After being somewhat underwhelmed by an entertaining Saturday night, Wrestlemania XL Sunday night absolutely rocked.
Cody Rhodes finished his story by defeating “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns in a dramatic main event that saw the Usos, Seth Rollins, Solo Sikoa, The Rock, John Cena and the Undertaker get involved. Emotions were everywhere as the “American Nightmare” finally won the title that his legendary father “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes could never win.
But that was not the only major title that changed hands tonight. Kicking off the show, Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins for the World Championship. Drew went to taunt CM Punk, who was on commentary, and got jumped by Punk. This led to Damien Priest cashing in his long awaited Money in the Bank contract to become the new World Champion. Then Bayley defeated Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship.
LA Knight defeated AJ Styles in a competitive match. The Pride defeated the Final Testament in a Philadelphia Street Fight refereed by Bubba Dudley. Logan Paul pinned Kevin Owens in the triple threat after KO took an impressive RKO from Randy Orton, who reversed the pop-up powerbomb.
Great night in the WWE as a new era gets underway…
Cody Rhodes celebrated with “Mama Rhodes” and the rest of his friends.
Cody celebrates with his wife, Brandi Rhodes.
Undertaker returned to choke slam The Rock.Seth says to Cody, “Now it’s your time, baby”John Cena faces off with The Rock in the middle of the main event
This could be, arguably, one of the best Wrestlemanias of all time. They kept saying that this would be the greatest Wrestlemania of all time and it always felt like hyperbole. However, I think this is in the consideration.
Night one of Wrestlemania XL is in the books and it has done some serious set up for night two.
The Rock and Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes and Set Rollins in the main event of night one cheating like crazy and has ensured Bloodline rules for the WWE Championship match on Sunday night. The Rock threatened to fire the referee, Chad Patton, if he counted them out and he spent all night intimidating the ref, to the point where Rock would just hit Seth Rollins in the groin without even hiding it because he knew the ref couldn’t DQ him.
This just sets up Cody as an even bigger underdog so when he wins on Sunday, there will be a greater feeling. Seth Rollins has a bad knee (storyline wise) and will enter his title match on Sunday against Drew McIntyre far less than 100%.
The best match of the night was easily the Intercontinental Championship match which saw Gunther’s record setting reign of 666 days come to an end to Sami Zayn in an insane finishing sequence. The match was great and very hard hitting, providing one of the most satisfying results of the card.
Rhea Ripley defeated Becky Lynch cleanly after a solid match.
Much of night one felt less than I hoped. The Jey vs. Jimmy match was a disappointment. They tried a storyline section that did not work as well as intended. Jey won. The six woman tag team match was fine. Jade Cargill is a beast.
The six pack ladder match was fun with some crazy spots, especially from DIY. A Town Down Under won the Smackdown tag titles while Awesome Truth won the RAW titles, effectively splitting the titles apart, which makes sense considering how many effective tag teams they have right now.
It was an outdoor stadium and the temps hovered around 50 degrees early in the night. I don’t know how the colder temps influenced some performers, but they seemed to do well considering.
So I am preparing to make the predictions for the two nights of Wrestlemania.
Wrestlemania Saturday Night
Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
This is a tough one. I can see it going either way, but since I see a lot of other title changes, I think this is the most likely retention of the weekend.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley, still Women’s World Champion.
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Gunther’s record-breaking Intercontinental title run comes to an end at Wrestlemania 40.
Prediction: Sami Zayn, NEW Intercontinental Champion
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Jimmy has taken a lot of beatings on Raw and Smackdown recently. Although I think Jey has the higher future as a single performer, I am giving this to Jimmy.
Prediction: Jimmy Uso
Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)
I definitely think this will split the two tag titles apart so there is one on Raw and one on Smackdown, so I am picking two winners here.
Prediction: RAW Tag Champion: Awesome Truth; Smackdown Tag Champion: New Catch Republic
This one is an easy one. Bianca is undefeated at Wrestlemania and we will not break that in a six-woman tag match.
