Eyes On WWE: Best Opening Matches At Wrestlemania

By @Phranchize19

Every year I usually get hype for Mania (mainly because I’m going), so I drop extensive knowledge on Mania and this year is no exception. Today, I’m gonna drop a list of the best opening matches in Wrestlemania history. Which matches make the list? Let's take a look.

*Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio Wrestlemania 21

-The first time tag team champions fight each other at Wrestlemania and it did not disappoint. We all know Rey and Eddie have uncanny chemistry together (we already covered their feud) and they got to show what they could do on the biggest stage of their careers. Mysterio would get the win starting a slow burning heel turn for Guerrero in an excellent match.

*Chris Jericho vs William Regal Intercontinental Championship Wrestlemania 17

-Widely considered the greatest card WWE has ever crafted, this starts off with a bang. Jericho was probably the most over guy in the company not named Austin or Rock at the time ans he was going against one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time in Regal. Despite a clash of styles, this match was far better than expected and led the charge for one of the greatest wrestling events in the history of the sport.

*Money In the Bank
Wrestlemania 23

-Before it became its own PPV, the Money In The Bank match was a staple at Wrestlemania during its infancy. This particular match may have been the best one in the history of Wrestlemania as we saw up and comers like CM Punk and Mr Kennedy get in the ring with main event talent like Booker T, Edge, The Hardys, and Randy Orton. In the end, Mr. Kennedy would win the match in a spectacular match that saw many great spots and insane maneuvers.

*AJ Styles vs Shane McMahon Wrestlemania 33

-It’s very rare that the first match on Wrestlemania (or any card for that matter) is the best match on the card but this is AJ Styles we are talking about. AJ Styles is the best wrestler walking this planet and he could have a 5 star match with a broomstick. In fairness though, I think Shane McMahon deserves plenty of credit for his performance in this match. Going in, this match was considered a let down due to how over and how great a year it was for AJ Styles. Styles was determined not to let where he was positioned on the card be a deterrent and he went out and stole the show with a very game Shane McMahon. AJ gets the win here.

*Daniel Bryan vs Triple H 

Wrestlemania 30

-I may be a tad bit biased (seeing as this was the first Mania I ever went to), but this match was a CLASSIC. Even though Triple H is not in his prime, he went out there and worked a classic match with a man smaller in stature and a style so diverse. Not since Chris Benoit had Triple H stepped in the ring with such a smaller technician and he adapted well. Daniel Bryan gets the win here.

*Bret Hart vs Owen Hart 

Wrestlemania 10

-Hands down, the greatest opening match in the history of this event. The story told itself. Brother vs brother and with two all time great mat technicians going at it, we were assured a great match. Considering that Bret was slated to compete twice, I had the feeling he might’ve held back but he didn’t and we got one of the best matches I’ve ever seen.

-Phranchize

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Eyes on the Ring 11:04 PM  No comment

Eyes On MITB: Money In The Bank 2017 Preview

By @TrueGodImmortal

Money In The Bank has been my favorite non big 4 PPV for years now. It has the best matches, whether MITB or the one on one contests, and this year, we could see something special again. The Smackdown only PPV is sure to be a fun watch, and with two special MITB matches, along with a solid lineup overall, this event could be fun. It's only 5 matches on the card, which is relatively short for a PPV card, but there could be more matches made going forward. For now, let's check a look at this event and what could be in store.

*Smackdown Women's Title 
Naomi vs Lana

-This match is odd. Lana is unproven and hasn't shown that she can compete much, yet here she is in the title match at MITB. This match is not one I'm looking forward to, but I hope I ended up shocked and surprised. Can Lana show out and steal the spotlight from Naomi? Logic would say that if WWE has plans for Lana, that she doesn't lose this match decisively because if she does, any momentum she could have goes completely out the window.  Will Naomi retain? I'd say so, but there's no telling with the WWE. I'd say Naomi wins by DQ.

*Smackdown Tag Team Title Match
The Usos vs The New Day

-I'm not sold on the Usos and this new style. Their promos are loud and boisterous, but make little sense. Their catchphrase is nonsensical honestly, as the logic of "it's not paranoia, it's the Usos" is awful. However, they are great in ring competitors and can put on solid matches. If I'm WWE, I'm adding Breezango, who have gotten super over on Smackdown, and American Alpha, who virtually won the title and got extremely misused. New Day is back in the title picture and for some odd reason, I see them winning this match and injecting some life again into the tag title picture. Will The Usos retain? Or will their 4 month reign come to an end? I'd go with New Day winning and then Smackdown injects the other teams I mentioned earlier in a future match, probably at SummerSlam.

