Hot start with the women’s chamber match. Looks like I was off with my prediction that Rousey would be added. The match went as I expected. I’m wondering if we’ll get a full heel turn from Sasha. I thought she should have won to set up Bayley vs. Sasha at Wrestlemania. That would be money. That pot has been simmering for a while now and their iron woman match was an instant classic. I wonder if there’s any chance Bliss drops the title before the big show. Solid match. Great action from those three especially.

The Bar vs. Titus Worldwide
I thought this match sucked. No action, no chemistry.

Nia vs. Asuka
I really liked this one. Nia has gotten much better in the ring and this really showcased her brutal offense. Asuka will make anyone look good. The final pinfall sequence didn’t look great but that’s just nitpicking. Overall a solid, logical match. Who does Asuka challenge? The money match is with Charlotte. Nia smashing Asuka through the barricade after the match was awesome.

Woken Matt vs. Bray
Probably a better match than it came off because of the asshole crowd. This is why I won’t go to tv/ppv events anymore. I’m sticking with house shows because douche bags actually pay money to go to try and ruin shows. There’s no reasoning with that level of dickheadedness. You don’t like the match, go get a pretzel and let the people who are enjoying it do so in peace. As for the match itself, solid B. Good finish.

Ronda Rousey was a little too giggly and fangirlish for my liking, but she turned badass in an instant. Same issues with the crowd here. Just shut the hell up. Why was Angle acting like a doofus and letting HHH usher him off like that? If you’re gonna air their dirty laundry, be defiant about it and get up in their faces. That part didn’t make sense to me. The slam through the table was awesome. I would have liked a quicker reaction to Steph’s slap. She gave Steph a lot of time to stand over her then escape after that. The end of the segment made it great.

Smart using Elias to get the crowd hot. The man knows how to get the reaction he wants. Excellent work. The one thing I would have changed about the chamber match is to have Braun get impatient and bust through his pod. But it was almost as good to have him stand motionless and just stare down the other competitors, letting them contemplate their mortality and make peace with their god before turning in the most dominating chamber performance of all-time. He and Roman killed it at the end, finally using the chamber itself as a weapon. Roman finally gets his one on one with Lesnar, and we’ll finally get the universal title back from Saskatchewan.

The Bar successfully defends vs. Titus Worldwide
I like that Titus is wrestling again and I dig their gimmick, but I don’t think they’d put the belts on them yet.

Asuka beats Nia Jax
Asuka won’t lose, but I wonder if they’d have her win clean.

Matt Hardy beats Bray Wyatt
They’re getting behind Woken Matt and souring on Bray. I just hope this match gets weird.

I think part of Rousey’s contract signing involves her being announced as the seventh entrant in the women’s chamber match, since currently the men’s match has seven and the women’s match has six. I’m having trouble picking her, Alexa, or Sasha as the winner of this match. So I’ll cover two bases here: if I’m right about Ronda being in the match, she wins. If not, Alexa retains.

Roman wins the men’s match. No explanation needed, we know it’s him vs. Lesnar at mania.

Share your own predictions, and enjoy the show

So Johnny Gargano has to leave NXT. It makes sense for the story, but I just feel like the NXT fans were robbed of the moment of him winning the title. Then again, given the crowd reaction last night, it wasn’t as pro-Johnny and didn’t seem as behind him as I thought they would be. Maybe I overestimated his popularity and connection with the crowd. Either way, I expect to see him on 205 Live and/or Raw or Smackdown very soon, with Ciampa following not long after. Do they get a Wrestlemania match? I don’t think there’s enough time to introduce them and the backstory of their feud to the main roster crowd who doesn’t watch NXT. Summerslam might be a better timeline for that. Maybe Johnny gets some momentum on the main roster and Ciampa shows up to attack him. I’m really interested to see where he ends up and ultimately how/when he gets revenge on his former best friend. Maybe Johnny debuts in the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal. Will Candace follow him or stay at NXT? Lots of questions to be answered with his future, but I’m sure they’ve had something planned out well in advance. If not Ciampa right away, who do you want to see him feud with?

