Wrestlemania 31, As Epic As Expected

Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Ver en vivo En Directo

Did you see Wrestlemania?  No, well you missed a dandy of an extravaganza.  It was pretty spectacular, and I have to admit, I was wowed, and astonished, but a number of the things that went down.

There superstars past and present, along with some surprises, like Women's UFC Champion, Rhonda Rousey, who took down both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Anyway, previously, I did try to make some predictions on how the Show of Shows would go down.  Let's take a look at how I did in my predictions.

1. Fatal Four-Way Tag Team match

I picked the Usos to win, and regain their championship belts.

WRONG!!!

This was a fatal four-way tag team match, that also included Los Matadores, and New Day.  It was a pretty epic tag team match, and I don't really like the tag teams that much, either.  But this one had it all.  Including some action by the Divas, Natalya and Naomi, as well as some interference from Kofi Kingston and Los Matadores' bull.  In the end, though, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd retained the belts.

2. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

I went off the reservation, and picked Mizdow.

WRONG!!!

I kind of feel like I should get at least a half a point of this one, because in the end, it was a battle between Mizdow and Big Show and Mizdow put up a hell of a fight with the giant.  But in the end, it was the Big Show that proved triumphant.

I feel pretty good, though, because picking Mizdow wasn't much of a sure thing, and I nearly got it on the nose.  Way to go Mizdow.  Maybe now, he'll get a little respect from The Miz (NOT).

3. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns For the WWE Championship

I picked the badass Samoan

WRONG!!!

As luck would have it, Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins saw his opportunity, and he cashed in.  Seth Rollins became the new WWE Heavyweight Champion, as both Lesnar and Reigns writhed on the mat.

In hindsight, I feel disappointed, I didn't at least have an inkling of this one, because it seems so obvious, now.  Good on you WWE, and I look forward to all the anger directed towards the new champ.

4. Sting vs Triple H

I picked Sting

WRONG!!!

It brought out D-Generation X and NWO to the rescue, and Stinger had his chances, but Triple H won out.  I guess it was inevitable.  But in the end, The Game, and The Stinger, shook hands in mutual respect, so maybe that's not the last we'll see of Sting.  Let's hope not.

5. 7-Way Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match

I Picked Daniel Bryan

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS!!!

After watching Dean Ambrose put on a hell of a show, taking everyone out from the top of a ladder, the Yes-Man had it out with Dolph Ziggler at the top of the ladder in a head-butt fight (OUCH).  The leader of the Yes-Movement, finally won out.  Way to go Daniel Bryan.

Paige, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Miguel Discart

6. Bella Twins vs AJ Lee and Paige

I picked AJ Lee and Paige

Correct, again!

It was a short match, with AJ on the ground outside for most of it, while the Bellas had their way with Paige, but eventually the tricky Diva got in, and she made Nikki pay with her submission  move, The Black Widow.

7. The Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt

I picked Bray Wyatt

WRONG!!!

Wyatt looked shaky from the start.  It looked like it could go either way at different points, but the Deadman won out with a second tombstone piledriver.

So, the question now is, what happens to Bray Wyatt?  He needs some kind of redemption after all this.

8. Rusev vs John Cena For the United States Championship

I picked Rusev to retain

WRONG!!!

Cena won out, with a little help from Lana trying to interfere on Rusev's behalf.  She got in the way, and the Cenation leader was able to pin the Russian, and take the United States Championship away.

Still, I'm going to wager he doesn't hold it for long.

9. Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins

I picked Orton

CORRECT!!!

Randy Orton at Wrestlemania
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Ed Webster

The Apex Predator had RKOs for everyone, leaving J&J security passed out at ringside, so that he could deliver the final RKO to Mr. Money in the Bank for the win.  I guess Mr. Money in the Bank did eventually get the last laugh, and he can't be called Mr. Money in the Bank anymore, but anyway, The Viper won this one.

10. On another note, I picked that Sheamus would return, and possibly being involved in the Rusev /Cena match.  That didn't happen.  I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for the Celtic Warrior's return.

11. There was a member of NXT in the Battle Royal.  I had predicted it to be Adrian Nevelle, but it turned out to be Hideo Itami, instead.  Oh well.  He's good too.  Itami had a hell of a kicking session with Tyson Kidd.  Who knows what will happen to him, but it was pretty cool for a little while.

