As the wrestling world looks ahead to April’s massive events, the road to WrestleMania AEW Dynasty provides plenty of talking points. This week’s Wrestling Uncensored dives deep into the latest happenings from both major promotions. Significant developments on Smackdown, the fallout from Raw, and what’s shaking in AEW Dynamite are all covered. Hosts Dave Simon and Johnny North break it all down, with live input from the Ringside Report audience.
The road to WrestleMania AEW Dynasty!
Smackdown Shakes Up WrestleMania Main Event Picture
This week’s Smackdown ended with a massive contract signing segment for the WrestleMania Night 1 main event. Roman Reigns, accompanied by Paul Heyman, came out first. Reigns declared he came “to be acknowledged” and “to sign the contract”. After Reigns signed, Seth Rollins entered to a singing crowd in England.
Seth talked about their shared history, but Roman cut him off, stating, “I took us to this place. I’m the reason why this whole company is here. I’m the biggest star here. I made us desirable for Netflix. What have you done? Who are you?”
Dave felt Roman “kinda just owned” Seth with that line. Seth’s retort focused on Roman allowing “the biggest snake in the world, CM Punk, to come here” and failing to destroy him at War Games. He said, “now I have to clean up your mess again”. Dave found Seth’s reply “Rough” and thought it boiled down to “ugh, well Punk, I hate him so much”.
CM Punk then joined the fray, borrowing a line from Roddy Piper: “he’s here to chew bubble gum and sign a contract, and he’s all out of bubble gum”. As Punk reviewed the contract, Roman got agitated. Heyman assured Punk, “I know what you’re looking for and it’s in there. You are main eventing, you are closing the show at WrestleMania”. This brought tears to Punk’s eyes, while Roman laughed, and Seth seethed, claiming Punk “doesn’t deserve it”.
Punk thanked the fans who “chanted my name for 10 years”. Roman interjected, “Shouldn’t be thanking them. You should be thanking your tribal chief, I’m the reason you’re main eventing WrestleMania”.
Dave agreed, noting “he’s not getting the Cody match. So if you didn’t have Roman here, he’s not closing the show”. Punk then dramatically got on one knee, acknowledging Roman as “my tribal chief, the OTC, the head of the table” and thanking him repeatedly. Dave felt the “groveling outweighed the swerve at the end”. The swerve came when Punk revealed the main event spot “is not the favour that I’m owed”, leaving Heyman and Roman concerned.
The hosts speculated the favour might involve Heyman helping Punk win at WrestleMania. Dave questioned how impactful this favour reveal could really be, asking, “What could it possibly be that will make me care?” Johnny noted this “favour” storyline has been going on “since what, November?”
Dave mockingly suggested Punk should have clarified if he was main eventing Night 1 or Night 2, as “everybody knows the night two main event is the real main event”. Johnny pointed out the irony that Punk originally left WWE partly because “he wasn’t main eventing and it was Cena and Rock in the main event instead of him”.
The hosts discussed the segment’s lengthy nature, which apparently exceeded its allotted time. Johnny noted, “I wonder on TV how that comes out because I feel like, I think it was the entrances because the entrances, like, they went to commercial break on Roman’s entrance because it was so long”.
Dave added the UK crowd’s singing to extend things further. Johnny felt Seth came across as “the heel in all this because he was the one freaking out and everyone was happy about it”. However, Dave thought the crowd seemed behind everyone, making it an “odd match because the fans seem behind everyone”.
WWE Raw Reactions and WrestleMania Build Concerns
Discussion turned to WWE Raw, with Johnny mentioning the significant editing done to the show if watched after the live broadcast. He noticed crowd chants directed at John Cena were edited out, saying “clearly they were probably swearing at John Cena. I couldn’t tell, it’s just garble, garble, garble”. Dave confirmed he heard the swearing when watching the live feed. Johnny also pointed out similar editing during Charlotte Flair’s match on Smackdown to remove “FU Charlotte” chants.
Dave questioned the censorship on Netflix, noting, “I see terrible and hear terrible words on Netflix”. Johnny suggested it might be due to the show’s PG rating. Dave found it “wrong when they’re trying to censor the crowd,” and Johnny agreed it was “off-putting” when the audio didn’t match the visual reactions.