*Smackdown Women's MITB Match 
Charlotte vs Becky Lynch vs Tamina Snuka vs Natalya vs Carmella 

-I recently discussed this on the site and I'm not entirely sold on this match, but I'm hoping it is a great contest. The ladies make history and have an opportunity to steal the show on the night. I think Charlotte ends up with the victory, as her momentum could use a big win, but there's something to be said about Carmella and her chances. I don't expect a lot of high flying, but I do think we will see a few notable bumps, and possibly a big move from a ladder through a table as well. Give this match about 15-20 minutes and let the women shine, and I think this can exceed the hype. Still, I'm picking Charlotte to win.

*WWE Championship Match 
Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton 

-Truth be told, there's nothing about this feud or match that I care about. Jinder sucks, Orton is boring when chasing the title, and this feud has nothing redeeming about it. I'd rather not see any man win, and have someone just cash in on them if this match closes the night. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer to see a Styles vs Orton vs Cena title match at SummerSlam with Styles winning the belt, but I could see Mahal retaining with a feud with Cena for the belt as his next step. What's working against Orton here? The fact that MITB is in his hometown of St. Louis, and most faces never win the title in their hometown, let alone win matches period there. I'll go with Mahal retaining unfortunately and I can't wait until this experiment is over.

*Smackdown MITB Match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kevin Owens vs Baron Corbin vs AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn vs Dolph Ziggler 

-This is the biggest match of the card and the one with MOTY potential. Nakamura is the man. Owens is the man. Styles is the man. Those three alone make this a match worthwhile, but add in Ziggler and Zayn, along with the on the rise Corbin and you've got the recipe for a classic. I'd like to see Nakamura win, but I don't see him walking out with the briefcase and the same has to be said for AJ Styles as well. I think we might see Nakamura vs Owens for the US Title soon, and that leads me to believe that Owens could very well end up winning the briefcase. However, the smart money is Baron Corbin, as he can continue to develop more and more with the briefcase by his side. I'd love to see Sami Zayn win as a dark horse, but logic would point to either Corbin or Owens winning this match. If I had to make a choice, I'll say Corbin ends up winning in a way that no one enjoys, and he begins the monster push he's been rumored to get for a while.

Money In The Bank could be a great event, and I just hope... sincerely that we don't see Mojo Rawley. I'll probably not get my wish, but with a short yet sweet lineup like this, MITB could very well be a great event. Only time will tell.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 1:46 AM  No comment

Eyes On MITB: Smackdown Women's MITB Match

By @TrueGodImmortal 

History is being made yet again in women's wrestling... word to Sasha Banks. Over the last year, we've seen women headline RAW and Smackdown, as well as headline a PPV, have their first Hell In a Cell and Ironman matches on WWE PPV, and now we will get the very first MITB Women's Match. Who has the best chance of winning? Let's take a look.

*Natalya

-I don't think she has a chance to win at all. She's been relegated to secondary status in this match, essentially since she's not as important on the roster. Still, Natalya is a great performer and a win for her would restore her momentum for sure. Still, it's unlikely.

Chance Of Winning: 5%

*Carmella

-A true dark horse candidate who could end up sneaking away with the briefcase. She's growing as a heel for sure, but for some reason, I just can't see her walking out with the briefcase. It's possible she gets the win and has James Ellsworth carry around her briefcase, but there's no telling if that'll be the case for sure. Will Carmella take that next step? Who knows, but I'd say she's got a better shot than two other women in this match for winning.

Chance Of Winning: 20%

*Tamina Snuka 

-I really don't see Tamina winning this at all, mainly because I don't see a championship in her future, but I could very well be wrong. She's a part of a legendary family, so it's entirely possible that she sneaks a win, but is anyone interested in seeing a Tamina push or title run? Not really. I'd say she and Natalya have the least chances for winning, but you never say never in the WWE, I guess.

Chance Of Winning: 5%

*Charlotte

-The perennial favorite to win it all shouldn't come as a shock. She's the biggest name in the Women's Division and as a face, she's not well adjusted yet, but perhaps as a tweener, a big time victory for Charlotte carrying around a personalized Queen's briefcase would be fun to witness. I think she is the most likely to win, only because she has the most momentum of any wrestler on the entire Smackdown roster right now. I expect Charlotte to walk out with the briefcase.

Chance Of Winning: 40%

*Becky Lynch

-Becky would be my 2nd choice to win this match, after Charlotte and only slightly ahead of Carmella. Becky was the first Smackdown Women's Champion and she has a chance to get back to the top spot with a victory in this match. However, the issue here, is that Becky is still a face and with Charlotte creeping up in that no. 1 face spot on Smackdown, it's possible a heel turn would be perfect for Becky with the briefcase. I'm not 100% sold on her winning over Charlotte, but I could very well see it happen.

