Monthly Archives: April 2016

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

RDT Reviews The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Big spoilers here…it’s pretty early in the MCU and you probably know what happens anyway.

                The Incredible Hulk is an okay film that doesn’t really stand out. It’s just there. Considering the titular character and the lead actor playing him (Edward Norton),the film being nothing special has to be considered as a big disappointment.

The film is made up of three stories. First of which is about Bruce Banner and his search for a cure to the gamma ray radiation that’s plagued his body. If this film does one thing right, it’s the opening sequence which brilliantly kinda-sorta references the previous Hulk film released in 2003. That scene gives us a great visual of just why Banner feels like he has to hide and how much pain he feels in regards to hurting anyone. But after that, his entire story arc is as follows: hide, get found, run, fight, hide, get found, run, fight, suddenly possibly unable to turn into Hulk, suddenly is needed to turn into Hulk, does so and fights. In between we see him working on his breathing exercises and working on his determination to make sure his heart rate doesn’t hit 200. It’s a good story, but not exactly a compelling one and unfortunately Norton isn’t able to shine in this role.

The second story is General Thunderbolt Ross’ goal to recapture Banner. William Hurt’s performance as Ross is my favorite part of the film as he effortlessly can go from a calm, even fatherly figure to someone barking orders and commanding an army to take down the Hulk. Unfortunately, Ross’ story is quite simplistic too, as he tries to capture the Hulk, fails, attacks again, argues with daughter, then eventually is forced to align himself with the Hulk. It’s so systematic that it’s just not that compelling.

Ross plays a big part in the third story which had the highest upside but turns out to be the biggest dud. Ross helps solider Emil Blonsky gain abilities to help him battle the Hulk. While Blonsky’s character starts off strong and has a compelling battle with the Hulk during his super speed and agility phase (where the Hulk shows off perhaps his best moment: kicking Blonsky into a tree, “killing” him), his arc takes a really disappointing turn as he becomes Abomination, a big monster that leads to a monster vs. monster confrontation. Iron Man did it better with a suit vs. suit battle to be fair.

There’s also the love interest for Banner, Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross. While it’s not bad at all, once again she can be described as “just there”. I was honestly more interested in her interactions with her father than Banner overall.

When a film called The Incredible Hulk fails to stand out, that means it’s failed to meet expectations. It’s the Incredible Hulk! It should probably have been the most over the top Marvel film ever. Perhaps the Hulk just isn’t the type of character to have a whole film dedicated to him.

Pros:

+General Ross is a strong character for the most part. At least in the first two acts.

+There’s nothing really bad about the film, but…

Cons:

-Nothing particularly good either.

-Abomination is a disappointing route to go for Emil Blonsky.

A decent film with no real stand out moments. Well, except when Tony Stark shows up at the end.

Grade C+

 

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

RDT Reviews Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Big spoilers here…I mean you probably aren’t going to see it if you haven’t already…

Somewhere inside Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a great film. While apparently a four hour cut, the two and a half remaining hours still feels rather challenging to get through. It’s a shame that this is the case as when this film hits its peaks, it hits them amazingly. Some of the scenes in this film are A+ material no doubt. But unfortunately there are a lot of F scenes in there too. I want to get to the performances before the actual plot as there’s a lot to digest here.

I’m pretty sure Snyder wanted to make just a Batman film. Most of the Batman/Bruce Wayne stuff is tremendous. I rolled my eyes that again we were going to have to see Bruce Wayne’s parents murdered, but the scene is done so well that despite seeing some version of it probably ten times by now it still stood out. After that Ben Affleck absolutely owns the role, giving us the perfect Bruce Wayne and a sinister, blood thirsty Batman. Affleck’s great at changing gears here. He effortlessly switches from the super serious detective one moment to suddenly joking around that he “had one martini too many”. Affleck is the best live action Batman and the best live action Bruce Wayne. As a result I have high hopes for the stand alone Batman film coming out in the future. I should also point out that the Batman fight scene that felt like it was lifted straight from the Arkham Series of games is the best cinematic Batman sequence ever.

