Friday, August 20, 2021

It's SUMMERSLAM SUMMERSLAM SUM SUM SUMMERSLAM SUMMERSLAM SUMMERSLAM SUM SUM SUMMERSLAM SUMMERSLAM SUMMERSLAM SUM SUM SUMMERSLAM SUMMER SL

 I didn't watch RAW on Monday night. I can't remember the last time I didn't watch a go home show on either of the brands. I knew what would happen on the show because every week of RAW, every week,, is just a repeat of the week before. Every fucking week. 

Smackdown at least has Roman, the Usos and the great Paul Heyman to entertain us and, of course Bianca Belair but even there things feel a bit stale and then you get Baron Corbin infecting the show.

In the good old days, like a year ago, at least you had an NXT Takeover to show how great wrestling can can but Vince may have figured out that running it the night before the big PPV was a mistake on several levels. Now it's an afterthought.

On top of all this the two men's championships feature dudes who will not be around for long and, in the case of one of them, can last about five minutes at best. Three minutes of posing and two minutes of wrestling. They would be transitional champions. I'm tired of this approach to booking.

Finally, watching all these people in Vegas just tells us that the pandemic is far from over and that this is a super spreader event. Sad.

I'll watch RAW on Monday to see what the new stories are and then probably skip the repeats. Smackdown, we'll wait to see what happens Saturday.

OK here are predictions and, of course, holy shit (πŸ’©trademark pending) assumptions.

As alway I assume a clean finish to every match but this is the WWE 


AJ/Big Guy v. RK-Bro

AJ has done what was asked of him and it's time to get get back to being a great singles wrestler. He probably has one or two good runs left. I don't know what you do with Omos maybe Commander Azeez or Drew but time to move on and Randy/Riddle can take on some new opponents and maybe have some fun. The titles change hands in a πŸ’©1/2 match.


ALEXA V. EVA W/DOUDROP

I could give less of a shit about this excuse for a match. I assume Ms. Bliss turns the Douster into her acolyte and for the first time ever I am giving a match  -πŸ’©πŸ’©That's right a minus two holy shit.

DREW V. JINDER

I feel bad for Drew who stoically carried the company during the fan free pandemic and now finds himself buried on the undercard. I'm hoping they build him back up so I give him the win in a πŸ’©match.

SHEAMUS V. PUNISHMENT MARTINEZ

Priest is everything Vince is looking for in a champ and Shaemus is Shaemus with or without a title so I'm assuming a πŸ’©πŸ’© title change.

OLD MAN EDGE V. SETH

The first of the three alta kaker matches on the car. I have to believe that Seth is being prepped for a title run (regardless of who wins the belt) and a win over Edge would go a long way to catapulting him there. This one could be pretty solid so Seth in a πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2 (out of 5) match and Edge goes away for a while until his next pop.

BIANCA/SASHA 2

They are not....not taking the belt off of Bianca. She is money, she is strong and far less injury prone than Ms. Banks. She is the future. They tore down the house once and they will do it again with the difference being Bianca has to fight off Sasha's quickly put together posse'. Bianca retains in a πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2 match.

USOS V. REY AND DOM

OK who wins this will give you some insight into the Roman/Cena match since the stories are intertwined. Not a fan of the Mysterios. They are sort of the inverse of AJ/Omos so I'm rooting for the Usos to retain. It will be a solid πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’© match. Maybe Dominik turns on his dad. That would be fun....or Rey turns on Dominick even funner.

NIKKI CROSS V. THE QUEEN V. RHEA

This is a terrible storyline. Nikki Cross is actually a decent wrestler. She and Asuka put on a show in NXT but they have reduced her to a joke, first with Alexa and now this bullshit. Who knows what's going on with Charlotte as she keeps transforming herself and her dad and boyfriend are over at the rival promotion. I think Vince has given up on Rhea. She's a bit one note and it's never clear if she is a face or a heel. I think Nikki retains and I'm giving this πŸ’©πŸ’©holy shits.

BOBBY V. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLDBERG GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLDBERG

Two things: One of the two titles will change hands. Second, Lesnar will show up. Sadly, as I said before whichever belt changes we will have a transitional champion. I'm going to say Lashley retains. They keep building him up as a beast and he's got the mouthpiece in MVP. If I were the booker I would keep the belt on Bobby and have Lesnar appear but not with Heyman but SABLE!!!!!!!! as his "advocate" So Bobby retains in a quick πŸ’©match.

