The SmackDown Files: The Concerto of Shinsuke Nakamura Edition (4-4-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to the Post-WrestleMania Installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. This marks the fifth and final day of WrestleMania Madness. Like their red counterpart last night, the blue brand had a few surprises of their own to wrap up WM season.

Also, SD Live have two new champions in the form of Randy Orton as WWE Champion and Naomi as SmackDown Women’s Champion which should push the SmackDown after Mania over the top. Did the company end WM week on a high note or did they go out with a whimper? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.

·        Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will face off in a House of Horrors Match sometime in the near future. One can only presume that it will take place at Backlash next month. Orton wanted to kick his ass immediately and Wyatt granted his wish by attacking Orton in the ring.

·        Orton got the upper hand but he was pulled out of the ring by a returning Erick Rowan. Luke Harper eventually made the save as Wyatt and Rowan retreated up the ramp.

·        The promo exchange between Orton and Wyatt was nondescript, but it set up Orton and Harper vs. Wyatt and Rowan in a logical way despite Harper and Orton’s contentious history that led to the destruction of The Wyatt Family in the first place. This is the epitome of an unholy alliance.

·        Naomi retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship when she made Alexa Bliss tap out the headscissors crucifix choke for the submission win. The match was solid, but it was almost ruined because Beach Ball Mania was running wild once again. Fortunately, the crowd focused on the action after the balls were confiscated. The international crowd can be a fun bunch, but they get a little carried away at times when it comes to entertaining themselves instead of paying attention to the wrestlers in the ring.

·        Welcome to SD Live, Tye Dillinger!

·        Tye Dillinger scored a Perfect 10 when he defeated Curt Hawkins with the Tye Breaker in a fun showcase match. Let’s hope Dillinger finds success on the main roster because he is a very talented wrestler who can elevate the mid-card scene in a meaningful way.

·        The Miz and Maryse donned their finest John Cena and Nikki Bella gear one more time as they mocked the recently engaged couple. They did a spot-on impersonation, but things took an interesting turn when a violinist appeared on the main stage and played a familiar tune which led to the debut of…

·        Shinsuke Nakamura! Nakamura did his entrance as the fans sang in perfect harmony. Miz and Maryse were wise to leave the ring as Nakamura played to the crowd. It was an awesome moment which indicates that The King of Strong Style is the new top babyface on SD Live while Cena is away on Hollywood business.

·        Baron Corbin defeated Dean Ambrose with the Deep Six in a hard-hitting and competitive Street Fight. To say that Ambrose and Corbin had a better match than the one they had at WrestleMania would be an understatement. The match kept the fans engaged and featured sick table bumps as Corbin tackled Ambrose through a table midway through the bout. Ambrose returned the favor by dropping a flying elbow from the top rope onto Corbin while he was lying on a table at ringside.

·        When Ambrose went up top again, Corbin chucked a chair at Ambrose which set up the finish. It should be noted that the Intercontinental Championship was not on the line. However, the victory puts The Lone Wolf back in title contention.

·        Shane McMahon and AJ Styles buried the hatch. Styles made it clear that he doesn’t want to leave SD Live. Let’s hope The Phenomenal One stays put because he has been a delight to watch on Tuesday nights over the past eight and a half months. Seeing him on Raw would be okay, but he might get lost in the shuffle because the roster is so bloated at the moment. Styles should be front and center and on SD Live. Let’s hope the Powers That Be realizes that as well.

·        Luke Harper and Randy Orton defeated Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt when Harper kicked Rowan into an RKO for the win. The match was decent, but it dragged when Harper was isolated from Orton during a large chunk of the bout. Orton eventually made the hot tag and was about to take out Wyatt when the lights went out in the arena.

·        When the lights came back on, Wyatt was sitting on the ramp laughing at Orton for no apparent reason. I guess he wanted Rowan to eat the pinfall in order to fight another day on his terms. Wyatt’s game of hocus pocus led to the aforementioned finish as the show went off the air with Orton and Harper standing tall.

·        This was a solid way to end the show. The House of Horrors match was hyped on commentary and it should be interesting see what happens next since there is a lot of downtime before Backlash. The Shark should remain on standby because I have a feeling Orton and Wyatt are going to jump over it like an Olympic Hurdler for the next six weeks…

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was solid. The first SD Live after WrestleMania had its own surprises as Tye Dillinger and Shinsuke Nakamura made their long-awaited main roster debuts. They were over with the crowd and it should be interesting to see how they are integrated into the blue brand once the Superstar Shakeup is complete.

