WWE Evolution Predictions

One of the most frequently promoted PPV’s in WWE history is finally here! The WWE’s first all female PPV. While it may seem a bit ridiculous to be hosting a progressive event focused on female empowerment one week and an event in Saudi Arabia the next week… we will ignore that and focus specifically on the matches.

Sasha Banks, Bayley & Natalya vs The Riott Squad

While i’m a fan of a majority of the participants in this match… it simply feels a bit throwaway. To see 2 of the 4 horsewomen in a main event and the other 2 in a throw-away 6 women tag match, of which there have been far too many lately, just seems wrong. It feels low effort and will likely come first or second on the card. Sasha and Bayley deserve better. I expect Sasha, Bayley & Natalya to take the win.

Rhea Ripley vs TBD for the Womens United Kingdom Championship

Not much I can really say on this one until I know who she’ll be up against.

Women’s Battle Royal

The Entrants are as follows

Tamina, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Ember Moon, Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, Asuka, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Carmella, Lana, Noami, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Alundra Blayze, Ivory, Kelly Kelly, Maria Kanellis, Molly Holly, Zelina Vega.

I’m hoping for lots of fun from this match, somewhat akin to the woman Royal Rumble. I am expecting lots of high spots and pops for old school stars, some comedy from the iconics and a dance off with Naomi and Asuka. As far as winners go… it’s a tough one to predict. I don’t think anyone will really benefit much from a win here, but i’d like to see it go to either Asuka to help rebuild her monster image somewhat. Ember Moon to help with the growth and development of her main roster character or for Face Carmella who I feel had so much more to show.

Kairi Sane (c) vs. Shayna Baszler

The rematch from the first May Young Classic should be another stellar affair, as the first one was. I’m honestly surprised that the feud has kept up for so long and still feels relatively fresh and interesting. A complete mesh of two different styles and while i’m not a huge fan of Baszler’s, Rousey’s or Deville’s fighter style, it does mesh nicely with Sane’s high flying skillset.

My prediction for this one has to go to Kairi Sane, repeating her MYC 2017 success. Primarily because I feel like Rousey is going to take down Nikki and I don’t think they’d have both Baszler and Rousey win on the same card.

Trish Stratus and Lita vs. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James

While it’s still up in the air as to whether it’ll be Alexa Bliss or Alicia Fox due to injury concerns. I think either way this pure nostalgia fest (minus Bliss or Fox) is going the way of Team Attitude Era. It’s pure fan service and for a way to have Trish and Lita to win on the big stage without having to have their thongs hanging out at all times.

Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm

The Finals of the 2018 May Young Classic. I believe this will be match of the night. The long awaited and much hyped genius of the sky Io Shirai takes on someone who I only vaguely remember from last years tournament in Toni Storm. However this year she’s impressed me tremendously, along with Rhea Ripley and of course Io herself. Two very talented and relatively young at 28 and 23 respectively superstars, who are sure to give one hell of a match up.

Honestly this one could go either way, but I see it going to Toni Storm. Firstly as I believe they won’t have a Japanese superstar win the tournament two years in a row and also because the match comes just weeks after the start of WWE NXT UK, a division in which Toni Storm is one of the headline women. I feel Toni would benefit more from the win as Io Shirai is going to be the big boss of NXT even if she loses this match.

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

The hottest feud in WWE currently, primarily because of how gripping heel Becky is. Seeing Becky finally win the title after what felt like years of neglect and incorrect booking. Becky took the title and has elevated it to a new height. Charlotte is of course arguably the most storied woman of the modern era. However I just don’t see her taking the belt back yet. Becky is going to retain in what I hope will be a fantastic, brutal affair.

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nikki Bella

A resounding meh was heard across the world when Rousey’s opponent was announced in the main event of Evolution. An ex-UFC fighter who managed to avoid the grind vs a relatively mediocre wrestler who was the face of the diva era are main eventing a PPV about womens empowerment on a card that features the four horsewomen, Asuka, Io Shirai etc. It’s just not interesting. Nikki will undoubtedly be made to look strong before ultimately losing to Rousey’s onslaught as her relentless build continues and Nikki’s protected status to look better than she is is also kept in tact. The PPV ends with Ronda standing tall and a lingering shot of her as the next step in womens wrestling. Yawn.

Wrestlemania 34 Card & Predictions!

Mania 34 is the big one. The Show of Shows. One of the best cards in the last decade at the very least. There are no filler matches, no weak links. The card is stacked from start to finish and there’s something for every wrestling fan to enjoy, from the multi man battle royals to the debut of Ronda Rousey, to the streak vs title match to the return of Daniel Bryan and even the tease of a potential Undertaker vs Cena match. This card is a treat and should be an absolute spectacle.

