[WWE] Annual Wrestlemania Predictions Post From Me And Kiddo

 It's Wrestlemania Week! Here are predictions from myself and the Kiddo

Night 1

Tag Team Turmoil: The Riott Squad vs. Lana and Naomi vs. Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs. Natalya and Tamina Snuka (#1 Contenders Match; winners get a WWE Womens Tag Team Championship shot on Night 2)

My Pick: Gonna go out on a limb here... Bella Twins as a last-minute surprise entry.
Kiddo's Pick: The Riott Squad

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

My Pick: Cesaro
Kiddo's Pick: Seth Rollins

Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon (Steel Cage Match)

My Pick: Braun Strowman
Kiddo's Pick: Braun Strowman

Bad Bunny and Damian Priest vs. The Miz and John Morrison

My Pick: Bad Bunny and Damian Priest
Kiddo's Pick: Bad Bunny and Damian Priest

Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (Champions) vs. AJ Styles and Omos (Challengers)

My Pick: AJ Styles and Omos
Kiddo's Pick: The New Day

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre (Challenger) vs. Bobby Lashley (Champion)

My Pick: Drew McIntyre
Kiddo's Pick: Bobby Lashley

SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Bianca Belair (Challenger) vs. Sasha Banks (Champion)

My Pick: Bianca Belair
Kiddo's Pick: Sasha Banks

Night 2

Women's Tag Team Championship Match: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler (Champions) vs. (Winners of Night 1 Tag Team Turmoil Match)

My Pick: The Bella Twins
Kiddo's Pick: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler

United States Championship Match: Riddle (Champion) vs. Sheamus (Challenger)

My Pick: Riddle
Kiddo's Pick: Sheamus

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

My Pick: Sami Zayn
Kiddo's Pick: Kevin Owens

Intercontinental Championship Match: Big E (Champion) vs. Apollo Crews (Challenger) (Nigerian Drum Fight)

My Pick: Apollo Crews
Kiddo's Pick: Apollo Crews

Raw Women's Championship Match: Asuka (Champion) vs. Rhea Ripley (Challenger)

My Pick: Rhea Ripley
Kiddo's Pick: Rhea Ripley

Randy Orton vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt

My Pick: The Fiend
Kiddo's Pick: The Fiend

Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (Champion) vs. Daniel Bryan (Challenger) vs. Edge (Challenger) (Triple Threat Match)

My Pick: Roman Reigns
Kiddo's Pick: Edge

Annual Royal Rumble Predictions Post From Me and the Kiddo

 

It's time for the annual Royal Rumble predictions/fantasy booking post from me and the Kiddo!

Here's my Mens Royal Rumble Order of Entry:

1. Cesaro

2. Edge

3. Shinsuke Nakamura

4. Otis

5. Montez Ford

6. Mustafa Ali

7. Xavier Woods

8. T-Bar

9. Big E.

10. Braun Strowman

11. Daniel Bryan

12. AJ Styles

13. Brock Lesnar

14. Omos

15. Dabba Kato

16. Andrade

17. Seth Rollins

18. Dominik Mysterio

19. Aleister Black

20. Sheamus

21. Randy Orton

22. Big Show

23. Matt Riddle

24. Timothy Thatcher

25. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt

26. King Corbin

27. Bobby Lashley

28. Keith Lee

29. Jey Uso

30. Karrion Kross

My Mens Royal Rumble final four:

Daniel Bryan

Jey Uso

Karrion Kross

AJ Styles

And my Mens Royal Rumble winner:

Daniel Bryan

My Womens Royal Rumble Order of Entry:

1. Bayley

2. Shotzi Blackheart

3. Natalya

4. Naomi

5. Carmella

6. Sareena Sandhu

7. Mickey James

8. Mandy Rose

9. Kayden Carter

10. Dana Brooke

11. Sonya Deville

12. Ruby Riott

13. Shayna Baszler

14. Kacy Catanzaro

15. Marina Shafir

16. Liv Morgan

17. Jessamyn Duke

18. Nia Jax

19. Nikki Cross

20. Alexa Bliss

21. Rhea Ripley

22. Bianca Belair

23. Raquel Gonzalez

24. Aoife Valkyrie

25. Becky Lynch

26. Mercedes Martinez

27. Ronda Rousey

28. Meiko Satamura

29. Lacey Evans

30. Charlotte Flair

My Womens Royal Rumble final four:

