Fantasy Booking WrestleMania XL...it's the return of the Untitled Monday Blog!

 

Good Morning!

Hey, it’s a Monday blog? I know, weird, especially since we didn’t have our normal SmackDown/Rampage/Collision weekend schedule due to the NCAA tournament. However, it’s only two weeks until Wrestlemania XL, and I really wanted to write about the big show. 

Two reasons for that. One, obviously, is that I really like writing about pro wrestling, and this is arguably gonna be one of the biggest WrestleManias of all time, both in terms of size and scope. And two, because I’d like to weigh in on some of the matches. So this is less of a preview, per se – I’ll make one of those next week, once everything is locked in and we have an idea of the schedule. But, using Wikipedia and what we think we know about the card, I’ll be booking my own two-night ‘Mania and we’ll see how it goes. It’s our…

Thing of the Week!

Wikipedia has ten matches listed, with the main events set and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship being contested on night two as well. It also made a point to note that the matches I didn’t just mention are “subject to change”, which I assume means they’re making this up just like I am. And that’s fine! While we've got match graphics for most of the matches I didn't make up, we've still got two weeks of shows remaining; any number of them could be swapped out or added to. There’s also room for more – since the introduction of a two-night WrestleMania in 2020, we’ve had cards with 18 (in 2020), 14 at 37, 16 at 38, and 15 matches at last year’s WrestleMania 39. 18 seems like a lot in hindsight, but we gotta remember that we were also all locked in our homes in 2020 because of COVID, and what else did we have to do? 

So far, we’ve got seven championships up for grabs at the Show of Shows, with only the Women’s Tag Team Championships still going undefended. But with Bianca Belair and recently-returned Naomi getting involved in the drama around Iyo Sky’s WWE Women’s Championship, I’m thinking the Kabuki Warriors will be defending, too, either in a straight up match against Belair and Naomi (or Bianca and Jade Cargill, if she and Naomi can't get on the same page), or in some kind of showcase match similar to the six-pack ladder match the men are running. Hell, we could even do Bianca, Naomi, and Jade against the Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai, although then it wouldn't be for the tag belts.

Actually, given that we will need SOMETHING for these women to do after 'Mania, I like that better. Get Jade in front of a lot of eyes on the biggest stage imaginable, alongside proven champs, and then we can branch off after Raw. That woman is gonna be a superstar (outside of my home, where we're already sold on her) and a WrestleMania appearance will only help get her there faster.

We also have several Bloodline-adjacent matches. Aside from the main events of nights one and two, and the brother-against-brother match between Jimmy and Jey Uso, we’ll also see Seth Rollins defend his title on night two against Drew McIntyre. I don’t think Drew will get involved in the night one tag team match involving Seth, Cody Rhodes, The Rock, and Roman Reigns, but you never know. Drew has been adamant that the Bloodline is the reason he doesn’t have a championship, but he’s also been fine taking advantage of Bloodline attacks when they work in his favor. A beaten-down Rollins might be enough for Drew to take him down on his own. 

Tonight’s CM Punk appearance on Raw might also factor into this match, since Rollins was set to defend against Punk before both men got injured, and Drew has gloated about being the one to take Punk out in the Royal Rumble. Maybe Punk is healthy enough to serve as a guest referee, or to join on commentary, getting involved when the action gets a little close to the announce table. Punk could have a hand in the match or a cash-in, even if it’s just his hand that counts the pin that ends Drew’s short reign, or Seth’s slightly longer one. Priest’s MitB run hasn’t been spectacular, or even memorable, but that all goes away with a successful cash-in. And keeping Punk involved, even if it can't be physically just yet, goes a long way in keeping him relevant.

I still think Chad Gable will have a part to play in the Sami Zayn match against Gunther for the Intercontinental title. He and Sami had some heated discussions last week. Maybe Chad goes full heel and costs Sami the belt at ‘Mania, or the two decide to include Gable in the match and stay respectful…who’s to say? I’d like a triple threat, personally, but we do have to factor in the fact that there isn’t an offseason and we’re gonna need some storylines to drag on past the beginning of April.

The women’s championship matches have been set for some time, and the general consensus seems to be that both champs will be dethroned at the big show. Really, I think Logan Paul might be the only person to successfully defend his title – an achievement that would both be kinda dumb and a great next thing for the ego-driven superstar to latch onto. 

As far as the women’s belts though – there’s a chance Becky Lynch could lose, right? She’s had a big WrestleMania win already. She’s been hot lately, getting good matches out of Nia Jax and Liv Morgan on recent Raws. And Rhea Ripley hasn’t really had many rivalries of note since winning the title…Cagematch says she’s defended ten times, but can you name an opponent besides Nia Jax? 

I couldn’t, and I’ve watched every one of ‘em. Since winning the belt off of Charlotte Flair at last year’s WrestleMania, Ripley defended in singles matches against Zelina Vega, Natalya twice (albeit one being a Saudi Squash), Raquel Rodriguez twice, Zoey Stark, Ivy Nile, and Nia Jax. There was also a five-way defense at last year’s Crown Jewel where she beat Nia, Rodriguez, Stark, and Shayna Baszler.

