(Hey, for better and worse, I've been publishing this for 14 years; do with that what you will. I've got it booked through two Wrestlemanias, so I'm at least planning on going that far.)
Survivor Series was here.
Royal Rumble 30 is next month from Phoenix. A dozen matches on the overstuffed card. Here’s what it looks like:
Royal Rumble 30 is next month from Phoenix. A dozen matches on the overstuffed card. Here’s what it looks like:
WWF Title: Shinsuke Nakamura v. Kenta
IC Title: Three Way Dance: Prince Devitt v. Pete Dunne
(w/Nigel) v. Akira Tozawa
Tags: Hooligans (McIntyre/Sheamus w/Miz) v. Trash
(Claudio/Gargano)
Women’s Title: Asuka v. Ember Moon
Number One Contender: Brock Lesnar (w/Heyman) v. AJ Styles
Loser Leaves Town: Dean Ambrose v. Tyler Black (w/Anderson/Gallows)
No DQ: Bryan Danielson v. Samoa Joe
Ronda Rousey (w/Baszler/Duke/Shafir) v. Becky Lynch
New Day v. Shoot Nation (Angle/Lashley/Benjamin)
Four Corners Match: Rey Mysterio/La Sombra (w/Zelina) v.
Kalisto/Crews v. Shoot Nation (Nemeth/Gable) v. Underground
(Black/Murphy)
Jeff Hardy v. Ali
lo Shirai v. Kairi Sane
WWF Title: Shinsuke
Nakamura v. Kenta
Nakamura kept the title over Claudio at Survivor Series; so
he’ll go to the Rumble as WWF Champion for
full year. He and Kenta got together earlier in the summer in the build
to Summer Slam and remained aligned throughout the build to Survivor
Series. Where once Kenta was clearly
seen as superior, and then they were long running equals, now Nakamura is at
the very top of the sport and Kenta is his supportive veteran friend (the fates
of their respective Japanese promotions are seen as running parallel to their
own stories).
But, all good things must end, and not long after Survivor
Series following a victorious tag match,
Kenta celebrates by hitting Nakamura
with the Go to Sleep – and we get a show ending shot of Kenta grabbing the WWF
Title belt and raising it aloft over the fallen Shinsuke.
That’s the match – Kenta is not friendly veteran just happy
to be supportive to his friend Shinsuke – Kenta is pissed off veteran tired of
being disrespected by you idiots. Kenta beats up his longtime ally Hero during
the build. There’s historical color for
the match throughout WWF platforms that positions this match as the lineal
result of the All Japan/New Japan split – as if Kenta is Baba and Nakamura is
Inoki. The winner is headed to
Wrestlemania 35 to take on the winner of Lesnar/Styles.
IC Title: Three Way
Dance: Prince Devitt v. Pete Dunne (w/Claudio) v. Akira Tozawa
Devitt’s war against Dark Ride Wrestling continues – he kept
the belt against Dorada at Survivor Series and now all of Dark Ride, which was
once united, is in a pitched battle against each other to get that shot at the
IC; we should see the mastermind Devitt, who promised to tear Dark Ride
Wrestling apart, as accomplishing his mission.
Nigel leaves his announce position during the build; he now
is full time manager of British Strong Style (Ranallo will announce RAW by
himself for the final month) and that switch is credited with Dunne’s getting
the title shot at the Rumble. He won’t get that shot alone though – Tozawa from
Blood Warriors International will also get that shot – and there’s a lot of BSS
v. BWI stuff throughout the build. Devitt
cuts promos wearing his Dark Ride Wrestling t-shirt (because he owns Dark
Ride).
Tags: Hooligans
(McIntyre/Sheamus w/Miz) v. Trash (Claudio/Gargano)
Triumph long sought for Hooligans at Survivor Series when
they took the belts from Bullet Club – it’s the first ever WWF belts for both
McIntyre and Miz – there’s no real program here; Hooligans gets wins over the
Usos and the Revival – this match is thrown together late after Gargano
vanquishes Ciampa in Dark Ride, the story is that, sure Hooligans are champs –
but they are really stepping up in quality in taking on elite level workers
like Claudio and Gargano – additionally, Gargano’s inability to get a belt is
part of his character and so that desperation is underneath everything he does,
even after his huge victory over Ciampa.
