RAW Review: 28th March

Hello! I know right? Two weeks in a row. That's right, we've got another RAW Review to do- and it is of course the Review for the Go-Home show for Wrestlemania. Last Years Go-Home, I actually can't remember a lot of to be honest- it could have been great. The only thing I can remember from last years Go-Home Show is the Brock/Roman Tug of War to end the show. Which was all kinds of bad, and I thought nothing that happened tonight could get worse than that- so let's see then eh?

Before I start the Review it's time for some Public Service Announcements;

1. I'm aiming for a few extra Posts this week on top of the Reviews, Predictions etc. So keep an eye out for those throughout this week. 
2. The next season of the Fantasy WWE thing I run is starting after Mania Week, if you want to sign up for it let me know on Twitter so I can put your name down
3. Armbar
4. TAKEOVER: DALLAS STARTS AT 3 FUCKING AM UK TIME. JOKE. 
5. New Day Rocks

Undertaker & Shane McMahon Opening Segment

I'm happy to see Shane back, don't get me wrong. But this build has been all over the place, and at times awful for me. Between Shane, Vince and Taker trading the word "Bitch", massive continuity errors and just plain weird segments it's not been nearly as good as it could- and should have been for me. With all that said, I did really like the segment last night. It's not exactly a secret that Taker is lacking somewhat in the Mic department, but Taker knows how to work a crowd like few others- and that compensates a lot for the lack of Mic skills. It was a pretty generic Promo given what's already been said, but his delivery and general aura got it over. The back and forth was decent, we got the mandatory "Bitch" thrown in there- and then we got to the brawl. 

I'm in two minds as to whether I liked the Elbow Drop through the Table. I do get the argument that "Well, they're inside a Cell so they won't use the Announce Desks". I'm not entirely sure they're going to stay in the Cell on Sunday. I don't know how, but I genuinely think Shane's either getting thrown off the Top/Side of the Cell through the Announce Desk- or he's jumping off the side/top through Taker on the Announce Desk. Even with that said, Shane's whole "thing" is doing fucking crazy stuff. That includes but is not limited to jumping off things and being put through/putting others through various things. So why give one could argue Shane's main offensive manoeuvre away on Free TV less than a week before Mania. It was without a doubt a cool spot, I'm not disputing that- however the Go-Home show shouldn't really be the place for cool spots in my opinion. 

Zack Ryder v Chris Jericho

THE WWE ARE LEARNING, GUYS! After last weeks disaster, the WWE realised that if the Babyface in the feud is distracting the Heel in a match- the Heel had better actually lose. I suppose that detail could pretty accurately sum up the Mania build in general, with them completely missing the mark- and then trying to fix it when it's too late.

If you're discussing what's been the best built match for Mania, it's between the Styles/Jericho match and the Divas Triple Threat without a doubt- and depending on how much time it's given AJ/Jericho could properly steal the show on Sunday. Also, ZACK RYDER WON! HE'S GONNA WIN THE IC TITLE! WOO! WOO! WOO! YOU KNOW IT, BRO.

Charlotte v Becky Lynch
As I said a moment ago, AJ/Jericho and the Divas Triple Threat have been the two best built matches for Mania. I think everyone agrees with that, however what I don't agree with is having Sasha win the Title at Mania. Feel free to disagree with me on this, and I suspect a lot of you will; in-terms of the story that's been told in the build to this Mania- Becky Lynch winning makes so much more sense. I haven't read the Smackdown Spoilers, but if this is the last action for this feud before Mania I really hope by the usual logic of looking strong/weak on the Go-Home being an indicator as to whether you're winning or losing at a PPV.

I love Sasha, but the whole thing with Becky has been that she's been overshadowed by Charlotte since they arrived as the Submission Sorority- and Charlotte's wanted to keep her down. Sasha's time will come, but Sunday at least should be Becky Lynch's moment in my opinion. The actual match last night wasn't much, as it should have been given they're wrestling together on Sunday as well- and that fact goes back to my misgivings with the Shane Elbow Drop.

Shane & Vince Backstage Promo
This was a pretty good Promo from Shane, it was a really good (most likely) final Promo that they can take clips of for the Match's Video Package because it detailed the feud pretty well, threw in some personal stuff with Shane & Vince- chuck a (non Flo Rida) track over it and boom.

Big Show & Kane v The Social Outcasts
This was a pretty bad, but definitely necessary segment. They needed to establish who was in the Battle Royal simply put. I didn't count everyone in the ring, but purely from my first impression it didn't look like there was 20 Guys in the ring- which is a good thing because I can't see any of the guys we saw in the ring last night winning the thing. I also needed this segment because I need to know who's in the Battle Royal for a Booking Blog that I'll hopefully get to do this week.

The Unbookables Wrestlemania

Here's a link to last years, basically I took everyone either off the card or in the Battle Royal and made a full card out of it. Just on a personal level I really liked this one.

Triple H & Stephanie Promo
For the first time, I think in history- I actually feel sorry for Triple H. He tried his absolute best to get the crowd last night to boo him. He insulted people's hopes, dreams, called their whole lives meaningless, he played up how much bigger he is, how much richer he is, outright said he's better than everyone and yet still when Roman came out for their brawl Roman was getting booed. A lot can be said about Triple H and how he's gotten to where he currently is in WWE- however in this case Triple H is the one trying to push the deadweight up the Hill. The deadweight isn't even Roman, it's just this current incarnation of Roman that's been murdered by Creative and in turn the Fans.

Kofi Kingston v Alberto Del Rio
There was so much stuff to talk about here. Firstly, how fucking over New Day were last night. Unless I've messed up the dates a bit, this time last year New Day had all of the "New Day Sucks" chants and were just generally buried by the crowd. Now, as I'll discuss a bit later- they were the ones being chanted for during the burial of another match. It's a testament to just how good New Day have been in the last year, and given what Meltzer's said with regard to plans for New Day at Mania I hope they- above pretty much everyone else get their deserved reward at Mania.

Second, Alberto Del Rio's squared collar on his T-Shirt was something else. The match itself was quite fun, but I think that's expected with these two. Without a doubt the highlight was Xavier's "La Cucaracha", and it made me realise that Xavier's getting too fucking good on the Trombone now. He either needs to play badly or upgrade to a Tuba. He can get paid to follow Fat People around.

The stuff with Byron Sa- I mean Coachman after was just bizarre. I mean, I get they had to make the announcement of all the ESPN stuff. However, the whole segment just fell a bit flat for me. I can only assume because of Coach's dance moves. It was good to see him however.

Roman Reigns, The Dudleys, Triple H Backstage Attack
Going back to them doing everything possible to try and get some cheers for Roman- they then moved on to the numbers game part of being a Heel. I'm not exactly sure how we were meant to think The Dudleys could take Roman when unless I'm mistaken he killed them both on Smackdown- but Triple H stepped in pretty quickly at least. Did this segment get any heat? Nope. Just silence.

Kalisto v Konnor
This segment was similar to the Ambrose/Strowman match last week, in that on paper the whole "proving they can kill a monster" type angle is good heading into a match with Ryback. However, I believe this was Konnor's first ever singles match on the Main Roster- and I genuinely can't remember the last time The Ascension won. The Ryback face-off wasn't bad, it's just with absolutely no heat on the feud because of such a bad/non-existent build it just didn't really mean much.

It's a shame for Kalisto as well, because I thought he'd end up in either a Mask vs Mask match with Sin Cara or a Mask vs Hair match with Del Rio. While it wouldn't have been one of the primary focuses of Mania- it would have at least kept some interest on Kalisto as opposed to where he is now.

Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, Dean Ambrose Segment
This was just quite weird. On paper, I think the idea of having Ambrose load up on Weapons (because they're weapons, let's not be politically correct) in front of Brock heading into Mania was a good idea. The execution however was horrible. Within kayfabe Ambrose had already been given the Barbed Wire Bat and the Chainsaw. So, how in the fuck did they end up underneath the ring. I can only assume Ambrose hid them there- only to re-take them out later. HE'S A LUNATIC, MAGGLE.

Heyman's Promo was great as usual, and I'm looking forward to Brock bringing his own weapon on Sunday- which is of course Zach Gowan's Prosthetic Leg.

Emma v Paige
There's moments in wrestling that are simply timeless. Hogan bodyslamming Andre, Hogan joining the nWo, Austin 3:16, Daniel Bryan at Mania 30- to name just four examples of many. What we witnessed in this segment may well go down as the best segment in wrestling history.

Firstly, I don't really give a fuck about the match- as is the case with, well everyone. However it gets Summer and Emma on Mania- and on RAW last night, so I'll happily take what I can get. The actual match was just nothing, which is such a shame because these two legitimately kickstarted the whole NXT Women "era".

Right, nobody gives a fuck about that stuff, EVA MARIE'S BACK! AND IT WAS GLORIOUS. Last Night wasn't enough however, I now can't wait for Sunday where Eva can get her Wrestlemania moment in front of 100,000 Eva-Maniacs. I thought this match was going to be used as a means to give Brie a Wrestlemania moment to retire on, and while I think that's still the most likely outcome- most likely as the end for the series finale of Total Divas- there's now a chance the Total Divas turn on Eva leaving her on her own to be killed by Lana's educated feet.

But yeah, BEST. SEGMENT. EVER.

Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler & Sin Cara v Kevin Owens, The Miz & Stardust
From the best segment ever, to one of the worst I can remember in quite a while. The match on its own wasn't actually that bad- it was just such a nothing match. Which considering we had Ziggler, Owens, Miz and Zayn involved is criminal on the WWE's part. Actually I lied when I said it wasn't that bad, it was decent for a while- and then it just went on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on. The pay-off was decent in regard to Owens being left on his own and Zayn pinning him- but I can't help but feel like Zayn pinning Owens should've happened at Mania.

and on.

The Final RAW Segment before Wrestlemania
I'll get this out of the way right off the bat, I don't usually like crowds who just shit on everything- but the "You still suck" chants after Roman's dive were absolutely hilarious.

Going back to Triple H trying his best to get some sort of heat on himself and cheers for Roman, after this segment he literally did everything short of stealing Roman's Wife to get heat on himself. None of it worked. All of it built up to an ending, that wasn't as bad as last years- but it wasn't far off. But Jack Swagger was in the final segment of RAW before Wrestlemania. We The People folks.

Well, that's that done for the build to Wrestlemania then. I can't say it's been a great one, but at the same time with the number of injuries there's been- while that's not an excuse it's perhaps understandable. However, as I said last week- if someone says there's not been anything good in this Mania build they're trying too hard to be smarky.

Anyway, we've got a lot to look forward to this week, whether it's the 3AM START TIME TAKEOVER, Mania itself, the Hall of Fame, Night after Mania RAW and a lot more. So I hope you keep coming back here for the various Posts this week. As I said last week, I'm aiming to get these Posts back to being regular again and I couldn't have picked a better time to do it.