Andre the Giant Battle Memorial

The ARMBAR is always a free for all in terms of winners. There are so many potential winners that I won’t go into detail on any of the other competitors. My pick to win the ARMBAR is Dolph Ziggler. He’s returning after a short break and could do with the push from winning the match.

Wrestlemania Womens Battle Royale

The ‘First’ wrestlemania womens Battle Royale has a tonne of buzz behind it. One storyline in particular has dominated the womens division and that is Sasha Banks and Bayley’s tenuous friendship. The Sasha Banks heel turn has been teased for a long time and I feel WWE will pull the trigger at Mania and have Sasha turn on Bayley to take the trophy.

Cedric Alexander vs Mustafa Ali

The cruiserweights have been putting in work since the creation of 205 live and Alexander vs Ali could well be the sleeper hit of the event, much like Neville vs Austin Aries was at last years Mania. I haven’t closely followed the tournament but I have enjoyed the packages displayed on Raw regarding this match. I feel Mustafa Ali will take the tournament and the title.

Brock Lesnar (c) vs Roman Reigns

This match will be good. I know that goes against what most people are expecting, but I do feel that Reigns will put on a classic and once again prove that he can get a strong performance out of anyone. Not to say Brock isn’t one of the greatest wrestlers on the roster, but he has a history of lazy matches focused on finishers and completely lacking story. Roman on the other hand is known for long drawn out slobberknockers that go down to the wire. While we are all certain of the result as rumours are abound of Lesnar returning to UFC, I feel Romans inevitable victory will come after a strong 20+ minute match that hopefully won’t leave a bitter taste in our mouths. It still won’t get him over like the WWE want though.

AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura

The dream match that everyone has been dieing to see since Nakamura was called up from NXT. A rematch of their legendary NJPW showdown. This match has a tonne of hype behind it and a lot of pressure to live upto. I am nervous for this match as generally (unpopular opinion incoming) but I am underwhelmed by Shinsuke matches. Even his legendary WWE feud with Samoa Joe felt heavily carried by Joe and while I am in no way insinuating that Shinsuke isn’t a fantastic wrestler, he has to do something else to attract my attention and make me root for him as a competitor. Thankfully AJ Styles is just the man to tease a potential 5 star match out of this showdown. I hope that the two will put on a barn burner and I do expect that AJ will retain the title as I don’t feel the WWE would known how to handle and write a Shinsuke title reign.

The Miz (c) vs Seth Rolins vs Finn Balor

As a Miz fan I truly hope that he retains the title here, but considering the other two men in this match…  the chances are slim. Finn Balor is WWE’s lost child. They were fully behind him after his NXT call-up and put the newly created Universal title on him right away. Unfortunately he was injured and had to vacate the title and sadly has never recovered from the fall. Now Finn is completely stuck and I can’t see him picking up the title and I really don’t think the WWE respect him as a performer or know what to do with him. Seth has to be the favourite coming into this match. He’s the future of the company and the WWE seem to know it. However I am going to go with my gut and say that the Miz retains due to either interference from the Miztourage or other similar heel tactics. However their are rumours that the Miz will be taking time away from the company to focus on his new daughter which would of course make it more likely that the belt would go to either Seth or Finn.

Randy Orton (c) vs Bobby Roode vs Jinder Mahal vs Rusev

Rusev is winning. No doubt in my mind. It IS Rusev day after all.

Alexa Bliss (c) vs Nia Jax

A hard match to predict. My head says Nia but my heart says Alexa. Alexa Bliss has been one of the best Womens champions in years. Scratch that, one of the best Champions period. I know when compared to Nia Jax, Alexa should lose quite easily, but I don’t think a Nia Jax title run is good for the division or something that the Universe want to see. I’m not sure how Alexa will win… but I think she will… somehow.

Charlotte Flair (c) vs Asuka

Title vs Streak. Asuka’s streak is one of the big storylines in the WWE and has been for almost 2 years now. Charlotte has been one of the most dominant womens champions but has arguably become very stale recently. I don’t feel Asuka will lose the streak before she at least picks up a belt on the main roster. The match will be close with plenty of near falls that will stop our hearts in suspense, but I do think that when the bell rings it’ll be Asuka being draped in gold. Cue carmella’s music, her running to the ring to fight an exhausted Asuka before being forced to submit in embarrassing fashion.

The Bar (c) vs Strowman & TBD

This match surely depends on who the TBD is. If Braun is partnered up with Curt Hawkins or Elias then I feel that the Bar retains and Brauns partner will eat the pin. If Braun is partnered with someone like Big Cass or Batista then there’s no way the Bar are retaining here. There’s not much to say without knowing the partner. I am going to risk it and go for Strowman & TBD.