I think Rhea might have a better run in her, but I don’t believe that stretching this title reign any further is the right call. Maybe it IS best if Becky takes the belt off of her for a while, and a future title run focuses more on Ripley and less on the Judgment Day, a faction that feels like it’s run its course. I imagine title losses for Ripley, Finn Balor, and Damien Priest will introduce some faction-ending tension in the group, with a Priest singles run all but guaranteed with that Money in the Bank contract.

I’ve talked myself out of that one pretty fast, haven’t I?

So, my night one could be:

*LWO (Rey Mysterio, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz del Toro, Carlito, and Zelina Vega) versus Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Elektra Lopez, Angel, and Berto) w/Dom Mysterio, maybe in a street fight?

Gunther © versus Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship

*Damage CTRL versus Naomi, Bianca Belair, and Jade Cargill

Logan Paul © versus Randy Orton versus Kevin Owens for the United States Championship

*A women's tag team showcase match

AJ Styles versus LA Knight

Iyo Sky © versus Bayley

The Rock and Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins

With night two featuring:

Judgment Day © in a six-pack challenge for the Tag Team Championship

Jimmy Uso versus Jey Uso

Seth Rollins © versus Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship

Rhea Ripley © versus Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship

Roman Reigns © versus Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

That gives us thirteen matches, with four of them made up on the fly by me, just now. Trying to keep both tag belts away from their respective women’s title feuds was tough, as both sets of belts are paired with women’s championship matches, and Priest may be involved in the McIntyre/Rollins match as well. My logic was that the Bayley win should be the biggest moment in the women’s division at WrestleMania, and that crowd should get a nice good guy victory before the Rock and Roman (and Jimmy, and Solo, and whoever else they can find) get the win over Cody and Seth.

I hated putting Rhea and Becky in the spot before the main, but it will be labeled as a co-main and I think it will be great to get a nice moment before the bad guys pick up the win to end night one. Like last year, Sunday will feature a triple main event, with three of the most important championships in the company being defended. I also tossed in that LWO/LdF match after Friday’s SmackDown had Dom reprising his role as Rey Mysterio’s biggest hater, since that feud has been running for a long while now.

But, as always, this card is subject to change. I’ll be surprised if this entire post isn’t outdated by the time we finish watching Raw tonight!

Closing Up Shop

…in which I say goodbye for now

And that’s it! I’ll be using Mondays for catching up on the weekend action from here on out, although I might post these a little later than the Casual Friday blog. Look for Untitled Monday Wrestling Blog around the crack of noon on Mondays.

As per usual, this week we’ll be watching RAW on Monday night, NXT on Tuesday night, and AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night. I’m considering trying something new, posting short recap posts the mornings after those shows, but we’ll see how that works out with my house cholo schedule. As always, Thursdays are my day for putting all week’s events into a nice, convenient blog for you to check out on Fridays – we call it the Casual Friday blog, and it’s usually up at 9am Mountain time on Friday, appropriately.

If you have questions, concerns, or comments, drop 'em in the comments section below! And follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, BlueSky and/or Instagram using the links on the right.

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and we’ll see you back here Fridays and Mondays. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

The Casual Friday, um, Saturday Morning Edition!

 

Good Morning!

It’s been a little while! I had some existential crises coupled with some commitments to help my pals, that ate into the time I usually spend bullshitting with you, dear reader, about pro wrestling and whatnot. But I’ve also been reading a lot, and it’s all very depressing.

Big websites are kinda being eaten by these moneyed groups – groups that aren’t interested in the work these sites put out, but are interested in either constant growth and increased revenue or in saddling the company with a ton of debt before letting it die. Kotaku just had its editor-in-chief resign after being on the job less than a year, because (allegedly) the owners of the site decided they should be less about reporting and more about producing fifty gaming guides or tips articles a week. As somebody who sometimes has trouble pumping out a single blog post – a post recapping my favorite thing in the world, mind you – this seems insane to me. 

Bloody Elbow, a popular MMA blog, had a similar fate. Less than 24 hours after the site was sold off, writers there were laid off and much of their work was scrubbed from the site. Suspiciously, most of the stuff that was deleted first was Bloody Elbow’s work reporting and investigating the business behind the fights. It’s great work, see, but it could be viewed as “controversial” by the people who run UFC and other fight groups. 

So we’re losing the actual reporting and having it replaced by things like “What did Dave StrongPunch say to his upcoming opponent on camera in a staged confrontation?” or “How to find the third (of seven) special statues in the Stardew Valley update” – things that will get clicks but don’t really have a reason to exist, aside from selling you on the popular game or upcoming PPV. It’s gross! And while I’m not exactly a reporter or journalist over here, I do appreciate the sites that do things like original reporting, or stories that aren’t just reviews or previews (he says as a guy who does just that.)

But I don't want to be all doom and gloom. Yes, media isn’t in the best spot, but we’re getting a lot of worker-owned co-ops that are continuing the traditions of these bought-out shells. For every Deadspin or Kotaku that failed their writers, a Defector or Aftermath have risen from their ashes, sites founded by writers from those sites and continuing to produce good work. These sites are typically subscription based, but I think it’s worth supporting these writers for the same amount one might pay for a Max or Netflix – and you’re getting new content every day, and lots of it, from a variety of good voices. 