I feel like since they limited their mic time and only let Ruby cut promos, they’ve gotten past their rocky start and can be something big. Especially Sarah Logan. I’m not sure what it is about her that’s clicking with me, but she’s quickly become one of my favorites in the division. I think WWE sees it too because it seems like she’s spending the most time in the ring during the tag matches. Graves built up her power and striking a lot this week. They took away the mic which made her seem like a comic idiot farm girl character and just let her be a badass. I can’t stand Liv and she needs to play up being an obnoxious stuck out bitch from Jersey who you just want to see get her lights punched out. Again, I hate her, but that’s the point. She’s a heel. Ruby has gotten much better on the mic, and thank god, because they need SOMEONE in that faction who can talk, and it’s painfully obvious the other two can’t, at least not at this point. I can’t see Ruby winning at Fastlane simply because Charlotte NEEDS to have a big title match at Wrestlemania. That’s where the money is. As much as I dig her, nobody wants to see Ruby vs. Charlotte at the biggest show of the year. Who does Charlotte wrestle at mania? That’s for another post.

A Facebook ground called PTBN (I believe it’s Place To Be Nation) recently asked people to submit their lists for the greatest 100 WWE wrestlers of all-time. I had fully intended on doing the list but for various reasons including my OCD/ADD I never got to it. The method they asked people to rank their wrestlers by is the NJPW method:

• N: Nuance (Longevity, Flexibility, Intangibles)
• J: Jump Up Factor (Memorable Peak Matches, Moments and Storylines)
• P: Promo Skills & Character Work
• W: Workrate

While I never got around to making the list, I did spend a lot of time thinking about who would be my #1. And the answer I got surprised even me: Chris Jericho. This list did not factor in work in other promotions. So even though WWE owns them now, WCW and ECW time is not considered. Bye bye Flair and Dusty. Jericho just checks every box in my opinion.

Nuance: You can probably count on one hand the number of guys who have had a longer or as long WWE career. He can be the best heel in the business or the best face, and no matter what they audience wants to do, he will make them do what HE wants. Sure the audience probably wants to cheer him. But he know exactly what to do to get boos when he wants them. The man got “IT” over for shit’s sake. As soon as he introduced the list, everybody in the back knew it was gold, because he’s just that good.

Jump Up Factor: 2008 No Mercy, Shawn Michaels, ladder match. Match of the Year. Beat Stone Cold and The Rock on the same night. Hitting Bray with a cross body from the top of the cage. Yes, he’s got jump up factor.

Promo skills/character work: Up there with Rock and Austin. I don’t know if I’d say he’s better but certainly on that level.

Workrate: When he’s back with WWE, he’s all in. He doesn’t come for a week and work a two minute match. He puts his work in, and his matches are terrific.

Agree? Disagree? Who would you put #1?

Aleister Black might have the greatest entrance music of all-time. Of course that’s coming from the perspective of a metalhead. But god damn I love his entrance and it never gets old for me. It’s obvious Aleister is headed for the NXT championship scene, but how does it happen? I don’t think it’s right around the corner. I know it would be surprising to have the NXT title change hands on a regular TV taping, but I think Johnny wins it next week. There may be spoilers out there that say otherwise but I don’t know because I always avoid them so please don’t comment and ruin it for me. Since he leaves NXT if he loses, I don’t know if I can see him leaving without a program against Ciampa. Is Ciampa ready to return? No idea, he was still on crutches, but who knows if that’s legit or not. Maybe Johnny loses next week and they have the Ciampa feud on the main roster, or maybe, in what might be a genius move, they bring that feud to 205 Live. That would surely get more eyes on that show. If I’m doing it, Johnny is a transitional champ to Ciampa, they feud for a bit, Johnny heads up to the main roster, and Black wins it from Ciampa. I’m definitely looking forward to Black’s program with Killian Dain.

