Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)
Royal Rumble week is always good. It's rare WWE can mess it up. Sure, early 2010s included a whole lot of bad Rumble matches (mainly due to the ending), but the build to the show and the matches basically make every year worth enjoying.
This year especially has an utterly stacked card that recently replaced its worst match with Lesnar vs. Balor, a first-time-ever potential showstopper. The women's matches especially include two never-before-seen dream matches (using the term mostly correct here).
I just want Sunday to get here so that I can see all these incredible matches, but WWE has done a good job managing the time with a quality home stretch that should make it really hard to pick out just a few great matches next week.
This year especially has an utterly stacked card that recently replaced its worst match with Lesnar vs. Balor, a first-time-ever potential showstopper. The women's matches especially include two never-before-seen dream matches (using the term mostly correct here).
I just want Sunday to get here so that I can see all these incredible matches, but WWE has done a good job managing the time with a quality home stretch that should make it really hard to pick out just a few great matches next week.
If you look real close, you can see the exact moment in this match that everyone realized Braun Strowman is no longer protected.
Monday Night Raw January 21, 2019
Finn Balor Winning at Royal Rumble Would Open Up So Much at WrestleMania
Overview: Paul Heyman talked up Finn Balor with Brock Lesnar by his side until Vince McMahon came out to disparage The Extraordinary Man again. Braun Strowman then Balor arrived to say their piece with Mr. McMahon booking the two in a match to again challenge The Irishman.
A motivated Balor looked unstoppable at times in this match even connecting with the Coup De Grace on The Monster Among Men, but he angered Lesnar along the way who hit him with an F5 to cause a disqualification.
Analysis: There's really only one match for Lesnar at WrestleMania, against Seth Rollins. However, a Balor win makes so many more interesting matches possible. He can fight Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Dean Ambrose, Rollins, John Cena, and more. It would be so much more interesting even if it never happens.
Maybe The Revival Should Leave
Overview: The Revival convinced Vince McMahon to give them one more shot at Bobby Roode and Chad Gable but only with a special guest referee Curt Hawkins. Hawkins caught all their cheating before Gable managed to roll up Dash Wilder for three.
The heels lost it on their referee until Zack Ryder came out to make the save with the former Edgeheads reunited.
Analysis: Rumors have swirled about The Revival leaving WWE, and it might be the right choice. The tag team division is a mess, and Dawson and Wilder would do so well outside the WWE system. They're one of the best teams in the business despite their treatment lately.
Conclusion
This show was inconsistent to a fault. While the opening worked well with Balor's rise in standing and the main event worked extremely well as a preview to Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks, the rest was wavering wildly.
If you take out Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (a good match though wildly overused), Raw goes downhill fast. Baron Corbin vs. Elias does not mean anything. The Lucha House Party feel like they're doing nothing despite appearing every week.
A Moment of Bliss was fine, but it was just set up to highlight as many women in a short time as possible. The red brand knows what stories matter, but it would be nice if more was put into developing the weaker stories.
Overview: Paul Heyman talked up Finn Balor with Brock Lesnar by his side until Vince McMahon came out to disparage The Extraordinary Man again. Braun Strowman then Balor arrived to say their piece with Mr. McMahon booking the two in a match to again challenge The Irishman.
A motivated Balor looked unstoppable at times in this match even connecting with the Coup De Grace on The Monster Among Men, but he angered Lesnar along the way who hit him with an F5 to cause a disqualification.
Analysis: There's really only one match for Lesnar at WrestleMania, against Seth Rollins. However, a Balor win makes so many more interesting matches possible. He can fight Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Dean Ambrose, Rollins, John Cena, and more. It would be so much more interesting even if it never happens.
Maybe The Revival Should Leave
Overview: The Revival convinced Vince McMahon to give them one more shot at Bobby Roode and Chad Gable but only with a special guest referee Curt Hawkins. Hawkins caught all their cheating before Gable managed to roll up Dash Wilder for three.
The heels lost it on their referee until Zack Ryder came out to make the save with the former Edgeheads reunited.
Analysis: Rumors have swirled about The Revival leaving WWE, and it might be the right choice. The tag team division is a mess, and Dawson and Wilder would do so well outside the WWE system. They're one of the best teams in the business despite their treatment lately.
Conclusion
This show was inconsistent to a fault. While the opening worked well with Balor's rise in standing and the main event worked extremely well as a preview to Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks, the rest was wavering wildly.
If you take out Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre (a good match though wildly overused), Raw goes downhill fast. Baron Corbin vs. Elias does not mean anything. The Lucha House Party feel like they're doing nothing despite appearing every week.
A Moment of Bliss was fine, but it was just set up to highlight as many women in a short time as possible. The red brand knows what stories matter, but it would be nice if more was put into developing the weaker stories.
Grade: C
It must irk Andrade to be almost the best in the world only for a 44-year-old Mysterio is still better.
SmackDown Live January 22, 2019
Daniel Bryan vs. Rey Mysterio is the Natural Next WWE Championship Feud
Overview: Daniel Bryan taunted AJ Styles into a brawl outside the ring much to the chagrin of Vince McMahon, who wanted a face to face. The WWE champion used Vince to catch The Phenomenal One with a running knee and was able to stand tall.
