WWE 2019: No Wildcards

[Roy Mustang]

 

[Tg11]

- Aleister Black in his return match in the main event on Smackdown beats Church of Rollins member Karrion Kross in the Steel Cage...that's huge

- I figured Rollins like a jackal lying in wait shows up right after the Steel Cage Match and attacks Aleister Black from behind...wouldn't expect anything less

- The Dirt Sheet with Team Moon and Team Belair and it all ends in chaos as both teams go at it...I mean can we be surprised here? But the fact of the matter is that Ember Moon and Bianca Belair both have to depend on their teammates to get their respective teams a victory...winning captain gets a WWE Women's Championship match against Ronda Rousey at New Year's Revolution Smackdown exclusive PPV in January...this is a match I definitely can't wait for


- Team MMA Horsewomen have this Survivor Series War Games Match already in the bag...Team Four Horsewomen can't get along to save their lives...Sasha and Bayley can't trust each other and are fighting every 5 minutes, Asuka and Charlotte Flair and even Becky are trying to get Sasha and Bayley on the same page and can't...whereas WWE Women's Universal Champion & WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Shayna Baszler, WWE Women's Champion & WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Ronda Rousey, Natalya, Shafir & Duke are a well oiled machine as a team. Now that's a team that gets along.


- If Edge is trying to destroy The Church of Rollins, well good luck with that...they have destroyed The Mysterios and will continue to destroy anyone else associated with Edge...you would have thought that Edge would have learned his lesson inside Hell in a Cell


- I thought that if anyone would end The Ungovernables title reign as WWE Tag Team Champions it would be The Church of Rollins namely The AOP...but if anyone is going to do it, it will probably be The Bloodline specifically The Usos or it will be The OC namely Gallows & Anderson

 

[Roy Mustang]

 

[Tg11]

Dominik getting suspended is shocking

 

[Roy Mustang]

Dominik getting suspended is shocking

EWR likes to throw curveballs and fuck with me from time to time

 

[Samoa Looch]

EWR just foreseeing his prison arc, that is all

 

[DTP]

WWE Monday Night RAW - November 9, 2020:

It's been a little while since I was last able to check in with this, so let's see where we're at on the road to Survivor Series.

I always did love to write for Drew McIntyre as WWE Champion, and this promo did the trick in establishing his issues with Samoa Joe ahead of a title clash. I did have plans for McIntyre and Joe to work a falls count anywhere feud in the Pandemic Project, once upon a time. I feel like the two would genuinely have great chemistry, particularly in a gimmick environment.

Naturally Ricochet is the one to give Samoa Joe a strong win. It's a shame that is the role Ricochet appears to be typecast in these days, but it almost always guarantees a fun match. This felt very much in line with what RAW was all about in this tenure. A side note, Wade Barrett works wonders as the authority figure for the brand.

Nice interplay with members of the Four Horsewomen ahead of Survivor Series. I would not be surprised to see this group begin to disintegrate between now and then. The question of course, is who would be the one to crack? Maybe we'll see a turn in WarGames. Either way, I'd be surprised to see Bayley, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair as a unit by the time WrestleMania 37 rolls around.

EJ Nduka is a strange one, for no other reason than the fact we've seen very little of him. Either way, I do like the mingling of the Street Profits and Lio Rush. Montez Ford is a total pet project for future stardom, in my mind.

Nice establishing win for K2 over Jinny and Amale. I do like the idea of two fashion models from international lands coming together to form a team, even if this was intended to give Katana Chance and Kayden Carter a win.

I feel like the battle of the Horsewomen saga has been long and fruitful, but I believe it is about time we get this thing wrapped up. It would be really nice to see talents such as Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey move onto other things. Natalya is an obviously better choice than Jessamyn Duke in the mix, as Duke never really got the hang of the wrestling thing.

I can't say I was ever too fond of Flash Morgan Webster, but the unit Subculture makes for a cool babyface trio. Mark Andrews deserved much better from his WWE run. I feel like there is a risk of overexposing Wade Barrett with another appearance here, though it does lay down the law for the brand and set up Drew McIntyre's match with Cedric Alexander. You gave Cedric perhaps too much time against the WWE Champion, but I suspect that is to protect the Hurt Business, considering they are WWE World Tag Team Champins.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Swerve Strickland really take off in 2021, given the push we've seen he can handle in AEW in the past year. My lone gripe about the faction is perhaps the fact that the Hurt Business feels somewhat bloated with talent.

