Tag: Damage CTRL

WrestleMania 39: Start time, matches, predictions, how to watch

WrestleMania 39 is less than a week away, and we get you set to watch all of the action in Los Angeles.

For pro wrestling fans, there’s no better time of year than WrestleMania. Even people who wouldn’t call WWE their favorite variety of the art form get excited for the company’s biggest show of the year, descending on whatever city is hosting.

In this case of WrestleMania 39, it’s Los Angeles, where SoFi Stadium will play host to two nights of the best WWE has to offer. Historically, that’s often meant a number of older stars who may only wrestle once or twice a year.

Not so much this time, where with the exception of John Cena (and yes, including him in that category makes you wonder where time has gone) and a couple of all-time women’s division greats, the focus is very much on the talent and stories WWE has around on a regular basis.

The headlining attraction will see Cody Rhodes attempt to knock Roman Reigns off his perch atop WWE. The emotional high point of the event may come when Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens take on The Usos for their tag team titles in the culmination of one of wrestling’s grandest longform narratives. And there are plenty of other title bouts and matches with compelling hooks up and down the card.

Will that be enough to make it feel special if WWE plays it pretty straightforward throughout? The guess is that the answer will be yes, as the venue and crowd will ensure the event feels larger than life. Here’s a rundown on everything you need to know as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.

WWE WrestleMania 39

  • Date: April 1-2, 2023
  • Location: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT both nights
  • How to watch: On Peacock in the U.S., and on WWE Network in the rest of the world
  • Matches announced: 13

Additional WrestleMania 39 resources

Please scroll down for a look at each match, including our predictions.

Opening Bell: Pre-Revolution AEW shows, Roman Reigns scheduled for SmackDown

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

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, Feb. 27, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.

WWE has blessed us with a lot more insight into what to expect this Monday than some weeks, when it’s like three hours before the show and there’s been one match and one other segment promoted. For Grand Rapids, there’s much more starting with a tag team title match pitting Becky Lynch and Lita against Damage CTRL. Lita with WWE gold in the Year of Our Lord 2023 would be pretty wild, but we’re close enough that it feels quite possible.

Speaking of things no one saw coming, Omos‘ challenge to Brock Lesnar falls into that same category. The Nigerian Giant is awaiting a response, so we’ll see if the Beast Incarnate shows up to give him one this week.

Who’s ready for Asuka? Carmella claims she is, but that might not actually be the case since the Empress of Tomorrow is acting spookier and more unpredictable than ever. We’ll see what’s what when they compete on Raw.

Also on tap for Grand Rapids:

  • The Miz will host a WrestleMania edition of Miz TV and perhaps discuss his own plans for the Showcase of the Immortals
  • Candice LeRae will attempt to not become the latest victim of Piper Niven

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, March 1, Cow Palace, San Francisco

Though there are no actual cows at the Cow Palace, it’s certainly a historic venue and a fitting one for the final Dynamite before Revolution. As such, it’s a loaded show that will answer who will be the Face of the Revolution with the ladder match of the same name. A bunch of big and intriguing names are in it, with Samoa Joe on commentary, so it should be fun.

Another bout that could be high on entertainment value is the Casino Tag Team Battle Royale. This one will have a direct effect on the Revolution card, as the winning team will be entered into the four-way dance for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

And if you want a final dose of dueling microphones before the PPV, you’ll get it for the biggest match on the card as MJF and Bryan Danielson will get their final say. The champ, as he is wont to do, took things too far last week, which led to punches being thrown. We’d be shocked if there wasn’t a high chance of that happening again this Wednesday.

Here’s what else AEW is promoting for Dynamite:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, March 3, Capital One Arena, Washington D.C.

The nation’s capital plays host to SmackDown this week, and the big news is that Roman Reigns is scheduled to appear. The Tribal Chief has been sitting in the background watching drama continue to swirl around the Bloodline even after he defeated Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber. What will the champ have to say?

A pair of women’s matches have also been announced for the show. Rhea Ripley, who is pursuing the SmackDown title at WrestleMania, will battle Liv Morgan in a match that Charlotte Flair will no doubt be watching closely. Plus Ronda Rousey, who didn’t appear to know who Tegan Nox was last week, will tag with BFF Shayna Baszler to face Nox and Natalya.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, March 1, Cow Palace, San Francisco

Two nights before Revolution, AEW Rampage is live from the Cow Palace. Live editions of the show are always that little bit better than the recorded ones, and this should be no different.

No matches have been announced yet, but that could change even prior to Dynamite this week, so keep an eye on AEW’s social media accounts for some hints on what will be offered up this Friday.

WWE Survivor Series WarGames preview: When and where it’s going down, what to expect

Get ready for WWE Survivor Series WarGames with our full preview, including the start time, card and predictions for every match.

Let’s face it: For one of the traditional big WWE events, Survivor Series needed a refresh. Triple H and company have given it exactly that by folding in a fan favorite match from NXT — but whose roots go back much further to when it was originally invented by Dusty Rhodes during his Jim Crockett Promotions days — to create the first ever Survivor Series WarGames.

For those who have never seen the namesake match, it involves two teams doing battle within a steel cage large enough to contain two wrestling rings side by side. While one competitor from each team starts out the match, another enters every few minutes. That means the team that sends someone in first will always have an edge for a bit (two-on-one, three-on-two, etc.), which is why that advantage is valuable enough to compete for in matches leading up to the event.

The match doesn’t even officially get underway until everyone on both teams has entered, so the goal is to simply do as much damage as possible before that. To that end, all weapons are legal, and the only way to win this WWE version of WarGames is by pinfall or submission.

It’s a logical fit for Survivor Series, which has long been the domain of team vs. team matches, though traditionally they have been elimination affairs. Still, if there was any gimmick match that contained some of the event’s historical DNA, this is it.

Along with both men’s and women’s WarGames matches, there have been a handful of other matches announced, including two title bouts. While more could still be added, the WarGames matches figure to both go pretty long, so don’t expect this to end up with a dozen matches on the card when it’s all said and done.

WWE Survivor Series WarGames

  • When: Saturday, November 26
  • Where: TD Garden, Boston
  • Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT
  • How to watch: On Peacock in the U.S., or on WWE Network internationally
  • Matches announced: 5

Keep scrolling for our complete WWE Survivor Series WarGames preview, including the stories behind every match and what to expect.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship history: Every title change to date

See the full WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship history, including every title change from February 27, 2019 to date.

The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship was one of those “it’s about time” deals for wrestling fans when first established on the night before Christmas (no, really) in 2018. With two of the most popular stars in recent memory, Bayley and Sasha Banks, as the inaugural titleholders, the belts were on their way to a memorable start.

Though WWE has had some … issues keeping the women’s tag team division stocked with interesting and viable teams since then (the same could be said for the men, to be honest), the titles have remained a topic of prominent topic of conversation among wrestling fans. This was especially true in the aftermath of Banks and Naomi walking out on WWE, vacating the championship for a time.

The titles have since made their way back to being a fixture on WWE TV and hopefully will remain that way going forward. Let’s take a look at the complete WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship history, from Feb. 27, 2019 to date.

Most recent update: Oct. 27, 2022