02-22-2022, 01:16 AM | #1 |
It's a blood match!
Posts: 27,374
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Hype for Wrestlemania 38, Card Updates & Prediction fun
Okay here we are in full force to Mania season again, sure not all of us care and we're not even sure that WWE cares that much! But we've got 5 or 6 weeks before the biggest WWE show of the year and the card is coming together in decent time. Hopefully not too many matches are left til the week before the show! I will keep this post updated with the current card as we go.
Wrestlemania Saturday
Wrestlemania Sunday
Last edited by Jordan; 04-01-2022 at 11:37 AM. |
02-22-2022, 01:30 AM | #2 |
It's a blood match!
Posts: 27,374
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I am going to attempt to take the Mania Season ride after a few years on the outs. So far we've got the above matches announced. Edge likely to face AJ styles but not confirmed. Also rumored in the last few days is a Steve Austin return to the ring against Kevin Owens and a long rumored Riddle vs Orton match.
However after Raw we have a curve in that potential outcome as KO & Seth Rollins have formed a team that may end up as tag team champions. Of course there are multiple outcomes here, Seth and KO could win and Orton & Riddle can finally go after each other. Or maybe RKBro regains the titles and defends them at Mania against whomever while Seth and KO have a match against each other. There is no real cause for anything more than the tag goal as of this time in my opinion. I don't think KO ragging on Texas is really a sign that there is a singles match looming with Austin. I can't even see how Austin could come into Kevin Owen's orbit right now. Perhaps Austin is placed as an enforcer for a tag title match with KO & Rollins vs RKBro, and that is a safe bet for a good match so right now that's my prediction. KO & Rollins defend the belts that they will win next week against RK Bro with Austin involved in the match somehow. IF Cody is rejoining WWE I really don't see a great match available to him right now. I can name a few off the cuff though. First and foremost but highly unlikely due to recent events is Triple H. That story writes itself pretty well, but unfortunately I don't see it happening because of Triple H's health. Omos. Yeah I know it's laughable in a way but also I can see if Cody comes into WWE as a babyface this being a very "WWE type of story". Cody returns to WWE only to immediately come face to face (metaphorically) with his BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO DATE. And Cody wins. New Day. Either Kofi or Big E would be a great opposition to Cody returning on Smackdown with a sense of entitlement. Big E or Kofi are great representatives of "WWE, sticking with WWE through and through, hard work paying off etc). I could see Cody going over Kofi at Mania with Big E in Kofi's corner or maybe even Cody losing to Big E and solidifying himself as a mid-card heel. Finn Balor. I would love to see Finn win the US Championship from Damien Priest and then to be on the receiving end of Cody's debut and challenge for the US Belt at Mania. Cody with that neck tattoo just reeks of WWE US Championship sooo... also, is WWE pushing Damien Priest? Maybe Cody challenges him, I just haven't seen many people talking Priest up lately and I can't tell if they have grown tired of the Priest experiment or if I'm wrong and he's well and over. Austin Theory. Not sure I can see anything looming for him as of now for Mania. Perhaps he's chosen by Vince to take out Cody upon his redebut. Seem's like an obvious angle, perhaps too on the nose as WWE may not want to refer to AEW strongly. |
02-22-2022, 04:29 AM | #3 |
King of Love and Piss
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I trust Vince knows I like my WrestleMania's with a heavy dose of Bad Bunny and Logan Paul, that mixed tag match no one ever asks for, A Mojo return, repetitive Main Events and all my black people bunched in one or two matches so we can get on to the cool white wrestlers.
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02-22-2022, 05:34 AM | #4 |
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Pretty pumped for this year’s Mania. Don’t normally get that way, but a lot of the bad internet takes on modern wrestling have pushed me into their corner, combined with them having the money and resources to potentially do major, major things.