Women’s Title: Asuka
v. Ember Moon
Asuka does workrate matches – there’s never a heat up angle
for her; she’s sort of bigger than that – she’s undefeated and has the best
match she can have and that’s been her program since her first day with the
promotion and it continues here – Moon essentially took Asuka’s place at the
top of Dark Ride and now she gets this shot.
Number One Contender:
Brock Lesnar (w/Heyman) v. AJ Styles
First time ever – it’s Lesnar against Styles with the winner
headed to Mania. It’s pure sport build –
here’s Lesnar training out in the snow in North Dakota or wherever the fuck he
is, here’s AJ running on the beach in Florida.
AJ is a Triple Crown winner and Brock’s a two time champ – AJ has turned
babyface, Lesnar’s nominally a heel, but really he’s just Lesnar. Both guys come in hot – they each beat
Danielson this year, both men are driven to win that title back – Brock came
back to WWF with this shot at the title as part of his new contract (we’re told
it’s the biggest per date money deal in promotion history) and AJ left the
Bullet Club largely out of a sense that he needed to win the WWF Title on his
own. AJ works one singles match in the
build, it’s against Anderson, neither Black or Devitt in attendance, it’s just
Styles and his old buddies Anderson and Gallows – AJ goes over, he is able to
withstand the postmatch attempt to take him out 2:1 – babyface AJ Styles stands
tall. Lesnar comes in to squash
Rowan. There’s a Heyman Hustle with AJ
as the guest to heat up the match – Heyman suggesting that AJ won the Triple
Crown only with the aid of the Bullet Club, and without them he’s going to find
he’s no match for Lesnar. AJ saying
Lesnar will wish he took the Cormier fight after what he’s got coming to him at
the Rumble.
Loser Leaves Town:
Dean Ambrose v. Tyler Black (w/Anderson & Gallows)
RAW the night after Survivor Series begins with Ambrose – he
was out a year with injuries inflicted by his longtime partner Black, he came
back last night to prevent Black’s attempt to cash in his briefcase following
the main event. He comes to the ring
here and he is still heated – he calls out Tyler, “fight me, Tyler – come out
here and fight me” – Black, with the rest of the male members of the Bullet
Club right behind, makes his way from the back.
Black motions for the others to remain on the ramp as he makes his way
to the ring. Black and Ambrose go nose
to nose – Black is cool here, not rising to Ambrose’s anger. Black says he’s not going to fight Ambrose
tonight. Black says what’s the end game
here – Dean - I missed a year of my
career, you missed a year of yours – you kept me from becoming WWF Champion
last night – what’s the play – we fight – maybe you get the better of it –
maybe I do – maybe my guys come down this ramp and bury you under the flag and
you get to make another triumphant return at Survivor Series 2020.
What’s the end game?
Dean says it never ends – he will fight Tyler Black as long
as he stands in this ring – every single night that Tyler Black stands in this
ring he will need to fight Dean Ambrose and there is no end.
Black says he’s taken Ambrose’s proposal under consideration
and he has a counter.
They fight once. At the Royal Rumble. And then never again. Because the loser of that fight – leaves
town.
Black says let’s just cut to the end of this story – the end
of the story of the Shield – the greatest tag team of all time. It ends the way it has to end – one of us
stays in the WWF and dominates – wins titles, makes money – gets that life that
we used to talk about when we were Underground.
And one of us – just disappears forever.
