The 2019 WWE Draft is in the books and WOW, Monday Night Raw, while will definitely be viewed as the B Show going forward, looks freaking stacked! Smackdown looks good too but with a part time World Champion facing a new hire at WWE's 4th blood money Saudi Arabia event, I don't have my hopes up too high, until we get a new WWE Champion who can defend at monthly PPVs. Sorry, this post is not bash Smackdown.
Anyway, Raw already built a talented locker room on Night One. AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Ricochet, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley were just a few of the singles stars that came to Raw. Night 2 only solidified their place as the 'wrestler's' going forward. WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, Andrade, Rusev, Aleister Black, Cedric Alexander, Humberto Carrillo, Buddy Murphy, Samoa Joe, Akira Tozawa and Rey Mysterio make up Raw's men singles division. Are you kidding me? So many amazing talents all on one show. It was probably for the best that Rollins kept the Universal Title as he has SO many challengers. The women's division also got a boost as overall #1 pick Becky Lynch is now joined by bitter arch rival Charlotte, Liv Morgan and The Kabuki Warriors. Joined by Natalya, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross drafted from Night One and you have a pretty solid women's division. The tag division didn't get a lot of help on Night Two, so I expect a few makeshift teams to form in the coming weeks as they only have the NEW Raw Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders, The OC and The Street Profits. It needs to be said; Raw won the draft. The build to the future is clear and I expect big things from guys like McIntyre, Andrade, Ricochet and Buddy Murphy.
Smackdown countered Raw's first pick of Universal Champion with the expected pick of WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, which was pretty obvious. New Day, Daniel Bryan, Nakamura, Ali, Miz, Ziggler and Roode, Gable, Elias and King Corbin were a few of the male picks on Night Two. It's basically more of the same for Smackdown as many of these guys were already on Smackdown. Roode, Corbin, and Miz are the only real new additions. Adding in Reigns, Wyatt, and Strowman and Smackdown men's singles division is a little lacking. There's not a lot of up and comers on the brand and it looks like we're headed for the same old Lesnar VS Reigns and Strowman matches for the foreseeable future. Not a lot of female picks for Smackdown but they're keeping two stars already on the brand; Smackdown Women's Champion Bayley and Carmella. They join Sasha Banks and Lacey Evans who were both drafted on Night One. Four women in a division? That's not going to work. They're going to have to work on getting some of those free agents, like Fire and Desire, The IIconics, Dana Brooke and Sarah Logan. I'm guessing Carmella is Bayley's first feud followed by Lacey Evans, who looks to be turning face. Tag division received The New Day and Ziggler/Roode. They join the Smackdown Tag Champs The Revival and Heavy Machinery. Like Raw, I feel like more makeshift teams are going to form. Smackdown seems lacking in all departments, which is weird, seeing how they are now on the bigger network. It's going to be interesting to see how the show is booked going forward.
There's still a few free agents out there, such as Cesaro, AOP, Hawkins/Ryder, the women mentioned above, and Luke Harper. There's other stars who weren't even in the pools such as Naomi, The Usos, Lars Sullivan, Ember Moon, Nia Jax and Ruby Riott. There's also that blockbuster trade that's being rumored. The only thing that makes sense would be a trade between major stars right? Like, stars featured in the first rounds. I'm going to make a bold prediction here; what if it's Rollins for Wyatt? Seth Rollins VS The Fiend Bray Wyatt is set for Crown Jewel in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the Universal Championship. Why even book this match? They could have easily dropped the feud and moved on as they are both on different brands now. My thought is do a trade and title change in one swoop. Otherwise, what is the point of the match? They don't want another disaster do they?
Raw is the clear winner here. They have the stars and I hope WWE books them well. Smackdown needs helps and I hope they build around guys like Reigns, Bryan, Kingston and the soon to be traded Seth Rollins.
Draft is now over! Looking forward to what WWE has in store for these guys in the next few months.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Saturday, October 12, 2019
WWE Draft 2019 - Night One Reaction
The WWE Draft has begun and 20+ superstars have found a home. What I like about this year's draft, each nights features separate pools of superstars so they basically make you watch both nights. More of my favorites are apart of Night 2's pool but we got some good ones tonight. Let's discuss.
Raw got the first pick tonight, thanks to The Fiend, so the draft picks were similar to the 2016 draft, 5 picks per round, 3 for Raw, 2 for Smackdown. Becky and Roman, the cover stars of WWE 2K20, went #1 and #2. Becky being #1 wasn't a shocker but it was shocking she's going to Raw. After last week's segment with The Rock, it was almost like Rock was passing the torch of the show to Becky. Guess it wasn't meant to be. Reigns going to Smackdown was obvious. He's the face of the company and the face needs to be on the biggest show. Reigns will 100% become WWE Champion in the next year. #3 was The OC, giving Raw 3 stars for the price of one. Styles went 4th overall in the 2016 draft to Smackdown so he keeps pace. Styles brings the US Title with him so I'm guessing Nakamura will be staying on Smackdown come Monday. #4 got me a bit upset as The Fiend Bray Wyatt will be going to Smackdown. The brand with the part time World Champion. This seems like WWE's way of trying to again avoid the disaster of the Hell in a Cell main event. IT HAPPENED WWE. You can't run from it. Anyway, The Fiend on Smackdown is a weird one. Currently, he only has Reigns or Strowman to feud with and after the horrible way they handled him at HIAC, I'm nervous for the future of Mr. Wyatt. #5 was Drew McIntyre. DREW MCINTYRE. A guy who hasn't been on TV for over a month. This must mean that a big push is coming. A push I, as a huge McIntyre fan, am looking forward to. If The Fiend can't become Universal Champion, then surely McIntyre has to be the one to end Rollins' reign.
Raw seems to be focused on big single stars. The men's division is freaking stacked. McIntyre, Styles, Ricochet, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley are all Raw stars. If Rollins stays on Raw with the Universal Championship, he'll have a lot of challengers. The US Title picture should be interesting as well. Raw's women division looks to be the same, with Becky, Natalya, Alexa and Nikki Cross. But that men's division?? STACKED. Smackdown got Lacey Evans and Sasha Banks, making The Blueprint on the blue brand. Coincidence? Smackdown stacked their tag division, getting their tag champs The Revival, Lucha House Party and Heavy Machinery. Hopefully LHP will get more serious and make a run for the Smackdown Tag Titles. Stars like Cesaro, Chad Gable, Drew Gulak and Humberto Carrlillo went undrafted. Hope they all head to Raw; the new wrestler's favorite show.
One of the best things that happened on Smackdown was outside of the draft, which saw Bayley finally start to solidify her heel turn, with a new haircut, destroying the Bayley buddies and berating the crowd. Bayley shockingly regained her Women's Championship in the process and looks to be a major player on the Smackdown women's scene, if she gets drafted to the show on Monday.
Great first night. McIntyre will be a major face for Raw and WWE in the coming months. Wyatt will probably die on Fox. Raw will be the less promoted show but the better show in the coming months. We still have to see where both World Champions end up, Bayley, The New Day, Ali, Andrade and many others on Monday. Can't wait!
Raw got the first pick tonight, thanks to The Fiend, so the draft picks were similar to the 2016 draft, 5 picks per round, 3 for Raw, 2 for Smackdown. Becky and Roman, the cover stars of WWE 2K20, went #1 and #2. Becky being #1 wasn't a shocker but it was shocking she's going to Raw. After last week's segment with The Rock, it was almost like Rock was passing the torch of the show to Becky. Guess it wasn't meant to be. Reigns going to Smackdown was obvious. He's the face of the company and the face needs to be on the biggest show. Reigns will 100% become WWE Champion in the next year. #3 was The OC, giving Raw 3 stars for the price of one. Styles went 4th overall in the 2016 draft to Smackdown so he keeps pace. Styles brings the US Title with him so I'm guessing Nakamura will be staying on Smackdown come Monday. #4 got me a bit upset as The Fiend Bray Wyatt will be going to Smackdown. The brand with the part time World Champion. This seems like WWE's way of trying to again avoid the disaster of the Hell in a Cell main event. IT HAPPENED WWE. You can't run from it. Anyway, The Fiend on Smackdown is a weird one. Currently, he only has Reigns or Strowman to feud with and after the horrible way they handled him at HIAC, I'm nervous for the future of Mr. Wyatt. #5 was Drew McIntyre. DREW MCINTYRE. A guy who hasn't been on TV for over a month. This must mean that a big push is coming. A push I, as a huge McIntyre fan, am looking forward to. If The Fiend can't become Universal Champion, then surely McIntyre has to be the one to end Rollins' reign.
