Flyin' Brian

Ratings were not great this week. Side effect of Cody leaving, Olympics or other sport options, or some other reason? Thought this week's show was really good and has a lot of things I thought people would be excited for.

The only way I can see Cody going back to WWE would be if they were able to work something out with the trademarks he was trying to get, but I have a hard time seeing WWE giving up the rights to anything for Cody. Maybe he could go help the NWA try to get off the ground again. Still an interesting situation though.

Not sure the best place to post this, I’ll try fantasy booking next but didn’t want to start a thread if I didn’t have to. If I wanted access to a game that I could use to book AEW with the least amount of setup what are my options? TEW probably? Anything else?

John Cena fought Sabu at Vengeance 2006. I did not remember that at all.

Punk, Moxley, and Danielson would be a heck of a stable.

Jay White and Keith Lee. Pretty cool.

MJF knows how to make an entrance.

Seeing the Shane McMahon is All Elite announcement would be something, and they might could get a good storyline out of it but I do not want to see Shane in the ring at all.

I want John Cena playing his Where Is My Mind piano cover for an Orange Cassidy entrance. https://www.cbr.com/peacemaker-piano-scene-inspired-real-life-moment/?utm_source=CBR-FB-P&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_campaign=CBR-FB-P&fbclid=IwAR0sN9mr3iWfFOde7PvcqjLlGyySE79Okofompk1bJwKbaKswXZ-lSe7xeg

The rumor mill says that the Shane rumors are supposedly to stop him from going to AEW. Which can't possibly be real, can it? They are saying that Shane helped book the Royal Rumble the last two years with no problems and his reputation is to be pretty easy going. It's possible he saw the fall of Triple H as a chance to claim a higher position in the company and was mad when things didn't turn out that way, or possibly as someone said if the company is to be sold soon this might be his last chance to have a run as an active performer and he wanted to take that. Who knows, but the behind the scenes stuff for the most part is more interesting than most of the stuff they are putting on tv.

Is Danielson trying to create AEW’s version of the nWo?

Amazing that Kendrick is with WWE for years and this doesn’t come into the spotlight until he is released and going to AEW.

I'll honestly be surprised if we get a clean finish. Maybe they pull the trigger on the Wardlow/MJF split, like Wardlow does something to cost MJF the match. Being in Chicago I'd think either Punk has to win or we get some kind of countout/DQ/no contest. What Bret Hart tribute will we get tonight?

Watching Raw on my phone, I think the smaller screen helps with all the cuts. Mysterio and Styles was a good match, probably one of the best I’ve seen on Raw in a while.

The more I think about it the more the Lesnar/Heyman/Reigns story makes no sense. I wish Reigns would have came out and cost Lesnar the Royal Rumble victory too if they are going this route. Even better, have Lesnar be Raw champ and Reigns be Smackdown champ and Heyman manage both. He keeps playing peacemaker but eventually egos get in the way and we have Reigns vs Lesnar title unification and for the services of Heyman as manager at Wrestlemania with Heyman doing his best Miss Elizabeth at Wrestlemania 5 impersonation. If they want Heyman to pick a side there and do a swerve that’s fine but would just seem a lot more interesting at that point.

Same anticlimactic ending as Day 1. Brock Lesnar shows up, Brock Lesnar wins.

Shane McMahon is all they can do for a surprise entrant?

Lita still doing the low riding jeans with what looks like red granny panties is an interesting choice

Ronda in the house

They are setting up a lot of retired vs current wrestler feuds

Nikki turned super villain

I honestly forgot tonight was the Royal Rumble until right now

Brock Anderson actually looks pretty good in the ring. I’m sure some of that is FTR but he’s holding his own.

Not really impressed with the lineup of matches tonight. All the winners are pretty obvious.

Kicking it off with Mox. Hopefully without any hecklers.