WrestleMania XL: Day 2 - Matches of Interest

Happy WrestleMania Day 2, Enthusiasts.

How did you like last night? To be honest, it felt like everyone stepped aside for the main event in my opinion. If I had any say, I’d act like that was the point. With The Rock threatening referees for doing their jobs, it’s safe to assume that the roster doesn’t want to be on his radar 😉

I will say that Sami Zayn vs. GUNTHER didn’t have that feel and I’m glad they gave it to Zayn. Now, let’s see if Zayn can run with it and be a new kind of champion. If he can back it up, he can back it up. And that’s all I’ll say about that. 

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch also seemed impervious to the night’s events though, with Lynch supposedly sick I suppose the predetermined outcome was foreshadowed with that information. I just hope it’s not strep throat. If Ripley gets sick next, we all know why. 

And so, what about Day 2? Well, since Day 1 was a little reserved, Day 2 has full clearance to go all out. Here are the matches I’m thinking hold the most intrigue or at least should entertain.

First off, LA Knight vs. AJ Styles has a lot of implications because both guys kinda need the win. So, how are they gonna do this? Well, again, it’s hard to hate a good competition, no matter the sport, so that's their first matter of business. After that, it’s who deserves it followed by who’s more popular. On paper, I would say Styles deserves the accolades more. His talent is unparalleled and he’s always clean in the ring, almost to a fault so if it’s a matter of merit, I would say Styles hands down. Doesn’t matter if he’s a Heel. 

An argument can be made for Knight seeing how he’s been slanging in general for years. He’s an “Everyman” success story so, I can see an argument being made but he’s still kinda new to us and Styles too has been slanging. Yet, in my opinion, Styles needs some tangible validation. Though he is a smaller gentleman, that does not mean he’s not a contender. I think this is a good time to remind people of that but if it makes people feel better, the win doesn’t have to be clean. We’ll see what they do.

The next 2 are kind of obvious. Naturally, I have to talk about Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre. Most feel that this will be where Damian Priest cashes in. So, the task here is to try to not make the outcome too predictable. How he does it will certainly face scrutiny. I thought they might have done it with the Intercontinental Championship, but I get the feeling that would be too bait and switch for Zayn. He deserves better than a bullshit taste of glory. 

In this case, I think it’s probably safer to ruin Rollins’ day. Drew McIntyre can then turn his sights onto Damian Priest and probably take him out at the next PPV. If that’s Clash at the Castle in Scotland, I think we know how this plays out. Let’s see if I’m wrong.

And so, that leaves the main event in Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns. Given how Day 1 ended, we know that the outcome will not be fair so, how will Rhodes counter? That may be what keeps us curious. How does he overcome this? Well, this is kinda what I’ve always been asking for if I’m fair. If the underdog is to realistically win, he’ll have to be savvy. I suppose we will see how smart Rhodes is this evening. 

Regardless, the game is rigged so even if Rhodes finds work-arounds, we have to be prepared for the Final Boss in The Rock or some other emissary to do something about it. Will Triple H have to eventually step in and enforce a sense of order? We’ll see if it gets to that, for now, I’m thinking whatever it is forces new chapters of this story to be written. Rhodes, now aware of just what it is he’s up against, will have to change tact to remain relevant and formidable.  This is a chance for Rhodes to show us what superstardom looks like to him. Let’s hope it works.

In the meantime, Roman Reigns appears to already be preparing for the future. He’s tossing all opposers out of his presence. There’s video going ‘round showing Reigns kicking someone out for booing him. Not sure how he’s going to empty a stadium but he may foolishly try. I think it’s a good move to have Reigns be a “detached noble” in this story. So used to the perks of being part of the Bloodline, he simply forgets that much of the world does not know him.  Anyone who sees how the Bloodline operates would have grounds to boo. Yet, if one wants to avoid the wrong kind of attention or lose favor, it tends to be best to play along. 

It could be said that The Rock is proving to be a bad example but it all depends on where this arch is going. At some point, the dirty dealing has to backfire on the Bloodline. We can presume that when that happens, it’s the start of Reigns’ Face turn. This could be where the seeds for a Rock vs. Reigns get further sown. We can conjecture that also from what happened tonight with the “botched” spear from Reigns but things are always subject to change in this business. There’s no telling if they really go there right now. 

All I’ll say is that given that the first night ended on a bit of a down note, it behooves WWE to end it on a higher one. I don’t mind if it has “to be continued” elements but if you want people coming back for more, there’s gotta be some payoff. There’s a lot of people just passing through at a time like this so it’s a good time to grab new fans.  If WWE can at least end on a compelling note, there may be a few more newbies watching just out of sheer curiosity. This is what I would be aiming for. We’ll see if we’re on the same track. Doesn’t look like we’re too far off so, I’m not talking completely out of my ass. 

In any case, these are the matches I’m looking at. Per usual, everyone else just has to prove why they’re on the payroll. I’m not worried about them for the most part. I think The Pride vs. The Final Testament have the most to prove, so we’ll see if they leave a good impression.

I have to scramble back to the usual homestead before show time so, I may or may not be a little late for the show but I should catch it. I’m expecting this evening to be a little more relaxed so we may get some funner matches. Day 1 was well-executed but it definitely seemed, moderated. I’m not sure if people were told or just didn’t want to run the risk of fucking up. Either way, I would make it look like it’s on purpose. People are more tense with The Rock around. Wonder why that is.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)