The Ultimate NXT Draft Review: 1-10

In June of 2016, so now nearly two and a half years ago, Lukewarm Jonah and I got together to do both a WWE main roster and NXT Fantasy Draft. There isn’t a ton of analysis to do with the main roster, but despite me having the Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, and the greatest wrestler in the world, Shane McMahon, I’d probably give the edge to Jonah on those picks.

But I would like to focus on the NXT roster as the transition from NXT to the main roster or just the progression within NXT provides some fascinating talking points. Although we did a fairly good job, there were definitely some big time misses and some amazing steals. Let’s break it down pick-by-pick, starting with the top 10 today.

1. Jonah selects Finn Balor

Joe: This was an obvious first overall pick. The guy was the NXT Champion, and The Demon was the most undeniably awesome thing in all of WWE. Although WWE is definitely over their big guys must reign mentality, little guys do often get left behind. His shoulder injury happened at the worst possible time, and it’s really destroyed his standing in the company. Without that injury, he could have had a very different run, but now he’s kind of stuck in the midcard with no aim. Hopefully, Royal Rumble turns things around as in, turns him into the leader of an evil group of wrestlers from New Japan called the Missile Gang.

Jonah: Finn is still probably the number one pick in a redraft.  The crowd still absolutely loves him after years of terrible booking, so one of these days he’s going to get another run.  He’s the first Universal Champion, and he’s really in the upper midcard. He’s on the verge of breaking out again and I hear there’s a bunch of sweet wrestlers coming from ROH.

2-3. Joe selects Shinsuke Nakamura and Bayley

Jonah: These picks made me very angry at the time because I really wanted both of them.  But now it’s really turned into who has been booked worse on the main roster? Bayley has won the world title, but had a terrible reign and has been booked as an afterthought for basically her entire time.  Nakamura recently won his first and only title on the main roster the US title, but he won the Royal Rumble and even though he lost 600 or so of his first title shots, he still feels like kind of a threat. The biggest shock about Nakamura is that he hasn’t had very good matches.  At the time of our draft he had just torn the house down with Sami Zayn in NXT, now he puts on average matches with AJ Styles and bad matches with a lot of other people. He’s still oozing with charisma and cool as hell, but his matches are very concerning. Bayley could still be one of the most popular performers on the roster.  When she turned on Sasha for that week, the pop was insane. She’s Becky Lynch on RAW, one moment and the crowd will blow the roof off the house. Still very good picks, but in a redraft, I don’t know about them going two and three, I think they fall a round or two.

Joe: Shit, man. I drafted Bayley, and I’m not even that high on her. Her only really memorable matches happened against Sasha Banks, and this was probably at the height of her popularity. Nowadays, I’m not even sure if she makes my top five women from this draft. She still has a ton of potential, but I have trouble seeing a pathway to her actually reaching it.

As for Nakamura, the charisma is through the roof, but anytime he starts to develop an interesting character, the WWE writers take over, and they have him show Rusev naked and call him a girl. That’s....not great. But Nakamura has also seemed disinterested during a lot of his WWE run, but who could blame him? The WWE had the chance to pull the trigger on him but chose not to, and although he’s still a top guy, he’s probably not going to be THE guy. That being said, he still might be a top three pick if we did the draft again.

4-5. Jonah selects Samoa Joe and Asuka

Joe: Hey, Asuka is finally getting the push she should have gotten a long time ago. Good lord, remember when she couldn’t handle when someone cosplayed as her and lost to Carmella a bunch of times. But no, she’s awesome, and I would totally take her over Bayley.

Samoa Joe has almost done cool stuff, but everything he does just seems to drag on forever and lead nowhere. It’s still exciting when he starts something new as he’s excellent at getting things off to a hot start, but it all just goes nowhere. That being said, this is still a good pick as I can’t see him falling out of the top ten even with a disappointing run on the main roster.

Jonah: I still love these two picks.  Joe is still super over, even though he loses all of his big matches just like Nakamura.  The difference is Joe can go in the ring and cuts an insane promo. They booked themselves into a corner with Asuka’s undefeated streak, then ended it at the worst time, then booked her like crap for a year.  Despite that, people still love Asuka and she’s great in the ring. She’s also got the Nakamura charisma where she’s cool as hell so it doesn’t matter what she says.

Joe: Jonah, your definition of super over is far different than anything existing in reality. Super over guys in WWE are Braun Strowman, Becky Lynch, and Ronda Rousey. If I stretch the definition, it could include Seth Rollins, Rusev, Daniel Bryan, and New Day. Joe is at least two tiers away from that.

Jonah: Joe can realistically be put into the World Title scene at any time and it makes sense, that’s being over.  He’s great on the mic and in the ring. Someday he will be used correctly and get super duper over.

Joe: Getting in the World Title scene at any time, huh? So like Jinder Mahal? I get it.

6-7. Joe selects American Alpha

Jonah: I got fired up writing about how bad the booking of Bayley and Nakamura was but American Alpha was much worse.  They are the best tag team the WWE has had since the Hardy Boys. Naturally, the WWE booked them super boring. They won the titles, but the crowd eventually turned on them because they did nothing but wrestle awesome, which is cool but the WWE forgot that they were charismatic as hell in NXT.  For some reason American Alpha got broken up, Jason Jordan became Kurt Angle’s kid, and Gable is still killing it and is now in another boring tag team. Keep them together and Jordan never gets injured,and American Alpha is dominating the tag team division right now. Another couple of picks that drop in a redraft, I mean I’m not sure if Jordan ever wrestles again, but Gable does have a ton of potential.  Great pick at the time, ruined now by bad booking and injuries.

Joe: I love Chad Gable, because he made piss pants jokes to Drake Maverick, and that makes him cool and not a horribly depressing babyface. I still don’t mind the pick as Jason Jordan just needs to get healthy to be decent, and Chad Gable’s ceiling is still incredibly high. I honestly think that Chad Gable may be the guy I would most want to see in NJPW, and that is why I have no regrets about the pick, because when they actually let him go, he’s still fantastic.