Rhea Ripley

Bianca Belair

Ronda Rousey

Becky Lynch

My Womens Royal Rumble winner:

Rhea Ripley

Here's Kiddo's Mens Royal Rumble Order of Entry:

1. Randy Orton

2. Brock Lesnar

3. Kevin Owens

4. Xavier Woods

5. Big E.

6. Johnny Gargano

7. Karrion Kross

8. Triple H

9. Rey Mysterio

10. Gran Metalik

11. Bray Wyatt (non-Fiend)

12. Kane

13. Seth Rollins

14. Finn Balor

15. Stone Cold Steve Austin

16. Edge

17. R Truth

18. No Way Jose

19. AJ Styles

20. Samir Singh

21. Sunil Singh

22. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt

23. Titus O'Neil

24. Elias

25. Braun Strowman

26. Hornswoggle

27. Aleister Black

28. Adam Cole

29. Jey Uso

30. The Rock

Kiddo's Mens Royal Rumble final four:

Jey Uso

The Rock

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt

Edge

Kiddo's Mens Royal Rumble winner:

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt

Kiddo's Womens Royal Rumble Order of Entry:

1. Ronda Rousey

2. Candice LeRae

3. Carmella

4. Nikki Cross

5. Indi Hartwell

6. Liv Morgan

7. Lana

8. Cora Jade

9. Billie Kay

10. Peyton Royce

11. Naomi

12. Kacy Catanzaro

13. Bayley

14. Shayna Baszler

15. Rhea Ripley

16. Shotzi Blackheart

17. Charlotte Flair

18. Nia Jax

19. Beth Phoenix

20. Bianca Belair

21. Dana Brooke

22. Alexa Bliss

23. Ruby Riott

24. Natalya

25. Becky Lynch

26. Raquel Gonzalez

27. Dakota Kai

28. Lacey Evans

29. Trish Stratus

30. Lita

Kiddo's Womens Royal Rumble final four:

Ronda Rousey

Alexa Bliss

Becky Lynch

Rhea Ripley

Kiddo's Womens Royal Rumble winner:

Ronda Rousey

September

Finally getting some cooler weather in Shanghai. School is well underway, we're starting to make Fall break plans, and tickets have been purchased for WWE live in Shanghai later this month!

[WWE] Wrestlemania Predictions By Me And The Kiddo

Time for the annual Wrestlemania Predictions Post!

We haven't had a chance to watch NXT Takeover yet, but we didn't get this post up in time for that, so we'll stick to just the Wrestlemania main card and pre-show.

Wrestlemania Womens Battle Royal

My Pick: Asuka
Kiddo's Pick: Asuka

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

My Pick: Rob Gronkowski
Kiddo's Pick: Braun Strowman

Crusierweight Championship
Buddy Murphy (Champion) vs. Tony Nese

My Pick: Buddy Murphy
Kiddo's Pick: Buddy Murphy

Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos (Champions) vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. The Bar vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev

My Pick: The Usos
Kiddo's Pick: Ricochet & Aleister Black

Raw Tag Team Championship
The Revival (Champions) vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder

My Pick: The Revival
Kiddo's Pick: The Revival

Intercontinental Championship
Bobby Lashley (Champion) vs. Finn Balor

My Pick: Finn Balor
Kiddo's Pick: Finn Balor

United States Championship
Samoa Joe (Champion) vs. Rey Mysterio

My Pick: Samoa Joe
Kiddo's Pick: Samoa Joe

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

My Pick: AJ Styles
Kiddo's Pick: Randy Orton

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz (Falls Count Anywhere Match)

