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Showing posts with label Wrestlemania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wrestlemania. Show all posts

Thursday, April 4, 2024

It's the Let's Watch Some Wrestling Preview for Night Two of WrestleMania!

 

Good Morning!

A little less wordy for the intro this time around, as I’m trying to knock out some other posts as well. But when I noticed the first half of this preview was already nearing 4500 words, I figured it best to split the posts, both for your sake as a reader, and so the blog has a nice little reference point for each night, in case you need a quick refresh between shows. I’ll get the Stand and Deliver preview finished by tomorrow, as well as a short Casual Friday post to talk about Dynamite and the week in general. 


As I said in other posts, I want this blog to work for both newcomers and die-hard fans. So, we’re gonna try something a little different today, using my wife’s steadfast rules for why wrestling matches happen alongside some brief summaries of the rivalries and personalities involved in the fights this weekend. The rules, of course, are as follows:


  1. I don’t like you and want to fight you

  2. Something was misunderstood between us and we must fight, only to figure out later that we are friends

  3. “Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!”

  4. I WANT THAT CUMMERBUND (title)

WrestleMania Night Two: Sunday



Seth “Freakin’” Rollins © versus Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship

Who’s fighting?

We spoke a bit about Seth Rollins previously, but since this is his championship match I feel like we should dig a little deeper today. Seth has become kind of a third wheel on this WrestleMania card, which seems unfair considering he’s held the World Heavyweight Championship since its debut last year. However, it’s also kind of par for the course – after all, that championship was basically introduced because WWE didn’t want to take the title off of Roman Reigns, and they clearly didn’t want to separate the now-undisputed title either. So, we got a brand-new title and Seth has done his best to make it reputable, which he’s been largely successful at. An injury threatened to keep him out of WrestleMania, but his rehab went better than we could have hoped and he’ll be taking on Drew. 


Drew McIntyre has been a revelation of late. He’s leaned more and more into the heelish aspects of his character, but his initial turn was justifiable! He didn’t like that Jey Uso, a guy who participated in the screwing over of Drew in multiple championship matches, was being given a pass on Raw because Cody Rhodes was acting as kind of a sponsor for him. But he never apologized to Drew, and just kind of went about being a good guy – and the fans bought in! I’d be mad too, honestly.


Why are they fighting?

A few reasons. Drew won his championship during the pandemic, and has expressed a desire to win another in front of fans, a reasonable request. Drew also won the Elimination Chamber match to become the number one contender to Rollins’ championship, so it’s mostly Rule 4 we’re talking about here. But Drew and Seth have also become tangled in the Bloodline storyline, with Seth promising to help Cody, and Drew frequently accepts, or at least benefits from, Bloodline interference in his matches. We’ve also seen Drew and Paul Heyman, the Bloodline’s advocate/wise man/special counsel, chatting in weeks past.


*EDIT* I somehow, shockingly, forgot to mention that Drew's other nemesis, CM Punk, will be on commentary for this match. He's almost certainly gonna get involved, although I'm not sure how physical he can be. Maybe he's completely healed and this has all been a cunning ruse? Or maybe Punk will just talk smack about McIntyre for the whole match? Or, maybe Punk goes full Punk and spends twenty minutes just airing his grievances with current and former co-workers and workplaces -- WHO'S TO SAY?


Who’s gonna win?

I would love a Drew win, and I also can see him getting involved in the tag team main event on Night One, softening up Rollins while also doing some dirty work for Roman Reigns and The Rock. However, while I was researching this bit, I found that Drew’s last eight matches have been dark match losses against Cody Rhodes, with one Jey Uso match in early March breaking the trend. That could just mean the two aren’t involved in big rivalries that can be built at non-televised shows…or it could mean one of them won’t have a title after Sunday night, and a rivalry is warming up between the pair. Since I’m feeling the good vibes of the weekend, we’ll say Seth Rollins overcomes the odds here and defeats Drew. 


Of note here – Damian Priest still holds the Money in the Bank contract, and he might be feeling ready to strike out on his own if he and Finn Balor lose their Undisputed Tag Team Championship on Saturday. I wouldn’t rule out a cash-in on Drew OR Seth, just to add a little more excitement into the proceedings.




IYO SKY © versus Bayley for the Women’s Championship

Who’s fighting?