HEAD OF THE TABLE V. CENA

This will be brutal and in the end Cena will take the belt off of Roman and lose it to him in the rematch at the next PPV or Survivor Series in November. I fucking hate this but I think this could set up all sorts of situations. The Usos could cost Roman the belt. If Lesnar doesn't face Lashley does he show up here and Heyman switches allegiances. Is this a start up for a Roman/Rollins program with the winner facing Cena in November. I'm assuming this closes the show. If it's Lashley/Goldberg (doubtful) there are other possibilities. So Roman drops the belt (you don't say one---two---three over and over again for nothing) and this will be the only πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’© of the night.

That's where I come out. Hopefully they fix their booking issues



Friday, July 16, 2021

MONEY IN THE BANK - - VIRUS IN THE ARENA

The WWE confronts its fans for the first time in a year and a half. Will be interesting to see who pops and who fizzles assuming they don't pipe in the noise. They are really building up this card like it is one of the big four and it looks like we will be back to a four hour show rather than the tight PPV's we have been experiencing of late.


I'm sorry about Bayley's injury because I feel that the fan reaction to her and Bianca is what I was most looking forward to....oh and of course how the universe responds to The Head of the Table. That has been the best story that the WWE has done in quite some time. I have always been a fan of Roman Reigns and have been waiting for the heel turn. Pairing him with Heyman was genius and the brothers are the gravy. This has miles to go. I just wish Roman was putting the current roster over rather than this parade of alta kakers. After Edge we have to suffer through Cena, maybe Brock and then Dwayne arrives, maybe, but I do have an excellent way to book that match which would involve Roman's face turn. 


Anyway here's my take on all this including the return of the Holy Shit (tm) (πŸ’©) predictions


MYSTERIOS V. USOS

In a perfect world they put the straps on the brothers and build on the current best story in the WWE. Love Rey (who doesn't) but not a big fan of Dominick who would be an adequate jobber if he had a different last name. The Usos give you much better options moving forward and it's time for them not to be the fuckups. Should be decent but not great and I'm going with the USOs walking out with the belts. πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2 (out of 5)


AJ/OMOS V. VIKES

Enough of this nonsense already. AJ has done his part and let's put the belts on a team that can give us some interesting matches. The Raiders have been transformed into clowns by Vince and it's time to give them a legit run.  Like the above I expect new tag team champs on the RAW brand. VIKING RAIDERS win in a πŸ’©1/2 match.


RIPLEY V. CHARLOTTE

I had high hopes for Rhea Ripley but she is one in a long line of performers who fail at the hands of McMahon booking. She has mastered the smirk and swagger but I still don't know if she's a face or a heel and I have no idea what Charlotte has transformed herself into, both physically and character-wise. In a perfect world this is Rhea's chance to show the WWE universe what she is capable of. Charlotte doesn't need the belt, she needs to do what's best for Rhea and she will. Rhea retains in a πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’© match.


LASHLEY V. KOFI

OK hear me out. What's interesting about MITB is where matches are situated on the card. The MITB matches don't necessarily have to close the show if there is going to be a cash out night of and that is a real possibility here. I'm going to assume LASHLEY retains but I will paint a picture where he doesn't when we get to the men's MITB match. This should be πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2 Holy Shits minimum. If this match closes the show expect something big.


HOTT V. OLD MAN


Roman has other geezers to go through so this should be OK and painless but predictable. The Usos will probably interfere in some way but please don't put the strap on Edge. You can't start the super spreader era without giving Roman a run and I know how to book him at Wrestlemania. I expect ROMAN to retain and I'm thinking πŸ’©πŸ’©


WOMEN'S MITB

Natty and Tamina nope

Alexa nah been there done that

Naomi no way

Asuka won last year, still the best on the RAW roster but not two years in a row

So that leaves Zelina (who lost to Liv), Liv and the joke that Nikki Cross has become

The MITB winner has to have attitude (that's why they stripped Otis of it so quickly in another bullshit storyline) which eliminates Nikki although they have been building up this superhero nonsense so maybe but I don't think so.

Zelina and Liv have what you need in extra-ring ability and I think this is the elevation of LIV MORGAN

I'll assume πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©Holy Shits


MEN'S MITB


I assume Riddle, Morrison, Rick O'Shay and Shinsuke are the extras although I do believe all of them are going to have an opportunity to shine.

Like Roman, Bayley and Bianca, Drew carried the company during the COVID era and, although I would like to see him win, I think it's time to move on. 

