SUMMARY
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NASHVILLE, TN—We’re a little over a month away from WrestleMania, and… it doesn’t quite feel like a WrestleMania.
There’s a show a week from now called Roadblock, a big-ish event that serves as a semi-important story event to help set up Mania on April 3. There’s a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship involving Triple H and Dean Ambrose, and Ambrose’s WrestleMania opponent Brock Lesnar will be concluding his little feud with Bray Wyatt that sort of began at the Royal Rumble match (and wasn’t really picked up from there).
It’s a strange little shindig that was turned into something notable at the last minute, which is why some of the things happening don’t make that much sense. Sheamus is facing Roman Reigns, but that feud is so 2015.
The actual top babyface in the WWE
What Roadblock does present is an interesting alternative to the status quo, one that the crowds wholly accept more: Dean Ambrose should be Triple H’s biggest foil as the top heel of the company right now. With the World Heavyweight Championship shot, he is, but it’s only a placeholder because they can’t really give away the WrestleMania matches outside of WrestleMania.
But this should happen, and because the outlook seems grim for WrestleMania, it could be in the company’s best interest for Triple H to take matters into his own hands and pull what is essentially the 21st century equivalent of the Montreal Screwjob. Change the finish without telling anyone and have Dean Ambrose go over, so that either he or Roman Reigns can turn heel and have a more exciting WrestleMania main event. It won’t be the most ideal first reign for Ambrose, but with the way things are right now, it might be what ends up revitalizing the show.
Of course, that’s not gonna happen. It’s just a fantasy booker’s fever dream, but like Daniel Bryan, it’s soon going to be something they can’t deny. People are willfully choosing Ambrose—and even Triple H, who’s supposed to be the bad guy—and once again Vince McMahon is going to look absolutely stupid the more he ignores it.
The WWE Network is now available
It’s still $9.99, which is under P500 every month! And the first month is free! Not to sound like a corporate shill, but this is literally thousands of hours of wrestling at your fingertips. ~P500 is a steal, and if you’re any sort of wrestling fan, whether you’re a casual fan now or a hardcore follower once upon a time, you should at least check it out. If you’ve fallen out of love with the thing, this might just be what brings you back, even if you can’t really stomach the current product. There’s so much to watch and so little time.
Austin Aries is finally (on TV) in the WWE
It happened back in January, but NXT has finally caught up enough to feature former TNA star Austin Aries’s official WWE debut. He’ll be wrestling Baron Corbin in the foreseeable future, and that’s not a bad thing, seeing as Corbin has been delivering solid work lately.
In other related NXT news, rumors are swirling that former NXT Champion Sami Zayn—who is scheduled to wrestle top Japanese star Shinsuke Nakamura in NXT Takeover: Dallas—will be wrestling at WrestleMania. No concrete plans on what he’s doing yet, but my guess is that he’s working the big Intercontinental Championship match, which is also rumored at the moment to be a multi-man match like last year’s. Things are looking up down at Orlando, and the WWE in general.
The Super J Cup is back
New Japan Pro Wrestling is bringing back the Super J Cup, the tournament featuring lightweight wrestlers that Dave Meltzer once called the “best single night of wrestling” ever. The last one was a whopping 7 years ago back in 2009, where Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji won the cup over Finn Balor. No specific details yet on when it will be, but you can be sure it’s going to be one hell of a barn-burner.
Hayabusa passes away
And speaking of lightweights in Japan, legendary Japanese high-flyer Hayabusa had just passed away. Hayabusa, whose fabled wrestling career was cut short after only 10 years thanks to an accident in the ring leaving him paralyzed, suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage yesterday. Hayabusa had just begun to walk again after so many years. The high-flyer had influenced an entire generation and those who followed with his style, grace, and effortless agility in the ring. Rest in peace, Hayabusa.
Do you listen to podcasts? Would you want to listen to a local podcast about pro wrestling? If the answers to those questions – especially that last one – are yes, then you should check out the cleverly-named Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast, featuring Mellow 94.7 DJ and PWR General Manager Stan Sy, wrestling writer Romeo Moran, and all-around multimedia person and former voice of PWR Raf Camus! On this week’s episode, they feature one of the Network’s new downlines, the “Golden Boy” Chino Guinto! Listen to it here! – Rappler.com
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