Bayley has recently become a de facto good guy in the grand scheme of things. She started her career as the good-est of good guys, coming out to bouncy theme music and being flanked by wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men as she headed to the ring. She turned against the fans a few years ago, and returned from injury at 2022’s SummerSlam to resume a rivalry with Bianca Belar alongside her new pals, IYO SKY and Dakota Kai, forming the stable Damage CTRL in the process. Bayley’s a solid technical wrestler, and has been involved in some of the greatest NXT matches of all time. She’s also the longest-reigning Smackdown Women’s champion, and this year became the Royal Rumble’s Iron Woman, lasting longer in that match than any other woman, ever.

IYO SKY is a high-flying performer, earning her the nickname “Genius of the Sky.” To be honest, it worked a little better when she went as Io Shirai back in NXT. Regardless, she’s an amazing in-ring talent, and WWE has been letting her show a little more personality by cutting promos in her native Japanese, and putting subtitles over them. I may not know what she’s saying, but you can feel the emotion when she says it, you know? 


Why are they fighting?

The rare 1-3-4 combo for this one! We spoke about Damage CTRL before, and it plays heavily in this match. Bayley and IYO have been frenemies since IYO won Money in the Bank last year by handcuffing Bayley to Becky Lynch. IYO used that case to win her Women’s Championship at SummerSlam, and Becky continued to support her stablemate despite the tension. Once Asuka and Kairi Sane joined Damage CTRL, Becky seemed to be the odd woman out, and when Becky revealed that she’d learned enough Japanese to know when her friends were talking smack about her, she decided to use her Royal Rumble victory to challenge IYO for her title.


Who’s gonna win?

Bayley deserves a big win on a big stage, and while IYO has been a good champ, it seems like a good time for a change. Am I predicting too many good guys to win? Probably. But I’m an optimist and a simple man, and I like when good overcomes bad at WrestleMania. And Bayley will have to overcome a lot to win this match – even though the other members of Damage CTRL have their own match on Saturday, they will likely show up in support of their champ for this fight.




The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford, and Angelo Dawkins) versus The Final Testament (Carrion Cross, Akam, and Rezar) in a Six-Man Philadelphia Street Fight

Who’s fighting?

Bobby Lashley is a mountain of a man, the kind of guy one thinks of when they think of a pro wrestler from the 90s. Just a big ol’ slab of beef. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, collectively known as the Street Profits, are the tried-and-true combination of a bigger guy (Dawkins) and a charismatic flippy guy (Ford). Ford’s no little guy, though – a former Marine standing 6’1”, the Chicago native is lean and jacked, and has one of the highest leaps in wrestling. They’ll be accompanied by B-Fab, a young lady formerly of the faction Hit Row before they disbanded.


Carrion Cross leads The Final Testament, and he’s an intense guy with a deep love for his equally intense wife, Scarlett. He’s not Lashley big, but he’s a big dude nonetheless, and he’s got kind of a hardcore/heavy metal vibe going on. His buddies, Akam and Rezar, are giants – no-nonsense beasts who let their actions speak for them as they toss their victims around the ring. They are not, as my wife often mentions, the turtle and wolf from Ninja Turtles 2; they’re a tag team called the Authors of Pain. They’re managed by legendary manager Paul Ellering, who also works as a mouthpiece for the guys when Cross isn’t around. 


Why are they fighting?

They just don’t like each other – rule 1 all the way. I honestly don’t have a lot to add to that – the groups have been involved with each other for a few months, and they’re going to continue that rivalry at the biggest show on the calendar.


Who’s gonna win?

I guess we’ll have the bad guys – The Final Testament – pick up the win here, since we’ve been so good-guy heavy in our picks. There’s no real rhyme or reason for a match like this to have a clear winner, as they’ll probably continue fighting beyond Sunday, so look for some shenanigans to cost the good guys the fight.




Logan Paul © versus Kevin Owens versus Randy Orton in a Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship

Who’s fighting?

