TheSteelCageShop.com Powered by ProWrestlingTees!

Tag Archives | aj lee

Podcast Episode 167: STING… and Other Stuff.

How can you resist the urge to post this GIF everywhere?

How can you resist the urge to post this GIF everywhere?

So yeah, Sting has finally made his ‘in action’ debut on Monday Night Raw. Sort of. Good enough to appease the masses, at least. He looks good, I’ll say that much.

Beyond that Seth Rollins continued to tell his story and tell it well. Kudos to Randy Orton for Best Supporting Role.

AJ Lee and Nikki Bella tore it up. Larry Zbysko was announced for the Hall of Fame. Just another Raw, it seems… WrestleMania is so close, though!

Hosted By: ‘The Beast from the Middle East’ Darrell Johnson (@zazzumplop)

Featuring: Joshua Schlag (@thesteelcage / @schlizzag), Derek (@cap_kaveman), and Sprung (@jasprung)

Music by The Black Furies, courtesy of Music Alley.

This episode has been archived. We’ll be glad to provide it on demand – just send us an email and let us know which episode number you are looking for… OR for instant access to our full archives, become a Patreon supporter!

SUBSCRIBE in iTunes: [Click here].

Add us to your favorites on Stitcher: [Click here].

Listen via TuneIn Radio: [Click here].

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel: [Click here].

WWE’s Raw results – March 16, 2015: [Click here].

Post image via Wrestling With Text: [Click here].



Podcast Episode 139: John Cena, Still Number One Contender

Maybe the most exciting part of Raw this week.

Maybe the most exciting part of Raw this week.

Raw kicked off with six men in a ring, all with claims to be number one contender. Six men who actually seemed to WANT a shot at Lesnar. How ludicrous is that? But let’s ignore that plot hole (and several others)… What’s the best way to settle things? Book a six man tag to determine who is truly worthy. Makes sense. No wait, it doesn’t. Not in the slightest. What is this? What are we watching? Why are we watching it?

Talk about a holding pattern, folks… It can’t get worse next week, right? We’ll be watching one way or another, like the suckers we are…

Hosted By: Joshua Schlag (@thesteelcage / @schlizzag)

Featuring: Derek (@cap_kaveman), ‘A Bomb’ Adam Hess (@ahess49), ‘Dirtee Jesus’ Hashtag Billi (@DirteeJesus), and Sprung (@jasprung)

Music by The Black Furies, courtesy of Music Alley.

This episode has been archived. We’ll be glad to provide it on demand – just send us an email and let us know which episode number you are looking for… OR for instant access to our full archives, become a Patreon supporter!

SUBSCRIBE in iTunes: [Click here].

Add us to your favorites on Stitcher: [Click here].

Listen via TuneIn Radio: [Click here].

WWE’s RAW results – September 1, 2014: [Click here].

Post image via Wrestling With Text: [Click here].



Podcast Episode 138: Cena Angry, Cena Smash

John Cena overcomes the odds, yet again! At least the kids still love him..

John Cena overcomes the odds, yet again! At least the kids still love him..

Remember how Brock Lesnar DESTROYED John Cena a little over a week ago? Yeah, never mind that. He’s fine, you guys. And he’s angry. That’s gotta be enough to make up the difference and let him be successful at Night of Champions, right? He just wasn’t angry enough before, and he didn’t want it badly enough. Yep.

In other news, it’s time for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles! Thankfully, we didn’t die in the womb, so we’ll get to watch some awesome wrestling. Join us as we preview this weekend’s three night event!

Hosted By: Joshua Schlag (@thesteelcage / @schlizzag)

Featuring: ‘The Beast from the Middle East’ Darrell Johnson (@zazzumplop), Derek (@cap_kaveman), ‘A Bomb’ Adam Hess (@ahess49), and Bryan ‘Pipe Bomb’ Gregston (@guitarsalad)

Music by The Black Furies, courtesy of Music Alley.

This episode has been archived. We’ll be glad to provide it on demand – just send us an email and let us know which episode number you are looking for… OR for instant access to our full archives, become a Patreon supporter!

SUBSCRIBE in iTunes: [Click here].

Add us to your favorites on Stitcher: [Click here].

Listen via TuneIn Radio: [Click here].

WWE’s RAW results – August 25, 2014: [Click here].

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s 2014 Battle of Los Angeles: [Click here].

Post image via Wrestling With Text: [Click here].



Summerslam 2014 Predictions

The Biggest Fight of the Summer

The Biggest Fight of the Summer

Recently, our very own Prince of the Peanut Butter Palace – AKA Captain Kaveman, AKA Derek Montilla (@Cap_Kaveman) – started writing for FanSided, covering everything from Major League Baseball to the National Football League to… you guessed it: professional wrestling. Following are his Summerslam 2014 predictions, as originally seen at http://fansided.com/2014/08/14/wwe-summerslam-preview-predicition/. When you’re done checking that out, make sure to take a look at Derek’s other work: http://fansided.com/author/dmontilla/. And of course, watch Summerslam via the WWE Network, available for just $9.99!

