Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.
WWE Raw preview – Monday, March 27, Footprint Center, Phoenix
Hey, it’s the week of WrestleMania! We made it. Good job everyone. The question now is if Cody Rhodes will make it to the end of the week and his date with destiny.
See, not surprisingly, the Bloodline is making it as difficult as possible for him to arrive in Los Angeles in one piece. To that end, he has to face the group’s enforcer, Solo Sikoa, this week on Raw. He’s bravely told Sikoa he’s not ready for the top level of WWE, but we’ll see if he ends up eating those words — painfully — in Phoenix.
Another big match for WrestleMania, and we mean that literally, will see Brock Lesnar go toe to toe with Omos. To emphasize just how large they are, Raw will host a weigh-in for them, something generally seen in boxing and MMA but should provide some entertainment value in this context as well.
Here’s what else WWE is promising for the final Raw before the Show of Shows:
- Miz TV will welcome Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus as guests
- The team slated for the Fatal 4-Way WrestleMania Showcase tag team match will engage in an eight-man tag match, which works out perfectly since there are two fan favorite teams and two villainous duos … but will Otis tear himself away from his modeling career long enough to participate?
AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, March 29, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis
That Kenny Omega. He put his body on the line last week in a bout that lived up to all the hype against El Hijo del Vikingo, and does he take a week off? Absolutely not.
Omega is right back in there this week on Dynamite, facing Jeff Cobb. The NJPW talent has never had a chance to fight Omega in a singles match, but he promised to come looking for Kenny this week, and AEW has made it easier for him to do so by booking them in a match instead of making him literally knock on Omega’s door.
Oh, and it’s for Omega’s IWGP United States Championship, a title we forgot he held.
But an even more exciting match is also scheduled for Dynamite, as Adam Cole (bay bay!) is making his long awaited return from injury. While Cole was ready to name his first opponent after months on the shelf last week, Daniel Garcia talked his way into the spot instead. We’ll see if that proves to be a mistake.
Dynamite has some other great stuff announced as well, including:
- Orange Cassidy puts his AEW International Championship on the line yet again, this time against The Butcher
- “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry goes up against Matt Hardy
- Willow Nightingale will have to keep her head on a swivel for the rest of The Outcasts when she takes on Ruby Soho
- The Blackpool Combat Club will be in trios action against Dalton Castle and The Boys
WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, March 31, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
This is the absolute last WWE show prior to WrestleMania, the “so close you can taste it” edition of SmackDown. While you can’t expect anything that will mess up the Showcase of the Immortals too much as a result, there’s still some interesting stuff planned.
For starters, Rhodes and Roman Reigns will have their final face-off. Is there anything left to be said, any small mental advantage one of them could still gain? We’ll find out Friday night.
That goes for the Intercontinental Championship situation as well. Drew McIntyre and Sheamus are both vying to win that title, and their friendship has unraveled because of it. Yet they’ll have to try to put their disagreements aside to battle Imperium, or else they risk Gunther having a leg up on both of them come WrestleMania.
Finally, the Andre the Giant Battle Royal has become a tradition for WrestleMania, but this time it will take place the night before the Showcase of the Immortals instead. See who ends up taking the big trophy this year on SmackDown.
AEW Rampage preview – Friday, March 31, Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis (recorded on March 29)
You might have heard there’s a lot of wrestling going on this week, much of it in Los Angeles. As a result, there’s every chance Rampage will get swallowed up in everything else going on. But nevertheless, it will air this week in its regular time, in contrast to the last two weeks.
As usual, AEW social channels and Dynamite should let us know what to expect before Friday night rolls around.