12. Speaking of the Battle Royal, would there be any surprises on the entrants list?  Well, sort of.  Bo Dallas, who's actually the real life brother of Bray Wyatt made an appearance, before ridiculously eliminating himself while doing a celebration around the ring.  The other noteworthy was Alex Riley, who's another name from NXT.  He could be another guy on his way up.

13. I was thinking Rey Mysterio might make an appearance.  That was not the case.

14. Is this the final battle for The Undertaker?  He looked as good as ever, and it looks like he'll have more battles.

Well, three right, and six wrong.  That's not a real good ratio, but I've done worse.  Anyway, next up is Extreme Rules on April 26.  See ya, then!

The Road To Wrestlemania Has Bumps In It

Wrestlemania
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Ed Webster

So, here we are, a few days from Wrestlemania, on Sunday, March 29, 2015.  It's a big day, and as some people are aware, I've been trying to make predictions for the last couple of WWE Pay Per View Events, with mild success.

I consider myself to be a bit of a wrestling aficionado, so my picks are often correct.  In my last two attempt, I tried to predict the results of this year's Royal Rumble Match, and later, WWE Fastlane.  I was very confident in myself, but the results were mediocre, at best.

Fatal 4-way tag team match, between, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, Los Matadores, The New Day and the Usos

winner: The Usos

I was shocked when The Usos lost the belts as Fastlane, but I immediately saw it as a chance for them to get it back at Wrestlemania.  They have a big rivalry going with Kidd and Cesaro, along with Jimmy Uso's wife Naomi and Kidd's wife, Natalya.

More importantly, the other two tag teams in this battle are lower cards, so they won't win.

The big thing here is, the tag-team division is weak, and needs a little more power.  I'm not sure anyone, at the moment, is more polarizing than The Usos.  They need more powerful tag teams.  Bring on The Ascension, Lucha Dragons and The Realest Guys in the Room.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

This is the second year Wrestlemania has featured this event, and I believe there will be 30-men in the ring for this match.  I'm not sure of all of them, but here are a couple names I'd consider favorites--Kane, Erick Rowan, Ryback and Big Show.  Big Show was eliminated second to last last year, to the winner, Cesaro.

However, I'm going with a wildcard.

Winner: Damien Mizdow

My reasoning is, I just can't see The Miz/Mizdow thing continuing without Mizdow getting some kind of success that will further strain the relationship with The Miz.  I think it's time for Mizdow to rise up, and gain a little confidence.  For him to take a shot at The Miz--maybe even eliminate The Miz.  Now, there's an angle.

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns, WWE Championship Match

Roman Reigns, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Miguel Discart

Winner: Roman Reigns

Sorry, but I just can't see all this build up not leading to Reigns getting the belt at Wrestlemania.  Reigns is the RIGHT NOW GUY, and there's no reason why the WWE can't manufacture another controversy to strip The Samoan of the belt, and give it back to Lesnar to continue to defend from afar.

They've been pushing Reigns so hard, I just can't see him losing, at this point.  The other angle is Seth Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank, but with his match against Orton on the same day, I just can't see it happening at Wrestlemania.

Sting vs Triple H

This one's kind of got me baffled, but so far, I really can't see the Stinger losing.  It doesn't really behoove him, Triple H or the WWE.

Winner: Sting

If Sting loses this match, he goes away, and I just can't see that happening.  I believe he wins, but I'm really not sure how this one's going down.  I guess the bat and sledgehammer will come into play, but I'm not even sure, at this point, if an actual match will take place.

The bigger picture is, what does it mean for the WWE if Sting does win.  Does the battle continue?  What of The Viper and The Stinger?  I'm eager to find out.

7-Way Ladder Match For the Intercontinental Championship (Bad News Barrett, R-Truth, Stardust, Luke Harper, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan)

Daniel Bryan, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Krystal Bognar

I am really looking forward to this match more than any other.  If nothing else, this will be a crazy slugfest, full of all kind of insanity from Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Luke Harper, R-Truth, and the others.  It's really more about the show, here.

There's a lot of reasons to think this is a two-horse race.  It's really either Dolph Ziggler or Daniel Bryan, and I'm sure a lot of people see Dolph Ziggler as the front-runner, but I'm not one of them.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan is the leader of the Yes-Movement, and no one gets the crowd jumping like he does.  He just lost the battle to take a shot at Brock Lesnar, to Roman Reigns.  He's a former Heavyweight Champion, and one of the most exciting performers in the WWE, at the moment--not to mention, he's a wiz on the microphone.

