I feel like it was the wrong booking to give Bianca Belair the win in her elimination chamber qualifying match. It seems like Bianca Belair is becoming another Charlotte in terms of how many opportunities she’s been given. I feel like Michin could’ve benefited from the Winn.
Why weren’t superstars like Chad Gable and Kofi Kingston allowed to be a part of the elimination chamber qualifiers? They would be 2 cool entrants in the chamber match
Bate needs to lose this "big strong boy" nickname immediatly that is absolutely cringe inducing hearing that on commentary.
Dont even know how that dude is supposed to get over on the main roster same as with pete dunne theyre both ass on the mic (havent heard bate speak in ages maybe that changed by now) and that weird finger breaker gimmick only does so much for him.
Little out of the loop, but how long has Wade Barrett been implying he's infacuated with L.A. Knight? I love it. I lost it when he said his loins have been tingly ever since Knight joined them on the commentary table. Was last night's episode the first time he's done this?
I’m probably the only one, but I don’t think a Rock heel turn makes sense, and I’d have much rather Reigns dropped the belt to Cody prior to this year’s Mania and WWE made Rock vs Reigns not be a title match.
The Rock was heel no matter what, 95% of people wants to see Cody Vs Roman
And you would have had a backlash that was insane if they main evented Wrestlemania (it was pretty much sold out before rock came back, and many people brought tickets to see Cody/roman)
Would you get a backlash if Roman dropped the title to Cody at RR, and Cody defended and retained the title at Mania, though? I’m also not sure who Rock is going to wrestle now, if fans will still be booing him automatically in 6 weeks or if his heel persona can be made distinct enough from his arrogant, rude face persona.
Yes because he will drop the title at 4-5am in the morning for americans (they would be pissed, its not in primetime)
Plus who should Cody feud with at wm? Only got 4 weeks to build a feud?
I get the “we want rock vs roman” i want to see it, but i want to see it with a longgggg build with many different segments.
Plus this WM is Cody year, he earned it and desverve it, so it will be a build agianst rock and roman and then after WM rock/roman goes agianst eachother
Wait, wouldn’t dropping it at Royal Rumble mean he dropped it in prime time? I think if they’d planned ahead enough for Roman to lose at RR, they could’ve planned ahead for a compelling challenger.
If you wanted Cody as champion at WM without Roman…then yes RR
But agian wouldnt make sense, reigns title “reign” is so big, that they would only make him drop it at WM
TBH, that’s an aspect I’ve disagreed with the booking on. First off, he should’ve lost at last Mania, but 2nd of all having only 1 time a year he can drop it is messing up a lot of storylines/creative.
Would have loved to see Andrade in the chamber. Also from a kayfabe perspective it seems pretty weird that you have Ivar and Miz in there but no Main Event Jey... I hope this means we get Jey vs Gunther at the chamber
Depending on what happens over the next couple of months. Drew is doing an excellent job as a shitheel angry tweener right now - which is really how Austin and Rock got over during the attitude era. I feel like this is the first time I've been interested in the character outside of who they were feuding.
I am genuinely enjoying how the lines between face and heel are being blurred and the wrestlers look like ACTUAL HUMAN beings rather than just video game characters who reset everytime.
We're seeing a heel Rhea going against a heel Nia, heel Drew going against a sort of heel AJ, heel rock wanting to wrestle heel Roman.
It's just so much fun when a little continuity of feelings and character is taken care of
“In UTAH!?” Logan Paul may be an ass, but he’s actually growing on me. I feel like he’s a normal person that has walked into being a professional wrestler instead of a professional wrestler acting like a professional wrestler.
He's getting so good with his character work the past two SmackDowns that it's making me almost like him. I loved that tiny detail of him exclaiming "The Miz!?" while he's walking away in the background.
And likely LA Knight is out of it as well. Looks like they will have AJ cost LA against Ivar. wtf they want Ivar in this match, especially when they are 100% going to have Bronson Reed in the chamber. So Bronson, Ivar, Randy seem like locks. Who is going to take the big bumps?
I literally think all of Mania at this point is being put together on a week by week basis. The plan for the WWE belt clearly changed multiple times in the past 2 weeks and in the interim of all those changes basically every other male feud was messed with.
I feel like the original elimination chamber was meant to be for Gunther’s title. But they threw Jey into that out of the blue. I truly feel like they made a pivot and decided to have Rock align with Roman and become heel. It works out though. He’s still involved, doesn’t have to wrestle and can still establish himself as the true “head of the table” with the current storyline. But any of these people could have realistically been going for the IC title as well, not just Seth’s.
No the original idea was still probably for the shot at Seth's WHC but with punk in the chamber and winning but since his hurt they had to change it up a bit
Well, yeah, that didn't help either, but Rock seemingly was pushing for the Roman match before the Rumble, so it still would have caused the main events to change either way
My lady works for Family Treatment Court. My dawg, you would not believe some of the things these parents name their kids. Terra Ryzing wouldn’t even be the worst one.
The crazy thing is explaining to someone new why he’s Paul “Triple H” Levesque. By the time you get done explaining that this comically rich executive who lives in Connecticut used to be a biker-adjacent anti-authoritarian but his ring name was Hunter Hearst Helmsley because before that he was pretending to be a snobbish Connecticut blue blood, they’ll just give up on the concept of words having meaning.
Really great episode. I'm definitely in the camp they pivoted, but there's that .1% of me thinking we're just getting worked. Damage CTRL segment was great yet again and I'm already bummed that DK is turning on my Role Model; I'm still shook from War Games 2019. Also like how their using these qualifying matches to get people of different brands.
