Chris and Spaceman Frank analyze the infamous “Final Deletion,” The Wyatt Family vs. The New Day, Nakamura and Finn Balor’s epic encounter and way more in a heavy-hitting podcast.
Tag Archives: Randy Orton
Re-Booking WrestleMania 32 With Injured Superstars
by Frank Lucci
Injuries have been the biggest story of WWE this past year, with the company suffering so many setbacks they might have inducted the Godfather into the Hall of Fame in hopes he turns back into Papa Shango and reverses whatever curse the company has over them.
It’s no doubt that with the exception of last-minute star power from yesteryear, WrestleMania 32 lost some luster. Considering the state of the active roster, many fans wonder what the biggest show of the year would have looked like with the WWE at full strength.
Spaceman Frank is here to do one better and fantasy book ‘Mania 32 with only injured WWE and NXT wrestlers.
Here are the rules:
- Only wrestlers who are confirmed or rumored to be injured at the time of this writing (March 31, 2016) will be included in the card with two exceptions: The Undertaker (because it would not be WrestleMania without him) and Titus O’Neil (because he is suspended through WrestleMania for bullshit reasons).
- No Daniel Bryan because his injury forced him into retirement, however Sting is still eligible due to the fact that he had refused to say he is calling it a career at the time of this writing.
- Champions will be the same as WrestleMania 31 (because they are all on the inactive list) with the obvious exception of Daniel Bryan as Intercontinental Champion. To recap: that means Seth Rollins is WWE World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena is United States Champion, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd are Tag Team Champions, and Nikki Bella is Divas Champion.
Kickoff Pre-show Match: Hideo Itami vs. Neville
After his showing at the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31, Itami jumps to the main roster and finds a niche among NXT fans and those who appreciate his hard-hitting style. Neville follows suit after a series of vignettes (instead of just one roughly 45 minutes before his debut).
The two smaller yet talented superstars manage to avoid a clash for some time, until the two begin a friendly rivalry after a confrontation during the Royal Rumble. They warm up the crowd with their fast-paced styles until Neville hits the Red Arrow to pick up the victory. Itami then attacks Neville and begins an epic post-Mania rivalry.
Titus O’Neil vs. Randy Orton
Orton bounces around in his generic babyface role until he snaps and becomes his slightly less generic heel role. Meanwhile, “Big Deal” Titus O’Neil has gradually won over the WWE Universe due to being an all around nice guy, legit athlete, 2015 Celebrity Dad of the Year and having a fiery comeback that rivals Hulk Hogan (I may be a big Titus fan).
O’neil finally gets a big singles push against The Viper when he eliminates him from the Royal Rumble. This causes Orton to snap, injuring O’neil’s tag team partner Darren Young and several attempts to make Titus look like a terrible family man.
With his status as Celebrity Dad of the Year hanging in the balance, O’neil brings it to Orton until the voices in Orton’s head tell him to DQ himself by hitting the mega-dad with a steel chair; setting up a hardcore rematch between the two at Payback and finally the first-ever “Celebrity Dad of the Year Award on a Pole” match at Extreme Rules.
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (C) vs. Alberto Del Rio and William Regal (Tag Team Championship Match)
The “Brass Ring Club” (as dubbed by fans of Kidd and Cesaro) are the highly talented tag team with a bone to pick with The Authority. Cesaro is still resentful over Vince Mcmahon’s harsh assessment of him on Stone Cold’s podcast while Kidd is angry he had to claw his way back to the main roster from NXT.
They wage war with WWE management until Triple H brings in some ringers to stop the duo. Those ringers turn out to be Del Rio (who may or may not be hurt, but since he is not working live shows I’m including him here) and NXT commissioner William Regal (who recently had neck surgery and for storyline purposes comes back for one last shot at glory). The League of Nations cannot beat the Swiss-Canadian connection, who eventually convince the League to join them as the much more diplomatically efficient United Nations.
Nikki Bella (C) vs. Dana Brooke (Divas Championship Match)
Nikki Bella, the longest reigning Divas champ of all time runs through the roster searching for a worthy adversary. Eventually one of her rivals, Emma, brings in her protege’ Dana Brooke to try and take on Nikki.
Brooke claims to be a younger, fitter and most importantly prettier Diva, but falls victim to twin magic at Fastlane. Brooke demands a rematch between the two with a special stipulation: to avoid the Bellas potentially cheating again, the two Total Divas meet inside a steel cage. To further the drama and cross pollination with the Total Divas reality show, Rosa Mendes (who is out with maternity leave) is the special guest referee.