“It’s A Soap Opera With More Suplexes and Less Violence”

…in which I discuss the storylines that keep us watching week to week

A weird double-dip this week, as I didn’t publish last week’s Casual Friday because of reasons. I did drop last week’s a little earlier today – you can read it here if you’d like to catch up on Mercedes Moné’s debut and the continued build to WrestleMania – but I think since we’re on a multi-lane highway to both WrestleMania AND AEW Dynasty, you’ll be ok just jumping on with this blog. Still, give that link a click for my ego’s sake, would ya?

This week was kinda packed, with Rampage airing immediately after Dynamite this week because of the college basketball tournament. So we had two three-hour blocks of wrestling on Monday and Wednesday – and a third if you watch Rampage after SmackDown like I do. 

Fortunately, as all roads lead to pay-per-views, most of the actual wrestling shows are serving those shows. While we had *checks notes* some great matches and a ton of promos in the twelve hours of WWE, ten hours of AEW, and four of NXT since last we spoke, we’ve mostly been focused on building matches – even when the matches used to build those matches have been really good! Did that make sense?

So we’ve seen build towards Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, and the tag match leading into that, Cody and Seth Rollins facing off against The Rock and Reigns. But that also means we’ve gotta think about Drew McIntyre, who will face Rollins at some point over WrestleMania weekend as well. With Raw heading to Chicago on Monday, maybe CM Punk – who was involved with both guys before and immediately after his triceps injury – will be involved? Not in a triple threat, at least I don’t think, but maybe as a guest referee, or guest commentator who gets involved. Who’s to say?

The whole Rock/Cody side quest has taken center stage, as The Rock has been using social media to cut some particularly nasty promos on Cody and his family. While I am not super invested in that stuff, as I’m not really a socials guy, people seem to be enjoying it, and those shorts are definitely getting people talking. And they allow Rocky some creative freedom, even if he basically has regressed to the 90s version of himself, questionable promos and all. And if a rising tide raises all ships (is that the phrase?) then Rock getting attention on SmackDown will raise the whole company’s profile on the remaining road to WrestleMania.

It’s really the only thing in flux at this point. Sure, we’re still two weeks out, and we will likely see another four matches or so finalized. But aside from the intrigue of the two heavyweight championships, WrestleMania is all but set. And that’s great! There’s a lot to look forward to and we’ll be here to break it all down for you. Really! I swear!

Over on the All Elite side of things, Kazuchika Okada has become the Continental Champion, defeating Eddie Kingston in a pretty decent match for that title. Okada is a megastar, and putting a title on him while he’s growing more comfortable in his role as a super douche alongside the Young Bucks was a good call. Eddie already seems to have moved on from that title picture, which is fine. The guy has two other titles to worry about, and with Supercard of Honor coming in a few weeks he’ll be defending that Ring of Honor Championship against … somebody. And PAC vs Okada should rule.

Mercedes Mone continues to make her presence known, getting involved in the TBS title picture a bit. I think it’s just a way to ease her into the Willow Nightingale match that seems to be coming, although I can’t imagine they would try to make Willow the bad guy in that rivalry. Willow is just too goddamn lovable to be a heel! And honestly, Mercedes is better as a baddie.

So that’s what comes immediately to mind. Of course, several other storylines are chugging along, and I think it would be better if I try to write a shorter something the morning after shows, and keep Casual Friday just that – a casual talk about the best stuff of the week, and a way to catch up. I know some of you, dear readers, just come here to get caught up on the overall vibe of wrestling, or you’re just being nice and reading the stuff I put out there because you know me, or I said something funny on Twitter or BlueSky. And I appreciate that! I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do things around here, you know?

Speaking of that, I made my friend Sarah in WWE 2K24. While I don’t think I’m going to try to do the whole “animal hospital fights amongst themselves” thing again, I do enjoy making people in the game, and I haven’t played through the mens and womens storylines in a few years. Maybe I should try streaming the game? If I do, it would probably be on Twitch. I’ll let you know on here when I decide to do it, and of course I’ll tweet and skeet before we get started. 

Skeets being the posts on BlueSky. I don’t make these things up.

And! I’m writing this as SmackDown is on, and some fun stuff happened on here as well. KO is a gem despite not really having anything to do at WrestleMania, and he and Randy Orton will be teaming up against the amazing Pretty Deadly next week. Damage CTRL continued their assault on the SmackDown women, with Iyo Sky beating down Bayley before heading to her match against Naomi. After a distraction finish, the champ and the tag champs – and Dakota Kai – took out both Naomi and attempted hero Bianca Belair, with Asuka spitting some poison mist into the eyes of Naomi. I’m hoping this leads to another women’s match being added to ‘Mania – maybe something that gets Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton pulled into it as well? Steiner math gets us 4-on-3 if we assume Asuka, Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai, and Tiffany Stratton against Naomi, Bianca, and maybe Jade Cargill. That won’t do. Maybe just Naomi and Bianca against the Kabuki Warriors for the tag belts? I haven’t worked this out yet, obviously.

Of course, this week’s SmackDown truly existed for one thing – a face-to-face meeting between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, with both men agreeing to head into the arena alone. It closed the show, because that’s how you get people to watch, and after Roman sauntered into the ring with about ten minutes of TV time remaining, Cody Rhodes followed. Some quality references to both the Shield and Bullet Club followed, as Roman tried to bring Seth Rollins’ loyalty into question. Cody tried to turn the tables on Roman, asking if The Rock was trustworthy. All in all, it was another solid promo segment, ending with Reigns refusing to shake Rhodes’ hand after Cody offered good luck. And, after Roman left the ring, Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso approached the ring, as we all probably should have expected. But! Another pair of hoodies appeared in the crowd, and Seth Rollins and Jey Uso kept things civil as the music in the arena switched from Roman’s to Cody’s, and that wrapped things up.