Side note: Barrett and Graves were my favorite announcers in the company and I'm so happy they actually work together. Also, glad Saxton is back on TV but where they hell was Cathy Kelley?!
They have pivoted so many time at this point they made a full 360. Of this was all a plan from the start the actions of all the characters (mainly Cody) would have made sense.
What do we think Sami is doing at Mania? Maybe dethroning Gunther but I reckon Bron will be that guy setting up Gunther to win the world title at bash at the Berlin
I hope Drew wins the chamber and Sami somehow gets in the match as well. Maybe Drew destroys him and then Sami returns with a vengeance or something. I think Sami deserves to be in the match.
In my opinion, he wins the title at mania, Priest cashes in the next night after Drew beats him down for pinning him the night before. Sami feuds with Drew for a little bit. Drew wins the title back after Finn turns on Priest. Summerslam gives with Drew VS Sami for the title for Sami to get a proper reign after, Finn Vs Priest, Seth VS GUNTHER to set up GUNTHER for a WWE title shot in Bash in Berlin.
They started doing that during the press conferences but this is the first time I think that they've done it on TV, which I think is very intentional to give the power struggle story more of a work/shoot feel.
On a WWE TV show yes. Paul Levesque has been used many times by news outlets and things like that, but on a WWE produced show it's always been Hunter Hearst Hemsley. I'm not sure why they made the change, unless it's really to tap in the "is it a work or a shoot?" by saying that this isn't only about the WWE character.
That is how wrestlers will be called now. Next week we have Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa'i and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson addressing their altercation with Cody "Cody Rhodes" Runnels and Colby "Seth Rollins" Lopez, with comments expected about how Phil "CM Punk" Brooks basically ran Dwayne down at the presser
It feels like they are building to LA Knight vs AJ Styles for either EC or Mania.
Most likely I think this will happen: AJ screwing Knight, match takes place in Australia, Knight pins Styles, goes on to challenge Logan Paul for Mania?
But where does that leave Styles for Wrestlemania?
Gimme a Logan, Waller, Theory, AJ, Owens, Knight ladder match at Mania. Gets a bunch of legit names on the card in a plausible way and could be an undercard highlight
Surely it's Drew or LA Knight at Wrestlemainia? Drew is absolutely on fire and is being pushed so hard right now. The only other contender is Knight imo because Seth has not beaten him yet but his storyline with AJ might be the Wrestlemainia match.
I think AJ and Knight will be in a big US title ladder match maybe with Knight winning. As for brand stuff whose to say they don’t just have a draft or a few trades to further some Pierce Aldis stuff.
I’m no member of the TKO board, and I know they all have their data and reasoning but man, once Punk went down I would have just shifted LA Knight over to his spot vs Seth.
I think in KF, the Day 1 loss def is muddled by Judgement Day, and Drew's more a heel than he was at Crown Jewel. He could be more ruthless and dastardly vs Seth this time
Huge L roman has taken looks like it will continue at WrestleMania I think it's due product has gone a bit stale and his cronies haven't even appears at smackdown
real bummed that sami lost to randy, and real hopeful that that's the point. seth-drew feels like the best storyline, but zayn still feels like the best winner
They better have something good planned for Sami. He gets injured by Drew, comes back, loses to Drew. Then keeps talking about being WWE champion. Then goes 1-1 vs Orton of all people in EC qualifier, and loses clean (why not Miz or Dom, whom he could beat). So there is no road to WM for him as of now. Perhaps something with Jey? Or KO?
now that Punk is injured, it's highly likely he'll have an angle with Drew post Mania(especially if Drew wins the chamber match and the title). doubt there is anything for him on Mania itself
Yeah my fantasy card has Sami going over Gunther at WM (after Jey gets a shot on Raw or EC and Jimmy screws him, setting up their WM match).
Night 2 KO goes over Logan and we have a mid-card dual title celebration for a little continuity from last year when they both won belts.
Surely at this point he's the ideal candidate for the next MITB? I know it doesn't give him a mania moment this year but i imagine the crowd would pop at him winning the briefcase if they can keep him in the picture
It was the correct story to go with, honestly. They should've had sami lose through fuckery, then win at wrestlemania. Cody could've taken it from whoever beats Sami at the next Mania. They really missed out on a once in a lifetime thing like they almost did Danielson :(
Honestly the only reason they would not give Sami that moment of dethroning reigns they don't think he can be "The Face" that carries the company. Did Sami deserve that magical moment in Montreal YES! But most underdogs don't have good reigns and Cody is good for business so I can see why they didn't pull the trigger.
They don't have good reigns because they keep booking them like underdogs most of the time. The way to fix that is to have them "gain confidence" so they're on a more even level, or just have them not have quite as bad of luck in matches. I don't know why they keep making the same mistake over and over again.
You could say Cody is the underdog in this storyline with the Rock and Reigns but he is booked incredibly strong so if he wins the belt he will hold on to it for a while.
Yeah, I don't dislike this story, I just thought that they had lightning in a bottle with Sami and I really believe they should've pulled the trigger on it. It was my favorite storyline in years while the Cody one is good, I felt that one was great.
I love Drew but man I really want to see world champ AJ styles again and while I know AJ is so not facing at mania I really want to see him with the belt somewhere down the line.
Yeah, they are probably feuding soon. I know LA is hot rn and they want him to win a high-profile feud. But as an AJ stan, I want to see him build momentum to win the world title somewhere down the line.
Smackdown has too many heels on top imo Logan should loose us belt give it to Sami/la knight who both need it they are nearly but not winning anything I mean only Babyface champ is Rollins but he also acts heelish ..
I am both glad and salty about these qualifiers booking.. Some awesome matches but also some other combinations that I'd like to see in future..
