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EditorialeWN's Round Table Preview of TakeOver: Phoenix and WWE Royal Rumble 2019

eWN’s Round Table Preview of TakeOver: Phoenix and WWE Royal Rumble 2019

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Welcome to another edition of eWN Round Table, where we gather some of the most active writers here on eWrestlingNews and share the platform to answer some questions surrounding a centralized topic, upcoming event, etc.

This is meant to showcase the potential for both a wide range of perspectives as well as how sometimes, there can be a group consensus no matter what your viewpoint is, so we also invite all of you to join in on the discussion by answering these questions yourself in the comments section below.

For this particular volume, we’ll be focusing on NXT TakeOver Phoenix and WWE Royal Rumble 2019.

Participants for this round = Anthony Mango, Chris Holden, Richard Staple, Ethan Absler Kyle Dunning and Robert DeFelice

1) “Will you be following the Worlds Collide Tournament and Royal Rumble Axxess material? If so, who do you think will win the tournament?”

MANGO: Yes indeed. The idea behind the crossover of the brands is very interesting to me, and I’m excited to see which pairings happen and who comes out on top. Right now, I’m leaning toward something like Travis Banks challenging Buddy Murphy or maybe even Johnny Gargano for the North American Championship or something a little more “underwhelming” than a major switch, but I’d be really cool with a lot of options. However, I’m really starting to think Cedric Alexander moves to NXT by winning this and challenging for the NXT Championship or North American title.

HOLDEN: I more than likely won’t be watching it, but I do think it’s a brilliant idea, and I’ll definitely be interested to find out what happens. It might also give some clue as to what WWE consider the pecking order for these brands to be – will the NXT brands come across as equals? Will 205 Live guys look like workers on the cusp of the main roster, or will they be portrayed as hoping to break into an NXT roster in the future? I’ll guess Velveteen Dream to win, with Keith Lee getting a good run.

STAPLE: I’ll be far too concerned with Takeover and the Royal Rumble to pay attention to those events. I’ve never heard anything of worth take place there anyway.

ABSLER: Not following.

DUNNING: Not planning on it. Depends how much time I have. Worlds Collide might be worth a watch, but WWE hasn’t sold it much, so I only know guys like Velveteen Dream and Moustache Mountain will be involved.

DEFELICE: I will be following the tournament but I don’t know if I’ll be keeping an eye out for spoilers considering it will air the following Saturday.

2) “Which is the true #2 pay-per-view of the year, Royal Rumble or SummerSlam?”

MANGO: Over the years, I’ve thought SummerSlam has dipped down in quality and even if the Royal Rumble as a whole might not deliver at a 100% success rate, I’d lean toward Royal Rumble being the true #2 show most fans put on the hierarchy. It’s a tight race, but that wins out just by the narrowest margin.

HOLDEN: No question, Royal Rumble. SummerSlam is like WrestleMania’s little brother; the Rumble is Mania’s wild and crazy buddy from college. It’s more fun, always a change of pace from the usual grind, and encapsulates so much of what wrestling fans love about wrestling – unpredictable surprises, nostalgia, unique pairings in the ring. Even in the long, long ago, before the winner got anything more than a pat on the back, the Rumble was special. Back in the day when there were only really four PPVs a year, SummerSlam could be somewhat unique – these days, it’s just another in a long list of Network specials.

STAPLE: Historically speaking, WWE will tell you that it is Summerslam. But I’d actually think it’s the Rumble. Bigger events tend to take place there, and since the Rumble is considered to be the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania, it only makes sense.

ABSLER: I believe that Summerslam is the true second biggest PPV of the year. Billed as “The Biggest Party Of The Summer” SummerSlam always delivers the magical Wrestlemania-like feeling that let’s you know the importance of the event, as well as boasts the history to back up the claim.

DUNNING: Boy. That’s a tough question. While WWE certainly treats Summerslam like a big deal, it’s safe to say the fans make Royal Rumble #2 because it’s always exciting. You never know who’s showing up. Sometimes we get an unpredictable winner. While Summerslam certainly has its moments, it doesn’t have the gimmick of the Royal Rumble match. So I’m going with the Rumble, although WWE might think otherwise.

DEFELICE: I think in WWE lore, there is a feeling that SummerSlam is the number to pay-per-view but I don’t agree with this because the Royal Rumble is so important. There’s literally no WrestleMania without Royal Rumble.

3) “Ignoring who you THINK will win, who do you WANT to win both Royal Rumbles?”

MANGO: I want Shawn Michaels to win the men’s to fight Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania and for Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair to both win the women’s, as I don’t want WWE to have just Flair win and spend February and March building to some match where she has to defend her title shot and Lynch somehow works her way into the Triple Threat. Just give me the Royal Rumble co-winner situation.

HOLDEN: I want Becky Lynch to win the Women’s match, and I want Kenny Omega to win the Men’s version. I shall certainly be disappointed.

STAPLE: It just so happens that who I think will win both Rumble matches is the same as who I want to win. Seth Rollins for the men, and Becky Lynch for the women. Rollins makes too much sense as a new challenger for Brock Lesnar and to face him in Roman Reigns’ honor only seems right. Becky Lynch doubly so for the women because the feud with Ronda should have a grand stage.

