Elimination Chamber Predictions

Hello! It's another Predictions Blog- two in a month, I can't believe it either. The one thing you have to say for tonight is that people are truly excited for it, predominantly because of Owens v Cena and not much else- but the fact is people are interested in tonight, whether that translates into Long-Term Network Subscriptions is a different matter entirely; I really wish they'd announce the Network Subs month by month so we can see the drop off once the Network becomes paid again tomorrow. Then again I suppose that's exactly why they don't do it month by month.

Unless I'm Miztaken the only thing of note on the Pre-Show in that it's advertised is a MizTV with Daniel Bryan, we'll still end up with a throwaway match on the Pre-Show most likely with the sole purpose of filling time but as it hasn't been announced it's impossible to Predict it.

New Day v The Lucha Dragons v The Ascension v Primetime Players v KiddSaro v Los Matadores- Tag Title Chamber Match
Straight off the bat, I'm going to take a bit of a punt and say that the 6 teams announced won't be the 6 that actually end up inside the Chamber when the Door is locked. It made me laugh that Edge and Kofi had a little back and forth about the way Edge ambushed him to get into the Chamber Match in I believe 2009 because I was already talking about it before- but now I can just go "Ya Know what happened in 09 with Edge, that's what I think Rowan & Harper will do" and it's relevant! If I had to choose a team to be taken out of the Chamber dynamic it would be the Lucha Dragons- which some of you may disagree with, but let me explain why. There's no way the Lucha Dragons are going to win tonight- it's just a fact, the only two teams that have a chance of leaving the Chamber with the Belts are New Day and KiddSaro. The Lucha Dragons have so much potential as a Babyface team them being pinned which is after all the only way they can leave the Chamber is stupid so early on, so Rowan and Harper taking out the Lucha Dragons to get a spot in the Chamber not only protects the Lucha Dragons but also sets up potential feuds with Rowan and Harper, New Day and any other team in the Chamber Match because their success (or failure) in the Chamber took place without them there.

Anyway, onto the match itself- as I've already said there's only two teams with a real chance of winning the Belts, and let's be honest that's stretching there's no way they won't have New Day retain given the way the crowd have taken to them combined with the Consistent Quality of Match they're putting on. I don't know if this match will steal the show as has become the norm for matches featuring New Day and KiddSaro but that's more to do with the other matches on the card. I do think this match will be the most entertaining though- whether it's all three members of New Day trying to fit into a Pod as I really hope they do or hopefully Rowan and Harper completely destroying everything in sight and wreaking havoc I'm really excited for this match. As you know if you read these regularly I always go the extra mile with my already flawed predictions so for both this and the IC Title Match I'm going to Predict the Elimination Order.

1. Los Matadores
2. The Ascension
3. PTP
4. Lucha Dragons/Rowan and Harper
5. KiddSaro
Winner: New Day

Neville v Bo Dallas

This is an interesting one, simple logic would say Neville would win easily- but in a rare occurrence the build for a match has actually made me doubt the seemingly obvious outcome of a match. For me Bo is somewhat of an unknown quantity in this match because now he's gone more serious I'm not sure how much stock they'll have put into Bo because he's shown in NXT he can be a heat magnet and a really solid Heel. I'm hoping this isn't going to be another of the moments that have become seemingly regular in these Predictions when I say why "X" will win and still go for "Y" when I say

Winner: Neville

Nikki Bella v Naomi v Paige- Divas Title

This is an interesting one, it might be because of my general disinterest in the Main Roster Divas but I honestly have no clue who will win this one, I don't really care who does- but I don't know who will either. So I went to JBL's Old Friend Paddy Power. Paige is at 15/8, Naomi is the Favourite at 7/5 and Nikki is at 8/5 and she's dropped to 8/5 from 15/8 when I put my Chamber Accumulator on. For me it's not necessarily obvious- but I've thought for a while that Nikki is going to beat A.Js record as one last spiteful act toward Phillip and I can't see that changing so.

Winner: Nikki Bella

Sheamus v King Barrett v R-Truth v Rusev (?) v Ryback v Dolph Ziggler- IC Title Elimination Chamber

The first question is whether Rusev will even be in the match because he was apparently injured and is therefore a doubt. If Rusev is injured I saw on the Dirtsheets that Bray Wyatt is being discussed which is just a No on all levels from me. I've said it numerous times that Bray should go his whole career without winning a Belt and I stand by that here. However, throwing Bray into let's be honest a Midcarder Chamber Match if he doesn't win it would hurt his character equally if not more than winning a Belt- so it makes it a lose/lose if Bray does end up in the Chamber. I'd look to either Ryder, Rose or Swagger because all three are solid guys who can afford to be a filler spot in the Chamber. If Ryder did end up in the Chamber I'd go down the Santino route with him and put him within a whisker of winning the belt as Santino did against Bryan if it's the other two then they'll be gone first. 

The Next Question is who can take the IC Title after Bryan's let's be honest disaster run as Champion and make it relevant. None of the guys in this match fill me with confidence that they'll elevate it to a level where I go "I wonder what the IC Champion is going to do this week" as I (and many others) are doing with Cena, that said I reckon it's between Sheamus and Ziggler. If Rusev is in the Match that would mean Lana is also nearby and there'll most likely be an angle there to cost Dolph, and if Rusev isn't there- well he's Dolph so it's not the end of the world if he get's pinned. Outside shout is King Barrett, but given the way he's been booked I can't see it- although I'd put money on him stealing the show during this match. 

Elimination Order, Yay!

1. R-Truth

2. Ryback (His Ribs'll do him in)

3. Rusev (or his Replacement)

4. King Barrett

5. Dolph Ziggler

Winner: Sheamus

Kevin Owens v John Cena

I have an apology to make, I said on my RAW Review that Cena will win without a shadow of a doubt and it's a good thing because the US Open Challenge is the best thing going weekly on RAW. I've since realised that the match tonight isn't for the belt- which really throws the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons and makes this matches outcomes a swinging pendulum of unpredictability. The fact there isn't a title on the line makes me lean slightly towards Owens, I have to believe that Owens wouldn't have been called up for a match with Cena and booked the way he was in the build if they didn't see him as a legitimate draw and threat to the Main Guys. That said if you go back to the bare bones of a feud Owens looked good on the go-home RAW which automatically makes Cena the favourite for the match. Given the fact Cena is working Owens on Live Events in the future as far as I'm aware I think that Cena will either win by DQ or Owens wins with Shenanigans, however because it's a "PPV" and I have perhaps misguided optimism

Winner: Kevin Owens

Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose- WWEWHC Match

It's the Main Event, and it's pretty much the most straightforward match on the card. I have seen a few people saying that Ambrose should win and then Rollins wins it back pretty quickly what with MITB coming up and all- but that's a very outside bet, and the more likely scenario is Rollins wins most likely with shenanigans. The one thing I'm interested to see for this match is if they further tease Rollins v Triple H- maybe with Rollins being pushed into either Trips or Steph and also how much interference they see as necessary for Ambrose to lose- which will in turn help us to gauge how much true value they see in Ambrose. 

Winner: Seth Rollins

Thanks for Reading as always, I'm actually pretty excited for the "PPV" tonight- definitely more so than I was for Payback and it'll be interesting to see how tonight unfolds because tonight is predominantly to try and get the free guys to subscribe so I'm hoping tonight is a good night. Anyway, I guess we'll have to wait and see- I hope you join me for Tonight and tag along on Twitter- but if you can't have no fear the Review will be up tomorrow so stay tuned for that and then we're back into the swing of things with a RAW Review and then an Impact Review in it's new home on Thursday. So stay tuned for all of that, thanks again for reading- and let's come back to this once the "PPV" is over to see how wrong I was. 

Curtis Axel: The Quest for Respect

Hello! It's another Booking Blog- it was doubtful whether this would be out today, but I'm feeling marginally better than yesterday (but still pretty crap) so I thought I'd take a stab at it. As you can tell by the title and if you hadn't already seen on Twitter Curtis Axel is the next guy to get the KRUGAH treatment in terms of me booking him. As with the Leo Kruger one I'm going to go through until Summerslam with Axel and go week by week- as you'll see as this unfolds I'm going to make Axel into a somewhat serious character but (again you may have already seen on Twitter) I was torn on Axel and I was tempted to go down a Comedic route so I may do that as somewhat of a Part 2 depending on how this one is received. Anyway, this'll be a long one so I'll stop rambling.

Quick Point; I am doing this- but I'm far from 100% so that's my excuse if there's any typos today. I don't know what my excuse is on all the other days, but yeah.

Week Commencing- June 1st
I think it's pretty safe to assume that "The Mega Powers" won't be on Elimination Chamber, and as you'll see in my Predictions I don't think the 6 Teams will be the 6 that cross the threshold of the Chamber- but it won't be "The Mega Powers" so we'll be starting on RAW.

RAW
We basically have Three Months between now and Summerslam so I'm going to be relatively quick in terms of a transition- but at the same time Axel isn't just going to show up one week and decide he's a Serious Competitor Again. This RAW will be the start of it all when they get Squashed by The Ascension- crucially with "Macho Mandow" taking the Pin.

Smackdown
When I say Squash against The Ascension I mean around 2-3 Minutes. On Smackdown The Mega Powers will come up against Rowan & Harper and they'll get beaten in literally 20 Seconds with Axel not even getting into the Match. With Axel in the Corner looking fed up after "Macho Mandow" has just been killed.

Week Commencing- June 8th
As with the Leo Kruger Post I don't mind using Smackdown to further a story as long as they acknowledge it on RAW- however that isn't even necessary for this week as you'll see.

RAW
This is where we'll get a truly unique occurrence in that we'll get an exact repeat of something that happened on Smackdown on RAW. I truly bring the unique ideas to these blogs don't I? I'm assuming every single member of WWE's creative team are reading this to get new ideas so- You can have that one for free guys!