One last observation: commentary duo Corey Graves and Wade Barrett are pretty good, but it did seem like Graves was really pushing Wade’s old “Bad News” nickname this week. I won’t speculate as to why –  I mean, it is a cool nickname, it just seemed a little pushy is all.

We Watched Some Wrestling!

…in which I recommend some of the best matches I saw last week

Oh boy, there were some good ones! If we’re just doing the one-match-per-company setup (and we should, or I’ll easily get overwhelmed with options) then here’s my picks. WWE wrapped up the Becky Lynch versus Nia Jax storyline, with Lynch scoring a definitive win over the much-improved Jax. Becky has been on a roll lately, getting really good matches out of some often disappointing talent. That’s not to say Liv Morgan or Nia Jax are bad, but they stepped their games up against The Man and it showed.

AEW had at least three I’d love to tag here, but the match between Adam “I was Edge in WWE” Copeland and Christian Cage was a hockey lover’s dream. A street fight in Toronto that brought in hockey jerseys, a goal and stick, and a big board with nails in it (not a hockey thing) this match was just a lot of fun. 

And NXT gave us Drew Gulak taking on Riley Osborne for the Heritage Cup, which means weird rules and technically proficient wrestling.

Closing Up Shop

…in which I say goodbye for now

And that’s it! Thanks for coming with me on that journey. No pay-per-views or premium live events this weekend, and the NCAA tournament is pre-empting Collision, so we’re taking the weekend off. Maybe it’s time to go out and see a movie, or check out that X-Men ‘97 that all the kids are talking about.

I’ll see you next week for Casual Friday, but I’ll also try to put something up the mornings after Raw, NXT, and Dynamite. As always, this is a work in progress, and it’s easier to play around with the format now, as opposed to when we somehow end up with actual people reading this stuff. If you have questions, concerns, or comments, drop 'em in the comments section below! And follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, BlueSky and/or Instagram using the links on the right.

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

The Let's Watch Some Wrestling Elimination Chamber 2024 Preview and More...It's Casual Friday!

 

Good Morning!

Holy cats! It’s been quite the recovery here at Let’s Watch Some Wrestling, as your old pal Russ has been trying to rebound from That Chicago Trip that left me six pounds lighter and a lot less spry. But we’re back to normal and ready to roll, with a week full of WWE developments leading up to this weekend’s Elimination Chamber show in Australia. Will we stay awake for it, given it’s a 3am start here in Colorado, or is this a “stay off social media and enjoy the show with breakfast on Saturday morning” situation? WHO’S TO SAY? 

In a fun play on our segment title below, Sheamus was recently on Twitter asking if folks missed him and his streak of “banger after banger after banger.” After a fan replied, saying they prefer “characters and stories,” Sheamus fired back, “Watch a soap opera then!” As if what we’ve been watching all these years is anything but a glorified version of All My Children! But I digress…

Acting like we can’t have both five-star matches and character development in our wrestling shows seems silly to me. Guys like Bret Hart and Jake Roberts made careers out of not only building dramatic storylines on the microphone, but using in-ring psychology to make their rivalries all the more intense. Separating the two, especially on the basis of the letters the promotion one prefers, doesn’t do anyone any favors. I guess I just like liking things, but I don’t think I’ve ever watched a wrestling show that I didn’t get some form of entertainment from. Whether it’s great storytelling, amazing in-ring action, or some combination of both (or neither, which can end up pretty fun in its own right) it’s a good time and the whole reason we keep watching!

“It’s A Soap Opera With More Suplexes and Less Violence”

…in which I discuss the storylines that keep us watching week to week

Speaking of the reason so many people have been tuning in…The Rock appeared on SmackDown last week! Given my temporary health issues, I wasn’t able to review last weekend’s events in a more timely fashion, but I assure you the Rocky heel turn was appreciated here in the LWSW headquarters, AKA my office and living room. It appears that someone in WWE, maybe Triple H, maybe some shareholders, maybe old Dwayne himself, realized that the Cody thing might be too big to put off for a “dream match” and decided to pivot. Regardless of the reason, we got the best version of the Rock back on TV, demeaning fans and running down his opponents and their supporters. I’m still not sure what the overall plan is, but I think we’ll get a clearer picture after this weekend. SmackDown is the go-home show before the Elimination Chamber, which is the last big main roster event before WrestleMania in April. So we’re bound to continue putting the pieces in place for what might be the biggest ‘Mania of all time!

RAW gave us some of those pieces, as Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa (predictably) interfered in two high-caliber matches that could main event any premium live event: Cody Rhodes took on Drew McIntyre to open the show, and Jey Uso faced Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship in the main event. WWE did a bit of trolling in the opener, recreating the finish of WrestleMania 39 with Sikoa and Uso attacking Rhodes and allowing a briefly-hesitant McIntyre to hit the Claymore and pick up the victory. Those two would reappear at the end of the show to cost Jey Uso the IC title, distracting and attacking Jey before and after the end of the match to keep Jey without a belt. I’d love to see Jimmy and Jey face off at WrestleMania, and I think Drew McIntyre might come out of this weekend with a WrestleMania title shot as well.

