WWF Title: Bryan Danielson v. Matt Riddle (w/HBK)
Hell In A Cell: Kevin Steen v. Sami Zayn
IC Title: Claudio Castagnoli v. AJ Styles v. Tyler Black
Women's Title: Sasha Banks v. Rhea Ripley (w/Horsewomen) (Special Guest Referee: HHH-M)
Tag Titles: New Day (Kingston/Langston/Woods) v. Defiance (Orton/Crews/Priest)
Roman Reigns Uso (w/Jey) v. Bobby Lashley (w/Shoot Nation)
Shayna Baszler v. Bianca Belair
Asuka v. Natty Neidhart
Carnage Legends Match: Edge v. The Fiend Bray Wyatt
Hooligans (McIntyre/Sheamus) v. Nitro/Miz
Plus --- for the first time in over a year, Dark Matches:
WWF Title: Bryan Danielson v. Matt Riddle (w/HBK)
Hell In A Cell: Kevin Steen v. Sami Zayn
Danielson became just the 4th man in history to win the WWF Title 3 times with his Rumble win over Ricochet; he's going to keep that "No one is worthy of watching me wrestle" energy going. It facilitates a discussion of the fans returning, which is a pretty significant draw; Danielson is looking for ways to keep the fans from coming back, maybe there's even some sort of gimmick stip - if Danielson can do something, then the fans will not be permitted in the stadium for the match - I think we're going to do a Michaels thing - Michaels will be doing a lot of Riddle's promo stuff; the Michaels/Danielson early career relationship is part of the program, how history sees both of them (who is the GOAT?) is part of the program - I'm sort of 50/50 about this -- I want some type of limited purpose Danielson/Michaels match. It's cheating just a little bit - I didn't bring Michaels back at all when he did the Saudi Match, so I think they owe me one. I don't know exactly what it is - it's not a full match - it's something like a 5 minute challenge - Danielson has 5 minutes with Michaels in a no holds barred fight - if he can beat Michaels in 5 minutes, then the fans will all be removed from the arena before the WWF Title match.
He isn't able - obviously, Danielson gets the better of nearly all of it (it's a garbage stip, so if they need to really cover up Michaels here, they can do that) but Michaels does hit a late superkick and gets a nearfall. Clock expires at 5 minutes. Yeah, let's do that - sure, it's what it is, but given the circumstances, come on, you don't want to see Danielson and Michaels in the ring, just for a couple of minutes? Danielson beats the hell out of him postmatch, as heavy an angle as makes sense - no reason not to raise Danielson's heel level as high as it can go; sometimes, you don't want to do things you cant walk back, this, given the conditions, is not one of those times (w/ Danielson, not with Black or Owens). The go home will be some type of wild brawl with as many of these programs slapped together as is possible, it's the end of the Thunderdome so it can be shattered irreparably; I think the inciting incident is oGDI v. GDI, which is a long simmering thing that will boil over this summer, but probably where I'll discuss it is Mania, given the circumstances. The final shot as we head to Mania is Danielson/Black/Owens standing defiantly in the ring, Danielson holding his title belt aloft - Black has grabbed the IC belt, he holds it aloft.
It's the veteran Danielson, fighting for a legacy as much as anything else, fighting for his place on Mt. Rushmore - against the new generation of the Clique; the next Michaels protegee - it's 2021, there's definitely a "new breeze blowing" thing happening given the return of fans, a lot of page turning, new chapter, next generation, morning in WWF sort of a thing - is Matt Riddle the Leader of the New WWF Generation (something like that)?
HIAC is a really, really rarely used gimmick. Shamrock/Cactus; Jericho/Christian; Edge/Matt -- it's a stip for the most personal of feuds, it's a stip that ends feuds, it's a stip that promises someone is taking a monster bump.
This kicks off during RAW after the Rumble, Claudio won the Triple Crown, he has his ceremony (traditionally, the last winner hands him the Hart-Guerrero Memorial Trophy; the last winner was Brock -- Heyman, in an eyebrow raising spot, gives it to Claudio.
