“Spaceman” Frank reveals his new “Dudley” inspired gimmick before he and Chris divulge into WWE Extreme Rules, the brand split returning and Money in the Bank possibilities.
Tag Archives: Rusev
Spaceman Frank’s WWE Extreme Rules 2016 Predictions
by Frank Lucci
It’s the time of the year where WWE gets as extreme as the PG rating will allow, and the company is trying to carry some momentum into the critical Summer season.
The second Pay-Per-View of May, Extreme Rules is wedged between Payback and Money in the Bank (which has essentially become the Royal Rumble of the Summer). Throw an NXT TakeOver special into the mix and it would have been understandable for the WWE to sit on their laurels and phone it in for Extreme Rules (TakeOver won’t be happening until June 8). However, the influx of new talent has made the WWE and Raw in particular much better since WrestleMania. While there have been some hiccups, Extreme Rules has the potential to be a very good show.
Kickoff: Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin (No Disqualification Match)
At Payback, Ziggler managed to get the sneaky pin on The Lone Wolf, but all signs point to Corbin getting the win here. While falling short in their previous pre-show match, Corbin has been very aggressive since his debut and needs a decisive win to help put him over with casual fans who missed his NXT work and his ‘Mania victory in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Ziggler can make anybody look like a million bucks, but after doing the favors for Corbin he can hopefully go back to being main event cannon fodder.
The New Day (c) vs. The Vaudevillians (WWE Tag Team Championships Match)
The New Day remains one of the most entertaining elements of WWE, but they’ve lost a step since becoming full-blown babyfaces. For one thing, losing at ‘Mania to a faction that no longer exists and not having a match at the following Pay-Per-View doesn’t help. Secondly, not being squirrely jerks anymore means they can’t fully commit to being the perfect trolls we fell in love with.
While The Vaudevillians are doing far better than most expected on the main roster, they’re potentially tag team filler while Enzo Amore recovers from his scary concussion at Payback. The New Day retains in a good match.
Kalisto (c) vs. Rusev (United States Championship Match)
With Ryback seemingly on his way to being “future endeavored,” Kalisto has found a new massive monster trying to capture his title.
The better half of the Lucha Dragons has become the master of making something out of nothing, as his U.S. championship run has consisted of him pulling off great matches with little build. He pushed Ryback to new heights with his downright amazing moves and Rusev’s own freak athleticism has me almost thinking this could be the sleeper hit of the night (if only we could get a real effort from the WWE to promote the U.S. title again like last year).
Kalisto gets the win: 50% based on Rusev being a recent lame duck and 50% is me holding out for Sin Cara to betray Kalisto and challenge for the title before he sinks too far into the Jannetty realm.
The Usos vs. The Club (Tornado Tag Team Match)
First off: THE CLUB??? THAT’S THE BEST WWE CAN DO??? A million different options and the WWE decide to make Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson sound like they go to AJ Styles’ basement and drink mojitos while playing Team Fortress 2.
Since their debut, the two have been losing a disturbing amount to Roman Reigns (which is understandable given that he’s champ) and The Usos (who have not done shit all year) all well acting as pawns to the larger Styles/Reigns feud. That being said, they have been putting on good matches (albeit mostly reruns) and I see them winning at Extreme Rules to add more intrigue to the main event.
Charlotte (c) vs. Natalya (Women’s Championship Submission Match – Ric Flair is banned from ringside)
After the frankly downright embarrassing ending to their Payback match, these two women are facing off again with the added stipulation that Charlotte’s father Ric Flair is banned from ringside (presumably Nattie’s uncle Bret Hart does not need to be banned from ringside since he openly didn’t want to be at Payback and therefore wouldn’t be caught dead at ringside for the rematch).
It’s easy to forget that this is the third PPV match between the two (if you count Roadblock) and WWE has made some questionable moves such as Ric saying he doesn’t think his daughter can win without him (watch out Titus we got a new father of the year here) and THE FUCKING SCREWJOB FINISH IN 2016. I will scream if Charles “Little Naitch” Robinson is again the referee for this match. Charlotte wins because we all know her versus Sasha Banks is going to happen.
Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose (First-Ever Asylum Match)
Strait out of WCW it’s the debut of the Asylum Match! This twisted match (that can only be won by pinfall or submission) features weapons lined all along the top of the cage, giving it a unique flavor beyond typical vanilla cage matches. The problem is that a) this is the PG era and b) Jericho is unlikely to take big bumps this late in his career. Add in WWE’s desperate attempt to show how “ka-raaay-zee” Dean Ambrose is and this will be a well worked match that is instantly forgettable.
The Miz (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens (Fatal Four-Way Intercontinental Championship Match)
While many are disappointed the Owens vs. Zayn feud is not getting a true Extreme Rules continuation, the addition of Cesaro and The Miz has been done very well. Merging the two separate feuds makes sure this will get the proper time on the PPV and lead to a stellar match.
Everyone has played their parts well and special mention goes to The Miz for being the perfect smarmy Hollywood champion (along with his equally perfect real-life wife Maryse) who has shown his ability to hang with three of the biggest indy darlings in the WWE.
The only wrinkle in the buildup is the WWE insisting that we see these four go at it over and over again – meaning this actual match between the four already feels like it has been going on for several months rather than weeks. This is a toss up, so I will say The Miz retains due to some type of Maryse related shenanigans.
Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles (Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
Since Payback the WWE has continued to play it smart with these two. Styles has been pushed into acting more aggressive and gelling with Gallows and Anderson, but only after several beatdowns from Reigns and The Usos. This is essentially the match we should have gotten at Payback, seeing as that one eventually became a “No DQ” anyway.
Styles is more of a natural underdog here, but if The Club takes out The Usos earlier I see a situation where he is given a chance to go full heel but refuses, leading to his defeat once again. Seeing this, The Club then turns on their friend for being weak – instantly making Styles the white-meat babyface the company desperately needs.
As for Finn Balor, it seems like talk of him jumping to the main roster has cooled, so I doubt he will be much of a factor here. On top of that, Balor is scheduled to face Samoa Joe inside a steel cage at the next NXT TakeOver event (making his arrival at Extreme Rules even more unlikely).
With Reigns vs. John Cena rumored for SummerSlam and Styles a prime candidate for a Money in the Bank win I see Reigns keeping his championship in a big brawl.
Spaceman Frank’s WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 Predictions
By Frank Lucci
Hell in a Cell 2015 promises to be one of the more memorable pay per views of the year, but for all the wrong reasons.
What should have been a stacked card that has been built up expertly over several weeks has turned into a plate of hot garbage. The WWE has managed to waste appearances by Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin (side note: HOW THE HELL DO YOU BOTCH STONE COLD’S RETURN?) and filled the top matches with aging superstars instead of the hot young talent who WWE can’t even be bothered to come up with feuds for despite having around seven hours of weekly programming to fill.
Despite all this, there are a few matches with potential on the card that should give fans something to cheer for. Here are the predictions for Hell in a Cell 2015.
Preshow Match: Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro and Neville vs. Rusev, Sheamus and King Barrett.
This match was originally supposed to Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper and Braun Strowman, but apparently Orton has hurt his shoulder (again) and Harper was removed from the card because of a family situation (wish him the best). Harper lives in the same suburb of Rochester as me, so this slight is unforgivable. Anyway, this match features six men who have nothing going for them unless you count being Mr. Money in the Bank, a former world champ or being european as something.
Given time this could be a great match, but it will most likely be a ten minute snorefest as JBL yells about Mountain Dew and Premier League Futbol. The face team will pull out the victory because Rusev needs to be punished for having his fiance’ be excited they are getting married instead of keeping that shit on lockdown and Barrett and Sheamus aren’t allowed to have nice things in general.
Kevin Owens (C) vs. Ryback (Intercontinental Championship Match)
Vince McMahon most likely booked this match during his play time where he smashed the two superstars action figures together like a five year old before realizing he could make this happen in real-life.
WWE had a chance to develop this feud after Owens won the title by cheating but instead they just had these two bounce around aimlessly. With no added stipulations to raise the stakes, expect Owens to cheat again to win to show how despicable he is in a lackluster hoss fight.