So that leaves Seth, KO and E.

Seth doesn't need the briefcase to get a title shot and he had his moment on the biggest stage of all to cash in so nah

Down to KO and Big E. Let me say that Kevin Owens is probably my favorite wrestler at the moment and, if anyone can elevate this briefcase and make it fun and exciting he's the guy, but remember I said something about the match order? If the Men's MITB goes on before Lashley/Kofi then BIG E wins this and, you know what, it almost doesn't matter who wins the championship match. If Bobby destroys Kofi and Woods to boot, E comes in and avenges his New Day brothers and beats the crap out of Bobby. If Kofi wins, E comes down to celebrate with the guys and turns on an exhausted Kofi and grabs the title in a shocker. Can I book this shit or what, and wait until I tell you what the main event at Wrestlemania is.

Anyway, unlike the women, there is not a weak link among this crew and this is going to be theπŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©match of the night.


I think I'm wrong with most of these prediction but it's good to see the fans back and let the super spreading commence.

















Friday, April 9, 2021

THE BIG SHRUG THAT IS WRESTLEMANIA

 WRESTLEMANIA has become just another episode of RAW or SMACKDOWN. It's nothing special. There's little buildup of anticipation. There's little suspense or real uncertainty and we come out of this right into the Draft or Superstar Shakeup or whatever nonsense The WWE will do to make us feel excited about what has become, for me, a pretty stale product.


Another problem is NXT. No NXT is not the problem but, rather, TAKEOVERS lead into the big PPV's and, as a result, we see the stark contrast between an excellent promotion and the bland parent. Night one of TAKEOVER was outstanding from start to finish. Night two not as much, other than Gargano/Reed, but still it will be more entertaining than what we are about to witness over the weekend.


Finally, and I don't think I'm wrong about this. where are the emerging stars among the men? It's why the only matches that I will watch without distraction are the two Women's championships. In Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley you see the future and their veteran opponents are at the top of their game. That's not the case with the men. Actually the most exciting thing about this PPV is to see if PEACOCK screws things up.


Just to be different I'm going to combine the two nights (oh yeah that also sucks) and rank the card in terms of how much I don't give a shit about it with 5 being I really really really don't give a shit and I'll give you my best guess as to what may happen. 


Here we go


WOMENS TAG TEAM TURMOIL πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©

Right now all the peripheral belts feel, well, peripheral and sort of meaningless. If you put a gun to my head I couldn't tell you who holds them. They used to mean something. The SMACKDOWN mens tag team belt isn't even on the card I think. Anyone but Lana and Naomi please....probably Natty and Tamina.


NIA/SHAYNA V. TAG TEAM TURMOIL WINNERS πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©

I think they drop the belts. If it's Naomi/Lana I fucking give up


BAD BUNNY/PRIEST V. THESE TWO ASSHOLES πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©

I think Damian Priest is going to be a big star so this is paying his dues. I am so sick of the Miz and I only tolerate Morrison because his wife is on the horizon and maybe there's something interesting there. Bunny will pin somebody.


NEW DAY V. AJ/OMOS πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©

Monsters like this are problematic and AJ Styles is too good to be handcuffed by this. The tag team situation is a mess and giving the straps to this unlikely duo is not going to help things. The NEW DAY don't need the belts so sadly I think we see a title change.


BRAUN V. SHAYNE πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©

Bullshit schoolyard leadup and Shayne will do some dangerous shit. These are two of the great sweaters on the roster so this will be a slippery pig match. I assume Braun wins unless they want to continue the stupid angle but why.


ORTON V. FIEND πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2

This won't be a wrestling match but something boring and bizarre and there will be fire. I don't know if there will even be a winner but if there is it's Fiend/Alexa and then what?


RIDDLE V. SHEAMUS πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2

Perfect example of the minimal buildup. Wasn't Sheamus sort of in the Lashley/Drew storyline and Riddle's stoner persona isn't doing it for me. I assume they will stick with Riddle.


BIG E V. CREWS πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2


Don't get me started. Crews takes the strap.


DREW V. LASHLEY πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2


Breaking up The Hurt Business? Give me a fucking break. Is this going to be a factor in this match? Drew has been carrying the promotion for a year and doing it without the support of the fans. I would love for him to get the belt back and I think it will happen with some Benjamin/Alexander shenannigans. 


SAMI V. KO πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/3

If they cut the crap and wrestle this could be a pleasant surprise and KO will win regardless. He deserves better than this.


