Reigns Retains; Rollins Returns

After defeating AJ Styles in yet another phenomenal match (no pun intended), Roman Reigns retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In these two recent battles with Styles, Roman has proven that he has what it takes to dance in a high quality match by bringing his very best as AJ brought his best. Roman proved that he is no slouch despite what the IWC critics say, and that he has improved gradually as an in-ring performer. The match at Payback was very thrilling, even though they had to restart thanks to Shane and Stephanie. However, I would say that this match tops it just because it did not have those interruptions. Roman is truly an athletic stud in the ring, and he let it be known with what he pulled out of his arsenal. He even turned a Razor's Edge into a Sit-Out Powerbomb. This match was a straight-out war. The veteran AJ Styles did the Styles Clash not once but twice and Roman kicked out. I'm not surprised because that is how WWE likes to book someone that they have chosen to be the franchise star. That is why fans are tired of John Cena. Then again, if Roman gets criticized, look how many times Styles kicked out of Roman's signature moves. It's all about adding suspense to the match and telling a story and both of these men did that. The USO's and "The Club" would get involved, but "Super" Roman survived the onslaughts and won with a Spear. This was easily a candidate for "Match of the Year".

I am not the number 1 Roman Reigns fan, but I am willing to give him a chance. I see plenty of upside in him to make it as the Marquee Star that WWE desires him to be. After Roman emerges victorious, Seth Rollins surprises everyone by attacking Reigns from behind. Seth ends the night by giving him the Pedigree. Rollins would stand over his former Shield partner while holding the WWE Championship. The sight of Seth holding the title in the air was reminiscent of when he held the gold high at the end of WrestleMania 31. The fans cheered Seth for attacking Roman, even though Rollins is naturally a heel. Seth colored most of his hair black as he has gotten rid of the "Rogue" hairstyle with the streak in his head. Seth's injury was so severe that he was expected to be out for 9 months going into Summerslam. Instead, he returned in 6 months.

The next night on RAW, Shane McMahon set up the match between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Seth missed out on WrestleMania, which was a huge void for the overall match card in spite of the 101,763 fans in attendance that night. I believe that Mania STILL would have reached that number with Rollins healthy.

Either way, I believe WWE still had big plans for Seth going into the Summer. It seems as though Roman has moved on from this chapter with AJ Styles. The feud with Styles was beneficial in the sense that it challenged Roman to improve as an in-ring worker.

Now that this chapter with AJ Styles has come to an end, Roman can now transition to his primary rival, his former brother in The Shield. The match with Seth at Money In the Bank could be the launching pad for bigger matches down the line. This chapter with Rollins is what is "Best for Business" for both Roman and Seth.

Royal Rumble 2016: All About The Game

As everyone knows, the Road to WrestleMania has been very bumpy to say the least. The Roster has recently been depleted with the losses of major players like John Cena, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Cesaro and Sting due to injuries. There are still questions about the WrestleMania Card itself. However, WWE found a way to call an audible while things have been breaking down around them heading into the Royal Rumble.

In the midst of their drought of talent, WWE signed NJPW Stars such as former TNA franchise player AJ Styles, Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Carl Anderson. The group was famously known as the Bullet Club in NJPW.

Another major twist for this year's Royal Rumble was that the title was on the line in the Rumble Match itself. This was the second time in WWE History where the title was on the line in the Royal Rumble. As we know, Ric Flair won the Vacated Title as the Rumble Winner in 1992. However, the difference between then and now is that the WWE Champion was involved in this year's Rumble.