Wonder Woman also delivers. There was tons of skepticism regarding Gal Gadot but she nailed the role. She steals almost every scene she’s in and when she finally gets into the battle she’s awesome. She also has good chemistry with Affleck’s Bruce Wayne (so much that again, this was probably a lot better off as a Batman film featuring Wonder Woman) and I am excited to see how the Wonder Woman film plays out. But Gadot is a huge positive here.

Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is interesting. I dreaded seeing Eisenberg in the trailer as he felt like a Batman Forever Riddler and at times his character does feel that way. Other times it feels like a homeless man’s Heath Ledger Joker, which also doesn’t work. But there are scenes where his character was thought provoking and creepy which is a nice new direction to take Lex Luthor in. Luthor would have been lost in the background had he been a serious character like everyone else. Instead a chance was taken. Sometimes it worked well (like when he’s in his home speaking with Senator Finch), sometimes it didn’t (like his rooftop scenes with Lois Lane and Superman) and sometimes it was downright awful (his speech or the end). I do think he did a better job than he’s been given credit for.

Now let’s get to one of the big problems here. Lois Lane and Superman are awful in this film. And unfortunately they’re both in it a lot. In Amy Adams’ case I don’t feel like it’s really her fault. The Lois Lane story arc here just doesn’t work. While I get where they were going with whole desert framing Superman deal it really wasn’t well done and I couldn’t have cared less about Lois’ adventure trying to prove Superman’s innocence. There’s also some cringe worthy moments from Lane as well. “I’m not a woman I’m a reporter” was a pretty awful line despite the empowering effect it was supposed to have. Superman is practically lifeless here and has exactly one good moment, which is when he takes Doomsday into space. Everything else is rage that I don’t completely buy, him shaking his head despite atrocities, or Clark Kent complaining about the Bat Vigilante. While perhaps I felt bad about his death, it feels like such a wasted moment. Superman’s death is supposed to be something that every hero in the history of DC was supposed to mourn. Here, it’s a rushed moment that only Batman and Wonder Woman experience. Adding to that, Wonder Woman and Superman don’t even have an interaction together, so while I’m sure she was upset at his death it’s not as if there’s a heavy emotional feeling to have here. What a mess.

Speaking of Superman’s death, Doomsday was horrible. Whoever had the idea that the DNA of Lex Luthor and General Zod should create Doomsday needs to stay away from all comic books films forever (assuming it was Snyder). While admittedly it was always going to be difficult to match the greatness of Batman’s rogues gallery, horrific portrayals of Superman’s isn’t going to help. The effect was laughable. At least there were two good moments here: Superman taking Doomsday to space and Wonder Woman showing up. Still, what a waste.

There’s some small other plusses here: Jeremy Irons as Alfred is great, Senator Finch is good and some of the Superman imagery is cool (like when he saves the girl during the Night of the Dead celebration). But going on with the ongoing theme of there being a lot of positives and negatives, Mercy Graves (and probably Jimmy Olsen) is absolutely wasted here. Why would Lex want her dead anyway?! I didn’t even get into Batman’s dream sequences. There’s just too much going on here.

Be prepared for a lengthy pro-con list.

Pros:

+Ben Affleck is great as Wayne/Batman.

+Batman vs. Superman fight is pretty good.

+Pretty much all things Batman here are incredible. The Arkham inspired fight scene is my favorite live action Batman scene ever.

+Gal Gadot steals every scene she’s in.

+Justice League cameos are cool.

+Jeremy Irons is a great choice for Alfred.

+Good references to comic book stuff, especially The Dark Knight Returns.

+The themes are pretty solid, just not explored enough.

Cons:

-Plot is all over the place. Even once you understand it, it doesn’t always make sense.

-While I liked Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor in some moments, this is still overall a negative because the bad is awful.

-Mercy Graves is completely wasted here.

-As everyone’s said so far, the film just isn’t fun.

-Some awful references to comic book stuff, like the Death of Superman.

-All things Lois Lane.

-Almost all things Superman and his motivations here don’t work.

