The Rumble is here
Wrestlemania 35 is coming in April from East Rutherford.
There are a dozen matches on the card – a half dozen singles,
a half dozen tags. In this build, we’ll do the singles matches and in March,
the tags.
Here’s your singles half of the card.
WWF Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura v. AJ Styles
Women’s Championship: Asuka v. Ronda Rousey (w/Horsewomen)
IC Title: Prince Devitt v. Ricochet (w/BWI)
Bryan Danielson v. Samoa Joe
Claudio Castagnoli (w/Gargano) v. Tyler Black
Cage: Kingston (w/New Day) v. Rusev (w/Lana and Strowman)
Let's start with the two big title matches.
Nakamura v. Styles
Asuka v. Rousey
Wrestlemania 35.
Both the big title matches have sport based builds; Nakamura
and Asuka are both headed to Japan for most of the build (I mean, they might
just be there for a weekend and do a lot of shooting, but clips will be shown
over the next couple of months). Lot of training
stuff for both title matches; Nakamura training for quickness, the idea being
that he’ll need to keep up with Styles – and Asuka (they’re not together, except
maybe once, they just are both in Japan; they are similar builds but not
coupled) is doing MMA training, because she’s facing Rousey. In the states – Styles is in Georgia, as
rural as it can be; like he’s pushing tires on a farm, that kind of thing. And Rousey, who has been playing heel
wrestler for several months, is now really playing it as if this was competition. She’s in LA, she’s treating this like a real
fight. Part of a video package is her really talking for the first time in her
WWF run about her loss to Holm and how that took some element of her identity
away – and now, facing an undefeated Asuka at Wrestlemania – she has a chance
to get that back.
The layered element to AJ/Nakamura is their Bullet Club
history – and as part of the taped packages building it up we get Prince Devitt
talking about how he put AJ and Nakamura together. This is rare – Devitt’s reducing his persona like
20% to talk about the Bullet Club like it was a shoot; like AJ and Nakamura
were competitive athletes and he coordinated their coming together and then jumping
to a rival league. The positioning here is that Styles and Nakamura were never
friends, really, but as they were ramping up to their Wrestle Kingdom 10 match
in 2016, their representatives were in secret meetings with Devitt. Devitt says
even though there was a deal in principle, he knew it could fall through
depending upon the outcome of that match.
But – that match was so great, it exponentially grew the respect the two
had for each other and solidified their willingness to team together and come
to WWF.
That allows for this to be framed as a rematch of an all
time great bout from New Japan, allows for the rivalry that was apparent
between the two when they were both Bullet Club members to form the basis of
this program. And that’s what’s
expressed by Styles and Nakamura in the training – as if they were former teammates
who were never really close, but constantly in each other’s orbit – and now – after
over 3 years where the two really have had a stranglehold on the WWF Title –
the two men, both babyfaces, meet in the main event of WM35 for the biggest
prize in the sport.
That’s pretty good – it’s not a blood feud, but it’s not
cold either; these are the guys positioned for the past 3 years as the top guys
in the promotion – we’ve seen them both beat Lesnar, we’ve seen Styles beat
Danielson, we’ve seen then as part of the dominant faction in the sport – we
now see them as fan favorites – and here they meet in a rematch of what is
framed as an all time great match from Japan.
They do one split screen satellite interview that gets a little
heated; at the press conference there’s a face to face, both men in suits,
where they have some intense words for each other – but there isn’t a real heat
up angle. It’s a sports build.
And the women’s match is unstoppable force against immovable
object – undefeated Asuka, Women’s Champion for a full year – against shootfighting
legend Rousey who has destroyed the entire women’s division since entering the
promotion. Save for AJ Lee and Asuka,
Rousey’s defeated every modern WWF women’s champion. Asuka’s gotten that IRL Goldberg push and now
she faces someone who has been positioned as a clear cut above…not just the
other women in the division…but a clear cut above the entire sport.