I’m prepared to be disappointed, but that’s wrestling, isn’t it? You’ve actually got some great stories going on with Brock and Roman and potentially Becky and Bianca (brewing since SummerSlam, with it arguably going back to Becky winning the Raw title in the first place). Brock/Roman really started in 2014 when Brock ended the streak. |
02-22-2022, 06:48 AM | #5 |
Feeling Oof-y
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Bad take.
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02-22-2022, 08:50 AM | #6 |
President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,167
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I'm optimistic that it'll be enjoyable as a standalone show, like most of their PPVs are. The issue is I rarely come out of them feeling a desire to watch the show every week.
Mania will be an exception to this as I feel like the post-Mania Raw and SmackDowns are always "must watch" to see if they can do something fun to grab my attention. IIRC the last 3 years of post-Mania TV weeks have been flat and devoid of any real surprises, although in fairness the last 2 years were in the Performance Center and Thunderdome where it wouldn't have felt like a spectacle anyway. Hopefully a full, live audience being back will cause some cool stuff to be lined up not just for Mania but after. Seeds are already planted for Cody to return on the post-WM Raw to confront Miz if he's actually coming back. Anyway, definitely rooting for Mania to be fun because wrestling is better when Mania is fun. |
02-22-2022, 09:05 AM | #7 |
President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,167
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Hearing that Edge dropped references to both AJ and Cody in his Mania promo makes me wonder if they're still trying to talk HBK in to a Mania match (presumably against AJ) and so they've got the Edge thing as a fallback.
Actually would be kinda funny if AJ and Cody both answer the challenge, leaving Edge pissed off that he's suddenly in a triple threat again. |
02-22-2022, 09:06 AM | #8 |
In His hands...
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Couldn't care less.
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02-22-2022, 09:16 AM | #9 |
It's a blood match!
Posts: 27,374
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I just read on Ringsidenews (obvs a sus website on some things) that WWE is waiting for this tag story with KO & Seth to finish before brining Austin onto TV. So what does that mean? Next week is the triple threat match for the tag titles with Alpha Academy vs RK Bro vs KO & Seth Rollins.
So it would probably make the most sense for RK Bro to pin one of Alpha Academy to retain or for RK Bro to have a team "miscue" that causes Orton to turn on Riddle to setup that one on one match people are talking about. I had read somewhere early on in the Cody to WWE news that one idea was for Cody to face Seth at Mania. I don't "get it" when it comes to that angle, but I think the match could be excellent. |
02-22-2022, 09:49 AM | #10 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,163
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I don't get Cody going back at all. He "doesn't fit" with anyone, really. Feel like anything he will do, if he even shows up, will not be remotely interesting.
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02-22-2022, 11:47 AM | #11 |
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What was the Edge reference? I can’t really see Cody being back befor Mania. But anything’s possible, I guess. Austin Theory is the other guy on the Raw side that could be popped in there against Seth Rollins if AJ goes with Edge.
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02-22-2022, 11:51 AM | #12 |
Loque Ja
Posts: 87,861
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Is Rollins a face or a heel? Watching Rumble he seemed clearly a face... was that only a vs. Roman Reigns face turn?
Is Austin Theory a face or a heel? For some reason thought he was a heel.... |
02-22-2022, 11:52 AM | #13 |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
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Cody vs Seth is only because HHH can't go. It'd be him if he didn't have his health issues. Seth is the closest thing to a protege that HHH has wrestling wise though (at least in terms of on screen stories over the years) so he makes sense as the fall back.
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02-22-2022, 11:54 AM | #14 | |
3 Dicks Out For Trips
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Theory def a heel. |
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02-22-2022, 12:07 PM | #15 |
It's a blood match!
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He referenced "undeniable" which was a Cody gimmick early in AEW. Also Edge grouped "undeniable" with "phenomenal" and "a demon". He was hinting at a match with Cody, AJ or Finn.
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02-22-2022, 12:09 PM | #16 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,163
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Seth is a much better heel. His outing at Rumble against Reigns was stellar from start to finish. Dressing up in Shield garb, old entrance, taunting throughout the match literally all the way till the end.
