Hello fellow wrestling fans! Now is the time to get back to work and discuss what was and will be in this industry that we all love!
TOP TEN OF THE PAST WEEK
TEN. 2-J JWO
We kick things off with one of the most shocking turn of events that most of the world didn’t have a chance to see. I’m talking about the decision by Johnnies Knoxville and Gargano to follow the path of Dominik Mysterio and oust their leader.
I was initially very confused about why Dom Dom decided to throw out both Damian Priest and Final Judgment newcomer Rhea Ripley on his way to an ill-fated solo run, but now the picture is getting clearer to me after yet another WWE faction disintegrated in front of few eyes.
This turn of events – which transpired on that “lost” episode of NXT this past Tuesday -, saw the JWO commit some mutiny against their former leader, and while I was at first scratching my head, it suddenly hit me: this is all part of the pre-draft reset.
Instead of letting this up and coming historic era-kicking off draft divide some of WWE’s most prominent factions, Murrey has decided to just do it himself, by taking a creative wrecking ball to all of it!
This seriously makes me worry about the future of the Doc Brown Six, which remains the last true faction standing now (the WWE Bloodline doesn’t count, as they are a mere tag team, and The Pride – that is, Lashley and the Street Profits – have yet to prove themselves).
Then again, this could be just what Johnny Gargano – who may be the real target of this reset – needs. Gargano has floundered a bit since his brief feud with Austin Theory earlier this year, and has really fallen off of a cliff since leaving PWI. Are we about to see a Gargano push?
NINE. LESNAR PREPARES FOR WAR
So, as I predicted, Brock Lesnar completely dismantled Darby, but not without a fight. This was the Main Event of a great show (don’t let the 3rd place finish fool you, as the show itself was great and would have won most other weeks, but it had the misfortune of happening on the highest-averaging non-PPV week in wrestling history). Overall, this match was a lot of fun, but anyone with half a brain knew who was winning here.
The real goal is getting Lesnar to stand across from Roman Reigns by the end of the summer, and we are well on our way to getting just that. But first, to tie a pretty little black and white bow on top of this Darby/Brock saga, we will see “The Icon” (when the hell did he earn that moniker???) Sting debuting against the Beast Incarnate at Retribution!
That match itself will be fun, and I will offer my prediction for it before Retribution airs, but – again -, this is all about finishing one season-long story and setting the stage for the next. Looking forward to seeing it all play out regardless!
EIGHT. THE TITLE’S ON FIRE
I will forever curse the cable gods for botching the DVR recordings worldwide of this infamous “lost” NXT. One of the primary reasons for my anger is that I missed seeing Lexis King retain his NXT Title against Brock Anderson – a possibly questionable move, in the eyes of some, but I like it -, and then proceeded to tell the crowd that he was “outta here” before doing what we have never seen before: SETTING HIS FUCKING TITLE ABLAZE!!
I seriously had to miss THIS episode of NXT??!!! WHY???????????!!!!!!
There should be no denying by now that I have long been a fan of this kid, but he has just created incredible red hot heat on the cusp of entering a brave new era. I don’t buy for a second that Murrey is serious about redrafting Lexis only to make him a cameraman. Sure, he may do it for a couple of weeks, but after he sets a few television trucks on fire and forces the lone survivor to record him in a new vignette walking on the graves of those who weren’t so lucky, I suspect that he will be right where he belongs: IN THE WORLD TITLE PICTURE!!
SEVEN. ROUSEY LEAVES WRECKAGE
Speaking of people who are questionably being permitted to enter the draft pool, Ronda Rousey – literally one of the most reliable talents in AEW -, left carnage in her wake after Athena Star finally got a win over her.
Rousey was apoplectic and tried to end Star’s career before Bianca came in for the save, and we saw a nice little “friendly battle” story set up between the fledgling champion and her iconic (yes, someone who actually DESERVES the moniker,…not fucking Sting). If this truly was the last we ever see of Rousey in an “Elite” ring, then she left an incredible lasting impression, and I think that her draft stock just shot through the roof (as if it wasn’t there already…lol).
