What’s In Store For WWE Following ‘Money In The Bank’?
After ‘Wrestlemania‘but before ‘SummerSlam‘ is a weak time for WWE. Major storylines have ended and we are faced with awkward beginnings of new ones.
2016 has been different. With an upcoming roster draft, the WWE Universe has been awaiting some major changes. Now with all the shocking events at ‘Money In The Bank‘, it looks like changes are finally here.
5. Botch-Filled Tag Title Match -This was a bit of a let-down considering all the talent in the ring. Somewhere near the end of the match, it felt like everyone was one move off. Seems like it’s time for New Day to lose the belts.
4.Natayla Turns Heels –She’s been stuck in a rut for years but it looks like we might get something new from Natalya. After her loss to Charlotte and Dana Brooke, Nattie attacks tag-team partner Becky Lynch. No more nice cat lady.
3. AJ Styles Defeats John Cena -A statement I didn’t think I’d have the chance to type; indie superstar AJ Styles beat “The Face of WWE” John Cena. While Styles had some help from The Bullet Club, the victory is still important. What a great start to a summer feud.
2. Dean Ambrose Is Mister Money In The Bank -‘The Lunatic’ Dean Ambrose was the last man standing in this ladder match. Beating out 5 other men, Ambrose now has a guaranteed title match whenever he chooses. This match was an insane spot-fest that kept the crowd on their feet.
1. Dean Ambrose Is The New WWE World Heavyweight Champion -Shocking the entire WWE Universe, Dean Ambrose paid back Seth Rollins for years of torture by cashing his Money In The Bank briefcase shortly after winning it. This will live on as one of the most epic moments in WWE history.
What was your favorite moment from WWE’s Money In The Bank PPV?
If you have HBO Now you are not watching ‘Game of Thrones – Battle of Bastards’ as HBO’s system is down, and Twitter is burning down. Luckily HBO has a YouTube page, and you can watch the new trailer for ‘Westworld’ coming to the cable network in October.
J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan, and Bryan Burk are the executive producers on the project based on Michael Crichton’s book/film ‘Westworld.’ Crichton wrote and directed the 1973 film, which starred James Brolin and Yul Brynner as the murderous gunfighter. ‘Westworld’ also spawned a sequel, ‘Futureworld,’ starring Peter Fonda. It was less well received. Nolan is the creator of the HBO series.
Described as “a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin,” the series tells the story of a futuristic theme park called Westworld.
‘Westworld’ stars Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden, Evan Rachel Wood, Rodrigo Santoro, Thandie Newton, and Ed Harris.
[Note: The following article will have disturbing details that may be unsuitable for younger and sensitive readers.]
It is with a heavy heart that we report on the tragic death of Anton Yelchin.
His sudden death resulted from an automobile accident in which the actor was pinned between his car and a brick mailbox on his property.
Police are still gathering details of the accident, though no foul is suspected.
Yelchin’s acting career began in 1994 and took off after his role in the movie Alpha Dog. Starring in three Star Trek films, Yelchin’s career included an eclectic selection. Among his credits include Huff, Terminator: Salvation, this year’s incredible Green Room, and the underrated Fright Night remake.
The son of political refuges of the former USSR, Yelchin is a shining example of the American dream and one rising by their abilities and talent. His death comes as a terrible shock to his fans, his family, and his friends.
Anton Yelchin will be dearly forgotten and his family and friends will be in our thoughts and prayers.
We here at Monkeys Fighting Robot recommend that if you want to remember this young actor, check out his films and television work. His talent and energy demonstrated a zeal for life that we should all emulate.
It sure seems that way with the stacked card at tonight’s WWE Money in the Bank. (8:00 pm eastern on The WWE Network)
The WrestleMania worthy event is full of dream matches many wrestling fans can’t wait to see unfold.
With Money in the Bank a few hours away, the Four Horsemen of MFR, give their predictions on how things might play out.
