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 13, Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, RI
Eight matches are set for WrestleMania 39, but guess what? That’s not enough to fill up two days of action from SoFi Stadium.
Raw is going to help with that, it appears. Edge wants Finn Balor to face him man to man so they can settle things between them once and for all. Three guesses how this is likely to end, and the first two don’t count. So, uh, one guess, that is.
Brock Lesnar has (somewhat surprisingly) already accepted a WrestleMania meeting with Omos. What we haven’t seen yet is the two men in the same ring so we can all go, “Hey, Omos is way taller than Brock, wow!” We’ll get that opportunity on Raw.
Here’s what else to expect this Monday on USA:
- Bianca Belair will take on everyone’s favorite person who wants to speak to the manager, Chelsea Green
- Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis become the latest stars to be tangled up with the Judgment Day’s reign of terror
- Elias deals with a misunderstanding by Rick Boogs that could turn painful when he faces Bronson Reed
AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, March 15, Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg
You may have heard that Candian pro wrestling fans are pretty great. You may have also heard that AEW Dynamite does well when it visits a city for the first time. Both of those things are true, and both are relevant this week when AEW makes its debut in Winnipeg.
The company will try to repay the sure to be live crowd with a big match starring two of its favorite sons. Kenny Omega and The Elite will battle Chris Jericho and the Jericho Appreciation Society and current titleholders House of Black in a triple threat match for the AEW World Trios Championship.
Orange Cassidy is also done defending his All-Atlantic Championship … because it’s now the AEW International Championship. Jeff Jarrett will attempt to ensure that his reign ends as soon as it begins on Dynamite.
Here’s everything else AEW is promoting for Winnipeg:
- Hangman Adam Page and the Dark Order (including Canada’s own Stu Grayson) will do the trios thing too against Blackpool Combat Club
- TBS Champion Jade Cargill will accept an open challenge from any Canadian opponent
- MJF will have his re-bar mitzvah celebration
- We’ll hear from The Outcasts, which is what Saraya, Toni Storm and Ruby Soho are now calling themselves
- QTV will make its debut
WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, March 17, T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
One match wasn’t enough to determine who Gunther will face in an Intercontinental Championship defense at WrestleMania. So this week’s SmackDown will attempt to settle that issue, with Sheamus and Drew McIntyre battling for the opportunity.
The two longtime rivals turned friends may be back to their old status quo now after both pinned opponents at the exact same time last week (that was the first match we referred to above). If one can defeat the other man to man, they’ll move on to the title match in L.A. … but we have a feeling there might be more hijinks involved.
AEW Rampage preview – Friday, March 17, Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg (recorded March 15)
It’s a holiday edition of sorts for Rampage this week, with the broadcast taking place on St. Patrick’s Day. Even though it’s being pre-taped Wednesday, AEW does an excellent job of celebrating whatever is going on when Rampage actually airs (like it did on NBA All-Star weekend, for example), so it’s no surprise this is being billed as St. Patrick’s Day Slam.
While we know AEW will play up that theme to the hilt, we don’t know yet what matches are booked for Friday night. As is often the case, keep an eye on both the company’s social media accounts and this week’s Dynamite to get more insight.