Imagine The Beard as the IC Champion, for a moment!

I know, I just got goose bumps, too.  But, do you know what I'm thinking?  Eventually, Seth Rollins will cash in that briefcase, and I doubt he does it on the WWE Champion.  I just can't see him winning, right now.  But I can see him using his Authority goons in an assist to take the IC belt away from the worlds strongest Vegan.

Think about that for a moment.

Bella Twins vs AJ Lee and Paige, Tag Team Match

Paige, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Anton

This one's a toughy, because AJ Lee and Paige are clearly better than the Bellas, but they've been a little more unstable.  The thing is, this isn't a title match, so it's more of a message sending match than anything else.

Winner: AJ Lee and Paige

I'm thinking this turns into a fairly decent scrum between the ladies, and all hell breaks loose.  So, my money is on the ladies who already seem to have some screws loose.

I'm also thinking this is just another lead in for Paige to get another crack at the Divas Championship at another Pay Per View Event.  She's just too good, not to have the belt.

The Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Anton

I would be surprised if this didn't turn out to be a coffin match.  It just seems fitting.

I'm also sort of struggling to decide who I think will win.  Wyatt has been all over Raw and Smackdown, talking about ending The Undertaker, and how The Undertaker is weak, after last years loss to Brock Lesnar.  That says to me, Wyatt is the clear favorite.

However, the fact that Wyatt is the favorite should give the picture that more will go down than that.  And this is clearly no ordinary match.  So, who will win, who will win, indeed???

Winner: Bray Wyatt

I can't help but go with my gut here, and Wyatt just seems like the likely choice now, since this is more of a torch passing battle.  However, I actually wouldn't be surprised if this were less of a match, and more of a ceremony, where The Undertaker literally passes a torch to "The New Face of Fear."

So, go ahead and mark that down.  If Wyatt wins, I get one-point, but if he wins, and The Undertaker passes him a flaming piece of wood, I totally get some kind of bonus points.

Rusev vs John Cena

What to say, what to say???  Well, each of these goliaths have had their way with each other, at one time or another.  Rusev as the United States Champion just makes sense in the way it works, because, let's face it, he's some kind of Russian Super Athlete, and that just rubs redneck America the wrong way.  So, WWE would be stupid to change it.

Winner: Rusev

However, I do have a few other ideas about this match.  Where has Lana been?  What's going on there?  There's no chance of her not being in attendance at the Show of Shows, right?  She'll show up, at some point--possibly as a distraction.

There's also been rumors of Sheamus, The Celtic Warrior's, return.  Do you know what happened to him?  He was a part of the Cenation team trying to take down The Authority, but The Authority targeted him, and injured him, so he couldn't compete.

You could say The Authority is to blame for his injuries, but the actual men who were sent to injure him were Mark Henry and Rusev--the Russian being the one to deliver the debilitating blow.

Are you seeing where I'm going?

It's likely The Great White will exact his revenge.  How and where I don't know, but a title match versus Cena would be a good spot.  He'd take out Rusev, annihilating the Russian, Cena would lose by disqualification after brutalizing him and then Sheamus and Rusev could begin a feud towards eventually seeing Sheamus crowned the next United States Champion.

There you go.  It almost writes itself.

Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Anton

Seth Rollins matches are the hardest to predict.  One thing you have to know is, J&J Security will be at ring-side causing problems for Randy Orton.  That is for certain.  But Orton hasn't had any problems, yet, handling the smallish security detail, causing Rollins to run and hide for cover.

Winner: Randy Orton

The variable here is, will Rollins have any other help at ring-side?  Big Show and Kane will be in the Battle Royal, so they probably won't be there.  Triple H goes against Sting, so he probably won't be there.  J&J won't be able to handle The Viper.  The real question is, will Rollins take any type of beating, or will Orton just take out his aggressions on the security team, and allow Rollins to get away.

I believe Orton will chase Rollins, this time, and the two will have a brawl in a back area, or  parking lot, or something crazy like that.  I'm just saying, look for something crazy.  Is that specific enough for ya?  I mean it is Randy Orton, The Apex Predator.  Who knows what the voices in his head are telling him to do.

Notes:

Sheamus, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Simon Q

Sheamus is due to return at any time.  It's probably at Wrestlemania, and it will probably be in some capacity that leads us to believe he's turned bad-guy, and he is eyeing one of the belts.

