The offramp from the Road to WrestleMania, plus Collision and Rampage thoughts: It's the Untitled Monday Blog!

 

Good Morning!

I love a Saturday in Suburbia. The sun is shining, the lawn care machines are running, the kids are shooting hoops in the cul-de-sac. My wife and her buddy are watching something in the other room and laughing maniacally, but that’s why they made headphones. The wife and I spent the better part of this morning on lawn care duty, picking up after my two pups, laying down clover and grass seed, and burning the weeds and brush we cleared out earlier this week. I watched SmackDown this morning while grocery shopping, a surprisingly easy task when the store is mostly empty. And now we’re here, ready to recap SmackDown and add to it once Collision airs. It’s almost WrestleMania week! SUPER EXCITING TIMES!

Weekend Rasslin'!

With the weekend having been pretty busy, let’s jump right in with some thoughts on the penultimate SmackDown before WrestleMania, an episode of WWE TV that surprisingly didn’t focus on the Bloodline’s story. We got four matches, none of them great but all serviceable, and they were there to move their respective plot lines along anyways. We saw A-Town Down Under defeat a distracted Street Profits, and the New Catch Republic take out the previously-assaulted Humberto and Angel of the Legado del Fantasma. Those two winners will get to fight for the tag belts at WrestleMania, along with DIY, Awesome Truth, the New Day, and current champions Judgment Day. I would love to see R-Truth get a title win at WrestleMania, even if that means Miz gets another one as well. Truth is a ray of sunshine, and deserves the reward of even just a short title reign. The guy is just universally beloved, like Paul Rudd or Kermit the Frog.

We got a couple more matches announced during the show, too! Jade Cargill signed her SmackDown contract, and after the main event arrived to help Naomi and Bianca Belair as they were getting assaulted by Damage CTRL. She’ll be teaming up with Naomi and Belair against the Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai, just like we predicted last week! I think it’s a great way to showcase Jade in the ring next to and against a bunch of veteran performers who can help make her look good in the ring, and I envy Kairi Sane, who I imagine will be getting tossed around the ring by Jade.

The Ligado del Fantasma and Latino World Order had a big promo-off that led to Rey Mysterio and the newest member of the LWO, Dragon Lee, challenging Dominic Mysterio and Santos Escobar to a tag match at WrestleMania that will undoubtedly feature both of these groups in an all-out brawl by the end. I was hoping for a big old street fight, but this should be fun as Lee is fantastic and the other folks have all proven their chops in the ring.

Some good promo work tonight, as well, headed up by IYO SKY getting to talk smack to Bayley in Japanese! I love me a good native language promo, because it feels more natural and even though I’m reading subtitles I can sense the annunciation and passion that sometimes doesn’t come across when folks are using a second language. Bayley was polite enough to let IYO say what she had to say before absolutely jacking her on the set of that video, tossing lighting setups and beating her down before the crew realized their equipment was at risk and stepped in. 

Naomi and Bianca had a really sweet friendly chat a little later, and AJ Styles got to talk in the ring before getting assaulted (again) by LA Knight. Oh, and we got a glimpse of a non-goth Isla Dawn trying to chat up GM Nick Aldis. All good stuff, everybody got their point across in their own ways. 

AEW Collision opened up with Adam Copeland heading to the ring for an open challenge, just ten days removed from his incredibly brutal match for the TNT Championship against Christian Cage. Cope offered up a title shot, and beloved indie deathmatch king Matt Cardona accepted. The two had a really fun match, with commentary doing a great job of catching those of us not in the know about the long mentor/student relationship the two had. The outcome never really seemed in doubt, but it was a cool surprise and a good match with a creative finish. 

Oh, and speaking of cool surprises – post match, the lights went down and Malakai Black appeared in the ring when they came back. That was enough of a distraction to allow Black’s pal Buddy Matthews to attack Copeland from behind, but Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston arrived to even the odds. Briscoe and Kingston will be fighting at Friday’s Ring of Honor show, but we’d find out later that the pair will team with Cope at AEW Dynasty against the House of Black.

After some promos setting up Billy Gunn vs Jay White, with the two men’s factions staying in back, we got FTR versus The Infantry in the OTHER tag team tournament we’re keeping up with. Infantry looked great in this one, actually much better than the squeak-by victory they got over the House of Black to get here. FTR, as always, was solid, letting the younger men look faster before catching up by way of their veteran savvy. 