Chance Of Winning: 30%

So, who wins? As you see here, I've chosen Becky and Charlotte as the two top choices, with Carmella as a dark horse. Whoever wins this match will have a heavy honor and this match could surprise a lot of people for sure.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 1:55 AM  No comment

Eyes On MITB: The 5 Best 1 On 1 Matches At The MITB PPV

By @TrueGodImmortal 

Now that the WWE has decided to turn the Money In The Bank PPV into a Smackdown only PPV, we decided it was only right to take a look back at the best matches that DIDN'T involve the briefcase at the event. What are the best non MITB/1 on 1 matches at the PPV? Let's take a look at the 5 greatest.

5. CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan 
WWE Championship 
Money In the Bank 2012

-This match was a continuation of the feud between Punk, Bryan, and AJ Lee. AJ Lee was the special guest referee, and Bryan and Punk would go at it in a really solid contest that saw both men get more aggressive than usual. With a No Disqualification stipulation, this wasn't your average technical classic like we saw at Over The Limit 2012, but this was different. Tables and weapons got involved, AJ got involved, and Punk walked away with the 1-2-3 victory to retain the WWE Championship. I feel like this match is honestly forgotten, but it was a truly entertaining contest that might have been even better and higher on this list IF AJ Lee was never involved.

4. Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins 
WWE Championship 
Money In The Bank 2016

-Initially, I wasn't excited about this match, but I know Seth and Roman have good chemistry, much like Seth and Dean do (Seth and Dean had a great match in 2015 that just missed the list). This match went a bit too long, and started off slow as it was Seth's first big singles match since his return from injury. However, once the pace picked up, both Reigns and Rollins went at it with vigor and a fire, giving each other everything they had to get a hold of that WWE Championship. Reigns was the defending champion, and the belief that Rollins had his number. Sure enough, Rollins DID have his number and as Reigns went for a big spear, Rollins countered it into a Pedigree and picked up the clean pinfall victory. Now, after the match, Ambrose ended up cashing in his briefcase and walking away with the big time victory, but Reigns vs Rollins really didn't disappoint and Rollins getting the huge victory meant a lot to his comeback.

3. Kevin Owens vs John Cena 
US Championship 
Money In The Bank 2015

-I'm more partial to their classic match at Elimination Chamber, but if I can be honest, this was just as good, if not more exciting at times than that contest. However, when you're trying to outdo one of the best matches of the year already, it can be quite the challenge. Luckily for us as viewers, both Cena and Owens were willing to put it all on the line. After 20 plus minutes of great action, Cena would pick up the victory and get his win back from the previous contest, but Owens looked great even in a loss, a rare occurrence where WWE made a truly concise decision booking wise that hurt neither one of the participants in the match. While I would have rather witnessed Owens win, Cena won in a fashion that seemed to hint at a rematch. Sure enough, we got one the following PPV.

2. AJ Styles vs John Cena 
Money In The Bank 2016

-It was surprising that AJ Styles made his way to WWE, but it was even more of a surprise when WWE gave us Cena vs Styles just a few months after his arrival and right when Cena returned from injury. This match was built well with AJ turning heel to kick off the feud, and the actual match itself didn't disappoint. Styles and Cena went back and forth giving each other everything that they had, and it would take some slick interference from Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to help turn the match in Styles' favor. Styles would pick up the 1-2-3, and walk away with the biggest victory of his career in a true classic. Styles vs Cena is without a doubt a great feud and this was the match that kicked off their epic run.

1. CM Punk vs John Cena 
WWE Championship 
Money In The Bank 2011 

-This is one of the greatest matches in WWE history. The build for it was epic, Punk was extremely over, and Cena was ready for the challenge. With the thought of Cena possibly losing his job if he didn't defeat Punk, along with the possibility of Punk leaving the WWE with the championship and going elsewhere, this match had so much riding on it. It was a true big fight feel and sure enough, Punk and Cena delivered. For nearly 40 minutes, the two biggest stars of the last two eras went back and forth until something had to give. Punk would end up getting the upper hand and hitting the GTS for a clean pinfall victory, one of the few times that happened on WWE PPV or TV. Punk winning was the right call and after he won, the image of him leaving with the WWE Title is one of the most iconic moments of the last 10 years in wrestling and because of that, there's no way you can put any other match from this short PPV history above it. This is the best match in MITB history period.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 1:29 AM  No comment

Eyes On MITB: The 2017 Money In The Bank Ladder Match

By @TrueGodImmortal 

Smackdown is bringing back the MITB PPV this year as an exclusive, and they've announced two matches so far. One, the WWE Champion Jinder Mahal (wow....) will defend against Randy Orton, who will be looking to have his rematch. However, despite that horrible match, what we will see that's sure to be a lot of fun is the 6 Man Money in The Bank Ladder Match, featuring what some of us have christened the new "Smackdown 6". Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura will do battle in a few short weeks for the most important briefcase in WWE, the Money In The Bank briefcase. So, with the match official and the participants announced, who will walk away with the win? Let's take a look at each participant.

