General

Some highly teased/unconfirmed/rumored matches for the card this year, just to give folks an idea of where we could be heading:

Undisputed Tag Team Title Match: The Usos (c) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
United States Title Match: Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
Bobby Lashley vs. Bray Wyatt
(Possibly Hell in a Cell Match): Edge vs. Finn Balor
Women's Tag Team Title Match: Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler
Intercontinental Title Match: Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

I'm 100% cool with the 3 confirmed matches in the OP, but out of that unconfirmed list, I'm really currently only interested in the Undisputed Tag Team Title match, IC Title match, and Rollins/Paul to some extent because the spots will be wild.

Of the matches I think could turn out good despite my lack of interest: Theory vs. Cena & Balor vs. Edge could turn out good. Theory does nothing for me, and I'd rather he be challenged by another midcarder for the US title, but Cena's history with that title makes sense. Edge/Balor has been done to death at this point, but I suppose it could still be worth the watch (especially with HIAC or some other stipulation). Tbh between the two, I'd way rather WWE run Cena vs. Edge back as a special attraction match considering they have one of the more iconic feuds of the past decade or two but have only faced off at Mania once in a Triple Threat also involving Big Show.

Of the matches I couldn't care less about: Wyatt/Lashley, Lesnar/Omos & Mysterio/Mysterio all seem like B-PPV matches, not Mania matches. Maybe the Mysterios angle works for Mania due to the whole father/son shtick, but Dominik is plain bread. Wyatt has underwhelmed so gosh darn hard since returning, and him facing Lashley with what would only be a month of build cannot be that interesting. Lesnar/Omos is a joke for one of WWE's biggest stars ever and is only getting booked for the spectacle of Brock lifting Omos for the F5. Hopefully they pivot back to Lesnar vs. Wyatt like they were gonna do a few years back. Having Lashley turn down MVP and feud against the Hurt Business would make a lot more sense, so I wouldn't mind Lashley vs. Omos instead. And while I think Sky/Dakota rule, Damage CTRL has been a dud in my opinion, and while I think Baszler is great, her teaming with Rousey is real boring. Ronda is not good.

Obviously all of this could be BS, and that wouldn't even be the full card because there are so many names not mentioned, but yah, those are the matches being talked about lately.

Prediction:

Bad acting and super fake wrastlin' theatrics!

I think I win.

Prediction:

Entertainment for a large viewing audience that generates excitement, disappointment and anger. Cynical people will poke fun at it, but those people still watch and play many things that are works of fiction that feed into the capitalism regime.

I’m not trying to sound elitist here, but folks who still need to go out of their way to remind people that pro wrestling is fake just don’t get pro wrestling. That’s the truth in this particular situation. I totally, 100% understand why some folks wouldn’t enjoy it, but nobody who DOES is watching for top notch acting or realism. The stories are told by the purposely over-the-top in-ring action. At the end of the day, it’s a TV show and I personally don’t see the point in criticizing TV shows I don’t watch.

But some folks simply can’t smell what the Rock is cookin’.

Updated the card in the OP... Lesnar vs. Omos is officially planned. Unless something happens in the next couple weeks, it indeed seems like that's the match they're following through on. Maybe the biggest waste of a main attraction like Lesnar in the past decade or two.

Thanks Vince!

Theory vs. Cena for the US title confirmed for Mania.

Rollins vs. Paul & Becky/Lita/Trish vs. Bayley/Dakota/Iyo confirmed for Mania.

Rollins/Paul apparently official for Night 1.

Edge vs Balor in HIAC confirmed.

4-way men’s tag match teams revealed:

Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)

Classic “get these guys a Mania payday” match.

The Usos vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens is official. And I don’t care if Charlotte/Ripley ends up main event of Night 1, the tag title match is the other 5 point match for these predictions.

I believe his name is now O-tise. Get it right fool haha

Lol that crap admittedly cracks me up

It’s great. I love it too.

So there are 12 announced matches so far. I expect 2 more to round each night out to 7 matches. Rey vs Dominik will obviously be announced, and then they still need to get Lashley on the card SOMEhow since Wyatt’s unlikely to make it to Mania.