Thanks for reading as always, I'll leave you with some Predictions for Mania Week right off the bat;

1. Balor Club debuts and helps Finn beat Joe
2. Joe debuts on the Night after Mania
3. Enzo & Cass debut on the Night after Mania
4. New Day's Entrance will be one of, if not the highlight of Wrestlemania
5. Asuka beats Bayley
6. The WWE Title feud after this Mania week will be Ambrose/Roman
7. The only singles champion currently, who'll still have their Title after Mania is Kalisto
8. Roman/Triple H will be a lot better than people think it'll be

RAW Review: 21st March

Hello! Well, this has definitely been a long time coming. That's right, these Reviews are finally back for good after a couple of months of general uncertainty and I'm sure much angst on all of your parts. I know there's been a few Reviews this year, but in general there hasn't been- and for that I can only apologise. As I made reference to in said Reviews, I'd been ill for a while- but what I didn't mention was the fact I was still indeed feeling ill while writing them. I don't know why, but I felt almost obliged to try and get the Reviews back ASAP- but to be blunt I just wasn't feeling up to it. So, rather than try and force myself into them- I've taken my time and now I'm ready to be doing these properly again.

I was actually planning on bringing them back for Roadblock- but then a last minute Lee Tomlin Free-Kick happened, and it sent me spiralling into a deep depression.

Anyway, I'm back now- and just in time for the tail-end of the Road to Wrestlemania! I'm genuinely not sure what my Reviews over the last month or two would have been like to be honest. There's been a lot of good stuff in this Mania build, anyone who disagrees is just trying too hard to be smarky. That's not to say there's been bad as well though- and as I'll discuss throughout this Review the bad given where it's positioned on the card is perhaps why- to me, this hasn't really felt like a build to a Wrestlemania. 

Roman Reigns & Stephanie McMahon Promo

Speaking of the bad, it's Roman Reigns. Actually, not specifically Roman Reigns- just the way Roman Reigns is being booked and generally handled. Roman Reigns in a vacuum without the mega-push and killing everyone is a pretty decent worker, who just needs to work on his Mic Skills. However, Roman Reigns in his current situation- about to headline his 2nd consecutive Mania needs to be so much better than he currently is. 

It's weird how I've literally done I think 4 Reviews in 2016, and yet absolutely nothing about Roman's changed when it comes to my opinion of Roman in these Reviews. However, with all that being said- his Promo last night was pretty decent in my opinion. It was decent, crucially because it wasn't a rambling 20 Minute Promo. Roman had a clear point/message, he put it across, and then he left. MAGIC! 

Kevin Owens v AJ Styles

This match was interesting for a number of reasons, primarily- the fact it was actually interesting. I know they did it on Smackdown as well, but I doubt you'll get many people complaining about a Rematch with these two- especially with the amount of time it was given. Simply put, this was an absolutely fucking great match. A lot of praise has to go to the WWE for this match as well. They gave both guys pretty much everything they needed to deliver a really good match, from being the first match on to the amount of time they were given. 

I might as well steal one of Owens' lines seeing as he has enough of them. Last night truly was the "Kevin Owens Show". It definitely needed to be seeing as they literally had 4 Shows (including last night) to announce and book the Ladder Match at Mania, but fair play to the WWE for going all-in on Owens last night. I suppose the one thing you could say about this match, is that this close to Mania neither Owens or AJ was going to be winning clean- and that did take away from some of the false finishes for me. You knew without a doubt that nothing was actually going to happen until Jericho showed up. With that said, it was so much fun just as a standalone match. 

Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz & Sami Zayn Promo

This was fun for its intended purpose. This is of course my first Review since Sami Zayn came up "for good" a few weeks ago, and that's been a definite positive of this Mania. I had to laugh, I won't name names because I'm not "that guy" but someone I saw on Twitter was saying something along the lines of "Why are they doing Zayn/Owens already?" a few weeks ago- and after last night they were bitching about them not doing Zayn/Owens at Mania. In that respect it's the best of both worlds, we'll get a few spots between the two without a doubt- and I'd expect they'll be the two battling it out on the Ladder to end but it's not the sole focus of the match. 

Also, I'm really happy The Miz hasn't been jammed in the Battle Royal again- because he's been genuinely one of the best performers of 2016 so far in my opinion and deserved to be on the Main Card. 

Dean Ambrose & Terry Funk's "thing"

This was one of the weirdest segments I think I've ever seen. Firstly, Terry Funk is still alive. I do like the idea of former "Hardcore" guys showing up and giving Ambrose their preferred Weapon- if only because there's so many jokes to be made. I'm waiting for Abdullah to show up with a Fork (I don't think that one's been used yet). Ambrose was great in this segment, and really this segment was just perfect for Ambrose's "style" his delivery of "Oh God, it works" was just amazing. 

Big E v Rusev

Firstly, am I completely over the top in love with New Day still? Yes. Am I completely over the top in love with Babyface New Day? No. It's not their best work, but New Day are still generally entertaining- and still one of the better parts of the show as Babyfaces. That may well be an indictment of the show, however. However, the best bit- if you like Babyface New Day that's absolutely great. If you don't, they're turning back in less than two weeks when Enzo & Big Cass show up. 

New Day's Promo beforehand wasn't their best by a long way, but it was still fun with the now expected "hint hint nudge nudge" insider references like referencing Sheamus' real name. Barrett completely no-selling their insults was by far the highlight though. I'm going to miss him in WWE. Although with Galloway as TNA Champion I might be giving Impact another go soon. 

As far as the match goes, it was I'd say an above average match- but for Big E and Rusev it was definitely on their better ones- most definitely their best with each other. I'm not over the moon with the fact the Tag Titles aren't on the line at Mania, but the match is still going to be fun- and I suspect Big E's really going to shine at this years Mania and that's all good by me. 

Wyatt Family Backstage Promo

I've seen a lot said about The Wyatts in my absence on here, and a lot of it hasn't been good. Once again to borrow a former catchphrase of my subject- especially in Bray Wyatt's case "Time is on his side". I think Big Show said it best on Austin's Podcast, nothing that's happened in WWE can't be undone in a year. Yes, Bray isn't in the best shape right now- however given how his character's been positioned he just needs I'd estimate 4-6 Months of a proper push and in a feud(s) that he can sink his teeth into Promo-wise and he's going to be Main Eventing PPV's. A lot of people seem to forget Bray's only 28, and he has 3 other guys to share the "work load" with when it comes to taking bumps etc. In short, Bray Wyatt's going to be fine- even his outlook at present isn't great. 

Big Show, The Social Outcasts & Kane Segment

Firstly, I will admit I'm surprised the Social Outcasts are still a "thing" heading into Mania. Not just because of Slater, but it reminds me a lot of 3MB in the sense they're featured on pretty much everything and then they'll randomly be Future Endeavoured some time this year. This segment was fluff mainly, but it was mildly entertaining fluff. Big Show's upset "Why are you doing this to me "Kane?!" right before Kane Chokeslammed him was fucking hilarious. I'm genuinely not sure who's going to win the Battle Royal this year. I'll wait and see if there's going be an NXT spot in it. 

Chris Jericho v Fandango (No, really)

I wasn't really sure what to make of this match to be honest. I know it's Fandango, but surely it should've been the other way around in the sense of why is the Babyface losing via distraction and the Heel is still winning even when the Babyface tries to "return the favour". That, to me just seems like they're making the Babyface look stupid.

The after-match stuff was fine for the Mania match build. The crowd had long since checked out, so the idea being for the segment to end with "AJ Styles" chants probably wasn't the best one- but they can probably dub them over for Video Packages. 

Zack Ryder v Stardust v Sin Cara- IC Title #1 Contender Match

The match, wasn't really much of a match let's be honest- and it was never meant to be either. It was all about the end goal of working the scenario to get to the 7-Man Ladder Match. In that respect, job done. I still like this build more than the Hot Potato one we had for the Ladder Match at last years Mania. I'm saying that with the fact 3 of the 7 entrants in the match are specifically in the match because Owens identified them as basically jobbers who he could beat with ease. 

Roman Reigns attacks Triple H Backstage

If ever a segment perfectly summed up a feud, it was this. I've had a lot of thinking time in my absence on here- and I've come to the conclusion that Roman Reigns is ridiculously easy to dislike. Not in a personal way, I don't talk about anyone on a personal basis unless it directly impacts the show. Everything about Roman just makes him come off as a bit of a dick to me. Like, every time he's on TV I just notice something about him that annoys me. It's all petty stuff, but Roman just grates with me. That was a bit of a tangent, anyway it's not even that this segment was "bad" I just didn't care about it. The Shutters coming up to reveal Roman to absolutely no crowd reaction just perfectly summed up Roman and this feud. I just don't care. 

Charlotte v Natalya

This whole match/segment annoyed me. I understand having Nattie wrestling Charlotte because aside from Paige she's by far the best worker of the Divas not involved in the Mania feud. However, I'm just bored of this match now- because it's exactly the same match. I don't know if there's somewhere that times it- but I could guarantee there'll be a maximum of 2 Minutes either side of all the Charlotte/Nattie matches we've had recently. Add to that, Becky and Sasha arguing over Jewellery among other things on Commentary and suffice to say this segment was equal parts boring and infuriating. 

Bubba Ray Dudley v R-Truth

If ever a segment screamed "Zero Fucks" it was this one. I don't know if Golden Truth are even officially a "thing" yet, and they're already being used as jobbers to put over other teams. Add to that the fact Bubba beat Truth with a BIG BOOT in 2016 and it was all basically a carbon copy of what we got on Smackdown just... urgh. 

Vince McMahon's Hell in a Cell Announcement

Right, let's get one myth from last night out of the way off the bat. IT'S NOT A RETIREMENT STIPULATION. NOWHERE IN VINCE'S PROMO DID HE SAY TAKER HAD TO RETIRE. That's been annoying me every time I've seen it mentioned since last night. What Vince did say is if Taker lost it'd be his last Wrestlemania. That means there's still 11 other PPV's as well as RAW, Smackdown, Superstars, Main Event, NXT, Network Specials etc. that Taker can wrestle at should he lose at Mania. 

With that out of the way, as I previously mentioned- the crowd had checked out prior to this segment. That didn't change for this segment, and it had a surprisingly little amount of heat on it all things considered. No matter what Vince did he just couldn't elicit a crowd reaction, I'm not sure if that's an indictment of the Crowd, Vince or the Show though. 

Braun Strowman v Dean Ambrose

On paper I'm sure this sounded like a good idea. Ambrose will show, in front of Heyman that he can "slay a beast" in Strowman. However, this, as a Main Event on the second last RAW before Mania was just horrendous. I'm not even going to blame Strowman, because fuck knows how long he's actually been wrestling for and he was just thrown to the wolves- and not for the first time. 

