WrestleMania card taking shape
The 34th installment of WrestleMania doesn鈥檛 take place for another three weeks, but the show is looking stronger and stronger each week.
The speculated main event will feature Brock Lesnar defending the Universal championship against Roman Reigns, while AJ Styles defends the WWE championship against Shinsuke Nakamura.
While we won鈥檛 look at the entire card in this week蘑菇视频 column, it is still worth pointing out the numerous matches that look huge on paper.
While the match will not deliver what it would have five years ago, John Cena finally challenged The Undertaker this past Monday on Raw. It is unclear what Taker will be able to do physically as he was said to have had a possible hip replacement surgery after Mania last year, but, at least on paper, this match gives the show a major marquee draw.
Kurt Angle will wrestle at a Mania for the first time in 12 years as he teams up with the debuting Ronda Rousey to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and this match will garner mainstream attention because of Rousey.
The undefeated Asuka will take on Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown women蘑菇视频 title in another big match.
There are 14 matches scheduled as of right now, although some of those will be moved to the preshow.
Superstar Shakeup coming?
A year ago, WWE held a post-Mania 鈥淪uperstar Shakeup鈥� to freshen things up on both Raw and Smackdown.
Will the same thing happen this year?
It is a safe bet to expect one as both shows will need to get new talent so that new feuds and matches. By doing this, it will freshen things up on both brands and help keep things from getting stale.
Mania 35 location
For months now, it has been discussed in this column about Mania 35 returning to the New York City area.
WWE confirmed on Friday that Mania 35 will take place there on April 9, 2019.
Mania 29 was there, and I was in attendance for the underrated show. If you get a chance, go back and watch it as it was a solid card.
SummerSlam headed to a MLB stadium?
SummerSlam is being held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn once again this year, but could it be going to a bigger venue in 2019?
There are rumblings that SummerSlam, which has only been held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles or the Barclays Center over the last decade, will take place at an MLB stadium.
For years I felt WWE should take SummerSlam to soccer stadiums or MLB stadiums as the shows in the smaller venues sell out in seconds. Even scaling down an MLB stadium to hold 30-50,000 fans would give it a bigger event feel than what it has now at the smaller venues.
RYSE results
Last Saturday, RYSE delivered another top show at The Stronghold Arena in Lemont Furnace.
Results included Drake Braddock downing Jimmy Shane, Laura Loveless pinned Nikki Victory, Shawn Phoenix defeated Jake Ely, Robert Parker and Mambo Italiano defeated Honey Badger and Keith Haught in an intergender match, Dalton Throttle defeated Shirley Doe by DQ, Duke Davis and Ganon Jones, Jr. defeated Tony Johnson and Matt Conrad, and RYSE Grand Champion Lee Moriarty retained the title by defeating Jack Pollock and Lewis in a triple threat match.
RYSE returns to The Stronghold Arena on April 7.
Mixed Tag Team Challenge continues Tuesday
The first semifinal of the WWE Mixed Tag Team Challenge takes place Tuesday on Facebook Watch when The Miz and Asuka take on Braun Strowman and Alexis Bliss.
This past Tuesday, Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair defeated Rusev and Lana to advance to the other semifinal. The other semifinalist team will be decided by fans in a vote and the voting, on wwe.com, is open until this Tuesday.
New WrestleMania special
WWE is working on a new WrestleMania piece that will feature the greatest moments in Mania history. A full version will air on the WWE Network while an edited version will air on the USA Network.
On this date:
In 1989, both WWE and the NWA ran two shows in big markets.
WWE ran the Boston Garden in the afternoon and the exact same card that night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The NWA ran slightly different cards in Landover, Md., which is close to Washington, D.C., with the nightcap taking place in Philadelphia.
This week蘑菇视频 question:
Will the 鈥淕reatest Rumble鈥� event take place on the WWE Network? Bob, Stockdale.
While no official word has been given, the guess is that the event will either air live on the network or will air a short time after it takes place.