Hello! It's another one of these Predictions Blogs- it's almost as if WWE insanely decided to do a "PPV" every two weeks in a desperate attempt to get subscribers to the Network- but that'd never happen, right? Time just goes by quicker when you're having fun! Anyway, this PPV is an interesting one with a few exceptions in my opinion nearly every match doesn't have an obvious winner which makes it a nightmare for people like myself doing Accumulators- but it gives the PPV an interesting dynamic, and while the PPV hasn't necessarily been built well the actual matches should be quite good. There's so many possibilities that could come around tonight that I'm actually interested in how tonight's going to play out in spite of the build- or rather lack thereof for the PPV. Anyway- enough Rambling; DON'T BE SOWWWWAAAAAHHHHHH, sit back, relax and FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL DAAAAA POOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.
Pre-Show: King Barrett v R-Truth
We're starting early with the matches I have absolutely no clue over- that's not because of the amazing build that'll have everyone questioning their whole perception of the business, it's just both guys have absolutely zero momentum heading into this match. Well, unless you count the R-Truth thing on RAW as him building some momentum. Barrett has looked so bad since he won the King of the Ring it's unreal as such you can never say with any sort of certainty that he will win tonight, then when you factor in the "Babyface Wins on Pre-Show" standard booking decision it would seem as though Truth has the more likely chance of winning. However, considering the current track record of having an unannounced match on the Pre-Show- although I doubt Stardust will take part in said match combined with what you could call stupidity I do think Barrett will win.
Winner: King Barrett
New Day v The Primetime Players- Tag Title
This match isn't here by coincidence (more later) and it's also one of the more straightforward matches on the card from the outcome perspective. While the PTP have put a bit of a run together there's no way New Day should be dropping the Belts because they're arguably the best part of the current Product and just generally great.
Winner: It's a New Day, Yes it is.
Ryback v Big Show- IC Title
The Shellshocked to Show on Monday did put a bit of doubt in my mind for the outcome of this- because as I said in my RAW Review the Shellshocked to Show should have been the money spot for the match tonight, it's for that reason that there is a tiny bit of doubt in my mind with the outcome of this- but at the same time I have to believe they put the Belt on Ryback for a reason. One possible outcome is The Miz doing a run-in and causing a DQ- however I can't really see it and I'll just attribute the Shellshocked on Monday to them being horrendously short-term in their thinking and moving on.
Winner: Ryback
MITB Ladder Match
This is an interesting match- also me positioning the match here isn't by coincidence. By all right you'd just say Roman will win it and move on- and while I do think that is the most likely outcome as I've been saying for a bit of time now you honestly can't rule Kofi out, which is something I definitely didn't think I'd be saying a couple of months ago. There's a few things to look out for in this match- for instance the other two members of New Day coming and and screaming to the Refs "FREEBIRD RULE" before they try and get the Briefcase and both go on the Ladder for some reason before the Ladder gets pushed off and they both go through a Table- If you're reading this Creative, you can have that one for free. Then we get onto the obvious spots from the likes of Neville etc. and I'd expect there to be some sort of Lana shenanigans as well to stop Dolph from winning whether that's Lana costing Dolph the match and realigning with Rusev or Rusev costing Dolph the match much to the chagrin of Lana. Anyway, conditioning this on I'm not ruling Kofi out...
Winner: Roman Reigns
Kevin Owens v John Cena
This may be when these Predictions fall apart because of my blind optimism. The way Owens won at the Elimination Chamber gives me a lot of hope with regard to the value they see in Owens, so the standard response of Cena getting his win back may not apply to Owens- or rather I hope it doesn't. That said I also can't see Owens winning Clean again so I can see this going either way. I think the most likely outcome from this match is also what I predicted from the match two weeks ago in that Owens will win with Shenanigans as Brock did at Night of Champions or Cena will win by DQ/Count Out or some other way with which to protect Owens.
Nikki Bella v Paige- Divas Title
Nikki's going to beat AJ's record- I think that's pretty much established now, and the fact there isn't any legitimate contenders to Nikki's belt pretty much makes the record a moot point anyway. So I'm going to make a really bold prediction for this match. This match will be completely forgettable- I've gone out there with that one.
Winner: Nikki Bella
Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose
I may be in the minority here- but I don't think we'll be seeing a Cash-In today, which of course rules out the Ambrose Win & Roman cash-in/Heel Turn. I know the way Rollins has been booked thus far as Champion directly contradicts what I think will happen tonight, but with Brock's Return just around the Corner I think WWE will make a real effort between now and Summerslam to legitimise Rollins, as such I genuinely think Rollins will beat Ambrose clean tonight to prove he can do it on his own. I'm going to put my stake in the ground early for when I do think Roman will Cash-In and I'm going to say in a Deja Vu way at Summerslam Reigns will Cash-In during the Rollins v Lesnar rematch and win the Belt by Pinning Rollins. Either way I can only see Rollins winning tonight, and in arguably a bigger swerve than the Roman Cash-In on Ambrose that seemingly everyone is talking about Rollins will win Clean.
Winner: Seth Rollins
As always with these Predictions feel free to tell me where you think I've gone wrong and let's all come back here at 4:01 to see just how wrong I was!
Thanks for reading as always, these Predictions are always fun to do so I hope you enjoyed them. As always feedback is appreciated on any of these blogs- and if you haven't already I'd recommend going back and reading my booking blog "Finn Balor: The Demon Inside". Anyway, thanks again for reading, I hope you'll be tagging along on Twitter tonight- but if you're not stay tuned for the Review tomorrow and then the RAW Review on Tuesday.
Hello! It's another Booking Blog- and this one is somewhat different in that I'm picking someone who's successful relatively within where he is in the WWE system. The kernel of the idea for this is going to be Hit & Miss with you guys I'll freely admit that but I promised another Booking Post and here we are and just from my standpoint I think if handled right it'd be quality stuff and get Finn to that next level. I'm doing this within the NXT system because I initially had the idea after Itami "got attacked" to write him off for his Shoulder Surgery- but given the magnitude and production values this would require it may be better placed on the Main Roster- but here we are. With the current Tapings running out this coming Wednesday as far as I'm aware and Finn getting ready for his July 4th Match this is the perfect time to do it.
NXT- 24th June
I have to admit it's a lot easier doing this when I can just say the dates rather than the Week Commencing and go through multiple days.
I haven't read the Spoilers for next week so I'm not sure if this is a Spoiler Alert- but it's pretty much a given that Joe v Owens next week won't have a definitive finish, whether it's a Double DQ, Double Countout, No Contest etc. I can't see it being a clean finish. With that in mind I'd have Joe cut a Promo saying his business with Owens has only just begun before Balor comes out and says Owens has to face the Demon at the Sumo Hall in 2 Weeks time and after it Joe won't need to go after Owens for the Title before they square up which'll no doubt pop the crowd. We then get Regal coming out and because He's a Man (Such a Man) he'll book Joe & Finn in a Tag Match "and it's next". This is where the seed will be sewn for the angle. Joe & Finn will win pretty comfortably- it'll most likely be a Jobber team maybe furthering along the Chad Gable storyline with Jason Jordan in the process. Joe will get the win with the Muscle Buster which has been renamed the Canadian Destroyer but Finn will stay on the Apron looking really zoned out for a second before he joins Joe for the Celebrations.
NXT- 1st July
Nothing special this week on NXT- just a Replay of this.