Going back to the point I made right at the start of this Review, this was the Main Event two weeks before Mania- it just doesn't feel like a Mania build. 

Right then, that's the Review all done- we've all made it through unscathed to the best of my knowledge- so really it's job done. Obviously if you're reading this it may not directly affect you because you've still found this Review- but I'm also not going to be doing the ridiculous number of Plugs for these Reviews anymore. Simply put, it's tedious and I don't want to be flooding peoples Twitter with them anymore. However, I'll still obviously tweet them out so all you'll have to do to find them is go on my Twitter after 6pm (GMT/BST). 

Thanks for reading as always, I know there's been shall we say extended gaps between Reviews in 2016- but if you're still reading these thank you- and if you're new to reading these then I hope you stick around. We do of course have Mania fast approaching and I'm hoping to bring out a few extra posts around Mania week- including at least one booking blog. So look out for those, and thanks again for reading- even if the RAW I picked to return on was completely flat. 

RAW Review: 8th February

Hello! Two weeks in a row, I know right? Well, unless you've been living under a rock you know what's happened with Daniel Bryan last night. So, I'll be giving this Review the full Daniel Bryan treatment. Discussing all things Daniel Bryan on top of the usual RAW Review. There was a number of, let's be honest less relevant stuff to the Daniel Bryan Retirement- however on the Road to Wrestlemania it can't stop for anyone and there's a Fast Lane to build.

Fast Lane Contract Signing
I actually really liked this segment. One thing I noticed about the show- especially the first hour was that it was seemingly sped up quite a bit in-terms of what happened in the time it did. Even with a lot of stuff seemingly being sped up they still managed to go way into Over Over-time because of the Bryan stuff. I do like that the build is seemingly focused on Brock and Ambrose, because as I said last week the WWE has to at least try and introduce an element of doubt when it comes to Roman winning in a few weeks time. They haven't exactly succeeded, but frankly I'll take a few more RAWs where the spotlight is off of Roman. As is tradition the Contract Signing degenerated into violence, but I just loved how Brock came off in the brawl. If there was any doubt that "Suplex City is going soft" this segment well and truly put it to bed.

Dolph Ziggler v Kevin Owens
In the build to this RAW, where I was considering the chances of the Daniel Bryan thing being a work I did consider the chances of Kevin Owens attacking Bryan. However, I quickly put that to bed when I remembered that this "feud" was still a thing. I still have absolutely no clue why they're feuding and especially why they're wrestling each other every week, presumably to set-up a Wrestling match at a PPV.

As I said last week, these two can't really put on a "bad" match, but at the same time there's only so many moves and so many counters to said moves that can be done in a WWE ring. I suppose that's one, of many negatives of WWE limiting move-sets.

The Usos & The Dudleys Backstage
This segment was pretty decent with what happened later in mind. It at least all made sense.

Charlotte v Alicia Fox
I suppose this is the best section to discuss Brie Bella and the Title Match at Fast Lane. Between Bryan retiring and Nikki fucking her Neck up- and possibly having to retire if that aspect of the surgery wasn't exaggerated by E. All of this has added up to a perfect storm of Brie Bella pushing. I think it's Cornette who has the "7 Year Rule" on angles, but I think there can be an exception at Fast Lane- with them borrowing from the Extreme Rules match after Edge had to retire. I won't be at all surprised if they have Bryan come out with Brie at Fast Lane, and in the build to the crescendo Bryan takes out Flair and Brie pins Charlotte. I'm not in favour of this happening for obvious reasons, but at this moment in time it's what I see happening without doubt.

MizTV w/ Chris Jericho & AJ Styles
As with last weeks MizTV segment I really liked it. I didn't like it nearly as much as last weeks, but I did still like it. The whole transition into the Highlight Reel complete with Potted Plant was quite fun all things considered and at least it was a completely new "thing". All of the Promos "worked", and it was great (and weird) to see them building to a Smackdown match on RAW.

It's become pretty obvious that AJ's become "Smackdown Exclusive" in-terms of wrestling, much like Daniel Bryan wanted to do with the IC Title. Especially considering AJ's Back Injury, I'm massively in favour of this for the time being. Smackdown on USA needed a "hook", and what better than AJ Styles? Then, once they've established Smackdown on USA over the next month or so- and AJ's back has hopefully gotten a lot better we can get AJ wrestling on RAW.

Bray Wyatt v Ryback
Firstly, kill it with the Goldberg jokes. To be frank, it's just boring. Yes, Ryback has moved to trunks and does that surprise me? Absolutely not. I can't remember the exact RAW Review, but I pretty much called Ryback moving to trunks at some point last summer. From memory Ryback was wearing a Tracksuit Top on Commentary and ripped it off. As soon as he'd shown how fucking massive he looked without the Singlet on I knew it was a case of when and not if.

With that said, it doesn't look like the shift to Trunks has changed his fortunes in-ring. The match was quite decent, but nothing more- but the Sister Abigail to Ryback and the way they transitioned into it was great.

I was expected a Big Show run-in during the after-match attack on Ryback, so now I'm assuming it's going to be Ryback and Show against two members of The Wyatts at Fast Lane. Or, they're going to take out two more people for a 4v4. SURVIVOR SERIES IS LOOKING UP!

New Day Backstage Promo
This was great. Everything from Big E singing to Xavier doing the old "8008135" joke on the Calculator. I know it's a surprise, but New Day does in fact still rock.

Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose Backstage Promo
This segment was pretty much exactly what I was expecting it to be, in-terms of Ambrose not wanting Roman's help against Brock. BECAUSE AMBROSE IS FUCKING TURNING.

"The Radical Mongoose" Adam Rose v Titus O'Neil
#RadicalMongoose #BestFriendsMakeBestTrends #BoRidaforSB51HalftimeShow #PrettyAverageMatch

Dean Ambrose calls out Brock Lesnar
This segment was great. As I've said a few times, I'm by no means Ambrose's biggest fan. But, credit to him- he's definitely risen to the occasion (see what I did there?) and for the last two weeks he's been top quality. I think it's best for everyone to just watch this segment, because I lack the descriptive abilities to properly put it over- but suffice to say I just loved this segment on the whole.

Alberto Del Rio & Rusev v The Lucha Dragons
Sin Cara's turning soon, it's such an easy story to tell- with an easier stipulation of a "Mask Match" for Mania. Of course, Sin Cara would be the one eventually unmasked- unless Stephanie's seen Kalisto's face and decided he needs to show it off like I believe she wanted to do with Ultimo Dragon. The match was fine, and I still fucking hate the Corner Stomp.

R-Truth & Goldust's Wacky Adventures
This segment was my least favourite "Golden Truth" segment so far, so I suppose all I can say is I hope it doesn't keep on this trajectory.

Tamina v Becky Lynch
TAMINA WON A MATCH ON RAW! NO, REALLY! TAMINA! DIVAS REVOLUTION!

New Day & Mark Henry Backstage
I said it at the time, but at least Mark Henry got to have a bit of fun on his latest excursion before his likely fast-approaching retirement. I was expecting El Torito, but as El Unicornio- so I suppose in that regard I'll take Henry any day of the week.

The Usos & The Dudleys v New Day & Mark Henry- Tables Match
The Mark Henry stuff was ridiculous. They literally had him turn and join New Day, for the sole purpose of turning on New Day. I thought he was in there to be the one to go through the Table- because, ya know, New Day are the Tag Team Champions who'd lost clean last week. The match wasn't much- especially for a Tables match, but I suppose it was more a way to have The Dudleys out there so what happened after made sense.

I'm happy The Dudleys have turned, but I'm going to wait and see what happens next week- and who they go after before I pass full judgement on the turn. If they have The Dudleys and The Usos feuding, freeing up New Day to wrestle someone else, likely Golden Truth I'm all for it. Because, I'm fucking bored of New Day wrestling The Dudleys & The Usos. I legitimately don't think they've wrestled a team other than The Dudleys or The Usos since when they won the Titles back at Summerslam apart from The Primetime Players once. Plus, I want weird New Day/Golden Truth segments.

Daniel Bryan Retires
I suppose we'll start off with the actual segment. I think it goes without saying that I absolutely fucking loved it, as did pretty much everyone else. I did have the idea that this was a work in the back of my mind, but I approached the segment with a "It's not a work until it's proven otherwise" type attitude. Because, as it clearly turned out- I wanted to sit back and enjoy Daniel Bryan's retirement speech if it was legitimate.

The whole segment was just next level great. I saw Meltzer say that this segment had overtaken the Ric Flair Retirement in-terms of the best ever segment, and while I disagree in that respect that's not exactly a criticism of the segment. This segment was just magical, right from the moment Bryan's music hit to the moment they went off the air. I could go into the different parts of the Promo, talking about how "X" part was particularly great- but there's not really much point to be honest. Suffice to say, this segment truly was magical, and for that I'm sure we're all grateful.

Segment aside, I suppose the attention now turns to the "bigger picture"- or more simply put the cause of Daniel Bryan's retirement. I think we've all, deep-down known that Bryan's retirement was something that was going to happen sooner rather than later. Concussions just aren't something that can be "messed" with in modern climate. From what I've read, the latest set of tests Bryan got done that he referenced in the Promo "scared" him in regard to the damage he'd done to his brain. The thing with Concussions and the Brain is you can't put it in a Cast and do rehab on it for a few months. I do think it's quite funny that Bryan's Concussion related Retirement has coincided with the release of the Will Smith Concussion Film (over in the UK).

When Bryan was put out again after he'd just won the IC Title, I thought he was having neck problems- as opposed to concussion. However, what I said in my Extreme Rules (2015) Predictions in regard to Bryan is still just as relevant

"I love Daniel Bryan, in terms of an organic story his ranks right up there not just in terms of Today's WWE" in all-time. Yes, I would love to see him wrestle not just tonight- but for years to come; however Bryan Danielson owes us nothing, similar to Edge if he has to stop wrestling to prevent potential paralysis or other serious life-long disability he should stop right now, and he can look back on his career as a success."

I can't find the specific tweets, but I've also sent out numerous tweets saying how perhaps Daniel Bryan needed someone to tell him he's done, as they did with Edge to prevent something bad happening. The fact is, while Daniel Bryan had so much more to give in-terms of matches and feuds- his career is one of the biggest success stories in WWE History in my opinion. While Bryan only had the two WWE Titles, one of which being the 5 Minute run at Summerslam- his rise to winning the WWE Title at Wrestlemania 30 is truly one of the best stories ever in my opinion. In a way, I wish Bryan would have had to retire with his Neck problems so he'd have retired as WWE Champion. It would really have been the perfect way to go out, rather than being the in the "IC Title Hot Potato" story for Wrestlemania 31.