Ambrose clearly wasn’t expecting this – he does a million
calculations in the matter of seconds – he says “nah, I think I’ll fight you
now” – and he attacks Black, he gets the advantage until the Bullet Club runs
to the ring and lays him out – Black motions Anderson and Gallows to the ramp –
where standing just out of the camera’s view, waiting for an interview segment,
is Renee Young – Anderson and Gallows
grab Renee and drag her into the ring – forcing her to look at Ambrose – Devitt
grabs Ambrose’s head, forcing him to look at Renee – Black says we can just
keep doing this – we can do this night after night, year after year – or we can
just stop. We can stop – we can have one
last fight.
Once and for all. Royal Rumble. Loser. Leaves. Town.
At some point going forward there’s footage of Renee laying
it out for Ambrose, this can’t keep going on – it’s bad for both of them – go
to the Rumble, take him out, and let’s be done with this war.
Ambrose will agree – and they set the fight. The build is taped pieces covering the full
relationship between the two men, showing the addition of Langston, the long
title run, Black’s injury and then the breakup.
The Shield will crack permanently at the Rumble.
No DQ: Bryan
Danielson v. Samoa Joe
Danielson and Joe met for the first time in a WWF ring, with
all the years of context that entails – and the match ended with Danielson
holding the trunks on a small package.
Joe’s understandably heated, screwed once again by this promotion
and by Danielson himself.
Danielson is a little surprised there seems to be a
little criticism coming his way. “Wait a
minute – what have I been hearing since I came back – Bryan Danielson doesn’t
win wrestling matches anymore. I won a
wrestling match; I won it against one of the great wrestlers alive. I won the
way I always have, by doing what needed to be done. When I’ve needed to be a technical wrestler,
that’s what I’ve been – a brawler, a high flyer – that’s what I’ve been. And now – and now, I’m this. And if there are people who don’t like this –
that’s okay, but I’m going to do what I have to do to win wrestling matches,
because I’m a professional wrestler.”
(there’s been buildup, if you’ve noticed, a little bit with
each match, of Danielson just nudging away at the rules, following those back
to back losses to Styles)
Joe is not persuaded – Danielson’s a holier than thou
hypocrite and at the Rumble, in a No DQ match – he can hold the trunks all he
wants – he can stroll out of the ring – he can do whatever little tricks he
wants - as long as Joe can respond by hitting Danielson with a chair; or
throwing him into the steps – or sending him through a table with a muscle
buster. If that’s the match Danielson really wants to have – if he really wants
to “do what he has to do” – then Samoa Joe will also “do what he has to do”
Ronda Rousey
(w/Baszler/Duke/Shafir) v. Becky Lynch
Ronda beats Charlotte at Survivor Series in a wrestling
match; she’s a wrestler now and will have a contract signing in the Fight Night
main event spot the week after Survivor Series – this is unusual, Fight Night
is just matches and taped packages, no angles are shot “Less talk, More Sock”
but this is Ronda and she’s special, like Brock.
So – in the main event spot at Fight Night she signs a
contract with Hunter. Hunter’s no longer
in the promotion, he has an office in the West Wing (Vince is POTUS, for those
unfamiliar; that’s the culmination of an angle literally started years before
Trump’s campaign; I’ll occasionally get a comment from a reader that perhaps
doesn’t reflect that I’ve been doing this since 2005) but his being in the
Rousey storyline reflects its more realistic, more sports oriented, nature (at
least, until now).
We’re told that
Rousey has signed for the most per night money in promotion history (it’s a
dollar more a shot than Lesnar, we find out). And right after she signs – from
the crowd come the rest of the Horsewomen, who we saw for the first time last
night – Baszler/Duke/Shafir. Last night
they got into Rousey’s face, evidencing disapproval with her new choice of
career – and unexpectedly here they are.
It’s a swerve – actually, they’re with Rousey – and once the
ink is on the contract the four absolutely beat Hunter to death; this is a
juice angle, Hunter’s headed back to DC and he’s going to full on bleed a
gusher here. The Horsewomen hold up four
fingers as they hit the turnbuckles.