ROMAN V. EDGE V. BRYAN πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©

The Roman/Heyman/Head of the table saga is the one thing that has kept me invested in WWE. I want it to continue. Giving the belt to Edge is a big mistake. I can live with Bryan but I hope Roman holds on to the strap and let Bryan and Edge do a program together. I think that's what's going to happen. Roman Reigns is the best thing going among the men. I think Brock pays a visit here. If Lashley retains it may be there.


SETH V. CESARO πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2

Finally two warriors who are going to give us a wrestling match and can deliver the goods. Nothing is on the line but this could steal the show. I think Seth puts Cesaro over for a shot at the UNIVERSAL title.


THERE ARE TWO MATCHES WHERE I GIVE A SHIT


SASHA V. BIANCA

This will be the coronation of Bianca Belair. You never know which Sasha Banks shows up but if she's willing to do the honors and put Bianca over this should be a fantastic match.


ASUKA V. RHEA RIPLEY

This is the match I am most looking forward to. In a perfect world Asuka retains the belt in an epic battle. I have to believe Ripley will prevail. She lost to Charlotte in her first WWE PPV and I don't think they will let her lose two in a row. She's too dominant. This should be match of the weekend.


That's it and where the fuck is BAYLEY???????????






























Monday, February 1, 2021

Jamie Tarses

 Back in the fall I received a call from a friend who told me that Jamie Tarses was hospitalized in critical condition. It was a shock. Jamie was one of the key executives of the Must See TV era at NBC and responsible for some of the most iconic comedies of the 90's such as FRIENDS, MAD ABOUT YOU and FRASIER. She passed today.

Jamie was the leader of a group of programming executives that was amazingly deep and remain in the vanguard of industry leaders on all platforms. In wrestling terms she had a rocket strapped to her back and jumped to ABC where she was the first woman and probably one of the youngest executives to head programming at a broadcast network. She broke down barriers but that move was at a cost.

Fortunately, after her run at ABC Jamie transitioned to producing comedies and had several successes.

Although we worked together I was part of the male suits who sort of ran the network from a bit more of a business rather than creative bent. Jamie relied on me to sometimes help her with Don Ohlmeyer. I remember when she and Karey Burke came into my office and played me the Friends theme song. Back then we were trying to cut out the theme songs but the producers wanted it and Jamie and Karey asked if I would go up to Don with them and help get it OK'd. We did.

As iconic as the era was what went on behind the scenes at NBC was pretty wild and dysfunctional and most of it has remained in the vault among all of us. I thought I would share this one story since I think it shows how difficult it was back then for women to succeed in a what was a predominantly male business.


Here it is:


We did not have a lot of senior women executives at NBC. Jamie moved up the food chain and there was another exec who also held a powerful position at the Peacock. Every afternoon we had what was known as the "2:30 Meeting" in Don Ohlmeyer's office and for quite some time it was all men. The daily meeting was to share information (in GE terms QMI) about the business and what was going on inside our building. It was an extremely productive meeting and often featured some of the dysfunction among us all. 

Don wanted to add Jamie and another female exec to the group. Problem was they hated each other. Really hated each other.

Don calls me up to his office one day. He would do that often. I would sit there quietly while he puffed away at a Marlboro or two until he was finally ready to talk. He eventually turned to me as said "What are we going to do about Jamie and _______?" I don't know why it was my or anyone's "problem" for that matter but I looked at Don and said "Don, if they had dicks would we be having this conversation?"

That ended it. He heard me and we all went along being dysfunctional and creating a decade of some of the best great (and not so great) TV.

My love to Jamie's family and friends. she was a fearless, strong and vulnerable and gone too soon.



Sunday, January 31, 2021

ROYAL RUMBLE 2021:BALL OF CONFUSION

I'm sort of confused as to what directions this promotion is going. Who will be getting a push? What is the tone moving forward? Will the two brands continue to go in opposite directions with RAW off the rails and SMACKDOWN delivering....well at least until this go home show which was sort of a mess.


All that said I have not given a lot of thought to this Rumble for several reasons. More than any other PPV the Rumble needs the crowd. They are a vital part of the narrative. The surprises. the order. This is the event where the crowd should be in a frenzy by the end.


Sure WWE will manufacture the noise but this is the one that needs the big arena .


I am also not a fan of the veterans returning for these events and my fear is that both Edge and Goldberg walk out victorious and what then has been the point of the last year. Rollins returning for the Rumble could be interesting but what is he? The new dad or the messiah?