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will have one entrant from the winner of an NXT (the development territory for the WWE) tournament.  I'm thinking, high-flyer, Adrian Neville will be the guy.

Who else will be in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.  It's a 30-man match, that so far, has only about 20-men listed.  There appear to be some openings.  At the Royal Rumble Match a couple of months ago, there were a few surprise entrants, including  Diamond Dallas Page, The Boogeyman and Bubba Ray Dudley, from TNA Impact Wrestling.  Who could surprise us this year?  Do you know who AJ Styles is?  Look him up.

After his incidents in Mexico, could Ray Mysterio be returning for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal?  I'm thinking the answer is, YES!!!

Earlier, I suggested that Bray Wyatt would take The Undertaker's mantle.  Would this mark the end of The Undertaker?  I think not.  The idea of a match between The Phenom Undertaker and The Vigilante Sting is too good to pass up, for the WWE.

Royal Rumble, Come and Gone...What Happened?

Yesterday was the 2015 Royal Rumble, and in my last blog update, I made some wild prediction.  I'll be honest, I felt pretty good about them, so how did I do?

Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Megan Elice Meadows

NOT SO GOOD!

New Day

Match #1 was Kofi Kingston and Big E of New Day, versus Cesaro and Tyson Kidd.  First off, I thought it was a six-man tag-team match, but I was wrong right there.  It was just a tag-team.

I predicted New Day would beat their rivals will plenty of cheating to go around.  I was incorrect, as Cesaro and Kidd took the match, however, there was a bit of cheating.

But what I really predicted was that this match wouldn't matter, and I was right.  The Philly wrestling fans booed New Day, and when the match was over, and they lost, it was like it never happened.

The Ascension vs New Age Outlaws

This one I got right.  I picked The Ascension, and they took out the not so New Age Outlaws, who catered quite well to the Philly crowd, but were dominated in a short match with the colorful young upstarts.

However, I'm still of the opinion that The Ascension is a sideshow that won't get much respect, unless they can take on the Usos, and win.

The Usos vs The Miz and Mizdow

Speak of the devil, The Usos are really the only cool horse in the tag-team race, at this point.  Miz and Mizdow put up their typical bafoonary, as expected.  Mizdow never really got in the match, and The Usos defended their tag-team championship belts.

Again, I love the Usos high-flying, but without a rival that makes any sense, they're only as good as their competition.  Is The Ascension the rival they're looking for?  Was this a set up for Wrestlemania?  Maybe...But who knows.

That's two-for-three, so far, but that's the last match I predicted correctly.

Paige and Natalya vs The Bella Twins

Natalya and Paige, hold up Brie Bella, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Dave White

In a short match, as is usual with the divas, the Bella Twins, took down Paige and Natalya.  It was a little disappointing, because I thought Paige was the big up-and-comer of this match, and this was a chance for her to shine, but she did't get much screen time at all.

Instead, Natalya battled the Bella's, nearly on her own, as the twins tagged back and forth, keeping the blond Canadien girl under control.  There was a short battle between Brie and Paige, but not much to say.  

I also thought Paige was the bad girl of this bunch, and I expected more cheating from her, but the UK Goth didn't do much out of control.  The Bella's looked more out of control than her.  It was a little disappointing.

Still, I'm hopeful this will just fuel the feud between the divas.

Triple Threat Match, Brock Lesnar vs John Cena vs Mr Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins

This match was off the chain.  It was well worth the disappointment on who won, for all the carnage that was caused.

The Philly fans seemed thrilled with Lesnar, and even a little with Rollins, but they booed Cena.  That was surprising enough that even one of the commentators said something.

The match had everything--AAs, F5s, curb-stomps, Lesnar was thrown by Cena through a baracade, and then set up on the announcers table, for Rollins to launch himself off the turn buckle, and into Lesnar's chest, breaking the table.

It looked like a two man race, with Lesnar out, and Paul Heyman shouting for a medic.  They wheeled out a gurney to carry off the wounded defending champ, as Rollins and Cena traded pin chances, and big moves, including Cena's five-knuck shuffle, that garnered boos from the crowd.

But then, Lesnar appeared, from the apron, took out Cena, then Rollins, and pinned Rollins in the middle of the ring, to retain his title for another day.

It was awesome!

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

This was the first time I'd ever seen a Royal Rumble, and I didn't really know what to expect, but I have to say, I thought it was a little lame.  It was so long, and so many guys came in that just shouldn't have been there, like Diamond Dallas Page who looked like he just came in from an old folks home.