8-9. Jonah selects Hideo Itami and Austin Aries

Joe: LOL, well this didn’t work out as planned for you, Jonah. I was never high on Aries, but I didn’t see it ending that quickly. Hideo Itami is super fun in person, but I don’t think his style when put through the WWE incubator ever really translated on television. I think he might be injured, or he might be active on 205 Live; there’s really no difference. I like Itami, but we’re at the point where any good idea for a Japanese wrestler would go to Asuka or Nakamura, meaning they would need THREE good ideas for Japanese wrestlers for Itami to do something interesting. Can FOUR McMahons come up with three foreign ideas? Spoiler alert: The answer is no.

Jonah: Yeah this one hurts to look back on.  Aries at least put on a year of good matches on 205 Live, his match with Neville at Wrestlemania 33 was the best match on the card.  I didn’t see Aries bailing so quickly, but that’s kind of what he does. Itami is still active on 205 Live, but it’s baffling how they’ve used him.  Remember back when Enzo was the douche king of the WWE and Cruiserweight champ? No one could challenge him for the title because no one could refrain from attacking him.  The general manager then brought out a new signing to 205 Live to beat up Enzo and everyone was pumped and it turned out to be Kalisto, and everyone was confused. Imagine if that was Itami, and he came out and just killed Enzo with a GTS, that would have made him.  Anyways, Itami could still be a star, but he probably won’t be in the WWE.

Joe: I really hope you’re right on Itami, and I would say there is significant hope with the PPV (preshow) matches that the guys on 205 Live have had as well as the recent surge from Mustafa Ali on Smackdown.

10. Joe selects Alexa Bliss

Jonah: I was a huge fan of Alexa Bliss at the time of the draft, but I did not she would ever be a wrestling threat on the main roster.  She’s a great promo, but still a very average wrestler and she’s extremely tiny. This new head of the women’s division is probably the best spot for her, but she’s a five time women’s champion.  She’ll be back wrestling again once she’s healthy. Bliss would move up in the redraft, in the top five or right outside it. Great view of potential by Joe here.

Joe: I think top five might be underestimating it. Out of everyone in this draft, Alexa Bliss has had BY FAR the most success on the main roster. Are we sure she isn’t the number one overall pick in a redraft? But yeah, she far exceeded my expectations, and I think it’s safe to say that she has been the best talker in the WWE since the time of our original draft.

Jonah: I wouldn’t take her number one overall in a redraft, though she has been the most successful person on the main roster.  The in ring talent isn’t there, and I’d be worried that she’s not going to be able to rise above Rousey ever again.

The WWE Is Ruining... Shinsuke Nakamura

As a pro wrestling fan, it is a part of our identity to always know how to utilize wrestlers better than the WWE. If WWE would just give me, random WWE fan, a job a the company, ratings would immediately rise to the levels of the Monday Night Wars, despite how television ratings have changed as a whole over the last 20 years. But until that happens, WWE will continue ruining our favorite wrestlers, and that is why it is time to point out the error in their ways. Because of WWE's incompetence, I am literally going to pick a wrestler at random and point out how they could be better utilized, because WWE is ruining everyone in one way or another.

Today is one that despite coming from a far away land, is near and dear to my heart, Shinsuke Nakamura.

Let's just start off with this. Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the greatest pro wrestlers in history. His in ring charisma rivals Hulk Hogan, and he has had a plethora of incredibly entertaining matches throughout his career. That being said, Nakamura is now 38 years old, and he probably has lost a step since his wrestling prime. He's shown that he can be great, but he''s not rivaling Kenny Omega for the title of best wrestler in the world.

Although part of the issue is age, part of the issue is that the WWE style doesn't totally fit into what Nakamura does so well. A big part of his style in Japan was mat-based MMA style offense, which makes sense since Nakamura did have pro MMA fights before fully transitioning into pro wrestling. WWE has always stayed away from this style, but making Nakamura's matches seem more like fights instead of wrestling matches would probably help him captivate an audience with his in-ring work.

Although Nakamura has held the NXT Title, the US Title, and fought for the WWE Title, it has been filled with a lot of forgettable dreck. Although he has had good matches with AJ Styles and most recently, Seth Rollins, they aren't going to be remembered. In fact, if you asked me which Styles match was good, I could only respond with, "Uh, I know one of them was." He's managed to have one great match in his entire WWE run, and that was his very first match in NXT with Sami Zayn. If you are just a WWE fan, you know him more for low blows than great matches.

Still, Nakamura's greatest trait is his natural charisma. When he makes an entrance, it is an event in itself. He shows more personality without saying a word than anybody in WWE history. Which is good, because most WWE crowds are, how should I put this? We'll go with mildly racist, and mildly may be giving them too much credit. If you talk with an accent, they are going to yell "what" at you instead of listening to the interesting things you are saying. Although I think he has had some good promos, memorably being selective on when he understands English, and a really good recent promo where he talked about how his feelings were hurt that Seth Rollins only wanted to talk about Dean Ambrose, his promos are not built for the WWE. Foreigners have to be goofballs for fans to want to listen to them, and PLEASE GOD, do not make Nakamura a goofball.

Instead what the WWE needs to do is let the world know that he is better than anyone else in the WWE. I know that's extreme, but his matches should not be a battle of wills, but instead having his opponents go in as raging bulls with Nakamura as the matador, always a step ahead. Have him make things look easy, only letting his opponent get the upper hand when his arrogance leads to complacency in the ring. Just off the top of my head, you could put on an amazing feud with heel Daniel Bryan who gets more and more frustrated with Nakamura and uses nefarious means to even the odds, another match with Sami Zayn where Zayn just refuses to quit despite clearly being outgunned, and having a believable scenario where Nakamura picks apart Brock Lesnar as Lesnar has to find a way to get his hands on Shinsuke.

