WWE Wrap-Up
This week in WWE: The build to the Royal Rumble continues
Jan 4, 2018, 7:39 am
Becky Lynch returned and gave Riott Squad a dose of reality. Photo by WWE.com
This is a weekly look at the action in the WWE:
Raw
Alexa Bliss chased down Kurt Angle to talk him out of her match against Asuka later that night. Angle, then, came to the ring to wish fans a Happy New Year. He explained that the Women’s Royal Rumble match will feature 30 competitors. The Bar interrupted Angle. They are still upset about losing their titles to Rollins and Jordan. Jordan came to the ring, and Angle decided to put his son in a match against Cesaro. Jordan won the match after Sheamus’ plan to get involved backfired thanks to Seth Rollins. Bray Wyatt defeated Apollo Crews in a very competitive match. Matt Hardy appeared on the big screen after Wyatt’s win and warned him, he cannot escape his woken wisdom for much longer. Alexa Bliss asked Nia Jax to support her ring side during her match against Asuka. Jax declined as she has to tend to a sick Enzo Amore.
Bliss and Asuka put on a great match to start hour two of Raw. Asuka upset the champion submitting her with an arm bar. Samoa Joe explained he is going to take Roman Reigns’ Intercontinental Championship. It may be Roman’s yard, but this is Samoa Joe’s world. Braun Strowman’s match against Rhyno somehow turned into a handicap match when Heath Slater got involved. Strowman, of course, won the match. After the match, much to the crowd’s delight, he destroyed both men with Running Power Slams. Backstage, Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan, for some reason, cooled Reigns down before his match against Samoa Joe. Kane explained to Strowman that together they can stop Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Finn Balor found Kurt Angle backstage to tell him his good brothers, Gallows and Anderson, will be his partners in his match against Elias and the Mizterouge.
Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe put on another great Intercontinental Championship match. The added stipulation that Reigns would lose his title if he got disqualified only made the match that much better. Reigns escaped a Coquina Clutch and pinned Joe after hitting him with a Spear. Cedric Alexander and, for some reason, Goldust tagged and defeated Drew Gulak and Diavari. Finn Balor, Gallows and Anderson defeated Elias and The Mizterouge. After the match, they celebrated with “two sweets,” much to the approval of the fans that’ve been following them since NJPW. Paul Heyman spoke about Lesnar’s match at Royal Rumble against Kane and Strowman. Kane came to the ring and hit Lesnar with a Choke Slam. Lesnar got up, quickly, and a brawl ensued to close the show.
Highlight of the night:
Samoa Joe is an absolute SAVAGE. In his promo, he told Renee Young that Dean Ambrose is a stay at home husband living off his wife’s checks. Well, Young is the exact wife Joe was talking about. Young’s face when Joe said this was absolute GOLD. Add to that the fact that Joe and Reigns have had some absolute great matches on Raw, and we see why Joe has been one of the brightest spots currently in the WWE.
SmackDown Live
The WWE Champion, AJ Styles opened SmackDown Live. He shared his New Year’s Resolution: to hold the WWE Championship until WrestleMania. Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon, then, came down and continued to bicker about their issues with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The two “agreed” that McMahon, Bryan and Owens will be ringside for the main event between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn. The Usos defended their Tag Team Championships against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. The challengers pinned Jai Uso after their finisher, but Gable was the one that went for the pin, not Benjamin-the one who was the legal man. The referee realized his mistake, and restarted the match which the Usos won after a barrage of Super Kicks to Benjamin. The Bludgeon Brothers destroyed Breezango before their match could even get started. The Ascension raced down to save their buddies, but suffered the same beating the Fashion Police received.
Xavier Woods spoiled Rusev Day after hitting English with a Big Elbow Drop to win the match and advance to the next round. Natalya, Tamina and Carmella tagged against The Riott Squad. Sarah Logan hit Tamina with a nasty knee to pick up the win for Riott Squad. Ruby Riott took to the mic to explain how The Riott Squad is a dose a reality, and declared all three members as entrants in the Royal Rumble. This prompted Charlotte Flair, Naomi, and a returning Becky Lynch, to give them “a dose of reality” via a beating. Of course, Bryan and McMahon’s issues got in the way of the main event, again. Kevin Owens prevented the referee from reentering the ring, causing McMahon to toss him from ringside. Bryan, then, said it would only be fair if McMahon, himself, left too. This distraction allowed Zayn to hit Styles with a Helluva Kick and win the match. Styles expressed his frustrations with all parties involved, and suggested taking on both men. Bryan took his rant as serious and explained that Styles will be defending his championship against both men at the Royal Rumble in a Handicap Match.
Highlight of the night:
The shenanigans in the tag title match were great. The Usos continue to show us why they are the best tag team in the WWE. They, along with Gable and Benjamin, made a TV match memorable.
How do they compare?
Thank goodness we are out of the end of the year filler purgatory. The Royal Rumble build continues with a successful week of build. We now have more participants announced for the rumble matches, US Tournament matches, and even got a WWE Championship match. Raw proved once again why it is so dominant. At the end of the day, it comes down to them using their stars so much better, generally speaking. Samoa Joe is an absolute savage, himself, and he is not even in the main event title picture. Raw establishes what we have come to know as the norm by winning this week.
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C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Nico vs. Colts
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Taylor made
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Confident Anderson
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
Pass rush
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”