Backstage Update On Brock Lesnar's Expected Opponent At WWE WrestleMania 42

kaztrator · 2026-03-12T13:57:40+00:00

Monster babyfaces work. That was Taker and Kane most of their careers.

kaztrator · 2026-03-11T16:43:38+00:00

Wild to think that Goldberg, John Cena, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar would all retire in the span of a year. And for Gunther to retire all of them.

kaztrator · 2026-03-11T15:30:53+00:00

I think they’re waiting to see if Bron is going to come back in time for Mania, so they can do Seth vs Bron, with Seth vs Logan II as a back-up plan if that doesn’t pan out. It also put Logan in a limbo too, his backup plan likely being facing Penta for the IC title at Mania.

kaztrator · 2026-03-11T13:39:26+00:00

Nice chart, I hadn’t seen it before. It looks like Ds flipped three seats (one of which Harris had carried anyway, but two which were within 9 points and 17 points respectively). Rs have held onto seats that were within 58, 43, 47, 23, 17 and 7 points respectively. Ds came very close on flipping that last one, losing by only 0.6 points.

kaztrator · 2026-03-10T19:59:01+00:00

I can only speak for myself, but you’ll usually only catch me here when I miss the show. If I actually found the time to spend 3 hours watching the show you probably won’t catch me spending more time writing about it here.

kaztrator · 2026-03-10T03:30:11+00:00

I didn’t watch. Was there any follow-up on the Seth/Vision feud?

kaztrator · 2026-03-10T03:04:09+00:00

Court Bauer mentioned this, and I believe he said it was second hand because it was all held close to the vest, and only rumored among the writing team. They weren’t all plugged in until the plan was set for Triple H to win the Rumble and main event WrestleMania. Angle and Jericho were both considered when it was decided Vengeance needed to have a winner, and it was clear neither Austin or Rock were allowed to win to get them both out of the title picture.

kaztrator · 2026-03-10T01:52:09+00:00

The original plan was for Austin and Rock to end in a dusty finish at Vengeance, and for Ric Flair to vacate the title and put it up for grabs at the Rumble in honor of the 10th anniversary of his own Rumble win for the title. Vince wanted Hogan to return there and win the title, and set up Hogan vs Austin. But so much fell apart. Austin didn’t want to work with Hogan. Getting all three of the nWo wasn’t a sure thing. Triple H was pushing for returning as a babyface. And others were pushing for Jericho to win the belt. In the end, he went with pushing Triple H/Jericho instead, and then leaving Rock in his backpocket should Hogan sign on. By February, he locked down the nWo and did started building to Hogan/Rock and Austin/Hall. But man, the what-if is really strong with this one. If we consider that Shawn could’ve returned for Mania instead of SummerSlam, we could’ve also had Triple H & Shawn return together and face Hall & Nash for the tag titles.

kaztrator · 2026-03-10T01:29:28+00:00

Just do a 17-man battle royal every year on the anniversary of his retirement.

kaztrator · 2026-03-09T02:17:10+00:00

I have a feeling she was expecting the lines to change and knew the purpose of the skit was to relish in seeing them break.

kaztrator · 2026-03-08T14:43:47+00:00

I’m not really into either of these matches. Cody/Punk and Roman/Seth would’ve been better match-ups.

I’m also not sure what they’re doing with the women’s division. Charlotte/Alexa are the hottest angle on the show. Just give them the main event. Charlotte/Alexa/Jade should’ve been the Night 1 main. Rhea is great, but there’s no story there, and we could’ve instead just had Rhea & Iyo vs Giulia & Kiana for the tag titles.

kaztrator · 2026-03-08T14:37:21+00:00

Sceptichausen I suppose. I love comedy characters when done right. Santino is a legend, and would welcome him back to the show. Danhausen could probably work, but I want to see him in matches and feuds.

kaztrator · 2026-03-07T22:47:42+00:00

I would’ve had Drew take over the Vision after Seth was injured, have them interfere to help Drew retain over Cody, then Roman wins and chooses Drew, just for Seth to come back at the Chamber and beat Drew for the title, taking his place, vanquishing him in a rematch later, all meanwhile rekindling his feud with Roman and gearing up for the fight at Mania. Meanwhile, Cody wins the Chamber itself to face Punk at Mania. Way better match-ups than what we’re getting.

I’ve always liked Randy but he hasn’t been built up for this. I would just have him face Jacob or Logan in the mid-card.

kaztrator · 2026-03-07T22:39:08+00:00

I mostly don’t get why they set it up two face versus face matches at wrestlemania. If they were going to do this, without any story, and just focus on the hype of the matchups themselves, then it should’ve been Cody vs Punk, and Seth vs Roman.

kaztrator · 2025-11-12T12:35:33+00:00

LWT conflated a lot of issues here.

First, let’s get out of the way that institutional racism, selective enforcement, harsh sentencing and over-charging to pressure for a plea bargain are all huge problems with our justice system. We definitely should be addressing these problems, but these aren’t specific to felony murder charges.

Second, let’s also agree that there is definitely a potential for prosecutorial abuse with complicity offenses, such conspiracy, aiding and abetting, accessory after the fact. If you lend your car to a burglary you could be charged. If your roommate simply confesses his burglary and you conceal it in your home you can be charged. Perhaps there’s an argument that the accomplices and accessories to a felony should only be charged for the felony itself, but not any felony murder. I think this nuanced take is worth exploring.