MITB
MITB Kickoff Match The Golden Truth vs Breezango
Gerardo – The good news is they have found a way to get Tyler Breeze back in the mix of things after being an afterthought shortly after his arrival to the big stage. The bad news is he’s stuck in a midcard feud. I like the team of Breeze and Fandango but I wish they would have come up with a better team name. That team has potential and with The Golden Truth having two veteran performers who will be entertaining and fan favorites not matter the outcome, I think it’s imperative they continue to push Breezango and salvage any momentum Tyler Breeze still might have.
Winner: Breezango
Marcus – At least they bothered to give the teams names I guess. Due to the fact Fandango and, criminally, Tyler Breeze seem to be complete afterthoughts at the moment, I think Goldust and R-Truth pick up the win so they can continue being there and existing and stuff.
Winner: The Golden Truth
MITB Kickoff Match The Lucha Dragons vs The Dudley Boyz
Gerard0 – The Dudley’s are future Hall of Famers and there’s nothing that will ever take away or diminish their accomplishments. That includes another loss here to the Lucha Dragons.
Winner: The Lucha Dragons
Marcus – I actually seem to be the only fan of the work the Dudley Boyz have done since their return, with everyone seemingly deciding the main problem is their losing too much. Well for better or worse that’s the role the Dudley Boyz need to occupy in 2016 but I actually think this will be one of the few matches used to give them a bit of credibility before they run into Enzo and Cass.
Winner: The Dudley Boyz Apollo Crews vs Sheamus
Gerardo – Apollo Crews’ run on the main roster has been an uneventful one leading up to his feud with Sheamus. WWE finally gave him a storyline to work with and I think Sheamus was the right person to start him off with. It’s ‘The New Era’ vs the old and it makes sense here to have Crews win clean to help catapult that era especially with a guy WWE is so high on. How things have changed in one year for Sheamus, though.
Winner: Apollo Crews
Marcus – While I think Apollo Crews got called up to the main roster way too early, he needs the win here in a serious way. He’s been pretty directionless since debuting and has seemed out of place partly because of that. Ideally he needs the clean win here and there’s no need to protect Sheamus, but then again he’s in a movie so WWE logic says he either wins or is heavily protected. I’m going to be optimistic though.
Winner: Apollo Crews
Mat – Crews gets a big win over Sheamus
Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin
Gerardo – A feud that should have ended a while ago, hopefully comes to an end tonight. And with a big emphasis on ‘The New Era’ this feud should end with The Lone Wolf beating The Showoff.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Marcus – It feels like these two have been fighting forever and I am totally bored and sick of it. I’d go back and look at the last match to see who wins it this week but I’m hoping this will be the last match between these two which by rights should see Corbin get the definitive win. It probably won’t be though.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Mat – Crews gets a big win over Sheamus Charlotte (WWE Women’s Champion) and Dana Brooke vs Natalya and Becky Lynch
Gerardo – I’m not sure what they’re to accomplish with this matchup but if it’s anything like Charlotte’s previous matchups on pay-per-views, this one will end in some sort of controversy. And while it seems like they’re building up Charlotte to be the champion heading into SummerSlam, I think a loss here with some help from dear old dad is in the works.
Winner: Natalya and Becky Lynch with help from Ric Flair.
Marcus – While I like everyone involved in this to varying degrees, this feels like complete filler until SummerSlam. But it’s involved four women who are talented, know what they’re doing (Dana Brooke aside) and trying so that’s progress I guess. Speaking of SummerSlam it’s felt carved in stone all year that we’re heading for Sasha Banks Vs Charlotteso Charlotte likely gets the win by cheating to keep her on course.
Winners: Charlotte and Dana Brooke
Mat – Charlotte and Dana win via shenanigans
EJ – Charlotte and Dana Brooke
United States Championship Rusev (Champion) vs Titus O’Neil
Gerardo – It’s great to see Rusev has captured the magic he had as a heel last year when he was battling John Cena for that same U.S. Title. Since regaining the title, Rusev has been more aggressive and more menacing than he was last year. It’s also great to see Titus thrown into a title program following his suspension earlier this year. And while I think Titus deserves a run as a singles champion at some point, I don’t think tonight will be the night we see that happen.
Winner: Rusev
Marcus – Rusev is actually looking good again for the first time in a while and Titus O’Neal is back from is suspension for being too friendly so everyone’s a winner already. That said I think the Rusev comeback needs to continue until he’s ready to be fed to someone down the road and O’Neil is here to keep the Rusev rolling.