AEW gave us TWO women’s matches on one Dynamite, although one was a squash and the other almost got a participant hurt so it’s hard to celebrate that just yet. I learned that some injuries meant the show was changed on the fly, so maybe Madison Rayne wasn’t prepared to have a match at all. But, woof, the match was just bad and borderline dangerous.

In happier news, we got a hell of an opener in Jon Moxley and Claudio Castignoli facing off with FTR. Even though it ended in a draw, the match was fantastic and hard hitting – and SHOCKINGLY bloodless – and will likely lead into some kind of stipulation match at next weekend’s Revolution show. 

Wardlow had a very passionate speech later in the show, which kinda made me feel bad for the guy. He keeps getting pushes that just fizzle out, but he’s obviously dedicated to getting better at mic work as well as in the ring, and he’s jacked as all get out. But we’ve been through so many of these half-assed pushes that I just can’t bring myself to care anymore. I will, however, happily be proven wrong if he and AEW can stick with it this time around. 

Oh, and NXT happened! Shotzi was hurt in the main event, and a quick replacement match with Lash Legend facing Lyra Valkyria was put together, but it really felt unnecessary, especially since the show was taped. Regardless, the women on this show continue to be a high point, and WWE really has a solid crew developing to continue the recent trend of good women’s wrestlers being molded from solid athletes in other fields.

Beloved learning institution Chase U, a full university that somehow exists in the NXT universe, defeated superheroes Axiom and Nathan Frazer in a really fun number one contenders match. Really, NXT always brings that 80’s “I am a wrestler but also I have one interest or job that my whole personality is based upon” vibe that got me into this whole sport. It’s so dumb, and I love it so much.

Let’s Remember A Blog!

…in which we reminisce about a lesser-known bit of my writing from the past

So, in a bit of a twist here, I’m gonna link to an article I wrote for Goomba Stomp / Tilt Magazine last year. While the site is no longer actively producing new content, it does still exist on the internet, meaning I can’t in good conscience just repost the whole dang article here.

In the piece, I assembled a list of the best Elimination Chamber matches, and then pitted the winners of those Chamber matches against one another using the magic of technology, i.e. WWE 2K23. Kind of like Inception, but with a big cage match instead of guns. Give it a read! It’s one of the few times I’ve been published on the internet while being allowed to have some fun with an idea I came up with. I might even have the match footage lying around somewhere…checks folders* nope, I guess not. 

Oh, speaking of that, we’ve preordered WWE 2K24! I was probably going to regardless, but I might try streaming some footage of the game since the pre-order gets us a few days of early access. Is that something you’d be interested in seeing? Let me know!

The Let’s Watch Some Wrestling Elimination Chamber Preview!

And, keeping in the Elimination Chamber spirit, let’s dive right into our preview! According to Wikipedia, we’ve got four matches scheduled for the Perth edition of the show. Oh, AND Grayson Waller will be hosting a talk show segment featuring Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, which I assume will lead to an attack by some Bloodline members as well as longtime Waller pal Austin Theory.

It’s a bit of a shame that both Bronson Reed and Indi Hartwell* not only aren’t scheduled to be on the show, but actually lost qualifying matches. Seems pretty rough of WWE, long-known as the caring wrestling company, to tease home country appearances for both of these young stars before pulling the rug out from under them. (end sarcasm)

The Kabuki Warriors (c) versus Indi Hartwell and Candice LaRae for the Women's Tag Team Championships

Oh hey they added a kickoff show tag team match! And Indi got in! That's really nice. Indi and Candi will absolutely lose here but at least Hartwell made the card, and I never scoff at a chance to watch Asuka and Kairi in the ring!

Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Tiffany Stratton, Naomi, and Raquel Rodriguez in an Elimination Chamber match for a title shot at WrestleMania

I mean, it’s gotta be Becky Lynch, doesn’t it? WWE has all but telegraphed her and Rhea Ripley facing off at WrestleMania for months now, including a face-to-face at the WrestleMania preview event at Super Bowl week. I’m more curious as to whether any of the other women in this match end up having something to do at the Show of Shows. Bianca has a win streak to maintain, but I really can’t see a reason for the other four to make the card. Maybe a few of them team up for the annual Tag Team Showcase? Who’s to say?

Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul in an Elimination Chamber match for a title shot at WrestleMania

This one is a bit harder to call, but my money’s on Drew McIntyre. Drew has interacted with almost everybody involved in the biggest storyline in the company, and his justified heel work has been top notch. I could see him winning Seth Rollins’ title at ‘Mania, or getting involved with the Bloodline as well. Randy Orton is a wild card, as a guy who’s as close as anyone to Triple H / John Cena / Ric Flair title territory, and I’m sure we’ll see all of the participants in this Chamber match on the biggest show of the year as well.

The Judgment Day versus New Catch Republic for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship

This isn’t the team to take the belts off of the Judgment Day. Hell, this team didn’t even have a name until a week ago, wasn’t actually a team until a month ago, and Pete Dunne hasn’t existed in this form in years! No, Judgment Day will win, possibly with some assistance from Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonaugh, and some interference by Miz and R-Truth, who should get these titles at WrestleMania.