A squash for the recently-returned Kyle O’Reilly (or Kylo Reilly, as we call him ‘round these parts) was next, followed by a celebration by the Undisputed Kingdom with their old pal. Then we had the second tournament match, with Top Flight taking on Big Bill and Ricky Starks, the latter of whom we haven’t seen much of since they lost the tag titles to Sting and Darby. It was what you’d expect from the high-flying Martin brothers and Bill and Starks, although there was a scary moment when Ricky suffered what’s been called a “stinger,” which might have led to Top Flight getting the win as a precaution/call on the fly kind of thing. Thankfully, Starks has said on social media that he’s okay, and since it feels like this whole tournament was set up for us to get to another FTR/Young Bucks match anyway, I don’t think it’s that big a setback for the Big/Ricky team.

A good match between Thunder Rosa and Lady Frost followed, and I have been noticing that Rosa acts kinda mad for her matches lately. Like, not salty, per se, but definitely like she’s got a chip on her shoulder, or feels disrespected by booking. Regardless, it was a solid fight, and Lady Frost is really good in the role AEW has given her.

Speaking of, Storm and Mariah May were interviewed after that match, with Toni learning that a match next week will decide whether Thunder Rosa or Mariah May will face her at Dynasty. Storm immediately, charmingly, turns on May, asking if that was her plan all along before smooching her and calling her a genius. “I see myself in you and I love me” was just a great line, and Storm continues to do well with a gimmick some have turned on, but I was slow to warm to so it’s still working for me.

Our main event was Claudio Castignoli, Bryan Danielson, and Katsuyori Shibata challenging The Righteous and Lance Archer. This one was one of those matches that pits big guys who lose a lot against an AEW favorites group, which are always a good time even if the ending is rarely in doubt. There were some entertaining spots, including Castignoli and Shibata teaming up on a series of running uppercuts and shotgun dropkicks, and Shibata ended up getting the victory with his PK. Overall, a fine ending to a good episode of Collision!

Closing Up Shop

…in which I say goodbye for now

And that’s it! This week should be pretty stacked with WrestleMania and Stand and Deliver go-home shows, an already-loaded Dynamite card, and the Bray Wyatt documentary dropping tomorrow. I can’t say I’m in a rush to start bawling in front of my wife and my TV, but she really liked Bray too, and I would like to review the program, so be on the lookout for that whenever I get to watching it!

 I’ll also be doing the usual previews for ‘Mania and Stand and Deliver, with the latter probably coming Wednesday or Thursday after we’ve watched the last episode of NXT, and the former going up as part of the Casual Friday blog – most of SmackDown looks to be devoted to Hall of Fame stuff, promo packages for WrestleMania, and the Andre the Giant Battle Royale. 

My "plan," dear reader, is to knock out the article I’m working on for SlashGear after I've published this, and write the previews as kind of a primer, perfect for lapsed fans or people who just want to watch the biggest show of the year with a little background. I’m hoping to break the preview into two parts, but that kinda depends on tonight’s Raw and whether they announce what matches will be on what nights. Regardless, if you’ve got plans to watch, or you’ve got Peacock and a free weekend, this will be perfect for you -- or perfect to share with a buddy before the biggest weekend on the pro wrestling calendar!

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 best Raw in the last ten years? That and more...it's Casual Friday!

 

Good Morning!

It’s a busy sports weekend, with the next round of the NCAA tournament already running and baseball’s first weekend of the regular season. We’ve also got WrestleMania week coming up, with all the go-home madness that comes with that, plus AEW’s continuing build to its Dynasty PPV. 

But what I wanna talk about today is expectations. They’re related to all of those things, really. Whether it’s your March Madness brackets or your hopes for the Cubbies, people put a lot of stake in the things they love – or the things they’ve decided to identify with. And wrestling is no different. The problem comes when someone’s expectations are unrealistic, or they put too much stake in an opinion or a hope that may be less than plausible. Take the latest trend in Twitter takes – the stopwatch guys. These are people who time things on wrestling shows – stuff like match length, or the amount of actual wrestling on a show, or the amount of time women’s matches are allotted. They are rarely unbiased or presented in good faith – more often than not, it’s fans of “the other side” pointing out their perceived shortcomings with the product they’re analyzing. 