John Cena (C) vs. TBD (US Championship Open Challenge)
I can see Cena’s match breaking down in three ways:
1. Newly called up wrestler Tyler Breeze answers the challenge and sneakily wins the championship from Cena to give Breeze some much needed rub considering his NXT run ended with him losing over and over again at Takeover specials. Perhaps Breeze could hit Cena with the “Beauty Shot” or the “Unprettier” and injure Cena’s nose again to get the victory. On Raw the hurting Cena could be taken out by Lesnar or some other force so he can take his time off and have feuds ready to go.
2. The New Day shows up and use their numbers game to take down Cena and give Xavier Woods a championship (as he is on the sideline for their title defenses 90% of the time.) Then The New Day could get some real heel heat by dismantling Cena and knocking him out of action so they get more boos from the WWE target audience of children. Then when Cena comes back he can heroically overcome the odds yet again (despite almost never losing a single match) because BIG MATCH JOHN MAGGLE.
3. Dolph Ziggler challenges and beats Cena for the championship using some less than heroic tactics. Ziggler goes full heel the next night which leads to Cena being taken out for his vacation. This ties into the “Total Divas” storyline and allows Ziggler to take on some fresh opponents. No matter what, I expect Cena to lose (if you couldn’t tell).
The New Day (C) vs. The Dudley Boyz (WWE Tag Team Championship)
The WWE had several chances to put the titles on the Dudley Boyz. The forgettable Madison Square Garden show, for example. But instead had The New Day repeatedly disqualify themselves to keep the titles. This is good heel tactics, but at least point switching the championships would be fairly anticlimactic.
With the Dudley Boyz once again getting a rematch with no added stipulations, The New Day will likely win, Xavier Woods will get destroyed afterwards, and the tag team division will keep spinning it’s wheels.
Charlotte (C) vs. Nikki Bella (Divas Championship Match)
With the Divas Revolution quickly losing steam, Charlotte (and by extension, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks) need to do something to capture the magic that the NXT women’s division has. Feuds with Team Bella is not the solution. Charlotte wins, Nikki films an episode of “Total Divas” about how sad she is about it, and the WWE gives Sasha Banks (who clearly is the fan’s choice for favorite new Diva) a shot (and maybe gives Becky Lynch something to do besides hang out with Ric Flair at ringside to cheer her bestie on).
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt (Hell in a Cell Match)
This feud started out promising, but overall the Reigns vs. Wyatt program has shown how far behind Reigns is compared to Wyatt and his BFF Ambrose. BUT HE’S TALL AND TAN BY GAWD so now we’re stuck with him.
Wyatt has attempted to keep people engaged with this feud by delivering his signature promos, but after three months of his “anyone but you” schtick it is time for this to end.
By the way, nice of Wyatt to summarize the internet’s feelings about Reigns and help us feud with him by proxy. Reigns did his best to get us emotionally invested in him with his infamous “I’m doing this for, like, my family and stuff” promo, which only went to show how much better Wyatt is as a talker and how much more natural charisma Ambrose has. At the go home Raw, the WWE then tried to get people hyped by bringing out Ric Flair. Instead, Flair puttered around the ring and said Reign’s name to try and get the crowd to pop.
I guess it was better than Flair bursting into tears every time Charlotte wrestles.
With rumors of Reigns winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania circling again, Wyatt will lose this match as he always does, then find another guy we hope he will defeat and gain momentum, but ultimately end up jobbing to.
Seth Rollins (C) vs. Kane (World Heavyweight Championship Match)
Does anyone else feel like this will be the bathroom break match between Hell in a Cell matches? The Corporate Kane/Demon Kane thing is kinda funny, kinda meta, but does not belong anywhere near the championship picture. Have this be a random offshoot of an Authority storyline, but not something involving Rollins, who goes from wrestling AARP Sting to wrestling a 48 year-old guy who is an honest to God grandfather.
Can we get this guy a challenger who works full time on the roster and is under the age of 40?
Another side note to this feud: way to bring out Shawn Michaels to bury the champ and eat some kids pizza (which probably cost $8).