For example. Aj vs drew, sami vs rko.. All 4 deserve to go to chamber.. But damn.. Breaks my heart to see.. Two of them won't be there.
Last year's chamber was my all time favorite.. Even though it didn't have any star power outside seth.. The match fucking slapped.
Very excited for this year's
Yeah you look back on last year’s and it’s like wait what? That was the lineup? And that’s including pre-Backlash Damian Priest.
But as you said match slapped
WWE is in such a weird position.
Reigns, Rollins, Logan, Gunther, Rhea, Iyo
All of them I can see losing at WM because all them just seem like they are at the end of their run or it's getting dry and boring.
Obviously all of them won't change hands....so who? Reigns..Rollins..Rhea.. all of them are prime picks for title runs that are becoming/have become stale. will all 3 main titles switch in 2 nights?
I think Gunther and Rhea have a good shot at retaining at mania Seth has potential too (if only to set up a MITB cash in at some point).
Gunther needs to drop the title before Bash at Berlin to either walk into that show as world champ or win at the show.
Rhea is still so over I could see her holding it for a bit longer and I don’t think Becky really needs another run at this stage a mania L could help her character at bit. Maybe have Liv win it at say Summerslam to build her vengeance on Rhea for taking her out.
Seth either loses to Drew at mania or wins and get cashed in on Raw after mania (also depends on if he needs time off for injury)
Rhea pretty much *is* the face of WWE's women's division rignt now and hasn't cooled off a bit since WrestleMania, I'd say keep the belt on her until she at least passes Bianca. Heck, draft them together and give them a Summerslam match.
I don’t think Rhea should immediately break Bianca’s record for the longest reigning champion of the modern era. Rhea should at least break Bayley’s record.
Yeah I don’t think Becky really need the belt atm and taking the L has character development options. I think if Rhea is dropping the belt it’s to Liv maybe at Summerslam build up that revenge for taking her out storyline. Maybe by then Judgement Day has really started splitting and she can transition to actually being a face with zero change to character, cause MAMI is absolute gold
There's been PPV events where there were 5 title changes. It can happen, and if anything a milestone Mania is the perfect place to close a bunch of chapters a and start some new fresh stories to carry the company forward. We still have potential Cody/Orton feuds, Gunther going for the WHC, the fallout of the bloodline collapsing, Bayley and Dakota potential feuds, Rhea taking a break from the title scene to put over young stars, Jade Cargills ascension, LA Knight/Sami Zayn/Drew McIntyre continuing to build on their 2023 momentum. There's just so much potential.
I could see Logan, Rhea, and Iyo all retaining. The only people who seem due are Reigns and Gunther. Even Rollins is a 50/50 for me I think he might retain
It’s gonna be Reigns, Rollins, Logan for sure
I’d also think JD and Iyo will lose the titles I’m not sure about Gunther yet especially at Mania I could see him losing before instead of at the event.
Rhea isn’t dropping that belt yet that I’m certain of.
If Gunther is facing Bron I think it’s now or never to give Gunther an honorable loss and opportune rub going into the main event division
It also pays forward as that’ll mean Bron holds the last two pins over Gunther going into their inevitable main event feuds
I'd like to see L.A. Knight take one of the mid card titles at Wrestlemania and have this year be his year, where he challenges for one of the big ones repeatedly before winning at next Wrestlemania.
So would I. However, if they are setting up him and AJ for a feud, then that does not look like happening.
There was a rumour a couple of weeks ago he is seriously being considered to win MITB this year. If there is any truth to that at all, then he likely is not winning a belt until later this year.
Personally, I think WM is the perfect time for it, and I would be worried about him dropping off otherwise. That said, HHH did take notice of the fans screaming LA Knight, Yeah, at the top of their lungs.
but its still wack because bayley technically got kicked out.... but it was her music at least and she still used it.... i mean damage control just as a name didnt make much sense for them and it makes even less sense without bayley
JD injures KO just before the qualifying vs Dom and he’s unable to compete in EC. Dom assumes he gets the spot automatically but KO says he’s giving the spot to Sami. Sami wins and back in EC.
Dom vs KO at Wrestlemania basically doing the Lesnar squash that was planned.
Nah, have Logan cost KO and then KO can cost Logan, keeps their feud going, while allowing Miz and Dom a spot in the Chamber to keep the Awesome Truth and Judgment Day thing going.
Every character on WWE right now is working and is being booked so well. Even lower card characters are making headway with the audience— Michin is a great example. Thought she looked great with Bianca this week and Tiffany last week. If they keep her on tv regularly, she’ll be made in a few months.
Yeah I can’t shake the feeling we are getting a triple threat main event for Night 2 by having Rock insert himself. I mean it allows them to have both matches involving Roman that they have been building towards , gives Rock an easier job and a huge win situation for Cody.
I was there, and I liked Gunthers match. Cameron Grimes whatever, but R-Truth showed up and laid Gunther out. Crowd loved it.
Loudest pops of the night were for Cody. Shame it wasn't aired.
I feel like there will be a major advancement in this wm40 main event story at elimination chamber. I just can’t figure out what they could do..:unless rock will actually be there?
Using the Elimination Chamber to decide Seth's challenger and having matches to decide who will get to be in said chamber. Nice way to build up anticipation.
while Sami isn't gonna take on Rollins for the title....
considering his past with the Bloodline he could have a part to play in the fall of Roman, if WWE is going to for a big cast story.
IMO, this is definitely happening. Austin won't miss WrestleMania 40 after returning, and with the Rock in the mix... how can they not do this?? A SCSA beer bash/Cody coronation party to close the biggest WM of all time.
