Just (Gorilla) Press Play - South Kongress Wrestlemania 31 Preview (Part 2)

Where the Big Boys Play button.

Just (Gorilla) Press Play - South Kongress Wrestlemania 31 Preview (Part 2) can be found here.

Icon vs. Guy who's wrestled a long time - Sting vs. Triple H

I have two buddies that try to tell me how great Sting is, like I didn't see Sting matches in the 1990s.  The best work Sting ever did was standing in the rafters and pointing his bat at the nWo.  Which isn't a shot - that shit was fire.  But some would have you believe Sting's last match was against Ric Flair in 2001 on the final Nitro.  Not so fast yo.  Sting was half stepping in TNA collecting big checks all through my adult life.  And Triple H - he's cool.  His in ring work since Wrestlemania 28 has been good to great just about any time out.  So what if i can't stand the guy on my television?  They've had 6 months plus to plan this match out, and both are protective over their legacies/ portrayals, so I think this match will be a welcome surprise.  And well... Sting HAS to win, right?  Triple H is over big footing guys he shouldn't, right? RIGHT?  Who the hell knows.  I'll roll with the special attraction, and not the guy I'll be changing the channel on for the foreseeable future.   Also, for you two, 50 and Josh... Sting isn't trash.  Often.  Winner - Sting

This Happened.  LOOK! LOOK! IT DID!

Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title - Daniel Bryan v. Stardust v. R-Truth v. Dolph Ziggler v. Dean Ambrose v. Luke Harper v. Wade Barrett (c)

It's been ten years since the first "Money in the Bank" ladder match.  The day I declared "SHELTON BENJAMIN IS THE FUTURE!!!" and was proven very, very wrong.  When you have a billion guys on the roster, and you don't want to downgrade all of them, this is what happens.  For reference, I've been on the Cody Rhodes bandwagon since Legacy, even before.  I've written words on words about just how great Daniel Bryan is.  Ambrose has a great upside as long as he isn't fighting in the gimmick of the week match against Bray Wyatt.  R-Truth, for all the, uh... acting... he does, gets credit for maintaining excellent physical condition, and maintaining a damn job all these years.  Luke Harper was hot toward the end of the Wyatt family run, has an amazing look, and looks like he can WIN A DAMN FIGHT.  Ziggler is a victim of his own bravado, but deserves more than he's been given, and Barret?  The champ?  HE AND THE NEXUS SHOULD HAVE BEATEN JOHN CENA BACK IN THE DAY AND I STILL FEEL A WAY ABOUT THAT BULLSH... sorry, got in my feelings a bit there.  For reasons I'll detail a bit later, I see Bryan winning this match, and returning a certain level of prestige to the IC Strap.  I think Stardust and Ziggler will have the standout performances though.  Winner - Daniel Bryan

There aren't enough flame emojis for the 'Dust Alternate uni.

Singles Match for the United States Title - John Cena v. Rusev (c) w/ Lana

I haven't been this excited for a John Cena match in 3 full years (when the Rock rightfully whooped that ass in Miami) and I'm genuinely hyped for this.  Rusev is great.  He's tough, he can move, his kicks look like they hurt, his promos seem genuine, he's imposing, even his "Russian Nationalist" gimmick seems believable because the disdain with which he speaks about America... he's not out there telling any old lie!  He's coming from a place of truth, just real enough to piss people off.  He hasn't been running through the competition like Goldberg's streak, but he takes the very best shots from his opponents, survives it, and finds ways to win.  He's just great to watch.  Lana, also, doesn't hurt the cause.  She's a great mouthpiece for him, with her tone, and inflections, and oh so tiny business suits.  John Cena is - what do you even have to say?  He puts on great performances in big matches.  His promos leading up to this have been serious in tone, WHICH IS ALL WE'VE EVER ASKED THE GUY TO DO!  The first match they had was just excellent, so I feel they'll go above and beyond here to give the people a show.  Cena kicks off his "award tour" by regaining the first singles title he put on his mantle, minus the played out spinner gimmick.  Winner - John Cena

America is trash, this is my lady, I'll mess you up.  Cool?

Now, I'm predicting both Bryan and Cena to win their matches, and titles, largely because of my main event prediction.  WWE is going to transition those titles from afterthoughts to the big deals, because of this...

May see this again, REAL soon...

Singles Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Title - Roman Reigns v. Brock Lesnar (c) w/ Paul Heyman

Man, I see an ass kicking on the horizon.  I mean a shellacking.  Roman Reigns is going to catch the biggest fade of anyone ever.  I'm saying this, and I LIKE Roman Reigns.  Other than his trash ass promos, I like him in the ring.  I've gotten over the idea that a guy needs 50 moves to be great.  Just Look at Lesnar.  He hit John Cena with the same move 14 times at Summerslam, and no one with a shred of credibility complained!  Even if die-hard fans were more behind Reigns, Brock Lesnar is simply at the peak of his powers.  I never took issue with him showing up part time.  I watch Boxing.  I watch MMA.  I watch seasonal sports.  Seasonal shows.  There's something to be said for having to wait to see things.  Netflix binging is great,  but the anticipation that comes from delayed satisfaction... there's no replacing that.  So now that Brock has signed up for 3 more years, if he only shows up 12 times a year, I have no problem there, and I'm sure I'll enjoy each and every time.  My prediction is that Reigns is booed out the building, defeated handily, and Brock leaves Wrestlemania the best part time champ you could ask for.  The IC and US titles become big deals, with the roster chasing Cena/ Bryan, and those titles headlining the house shows/ TV events other than the ones Brock appears on.   Top to bottom, it's a pretty good card, and this year sure looks like a win for the WWE.  Winner - Brock Lesnar