Tbh they should’ve just kept pushing through with Lashley vs Howdy, as god awful as that gimmick/story is, but since that seems dead in the water, they may as well just do Lashley vs LA Knight to get them both on the card proper. Would obviously just be filler but whatev, Lashley deserves a Mania match.

theJaw wrote:

are they gonna do a Andre the Giant Battle Royal this year?

I think if they do it, it’ll be on Smackdown again.

Yeah I don't expect a battle royal on the main card. I think the two 4-way tag matches are filling that spot.

Also, I'm removing the "Night 1/Night 2" aspect from the predictions main post. I don't even know if they'll announce which matches are happening when for the entire card, so I'll just split them up after Night 1. They're just listed dictated by point value now.

I'd say it's safe to get your predictions rolling, fellas. Then just update your post as whatever new matches are announced, but we're only like 10 days away so I'm not sure how much else will be added other than Rey/Dom. Still cool to wait though, of course.

Updated the OP to add Rey vs. Dominik and add the 10 bonus questions.

Uh... anybody going to whip some predictions in here or is this game truly dead, once and for all? There have been less and less folks participating as the years go on but I figured SOME folks would at least want to play along.

Card is complete (unless a Wyatt/Lashley/Knight situation is added on Smackdown) so it's safe to start predicting.

No worries if not of course, just figured I'd give it another go since I've been posting this game for like 5+ years haha

I was waiting for the official card to be finalized

1. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match (5 points)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Cody

2. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match (5 points)
The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens
Zayn/Owens

3. WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
Ripley

4. WWE Raw Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka
Belair

5. WWE United States Championship Match (4 points)
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena
Cena by DQ

6. WWE Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match (4 points)
Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre
Gunther

7. Hell In A Cell Match (4 points)
Edge vs. Finn Balor
Edge

8. Singles Match (3 points)
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
Rollins

9. Singles Match (3 points)
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos (w/ MVP)
Lesner

10. Trios Tag Team Match (3 points)
Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky)
Damage Control

11. Singles Match (3 points)
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
Rey Mysterio

12. Women’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
Rousey/Baszler

13. Men’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)
Viking Raiders

BONUS QUESTIONS (1 point each)

1. Who will take the pin in the Undisputed Tag Team title match? Jimmy Uso (after Jey turns on him)

2. Will Stone Cole Steve Austin make a live appearance? No

3. Will there be a table spot off the side of the cell during the Hell in a Cell match? yes

4. Who will take the pin in the Intercontinental title match? Shemus

5. Will either night see a face/heel turn? Yes, Trish Stratus, Jey Uso

6. Will Brock Lesnar F-5 Omos? yes

7. Will Dominik tear Rey's mask off during or after their match? no, but he will try

8. Will Kevin Owens and/or Sami Zayn get involved during the Undisputed WWE Universal title match? yes, as will Solo

9. Will The Undertaker make a live appearance? no

10. Will Bray Wyatt wrestle a match at WrestleMania? no


TIE BREAKER: How long will the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match last? (Closest time in minutes/seconds) 23: 43

Yah I figured that was most folks' case. This year has been annoying with the Wyatt/Lashley stuff and being unsure as to whether or not that'll be added officially. But we're getting close so I figured we should just consider this the final card for now.

1. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match (5 points)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

2. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match (5 points)
The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

3. WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

4. WWE Raw Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka

5. WWE United States Championship Match (4 points)
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena

6. WWE Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match (4 points)
Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

7. Hell In A Cell Match (4 points)
Edge vs. Finn Balor

8. Singles Match (3 points)
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

9. Singles Match (3 points)
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos (w/ MVP)

10. Trios Tag Team Match (3 points)
Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky)

11. Singles Match (3 points)
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

12. Women’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

13. Men’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)

BONUS QUESTIONS (1 point each)

