Taking things to the extreme means going to the highest possible degree. A degree of punishment, a degree of torture, a degree of unimaginable pain, or whatever other words are synonymous with these. That's what they want you to believe, but the majority of this pay per view card suggests otherwise. I suppose adding an hour to this show can be considered "extreme" to some, but the matches themselves could use a little "extreme" in them.

At the very least, I'm hoping that the in-ring performances make up for it.

Here are my thoughts and predictions from start to finish...

Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for The United States Championship 

This is one of the matches on this card with little to no build, but it should be a decent opener nonetheless. Unless we get some kind of stipulation at SummerSlam, I don't see this one continuing past this one show, although it could possibly be revisited later this year, based on what I'm about to predict. Hardy's entire U.S. Title run to this point has been very forgettable, and I see no point in keeping the title on him any longer. The end comes where Hardy hits the twist of fate out of nowhere, and goes for the swanton, but Nakamura grabs the referee by the foot, and pulls him in Hardy's way, so that Hardy can't deliver the move. Hardy drops down from the turnbuckle and moves the ref aside, but with the ref's back turned, Nakamura is able to land a low blow, and then deliver the kinshasa to win the title. 

After the match, as the referee helps Hardy to his feet, Hardy is viciously assaulted from behind by Samoa Joe, who then grabs the microphone. 

Joe: This right here? Is this what I have to do to get noticed around here?! I came to Smackdown! Live hungry for blood! So this goes to anybody in the back who currently has a managerial position: their blood is on your hands! I want the WWE Championship! And if I have to go through the entire Smackdown! Live roster to get it, then so be it! The pain starts now! But it doesn't end until I say it ends. And I say it ends when I am the WWE Champion. So AJ! Rusev! May the best man win. But whoever it is, you better feast your eyes on your next challenger.

[Joe looks like he's about to leave, but quickly pulls Hardy into a Coquina clutch, as the referees desperately try to break it up. This should at least excuse Hardy for not participating at SummerSlam, and also create two new feuds for him when he returns, in Joe and Nakamura]

[The announcers replay the footage of the lumberjill match from Smackdown! Live, as we then go to a live shot of Carmella walking backstage, with James Elsworth reluctantly following behind, with his head down]

Carmella: Would you pick it up a little? I mean what's your deal anyway?

Elsworth: My deal? Do you have any idea where they're gonna make me go?

Carmella: I'll tell you where you can go. James, you go where the money is. And since 'Mella is money, you go where I tell you to go, understood? It'll be a cold day in hell before Paige, or anyone else for that matter, outsmarts me.

Elsworth: Carmella, you might not know it to look at me, but I am deathly afraid of heights. What am I supposed to d...

Carmella: Look! Just follow the plan, alright? Now come on, we're late.

Carmella vs. Asuka for The Smackdown! Live Women's Championship, with James Elsworth in a shark cage

It's a shame that Carmella's ring work doesn't match her microphone skills. I guess nobody is truly perfect, but she could have been to Smackdown what Alexa Bliss is to Raw. I do like the fact that James Elsworth is back in the picture though, as his presence makes it a little more believable for Carmella to beat someone like Asuka or Charlotte,who are both far superior than her in the ring. It looks like they've been pushing Becky Lynch as the next potential challenger for the Smackdown! Live Women's Title, and if that's the case, I think she'd match up better against Carmella than Asuka. The Asuka match would definitely be better in the ring, but I think the Carmella feud would tell a better story. I don't think they would have put Elsworth in a cage if it didn't somehow play into the finish. The end comes where Asuka goes for a spinning back fist, but Carmella ducks, and Asuka hits the ref, similar to what happened in the previous match. As Asuka goes to check on the referee, Elsworth reaches into his tights and pulls out a can of hairspray. He drops it in the ring for Carmella to use, and she is able to temporarily blind Asuka with the spray, and then schoolgirl her for the cheap victory. 

After the match, with Asuka still blinded, Elsworth holds her up, as Carmella attempts to nail her with the belt. Before she swings away, Charlotte and Becky Lynch run out for the save, and chase off Carmella and Elsworth. As Charlotte goes to check on Asuka, Asuka, who is still blinded, elbows Charlotte in the face, thinking it's Carmella. Charlotte then tries to fight back, but Becky steps between her and Asuka, attempting to break it up. 

[Charlie is in the back with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre]

Charlie: Well Dolph, as you head into your title defense tonight, the odds are clearly in your favour, as your business associate, Drew McIntyre earned the right to accompany you to the ring, after defeating Seth Rollins last week. Any last thoughts?

Ziggler: Don't act like you're not impressed. Don't act like we haven't been telling you for months how good we are. I don't need to say it, because I go out there every night and do it. And so does my "business associate." We're more than just business associates, Charlie. We are best friends, because we understand each other. Unlike Seth Rollins, I don't sell my best friends up the river to get ahead. It's a real shame too, because now Seth has nobody to watch his back. Not that it would have mattered anyway, because whether Drew McIntyre is in my corner or not, I am fully capable of beating Seth Rollins on my own. It's just too damn bad that I'm too damn good. Let's go, big man.

​Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins in a 30-minute Ironman match for The Intercontinental Championship

This is probably the match that I'm most looking forward to, at least in terms of in-ring quality. They had a decent match when Ziggler won the title, but they still haven't reached their full potential yet, and I think there's a good chance that this match will not only steal the show, but may also be a match of the year candidate. Rollins has had some fantastic matches this year with The Miz and Finn Balor, and I would argue that Ziggler is just as good, or even better than those two, so I'm expecting great things here. Before the bell rings, Ziggler instructs McIntyre that he's got this, and tells Drew to head to the back. This surprises everyone, including Rollins, but as soon as the bell rings, McIntyre returns, and drops Rollins with a steel chair, earning Rollins the first fall by disqualification. Ziggler quickly evens it up by pinning Rollins after the chair shot. The referee then ejects McIntyre from ringside, but Ziggler doesn't lose focus, as he drills Rollins with the zig zag to move up 2-1. There are no more falls until the closing stages of the match. There are plenty of near falls, and the pace quickens, as Ziggler tries for another zig zag, only to have Rollins throw him off, and then catch him with a super kick on the rebound. Rollins then hits the stomp to make it 2 falls a piece. Rollins later drills Ziggler with a buckle bomb, and then follows up with another stomp, only for the referee to inform him that the time limit has expired, and thus Dolph Ziggler is still the champion.

[WWE Network commercials air]

The Deleters of Worlds vs. The B Team for The Raw Tag Team Championships

This match was scrapped from the last pay per view and with good reason. But I don't think the match has generated any more interest since then. The Raw tag team division is suffering right now, mainly due to the booking of its champions. It seems like everything that Bray Wyatt has touched for the last couple of years has just gone around the bowl and down the hole, with "Woken" Matt being no exception. I think both Wyatt and Hardy's gimmicks have run their respective courses, and these are two guys who desperately need to be repackaged, or at least separated. I actually see potential in The B Team, but only as a mid card comedy act. I really don't care who wins here, but if I had to pick a winner, I'd say the champs retain with their tag team finisher in a short match. I wouldn't expect them to have the belts much longer though, and I think we could see new champions before SummerSlam.

[Kurt Angle is shown texting someone in his office, as Constable Baron Corbin comes in]

Corbin: Kurt, I just got off the phone with our boss, Stephanie McMahon. And neither her nor I  are very impressed with what's been going on tonight. I mean I know it's Extreme Rules, but it seems like everyone is just taking full advantage of it, and you're letting it happen. Fortunately, the match between myself and Finn Balor is a straight up wrestling match. And after I win, Stephanie wants me to call her right back, and go over the details of our in-ring conference tomorrow night.

Angle: Conference? What conference?

Corbin: What, do I have to explain everything? Stephanie will be on Raw tomorrow night, so for your sake, I hope the rest of this show runs smoothly. 

​Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

This is another match that could have easily happened on Raw. The company doesn't seem to know what to do with Balor at this point, and Corbin is obviously in a much higher position. I think Corbin has done an okay job in the role, but it doesn't make much sense for him to be both the constable of Raw and an active member of the Raw roster. Even if Balor wins, this match will mean nothing by the end of the show, and I don't see any point to it. As Balor gets the upper hand, Corbin grabs Jojo's chair and nails him for the DQ finish. 

After the match, Kurt Angle comes out.

Angle: You know, Baron, as Constable of Raw, I'd think that you should be leading by example. But you were right about one thing. This is Extreme Rules. So I am ordering that this match be restarted as an Extreme Rules match!

The referee rings the bell, and the distraction allows Balor to hit a running dropkick to the chair in Corbin's face. Balor follows up with the coup de grace for the win.

[Daniel Bryan and Kane are shown in an undisclosed location]

Bryan: How many times do I have to tell you? No! I'm not wearing that goofy mask.

[Kane is holding one of his masks in his hand for Bryan to wear]

Kane: Look, every great team has a gimmick. The Bludgeon Brothers have their own masks. The New Day have those stupid unicorn hats. This could be our thing. Let me put it to you this way, we're doing it!

Bryan: No!

Kane: Yes!

Bryan: No!

Kane: Yes!

Bryan: N... you know what, let's not argue. We have a chance tonight to be two-time tag team champions. So let's go show The Bludgeon Brothers that we still got it.

Kane: Yes!

Bryan: Yes!

[They start "Yes" chants back and forth for a while, before the cameras cut to the pay per view panel, who provide their thoughts on the night thus far]

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No for The Smackdown! Live Tag Team Championships 

This could be a very entertaining match, and is probably the best use of Daniel Bryan since his return to in-ring competition. This is certainly the biggest match he's had since his comeback. A lot of people seem to be expecting a Kane heel turn in this match, but we've already kind of seen that in the past, and I don't agree with that decision at all, as it would just make Bryan look like a complete idiot.  The program that everyone wants to see is Bryan vs. The Miz, and I don't know if they can hold interest in that feud until WrestleMania, so I'd say the sooner it happens, the better. The Bludgeon Brothers haven't really clicked for me yet, and whether they win or lose this match, I don't see them holding these belts for very much longer. I'm going to predict that Bryan and Kane get the clean win with Bryan's flying knee over Rowan, and Team Hell No are the Tag Team Champions.

[More WWE Network commercials air]

[Footage is shown of Braun Strowman's intimidation of Kevin Owens in recent weeks]

Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens in a Steel Cage match

Owens may be the most valuable talent in this company right now. Even though he's not in the title picture, I don't think anyone can say that he's being underutilized, as he's consistently placed in main event programs, and he does such a masterful job of playing the cowardly heel. I think there's going to be a lot of cat-and-mouse in this one. Strowman will eventually catch Owens and just have his way with him, with Owens non-stop selling for the majority of the match. This is the one match on the card that I do see continuing passed this one pay per view, so I don't think it makes sense for Strowman to just squash Owens. I see the end come where Strowman presses Owens up against the side of the cage, and not knowing his own strength, the cage breaks, and Owens crashes down to the floor, much like the match Strowman had with Big Show. So Owens wins on a technicality. This way, they still keep Strowman strong, while also allowing the feud to continue, with Owens bragging about this win until the next time they face off. Strowman ends up destroying Owens after the match, and puts him through a table. 

[Renee Young is in the back with AJ Styles]

Renee: AJ, before we get to your title defense tonight, I'd like to first address the comments made earlier by Samoa Joe.

Styles: Yeah, I'm not hard of hearing, and I'm also not hard to find. But you know what, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. As far as tonight goes, while it may be Rusev Day everywhere else in the world, in the house that AJ Styles built, we don't celebrate it. As much as I don't want to rain on the Rusev Day parade, I hit like thunder and I move like lightning, so I guess Rusev is in for a long night. 

AJ Styles vs. Rusev for The WWE World Heavyweight Championship

You'd think that there would be a little more buzz for a world title match, but I guess the powers that be must have hit the snooze button on this one. The most interesting thing here will probably be the crowd reactions. I would not be the least bit surprised if they decide to swerve us and put the belt on Rusev, but I can't see that title reign being anything more than transitional, and AJ will probably end up getting the belt back before SummerSlam anyway. I see Aiden English constantly sticking his nose in this one, so AJ eventually lets him have it. The distraction from taking out English allows Rusev to drop AJ with the matchka kick. Rusev then applies The Accolade, but just as it looks like AJ may pass out, Aiden English comes back in and beats on AJ, while he's in the hold, causing a disqualification. This doesn't sit well with Rusev, who argues with English after the match, only for AJ to hit a phenomenal forearm to the back of English's head, and English butts heads with Rusev, as AJ leaves with the belt. 

​Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax in an Extreme Rules match for The Raw Women's Championship

Before the match begins, the camera zooms in on Ronda Rousey at ringside, as she's been shown several times throughout the night. Mickie James' distraction allows Alexa to get the upper hand with a kendo stick to Jax's thigh. Later in the match, Jax makes her comeback, but Alexa takes a cheap shot and rakes Jax's eyes. Alexa then spots Rousey at ringside and they exchange words. Without hesitation, Alexa grabs a fan's drink and throws it right in Rousey's face. This angers Rousey, and she jumps the security wall to get to Alexa, but all the officials in the locker room hold Rousey back, including the official assigned to the match. Alexa tries escaping into the ring, but Jax catches her. Just when it looks like Jax is about to put Alexa away, NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler comes from out of nowhere and applies a rear naked choke, taking Jax down. Baszler escapes through the crowd, allowing Alexa to capitalize by cracking a kendo stick over Jax's back. Alexa then delivers twisted bliss and keeps the title, as the officials are still trying to keep Rousey back. 

After the match, Alexa taunts Rousey, who finally breaks free. Alexa then shoves Mickie James in Rousey's way, so she can escape. Rousey then takes out her frustrations on Mickie with a flying arm bar, which Mickie furiously taps out to. 

