hostile on her match. You figure the CruiserWeight Championship match should follow her match to bring down or bring up the audience. If her match is near the end of the show I don't see things ending well. Think about this, she'll be the youngest competitor in her match, everyone else is over 40 years old, that includes The Rock if he were to be a surprise entrant. I don't think you want her first outing on the biggest stage to come off as flat or worse. I think they should protect her match with buffer matches just in case.
On the CruiserWeight Championship match I am really enjoying Mustafa Ali's video taped promos. It's a pleasant surprise to me how authentic they feel. I don't know if their written for him or if he came up with the whole thing on his own. They just feel real and raw. I never thought of him as the heart of 205 Live but these videos have me bought into what he's doing. Now for a spoiler I wouldn't be surprised that he wins the match before they make their way to that giant show in the Middle East. Ali and Daivari will be part of the media blitz they will put on before the show. Of course that might be wrong but timing is a big deal in wrestling.
I hope we get a womens singles match at WrestleMania. Usually a womans match is a championship match, a tag team match or inter-gender match. I can't remember the last time there was a singles match between women on WrestleMania that was just a sinlges match. Men have it all the time, every year. If the Evolution/Revolution is really a thing then I think Sasha and Bayley shouldn't tangle only in that Battle Royal. And yes, the Womens Battle Royal trophy does look like a uterus. (Thanks for that one Oli Davis from WrestleTalk.)
On the both Battle Royals I have the same issue I've had since the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. See the very first Battle Royal at a WrestleMania was won by Andre the Giant. When he won the match in WrestleMania 2 he used that win as part of his reason to get the championship match against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3. I say that whomever wins either of the battle royals should get a championship match. It's a great way to build a surprise next opponent for a champion. An example would be going back to last years Andre Battle Royal. Had Jinder Mahal won that match then his challenging Randy Orton for the W.W.E. Championship would have made more sense. He won the right on a big stage as a surprise. His right to challenge the champion could not be questioned. Unlike last year where everyone wondered why the hell Jinder went from nearly knocking out Finn Balor by accident on Raw to W.W.E. Champion on SmackDown. If the company wanted to do more of these surprise elevations than winning the Battle Royal would be a great way to go about doing it.
Let's forget Sunday like today is Rusev Day. I'm hoping for a Glorious Rusev Day because SmackDown needs a mid-card heel to go along with Mahal. On the Raw side I'm hoping The Miz retains not only to break one record but to eventually break Honky Tonk Mans record. That would take him into next years WrestleMania so that John Cena could end his reign. I know some people view that as a bad thing but it's not to me. By next year Cena could be a big money Hollywood star. Having him versus Miz for the Intercontinental Championship would be a match high on the card. I know it's not a popular choice but it is the right.
Now onto the stuff no one else will tell you. Daniel Bryan is once again allowed to wrestle in a W.W.E. ring. That's is fantastic news but it's only happening because the concussion lawsuit against W.W.E. was dismissed. Like everyone else I was happy to see Bryan allowed to return. Then I read about the lawsuit being thrown out a few days later. That's when I remembered that this is Vince McMahon we're dealing with here. I was on Vinces side with this Bryan thing. I think he did the right thing for all the right reasons. Now the question after WrestleMania will be how they spin this off into a storyline to set up Shane versus Bryan. It's coming, you'll see.
Next we have Brock Lesnar whose got so many people fooled it's disturbing. To me it seems very obvious what he's doing. Everyone expects that Brock will leave W.W.E. and go back to U.F.C. If Brock were to leave it wouldn't be back to U.F.C., he'd go to Bellator. Here's what people don't understand. Brock had his last fight in the U.F.C. thrown out because he was busted for illegal substance use. He was suspended for more than one year from M.M.A. for it. Well since then some time has come off the suspension but it's still there. If he were to go back to M.M.A. he couldn't have a fight until the end of this year or the start of next year. Add to that if he goes back to U.F.C. he goes back to being tested by the same people who tested him last time. He won't want to do that because there's another chance he may fail a test.