Raw seems to be focused on big single stars. The men's division is freaking stacked. McIntyre, Styles, Ricochet, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley are all Raw stars. If Rollins stays on Raw with the Universal Championship, he'll have a lot of challengers. The US Title picture should be interesting as well. Raw's women division looks to be the same, with Becky, Natalya, Alexa and Nikki Cross. But that men's division?? STACKED. Smackdown got Lacey Evans and Sasha Banks, making The Blueprint on the blue brand. Coincidence? Smackdown stacked their tag division, getting their tag champs The Revival, Lucha House Party and Heavy Machinery. Hopefully LHP will get more serious and make a run for the Smackdown Tag Titles. Stars like Cesaro, Chad Gable, Drew Gulak and Humberto Carrlillo went undrafted. Hope they all head to Raw; the new wrestler's favorite show.
One of the best things that happened on Smackdown was outside of the draft, which saw Bayley finally start to solidify her heel turn, with a new haircut, destroying the Bayley buddies and berating the crowd. Bayley shockingly regained her Women's Championship in the process and looks to be a major player on the Smackdown women's scene, if she gets drafted to the show on Monday.
Great first night. McIntyre will be a major face for Raw and WWE in the coming months. Wyatt will probably die on Fox. Raw will be the less promoted show but the better show in the coming months. We still have to see where both World Champions end up, Bayley, The New Day, Ali, Andrade and many others on Monday. Can't wait!
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Hell in a Cell 2019 Predictions
You may have forgot with the massive amount of wrestling premieres this week but WWE Hell in a Cell is on Sunday! A whooping FOUR matches have been announced for the show, with at least 5 others to be announced after I post this! Seriously, they're probably just announce a bunch of matches on their social media accounts. That's a little sad though. I feel for those who bought tickets as they only advertised three matches for the show as the fourth was added LATE Friday night. Anyway, it will make for a short post, figured I should do one seeing as how I completely missed Clash of Champions. Let's get to it!
Charlotte will get another shot at becoming a 10 time women's champion as she again challenges Bayley for the Smackdown Women's Championship. I'm a big Bayley fan but I think her time is up. The tag match from this past Smackdown was Charlotte's moment to show the world what she can do and she made Bayley tap, AGAIN. She's the perfect embodiment of a champion they want for their brand. I'm not sure who she would feud with but Charlotte being champion fits Fox and hey, maybe it will bring out the fully heel Bayley as well. Lord knows she needs a total heel makeover. I'm going with Charlotte to defeat Bayley and become Smackdown Women's Champion for a 5th time.
Common enemies will force together Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan as they face Erick Rowan and the returning Luke Harper in a big tag team clash. This could be a lot of fun, given enough time. And why wouldn't it, it's only one of FOUR matches. Anyway, the obvious ending here would be for Bryan to turn on Reigns and reveal he's the true culprit behind the attacks on Reigns. This would lead to the blowoff match at Crown Jewel 2, that is, if Bryan wants to compete in Saudi Arabia. Although WWE could definitely use a face Daniel Bryan in this current environment, I think Bryan leading Harper and Rowan in some new twisted stable could do some good for whichever brand they end up on. Is that ending too obvious? Maybe, but WWE has proven the obvious thing is usually what they tend to go with. That being said, I'm going with Harper and Rowan to win here with Bryan turning back heel.
The Raw Women's Championship will be defended inside Hell in a Cell for only the 2nd time ever, first in 3 years and it's a feud worthy of the finality of the Hell in a Cell structure. Sasha Banks will get her rematch against Becky Lynch with the title on the line inside the dangerous structure. Becky Lynch is now the only remaining underdog from WrestleMania 35 who hasn't lost their title. Rollins may have regained the title at SummerSlam but Lynch's reign has been continuous since Mania. Sasha has been her biggest challenger to her reign yet and the only one who gives her reign a sense of danger. It's pretty obvious the way this one is going to go down. Becky had an amazing moment on Smackdown, getting the rub from Smackdown's 'creator' The Rock. To be featured in such a prominent role on the first edition of Smackdown on Fox, it's pretty clear that she's going to be one of the faces going forward. They may even do Charlotte/Becky again. For that to fully happen, she has to drop the title here. Sasha has been fantastic since coming back as a heel and it's time to pull the trigger on the comeback. Sasha Banks will defeat Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship. Sasha would become the 1st woman to hold the Raw Women's Title on 5 different occasions. Funny that Charlotte is trying to do the same with the opposite brand's title...
Seth Rollins can't catch a break. He's slain a Beast in Brock Lesnar, a Monster in Braun Strowman and now he's up against The Fiend Bray Wyatt. Rollins will defend the Universal Championship against Wyatt INSIDE the Hell in a Cell. Do I really need to talk about this? We all know Wyatt is getting that title. He is the hottest act going in WWE right now and it's time to pull the trigger while it is hot. I really don't know how it will work with Fun House Bray Wyatt and The Fiend Bray Wyatt but it's time for Wyatt to reign again. The Fiend will defeat Seth Rollins and become the NEW Universal Champion. Wyatt will make history as the first man to have won the WWE and Universal Titles AND both Raw and Smackdown Tag Titles. Surprising that this feat hasn't been accomplished yet.
That's Hell in a Cell. Crown Jewel is at the end of the month on Halloween! See you then
Charlotte will get another shot at becoming a 10 time women's champion as she again challenges Bayley for the Smackdown Women's Championship. I'm a big Bayley fan but I think her time is up. The tag match from this past Smackdown was Charlotte's moment to show the world what she can do and she made Bayley tap, AGAIN. She's the perfect embodiment of a champion they want for their brand. I'm not sure who she would feud with but Charlotte being champion fits Fox and hey, maybe it will bring out the fully heel Bayley as well. Lord knows she needs a total heel makeover. I'm going with Charlotte to defeat Bayley and become Smackdown Women's Champion for a 5th time.
Common enemies will force together Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan as they face Erick Rowan and the returning Luke Harper in a big tag team clash. This could be a lot of fun, given enough time. And why wouldn't it, it's only one of FOUR matches. Anyway, the obvious ending here would be for Bryan to turn on Reigns and reveal he's the true culprit behind the attacks on Reigns. This would lead to the blowoff match at Crown Jewel 2, that is, if Bryan wants to compete in Saudi Arabia. Although WWE could definitely use a face Daniel Bryan in this current environment, I think Bryan leading Harper and Rowan in some new twisted stable could do some good for whichever brand they end up on. Is that ending too obvious? Maybe, but WWE has proven the obvious thing is usually what they tend to go with. That being said, I'm going with Harper and Rowan to win here with Bryan turning back heel.
The Raw Women's Championship will be defended inside Hell in a Cell for only the 2nd time ever, first in 3 years and it's a feud worthy of the finality of the Hell in a Cell structure. Sasha Banks will get her rematch against Becky Lynch with the title on the line inside the dangerous structure. Becky Lynch is now the only remaining underdog from WrestleMania 35 who hasn't lost their title. Rollins may have regained the title at SummerSlam but Lynch's reign has been continuous since Mania. Sasha has been her biggest challenger to her reign yet and the only one who gives her reign a sense of danger. It's pretty obvious the way this one is going to go down. Becky had an amazing moment on Smackdown, getting the rub from Smackdown's 'creator' The Rock. To be featured in such a prominent role on the first edition of Smackdown on Fox, it's pretty clear that she's going to be one of the faces going forward. They may even do Charlotte/Becky again. For that to fully happen, she has to drop the title here. Sasha has been fantastic since coming back as a heel and it's time to pull the trigger on the comeback. Sasha Banks will defeat Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship. Sasha would become the 1st woman to hold the Raw Women's Title on 5 different occasions. Funny that Charlotte is trying to do the same with the opposite brand's title...
Seth Rollins can't catch a break. He's slain a Beast in Brock Lesnar, a Monster in Braun Strowman and now he's up against The Fiend Bray Wyatt. Rollins will defend the Universal Championship against Wyatt INSIDE the Hell in a Cell. Do I really need to talk about this? We all know Wyatt is getting that title. He is the hottest act going in WWE right now and it's time to pull the trigger while it is hot. I really don't know how it will work with Fun House Bray Wyatt and The Fiend Bray Wyatt but it's time for Wyatt to reign again. The Fiend will defeat Seth Rollins and become the NEW Universal Champion. Wyatt will make history as the first man to have won the WWE and Universal Titles AND both Raw and Smackdown Tag Titles. Surprising that this feat hasn't been accomplished yet.
That's Hell in a Cell. Crown Jewel is at the end of the month on Halloween! See you then
Thursday, September 19, 2019
The Bray Wyatt Situation
I think we can all agree that Bray Wyatt, the Firefly Funhouse and The Fiend have been the most consistently great thing about the WWE main roster post WrestleMania. All the leadup promos to something sinister, the original fakeout of that Firefly Funhouse, the reveal of The Fiend, the jump from weekly episodes to the puppets making cameos on both Raw and Smackdown and of course, the in ring reveal after Extreme Rules against Finn Balor. It's been a pretty slow burning build for Sir Wyatt but it has worked beautifully as Wyatt has to be considered one of, if not THE, most over guy on the main roster. With him being so over, WWE made the decision to put The Fiend Bray Wyatt against Seth Freakin Rollins for the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell, better yet, INSIDE Hell in a Cell. A feud that only has three weeks of build. Blame McIntyre for getting injured as the original plans called for McIntyre to get the push but you know, that's luck for the United Kingdom wrestlers in main event pushes.
