Road to WWE Wrestlemania 37: Week 4
This week on the Road to Wrestlemania, things were shaken up like I never thought they could be. Title changes occurred, stories shifted and one Wrestlemania Main Event that’s been set in stone. Here is what took place this week on the Road to Wrestlemania.
RAW RESULTS
Riddle defeated John Morrison
The New Day defeated MACE & T-BAR
Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin defeated Lucha House Party
Damian Priest defeated Angel Garza
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defeated Charlotte Flair and Asuka
Sheamus defeated Jeff Hardy
Naomi and Lana defeated Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke
AJ Styles defeated Ricochet
Bobby Lashley defeated Braun Strowman
THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM RAW
1. The Miz is the new WWE Champion, but at what price? He now has to face Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship on Monday Night Raw due to Lashley helping him the championship. With Drew McIntyre no longer WWE Champion, I wonder what his road to the biggest show of the year will be. Something tells me that he will be watching Lashley vs. Miz very closely.
2. It appears to Braun Strowman is getting very frustrated with WWE Management as he continues to call out Shane McMahon on a weekly basis. I would be very intrigued by a McMahon vs. Strowman match on the biggest stage of them all. Shane has a history of working well with big guys in the past like The Undertaker and Big Show. I would fully expect to see them do some crazy things against each other.
3. Charlotte Flair continues to be frustrated as she deals with her father. She had a very emotional backstage segment with Ric, and if you couldn’t feel where Charlotte was coming from, I’m not sure you’re human. In past Wrestlemania seasons, Charlotte’s plans have been set in stone very early on. I like that she doesn’t have easy this year and she’s trying to find what her next move should be.
SMACKDOWN RESULTS
Otis and Chad Gable defeated Dominik and Rey Mysterio
Apollo Crews defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
Tamina defeated Liv Morgan
The Street Profits defeated King Corbin and Sami Zayn
Daniel Bryan and Jey Uso ended in a Double Count Out.
THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM SMACKDOWN
1. The Universal Championship scene is really interesting to me right now. It is suppose to be Roman Reigns versus Edge, but Daniel Bryan won’t go away. Bryan and Jey Uso ended in a Double Count Out. Now Bryan has to face Jey Uso in a Steel Cage Match to keep himself in the Championship hunt. His passionate words on Talking Smack make me believe that he will not rest until he gets that Championship back and is able to give guys opportunities that have deserved those opportunities for a very long time.
2. The development of Apollo Crews, Otis and Gable continue to resonate with me as I watch what they’re doing on Friday Nights. Crews is finally get a chance to show what he’s truly capable of as a in-ring competitor and as someone who people despise. As for Otis, I did not think he had it in him to be bad. With his strength and Gable coaching him, he could be one of the most destructive forces on the roster.
3. Bianca Belair finally chose Sasha Banks as her opponent for Wrestlemania. What started out as respect and friendly competition is quickly turning into a tense rivalry. I personally hope Sasha Banks gets back to being a bad chick. I’ve never bought into her being a goody good girl. I’m truly excited for this match, because Sasha is one of the greatest performers of this generation. On the other side, Belair is probably the most gifted athlete on the WWE roster. With those two components, I expect magic to be made at Wrestlemania.
BONUS TAKEAWAY
The United States Championship scene is going to be really intriguing going into Wrestlemania. With Lashley focused on the WWE Championship and Riddle being the new United States Champion, the door is wide open for new contenders and challengers to stand across from Riddle. The question when it comes to Riddle is who’s next?
This week’s Road to Wrestlemania has concluded. The Smackdown side of Wrestlemania is really starting to shape up. On the Raw side of things, it is still very much wide open. Check back next week to see if things are more definitive as we get closer to Wrestlemania 37.