Opinion

WrestleMania 36: Should NXT Matches Be Added To The Card?

With WWE superstars dropping from WrestleMania 36 due to medical concerns related to COVID-19, should NXT matches be added to the show?

Published

3 years ago

March 30, 2020

Greg DeMarco

WWE WrestleMania 36 NXT Tommaso Ciampa Johnny Gargano

With WWE superstars dropping from WrestleMania 36 due to medical concerns related to COVID-19, should NXT matches be added to the show?

Not even a month ago, we were discussing Goldberg’s victory over Bray Wyatt/The Fiend for the Universal Championship, and if a Roman Reigns’ win was a given. Now Roman is out of WrestleMania 36 and we’re probably looking at Braun Strowman as Universal Champion in less than two weeks.

We’ve also lost talented individuals from the WrestleMania card, including United States Champion Andrade, Women’s Tag Team Champion Asuka, Cesaro, Smackdown Tag Team Champion The Miz, and more.

Add it all up, and it means a portion of the confirmed and rumored 16-match card (spread out over two nights) is up in the air, and more matches might be needed to fill in the gaps.

So what’s WWE to do? Well, you have some of the most talented individuals in the world competing down in NXT, and matches are reportedly recorded for upcoming Wednesday night broadcasts to replace what was scheduled for Takeover: Tampa.

Should WWE put NXT matches on the WrestleMania card?

It’s not so simple as a yes or no answer (although there is one, lol), as a few factors need to be evaluated firs t…

What’s more important: NXT television or WrestleMania?

The matches slated for Takeover: Tampa, including the Women’s #1 Contender Ladder Match, Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream, and North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic vs. Damian Priest, will now take place as part of the NXT television broadcasts on the USA Network over the next few weeks. Those matches are presumed to be recorded already, so they could be used as part of WrestleMania if needed. That also means empty space during upcoming NXT broadcasts.

So what’s more important? NXT has a TV deal on USA Network, and providing first-run content is obviously a priority. Normally, that’s the answer for me…but this is WrestleMania!

USA Network, along with FOX, have already seen old content grace their airwaves over the past few weeks, and NXT has an amazing library of content that could supplement the upcoming broadcasts if any matches were moved to WrestleMania.

To me this is a non-factor, and if a move is needed, it can be done.

Are these WrestleMania worthy matches?

That question is kinda silly at this point, no? There’s already a ~~big~~ huge difference between any WrestleMania over the past 35 years and WrestleMania 36. Take this match for example:

Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Angel Garza & Austin Theory

Yes, that is a likely match taking place at WrestleMania 36, since Andrade is out with an injury. Austin Theory is rumored to be make his proper main roster debut on the biggest stage possible, the beneficiary of “right place/right time” for the 22-year old that I see as a future WrestleMania main eventer.

I am not sure that match is worthy of a WrestleMania Kick Off–hour one of a WrestleMania Kick Off–let alone the actual WrestleMania card. But that is our reality in 2020, as desperate times call for desperate measures. So to question if these Takeover matches, that have an actual build, are WrestleMania worthy is borderline insane at this point.

Will they make WrestleMania better?

And here we have what I believe to be the million dollar question. Would adding these matches to WrestleMania make the show better?

Honestly? YES.

Maybe it’s not the aforementioned matches. Maybe you throw together The Undisputed Era of NXT Champion Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong against a combo of NXT stars like NXT Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle (whose partner is stuck in the UK), Velveteen Dream, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch. Let Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic tear it up one more time–but for WrestleMania.

Io Shirai and Candice LaRae could rekindle their program for one more match, and outdo their prior Takeover showdown.

One match that I do, for a fact, believe belongs at WrestleMania? Tomasso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano for one last time. Gargano asked for two weeks to prepare, maybe we short him a few days and put that on the biggest WWE event of the year?

So by now you know my vote: YES. Yes, you absolutely should add NXT matches to WrestleMania 36. And it’ll be better because of it.