Anyway, there are some who are against the call. Many are saying this is too early Wyatt to challenge Rollins and I can understand where they are coming from. Wyatt has had ONE televised match since his debut. ONE. And his 2nd match will most likely be a main event match for the top title on Raw? I get it. Others are saying putting the title on Wyatt will lessen The Fiend's aura, overexposing the one good thing WWE has. I get that as well but I offer two counter arguments for those complaints.
For the first, many forget Wyatt has been in WWE for close to a decade. Yes, this is a new gimmick but this is an accomplished superstar already. Former Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Champion, former WWE Champion, the man has faced the very best WWE has to offer, including legends like Chris Jericho, The Undertaker and John Cena. If anyone is 'ready' for a title run, it would be Bray Wyatt. It would be better to give him the title now when he's red hot then later when fans have started to cool off The Fiend. You know it's coming. Remember WrestleMania, when everyone wanted Kofi, Seth and Becky to walk out with titles and they did? Now, people are sick of them and clamoring for new faces in those spots. That was pretty clear at Clash of Champions, when there were very audible boos for all three, especially Kofi. Why wait 3 months when he's cooled off when you can capitalize on it now? And it would be good for a potential Demon Balor VS Fiend rematch at Royal Rumble.
The 2nd complaint is a easy fix as well. The Fiend can win the title but he doesn't have to appear every week or even wrestle weekly. They can leave that to Firefly Funhouse Wyatt and he can finally cut some promos live, instead of pretaped vignettes. I understand where people are coming from but Undertaker and Kane made careers off their characters and their supernatural abilities and I believe The Fiend, no matter how many times I see him, will continue in that same legacy. If they continue to feature the insanity that is FFFH and continue to have surprising moments, The Fiend can appear as often as he wants. The only one worthy of dethroning him would be Demon Balor and that in itself presents another problem but that's another post for another day.
Maybe we're all jumping the gun. Maybe Wyatt won't even defeat Rollins. We all know this company has a history of pushing supremely over guys to the title picture and then didn't have them succeed. Wade Barrett always comes to mind, probably the biggest squandering of talent in the 2010s. This could be another dropped pass by the company.....but yeah, I don't think so. I'm going all in on the hype train for Wyatt. I've been a big fan of his, even back from NXT season 2 Husky Harris days. I'm all in for rocket strapping Wyatt to the main event scene this 'early'. Yes, I'm incredibly bias and I don't care.
Long live The Fiend as WWE Universal Champion.
Anyway, there are some who are against the call. Many are saying this is too early Wyatt to challenge Rollins and I can understand where they are coming from. Wyatt has had ONE televised match since his debut. ONE. And his 2nd match will most likely be a main event match for the top title on Raw? I get it. Others are saying putting the title on Wyatt will lessen The Fiend's aura, overexposing the one good thing WWE has. I get that as well but I offer two counter arguments for those complaints.
For the first, many forget Wyatt has been in WWE for close to a decade. Yes, this is a new gimmick but this is an accomplished superstar already. Former Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Champion, former WWE Champion, the man has faced the very best WWE has to offer, including legends like Chris Jericho, The Undertaker and John Cena. If anyone is 'ready' for a title run, it would be Bray Wyatt. It would be better to give him the title now when he's red hot then later when fans have started to cool off The Fiend. You know it's coming. Remember WrestleMania, when everyone wanted Kofi, Seth and Becky to walk out with titles and they did? Now, people are sick of them and clamoring for new faces in those spots. That was pretty clear at Clash of Champions, when there were very audible boos for all three, especially Kofi. Why wait 3 months when he's cooled off when you can capitalize on it now? And it would be good for a potential Demon Balor VS Fiend rematch at Royal Rumble.
The 2nd complaint is a easy fix as well. The Fiend can win the title but he doesn't have to appear every week or even wrestle weekly. They can leave that to Firefly Funhouse Wyatt and he can finally cut some promos live, instead of pretaped vignettes. I understand where people are coming from but Undertaker and Kane made careers off their characters and their supernatural abilities and I believe The Fiend, no matter how many times I see him, will continue in that same legacy. If they continue to feature the insanity that is FFFH and continue to have surprising moments, The Fiend can appear as often as he wants. The only one worthy of dethroning him would be Demon Balor and that in itself presents another problem but that's another post for another day.
Maybe we're all jumping the gun. Maybe Wyatt won't even defeat Rollins. We all know this company has a history of pushing supremely over guys to the title picture and then didn't have them succeed. Wade Barrett always comes to mind, probably the biggest squandering of talent in the 2010s. This could be another dropped pass by the company.....but yeah, I don't think so. I'm going all in on the hype train for Wyatt. I've been a big fan of his, even back from NXT season 2 Husky Harris days. I'm all in for rocket strapping Wyatt to the main event scene this 'early'. Yes, I'm incredibly bias and I don't care.
Long live The Fiend as WWE Universal Champion.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
September 2019 Gaming Releases
It's finally time for fall gaming! The end of August was a doozy with three releases for me in three days and September looks to be more of the same. In these posts, I'm highlighting games that I will either be playing or owning that release in the respective month. Let's get to it!
September 3rd: Catherine: Full Body - Probably Buy on Sale
Hard to believe that Catherine first released back in 2011, nearly at the start of this decade and I haven't replayed the game since. Catherine was a departure of normal games I buy as it was more of a puzzle game with visual novel choices and narrative. I remember being very engrossed with it and that it helped me with my own life choices at the time. While I'm very excited to replayed the game, especially since I just learned when doing research on the game, it's built using the Persona 5 engine. The only thing that's holding me back from a day one buy is the price. Most remakes or re-releases ask for $40-$50. Grandia HD Collection on Switch was a shocking $40. Atlus is asking for the full $60. While I understand it's essentially a new game, I've already put most of my money into the games of August and I can't see myself paying full price for this. I certainly want to experience Vincent's story again but maybe once it goes on sale.....and when I have less games to play.
September 10th: Gears 5 - Play by GamePass
My Xbox One is lonely. I haven't played it since my Crackdown 3 binge back in February. Gears 5 is a great excuse to go back. I really enjoyed the Gears 4 so if it's more of the same then I'll be happy. The best thing is that while I paid $30 for Gears 4, Gears 5 is free if you have GamePass. And you know for sure I will be subscribing in a few days to get this benefit. I'm hoping for another short experience so I can get ready for the other heavy hitters to come but I can't wait to blow some Locust heads off.
September 10th: Blasphemous - Buy
I remember first hearing about this game on Kotaku back in 2017. I was reading the article at work and I'll never forget the gif of a giant baby ripping apart the main character in two. It was so amazing. Then reading about it, it looks like this will be a Dark Souls Castlevania hybrid. Other games have tried it and haven't gripped me like I wanted, like Death's Gambit but I have high hopes for this one. It looks very polished, gory and will scratch that Metroidvania itch that never seems to go away. Juggling this and Gears 5 so it will be a bloody week at my house!
September 17th: AI: The Somnium Files - BUY
I'm so ready for this. I don't know much about this game other than that it's by the people who brought us the AMAZING Zero Escape series. They hooked me from the gate. I couldn't get enough of that series and I actually played through 999 earlier this year to prepare myself. 2019 hasn't provided me with a really gripping visual novel game yet so I'm hoping AI provides the great mix of adventure and visual novel that I love so much. I have no doubt that this will be another mind bending tale that will have me wanting more after it ends.
September 20th: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Already Bought
Hard to believe I haven't played a Zelda game since Breath of the Wild in 2017! While I'm sure everyone is excited for the sequel to Breath of the Wild, I'm happy to be playing a more traditional Zelda experience for the Switch. And it's one where Link can jump! Well, after he gets the Roc Feather but still! This is another welcome remake of a game as I haven't played Link's Awakening DX since my childhood. Also, again, I haven't played a traditional Zelda game in a very long time so it will be fun playing through in a way from my childhood. Good thing is, I forgot mostly what happens in the game so it will be like playing a new game come September 20th. Looking forward to experiencing one of Link's greatest adventures all over again. Side note, this is the only game on the list that's already paid for. Thanks $400 trade credit at GameStop!
September 27th: Code Vein - Buy
Code Vein was suppose to come out in September 2018. Yeah, we're talking a whole darn year ago. It was originally apart of my crazy gaming September last year. You remember? The one that included Dragon Quest XI, Spider-Man and Tomb Raider within 10 days of each other? Well it's apart of another busy release window this year! Dark Souls clones are always around and in my book, welcome additions to my gaming library. Remnant: From The Ashes is a fantastic example of a of a Dark Souls esque game done right. Not you Immortal Unchained. Code Vein already has something going for it as it's unique look sets it apart from other DS clones. Anime Dark Souls is the name I and many of the gaming community have christened it. I missed my chance to play the demo but from the gameplay I've seen, I know it going to hit on every level. This will be a good way to end September segue-way into October's games, which are few but contain two major RPGs.