However, everything about Daniel Bryan is "once in a lifetime". Bryan really is a once in a lifetime person and character. Everything about him is atypical, and as I brought up last night- the fact there's no "this guy is/was a dick" stories about someone in the Wrestling Business says it all for Bryan as a person. From a selfish standpoint I'd have loved to see Bryan wrestle for years to come, and get in the ring on the WWE stage with people like Styles, Joe, Zayn, Owens and Nakamura. As well as giving us the big Wrestlemania match we all want in Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus.

To borrow from RVD, Daniel Bryan really is "one of a kind" and the fact I'd estimate 95% of people have witnessed the Evolution of Daniel Bryan from NXT through to his Wrestlemania 30 Win with a number of amazing stops along the way. Everything from his feuds with The Miz and Cole (who doesn't get nearly enough credit in the story of Daniel Bryan), to his "Abusive Boyfriend" character with AJ, to The Bellas betting on taking Bryan's virginity, to the Anger Management segments and so much more. I suppose that's the thing, Daniel Bryan could have been so. much. more. However, what we've got hasn't exactly been underwhelming- and for that we're all grateful.

Thanks to you lot for reading as always, as I said last week I'm aiming for these to become a regular thing again. With last night, we saw the likely close of the Daniel Bryan book- and I'm sure I'm not the only one who'll be looking at some of his greatest moments on YouTube over the next few days. Wrestling is one of the weirdest fucking things on the planet. But, it never has an end- and starting next week we're going to be properly moving on from Daniel Bryan and 6 Months from now he won't even be relevant in any current Wrestling discussion. But, I think the phrase "gone but never forgotten" is appropriate. Because Daniel Bryan can never, ever be forgotten.

RAW Review: 1st February

Hello! FINALLY! I'VE COME BACK. TO SOCCERBALLANDWRASSSSSSLIN. I realise that's a week too late, but it still works. It's definitely been an interesting week and a bit since my Royal Rumble Predictions, and crucially most of it's been really good stuff when it comes to the WWE on the first parts of the Road to Wrestlemania. I can't say this with 100% certainty, but I'd like to think these Reviews are going to be fully back now. It's been a bad couple of months for me, but I'm definitely having more good days than bad again- and frankly I'm worried about you lot having withdrawal symptoms.

I'm annoyed I didn't get to Review last weeks RAW, because it was fucking amazing. Instead, I've come back to Review one of the most schizophrenic RAW's arguably ever. There was some stuff I absolutely loved on this show, and then also some stuff where I just completely zoned out. Anyway, let's get Reviewin'.

Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman & Dean Ambrose Promo 
This was great. I don't know if my standards for Opening Segments have dropped ridiculously low at this point after the last two and a half years of The Authority- but I've really liked the last few we had. Paul Heyman is, well Paul Heyman. I genuinely think Heyman could cut a Promo on anything and anyone and it would get over. I'll talk about someone else later in that regard as well, but Heyman is just a once in a lifetime person. The only thing I want the WWE to do now, is to have Brock & Heyman be on the opposite side to as many people as possible. We had Ambrose last night, and he definitely upped his game. I really blow hot and cold with Ambrose, especially when it comes to some of the shit he does in-ring. However, nobody could have been cold on Ambrose after his Promo segment. I've seen some people say how Ambrose doing the Promo instead of Roman is a good sign for Fast Lane. THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK. Y'ALL A BUNCH OF PUPPETS. If you even have a fleeting idea that Ambrose could win at Fast Lane, the WWE has done their job for this build- but it's simply not going to happen.

Kalisto v Rusev
In my Royal Rumble Predictions I said provided Kalisto won at the Rumble his first Title win made sense. This was because Kalisto's Title win then couldn't be written off as a "fluke". What do you know, they were putting that over on Commentary. I honestly won't be surprised if Kalisto ends up losing the Title again Fast Lane, if as there's been some speculation about they're angling for a "Mask Match" at Mania between the two. It makes more sense for Del Rio to have the Title for that potential match.

I actually liked this match quite a lot. It was US v TV Champion, and as such both had to be quite protected. They pretty much did as good a job as possible with the match. They managed to put Kalisto's "underdog" gimmick over, while giving him a win as well as protecting Rusev.

Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Stephanie McMahon Backstage Promo
This was fine for what it was. Treating this as a two part segment, with the second being the Brock/Triple H one- it made sense for Stephanie to do this half. It was all pretty standard stuff, but Stephanie trying to drive a wedge between Ambrose and Reigns was a nice touch. BECAUSE AMBROSE IS FUCKING TURNING.

Brie Bella Backstage Promo
Brie Bella's whole gimmick is "Someone related to me fucked their Neck up". This time next year it'll be that JJ bloke from Total Divas in a Neck Brace.

The Grammy Award Winning Usos v Adam Rose & Curtis Axel
There's been a ridiculous number of "Announcer Botches" over the years. Lillian Garcia calling The Usos Grammy Award Winners might have been my favourite. Not just for the botch, however hilarious that was in its own right. THEY FUCKING SHAMED LILLIAN FOR IT ON LIVE TV! It wasn't some loud words in a headset to Lillian. THEY REPEATEDLY SHOWED IT, AND THEN BROUGHT IT UP ON COMMENTARY MULTIPLE TIMES. I did end up feeling a bit bad for Lillian, but I was also laughing hysterically while doing so.

I honestly don't know anything that happened in the match because I was laughing too much. What I will say is I loved the finish, for the sole reason that it looked like Axel was actually going for something when jumped off the Top Rope and took a Superkick.

MizTV w/ AJ Styles
THIS SEGMENT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I love AJ Styles, and this is my first Review since AJ's debut. I've been watching AJ Styles for absolutely ages, and he's without a doubt one of- if not the best Wrestler in the World at present. To say AJ needs to work on his Mic skills is an understatement. Dixie is nowhere near as compelling a character as Vince, but I put a lot of TNA's failure at doing the "Summer of Punk" angle at AJ's door because of his Mic work.

The Miz on the other hand is just so fucking amazing when it comes to Promos, and the fact he's not spoken of as one of the best on the Mic regularly is a crime. So what do they do last night? They have The Miz pretty much tell AJ's full story to the "casual" crowd, and fucking hell were the crowd last night "casual". So, this segment, pretty much told us AJ's entire history, while putting heat on The Miz- so when AJ did eventually lay into him the crowd loved it. This segment was just complete genius, and I won't hear a bad word against it.

Brie Bella v Charlotte
This segment was when it all started to go massively downhill. I wish Nikki Bella the best, I genuinely do. However, the fact it appears Brie might end up in the Title picture- basically because Nikki has a fucked up Neck is infuriating to me. I wouldn't have even minded Paige getting another Title match as a "bridge" to whatever they have planned for Mania, but I just can't take Brie Bella seriously as a Title contender when last night was probably her first win in 2016. Can Bryan just put a Baby in Brie to save us all.

Big Show v Erick Rowan
With Bray (understandably) not at TV, this segment was pretty much as uninteresting and generally bad as it conceivably could. The only thing that could have made it worse is if the match had ended in a DQ. It was Big Show v Erick Rowan, I think that says it all really.

The after-match beatdown of Show was necessary I suppose, but it was about as good at holding my attention as the match was.

Titus O'Neil v Tyler Breeze
THIS WAS WAS THE SECOND HOUR FOLKS. BRIE BELLA BEATING CHARLOTTE, THE BIG SHOW V ERICK ROWAN AND TITUS O'NEIL V TYLER BREEZE. This match wasn't "bad", but at the same time- it wasn't exactly a Match of the Year contender.

Brock Lesnar & Triple H Backstage Promo
I actually liked this segment. Say what you want about Triple H, but he does know how to put himself across to fit different angles. This segment was pretty standard in content, but the way both Triple H and Brock delivered said content made it good.

Dolph Ziggler v Kevin Owens
As soon as Owens did his whole "I'm on a beating Ziggler streak" thing on Twitter, we all knew Dolph was winning tonight. With that said, and given the fact we have had 9 Owens/Ziggler matches now- it was an alright match. It's by no means the best Owens/Ziggler match, but at the same time any Owens/Ziggler match is going to reach a certain standard. I do think this match suffered from what had preceded it, as well as the generally awful crowd.

Sasha Banks v Becky Lynch
The reason it's a pretty safe bet that Brie's got a Title match at Fast Lane is because of this match and what it ended up being. The actual Sasha/Becky match didn't really get going, understandably so. I think we've got a guaranteed Pre-Show match with Sasha & Becky v Tamina & Naomi. The angle was actually pretty good, and I hope they can play up the Sasha/Becky history from NXT. This match as a "bridge" for Sasha and Becky into the Mania build is an easy way to put both over, I suppose. I can already see Sasha & Becky simultaneously making Naomi & Tamina tap in a few weeks time.

Chris Jericho Backstage Promo
The Jericho/AJ stuff is interesting, in that Jericho really is the perfect person to put AJ over on arrival. That combined with the fact Jericho will inevitably end up playing the Heel opposite AJ makes me quite optimistic for the feud, should they fully pull the trigger on it- as it seems they're on the brink of doing.

Goldust & R-Truth's wacky antics
I actually like the potential "Golden Truth" team. Both guys have really good comedic timing, and depending on how far, and how quickly they're pushed they could make really good opponents for The New Day. That'll be a feud and a half.

The Rock's Cousin & The Rock's Cousin's Friend v The New Day
I enjoyed the match, but can we please talk about The New Day's Promo. I've freely admitted New Day have gone slightly downhill as of late. However, these last two RAW's have put New Day right back up as the best thing going in the WWE- including AJ Styles. New Day's Promo was just absolutely amazing. Everything from the Amber Rose stuff with Kofi wagging his finger around to Kofi threatening to beat up an 8 Year Old to them bringing up fucked up Fanfiction. It was all just amazing. It appears as though The Rock bestowed upon them a mission to single-handedly end the PG era by force.

The match was pretty good as well. The only criticism I can have of it is, for the love of god can Big E stop taking stupid bumps! Big E is only 29, if he takes care of himself and carries on his current trajectory he can be a genuine Main Eventer for a number of years. That won't be possible if he fucking kills himself by doing the Middle Rope Spear and literally bouncing of the edge of the Ring Apron in a "missed Splash" spot.

I was a bit annoyed New Day lost clean, especially because they've usually handled them quite well in these situations such as when they faced Orton & Reigns and Orton & Ambrose. However, I do acknowledge in comparison to the Fast Lane Main Event they don't take priority.

The stuff with Brock after I loved- however poorly it was shot, in-terms of what it meant going forward. Reigns was fucking around with Kofi, and then Ambrose is left in the ring with Brock Lesnar- after taking most of the punishment in the match. I do genuinely believe this is all building to Ambrose turning on Roman after he beats Triple H at Mania. Ambrose must be getting sick of taking all of the beatings while Roman takes all of the glory at this point- especially if Ambrose loses the IC Title before said Mania Main Event.