ABSLER: Ignoring who I think will win, I’d love to see Braun Strowman or Drew McIntyre win. As for the women, I’d enjoy seeing Charlotte win to create a triple threat between her, Rousey, and Lynch for the Women’s Title.

DUNNING: Not thought about it too much, but I really want someone NEW to win this year. No Batistas. No Triple H’s. No Randy Orton’s. Give someone else a chance to shine. I’ll go with Samoa Joe .. he really needs an achievement on the main roster. I doubt he will though, as AJ vs. Bryan is likely to continue to Wrestlemania, unless they make it a triple threat or something. As for the women’s match, literally no one is going to see this pick coming .. but I’m super high on Lacey Evans. Let her shock the world with her class.

DEFELICE: I would like to see Seth Rollins win the royal rumble and I would like to see Ember Moon win it on the female side of things. Both are really deserving of a posh to the top. Many people believe it’s Rollins night but I don’t as I think they will go with this prize in tren both are really deserving of a posh to the top. Many people believe it’s Rollins night but I don’t as I think they will go with a surprise entrant.

4) “Who do you think will be surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble matches?”

MANGO: Depending on your definition of surprises, EC3 hasn’t been announced, but I think he’s a guarantee. I’m expecting Trish Stratus and Lita, Maria Kanellis, Pete Dunne, Toni Storm, Ricochet, maybe Aleister Black. Velveteen Dream would be a good choice, too.

HOLDEN: This is the only thing that makes me sad about the Royal Rumble these days when I think too much about it. We’ve lost so many wrestlers from the generation I grew up with, and so many from more recent eras too, that we’re running out of former guys to bring back. I haven’t seen Scott Hall lately, I don’t know if he’s in any kind of shape to put in a 10 minute shift, but that would be fun. As for the ladies, there are plenty of former stars I’d like to see again, some I’m probably not even thinking of – but A.J. Lee would be the only real ‘surprise’. Or Alexa Bliss, I suppose that would be a twist.

STAPLE: The women’s Rumble match may not have as many feasible surprises because we’ve seen most of the notable names for the females in recent memory return last year. The only shockers they can have is if someone from NXT or UK comes through. So the potential to be surprised may not be there. As for the men, the first name that comes to mind is Sami Zayn. Apparently he’s above his rehab schedule, so we might get that. Bray Wyatt’s a possibility too.

ABSLER: One of the best parts of the Royal Rumble is the surprise entrants that emerge every year. From the Women’s side, I’m expecting to see Toni Storm. It would be wise for the company to give the new NXT UK Women’s Champ some more mainstream exposure. Switching to the men’s side, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see Batista enter the Rumble.

DUNNING: Kenny Omega! Just kidding. You never know with the Rumble and that’s the beauty of it. Of course, seeing Kenny Omega would be as big as when AJ Styles debuted .. but hoping too much can be a bad thing for your health. I like to adopt a “wait and see” attitude to Rumble matches.

DEFELICE: I genuinely think Batista will be entering and winning. Also, NXT talent such as Ricochet, Aleister Black, and Velveteen Dream.

5) “If you could personally pick one legend or former star to return per match, which man and woman would you pick?”

MANGO: Ruling out people who are fully retired from injuries, deceased, etc, of course, I’d say I’d like Victoria to make her WWE return in the women’s match and for Wade Barrett to come back for the men’s and come back to WWE after that, even if it’s in NXT UK.

HOLDEN: CM Punk for the men’s side, if for no other reason than to give the match a viable winner and Mania contender. Awesome Kong for the ladies, mostly because she never got anywhere close to her potential before, and her versus Ronda, or Charlotte, or Becky, etc., I think those would be some cool match ups down the road.

STAPLE: Edge and Paige. Obviously neither of them cannot keep in the ring, but operating under the assumption that they can take a few bumps, those are my two easy choices. Edge because he’s my favorite superstar ever, and Paige because she is as integral a part of the women’s revolution as anybody else, and she deserves to be a part of history.

ABSLER: If I could pick one legend or superstar per match to return, I’d love to see The Rock enter the Men’s match, and Kharma to enter the Women’s match.

DUNNING: Hmm. I say none? WWE has enough talent to showcase without taking up spots with legends

DEFELICE: The one male legend I would pick would be Shawn Michaels because he’s my favorite of all time. On the female side of things, I would pick Victoria.

6) “Which match are you most excited to see on these pay-per-views?”

MANGO: If I had to pick one, it would be the men’s Royal Rumble match. But if I could pick one for TakeOver, it would be Ricochet vs. Gargano.

HOLDEN: The Men’s Rumble match, for sure.

STAPLE: There’s a wide selection of them, but if I had to pick two, it would have to be Gargano/Ricochet at Takeover and Sasha/Ronda for the Rumble. These are two fresh matchups with endless possibilities. I’m excited to see what Gargano’s fast, rapid pace integrates with Ricochet’s athleticism and ingenuity in the ring. Sasha hasn’t competed for the women’s title in a while, and she’s at her best when she works with an edge. The Bank Statement vs. The Armbar tells the story in of itself.

