Opinion
Styles vs. Nakamura: A Main Event At Any Spot On The Card
The Road to WrestleMania started on Sunday night at the Royal Rumble. One match seems to be set in stone. After Shinsuke Nakamura won the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, Renee Young entered the ring to ask the Artist which championship he planned on challenging for at WrestleMania.
We all knew the answer. Nakamura has been destined to meet one man since they both left New Japan Pro Wrestling for the welcoming arms of WWE in January 2016.
.@ShinsukeN vs. @AJStylesOrg! It's happening! pic.twitter.com/nf9k76e2cV
— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 29, 2018
They will meet on WWE’s grandest stage for the company’s oldest championship. Nakamura can become the first Japanese-born wrestler to have a recognized reign with the championship. It’ll be a rematch of a classic encounter at Wrestle Kingdom 10, where Nakamura successfully defended NJPW’s Intercontinental Championship inside the hallowed Tokyo Dome.
New Orleans’ Superdome has quite a bit of wrestling history in its own right. Bill Watts held multiple successful Mid-South Wrestling events at the venue. Ricky Steamboat & Ric Flair had a classic two out of three falls match for the NWA Championship at Clash of the Champions VI. Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXX. Another WrestleMania should bring at least one more classic championship match with it.
You would think that most of us would be on cloud nine. Styles vs. Nakamura at a WrestleMania is what we’ve been asking for since they both entered the company. Two of the best competitors of this generation meeting on wrestling’s grandest stage seems like a pretty good time. Sure, there’s always the chance of bad booking of the match itself, and there’s still plenty of time for something to mess plans up. The card is always subject to change, and it might not even be due to booking.
The most common gripe I’ve seen is about something that I’ve always thought is a bit overblown by fans: the match order. Specifically, fans are demanding that Styles & Nakamura go on last. Main events always go on last, and the Royal Rumble winner is supposed to main event WrestleMania.
They’re wasting their breath & keystrokes. It’s not going to happen.
Whether one buys into the idea of a show having multiple main events or not, WWE has been selling multiple main events as part of the WrestleMania experience for years. Sometimes it’s obviously a load of bull. Nobody bought Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge as a WrestleMania main event, even if it ended up being Edge’s last match. Sometimes it isn’t, and multiple matches deserve the billing. This seems to be lining up to be one of those years.
WrestleMania has ended with Roman Reigns for three consecutive years. Maybe this is the year that changes, but if he’s taking on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship like we think he will, there’s a real good chance it goes on last. Especially if Brock is on his way out & he’s putting the Big Dog over.
These darn John Cena vs. Undertaker rumors refuse to go away, no matter how many times I tell people to stop. If Undertaker’s WrestleMania 33 match & Raw 25 promo are any indication, dude has no business anywhere near a wrestling ring in 2018. If he does take on Cena, there’s a real good chance it goes on last. Two stars like that will be really difficult to follow, even if the match isn’t any good.
Want a dark horse WrestleMania show-ender? How about Ronda Rousey’s match? Rousey’s Royal Rumble appearance & signing with WWE were all over ESPN & mainstream media on Monday. Even if Rowdy Ronda’s UFC career ended on a down note, she still moves the meter more than most American athletes. There are a couple of options for Ronda WrestleMania matches that I could see going on last. We know WWE has been about women making history lately, so it’s only a matter of time before women close out WrestleMania.
Here’s a question. What do these matches have in common, besides taking place at WrestleMania & being epic matches that people still remember today?
- Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage
- Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage
- Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
- Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
- Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin
- Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock
- Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels
- Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair
- Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker I
None of these matches took place at the end of the show.
Match placement can be very important, don’t get me wrong. Sunday night was a great example. I had no problem with the Women’s Rumble going on last, and with the Rousey involvement afterwards it kind of had to be there. But the two matches that took place between the Rumbles had no chance. Nobody in the world cared about the Raw Tag Team Championship match, and Brock Lesnar & Braun Strowman had a tough time getting reactions even though it actually seemed like they were trying to kill each other at times.
The men had themselves a great Rumble match. I don’t think anybody would say that it wasn’t a main event, except for sticklers still hung up on the whole “last match” bit. To them, I say three simple words…
Let it go.
A match many thought they’d never seen on this continent…in this ring…for this title will be the MAIN EVENT of @WrestleMania. #StylesVsNakamura #YeahOh … this is going to be #Phenomenal.
— AJStyles.Org (@AJStylesOrg) January 29, 2018
Whenever Styles vs. Nakamura takes place on WrestleMania night, it will be one of the main features of the evening. Hopefully, it’ll be one that we still remember years from now.
Besides… it’s not like they went on last at Wrestle Kingdom 10.
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
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MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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