This PPV exceeded expectations in many ways. Here is the breakdown.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match (Last Man Standing): Dean Ambrose (c) def. Kevin Owens

The opening match of the night was for the IC Title. This could very well have been the match of the night outside of the Rumble itself. It was very intense and told a great story between two brutal rivals. Just when it looked dark, Dean Ambrose came through in the clutch. Kevin Owens set up 5 or 6 chairs in the ring to deliver his backward Splash on Ambrose. Dean pushed Kevin off the top rope and onto the tables set up outside. Ambrose retained the title as Owens did not answer the 10 Count.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: New Day (c) def. The USO's

The New Day and the USO's are the teams that have carried the Tag Team Division from 2014-2015. On their way to the ring, the New Day introduced Francesca II since Chris Jericho killed the first trombone. The Orlando crowd gave New Day a nice reaction. Even though they were chanting "New Day Sucks", it sounded like there were many that were chanting "New Day Rocks". This goes to show how entertaining they are even as goofy heels. The USO's got next to no reaction from the crowd whatsoever.

In the end, the New Day squeaked out the win to remain champions.

WWE United States Championship Match: Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio (c)

This match was a do-over from two weeks ago, when Kalisto defeated ADR for the title before it was hot-shotted back to Alberto. It was a decent match, but I am not a big fan of how WWE creates comparisons between Kalisto and Rey Mysterio. Kalisto is the Dollar Store version of Mysterio.


WWE Divas Championship Match: Charlotte (c) def. Becky Lynch

In typical Flair fashion, Charlotte used heel tricks and tactics to defeat Becky Lynch. This was a rather underwhelming Divas Title match because of how Charlotte did whatever she could to carry this match.

The real highlight came after the match when Sasha Banks made her return. Sasha kicked Becky out of the ring to confront Charlotte face to face. As Charlotte would make her exit, Sasha hit her with the Bank Statement and rolled her into the Crossface Submission. Expect this to be Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for the Divas Title. With the Road to WrestleMania, hopefully this is their way of cleaning up the dirt of the Divas Revolution.

The Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship: Triple H wins the Rumble to become WWE Champion

• From the start, this Royal Rumble was strategically planned for Triple H and Roman Reigns to be the Central Figures. The Authority made Roman the first entrant into the Rumble to stack the deck. Rusev would be the next entrant. Things started off between them before the biggest surprise made his debut. TNA Cornerstone AJ Styles made his long awaited debut in the match to an ecstatic crowd at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL. I guess it was also natural because they were in Florida, home of TNA. I respect the way that WWE recognized him as AJ Styles instead of giving him a corny, generic name. AJ was able to keep his character original and the fans loved it. Styles was very impressive in his first Rumble ever. He remained in the match for more than 27 minutes to showcase his talent before being eliminated by Kevin Owens. This could be a sign of big things to come for Styles.

• Chris Jericho entered the Royal Rumble at number 5. I must honestly say that physically he has been letting himself go as of late. It felt like Jericho was in there for at least a day because he lasted for a very long time. Kofi Kingston avoided elimination as long as he possibly could like he always does in the Rumble. This time, he sat on the shoulders of Big E while drinking a fan's soda and eating popcorn. When it was time to get back in, Jericho was the one to eliminate him. It looks like the Y2J vs. New Day feud continues.

• Brock Lesnar came and dominated in true Beast form. He eliminated the Wyatt Family before standing face to face with Bray Wyatt. The rest of the Wyatt Family returned to eliminate Lesnar. This continues to set the stage for Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania. 

• Midway through the Rumble, Roman was attacked by the League of Foreign Losers (I mean League of Nations) outside of the ring. The assault was completed with Rusev running from two or three announcers tables to do a big splash on Roman through another announcers table. 

• The comedy spot was R-Truth pulling out a ladder and placing it inside of the ring as if it were a ladder match. Silly comedy to say the least. 

• Sami Zayn made his long awaited return as an entrant of the Rumble. Zayn immediately set his sights on long-time rival Kevin Owens. Sami would eventually eliminate Kevin from the Rumble match. Clearly, there is still unfinished business between them. 