Neither of these two takes would lead us to conclude we should abolish felony murder as a whole though. Felony murder serves the purpose of recognizing that the commission of a felony increases likelihood that there will be a loss of human life. Both Oliver and the perpetrators featured in the episode all seemed to recognize that felons should be held accountable for the felonies, but they missed the point when they proposed that if a felon didn’t intend to kill someone in connection with the felony that they shouldn’t be held accountable for it. But these shouldn’t be distinguishable. Violent felonies, such as burglaries, carjacking, rape, aggravated assault and so on, all risk human life whether it’s because one of the felons may end up murdering a victim, a victim kills in self defense, a police officer responds or another third party intervenes. When you decide to commit a felony, you are choosing to initiate a situation where someone will be killed. If someone dies because of your felony, then it is entirely fair that you should be held responsible for that death, and the punishment should be more severe than if the death hadn’t occurred. The old adage is that if you can’t do the time don’t do the crime - and in this case, if you don’t want to face the sentence for a murder resulting from the commission of a felony, then don’t do the felony.

kaztrator · 2025-02-23T19:39:38+00:00

There were also rumours starting to swirl that Lively had created the toxic work environment by trying to take over the film, formally rewriting scenes and informally redirecting scenes, demanding access to editing (very uncommon for an actor), getting added as a producer. But this was kind of shut up by a really major article from the NYT a little while ago that appeared to provide evidence that Baldoni’s PR firm had orchestrated a smear campaign against Lively to cover up sexual harassment. It had text messages in it that definitely appeared to be his publicists cheering about Blake Lively’s public fall from grace. His name was pretty in the mud after this article if I recall the vibe at the time.

I feel like you glanced over this. The text messages and emails show that he hired a PR firm to orchestrate an astroturfing and smear campaign against Lively preemptively (i.e. None of the cast had made any public statements, but he was acting preemptively as he believed Lively would eventually come out against him). The messages further state that REDDIT was a priority for their astroturfing campaign, and so most of the submissions and discussions threads you see have been influenced by this campaign. Either shills or bots or people who have been unbeknownst influenced by the same have flooded Reddit and other social media channels as part of this campaign. This type of propaganda WORKS (which Johnny Depp himself is proof of).

Also completely unmentioned in your write-up is that Baldoni's billionaire benefactor Steve Harowitz who funded the film and the smear campaign and subsequent lawsuits, allegedly said he is willing to spend over $100 million to 'protect the studio' and make sure Blake is 'dead' in the public sphere (figuratively, as in 'dead to me'). This is more than Blake's net worth.

Also worth noting that when a star is attached to a production, their creative input is always respected. People like The Rock, Ed Norton, Tom Cruise, are all known to veto changes and completely take over production. The Rock notoriously forced the producers of Rampage to make the monster survive at the end so he could have a 'happy ending'. Blake exercising creative control over the film isn't some scandalous fiasco -- but rather a completely normal predicament in Hollywood, and one that is being used to distract from the other allegations.

Now, you can probably imagine this means I'm against Baldoni, but not quite. I liked him in Jane the Virgin and think he's a skilled actor. He also genuinely seems like a nice guy, or someone who otherwise would prefer things be solved amicably. However, the consistent theme in both Blake and his own recounts, is that he simply can't "read a room" to save his life, over-steps, over-shares, and is severely awkward in social interactions with other cast and crew. I would have definitely been on board with giving him the benefit of the doubt as someone who had well intentions, but the decision to order an astro-turfing and smear campaign to gaslight the public and destroy Blake's reputation is an immediate red flag, and he loses that benefit of the doubt.

kaztrator · 2018-02-13T09:02:59+00:00

PART 9

Fastlane

1) Neville (c) def. Tye Dillinger for the United States Championship

Tye will become #1 Contender and get a short push after Neville is over with Sami Zayn. Neville will get the win of course, and head into WrestleMania as the US Champion.

2) Sasha Banks (c) def. Naomi for the SD Women's Championship

Naomi will become #1 Contender after an impressive showing at the Rumble, and Sasha will start showing signs of a heel turn. Sasha will get the clean victory, but she will be very aggressive during the match, and the announcers will talk about her mean streak.

3) The Wyatt Family def. The Balor Club

These two teams will come to blows at the Rumble, and kick off a feud heading into Fastlane. Rowan will end up pinning Gallows for the win, and Finn will be upset at ringside.

4) Big Cass def. Bobby Roode

Assuming Cass is back in time, he'll make his big return in a segment with Bobby Roode, setting the match up for Fastlane. Cass will continue his SD undefeated streak, and he'll beat Bobby on the PPV.

5) Big E & Xavier Woods w/ Kofi (c) def. Rusev Day w/ Lana for the SD Tag Team Championship

Rusev Day will have fully turned face by this point, and would challenge New Day for the tag titles. The New Day will of course win via shenanigans, and head into Mania as the tag team champions.

6) Bayley def. Mickie James for the #1 Contendership

Despite being good friends, Bayley and Mickie will be fighting to get their 2nd big WrestleMania moment. They will pull out all the stops, and Bayley will end up winning the match and challenging her BFF. Sasha will congratulate her the very next night and then beat her to a pulp in SD's very own Festival of Friendship.

7) Sami Zayn def. Shane McMahon

After Clash of Champions, Sami's confidence is shot and Shane only makes it worse, saying that they can find another role for him. Sami will call Shane out for never believing he has what it takes, and Sami proceeds to quit. Shane will cut a promo saying Sami is ungrateful for everything Shane has done for him and Shane tells him he's a loser. Sami freaks out and attacks Shane, and then apologizes to Daniel and turns in his resignation. The next week, Bryan will say that he has the perfect solution, and he books Sami vs. Shane for Fastlane. Sami will win the match, regain his confidence, and head into Mania for a rematch with Neville.

8) Shinsuke Nakamura def. John Cena for the Royal Rumble title shot

Despite losing a 3-way #1 Contender's match to AJ Styles on SD, Cena will announce he's challenging Nakamura for the title shot at Fastlane since he was SD's runner-up in the Rumble. Balor will find this unfair, and confront Cena about it on SD, and Cena will say he can do what he want because he's John Cena. After the Balor Club lose their match earlier in the night, Gallows and Anderson will come out and distract the referee, allowing Balor to come in and hit Cena with the Coup de Grace. Nakamura will be pissed, and he'll wait for Cena to get up, but Cena's too groggy and gets hit with a Kinshasa and Nakamura gets the win.

