Wrestle Review: The Carnage! Submitted by Andy Sullivan on 02/15/2020 at 03:14 PM
NXT Takeover Portland is tomorrow night and I can't wait! Even if I do have to watch possibly Monday After Dakota Kai's turn on Tegan Nox at Takeover: War Games, you knew this was coming. It should be a war that I see Kai winning and probably ending this feud. The Broserweights won the Dusty Cup to earn this tag title shot but will NOT beat UE for the tag titles. I like Riddle and Dunne together but just don't see these guys as tag champs. Keith Lee will successfully defend the North American title against Dominic Dijakovic.
Fin Balor's heel turn came at the expense of Johnny Gargano with a bicycle kick to the head. Well, now Gargano is back for his revenge. Too bad he's not winning. Rhea Ripley will retain her championship against Bianca Belair. The match will likely be competitive. Well, it might be. I just don't see a point where I'm thinking Bianca might win this.
Main event time: Ciampa vs Cole for the NXT Championship. Cole won the title back in June. It's time for a new champ and, probably, the dreaded call-up for UE. I'm wondering how Vince will eventually screw these guys up. This night, however, will belong to Tommasso Ciampa. Enjoy Takeover everyone!
Matt Hardy was officially written off WWE tv Monday, or so I assumed. Randy Orton did the one-man con chair to this past Monday. Time was, they'd use common sense and get said guy off television a few weeks to sell the injury. And since we figured Matt was on his way out of WWE, I figured that would be his swan song. Now I see that Randy Orton vs Matt Hardy will happen on Raw this week. I expect it'll either ne a squash match or it will set up Edge's return. Either way, Matt is taking a beating again. Also, there is speculation Matt could be the Exhalted One in Dark Order. I'd dig seeing Broken Matt lead a group.
It really didn't take me long to watch Raw or Smackdown this week. It usually takes about an hour to watch Smackdown via the Hopper. Last night, I binged Smackdown and AEW Dynamite. It took me a little over a half hour, I repeat, a half hour to watch a two hour show. That does not sound like quality programming, does it? Well, it wasn't. Especially Smackdown. By the way, why are they getting Hogan into this Fiend/Goldberg business? I mean, if it results in Hogan taking a mandible claw and Sister Abigail, I wouldn't hate that.
AEW is really doing a good job making Mox look the part of underdog who can't win, especially with the addition of the Inner Circle's enforcer, who Jim Ross revealed as Jon's opponent next week before telling us not in the know who this guy is. Funny that he said one minute he didn't know the guy and the very next, said his name and that he'd face Mox next week. Pick a stance, Jim. By the way, do you guys follow Jim on twitter? He's a bit salty and I'm kinda here for it.
The Mandy/Otis thing had its payoff last night and it was just as you suspected when the angle began: Otis gets his heart broken. I know something about that these past few weeks. Back to the angle, I guess we'll be getting Heavy Machinery vs Ziggler and Roode for awhile.
I'll end on this note: I bought my first AEW shirt this past week: Jon Moxley's Unscripted Violence shirt. Now I have a shirt of his from WWE and AEW. Also, I have a bunch of wrestling shirts. I have a drawer in my new chest of all wrestling shirts. I had a few left over so I have those leftovers in a drawer in the dresser under my tv. Strengthening the empire, friends!
That's it for this week. Enjoy any and all wrestling that you desire. Don't let anyone tell you what to like, what to think, what you deserve. Maybe that "what you deserve part wasn't just about wrestling. Keep the faith and keep reading!