Rhea Ripley © versus Nia Jax for the Women’s World Championship

Rhea Ripley is going to be cheered like a hero in Australia, and there’s no way she drops her title to Nia despite the great work Jax has been doing since her return. I expect her to hang on until WrestleMania and fall to Becky Lynch, but that’s a ways off. Tonight is all about the hometown gal getting her flowers, and deservedly so.

Closing Up Shop

…in which I say goodbye for now

And that’s it! We’ve got SmackDown, Rampage, Collision, and the Elimination Chamber to keep up with this weekend, so warm up those couch cushions because it’s gonna be a comfy few days!

I’ll see you next week for the usual Casual Friday and Untitled Monday blog posts. If you have questions, concerns, or comments, drop 'em in the comments section below! And follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, BlueSky and/or Instagram using the links on the right.

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

Recapping a busy week...it's Casual Friday!

 Not only was this week one of the most eventful, it was also the week the paying gig kept me from my Untitled Monday Thing. Then yesterday, a bit of helping a pal post-surgery ended up knocking me out, leading to a later than expected morning! Woof. So today’s Casual Friday is gonna be a little more freeform rant and a little less structured. Let’s talk a bit about what we missed, dear reader.

Catching Up On The Week That Was

Obviously, the big news was that Vince McMahon resigned from TKO Sports, the group that now owns UFC and WWE, after a lawsuit was brought against him for a number of … well, just the worst stuff you can think of. And while the more cynical among us don’t expect this resignation to stick for a number of reasons – one, he’s come back from a forced resignation in disgrace before, and two, bad people never seem to get their comeuppance – it’s the opinion of “Let’s Watch Some Wrestling” that if we stay positive on all the other stuff in wrestling, we ought to stay positive about this as well.

Vince leaving won’t fix the entire company. Years of rot and awful people putting other awful people in positions of power need to be cleaned and cleared before a better reputation can even be hoped for. But it’s a start, and it shows that with the right pressure from the right places, this new company might be less resistant to change, even if it’s just to appease shareholders who don’t want their stock prices to fall because Mr. PeepeePoopoo Mustache Creeper has asked to stay on the board as a consultant or something. Baby steps, you know?

Regardless, I don’t want to harp on this stuff too much. If you care about it, the whole lawsuit has been picked apart by smarter (or at least timelier) people than me. At the end of the day, it’s a gross thing that a lot of people are happy has happened. Most of them are happy for good reasons, like justice and a woman’s right to be believed. Others are just happy that the company they don’t watch has had a bad time, and that feels kinda shitty. After the maybe-nothing-maybe-not thing with Jericho a few weeks back, it’s probably best that we lean into the good parts of this thing we all enjoy, rather than hope a company that employs a bunch of people fails because someone prefers a different set of initials. But I digress…

[EDIT] After I knocked this out, I learned about the whole John Laurinitis, a former McMahon employee and co-defendant in that lawsuit claiming to be a victim of the whole thing. And about the federal government starting an investigation into McMahon based on that lawsuit. There’s definitely going to be a lot of information coming out and I’ll try my best to keep up with it all for you, dear reader. There’s a lot, and most of it is disgusting, and I’m not going to be reading the actual lawsuit or anything, but there’s several actual wrestling journalists who are trying to keep up with everything, so I’ll stay on top of their work, at the very least. 

The Royal Rumble

What else…oh, the Royal Rumble happened! And it was largely…fine! I enjoyed the matches, thought the women’s match was a bit better than the men’s but both were okay. Winners were predictable (although not by yours truly…I had Becky Lynch and CM Punk) and the other two title matches went about how I’m sure many of us expected. Roman wins with interference again, Logan Paul wins by DQ . I will say I liked the ending of the US Championship match way more, and thought it was a creative way to keep KO looking strong while also leaving the belt with Logan Paul for now.

I enjoyed the women’s match more because they gave us more of the Royal Rumble surprises we’ve had for so long. Jordynne Grace, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, a returning Naomi, and a debuting Jade MF’in Cargill all appeared and made statements. Stratton and Perez have been main roster ready for some time, and I think their showings in the Rumble solidified that. Naomi got all she deserved and more, with that St. Pete crowd giving her the nicest return chant possible. And Jade got to look great, single handedly tossing Nia Jax from the match and also matching strength with fellow powerhouse Bianca Belair.

The guys, well, they had a match. And I’m sure we’ll see stuff grow from that in the coming weeks. But with no returns, legends, or debuts (I won’t count Carmelo Hayes because he’s been on SmackDown for weeks now) it was just a little underwhelming. That said, the ending was really good, especially when it got down to CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. And yeah, Rhodes won again, and yeah, Punk is out for like six months…but sometimes just because they do the thing you expect isn’t bad. It just means they’re telling a good story to its logical conclusion. Nothing wrong with that.

CM Punk Is Out Of WrestleMania XL

Oof, that Punk injury though. That frickin sucks, man. And look, I get that he rubs a lot of people the wrong way. I have been a fan for years, but as a native Chicago suburbs kid, I’m kinda predisposed to liking the guy. And seeing him come back, only to have to wait another year –at minimum – to get back to a WrestleMania just bites.