This is where Bellator comes in as another option for him to apply his services. Brock is already over 40 years old and is looking to work for a high dollar amount. Bellator doesn't stress drug testing the way U.F.C. does and they are looking to attract high value talent that can help expand their brand. Get this. Right now Bellator has a tournament to crown a new World Heavyweight Champion. The tournament ends supposedly at the end of the year. Let's say that at the Finals we see that whomever wins the tournament will get to face the newest signing to Bellator as their first title defense. That's when Brock Lesnar gets introduced as being the newest signee to Bellator. That fight will take place sometime near nexts years WrestleMania live on Pay-Per-View. That is something that would draw money.
Brock wouldn't be on a long contract with Bellator. But, if he were to win the Heavyweight Championship then going back to either W.W.E. or even U.F.C. he could demand a higher price then someone over 40 years old would ever be able to ask. Playing three organizations against each other is not what he's doing. What he's doing is showing high value to parties willing and able to meet his price. If the W.W.E. don't want him he goes to U.F.C. If U.F.C. don't want him he goes to Bellator. I f Bellator don't want him he goes to W.W.E. You see the cycle he's set up by making sure he has alternate options at each turn. Brock doesn't need or care for a belt he only cares about getting paid. Keeping his price high matters more then some belt he'll only throw in a trunk when he's not working.
Another bitter pill to swallow is current New Japan star Kazuchika Okada will be coming to W.W.E. next year. That's right, the reigning I.W.G.P. Heavyweight Champion, The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada will be in W.W.E. in 2019 barring injury. You don't have to like it and you don't even have to believe it but it's the most likely scenario. By the end of this year he will be 31 years old. The style of wrestling he does now is fine up until your 35 years old. It's too brutal on the body even with all the time off and ways to protect someone in tag matches at that level. Okada has already done everything that someone could possibly do in New Japan at it's highest level. Basically he can't make anymore money there because he's hit the companies financial ceiling. He's called the Rainmaker for a reason. Add to that being so young in wrestling terms if he goes to W.W.E. next year he'll have at least another ten years to be a W.W.E. superstar, make way more money, more exposure and possibly be the greatest Japanese wrestler in pro wrestling history, it makes sense to leave now. And yes, he has been learning English for the past two years. When I saw this that's what clued me in on his leaving.
Let's not neglect the success of Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Hideo Itami, Akira Tozawa, and Kairi Sane in W.W.E. There was a time where this many Japanese wrestlers would never have been in the company at the same time. Now tell W.W.E. that they can take away the biggest star of their biggest overseas competitor, watch how quickly that checkbook will open. OKada knows this and so does W.W.E. You don't think Nakamura and Asuka won both Royal Rumbles this year because of luck do you? It wouldn't even surprise me if Paul Heyman took on Okada as a client. Vince doesn't like his accent, let Heyman talk for him until his English improves. Think about Okada having his first match be at next years WrestleMania, just give Vince your money already. More on that next time. I'm already saving my money now to deal with all the things I'll have to buy a ticket for.
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Here's hoping that they do the right thing and open WrestleMania with the Daniel Bryan match. I know that sounds crazy but it's not. It will be a 4 hour broadcast at the least. Let that sink in for a moment. Not even the SuperBowl is that long from game start to game end. But the pre-show is two hours long. So 6 hours at the minimum, the minimum for WrestleMania. You shouldn't put the Yes! chants in hours 4 or 5 of the show. By then people will put all their energy into that chant and burn themselves out for the rest of the show. And no, not even The Rock making a "surprise" appearance in the match before the main event will get them back.
Speaking of the main event it should not be Lesnar versus Reigns. If the show is going to end with any match it should be the W.W.E. Championship match. I know people will expect Cena versus Undertaker as the alternate to the Universal Championship match. That match is not as relevant as it would have been four years ago. The W.W.E. Championship should close the show to have a happy ending to the night. No matter what happens in the Universal Championship match won't be as positive as the ending to Styles versus Nakamura. The idea of Lesnar leaving the company that night will get him booed even if he wins won't be a happy ending. Reigns will obviously get booed unless he goes full heel. If that happens then the happy ending goes completely out the window. In order to please the sponsors and city government folks in New Orleans this show needs to match or exceed the joyous end that was WrestleMania 30.
