Welcome to the first edition of eWN Ring Position, where we’ll be taking some of the most active writers from eWrestlingNews and sharing the platform to answer some questions about an upcoming event of some sort.
This is meant to showcase how sometimes, opinions can be the same across the board, while other times, there can be a wide range of perspectives for the same topic, so we also invite all of you to join in on the discussion by answering these questions in the comments section below.
As this is the first time around, we’re still in a phase of experimentation to figure out the best way to present this information as well as what types of questions to ask/answer, the right number of questions and contributors that allows it to be a meaty discussion without being too overbearing, and so forth, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to toss them out in the comments as well. Just be a little patient while we work out the kinks!
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while and I figured there is no better time to start than right now, as this is the busiest time of the year for the professional wrestling industry.
We’re going to be focusing on a variety of different aspects from WrestleMania Week, including the WWE Hall of Fame, NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, and WrestleMania 34 itself.
Participants for this edition = Anthony Mango, Richard Staple, Savon Wilson, Ethan Absler and Yiannis Bouranis.
1) “Who are you most looking forward to seeing present at the WWE Hall of Fame this year?”
MANGO: That’s a tough thing to answer, as my instinct says Mark Henry, but I can’t deny the possibility that Edge and Christian steal the show. I’m still going to have to go with The World’s Strongest Man, but only by a hair.
STAPLE: If you’re referring to which inductee I’m excited to see most being inducted, it’s without a shadow of a doubt, Mark Henry. He was the model of consistency in his entire WWE career and was able to play a plethora of roles while remaining committed to it. I believe WWE dropped the ball on him in many ways and should have made his 2011 heel run more eventful, along with a WWE Title reign in 2013, but regardless, Henry was one of the last of a dying breed of legit monster big men, and I’m glad he’s finally getting his due.
WILSON: The Dudley Boyz
ABSLER: If I had to choose, I am most excited for the Dudley Boyz induction into the HOF. While Jarrett will be extremely interesting, I can’t wait to hear one of the best tag teams of all time tell their story.
BOURANIS: Certainly Goldberg. The former Universal Champion has been a dominant force in the WCW and the WWE, despite his long-term absence; the fact that Paul Heyman will be the one that will induct Goldberg into the Hall of Fame will make him the biggest star of the ceremony.
2) “Everybody in the North American Championship match is pretty fantastic, but if you had to pick, who is the worst option of the bunch and the wrestler you feel is the least qualified to maintain the responsibility of holding that title first?”
MANGO: I actually have three that I think are somewhat on par. Adam Cole will be busy with the tag titles, Lars Sullivan doesn’t do it for me as much as he should at this point, and Killian Dain winning the belt prevents SAnitY from coming to the main roster. By that factor alone, I think I’d lean towards Dain, with Cole being the runner-up worst option, even though I do see a value to all six competitors.
STAPLE: For me, it would probably have to be Lars Sullivan, simply because he seems to have the least street cred out of the lot. That said, I don’t think I would qualify him as “worst”, because I do think he does have potential. It’s just that everybody else in the ladder match either have more accomplishments or more popularity.
WILSON: Lars Sullivan
ABSLER: I couldn’t have said it any better- everyone in this match is fantastic indeed. Despite the match being stacked from top to bottom with some of NXT’s finest, guys like Ricochet and EC3 have yet to be introduced to mainstream NXT fans. Although they, along with Adam Cole, have the most star power, putting the title on EC3 or Ricochet is risky because an average fan may not know who they are or where they’ve been prior to the WWE. I think the least qualified person would have to be the Velveteen Dream just because he is so incredibly new to the scene. Dream will be champion one day, but I think it’s a day too early.
BOURANIS: All six competitors are very talented, there is no doubt about it. That said, it’s difficult to say who could be the worst option to hold the title. Instead, I would say Adam Cole could be considered the favourite to win the title, thanks to his excellent performances during his presence in the NXT.
3) “Which show do you think has more potential, NXT TakeOver: New Orleans or WrestleMania 34?”
MANGO: I think if we viewed these in a vacuum, I’d go with TakeOver. That should be a tighter show with a higher success rate for its matches. However, WrestleMania is gargantuan and there are too many things that could be great for me not to pick that.