However, if there’s a positive, it’s that he seems adamant that he’ll be back. And in the meantime, we’ve got a lot of moving parts to settle in place before WrestleMania, or even Elimination Chamber. Drew McIntyre, Gunther, Seth Rollins, possibly even the Rock will need to be sorted out. Becky Lynch versus Rhea Ripley and Bayley taking on IYO SKY seem like locks, but there still need to be matches made and alliances broken before those can happen. It’s an exciting time to be a fan, especially if you’re like me [and I know I am] and enjoy a bit of fantasy booking.

All Elite Wrestling

AEW existed as well! The other guys have had a couple of, if we’re being honest, weak Dynamites the last couple weeks. Collision was good, though, especially when the company must have known their numbers would be crap going against the Rumble. However, a little controversy came from the main event cage match, as rumors said that the rules for the match were changed so Malakai Black didn’t have to eat a pinfall. I don’t like these rumors! Black is cool and has a great gimmick, but he’s not the guy to tell his boss whether he loses from time to time. Everybody loses! It’s part of the sport! He’s also vehemently denied these rumors, so like everything in wrestling, it looks like we’re gonna have to pick a side between the performers (whose whole job is to work us fans) and the reporters (whose job is to generate clicks for revenue). It’s fun! Wrestling journalism is so fun to follow…

Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page look to be colliding again next week, which should be amazing. Actually, next week’s whole Dynamite card already looks like a world-beater, with the Tag Team Championships on the line between Sting and Darby Allen and Big Bill and Ricky Starks. And a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT from Tony Khan! Maybe he’ll tell us about Will Ospreay’s first match, or Kazuchika Okada debuting, or even Mercedes Moné. WHO’S TO SAY?

NXT is in full go-home mode, as the Vengeance Day PPV is coming up this weekend. Swerve and Trick did as we expected, defeating the LWO to get into the finals of the Dusty Cup. And Carmelo and Trick’s tense relationship continues to stay the course, as the pair had a stern conversation about Dragunov’s mind games -- a phrase used no less than five times in one segment. Lyra Valkyria, the bird person herself, has a stalker/follower in Tatum Paxley, who again attacked Roxanne Perez before the champ faces off against the contender. Valkyria, for her part, claims she has no knowledge of Paxley’s reasons for the ongoing attacks, but I’m not so sure. I hate to be on the same side as Booker T in most cases, but it does seem like she’s been pretty lax in allowing Paxley to keep on going after Perez.

Last Year’s “Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!” Prediction Stats

And that’s about it, right? All caught up? Cool. So, we went 2/4 for the first PPV/PLE of the year, calling the not Rumbles but not the Rumble matches. It happens. But with another PLE on the way this weekend, I’m thinking we dive right into the predictions for that one. This year, I’ll keep a running tally of my success rate in guessing matches. Last year, going off my published stuff from both the blog and The Wrestling Estate, I had a decent record! Here’s some stats on Let’s Watch Some Wrestling’s 2023:

WWE

Royal Rumble

Rhea

Cody

Roman

Bianca

Bray

Elimination Chamber

X

WrestleMania 39

X

Backlash

X

Night of Champions

X

Money in the Bank

Knight

SKY

Cody

Seth

Ronda+

Gunther

Usos

SummerSlam*

Knight

Cody

Baszler

Paul

Rollins

SKY

Reigns

Gunther

Payback

X

Fastlane

X

Crown Jewel

X

Survivor Series

Tm Cody

Tm Flair

Escobar

Gunther

Ripley

NXT Deadl1ne

Frazer

Dragunov

Mysterio

Perez

Hayes

Williams

Stratton

AEW

Revolution

X

Double or Nothing**

Hardys

Cole

Elite

Cassidy

Wardlow

FTR

Hayter

Statlander

Guevara

HoB

Forbidden Door***

Ospreay

Okada

All In****

Aussies

Tm Sting

Bullet Club

BCC

Ospreay

Acclaimed

Bucks

Shida

Punk

Cole

Hook

All Out

X

WrestleDream

X

Full Gear

Joe/MJF

Tm Sting

Hangman

Bucks

Cassidy

Statlander

Starks/Bill

Shida

MJF

Kingston

Claudio

Worlds End*****

Hangman

Hook

Tm Sting

Swerve

Miro

Tm Rush

Cage

Hart

Kingston

Storm

Joe

Nightingale

Hook

Totals

Matches with Predictions

68

Correct Predictions

47

Accuracy

69%

Some notes:

I obviously didn’t preview every PPV or PLE last year. The blog was in a tentative place, and I contributed to a few other wrestling sites last year as well, which took some of my focus. The X’s are shows I didn’t preview. Italicized results are matches I didn't preview on shows I otherwise did, often due to late or nonexistent announcements.

*SummerSlam featured the IYO SKY Money In The Bank Cash-In, so I’m counting that prediction as a win.

**Similar situation with Double or Nothing, where I predicted a returning Statlander challenging Jade Cargill after her win over Taya Valkyrie.

***I didn’t write a full preview for Forbidden Door, but did participate in a roundtable discussion at The Wrestling Estate (RIP)

****Worlds End saw Dustin Rhodes replace an injured Keith Lee, but I think contextually Swerve winning would have been the same call regardless of who his opponent was. Also, Christian Cage technically lost his title, but then immediately won it again due to shenanigans, so I’m calling that a retention.

Not too shabby, huh? Also…69% accuracy? Nice. 

