The week on the horizon could very well be a very big deal, if you ask me. Last week we saw PWI finish above 7.3 against competition for the first time ever, and now we have a real chance to see Mmouse Enterprises place first for the first time in nearly 14 years tonight!
I have no doubt that this will be a fun week for numerous reasons: WWE is following a first place finish as led by the new champion, The Rock! AEW is following up on a monumentally successful PPV, and PWI is continuing to ride this momentum that has been enjoyed since the New Year began. It will be yet another great week in the business, for sure!
Now, before I get to the preview of PWI for tonight, I will first preview what we know about our competition:
WWE
Nothing has been shared about Raw or NXT this coming week, but I suspect that we will see more unfold with the Christopher Lloyd/Flex Fuller saga. There’s no way in hell we will be left to assume that all ended well after Fuller passed out last Tuesday.
What about William Zabka? The man committed arson for millions to see! Will he see justice or will the madman continue to wreak havoc on the world?
I anticipate more mind games from Candice LeRae, and I suspect that Theory will start to show signs of his eventual face turn.
Gunther had a show-stealing performance last week, and we would be mistaken to overlook him going into this week. What can we expect from the Ring General???
I hope we see some follow-up for what happened at the Rumble between Asuka and Beth Phoenix. The PWI alum have taken center-stage in WWE all of a sudden, and this looks like a great first-ever match on paper…especially for Then. Now. Forever. 2!
Drew McIntyre will most certainly make some kind of appearance as the drama proceeds between him and Lexis King. Will we see King strike back?
Finally for WWE, I know we are bound to see more from the world champion. I anticipate some kind of set-up for his next short-term world title challenger to help warm him up for Big E. Either way, this will be a fun week in Murrey Land!
AEW
Let’s review and predict everything that we know to be on tap for tonight’s installment of Dynamite:
Sami’s Press Conference
Sami is looking to keep as much of the heat off of Benny as possible. That’s the entire reason for this presser. He is finally doing his job as Benny’s handler by shielding the boss from the watchful eye of the opportunistic and critical public.
He has promised to address “everything”, but let’s make no mistake here: Sami will leave a lot unaddressed. There’s not a chance in hell that he is going to give us everything that Splinter has…not unless he has some career death wish.
Sure, Sami will break some news here, but the point of this is to shut everyone up, not to inform us. I will be interested, however, to see if Sami actually answers the tough questions that I submitted. If he does, then this may be more open than I originally thought.
10 Man Battle Royal for shot at TV Title (Perry v. Hobbs v. Black v. RVD v. Cesaro v. Yokozuna v. Cassidy v. Moxley v. The Miz v. Morrison)
So, MJF gets screwed out of his title and he doesn’t even have a chance to win it back??? What kind of bullshit is this?!
Jungle Boy will absolutely impress onlookers in this match and I believe he will at least be in the final four.
Hobbs is still too green to earn this shot in a believable way.
Malakai-used-to-be-Aleister Black will make a hellacious showing, and will join Perry in the final four. Hell, there’s a really good chance that he wins this thing!
RVD is the quintessential legend here, and while he may get close to the end, he is not coming out on top.
Cesaro has tragically been a lost cause in this era. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for him, but he has a lot of trouble getting traction.
Yokozuna is someone to keep an eye on, and I think he will go further than most may think. His odds of winning are lower than Malakai’s, but there is still a slight chance.
Orange Cassidy is the upset master. Everyone considers him to be a comedy act until he taps into his explosiveness. The moment he decides to open the door is the precise point in each match when his opponents lose. To be truthful, he has a higher chance of winning it all than Black.
Jon Moxley hasn’t done much since his great run in 2020 in PWI. He arguably should have been the first Premier Athlete, but he lost his spark along the way. Is this the moment for him to get it back?
The Elite (Miz and Morrison) will share the ring for the first time since their match after they split up last year. How will this dynamic play out here? Miz has always been a guy who shows signs of having “it”, but he has never quite utilized his full potential. Morrison, on the other hand, is a great talent, but he is a little heavy on the spotfests. I don’t see either man winning, but they will definitely contribute to a great match!
TV Title Match: Rhodes defends against Luchasaurus
Cody just stole the TV title 8 days ago. There’s not a chance in hell that he is losing to this weirdo in the dino suit.
I’m sorry, Luchasaurus and I apologize to his legions of Dino-Nuggies out there, but he doesn’t really have the qualities that you expect for a guy representing a company as a champion. He is a sideshow act going against an up and coming main attraction.
Cody is among the top tier of superstars highly sought after in this industry. It’s just impossible for me to see any serious scenario where Cody loses to anyone…let alone to Spandex-rex.
AJ Styles to address Danielson attack
The epic closing shot of Genesis gave us a great preview of the stories to come as Spring nears. Danielson v. Styles is a money match if I ever saw one and I can’t wait to see the next phase.
Of course, the promo we are about to hear will feature Styles giving us some variation of “I trusted Danielson, we came up together, and I can’t believe he stabbed me in the back.” Standard stuff, really, and it will be ok, because this is just moving the train along to its calamitous destination.
Danielson may even show up and taunt the champion, letting him know that he can pounce on Styles again at any moment. Good stuff.
Regardless of whether I am on the mark or way off, I am more excited about this part of the show than I am anything else, honestly!
More Benny drama!
Connected to the opening presser will be this unfolding drama involving Benny, but that’s not where it will end. I suspect that we will see something from Splinter, Stevie R, and Booker D as they try to find creative ways of speaking directly with the audience. Sami will get equally creative to censor them and the saga will move forward. Just more juicy stuff to keep us tuning in!
