Seth Rollins vs. John Cena Could End Up Being Match Of The Year

Looking forward to tomorrow’s Night of Champions event, there’s one match in particular that I’m most excited about. Before talking about the reasons why Seth Rollins vs. John Cena is a lock to be the match of the night, here are a couple of other matches that I’m also excited about. I won’t touch on everything but here are a few quick thoughts:

New Day vs. Dudley Boyz

This should be loads of fun. New Day are on levels of funny that haven’t been touched since the days of Edge & Christian. Add to that the fun of when Bubba Ray and Devon put one or more them through the table and this should be a highlight of an already great show.

Ryback vs. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens has been one of the best performers of the year in WWE as a mark for The Big Guy, I’m stoked for this matchup. I ultimately see Owens carrying the IC Title, but I hope that this is more than a one and done feud. That would likely require a screwy ending, which would hamper this match from being as good as it could be.

Seth Rollins vs. John Cena

The United States Championship will be defended in what should be Rollins’ first match of the evening. Considering the two titles he has to defend, this one seems way more likely to have a clean finish. Also factor in that Rollins is already a spectacular performer and John Cena is having a legendary year of matches already and this could end up being one of the best matches of the year. I’m very stoked for this one and hope it lives up to the hype that I’m putting into it.

Thanks for reading my quick thoughts on the upcoming show! If you have the time, go to WhatCulture.com to check out my feature archive, including “8 Losses That Need To Happen At Night Of Champions 2015!”

Last Minute Rumble Predictions

I’ll keep this short and sweet. I’ve been avoiding spoilers today because I want to experience the surprises as much as I can in full mark-out mode. The Rumble is sacred; don’t mess with it.

Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (New Day) vs. Cesaro, Tyson Kidd & Adam Rose (Pre-Show)

I see New Day winning this one. There is loads of talent on this pre-show match and I hope all of these guys weather their spot on the card until they get their chances to move up.

Mitch’s Pick: New Day

The Bella Twins vs. Paige & Natalya

Since Nikki Bella is the Diva’s Champ I’ll assume that she’ll take the fall in this match. Not sure if Paige or Nattie is the one to get the win but I’ll hope that both of them get a Title shot soon. If some combination of these women (or all of them) are in the Diva’s Championship match at Mania then I’ll be fine with it.

Mitch’s Pick: Paige & Nattie

The Ascension vs. New Age Outlaws

I remember reading a dirt sheet rumor recently that people who matter were already balking on an Ascension push. I guess it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the Outlaws could win tonight, but I’m still going with the safe pick of The Ascension. Young guys winning over legends just makes sense.

Mitch’s Pick: The Ascension

The Usos vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow (WWE Tag-Team Championship)

Miz & Mizdow need to split up and The Ascension will need a babyface team to feud against in their eventual title hunt. The Usos should win this.

Mitch’s Pick: The Usos

30-man over-the-top Royal Rumble match

I don’t mind Roman winning this and I still think he’s the safe pick. I’d rather have Bryan winning it (or Ziggler or Ambrose or Wyatt or…) and there might be better options than Reigns, but it’s not terrible if he does. He’ll do fine in the main event of Wrestlemania and as long as they stop writing dumb promos for him people will largely enjoy the mega-push he’s being given.

Mitch’s Pick: Roman Reigns

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

I’ve heard a ton of convincing reasons why John Cena will win the match tonight but I think I’ll stick with Plan A. Roman will win the Rumble and he’ll go on to face Lesnar at Mania. This is a hard one to pick and I won’t be surprised at all if I’m wrong. I’m also still holding out on Rollins doing a cash-in because I’d like him to be the first one to do that at Wrestlemania.

Mitch’s Pick: Brock Lesnar

So here it is, my picks for the Rumble. It’s such a great show and I’m very stoked to watch it tonight. I’ve heard rumors of The Dudleys and The Rock over the past few days and I expect that Sting will show up in some capacity as well. But as for today, I’ve avoided the dirt sheets.

What do you think? Let me know your picks and predictions and if I can I’ll banter with you before the show. As always, check me out on Twitter @MitchNickelson and I’ll chat over there as well. Take care.

Curb Stomp Radio #2: Sting on Raw; McGregor is a Beast

To listen to this week’s episode, click on the following link…
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wrestlingsmash/2015/01/22/curb-stomp-radio-2-sting-on-raw-mcgregor-is-a-beast

Back again for the sophomore attempt, Sgt. Damage and Mitch Nickelson condense a massive amount of UFC and WWE conversation into one hour.