Winner: Rusev
Mat- Rusev destroys Titus, like its not even going to be fun to watch Tag Team Championship (Fatal 4-Way) The New Day (Champions) vs Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Enzo Amore and Big Cass, vs The Vaudevillains
Gerardo -While the jury is still out on whether The Vaudevillains can have long-term success in the WWE, the other three teams are about as over as they can get especially The New Day and Enzo and Cass. With that said, don’t be surprised if Gallows and Anderson walk out as the new champions. The New Day have had quite a run and while it might make sense to have them drop the belts at SummerSlam, I think this is the one title that has the best chance of changing hands tonight. Of course, if they do drop the belts tonight, expect rumors of a New Day breakup to swirl as we get closer to the brand extension in July. Let’s hope that’s not the case though.
Winner and new Tag Team Champions: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
Marcus – Okay, we now get into the matches I am seriously looking forward to. By process of elimination I don’t think the Vaudevillains nor Enzo and Cass are ready for a run with the straps yet which leave New Day and The Club. While it’s possible The New Day keep the titles for a straight forward tag loss to a team I think The Club take it here as to keep having them lose/not do anything significant is going to start to get really damaging.
Winner: Gallows and Anderson
Mat – The New Day retains in their toughest match to date.
John Cena vs AJ Styles
Gerardo – The match that could steal the show, is the match that’s been a decade in the making. The buildup to this clash has been tremendous and engaging. Styles needs a win in the worst way and Cena has shown lately (see: Kevin Owens vs Cena last year) that he’ll take a loss to put someone over if it means helping to build a legit star. AJ Styles is definitely a star and without the help of Gallowa and Anderson (I think), this feud will have lasting power all the way to SummerSlam.
Winner: AJ Styles
Marcus- My pick for match of the night and the one that in the build up has really sold this show. Cena’s match quality may not be the most consistent but when he gets in there with the right opponent it hits another level and Styles should most certainly be one of those opponents. As for the winner Cena has returned but he doesn’t and never needs a win, Styles on the other hand needs a win after taking the dive against Reigns a few times. Either way the match itself should ensure everyone comes out of this looking good.
Winner: AJ Styles
Mat – Cena wins but AJ comes out looking damn good and gets his win at SummerSlam.
EJ – AJ Styles Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Sami Zayn vs Dean Ambrose vs Alberto del Rio vs Chris Jericho vs Cesaro vs Kevin Owens
Gerardo – Arguably the best MITB Ladder match lineup in its history, this match won’t be short of spectacular. There’s even a chance it could be more spectacular if WWE decides to add a seventh surprise entrant (Randy Orton?). And for a more in-depth look at this battle, checkout EJ Moreno’s piece on it. As for my thoughts, I think it comes down to Ambrose or Owens. WWE teased on Raw Ambrose possibly cashing in at the end of the night if he wins but WWE wouldn’t want to ruin a potential cash-in surprise by hinting at it beforehand. Ambrose could very well still win but don’t be surprised if Kevin Owens ascends to the top of the ladder and grabs the briefcase. With that said, all this talk of The Shield lately has me thinking a triple threat match is on the horizon.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Marcus – This may actually be the best overall line-up for a MITB match in history. Everyone is capable, everyone has a reason and critically everyone could win it. While I’d be happy to see anyone in here win it, I’d rather not Jericho or Del Rio as it wouldn’t help them nearly as much as the other four guys. Of those four Dean Ambrose strikes me as the stand out candidate as the story line with him as MITB holder and Reigns as champion writes itself. Throw in Rollins as the other challenger and we’re finally good to go for the triple threat everyone wants to see.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Mat – Owens or Cesaro are my picks, but there could be a mystery 7th entrant.