My wife only watches wrestling when we go to live shows. We have been lucky enough to see some incredible talent down in Florida between NXT and a variety of independent shows. Through all of the talent we have seen, Shinsuke Nakamura stands above everyone else as her favorite wrestler, because the dude has a PRESENCE. He is a transcendent talent, and the WWE needs to be doing more to capitalize on that. Just let the man be special, and everything else will take care of itself.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Bobby Lashley
Charlotte Flair
Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Ember Moon
Jinder Mahal
Kane
Karl Anderson
Kofi Kingston
Luke Gallows
Mickie James
Mojo Rawley
Nia Jax
Peyton Royce
Randy Orton
Scott Dawson
Tyler Breeze

The WWE Is Ruining... Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

As a pro wrestling fan, it is a part of our identity to always know how to utilize wrestlers better than the WWE. If WWE would just give me, random WWE fan, a job a the company, ratings would immediately rise to the levels of the Monday Night Wars, despite how television ratings have changed as a whole over the last 20 years. But until that happens, WWE will continue ruining our favorite wrestlers, and that is why it is time to point out the error in their ways. Because of WWE's incompetence, I am literally going to pick a wrestler at random and point out how they could be better utilized, because WWE is ruining everyone in one way or another.

Today, we are definitely not talking about nerds. Instead, it's time to talk about Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, two guys who really need a tag team name.

I know it's hard to remember this now, but Anderson and Gallows actually debuted as total badasses when they came out in street clothes and annihilated The Usos. That's pretty cool. Then they started tagging with AJ Styles. That is also cool. They won most matches, and when they lost, it was usually DQ. This could also be classified as cool.

Then about two months after their debut, they stopped winning matches. It was not cool. They stopped winning, and people stopped caring.

Inexplicably, they won the tag titles at the Royal Rumble, but even that was mitigated since it was relegated to the preshow. Also, even though they held the belts, they still lost to Roman Reigns in a handicap match. Eventually, they lost to the Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania and have gone back to their losing ways for the last year and a half. Currently, they are in one of their better stretches as tehy have not been seen for over two months.

So what to do with Gallows and Anderson? It's actually super simple. Put these guys in a stable. You align them with any combination of New Japan guys that you want. Finn Balor (with him being on Raw, probably won't happen anytime soon), AJ Styles, even Shinsuke Nakamura would all make sense aligning with Anderson and Gallows. Hell, you could bring up Ricochet as part of the group to give him an early boost.

The big thing with Gallows and Anderson is they are probably not going to carry the division, but they should be occasional champs. The problem is they haven't been showcased in the right way to demonstrate their personality, and they seem to be completely worthless without the belts. If you put them in a stable, they can accompany other guys and make their presence felt with distractions on the outside. As these past months have shown us, just being present would be a huge upgrade for them.

Also, Gallows and Anderson are meant to be bullies. They were able to do that with a numbers game where the Bullet Club cheated all the damn time. This way they can be important without needing the straps, and they can have a purpose without being in the title picture. Also, looking at those names above, what are their gimmicks? AJ Styles would prefer if you didn't threaten his family, Finn Balor smiles, and Shinsuke...is Japanese. Ideally, you end the Samoa Joe feud by having Joe continue to mess with Styles until Gallows and Anderson come out and totally destroy him to help out their buddy. A month or two later, have them help out Shinsuke, and bam, you have a fearsome foursome that is the most threatening thing on Smackdown.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel with Gallows and Anderson. You have a perfectly good wheel waiting to be used. But they could still use a different name.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Alicia Fox
Bobby Lashley
Charlotte Flair
Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Kane
Kofi Kingston
Mickie James
Mojo Rawley
Nia Jax
Peyton Royce
Randy Orton
Scott Dawson
Tyler Breeze

WrestleMania 34 Betting Odds and Predictions

LJ: You know what time it is?  Time for Wrestlemania betting odds.  Before we get into the matches, I’ve got a question for you Hott Joe.  With all these matches, how many years do we have before the Wrestlemania card is literally 24 hours long?  I put the over under at 5.5.

Joe: They are already at seven hours minimum, and man, it comes to a point where that is simply too much wrestling. I went to Mania last year, and by the final hour, I just wanted things to end. New Japan had their show in Long Beach a couple weeks ago, and that show went  4.5 hours which I think is really as long as you should possibly go. But yeah, WWE will definitely hold a 24-hour card by 2025.

Raw Women’s Title Match Alexa Bliss 13/8 vs. Nia Jax 4/9
LJ: This is a no brainer, and I love the odds here.  Getting close to 1/2 on what should be one of the easiest matches to pick is great money.  Jax wins, and if the WWE has any sense, she wins in a quick and dominating fashion.  I’d go hot start for Jax for a couple minutes, she misses a big move, Bliss gets in a couple of minutes of heel offense/works her leg etc.  Jax comes back and wins in another 2, 6-8 minutes is all this match needs and there’s no other story it should tell except for Jax beating Bliss.

Joe: Oh, Jonah. Sweet, sweet baby Jonah. If you think this buildup needs to have Nia Jax go over, then may I remind you of the time Triple H was super racist towards Booker T for months before pinning him cleanly at WrestleMania. Jax SHOULD win, no doubt about it, but these odds almost seem too good to be true. I have to pick Nia Jax, but if I had to book it the other way, maybe the Iconic Duo comes out to help Bliss win the match and create a stable of hot chicks. Oh, and this definitely won’t be the last time I mention The Iconic Duo.

Cruiserweight Title Match Cedric Alexander 2/5 vs. Mustafa Ali 7/4. 
LJ: I’ll be honest, I don’t follow the Cruiserweight division like I do the rest of the WWE.  These guys are fighting for the vacant Cruiserweight Championship since neither one of them is a rapist or wife beater, that we know of.  I’ve seen Cedric Alexander before and he is one of the top talents in the division, so it makes sense for him to win here.  I’ll go with the favorite in Alexander.

Joe: Um…well, the one guy does very cool stuff, but the other guy, boy, you got to watch out for them flips, and, ah…(flips coin) Mustafa Ali wins to help the WWE spread their brand to (checks Wikipedia) Bolingbrook, Illinois? Eh, let’s go with it.

