#and there was no question of 'ins VS outs' in the beginning of his reign because he initially offered to preserve the offices and positions

[wonder-worker]

Any judgement on (Richard III)’s reign has to be seen as provisional. The critic of the reign only has to consider how the Tudors would now be regarded if Henry VII lost at Stoke, to realize the dangers of too many assumptions about the intractability of Richard’s problems. But it would be equally unrealistic to ignore Richard’s unpopularity altogether. The fact that he generated opposition among men with little material reason for dissent, and that the disaffection then continued to spread among his own associates, says something about what contemporaries regarded as the acceptable parameters of political behaviour. There is no doubt that Richard’s deposition of his nephews was profoundly shocking. To anyone who did not accept the pre-contract story, which was probably the majority of observers, the usurpation was an act of disloyalty. Gloucester, both as uncle and protector, was bound to uphold his nephew’s interests and his failure to do so was dishonourable. Of all medieval depositions, it was the only one which, with whatever justification, could most easily be seen as an act of naked self-aggrandizement.

It was also the first pre-emptive deposition in English history. This raised enormous problems. Deposition was always a last resort, even when it could be justified by the manifest failings of a corrupt or ineffective regime. How could one sanction its use as a first resort, to remove a king who had not only not done anything wrong but had not yet done anything at all?

-Rosemary Horrox, "Richard III: A Study of Service"

[sunbirddtellsstories]

What are your headcanons for Omi, Clay, and Raimundo in reference to MW? If you don't get the chance to fit everything into your story, would you consider writing one-shots to go along with it? What was your inspiration for writing MW, aside from wanting a Jack Spicer redemption? What's your writing process? How long have you been writing? Are there other fandoms you're into besides XS?

This is going to get LONG and I don’t want to split it up because internet is bad here so apologies In advance but here we go:

What are your headcanons for Omi, Clay, and Raimundo in reference to MW?

I’ll start writing them and posting them as soon as I finish answering this one. It might take a bit, but you’ll see them up in a few hours or so.

Believe it or not those headcanons help me a lot when it comes to figuring out characters. So thanks for asking! I appreciate it.

If you don't get the chance to fit everything into your story, would you consider writing one-shots to go along with it?

Hell. Yes.

There is SO much I want to do. I want to write about how each Dragon found their element. I want to write ALL OF THE SHIP FUEL for Jack x Jermaine x Timber. I want to write about them having little mini episodic breather adventures in lots of different countries and cities, I’m talking Mumbai, St Petersburg, Venice, Paris, Capetown, Aguascalientes, Melbourne, everywhere! And maybe run ins with villains, for no reason. I want to write about them teaching each other about their strengths, like Jack explaining science to Jermaine and Timber or Timber teaching them two city boys how to fish and forage for food.

Also more moments of Jermaine reigning these two natural disasters in and teaching them how to be actual people. Because that’s always fun.

I want to write little moments between characters in Team Xiaolin during their quest to track down Team Spicer and I want to write moments between Seon Yeong, Rai and Kim as a trio. I want to write post-MW! Fics between characters and how they learn and grow after the events of the story - especially Kimiko and Timber as total opposites and the only two girls on the team. And I really want to write a ‘beach episode’ where Jack, Jermaine and Timber just end up warping to a tropical area and just have fun for once.

I want to write solo fics about Jack and Jermaine and their personal struggles as they grow up with their own troubles prior to MW!

And a part of me really, really wants to start posting a mini fic about Timber’s life in Silent Harbor, to show her slow, sad descent into the troubled teen she has now become and as a build up to the events of Chapter 6 of MW! where she runs into Jack for the first time. It would be SO spoiler-y though.

There’s a lot that might not fit in MW! And I would definitely write a bunch of mini stories. I don’t know who would be interested in reading all of that, but I might do it just to brainstorm ideas and explore character interactions.

What was your inspiration for writing MW, aside from wanting a Jack Spicer redemption?

I’ve been wanting to tell a XS story since I was a kid! This show was my everything! The characters were my everything. And even now it holds a special place in my heart. So the drive to write something for this fandom has always been there.

As for MW! itself....I’ve always had a fondness for Jack Spicer. I’ve always wanted him to find some semblance of happiness and have someone there so he’s not alone. And a long time ago, that someone became Timber.

But Timber wasn’t who she is today. She was Latina, and Californian, and a bubbly pink ray of sunshine and positivity. And Jack had a crush on her and she was his bestie and she was essentially an overly competent sidekick for him and then Clay had a crush on her and she was the Dragon Of Wood and Jack was the Dragon Of Metal and he was going to sell his soul to the Heylin side to finally earn Chase’s approval and she was gonna save him from himself...well, you get the picture. And I liked her a lot, and I still miss that version of her sometimes, but...she wasn’t interesting enough. And there wasn’t really a story there. At least not much of one. What was there could have been interesting on its own, but it was pretty self indulgent and I don’t think anyone besides me would have enjoyed reading it. And that’s no fun.

Then I had the idea to somehow bind Timber, an innocent civilian girl, to Jack through magic by having her make the idiotic mistake of betting herself in a Showdown with him over a Wu that was hers and then lose, and then essentially being dragged along on all of his adventures and slowly becoming friends with him while hilarity ensues. Then I had the idea to make a game breaking Wu that just...caused trouble. And the story then became about Jack accidentally dragging a civilian girl along on a warpy portally adventure with that Wu and run into all these villains as they become friends.

But when I did this, it didn’t feel balanced. I had someone on the Heylin side and I had someone who was Neutral. So then I needed someone as a buffer between Jack and Timber so they didn’t kill each other and to represent the side of Good aka someone who was Xiaolin.

And then Jermaine came along!

