Road to Wrestlemania 35 Part II - The Tags

Part 1 was here

A reminder of what we set up last month.

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)

Here’s the other half of the card; six tag matches.

Tag Titles: Hooligans (McIntyre/Sheamus/Miz) v. Shoot Nation (Lesnar/Angle/Benjamin)

No DQ: Shoot Nation (Gable/Lashley) v. Underground (Alestair Black/Murphy)

The Legendary Rey Mysterio/La Sombra (w/Zelina) v. Kalisto/Apollo Crews)

Usos v. Revival (Special Guest Referee – Sami Zayn)

Hardys v. Mustafa Ali/Mascara Dorada

Mixed Tag: Bullet Club (Anderson/Lynch w/Gallows) v. Horsemen (Roode/Flair w/Strong)

I’m guessing there’s a name there that at least a few folks did not anticipate.

Okay, in a big Rumble angle, Regal joined Underground in a hotel room beating of the leader of a prior Underground generation, Nemeth.  In the main event spot for RAW eight days later, Regal returns with his crew (Alestair Black, Murphy, AoP, Gulak, Lorcan) in tow.  For a few months, Shoot Nation (Angle’s stable) had been working with the next wave of Underground trainees to make their ways to the main roster.  It was a little big brother/little brother here, with the Shoot Nation guys in the dominant position.  That taps into the old Angle/Regal dynamic (Angle led a stable for which Regal was the Enforcer; in the intervening years, Regal had periodically inquired of former TNA wrestlers how Kurt was doing).  Lot of miles between here and there, Regal became the primary architect of the developmental system; he’s really one of the pillars of the promotion.  So – you can see where sliding into that subordinate position upon Angle’s return might have worn thin.  Regal lays this out here; weaving in the idea of needing to make a statement; as they did when Underground rose initially.  How better to make that statement than by taking out Nemeth, the former leader. 

Angle and Shoot Nation are going to enter here – Angle’s says that he was fine ending his career by taking a victory lap – but instead, he ends his career going to war.  And then there’s a brawl.  Regal half returns to the announce desk; he and Nigel are splitting Fight Night now, sometimes they’re away with managerial duties, and when they’re available, they do Fight Night.  Sometimes they’re both there – sometimes neither.  The new RAW analyst is Heyman; we learn that he and Brock have amicably ended their professional relationship (Ronda’s getting more per date than Lesnar was not navigable) and Brock’s gone back home to re-assess next steps. 

So – it isn’t as clean as just building to that match; because we are wrapping Kurt’s in ring career here and there’s a lot of stuff we need to stuff into this build.  Shoot Nation is named the number one contenders for the tag belts, and because Hooligans was only able to use two of their members at the Rumble, they are very clear they’ll be defending them at Mania with all 3 guys. 

And that presents a dilemma – Shoot Nation has five members (Angle, Gable, Benjamin, Lashley, Nemeth) but Nemeth is recovering from the attacks and unable to work Mania.  The feud with Underground is going to lead to a Mania match against their two top guys (Murphy/Black). Angle is clear that he wants the match – but Benjamin talks him down; this is the final match of his career, he has a chance to win the tag titles – Gable and Nemeth had grown very close and Gable needs that match and it makes sense that he takes Lashley with him. 

So – that match is set.  Gable/Lashley v. Black/Murphy.  No Disqualification. 

That leaves Angle and his old protegee, Benjamin, in a handicap match for the tag titles (Hooligans could relent, but Miz is clear, all 3 of them are in this match, it’s Wrestlemania and they’re defending their belts, they’ve earned this).  Angle’s been wrapping up his career with hand picked opponents and so that is folded into this.  He wants to work handicap matches to get ready for Mania.  He asks Rey for a match.  Rey has La Sombra – but needs a third and he asks Kalisto. 

Kalisto, of course, jumps at it – and that continues the fissure between he and his partner Crews (Crews believes Kalisto is overly influenced by Mysterio at the expense of their team).  Crews is going to take the rare (very, very, very rare) step of calling Rey out (Rey is the locker room leader, think IRL Undertaker) Crews says Rey needs to step back.  Rey mists him a little bit, does some veteran voodoo, convinces Crews that actually, he’s doing Kalisto a service by helping him – that’s just going to make he and Crews stronger going forward, and in fact, Rey ups the ante a little further – says his first Wrestlemania match since his return is coming up, and he’d like it to be a tag match,

Mysterio/Sombra taking on Crews and Kalisto.  Crews can’t help but be won over here; that is a high profile match and Crews has been knocking on the door for awhile.

So, that sets up that match, Mysterio/Sombra v. Kalisto/Crews.