Brooke uses her strength to throw Nikki around, but Brie climbs the cage to dive on Dana. This being Brie, she accidentally takes down Mendes and Nikki instead. Brooke sprints out the cage door to win the belt, giving Nikki an excuse for a rematch (due to Brooke winning the title via the lamest way possible).
John Cena (C) vs. Luke Harper (United States Championship match)
Cena dominates everyone during his reign as US champ because America.
After weeks of seeing every up and coming Superstar lose the US Open Challenge, fans are ready for something new. Harper steps up to the plate with Bray Wyatt giving his blessing for his disciple to take on his former rival.
The two have an epic match, with Harper showing why Cena himself calls him the most underutilized wrestler on the roster. While Harper doesn’t walk away with gold, he does turn face through a hearty American-sized handshake from Cena. This leads to a feud with Wyatt for Harper and more open challenges for Cena.
Bray Wyatt (C) vs. Sting (Intercontinental Championship Match)
Wyatt wins the Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber after Daniel Bryan is forced to give it up in a match rather than the depressing way things happened in real life. Bray uses the Wyatt Family to help him keep the title as he cuts promos promising to hold the belt indefinitely to deprive the WWE Universe of one of it’s most sacred prizes.
The vicious gang attacks draw the ire of Sting, who goes old-school on the family by descending from the rafters to beat them down with a baseball bat. This leads to weeks of spooky guy videos from the two with no actual encounters between Sting and Wyatt.hisAt WrestleMania Bray and Sting fight for the gold and also to avoid being known as the guy who always loses his feuds. Sting looks to have everything locked up, but Wyatt reverses a Stinger Splash into a Ura-Nage slam and gets the win. Sting decides to hang up with boots as an active competitor and instead becomes Commissioner of the WWE to continue to fight injustice.
Seth Rollins (C) vs. The Undertaker (WWE World Heavyweight Championship match – if The Undertaker loses he must retire)
Rollins is the slimy champ you can’t help but respect in the ring.
With The Authority backing him he beats each and every challenger one way or another. He feels invincible until Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble. Rollins’ usual tricks to injure his opponents fail due to Taker’s veteran instincts (and, you know, magic). However, at Fastlane Rollins wins a match that lets him choose the stipulation for his WrestleMania dance with the Deadman. He decides that the main event of WrestleMania will be Title vs. Career, with ‘Taker being forced to retire if he loses.
In front of tens of thousands of fellow Texans Undertaker pushes Rollins to his crossfit limits, but Rollins wins in the end with a ridiculous Pedigree/Curbstomp combo. WrestleMania ends with the massive crowd cheering Taker and the roster lining the entrance ramp to show their respect to the Deadman. The last shot is Vince Mcmahon holding up Undertaker’s arm as pyro goes off behind them.
WWE Battleground Predictions
After a much needed five-week break, WWE starts up the second half of its calendar year this Sunday with Battleground.
Taking place at the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis, MO; the event looks promising. Here are our predictions for the evening.
Kickoff – King Barrett vs. R-Truth: Barrett started the year as Intercontinental Champion and became the first King of the Ring in years. To most people this meant big things were on the horizon for the Bare Knuckle Brawler. Creative on the other hand, had other plans. Barrett has become in a meaningless opening cared feud with R-Truth over R-Truth mocking his kingship. While we think Barrett is going over in a decent match, he deserves better.
WWE Tag Team Championships Match – The Prime Time Players (c) vs. The New Day: The two teams have a decent rivalry going and have the full attention of the WWE Universe. If the two teams get decent time they will put on a clinic. It would have been better to see The New Day lose their titles at SummerSlam, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. The Prime Time Players are a hot commodity and are going to successfully defend at Battleground.
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus: Even though this match comes off as filler, Orton and Sheamus will push each other to the limits. Since winning the Money In The Bank Briefcase Sheamus has not really done a whole lot and a win over The Viper would elevate the Irish brawler. However benficial that may be, we think Orton is still going to walk away with the victory.
WWE United States Championship Match – John Cena (c) vs. Kevin Owens: This is the match we’ve all been waiting for. These two modern day gladiators have put on two classic matches and creative have carefully built this beautiful feud. The only concern everyone has is the payoff. If all this was is another Cena “defying the odds” angle, the Saint Louis crowd could riot. For the love of God, win Owens, win.
