HEYDORN’S TAKE: Don’t hold me to this – WWE Day One 2022

Happy New Year! Hangover gone yet? Don’t fret! WWE Day One is here to help guide you through or start drinking again. Either way, it’ll be over soon.

Day One is a brand spanking new PPV event for WWE thanks to one Nick Khan. A tradition? We’ll have to see, but the company has brought out some big guns in order to make this show feel like a major deal.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns is all you really need to know about what WWE wants this show to be. The rest of the card is solid too, though it’s unknown at this point what changes or pivots will need to be made thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak the company has been enduring. Regardless, take your Aspirin and cozy up on the couch, because this thing will be interesting.

Call this a preview, a calm look into the distant future, or a gaze into a wondrous crystal ball; just don’t hold me to anything, ok?

Edge vs. The Miz

I’ve liked this. Quite a bit actually, but all good things must come to an end. The feud is running on fumes and though the promos have been well done, it just doesn’t feel like there is too much juice left to squeeze out of this. Rumors of a WrestleMania tag match with Edge & Beth Phoenix against Miz & Maryse haunt my dreams and I think Vince McMahon has to have something bigger planned for Edge at WrestleMania. So, Edge gets the win, gets it clean, and things move on.

RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits – WWE Raw Tag Team Championship

An odd match. Why put two babyface teams on a collision course and dilute their positive responses? Don’t get it – especially with heel teams on the Raw roster for both to feud with. From a match perspective, this will feature energetic action with great athleticism, but the only way to book the babyfaces out of it is to have some sort of screwy finish. Enter Alpha Academy. RK-Bro retains, but the payoff to a really solid match will be weak.

Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan – WWE Raw Women’s Championship

A very interesting match to watch. Morgan has a large, scorching hot light on her and needs to deliver. They’ve worked hard to tell the Morgan story opposite Lynch and she just doesn’t have the WWE audiences universally sold yet. A great outing in this match can change that and it doesn’t have to be because she wins. She won’t. A good match in which she fights hard and competes can get her over better than a fluke win – which is what it would have to be to keep Lynch strong anyway. This is what they’ll strive for and Lynch will retain the championship in doing so. A win is keeping the belt where it is, but getting that full buy-in from the audience on Morgan.

The Usos vs. New Day – WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship

These teams have such a vast history together that the story between both is a weak one. At the same time, they can’t have a bad match together and won’t. The king stuff from Xavier Woods is painful and Kingston doesn’t help. The Usos are the Usos and continue to be players in whatever Roman Reigns is doing. This match won’t change any of that. The Usos retain and things stay the same for both squads.

Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss

I can’t believe I just wrote that. Yuck. If this is any longer than two minutes, it’s an utter failure on the part of WWE to protect a top star. Holding pattern or not, McIntyre needs more than this to stay hot and relevant. McIntyre wins strongly and Corbin is next? Yuck again.

Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley – WWE Championship

I’m not typically a fan of fatal four-way matches, but one here makes sense. All three contenders have established themselves as worthy challengers to Big E’s championship and Big E has looked great in the role as a fighting champion, taking on all comers. Looking at Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins to do a lot of the bumping around with Lashley and Big E controlling the tempo. Big E and Seth Rollins still have a singles match on the table and Lashley continues to be presented as a priority. For that reason, Big E retains and does so over Kevin Owens.

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Universal Championship

I don’t know if Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar can have a unique match together at this point, but like their others, this will be a fight. WWE has done a really great job with this program and Paul Heyman has been a big part of it. Impossible see this wrapping up without an appearance by him in some form or fashion. He’s got to make things up to Roman Reigns and helping him defeat Lesnar is the obvious ticket to meet that end. That’s how this finishes and keeps another match on the table between both men.

CATCH-UP: PPV PRIMER – WWE DAY 1: Preview and Predictions for Reigns vs. Lesnar, Big E vs. Lashley vs. Seth vs. KO, Becky vs. Morgan, Edge vs. Miz, Usos vs. New Day