I just hope I can finish some of these before October. Zelda doesn't bother me but it's games like AI and Code Vein that need to be completed by October 22nd. If I was to wager a guess, I know Gears 5 will be finished relatively fast as it's for sure going to be a short game. Blasphemous will probably be normal Metroidvania length. Again, Zelda is for more my coming and goings to work and such and with no big Switch release in sight, it will probably last me until late October. AI is probably going to steal A LOT of my time in September, hence why I'll be off to experience the craziness. Same thing for Code Vein. I'm just excited to get deep into gaming this fall! We're talking four or more releases for three months straight!
Next up is October, highlighted by the RPG I've been waiting four years to play and the 3rd entry into another RPG series that took a lot of my time this year. Stay tuned....
September 3rd: Catherine: Full Body - Probably Buy on Sale
Hard to believe that Catherine first released back in 2011, nearly at the start of this decade and I haven't replayed the game since. Catherine was a departure of normal games I buy as it was more of a puzzle game with visual novel choices and narrative. I remember being very engrossed with it and that it helped me with my own life choices at the time. While I'm very excited to replayed the game, especially since I just learned when doing research on the game, it's built using the Persona 5 engine. The only thing that's holding me back from a day one buy is the price. Most remakes or re-releases ask for $40-$50. Grandia HD Collection on Switch was a shocking $40. Atlus is asking for the full $60. While I understand it's essentially a new game, I've already put most of my money into the games of August and I can't see myself paying full price for this. I certainly want to experience Vincent's story again but maybe once it goes on sale.....and when I have less games to play.
September 10th: Gears 5 - Play by GamePass
My Xbox One is lonely. I haven't played it since my Crackdown 3 binge back in February. Gears 5 is a great excuse to go back. I really enjoyed the Gears 4 so if it's more of the same then I'll be happy. The best thing is that while I paid $30 for Gears 4, Gears 5 is free if you have GamePass. And you know for sure I will be subscribing in a few days to get this benefit. I'm hoping for another short experience so I can get ready for the other heavy hitters to come but I can't wait to blow some Locust heads off.
September 10th: Blasphemous - Buy
I remember first hearing about this game on Kotaku back in 2017. I was reading the article at work and I'll never forget the gif of a giant baby ripping apart the main character in two. It was so amazing. Then reading about it, it looks like this will be a Dark Souls Castlevania hybrid. Other games have tried it and haven't gripped me like I wanted, like Death's Gambit but I have high hopes for this one. It looks very polished, gory and will scratch that Metroidvania itch that never seems to go away. Juggling this and Gears 5 so it will be a bloody week at my house!
September 17th: AI: The Somnium Files - BUY
I'm so ready for this. I don't know much about this game other than that it's by the people who brought us the AMAZING Zero Escape series. They hooked me from the gate. I couldn't get enough of that series and I actually played through 999 earlier this year to prepare myself. 2019 hasn't provided me with a really gripping visual novel game yet so I'm hoping AI provides the great mix of adventure and visual novel that I love so much. I have no doubt that this will be another mind bending tale that will have me wanting more after it ends.
September 20th: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Already Bought
Hard to believe I haven't played a Zelda game since Breath of the Wild in 2017! While I'm sure everyone is excited for the sequel to Breath of the Wild, I'm happy to be playing a more traditional Zelda experience for the Switch. And it's one where Link can jump! Well, after he gets the Roc Feather but still! This is another welcome remake of a game as I haven't played Link's Awakening DX since my childhood. Also, again, I haven't played a traditional Zelda game in a very long time so it will be fun playing through in a way from my childhood. Good thing is, I forgot mostly what happens in the game so it will be like playing a new game come September 20th. Looking forward to experiencing one of Link's greatest adventures all over again. Side note, this is the only game on the list that's already paid for. Thanks $400 trade credit at GameStop!
September 27th: Code Vein - Buy
Code Vein was suppose to come out in September 2018. Yeah, we're talking a whole darn year ago. It was originally apart of my crazy gaming September last year. You remember? The one that included Dragon Quest XI, Spider-Man and Tomb Raider within 10 days of each other? Well it's apart of another busy release window this year! Dark Souls clones are always around and in my book, welcome additions to my gaming library. Remnant: From The Ashes is a fantastic example of a of a Dark Souls esque game done right. Not you Immortal Unchained. Code Vein already has something going for it as it's unique look sets it apart from other DS clones. Anime Dark Souls is the name I and many of the gaming community have christened it. I missed my chance to play the demo but from the gameplay I've seen, I know it going to hit on every level. This will be a good way to end September segue-way into October's games, which are few but contain two major RPGs.
I just hope I can finish some of these before October. Zelda doesn't bother me but it's games like AI and Code Vein that need to be completed by October 22nd. If I was to wager a guess, I know Gears 5 will be finished relatively fast as it's for sure going to be a short game. Blasphemous will probably be normal Metroidvania length. Again, Zelda is for more my coming and goings to work and such and with no big Switch release in sight, it will probably last me until late October. AI is probably going to steal A LOT of my time in September, hence why I'll be off to experience the craziness. Same thing for Code Vein. I'm just excited to get deep into gaming this fall! We're talking four or more releases for three months straight!
Next up is October, highlighted by the RPG I've been waiting four years to play and the 3rd entry into another RPG series that took a lot of my time this year. Stay tuned....
Friday, August 9, 2019
Takeover and SummerSlam 2019 Predictions
It's finally time for the 3rd biggest weekend of WWE's year; Takeover and SummerSlam weekend! This will be the first time in five years that Takeover and SummerSlam will be in a city other than Brooklyn. WWE heads North to Toronto for four days of action. Takeover Toronto (II) will feature 5 matches while SummerSlam is currently slated for 10 matches but we all know that will change! Let's start with Takeover first!
Takeover Toronto (II) features 5 matches, with the four NXT Titles on the line. The Undisputed Era look fulfill their prophecy as all four members are in title matches. The results of all five matches will likely react with each other. I'll get into it during the post but let's get it started!
The Streets Profits won the NXT Tag Team Titles at Takeover XXV in their first ever Takeover event. Their reign may be a short one as they will face Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of the Undisputed Era for their newly won titles. This may be the start of a big night for UE. I don't think NXT would have proclaimed that UE would be draped in gold and then not have that come to fruition. Of course, it could be a red herring but I guess we'll see. Street Profits have been appearing more and more on Raw and Smackdown so it's only a matter of time before Vince sticks his filthy claws in them and steals them away for himself. With the return Breezango to NXT, there may not be a need for a face team to be holding those titles right now. UE VS Breezango at a future Takeover for the title seems likely but it can only start here. I'll be upset for the boy but I got Undisputed Era in this one, capturing the NXT Tag Team Titles for the 3rd time. Kyle O'Reilly already holds the record for most cumulative days held. This will add to the record.
In a rare Takeover with TWO women's matches, newly heel Io Shirai will face Candice LeRae in a grudge match. It's amazing to finally have a heel Japanese female in NXT. Asuka was going that route for a bit but they never went full heel and Kairi was too pure during her run for it. Io makes the most sense. This is all definitely leading to a title reign for her as well. As much as I want Candice to get on track here and finally start competing for the title at Takeovers, she can't lose to a star who just turned heel. Io Shirai will defeat Candice LeRae in a competitive match.
In what might be the best match of the night, NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream will defend against Roderick Strong and NXT UK's Pete Dunne in a Triple Threat match. I don't need to say it again but I will; THIS is going to be epic. As with the tag title match, UE's declaration to get all the titles is clear and Strong has the best chance out of them all to walk out with a title. He's got momentum on his side and Dream has been champion since January so it might be time for a change. Dunne's in the match to make it even better. Kind of surprised Dunne isn't on the next NXT UK Takeover. Anyway, after a grueling match, I got Roderick Strong winning his first singles title in NXT by capturing the NXT North American Championship.
Shayna Baszler is chasing history. The already record setting 2 time NXT Women's Champion will defend her title against Mia Yim. Baszler is already the 3rd longest reigning NXT Women's Champion so one, she's looking to get closer to the #2 position. We all know Asuka's 510 day reign isn't going to be surpassed but she's 20 days shy of Paige's 308 day reign. Baszler has held the title twice and is just less than 100 days from having the record for most cumulative days as NXT Women's Champion. If you're a math person, you'll know the next NXT Takeover following Toronto is Wargames in Los Angeles. That's just about a little more than 100 days after Toronto. Do you follow me? Now, I've gone against Baszler at Phoenix and I was wrong. I went against her at New York, I was wrong. I'm not making that same mistake. I think Yim will look fantastic in the match, but she's not the one. Shayna Baszler will retain her title in the same way she's done in the past few Takeovers; submission. Night night Yim. Sorry.