-Doomsday.

-Doomsday again.

I’m going to give this a better grade than most have. The reason being that the Batman stuff is awesome. Not just good, but awesome. I can get through some of this bad Superman stuff as long as I get my Batman (and Wonder Woman) action. It’s enough for me. Still, if you told me Batman v Superman would have to settle for a grade and not be an automatic A, I would consider that a disappointment.

Grade: B

 

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

@JonRoyalty Review | The Three Separate Films Found in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

As a 6th Grade English Language Arts teacher, I have read many essays. The biggest error I notice is the lack of coherency. Instead of focusing on a singular objective or point and developing it, kids introduce many claims and fail to substantiate each one with fidelity. Such was the fate of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (henceforth referred to as BvS), a film with the coherency and development of a 6th grader’s english essay.

For this review, I will discuss the “separate films” inside BvS that, if made into standalone movies, could be fairly solid. My main go-to line with my kids is “You’re making a lot of good points here, but you’re not developing each one enough. Choose one to focus on, and build it to fruition.” BvS will get the same thesis in this review:

Film 1: Dark Batman “Origin” Film that takes place before Man of Steel

Origin is worse than some swear words in the superhero film genre these days. “We already know how Bruce Wayne became Batman; We don’t need to be told that story again!” When I say origin, I mean the origin of how this Batman came to be the way he is. Ben Affleck (henceforth referred to as Batfleck), the best part of this film, portrays an aged and fatigued Batman. However, he is so vigorous and relentless with his justice distribution. His two big scenes were a grand car chase and a hand-to-hand showdown with an entire floor of bad guys. You can assume that many of the thugs in BvS die instantly or later succumb to the wounds inflicted on them by Batman.

SLAM!

Batfleck also does a great job portraying the Bruce Wayne millionaire playboy mystique and much of the “World’s Greatest Detective” moniker when he sneaks around downloading secret files. Jeremy Irons’ Alfred was also stellar and a nice foil to Batfleck.

We can infer that either a singular event or his body of experiences turned Batfleck into this type of Batman, but which one and/or what was it? This is important because we never get a true sense of where he stands on the morality line. Does he refuse to kill people? Or does he refuse to kill people directly, but is okay with people dying because of his actions? He brands criminals who murder and kill, but then does the same thing and, again, outright plans to Superman!

Batfleck is definitely the high point in the film, and we should have gotten to spend more time with him.

Film 2: Superman’s “Hopeful, Political Thriller Synthesis” Sequel to Man of Steel

After the events of Man of Steel, Superman has become a controversial figure. There are those that see his existence as  a bright beacon of hope, a savior of some kind. Others see him as an alien creature with godlike power who has proven to be a serious threat. Superman is so distraught about people’s perceptions of him and the complications people fabricate regarding him saving people.

Holly Hunter’s Senator [name] had a lot of interesting dialogue with other characters in interviews. “Does the world need a Superman?” “What should he do?” Amy Adams’ Lois Lane is serviceable. She’s in love with Superman and basically exists to handle plot macguffins.

This Photo Lied!!

Jesse Eisenberg’s “Lex Luthor” is terrible. His motivations are unclear. He hates Superman because he’s either a) jealous of his power b) has a complex about God and gods c) has daddy issues or d) wants to destroy the world by creating Doomsday who, if he succeeds in doing what he was creating for, will kill Superman (yay!) but kill the entire human race afterward (yay?). His performance is less Lex and more Joker. Kevin Spacey and Gene Hackman already gave us campy quirky Lex; when can we get the Clancy Brown, cold and caculated Lex from the Bruce Timm series? I just wasn’t on board with what Eisenberg was going for.

The Superman stuff basically ends there. The world has mixed feelings about him while politicians and journalists argue. Instead, a follow-up to Man of Steel should be a hopeful tale of Superman’s redemption in the eyes of the public. He goes on to save people while the people argue about him. Superman is a figure that is to inspire hope; the “S” on his chest stands for “hope” on Krypton in this Zack Snyder lore. A proper Man of Steel sequel should articulate through Superman that even though you may make great and destructive mistakes, people should eventually realize your true intentions and be appreciative. The idea that people argue over Superman even though he does the right thing even feeds into the Lord Jesus Christ metaphor that permeates Man of Steel, since a plethora of people had a problem with Jesus performing miracles and challenged him.

