Does Anyone Watch Wrestling? (WWE, AEW, TNA, NWA, etc)

[MUSC4EVER]

I really like the three stages of hell match and ai thought it was well done.

I know the finish was a bit screwy but I thought it was good, having Drew win in the lamest way by crawling out of the cage ties in with his character, Jacob Fatu attacking both Drew and Cody immediately puts him in the main event scene on his return, Cody can feel screwed over because he never got pinned for the title.

Plus there is a little tournament starting with four matches on Smackdown in London this week where the winners will face off in a fatal four way at SNME in a few weeks to become number one contender, there are a lot of directions they could go with the title now.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Raw is in Dusseldorf Germany tonight with AJ Styles v Gunther the pick of the advertised stuff.

 

[Darla Starch]

So Shingo Takagi and Natsupoi did a thing

 

[MUSC4EVER]

It was a pretty standard Raw last night, Styles and Gunther had a good main event match in which Gunther cheated to win, Gunther did tap to the Calf Crusher but the ref didn't see it so when Styles claimed to win Gunther low-blowed and power-bombed him for the win.

Finn Balor challenged CM Punk for the world title and that match is set for next weeks Raw in Belfast as is Becky Lynch v Maxxine Dupri for the women's IC title, Liv Morgan and Roxanne won a triple threat to become number one contenders for the tag titles and that match is set for SNME. Bron Breakker went on a madness hitting a ludicrous spear onto Dragon Lee and then put his hands on Adam Pearce who suspended him, Pearce put his hands on Bron first though. Raquel Rodriquez broke the women's world title belt when she used it to attack Vaquer.

 

[Com Fox]

Powerhouse Hobbs has just finished his last event in AEW and is expected to join WWE (probably NXT to start off)

I like the guy but WWE seriously needs more material than big dominant monster that needs to be taken very seriously like everything else in WWE. Hopefully Hobbs is a face for some minor differences to the sea of heel counterparts

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Randy Orton, Damien Priest, Trick Williams and Sami Zayn will meet in a fatal four way to determine a number one contender for the WWE title, they won their respective qualifiers on Friday night Smackdown and the fatal four way takes place at SNME this Saturday.

Also set for SNME is Cody Rhodes v Jacob Fatu after they brawled, Drew McIntyre got a great entrance and reaction from the London crowd but quickly went into heel mode by not thanking the fans saying they weren't there for him when he was getting screwed over by The Bloodline and CM Punk. Kit Wilson also got a great reaction from his home country crowd, shame he ended getting beat up by Jacob Fatu.

The second season of WWE Unreal is on Netflix this Tuesday, I will definitely be watching.

 

[Com Fox]

Knowing how its possible to do a heel promo in your hometown without forcing yourself to hate on the fans cheering yo when Daniel Bryan did that heel promo in his home town where he actually embraced the cheers he got and was instead belittling everyone else as inferior and how unfortunate he has to speak to a global audience. I now just annoyed when a heel wrestler is forced to act like a heel at their own hometown or country.

Like what Drew did isn't bad, and I like what he was saying but now the trope makes me groan , probably worse when two years ago back at Clash at the Castle: Scotland Drew was embracing it.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Gunther and AJ Styles will have a re-match at the Royal Rumble next Saturday, and this time Styles career is on the the line because if he loses he retires, I think we all know that AJ is meant to retire this year anyway but I'm sure when his contract is actually up.

CM Punk beat Finn Balor to retain his world title in a really good main event, a bunch of male and females have declared for their Royal Rumble matches, Natalya cost Maxxine Dupri in her IC title match with Becky Lynch in which Lynch retained and Nattie then attacked Maxxine after the match as she turned heel for about the 50th time! Je'von Evans picked up and injury in his match with El Grande Americano and the match was thrown out, we never saw what caused the injury but I've read since that Je'von is okay.

WWE Unreal is out now, I haven't seen any of it yet but a lot of interesting stuff is coming out, like the whole Seth Rollins injury angle from last summer and the backstage stuff from it, what the finals of the king and queen of the rings were meant to be and that sort of thing.

One final thing, we know that Royal Rumble is in Saudi next week but did you know they are building a stadium just for the show?!

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Tommaso Ciampa has confirmed that he will leave WWE when is contract expires.