The main event is the third and probably final match in the Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole feud. After the trilogy of matches between Cole/Ciampa last year, you'd think I be tired of seeing Gargano main event and compete at Takeovers but man, these last two battles with Adam Cole have been barn burners. I truly believe their first match at New York was the best WWE match since Punk/Cena at Money in the Bank 2011. The amount of emotion and anticipation during the match was unmatched and their rematch was more of the same. It's the greatest two match series in NXT history and now, it's time for the last match. Can they top what they've done already?
Johnny Gargano will try to avenge his Takeover XXV loss and regain his title when he challenges Adam Cole for the NXT Championship. This will be their 2nd 2 out of 3 Falls match but it will be a bit different. The first fall will be a normal singles match, the 2nd a street fight and the third will be decided IF/WHEN it's needed. My guess would be a Ladder match ala Triple H/HBK 3 Stages of Hell back at Armageddon 2002. Granted, they had a Cage match as their 2nd fall but you get it. Anyway, this is it for one of these guys.
Gargano and Cole have both done everything there is to do in NXT. They've won all the titles that's available to them, they've main evented multiple Takeover events and have raised the bar for the black and yellow brand. A loss here would either mean two things; either a call up to the main roster or taking a different role in NXT, maybe that of a gatekeeper for the newer talent to prove themselves. I honestly don't want either on the main roster just yet as we've seen not all the call ups get storylines right away and I'm sure a guy like Gargano would get lost in the shuffle. Anyway, this will be another barn burner. Cole/Gargano's chemistry is off the charts and they can't have a bad match. This will go the distance, all three falls, 40+ minutes. I absolutely love Gargano and I want the best for him in his WWE career but if Cole's other faction members are going to win, Cole HAS to win. We need Undisputed Era to have all the title. And it will be so. Adam Cole will defeat Johnny Gargano to retain his NXT Championship. And that's....Undisputed.
Takeover Toronto will be an amazing lead in to SummerSlam!
SummerSlam with its 10 matches and likely growing, especially with a 2 hour pre show. The Cruiserweight championship will take its usual spot on it but I'm not sure about any other matches. Reigns will definitely be on the show and maybe Andrade and Rey will have one more match. Let's just focus on the 10 announced for now.
Drew Gulak will defend the Cruiserweight Title against Oney Lorcan. This will be another great match as the Cruiswerweights have not disappointed this year on PPV. Lorcan will destroy Gulak in this match but he won't be the one to end the reign. I still think Humberto Carrillo will be that guy. Drew Gulak retains in a fun hard hitting match.
In a SummerSlam 2017 rematch, Finn Balor will battle Bray Wyatt but this time, Bray Wyatt is under a new gimmick as The Fiend, who's making his in ring debut, I guess? Anyway, we all know how this is going to go. They've done a great job at building up the appearance and putting him over Hall of Famers like Mick Foley and Kurt Angle was genius. Balor is apparently going on vacation after SummerSlam so he's doing the job here. It also opens up the opportunity for a future Demon VS Fiend match. This might be a squash match too. Regardless, Bray's winning here.
For some reason, Dolph Ziggler is facing Goldberg. That will put butts in seats. This will be a squash. Spear, Jackhammer, payday. Goldberg wins.
Dream match! Trish Stratus is coming back for one more match and it's a doozy. She's facing former 9 time champion Charlotte in a generational match in Trish's hometown in Toronto. This is a SummerSlam match, even if it was thrown together 12 days before the show. This is a passing of the torch match. I, like many of you who may read this, grew up on Trish. She is the greatest female star since Fabulous Moolah. We are now in an era of great women's wrestling and it's time for a new GOAT. Charlotte, whether you love her, hate her or are tired of them shoving her down our throats, is worthy to be that person. Trish will get her hits in, hit her signature moves, but Charlotte will walk out victorious.
Kevin Owens will face Shane McMahon and if Owens loses, he will quit WWE. Despite the hatred in this feud, this is a normal match, a decision that I hope will be changed on the pre show. Many of have predicted and said this is the way that Shane will eventually leave TV for good so I can't see Owens losing here. Kevin Owens will win and start the eradication of Shane on our TVs every week.
Ricochet will get his shot at regaining the United States Championship when he faces AJ Styles for the fourth time. Ricochet is 1-2 against The Phenomenal One. These two deserve a lot of time on Sunday to showcase what they can do. Their match at Extreme Rules was great and I'm looking for more of the same here. With Undisputed Era potentially holding all the titles, New Day holding all the titles and The OC with all the titles, one of those factions will have to lose a title first. I don't think a heel Styles was done for the US Title. The money is in a heel Styles chasing the Universal Championship right? Let Ricochet win here and feud with Cesaro. Or, maybe heel Styles is best for the mid card right now? Styles/Mysterio could finally happen as could Styles/Alexander. THAT might be best with the uncertainty of a World Title on Raw for the foreseeable future. OK, I'm going with Styles to retain.
Bayley will face her hardest challenge yet when she faces Ember Moon for the Smackdown Women's Championship in a battle of former NXT Women's Champions. This is Ember's big chance to show the world what she's got. This is Bayley chance to show that even the best can't contend with her. This is probably the match I want to see most at SummerSlam, based on in ring talent and with how things could go. Moon winning would mean that Smackdown is predominantly filled with black champions, which would be a first and something to see right? Bayley winning would mean she would need a new challenger. As much as I want Ember to win, I STILL think this is how WWE will reintroduce Sasha to WWE. With the focus of WWE 2K20 on the Women's Revolution, wouldn't it make sense to promote it by having two of the Four Horsewomen feud for the title? Sorry, Ember, but for that to happen, Bayley has to retain here. Ember won't go down without a fight and I hope we get to see the Eclipse reversed into a Bayley to Belly. Bayley retains.
Becky Lynch looks to continue her reign when she defends the Raw Women's Championship against Natalya in a Submission match. Nattie is the 3rd Canadian in a big match at SummerSlam and she's got a tough road to win the championship. This will be great! This should be a wrestling fan's dream. Becky is the cover star of WWE 2K20 and because of it, she's not losing here. I don't know who's next for her but depending on if Baszler wins her respective match, maybe she'll be looking for revenge for her friend Ronda. That would be something. Anyway, Becky retains with the Dis-Arm-Her.
Kofi Kingston's magical journey as WWE Champion is in serious jeopardy as he faces a foe from his past. It will be Kingston defending against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. If anyone can claim to be Mr. SummerSlam, it might be Randy Orton. Orton has had 3 of his 13 World Title reigns BEGIN at SummerSlam. 2002, 2011 and 2013 if you're keeping record. And with Smackdown moving to Fox soon, they may want a guy like Orton holding onto the title heading into the deal but honestly, that doesn't work for the overall story. Kingston called Orton out to close an old chapter of his career. he has to go over Orton to basically validate his reign. If Kofi loses the title to anyone, let it be Andrade and give Andrade the heel Latino stable the world needs! Kingston NEEDS this win here. He can't become champion only to lose it to the guy who held him down in the first place years ago. This title run and reign has all been for this exact moment in time. Kofi Kingston will defeat Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship. He will run into Andrade next. Mark my words.
Brock Lesnar is back at his favorite event and will defend the Universal Championship in a Wrestlemania rematch against Seth Rollins. This will be Lesnar's SIXTH STRAIGHT SUMMERSLAM MAIN EVENT, his eighth overall counting the 2002 and 2012 matches. His reign over this event is insane and I know I gave kudos to Orton as Mr. SummerSlam, but Lesnar is the SummerSlam God. His battle with Rollins is very important as it will determine the future of the red brand for awhile. Will we have another part time champion again until Wrestlemania or will Rollins come through and slay the beast once again? I'm going with the former. Although it wouldn't make sense for Raw to again LOSE their main champion, especially if the Wild Card rule will be ending soon with Smackdown moving to Fox. They need that title around. Guys like Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe, Ricochet, Cesaro, The Fiend Bray Wyatt and AJ NEED a main title to contend for. Their hopes rely on Rollins. The way the story goes, they want you to believe he doesn't stand a chance come Sunday. He's been decimated these past two weeks right? While I know Rollins will put up a big fight come Sunday, I just don't see Lesnar losing back to back SummerSlam main events. I really REALLY hope I'm wrong and it pains me to even type this, but I got Brock Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, holding the title hostage until God knows how long. I hope I'm wrong and Rollins wins, only to be attacked by Wyatt....
There is it! SummerSlam weekend! You excited?!/
Takeover Toronto (II) features 5 matches, with the four NXT Titles on the line. The Undisputed Era look fulfill their prophecy as all four members are in title matches. The results of all five matches will likely react with each other. I'll get into it during the post but let's get it started!
The Streets Profits won the NXT Tag Team Titles at Takeover XXV in their first ever Takeover event. Their reign may be a short one as they will face Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of the Undisputed Era for their newly won titles. This may be the start of a big night for UE. I don't think NXT would have proclaimed that UE would be draped in gold and then not have that come to fruition. Of course, it could be a red herring but I guess we'll see. Street Profits have been appearing more and more on Raw and Smackdown so it's only a matter of time before Vince sticks his filthy claws in them and steals them away for himself. With the return Breezango to NXT, there may not be a need for a face team to be holding those titles right now. UE VS Breezango at a future Takeover for the title seems likely but it can only start here. I'll be upset for the boy but I got Undisputed Era in this one, capturing the NXT Tag Team Titles for the 3rd time. Kyle O'Reilly already holds the record for most cumulative days held. This will add to the record.
