We’re barely 24 hours away from the start of the long weekend of wrestling, and thanks to WWE, NXT and the litany of independent promotions live-streaming shows, you’re spoiled for choice – but with all of this choice, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. So, what’s on each show that’s gotten me excited… and worried?
I’ll start with Friday morning’s New Japan show – since I seem to be a masochist when it comes to binge-watching wrestling. Unless indicated, these shows are all going to be available to watch live if you have purchased the iPPV or have access to the WWE Network or New Japan World.
New Japan: Road To Invasion Attack, Day 9 (April 1, start time 5.30am ET)
Yay: There’s a Young Lions match that isn’t Jay White vs. David Finlay! New Japan vs. Bullet Club ten-man elimination tag match! Another six-man main event featuring Los Ingobernables de Japon!
Boo: Very little, if anything, will be settled as this is – by its name – a build up for next weekend’s Invasion Attack show.
EVOLVE 58 (April 1, start time 5pm ET)
Yay: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay! Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle! Ricochet vs. TJP!
Boo: EVOLVE isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – think of it as an even more niche ROH, but with less frequent shows. Potential pressure to keep the show to time, particularly with other WWN events running on afterwards.
ROH: Supercard of Honor X: Night 1 (April 1, start time 8.30pm ET – not available live online, will be available via ROHwrestling.com at a later date)
Yay: Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns main event should be good (as long as the Young Bucks don’t go all Young Bucks on us)
Boo: Not being live makes this show easy to skip
CZW: Welcome To The Combat Zone (April 1, start time 9pm ET)
Yay: Sami Callihan vs. the former Bull Dempsey! Barbed-wire match (if you like that sort of thing)
Boo: CZW isn’t what it once was. If you’re not a fan of barbed-wire matches, then you will want to avoid this… and this is likely to run long as well.
NXT TakeOver: Dallas (April 1, start time 10pm ET)
Yay: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn! Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor II! Bayley vs. Asuka! American Alpha possibly getting the tag titles!
Boo: Elias Samson is on the card… Baron Corbin vs. Austin Aries could go either way (in terms of match quality and result)
Kaiju Big Battel: Content of Champions (April 2, start time 12.55am ET)
Yay: It’s a Godzilla movie come to life, I guess? It’s all about the characters, not the names.
Boo: Late start time, so a really late finish; It’s all about the characters, not the names. Ultra niche.
EVOLVE 59 (April 2, start time 1pm ET)
Yay: USA vs. Europe Series – Ospreay vs. Ricochet! Scurll vs. Thatcher!
Boo: Ethan Page vs. “an unknown from a tryout” isn’t really a selling point; perhaps would have been better as an unannounced match.
ROH: Supercard of Honor X: Night 2 (April 2, start time 3pm ET – not available live online, will be available via ROHwrestling.com at a later date)
Yay: the four-way tag team match should be a show stealer, again, with the Young Bucks disclaimer; Bobby Fish vs. Roderick Strong has the potential to be a sleeper hit also
Boo: not live, so easy to skip over; no announced title matches either, so this feels like there’ll be a show where literally nothing of consequence happens
SHIMMER 80 (April 2, start time 5pm ET)
Yay: one-night tournaments are always fun, right?
Boo: format could be a bit clunky – 12 competitors doesn’t fit, unless they’re doing 3-ways
WrestleCon Supershow (April 2, start time 9pm ET – not available live online; will be available via HighSpots at a later date)
Yay: Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay continues! Matt Hardy vs. Lance Storm should be good
Boo: Not live, so can be easily skipped if post-show feedback isn’t great… Supershow formats can be hit and miss; unannounced ten-man tag match can go either way
WWN Supershow: Mercury Rising (April 2, start time 9pm ET)
Yay: Terry Funk appreciation night! Kota Ibushi, Johnny Gargano & TJ Perkins vs.Will Ospreay, Tommy End & Marty Scurll
Boo: Supershow formats on paper can be hit and miss; not leading to anything obvious
WrestleMania 32 (April 3, start time 10pm ET)
Yay: It’s WrestleMania! Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker will have an intriguing finish, regardless of how illogical the booking has been! Sasha vs. Charlotte vs. Becky should be good if they get time… Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar has the potential to be as violent as WWE can be under the auspices of that PG rating
Boo: They’re going to try again with Roman Reigns as champion, aren’t they… There’s always the threat of matches being cut criminally short or removed altogether if segments run long… At time of writing, we’re looking at the first pre-show match (Kalisto vs. Ryback) starting at 5.30pm ET, with the show possibly ending as late at 11.30pm ET. It’s going to be a long one…
- We’ll be providing live updates during NXT Takeover: Dallas and WrestleMania – and will also be covering as many of the remaining shows as one person physically can throughout the rest of WrestleMania weekend!