Smackdown
There'll be a Backstage Promo type segment where "Macho Mandow" is doing his Savage impersonation and then he turns to Axel who does his Axelmania stuff half-heartedly.

Week Commencing- June 15th
We're two weeks in and I've already planted the seeds for a turn, what you'll see from here on out is me going to a more reality based theme to the way I book Axel. Also you'll notice I completely ignored MITB because Axel's in the weird limbo stage and he isn't ready for a PPV Match yet.

RAW
Similar to Smackdown we'll get a Backstage thing with Sandow going full steam ahead with the Macho Mandow stuff before Axel comes in get's halfway through with absolutely no passion or intensity with what he's saying before he Shouts "CUT". We then have a Producer come on asking him what the Problem is and Axel just says "What am I doing here?" before walking off.

Smackdown
Axel won't necessarily be featured, but Macho Mandow will have a match and the commentators will use said match to discuss Axel, what happened on Monday and what it means. (Of course Mandow will be squashed).

Week Commencing- June 22nd
I'm hoping a few of you will have already picked up on what I'm doing here to create a contrast- in that Axel was quite literally a caricature as is Mandow so turning to a more reality based ideology when it comes to booking Axel so you'll notice the difference even more so than you would otherwise.

RAW
Macho Mandow comes out with a Mic and does his Macho Mandow stuff to call out Axel. Axel comes out without any music- and he's just in his normal Axel trunks no Axelmania stuff on them etc. Mandow asks him what he's doing in effect- and this is the turn moment. Axel says he's fed up of being a joke, he's one of the best WRESTLERS in the company and he deserves some respect- before Decking Mandow and going mental to the point where Mandow gets stretchered out (I'd use this as a way to write "Macho Mandow" off TV and bring him back as Sandow somewhere down the line).

We then get a Backstage Interview with Axel where he says for his whole career he's compromised whether it's joining up with Heyman, The Royal Rumble or The Mega Powers- and he's not going to compromise any more and he warns the whole Locker Room not to get in his way.

Smackdown 
Replay of what happened on RAW, with the commentators subsequently discussing Axel and what he could mean by it all.

Week Commencing- June 29nd
If you didn't already know I write these just off the top of my head so I don't really plan that much for these (which is probably a bad thing) so I'm not entirely sure how high up the card I'm going to take this new attitude for Axel- but in terms of story it works so I'm perhaps going to stretch it a bit, and hey it's Fantasy Booking after all.

Also I should point out Axel's entrance is going to be a complete lack of an Entrance now- pretty much the Old Kozlov Entrance where he just has a Spotlight on him with the Lights out and no music.

RAW
Axel comes out for a Promo, he references the fact he helped Brock & Rock prepare for their returns and he's fed up of being the "other" guy. Then he goes on to talk about Ryback (maybe CM Punk) and Sandow. Then saying there's someone who's hated me from the moment I stepped into this company and he's coming for them, before he exits.

Smackdown
We get a Replay of the Promo from RAW with subsequent commentary discussion over who it could be.

Week Commencing- July 6th
Some of you may be ahead of me in terms of who the "someone" is- and how it may be stretching, but for me the story fits and as such I'm going to run with it.

RAW
We get one of those sit-down interviews with Michael Cole, but Axel makes him pretty much runaway before he pulls out this picture...

He then literally cuts a Promo to the picture, doing "The Rock Says" stuff and all of the other Rock stuff but in a mocking way so stuff like "The Rock Says Nobody Respects Curtis Axel", "The Rock Says Curtis Axel is coming for someone" that kind of stuff. So it looks like he's gone off the deep end but at the same time he looks menacing and dangerous. 

Later on in the Night Axel crashes a match involving Neville (it'll become clear, trust me) and once again goes so hard on him that he has to be stretchered out. 

Smackdown

We get a Replay of the attack on Neville by Axel and commentary discussion, then later on we get a Backstage Attack on Kalisto. 

Week Commencing- July 13th

If you read my "Booking Wrestlemania 32" post you may know the core of this feud and what I'm going to do, but it has different competitors so you have to keep reading still. 

RAW

Axel comes out for a Promo, and says that if people won't respect them he'll take them out and he is the future of this business whether the "people in the back" want to admit it or not. Before Kane comes out and says that Respect is Earned and (per the Authority) he is going to beat some respect into him. Axel's first match with his new attitude against Kane- and it goes for roughly 10 minutes with Axel winning. I'd have him use a Submission Move- preferably an Armbar because of Rousey. He won't let the Armbar go even after Kane's tapped and the whole time he's yelling "YOU WILL RESPECT ME" before roughly half a dozen refs/agents are able to pull him off he then grabs a mic and cuts a Promo saying at Battleground he's coming for "you" and watch your back, because it's play time. 

Smackdown

Replay of the match and brutalisation of Kane from Axel with a commentary discussion after saying who the "you" could be. 

Kane then comes out even though he's clearly got an injured arm and calls out Axel for a Rematch. Axel comes out and says clearly he hasn't earned the Respect of Kane yet and says he'll give him a Rematch. However before the bell rings Axel blind-sides Kane and goes mental on him with the two main spots being a Con-Chair-To with one chair wrapped around Kane's Elbow and then an Armbar with said Chair still on but of course it's bent out of shape now. I'd use this to write Kane off TV for the time being because he's not really going anywhere with "Corporate Kane" now- so they could use this gap to point him in a new direction. 

Battleground

We get a Replay of the Smackdown brutality from Axel on Kane on the Pre-Show Panel thing and they discuss who Curtis Axel is going to target tonight. 

Throughout the Night various expendable Authority Members will be taken out off Camera with Trips and Steph discovering the backstage. 

Triple H and Steph come out for a Promo and they're angry saying whoever is doing it to come out now. Lights go Off and Axel enters. Axel comes in to the ring and blames him for his career going off the rails, how it always has to be about him and how HHH never respected him and how he'll destroy his future (NXT) and Neville and Kalisto were just the start. Triple H looks furious and swings for Axel but he catches him, Perfect-Plexes him before getting him into the Armbar but just briefly because Stephanie will somehow get Axel off of HHH before Trips Retreats, with Axel going mental in the ring. 

Week Commencing- July 20th

It's Fantasy Booking, and as I've said the story fits given the way Triple H pretty much refused to put Axel over when he was put up against him and made it all about him so I've run with it. 

RAW

Triple H comes out (without Stephanie) to open the show and calls out Axel. They cut to the Big Screen with Axel clearly outside somewhere, they zoom out and he's outside the Performance Center and says this is HHHs Baby, let's have some fun. These'll be a series of Pre-Tapes throughout the Night all with the goal of antagonising Trips. 

First of the Pre-Tapes is Axel going into the Performance Center and trashing the Reception Area of it with innocent bystanders screaming for Security. 

Second of the Pre-Tapes starts with Axel laughing into the Camera with 2 or 3 Security Guys decked behind him and then he goes into the Gym Area and yells at a smattering of people who are at the Performance Center (but not on TV) to get out, before there's a strategically placed trainee wearing a DX T-Shirt who Axel goes over to, rips the shirt off and then throws him into a wall. 

Third of the Pre-Tapes is Axel (now wearing the DX Shirt) going into the Office Area and spotting Billy Gunn (I think he works at the PC now) he goes over to him, Does the DX Chop before unloading on him. 

Fourth and Final Pre-Tape will take place at the end of the show and it'll have Triple H in the ring at RAW looking on.

Axel's in the Ring area of the Performance Center. Specifically the Middle One (For Reference...) 

All the Lights in the Ring Area apart from the one hovering over the Middle Ring will be out. Axel is in the ring with Billy Gunn who's clearly out of it. Axel says "Do You Respect Me Yet Hunter" before Ripping off the DX Shirt and throwing it at the Camera before Pedigree-ing Billy Gunn. They then cut to Triple H who looks furious in the Ring to End the Show. 

Smackdown

We get a Montage of what happened on RAW with all of the Pre-Tapes and extended commentary discussion over how Triple H will react on commentary during one of the meaningless matches. 

Week Commencing- July 27th

As you'll see I'm really having fun with this now, and it all fits- Axel will never feud with HHH in a Million Years given their relative positions, but this would work and it all fits and just proves that there's so much untapped potential feud wise on the WWE Roster because a lot of people have been pigeon-holed and are having the supposed Brass Rings taken away from them. 

RAW

The RAW Opening Package is a Replay of what Axel did on the Prior RAW. Axel opens the show and calls Triple H out saying he wants a match with him at Summerslam. Nobody comes out and Axel says he hasn't learned his lesson yet and will respect him. 

Mid-Way through the Night during a match (a pointless one, so most likely a Divas one) we cut to the Titan-Tron with Axel in the Backstage Area saying he's "Hunting Hunter" before creeping around and going into Gorilla with all the Agents and then seeking out Triple H who won't be there- so Axel getting angry sees Road Dogg and throws him over a Desk and starts punching him before Kidman etc. pull him off. 

RAW ends with Axel once again in the Ring to call out Triple H- they cut to the Big Screen and it's Triple H's time to have some fun. (This of course isn't going to be the actual real thing, but similar to the Paul Bearer ashes thing it'd be huge within kayfabe). The Camera Pans out and Triple H is in a Graveyard. He then starts walking and as he is he's saying how Axel supposedly wants to eliminate Triple H's future in NXT, so he thought he'd come to Minnesota to see where it all began for Axel. Triple H stops in front of a Tombstone and it's of course Curt Hennig's he says Hennig is Axel's past and without the Hennig Name he wouldn't even be in this business, so he's going to eliminate the Hennig Name- he then Sledgehammers the Tombstone which'll leave Axel livid in the Ring to End the Show. 

