Mission 021 – Predicting What’s to Come this Season
Hello my fellow wrestling fanatics! Johnny here with some thoughts on the second season of the world of wrestling’s Seventh Era!
Let’s start with Starrcade, shall we? After all, this annual staple of the WOW Week (which goes back to 2021, with 2022 being the only year devoid of a Starrcade) has been seen since its inception as the official start of the next season for the entire industry.
We’ll look at what each promotion has on tap for this Thursday’s extravaganza and then we’ll pivot to offering some thoughts on what we can possibly expect from the top ten picks of AEW and WWE based on what we know right now!
For starters, WWE has deferred on their right to Main Event Starrcade this year despite the fact that they went first throughout the Draft; electing instead to lend the privilege of Main Eventing the show to AEW. Instead, WWE wants to open the show. So, here we are:
WWE United States Championship: Finn Balor © v. Kofi Kingston
The fourth installment of Starrcade (which now will surpass the legacy of its predecessor “From Dusk Til’ Dawn”) will open this year with a match pitting the reigning U.S. Champion Balor against Kofi in a match rescheduled from WWE’s season finale – Backlash – after both were unable to compete at that show.
Easy enough will be the prediction that we will discover who the mystery attacker was, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was Xavier Woods (who was hiding out from the Draft this year), or Big E. Ultimately, this will likely lead to Kofi eeking out a championship victory to start the show with a bang!
Alexa Bliss v. Jade Cargill
This won’t be a prediction, but a preview instead. These two have had two previous encounters with each achieving a victory over the other for the Women’s Title. Jade’s lengthy and dominant run as the champion extended through almost the entirety of the first season of ULW until Alexa twisted back to her demented ways to put down the beast who overtook her last May.
Ultimately, Jade bounced back and cost Alexa the gold against AJ Lee at Cinco De Massacre, and with her preventing Alexa from recapturing the title at the end of the season, Jade has made it clear that she wants Alexa one more time this year at Starrcade. Bear in mind that Alexa lost to Sasha Banks last year in the Interpromotional Main Event. Will history repeat itself, or is this another turning point?
Gold Rush Ladder Match: Hash v. Swerve v. Lashley v. Styles v. Omega v. Knight v. Ricochet v. Cardona v. Orton v. Brodie Lee
AEW will open up with their own new annual Starrcade staple (and, as of this year, the only special stipulation match to make repeated appearances at the show) as ten superstars (including some major pick-ups from this week) participate for an opportunity to compete for whatever title that they desire. All 3 companies have their own version of this “cash-in” option from WWE’s Money in the Bank, AEW’s Gold Rush, to ULW’s League titles. It helps to keep an aura of unpredictability, which is always a great feature for a successful sports entertainment product.
Anyways, this year’s installment has some major names that can’t be ignored. The biggest one that I see here is their recently-acquired Randy Orton, who returns after a two-year stint away. However, that seems too predictable, as does the other tempting choice (as well as Orton’s arch-nemesis) Matt Cardona. So, for me, that leaves none other than Kenny Omega.
Kenny has been groomed for singles gold since he first arrived about 4 years ago. Giving him the win here makes the most sense. In other words: it’s time.
WWE-AEW Dual Dominion Championship: Chase v. Page v. Flex v. ??? v. White v. Danielson v. Rhodes v. Nash
THE most unpredictable match on the card happens to be slated for smack-dab in the middle thereof, and it is the interpromotional bout featuring this new title which will be open for contenders across AEW and WWE. An exciting new concept that I am honestly eager to see in practice, but first we have to see if this partnership can produce a deserving first ever champion.
If you had asked me a few weeks ago who I thought was going to win, it was R-Truth, but that all changed after ULW drafted him as the 30th overall pick. So, he had to be replaced with Andre Chase, Kofi Kingston had to be replaced with Ethan Page, and now we are awaiting news as to Finn Balor’s replacement.
These radical changes to the match somewhat change the calculation as to whom will win the revolutionary title for the first time. If I am forced to offer a prediction here, though, it’s that either Jay White or Cody Rhodes are more likely to win it all than anyone else, and I am largely leaning towards White winning in his WOW debut.