Rey Mysterio fought Andrade in the main event in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match. El Idolo got the first pinfall with a top rope sitout powerbomb. Mysterio got the second pinfall with a Canadian Destroyer. After the luchador connected with the 619, Samoa Joe caused a disqualification by attacking Mysterio and laying him out.
Analysis: I have been trying to figure out what Bryan should next once he and Styles have their final match of the year. There are some fascinating options, but nothing stands out as more interesting than him fighting Mysterio.
While The Master of the 619 is 44 years old, he's moving better than most wrestlers at any time in their career. He looks as good as he ever has. He would put on a great show with the WWE Champion, and this can build toward a bigger WrestleMania clash with someone else on SmackDown.
Mandy Rose Has Quietly Improved Even During Bad Stories
Overview: Naomi fought Mandy Rose in a one-sided fight for much of the match. The former SmackDown women's champion looked unstoppable until Sonya Deville got involved and allowed The Golden Goddess to throw Naomi into the steel post to set up the pinfall.
Analysis: A lot of women on the current roster were rushed into the spotlight, but no one suffered more than Rose. She never really got a chance before appearing on the main roster, but she seems to be finding her niche. Deville is still way better, but they both are starting to become legitimate threats in WWE.
Conclusion
Here I was thinking SmackDown couldn't get better, and the blue brand pulls off one of the best two hours of wrestling I've seen in years. There was barely a down moment on this show, and it pushed through them quickly. The level of quality on display here was staggering.
The show opened with Becky Lynch and Asuka brawling, showcasing how personal they have become as rivals. Bryan and Styles also got into another brawl. This left the rest of the roster to get bigger spotlights. Mysterio vs. Almas was obviously great, but Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali was also quality.
This is how you do a Royal Rumble go-home show. Highlight as much talent as possible in fantastic segments and matches.
Overview: Daniel Bryan taunted AJ Styles into a brawl outside the ring much to the chagrin of Vince McMahon, who wanted a face to face. The WWE champion used Vince to catch The Phenomenal One with a running knee and was able to stand tall.
Rey Mysterio fought Andrade in the main event in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match. El Idolo got the first pinfall with a top rope sitout powerbomb. Mysterio got the second pinfall with a Canadian Destroyer. After the luchador connected with the 619, Samoa Joe caused a disqualification by attacking Mysterio and laying him out.
Analysis: I have been trying to figure out what Bryan should next once he and Styles have their final match of the year. There are some fascinating options, but nothing stands out as more interesting than him fighting Mysterio.
While The Master of the 619 is 44 years old, he's moving better than most wrestlers at any time in their career. He looks as good as he ever has. He would put on a great show with the WWE Champion, and this can build toward a bigger WrestleMania clash with someone else on SmackDown.
Mandy Rose Has Quietly Improved Even During Bad Stories
Overview: Naomi fought Mandy Rose in a one-sided fight for much of the match. The former SmackDown women's champion looked unstoppable until Sonya Deville got involved and allowed The Golden Goddess to throw Naomi into the steel post to set up the pinfall.
Analysis: A lot of women on the current roster were rushed into the spotlight, but no one suffered more than Rose. She never really got a chance before appearing on the main roster, but she seems to be finding her niche. Deville is still way better, but they both are starting to become legitimate threats in WWE.
Conclusion
Here I was thinking SmackDown couldn't get better, and the blue brand pulls off one of the best two hours of wrestling I've seen in years. There was barely a down moment on this show, and it pushed through them quickly. The level of quality on display here was staggering.
The show opened with Becky Lynch and Asuka brawling, showcasing how personal they have become as rivals. Bryan and Styles also got into another brawl. This left the rest of the roster to get bigger spotlights. Mysterio vs. Almas was obviously great, but Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali was also quality.
This is how you do a Royal Rumble go-home show. Highlight as much talent as possible in fantastic segments and matches.
Grade: A
Can't get the call-up he wants. Can't get on a TakeOver including Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno. Has to stay relevant by working with Bobby Fish. It's a bad year so far for Dream.
205 Live January 22, 2019
Hideo Itami Feels Revitalized with Ariya Daivari
Overview: Ariya Daivari put over how hungry Hideo Itami is for success before the triple threat preview match. While Akira Tozawa got close in this match, Itami snuck in here and took the win with the facebuster knee.
Analysis: It was not obvious at first, but Daivari has been a true heaven send for Itami. He has given a voice to Itami's confidence. Together, they feel like a clear threat, and it is easy to imagine the Japanese Superstar winning the Cruiserweight Championship now.
He won't, but he is the only guy in the match who could take the title from Buddy Murphy.
Overview: Ariya Daivari put over how hungry Hideo Itami is for success before the triple threat preview match. While Akira Tozawa got close in this match, Itami snuck in here and took the win with the facebuster knee.
Analysis: It was not obvious at first, but Daivari has been a true heaven send for Itami. He has given a voice to Itami's confidence. Together, they feel like a clear threat, and it is easy to imagine the Japanese Superstar winning the Cruiserweight Championship now.