If this were the kind of organization that employed a bunch of diverse talents, I’d have somebody younger try to explain to both you and me why Logan Paul is so popular. As it stands, it’s an unpaid one-man operation, so I’ll try my best. He’s a YouTube guy who has made some really questionable life choices, but he also seems to have kinda moved away from that as he’s gotten a little older. What matters to us, the wrestling fans, is that he’s a natural in the ring. He’s tall and lanky, but has a really good grasp on the in-ring stuff, flying around and playing the heel role perfectly. He’s also our United States champ, having won the belt by using some brass knuckles on Rey Mysterio. 


Kevin Owens is a blue-collar everyman, a Canadian veteran of the ring, and one of the most likable people in wrestling. He and longtime friend, partner, and rival Sami Zayn won the Undisputed Tag Team Championships at last year’s ‘Mania, and he’s been a singles champ multiple times over. Lately, he’s been kind of an audience surrogate, calling out the tropes of pro wrestling while getting very close to breaking the fourth wall.


Randy Orton is a wrestler’s wrestler, tall, tanned, and jacked. Orton is a third-generation superstar, and has been in WWE for over twenty years, and in that time he’s established his finisher, the RKO, as one of the best in all of wrestling. He’s always been kind of a “tweener,” ready to turn on his friends at the drop of a hat.


Why are they fighting?

Rule 4 is the obvious pick here – Logan has a belt, neither Randy nor Kevin like him, and they want to relieve him of that responsibility. Orton and Owens have also been pretty buddy-buddy of late. Logan has repeatedly screwed Owens over, using the brass knuckles he deployed to win his US Championship to retain it as well.


Who’s gonna win?

We’ll keep the bad guys on a streak here, and give Logan Paul the win. I hate to get backstage-y, as I don’t really keep up with the rumors and scuttlebutt, but I think WWE likes what they have in Paul – a really famous guy outside of wrestling who brings fresh eyes to the product. Paul almost always brings his friends to WrestleMania, so he’ll have an advantage against Owens and Orton in that regard, and I’d also bet on Orton growing tired of being beloved and turning on KO.




LA Knight versus AJ Styles

Who’s fighting?

We’ll start with LA Knight. He’s been described as a mixture between The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the microphone, which is high praise for a guy who hasn’t been in WWE that long. He’s good in the ring, but his mic work is what’s really gotten him over with the fans, who just really like yelling “YEAUH” along with him – present company included. 


AJ Styles is kind of a journeyman pro wrestler – before joining the WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble, Styles wrestled on the independent circuit as well as for WCW, NWA, TNA-Impact, and in Japan as well. He was named wrestler of the year multiple times in the 2010s, and also has the honor of being the Undertaker’s last opponent, losing to the Dead Man in a cinematic “Boneyard Match” during the pandemic-era WrestleMania 36.


Why are they fighting?

Some solid Rule 3 stuff here. AJ was going to team up with John Cena against the Bloodline earlier this year, but a backstage attack saw AJ out of that match, and LA Knight as his replacement. AJ was out for a good while, but returned at Elimination Chamber to interfere, attacking LA Knight. Knight would seek revenge ever since, attacking AJ on multiple occasions, including at Styles’ home last month. This is a blood feud thru and thru, and I’m honestly surprised it’s a straight-up singles match and not something more violent.


Who’s gonna win?

Some say WWE missed the boat on LA Knight, because he was WILDLY popular last year, but I think he’s still pretty dang over – just listen to the crowd when he’s talking on the mic. AJ is the kind of professional who doesn’t mind putting someone over, either. I think this is a good time to give Knight a big WrestleMania win, and if they want to keep this rivalry going WWE could always bring AJ Styles back together with his stable, the OC, that he kinda drifted away from after his most recent return to action.




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

Who’s fighting?

You know by now! It’s Cody Rhodes, beloved superstar, haver-of-a-story, and possibly the most popular wrestler in the WWE right now (non-part-time division) fighting Roman Reigns, the Undisputed Universal Champion in both name and in legacy right now, a guy who just feels inevitable and undefeatable.


Why are they fighting?

