LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 08: Mixed martial artist Brock Lesnar poses on the scale during his weigh-in for UFC 200 at T-Mobile Arena on July 8, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lesnar will meet Mark Hunt in a heavyweight bout on July 9 at T-Mobile Arena. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
WWE and UFC’s worlds have collided once again which has sparked up a lot of conversation, which has brought forth a lot of hot takes.
In the world of WWE and the worlds revolving around it, it has been a hectic and crazy week, and it is only going to get crazier with Extreme Rules coming up this Sunday.
Outside of WWE, we saw Ronda Rousey get inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. This has legitimized her even more as a credible threat in WWE, brought more eyes on WWE, the Women’s Division, and herself, and will likely be a talking point for her and her opponents once her “suspension” from Raw has been uplifted.
Then, there was some bigger news. Raw‘s Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, has been absent from Monday nights since before WrestleMania 34, and then there was sudden news that Brock actually wouldn’t be defending his title at SummerSlam. Well, now we know why.
At UFC 226, Daniel Cormier defended his UFC Heavyweight Championship and immediately called out Brock Lesnar. Lesnar entered the octagon, shoved Cormier, and accepted the challenge. Now, Brock has a UFC title match set for November. So, where does this leave the state of Brock and the Universal Championship in WWE?
Outside of WWE has been crazy, but we also have some eventful programming heading into Extreme Rules. Roman Reigns is taking on Bob, an ironman match will settle the dispute between Rollins and Ziggler, RuRu is getting a WWE Championship opportunity, Team Hell No is back together, Bayley and Sasha are in counseling, and Baron Corbin is Stephanie McMahon’s Personally Appointed Constable Of Raw (such a great title).
So let’s take a look at all of these hot button topics of the week, and I’ll provide some hot takes that I’m sure most of you won’t agree with, but I definitely think they need to be stated.
Photo by WWE’s Twitter
5. Braun Strowman Has Grown Stale
If you were to go back in time 2 or 3 months and say that Braun Strowman has grown stale, everyone would look at you like you were crazy. I mean, how can you not cheer for a guy who flips ambulances, smashes cellos, and uses grappling hooks?
Well, that was great and all when he was trying to murder the likes of Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Kane, and Elias, but there has to be more depth to the Braun Strowman character other than wanting to pull off impressive feats of strength to kill an opponent. Otherwise, the crowd will grow tired of seeing the same type of thing over and over again without reason.
And I’m afraid this is what is happening with Braun Strowman’s most recent feud with Kevin Owens. Basically attempting murder on his opponents is actually what got Braun Strowman over as a babyface, but when he repeatedly does it for no rhyme or reason, he begins to look a bit heelish.
Right now, in a feud where Owens is supposed to be the heel and Strowman is supposed to be the face, I find myself feeling sympathy for Owens and hating that bully of a monster Braun Strowman.
I mean, Kevin Owens literally came out and said he wants to be friends with the Monster so they can have people looking out for each other. So, what does Braun do? Oh, he just repeatedly powerslams Owens, throws him off a ladder, flips his car over, and knocks him off the stage while he’s in a porta potty.
We have no idea why Braun Strowman has this vendetta against Owens, which makes him hard to relate to as a character. His schtick of flipping things over has become a tired act, and now it is time to see more depth before he is ready to be Universal Champion.
Credit: WWE.com
4. Bayley And Sasha Should Be The Inaugural Women’s Tag Team Champions
So, Bayley and Sasha, who have been teasing a feud for a solid 3 to 4 months now finally had their breaking point. Tired of always getting pushed around and stabbed in the back, Bayley SNAPPED on Sasha after a match.
Bayley held nothing back and told off her former best friend in the process of beating her down. This left fans excited for their potential feud to begin, but for many, there were mixed emotions. Fans couldn’t seem who was in the wrong (the heel) and who was in the right (the babyface).
Both sides could easily be argued. Sasha could be considered a bully for always talking down to Bayley, and Bayley’s attack could be her finally standing up for herself. OR, Bayley is just ungrateful and selfish by cowardly attacking her “friend” from behind.
The line was not drawn in the sand as to who was bad and who was good in this feud, and these therapy sessions have just raised more questions rather than answered them. For example, why would you have them sit through therapy and slow down a feud that is on fire? Why is everything “settled in the ring” BUT Sasha and Bayley’s conflicts.
Well, I think it is because WWE is building up these two as the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions. There have been a lot of hints by WWE that the belts are coming soon, and who better to hold them first than two of the Four Horsewomen?
I feel as though WWE is trying to take the same route as Team Hell No or a Sheamus and Cesaro with Bayley and Sasha. They are two that think they are better than the other, will be unwilling teammates, but are too good together not to be a tag team.
I really hope this is where they are going with the Bayley and Sasha angle because if WWE is actually setting up their feud like this, well, then it is already dead in the water.
Credit: WWE.com
3. Shinsuke Nakamura (Still) Isn’t Ready For A Title
Poor Shinsuke Nakamura. I say that sarcastically because he really has it good in WWE, but a lot of his fans would beg to differ. After being a top guy in both Japan and NXT, the same hasn’t been true on the main roster.