July 4th Special
I think it's fairly safe to assume that with Balor's track record with "Special Events" and the Vignette they released on this weeks NXT that Finn will be bringing out the Paint for the Supercard in Sumo Hall. Usually my Booking Posts end with a Title win- but given the way Owens is feuding with Cena I think it's safe to assume he's going to be in the thoughts of the Main Roster- as such and to give these "Special Events" some jeopardy, and unless I'm mistaken Cena's on the Card I'd have Finn win with help from Cena. You'll see it in my Predictions in a couple of days but I think or rather hope Cena isn't going to get his win back (yet) and Owens will win, but this time with Shenanigans- which'll in turn further their feud and also be the fuel for this match. After this and Owens has rolled out I'd have Itami show up and raise his arm to close the show, because after all he's the one who brought him to NXT so he's happy for one of his best mates. REMEMBER THIS.
From a Finn perspective in terms of the Paint I'd have him in even more than he was at the last special- maybe add more detail to the "Eye of Balor" or something the purpose of this being that the Paint or in other terms the "Demon" is taking him over even more so every time he puts it on- in a sort of Venom way and the Black Suited Spiderman.
NXT- July 8th
The money feud for the next Takeover is Balor v Joe- I haven't forgotten about Joe and Owens, but it's too early in both their respective runs for either of them to lose so I'd let that simmer for a while. But for this episode it'd just be a Replay from the July 4th Special, I can't imagine they'd tape beyond the July 4th Special until after it to at the very least keep the suspense that a Title change may happen up so I doubt Finn will feature much if at all in the next month or so's worth of tapings. So I'd have Replays of the July 4th Title Switch and then have Regal set-up a Tournament to be contested over the next few weeks which'll have Joe, Breeze, Corbin, Dempsey, Adam Rose, Rhyno, Crowe and Scott Dawson with these Brackets expertly drawn up by yours truly.
I'd have these matches come at 2 a week for what is in essence the Quarter Finals- and then one a week before we get the Final in approximately 5 weeks which is roughly the number of weeks they tape in one go. With the first two matches being Joe v Bull Dempsey and Baron Corbin v Scott Dawson. I'd essentially have these as two long(ish) matches either side of a Middle Segment it almost goes without saying who'll win these two- but here's my expert attempt at highlighting who's progressed from the Brackets.
NXT- July 15th
We're in week two of the Tournament and we've got two more interesting matches with regard to both dynamic and outcome in Adam Rose v Rhyno and Solomon Crowe v Tyler Breeze. For the purposes of the story being told I'd definitely have Rhyno go over because you've got the tangent of the Rhyno and Balor feud from the last couple of NXTs and then I'd have Solomon Crowe go over on Tyler Breeze because Crowe needs the win a lot more than Breeze does and Breeze has proven from previous tournaments that the odd loss won't harm him. MORE COLOURING IN OF BRACKETS! AREN'T YOU LUCKY!
Once again these matches will be either side of a Middle Segment whether that be The Dubsteppers v Enzo & Big Cass, The NXT Women furthering their stories or whatever it may be.
NXT- July 22nd
The Tournament is now in it's 3rd Week and that means Semi-Final time and just one match a week- which'll of course Main Event both of the coming weeks. Joe v Corbin is an interesting dynamic and depending on how long Joe is down in NXT is one I would like and can see them exploring, but this match is just a means to an end and Joe would go over in a really competitive match. MORE BIRO COLOURING IN!
NXT- July 29th
Into the 4th Week of the Tournament and it's the second Semi-Final of the week with another interesting dynamic of Rhyno and Crowe. This doesn't really matter because as I've said the money match is Balor v Joe and that's what I'd be going with. However purely from a "who needs the win more" perspective I'd have Crowe going over- because it's a good win for Crowe to get and it'd have Rhyno completing his intended purpose. MORE BIRO COLOURING IN! (It was at this point I lost my Black Biro).
NXT- August 5th
Hey, It's my Birthday tomorrow! Buy me Stuff! I've made that joke in every one so far and I'm not stopping now. This is the week of the Final and it's Samoe Joe v Solomon Crowe- place your bets. Two Men Enter, and after a very competitive match that I'd have take up 20mins if not more Solomone Crowe is getting the dreaded Biro colouring in and Samoa Joe is #1 Contender.
That's the Tournament over- I know I promised a Finn Balor blog and I've gone off on somewhat of a tangent- but Balor is kept relevant throughout by proxy of him holding the Belt and all these stars wanting said belt and the commentators would put over them wanting to win the Tournament to face Balor. Anyway, this is when we get to the really good stuff...
NXT- August 12th
As I said before this I'm working under the assumption that there'll be 5 weeks worth of tapings at a time- however I'm also going to work on the assumption of when the next Takeover is going to be from the Dates last year (to the nearest Wednesday) in this case the 9th of September so I'm going to work to that as the date for the next Takeover and the "big match". So we've got 4 weeks to build the Joe match- so there's no time to waste.
The first of the 4 week build is going to be pretty simple, Balor comes out for a Promo "boy, is it good to be back" summarising what's happened over "the last five weeks" and saying that he is a fighting champion and he welcomes all comers. Samoa Joe comes out and does the usual thing when it's babyface v babyface of "I Respect You, But I'll Beat You". Regal comes out and says in weeks time you two will be opponents but tonight you'll be Tag Partners- and they're facing The Dubsteppers for the Main Event.
The actual Main Event would be as you'd expect it to go up until the crescendo where Joe is feeling the Hot Tag on the Apron- Finn is crawling over for said Hot Tag, when his whole Body locks up and he has the zoned out look he had in the Previous tag match featuring these two which enables The Dubsteppers to get the Win. We then end the show with Joe checking on Finn asking What Happened.
NXT- August 19th
For this we'll simply get a Replay of what happened the prior week and then a commentary discussion over what happened as well- before they trail that next week is the Contract Signing for these two.
NXT- August 26th
The contract signing for these two will be interesting. Balor will come out in a suit and they'll do the usual back and forth before Balor says to Joe "On September the 9th, you're not facing Finn Balor you're facing the Demon" (Quick Side Point: I can't remember where, But I heard somewhere from Finn that because it's an Alcohol based paint it doesn't smudge or something like that so this should work). Before in the Spiderman way pulling his Shirt to either side to Reveal the "Eye of Balor" on his Chest before Jumping Joe and ending the show by using the Coup de Grace.
NXT- September 2nd
Samoa Joe will come out for a Promo and say he doesn't care if he's facing Finn Balor or the Demon next week he's leaving with the Title. Then the lights will go out and we'll get a Replay of what I've dubbed the Transformation Vignette for Finn in preparation for the July 4th Vignette but obviously with the July 4th bit- and it ends with Finn with the Paint on as opposed to in his "normal" state- and it ends with the words "The Demon is Awake".
NXT Takeover: ???
Similar to the Itami thing we'll find Samoa Joe beaten up in the Parking Lot "earlier in the day"- but because Joe isn't "actually" injured there'll simply be a debate over his physical state and whether he'll be physically able to compete, and it'll be sort of implied that it was Kevin Owens because of their history and his seeming form for doing such a thing.
The match will come around- Joe will enter first, but he's clearly hurt from the attack and not at 100%- Balor will enter 2nd and he'll be completely decked out in the Paint. You may have noticed the scratch marks he had on his Legs for Unstoppable- and he'll have kept those for the July 4th Special but they'd have added more scratches and they'll be a lot bigger and have more definition. However the Paint for Takeover won't have any of the scratches or anything like that it'll just be Demon Paint across his whole body.
After a valiant effort Joe will succumb to his previous attack and Finn will win. This is the best way to protect Joe but at the same time progress the story and keep the Belt on Balor for the main payoff of the story.