While we could pepper in some old-fashioned disdain, this is all Rule 4. The phrase “finish the story” has kind of evolved from Cody looking to win the title that his father was never given a chance to truly hold, to Cody needing to win that title and defeat longtime rival Roman Reigns to validate his own story and his return to WWE. Cody was attacked by Bloodline guy and Reigns’ cousin Solo Sikoa to end his championship dreams last year, and Roman has gloated about it ever since. Cody’s been forced to take some side quests since then, engaging in rivalries with Brock Lesnar, the Miz, Shinsuke Nakamura, and members of the Judgment Day while also briefly teaming with Jey Uso. But after winning the Royal Rumble this year, Cody wanted his rematch, and despite The Rock inserting himself into the WrestleMania main event(s), first as a Cody replacement and then as a rival, Cody has been the majority of fans’ choice to dethrone the Tribal Chief.


Who’s gonna win?

I’ve seen a lot of theories about how this match goes down. I think it’s definitely going to be contested under Bloodline Rules, with Rock and Roman defeating Cody and Seth on Saturday. But what shenanigans will take place during the match? I’ve fantasy-booked everything from a straight-up singles match to a full-on Bloodline versus Cody-vengers lineup, with Cody calling in favors from legends like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and John Cena. 





The theory behind those two is this image from a couple of Raws past, when Rock beat the everloving hell out of Rhodes in the rain in Chicago as the images of those two loomed behind them. Cena actually makes some sense here, as he’s battled the Bloodline over the last few years. Even without bringing in Legends, the idea of all the current wrestlers who have been screwed over by Roman and his family joining together to keep the fight fair would be a really cool WrestleMania moment.


At the end of the day, I think it does all come down to Roman and Cody. There will be interference, but the last big chunk of the match will be these two, overcoming all the distractions and outside attacks and just going at each other in a match-within-a-match. And that’s when Cody will finally finish his story, hopefully putting an end to both Roman’s reign and that phrase. I swear, if I never hear about another story it’ll be too soon.

…and that’s it!

What a packed weekend we’ve got! I’ll see you next week for the usual Casual Friday and Untitled Monday blog posts, with the Monday blog featuring a recap of WrestleMania, Stand and Deliver, and also Collision if I find the time to check that out too! Hell, if I’m feeling particularly saucy I’ll try to post some thoughts on Sunday morning, even, but I can’t make any guarantees. 


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!




Wednesday, April 3, 2024

It's the Let's Watch Some Wrestling Preview for Night One of WrestleMania!

 


Good Morning!

It’s finally here! The weekend we’ve been waiting for all week as FedHeads and Rock fans, Cody Crybabies and Punkers, and any number of other wrestling-related nicknames. The Road to WrestleMania ends in Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday nights, a change that happened a few years back after somebody realized a four-plus hour show is cool on TV but absolute murder to the fans as the WWE expanded in global popularity. 


I’ve been to a couple myself, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before – Toronto’s WrestleMania X8 in 2002 (on St. Patrick’s Day, no less) and WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans in 2018 with my wife and my buddy. Both fantastic trips, memorable for the cities, the company, and the copious amounts of alcohol. But even in New Orleans, a city that stays open later than most, there was little in the way of transportation or late-night food available when Brock Lesnar put Roman Reigns down for good. So, the two-day schedule seems like a net positive for everybody. If I do another WrestleMania trip, and I hope to, I think the drinking probably gets slightly cut down and the non-wrestling activities maybe increase a little earlier in the week. I’ve heard rumors of Minnesota next year…I’ve never been, maybe that would be a fun trip. Who’s to say? 


But I digress. We aren’t here to chat, we’re here to preview the Showcase of the Immortals, the Granddaddy of them All…it’s WrestleMania XL! Two nights of action with some great talent, nearly every WWE title on the line…oh, and an appearance by the biggest movie star in the world. It should be a blast! 


WWE was nice enough to actually announce which matches are going to be on which nights, so we’ll preview them in the order they were announced. I feel like we’ve gotten an additional match added during the show a few times recently, like when we got a last-minute Stone Cold match with Kevin Owens, or when the Undertaker arrived at ‘Mania 34 to accept John Cena’s challenge. So I wouldn’t rule one out for Sunday, since that would give us an even split of 7-and-7 over the two nights. We also have NXT Stand and Deliver early on Saturday – 10AM for us here in Colorado – and I’ll begin work on that preview once I’ve watched Tuesday’s go-home show. We'll be previewing night one here, with a second post for the second night of WrestleMania coming a little later in the week.