Having said all that lets break somethings down. First of I would not be against Charlotte versus Asuka as the co-main event for this show. Here's a possible spoiler for you. Like in WrestleMania 31 you have the championship match end in a Money in the Bank cash in. That means Carmella cashes in the briefcase at WrestleMania. It's what I would. Doing it on the SmackDown after WrestleMania doesn't have the same effect. This way you get your big surprise for the show. Remember the briefcases contract is only good for 1 year of it's being claimed. We're getting close to that year being up. Carmella pins Charlotte setting up that feud on SmackDown while Asuka technically remains undefeated since she was not pinned.
Speaking of women in important spots at the show I am against Ronda Rouseys match co-main eventing the show. I know Triple H and Stephanie will do their part but I think that match needs to be in the middle of the show. I look at it like this. The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match will steal the show. Everything else revolves around the match before or after that match. So if it were a 10 match show I would expect that match to be either number 7 or 8. For Rondas match she should be in the 5 or 6 slot to protect her from a crowd that may turn hostile on her match. You figure the CruiserWeight Championship match should follow her match to bring down or bring up the audience. If her match is near the end of the show I don't see things ending well. Think about this, she'll be the youngest competitor in her match, everyone else is over 40 years old, that includes The Rock if he were to be a surprise entrant. I don't think you want her first outing on the biggest stage to come off as flat or worse. I think they should protect her match with buffer matches just in case.On the CruiserWeight Championship match I am really enjoying Mustafa Ali's video taped promos. It's a pleasant surprise to me how authentic they feel. I don't know if their written for him or if he came up with the whole thing on his own. They just feel real and raw. I never thought of him as the heart of 205 Live but these videos have me bought into what he's doing. Now for a spoiler I wouldn't be surprised that he wins the match before they make their way to that giant show in the Middle East. Ali and Daivari will be part of the media blitz they will put on before the show. Of course that might be wrong but timing is a big deal in wrestling.
I hope we get a womens singles match at WrestleMania. Usually a womans match is a championship match, a tag team match or inter-gender match. I can't remember the last time there was a singles match between women on WrestleMania that was just a sinlges match. Men have it all the time, every year. If the Evolution/Revolution is really a thing then I think Sasha and Bayley shouldn't tangle only in that Battle Royal. And yes, the Womens Battle Royal trophy does look like a uterus. (Thanks for that one Oli Davis from WrestleTalk.)
On the both Battle Royals I have the same issue I've had since the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. See the very first Battle Royal at a WrestleMania was won by Andre the Giant. When he won the match in WrestleMania 2 he used that win as part of his reason to get the championship match against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3. I say that whomever wins either of the battle royals should get a championship match. It's a great way to build a surprise next opponent for a champion. An example would be going back to last years Andre Battle Royal. Had Jinder Mahal won that match then his challenging Randy Orton for the W.W.E. Championship would have made more sense. He won the right on a big stage as a surprise. His right to challenge the champion could not be questioned. Unlike last year where everyone wondered why the hell Jinder went from nearly knocking out Finn Balor by accident on Raw to W.W.E. Champion on SmackDown. If the company wanted to do more of these surprise elevations than winning the Battle Royal would be a great way to go about doing it.
Let's forget Sunday like today is Rusev Day. I'm hoping for a Glorious Rusev Day because SmackDown needs a mid-card heel to go along with Mahal. On the Raw side I'm hoping The Miz retains not only to break one record but to eventually break Honky Tonk Mans record. That would take him into next years WrestleMania so that John Cena could end his reign. I know some people view that as a bad thing but it's not to me. By next year Cena could be a big money Hollywood star. Having him versus Miz for the Intercontinental Championship would be a match high on the card. I know it's not a popular choice but it is the right.