·        The Tag Team Division was MIA once again which is becoming the new normal for all the wrong reasons. The Usos are the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions, but they have been rewarded with little to no airtime as of late. American Alpha are colder than a dead fish and the rest of the division is a hot mess. Let’s hope SD Live replenish the cupboards because this is the sleepiest division in WWE.

·        The creative team is currently in wait-and-see mode until the WWE Free Agency period is over. The landscape will be different, but I don’t expect a seismic shift because the key storylines seem to be intact for the time being. We shall see if my theory checks out next week. Fingers crossed!

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will back next week with a brand new installment of The Raw Exposé. See you later, boys and girls! 

The Raw Exposé: The Roman Reigns is Public Enemy #1 Edition (4-3-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It’s the night after WrestleMania which means only one thing: It’s the craziest show of the year when it comes surprise returns and/or debuts along with the unpredictable crowd being the star of the broadcast.

Mania was filled with twists and turns with the biggest shock coming at the end when The Undertaker seemingly retired from WWE after losing to Roman Reigns during the main event. He symbolically left his coat, gloves, and hat in the ring as he kissed his wife before disappearing underneath the stadium. It’s safe to assume that Roman Reigns is public enemy number one with the fans wanting his head on a silver platter.

Meanwhile, The Hardy Boyz continued their Expedition of Gold when they won the Raw Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four Way Ladder Match. It was quite the moment that popped the crowd something fierce.

Brock Lesnar was crowned King of the Universe when he defeated Goldberg to win the Universal Championship. It was a smash mouth fight that was fun to watch, but the outcome was never in doubt as The Beast walked away with the Big Red Kryptonite Belt. With these storylines in play, how did the raucous international crowd respond to the Mania fallout? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

·       Raw got off to an insane start when the crowd showered Roman Reigns with monstrous boos and expletives that were too colorful to repeat here. The crowd roasted, toasted, and flambéed Reigns for a good five to six minutes until he finally got on the mic and proclaimed that the ring was his yard before heading to the back.

·       The fans were super pissed about Reigns retiring The Undertaker last night at WrestleMania and they vented in epic fashion. It should be interesting to see how the New Big Dog is received in cities outside of the Mania bubble.

·       The Hardy Boyz retained the Raw Tag Team Championship when Jeff Hardy took out Luke Gallows with the Swanton Bomb which allowed Matt Hardy to score the pin. The match was pretty good with the exception of Jeff’s execution of the Twist of Fate on Gallows. It was a little sloppy, but Matt made it look better on the second attempt which set up the finish. The action was solid and the fans were hot as they chanted “Delete!” “Obsolete!”, and “F*** That Owl!” for atmospheric effect.

·       Neville and Mustafa Ali had a very good match, but it was marred by the crowd playing an impromptu game of volleyball with a pair of beach balls. If you cancel out the extra noise, Ali had an impressive showing as he dropped Neville with a beautiful Springboard Spanish Fly from the top rope. Ali tried to finish Neville off with the Inverted 450 Splash, but Neville moved out of the way.

·       The King of the Cruiserweights climbed to the rope and was about to hit Ali with the Red Arrow, but decided to lock him in the Rings of Saturn for the submission win instead. The crowd popped for the big spots towards the end, but they were too busy entertaining themselves instead of paying attention to the action taking place in the ring. Sadly, that is one of the drawbacks to the night after WrestleMania.

·       Vince McMahon announced that there would be some kind of Superstar Shakeup next week. McMahon didn’t outright say that a draft was taking place, but we shall see how this news develops throughout the week.

·       In the meantime, Vince had to name a new General Manager since Mick Foley was fired and Stephanie McMahon is out of action due to Triple H accidently putting her through a table last night. Teddy Long came out and assumed he was the man for the job, but Vince quickly shut him down. 2017 WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle was named the new Raw GM as the fans erupted in “You Suck!” chants in the most endearing way possible.

·       Angle cut a quick promo about being glad to be back on Raw as the segment came to an end. Angle’s name popped up as Foley’s replacement dating back to his HOF announcement a few months ago. He has the right personality for the job and it should be interesting to see him interact with Stephane because they had a mutual attraction for each other during the height of the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

·       The Revival just made their debut on Raw. They are the perfect team to shake up the tag team division along with the Hardy Boyz. However, their talents might have been better utilized on SmackDown Live because that division also needs some much-needed TLC.

·       The Revival defeated The New Day when Dash and Dawson nailed Xavier Woods with the Shatter Machine for the win. It was a solid match that showcased The Revival’s prowess as a tag team.