STAPLE: This is actually a difficult one. Normally NXT usurps what WrestleMania has to offer, but this year, there are some legit show-stealers on both cards. For WrestleMania, I’m specifically looking at the IC Triple Threat, Charlotte/Asuka and obviously, AJ/Nakamura. On NXT, you got the ladder match, Gargano/Ciampa and Celmas/Black. I’m excited for both cards, but which one am I looking forward too more? I will give the slightest of edges to Takeover. I’m honest when I say there are two potential five star classics and another barn-burner in the ladder match. I feel like WrestleMania has show-stealing matches of their own, but since the card is also about triple the size of Takeover, I’m probably going to start dozing off by the time Reigns/Lesnar is on.
WILSON: WrestleMania 34
ABSLER: I think the Wrestlemania 34 card is stacked beyond belief, but mark my words: WWE is making a mistake by presenting us with another 7+ hour wrestling show. I’d rather have less stars on a show, but adequate time for each match to shine and tell a story, than stuff more matches into an already too long show. Because of this, I believe NXT Takeover will outshine Wrestlemania for, in my option, the third year in a row.
BOURANIS: Although the NXT has been very successful since its creation, and the show will be of very high quality, I think that Wrestlemania 34 will be more prestigious, since the top wrestlers of the industry will take part in it. Even though some of the matches have not been built in the best way possible (the Undertaker vs John Cena match, for instance), I believe Wrestlemania 34 has more potential.
4) “Has the Fabulous Moolah controversy tainted the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal too much, or will the match and concept succeed despite this bad start?”
MANGO: This will be fine. They’re going to beat the word “historic” into your head so much that you’ll be brain dead and not care one way or the other. It was never going to make the biggest splash to begin with, anyway.
STAPLE: I personally don’t care either way, because the women’s battle royal just seems like a way to put all the women on WrestleMania and not make anyone feel left out. That said, it just looks so weird to see how WWE was quick to change the name of the Battle Royal, which shows how heavily they value good PR. They should have known better than to name it after her with her storied shady history. They also played clips of current superstars praising her in the most generic way possible, which probably means they were told to say those certain things. Whatever the case, don’t really care for the women’s battle royal, because the only storyline going into it is Sasha vs. Bayley.
WILSON: The match for the most part will be forgotten, however there should be no celebrating of anything Moolah related.
ABSLER: I don’t think that The Fabulous Moolah has tainted the actual battle royal at all. With that being said, I do think it reflects badly on WWE management who approved the initial name in the first place. WWE was swift to act on fan protests which may have saved this match, however, most people won’t forget that it was originally named after a women accused of sex trafficking.
BOURANIS: I don’t believe it will affect it that much. WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal is the female-specific equivalent of the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, so I guess the company will do its best to attract the audience’s interest, in the two events that will be the least interesting ones in the show.
5) “Has the Cruiserweight Championship tournament given you more of a reason to watch 205 Live heading into WrestleMania, or is it not good enough?”
MANGO: 100% and I wish more people would watch it so they could at least give it a chance to succeed. I don’t like every bit of this new directive, but I do like the overall presentation better.
STAPLE: The Cruiserweight Tournament has been phenomenal quality-wise. Only problem is how many people actually tune into 205 Live to see what’s up, because they are no longer featured on RAW. If Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali can go out there and tear it up, if WWE permits them the time, then I think it can bring more eyes to the brand, because the wrestling has been great. But what put 205 in a hole to begin with was that they were basically having the Cruiserweights wrestle like the main roster. They weren’t being themselves. The only difference was the purple ring ropes as if that was some good way to make them unique. Hopefully, WrestleMania can kickstart some momentum.
WILSON: The tournament is great because talent is given the chance to give it all in the ring and not leave anything behind. Pure wrestling suits them better.
ABSLER: I have always been a huge fan of the Cruiserweight division, but that might be because I am a fan of the Indy’s as well. Seeing Indy stars like Alexander, Gulak, and Strong under the WWE umbrella was a really surreal and cool experience for me. Most fans though, aren’t Into the division because of the lack of character development. With no reason to root for anybody, fans have no reason to watch or care no matter what storylines develop in the process. We’ll have to see if WWE boots this match to the kickoff show to see how much they really value the division.