[The pay per view panel provide their predictions for the main event]

Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley

This is really the best thing for both of these guys. Reigns seemed to be in a bit of a holding pattern until Brock Lesnar returned, and Lashley was nowhere near the main event picture until recently. I think the match should also be a decent one, but I just wish they would have added some kind of stipulation, especially if this is supposed to be the main event. However, I would not be surprised if the Raw women's match ends up closing the show. Lashley pretty much dominates the early stages of the match, by simply out-wrestling Reigns. Reigns starts mounting a comeback, and just as it looks like he's about to put Lashley away with a spear, the lights go out and we hear the gong. When the lights come back on, Lashley is nowhere to be found, and Reigns is eye-to-eye with The Undertaker, who plants him with a chokeslam, and then drills him with a tombstone to end the show.

So there you have it.

Here are my match predictions for SummerSlam:

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for The Universal Championship - The WWE would be incredibly foolish to do Reigns against Lesnar again, especially if it's Lesnar's last match. At the very least, it shouldn't be a one-on-one match.

AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for The WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Joe keeps destroying talent on Smackdown, until AJ agrees to give him a title match.

Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker - This is probably the best use of Reigns, as Taker would still want to avenge the WrestleMania loss, and also takes exception to Reigns calling the ring his "yard."

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz in a Career match - This stipulation is a way to write Miz off TV for a while, at least until 2019. Miz also ends up costing Bryan and Kane the tag titles in a rematch against The Bludgeon Brothers, and Joe attacks Kane after the match to write Kane off of TV as well.

Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose for The Raw Tag Team Championships - Ziggler and McIntyre defeat Hardy and Wyatt to win the titles, and Ziggler basically refuses to give Rollins another shot at the IC Title, so Rollins finds a partner and challenges for the tag belts instead. 

Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey for The Raw Women's Championship - Ronda's fellow horsewoman Shayna Baszler is brought in as Alexa's trainer, and there are weeks of vignettes of Baszler teaching Bliss MMA techniques, including how to avoid the arm bar, which could be very entertaining. 

Carmella vs. Becky Lynch for The Smackdown! Live Women's Championship - Becky wins a triple threat match over Charlotte and Asuka to become number one contender. 

Charlotte vs. Asuka

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman in an Ambulance match with Strowman's Money in the Bank briefcase on the line - Owens only agrees to the rematch if Strowman puts the briefcase on the line, but Angle doesn't tell Owens that he's letting Strowman pick the stipulation.

Triple H and Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle and Jason Jordan - The whole "Conference" turns out to be a set-up on Angle, as Triple H returns instead of Stephanie.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. John Cena for The United States Championship - Nakamura starts doing the U.S. Title open challenge that Cena made famous, so Paige makes this match for SummerSlam.

Kick-off:

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos vs. The New Day vs. Sanity in a Fatal four-way match for The Smackdown! Live Tag Team Championships

Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal - I was originally going to predict Balor vs. The Velveteen Dream who gets called up, and claims to be the only "Prince" in this world. But that was before they started teasing Velveteen Dream feuding with EC3, and it looks like he may also be turning face. 

Rusev vs. Aiden English - Rusev turns face after Extreme Rules, and Lana is paired with English.

The UFC enters our homes once again Saturday night, with an event that is sure to make headlines, regardless of the outcome. 

It'll be champion against champion for the first time in a long time, and that fight will be contested between literally the two biggest champions in the company. 

The last few cards have been plagued by injuries, and this one is no different, as Max Holloway had to pull out of his featherweight title defense due to injuries suffered in training. Despite that, this is still one of the hottest tickets in town, and Las Vegas is just as good a place as any to cash it in. 

Let's take a look at the card...

​
Gokhan "The Rebel" Saki (1-1-0) vs. Khalil "The War Horse" Rountree (6-2-0)

These guys have got to be considered two of the luckiest men in Nevada. Max Holloway's injury secured them both a slot on the main card, where they know more eyes are going to be watching. Rountree certainly has a more impressive record, but Saki has the advantage of being a relative unknown, so he's harder to scout. He won his last fight in impressive fashion, but it was also the first time he's fought in over 13 years, and I don't think Rountree will be giving him a warm welcome. I don't expect this one to go to the ground, as both of these fighters seem more comfortable on their feet. After losing his first fight following his Ultimate Fighter season, Rountree was able to bounce back with two straight knockouts. His last fight was overturned, but he'll be looking for a third knockout here, and I think he just might get it. I'll take Rountree to win by TKO.

Michael "Maverick" Chiesa (14-3-0) vs. Anthony "Showtime" Pettis (20-7-0) 

I believe this is Chiesa's first pay per view fight since his big Ultimate Fighter win in 2012. He's been flying under the radar since then, as he's faced and defeated some of the division's best. He submitted both Jim Miller and TUF season 16 winner Colton Smith, so needless to say, he is more than capable of holding his own against someone the caliber of Anthony Pettis. I've always loved Pettis' capoeira style, but it's been proven to work against him on a few occasions. Sure, it's fascinating to watch, but when he misses the target, it usually ends in disaster. Hopefully Pettis has learned from past mistakes, but I've seen so many fighters fall from grace after huge losses, and thus far, he hasn't proven to be any different. I'm going with Chiesa to get the Unanimous Decision.

Mike "Platinum" Perry (11-3-0) vs. Paul "The Irish Dragon" Felder (15-3-0)

After losing back-to-back decisions in his last two fights, Perry will be looking to get back to his winning ways in this one. But it won't be easy against an opponent who is coming off three impressive knockouts. Both guys have defeated some stiff competition, but I ultimately think that Felder may be the more well-rounded of the two, as he's had proven success on the ground as well, which may play a huge factor in this fight. I'll take Felder to win by rear naked choke. 

Francis "The Predator" Ngannou (11-2-0) vs. Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis (19-5-0)

These guys both certainly have impressive records, and have put away some of the division's toughest competitors. Ngannou will probably have more to prove here, as he wants to put himself back in the conversation for a heavyweight title shot. It'll be interesting to see how much of an effect that Miocic fight had on him. Lewis, on the other hand, has never seen a championship fight from inside The Octagon, and undoubtedly wants to experience it himself, so he may be the hungrier of the two. I don't expect this one to go the distance, as these are two heavy hitters. I think Ngannou will take this one though, and pick him to get the TKO. 

Stipe Miocic (18-2-0) vs. Daniel "DC" Cormier (20-1-0) for The UFC Heavyweight Championship
​
So it's come down to this, has it? Cormier has a chance to be a part of history here as only the second man to hold two UFC titles at the same time, as well as the second man to hold both the heavyweight and light heavyweight championship. Miocic, on the other hand, has an opportunity to be the second man to defeat Daniel Cormier, and I'm sure Jon Jones has been haunting Cormier's dreams. I don't know if that will play any kind of factor, but it still must eat away at DC, knowing that he may never be able to avenge that loss. Cormier does have the advantage here, as he's competed in the heavyweight division, while Miocic has never gone down to light heavyweight. And the fact remains that Cormier is still undefeated as a heavyweight. Having said that, I think we're getting a new champion here. I'll pick Cormier to get the Unanimous Decision, and move on to Brock Lesnar in December. 

So there you have it.

Who are you picking?

(Photo courtesy of World Wrestling Entertainment) 

The year was 1992. As I was randomly channel surfing one hot, Saturday afternoon, I happened to stumble upon a WCW program, the name of which I cannot recall. In any case, I was drawn in by this gigantic figure that pretty much had his way with anyone who stood across from him. His name: Big Van Vader.

The name was intimidating enough, but combined with his physical presence and overall demeanor, it wasn't very hard to pick him out of a crowd. 

I was more a fan of the WWF at the time, as WCW storylines were far too mature for any 8-year-old to handle. But I was still familiar with all of the major players that WCW had to offer, and I think Vader would have been at the top of that list. He had one of the most successful rookie years in WCW history, as he had just defeated WCW's top babyface, Sting, to capture the WCW World Title that summer. Even as a child, I knew that a heel getting a clean win over a top babyface at the time was practically unheard of. But Vader may have changed the way I looked at wrestling from that day forward, and he is often regarded as one of the best big men that the wrestling industry has ever produced. I will take it a step further and say that he's simply one of the best that the wrestling industry has ever produced.

Vader was well before his time, and he had a gimmick that I think would still be relevant in today's business. I would say that he was the previous generation's Brock Lesnar. He had the attitude of a UFC fighter before the UFC even existed. 

Upon entering WCW, Vader was immediately paired with former World Champion Harley Race, giving him some instant "street cred," as if his massive frame wasn't enough. I never thought that Vader was the type of athlete who needed a manager, but Race was more of an adviser than a mouthpiece. He was simply a handler to keep Vader in check. After all, if a 7-time world champion and the man who was recognized by many as the toughest wrestler of all time couldn't keep the big man under control, who in the world could?

I liked that WCW had so much faith in Vader that they constantly positioned him at the top of the card, even after Ric Flair re-entered the promotion in mid '93. Vader later had a world title program against arguably the industry's biggest star, Hulk Hogan. He was one of the few men who was able to stand toe-to-toe with Hogan and no-sell the majority of Hogan's offence. That feud culminated in a steel cage match at the Bash at the Beach pay per view, which Hogan won. Following Bash at the Beach, someone in creative made the suggestion that Vader turn babyface, and he was scheduled to join forces with Hogan, Randy Savage and Sting at the Fall Brawl pay per view in '95, as part of War Games. Shortly afterwards, Vader was involved in a locker room brawl with Paul Orndorff, which led to his eventual firing from WCW. This incident may have been a blessing in disguise though, as I don't think anyone would have taken Vader seriously as a babyface. He was eventually replaced in War Games by Lex Luger, who had just parted ways with the WWF. 

Many would argue that Vader achieved his most success in Japan, which is where he returned after WCW. But I don't think his WCW run was anything to scoff at, as he was always involved in main event programs. 

Vader also had a brief acting career, as he played a minor role in ABC's hit '90s sitcom Boy Meets World, playing his on-screen wrestling character. I always liked wrestling crossovers in popular sitcoms, and that one may have been my favourite. 

​I remember watching an episode of WWF Superstars on a Saturday afternoon in December '95, as they were introducing some of the participants in the upcoming Royal Rumble event. For some reason, I always loved that part, but I especially love when they announce participants that I had either never seen before, hadn't seen in a while, or previously seen elsewhere. Vader was one of the big surprise announcements that year, and caught me completely off-guard. Keep in mind that Internet was not nearly as big as it is today, and I was only 11 years old, so I had no idea that Vader had even left WCW, which was even more surprising. I actually had to double check TV Guide to make sure I was watching the right program. I didn't know what to expect at the time, but I'd say that Vader immediately grabbed a lot of attention, and was instantly positioned at or near the top of the card.

His first year in the WWF was definitely his best. This time he was paired with Jim Cornette, who, unlike Harley Race, was more of a mouthpiece for Vader. Again, I never really thought that Vader needed a manager, but if he was going to have one, Cornette was the best one at the time. Following his participation in the '96 Royal Rumble, Vader was involved in a huge angle where he attacked then President Gorilla Monsoon. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that a wrestler had physically attacked an authority figure, so it was a huge deal at the time. It may have kick-started what we know now as The Attitude Era. Vader was also involved in one of the featured matches at that year's WrestleMania, and received a world title match against Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam. The booking of that match left a lot to be desired, especially with the number of restarts, but I thought the match itself was pretty good. 

Unfortunately, Vader's career went downhill from there. The WWF was headed in a different direction, and Vader had a new manager in Paul Bearer, which I never thought was a great pairing, as the two characters could not have been more different. 

I can't pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, nor under what circumstances, but I recall Vader as a babyface in the Fall of '97. He was involved in the feud against The Hart Foundation at the time, which I didn't think was a great career move for him either, as he wasn't ever booked as a patriotic character. Vader was the victim of a lot of bad booking decisions at the time, and he just kept falling farther down the card. 

He eventually did return to Japan, and was able to relive some of his glory days, but as his career was winding down, I think it was appropriate to end it in the same place that it started.

Vader's son Jake was recruited to NXT in 2012, but his career never took off, and he was eventually forced into early retirement due to a series of injuries. 

I remember seeing how happy Vader was at a Wrestle Reunion event in Toronto in 2012. He was absolutely thrilled with the idea of being surrounded by fans and peers. It was one of those rare times that fans got to see the human side of Vader, and I'm so happy to say that that was the final memory I have of him. 

In November 2016, Vader was involved in a rollover car accident, after which he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and given only two years to live. 

On June 18, 2018, Vader passed away after a month-long hospitalization for pneumonia. He was 63 years old. 

So it's time again for another WWE pay per view. I've really enjoyed the build for the two money in the bank matches, but the rest of the card leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of the matches just seem so random, and it just feels like an obvious attempt to get everybody on the card. Why they had to add an extra hour is beyond me.

Regardless of the booking, this has consistently been one of my favourite pay per views of the year, and I don't think this year will be any exception, as I'm sure the in-ring quality will be fine, and in some cases, tremendous. 

Here are my thoughts and predictions from start to finish...

