The Put up’s Joseph Staszewski brings you world wide of professional wrestling each Tuesday in his weekly column, the Put up Match Angle.
For the final week “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin’s social media has been full of him doing exercises in his RV, a car parking zone and his dwelling health club — although he stated he’s doing so as a result of ” I noticed I appear like s–t.” Couple that with a report from Fightful Choose that the Triple H regime in WWE has made a proposal to Austin for a match and it’s truthful to no less than let oneself dream of him getting again within the ring both on the Royal Rumble within the Alamodome in San Antonio or WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Kevin Owens was the clear selection for his return match final yr at WrestleMania 38, however there may be an array of high quality choices that may make sense for him this time round. So let’s discover 10 dream eventualities for the Texas Rattlesnake.
A.J. Types
Types gave The Undertaker an outstanding closing outing within the Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36 and stays top-of-the-line and most secure works within the business – so he may simply cowl up any of Austin’s present weaknesses. Contemplating their profession paths that is clearly a match we thought we'd by no means see.
Edge
Corridor of Famer vs. Corridor of Famer in a first-time-ever match? Signal me up. I regarded again and Edge and Austin have solely been in the identical match 3 times; none of them have been single matches and one was the 1999 Royal Rumble. Edge can go to that darkish place and away we go to most likely extra of a brawling, perhaps no-holds-barred conflict.
Randy Orton
Randy Orton is the “Legend Killer” and these two all-timers have by no means been in a match collectively of any form. You would additionally do the Stunner vs. the RKO. Orton, if wholesome, would merely be out to finish Austin’s profession and who's going to inform him he received’t?
Seth Rollins
Austin wants somebody to assist bump for him within the ring and there are few higher than Rollins. You would merely have them instigate one another in a promo or have the feud revolve round america championship, a belt Austin held twice in WCW however by no means in WWE. It’s the one he have to grow to be a Grand Slam champion.
Austin Concept
Sure, Concept versus his idol John Cena makes extra sense, however these two have historical past now after Austin shocked him at WrestleMania 38. Perhaps Concept is United States champion once more and the Grand Slam storyline applies. Austin wins at Mania and Concept wins the belt again the subsequent week on Uncooked or SmackDown.
Cody Rhodes
If WWE goes to do Roman Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania and has not taken a title off The Tribal Chief at that time, it's going to want a high-profile match for Rhodes. You would promote the Rhodes household’s connection to Texas, Austin’s historical past with Dusty because the booker in WCW and Austin’s feuds with Dustin within the firm again when he was “Beautiful” Steve Austin. This must be a babyface vs. babyface conflict.
John Cena
Cena, if he wrestles, will most likely be used elsewhere, however having two of WWE’s greatest drawing stars ever go face to face for the primary time could be one thing. It’s a conflict of eras, generations and popular culture icons. The promos could be unbelievable, the match would most likely be ok and perhaps you get a Rock-Hogan sort second.
Brock Lesnar
The violence Lesnar can unleash might be wasted right here, however dam the story you might inform. The one time these two have been alleged to conflict was a King of the Ring qualifying match in 2002, however it by no means occurred as a result of Austin walked out on the corporate for almost a whole yr because of mounting frustration. WWE making that match with no construct was the final straw. They might come full circle right here.
Roman Reigns
If for some purpose, The Rock isn't obtainable to wrestle in Hollywood and WWE doesn’t need to return to Logan Paul, then break glass. Austin would give Reigns one other big opponent and it could be the Texan’s “final likelihood” to be champion once more. I simply don’t know in the event that they may give us a compelling match as Austin isn't successful, however Reigns’ tempo and magnificence will surely work for him.
CM Punk
That is the one everybody needs and could be completely electrical as a one-off. Heck begin it with a “Damaged Cranium” session. There are simply so many hurdles that should be cleared for this to occur, together with Punk needing to be set free of his AEW contract by then and WWE welcoming again a person that had a lot public vitriol for the corporate. One can all the time dream and that is what it’s all about right here anyway.
Survive and Advance
Shawn Michaels, dressed like Ed Harris’ “Man in Black” from “Westworld” introduced NXT can be debuting a brand new match, the Iron Survivor Problem, at their Deadline pay-per-view on Dec. 10. It appears like a cross between the Royal Rumble, the Elimination Chamber and an iron man match with the boys’s and girls’s winner getting photographs at their respective NXT championships.
Two of the 5 whole opponents begin within the ring and a brand new individual is added to the 25-minute match each 5 minutes. Every fall scored inside that 25 minutes is some extent and for those who lose a fall you go into the “penalty field” for 90 seconds.
There's a lot to like about this idea. It offers NXT the championship-contender-making match it’s been lacking. The time restrict makes each second depend, provides a premium on while you enter, and permits for quite a few storytelling paths. The penalty field can instantly inject drama into the match, particularly late.
My concern can be how is that this shot with the necessity to hold the general time, rating and potential penalty field time on the display screen directly and the digital camera needing to go away the match to verify on the penalty field. There can be quite a bit occurring and loads of shifting of what the viewers is seeing.
Second Gear
As a lot as I needed to say about Full Gear in my evaluate Sunday morning, I needed to the touch on just a few broader strokes. Nearly as good as that present was, there was simply one thing lacking for me and the one factor I may consider is the dearth of an excellent babyface story. It was an excellent evening for heels in MJF, Dying Triangle, Jamie Hayter and Samoa Joe and that’s OK going into the New Yr You may construct babyfaces from there. It was additionally a really large evening for the ladies’s division with three matches on the primary card and Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter being pretty much as good because it was.