The Usos (c) vs The New Day vs The Bludgeon Brothers

The Feud that will never end gets a new component. The Usos have been fighting The New Day for what feels like an eternity now. I don’t think anyone is still enjoying the 57th rendition of the same match up. Now a new challenger has been included, the Bludgeon brothers. I find it very difficult to route for either the Usos or the New Day, simply because we’ve seen very lengthy reigns from both and I really want to see the division shaken up with new feuds and new competitors. It is for the reason that I hope the Bludgeon Brothers take the gold.

Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

I’ve no idea what to expect from this match. How good is Ronda now? Was Stephanie ever good? Can Kurt relive former glory or will he still have to compete at 50%. I feel like the match will end up as Ronda beating on Stephanie in an unconvincing manner, while Kurt and Triple H put on a relatively weak (in comparison to their former days) display that ends in a double submission as Kurt and Ronda take the win.

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

The Return of Daniel Bryan. The highlight of the card for manner, it’s such a shame that Shane has forced his way into this match. I truly wanted and expected Daniels Bryan’s return to feature a showdown against the Miz, but thankfully we will see him (or a reduced Dbry) go toe to toe against Zayn and Owens, two of the most accomplished wrestlers on the roster. I fully expect Daniel and Shane to take the victory and make a very public spectacle as they fire Sami and Kevin… who will turn up on Raw the following night.

The Undertaker vs John Cena

Will this match even happen? I think so. I think the Undertaker will turn up with the Biker Deadman gimmick and give us the match that we should have had years ago against John Cena. It’s impossible to predict how this match will go down. Will Taker have had time to recover from his hip surgery and be able to move more than his previous Mania bouts? Can Cena script a match that is entertaining and doesn’t rely too much on the Deadman to preform? It’s impossible to answer these questions. I think that the Undertaker will take the fight and retire his Biker Gimmick and thus fully retire as a wrestler in the WWE.

NXT Takeover New Orleans Predictions

NXT Takeovers are the little brother of the big 5 PPV’s, although more often than not they upstage the main rosters efforts. NXT started life as a training ground for rookies and newer superstars and while it still does function as a way for newer wrestlers to learn the ropes, it now features so many legendary stars that some would argue it’s the best of the 4 shows. I’ve put together my thoughts on the card and how I think it’ll go down.

The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly) (c) vs The Authors of Pain vs Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne in a triple threat tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship & the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Trophy

This is a hard one to predict. All three teams have a very valid claim on the titles for very different reasons. AoP could well become the first 3 time NXT Tag Team champions, they have been the final bosses of NXT for a long time now, with raw power and fantastic chemistry they are more than capable of taking this match home… but I don’t think they will. I feel that AoP are one of the NXT teams to be called up during the superstar shakeup to join either Raw or Smackdown. Moving onto Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne we see the tried and tested fighting teammate gimmick, something we’ve seen tried and failed in the past but also a gimmick that has proven to get struggling superstars over. The best example that comes to mind is Sheamus & Cesaro (also known as The Bar), two stars that the WWE struggled to do anything with and one (Sheamus) was actively disliked by the WWE Universe. A year later and the team is doing swimmingly. Roddy & Pete could well follow this formula. However I feel that the Undisputed Era are defending here. The match should be a slobberknocker with all 6 men giving it their all. I am predicting an injury angle relating to Adam Cole, something that will cost him the ladder match later in the night.

Ember Moon (c) vs Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship

Ember Moon has been the champion since her real life roommate Asuka went upto the main division. Shayna Baszler has been an odd force since her inclusion in the may young classic. She was much hyped considering her status as a legitimate UFC fighter and one of the four horsewomen of UFC (along with Ronda Rousey). However since Ronda joined the company, Shayna has seemingly lost a lot of steam and a lot of the wow factor has disappeared. She’s still a frightening brawler and surely has to be the favourite on paper to win this match-up. I am predicting Ember to retain as I feel that putting a belt on Ronda’s lesser known horsewoman will only hurt her progression and make Ronda look weaker in the eyes of the WWE universe.

