Road to Summer Slam 2021 - Part 1: War Games

Wrestlemania

Summer Slam 2021 is in Las Vegas in August; July will see a top matches in Summer Slam history countdown similar to the one done this year for Mania.  June will be the preview of the card (spoiler, the main event is Matt Riddle defending the WWF Title against fellow Clique Stablemate, the God of Carnage Edge) and this is a special War Games episode of...something, RAW or Fight Night or a standalone special on Peacock, whatever makes the most sense for business.  2 War Games matches, one Women's, one Men's.

Women's War Games: 

The Horsewomen (Ripley/Baszler/Shaffir/Duke) v. Banks/Asuka/Flair/Belair

(it won't be Asuka, she gets taken out and Banks, the team captain, can choose a mystery partner)

Stakes: Whomever submits leaves town

Men's War Games

oGDI (Danielson/Black/Steen) v. GDI (Cole/O'Reilly/Fish/Strong)

(oGDI agrees to the handicap stip)

Stakes: Losing team leaves town

Women's Match:

Ripley took the title from Banks at Mania; Flair returned from a year injury absence caused by the Horsewomen in a postmatch babyface save.  Her hair is short- she has none of the Queen Charlotte affectation, she's here to fight.  Belair and Asuka joined them; Asuka's a two time Women's Champ and was once the clear ace of the division; Belair's steaming her way through the ranks, having beaten former Champ Baszler twice on PPV.  

Asuka doesn't make it - she got taken out by a Horsewoman beating.  Full of hubris, the heel stable says if Banks can find anyone at all willing to risk their career by stepping into the War Games ring with the Horsewomen, she can be the new 4th member of her team.  

It's going to turn out to be Lynch (she'll be last woman to enter, of course) Becky lost the Montreal Match at the Covid Mania, leaving the territory, with the historical caveat being that the one person who could bring her back is the person who submitted her in the match, forcing her to leave.  This, of course, was Banks (we're storytellers, after all) and so Lynch is the mystery partner, reuniting the surviving members of 4-Ground, whose forming and separation, and battles have been the throughline of the modern women's division.  

They stand together in this match as babyfaces with the rising star Belair.  One story to tell is how well Lynch/Flair work together; their feud, their inability to stop fighting each other, was really the impetutus that led to the need for the Montreal Match - but both have been gone for more than a calendar and as we'll learn going forward, sometimes you don't know what you've got til its gone.

Each of them saves the other from a submission hold that would have ended their WWF run - which is a good way to demonstrate some trust - and at the end, it's Belair who submits Shaffir - that's going to earn her a title shot at Summer Slam; Lynch and Flair - they're going to team up in a women's tag match against Alexa/Nikki Cross, who are essentially enhancement.

Men's Match:

We say goodbye to many of our friends here.  

oGDI is gone for a few weeks after Mania; leaving all the promo time for GDI (they do a promo where they dress as oGDI, like DX as the NoD or the NWO as the Horsemen - I'm thinking Cole with a giant beard and crazy hair as Danielson, O'Reilly keeps switching t-shirts to represent Black's switching from stable to stable, and Fish and Strong both in fat suits as dueling Steens).  GDI goes hard not just at oGDI but at the entire generation of guys (save Strong) they go hard enough that it draws an irritated rebuke from Joe - Joe doesn't like any of the oGDI guys, for long established reasons - but the disparagment of the entire generation understably grates.  

oGDI gets one good unified moment upon their return so we can have a full 4 x 3 brawl - but it disintegrates in the subsequent weeks, they can't find the same page in the wake of such a terrible WM (they were all losers in the 3 top matches of the show) there's bickering, there's blame cast, whereas GDI is fully united - oGDI is entirely fractured, that's even more of a problem because the initial stakes (whomever submits leaves town) escalate to the entire losing team leaves town.  

Danielson's heelishness doesn't relent at all (Black and Owens need to soften for this build - we want to root for oGDI, when babyface announcer Joe takes their side, that's our cue to do the same) everyone is still beneath him, the only people less worthy of being in the arena than GDI are the idiot fans.  Even his own stablemates clearly are a lost cause; no one understands his delicate genius.  

Danielson is the primary driver of the escalation of the stakes - and also accepting that it will be a handicap match.  

Pre-match is a stretcher shot from the back - Strong has been taken out - looks like that's how oGDI evened up the odds.  

O'Reilly and Black start.

Then Cole.  Then Steen.

Then Fish.  Then Danielson...