Nia Jax squashing Lana made me shudder recalling their worse-than-abysmal program in 2020. Hopefully no holes shall be hurt, and no tables shall be broken in this one. I would like to see you try and do something unique with Nia, one that can afford the reader to actually get interested in her. Maybe this brewing animosity with Rhea Ripley can accomplish this.

I think I alluded to it previously, but there are an awful lot of factions on RAW at the moment. The Ungovernables are unquestionably a major player right now, but I would like to see some progression for the characters involved within these units.

Tommaso Ciampa could have perhaps afforded a much quicker win over Fandango, and that's saying something as a fan of Fandango's. I suspect we'll see Tyler Breeze get a turn with Ciampa next week.

I always had trouble writing for The New Day, purely from a dialogue standpoint. It's so easy for a group so fluid as this to read essentially wooden. I think there is an interesting longterm story point of Big E planning to cash in Money in the Bank at WrestleMania - but that's still five months away. What do we do between now and then?

Rhea Ripley managed to get a decent scrap out of Nia Jax at Elimination Chamber: Perth, so hopefully four years in the past will be similar, come Survivor Series.

I figure with Survivor Series sure to boast a threshold of elimination matches in addition to WarGames, you need these factions to float around.

I was surprised to see Pete Dunne knock off Andrade, but it's a welcome one. I did like the note protecting Andrade with a late kickout after the bell, and we got the expected face off between British Strong Style and the Ungovernables.

Ruby Riott getting the win over Tegan Nox was fine, but did come across somewhat as third-hour filler.

Have I ever pondered my curiosity as to how Elias might be as a color commentator? It's a very unique choice.

Mustafa Ali over Lince Dorado was fine, but what was more interesting was the promo beforehand. I saw it setting up Kalisto's presence, but I don't feel like he's going to be the guy to end his WWE Cruiserweight Championship open challenge string.

I was always very on the fence about the WarGames Advantage being stipulated in a Ladder match. Good action, sure, but it does scream overkill personally speaking. Asuka and Shayna Baszler being used for this was very telling. They would have been excellent in a technical wrestling-centric bout, but this worked fine as the main event of RAW. Neat lil' cliffhanger at the end with Becky Lynch, who has always had some sort of issue with Asuka.

This was a good RAW to browse and see what essentially the entire roster is up to right now.


WWE SmackDown Live - November 13, 2020:

You really come to appreciate the Norfolk Scope when you watch back old episodes of WCW Monday Nitro.

Right off the bat with the cold open we get the Alpha Academy together to establish the ground rules for the night. I don't know about promoting next week before this show has even gotten started, but it did tell me what we needed to know ahead of their own Survivor Series Elimination match against the O.C.

I'm glad to see Big Cass doing good, even if he did lose to Chad Gable. The size advantage would have made this one interesting. I'm somewhat disappointed we didn't get the grand reveal that Gable could power Cass up for a German suplex, or something. Maybe worth saving for the Survivor Series spot? I do find the O.C. you have formed fascinating. Buddy Murphy is primed to be a faction guy, and Big Cass plays a heavy - but we also already have Luke Gallows in this mix of talent. I guess this is to counteract the fact the two singles guys, AJ Styles and Finn Bálor, are so short and smarmy.

Aleister Black's promo read very well, and fit with his character. Am I excited about his ongoing thing with Karrion Kross? Not particularly, but maybe you can change that.

Jacob Fatu is a guy I've not really seen too much of, but he's a no-brainer addition to have in the mix of the Bloodline. The win over Rowe worked for what it was. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn hitting the ring really helped make this segment, and it set the stage for the tornado tag match at Survivor Series.

Good promo from Sami Zayn and Buddy Murphy, and I wouldn't be too shocked to see Murphy win the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the go-home Survival SmackDown show, next week.