My Pick: The Miz
Kiddo's Pick: The Miz

Womens Tag Team Championship
Sasha Banks & Bayley (Champions) vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. The Iiconics vs. Nia Jax & Tamina
My Pick: Sasha Banks & Bayley
Kiddo's Pick: Nia Jax & Tamina

Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin

My Pick: Kurt Angle
Kiddo's Pick: Kurt Angle

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

My Pick: Roman Reigns
Kiddo's Pick: Roman Reigns

Triple H vs. Batista (No Holds Barred Match)

My Pick: Triple H
Kiddo's Pick: Triple H

John Cena vs. Mystery Opponent

My Pick: Undertaker defeats John Cena
Kiddo's Pick: John Cena defeats Undertaker

WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (Champion) vs. Kofi Kingston

My Pick: Kofi Kingston
Kiddo's Pick: Daniel Bryan

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs. Seth Rollins

My Pick: Brock Lesnar
Kiddo's Pick: Brock Lesnar

Raw Womens Championship & Smackdown Womens Championship (Winner Take All)
Ronda Rousey (Raw Womens Champion) vs. Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Womens Champion) vs. Becky Lynch

My Pick: Becky Lynch
Kiddo's Pick: Ronda Rousey

[ WWE] How I Would Have Booked Wrestlemania

As we approach Wrestlemania Weekend, here is my fantasy-booked version of the show, presented in start-to-finish order. I've got 12 matches on the main card (as of right now Wrestlemania officially has 13 matches on the main card, and the two Battle Royals on the pre-show), which allows a little bit more time per match, although this, like the real version, would still be a very long show.

Pre-Show

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

With 29 wrestlers in the ring, Rob Gronkowski is announced as the final entrant. Gronk teams up with Mojo Rawley for several eliminations early on before Rawley tosses him with a cheap shot. Rawley goes on to come close to becoming a two-time winner, before Mustafa Ali eliminates him for the win.

Winner: Mustafa Ali

Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal

In my scenario, Bianca Belaire is coming off a close loss in a one-on-one rematch with Shayna Baszler at Takeover. Here, she is victorious in what will end up being her main roster debut.

Winner: Bianca Belaire

Both Battle Royal winners will receive title shots ate Backlash.

Wrestlemania

The Shield vs. Evolution

Yes, we have seen this match before, but instead of blowing off the last ride of the Shield at Fastlane, have the Reigns vs. McIntyre match at Fastlane, and reunite the Shield here. This also gets Batista and Triple H on the show while letting Randy Orton do the heavy lifting for his side. Tension can be teased between Batista and Triple H, as well as between Ambrose and Rollins. Done right, this could be an awesomely hot opening contest.

Winner: The Shield

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (Smackdown Womens Championship)

In the exact same slot as last year, this time with the Queen as the challenger (no, Asuka does not drop the title on a random episode of Smackdown). Asuka redeems last year's defeat. I know there is often a lot of grumbling about 50/50 booking, but this is a case where it makes sense, and it's absolutely necessary to establish that Asuka is on the same level as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, especially with Ronda Rousey departing.

Winner: Asuka

AJ Styles vs. Andrade Cien Almas

Just a straight-up singles match between the up-and-coming Andrade and the all-time-great Styles. Andrade picks up a career-defining win here.

Winner: Andrade Cien Almas

The Usos vs. The Revival vs. New Day vs. The Bar vs Heavy Machinery vs. Rood & Gable (Double Tag Team Ladder Match for the Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
Okay, so I have no idea if this would be amazing or a giant mess, but I'm willing to give it a try here. Two sets of titles are hoisted over the ring in SEPARATE locations. First team to get a set of titles wins those titles, but the match continues. The same team could win both titles, or they could go to separate teams. Match ends when both titles are claimed. Any team that wins a title that is not of their own brand  is automatically reassigned to that brand in the Superstar Shakeup.

Winners: The Usos become the new Raw Tag Team Champions. Heavy Machinery become the new Smackdown Tag Team Champions.

Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley (Intercontinental Championship)

I know that heel vs. heel can be a bit of a turn-off, but McIntyre would essentially be wrestling as a babyface here, while Lio Rush makes sure that Lashley gets plenty of heat from the crowd.