Except....Danielson isn't there to fight with oGDI, he's there to fight for GDI; he attacks Steen and Black to make it 4 x 2; the announcers fill in - it wasn't oGDI that took out Strong, it was GDI that took out Strong so they could replace him with Danielson!  Danielson agreed to the handicap stip - Danielson escalated the stakes of the match - it's a set up - it's diabolical.  

Joe - at the announce - says it isn't happening like this - he tells Sanford and Heyman that he quits.  

He takes off his jacket and shirt -- and he enters the cage and fights with oGDI.

Something set up for several months is despite his being a longtime heel, Black had been in the positon to be on the short end of odds, having to face multiple men and doing so with fighting spirit - so when he's in that position again here, just fully firing up in a babyface way, the fans are primed for that - and it will be Black who submits Danielson -- meaning that he, O'Reilly, Fish and Cole will be leaving the territory.  

There's not a lot of joy here - Black/Steen/Joe stagger off separately - GDI leaves together - leaving just Danielson alone in the ring - the 3 time WWF Champion, the American Dragon Bryan Danielson will be leaving the WWF.

But not quite yet - because there's one more receipt.  

Heyman comes to the ring.  He cuts a pretty scathing promo - for years, for years - Heyman was part of a feud with Danielson based on respect; no matter what the stakes, no matter who won - it was two gladiators giving it all they had.  But Danielson gave that up at the Covid Mania - cheapened his legacy - joined up with those two jackals and ganged up against a man who collectively the 3 of them couldn't lace his boots.  

Danielson thought it was over then.  

Tonight.  Tonight it's over.

And then Lesnar's music hits.  

After over a year away, Brock Lesnar returns to the WWF - he stomps to the ring - Danielson begs off - it doesn't matter - multiple F5s and it is done.  

Dragonmania is dead.  Bryan Danielson leaves the territory and Brock Lesnar returns.

That's part 1. Back in a month

Wrestlemania 37

The Build

Wrestlemania 37 comes to you from Tampa.  It is the 137th WWF PPV.

The announcers are Scott Stanford, in his 4th PPV, Samoa Joe, broadcasting his 7th, and Paul Heyman, in his 21st WWE PPV as an announcer.  The only men to broadcast more - Gorilla (29) Cornette (23) JR (66) Taz (22) Styles (40) Regal (24).

There are four dark matches, reflecting their absence for over a year.  

Ricochet d. Shinsuke Nakamura

Gargano/Ciampa d. Dunne/Seven

Cole/O'Reilly d. Alexander/Tozawa d. Gable/Nemeth

Dark Ride Title: Walter d. Prince Devitt (Walter becomes the second 2 time Dark Ride Champion, the 14th Dark Ride title reign

The show opens in the inverse of the year prior - shots of empty arenas throughout the past year - darkness - and then cut to the sold out crowd - frenzied at the return of fans to the WWF, here at Wrestlemania 37.

We open with Jeremy Borash alone in the ring, WWF has had two primary ring announcers in the WM era, Howard Finkel and when he retired, Borash.  Borash introduces tonight's special guest - President McMahon.  

VKM comes down the ramp, the very popular 46th POTUS who led the country through the pandemic makes his return to his promotion after years away - he thanks the fans, thanks the country, says he's glad to be home - and oh, by the way, he brought a guest - see - the promotion for Mania was that President McMahon would be attending.  

It didn't say President Vince McMahon.

Enter Stephanie - Skip --- and President Linda McMahon.

Linda, one of the more beloved figures in the world, fell into a coma after her inauguration, leading to her VP, Vince, becoming President - but now - Linda's alive again - her first appearance - grown men sobbing in the stands - hugely emotional moment for the country.  Linda slowly makes her way to the ring.  Crowd chants "you still got it" - Linda eventually croaks out "Welcome to Wrestlemania" and we're underway.

That probably wraps up Linda, wraps up the whole political storyline; as I mentioned when Trump was elected, the original plan for a few years was a Vince heel turn after he became President, but "cartoonishly evil fascist billionaire" was then a little on the nose.  Life is long, it could be I'll circle back and find a way to turn Vince before one of us dies, but that's not currently on the booking sheet.

1. THE OPENING TAG: NO DQ: HOOLIGANS (McINTYRE/SHEAMUS) d. NITRO/MIZ

-Hooligans are wearing new "Kliq Killers" hockey jerseys; they go over their former partner Miz and Nitro in a spirited garbage match. Nitro's going to do some sort of program with Shelton and Harry Smith over the summer, then he's enhancement until leaving the territory.  