·       Things took a heelish turn when Dash and Dawson attacked Kofi Kingston after the match was over. They double-teamed Kingston and took out his knee as the crowd booed them out of the building. This was a nice way to establish The Revival as heels who shouldn’t be cheered under any circumstances. Their debut was a success despite my mixed feelings about them being better off on SD Live.

·       Kurt Angle, Enzo Amore, and Big Cass had an entertaining backstage segment that featured several laugh-out-loud moments. Angle had a great line about not knowing where Enzo got his certification as a G from while Enzo asked a great life question about why Goofy was treated like a human while Pluto acted like a dog. That is quite the conundrum.

·       Enzo and Cass pleaded their case about wanting a shot at the Raw Tag Team Titles and Angle responded by booking them in a number one contenders match against Sheamus and Cesaro. Cass spelled out the word SAWFT and Angle mused that the spelling was incorrect as the crowd laughed in the background. This was classic Angle in the best possible way. His sense of humor is always on point.

·       After 30 weeks of hype videos, Emma is finally back! It’s about damn time.

·       Bayley, Dana Brooke, and Sasha Banks defeated Emma, Nia Jax, and Charlotte when Banks made Charlotte tap out to the Bank Statement. It was a solid match that illustrated the vicious streak of Emma when she yanked Bayley’s ponytail while The Raw Women’s Champion hung upside down in the corner. The match broke down into a parade of moves leading up to the finish.

·       Charlotte took out her frustration on Emma and Nia Jax after the match was over. Jax shoved Charlotte in the corner and nailed her with a big boot while Emma got out of dodge.

·       Jax dropped Charlotte with a vicious elbow to send the message that she wasn’t the woman to mess with.

·       Paul Heyman kicked off the third hour of Raw by telling a bedtime story about Goldberg being a hero in his village only for him to take a detour in Suplex City where he got his ass kicked by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Lesnar is the new Universal Champion and Heyman promised that Bill Goldberg would never show his face in a WWE ring again.

·       Heyman switched his attention to Lesnar’s possible new challengers for the Universal Title. Heyman name dropped Seth Rollins and The Hardy Boyz before setting his sights on Roman Reigns as the fans booed at the mere sound of Reigns’ name.

·       Since Lesnar and Reigns are the 2 in 23-2, it’s only fair that they duke it out to determine who the Top Dog really is. Realizing where the segment was going, the fans started up a “We Want Balor” chant. Heyman didn’t acknowledge it and continued his promo. He was about to make a major announcement when Braun Strowman made his way to the ring.

·       Strowman told Lesnar that once he took care of Reigns, he would have his attention. He gave Lesnar a light shove before telling The Beast that they would throw hands on his terms as he left the ring.

·       This is was a good segment, but the crowd was not very receptive towards another Lesnar-Reigns feud. It’s a hardcore post-Mania crowd that knew Finn Balor never lost the Universal Championship outright. Therefore, he should be first in line for a title shot. With WWE sidestepping the issue, it makes for a very awkward situation. 

·       Strowman facing off against Reigns is getting a bit tiresome because Reigns beat him decisively at Fastlane last month. Unless Strowman picks up a quality win soon, his monster push will become mute. Strowman vs. Lesnar is an intriguing matchup, but it will mean nothing if Strowman continues to rack up losses.

·       Chris Jericho cut a great backstage promo as he acknowledged the Beach Ball Mania chants from earlier tonight. He topped things off by putting the tip of Kevin Owens’ finger on the LIST.

·       The fun and games quickly came to an end when Owens attacked Jericho and power bombed him through a table thanks to an assist from Samoa Joe.

·       Angle informed Rollins that Jericho was in no condition to compete, but vowed to find a partner for Rollins. Something tells me that a certain Demon King is going to make a surprise appearance. Just a hunch...

·       Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Enzo and Big Cass to become the number one contender for the Raw Tag Team Titles. The match was decent, but it was rough in spots. The crowd added some levity by serenading Sheamus and Cesaro. It was cute and endearing, but it could’ve gotten ugly if Enzo and Cass picked up the win.

·       They were about to do just that when Sheamus nailed Cass with a Brogue Kick. This allowed Cesaro to nail Enzo with a flying European Uppercut for the win.

·       Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Hardy Boyz should be very good and the mere thought of Cesaro and Jeff Hardy being in the same ring together is the icing on the cake.

·       Jinder Mahal got the early jump on Sami Zayn, but it wasn’t enough to keep Zayn down as he nailed Mahal with the Helluva Kick for the win. The match was serviceable while it lasted.

·       It’s good to see you again, Finn.