The hosts were critical of the John Cena and Cody Rhodes segment on Raw. Dave felt Cena’s promo was “kind of more of the same” and “already feeling a little stale”. Johnny agreed, stating, “They didn’t really have much to go with on this. And it was just, like you said, more of the same. Just pretty much practically repeat the promo, but just play with the crowd a little bit more”.
Dave criticised Cena blaming fans for making memes about a kid shown on camera the previous week, arguing “it was your WWE cameras that, like, cut to this kid… You did that, WWE”. He also disliked Cena’s portrayal of the crowd as “terrible” and “awful people,” contrasted with Cody calling them “good” and supportive.
Dave criticized Cenam blaming fans for making memes about a kid shown on camera the previous week, arguing “it was your WWE cameras that, like, cut to this kid… You did that, WWE”. He also disliked Cena’s portrayal of the crowd as “terrible” and “awful people,” contrasted with Cody calling them “good” and supportive.
Dave concluded, “Cena didn’t do anything that interesting,” and the feud “is losing steam every week”. Concern was raised about Cena’s upcoming schedule, with him set for the next Raw but apparently absent for the two Raws leading directly into WrestleMania. Dave wondered, “How stale is it going to be by then? Is that not even main eventing WrestleMania at this point?”
Regarding WrestleMania main events, Johnny predicted the triple threat (Punk/Rollins/Reigns) would main event Night 1, and Cody vs. Cena would main event Night 2. He expressed disappointment that “third year in a row now, the women do not get to end the show either night”.
Dave suggested the women’s triple threat (EO Sky/Rhea Ripley/Bianca Belair) should main event over Charlotte Flair vs. Tiffany Stratton. Johnny acknowledged both women’s title matches have main event potential, calling EO/Rhea/Bianca “superstars, future legends in their prime right now,” while Charlotte/Tiffany has an “up and coming against the legend” dynamic.
They discussed the convoluted path to the women’s triple threat, with an upcoming EO vs. Rhea match on Raw with Bianca as special referee. Johnny predicted a “double pin” finish to set up the Mania match. Dave felt WWE should “have announced the triple threat and they should have stopped with all these shenanigans”.
Johnny predicted Rhea Ripley walks out of WrestleMania as champion, while Dave could see Bianca Belair winning, partly to add star power to Raw post-Mania.
Johnny agreed that Raw needs the boost and that Bianca needs a change after being involved with the Jade Cargill/Naomi storyline. Dave highlighted the long-term potential matches involving Bianca, EO, Rhea, and potentially Becky Lynch on Raw.
Other Smackdown Developments and Backlash Buildup
Smackdown featured more than just the main event contract signing. Cody Rhodes opened his segment talking about John Cena and WrestleMania. Randy Orton interrupted, sharing a “heartfelt moment with Cody” discussing his career journey, leaving WWE, changing the business (implicitly referencing AEW), and how “All the boys appreciated it, including himself”. Dave found it “cool” and “interesting” to hear Orton acknowledge Cody’s impact on Smackdown, including the improved contracts resulting from AEW’s creation.
Orton expressed pride but declared that after Mania, “he’s coming for the belt, brother”. This led the hosts to speculate WWE is already setting up post-WrestleMania feuds, specifically for the Backlash PLE on May 10th in St. Louis, Orton’s hometown. Dave noted, “They have to start setting up backlash matches now because it’s gonna be such a quick turnaround and Cena won’t be around a backlash. So, you need somebody else for Cody. Randy makes a lot of sense in St. Louis”. Johnny expects Backlash to feature mostly “WrestleMania rematches” due to the short time between events.
Drew McIntyre also interrupted Cody and Randy, setting up a match between Drew and Randy later that night. Johnny was glad the opening promo led to a match, featuring “main event talent” for the London crowd. During the match, Kevin Owens appeared, distracting Randy and allowing Drew to hit the Claymore for the win. Owens attacked Randy post-match, but Randy fought back, teasing the punt kick before Owens escaped.
Dave predicted Randy will finally hit the punt on Owens at WrestleMania to win, allowing Owens to “take time off after Mania, selling the kick”. Johnny agreed Randy would win at Mania after Owens cost him the match on Smackdown, adding “to end the story, I feel like he’s gotta take him out because he took Randy out”.