PWI/HCW
OK, now that we have addressed the competition, let’s look at what’s on tap for Asylum tonight. Before we do so, just know that the results of the live show this morning will be posted before Asylum airs, so be patient!
Premier Athlete Tournament Roulette Semifinal Match: Cardona v. Mystico
The semifinal round will officially be underway as the ever-cocky and “Always Ready” Matt Cardona squares off against the cousin of Dragonfly and Krusader: Mystico!
Cardona has made it a point to taunt Randy Orton for Orton’s recent loss as he advised that Orton watch a “real winner” in action tonight. Matt definitely has the mindset and skillset of a champion, and we will see him tested tonight like never before against the first man to qualify for this year’s tournament: Mystico!
Mystico’s qualification kicked off the whole tournament and he enters this match with Cardona more than a month removed from his scary rafter tournament victory over Lance Archer. The stipulation for the match has yet to be decided, but you’ve gotta know that Matt is watching tapes of his adversary like a madman coach readying for the big game!
AJ Lee (#3) v. Charlotte Flair (#10)
Last week, Lee played a key role in the fact that Charlotte Flair did not depose Becky Lynch. No, we don’t know for sure if Becky would have tapped out, but we do know that Flair’s odds of winning were better than Becky’s at the moment that Lee intervened.
Now, Flair is seeking revenge in what may be a preview of things to come if they both meet in the fatal four way finale of the tournament. Lee thinks she is on a path to locking arms with Becky as some twisted dual champion duo, but Flair is thinking clearly: this means war!
Final Women’s Tag Team Title Match: Hardcore Elimination
The IIconics have their work cut out for them tonight. Yes, they escaped certain doom last week when Shane McMahon removed them from the Tag Title Unification match, but they now have to face most of the Women’s Tag Roster in a match which guarantees no advantage to anyone.
On top of trying to solidify themselves as the last Women’s tag champions, The IIconics (and all the other teams involved) have to reconcile their tag goals with the ultimate goal of the match: determining the next challenger for Becky Lynch’s Women’s Title!
The Tag Champions standing at the end of the bout will be forced to immediately square off against their teammate to earn this title shot, and that could add another crazy level to this creative concept.
Overall, it is bittersweet to see the Women’s Tag Titles go. Never a popular title with the critics, the administration back in 2019 had agreed that it was best to create this prize to try and make things more equal.
Like it or not, the Women’s Tag Titles created opportunities for countless ladies who would’ve never touched gold otherwise, and it gave us many highly entertaining moments as well (think of Stevie R training the Undying Legends). I will be sad to see the end of this storied division which began with a battle royal crowning Britt Baker and Zevon Heaven as “A Taste of Heaven” in December 2019 and which will end tonight in a similar style.
Goodbye to Women’s tag team wrestling.
Main Event: Six Pack Challenge to determine the next Undisputed Title Shot
Let’s look at each of the six competitors going into this bout:
Shawn Spears is the only unranked participant, but that should not lead anyone to ignore the possibility that he could earn another shot at Dragonfly. There’s no doubt in my mind that he is dying to right the wrong of losing to Dragonfly in such an unceremonious way back on New Years Day. He isn’t prepared to let that taste continue to wallow in his mouth even as he has to deal with his latest pain in the ass, Adam Cole.
The 9th Ranked Finn Balor is in this match because the bookers didn’t want this thing to wind up being a boring match involving only the top-six ranked stars in our flawed ranking system. His match with Bray last week left him scarred for sure. Still, his determination should never be underestimated.
At the ranks of 7 and 5, respectively, Teo and Attitude come into this match with the most pressure. A week after they barely lose in their attempt to reclaim the tag team gold, The Attraction meets their greatest test so far in the story of their reunion as a tag team: how they handle being buddies when they both have a shot at the top. I don’t have to retell the history they have – which spans over two decades -, nor do I need to go into too much detail about what being World Champion means to them. Just know that these guys head into this thing with the most to lose if they don’t play their cards right.
The 3rd Ranked Dash Wilder is the wildcard in this match. The dark horse entry in a match where too many probably think he has no business participating. Don’t forget that he shares the ring with fellow Pinnacle buddy Shawn Spears. Wilder may just be ready to surprise us all and break through the tag team division chains tonight. If he does grasp onto a berth into the Undisputed Title opportunity awaiting him at Global Conflict II, all I can say to Dragonfly is: “watch out”.
Last, but certainly not least, we have the 1st Ranked Slammer. Alexa’s horrid henchman is only ranked number one because of the ranking rule which states that rank is initially determined as based on one’s placement during the draft. Exempted stars take precedence over everyone else, draftees are ranked in order beneath those exempted, and then everyone’s wins and losses (depending on whom they win and lose against) influences their placement afterwards.
For these reasons, Slammer is ranked number one because Alexa’s rule that she added to the PWI bi-laws over a year ago enshrine herself and Slammer as the top exemptees after the champions in each draft. So, in essence, Slammer is here because he beats women for Alexa. Plain and simple (so, Hyatte is not far off).
Slammer is a brute and can handle his own against any other monster, or against any GROUP of ordinary men. You don’t just simply overwhelm Slammer, and defeating him will be no easy feat.
So, there you have it, the preview and predictions for the week to come. Now, buckle up, because it is going to be another great ride!
Until later this week, see you all later!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 