Hello! It's the first of 2 "PPVs" this month- and of course that means two sets of Predictions. Anyway, we're headed into Payback with pretty much no tangible momentum- I'm not going to go another "Why WWE's Free Month=Bad Month" strategy if you want it you can go back to my Extreme Rules Predictions- because WWE has basically shafted the people who subscribed for Mania by giving out two free months pretty much the day after Mania. It's not worth getting into a rant about that either I suppose, but anyway- let's just get right into the Predictions.
Also quickly before I start- if you come here for all of my Wrestling Posts you'll have noticed the lack of an Impact Review yesterday. In short I was at the Rugby 7s yesterday- I got back at about 6pm and proceeded to watch pretty much everything except the Impact from Friday- anyway all I can say is I'm sorry for being such an idiot and the Reviews'll be back next week or you have permission to kill me. LET'S GET PREDICTIN'!
Pre-Show: The Meta Powers v The Ascension
This is a weird one, The Meta Powers basically being an extension of what Axel's been doing since the Rumble should by all right mean that they're going to lose tonight. After all that's pretty much the whole gimmick and part of why it's entertaining in all honesty. However, they're up against The Ascension who's gimmick is also seemingly losing at every opportunity- so it's basically who's less likely to lose as opposed to who's going to win- and purely because of the old "Babyface wins on Pre-Show" strategy...
Less Likely to Lose: The Meta Powers
King Barrett v Neville
For me this is one of the more straightforward of the matches on the card for tonight. The dynamic between Neville, Barrett and then Sheamus and Ziggler with them coming together a lot and trading wins left and right has been an interesting one- and the more I think about it this isn't as straightforward as I first thought. Neville won at Extreme Rules- but of course Barrett won at the KOTR event which could be perceived as a special event. However with "PPV" in it's purest form- and "PPV" wins being the main currency I have to say
Winner: King Barrett
Sheamus v Dolph Ziggler
Speaking of the current dynamic with Barrett and Neville- this is pretty much the other half of the dynamic and it almost goes without saying that these 4 will be in of the 6 spots for the IC Title in the Elimination Chamber in a few weeks. It's for that IC Title Elimination Chamber reason that I'm not really sure about this match. If the rumours are true- and it would seem they are and Sheamus is going to be the IC Champion as he's apparently been advertised as such then it would make sense for him to win and "look strong" headed into the Elimination Chamber- and for me if he loses his first two PPV matches back since his return it kills him. However because of the way he was booked at Extreme Rules the Babyface still needs to make the heel get his comeuppance. However as we saw at Extreme Rules the winner of the match doesn't necessarily mean the winner stands tall so...
Winner: Sheamus
Taomi v The Bellas
I Genuinely have no clue for this match, on the one hand you can make the argument that with the Naomi turn etc. that it's a no-brainer that Naomi & Tamina will win. But, The Bellas are- well The Bellas and Naomi already lost her first "big" match as a Heel. However, I think Naomi & Tamina will win the match for one important reason- the match means absolutely nothing. The Belt isn't up for grabs- and this match wouldn't look out of place on Superstars in all honesty- and it's for that reason...
Winner: Taomi
New Day v KiddSaro- 2 out of 3 Falls
I don't know if it's that bold of a prediction to say this match will steal the show (again). The current dynamic with these two teams reminds me a lot of when the Rhodes Brothers first got in and around the Tag Titles and the Wyatts v The Usos in that they consistently stole the show no matter who else was on the card. The stipulation for me makes it almost a lock for this match to steal the show and provided they don't try and rush the match from a time-frame perspective then it'll be great- and for me the stipulation all but confirms that time constraints is a non-issue. It's pretty clear when it comes to the outcome of this match who's going to win- and I'm not going to make the mistake of basically convincing myself that New Day would win only to say KiddSaro again in my Predictions.