As I said in other posts, I want this blog to work for both newcomers and die-hard fans. So, we’re gonna try something a little different today, using my wife’s steadfast rules for why wrestling matches happen alongside some brief summaries of the rivalries and personalities involved in the fights this weekend. The rules, of course, are as follows:


  1. I don’t like you and want to fight you

  2. Something was misunderstood between us and we must fight, only to figure out later that we are friends

  3. “Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!”

  4. I WANT THAT CUMMERBUND (title)

WrestleMania Night One: Saturday




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

Who’s fighting? 

Rhea Ripley has been our champion for almost a year, winning the Women’s World Championship at last year’s WrestleMania over perpetual champ Charlotte Flair. Since then, Rhea has become the head of Judgment Day, a stable of guys who share a taste for violence, chaos, leather, and the color purple. She’s brash, confident, and tough as hell. Becky Lynch is a multi-time champ, proud Irish lass, and all around good-guy. She’s a mom, a fighter, goes by the nickname “The Man,” and earned a ton of street cred when she legit got her nose broken in a fight a few years back, giving us this immortal image:





Why are they fighting? 

Reason 4, but with some 1 mixed in. Initially, Becky challenged Rhea because she wanted the belt and to prove herself; in the weeks since then, Becky has taken some comments Rhea made about Becky’s daughter as a personal slight, and the two have been brawling every time they met face to face since then.


Who’s gonna win? 

Becky is great, but Rhea hasn’t really had that great of a title run. I think Rhea could retain, and the story evolves into her holding on while her Judgment Day cronies all lose their belts and begin to drift away. On the other hand, Becky winning could double down on that, with all of Judgment Day realizing they are better as singles wrestlers than as a collective. I’ve talked myself into it: Becky Lynch will win. Rhea deserves another title run, hopefully one with stronger opponents, and maybe some time without the belt will see some solid challengers rise up.




Gunther © versus Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship

Who’s fighting? 

Gunther is a giant of a man, formerly known as WALTER (in all caps) on the independent wrestling scene. He’s big, he’s Austrian, he’s mean, and he considers the ring sacred. He’s also been the Intercontinental Champion for, as of Friday, 666 days! He’s basically what WWE used to bank on in the 80s and 90s, a big foreign heel who frightens us with his stoic nature and horrifying power. Sami Zayn is the underdog among underdogs, a little guy with a big heart. His theme music sets the tone for his matches: infectious, catchy, and fun. This time last year, he and lifelong friend Kevin Owens were fighting the Usos for the tag team championships after Zayn broke away from the Bloodline, a team he talked his way into by being a lovable loser. This year, he’s fighting to make a name for himself again.


Why are they fighting? 

This one’s all Reason 4. A Gauntlet match on Raw a few weeks ago saw Zayn earn an Intercontinental Championship match by defeating Chad Gable, a guy who had a number of chances to get that title off Gunther but never quite succeeded. Gable has turned into a coach for Zayn, helping the underdog to get inspired in his fight against the very large champion.


Who’s gonna win? 

To be honest, I really wanted Chad Gable to win that gauntlet match and finally get that win over Gunther at WrestleMania. But we have what we have, and I don’t think there’s been enough build for Sami to overcome Gunther. If anything, I could see Gable screwing Zayn over, either by distracting him or by throwing in the towel during the match – something vaguely alluded to in Raw’s training montage that featured Gable and Zayn. Regardless of the way it happens, I think Gunther retains and headlines his “home show” as a champ.




Jimmy Uso versus Jey Uso

Who’s fighting? 

As the last names suggest, these two are related. Twin brothers, cousins to Roman Reigns, and a former tag team, the Usos have gone from face painted, fun loving island boys to tough guy proprietors of the Uso Penitentiary. These days, Jimmy is the bad guy, still a part of Roman Reigns’ Bloodline. Jey broke away from that group after Roman treated both of them poorly, but after Jey defected, Roman made nice with the remaining Uso.


Why are they fighting? 

The rare Rule 2 comes into play here, as these two will never be too far apart from one another. Right now, they’re at each other's throats; after they fight it out, maybe they team up again.


Who’s gonna win? 

These two couldn’t have had more different trajectories after their breakup. Jey has main evented a few Raw shows, and is over as hell with his YEET catchphrase and fun interactive entrance. Jimmy has been a joke, both as Roman’s flunkie and as Solo Sikoa’s … handler? Jimmy’s had a little resurgence lately, but I think Jey deserves the win after doing some great work with his character. I don’t see this being a great match, but it should be fun. 