EJ – Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship
Roman Reigns (champion) vs Seth Rollins
Gerardo – The Guy vs The Man. Certainly a matchup worthy of main-eventing WrestleMania. As much as I’d love to see Rollins reclaim the title he never lost, I don’t think WWE is ready to have the Roman Empire end. Rollins will get the title back eventually. It just won’t be tonight. But if he does, it could be a short-lived title reign should some lunatic find it an appropriate time to cash in.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Marcus – Once again Reigns gets put with an opponent who will get the best out of him and it will be so good to finally see Seth Rollins in a big match again. While I can’t see where it will come from or how there will likely be some sort of shenanigans so Reigns can keep his title but allows the feud to stay alive either for more matches between the two or the fabled triple threat. Hopefully the match continues the high quality run for Reigns that AJ Styles started him on.
Winner: Roman Reigns
For the first time in a while I’m really looking forward to a WWE show and am actually confident that several of these matches will really deliver.
Mat – Reigns retains, but Rollins gets the win via DQ.
EJ – Roman Reigns
There you have it. Plenty of thoughts on tonight’s big event. Got a prediction? Thoughts on ours? Leave them in the comments. We’d love to hear yours as well.
Six seasons on, we are nearing the end. How long until Daenarys gets to Westeros?
As “Game of Thrones” nears the end of its sixth season, viewers have seen many characters return and others meeting their deaths. Since “The Winds of Winter” has yet to be published, the producers are using author George R.R Martin’s outline for this season. “No One” continues the emotional arc of its characters as we approach the last two episodes.
During a stage performance, Lady Crane reenacts the Queen’s reaction to Joffrey Baretheon’s murder. After the show, she finds an injured Arya Stark (Maise Williams) hiding in her wardrobe. Crane tends to her wounds and commiserates with her. She offers the girl a chance to join the stage troupe. However, Arya declines the offer, explaining she intends to go west of Westeros. Williams succeeds is depicting Arya’s vulnerability and determination.
Later, the Waif kills Crane and goes after Arya, who struggles to keep going as her wounds reopen. After heading into a small chamber, Arya manages to kill the Waif in darkness and removes her face before taking it to the House of Black and White. She informs Jaqen of what she has done, to which he praises her for finally becoming “No One.” However, Arya declines to join him and announces her plan to go home to Winterfell. Williams’ maturity and resoluteness in these scenes is stunning, because she has managed to not forget her roots.
In the Riverlands, Sandor “The Hound” Clegane (Rory McCann) goes after a group of Brothers without Banners with his axe. He is seeking revenge over the deaths of his valley companions. During this time, he encounters Thoros of Myr and Beric Dondarrion, who are preparing to hang the surviving Brothers. They discuss the possibility of Sandor joining the fight against the White Walkers. While it is great to see Rory McCann back, one wishes the Hound’s subplot could have been longer this season.
Back in Mereen, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is optimistic that his plans to abolish slavery in the city will succeed. Varys (Conleth Hill) says they need the support of a queen- namely, Daenarys, but he advises his companion not to trust the Red Priests. Later, Tyrion meets with his supporters and talks of possibly having his own vinyard when Daenarys becomes ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Dinklage’s comedic timing and witty nature are in full force when he envisions inventing his own wine -“The Imp’s Delight”. This light moment is interrupted by the arrival of the Masters’ fleet. As the night passes, Tyrion and Greyworm debate what they should do, but they are stunned with the arrival of Daenarys (Emilia Clarke) herself. Clarke’s scene feels somewhat rushed and ends abruptly, but the audience is at least spared another speech.
At King’s Landing, Cersei Lannister is confronted with Lancel and the Faith Militant, who have come to take her away. Despite being ordered to surrender, Cersei refuses to go with them, prompting a bloody standoff between Gregor and the Faith Militant. Cersei is brought to the throne room and told. Tommnen announces the trials of his mother Loras Tyrell will be held in Baelor during the Festival of the Mother. He also declares trial by combat will be forbidden throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Cersei’s chances of being exonerated are now even slimmer, but she has Qyburn investigate a possible rumour that could help her.
Cersei’s situation looks pretty dire
Meanwhile, Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie) meets up with Jaime Lannister at Riverrun. Jaime expresses surprise that Sansa Stark is alive and asks how she plans to retake Winterfell. Brienne demands the chance to talk with the Blackfish for use of his army. Jaime refuses to give up the castle. After a tense discussion, he agrees to give Brienne until nightfall to talk to Blackfish, warning her that “Not everybody wants to die for someone else’s home.”