Winner: New Day
Ryback v Bray Wyatt
For me this match could go either way and it basically depends on whether this is going to be a One Deal match or a series primarily to keep Bray busy until he's needed for Summerslam. As such this may not be as easy to predict as you would think at first glance. I don't know exactly how they're going to do it but I really am leaning towards Ryback- especially with Elimination Chamber in such a short amount of time after and them needing matches to pack the card out it would make no sense for Bray to win and "be done" with Ryback already- and I can see Ryback winning tonight- Bray at Elimination Chamber with Bray also winning the "rubber" match at Battleground next month before we get into the Summerslam build which hopefully means another big match for Bray.
Winner: Ryback
Rusev v John Cena- "I Quit" Match
This is where some of you will think I've gone off the deep-end, and perhaps rightfully so come around 3:30. I genuinely think Rusev will win, but it's not going to be through his strength or general dominance- if you follow me on Twitter you might already know what I'm going to discuss/pitch now- but if you aren't be prepared to have your whole view on this Match/PPV changed. For me the tease of tension between Lana and Rusev has been too obvious for where they're going- it might be me giving WWE too much credit- but this is genuinely what I think will happen. They'll have the usual back and forth match which'll be all well and good but the crescendo to the match will be Rusev somehow trapping Cena with Handcuffs most likely (or Duct Tape!) and realising that Cena will "Never Give Up" on a physical level he turns his attentions to Lana. She's going to look petrified- Rusev grabs a mic and says he'll Crush Lana unless Cena Quits. Rusev holds the Mic to Cena he says "No" but is clearly torn. They go one step further and have Rusev push Lana down and then get in the position for the Accolade which'll be right in front of Cena who'll be handcuffed in a corner so Lana's staring directly at Cena and she's looking petrified. Just as Rusev is about to lock it in Cena Quits. Rusev starts celebrating- Lana gets up, and starts laughing; she then goes over to Cena in the Corner and laughs in his face before slapping him and going over to raise Rusev's hand. For me it doesn't make sense for there to be another match after Cena won the 3rd Match of their series unless they're going to do something like this- and it's for that reason...
Winner: Rusev
I know there could be the "Violence against Women" heat- but Lana being in on the whole thing squashes that angle completely in my opinion.
Seth Rollins v Roman Reigns v Randy Orton v Dean Ambrose- WWEWHC Match
It's the Main Event- and pretty much in keeping with the whole build for the match it's painfully predictable in that Rollins will win. However how Rollins wins is another matter. I've seen various ideas banded around whether it's Ambrose turning, The Shield reuniting as a Heel Faction and even one bizarrely where Kane inserts himself into the match and takes the pin for Rollins while everyone is down. I'll filter it down to two, one that I think- and one that I want to happen. The one I want to happen is for Roman to turn. For me ( and not because of relation) Roman is pretty much Rocky Maivia- there's a section of the audience who'll never buy into this incarnation of Roman Reigns and it won't surprise me if we start getting "DIE. ROMAN. DIE" chants soon. For me the obvious solution for this is to turn him- as they did with The Rock. I realise I am among this category by "smarks" always like to cheer the person who isn't supposed to cheered- we're just weird that way 99% of the time. So turning Roman will pretty much instantly get the section who refuse to cheer Roman onto Roman's side- and for me everything about Roman screams heel anyway. Anyway Roman turning to help Rollins is what I want to happen- but what I think will happen is Ambrose joining the Dark Side which won't have as much of an effect in my opinion. Either way Rollins wins.
Winner: Seth Rollins
I know some of these Predictions may be against the grain- but I hope I've put my case forward enough for you to at least know where I'm coming from in these predictions.
Thanks for reading as ever, this is 1 of 2 Prediction Blogs there'll be this Month- which is fun for me I suppose means I get to put over more of my ideas; speaking of which if you haven't already I'd recommend reading my "Adam Rose to Leo Kruger" blog I put up on Friday- without wanting to big myself up I think it's a cohesive 3 Months build and worth a read. Anyway, as always stay tuned for the Review tomorrow; and let's all come back to this at 4:01 and laugh at how wrong I was.