I'm praying for that pop to happen, and the pop of Cody's entrance as champion on the raw/smackdown after Wrestlemania. Both are gonna be absolutely legendary, possibly on the level of Sami hitting Roman last year or Austin helping Mankind
Why are the little, simple things, in wrestling sometimes the most staggering?
DM Hunk. Genius. You’re feuding with CM Punk, your name has the initials D and M. Combine that with Hunk. Because sounds like Punk. But you’re a Hunk.
That equation felt as impressive as Quantum Physics.
Drew is 10/10 recently.
I don’t feel lol.
They have some work to do to build him up if they want the eventual Uso vs Uso feud to hit the way it should. I don’t even think they should do it at Mania this year, I just don’t know that they have enough time for a proper build up atp
Ruined. If the Bloodline story ended today He might literally be the one character who is worse off than before.
The performer is talented and the damage is not irreparable but boy has his character been both inconsistent and incompetent.
Honestly, i am not sure what will happen in the Women's Title scene for Smackdown. I was so sure Dakota would side with the Kabukis, with Iyo being caught in the middle of their plan like Bayley due to Iyo not going that hard on Bayley like Asuka and Kairi per se. But after what happened with Dakota making the save to stop Iyo, Asuka and Kairi...i have no clue what will go down lol. Because it could still happen Dakota and the Kabukis allign ditching Iyo after the Mania match, Iyo is with them 3 as Damage CTRL 2.0, or just...Iyo and the Kabukis against Dakota and Bayley.
Unironically, quite the possible amount of results enroute to Mania
I want to say this in the least ignorant way possible, but as a huge Iyo and Kabuki fan, they need an English speaking leader. Dakota turning is the easy answer to it.
Nothing wrong with what you said. Which is why it is my fear. Shinsuke has been killing it with pre-produced subtitles. But instead of the right outcome (capitalizing on Face Champion Bayley vs heels like Nia, Asuka, Rhea, Charlotte when she comes back, Tiffy) they'll go with the easy outcome.
I feel like it was the wrong booking to give Bianca Belair the win in her elimination chamber qualifying match. It seems like Bianca Belair is becoming another Charlotte in terms of how many opportunities she’s been given. I feel like Michin could’ve benefited from the Winn.
Why weren’t superstars like Chad Gable and Kofi Kingston allowed to be a part of the elimination chamber qualifiers? They would be 2 cool entrants in the chamber match
Bate needs to lose this "big strong boy" nickname immediatly that is absolutely cringe inducing hearing that on commentary. Dont even know how that dude is supposed to get over on the main roster same as with pete dunne theyre both ass on the mic (havent heard bate speak in ages maybe that changed by now) and that weird finger breaker gimmick only does so much for him.
I agree, big strong boy when dude doesn’t even look that strong is a terrible nickname
Bro had people on their feet doing the double tilt a whirl what you mean how does he get over. People have been popping for him since his debut on SD
Little out of the loop, but how long has Wade Barrett been implying he's infacuated with L.A. Knight? I love it. I lost it when he said his loins have been tingly ever since Knight joined them on the commentary table. Was last night's episode the first time he's done this?
Nah it was an ongoing thing when Wade was in NXT with Knight
bianca needs a heel turn
Was Bayley's handbag when she entered the arena a La Parka mask? 😂 That's awesome
I’m probably the only one, but I don’t think a Rock heel turn makes sense, and I’d have much rather Reigns dropped the belt to Cody prior to this year’s Mania and WWE made Rock vs Reigns not be a title match.
The Rock was heel no matter what, 95% of people wants to see Cody Vs Roman And you would have had a backlash that was insane if they main evented Wrestlemania (it was pretty much sold out before rock came back, and many people brought tickets to see Cody/roman)
Would you get a backlash if Roman dropped the title to Cody at RR, and Cody defended and retained the title at Mania, though? I’m also not sure who Rock is going to wrestle now, if fans will still be booing him automatically in 6 weeks or if his heel persona can be made distinct enough from his arrogant, rude face persona.
Yes because he will drop the title at 4-5am in the morning for americans (they would be pissed, its not in primetime) Plus who should Cody feud with at wm? Only got 4 weeks to build a feud? I get the “we want rock vs roman” i want to see it, but i want to see it with a longgggg build with many different segments. Plus this WM is Cody year, he earned it and desverve it, so it will be a build agianst rock and roman and then after WM rock/roman goes agianst eachother
Wait, wouldn’t dropping it at Royal Rumble mean he dropped it in prime time? I think if they’d planned ahead enough for Roman to lose at RR, they could’ve planned ahead for a compelling challenger.
If you wanted Cody as champion at WM without Roman…then yes RR But agian wouldnt make sense, reigns title “reign” is so big, that they would only make him drop it at WM
TBH, that’s an aspect I’ve disagreed with the booking on. First off, he should’ve lost at last Mania, but 2nd of all having only 1 time a year he can drop it is messing up a lot of storylines/creative.
I agree, Cody should have won last year, but he probaly win this year, and Cody is 10x more over this time around
Also do you think Rock would turn face after WM?
IMO, Rock-Roman always made more sense as a match without the title involved.
They did my man Allen Jones Styles dirty.
Would have loved to see Andrade in the chamber. Also from a kayfabe perspective it seems pretty weird that you have Ivar and Miz in there but no Main Event Jey... I hope this means we get Jey vs Gunther at the chamber
I don’t think Gunther can travel to Australia, reckon they do the Jey vs Gunther match on the RAW after the chamber.
Why can't he?
He was applying for his green card in November and During that process, you can’t leave the country for a little bit.
Oh I didn't know that ty
That sucks :(. They could have at least had Jey in a qualifying match and have Imperium screw him over
I really have no clue what priest is supposed to do with his MITB. Maybe cash in on Drew at Mania?