Prediction: Bianca Belair, Naomi & Jade Cargill
Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
Last minute change removed Dragon Lee. Carlito will definitely get involved, perhaps with a heel change. Think that is post match though.
Prediction: Rey Mysterio & Andrade
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
I can see this going either way. There has been a lot of talk about Cody assembling the Avengers. I think that happens in Bloodline Rules. I think they have talked about Bloodline rules too much for it not to happen, and it sets up yet another hurdle for Cody Rhodes to overcome.
Prediction: Rock & Roman Reigns
Wrestlemania Sunday Night
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Another one that I can see going either way. I believe CM Punk, who will be on commentary, will play a role costing Drew McIntyre, who has been going to new limits on his motuh with Punk.
Prediction: Set Rollins, STILL World Heavyweight Champion.
WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
It is time for Bayley’s Wrestlemania moment, and she deserves it.
Prediction: Bayley, NEW World Women’s Champion.
United States Championship Triple Threat: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
I love this match. I love Kevin Owens so much. I wish I could give him the win. I will be absolutely be rooting for KO. I don’t think he will.
Prediction: Logan Paul, STILL United States Champion.
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
An excellent match coming here. I think the win does more for LA Knight, but this could go any direction.
Prediction: LA Knight
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
A Philadelphia street fight… and I think that the faces get this one.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Finish the story! I think it is time for Cody Rhodes to bring an end to the record reign of Roman Reigns. I believe it will be Bloodline rules and this could be all kinds of shenanigans going down. Expect Mama Rhodes to smack Rock across the face at some point.
Prediction: Winner and NEW WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes
I am very excited about the Grandest Stage of them All.
One of my favorite weekends of the year has come around. It is Wrestlemania weekend, where there are a bunch of events over the next 48 hours +.
Wrestlemania XL takes place in Philadelphia this year and the two-night event is packed full of amazing rivalries and battles.
They revealed the Wrestlemania XL set, and it looks great.
The weekend kicks off right now with Friday Night Smackdown. Mere moments ago, Big Bronson Reed won the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. There did appear as if there may have been a couple of mistakes in the battle royal, yet I enjoyed the match. It looked like Otis was supposed to have caught Tazawa on the floor but Ivar overthrew him and Tazawa hit hard on the floor. I am also not sure that Omos was intended to be eliminated during the commercial break. I think Omos lost his balance and tumbled out too.
After Smackdown tonight is the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Tonight’s inductees include Paul Heyman, the U.S. Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda), Lia Maivia, Bull Nakano, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Muhammad Ali. It is an interesting group this year, headlined by Paul Heyman, whose ECW was a Philadelphia mainstay. Also notable is the induction of Mike Rotunda, father of Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt who died this past year. That should be very emotional. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, I believe, will be inducting his grandmother Lia Maivia, the first woman promoter.
NXT’s Stand and Deliver kicks off the action on Saturday with the best of the NXT brand. Ilya Dragunov defends his NXT championship against the Don of NXT, Tony D’Angelo. Perhaps the biggest grudge match of this PLE is Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes.
Then Saturday night, Wrestlemania XL kicks off with Saturday night show, which is headlined by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and The Rock in what is being billed as the Greatest Tag Team Match of All-Time. If the faces win, then the Cody-Roman match on Sunday night is one-on-one, with no Bloodline, and Cody has a chance to win the match without any interference. If the Bloodline wins, then the Sunday night match is Bloodline rules, and anything goes. It is a remarkable build for this tag match with all of the stakes up for grabs.
Night One Matches at Wrestlemania 40
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Six-Pack ladder match for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)
Rey Mysterio & Andrade vs. Santos Escobar & Dominik Mysterio
Night Two Matches at Wrestlemania 40
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
United States Championship Triple Threat: Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross & The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
I’m going to be doing several posts over the weekend. I am very excited. I may do a prediction post some time tomorrow before the big night’s action.
UPDATE: Dragon Lee got jumped on Smackdown and now Andrade is in the tag team match. Calling it right no, Carlito did the attack hoping to be in the tag match instead. Count on it.