Adam Cole vs EC3 vs Killian Dain vs Lars Sullivan vs Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream

The hardest call of the night. Let’s run through the 6 men briefly. As stated earlier in the article, I feel Adam Cole will be injured or somehow inhibited after pulling double duty and fighting in two matches on the card, I don’t see The Undisputed Era getting two sets of belts in one night. The Velveteen dream has been one of the biggest prospects on the roster since joining NXT. Despite being so young at just 22 years of age, he’s a phenomenal talent that has already proved his worth in the division. While it’s perfectly reasonable for the Dream to pick up the belt, I don’t think he’s quite ready for a championship run in the eyes of the universe. Killian Dain is someone i’ve been slightly disappointed with since joining NXT. He’s very underused in both character work and in big match opportunities. I don’t feel the WWE know how to use Dain and I can see him simply being filler in this match. Similarly I think Lars Sullivan will get in some strong offence but not really impact the overarching storyline of the match. Ricochet is the biggest star out of the 6 and has only recently started competing outside of house shows. I think it’s a bit too early for Ricochet to pick up the championship here. Finally EC3. EC3 is as arrogant as it gets, when the North American championship was announced he thanked Regal for giving it to him, before being shocked that he’d have to compete in a match to receive it. Generally when an arrogant heel makes a claim on a belt they have no chance at winning it. However this time I feel the swerve is incoming and EC3 will take the belt at the end of the day, perhaps by exploiting an injured Adam Cole to do so.

Andrade “Cien” Almas (c) (with Zelina Vega) vs Aleister black

Cien is the biggest surprise for me that NXT has ever produced. I’ve been a fan of his since he joined the division but was admittedly getting very tired of the same schtick every match, the almost identical matches and the absolutely zero wins that ever came his way. I’d all but given up on him and was expecting his release or departure back to the indies to come at some point. However Zelina Vega (someone I was also expecting to leave after her partners departure) completely revived the character and made him into something very special, something that has comfortably sat on top of the division for quite some time now and someone I expect to retain and deliver Aleister Black his first PPV defeat in NXT. Aleister Black is amazing there’s no doubt about that. However I just feel that the WWE won’t want to repeat the issue they have with Asuka by leaving someone undefeated for so long and not being able to allow them to lose, and I feel they will give Black a loss here to make him seem more human and to keep the mystery open for future matches.
Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa

The best feud in WWE right now. No doubt. I love these two as #DIY and I love them as feuding superstars. The stipulation states that If Gargano wins, he will be reinstated to NXT. If Ciampa wins, Gargano will be banned from NXT forever. Nowthis stipulation is not something we haven’t seen before and we have seen them frequently go both ways. This one is tough to call and frankly I’d be happy either way. Gargano vs Ciampa has been such an amazing feud and in reality they haven’t really wrestled at all. For this reason i’d be more than happy for Gargano to win and allow us to see the feud continue, with more involvement from Candace Le Rae, Gargano’s wife this feud could really burn bright for another 6 or so months. However this is not the result I am expecting. I believe Ciampa will win by focusing on a specific part of Gargano’s body and injuring him before humiliating him and making him tap out and thus leading to his firing from NXT. This will lead to Gargano to be drafted onto either Monday night Raw or Smackdown the following week. Either way, I’ll be happy with the result as I know both of these men have far more to give, either against each other or against other members of the roster.

WWE Fastlane 2018 Thoughts and Predictions!

WWE Fastlane is rapidly approaching and I should be hyped… but i’m not. The PPV which is the last Smackdown branded PPV before Wrestlemania 34, should be doing its utmost to get me excited for Mania… but it just isn’t. The card feels like it’s full of filler, the storylines don’t feel to be progressing and the card makes me worry for Mania. In this weeks post I will provide my predictions on who I think will win each match and how I predict the card will go down. 

Beckly Lynch and Naomi vs Natayla and Carmella

Well talk about bland. As if we haven’t seen enough random mixtures of women fighting in tag matches. This match feels like lazy booking, it feels like the WWE are padding out the card as the runtime was too short. I don’t wish to come accross like I feel Lynch, Naomi, Nattie and Carmella aren’t amazing wrestlers (they are!), it’s just that this is a match we’d see (and will see many more times) on a standard episode of Smackdown. There’s no real point to this and I doubt many will really care who walks away with the win.

Prediction: I think this match will go on first and to hype up the crowd I expect the face team to win.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rusev

I’m so torn about this match. On the one hand I am extatic that finally Rusev is getting some big matches and will hopefully be elevated beyond mid-card hell. I am confident that he’ll put on a great match with Nakamura but at the same time I know Nakamura will win convincingly. With Mania around the corner and the dream booking of Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura taking on AJ Styles, I am confident that the WWE would not compromise that matches momentum by allowing Rusev to pick up the win. I just hope that they at least let the Bulgarian Brute look decent.

Prediction: Shinsuke will win clean.