Last Night's RAW was just so weird. On the one hand we had absolutely amazing moments, and then we had things like Erick Rowan vs The Big Show. I suppose on three hour RAW's you always have to take the good with the bad, and last night was just an extreme example of that.

Thanks to you lot for reading as always, as I said at the start I'm trying to get these back to a regular thing now. Especially heading into Mania season, I think you all need more right opinions in your life. Thanks again for reading, I hope you have a good week- and if I were you I'd chuck all of your moneys on Miz beating AJ on Smackdown. All of them.

Royal Rumble Predictions

Hello! It's been a while. We're here for the Royal Rumble, and with what's been rumoured for tonight, combined with what we've already seen- tonight could potentially be a night that completely re-energises the product on the "Road to Wrestlemania". As I did last year, I'm going to book an entire Royal Rumble Match. So, when I'm inevitably slagging off the Royal Rumble match tomorrow after Vince has won- I can say with proof that I'd have done better. On top of that we've got some really interesting matches on the card tonight, and as previously alluded to- this could turn into one hell of a PPV.

I think it's been pretty obvious that there's been another posting gap, and I can only apologise. For those of you that read these regularly, I'm sorry- but now I'm back and I'm going to be trying my best to stay here. Over the last few months I've been generally feeling like shit and my Chronic Fatigue's been affecting me for the most it has in easily 2-3 Years. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still feeling a bit "off", but I'm definitely going to try my absolute best to get back in the routine of doing these regularly. With that in mind, apologies in advance if there's any typos, spelling errors etc. and lets kick on with the Royal Rumble Predictions.

Pre-Show: The Dudleys v Damien Sandow & Darren Young v The Ascension v Jack Swagger & Mark Henry
It's not necessarily a guarantee, but I can't see anyone other than The Dudleys winning this match. The only other team I could even remotely see happening is The Ascension, and that would only be if they were planning on doing a Stardust Eliminated by Ascension and returns as Cody spot- which as you'll see in my Rumble later I'm not doing. That combined with the obvious rule of the Babyface winning on the Pre-Show and you've got The Dudleys winning this match with a 3D. Most likely on Sandow, because that'll show him.
Winner: The Dudleys

Dean Ambrose v Kevin Owens- IC Title Last Man Standing Match
Firstly, I'll say that this match should be absolutely great. Whether it will or not is another matter entirely, as has been proven time and time again in the WWE. Especially with one idea that I've got in mind for the Rumble, Kevin Owens may or may not be winning. Frankly I don't really care who wins this match, and depending on how much faith they have in Owens- he may or may not lose this match with some sort of shenanigans. Think Cena duct-taping Batista shenanigans. Kevin Owens is going to play a definite role in the Rumble Match- and it basically all depends on how much gas Kevin Owens, or rather how much gas those in charge think Kevin Owens has in the tank. I do definitely think Ambrose is winning though, for the simple fact that Owens' next feud doesn't "need" the Title- but it's for that reason that he still might end up winning.
Winner: Dean Ambrose

Becky Lynch v Charlotte- Divas Title
I haven't been able to quite work out what's triggered my recent bout of illness. With that said, I think the fact there's a well-booked Divas feud may have just sent my whole body into shock. I've loved the Becky Lynch/Charlotte feud, who'd have thought if you gave the Women booking that made sense and played to their strengths they'd get over eh? If you've read my Predictions before, or simply worked out what I'm doing in-terms of layout you'll know I'm predicting Becky to win this. This isn't the only Title switch I'm predicting for tonight, and on the "Road to Wrestlemania" (take a shot every time the Commentators say that tonight) I do think Title changes are the way to go in some cases. As is the case here, if- for no other reason than to keep this feud going for at least another Month.
Winner: Becky Lynch

New Day v The Usos- Tag Titles
I do think New Day's time to drop the Titles is coming pretty soon. I've still loved New Day for the most part over my Posting Break(s), and their funeral for Francesca was just great. However, I am starting to worry about them becoming a bit stale. It's not even necessarily the fact they need to break-up. They just need to freshen up again. In many ways, New Day are a victim of their own success. When they started out being great around May of last year, they didn't have many "parameters" with which they had to play in. Now, New Day are actually successful they're getting "hella merch" as I suspect Big E would say and with more exposure and more merch- the narrower the parameters.

I don't know if they should have New Day "snap" as I thought they were going to do around Summerslam, but they need to do something. With The Usos not as the favourites (at the time of writing), if I were betting on the Rumble- I'd say The Usos were worth a punt. However, for some reason I just don't think New Day are losing the Titles yet. I realise this is usually the type of logic that makes my Predictions fall apart- but still.
Winner: New Day

Kalisto v Alberto Del Rio- US Title
I did make jokes about Kalisto's US Title run, as I'm sure everyone else did. However, upon reflection- depending on tonight's outcome I might be all for it. My whole thing with the Kalisto Title win was within kayfabe it could be written off as a "fluke" win. This is where I believe "lightning doesn't strike twice" or any of those other sayings comes into play. If Kalisto beats Del Rio tonight, he's proven the first win wasn't a fluke. As is shown I'm predicting Kalisto to win tonight, but that's more to do with getting the Title off of Del Rio than putting it on Kalisto heading into Mania season. I do think of the Titles heading into Mania, the US is the one likely to end up on the Pre-Show- but for tonight I won't really care provided Kalisto does in fact win. If Del Rio wins then I'll have just rambled on for no reason.
Winner: Kalisto

Royal Rumble Match
Right then, it's what we all came here for. It's MY (most likely better) Royal Rumble match. As I've already said, I did this last year and I had a lot of fun.- and I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be this year. If you don't want to read the whole thing, there's going to be Bullet Points with the key goings on at the end. Without further ado, here's the Entrance Order;

#1- Roman Reigns
#2- Kevin Owens
#3- D-Von
#4- Ryback
#5- R-Truth
#6- Kane
#7- Sami Zayn
#8- Heath Slater
#9- Kofi Kingston
#10- Tye Dllinger
#11- Adam Rose
#12- Stardust
#13- Big Show
#14- Bo Dallas
#15- Luke Harper
#16- Curtis Axel
#17- Rusev
#18- Braun Strowman
#19- Xavier Woods
#20- Bubba Ray
#21- Big E
#22- Chris Jericho
#23- Erick Rowan
#24- Dolph Ziggler
#25- Bray Wyatt
#26- Brock Lesnar
#27- Sheamus
#28- Alberto Del Rio
#29- AJ Styles
#30- Samoa Joe

Let's get into the actual match then. I had to laugh at the fact my prediction for last years Rumble had Daniel Bryan entering at #1 as a result of shenanigans from The Authority- and here we are this year... with Roman Reigns at #1... as a result of shenanigans from The Authority. As I already mentioned I think Kevin Owens is going to have a big role in the Rumble, and he's entering at #2 for a reason.

Let me bring you back to December to Dismember in 2006, I know- I'm sorry. In the build to the match I believe Paul Heyman was pushing for Punk to enter the Extreme Elimination Chamber against The Big Show and beat him early. Guaranteeing a new Champion no matter what else happened in the Chamber. See where I'm going with this? The Royal Rumble during the last two years has just gone to shit because it's been way too predictable. While it's always only ever going to be a handful of people, the last two years have just been SO bad. With that in mind, I've got the hook to keep people invested right from the off.

Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens are squaring off and generally getting each other in various holds for the first 15 or so seconds. Then Triple H's music hits, and he's not in a Suit- he's got "Street Clothes" on and is armed with a Sledgehammer. Triple H is going to attack Roman and between him and Owens, Reigns is going to be overwhelmed and generally killed- and after about 45 Seconds-1 Minute of this Triple H and Owens are going to pick Roman Reigns up. Throw him over the Top Rope, and Eliminate Roman Reigns before the #3 has even come out. (Roman Reigns eliminated by Triple H/Kevin Owens). Then Triple H is going to follow him out and Pedigree him through the Spanish Announce Desk.

I know there's all the rumours about Triple H/Reigns for the Title, and while it's an obvious possibility- I personally don't see Triple H winning the Rumble. Also, Triple H/Reigns doesn't "need" the Title. With all that in mind, we're heading into the #3 Entrant with Roman Reigns already eliminated.

Especially with the number of injuries the WWE currently have, there's going to be notable "lulls" in-terms of Entrants. I've figured (with exceptions) it's best to get them out of the way early and build to a big crescendo. With that in mind, let's give Kevin Owens a Mic. Of course, after he's swiftly dispatched of D-Von. (D-Von eliminated by Kevin Owens). Kevin Owens will be talking about the "Kevin Owens Show" and how he's going to win the WWE Title, Headline Mania and all that stuff for the remainder of the time before #4. Same again when it comes to The Ryback, albeit with him putting up a bit more of a fight. (Ryback eliminated by Kevin Owens). Then we get to the first of a few of the traditional comedy spots in the Rumble. Enter R-Truth at #5. I've seen varied ideas when it comes to Truth, including him coming in at #31 which I have to admit I was considering. However, here's my idea. Truth's going to come out, rapping and dancing and generally... being R-Truth. As soon as he enters the ring he eats a Superkick from Owens and gets thrown over the Top Rope. (R-Truth eliminated by Kevin Owens). That'll all happen in about 25-30 of the 90 Seconds. Truth will get back to the back pretty quickly because he's "dazed" and then just as Kevin Owens is about to talk again "Y'ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!" and Truth's going to come out rapping and dancing and generally... being R-Truth. Once the Ref's have explained to Truth that he's not in the Rumble any more he'll do the "My Bad" stuff and go back to the back.

This leaves us with Kevin Owens as the only surviving entrant heading into #6, and a bit of a dip in-terms of eliminations. In comes #6, and Kane making his traditional Rumble appearance. Owens and Kane are just going to go back and forth for the majority of their time- but toward the latter stages of this section Owens will catch Kane with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. Owens is going to be looking at getting another elimination and generally being smug when the Countdown hits zero and Sami Zayn's music hits.

I don't think this'll be that much of a surprise, but I still think the reaction to his return will be absolutely great. Zayn's obviously going to go straight after Owens, as is tradition and they're going to have a heated brawl with them going back and forth for a while. As the time before the next entrant counts down, Sami will throw Owens over the Top Rope- but not eliminate him. After another brief brawl Owens will put Sami over the Top Rope with him- and they're going to trade punches on the Ring Apron. Sami will get the advantage and Owens will be backed into a Corner with his Head near the Ringpost. Seeing an opportunity Sami lines up the "Helluva Kick" on Owens into the Ringpost, but as Sami hits the Kick- Owens hits a Superkick and they eliminate each other. (Kevin Owens eliminated by Sami Zayn/Sami Zayn eliminated by Kevin Owens). However, it doesn't stop there. With Sami and Owens brawling to the back- and at least for now out of sight.