The Baddest Pharisee in the Land

Film 3: A Justice League Recruitment Film?

You could argue that the third film found in BvS is a Justice League Recruitment film. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman (I’m so happy that this is print so I don’t have to risk mispronouncing her name) was better than I expected. Without spoiling anything, she doesn’t do much action-wise until the end. Along the way she’s a woman of mystique and basically an object to facilitate the big Justice League mini-teasers that would be post-credits scenes if this was the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Any further discussion regarding the Justice League setup and recruitment would invite spoilers.

Should you see it?

I suppose you could do worse than BvS. The overall narrative has no coherency at all. The action sequences are filmed well enough. The titular fight is about 3% of the entire running time. Character motivations aren’t clear or sufficient, except Batman. In fact, most things in this movie aren’t great except Batman; see it for Batman at least.

You can read this posts and others just like it at JonathanMKing.Wordpress.com and can Follow this writer on twitter @JonRoyalty

NASCAR

NASCAR Killed Its Regular Season

NASCAR has made its regular season mean nothing.

It’s unfortunate too. Before the elimination format I was perfectly fine with the Chase. Sure, the traditional points standings, the system used from the 1970s through 2003, probably determined the correct Sprint Cup Champion in regards to consistency and skill. But at least the Chase had a reasonable cut off, either the top 10 drivers or the top 10 and two other wildcards. Those wildcards kept the regular season exciting as drivers went for wins. And while the Chase would take away that consistency required to win the title as opposed to years prior, it still felt like the best driver was taking it each year (well, except for 2004 I guess and maybe 2011). And some of those wildcard races really felt like they mattered. Anyone remember when Jeff Gordon missed in 2005? Or when Tony Stewart missed in 2006? Adding the wildcard made it feel like there were real stakes every week at least.

But now with the Top 16 drivers getting in, NASCAR’s regular season means absolutely nothing. The biggest drama in 2014 was what? Aric Amirola’s silly Daytona Night victory or A.J. Allmendinger’s Road Course win to clinch a berth? Neither man was going to be a title threat. 2015 had the lucky story of whether or not Kyle Busch would get in because he missed the first quarter of the season with an injury. He got in with ease and ended up winning the title. Kyle got there because it’s all about the wins now to get in now (but ironically, not when it’s time to actually race for the title). Otherwise, why should I care about any of these races? Carl Edwards won Bristol today to clinch his Chase spot. Not like it mattered, even if he didn’t win all season he was getting in either way. Other winners so far this year? Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski. All guys who most likely would have been in the Top 16 anyway. I remember my favorite driver winning the 2014 Daytona 500, then realizing that I didn’t need to really care about the next 25 races for him since he was in the playoffs already. Right now if I’m a Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch fan, why do I need to follow anything in NASCAR until the playoffs begin? There just isn’t a reason to.

Kyle Busch made a mockery of the regular season last year, and in a way so did Ryan Newman the year before. Now I understand that regular seasons in sports really don’t matter that much anyway, but with NASCAR each of their races is supposed to be an event (unlike the NFL, where there are 15 games going at once each weekend). Each race is supposed to be important and at this point it’s just not. When Kyle Busch won the title, he showed just how much the regular season meant despite missing 11 of the 26 regular season races, he killed NASCAR’s regular season for good. It simply doesn’t matter.

Basketball

2016 NBA Playoff Predictions!

Note: I wrote in my First Round Predictions on Twitter before any of the games began. This will become especially important when you get to Raptors-Pacers.