·       Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor defeated Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe when Bálor pinned Owens with the Coup de Grace. The match was good, but it hit a lull when Rollins played the babyface in peril midway through the match. The crowd decided to do The Wave until Rollins made the hot tag to Bálor.

·       The action picked up from there with the finishing sequence coming off strong when Bálor tried to dropkick Owens in the corner only for Joe to catch Bálor in mid-charge. He locked Bálor in the Coquina Clutch, but Rollins made the save when he nailed Joe with a flying knee from the top rope.

·       This allowed Bálor to take out Owens with the running dropkick in the corner which led to the finish.

·       This was a nice comeback match for Bálor as he looked sharp and fought with an extra tinge of intensity throughout.

·       Balor not being in the Universal Championship picture is odd and I hope the big red elephant in the room is addressed sooner rather than later. Owens has a claim to the title as well which should create an interesting dynamic in the weeks and months to come.

·       Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was solid. The show had its share of surprises with Kurt Angle being named the new Raw General Manager along with Emma making her long-awaited return, The Revival putting the tag team division on notice, and Finn Balor’s homecoming during the main event.

·       As always, the broadcast hit a lull during the third hour with the fans starting to get a bit restless with the exception of Cesaro and Sheamus getting serenaded by the crowd during their tag team match. It’s remarkable that The Celtic Warrior went from being on the fast track towards nowhere this time last year to being a beloved babyface due to his partnership with Cesaro. It’ quite the career resurrection.

·       The rest of the show was fine with the crowd being vocal in key spots. Some of their chants had merit, but the beach ball fiasco was the lowlight of the show because it diluted a competitive cruiserweight match between Neville and Mustafa Ali.

·       The Superstar Shakeup appears to be a take on the NFL Free Agency Period. There will probably be some trades involved to strengthen both rosters heading into the spring and summer months. The Raw roster is bloated and they need to unload some talent to SmackDown. SmackDown can’t afford to part with too many stars, but we shall see who debuts on the blue brand tomorrow night as the fallout from WrestleMania continues. With another PPV looming on the horizon for the red brand, it’s time to unload some of the excess baggage and become a more efficient show from a creative standpoint. We shall see how it all plays out next week.

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé, I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new edition of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls! 

The SmackDown Files: WWE Presents - The Art of Throwing Shade II Starring John Cena (3-28-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the final stop on the Road to WrestleMania. This is the final hard sell for the biggest show of the year. It’s time to put up or shut up time when it comes to putting the finishing touches on the Mania card. Did WWE leave fans wanting more or did they make the annual wrestling extravaganza feel less must-see? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of SD Live in no particular order.

·        Shane McMahon and AJ Styles signed their names on the dotted line to make their match at WrestleMania official. The promo exchange between McMahon and Styles was pretty paint-by-the-numbers, but the segment accomplished its goal by putting over the fact that their bout is a traditional wrestling match. There won’t be any smoke and mirrors to cover up Shane’s shortcomings as an in-ring performer. Styles is the best wrestler on the planet and it should be interesting to see if he can carry his boss to a good match at WM. It’s a tall order, but we shall see how it all plays out.

·        Becky Lynch vs. Carmella ended via disqualification when Mickie James’ brawl with Alexa Bliss spilled over into the ring. James attacked Carmella which caused the referee to call for the bell. James nailed Bliss with the Mick Kick while Lynch laid out Carmella with an Exploder Suplex.

·        The match between Lynch and Carmella wasn’t very good as it was sloppy in spots. Carmella is still green as a wrestler and that inexperience was on full display tonight.

·        Things got better when Lynch and James teamed up against Bliss and Carmella in an impromptu tag team. The action flowed much better, but the match still ended in controversy when Natalya tried to attack Lynch. Lynch cut her off at the pass, but the distraction allowed James Ellsworth to trip her which led to Carmella picking up the win with a roll-up.

·        Things got more chaotic when the heels attacked the babyfaces until a returning Naomi ran out to make the save. Naomi took out Natalya with a Hurricanrana on the entrance ramp followed by nailing Bliss with a forearm.

·        Naomi delivered a series of running kicks to Carmella before laying out Bliss with The Rearview.

·        Naomi announced that she will be a part of the SmackDown Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania as the segment came to a close.

·        I’m glad that Naomi has been medically cleared to compete in the Women’s Title match at WM. It was touch and go for a bit, but Naomi will be representing her hometown of Orlando at the biggest show of the year. WWE has a longstanding edict of wrestlers losing high profile matches in their hometown. Let’s hope Naomi doesn’t suffer a similar fate on Sunday.