1. Who will take the pin in the Undisputed Tag Team title match? Jimmy Uso

2. Will Stone Cole Steve Austin make a live appearance? Yes

3. Will there be a table spot off the side of the cell during the Hell in a Cell match? Yes

4. Who will take the pin in the Intercontinental title match? Drew McIntyre

5. Will either night see a face/heel turn? Yes

6. Will Brock Lesnar F-5 Omos? Yes

7. Will Dominik tear Rey's mask off during or after their match? No

8. Will Kevin Owens and/or Sami Zayn get involved during the Undisputed WWE Universal title match? Yes

9. Will The Undertaker make a live appearance? No

10. Will Bray Wyatt wrestle a match at WrestleMania? Yes


TIE BREAKER: How long will the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match last? (Closest time in minutes/seconds) 21:34

I want Asuka to win that belt but I just don't see it happening unfortunately. I think they're going to push Bianca to the point that fans are bored of seeing her as champ - which tends to happen when champions are booked poorly yet continue to win their title matches. Reigns and Gunther are prime examples of the opposite case. Bianca, unfortunately, not so much.

I could see Cena winning the US title on Night 1 and then maybe holding one of his classic US Title open challenges on Night 2 so he can drop it - maybe vs. Bray, Lashley or LA Knight. That said, I don't see WWE getting that creative with it, so Theory is likely just going to get a "WrestleMania moment" by pinning Cena. May change my mind.

It'd make sense for Rollins to beat Logan Paul after getting effed over by Paul so many times since the Rumble, but I also think that they want to start giving Paul some big wins to feature him as more of a star attraction. Beating Rollins at Mania would certainly do that... but I'm still torn on predicting him as the winner. May flop on that one before the show.

1. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match (5 points)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

I mean everyone thinks it will be Cody, but I'd personally like to see Roman win and just keep the belts. But I also think they're out of viable opponents for Roman except for Seth at this point, so there's going to be diminishing returns on Roman with anyone he faces. Unless they've got someone big coming in to stare down Roman at the end of the match, I'm not sure where WWE goes if he wins. All that being said, I guess I'm going with the obvious choice and picking Cody.

2. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match (5 points)
The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

KO & Sami - I think this may be one of the surest things going into the weekend.

3. WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

It has to be Rhea. They already killed her momentum once with Charlotte beating her at Wrestlemania, so surely they won't do it again.


4. WWE Raw Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka

I'm so over Bianca that I really want it to be Asuka, but I'm guessing Bianca wins and keeps being booked like the female pre-Tribal Chief Roman.

5. WWE United States Championship Match (4 points)
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena

I don't think there's anyway Cena is coming back to lay down for Theory at 'Mania.

6. WWE Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match (4 points)
Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

Could see Drew winning, but I think they're going to keep it on Gunther and give him his strongest win to date.

7. Hell In A Cell Match (4 points)
Edge vs. Finn Balor

Would love to see Finn go over and then see him get a good push after this, but I think it'll be Edge.

8. Singles Match (3 points)
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

Seth

9. Singles Match (3 points)
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos (w/ MVP)

Brock

10. Trios Tag Team Match (3 points)
Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky)

Becky, Lita, & Trish

11. Singles Match (3 points)
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dominik, but could see Rey winning and setting up some sort of career on the line match at SummerSlam.

12. Women’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

Ronda & Shayna

13. Men’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)

Smart money is on Strowman & Ricochet, but I'll pick Street Profits.

BONUS QUESTIONS (1 point each)

1. Who will take the pin in the Undisputed Tag Team title match?

Jimmy Uso

2. Will Stone Cole Steve Austin make a live appearance?

Yes

3. Will there be a table spot off the side of the cell during the Hell in a Cell match?

No

4. Who will take the pin in the Intercontinental title match?

Sheamus

5. Will either night see a face/heel turn?

Yes

6. Will Brock Lesnar F-5 Omos?

Yes

7. Will Dominik tear Rey's mask off during or after their match?

No

8. Will Kevin Owens and/or Sami Zayn get involved during the Undisputed WWE Universal title match?

Yes

9. Will The Undertaker make a live appearance?

Yes

10. Will Bray Wyatt wrestle a match at WrestleMania?

No


TIE BREAKER: How long will the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match last? (Closest time in minutes/seconds) 23:47

1. Cody
2. Zayn & Owens
3. Ripley
4. Bianca
5. Theory
6. Sheamus
7. Balor
8. Rollins
9. Lesnar
10. Becky, Lita & Trish
11. Dominik
12. Ronda & Shayna
13. Street Profits