2. ASUKA d. NATTY NEIDHART (w/Tyson Kidd/Davey Boy Smith, Jr.)

-Natty used the knux to go over Asuka at the Rumble, turning heel - Asuka fights through attempted interference from Kidd/Smith and gets her revenge.  

3. CARNAGE LEGENDS MATCH: EDGE d. THE FIEND BRAY WYATT

-The Fiend was a creature of Covid, his matches being cinematic; that ends here, this match is in the ring, this match has to have a lot of smoke and mirrors (maybe literally, in fact, literally, let's have literal smoke and mirrors) some light changes, just a lot of nonsense, in the end Edge is going to, I dont know, set Wyatt on fire and hurl him into the abyss.  Edge now absorbs some of The Fiend's mystical powers, he's known as The God of Carnage Edge and going forward moves a lot closer to an Undertaker like supernatural figure.  Wyatt's going to put Orton over during the summer and leave the territory.

4. BIANCA BELAIR d. SHAYNA BASZLER

-Belair stays hot, beating the former women's champion Baszler, no postmatch beatdown, it's a full trumphant babyface Wrestlemania moment.

 

5. ROMAN REIGNS (w/Usos) d. BOBBY LASHLEY (w/Gable/Nemeth/Benjamin)

-End of the first half of the show - Roman cuts the first promo by a wrestler of the night as he hits the ring, does his "acknowledge me" stuff - says no one is on his level, not in the back, not in the sport, not in Tampa, not in 2021, and not in the ring tonight at Wrestlemania 37.  He goes over Lashley here; the announce is really heavily pushing Reigns as having found an entirely new gear during the pandemic, Joe particularly effusive about Reigns' future, saying we may be looking at a future WWF Champion right now.

Intermission - GDI cuts a promo - no matter what happens tonight - and they hope to see Old GDI win everything - Danielson, Black, Steen - they want to see Old GDI come out of Mania riding high -- no matter what happens they've seen their time come to an end.  This place is not big enough for the both of us - and tomorrow night - on RAW - that's going to be made clear.  

Intermission - Steve Regal comes to the ring; announces that this is his final year with WWF, thanks everyone, says as of January 1 he will be turning over Underground to the new director, who will take the development of future WWF wrestlers into the next era - his friend - Nigel McGuinness.

Nigel, making his return to WWF after being taken out in the Danielson/Dunne match comes down the ramp - shakes Regal's hand - waves to the people.  

Video Package: Each tag champion as they walked down the aisle entering WM

I-Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff

II-Tito Santana/Brutus Beefcake

III-Hart Foundation (Bret/Davey w/Anvil)

IV: Rougeau Brothers

V: The Brainbusters

VI: Jake Roberts/Roddy Piper

VII: Road Warriors

VIII: Money Inc

IX: Steiner Brothers

X: Rougeaus

XI: Davey Boy Smith/Bob Backlund

XII: Steve Austin/Dustin Rhodes

XIII: Hart Foundation (Owen/Anvil)

XIV: Cactus Jack/Terry Funk

XV: Nation of Domination (Rock/DLo)

XVI: Dudley Boys

XVII: Raven/Taz

XVIII: Chris Jericho/Lance Storm

XIX: Charlie Haas/Shelton Benjamin

XX: Charlie Haas/Shelton Benjamin

21: Spreekillers (Helms/Rhyno)

22: Booker T/Bradshaw

23: Sandman/Tommy Dreamer

24: HBK/HHH-M

26: Division One (Nemeth/Swagger)

27: Defiance (Orton/DiBiase, Jr.)

28: Defiance (Orton/Cody)

29: Empire (Barrett/Ryback)

30: The Shield (Black/Ambrose/Langston)

31: The Shield (Black/Ambrose)

32. New Day (Langston/Kingston/Woods)

33: Steen/Generico

33: Trash (Claudio/Neville)

34: Usos 

35: Hooligans (Sheamus/McIntyre/Miz)

36: The Kliq (Edge/Nitro)

6. TAG TITLES: DEFIANCE (ORTON/CREWS/PRIEST) d. NEW DAY (LANGSTON/KINGSTON/WOODS)

The 112th WWF tag champs is Defiance, it's Randy Orton's 5th WWF Tag Title and first since 2012, that ties Orton with Tony Garea and Mr Fuji for the most WWF tag title championships in history, giving him claim as the greatest tag team wrestler of all time. Orton gets the fall on Kingston, who himself has been tag champ 4 times and that becomes the focus of this matchup - when you consider all their title reigns with multiple partners, Kingston and Orton might be at the top of tag team specialists ever.  RKO - pinfall.  