Winner: Drew McIntyre becomes the new Intercontinental Champion

Buddy Murphy vs. Tyler Bate (Cruiserweight Championship)

Set up is the same: Single elimination tournament on 205 Live. I like Bate here better than Neese because Neese something of a known commodity. This also gives some exposure to NXT UK.

Winner: Buddy Murphy

Kurt Angle vs. John Cena

Kurt Angle's retirement match, the match the fans wanted to see. Angle gets the feel-good win on a rollup.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Samoa Joe vs. The Miz (United States Championship)

Miz has more than earned the chance to compete for a title at Wrestlemania in the babyface role here. He still gets put to sleep by the Coquina Clutch.

Winner: Samoa Joe



Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Kairi Sane and Io Shirai (WWE Womens Tag Team Championships)

Similar setup to the Cruiserweight Title match, the challengers are the winners of a cross-brand tournament. I think that the Iiconics and the Riott Squad deserve title runs eventually, but Sasha and Bayley deserve a long and memorable initial run as champions, so they should prevail here, and the Sky Pirates should put on an incredible match with the champs.

Winners: Sasha Banks and Bayley

Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship)

I really can't complain about the buildup WWE has done for this one, but the way I'd do it differently is to have Kofi win the Royal Rumble match. From there, the storyline could pretty much play out the same way, with Vince McMahon throwing additional obstacles in his path because he considers Kofi a "B+ player". I'm going with a lot of feel-good endings for these top matches, but I'm okay with that. Kofi with the much-deserved win here.

Winner: Kofi Kingston becomes the new WWE Champion.

Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor (WWE Universal Championship)

Balor gets his rematch from the Royal Rumble show here, and goes full Demon, including an epic entrance. If I was going to go with a heel win in any of the top matches, this would be the place to do it, and Heyman could brag about the Beast Slaying the Demon. However, the fact is that Lesnar really has been champion long enough, and the reign may as well come to an end at Wrestlemania.

Winner: Finn Balor becomes the new WWE Universal Champion

Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Raw Womens Championship)

I just feel that a one-on-one match is a better finale to the show than a triple threat, especially when Charlotte Flair has an obvious rival for a match earlier on the card.

Winner: Becky Lynch becomes the new WWE Raw Womens Champion

Royal Rumble Predictions From Me And The Kiddo

Here we go with our Royal Rumble Predictions!

Men's Royal Rumble Match

My assumptions: Daniel Bryan retains his title. Either outcome for the Universal Title match is okay (I'm picking Finn as Demon to win, but that may be wishful thinking on my part), Miz and Shane lose with Miz turning on Shane and going full-heel.

My Order of Entry

1. Seth Rollins
2. Dean Ambrose
3. Pete Dunne
4. Chad Gable
5. Scott Dawson
6. Jeff Hardy
7. Dash Wilder
8. Mustafa Ali
9. Bobby Roode
10. Tye Dillinger
11. Braun Strowman
12. Big Show
13. Curtis Hawkins
14. Xavier Woods
15. Kofi Kingston
16. Adam Cole
17. Randy Orton
18. Rey Mysterio
19. Andrade Cien Almas
20. Kevin Owens
21. Kalisto
22. Sami Zayn
23. Bray Wyatt
24. The Miz
25. Samoa Joe
26. John Cena
27. Velveteen Dream
28. Big E
29. Drew McIntyre
30. R. Truth

Final Four: The Miz, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe

Winner: The Miz

Kiddo's assumptions: Kiddo is assuming that Finn Balor defeats Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. He's also assuming that for some highly unlikely reason, Paul Heyman decides he's going to enter the Royal Rumble match himself.