Smackdown

We get a Replay of the Tombstone Episode and Commentary Discussion. 

Week Commencing- August 3rd

Hey, it's the week of my Birthday- BUY ME STUFF. We're getting into the latter stages of the build for this match now. The more I'm writing this the more I'm loving writing this and I hope you are as well because for me this is a great booking post and (at least I think) I've made Axel look like a Semi Main/Main Event talent less than three months after being in the Mega Powers. Obviously I'd like to have more time to aid the transition but I think I've done it pretty well. 

RAW

To Open the Show We get a "Yesterday" type graphic and then Axel is once again on the Big Screen it zooms out and he's at Full Sail. He marches into the "NXT Arena" and goes straight into Triple H's office where he'll be sitting, waiting for him Axel demands a match which Triple H agrees to and says the Contract Signing will be "Tomorrow". 

I'd have this segment be the Cross-Over between the 2nd and 3rd Hour as opposed to Main Eventing because after all it's Summerslam and there's other Main Event fish to fry. It's a Contract Signing, but unlike what you may expect nothing happens. There's been so much happening whether it's Axel taking out the Outlaws and trashing the PC to HHH smashing up Mr. Perfect's Tombstone that the calmness of this segment will have much more of an Impact. It'll last roughly 5 minutes- there won't be a Single Word said both of them sign the Contract before having a stare off to end the segment. 

Quick Side Point if there was one announced for around this time I would have had the Contract Signing take place at a Takeover for good cross promotion and NXT is after all one of the roots of the feud.

Smackdown

We get a Video Package documenting the feud up till now, then the commentators discuss the feud and who they think'll win etc. 

Week Commencing- August 10th

We're getting into the business end of this feud now with just 2 more RAWs until Summerslam so as you may be able to guess this is going to be kicked into high gear now. 

RAW

To start the 2nd Hour Axel comes down to the Ring and just rips on Triple H basically echoing a lot of the opinions the internet shares when it comes to Triple H and how he got to where he is before saying he doesn't respect Triple H and anything he stands for and has done in the business before saying Triple H has to respect him because he's fought for every morsel he's gotten in this business bringing up Mega Powers, RybAxel, Axelmania etc. and says he won't be held back any longer by HHH and his agenda. 

Triple H then comes out and does his Triple H promo where he says Respect isn't given its earned etc. etc. as he's walking down the Ramp. Triple H gets into the Ring. and looks like he wants to Fight. Axel says "No Matter What you Do to Me I won't Respect you" before dropping the Mic and opening his arms as if to say "Come On Then". Triple H then rushes Axel and basically destroys him ending the segment with him Pedigree-ing Axel through the Announce Desk, but just before they go to an Ad Break they'll zoom in on Axel who'll be laughing and shouts "You'll have to Try Harder". 

Smackdown

We'll get a Replay of the Triple H beatdown and commentary discussion- you know the drill. 

Week Commencing- August 17th

It's Summerslam week and that means go-home RAW. As such I need to tie this feud up in a nice little package ready for Summerslam. 

RAW

Once again this'll be beautifully simple, it'll just be a Head to Head Promo with the main point being "Why?" Why did Axel let HHH get a free shot in on him Last Week, Why would HHH hold him back etc. Axel's explanation will be simple- Respect. Axel let HHH get on him like he did last week because no matter how badly HHH beats him up Axel will never respect him. However on Sunday Axel will make HHH respect him even if it means both of them end up leaving the arena on Stretchers. 

Smackdown
We get a Video Package documenting the feud and commentary discussion- especially on the week before a PPV that's really all Smackdown is good for.

Summerslam
I'll leave whether Axel wins up to you and how you perceive the build to the match and which way it's leaning. I know who my Winner is but I'm genuinely curious as to how you lot see the match going given the build.

Thanks for reading as ever, I hope you had fun reading this because I really had fun writing this for the best part of 3 Hours. As always feedback is appreciated- but more so on these types of posts. Thanks again for reading, I don't know if there'll be an Impact Review tomorrow or if I'll just pick them back up again when they move to Wednesday Next Week when I should be feeling a lot better as well. So Stay Tuned for at the very latest Sunday when I'll have my Elimination Chamber Predictions up and have a good weekend.

RAW Review: 25th May

Hello! It's another Review and with the second of the two week build for Elimination Chamber being this week you had to hope that WWE would up their games to get last minute subscribers for free and then hope that they get a small ratio translated into paid subscribers. After last weeks RAW I wasn't necessarily excited for this week- because that implies some sort of anticipation for said RAW, which completely passed me over because up until about 5pm Yesterday I thought it was a Sunday... Bloody Bank Holidays. Anyway, with a lot of stuff to be sorted out you lot don't want me to be aimlessly rambling- you want Rambling with a Point- so LET'S GO.

Authority Promo
Much in the way of an Authority Promo I'm going to make this paragraph unnecessarily long when the payoff would take much less time- and of course I'm going to make all of you suffer through it (forget the fact you can scroll down). This paragraph will be so unnecessarily long you won't even know what's hit you- it's like I could make a "Things Longer than Seth" joke, but it would be moot because the paragraph would be so long. This paragraph will be so, so, so unnecessarily long. I didn't really like it.

Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose v Rollins & Kane
Because we'd never seen this match or some variation on it before. It's not that the guys involved are bad- it's just with the way WWE limits move-sets there's only so many different orders said moves can be used in, and if they're being sold the same way every night the move loses it's effectiveness in terms of a crowd response. At least they half protected Rollins by having him losing via Roll-Up as opposed to taking Both Finishers and getting pinned as I thought they would do after Kane messed up something. It seems as though the Kane story is officially dead after tonight- but then again, I could have told you that weeks ago. When Stephanie said she was making the Main Event, and it starts right now I thought she'd lost the plot but by the time it got to about 20 to 2 I genuinely thought it would be the Main Event.

Dean Ambrose Backstage Promo/Brawl
I just don't get why they went down this route, I joked about it a bit that Roman would come down and sign the contract- but nobody really believed Ambrose wouldn't show back up and that completely lost the effectiveness of the Segment. There are so many different ways that Ambrose can seemingly have the odds stacked against him in his bid to get the Match, so why they went with him taking out a cameraman I simply don't know.

Rusev v R-Truth
Lana Machka'd his Heart, So he Rusev's gonna go back to his roots and Machka some Black People.

Lana & Rusev Promo
This whole dynamic is still doing nothing for me. It might be because of how strongly opposed I am to the Lana's Murican storyline they're slowly building but I'm saving all of my ranting juices on that topic until it actually happens when I'll go nuclear so you lot had better retreat to the designated safe zone. (It's your Fridge in case you were wondering, GOD HAVE NONE OF YOU SEEN THE LAST INDIANA JONES- WELL, IF YOU HAVEN'T DON'T... SAVE YOURSELF). Anyway, back to the dynamic. It's just confusing- Lana's done being controlled by Rusev because she a Strong Independent Lana who don't need no Rusev; and then she's ran straight into the arms of Dolph Ziggler who is pretty much the womaniser of WWE. It just doesn't make any sense, and I don't see any logical way that it works other than Lana turns on Dolph and realigns with Rusev, but that would mean the Lana's Murican story would be a moot point so I can't see that happening.

Ryback v King Barrett
As soon as Bray won we pretty much knew the storyline between him and Ryback was over- and as I predicted they gave over a month of build to an unsatisfying midcard match with a dodgy payoff. Now Bray doesn't have a feud and Ryback's inexplicably beating the King of the Ring despite being hardly able to breathe. WWE is improving the midcard, I'm not going to say they're not but it's still a long way off being uniform in terms of it's general booking.

Authority meet them lot off the TV Show that I don't watch and have no plans to watch and inexplicably have a Film coming out.
I'm getting better at those headlines... Sound Bytes. The fact the brought up Rousey was the only notable point- and from a business standpoint it was promising in that they keep the Rousey name on the minds of everyone in the "Universe". Apart from that it was just a meaningless Authority backstage Promo- never had one of those before.

Neville v Stardust
In another world this would be a 20+ Minute Main Event. They're killing Stardust- and while Curtis Axel is my next Wrestler to get the KRUGAH treatement "Stardust" won't be too far behind- although I'm leaving all of my "Who to Book" guys up to you guys- so look out for my next one on Twitter and my next Booking Post which if everything goes to plan will be up this week. I like that Bo is actually getting somewhat serious, because he was such a great heel in terms of heat generated in NXT and unlike some gimmicks it could translate well onto the Main Roster.

Them lot off the TV meet the Expendable- I mean Divas.
I'm not going to rant, it's not worth the energy to be honest- so if you want a rant, Unlucky. Less than a Week Ago NXT in a 2 Hour "PPV" featured 8 Women; Carmella as a Valet, Alexa Bliss who impacted the result of the match, The 4 Women in the Tag Match and of course Sasha v Becky. Unless I've got my dates wrong that was the first NXT "PPV" since the "Give Divas a Chance" stuff started. Then we get onto what they did with Summer, Layla, Emma and Alicia. They were literally pimped out to them lot off TV show- if that isn't "Giving Divas a Chance" I don't know what is to be honest. It just frustrates me more than anything- because they didn't even have the useless "Divas" do it- Rosa and Cameron were in Catering, they actually had some of the Divas who can wrestle (better than The Bellas might I add) being pimped out to a load of guys who are irrelevant. They were literally hanging around backstage waiting for them to show up so they can take them to a secluded area. NXT had 8 Women featured in a 2 Hour Show and none of them felt crowbarred in and all of them had a defined purpose on the night- on a 3 Hour Show the only way to pad out the number of Women featured was to pimp them out. Also, isn't Summer Rae meant to be Superbitch now after turning on Mizdow- so why is she hanging around with babyfaces?! UGGGGGGHHHHHH. Not only that, them lot off the TV turned the Divas down because they wanted to hang out with Zack bloody Ryder- we're supposed to perceive "Divas" as Smart, Sexy and Powerful when Zack Ryder has more pulling power than them- WHERE IS THE LOGIC IN THIS SCENARIO?! THE ONLY THING THAT COULD HAVE MADE IT ANY WORSE FOR THE DIVAS WOULD BE IF WERNER HERZOG TURNED UP AND TOLD ALL OF THE DIVAS THAT THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD BUT FEAR, DESPERATION AND MURDER. ACTUALLY IF WERNER HERZOG NARRATED THIS SEGMENT IT WOULD HAVE MADE ME LESS ANGRY. LET'S HAVE WERNER HERZOG AS THE GUEST HOST FOR RAW WHEN HE CAN HAVE A BLOODY HAREM WITH ALL OF THE DIVAS.