The PowerBuff Girls (Bianca Belair, Naomi, and Jade Cargill) versus Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane, and Asuka)

Who’s fighting? 

Bianca Belair is arguably the biggest star in this all-star showcase. She defeated Sasha Banks in her first WrestleMania match at 37, Becky Lynch at 38, and Asuka at 39 – all of them Hall of Fame level talent. A former track-and-field athlete, Belair has only been wrestling around six years, and her infectious smile, incredible power, and long braid that doubles as a weapon are trademarks of this great wrestler. Naomi is a former champ who recently returned to WWE after walking out of the company because of a dispute over the way the Tag Team titles she and Sasha Banks held – we talked about that after it happened. These days, she’s a happy go lucky good guy who’s known for her athleticism and great blacklight entrance. Jade Cargill will be participating in her first match in WWE: she was the longtime TBS champion in AEW, but signed with WWE recently and has been presented as a powerhouse and once-in-a-lifetime talent. She’s tall, looks like she’s been carved from granite, and could be Storm from the X-Men in real life. She’s also big into cosplay at big events – in AEW she dressed up as Cheetara from Thundercats and She-Hulk, among others – so keep an eye out for a cool debut look.


Asuka and Kairi Sane are the women’s tag team champs, Japanese superstars who came to the WWE and had varying levels of success. Kairi has come back to the company after leaving for Japan after a long first stint, and Asuka has been a multi-time champion and one of the best women’s wrestlers on the WWE roster. Kairi is an aerial specialist, and Asuka is more of a striker. Dakota Kai is the de facto leader of Damage CTRL now that they have excommunicated former leader Bayley, although that seems mostly due to the fact that she speaks the best English. A Kiwi and a striker, Kai has been a bad guy since coming up from NXT a couple years ago, and while she’s been sidelined with injuries for a lot of her main roster run, she’s a good performer with a lot of personality.


Why are they fighting? Rule 1: They just don’t like each other. Naomi defended Bayley after she was kicked out of Damage CTRL, in part because Naomi wasn’t around during Bayley’s long run as a bad guy. Bianca and Naomi are pals, and while Bianca has no love for Bayley, she’s not going to turn her back on her pal. And Jade recently joined the pair after a numbers-advantage beating happened last week and she saw the good guys needed some help. I saw the PowerBuff Girls name on social media and immediately adopted it for the trio.


Who’s gonna win? Jade Cargill is one of those people who just looks like a wrestler. She’s so impressive it almost doesn’t matter what she does in the ring. That being said, WWE has smartly booked her debut in a match with five women who can all hold their own in the ring, so any shortcomings Jade may still have can be glossed over by simply having her tag out. The PowerBuff Girls will win because that’s how you do a WrestleMania debut; see Rhodes, Cody for further details.




Judgment Day © versus #DIY versus The Awesome Truth versus The New Day versus A-Town Down Under versus New Catch Republic in a Six Pack Tag Team Ladder Match for the currently Undisputed Tag Team Championship

Who’s fighting?

*deep breath* The Judgment Day, represented in this match by Finn Balor and Damien Priest, have been Undisputed Tag Team Champions since October, when they defeated the short-lived tag team of Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes for the titles. They’re bad guys, Finn being more of a technician and off-the-top-ropes kind of fella and Priest the tall, thin muscle of the group. #DIY is a pair of good guys who have been partners (and enemies) since their days together in NXT. They had some of the best matches that developmental brand has ever seen, in between teaming up as DIY. Hard-hitting and hard-working, this will be their first WrestleMania appearance after finally becoming main-roster performers over the past year. The Awesome Truth is the recently-reunited team of The Miz and R-Truth. Miz was a reality show star on MTV back in the day, before becoming the Hollywood character he’s been for years in WWE. He’s safe, if a little boring, in the ring, and serves as a dependable opponent and the straight man in this comedy duo. R-Truth is timeless, a guy who’s been wrestling for decades, occasionally as a legit tough guy but mostly as a comedy act. In his currrent incarnation, he thought he was a part of the Judgment Day before they grew tired of his act and attacked him, bringing both Miz and #DIY to his rescue. Truth now believes #DIY to be Regeneration-X, the second coming of Triple H and Shawn Michaels, based on Tomasso Ciampa’s beard, i guess? 