That's how you heel without being a chicken shit. |
02-22-2022, 12:12 PM | #17 | |
President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,167
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Quote:
HBK vs. Styles Cody vs. Edge Balor vs. Priest/someone else in a US title match But if HBK doesn't want to do it they can revert to Styles vs. Edge Cody vs. Balor (maybe Balor wins the US title next week if they immediately want to put a secondary belt on Cody) |
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02-22-2022, 12:14 PM | #18 |
Loque Ja
Posts: 87,861
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To me all that was being a face... just a cocky flamboyant face which I thought was a nice turn and made for a cool gimmick and an actually interesting face.
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02-22-2022, 12:20 PM | #19 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,163
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What were his motivations though? He was trying to negatively affect his opponents psyche by drudging up his past. Typically, that is not something an ambivalent person would do. A person who wishes to manipulate another by tugging on the strings of past emotions to get what they want, is more in line with a malevolent person.
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02-22-2022, 12:34 PM | #20 |
Loque Ja
Posts: 87,861
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But against a heel so it was a fresh and interesting take on a face. Thought he had just taken his heel character and pivoted it to face and thought that it would be very interesting for him.
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02-22-2022, 01:07 PM | #21 |
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A heel is someone you want to see get their ass kicked. A face is someone that you want to see kick ass. Steve Austin and The Rock were not heels just because they were jerks and irl that sort of person would be obnoxious and the bane of everyone’s existence. They were faces because you wanted to live vicariously through them.
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02-22-2022, 01:16 PM | #22 | |
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Makes me feel good about my prediction of Austin Theory for Edge. A babyface veteran against a young upstart with all the potential in the world, but none of the killer instinct to put it all into practice…yet. That leaves Styles for Rollins. Who is the greatest performer of this generation? Seth would be the heel, possibly gaining Omos as a bodyguard to mess with Styles. That leaves Balor to take the dark side he’s tamed against the unbridled dark side of Damian Priest in a US Title match. I did have the idea that Balor could start his own heel Balor Club faction with Omos, Grayson Waller and someone else (I’ve forgotten who else was in there), but maybe they just give that to Rollins? I was all for HBK returning, but it just seems “too much” for one show. Maybe a special guest ref spot for Drew & Taker vs. Corbin & Moss on the SmackDown side of things? He can then have a moment where he bumps into Styles and something is teased for down the line or whatever. |
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02-22-2022, 01:47 PM | #23 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,163
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02-22-2022, 01:52 PM | #24 |
Loque Ja
Posts: 87,861
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No, but he was acting pretty endearing and likeable and was getting a lot of cheers for it.... so that I'd say was a face
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02-22-2022, 02:04 PM | #25 |
President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,167
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Looking ahead to next year...as always Rock/Roman in LA feels like it would be WWE's dream scenario but that match has been rumored for so long it's gotten to "I'll believe it when I see it" territory.
It's simply an issue of availability. The Rock might want to do the match but he's understandably not about to turn down a $20 million movie if the schedules conflict. No film studio is gonna allow its leading man to take a few days off to wrestle in the middle of filming. And even if he was in between films at the time, I'm not sure if the film he's working on after Mania would want him doing something physically demanding. Probably would need to be all sorts of legal mumbo jumbo involved. Especially since Rock got fucked up after his last match. |
02-22-2022, 02:18 PM | #26 | |
It's a blood match!
