Question of the Day: What booking decision at the Elimination Chamber surprised you the most?
Hi kids.
The Elimination Chamber is in the books. Before I dive into the meat and potatoes of my column, a public service announcement:
The Eternal Optimist Eats Crow.
There’s no need to hide from the obvious. I shot a giant air ball on the Men’s Elimination Chamber. I could not have been more wrong. The naysayers and skeptics were right. Roman was “hiding in plain sight” and I was too blind to see it.
There might be some columnists who only praise their wins instead of owning their losses. I’m not one of them. SCHWING AND A MISS! Moving on.
My Thoughts on Roman v Brock.
I’ve had almost 24 hours to digest the Universal Title match now set in stone. You know what?
I’m good with it.
Sure, I would have preferred Braun v Brock. Roman is a made-man and Strowman could have benefitted tremendously from the rub. However, I’m not going to let my dislike for the booking cloud my judgment on what will certainly be an epic encounter.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but the first Lesnar v Reigns match at Wrestlemania 31 was a top 5 Wrestlemania main event ever. It was the blueprint for how you book two larger than life wrestlers against each other. I was completely captivated from the minute it began until the minute it was over.
Brock Lesnar is still the same guy when he decides to put on his working boots, and Roman Reigns is twice the wrestler now than he was then. I am expecting their showdown to not only be the best match of the night (Sorry Styles/Nak fans), but one of the best matches all year.
To be honest, Roman winning last night seems to have brought out all of the booger eaters in full force. Anytime I can see the crybabies drop the hashtag of #cancelWWEnetwork, I’m a happy man. Not getting the main event I wanted is a small price to pay in exchange for the endless misery of the worst portion of our community.
F*ck it. I hope the WWE goes all-out troll on us tonight. Please…please please please…..have Roman and Brock recreate their tug of war over the title to close the show. I want as much fake outrage by people who are NEVER cancelling their Network subscription as possible. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for.
What NOT to do with Braun Strowman at Wrestlemania.
Roman winning at the Elimination Chamber leaves Braun Strowman without an obvious dance partner for Wrestlemania 34. With his booking throughout the year and his booking last night, you can be assured that Braun won’t be left out in the cold.
I’m not currently concerned with who Braun ACTUALLY squares off with at Wrestlemania 34. Who he faces is irrelevant. I am confident that he will be booked strongly. I’m here to issue a word of warning to the WWE:
DO NOT ADD BRAUN STROWMAN TO THE UNIVERSAL TITLE MATCH.
There is absolutely no need to put Strowman in the main event to appease the fan base. The Wrestlemania main event should be a single’s match unless a multi-man match cannot be avoided. We already saw a Fatal Four Way headline Summerslam, removing Samoa Joe from the equation and giving us a similar match just doesn’t feel worthy for the occasion.
On top of that, to paraphrase the late Denny Green, “If you’re going to crown him….crown him”. If the WWE brass want Roman to be the guy who dethrones Brock Lesnar for good, they need to just let it happen. Get it out of the way and don’t try to lump Strowman’s inevitable rise to stardom in with it.
The Contract Signing – The Good and the Bad of Ronda Rousey.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a segment go from “This is your life – Bayley/Alexa” to “This is your life – Rock/Foley” in a matter of minutes. Watching Ronda stumble over basic lines was cringe-worthy at best and a complete disaster at worst. She was quickly reaffirming everything that the skeptics believed about her coming to the WWE – she didn’t have the verbal skills to make it work.
I was shaking my head when it all turned around in an instant. The crowd reaction and pop to her tossing Triple H like a lawn dart and going face to face with Stephanie was everything that the WWE could have hoped for and more. Despite her obvious shortcomings, her star power is unmatched by anyone that has walked into a WWE ring in a long time.
The WWE needs to do everything that they can to cultivate this rare flower that has been dropped upon them. Hide her obvious flaws at all cost. She needs to be a unicorn. Keep her off TV. Keep a microphone out of her hand. Don’t ask her to do anything more than a couple of big spots to pop the crowd. It’s not rocket science but the stakes are too high to take any chances.
If the WWE plays their cards right, Ronda Rousey can headline half a dozen of the biggest shows the WWE puts on to tremendous financial gain. If they don’t, she’ll be gone in six months. The ball is in the WWE’s court. I hope they don’t drop it.
That’s a wrap kids. Agree or disagree? Sound off below!
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