The Usos vs The New Day

Oh come on again?!?! How far we have fallen from the start of the brand split in regards to the tag team division. Both shows seem to have extremely dull tag scenes that force the same two or three teams to fight each other over and over and over. How many times can we see the Usos vs the New Day or the Bar vs The Miztourage. Please WWE give us something else. Where are Breezeango? I’d love to see them being given a title shot. I expect the winner of this match to finally end this feud and go on to fight the Bludgeon brothers at Mania. However something tells me to expect the ulta fabulous exciting 79th rematch between The Usos and The New Day…

Prediction: The New Day

Charlotte Flair vs Ruby Riott

One of the main issues I find with PPV’s this close to the big 5 is that I am confident no big changes will occur. Ruby Riott has breathed a breath of fresh air into the Smackdown womens division and I quite like the idea of a womens only faction using domination and fear to put the division on notice (although I do admit it was odd to debut the Riott squad and Absolution at the same time) I’d love to see Ruby take the belt and lead a chaotic reign over the division with a storyline involving another member of the squad stabbing her in the back to win the title. Alas I don’t expect Charlotte to drop the belt. Charlotte is a big draw and they will want her in a big match at Mania involving Asuka, which is seeming likely.

Prediction: Charlotte wins

Bobby Roode vs Randy Orton

This one is hard to call. While Roodes reign has been rather dull and uneventful, I did expect him to retain until Mania and defend against Jinder mahal in a losing effort (I imagine Vince flipping off all the fans as Jinder lifts the belt up). However you can never count out Orton. Randy can seemingly slot himself into a storyline he hasn’t been involved in and win big at the last moment. I mean who expected him to win the 2017 Royal Rumble? This one will be a close affair.

Prediction: Bobby Roode… maybe

AJ Styles vs John Cena vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs Baron corbin vs Dolph Ziggler

The winner of this match is the fans. I couldn’t ask for 6 more entertaining men to fight in the ring. When people speak of the Smackdown 6 of old, I do feel we can make a strong claim for each member of this match to be the modern reincarnation. Everyman in the ring (bar potentially Corbin) has a strong claim on the belt and large chunk of the audience begging for them to win it. AJ vs Shinsuke would be the dream match at Mania 34, so AJ retaining would of course be golden. Kevin Owens has proved he can work a title and be a phenomenal champion while he was on Raw, I don’t expect a reign with the SD title to be any different. Poor beltless Sami is surely ready for a world title run soon right? Tied in with a backstab story against Kevin, it’d be golden. Ziggler is so underrated right now, his character work is golden, his in-ring work top tier and I feel a world title run would go so well with his arrogant i’m better than you gimmick. Corbin i’d argue isn’t ready to hold the World title and would at best be a placeholder before someone quickly took it back. Then we get on to John Cena. Cena is an odd one (especially considering he was involved in essentially this same match during the Elimination Chamber 2 weeks ago with the Raw roster). I feel that Cena beating Ric Flairs world record for title runs will become one of the main storylines within the WWE very soon. I just don’t know if they’ll use it yet. There’d be very little build up time for Mania and additionally i’m not sure many of the fans want Cena vs Nakamura… although when have WWE cared what we want?

Prediction: AJ retains

Redrafting all the WWE Championships!

I wish I wrote for WWE creative, but sadly I do not. Instead I am writing on a blog that nobody reads about who I’d like to see with each of the championship belts on Raw/Smackdown/NXT and 205 Live.

Universal Championship

Current Champion: Brock Lesnar

Fantasy Champion: Braun Strowman

Braun is so over in 2018 that I feel he deserves the title. I am worried every week that creatives will ruin his push and destroy all the momentum he has, and therefore would like to see the belt on Braun sooner rather than later. I feel a similar run to Brock’s current run in which we have an unstoppable monster with a target on his back, would work much more effectively with a wrestler that actually appeared on Raw regularly.

Raw Tag Team Championship

Current Champion: Sheamus and Cesaro (The Bar)

Fantasy Champion: The Club

The Club have been woefully mismanaged since joining WWE. Both Andersson and Gallows are fantastic on the mic, fantastic in the ring and are (or were) over with the crowd. I don’t think the group need to be rallied around AJ or Finn, I think they are more than capable of standing by themselves. I feel that creative simply needs to be looser with them and to let them have more creative freedom to show fans how fantastic they can be.

Intercontinental Championship

Current Champion: The Miz

Fantasy Champion: The Miz

It’s hard to argue that anyone in recent times has done more for the IC belt than The Miz. He took the belt from a relatively unloved and uncared for mid-card belt and made it feel worth something to the fans. All of this work was quickly undone by Dean Ambrose’s relatively dull run and it took The Miz reclaiming the belt and taking it to Raw to rebuild it’s prestige within the company.