In a rare Takeover with TWO women's matches, newly heel Io Shirai will face Candice LeRae in a grudge match. It's amazing to finally have a heel Japanese female in NXT. Asuka was going that route for a bit but they never went full heel and Kairi was too pure during her run for it. Io makes the most sense. This is all definitely leading to a title reign for her as well. As much as I want Candice to get on track here and finally start competing for the title at Takeovers, she can't lose to a star who just turned heel. Io Shirai will defeat Candice LeRae in a competitive match.
In what might be the best match of the night, NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream will defend against Roderick Strong and NXT UK's Pete Dunne in a Triple Threat match. I don't need to say it again but I will; THIS is going to be epic. As with the tag title match, UE's declaration to get all the titles is clear and Strong has the best chance out of them all to walk out with a title. He's got momentum on his side and Dream has been champion since January so it might be time for a change. Dunne's in the match to make it even better. Kind of surprised Dunne isn't on the next NXT UK Takeover. Anyway, after a grueling match, I got Roderick Strong winning his first singles title in NXT by capturing the NXT North American Championship.
Shayna Baszler is chasing history. The already record setting 2 time NXT Women's Champion will defend her title against Mia Yim. Baszler is already the 3rd longest reigning NXT Women's Champion so one, she's looking to get closer to the #2 position. We all know Asuka's 510 day reign isn't going to be surpassed but she's 20 days shy of Paige's 308 day reign. Baszler has held the title twice and is just less than 100 days from having the record for most cumulative days as NXT Women's Champion. If you're a math person, you'll know the next NXT Takeover following Toronto is Wargames in Los Angeles. That's just about a little more than 100 days after Toronto. Do you follow me? Now, I've gone against Baszler at Phoenix and I was wrong. I went against her at New York, I was wrong. I'm not making that same mistake. I think Yim will look fantastic in the match, but she's not the one. Shayna Baszler will retain her title in the same way she's done in the past few Takeovers; submission. Night night Yim. Sorry.
The main event is the third and probably final match in the Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole feud. After the trilogy of matches between Cole/Ciampa last year, you'd think I be tired of seeing Gargano main event and compete at Takeovers but man, these last two battles with Adam Cole have been barn burners. I truly believe their first match at New York was the best WWE match since Punk/Cena at Money in the Bank 2011. The amount of emotion and anticipation during the match was unmatched and their rematch was more of the same. It's the greatest two match series in NXT history and now, it's time for the last match. Can they top what they've done already?
Johnny Gargano will try to avenge his Takeover XXV loss and regain his title when he challenges Adam Cole for the NXT Championship. This will be their 2nd 2 out of 3 Falls match but it will be a bit different. The first fall will be a normal singles match, the 2nd a street fight and the third will be decided IF/WHEN it's needed. My guess would be a Ladder match ala Triple H/HBK 3 Stages of Hell back at Armageddon 2002. Granted, they had a Cage match as their 2nd fall but you get it. Anyway, this is it for one of these guys.
Gargano and Cole have both done everything there is to do in NXT. They've won all the titles that's available to them, they've main evented multiple Takeover events and have raised the bar for the black and yellow brand. A loss here would either mean two things; either a call up to the main roster or taking a different role in NXT, maybe that of a gatekeeper for the newer talent to prove themselves. I honestly don't want either on the main roster just yet as we've seen not all the call ups get storylines right away and I'm sure a guy like Gargano would get lost in the shuffle. Anyway, this will be another barn burner. Cole/Gargano's chemistry is off the charts and they can't have a bad match. This will go the distance, all three falls, 40+ minutes. I absolutely love Gargano and I want the best for him in his WWE career but if Cole's other faction members are going to win, Cole HAS to win. We need Undisputed Era to have all the title. And it will be so. Adam Cole will defeat Johnny Gargano to retain his NXT Championship. And that's....Undisputed.
Takeover Toronto will be an amazing lead in to SummerSlam!
SummerSlam with its 10 matches and likely growing, especially with a 2 hour pre show. The Cruiserweight championship will take its usual spot on it but I'm not sure about any other matches. Reigns will definitely be on the show and maybe Andrade and Rey will have one more match. Let's just focus on the 10 announced for now.
Drew Gulak will defend the Cruiserweight Title against Oney Lorcan. This will be another great match as the Cruiswerweights have not disappointed this year on PPV. Lorcan will destroy Gulak in this match but he won't be the one to end the reign. I still think Humberto Carrillo will be that guy. Drew Gulak retains in a fun hard hitting match.
In a SummerSlam 2017 rematch, Finn Balor will battle Bray Wyatt but this time, Bray Wyatt is under a new gimmick as The Fiend, who's making his in ring debut, I guess? Anyway, we all know how this is going to go. They've done a great job at building up the appearance and putting him over Hall of Famers like Mick Foley and Kurt Angle was genius. Balor is apparently going on vacation after SummerSlam so he's doing the job here. It also opens up the opportunity for a future Demon VS Fiend match. This might be a squash match too. Regardless, Bray's winning here.
For some reason, Dolph Ziggler is facing Goldberg. That will put butts in seats. This will be a squash. Spear, Jackhammer, payday. Goldberg wins.
Dream match! Trish Stratus is coming back for one more match and it's a doozy. She's facing former 9 time champion Charlotte in a generational match in Trish's hometown in Toronto. This is a SummerSlam match, even if it was thrown together 12 days before the show. This is a passing of the torch match. I, like many of you who may read this, grew up on Trish. She is the greatest female star since Fabulous Moolah. We are now in an era of great women's wrestling and it's time for a new GOAT. Charlotte, whether you love her, hate her or are tired of them shoving her down our throats, is worthy to be that person. Trish will get her hits in, hit her signature moves, but Charlotte will walk out victorious.
Kevin Owens will face Shane McMahon and if Owens loses, he will quit WWE. Despite the hatred in this feud, this is a normal match, a decision that I hope will be changed on the pre show. Many of have predicted and said this is the way that Shane will eventually leave TV for good so I can't see Owens losing here. Kevin Owens will win and start the eradication of Shane on our TVs every week.
Ricochet will get his shot at regaining the United States Championship when he faces AJ Styles for the fourth time. Ricochet is 1-2 against The Phenomenal One. These two deserve a lot of time on Sunday to showcase what they can do. Their match at Extreme Rules was great and I'm looking for more of the same here. With Undisputed Era potentially holding all the titles, New Day holding all the titles and The OC with all the titles, one of those factions will have to lose a title first. I don't think a heel Styles was done for the US Title. The money is in a heel Styles chasing the Universal Championship right? Let Ricochet win here and feud with Cesaro. Or, maybe heel Styles is best for the mid card right now? Styles/Mysterio could finally happen as could Styles/Alexander. THAT might be best with the uncertainty of a World Title on Raw for the foreseeable future. OK, I'm going with Styles to retain.
Bayley will face her hardest challenge yet when she faces Ember Moon for the Smackdown Women's Championship in a battle of former NXT Women's Champions. This is Ember's big chance to show the world what she's got. This is Bayley chance to show that even the best can't contend with her. This is probably the match I want to see most at SummerSlam, based on in ring talent and with how things could go. Moon winning would mean that Smackdown is predominantly filled with black champions, which would be a first and something to see right? Bayley winning would mean she would need a new challenger. As much as I want Ember to win, I STILL think this is how WWE will reintroduce Sasha to WWE. With the focus of WWE 2K20 on the Women's Revolution, wouldn't it make sense to promote it by having two of the Four Horsewomen feud for the title? Sorry, Ember, but for that to happen, Bayley has to retain here. Ember won't go down without a fight and I hope we get to see the Eclipse reversed into a Bayley to Belly. Bayley retains.
Becky Lynch looks to continue her reign when she defends the Raw Women's Championship against Natalya in a Submission match. Nattie is the 3rd Canadian in a big match at SummerSlam and she's got a tough road to win the championship. This will be great! This should be a wrestling fan's dream. Becky is the cover star of WWE 2K20 and because of it, she's not losing here. I don't know who's next for her but depending on if Baszler wins her respective match, maybe she'll be looking for revenge for her friend Ronda. That would be something. Anyway, Becky retains with the Dis-Arm-Her.
Kofi Kingston's magical journey as WWE Champion is in serious jeopardy as he faces a foe from his past. It will be Kingston defending against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. If anyone can claim to be Mr. SummerSlam, it might be Randy Orton. Orton has had 3 of his 13 World Title reigns BEGIN at SummerSlam. 2002, 2011 and 2013 if you're keeping record. And with Smackdown moving to Fox soon, they may want a guy like Orton holding onto the title heading into the deal but honestly, that doesn't work for the overall story. Kingston called Orton out to close an old chapter of his career. he has to go over Orton to basically validate his reign. If Kofi loses the title to anyone, let it be Andrade and give Andrade the heel Latino stable the world needs! Kingston NEEDS this win here. He can't become champion only to lose it to the guy who held him down in the first place years ago. This title run and reign has all been for this exact moment in time. Kofi Kingston will defeat Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship. He will run into Andrade next. Mark my words.