With one of the main angles of the Rumble out of the way, it's Slater Time Baybay! This is going to be the time period where the ring fills up with jobbers to eventually be killed by others for the most part. As such, nothing much will happen in Slater's Time- other than some kicks aimed at Kane and general show-boating. Then comes Kofi Kingston, who's going to be one of the best participants this year in-terms of time in the Rumble- but as before with Slater nothing much will happen with him yet. Moving onto #10 and- WAIT DID SOMEONE SAY... 10?! It's Tye Dillinger! Tye deserves a throwaway spot in the Rumble with how long he's been around, but just a throwaway. Tye's going to be doing his "10" stuff all the way down the Ramp, he'll get in do more "10" stuff- and if they've timed it right- from the time Dillinger enters the Ring to the time Kane eliminates him (Tye Dillinger eliminated by Kane) Tye would have lasted 10 Seconds.

Now keeping up with the "fill the ring" mentality, Adam Rose enters- to also make it two Social Outcasts in the Ring. However, not much will happen in Rose's time. Then comes Stardust, and the same will happen with him and his time. The favourite for the Royal Rumble, The Big Show is out next- and aside from him chopping everyone in sight, generally being a Giant and squaring off with Kane not much will happen with him. Now to add another Outcast into the mix we get Bo Dallas, but he's going to be doing everything within his power to not engage with Show, Kane, Kofi and Stardust during his time. Next comes Luke Harper, and with so many "monsters" in the ring now, the Outcasts, Stardust and Kofi have become pacifists and are in the Corners watching Harper, Show and Kane all sizing each other up. After a brief three-way brawl Harper's going to Superkick Kane over the Top Rope (Kane eliminated by Luke Harper).

Then out comes the 4th Outcast, for the first of the completed factions and it's Curtis Axel! After RAW, and now the Outcasts have the 4-on-1 they're going to go straight after Big Show. However, instead of getting knocked out by Show- they're going to eventually overwhelm him and eliminate him. (The Big Show eliminated by The Social Outcasts). Not content with just eliminating Big Show, they're going to employ a similar tactic on Stardust and eventually eliminate him as well. (Stardust eliminated by The Social Outcasts). Rusev's out next, and apart from Superkicking Harper after a brief back and forth he's not going to do much- because the Social Outcasts will once again overwhelm him. However, he won't be eliminated by them and he's going to hang on.

During this part of the match, which isn't massively important in the grand scheme of things- they're going to cut backstage to Zayn and Owens still fighting and eventually Owens and Zayn will end up brawling in the Crowd. Owens and Zayn will make their way toward the technical area, think the end of Cena/Wyatt Last Man Standing and Kofi Boom Dropping Orton through a Table at MSG. If it were up to me, I'd have Owens Package Piledriving Sami through a Table here. However, it's WWE- so I'll take a Sit-Out Powerbomb resulting in both guys being completely out and a bit later on when there's a lull in the fighting (which will become obvious) they'll once again do the Split-Screen thing and it'll show Sami and Owens being stretchered out.

Braun Strowman is out next, and if you're been following me on Twitter you'll know I'm predicting big things (emphasis on big) for Strowman in this Rumble. It's going to start with The Outcasts trying to overwhelm him as they did Rusev as soon as he enters. You know the "Roar" spot, "Giants" do when there's a load of people on them at once. I've always wanted it to result in eliminations. So, Strowman's going to do the "Roar" Spot- and he'll have done it with such aggression that all four of the Outcasts will end up going over the Top Rope and being eliminated. (Adam Rose, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater & Bo Dallas eliminated by Braun Strowman). However, Axel is of course still in the 2015 Rumble. So he'll start freaking out shouting "THAT WAS LAST YEARS" before running back in and immediately being Superkicked back over the Top Rope by Harper. Next Harper and Strowman will go after Rusev, and after a brief struggle (Rusev eliminated by Strowman/Harper). Next out is Xavier Woods, and as soon as he enters he's going to look around for Kofi and see him out in the Corner and then see Harper and Strowman and panic and after a very brief struggle Strowman's going to murder and Harper's going to Superkick him out, leaving Xavier dead on the outside (important for later). (Xavier Woods eliminated by Luke Harper). Kofi's still going to hang on for now- and especially because this is his first Rumble as a Heel, he can afford to do various "cheap tactics" e.g. hanging onto the Bottom Rope for dear life. The next entrant, Bubba Ray won't be so lucky. He's going to come out and have a brief flourish- he's going to call for the 3D, look at Kofi hanging onto the Bottom Rope and Kofi's just point blank going to refuse to move. As a result, Bubba's going to turn around, eat a Superkick and get eliminated by Luke Harper as the clock counts down to zero. (Bubba Ray eliminated by Luke Harper).

Next out is Big E, and he's going to put up more of a fight- even to the point of actually taking Harper out and squaring off with Strowman. Now Big E's in, Kofi's a bit more confident in leaving the Bottom Rope as well- and Big E and Kofi are going to briefly get the advantage over Strowman and Kofi's going to Trouble in Paradise Strowman into a Corner so he can take a breather. The reason they won't try and eliminate him is the next entrant, Chris Jericho. Jericho's going to run wild for a bit on Kofi, Big E and Harper- and after a bit of a struggle he's going to eliminate Big E (Big E eliminated by Chris Jericho). However, immediately after Kofi will throw Jericho over the Tope Rope- but not eliminate him yet. After some brief punches it looks like Jericho has the upper-hand. But, Xavier's back on his feet- and he has a new Trombone. Again, as with the Owens/Zayn stuff if it were up to me and it were 10 Years ago I'd have Xavier throw Kofi the Trombone and Jericho take a Trombone to the Head. However, it's 2016 so I'll take Xavier hitting Jericho in the Legs to eliminate him. (Chris Jericho eliminated by Francesca 2). As soon as Jericho hits the Floor Big E will pick him up and give him the Big Ending.

However, as Kofi's celebrating the elimination of the MURDERER- he'll turn around and see Braun Strowman and Luke Harper. I'm not entirely sure how they'd do it, and it could very well go wrong but I want Strowman to press Kofi over the Top Rope- and Kofi to somehow end on the Barrier on the Hard Camera side. Yup, it's the Kofi Spot. With Big E and Xavier still out there, Kofi's going to use them as Stepping Stones to get back on the Ring Apron. As this is happening Erick Rowan's entering and as soon as Kofi's back on the Apron, Rowan will barrel into Big E and Harper will Superkick Kofi eliminating him. (Kofi Kingston eliminated by Luke Harper). Once that's happened we've got 3 of the Wyatts in the ring, with Bray the only one yet to enter- with The Family waiting for the next entrant.

That next entrant comes in the shape of Dolph Ziggler, and it goes without saying he's not going to last long. After a brief struggle he's going to succumb to the Family and be eliminated. (Dolph Ziggler eliminated by The Wyatt Family). Next in is the leader of The Wyatts- and Bray is going to take his time coming in and once he does he'll do his "WE ARE ..." type stuff and how he's going to win the Rumble and it's "his". Basically, it looks like Bray's going to win- and with his whole Family in there with him it's looking pretty good for him. Enter Brock Lesnar. I had Wyatts/Lesnar as a sub-plot in this before RAW, but now it just doesn't look crazy. Brock's going to enter and... be Brock. The goal of the Family is to protect Bray- meaning all three of them will be taking Suplexes regularly. Rowan will be the first to go*

*Quick aside, for the Kofi Spot I had an idea for Brock to German Suplex Kofi over the Top Rope- with Kofi landing on his back with his Legs in the air before transitioning into a Head-Stand Kip-Up back onto the Apron. Then I thought more and realised Brock German Suplexing Kofi over the Top-Rope to the floor would be 99% likely to kill him.

(Erick Rowan eliminated by Brock Lesnar), next on the Chopping Block is Luke Harper who won't last much longer- but as you've seen I reckon he'll have a good showing tonight. (Luke Harper eliminated by Brock Lesnar). What we get next might be the foreshadowing of a Mania match, although I still doubt it quite a bit. With Strowman and Brock squaring off. All of this with Bray laughing in the Corner, because he fucking loves this sort of chaos. Just as they're about to actually fight each other, the Countdown hits zero and Sheamus enters. Sheamus will come in and it's Brogue Kick City. Hitting Strowman with one to knock him into a Corner, before hitting Brock with one- but with that not knocking him down he goes for another one and as he's running back for it Bray will do the thing where he basically just runs into someone. Apart from that not much will happen, as we now build to the "big finish". After Sheamus, we get his League of Nations comrade Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio will run wild for a bit with Enzuigiri's and Superkicks on everyone before doing the thing where they just start kicking someone in a corner for a while, most likely Brock to "keep him down".

Next, in the moment we're all anticipating tonight- AJ Styles will enter at #29. I've seen a lot of talk about the Styles Clash- a lot of I'm assuming is joking. However, there has been some people legitimately saying that the WWE won't let AJ use the Styles Clash- to which I point out Joe is still using the Muscle Buster after Tyson Kidd. Anyway, STYLES CLASH'S FOR EVERYONE! Well, not everyone. AJ will gives Styles Clash's to Del Rio and Sheamus, and not long after eliminate Del Rio. (Alberto Del Rio eliminated by AJ Styles). With everyone down, and Del Rio just eliminated- AJ will do the Glove Pose to the Hard Camera. Just as he's got his Hands up, the timer hits zero and Samoa Joe's Music hits. This whole angle depends on the Commentators, and it's for that reason that I might even prefer it not to happen. However, Joe and AJ have a history that can't be ignored- and heading into a Mania with so many injuries an entirely new feud (in WWE) is something they shouldn't pass up. What we'll then get is a Mini-Match of sorts with both AJ and Joe attempting various "high impact" moves on each other. Until Bray and Strowman intervene and attack both into different corners.

There we have it, that's the 30 Entries- and after the 30 we're left with Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Sheamus, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe to fight it out. With Strowman and Bray back in control of the match, it's time to change that- with Brock returning to the action. He'll give Bray a German Suplex and then Strowman an F5 before eliminating Strowman. (Braun Strowman eliminated by Brock Lesnar). Next to go is Sheamus, also by Brock (Sheamus eliminated by Brock Lesnar) leaving us with the Final Four of Brock, Bray, Joe and AJ.

You could probably get really good Odds on this being the Final Four, looking at Paddy Power individually it's 1/25 for Brock, 4/11 for Bray, 13/5 for AJ and 18/1 for Joe. Unfortunately I can't do an Accumulator, thanks Paddy Power. Anyway, I genuinely believe this should be the Final Four. This years Mania is going to be huge in-terms of the landscape of the WWE going forward, so having three of the Final Four of the Rumble be relatively "new" stars who can play a big part in the WWE over the next 2-3 years- and in Bray's case even longer.