NXT- September 16th
Finn won't have a massive presence at this next set of tapings- the next set of Tapings will be somewhat of a whodunnit with the blame seemingly being at Kevin Owens' door despite him not being a presence on NXT TV for a couple of months. Joe will cut a Promo where he's irate that someone attacked him but he'll also go on to say that Balor still beat one of the best wrestlers in the world "last week" and for that he respects him. But Balor won't come out and that's the end of the segment.
NXT- September 23rd
This is when we'll start to get right to the business end of the anglebecause I'm aiming for the Takeover in early December to be when we get the big pay-off, and with just one slot a week it's not easy to pack everything in.
We're going to start running Vignettes when Balor is effectively talking to himself to sell a Split-Personality he won't be in any of the Paint or anything but the end of the first vignette will be a zoom in on Balor's eyes and he'll open them and he'll have the Demon Contact Lenses in when he opens them.
NXT- September 30th
Second of the vignettes and it'll start with the camera placed on his eyes with the Contact Lenses in and then it'll zoom out with Balor going over to a mirror and pulling his collar down to see for want of a better word veins appearing on his neck that'll be a Black and very pronounced. Looking something like this in terms of design.
Running alongside this story we'll get a story of Samoa Joe wanting to fight but him not being cleared by Regal with which to do so- just bare that in mind for now.
NXT- October 7th
Another vignette starting when the last one ended and Balor will open his shirt up to see all the Black Veins all over his torso before looking back into the mirror to see a "normal" Balor looking back at him.
NXT- October 14th
Another vignette starting when the last one ended with Balor now with his shirt open and veins all over him with a "normal" Balor looking back and unless I'm mistaken Balor hasn't spoken with his Demon Persona yet so I'd use some sort of voice modifier to get Finn's voice a lot deeper and he'll simply say "You can't get the Job Done, It's my Title- and it's not going anywhere", before he smashes the mirror and leaves. With the "normal" Balor all distorted and stuff in the cracked mirror. With the vignette ending with the words "Finn Balor is Dead, He is Here, He Can't be Stopped".
NXT- October 21st
Samoa Joe's return match and Regal's promised that it'll be a #1 Contender Match, it doesn't really matter who it'll be against because he'll win it of course and the proposition of a 100% Joe is a lot different. Balor will come out with all the veins and stuff over him like he's just left the "vignette world"- he'll look conflicted for a second and put his arm out to shake Joe's hand, but when Joe reaches out to shake his hand Balor will take his arm away then completely brutalise Joe with the end shot of the Episode being a close up on Balor's eyes where he'll have the contact lenses in and one of the commentators saying "He is Awake".
NXT- October 28th
There won't be much in the way of in-ring action, just speculation over Samoa Joe's condition and announcing that the match for Joe will be on December the 9th.
Later on in the Night we'll get a "Demon Vignette" where he's simply cutting a Promo saying nothing can take "my" title away from me in front of a Blacked Out Background, but his hand will be bandaged it'll be a nuance but a noticeable one and the words "HELP ME" will be written in "Blood" behind him.
NXT- November 4th
Another Promo with the "Help Me" on the background and Balor will still have the veins all over him etc. but they'll have gone all over his neck and starting to rise up over his cheeks near to his eyes. This is the "Everything Makes Sense Now" bit because Balor will explain how he was the one who took out Itami and he was the one who took out Joe before their match in September- but he isn't Balor he's the "alter-ego" saying how "Balor couldn't get the Job done" referencing his Title match with Owens at the Arnold Classic (?) and how Balor needed him in order to get this far.
NXT- November 11th
Another Promo from Balor but the Veins will have reached his eyes now he'll be looking up for the whole Promo basically hyping the Match at the Takeover on December 9th and the whole time the camera will be slowly zooming in on his face so when he finishes he looks square at the camera and he'll have Black Contact Lenses in so it looks like the Black Veins have somewhat taken over his eyes and infected them so it's continuing the transformation.
NXT- November 18th
We've got 3 Weeks to get the Takeover Match with Joe hyped and ready- and crucially at least from where I'm standing they won't touch once in the build for this. This'll make it mean more when Joe does get his hands on Balor and help to hype the Balor character. For this episode we'll just get a Samoa Joe sit-down interview with Maggle asking him out Balor's transformation and what he can expect from Balor in a few weeks time and of course his physical condition after the two Brutal Balor attacks which took him out for as long as he did. To which you'll get the usual babyface answers of "I don't know what to expect but I'm ready, I'm not 100% but I'll come out swinging" that sort of stuff.
NXT- November 25th
The Balor transformation is nearly complete now- with them simply doing a vignette for Balor where it pans over different parts of his new (or is it new?) Paint Design which is with no words spoken and it ending with "December 9th, NXT ???, He Arrives".
NXT- December 2nd
Aside from Commentary references and general hyping for Takeover neither guy will have a presence on the Episode.
NXT Takeover: ???
This is when we get the Payoff- it's been a Long Ol' Build but I hope you've stuck with it and I hope it's worth it. Joe comes out first- I hope by this point he has new music. Then we get it- the Arena Lights go out- We hear somewhat of a hissing noise instead of the Heartbeat and the way the use the audio it makes it sound like he's all over the Arena, Get Surround Sound folks. Then Balor comes out with this design- but maxed out all over him.
That's right Venom Balor is here. I've tried my best to sell the Transformation of Balor bit by bit and we're here now and it's Venom Balor as his new persona (I don't think using Venom is an issue- I think they're cool with the Marvel guys) and I'd use this as his Heel persona so you have a defined boundary between the two sides of Balor "fighting for control"- and after a well fought match Balor will win by choking Joe out- HE WON'T TAP but the Ref will rule him unable to continue.
We'll have Venom Balor in the ring with the Title when Hideo Itami makes his grand return unloads on Balor- and to end the show (do you know what's coming, I think you know what's coming) Hits the GTS on Balor and ends the show posing with the Belt. I remember seeing Itami's injury update was 6-8 Months at the End of May and usually with Wrestlers it's the former rather than the latter with time-frames sometimes to their own detriment as such I don't think it's a stretch to say Itami will be back by Early December.
I always like to try and leave my Booking Posts with an obvious direction to go after- and I've done that here with the Itami v Balor feud and it's at this stage I'd also be looking at bringing Joe to the Main Roster if as the rumours suggest when he signed his Full-Time deal he was going to be Fast-Tracked, so it works for everyone.
Thanks for reading as always, I know these Booking Posts are long ones so I hope you enjoy them and feel like they're worth the read. I've tried my best to describe the transformation of Balor but it being obviously a visual thing I accept some of you may not have liked this- and some of you may just think the idea is stupid. Either way feedback is appreciated- we're heading into Money in the Bank Weekend now so stay tuned for the Predictions/Review and have a Good Weekend.
Hello! It's another Impact Review, and it's Destination X- what a treat. I said last week that I didn't really mind last weeks Impact effectively being the Pre-Show for Destination X as long as Destination X delivered, so this was of course judgement day. The card promised much and I had reasonably high hopes for the episode so the only real question to answer now is- did it deliver?
Kurt Angle v Rockstar Spud- TNA WHC Match (1)
Firstly, we had EC3 coming with the intent of causing Trouble, Trouble, Trouble. Anything involving EC3 is good by me- EC3 staging a sit-in was quite funny, I just wish they'd have done more with it although given how much they had to pack into the night it's understandable. Until EC3 get's what he want's he's just going to sit here and make Snow Angels. Then EC3 realised that Angle is a Sexy Kurt who'll make his Ankle Hurt and tactically retreated. Trouble, Trouble, Trouble averted.