Rey’s team beats Shoot Nation in that match; it’s a handicap match after all – Benjamin eats the fall from Kalisto (which shows Crews that perhaps Rey is right). 

Angle only has one match left before Mania – and he tells Danielson he wants it to be against him.

He asks him to find two partners.  

Danielson says no – tells Kurt he understands why its not a singles match, he respects Kurt’s choices as a wrestler and wouldn’t want to put him in a position that doesn’t reflect where his career is right now.

But Danielson says a handicap match belittles both of them and he won’t do it and he, with respect, thinks Kurt should not do it at Mania.  Danielson says if Hooligans won’t drop down to 2 guys – then Shoot Nation should bump up to 3.  “Get a new guy, Kurt.  Big world out there.”

As for Danielson – he also needs to get a guy; it’s a mystery partner – so when  it’s match time, Angle and Benjamin are introduced first, then Danielson – he stands on the ramp and waits –

----

-----

…..For Kevin Steen.

It’s Steen’s return to the promotion after being run off by Mysterio following last year’s Mania unmasking of Generico.  It’s a surprise. 

Danielson and Steen go over. 

On a subsequent broadcast, an angry Mysterio calls Danielson out.  Says he was really clear, Kevin Steen has no home in the WWF and he wants that to be respected.  He’s earned it, after all. 

Danielson says no.  Steen’s paid his debt.  He’s a wrestler; just like Rey, just like Danielson.  No one likes what he did.  No one will forget what he did.  But he’s a wrestler; this is a wrestling promotion – he’s welcome in the locker room. 

Rey asks who Danielson thinks he is to get to decide he’s welcome. 

Danielson asks who Rey thinks he is to get to decide he’s not welcome.

The two veteran babyfaces go nose to nose – Rey says Steen isn’t like them.  He doesn’t love it.  Doesn’t need it.

Danielson says Rey’s wrong.  And shows him some footage – a cameraman spotted something a few months ago and then alerted a few people and they put something together.

It’s Steen at various WWF events, deep in the crowd, in enough disguise to not be noticed – and he’s marking out, totally wrapped up into whatever matches he’s watching.  He’s cheering for babyfaces (including Rey) booing heels.  He’s at TV – he’s at house shows; like a half dozen different events all from the last few months. 

Danielson says Steen wasn’t wanted here – but still couldnt stay away from wrestling.  That’s why Danielson called him up to be his partner.  Because he’s in this life.  He’s not a tourist, not a part timer, not an actor, he’s a wrestler.  And he deserves to come back.

Back to Angle. In the go home RAW, with the tag title still advertised as a handicap match (Hooligans has wrestled a couple of handicap matches in the build as well, unsurprisingly, there’s a scheduled in ring face to face of the 5 men on a Heyman Hustle episode.  Heyman and Hooligans poke at Angle a little bit – how does he possibly think he can win?  It’s a handicap match, for Chrissake. 

But it’s not, Kurt says.  It’s 3 on 3.  Because there’s a new member of Shoot Nation. 

And that’s when Lesnar’s music hits. 

Brock Lesnar has joined Shoot Nation – he, Angle, Benjamin stand together in the ring – just as they did at the beginning – and they’ll take on Hooligans for the straps at Mania.  There's no interaction at all between Heyman and Lesnar.  

Hooligans v. Shoot Nation.

3 matches left. 

The Revival took the belts from the Usos at last year’s Mania, Usos won the rematch at Survivor Series and they wrap up the trilogy here.  Largely it’s been a workrate program, a “we’re better than you, program” – with the Usos being the heels and the Revival as babyfaces, but fundamentally based on respect.  There’s less respect now – more “fuck you, you think you’re the best tag team in the world, we’re the best tag team in the world and you can die in a fire” – the Usos have gone from cocky babyfaces to cocky heels and are now just cocky.  They do a “If you want to cheer us, cheer us, if you want to boo us boo us – as long as you put respect on our names as the best tag team alive” sort of a thing. The Revival stop cutting promos entirely, not like Claudio “I won’t speak English to these people” – but instead saying they’re just over it; watch the matches, judge the matches, that’s it.  Two tag teams both claiming to be the best on the planet – each has beaten the other and it ends here at WM35.  There’s a special guest referee at each Mania – and this year it is the former El Generico, seen for the first time in a year, Sami Zayn. There’s a highlight package for that – the former Generico, tag champion, IC champion, returns to the WWF. 

Revival v. Usos.