For a couple of weeks, the Horsewomen send in taped pieces,
essentially laughing at the entire promotion, laughing at the idea that there
was once something called “4-Ground” – when everyone knows when you talk about
the number 4 in combat sports– you’re talking about the Horsewomen.
They say they’ll be at RAW on a particular date and will
take on any woman with the balls to step to them.
They come as promised, taunt, goad, cajole – and who comes
to the ring is Bayley.
Bayley’s basically enhancement talent, she’s yet to be on
PPV, she’s super likeable babyface who puts people over. But here she is – standing alone against the
Horsewomen; Ronda says she admires her stones and says she can go one on one
with Baszler – this won’t happen- Ronda’s going to hit her from behind with a
forearm and the Horsewomen are going to stomp her out. The next week – another video; they find this
wrestling stuff hilarious and are coming back to do it again. They do the same bit – and again, who comes
out is Bayley.
The Horsewomen laugh – if Bayley really wants another
beating; she can make her way down to the ring.
And then, emerging from the back is Banks.
And then -
Charlotte.
And then – Lynch.
Now, not only has Lynch not wrestled since losing her title
at Mania – but here is Bullet Club Becky, who turned on her friends, now
standing with Charlotte from the Horsemen and their former stablemate
Banks. They all look at each other to
take in the moment – as if they might decide to just start throwing blows at
each other – and then they charge the ring – there’s a quick brawl, the non
Ronda Horsewomen all get clotheslined over the top – Ronda bails out on her
own, the WWF wrestlers get some revenge.
A War Games match is made with the two squads – here are the
needed beats; Rousey comes in last, Bayley takes a pretty good beating but is
able to withstand – Becky gets in a nearfall on Rousey that is broken up by
Baszler - Charlotte and Becky wind up not being able to get along in a crucial moment
and Rousey gets Banks to submit.
Becky’s nearfall becomes the peg to make the match at the
Rumble, she cuts a “I would have beaten you if not for your muscle” promo and
Rousey is not trying to hear that.
New Day v. Shoot
Nation (Angle/Lashley/Benjamin)
New Day doesn’t
appear at all during the build; Langston was beaten up pretty good by Gods of
Carnage (who are suspended) and the full group has had a tough year physically.
Shoot Nation continues to “scrimmage” with Underground, w/ Angle continuing to
gently needle Regal about the results.
No heat angle here; no issue between the two teams except to see which
side wins.
Four Corners Match:
Rey Mysterio/La Sombra (w/Zelina) v. Kalisto & Crews v. Shoot Nation
(Nemeth/Gable) v. Underground (Black/Murphy)
Rey’s mentorship of the masked wrestlers continues; Crews’s
irritation at the amount of deference that Kalisto gives to Rey grows; the two
members of Shoot Nation who otherwise aren’t spoken for are here as are the
leaders of the new Underground wave of wrestlers. We get the last Angle/Rey match in the build,
Angle asks Rey to pick two partners; he chooses Kalisto to join he and Sombra,
and that adds to Crews’s saltiness. Shoot
Nation’s going over in that one, Lashley pinning Kalisto – furthering Crews’s
case that he’s spending too much time listening to Mysterio.
Jeff Hardy v. Ali
lo Shirai v. Kairi
Sane
And the last two matches are just babyface matchups – Ali
went over Jeff at Survivor Series – he’s going to get him again in the build,
and so we’re saying that the score is 2 to 2 or 3 to 3 or whatever the score is
as long as it’s tied. And Shirai and
Sane are here to steal the show; that’s the way this match is being framed, pure
workrate, let’s see how good this match can be is the build.
That’s your show.
Nakamura defends against Kenta; Devitt in the 3 way dance, Gargano’s
first PPV, Brock meeting AJ for the first time on PPV; the Joe/Danielson
rematch; Ambrose and Black – Loser. Leaves. Town, Kurt Angle. Rey Mysterio.
Becky Lynch against Ronda Rousey and more. It is an overloaded card and you can watch it
on the WWF Network for only 9.99 a month and its coming in a month