I really liked this match, the outcome was obvious even more so than the match later on in the night but as long as they tell a good story I don't really mind that fact- and they really did with this. It's the classic underdog story, which worked really well given the dynamic of Angle & Spud- and the one thing you have to say for Angle is he sold really well for Spud, and that added to the match to no end. I think this match was about the Title and telling a story for Angle, but predominantly it was about how much true value to the company Spud has, not to take away from Spud's feud with EC3 because it's arguably feud of the year so far- but anyone would get cheered next to EC3 because- well he's EC3. So them gauging how the crowd responded to Spud when he was up against Angle is a good barometer for them to go off of and all in all it was a good showing for Spud. I'm not sure where he'll go now- I just hope he doesn't "hit the wall". The one massive negative from this match was Josh Matthews' Commentary- it was so schizophrenic and just bad that in my opinion it took away from the match. One minute he was calling Spud a Kid and telling him to Tap-Out- and the next he was telling Spud to fight through the Pain. Logic.
The Dollhouse Promo
I still can't quite get over them having to do the Music Credit for "Doll Parts" when The Dollhouse comes out. The Knockouts used to be the pillar of Womens Wrestling- now we've got Knockouts Body-Shaming other Knockouts. I get that Taryn is a Heel, but in today's climate with all the negatives attached to that issue it's something they should have steered way clear of in my opinion. It's not that I want to see Kong in Lingerie- but there may well have been a Plus Sized Woman watching who sees them Body-Shaming Kong and gets turned off to the Product because of that fact.
Low Ki v Crazzy Steve v Manik- X Division Qualifier
Every time Option C comes around it means we see a load of Wrestlers we haven't seen in forever randomly showing up to fill out the card. That's not to say the guys that do show up aren't capable workers- if you take off the Gimp Suit Manik/TJ Perkins is in my opinion one of the best workers TNA has, but the winner of this match was never not going to be Low Ki. The match was pretty standard X Division fare- with the only thing of note being Ki's Warriors Way looking like it took the head off of Manik.
Grado makes the Weight (Part 1)
Somewhere JoMo was looking at this segment from beyond the grave thinking "That's my Boy". #RIPJoMo.
We then got a Recap of arguably the stupidest angle of all-time in TNA- and that's saying something. It's made even worse when you see why the booked the angle was because Mickie had booked signings that clashed with their TV Taping dates. How much of a mess does a company have to be in that they let their contracted talent book Autograph Signings that clash with their dates.
Tigre Uno v DJ Z v Mark Andrews- I refuse to call him Mandrews
This was once again pretty standard X Division stuff- it might have been because of the time constraints but I never really got into any of the X Division matches last night and there wasn't enough focus put on the X Division and the matches, which considering it was Destination X is criminal.
The Jessie Godderz attack was a bit "meh". Presumably this is being built to a Bro-Mans Triple Threat at Slammiversary where if they're smart they'll have Jessie go over.
Grado makes the Weight (Part 2)
I wish when Grado asked Tigre for Advice he said "Life is a Mystery, Everyone must stand alone".
Taryn Terrell v Awesome Kong
I suppose if you wanted rationalise why Taryn freaked out when Brooke ripped off her robe you could say she knew Kong would Bottle it and not follow through meaning she was always safe from disrobing. But her actual wrestling gear is if anything more revealing- maybe it was because the Colours didn't match. It's not that I'm against Brooke- because she has improved to no end, but she's beaten one Dollhouse Member after unless I'm mistaken not doing anything since her thing with Robbie E and now all of a sudden she's in the Knockouts Title hunt, Logic. The worst part is with the way they're seemingly building this feud it'll be a TnA feud- and I don't mean Total Nonstop Action, which some people might be fine with- but I'd rather see actual Womens Wrestling. If you want TnA with Brooke & Taryn google it- they've both shown a lot more than you can see on a TV Network.
Grado makes the Weight (Part 3)
This was quite funny just because of the "So I'm not too fat for the X Division?". "... Technically No".
Grado v Cruz v Kenny King
Ok, I love Grado- being UK based I think it's fairly safe to assume I've been following him longer than most Americans- and I love his work and general character. Even I know that giving him the X Division Title is a bad idea. I think it's fairly safe to assume TNA will be shopping themselves around in a few months if they aren't already doing so- and to have a Chubby Wee Scot as one of their Champions isn't exactly going to help their cause. Not only that- they had a built in feud from this match if Kenny King won and ended up in the match with Low Ki- and then they'd both do each other in and Tigre Uno would win before we get the dissolution of the BDC which is seemingly what's going to happen now they've lost clean to The Rising and don't really have anywhere to go.
Bram v Crimson
At least he didn't Blade the Camera Man Abdullah the Butcher style- let's be honest the number of times he's Bled in TNA he must have caught something. Watch out Charlotte. Anyway, Crimson came out and the crowd went mild- I think the reason they brought in Crimson for this is to get his TNA record the point where everyone forgets about Crimson's Streak. This is presumably going to be a Reverse of the Heath Slater storyline headed into RAW 1000- and given when this was taped I'd tentatively say they wanted the pay off of the Angle to be AJ Styles coming in at Slammiversary and going over Bram for the Pop. Now that's seemingly off the Table I'm not entirely sure where they're going to go with this- but I suppose we can only wait and see.
Kurt Angle v Austin Aries- TNA WHC Match (2)
I really, really liked this match- but it was Kurt Angle against Austin Aries with a pretty long time period- if it wasn't being spoken about as a Match of the Year contender I think that would be more surprising. They told a great story in this match- and although Angle won he didn't exactly Superman his way through the matches and with the way they built to the crescendo it was Aries doing himself in as much as it was Angle with the Suicide Dive spot, which did it's best to protect Aries while giving us the inevitable outcome. The show ending with EC3 standing tall was good- and it's something I've been going on about for a while in regard to WWE and how sometimes they do after match beatdowns and they let the Babyface get in some offence- which doesn't make the guy the Babyface has faced look good or the guy who's doing the run-in so it was satisfying from that perspective. EC3 is where I draw the line with regard to Angle's Title Run and the way he's gone through everyone because if TNA has any sort of future which is incredibly doubtful EC3 is the one to spearhead it- after all he is very good.
Thanks for reading as always, all in all I'd say Destination X delivered- I just wanted to see more of the "X" in Destination X. Anyway if all things go to plan there'll be a Booking Post out tomorrow which'll be focused on Finn Balor, which'll be a different sort of Booking Blog in that Balor is successful but I'm expanding somewhat on the Demon Persona- I doubt it'll be a thing, but if it were to be a thing it'd either be the stupidest thing ever or the coolest thing ever so I'll be interested to see how it's received. So Stay Tuned for that- and then of course the Money in the Bank Predictions/Review which are coming up soon and then all of the Posts beyond that. Thanks again for reading and remember- Life is a Mystery... Everyone must Stand Alone.
Hello! It's another RAW Review, aren't you lucky ducks. It was the go-home show for Money in the Bank so you had to hope WWE would somewhat up their game in order to get people even vaguely interested in the PPV and the Card. Last Night was definitely an interesting night from my perspective- but that's all I'll say on that because I'm not going to give a certain someone the time of day. If you were tagging along last night you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway, enough about stupid Bellas Fans- you came here for ramblings about the RAW last night.