 

[Com Fox]

Gunther and AJ Styles will have a re-match at the Royal Rumble next Saturday, and this time Styles career is on the the line because if he loses he retires, I think we all know that AJ is meant to retire this year anyway but I'm sure when his contract is actually up.

CM Punk beat Finn Balor to retain his world title in a really good main event, a bunch of male and females have declared for their Royal Rumble matches, Natalya cost Maxxine Dupri in her IC title match with Becky Lynch in which Lynch retained and Nattie then attacked Maxxine after the match as she turned heel for about the 50th time! Je'von Evans picked up and injury in his match with El Grande Americano and the match was thrown out, we never saw what caused the injury but I've read since that Je'von is okay.

WWE Unreal is out now, I haven't seen any of it yet but a lot of interesting stuff is coming out, like the whole Seth Rollins injury angle from last summer and the backstage stuff from it, what the finals of the king and queen of the rings were meant to be and that sort of thing.

One final thing, we know that Royal Rumble is in Saudi next week but did you know they are building a stadium just for the show?!

I remember hearing that a week ago, apparently its not too uncommon of a practice in Middle Eastern Countries to have temporary stadiums just for 1 event. Qatar did it for the FIFA World Cup iirc

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Here is the card for WWE Saturday Night's Main Event tonight in Montreal.

Women's Tag Team Championship.
Rhea Ripley & IYO Sky (c) v Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez

AJ Styles v Shinsuke Nakamura

Cody Rhodes v Jacob Fatu

WWE Championship Number One Contenders Fatal Four Way Match.
Randy Orton v Damien Priest v Sami Zayn v Trick Williams

Styles v Nakamura was made last night.

Also last night we have new tag champions with Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga wining the titles for the MFT's against the WYATT SICKS, that feud has been a bit stupid lately with them basically fighting over a light, the title change felt like an afterthought last night too. Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu had a great verbal segment which is worth your time. Carmelo Hayes beat Ilja Dragunov in a US title rematch but The Miz surprisingly helped Hayes to win, Guilia and Kiana James won a triple threat against Flair/Bliss and Jax/Legend to be number one contenders for the women's tag titles, Damien Priest-Trick Williams main event went to a DQ after Sami Zayn got involved but Randy Orton stood tall at the end of the show after an RKO on Trick.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Just seen SNME from last night.

Firstly Styles v Nakamura is a must watch, my god it was so good and a very early contender for match of the year, Styles won with the phenomenal forearm into the Styles Clash in the middle of the ring but the technical skills of both shone throughout and it was outstanding! Shinsuke posted on his socials that Styles told him he was retiring at the Rumble but that post was deleted after a few hours. 👀

Secondly Sami Zayn will face Drew McIntyre for the WWE title at the Rumble in Saudi this Saturday, he hit the helluva on Damien Priest for the win in a really good fatal four way main event which got a huge ovation from his hometown Montreal crowd, Rhea and IYO retained their tag titles against Liv and Roxanne in a good match.

Cody and Jacob never happened as Jacob attacked Cody before the match and they brawled around the arena for a while, Drew McIntyre eventually came in to attack them both and put both through tables, what I found funny during this was the number of 'security' guys they had to come in and try to separate them only for them then to get beaten up by Cody and Jacob, its like they had a conveyer belt of them!

 

[Darla Starch]

NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING

www.njpw1972.com

So there may be something to the "EVIL (yes that's his ring name) to WWE" rumor mill

As a wrestler, he's fine but not exactly someone to write home about. (Also takes a signing away from TK and/or coming to the States to be with his maybe-maybe not fiancee Iyo Sky, look how the Shingo Takagi/Natsupoi wedding just happened out of what appeared to be the blue showed how quiet the love life scene in puro is compared to elsewhere)

 

[MUSC4EVER]

So the big question to do with WWE right now has to be: Is AJ Styles retiring this Saturday?

Styles had a world title match with CM Punk last night (which went to a DQ after Balor got involved and attacked Punk) and they kept saying things like this could be his last title shot or his last time on Raw, Nakamura posted something about Styles on his socials after their match but then he deleted it, John Cena has been posting photos of Styles from his time at New Japan. Everything seems to be pointing towards Styles retiring on Saturday.