And as I developed the story more, I realized I wanted to tell something serious, and have all the characters grow and play off of each other and talk about the XS universe and answer questions and give everyone this big, long journey and great trial and give Jack actual character development and actual friends/love interests and have someone from Chinese Mythology be the Xiaolin’s ultimate adversary and Jack’s final test of character. And along the way, MW! was born.

And I’m really grateful for that.

What's your writing process?

Usually first I write up a few ideas of what I want to happen, like the general flow of the chapter. Then I make a chronological skeleton of dialogue, and I tweak it until I’m satisfied. Then I write the rest of the stuff like actions and descriptions.

One of my flaws is being redundant. Another is being overly wordy. So after I write it all out, I try to trim it down and tweak it as best as I can until these flaws are no more (I sometimes skip stuff) and then I just play around with the chapter until it feels right. It has to strike an emotional chord with me and get me excited to write it before I publish it. If I don’t feel that spark, it doesn’t go up.

I had a few people in the fandom volunteer to be beta readers, but my chapters are so long...so right now it’s just a couple of my closest friends who are looking at it, the main one being my friend CVD, who also wants to be a writer. She’s got a good eye for what does and doesn’t belong and I’m forever thankful. My other two, Trinket and Papillion, look over it and help let me know how they feel about things so they’re also a big help. So shoutout to you guys!

And then after all that noise, my stuff goes up.

However, my older chapters could use one final spellcheck and revision so I’ll eventually go back and polish those up a bit. Typos man. Typos....

A lot of times I’ll also take breaks to do some research and find inspiration music. Honestly there are days where I can’t figure a character or a scene out until I find JUST the right song for inspiration. And since a lot of characters in my fic are from a different country and cultural background than mine, I’ll do plenty of research to try to stay true to who they are. I’m doing a lot of research on the Bedouin tribe and its history and looking for a lot of pretty Middle Eastern music right now, for example. YouTube is a great resource for these things! Bless the internet!

How long have you been writing?

Since forever! I’ve always been making up stories in my head! And they’d get elaborate too! I’ve built so many worlds and characters just by playing around as a little kid, I can’t even begin where to start talking about them all. As I grew, I started to write them down and now I want to get serious about it! Besides Monkey Wrench!, I want to write a fanfic for the Ducktales 2017 fandom and the Black Butler fandom, and I have two original novel ideas I want to write out and get published. It’s my dream to make stories that other people love and that inspire others to learn, write, make stuff and have adventures and stuff. Literally my dream is to make stories that get a buttload Of fanart and cosplays and fanfic and just...move the world for the better somehow. That is my highest goal rn. Being a published and famous author.

Are there other fandoms you're into besides XS?

Hell yeah! Although I do tend to have periods where I hyper fixate on one at a time. Besides Xiaolin Showdown, I also like Gravity Falls, Storm Hawks, Steven Universe, Star vs The Forces Of Evil, and Ducktales 2017. There were a lot more in the past, such as Teen Titans, King Falls AM, The Boondocks, and Samurai Champloo, but I haven’t been very active in those fandoms as of late.

I really need to get into Tangled: The Series, OK KO, Victor and Valentino, and Craig Of the Creek. They all look phenomenal, I just don’t have time to get into them all yet.

[asagimeta]

Ok listen, yes season five is going to be full of Supercorp pain but you know what else it's going to be? Crisis

Now ofcourse this isn't necessarily a good thing, especially because the Supergirl episode is being held until after winter break wich means the angst is going to be unbelievable, but there is a chance that the core of Supergirl's connection to Crisis is going to be... Lena

Hear me out

Each show is leaving an ostrich sized easter egg to lead us into Crisis, but wile Arrow's and The Flash's are pretty obvious tie-ins to their respective shows, Supergirl's is ... not

I mean, yes, J'onn has a brother who wants him dead, and the Anti-Monitor brought Lex back to life (assumingly) but neither of those are earth shattering ties to the overarching story of Supergirl, Lena, however, is, but I'll get to that later

Arrow's plot for Crisis is pretty obvious- Oliver fullfilling his promise to the Anti-Monitor in order to save Kara and Barry, this will not only greatly impact his series, but considering that Arrow is ending, it's really more of a send-off than anything else

The Flash's plot for Crisis is equally clear- The series-long drama concerning Barry's vanishing will finally come to a head and The Flash is bound to be forever changed by it

Legends Of Tommorrow won't air until tommorrow and Batwoman won't air until next year, so those two are currently N/A, wich is fine honestly, as Elseworlds- the pre-cursor to Crisis- was really mostly about Oliver, Barry, and Kara

But this leaves Supergirl as the odd one out

Two of the three shows that built the groundwork for Crisis via Elseworlds will be permenantely impacted by Crisis in a way that culminates a very large part of their entire series to date, but Supergirl's Crisis clue was.... not that

J'onn's brother has had no precident in Supergirl's canon up until now, nor is there- to my knowledge- an overarching plot about him and Kara from the comic books, Lex Luthor potentially coming back to life was hardly a clue and even if it was, let's remember that Lex is on LOAN to Supergirl, unlike other major players like Lena, Brainy, and Nia, he isn't meant to be a permenant integration to Supergirl, he's only there to come in and out like Superman does, so whatever happens regarding him will only *add* to Supergirl's story, not be the center of it, even more confusing, Supergirl doesn't have any connections to time travel right now the way that Arrow, Flash, and even Legends do, I had originally assumed that the bleak future Imra told Kara about when the Legion came to help with Reign was going to come back into play, after all, the Legion did leave Brainy for us as a permenant connection to the future, but there wasn't a single breath about anything from season three at all, meaning this seems unlikely to be the case

So that leaves us with quite a quary- if The Flash and Arrow are giving us nods to Crisis that will greatly impact their shows on a level that the audience immediately understands, what has Supergirl done that's similar?

