So obviously RAW wasn’t anything special if no one has talked about it for 2 days huh?
Congrats to Kallisto for winning the US Championship. WWE has their new Rey Mysterio. I guess Sin Cara is going to be the Marty Jannetty of the Lucha Dragons.
What’s with the Wyatts? They’re magicked in so Bray can say “Anybody but you, Roman,” then they’re gone. They’re set up to go against Socially Awkward, then Ryback appears and they’re gone. They’re part of the “entire locker room” at ringside vs Roman Reigns. Vince sends everybody in, but the Wyatts are missing. It’s like WWE changes their mind at the last second about using them as monster heel runins.
You know what this means, right? The Wyatts will eliminate everybody else from the Rumble, leaving themselves, then Roman will be the next man in line, and he’ll single-handedly throw them all out. Then Brock will come in, toss him around a few times, and RR will do the heroic comeback and toss Brock out, establishing the main event for WM.
There’s reports of Jordan and Gables (the Alpha Americans) working dark matches and hanging around backstage at RAW. Already? Los Matadores seem to have faded away into nonexistence. Titus O’Neil is a solo act again, and Darren Young seems to have joined the fate of LM. Lucha Dragons is kaput, and Descension is flaccid. Dudleyz are mainly jobbing to the Wyatts, so there’s not really much left after New-hoo Day-hee and the Oowah Sowahs. I thought Enzo & Cass would get called up first, but Jordan and Gables are a more technically proficient team. Maybe the Bullet Club “B” team will take their place in NXT?
Just storyline setup for the Roman Rumble mainly, but they’re also pushing a Becky Lynch-Charlotte feud. They seem to have quietly dropped the LoN angle. With so many stars on injured reserve, it’s kind of a mad scramble.
…Which he then lost back to Alberto at last night’s Smackdown taping, because heaven forbid anyone ever get over or conclusively win a feud.
And don’t be mad at me for spoiling that - WWE already announced it on the main page of their website, because apparently they’ve got Robert Zemeckis on payroll now and figure people will want to watch the show more if they’re told in advance what’s going to happen.
Hey, look at the boost WWE got when WCW spoiled the result of the Rock vs. Mick Foley title match on Nitro just over 17 years ago (1/4/1999 - that was the Nitro that ended with the Fingerpoke of Doom Match).
Wait…the Fingerpoke of Doom Match was 17 Years Ago? Another sign that I’m old. (And don’t go looking for it on WWE Network; I don’t think Nitro episodes from 1999 are there yet.)
I think CM Punk is close to his UFC debut. ESPN tweeted that if some dude who’s name I can’t remember right now wins then he faces Punk next.
We need that fight to happen so he can get destroyed and then just go back to WWE where he belongs
NXT last night had Carmella win a Divas Battle Royal to become #1 Contender. <arches eyebrows> I like her, but she’s nowhere near Bailey’s level. At least she threw out Eva Mannekin. I thought for sure Asuka would get the win, but it was still a good match. The other girls looked good, and they each got to do a little promo work before the match. Papa likes.
I’m digging Elias Sampson. He’s got that kind of cold blooded Clint Eastwood look, and mixes the slow and methodical approach with lightning-quick moves, like a cobra.
Sheesh, Descension can’t even win on NXT anymore. Not even Stardust wants them around any more.
I highly doubt Punk’s going to return to WWE, since he burned so many bridges with them, but you never know. WWE will mend fences in a heartbeat if it helps ratings.
Well, Bayley and Carmella are good friends, so it gives Carmella a chance to work a top flight match with Bayley on TV. I don’t think anyone expects Carmella to win it, but I’m glad for her opportunity.
Elias Sampson has a kind of Macho Man look going, body style, facial hair, and the top rope elbow drop he did one week. I don’t see him doing the same high energy promo style (that Vince would probably insist upon), but I think he’ll work out.
His promos during house shows are always him actually playing his guitar and singing a song about being in Orlando and how it’s a terrible town or something heel-ish. Maybe that’ll carry over
Meanwhile, in the indies, we learn why Joey Ryan’s junk-plex should not be attempted by those who lack his penile fortitude.
I remember Mick Foley had a story about the Penis Plex, but that was when Bob Holly pulled Al Snow’s tights while holding him up in a suplex and exposed his genitals.
SD “But the bullet” report
Well, the Wyattz vs the Dudleyz table match was fun and noisy. Bubba Ray knocked Luke Harper off the corner and he fell through a table at ringside. Not a very spectacular outcome, so the Wyattz (without Bray) got revenge by fucking shit up. Braun Stroman doesn’t seem to know how to kill time constructively. While Harper and Rowan went around tearing everything apart, he just stood in the ring and glowered.
One thing I like about Rowan and Harper is that when Rowan is beating up on somebody, Harper will slap him like he’s doing it wrong, take a couple shots himself, then throw Rowan into the hapless victim. It’s like Rowan’s not being psycho enough.
Spoiler non alert, ADR won the US belt back from Kallisto. This is where I zonked out and fell asleep. Chemicals may have had something to do with it, but also I find one-sided matches where the undersized face struggles incredibly dull. I like to see back-and-forth action like on NXT and RoH, not 15 minutes of heel dominance followed by a 30-second flurry of babyface heroic comeback, then face makes a mistake the heel capitalizes on and loses.
So I don’t know how the rest of the show came out. You read all the spoiler sites anyway.
I completely forget that SD even exists anymore.
Ms. Cups and I were in last night and looking for things to watch and it wasn’t until just now that I remembered SD was a thing.
Yeah, totally forgot about it myself.
His lawyer says he’s not competent to stand trial. His health is supposedly declining, so maybe it’s a technical means of clearing his name by allowing more time for his death.
So, do we think AJ Styles is appearing in the Rumble?
I vote no.
Too early
The real bet is which surprise entrant nails Curtis Axel from behind to take his spot and keep Axel active in the Royal Rumble for another year!
Entered in the Royal Rumble two years in a row and never eliminated! Woohoo! Let’s go for a three-pete! 
AJ Styles needs a video package or two before his debut to explain to WWE fans why he’s important. If he just made a surprise entrance in the Royal Rumble match (and I use the term “surprise” very, very loosely at this point), there would be plenty of WWE fans wondering just who the hell he is, I’m afraid.
ROH announced today that Styles will be working his final match for them this Saturday - I.e. the night before the Rumble.