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Friday, 15 May 2015
Adam Rose to Leo Kruger: Everything You Know is About to Change
Hello! It's another Blog- and this is one I've been wanting to do for a while, but I didn't want it to be completely out of place. That said the WWE:E60 thing came around which opened up old wounds when it came to Leo Kruger, I've been half joking/half serious about them bringing the Leo Kruger character back for pretty much a year now- and for me this is the perfect time to discuss it. I was going to do this last week, but with the "#WWEKruger" tweets and the acknowledgement of the Leo Kruger character by the artist formerly known as Kruger on Twitter all through the Weekend I thought they may address it on RAW and I didn't want to be pitching ideas that would become irrelevant in a couple of days. Anyway, nothing happened with regard to Adam Rose on RAW- and if you take out the short backstage segment with Rose last night on Smackdown, which can be interpreted a number of ways he hasn't really been featured since the E60 Documentary which for me is a mistake whether they're bringing the Leo Kruger Character back or not. So whether WWE is gonna do it or not I am. Consider this a sort of business pitch- if you've ever seen Dragons Den imagine it's that, oh yeah you're definitely Deborah Meaden- yeah, you. Anyway I'm going to go week by week to transition "Adam Rose" into "Leo Kruger" slowly and at least from my thought process it makes sense so let's get started.
Week Commencing- 18th May
I'm going to assume that he's not going to be on the NXT Special because he hasn't been announced, even though with all the injury issues currently in NXT it could happen. Anyway...
RAW: I'm not going to completely ignore Rosa- because I want this tie into what WWE are doing and make it feasible- In fact Rosa is actually going to be somewhat important to the transition. I'm also going to be realistic with time-frames and how much time Rose is likely to be allocated. Anyway we're kicking this off by sewing the seeds.
Adam Rose is Backstage with Rosa- it's a fairly simple segment, you just have Rosa cutting a Promo and then at the end it cuts to Adam Rose who repeats what he said on Smackdown "The Party's Over". I realise that's sort of ripping off Debut Drew McIntyre- but is there anything really original left in Wrestling? Besides it's only a short thing and it won't be uttered again. This is basically my poor attempt at continuity from the Real Life last week in WWE.
Smackdown: Provided its acknowledged on RAW I don't mind them using Smackdown to further stories. This would be the first time unless I'm mistaken that Rose will have been in the ring post Documentary (for the crowd) so it'll be interesting to see how they gauge the reaction and it could fall apart if he gets a babyface pop which is likely after they told Ray Leppan's story. Anyway, I obviously don't know who's going to win at Payback- but I'm going to say with somewhat certainty that Bray is going to beat Ryback so I'd have Ryback squash Adam Rose in swift fashion.
After the match Rosa comes in and berates him before Slapping him- and Adam Rose does the now trademarked psycho move of tilting his head to the side.
Week Commencing- 25th May
I think Adam Rose might end up in the IC Title Elimination Chamber Match, but for the purposes of this he's being left off.
RAW: All of the Smackdown stuff is going to be acknowledged on RAW- anyway it's pretty much rinse and repeat from Smackdown, except after the squash Rosa slaps him Twice.
Smackdown: I know they do this sometimes on house shows for the Ultra-Jobbers so I'll do it here- I'd have him be squashed again, not by Ryback- maybe someone like Rusev; I'm working on the basis that Cena's going to win on Sunday- but as I'll discuss in my Predictions and you'll already have seen on Twitter I've been floating an idea that would have Rusev winning. Then after the match Rosa comes in to berate him- so Adam Rose grabs a mic and cuts a promo saying he'll take on anyone; and then out comes Ryback and he kills him again and crucially before he leaves he shouts "STUPID".
Then Rosa comes in to berate Adam Rose as has become the norm by this point she goes to slap him but he catches her arm and smiles in that Leo Kruger way which is a bit creepy before leaving the ring with her left in the ring looking stunned.
Week Commencing- June 1st
This is going to be the first month where I'd be building Adam Rose for a PPV Match- so it'll kick up a gear.