BOURANIS: The Cruiserweight Championship tournament has been very competitive so far and certainly fun to watch. Given how exciting last year’s Title match between Neville and Austin Aries was, I think we can expect an equally amazing match from Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander that can definitely steal the show at WrestleMania 34.
6) “Do you think Carmella will be cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase on either Asuka or Charlotte Flair? If so, will she succeed in winning the title?”
MANGO: I’m hoping she doesn’t, and we see her cash in on the Raw side after Mania instead, but yes, I do think we’ll see her attempt to cash in on Asuka after the match, wherein she’ll come up short.
STAPLE: Everything in my spirit tells me that Asuka will beat Charlotte and then Carmella will run down the WrestleMania aisle and fail to cash in. The only scenario that has Carmella winning while protecting Asuka’s undefeated streak would be if Carmella were to attack Asuka and then attack Charlotte. Sadly, this means that the winners of the last two MITB ladder matches, Baron Corbin and Carmella, will have failed to successfully cash-in, essentially making the entire Money In The Bank 2017 pointless.
WILSON: I hope not. She has done nothing to impress since winning, besides giving her the title at this point in time is a big mistake.
ABSLER: I do not think that Carmella will be cashing in her briefcase simply because I just can’t foresee it happening on the show of shows. I think the Smackdown after Wrestlemania is much more likely of a time to see that happen.
BOURANIS: There is a possibility that Carmella will be cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase at Wrestlemania 34, yet I don’t know what plans the WWE has for her. I don’t think she will become the champion, so the company should make a decision on whether Carmella will become a consistent title contender or she will follow a different path and will be drafted to Raw.
7) “Which Superstar would benefit the most by winning the 5th annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal?”
MANGO: It would have been Rusev, but that’s not happening. Now, I’m thinking it has to be the reborn version of Bray Wyatt so we can start telling a story about whatever the next phase of his character will be. That is, unless someone from NXT comes in and wins it, like No Way Jose or Lars Sullivan.
STAPLE: WWE has been pushing this narrative that winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will kickstart one’s career. Well, let’s have a look see if the history supports it. The first ever winner, Cesaro, has only been a tag team champion since winning which is the biggest consolation prize ever. Big Show’s win was pretty much a lifetime achievement award because he’s only been on television periodically since. Baron Corbin failed to cash in MITB and won the United States Championship in a reign no one remembers and while I had expectations for Mojo Rawley’s heel turn, we don’t see him on television anymore. So I can’t say I’m confident that there would be a benefit to winning the battle royal, other than getting a W in your career WrestleMania win column, but if there’s one superstar that intrigues me it’s Tye Dillinger. The man needs a rebirth, or importantly, a win of any kind.
WILSON: Nobody. Since it’s creation, winning the battle royal hasn’t mattered for much. The only difference between the old pre show battle royals is that there is a trophy involved.
ABSLER: The Andre The Giant battle royal is 0-4 when it comes to elevating careers like it should. Part of that is WWE creative’s fault no doubt, however I have no faith that this year’s winner will benefit from the win for more than a few weeks. Either way, I think that as long as WWE has long term plans to use the battle royal as a great way to push the winner, guys like Apollo Crews, Tye Dillinger, or even Dolph Ziggler are all good choices.
BOURANIS: Either Baron Corbin or Dolph Ziggler, to be honest. Yet, the company should push the winner of this match and elevate them in the roster, otherwise it doesn’t matter who will win the match, if the WWE doesn’t plan to grant them a future title opportunity.
8) “What will you be doing for WrestleMania this weekend? Are you having friends over, going to a bar, skipping it entirely, watching it on demand afterward, etc?”
MANGO: The same as every pay-per-view: getting together with a bunch of friends and bullshitting with them while I feverishly type out results and review editorials on my laptop and shove pizza in my face.
STAPLE: Gonna be ordering some Dominos Pizza, pop a few cold ones, charge up the WWE Network on my XBOX One and pray that my crappy Internet connection holds up for the entire show.