Now onto the stuff no one else will tell you. Daniel Bryan is once again allowed to wrestle in a W.W.E. ring. That's is fantastic news but it's only happening because the concussion lawsuit against W.W.E. was dismissed. Like everyone else I was happy to see Bryan allowed to return. Then I read about the lawsuit being thrown out a few days later. That's when I remembered that this is Vince McMahon we're dealing with here. I was on Vinces side with this Bryan thing. I think he did the right thing for all the right reasons. Now the question after WrestleMania will be how they spin this off into a storyline to set up Shane versus Bryan. It's coming, you'll see.
Next we have Brock Lesnar whose got so many people fooled it's disturbing. To me it seems very obvious what he's doing. Everyone expects that Brock will leave W.W.E. and go back to U.F.C. If Brock were to leave it wouldn't be back to U.F.C., he'd go to Bellator. Here's what people don't understand. Brock had his last fight in the U.F.C. thrown out because he was busted for illegal substance use. He was suspended for more than one year from M.M.A. for it. Well since then some time has come off the suspension but it's still there. If he were to go back to M.M.A. he couldn't have a fight until the end of this year or the start of next year. Add to that if he goes back to U.F.C. he goes back to being tested by the same people who tested him last time. He won't want to do that because there's another chance he may fail a test.
This is where Bellator comes in as another option for him to apply his services. Brock is already over 40 years old and is looking to work for a high dollar amount. Bellator doesn't stress drug testing the way U.F.C. does and they are looking to attract high value talent that can help expand their brand. Get this. Right now Bellator has a tournament to crown a new World Heavyweight Champion. The tournament ends supposedly at the end of the year. Let's say that at the Finals we see that whomever wins the tournament will get to face the newest signing to Bellator as their first title defense. That's when Brock Lesnar gets introduced as being the newest signee to Bellator. That fight will take place sometime near nexts years WrestleMania live on Pay-Per-View. That is something that would draw money.Brock wouldn't be on a long contract with Bellator. But, if he were to win the Heavyweight Championship then going back to either W.W.E. or even U.F.C. he could demand a higher price then someone over 40 years old would ever be able to ask. Playing three organizations against each other is not what he's doing. What he's doing is showing high value to parties willing and able to meet his price. If the W.W.E. don't want him he goes to U.F.C. If U.F.C. don't want him he goes to Bellator. I f Bellator don't want him he goes to W.W.E. You see the cycle he's set up by making sure he has alternate options at each turn. Brock doesn't need or care for a belt he only cares about getting paid. Keeping his price high matters more then some belt he'll only throw in a trunk when he's not working.
Another bitter pill to swallow is current New Japan star Kazuchika Okada will be coming to W.W.E. next year. That's right, the reigning I.W.G.P. Heavyweight Champion, The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada will be in W.W.E. in 2019 barring injury. You don't have to like it and you don't even have to believe it but it's the most likely scenario. By the end of this year he will be 31 years old. The style of wrestling he does now is fine up until your 35 years old. It's too brutal on the body even with all the time off and ways to protect someone in tag matches at that level. Okada has already done everything that someone could possibly do in New Japan at it's highest level. Basically he can't make anymore money there because he's hit the companies financial ceiling. He's called the Rainmaker for a reason. Add to that being so young in wrestling terms if he goes to W.W.E. next year he'll have at least another ten years to be a W.W.E. superstar, make way more money, more exposure and possibly be the greatest Japanese wrestler in pro wrestling history, it makes sense to leave now. And yes, he has been learning English for the past two years. When I saw this that's what clued me in on his leaving.
Let's not neglect the success of Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Hideo Itami, Akira Tozawa, and Kairi Sane in W.W.E. There was a time where this many Japanese wrestlers would never have been in the company at the same time. Now tell W.W.E. that they can take away the biggest star of their biggest overseas competitor, watch how quickly that checkbook will open. OKada knows this and so does W.W.E. You don't think Nakamura and Asuka won both Royal Rumbles this year because of luck do you? It wouldn't even surprise me if Paul Heyman took on Okada as a client. Vince doesn't like his accent, let Heyman talk for him until his English improves. Think about Okada having his first match be at next years WrestleMania, just give Vince your money already. More on that next time. I'm already saving my money now to deal with all the things I'll have to buy a ticket for.+WWE
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