Road to WWE Wrestlemania 35: Week 3
This week on the Road to Wrestlemania I got to experience the path to Wrestlemania in person. Monday Night Raw took place from hometown of Grand Rapids, MI at Van Andel Arena. I always enjoy going to WWE shows when they are in town. I had a chance to talk WWE star Rhyno for a few minutes, which was awesome considering he use to wrestle at Pro Wrestling Worldwide and Championship Wrestling of Michigan that use to be based out of Grand Rapids. Many people are talking about the two big things that happened on Monday. The Revival finally won the tag team championships after a really epic match with Roode and Gable. This match had me on the edge of my seat and I leaped out of my seat when Dash and Dawson won the titles. I think this is long overdue for them and the entire tag team division. Raw ended with Becky Lynch having her suspended lifted by Triple H and Stephanie, but the celebration didn’t last long. Mr. McMahon came out and took Becky out of the match at Mania, and then proceeded to replace her with Charlotte Flair. I’ve never heard or seen so much hatred for a female superstar in my lifetime. However, I feel like I need to educate the masses. Pro Wrestling, Sports Entertainment or whatever you want to call it is scripted. They are telling stories which means plot twists, drama, suspense, and much more. People really need stop complaining and let things play out. I can almost guarantee if you stop overreacting and complaining you’ll enjoy the Road to Wrestlemania that much more.
Smackdown was the night of one unexpected surprise. The six men competing in the Elimination Chamber were in a gauntlet match with the winner having earning the right to be last in the Chamber. Mustafa Ali who has been dealing with multiple injuries was replaced by Kofi Kingston. I truly believe that Kofi had a performance of his lifetime by going over an hour in the gauntlet match before being eliminated by AJ Styles. Kingston has not had much of a singles career in over four years since The New Day first formed. No one from The New Day has held a singles championship in the four years they have been together, which is a travesty on another level. Kofi had a huge run in late 2009 and 2010, but never for a WWE Championship which many felt he deserved. He proved that he is still a main event talent who deserves a shot at the WWE Championship. A friend brought this up to me after Smackdown was over and he had a valid point. Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan would be perfect for Wrestlemania because it would consumerism vs. environmentalism. Kofi, a member of The New Day is all about pushing merchandise and products, while Bryan has been on a tirade about saving the environment. The Women’s Tag Team Elimination Chamber was also finalized with the two first two teams being determined. Raw’s Bayley and Sasha will start against Smackdown’s Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. The Elimination Chamber event is this Sunday and the Road to Wrestlemania for Raw and Smackdown will become clearer.
Tuesday Night ended with 205 Live and to no one’s surprise the main event delivered. Tony Nese and Noam Dar tore the house down in their NO DQ. I say it every week and that is the Cruiserweights don’t get the credit they deserve. They have incredible matches week after week and if they just had more exposure on Raw or Smackdown they would get credit and spotlight they deserve. I really do hope that the Cruiserweights get a big match at Wrestlemania, but with the WWE’s track record I am not setting my expectations high. In NXT, my expectations are high for NXT on the road to Takeover in Brooklyn. This week NXT’s tag team division was a big focus of the show with almost every tag team wanting a crack at the NXT Tag Team Titles. I personally would love to see a multi-team ladder match at TakeOver to showcase and highlight all the great tag teams in NXT. The show ended with Ricochet defeating Adam Cole, but Undisputed Era attacked Ricochet and Aleister Blake to end the show. I personally don’t know why Black is still in NXT. He has nothing left to prove, nothing left go after and no one really to face. As much as I love Black in NXT I hope his time down there is coming to an end.
Speaking of NXT, a few have asked why I am not covering NXT UK on the Road to Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, NXT UK is on a different schedule than the rest of the brands. I hope someday an NXT UK match will get put on the Big 4 pay-per-view weekends. If something happens where NXT UK is involved with Wrestlemania I will be sure to provide insight into what’s going on. The Road to Wrestlemania has seven weeks left and with Elimination Chamber and FastLane still on the books we have a long way to go. I think some exciting things lie a head and if fans let things play out I think they will be pleasantly surprised. I think fans forget it’s a week long celebration of pro wrestling. Had Wrestlemania not started you wouldn’t have Impact, Ring of Honor, NWA, MLW and others all running on the same weekend in the same area, so before you keep hating on the WWE product be aware of the atmosphere WWE created for entire industry all in one weekend. Keep tuning into the Road to Wrestlemania for matches, Hall of Fame announcements and more.
Monday Night Raw
Nia Jax/Tamina defeated Liv Morgan/Sarah Logan and Bayley/Sasha Banks
Braun Strowman/Finn Balor/Kurt Angle defeated Baron Corbin/Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre
Ruby Riott defeated Nikki Cross
Dean Ambrose defeated EC3
The Revival defeated Bobby Roode and Chad Gable to win the Raw Tag Team Championships
Smackdown Live
Naomi/Carmella defeated The IIconics and Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville
Randy Orton defeated AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston. Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy and Daniel Bryan in a Gauntlet Match
205 Live
Gentleman Jack Gallagher defeated Lince Dorado
Tony Nese defeated Noam Dar
NXT
Dominik Dijakovic defeated Shane Thorne
The Street Profits defeated Humberto Carrillo and Stacey Ervin Jr.
Aliyah defeated Taynara Conti
Ricochet defeated Adam Cole
Current Wrestlemania 35 Card
WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar(c) vs. Seth Rollins
Raw Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Charlotte Flair