And that brings me to another fact. What’s interesting is that we have a situation where AEW is presently poised to leave Sasha Banks off of the Retribution card, the final BWM Inc. show slated for the Sixth Era. This is despite the company freaking out in 2019’s Shadow Draft when Sasha was drafted to PWI, and then subsequently trying to bend the fabric of space-time to negotiate a deal to get her traded to the then-EWA.
I’m just surprised that Sasha doesn’t presently have a program worthy of the last AEW event for the season and era.
Then again…Alexa Bliss has been off and on toying with Sasha, almost begging for Sasha to take the bait in seeking an opportunity to get her win back from that Motivation VII loss back in June 2020. I will be watching Starrcade with great anticipation!
SIX. MJF & ROMAN COLLIDE
Roman Reigns defeated Scott Steiner – again, as your Maxwellian Priest and true Wrestling Guru predicted -, and it seemed like that would be all for the night. Only, it wasn’t, because the events from earlier in the show and from the past couple of weeks had left Roman and Heyman exposed to a surprise attack from our WRESTLING GOD!!
MJF made sure to seize this moment as only a great one such as himself would do by having Roman suffer the consequences for messing with the wrestling deity. Look, I absolutely like Roman, but it is clear that he is in well over his head with this pursuit of MJF’s prize.
Hey Roman, go have your own title made and pretend to defend that! It can’t be that hard, after all, isn’t that what Logan Paul has been defending as of late?
FIVE. MRS. MURREY ARRIVES
Well, it finally happened. We finally saw the “better half” of the insane Chairman Murrey. Mrs. Murrey entered into the scene just in time to catch gold old Jeff trying to comfort his…partner…Miss Elizabeth. Murrey went on to tell his lovely ball and chain that his curse from Danhausen is no longer an issue, because he gave the terrible Darby meets Harry Potter cosplay a raise and some guarantee regarding the draft.
I even think the poor broad bought all of this, too!
I don’t know how many more times we are going to be blessed with Mrs. Murrey’s presence, but what I do hope is that we see her at least one more time as he tries to explain away that boner in his pants as he hands some documents to Elizabeth.
You shameful, shameful man…
FOUR. ARMAGEDDON SPEAKS
What wasn’t shameful, though, was the first frightening words I have heard uttered in decades from the monstrous orifice that Armageddon calls a mouth. I have never been so scared/aroused/deeply confused in my life (seriously, why did this do THAT to me??? Do I have a problem?? Less cocaine for you, BUDDY!).
While my brother hilariously – and understandably – fled for his life upon seeing his former boulderguard, Armageddon opened his trap for a purpose not involving devouring our hopes and dreams as he told Benny that they needed to talk.
Is he pregnant? Am I going to die for writing this? Does Armageddon even READ?? Oh shit, I am making it worse. Need to go on another bender to pre-numb the impending pain.
Armageddon no doubt sees what Splinter has been telling us, and he quite clearly cares enough for Benny to not just knock his head right off of his shoulders (which I am sure he can do, just ask Kane, who barely survived a match between them twenty years ago). What does he have to say, though? And will I get strangely tight in the pants again if we finally hear it? Jesus, I need help…
THREE. IN THE ARMY NOW WRESTLING LEAGUE
Someone else who needs help – but refuses to believe that this is NOT the Karate Kid Universe – is the newly single (meaning that he has no one by his side, not that he isn’t banging anyone) Johnny Lawrence.
Lawrence undoubtedly stole the show on Raw, Smackdown, and briefly in that aforementioned “lost” NXT episode. First, we saw him contemplating joining the military out of confusion for what the WOW Draft really is, then some saw him ousted from the JWO, and finally we saw him meet with Lexis King and try to recruit him for the greatest prospective wrestling promotion in history: the JLTDWL!
If Lawrence stays in WWE and we don’t see him brandishing a JLTDWL custom championship I am going to fucking riot!
Murrey, you are a madman for letting us seriously consider a world wherein Lawrence works elsewhere. He is a bonafide ratings magnet, and he always will be!
TWO. THE END OF JERICHO?
The commentary team immediately following Chris Jericho’s Main Event loss to Damian Priest on Raw started pondering aloud whether or not Y2J should just call it quits.
Did WWE get their hands on this guy just to retire him???? I mean who does that?
..
..
..