This was a tough year, because there were a bunch of great matches in 2023, but there was none that actually stood out as the obvious best match.
What makes a match of the year? There are several things. Obviously there is a great performance between competitors with some great in-ring storytelling, compelling near falls, and a great storyline surrounding it.
There can be a match that has all of those moments but the ending is not what I like, it can dampen the match. For example, almost every Roman Reigns match this year.
So, here are the top 15 WWE matches of 2023 according to EYG.
#15. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijek (NXT Battleground). These two had great chemistry and seemingly killed each other. It started Ilja’s push in NXT.
#14. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Last Man Standing (WWE Fastlane). Shinsuke’s heel turn was great, as was his Japanese promos leading up to this. It was a great match with Seth going over.
#13. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa (Night of Champions). Sami and KO overcoming the Bloodline team with Roman was great. One of the peaks for Sami/KO.
#12. Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus Steel Cage (Payback). Two legends of women’s wrestling putting on a classic cage match with a couple of insane bumps. Great work by both.
#11. The Usos vs. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa (Money in the Bank). Jey Uso pinned Roman Reigns to win the Bloodline Civil War match. Some great storytelling.
#10. Women’s War Games (Survivor Series). Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch face Damage CTRL in an exciting War Games match.
#9. Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes II (NXT No Mercy). Dragunov defeated Carmelo to win the NXT Championship and end his long reign.
#8. Men’s War Games (Survivor Series). Team Cody vs. Judgment Day. Notable for the return of Randy Orton and for Cody Rhodes to compete in the match his father invented.
#7. Gunther vs. Chad Gable (RAW). I really thought Chad gable had a chance to knock off Gunther. He lost, but that did not take away from this amazing confrontation.
#6. Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes (Wrestlemania 39). Roman shocked the world by defeating Cody Rhodes at the main event of night two of Wrestlemania (thanks to Solo, of course). Major twist in Cody’s story.
#5. Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (Wrestlemania 39). Some have this as MotY, but I put it at #5. Yes, it was great. Best triple threat of th eyear.
#4. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn (Elimination Chamber). Perhaps the most emotional match of the year as Sami battle Roman in Montreal. Sami battled as hard as he could, but succumb to the Bloodline’s cheating tactics.
#3. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (Wrestlemania 39). Best women’s match of the year, lead to the crowning of Rhea Ripley as champion. Flair and Ripley put on a banger of a match.
#2. Damian Priest vs. Bad Bunny, Streetfight (Backlash). In Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny knocked off Damian Priest in one of the best celebrity performances of all time. Crowd reaction was insane.
#1. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. The Usos (Wrestlemania 39). Sami and Kevin ended the record setting tag team reign of the Usos in the main event of WrestleMania Saturday. The end of a long term storyline that had been running on WWE TV for months.
The WWE had a really strong year in 2023. It was not that long ago that I had really cut back on my WWE intake, skipping Smackdown most weeks and feeling more disappointment than enjoyment.
Then, things changed. Vince McMahon stepped down and HHH took over creative. Sure, Vince still had his dirty hands in the product, but it was better. Then, the purchase of WWE by Endeavor led to Vince’s total removal and the product became even better yet.
So some of these choices were difficult this year. I should say that I do not watch AEW or other wrestling promotions. I have nothing against any of them, but I just feel like a WWE guy.
Male Wrestler of the Year: Gunther. A tough choice, but Gunther has been WWE Intercontinental champion all year and defended it regularly against all kinds of types of challengers. Runners-Up: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, LA Knight
Female Wrestler of the Year: Rhea Ripley. She won the title at Wrestlemania 39 and has been the main star of the female division on RAW since. As a member of the Judgment Day, Rhea has been dominant. I would have liked more matches from her though. Runners-Up: Becky Lynch, Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair, Asuka, Charlotte Flair
Tag Team of the Year: Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn. One of the best storylines climaxed at Wrestlemania 39 when Owens/Zayn won the Undisputed Tag Team titles from the Usos. While their title reign was not as epic as their chase, Owens and Zayn were the best tag team for quite a while in 2023. Runners-Up: The Usos, Judgment Day, Pretty Deadly, The Creeds, the Brawling Brutes.