Right then, the Final Four has to become a Final Three- and the first to go will be Bray Wyatt at the hands of Brock after a bit of a fight. (Bray Wyatt eliminated by Brock Lesnar). My logic for putting Bray Wyatt out first is that we've already had Lesnar/Wyatts teased this week and in the match. On the other hand, I'd have Joe kicking and punching AJ in the Corner while Brock is eliminating Bray- before turning around. *gasp* It's Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe facing each other. This is a fucking dream match, at least for me. If they do end up teasing this tonight, regardless of position in the match I'll mark out. Anyway, after a stiff as anything brawl Brock will F5 Joe and throw him over the Top Rope. (Samoa Joe eliminated by Brock Lesnar).

This leaves us with Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles. Another Dream Match, and the best bit? It's a no-lose situation in-terms of the winner. The crowd will not give a fuck if Brock or AJ win, because either way he's one of "their guys". The result,? A crowd actually invested in what's happening in the ring. After we get some back and forth, I'd have AJ setting Brock up for the Styles Clash- but Brock fights out of it and German Suplexes AJ. Brock goes for the F5, AJ fights out and eventually hits the Styles Clash on Brock.

Then we get the thing where the person who is about to be eliminated weighs 1 Million lbs and AJ struggles to get Brock up and over the Top Rope. Just as AJ is about to win, Brock comes around like the Beast he is, F5's AJ and then throws him over the Top Rope.
Winner: Brock Lesnar

Key Parts
- Sami Zayn debuts & he and Owens eliminate each other and brawl all over the Arena
- Social Outcasts eliminate The Big Show
- Braun Strowman eliminates all 4 Social Outcasts at once
- The "Kofi Spot" is Kofi using Big E & Xavier as Stepping Stones back to the Ring
- Brock/Wyatts is one of the main angles in the Rumble
- Final Four is Brock, Bray, AJ Styles & Samoa Joe
- Final Two is Brock & AJ

I've said this throughout, and I still believe it now. Brock Lesnar is winning the Royal Rumble. After this Rumble there's so many potential matches for Mania, and just off the back of this match you could easily get;

Roman Reigns v Triple H
Brock Lesnar v Bray Wyatt- WWE Title (or The Rock if they could work something out)
Sami Zayn v Kevin Owens
New Day v Chris Jericho & The Usos
Samoa Joe v AJ Styles

That's 5 matches on the card right there, 4 of which would be absolutely great.

If you're interested in stats, or if you've got a "Most Eliminations" Bet here you go;
Most Eliminations- Brock Lesnar (7)

I could be completely wrong with this, and Triple H might end up winning the Rumble as the Bookies seem to indicate. However, I just don't see it happening for some reason- and I think putting the Title on Triple H, only for him to drop it back to Roman at Mania is a waste. You'll have also noticed I didn't do any "Legend" returns, for the simple fact that I wasn't sure where to fit them in and who they would be. Although, Barrett's absence may or may not be down to Papa Shango.

Thanks for reading as always, I hope you had fun reading my Rumble. At around 4am tonight, we can come back here and re-read my Rumble and realise what could have been. As I said, I hope you liked it- and even if you didn't/completely disagree with with my Predictions feel free to tell me. Thanks again for reading, let's hope that at the very least tonight is a lot of fun- and the Rumble match is actually good. Which, after the last two years may not be a guarantee. Just remember folks, tonight we're going to witness Heath Slater Main-Eventing a PPV for the WWE Title.

RAW Review: 4th January

Hello! Right then, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way LAST NIGHT WAS THE BEST RAW OF THE YEAR! Now we can move on. I'm not even quite sure why, but I was genuinely quite hopeful for last night's RAW and the Royal Rumble build. I'll discuss the big Royal Rumble match news a bit later on, but it's definitely shaken things up- and will definitely have divided opinions and gotten people talking. I won't say I "enjoyed" RAW last night, but at the same time I did like a lot of what they did last night so in that respect it was a successful night for the WWE. Let's look at exactly what I enjoyed then eh? THE FIRST RAW REVIEW OF 2016 BEGINS!

OH FUCK, STEPHANIE WAS IN THE FIRST SEGMENT OF 2016.
Roman Reigns & Stephanie McMahon Promo
"The Morgue" why couldn't Roman have told Stephanie she'd be picking Vince up from "The Morgue". I realise it's PG, but come on. I think that little adjustment can sort of sum up Roman Reigns at the moment. In that, there's a lot of potential- that I don't think many people are disputing he has. But, at the same time- he's just not quite "there" yet. In my posting break, Roman did of course win the WWE Title. I was in two minds over whether I wanted Roman to win the Title, but after his TLC showing I was willing to give it a go. I'm yet to make my mind up when it comes to Roman as WWE Champion. The main problem for me is the fact they're making EVERYTHING about Roman, as I'll discuss later. As we've seen a million times in the WWE, if the WWE try and push something down our throats- the fans will push back. I didn't mind this segment, without ever "liking" it at any point.

Kevin Owens v Neville
I really liked this match. It was never going to be "Match of the Year" fare. However, for what it was- it was really enjoyable. Neville looked great in defeat last night, and provided they keep Neville on his current path I do have some hope for his future. Neville isn't going to be Main Eventing any time soon, however he's definitely getting pretty consistent pops at present- and if he keeps doing stuff like he did in the match last night those pops will only continue and grow. Ambrose was fine on Commentary, apart from at one point when he got completely lost. The stuff with Ambrose and Owens after was really good, and overall this segment did its job really well.

Vince McMahon Backstage Promo
The stuff Vince said was fine, but I think it would have been infinitely better had he entered in the Limo shouting "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" and his entire Interview with JoJo just consisted of "HAPPY NEW YEAR!".

Titus O'Neil v Stardust
I'm pretty sure they got the scripts mixed up, and this was in fact supposed to be on Superstars. Everything they did was perfectly acceptable, and the match was decent in a very "standard" way. I suppose that's all that you could really expect from the match in all honesty. So, fair play to both guys.

Becky Lynch & Charlotte Backstage Promo
I liked this segment, and it set-up what followed nicely. It's not a good sign that I can barely remember what's happen with Charlotte over the last two months, but this segment definitely worked.

Becky Lynch v Charlotte
I just need to write this down to make it a lot clearer in my head. Becky Lynch and Charlotte had a decent match, they told a good "story", Becky won with shenanigans after Charlotte attempted to do so making it "fair game", Charlotte then snapped at Becky and fully turned on Becky by killing her. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE DIVAS DIVISION?! ACTUAL STORIES?! CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTS THAT MAKE SENSE?! After this match last night, I legitimately want to see Becky go after Charlotte for the Title. This was one of the best Divas Segments we've had in recent memory, and we can only hope we get 51 (or more) more of them this year.

Vince McMahon & Sheamus Backstage Promo
Apparently the bloke Vince was belittling as they cut to him backstage was the Head Writer of NXT. This segment was pretty standard stuff, which would have been made better had Vince simply told Sheamus HAPPY NEW YEAR over and over.

Ryback v The Big Show
At leas the actual match was mercifully short. Before the announcement after the Main Event, I was convinced Braun Strowman was going to fuck shit up in the Rumble Match. While he still might, Roman's involvement as well as Brock, Cena, Owens, Ambrose- it all dilutes Strowman's potential impact on the match. I am still looking forward to The Wyatts in the Rumble match however, because chances are we'd be getting The Wyatts/Brock at some point during.

Alberto Del Rio & Rusev v The Usos
I've been a big critic of Del Rio's return, but I legitimately think this was the best match of Del Rio's return. With the only other contender being his match with Roman at Survivor Series. It wasn't perfect by any means, but a lot of what happened just "worked" last night. We actually got a great false finish for once, with the Uso Splash after a Superkick on Del Rio- and for the first time since his match with Cena I've actually liked Del Rio's finish. Why did I like it? BECAUSE IT FUCKING MADE SENSE! The problem, among others with the Corner Stomp is the fact Del Rio's opponent literally has to hold themselves up for Del Rio to hit it. That wasn't a problem last night with Jey draped over the Second Rope. So overall, I really enjoyed this match. MORE PLEASE!

Heath Slater v Dolph Ziggler
The match was nothing really. I thought Dolph looked a bit "off", but that may well be down to the fact he was losing to Heath Slater- albeit with interference. I genuinely, all joking aside love the "Social Outcasts" idea. I have no doubt it'll be dead by at the latest the Royal Rumble, but on the off chance it isn't- I'm really looking forward to what these four can do. I know there'll be 4MB Jokes, JOB Squad jokes and more, but I can legitimately see myself getting behind the "Social Outcasts" concept. I'm not getting my hopes too high for them, because there's a reason they're- well Outcasts in the WWE landscape. However, for now- LET ME DREAM!

Vince McMahon & Roman Reigns Backstage Promo
As with the Sheamus stuff it was pretty standard. HAPPY NEW YEAR, ROMAN! HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Chris Jericho meets The New Day
For once, and I mean once- I didn't really like The New Day's individual Promo Segment. I'm not even really sure why, it may have been the absence of a Gong they previewed in their little Backstage Segment beforehand. Then New Day's Countdown was interrupted by Jericho's and some stuff happened. Firstly, New Day's gift they were counting down to was a fully healthy Daniel Bryan ready to wrestle- so you can thank Jericho for Bryan not wrestling at Mania. I realise the crowd wasn't great last night, but the pop for Jericho was kind of depressing. It wasn't silent by any means, but still.

Remember, this all my personal opinion. I'm getting bored of "Happy, Smiley, Catchphrase" Jericho returning for a Month, leaving and then just repeating that cycle. Especially with the lack of one of the Top Heels in the Company for Mania in Seth Rollins, when I heard the Jericho rumours I thought we'd be getting Heel Jericho this time around. We still might, but I think it's unlikely- and that's annoying. The stuff with Jericho last night was especially annoying to me, because HE WAS BURYING ONE OF THE VERY FEW THINGS ON RAW THAT'S ACTUALLY CONSISTENTLY GOOD! So, overall this could have gone better. I'd also like to hear from anyone who would argue that Jericho's return in the Rumble wouldn't have been better as a surprise.

The New Day v Kalisto & The Dudleys
This match was pretty standard stuff on the whole, with some good individual moments scattered throughout the match. I know it's Wrasslin, but Bubba literally running away from D-Von- leaving him at the mercy of Kofi and Big E in order to chase XAVIER! THE WEAKEST MEMBER OF THE NEW DAY just blew my mind with its stupidity. There's bigger things to worry about in the world, but for some reason this really annoyed me.