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt: The promo work has been better than expected between these two as the Eater of Worlds has chosen to make this feud personal for Reigns. Threatening family and friends, Wyatt is looking to torture Reigns. It would be interesting to see Wyatt walk away with the three count, but it’s a little more likely he will be doing the job after an exciting encounter.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match – Seth Rollins (c) vs. Brock Lesnar: Why couldn’t WWE wait for SummerSlam to pull the trigger on this one? The build has been incredible. Watching Lesnar destroying J and J Security’s car was priceless. Rollins is playing the excellent ass-kissing heel to a t. Paul Heyman has been visceral in his promos. It would have made more sense for this to take place at WWE’s number two show of the year, but we’re getting it a month early instead. Lesnar is going to dominate, but Rollins is going to pull all the stops a-la Ric Flair and win. It won’t be clean, but we don’t see Lesnar repeating his title reign of last year.
WWE Money In The Bank Predictions
What was once thought to be just another ladder match has transformed into not only its own Pay-Per-View, but one of the most exciting storylines the WWE has ever come up with.
While its unclear whether the chase to the cash-in or the winner of the match itself creates the most buzz and anticipation, this years Money in the Bank will be full of surprises.
Here are our predictions for the event.
Kickoff: R-Truth vs. King Barrett – The two have been crossing paths over the past few months with no real angle even during the Intercontinental Championship hunt. Seeing as this is a Kickoff match for the sake of a Kickoff match, (which Truth has been doing a lot of lately) we’re expecting a Truth win with no repercussions for the 2015 King of the Ring winner.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. The Prime Time Players – It’s about time The Prime Time Players started getting a push and their chemistry with The New Day has proven to be pretty lucrative for both teams. The Players are going to come close, but The New Day are on their way to becoming a great heel stable and need the heat. It would only make sense for them to drop the titles at a bigger event. With SummerSlam several months away, it seems that The New Day will retain for the time being.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Ryback (c) vs. The Big Show – The Big Show is now just a stepping stone for young talent. “The Big Guy” has proven night after night that he can handle Show’s mass and still want seconds. Ryback is going to go over clean without even breaking a sweat.
Divas Championship Match: Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige – While we feel that Naomi should be champ, she isn’t. Paige and Bella are going to put on another impressive bout, but we’ve seen this one before and we’re pretty sure we know how it ends. After a hard fought battle, Bella is going to either cheat or come back in order to retain her coveted championship.
Champion vs. Champion: United States Champion John Cena vs. NXT Champion Kevin Owens – As impressive as their first match was, this one may not be able to live up to the bar Cena and Owens have set for themselves. Owens going over clean in their first outing was amazing in itself. Unfortunately for the fresh faced NXT monster, he is in a feud with Cena, which means it will indefinitely go to a rubber match. Very few (if any) Superstars beat Cena twice in a row and for those reasons alone Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect is a lock to win round two.
Money In The Bank Contract Ladder Match: Neville vs. Sheamus vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Kane vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler – As always, the Money In The Bank Contract match is always fun to watch and even more fun to predict. Neville and Kingston are going to give us some of the highest high spots we’ve seen an a long time, but these two are not going to win (although we would be shocked if Neville was the dark horse victor). Kane and Sheamus are always there to provide the necessary carnage, but it’s a long shot for them also. That leaves Ziggler, Reigns and Orton; who have been built as possible candidates to hold the contract for a guaranteed WWE Championship match anytime, anywhere for an entire year. Ziggler is more likely to wind up feuding with Rusev upon his return, but still has a chance (although slim) while Reigns and Orton are pretty evenly matched as far as their winning odds. Reigns is being highlighted, which gives us reason to believe WWE is going to have Orton win the contract.
WWE Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – These two are going to pull all the stops in another clinic that will end in similar fashion – and with good reason (have you seen these guys work?). Ambrose is going to come close, but former champion Brock Lesnar is rumored to make an appearance the following night on Raw – and The Beast Incarnate wants nothing more than to decimate Rollins upon regaining the title he never lost. We feel that Lesnar is going to lay waste to both men and leave, with Rollins somehow pulling off the win in the aftermath.
WWE Payback Predictions
With a name like Payback, you have to imagine someone is going to get their comeuppance and you can believe it with tonight’s installment of WWE’s “what goes around comes around” themed Pay-Per-View.
Here’s who we feel is going to get (and receive) their payback.
Kickoff – Macho Mandow & Curtis Axel vs. The Ascension: Ever since their debut, The Ascension have played the fools as opposed to their NXT dominance. This outing will be no different as they take the fall from Axel and Damien Sandow’s latest personality.
Divas Tag Match – Naomi & Tamina Snuka vs. The Bella Twins: Naomi is gunning for Nikki Bella’s Divas Championship again, this time utilizing Snuka as her in-law powerhouse. The Championship is not on the line, so we feel that Naomi and Snuka will assert their dominance against The Bella’s in this chaotic family outing.