WILSON: Friends over
ABSLER: Every year since Wrestlemania 29, I have had friends over at my place to watch the show. This year will be no different except for the amount of people coming as I anticipate more people this year than ever before.
BOURANIS: I will probably go to a bar and watch it there, along with my friends.
9) “Who are you hoping will be Braun Strowman’s tag team partner? Do you have any crazy suggestions you’d mark out for?”
MANGO: Unpopular opinion, I’m cool with Big Show playing that part, and I don’t want to see it be Elias or a tall/short thing like Mysterio or whatever. As far as the weird option, screw it, Hulk Hogan. It would make no sense at all, but I’d laugh out of confusion.
STAPLE: In my mind, I had Rey Mysterio or Bobby Lashley because those have been the two names that have been thrown around, but I’ll say this much. I will run through Times Square in a onesie if my favorite superstar, Edge’s music hits. Of course, his neck is a stack of dimes at this point so I won’t hold my breath.
WILSON: The Shockmaster(lol). I think it will be Lashley.
ABSLER: I personally want to see Braun Strowman wrestle with no partner at all and become the first man to win the tag team titles on his own! This accolade would be unique and fitting for Braun. If he must have a partner though, I’d love to see Rey Mysterio return and win the titles with the Monster Among Men.
BOURANIS: I hope Elias will be Strowman’s tag team partner. He is very talented and will create a dominant duo with the “Monster Among Men”.
10) “What is the biggest oversight you can think of for this whole weekend’s worth of festivities (including booking decisions, missing elements, etc)?”
MANGO: Roman Reigns still isn’t cheered to the level they want him to be at. That’s the biggest oversight. They thought that that wouldn’t matter and when it doesn’t go off without a hitch, they’ll be wondering why.
STAPLE: For me, it would have to be the wrestlers not remembering each other’s history. The feud between Roman and Lesnar has been predicated upon Lesnar’s apparent lack of commitment to WWE. I haven’t heard one mention of Roman and Lesnar’s WrestleMania battle three years ago, or Brock beating Reigns at Summerslam. Lesnar could have just said, “Three years ago at WrestleMania, Seth interrupted our match. Now, I’ll finish what I started.” With AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, they could have mentioned their match in Japan or how far they go back with each other. Instead, the feud has been about “mind games” and “Knee to Face”. WWE expects its fanbase to have a memory recall lasting no longer than 2 weeks, but history does matter, and I feel as though the match would feel more important if we remember what wrestlers experienced with each other in the past.
WILSON: Story booking. Certain matches haven’t been booked to be heated or strong enough to fit its billing. Asuka vs Charlotte is a prime example.
ABSLER: I think the biggest oversight of Wrestlemania weekend this year is going to be WWE not understanding the sheer amount of programming that they are broadcasting. There’s going to be over 30 hours of wrestling this week and I don’t think WWE understands that even the biggest fan will have trouble watching that much.
BOURANIS: I believe the build-up of the match between the Undertaker and John Cena should have been much better, although the battle between these two icons will be one of the classic moments at Wrestlemania 34.
11) “Which one match do you think will steal the show for this entire weekend?”
MANGO: It’s hard to argue against Gargano vs. Ciampa, Alexander vs. Ali or the Intercontinental Championship match, but Styles vs. Nakamura is the easy call and the one that I think has the most likely chances of being the top rated of them all.
STAPLE: Flip a coin. Heads for AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. Tails is Gargano vs. Ciampa. Pick your poison.
WILSON: Styles vs Nakamura. If not, Gargano vs Ciampa.
ABSLER: There’s no doubt in my mind that Tomasso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano will still the entire weekend. The storytelling behind this match is so rich, and at least for me, I am mega-invested. I was at NXT Takeover Chicago when the two broke up and based on their bout in the CWC, I am expecting a 5 Star match come Saturday. I couldn’t be more hyped for this match.
BOURANIS: I think it will be the match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship, as it is a dream match between two extremely talented wrestlers, who have been two of the company’s top prospects.
Big thanks to everyone who took part in this edition!
Those are our thoughts, but what do you have to say about these issues? Keep the discussion going by chiming in via the comments section below!