I feel like Humberto Carrillo really struggles in this era, where he's surrounded by talented workrate guys who can talk. I like Angel Garza as a talent and a character, and I just feel like the pairing just exposes how much of a weak link Carrillo is compared to his cousin.

Nice win for the Ungovernables over the Authors of Pain. I like the use of Zelina Vega's loaded purse gimmick. It was an effective WWE World Tag Team Championship victory.

A lot of RAW Superstars on this SmackDown, but in the build to the Survivor Series that is often going to happen.

That was a long promo starting out with John Morrison and his family. I remain admittedly perplexed by Morrison and Franky Monet's union with Erick Rowan as their heavy. I suppose this worked to get over the women involved in the Survivor Series Elimination undercard match.

Poor Apollo Crews can't even get the job done against Gran Metalik. I suspect that was the point, and it is curious to see Metalik reign as NXT Cruiserweight Champion on the blue brand, when we have Mustafa Ali as WWE Cruiserweight Champion over on RAW. Perhaps a unification match could be in the future?

I liked the development with Bayley storming off from Sasha Banks. The dissension angles and how we drive these truly help Survivor Series builds grow in excitement.

The Mysterios and Heavy Machinery are quite the unique tandem of teams aligned against Seth Rollins and the Church.

Aleister Black defeating Karrion Kross in the steel cage made for a fun main event, and it's telling you had Black win clean in the middle, at that. Seth Rollins' attack made for an interesting spin, with the WWE Universal Championship match made for Survivor Series. If the Mysterios were saved by Heavy Machinery last segment, though, where were they in Black's beatdown?

Smooth SmackDown Live, prepping for Survivor Series. I think the card you've amassed is a solid one, but perhaps eleven matches - nine on the main card - is too much. I guess you may be following WWE's booking pattern for pay-per-views in 2017 and 2018, where they just threw everything out there. Elimination matches tend to take a fair bit of time, unless you are racing to fit in the falls - and that's not even getting into WarGames, which I suspect will go quite the length.

Some food for thought. I like where we're at now, and look forward to seeing how you progress beyond Survivor Series.

 

[Roy Mustang]

WWE Monday Night RAW - November 9, 2020:

It's been a little while since I was last able to check in with this, so let's see where we're at on the road to Survivor Series.

I always did love to write for Drew McIntyre as WWE Champion, and this promo did the trick in establishing his issues with Samoa Joe ahead of a title clash. I did have plans for McIntyre and Joe to work a falls count anywhere feud in the Pandemic Project, once upon a time. I feel like the two would genuinely have great chemistry, particularly in a gimmick environment.

Naturally Ricochet is the one to give Samoa Joe a strong win. It's a shame that is the role Ricochet appears to be typecast in these days, but it almost always guarantees a fun match. This felt very much in line with what RAW was all about in this tenure. A side note, Wade Barrett works wonders as the authority figure for the brand.

Nice interplay with members of the Four Horsewomen ahead of Survivor Series. I would not be surprised to see this group begin to disintegrate between now and then. The question of course, is who would be the one to crack? Maybe we'll see a turn in WarGames. Either way, I'd be surprised to see Bayley, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair as a unit by the time WrestleMania 37 rolls around.

EJ Nduka is a strange one, for no other reason than the fact we've seen very little of him. Either way, I do like the mingling of the Street Profits and Lio Rush. Montez Ford is a total pet project for future stardom, in my mind.

Nice establishing win for K2 over Jinny and Amale. I do like the idea of two fashion models from international lands coming together to form a team, even if this was intended to give Katana Chance and Kayden Carter a win.

I feel like the battle of the Horsewomen saga has been long and fruitful, but I believe it is about time we get this thing wrapped up. It would be really nice to see talents such as Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey move onto other things. Natalya is an obviously better choice than Jessamyn Duke in the mix, as Duke never really got the hang of the wrestling thing.

I can't say I was ever too fond of Flash Morgan Webster, but the unit Subculture makes for a cool babyface trio. Mark Andrews deserved much better from his WWE run. I feel like there is a risk of overexposing Wade Barrett with another appearance here, though it does lay down the law for the brand and set up Drew McIntyre's match with Cedric Alexander. You gave Cedric perhaps too much time against the WWE Champion, but I suspect that is to protect the Hurt Business, considering they are WWE World Tag Team Champins.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Swerve Strickland really take off in 2021, given the push we've seen he can handle in AEW in the past year. My lone gripe about the faction is perhaps the fact that the Hurt Business feels somewhat bloated with talent.