What a crazy NBA season. We’ve got one historic team (Golden State), one team that would be historic if it weren’t for Golden State (San Antonio), LeBron leading a dysfunctional Cavs team to 57 wins and a #1 seed, Kobe’s crazy last game and two teams with bonafide stars that everyone’s counting out (and arguably rightfully so) because of the Warriors and Spurs (Thunder and Clippers). Can you imagine counting out a team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and being completely justified in doing so? Madness right? At least it should make predicting the playoffs easier.

Western Conference

#1 Golden State Warriors (73-9) vs. #8 Houston Rockets (41-41)

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Houston is the NBA’s second biggest disappointment, but the only one that’s indefensible. While their main acquisition didn’t work out in Ty Lawson, the Rockets should have still been in contention for a position somewhere in the 3rd-5th seed range. And it’s embarrassing why they aren’t there. Dwight Howard just isn’t going to grow up I guess and the window of him being an elite difference maker are now long gone. He could still be a defensive force though. James Harden seemed one of the best stories in the league when he left Oklahoma City and became a star in Houston, but that good will is now gone as he’s acting like a superstar who’s yet to win anything. He’s an awful defensive player and a coach killer. What a shame all around.

Yeah, Golden State’s going to destroy them. I think one of the games will be close and the other three are double digit wins from the Warriors. Like Houston’s going to slow down Steph Curry.

Warriors in 4

#2 San Antonio Spurs (67-15) vs. #7 Memphis Grizzlies (42-40)

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The league has passed Memphis by. And no Marc Gasol is just a disaster for the Grizzlies. The Spurs have been the class of the NBA as long as they weren’t facing Golden State.

Isn’t it strange that the Western Conference is the least interesting one for once?

Spurs in 4

#3 Oklahoma City Thunder (55-27) vs. #6 Dallas Mavericks (42-40)

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This may be a closer series than one would expect. While Oklahoma swept the season series 4-0, the Mavericks have been playing well, winning 7 of their last 9, to get into the playoffs. Normally I wouldn’t put much stock into that, I like how they’ve been able to win games without big games from Dirk Nowitzki. They’ve also won with a collection of some of the weakest rim protectors in recent memory (David Lee? Zaza? Nowitzki?). They also have one of the league’s best coaches in Rick Carlisle. And while he hasn’t been playing great or anything, if Dirk Nowitzki gets hot I can’t count Dallas out of anything. Nowitzki’s one of the best 15 players of all time and that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Of course, Oklahoma has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, which should render most arguments moot. Dallas’s best bet is to try to win shootouts against OKC because Durant and Westbrook are getting their points. It would help if Dallas could at least slow down Enes Kanter, as he’s had a pretty great season that’s flown under the radar.

To make the case for Dallas, just don’t forget what happened in the 2014 First Round when Dallas took San Antonio to 7 games. Sure it’s a weaker Dallas team, but I don’t like counting out elite legends and elite coaches.

Thunder in 6.

#4 Los Angeles Clippers (53-29) vs. #5 Portland Trail Blazers (44-38)

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Portland’s a fun story. Damian Lillard has become a real house of fire (and somehow wasn’t selected for the All-Star game) while C.J. McCollum has locked up the Most Improved Player Award with a surprising 20 PPG season. Fun team for sure.

Clippers are stacked. Yeah, there are some glaring chemistry and teammate issues with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, but this team is way too talented to lose to Portland here. I think Lillard steals a game or two though.

Clippers in 6

Eastern Conference

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25) vs. #8 Detroit Pistons (44-38)

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Congratulations to Detroit. They are the best 8th seeded Eastern Conference team by record in a long time, and would actually be the 5th seed in the West. Boy have times changed. Anyway, we could pick the reasons why the Clippers are going to beat Portland and insert them here. Yeah Cleveland has chemistry issues, but it’s not going to really matter. As a bonus, Reggie Jackson will struggle if guarded by Iman Shumpert, and Andre Drummond can get all the big 17-14 games he wants. LeBron’s too good.

Cavs in 5

#2 Toronto Raptors (56-26) vs. #7 Indiana Pacers (45-37)

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My upset special of the playoffs. I was down on Toronto for the regular season and they made me eat my words there, but they don’t have a true superstar (Kyle Lowry?) and I’m not sold on Dwane Casey as a head coach. I think there are some lingering issues from last year’s playoff sweep.

