WWE Champions Corner (12-13 Mar): The Long Road Ahead

This week has been full of surprises, and not all of them were good. Raw was an odd one seeing as Lesnar taking the night off resulted in one superstar being suspended, and there was controversy surrounding the new No. 1 contender to the red brand’s tandem titles. No, you read that right: contender, as in singular, not plural.

And on the blue brand, we saw the two Royal Rumble winners finally interact with their opponents for WrestleMania. Fastlane actually had me excited for this week’s SmackDown, and for once, it didn’t completely disappoint.

 

The Universal Title

Remember when Paul Heyman promised that Brock Lesnar would appear on Raw this week? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Pepperidge Farm didn’t see the Universal Champion this week though, did they? No, all of us went without our champion once again, but Vince McMahon popped up to mumble some sort of explanation as to why for Roman Reigns and the fans at home.

Kurt Angle kicked things off, saying that we’d be in for a great show, with or without Lesnar. That was a complete lie, but I’ve gotten used to WWE telling fibs straight to my face over the last few weeks (hell, the last few years if I’m being honest). Reigns came down to spout how he’s sick of being disrespected not just by “Vince’s boy” Lesnar, but by the Chairman as well. “The Big Dog” went back to the gorilla position to confront his boss, which is obviously always a smart thing to do.

Back from a commercial break, Reigns stormed out of McMahon’s office – rudely ignoring Renee Young in the process (bad dog!) – followed shortly by Vinny Mac himself. Vince assured us that Lesnar would be on the show next week, and that Reigns had been temporarily suspended for his insolence.

I was starting to buy into Roman’s promos. They were solid and also backed up with elements of the truth. This week has made me sour on the whole project. There’s only so many times you can play the “Brock ain’t here cos he don’t care” card without losing your audience’s interest. Vince’s promise that Lesnar will show up next week isn’t one to take seriously, and even if he does show, there still won’t be any interaction between the champion and the challenger if Reigns is meant to be suspended. It’s near impossible to find any reason to get behind this feud. I’m officially done trying to care.

 

The Intercontinental Title

And so we jump from one champion who never shows up to one that goes above and beyond for the sake of entertainment. The Miz hosted a special edition of Miz TV this past week to stir the pot between his WrestleMania opponents, Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins.

“The A-Lister” looked like he was fighting a losing effort for most of the segment, with Bálor and Rollins straight up telling The Miz his devious schemes weren’t going to work on them. That all changed when Seth couldn’t hide how hyped he is for the Show of Shows. “The Architect” told “The Demon” that he didn’t have a chance, and Bálor took exception, throwing down the gauntlet for Rollins to pick up that very night. All the while, Miz was looking very happy with his work, even going as far as joining in with the crowd’s “Yes!” chants. Realising they’d been played after all, Bálor and Rollins knocked the IC Champ out of the ring before “The Kingslayer” took a shot at Bálor as well. Bálor got the last laugh though, as he went on to get the 1, 2, 3 over Rollins later in the night.

For everything that’s gone wrong in the Universal Title scene, everything has gone right in regards to the Intercontinental Championship. The Miz’s dastardly character works so well when pitted against two alpha-male competitors like Bálor and Rollins. Both men are in a great position to take the strap while Miz focuses on his upcoming role as a father, and the 50/50 booking between Rollins and Bálor makes it hard to predict who’s walking away with the title. This Mania match has a big feel to it; Lesnar and Reigns could learn a lot from this feud.

 

The Raw Women’s Title

Alexa Bliss found out who her opponent won’t be thanks to Asuka’s appearance at Fastlane on Sunday, but thanks to her harsh words, another woman on the Raw roster is hunting down “Little Miss Bliss” with a head full of steam.

Bliss just can’t help herself. Being the biggest heel in the women’s division, Alexa started off her stint this week by mocking Asuka’s limited English skills, and saying that “The Empress of Tomorrow” is only challenging Charlotte Flair for her title at Mania because she is scared of Bliss. “The Goddess” may have failed at bringing Nia Jax into the fold to beatdown Asuka, but she and Mickie James got away with landing a sucker punch on Royal Rumble winner.