ABSLER: I am most excited for Balor vs Lesnar because Balor has had this match coming to him for a long time. The meaning of the match and the title to Balor transcends wrestling and includes the story of the underdog and a represents that of oppression.

DUNNING: A tough question as there’s so much going on. Of course there’s both Rumble matches. AJ vs. Bryan is always classic. Asuka vs. Becky will be epic. And of course there’s a chance Finn Balor will somehow find a way to beat Brock. I almost forgot about Sasha vs. Ronda too, which should be interesting as Sasha will push Ronda to the limit. It’s easier to say which one I’m least excited about .. which is Miz/Shane vs. The Bar. I hope The Bar destroy this team very quickly. There’s way more deserving tag teams who should be challenging The Bar.

DEFELICE: For the Rumble card I’m most excited for the Rumbles themselves. Over on NXT, definitely Johnny Gargano vs Ricochet.

7) “Which superstars do you feel are the biggest omissions from these lineups?”

MANGO: Easily for TakeOver, it’s Velveteen Dream, which makes me suspicious that he’s not just appearing in the Royal Rumble. When it comes to the main roster, it’s Braun Strowman, if he doesn’t get inserted into the match.

HOLDEN: Not counting injured stars who can’t get there? If Bray Wyatt doesn’t end up returning, that could be considered a big missed opportunity to at least reintroduce him to the fans with a spotlight. Not having Becky Lynch in the Women’s Rumble match seems absurd to me.

STAPLE: The Rumble PPV has most of the important people accounted for, but the RAW Tag Team division is still a mess and not having the champs there just seems counter intuitive. And Takeover doesn’t feel like Takeover without the Velveteen Dream.

ABSLER: I am really surprised to see that the Velveteen Dream isn’t booked on the NXT Takeover card. His momentum is unlike any other NXT star and he definitely should have a match.

DUNNING: Smackdown tag teams? Although they’ll probably end up in the Rumble. I’d love to see Pete Dunne pop out .. he deserves it.

DEFELICE: I don’t know if there are any omissions over on the WWE side, but NXT is definitely missing Adam Cole and The Velveteen Dream.

8) “If you could add one more match to each or either card, what would it be?”

MANGO: I’d consider adding a battle royal for TakeOver with the winner getting a spot in the Royal Rumble, but I probably wouldn’t do that. I’d probably go with a squash match of Dominik Dijakovic destroying someone from the main roster who won’t do anything elsewhere, like Rhyno. I don’t think there’s time to add another on the Royal Rumble card that would be worth it.

HOLDEN: I’d like to see a Tag Team Rumble; both team members have to be tossed for the team to be eliminated, winners get a title shot on the next Raw or SmackDown. Opens up more singles spots for the main rumble for either under-utilized guys (Hi Zac Ryder!), or NXT’ers, plus it opens up story opportunities. One guy gets all the way to the final four, despite his partner being eliminated first. One whole team also makes the final four, forcing the other pair left to team up, despite being enemies for months, etc. You could also have a team begin the crack at the start of January when someone like Bobby Roode tells Chad Gable he won’t be joining him in the Tag Rumble, because he’s entering the singles one instead. Stuff like that.

STAPLE: For the Rumble, I’d have some sort of tornado tag team match for the RAW Tag Titles to finally give The Revival a much deserved victory. Takeover’s five match card system is perfect, but how about Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream?

ABSLER: n/a

DUNNING: An IC title match? I think that’s the only one missing. Lashley needs a credible win after claiming it from Seth.

DEFELICE: For the Rumble, I would add an Intercontinental Championship match between Lashley and Elias. For NXT, I would split the difference and put Adam Cole against Velveteen Dream.

9) “Do you have any oddball predictions you think will happen at either of these events?”

MANGO: I’m sticking to my Lynch/Flair co-winner scenario. I also wouldn’t be shocked if WWE tries to redo the Titus O’Neil slide thing in some fashion, or at least reference it with him purposely avoiding it or something.

HOLDEN: Kofi Kingston will avoid elimination by leaping onto the head of a young child seated at ringside. Sadly, my most oddball prediction is also my actual prediction – if they have managed to procure the services of either The Rock or Batista for the Rumble, that man will win it. If they can’t get either of them, John Cena will win the Royal Rumble.

STAPLE: How about Ciampa coming out to help Gargano defeat Ricochet, and then Johnny returning the favor for Ciampa, and then end Takeover holding NXT’s top singles titles? That’d be swell, wouldn’t it?

ABSLER: I actually think that The Miz and Shane McMahon are going to win the Tag Team Titles. Whether or not that actually happens is yet to be seen, but I have an odd feeling they will dethrone the bar.

DUNNING: Vince can be either super predictable, or not predictable at all. It depends on his mood, which is why I tend to have a “wait and see” attitude. I daren’t try to predict anything too crazy.

DEFELICE: I think AJ styles and Finn Balor walking away as champions is a lot more possible than some people think.

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!

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