Or the Boogeyman, who spent about 30-seconds posturing, and trying to out freak-out Bray Wyatt, before Wyatt finally dispatched him with a single move.  Or what about The Miz, and Mizdow, who had their little tiff at the side of the ring, only to be thrown out in under 10-seconds, each.

I guess the biggest loser of all came when Titus O'Neill trash talked his way down the ramp, and into the ring, only to be tossed right out, in under 4-seconds.  Poor Titus just can't get a break.  There were others I can't really remember, but to be honest, there were so many moving parts to this, it was hard to keep track.

I had made my prediction that Daniel Bryan would come out victorious, so when he entered at #11, and only lasted until about #17, I was a little heart broken.  So much so, that I couldn't really enjoy my real favorite guy in the match, which was Dean Ambrose.

I knew Ambrose wouldn't win, but I like his whole disheveled look, as if he just woke up in a gutter, realizing there was a fight, and charged in with reckless abandon to help out his friends.

It came down to Ambrose and Roman Reigns, the old Shield buddies, versus Big Show and Kane.  Ambrose would be taken out first, leaving Reigns to be man-handled by the two big men.

But in a moment where Kane was about to toss Reigns, Big Show saw an opening to eliminate them both, and took it.  This led to a shoving match between the two giants, that Reigns was able to take advantage of, for the win.  Big Show and Kane re-entered the ring, though, and began the beatdown of Reigns, until some unsuspecting help arrived.

THE ROCK!

That's right, The Rock showed up to help his cousin Reigns in the ring.  After that, it turned out Rusev was still eligible, so he came in for about 10-more seconds, before Reigns easily tossed the fat Bulgarian out, and then pointed at the Wrestlemania sign.

So, there you have it.  The main event at Wrestlemania will feature Roman Reigns versus Brock Lesnar.  Who will win?  I have a sneaky suspicion that with Lesnar's contract ending in March, Reigns will find a way to beat The Beast.

The thing is, this opens up some interesting narratives.  Obviously, Reigns has a rivalry with Big Show, Seth Rollins and The Authority, so this brings up a number of possible story lines for him.

The Philly crowd, and much of the WWE Universe was disappointed that Daniel Bryan didn't win, but after thinking about it, I have to agree, Bryan is better kept as an underdog.  I enjoy his charisma, and I especially enjoy when he enters the ring angry.

There's another factor here, as well.  When Bryan defeated Kane in his first match back from injury, he was jumped by The Authority, but Ambrose and Reigns came to his rescue, to even the odds.  Then Triple H decided those three would have a six-man tag versus Big Show, Kane and Rollins, and Bryan won the match.

So, I don't think losing the Royal Rumble takes Bryan out of the storyline.  In fact, I think it brings him to the forefront.

Some Other Notes:

Bubba Ray Dudley, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Nick Noid

Did you see who came in at #3?  That was Bubba Ray Dudley, or Bully Ray as he's called in TNA Impact.  That was his first appearance in the WWE, since very early on.  I thought he was great.  His presence in the ring was very interest.

I saw toughness, humor and a lot of character.  I especially liked his stand-off with Bray Wyatt.  I think those two could have a hell of a rivalry.

Kurt Axel never actually made it to the ring.  Does that mean he has a legitimate complaint as to having not been eliminated?

The truth is, Axel wouldn't have had much of a chance, because standing there was Wyatt and Luke Harper, obviously as a team waiting to pounce.  Erick Rowan entered, instead, and the three went at each other until Rowan was tossed along with Harper.

What is up with that guy Boogeyman?  Please WWE, do NOT bring him back.  He was just gross.  I was glad to see him gone, so quickly.

And will there be any kind of repercussions for Damien Mizdow with The Miz for what he did?  I'm kind of curious, and I'd like to see The Miz versus Mizdow, at some point.  I'm just saying, I don't get the schtick, anymore.  It was funny for a while, but enough already.

After this title loss, what happens to John Cena?  Will he continue to go at Lesnar, or will there be another target.  In The Royal Rumble Fallout, Cena was seen going head-to-head, literally, with Rusev.  Does this mean, Cena will now go after the United States Champion belt?  That's kind of a step down for him.

Roman Reigns, WWE
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Megan Elice Meadows

But most importantly, can you see Roman Reigns as the WWE Champion?