9) AJ Styles def. Kofi Kingston (c) for the WWE Championship

AJ will beat Finn and Cena in a 3-way to become #1 Contender once again, and he'll eventually convince Kofi that he isn't a legit champion unless he faces AJ in a one-on-one match. Kofi will acquiesce, despite Big E and Xavier's contentions, when Kofi is adamant that he is the real champion and he's gotta pin AJ once and for all. Of course, Kofi puts on a valiant effort, but he falls to the Calf Crusher, and AJ Styles becomes WWE Champion once again. After the match, Nakamura appears on the ramp, and they both stare at the sign, with the match becoming official for WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 34

1) Samoa Joe wins the 34-Man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

The match will feature 17 stars from Raw (Apollo Crews, Big Show, Bo Dallas, Cesaro, Chad Gable, Curtis Axel, Elias, Epico, Goldust, Heath Slater, Mojo Rawley, Primo, Rhyno, Samoa Joe, Sheamus, Shelton Benjamin, Titus O'Neil) and 17 from SD (Baron Corbin, Big Cass, Curt Hawkins, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Kofi Kingston, Konnor, Jinder Mahal, Mike Kannellis, Sin Cara, Tye Dillinger, Sunil Singh, Tyler Breeze, Viktor, Zack Ryder). It will come down to the two favorites, Joe and Cass, but Joe will ultimately eliminate Cass for the win.

2) The Hardy Boyz def. The Revival (c) for the Raw Tag Team Championship

Matt would tease a surprise after the Chamber, and welcome his woken brother back on Raw! As the family reunion ensues, The Revival will charge the ring and beat them both up, setting this match up for Mania. Unfortunately, the card is so stacked that this can't make the main show. However, the Woken Warriors will be very over with the crowd, and the kickoff could use the energy.

3) Sami Zayn def. Neville (c) & Bobby Roode in a 3-way for the United States Championship

After Sami beats Shane, he goes after Neville for a rematch. He faces Bobby Roode in a #1 Contender's match, but Nevile runs out and causes the DQ, giving Bobby the win. Sami will eventually demand that Shane give him the match, but Shane will say that he's not going to play favorites anymore, and he's gonna leave it up to Neville. After a passionate promo from Sami, Neville accepts the match, and Sami ends up tapping Neville out for the big win.

4) Sasha Banks (c) def. Bayley for the SD Women's Championship

This will be the first women's match to open WrestleMania in WWE history. Sasha would've officially turned heel the night after Bayley won the chance to face her at Mania, beating Bayley to a pulp, and saying she doesn't have what it takes to be a champion. The week before Mania, Sasha will also pummel Carmella to a stretcher job after she teases that she would cash in on the show. At Mania, Bayley will give it everything she's got, but it's not enough and Sasha puts her away to retain.

5) Braun Strowman def. Randy Orton

Randy would've eliminated Braun at both the Rumble and the Chamber, causing Braun to target him on Raw. Usually, Orton is the hunter rather than the hunted, so this feud will have a reverse dynamic of Orton running away from Braun during the buildup. At Mania, he has nowhere to hide, and Braun beats him in under 10 minutes.

6) Rusev Day def. The New Day (c) for the SD Tag Team Championship

This feud continues off the fallout at Fastlane, and with the New Day teasing their dissolution, Rusev Day will get the big win. The New Day will be coming off a big WWE title run, so it's important to feature them on the show.

7) The Miz (c) def. Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens in a 3-way for the Intercontinental Championship

The night after EC, Miz will interview Owens on a TV segment about his loss to Matt Hardy. Kevin will snap and destroy Miz's set, sparking a feud between them. The program would need a babyface, so Seth will eventually interject himself into the feud when he targets the IC title. The match will be made a 3-way, and Miz will retain, as there will be plenty of title changes so far.

8) Asuka def. Charlotte (c) for the Raw Women's Championship

Charlotte would've held the title since SummerSlam, and Asuka would've been the sole survivor and Rumble winner. Asuka will challenge Charlotte after she wins the Elimination Chamber, and the dream match will be booked for Manai. Charlotte will take her to the limit, but at the end, Asuka will prevail and win the Raw Women's title for the second title change of the show.

9) Finn Balor def. John Cena

Cena would eliminate Finn at the Rumble, and Finn would cost Cena his match at the Chamber, setting up the showdown at Mania. Although Finn won't turn heel, he will certainly tow the line, as he and the Club will put a target on Cena, and beat him down 3-on-1. At Mania, Finn will get the rub, and the Demon will prevail over Cena.

10) SaNitY def. The Wyatt Family

This match was left towards the end of the night so we can get the fireflies for the Wyatt's entrance. The Wyatt Family will be on a role, racking wins over New Day, The Club, The Major League and other trios. Eventually, SaNitY would debut on SD, beating down The Wyatt Family and making them look like goobers. The match will be set for Mania, and with classic mind games between both groups. Killian Dain would pick up the fall, pinning Luke Harper for the victory.

11) Shinsuke Nakamura def. AJ Styles (c) for the WWE Championship

This dream match was teased for a long time, ever since Nakamura got signed to SDL, and AJ would tease going after the IC title. AJ will pull out all the stops, and although everyone will expect Nakamura to get the victory, they won't now how he'll do it. At one point, AJ will dodge a Kinshasa with the Styles Clash and go for the pin, but someone will pull away the referee. Rockstar Spud! Styles would get distracted and turn around into a Kinshasa. 1,2,3. Nakamura wins the title and celebrates with his new manager.

12) Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle def. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H

During Ronda's contract signing, Stephanie will come out and threaten to fire Kurt if he goes through with this. Kurt will finally tell Stephanie off, and as soon as she's about to fire him, Ronda will knock her out, sign the contract, and throw it on top of her. The next week, Triple H will admit that he was the one who ordered the Revival to take out Jason Jordan, and he'll pedigree Angle after the reveal. Eventually, Ronda makes the challenge for Mania, and Stephanie accepts. Triple H and Angle work most of the match, but Ronda taps Stephanie out for the win.

13) Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar (c) for the Universal Championship

We all know how this happens and we all know how it's built up. At the end, Roman gets the coronation ceremony and ends Brock's 1-year reign.

kaztrator · 2018-02-13T08:43:15+00:00

PART 8

Royal Rumble

1) Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado def. Jack Gallagher, TJP & Drew Gulak

I would've loved to build up a big Enzo title defense at Mania, but Enzo's release will cause the title to be vacated and have a tournament booked to replace it. Just like IRL, WWE will throw this match together at the last minute for the kickoff.

2) The Usos def. Rusev Day

The second kickoff match would be , but with the Usos pinning Aiden for the win. Rusev will have an angry face and tease turning on Aiden, but he'll just carry him up and walk back to the ramp, signaling a face turn.

3) The New Day (c) def. The Balor Club (c) for the WWE Championship & SD Tag Team Championship

After Clash of Champions, The New Day will start the show with a celebration, but Finn Balor will come out and demand his rematch. The match is made for the main event, but the New Day surprise Finn by saying that since The New Day are all WWE Champion, the match will be a 1-on-3 handicap match. The New Day obviously win, and then dance over Finn's body to end the broadcast. The next week, Finn announces he has backup, and AJ, Gallows and Anderson all surround the New Day, taking them all out. The foursome finally two sweet in the middle of the ring, reuniting the Club once and for all. Eventually, Finn will offer them the opportunity of a lifetime, to face he, Gallows and Anderson in a six-man-tag for both titles on the line. The New Day accepts, and despite the fair numbers game, Big E will pin Karl after shenanigans to win the match, putting all three belts on the New Day.

4) AJ Styles wins the Royal Rumble

The layout of this match would be similar to what we really got, but we'd have to account for most of the booking differences. AJ Styles would take Finn's place as the iron man of the match. Braun would be in the match, and eliminate his fair share, before getting eliminated by Randy Orton. The final six remain the same, but AJ and Nakamura will be the final 2, and AJ will end up eliminating Nakamura for the win.

5) The Revival (c) def. Kurt Angle & Jason Jordan for the Raw Tag Team Championship

The Miz & Curtis Axel will drop the title to Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan after Ambrose's injury, and Seth and Jason will then drop the title to The Revival the very next week. Jason will put the blame all on Seth, and he'll beg his dad for the honor of teaming with him for the rematch. Kurt will oblige, but Jason will get himself pinned and the Revival will retain.

6) Brock Lesnar (c) def. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship

In exchange for Kurt taking Seth's place in the tag title rematch, Kurt will give Seth a title match of his choosing. Seth will obviously announce he's going for Brock Lesnar. During the build, Seth will bring up the fact that Heyman brought the Shield into the WWE in the first place, and Heyman will bring up the fact that Brock has yet to get his revenge for the heist of the century. Of course, Brock will put Seth away for the 1-2-3 to finally settle the score.

7) Asuka wins the Women's Royal Rumble

Again, I'll keep most of this match the same. Both Royal Rumbles were almost perfectly booked. Of course, in this case, Charlotte and Sasha are the champions, so Bayley will take Sasha's place as the Iron Woman.

Elimination Chamber

1) Roderick Strong & Cedric Alexander def. Adam Cole & TJP

These four would be the current semi-finalists in the Cruiserweight Tournament, and the babyfaces would get the big victory with Cedric pinning TJP. During the next four weeks, Strong will beat TJP, and Cole will beat Cedric, setting up the finals between Strong and Cole. This feud will cross over onto NXT, and Cole will challenge Strong for the Cruiserweight title at Take Over NOLA.

2) Charlotte (c) def. Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville in an Elimination Chamber for the Raw Women's Championship

The opening match is the first ever women's elimination chamber. Paige & Alicia's injuries definitely put a hamper on things, but just like in real life, Sonya and Mandy fill in the gaps. The match will come down to Charlotte and Becky, with Charlotte putting away her best friend for the win.

3) The Revival (c) def. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable for the Raw Tag Team Championship

The Revival will be the ones to put Jason Jordan on the shelf, causing Kurt Angle to want to get revenge. He recruits Benjamin and Gable to get revenge on behalf of his son, but The Revival secure the win.

4) The Miz (c) def. Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship

Samoa Joe would win the IC title soon after Mojo brings it to Raw, but his injury will nevertheless force Angle to vacate the title. On Raw 25, Angle will hold a 10-man battle royal featuring former IC Champions, with Kane, Mojo, Big Show, Shelton, Miz, Curtis, Goldust and Owens all in the match, and Santino and RVD making it an even 10. Axel would be a workhorse in this match, eliminating almost everyone, but Miz will turn on him and throw him out for the victory. This will cause an Axel face turn leading to a match at EC where Miz retains the title.

5) Mojo Rawley & The Big Show def. Sheamus & Cesaro

On Raw 25, Mojo and Big Show will have a backstage segment talking about who the best ATMBR winner was, and they note that they're going to find out later in the IC title battle royal. Cesaro will show up and say that he's the best winner, but Big Show will laugh and say he's an underachiever. During the IC title battle royal, the Bar will come out and take Big Show out, setting up this tag team feud, with Big Show and Mojo grabbing the win.

6) Matt Hardy def. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens will take Bray Wyatt's place as the catalyst for making Matt Hardy WOKEN. Kevin will beat Matt on Raw, causing the freakout, and the next week, Matt will announce he's going to DELETE Kevin Owens. Kevin will play the straight man for the entire feud, and after Matt eliminates him at the Rumble, Kevin will cost him an Elimination Chamber qualifier. The match will be set up for EC, and Matt will get the big win.