• Kevin's opponent from the first match was Dean Ambrose. Dean was very impressive in the Rumble as he came within an inch of winning the title. This was similar to when Roddy Piper was in the '92 Rumble as IC Champion. Things looked bright until the number 30 entrant joined the match:

• In the ultimate swerve, Triple H entered the Royal Rumble as the final entrant as Reigns was number 1. This goes to show how WWE made this entire Rumble revolve around Reigns vs. The Authority. Reigns returned in strong fashion as he knocked out Sheamus before wiping out the League of Nations. Roman would meet his end with an elimination from Triple H. 
• When it was Ambrose vs. Triple H, it was only a matter of time before the Game would win. 

Overall, I was satisfied with the Royal Rumble. The biggest surprise was the debut of AJ Styles and how impressive he was. Like many fans, I did not agree with Triple H winning, but it was "Best For Business". Considering the circumstances with the injuries to the major stars on the roster, Triple H is the only one that is truly capable of being the heel that could carry Roman Reigns and get him over with the fans. This is used to ultimately set up Roman's WrestleMania moment. Heading into WrestleMania, The Game is the best dance partner for Reigns, and it is time to take the ride. Remember, in the words of Mike Knoxxx (@MIKEKNOXXX) #WrestlingIsStoryline. This is simply for the purpose of strengthening a Storyline.

I give the Royal Rumble 4 WWF Winged Eagle Titles out of 5.

Let's Dance (vol 3. Eddie Guerrero)

In this installment of the "Let's Dance" Series (courtesy of @RealMikeKnoxxx and Perfect Plex), This series has gotten off to a strong start after highlighting the dance partners of future Hall of Famer Chris Jericho.

Now, I would like to focus on the great rivalries throughout the career of one of Jericho's closest friends, Eddie Guerrero.

During his storied Career, the late legendary Eddie Guerrero has battled with some of the best that the business had to offer. From AAA in Mexico to Japan, to ECW, WCW and finally in WWE, Eddie has danced with many partners. Like Chris Jericho, Benoit and others, Eddie was well versed in many different International styles of wrestling. Now, it is time to explore his greatest rivalries:


Chris Benoit:

Length of Feud: 1993-2003

Featured Matches:

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 1996

Fatal Four Way at No Way Out 2001 (IC Championship)

Four Way Elimination Match on Smackdown (w/Edge and Kurt Angle)

Armageddon 2002

Vengeance 2003 (US Title Match)

Match Quality: 4.5/5

Storyline Quality: 7.5/10

Rivalry Rating: 8.5/10

Their styles of wrestling and careers mirrored each other. The only difference is that Eddie had much more charisma. Both were technical wizards who crafted their skill Internationally. Eddie incorporated more of the Lucha-libre style while Benoit applied the Hart Dungeon Canadian style of wrestling. They were both fantastic in the Japanese strong style of wrestling as well. Their builds were also very similar. Guerrero and Benoit first crossed paths on the International Circuit in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the Best of the Super Juniors Tournaments in the 90's. They would battle each other in WCW as well, but things did not fully launch until they both jumped ship to the WWF as members of the Radicalz. Soon, tension started to build within the group as both leaders would find themselves fighting for the IC Title. At No Way Out 2001, Guerrero and Benoit were involved in the Fatal 4 Way Match that included X-Pac and IC Champion Chris Jericho. Y2J would ultimately win. Between 2002 and 2003, Benoit and Eddie would battle for the US Title with Guerrero being the ultimate victor. WrestleMania XX was a watershed moment for both of them as they closed the night with confetti as they held their World Titles in victory after years of dedication. The chemistry that they had together was among the best that wrestling had to offer. They had similar skills, but different characters. Sadly, they are also associated by the way that they died. Eddie passed away in 2005 while Benoit tragically took his life along with his family's life in 2007. They changed the business not only by their influence as wrestlers but also through their tragedies. 