Then things went downhill for the champion at a rapid pace. Bliss & James continued to talk trash about Jax for her weight and lack of friends, but Jax (and everyone in attendance) heard every word. “The Irresistible Force” stormed into Alexa’s dressing room just a minute too late to get her hands on the champ, so to make up for not being able to tear Bliss into pieces, Jax tore apart the locker room instead.

It’s a tad uncomfortable to watch the wrestler formerly known as “Piggy James”, and a woman who has genuinely suffered from an eating disorder body shame Nia Jax, but the women are doing a stellar job at getting us to care. Jax is now the most obvious opponent for Bliss at Mania, and the two are great friends in real life, so hopefully this has all just been a well thought-out way to dispel any myth that you have to look a certain way to succeed in WWE. For some horrible reason though, I feel as though Vince will still have Bliss go over Jax. I don’t know why, it just feels like something he would do.

 

The Raw Tag Team Titles

Last week, I was worried that The Bar wouldn’t have any new competition to face at WrestleMania. The Revival, who had been building some momentum, were told they could only challenge Sheamus & Cesaro for the belts if they were able to best the champs in a non-title match, and they lost. To find out who will go on to face The Bar for the straps at Mania, the entire tag team division took part in a battle royal to determine the new No. 1 contenders. The thing is none of them won.

Looking to carve his own path to WrestleMania, Braun Strowman entered the battle royal without a partner, and went on to become the only man standing in the ring at the end. So yeah, Strowman is now challenging for the Raw Tag Team Titles… by himself…at Mania.

“The Monster Among Men” winning the match has caught a lot of attention, sparking a lot of controversy in the process. Strowman squashed the entire tag team division, which on the surface is a big no-no, yet if The Revival aren’t going to challenge the champs at Mania, is there any other team on the Raw roster you honestly want to see The Bar face? Personally, my interest in every other tandem is minimal, so this new Strowman element definitely has my attention. Will Braun find a partner or will he go it alone? Will the ref’s decision even be allowed to stand? It’s an odd situation for sure, but it’s intriguing nevertheless.

The Cruiserweight Title

Two of the most athletic and hardworking men in WWE put it all on the line this week for the chance to move on to the finals of the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament at WrestleMania. Would Roderick Strong go on to make his PPV debut at The Show of Shows, or did Cedric Alexander pip him to the post?

The matches in this tournament have been continuous highlight reels, and Strong vs. Alexander was no exception. Roddy delivering a back-breaker to Cedric using the turnbuckle on the ring apron made me audibly wince. I felt it in my own lower back, that’s how good that spot was. The two really sold the offence, they looked battered, beaten, broken, but carried on because the title and WrestleMania meant the world to them. One man had to win though, and Alexander picked up the victory with a roll-up out of nowhere. He will know face either Mustafa Ali or Drew Gulak in the finals at The Grand Daddy of The All for the Cruiserweight Championship.

It was always going to be tough to pick a favourite in this match. Both men have a lot of skill and are definitely deserving of the title and a spot on the Mania card. I don’t think anyone is disappointed in the outcome, nor would they be if it was Strong that had advanced instead. I think the cruiserweight division is gonna do just fine from here on out.

 

The WWE Title

For all my pessimistic views about the WWE Championship match before it took place, the bout at Fastlane was actually very good. It needed 100% less Shane McMahon, yet it was undeniably good. But Fastlane is now in our rear view mirror, and the match we are all chomping at the bit for is finally becoming AJ’s main focus.

The champ kicked off SmackDown this week to address Shinsuke Nakamura, saying that their comparable careers end when it comes to the WWE Title because AJ is phenomenal. Shinsuke responded by telling Styles that dreams come true at Mania, and Shinsuke’s dream is ‘knee to face’ to become champion.

“The Phenomenal One” then put on an entertaining match against Rusev which was called off due to interference from Aiden English. Nakamura had to come to AJ’s rescue, delivering a swift kick to English and a Kinshasa to Rusev.

