SmackDown Does Double the Go-Home for the Royal Rumble....

Happy Royal Rumble Eve, Enthusiasts!

Too much? Can’t be that excited about the Rumble? 😉 Well, my curiosity level is higher than usual this time around. I think it’ll be fun. I don’t know what to expect but with WWE having generally found a respectable stride of late, I’m not so much worried about how they’ll fuck it up, just curious to see what they try. I would have to say that’s an improvement from recent years, wouldn’t you? 

In any case, there’s plenty going on in the Wrestling World but not much of it grabs me so let’s just chat about the more interesting bits shall we?

One thing that I found noteworthy is how the Bella Twins appear to be championing women’s representation in the WWE and appear to be strong supporters of Sasha Banks a.k.a. Mercedes Moné. Well, it appears that WWE wasn’t having any of that and uninvited them from this past Monday’s 30th Anniversary Special.

I have to say I’m kinda impressed by the show of solidarity. I’m not sure if it really amounts to anything outside of an acknowledged affiliation between the 2, though. I supposed it could even be construed as a publicity stunt of sorts but I don’t think The Bella Twins had that directly in mind. I think they’re making an attempt to fight the good fight and I commend them. 

Now, I’m not sure this is the best instance because though they’re not wrong in their sentiments, this is a mostly indifferent audience I would say. I think the only ones really championing Moné are her fans and well-wishers so, I’m not sure it’s quite the show of activism they hope but a step in the right direction. Most of us aren’t here for much outside of pent up energy release so trying to get people to think about the issues isn’t exactly what they’re in the mood for but the effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. We’ll see where it all lands.

In other news, there’s a big fan push for Sami Zayn to win the Royal Rumble. I like the idea but is WWE Creative prepared for the subsequent fallout. Wouldn’t that put him in line for a match for the Universal Title against Roman Reigns? How would that work out? Would it be a completely “thrown” fight to establish allegiance to the Bloodline? Does Kevin Owens run out and force a DQ? Or is it just a squash as we get on with our lives and Reigns, reigning supreme until next WrestleMania when The Rock handles it? I don’t know, Enthusiasts. Not sure it’s the most entertaining way to go but I think they can make the Rumble interesting by allowing Zayn to hold out. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the Final 5 or something but I don’t know if his winning actually serves any good purpose for what’s in play. 

We also have no idea who the surprises are. I think for who’s already on the roster I would vote for Sheamus. He’s been slanging out there for years and seems to have finally found a respectable stride. Besides, it’s about time he and Reigns have a nice meaty feud. They’re about the same size so it’s a fair fight which makes it interesting. Drew McIntyre is also in the hunt but he still has to work on having fun being a hardass out there. He’s getting there so, soon but right now I think Sheamus is in the front running. 

If not Sheamus, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Bron Breakker gets called up to throw a wrench in the works. Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman are also notable potentials. I would throw in Bobby Lashley but I don’t think anyone really wants to see Lashley vs. Reigns. Lashley isn’t always clean in the ring and I can only see it being a mess of a match. Not sure how to make that one interesting and that’s what it really comes down to. Who plus Reigns makes for an entertaining fight? We’ll see what the WWE is thinking before long. 

And so, that basically brings us to tonight’s SmackDown. The Go-Home nature of the week was put aside for the 30th Anniversary celebration so SmackDown gets to pick up those duties. We can expect to see a Tag Team #1 Contender match with Legado del Fantasma, Imperium and the Banger Bros. in Sheamus and Drew McIntryre battling for a shot at the Title. Rey Mysterio will attempt to give some credibility to Karrion Kross and Solo Sikoa will pick up where he left off earlier in the week and have at Kevin Owens. If Roman Reigns is in attendance, we shouldn’t see Sami Zayn. He’s been “ordered” to stay out of Reigns’ sight. We’ll see if he comes out of hiding before the big show. 

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)