*Baron Corbin
-I think there's a huge chance that Corbin will walk away with the victory and the briefcase, as his momentum continues to dwindle with back to back losses to Sami Zayn after losing a feud to Dean Ambrose. With that behind him and knowing WWE booking, Corbin is definitely a favorite to walk away with the briefcase, and if I'm being honest, I could very well see him cashing in the same night or perhaps at Battleground (the next Smackdown PPV) or on a summer episode of Smackdown. If this were to be case however, it would totally ruin the plans that I thought WWE had of Orton vs Styles for the WWE Title in a huge dream match feud, and puts Corbin in the driver seat that I don't think anyone wants him to be in.... yet. Though, in a weird scenario, we could see Corbin cash in, win, then drop the belt to soon to be returning John Cena..... which sounds oddly realistic. No one wants that, which means WWE will likely do it.... of course.

*Sami Zayn
-All of a sudden, Zayn is building momentum up after being reduced to a talented jobber these last few months. The move to Smackdown hasn't paid off yet minus two wins over Corbin, but he's still painted as the underdog. So, as the underdog, he'd have to have a shot to win this briefcase, right? Right? Not at all. There's literally no chance that Zayn walks away with this briefcase and I think he truly has the lowest odds possible of winning the briefcase of all the competitors honestly. If Zayn does win, I suspect he'll end up in that rare club of stars who lost their MITB cash in.

*Dolph Ziggler
-Right below Zayn is Ziggler in terms of who has the smallest chance of winning. Ziggler and Zayn are in the match to fill out the rest of the lineup and make the match more exciting and intriguing. Will Ziggler have a chance to win? Who would he feud with over the title? Nakamura? Orton? Owens? Styles? While those matches aren't bad to watch, Ziggler hasn't been a viable option in a while and is only in the new Smackdown 6 to fill his role as the good worker who can sell for guys. He's the WWE veteran in this "new era" and he will end up selling for all of the guys involved in this, which could end up being a lot of fun to witness, but he has no chance to win and he shouldn't anyways.

*Kevin Owens
-Surprisingly, I think Owens has a great shot at winning this match even as the US Champion and my reasoning is simple: Owens vs Orton in the future for the title. Now, don't get me wrong: I think there's a chance he doesn't win, but I do think if he won, it would easily make him the biggest heel on the brand, and since we know Jinder Mahal is a novelty act sure to fall off in the next few months, what better way to make Owens the man in the WWE by giving him the briefcase as well as the US Title. Truthfully, I think Styles vs Owens will happen again and Styles will take the US Title from him, which will see Owens move up into the WWE Title picture if this was to happen. Owens cashing in to beat Orton or someone else who holds the belt would be amazing to witness and his crowning would put him in the driver's seat again.

*AJ Styles
-In any other match, I'd say Styles would be the smartest choice for winning this match but something tells me he will end up getting a title shot soon anyways. AJ vs Nakamura is the match we need for Wrestlemania and I think the WWE could do one of two things, and that's pull the trigger early at SummerSlam, or let Styles begin another lengthy title run and start the Nakamura push to the main event and an eventual Royal Rumble win. It makes so much sense that I don't see Styles winning this match, but still getting a title shot very soon, likely at SummerSlam. It makes so much sense, but unfortunately with WWE, that means you won't see it happen. I'd love AJ to win, but something tells me he doesn't get the briefcase here.

*Shinsuke Nakamura 
-Nakamura should be your favorite. Though I think he won't win, I do think he should be the favorite. He's the hottest thing in the WWE right now and the biggest star on Smackdown next to AJ Styles. The fact that Nakamura has come in and instantly gotten over is a testament to his greatness, but the reality is, Nakamura is on a path to greatness with the WWE Title sooner than later and a briefcase win would put him square in the driver's seat.

So who wins? My pick? Corbin or Owens. I think the heels of tomorrow need to win, as I can't see Styles or Nakamura winning, but if they did, I'd not be mad at it. I just hope we get Styles vs Nakamura at Wrestlemania 34 for the WWE Title. It might be the biggest matchup possible for the Smackdown brand. However, we have a MITB match to look forward to, and it should be one hell of a contest to witness.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 3:55 AM  No comment