The Authority Opening Pro- Hang On, What? Cena, Owens Opening Promo
The Promos weren't the best we've seen from either guy in this feud- but that was compensated somewhat by it being the Open to the Show and it feeling refreshing because of that fact. "Most Anticipated Rematch in WWE History" it isn't, that spot is reserved for Torito v The Gator- but it's general hype stuff so I'm not going to get wound up about that like I've seen some people do. Owens' Promo was good, and it helped set up the first match- although as the night unfolded and it became clear that there wasn't going to be a US Open Challenge this segment annoyed me more because Cena just dropped the Open Challenge because Neville went for the NXT Belt. Neville's promo was a pretty standard one but it did the job and set up the first match.
Kevin Owens v Neville
I've had to go back and re-watch this because my Brother doesn't know how to take a screenshot but it was so, so worth it. Unless I'm mistaken this was only the second time these two have faced off with each other in their current forms with the other being nearly 4 Months ago so this definitely felt like a fresh pairing and this match was just quality. If I had to really nitpick Neville going to the Top Rope so often in the crescendo to the match didn't sit well with me and given how innovative both guys can be I wish they'd have gone a different way at some point with which to set the finish up. But as I said this is really nitpicking and given the match that preceded it I can forgive it.
Seth Rollins Backstage Promo with Trips & Steph
Who would have thought that they could set up a Main Event match and the groundwork of the story for said Main Event in under 15 minutes?
Nikki Bella v Summer Rae
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MITB Promo Hype stuff
It's not that the other stuff the people involved in this segment did was bad- but it's not a stretch to say R-Truth stole the show. I think it was made better just because with the position he's in on the card you just assumed he was in the Money in the Bank Match. I don't often laugh at WWE Segments but this really did make me laugh. Of course I would be selling my sould if I didn't acknowledge New Day. NEW... DAY ROCKS, NEW... DAY ROCKS, NEW... DAY ROCKS, NEW... DAY ROCKS.
Sheamus v Randy Orton
This was such a fresh pairing, this was one of those RAW matches that was truly must see- and one of a kind. Seeing at this was seemingly Copy & Pasted from the RAW Script last week I feel it's only right that I also do the same for the Review.
I think it was around 5 minutes before RAW started and someone just said "Hey Vince, Randy's here- he's near a purse we should probably give him something tonight". We ended up with Orton v Sheamus which we've literally never seen before. The match was alright, but both guys are capable of so much more than a throwaway filler match- like for instance feuding over the IC Title which would elevate it because both guys are former WWE Champions and two of the biggest guys on the Roster.
Rollins Makes the Worst Mistake of his Life.
Rollins antagonised Joey Mercury. Joey Mercury actually spoke, it was at this point Rollins knew the only thing to do was to run and hide.
Kane v Dolph Ziggler
Let's just ignore the Rusev and Lana stuff and all that jazz. Kane actually won a match, if Mercury being unleashed wasn't enough of a warning this is true proof that the end is night. Hug your Children and pray.
Also, Rusev and Lana truly are soulmates- they can have Broken Feet together. #RelationshipGoals
MizTV w/ Ryback and Big Show
This wasn't a complete dud of a segment, I have to admit I'm surprised how much the crowd has taken to Ryback and it does give me hope of him getting the IC Title to a Credible Level, however it simply won't happen while he's facing Big Show. Big Show's main selling point now is his size and people hitting power moves on him- and Ryback hit the Shellshocked on him last night, which has annoyed me because unless they're planning to have Ryback drop the belt to Show the Shellshocked on him should have been the money spot and saved for Sunday.
Rowan & Harper v Los Matadores
This was too short to be anything of note, The Promo after was surprisingly good- I haven't heard Harper talk with a Live Mic that often but the just has a certain presence about him and his promos (at least for me) really connect. I'm interested to see who the "You/Your" is with regard to the Promos but I guess only time will tell on that front. Them using the 3D isn't that big of a deal for me, I would have preferred the Kick and Full Nelson Slam but I try not to get hung up on that sort of stuff and it of course opens up the possibility of The Dudley's coming back in for a feud which Bubba is clearly angling for.
Big E v Titus O'Neil
The match itself wasn't that good in terms of quality- but just because of how great New Day are this still became one of the highlights of the night. Whether it was Xavier running around screaming "#MinisterOfMash" or Big E getting Titus into an abdominal stretch and timing his Punches to the "NEW... DAY SUCKS" beat. This was a short match, but these two proved that a short-time span doesn't always have to mean a forgettable match.
Roman Reigns v Kofi Kingston
This may sound ludicrous to some, but for me these are the only two choices I can see for the win of the Briefcase on Sunday. Roman because of obvious reasons, but I genuinely think Kofi has a shot- the fact he's facing Brock in about a month combined with how great and over New Day have become means you truly can't rule Kofi out as a candidate. It may be wishful thinking to an extent- I just want to see New Day claim the Freebird Rule over the Briefcase so they have two failed cash-ins and win it on the Third "No, That was Xavier's Cash-In".
J&J v Seth Rollins
I've seen some- well a lot of people complaining about the finish to this match saying Rollins losing to J&J etc. is stupid. Despite the fact there was literally interference from all sides on more than one occasion- and Rollins had the match won on more than once occasion. Rollins hasn't been booked well since he won the Title- Heel Champions seemingly never are for some reason, but I do think some people are going a bit over board with it all. Take out the finish and this match for me told a great story, Jamie Noble was popping a crowd with a Hot-Tag in 2015 in a Main Event! It was a classic underdog story and you only have to listen to the crowd to know that it worked.
Thanks for reading as always, last night was possibly the furthest thing it could be from a go-home show for a PPV and it just didn't have that feel to it, then again if you give yourself two weeks to build the PPV that's what happens. Anyway, the Impact Reviews will be back on Thursday- I'm aiming to put up a Booking Blog this week so feel free to give me suggestions either on here in the Comments or on Twitter which I'm assuming you've all come from. Anyway, stay tuned for all of those and of course the Predictions/Review for Money in the Bank before we're back this time next week for another RAW Review, it's almost as if these RAW things are weekly. Anyway, thanks again for reading, and let's all chuck our life savings on Kofi to win MITB.
Hello! Yes, they're finally back- I know I said these would be regular once the Football season was over but for various reasons after the first one approximately a month ago they just didn't materialise. Anyway these are back now and I tentatively want to say they're back now- and with the move to Wednesdays they're back full-time now, or at least until Destination America pull the plug on Impact. Anyway, enough of my aimless rambling because I'm writing this later than usual and I have to get this out by 6pm.
EC3 Opens the Show
I believe someone on Reddit described this as "The whitest thing he's ever seen". I actually really liked this, for me Wrestling should always have a touch of the ridiculous to it and this definitely had that between the Girls with Ring Card, The Be Sharps and the Balloons. I've made no secret of my belief that EC3 is in fact very good and he can truly make anything work and he did with this. The teasing of tension with Tyrus was interesting because we've already had the "EC3s assistant goes after him" story with Spud and I'd prefer they didn't go down that road. Angle's Promo was alright without being anything of note and it did a good job to lay the groundwork for the rest of the night when it comes to EC3, Spud and Angle. But Angle's attack on the member of The Be Sharp's was completely uncalled for and I hope he's arrested (again OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH).
Lashley v Eric Young
This wasn't even in the same solar system as some of the matches these two have had in recent memory, but I think that's more down to time constraints than these two lacking the ability to put on a great match and the predominant story they were angling for in this match which is Melendez chasing EY. The match was still good, but if it wasn't it'd have been more of a surprise given the ability of both of the guys involved- it just wasn't taken to that next level that both guys are capable of getting to.