Manager of the Year: Paul Heyman. Or should I say ‘Wise Man’ of the year? Paul Heyman is the cornerstone of the Bloodline and the storylines. Runners-Up: MVP, Robert Stone
On the Mike: Cody Rhodes. So, what do you want to talk about? Cody did an amazing job telling his story on the microphone. Specifically, his work with Paul Heyman was special. Runners-Up: Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens, LA Knight
Feud of the Year: Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes. Three amazing matches from these two NXT stars over the NXT Championship. It lasted longer than some of the other feuds which is why it gets the nod. Runners-Up: Bloodline vs. Sami/KO, Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins, Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.
Underused Performer: Tazawa. Tazawa has just started to get a little TV time as a part of the Alpha Academy. He is really a stronger wrestler than he gets credit for. Runners-Up: Apollo Crews, Tegan Nox, Dexter Loomis, Xia Li.
Comeback of the Year: CM Punk. Geez, this was an easy one. His return at the Survivor Series was completely epic and shocking. Hell had to freeze over because this was never supposed to happen. Runners-Up: Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, The Rock, John Cena.
Celebrity of the Year: Logan Paul. Logan Paul became the US Champion and had a great match every time he stepped into the squared circle. He truly exceeded the idea of a celebrity in the WWE. Runners-Up: Bad Bunny, Pat McAfee, Snoop Dogg.
Heel of the Year: Dominik Mysterio. No one has more heat than Dominik Mysterio. When the crowd boos Dom, they mean it. And he can barely be heard. It never gets old. Runners-Up: Roman Reigns, the Judgment Day, Gunther, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso.
Face of the Year: Cody Rhodes. Cody is the perfect face and he has been treated like one since his return to the WWE. Runners-Up: Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Rey Mysterio, Becky Lynch, LA Knight.
Show of the Year: Smackdown. With the Bloodline drama, Smackdown was must see TV every week. While it has come down a bit since the peak around Wrestlemania, it is still the most compelling show on WWE. Runners-Up: RAW, NXT
Entrance Song:Seth Rollins. His song basically turned Seth face. The fans love to sing Seth’s song. Runners-Up: CM Punk,Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens.
Storyline of the Year: Bloodline/Bloodline Civil War. Still the standout of WWE TV. Honestly, it gave us Emmy worthy work on a weekly basis, touching us in our tum-tums. Runners-Up: Cody’s story, Nakamura’s heel turn, Cracks in the Judgment Day.
Best Broadcaster: Wade Barrett. He was so good that they promoted him from NXT to Smackdown. Wade is funny and enthusiastic. He is really excellent. Runners-Up: Corey Graves, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee.
Breakout Star: LA Knight. Yeah! He came from nowhere, via organic crowd support to a place where he is firmly entrenched in the main event scene. Runners-Up: The Creeds, Ilja Dragunov, Jey Uso.
Shock of the Year: CM Punk returns at Survivor Series. Nothing else comes close. There were rumors, but no one really believe it would happen. The internet was just getting ready to be angry over the no show, when “Cult of Personality” hit and the Chicago crowd, and everyone else lost their minds.
Faction of the Year: The Judgment Day. The Judgment Day runs RAW. That is pretty much true as the storylines have completely centered around them for most of the year. Runners-Up: Bloodline, Damage Control, Team Cody.
NXT Wrestler of the Year: Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov never had a bad match. He is so real. You can never go wrong with Dragunov. He may be the best seller in WWE. Runners-Up: Carmelo Hayes, the Creeds, Bron Breakker, Wes Lee, Dominik Mysterio.
Saddest moment: Bray Wyatt dies. Bray was out most of the year with an undisclosed injury. It was a horrendous loss when we heard that he had passed away. He is missed.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 