Kiddo's Order of Entry

1. John Cena
2. Lars Sullivan
3. James Ellsworth
4. Dean Ambrose
5. Seth Rollins
6. Curtis Hawkins
7. Elias
8. Samoa Joe
9. The Miz
10. Tye Dillinger
11. Otis Dozovic
12. Velveteen Dream
13. Ricochet
14. Johnny Gargano
15. Kevin Owens
16. Baron Corbin
17. Triple H
18. Kurt Angle
19. Jinder Mahal
20. Jimmy Uso
21. Big E
22. Kofi Kingston
23. Xavier Woods
24. Randy Orton
25. Drew McIntyre
26. Shinsuke Nakamura
27. Paul Heyman
28. Brock Lesnar
29. Roman Reigns
30. R. Truth

Final Four: Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Shinsuke Nakamura, John Cena

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Women's Royal Rumble Match

My assumptions: I am assuming that Asuka retains her title against Becky Lynch. The Raw Championship doesn't figure into this match, but I'm picking Ronda Rousey to retain against Sasha Banks.

My Order of Entry

1. Naomi
2. Mandy Rose
3. Charlotte Flair
4. Sonya Deville
5. Lana
6. Tamina
7. Natalya
8. Nikki Cross
9. Billy Kaye
10. Liv Morgan
11. Trish Stratus
12. Sarah Logan
13. Peyton Royce
14. Ember Moon
15. Mickie James
16. Candice Leray
17. Lita
18. Nia Jax
19. Bayley
20. Zelina Vega
21.Bianca Belair
22. Kairi Sane
23. Mercedes Martinez
24. Kacy Catanzaro
25. Toni Storm
26. Alicia Fox
27. Meiko Satomura
28. Ruby Riott
29. Alexa Bliss
30. Becky Lynch (after beating Carmella senseless and taking her spot)

Final Four: Charlotte Flair, Meiko Satomura, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch

Winner: Becky Lynch

Kiddo's assumptions: Kiddo is assuming that Sasha Banks wins the Raw Title from Ronda Rousey, and that Asuka retains her title against Becky Lynch.

Kiddo's Order of Entry

1. Becky Lynch
2. Bayley
3. Shayna Baszler
4. Kairi Sane
5. Io Shirai
6. Kacy Catanzaro
7. Lana
8. Alicia Fox
9. Ember Moon
10. Charlotte Flair
11. Naomi
12. Vanessa Borne
13. Alexa Bliss
14. Lacey Evans
15. Nia Jax
16. Xia Brookside
17. Tamina
18. Sonya Deville
19. Ronda Rousey
20. Jessamyn Duke
21. Mandy Rose
22. Marina Shafir
23. Sarah Logan
24. Liv Morgan
25. Ruby Riott
26. Trish Stratus
27. Lita
28. Bianca Belair
29. Nikki Cross
30. Carmella

Final Four: Ember Moon, Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch

Winner: Ember Moon

My Annual Unlikely Royal Rumble Scenario

The night before the rumble, Tomaso Ciampa cheats to retain his NXT Championship. He then proceeds to enter the Royal Rumble at #23. Almost immediately, Aliester Black (not entered in the Rumble) comes out of the crowd and knocks Ciampa out with his Black Mass kick. Seth Rollins, in since #1, eliminates Samoa Joe and Drew McIntyre, leaving him in the ring with Ciampa's limp carcass. Rollins goes to throw him out, when Johnny Gargano comes in out of the crowd and superkicks Rollins. Rollins goes after Gargano only to have Ciampa thrown him out. The Greatest Sports Entertainer of All Time is on his way to Wrestlemania!

[WWE] How I Would Book WWE Evolution

WWE's women's PPV has been unfortunately suffering from an overcrowded schedule of events, and is not getting the kind of build-up that an event of such an historic nature deserves. I've also been less than thrilled with a couple of the announced and rumored matches. So, of course, that means it's time for fantasy booking!

Here is how I would run the show.

A couple of notes: I'm assuming that current roster injuries are minor enough that those superstars will be available for the show. I'm trying to do that without calling in any extremely unlikely surprises (so no AJ Lee or Gail Kim or Kharma), and sticking to returning legends that appeared either at the Royal Rumble or in the Mae Young Classic (so no Alundra Blayze). I also have not read any Mae Young Classic spoilers, so my predictions there could be way off. Obviously, there are a lot of potential finalists still in the field.

Matches are presented in the order they would appear on the show.