I can't even remember the last time Melendez had a match, but if anyone can get a good match out of Melendez it is EY- which I'm assuming is why they're doing this in the first place.
Various Promos
I know they need to build the EC3 match for Slammiversary- but I'd have bought into the will he/won't he with regard to Spud a lot more if they'd have kept EC3 away from Angle (and by proxy Spud) until at least on the day of Destination X because we all knew Spud would use Option C as an FU (Yes, A Standing Fireman's Carry Takeover) to EC3.
The Dollhouse "thing" was a bit weird and nothing else. I still don't really buy Taryn as a Heel even after all the Heely things she's done with Gail. For some reason it just hasn't clicked at least for me yet. The one thing I had to laugh at was them putting the Music Credit for "Doll Parts" before the segment started because they were talking over it so much I wouldn't have known the song at all without said Music Credit.
The Melendez Promo was actually pretty good. Melendez comparing Young to the War was... Interesting. I just want to see a proper aggression from Melendez which I hope Young can bring out of him. When I say aggression I don't mean him jumping on Young and punching him I mean bringing out a real purpose behind every move Melendez does and making him work stiff to an extent- so it looks like Melendez genuinely wants to hurt EY.
The Aries and Spud backstage promo was a bit "meh" for me, it just didn't do much to further the whole story with Spud and just felt like "Hey, Aries is Mr Option C- we should probably film something with him and Spud" as opposed to them using it to further the story.
That's 4 Backstage Promos in a Row now, and that annoys me. Impact should be Wrestling- so to have 4 backstage "talk" segments in a Row is just stupid and isn't accentuating the strengths of the Roster.
Brooke v Jade
Actually, can we have more talk segments?
EC3 Backstage Promo
Sometimes Borash is assigned duties he's uncomfortable with- so presumably he was the one who had to field the TNA Conference Call in wake of the ROH news.
Dollhouse Backstage Attack
This actual attack was fine, I'd have preferred it to be a bit more brutal- but with Christy Hemme leaving I can only assume Rebel isn't far behind seeing as the only reason she was seemingly hired was because she was mates with Christy so this may have been a way to write her off and send her into the sunset.
This is now 6 Backstage Segments with a Below Par Match sandwiched in the Middle of it, they really aren't doing themselves any favours.
The Rising v The BDC
This was more like it. Let's be honest here, while I like Camacho and Ricker they're in TNA solely to be "the other two" with Drew and it's in all honesty Drew v The BDC. That said all of the guys played their part in the match and made it pretty good. I would have preferred for the BDC to win but that's more to do with me wanting more matches and a longer feud because I can't see where they'll go with this feud now that the "Good Guy" has beat the "Bad Guy" clean. Also we saw the second Doomsday Device of the Night if you also watched ROH.
Mickie in Nashville (Part 1)
This and the subsequent one's felt so much more like a Horror Film which in turn made it make a whole lot more sense with Storm's Character so if you go back and read my Sole Impact Review this side of 2015 roughly a month ago you'll see it's exactly what I was calling for with Storm.
Spud Makes his Decision
I loved this segment. I do wish TNA would tone it down with the talk segments and streamline them- but this is one that definitely makes the cut. Pro Wrestling is only good when you get emotion into it, and this segment made everyone either back Spud or turn on Spud- there was no middle ground and in that sense it did a great job of selling the match next week. For me Spud's Promo was the highlight of the night- and that says a lot because I don't really have Spud down as a Promo guy as such.
More Backstage Stuff (Ugh)
The Dirty Heels backstage thing was functional and set up the match with The Wolves and reminded people who may have for whatever reason missed the last two of the current situation.
Mickie James in Nashville (Part 2)
This did a good job of "flipping the switch" with regard to Storm and his true motivations when it comes to Mickie. The facial expressions was what made this segment for me and really sold it for me.
Dirty Heels v The Wolves
I really liked this match, but then again- with the guys involved is that really saying that much? The thing that made this match for me was the the Dirty Heels were actually Dirty Heels for a change, and it sets up an interesting dynamic for the 4th (and 5th- oh no wait, there could only be 4) match of the series with regard to Roode's seeming reluctance to "flip the switch" but eventually doing it. This also did a great job of protecting The Wolves because they took everything and kicked out and the only way they were beaten was because of cheating. I don't always give TNA credit but they more than deserve it for the way they booked this segment. Obviously with my Lack of Reviews I haven't had my say on it- and I understand to an extent them doing this Tag Series the way they have, but the outcome couldn't have been more obvious and that's the only thing that took away from this match somewhat.
Mickie in Nashville (Part 3)
This was just stupid. They could have done so many different things that would have been better than Storm actually killing Mickie (seemingly). It would have been somewhat effective when there wasn't this thing called "The Internet" and as I've said with regard to WWE Kayfabe is dead. I'm somewhat reminded of in "Proper" ECW when they did the Sandman was Blind angle and Heyman told the story of Sandman not leaving his house, not answering the door etc. for a Month all to sell the angle- but Mickie can't do that because she's presumably booked for appearances so you just go "Oh Yeah, TNA are doing this thing where Storm killed Mickie" as opposed to buying into it for even a second.
Madison Rayne "Uncensored"
I was expecting more from this, I mean the actual Rayne Promo- I don't expect anything from Velvet and as I've said many times nobody cares about Velvet Sky. Then you bring Angelina Love into the mix and this was just bad. I don't know where they're going with this whole dynamic and I don't care either.
Taryn Terrell Backstage Promo
Nope, still not buying her as a Heel.
Angle and Spud v EC3 and Tyrus
This was alright without being that good. This stuff was more to set up what was going to happen next week as opposed to a stand alone match which I'm not necessarily against. This was all but confirmed with the "Heavy Stares" between Spud and Angle after the match and then the Aries announcement.
This Impact just seemed to be setting a lot of stuff up for next week and beyond which I suppose is understandable given it's Destination X next week. Anyway, I'll be here for that and I hope you'll be as well.
Thanks for reading as always, as I've said these Impact Reviews are back and as long as they're on Wednesday they'll be here to stay even when the Football Season starts up again. Anyway, thanks again for reading- my Suggestion Box is open for my next booking blog, I'm not sure if I'm going to do them every week or every fortnight so I'd like opinions on that and also I did this solely as an Impact Review- but now Wednesday is Wrestling Night if you'd like to see me expand on the Review for today and do ROH, NXT and Lucha Underground as well then just give me a shout on Twitter on in the Comments on this. Anyway thanks again for reading, stay tuned for future posts and depending on when I put my next one up have a good weekend.
Hello! It's another RAW Review- It was such a doubt when the next one would be out. The Elimination Chamber hadn't filled me with hope that we'd get a good RAW, but at the same time with just two weeks until Money in the Bank I had hopes they would go for it as they did in the two weeks prior to the Chamber to get people excited for the PPV that was actually a PPV this time. I've been biding my time- and slept on the RAW last night, let's see if I can contain myself.
Quickly before I start, I just wanted to say how good was the Austin Podcast? They gave you 9/10th's of a show where they pretty much broke down everything that's wrong with the current product and it was just a shoot. Then for the last little bit they went back to Kayfabe and showed everyone how to actually do it, Also the thing about Promos where people go straight into "I'm going for "X" thing made me wonder- Is what Heyman said why Enzo Amore is so over? Right then enough about the Positives of Last Night, Let's get Reviewing.
The Authority & Roman Reigns Promo
I'm going to try something different this week. Seeing as WWE just Copy & Pastes the Opening Segment every week I thought I'd Copy & Paste my Review for the Opening Segment as well...