Did Kairi Sane make an impression last night or what? You can say her winning the Mae Young Classic was her breakout moment, but I think it was her balls out attack on Baszler that really made her mark. She was fun and smiling and the crowd was behind her since the MYC, but that beatdown was just pure ass kicking, no smiling, no fun, crowd chanting her name, huge pop, she shows she’s not just a novelty pirate princess in a costume who happens to be able to wrestle well. Kairi Sane is HERE.

Speaking of NXT women’s division, why are they not using Nikki Cross more? Also, not that I’m complaining because I can’t stand them, but what about the Iconic Duo? Can’t remember seeing them in weeks or maybe months. Good riddance. Though sometimes I can’t figure out if I hate them because they’re really good heels or because they’re obnoxious and awful and I just want them off my TV screen. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter, since I care less about them getting the shit beat out of them and more about them just being gone. Much different than Zelina Vega. Now that’s a heel. And she can go on the mic. Every time she opens her mouth I want someone to slap it shut. I want to see her get her ass kicked. Aside from being massively popular already, I’m sure that’s one of the reasons Candice LeRae got such a huge pop for thrashing her. Zelina is gold, and I think they’re using her perfectly. Did anyone ever see Almas being champion? I’ll admit I saw him on a No Way Jose level. What a massive turnaround for him. It works, because it gives Zelina so much to work with on the mic and so much to brag about, and when they finally go down (hopefully to Johnny), it’ll be such a huge moment the place will explode.

NXT thoughts? Observations? Predictions?

I was just reading that Rousey is penciled in for a mixed tag match against Triple H and Stephanie at Mania. No surprise there. But supposedly there are four people they’re considering as her partner. In no particular order:

1. The Rock. This is probably what WWE is hoping for most of all. It’s a perfect fit considering their WM31 interaction. However, remember the last time he wrestled he tore his pec. With all the big budget movie roles he gets, you have to wonder if he’ll be allowed to with the insurance they take out on him. I’d pop for this match.

2. Kurt Angle. If you haven’t figured out by the blog title, Kurt is my god. As a high school wrestler in the late 90s/early 2000s, he was my idol even before WWE. I freaked out to death when he came back. Anyway, the Survivor Series debacle could lead to this as a good second option. I’ll never complain when Kurt laces up the boots. Suplex city, bitches!

3. Shane McMahon. As much as I want to see Kurt wrestle (hopefully he will no matter what) and as much as I’d love to see Rock in this match, how long has everyone wanted to see these two really mix it up again? We got a taste at Survivor Series. I hope they go this direction, and I hope they build it right. I want them to get personal. I want pot shots. I want to hear what they really think of each other in promos. Let’s bring out all the dirty laundry. I hope I’m not a bad person for wanting that, but who really gives a shit, it’s the McMahons.

4. Seth Rollins. He had his match with HHH last year and Steph hasn’t really been there to mess with him this year. I hope he doesn’t get stuck in this match. He shouldn’t take a back seat to Rousey at the biggest show of the year. He doesn’t have an opponent at this point, and I’m sure they were building to a match with Jason Jordan that would have been awesome, it really sucks JJ got hurt. Would they put Seth vs. Kurt instead? Who would be heel? I couldn’t see them turning Kurt or Seth heel yet. I’m sure they’ll have someone for him soon, but I don’t want to see him in this match. Rumors are Big Cass is gonna be ready by mania…

Who do you want to see Rowdy Ronda Rousey partner with at the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment and why?