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals
The Bella Twins vs. Bayley and Sasha Banks

Setup: Eight teams entered a single-elimination tourney for the newly established WWE Womens Tag Team Championship. The first-round matches were held the previous week on Raw and Smackdown. This match comes from the Raw side of things. The Bellas defeated the Riott Squad to get here, while Bayley and Sasha managed a hard-fought win of the team of Nia Jax and Ember Moon.

Result: In spite of the Bellas flaunting their advantage in "being on the same page" over the sometimes-frenemies, it's Bayley and Sasha who are able to take Nikki out of the equation while Sasha taps Brie out to the Banks Statement.

NXT UK Women's Championship Match
Rhea Ripley (champion) vs. Killer Kelly

Setup: Honestly, I put this together basically because Killer Kelly has impressed me in the two matches I've seen her in. She's got a great look/attitude, and this should be a solid bout to put over the newly-crowned NXT UK champion.

Result: After a hard-fought match, Rhea hits Riptide on Killer Kelly for the win.

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals
The Iiconics vs. Trish Stratus and Lita

Setup: Obviously, this is one of the places I differ with WWE on use of some of the talent. As much as Trish vs. Bliss will hopefully be a great match, I feel like there is more nostalgic fun to be had teaming Trish and Lita up in a run for the new tag team belts. They were a surprise entry on the Smackdown side of things and scored a decisive win over the team of Sonya DeVille and Mandy Rose. Peyton Royce and Billie Kaye arrived here with a surprise victory over Naomi and Asuka (this is currently scheduled for Super Showdown; it could still happen there, just in my booking it would be a tournament match).

Result: Twist of Fate. Chick Kick. Litasault.

Nia Jax vs. Beth Phoenix

Setup: Given the reception these two had for just a staredown and a brief exchange at the Royal Rumble, I'm shocked that this match isn't already booked for Evolution.

Result: Back-and-forth contest that ends with Beth putting Nia over via the Samoan Drop.

NXT Women's Championship Match
Kairi Sane (champion) vs. Shayna Baszler

Setup: The one match where I wouldn't change the setup a bit.

Result: Similar to their previous matches, Shayna is dominant to start, leading to a comeback by a fired-up Kairi. Kairi has locked in her Anchor submission when Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir hit the ring and attack Kairi causing the DQ. Baszler, Duke, and Shafir beat Kairi down viciously, resulting in her being taken out on a stretcher.

Asuka vs. Meiko Satomura

Setup: Asuka, having lost in the first round of the tag tournament, demands competition. Paige, channeling her best William Regal, assures Asuka that she has searched the world for a suitable opponent for Asuka at Evolution, revealing "The Final Boss", Meiko Satomura.

Result: In a potentially show-stealing match, Asuka gets the victory with the Asukalock, and is propelled back into title contention.

30-Woman Past vs. Present vs. Future Battle Royale
(Winner receives the #30 entry into the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble)

Participants:

Raw: Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Natalya, Alicia Foxx
Smackdown: Lana, Carmella, Sonya DeVille, Mandy Rose, Naomi
NXT: Lacy Evans, Nikki Cross, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Deonna Purrazo
NXT UK: Dakota Kai, Isla Dawn, Xia Brookside, Jinny, Kavita Devi
Mae Young Classic: Mia Yim, Kacy Catanzaro, Mercedes Martinez, Kaitlyn, Lacy Lane
Legends: Molly Holly, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool, Jaquelyn, Layla

Setup: With the promise of over 50 women participating in this PPV, it was obvious that we were getting a battle royale., So let's make it mean something. With no title to put on the line, the #30 Royal Rumble entry makes for a nice prize. I set this up with five women from each active WWE division (I put Kavita Devi into the NXT UK division simply because I haven't seen all of the currently active NXT UK women compete and she seems like a good fit for NXT UK), plus five retired superstars (four of whom were in the 2018 Royal Rumble), and five other 2018 Mae Young Classic participants.