King Barrett vs. Neville: These two are no strangers and will meet again inside the Elimination Chamber on May 31st along with four other WWE Superstars for the now vacant Intercontinental Championship. Barrett has been the aggressor in this feud so far but Neville is one tough son of a gun. While Barrett is on a roll lately, it seems that there are greater things on the horizon for this year’s King of the Ring than the Intercontinental title. Barrett will win the match at Payback, but we think Neville is next in line for Intercontinental gold.
Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback: While wins and losses do not mean much in the world of Sports Entertainment, Wyatt needs to start winning the feuds he starts for the credibility of his character. A loss in Ryback’s column will not hurt The Big Guy at all. For this reason alone Ryback is our pick to be the sacrificial lamb Wyatt needs to rejuvenate his persona as The New Face of Fear.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus: This is going to be better than their Extreme Rules encounter, but the end result will be the same: Ziggler will win the match but Sheamus will be the one getting his payback after.
Two Out of Three Falls Match WWE Tag Team Championships – Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. The New Day (c): We saw an interesting double turn last month as Cesaro & Kidd are now the faces and The New Day have officially transitioned to heels by tapping into their inner Freebirds. Cesaro & Kidd are a treat to watch and have some of the best chemistry we’ve seen in a long time, but they’re better on the chase. The New Day are starting to come into their own and get some real heat. We feel it would be in the WWE’s best interests if The New Day retain their titles to grow into some much needed villains and we think a long title run for them will start at Payback.
“I Quit” Match for the WWE United States Championship – Rusev vs. John Cena (c): Cena is undefeated not only at Payback but in “I Quit” matches. For Pete’s sake, the words “Never Give Up” are on every piece of merchandise bearing his name. Cena’s “open challenges” have also elevated the United States Championship greatly over the past two months, so why stop now? While the odds are clearly in Cena’s favor (aren’t they always?) we think that this is why WWE is going to throw the ultimate curve ball and have Rusev take the gold back to the USSR.
Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins (c): While The Authoroty’s “golden boy” Rollins has the odds stacked against him (he does not have to be pinned or submitted to lose his title), he is going to keep his WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to Kane getting involved for the sake of his job (if Rollins does not retain Kane will be fired). Seeing as Ambrose is going to participate for the Intercontinental Championship inside the Elimination Chamber at the end of the month, it’s pretty likely that WWE’s Lunatic Fringe will be the contender Rollins pins.
WWE Extreme Rules Predictions
With Wrestlemania season over, Extreme Rules is always a fun way to start WWE’s Pay Per View calendar off with a bang.
With nearly every match being given a stipulation, the odds are never always in favor of one or the other due to the added elements of chaos.
Here are our predictions for this year’s event.
WWE Tag Team Championships Match: Cesaro and Tyson Kidd w/Natalya (c) vs. The New Day – The match will be about 15 minutes of high-flying hard-hitting action, but The New Day will remain fodder for Cesaro and Kidd. Expect some sort of heel tactics from both sides third party, but nothing too serious.
Kiss Me Arse Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus – As much as we would rather see the match without this stipulation, someone’s going to join a certain club (albeit a less prestigious one than Vince McMahon’s). While the match itself is going to be excellent, the end result will be the opposite for Ziggler. Sheamus is being booked as a monster right now and it would be completely pointless to have him lose any momentum since returning roughly a month ago.
Chicago Street Fight: Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper – The Windy City is going to get hit with a hurricane and a tornado with this one. Ambrose and Harper will wage a war that will have the Chicago crowd on their feet with insane spots people usually only see on the indy circuit. Expect several raucous “This is Awesome” chants to form throughout the brawl with Ambrose walking away victorious.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Bad News Barrett – While the match is still on as of WWE.com, it may not happen due to a recent injury Bryan suffered during the recent UK tour. Should it take place, we are expecting Bryan to retain. However; we would not be surprised if a last minute booking decision sees Barrett reclaiming his lost gold.
Last Man Standing Match: Roman Reigns vs. The Big Show – It is almost too obvious that Reigns is going to win. We expect a spear through a table or stage to hand Show the big loss.
Russian Chain Match for the United States Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Rusev – Cena is helping bring prestige back to the first WWE title he ever held. Rusev’s character would not be damaged by another loss to the Cenation Leader as he is holding his own in the ring and on the mic. Cena will retain and that’s fine for us. Just keep him away from the main event.