Video Package: The history of guest referees at Mania. Some are outside as opposed to actually counting falls.

I-Muhammad Ali

II-Pedro Morales

III-Pat Patterson

IV-Superstar Billy Graham

V-Dusty Rhodes

VI-Andre the Giant

VII-Andre the Giant

VIII-Lex Luger

IX: Jerry Lawler

X: Mr. Perfect

XI: Roddy Piper

XII: Jim Neidhart

XIII: Ken Shamrock

XIV: Mike Tyson

XV: Pete Rose

XVI: Bob Backlund

XVII: Hector Guerrero

XVIII: Brock Lesnar

XIX: Bill Goldberg

XX: Steve Austin

21: Dean Malenko

22: Dr Death Steve Williams

23: Steve Austin

24: Ric Flair

25: Jimmy Snuka

26: Ted DiBiase

27. Road Warrior Animal

28: Mick Foley

29: Bruno Sammartino

30: Jake Roberts

31: Dusty Rhodes

32: Edge

33: Kurt Angle

34. Rey Mysterio

35. Sami Zayn

Hunter then comes to the ring - special guest referee for the women's title match; the last time Hunter was involved as a wrestling personality he did a stretcher job for the Horsewomen, so given the Horsewomen's tendency to get involved, he's thought the right choice to maintain order.  

7. WOMEN'S TITLE: RHEA RIPLEY (w/Shaffir/Duke) d. SASHA BANKS (Special Guest Referee: HHH-M)

The 13th modern WWF Women's Champ is Ripley; Hunter turns he misses some interference, fails to notice Ripley grab the tights, and when the Horsewomen attack postmatch, he just walks away smirking.  Damn that Hunter (shakes fist).

Belair and Asuka run to the ring for the postmatch save - the babyfaces are just getting their foothold when Baszler runs down to make the Horsewomen complete - they've got  4x3 advantage until...

Charlotte Flair comes down the ramp - Flair gone for a year since a beating at the hands of the Horsewomen - she's changed her appearance - shaving off most of her long hair - it's a no nonsense angry Charlotte Flair - and she joins the babyfaces to beat back the Horsewomen.  

Video Package: Each IC Champion as their hand was raised at the conclusion of the match

I-Roddy Piper

II-Randy Savage

III-Randy Savage

IV: Bret Hart

V: Rick Rude

VI: Bret Hart

VII: Bret Hart

VIII: Randy Savage

IX: Shawn Michaels

X: Razor Ramon

XI: Razor Ramon

XII: Vader

XIII: Cactus Jack

XV: Al Snow

XVI: Eddy Guerrero

XVII: Steve Austin

XVIII: Rob Van Dam

XIX: Rey Mysterio

XX: Eddy Guerrero

21: Edge

22: Fit Finlay

22: HHH-M

23: Randy Orton

24: MVP

25: Rey Mysterio

26: Matt Sydal

27: Sheamus

28: The Rock

29: Nick Nemeth

30: Nick Nemeth

31: Bray Wyatt

32: El Generico

33: Brock Lesnar

34: Shinsuke Nakamura

35: Ricochet

36. Angel Garza

8. IC: AJ STYLES d. CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI/TYLER BLACK

This is a Triple Threat Match, one fall to a finish - AJ pins Claudio, regaining the IC to become the 77th IC Champ in WWF history.  It's AJ's 3rd IC Title placing him just behind Michaels with 5.  Black was looking for the Triple Crown here and his frustration at losing without getting pinned is evident.  Another title switch here at Mania 37.  

Video Package: Each WWF Title match just before the bell rings....

