WrestleMania 33 Review: The End of a Legend

When it’s all said and done, the seven-hour spectacular that was WrestleMania 33 will go down as a newsworthy event that was better than it had any business being. Thirteen matches, a restroom break in the form of a Pitbull concert, one marriage proposal, the triumphant return of a popular duo, and the end of a legendary career encapsulates a roller-coaster of emotions for a show aptly named, the ultimate thrill ride.

WWE took over their home away from home this past weekend as Orlando, FL played host to the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday along with an action packed NXT TakeOver card on Saturday. Then, the show of shows captivated a worldwide audience inside of the Camping World Stadium along with millions watching along on the WWE Network.

Kickoff Show:

Neville pinned Austin Aries to retain the Cruiserweight Championship:

Neville’s defense of the Cruiserweight title against Austin Aries was a well worked matched that was given an ample amount of time. Unfortunately, the crowd was still filing into the building, which made the match come off less than it was. Neville retained with the Red Arrow, which the Brit hasn’t used since turning heel. Fans had pegged Aries to go over, but Neville winning here will give Aries a chance to get over with the audience a little more while chasing the belt.

Mojo Rawley won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal:

New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski sitting in the front row was a bright neon spoiler alert. Gronk’s friendship with MoJo Rawley has been mentioned over the past several weeks. Rawley was the first wrestler to declare his entry into the battle royal, so his win was a nice way to tie it all together. Plus, as a Pats fan, seeing Gronk hitting Jinder Mahal with a running tackle was a cool moment.

Surprisingly, Bruan Strowman didn’t do much in this match. Right now, he’s at the point where no one wants to see him lose. He was eliminated around the two-minute mark by ten wrestlers, which protected his character. NXT’s Killian Dain made it to the final three, which means WWE has plans for the big guy.

Dean Ambrose pinned Baron Corbin to retain the Intercontinental Championship:

When a fan-driven social media campaign got the SmackDown Women’s Title match promoted to the main card, no one expected the Intercontinental Championship match to take its place on the kickoff show. Many thought Corbin was going to win the title, but having him win it on the kickoff show won’t have the desired effect of making him stand out as a threat to be taken seriously. Smart money says Corbin wins it down the line. It was a TV match with nothing to complain about.

Now, let the main card commence.

Continue reading “WrestleMania 33 Review: The End of a Legend” →

Report: Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns Scheduled to Close out WrestleMania

One thing that you got to love about WrestleMania weekend is the rumor mill regarding the event. Earlier in the week, the WWE Universal Championship between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar was expected to close out the show on Sunday.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is in Orlando for all of the festivities going on around town. According to the famed reporter, the probable match to close out WrestleMania will be Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns.

My first reaction is what about Randy Orton? You know, the winner of the Royal Rumble? Then I calmed down and remembered that the Rumble winner hasn’t really been guaranteed the main event spot for several years now. Besides, the Orton/Wyatt feud has cooled down considerably.

WWE is notorious for changing their plans at the drop of a hat, however, Taker vs. Reigns getting the nod means that confidence is low in Goldberg vs. Lesnar being anything special. Goldberg probably can’t go more than ten minutes, and doing a squash match in Lesnar’s favor to get his heat back, is not a suitable scenario for the main event of WrestleMania. Continue reading “Report: Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns Scheduled to Close out WrestleMania” →

Smackdown Women’s Title Match Back on WrestleMania Main Card

The card for WrestleMania 33 is always changing. Due to popular demand, WWE has shifted the SmackDown Women’s Championship match from the kickoff show to the main card. Alexa Bliss defends the title against Becky Lynch, Natalya, Mickie James, Naomi, and Carmella in a Six Pack Challenge.

Upset over the match’s placement on the show, fans started using the hashtag #GiveSDWomenAChance on social media to campaign for the change. The WrestleMania lineup on WWE.com no longer has the match listed on the kickoff show. Becky Lynch took to Twitter and confirmed the change. Continue reading “Smackdown Women’s Title Match Back on WrestleMania Main Card” →

Clarity, Ladders and Al Roker added to WrestleMania 33

It’s WrestleMania week and the go-home editions of Raw and SmackDown brought about some clarity to this Sunday’s ultimate thrill ride. Seth Rollins signed the contract making his non-sanctioned match with Triple H official.