Jericho may not be the crazy high-flyer that he once was, but I still believe that he can go from bell to bell. All of this hogwash about Chris stepping aside is about as asinine as brushing your teeth between big bites of oreos! It isn’t necessary and I won’t stand for it…but this could all be (and very likely is) a swerve meant to get our sympathy in preparation for bigger things. But more on that in a few!
ONE. HIGH BLOOD RISING
Finally – well, for the reviews – we have what I think was the biggest story in wrestling outside of PWI and HCW: the saga winding down between High-Minded and the Bloodline!
The High Guys lured the former multi-time tag champions, the Samoan Connection, outside of the ring and to the back, only to trap them for an epic beatdown!
This attack sent Yokozuna and Umaga immediately to the hospital and – along with the suspension of the Usos -, left Roman vulnerable for the aforementioned ambush that he suffered at the hands of the World Champion and his entourage.
Week after week, this story has been rising in the ratings and even slightly overshadowed one of Benny’s segments (something that is UNHEARD of ever since the UWF days). We have seen many great things because of this story from the return of Midget Hogan and Lady Love to an epic War Game Match. From a near-murder of that same Midget (about 23 years too late there, Usos, just saying) to seeing Mr. Moody’s awesome cameo!
It has been must-see television for a while, and now I am left eagerly awaiting what is sure to be the final chapter…at least for now!
TOP TEN THINGS TO WATCH
TEN. JOHNNY/KING
Now we move to discussing the week starting today, and I am using the top-ten approach for it as well!
First, I think we should watch for a follow-up to the Smackdown encounter we saw between the former NXT Champion and the former Intercontinental Champion. Johnny and King’s first encounter was pure ratings gold (still waiting on the final numbers, though), and it would be a mistake not to see at least one more encounter tonight on Raw.
My money is on at least a two week program with a possible match on Memorial Day or even Starrcade, but I could be wildly off-base, due to wishful thinking.
Either way, there is money to be PRINTED with this story, and I am begging WWE to take us on this ride!
NINE. MURREY/ELIZABETH/DANHAUSEN
I suspect that this coming week we will see some hint that Murrey is deluding himself into thinking that the curse has been lifted. After all, he is already delusional about having a relationship with MY future wife, so there’s that!
Then again, this could be more wishful thinking on my part due to me not seeing any good reason to just abruptly end yet another one of the great stories going on in WWE. I suppose that we shall see. Heh.
EIGHT. BATTLES FOR EXEMPTION
AEW announced that there will be a set of “Battles for Exemption” on Dynamite tonight, and while I appreciate what the company is doing here, I have no illusion that AEW is going to let Danielson defeat Styles or Sasha lose to Nia Jax.
Yes, Danielson has been a great addition to the company, and then we have Nia’s awesome presence on “Dark” over the past few months, but there’s not a chance in hell that Benny allows his two most valuable former champions get exposed in this all-important draft.
Sorry, not happening. Swerve fail.
Wait a minute, where has SWERVE been???
SEVEN. STREET PROFITS/NEW DAY
This past week we saw the Intercontinental Champion, Bobby Lashley, subdue his loyal pets, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. He reminded them who they work for after they tried and failed to demand that Lashley speak on their behalf as repayment for them helping him become champion.
After Lashley did his best Deebo “what bike?” impression (i.e., “I won the title by myself”), Tez and Angelo politely asked for a good word to be put in for them. So, the Almighty will see just how much pull he has as we move forward tonight, and I predict that a match will be made for either next week or Starrcade!
SIX. BLOODLINE/HIGH-MINDED BLOW-UP
In a very sudden WWE-style about-face, AEW up and reinstated the Usos so that they can join Roman in teaming up against MJF and his bodyguards. However, due to the heightened tensions between High-Minded and the Bloodline as well as Lesnar breathing down Roman and Heyman’s necks, I am predicting a “last laugh” upset here, wherein Roman’s team loses because of either or both of those side-stories, and then goes on to lose at Retribution.
Roman has too much on his plate to be able to reach the top right now, unless we are about to see him and the Bloodline truly experience a launch into the stratosphere, which may well pave the way for an historical reign. I’m never betting against my god ever again, so I will just have to take the risk and say that MJF runs the table on the next 6 days!