Brock Lesnar is back at his favorite event and will defend the Universal Championship in a Wrestlemania rematch against Seth Rollins. This will be Lesnar's SIXTH STRAIGHT SUMMERSLAM MAIN EVENT, his eighth overall counting the 2002 and 2012 matches. His reign over this event is insane and I know I gave kudos to Orton as Mr. SummerSlam, but Lesnar is the SummerSlam God. His battle with Rollins is very important as it will determine the future of the red brand for awhile. Will we have another part time champion again until Wrestlemania or will Rollins come through and slay the beast once again? I'm going with the former. Although it wouldn't make sense for Raw to again LOSE their main champion, especially if the Wild Card rule will be ending soon with Smackdown moving to Fox. They need that title around. Guys like Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe, Ricochet, Cesaro, The Fiend Bray Wyatt and AJ NEED a main title to contend for. Their hopes rely on Rollins. The way the story goes, they want you to believe he doesn't stand a chance come Sunday. He's been decimated these past two weeks right? While I know Rollins will put up a big fight come Sunday, I just don't see Lesnar losing back to back SummerSlam main events. I really REALLY hope I'm wrong and it pains me to even type this, but I got Brock Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, holding the title hostage until God knows how long. I hope I'm wrong and Rollins wins, only to be attacked by Wyatt....
There is it! SummerSlam weekend! You excited?!/
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Extreme Rules 2019 Predictions
It's already July and we're one month away from the biggest party of the summer; SummerSlam! There's one more PPV stop before that though and it's Extreme Rules, live from my hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! 10 matches currently on the card and it looks like a fairly good card. Let's go through the matches.
Drew Gulak shockingly won the Cruiserweight Championship at Stomping Grounds and now, he has to defend the title against former champion Tony Nese. These two have great chemistry and the CW Title matches have been a beacon of hope the entire year on PPV so this will be another barn burner. I don't watch 205 Live but I'm a huge fan of Humberto Carrillo so no matter who wins, I hope he's next in line. Since Gulak just won the title, I don't think they're going to do a quick title switch so I'm going with Gulak to retain.
Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley will hopefully end their pointless rivalry when the two clash in a fan favorite Last Man Standing match. While I may not be a fan of the feud, I'm certainly a fan of these two meat heads destroying each other. I'm hoping for some crazy mayhem and of course, some major spots. Both guys have kind of been directionless post Wrestlemania and they need wins. They haven't done Lashley right since he came back in 2018 so I'm going with Strowman to get the win here.
In one of the most anticipated tag matches of the year, The Usos will challenge The Revival for the Raw Tag Team Championships. Do I really need to say why this is anticipated? Fine. How's this; WWE is pitting the greatest NXT Tag Team Champions versus one of the greatest tag teams post Attitude Era in one mega clash. They gave us a taste a few weeks ago on Raw and I've been craving another go ever since. Given enough time, this could be the match of the show. Raw is lacking a lot of babyface teams and The Usos winning could potentially set up a clash with The Viking Raiders, another dream tag team match up, down the line. Also, with The Club reforming, Gallows and Anderson will definitely be coming for the gold sooner rather than later. Basically, the Raw tag division would flourish if The Usos were the champs. I'm going with The Usos to win the Raw Tag Team Titles, giving them their 7th reign together. They would tie them with my favorite tag team of all time; Edge and Christian.
Not to be outdone, Smackdown will have their tag champs Daniel Bryan and Rowan defend against two teams; The New Day's Big E and Xavier Woods and Heavy Machinery's Otis and Tucker. HM have done well in their appearances thus far and their match with the Planet's Tag Champs was much better than anticipated at Stomping Grounds. New Day being in the match as well adds another grea dynamic and will definitely make for a very good match. This is New Day's first shot at the titles since Kofi won the WWE Championship. It hasn't been lost that a win here for New Day would make them all champions at once, something that hasn't happened yet in their near 5 year tenure. I'd love to see it but Bryan and Rowan have done well in the role as the heel gatekeepers. I already picked The Usos to pull one out so I don't think both tag titles will change hands. I gotta go with Bryan and Rowan to retain in an absolute barn burner.
Aleister Black will make his in ring return on Sunday when he faces the man who knocked on his door, Cesaro. It's another Raw VS Smackdown match but I don't care. Black hasn't wrestled since Wrestlemania. That's a whole quarter of the year. He could have wrestled just about anyone and I would have been pumped. Cesaro is the perfect opponent to reintroduce the world to Black. I expect this match to be filled with plenty of kicks and uppercuts. While Cesaro will look amazing, his job is to put Black over and make him look like a star in the process. Cesaro may come close but he will Fade to Black. Aleister Black for the win in his return.
Bayley will defend her Smackdown Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss AND Nikki Cross in a 2-on-1 handicap match. I'm tired of this feud, only because Bliss and Cross are Raw stars and Smackdown stars like Ember Moon, Carmella, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose aren't getting a shot at their brand's title. This feud took an interesting turn once Bliss and Cross started claiming Bayley doesn't have any friends to back her up. We all know her famous friend right? Maybe it's finally time for WWE to get some Boss Time again. My fantasy booking for years has been to do Bayley VS Sasha at SummerSlam but that was when it was in Brooklyn. I'll still take it. I'm going with Bayley to retain, thanks to a returning Sasha Banks, who then turns on Bayley to try and claim the only women's title that has alluded her. That's good TV!
Ready for the best match of the show (which I've said now three times)? Newly crowned United States Champion Ricochet will defend against The Phenomenal and newly heel AJ Styles. This will be their rubber match as they both have victories over one another in the past few weeks. The first two matches were good but they were teases of what these two can really do. I've always preferred heel Styles. I just think he works better as a heel. It's more fun being the bad guy. This match won't end cleanly and I don't think Styles will walk out with the title. The endgame for this heel turn certainly isn't the US Title so I think Ricochet will win here by DQ. The bigger picture is Seth Rollins and his Universal Championship, which could easier be the main event of SummerSlam, despite happening back in May. Anyway, Ricochet retains, maybe to start a feud with Mysterio for SummerSlam. I can dream
You want a desperate match? Look no further than The Undertaker teaming with Roman Reigns to face Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match. I don't really care about how the match is presented or how it comes across on TV. It's just very important that Drew McIntyre gets a victory here. I don't care if he pins Reigns or Taker, he needs a win on PPV here. If this guy is suppose to be a big star, he's not going to get there by losing all the time. Again' don't care about the match but Drew McIntyre and Shane must win, but only by McIntyre getting the pin. That's all I ask of Extreme Rules.
Kofi Kingston looks to keep his dream, near 100 day WWE Title reign going when he defends against Raw's Samoa Joe. I'm cool with Joe getting a shot but again, there are plenty of Smackdown guys who could use the rub. Ali, Buddy Murphy, Black, Andrade, Smackdown is literally riddled with amazing talents for WWE Title feuds. Let Joe feud with Rollins or Styles again over on Raw. Anyway, this should be a great match. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has been on another level since that faithful night in February when the world remembered just who the hell Kofi Kingston was. Since becoming WWE Champion, Kingston has defeated Daniel Bryan, a former ROH and WWE World Champion, Sami Zayn, former NXT Champion, AJ Styles, former IWGP/NWA/TNA/PWG/WWE Champion, Kevin Owens, former NXT, ROH and Universal Champion and Dolph Ziggler, former World Heavyweight Champion. Kingston's list of defeated opponents spans different companies and Joe would be another great notch in the belt for a star who's looking to stake his claim as the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Joe, on the other hand, is looking to complete the US Triple Crown (not an official name) and become the first man to have held the WWE, TNA and ROH World Titles. Styles has his own milestones, but he can never claim this. Bryan has his own milestones, but he can never claim this. Seth Rollins as well but Joe is looking to make history Sunday. Unfortunately, it won't happen. Kofi overcomes the odds no matter who is in front of him and Joe isn't the one to beat him. Kingston's dream run is coming up, only in part of the Fox TV deal, but it won't be to Joe. Kofi Kingston will retain the WWE Championship, probably by a pinning combination reversal of the Cocquina Clutch.