Rey Mysterio: 

Length of Feud: 1995-2005

Featured Matches:

Halloween Havoc 1997 (Title vs. Mask for WCW Cruiserweight Title)

WrestleMania 21

Judgment Day 2005

Great American Bash 2005

Summerslam 2005

Match Quality: 4.5/5

Storyline Quality: 9/10

Rivalry Rating: 9/10

Both of these Latino Warriors are deeply connected because Eddie Guerrero's influence is what helped to propel Rey Mysterio. Without Eddie, there would be no Rey. Eddie and Rey's history traces back to their time in AAA. From that point, they would reconnect in WCW. This is where things really started to heat up between them. Rey and Eddie were fixtures as the backbone of the Cruiserweight Division. At Halloween Havoc, Guerrero and Mysterio tore the roof off of the building with their Title vs. Mask match for the WCW Cruiserweight Crown. Mysterio won the championship and kept his mask. This match put everything else on that show to shame. This was named WCW's Match of the Year, and rightfully so. Later, Eddie would form the Latino answer to the NWO called the "LWO" (Latino World Order). He tried to recruit Mysterio, but Rey denied. In WWE, Eddie and Rey would be members of the Smackdown Six, a group of workhorse wrestlers that delivered the best quality matches that WWE had to offer on the Smackdown Brand. Along with them were Edge, Kurt Angle, Benoit, and Chavo. Like they did in the Cruiserweight Division, Eddie and Rey formed their own identity away from the A level Stars. Eddie even defended the WWE Title against Rey at one point. Mysterio and Guerrero later won the WWE Tag Team Titles. At WrestleMania 21, Eddie and Rey put on a great match to start the show. Mysterio won as it helped to ignite the fire that was burning to create their feud. Soon, Guerrero turned heel and viciously attacked him. The feud culminated at Summerslam with Rey winning custody of Dominic. Following Eddie's death, Rey won the WHC at WrestleMania 22 in honor of the Latino Legend. 

Dean Malenko: 

Length of Feud: 1995-1997

Match Quality: 4/5

Storyline Quality: 7/10

Rivalry Rating: 7.5/10

Featured Matches:

ECW Hostile City Showdown

ECW WrestlePalooza 6-man Tag Match (Dean w/Cactus Jack & 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Eddie Guerrero & The Steiner Brothers)

Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match in ECW

WCW Uncensored 1997

WCW Starrcade 1997

This feud was built strictly off of one-upmanship. Malenko was one of Eddie's best dance partners, because of how well they were able to bounce off of one another. Their matches were the highlight of ECW as they carried many of the shows. In an environment fueled by blood-thirsty fans and violent brawls, Guerrero and Malenko provided substance and technique. Their series of matches from ECW is still the stuff of legend to this very day. They danced pretty much to the same beat and same rhythm in the ring. Both men received a standing ovation from the ECW crowd in their farewell match before going to WCW together in late 1995. In WCW, Dean and Eddie would cross paths again as staples of the Cruiserweight Division with feature matches in 1997 from Uncensored to Starrcade. No matter the environment, they created chemistry. 

Kurt Angle: 

Length of Feud: 2004

Match Quality: 4/5

Storyline Quality: 7.5/10

Rivalry Rating: 8/10

Featured Matches:

WrestleMania XX

Summerslam 2004

Much of Eddie's best work involves him dancing with great technicians, and Kurt Angle is one of the best that his generation has to offer. I find it quite interesting that after winning the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar, Eddie transitioned from a storyline with one former amateur wrestler to another. Kurt Angle stepped in to become Guerrero's next challenger. Kurt attacked Eddie's character by saying that he has brought dishonor and disrespect to the WWE Title because of his problems with drugs and alcohol. This led to their awesome match at WrestleMania XX, where Guerrero retained the title by outsmarting Angle. Soon, Kurt suffered an injury and became the General Manager of Smackdown. The feud continued with Angle making things miserable for Eddie as champion. At the Great American Bash, Kurt pointed out how JBL reached the last turnbuckle in their Strap Match before Eddie's hand reached that point. Thus, JBL became the new WWE Champion. After his injury was exposed as fake Kurt Angle faced Eddie Guerrero at Summerslam. This time, Kurt won. Anytime Eddie and Kurt stepped into the ring to battle, you knew they would pull things out of the hat that they wouldn't use against anyone else. 