Rollins vs HBK would be a bonkers match but it will never happen and Michaels did not seem to care much about selling people on Rollins or his match.
Another legend wasted.
Please let this be a swan song for Kane, who deserves to bow out in a decent match for all he has done for the WWE over the years. While he should not be gunning for the championship, he should have a nice moment to close his career out and transition to becoming HR Representative Kane to counter The Authority’s thuggish tactics.
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell Match)
WHO’S READY FOR SOME TORTURE PORN???
Seriously though, I fear for the Undertaker in this match. The guy had a massive concussion (which by the way, never stopped him from competing while Daniel Bryan continues to sit out) after WrestleMania 30, then collapsed after his match with Lesnar at Summerslam.
Clearly the guy cannot hang with Lesnar anymore and should not be doing this. Any enjoyment to be had will be mixed with the feeling that Undertaker can be legit hurt at any moment (I know the point of Hell in a Cell matches is to be dangerous and violent, but at some point you need to step in and say enough is enough).
Brock wins, Undertaker has his big retirement hoopla in Dallas at WrestleMania 32 and rides off into the sunset. Personally, I’d like to see ‘Taker vs Bo Dallas in a easy squash at ‘Mania so the crowd can watch the legend take a bow and not worry about whether he can walk on his own power after the match.
#DallasinDallas people make it happen!
Bonesaw Podcast Episode 12: Chris and Frank Shoot on WWE Elimination Chamber
Episode 12 marks the long overdue return of “the shoot.”
In a hilarious outing, Chris and Frank go toe to toe with the results of WWE Elimination Chamber.
Industrial metal unit The Unravelling is featured with their new single “Revolt.”
WWE Elimination Chamber Predictions
After a brief hiatus, WWE is bringing back the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view exclusively on the WWE Network this Sunday.
Four out of the five championships will be defended with two being inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber for which the event is named.
For some, the stakes can’t be any higher. For others, the rewards will be vast. For all, there will be no mercy.
Here are our predictions for the event.
Neville vs. Bo Dallas: What started as Dallas trolling Neville’s slump has evolved into a grudge match rekindling their NXT rivalry. Expect a nice exchange between the two before Dallas pulls an underhanded tactic to squeak out a win in hopefully the first of a series of matches on the big stage.
Tag Team Championships Elimination Chamber Match – The New Day (c) vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. The Ascension vs. Los Matadores vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Prime Time Players: For the first time the Tag Team Championships will be defended inside the Elimination Chamber. Given the circumstance, this is going to be both fun to watch and a bit confusing when determining the grounds for elimination. Having said that, there are going to be plenty of high spots involving The New Day’s Kofi Kingston, The Lucha Dragons and Cesaro and Kidd. When you give young talent with unique styles an enclosed cage you are creating a recipe for beautiful, violent art and we can’t wait. However; we feel that The New Day is going to end up retaining with another slight of hand from the groups wild card Xavier Woods. One question remains: does one member have to be pinned or submitted for a team’s elimination or do both members have to be eliminated individually? We’ll know for sure come Sunday.
Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Match – United States Champion John Cena vs. NXT Champion Kevin Owens: This is something the WWE should cherish. Since making his NXT debut roughly three months ago, Owens has not only dominated but completely changed the WWE landscape in that short time. Cena has also greatly invigorated the United States title as well, making it feel as important as it should be with his weekly open challenges while giving the rub to young talent waiting to shine. Though it would not be the worst thing in the world for Cena to win, Owens is something special and should be treated as a commodity. If WWE wants to continue building the NXT Champion as a monster they should have him go over the Cenation Leader. Win Owens, win.
Triple Threat Divas Championship Match – Nikki Bella(c) vs. Naomi vs. Paige: Naomi has been gunning for the Divas Championship for quite some time now and Bella has held on long enough. Paige is the wild card in the match with her eyes set on not only a third title reign but revenge on Naomi as well. The two’s history has been budding for several months as Paige was originally set to take on Bella at Elimination Chamber, only to be taken out of action by the former Funkadactyl. Sunday night will not be her night, as Naomi will finally rise above the ashes and taste gold for the first time in her career.