Smackdown Women’s Championship Charlotte Flair 4/1 vs. Asuka 1/7.
LJ: I feel like the WWE has booked themselves into a corner here.  Undefeated streaks are kind of stupid storylines anyways, and now Asuka almost has to win, but the question becomes who beats her eventually?  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, she should have lost her first NXT Title match against Bailey or to Ember Moon on her way out of NXT.  But anyway, if I was actually betting I’d stay away from this match because there’s a chance that Carmella cashes in to win the title.  She could do it during or after the match so if it was after I suppose Asuka would still technically be the winner of this match.  The odds are terrible in this match, but Asuka is going to win, I just wouldn’t recommend betting on it.

Joe: Asuka has to win this match. Carmella has to come out to at least hint at cashing in, but even if she cashes it in, she ain’t winning that title. The only way Charlotte wins is if she somehow convinces The Iconic Duo to join her in a new-age BFFs.

Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey 1/5 vs. Triple H and Stephanie 5/1.
LJ: This seems super obvious as well.  You don’t bring in Ronda Rousey to have her lose her first match especially when it’s at Wrestlemania.  Wait, I feel like I’ve written this before, oh yeah when the WWE brought in Sting and had him lose to Triple H at Wrestlemania for no logical reason.  I’ll say Triple H pitches this backstage which turns the match into a shoot which the Olympians easily win.  Favorites are the pick again.

Joe: See, this is one where I could see an upset. Kurt Angle can take a pin here without any real issues going on. You were just complaining about how undefeated streaks are bad, so let’s not let Rousey get in one. Have her lose her first match and “protect the biz.” I never want to see Triple H or Stephanie win, but they might do it here, especially if Stephanie gets help from The Iconic Duo.

WWE World Championship Match AJ Styles 2/1 vs. Shinsuke Nakamura 2/5
LJ: The dream match, for people who like to watch good wrestling on a wrestling show.  I really hope they give these guys at least 30 minutes to really tear the house down, it should be a hell of a lot of fun.  In my opinion, Styles is the best wrestler/best all around performer in the world.  That being said, he’s had a good title run and it’s time to make Nakamura a main eventer.  The last time he was in the main event he was losing to Jinder Mahal.  They need to wash that stink off and make him a legitimate main event player, and that’s why he will beat Styles at Wrestlemania with a knee to face.

Joe: If Nakamura was still in Japan, he would probably be considered the greatest thing in wrestling. Instead, he has the stink of the WWE on him and some real lackadaisacal performances against mid-tier competition. I do think him and Styles have a pretty epic match here though. Honestly, they could just recreate Nakamura’s debut against Sami Zayn, and I’d be ecstatic. Nakamura wins, because he has no place to go if he doesn’t.

Universal Championship Match Brock Lesnar 4/1 vs. Roman Reigns 1/6
LJ: I mean come on, this is what the entire last year has been about.  This is why not one person has kicked out of the F5 in the past year.  This is why Braun Strowman isn’t the Universal Champ, or even near the match.  It’s all so Roman Reigns can conquer the unconquerable Brock Lesnar and be the champ.  I’ve got some commentary on this match, it will be a hell of a match.  Their first match was awesome before the cash in.  I just hope that the WWE listens to my warnings and doesn’t put this on last.  The worked shoot Brock Lesnar doesn’t show up for work and is going to the UFC angle has worked a lot better than I thought it would, but it’s not going to make Reigns a fan favorite when he wins.  Whoever he defends the title against first is going to be getting the better reactions, so they need to be ready for this.  Don’t let Reigns cut a promo over a minute long, have him beat people up, or just make him a heel.  Book him as such and things will eventually go his way and since they’re insistent on it happening, I can only hope they go about it smartly.

Joe: Little known fact: When you beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, you absorb his undefeated prowess at WrestleMania. Lesnar has not been pinned or submitted since beating The Deadman and neither has Roman Reigns. This will be the ultimate test. I really like Roman Reigns, so I’m going to pick The Big Dog to take out The Beast.

John Cena ? vs. The Undertaker ?

LJ: So I don’t see any odds for this match, which I guess makes sense because there’s no guarantee it will happen.  In wrestling though, there’s very rarely build up like this with no payoff.  If they fight, and I think it will happen, I think The Undertaker wins.  I’m also very torn on my feelings about this match.  It’s a match I desperately want to see, or wanted to see five years ago when Taker was undefeated at Wrestlemania and Cena barely ever lost.  Also, though Cena’s “desperation” for a Wrestlemania match has been played pretty well, him calling out the 50 something year old Undertaker for not wanting to wrestle any more is a bit off putting.  On the other hand, if this match does happen I absolutely hate the fact that Cena has done all the build for this match.  The Undertaker could have bothered to come back for a segment or two, just like he could have against Bray Wyatt, where if I remember correctly, Wyatt did all the build and Taker showed up at Mania and got the win.

Joe: I’m not sure who the winner of this match will be, but I can tell you who the loser will be, and that’s the fans, because this match will suck ass if it happens. Undertaker’s garbage, don’t @ me.

LJ: I can’t find actual odds for the other matches, just mentions of who the favorite is so I guess we can talk about those.

Joe: I’m going to go rapid fire on my responses, because if Vegas won’t talk about these matches, neither should I.

Intercontinental Championship Match The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins.
LJ: Balor is apparently the favorite in this match, which is understandable.  The guy should be higher up the card, and should have been ever since his return.  I’ll never understand how someone else injuring you is a negative against the injured.  I’m going against the grain in this match though, and I’m going with The Miz to retain.  Miz retains, Balor and Rollins move up into the actual main event part of the card going forward, and Miz gets to become the longest reigning Intercontinental Champ of all time. 

Joe: I’ll take Seth Rollins, because Davenport, Iowa is the master and the ruler of the world.