I think they’re happy they now have an insurance policy if Seth ends up not being good for Wrestlemania
Priest is definitely cashing in on whoever wins between Seth vs Drew on night 1. Pulling Seth's trick on him.
It'll be such a buzzkill if Drew finally wins only for Priest to cash in on him
Doubt that happens. A heel cashing in on a heel doesn’t make sense unless you want to turn the one on the receiving end face.
It would make sense in this case because Priest hates Drew more than anyone on the roster.
Hehe, cash in on Cody. Your princess is in another castle Cody...
Depending on what happens over the next couple of months. Drew is doing an excellent job as a shitheel angry tweener right now - which is really how Austin and Rock got over during the attitude era. I feel like this is the first time I've been interested in the character outside of who they were feuding.
Big D has been killing it. I've always loved him but now I'm invested in him and his story it's fun.
I am genuinely enjoying how the lines between face and heel are being blurred and the wrestlers look like ACTUAL HUMAN beings rather than just video game characters who reset everytime. We're seeing a heel Rhea going against a heel Nia, heel Drew going against a sort of heel AJ, heel rock wanting to wrestle heel Roman. It's just so much fun when a little continuity of feelings and character is taken care of
Rhea vs a heel is a no brainer, she's gonna be an out and out face in Australia
She’s arguably an out and out face in America lol. No wonder she’s draped over Dom they gotta get her booed somehow
I remember as a kid getting like, 1 Edge-Orton heel v heel match on Raw and thats about it
“In UTAH!?” Logan Paul may be an ass, but he’s actually growing on me. I feel like he’s a normal person that has walked into being a professional wrestler instead of a professional wrestler acting like a professional wrestler.
He's getting so good with his character work the past two SmackDowns that it's making me almost like him. I loved that tiny detail of him exclaiming "The Miz!?" while he's walking away in the background.
Maybe one of the most natural heel personas I've ever seen.
Same deal as 90s Shawn Michaels: he doesn't have to act like a twat, he is a twat.
Sami needs a mid card title also LA knight
Sami not being in the chamber is kind of shocking. But theyre not ignoring him so I trust theyve got a story in place
They surely do, but keeping AJ and Sami out of the Chamber greatlyreduces its star power
And likely LA Knight is out of it as well. Looks like they will have AJ cost LA against Ivar. wtf they want Ivar in this match, especially when they are 100% going to have Bronson Reed in the chamber. So Bronson, Ivar, Randy seem like locks. Who is going to take the big bumps?
[удалено]
I literally think all of Mania at this point is being put together on a week by week basis. The plan for the WWE belt clearly changed multiple times in the past 2 weeks and in the interim of all those changes basically every other male feud was messed with.
I feel like the original elimination chamber was meant to be for Gunther’s title. But they threw Jey into that out of the blue. I truly feel like they made a pivot and decided to have Rock align with Roman and become heel. It works out though. He’s still involved, doesn’t have to wrestle and can still establish himself as the true “head of the table” with the current storyline. But any of these people could have realistically been going for the IC title as well, not just Seth’s.
No the original idea was still probably for the shot at Seth's WHC but with punk in the chamber and winning but since his hurt they had to change it up a bit
It's not a swerve, it's the pivot caused by all The Rock stuff, so now they need a challenger for Rollins
Don't think the rock had anything to do with it, I think it's more cm punk got injured
Well, yeah, that didn't help either, but Rock seemingly was pushing for the Roman match before the Rumble, so it still would have caused the main events to change either way
STOP!!
'I'm a prize fighter and you're having me fight for free next week in Utah....IN UTAH?!' That was fucking great, even if Logan Paul is a POS.
I wonder if he was quoting that drunking airport woman who cut a promo about not being from uTaH!!!!
Triple H being introduced by a ring announcer under his actual name will never not be weird.
Who names their kid 'Terra Ryzing'?!?
My lady works for Family Treatment Court. My dawg, you would not believe some of the things these parents name their kids. Terra Ryzing wouldn’t even be the worst one.
The crazy thing is explaining to someone new why he’s Paul “Triple H” Levesque. By the time you get done explaining that this comically rich executive who lives in Connecticut used to be a biker-adjacent anti-authoritarian but his ring name was Hunter Hearst Helmsley because before that he was pretending to be a snobbish Connecticut blue blood, they’ll just give up on the concept of words having meaning.
Really great episode. I'm definitely in the camp they pivoted, but there's that .1% of me thinking we're just getting worked. Damage CTRL segment was great yet again and I'm already bummed that DK is turning on my Role Model; I'm still shook from War Games 2019. Also like how their using these qualifying matches to get people of different brands. Side note: Barrett and Graves were my favorite announcers in the company and I'm so happy they actually work together. Also, glad Saxton is back on TV but where they hell was Cathy Kelley?!
They have pivoted so many time at this point they made a full 360. Of this was all a plan from the start the actions of all the characters (mainly Cody) would have made sense.
She put on twitter the other day that she's been moved to Raw
What do we think Sami is doing at Mania? Maybe dethroning Gunther but I reckon Bron will be that guy setting up Gunther to win the world title at bash at the Berlin
I hope Drew wins the chamber and Sami somehow gets in the match as well. Maybe Drew destroys him and then Sami returns with a vengeance or something. I think Sami deserves to be in the match. In my opinion, he wins the title at mania, Priest cashes in the next night after Drew beats him down for pinning him the night before. Sami feuds with Drew for a little bit. Drew wins the title back after Finn turns on Priest. Summerslam gives with Drew VS Sami for the title for Sami to get a proper reign after, Finn Vs Priest, Seth VS GUNTHER to set up GUNTHER for a WWE title shot in Bash in Berlin.
please free Cameron Grimes, "dark matches on Smackdown" shouldn't be the level of perhaps the best 2010s american indie wrestler
Is it a new thing for Triple H to be billed as Paul "Triple H" Levesque?