I found it funny that a half hour after the match was made, a video package aired highlighting their feud. We all knew that Rollins was going to sign on the dotted line, however, can’t the production of the show at least pretend to be surprised? I guess that doesn’t really matter because wrestling-isn’t-real.

The triple threat match for the Raw Tag Team Titles got quite the upgrade in what will now be a ladder match. Reigning champs Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson blindsided Ceasro and Sheamus and later did the same thing to Enzo and Cass.

Their weapon of choice? A ladder, which was completely random at first. Now, it makes perfect sense. This stipulation was a gift from the heavens for these six wrestlers because no one cared about this match beforehand. Now, it could steal the show. Continue reading “Clarity, Ladders and Al Roker added to WrestleMania 33” →

Industry Moves: Will WWE Buy ROH?

The wrestling world is buzzing after Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet broke the news that WWE has been in secret talks with Sinclair Broadcast Group since January about the potential acquisition of Ring of Honor. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer elaborated on the report stating that WWE made their initial inquiry about purchasing ROH back in August.

While there is no deal on the table as of yet, WWE’s plan of acquisition seems to include the tape library, talent contracts and closing down the company. This move indicates that WWE is attempting to completely monopolize the professional wrestling market in the United States.

WWE purchased WCW and acquired ECW’s assets in 2001 because all three companies were competing for the same audience. In 2017, groups such as ROH and Impact Wrestling are competing with WWE for talent due to sub-genres in wrestling being more pronounced and defined. Continue reading “Industry Moves: Will WWE Buy ROH?” →

Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin is on for WrestleMania

The Intercontinental Championship has officially found its seat on The Ultimate Thrill Ride, WrestleMania 33. Dean Ambrose will defend the title against Baron Corbin as the match was made when Ambrose accepted Corbin’s challenge on SmackDown.

“The Lone Wolf” versus “The Lunatic Fringe” will mark the first WrestleMania singles match for the IC title since The Big Show pinned Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 28, five years ago. This is now the twelfth match added to the six-hour event. Continue reading “Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin is on for WrestleMania” →

Christopher Daniels Wins ROH Gold

Yes, I know I’m late to the party once again, however, this is a topic that I didn’t want to ignore.

Christopher Daniels beat Adam Cole to win the World Title at ROH’s 15th Anniversary Show. Daniels was 0-8-1 in ROH Championship matches. At 46 years old he was facing a 27-year-old blue chip athlete in Cole who was in the midst of his third title reign.

Near falls, superkicks, blood, mid-match promos, the ultimate swerve on the Bullet Club and three BME (Best Moonsaults Ever) encapsulates what as a great moment that was long overdue and better late than never.

Christopher Daniels was one of the best wrestlers to never hold a version of the world title. That sounds weird considering the “Fallen Angel” has been one of the most sought after talents on the independent scene and abroad for the majority of his career. Continue reading “Christopher Daniels Wins ROH Gold” →

Updates Card for WrestleMania 33: Styles vs. McMahon and More

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WWE Television this week saw five more matches made official for WrestleMania 33 line-up for a total of eleven matches. Three of the matches were leaked online a few months ago, one was heavily implied last week and the last match wasn’t too surprising.

Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns: Will Taker slay another victim or is Reigns going to put down the Deadman? If Reigns goes over, will WWE try to keep him as a babyface or will they flip the script and go full on heel with the Roman Empire? This will end up being one of the most anticipated matches on the card because we have no idea who is going to win.

Wrestling is always better that way! Continue reading “Updates Card for WrestleMania 33: Styles vs. McMahon and More” →

Brock Lesnar: Fined, Suspended, and it Stinks

Former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar received a one-year suspension earlier today by the Nevada Athletic Commission due to two failed drug tests for his fight with Mark Hunt at UFC 200 this past July.

Lesnar also agreed to pay a fine of $250,000 in a settlement, which equals to 10% of his disclosed $2.5 million purse for the fight. His unanimous decision victory over Hunt has been officially overturned into a no contest. Continue reading “Brock Lesnar: Fined, Suspended, and it Stinks” →

Brock Lesnar Flagged by USADA for Potential Anti-Doping Violation

One week after Brock Lesnar called Jon Jones “unprofessional” failing a drug test, Lesnar himself has been flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test taken on June 28.

This has major implications not just for UFC but WWE. Frank Dee and I breakdown all of the news and potential outcomes due to this unprecedented situation over at the official youtube channel of Gerweck.net.