There hadn’t been any build-up for this match as Fastlane ended up taking priority. The path is now clear for the champion and the challenger, and I expect things to heat up real quick between these two. Both men understand just how much real wrestling fans want to see this match and their work rate speaks for itself. This is a world title match worth getting invested in.

 

The US Title

My predictions for the US Championship match at Fastlane went right out the window. Randy Orton went on to become the champion after besting Bobby Roode, which came as a shock to most people watching. Jinder Mahal kept out of the match but made his presence known during Orton’s celebration. This week on SmackDown, all three men wanted resolve their unfinished business.

Roode interrupted the champion’s promo, letting him know there will be a rematch at Mania for the title. Roode would then square off against Mahal with Orton watching from ringside. “The Glorious One” and “The Modern Day Maharaja” put on a solid match with Mahal getting the win over the former US Champ. “The Viper” wasn’t going to let Mahal have much time to celebrate though, as Orton struck the match winner with an RKO.

When Randy won at Fastlane, it added a much needed shock element to this three-way feud. While it doesn’t have the same big fight feel as the IC Title match, Orton, Roode, and Mahal are doing enough to make this rivalry worth watching. If Mahal does find his way into the match at Mania, it certainly won’t steal the show, but it will be enjoyable.

 

The SmackDown Women’s Title

Asuka’s appearance at Fastlane signalled the beginning of a true dream match as “The Empress of Tomorrow” made it clear that she would use her Royal Rumble victory to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. On the latest show, the ladies met inside the ring to talk about their upcoming match.

It was quite a sight to see them both standing in the ring wearing their immaculate, colourful robes. Flair said Asuka’s music gave her goosebumps at Fastlane because she wanted them to have a match from the moment the Japanese superstar won the Rumble. Flair might not have faced anyone like Asuka, but Asuka has never faced anyone like Flair. Both women were smiling the whole way through the promo, and you can tell they’re really into the rivalry. Asuka’s limited English might hinder her promos on occasion, but her charisma speaks volumes. “The Empress” said she will not bow to “The Queen”; ‘no one is ready for Asuka!’

It’s not been on the card for long, but I’m already predicting that Asuka vs. Charlotte will be the match of the night, even better than Styles vs. Nakamura. “The Queen” is set for her biggest challenge to date, but she relishes the competition. People are always talking about when a women’s match will headline WrestleMania; if Charlotte and Asuka get everything right here, there’s every chance a rematch next year could take the main event spot.

 

The SmackDown Tag Team Titles

On the last SmackDown PPV before Mania, The Bludgeon Brothers made a huge statement by taking out The Usos and The New Day in the middle of their championship match. Harper & Rowan’s destructive tendencies left Jey Uso as well as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods out of action. Jimmy Uso and Big E decided to bury the hatchet for the time being to deliver their own brand of punishment to The Bludgeon Brothers.

Jimmy & E wasted little time by going after Harper & Rowan before they could even take off their hooded robes. They got the upper hand and went for chairs at ringside to combat Harper and Rowan’s hammers, but it didn’t take long for the former Wyatts to take control.

After the initial carnage, the match officially got underway. All four guys continued at 100 miles an hour; it was hard-hitting and fast-paced all the way to the end. Rowan went on to get the win following a double-team powerbomb to Jimmy. When the match ended, they beat down Big E a little more just because they could.

The Bludgeon Brothers have made a huge impact in the tag team division, and they have been booked superbly. They look like unstoppable monsters, and they’ve even brought out the serious aggressive side of Big E. This feud feels personal, and it’s impossible to find even a single fault in last night’s sequence. Am I excited to see how this plays out next week? Hell yes I am.

And there we have it. We are officially in Bizarro World; SmackDown was enjoyable, the WrestleMania card is looking great, and Reigns thinks that Lesnar is more Vince’s boy than he is. It was an intriguing couple of shows to say the least. I just hope that they don’t cock everything up next week.