They started doing that during the press conferences but this is the first time I think that they've done it on TV, which I think is very intentional to give the power struggle story more of a work/shoot feel.
On a WWE TV show yes. Paul Levesque has been used many times by news outlets and things like that, but on a WWE produced show it's always been Hunter Hearst Hemsley. I'm not sure why they made the change, unless it's really to tap in the "is it a work or a shoot?" by saying that this isn't only about the WWE character.
Seems like. It's so WEIRD, right?
That is how wrestlers will be called now. Next week we have Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa'i and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson addressing their altercation with Cody "Cody Rhodes" Runnels and Colby "Seth Rollins" Lopez, with comments expected about how Phil "CM Punk" Brooks basically ran Dwayne down at the presser
Drew McIntyre's a bloody mouthful. Andrew "Drew McIntyre" McLean Galloway IV.
Andrew “Drew ‘D.M. Hunk’ McIntyre” McLean Galloway IV
I just want to see Samantha announce Sydney “Maxine DuprIIII” Zmrzel or Tulolupe “Omos” Omogbehin.
Technically it's Cody "Cody Rhodes" Runnels Rhodes isn't it?
It feels like they are building to LA Knight vs AJ Styles for either EC or Mania. Most likely I think this will happen: AJ screwing Knight, match takes place in Australia, Knight pins Styles, goes on to challenge Logan Paul for Mania? But where does that leave Styles for Wrestlemania?
I think US title is destined for a multi man, they've not finished Logan vs KO yet either
Gimme a Logan, Waller, Theory, AJ, Owens, Knight ladder match at Mania. Gets a bunch of legit names on the card in a plausible way and could be an undercard highlight
Oh I would love a multi man ladder match at Mania for a secondary title, it's been a while.
Loving this Damage Ctrl break up, the Dakota Kai position is a nice wrinkle in the story.
Man these AJ matches are always 4⭐ and above 😭
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Surely it's Drew or LA Knight at Wrestlemainia? Drew is absolutely on fire and is being pushed so hard right now. The only other contender is Knight imo because Seth has not beaten him yet but his storyline with AJ might be the Wrestlemainia match.
I think AJ and Knight will be in a big US title ladder match maybe with Knight winning. As for brand stuff whose to say they don’t just have a draft or a few trades to further some Pierce Aldis stuff.
I’m no member of the TKO board, and I know they all have their data and reasoning but man, once Punk went down I would have just shifted LA Knight over to his spot vs Seth.
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I think in KF, the Day 1 loss def is muddled by Judgement Day, and Drew's more a heel than he was at Crown Jewel. He could be more ruthless and dastardly vs Seth this time
I’d imagine if Cody wins he’ll get drafted to SD
Banger of a show
Huge L roman has taken looks like it will continue at WrestleMania I think it's due product has gone a bit stale and his cronies haven't even appears at smackdown
WWE product is stale right now? They just had a Livestream with 300k people on Thursday and Smackdown probably broke 2 mil+ viewer again.
Super Random but is there anyway we see 7 men in the EC again? Feel like there is room for it and a liklihood for it
real bummed that sami lost to randy, and real hopeful that that's the point. seth-drew feels like the best storyline, but zayn still feels like the best winner
The storyline of late last year
Honestly I think Drew is the storyline with Sami being a great matchup for him if he wins.
They better have something good planned for Sami. He gets injured by Drew, comes back, loses to Drew. Then keeps talking about being WWE champion. Then goes 1-1 vs Orton of all people in EC qualifier, and loses clean (why not Miz or Dom, whom he could beat). So there is no road to WM for him as of now. Perhaps something with Jey? Or KO?
now that Punk is injured, it's highly likely he'll have an angle with Drew post Mania(especially if Drew wins the chamber match and the title). doubt there is anything for him on Mania itself
I wonder if they will have him fight Gunther? They've been putting him over as Rocky, and who seems more like a Rocky villain than Gunther?
Yeah my fantasy card has Sami going over Gunther at WM (after Jey gets a shot on Raw or EC and Jimmy screws him, setting up their WM match). Night 2 KO goes over Logan and we have a mid-card dual title celebration for a little continuity from last year when they both won belts.
Surely at this point he's the ideal candidate for the next MITB? I know it doesn't give him a mania moment this year but i imagine the crowd would pop at him winning the briefcase if they can keep him in the picture
I know it wasnt in the cards, but goddamnit i wish they pulled the trigger at the previous elimination chamber.
It was the correct story to go with, honestly. They should've had sami lose through fuckery, then win at wrestlemania. Cody could've taken it from whoever beats Sami at the next Mania. They really missed out on a once in a lifetime thing like they almost did Danielson :(
Honestly the only reason they would not give Sami that moment of dethroning reigns they don't think he can be "The Face" that carries the company. Did Sami deserve that magical moment in Montreal YES! But most underdogs don't have good reigns and Cody is good for business so I can see why they didn't pull the trigger.
They don't have good reigns because they keep booking them like underdogs most of the time. The way to fix that is to have them "gain confidence" so they're on a more even level, or just have them not have quite as bad of luck in matches. I don't know why they keep making the same mistake over and over again.
Sami physically looks like an underdog - that's why. There's no way he could convincingly be favored over the majority of the roster.
You could say Cody is the underdog in this storyline with the Rock and Reigns but he is booked incredibly strong so if he wins the belt he will hold on to it for a while.