Result: Final four are Riott, Belair, Molly Holly, and Nikki Cross. Belair and Riott team up to eliminate Holly. Cross tosses Riott, but gets caught and powered over the top when she goes for a top-rope splash on Belair. Bianca Belair is your winner and a serious threat to win the Royal Rumble entering from the #30 spot.

Mae Young Classic Finals
Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai

Setup: This looked like the most likely result I could predict from the brackets so far.

Result: Shirai misses with her moonsault and Storm hits Storm-Zero for the win and the trophy, and a future NXT Women's Championship opportunity.

WWE Raw Women's Championship Triple-Threat Match
Ronda Rousey (Champion) vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Ember Moon

Setup: Adding Ember Moon to the mix freshens up the Rousey/Bliss rivalry. Bliss has Mickey James in her corner (sorry, Mickey, this was the best spot I could find for you on the card).

Result: Moon hits the Eclipse on Rousey, but Bliss breaks up the pin. Bliss throws Moon out of the ring and goes for Twisted Bliss, but Rousey catches her in the armbar for the submission victory. Rousey isn't losing her title any time soon, but this sets up a one-on-one rivalry with Moon that will serve nicely to continue Ronda's championship run.

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals
Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Trish Stratus and Lita

Setup: See previous semifinal matches.

Result: Lita is going up top for the Litasault when Sasha shakes the ropes, causing her to stumble enough for Bayley to get up for a top-rope Bayley-To-Belly for the victory. Much hugging ensues.

WWE Smackdown Womens Championship 30-Minute Ironman Match
Becky Lynch (Champion) vs. Charlotte Flair

Setup: WWE's philosophy seems to be to go with star power (Nikki Bella and Ronda Rousey). Mine is to put the best rivalry in the women's division, not to mention two of the best wrestlers, in the main-event spotlight. Sticking an ironman match as the eleventh match on the card might be a problem in terms of time, but if that were the case, you could always move the two tag tourney semifinal matches to the pre-show (which would immediately make it one of the best pre-shows in WWE history).

Results: Each wrestler earns a submission with her move of choice, and the match remains knotted at 1-1 as it goes into its final minutes with both wrestlers hitting their opponent with everything they have. In the final seconds, Charlotte has the upper hand, but when she hesitates moment to "Whoo!" to the crowd before locking in the Figure-Eight, Becky rolls her up for the final and deciding fall. Like before, Charlotte offers her hand in sportsmanship and Becky snubs her to head up the ramp with her title.

That's when Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke run in out of the crowd to attack Flair. Bayley and Sasha Banks run down the ramp to help Charlotte, but with Charlotte already beaten down the heels still have the upper hand. Becky watches, conflicted from the ramp, then finally sprints down to join the fight, turning the tide and helping Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha to clear the ring.

Ronda Rousey's music hits, and she comes out to stand alongside her crew as the show ends with the Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen staredown to set up Survivor Series.

[WWE] WWE Shanghai China September 1 2018

Our first live WWE show outside of the US!

Here are the quick results.

Bobby Roode def. Bray Wyatt (rollup)

The B-Team retained via pinfall (rollup on Dash Wilder) in a triple threat match against Titus Worldwide and The Revival. Dana Brooke was not at ringside for Titus Worldwide. This was played mostly as a comedy match.

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre via pinfall (stomp) in a pretty good match.

Bobby Lashley, Finn Balor, and John Cena def. Elias, Baron Corbin, and Jinder Mahal via pinfall. Cena hit the AA on Elias, then followed up with what looked like a stiff forearm for the win. This may have been what he was talking about in a recent interview where he said he was adding a sixth "Move of Doom". Cena then spoke to the crowd for several minutes in what sounded to me (who is a complete beginner at learning the language) like pretty fluent Mandarin. He introduced a group of people seated at ringside who I believe were recent WWE developmental signees from China.

(Intermission)

Cedric Alexander retained via pinfall (lumbar check) vs. Drew Gulak

Bayley, Sasha Banks, Natalya, and Ronda Rousey def. Alexa Bliss and the Riott Squad. Rousey submitted Blis with the armbar for the win in a fun match.