The whole "I'm not going to Rant" thing went well.

It's safe to come out now.

Sheamus v Dolph Ziggler
The horse when it comes to these two in matches hadn't been beaten to death enough it seems. Both of these guys are good in-ring, that's not the problem; their storyline is seemingly dead now and when you have built in pairings with the Elimination Chamber why the hell would you continue to pair them?!

Then we had the Rusev attack after, and of course because she's a Strong Independent Lana who don't need no Rusev- she looked concerned for the Womaniser of WWE.

John Cena v Zack Ryder
I get the feeling this was the send off match both for the Nassau Coliseum and Zack Ryder. I really liked this match, it had somewhat of a Santino in the Elimination Chamber against Bryan feel to it- in that Ryder is a jobber, we know he's a jobber- but with the interference from them lot off the TV among other things you just for a second second-guessed the outcome; and in this sort of match and the dynamic there is that's the only thing you can hope for. Also, WHO THE HELL KNEW RYDER COULD DO A 450?! All of those hours in Catering with Justin Gabriel has worked wonders.

I loved the Owens attack after, his updated look with the new shirt and proper fight shorts is perfect for him. I've seen people saying stuff along the lines of this confirms the outcome on Sunday- and yes, it does- but who honestly thought Owens would win anyway? Besides, Cena's Open Challenge is consistently a highlight of RAW- so why would people want that to stop?

Tamina v Paige
This was an average match, it wasn't offensive to my eyes as some Divas matches can be- it was sloppy but it was still just "meh". That is if you're deaf, and they crowbarred yet more "Divas" onto the show by having The Bellas on Commentary- and they took an average match and made the segment turn into complete crap. So thanks Nikki, Keep Sucking Cena so you can make RAW segments equally suck.

New Day Promo
There isn't much to say about New Day other than "NEW...  DAY ROCKS, NEW... DAY ROCKS, NEW... DAY ROCKS". They're just heat magnets- and I love them for that fact.

New Day v KiddSaro, The Ascension, The Primetime Players, The Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores
Doesn't matter what happened after, New Day won... "NEW... DAY ROCKS, NEW... DAY ROCKS, NEW... DAY ROCKS".

Authority Promo
In a Breakfast for Dinner sort of way The Authority closed the show in the ring with a meandering Promo. I'll just pretend it didn't happen primarily because I can't remember any of the stuff they said. Anyway, onto the positive from the whole night- last night was the first time since Mania I've liked how they've booked Roman. He went head first into a 7 (?) on 1 Situation knowing he'll take a beating- but he took that beating to stall for his mate, and him smiling in the background as Ambrose entered was perfect because he conveyed that to the people who may not necessarily have picked up on that. I liked the ending without loving it, but as I said- I liked how Roman was booked for a change so the segment was a success.

Thanks for reading as always, it's going to be a busy week for the Wrasslin part of this Blog because we've got the Axel Booking Blog which'll be suitably mental but fun (should be out this week, don't want to commit to a day though), then the Impact Review, Elimination Chamber Predictions, Elimination Chamber Review and then we're back this time next week for the RAW Review. So Stay Tuned for all of those- and I hope you enjoy them. Thanks again for reading, and Remember. THERE IS NOTHING BUT FEAR, DESPERATION AND MURDER.

Fulham: Summer Window Preview Part 2- Ins

Hello! It's the 2nd Part to my Summer Window Preview- and you might, just might have guessed what this one is about from the Title. It is of course the "Ins" part- and it'll be my definitive one in that every single name on this I'd love to see join; although of course a lot of them are either/ors. I'm going to break it down position by position evaluating the options we have already in said position if we need a First Teamer or a Squad Player to come in and if we need more than one person in said position. I'm going to talk about some perhaps obvious players- but also a couple you may not have thought of or known about before this. Anyway, because while I don't really know I'm anticipating this'll be a long one so I won't ramble anymore.

Actually some more ramblings, Yes- this is on Friday; that's because of the Wrasslin Part of this Blog coming to the fore on Wednesday and meriting a Review on Thursday and I hate to Double Up- especially when I don't necessarily have to so I thought it'd just make more sense for me to put this up a day later. So sorry if you were anticipating Part 2 Yesterday- and I hope you understand. Also these'll be moving to Saturday come June, it's not me I swear it's American TV Networks shifting the Days- I MEAN IT THIS TIME, NO MORE RAMBLING.

Goalkeeper
While we haven't done our Released List yet- I think it's safe to assume that Kiraly will be on there- and I highly doubt Stekelenburg will even bother unpacking once his Loan with Monaco is over. Bettinelli (as long as he stays, and remains fit) will start out as our #1 next season without a doubt. But what we need to be mindful of is if Bettinelli gets a Red Card as he did against Watford, does get injured- or if he has a dip in form like he did around February/March time (as the whole team did) we have someone waiting in the wings that will be a capable replacement for him. As such, and looking at the potential Free Agents I don't even think we need to spend money other than wages in order to get a good Back-Up who can also fill in.

Jussi Jaaskelainen- Obviously me writing this before the Premier League Season has ended means I could always be wrong with the assumption that Jaaskelainen with his contract up at the End of the Season with his age and Adrian's dominance as West Ham's #1 I can't see them renewing his contract. As such Jaaskelainen is someone I'd be looking at without a shadow of a doubt as a Back-Up and somewhat of a Mentor role for both Bettinelli and Joronen- Joronen in particular with the obvious Finnish Connection. His wages may be a stumbling block, as he's been on Premier League wages for pretty much the last decade (and a bit more on top), but given his age and the fact it wouldn't require a move away from London I would hope he'd be open to signing with us for the "right" wages.

Ali Al-Habsi- Unlike Jaaskelainen, Al-Habsi has confirmed he's leaving Wigan this Summer- and if we can't get Jaaskelainen Al-Habsi is the next best thing. Yes, Wigan were a complete train-wreck last season- but Al-Habsi is someone who is without a doubt a capable Goalkeeper at this level; and the way he and Carson shared the Gloves this Season for Wigan is proof that he is willing (seemingly) to work in a "bit-part" role. For me any Keeper who is "experienced" and also still a capable Goalkeeper is a suitable signing for us in this area with the primary goal of challenging and filling in when needed for Bettinelli.

It's personal preference that we bring in someone "experienced" as a back-up for Bettinelli, I did talk with someone on Twitter about bringing in someone who's younger and "hungrier"- specifically in our discussion talking about Daniel Bentley from Southend; however I'm not sure a capable young Keeper would want to come to Fulham knowing Bettinelli is the firm #1 and knowing he may stall his development to an extent by coming to us; I'd be open to us signing someone like Daniel Bentley however especially if Southend go up I think it isn't an option the Player primarily would want to go down because to put it bluntly we finished 17th in the Championship- we won't have the pulling power we did a few years ago.

Defenders
I don't think it's a great secret that we need to completely revamp our defence- the players who I'll propose may be slightly out there in some cases, however I don't think any of the players I'll say will be entirely out of range.

Right-Back
Pretty much the only Right-Back we have left at the Club is Jack Grimmer, As with Kiraly although we haven't announced the Release list yet I would expect Hoogland to be on it- and then with Jazz Richards not only going back but starting for Swansea albeit because Angel Rangel was injured it makes the area an area that needs a marked improvement.

Tendayi Darikwa- I'm fully expecting Darikwa to take the step up from Chesterfield and move to the Championship this Summer- and I'm just praying it's in a Fulham shirt. For those of you that don't know him- he's primarily an absolutely sublime athlete- the player I'd most compare him to is Moses Odubajo, and much like Odubajo I can see him playing a key role in the Playoffs push of a team after signing from a League 1 team. He's just a great Right-Back, he can go up and down the line all game- and he's also solid defensively which is the massive issue we've had from our Full-Backs. Also one of his main selling points to me is that he's only 23, meaning not only is he coming into his "prime" years- his value would only increase given the fact he's a Powerful, Young, English Right-Back.

Liam Rosenior- He's out of Contract this Summer, and he's worth the discussion. It looks as though Hull are going down- although this is of course written before Sunday I don't think it looks like he'll re-sign. For me it's a definite no but I saw a few people on Forums discussing him so I thought I'd bring him up- and as I'll discuss in the next person as well for me signing any player we've had before; unless they were at most a bit-part player or a versatile player is the wrong way to go entirely.

If I had an unlimited budget I'd chuck in whatever it took to get Moses Odubajo from them lot down the road- so I thought I'd go for in my opinion the next best thing in Darikwa. For me we only need to sign the one Outright Right-Back because we of course have Grimmer- and then as I'll discuss a bit later on provided the wages are right a certain player with the suffix "inho" might be back in a Fulham shirt next season.

Left-Back
With Stafylidis going back to Leverkusen, Amorebieta not doing it for me as a Left-back and Kavanagh seemingly being exclusively in Midfield we once again pretty much don't have a Left-Back so need to be looking at another First-Teamer.

