(Here's the annual note - this month is the 18th anniversary of the first post. For those of you who are longtime readers or if you just stumbled here right now, thanks for reading. As mentioned last year, there is an endpoint coming in 2025. The planned final event is Summer Slam 2024, which will be the 150th WWF PPV. The plan is monthly wrap ups through November and then the farewell two years from this month, the 20th anniversary. That means, if you are doing the math, that one Survivor Series remains.)
Rumble 2023 is in San Antonio. Here's the 12 match card.
WWF Title: Roman Reigns v. Tyler Black
IC: Prince Devitt v. Johnny Gargano
Tags: Holy Roman Empire (McIntyre/Lashley) v. Dangerous Alliance (Walter/Mystery Partner)
Womens Title: Bianca Belair v. Bayley
Cody Rhodes v. Chad Gable
Ricochet (w/BWI) v. Santos Escobar (w/TSG)
Chicago Street Fight: Asuka v. Iyo Sky
Kevin Steen v. Dominic Mysterio
Rey Mysterio v. Kingston
Montez Ford (w/Dawkins) v. Damian Priest (w/Solo)
Loser Leaves Town: Edge v. Logan Paul
Winners go To Mania: Horsewomen (Ripley/Baszler) v. Morgan/Bliss v. Nikki/Niven v. Shotzki/Kai
Reigns v. Black: This is the last of the core guys on Roman's original hit list, the guys central to his thesis of WWF being held hostage by indie workers since Punk arrived and formed GDI, leaving the promotion wide open to attack by an indie stocked rival AEW. Roman took the belt from Zayn, beat Steen in a TV tag, kept over Styles at Survivor Series. Remaining is Black - who Roman has the longest history with; The Shield (Black/Ambrose/Langston) had a multiple matches against the Usos (Jimmy/Jey/Roman) which set the backdrop here - and with Black the last member of the Shield remaining in the promotion, Reigns can go pretty hard about running him out of the territory. A win and Reigns will go to Mania as WWF Champ for a full year. Black attempts to win his 2nd WWF Title.
Devitt v. Gargano: In the prior year, the IC belt was largely contested by matches of former Bullet Club members - when Devitt won the vacant belt at Summer Slam, he pledged to open it up to all challengers, he beat Pete Dunne at Survivor Series - and from what appeared to be retirement returns Johnny Gargano to challenge him here. Gargano was a babyface when he left and returns as one here, but with an angrier edge - we see that in a backstage moment in the build where Steen atempts to connect with him (Gargano/Ciampa were the Dark Ride Wrestling chapter of GDI during the drama of the Steen/Zayn/Claudio/Pac version of GDI, they wound up breaking up over it and it sent both their careers on a spiral. Steen's responsible for both Pac and Claudio leaving the promotion, Gargano and Ciampa carried the Kings of Wrestling name when both left WWE with injury) and Gargano refuses to talk to him. The IC is a workrate belt and this is a workrate match.
Holy Roman Empire v. Dangerous Alliance: McIntyre/Lashley regained the tag titles for HRE, beating the Usos (Jimmy inadvertantly superkicked Jey, leading to the fall - in the run to the Rumble, Jey very much advertantly superkicks Jimmy in a tag match, ending the Usos team and kicking off their feud; they will brawl on TV, cut pretty vicious promos on each other - there's originally a match that is set up at the Rumble, first time ever, Jimmy v Jey singles match - but is canceled the following week when a Heyman Hustle segment gets out of control between the two of them - the decision is made that they can't be placed in a PPV match against each other - it's just too personal, you see, but they will work dark; it's Jey who emerges as the heel). For this match, Walter relinquishes the Dark Ride Title he's held for nearly 2 years (and actually he's physically held the belt since he signed with WWF, he walked in the door, won the title, only gave it up because he had to when he chose to work a PPV against Brock, 'cause that's how it works - except he refused to hand over the belt and given Covid it wasn't possible to go to Europe to go get it - eventually there was a reunification - and he won that - Walter is the most dominant figure in Dark Ride history and has just one pinfall loss in WWF (Brock). In the build to the Rumble, Rousey submitted Gable in a tag match - Reigns then knocked Rousey out, consussing her - and so Walter has given up his Dark Ride belt to go after the HRE - he couldn't get to Roman and Black was number one contender, so this is the next best thing. The working assumption is Walter's partner will be a returning Rousey (she does not appear in the build, as she is the other member of the Dangerous Alliance, but Heyman is being a little cagey and the specific match is for the Dangerous Alliance, which will include Walter, to challenge for the tag titles). Walter relinquishing the Dark Ride title means a new champion needs to be crowned via Dark Ride Warfare, a "royal rumble" style match that includes pinfalls and the occasional weapon - Dragon Lee wins in his debut with the promotion to become the new Dark Ride Wrestling Champion.