Revealed the truth to Lena, that's what

Wile Lena wasn't part of the show from season one, this isn't the CW's fault, she was part of the show from the moment that the CW got ahold of it, meaning that any seeds they may have wanted to plant for this like they did with The Flash could *only* be established starting from season two

Because the CW only had access to Supergirl starting season two, I'm going to disregard season one for the purpose of this meta, not because I don't like season one or because I don't consider it canon (I do- on both counts) but because the CW had no way of influencing anything that happened on season one and any overarching plans couldn't have been established then

So from the start of Supergirl's run on the CW, one of the biggest overarching stories has been about Lena finding out, unlike others such as Nia, Cat, and various villains that come and go, the theme of her secret identity is not something that comes and goes, nor is it something that can potentially be waved away with a little bit of trickster-ness on Kara's part (think J'onn masquerading as Kara in front of Cat), it's never been handled as a cute tongue-and-cheek thing or even an inevitability the way it was with Nia, with Lena it's never been a question of "when?" but "if?", it's never been treated as a laughing matter either the way it sometimes was with Cat- who half the fandom is legitimately quite sure already knew anyway

With Lena, it's always been something serious, even in the cutest moments of potential-reveals, there's always been a real sense of drama there, and that's the one overarching story that the CW has been planning since the beginning- particularly that's come to land right now, at the end of season four

Much like Barry's newspapper finally coming to fruition- with a near gurantee of resolution in Crisis- Kara's ultimate story about her secret identity- wich is something her story has focused on far more than the others- has also come to a head and promises a sort of resolution next season- I predict in Crisis

But there are two different ways this story can go down:

1. Lena The Villain

2. Lena The Hero

It's the same juxtapositioned conflict that Lena has dealt with during the ENTIRE show, and I predict that Crisis will resolutely solidify her position one way or another

Crisis is very much doing the same thing Avengers did with Endgame, it's creating a pre and post era system, just as the MCU will always be defined by "pre-Endgame" an "post-Edgame", the Arrowverse will always be defined as "pre-Crisis" and "post-Crisis"

Post-Crisis Arrowverse will be a universe without Arrow in it, a universe without the looming threat of Barry vanishing in Crisis, and a universe without the question of weather Lena is ultimately good or evil, it'll introduce a new era that will likely install a new Mega Plot to unfold over the course of five or six years

But back to Lena

There's always been a push-and-pull about Lena's goodness, not only on screen, with Lena consistantly having to turn away from temptations that would lead her down an evil path, but behind the scenes as well, with the writers admitting quite consistantly that Lena would have times of straddling the moral fence and that they had considered her going down a darker path, and with Melissa comparing Kara and Lena to early!Clark and Lex, as, after all, Clark and Lex were closer than brothers, once upon a time, now with Lex gone- for a time atleast- and Lena having a real, personal motivation to hurt Supergirl, without Kara weighing in as a concious, she's being set up to look like a villain

I, personally, don't think she'll turn into one, but for the sake of arguments and theorizing let's just say she does

Crisis would be the launching pad of Lena emerging not as morally grey or going down a crooked path, but as a full-on, bonefied villain that's out to get Supergirl

It would certainly launch a new period for Supergirl as a show, a point of no return, something that would solidly be "Pre-Crisis" vs "Post-Crisis"

If Lena launches as a villain that could be Kara's big conflict for Crisis, having to fight her best freind, it could even be a matter of Kara rewriting the universe so that Lena never found out she was Supergirl.... or rewriting it so that she told Lena herself, both of wich are possible with time travel, wich will almost certainly be at play

Lena Luthor would certainly be a villain mighty enough to possibly bring about the end of the world, especially if she wasn't the only one responsible for it

However, I don't think this is what's going to happen, I think Lena is going to join the Super Freinds officially... and start by saving Supergirl during Crisis

Once again, that will solidify her as good forever, no longer raising the question of where her allegiance is, and it'll also create a very clear pre-era vs post-era

We know that Oliver made a deal to save Kara and Barry, but we don't know if that deal means they'll go into Crisis wearing virtual plot armor (meaning what would have initially killed them no longer happens at all) or if that deal creates two life-savers for them that weren't initially going to be there, such as Lena Luthor, who wasn't going to be part of this until she found out who Supergirl was, and, as consequence, has become more wrapped up in the Big Bad Battles since finding out (that doesn't mean Lena necessarily has been helping Kara through 5A, just that she's more involved in what's going on than ever before, wich is pretty reasonable to suggest, all things considered)

Oliver's deal with the anti-Monitor was enacted before this episode aired after all, so whatever Oliver did, it's set in stone, it's very possible that he created a life-line option for both of his freinds, thus why Lena found out now of all times, after so long of not knowing, that only set in motion that she would be involved in Crisis.... and be there to save Supergirl from something that would have otherwise killed her

Obviously I have no proof of any of this but I just find it really odd that for one of the three connected to Crisis through Elseworlds, for one of the two that Oliver made his deal for, the only Crisis hint we got is for a charector that ... isn't even going after Supergirl

At all

He has nothing to do with her, and Anti-Monitor doing whatever he did with Lex doesn't give us any real hints about where Crisis is taking Kara's storyline, it doesn't even prove that Lex will be facing Supergirl in Crisis at all, there's still a possibility that Superman comes back from Argo and we get a Clark vs Lex showdown- even a small one, after all for the biggest crossover in  DC's TV history, it'd be weird to have Lex there and not Superman

Furthermore, it isn't like Supergirl has no way of incorporating time travel, Brainy's entire charector is based on that concept, last season was entirely about it and even told of a future where Supergirl not only is no longer alive, but where she too dissappeared long before Imra was even born, that would have been the PERFECT tie in for Kara and Crisis but it wasn't even remotely hinted at, meaning they're going to be doing something completely different, they have to have a better tie-in for her to not have used something so obvious

So what does that leave? Where is Kara's actual story in all of this? It could very well be with Lena, it's the option that makes the most sense, after all

[latestnews2018-blog]

WWE Raw Live Coverage & Results (6/25) San Diego, CA

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/wwe-raw-live-coverage-results-6-25-san-diego-ca/

WWE Raw Live Coverage & Results (6/25) San Diego, CA

Welcome to the live coverage for Raw from San Diego, California!