John Bradshaw Layfield:

Length of Feud: 2004

Match Quality: 4/5

Storyline Rating: 8.5/10

Rivalry Rating: 8/10

Featured Matches: 

Judgment Day 2004 (WWE Championship)

Great American Bash 2004 (WWE Championship- Texas Bull Rope Match)

Steel Cage Match (Smackdown)

Armageddon (Fatal Four Way for WWE Championship w/Undertaker and Booker T)

When Bradshaw returned after the APA split up, he became the arrogant JR Ewing-inspired John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL). The JBL character was like the Texan version of Ted DiBiase. JBL was like the Cowboy that struck rich on Wall Street. He carried himself like a Presidential Candidate. After fighting off Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX, Eddie would have his hands full with the hard-hitting and pompous Layfield. JBL caused Eddie's mother to have a heart attack (kayfabe). From that point, the rivalry would kick off. JBL would mock Hispanics and Latinos and say that Eddie had no place as the WWE Champion (Long before Donald Trump). This would lead to a bloody and brutal battle at Judgment Day as JBL challenged Eddie for the WWE Championship. This match was the definition of Ruthless Aggression, as it was clearly a product of its time. It is most remembered by the way that both men would heavily bleed during the match as it was the extra element that made this battle unique. Eddie would retain the WWE title by DQ after hitting JBL with a chair. This would open the door for a Texas Bull Rope Match at the Great American Bash. Much like the Judgment Day match, Guerrero and JBL would bleed profusely in this match. Talk about a colorful rivalry. Their matches are best defined by blood. This match ended in very controversial fashion when Eddie would seemingly remain the champion. However, GM Kurt Angle reversed the decision when he showed that JBL's back reached the turnbuckle before Eddie's hand could even reach it. As a result, John Bradshaw Layfield became the new WWE Champion. They would have a rematch in a Steel Cage Match. However, Angle cost Guerrero the title when he dressed as El Gran Luchadore. It caught Eddie by surprise. Guerrero and Layfield would have their last encounter for the Title in a Fatal Four Way match that featured Undertaker and Booker T. JBL remained Champion. This feud did great things for JBL as a heel. I would go on record to say that Bradshaw had the best matches of his career with Eddie Guerrero. This is a testament to how Eddie could bring the best out of his dance partner. 

Conclusion:

Rey Mysterio:

Eddie Guerrero's most passionate and intense rivalry came against long-time friend Rey Mysterio. They were practically brothers, which added extra fuel to this fire. Their matches were technical classics, but their storyline is what gives this feud the edge over Eddie's other rivalries. The dances that Eddie had with Rey were his best. Guerrero was a major influence on Mysterio breaking into the business. The best Dance Partners are usually those who have a very deep connection with each other, and Eddie had his best dances and strongest connections with Rey. It was evident in their quality of matches and storylines. The rivalry essentially started with Eddie trying to take away Rey's mask and it basically ends that same way. The only difference is that it became much more personal years down the line in WWE. Both of these Latino legends had undying passion and that very passion was at its peak in their feud. Without question, Rey Mysterio will go down as Eddie Guerrero's greatest rival. 

Greatest Matches:

1. vs. Rey Mysterio (Halloween Havoc)

2. vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania XX)

3. vs. Chris Benoit (Vengeance 2003)

4. vs. Dean Malenko (Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match)

5. vs. Dean Malenko (Hostile City Showdown)

6. vs. JBL (Judgment Day 2004)

7. vs. Rey Mysterio (WrestleMania 21)

8. vs. Chris Benoit (Best of the Super Juniors 1996)

9. vs. Kurt Angle (Summerslam 2004)

10. vs. JBL (Great American Bash 2004)