So with that, and our strong 50% start at the Royal Rumble this year, let’s get into…

The “Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!” Vengeance Day Preview

Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker versus Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals

Some recent developments have made this a little harder to call! Firstly, Bron had a great showing in the Royal Rumble. Rumor is, he was taking the spot of Brock Lesnar, who was all but directly named in that lawsuit we spoke about. But regardless of the reason why he was in there, Breakker made the most of the opportunity, spearing and yeeting guys like his life depended on it. Add that to the missed opportunity to bring him up while he was the most popular man in NXT, and maybe they’re looking to get him on the main roster while the getting’s good.

BUT the storyline almost demands that Williams and Hayes win. Dragunov basically set the pair at odds by offering Trick the title shot he was owed as Iron Survivor at the same show where the Dusty Cup finals are being held. And that hasn’t been lost on Carmelo, who continues to look like the shifty one in this partnership despite constant claims that he’s only got Trick’s best interests at heart. Since we need to pick a winner, I’ll go with the Trick Melo Gang, but I appreciate that it’s not as clear cut as it seemed to be a few weeks ago.

Tony D’Angelo, Stacks Lorenzo, and Adriana Rizzo versus Lucien Price, Bronco Nima, and Jaida Parker in a Six Person Mixed Tag Match

THIS is the NXT I tune in for week after week. Just the dumbest possible storylines imaginable. The mafia guys, two of whom are the NXT Tag Team Champs, had the restaurant they own (or maybe just frequent?) demolished by new challengers Price and Nima. Both groups recently added female members, so we’ll get the old-fashioned Fed rules for this mixed tag match – guys tag out when a gal tags in. It’s not as fun as watching the World’s Cutest Tag Team back in the day, but since none of these workers are problematic, I guess it’s for the best. I’ll pick the Family to win here, since whoever wins the Dusty cup later is guaranteed a title shot. No sense making the story even more convoluted just yet.

Dijak versus Joe Gacy in a No Disqualification Match

These guys have been at each other’s throats for a few weeks now, and they also have a longer history back when Gacy was running a cult (because it’s NXT and that’s a normal storyline on this show). I’m feeling a push for Gacy now that Ava, his former protégé, is in charge, and Dijak never seems to suffer after a loss. He’s just too good a baddie to not be believable as the guy your favorite might lose to! So, we’ll say Gacy picks up the win.

Oba Femi © versus Dragon Lee for the NXT North American Championship

Oba Femi shocked the world, or at least me on my couch, when he picked up the win against Dragon Lee a few weeks back. I’ve loved Femi since he was first introduced in the Men’s Breakout tournament a few months back, but I still thought it would be months until he even sniffed a title opportunity. He’s been mostly good in the role as the powerful champion, maybe a little rough around the edges but the base is there. It would feel disingenuous to let Lee get the strap back right after losing it, so I’ll go with Femi to retain a while longer. If the match is good, or even if Lee were to win, I’d still expect a third match at Stand and Deliver. But we’ll see how Sunday goes before we start fantasy booking that ‘Mania weekend show.

Lyra Valkyria © versus Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women’s Championship

I mentioned this matchup earlier, and I think the goofy NXT storytelling around Tatum Paxley has been fun so far! She’s playing the role of obsessed goth well, but there’s a chance she might end up costing Valkyria the title with her shenanigans. The popular opinion on the socials is that maybe Roxy is gonna be turning heel soon, but I think that’s a mistake. I’m hoping Valkyria goes all the way in on having an evil partner, and I’d also love to see Perez win the title and eventually move on to the big shows. Roxanne as the lovable underdog would help ease her into the move up, and also would make a hell of a moment when the loving NXT fans thank her and see her off in Philly. We haven’t had much in the way of big debuts on the Raw after WrestleMania the last few years, but I think there’s a strong chance several NXT stars see their way up this year.

Ilya Dragunov © versus Trick Williams for the NXT World Championship

Trick. All day. The man is everything you want in a WWE Superstar – he’s got the look, he’s good on the mic, he can wrestle a good match, and the crowd is all the way over for him. If you need evidence of that, check out his SmackDown appearance, saving Carmelo Hayes from a Austin Theory/ Grayson Waller beatdown. Those fans aren’t even the NXT faithful and yet the “whoop that trick” chants were loud and clear throughout the arena.

I liked Ilya’s championship run, but WWE has had a history of missing the boat on several recent hot NXT acts. You’ve got an immediate storyline with a jealous ‘Melo to work through WrestleMania weekend, and the history between those two, along with a possible “can they coexist” storyline if they win the Dusty Cup. It’s basically everything WWE bookers want, all at once. WHO SAYS NO?

Closing Up Shop

…in which I say goodbye for now

And that’s it! Thanks for coming with me on that journey. We’ve got a stacked SmackDown tonight, where we’ll start that brand’s Road To WrestleMania with appearances by Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and who knows who else! AEW will be playing host to some cool CMLL talent on Rampage and Collision, giving us some solid lucha libra in our diet. Sunday brings us the first NXT PLE for the year, Vengeance Day. Our Monday weekend in review should be pretty packed! Hopefully I stay on my game and, you know, write it!

I’ll see you next week for the usual Casual Friday and Untitled Monday blog posts. If you have questions, concerns, or comments, drop 'em in the comments section below! And follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, BlueSky and/or Instagram using the links on the right.

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!