Roman Reigns def. Braun Strowman via DQ when Ziggler and McIntyre interferred. Rollins and Ambrose came out to the Shield music to make the save, and they ended up putting McIntyre through a table with the Shield Bomb to send the crowd home happy.

Decent-sized crowd in the Mercedes Benz arena, though not sold out. Biggest pop of the night was for Cena, with Balor a close second. Crowd was mostly behind Strowman in the main event, but cheered the shield during the ending brawl.

[WWE] Wrestlemania Weekend Predictions by myself and the Kiddo!

Here are the traditional Wrestlemania predictions by me and the Kiddo (age 10), including the rest of the weekend's WWE matches.

Axxess Invitational Tournaments

WWE United Kingdom Championship Invitational

My Pick: Drew Gulak wins tournament. Pete Dunne retains.

Kiddo's Pick: Zack Gibson wins the tournament and the title

NXT North American Championship Invitational

My Pick: Wolfgang wins tournament. Champion retains.

Kiddo's Pick: Hideo Itami wins tournament. Champion retains.

NXT Tag Team Invitational

My Pick: TM61 wins tournament. Champions retain.

Kiddo's Pick: Sanity wins tournament. Champions retain.

NXT Women’s Invitational

My Pick: Candice LeRae wins tournament. Champion retains.

Kiddo's Pick: Nikki Cross wins tournament. Champion retains.

NXT Takeover New Orleans

Undisputed Era (Champions) vs. Authors of Pain vs. Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne (Triple Threat Match for the NXT Tag Team Championships and the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Trophy)

My Pick: Undisputed Era

Kiddo's Pick: Strong & Dunne

Ember Moon (Champion) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT Womens Championship)

My Pick: Shayna Baszler

Kiddo's Pick: Shayna Baszler

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa (Unsanctioned Match)

My Pick: Johnny Wrestling

Kiddo's Pick: Johnny Wrestling

Richochet vs. EC3 vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Adam Cole (Ladder Match For The NXT North American Championship)

My Pick: EC3

Kiddo's Pick: Lars Sullivan

Andrade "Cien" Almas (Champion) vs. Aleister Black (NXT Championship)

My Pick: Aleister Black

Kiddo's Pick: Aleister Black

Wrestlemania Kickoff Show

Andre the Giant Memorial Mens Battle Royal

My Pick: Big Cass

Kiddo's Pick: Lars Sullivan

Wrestlemania Womens Battle Royale

My Pick: Becky Lynch

Kiddo's Pick: Bayley

Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)

My Pick: Cedric Alexander

Kiddo's Pick: Mustafa Ali

Wrestlemania Main Card

Seamus & Cesaro (Champions) vs. Braun Strowman and a mystery partner (Raw Tag Team Championships)

My Pick: Braun Strowman & James Ellsworth (no, really!)

Kiddo's Pick: Braun Strowman & Randy Orton

The Usos (Champions) vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers (Triple Threat Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

My Pick: Bludgeon Brothers

Kiddo's Pick: Bludgeon Brothers

Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon

My Pick: Rousey & Angle

Kiddo's Pick: Rousey & Angle

Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

My Pick: Owens & Zayn

Kiddo's Pick: Bryan & McMahon

The Miz (Champion) vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (Intercontinental Championship)

My Pick: Miz

Kiddo's Pick: Balor

Randy Orton (Champion) vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal (Fatal Four-Way Match for the U.S. Championship)

My Pick: Well, since the match is happening on Rusev Day... Gotta go with Rusev!

Kiddo's Pick: Jinder

Charlotte Flair (Champion) vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women's Championship)

My Pick: Asuka

Kiddo's Pick: Asuka

Alexa Bliss (Champion) vs. Nia Jax (Raw Women's Championship)

My Pick: Jax

Kiddo's Pick: Jax

Undertaker vs. John Cena

My Pick: Undertaker

Kiddo's Pick: Cena

AJ Styles (Champion) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)

My Pick: Nakamura

Kiddo's Pick: Nakamura

Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Championship)

My Pick: Reigns

Kiddo's Pick: Lesnar