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Lana vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Ember Moon vs. Natalya vs. Sasha Banks in the women's Money in the Bank match

Given the theme of this show, it only seems appropriate that one of the ladder matches would get it started. The women's match seems to have the weaker build of the two, so it's more than likely that it will go on first. I really like the fact that there are a number of possibilities in this one. Lana is the underdog, but I can totally see her winning if Rusev wins his. Aiden English has been a huge help to both Lana and Rusev's careers, and I hope that they don't break that trio up anytime soon, whether the couple wins their briefcases or not. The briefcase could also breathe new life into the career of Sasha Banks, who has just been floundering on Raw in the ongoing "feud" with Bayley. Much like Bobby Roode in the men's match, Sasha is much better as a heel, and if she wins, I can totally see a turn coming at some point, and it would work even more effectively if Bayley ended up winning the championship and Sasha cashes in on her. It might actually make people care about that feud. I can also see Natalya winning and possibly cashing in on her "friend," Ronda Rousey, only unsuccessfully, thus creating an even greater interest in her potential heel turn. Ember, Charlotte and Alexa don't really need the case, and I don't expect Naomi to do much with it. So that only leaves Becky. Becky has been lost in the shuffle on Smackdown! Live since she lost the title in 2016, and I think the case might be what the doctor ordered to kind of undo the damage to her career. I'm going with Becky Lynch for the win here, and I'm looking forward to the potential heel turn. 

[WWE Network commercials air next]

Seth Rollins vs. Elias for The Intercontinental Championship

This is one of those matches on the card that I think was just added to fill time. I think if they prolong this, it could be a decent feud, but I really think it's just a placeholder until Ambrose returns to feud with Rollins, which is kind of a shame, considering the work that Elias has been putting in lately. He's definitely one of the strongest characters in the WWE right now, and I actually think he would have been perfect to win the Money in the Bank briefcase if he hadn't been in this match. Rollins has been on fire lately as well, having some of the best matches of the year thus far. I don't know if this will be as good as some of the ones with Balor or Miz, but I expect it to be one of the standout matches on this card. The end comes where the referee takes an accidental elbow to the face from Elias. As the ref is down, Elias swings his guitar at Rollins but misses, which allows Rollins to schoolboy him. Elias rolls through it, and Rollins catches him on the rebound with a super kick to the guitar into Elias' face. Rollins then gets rid of the evidence and finishes off Elias with The Stomp to keep the title. This leads to weeks of Elias calling Rollins out as a "Cheater," culminating with the rematch at Extreme Rules. 

[Highlights from the tag team battle royal are shown]

[Kurt Angle is backstage with Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, who have just seen the footage on the monitor]

Axel: Those guys look familiar, don't they, Bo?

Dallas: Certainly, Curtis. A couple of good looking guys I would say.

Angle: Alright, enough. This is serious. Look, guys, for weeks you have been begging me for a shot at the Raw Tag Team Championships. I gave you that opportunity in the battle royal, and you made the most of it. Well tonight is your shot. So go out there, and prove your worth.

[Baron Corbin comes up behind Angle and awkwardly places his elbow on Angle's shoulder]

Corbin: Don't let us down!

Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy vs. The B Team for The Raw Tag Team Championships

I have been very unimpressed with both tag divisions since WrestleMania, and the tag title matches on this card are not helping, as either of the two could easily be placed on the kick-off. I thought Axel and Dallas would be lost once they were separated from The Miz, but they've actually become a really entertaining duo, and I think they could be a strong comedy team on Raw, but I don't see them as champions just yet. Hopefully once American Alpha is reunited, The Authors of Pain return from wherever they are, TM-61 is called up, and they finally push The Revival, the tag team division can be great again. Until then, we're forced to deal with the Del-eaters of Worlds. As terrible a name as that is, the actual pairing of Wyatt and Hardy is even worse; it all just seems very random and uninteresting. The B-Team puts up a good fight in this match, but are eventually defeated clean with that tag team finisher of The Del-eaters, who retain their titles. After the match, The B-Team are viciously attacked by Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre.

[Ziggler gets on the microphone]

Ziggler: Last Monday on Raw, we warned every team within the sound of our voices that change is coming. Well change is here! And this was just the first casualty. 

McIntyre: We've been overlooked for far too long. As of now, the tag team division starts and ends with us. And if you don't like it, come and do something about it!

[Renee Young is backstage with Big Cass]

Renee:  Cass, tonight you have exactly what you wanted. You go one on one with Daniel Bryan. Any last thoughts?

Cass: What I wanted? What I wanted is for Daniel Bryan to stay retired. That little troll should have never come back, and tonight, I'm gonna show him why. I said from the start that a good little man can never beat a good big man. I'm the biggest man in this business. So what you should do is go find Daniel Bryan, and ask him if it was really worth it. But don't worry. After our match, I'm sure he'll be free for an interview. What's left of him anyway.

​Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass

Daniel Bryan's in-ring return has been kind of a letdown thus far, and I don't think Cass is a great opponent for him. Ideally, he should be doing what Seth Rollins is doing on Raw, and have competitive matches every week. But considering that the WWE is going out of its way to protect him, it's not really an ideal situation. Sadly, due to the nature of the next pay per view, I do see this feud continuing for at least one more show. This match never really gets started, as Cass attacks Bryan from behind, as Bryan is making his entrance. Cass continues to assault Bryan, and beats him with a steel chair. As the referee is checking on Bryan, Bryan insists that he wants to continue, so the ref reluctantly rings the bell. Cass immediately drops Bryan with a big boot for the easy win. 

After the match, Cass grabs the microphone.

Cass: And so ends the great Daniel Bryan story. But you know what? I'm not finished yet.

As Cass goes to pick Bryan up, Bryan grabs him and applies the Yes! Lock, to which Cass furiously taps out. The referees then storm the ring, trying to break up the submission.

[More WWE Network commercials air]

Carmella vs. Asuka for the Smackdown! Live Women's Championship

I've actually really enjoyed Carmella on the microphone lately. I think she's proven that she deserves to be in the spotlight, but I just wish her ring work was a little better. Charlotte couldn't get a good match out of her at the last pay per view, so hopefully Asuka will have better luck. I don't expect this match to go very long, considering that there are 10 other matches on the card. The end comes where Asuka applies the Asuka lock, only to have Carmella desperately grab the rope for the break. Realizing that she can't beat Asuka, Carmella grabs the belt and nails Asuka from behind, as the ref tries to hold Asuka back, which calls for the disqualification. 

After the match, Carmella starts taunting Asuka by holding the belt over her, but as soon as Carmella turns her back, Asuka pops back up and applies the Asuka lock again for an extended period of time. Once the referees are able to break up the hold, Becky Lynch comes out with the briefcase, and cashes it in. Becky immediately applies the disarm-her on Carmella for the quick tap out, and she wins the Smackdown! Live Women's Championship. As Becky celebrates with the belt, Asuka spins her around, and it looks like they're going to fight, but they end up shaking hands. 

[The announcers show a recap of the military obstacle course segment from Raw]

​Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn 

This has to be a front runner for worst feud of the year. All segment between these two have been horrendous in the last month, but hopefully the in-ring quality makes us forget about all of that. Lashley dominates in the early going, but Zayn gains the advantage after a thumb to the eye. Zayn starts getting cocky, but as he reverse leapfrogs over Lashley, Lashley catches him on the rebound with a spear, and then flattens him with the running powerslam for the win. 

[The pay per view panel provide their thoughts on the night thus far, and predictions for the remaining matches]

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Club for The Smackdown! Live Tag Team Championships

This is another match that could easily be bumped to the kick-off show, and probably will. I don't expect it to go very long, and it's sad to think that of all the talented teams on Smackdown!, they would decide to put the titles on a team that really hasn't garnered a lot of interest. This should be a fine match, but neither of these teams have really caught my attention lately, and they haven't really done much with them in recent weeks. I see The Bludgeon Brothers getting the clean win with their double team move (whatever it's called) over Anderson.

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal

This is another feud that I feel is just a placeholder until Brock Lesnar returns. I honestly didn't think Jinder Mahal would still be in the main events after leaving Smackdown! Live, but I guess the company sees something in him that I don't. The end goal here should be to keep Reigns looking strong before SummerSlam, so I think Reigns gets the clean win with a spear, but something tells me this one is not over.

[Up next is a recap of the Raw segment between Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax]

Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship

I've actually enjoyed most of the build for this feud, and I think this is a good first opponent for Rousey. I think the biggest challenge with Rousey is how she will be booked moving forward, and thus far, she's been booked okay, but she still seems like just another name on the roster. She really needs a standout performance to kind of break her away from the pack. Rousey gets the arm bar in the latter stages of the mach, but Jax reaches the ropes. Midway through the match, Natalya comes out to support her friend, Ronda Rousey. Jax later applies a Canadian back breaker to Rousey, which causes Natalya to immediately throw in the towel on Rousey's behalf, when the move is barely even applied.

After the match, Rousey starts complaining to the ref that she never submitted, and then turns to question Natalya. Nattie says she was concerned, and the distraction allows Jax to nail Rousey from behind. Jax then corners Natalya, who starts smirking, and her and Jax hug and then leave together, while Rousey stares a hole through both of them from the ring.

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing match for The WWE World Heavyweight Championship

I've generally found this feud to be very underwhelming thus far, and while the matches have been good, they haven't reached the quality that I was expecting. Given the stipulation, I do expect this match to be the best of the series. I think it'll continue for one more pay per view though, and the only way I see it happening is for Nakamura to win the title. I see the end come where AJ places Nakamura on a table in the ring, and then sets up a ladder. As he attempts to dive off, the referee tries to talk him out of it, which allows Nakamura enough time to sneak up from behind AJ with a low blow. Nakamura meets AJ at the top of the ladder, and they brawl. The ladder eventually tips over and both men go crashing through the table. Just when it looks like both men will be unable to make it to their feet before the 10 count, Nakamura manages to roll to the floor to stand himself up, while AJ is still down, and Nakamura is the new champion.

[The pay per view panel provide their predictions for the second Money in the Bank match]

Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Kevin Owens vs. Big E. vs. Samoa Joe in the men's Money in the Bank match 

This is probably the most appropriate match to close the show, and will probably be the best match on the card. I've been hearing rumors that Big E. is supposed to win this match, which I hope is not true, as The New Day works best as a trio, and I don't think it would be wise to break them up at this point. I can't see the audience getting behind any one of them as a solo act. I would think they'd want one briefcase on each brand, so I'd expect a Raw guy to win this one. Although if Becky does cash in the night of, I guess it really doesn't matter. Strowman, Joe, Owens and Miz don't really need the case, as they're likely to get pushed regardless. I would like to see Owens with the briefcase, just because it would make sense since he was basically hand-picked by Stephanie McMahon, and the promos would be fantastic. Ultimately, I think the person who wins this match should be that person who needs it the most, and has the most potential. Having said that, I think it'll come down to either Roode, Balor or Rusev. I see Strowman being very dominant in this match, but just as he's cleared the ring and heads up to the briefcase, Shane McMahon comes from out of nowhere and tips the ladder over, causing Strowman to crash through a stack of tables at ringside, as payback for Strowman putting Shane through the announce table at The Greatest Royal Rumble. Owens and Balor fight at the top and have a tug of war for the briefcase, and Owens gets the upper hand, but has a hard time unhooking it, which gives Balor the opportunity to headbutt Owens right off, and Owens ends up falling on top of some of the other participants, allowing Balor to win the case. 

So there you have it.

Here are my match predictions for Extreme Rules:

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles in a 30-minute Ironman match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal in a Falls Count Anywhere match

Seth Rollins vs. Elias in a Guitar on a Pole match for the Intercontinental Championship

Nia Jax and Natalya vs. Ronda Rousey in a 2-on-1 Handicap match for the Raw Women's Championship

Becky Lynch vs. Carmella vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte in a Fatal Four-way match for the Smackdown! Live Women's Championship

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass in an I Quit match

Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley in a Boot Camp match

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens in a Last Chance Ladder match for the Money in the Bank briefcase - If Owens wins, he gets the briefcase, but if he loses, he never gets an opportunity at the Universal Championship.

Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon's hand-picked opponent from Smackdown! Live (Rusev) in an Extreme Rules match - If Strowman wins, he gets Shane McMahon at SummerSlam. This could also be the start of Rusev's heel turn when he loses.

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos vs. The New Day vs. The Club vs. The Bar in a Tag Team Turmoil match for the Smackdown! Live Tag Team Championships

What a time it is to be a UFC fighter. While viewership has dropped in the last few years, the quality of fights has not changed; if anything, it's improved. I truly admire those fighters who have seized the opportunities presented them, following the departures of some of the promotion's top stars. 

The fact that those "top stars" seem to either be dealing with legal issues, or moving onto other things altogether has provided an opportunity for lesser known fighters to earn some extra dough by advancing to the main card of pay per views, or even receiving title shots that they wouldn't have otherwise received. To borrow a line from The Sound of Music, "When God closes a door, he opens a window." That window is opportunity, and a lot of guys in recent memory have used that opportunity to cash in on their big breaks. 

This show's main event is probably the greatest example of that, and I love how the UFC always seems to keep things interesting by throwing new stars into the top mix, thus creating new faces in each respective division. 

Saturday's card should be a good one. Let's take a look...

Phil "CM Punk" Brooks (0-1-0) vs. Mike "The Truth" Jackson ​(0-1-0)

This is the one fight on the card that most MMA fans will look at on paper, and think "What a waste of money." But as a wrestling fan, I am curious to see exactly how much Phil Brooks has improved since his last fight in 2016. Actually, neither of these guys have fought since 2016, and they were both submitted in the first round by the same fighter, Mickey Gall. The one advantage that Jackson has is that he has fought outside of the promotion, and has been through three rounds. I think Brooks will need to end this fight as quickly as possible if he hopes to win, and hopefully his recent trial hasn't interfered with his training too much. This is a better match-up for Brooks than his last one, but I'm still not confident enough in his abilities to think he'll walk away with a win here. I'll take Jackson to get the Unanimous Decision.

Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski (27-15-0) vs. Tai "Bam Bam" Tuivasa (7-0-0)

Tuivasa is walking into this fight undefeated, and actually finished all of his fights by knockout. But will that be enough to stop a legend? Arlovski thinks not. Granted, this is not the same Andrei Arlovski who ruled the heavyweight division once upon a time, and he has had a few birthdays since then, but I find that his fights are always hard to predict, because you never know which version of Arlovski will show up. Having said that, I think it's safe to say that Tuivasa knows a lot more about him than Arlovski knows about Tuivasa, so I'm picking Tuivasa to get his biggest win yet. I'll take Tuivasa by TKO.

Holly "The Preacher's Daughter" Holm (11-4-0) vs. Megan Anderson (8-2-0)

This is the Invicta fighter's first step into The Octagon, so needless to say, the pressure's on. I'm not so sure this is a great match-up for Anderson. Let us not forget that Holm was the one who took The Bantamweight Title from Ronda Rousey, and also went the distance with Cris Cyborg. Those are two things that nobody else can claim, and I think it will serve Anderson well to end things quickly, but I don't see it happening. I'll take Holm to get the Unanimous Decision.

Rafael dos Anjos (28-9-0) vs. Colby "Chaos" Covington (13-1-0)

It seems like dos Anjos has gotten back to his winning ways after dropping the Lightweight Title to Eddie Alvarez back in 2015. Moving up to 170 might have been the best move for his career, as he hopes to win his fourth straight fight here, and recently won a decision over former Welterweight Champ Robbie Lawler. But Covington is no pushover. He won his last five fights, most recently defeating former welterweight contender Demian Maia. It'll be tough to pick a winner here, as both of these guys are still in their prime, both are well rounded, and both have certainly been tested by the division's best. I can definitely see this one going the distance, and since dos Anjos has more big fight experience, not to mention overall experience, I'd have to pick him to get the Unanimous Decision. 

Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker (19-4-0) vs. Yoel "Soldier of God" Romero (13-2-0) for the UFC Middleweight Championship

Not making weight seems to be the story of Romero's life these days. Despite that, he is one of the division's best, and definitely the most deserving of this title opportunity. Whittaker isn't as impressed though, and not only has the champion's advantage in this fight, but knowing that he's already defeated Romero in a previous bout gives him an even greater edge heading into this one. Even in victory, Romero will likely never be able to live down the shame of not making weight for this title bout, which could adversely affect his performance. It didn't have any effect on his mentality when he knocked out Luke Rockhold to earn this opportunity, but Whittaker is a horse of an entirely different colour, so to speak. I can't envision either of these guys being stopped, and if it does go the distance, I'd have to pick the champ to retain by Split Decision. 

So there you have it!

Who are you picking? 

​

After taking some time off due to other obligations, I've decided to make my comeback, because I just couldn't miss WrestleMania. Wrestling cards are always hard to predict, especially the bigger ones. But I love doing these, because they really get my creative juices flowing. 

I think the card itself is a good one, but I don't think that they've placed enough emphasis on the top matches. Regardless, I'm still looking forward to it, and if everything runs smoothly, it could be one of the greatest WrestleManias of all time.

Here are my thoughts and predictions from start to finish...

Kick-off:

Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali in the tournament finals to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion

As much as I'd love to see this match on the main card, the cruiserweights always seem to take a backseat, in terms of card placement, which will probably be the same case at 'Mania. The good news is that because this will likely end up on the kick-off, they will probably be given a lot more time, whereas if it were on the main card, they'd be lucky to get five minutes. As an added bonus, we get to hear Rockstar Spud/Drake Maverick on commentary. As good a match as I'm anticipating here, the other unfortunate thing is that I don't think either one of these guys can carry this division, and regardless of who wins here, this title will probably find its way back to Neville once he returns. As Ali goes for that rolling neckbreaker that he does, Alexander catches him in mid move, and drills him with the lumbar check to win the title.

The Usos vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers in a triple threat match for The Smackdown! Live Tag Team Championships

This is just an obvious attempt to try to get everybody on the card. I don't think it does Harper and Rowan any favours to win these titles in a triple threat, and they don't really need to be in the match to begin with. After the number of classics that The Usos and New Day have had in 2017, it's really unfortunate that they're probably going to end up on the kick-off, as both teams deserve to be on the main show, considering that they pretty much dominated the tag team scene in 2017, and I don't just mean in the WWE. Having said that, this feud has barely been an afterthought on Smackdown in recent weeks, and hasn't received enough attention to earn them a spot on the main show. I expect it to be a good one, as I think Rowan would probably be the only one having problems keeping up in this match. I see New Day getting the belts here by pinning The Usos, and thus ending the feud once and for all. Following 'Mania, The New Day spin off into a feud with The Bludgeon Brothers, while The Usos are drafted to Raw. 

​Women's WrestleMania Battle Royal

I don't see any need for two battle royals on the main show, and considering the fact that this one doesn't even have a name anymore, I think this will be bumped. I think the purpose of the battle royal should be two-fold. Firstly, it should advance the feud between Sasha Banks and Bayley, who really deserve their own singles match. The other thing is that whoever wins this should be outside the main roster, as I don't think it would benefit anybody from Raw or Smackdown to win this, because they would likely just be in the exact same position following WrestleMania. However, if someone new were to win, at least you'd have a fresh face in the mix. Originally, I was thinking it would be Nikki Cross, but I think it would be better for Sanity to debut together. So I'm going to predict that Bianca Belair wins this one. Kairi Sane hasn't had enough focus on NXT yet, and I think it would be premature to debut her on the main roster at this point, though I can see her being in the match at least. In the end, I see a similar finish to the '92 Royal Rumble, where Sasha eliminates Bayley from behind, and then Bayley comes back to help Belair eliminate Sasha to win. 

Main card:

Chloe x Halle perform America the Beautiful 
​
The Miz vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor in a triple threat match for The Intercontinental Championship

There are a lot of multiple man matches on this card, so I can totally see one of them opening the show. I'm actually a little surprised that this one has received as much attention as it has, but with three former world champions in it, I guess I shouldn't be. This should be a great opening match. The Miz is one of the best talkers in the company, and Balor and Rollins are two of the strongest in-ring performers. I would have preferred a one-on-one match between Balor and Rollins, but I'm guessing we will probably end up getting that down the road. They've managed to keep all three of these guys strong in recent weeks, and I like the idea of Miz ignite a feud between Balor and Rollins, so it distracts them from going after him. There are a number of things to consider in this match. I don't know how healthy Rollins is, as he's apparently been working through an injury for some time, although I don't know the severity of it. It obviously can't be that serious, if he's still able to work. Maryse also just gave birth to her and Miz's child, so I don't know if he's going to be taking time off after 'Mania. But Miz has been constantly playing up the fact that he's only about 30 days away from being the longest reigning IC Champ in history (I'm assuming he means combined reigns), so I can totally see him walking away with the belt here. I don't think Rollins has ever beaten Balor in the WWE outside of a six-man tag, so that could also play into the finish a little bit. I see the end come when Balor goes for the coup de grace on Rollins, but Rollins moves. Balor lands on his feet, only for Rollins to drop him to his knees with a superkick to the midsection. Rollins hits a second superkick to Balor's face, and then follow up with The Stomp, but Rollins tweaks his knee on the way down. This allows Miz to sneak in, and steal the pin on Balor, as Rollins is too late to react. 

[Highlights of WrestleMania weekend are shown next, followed by a recap of the Women's Battle Royal from the kick-off]

[Charlie is backstage with Bianca Belair]

Charlie: Bianca, quite an impressive performance tonight. Welcome to WrestleMania!

Bianca: You're damn right it was an impressive performance. You know before tonight, not a lot of people knew who I was. But now, everybody will remember my name! Specifically those ladies from Raw and Smackdown! Live who just weren't good enough to hang with me tonight. 

Charlie: Well, what's next for you?

Bianca: What's next is that I'm serving notice to anyone in the women's locker room who carries championship gold around her waist, and I'm letting everybody know that I'm coming for them.

[Bianca's eyes wander off screen, as the camera pans to show Asuka standing there]

Asuka: You might have won battle royal. You might be ready for WrestleMania. You might be ready for Raw or Smackdown! Live. But no one is ready for Asuka!

Charlotte vs. Asuka for the Smackdown! Live Women's Championship

This is one of the matches that I'm most looking forward to, as it certainly has the potential to steal the show. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the opening bout, but it should be a good one no matter where it's placed. I see this going at least 20 minutes, and I think these girls will both be working very stiff. In the latter stages of the match, Charlotte applies the Figure 8, and lasts a really long time in the hold, only to make it to the ropes. Charlotte then continues to work over Asuka's knee, and attempts the move again later on, only for Asuka to pull her into an inside cradle, which Charlotte barely kicks out of. The end comes where Charlotte goes for the Natural Selection, but doesn't get all of it, allowing Asuka to take Charlotte's back and apply the Asuka lock. Charlotte lasts as long as she possibly can, but eventually taps out, and Asuka is the new champion. 

[A limo pulls into the parking garage, and Triple H and Stephanie get out, and make their way into the building]

[Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey are shown in the GM's office, watching from a monitor. They speak a few words to each other, but there's no audio]

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

They've been doing this for a while now, and in previous years, I never really saw a point to it, as past winners have never really benefited from it. However, with the Andre documentary being released soon, I think it's important to have it on the card this year. Having said that, it seems like a match for a big man to win. I heard a rumour that Goldberg is supposed to be in it, and if that's true, I really can't see anyone else winning. A babyface won last year, so I'm hoping that a heel wins this year, and I'm thinking it might be Killian Dain. Sanity is just about ready to debut on the main roster, and this guy could potentially be another Braun Strowman. 

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for The WWE World Heavyweight Championship

This is going to be another fantastic match, regardless of where it's placed. Styles' health is obviously in question here, as he's another guy who's rumoured to be working through an injury, but I still have no doubts that this will be a great match. Nakamura's success is starting to remind me a lot of Rob Van Dam circa 2001. Yes, he's over, but how long will that last? I love Nakamura's ring work and his charisma, but I don't think he's connecting as well on the main roster, and even if he wins this match, I can't see a lengthy title run in his future. He's packed with charisma, but so was The Great Muta, and he was another guy who was always used to get babyfaces over, but was never really considered a top draw in The United States. I hate to say it, but the truth of the matter is that if you can't cut a decent promo, you're never going to get over as a top guy, as evident by Roman Reigns. It's a shame, because Nakamura has everything else, but unfortunately because English is not his first language, I can never see him drawing any money in the WWE. I hope that I'm wrong, but let's face it, if you can't talk, you're not going to make it very far. WrestleMania wouldn't have been nearly as successful without Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T promoting the hell out of it. They are universally recognized as three of the best talkers in the history of the event, and while fans will still cheer for Nakamura regardless, I can't see him getting any kind of outside media attention. There's a reason why Muhammad Ali is probably the greatest professional athlete of all time. He had the skills in the ring, but he could also sell tickets. Anyway, onto the match. As I said, it should be a great one. I can see AJ being the first guy to kick out of the kinshasa, only for Nakamura to reload and hit it again with more 'oomph,' finally putting AJ down for the three count. Nakamura wins the title, and hopefully has a longer run than I think. 

[Highlights from the Hall of Fame are shown next, and then the inductees are introduced to the live crowd]

​Triple H and Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey

I may be in the minority, but I actually liked the contract signing angle between these four. I found Stephanie to be the best performer of the four, but I would have liked to see this feud get a lot more attention than it has. Both Angle and Rousey have been very awkward on the microphone, so it was probably a good idea to not have them talk for the last couple of weeks. This match could either be very good or very bad, depending on how it's booked. I see Triple H getting the pin on Angle with the pedigree, after using the sledgehammer. After the match, Triple H and Stephanie start cornering Rousey, but Angle gets back up and takes Triple H down with an Angle slam. Stephanie is then alone with Rousey, who makes her furiously tap out to Rousey's arm bar. 

[The pay per view panel give their thoughts on the night thus far]

​Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev in a fatal four-way match for The United States Championship

This match doesn't really do anything for me, as it just seems like an easy way to get everybody on the show. I don't expect this to go very long, and I would not be surprised if this ends up on the kick-off show. It should be a decent match, but it seems like all four of these guys could be in a better position. Given the fact that Rusev was added at the last minute, I'm fully expecting him to walk away with the belt here. I can see Mahal and Rusev working together for the majority of the match. Eventually, Mahal tries to double cross Rusev, but it backfires, and Rusev kicks Mahal in the face and takes the title, before Orton or Roode can make the save, as they're brawling on the outside. I think 'Mania will be the official face turn for Rusev, who spins off into a singles feud with Mahal, while both Orton and Roode are drafted to Raw. 

[A commercial for the Andre the Giant documentary airs next]

​The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) vs. Braun Strowman and ??? for the Raw Tag Team Championships

I've heard a lot of rumours lately in regards to Strowman's mystery partner. Honestly, I would have preferred that this was a handicap match, just to make Strowman look more impressive. I think we can automatically rule out Elias as a possibility, as it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense story line wise, considering that he's been competing in filler matches on Raw for the last couple of weeks, and there hasn't really been any kind of tease of him being the partner. The latest one I've heard was Rey Mysterio, but Rey recently tore his bicep, which took him off the NJPW card, so I don't see that as a possibility either, and I don't like that pairing at all anyway. If Samoa Joe was the partner, I feel like they wouldn't have kept it as a surprise. Bobby Lashley is another name that's been floating about, and I don't care for that pairing of he and Strowman either. Having said that, I'm going to go with the one that makes the most sense, and that's Big Cass. Quite honestly, I think Strowman is above the tag division, but if they're going that route, why not give somebody else a push out of it? There are way too many matches on this card, so I think one is probably going to be a squash. Strowman and Cass win the belts in under a minute. After the match, Sheamus and Cesaro start blaming each other for losing the titles, and they come to blows. Following WrestleMania, Cesaro gets drafted to Smackdown! Live, and Sheamus remains on Raw.

​Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for The Universal Championship

This match should be good, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, considering how both of these guys have been booked in the last year. They are the only two men to have beaten The Undertaker at WrestleMania, but since last year's WrestleMania, Reigns lost two pay per view matches to Braun Strowman, he lost a fatal five-way at Extreme Rules, he was pinned by Lesnar at SummerSlam, eliminated from The Royal Rumble, and he even lost to The Miz, while Lesnar hasn't lost a match since winning the title. So how is it that Reigns keeps getting these opportunities? Just a thought to consider. I see this match starting in a similar way as last year's match between Brock and Goldberg. Reigns immediately spears Lesnar as soon as the bell rings. He then hits another spear on the outside, crashing Lesnar through the security wall. Just as Lesnar gets back to his feet, Reigns places him on the announce table, and hits a running spear off the middle table, and they both crash through the far announce table. Lesnar eventually makes a comeback, taking Reigns to suplex city, but his ribs are obviously bothering him. The end comes when Lesnar hits an F-5, but is unable to capitalize due to rib injuries from the multiple spears. This allows Reigns to spear Lesnar again into the exposed turnbuckle. Much to Reigns' surprise, Lesnar pops right back up and loads Reigns up for an F-5, but drops, as he can't support the weight because of the injured ribs. Reigns then hits a final spear to win the title. 

[The pay per view panel run through more of their thoughts]

Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax for The Raw Women's Championship

This could easily be another squash match, and whatever the case may be, I don't see it going very long. Mickie James gets involved almost immediately, and Nia chases her around the ring and shoves her into the steps. Nia charges at her, but Mickie moves, so Nia crashes knee-first into the ring steps. Bliss takes full advantage and goes after Nia's knee. Later in the match, Nia loads Bliss up for a powerbomb, but her knee gives out, and Bliss ends up falling on top of Nia. Mickie then reaches in from the outside and holds Nia's foot, as Bliss gets the cheap victory, and keeps the title. Following WrestleMania, both Mickie and Nia are drafted to Smackdown! Live to spin off into a singles feud, while Bliss remains the champion on Raw. 

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn - If Owens and Zayn win, they are rehired

I'm all for Daniel Bryan returning to the ring, but this has to be one of the dumbest stipulations I've ever heard of. Bryan and Shane essentially get nothing out of this, while Owens and Zayn have nothing to lose. Just as Bryan is getting fired up. He climbs to the top rope to hit what looks like diving headbutt on Owens, but Shane tags himself in, much to Bryan's surprise. Shane tries to hit the elbow drop off the top, but he misses. Shane beats Owens to his feet and attempts to run the ropes, but accidentally into the side that Bryan is on, and knocks Bryan off the apron. The distraction allows Owens to hit the pop-up powerbomb on Shane for the win, as Zayn prevents Bryan from making the save. After the match, Zayn and Owens double-team Shane, but then Bryan makes the save and destroys both of them. Shane then gets to his feet and apologizes to Bryan for losing the match, as Bryan just shakes his head and walks away.

John Cena vs. The Undertaker in a Career match

I was originally going to go with Triple H and Stephanie vs. Angle and Rousey to close the show, until I heard about this rumoured stipulation. If it is true, then I can't see any other match ending the night. It'll be interesting to see how Taker performs here. He can't be in great shape, but considering that this will probably be his last hurrah, I can totally see him pulling out all stops to make this work. I see this ending the same way the Michaels/Undertaker match ended. After Taker kicks out of two AAs, and then struggles to his feet, Cena has a look of sympathy on his face, but reluctantly loads Taker up for a third AA to seal the deal. So basically WrestleMania ends the same way it did last year, with Taker leaving his gloves in the ring, but this time for good.

So there you have it.

Here are my match predictions for Backlash:

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe for The Universal Championship

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn for The WWE World Heavyweight Championship

John Cena vs. Bobby Lashley

Asuka vs. Natalya for The Smackdown! Live Women's Championship

Alexa Bliss vs. Ember Moon for The Raw Women's Championship

Braun Strowman and Big Cass vs. AJ Styles (Drafted to Raw) and Finn Balor vs. Bobby Roode and Randy Orton vs. The Authors of Pain in a fatal four-way elimination match for The Raw Tag Team Championships

The Miz vs. Seth Rollins for The Intercontinental Championship

Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan

We are still in the midst of award season with The Grammys going down tonight and The Oscars rapidly approaching, so I thought this would be an opportunistic time to run through some of my best and worst of pics in all forms of entertainment for 2017. 

I thought long and hard about some of these picks, so sit back and enjoy.

Let's get started, shall we?

Best of

Moviestar (Male)

Winner ​James McAvoy (Split; Atomic Blonde)

It seems like this guy's talent is endless. He's such a method actor, and really eases his way into every role that he takes on, as proven by his performance in split, where he portrayed a man with multiple personalities, and did it expertly. I think the best is still yet to come for this guy, and I definitely see an Oscar in his future.

Other nominees

Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets; A Cure for Wellness)
Charlie Hunnam (King Arthur)
Javier Bardem (Mother!)
Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Last Jedi; Logan Lucky)

Moviestar (Female)

Winner: ​Jennifer Lawrence (Mother!)

Most of the acting in this movie was brilliant, but I thought Jennifer Lawrence's performance in Mother! was definitely the standout. She's had some memorable performances in the past, one of which earned her an Oscar, but this one might be her best one yet. I find that the best actors/actresses are the ones that can manipulate human emotions, and her performance in this film was such a great example of that.

Other nominees

Katherine Waterston (Alien: Covenant)
Rachel Weisz (My Cousin Rachel)
Holly Hunter (The Big Sick)
Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde; Fate of the Furious)

Television Actor

Winner: ​Jason Bateman (Ozark)

I have to say that nominees in this category have really stepped it up in recent years. Ozark is basically Breaking Bad 2.0, and until this, I thought Bateman would be forever labeled a comedy actor, which is really nothing to be ashamed of, but he proved here that he is capable of much more. I like that he didn't entirely step away from comedy, as there is some comic relief here and there, but I admire the fact that he wants to prove himself in other genres. 

Other nominees

Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
Cole Sprouse (Riverdale)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead)
Josh Segarra (Arrow)
Michael Mando (Better Call Saul)

Television Actress

Winner: ​Kate Findlay (Man Seeking Woman)

I usually turn to shows with all-female casts like Orange is the New Black for this, but I didn't think there was anybody in that particular show that really stood out this year. This was kind of an oddball choice for me, since I'm not the biggest fan of that show in general, but I thought actress chosen to be kind of the female counterpart to Jay Baruchel's character was a great decision. Findlay brought an element of realism to an otherwise wacky, and sometimes unwatchable sitcom. It didn't start off as a bad show, and the concept is actually pretty interesting, but there's really only so much you can do with it, as the decision was made to pull the plug on this last year. It's kind of a shame, since I was hoping to see more from Kate Findlay, but hopefully her performance was enough to at least get her a spot on a more mainstream show.

Other nominees

Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale)
Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)

Musician (Male)

Winner: Ed Sheeran​

He had a number of big hits this year, and pretty much owned the Billboard charts with every of them, so it's hard to make a convincing argument for anyone else in this category. Considering the music that he's put out, it's hard to believe that he could ever produce a bad song. However, music is very subject, so I'm sure people will have differing opinions here.

Other nominees

Sam Smith
The Weeknd
Shawn Hook
Zayn

Musician (Female)

Winner: Selena Gomez

She's been flying under the radar for the last few years, but really impressed me this year with a couple of big hits. I think she's always had a very unique sound to her voice, and I have to give it up to her for staying true to herself, while keeping up with the times.

Other nominees:

Taylor Swift
Sia
Pink
Lana Del Rey

Song

Winner: ​ Play That Song by Train

A very catchy song indeed. It's a very familiar tune, but I admire the artist for making it their own, and basically introducing it to a whole new generation, and making it very current.

Other nominees

Despacito by Louis Fonsi
​Perfect by Ed Sheeran
I Don't Want to Live Forever by Taylor Swift and Zayn
Reminding Me by Shawn Hook and Vanessa Hudgens

TV Show

Winner: Game of Thrones

I don't remember a time when I watched a season of any particular show, and thought each episode was better than the last. That was until I watched the latest season of Game of Thrones. It was absolutely spectacular, there was a ton of story line progression, and it just made you look forward to the next season, which every show should do. 

Other nominees

Better Call Saul
Stranger Things
Ozark
G.L.O.W.

Movie

Winner:  Dunkirk

This was one of those films that I just had to see in theaters, as war is a very touchy subject, so it's always interesting to witness different reactions. I thought the movie was well shot and well acted, and it was an interesting decision by Director Christopher Nolan to lead us through the same scene from different perspectives. Some scenes, while difficult to watch, were also great illustrations of how people would be expected to act under certain circumstances. The reactions didn't seem forced, and most scenes were equally as dramatic as they were suspenseful. 

Other nominees

Get Out
Logan
Baby Driver
Mother!

Worst of

Moviestar (Male)

Winner:  Dax Shepard (CHIPS)

I'm generally a huge fan of comedy, but I've really never found this guy funny. Half the time, I can't even tell if what he's saying or doing is intended to be comical or not. Half of all comedy is reaction, and if I don't know how to react to someone, there's a huge problem. I don't think Dax Shepard is a name you hear, and automatically go "Oh yeah, the guy from..." In other words, he's very forgettable. 

Other nominees

Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2)
Chris Pine (Wonder Woman)
Vin Diesel (Fate of the Furious; Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2)

Moviestar (Female)

Winner: Scarlett Johansson (Ghost in the Shell)

Another absolutely terrible actress who, in my opinion, is heavily overrated. How she seems to stumble into these leading roles is beyond me. I have almost reached the point of boycotting her movies just simply because she's in them. She doesn't really have chemistry with a lot of her co-stars, and I don't find her very convincing in any of her roles. 

Other nominees

Matilda Lutz (Rings)
Alexandra Daddario (Baywatch)
Sofia Boutella (The Mummy; Atomic Blonde)
Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick)

Television Actor

Winner: ​Adam Scott (Ghosted)

This guy has been around for at least 20 years, and clearly "suffers" from Tom Cruise syndrome, as he never ages. Despite that rather interesting tidbit, I can't take him seriously in any kind of lead role, especially a comedy series, as he's not someone that you take one look at, and immediately burst into laughter. He's a great actor for someone like Will Ferrell or Jim Carrey to play off of, but in a leading role, he just doesn't do anything for me. 

Other nominees

Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead)
Juan Pablo Di Pace (Fuller House)
Finn Jones (Iron Fist)
Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things)

Television Actress

Winner: ​Megan Fox (New Girl)

Some things get better with age; she doesn't. She is the kind of actress you can attach to any big-time comedy series or blockbuster movie, and it would just be the kiss of death. I'm not going to go on and on about what a terrible actress she is, but I will say that if I had the option to choose her for this category every year, I totally would. Unfortunately, New Girl is heading into its final season this year, but I'm sure one thing has nothing to do with the other. 

Other nominees

Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls)
Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls)
Anna Faris (Mom)
Alison Brie (G.L.O.W.)

Song

Winner:  Infinite Content by Arcade Fire

This is always a difficult choice to make, as music is very subjective. I suppose nothing could possibly be worse than Gangnam Style, but this comes pretty close. I'm not even really sure what this was supposed to be, or if it even qualifies as music, but it's essentially the equivalent of a high school student being instructed to write a 1000-word essay, and simply just repeating a single word 1000 times. 

Other nominees

Bon Appetit by Katy Perry feat. Migos
It's Everyday, Bro, by Jake Paul
I'm Not Famous by AJR

TV Show

Winner:  Fuller House

I think it's safe to say that this show has officially jumped the shark. That is if it was ever a hot topic to begin with. Season one was a complete nostalgia act, season two started to get lame, but season three was completely unwatchable. The jokes were all recycled, and were never even that funny in the first place. I have my doubts about the Roseanne reboot now, but at least that one has a prime time slot.

Other nominees

Girl Meets World
2 Broke Girls
Ghosted
Iron Fist

Movie

Winner: ​The Emoji Movie 

I've been saying for years that Hollywood is simply running out of ideas, and considering this terrible concept, a more perfect example of this there could not be. I don't know what this was supposed to be, or why anyone could ever dream up such an embarrassing idea, but I hope that future generations will not be subjected to such rubbish. 

Other nominees

Rings
Ghost in the Shell
The Mummy
Transformers: The Last Knight

So there you have it.

Until next time...

Happy 2018 everybody! So it's been a while since I posted any of these things, but I figured that the first of the year is just about as good a time as any to make my comeback. So here I am, to go over my picks and discuss all the highs and lows of 2017 in the worlds of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Surely, everyone's picks and opinions will be different, but that's all part of the enjoyment of being a fan. So without any further ado, here are my choices for the best and worst of 2017:

Best of

Female wrestler

Winner: ​Asuka

When you think about all the progress that the women's movement has made in professional wrestling over the last few years, it actually still amazes me that years ago, women were seen as nothing more than eye candy. A lot of the "divas" hired in those days were models who basically had no training at all, and hadn't even been in a wrestling ring before being signed by the WWE. But last year, there was actually more than one choice in this category, and I'm so happy to see women given all these opportunities nowadays, and put on some classic matches. I was concerned at first when Asuka was called up that she would just get lost in the shuffle like Nakamura, but they've actually done a pretty decent job of keeping her strong, and continuing to push this undefeated streak as a big deal, which it is. She isn't the greatest talker,but her matches are always a pleasure to watch, and her mannerisms and facials always tell a great story, and add to the drama of every match. While there are some other very talented female wrestlers, I really couldn't think of anyone else who stood out in 2017, or made as much of an impact as Asuka clearly did. 

