4/26/2018

By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt)

So yeah…the Brothers of Discussion were on hiatus during the most important time of the year…Or so we thought! We thought that we were going to see a new leaf turned over for the WWE. The end of an era for Brock Lesnar, the beginning of a diversified roster (with new champions), and a chance for us to see an amazing return for one of the most beloved superstars of the past few decades (Daniel Bryan).

Fast forward a few weeks and Brock Lesnar is still here, with Roman Reigns nipping at this heels. Nakamura and Asuka are without gold around their waists. And poor Daniel Bryan might be scheduled to lose to Big Cass for the next few weeks to a month.

For the first time since the start of the Brothers of Discussion…we were wrong on all accounts. And wrong in a bad way. How refreshing it would have been to put a new face on the Universal Championship. How refreshing it would have been for the WWE to stand side by side with their foreign superstars, gold plated belts in hand. How refreshing it would have been to give the guy you had held back for so long (and his fans) an opportunity to see him in a meaningful match.

The show of shows turned into a show of blows – to the crotch. So, maybe it was all for a reason. Maybe the refresh and the new leaf comes this Friday, when the WWE Superstars make their way to Saudi Arabia for the Greatest Royal Rumble!

Maybe…

The Great wRestling Refresh (my own version of #GRR) should take place after this Friday, evidenced by hints and nods at coming superstar debuts, Backlash matches, and storylines seemingly running their course and being very close to stale.

How is that refresh gonna start? With a few different strategic match decisions the WWE should be ready to head into the summer with some newer stroylines (keyword is 'some'). Direct your attention below to the Brothers of Discussion Official Picks:
 

Undertaker Vs Rusev

Alright…all of that bologna about the refresh will unfortunately have nothing to do with Rusev. I think Rusev is fine here with the loss. The Undertaker is getting the win because he is one of few globally recognizable superstars and even more so in Saudi Arabia. I got a chance to interview some friends from school about their excitement for the GRR and the conversation immediately turned to the Undertaker. The fans will get what they want and the Dead Man will ride away for a year on a 2 match winning streak.

Winner: Undertaker

The Bar vs. Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt (Raw Tag Titles)

A chance to hit the refresh button happens with the conclusion of this match. As the Brothers of Discussion have already stated, Smackdown Live will now be the place for Tag Team Wrestling. The Bar have made the move to Smackdown and will be able to fight for the REAL tag titles. That being said, the red and gold belts are going to look great wrapped around the waists of the Woken ones, Bray and Matt.

Winner: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Cedric Alexander (c) vs Kalisto (Cruiserweight Championship)

Alright…this one is a total blow off. I guarantee the story finishes after this match and Cedric Alexander gets to walk away with his title. A good match, no doubt, but definitely some distance here between what will carry on for the next 205 Live show and what happens during this battle.

Winner: Cedric Alexander

John Cena vs Triple H

Whoops…one more stinker for the main shows. Obviously this one is for the fans in Saudi Arabia. I would be absolutely shocked if this storyline made it past the ropes… (and if this match lasted more than 10 minutes). The one thing that puzzles me on this one is the winner. Right now, John Cena is on quite the slide, but it has been in an effort to build up the younger roster. I feel like there still might be some effort to continue that storyline, so I’ll give Triple H the nod.

Winner: Triple H

The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs the Usos (Smackdown Tag Titles)

Now here is one that will introduce the Saudi Arabia fans to the Bludgeon Brothers and maybe the Usos (I feel like they might know the Usos, but again…friends I spoke to don’t recognize the name). For the domestic fans, this will actually breathe fresh air into the Tag feud and the Usos will come away victorious. The feud will continue and the best way for it to finish is having the Bludgeon Brothers victorious, but I see some more shenanigans, similar to this past week on Smackdown, to get the Usos the victory on this day.

Winner: The Usos

The Miz vs Seth Rollins (c) vs Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe (Intercontinental Championship)

So, the definite losers here are the Miz and Samoa Joe. I think a feud could build, based on good ol wrasslin, between Finn and Seth. However, the win for Seth is going to help build the importance of that title to the title holder and maybe help Seth move forward with one of the newer members of Raw, like Bobby Lashley.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal (For the United States Championship)

Considering the moves that the WWE made on the US Title and the IC Title, one result could affect the other. If Jinder Mahal wins this match, which there is a very good chance considering the location of the bout (even though he’s from Canada and his character is from India), then that would affect the previously mentioned match for the IC title. However, I see a feud with Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy only holding meaning if a title was involved. Based on how boring Jeff is (when he is not Brother Niro), the US title will at least add a touch flair to their flat lining personalities.

Winner: Jeff Hardy

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (Steel cage match for the Universal Championship)

Alright! Some real change! Roman is taking this one! I guarantee it. The story line is there, but more importantly, Brock Lesnar’s contract was said to only go up until this match. This will give Roman an opportunity to win this match and it not having the same old boring 5 superman punch, 4 spear finish we predicted for WrestleMania. Let Roman scale the cage and escape while keeping Brock looking strong, by never actually getting pinned. Easy peasie, with a lack of a 1, 2, 3-sie. The era of Brock is over and the era of monthly Universal Title match begins!

Winner: Roman Reigns

AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (For the WWE Championship)

Woot! More change! Nakamura takes this one! The new ‘bad guy’ is gonna add some fire to this feud by wiping out AJ and taking the title home with him. This feud could go on for months, so here’s to the beginning of a very long back and forth, as well as a chance for the WWE to diversify their champions!

Winner: Nakamura

50 – Man Royal Rumble

I’ll be honest, picking a winner here is extremely difficult. The Punjabi Giant, the Great Khali, will definitely figure into the final 4, considering his status, but I feel like the winner should be able to head back to Raw or Smackdown with some bragging rights. I’d love to see Elias win it or Drew McIntyre, but I see a very small chance of that happening. It really is a crap shoot and I feel like I’m going to be disappointed…so I’m going to make a pick that’ll match that disappointment…

Winner: Rey Mysterio

I know, I know. I hate it too. I’ll just say that I nailed the Royal Rumble from January, so when I get this one wrong, it won’t hurt as much.

I hope this show really does bring about some of the change I mentioned. At least it would show that the WWE is able to make some new decisions and execute real change.

Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

@BODPodcast for Twitter and Facebook