Bonus questions

1. Jey
2. No
3. No
4. McIntyre
5. No
6. Yes
7. No
8. Yes
9. No
10. No

Tie breaker 25:30

1. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match (5 points)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

Cody

2. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match (5 points)
The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

Owens and Zayn

3. WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley

4. WWE Raw Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka

Asuka

5. WWE United States Championship Match (4 points)
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena

Theory

6. WWE Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match (4 points)
Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

Gunther

7. Hell In A Cell Match (4 points)
Edge vs. Finn Balor

Balor

8. Singles Match (3 points)
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

Rollins

9. Singles Match (3 points)
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos (w/ MVP)

Lesnar

10. Trios Tag Team Match (3 points)
Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky)

Damage CTRL

11. Singles Match (3 points)
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

Doninik

12. Women’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

Natalya and Shotzi

13. Men’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)

Braun and Ricochet

BONUS QUESTIONS (1 point each)

1. Who will take the pin in the Undisputed Tag Team title match? Jay

2. Will Stone Cole Steve Austin make a live appearance?

No? I don't follow wrestling but unsure why he would since it's in LA

3. Will there be a table spot off the side of the cell during the Hell in a Cell match?

No, maybe inside the cell but not outside

4. Who will take the pin in the Intercontinental title match?

Shamus

5. Will either night see a face/heel turn?

Yes

6. Will Brock Lesnar F-5 Omos?

Yes

7. Will Dominik tear Rey's mask off during or after their match?

No

8. Will Kevin Owens and/or Sami Zayn get involved during the Undisputed WWE Universal title match?

I hope not, but probably, so I'll guess yes.

9. Will The Undertaker make a live appearance?

No

10. Will Bray Wyatt wrestle a match at WrestleMania?

No

TIE BREAKER: How long will the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match last? (Closest time in minutes/seconds)

18:52

WWE’s official Twitter released these graphics for Mania, running down the cards for both nights. Interesting that they have Theory/Cena in the headliner spot for Night 1 considering they already announced it’d be opening the show. Either plans changed or they consider the main event of Night 1 to be the opening match. Weird.

Or I guess they're just showcasing Cena because it's Cena.

image

image

1. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match (5 points)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes

2. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match (5 points)
The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

3. WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

4. WWE Raw Women's Championship Match (4 points)
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka

5. WWE United States Championship Match (4 points)
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Cena

6. WWE Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match (4 points)
Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

7. Hell In A Cell Match (4 points)
Edge vs. Finn Balor

8. Singles Match (3 points)
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul

9. Singles Match (3 points)
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos (w/ MVP)

10. Trios Tag Team Match (3 points)
Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky)

11. Singles Match (3 points)
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

12. Women’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

13. Men’s Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match (3 points)
Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis)

BONUS QUESTIONS (1 point each)

1. Who will take the pin in the Undisputed Tag Team title match?
Jimmy Uso

2. Will Stone Cole Steve Austin make a live appearance?
No

3. Will there be a table spot off the side of the cell during the Hell in a Cell match?
No

4. Who will take the pin in the Intercontinental title match?
Sheamus

5. Will either night see a face/heel turn?
Yes

6. Will Brock Lesnar F-5 Omos?
Yes

7. Will Dominik tear Rey's mask off during or after their match?
No

8. Will Kevin Owens and/or Sami Zayn get involved during the Undisputed WWE Universal title match?
No

9. Will The Undertaker make a live appearance?
No

10. Will Bray Wyatt wrestle a match at WrestleMania?
No

TIE BREAKER: How long will the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match last? (Closest time in minutes/seconds)
25:44

REMINDER, MANIA NIGHT 1 IS TONIGHT.

Anyone who wants to play, shove your predictions up asap!

That tag match had quite a lot of gif potential that I'm sure are flooding Twitter right now.

Yah that was a real fun match. Theory/Cena… sorta meh but about what I expected.

That rolling German suplex from gable on strawman was impressive

Love em or hate em, Logan Paul is a decent wrestler

Yah that Rollins/Paul match was pretty great. Lots of spots that they could have blown but it was all smooth as butter.

I predicted Rollins in my group chat but predicted Paul here, gosh darnit.