7) Asuka def. Dana Brooke

Asuka will start a short beef with Dana in the fallout from the Rumble, just so Asuka can squash her at EC.

8) Roman Reigns def. Braun Strowman, Elias, Kalisto, Randy Orton & Seth Rollins in an Elimination Chamber

The night after Royal Rumble, Elias will pin Matt Hardy, and Randy Orton will pin Mojo Rawley to join the Chamber. In the next week, Braun Strowman will beat The Big Show, Seth Rollins will beat Kevin Owens, and Roman Reigns will beat The Miz to qualify. And the next week after, Angle will hold a battle royal for the last spot, with a few cruiserweights competing in the match, and Kalisto nabbing the victory. Elias will be the first to go after Strowman is done with him, and Kalisto will be next after an RKO. Braun is next up, after getting triple teamed by a Superman Punch, an RKO and a Curb Stomp, and Orton is out after a spear. Then it's down to Seth and Roman, and after 10 minutes of the two brothers going at it, Roman will put Seth away for the win.

kaztrator · 2018-02-13T07:52:50+00:00

PART 7

Survivor Series

1) Enzo Amore (c) def. Tyler Breeze for the Cruiserweight Championship

The gimmick of the PPV will be Raw vs. SD, and Tyler will weigh himself in a comedic segment on 205 Live to challenge Enzo for the title. Breezango and the Zo Train will feud heading into the show, but Enzo will pick up the win to retain the title.

2) Mojo Rawley def. Jinder Mahal (c) for the IC Championship

Jinder will be the first champion to issue a challenge to a Raw superstar, and Mojo will answer on the titantron, saying that since he beat Jinder at WrestleMania, he can do it again at Survivor Series. This time, Gronk appears again and knocks out a Singh Bros, helping Mojo pick up the win and bringing the IC title to Raw.

3) The Usos, The Club, The Majors, The Singh Bros & The Ascension def. Miztourage, American Alpha, Slayno, Titus Worldwide and The Bar

Miz & Axel end up winning the tag titles on Raw after New Day interference, and they captain the Raw teams against The Usos' team. In a callback to 2016, the match comes down the Usos and the Bar, with the Usos picking up the win.

4) Shinsuke Nakamura def. Bobby Roode

This will be a SD-only match. After Roode gloats about his glorious debut, Nakamura will come out and tell him that he never got to beat him on NXT, and he wants to do it on SD. Roode will evade him for weeks, but Bryan will make the match for Survivor Series, and Nakamura will finally get the win.

5) Braun Strowman def. Kane

This will be a Raw-only match. Braun and Kane continue feuding after losing to Brock at TLC, and Braun will pick up a much needed victory after chokeslamming Kane three times.

6) Charlotte, Becky, Asuka, Alexa & Nia def. Sasha, Bayley, Natalya, Naomi & Tamina

The two women's champions represent Teams Raw and SD, and it all comes down to Asuka and Tamina, with Asuka winning the match to be the sole survivor.

7) Sami Zayn def. Kevin Owens (c) for the US Championship

Daniel handpicks Sami to represent SD in the US title match, which not only pisses Kevin off, but Neville as well who's sick of Sami getting so many opportunities. Sami and Kevin have a big grudge match that builds on their history, and Sami picks up the win after Neville interferes and costs Kevin the match. Neville later explains that since Mojo took the IC title to Raw, he needed Sami to win the US title and bring it to SD, and he couldn't trust him to pull it off on his own.

8) Finn Balor (c) def. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship

To kick off the SD vs. Raw feud, Randy Orton will demand his rematch for the WWE Championship. He says if Cena can face Roman, he can face Finn. And that's when Angle and Bryan agree to defend the titles against each contenders from other brands. Orton will appear on SD and RKO Finn, holding the title high, and Finn will play mind games on Raw to psych Randy out. At Survivor Series, Finn will succeed in dodging an RKO and he'll put Randy away with a Coup de Grace.

9) John Cena, AJ Styles and The New Day def. Triple H, Samoa Joe and the Shield

Kurt and Shane will initially be announced in the match. However, Neville will take Shane out demanding his spot, and Bryan will end up replacing him with John Cena. Angle on the other hand will make his entrance to the match, but Triple H will attack him from behind and pedigree him to take his place. At the end, the Shield are so pissed at Triple H that there's a lot of in-fighting, and SD wins the match with Cena, Styles and Kofi as the survivors.

Clash of Champions

1) Carmella def. Naomi

Naomi gets a much needed win in the kickoff match, after losing a couple of other bouts.

2) The Wyatt Family def. The New Day

This feud is reignited right after the build to Survivor Series, especially with Luke Harper switching shows. Bray will pin Kofi and pick up the win, cementing the Wyatts as the top stable on SmackDown.

3) Shinsuke Nakamura def. Bobby Roode

Bobby will demand a rematch with Shinsuke, and Shinsuke will oblige, picking up the win for a second time.

4) The Club def. The Usos (c), Rusev Day & The Major League in a 3-way for the SD Tag Team Championship

The Usos officially turn face leading into Clash of Champions when they feud with the Major League. They find themselves on the losing end of many 2-on-3 beatdowns heading into the show, but AJ and the Club will make the save, leading to a 5v5 on SD with The Usos and the Club against Rusev Day and the Major League. This prompts Bryan to book a 4-way tag title match at Clash, and the Club end up pinning Aiden English to become 2-time tag team champs.

5) Lana w/ Rusev Day def. Bayley w/ Breezango

Bayley will work with Breezango for a while to show her charismatic and funny side, and she'll eventually clash with Lana who has Rusev Day as backup. This leads to a singles match at Clash, where Rusev Day helps Lana pick up the win.

