Let's hope this works out the same way it did for Eddard Stark.

WWE Royal Rumble 2013 goes down this Sunday, January 27, starting with a YouTube pre-show at 7:30 PM EST. As always, the community of way-too-funny With Leather commenters will be around to indirectly live-blog the show and set you up with all the jokes you’ll need for Monday morning.

Here’s your full card, as we know it:

- Pre-show United States Championship Match: Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. The Miz

- Tag Team Championship Match: Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes)

- Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Match: Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. The Big Show

- WWE Championship Match: CM Punk (c) vs. The Rock. If The Shield gets involved, CM Punk will be stripped of the WWE Championship.

- Royal Rumble Match

The 10 best comments from the open discussion thread will be featured in Monday’s Best And Worst Of WWE Royal Rumble 2013 report, so if you’d like to nominate a comment for top 10 status, please reply to it with a +1.

So let’s hear your predictions. Which titles are changing hands? Who wins the Royal Rumble? Who shows up in the Rumble as a surprise entrant? Will Brock Lesnar magically appear and save us from a Rock title reign?

Pre-show notes:

- Comments, shares, likes, and especially Reddit submissions/up votes are appreciated. I need to make dollars to keep this job, and links to my stuff showing up on places not run by me create DOLLARS. Create MILLIONS OF THEM.

- Follow us on Twitter @withleather, follow me personally @MrBrandonStroud and like us on Facebook.

- The RSPW Awards are going on right now, and for the first time ever, I’m going to be voting/writing about my votes for it. Go participate/look at it/whatever! It’s one of those longtime things I’ve wanted to do, alongside “bring back DDT Digest” and “have CRZ not be a dickhole to me once.”

- As I mentioned last week, I’m going to be in the house for National Pro Wrestling Day in Philadelphia on February 2. Many of the core Wrestling Bros will be there, including Impact columnist Danielle Matheson, The Wrestling Blog’s Tom Holzerman, site favorite THESTINGER, Jojo motherf**king Bravo and more, so if you’re anywhere near Philadelphia (or if you live in Texas like me and like wrestling more than other stuff) get there and hang out with us. It’s going to be the BEST.

Until then, please click through for the Best And Worst Of WWE Raw for January 21, 2013. The Rock is on this episode!

Read the rest of this entry »

Pre-show notes:

- Comments, shares, likes, and especially Reddit submissions/up votes are appreciated. I will also accept Pinterest shares, if you are reading this and are Destiny.

- Follow us on Twitter @withleather, follow me personally @MrBrandonStroud and like us on Facebook.

- GIFS courtesy of Jerusalem at Punchsport Pagoda.

- If you’d like to laugh at something wrestling-related that ISN’T the Best and Worst of Raw report, make sure you check out my thorough gallery of old WCW promo photos. Part 2 is going up tomorrow, so check back for that, as well.

- (tomorrow is my birthday, don’t tell anybody)
(and don’t feel like you’ve got to fill up the comments section with birthday messages, just share these columns and stuff.)

- I am going to be LIVE AND IN THE HOUSE AND THE ST. LOUIS ANARCHY REP IN THE REY DE VOLADORES TOURNAMENT for National Pro Wrestling Day in Philadelphia on February 2. If you want to hang out and say hi and see some great wrestling, come to this thing.

- Due to time restrictions I’m not going to be able to throw a Jack Swagger Of Mars into this week’s report, but all that means is that you’ll get a double-shot next week. Or I’ll just write all the middle chapters at once and put them in a big finale piece. Whatever you wanna do.

Until then, please click through for the Best And Worst Of WWE Raw for January 14, 2013.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pre-show notes:

- Comments, shares, likes, and especially Reddit submissions/up votes are appreciated. The Reddit thing is big. They kinda side-eye me if I ever try to submit the column myself, so if you’re a big wig at the Squared Circle cracker factory, help us out and get the column in front of Redditors.

- Follow us on Twitter @withleather, follow me personally @MrBrandonStroud and like us on Facebook.

- GIFS courtesy of Jerusalem at Punchsport Pagoda.

- If you haven’t been reading The Best And Worst Of TNA Impact Wrestling … what’s wrong with you? You can check it out every Friday afternoon at With Leather, courtesy of the lovely and talented Wrestling Bro Danielle Matheson. It features 80% more references to Butt Stuff than the Raw column.

Anyway, welcome back. Please click through for the Best And Worst Of WWE Raw for January 7, 2013.

Read the rest of this entry »

"John Cena? More like CHICKEN PARMESAN ASS SLUT!" etc.

Tonight, on the WWE Raw Open Discussion Thread, ROODY POO CANDY JOKES~!:

The first Raw of 2013 is going to be one wild ride, with no less a marquee match in place than a Tables, Ladders & Chairs WWE Title Match between Ryback and the incumbent, recently medically-cleared champion CM Punk. But while the WWE Universe salivates over the long-awaited contest, Dolph Ziggler has been stewing in anger over the past week after being embarrassed by John Cena in the waning minutes of 2012. With Ryback on the prowl for championship gold once again and Ziggler out for messy revenge against his own muscle-bound rival, what can the WWE Universe expect when Raw rolls into 2013. We have a few — five, actually — ideas. …

Oh, also, some guy called “The Rock” is coming back to Raw for the first time in six months. Maybe you’ve heard of him. (via WWE.com)

The With Leather five-point preview:

Read the rest of this entry »

This won't end badly for them at all!

This week on the WWE Raw open discussion thread:

It was a monumental year in WWE, including Raw’s record-breaking 1,000th episode and WWE Champion CM Punk’s historic reign. As 2013 looms, what will unfold on a special New Year’s Eve edition of Raw? Here are five things to look for on Monday at 8/7 CT on USA Network, including a special New Year’s Eve toast. (via WWE.com)

And, as always, here’s the With Leather five-point preview:

Read the rest of this entry »