I-Ricky Steamboat v. Barry Windham

II-Ricky Steamboat v. Dynamite Kid

III-Dynamite Kid v. Ricky Steamboat

IV: Ricky Steamboat v. Dynamite Kid

V: Randy Savage v. Bret Hart

VI: Mr Perfect v. Randy Savage

VII: Mr. Perfect v. Randy Savage

VIII: Ric Flair v. Bret Hart

IX: Bret Hart v. Razor Ramon

X: Bret Hart v. Owen Hart

XI: Bret Hart v. Shawn Michaels

XII: Bret Hart v. Shawn Michaels

XIII: Bret Hart v. Steve Austin

XIV: Shawn Michaels v. Owen Hart

XV: Owen Hart v. Cactus Jack

XVI: Cactus Jack v. Chris Benoit

XVII: Chris Benoit v. Kurt Angle

XVIII: Kurt Angle v. Mr. Perfect

XIX: Kurt Angle v. Brock Lesnar

XX: Kurt Angle v. Chris Benoit

21: Eddy Guerrero v. Chris Benoit

22: Rey Mysterio v. Chris Benoit

23: Booker T v. Executioner Bobby Lashley

24: CM Punk v. Shelton Benjamin v. Johnny Nitro

25: Chris Jericho v. Shawn Michaels

26: Chris Jericho v. Steve Regal

27: Edge v. CM Punk

27: CM Punk v. Nick Nemeth

28: Bryan Danielson v. Chris Jericho

29: Bryan Danielson v. Brock Lesnar

30: Bryan Danielson v. Claudio Castagnoli

31: Brock Lesnar v. Claudio Castagnoli

32: AJ Styles v. Kevin Steen v. Dean Ambrose v. Nick Nemeth v. Brock Lesnar v. Kalisto

33: AJ Styles v. Austin Aries

34: Shinsuke Nakamura v. Brock Lesnar

35: Shinsuke Nakamura v. AJ Styles

35: AJ Styles v. Tyler Black

36. Tyler Black v. Brock Lesnar

The primary reason the Cell match is last is so we don't have to take it down, this Mania was sold as having a double main event - and so there's an atmospheric change before the next match.

9. WWF TITLE: MATT RIDDLE (w/HBK) d. BRYAN DANIELSON

The 62nd WWF Champion is Riddle - the storyline here is a torch passing - Riddle's younger, more athletic and his shootfighting background really adds to his ability to grapple and strike with the veteran Dragon.  Each time the announcers can sell the idea that this is not the young Danielson but instead a veteran who is recognizing his own wrestling mortality, that's the story to tell.  Riddle is cool, I think is the best way to describe his character - he's not doing comedy, not doing goofy - but he's also not intense, he's able to grapple, strike, take the title belt from an inner circle Hall of Famer Danielson and feel an ease at doing it - that's a frustration for the Dragon, and as the match goes on - the frustration builds - Danielson tries every single heel trick he's cultivated for the past few years - and Riddle bats them away.  Michaels has a spot - Danielson "inadvertantly" knocks him out on a dive, the same way he ended Nigel's run with the promotion - but later in the match, when Black sprints down the ramp with the aim of interfering - he's knocked dead cold with the superkick by goold ole' HBK.  Riddle gets the pinfall and becomes WWF Champion.

Big Kliq celebration - everyone they can get returns - there's Scott, there's Kevin - etc...other than Christian/Billy, who are gone, and Edge, interestingly, they fill the ring - faces, heels, it's the full Kliq celebration for Matt Riddle - now carrying the torch for the family as WWF Champion.

Danielson has one more match - in May I will come back for a special War Games edition of Friday Night Fight Night, a show centered around two War Games matches that will wrap up...several wrestlers.

In Memorium (clips, stills of notables who have passes subsequent to last yrs WM)

Luke Harper

Road Warrior Animal

Kamala

Pat Patterson

Mr Wrestling II

Tracy Smothers

Bullet Bob Armstrong

Danny Hodge

Hana Kimura

Howard Finkel

Rollerball Rocco

Shad Gaspard

Tiny Lister

Tracy Smothers

Zavier

Barry O

The Natural Butch Reed

Jim Crockett Jr

The video packages allow for the Cell to be put up; Steen/Zayn is a long, long, long program and this is the blowoff - so there can be a sizeable video package.  

10. HELL IN A CELL: SAMI ZAYN d. KEVIN STEEN

It's just the 4th Cell match ever - Cactus/Shamrock; Jericho/Christian; Edge/Matt - those last two being the blowoffs to long, bitterly personal feuds and that's this.  It's a match literally years in the making and a can't miss for anyone invested in these two guys.  They proverbially leave it all in the ring, as many callbacks to their entire history together as is possible - three specific spots - there has to be the big bump, both guys take it - it's as big a bump as they can manage.  Three - Zayn has to get super violent, Steen's premise was El Generico didn't have enough angry, not enough mean to go to the next level - tha'ts been increasingly coming out of Zayn - and that's what will allow him to turn the tide of this match; Zayn has to be vicious in the way that Generico wasn't, giving Steen the ability to say that he was right all along.  Three- the finish will involve Zayn pulling the Generico mask from his tights, putting it on - it's El Generico who gets the pinfall to end the feud.  

Mania ends with El Generico climbing to the top of the cage - standing on top of the cage - El Generico - blooding running freely through the mask - El Generico standing on top of the world of wrestling as the show ends.  

3 part build to Summer Slam starts next month with the War Games special.