The show opens with an “In Memory Of” Leon White ‘Vader.’

The opening WWE package plays as Raw is still Then. Now. Forever.

Tonight we get a rematch between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship.

The show opens with Constable Corbin in the ring with Kurt Angle.  Kurt is introduced, but Corbin isn’t.  He demands to be introduced as Stephanie’s Constable of Raw.  Jojo does so.  Angle talks about the main event last week before he’s interrupted by Roman Reigns. He slowly makes his way down to the ring before entering.  Roman says don’t mind him as he just wants to hear the explanation.  Before he can say anything else, Bobby Lashley’s music hits.  He makes his way down to the ring as well.  Lashley says don’t mind him, but he deserves to hear it just as much as him.  Lashley says that Roman had his chance to beat Brock.  He says Roman has had three years of chances and that he’s proven that he can’t beat Brock.  Lashley tells him it’s time to move on.  The crowd chants Yes!  Roman says move on?  Like he did ten years ago?  Roman talks about Lashley being in the main event of WrestleMania before leaving to be a big dog in MMA.  Roman says that Lashley is doing nothing while he’s main eventing WrestleMania for four years running.  Roman tells him to check his resume before he speaks up to him.  Lashley tells him not to downplay his background.  He says that he’s the only one built to beat Brock.  He says he’ll beat anyone in his way.  Angle says that there will not be a multi-man match at Extreme Rules.  He says there was something in Brock’s contract that prevents it.  Roman says that Brock doesn’t respect anyone and he doesn’t give a sh-.  Angle cuts him off to say we know how Roman feels.  Lashley says that Brock’s probably just tired of seeing Roman’s face.  He says that Brock would probably come back for a real challenge like himself.  Roman says it looks like they both don’t have a match for Extreme Rules so why don’t they fight it out right now.  Angle says they can have a match at Extreme Rules.

They’re interrupted by Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder.  They say that they didn’t think two of the biggest egos in the business could survive in the ring with them.  They were wrong, but Constable Corbin says let’s get this party started!  A tag team match is coming up after the…

Commercials.

  Bobby Lashley & Roman Reigns vs. The Revival

  We come back to the match starting.  The Revival try to jump them, but it backfires into double back body drops before they’re both dumped out of the ring with clotheslines.  Roman slides outside and slams the head of Dawson onto the apron.  He rolls inside and throws Dawson into the corner.  Roman tags out before they hit a double team move.  They bicker for a second before Wilder takes out Roman’s legs.  Dawson lifts up Lashley onto the top rope with a stun gun!  Dawson tags in Dash as he is lifted up for a leg drop on Lashley for a two count!  Lashley begins to fight back, but he’s rammed back into the corner where Dawson tags in.  Dawson wraps his legs around the waist of Lashley while holding in a side headlock.  Lashley fights up, but Wilder tags in to double team him with a double suplex for a one count.  Wilder gets caught by a Black Out.  He tags out to Roman as Dawson tags himself in.  Roman hits his five moves of Doom followed by the ten count clotheslines in the corner.  Roman hits a big boot to take out Dawson before knocking Wilder off the apron.  Roman gets ready for the Superman punch, but Dawson is pulled out by Dash.  Roman capitalizes with a double Drive-By kick!

Commercials.

We come back to Dash having a side headlock on Roman in the center of the ring.  Roman fights up and rolls Dash off of him.  However, Dawson tags in and traps Roman in between the ropes with some big shots.  He pulls Roman back in and stomps on his arm on the mat.  Dawson sends Roman into the corner before eating a big boot.  Dawson quickly tags in Dash who punishes Roman in the corner with some big shots.  Roman is trapped in a Cobra Clutch by Dash before he fights up.  Dash slams him down to the mat.  He wipes off his hands before tagging in Dawson.  Scott drops a knee followed by some kicks on Roman.  He picks up Roman who hits a headbutt.  Roman whips Dawson into the corner where he goes inside-out.  Roman hits a big Samoan Drop before tagging in Lashley.  Lashley is a house of fire as he hits some clotheslines followed by belly-to-bellys.  Lashley hits spears in the corner on both of them.  Lashley hoists up Dash for a delayed Vertical suplex!  Lashley sets up for something before Roman tags himself in.  He hits a big Superman punch.  Lashley tries to tag himself in, but Roman dodges it.  Dawson rushes over and nails Lashley after Roman dodged him.  Roman hits the spear on Dawson before going for the pin.  However, Dash is the legal man as he rolls him up for the three count!

Winners:  The Revival

After the match, Lashley gives him a fake clap before telling Roman that he should get out of his way.  Lashley gives him a little salute before rolling out of the ring.

Matt Hardy is shown somewhere.  He says imitation is the most sincere form of flattery as last week was WONDERFUL.  Hardy is joined by Bray Wyatt.  Wyatt says that they are too focused on the prize that they don’t realize that they’ve wandered into the Lion’s Den.  They say that they’re here.

Matt Hardy makes his way out before he’s joined by Bray Wyatt. 