Rousey’s crew is on TV a lot in the build; Baszler moving
into the role of wrestler with Duke and Shafir in tow – and she just cruelly
brutalizes opponents; the Horsewomen show no mercy, just leaving enhancement
bodies in their wake, when Baszler cuts promos, it’s about Wrestlemania, she
becomes the wrestling hype woman for the match, about how Rousey’s going to
crush Asuka, take that title belt, and embarrass this entire company on their
biggest night. Asuka and Rousey do an in
ring contract signing near the end of the build – there’s a moment where Baszler,
who has just had free reign since Rousey’s been away training, has a flash of
irritation with Rousey when she re-asserts her control over the faction –
Baszler has threatened for a couple of weeks in building to the contract
signing that Asuka wouldn’t leave the ring under her own power – but at the
signing, Rousey makes clear she doesn’t want Asuka to have a single excuse, and
the Horsewomen wouldn’t touch her; Rousey wants Asuka at 100% when she ends her
undefeated streak.
Nakamura v. Styles
Asuka v. Rousey
Wrestlemania 35.
How about 2 more?
Devitt v. Ricochet
Danielson v. Joe
Wrestlemania 35
Then we’ve got two workrate matches – the IC is probably
going to be the match of the night; Devitt’s been feuding with Dark Ride
Wrestling for over a year now; he’s promised to own that place before it’s
over. And he’s done a helluva job – beaten Alexander, Dorada, Dunne,
Tozawa. A year of really sticking it to
Dark Ride. Well, it’s time that stops – says
Dark Ride’s Champion – Ricochet.
“It’s time
you fight me”
Devitt says – sure thing.
For my IC belt. At Wrestlemania.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Dark Ride charter; the only
people eligible for the title belt are those who haven’t wrestled for a
calendar year on a WWF PPV. Meaning – if
Ricochet wants this match, he has to give up his belt.
That’s framed as a tough decision – but he does it. Lays the belt down in the Dark Ride ring at
the end of an episode.
Now – when that happens, there’s a battle royal (Dark Ride
Warfare) to crown a new champion; that happens on the go home episode of Dark
Ride (IRL Takeover) The winner, in his debut, is Kushida – it’s a babyface win,
he eliminates Cole and O’Reilly at the end to win the belt.
That’s what opens the show – what closes the show is a
surprise – from the ring in an empty MetLife Stadium, where WM35 will take
place that Sunday – is an episode of Renee Young’s new interview show Shooting
With Renee (double entendre). Renee turned on Ambrose at the Rumble, joining
the Bullet Club; she isn’t going to be their valet, she’s closer to IRL
Bischoff, or if Mean Gene was a hot Canadian lady who joined the NWO. She’s
still got a contract with WWF so still does backstage interviews – she’s just a
heel now; sneering at the babyfaces (it might take a second to find the right tone
and to not do too many of them, it could be she spends most of her time interviewing
the Bullet Club; that could wind up being the bit). Her guest is Devitt – and he
comes to the ring with both the IC belt and with the Dark Ride Wrestling title
belt.
Devitt’s the cat who ate the canary – how did this happen –
did he have a title belt made – did he find the belt at a Stuckey’s? Not even two hours ago this belt was won,
right there, in that very ring and now it is in the possession of Prince Devitt? How did that happen? Devitt tells Renee to introduce her next guest. She says it’s the newest member of the Bullet
Club – the Dark Ride Wrestling Champion, Kushida.
Kushida enters, wearing the Bullet Club t-shirt – and we see
that Devitt’s long game plan has worked – as he promised – somehow, someway –
the Bullet Club is now in control of Dark Ride Wrestling.
Danielson beat Joe at Survivor Series; Joe beat Danielson at
the Rumble – it’s no surprise that it ends at Mania. Even though Joe went over at the Rumble, the
questions after are about Danielson’s willingness to use that steel chair even
after Joe showed restraint (if you’re following along, we’ve seen tiny
escalation of this behavior from Danielson since his two losses to AJ). Danielson offers what has been his refrain –
that these, honestly, are silly questions.
Danielson’s a wrestler, his job is to win wrestling matches; throughout
his career he’s done what it takes, sometimes it means being a technician or a
high flyer or a brawler, this is no different than that. “Adapt or Die” Danielson says (buy the
shirt).
The other thing that happens here is, as this is the big
rubber match blow off – WWF has a fan vote to pick the stip – it’s gimmick
matches, Ladder, Cell, Iron Man, 2 of 3 Falls – the vote is supposed to be two
weeks; one week in, Danielson appears on RAW to shut down the vote.
Danielson apologizes to the fans who have already voted but says
none of those votes count, they will not be having a fan vote to select some
type of stipulation – at Mania, he will face off against Joe in a wrestling
match. Someone wins, someone loses. Just a wrestling match.
