Oh I definitely get it on AXS, I’ve had it on as noise just before bed a time or two, I just wish I could watch the PPV, live, so that I don’t have the marks going “omg 6 stars!” for every match and automatically make me hate the show.
I’m actually going to be in Tokyo at that time, but I’m sure that tickets are unavailable or stupidly expensive. I’m hoping that maybe my hotel will have some sort of PPV access, or maybe I’ll pony up the yen the watch online.
Remember Jazzy Gabert from the Mae Young Classic? She revealed to Edge and Christian that she was offered a contract after the tournament, but it was pulled back because a medical evaluation showed she had three herniated disks. I remember saying that of all the women in that tourney, she was the one that they needed to sign immediately and I always wondered why they didn’t. Makes sense now. Hopefully she can come back when she’s healthy.
Woohoo! I’m going to see NXT in Charlotte Jan 6. Got a couple of comrades who live in that area to come along. We’re going to be in the cheap seats, but the venue is the size of a high school gym, so we should be able to see the action without binoculars. I’ll wear my Cornette shirt and bone up on my smarkiest hoots and catcalls, guaranteed to piss off STC. 
All I ask is that you curb the “This is awesome” chant. Nothing make me more mad than an adequate match getting a this is awesome.
So, the womens’ Royal Rumble will also be a 30-woman match.
Does WWE have 30 women? Looking over the current roster, it seems like they can barely scratch 30 even if they include the entire main roster and the entire NXT roster.
I’ve got three guesses as to how this turns out, in order from what I’d most like to see to what I’d least like to see;
- Asuka wins because she’s this generation’s Goldberg
- Ronda Rousey debuts and wins because OMG MAINSTREAM NEWS ATTENTION
- Stephanie McMahon wins, because of course she does
Smarks don’t think anything is awesome. Unless it’s Gargano. Or Strong. Or any former RoH, NJPW, PWG, AAA, etc who wasn’t a Tough Enough product.
So WWE gave us Asuka vs Alexa Bliss last night. So much for building up a meeting for Wrestlemania. Unless Bliss is hurt, this makes no sense. I know TV is as important, if not more important, than PPV in the current environment, but hot-shotting as much sh*t as they do for TV really screws story-telling. And Asuka, who can barely speak English, needs a story to help carry her.
New Years Day.
They even pulled in Brock for a pop in the audience.
Frankly, I thought Bliss vs. Asuka told a decent story. Champ fears unbeatable contender, spends most of the match running away. Champ gets the upper hand, gets overconfident. Champ loses non-title match to set up title match at PPV.
I had no problems with the Bliss/Asuka match, other than maybe it dragged on a little too long in parts. Unlikely there’s going to be a title match until after the Rumble, so we just had an explicit demonstration that Bliss is not ready for Asuka, which means either Bliss will try and find a way to screw Asuka out of winning the Rumble, probably resulting in a championship match at whatever in-between PPV there is, or Asuka wins and they meet at WM.
Either way, it will likely be a couple months before there’s an actual championship match.
When I heard it was going to be 30, my first thought was that the surprise #30 entrant, and eventual winner, would be Santina Marella (IIRC, in storyline, she really is Santino’s sister), but I see that they just released Santino. Then again, they “released” Daniel Bryan before bringing him right back.
Between the existing roster, the Mae Young Classic, and a few “legends” (Trish Stratus? Lita? Maybe even Debbie Miceli/Medusa/Alundra Blayze?), I think they can get 30. Say, what’s Kharma (Awesome Kong) doing nowadays, anyway?
She’s got a fairly major role in GLOW (the Netflix series), so I could see them inserting her to promote the show.
I’m sure at least one of the Bellas will be there. I’m guessing some NXT women on the verge of callup like Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, & Billie Kay will be there.
The women will be the entire active roster save for the champs (which makes me laugh when they announce their candidacy), a handful of NXT girls and lots of special guests. They have a ton to choose from and will feature Beth Phoenix, The Bellas, Rousey (probably), Awesome Kong, Blayze, Molly Holly, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool could probably make an appearance too. It’s really a matter of just how many legends they want to bring versus how many NXTers.
As for the winner? I would bet Rousey has a good chance to win as does a returning Bella sister (Take your pick). As the driver of the Asuka-is-overrated bandwagon I certainly hope it’s not her, but it honestly could be. Although I think if plans are to have RR win the Rumble, then Asuka is getting the title next week to make that the 'Mania match. If Asuka doesn’t win the title, then I think it’s probably a Bella. I really don’t think Asuka will win the rumble. Nor should she because she’s not “monstry” enough to win a rumble with power and she’s not technically gifted enough (or at all) to win it on pure talent. If and when she wins it it’ll only be because they wanted her to for the smarks.
Welp, this just goes back to what I originally asked for when Asuka was called up.
Which was that she remain undefeated until Wrestlemania and the whole ‘road to Wrestlemania’ be about who will be the champ to face her there.
This gets us to ‘Asuka is in that championship match’, which covers the first part. Now they can concentrate on the story of who gets to face her there. Honestly, I would prefer that it be Bayley (or Sasha, but really, Bayley), and I think they will get there.
Braun Strowman + Alexa Bliss for the mixed challenge.
Now I want to see her ride on his shoulders to the ring, grab a microphone and scream “WHO RUN BARTER TOWN!!!”
My issue is that Bliss should have thrown more roadblocks in the way to even a non-title match. There was no anticipation, no build. Just having a match should have been a story. Instead they leap right to the match.
Just my two cents, which given inflation is worth about a nickel now.
They did that with Bray & Matt too. Made it look like Bray vs Jobber X, then started the Woken Hardy angle, where he becomes omNEEscient.
I’m guessing the preliminary match means Bliss will defeat Asuka in the actual title match, against all expectations.
Bliss shouldn’t be the one to take her streak anyway, Bliss is great and all, but Asuka is billed as an unspottable force, and when I think “immovable object” it ain’t Lexi Rosenbaum.
There are only 2 people who can conceivably come “off the street” and take the title/streak and that’s Charlotte and Nia. Maybe I’ll buy Alexa if she consistently has good and long matches with Asuka which culminates in a win (like what they SHOULD have done for Ember in NXT), but that’s a longer storyline than WWE wants to have.
Alexis ‘Lexi’ Kaufman?
Wrong Jewish last name.
I’m blaming naiveté and not racism!