He won't, but he is the only guy in the match who could take the title from Buddy Murphy.
NXT and NXT UK January 23, 2019
It's Weird to Have NXT TakeOver Without Velveteen Dream
Overview: The Velveteen Dream came out and made clear his intentions to go after the NXT North American Championship. The Undisputed Era's Adam Cole and Bobby Fish interrupted, making clear they planned to win every NXT championship.
This led to Dream vs. Fish, which The Experience won by sending The Undisputed Era member into his partner at ringside then connecting with the Dream Valley Driver into the Purple Rainmaker.
Analysis: NXT has a lot of talent, so not every TakeOver can have all that talent. Dream has been so integral to the event over the past year that it's pretty shocking to not see him included. The same could be said of Cole, but he's a talented but boring star. Dream is electric.
Obviously, the former Patrick Clark is still a high priority to NXT. There's a reason he won in the last match before TakeOver. Hopefully, he'll get a rematch with Ricochet soon enough, which seems like the next logical step for him.
Travis Banks Deserved the Spot in Blackpool
Overview: Travis Banks did not wait for the bell to start this match with Jordan Devlin, attacking him in a physical affair. The two fought until neither could stand, tumbling outside into a double count out. The two kept fighting after the bell and into the crowd.
Analysis: This was a better match than the Blackpool replacement where Devlin fought Balor. It was obvious from early on that it would be. This was as personal a match as I have seen put on in NXT UK, and the two told a great story with their animosity. It's a shame they couldn't tell this story at TakeOver.
Overview: The Velveteen Dream came out and made clear his intentions to go after the NXT North American Championship. The Undisputed Era's Adam Cole and Bobby Fish interrupted, making clear they planned to win every NXT championship.
This led to Dream vs. Fish, which The Experience won by sending The Undisputed Era member into his partner at ringside then connecting with the Dream Valley Driver into the Purple Rainmaker.
Analysis: NXT has a lot of talent, so not every TakeOver can have all that talent. Dream has been so integral to the event over the past year that it's pretty shocking to not see him included. The same could be said of Cole, but he's a talented but boring star. Dream is electric.
Obviously, the former Patrick Clark is still a high priority to NXT. There's a reason he won in the last match before TakeOver. Hopefully, he'll get a rematch with Ricochet soon enough, which seems like the next logical step for him.
Travis Banks Deserved the Spot in Blackpool
Overview: Travis Banks did not wait for the bell to start this match with Jordan Devlin, attacking him in a physical affair. The two fought until neither could stand, tumbling outside into a double count out. The two kept fighting after the bell and into the crowd.
Analysis: This was a better match than the Blackpool replacement where Devlin fought Balor. It was obvious from early on that it would be. This was as personal a match as I have seen put on in NXT UK, and the two told a great story with their animosity. It's a shame they couldn't tell this story at TakeOver.
Match of the Week
2-out-of-3 Falls: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade, SmackDown Live January 22, 2019 (Rating: 9/10)
I was ready for this to be even better than last week, and it was for long stretches. If we didn't lose parts of this match to the commercial breaks, it would have shined even brighter, and it was still great. However, a late botch and a disappointing finish let this one down from being better.
Not being better though is not an indictment against the work these two men do together. I don't even know how Mysterio does what he does in the ring at times. He could be 25, and it would still be unbelievable. The veteran looks as good as he has ever looked.
Andrade meanwhile has always been great and pushes the luchador to a level he has not reached in a long time. Next time, they should get a pay-per-view spotlight.
Honorable Mention: Gran Metalik vs. Humberto Carrillo, Location (Rating: 8.75/10)
I talked down Carrillo last week, and I still think he's got a long way to stand out. However, this was a far better showcase of what he can actually do. He and Metalik went all out in a clearly lucha libre focused affair with very little selling and storytelling, just pure athleticism.
It was a fascinating contest to put on right after Mysterio vs. Almas. The two had a weaker crowd, but they had a more complete contest with no stumbles. It was an impressive cruiserweight showcase.
I was ready for this to be even better than last week, and it was for long stretches. If we didn't lose parts of this match to the commercial breaks, it would have shined even brighter, and it was still great. However, a late botch and a disappointing finish let this one down from being better.
Not being better though is not an indictment against the work these two men do together. I don't even know how Mysterio does what he does in the ring at times. He could be 25, and it would still be unbelievable. The veteran looks as good as he has ever looked.
Andrade meanwhile has always been great and pushes the luchador to a level he has not reached in a long time. Next time, they should get a pay-per-view spotlight.
Honorable Mention: Gran Metalik vs. Humberto Carrillo, Location (Rating: 8.75/10)
I talked down Carrillo last week, and I still think he's got a long way to stand out. However, this was a far better showcase of what he can actually do. He and Metalik went all out in a clearly lucha libre focused affair with very little selling and storytelling, just pure athleticism.
It was a fascinating contest to put on right after Mysterio vs. Almas. The two had a weaker crowd, but they had a more complete contest with no stumbles. It was an impressive cruiserweight showcase.