This is WWE though so it all could be a ruse, I'm not sure what's going to happen, we all know this will be his last year as a wrestler but few expected it to end this early in the year, that could be it for him on Saturday but then he could beat Gunther and they could have a third match at Mania in which Gunther wins and then Styles will retire.

I'm more interested in this then in the rumble matches! What do you guys think will happen?!

 

[Fezzik]

If it's correct that his contract expires in February then this might be it. Don't see AJ dragging it out for a year-long farewell tour and Gunther can't really lose if he's the new legend killer.

If it was anyone else defending a title so soon after winning it I couldn't see them losing, but this is Drew we're talking about (and he does have some Highlander filming to do soon).

I always get my Rumble predictions wrong so I'll just say I hope for the men it's not Cena or Reigns & for the women I'd like Liv to finally win. Also looking forward to seeing Oba with the big guys.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

I think ill do my Rumble predictions tomorrow when I post the card.

Tommaso Ciampa debuted on AEW last night and had a fantastic entrance, he is going by the Psycho Killer now.

 

[Darla Starch]

 

[EngieDiesel]

If it's correct that his contract expires in February then this might be it. Don't see AJ dragging it out for a year-long farewell tour and Gunther can't really lose if he's the new legend killer.

Knowing how most wrestler retirements go, wouldn't surprise me if he took a few months off to rest, went back to TNA for a homecoming/nostalgia run, then returned to WWE as a part-timer. AJ really doesn't strike me as the type to just hang it up for good, and no doubt the door is always open for him wherever he's been.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Okay then here is the card for WWE Royal Rumble which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia tomorrow night.

Women's Royal Rumble Match.
Confirmed Participants: Rhea Ripley, IYO Sky, Bayley, Lyra Valkryia, Liv Morgan, Roxanne Perez, Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Jordynne Grace, Becky Lynch, Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Guilia, Maxxine Dupri.

AJ Styles v Gunther
(If Styles loses, he retires)

Undisputed WWE Championship.
Drew McIntyre (c) v Sami Zayn

Men's Royal Rumble Match.
Confirmed Participants: Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Brock Lesnar, Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, Penta, Dragon Lee, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Austin Theory, Je'von Evans, Oba Femi.

Not many confirmed for both Rumble which leaves a lot of room for obvious choices or surprises. It is on WWE.com that Gunther is in the Rumble match despite having a match with Styles so it seems he is doing double duty. Rey Mysterio is still listed despite the injury he suffered on Raw and he has travelled.

As for my predictions.
Men's: Bron Breakker
Women's: Liv Morgan or Bianca Belair.

I've been leaning towards Roman Reigns pretty much all week as I think he could challenge Punk for the World title rather than the WWE title but I think it should be more of a one for the future star and Breakker seems the obvious choice for that and he can challenge and beat Punk for the title at Mania, as for the women's Liv Morgan really deserves it but I think Bianca finally returning from injury and winning would be a better moment and maybe get a bigger pop, having her challenge Jade for the women's title would be great in my opinion.

Surprises: Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins (a big maybe for that one!) Powerhouse Hobbs, Trish Stratus, Nikki Bella, Lita.
NXT Participants: Ethan Page, Jacy Jayne, Myles Bourne, Fallon Henley, Izzi Dame, Jaida Parker, Joe Hendry.

Smackdown is also from the same newly built stadium tonight, here is what's advertised:

Drew McIntyre/Sami Zayn segment
Cody Rhodes segment
Carmelo Hayes US title open challenge
Ilja Dragunov v The Miz

CM Punk is on the cover of WWE 2K26 which is pretty cool for him, he was previously on the cover of WWE 2K13!

 

[Darla Starch]

Build has been weirdly low-energy this year

Men's Rumble:
WANT: Damian Priest, The Miz, Bron Breakker, or Oba Femi (as a wild left field choice)
EXPECT: Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes
Surprise: Jericho using Judas as his return theme

Women's Rumble:
WANT: idk, Giulia or Liv Morgan
EXPECT: Charlotte Flair
Surprise: Nikki Bella totally wasn't spotted on a flight over to Riyadh . But idk, use the tenuous Marigold/WWE partnership in reverse and get someone

Not watching live for multiple reasons.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

I will be watching live, I've booked this week off work especially and with it being in Saudi it means its on 7pm UK time rather than the usual 12 midnight time if it were to be on in the US.