As for Indiana, I believe the playoffs are about big time players making big time plays, and Paul George has come back this season and shown that he can be Indiana’s franchise player. I think he has a big series here as Indiana scores the upset.

Pacers in 6

#3 Miami Heat (48-34) vs. #6 Charlotte Hornets (48-34)

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I think Miami from top to bottom is just a better team than Charlotte. Kemba Walker’s emergence has bene impressive and Charlotte has a lot of role players who’ve played well this season. But when it comes down to a close game and someone needs to make some big shots, I’ll take a past his prime Dwyane Wade any day. Heck, I’d even take Goran Dragic. Championship players like Wade usually find ways to get some playoff wins. Think Paul Pierce in Brooklyn a couple years ago (or even last year with Washington).

Unless LINSANITY strikes…of course.

Heat in 7

#4 Atlanta Hawks (48-34) vs. #5 Boston Celtics (48-34)

hawksceltics

The Hawks are a veteran team that peaked last year. None of their guys have really stepped up from last year and it feels like the entire team regressed. They kind of feel like they are here by default.

Boston’s been an exciting team ever since they got Isaiah Thomas in the middle of last year. Hell, if they didn’t run into LeBron last year I think they could have won a playoff series. Boston is 69-38 since they got Thomas. Brad Stevens also has done an amazing job coaching Boston. I think the Celtics want this one more.

Celtics in 6

 

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

RDT Reviews Batman (1989)

Big spoilers here…it has been out for over 25 years afterall.

Tim Burton’s Batman is the prototype characterization of Batman that we see today. After Batman’s popularity had sunk throughout the 1970s, mainly due to the camp version no longer connecting with audiences, several producers (primarily Michael Uslan) looked to restore the dark, serious version of Batman. Many movie studios scoffed at the idea though until Warner Bros. decided to take a chance on it. It still took years to for Warner Bros. to truly believe in a Batman film adaptation project. This mainly happened because of several successful comics depicting Batman as that serious, dark character (The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns for example).

Ultimately this direction worked. While the film isn’t perfect by any means, it set the tone to which DC Comics and Batman especially uses today. Batman has two major positives that outweigh pretty much all of the negatives. For one, it’s visually impressive. Batman looks great, the Joker looks great, the set pieces look pretty cool, especially since the film was made in the 1980s. The film’s dark look also helps the Joker stand out, which is a positive. Lastly, I should point out that the Batmobile is pretty awesome as well.

The other major positive that makes Batman work is that Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Batman is very good, and Jack Nicholson is incredible here as the Joker. Had those two performances not worked we may be looking at an entirely different way comic book films are looked at. Nicholson outright steals pretty much every scene he’s in. Most of the memorable scenes in the film involve him. The defacing of the artwork. The parade. “The pen is truly mightier than the sword”. And of course, his first appearance as the Joker.

It’s interesting that Batman v Superman has gotten so much heat for not being fun when this film is pretty much just as depressing. Roger Ebert made this argument that it looked like it was a depressing experience for everyone, even those who made the film. Perhaps Nicholson’s Joker was fun enough that no one cared? Maybe it was what people wanted from the comic book characters in 1989, especially from Batman? I’m not sure, but it definitely worked here.

There’s really not much else that’s to write home about in Batman. Kim Basinger is bland as Vicki Vale (no reaction whatsoever from finding out Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person?). The plot is pretty basic with several changes from the comic book that would infuriate comic book fans today (like Joker being the one to kill Bruce Wayne’s parents).  The only other standout is that the music is great and really sets the dark and gloomy mood.

But none of these negatives really matter. Batman is about two comic book icons (or freaks, as Tim Burton put it) creating one another and then finally having their big fight. It’s about two characters who operate with different levels of freedom: one operates in the shadows while the other opening mocks the city he’s attacking. And both characters are done exceptionally well. That’s what mattered.

Pros:

+Jack Nicholson as the Joker is amazing.

