SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Reigns’ Road to WrestleMania Begins…
Recap: The show opened with a pretaped promo from Bray Wyatt. He criticized Roman Reigns’ continued bravado in the face of his losses at Royal Rumble and in his Intercontinental Title match, and referred to him as a “failure patiently waiting to be put out of his misery”. Reigns then cut a similar pretaped promo (to crowd boos) disputing Bray’s characterization of him as a failure.
The match then immediately began. The announcers highly hyped the match and discussed the history between the two over the years. Based on entrances, the crowd seemed solidly behind Bray. Reigns ultimately won the match with a spear. After the match, Matt Hardy attacked Bray.
Evaluation: It had seemed over the past few weeks that the crowd was warming to Roman Reigns slightly, but that didn’t seem to be the case tonight. Even when he later came to the ring with Seth Rollins (discussed later in this article), the crowd didn’t seem behind him.
The outcome of this match itself was no surprise. Because Roman Reigns did not win the Royal Rumble, he has to win the Elimination Chamber to get his main event with Brock Lesnar.
Forecast: Roman Reigns wins the E-Chamber and wins the Universal Title from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. He’s booed vociferously on both occasions. Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt seem destined for a match on the WrestleMania undercard.
Jordan’s Neck Injury Hits the Storylines…
Recap: In a promo backstage, Seth Rollins looked concerned and asked Jason Jordan if he was healthy enough for their tag title rematch, as GM Kurt Angle had expressed this would be their last opportunity. Jordan assured Seth that he was. Seth stated that the match wasn’t about Seth or Jordan, but about what they could accomplish together.
Later Jason Jordan’s neck began to give him issues while warming up, causing him to pull out of the match. Kurt Angle allowed Seth to substitute Roman Reigns for Jason Jordan in the tag title rematch.
During the match, Jordan came to ringside. An angry Reigns told him to leave. Before he could leave, however, Sheamus and Cesaro attempted to leave ringside to bail on the match. Jordan attempted to stop them. In the scuffle that ensued, Jordan punched Sheamus and Cesaro, which resulted in a disqualification for Seth and Roman. After the match, an angry Kurt Angle told Jordan to stay home until he was medically cleared.
Evaluation: Tonight Seth had something to be mad about, as Jordan’s carelessness in striking Sheamus and Cesaro cost him the match. Had Jordan not been there, Sheamus and Cesaro would’ve been counted out. That wouldn’t have led to a title change, but would’ve at least given them a case for another rematch.
Forecast: The big question here is the severity of Jordan’s neck injury. If he will be ready for WrestleMania, it’s obvious to have him face off with Seth Rollins. If it appears he won’t be ready, WWE will quickly need to come up with a new program for Seth.
Sasha’s Turn is Teased…
Recap: There was dissension between Bayley and Sasha Banks backstage. Sasha was unwilling to help Bayley prepare for her match with Asuka, and also showed no regret at eliminating Bayley at Royal Rumble. Sasha further expressed incredulity at the idea that Bayley could possibly beat Asuka.
Evaluation: Hopefully this is the beginning of a heel turn for Sasha Banks. She’s been lost since becoming a face. As a heel, she played up her “legit boss” character and was a badass willing to do what it took to win. As a face, on the other hand, her most memorable moments were empty platitudes about “opportunities for women.” She seemed grateful for even having a spot on the roster rather than interested in doing what it takes to become champion.
Forecast: Hopefully Sasha Banks will turn and face Bayley at WrestleMania. This could be great for both of them, as Bayley’s character has also grown stale. A feud with a ruthless Sasha Banks could reinvigorate her.
Random Thoughts…
-Unlike on SmackDown, at least tonight the on-screen Batman style cartoon text was limited to Mixed Match Challenge promos….
-I really liked The Revival requesting the change from a singles match between Finn Balor and Dash Wilder to a tag match. It really gets across that they consider themselves old school tag team specialists in a promotion that typically doesn’t value tag teams…
-The video package that played to hype Asuka vs. Bayley before a commercial break was very well done and made the match to seem like a big deal…
-Finally, we have separate women’s PPV storylines going on at once as opposed to throwing all the women into one multi-woman match! For the Elimination Chamber PPV, we are progressing with both an Asuka vs. Nia Jax feud and a separate Alexa Bliss feud with the other women in the Elimination Chamber match…
-We had more of the crowd egging on Braun Strowman to repeatedly powerslam his opponents after the match tonight. I wonder how long this lasts…
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS – RAW 1/29: Women’s Rumble Aftermath, More Destruction from Braun, Cena is headed to Elimination Chamber, more
The only way they’ve been able to get Reigns to be cheered is when they play off of the Shield’s popularity, and by featuring him with Seth and Dean. I just can’t see that changing moving forward, regardless of what they do. He just has a different dynamic to his character when he’s around his Shield brothers which makes him more likeable, I think. When he’s on his own, gunning for the Universal Title, like everyone knows he will be going into Mania, he comes off very arrogant and robotic for some reason.