Ava has just announced has left WWE, she is the Rock's daughter and she was NXT's general manager and played that role for at least the past two years, her last appearance was this past weeks episode of NXT and she announced that she won't be renewing her contract and that she has left, its come completely out of the blue.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

The build up for tonight has been rubbish and slow, I think its because they have the Saudi cheque so they already have the money and they don't really have to do anything, plus maybe they think that Royal Rumble with its two Rumble matches sells itself.

I'm still excited for the show later but I fear I might end up feeling disappointed because the build has been crap, I hope not though!

 

[Fezzik]

Holding it in Saudi has turned the womens match into a Power Ranger convention

 

[Com Fox]

Spoiler: Royal Rumble

Absolutely 🤬 ironic for Roman Reigns to say WWE struggles to make new stars and yet allow the bookers to make him win the Royal Rumble

Honestly there was no real good answer with the final 4, it all went downhill the moment that happened

Best moment of the Rumble were the AAA guys and Drew McIntyre being a petty spiteful 🤬 eliminating Cody

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Liv Morgan was a good choice and deserved, she had been runner up at two previous rumble matches and at an Elimination Chamber match, women's rumble match was great and had some nice moments, Lash Lagend had a strong showing with some big eliminations and Sol Ruca did well.

Roman winning just felt boring and obvious but I'm willing to give it a chance, I bet he will chose Punk and the world title as it looks its Drew/Cody/Fatu for the WWE title, men's rumble wasn't as good as the women's and even though Oba was strong at first they way he was eliminated was weird and it was the same for Brock, the start of the match was cool though with that hooded guy taking out Breakker.

Overall though there was a lack of surprises with only Brie Bella and Powerhouse Hobbs/Royce Keys returning/debuting, there was no Bianca Belair, Paige, AJ Lee or Chris Jericho.

AJ Styles is seemingly retired after passing out to Gunther's sleeper in a great match but I think he might end up on TNA for a little bit, it will be interesting to see how his 'retirement' plays out. McIntyre beat Zayn in a good match to retain his title, my guess is Sami will win the big one at next years Mania when it will be back in Saudi.

The crowd did look a lot bigger for the show then it did for Smackdown after fans watching that show noticed the tons of empty seats.

 

[Com Fox]

I think you know me, I think Roman Reigns Universal Title run went downhill after Daniel Bryan left and was absolutely dreadful, especially starting his part time status in 2022, and became a really massive issue for Smackdown in 2024 when Iyo Sky was the only full time Champion. I wasn't even entirely happy about Cody finishing the story at Wrestlemania XL, I was more "thank 🤬 its over" (only for it to not be over, my poor naive soul)

Even if Roman Reigns doesn't win at Wrestlemania, I don't think I can give this build any chance whatsoever, Roman is hardly ever going to show up to tell an actual story and is going to hard carry about him just being Roman Reigns and the Bloodline fans will eat it up cause of it.

 

[Fezzik]

Womens match was the highlight, even with the weird crowd reactions. Dead half the time, really hyped for the Bellas. Sol should be a star with a bit more experience.

The mens match started quite well but got a bit messy after Brock, and Saudi Arabia is probably not the place for a load of luchadors that aren't Rey. Not a fan of the part timer getting yet another push. The end match against Punk (probably) or Drew (unlikely as they are continuing his Cody feud) should be good but the build up will be bad if he's not doing a lot more appearances than normal.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

WWE are back in the States for Raw tonight which is in Philadelphia, nothing much has been advertised so far and they only match that has is Stephanie Vaquer v Raquel Rodriguez for the women's world title in a Philly street fight, Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan should be there tonight and I think they might do an AJ Styles retirement segment where he may give his last promo, I've heard Dominik Mysterio will return from his shoulder injury tonight too.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

The CM Punk-Roman Reigns promo segment to end Raw last night was fantastic, it was a great back and forth and both had some great lines, Reigns has chosen Punk as his title opponent for WrestleMania, people are curious to see how the build for the match goes with Reigns' part time schedule but it got off to a hot start last night.

It was probably the main highlight of a very average show.

 

[Com Fox]

If Booker T doesn't get called up to the main roster commentary when Joe Hendry gets called up, I riot