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AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox, Asuka, Baron Corbin, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Big E, Bobby Roode, Braun Strowman, Breezango, Brock Lesnar, Carmella, Cesaro, Charlotte Flair, Dean Ambrose, Drew Gulak, Elias Sampson, Enzo Amore, Fandango, Finn Bálor, Jason Jordan, John Cena, Kalisto, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy, Naomi, Natalya, Nia Jax, NXT, NXT TakeOver: WarGames, Paige, Randy Orton, Raw, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, Shane McMahon, Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura, Smackdown, Smackdown Live, Tamina Snuka, The Miz, The New Day, The Shield, The USOS, Triple H, Tyler Breeze, WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Cruiserweight Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Network, WWE Raw Women's Championship, WWE Smackdown Live Women's Championship, WWE Survivor Series, WWE Survivor Series 2017, WWE United States Championship, WWE Universal Championship, Xavier Woods
Things were rocking in Houston, Texas last night for WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames and things are about to get better tonight for WWE Survivor Series. Survivor Series is one of the original Big Four Pay Per Views (alongside Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and SummerSlam) that the WWE debuted back in 1987. It’s the second longest running pay per view the company has and one of the best for it’s unique match that it was built around which was a five on five single elimination match (dubbed the Survivor Series match). This year things got a little more exciting especially with the competition between Raw and Smackdown as we now have champion vs champion matches. We have WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar (Raw) taking on WWE Champion AJ Styles (SD Live) in what should one interesting match. We are also getting WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz (Raw) taking on WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin (SD Live). We also have WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss taking on WWE Smackdown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in a sort of dream match hence the reason Charlotte won the title.
Then there are the traditional Survivor Series matches and things have been heating up with all of the changes in whose in and who is not. The original RAW men’s team consisted of Kurt Angle (Captain), Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, and Jason Jordan taking on Smackdown Live’s team made up of Shane McMahon (Captain), Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, and John Cena. That was the original match and a lot of us were stunned at the fact that Jordan had been picked for the team considering Smackdown told the world that Cena was the last member chosen. Stephanie McMahon agreed with me and Bray Wyatt helped the situation by injuring Jordan last week on RAW. When it came time to announce the replacement, Jordan made the situation difficult and Triple H remedied it by announcing that it was him and he put the exclamation point on it by delivering a pedigree to Jordan. Now the match is interesting and one I can not wait to see because imagine the situations you’ll get in this match. Finn and Shinsuke in the ring at the same time or even Triple H and Bobby Roode and so many more.
The other traditional Survivor Series match is between the Women this time around as RAW’s Alicia Fox (Captain), Nia Jax, Asuka, Sasha Banks, and Bayley take on Smackdown Live’s Becky Lynch (Captain), Carmella, Naomi, Tamina, and Natalya. The thing that I would love to see happen tonight with that match is that instead of Natalya being in the match, Paige makes her triumphant return to a WWE ring as a member of Team Smackdown Live. I doubt it will happen because I believe that she is being punished for a picture she took last Monday. We’ll see if anything happens tonight, but there’s more matches for tonight. In their first PPV match since reuniting The Shield (Dean, Seth, and Roman) take on The New Day in a six man elimination falls count anywhere match. RAW tag team champions The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus) take on The Usos to finish out the RAW vs Smackdown Live matches. The Pre-show features some surprise matches like Breezango taking on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, Enzo defends his cruiserweight title against Kalisto and Matt Hardy takes on Elias Sampson. Again, they have set this PPV up to be a very good one, but it remains to be seen if it ends up going that way for them. I’ll be tuning into it and hopefully you are if you’re a fan. Check out my predictions below:
Overall, I think out of seven total matches between Raw and Smackdown Live, I think RAW wins overall, but the setting is set for a match between Triple H and Kurt Angle for WrestleMania 34.
Enzo defeats Kalisto with help from Gulak
Owens and Zayn will defeat Breezango
Elias defeats Matt Hardy
The Shield will defeat The New Day
The USOS will defeat Cesaro and Sheamus
Charlotte will defeat Alexa Bliss
The Miz will defeat Baron Corbin
Team Raw Women’s will defeat Smackdown Live
Team Smackdown Men will defeat Team Raw
Brock Lesnar will defeat AJ Styles
We are continuing to pay tribute here at Mr. X’s Punch Out to all the amazing African Americans that have stepped foot into the squared circle for Black History Month. The man we are checking out today is none other than The New Day’s Big E Langston as we are covering every member of The New Day separately. We are rewinding to March 25, 2014 when Big E was the WWE Intercontinental Champion and he had to defend the championship against Dolph Ziggler at that edition of Main Event in Boston, MA. Earlier in the night, Dolph had earned the right to face Big E after he won a triple threat match against Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio. You had to figure that Dolph wasn’t going to be 100% entering the match against the massive Big E, but we all know that Dolph never quits that easily. It was going to be a match of speed vs power and if Dolph wanted to win, he had to keep the match going in a fast pace environment while avoiding the brute power of Big E.