A commercial is shown for Rey Mysterio who is going to be the Pre-Order bonus for the WWE 2k19 game.

Curtis Axel is shown on the tron rambling as he imitates him.  Bo Dallas comes in with a tiny light as he has a big beard on.  They begin coughing at the smoke.  They say that they are the B team and they’re here.  Bo clicks the button on the light before they duck out of view while coughing.

The B Team makes their way out as it’s…

  Curtis Axel vs. Matt Hardy

  Matt Hardy quickly begins punching on the face of Axel before Axel catches Hardy with a boot.  Axel climbs up, but he’s caught by Matt.  Hardy climbs up, but Axel falls down on top of Hardy in a crossbody for the three count?!  The B Team begins celebrating wildly.

Winner:  Curtis Axel

Hardy and Wyatt tell them that that move was WONDERFUL!  The B Team rolls out of the ring as they continue to celebrate their fluke-ish win.

They show a few clips of the Sasha vs. Bayley feud so far.  Sasha Banks is shown backstage talking to Kurt Angle.  The Authors of Pain are shown walking backstage as they shove some backstage helper down.  They’re stopped by Titus Worldwide who tells them to respect the backstage help as they help make this show work.  They say thanks… but no thanks as they walk off.

Commercials.

A video package is shown for The Authors of Pain.

Alicia Fox is shown backstage as she’s returned.  Kurt Angle tells Bayley that she’s teaming up with Sasha Banks to which she tries to argue it.  He says that it’s going to be a six-woman tag with those two teaming up with Ember Moon against The Riott Squad.

Akam and Rezar make their way down to the ring as Rich and Rex Gibson are already in the ring.

  The Authors of Pain vs. Rich & Rex Gibson

  Rezar hits a big boot to the face of Rex Gibson before dropping him over the top rope onto the apron!  Rich is slammed hard before Akam knocks him out of the ring.  He rolls out and grabs Rich before hitting a big running fireman’s carry into the corner.  They hit The Final Chapter before getting the three count.

Winners:  The Authors of Pain

Post-match, The Authors begin dismantling The Gibsons even further before Titus Worldwide runs down to run them off.

Backstage, Constable Corbin questions putting Bayley and Sasha Banks together.  Finn Balor slides into picture before saying that he’s sad that he didn’t get a chance to get his Universal Championship back.  Constable Corbin says that Finn would have just came up short again.  Finn compliments Constable’s vest asking if he borrowed it from a T.G.I. Friday’s manager.  Braun Strowman steps into picture and says that he’s tired of beating up Kevin Owens.  He wants to be his tag team partner tonight.  Angle asks him who they should fight.  Braun asks why not Corbin and Balor?  Angle agrees.  Finn says check please as he walks out of the picture with Braun.

Commercials.

Alexa Bliss comes out followed by Mickie James as we come back from commercials. 

A video package is shown of Alexa Bliss winning the Money in the Bank briefcase before cashing it in on Nia Jax. 

Back to the ring, Mickie James tells the crowd to give it up for the one and only goddess of the WWE, Alexa Bliss.  Bliss revels in it for a moment before thanking Mickie and calls her a good friend.  James says that she deserves it after what Ronda did last week.  Bliss says that’s why she’s suspended for thirty days.  Bliss says that she’s a champion and she’ll bounce back.  Bliss calls Ronda spoiled and entitled.  Alexa says that what she did was absolutely legal.  James calls it one of the greatest Money in the Bank cash-ins in history.  Bliss asks who is she rewarded?  She’s defending her title against Nia Jax at Extreme Rules.  Bliss says that she’s the one standing here.  Bliss talks about Nia claiming the victim card.  Bliss talks about how the weird girl beat the pretty, popular one at WrestleMania, but that’s just Hollywood.  Bliss calls herself the real hero as she’s overcome every obstacle in her way.  Bliss says they can boo her all they want, but she’s still the champion!  The crowd chants “You suck!” at her as she calls them rude.  Natalya’s music hits as she makes her way onto the ramp.  Nattie says that the countdown is on.  Twenty-three days before Ronda Rousey comes back to deal with her.  Bliss says that she’s so impressed that Nattie and Ronda can count back from thirty.  Bliss makes fun of Total Divas and makes fun of Natalya for posting so much on Social Media.  Bliss says that she’s dismissed.  Natalya says she talked to Kurt and they have a match right here, right now!  Nattie says she isn’t alone as out comes Nia Jax!

Commercials.

  Natalya vs. Alexa Bliss

  We return to Bliss holding a waist lock on Natalya.  Bliss is reversed into a Sharpshooter, but Bliss scoots away into the ropes.  Bliss kicks Natalya in the knee before kicking her right in the face.  Bliss resumes her hold around the waist of Natalya.  Natalya is rolled over onto her shoulders for a two count before resuming the hold.  Natalya lifts up Bliss in the hold before hitting a Michinoku Driver.  Bliss hits a big knee drop into the mid-section of Nattie for a two count.  Bliss hits the mounted head stomps on the ropes.  She rolls up Nattie for a two count.  She does this a few more times to get two counts each time.  Natalya gets up to hit a clothesline followed by a suplex.  Nattie hits a side Russian Legsweep.  Nattie hits the running dropkick, but she’s hooked at the ropes by James.  Alexa hits a big right hand to Nattie before hitting the ropes and getting tripped up by Nia’s hand.  She takes a big punch from Nia before Nattie locks in the Sharpshooter!  Alexa Bliss taps out!

Winner:  Natalya

They show clips from last week between Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, and Dolph Ziggler.