WWE Championship: The Rock © v. Roman Reigns (III)
So, we have had two previous encounters between these two members of the famous Samoan wrestling dynasty with the most recent taking place just last month with Rock retaining and then securing his control over WWE as a result.
Look, I know it is tempting to say that Roman will absolutely NOT lose to Rock three times in a row, but I just don’t see WWE ending Rock’s reign before he breaks Duxen’s world title record, nor do I see WWE booking Rock to end this reign when the end of it will be a guaranteed massive ratings pop.
It’s not happening, period. Roman WILL be a world champion one day, but not this week. Sorry.
ULW Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk © v. The Giant Gonzales
The first meeting ever between these two superstars will take place on the grandest stage of all in the pre-Main Event. Gonzales earned this shot after he defeated HBP and replaced him on the exempted legends list. Punk, obviously, regained the world championship after being screwed over for the gold by Bron Breakker’s hatred for Ladies Man, which triggered the months of chaos for the title until Punk managed to get it back.
Interestingly, both men last defeated someone who got sent to another company this week, with Orton going to AEW being the biggest news of the week, for sure. Bear in mind that the winner of this match will defend the title against the Iconic Dragonfly at The Premiere on Independence Day. So, we will be kicking off this new season with a bang, to say the least!
THE MAIN EVENT – SHOT AT THE AEW TITLE – WILL OSPREAY v. ADAM PAGE
BWM Inc. has not hosted the main event of Starrcade since the initial installment, so they negotiated with WWE to get this slot, and I am expecting a doozy. Page and Ospreay will be a match for the ages, and while I am pretty sure that this will send Ospreay to challenge Brandon Lee at the 50th Installment of Dynamite next month, I don’t want to count out Adam Page, who just experienced the biggest moment of his career so far at Exodus with his victory over AJ Styles.
So, yes, I still think Ospreay will take this one, but I think it is only a 55% chance of such happening. If I am right, then Lee’s championship reign may not be long for this world. Then again, I could see Page costing Ospreay the gold at Dynamite when it happens. Regardless, both of these men are being prepped for world title reigns in this increasingly crowded field of world title contenders.
And, by the way, I am not just saying that AEW has a crowded field. Rather, the entire industry is experiencing this phenomenon. Just look at all three companies, and you will see rosters packed with realistic world championship material when we usually at least have one company with a serious contender deficit.
Yet another example of why this era may truly be the PRIME ERA!
Now, let’s assess WWE and AEW’s top ten draft picks and try to predict where they could be headed in this up and coming season:
AEW’s #10 Pick: Zelina Vega
Zelina has gotten into the best shape of her life and I am pretty certain that AEW has some significant plans for the extremely talented Vega. I fully expect her to win at least the Knockout’s Hardcore Title by the end of the calendar year.
WWE’s #10 Pick: Raquel Rodriguez
Raquel will now join her third company in about as many years. She has yet to reach championship gold, but I wouldn’t put it past her to be a contender in WWE’s growing Women’s Division. I don’t see her ending her title dry spell yet, but she might at least become the “muscle” for a smaller women’s wrestler in the company soon.
AEW’s #9 Pick: Shotzi
While Zelina will likely win a title by the end of the year, I see Shotzi grabbing that Hardcore gold within a month or two of the season starting. The woman is an incredible talent with no fear whatsoever!
WWE’s #9 Pick: Dexter Lumis
With Lumis being drafted and then being asked to pick Erick Rowan later in the draft, I see these two forming some kind of Wyatt-esque unit soon. Will Lumis be a champion any time soon? Time will tell, but I wouldn’t ignore this psycho in the coming months.
AEW’s #8 Pick: Zoey Stark
WWE briefly introduced this young talent, and then AEW quickly took notice of her and targeted her in the draft. ULW even tried to spirit her away as part of the Orton trade, but was unsuccessful. I see a Knockout’s Title contention very swiftly for this bright rookie!
WWE’s #8 Pick: Bayley
ULW had her, put the International Title on her for a while, and entertained the thought of a women’s title run, but ultimately decided against it. However, this awesome superstar is perfectly primed to thrive in WWE. I am willing to bet the farm on her being the one to depose Naomi by the end of the season!
