The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week 4/30: Reigns vs. Bryan for WWE Universal Title, Kenny Omega Double Champion, More

Welcome back TJR readers! Did you spend all day Friday shopping for trash bags, and missed Smackdown. Perhaps you actually stayed up late the night before to watch Chadwick Boseman not win an Oscar, and missed Raw. Worry not, for I have returned with another edition of the Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week.

10. Charlotte Flair Reinstated on Raw

Charlotte Flair’s indefinite suspension for attacking referee Eddie Orengo, lasted all of one week. This week on Raw, Sonya Deville appeared in the ring and called out Charlotte and Orengo. Sonya let Charlotte tell her side of the story, with Charlotte apologizing to Orengo. Orengo accepted the apology, then admitted that he missed Rhea Ripley interfering in Charlotte’s match last week. Charlotte then forced Orengo to apologize to her for his mistake. Deville then reinstated Charlotte, with her facing and defeating Mandy Rose later that night. Although seemingly not that long, one week is a longer break than John Canton has gotten in the last 20 years. (TJRWrestling)

9. Big Cass Debuts for Impact Wrestling

In 2018, Big Cass seemed destined to be a huge star in the wrestling world. Things came to a sudden halt for Cass, however, when he was released from WWE due to behavioral and substance issues. Things continued to spiral for Cass, who ended up suffering a seizure at an independent wrestling show due to alcohol withdrawal. Soon after, Cass seemingly disappeared from the wrestling world entirely, with many thinking he was gone for good. However, Cass clearly had other plans, as he used the time away to get sober and in incredible shape. The now clean Cass debuted this past Sunday at Impact Rebellion under the name W. Morrissey. Cass deserves a lot of credit for overcoming his addictions, as you truly can’t teach that.

8. Randy Orton and Riddle Form Tag Team

WWE has a new odd couple. After Riddle defeated Randy Orton last week on Raw, this week on Raw, Orton told Riddle that he earned his respect. Orton then told Riddle that he wants to try teaming together, and RK-Bro was born. The newly formed team then successfully defeated Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in their first match. We will have to see if Orton is just setting Riddle up for an eventual RKO. With their history, however, if they do keep teaming there is no limit to how high they can go. (TJRWrestling)

7. Bianca Belair to Face Bayley at WrestleMania Backlash

The Smackdown Women’s Championship Match for WrestleMania Backlash was announced this week. Surprisingly, former champion Sasha Banks will not be getting her rematch at Backlash. Instead, Bayley will be the first challenger for Bianca Belair’s title. Bayley memorably held the Smackdown Women’s Championship for an impressive 380 days before losing it to Banks last October. Despite this, you would still think it would be Banks and not Bayley getting the first shot at Belair, but hair we are anyways. (TJRWrestling)

6. Vignette for Diamond Mine Airs on NXT

NXT is hoping that Diamonds will be a wrestling fan’s best friend. This week on NXT, a mysterious vignette was featured showing both male and female athletes in an MMA setting. Several phrases appeared during the vignette such as “Thrive. Achieve. Succeed”, “Push Beyond”, “Pressure Makes Diamonds”; “Pressure Is Pleasure”, “Train. Perform. Become.” and “Fight. Win. Repeat.” The vignette ended with a new logo for Diamond Mine and what appeared to be a title belt. Speculation has run rampant of what this vignette could possibly mean, with every wrestling fan seemingly having a theory. Personally, I am just happy that the fifty thousand dollars I sent to that Nigerian Prince to invest in a Diamond Mine might finally pay off! (TJRWrestling)

5. Jon Moxley to Defend IWGP United States Championship on Dynamite

Tony Khan has opened the forbidden door once again. This week it was announced that on the May 12th edition of Dynamite, Jon Moxley will defend the IWGP United States Championship against NJPW legend Yugi Nagata. This will not be the first time that AEW has featured other federations title belts on their programming, with championships from AAA, Impact and NWA having all made appearances in the past. This will actually not be the first time that Nagata has been on TNT either, as he competed for WCW way back in 1998. If you are curious about Nagata’s WCW days, I am sure John Canton has reviews of them on a floppy drive somewhere. (TJRWrestling)

4. Braun Strowman Added to WWE Title Match

Bobby Lashley will now have two challengers at WWE WrestleMania Backlash on May 16th. This week on Raw, Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre once again teamed up to face T-Bar and Mace. Strowman and McIntyre ended up losing the match via countout, when McIntyre accidentally hit Strowman. Strowman then power slammed McIntyre, before leaving the ring. A furious McIntyre then went to WWE official Adam Pearce and asked to face Strowman later that night. Strowman stated that he was fine facing McIntyre, but wanted to be added to the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania Backlash if he won. Pearce agreed to this stipulation, making the match for the main event. The conclusion of the match saw T-Bar and Mace distract McIntyre, allowing Strowman to hit the power slam for the win. Both Strowman and McIntyre will now go on to face Bobby Lashley for the title at WrestleMania Backlash. After the win, Strowman stated, “I’m rolling through WWE WrestleMania Backlash and I’m coming out the backside the new WWE Champion.” Coincidentally, most wrestling fans feel that Raw has been “coming out the backside” for months. (TJRWrestling)

3. Kenny Omega Wins the Impact Wrestling Championship

The “belt collector” added another title to his collection this week. During the main event of Impact Rebellion, Kenny Omega defeated Rich Swann to capture the Impact Wrestling World Championship. Omega was already the AAA and AEW Champion, given him three major North American promotions world titles. We shall have to wait and see if Omega will be able to eventually collect more titles than Tony Khan collects former WWE Superstars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO31Vtkw9q0

2. Blood and Guts Match to Take Place This Wednesday Night

The very first Blood and Guts Match is scheduled to take place this Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite. The Inner Circle, lead by Chris Jericho and The Pinnacle, lead by MJF, will be competing in the match. The rules of the match are the same as the old WCW War Games Matches with their being two rings surrounded by a steel cage. The first two wrestlers get five minutes, then every two minutes another member will come in (alternating between both teams). Once everyone is in the match, you can only win by making someone submit. This week on Dynamite, the two teams met in the ring for a parley, with it being decided that The Pinnacle would get the one person advantage in the match. If the match is a success it will be a big deal for AEW, as they can continue doing Blood and Guts Matches with the rest of their factions for the next 10 years. (TJRWrestling)

1. Roman Reigns Defends the Universal Title Against Daniel Bryan Tonight on Smackdown

The yes movement (at least on Smackdown) may come to an end tonight on Smackdown. Last Friday on Smackdown, Daniel Bryan attempted to pressure Roman Reigns to defend the WWE Universal Championship against Cesaro. The last segment of the show saw Bryan, Reigns and Cesaro all in the ring. Reigns ended up denying Cesaro’s request but then went on to challenge Bryan to a match. Reigns said he is tired of seeing Bryan, and wants him gone from Smackdown. Bryan then agreed that if he loses the Universal Championship Match tonight against Reigns, he will be gone from Smackdown forever. This news alarmed several people from WWE, as they are all out of black garbage bags. (TJRWrestling)

That will conclude another edition of The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week. Thank you for taking the time to read this each week, and I will be back next week with even more bad jokes! If you for some reason like what I do, then feel free to follow me on Twitter @Fowlerwrestlin1.