Backstage, Carly Caruso is with Seth Rollins.  She asks him his mindset.  Rollins says that he’s had seven days for that loss to drive him.  He’s talked about how much he’s dedicated every moment to getting better.  Rollins says that McIntyre is going to have the best seat in the house when he takes his title back.

Jinder Mahal and Samir Singh is shown backstage having pictures taken of them.  The Riott Squad steps in and takes pictures of Jinder for a few seconds before smashing the camera.  Jinder and Singh just salute them as they leave to get ready for their match up next.

Commercials.

  The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, & Sarah Logan) vs. Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Ember Moon

  The bell sounds as Sarah Logan and Bayley start this off.  Bayley tags out to Ember who tags out to Sasha.  Sasha hits Meteora for a two count.  Sasha tags out to Ember as Sarah escapes to tag in Liv Morgan!  Liv is taken off her feet by a low sweep kick from Ember Moon.  Ruby Riott runs into the ring before eating a big kick as they both slide outside.  Ember Moon hits the ropes and hits a big suicide dive that takes out both Riott and Morgan!

Commercials.

We come back from commercials with Ruby Riott working over Ember Moon in the center of the ring.  Riott hits a big STO on Ember for a two count.  Riott hits a big right hand to Bayley before swinging at Sasha.  Morgan and Logan leap into the ring as the referee is distracted by Sasha.  Sasha is tagged in and is a house of fire.  She kicks down the other two before hitting a running double knees into Riott.  She tries for it again, but Riott misses.  Riott pins Sasha, but it’s Bayley who breaks it up.  On the outside, Morgan hits a hurricanrana on Ember Moon outside of the ring.  Riott rolls up Sasha for a three count!

Winners:  The Riott Squad

Post-match, Bayley just unloads on Sasha Banks with big kicks, elbows, and punches.  Bayley rushes towards the corner and SLAMS Sasha’s head into the second turnbuckle as the crowd is on their feet.  Bayley yanks Sasha out onto the floor outside of the ring.  Bayley grabs Banks up and just drives her into the steel steps.  She yanks her up and does it again!  Bayley leans down over Sasha and says this is for the past few years.  Bayley pushes her face before stepping up and slowly backing up the ramp.

Coming up later is Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens vs. Constable Baron Corbin and Finn Balor. 

Angle tells a referee backstage to handle the Sasha and Bayley issue.  Owens enters the room as he says that he can’t be partners with Braun.  Angle says that this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.  Owens throws up his hands as he stomps off.

No Way Jose’s music hits as he comes out with his Conga line!

An advertisement is shown for the second half of the UK Special on the Network for tomorrow.

Commercials.

Mojo Rawley comes out onto the stage and talks about being embarrassed to be out here because of the Conga line.  He says you have to earn the right to step inside a WWE ring or to walk down the ramp.  He says that No Way Jose hasn’t earned the right either.  He walks over to a guy in the Conga line and asks a guy his name.  He says his name is Todd.  The crowd begins chanting ‘Todd.’  He ridicules his burger shirt before telling him that this is the closest he’ll ever come to being a WWE Superstar.  Mojo tells him that he’ll never be a WWE Superstar.  Rawley says that there will be no rematch tonight.  No Way Jose steps out with his conga line before Mojo sucker punches No Way Jose!  He walks away as No Way Jose is mad.

Bayley comes into Angle’s office.  Angle tells her that she’s going to mandatory counseling starting next week.  She tries to argue her case, but he says that she’s going to start next week before he leaves.

Braun Strowman makes his way down to the ring as the tag team match is up next!

Commercials.

  Braun Strowman & Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor & Constable Baron Corbin

  The bell sounds as Baron Corbin flattens Kevin Owens with a big shoulder block.  He kicks on him in the corner before Owens tags out to Strowman.  Braun Strowman and Corbin tease a test of strength before Corbin kicks him in the mid-section.  Corbin hits the ropes before eating a big running hand slam to the chest!  Strowman tags out to Owens as Baron tags out to Balor.  Owens flattens Balor with a big clothesline before stomping away on him in the corner.  Balor is tagged out by Corbin as the Constable runs right into Strowman!  Strowman and Owens slam Corbin into the corner.  Strowman knocks him down to the bottom.  Owens and Strowman rush towards each other to hit dualing Avalanche splash and Cannonball splashes as we go into…

Commercials.

We come back with Finn holding an armhold on Owens in the center of the ring.  Owens reaches out to his partner, but Finn is pulling him away.  Finn hits a big swinging arm to the throat of Owens to pin him for a two count, but Strowman breaks it up.  Corbin is tagged in as Owens dodges a big clothesline.  He leaps towards Strowman.  Strowman hits a big shoulderblock.  Corbin tags out to Balor before Strowman just clubs Balor to the ground.  They roll outside as Braun hits two big running shoulderblocks to both Corbin and Balor!  He gets into the ring and points at Owens.  Owens tags in and takes a lap!  He shoulderblocks Balor, but he’s caught by a clothesline from Corbin.  Balor gets into the ring, but Corbin tags himself in.  Finn looks irritated before kicking Corbin right in the head.  The two begin trading blows up the ramp as they are counted out!

Winners (by Countout):  Braun Strowman & Kevin Owens

After the match, Kevin celebrates and holds out his hand to shake.  Braun just stares at him before Owens backs out of the ring and runs up the ramp.  Braun grabs his briefcase and rushes up the ramp to follow!

Backstage, Kevin Owens is running away.  He closes himself in a room just as Braun runs up.  Strowman walks up and asks some guy where Owens is.  The guy claims to only run concessions and not know who Owens is.  Strowman says he’s the guy who looks like he has a bowling ball under his shirt.  The guy shrugs as Strowman storms off past the door where Owens hid himself.

Commercials.