James Husband- This is pretty much a no-brainer, with him already coming to us on Loan- and while it could change come after Bank Holiday Monday I would hope Boro would have an interest in attaining Amorebieta's services for next season- so for us to get a good young English Left-Back and get Amorebieta's wages off of our books in one move would be ideal- and no fee would need to be involved on either side.

Ben Coker- Seemingly on a recurring Southend theme Coker makes an appearance, he wouldn't be a first choice player for us necessarily- but he'd give a lot of depth to our Left-Back role if he was there alongside Husband there would be real competition between the two for the role- and for me I'd want to see competition for every role on the pitch, that's not to say we wouldn't have the obvious "key" players and first team players but we'd be able to cope with injuries, suspensions  or losses of form seamlessly.

Centre-Back
As with the Previous two Defensive Positions Centre-Back is yet another area where we need a marked improvement. There's one player in particular who I've been going on about- but there's also a few others that I haven't necessarily discussed but have an equal interest in.

Aden Flint- It's not a shock to see him in this if you've been reading this for the back end of the season. Flint for me is the near perfect player for us and what we need, whether we'd be able to pry him away from Bristol City is another matter- but for me someone who's unproven at Championship level wouldn't command a fee so big it would make it completely unreasonable fee wise to chase him. The fee I've been talking about on and off is the 2-3 Million mark and Matt Smith; which I'll stand by with for this. Flint is almost too perfect a choice for what I personally want and perceive us to need this Summer.

Michael Turner- As with Husband, Turner is someone who was with us at the back-end of last season so would presumably be open to making the move permanent. I think his availability is dependant on the Playoff Final at least more so in Turner's case than it is Husband's and if Norwich don't win on Monday they might not be open to selling to us a player who is capable at this level because at least headed into the season you have to assume we'll be talked about in the Playoff mix- whether or not that talk equates to on the field capability is another thing.

Brede Hangeland- This is more talking about what I've seen as opposed to what I want. Apparently- emphasis on apparently Hangeland (and Sidwell- more later) want a return to Craven Cottage. It's a weird one, it's impossible to say primarily how Hangeland would perform at Championship level- but I think primarily because his legs are gone he wouldn't be a capable First-Teamer, as such the wages would be a stumbling block in my opinion because he wouldn't be cheap for a bit-part role. However, if the wages were right I'd bring him in as pretty much a Part-Time player who's primary role would be as a mentor of sorts to some of our Younger Players and then come into the team for Cup Games where we rotate and injury when necessary. So in short, I'm not against it necessarily it all depends on how we intend to use him and the wages we pay him- and with him presumably being available for Free with his 1 Year Deal at Palace it could turn into a viable transfer in the right set of circumstances.

Lewis Dunk- Now we're moving onto someone who's been firmly linked with us over the last few weeks. I'm not sure why Brighton would sell to us in all honesty unless we put in a bid that was too good to reject, which I'm not really sure Dunk merits at this stage. That's not to say I wouldn't want us to sign him but I've seen 4million being banded around for him and to me we could get much better value for money for that 4million.

Christophe Berra- I've not seen many links with Berra going to anyone in all honesty, but even if McCarthy isn't coming to us there isn't smoke without fire in the McCarthy is unhappy in the area and may want to move away- and I can't imagine there being a shortage of job opportunities for McCarthy after the job he's done on the budget he had at Ipswich for instance I can see Brentford going after him (quick side note- anyone else see those Brentford want Martin Jol rumours, Would be quite funny in all honesty) and Berra is one of McCarthy's stalwart players- as such if McCarthy did leave I'd love for us to chase him because for me pound for pound he's the best Defender in the League. It's near impossible we would sign him- but he's just someone who I thought I'd raise.

That brings an end to the defensive section- and as I said before it started it's the area that needs the most improvement for us and for me we should be looking to have at least 3 of the 4 of our Back 4 first game of the season being new.

Midfielders
With the Jed Wallace news today there's one less midfielder to discuss but at the same time there's a lot of players to discuss when it comes to the Midfield and the different roles we need to improve in. I can't see a scenario where Parker leaves- but at the same time Parker isn't a 46 Game a Season (plus Cup Games) player, but with Christensen coming back and hopefully rekindling his Pre-Christmas Form, Tunniciffe being a good squad player, Kacaniklic etc. For me we have the foundations of a good midfield but need some improvement- and crucially depth.

Centre-Mids
Chris Baird- Out of all the former players we will inevitably be linked with at some stage throughout the Summer; especially given his Contract with West Brom is up- although that isn't necessarily saying West Brom won't renew his deal. Baird is someone who provided the wages were right would be almost ideal for us. He's such a versatile player and he is still capable of performing at least from what I've seen of him when he's played for West Brom this Season. He can play Holding Midfield- which is where I've positioned him, but can also play Centre-Back, Right-Back and at some times in this season he's even played Left-Back. As I've said it all comes down to wages- if the wages were right he'd be an ideal squad player for us because of his versatility.

Steve Sidwell- I thought I'd get the "Ex-Player" section out of the way early for this before I move onto slightly more imaginative and in my opinion realistic signings. As I said earlier with Hangeland- apparently (which is the key word) Sidwell wants to have Brede in toe and make Craven Cottage his Home again. For me there's 3 issues that I'd cite as to why signing him would be an issue although as with quite a few of the players I've already discussed if the finances were right I'd like Sidwell to come back because for me he still has something to offer provided we put in him in the right role. However that role would be the supposed DM role that Parker has frequented- I think if we saw both guys in the same Midfield again I'd kill myself after the 13/14 season; so it would be either/or. In my opinion Sidwell is the better option out of the two; but we have Parker already at the Club and on Decent Wages so we'd effectively be doubling up in that area.

Dele Alli (Loan)- I'm in no way claiming this one as I did my Bettinelli-Chelsea story but I put up somewhat of a Longlist on Twitter of some of the Players I'd be discussing and  I had Dele Alli on that List- Two Days later we were supposedly chasing him. That said for me it's a no-brainer in that if we were able to get him on Loan we should grab that opportunity with both hands. As with Darikwa I can see with somewhat certainty that Alli will be plying his trade in the Championship whether it be for us or against us next season on Loan from Spurs. Alli is exactly the sort of Midfielder we should be looking at to improve us and push on with his energy and general talent contributing to that push.

Conor Hourihane- This may be one slightly out of Left-Field for some of you in that you may not know him. However for me he'd be the near perfect signing for what we need- at least on paper. For him to come Third in the League 1 Assists in a pretty mediocre Barnsley team is a testament in itself to his ability and he's the type of Midfield we really should be looking at in that he's a proper flair Midfielder who's young enough to have a good few years and still have an upward curve in terms of their development. He wouldn't necessarily start every week- but he'd be more than a useful player to have in the Squad and especially if Christensen doesn't catch alight like he did before Christmas he could potentially become a First Team Regular.

Lawson D'Ath- Once again he's a player who may not be known to the majority of you- and he would be primarily a squad player. However he's shown enough potential at Northampton to the point where I know about him and for me he'd be an ideal squad player maybe with a view of Loaning him back to Northampton for the Season.

I've seen a few other players being banded around like Joey Barton and Tom Huddlestone- for varied reasons I simply can't seem them happening so I don't think it's worth the extra energy of a different section for them given how long this Post already is.

Wingers
I'm praying more than anything else that we go to a Formation that uses proper Wingers next season. Width is such a fundamental aspect of any side that is aiming to do well in the Championship and it's an area we need to improve in. Kacaniklic is fine, but he's 1 of in my opinion at the least 2 preferably 3 wingers we should be aiming to have.

Matt Jarvis- In terms of Wingers he'd be the Top Priority for me. He's someone with a massive amount of ability- he's just not been able to break through into the West Ham team this season as such I think he'd available this Summer for a relatively cut-price in comparison to what he can offer. Especially if we play with McCormack and Smith (or another Target-Man type) up-front Matt Jarvis someone who can undoubtedly cross the ball would be an ideal signing for us. Sometimes it really is just as simple as he is exactly what we need.

Anthony Knockaert- Unless I'm mistaken he was linked with Wolves in January- and now Leicester has managed to stay up I think Leicester may be a lot more open to selling Knockaert, as between Mahrez doing so well and Pearson clearly not fancying him as a Premier League quality winger he hasn't had a proper run in this last season and I would think would be available this Summer for around 1.5-2 Million which for me isn't a massive price to pay given the potential windfall you get if you do go up and as with Jarvis he is the type of player we need if we are to have any hope of doing so.

David Cotterill- If I'm honest the only reason I didn't want him in January was because I thought he was Mid Thirties which put me off but it turns out he's in his Mid to Late 20s and still has a few good years left in him- as such I'd love for us to go after him. I'm not just saying this because he scored in both games we played against Birmingham- I just really rate him and with Wingers being such a necessity for me if we can get 2 of these added to Kacaniklic and then George Williams when he comes back we'll definitely improve our Chances of a Promotion Push to no end.

There'll be links for other wingers as well, for instance I saw Shaun Wright-Phillips being linked not so long ago, but in areas like the Wings I want us to go for a fresh outlook and actually use the Wings properly. I don't mind if we don't necessarily get these three as long as the players we do get are similar to the aforementioned players. The main link I saw was Demarai Gray over the last few days/week but I've left him out simply because I don't see it happening- and I think his most likely destination is Bournemouth which would be preferable for obvious reasons.

Attacking Mids
Even though we activated the Extension I don't see a scenario where we keep Bryan- as such we should definitely be looking to get in someone like Bryan. It all depends on what Formation we're going to do however I'll include this section just because it's a role we used last season so you have to assume it'll be the same next season.