Nia Jax squashing Lana made me shudder recalling their worse-than-abysmal program in 2020. Hopefully no holes shall be hurt, and no tables shall be broken in this one. I would like to see you try and do something unique with Nia, one that can afford the reader to actually get interested in her. Maybe this brewing animosity with Rhea Ripley can accomplish this.

I think I alluded to it previously, but there are an awful lot of factions on RAW at the moment. The Ungovernables are unquestionably a major player right now, but I would like to see some progression for the characters involved within these units.

Tommaso Ciampa could have perhaps afforded a much quicker win over Fandango, and that's saying something as a fan of Fandango's. I suspect we'll see Tyler Breeze get a turn with Ciampa next week.

I always had trouble writing for The New Day, purely from a dialogue standpoint. It's so easy for a group so fluid as this to read essentially wooden. I think there is an interesting longterm story point of Big E planning to cash in Money in the Bank at WrestleMania - but that's still five months away. What do we do between now and then?

Rhea Ripley managed to get a decent scrap out of Nia Jax at Elimination Chamber: Perth, so hopefully four years in the past will be similar, come Survivor Series.

I figure with Survivor Series sure to boast a threshold of elimination matches in addition to WarGames, you need these factions to float around.

I was surprised to see Pete Dunne knock off Andrade, but it's a welcome one. I did like the note protecting Andrade with a late kickout after the bell, and we got the expected face off between British Strong Style and the Ungovernables.

Ruby Riott getting the win over Tegan Nox was fine, but did come across somewhat as third-hour filler.

Have I ever pondered my curiosity as to how Elias might be as a color commentator? It's a very unique choice.

Mustafa Ali over Lince Dorado was fine, but what was more interesting was the promo beforehand. I saw it setting up Kalisto's presence, but I don't feel like he's going to be the guy to end his WWE Cruiserweight Championship open challenge string.

I was always very on the fence about the WarGames Advantage being stipulated in a Ladder match. Good action, sure, but it does scream overkill personally speaking. Asuka and Shayna Baszler being used for this was very telling. They would have been excellent in a technical wrestling-centric bout, but this worked fine as the main event of RAW. Neat lil' cliffhanger at the end with Becky Lynch, who has always had some sort of issue with Asuka.

This was a good RAW to browse and see what essentially the entire roster is up to right now.


WWE SmackDown Live - November 13, 2020:

You really come to appreciate the Norfolk Scope when you watch back old episodes of WCW Monday Nitro.

Right off the bat with the cold open we get the Alpha Academy together to establish the ground rules for the night. I don't know about promoting next week before this show has even gotten started, but it did tell me what we needed to know ahead of their own Survivor Series Elimination match against the O.C.

I'm glad to see Big Cass doing good, even if he did lose to Chad Gable. The size advantage would have made this one interesting. I'm somewhat disappointed we didn't get the grand reveal that Gable could power Cass up for a German suplex, or something. Maybe worth saving for the Survivor Series spot? I do find the O.C. you have formed fascinating. Buddy Murphy is primed to be a faction guy, and Big Cass plays a heavy - but we also already have Luke Gallows in this mix of talent. I guess this is to counteract the fact the two singles guys, AJ Styles and Finn Bálor, are so short and smarmy.

Aleister Black's promo read very well, and fit with his character. Am I excited about his ongoing thing with Karrion Kross? Not particularly, but maybe you can change that.

Jacob Fatu is a guy I've not really seen too much of, but he's a no-brainer addition to have in the mix of the Bloodline. The win over Rowe worked for what it was. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn hitting the ring really helped make this segment, and it set the stage for the tornado tag match at Survivor Series.

Good promo from Sami Zayn and Buddy Murphy, and I wouldn't be too shocked to see Murphy win the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the go-home Survival SmackDown show, next week.