·        Miz TV was another scorcher as The Miz and Maryse continued their Total Bellas parody. It was hysterical as they mocked John Cena’s house rules once again. The dinner scene featuring The Bella Twins, Daniel Bryan, and Cena was outstanding along with “Brie” and “Bryan’s” facial expressions during “Nikki’s” proposal to “Cena”.

·        However, things took a serious turn when Cena turned down Nikki’s proposal. He gave her the cold shoulder by saying he was only using her as a prop in order to make himself look good. Cena hustles the people in order to get ahead, he’s only loyal to himself, and he only respects the money his bank account.

·        Miz and Maryse ripped off their wigs and got dead serious when they warned John and Nikki that their world would come crashing down at WrestleMania. According to Miz, Cena had Hollywood to fall back on, but he was still a lumbering idiot. Maryse rubbed salt in the wound by saying that Nikki’s appearance at the Kids’ Choice Awards is the closest she’ll ever get to having children of her own.

·        John Cena and Nikki Bella made their way to the ring to respond to the Total Bellas “Finale.” Cena enjoyed the skit, but the fun and games came to a halt when he destroyed Miz and Maryse on the mic.

·        Cena put Maryse on blast for collecting a paycheck and taking up space while her female counterparts took care of business between the ropes by actually lacing up their boots to compete on a nightly basis.

·        He put her career in the proverbial trash heap by saying if fans searched for Maryse’s Greatest Moments on the WWE Network, it would turn up 0 results. Cena twisted the knife even further by stating that the only reason Maryse was back in WWE was because Miz begged the company to let her back in. By doing this, he was able to join the cast of Total Divas as well.  

·        Cena proceeded to put their marriage on blast by saying that Miz has followed in his footsteps by taking time away from the ring in order to shoot movies. However, Miz is only doing bootleg versions of movies Cena has already starred in.

·        Things got even deeper when Cena flipped Maryse’s claim about him and Nikki not having kids on its head. Miz and Maryse have been married for about three years and they still don’t have kids. Cena accused Miz of shooting blanks as the crowd oohed and ahhed after that epic burn.

·        Cena warned Miz about bringing a knife to a gunfight and goaded the A-Lister to punch him in the face. He encouraged Maryse to slap the taste out of her mouth but warned her if she made one move that Nikki would knock the Botox from her cheeks. Cena proceeded to call Miz a P**** before as the crowd continued to go off.

·        Maryse and Miz walked away as Nikki warned them that they were going to get their asses kicked at WrestleMania as the segment came to a close.

·        This was a mind blowing segment from start to finish. The Total Bellas Parody was awesome, but Cena read Miz and Maryse for filth with his promo. He was a surgeon general who carved up his victims from head to toe. It was a masterful performance that had the crowd hyped throughout.

·        This was a money WrestleMania segment in every sense of the word. The match is unconventional but it has exceeded expectations in terms of storytelling, heat, and shade. Cena has to propose to Nikki at WM because WWE is laying it on pretty thick with the proposal fake outs as of late. It’s the perfect fairytale ending to kick off season seven of Total Divas. If not, Miz and Maryse might come out of this feud feeling vindicated despite getting ethered by Cena tonight.

·        American Alpha, Heath Slayer & Rhyno, and Mojo Rawley defeated The Usos, Breezango, and Dolph Ziggler when Rawley nailed Tyler Breeze with a charging forearm in the corner for the win. The match started off a bit slow, but things picked up down the stretch as both teams did a parade of finishes that popped the crowd.

·        Rhyno goring Breeze was pretty sweet while Ziggler nailed Slater with a sick Superkick to keep the nonstop action going. This was a nice way to hype the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania. Sadly, The Usos won’t be defending their SmackDown Tag Team Titles at the PPV. I guess there wasn’t room on the card to accommodate the new Tag Team Champs in a meaningful way. L

·        Bray Wyatt defeated Luke Harper in a solid main event match. Harper’s revamped look suits him perfectly as he looks more clean cut and trim as of late. He was rocking the mini man bun like a champ as well. Harper and Wyatt worked hard and had a physical match that had great crowd heat throughout.  

·        However, Harper lost focus when Wyatt gazed into his eyes for a disturbingly long period of time. Harper broke the stare down and tried to nail his former brother with a Discus Clothesline, but Wyatt countered with Sister Abigail for the win.

·        After the match was over, Randy Orton taunted Wyatt on the TitanTron. Orton returned to the burned down shack and drove a staff into Sister Abigail’s burial ground to bring forth the apocalypse at WrestleMania as SD Live went off the air.