Blackfish reveals himself to be sympathetic to Sansa’s plight, but he refuses to help them retake Winterfell. Meanwhile, Jaime tries to get Edmure Tully on his side, offering him the chance to see his newborn son. Edmure scoffs at this approach and taunts him about his past misdeeds. Jaime admits that he is desperate to be reunited with Cersei and will do anything to achieve it, even if it means killing all the Tullys at Riverrun.
Edmund goes to Riverrun to capture Blackfish. As Brienne urges Blackfish to help his niece, he tells her that she has served Sansa far better than he ever could. Blackfish sends her away and prepares to meet his end. His fate feels disappointing, because the viewer never get to see it happen onscreen.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss succeed in ramping up the emotion and raising the stakes. Special praise should be given to Christie, Dinklage and Williams for their acting. Now, the viewer can look forward to the ninth episode- “Battle of the Bastards.”
On the eve of the WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view, the Big Show delivered a big message to wrestling fans at Sacramento’s Comic Con: don’t bank on the winners automatically having success or the losers being doomed for failure.
“It depends on who gets the opportunity and what they do with it.”
This PPV is a great example of the transition period the WWE is experiencing right now as it continues to mix in an influx of new faces, and young wrestlers. Many of those newer guys will square off with the more established stars this weekend.
“Does (someone like) Chris (Jericho) need the win, I don’t know. Will Chris make the most of that opportunity to win? Absolutely. That’s the opportunity that if a younger guy gets, he needs to make the most of that opportunity.”
John Cena vs. AJ Styles
A. J. Styles photo: WWE
The Big Show was specifically asked about who he thought would or should win between John Cena and AJ Styles. He understands that many fans want to see Styles win because he’s new and exciting to the audience, as opposed to Cena who’s been on top for a long time. The 7-foot giant says winning or losing is not as important as what the wrestlers do with the chances they get– particularly in Styles’s case.
“Getting wins over a guy that’s done as much for our industry, as much for the guys in the locker room, as much for the WWE as John Cena has, you don’t get a win over John Cena easily.”
“I would love to see him (Styles) get that opportunity. I think that opportunity would do him a lot more than it would do John. If he doesn’t that doesn’t mean that AJ is dead. It means AJ will still get more opportunities, he just isn’t quite where they feel confident enough in him yet.”
The first wrestler to capture the WWE, WCW and ECW Championships says fans probably care more about wins and losses than the wrestlers do.
“You guys put a lot of faith in winning and losing. I think, that’s never been a big deal for me in my career. I was never the guy ‘oh I’ve got to win’. It’s all entertainment I get paid regardless.”
Welcome to the Turnbuckle Bandwagon, our semi-regular column on professional wrestling, sports entertainment, and everything in between. This weekend brings one of the more unique WWE pay-per-views in ‘Money In The Bank’.
Introduced in 2005 by Chris Jericho, the Money In The Bank match has become one of the more popular matches in WWE. A Wrestlemania attraction for 5 years, MITB was given its own show in 2010. The match is the equivalent of a demolition derby. It is a multi-man ladder match, typically 7 competitors, and above the ring is a briefcase. Getting the briefcase is the only way to win. There are no pinfalls, submissions, or disqualifications. That briefcase gives the winner a match for the WWE title at any time and any place for up to a year. The cash in for the title has happened at other pay-per-views, on RAW, and in 2015 was cashed in by Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania, in which he walked away with the WWE Championship.
The field for this year’s Money In The Bank is one of the most talented in recent years. We’re going to take a look at the competitors and their chances for walking away victorious.
Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn is entering his first Money In The Bank match photo: WWE
Just back from injury in recent months, the Underdog From The Underground is coming into his first Money In The Bank ladder match. While no stranger to ladder matches and other unconventional battles, this is his first opportunity to get near a chance for the WWE title. Zayn has proven he can achieve when given a chance and that he has the talent to do so, but his first time in may be a large mountain to climb.