Diego Fabbrini- For someone to stand out in our game against Millwall in February was a feat in and of itself- but that's exactly what Fabbrini did and with Watford going up combined with the fact they were already willing to Loan him out while they to were in the Championship you have to assume that Fabbrini would be available. For me this section is looking at the real flair players- and someone who can make the difference, and that's definitely what Fabbrini can do and to be honest we'd be fools not to at least look at him as a possibility.

Nick Powell- Powell is an interesting one, he hasn't really broken through at Utd like I thought he would when I was watching him at Crewe- then again I thought Leitch-Smith was going to be a Championship Quality Striker minimum. With the two managerial changes since Powell signed combined with Man Utd seemingly going for the Galactico mentality in their signings I can see Powell being available to be signed outright- and if he is that's something we should jump all over. That said even if he isn't we should still try and get him on Loan because he's still only 21 and I saw enough of him at Crewe and his Wigan Loan Spell to know that he still has "it".

Lewis Holtby- Ok this is more of a Dream, but with Hamburg looking likely for the drop in the Bundesliga I can at least trick myself into think he'd be attainable even though he wouldn't be. LET ME DREAM!

Strikers
As I've already said with regard to the Releases List while it's not been announced I think we can safely assume that Rodallega is off- that leaves us with McCormack, Woodrow, Dembele and Smith as our Strikers which to put it bluntly isn't good enough. As I said last week Dembele should be Loaned Out to see if he can actually score goals at a Senior Level, Woodrow is a good in and out player but he isn't good enough to start every week and Smith is good- but his fitness is an issue although a full Pre-Season with us would hopefully rectify that. As such I think we should be looking at one First-Team addition that would make a marked difference to the Squad.

Joe Garner- This one is entirely dependant on if PNE go up on Sunday. If PNE's Playoff record is a sign as to how they'll do on Sunday- well, see you at the County Ground next season. It'd be foolish if we didn't look at him if PNE don't go up, but it's not as if Joe Garner is a secret player and we'd have competition from numerous other teams for his signature. For me Garner, McCormack and Smith/Target Man is a Top 6 pushing Striker dynamic- especially if we end up with the situation we were in around January time when McCormack was dropping back into the #10 Role we looked completely toothless up front so getting another Striker in who can score goals for fun would be ideal.

Rudy Gestede- This one is a lot more aspirational, but at the same time if you'd have said we were going to sign Ross McCormack last summer I would have said that was ridiculously aspirational. Similar to McCormack last summer I think Gestede is a Striker who if we made an offer that Blackburn couldn't refuse we could sign. So in the case of Gestede it's simply a case of if we want to break the bank on a Striker as we did Last Summer we should look at Gestede as that option.

Emmanuel Emenike- I'm talking about him more so because I've seen the links as opposed to me actually believing we even have a hope of signing him. I'd love us to sign Emenike without a shadow of a doubt, Emenike is someone who's built to rip up the Championship he's physical enough to not be overwhelmed but also quick and a good finisher. It's for all of those reasons why I'd love for us to sign him- but also why we won't.

These are a mix of the links that I've seen and the players I want, of course this isn't a definitive list of every player we'd be interested in- and it shouldn't be seen as such; I don't have a massive scouting network with which to evaluate players far and wide.

In an ideal world with the assumption that the likes of Bryan etc. will be leaving- and at the end of the day it's personal preference this is the Squad I'd love to see come September;
GK: Bettinelli, Jaaskelainen (Joronen Loaned Out)
DEF: Darikwa, Flint/Turner, Husband, Hutchinson, Burn, Bodurov, Grimmer
MID: Christensen, Parker, Tunnicliffe, Alli, Kacaniklic, G. Williams, Jarvis, Hourihane, D'Ath, Hyndman
ATT: McCormack, Garner, Woodrow, Gestede/Smith

That's a 23 Man Squad, which could be taken up more with some Young Players being added into the mix. You'll see the lack of Patrick Roberts in that squad- and that's because as I discussed last week I'd not be looking to sell him, but I'd be open to selling him this Summer while his stock is still high- and if you want even greater detail you'll have to read last weeks Fulham post. For me a 22/23 Man Squad is ideal, in that it's not too big and bloated as has been one of our main problems over the last few years. Granted some of these are Young Players who didn't get game time but looking at the back (or rather Middle) of the Programme for the game against Boro we had a 36 Man Squad which is just too much and to me says we're wasting money.

Thanks again for reading, I know this was a long one- so if you either skim read it or read it all the way through thanks. As I've already said- this is isn't a definitive list and a lot of it's personal preference- or me perceiving what we need and there may be differing opinions so feel free to share them with me. Anyway, thanks again for reading- and have a good Bank Holiday Weekend.

NXT Takeover: Unstoppable Review

Hello! I've been looking forward to this one for a while- it's the latest NXT Special and with a lot of hype surrounding this one the Stars of NXT will have had to step it up yet again to meet the expectations placed upon the NXT Product. I love NXT, I think that'll become clear if it hadn't been already in this Review- but the one worry I do have is that as the NXT Bubble continues to inflate they move away from the entire purpose of NXT in the first place as a developmental territory. Anyway, enough of the concerns- because this Review should be a Celebration; LET'S DO THIS.

Finn Balor v Tyler Breeze- #1 Contender Match
I don't think I can talk about this without talking about the Entrances. Not just the Balor one however, I'm not sure how far Tyler Breeze in all honesty because I'm not sure how his gimmick will fair in much bigger arenas- but for me his Entrance last night scaled up was a Mania Entrance waiting to happen. Speaking of Mania Entrances, it almost goes without saying that I loved Balor's Entrance- the "Demon" persona is great because Balor can lose a match, and there's already foundation for a Rematch because the Demon side of Balor is an entirely different animal- and much like a Pokemon Balor is continuing to Evolve. Onto the match itself, it goes without saying that I'd have loved Itami to be in the middle of these two because the dynamic of all three works really well. The match was good, but not great in my opinion. I think Itami would have been what took this match to another level- but this was still really good; and it was so good in fact that the Ref forgot how to count.

Charlotte & Bayley v Dana Brooke & Emma
Who'd have known a Divas Tag Match could actually be quite good? In terms of time and build this was always going to be the least important match on the card- but they did a lot with the time they were given and told a solid story. Purely from personal preference I would have had Emma & Dana win because for me Dana in particular needed a big win because she's one of the Women in NXT I can see being around in NXT for a while at least in comparison to Charlotte & Bayley. Although I suppose they did protect her by not having her take the pin.

Baron Corbin v Rhyno
This was a bit "meh" for me, I'm hoping this is the end of Rhyno's NXT run because while it's been fun I'm not really sure what else there is left to do for him in NXT and I'd love to see some other "Veterans" come in for a run Exhibit A being Shelton Benjamin. The match was alright, and for me it reminded the viewer that NXT is still developmental which is why I have a bit more time for Corbin making the odd mistake than I do for those on the Main Roster- and my worry is that as NXT becomes a "third brand" there's going to be even less time for people like Corbin to perform and rectify those mistakes and become better. For me Corbin has all the potential to be a great star both in NXT and the Main Roster- and he has a a look that I can see Vince getting behind, this match just proved that he's not quite ready for that yet.

Team Dubstep v Enzo & Big Cass- NXT Tag Titles
The Dubsteppers' Entrance becomes more of an Epileptics Nightmare every week- at least they aren't leapfrogging now; although I'll always remember the week they did that- so perhaps they should be leapfrogging. The match was good- I saw some people questioning why Enzo & Big Cass didn't win, but again going back to the Developmental Aspect The Dubsteppers need the belts a lot more than Enzo & Cass do at this moment in time and for me Enzo & Cass work better as the one's chasing anyway. The Alexa Bliss Heel Turn was an interesting way to go, although not unexpected- Bliss is almost too much what WWE look for in a "Diva" and she's one of the Women in NXT where it's a matter of When not If they get a call up to the Main Roster so it'll be interesting to see how she handles the Heel Turn because with respect to Carmella I can't see them putting on 5* Matches so the character will be how she gets over.

Sasha Banks v Becky Lynch- NXT Womens Championship
This was a Womens match and set of circumstances that deserve a review. I like some of the "Divas" on the Main Roster but the whole perception of the "Diva" is outdated in my opinion- this is Womens Wrestling; and this is what everyone wants to see. Just on a fundamental level it was a great match- not in comparison to other Womens Matches, it was just a great match. They worked the psychology of the match perfectly with the Arm being the focal point after the build in which Sasha tapped- and then these two put all of the pieces together around that main point of the match and built a proper Wrestling Match and wow did it deliver. By my reckoning these two made 8 Women featured on a 2 Hour Card and none of them were pointless cameos- they all had a purpose. I'm struggling a bit with just how to articulate my feelings toward this match, it was just a "THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!" moment- with the rumours demise of TNA (again) I'd love it if Trips cherry-picked a few of the Knockouts to come in and not take over (pardon the pun) the NXT Womens Division but add to it with different dynamics and styles, I saw the thing about Sara Del Rey being promoted and her being a Road Agent so now the dynamic has well and truly changed with NXT I'd love to see Gail come in for NXT and maybe have a run, but primarily be a trainer. Anyway I'm getting a bit off topic- I loved every second of this- and for the mark of how good a match it was, was the ovation after; every Takeover has delivered a great Womens Match- I personally don't think anything will top Charlotte v Nattie in a long, long time but given the way "Give Divas a Chance" has taken off since the last special for me this was the most important of all of the Takeover Womens Matches- because it showed that we don't want "Divas" to be given a chance- we want Womens Wrestling.