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I like that idea of Seth vs AJ too, I think you still get a "Mania match" with those two and gain potential with Edge and Theory. I've not read or seen anything that would indicate that Taker or HBK are considering a match at Mania so until that hint comes I'll leave it in the dark. I don't see it right now, and I think even though the WWE roster is tighter than years past, they have a lot of big stars who "need to get on the show". That we haven't even discussed yet. Balor vs Priest is going to happen on Raw, I can see them doing a rematch vs The Demon at Mania. I'm just not sure if WWE is hot on Priest or not because I haven't been watching. I'm not certain if he's a guy who could get cut from the packed card or if he's a lock for a match. As you fill in the card fantasy wise it's pretty easy to leave out Cody, Taker, Shawn, Booker and Austin for actual matches on the show. It's not needed. Each night is going to get a celebrity match with Miz & Logan Paul and then Johnny Knoxville (it seems). To draw in that "wouldn't normally watch Mania" audience. I just don't see Taker going back on all of those interviews since retiring. I don't see HBK making the same mistake he made at Crown Jewel, and I don't see any reason that Austin would be interested in wrestling a match again, and I don't really even see a need for a Diva like Trish or Lita or Beth to get involved. The women's matches can be plentiful and well done with what they have. |
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02-22-2022, 02:20 PM | #27 |
It's a blood match!
Posts: 27,374
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There is one opening for Cody and that is Theory with the backing of Vince McMahon. That would be a logical story if they want to label Cody as a traitor of sorts. Vince would use Theory to show him what real talent looks like.
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02-22-2022, 02:55 PM | #28 |
In His hands...
Posts: 25,163
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02-22-2022, 03:31 PM | #29 |
Loque Ja
Posts: 87,861
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Alls I'm saying is that from my outsider perspective if it looks like a face, acts like a face, booked like a face, it's a face.
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02-22-2022, 06:01 PM | #30 |
Feeling Oof-y
Posts: 17,136
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I had Edge vs Bálor booked in my head but I wouldn’t have had The Demon return to lose to Roman. You would have had Edge do a “blood bath” in the build up and that would have awoken The Demon.
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02-22-2022, 06:12 PM | #31 | |
It's a blood match!
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02-22-2022, 06:18 PM | #32 | |
Feeling Oof-y
Posts: 17,136
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SmackDown side feels even more difficult to call. Did they do the non-match at EC to try and drag Usos vs Vikings to Mania? Doesn’t feel particularly “heavyweight”, and they’ll likely want to do something with The New Day too, but the combination of New Day/Usos has been done to death, albeit it’s a guaranteed decent match. Maybe a multi-team ladder match? Usos vs. New Day vs. Vikings? Though they’ve missed the 20 year anniversary of TLCII at Mania 17 which would have been a nice call back. I got to thinking this Ciampa/Ziggler thing could lead to a DIY reunion to take on The Dirty Dogz, if Gargano wanted to continue with WWE but does that feel a bit lightweight for Mania too? And potentially one too many tag team matches? |
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02-22-2022, 06:21 PM | #33 | |
Feeling Oof-y
Posts: 17,136
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02-23-2022, 02:05 AM | #34 |
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That’s a pretty likely spot. I had him as special ref in Drew/Taker vs. Corbin/Moss. Ends with a Double Tombstone with HBK counting the pin.
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02-26-2022, 01:10 AM | #35 |
Triple A
Posts: 133,040
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Vince McMahon may be wrestling Pat McAfee at WrestleMania apparently?
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02-26-2022, 08:11 AM | #36 |
It's a blood match!
Posts: 27,374
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Rumor is Vince McMahon vs Pat McAfee... dot dot dot
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02-26-2022, 09:37 AM | #37 |
Shelly Martinez = Ratings
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Vince will be on McAfee's show Thursday.
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02-26-2022, 12:21 PM | #38 |
Trickster Demon
Posts: 59,750
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Vince is 76...interesting...
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02-26-2022, 12:31 PM | #39 |
It's a blood match!
Posts: 27,374
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Vince vs Cody makes a lot more sense than Pat vs Vince... Vince .... maybe he should just wrestle Austin lol.
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02-26-2022, 01:56 PM | #40 |
President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,167
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McAfee was shit talking Cody on his show earlier this week too. So this think with Vince might all somehow intertwine.
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