What will follow then? Well, we will likely see the set-up for some story-ending bout between High-Minded and the Bloodline (save for Roman) at Retribution. Too early to predict THAT outcome right now!
FIVE. A SERIOUS JWO
With Johnny Lawrence out as their leader, Knoxville and Gargano are poised to take this repurposed team of theirs to new heights. I do think that Knoxville is in danger, though, as he will probably only last a week or two alongside Gargano on “Johnny Wrestling’s” path back to being a serious contender.
It really is sad to see this faction fall down this road, but all good things must come to and all of that nonsense.
FOUR. MJF/PAUL
Wait, you thought I was done with MJF??? No! There’s always room for discussing him!
I know that I kind of sound like a broken record on this, and I have had pie in my face before, but I do think that we will begin to see cracks in the relationship between THE champion and Logan Paul either tonight or on Sunday. Logan is never going to be content with playing second fiddle to anyone, and while I truly believe that MJF will smack the snot out of his compatriot, I don’t doubt for one second that Paul will ultimately turn his back on the man who has kept him relevant in this business!
THREE. FOLLOW-UP FOR ARMAGEDDON?
So, I see no version of reality wherein we don’t see some kind of follow-up tonight with Armageddon’s first words in a long time being uttered on television. Maybe he doesn’t get to have this desired talk TONIGHT, but we are going to see him get the boss alone for a few moments before Memorial Day.
Benny may actually skip this final Dynamite of the era, too, as he leaves it to Sami for Sami’s big contract signing, but we will certainly hear or see something related to this latest development.
TWO. ROCK/JERICHO?
This may well be more wishful thinking, but I have an itching feeling that we saw Rock make his bold statement about dominating the impending Seventh Era and heard talk of Jericho possibly retiring for a good reason: Jericho is about to try and pursue the world title, or A world title one…last…time.
Hell, he may even win the damn thing when it is all said and done. Like I said, this is just a feeling.
ONE. SAMI/SPLINTER SIGNING
Finally, the last and most important thing for us to watch outside of PWI-HCW is this up and coming signing ceremony for the first ever Total Anarchy: All Elite Match!
Like wrestling weddings, contract signings ALWAYS have shenanigans, and this is where I think we may see Armageddon appear. Or, hell, we may even see the Harlem Turtles return to the fray and scare the daylights out of Sami.
It’s also possible that we have some sort of revelation, but I have my doubts that there will be anything earth-shattering this close to the era-ending PPV for AEW. Either way, watch this space, because it will most certainly lay the foundation for the final show of the company before Draft Week and Starrcade resets everything!
PWI-HCW Global Conflict V: The Eve
Randy Orton v. Dragonfly (UWA)
Now we move on to the Fifth and Final Global Conflict; subtitled “The Eve”. Heading into tonight’s blockbuster show, it is worthwhile to note that PWI has 18 points, the Million Dollar Corporation has 18 as well, and the Undisputed Wrestling Alliance is at 16. Having said that, all three factions have a chance to win out; though that is a taller task for the UWA.
It is also possible to have a tie, and this opening bout helps to ensure that possibility. Dragonfly now represents the UWA, due to the merger of HCW and the defectors of PWI being finalized a week ago, and now he faces the man for whom he has proven to be quite the foil throughout this seventh and final PWI season.
Bear in mind that Orton defeated Dragonfly in their first ever encounter at the last From Dusk Til Dawn in 2019; which kicked off this era. Then, thanks to Mickey’s meddling, Dragonfly evened the score by retaining the Undisputed Title over Orton last year at Starrcade. Now, we FINALLY have our rubber match, and it is set to determine who will challenge for the title in the main event.
The stakes could only be higher if the title was actually directly on the line between them, but we’ll take this since it guarantees that they will fight!
Gauntlet: Bray Wyatt v. The Cult of Bliss (PWI)
I don’t think I need to tell you the stakes in this one. Bray Wyatt stands in the way of Alexa and Mickey’s evil agenda, and Alexa – on behalf of “Sister Abigail” – has sought the assurances of the Chairman that he will help her dispense with Abby the Witch’s greatest foe: her own brother.
The demonic Alexa has brought the most demonic and powerful forces back from the past to deal with Bray, and she has added Slammer as the cherry on top of this mission. The sweetener for Mickey here is that he has a chance to both get rid of his greatest foe of this era and retake the Conflict lead at 19, overall.