Kevin Owens v Sami Zayn- NXT Title
Where do I start? This wasn't the best match we've had from either guy- but it wasn't set up to be an instant classic of a match; at least from where I'm standing. This put over Kevin Owens as a Monster Perfectly in preparation for Cena- and him working the crowd with the Cena Shirt before the match was perfect. Owens is pretty much the perfect heel, if his personality and general smarts to the business was put into Roman's body- if Vince survived the Cardiac Arrest from discovering such a thing he'd make him Champion for life. This whole thing worked perfectly, factoring in the Balor as #1 Contender Aspect we now have 5 Owens Matches to look forward to;
Owens v Cena
Owens v Balor
Owens v Regal
Owens v Zayn
Owens v Joe

The fact Sami "Never Gave Up" (See what I did there) is grounds for a rematch somewhere down the line- although presumably they worked the match the way they did to write Sami off of the next set of tapings to fix his injury. So now to talk about someone who will presumably be on the next set of tapings. I said more as a joke of sorts that I hoped the Joe taking Indy Bookings was him working us- and as it turned out it was (presumably). I just loved the whole dynamic they immediately created with Joe & Owens and it'll be interesting to see how they address that dynamic in the next set of tapings which I think is tonight. It's amazing how someone can make such an impact on a product without even touching anyone- and for that's a testament to the presence of Joe and I'm hoping that if it's a success- they might be more open to bringing in some other "TNA" guys especially if the Destination America news is true because people like Bobby Roode still have a few good years left in them and I'd love to see some "TNA" guys down in NXT. It's safe to say I loved this ending, and in general this Takeover more than delivered to the increasingly high standard that NXT is setting. Also quick side point before I wrap up, Joe's theme started with "UHAA UHAA"- even his theme was working us.

Thanks for reading as always, it makes such a marked difference for me when I'm reviewing something that I've genuinely loved and can get excited about and I hope I haven't been rambling too much and you stuck with it- I think you can tell by the length of this, I don't usually put too much credence to Word Counts but I've done basically 1700 Words for a 2 Hour NXT Special when I usually get around 1800-2000 depending on if I'm pitching by crazy booking ideas for a 3 Hour RAW Review- and it makes such a difference for these Reviews when I'm genuinely excited about Reviewing something. Anyway, as always feedback is appreciated- the Wrestling doesn't show any signs of stopping with the Impact Reviews coming back this Weekend after last weeks idiotic blunder by me. So stay tuned for that on Saturday- and all I can is thanks again for reading, and let's see what happens at the next lot of tapings; which I think we can safely say will be the most anticipated NXT tapings ever.

RAW Review: 18th May

Hello! It's another RAW Review- it's almost as if these are weakly; weird right? Anyway, with Payback being the night before- and less than two weeks for them to build Elimination Chamber you had to at least hope they'd step up their game for these next two weeks- and with the Main Roster talent hopefully motivated to not be completely stepped over by NXT coming up this Wednesday (Review on Thursday). Anyway, why wait any longer- LET'S GET REVIEWIN'.

Authority Opening
Steph and Trips came out to do their Steph and Trips things. In usual fashion for the Opening Promos they said a lot without saying a lot; and as such there isn't really much you can say about it. Then this is where it got better- it's just nice to see different faces in the Opening Promo segment; in this case Sheamus and then Ryback. Ryback is either going to get a push or be buried off of the back of cutting Steph off "BIG GUY'S TALKING, STEPH"- and all in all it was a pretty good way to set up the opening match; and it was south of 20 Minutes which was a bonus!

Sheamus v Ryback
I actually really liked this match- I said in the Ad Break that I thought it would be good; and for what it was it delivered for me. I love a match that's worked really stiff, and in Sheamus you have the person who works stiffest on the whole Roster- with Ryback not really that far behind. Ryback was Magic Bandaged up after the Senton on Sunday, and these two proceeded to knock lumps out of each other all around the ring. The finish was good- Sheamus being the dastardly heel he is, and for once I liked JBLs commentary attributing him to being a quick healer.

Authority Backstage Promo
Ambrose's new gimmick should just be to interrupt every backstage promo- his interactions with New Day would be legendary. This was alright for what it was- it pretty much carried on Rollins' getting way too cocky storyline, which in my opinion is setting up Rollins v Triple H somewhere down the road. The Kane will he/won't he has lost pretty much all momentum- when you think about where he was from a crowd reaction standpoint when they did that "Kane lays down for Rollins" angle and how long they've tiptoed around it since then without any real end product it's completely killed the angle in my opinion.

Neville & Bo Dallas Promo
We actually had something resembling NXT continuity on RAW, Wizardry. I think the biggest surprise for people who don't watch NXT will have been that Bo was NXT Champion "HE WON A MATCH?!", Trust us guys- the NXT Title is Prestigious. New Day have taken over as the Heat Magnets of the show- but Bo is just someone who it's so easy to hate, and given the way they've gone with Bo tonight I'm hoping we start to get him as a more legitimate competitor.

King Barrett v Neville
I think this was a shocking match in that they worked the psychology of a match- and the injured leg consistently. This match was better than their one the night before just because they worked a better story than they did at Payback, and for me this is a perfect angle for Neville because he can do a lot more mat wrestling now that he's been "grounded" with his "injured" knee- and hopefully that helps add depth to his ring work on the Main Roster.

Provided they keep working that injured knee this angle is near perfect for both Neville and Bo; and getting a more aggressive side to Bo is always going to be a good thing- and the more NXT starts bleeding into "WWE" the better.

Also arguably highlight of the night was Bo calling Booker "Mr T" so innocently- I know a lot of people heard it, but it was just his delivery which made it so much better in my opinion; and it was one of those moments where you go "This guy gets it".

Rusev & Lana Promo
This was all a bit meh to me- and I don't really know why- it just didn't do anything to me, and it just doesn't make much sense primarily. Without any sort of transitional period Rusev's been the one ordering Lana around- when it was the other way around, and now Rusev has ditched Lana completely (seemingly, more later). The accent is smart- and it's pretty much exactly what I've been wanting them to do with Adam Rose in that accent slipping signifies the transition in character for the person. I just don't know why, it might have been because I was quite sour to Rusev (and Cena) after the I Quit Match, this just didn't do anything for me.

Bray Wyatt v Dean Ambrose
Firstly, the build for this match with Kane saying "You'll Face Bray Wyatt" and Ambrose basically going "Ok, Cool" was perfect- and it suited Ambrose's character perfectly. The pairing with these two isn't exactly new, but after them seemingly facing each other every week in a Stipulation Match for nearly 2 Months the break has done a lot to reset the dynamic- and with where both guys are now it was a lot harder to call the winner than it was when Bray was being protected with Taker in mind. It's never nice to see someone get hurt- but Bray legitimately it seems hurting Ryback at Payback it adds an air of danger to his character, and for me that added to the match; which let's be honest was always going to deliver. Also the finish with J&J pushing Ambrose into the Abigail was great and it looked fluid which for me makes it so much better than if they'd have had to pause to set up the move.

KiddSaro v New Day- Tag Title
I don't really know why they felt the need to do this match, there wasn't a Rematch clause with which KiddSaro could activate for the match, and yes there was shenanigans at Payback- but they weren't not going to have KiddSaro in the Tag Chamber match so I don't see why they couldn't have achieved the same thing putting New Day up against either the Lucha's or the PTP. Without a doubt the highlight of the segment was the little in joke elbow nudging "FIVE" bit in the Promo before the match from New Day. I don't know if Batista's stuck a rocket up the WWE's proverbial backside when it comes to Titus after what happened in the week, but either way it was good to see the PTP actually get physical after their bizarre vignettes and look strong.

Cena's Open Challenge
I. LOVED. THIS. It's taken me so much restraint not to publicly call out the people who were calling what Cena's been doing with the Open Challenges a Burial- because it just hasn't. Then we got this segment which I'm pretty sure made the Internet Explode- and the crowd go mild. Virginia should never get a Wrestling Event ever again after the reaction to Owens' music hitting. Owens pretty much saying the US Title was beneath him with the Stamp on the US Title instantly makes Owens a dastardly heel, enrages Cena and elevates the NXT Title and get's people interested for Wednesday Night. This was just perfect, the fact Cena sold the Powerbomb like he'd been killed was great on his part because he could have rolled around and that would have taken away from the effectiveness of the segment. This was without a doubt Owens' moment, but you can't take away Cena's part to make this what it was. If I had to criticise one thing- it's Owens' promos aren't quite top level yet, but he knows perfectly how to work a crowd so that doesn't come into play as much as it could have done.

If anyone had doubts over Owens' future as a Main Eventer in WWE this quashed that completely.

Dolph Ziggler v Stardust
This was way too short to be anything even worth discussing.

Ziggler (Mr. Steal Yo Girl), Lana & Rusev Segment
This just felt a bit uncomfortable to me, again I don't really know why in all honesty. I think they can go a number of ways with this story- and the one I'd do is having Dolph win the IC Belt in the Chamber- have Rusev chase him and Lana screws over Dolph. I know it won't happen, but the way they're seemingly going with Lana does nothing for me- and when I see Lana in her current incarnation I see money, so I don't know why they'd do anything except tweak her gimmick.

Rowan & Harper v Fandango & Ryder
They reunited Rowan & Harper just in time to not be in the Chamber, which is pretty much made for them and their aggressive style of gimmick. I suppose there's still time for them to attack one of the teams entered into the Chamber which is where I'd go because even if they don't win the belts they can cause havoc in the Chamber and potentially steal the show with their physicality. Oh Yeah, there was a match, well... there was a match.

Bellas, Stephanie Backstage Segment
DR SHELBY *clap clap clapclapclap*

Nikki Bella v Naomi- Divas Title
So... Becky Lynch v Sasha Banks on Wednesday looks good eh? I called exactly how the match was going to go down when I was sugar crashing from too many Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies, which presumably is also how they book the Divas Division in general.