Raw Women’s Championship

Current Champion: Alexa Bliss

Fantasy Champion: Nia Jax

I had some reservations about this as I weighed up a few different options. I think Alexa is currently on fire with the belt and is a fantastic champion. I am all in favour for Asuka claiming the belt at some point, however I feel now is not the time. Her undefeated streak is likely to last a little while longer and I think we all remember how stale things in NXT got towards the end. I’ve gone for Nia as I believe they could tie in a very good story of betrayal between her and Alexa. Perhaps even having Nia teaming up with the recently heel Sasha Banks. The change could lead to big turmoil and instability which might freshen up the pecking order in Raw’s Women’s division.

WWE Championship

Current Champion: AJ Styles

Fantasy Champion: Sami Zayn

Oh I so want Sami to win the belt. He’s so good as a face, he’s so good as a heel. We’ve never really seen a proper Sami title run and I’m confident he’d be straight fire. On top of this I feel that AJ is just as good and popular without the belt as he is with it.

United States Championship

Current Champion: Bobby Roode

Fantasy Champion: Rusev

Rusev has always been fantastic, but he has often struggled to connect to any fans outside of the very hardcore. This is most likely due to his ‘evil foreigner’ gimmick (please WWE, it’s 2018… end this shtick). Due to a combination of his online popularity, his appearance in Southpaw Regional Wrestling and Total Divas, he is incredibly over right now. Reddit has birthed the meme ‘Rusev Day’ and it’s spread like wildfire. With WWE’s recent acknowledgement of the Reddit community, I do hope that we see the belt on Rusev in the near future.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Current Champion: The Usos

Fantasy Champion: The Fashion Police

WWE already missed the boat on these two. Fantastic comedy chops and two severely underrated in-ring workers. Tyler Breeze and Fandango would surely have a great and memorable run with the belt if just given the shot. Most fans are tied of this never-ending Usos vs New Day feud and would love to see new faces in the top spot of Smackdown’s tag team division. If WWE wants to go for a relatable comedy group that fans can get connected to and also be impressed by their wrestling accumen (a-la The New Day) then Tyler Breeze and Fandango are the right guys for the shot.

Smackdown Womens Championship

Current Champion: Charlotte Flair

Fantasy Champion: Ruby Riott

Charlotte is great, there’s no doubt about that. However I feel she has become somewhat stale in 2018. The entire women’s Smackdown division has become somewhat stale. With amazing talent like Charlotte, Becky, Carmella, Naomi & Nattie duking it out in the same feuds it was a welcome sight when the Riott squad burst onto the scene. Ruby Riott was one of the best indie wrestlers before joining the WWE last year. She’s quickly gone on to be a force to be reckoned with and brought up to the main roster very quickly. I feel a title run with her at the helm of the Riott squad would offer a chance for the division to reset itself and freshen up.

NXT Championship

Current Champion: Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas

Fantasy Champion: Johnny Gargano

While I was over the moon to see Cien retain the belt at NXT Philadelphia, the seeds have been sewn for Gargano to take the championship and feud it against the monster Tomasso Ciampa. I don’t feel I need to qualify why Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa, two of WWE’s best in-ring workers, most charismatic characters and members of the best feud in WWE right now fighting against each other for the NXT title would be amazing. I hope this happens sooner rather than later.

NXT Tag Championship

Current Champion: Bobby Fish & Kyle O’reilly

Fantasy Champion: TM61

During last years Dusty Rhode’s classic one of the teams that impressed me were the Aussies of TM61. I’d seen them as a relatively mid-card and decent but average team up until that point. They made it all the way to the final with some stellar wrestling. However just as their star was rising, injury struck. TM61 have been out of action for the better part of a year and are just now set of a return. I’d be excited to see the belt on the team and to see a feud against Fish & O’reilly as I feel their styles will mesh relatively well.

NXT Women’s Championship

Current Champion: Ember Moon

Fantasy Champion: Peyton Royce

I absolutely love the iconic duo. However I think many can agree that it’s potentially run its course and a break up has been teased for quite some time. I’d love to see Peyton turning on Billie to take the belt (perhaps in a fatal five way with Ember Moon, Shayner Baszler & Nikki Cross) and see a feud between the former best friends. It’d be petty, violent and deliciously bitchy.

Cruiserweight Championship

Current Champion: None

Fantasy Champion: Noam Dar

Noam Dar is great in-ring and great on the mic. Why WWE has allowed him only to be either background help in group fights or as Alicias Fox’s sexual harasser boggles the mind. Noam could bring an interesting and explosive reign with the belt, perhaps featuring a feud against Akira Tozawa.

United Kingdom Championship

Current Champion: Pete Dunne

Fantasy Champion: Neville

Please come back, Neville… we miss you!

