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Levin’s WWE SmackDown Review 1/1/19: AJ Styles Earns Title Shot

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AJ Styles WWE Smackdown

It was a busy first Smackdown of 2019, full of in-ring action and the crowning of a challenger for Daniel Bryan and the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.

A.J. Styles defeated four other WWE superstars on SmackDown Live to earn the right to face Daniel Bryan for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble on Tuesday night. It was a fitting way to start of the new year as this kind of feud is one WWE has been hoping to cash in on for some time.

Styles pinned Randy Orton in a five-way match to determine who would face the current WWE Champion. While Mustafa Alu, Rey Mysterio, and Samoa Joe could not get the job done, WWE is moving forward with a darker, more aggressive Styles on the road toward WrestleMania in April.

Personally, I like the idea of changing Styles’ character a bit while still billing him as the blue brand’s top babyface. WWE did the right thing in allowing Daniel Bryan to shock the world before the end of the year with his heel turn to claim the promotion’s biggest prize. Now, the creative team must create a compelling feud that sets the tone for the next 12 months.

Styles is every bit this generation’s Shawn Michaels in that he is the brand’s best performer. He may not be the juggernaut on the microphone like The Miz or the sadistic tempered Orton, there is plenty to build from his character to ratchet his aggression a but without him losing his status with wrestling fans as their conquering hero.

A Styles-Bryan match should be one of the highlights of the night on Jan. 27. WWE needs another strong showing to continue their promise of change. Raw’s main event picture has been damaged because of the loss of Roman Reigns to the roster. SmackDown’s women’s division is the best thing going today. Braun Strowman and Brock Lesner will once again lock it up for the Universal Title. And then there is the Women’s and Men’s Royal Rumble matches.

If WWE wants to get over with its fan base, then have the Styles-Bryan feud continue off and on throughout the year, much the company has done in the past with John Cena and CM Punk or Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes in the NWA. Fans will always accept this kind of cash-in, as the story inside the ring sells itself.

When Bryan was at the height of the “Yes! Movement” it was easy to pick matches for the superstar because of his ability in the ring. Styles, Michaels, Bret Hart, Kurt Angle. They all fit the “What If” scenario of a potential comeback for the four-time WWE champion as he dealt with injuries that forced him to retire from the ring. His return guaranteed another run with the belt in hand, but it did not promise a change in character or attitude.

Styles’ attack on Vince McMahon last week showed even the most popular stars have to find ways to reinvent themselves as performers. The feud with Samo Joe took Styles to the brink, but it did not do the one thing I had hoped it would do – give the company strap to Joe. It would have then forced Styles to readjust his character. Maybe this is what the McMahons had in mind all along.

In a little over three weeks, fans will get the title match they want with two of the best performers in the world. We can all hope it lives up to the hype. If the superstars can perform as well outside the ring with promos as they do inside the squared-circle, this could be a “Match of the Year contender” out of the gate.

That’s something myself as a fan hopes will happen

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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…

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Brock Lesnar WWE WrestleMania 42 Retirement

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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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!

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Penta WWE Intercontinental Championship WrestleMania 42

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!

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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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