More movie reviews and content will come soon but I want to do something new this year and blog about something I’ve always loved: pro wrestling.  I’ll have a detailed post of my love for pro wrestling down the road but for now, I thought it’d be fun to keep tabs of my predictions for all the big WWE Pay Per View events of 2018 and see how well, or poorly, I do.  So without further ado, let’s get started with the 2018 Royal Rumble and NXT Takeover: Philadelphia!  If any matches get added to the show before this post, I’ll post before Takeover.

 

Kassius Ohno vs. Velveteen Dream

Even though Velveteen Dream has lost two big matches, he’s quickly becoming a rising star in NXT.  His persona stands out from everyone else and he is over with the NXT crowds.  I see The Dream getting a win here.  I’m not sure what’s next for Kassius Ohno.  He seems to be around but nothing is happening.  Does he get called up or does he start a feud to culminate at NXT Takeover: New Orleans?

Winner: Velveteen Dream

NXT Women’s Title

Ember Moon (C) vs. Shayna Baszler

I watched the entire Mae Young Classic and this is where I discovered Shayna Baszler.  Baszler, if pushed correctly, could be the Brock Lesnar of the women’s division.  She has a presence about her that she just likes to beat people up.  Ember Moon has had some unfortunate circumstances in trying to be the top woman on the roster.  She had to feud with the undefeated Asuka and couldn’t beat her.  She won the women’s title last month in an excellent Fatal Four Way.  However now she’s tasked once again to face someone, who quite frankly should beat her.  That is nothing against Moon but Baszler should and will win the NXT Title at Takeover

Winner and NEW NXT Women’s Champion: Shayna Baszler

 

NXT Tag Team Titles

Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) (C) vs. The Authors of Pain

I would be shocked if the Authors of Pain aren’t on the main roster by the Post Wrestlemania Raw or Smackdown.  They don’t have anything else to prove in NXT and there’s no point in giving them back the belts with the Undisputed Era are clearly the new big stable in NXT.

Winners and STILL NXT Tag Team Champions: The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)

 

Extreme Rules Match

Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole

This one can go either way.  My gut tells me to go with Cole.  I think NXT will continue to push the Undisputed Era strong for Takeover: New Orleans on Wrestlemania weekend.  This is the first one I waver on but I’m sticking with Cole.

Winner: Adam Cole

 

NXT Championship

Andrade “Cien” Almas w/Zelina Vega vs. Johnny Gargano

There is a nice little pocket of wrestling talent from Cleveland Ohio, in my neck of the woods of Northeast Ohio currently on the WWE Roster.  The main one is The Miz, who I think is a great heel and a great talker.  The other two I’m not fans of, who are Dolph Ziggler and Dana Brooke.  Johnny Gargano is Cleveland born and raised and I love seeing guys and girls from Cleveland on WWE.  However, there is this fella named Tomasso Ciampa who was Gargano’s partner in DIY and has been on the shelf for quite some time.  If he is cleared and ready, I feel he’ll be a factor in this match and cost Gargano the title.  It seems the most obvious and likely outcome, which is what I think they’ll do.  It’s going to be the best match on the show.  I’m digging Almas as the champion and I’d like to see him have a good run.  Ever since teaming with Vega, Almas has been great.  Almas gets the win via interference by Ciampa.

Winner and STILL NXT Champion: Andrade “Cien” Almas

 

 

Bobby Roode U.S. Title Open Challenge

The U.S. Title open challenge has returned and hopefully, it will not be Jinder Mahal.  I want this to be a random person, maybe a call-up from NXT.  Some people are saying Dolph Ziggler but that would be worse than Mahal.  I’m going with a wildcard, Roderick Strong.  Whoever Roode faces, he’ll retain.

Winner and STILL WWE U.S. Champion: Bobby Roode

 

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. The Revival

This should be a good match.  Gallows & Anderson, with Finn Balor, are now together as a faction and have turned babyface.  I’m going the Revival on this one though after they got lost to Gallows & Anderson on Raw and also made fools of by DX and The Clique.

Winners: The Revival

 

Kalisto, Lince Dorado, & Gran Metalik vs. TJP, Drew Gulak, & Jack Gallagher

I’ll be honest, I don’t watch 205 Live.  I don’t understand the entire Cruiserweight Division.  WWE has done a terrible job with the division since the Cruiserweight Classic.  With that said, hopefully, this will be fun and now that Enzo Amore has been fired from the company and the title is vacant, this could be a boost the division needs. I’m going with the babyfaces here.