In the UFC world, Fight Night in Boston happened this past weekend and was headlined by Conor McGregor and Dennis Sivor. Mitch and Sarge discuss his victory and the post-fight antics with Jose Aldo. The two also look ahead toward the Fox event this Thursday that will be headlined by Gustafsson vs. Johnson.

On the WWE side of things, Monday’s Raw saw the first ever appearance from Sting on that show as the company headed toward its annual Royal Rumble event. Picks were made for that pay-per-view.

@CurbStompRadio
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MitchNickelson.com

Mitch News Now: Possible Sting Return at Survivor Series

Welcome to a new podcast feature for those who subscribe to my podcast feed, Mitch Nickelson Radio. This is a weekend news piece that hopefully I’ll get into a good routine of doing. Here’s the description of the inaugural installment of this…

In this brand new standalone weekend news segment, Mitch delivers a quick blast of wrestling news, rumors, and opinions.

Topics discussed are:

– Will Sting debut at Survivor Series?

– Sheamus thinks there should be a male version of Total Divas…or something like that.

– Charlotte is scheduled for some upcoming Raw and Smackdown dates.

– TNA on Destination America

– Mick Foley might or might not be the new WWE GM.

Mitch talks about his recent interview with Alex Barie of TNANews.com and looks forward to the upcoming week’s interview with Brandon Lasher, who is the NXT guy at TJRWrestling.com.

To listen to this weekend special…
1. Click the Play button on the player at the top of this page.
2. Check us out directly at the site that hosts me (libsyn)…CLICK HERE.
3. Look up Mitch Nickelson Radio on iTunes. Don’t forget to subscribe! (This is how I listen to it. Give me a good rating!) I’m also on Stitcher Radio!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson to keep up with all things Mitch. Take care.

Bray Wyatt Wants To Face The Undertaker

Bray Wyatt sat down with Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald recently to discuss WWE 2K15. In addition to all the facets of the new video game, The Eater of Worlds talked about one of his biggest career goals…to wrestle against The Undertaker. Here is that part of the article…

When you think of pillars of the industry, there are none respected more than The Undertaker. Wyatt refers to the Phenom as “the holy grail.”

“Bray Wyatt versus The Undertaker would be the greatest I could accomplish,” he said. “Just being there side-by-side with him. I get the comparisons, but we are also very different. He is ‘The Deadman.’ He will always be ‘The Deadman,’ and I’m Bray Wyatt. When or if, or when we shall meet, it will be every bit of everything I thought it would be.”

While this would definitely be a dream match, it might be wishful thinking. Taker is on the back-end of his career and only seems to be on a one match per year schedule. Will Bray get his shot? Will he have to wait his turn after (potentially) Sting? Time will tell but this author is crossing his fingers.

In other Wyatt news, it seems that Bray’s creepy crew of misfits has found interest in Hollywood. The Soska twins, who have made “See No Evil 2” and “Vendetta” through WWE Studios, sent out this tweet on Monday…

We wanna make a @WWEBrayWyatt film with the whole family SO BAD. Would you guys wanna see that??? #RAW #twinning #Idreamedadream

— The Soska Sisters (@twisted_twins) October 7, 2014

If WWE would go forward with a Wyatt movie, let’s hope that it captures the feel of all those fantastic vignettes that get made for the Wyatts. And maybe a real background story can be given to the Sister Abigail character.

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To keep up with all things Mitch, follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson. I’ve been trying to get my feet wet with podcasting, too. Check out my most recent episode of Mitch and Al Radio (Click on that player below!) and don’t forget to tune in next week. I’ve gotten the opportunity to interview The Amazing Kong and she gave me such a cool interview. That should be packaged with the next podcast, so make sure you don’t miss it!

Click Play below to hear the most recent edition of Mitch and Al Radio.