Danielson says he’s not against all gimmick matches, he was
once WWF Commissioner and he used to book gimmick matches. But this is not right for that. This is not just another WM match, not just
another end of a feud – this is Bryan Danielson facing Samoa Joe at
Wrestlemania. These are two of the most
important wrestlers of the century; they first faced off in 2002 – together,
they built the independent wrestling movement that would turn into the creation
of GDI – and that movement hasn’t just been the most important in the sport –
it has been the sport. When two of the
greatest wrestlers of their generation meet for the first time at wrestling’s
premiere event – they’re not going to be climbing a ladder. They’re going to be wrestling.
And Danielson says there’s one more thing – and he knows
there are fans who won’t like it.
WWF fans, important as they are, “will not tell me how to
wrestle” Danielson says Monet didn’t ask
what he should paint, says John Lennon didn’t crowdsource his songwriting, and The
American Dragon isn’t going have his wrestling matches decided by tweets.
One more beat – there’s some match where Danielson wrestles
a heel (let’s say Anderson) Danielson goes over and postmatch, Gallows and
Kushida run in for a 3 on 1 beatdown.
Joe’s at the announce team during that match – and he isn’t
interested in someone beating up Danielson before Mania – so he runs in and helps
Danielson clean house.
And then it happens the other way in a subsequent week; Joe
beats Gallows, Anderson and Kushida run in for the beatdown; Danielson’s been at
the announce – and he doesn’t move. He
says he and Joe are competitors, not allies, Joe has allies in Roode and
Strong, he thinks he saw them earlier in the evening, and maybe they can find
their way out to the ring. Eventually
they do – but it’s after Joe’s taken a pretty good beating (that leads to a brawl that is part of one of
the tag angles).
Devitt v. Ricochet
Danielson v. Joe
Wrestlemania 35
Two more.
Black v. Claudio
Kingston v. Rusev
Wrestlemania 35.
Black/Claudio is cold; just a workrate match – Black vanquished
Ambrose and spends the build doing a victory lap, works a couple of matches
against Gargano just to get in Claudio’s orbit – but there’s not an issue here,
it’s just two good workers set to wrestle for wrestling’s sake. And Rusev/Kingston is not that – it’s the
blow off to a year+ long feud between Gods of Carnage and New Day; most of the
build is that it’s a tag; Woods is too injured to work, but Langston is going
to work through his injuries – but he and Strowman violate the “no physical contact
before Mania between the two teams or you will be suspended” stip – and they
get suspended just a couple of weeks prior to Mania. The reconfigured match is the remaining men –
Rusev and Kingston, in a cage to prevent any possible interference. One additional stip – if Kingston loses, the
New Day must break up.
Black v. Claudio
Kingston v. Rusev
Wrestlemania 35.
So – there we go. All
the singles matches for WM 35, half the card:
WWF Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura v. AJ Styles – the two top guys in the promotion for the past 3 years; former stablemates, now both babyfaces meeting in a rematch of their Wrestle Kingdom 10 match.
Women’s Championship: Asuka v. Ronda Rousey (w/Horsewomen) – two undefeated women, one of whom is a shootfighting superstar
IC Title: Prince Devitt v. Ricochet (w/BWI) – the culmination of a year long program, Ricochet from Blood Warriors International, really representing all of Dark Ride Wrestling against the leader of the Bullet Club and Dark Ride’s antagonist, Devitt. Only the third ever meeting between the two men, first since 2013.
Bryan Danielson v. Samoa Joe – the pillars of ROH, the pillars of independent wrestling, they first squared off in 2002 and now it culminates in their first ever WM matchup
Claudio Castagnoli (w/Gargano) v. Tyler Black – Black sent his longtime partner Ambrose out of the promotion and now faces the former WWF Champion Castagnoli.
Cage: Kingston (w/New Day) v. Rusev (w/Lana and Strowman) – the culmination of a year long program; if Kingston loses, it’s the end of the line for the New Day.
Pretty good half of the card.
Next Month – tag matches; we’ve got the final match of Kurt Angle’s career; Rey Mysterio’s in ring return to Wrestlemania, Shoot Nation attempts to get revenge against Underground; the first mixed tag match at Wrestlemania history and more – Wrestlemania 35! Coming in April!