In other Smackdown action:
- The Street Profits defeated Pretty Deadly to retain the tag titles in the opener. Dave lamented Pretty Deadly losing in their home country. Johnny felt Pretty Deadly showed “potential” but had some “hiccups” and are still a “work in progress” in the ring. Dave was highly critical of the Street Profits, calling them “so boring and generic,” “bland as fuck,” and “a shitty version of the new day”.
- Big Jim defeated The Miz. Dave admitted skipping most of it, calling Miz “the worst wrestler in the WWE” and possibly “worst wrestler in WWE history” because “Every match he has is bad” and “He can’t talk. He’s not a good promo. He’s just irritating”. Johnny noted Miz uses Bryan Danielson’s moves poorly, saying “it’s rough when he does it”.
- LA Knight vs. Braun Strowman ended when Jacob Fatu interfered. This seems to set up a US Title four-way at Mania involving Knight, Strowman, Fatu, and possibly Solo Sikoa.
- Piper Niven & Alba Fyre defeated Katana Chance & Kayden Carter. Chelsea Green, Piper, and Alba attacked Chance and Carter afterwards, with Zelina Vega failing to make the save. Dave enjoys the Chelsea/Piper/Alba dynamic, calling Piper and Alba “Secret Service people” for Chelsea’s “presidency” with the US Women’s title. The tag team name for Piper and Alba was revealed as “The Her Service”, which Dave initially didn’t get but later saw chat confirmation for “Secret Hervests”, calling it “not bad”.
- Naomi attacked Michin backstage before their scheduled match because Michin and B-Fab are friendly with Jade Cargill, with whom Naomi has issues. Jade Cargill came out, Naomi retreated, and Charlotte Flair then defeated the weakened Michin.
- Ray Phoenix is set to debut on Smackdown next week.
Overall, the hosts found Smackdown “very, very long” and “not a great show”. Johnny felt Raw, despite its flaws, “flew by compared to SmackDown”.
AEW Dynamite: Dynasty Heats Up, Character Critiques
AEW Dynamite featured a significant build towards their Dynasty PPV on April 6th. The show opened with Kenny Omega defeating Blake Christian.
Omega then cut a promo, interrupted by Mike Bailey, while Ricochet appeared via video from his wedding. Dave liked “All that Kenny stuff”. This sets up Omega vs. Bailey vs. Ricochet at Dynasty. Dave praised Kenny’s promo towards Speedball (Mike Bailey), saying it was “really good stuff. Showing him who’s boss”.
- The show opened with Kenny Omega defeating Blake Christian. Omega then cut a promo, interrupted by Mike Bailey, while Ricochet appeared via video from his wedding. Dave liked “All that Kenny stuff”. This sets up Omega vs. Bailey vs. Ricochet at Dynasty. Dave praised Kenny’s promo towards Speedball (Mike Bailey), saying it was “really good stuff. Showing him who’s boss”.
- Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland had a face-to-face promo. Dave liked Swerve calling Moxley out for “playing Jon Moxley pretending to be this champion that he’s not”. He particularly enjoyed Moxley’s line: “My sport has been taken over by billionaires and Hollywood talent agencies and kids who see the world through an Instagram filter and don’t know their head from their ass. It’s guys like you that give me hope for the future”.
- Dave felt Moxley was taking a shot at WWE and CM Punk, adding “I heard that and I was like, oh shit, get him Mox. That was good”. Johnny also thought it was a “direct shot at Punk,” given Punk had used an Instagram filter recently. This segment builds to their AEW World Championship match at Dynasty.
- Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa main evented Dynamite, losing to Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford after Storm announced their new tag team name: “Thunder Tits”.
- Dave found the name shocking but “better” than Thunder Storm, though he questioned if it was appropriate for fans to chant. Johnny thought the Toni Storm/Thunder Rosa segments and match were the “best part of the show,” loving how Storm made Renee Paquette break character during the promo. Bayne getting the win builds momentum for her title match against Storm at Dynasty.
- MJF teased joining MVP’s Hurt Syndicate, but Bobby Lashley ultimately vetoed it, seemingly putting the angle on hold.