Elimination Chamber Match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship – R-Truth vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. King Barrett vs. Ryback vs. Rusev: When Daniel Bryan vacated the Intercontinental title due to injury last month, he may have given Elimination Chamber a small blessing in disguise. While he is unable to compete, a new champion will be crowned. One of the best features of the Elimination Chamber is the unpredictable feeling of when a competitor will be unleashed from the pod and who will be eliminated by whom. This match will have all that and more due to how even the odds are for every WWE Superstar involved. While the momentum is on Barrett’s shoulders, he needs something more than the Intercontinental title as he’s held it enough to show he’s ready for the main event. Due to an unforeseen injury on Smackdown, Rusev may not be in the match and there are talks of him being replaced with Bray Wyatt if he is not able to compete. If Rusev is in, he’s taking home the gold. If he’s out and is in fact replaced by Wyatt, then the Eater of Worlds will leave the arena 10 pounds heavier.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match – Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose: This is one of the more intense rivalries WWE has built up in a while. These two were brothers in The Shield before Rollins did the unthinkable and turned on his fellow man for corporate greed. A little more than a year later, the self-proclaimed “Future of WWE” is sitting atop the food chain as WWE Champion with Triple H’s Pedigree finisher at his disposal. The Lunatic Fringe on the other hand, is fighting in the trenches day in and day out against anyone and everyone just to get his hands on Rollins. This Sunday he finally gets another shot at his former ally in what could be their best match to date. Ambrose is not going to win, but he’s going to put on a clinic trying.
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.
Bonesaw Podcast Episode 6: Chris and Frank Shoot on Wrestlemania 31
Episode 6 goes off with a bang as Chris Butera is joined by Frank Lucci once again to talk smack about the ‘wrasslin. Listen in as the boys go off on their favorite (and least favorite) Wrestlemania 31 and post-‘Mania Raw moments. New Jersey thrashers Condition Critical are featured.
Help Chris and friends out with their Thrash Metal Barbecue: www.kickstarter.com/projects/206782…ash-bash-bbq-iv
Like Condition Critical here: www.facebook.com/ConditionCriticalNJ
Thoughts on Wrestlemania 31
Sunday we saw a plethora of a Wrestlemania moments including Triple H defeating Sting, The Undertaker’s redemption, and Seth Rollins make history by being the first Money in the Bank winner to not only cash in his contract at the show of shows, but during the championship match as well.
Long story short, pretty much all of the right people won with the exception of Sting. While the match itself was alright for two legendary competitors, there were too many theatrics involved with the finish (and the entrances to boot) and this tainted Sting vs. Triple H instead of it being the clinic it could have been. With all this buildup, Sting should have received the victory but it was not to be by way of the sledgehammer.
The Undertaker’s victory over Bray Wyatt was one of his better ‘Mania matches due to the innate psychology that the match was built around. The exorcist/sit up spot was something fans must have been dreaming about for some time as there were definitely chills up the spines of those watching.
Daniel Bryan is going to boost the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship and deserved the win. The headbutt war with Dolph Ziggler was questionable and probably looked better on paper, but overall it was a very good ladder match. All competitors did a great job especially Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose who put their bodies on the line.
Paige and AJ winning without any issues between the two was good but it was interesting that there was no animosity involved in the match.
Like Bryan with the Intercontinental Championship, John Cena is going to boost the United States Championship like never before. Cena’s “Rocky Balboa” got the story book ending against Rusev’s “Ivan Drago” which was much needed and doesn’t taint the Bulgarian Brute at all. We’ll just have to see how his character is handled from here on to see where he goes but the man can work. His omega-Russian entrance was one of the highlights of the night.
The Rock and Triple H’s segment started off well but dragged for far too long. After awhile it became obvious that they were waiting for Santa Clara to get darker for The Undertaker’s arrival. If you’re watching on the network it’s best to just skip to the end where Ronda Rousey gets involved. This should have been saved for Raw with a match or two being inserted in its place.
Who chooses Wrestlemania’s musical guests and why do they have them perform at all? It’s clear that WWE’s demographic does not care when there is minimal participation in the act and maximum participation at the concession stands and/or restrooms.