WWE 2K15 Gameplay Trailer Will Air On Monday Night Raw

Remember those cryptic Tweets that Sting posted a few months back that everything speculated on and on about? Remember how he put the date of an upcoming Monday Night Raw without an explanation?  Well, he’s doing it again…

It's Showtime. 9.22.14

— Sting (@Sting) September 20, 2014

While the last time this happened didn’t lead to a live appearance of Sting on WWE programming, it did give us a really cool promotional video for the upcoming WWE 2K15 game. I’m sure you’ve seen it more than enough by now, but here it is again, because it’s awesome…

So if you think that this cryptic Tweet, just like the last one, is more than likely referring to WWE 2K15 and not anything else, it looks like you are right. The official Twitter account of @WWEgames has confirmed this for us…

FINALLY.. The world premiere of the #WWE2K15 gameplay trailer is coming, Monday morning (9/22) on @IGN. #FEELIT! pic.twitter.com/O0A8MPmV4U

— #WWE2K24 (@WWEgames) September 20, 2014

While we’re already piecing together a not too difficult puzzle, it’s probably safe to say that this Tweet also refers to the same video game…

You've waited long enough… Prepare yourself for the next generation. 9/22/2014

— WWE (@WWE) September 19, 2014

Speculation about the above tweet has abounded that maybe it’ll refer to some of the amazing talent of NXT becoming main roster guys, but the video game connection is too big of a lock. The biggest stretch I can figure is that maybe the NXT guys will get big features on the game as well. But, there’s only one way to find out and that’s by watching Raw on Monday night.
                                                                    

Thanks for reading this quick news update. To not miss any of my columns or news updates or podcasts, please follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson. If you have the time, check out the most recent episode of SBP Wrestling by clicking HERE or by pushing the play button immediately below this. It’s worth a listen…

***New The Wyatt Family “We’re Here” Authentic T-Shirt Now Available at WWEShop.com!***

Hulk Hogan, Roman Reigns Comment On Sting Wrestling Again

by: Mitch Nickelson

Sting has officially aligned with WWE and all is right with the universe. He’s making amazing promotional videos for their video games. He’s appearing alongside WWE favorites like Hulk Hogan and Daniel Bryan at San Diego Comic-Con to promote his new action figure. The only thing missing in Sting’s long overdue arrival to the biggest wrestling company on the planet is to have an actual wrestling match. Will fans ever find themselves treated to such a sight?

Wrestling’s past and wrestling’s future have made comments, weighing in on Sting’s wrestling prospects in WWE. Hulk Hogan and Roman Reigns have both recently addressed this issue with differing outlooks on the issue. We’ll look at Hogan and his words first, which are way more positive. An interview he gave with Yahoo Sports is where we find these comments.

Yahoo Sports: Do you think we will see Sting in a WWE ring?

Hulk Hogan: Sting and I last talked when he made his appearance at Comic-Con and they announced he was part of the WWE Universe and that his dolls were coming out. We had a long talk on the plane and I said, “Brother, you have got to wrestle. I mean, I don’t care what kind of deal you signed, I said you can still go. You’ve never made a mark in the WWE.

I was begging you to come here in the ’80s and the ’90s and now you just show up out of nowhere. You’ve got to wrestle.” So, I hope it happens really soon. And I think by the time I beat on him for the three hours from Los Angeles to Dallas that I think we were on the same page and he knows that he needs to get in that ring and leave his mark in the WWE and make a huge statement. I hope it happens sooner than later.

Hulk Hogan had Sting’s ear for three hours on a plane ride and told him that he has to make a match happen. I think many nostalgic fans of Sting will agree with the Hulkster on this. WWE can give him the platform to have one final match (or series of matches) to cement a career that has been legendary. Let the man end on a high note with a huge platform (like Wrestlemania) and a iconic opponent (like The Undertaker if he’s healthy). Hogan seems confident that he helped sway Sting’s opinion toward a likely match. As a Sting fan who would love this kind of ending for him (coupled with a Hall of Fame induction), I can only hope.

While Hulk Hogan was very favorable toward a Sting match, Roman Reigns wasn’t quite so giddy about it. In an interview with a CBS affiliate local to Los Angeles, Roman had offered the following comments…

CBSLA: Will Sting wrestle in WWE?

Roman Reigns: I’d like to say I have the answer. But that’s what makes the WWE so appealing is that you just never know. There’s always such a mysterious element behind everything we do. For his sake, if he steps in the ring, I hope he stays aways from me. I’m not the guy to run into these days. I think it’s pretty cool just to be on the panel with him. Just to chat and BS a little bit with all those guys. It’s going to be a good time and anything can happen. But if he steps in the ring, he’s a seasoned veteran, he knows what he’s doing. But there’s a whole bunch of youngins on this roster that are hungry and we’re not trying to give any space for anybody else.