The New Day is represented by longtime fan favorites Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston. Kingston is a veteran and former world champ, formerly with a bad Jamaican gimmick but more recently just a good dude with incredible aerial skill. His spots in Royal Rumbles past are some of the most entertaining parts of those shows. Woods is a more mat-based wrestler, and is a popular video game streamer in his off hours. The two have won nine tag team championships together along third New Day member Big E, who unfortunately suffered a long-term neck injury a couple years ago and has yet to return to the ring. A-Town Down Under is a pair of good looking younger bad guys who have very high opinions of themselves. Austin Theory is the self-obsessed Atlanta native, Grayson Waller is the Aussie with great microphone skills, and the pair is likely participating to take some pretty nasty offense. And, finally, New Catch Republic is the most recent pairing in this match, but the Brits have worked with and against each other for years. Tyler Bate is quick, agile, and fun to watch, while Pete Dunne is brutal and violent, with a penchant for bending and breaking opponents’ fingers. *exhales*


Why are they fighting?

Reason 4 – everybody wants those titles! A tag team tournament was recently launched to decide who would participate in this match, and these five challengers won their way onto the WrestleMania card. 


Who’s gonna win?

If you’ve never had the pleasure, a ladder match is the best kind of crazy. Even though this is a tag team match, there won’t be tag rules enforced – it’s just gonna be twelve guys wandering around, beating each other up. It’s gonna be mayhem, but the goal is to set up a ladder in the middle of the ring and bring down the title belts that are hanging high above it. Once the belts are unstrapped from their hanger, the match ends.


There used to be separate championships for both Raw and SmackDown, but the Usos unified those championships in May of 2022 and WWE never saw fit to split them since. However, a throwaway comment on Monday’s Raw specified that the match won’t end until both sets of belts come down, meaning we may see two different teams come out of this one as champions. I’d imagine each pair of belts will be suspended over corners of the ring, so we can get a dramatic double-climbing and double-winning. And since I feel like a happy ending would be nice here, I’ll go with #DIY and The Awesome Truth taking home the gold. They won’t be long-time champs – at least, Awesome Truth won’t be – but R-Truth really deserves a big moment at WrestleMania, and it would be nice for these onscreen buddies to all end up with gold.




Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee versus “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar in a tag team match

Who’s fighting?

Rey Mysterio is probably the most famous luchador of all time, a masked hero who wins matches with his speed, fearlessness, and ability to fly from anywhere in the ring. His partner, Dragon Lee, is young luchador new to the WWE but with experience in Mexico, AEW, Japan, and elsewhere. Mysterio has said Lee is the next great luchador in WWE, and it’s hard to argue after seeing some of his matches – the kid is dynamite. Santos Escobar was formerly Rey Mysterio’s tag team partner and a member of Rey’s Latino World Order faction, a group founded by legendary wrestler Eddie Guerrero. Santos turned on Rey after Rey failed him as a mentor and faction leader, and inadvertently took Santos’ spot in a match that ended up getting Rey a United States Championship reign. Santos is a luchador as well, but without the mask. He’s also the leader of his own stable – the Legado del Fantasma, named after his father. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio is Rey’s real-life son, but the two parted ways after Dom turned on Rey (kind of a theme here) and joined up with Rhea Ripley and the Judgment Day. Dominik tells us Rey was a deadbeat dad, and has had some pretty funny skits where he showed up at the family home only to be taken away in a police car, ending him in jail for several hours. Since then, Dom has been kind of a joke, a hardened criminal only in his own mind.


Why are they fighting?

Reason 1. These guys and their respective factions have been fighting for months, ever since Santos left the LWO and took Rey’s knee out in the process. Rey made his return a few weeks back, and in a promo segment with all members of the LWO and LDF in a ring, Rey challenged Santos and Dominik to a match against Rey and any member of the LWO. After they accepted, Rey revealed Dragon Lee as the newest member of his group.


Who’s gonna win?