But why do that at all? If you don’t enjoy WWE’s focus on storytelling, or presentation, what good are you doing by timing the amount of time matches are taking up on their programming? Preaching to the choir? Upping your follower count? Yelling at another fanbase who values different parts of pro wrestling? I just find it exhausting. 

There is SO MUCH wrestling out there, there’s literally no reason to get mad at others for liking what they like. I mainly watch Raw, NXT, SmackDown, Dynamite, and Collision. I enjoy them for very different reasons. WWE for its larger than life image, storytelling, presentation, and stars. AEW for its incredible matches and smaller feel. And NXT because it’s just kinda silly, and I like seeing younger talent find their abilities. I’m fully aware of a bunch of other stuff, and when I’m in the mood I’ll watch some New Japan, or TNA, or just find matches on YouTube that folks recommend. And I feel like I’m on the low end of wrestling consumption – you go on BlueSky or Twitter and there are people live-tweeting shows at all hours. 

My point is, maybe we need to enjoy what we enjoy. I like liking things – and yeah, I’ll complain a little when the thing I like doesn’t go how I’d hope, because I’m invested. But I’m not going on social media to argue about that because a) nobody has ever won an internet argument and b) I simply don’t want to. Everything in life seems so polarizing – I don’t need my entertainment to fall into that as well. 

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

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

It’s the week before WrestleMania and all eyes were on Raw this week, emanating from my beloved hometown WWE arena of the Allstate Arena (or the Rosemont Horizon for the real ones – the real old ones, that is). For a show that had minimal wrestling – a thing that we accept in WWE programming, especially this close to ‘Mania – this might have been one of the best booked Raws in years! The Cody speech that opened the show was great. The little teases that nodded towards the chaos that would ensue during the main event were so good. And that post-main event beatdown of Rhodes by The Rock, outside, in the rain, with the ghosts of Stone Cold and Cena looking on from a semi trailer? Cinematic feels like it’s too strong a word, but I got nothing else. Rock versus Cody has to be coming if Rocky’s schedule allows for it, but we’re also expecting Rock to take on Roman Reigns at some point. We’re spoiled, is what it comes down to. 

AEW has been putting on shows that are basically the opposite of WWE, keeping the focus in the ring and signing some of the best talent in the world. Hopefully the attendance starts to reflect the in-ring product, because I feel like it really puts a damper on the shows when they take place in these mostly empty arenas. I see people saying it’s a bad crowd, but even a good crowd can only make so much noise in a barn. Khan has said that they book the larger arenas because of their ability to market the shows better, but we’re not seeing that marketing pay off in full stadiums. I’d like more small venues, personally. Sell out! Get people mad that they can’t get in, and next time around maybe you book that larger option.

Dynamite gave us some amazing matches in the opener and main, with Shibata fighting Will Ospreay and Takeshita taking on Swerve Strickland. Both were great matches, if not the best they could pull off, and they just made me look forward to more battles between these four. 

NXT, also building to a big WrestleMania weekend show with their always-good Stand and Deliver on next Saturday afternoon, had some great stuff too! A fantastic main event featuring main-roster guys Otis and Tozawa of Alpha Academy taking on the NXT tag champs, the Wolf Dogs, stood out as the best thing on the show. But we also got Dijak beating Shawn Spears with a little help from former foe Joe Gacy, and Natalya showed up to answer an open challenge from well-regarded new-ish wrestler Lola Vice…and beat her, because we need to keep Nattie strong for, um, reasons. 

I just…I don’t like Natalya. I don’t like that she’s always around, I don’t think she’s as good as WWE seems to think she is, and I think she’s kinda turning into Chris Jericho in a way, just always around the younger talent. No thank you. 

We Watched Some Wrestling!

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

AEW gave us Swerve Strickland versus Konosuke Takeshita, and as a fan of both, that’s an easy recommendation:

And, as I mentioned a little while ago, that NXT main event between Alpha Academy and the Wolf Dogs was a lot of fun!

But rather than a match, the WWE offering is going to be the last bit of Raw. The CM Punk/Seth Rollins/Drew McIntyre segment was crazy in an unhinged, unscripted, almost reactionary kind of way, though, and since I already linked the Rock’s assault on Cody, I’ll link that promo here:

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, so it’s “just” the five hours of WWE SmackDown, AEW Rampage, and AEW Collision to keep up with. Next week is the biggest week of the wrestling year, and I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about after this weekend, so I’m looking forward to catching up with you on Monday, dear reader.

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!

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!