Lastly, the promo MJF minimize within the media scrum was precisely what he wanted. We aren’t getting babyface MJF, however we is perhaps getting essentially the most unbearable heel model but. Him teaming up with William Regal feels very very like it has the potential for CM Punk and Paul Heyman throughout his year-long title run in WWE.
The ten Rely
The truth that the fifth member of Bianca Beliar’s Survivor Sequence staff can be introduced on SmackDown may simply be a swerve to make us assume it’s not Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks, who have been final seen on Uncooked or it is going to be somebody like Liv Morgan or Raquel Gonzalez – who has WarGames expertise from NXT.
L.A Knight is easy-to-dislike heel and would believably have the heart to slap him. Wyatt’s facials have been unbelievable on SmackDown as if he has no selection however to unleash Uncle Howdy. This lastly has genuinely pleasure to see how Knight reacts to being attacked and the supernatural stuff to return.
What number of distinction sorts of interference will enable Mandy Rose to maintain her NXT ladies’s championship? This week it was a debuted Isla Daybreak out of completely nowhere to price Alba Frye a final ladies’s standing match of all issues. This doesn't do Rose’s reign any favors nor the one who finally beats her.
CM Punk on the Cage Fury broadcast, with some goading from his sales space mates, was joking about his accidents and being “unhealthy information” within the locker room. All he may do was put his head and his fingers and snort when play-by-play man John Morgan stated “don’t let him do any press conferences.” The pleasant ribbing is enjoyable and attention-grabbing to see Punk not taking himself too significantly after All Out. Then this week, The Younger Bucks let the “F—ok CM Punk chants at Full Gear be heard on “Being the Elite” All of it makes you marvel if they'll depart all the cash on the desk.
Going from Sami Zayn’s uber confidence to the shocked appears to be like when Kevin Owens was revealed because the fifth man was completely arrange. Okay.O. delivering the Stunner to Reigns solely added to issues. Bonus factors to WWE if Owens’ reported harm was executed to throw individuals off it truly being him as all of us hoped. Reigns could have to ask The Rock for tips on how take a Stunner, nonetheless.
Shotzi just about needed to win her match in opposition to Shayna Baszler if she goes to have any momentum going through Ronda Rousey at Survivor Sequence. Nonetheless, I want Rousey and Baszler had been established as a badass unbeatable staff first, as a substitute of trying like dumb heels when it was over. And getting Raquel Gonzalez concerned any approach makes you marvel why it’s Shotzi and never her on this spot. Time will inform.
Cherished the fervour of Zoey Stark’s promo and assume she has a future as a heel. I additionally thought it could have been much more efficient if NXT would have shaved a minute or two off it as a result of by the tip it felt like she was simply repeating some cliché phrases. All in all job, nonetheless.
Bully Ray actually is aware of find out how to get warmth. His vicious post-match assault throughout Over Drive on Affect World Champion Josh Alexander, tying him to the rope earlier than pulling his spouse out of the stands and threatening to powerbomb her to arrange their title match at Onerous To Kill simply made this all very private
I get Braun Strowman may be intimidating, however one individual whom he shouldn’t be such to is Gunther. It’s why watching him frighteningly flee on SmackDown, when these two could battle for the Intercontinental championship made no sense to me. Austin Concept additionally doing so from Bobby Lashley additionally put slightly dent into the thought he's a extra vicious and mature heel.
As an avid participant of wrestling video video games – from “Physique Slam Tremendous Professional Wrestling” on Intellivision to WWE 2K22 — I’m intrigued and excited by the trailer for AEW: Combat Ceaselessly, the return to the No Mercy model and thumbtacks. Altering the duvet to a extra signature AEW take care of eradicating CM Punk was additionally a sensible thought advertising clever.
Wrestler of the Week
Saraya, All Elite Wrestling
Put apart every thing else that went into this, you present respect when somebody comes again from 5 years away from the ring after a critical neck harm and turns in match with most likely little or no prep time. That’s precisely what Saraya did at AEW Full Gear, with loads of assist from Britt Baker. It set a superb basis for the previous Paige in WWE to construct from and will depart followers excited to see what’s subsequent when she actually will get her legs again underneath her.
Match to Watch
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Sammy Zayn) vs. Sheamus, Butch, Ridge Holland, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens) WarGames at WWE Survivor Sequence (Saturday, 8 p.m., Peacock)
This match will begin the subsequent chapter in The Bloodline story. Will WWE hold them untouchable or will we begin to see cracks if Sami Zayn can’t make good on bringing dwelling the win he guaranted. Will it's Zayn or Jey Uso that price them and does WWE begin a powerful set as much as Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens. This match has an opportunity to over ship and can write the primary phrases in what’s subsequent for Reigns and his household.
Across the Ring
- Kenny Omega challenged Will Ospreay by way of video message and can now face him for the IWGP United State championship at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 17.
- Kairi, previously Kairi Sane in WWE grew to become the primary IWGP ladies’s champion on the NJPW x Stardom Historic X-Over over the weekend.
- Tony Khan introduced AEW’s subsequent PPV, Revolution, can be March 5 on the Chase Heart in San Francisco.
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