Divas Championship Match: Nikki Bella (c) vs. Naomi – We really enjoy Naomi’s new found intensity but we don’t think it will be enough to get the gold. It would be nice to see her dethrone Nikki Bella (and she will dominate the match), but sister Brie Bella is going to get involved in one way or another, costing Naomi her title opportunity.
Steel Cage Match (With the RKO Banned) for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Randy Orton – Due to the recent omission of Rollin’s “Curb Stomp,” it feels like both of the competitors finishers are banned. Regardless, a steel cage is a steel cage; and it’s going to be a slobberknocker. With Kane as the gate keeper, expect a plethora of shenanigans from The Authority. Orton will come close, but he is not going to win as Rollins begins a (hopefully) lengthy title run.
Wrestlemania 31 Predictions
Tonight in Santa Clara, California’s Levy’s Stadium WWE will answer all of the questions that have been building in the minds of the WWE Universe for nearly a year at Wrestlemania 31.
Will Roman Reigns begin his first World Heavyweight Championship reign upon conquering Brock Lesnar?
Will Bray Wyatt defeat a broken Undertaker to become the new face of fear?
Will Sting dethrone Triple H?
Will John Cena break Rusev’s undefeated streak and become the United States Champion once again?
When is Seth Rollins going to cash in his Money in the Bank contract?
Here’s what we think might occur on the grandest stage of them all.
Fatal Four Way for the Tag Team Championships – Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (c) vs. The New Day vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos: Cesaro and Kidd have become the unlikely duo to hold gold lately and deserve a strong run to finally break through the glass ceiling. However, The Usos are looking to regain their titles as well. The New Day and Los Matadores are clearly the filler teams and unfortunately round out the Tag Team division for the most part. Since The Usos’s father Rikishi is being inducted into this years WWE Hall of Fame Class, it is a pretty safe bet that they will get the Wrestlemania “feel good” moment; thus retaining their Tag Team Championships.
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match – “Bad News” Barrett (c) vs. R-Truth vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper vs. Stardust: Every man, woman and child in the WWE Universe is rooting for Bryan to walk out of Wrestlemania with gold, but it is probably not what is going to happen. With so many competitors, WWE is sure to throw a swerve in this match. Stardust will be the dark horse victor, becoming the new Intercontinental Champion to raise the stakes in his continuing feud with Golddust.
Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton: This is a match that has been building for quite some time. Rollins and Orton will tear down the house in a solid 20 minute match. Orton will get the upper hand many times, but due to outside interference from Rollin’s Authority buddies, The Viper is going to get Curb Stomped into oblivion.
Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal: There are a bunch of neat mini-feuds bubbling in this cauldron of a match with The Miz vs. Mizdow being the proverbial nail sticking out the most. Our money is on either The Miz or Ryback.
Divas Tag Team Match – AJ Lee and Paige vs. The Bella Twins: While AJ and Paige have become “frienemies” again, the magic is going to have to end sometime due to the common goal of taking the Divas Championship from Nikki Bella’s waist. This match should be a Fatal Four Way for the Divas Championship, but unfortunately it isn’t. The Bellas will win due to their chemistry defeating Lee and Paige’s dissension.
United States Championship Match – Rusev (c) vs. John Cena: Rusev will be pushed to the limit, but he will not be enough for Cena in WWE’s retelling of “Rocky IV”. Cena will emerge victorious, bringing the United States Championship back to the good ol’ U. S. of A.
Bray Wyatt vs. The Undertaker: Wyatt and ‘Taker will tell a great story in the ring. This tale of redemption needs The Undertaker to come out on top, avenge his broken Wrestlemania streak and hopefully face Sting in what should be their swansong at Wrestlemania 32.
Sting vs. Triple H: This should have happened years ago but the fact that we are getting it at all is well worth the wait. The match will be slowly paced, but will be a highlight in both men’s storied careers. The Vigilante Sting will come out on top before challenging The Undertaker the following night on Raw.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match – Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns: It all seemed like WWE was going forward with the “original plan” and have Reigns slay Paul Heyman’s beast, but that all changed Wednesday when Lesnar announced that he had signed a multi-year deal with WWE. Now that it is confirmed that Lesnar will stay with his current employer, does that mean that he will be adding Reigns’ list to his World Heavyweight Championship reign of terror? It will be interesting to see where this goes, but we feel that it’s now or never for Reigns to shine and Vince McMahon knows that. This is why we feel that the “original plan” will stick and Reigns will walk out of Wrestlemania as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion with Rollins waiting in the wings to unsuccessfully cash in his Money in the Bank contract.
The Bonesaw 