The WWE SummerSlam Pay Per View rolls into the Staples Center in L.A. this Sunday, and the biggest party of the summer has shaped up nicely with a pretty fantastic card that features little filler. And it is all available on the WWE Network for the low, low price of $9.99 a month!! They did a great job with building the rivalries showcased at this year’s summer PPV, which should translate over to an entertaining night.

The lineup for 2014′s SummerSlam is so good that it’s hard to even determine what the card order will be or how the night will play out. The huge clash between WWE World Heavyweight champion John Cena and challenger/monster Brock Lesnar will no doubt be the night’s main event. With the right mixture of pre taped interview packages and Paul Heyman’s genius, this program has a big fight feel that many PPV main events lack. This one will be a fight, it will be brutal, and there will be blood.

Seven other matches fill out the well rounded card, including Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho, Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon, AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige, Jack Swagger vs. Rusev in a Flag Match, The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton, and the match that could steal the show, Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose in a Lumberjack Match.

Here I take a swing at prognosticating the Sports Entertainment future as I give you my picks and predictions for SummerSlam 2014:

Jack Swagger vs. Rusev in a Flag Match

In a surprising bit of successful booking, the WWE has made me care about a Flag Match. Maybe it’s the fact that I still love to rise to my feet in my living room, put my hand proudly over my heart, and say with Zeb Coulter “WE THE PEOPLE!” Maybe it’s Lana’s amazing legs. Regardless, they’ve done a good job of making Jack Swagger look strong as of late, giving him a big win over Cesaro with a submission victory. They’ve put him in a position to be a serious contender for the seemingly unstoppable Rusev.

The problem I have is that Jack Swagger doesn’t really deserve the push he’s been receiving based on his recent track record, which many people would agree with. This is one of WWE’s biggest PPVs of the year, so the attention to this match and the balance they are trying to give it makes sense. But considering the push that Rusev has and will continue to receive, I doubt that his first major loss would be against Swagger. This one should have more of a decisive finish than the count out victory that Rusev scored at Battleground.

Rusev crushes. Lana is happy. Vnimanie!


The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has been super over with the WWE Universe as of late, and The Miz has created a whole new way to be a douchebag (editor’s note: industry term) ). This particular matchup has been almost more fun to watch on Twitter than it has been in the ring, but this should still be a great match. Ziggler has become the worm on the proverbial hook for fans, as WWE loves to dangle the prospect of Dolph getting to the mountain top in countless championship scenarios only for “The Showoff” to fall just short.

Miz retains and exudes terribleness.


AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige

This one has been weird for me because despite the fact that these are two of the most talented Divas – or wrestlers – with the company, it seems to have lost its sizzle. Maybe it was just too soon to move her from the super babyface role she established the night after WrestleMania into a heel role, but I’m just not buying Paige as a heel. Or more importantly, I don’t care. The skipping and the love poems have been ineffective at generating interest.

It should still be a great match with plenty of offense by two of the best. It’s a toss up for me, but I feel like AJ has some fight and time left as the Divas champ considering the upper hand Paige has been getting on RAW as of late.

AJ Lee retains both her title and her craziness.


Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho

This matchup features yet another ongoing rivalry that has carried over from Battleground. Despite the reception he continues to receive and the impact he makes with his promos, Bray has been weakened by the number of losses he has received this year. The feud with Cena was well done, but he ended up coming out on the losing side of things even with the constant interference of family member Eric and Luke.

This current program with Jericho should be bigger than it has come off, but the verbal sparring between the two on Monday’s RAW sold me on how good this could be. It may be too little too late for some, but I’m hooked now. The matchup comes down to Wyatt needing to do this on on his own and show that he can be the monster he has claimed to be. After losing the match to Jericho at Battleground, I was confused about where they were going with this. But now I can see that a brutal victory over a superior competitor such as Jericho without the help of the Wyatt Family will bring Bray back into the light as being a top contender.

Bray should win this one. The buzzards shall rejoice.


Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Superman punch. Spear.

I kid, but this does have the potential to be the most boring matchup of the night. Orton has grown terribly stale despite his new role with The Authority. I almost smell a face turn coming for Randy with the small teases we have been given. A loss to Reigns could be that straw that breaks the back of his relationship with Triple H, which could be the more intriguing story here.

Reigns continues to be pushed as the unstoppable force, but he is also in danger of becoming stale with his current moveset growing a close resemblance to someone who claims that you can’t see him. There will be a lot of moves used in this one that we see all the time.