The Triple Crown ceremony does not contain angles - it's "above" that, sort of the equivalent of the IRL HOF - but here, Zayn and Steen, former Claudio stablemates, wind up shutting the ceremony down with a brawl (they're all in suits, its a formal event) - and that's the last straw; the night prior their feud prevented them from winning that 4 way number one contender's match; their feud has gone on..years, really, from being the closest of friends to the most bitter of enemies- from the indies, to their tag team title in WWF, Steen's detonation of GDI, Steen stealing El Generico's soul, removing his mask, Zayn serving as a WWF referee, plotting a revenge - a year of feuding in multiple matches in multiple forms and finally this.
Serious build - no more physicality, taped packages, people discussing their relationship, Steen's basic argument remains the same - El Generico was a great wrestler, but too soft to be the WWF Champ, but maybe he was wrong - maybe Zayn is also too soft - does Zayn have what it takes to stand in a Cell with his best friend turned most brutal enemy and do what has to be done? That's the question here.
IC Title: Claudio Castagnoli v. AJ Styles v. Tyler Black
Women's Title: Sasha Banks v. Rhea Ripley (w/Horsewomen) (Special Guest Referee: HHH-M)
Tag Titles: New Day (Kingston/Langston/Woods) v. Defiance Orton/Crews/Priest (Defiance)
Roman Reigns (w/Jey) v. Bobby Lashley (w/Shoot Nation)
Shayna Baszler v. Bianca Belair
Asuka v. Natty Neidhart (w/Kidd and Smith)
Carnage Legends Match: Edge v. The Fiend Bray Wyatt
Hooligans (McIntyre/Sheamus) v. Nitro/Miz
-Reigns drops the Uso name; he's the head of the table, he's not one of many, he's 1 of 1. Reigns' promo is about the weakness of the rest of Shoot Nation - it's not Lashley who is getting pinned; it's not Lashley who is preventing them from holding gold - Reigns gets in Lashley's face - the Bullet Club punked you guys out, they killed your guy Angle and it took you a year to do anything about it - Reigns knows that wasn't Lashey's idea - Reigns knows Lashley could have gone at the Bullet Club anytime he wanted (we see that Lashley is not denying any of this) but he was held back by mediocrities - by mortals. Lashley's not a mortal - Lashley deserves a seat at the table with Reigns - as long as Lashley acknowledges Reigns as the head of that table.
-Belair beat Baszler in a singles, but then got stomped out by the Horsewomen; Baszler beat Belair in a tag - and so here we are.
-Natty used a foreign object to beat Asuka at the Rumble, here's the rematch.
-The Fiend torments Jeff in the build, it's the end of Jeff's run; some type of Hardy Compound match is the culmination - but after the fall - with the Fiend then about to, you know, murder Jeff or something similarly sinister, Edge appears. It's the return of Mania, so we get a Legends Match - it's called a Carnage Match; as the Fiend is the current God of Carnage (a title that can be absorbed, as it turns out, Rusev to Strowman, Strowman to Wyatt) -- Edge says he wants it - Edge is ramping up a more supernatural version of the character (a little more Undertaker, maybe a lot more) - this will be in the stadium, it won't be taped and the Fiend really just does cinematic matches, but there's a garbage stip and the expectation is some level of spooky is likely to occur.
-And the traditional opening tag - Miz turned on his Hooligan stablemates, rejoining longtime partner Nitro; Hooligans plan to whip that ass.
And that's your show.
So - we get the return of President McMahon, the return of fans, we get the return of dark matches including the Dark Ride unification title; we get Danielson in the main event; we get the blow off to Zayn/Steen in the Cell, we get the 3 way workrate IC Title match. It's Wrestlemania 37!
Next month- a "best matches in WM history" thing and then in April - Wrestlemania 37.