Other than Reigns who is kicking major butt with his cousin and advocate I'm not really into the strap wearers....well maybe Asuka a little but they always fuck her up and, other than KO pulling the upset,, don't really care if they all keep the belts.


Anyway here are the predictions. Re the Rumbles I will give who will/who should and surprise winner guesses and this year they are really gusses. As a bonus I will project the final four.I just don't feel direction in this promotion.


Play along...oh and as always holy shit (πŸ’©) predictions.


WOMEN'S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

NIA/ SHAYNA/ V. THE QUEEN/ EMPRESS OF MAΓ‘ANA (C)

Time to split up the heels. Other than that don't really care. Champs retain in a πŸ’©quickie.


DREW (C) V. GOLDBERG

You know this will be quick and sadly, other than a run in DQ maybe by Sheamus, Goldberg walks out with the strap πŸ’©1/2 is all I can give this one.


SASHA (C) V. THE PRINCESS OF STATEN ISLAND

Let's get this feud over with so Sasha can start a program with an NXT call-up please. Another πŸ’©match


THE HEAD OF THE TABLE (C) V. THE GREAT KO

This will be wild and probably the match of the night. Love both of these guys and it will be brutal. In a perfect world Roman drops the belt but we don't live in that world. Regardless these two guys and this feud could go on forever. πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2


WOMEN'S RUMBLE

WILL WIN: LACEY EVANS

SHOULD WIN: BIANCA BELAIRE

SURPRISE WINNER: RHEA RIPLEY

FINAL FOUR:

LACEY

CHARLOTTE

BIANCA

BAYLEY

πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©


MEN'S RUMBLE

WILL WIN: BRAY

SHOULD WIN: CESARO

SURPRISE WINNER: LARS SULLIVAN

FINAL FOUR:

FIEND

CESARO

BRAUN

SHINSUKE

πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2


When it comes to the two rumbles I expect the unexpected.


Have fun.








Tuesday, December 29, 2020

10 PERFORMERS WHO ARE MAKING THE MOST OF THE FANLESS ERA OF PRO WRESTLING

What a year for professional wrestling! Ten fanless months. Both WWE and AEW have sort of figured it out but, still, what's pro wrestling without the fans? They have so much to do with the fate and fortune of the talent and can push the promotions in unexpected directions. That's not happening at the moment which made me start to wonder about which wrestlers have made the most from this fanless situation. the fans would have played a big role in elevating these performers to the next level. 


So, for shits and giggles, I put together a list of ten wrestlers who have overcome this transformation of the sport over the past ten months who I think will be even more successful when the fans return. 


ROMAN REIGNS


I have always been a fan and he is the franchise. He's taken a lot of abuse but has always handled it. I knew/hoped he would be better as a heel but, HOLY SHIT, this turn has been amazing. Add Paul Heyman to the mix, make it personal with his cousin, who is also kicking ass, and you have one of the best things in WWE for quite some time. You know when the fans return, they are going to cheer him. It took Reigns turning heel to become the best face in the business.


The quiet seething anger that Roman exhibits, the desperate need for validation by Jey and Heyman's facial expressions are all gold.


BAYLEY/GOLDEN ROLE MODELS


Like the above mentioned Head of the Table, turning Bayley heel has transformed her into one of the most entertaining performers in the biz and you know the fans are going to go along for the ride on this one. Who knew she was a talker, I mean "Ding Dong, Hello?" would be a call out by the fans.


Bayley and Sasha Banks had the phenomenal run as the Golden Role Models holding every Woman's belt. It ended too soon for me. This love/hate friendship has several more iterations so, at some point, the fans will chime in.


DREW McINTYRE


You really have to give him credit. He has been carrying the shitty brand on his shoulders. Drew has been waiting his entire career for this and cannot share the moment with the fans. More than any other wrestler on the list I wonder what the fan reaction will be when Drew performs before a live audience. He has delivered some exceptional matches in the fanless arena.


BIANCA BELAIRE


Simply put, she is the future of the Women's Division. Bianca possesses the three essentials of a wrestling superstar. She has the look with the braid, the outfits and the lips. She has the mike skills and the personality and she can wrestle. She truly is The "EST" of the WWE. Watching her this week in the ring with Charlotte Flair gave me a sense of her size. We're flying blind with her but she's the real deal and the inevitable heel turn down the road will take it to the next level.


KEVIN OWENS


It's KO, what else is there to say? Is he a face or a heel and does it really matter with him? Single handedly taking on the Reigns posse,, who else can do that? He's just the best and my favorite wrestler and has soldiered on through all of this.