·        The ending was a bunch of hocus-pocus nonsense, but it's par for the course at this point. As I mentioned last week, the Orton-Wyatt feud has jumped the shark once again and I can’t wait for it come to a head at WM. The match should be good, but the buildup post-arson has been poor. This was a ho-hum way to end the final SD Live before WrestleMania.

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live was solid. The show had a clear sense of purpose with a few surprises sprinkled in for good measure as the Road to WrestleMania comes to an end.

·        Naomi’s return gave a much-needed boost to Women’s Division heading into WM, but the title match is on the preshow which sucks because Naomi’s entrance would have been pretty cool to watch at night. The match stipulation is still a mystery, but we shall see what WWE has up its sleeve on Sunday.

·        AJ Styles and Shane McMahon having a traditional wrestling match is an odd call. The hardcore stunts were a clear sign that we were heading towards a demolition derby at Mania. The magic 8 ball was wrong in this case and one can only assume that Styles and McMahon will try their best to make this match work despite being confined to the ring. Considering Shane’s age and history of injuries, that might be for the best.

·        The John Cena-Nikki Bella/Miz-Maryse segment was tremendous. Outside of a minor hiccup a few weeks, ago this has been the best feud in WWE outside of Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens. This storyline has been fun to watch and everyone deserves a round of applause for a job well done. The match itself won’t be a barn burner, but it should be entertaining nonetheless.

·        Noticeably absent from tonight’s show was Dean Ambrose and Baron Corbin hyping their Intercontinental Championship match at WM. I guess their final hard sell took place last week, but it would’ve been nice to hear from both men one last time. The comedy segment featuring Daniel Bryan and Tyler Breeze cosplaying as Nikki Bella should’ve been left on the cutting room floor in order for the IC Title match to get some last-minute shine.

·        Despite that small quibble, the rest of the show breezed by as SD Live put the final exclamation point on things heading into the biggest show of the year. The blue brand hit a lull for a bit, but the show has come back with a vengeance over the past couple of weeks. The SD Live side of the Mania card is not perfect with the exception of the mixed tag team match, but I expect the wrestlers to show up and show out on Sunday. Move over Disney World, WrestleMania is about to slay the night away. Hopefully…

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back next week with a brand new installment of The Raw Exposé. See you later, boys and girls! 

The Raw Exposé: Magna Carta Holy Grail - In Search of The Big Red Kryptonite Belt (A Brock Lesnar Story)

By: Keila Cash 

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philly would serve as the backdrop for the final episode of Raw before WrestleMania. It’s the calm before the storm. It’s the next to last exit before hitting the I4 towards Orlando. This long winding road leading up to the biggest show of the year is almost over.

It’s been a so-so build on television, but nothing beats the excitement of WM Week. It’s a celebration of all things professional wrestling leading up to the Granddaddy of them all. Was the WWE Hype Machine in full effect or did it suffer a major breakdown instead? The answer to that pressing question can be found throughout out this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.  

·        The opening segment featuring Bayley, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax was fine, but the dialogue was rough in spots. Charlotte made the most sense by saying that Sasha was using Bayley in order to worm her way back in the Raw Women’s Championship picture. Sasha downplayed Charlotte’s claim by saying that there would be a time when business came before friendship and vowed to win the Women’s Title at WrestleMania.

·        Nia Jax made her way to the ring and chided the other ladies for acting like a bunch of high schoolers trading the belt back and forth like a game of hot potato. Things broke down into a brawl as Michael Cole tossed to commercial break.

·        It should be noted that the Women’s Title bout has been changed to a Fatal Four Way Elimination match. This will allow the action to flow more smoothly which should make the ending a bit more unpredictable. The division has been cold as of late, but the women are talented enough to pull off a good match at WrestleMania if they are given the time to do so. Bayley winning the championship at WM would have served as the perfect coronation, but WWE decided to pull the trigger on free television instead. It’s too late to put the genie back in the bottle and wish for a better result. That only happens in fairy tales produced by Disney. 

·        Bayley and Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte and Nia Jax when Bayley dropped Charlotte with the Bayley-to-Belly. The match was solid as Bayley ended her losing skid heading into Mania. The fans were into the action as well which helped repair some of the damage from the so-so opening segment which caused them to break out in an annoying CM Punk chant.

·        Bayley and Sasha Banks’ celebration was cut short when Nia Jax attacked them from behind. Jax laid out both ladies with the Samoan Drop before wiping out Charlotte with a running body avalanche. Jax picked up the Women’s Title belt as the crowd showered her with boos. This was an effective way to get heat on Jax heading into the Fatal Four Way Elimination match.