The main event is one I called right after Stomping Grounds went off the air. It will pit WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins and Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch against the challengers they've defeated twice now Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. It's a unique match though. It's a Last Chance Winners Take All Mixed tag Extreme Rules match. Did you get all of that? Certainly a mouth full! Anyway, there's no way Rollins and Lynch lose here. They're making them out to be the next major power couple. Why would they have them lose their titles the first time they're together on a major event? While I'm going with Rollins and Lynch to win the match, I don't know if Rollins will walk out with the Universal Championship. Paul Heyman has teased a cash in at Extreme Rules on either Kofi or Rollins but based on history, I'm assuming it will be Seth. The cash in could lead to Rollins getting one more shot at SummerSlam. Or, hear me out on this one, what if Ronda Rousey makes her return? What if somehow, someway, this leads to Rousey and Lesnar as the top dogs with BOTH titles? Maybe, since Heyman will be running things on Raw soon, the cash in will extend to Rousey and they both crash the Extreme Rules match. This could even lead to a much more interesting and anticipated tag match of Rollins/Lynch VS Lesnar/Rousey. I'm selling dreams I know but even if we don't get that tag match, Rousey/Lynch for SummerSlam would be nice. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch will retain their titles but watch out for The Beast and The Baddest Woman on the Planet.
Extreme Rules looks pretty good on paper, even without the rumored Finn Balor VS Shinsuke Nakamura IC Title match. I kind of want to go but that's going to be a gameday decision. Regardless, I can't wait until Sunday. Here's hoping all the matches live up to the hype!
Drew Gulak shockingly won the Cruiserweight Championship at Stomping Grounds and now, he has to defend the title against former champion Tony Nese. These two have great chemistry and the CW Title matches have been a beacon of hope the entire year on PPV so this will be another barn burner. I don't watch 205 Live but I'm a huge fan of Humberto Carrillo so no matter who wins, I hope he's next in line. Since Gulak just won the title, I don't think they're going to do a quick title switch so I'm going with Gulak to retain.
Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley will hopefully end their pointless rivalry when the two clash in a fan favorite Last Man Standing match. While I may not be a fan of the feud, I'm certainly a fan of these two meat heads destroying each other. I'm hoping for some crazy mayhem and of course, some major spots. Both guys have kind of been directionless post Wrestlemania and they need wins. They haven't done Lashley right since he came back in 2018 so I'm going with Strowman to get the win here.
In one of the most anticipated tag matches of the year, The Usos will challenge The Revival for the Raw Tag Team Championships. Do I really need to say why this is anticipated? Fine. How's this; WWE is pitting the greatest NXT Tag Team Champions versus one of the greatest tag teams post Attitude Era in one mega clash. They gave us a taste a few weeks ago on Raw and I've been craving another go ever since. Given enough time, this could be the match of the show. Raw is lacking a lot of babyface teams and The Usos winning could potentially set up a clash with The Viking Raiders, another dream tag team match up, down the line. Also, with The Club reforming, Gallows and Anderson will definitely be coming for the gold sooner rather than later. Basically, the Raw tag division would flourish if The Usos were the champs. I'm going with The Usos to win the Raw Tag Team Titles, giving them their 7th reign together. They would tie them with my favorite tag team of all time; Edge and Christian.
Not to be outdone, Smackdown will have their tag champs Daniel Bryan and Rowan defend against two teams; The New Day's Big E and Xavier Woods and Heavy Machinery's Otis and Tucker. HM have done well in their appearances thus far and their match with the Planet's Tag Champs was much better than anticipated at Stomping Grounds. New Day being in the match as well adds another grea dynamic and will definitely make for a very good match. This is New Day's first shot at the titles since Kofi won the WWE Championship. It hasn't been lost that a win here for New Day would make them all champions at once, something that hasn't happened yet in their near 5 year tenure. I'd love to see it but Bryan and Rowan have done well in the role as the heel gatekeepers. I already picked The Usos to pull one out so I don't think both tag titles will change hands. I gotta go with Bryan and Rowan to retain in an absolute barn burner.
Aleister Black will make his in ring return on Sunday when he faces the man who knocked on his door, Cesaro. It's another Raw VS Smackdown match but I don't care. Black hasn't wrestled since Wrestlemania. That's a whole quarter of the year. He could have wrestled just about anyone and I would have been pumped. Cesaro is the perfect opponent to reintroduce the world to Black. I expect this match to be filled with plenty of kicks and uppercuts. While Cesaro will look amazing, his job is to put Black over and make him look like a star in the process. Cesaro may come close but he will Fade to Black. Aleister Black for the win in his return.
Bayley will defend her Smackdown Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss AND Nikki Cross in a 2-on-1 handicap match. I'm tired of this feud, only because Bliss and Cross are Raw stars and Smackdown stars like Ember Moon, Carmella, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose aren't getting a shot at their brand's title. This feud took an interesting turn once Bliss and Cross started claiming Bayley doesn't have any friends to back her up. We all know her famous friend right? Maybe it's finally time for WWE to get some Boss Time again. My fantasy booking for years has been to do Bayley VS Sasha at SummerSlam but that was when it was in Brooklyn. I'll still take it. I'm going with Bayley to retain, thanks to a returning Sasha Banks, who then turns on Bayley to try and claim the only women's title that has alluded her. That's good TV!
Ready for the best match of the show (which I've said now three times)? Newly crowned United States Champion Ricochet will defend against The Phenomenal and newly heel AJ Styles. This will be their rubber match as they both have victories over one another in the past few weeks. The first two matches were good but they were teases of what these two can really do. I've always preferred heel Styles. I just think he works better as a heel. It's more fun being the bad guy. This match won't end cleanly and I don't think Styles will walk out with the title. The endgame for this heel turn certainly isn't the US Title so I think Ricochet will win here by DQ. The bigger picture is Seth Rollins and his Universal Championship, which could easier be the main event of SummerSlam, despite happening back in May. Anyway, Ricochet retains, maybe to start a feud with Mysterio for SummerSlam. I can dream
You want a desperate match? Look no further than The Undertaker teaming with Roman Reigns to face Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match. I don't really care about how the match is presented or how it comes across on TV. It's just very important that Drew McIntyre gets a victory here. I don't care if he pins Reigns or Taker, he needs a win on PPV here. If this guy is suppose to be a big star, he's not going to get there by losing all the time. Again' don't care about the match but Drew McIntyre and Shane must win, but only by McIntyre getting the pin. That's all I ask of Extreme Rules.
Kofi Kingston looks to keep his dream, near 100 day WWE Title reign going when he defends against Raw's Samoa Joe. I'm cool with Joe getting a shot but again, there are plenty of Smackdown guys who could use the rub. Ali, Buddy Murphy, Black, Andrade, Smackdown is literally riddled with amazing talents for WWE Title feuds. Let Joe feud with Rollins or Styles again over on Raw. Anyway, this should be a great match. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has been on another level since that faithful night in February when the world remembered just who the hell Kofi Kingston was. Since becoming WWE Champion, Kingston has defeated Daniel Bryan, a former ROH and WWE World Champion, Sami Zayn, former NXT Champion, AJ Styles, former IWGP/NWA/TNA/PWG/WWE Champion, Kevin Owens, former NXT, ROH and Universal Champion and Dolph Ziggler, former World Heavyweight Champion. Kingston's list of defeated opponents spans different companies and Joe would be another great notch in the belt for a star who's looking to stake his claim as the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Joe, on the other hand, is looking to complete the US Triple Crown (not an official name) and become the first man to have held the WWE, TNA and ROH World Titles. Styles has his own milestones, but he can never claim this. Bryan has his own milestones, but he can never claim this. Seth Rollins as well but Joe is looking to make history Sunday. Unfortunately, it won't happen. Kofi overcomes the odds no matter who is in front of him and Joe isn't the one to beat him. Kingston's dream run is coming up, only in part of the Fox TV deal, but it won't be to Joe. Kofi Kingston will retain the WWE Championship, probably by a pinning combination reversal of the Cocquina Clutch.
The main event is one I called right after Stomping Grounds went off the air. It will pit WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins and Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch against the challengers they've defeated twice now Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans. It's a unique match though. It's a Last Chance Winners Take All Mixed tag Extreme Rules match. Did you get all of that? Certainly a mouth full! Anyway, there's no way Rollins and Lynch lose here. They're making them out to be the next major power couple. Why would they have them lose their titles the first time they're together on a major event? While I'm going with Rollins and Lynch to win the match, I don't know if Rollins will walk out with the Universal Championship. Paul Heyman has teased a cash in at Extreme Rules on either Kofi or Rollins but based on history, I'm assuming it will be Seth. The cash in could lead to Rollins getting one more shot at SummerSlam. Or, hear me out on this one, what if Ronda Rousey makes her return? What if somehow, someway, this leads to Rousey and Lesnar as the top dogs with BOTH titles? Maybe, since Heyman will be running things on Raw soon, the cash in will extend to Rousey and they both crash the Extreme Rules match. This could even lead to a much more interesting and anticipated tag match of Rollins/Lynch VS Lesnar/Rousey. I'm selling dreams I know but even if we don't get that tag match, Rousey/Lynch for SummerSlam would be nice. Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch will retain their titles but watch out for The Beast and The Baddest Woman on the Planet.
Extreme Rules looks pretty good on paper, even without the rumored Finn Balor VS Shinsuke Nakamura IC Title match. I kind of want to go but that's going to be a gameday decision. Regardless, I can't wait until Sunday. Here's hoping all the matches live up to the hype!
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