Tag: Montez Ford

Opening Bell: Roman Reigns on Raw, dream match on Dynamite

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, March 20, Enterprise Center, St. Louis

The Road to WrestleMania barely has any exits left on it before Los Angeles. That means we need to start seeing the two main event superstars together, and that’s what we’ll get Monday night on Raw in St. Louis.

Cody Rhodes has done more than just challenge Roman Reigns, as he’s also played a major role in reuniting Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. That’s not great for the Bloodline, so the Tribal Chief can no longer stay silent on the matter. Reigns will “address the issue personally” this week … and you have to figure Rhodes will be on hand to hear what he has to say.

In contrast, Logan Paul has had a much easier time of it in his feud with Seth Rollins, as last time they were in the same ring together, he was able to get one over on the Visionary. On Raw, Paul will put on a live episode of “Impaulsive TV,” so we’ll see if he continues to have the mental edge or if Rollins plans to strike back in a very public way.

Austin Theory is headed for a WrestleMania showdown with John Cena, but he decided to pick a fight with the Street Profits in the meantime. The United States Champion was able to defeat Angelo Dawkins and send a message to Cena at the same time last week, but now Montez Ford will be looking for some payback in St. Louis.

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, March 22, Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, MO

The term “dream match” arguably gets thrown around a bit too often in pro wrestling in the 2020s, but here’s one that qualifies: Kenny Omega vs. El Hijo del Vikingo. Call it present vs. future or just two of the best wrestlers in the world going at it, but this match Tony Khan tried to schedule for 2021 is finally going to happen on Dynamite.

That’s a great selling point but not the only one for this week. Stu Grayson reminded everyone last week why he was missed during his time away from AEW, and he’ll return to the ring in Missouri to take on Jon Moxley, always a tough night at the office. Skye Blue will attempt to stand up to The Outcasts when she faces Toni Storm.

Champions? Yep, Independence is getting some of those, too. After squabbling over luggage on Rampage, The Gunns will defend their tag team titles against Top Flight in a battle of brothers vs. brothers. And we’ll see if a training montage and a “good ass cookie” will help Stokely Hathaway survive in a No Disqualification match against FTW Champion Hook.

We wouldn’t bet on it. Sorry, Stoke.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, March 24, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

It’s Vegas, baby! The penultimate SmackDown before WrestleMania 39 is going to be pretty physically close to L.A. as the days count down to the Showcase of the Immortals.

Speaking of LA, as in LA Knight, he still doesn’t have a match lined up for WWE’s biggest show. Nor does Rey Mysterio, even though there’s one WWE fans really want to see. We’ll see if either or both get closer to one when they collide in Vegas.

And even though Cody Rhodes is a Raw talent, his WrestleMania main event status means he’s been working both shows as his date with destiny draws near. He’ll attempt to stay busy and stay winning when he goes up against Ludwig Kaiser on SmackDown.

AEW Rampage preview – Saturday, March 25, Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, MO (recorded March 22)

Remember when AEW Rampage didn’t get started until after midnight ET because of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament last week? Good times.

This week, it’s moving not just times but days. AEW Rampage will air on Saturday, March 25 instead of Friday (thank soccer this week instead of basketball), but AEW hasn’t officially announced any matches for it yet. You know the drill by now: Keep an eye on Dynamite and AEW’s social media accounts to get a heads up on what’s in store for this week’s Rampage.

No worries, Montez Ford wasn’t actually hurt during Elimination Chamber

Ford’s potential injury was used as a way to continue to set up a WrestleMania angle for two other WWE wrestlers.

One of the more unsettling parts of pro wrestling is not knowing for sure when a performer is legitimately injured during a match or they’re being portrayed as such for the sake of a story. Case in point: Montez Ford during the United States Championship Elimination Chamber match this past weekend.

Ford was one of the final three competitors in the six-man match, but was eliminated after receiving a Stomp from Seth Rollins and being pinned by defending champ Austin Theory. Ford remained on the mat for several minutes afterward, moving gingerly, and eventually needed to be helped out of the cage by several referees and WWE staffers.

Announcers Michael Cole and Corey Graves sold it in the moment like Ford may actually have been hurt, though what happened next suggested he wasn’t: Logan Paul took advantage of the cage door being left open for Ford to be removed, running in and ensuring Rollins was eventually defeated.

According to Fightful, WWE needed that explanation for the cage being accessible to allow Paul’s intervention, thus assuring he and Rollins continue on a path toward a match at WrestleMania. Ford “is fine.”

A debate could certainly be had about whether injury angles should be used as a way to propel storytelling in wrestling since there’s a real chance fans could be unsure about whether they are part of the show or not. Another WWE example that comes to mind in the past year was Charlotte Flair supposedly having her arm broken by Ronda Rousey when in truth she simply needed time off to get married.

The Ford situation was a bit different since it was brief and only used to set up one particular moment. Still, the uncertainty while watching at the time was a tad uncomfortable. It’s great to hear that Ford is OK, however, especially after he put on a great performance during the match.