RAW: This might be where a few people say "Nope"- people sometimes forget that Wrestling is supposed to be fun. So for this RAW I'd have Adam Rose and Rosa in the ring coming back from an Ad Break- and following on from Smackdown Rosa's in the ring and cuts a Promo saying it's the Inaugural "Adam Rose Open Challenge" then a Babyface who needs a win comes out and squashes him- maybe someone like Dean Ambrose.
Anyway after the match you expect Rosa to come in and start berating him as usual- but after Smackdown she comes in looking a bit tentative, before Adam Rose starts Laughing and Slaps himself.
Smackdown: Rinse and Repeat on Smackdown but Rosa looks a bit more nervous and maybe stumbles a few times in her Promo (which shouldn't be hard for her).
Week Commencing- June 8th
RAW: Same Deal, "Adam Rose Open Challenge", Squash- but at the end of the match Rosa stays outside the ring looking scared of him; this is where they'd need to be careful- because it could look like a domestic abuse type thing which would get them some heat. I'd have Rose demand Rosa get in the ring and Kiss her.
Smackdown: Carbon Copy.
Week Commencing- June 15th
This is when things will start getting a bit more Kruger-ish. I don't know if he's been using a fake tooth in his mouth but you'll have to see this to understand where I'm coming from...
RAW: Adam Rose Open Challenge- Squash. Rosa comes in against her better judgement- he starts laughing and pulls out his Tooth as he does in the above video and give it to Rosa who looks grossed out and terrified.
Smackdown: Adam Rose comes out without Rosa and issues the Open Challenge by himself, which is the first time he'll have spoken in a month since his "The Party is Over" and he'll switch between the weird British Accent type thing he does and starts to mix in a tinge of South African. Anyway, he loses again- BUT he'll last longer and get a couple of near falls.
After the Match Rose will be on the deck- grab a mic and demand Rosa come out (which she will because Wrasslin) even though she'll look petrified. She'll for some reason start getting mouthy and go to slap him. He'll catch her before she connects- start laughing again, but let her go and then do that quick step forward for want of a better way to describe it to make her flinch and fall over before she quickly exits the ring and runs down the ramp.
Battleground: I don't know if this would be on the Pre-Show or the Main Show, whatever could get them more time. "Adam Rose Open Challenge" I'd have either Frank or The Bunny come out- and he'll win, but he's just beaten a Hot Dog/Rabbit, so did he really win? Anyway, after this (this is where my Previously Pitched idea comes in) the Lights Go Out and you just hear "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU ADAM".
Week Commencing- 22nd June
We've had the first massive hint toward the Leo Kruger character now, it's taken just over a month but I've managed to give Adam Rose a decent storyline- and also inadvertently I think I've made Rosa sympathetic Babyface. Anyway...
RAW: Adam Rose beats The Bunny/Frank again- this time quickly. Lights go Out "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU ADAM... TATA".
Smackdown: Backstage Segment, where Adam Rose is walking back and forth banging on his head, before either Renee or Saxton come up to him for an interview and he starts freaking out alternating between South African and British Accents with literally every word.
Week Commencing- 29th June
Now we're nearly there, but the thing for me is to not have it done too soon, because pulling the trigger on it too soon would lose the effect of it in my opinion.
RAW: Adam Rose comes out for what'll be the last Adam Rose Open Challenge, he'll challenge any former WWE Champion saying he's on a Win Streak and can beat anybody. Orton comes out... Beats him in about a Minute and leaves. Leaving Rose spread out in the Middle of the Ring... "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU ADAM" which is when Rose grabs the mic and says 8 Words to signify the death of Adam Rose "Everything You Know is About To Change... Tata". Which is when he drops the Mic and the Ol' Leo Kruger theme hits.
Smackdown: He won't be on the show, but the commentators would acknowledge it during one of the less important segments in a "How About that Adam Rose" type way.
Week Commencing- July 6th
For me vignettes are a great way to do this re-introduction type of thing, and this is when we go full on Kruger.