I feel like Humberto Carrillo really struggles in this era, where he's surrounded by talented workrate guys who can talk. I like Angel Garza as a talent and a character, and I just feel like the pairing just exposes how much of a weak link Carrillo is compared to his cousin.

Nice win for the Ungovernables over the Authors of Pain. I like the use of Zelina Vega's loaded purse gimmick. It was an effective WWE World Tag Team Championship victory.

A lot of RAW Superstars on this SmackDown, but in the build to the Survivor Series that is often going to happen.

That was a long promo starting out with John Morrison and his family. I remain admittedly perplexed by Morrison and Franky Monet's union with Erick Rowan as their heavy. I suppose this worked to get over the women involved in the Survivor Series Elimination undercard match.

Poor Apollo Crews can't even get the job done against Gran Metalik. I suspect that was the point, and it is curious to see Metalik reign as NXT Cruiserweight Champion on the blue brand, when we have Mustafa Ali as WWE Cruiserweight Champion over on RAW. Perhaps a unification match could be in the future?

I liked the development with Bayley storming off from Sasha Banks. The dissension angles and how we drive these truly help Survivor Series builds grow in excitement.

The Mysterios and Heavy Machinery are quite the unique tandem of teams aligned against Seth Rollins and the Church.

Aleister Black defeating Karrion Kross in the steel cage made for a fun main event, and it's telling you had Black win clean in the middle, at that. Seth Rollins' attack made for an interesting spin, with the WWE Universal Championship match made for Survivor Series. If the Mysterios were saved by Heavy Machinery last segment, though, where were they in Black's beatdown?

Smooth SmackDown Live, prepping for Survivor Series. I think the card you've amassed is a solid one, but perhaps eleven matches - nine on the main card - is too much. I guess you may be following WWE's booking pattern for pay-per-views in 2017 and 2018, where they just threw everything out there. Elimination matches tend to take a fair bit of time, unless you are racing to fit in the falls - and that's not even getting into WarGames, which I suspect will go quite the length.

Some food for thought. I like where we're at now, and look forward to seeing how you progress beyond Survivor Series.

EJ Nduka is someone I watched in MLW and I became a big fan of. I realised he was still down in NXT at the time and wanted a big bodyguard type for the group that was not OMOS. I do think one of my weaknesses with groups is I do bloat them a bit much sometimes (And the amount of factions will be worked on in the coming months of this thread tho I do love factions as much as HHH and TK).

Four Horsewomen vs MMA Horsewomen as a group feud will be coming to an end sooner than later and not spoiling WM plans, there will be different stories going into Wrestlemania unless EWR or something else derails them (tho Becky obviously won't be wrestling again until at least Summerslam 2021).

Tricky part with Nia Jax for me is she doesn't get good for another 4 years . But I do try to make use of as many of the roster as possible.

Ungovernables I do feel like I have repeated the same plot points for the last couple of months so I am going to be working on changing that soon.

Elias was something I forced into to keep using him as EWR wrote him out for 13 months lol. But I feel he would do a good job.

Big Cass being with the O.C. will make sense down the line and for what I have planned for the group for the rest of 2020 and 2021. Buddy joining the group was a last minute call when writing Summerslam but I am glad I did it because he fits the group.

I do agree Humberto gets very exposed when paired with Angel who is so much better as a talent.

The Rowan pairing with Morrison came from Rowan turning to help Morrison win the IC title in a triple threat with Bryan and Miz as the Eco-Warriors were still together coming out of WM36

The reason I was going for them not being out there is due to Seth sneak attacking and if he did much more, they would have come out but probs should have had them chase him off.

I do agree that one thing I need to do is tone down how many matches are on the card for these kind of shows and I am going to look at future Survivor Series going down to 7 matches on the main card. Reason I do so many matches on the pre-show is I prefer the AEW ones with a few fun matches than 2 hours of talking but may look at just skipping pre-shows if I change my mind on doing matches on them.