What say you? Sound off in the comments with your thoughts!

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Opinion

King’s WrestleMania Rewind: Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka from WrestleMania 34

Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!

Published

2 months ago

April 2, 2023

Chris King

WWE WrestleMania 34 Charlotte Flair Asuka

Chris king is back with one of the most underrated matches in WrestleMania history–Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka!

We look back at Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka at WWE WrestleMania 34. ‘The Empress of Tomorrow’ put her unprecedented and historic undefeated streak of 914 days on the line against ‘The Queen’s’ SmackDown Women’s Championship.

For years, this was considered a dream match while Asuka dominated the roster in NXT, while Flair won numerous championships on the main roster on both Raw and SmackDown. The Empress made her long-awaited debut on the September 11th episode of Raw and began to tear through the competition.

Asuka outlasted all twenty-nine other women in the historic first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match to challenge for the title of her choosing. At Fastlane, she made her choice.

The WWE Universe was so excited for this match myself included. Both superstars delivered a fantastic performance on the Grandest Stage of Them All executing counter after counter. Asuka showed off some nasty-looking kicks to her opponent, and Flair hit a thunderous Spanish Fly off the top rope. Flair was seconds away from defeat at the hands of The Empress but she locked in Figure Eight and Asuka was forced to tap out.

I can’t even begin to explain how shocked I was at this outcome, as nearly everyone expected The Empress to continue her undefeated streak and walk away with the women’s title. This controversial decision was the downfall of Asuka’s momentum. She would ultimately win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the 2018 TLC pay-per-view in the triple-threat ladder match.

Fast forward to this year when Asuka has recently returned with her Japanese-inspired persona Kana. Kana is dangerous and ruthless and is heading into a championship with Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39. The Empress has regained all her momentum and is highly favored to walk away with the Raw Women’s Championship. Let’s hope that Asuka and Belair can tear the house down and deliver an A+ grade match both women are fully capable of.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

King: Dominik Mysterio Needs To Do This At WrestleMania

Chris King is here with what WWE should do with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania in his long-awaited match against his father Rey Mysterio Jr.

Published

2 months ago

April 1, 2023

Chris King

Chris King is here with what WWE should do with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania in his long-awaited match against his father Rey Mysterio Jr.

On this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Rey Mysterio finally snapped and beat some sense into his disrespectful punk-ass kid Dominik. The member of the Judgement Day came out to push his father again for a match on the Grandest Stage of Them All, this time with his mother and sister at ringside. The ungrateful punk told his mom to “Shut Up,” as a father even I wanted to jump through the screen and whoop his ass.

Back in October of last year, Mysterio made the emotional decision to possibly quit the company but, instead, Triple H persuaded the Lucha libre superstar to move over to SmackDown to avoid his son. This came after Dominik shockingly turned on his father at Clash at the Castle. Mysterio did everything he could to refuse his despicable son’s challenge for Mania but, a man can only be pushed so far. Mysterio will be inducted into the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame and I expect Dominik to embarrass his father during his speech to further this personal feud.

Yes, the WWE Universe hates Dominik and wants to see him get the ever-loving crap kicked out of him but, this feud is missing a special ingredient to capitalize on the biggest heat possible. Throughout this feud, Dominik has made mention of the legendary Eddie Guerrero on several occasions going back to the “iconic” 2005 feud.

I know WWE might not want to go this route but, Dominik MUST come out to Eddie Guerrero’s theme at Mania. The disrespectful punk needs to come out in a lowrider to garner nuclear heat. It doesn’t matter if The Judgement Day comes out and causes interference for Dominik to get the win, all that matters is that both superstars get the biggest payoff of this nearly year-long feud. Just imagine the Roman Reigns heat after he defeated The Undertaker and multiply that by ten. Dominik portrays the perfect heel and he truly is the missing ingredient that The Judgement Day needed to grow and evolve into a top faction.