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 v King Barrett
I'm now convinced the only reason they brought back King of the Ring and had Barrett win it was to kill the "Bad News" gimmick and in turn kill any semblance of momentum for Barrett who yet again was getting over. Then we get onto the logic of The Authority supposedly stacking the odds against Roman by putting him against Barrett who was pinned by R-Truth less than 24 hours ago at the point of the match. The match itself was alright in fairness, it gave us a fresh pairing crucially and it gave us a fresh pairing with Roman, which is something I've been harping on about for a while now. The match itself was ok in fairness- there was just never that jeopardy of "Roman could Lose" which after all was the point of the match in that if Roman loses he loses his MITB spot.
It's not worth getting into the Backstage Segments with Roman because there were so many of them- and I'm not going to talk about the Bellas thing with Paige because I'm saving all my Divas Related Energy for a bit later on.
Ryback v The Miz
With Ryback's Promo I thought "You Know, I could be wrong here- Ryback's really got the crowd". Then Big Show came out. I respect Show, but how is he not retired yet? If you look at what Cena's done with the US Title he's made it relevant and to my mind the most interesting Title in the Company without a doubt. It goes without saying Ryback isn't a Cena level guy- but the Title hasn't been elevated solely because Cena has the Belt- it's been elevated because Cena's been putting on great matches every week with fresh guys. Ryback v Big Show could surprise us- but I highly doubt it.
Kevin Owens & John Cena Promo
I'm not going to get into Cena using a Cancer Kid for a Pop. I had my say on Twitter Last Night & I'll leave it at that. I was sort of taken out of the Promo Last Night after Cena used the Kid for a Pop but his Promo was still good- it did a good job of selling the feud and the match in a couple of weeks. But it had nothing on Owens' Promo. I could use a Baseball analogy of "hitting it out of the park" but I'm English so... Cricket. Cena hit a 4, Owens hit a 6 that ended up out of the ground. Everything about Owens' Promo just clicked last night, and I'm not just saying that because "Ermahgerd he said Supercena"- it really worked last night. I genuinely believe they're working Owens to be a Brock level threat and I might be being optimistic to think Owens would win with shenanigans in couple of weeks but I hope that's where they're going.
Dolph Ziggler v Kofi Kingston
This was too short to be anything of note, the Promo before was good in obvious New Day fashion.
Dolph and the Primetime Players v New Day
I'm happy that the PTP are seemingly getting a push now because they do deserve it. However, let's not pretend they're getting the push because of their Talent. They're getting the Push because Batista spoke out for Titus when he got that Dad of the Year thing and that put a Rocket Up Creative to actually do something with them. The match itself was alright, Titus was without a doubt the star of the show rightly because he's streets ahead of Darren who I've already had my say on many times. I've said it before if Titus was 5 Years Younger he'd be in the Main Event or at least on the periphery.
Roman Reigns v Mark Henry
This was a bit too slow for my liking, I know they had to up sell Roman being a bit out of it from the first match and have Henry dominate for a bit- but this was too slowed down for my liking. The count-out victory at this stage was a good way to go because Roman won by the skin of his teeth and it protected Henry to an extent because he didn't get pinned. So it was the best of a bad situation, I don't blame Roman for it- I blame whoever booked him in the match(es).
Sonic Ad
Jesus Christ.
Nikki Bella v Paige- Divas Title
Right then. Where do I start with this one. I suppose I'll start with the actual match, it was awful- not only was it awful everyone knew it would be awful going into the match which in a way makes it infinitely worse. I'm alright with matches being bad if it's a one-off and you can call it "one of those days". The Main Roster Divas Matches are now consistently bad, and they're made to look worse by what's going on in "Developmental". Then we get onto when the shit really hit the fan, "Twin Magic" was something I thought we'd never see again when Cena most likely paid so Nikki could get her own twins. But if they worked it right it could still work because Twin Magic usually ends with a Roll-Up. NOT ONLY DOES BRIE NOT EVEN LOOK LIKE NIKKI NOW, HER GEAR WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND HER HAIR WAS DIFFERENT! WHAT COMPETENT REF WOULDN'T NOTICE THAT? I'M HAPPY TO THINK WITHIN KAYFABE, BUT COME ON YOU'RE JUST INSULTING EVERYONE'S INTELLIGENCE. THE WORST THING IS BECAUSE OF THE FINISH THEY'RE CLEARLY ANGLING FOR ANOTHER MATCH WITH THESE TWO. WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?
I thought Nikki would beat Paige they'd shake hands before Sasha Banks or Charlotte came out and we had a new match for Money in the Bank.Instead we got a crap finish from a crap match which set-up another crap match in the future.
Randy Orton v Sheamus
I think it was around 5 minutes before RAW started and someone just said "Hey Vince, Randy's here- he's near a purse we should probably give him something tonight". We ended up with Orton v Sheamus which we've literally never seen before. The match was alright, but both guys are capable of so much more than a throwaway filler match- like for instance feuding over the IC Title which would elevate it because both guys are former WWE Champions and two of the biggest guys on the Roster.
Rusev Promo
This was Rusev's best Promo by a mile. It's funny that Rusev meme of "When you realise you lost the Title etc." was pretty much exactly what this Promo was- but Rusev made it work. I can't say where they're going with it yet but if they sell this character right it'll really work. If they don't he's Kozlov 2.0.
Neville v Bo Dallas
The same issue plagued this match that did their match on Sunday. Where was the psychology? Bo said "I just want to hurt you" in his Promo Pre-Match, so why didn't he work the Leg that was pretty much the whole build for their match at the Chamber. It was labelled with the Magic Bandage which means he's still meant to be selling it. It's basic stuff like that which really annoys me. Then we get onto the fact this was a move for move copy of their match on Sunday in less time and this segment completely lost me.
Roman Reigns v Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyayt has feuded with Undertaker, beaten John Cena, beat Ryback who is now the IC Champion less than two weeks ago. He's beaten Jericho, Bryan the list goes on. A Bray at 100% is now not good enough to beat Roman Reigns who's already had two matches and barely scraped past Mark Henry via Countout. LOGIC. I freely admit I'm a huge Bray fan- so feel free to call me biased etc. but come on. REALLY?! I thought Bray would win via Distraction and then Ambrose would hold the Title up in a Contract Signing and refuse to give it back unless they put Roman back in the Match. Instead Roman went over even after the Authority attempted to distract him. Bray is someone with so much Main Event potential it's unreal and they're killing him. Not only are they killing him he's not only losing "big matches" he's losing RAW matches as well and that just shouldn't happen for Bray. It's clear they see value in Bray, they wouldn't have put him in the ring with Cena and Taker for his first two Manias if they didn't. But they're killing him- and when he does poke his head above water for another "big" feud it won't mean as much.
Three matches for Roman was overkill last night, and it's a shame because he's really been growing since Mania- to the point some people who were against Roman are coming round to him now. I'm not that far into Roman- but I've liked how his character's been booked recently and they've been smart to have him as "the other guy" with Ambrose but still feature him prominently and get him over. This was just wrong- and it's a case of 3 Steps Forward 30 Steps Backward when it comes to how Roman's character comes across to those against him.
This RAW was absolutely atrocious. With once again Cena and Owens being the exception. I always try and be open minded to stuff- but when you see a Product that is going out and on a "good night" it's passable it's just hard to be motivated by it and to want to continue watching.