In the beginning of the match, Big E used his power to get the best of Dolph as he used all 300 lbs to keep Dolph isolated on the mat. Despite a nice dropkick from Ziggler, Big E was able to keep his advantage with a huge clubbing clothesline that sent Ziggler to the outside to regroup. When we came back from commercial break, it looked like Big E was still in control until he went shoulder first into the steel ring post and then Dolph began his flurry of fists and stinger like splashes. Despite the effort, Big E would make a comeback, but the two for the rest of the match would be trading advantages with Dolph hitting a big time DDT, but Big E hung in there. After Ziggler tried to hit the zig zag, Big E would brush him off and hit him with another clubbing clothesline, but Dolph would kick out on the pin attempt. After the straps came off, Big E would try for the big ending, but Dolph would hit the famouser, but Big E kicks out. Dolph would then try to hit a Superkick, but Big turned into a Big Ending and that was all she wrote. Even though I love The New Day, I would love to see Big E get a big push in the WWE.
One of the greatest pay per views that the WWE has besides WrestleMania has always been the Royal Rumble just because of the 30 Man Royal Rumble match. It is a match that is considered the first stop on the road to WrestleMania and with good reason as many have cashed in on the opportunity it gives you when you main event the biggest show on Earth. The question going into this year’s Royal Rumble from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas was who was going to win a match that was completely stacked with some giant names like Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, The Undertaker, Braun Strowman, The Big Show, etc. The only thing is that the Rumble had to follow what I am calling a potential match of the year candidate in AJ Styles Vs John Cena. When it came time for the Rumble match, we were all wondering who was going to draw number one? Was it a current superstar? Or was it a potential debut? Instead, we informed by Enzo as if we couldn’t tell that it was Big Cass that drew number one. After a good five minute rant, we found out that Chris Jericho was going to start the match at number two. After Kalisto and Mojo Rawley drew three and four respectively, we were treated to our first surprise entrant in Gentleman Jack Gallagher who brought his umbrella in the ring and did some damage with it including to Chris Jericho’s undercarriage.
It wouldn’t be long before he was tossed out by the sixth entrant in the rumble match in “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. Business picked up as soon as the massive Braun Strowman entered the rumble. Braun would show his dominant side for about 13 minutes. Braun with his size and power would eliminate seven wrestlers from the rumble that included (in order of elimination) Mojo Rawley, Big Cass, Kalisto, Mark Henry, The Big Show, James Ellsworth (who was tricked by Dean Ambrose to enter the ring), and Tye Dillinger before he was eliminated by Baron Corbin. The amount of wrestlers in the ring would build up for a while until Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and The Undertaker showed up to take out the trash. Brock would eliminate Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, and Enzo Amore before he was taken out in the same fashion as the Survivor Series by Goldberg who handled him like a rag doll. Goldberg would snag a couple more eliminations before the deadman sent him packing from the Rumble match.
Then it happened, the one moment that disappointed WWE fans all over the world when they found out that Roman Reigns had drawn the number 30 spot. We couldn’t believe that at this point in the match, there were absolutely no debuts from NXT in the rumble besides Tye Dillinger coming out at 10 and no debuts from anyone outside the company. To make matters worse, Roman Reigns eliminated The Undertaker leaving the final four being Chris Jericho (who broke the record for the longest collective time spent in the Royal Rumble matches), Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns. Then just like that, Chris Jericho climbs the ropes, gets hit with a superman punch and is eliminated by Reigns. Then Reigns realized that he was outnumbered by Orton and Bray Wyatt as they gang attacked him in the ring. As Bray set up Reigns for the Sister Abigail into the RKO, Reigns countered with a superman punch for each of them and using Bray’s own momentum, he eliminated him. Reigns then set up for the spear, but got an RKO outta nowhere for it and then was clotheslined over the top rope making Randy the winner of the match. It was an Ok rumble match with things that obviously could have been improved, but that’s the breaks.