+Michael Keaton also works well as Bruce Wayne and Batman.

+Great change of the darker version of Batman that served the prototype for many future comic book films.

+Visuals are pretty good.

Cons:

-Outside of Keaton and Nicholson no one stands out whatsoever and Kim Basinger falls flat.

-Nothing special about the plot.

One of the most influential films in history that inspired some of the biggest comic book blockbusters in history. And it even holds up thanks to the performances of the main characters.

Grade: A

 

Pro Wrestling

Wrestlemania XXXII Predictions

Wrestlemania 32! This year’s Wrestlemania card seemed lacking at first glance, but hopefully the natural progression of Dean Ambrose and the nostalgic excitement around Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker can save the show. Anyway, let’s get some Wrestlemania predictions going!

wm32kalistoryback

The Kalisto-Ryback rivalry goes back to Survivor Series when Kalisto upset Ryback in the WWE Championship tournament. While WWE clearly hasn’t given up on Ryback  yet and he’s now sporting a new look I think WWE really likes Kalisto and are going to give him a Mania win.

Winner: Kalisto

wm32divas10

Brie Bella’s last match! Truthfully I really dislike how these teams are set up as Lana and Summer Rae were enemies last year and I don’t think anyone on the Total Divas team likes Eva Marie. My suspicion is that WWE wants to get Eva Marie over and a Mania kickoff win will be the way to do it. Plus the Total Divas TV show is probably going to go over.

Winners: Team Total Divas

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No reason for the Dudleyz to win here unless they are going to challenge the New Day in the upcoming months. I assume they are going to put the Usos over here.

Winners: The Usos

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The New Day have to fight 3 to 4 odds, but the fans will be behind him and with Wade Barrett on his way out he’ll probably be the one to take the fall. There’s a backstory here too that I’m sure has been forgotten…that the New Day walked out on Sheamus at Survivor Series.

Winners: The New Day

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I think Braun Strowman is the popular choice here but I think WWE’s quickly losing faith in him. Another popular theory is that Cesaro will return and win his 2nd Memorial Battle Royal. I’m going to go one greater than that. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Battle Royal was moved to the main card. And with recent reports that perhaps John Cena is healthy I’m going to call him as a surprise return pick to win the Battle Royal and give it the prestige that it lost when it was moved to the kickoff last year.

Winner: John Cena

wm32ajjericho

While this is a dream feud, we saw these two fight last month. It really only makes sense for Jericho to put over AJ Styles here. Perhaps Jericho wins and AJ wins the rubber PPV match next month, but I hope that’s not the direction that its going.

Winner: AJ Styles

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It’s too bad we’re not getting Owens vs. Zayn straight up. Anyone I’d be shocked if anyone other than one of these two won this match and I think the belt is staying with Owens.

Winner: Kevin Owens

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I guess this is proof of the Divas revolution? While Sasha Banks is probably the crowd’s favorite to win I think WWE is going to build to Bayley vs. Charlotte for the title. Charlotte will cheat to win again.

Winner: Charlotte

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I am stunned at how many people think Shane McMahon’s winning this match. While I understand that people want to move past the Authority, Shane was clearly brought in as a short term part timer and isn’t going to be sticking around. There just simply wasn’t anyone else to put against Undertaker. Undertaker might not have the Streak anymore, but losing to Shane at Mania will devalue what Brock did two years ago and put a damper on the history of those other 22 victories. And I think WWE realizes that. And Goldberg’s not showing up either.

Winner: The Undertaker

wm32ambrosebrock

This is the big chance for WWE to make a huge star out of Dean Ambrose. Is Ambrose wins here he immediately becomes a bonafide Main Event guy. Too bad that I don’t think WWE is going to take that chance. Not that they really have to either, since Brock is still amazing.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

wm32hhhroman

The Rock is going to show up and help Roman beat HHH to win the title. I’d be shocked if this went any other way. If I thought Rock would wrestle another match in the future I’d go Rock heel turn and Roman vs. Rock next year, but that’s not happening.

Winner: Roman Reigns