Other nominees:

Charlotte Flair
Alexa Bliss
Ember Moon
Rosemary

Tag team

Winner: The Usos

In all honesty, their heel turn didn't really impress me until they won the titles. Once that happened, it was like they had a rocket attached to their backs. Nothing against American Alpha, whom The Usos first won the titles from, but they just weren't connecting with the audience the way The Usos have. After winning the titles back in March 2017, they had an incredible feud with The New Day, which almost set a new standard in tag team wrestling, as the two teams consistently had outstanding matches, and what really impressed me about The Usos is that they were able to keep up with The New Day on the microphone as well. Aside from that, these guys totally reinvented themselves by changing their ring gear and promo style, which you really have to admire. 

Other nominees:

The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus)
The Young Bucks
The New Day
The Motor City Machine Guns

Announcer

Winner: ​Nigel McGuinness

While I was excited that he was brought in to call the U.K. tournament last January, I thought it was just be a one-off, and I was very pleased that the WWE decided to keep him around. The other fear that I had is that once Nigel was under the WWE umbrella, he would be "muzzled" like so many others have been over the years, but I do always enjoy hearing Nigel's voice, as he educates the fans from a wrestler's perspective, explaining the psychology of the match, and I love it when he throws in references as well, to certain hot topics. Nigel has done a really good job with everyone he's worked with, and I hope that they eventually use him as the color guy for Smackdown, as I find it extremely unnecessary to have Graves call both main shows. 

Other nominees:

Corey Graves
Mauro Ranallo
Joe Rogan
Tom Philips

Angle

Winner: ​Chris Jericho attacks Kenny Omega in Japan

As someone who doesn't follow New Japan regularly, I have to say that the announcement of this match was intriguing enough, as it's rare to see an inter-promotional contest, and the fact that its happening in Japan of all places is enough to garner some mainstream attention. But then you pair it with an angle like this, and you have a compelling co main event for an already stacked card. I think there are a lot of casual New Japan fans such as myself who will probably be finding a way to watch this show just for this one match. They really didn't even need to do the angle, but I'm glad they did, because it just made this contest that much more enjoyable. 

Other nominees:

Kevin Owens assaults Vince McMahon (This would have been my choice for angle of the year if it didn't culminate with a match against Shane)
The Festival of Friendship
Braun Strowman flips over an ambulance, with Roman Reigns inside
The Bullet Club kicks out Adam Cole (literally)

Match

Winner: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (Wrestle Kingdom 11)

Again, I'm a very casual fan of NJPW, but I decided to check this show out, because I did see a Wrestle Kingdom show a few years ago that really impressed me. I had heard a lot about Omega, and had seen some of his previous matches, but I think this may have been his best one to date. Actually, this was the only match in their trilogy that I did see last year, and I'm sure if I had seen the other two matches, it would have increased my appreciation for this one even more, because the first one is usually always the best one. Aside from their other two matches, I really didn't think there was any other match in 2017 that really had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

Other nominees:

The Young Bucks vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (ROH Death Before Dishonor XV)
The Shield vs. The New Day (WWE Survivor Series)
Tyler Bate vs. Mark Andrews (WWE U.K. Special)
Marty Scurll vs. KUSHIDA (ROH Best in the World)
Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns (WWE SummerSlam)

Feud

Winner: ​Team Alpha Male vs. T.J. Dillashaw

I had to turn to MMA for this one, because it was such an intense rivalry, and the hatred was real. It started a couple of years ago when Dillashaw supposedly deserted the Alpha Male training camp for Duane Ludwig's. Conor McGregor then added some fuel to the fire with a snide remark during a weigh-in on a previous Ultimate Fighter season, basically labeling Dillashaw as a snake. Things certainly heated up during the Spring 2017 Ultimate Fighter season where Dillashaw was coaching against former Alpha Male teammate turned bitter rival, Cody Garbrandt. Things got so bad that the two almost came to blows on the set of the show, which probably would have jeopardized their scheduled title bout in November, which ended with Dillashaw knocking Garbrandt out, and regaining the bantamweight title. That outcome, however, was not without controversy, as an earlier round saw Garbrandt about to put Dillashaw away with some fists of fury, only for Dillashaw to be saved by the buzzer. And I think that might be enough to earn Garbrandt a rematch, even though Dillashaw implied at the end of the fight that he may be moving down a weight class to challenge flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson.

Other nominees:

The New Day vs. The Usos
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada

Gimmick

Winner: ​Rusev Day 

I never thought that something so simple would get over so huge, but then the "What?," "Yes!," and "Woooo!" chants have all proven me wrong. So why not? When Rusev was defeated by John Cena at Battleground and they simply dropped his "Title shot or else" demand at Money in the Bank, the month prior, I honestly didn't think he would be anything more than an afterthought on Smackdown! Live. Getting beaten by Randy Orton in about 10 seconds at SummerSlam didn't really help matters either, but I think pairing Rusev with Aiden English was probably the best thing for both guys. English finally has a role on Smackdown! Live, and Rusev is starting to get over again. When you think about how stupid this whole thing sounds, it really amazes me that fans just eat it up.

Other nominees:

The Fashion Files
"The Villain" Marty Scurll
"The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne
Velveteen Dream

Best on the mic

Winner: ​Kevin Owens

I don't think there will be any argument here. He's gotten over everything he's been a part of this year, and whether the camera is still rolling or not, his mental camera is always on. Owens is such a pleasure to watch, and he's been blessed with the gift of gab, which is actually of higher importance than in-ring ability when you think about all the top guys who were all strong talkers, but not all great in-ring performers. Having said that, I have a feeling that Kevin Owens will be in his current top position for a very long time. 

Other nominees:

Paul Heyman
Chris Jericho
John Cena
The Miz

Comeback of the year

Winner: Georges St. Pierre

There were a lot of people in and out of the fight business, who took issue with GSP coming back after a four-year absence, and immediately getting a title shot, and in a division that he's never even competed in, in the UFC. Whether those arguments were justifiable or not, St. Pierre certainly proved the naysayers wrong at UFC 217 with a very convincing win over Michael Bisping. Beating Bisping is no easy task in itself, but choking him out is almost impossible; but not if you're GSP. After four years, St. Pierre proved that he's still one of the best in the business, and became one of only a handful of individuals to win belts in different weight classes. 

Other nominees: 

Kurt Angle
Cody Rhodes
The Hardy Boys (to WWE) 
Petey Williams

Most improved

Winner: ​Braun Strowman

He's not the most talented in-ring performer, or even the best talker, but he plays the unbeatable monster character very well, and his weaknesses are also well hidden. He's managed to get over, based on booking alone, and he's had the opportunity to work with some very talented individuals who had no problem selling for him, most notably Roman Reigns, who many would argue is not a great worker himself, but considering the feud that these two had last year, I strongly disagree. I think Reigns was just a victim of bad timing, while Strowman's timing couldn't have been better, as they were short on the monster heel side in 2016. 

Other nominees: 

Alexa Bliss
Carmella
Dalton Castle (Never been a fan of his ring style, but the match he had with Cody was pretty good)
Patrick Clark (Velveteen Dream)

DVD

Winner: ​Fight Owens Fight!

They actually had a lot of good ones this year, but this was one of the few that actually had a documentary, although I didn't think that the Rollins one needed it. I enjoyed the story, as it really gives hope to people that are told that they can't do it, and as unique an individual as KO is, I think it was Neville, or it might have been Jimmy Jacobs, who said that Owens is a heavyweight who moves like a cruiserweight, which couldn't be more accurate. Without giving too much away, there was one part of the documentary involving Owens' young daughter, which kind of brought out the human side of Kevin Owens, which is really an essential element of these DVD packages. It just goes to show how good of a performer that Kevin Owens is, as his on-screen persona and his real-life personality are worlds apart it seems. I remember an ROH show that I attended in 2012 as a reporter for Slam! Wrestling, and it was the night that Owens won the ROH title from Davey Richards. I saw Owens after the show, and congratulated him, but when I asked him for an interview, he said that he needed to speak with his family first, which I respected. However, rather than arrogantly dismissing me or verbally assaulting me like another former WWE and ROH star once did, Owens said that if I was willing to wait about fifteen minutes, he'd make sure that I was the first wrestling journalist he spoke to. Unfortunately, I was short on time, so I never got that interview, but I thanked him anyway, and while you might not think it when you see him on TV, he is hands down one of the nicest guys I've ever met in the business, and I hope he makes it far. 

Other nominees: 

WrestleMania Monday
Seth Rollins: Building the Architect
Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living (Another extremely nice guy)

Wrestling pay per view

Winner: ​WWE WrestleMania 33

What a difference a year makes. WrestleMania 32 was almost embarrassing, considering that Shane McMahon was in the co main event, but this one was a major improvement. It actually felt like a WrestleMania, as there were a number of surprises and big things going down. I liked that they had J.R. call the main event, for what could be The Undertaker's last match. Rob Gronkowski getting involved in the battle royal was a nice touch, and I liked the way they teased that The New Day would be in the tag title ladder match, before revealing The Hardy Boys as the mystery team. All of the matches told great stories, and I didn't think there was a particularly bad match on the card. 

Other nominees:

WWE Survivor Series
Wrestle Kingdom 11
ROH Death Before Dishonor
TNA Slammiversary

MMA pay per view

Winner: UFC 217 (BIsping vs. GSP) 

With three title changes on this card, legends returning, and considering that it all took place in the world's most famous arena, it's hard to argue that this wasn't the best card of the year. 

Other nominees:

UFC 211 (Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2)
UFC 214 (Cormier vs. Jones 2)
UFC 216 (Ferguson vs. Lee)
Mayweather vs. McGregor super fight card

MMA fight

Winner: Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

I think the hype surrounding this fight alone was enough for it to win this category. McGregor did a lot more to add interest to this fight, and it always amazes me to see exactly what this man is capable of. He had no issue at all with stepping out of his comfort zone and entering "Money" Mayweather's world. Everyone was counting McGregor out in this fight, and while he did lose, I thought he put on an impressive performance, especially in the earlier rounds, where even the boxing announcers were singing his praises, as they were in disbelief that McGregor actually won a couple of rounds. I think a rematch is both out of the question and unnecessary, as neither of these guys really have anything left to prove, and it's just one of those things that are once in a lifetime, which probably solidifies this as fight of the year even more. 

Other nominees:

Georges St. Pierre vs. Michael Bisping (UFC 217)
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier (UFC 214)
Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson (UFC 209)
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt (UFC 217)

TV Show

Winner: The Ultimate Fighter season 25

I once again had to turn to MMA for this category, as no wrestling show really stood out to me last year. This season of The Ultimate Fighter was always entertaining to watch, as you had two coaches who legitimately hated each other, and the tension was real. It also made the fights themselves more entertaining to watch, as neither coach wanted to be bested by the other, so they were both very careful when determining fight picks. 

Other nominees:

WWE Smackdown! Live
ROH TV
WWE NXT

MMA fighter (female)

Winner: Rose Namajunas

She secured two very convincing wins in 2017 over two of the division's finest. She first submitted Michelle Waterson in April, and then knocked out the former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in November to become the new straw weight champion, which is no easy task at all. Needless to say, 2017 was very kind to Namajunas.

Other nominees: 

Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Amanda Nunez
Cris Cyborg
Valentina Shevchenko

MMA fighter (male)

Winner: Demetrious Johnson

This was another easy choice. To me, this is a guy who has really been flying under the radar in this category in recent years, as he isn't someone you immediately think of when you hear UFC or MMA. He's not a huge draw, which is really no fault of his own. The fact is that he's just so good that he's running out of challengers. They actually had an Ultimate Fighter season in 2016 for the sole purpose of finding someone to fight this guy. And to this day, he remains the only Flyweight Champion in UFC history, ending 2017 with an impressive submission victory over Ray Borg.

Other nominees:

Max Holloway
Georges St. Pierre
Tyron Woodley
Robert Whittaker

Male wrestler

Winner: ​A.J. Styles

I picked him last year in this category as well, and really, how could I not? He had a much better 2016 than 2017, but he continues to improve on the microphone, and has always been talented in the ring. He's so talented that he got a 4-star match out of Shane McMahon at WrestleMania, another classic with John Cena at The Royal Rumble, a great match with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, and an impressive series of matches with Kevin Owens last Summer. The WWE had so much faith in him that they gave him the match against Lesnar, instead of Jinder Mahal, and they immediately turned to him to replace Bray Wyatt against Finn Balor at TLC, which was another great match. He continues to rule as the face of Smackdown! Live, and it seems like he's basically WWE's go-to guy when a gap needs to be filled, and they need someone who can put on incredible matches.

Other nominees:

Kevin Owens
Cody
Bobby Lashley
Kenny Omega
Kazuchika Okada

Worst of

Female wrestler

Winner: ​Alicia Fox

This woman has been in the company for way too long, and really hasn't shown any improvement in terms of in-ring work or promos. I found it embarrassing that she was chosen to represent Team Raw at Survivor Series, and as the team captain for that matter.

Other nominees:

Dana Brooke
Mandy Rose
Lana
Allie

Tag Team

Winner: ​The Boys

I don't know who came up with this act, but I really don't think they add anything to Dalton Castle's character, and I don't care for their ring work. I just don't like that they're essentially jobbers, but they're placed in title matches, and attached to the heavyweight champion of the company. 

Other nominees: 

The Singh Brothers
The Ascension
Heavy Machinery

Announcer

Winner: ​Percy Watson

I've really had enough of these three-man announce teams, especially when the third guy doesn't add any knowledge or expertise to the broadcast. Watson is a great example of this. He barely says anything, and when he does say something, it usually doesn't even stick with you. 