Top 12 WWE Wrestlers of 2017!

2016 was the year that I got back into wrestling. Flicking around the channels on a hotel in Atlanta, I stumbled onto Raw and a link to my childhood was re-established. Throughout 2017 I was a superfan, watching almost every raw, smackdown and NXT as well as every PPV. Fully invested in the characters and storylines, 2017 was the year that my old wrestling passion reach new heights, including attending my first PPV. I’ve examined the roster and put together a list of who I feel were my top 12 WWE wrestlers of the year.

12. Baron Corbin

In at number 12 is the lone wolf himself, Baron Corbin. Corbin has had quite a year so far. Starting the year as an emotionless and rather dull character that did not mesh with a majority of fans, despite having won the Andre the Giant Battle Memorial?. Baron Corbin slowly began to develop into a true force to be reckoned with as the year got under way, with some fantastic matches with Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles along the way. His momentum has begun to slow as the year progresses, but a surprise MITB victory has given him the MITB briefcase to work with. He was hit with unfortunately hit with a punishment stripping him of his briefcase and has spent the remaining half of the year trying to regain his heights.

11. Charlotte

At number 11 sits the Queen, Charlotte. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to place her higher on the list, but after an amazing 2016 with a groundbreaking feud with Sasha Banks, she has faltered somewhat in 2017. Moving to Smackdown and seeming to blend into the background of the smackdowns women’s roster, despite holding the championship belt, Charlotte is struggling to reach the same heights that she had while competing on Raw.

10. The Miz

When The Miz joined the main roster he was an unlikeable babyface that the fanbae absolutely detested. He struggled backstage, to the point of having to change in the hallway due to being banned from using the locker room. The Miz earned his respect. He earned it from his colleaugues and he earned it from the fans. In 2016 the miz managed to take an unrested mid card belt and raise it to new heights. After dropping the belt to Dean Ambrose, the belt slowly returned to it’s previous state. Thankfully in 2017 the belt was put back on The Miz and has since experienced a revival. Despite a questionable Miztourage gimmick going on currently, the Miz is looking great and his partnership with his wife Maryse is at an all time high, with talks of a reality show for the pair in the works.

9. Alexa Bliss

2017 was a great year for Alexa Bliss who is our number 9. Despite not being known as one of the better wrestlers on the roster, she’s had two Smackdown women’s championship runs after starting the year with the belt and after being transferred to Raw after the super star shake-up managed to defeat Bayley for the Raw women’s championship. Despite having some relatively poor matches in 2017, Bayley continues to capture the attention of the fans with her heel tactics and her strong character work. She has also managed to become the longest reigning owner of the womens raw championship belt of all time, a feat that she is sure to make sure we all hear about.

8. Goldberg

Goldberg’s shocking but short run in WWE is surely one of the marquee moments of 2016 and 2017. Returning at the end of 2016 thanks to ‘Fantasy warefare’ becoming reality after the release of WWE 2K17. Gold had several high profile matches in 2017. A dominant display in Royal Rumble that lead to the elimination of many superstars including lesnar. Goldberg setup a final confrontation with Lesnar at Wrestlemania 33 and on route squashed Kevin Owens in 22 seconds to win the Universal championship. A very odd but impactful WM 33 match ensued in which Goldberg would lose the belt to Lesnar. Goldberg returned for a very short ammount of actual wrestling, but would still manage to capture the attention of the audience and ride the nostalgia wave and stamp his mark over 2017.  

7. Sheamus

My number 7 pick may come as a bit of a surprise to some. Sheamus I feel has had one of the most impactful years in terms of how much he has grown and how much he has changed in the eyes of the public. An honourable mention goes to the man that could arguably be attributed to this success, Cesaro, but Cesaro is and always was a crowd favourite. Sheamus has gone from being one of the dullest members of the roster to being a celebrated tag team champion in a short period of time. In 2016 after being drafted to Raw, both Cesaro and Sheamus were drafted to Raw and found themselves in an odd spot of having nothing to do. A best of 7 spanning a couple of months was setup with the winner being awarded a non-specified title shot. This best of 7 would end as a draw and the men would be setup as a tag team and awarded a tag title shot. The team went into 2017 with the belts and remained a decently over tag team. It wasn’t until the team turned heel against the Hardy Boyz that Sheamus and his teammate Cesaro really began to shine. Now very much one of the top tag teams in the company, future looks bright for both men, even if they are broken up and become singles competitors once more.