RAW: I'm not going to script the Promos he'll do verbatim, because I hate when I see that. It would be something along the lines of this...
Ziggler/Neville come out and they have a little back and forth before Kruger says "He hasn't come here to fight... Tata" to which Neville/Ziggler respond "You may not want a fight, But you've got one" and Rush the Ring- but Kruger exists. Once again you can perceive this as running away- but for me, and it's something to commentators would put over it's smart to avoid confrontation, and he hasn't initiated contact with anyone.
Smackdown: Replay of what Happened on RAW. Ziggler/Neville match against an Ultra-Jobber. Basically any of the Jobbers who survive the Spring Cleaning will be eligible. The lights go out Creepy Kruger Laugh "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU DOLPH/NEVILLE... TATA" which'll allow the Ultra-Jobber to win with a Roll-Up and also set up a potential feud the other side of Summerslam.
Week Commencing: August 17th
It's Summerslam week, and it's a fun one. It's also a big week for Kruger.
RAW: The way Kruger has been built is perfect for me, he looks like a considered killer- which for me fits perfectly, and that'll continue for this RAW, but for the first time he'll be the aggressor. Ziggler/Neville come out for a Promo and do the usual babyface I'll win for you guys stuff- Kruger comes out with the arena completely blacked out other than a Spotlight on Ziggler/Neville, so Kruger is cutting a Promo in the Pitch Black and the Mic Volume will slowly turn up to give the illusion of him getting closer and says something along the lines of "The Crowd can't help you on Sunday, It's just you and me" and just as the Mic reaches a really loud volume the Spotlight drops out and the Arena Lights come back on with Kruger behind Ziggler/Neville they do the Jump Scare type thing before Kruger is Unleashed, he takes him out with a Big Clothesline, before he throws Ziggler/Neville around the arena like a ragdoll ending with a Spinebuster onto the Mat before rolling him back into the ring and putting him in the Inverted Keylock until some agents have to come out and pull him off at which point he doesn't try and get back on Neville/Ziggler he simply goes to sit in the corner and laughs maniacally, says Tata- before cutting to an Ad Break.
Smackdown: This'll just be a Replay of what happened on RAW before the commentators explain that Dolph/Neville was scheduled to have a match but he's unable to compete.
Summerslam: This'll be a real back and forth match, with them selling the injury angle on whomever Kruger is facing it gives them an excuse and it gives a solid base for the psychology of the match with him working the arm and shoulder. With Kruger eventually winning. For me this is the peak of the Kruger character- a solid 3 Months of Build later and Kruger has gone from Jobber Adam Rose to IC Champion Leo Kruger.
The Promos and Feuds after would be along the lines of Kruger wanting to protect his prize- and then the babyface chasing him saying that he's always been the Hunter- but now he's got the belt he's the hunted.
Well that was a Rollercoaster, Thanks for reading as always- I hope you enjoyed this; as I said before I've been wanting to do this for while and now seemed as good a time as any. As always with this type of blog I appreciate feedback on this- even if you want to say this whole idea was crap and you want however many minutes you spent reading this back. Thanks again for reading, and let's hope we see Leo Kruger back some day... TATA!
Week Commencing- 18th May
I'm going to assume that he's not going to be on the NXT Special because he hasn't been announced, even though with all the injury issues currently in NXT it could happen. Anyway...
RAW: I'm not going to completely ignore Rosa- because I want this tie into what WWE are doing and make it feasible- In fact Rosa is actually going to be somewhat important to the transition. I'm also going to be realistic with time-frames and how much time Rose is likely to be allocated. Anyway we're kicking this off by sewing the seeds.
Adam Rose is Backstage with Rosa- it's a fairly simple segment, you just have Rosa cutting a Promo and then at the end it cuts to Adam Rose who repeats what he said on Smackdown "The Party's Over". I realise that's sort of ripping off Debut Drew McIntyre- but is there anything really original left in Wrestling? Besides it's only a short thing and it won't be uttered again. This is basically my poor attempt at continuity from the Real Life last week in WWE.