Winners: Kalisto, Lince Dorado, & Gran Metalik

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship

2-out-of-3-Falls Match

The Usos (C) vs. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin

I love the Usos.  I feel they’re the best tag team in the company, hands down.  They’ve reinvented themselves to this thuggish, take no shit tag team.  I would easily have picked the Uso’s, however, Jey Uso was recently pulled over for a DUI.  WWE was last investigating the situation.  This does not bode well for the champs as WWE could likely have Gable & Benjamin win to punish them.  And I feel that’s how it’s going to go.  I believe it’ll go 3 falls but Gable & Benjamin will win the titles, and that makes me sad.

Winners and NEW WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions: Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship

Jason Jordan & Seth Rollins (C) vs. The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro)

I feel Sheamus & Cesaro are the 2nd best tag team in the company and seem to always have very good matches.  With the injury to Dean Ambrose, we now have this unlikely team of Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan.  I’m going to go with Jordan and Rollins on this one.  I do feel that Rollins & Jordan will lose in a rematch at the next Raw PPV Elimination Chamber, Jordan will turn on Rollins, and set up a Rollins/Jordan Wrestlemania match.

Winners and STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: Jason Jordan & Seth Rollins

WWE Universal Title

Triple Threat Match

Brock Lesnar (C) w/Paul Heyman vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane

As awesome as Braun Strowman has been, I feel his first encounter with Brock Lesnar was lackluster at Great Balls of Fire.  Maybe it was just that night but the match fell flat.  Now they’re going again and this time Kane is involved.  I’m already soured on the Strowman/Kane feud as there was a Raw in Cleveland last month that had Kane and Strowman in the main event.  After that “match”, I was quite disappointed.  I appreciate Kane and I get the whole appeal of these three behemoths going at it, I feel it’s going to be one of Brock Lesnar’s more disappointing PPV matches.  Lesnar will retain.

Winner and STILL WWE Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar

WWE Championship

Handicap Match

AJ Styles (C) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

This is an interesting concept.  I don’t recall there being a handicap match for the WWE title so this is a first.  Styles retains here but what is interesting is if they do anything or have a payoff to the Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan drama here.  Should be a very good match.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: AJ Styles

30-Woman-Over-The-Top-Rope-Royal Rumble Match

This is a historic match, continuing the women’s revolution in WWE.  I’m going with the popular choice here and she’s not on the poster.  Ronda Rousey is known to be training for WWE and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the seeds were planted during the Mae Young Classic with Shayna Bazsler involved and both Four Horsewomen factions being at ringside, sans Sasha Banks.  I initially thought that there’d be a Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen 8 woman tag at Wrestlemania but now I feel that Rousey is going to win the Rumble and toss Asuka out.  Asuka will beat Alexa Bliss either on a Raw or at Elimination Chamber and Rousey will challenge Asuka for the belt at Wrestlemania.  I feel like the show in Philadelphia, the crowd will be chanting Rousey’s name throughout the match and if she isn’t there, there will be a disappointment.  As far as surprises for the match, I’ll say Trish Stratus, Lita, Nikki Cross, Shayna Baszler, Alundra Blaze, Jacqueline, Ember Moon, Gail Kim, Beth Phoenix, and Kairi Sane are all good possibilities.  In the end, though, Rousey wins and goes on to Wrestlemania

Winner: Ronda Rousey

30-Man-Over-The-Top-Rope-Royal Rumble Match

I really don’t know about this one but I can guarantee that Roman Reigns won’t win.  I find it absolutely inconceivable that Reigns goes over yet again in Philadelphia and pisses off the crowd even more.  I hope WWE learned their lesson when Reigns won in 2015 and left the Rock getting booed trying to put Reigns over.  With Reigns out of the way, that indicates a Smackdown member will win as I believe Reigns will face Lesnar for the Universal Title.  I feel the plan all along is to have Styles defend the title against Shinsuke Nakamura on the grandest stage of them all.  There are crazy odds in Las Vegas that Daniel Bryan will win the Rumble, which would be shocking and crazy but I don’t believe he will be involved and if he is, I don’t think he’s going to win.  I’m giving the nod to Nakamura and we’ll have Styles and Nakamura as the main event of Wrestlemania.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

 Let’s hope for at least .500!