AEW’s #7 Pick: Charlotte Flair
It is a crime that Charlotte has not been the top woman in any company since her 2019 debut. She has comes so close so many times spanning back to her EWA days at Hell Hath No Fury, and then she made history as the first ever Women’s International Champion after winning the last Women’s Premier Athlete Tournament Roulette last spring. But, will she break her curse this season? That will be hard to do when Toni Storm just ascended to the top of the mountain.
WWE’s #7 Pick: Scarlett
Nothing really fancy here, except that Scarlett is finally being reunited with her husband, Karrion. I expect this duo to swiftly get back to work terrorizing the WWE roster!
AEW’s #6 Pick: Jesse Hash
Jesse Hash spent 90% of his career in BWM Inc. until PWI drafted him a few years ago. Hash really thrived there and in ULW, but Lenny was ready to push him out (as mentioned in my previous post) due to his perceived loyalty to Dibiase. Now that he is heading home to BWM Inc., Hash will have one last chance to reach the top before his inevitable retirement down the line. I don’t see him becoming a world champion this season, but I would not be shocked if he gets thrown into a top-tier program quickly.
WWE’s #6 Pick: Carmelo Hayes
One of WWE’s better picks of the night was their selection of Mr. Hayes. Carmelo is most definitely a future world champion, and we may even see that happen this season. If not, there’s no way this season ends without him at least holding one championship for an extended period of time.
AEW’s #5 Pick: Ruby Riott
WWE commentary, ULW commentary, and I all kind of agreed on the puzzling nature of this: AEW’s first Knockout’s Pick of the Draft this year. Ruby is a great wrestler, but I have to be honest in saying that I don’t see her becoming the Knockout’s Champion before this season is over. Charlotte, Vega, and Zoey may be the only real threats in that department out of this class of draft picks by AEW. Ruby, on the other hand, may exclusively be a pick to be a potential contender, but not a realistic one. We’ll see how it goes, though.
WWE’s #5 Pick: Omos
I know that I already kind of downplayed this pick a little last night, but I am going to do it here again. Omos is only in WWE to add muscle and intimidation to the roster. He poses no realistic threat to the Rock nor even Cena for that matter, because he has not yet proven himself to be a bonafide contender for being the face of a wrestling company. From what I know, he was never considered by ULW for the fact of the perception that I expressed above. While his size and strength might be awesome, his marketability is limited by his lack of complementary skills. Then again, if there’s been one constant in the history of this business with Jeff Murrey having anything to do with it: I suppose anything is possible. I am willing to be proven wrong and will admit so if it happens.
AEW’s #4 Pick: Matt Cardona
Despite the fact that the risk of losing Cardona during the draft was well-known in the ULW administration as a consequence for the stipulation in his last ULW match (against Dragonfly), it was a gamble that willingly taken. Now, one of the biggest breakout stars of the Sixth Era (having been the face of HLW/AXW and even early WWE) is going to arrive in AEW with a whole lot of baggage and two separate (and somewhat lengthy) world title reigns under his belt. To say that Cardona will be a world title contender in his new home would be a massive understatement. He was the man who ended the initial hall of fame run of Dragonfly just last August before the semi-retired icon decided to return.
Now, Cardona will not be able to break the tie with Dragonfly, but he will have a shot at reclaiming the place that he truly believes belongs to him: the recognition as today’s greatest wrestler. Will he become a world champion in AEW? I believe the odds are better for him than just about any other draft pick this year across the board.
WWE’s #4 Pick: Gunther
Gunther arrived on the mainstream stage in PWI in the second half of the Sixth Era as Mickey’s henchman to deal with Steve Austin and Blaster. He was slowly being primed for a world title run until he got drafted away. Before AEW could get ahold of him, though, WWE had a brief run with him at the end of last era. During that quick stint, we saw a little preview of what was to come with the man who would dominate AEW’s TV Title scene for the better part of his career there.
Gunther was a top prospect amongst all three companies, but WWE made a great pick here as they capitalized on having first dibs. I don’t foresee Gunther returning to the midcard in any way, shape, or form, though. Those days are long behind him. Now, it’s straight for the top as he guns for the World Heavyweight Championship, which I 100% expect to see him win by the end of the season.