Smackdown: Provided its acknowledged on RAW I don't mind them using Smackdown to further stories. This would be the first time unless I'm mistaken that Rose will have been in the ring post Documentary (for the crowd) so it'll be interesting to see how they gauge the reaction and it could fall apart if he gets a babyface pop which is likely after they told Ray Leppan's story. Anyway, I obviously don't know who's going to win at Payback- but I'm going to say with somewhat certainty that Bray is going to beat Ryback so I'd have Ryback squash Adam Rose in swift fashion.
After the match Rosa comes in and berates him before Slapping him- and Adam Rose does the now trademarked psycho move of tilting his head to the side.
Week Commencing- 25th May
I think Adam Rose might end up in the IC Title Elimination Chamber Match, but for the purposes of this he's being left off.
RAW: All of the Smackdown stuff is going to be acknowledged on RAW- anyway it's pretty much rinse and repeat from Smackdown, except after the squash Rosa slaps him Twice.
Smackdown: I know they do this sometimes on house shows for the Ultra-Jobbers so I'll do it here- I'd have him be squashed again, not by Ryback- maybe someone like Rusev; I'm working on the basis that Cena's going to win on Sunday- but as I'll discuss in my Predictions and you'll already have seen on Twitter I've been floating an idea that would have Rusev winning. Then after the match Rosa comes in to berate him- so Adam Rose grabs a mic and cuts a promo saying he'll take on anyone; and then out comes Ryback and he kills him again and crucially before he leaves he shouts "STUPID".
Then Rosa comes in to berate Adam Rose as has become the norm by this point she goes to slap him but he catches her arm and smiles in that Leo Kruger way which is a bit creepy before leaving the ring with her left in the ring looking stunned.
Week Commencing- June 1st
This is going to be the first month where I'd be building Adam Rose for a PPV Match- so it'll kick up a gear.
RAW: This might be where a few people say "Nope"- people sometimes forget that Wrestling is supposed to be fun. So for this RAW I'd have Adam Rose and Rosa in the ring coming back from an Ad Break- and following on from Smackdown Rosa's in the ring and cuts a Promo saying it's the Inaugural "Adam Rose Open Challenge" then a Babyface who needs a win comes out and squashes him- maybe someone like Dean Ambrose.
Anyway after the match you expect Rosa to come in and start berating him as usual- but after Smackdown she comes in looking a bit tentative, before Adam Rose starts Laughing and Slaps himself.
Smackdown: Rinse and Repeat on Smackdown but Rosa looks a bit more nervous and maybe stumbles a few times in her Promo (which shouldn't be hard for her).
Week Commencing- June 8th
RAW: Same Deal, "Adam Rose Open Challenge", Squash- but at the end of the match Rosa stays outside the ring looking scared of him; this is where they'd need to be careful- because it could look like a domestic abuse type thing which would get them some heat. I'd have Rose demand Rosa get in the ring and Kiss her.
Smackdown: Carbon Copy.
Week Commencing- June 15th
This is when things will start getting a bit more Kruger-ish. I don't know if he's been using a fake tooth in his mouth but you'll have to see this to understand where I'm coming from...
RAW: Adam Rose Open Challenge- Squash. Rosa comes in against her better judgement- he starts laughing and pulls out his Tooth as he does in the above video and give it to Rosa who looks grossed out and terrified.
Smackdown: Adam Rose comes out without Rosa and issues the Open Challenge by himself, which is the first time he'll have spoken in a month since his "The Party is Over" and he'll switch between the weird British Accent type thing he does and starts to mix in a tinge of South African. Anyway, he loses again- BUT he'll last longer and get a couple of near falls.
After the Match Rose will be on the deck- grab a mic and demand Rosa come out (which she will because Wrasslin) even though she'll look petrified. She'll for some reason start getting mouthy and go to slap him. He'll catch her before she connects- start laughing again, but let her go and then do that quick step forward for want of a better way to describe it to make her flinch and fall over before she quickly exits the ring and runs down the ramp.