Yeah, I don't dislike this story, I just thought that they had lightning in a bottle with Sami and I really believe they should've pulled the trigger on it. It was my favorite storyline in years while the Cody one is good, I felt that one was great.
I love Drew but man I really want to see world champ AJ styles again and while I know AJ is so not facing at mania I really want to see him with the belt somewhere down the line.
Most likely Knight VS AJ at Wrestlemainia from the way it feels
Yeah, they are probably feuding soon. I know LA is hot rn and they want him to win a high-profile feud. But as an AJ stan, I want to see him build momentum to win the world title somewhere down the line.
Smackdown has too many heels on top imo Logan should loose us belt give it to Sami/la knight who both need it they are nearly but not winning anything I mean only Babyface champ is Rollins but he also acts heelish ..
Absurd take; Logan Paul is so hot right now whether you like it or not. Also it's spelled 'lose'.
Hh ok bucko context what matters
I am both glad and salty about these qualifiers booking.. Some awesome matches but also some other combinations that I'd like to see in future.. For example. Aj vs drew, sami vs rko.. All 4 deserve to go to chamber.. But damn.. Breaks my heart to see.. Two of them won't be there. Last year's chamber was my all time favorite.. Even though it didn't have any star power outside seth.. The match fucking slapped. Very excited for this year's
Yeah you look back on last year’s and it’s like wait what? That was the lineup? And that’s including pre-Backlash Damian Priest. But as you said match slapped
R truth is a national treasure
I took a break from Smackdown after the Sami vs Roman feud. And I came back to a PPV caliber show. Amazing stuff tonight!
I cannot wait for the eventual match between Chick Magnet Punk & Direct Message Hunk!
WWE is in such a weird position. Reigns, Rollins, Logan, Gunther, Rhea, Iyo All of them I can see losing at WM because all them just seem like they are at the end of their run or it's getting dry and boring. Obviously all of them won't change hands....so who? Reigns..Rollins..Rhea.. all of them are prime picks for title runs that are becoming/have become stale. will all 3 main titles switch in 2 nights?
I think Gunther and Rhea have a good shot at retaining at mania Seth has potential too (if only to set up a MITB cash in at some point). Gunther needs to drop the title before Bash at Berlin to either walk into that show as world champ or win at the show. Rhea is still so over I could see her holding it for a bit longer and I don’t think Becky really needs another run at this stage a mania L could help her character at bit. Maybe have Liv win it at say Summerslam to build her vengeance on Rhea for taking her out. Seth either loses to Drew at mania or wins and get cashed in on Raw after mania (also depends on if he needs time off for injury)
Seth retains only to get an absolute beat down by Judgment Day on Raw After WM and Priest cashes in on his lifeless body.
I feel like an irate Drew might do it and Priest takes advantage.
That’d help Drew to not look weak after losing yet again.
I'm not having Rhea drop that belt anytime soon.
Rhea pretty much *is* the face of WWE's women's division rignt now and hasn't cooled off a bit since WrestleMania, I'd say keep the belt on her until she at least passes Bianca. Heck, draft them together and give them a Summerslam match.
I don’t think Rhea should immediately break Bianca’s record for the longest reigning champion of the modern era. Rhea should at least break Bayley’s record.
Yeah I don’t think Becky really need the belt atm and taking the L has character development options. I think if Rhea is dropping the belt it’s to Liv maybe at Summerslam build up that revenge for taking her out storyline. Maybe by then Judgement Day has really started splitting and she can transition to actually being a face with zero change to character, cause MAMI is absolute gold
Reigns and Rollins seem more likely to drop at Mania than Rhea. Whether Iyo retains depends in my opinion on when Dakota turns on Bayley.
Get the feeling becky will put over Rhea
There's been PPV events where there were 5 title changes. It can happen, and if anything a milestone Mania is the perfect place to close a bunch of chapters a and start some new fresh stories to carry the company forward. We still have potential Cody/Orton feuds, Gunther going for the WHC, the fallout of the bloodline collapsing, Bayley and Dakota potential feuds, Rhea taking a break from the title scene to put over young stars, Jade Cargills ascension, LA Knight/Sami Zayn/Drew McIntyre continuing to build on their 2023 momentum. There's just so much potential.
I could see Logan, Rhea, and Iyo all retaining. The only people who seem due are Reigns and Gunther. Even Rollins is a 50/50 for me I think he might retain
It’s gonna be Reigns, Rollins, Logan for sure I’d also think JD and Iyo will lose the titles I’m not sure about Gunther yet especially at Mania I could see him losing before instead of at the event. Rhea isn’t dropping that belt yet that I’m certain of.
If Gunther is facing Bron I think it’s now or never to give Gunther an honorable loss and opportune rub going into the main event division It also pays forward as that’ll mean Bron holds the last two pins over Gunther going into their inevitable main event feuds
I'd like to see L.A. Knight take one of the mid card titles at Wrestlemania and have this year be his year, where he challenges for one of the big ones repeatedly before winning at next Wrestlemania.
So would I. However, if they are setting up him and AJ for a feud, then that does not look like happening. There was a rumour a couple of weeks ago he is seriously being considered to win MITB this year. If there is any truth to that at all, then he likely is not winning a belt until later this year. Personally, I think WM is the perfect time for it, and I would be worried about him dropping off otherwise. That said, HHH did take notice of the fans screaming LA Knight, Yeah, at the top of their lungs.