With Hell’s Fury – one of the most feared tag teams in history – and Drakus (who Bray buried alive back at Motivation VII) joining Slammer, the deck is stacked against the “Eater of Worlds”!
Massacre 6: Hayes v. Balor (PWI) v. Cage (PWI) v. Cole (MDC) v. Grimes (UWA) v. Mystico (UWA)
With the winner earning a shot at the Premier Championship at Armageddon 4, these six competitors come into this battle – which is the brainchild of Benny Mouse – with each warring faction represented and having a shot at padding their lead or catching up.
I would go into each participant’s strengths, but I am unfortunately operating against a time crunch here and have to meet my deadline! Just know that Seth Rollins will be watching this one very closely. Each person involved represents a legitimate threat to his reign, and we are about to see who the most determined fighter is!
Rip (MDC) v. Slammu (UWA)
A tale as classic as any struggle is the sibling rivalry. Jealousy almost always plays a key role in misleading family members down a path of fighting each other, and we have seen all of those standard signs from the motivations of Rip. However, Slammu has exuded a slight propensity for ignoring his own role in creating this mess by consistently denying that he ever fanned the flames of Rip’s resentment.
Slammu and everyone else conveniently forgets that Slammu has gone through a great deal personality changes over the years, and there was a time wherein he was truly incorrigible in his vanity. I guess that such comes with the territory when you get into show-business, but it would be best for everyone if he just recognized what his brother is going through!
Rip has promised to absolutely destroy his brother and Slammu has made it clear that he will tap into his inner monster to stop him. This will be a clash for the ages!!
Cargill (UWA) v. Agramon (PWI)
The winner of the 2024 Women’s Death from Above Match has been yet another target of the plot hatched between Mickey and Alexa. For what it’s worth, Mickey repeatedly tried to encourage Jade to forego her match for the Women’s Title one week from tonight, but Jade refused any and all appeals for her to do so.
Now, with Mickey desperately clinging on to his deal with the devil, Alexa is poised to get her way in seeing Jade disposed of by the first ever Immunity Champion and the most sadistic of the Callaways: Agramon!
Mickey made it official that due to Jade not listening to him, she will have to re-earn her shot at Alexa by going through this legendary monster, and I honestly believe that if there is anyone who can pull it off it is probably the number one contender for the Women’s Title!
When it is all said and done, though, if Jade wins, you have to wonder about what shape she will be in to challenge Alexa successfully next week. Of course, Alexa will be able to take the night off if Jade loses, but here’s to hoping that she doesn’t get what she wants!!
Main Event – Undisputed Championship: Ted Dibiase Jr. © (MDC) defends against winner of Orton and Dragonfly
Lastly, we have our main event for the Undisputed Championship! Representing the MDC, Ted Dibiase Jr. has so far been an impressive and fighting champion. The guy really has come a long way since serving as Cody’s lackey 4 years ago. For an example of how far he has come, here’s a snippet of what I said about Ted Dibiase Jr. back then:
From Volume 5 of “Wrestling with Lenny” (reviewing the May 11th, 2020 episode of “EWA Revolution”):
“We then have our second match of the evening. Ted Dibiase Junior and Cody Rhodes (the Legacy) must win this match against Yokozuna and Umaga to become number one contenders OR they have agreed to disband. Cody is initially a no show as he probably came to his senses after taking a glance at Ted and saw the second coming of the Fatboys (the popular tag team in UWA which consisted of Satu and a Yokozuna 1000 eaten twinkies and small children earlier). Arn Anderson remarks that it is “too bad [that] this isn’t Retro Revolution” so that Ted Dibiase Senior (you know, the one with talent and a personality) could actually be out here to help his son.”
To say the least, Ted has come a long way since he was merely Cody’s bag-handler. Now, tonight, he defends his Undisputed Championship of the World for the 3rd time since he ended Dragonfly’s historic 589 day reign at Global Conflict IV. While his opponent will be playing “double duty”, he should absolutely NOT let his guard down, because Orton and Dragonfly are both iconic former world champions looking to end this era in their most familiar position: on top of the industry.
Well, that does it for me today, now we relax and get ready for another incredible week of action!!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 