He floundered at first with some lackluster matches and feuds (and losses to Jinder didn’t help). Then, he caught a break and won the Royal Rumble and went on to challenge AJ Styles in a dream match at WrestleMania 34.
The match didn’t live up to its lofty expectations, but low blow by Shinsuke after the match shocked and revealed to the world a new Nakamura. Heel Shinsuke has been a joy to watch, but the fact that his entire feud with AJ Styles revolved around low blows was a bit disappointing.
In total, Shinsuke had four shots at the WWE Championship and failed with every attempt. This was just poor timing for Shinsuke because AJ Styles was just named the cover athlete for WWE 2K19, so it is doubtful that anyone would have taken the belt off of him during this time.
However, Nakamura did get a lot out of this feud. He was able to add a lot of depth to his new character by making himself seem like a sarcastic jerk at all times. So, this kind of progress should be rewarded, and that was the case when he got a shot at Jeff Hardy’s United States Championship.
If Shinsuke wasn’t bit by a dog (yes, that really happened), he would have had his title opportunity on SmackDown, but now he squares off with the Charismatic Enigma at Extreme Rules, and no, I do not think Shinsuke should win yet.
His feud with AJ Styles, although long and tedious, was the first you could really sink your teeth into. He needs another intense feud to lead to his first title on the main roster. I need to be invested in this feud before I can see Nakamura as the US Champion. So, I expect a loss for Shinsuke on Sunday to extend the feud, and then Shinsuke will get the gold.
Photo Source: WWE.com
2. Baron Corbin Should Win Against Finn Bálor At Extreme Rules
Okay, so I will be honest here. When Baron Corbin first went to Kurt Angle’s office to tell him that Stephanie McMahon appointed him to be the Constable of Raw, I thought the idea was ludicrous. First of all, the word “Constable” just sounds ridiculous in a pro wrestling setting.
Second of all, Baron Corbin was rocking the whole “Lone Wolf” persona, which I thought did not make any sense as an authority figure. However, Corbin has really accepted his new role and has gone all in, and MAN, does it work.
Constable Corbin committed to “cleaning up” to be more corporate by completely shaving his head, and he ditched his old in ring attire to wrestle in a buttoned up shirt and dress pants. Best of all, though, Corbin is drunk with what little power he has and smugly holds his position over Kurt Angle and babyface Superstars that try to tell him off.
As “Stephanie McMahon’s Personally Appointed Constable Of Raw“, Corbin is cockier than ever now that he has the Commissioner in his corner. His smug attitude as Stephanie’s stooge has gotten him great reactions lately, and Corbin has held his own in main event segments and matches on Raw.
When Corbin first won the Money in the Bank contract on SmackDown, he seemed out of place in the main event picture, but he is finally coming into his own with this new gimmick. Now, it is time to capitalize on the momentum he’s garnering and give him a big win at Extreme Rules.
Yes, I know he is facing the beloved Finn Bálor, who has been the victim of some shaky booking since returning from injury, but he is popular and talented enough to bounce back from one loss, especially if he can look strong in the contest.
Since Corbin is now technically an authority figure, I would love for him to find some loophole in a stipulation for their match or abuse his power in another way to get a cheap win over Bálor. That way, Corbin can pick up steam with a win and further advance his character’s latest gimmick change.
Photo Source: WWE.com
1. Seth Rollins And Dolph Ziggler Should Main Event Extreme Rules
While the Universal Championship will not be defended at Extreme Rules, the match card is still made up of main event players from both brands, so why should a match over a midcard title close out the show?
Well, right now, SmackDown‘s main event feud consists of Rusev vs. AJ Styles over the WWE Championship, while Raw‘s “main event” feud consists of Bobby Lashley vs. Roman Reigns. So, why shouldn’t one of those two matches be the main event?
While the WWE Championship hasn’t closed out a show since March, it still isn’t the right time for the title to go on last. AJ Styles and Rusev have had very little time to build up their feud, and it almost seems like an afterthought and obvious filler match to get Styles to SummerSlam as champ.
Meanwhile, on Raw, the match between Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns has no stakes. There’s no title on the line, and the match isn’t even to determine the #1 contender for Brock’s Universal Championship. And the feud between Rollins and Ziggler has actually been main eventing over these two on Raw.
It seems like the feud between Ziggler and Rollins has the most time and emotions invested in it. They’ve been given opportunities to tear the house down in matches and take shots at each other on the mic, all while in the spotlight of closing out Raw.
Also, with it being Extreme Rules and all, it would make sense for a match with a stipulation to close out a stipulation-themed PPV. Rusev vs. Styles and Reigns vs. Lashley are just regular singles matches, while Rollins vs. Ziggler is a 30 Minute Ironman Match.
Next: Biggest Storylines Heading Into Extreme Rules
Rollins and Ziggler will undoubtedly steal the show on Sunday night, so WWE may as well send the crowd home happy by putting their best performers and most interesting storyline on last.