Big Show wining the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was surprising from a storyline standpoint but not from a logical one. Show is after all, a giant and it would have been a shame if he didn’t win one of these. Miz vs. Mizdow is still happening and that’s all anybody wanted out of this match anyway.
Randy Orton’s victory over Seth Rollins moves the feud nicely especially with the events that unfolded later on. WWE is striking this feud while the iron is still hot with greater stakes and kudos to them. Check the height on that RKO again, Rollin’s must be at least eight feet in the air before he hits the mat for the three count.
Last but not least Brock Lesnar looked as dominant as ever and Roman Reigns looked decent as well. This was the most believable match WWE could have had with the outcome being the only realistic scenario to get the title off the champion. Reign’s comeback was a nice touch and Lesnar’s bloodshed is proof that WWE needs more of it (but not too much) in there product. Save the non-PG stuff for the Pay-Per-Views and it’ll be all right. Rollins is already going to be one of the best heel champions ala Ric Flair’s weasel tactics.
We can’t wait for next year.
WWE Fastlane Predictions
In lieu of the traditional “Elimination Chamber” pay-per-view, WWE has decided to change the game this year with a new event titled “WWE Fastlane.” While fans will not get an Elimination Chamber match this February, they will get what looks to be a stacked card for the inaugural event on the Road to Wrestlemania. Here are our predictions for each match.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Wade Barrett (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – This looks exciting. The feud has been built up in an old school way centering more around promos and less around beat downs. The psychology of the match should be fun and the ability of both men is going to make it awesome. Ambrose is better when he’s on the chase (and we’d like a long term program between these two) and that’s why we believe Barrett is keeping his title.
Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd – Another match that could be promising with enough time. Kidd is finally on a pay-per-view again and Cesaro can work well with anyone. While the Usos have the gold, there is also the sub angle involving Jimmy and Kidd’s significant others – Naomi and Nattie. Expect the ladies to get into a scuffle, leading to the Usos retaining.
Goldust vs. Stardust – A normal match that should have been given more time to blossom into a fireball for ‘Mania rather than rushed for Fastlane. In the time they are given, the Rhodes brothers will put on a clinic; but they probably won’t be given the minimum 20 minutes they deserve. Hopefully this will be part of a series of matches, with Stardust’s arm raised at the end of their first cosmic clash.
Ryback, Erick Rowan and Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane, Big Show and Seth Rollins – Expect a few high spots from Rollins and Ziggler to get this Chevy where it has to go, but for the most part this will be a standard Six Man Tag that we will see again on Raw or Smackdown at some point in the near future. It’ll be good, but The Authority will prevail following a dirty finish involving J&J Security.
United States Championship Match: Rusev (c) vs. John Cena – If this what Rusev has been built up for in the year he has been on the main roster, he can’t lose now. Rusev must crush Cena at Fastlane for his legacy to mean anything in the near future. The two should have a somewhat lengthy feud, but if the Russian sympathizer is finally going to be pinned or submitted by Cena, it has to be at Wrestlemania. Judging by the booking of Cena in these angles, the match will either end in a disqualification or Rusev will play dirty for a victory. We’re expecting the former with Rusev going postal on the Cenation leader.
Divas Championship Match: Nikki Bella (c) w/Brie Bella vs. Paige – Paige desperately needs to regain and continue to re-shape the Divas division, but not just yet. Nikki Bella is playing the mean girl role well and can put on a good match to boot. The five to 10 minutes we see will be decent with Nikki coming out with the win. Paige needs the big win at ‘Mania for this feud to get the payoff the Divas angles rarely see.
No. 1 Contendership for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan – This is for all the marbles. We’re going to see some highlights in these men’s careers in this one. It’s also the one that’s too close to call. Will WWE go with what has been rumored as “the original plan” or will the WWE Universe’s voice be acknowledged for the second year in a row? The angle alone has quelled a lot of the backlash from the Royal Rumble (we personally love that it’s been explored) and for the WWE to address the situation so well makes us not mind which way this could go. It would be great to see Bryan go all the way again, but Reigns will probably meet WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at the Granddaddy of ’em All.
The Bonesaw 