Kevin Owens Backstage Promo
So now Owens has aligned with The Authority which opens up so much cross over potential for NXT and the Main Roster which I'm quite enthusiastic about provided NXT keeps it's core values as a developmental territory. I have a weird feeling Cena may do a run-in on Wednesday and cost Owens the Title before they embark on an Owens v Cena feud for the US Title. It's the last thing I'd have thought of before last night- but I truly think Owens is going to end up as the Consistent Main Roster feature before Zayn, before Balor etc.- and the way he was booked last night makes me think that more so- and after Takeover they have a brief Balor v Zayn feud for the belt with Sami eventually dropping the belt to Finn and taking his place up as an exclusively main roster guy.

Seth Rollins "Architect of a Dream" (I think that was what it was called)
Once again they didn't do anything of note with The Authority dynamic- specifically Kane. It's just getting to the point where I'm beyond frustration and am completely indifferent toward Kane and the angle which is the worst thing WWE can have. The Ambrose bit was good, and it's good they've moved on from Randall now and onto stories that'll have some more legs; I saw someone say they should have Ambrose win the belt at the Chamber to get some more subs and then Rollins wins the Briefcase and get's it back- while I disagree with that, it is an option. The Ambrose/Rollins and Reigns dynamic has so many potential options and avenues they can explore and while I doubt they would- and if they did they wouldn't be able to keep it fresh, I think there's enough options they could keep the Title feuds entirely "in house" for the three Shield members until Mania.

All in all I thought this was a pretty good RAW, the majority of it was fresh enough to keep people interested throughout and with some of the obvious highlights taking it to another level.

Anyway, thanks again for reading there's going to be a whole day without a post before these Wrasslin' Posts are back for the Takeover Review on Thursday so stay tuned for that- and see what my Reviews are like when I finish a "PPV" satisfied. Anyway, thanks again- and have a good Tuesday Night/Wednesday I suppose.

Payback Review

Hello! It's another Review- I don't think people had high hopes for this PPV but I did think a few matches could surprise people. The build for the majority of the matches was lacklustre to say the least but with the talent on show from an in-ring perspective I thought the PPV would actually deliver to an extent that would make it passable for an actual PPV and not feel like a glorified RAW. So let's find out eh? LET'S GET REVIEWIN'!

Pre-Show: R-Truth v Stardust
There's having no build for a match- then there was this match. I'd forgotten that these two had actually had anything vaguely resembling a build because I'd pushed the "Plastic Spiders" incident to the back of my psyche until I tried to think about on a Scale of 1-Random how Random the match was. The actual match itself wasn't that bad- given the general lack of interest (rightly) from the crowd I thought they did an alright job getting the crowd into the match, both guys are solid in the ring. Stardust is capable of so much more though- and it's annoying me to the point I might do one of my "Adam Rose to Leo Kruger" blogs for Stardust to show how I'd make him relevant again.

Pre-Show: The Ascension v The Minor Powers
For two PPVs in a Row I've convinced myself why the supposed underdogs at least where betting is concerned will win a match in my Predictions and then gone the other way because I think I'm too smart and think there's no way they'd actually do it- even though I've laid out the exact train of thought as to why they would do it. Anyway, enough about me blowing yet more money betting on Wrestling. For me as long as they stop calling them "The Mega Powers" and go back to either "Meta" or as you'll see take my lead and call them "The Minor Powers" (actually that sounds a bit like an under-age sex ring) I don't have any issues with this gimmick. For me there's so many potentially hilarious moments that can come from the dynamic of these two- primarily having Axel do a run-in before dropping the leg on Sandow and forming a new nWo which I pitched on Twitter last night. I do understand why some people may be opposed to this, but for me it's just a bit of fun and not to be taken at anything more than face value. Oh Yeah, The Ascension actually won- they somehow managed to botch their finish though.

Also Axel didn't even commit to his Hogan impression- he forgot the #1 Rule, Never Put Anyone Over.

Sheamus v Dolph Ziggler
I did actually like this match- even with the obvious detraction for it right in the middle. Without actually saying it in my Predictions I did allude to something along the lines of Dolph getting his own back on Sheamus- I just thought it would happen after the match. Taking that out these two will almost always deliver a good match when they're up against each other and last night wasn't an exception. I said it specifically with Mania and Brock but it is definitely true every time that blood means so much more now that you know it's a "hard way"- and blood makes stories go up that extra level which some feuds need to truly get over. I'm not suggesting they go back to Attitude Era/ECW levels of blood but it's something I'd like to see used more on "special occasions".

New Day v KiddSaro- 2 out of 3 Falls
I loved this match, it wasn't a really bold prediction to say this match would be match of the night (again) but never the less it still had to live up to it's billing and for me it more than did. Whether it was the "This is Awesome" chants and Xavier Woods responding "We Know, We are well aware" which had me in hysterics or just Cesaro being an absolute beast as always this match had a little bit of everything and it turned into an amalgamation of the highest order. The more I think about the finish the better it is- they've done it enough times whether it's the Uso's, the Bellas or various others to have it as a Racist type finish, I just found it hilarious with all the stuff that's happened recently in Baltimore they picked that place of all places to do the finish. Even if you had an objection to the finish Xavier screaming "KOFI DID IT" when they were going back down the ramp should have erased those objections from your brain because it was absolute genius.

Bray Wyatt v Ryback
I'll preface this by saying Ryback should have won, and that's coming from possibly the biggest fan of Bray. Unless I've completely misread the build for the match last night Bray had made it his mission to prove Ryback was somewhat of a false idol to the crowd, not too dissimilar to the feud he had with Cena headed into Mania. So when the ring cushion came off I thought Ryback was going to use it to win, which'd give Ryback the Pinfall- but Bray would have won in that he was proven right before he got his win back at Elimination Chamber and then won the feud at the PPV the following month. That said this match did have it's moments- I'm not going to make a CM Punk/Broken Rib joke after the Senton which seemingly injured Ryback I think approximately 72 Billion of them is enough. It'll be interesting to see where they do go with this feud if anywhere now- because they presumably did the Ring Cushion thing so Ryback could get a Rematch.

John Cena v Rusev- I Quit
I think hate is a strong word- so to say I hated this match may be a bit of an overstatement. I respect the hell out of both guys for putting their bodies on the line the way they did, I'll start with that. It's not exactly a secret that Cena isn't the best worker in the ring but what he usually does- sometimes to the point where it's too much is work the psychology aspect of the match. There was no psychology to this match at all- done right I Quit Matches are the perfect storytelling device. This didn't have a story to it- it was just a load of spots, some of which botched happening in a row with Chioda asking if they want to quit every 10 Seconds. It annoys me because believe it or not I genuinely want to like everything WWE does- if you don't approach stuff with an open mind you're starting behind the 8 ball right from the off, but this just simply didn't do it for me- and seeing as this was basically one of two matches they were selling the PPV on it's a huge shame.

Maybe they lost their ability to do a good match when Rusev lost his medal- TOPICAL BANTER!

New Day Backstage Segment
I don't think some people appreciated the genius of this segment, They started out with the usual Heel we're superior stuff in their case it was because they don't Spit, they don't curse and they don't complain. After Saxton said they were defending in the Elimination Chamber Big E spit his milk out, Kofi said what the hell and Xavier said that it wasn't fair. I loved this segment so I thought I'd bring it up when I usually ignore the backstage promos for PPVs. The only thing I wished they would have done was New Day causing havoc backstage doing their weird celebration stuff they did a few weeks back.

Taomi v The Bellas
They did an Advert for NXT during The Bellas Entrance which I found unintentionally hilarious. I always go on Wiki for these PPV Reviews to get the Match times of the match, I generally don't make reference to them but I do it for these types of tangents. Charlotte v Sasha Banks Main Evented one of the NXT Live Events they ran last week- and by all accounts tore the house down. Then you come to the Main Roster Divas who had 6 Minutes Sandwiched between the two "Main Events" of the PPV along with Barrett v Neville. If ever that was an endorsement for NXT and an indictment of the Main Roster Divas this is it. It's not even worth getting into the Match that actually happened, I tell you one match I'll be going in depth with this week- Sasha Banks v Becky Lynch.

Neville v King Barrett
I'm not gonna lie, I'd completely forgotten this match was on the card by the time they actually got around to the match. I said it with Sheamus & Dolph and it's equally applicable here- it's almost impossible for any of the 4 mentioned to have a bad match when they're matched with each other. That said the way the booked this match both in terms of time constraints, positioning on the card and the finish they definitely had a good go. I suppose the main thing from this match was that it left it somewhat opening for Elimination Chamber where Neville will most likely steal the whole planet in the IC Title Chamber.

Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose v Roman Reigns v Randy Orton- WWEWHC
This was actually a really fun match. In a way the lack of a swerve when it comes to the finish was in a way a swerve. It's not exactly going out there to say the Triple Powerbomb- Shield briefly reuniting was the highlight of the match, and the PPV. But everyone will be talking about that- and most of them will do a better job of it than I would so I won't dwell on that aspect of it much. I don't know if it's worth praising the dynamic of the match, because if they didn't have 3/4 of this match face off with each other at some point it would have been the stupidest decision WWE ever made- bar none. That said this match did work well with said dynamic, Orton did feel like a bit of third wheel for this match and although he was the one to be featured most prominently when it came to the finish of the match he was also featured the least in every other aspect of the match- and rightly because one year on from The Shield's Last Match it was the night for the three (well I suppose two seeing as Roman still thinks he's in the Shield) guys.

Thanks for reading as always, as I've been writing this I got a Retweet from the Artist Formerly Known as Kruger so my Day has pretty much been made already- so if you want a less cynical RAW Live-Tweetings than usual why not join me tonight eh? Anyway thanks again for reading- as always I welcome differing opinions, feedback etc. and let's see what WWE can do with literally two weeks of build for a PPV now.