Other nominees: 

Byron Saxton
Booker T.
JBL
Michael Cole

Angle

Winner: Randy Orton joining The Wyatt Family

Even though this ridiculous storyline started in 2016, it ended up bleeding into 2017, and got worse and worse as time went by. It seemed like everyone but Bray Wyatt knew a double-cross was coming, and it just wasn't believable at all. It was similar to the time when Orton rejoined The Authority in 2015, after being kicked out, and it was so obvious that he would turn eventually. This was even dumber, because Wyatt is supposed to be this cult leader, who's specializes in mind manipulation, and he's so easily fooled by an unconvincing Randy Orton. Everything about this feud was terrible, but a bad start always leads to an even worse finish.

Other nominees:

Feuding announcers in Impact Wrestling
Bayley, this is your life
Jason Jordan as Kurt Angle's illegitimate son
Alberto El Patron's promo at Bound for Glory

Match

Winner: Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt in a House of Horrors match

This was the WWE's bad attempt at trying to recreate The Final Deletion angle from last year, and it failed miserably. It was such a dumb concept, and nothing about it was believable. The timing was also very bad, and it just insulted the audience's intelligence. 

Other nominees: 

Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal in a Punjabi Prison match
Rhyno and Heath Slater vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a street fight (Raw. It was Rhyno in a dress. Need I say more?)
Hangman Page vs. Kazarian (ROH Global Wars. Page licking up Kazarian's spit was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on a wrestling show, and not entertaining at all)
2017 Royal Rumble match (Simply put, the wrong guy won yet again)
Heath Slater vs. Curt Hawkins (WWE Great Balls of Fire. Such a nothing match to put on a pay per view)

Feud

Winner: ​Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt

Like I said earlier, everything about this was absolutely terrible. It didn't do either guy any favours, and I hated that it was the title match at WrestleMania. The matches weren't the greatest, but the acting and storyline progression was even worse. I hated that they had Orton join The Wyatt Family and win The Royal Rumble, as it pretty much guaranteed that Wyatt was going to be the champion, and I don't understand why they had Wyatt win the title after Orton won the rumble. It was so stupid. Orton never helped Wyatt in any way, not even to win the title, proving that Wyatt never needed him, so why was he in the group to begin with? Wyatt never helped Orton win the rumble either. The only way they could have possibly made sense out of the whole thing was to have Wyatt convince Orton to give him his WrestleMania title shot, and then have Orton win the chamber match. The House of Horrors match was stupid as well, especially since they had it on a Raw pay per view when Orton's on Smackdown, and then make it a non-title match. 

Other nominees:

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor
Braun Strowman vs. Kane
Jeremy Borash vs. Josh Mathews

Gimmick

Winner: James  Elsworth as Carmella's dog

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that Elsworth pretty much outlived his usefulness when he turned on Dean Ambrose at TLC 2016, but this was just stupid. I actually found it entertaining when Elsworth and Carmella were first paired together, but the act got very stale very fast. And then they come up with this? I don't even know what this was supposed to be. It wasn't entertaining; it was just stupid. 

Other nominees: 

John Cena as part-timer (Not really a gimmick, but sometimes I don't get the point of bringing him back, when it's not to announce or promote anything, and advances no storylines)
Dolph Ziggler as anti-entertainment character
Mike Kanellis
Sister Abigail

Worst on the mic

Winner: ​Jinder Mahal

A lot of people seemed to take issue with that promo that Jinder cut on Nakamura a couple months back, where he was basically using racial stereotypes to make fun of him. I didn't really find anything wrong with that, as Mahal is a heel, and that's what heels do. What I didn't like in that segment was Mahal's awful delivery. His promos are sometimes unbearable, and that's another reason that I don't think he'll ever be a top guy. The bottom line is that if you can't talk, you're never going to draw any money, unless you're over 7 feet tall. 

Other nominees:

Jason Jordan
Bayley
Alberto El Patron 
Roman Reigns

Most underutilized performer

Winner: ​Dolph Ziggler

When it comes to this category, I usually consider the guys and girls that are capable of selling the most merchandise, having the best matches, and making the company the most money. These are the most valuable people in any industry really. But sometimes that talent goes overlooked. I've chosen Dolph Ziggler for several years now, because I truly believe that he has the full package. He's lacking motivation now, which is painfully obvious, but when motivated, his matches are always fun to watch, he's a selling machine, has a good look and can cut a decent promo. Maybe I'm just seeing something that the company isn't, but this new storyline of him walking out seems interesting, so hopefully they have big plans for him. 

Other nominees:

Cesaro (I would have chosen Cesaro to win this award, but he's just not a great talker, which I think is holding him back)
Ethan Carter III
Jack Gallagher
Mike Kanellis

They really dropped the ball with...

Winner: ​The 2017 Royal Rumble match

I was really excited about this match, considering the top names that were in it, and the endless possibilities, but the end result was not my favourite moment of 2017. I hated the Orton/Wyatt storyline to begin with, and having Orton win the rumble was another classic case of the WWE machine swerving the audience just for the purpose of swerving the audience. They did not, in any way, even suggest Orton as a possibility to win the match. People were already losing it over Roman Reigns coming out as number 30, despite already having a title opportunity earlier in the night. But having Orton win the rumble, knowing full well that everyone hated that feud, was just insulting. 

Other nominees:

The Hardy Boys after losing the titles
Absolution
The Riot Squad (The last two were just identical storylines that ended in the exact same way, and I don't see any point to either of them)

DVD

Winner: Unreleased: Never Before Seen Matches

There weren't really a lot of bad ones this year. Honestly, I really just chose this one because of The Toxic Turtles. Also, the no commentary thing might have swayed me a little.

Other nominees: 

Kurt Angle: The Essential Collection (No documentary)

Wrestling pay per view

Winner: WWE Royal Rumble 2017

I chose this for pretty much the same reasons mentioned above. The wrong guy won, there weren't many surprises, and Goldberg basically squashes Lesnar again.

Other nominees: 

WWE Backlash
WWE Battleground
WWE SummerSlam
WWE TLC

TV show

Winner: ​WWE 205 Live

The cruiserweights are all basically underutilized, but this show is just totally pointless, as nothing of significance ever happens. The matches are okay, but nothing to write home about, and as big a fan of cruiserweight wrestling as I am, I just can't get into it, because I feel like a lot of them are unable to reach their full potential, while under the WWE umbrella.

Other nominees:

WWE Raw
Total Divas
Total Bellas
Lucha Underground

Male wrestler

Winner: ​Grado

I was tempted to choose either Randy Orton or Bray Wyatt for this award, but I didn't, because they're both very talented, and were just victims of bad booking decisions all year round. Grado is a guy that I can never see headlining any shows or drawing any money. He's a comedy act who really isn't even that funny or entertaining; at least not in my opinion. It's amazing that he had his job for as long as he has, because I just don't see someone like that lasting too long in the business, as he represents everything that I hate about wrestling. I'm not saying that I hate comedy in wrestling, because I don't. It just needs to be funny, and I've never watched a Grado match or segment that ever made me laugh. If that's his purpose for being in the industry, then he should probably find another job. 

Other nominees:

Randy Orton
Bray Wyatt
Jason Jordan
Jinder Mahal
Kane

Well I will applaud the WWE higher ups for making the decision to reduce the pay per view number, as I always found it unnecessary to have two pay per views per month, regardless of how many "brands" there are. 

I've generally enjoyed the build for this show, as opposed to SummerSlam last month, which I found to be very lackluster. They seem to be doing a great job with making these b-level shows seem more important than they are, as this one in particular is headlined by two WrestleMania-worthy matches. 

Even though I'm looking forward to the Smackdown pay per view a little more, this one has caught a bit of my interest, so I'll definitely be checking it out live, and at the very least, it should be a strong show in the ring. 

Here are my thoughts and predictions from start to finish...

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team Championships

I would think it only makes sense for one of the two SummerSlam rematches to go on first. This one was one of the better SummerSlam matches, so I have no doubt that it will deliver once again. The only problem is that if you put a match of such strong quality on first, you do run the risk of burning the fans out, and making the rest of the show seem like a chore to watch. I'm a little surprised that they didn't add either Gallows and Anderson or The Hardys to the match, but I guess since they already have a multiple person match on the show, they must have decided against it. Actually, I'd kind of prefer a regular tag match, so you don't have all these extra bodies to keep track of. I think everybody knows that an eventual double-cross is coming, involving Ambrose and Rollins, and the only question is "Who's gonna turn?" I think it would be premature at this point to turn one of them, so I do believe they will keep the belts here after a hard-fought contest. Sheamus and Cesaro's strategy will be to isolate one of the champs for a double team. This will eventually backfire, as Sheamus accidentally nails Cesaro with a brogue kick, when Ambrose avoids it. This allows Ambrose to drill Cesaro with Dirty Deeds for the win, as Rollins takes care of Sheamus. After the match, Cesaro and Sheamus argue, and then eventually come to blows, only to be separated by the officials. 

Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor

The feud hasn't really caught my interest. On paper, it seems like it should be a decent rivalry, but I just feel like there's something missing. It feels like all of Wyatt's feuds start the same way, which I guess would contribute to the fact that none of his feuds stand out. On top of that, his promos haven't really been delivering lately, although I did like the angle after his match with Goldust, where he wiped off the face paint. I don't think this match will last very long, and I hope this will be the end of the feud. Wyatt hits Sister Abigail out of nowhere, but Balor rolls to the floor. As Wyatt looks over the ropes, Balor comes in from the other side, wearing a "demon-looking" sheep mask, which freaks Wyatt out. Balor uses the momentary distraction to dropkick Wyatt into the buckle, and follows up with the coup de grace for the win. 

[Highlights are shown of the Mae Young Classic finals, and then the winner of the Mae Young Classic, Kairi Sane is shown at ringside]

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks vs. Emma vs. Nia Jax vs. Bayley in a fatal five-way match for the Raw Women's Championship

As if Emma wasn't lost in the shuffle before, adding Bayley to this match did her no favours. I don't think Emma has a hope in hell of winning this match, especially since she wasn't even featured in the go-home angle this week. This match should be okay, but I kind of wish they made it an elimination match, just to keep it competitive. I don't think they'll give Bayley the title in her first match back, and I don't want her to win it in a match like this anyway. I'm gonna say Nia does all the work, only for Alexa to sneak in and steal the pin on Emma, as Nia is being double-teamed by Bayley and Sasha. Alexa has really proven herself in this division, and I think she should get a long reign with the belt, at least until Asuka debuts. 

[Kurt Angle is in his office, talking on his cell phone, as Jason Jordan walks in]

Jordan: You wanted to see me?

Angle: Yeah, I did. Have a seat. You know, Jason, I didn't get to tell you after Raw on Monday Night, but I am extremely proud of you. You defeated five of the greatest Raw Superstars to become the number one contender for the Intercontinental Title. Now I remember when I won that title. I defeated Chris Jericho almost 18 years ago, and it was one of the proudest days of my life. But it will pale in comparison to the pride I'm going to feel when my son walks out of here as the new Intercontinental Champion.

Jordan: Just trying to live up to the family's legacy. I have big shoes to fill.

Angle: Oh, you're well on your way. Which actually brings me to another reason that I called you in here. I wanted to address the comments that The Miz made after your match, when he called you a... a "bastard." Look, I just want to say...

Jordan: Kurt, no need to explain. What happened on Raw was The Miz's mistake. He not only insulted me, but he insulted my family. That will no go unpunished. I will be the new Intercontinental Champion. It's true... it's DAMN true!

Neville vs. Enzo Amore for the Cruiserweight Championship

This is another one that I'm not really into. I'm sure it will be a fine match, but I don't think this division is a good fit for Enzo. Ultimately, I don't think the cruiserweights are going to be booked well regardless of who you put in the division, as it doesn't seem like a top priority at the moment. Enzo will likely be selling the injuries he suffered at the hands of Braun Strowman on Raw this week, so Neville will probably be controlling the early part of the match. Enzo starts mounting a comeback in the latter stages, and just when it looks like he's about to win the title, the referee is pulled out of the ring by Big Cass, who makes his return, causing a disqualification. Cass then beats the hell out of Enzo afterwards.

​John Cena vs. Roman Reigns

This is another match that could have easily headlined WrestleMania, and I've actually been really impressed with Cena's promos lately, as they don't seem scripted or forced, like a lot of Reigns' promos have. The match should be a good one, and I'm sure they'll let it go for about 20 minutes or so. This should be a hard-fought contest, but I think Reigns will hit multiple spears in the end to eventually win the match. And then we can all look forward to the rematch at some point. 

[The pay per view panel provide their thoughts on the night thus far, and predictions for the main event]

​The Miz vs. Jason Jordan for the Intercontinental Championship

This match could easily be bumped to the kick-off show, as most people will probably forget that it's on the card anyway. It should be a decent encounter, but I think it was the biggest mistake to break up American Alpha, as neither of them seem to be going anywhere individually. This is probably going to be short, with lots of interference by The Miztourage, who quickly get ejected. As Miz's last line of defense fails, Jordan capitalizes with his belly-to-back neckbreaker move to win the title, and then papa Kurt comes to celebrate with his son. 

Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship

I don't think this match will go very long, but I've loved the build, and they've really done a tremendous job of positioning Braun Strowman as the biggest heel on Raw (I say on Raw, because I think Kevin Owens has him beat overall). This is another match that could have easily headlined WrestleMania, or at least one of the top four shows. I'm going to predict that Lesnar controls the early part of the match, and takes Strowman to Suplex City early on. Eventually, Strowman mounts a comeback, only for Lesnar to hit an F-5 out nowhere. Lesnar is badly hurt though from the earlier onslaught by Strowman, preventing him from making the cover. The referee is also down, after an earlier bump. As both men struggle to their feet, Bray Wyatt's graphic appears on screen, and the lights go out. When the lights come back on, Bray is in the ring, accompanied by Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, and the three of them are staring down Lesnar. Bray then looks at Strowman, and hands him the black sheep mask. Before Strowman can react, the reunited Wyatt Family turns around and assaults Braun Strowman, much to everyone's surprise. The Wyatts then make their exit, allowing Lesnar to drill Strowman with an F-5 to keep the title. 