Women’s Battle Royal Match:
LJ: Sasha Banks is the heavy favorite and is around even money to win.  She’s a great choice, and is probably the best all around women’s wrestler in the division.  Now that she’s back to heel, where she should be, she should be a lot more watchable.  I have to imagine Bayley is up there too, and a win here would really rebuild her credibility which has taken a beating due to terrible booking.  The only other real possibility I can see if Becky Lynch, who hasn’t been buried like Bayley has, but has really been underused.  Beyond that, I have no idea, maybe one of the Bellas if they’re coming back full time?  Ember Moon?  Rodeo lover Tamina?  It’s really got to be one of the Horsewomen, so I’ll go with my personal favorite Bayley to win it.

Joe: Iconic Duo both win.

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal:

LJ: This one’s tough because I’m really not sure who’s in it.  In past years there were a few big names in it to choose from, this year everyone is in a 3 or 4 way match so it’s kind of tough to figure out who’s not already in a match who could win.  The names that jump out at me that don’t have a match are Matt and Jeff Hardy, Bray Wyatt, and Elias.  Big Cass and Samoa Joe could be healthy enough for a return, and while the battle royal doesn’t feel like a great use of Joe it could be a good use for Big Cass.  Beyond them, maybe a thank you win for Kane?  Someone in a tag team that could have a bright future ahead of them like Chad Gable?  A re debuting Bobby Lashley?  To make an official pick, I’ll take Elias.  He’s plenty over and way too important to be doing nothing at Wrestlemania.  Let him win the battle royal and sing about it for a year.

Joe: What better way to memorialize Andre The Giant than having his greatest rival, Hulk Hogan, come back to win the Battle Royal. Hulk ain’t taking no bumps, brother.

Raw Tag Team Championship Match The Bar vs. Braun and ???

LJ: Brains Strowman would be pretty awesome, but I don’t think he’s the real pick.  The best options for the pick are the guys who could win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.  Could be Elias who has been MIA since a feud with Braun, could be a reborn Bray Wyatt who has history with Strowman.  Could be Big Cass for giant tag team.  Could be Bobby Lashely for some reason or other.  Some NXT guy?  All those choices make a lot more sense than my official choice, James Ellsworth.  It all comes full circle with Ellsworth, he started off being dominated by Braun so he makes his triumphant return as his tag team partner.  Also, Braun and whoever are winning this match because Braun needs to be kept busy and out of the World Title picture while Roman is trying to get over.  Defending the tag team belts is a great way for him to do that.

Joe: Braun Strowman’s partner will be Big Show, and they will win.

US Title Match: Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Bobby Roode vs. Rusev
LJ: I’ve read Jinder is the favorite in this match, so I’m happy to pick against the favorite in this one.  I get the guy is muscular and foreign, but so is Rusev.  Rusev is also charasmatic as all get out and a hell of a worker in the ring.  It’s time for the WWE to actually get behind pushing this future world champion and give Rusev the win on the grandest stage of them all.

Joe: It’s RUSEV DAY!

Smackdown Tag Team Title Match: The Usos vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers
LJ: Couldn’t find any mention of this match so no idea who the favorite is.  I’ll take the Bludgeon Brothers, if they fail here it seems like the tag team is pretty much dead, so if you want to keep Harper and Rowan together they need to win.  Have them feud with The Usos for a few months, should be fun.  Have The New Day move onto pursuing singles gold since Big E is a future world champion.

Joe: New Day Rocks!

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
LJ: Well for this story to make any sense, Kevin and Sami have to win since they can’t be fired.  Of course I said that about Shane McMahon beating The Undertaker so that story could continue, and then it just did for no raisin.  In theory, I guess they could go to RAW after Wrestlemania if they lose this match.  This is Daniel Bryan’s first match back in years though, he can’t lose clean.  In a Russoesque twist, I see Shane McMahon costing Daniel Bryan the match allowing Kevin and Sami to win the match and regain their jobs. 

Joe: Owens and Zayn win when Brie Bella costs Daniel Bryan the match. She then says the baby is actually Sami Zayn’s. I also predict Shane McMahon sweats a lot.

LJ: In terms of crazy surprises you can probably bet on somewhere, I think The Rock makes a polite appearance.  In much more surprising news, I think Connor McGregor and Donald Trump make appearances.  Trump possibly via satelite, but maybe in person.  He’s got to get ready to be the XFL commissioner in 2020.  Since we’re in New Orleans, I hope we get a visit from everyone’s favorite Voodoo Doctor Papa Shango.  I’ve saved the best and most shocking surprise for last.  Kid Rock’s performance will be interrupted by WCW legends The No Limit Soldiers.  Master P will do whatever his finishing maneuver was, and the group will lead the crowd in a rousing rendition of Make Em Say Uhhhh.

Joe: Rock, Hogan, Stone Cold, short-haired Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, and Dan “The Beast” Severn. Oh, and The Iconic Duo.

How To Make Money Betting on the 2018 Royal Rumble

It's that time of year again. The time to help you make bank by betting on something with predetermined outcomes. Lukewarm Jonah has joined me to give you everything you need to know about betting on the Royal Rumble. And we even included our surprise entrants at the end so you could impress all of your friends with how you see the bigger picture when it comes to the wrestling world. In the words of DX's theme music, let's "Break it down."

WWE Universal Championship Match

Brock Lesnar: 3/10

Braun Strowman: 2/1

Kane: 10/1

LJ: This outcome is pretty obvious and the odds show it.  Lesnar is going to win here so he can be defeated by Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania and Reigns can have his what 4th or 5th big win moment.  I think Strowman actually has Kane down and beat when Triple H runs in and attacks Strowman.  Stephanie rehired Strowman, and they kept asking on commentary “Who can stop Braun Strowman?”  For some reason the answer to that question is always Triple H.  Plus Triple H caught those hands at Survivor Series with no follow up.  I think it’s coming and it’s their way of keeping Strowman strong while not winning the match.