·        Sami Zayn will not only be fighting for a spot in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WM, but his career is also on the line when he faces Kevin Owens in a No Disqualification match per the order of Stephanie McMahon. The bastardization of their “Last Match Ever” decree continues, but the match should be great nonetheless. Since the bout is No DQ, expect Owens’ former best friend to make a cameo appearance. *wink, wink*

·        Austin Aries made Noam Dar tap out the Last Chancery after nailing Dar with a wicked Discus Five Arm. This was a nice maintenance win for Aries heading into his Cruiserweight Championship match against Neville at WrestleMania.

·        Seth Rollins signed the Hold Harmless agreement which cleared WWE of all liability in the event Triple H seriously injured Rollins during their Non-Sanctioned Match at WrestleMania.

·        The promo work from HHH and Rollins was good, but the segment didn’t have a lot of heat to it. Hunter talked about how Rollins shouldn’t be ashamed about wanting to live the good life by trying to appease his haters. Rollins countered by saying that his biggest regret was joining Triple H three years ago. He sold a piece of his soul in order to get ahead and it worked for a while. However, Rollins lost his self-respect along the way and decided that he needed to find redemption in order to make things right.

·        After Rollins signed his named on the dotted line, Triple H kicked the table against Rollins’ bad knee.

·        Rollins countered with an enzuigiri and was about to nail The Game with a Pedigree, but Hunter went after the injured knee again.

·        HHH was about to drop Rollins with his finisher, but Rollins moved out of the way and tossed Triple H out of the ring.

·        The Game got back in the ring only for Rollins to whack him with the crutch as Hunter rolled out of the ring to fight another day.

·        I’m glad that Rollins finally grew a conscience, but it’s too late to right all his wrongs six days before WrestleMania. His contrition should’ve taken place seven months ago, but he decided to whine to Stephanie McMahon when he didn’t get his way. Rollins’ de facto babyface run has been lackluster which explains why his feud with Triple H is not tearing down the house from a heat standpoint. Their match at Mania should be very good, but I don’t know if the crowd is going to be invested from an emotional standpoint.

·        The Big Show participated in an over the top rope challenge featuring Jinder Mahal, Bo Dallas, and The Shining Stars. Big Show tossed them over the top rope with ease, but he was ambushed by The Golden Truth and Curtis Axel which allowed the eliminated wrestlers to return the favor by tossing him over the top rope.

·        Big Show delivered choke slams and knockout punches to everyone except for The Golden Truth because they got the hell out of dodge.

·        Braun Strowman came out and threatened to kick Big Show’s ass, but decided to wait until WrestleMania as the perplexing segment came to an end.

·        I think Big Show won the match, but the bell never rang. If this was WWE’s way to kill some time, mission accomplished! In all seriousness, this was a sleepy way to hype the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Outside of Big Show and Strowman, the wrestlers representing Raw are perceived as a bunch of chumps who have no chance at winning the big gold trophy.

·        Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson attacked Sheamus and Cesaro backstage as they sent a clear message that they were ready for their Triple Threat Match for the Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania. The beat down was pretty vicious which plays into Gallows and Anderson’s wheelhouse. If they were booked liked legit badasses on a consistent basis, these ambush attacks would mean so much more in the grand scheme of things.

·        Neville and Jack Gallagher had a solid match as Neville took care of Gentleman Jack with a beautiful superplex from the top rope followed by the Rings of Saturn for the win via submission. Gallagher had a nice moment when he took flight with his umbrella and laid out Neville with a senton. However, the outcome of the match was pretty academic as The King of Cruiserweights took care of business heading into his Cruiserweight Title match against Austin Aries at WM.

·        Roman Reigns talked a big game, but The Undertaker has already dug the plot for his soul heading into their match at WrestleMania. Reigns sounded more heelish than usual by saying he didn’t give a damn about Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, John Cena, and Undertaker’s claim that they were the true Alpha Male in WWE. The ring was his yard and everybody inside the Wells Fargo Arena were in his house.

·        Taker shut down Reigns by telling him that he would Rest in Peace as he magically summoned the sound of thunder before dimming the lights.

·        The segment was short and sweet and didn’t overstay its welcome because Reigns and Taker are not known for being the greatest talkers in the world. Keeping things nice and simple was the way to go in this instance.

·        Big Cass’ Allen Iverson impersonation was pretty good.

·        Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Anderson and Gallows never got underway because Cesaro and Sheamus attacked the Tag Team Champs from behind with a ladder. However, Gallows and Anderson was the last tea, left standing as they knocked Enzo off the top rope with a ladder. This was a nice way to get out of the match without either team eating a pin 6 days before Mania.