Even though this is theoretically a two-on-two match, expect the entire lineups of both factions to get involved. Rey’s group includes older WWE superstar Carlito, two young high-flyers in Joaquin Wilde and Cruz del Toro, and manager/wrestler/anime enthusiast Zelina Vega. Santos counters with equally talented baddies Angel Garza and Humberto Carillo and manager/wrestler Elektra Lopez. It’s not often the good guys have the numbers, but Judgment Day’s newest recruit, Andrade, might show up to even things out. Either way, I think the good guys will win this one. Rey is great, and Dragon Lee deserves a chance to showcase his skills in a big win, on a grand stage. 




The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns) versus Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin’” Rollins in a tag team match

Who’s fighting?

The Rock just might be the most famous man in the world. The guy got his start in the WWE, and is now playing the role of the Final Boss, a bad guy who loves throwing around his power, both literally and metaphorically. He’s big, strong, and unhappy, and he’s also a legitimate boss of WWE, as he owns a bunch of shares in TKO, WWE’s parent company. Rocky is using that reality to warp his character into a kind of authority figure, albeit one who isn’t really in charge of anything on the shows. Oh, and the Rock is also cousin to one Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns is our Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table, and has been the Undisputed Universal Champion for so long that WWE gave up and created a new title rather than figure out how to separate those titles after he won them both. He’s been champ for nearly four years now, rarely defending his titles and winning via interference from his family, which he calls The Bloodline. 

Cody Rhodes is the white meat babyface, the good guy who inherited the role from guys like John Cena and Hulk Hogan. He believes in America, doing the right thing, and keeping his dog around more often than most folks. He’s a genuinely good dude, too, constantly getting caught in social media videos going the extra mile to make someone’s day. Cody is the son of a legendary wrestler in “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, and while Cody was in the WWE for years, a lack of creative freedom compelled him to strike out on the independent circuit. There, he’d have a series of dream matches against opponents he respected before eventually becoming part of the group that founded All Elite Wrestling, which has grown into the second largest pro wrestling company in the US. Cody returned to WWE two years ago, a surprise opponent for Seth Rollins and a genuine shock to many of us fans. Seth Freakin’ Rollins has been a lot of things. His WWE story began as part of The Shield, a group that also included Roman Reigns. He turned on those guys and was a bad guy for a long time, working with evil authority figures and just being a bad dude. Currently, he’s a good guy, the holder of the second-most important title in the company, and a fashionista. The crowd will sing his song and he’ll absorb it for a long, long time.


Why are they fighting?

The Rock returned to WWE to fight Roman Reigns. He said he was thinking about taking the head of the table, and even though Cody won the Royal Rumble, guaranteeing him a title shot, Rock basically told him to step aside. Cody has been in a war with The Bloodline for over a year, winning the last two Royal Rumbles and getting screwed out of his championship hopes last year at WrestleMania. When Cody decided he was not going to get out of the Rock’s way, Rock turned on the hero, taking his insults against Roman as insults against his own family – which, technically, is true. Face slaps, beatings, and blood have been exchanged since then, culminating in a pair of matches this weekend. This tag team match will decide whether the Bloodline is barred from ringside during Sunday’s championship match between Cody and Roman; a win from the Bloodline means the match will be contested under Bloodline Rules, which basically means no rules at all if Monday’s preview match is to be believed. 


Who’s gonna win?

This match is all about stacking the deck against Cody, and maybe setting up a future challenger or two in the process. The Rock and Roman Reigns will win via shenanigans and goings-on, setting up Bloodline Rules for Night Two’s singles match between Rhodes and Reigns. But there’s gonna be some drama in those shenanigans, too, with maybe some tension between the Tribal Chief and the Final Boss. It’s hard to fantasy book Rock into stuff, as we don’t know his schedule and if he’s even wanting to wrestle again after this weekend. But if he’s interested and these matches go well, I could see Rock facing Reigns as soon as SummerSlam, or even Rock facing Cody for the title if they’re going to let the Bloodline drama cook a little longer. 

…and that’s it!

We already had an Untitled Monday Blog go up on, well, Monday, and the second half of this preview, as well as one for NXT Stand and Deliver, will be posted by the end of the week. We’ll make time to talk about AEW Dynamite during Casual Friday, too! Of course, I’ll let you know when those go live via the usual socials, dear reader.


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