We come back to see Kevin Owens popping his head out slowly of the door.  He has his luggage with him.  He asks two security guards to walk with him.  He waves them off as he exits the arena.  Kevin Owens comes up to a Valet.  He asks for his keys, the Valet points at Strowman who has it.  Strowman says he hopes he has insurance as he throws him his keys.  The camera turns to see a car turned upside down and smoking.  Strowman laughs as Owens cries as two guys use fire extinguishers to put out the smoke.

Back into the arena, Seth Rollins makes his way out.  Dolph Ziggler makes his way out as Drew McIntyre also gets his own entrance.

Commercials.

  Intercontinental Championship Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins

  The bell sounds as Rollins charges with a big dropkick!  Dolph slides out of the ring quickly.  He takes a moment before rolling into the ring.  Seth Rollins tries to ground him as he comes in, but he gets to the ropes.  The referee pushes back Rollins.  They go for a test of strength before Dolph kicks Seth in the mid-section.  Rollins hits some big chops before getting a crucifix roll-up for a two count.  Rollins locks in an armbar.  McIntyre watches on stoically.  Dolph moves them to the ropes to get the break.  Dolph hits a big elbow to flatten Seth.  Ziggler slams the head of Rollins onto the top turnbuckle.  Ziggler hits some body shots before hitting the leaping elbow drop for a two count.  Dolph hooks the arm of Rollins behind him before transitioning into a side headlock.  Rollins gets up, but Dolph locks it in tighter.  Dolph pulls him back to the mat with the hold.  Rollins begins fighting up again, but Dolph slams him back before locking it on again!  Rollins gets out before hitting a hip toss on Dolph followed by a big dropkick!  Dolph rolls out of the ring to compose himself.  Seth slides out as Drew steps in front of him.  Seth throws Dolph into the barricade as Seth and Drew stare off.

Commercials.

We come back as Dolph is working over the leg and knee of Seth Rollins.  Dolph hits a big leaping elbow drop for a two count.  Dolph locks in a sleeper hold with the legs wrapped around him.  Rollins gets up and sends Dolph right into the corner chest-first!  Rolins charges before being launched up and sent to the outside and to the floor!  Ziggler rolls him back inside and pins him for a two count.  Dolph pulls up Rollins and hits a big punch that floors Rollins.  He picks him up and does it again.  Rollins begins fighting back, but Dolph locks in the Sleeper Hold once again.  Rollins throws him off as Dolph gets back into it!  Rollins throws him off before both men hit a double crossbody to floor themselves!  They get to their feet, but Rollins hits a big shot followed by a second.  Dolph sends Rollins into the corner, but Rollins catches him with a boot.  Slingblade!  Dolph is clotheslined over the top rope.  Rollins hits the ropes and as he gets to the ropes, McIntyre cheapshots him!  Dolph Ziggler slides back into the ring to hit Rollins with a shot to the back.  The referee throws out McIntyre who argues with it!  Rollins rolls up Dolph for at least a three count.  He releases and smacks McIntyre.  Rollins hits a big step-up enzuigiri to send Dolph outside.  He hits a suicide dive to the outside that takes out both Dolph and Drew!  He climbs up to the top turnbuckle, but Dolph crotches him there before pulling him down into a pin for only a two count!

Commercials.

We come back as Seth Rollins hits the Ripcord knee!  Both men are down though!  Rollins crawls into a cover, but Dolph gets his foot on the bottom rope!  They move out onto the apron where Dolph hits a big leaping spike DDT!  The referee begins his count as Dolph rolls inside.  Rollins rolls in right at ten!  Both men are laid out.  Ziggler begins tuning up the band.  Rollins catches his leg and hits the Buckle Bomb followed by the superkick to the kneeling Dolph for the two count!  The crowd nearly erupted!  Rollins gets up before climbing to the top rope.  Dolph gets up and leaps up to the turnbuckle.  Dolph is headbutted right off the top rope as Rollins stands up.  Frog splash for a two count!  The crowd nearly erupted again!  Seth Rollins gets up before stomping the mat himself.  Rollins hits the superkick to the gut followed by the Stomp that Dolph dodges!  Dolph tries for the Zig Zag that misses!  Rollins rolls up Dolph for two followed by a roll-up for Dolph followed by one by Seth!  Dolph Ziggler sends Rollins into the corner turnbuckle before hitting the Zig Zag!  He covers!  It’s only a two count!  Dolph Ziggler lifts up Rollins and sets him up on the top turnbuckle.  Dolph climbs up with him.  He tries for the superplex, but Rollins switches onto the side of the turnbuckle with Dolph on the other side.  Rollins switches all the way around to hit the superplex into the Falcon’s Arrow!  Seth Rollins hooks a leg!  He gets a three count!  But the referee is yanked out of the ring by Drew McIntyre!  He gets into the ring and begins punching on Seth Rollins.

Winner (by DQ):  Seth Rollins

The two begin to beat down on Rollins, but Roman Reigns comes out to the ring!  He hits a big spear into Dolph Ziggler.  He climbs into the ring where he takes a headbutt from Drew before hitting a Superman punch to clear him from the ring.  Seth Rollins is helped to his feet by Roman Reigns.  The two teams stare off as the show comes to a close.

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[fightthumperfight-blog]

Extreme Rules Pre-Analysis

Another Sunday, another PPV. Extreme Rules has a lot of build up, and a lot to go through, especially seeing that Raw PPVs have been lacking as of late. The most important issue, I feel, is the lack of a Universal Championship match at Payback, and now at Extreme Rules. I foresaw this happening back at Fastlane when Goldberg initially took the title from Kevin Owens. It didn’t matter who won at ‘Mania at that point, because it meant that a part-timer would be holding the belt. Regardless, though, a stacked main event, and an abundance of compelling mid-card storylines give me high hopes for this one. So let’s get right into the matches!