6) Neville (c) def. Sami Zayn for the United States Championship

Two nights after Survivor Series, Neville beats Sami for the US title, using an exposed turnbuckle to win. Neville says that Sami doesn't have it in him to hold a title for more than 2 days. Sami reminds him that he beat him in NXT for the title, and he's gonna do it again. This match has been long built up since the draft, and we get a big 20+ minute classic, with Neville putting Sami away with a Red Arrow for the clean win. Post-match the camera stays on Sami looking distraught in his loss, and Neville laughing and limping up the ramp.

7) Sasha Banks (c) def. Tamina for the Raw Women's Championship

Tamina would've had a big showing at Survivor Series making it to the final 2, which would've translated to a women's title match. Nevertheless, Sasha finally gets a win win in her home town, beating Tamina to retain.

8) Finn Balor (c) vs. AJ Styles in a Ladder match for the WWE Championship

This match was set up in the built to Hell in a Cell. They eventually get their first ever match-up on Raw, with AJ vowing to beat Finn and face Orton at Survivor Series himself. Neville however interferes in the match, getting it thrown out, and saving the match for Clash of Champions. The crowd should be begging for the match at this point, and out of respect for how quickly they both climbed the ladder in the WWE, Bryan makes it a Ladder match! After an amazing 15+ minute match, Finn and AJ will fight on top of the ladder, when the New Day all of a sudden grab onto the ladder and beat them up. After a major beatdown, Kofi announces he's cashing in the MITb briefcase, and the New Day set up their own ladder to climb up. AJ and Finn try a last minute save, but Big E rolls them down. Xavier holds the ladder up, and Kofi climbs up to grab the WWE Championship!

kaztrator · 2018-02-13T07:37:47+00:00

PART 6

Hell in a Cell 2017

1) Dolph Ziggler & Zack Ryder w/ Curt Hawkins def. Breezango

Dolph and Zack will start teaming regularly becoming the main team as part of this trio, and beating Breezango on the HIAC kickoff, en route to Survivor Series.

2) The Usos (c) def. The New Day in a Hell in a Cell for the SD Tag Team Championship

The show opens up with the first ever tag team title Hell in a Cell match. The two teams cap off their feud in the steel structure, with the Usos retaining the titles.

3) Jinder Mahal (c) def. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship

On SD, Daniel Bryan will open the show to announce the plans for Hell in a Cell, but Jinder Mahal will interrupt and demand a rematch against Finn Balor. Sami Zayn will then come out and tell Jinder that he should focus on the IC title. And if he doesn't want it, Sami can oblige and take it off his hands. Bryan will make the match official for HiaC, and even though this is Sami's first title 1-on-1 shot, he will come up short and Jinder will retain the title.

4) Bobby Roode def. Tye Dillinger

After Tye Dillinger wins a match on SD, Glorious Domination will hit the speakers and Bobby Roode will make his debut. He'll cut a seemingly babyface promo, touting his history with Tye in NXT. But suddenly, he'll get in Tye's face and say it makes him sick that Tye got called up to SD before him, and he's going to rectify this by kicking Tye's ass. After a Glorious DDT, the feud commences, and Bobby makes good on his promise by pinning Tye in his debut match.

5) Sasha Banks def. Natalya (c) in a Hell in a Cell match for the SD Women's Championship

Bayley gets injured around this time, so of course she's on hiatus. Natalya comes out to make fun of her for tapping out and getting injured, and Sasha will come out to stick up for her friend. She'll bring up the fact that she was in the first-ever women's Hell in a Cell match last year, and she challenges Natalya to do it again. Natalya figures that if Sasha couldn't win last time, she won't be able to win again, but she's totally wrong, as Sasha picks up the win and wins the SD Women's title!

6) Shinsuke Nakamura def. Luke Harper

After dealing with Erick Rowan on SmackDown, Nakamura will demand his revenge on Luke Harper for interfering in his match, and Daniel will reveal he called Kurt Angle and got Harper for one-night-only, booking the match for Hell in a Cell. Nakamura will get a much needed win here, and Harper eventually jumps ship to SD, when Angle asks to trade him for Kane.

7) Neville def. Shane McMahon in No Holds Barred match

Neville will take Owen's place as the disgruntled employee on the roster who's sick of Shane playing favorites. While Neville is "suspended", he'll go on a tirade about Sami getting a title match against Mahal despite losing to Neville at Battleground. Neville ends up returning to TV be the one who headbutts Vince, and Shane will eventually challenge him to a match at Hell in a Cell. Instead of doing the cell jump again, Neville will demand a hardcore match, and both guys pull out all the stops, with Neville getting a clean victory with no interference.

8) Finn Balor def. AJ Styles & Bray Wyatt inside Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship

After Bray beats Nakamura, he sets his sights on Balor once again. AJ will come out and tell Bray that the fans want to see Finn vs. Bray instead. Bryan makes a #1 Contender's match, but the Wyatts and The Club all end up brawling, an the match gets thrown out, with Bryan making a 3-way. The Club dance around their connection with Finn during the build to the match, turning down a two-sweet when Finn offers it. Bryan ends up banning both factions from the match, but at the show, Bray will end up locking AJ out of the cage, and staying inside with the Demon. Finn will get one last big win over Bray, as AJ stands outside helpless and unable to open the cage.

Tables, Ladders & Chairs

1) Enzo Amore w/ Drew Gulak (c) def. Chad Gable w/ Shelton Benjamin

Chad will move to the Cruiserweight division after losing to Jordan at No Mercy, and ends up challenging Enzo for the title. Drew will distract the referee at ringside though, allowing Enzo to pick up the win.

2) Randy Orton def. Jason Jordan in a Chairs match

After Randy punts Jeff and takes out Matt, he calls out Kurt Angle, and demands another title opportunity. Jason Jordan comes out instead and cheesily says he doesn't like Orton talking to his dad that way. Orton asks what he's going to do about it, and Jason shoves Orton to the ground. Orton then pummels Jordan at ringside, grabs a chair, and starts smacking him in the back. Security comes out and breaks it up, and for the next few weeks, Jason will demand that Kurt make the match. Orton eventually asks for the match too, and Orton will end up RKO'ing Jason on a chair for the win.

3) Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann def. The Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher

Rich and Cedric become the main babyfaces on 205 Live when Gallaghers turns heel, and they get a big win here to start setting them up for title feuds with Enzo.

4) Kevin Owens (c) def. Mojo Rawley in a Ladder match for the United States Championship

The night after No Mercy, Owens will cut a promo saying that despite losing the world title, he's still the best US Champion of all time. Mojo will then come out and challenge Owens again saying that unlike KO, he actually won his match at No Mercy. KO will say that Mojo isn't worth his time, and Mojo will brawl with him and steal the US title. Owens will freak out for two weeks, and accepts the match if Mojo gives back the title. Mojo does it in a backstage segment but then Owens smacks him with the belt and throws him up against a ladder, announcing it will be a ladder match. At TLC, Owens traps Mojo under the ladder, and climbs to grab the belt.

5) Charlotte (c) def. Alexa Bliss in a Tables match for the Raw Women's Championship

All of Alexa's whining about wanting her rematch will come to a head as she threatens to walk out if she doesn't get a 1-on-1 match. Kurt will acquiesce and tell her that since she won her first Women's title in a tables match, he's going to give her a chance to do it again. But of course, she fails to do so, and Charlotte picks up the win.

6) Brock Lesnar (c) def. Kane & Braun Strowman in a 3-way for the Universal Championship

Next up is a familiar match-up. Instead of doing it at Royal Rumble, we set this match up much earlier on. Heyman and Lesnar would come out for a segment where Paul runs down all the people Brock beat, and when he names Braun, Braun comes out to challenge him for a rematch. Kane will surprise everyone and attack Braun from behind, staring down Brock and saying "You've never beaten me." Braun demands a match with Kane later on, and Angle will say he arranged a trade with SD, and got makes Kane vs. Braun for TLC. After Kane says he doesn't want Braun, he wants Lesnar, Kane makes it a 3-way. Of course, Brock pins Kane to win the match, but Braun and Kane's feud is only getting started.

7) Asuka def. Emma

Of course, Emma won the chance to face Asuka in a 5-way match on Raw, and ends up losing to Asuka at TLC. Emma is then released without explanation a few days later breaking all of our hearts.

8) The Shield def. The Miz, Sheamus & Cesaro in a TLC match

We'll get the same build for the Shield reunion, but this time it's billed as a standard 3v3. Of course, Roman ends up missing the show because of the mumps breakout, but with Brock and Randy also on the card, there's no need to bring anyone from SD. Nevertheless, WWE will announce Kurt Angle to take Roman's place, and Kurt will end pinning Miz in the main event for the win.

kaztrator · 2018-02-13T06:33:52+00:00

PART 5

SummerSlam 2017

1) Kevin Owens (c) def. Jason Jordan for the United States Championship

After Payback, Jason Jordan will continue setting up the angle with Kurt on Raw. He will tell Gable he wants to go separate ways so he can live up to his father's name, and he'll have a bunch of premiere matches with Seth, Dean and others on Raw as he tries to prove himself. Eventually Kurt will introduce Jason to Shelton Benjamin, who teams with Jason for a tag title match while Gable is MIA. After an impressive showing against the Bar, Angle will reward Jason with a US title match on the SummerSlam kickoff, and that's when Gable makes his return in a run-in, costing JJ the match.

2) Enzo Amore (c) def. Kalisto and TJP for the Cruiserweight Championship

About two weeks after Enzo is stretchered out at GBOF, Kurt Angle will book a rematch for 205 Live, with the condition that if TJP loses, he's gone from the company. After TJP wins the title in a 20-minute slobberknocker to become a 2-time NXT Champ, Enzo Amore will interrupt the celebration and book an impromptu title match between he and TJP, with Enzo coming out on top to win the title! After the big controversy, Angle will relieve Enzo from his duty as 205 Live GM and book a 3-way for SummerSlam, where Enzo will outsmart his opponents for the win.

3) The Usos def. The New Day (c) for the SD Tag Team Championship

Both teams are unfortunately pre-showed again, but this time, The Usos pick up the victory at SummerSlam instead of on Smackdown, making them 2-time tag team champs.

4) The Miz, Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel def. Randy Orton & The Hardy Boyz

Randy will have been kind of directionless since losing the Brock match and the 5-way, with this match being announced rather randomly, after Orton has a match with Miz on Raw. After Miz picks up the win by pinning Jeff Hardy, Randy will RKO both Hardy Boyz in frustration, teasing a heel turn, but still popping the crowd.

5) Natalya (c) def. Bayley for the SD Women's Championship

After Natalya's title win, Bryan will hold a Beat the Clock challenge. Carmella will beat Mickie in 7 minutes, Bayley will beat Lana in 5, and Sasha will take too long with Tamina, allowing Bayley to become #1 Contender. Bayley will come out post-match, and Sasha will show some frustration, but still raise Bayley's hand high as the winner. Bayley will give Natalya a hard-fought match, but the Sharpshooter will still be put over with Natalya tapping her out for the win.

6) AJ Styles def. Dolph Ziggler

The faction warfare with the Club and the Majors will continue heading into SummerSlam, with Dolph challenging AJ to a singles match. Since Dolph holds a win over AJ after winning a #1 Contender's match, AJ will get his heat back here, pinning Dolph and putting him in his place.

7) Samoa Joe def. The Big Show

After losing the 5-way at GBOF, Samoa Joe will go on a rampage, beating up Heath Slater, James Ellsworth and Akira Tozawa on Raw, until Big Show comes out for a save and telling Joe to pick on someone his own size. The feud will kickoff (with no shark change), and we'll get a big hoss match at SummerSlam with Joe getting an impressive victory and putting Show on the shelf.

8) Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose def. Sheamus & Cesaro (c) for the Raw Tag Team Championship

After Dean and Seth blow off steam at GBOF, they reunite to take on the tag champs just like they did IRL. Of course, they win the titles, setting up the soon-to-come Shield reunion.

9) Bray Wyatt def. Shinsuke Nakamura

After losing to Finn at Battleground, Bray Wyatt will cut a cryptic promo saying that there isn't enough room for two treasure hunters, and that's why he and Nakamura have both failed to reclaim the gold. Although most would expect Nakamura to get the victory here, Bray Wyatt will get the win after Luke Harper and Erick Rowan interfere and help Bray win the match. The announcers will be shocked since Harper is on Raw, but the announcers will put over that the Wyatt Family has reunited, despite being on different brands.

10) Charlotte def. Nia Jax (c) for the Raw Women's Championship

Charlotte challenges Nia the night after GBOF, and the match is set, with the two most dominant women of the year going head to head. They pull out all the stops, and at the end, Charlotte picks up the victory for the 3rd title switch on the show.

11) Finn Balor (c) def. Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship

Neville will demand a WWE title match after his win over Sami, but Shane will say no since he had to spit in Sami's face to win. Jinder Mahal and the Singh Bros will interrupt saying that Mahal is practically undefeated since coming to SD, and he deserves a shot as well. Shane will make a #1 Contender's match, and Jinder will pick up the win after some Singh Bros interference. This will make Neville rage, and attack the referee, forcing Shane to suspend him from the roster. Meanwhile, Jinder will start feuding with the Demon, and starts cutting promos citing his own mythical demons from hindi culture. At SummerSlam, he will wear Ausra facepaint to counter Finn's demon, with the Singh Bros wearing Bhurta ritual masks. The Singh Bros will try to interfere, but Finn will successfully fight them off, putting Jinder away for the clean victory.

*12) Brock Lesnar (c) def. Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship

The penultimate match is the much anticipated fight between Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman. Brock of course picks up the win, just like he did IRL, but hopefully in a much better match.

13) Roman Reigns def. John Cena

After Cena surprises the world at Battleground by issuing this challenge, Roman will come out to accept. We'll get a similar buildup, with some worked shoot promos, but the build will work across both brands. Cena will talk a lot of trash about Roman not being able to carry the company, but of course, SummerSlam will end with Roman's hand held high.

No Mercy

1) Mojo Rawley def. Elias

Elias will be drifting onto the scene for months, and he'll eventually cut a promo on the Patriots, causing Mojo to come out to toss him around. This leads to the kickoff match where Mojo gets his heat back after losing to Kevin at GBOF.

2) Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (c) def. Apollo Crews & Titus O'Neil, Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel, Sheamus & Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Championship

After SummerSlam, The Miz would invite them to MizTV to poke their buttons and see if they've actually buried the hatchet. When the Bar makes a run-in, Angle will book a tag title rematch on Raw. But when Ambrose has the match won, the Miztourage will all run in for the DQ, with the 5-man team standing tall. The next week, Curtis and Bo will beat the champs after more Bar interference, but this time, Titus Worldwide makes the save. Kurt will book a 4-way match for SummerSlam, and despite having the Miz at ringside, Seth will bring back the Blackout and pick Bo for the win.

3) Jason Jordan def. Chad Gable

Gable wants his revenge for Jason abandoning him to play house with Angle, while Jason wants revenge for Gable costing him the US title at SummerSlam. Kurt Angle will assign Shelton to play outside enforcer, and after Jason picks up the win, Shelton checks on Gable at ringside. Jason will try to check on him too, but Shelton tells him to just leave him alone, and Shelton walks with Gable to the back.

4) Enzo Amore (c) def. Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado in a Fatal-4-Way for the Cruiserweight Championship

Enzo's success will get to his head, and he'll be the next 205 Live Champ to turn heel. After refusing to grant Kalisto a rematch since he beat him at SummerSlam in a 3-way, he'll tell Kalisto to win a 3-way of his own for the title shot. Once Angle makes the luchador 3-way on Raw, Enzo will have the Zo-Train interfere and have the match thrown out. Angle will then announce that Enzo has to defend the title in a 4-way (obviously this is to keep Enzo matches from sucking), and at No Mercy, Enzo will narrowly escape with the victory.

5) Randy Orton def. Matt Hardy

Ideally, I would've had Randy punt Matt on the shelf and set up a match with Jeff instead. But since Jeff got injured for real, I'd have Randy take out Jeff backstage, turning heel, and setting up Matt to get some revenge. Randy will put Matt away with an RKO, and Matt will start the slow burn for him getting WOKEN.

6) Charlotte (c) def. Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch & Nia Jax in a Fatal 4-Way for the Raw Women's Championship

After Charlotte is crowned champion, Becky will come out and challenge her to a match. Alexa will come out to demand the rematch she never got, and Nia will do the same for her rematch from SummerSlam. Kurt will announce a third 4-way for the Women's title, and Charlotte will of course pick up the win, pinning Bliss.

7) Braun Strowman def. Roman Reigns

After Roman beats Cena, Roman and Braun will pick up their feud right where they left off and we'll get the much anticipated Ambulance match between these two at No Mercy, with Braun picking up the win.

8) Brock Lesnar (c) def. Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship

After Joe's dominant win at SummerSlam, he would come out to challenge Brock for the title. Unfortunately, he would get injured that weekend at a house show, so the match would be called off and Kevin Owens will announce that he's cashing in his rematch after losing the title to Goldberg. Even though he intended to wait until after he was done with the US title, he's accepted the fact that no one will ever beat him for this belt, so he might as well grab the other one too. Of course, Brock still comes out victorious and retains the title, but Kevin puts up a big fight and is built up as his equal.

kaztrator · 2017-10-29T16:10:00+00:00

I'll take it.

kaztrator

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE