Ok, so holy balls. After the results of Saturday, we have a little to address.

I went 4/2 on my predictions for Night One. The only ones I missed were Americano/Fenix, because I wrote that before the Mysterio switch out, and the 3-way main. I don’t think most people saw it coming, aside from a few like Sam Roberts, who has a good eye for the storytelling aspect. I based Punk going over on a different idea of where they were going with this, but I’m down for being pleasantly surprised. As I mentioned on Bluesky, they took the interesting route instead of the safe one. I’ll keep this post a little shorter, cause I’m writing it later than I wanted.

Bayley is apparently being replaced in the Tag Titles match, for whatever reason, and scuttlebutt online suggests Becky Lynch supporting fellow Irishlady Lyra Valkyria. That would be fine for me, but other than Alexa or Roxanne Perez, who else sort of makes sense squeezing in there?

Rey being injured has possibly pushed the end of the Gable reveal a little further out ahead. That’s fine. Hopefully it’s not too bad, because Mysterio is the final boss for the LWO, and I imagine he’s involved in the finish of the angle.

Without commentary on other matches and outcomes, I think the last thing to address before we get on with it is the Night One main event. How deep does any of the story connections go at this point? Does Seth/Heyman get involved in Cody/Cena in some way? Does it have ANYTHING to do with The Rock? With all the talk of pushing the business in “the right direction,” will that involve who is WWE Champion? I guess we’ll see in a few hours!

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley (Women’s World Championship)

This could really go either way. Based on Bianca still having business with Naomi and Jade, I’ll assume she’s not winning this. Iyo is a great worker, but I don’t see future setups as easily as Rhea winning. This will probably be a good match in general, but there’s almost even odds of what the outcome will be. I’ll bet on Rhea, just because it’s a little more interesting to me.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul

It’s just gross how quick Logan Paul got good at all this. This is sure to be a spectacle of a match with these two. I’m sure Logan already has some ridiculous spot planned. It almost really doesn’t even matter who goes over here, but a Paul win could continue AJ/Cross. An AJ win basically shuts Logan Paul up, and that seems like a dead end. I’m pretty sure Logan Paul is winning here via some shenanigans, and it’s another chapter in the AJ story they’re telling.

Winner: Logan Paul

Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Unknown & Lyra Valkyria (Women’s Tag Team Championship)

I think the outcome of this one is determined by who Lyra’s partner ends up being. If it’s Becky, someone she has history with, I think they may win this. Basically anyone else, and Liv and Raquel retain. Once again, card subject to change, but this can be flexible.

Winner: Liv/Raquel UNLESS Becky is back.

Randy Orton’s Super Cool No-Nerds Open Challenge Fiasco

I can’t even speculate on a match that hasn’t been made yet, really. Randy will probably go over, but this largely depends on who the opponent ends up being and how heavy they want to push that person out of the gate. If it’s a TNA borrow like Joe Hendry or Moose, Randy wins but puts the other guy over. If it’s a new or returning signee, it all depends on plans.

Winner: Most likely Randy

Bron Breakker (c) vs. Penta vs. Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio (Intercontinental Championship)

Odds are pretty high Bron keeps this I think, unless a major change starts here in the Judgement Day. I think either Finn or Dom winning is the beginning of the end of the current Judgement Day lineup. Penta could pull it off, but with Fenix in the company, I’m wondering how long they are going to wait to give us a Lucha Brothers reunion. I AM however going to predict some really awesome sells in this. My gut says Bron retains and moves away from the Judgement Day to whatever is next, but never count out how much of a shitbag Finn is willing to be. Does he throw Dom under the proverbial bus to get the title?

Winner: Bron?

Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest (Sin City Street Fight)

I feel like this is probably the end of the Damien/Drew angle. It’s already almost to a Punk/Drew level of intensity between the two. Drew is ALWAYS a viable winner, but I think the story here is that Drew’s hubris costs him the match again and this time, he can’t blame it on someone else. Not saying he’ll learn a lesson, but it’ll be clear that Priest is not what he needs to focus on. I’m sure this will, however, be a televised ass-kicking. Both these boys are probably going to be stiff as hell, but Damien wins and moves on.

Winner: Damien Priest

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena (WWE Championship)

Here we go, folks. Let’s see how we start the next year of storylines. I don’t know if I should expect a knock-down drag out fight with a clear winner, or a bunch of gaga with a schmozz ending. I think Cody retaining is a safe decision, but not one worth writing home about. I think Cena wins here, by hook or by crook, and we spend some of the remainder of his final year trying to get the title back off of him before he retires with it. Considering how last year’s main event ended, I am expecting anything to happen. Rock? Seth? Heyman? Roman? Stone Cold? Tatanka? Who knows? But a heel Cena with the title would be a nice change of pace to get us into wherever we’re going next. Sorry Dave LaGreca, Cody loses this one I think.

Winner: John Cena

Alright, that’s it! I’m going to need a nap after this weekend’s 38 hours of wrestling, but I absolutely love the Raw after Mania, so I won’t be napping long. I should have something up soon-ish afterward, because I’m pretty sure it’ll be worth discussing.

I’ll see you guys soon and remember:

Don’t be a mark, don’t read dirtsheets.

-Prinny