Chances Of Winning: About as good as a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest
Cesaro
Cesaro photo: WWE
Another WWE superstar just back from a shoulder injury, Cesaro is on the cusp of being a HUGE star in the WWE. He has all the tools needed but just needs that one signature performance to launch him into orbit. He has had some great matches recently and with the ‘Cesaro Section’ behind him, this may be his chance.
Chances Of Winning: Not bad, not great, but a good chance if things fall the right way
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho invented the Money In The Bank match photo: WWE
Creator of the MITB match, that is the least of Jericho’s many accomplishments. He is a multiple time WWE champion, 9 time Intercontinental champion, and by his own proclamation, one hell of a sexy beast. All of that, and he has yet to win the match he invented. Jericho is a veteran competitor and normally would be a favorite, but in this field, he is middling at best.
Chances Of Winning: Better than Sami Zayn, but that isn’t saying much
Dean Ambrose
The Lunatic Fringe photo: WWE
Dean Ambrose is on fire, he’s got a talk show and a big win over Chris Jericho in their ongoing feud. A former Intercontinental champion, Dean is setting his sights ever higher, as he is the only member of The Shield to not hold the WWE Championship (as both Seth Rollins and current champion Roman Reigns have done).
Chances Of Winning: Better than most, mainly because of a healthy disregard for his own well-being
Kevin Owens
Owens’ sense of brutality favors him at MITB photo: WWE
Kevin Owens is finally hitting his stride in the WWE. After debuting on the main roster last year with a win over John Cena, Owens would languish for a bit, but would claim the Intercontinental Championship. Owens has had solid matches with all the men in this contest and his almost decade long feud with Sami Zayn has made its way into the WWE. Big, mean, and brutal is how Owens fights and that may just win him the briefcase.
Chances Of Winning: Above average provided he doesn’t get distracted by his blind rage for Sami Zayn
Alberto Del Rio
Del Rio has won MITB before photo: WWE
While Del Rio is not the only competitor in this year’s match who has competed in MITB before, he is the only performer who was won the match and cashed in. El Patron has been a world champion before, and is hungry to be one again. He has a budding rivalry with Cesaro that may prove an obstacle to that goal.
Chances Of Winning: His previous experience should be a benefit, and even if he loses, he’s dating Paige now, so he still wins.
Wild Card
Money In The Bank matches tend to have 5-7 participants and there are only 6 this year. Considering how there is an upcoming brand extension and some superstars ready to return from injury, do not be shocked if a surprise entrant is added to the card. Perhaps an NXT call up like Finn Balor or a returning superstar like Randy Orton.
Look for a full preview of all of the matches on the Money In The Bank card coming later on today.
WWE Money In The Bank airs Sunday June 19 @ 8pm on the WWE Network.
Box Office Guru is reporting that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has ended its domestic box office run after twelve weeks after earning $330 million dollars.
NorthAmerican #boxoffice reporting on #BatmanvSuperman is now final. Domestic run finished at $330,360,194. 50% was from opening wknd.
Batman v Superman has an estimated budget of $250 million and has earned $872.6 million worldwide. The movie earned 63% of its domestic earn over the course of the first week of run. It’s currently the 5th highest earning movie of 2016 behind Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, Jungle Book and Zootopia.
That seems to go along with the fact that Batman v Superman dropped considerably, 69%, its second week at the box office. Experts also say that to get the actual budget of a movie you need to double it putting the actual budget of Batman v Superman closer to $500 million. The movie is still out in some overseas markets but it seems unlikely that the second entry into the DC Cinematic Universe is going to pass the one billion dollar mark.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director and writer James Gunn is probably one of the more open directors in Hollywood. He’s very good at replying to fan questions, within reason, and has made sure that we know that anything he posts on social media are his words. Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is done filming a fan asked Gunn about whether or not there would be equal representation of his male and female characters in merchandise.
The toy and merchandise debate within nerd culture is a contentious one but it looks like Gunn is aware of the worries and is willing to address them directly. Guardians of the Galaxy was a huge hit for Marvel so it’s safe to assume that they would likely listen to anything Gunn has to say.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is directed by James Gunn and comes out May 5, 2017
With another E3 come and gone little information has been released for Kingdom Hearts III. There is some talk of a possible release date somewhere in 2017 but more final details won’t be announced until this winter. The third installment of the widely popular Kingdom Hearts series has been in the works for quite sometime now. The occasional rumors and eventual sets backs have resulted in fans having varying degrees of hope and disappointment. This leaves us to ask an important and bitter question: “Is Kingdom Hearts III in development hell?”