Belair v. Bayley: All babyface match, Belair took the belt from Rousey at Survivor Series, Bayley returns from a long injury and gets the full video package treatment showing the surgery, the rehab, etc...
Rhodes v. Gable: Gable aided Roman in his win over Styles, but that does not cleanse him of that Rousey defeat. Roman has Gable on notice, that he is being watched very carefully to demonstrate continued worth (Roman also tells Lashley that its his responsibility to make sure Gable demonstrates that worth) - that leads to Gable's beating his and Lashley's former stablemate Nemeth and then he and Lashley are told to hold Nemeth's arms while McIntyre chairshots him (this is Nemeth's farewell) Gable looks hard at Lashley in what should be interpreted as "why are we doing this to Nemeth" - but Lashley won't return the gaze. Gable exits the ring following apart from the other members of HRE.
Cody has been gone since summer when he was stretchered out from HRE attack, he and Gable had excellent TV matches (think IRL Rhodes/Rollins). He returns following a Rollins win over Lashley very late in the build, HRE (not Reigns) attacks postmatch, Walter runs in for the save - Rollins is incapactiated so it is 1 on 3 - Walter eventually is overcome - leading to a blackout. And when the lights come on - it's Rhodes - he, Walter, Rollins do a babyface houseclean. The next week we're told that it's Rhodes/Gable at the Rumble.
Ricochet v. Escobar: Escobar has joined Zelina/Garza/Carillo as part of Twisted Sun Gods, they have been in a feud with Blood Warriors International (Ricochet/Alexander/Tozawa) and that continues here.
Asuka v. Sky: Asuka lost to her former stablemate/protegee Sky at Survivor Series and then viciously attacked in a full heel turn - the feud escalates throughout the build, Asuka believes Sky's a sellout, and while Sky was able to win a wrestling match - she does not have the fighting spirit to win a street fight - it gets sufficiently personal in the build to justify the escalated stip.
Steen v. Dom
Rey v. Kingston: Rey's young masked son Dom has found a path to success, he's a chickenshit heel - Rey is just furious about this, Dom's embarrassing the family name with his brand of wrestling, Dom doesn't understand this at all - he's winning matches. The Steen match is made and Rey demands of Dom that he, just once, will defend the family (Rey and Steen feuded as an outgrowth of Steen taking Generico's mask, Rey tried to run Steen out of the promotion, Steen was able to convince Rey he had changed, they became tag champs and Steen turned on him - even as Steen is now a babyface, he is not a babyface to Rey, and Rey tells Dom there is no dishonor in losing a fight to Steen - he is a former WWF Champion, but there is dishonor in not stepping up to that fight. Rey/Kingston is an all babyface match (Rey is a babyface, he's Rey, just a more complex one in his veteran years than IRL)
Ford v. Priest: Street Profits are feuding with Defiance, this continues that.
Edge v. Paul: Paul continues to make videos openly contemptuous of WWF, the sport, the fans, the wrestlers - he returns on a Heyman Hustle to cut a promo on Edge (somehow he came across old Edge and Christian matches, say they were linked in comments when he challenged WWF fans to show him any wrestler that didn't suck) the bit is Paul liked that guy (younger, heel Edge who turned on the Hardys, and later fucked Lita, etc...) and was shocked to find out that guy is now this old guy, it's like Edge's dad is wrestling now. Edge will respond - Paul's talented but too much of a dick to want around, by around, really, and it's Edge who will kick him to the curb - the words escalate until the loser leaves town stip makes sense - as Edge is the last member of that quartet of Let Them Play young boys, who cover so much of the history of WWF, the possibility that he will leave and close so much of that chapter lends a real "is this long era of WWF ending" feel to this match. The possibility of it should feel heavy with nostalgia.
Women's Tag: A womens tag title is being launched at Mania, Lynch/Flair will take on the winners of this match. During the build, Nikki Cross turns face on Liv/Bliss and joins up with Piper Niven.
That's your show - add Jimmy v Jey and a Dragon Lee title defense in the dark matches and you've got quite a night to kick off 2023 - it's the Royal Rumble and its coming in January.
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