Roman Reigns wins, and his hair will look beautiful the whole time.


Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose – Lumberjack Match

Millions – and millions – of the WWE’s fans have probably asked themselves “Why a Lumberjack Match, Dean?” Why, when you have the biggest opportunity of a WWE superstar’s career sitting in a briefcase that now stinks like coffee, would you pick a Lumberjack Match over a MITB Contract match?

Well, because the storyline doesn’t call for that, silly.

In this matchup, Dean Ambrose has come out on fire. He is potentially one of the top faces in the company, and an opportunity to not give him a huge win over his ex-partner Seth Rollins would be foolish. I would never have picked Dean to be the member of The Shield split to become the biggest face and star, but it has happened. In order to keep long-term plans in place, Seth has to keep the case. But for this war, I feel like we will see Dean come out on top simply because of the match type.

Dean Wins, retaining his title as “Titty Master”.


Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon

The rivalry between these two women was built up nicely prior to Monday’s RAW. But this program veered drastically off course with the inclusion of a “cheating” angle between Bryan and his physical therapist. Not only does it feel like it has been done before, but it has been done before.

The arrest of Stephanie was well done. The arrest of Brie just seemed lazy. Plus, the inclusion of this affair so late in the game seems forced and unnatural.

I’m still excited to see how this plays out, but I have a feeling “Future Me” will hate “Current Me” for saying that when this match is over. I see hijinks ensuing with Brie having such an advantage over Steph in the ring.

Look for the Billion Dollar Princess to escape this one by some sort of devious means.


John Cena (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

This main event will indeed be a rarity as it will most likely be the match of the night. And considering it involves Cena, just saying that seems wrong. I bag on Cena, but the reason the majority of the audience over the age of twelve feels the way I do is because of how tired we are of his schtick. Not only is Cena terribly stale and in need of something new, but he never leaves – even when injured – for a long enough period of time to even miss him. He’s always around…always doing the same thing. Basically, he’s Wooderson from Dazed and Confused.

Brock Lesnar is the first REAL competition Cena has had that is believable as someone who can dethrone the leader of the Cenation. Lesnar has done an amazing job since being back, especially at speaking when needed while letting Heyman speak for him the rest of the time. The duo have been a perfect combination, and Monday’s RAW was a perfect example of that between Heyman’s rap at the top of the show and Brock’s intimidation of Hogan’s Heroes at the end.

Lesnar brings an authenticity to being a badass that the WWE has longed for since Austin left. His censored promos are the icing on the cake to his quiet, devilish grin while Heyman spews propaganda. His win over the Undertaker at Wrestlemania just proves that the WWE is committed to him for the short-term future.

Crowning Brock as champion is the shot in the arm the WWE World Heavyweight title needs, and the fact that his defenses of that title would occur less frequently would only increase the prestige and intrigue around championship matches. All angles and signs point to Lesnar winning. Except for the fact that he’s facing Cena. But even Superman has to lose sometimes, and I think Heyman might just have a pocketful of Kryptonite.

My prediction is Lesnar wins and becomes your NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Cena’s time is up. Brock’s time is now.



Podcast Episode 136: Summerslam Preview / Adam Rose Interview

SURPRISE!!!

SURPRISE!!!

The Biggest Fight of the Summer is almost here, as both Brock Lesnar (via Paul Heyman) and John Cena threw down the verbal gauntlet on this go-home edition of Monday Night Raw! Only Lesnar took it a step further, disrespecting and threatening a ring full of WWE Legends as they celebrated Hulk Hogan’s 61st birthday.

In addition, Stephanie McMahon pulled some silly crap that got Brie Bella arrested… Eva Marie defeated the Divas Champion, AJ Lee… and Chris Jericho convinced us that his match against Bray Wyatt actually means something. Who else is ready for Summerfest?

Hosted By: Joshua Schlag (@thesteelcage / @schlizzag)

Featuring: ‘The Beast from the Middle East’ Darrell Johnson (@zazzumplop), Derek (@cap_kaveman), and ‘A Bomb’ Adam Hess (@ahess49)

BONUS: Derek spends some time with Adam Rose (@WWEAdamRose). Audio is embedded into the podcast, but you can also watch the video here:

Music by The Black Furies, courtesy of Music Alley.

This episode has been archived. We’ll be glad to provide it on demand – just send us an email and let us know which episode number you are looking for… OR for instant access to our full archives, become a Patreon supporter!

SUBSCRIBE in iTunes: [Click here].

Add us to your favorites on Stitcher: [Click here].

Listen via TuneIn Radio: [Click here].

WWE’s RAW results – August 11, 2014: [Click here].

WWE’s Summerslam Preview: [Click here].

Post image via Wrestling With Text: [Click here].



The Steel Cage Podcast Network on SoundCloud