The Secret Endings
At the end of Kingdom Hearts II, a secret trailer was revealed, showcasing characters in armor wielding Keyblades in a graveyard of discarded and broken Keyblades. This ending was extended in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix and showed the three characters in an intense battle against a mysterious man with great power and with his own armored Keyblade warrior. Surely, this was the preview for the third installment of the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
Sadly, not. This footage would turn out to be Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, a game for the PSP and served as a prequel to the actual story. Its released would come after Kingdom Hearts: Coded for mobile phones (in Japan) and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days for the DS both of which served as side stories to the proper game. It would be followed by Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance for the 3DS which does actually take place after the events of Kingdom Hearts II but is not the official sequel. This along with the release of previous versions of titles such as Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain of Memories for the PS2 (originally released on the Gameboy Advance) and Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded for the DS along with HD versions of the two original PS2 games (Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD and Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD) would become the standard for what to expect from the Kingdom Hearts franchise for a decade.
Where is the game?
At this point you are probably asking, “What happened to Kingdom Hearts III?” The first “official” word of development which was not rumors or comments would come from a trailer released during E3 in 2013. It showed Sora running carelessly through streets, no longer requiring a fade to black for the game to load the next scene. Fans thought there was a slim possibility the game would be released on the PS3 but now with the PS4 in full swing this chance is gone.
Right before E3 this year, a trailer was released for another game, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue. It revealed gameplay featuring Aqua (a character from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep), the Foretellers (who were introduced in a mobile game called Kingdom Hearts: Unchained x), and ended with showing the Kingdom Hearts III logo and the words “Upcoming announcements this winter” below it. The game is finally coming…eventually…maybe.
What is development hell?
Though there is no specific date which qualifies a product to be in development hell, any property which has been in production at least a minimum of five years with hype sustained by rumors and conjectures usually gets this label. Kingdom Hearts III has been in development for a decade if you count the initial announcement as the starting point. Even then some properties which haven’t been in development this long have been accused of being in development hell. Just go ask those who gave to the original Kickstarter for Mighty No. 9 if they feel the property hasn’t been in this long suffering limbo.
Why hasn’t this game been put in the category of “Development Hell” sooner? Frankly, because of the negative association such a title has. Putting something in development hell means admitting the release isn’t right around the corner and won’t magically be announced within a few months. It also plays into the fear the product will never be released. This is why fans weren’t willing to admit at any point Kingdom Hearts III was in development hell.
The lesson which can be taken from this experience is Kingdom Hearts III is indeed in development hell. It has been for quite a while. Its own director, Tetsuya Nomura revealed in an interview they announced the game too early and this three years ago. Perhaps the faith fans have put into the company will be rewarded and Kingdom Hearts III will get released sometime in 2017. For now though more HD re-releases are on the horizon but for Kingdom Hearts III itself, there is still more waiting ahead.
-This was a bit of a let-down considering all the talent in the ring. Somewhere near the end of the match, it felt like everyone was one move off. Seems like it’s time for New Day to lose the belts.
–She’s been stuck in a rut for years but it looks like we might get something new from Natalya. After her loss to Charlotte and Dana Brooke, Nattie attacks tag-team partner Becky Lynch. No more nice cat lady.
-A statement I didn’t think I’d have the chance to type; indie superstar AJ Styles beat “The Face of WWE” John Cena. While Styles had some help from The 
-‘The Lunatic’ Dean Ambrose was the last man standing in this ladder match. Beating out 5 other men, Ambrose now has a guaranteed title match whenever he chooses. This match was an insane spot-fest that kept the crowd on their feet.
-Shocking the entire WWE Universe, Dean Ambrose paid back Seth Rollins for years of torture by cashing his Money In The Bank briefcase shortly after winning it. This will live on as one of the most epic moments in WWE history.