Roman Reigns v Sheamus w/Vince McMahon as Special Guest Ref- WWE Title
There's a number of different angles to cover after this match, so I'll go through them all chronologically. The actual match itself was weird. I can't say good- but at the same time they didn't do an awful lot wrong from a match perspective. However, from an angle perspective WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK WERE THEY DOING IN THIS MATCH?! I know they were doing the whole "Corrupt Ref" gimmick, but there's a limit to what the Slow Counts should be for. Judging by this match, among other things Sheamus would have been pinned by a SAMOAN DROP! SHEAMUS, THE #1 CONTENDER FOR THE WWE TITLE WOULD HAVE BEEN PINNED BY A SAMOAN DROP!

The finish really pissed me off. Roman wasn't losing, I think that was an accepted fact. However, when they did the Double Brogue Kick spot there was an inkling of doubt. Especially with Vince STARING DIRECTLY AT WHAT WAS GOING ON. I know they were trying to sell Vince as being "dazed" but give me a break. I have to assume Vince was at the very least out of position. The finish would have been infinitely better had Vince not have been looking directly at Sheamus pinning Reigns in an apparent "daze". All of this after Roman Superman Punched Vince, and then when pinning Sheamus he was confused as to the lack of a Referee there to count.

Right then, the Royal Rumble match news. There's so many different angles to cover- that I can't cover them all. I will say, the Royal Rumble match being for the WWE Title is a good move in the sense that having people return/debut going after the WWE Title makes sense. It also makes sense in-terms of Brock going into the Rumble match. If as rumoured AJ Styles is showing up in the Rumble match it makes sense in that regard as well given anyone would want to go for the WWE Title.

I've seen a lot of people complaining that the Rumble match has been made too predictable for the third year running- to which I'd argue it was predictable beforehand, and is less so now. Before the announcement last night- at least to me it was common sense that Brock was winning the Rumble. Now, it's Roman or Brock. Brock can win and then we get the Rematch at Mania- or Roman can win and Brock can still go after Roman. I do still have reasonable hopes for the Rumble Match, and especially with Brock in the Match it should definitely be fun.

Overall, I did enjoy parts of last night's RAW- which is better than what could have been said about some of the Episodes. We had Divas Segments that made sense, some decent matches and crucially stuff that would make me want to tune in next week.

Thanks for reading as always, after my break toward the end of December- these Reviews are now officially back for the new year. I don't think we can get a much worse year than 2015, but I do have reasonably high hopes for 2016- it at least on paper has a lot of potential. Thanks again for reading, and remember- after last night we're one step closer to Heath Slater as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Fulham v Sheffield Wednesday Review: Wet, Wallace & More Wet

Let's just get the two obvious and most likely overused jokes out of the way early. JOKANOVIC OUT! and WE HAVEN'T WON A GAME ALL YEAR! Great, now we can move on. That's right the Reviews are finally back after a bit of a gap. To be blunt, it just got too depressing as December went on. I was feeling just really drained when it came to Fulham- and that combined with me being affected by my Chronic Fatigue was the cause of the break. I was tempted to do a Rotherham Review, but I just thought I'd leave 2015 as it was and bring them back today.

Right then, I got quite wet today. When the Clothes you're wearing are visibly darker by the time you've left the game- you know it was a wet one. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot in the way of good performances on the pitch to take minds off of the awful conditions. With that said, we also didn't do an awful lot wrong on the whole today. Today's game was, to me- a 0-0 game all over. Unfortunately for us, Ross Wallace produced the only bit of proper quality from an attacking perspective in the game and it cost us.

Ross Wallace has been a nightmare for us this season, and I can only hope Carvalhal shows some mercy and rests him in the Cup next week. He got all three Assists in the Away game back in September, and then he goes and does that today. It was just such a quality goal. You can possibly make an argument that we should have closed down Nuhiu and Wallace quicker/better in the build, but sometimes you just have to acknowledge a quality goal when you see it. I'd be surprised if it's not a Goal of the Season Contender for Sheffield Wednesday, and it'll likely be in the Goal of the Day Poll on Sky Sports News- so #SSNHQWallace.

Andy Lonergan, despite conceding, really was quality today. He could do absolutely nothing for the Wallace goal, and throughout the game he made a number of really important saves to keep us in the game. It's going to take a lot of defensive work on the Training Ground, but if Jokanovic can get us completely together as a defensive unit I've got faith that Andy Lonergan can hold up his end of the bargain in goal- and Clean Sheets will follow. Even in the Rotherham game, I thought Andy Lonergan should have been one of the MOTM Contenders on the Vote. Now, after today- and especially with no Matilla on the Vote there's only really one winner for the Award today.

It wasn't perfect today from a defensive standpoint, and there were times when our obvious defensive problems flared up- however I do think there's been some improvement. There were times when we were carved open and had to be bailed out by Lonergan- one in particular in the 2nd Half with Gary Hooper, but on the whole we looked okay in my opinion. You know, in the pouring rain in January- what we all want to see is two Trees wrestle each other. That's essentially what we had with Nuhiu and Dan Burn today. Before anyone accuses me of bias, Dan Burn did perform really well against Derby and Rotherham- fair play to him. Burn just didn't reach the same level today. I'm not saying he played badly today, but Burn managing to get turned by Atdhe Nuhiu simply isn't good enough.

The Transfer Embargo will have an obvious effect on our January dealings, however if Jokanovic/Rigg/Whomever else has a say in Transfers can find a Centre-Back to sign on Loan with a view to a permanent deal in the Summer then we need to jump at the chance. We already need to have one eye on next season, and the right Loan signing in this Window could go a long way to preparing for it. I'm not saying Stearman's immune from being dropped, but in my opinion we need 3 proper Championship quality Centre-Backs in the Squad- and we have (at a push) one at present. Speaking of Stearman, I thought he- as with Burn was far from perfect today, but definitely looked better on the whole.

Tim Ream and Jazz Richards definitely had their hands full today, and Ream in particular looked quite shaky at times. However, as with Burn and Stearman- while looking quite fragile at times today I do think there was signs of life in them. The problem for us with the Full-Backs today was the fact neither Richards or Ream are exactly "attacking" Full-Backs. With that in mind, playing effectively a 4-3-3 wasn't ideal.

In my Posts before Christmas, I was pushing for two things- for us to play a 4-3-3 and for Sakari Matilla to be brought in as a "proper" DM. I got both today, although it wasn't exactly what I wanted from the formation standpoint. I thought Matilla was really good today. Matilla isn't going to be everyone's favourite player- and chances are he'll be overlooked (including by me) in some games where we've scored/won. However, in a game like today with not many genuine positives- Matilla stood out to me. Especially with our defence being as it is at present, Matilla could (albeit briefly) turn into a key player for us both in-terms of protecting the Back Four, but also the balance of the Team. He just needs to leave the Long-Shots to other people.

In my Posting break, Emerson Hyndman's come back into the Team- and become a real positive point. I thought he was great against Rotherham, and while he didn't reach the same level today- he still did quite well. Sheffield Wednesday did well in suffocating our Midfield today, in that it was rare we'd get a clear chance created- and Hyndman did suffer from that to an extent. Jamie O'Hara was a weird one today. I wouldn't say he was "bad", but at the same time he needed to do a lot more to make a proper impact on the game. O'Hara is a good option to have in the Squad, in an ideal world with a 4-3-3 Cairney would come in for O'Hara- but I just have to assume Cairney was left out as a result of carrying a knock today. We just missed Cairney today, especially his creativity. Hyndman and O'Hara just can't quite create like Cairney can- and in tight games like today's Cairney could have made the difference.

In a genuinely rare occasion, we ended up looking quite toothless up-front. My "ideal" 4-3-3 is a somewhat rotating one, meaning at any given time the two opposing Centre-Backs will be dealing with McCormack, Dembele and Kacaniklic. All three are entirely different propositions, and at least on paper would cause a lot of problems. What we got today was a "fixed" 4-3-3, and as a result in my opinion Ross McCormack was wasted in the game. It wasn't quite Stuart Gray putting McCormack at Centre-Mid, but McCormack playing on the Left wasn't a good move today. Especially with Sheffield Wednesday being as defensively sound as they were, McCormack was just suffocated today. On another day, McCormack would have scored one of the two or three Free-Kicks he had today- but we can't bank on McCormack scoring a Free-Kick to bail us out in every game.

I can only assume Moussa Dembele is still carrying the Hamstring problem he had that meant he was left out on Tuesday. He just didn't look "right" today, and on a day up against a well set-up Sheffield Wednesday it meant he rarely had any sort of meaningful possession. There was some good link-up play with McCormack at times, but on the whole there won't be anything added to the YouTube Compilations that no doubt Man Utd, Spurs and a Half a Dozen other Clubs' fans will be watching when they're linked with him in this Window. Alex Kacaniklic is not the perfect player, but he does offer something different than the majority of the Squad. He's without a doubt a good option to have in the Team, and causes defences problems. As evidenced particularly in the Bolton game he lacks some composure with finishing off chances, but he's definitely worth his spot in the team at present.

I actually thought we looked worse after Jokanovic's Subs today. Scott Parker just didn't look up to it today. I don't doubt Parker still has some value to the Squad, but he's definitely winding down this season- and I'm not going to be at all surprised if Parker hangs up the boots come May. Personally I wouldn't have taken off Matilla for Garbutt. I realise we were pushing for a Goal, but a straight-swap isn't always a bad thing as we would have done with Ream going off for Garbutt. That would have allowed everyone else to push further forward, and Matilla would have been covering them. As it was, Garbutt came on for Matilla and didn't really do much. Not today, but I do think we've started to see signs of Luke Garbutt and the player he can be over the Christmas Period- so it would be a shame if Jokanovic doesn't use him in a more prominent role going forward. Unfortunately Woodrow couldn't repeat his Rotherham performance when he came on. Without question, Dembele when fit is better than Woodrow. However, if Dembele is still carrying a knock as I suspect- I'd rather we just started with a fully-fit Woodrow.

Today's game, and result in particular of course wasn't an ideal start to Jokanovic's reign. However, the massive positive for me was that everything Jokanovic said after today's game made absolutely perfect sense. Jokanovic clearly has a vision for the team, and although we saw signs of it today- it would have been impossible for him to implement said vision fully in less than a week. One positive for Jokanovic on that front is (assuming there's no FA Cup Replays) we only have two Saturday-Tuesday/Wednesday-Saturday weeks in January and February. This of course means Jokanovic doesn't have to "rush" preparations for many games and he gets time to work on the team on the Training Ground.

The sad fact of today's game, is the simple fact we've lost to an absolutely sublime goal. All we can do is look at the game in that respect and move on quickly.

Thanks for reading as always, even with the result today- I do genuinely believe that under Jokanovic 2016 will be a really positive year for Fulham and in-turn there'll be more positive Reviews. Next up is the FA Cup and of course Sheffield Wednesday, and the Previews will be back for that game on Friday so stay tuned for that. Thanks again for reading, and despite today's result let's just keep positive for now. We can start to get miserable again around Mid-February/March.