It’s a little difficult deciding how to take Roman’s comments here. He initially says that he hopes Sting stays away from him if he steps into a WWE ring with him. Readers can naturally assume this is done ‘in character’ and he’s just building heat for the chance of ever working with Sting. Then he ends the comments talking about the reality of the roster being full of younger workers who are “not trying to give any space for anybody else.” It might be a little bit of a reach, but is Roman offering a real threat here?

Sting returning would be big money for whatever event it happens at, but a Sting match would be a spot on a card that is not going to a worker still hungry to carve out his own legacy. Speculation about CM Punk’s departure earlier this year have been commonly attributed (among other things) to the frustration of returning legends who are booked in prominent spots on big money cards…does Roman feel this way as well?

While this author is very excited about the possibility of Sting in a WWE ring, maybe some on the roster do not share that sentiment. What do you think? Should a returning Sting be viewed with contempt? Is a big name from the past going to translate into WWE Network signups (only 9.99!) and is, therefore, best for business? Personally, I’m all for a Sting return. Comment below and let me know if you share in my excitement or not. And after you do that, look me up on twitter and follow me @MitchNickelson.

Will Sting Be On Raw This Monday? (AND SYCHO SID?!)

by: Mitch Nickelson

The internet has been abuzz over the past few days due to a highly cryptic tweet sent out by the legendary Sting. Here’s the simple message that has led to rampant speculation…

07.14.14

— Sting (@Sting) July 8, 2014

That date will arrive this coming Monday. Sting chose not to renew his contract with TNA when it ran out this past year. It’s also been well publicized that he’s been offered a contract by the WWE. This is most likely a legends contract similar to that of RVD or The Undertaker. Regardless, he has yet to sign it.

Has he finally come to terms with WWE? Will the former WCW Heavyweight Champion make his long-anticipated debut on Raw? More importantly, is he excited for the seven year anniversary of Mitch Nickelson and his lovely bride? (That’s really my anniversary, haha.)

While everyone will be sure to tune in Monday night and see if anything comes of this, the internet has failed to notice another enigmatic tweet sent out by a former World Champion from the 1990s…

https://twitter.com/SychoVicious/status/486588348816195584

Could this identical tweet signal something slightly less enticing for those of hoping to see Sting in a WWE ring before he hangs up his boots for good?

It was around this time last year that The Ultimate Warrior made a big announcement about being involved with WWE 2K14. With the cover of 2K15 being revealed over the past couple of weeks, maybe hopes shouldn’t be raised too high. Still, we can dream.

Who Should Undertaker Face At WM31?

by: Al N. Jaxson

Brock Lesnar conquered the streak at Wrestlemania!!!! I’m sure you’ve heard that at least a million times already by Paul Heyman. Shocked doesn’t do my reaction justice when Brock pinned the Deadman–1,2,3–and ended the streak that Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Jake the Snake Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, or Edge couldn’t. Not mention many others. So where does the Undertaker go from here? Who does he face now that the streak is over? Does anyone care anymore ? Well, I do! And there’s a couple guys I would definitely enjoy seeing go against the Phenom.

Bray Wyatt

Yep, you guessed it. Bray Wyatt. No one in the WWE is more perfect to go against the Undertaker than this guy. A big part of me wishes they would have let Bray end the streak instead of Lesnar. That would have made more sense to me and it would’ve helped his career a lot more than Brock Lesnar. Brock’s a part-time wrestler. He didn’t need that win. Bray did. But anyways, enough ranting from me. Bray Wyatt and the Undertaker could still put on a show. Give them a Hell in a Cell match. Build it up good. Let the Undertaker go evil like he was in the Ministry of Darkness. Evil vs Evil. Just a thought, y’all.

Sting

My other choice would be, of course, Sting. We’ve heard it over and over again that this needs to happen but it still hasn’t and now that the streak is broken it may never. But what a match that would’ve been! Would I still wanna see these two old legends past their prime go at it? Abso-freakin-lutely!!!! Sting coming to the WWE would’ve been awesome about 14 years ago right around when WWE was in their Invasion era, but it would still be awesome if Sting would come now. And a feud with the Undertaker would still be very entertaining. Probably not for the younger crowd but for that older crowd who remembers the good ol’ days; it would be something special.

Leave a comment below if you know someone else who should face Taker! Thanks for reading ,you pencil-necked geeks!!!