It’s Wrestlemania season, and I talk WWE with friends multiple times daily, so what the hell, let’s start a blog. First off: I love Roman Reigns. Everyone who boos him and hates him makes me love him even more. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a dude who paid $500-$1000 for front row PPV tickets to boo him and wait for him to lose to have his night speared to hell. Nobody booed Roman until it was reported that he was handpicked by WWE as the future and was going to win the 2015 Royal Rumble. All of a sudden he becomes the company man that everyone needs to hate otherwise they’re a sellout and don’t know anything about wrestling. One guy probably not much younger than me (33) in a video said “men, our age, we just don’t like him.” He can flat out wrestle. He’s not Rollins, he’s not going to do a Phoenix splash, but he can go. For being the chosen one, he loses a lot of matches, so he definitely puts guys over too. He’s not in every segment. He’s not constantly in the main event picture. He’s not Rock or Austin on the mic but his program with Cena certainly made him better on the mic. No one’s who consistently boos him will notice his wrestling skills, because even when he does something awesome, they just chant “You still suck.” So apparently there’s nothing he can do to not suck for a lot of people, simply because the bosses like him and want to showcase him. Daniel Bryan’s run to WM30 was possibly the greatest buildup and payoff to a storyline ever. I cried when he won the title. I freaked out when occupied Raw and when HHH came out because I KNEW he was going to get his match. So I understand fighting the authority and why the audience can get behind it and why everyone loves the ultimate underdog Daniel Bryan. None of that should have anything to do with the fact that it came out that Vince loves Reigns. Should he do a shit job and make the bosses not like him? Does he have to go on the indies before anyone will give him a chance? Braun Strowman didn’t cut a promo for months. It was reported that he was Vince’s “pet project”. He wasn’t on the indies. And people LOVE him. I love him. What makes him different from Reigns?

Second: Braun Strowman is the future. Give that man a cello every week. Or whatever the hell he wants. Let him destroy everyone and everything in his path, then let him sing a song about it. Have him part of every segment. Is there anything this man can’t do? I’m waiting for him to hit a 450 splash. Don’t tell me it’s not possible.

I think most of us were hoping for and expecting AJ vs. Shinsuke at mania, and thankfully, so far, WWE has delivered on that. They could still pull the plug on it having AJ lose his title at Fastlane but I don’t see it happening. I’ve always been strictly a WWE guy and never saw their Japan matches so I’m hoping and optimistic that it’s going to be as good as everyone says it will be. Lesnar and Reigns? Referring to my earlier words, Roman is likely going to carry that match. He’ll really have to sell the 8,392 suplexes he’s going to take. I hope they don’t close with that match. As much as I love Reigns, the people who attend mania will not cheer his likely title win and I don’t believe anybody wants Lesnar to keep the title off TV for months at a time any longer. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t expect a good match. I think our only hope is some kind of no holds barred stipulation or no dq or street fight or whatever, it’s all the same match. Hell, make it a ladder match. That would swerve the shit out of people. Who would expect that? Gotta have a stip mostly to protect Lesnar’s ever-worsening ineptitude.

Good thing: I have a feeling this year may be when they close mania with a women’s match. Bad thing: I have a bad feeling that it might be Stephanie McMahon beating Ronda Rousey. WWE is damned if they do and damned if they don’t with women. If they push them and showcase them and have them main event PPVs and Raws and Smackdowns and be a huge, integral part of the show, they’re exploiting the recent calls for women’s equality for their own personal gain. Which may be true. But what business doesn’t want to advertise “hey we’re doing something groundbreaking and progressive”? If they have them as a regular part of the show but never have them headline, they’re not being treated equally and are being held back. There’s a middle ground, and I think WWE has done a good job of giving the women their due respect and time to work. But dear god, do not use this women’s movement as a springboard for Stephanie McMahon. WE DO NOT NEED HER TO WRESTLE. Maybe I could buy a mixed tag match with Angle or Rock against her and Trips, but Christ, please don’t have her pin Rousey just to get her name in every publication out there.

Lots of stuff to open up some discussion here. Only rule is be respectful. I’m going to delete anything that’s not. Thoughts?