- A Ring of Honor World Title match was set for Dynasty: Chris Jericho vs. Bandido, with Jericho’s title and Bandido’s mask on the line. Dave expects Bandido to win as unmasking him “seems nuts”.
- Rated FTR (Edge & FTR) will challenge The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, Wheeler Yuta) for the AEW Trios Titles at Dynasty. A backstage segment showed Dax Harwood apologizing to Edge, but Dave felt the tension remained. Johnny thinks the added tension makes the outcome less predictable.
- Other matches included Takeshita beating Mark Briscoe, Top Flight beating Finley & Knight to advance in a tag tournament, and Will Hobbs beating Mark Davis. Dave found many of these matches “pointless TV” featuring wrestlers he doesn’t care about or believe in, like Brody King, who lost to Kyle Fletcher earlier.
The hosts also touched on Saraya (formerly Paige) leaving AEW early, with her contract originally up in September. Johnny thinks “that definitely means that she’s gonna go to WWE”. They felt her AEW run was “not good” and “Not as good as we expected it to be,” though she did win the Women’s title at All In and led the Outcasts group, which helped Toni Storm. Dave theorised that some wrestlers “used to the machine making them bigger than they are” struggle in AEW’s less structured environment, citing potential issues for Mercedes Moné and Edge.
He contrasted this with wrestlers like Ricochet, Toni Storm, and Swerve Strickland, who have thrived and become “better now than they’ve ever been” since leaving WWE for AEW.
Dave theorized that some wrestlers “used to the machine making them bigger than they are” struggle in AEW’s less structured environment, citing potential issues for Mercedes Moné and Edge. He contrasted this with wrestlers like Ricochet, Toni Storm, and Swerve Strickland, who have thrived and become “better now than they’ve ever been” since leaving WWE for AEW.
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Controversies and Other Notes
- The hosts discussed the controversial “El Grande Americano” gimmick used by Chad Gable on Raw, where he portrayed a stereotypical luchador. While mocking wrestlers isn’t new, Johnny felt the specific element of showing the Gulf of Mexico labeled as the “Gulf of America” and Gable being billed from there crossed a line due to current political sensitivities between the US and Mexico. Dave found the map part “a little distasteful” but saw it as part of the heel character, arguing WWE has done far more offensive things (like Muhammad Hassan) and that this was “pretty minor” in comparison. Ultimately, they felt the gimmick was “super dumb” and “played out”.
- Dave heavily criticized CM Punk’s perceived hypocrisy, contrasting Punk’s past remarks about WWE with his current emotional reaction to main eventing WrestleMania Night 1. He called Punk a “corporate sellout bitch” and “disgrace” for appearing on Stephanie McMahon’s “Stephanie’s Places” show.
- The Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin match from WrestleMania 13 was announced as the first match to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Johnny called it possibly the “greatest match of all time” in WWE, citing its quality and impact, including the legendary double turn and launching Austin’s character. Dave agreed it’s arguably the best ever and a fitting first choice for match induction. Johnny speculated this could be a way to get Austin involved in WrestleMania weekend.
- The Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) were also announced for the Hall of Fame.
- Dark Side of the Ring Season 6 premiered, with the first episode focusing on the Mick Foley vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell match, particularly from the perspective of Foley and his family.
Key Takeaways & Conclusion on the road to WrestleMania AEW Dynasty!
WWE is locking in its WrestleMania card, confirming the Punk/Rollins/Reigns triple threat for the Night 1 main event. The company is continuing the somewhat lacklustre build for Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena on Night 2. Intrigue surrounds the women’s title pictures and the US/IC title scenes, likely heading towards multi-person matches. Seeds are already being planted for post-Mania feuds, notably Randy Orton targeting Cody Rhodes, likely for Backlash.
AEW is building towards Dynasty with a strong World Title programme between Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland, a potentially show-stealing triple threat involving Kenny Omega, Mike Bailey, and Ricochet, and Toni Storm continuing her entertaining reign against challenger Megan Bayne. However, some questionable booking choices and midcard matches drew criticism from the hosts.
The wrestling world continues to buzz, with major shows from both WWE and AEW just around the corner. Stay tuned for more! We will cover both nights of Wrestlemania with live post-shows. Join the Ringside Report Universe of YouTube, Rumble, Twitch or Kick.