Jeff Hardy and Mustafa Ali have been in a “the veteran takes the youngster to the learning tree” program – Ali’s youth and athleticism has brought into focus that Jeff’s not as young as springtime no more.  Ali starts to feel himself a little, tells Jeff that he wants to beat Jeff Hardy at WM (not in a heelish way, it’s youthful exuberance).  Jeff says that the singles spots on the card are full, maybe another year.  Ali says – what about a tag?  Ali says he’s been talking to Dorada that maybe they should do something together (it’s why Dorada is not around to be the third with Mysterio, he’s working with Ali at that time). They had some great matches against each other and they’ve been working on some stuff together during down time.  Ali asks Jeff if he thought maybe he could get a tag partner…

Jeff raises an eyebrow.  Says maybe he knows a guy. 

The next week is a video from the Hardy Compound.  There’s all the Broken Matt paraphernalia…but when the camera finally gets to Matt, he’s not there – what’s there is all the Broken Matt gear and a handwritten note…see you next week, Matt.

The following week – Matt Hardy, in streetclothes, no gimmick, is on RAW.  He says when he retired after last years Wrestlemania he meant it – his career is over in every incarnation.  But something hasn’t sat right with him.  His last match was on videotape in his house, as Broken Matt.  And that was fun – but it wasn’t wrestling.

Matt says he’s a professional wrestler, has been his entire life.  Not an actor – a wrestler. Like Danielson, like Rey, like Kurt Angle.  And his last match should be in a wrestling ring.  And it should be with his brother.

Jeff enters.

Matt says he heard Jeff’s been challenged to a tag match at Mania by some young whippersnapper. 

Matt says – one night only – one more round – the Hardys ride again at Wrestlemania.

The build is nostalgia – Ali/Dorada work as a tag on their own while the Hardys are gone, they put together a nostalgic video package – sort of like IRL “Tell Me a Lie” – with clips of the Hardys from their teenage days as Owen Hart’s young boy all the way to the broken universe.  One More Round.

The Hardys Ride Again. 

Hardys v. Ali/Dorada

And finally…

Paige/Becky/Sasha/Charlotte were 4-Ground, they dominated the women’s division – but then Charlotte joined the Horsemen and Becky joined the Bullet Club and we can’t have nice things.  Rousey’s entrance into the promotion catalyzed the group slowly moving back together.  Enough that Paige comes to the ring not long after the Rumble and asks that she be joined by the other 3 and Bailey, who, as Paige is medically retired, joined the other 3 against the Horsewomen.

Paige puts over Bailey; says if there’s any one who has the heart to take her spot – it’s Bailey.  And she says the rest of the spots should be filled. Come on home.  Sasha agrees, but the animosity between Charlotte and Becky is too strong – they start sniping at each other, they go nose to nose – and each of them exits the ring.   Anderson and Gallows started the wrestling year (post WM 34) by killing Arn Anderson; they’re laughing about it in the locker room, overheard by Roode and Strong.

They take offense – maybe Arn wasn’t with them, but that didn’t mean he isn’t a Horsemen for life, and they don’t want to her that shit. 

The Bullet Club asks what are they going to do about it – and that starts a locker room brawl that leads to a program – the Charlotte/Becky animosity is folded in -and you have set up the first mixed tag match in Wrestlemania history.

Anderson/Lynch v. Roode/Flair

Add a promised announcement of the newest Paul Heyman Guy to join the WWF – and that’s Wrestlemania 35.

WWF Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura v. AJ Styles

IC Title: Prince Devitt v. Ricochet

Women’s Title: Asuka v. Ronda Rousey

Tag Titles (Kurt Angle’s Final Match): Hooligans (McIntyre/Sheamus/Miz) v. Shoot Nation (Lesnar/Angle/Benjamin)

The American Dragon Bryan Danielson v. Samoa Joe

Rey Mysterio/La Sombra v. Kalisto/Apollo Crews

Claudio Castagnoli v. Tyler Black

Revival v. Usos (Special Guest Referee – Sami Zayn)

Cage Match: Kingston v. Rusev (If Kingston loses, New Day must disband)

No DQ: Shoot Nation (Lashley/Gable) v. Underground (Alestair Black/Murphy)

Mixed Tag: Bullet Club (Anderson/Lynch) v. Horsemen (Roode/Flair)

Hardys v. Mustafa Ali/Mascara Dorada (Hardy Boys Final Match)

I mean, I don’t know your life – but I think you’re buying this one.  You can’t get Wrestlemania on the WWF Network (I know, Vince is the one with the incredible business acumen and I just book dumb angles, but one of us recognized at the launch of the Network it was a mistake to give Wrestlemania away every year and it’s not the guy in Stamford) it’s only available on Pay Per View. 

See you in April.

Road to Wrestlemania 35-Part 1, The Singles Matches

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!