·        The video package hyping Triple H vs. Seth Rollins did more to make me care about their match than their promo exchange from earlier tonight. That’s saying something…

·        Sami Zayn not only saved his career, but he’s going to WrestleMania as he defeated Kevin Owens via a roll-up thanks to an assist from Chris Jericho. Zayn and Owens had a nice match that survived the 10:30 Lull Period of Death as they put on a show for the Philly crowd. The action was hard-hitting throughout as the fans chanted “We Want Tables” down the stretch.

·        Things got interesting when Samoa Joe made his way to the ring. However, Jericho saved the day when he attacked Joe from behind with a steel chair. KO knocked Y2J off the ring apron, but the distraction allowed Zayn to pick up the win.

·        Owens tried to attack Zayn after the match was over, but Jericho made the save by hitting Owens in the back with a steel chair. He shooed his former best friend out of the ring and put him on The List of Jericho heading into their match at WrestleMania. This was a great way to promote Jericho vs. Owens while Joe is on the outside looking in heading into the biggest show of the year. One would think The Destroyer would have a high profile match at Mania, but it looks like he will be Triple’s H heavy instead.

·        Paul Heyman did a masterful job hyping the Universal Championship match featuring Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania. Heyman respected Goldberg for being a real-life superhero and legit badass, but he was about to take a trip to Suplex City where he checks in as Champ, but he won’t check out as Champ. WrestleMania 33 would mark the death of a Superhero and the beginning of a new era with Lesnar as the new Universal Champion.

·        Goldberg made his way to the main stage and decided to bring some Mania flavor to Philly by running down the ramp and spearing Lesnar onto the floor. Heyman was in absolute shock as Raw went off the air with Goldberg standing tall while his client was licking his wounds from the main stage.

·        This was a great way to end the show. Heyman was awesome on the mic. Goldberg kept things short and sweet by giving fans a taste of what they can expect at WrestleMania when he nailed Lesnar with a wicked spear.

·        Lesnar vs. Goldberg has to last longer than 1:26. If they are going on last, it needs to be an epic battle that grabs the fans’ attention. If this is Goldberg’s last hurrah, he needs to go out in a blaze of glory. A 10-12 minute match would do the trick, but his stamina might hamper things. If he can surpass the five-minute benchmark, everything else should be gravy.

·        It will be interesting to see if Lesnar is going to work extra stiff during the match. The Beast is known for getting a little rough in the ring and I don’t know if Goldberg can withstand the punishment. In any event, the match should be a spectacle with a raucous crowd cheering on Lesnar for the most part. Here’s hoping the match exceeds expectations. Fingers crossed!

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw was decent. The in-ring action was a bit better this week, but I thought WWE did a nice job bookending the top of each hour with a money segment hyping the key matches at WrestleMania. The results were mixed, but I thought the Roman Reigns-Undertaker and Brock Lesnar-Goldberg segments did the best job in terms of making WrestleMania feel like a must-see event.

·        The Women’s segment that kicked off the show was okay, but the division has been hampered by the hot potato booking of the Raw Women’s Championship as of late. Bayley is less over since winning the title in Las Vegas last month and the haphazard booking of her character hasn’t helped matters either. Patience is a virtue and I wished the company showed more restraint by letting Charlotte’s PPV winning streak end at WM. It’s too late to re-write history, but the Fatal Four Way Elimination Match featuring Bayley, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax should be good despite the lack of heat heading into the title bout.

·        Triple H and Seth Rollins are in the same boat as their feud has fallen below expectations. This is a match that has been built up for well over a year, but it doesn’t feel like an epic encounter because Rollins’ character has taken a hit in the credibility department in recent months. He came off as a spoiled brat who didn’t get his way until he had an epiphany from the clear blue sky that he was a total jackass during his unholy alliance with Triple H.

·        If Rollins was presented as a likable babyface sooner, he would be more over with the crowd. Sadly, he is playing behind the eight ball heading into his Non-Sanctioned match against HHH at Mania. Let’s hope Rollins has a virtuoso performance without seriously hurting himself.

·        Everything else on the WM card was given some shine, but it will be interesting to see how many of the matches end up on the Kickoff Show. Neville vs. Austin Aries for the Cruiserweight Championship has been bumped to the pre-show. It wouldn’t be surprising to see three more matches suffer the same fate once everything is timed out. We shall see how it all plays out over the next few days.

·        The Road to WrestleMania is almost over. The journey has been bumpy at times, but the final destination should offer some interesting surprises come Sunday. SmackDown Live will put the final exclamation point on things during their go-home show tomorrow night. Let’s hope the blue brand takes care of business heading into the biggest show of the year.

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!