AEW’s #3 & #2 Picks: Nick and Matt Jackson (The Young Bucks)
After a blockbuster trade a few years ago had sent the Bucks to PWI where they enjoyed wild success, and then continued that success in ULW, the Young Bucks are finally back where they started. Yes, I (and the commentary team) may have questioned this draft decision at the time, it does make sense when you consider that WWE may have targeted them as well if they had had the chance. AEW locked them in early, and that should strike fear in the hearts of the rest of their tag division. Just saying.
WWE’s #3 Pick: Ethan Page
Like Carmelo Hayes, Ethan is a young man destined for greatness that ULW took great pride in prepping for the top. While I don’t see him winning the world titles before the season ends, I do foresee a dominant IC title run soon, which will more than prepare us to accept him as a world title contender for next season!
WWE’s #2 Pick: Tiffany Stratton
Out of all of WWE’s female picks in the draft this year, the best bet for one of them to win gold by the end of the season is likely the bet placed in favor of Tiffany Stratton. Stratton stole the show every time AEW featured her, and now she will have a chance to grow even further until she becomes THE woman in WWE. Her only real threat in pursuing the title will be Bayley, honestly, but something tells me that Tiffany will earn the prize over Bayley if it comes down to being a choice between them.
AEW’s #1 Pick: LA Knight
EVERYONE has had their eyes on the self-proclaimed megastar since he arrived in PWI’s iteration of HCW at the end of the Sixth Era. BWM Inc. was especially enthralled by his incredible charisma and had been desperate to get ahold of his contract ever since he debuted. Moreover, it should be noted that word through the old PWI grapevine was that if the WOW ratings reports had been faster back during Knight’s first few months with the company his momentum would have been kicked into high gear and he likely would have ended Dragonfly’s historic reign as opposed to Ted Dibiase Junior.
Still, he entered the draft with numerous mid-card championships on his record and after having competed for the Undisputed Title in his last match with ULW in the season finale. So, there should have never been a doubt as to how high his stock had risen or remained over these past couple of years. Now, with AEW jumping at the shot to grab him as the second overall pick of the draft, it would be stupid to bet against him being world champion within the next season or two. It’s going to happen, with everybody saying: “L-A-KNIGHT!”
WWE’s #1 Pick: Brock Lesnar
Finally, we look at the number one overall draft pick of the night, the unsurprisingly most consequential card game-determining draft order ever with WWE stealing ULW’s exact plan of draft Brock Lesnar. The hilarious part here is that WWE almost blew it with their initial internal contemplation of drafting a random official named John Cone.
Let’s deviate for a brief moment to consider what would have been the funniest draft pick ever had WWE done so. Yes, ULW had been talking with Mr. Cone, but he was NEVER under consideration for the draft. ULW has a plethora of officials. WWE does not, and they needed a new senior official with Pete having learned that he is Murrey’s bastard child. Boy, that company is the Jerry Springer episode that we never knew we needed.
ANYWAYS…Lesnar going to WWE is the only reason that I could say Matt Cardona has the best chance overall of anyone drafted to become a world champion by the end of the season. Ever since Mmouse Enterprises made the biggest draft misstep of all time back in 2022 when a storyline removed him being exempted, AEW scooped him up and ran with him, and he has been a top target ever since.
The most remarkable statistic about Lesnar is that he debuted in the UWA North Division in 2002, was drafted to the Southern Division a month or two later, was eliminated from the UWA Heavyweight Title tournament by Dragonfly en route to Dragonfly’s first world title reign, and he has only won ONE WORLD TITLE SINCE, and that was a 24-day reign with the PWI title between ending the iconic reign of Kurt Angle and losing to Attitude (who held the gold for more than twice as long as Lesnar had).
My point is that Lesnar has always been a serious threat to world championship gold, but has held it for less than a month of his 23-year career. To say that he’s hungry would be a massive understatement. Now that he is reeling from the betrayal by Paul Heyman and being kicked out of AEW’s exemptions list, I don’t see WWE letting this opportunity pass them by.
Buckle up, the ride is going to be very wild! I will see all as soon as possible for a review of Starrcade!!
Until our next Quest, this has been Johnny with yet another mission!
P.S.: BREAKING NEWS – ULW has signed multi-talented businesswoman-turned-wrestler, Kiana James!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 