Rey vs Dominik was a great match. Real good stuff.

And looks like the tag titles are indeed headlining Night 1. Good decision.

Another solid match. The crowd clearly didn't want to cheer Charlotte, they wanted to cheer Rhea. If it wasn't for Judgment Day and her ties to Dominick, this could have lead to a nice double-turn, like how Austin and Bret did it at WM13.

It still could’ve happened. Now that she’s on Fridays after winning the title, she could be moving away from Judgment Day.

That Flair/Ripley match is EASILY Match of the Night for now. The fellas in the tag title match have their work cut out for them. What a great match. Maybe the best Women’s Mania match to date, rivaled only by Sasha/Bianca imo.

Night 1:

Theory vs Cena - ⭐️⭐️.25
4-way Tag - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Rollins vs Paul - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Lynch/Lita/Trish vs Damage CTRL - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rey vs Dom - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ripley vs Flair - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
McAfee vs Miz - ⭐️
KO/Zayn vs Usos - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Definitely a satisfying night of wrestling. A fairly forgettable first half made up for by having some legend/celebrity involvement, followed by 3 instant classic Mania matches (& 1 friggin filler segment). Exceeded expectations, if only just slightly.

All my ratings are based solely off the actual in-ring wrestling. I feel the Women's title match just barely eeked out the tag title match in that regard, but if I were judging on emotion and story, the tag title match would be 5+ stars. The ending to the tag match was great.

KO and Zayn having the PWG logo on their gear - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Got some high expectations for this match.
Gunther is in really good shape compared to when he first started appearing on NXT regularly.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:
THey are beating the piss out of each other.. I've never seen so many chops in my life

I'd hate to have to follow that

PizzaTheHutt wrote:
I wonder who will challenge Gunther next?? Brekker?? Hope it's not Lesner, Amos or Lashley.. bring in some new blood..

This doesn't look good for Belair... Cena came out with kids and he lost.. Foreshadowing??

shadyfozzie wrote:

I don’t need it to be immediately, but I actually do want Lesnar to challenge Gunther sooner or later. Pass the “big meat boy” torch to Gunther.

Great IC title match. Will prob remain the match of the night for me.

Bianca/Asuka was a real good match too, and I so badly wanted to be wrong about my prediction. Asuka is one of the best wrestlers in WWE, women or men. She deserves far more spotlight. But Bianca is great too, so good on her.

Rest of the show so far has been pretty forgettable.

Wow, wasn't expecting to see this guy any time soon.

And maybe he should've stayed gone

PizzaTheHutt wrote:
WTF just happened to Shane O'Mac?

He blew his knee out and Snoop Dogg had to save the segment. Never thought I'd see that happen.

So Miz vs Pat, then Miz vs Shane, Shane vs his quad, & Miz vs Snoop Dogg… but Lashley could only get penciled in to stand on the stage with a trophy? Aaaaalright.

Damn, only two matches left and it’s not even 10pm yet. They must have something else planned for between these two matches.

WTF is Edge wearing?
FYI: Edge has one of the best entrance songs of all time..

Wish it was darker out.. Balor's entrance would be a hell of a lot cooler..
Fun Fact: Balor and Edge are both over 40..

That HIAC match was underwhelming. The blood lull destroyed the momentum and then it seemed like they were just setting up the spots that they had planned to be stretched out. That may have been the case, I feel like it was supposed to be longer. Still a good match, just underwhelmed is all.

Time to retire the Demon gimmick. Finn loses any time he brings it out.

theJaw wrote:


I saw some wishful thinking on Twitter (though I don't personally believe it so I won't be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen) that Lashley's open challenge will be answered by Jay White.

They’re putting on pre show video packages. I think HIAC was supposed to go longer. They’re killing for time.

WrestleMania in Philly next year, hopefully they will save a spot in the HOF for an ECW Original.

Whoever approved TurboTax commercials without an IRS cameo needs to rethink their decision.

Wow, I ain't even mad at that result. I am surprised though.

I can’t be mad, it’s expected for WWE to absolutely fumble an easy layup in the 4th quarter. Massive missed opportunity to build a fresh, legitimate main event guy solely to get Reigns to 1,000 days. The Bloodline has officially jumped the shark.

