Welcome to another edition of WWE Heat Index, wherein we discuss the interest level for the various feuds heading into the pay-per-view events. This time around, we’re focusing on Starrcade 2019 coming this Sunday night.
The way this works is a pretty simple three-way breakdown of Hot, Lukewarm and Cold. If you like something and you’re very interested in how WWE is setting up the program, it’s Hot (aka Good). If you’re a bit on the fence about it and see some problems, but it’s not awful, then it’s just Okay or Lukewarm. The ones that are the most problematic that you have no interest in are Cold (aka Bad).
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section to let everyone know what your thermometer reads for each feud as I tell you what my thoughts are below!
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Kevin Owens Show with Ric Flair = Cold
Owens is one of my favorites on the roster (and has been since his debut in NXT) and Ric Flair is a legend, but I just do not care about this segment at all. I highly doubt it’s going to be anything different from the way this stuff always goes down, as there’s a routine to it all.
KO will hype up and introduce Flair. He’ll come out, ramble about some stuff and go over his time, and a heel will come out. More than likely, it’ll be someone like Sami Zayn or King Corbin, who can talk some trash about Flair and Owens.
Then, they’ll take a stunner. KO’s music will hit. Bathroom break over.
At most, it’ll lead to a quick tag team match or something. Maybe Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura come out and another babyface joins Owens. That way, they have a short tag team match that the babyfaces win. In any case, it’ll be meh.
Prediction: This just eats up time and serves no real purpose and might not even be referenced on Raw the next night.
Last Man Standing Match: Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley = Lukewarm
Here’s the thing: I hate this feud, but if the game plan is for Rusev and Bobby Lashley to beat the hell out of each other, why wouldn’t that be cool?
Last Man Standing matches have the potential to be amazing if they aren’t just a series of 9-counts with lame spots to stretch out the segment. If the use of weaponry and stunts is actually worthwhile, then this could be one of those pleasant surprises.
But if the idea is to have Rusev and Lashley do the bare minimum with things like a few kendo stick shots and an ending with Lana getting involved just to dawdle and have the real match at TLC, this will be an awful waste of time.
Given the way this feud has gone down so far, I don’t have a lot of faith it’ll surpass expectations, but I hope I’m wrong.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley wins.
Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair = Hot < Lukewarm
I can’t give this a full Hot, as fundamentally, I don’t expect there to be any chance the tag titles change hands. For the most part, this is just a match that is happening for the sake of happening. Those just feel a little hollow, to me.
However, despite that, I do think this has potential to be fun, which makes me almost want to heat it up more than a Lukewarm rating. There’s a lot of talent packed into this Fatal 4-Way. If they aren’t able to figure out how to make this an entertaining 20 minutes, I don’t know what’s going on.
It’s all in the execution and booking of the match. If there’s no cohesion and everyone just trades a few shots here and there, it’ll be a mess. But if they allow each person to shine for a few minutes and keep the energy up, it should be interesting.
Prediction: The Kabuki Warriors win.
Those are my thoughts, but how do you feel about these particular feuds? What’s hot and what’s cold in your mind? Fill us in on your point of view in the comments below!
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