Noam Dar and Alicia Fox vs. Rich Swann and Sasha Banks: First off, the chemistry between Rich Swann and Sasha Banks both in and out of the ring is unreal. They are respectively two of the strongest performers on Raw/205 Live separately, and they shine even brighter together. The team is also balanced in the fact that Swann is a high flyer coupled with The Boss’ FANTASTIC submission finisher, the Banks Statement. At the same time, though, Dar has more than proven himself as a proficient technical grappler, and Foxy does have an impressive win over Sasha. Taking that into account, though, I’ve got to go with Team Face on this one. No one’s got the edge over my girl Sasha. Not since Charlotte was traded to Smackdown, at least.

Neville (C) vs. Austin Aries for the Cruiserweight Championship: Let’s be real, friends, Neville’s time is up. In his last two championship bouts with Aries, he has had to pull some desperate moves and I don’t believe there’s any way he could have won without them. The self-proclaimed “King of the Cruiserweights” has turned from a vicious and indomitable champion, to a sniveling coward who cheats and uses chumps like TJP to do his dirty work. Austin Aries’ submission victory over Neville on Raw is proof enough that he can get the job done tomorrow. 

Dean Ambrose (C) vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship: This one, however, is a lot harder to call. I think we all know that in a straight-up fight, Ambrose will win every single time. But a match with The Miz is never straightforward, and I expect to see Maryse and Miz’s propensity for cheating effectively to be huge factors in any of his matches. The stipulation for this match (If Ambrose gets disqualified, he drops the title) makes it a little more interesting, but I could see that backfiring hard on Miz. But if he can unlock The Lunatic Fringe’s most violent instincts, we may have ourselves a new Intercontinental Champion.

Alexa Bliss (C) vs. Bayley for the Raw Women’s Championship: I am literally in love with Alexa Bliss as Raw Women’s Champion. The way she handles the crowd during promos, and her opportunistic in-ring style has given her a well deserved spot as one of the best in either Women’s Division. The question for this absurdly titled “Kendo Stick on a Pole Match” has been whether or not Bayley will be able to get vicious enough to win such a match. What we really need to be asking ourselves, though, is whether Bayley will be quick and mindful enough to seize the kendo stick in the first place. My gut tells me not. You had better believe that stick is going to be in the very front of Alexa Bliss’ mind from the second the bell rings, and I just know she’s going to be the one to get it. From there, it’s all about whether Bayley can overcome Alexa Fucking Bliss with a Giant Fucking Stick at her disposal. Judging by that sentence, I’m sure you can puzzle out how I think that’s going to go. 

The Hardy Boyz (C) vs. Sheamus and Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Championship: When Matt and Jeff appeared at Wrestlemania the night after their spectacular match against The Young Bucks at Supercard of Honor, I lost my shit. When they climbed the ladder and claimed the Raw Tag Team Championships, I jumped up and down and screamed like a 12-year-old. The Hardys(z?) will go down as one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history, and rightfully so. But as far as the match on Sunday goes, I think we need to look at plain statistics. The fact is that both Sheamus and Cesaro have struggled throughout this month to defeat either Hardy in their individual matches. Maybe as a unit they will have the ability to get the job done, but I also believe that a steel cage match benefits Jeff Hardy specifically the most, and I predict a Swanton from the top of the cage will put this one in the bag. 

Last, but not least, we have the main event: A Fatal 5-Way between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt to determine who will face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. This match puts on display front and center how amazingly stacked the Raw roster is now. The return of Finn Balor and the addition of Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt have done wonders for a show that, let’s be real, we were only watching out of habit. Any of these 5 men have the capability to take out Lesnar, and I’m sure that whoever wins tomorrow will be our next Universal Champion. For this one, I’m going to just go into each individual competitor, since there’s a lot to unpack here.

Bray Wyatt: I will start with who I WANT to win (which is often very different from who I think will win). The Eater of Worlds is my personal favorite wrestler, and extremely underrated by the WWE top brass. What we have seen since the Shake-Up and his feud with Randy Orton is a new, and even more impressive Bray Wyatt. He’s been on fire lately, and he truly believes it’s up to him to stop the Beast. God help me, but I think he’s right.

Seth Rollins: I would never discount The Architect, though. Coming off two impressive victories against Triple H and Samoa Joe, Rollins might just have enough momentum going to take this one. The two factors working against him are the fact that Samoa Joe wants to end his career, and he can’t seem to get one up on Roman Reigns. Look for those forces working against him to be his undoing. 

Samoa Joe: On the flipside, Samoa Joe has to worry about the same thing from Rollins. And having been defeated by Seth already, I think the animosity between these two (who would normally be shoo-ins) will ruin the chances for both of them.

Roman Reigns: Always a solid choice. Having retired the Undertaker, and shelved Braun Strowman, the only logical next step for Roman is the Universal Title. This match is perhaps most important for Reigns because his whole claim of Raw being “his yard” is moot if he can’t even take the World Championship. I expect to see a strong showing from The Big Dog, if not a victory.

Finn Balor: And now we come to who I think will win. Finn Balor was the first to hold the Universal Title, and has never lost it. Not only that, but does Balor even lose matches anymore? The Demon King has decimated nearly every opponent he has come across since making his return from a nearly career ending shoulder injury. I wasn’t really around for his Bullet Club days, his time on NXT, or the beginning of the brand split, so I’m a little late to the Balor Club. I have since gone back and watched a lot of his best matches from before and become a card carrying member. Finn Balor never ceases to amaze me with his talent, and tomorrow should be no different. I firmly believe Finn Balor will be the next Universal Champion.