Thanks for reading as always, I hope you enjoyed the Review as always even if the Show was awful. I'm still in two minds about the Bumper Wednesday Review (Lucha Underground, NXT, TNA and ROH) so I'd appreciate opinions on that before I get back into the Impact Reviews his week. So stay tuned for that as always- thanks again for reading and I hope you have a good couple of days.
Hello! It's another Review- and it's the 1st of June *pinch, punch first of the month- no returns*. Anyway we're here for another PPV Review, these are coming pretty much every fortnight now with Money in the Bank in a few weeks. I was genuinely excited for this "PPV" there were enough combustible elements in both Chamber Matches to fill me with hope that they'd deliver, and then we had the obvious stand outs with Owens v Cena and Ambrose v Rollins which would hopefully put the cherry on top of the cake. So without further adieu, let's get right into it.
Actually, before I start- I'm sorry for Yesterday- you might have seen me plugging away on Twitter as always and wanted to read my Predictions only to end up on my First ever Post. All I can say is I'll try my best so it doesn't happen again, and thanks to all of you who did read my Predictions anyway.
Pre-Show: Stardust v Zack Ryder
Stardust is becoming the king of the unannounced Pre-Show match. It's not that this match was bad- all the bits were good and in the right order; but the fact there was literally zero build for this match, combined with the fact half the crowd were still buying Booze and Hot Dogs when it was happening stopped me from really getting into the match.
Pre-Show: MizTV w/ Daniel Bryan
Miz was dressed as a Black Widow presumably to mourn the slow and painful death of this segment. I like Bryan, I like Miz- I usually like Bryan and Miz together, but for whatever reason this just didn't really click for me. It might be because it was possibly the most generic "Boo Me" Promo from Miz who is capable of a lot more- or the fact it was possibly the most generic "Cheer Me" Promo from Bryan where it goes without saying he is capable of a lot more. In short this Segment was so Generic, Generico was popping left, right and centre in the Mexican Orphanage. Then we had the Mega Powers show up to clear house and that was the "Pull the Plug" moment for the segment. The less said about it the better.
Tag Title Chamber Match
Yes, I'm too lazy to write out all of the teams names again. A Common theme throughout this PPV and it's something I've said repeatedly across many, many months of doing these- I always want a segment/PPV to succeed. If you don't then you might as well give up. I really had high hopes for this Chamber Match, because the Tag Division- Specifically New Day and KiddSaro have been consistently delivering every week. That said this match turned into such a cluster it wasn't even funny. A Tag Chamber sounds good in theory- but let's just say I hope there isn't a repeat. Having so many people in such a small space just didn't work- and the supposed "Oh My God" spots specifically from the likes of Kalisto took ages to set up to the point you didn't really care about it. The only real highlight for me was when New Day pulled Kalisto's foot into their pod and started doing the Lucha Arm thing, and for a Chamber Match that's unacceptable in my book.
Nikki Bella v Naomi v Paige- Divas Title
No.
Kevin Owens v John Cena
This is where I may get some abuse, and hey- everyone is entitled to their opinion. I liked this match, I really liked it. BUT it was no way Match of the Year as seemingly everyone is saying. For me a truly great match can only be called great when the crowd are sucked along for the ride and add to it. I'll always cite Rock v Hogan as the prime example, if you watch it on Mute it's awful- if you watch it with the crowd you get goosebumps and it's a classic match. I don't rate matches, because I fundamentally disagree with giving out stars because people tend to look at the star rating and move on and they don't see how you arrived to said star rating which after all is the point of doing a Review. That said for me this was a 4* Match. All the bits were there- they just weren't elevated to that next level and made truly special by the crowd. I do think some people saying "Match of the Year" are slightly clouded by the fact the Owens pinned Cena clean- you only have to see my Reaction when it happened to see how mental I was going, but I've calmed down from that now and without wanting to insult anyone I'm perhaps more level-headed than they were.
A Couple of other tiny issues I had with this match- but these are really nitpicking. False Finishes when used right add to the drama of a match- but for me they were slightly overused during this match. Then we get onto more of a character issue. Owens is pretty much the best Heel going at the minute- in fact he's such a heel people were actually cheering Cena, that in itself is a massive accomplishment. His whole character is based on doing stuff for his family and nobody else, so I don't get why he's doing Senton's and Moonsaults. Yes, it pops the crowd- but surely that's exactly why Owens shouldn't be doing it? Owens will hopefully have plenty of time in WWE to bring out the variety in his offence- and for me this wasn't the time. But as I said this is nitpicking.
In short, I really liked the match- but I do think some people are going overboard with their praise of it.
Neville v Bo Dallas
This was all a bit "meh". Unless I missed something which is possible given I was spending nearly all my time looking at my Tweetdeck and going mental about Owens- Bo didn't work the leg at any stage of the match, it was nothing really- it just had the entire build focused on it. I wanted Neville to win for my Predictions/Accumulator but I really wanted Bo to win because it would have made him a lot more interesting. Anyway I suppose that was too much to ask.
IC Title Chamber Match
I didn't really like the Tag Chamber Match because it became a bit of a cluster. I point blank hated this one because it was stupid. It was annoying me to a lesser extent in the Tag Chamber, but why the hell would the guys involved be breaking up pins? Did I miss something or has the definition of "Elimination" changed? Then when you factor in the match was completely devoid of something resembling excitement. I like the majority of the guys that were in the Chamber because they work "stiff"- so why they didn't just go out and beat the hell out of each other I don't really know. I wanted Spears through Pods I wanted this match to single handedly cut the Ring Crews dismantling time of the Chamber in Half. I like Ryback, but he isn't the guy to get the Belt for me. People were questioning how he even got into the Chamber seeing as how he lost to Bray 2 Weeks ago- and now he's Champion? I'm interested to see where Ryback goes- and I hope it works, but as I'm writing this I can't see how Ryback who's lost to almost everyone of note in WWE is going to elevate the Belt.
Seth Rollins v Dean Ambrose- WWEWHC Match
Right. I'm going to try not to rant- because I think two rants in less than a week will somewhat diminish their meaning. So, Sorry you're not going to get a Rant. I suppose the simple thing you have to ask is... Why? They massively booked themselves into a Corner firstly by having no stipulation to the match. This was supposedly a blood feud, which is I suppose why it was confined to the rules of a normal wrestling match. I just zoned out for this match. I knew exactly what was happening I just had absolutely no reaction to any of it. Then it happened. Why? I don't see any logical reason as to why they did it. I don't get why they couldn't have just had Rollins win with Shenanigans which would do exactly the same and leave it open for a Rematch at Money in the Bank without annoying pretty much everybody watching. People's gut reaction to what happened wouldn't have been "You Know I want to Change my Free Subscription into a Paid one" it would have been then just turning their TV off and going off on one. For the End of the Chamber PPV which if reports are to be believed was done so people would extend their Subscription over to June- it had pretty much the exact opposite effect. I don't know if this is classed as a rant, you be the judge- at least I avoided mention of Werner Herzog this time.
Thanks for reading as always, I think in terms of expectation and reality this is the most disappointed I've been with a "PPV" in a while. But like the good little soldier I am I'll be sacrificing yet more sleep to watch RAW tonight so I hope you tag along on Twitter- and then stay tuned for the RAW Review tomorrow. Impact Reviews will be here on Thursday to correspond with the move. I'm tempted to do a Bumper Wednesday Review so covering Impact, Lucha Underground, NXT and ROH all in one Review on Thursday. But I'll wait for your opinions on that before I commit to it. Thanks again for reading, and let's go into RAW with a positive attitude despite how tricky that may be.
