It’s Getting Closer!
It’s getting close to that time of year where wrestling fans like us celebrate the biggest event of the year in Wrestlemania. Now that the last of the other WWE PPV events have taken place with the somewhat pedestrian Fastlane show, the whole focus of everything for the next month will be the big one.
As I am writing this, RAW has taken place and the post Fastlane event will happen a few hours from now but already we got a lot of match building and news for the big event, good or bad. The build isn’t always the best sign of how well the big card will fair, but not only does it give us the direction of where they want to go with the Mania show, but it just makes things fun in getting there.
Now before I get into what happened last night, we had a few things we already knew going into Fastlane and last night’s Monday night show. We knew that no matter who held the WWE belt, they got Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura at the end of the road. You better believe that I was hoping AJ Styles would keep that belt and set up what hopefully will be the match of the show with those two, in a rematch from their Wrestle Kingdom match years ago. Will it be as good as it was in the Tokyo Dome? Probably not but they have a chance to. If the WWE minds wanted something to remember, they will just let them go and give them plenty of time on the show to do it.
The other big match we knew ahead of time was that the OTHER world champion, the chronically “not there” champion in Brock Lesnar would face Roman Reigns. Again. Unlike the other match trying to live up to a previous match, the last time these two man evented at Mania they were booed out of the building. The WWE STILL keeps trying to Roman reigns his big superstar moment and just never really happens. This won’t be much different but this will be the match that headlines the show and what we will watch the WWE really shove down everyone’s throat for the next month or so. Hopefully, this will be it and will the big rumor that Brock is going back to the UFC, it will mean the end of the absent champion and Vince’s repeated attempts to give his boy a Mania moment, only for everyone to forget it by the next night.
Along with these two matches, we also got a look at the other big name match of the big night as it was announced that Triple H and Steph will face Kurt Angle and Rhonda Rousey. Having the big name celeb in a tag match goes all the way back to the first Wrestlemania so this is probably the best then a singles match, Trips gets his once a year return to the ring and things might be a bit safer than having Stephanie in the ring alone with someone who can legit kill her in front of fans if she wanted to. No, it wouldn’t be a technical masterpiece, and in fact it may end up being a train wreck, but the WWE has done this a bazillion times before so they know how to handle matches like these.
And with RAW last night we got a look at some of the other matches on the card. Both the Intercontinental title and the US title of smackdown seem to be going for 3 way matches on the show. I don’t think this is actually a good idea, not only for the fact I’m not a fan of the way the WWE does with 3-way matches, but doing the same thing twice on the Mania card is going to mean that at least one of the matches will be thrown under the bus. And with the 6 guys revolving around either match it seems a shame.
We also have seen some development in the Women’s side of things with Women’s Rumble winner Asuka choosing to face Charlotte Flair at Mania and the seed planted for RAW’s women’s champion alexia Bliss facing Nia Jax. Liking both matches actually as Flair and Asuka have the potential for a great match with the title vs. the OTHER streak in the WWE and the smaller Bliss against the angry Jax. I think both matches have something to offer and those might both be moments of the show. On top of that, we heard the announcement of the “Fabulous Moolah” Memorial Battle royal. Now, there is a lot to be said for Moolah herself, but I am more focused on the match itself. It’s something different than the usual Battle royal that ends up going nowhere. Who knows, they may make the winner of this actually mean something.
And it seems the rumors of Golden boy John Cena facing the Undertaker is true. Now that the famed streak on the Undertaker is long behind us, it may not have the build-up it once could have, but at the same time, it is still a big marquee match that will be given plenty of time. Guess the Deadman isn’t done after all.
And this is just what we have so far. Already it’s shaping up to be a decent show and the WWE can now focus on the show itself instead of all the events leading up to it. The smaller lower card matches can now be worked on, and the question of what is going to happen to everyone else, not on the show hasn’t really been answered either. So we aren’t done yet.
We can only wait.
Now, before I go I want to point anyone reading this towards a special little pup who is part of the family of a friend of mine. I have not had the chance to meet her personally, but Bailey isn’t feeling too good and she needs some help. Poor Bailey could use the kindness of strangers so if you are reading this, I ask you to give her a little love and help her and Jen out. She has had a rough one so far so she could use the help. You can donate to her and her human Jen HERE.
Read Cityscape Tokyo to find out how the two teens and their guardian have to survive and watch out for each other when the company’s dark past comes back to haunt the kids and their guardian once again and make for an incredible adventure in Cityscape Tokyo! Now available on the Bull Moose website!
http://www.bullmoose.com/p/24827899/soul-tsukino-cityscape-tokyo
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