Wrestling Thread April-September 2018 RIP

Stop being distracted
tumblr_p684ydZ1jW1wjkyemo1_540.gif
 
WWE Raw preview (July 16, 2018): Wide open

238_RULES_07152018cm_5692__9bc9cc2cde5c559dac01dbcb40496e2d.0.jpg
WWE.com
We head to Buffalo to start the road to SummerSlam.

The Headliner(s)
The crowd wasn’t the only controversial thing about Intercontinental Champ Dolph Ziggler retaining his belt after an Iron Man match against Seth Rollins which went into sudden death overtime. There’s also the matter of Drew McIntyre’s frequent involvement on Dolph’s behalf, especially on the deciding fall. And, most importantly, there’s now the issue of how all three men now fit in a Raw main event scene which will be a lot more interesting after tonight, whether Universal Champion Brock Lesnar responds to General Manager Kurt Angle’s ultimatum or not.

Whether Paul Heyman’s client shows up and agrees to defend his title for the first time since Greatest Royal Rumble (which I’m guessing he does) or not, for the first time in a long time, there’s finally a top prize for Raw Superstars to chase. Even before Brock went AWOL to start training for “The MMA”, the presumption for a long time was everyone was in line behind Roman Reigns. After his clean loss to Bobby Lashley on last night’s pay-per-view (PPV), that’s no longer the case.

The Big Dog will likely still be in the mix, but while he can still make claims of being an “uncrowned champ” based on his loss in Saudi Arabia and the ‘reality’ era conspiracy elements he’s introduced into kayfabe through his post-WrestleMania promos, his case isn’t that strong. Lashley’s beat him clean. Dolph holds what’s been Raw’s de facto told belt for months. He wouldn’t have it without McIntyre’s help, and Drew’s also beaten Rollins one-on-one. The Kingslayer’s been the red brand’s most consistent performer by almost any metric in 2018. Then there are past and still legitimate Lesnar challengers like Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman - who also has a Money in the Bank contract in his possession. Past champs like Kevin Owens and Finn Bálor...

Even the rumors can’t agree on who the #1 contender is. And that makes Raw about as interesting as it’s been in months, whether or not Brock shows.

The title scene
With Ronda Rousey’s suspension out of the way, Women’s Titleholder Alexa Bliss is on notice. Ronda didn’t let her punishment get in the way of hopping the barricade and taking out Mickie James last night, but Mickie got her back with a kendo stick and helped her friend keep her belt. Will Rowdy want a piece of James first? Where does any of this leave Nia Jax? Good questions.

We can also ask where The B-Team’s Tag Team Championship win leaves Deleters of Worlds. Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas seem pretty unstoppable (in the most fun way possible), and they’ve clearly frustrated the hell out of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. Enough to end the partnership between The Woken One and The Consumer of Terrestrial Entities? It seems likely we’ll get the contractual rematch between The Deleters of Worlds and the new champs tonight, but beyond that? This seems like the opening The Authors of Pain have been waiting for...

Other stuff to keep an eye on:
- They drove Dr. Shelby to abandon his post. Maybe that’ll be enough to get Angle to give up on counseling and let Sasha Banks and Bayley actually settle their issues in the ring like, you know, wrestlers?

- Presumably, Kevin Owens is okay after the latest insane bump he took at Extreme Rules. Yet somehow, WWE.com (who doesn’t have their full official preview up as of this writing, but does have some blurbs promoting the show) is teasing Mr. Monster in the Bank might not be finished with him yet?

- Mojo Rawley will probably beat up No Way Jose. It’s a thing.

It’s the Extreme Rules fallout show!

What will you be looking for on Raw tonight?
 
Wai Ting: "I really see the Muta influence in Sanada in his ability to go from 0 to SPRINT."

Pay attention to nuances fellas
 
Back
Top Bottom