Since this bet is really easy I’m going to go into my Vic Venom mode and fantasy book.  What should happen is that Strowman should pin Kane.  Lesnar keeps his aura of invincibility so that Reigns still gets the rub from beating Lesnar at Wrestlemania, but the match doesn’t need the title.  It’s big enough to be one of the main events, but it doesn’t need to be the main event, as in the last match of the night.  If that happens that will be four years straight for Reigns and it won’t win him any fans.  You set up the match like the Lesnar vs. Undertaker match was set up.  Lesnar comes out looking for his Universal Title rematch when Reigns comes down and attacks him.  It worked fine when The Undertaker did it, and it will work fine for Reigns.  The match should actually be good, as was their first match.  They fight at Wrestlemania, Reigns kicks out of the F5 which has been so protected over the past year that even Braun Strowman didn’t kick out of it.  He gets the win and by not going on last, he doesn’t get boos rained down upon him.

Joe: When I first thought about this match, I thought that maybe Strowman could win since it’s not like they have anybody that can give him a challenge, but then you reminded me that Triple H is the toughest, coolest, most awesome, super sweet, suck it dude in the whole universe. Braun may have hands like sledgehammers, but Triple H has an ACTUAL sledgehammer, so he will probably retire Strowman.

That means it’s down to Brock Lesnar or Kane. I could see this match going either wa, hahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahaha, no, I can’t. Brock Lesnar definitely wins.

Men’s Royal Rumble:

Shinsuke Nakamura 7/5	Kurt Angle 50/1	Big Show 100/1
Roman Reigns 9/4	Big Cass 50/1	Jake "The Snake" Roberts 100/1
Dolph Ziggler 4/1	The Rock 50/1	Johnny Gargano 100/1
John Cena 4/1	Shelton Benjamin 50/1	Scott Dawson 100/1
Braun Strowman 5/1	Eric Young 50/1	Dash Wilder 100/1
Daniel Bryan 5/1	Triple H 50/1	Tommaso Ciampa 100/1
Finn Balor 7/1	Chad Gable 50/1	Heath Slater 150/1
Randy Orton 10/1	Dean Ambrose 50/1	John Morrison 150/1
Baron Corbin 10/1	Karl Anderson 66/1	Bo Dallas 150/1
Seth Rollins 16/1	Luke Gallows 66/1	Curtis Axel 150/1
AJ Styles 16/1	Shane McMahon 66/1	Bubba Ray 150/1
Sami Zayn 18/1	Killian Dain 66/1	Sin Cara 150/1
Kevin Owens 18/1	CM Punk 66/1	Kalisto 150/1
Batista 20/1	Kassius Ohno 66/1	Goldust 150/1
Bobby Roode 20/1	Apollo Crews 66/1	No Way Jose 150/1
Samoa Joe 25/1	Eric Rowan 66/1	R-Truth 150/1
Bray Wyatt 25/1	Enzo Amore 66/1	Jey Uso 150/1
Rusev 25/1	Mojo Rawley 66/1	Jimmy Uso 150/1
Jinder Mahal 25/1	Luke Harper 66/1	Fandango 150/1
Matt Hardy 33/1	Neville 80/1	Stone Cold Steve Austin 150/1
Jeff Hardy 33/1	Kane 80/1	Alberto Del Rio 200/1
Brock Lesnar 33/1	Tyler Bates 80/1	Jerry Lawler 200/1
Jason Jordan 33/1	Tyler Breeze 80/1	Shaquille O'Neal 200/1
Chris Jericho 33/1	Brian Kendrick 80/1	Billy Gunn 200/1
The Miz 35/1	TJ Perkins 80/1	Hulk Hogan 200/1
Big E 35/1	Pete Dunne 80/1	Kevin Nash 200/1
Sheamus 40/1	Zack Ryder 80/1	James Ellsworth 200/1
Kofi Kingston 40/1	Shawn Michaels 80/1	Darren Young 200/1
Goldberg 40/1	Hideo Itami 80/1	Carlito 225/1
Undertaker 40/1	Tye Dilinger 80/1	Vin Diesel 250/1
Elias 40/1	Titus O'Neil 80/1	Rhyno 250/1
Cesaro 40/1	Conor McGregor 100/1	Floyd Mayweather 400/1
Kenny Omega 40/1	Ryback 100/1	Donald Trump 750/1
Roderick Strong 50/1	Jack Gallagher 100/1	Barack Obama 1000/1

LJ: Huge shock for me here, with Reigns not the odds on favorite.  If for some reason Reigns doesn’t win, you have to assume a Smackdown guy will win and it looks like the favorite is Nakamura to take on, presumably, AJ Styles at Wrestlemania.  That is a dream match and it would be pretty awesome.  Roman getting better than 2 to 1 odds when it’s pretty clear he’s going to be fighting Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania is pretty insane.

I’m going to take a look at a few more interesting bets before I make my official pick.  First of all, Dolph Ziggler at 4 to 1?  No idea how he has the same odds as John Cena.  Cena is an interesting option because he’s the “free agent” John Cena so if he won there would be some drama as to which champion he was going to choose which the WWE might want to explore.  I’m about 99% sure Daniel Bryan won’t ever be wrestling in the WWE again, so I need 100 to 1 to make that bet make sense.  

Finn Balor with the newly reunited Balor Club is interesting at 7 to 1, but I feel like Lesnar has to drop the title for anyone from RAW to win who’s not Roman Reigns.  The story is the same for Seth Rollins at 16 to win, if anyone from RAW wins it almost has to be Reigns unless Brock drops the title in the triple threat.  Beyond that there’s Sami and Kevin at 18 to 1, either of which could face AJ Styles at Wrestlemania in a good title match but they’ll probably be doing something stupid with Shane McMahon.  

Chris Jericho at 33 to 1 is somewhat interesting since he’s going to be back for RAW’s 25th anniversary so he should be in the Rumble.  For a really long shot, how about CM Punk at 66/1.  If Punk ever comes back it’s for the Wrestlemania main event he never got, and he could want to come back and wrestle AJ Styles for another dream match.  They could put it on last, give Punk his main event, and possibly save Roman from some hate.

Finally my pick, it’s super boring but at least it’s not the odds on favorite.  I’m picking Roman Reigns.  We are all but assured he’s fighting Lesnar for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania, so if you know the guy is going to be fighting for a World Title, might as well pick him to win the match that guarantees it will happen.  Plus, at 9/2 the odds are just too good to ignore their golden boy winning.

