Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Ben Guest, and Robert DeFelice will be giving their thoughts on WWE Stomping Grounds 2019!


DeFELICE: Personally, I am 100% over Corbin. It's really sad because I liked his Lone Wolf persona. I used to want to see him as WWE Champion but now, he's groan-inducing.

The special referee angle hasn't been done in a long time and I don't mind seeing it pop up here. I enjoyed the angle on Monday with Rollins cracking any and all potential refs with a steel chair. My guess is that the referee ends up being Shane McMahon and this leads to a major World Championship match between Shane and Rollins.

ALLSOPP: Can Corbin just go away please? He is one of the worst wrestlers in the company, and despite how many times he is pushed, there is no credibility to his character whatsoever. If he actually becomes Universal Champion I am going to cry!

The special referee stipulation is intriguing, especially with the way Rollins has been taking down anyone who was announced as the referee. However, the problem lies with Corbin, as he is such a charisma vacuum and unlikeable personality the match as a whole will fail to entertain and it will be a disaster.

GUEST: Not to copy what’s already been said but Baron Corbin just isn’t a main-eventer. Give him a good run with the US Championship, but don’t keep him at the top.

The only person I really want to see as the special guest referee is Brock Lesnar, and that seems very unlikely. It definitely adds something unique to the match and it’s a stipulation that, when done right, can be a lot of fun. Just don’t have the referee cost Rollins the title… please.


DeFELICE: I love Dolph Ziggler and I've been a fan of his forever, but again this feels like a foregone conclusion. Also, considering the dangers of a steel cage, what is stopping Brock Lesnar from coming in after the match and cashing in on Kofi with a steel cage around the ring to prevent any New Day interaction?

ALLSOPP: I cannot see Ziggler winning. Yes, this newly reinvigorated character is a thrill to watch, but it feels he is a stop gap until Kofi loses the belt to someone more credible. Ziggler was once great, but he feels like damaged goods at the moment.

I fully expect Kofi to win, and win decisively. I would love for Aleister Black to turn up after the match and choose Kofi as his first target, but that is simply fantasy booking. More realistically, Kofi wins and celebrates with The New Day after a hard-fought classic.

GUEST: I hope not! I think this is just a plain and simple match where Kofi gets the win, Ziggler has no more excuses for not winning and leaves the title scene for another few months.

It would be good to see something interesting happen with either a turn from within The New Day or some kind of Brock Lesnar appearance, but I think it’s just a gimmick to make the match seem more important, which is sad considering it’s for the WWE Championship.

My only wish is that Kofi climbs over the top of the cage to win rather than by pinfall, submission or through the door.


DeFELICE: Both of these men are being done such an injustice in my eyes. Roman Reigns defeated real leukemia to come back and they've done next to nothing with him. I understand that they're likely waiting for the Road to WrestleMania, but you should have struck while the iron was hot because now Roman has really lost a lot of steam.

Drew McIntyre has gone from being an absolute killer to just another hired gun for a crooked authority figure. That being said, I like the addition of The Revival to the group, but Drew McIntyre should have had a world championship match on pay-per-view by now.

How do you fix this? Keep McIntyre on the Monday Night Raw side of things so he can feud with Seth Rollins and then Roman Reigns needs a major character change a la Daniel Bryan, who was in this same position last year.

ALLSOPP: If I had been asked this last week, I would have said definitively that McIntyre was damaged goods. However, he displayed a sadistic streak in Raw this week when he brutalized Heath Slater, and hopefully this leads to him regaining his mojo. I think McIntyre will win and go on a roll where he beats everyone up without a second thought to the safety of his victims.

Roman, on the other hand, seems like he is treading water. Yes, he is still the Big Dawg but he is nowhere near the WWE Championship scene, a place in all fairness he should be. I get the feeling WWE is trying to rehabilitate his character so fans don’t universally reject him again, which I fully appreciate. But he isn’t showing his potential like McIntyre has shown this week.

Fans want to see Roman taking down everyone like he was a year ago. A decisive victory over McIntyre would go a long way towards moving back to the top of the card.

GUEST: Roman Reigns is still the top guy in the company in WWE’s eyes. Don’t let the fact he isn’t in the main event fool you. He could be the next challenger for either title without anyone blinking an eye, I think they just want to give him some sort of build so that fans don’t say he was just given his spot back, even though he deserved to challenge for the title his first night back.

Drew McIntyre is right on the precipice of the main event and a win here, or even just in a number one contender match is all it takes. Put him in the main event and he’ll blend right in. I think McIntyre needs to win here to get a strong win over an established star, then keep them on separate brands and have them both challenge for the respective titles.