We have a new World Heavyweight Champion on Monday Night Raw, and his name is Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
To the surprise of many, WWE kicked off Night of Champions with the title bout between Rollins and Styles. It felt like the wrong move before the bell but proved to be the correct move after the bell.
The match started hot and never let up. Styles and Rollins wrestled a 50/50 match where neither man held the lead for an extended period of time. Just as Rollins appeared to be on the verge of sustained offense, Styles would flip the script.
WWE.com announced the wrestlers eligible for each night of the 2023 Draft. One select group of wrestlers is up for selection tonight on SmackDown, and the second group is qualified to be drafted Monday, May 1, on Raw.
Tag teams and factions will be drafted as a unit with two notable exceptions. The Bloodline has been split up as two draft picks. WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa are packaged as one pick, and The Uso are grouped as another draft pick.
The Judgement Day is also subject to separation as SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley is a solo listing, while Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor are listed as a unit.
Unspecified “Select NXT Superstars” are listed as eligible for both Draft nights.
Sorry for being late to the party. I know this topic has been beaten to death one million times over. A particular virus sank its nasty claws into me, and that funny thing called life got in the way for a while.
“Finish the story.”
That was Cody Rhodes’ mantra heading into WrestleMania 39 as a capacity crowd in So-Fi Stadium and millions watching around the world believed he would indeed finish the story. Then, to the shock of everyone, Roman Reigns pinned Cody Rhodes in the main event of what is touted as the most successful WrestleMania in history.
WWE seemingly bricked a wide-open layup on purpose, but why?
Triple H announced a new World Heavyweight Championship, and the new champion will be determined at Night of Champions on May 27 in Saudi Arabia.
As the WWE Draft begins Friday on SmackDown, Triple H expressed the need for two top championships. Roman Reigns will remain the Undisputed Universal Champion and bring that title to whatever brand he’s drafted to, leaving the other brand with the new world title.
First announced on WWE’s The Bump on Wednesday afternoon, Japanese legend The Great Muta will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on 3/31/23, joining Rey Mysterio.
Ric Flair, who will induct Muta into the Hall of Fame, stated on The Bump, “He’s a tremendous guy, a tremendous athlete, a great person, a great man,” and went on to say Muta has a special place in his heart due working with his late son Reid In Japan during his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Keiji Muto, aka The Great Muta, recently completed a retirement tour where he wrestled his last match. The tour included a match against Shinsuke Nakamura on New Year’s Day for Pro Wrestling NOAH. Many assume WWE allowed Nakamura to work the show in exchange for Muta entering the Hall of Fame.
Keiji Muto wrestled his final match as The Great Muta on January 22, teaming with Darby Allin & Sting in a six-man tag team match. His final match as Muto occurred last month, where he faced Tetsuya Naito, followed by a last showdown with Masahiro Chono.
The grandest stage of them all is upon us. WrestleMania 39 emanates from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. WWE will again go with the two-night format on Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, and stream live on Peacock.
While the lineups for each night have not been announced, Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes versus WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns is the official main event and is expected to headline on night 2.
WrestleMania 39 Official Match Card:
–WWE Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
–SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
–Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Asuka
–WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory vs. John Cena
-Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
-Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CNTRL
-Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
Rumored Matches:
Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. The Usos
Edge vs. Finn Balor
Bray Wyatt vs. Bobby Lashley
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominick Mysterio
Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
Twelve matches, between the official and rumored lineups, will give each night of WrestleMania six matches. If this ends up as the final card, it falls in line with the reports of Triple H wanting fewer matches on the show, leaving many wrestlers off the Premium Live Event.
While not officially announced, Logan Paul stated on his podcast Wednesday that WWE sent him confirmation his match with Seth Rollins will occur on night 1, which is his birthday.
If Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens versus The Usos becomes official for WrestleMania, it absolutely needs to headline night 1. I know that will not be a popular opinion. Rhea Ripley won the Royal Rumble and deserves one of the two main event spots, but this is show business. Sami/KO vs. Usos would be the second-biggest match on the card by a country mile.
The Bloodline saga is the best story WWE has told in decades. The rest of the matches are fighting for a distant third place.
An experiment occurred on this day in wrestling history 19 years ago. WWE taped several weeks of programming in Bethlehem, PA heading into WrestleMania 10, which occurred on 3/20/94.
Lex Luger and Bret Hart were co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble when they eliminated each other simultaneously as the final two competitors. As a result, both would vie for the WWE Title against Yokozuna.
Lex Luger was the favorite to leave WrestleMania 10 as champion. WWE had been pushing him as the new top babyface to fill the void left by Hulk Hogan’s departure. However, fan support for Luger waned to the point where the company considered a course correction, but they needed to be sure.
Sami Zayn lost his bid to capture the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship in front of his hometown in Montreal on Saturday at Elimination Chamber.
Roman Reigns’ 900-day dominion over the title will roll on to WrestleMania 39 in the main event against Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes.
While Cody Rhodes is WWE’s top babyface, Sami Zayn has engaged in an odyssey with The Bloodline that has not only produced one of the greatest storylines in company history but has made Zayn WWE’s most popular babyface.
The finish to Saturday’s main event begs the question, did WWE make the right call?
“I would like to be clear that unless I have direct involvement and input as Executive Chairman from the outset, I will not be able to support or approve any media rights deals or strategic transaction” – Vince McMahon 12/31/22
This response above is the loaded gun Vince McMahon threatened the WWE Board of Directors with to facilitate his return to the company. And he’s not coming alone. Michelle Wilson and George Barrios, former company co-presidents and WWE Network architects McMahon fired three years ago, are coming with him.
This follows Thursday’s news by the Wall Street Journal that McMahon was plotting his return to WWE in order to pursue a sale and be involved in the company’s upcoming media rights deals.
There are few guarantees in life. Death, taxes, and WWE will celebrate the holiday season with Yuletide beatings. Miracle On 34th Street Fight, an in-ring staple for the last eleven years, serves as the annual festive highlight of Raw or SmackDown.
Decorated trees, oversized presents, giant candy canes, and delectable sweets fill out the ringside aesthetic of this Christmas-time spectacle.
While those yearning for a five-star classic loathes these over-the-top affairs, in reality, it’s not for them. Wrestling is a variety show and a match where one contestant gets a bowl of eggnog thrown in their face in a nod and a wink to the audience. Don’t think about it too much; sit back, relax and have fun.
RingsideLogic.com 