6. AJ Styles

AJ Styles is without doubt one of the best wrestlers in the world today. After debuting at Royal Rumble 2016, 2016 was a landmark year for AJ, with a world title reign and a solid feud with Dean Ambrose. 2017 has been a slower year for AJ, but he has still managed to keep the world focused on him due to his masterclass with Kevin Owens around the US title. With the feud having Shane Mcmahon and Chris Jericho as side characters, it was one of the sleeper hits of the year. AJ had an odd and unexpected feud with shock headliner Jinder Mahal and managed to produce some decent matches against Mahal managing to win the World championship title at Clash of Champions. AJ is currently feuding with both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn going into 2018 and is looking like he will hold his belt into the next Wrestlemania.

5. Samoa Joe

Debuting on the main roster in January 2017, Joe kicked off with a bang. Acting as a henchman for NXT boss man Triple H, Joe attacked Seth Rollins, who HHH was feuding with at the time. The following week Joe went onto win his in-ring debut against Roman Reigns, no small feat against one of the hardest pushed stars in wrestling history. Joe has his PPV debut against fellow NXT Alumni Sami Zayn in which they put on one of the strongest matches of the night. Joe went on to beat Reigns, Rollins, Wyatt and Balor in a fatal five ways match to win a chance to take on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. A strong feud followed with Joe showing off some fantastic ability on the mic and bounced off of Lesnars manager Paul Heyman fantastically well. Later in the year Joe competed in one of the highest rated WWE matches of all time, competing in a fatal four way between Lesnar, Reigns, Strowman and himself. All four men held their own and put on a fantastic display.

4. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is at an odd position in his career. WWE have spent years pushing him more than anyone else on the roster. This has caused the fans to resent him, something that has been building for years. Things reached a fever pitch after Wrestlemania 33 as Roman Reigns retired fan favourite The Undertaker. Roman Reigns could be one of the biggest heels in wrestling history, if WWE just embrace the hate that is already thrown at Reigns, they would have a new a super villain. In terms of wrestling, Roman is undoubtedly one of the strongest wrestlers on the roster, despite having a rather choreographed moveset, he puts matches together well and has put together fantastic bouts with a great number of the locker room. On top of this, Roman is clearly very respected by the entire company. Corporate clearly trust him and like him and it has been reported that Roman has taken over from the Undertaker as the locker room judge to deal with wrestling disputes.

3. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho has rebranded himself more times than argueably anyone else at WWE. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. None can argue that his 2017 character work has been one of the strongest of his career. His friendship angle with KO has been stellar, his work with AJ Styles has been stellar and his feud with KO best of all. Managing to transition seamlessly between a heel and a face when opportunity arises, Jericho has enthralled the viewers, despite the fact that his actual wrestling ability is begining to diminish with age. None would argue that he won’t go down as one of the greatest of all time.

2. Neville

In at number 2 is Neville. The Brit spent several years since his call up from NXT as a mid carder with very little direction and very little to do on the roster. This all changed when Neville was moved to the floundering cruiserweight show 205 live. Neville shed his superman gimmick of ‘the man that gravity forgot’ and instead crowned himelf as the heel king of the cruiserweights. Focusing more on brutality over flashy aerial moves. Neville took the division on his back and elevating the division dramatically. With fantastic feud between Austin Aries, rebelling against the decision to have the cruiserweight title match on the Wrestlemania preshow by putting on a show stealer and high profile feuds with Jack Gallagher and Akira Tozawa. Neville has conquered the cruiserweight division, but unfortunately looks to be on his way out from WWE due to issues over storyline and treatement that arose at the tail end of 2017.

1. Braun Strowman

When we talk about growth in 2017, one name comes to mind. Braun Strowman. Strowman began as a background character to Bray Wyatt and if you’d asked me a year ago if I thought Braun would ever challenge for the Universal title, i’d have laughed. However that became reality, becoming a fan favourite as a result of great WWE booking, the monster was born. During the royal rumble, Strowman knocked out 7 people, including fellow big men Big Cass, Big Show and Mark Henry. Brauns feud with Roman Reigns is without a doubt one of the strongest feuds of the year. The backstage segment featuring the ambulance… you all know that one, will remain one of the defining moments of the year. Braun would face Roman is a standout match at Greatballs of Fire, which would see the monster overcome Roman much to the glee of the audience. More recently Braun was involved in the highest rated WWE match of the year, the fatal four way between Brock, Roman, Joe and Braun. Braun looked like an absolute machine in this match going head to head with the beast Brock Lesnar. Braun has captured the attention of the fanbase and it’ll be fantastic to see his continued growth.

Honourable Mentions

Honourable mentions to both Jinder Mahal, a man that has shown it’s entirely possible to escape low-mid card hell and reach the very top of the business and to James Ellsworth, the little jobber that could.