I still see this as the Jey Uso show. We’re not done with Bloodline turmoil and I see Jey and Roman fighting at SummerSlam. But, we’ll see what happens.

I did want Cody to win, but it obviously didn’t happen today. It will probably happen someday, though.

I could buy the Jey Uso spin for a while but he cemented his position as a full on heel when he turned on Sami and meant it. If they kept that post-Rumble shade of grey in his character after the turn, I’d still be with you. But now it’ll feel like backpedaling if they shift focus back to Jey when they had plenty of opportunity to keep that aspect bubbling right under the surface instead of turning him entirely “bad”. It’d just be very “Big Show” to attempt to turn him face again. Face at the start vs Roman > heel when he sides with Roman > face when he refuses to attack Sami > full on heel when he officially turns on Sami > face when he has a change of heart and challenges Roman? I don’t need to see that, personally.

I’ll keep watching to see where it ends up, but like I said, the story has jumped the shark for me. I’m no longer nearly as invested in the “take Roman down” angle and I don’t think placing Jey back at the front of the line will rejuvenate it for me. It’s a shame, but oh well. Expected.

I heard rumors earlier before the show that they would have Roman retain to drop the belts to Omos at SummerSlam. I highly doubt that’s really the case, but if THAT’s the route they actually do take, RIP any interest I have left.

Night 2:

Brock vs Omos - ⭐️⭐️.25
Women’s 4-way Tag - ⭐️⭐️
Gunther vs Sheamus vs Drew - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bianca vs Asuka - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Snoop Dogg vs Miz (vs Shane?) - ⭐️
Edge vs Balor - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reigns vs Rhodes - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️.5 - Wildly underwhelming show. The IC title triple threat was the one pillar, Bianca/Asuka was good, and the main event was admittedly great until the overbooked “third act” and the massive missed opportunity that comes with the result. The rest was standard. Haven't felt this indifferent after a Mania in a while. Didn't hate it, didn't like it. I was certain Night 2 was going to outdo Night 1, on paper it's the better card, but that wasn't the case whatsoever unfort.

(PS will tally scores tomorrow, I’m a tired fella tonight)

theJaw wrote:

I'd love to see Reigns vs. Gunther.. It almost makes sense.. Gunther vs. Reigns, Imperium vs. Usos, and they can introduce someone new to take on Solo. Gunther really impressed me last night.. That IC match was frigging BRUTAL.. they literally beat the piss out of each other for like 25 straight minutes..

Tonight is the only Raw I watch from start to finish.. it's gonna be interesting to see where some of these story lines go:
1) Who challenges KO/Zayn?
2) Does Ripley split from Dom/Judgement Day?? Does Judgement Day start a feud with LWO?
3) Who's the Raw woman's challenger now?
4) What's up with Lynch/Lita/Stratus?? Who's challenging them, Rousey/Baszler?
5) Who challenges Theory now? Hopefully someone new, like Gargano.
6) What NXT guys/gals make their debut tonight?? Any Free Agents make a surprise appearance?
7) Will someone challenge Reigns saying how he's a little dog and needs help to win?
8) How AWESOME will tonight's crowd be?

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

Tha Doggfather absolutely saved the segment. The Miz was hopping around the ring dazed, surprised me, I would think he would be able to improvise better than that. Drop an elbow to take Shane out or something.

back4more wrote:

I wonder if the Miz knew what was going on at the time..

The reason why the Edge/Balor match was temporarily stopped:
https://twitter.com/FinnBalor/status/1642753664661...

wow, thats a serious split.

As for Miz, the guys probably see injuries occasionally so they are probably training on what to do when an injury happens. Maybe he was either freaked because it was the boss, or he didnt know it was really just a leg injury.

Here are the scores the way I tallied them. If anyone wants to double check my work against their predictions, go for it and let me know:

@shadyfozzie - 40
theJaw - 35
@jgrant78 - 40
@BloodPuppetX - 41
@mcorrado - 31
@PizzaTheHutt - 37

Congrats to BloodPuppetX for eeking out the win. Almost thought we were gonna have to go to the tie breaker.