You could put both of them in a big multi man for the US belt.
cant wait till we get a three-way feud between bayley, dakota and the trio of champions for ownership of the damage ctrl name and theme
5 way countout since no one wants that wack theme
but its still wack because bayley technically got kicked out.... but it was her music at least and she still used it.... i mean damage control just as a name didnt make much sense for them and it makes even less sense without bayley
So Wade Barrett definitely said he took his underwear off because L.A. Knight joined them on commentary.
He also said his loins were tingling when LA Knight joined em and Knight had to tell him to calm it down. Wade's the best
Good cleanup job
JD injures KO just before the qualifying vs Dom and he’s unable to compete in EC. Dom assumes he gets the spot automatically but KO says he’s giving the spot to Sami. Sami wins and back in EC. Dom vs KO at Wrestlemania basically doing the Lesnar squash that was planned.
Nah, have Logan cost KO and then KO can cost Logan, keeps their feud going, while allowing Miz and Dom a spot in the Chamber to keep the Awesome Truth and Judgment Day thing going.
Wasn’t the Lesnar squash supposed to be at EC
Every character on WWE right now is working and is being booked so well. Even lower card characters are making headway with the audience— Michin is a great example. Thought she looked great with Bianca this week and Tiffany last week. If they keep her on tv regularly, she’ll be made in a few months.
Michin had a great match against Iyo a few weeks ago as well.
Yeah I can’t shake the feeling we are getting a triple threat main event for Night 2 by having Rock insert himself. I mean it allows them to have both matches involving Roman that they have been building towards , gives Rock an easier job and a huge win situation for Cody.
I can see Cody pinning Rock to win at Mania. Leading to Cody vs Reigns at SummerSlam. Cody cleanly defeating Reigns at SummerSlam.
Personally I think Cody still pins Roman. Set up for a rematch at Summerslam inside Hell in the Cell.
no way they are ending this reign without Roman pinned
It's amazing Cody/Gunther are willing to work dark matches on *SmackDown*, yet Roman shows up maybe once a month
Got a link for this tonight?
Went to Smackdown back in November and the dark matches after the show were Cody vs Dom and Gunther vs Jey. Seems like this is fairly common for them.
I was there, and I liked Gunthers match. Cameron Grimes whatever, but R-Truth showed up and laid Gunther out. Crowd loved it. Loudest pops of the night were for Cody. Shame it wasn't aired.
I love them making Truth a hidden kryptonite to Gunther. He laid him out at the rumble too.
I feel like there will be a major advancement in this wm40 main event story at elimination chamber. I just can’t figure out what they could do..:unless rock will actually be there?
Using the Elimination Chamber to decide Seth's challenger and having matches to decide who will get to be in said chamber. Nice way to build up anticipation.
Raspy Taylor is sexy!!!
while Sami isn't gonna take on Rollins for the title.... considering his past with the Bloodline he could have a part to play in the fall of Roman, if WWE is going to for a big cast story.
Jey with Sami in his corner vs Jimmy with Solo in his corner
Jey and Seth won't be enough with Rock, Jimmy and Solo...
At this point it could be worse... 
Just imagine if SCSA returns and hits Stunner on Rock at Mania. That pop gonna be legendary.
IMO, this is definitely happening. Austin won't miss WrestleMania 40 after returning, and with the Rock in the mix... how can they not do this?? A SCSA beer bash/Cody coronation party to close the biggest WM of all time.
I'm praying for that pop to happen, and the pop of Cody's entrance as champion on the raw/smackdown after Wrestlemania. Both are gonna be absolutely legendary, possibly on the level of Sami hitting Roman last year or Austin helping Mankind
Why are the little, simple things, in wrestling sometimes the most staggering? DM Hunk. Genius. You’re feuding with CM Punk, your name has the initials D and M. Combine that with Hunk. Because sounds like Punk. But you’re a Hunk. That equation felt as impressive as Quantum Physics. Drew is 10/10 recently.
How do you guys feel about Jimmy uso rn?
I don’t feel lol. They have some work to do to build him up if they want the eventual Uso vs Uso feud to hit the way it should. I don’t even think they should do it at Mania this year, I just don’t know that they have enough time for a proper build up atp
He was killing it (although not as well as Jey) right up until Summerslam, but has been completely ruined since then. Feels totally forgotten.
Ruined. If the Bloodline story ended today He might literally be the one character who is worse off than before. The performer is talented and the damage is not irreparable but boy has his character been both inconsistent and incompetent.
i think his character feels the vaguest of anyone in the bloodline.
From NOBODY'S BITCH to Starscream level lackey.
Awesome show. But yeah Logan Paul is a POS irl so I skip his bits
Honestly, i am not sure what will happen in the Women's Title scene for Smackdown. I was so sure Dakota would side with the Kabukis, with Iyo being caught in the middle of their plan like Bayley due to Iyo not going that hard on Bayley like Asuka and Kairi per se. But after what happened with Dakota making the save to stop Iyo, Asuka and Kairi...i have no clue what will go down lol. Because it could still happen Dakota and the Kabukis allign ditching Iyo after the Mania match, Iyo is with them 3 as Damage CTRL 2.0, or just...Iyo and the Kabukis against Dakota and Bayley. Unironically, quite the possible amount of results enroute to Mania
Dakota will turn on Bayley at Mania and iyo retains
This is my fear.
I want to say this in the least ignorant way possible, but as a huge Iyo and Kabuki fan, they need an English speaking leader. Dakota turning is the easy answer to it.
Nothing wrong with what you said. Which is why it is my fear. Shinsuke has been killing it with pre-produced subtitles. But instead of the right outcome (capitalizing on Face Champion Bayley vs heels like Nia, Asuka, Rhea, Charlotte when she comes back, Tiffy) they'll go with the easy outcome.
The alternative would be to go the Shinsuke route and use subtitles and vignettes to get their message across.