So there you have it.

Here are my match predictions for Survivor Series (Even though there is still a Smackdown pay per view between now and then, I will predict the card first, and then make any necessary changes after my Hell in a Cell predictions next month):

Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor for the Universal Championship

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Nakamura wins the title from Jinder Mahal, and Owens beats Shane. After Hell in a Cell, Triple H is named the acting Commissioner of Smackdown, due to Shane McMahon's injuries at the pay per view. Triple H either continues to play the heel, and grants Owens exactly what he wants, or he plays the babyface, and Owens blackmails him to get this title match. So this eventually leads to Triple H against Owens or Triple H against Shane at WrestleMania.

Team Raw (John Cena, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, The Miz and Jason Jordan) vs. Team Smackdown! Live (AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Jinder Mahal and Rusev) in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match

Team Raw (Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, Sheamus and Cesaro [they manage to patch things up by then], The Hardy Boys, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and The Revival) vs. Team Smackdown! Live (The New Day, The Usos, The Hype Bros, BreeZango, and Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable) in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match

Team Raw (Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax and Asuka) vs. Team Smackdown! Live (Natalya, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Naomi and Tamina Snuka) in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match

Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan vs. Braun Strowman in a three-on-one handicap match 

Before I start with my predictions, I just want to say that this has been a very disappointing build towards such a major pay per view. There are 12 matches on the show, and other than perhaps the Universal Title match, none of the other matches have been given much attention on television. 

Despite this, it could still be a decent show in the ring, but I can't remember that last time that SummerSlam had such a poor build, especially since moving from Los Angeles to Brooklyn.

I'll try my best to save this show with some fantasy booking, while still trying to make sense of WWE story lines. 

Here are my thoughts and predictions from start to finish...

​John Cena vs. Baron Corbin

Some of you may think this is a bold move to have John Cena in the first match, but this is one match that really hasn't been setting the world on fire. Corbin has shown some improvement in recent years, but if Nakamura couldn't get a good match out of him, I somehow doubt that Cena will either. Having him lose his MITB title shot due to a Cena distraction was probably done just to add some reason for people to care about this match. Personally, I still don't. Hopefully they keep it short, but it won't be sweet. Cena wins clean with the AA. After the match, Cena goes and autographs a poster for a young fan, only for Corbin to attack him from behind, and plant him with the End of Days on the outside. Corbin then rips up the poster, and hopefully the kid doesn't cry like the last time. 

[A Mae Young Classic ad airs next, and then some of the Mae Young Classic participants are shown at ringside]

Big Cass vs. The Big Show with Enzo Amore in a shark cage over the ring

This is another feud that I just can't get into, and I think it was the worst decision in the world to break up Enzo and Cass at this point, as neither of them have really gone anywhere since the break-up, especially Enzo, who has been labeled as a total jobber, which is a real shame, since he's one of the best promos in the company. This one probably won't go more than three minutes. Cass works over Big Show's hand for the most part, and then claims the victory with a big boot. Cass then calls for the cage to be lowered so he can have his way with Enzo, but Big Show hits him with the knockout punch before he's able to grab Enzo.

[A WWE Network commercial airs next]

​Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship 

It is a shame that Bayley got injured, but this is the match I would have preferred anyway, as Bayley just isn't connecting with the audience anymore, and I think New York would have boo'd her out of the building if she won the title. This should be a decent match, but I don't expect it to go very long. The end comes when they brawl on the outside, only for the referee to get between them. As Bliss distracts the ref, Shayna Baszler, who is sitting at ringside as one of the Mae Young Classic participants, floors Sasha with a hay maker. This gives Bliss the advantage. Bliss rolls Sasha back in and hits her finisher for the win. After the match, Bliss goes to the floor and hugs Baszler, and they leave together.

[Highlights are shown from Raw, when Akira Tozawa beat Neville for the Cruiserweight Title]

[Akira is shown in the back, doing his chant, as Titus O'Neil walks in]

O'Neil: Alright Tozawa, this is it. Now you won the title on Raw, so I'm not taking anything away from you. But this is the one that matters. You have to show Neville that you're more than just a one-hit wonder. You gotta make it count tonight. I mean this is SummerSlam. The world is watching! This is the big one.

[Titus and Crews then start mimicking Tozawa's chant, but Tozawa stops them]

Tozawa: Titus, I appreciate your help, but I need to do this by myself, alone. I'm the WWE Cruiserweight Champion, and tonight, Neville will feel the powah of Tozawa!

[Tozawa continues doing his chant out the door, as both Titus and Crews look confused and disappointed]

Akira Tozawa vs. Neville for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

It would not shock me if this match was bumped to the kick-off show, but it did kind of surprise me that Tozawa won the title on Raw this week, which kind of came out of nowhere. I can only assume that they booked the title change to create some interest in this match, as we've already seen this so many times before. Tozawa has the early advantage until he tries to follow Neville to the outside, only for the ref to hold him back. The momentary distraction allows Neville to sweep Tozawa's leg, causing Tozawa to fall shoulder-first on the apron. Neville proceeds to attack Tozawa's shoulder for the rest of the match. The end comes where Tozawa hits the senton from the top, but is unable to capitalize, as his shoulder is badly hurt, which allows Neville to lock on the rings of Saturn for the tap out, and Neville regains the title.

[Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan are in their office, with Shane wearing his referee's shirt]

Bryan: Look, Shane, I hope I wasn't stepping out of line when I volunteered you to be the referee for this U.S. Title match.

Shane: Daniel, I'm a McMahon. Nobody makes me do anything I don't want to do. Besides, I can't risk these two guys putting their hands on another WWE official. All I know is this is one official who will having know problem putting his hands on them, if they step out of line. 

[Shane is about to leave, but Bryan holds him back]

Bryan: Just remember, you're a commissioner, not a wrestler.

Shane: I know what I'm doing.

The New Day vs. The Usos for the Smackdown! Live Tag Team Championships

This is one of the bouts that I'm actually looking forward to, as these two teams seem to have amazing chemistry. I did find it kind of weird that they revealed before the match which New Day members would be participating, and it is surprising that Kingston will be the corner man, as he's definitely the standout in-ring performer of the group. Having said that, it should still be a good match. I see The Usos trying to get the unfair advantage by pulling the old switcheroo behind the referee's back, but the end result is The New Day beating them at their own game, as Kofi sneaks in and hits Trouble in Paradise on one of the Usos, and then covers his face as he makes the pin, so the ref thinks it's Xavier.

[A recap is shown of the match from Raw between Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor]

​Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor

It amazed me that they gave this match away for free this week, but I guess with Balor going all "Demon" on Sunday, it kind of does add a little something extra. I don't expect this match to go very long either, but I see the end come where Wyatt hits Sister Abigail, but then plays with Balor a little bit, instead of making the pin. Balor then springs up into a spider position like Wyatt usually does. This causes Wyatt to freak out, and Balor takes advantage with a big drop kick into the turnbuckle, followed by the sling blade and then the coup de grace for the win.

[Up next is a recap of the NXT: Takeover special from the night before]

​Naomi vs. Natalya for the Smackdown! Live Women's Championship

Considering that this match was made almost a month ago, I'm kind of disappointed that there hasn't been much interaction between these two, which really makes me question why they didn't just give the fans what they wanted, and put Charlotte in the match. Actually, there seems to have been more interaction between Naomi and Carmella lately, which suggests that she may be cashing in her MITB contract sooner rather than later. I have no doubt that this will be a good match, but despite the fact that Naomi is probably the most athletic woman on the roster, I just don't think she's connecting with the fans, and I personally don't buy her as a serious champion. I'm gonna say that Naomi wins this match with her submission hold, but then Carmella teases that she's going to cash in the briefcase, but decides against it, as Naomi springs back up to her feet, before Carmella hits the ring.

[The pay per view panel provide their thoughts on the night thus far, and discuss what's still to come]

​Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

This is honestly one of the most disappointing SummerSlam main events in history. Other than the segment from Smackdown this week, there has been zero interaction between these two, and there's no reason to even care about this match, and I would not be the least bit surprised if this opens the show. Fans clearly want to see Nakamura win the title, but I don't know if I would pull the trigger on that just yet, as it will mean nothing on a show like this, where Smackdown is clearly considered to be the secondary brand. I don't know if this will be a great match either, as it could be a bit of a styles clash. The Singh brothers are ejected in the early going, which allows Nakamura to gain the advantage and build some momentum. Just when it looks like Nakamura is about to put Jinder away, Baron Corbin storms into the ring and attacks Nakamura for the DQ, and then hits him with the End of Days.

[After numerous replays, Dasha catches up with Baron Corbin backstage]

Dasha: Excuse me, Baron,  why did you interfere in the WWE Championship match just now?

Corbin: You have some nerve asking me why? Well the simplest question deserves the simplest explanation. If I can't be the next WWE Champion, I'm gonna make sure nobody else will either. Jinder, you better start warming up that title for me, because I'm not finished with you yet. And I'll tell you something else...

[Before Corbin can get another word out, John Cena attacks him from behind, and they are pulled apart by security]

​Randy Orton vs. Rusev

This is another disappointing feud, and I really hate the way it was put together. I guess we're supposed to forget about The Great Khali attacking Randy Orton at Battleground? Well Orton sure did. Not that I'm complaining that we didn't get an Orton vs. Khali match, but this feud doesn't make any sense at all, and I'm thinking it's going to be a one-off. The end comes where Rusev attempts to apply The Accolade, but takes too much time, allowing Orton to slip out the back door and hit the RKO outta nowhere! Orton gets the win, and hopefully this feud is over.

AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens for The United States Championship with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee

I was hoping when Chris Jericho returned that they would just continue the Owens and Jericho feud, but I guess that was a one and done deal. This match has show-stealer written all over it, but hopefully Shane McMahon doesn't become too much of a distraction. I see Shane taking a bump at some point, so Daniel Bryan comes out with a referee's shirt on. This end comes where Styles has Owens trapped in the calf crusher, but Owens places his arms over Styles' chest at the same time, so just as soon as AJ is pinned, Owens taps out. So the match ends in a non-finish, as Bryan and Shane are unable to decide who actually won. Maybe not the greatest idea, but I wanted to come up with a way for this feud to continue. 

[Another WWE Network commercial airs next]

[Before the Raw Tag Title match starts, The Hardy Boys make their way to the ring]

Matt: You know it's no secret that we've been in this business a long time. 22 years to be exact. We've held several different tag team titles, and we've both been world champions. Between us, we've held the Cruiserweight Title, European Title, Intercontinental Title, Hardcore Title and United States Title. That alone is enough to make us Hall of Fame worthy.

Jeff: So we got to thinking: What happens now? Where do we go from here? We've beaten everybody there is to beat, competed in every match that exists-- hell, we've even innovated some of them. So what's next for The Hardy Boys?

Matt: What my brother is trying to say is that by being here, we've proven that we can still go. We can still hang with some of today's top stars. We have nothing left to prove, but that doesn't mean that we have nothing left. So before we get ready to hang it up for good, we want one more crack at tag team gold.

Jeff: This will be our last chance, but on our way out, we wanted to come out here and challenge the winners of this match, and if we can't win back our titles, then maybe we don't belong here anymore.

[Both Hardys drop their microphones and then go shake hands with Rollins and Ambrose. They then try to shake hands with Cesaro and Sheamus, who arrogantly slap their hands away. The refs try to hold The Hardy Boys back, as the match begins]

Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose for the Raw Tag Team Championships

Aside from the main event, this is probably the match with the most build. I don't think they would have spent so much time on getting Ambrose and Rollins back together if they weren't winning the titles. Unless, of course, Ambrose were to turn, which I can also see happening. I'm going with the happier ending of Rollins and Ambrose winning the titles after a hard-fought match. 

[The pay per view panel provide thoughts and predictions for the main event]

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman in a fatal four-way match for The Universal Championship

This is probably the most unpredictable match on the card, as I would be fine with any of these four guys leaving as Universal Champion. It should be a good match, and they're clearly teasing an eventual Lesnar vs. Strowman showdown. The end comes where Heyman gets a chair and looks as though he's going to hand it to Lesnar, who is cleaning house by this point, but instead, Heyman slides it to Samoa Joe, who uses it to batter Lesnar, while the ref is down. Reigns and Strowman are brawling in the crowd, so neither of them can come and make the save, as Joe chokes Lesnar out with the Coquina Clutch. Lesnar eventually passes out, and the referee declares Joe as the new Universal Champion. Heyman then celebrates with Joe and they leave together (I just don't buy Paul Heyman as a babyface).

So there you have it.

Here are my match predictions for the next two pay per views:

No Mercy (Smackdown):

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin vs. John Cena in a fatal four-way match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles in the first match of a best of five series to determine the undisputed United States Champion - The winner of each match in the series gets to select a stipulation for the next match.

Randy Orton vs. Mike Kanellis

The Usos vs. The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championships in a street fight

Naomi vs. Tamina Snuka for the Women's Championship

Rusev vs. Tye Dillinger

BreeZango vs. The Hype Bros


Clash of Champions (Raw):

Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship - If Lesnar wins, he gets five minutes alone with Paul Heyman

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in an I Quit match

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. The Hardy Boys for the Raw Tag Team Championships - If The Hardys lose, they will retire.

Alexa Bliss w/Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks w/Bayley for the Raw Women's Championship

Neville vs. Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship

The Miz vs. Jason Jordan for the Intercontinental Championship