Now what should happen is that Lesnar drops the title like I wrote about in my previous fantasy booking.  Reigns is tied up with him at Wrestlemania which opens up the entire field to some interesting possibilities.  It may sound a little crazy, but I’d have John Cena win and challenge the new Universal Champion Braun Strowman.  Cena can put Strowman over in the main event of Wrestlemania cementing him as a main eventer.  Once Reigns beats Lesnar then you can have those four guys feud with each other for the next few months, creating a stacked main event scene that people will be interested in.

Joe: The two matches we have been hearing about for WrestleMania seem to be Lesnar/Reigns and Styles/Nakamura, so I can see why Nakamura is favored and that is why he is my pick. I mean, the Royal Rumble has not been well received in years. The last time that I think a majority of fans were happy about a Rumble winner was 2010 with Edge. The last five years have been Cena, Batista, Reigns, Triple H, and Randy Orton. I think it’s time that a fan favorite takes it, and what better way than to have Nakamura take it here.

For the interesting longshots, I’ll pick a mild underdog, a medium dog, a longshot, and a super longshot to make things interesting. For the mild underdog, let’s go for Rusev at 25/1. This doesn’t really have a shot in hell of happening, but I love Rusev and the world is starting to understand that they should also love Rusev. So let’s love Rusev together in the main event of WrestleMania.

For my medium underdog, I’ll go with Big E. He’s been dynamite for years in the New Day, and this is the perfect way to bust him out of the team atmosphere and let him take on the world as a singles competitor. And this just came to mind, but my two picks would be two of the most delightful options to appear on The Today Show the morning after WrestleMania, so either way, we should probably make that happen.

For my longshot, let’s go with Kenny Omega. This won’t happen, but let me make the case for how it could. Word has it that he re-upped with New Japan for another year, but could this just be a fantastic swerve to make a truly shocking appearance? There is the issue that his current contract doesn’t end until the end of January, but maybe NJPW and WWE have a working relationship after the Jericho thing where he could come back and drop his title after winning the Royal Rumble. Good God, could you imagine him against Brock Lesnar? Keep imagining, because despite what I laid out, it’s definitely not happening.

For my super longshot, I’ll go off the board and reveal one of my surprise entrants for the Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio Jr. His contract with Lucha Underground is over, and although there was word that WWE was not interested in bringing him back, that seems like it could just be a ploy to make his return a surprise. He was once booed as the 30th entrant in the Rumble, but he could make a pretty triumphant return as this year’s 30th entrant with what I would expect to be a huge pop, even in a crowd full of haters like Philadelphia.

Women’s Royal Rumble:

Asuka 11/8	AJ Lee 25/1	Carmella 33/1
Ronda Rousey 2/1	Trish Stratus 25/1	Maria Menounos 33/1
Becky Lynch 6/1	Brie Bella 25/1	Tamina 33/1
Nia Jax 8/1	Lita 25/1	Nikki Cross 33/1
Nikki Bella 10/1	Natalya 25/1	Michelle McCool 33/1
Sasha Banks 14/1	Beth Phoenix 25/1	Ruby Riott 33/1
Charlotte Flair 14/1	Mickie James 33/1	Peyton Royce 33/1
Bayley 16/1	Lana 33/1	Billie Kay 33/1
Naomi 18/1	Ember Moon 33/1	Alicia Fox 40/1
Stephanie McMahon 20/1	Stacy Keibler 33/1	Torrie Wilson 50/1
Alexa Bliss 20/1	Kairi Sane 33/1

LJ: The Women’s Royal Rumble, the historic first Women’s Royal Rumble.  This is interesting and it should be fun to pick.  Not surprisingly Asuka is the favorite to win here.  She’s undefeated, but I’m not sure whether a battle royal actually would count as a loss for her.  So the question is, does the WWE do the obvious thing and have her win and have her be crowned at Wrestlemania, or do they go with someone else?  

Who else is interesting on here?  Let’s see, well Ronda Rousey not officially on the roster is the next best odds that’s pretty interesting.  If they bring in Rousey, she’s going to be a huge deal immediately.  Becky Lynch is one of my favorites and a 4 to 1 bet.  Sasha Banks is 14 to 1 and Bayley is 16 to 1.  Pretty nice odds for the non champion horsewomen.  

If we’re going for the long shots, Natalya was champ not that long ago and is 25 to 1.  Ruby Riott is 33 to 1, and if they actually want one of the groups of new women’s wrestlers to make an impact, winning the Rumble is a great way to do it.

I really like to make interesting picks, but maybe the WWE has just gotten too predictable.  I have to take Asuka at 11 to 8.  Getting better than even money on the person who is undefeated and pinned the RAW women’s champion a couple of weeks ago is way too good of a bet to ignore.

Now what should happen is that either Becky Lynch or Bayley should win the Rumble.  Two absolute workhorses in the women’s division who have been relatively ignored as of late.  At least Lynch is still booked somewhat respectable, so I would have Bayley win it.  Her credibility is immediately rebuilt, and she can defeat Alexa Bliss who made her look stupid for their entire feud on the biggest stage of them all.

Joe: Asuka would seem like the obvious pick, but considering that I already picked Shinsuke Nakamura, I have my doubts that they are going to have two Japanese winners this year. Asuka has the longest undefeated streak ever, so we are kind of past the point where this thing needs to continue. She has to lose eventually, and it’s pretty easy to not count this as a loss, even if you do want to keep playing up the undefeated streak, so I’ll say that she is unable to get the win in this one.

That means that I am going with The Boss, Sasha Banks. I mean, when it comes down to it, let’s just go with the best, and Sasha still has the best history of matches of anyone in the history of the WWE. Then, instead of taking on Asuka or Alexa Bliss, she uses her title opportunity to join Smackdown and go after Charlotte one more time. We know those two can put on an incredible match, and them one-on-one at WrestleMania could lead to their best match yet.

The other person I see who has a great chance is Becky Lynch. They have been giving her more of a push lately, so things might be lining up for her to win the Rumble and challenge Charlotte. Let’s face it, the women’s division on Smackdown is just Charlotte, Becky, and Naomi, because I’m not quite ready to count anyone in The Riott Squad since their alliance makes absolutely zero sense. Why not give Becky a big WrestleMania match where her and Charlotte should be able to put on a good show?

For a longshot, let’s go with Trish Stratus. Why? Because it’s Trish Stratus, and I will always pick Trish to win anything, even if it makes zero sense.

For another longshot, I’ll go with Peyton Royce. The Iconic Duo doesn’t really have anything to do in NXT, so this would be a good time to bring them up. Royce is clearly the star of the group, and The Iconic Duo could be a formidable combo to threaten for Charlotte’s title. It’d be tough to build it as a big match, but Peyton can go, so there are far worse ways for this match to end.

Alright, let’s move onto the important stuff. Jonah, who do you got for surprises?

LJ: I’ve got lots of surprises in mind.  The Rumble is in Philly, so I’ve got to get a few ECW guys in the Rumble.  I’m thinking at least the Dudleys and RVD, but Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and even Sabu are options as well.  I think Killian Dain is the NXT guy in the match.  Hopefully Mae Young competitor and friend of The Jonah Show Jazzy Gabbert makes her way back for the women’s Royal Rumble.  She’s an intimidating presence and would make a fantastic addition.  Kelly Kelly is treated like a big deal for some reason, so let’s say she returns in the women’s Rumble too.  I’ll say Mia Yim and Laurel Van Ness make their debuts in the Rumble too, they need a lot of people in that women’s Rumble.  

Now for the big surprises that probably won’t happen but I really hope they do.  There’s a legend of the WWE who lives in Philadelphia and is still in incredible shape.  His name is Steve Blackman and I want him in the Rumble.

I also hope Pentagon Jr. and Fenix make their debut in the Royal Rumble and Pentagon breaks everyone’s arm while yelling cero miedo.  

Maybe CJ Parker comes back after his successful stint as Juice Robinson and has a successful Rumble.  

Finally, it doesn’t make any sense and I’m pretty sure he’s under contract but The Villain Marty Scrull makes his debut and tears it up in the Rumble.  Umbrellas and plague masks for all.

Joe: I’d have to say that I’d pop the biggest for a Steve Blackman return. They could even get Al Snow and reunite Head Cheese. That would be a total waste of Rumble spots, but I’d enjoy the stupidity of it all.

I’ve got a whole lot of surprises that I could see happening at the Rumble. I already mentioned Rey Mysterio Jr. and Kenny Omega, and I do honestly think Trish Stratus and/or Lita will show up at some point, but beyond that I’ve got five more surprises that I’ll rank in order of likelihood.

5. Ricochet/Prince Puma - Probably not happening as I see him making his initial impact in NXT.

4. Norman Smiley - A surprising legend is always out there, and who better than one of the top coaches at the Performance Center? He’ll likely be up there for the NXT show the night before, so let’s get Screamin’ Norman Smiley his Royal Rumble moment.

3. Bobby Lashley - I’m pretty sure he’s done with TNA, but I kind of doubt they use him as a surprise entrant in Philadelphia, because he’s the type of guy that a Philly crowd could definitely boo out of a building. Of course, maybe that’s reason to bring him in here.

2. Ethan Carter III - No idea if he’ll go back to Derrick Bateman, but I kind of doubt he will keep the gimmick of Dixie Carter’s nephew although that would be hilarious. No matter what the gimmick is, this is the kind of guy that will get a huge pop from the Philly crowd, and he’ll be excellent on Smackdown where he can interact with his old friend Daniel Bryan and possibly break up the relationship between John Cena and Nikki Bella, because DB and DB are destined to become brothers-in-law.

1. Sable - A pretty shocking choice but one that makes a ton of sense when you think about it. Her husband, Brock Lesnar, is already going to be there, and it’s not like Sable really wants to wrestle again. Here, she can show up, get a huge pop, and get eliminated in about five minutes. It’s basically the best way to feed an ego without any real sacrifice.

Jonah, although a lot of the matches don’t have odds out yet, is there anything else you wanted to highlight on the card?

LJ: The 2 out of 3 falls match between the Usos and Gable and Benjamin has a chance to steal the show. I’ll say Gable and Benjamin win, since the Usos don’t really need the titles, they’re plenty over as it is. Also, can I just say I love Daniel Bryan’s gimmick of being highly suggestable? I think I’m going to show up on Smackdown and say I should be employed and have him immediately hire me.
I’ll pick The Bar to take back their titles from Jordan and Rollins, due to Jordan screw up. This can complete Jordan’s heel turn and he can feud with Rollins and or Reigns.
I’ll take AJ Styles to retain over Kevin and Sami, probably through some sort of commissioner/GM weirdness. AJ Styles is half of pretty much every dream match you can put on at Wrestlemania, so you’ve got to keep the title on him. My original thought was whoever pinned Styles would be the champ, so I thought it would lead to Kevin and Sami turning on each other, but apparently they’ll be co champions so Shane McMahon will just jump off the roof onto the both of them to cost them the match.
If The Miz doesn’t beat Roman Reigns on the RAW 25th anniversary, he will beat him here through nefarious means. Reigns can’t be holding onto the Intercontinental Championship while he chases Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship.

Joe: I agree on the Smackdown title match, but I say that The New Shield retains their titles. But for a prediction down the line, if somebody on Raw wins the Royal Rumble, there is a 100% chance that Jason Jordan is going to challenge for the main event spot at WrestleMania. He's very good at just asking for stuff, because wrestlers almost always get what they ask for if they do it in the middle of the ring.

This handicap match makes no sense, but I say that Zayn and Owens win the title here. Co-champions would be incredibly confusing, but they can solve the issue next month at Elimination Chamber where Styles wins back his belt.

There will probably be some women's matches, but nothing seems set in stone, and let's face it, we all only really care about the Royal Rumbles themselves. This event gets me amped up every year, and even a bad Rumble is still pretty great. They have two chances to get this one right so they're bound to get one right, right?...Right?