Thank you as always for the feedback

 

[Roy Mustang]

 

[Tg11]

6 more days until Survivor Series

Final go home show on RAW before Survivor Series and it was a good one that's for sure

Samoa Joe vs Drew McIntyre for me is not only a Dream Match but this Dream Match is for the WWE Championship on top of it. These 2 brawling all over the place...it is clear these 2 will not make it to Survivor Series the rate they are going at

But honestly this War Games match reminds me of Team Rhodes vs Team Judgment Day in real life...but with the MMA Horsewomen vs Team 4 Horsewomen inside War Games and this mystery 5th woman for Team 4 Horsewomen I bet we won't even find out who the 5th woman is until the match itself happens similarly to how Orton returned and showed up at the last second

Hurt Business members winning their respective matches here on RAW just goes to show us just how dominant they are becoming

Miz returning and heading right for Ciampa makes sense since Ciampa took him out

Team Ungovernables vs Team British Strong Style in traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match action...British Strong Style with their 5th member being NXT Champion Keith Lee...that's huge given Lee's history with the Ungovernables specifically Dijakovic

Andrade it seems he may be the weak link in this faction after all

 

[Roy Mustang]

 

[Tg11]

Survival Smackdown

The final Smackdown before Survivor Series and man what a show

I didn't think Sasha Banks & Bayley could make up much less trust each other but they managed to

Seth Rollins the WWE Universal Champion gets taken out by his Survivor Series opponent Aleister Black and before Black could do any more damage, you have The Church show up...it was inevitable but by the time they do...lights go out and back on and Black is long gone. I love it...the supernatural mind games Black is playing. Black to me is like the new Taker of WWE as far as I am concerned because his character is the closest to The Undertaker that we have right now.

The 5th woman being announced for Team 4 Horsewomen in War Games and doing it here on the final Smackdown before Survivor Series is genius. Keeping it a mystery for so long and then Becky doing the honors herself and telling everyone including her teammates who it is and it is none other than WWE Hall of Famer Lita. Wow what a shocker. We haven't seen Lita in months. Last time she was taken out by the MMA Horsewomen so I can understand why she joined The 4 Horsewomen team...for revenge


Yeah no one can get under Ronda Rousey's skin much like Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch because these 2 specifically are the ones who caused Ronda to leave WWE in the first place.


I wonder if this leads to a double turn with the fans turning Ember Moon heel and Bianca Belair into a babyface? The crowd is definitely weird tonight for whatever reason


Sami Zayn retains his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Murphy again even though Murphy is a Smackdown superstar, he and Zayn do have a lot of chemistry in this ring. But Zayn was never losing his title especially to a Smackdown guy especially since he's on RAW with a RAW title.


Our Tribal Chief Roman Reigns takes out Zayn post match...I figured he would but then Owens making the save...I for one can't wait to see The Bloodline vs Team Owens in this War Raiders Match but who ends up joining Owens' team at the last minute?


Natalya joining Ronda and company I even understand her logic as to why. For years the fans never treated her with any love or adulation like her Hart family members like her uncles Bret, Owen, Bulldog or like her father The Anvil. Despite that lineage, you would think Natalya would be a much bigger star in this business but she isn't. And why? Because people in the back have been doing nothing but holding her back. And the fans have also been holding her back too hence why she turned on Beth and aligned herself with Ronda & company.

 

[Roy Mustang]

 

[Tg11]

Love that Natalya's cousin David Hart Smith is back in WWE but you have David Hart Smith in NXT carrying on his dad British Bulldog's legacy but also carrying on the Hart family legacy as well being that he's the grandson of Stu Hart, the nephew of Bret, Owen and Neidhart

David Hart Smith also wins the NXT Heritage Cup too on top of it...I just hope he can make a name for himself in NXT

Keith Lee retains his NXT Championship against Santos Escobar at Takeover and now he will be at Survivor Series on Team British Strong Style when they take on Team Ungovernables...I can't wait

Gran Metalik is proving to be quite the fighting champion as NXT Cruiserweight Champion taking on all comers and beating them...but now he faces a Church of Rollins member in Nathan Frazier for the title...yeah Metalik is losing that title especially if you have The Church lurking around

Gargano once again becomes NXT North American Champion beating AR Fox and Damian Priest in a Triple Threat Match...I can only imagine where Gargano goes from here. Priest is headed to the main roster anyway but to which brand? RAW or Smackdown?

 

[Roy Mustang]