MJF


The nice Jewish boy from Long Island. How can I not put him on the list? He has held his own with one of the all-time greats and he's been doing innovative storytelling. MJF and Jericho are the Crosby and Hope of wrestling right now.


RAQUEL GONZÁLEZ/RHEA RIPLEY


These women are behemoths, and this has been an exciting feud which feels far from over. This is the woman's version of the Keith Lee/Dominik Dijakovic program and props to Dakota Kai for helping put this over. Ripley will probably be called up at some point, but GonzΓ‘lez has come out of nowhere to establish herself as a dominant heel and certain to get the strap soon.


ASUKA


Fantastic worker and the old "you be you but 150%" really works for her. They have called on her to carry two belts until the Charlotte turn and she will do the job.


PAT McAFEE


This guy should not be as good as he is and he's not even a wrestler. His match with Adam Cole was a revelation (props to Cole of course) and his mike work has been outstanding. I wanted to hate him but I have come to appreciate him and too bad there's no crowd reaction to this run.


DR. BRITT BAKER


Great heel and she's a real dentist. Excellent talker and has the look. She just needs to stay healthy, but she is definitely a future AEW champion. Crowd will hate her when they return.

Saturday, December 19, 2020

TLC WILL BE SAVED BY THE TWO TLC MATCHES

 It is amazing how the same company can offer us something so good as SMACKDOWN and something so awful as RAW but here we are. Other than the two men’s TLC championship matches there’s not a lot here that excites me, but I think those two bouts will make this an above average PPV. I think there will be some other matches added so I may update this before Sunday. So, so far……

 

NEW DAY V. HURT BIZ

 

Like everything about RAW these days, I have no idea what or why this is happening. We have seen every permutation of this over the past few weeks, so I feel no excitement or interest in the outcome, and I have no idea what teams are on the horizon after this nonsense is over. The ND don’t need the belts, but I don’t feel that Benjamin and Alexander are the answer to anything. The only thing that may  make this a smidge interesting is the insertion of Ricochet into this nonsense. I’m going New Day and hoping that there are some challengers down the road. πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2 Match

 

SASHA V. THE PRINCESS OF STATEN ISLAND

 

This feels like another “bidding our time match”. The new Carmella sort of feels like the old Carmella but with blonder hair and better boobs. She was always a little better wrestler than one would think, and I will always appreciate how she survived while Enzo and Big Cass have vanished. Sasha is an OK wrestler who probably abuses her body more than she needs to, but she shines most when she is factioned with Bayley who can carry the promo load and bring the heat. I assume Sasha wins here and let’s see what’s on the horizon. πŸ’©πŸ’© Match

 

NIA/SHAYNA V. ASUKA/WHO THE FUCK KNOWS

 

The fact that Carmella is in a championship match and Asuka is again reduced to this nonsense is all you need to know about the WWE and RAW. The only interest in this match is who will be Asuka’s partner. It won’t be Charlotte so I’m going with an NXT call-up. My guess Rhea Ripley or Io Shirai in an OTO appearance and the match ends with some shenanigans so everything stays as it is. πŸ’©1/2 Match

 

FIEND V. RANDY

 

It’s an Inferno Match. It will suck. Randy will win by putting Alexa in some sort of danger and Bray must choose between saving her and the match and the face turn begins. πŸ’©πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯

 

DREW V. AJ

 

Why do I feel that this is another placeholder match while they bide their time until WrestleMania? Still, these dudes are two of the best right now and it will feel fresh since they have never battled. Hopefully WWE keeps that big motherfucker away from the battle so we can appreciate what this can be. Maybe Sheamus gets involves and he and Omos duke it out outside the ring and then Sheamus makes the turn. I figure Drew retains in a πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©1/2 Match.

 

THE TRIBAL CHIEF WHO SITS AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE V. KO

I am really really looking forward to this. As much as RAW sucks SMACKDOWN has been en fuego. Roman Reigns is an outstanding heel (thank you Paul) and KO is my favorite wrestler and the one person who can stand up to Reigns. The insertion of Jey into all this pandemonium has been flawless….and that end to SMACKDOWN Friday night….fuckn’ A!!!! I’m going out on a limb here and predicting KO is victorious in a totally insane match, but this feud will be far from over. I hope I’m right (probably not) but, either way, I’m going all in (πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©) on this one. In fact, this may wind up as a πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’© classic.