Battleground: I don't know if this would be on the Pre-Show or the Main Show, whatever could get them more time. "Adam Rose Open Challenge" I'd have either Frank or The Bunny come out- and he'll win, but he's just beaten a Hot Dog/Rabbit, so did he really win? Anyway, after this (this is where my Previously Pitched idea comes in) the Lights Go Out and you just hear "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU ADAM".
Week Commencing- 22nd June
We've had the first massive hint toward the Leo Kruger character now, it's taken just over a month but I've managed to give Adam Rose a decent storyline- and also inadvertently I think I've made Rosa sympathetic Babyface. Anyway...
RAW: Adam Rose beats The Bunny/Frank again- this time quickly. Lights go Out "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU ADAM... TATA".
Smackdown: Backstage Segment, where Adam Rose is walking back and forth banging on his head, before either Renee or Saxton come up to him for an interview and he starts freaking out alternating between South African and British Accents with literally every word.
Week Commencing- 29th June
Now we're nearly there, but the thing for me is to not have it done too soon, because pulling the trigger on it too soon would lose the effect of it in my opinion.
RAW: Adam Rose comes out for what'll be the last Adam Rose Open Challenge, he'll challenge any former WWE Champion saying he's on a Win Streak and can beat anybody. Orton comes out... Beats him in about a Minute and leaves. Leaving Rose spread out in the Middle of the Ring... "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU ADAM" which is when Rose grabs the mic and says 8 Words to signify the death of Adam Rose "Everything You Know is About To Change... Tata". Which is when he drops the Mic and the Ol' Leo Kruger theme hits.
Smackdown: He won't be on the show, but the commentators would acknowledge it during one of the less important segments in a "How About that Adam Rose" type way.
Week Commencing- July 6th
For me vignettes are a great way to do this re-introduction type of thing, and this is when we go full on Kruger.
RAW: I'm not going to script the Promos he'll do verbatim, because I hate when I see that. It would be something along the lines of this...
Obviously when he was doing the Kruger gimmick he was sold on it so I doubt he had the significance of the Phrase "Everything You Know is About to Change" could have on him and if he was doing a gimmick switch back to Kruger- but for me this fits perfectly.
Smackdown: Just a Replay of the Vignette, followed by Commentary Debate on what it means.
Week Commencing- July 13th
We're getting closer to it now, and while you can't judge the intangibles like how the crowd would actually react to him- but just assume he's a heel.
RAW: We get a Promo similar to this one...
In that he talks about meeting "all of his new friends" and he ends the Promo with "I've been Reborn... Tata"
Smackdown: Replay of the Vignette, Discussion on Commentary about what it all means.
Week Commencing- July 20th
We're about a Month away from Summerslam now, and for me this is where it should be aimed- and where this blog'll end; but that also leaves the option for another one down the round which I might do depending on the reaction to this one. For all I know everyone will hate every word of this, I hope you lot won't- but you never know.
RAW: I don't know who'll be IC Champion at this Point, For me and for the sake of this story it'll either be Neville or Ziggler because they're the most likely babyfaces to be in and around the IC Title Hunt, and for me it makes the most sense to simply insert the IC Title into the current Barrett, Sheamus, Neville, Ziggler dynamic they've got going. Anyway- whoever is in possession of the belt whether it's Neville or Ziggler will win a match, Lights Go Out- Spotlight on Neville/Ziggler and they feed the Leo Kruger creepy laugh into the arena, before we get a "TATA" and then Ad Break.
Smackdown: Replay of RAW, and then we get a replay of it in the ring after another match.
Week Commencing- July 27th
As you can see I've got him going after the IC Title now, Leo Kruger is never a Main-Eventer- primarily he's too old to have a proper Main Event run, and I'll never view him as such; however transitioning into a Credible Midcard Heel is still a giant leap forward.
RAW: This is the grand re-introduction. Neville/Ziggler wins another Match lights go out, Spotlight on said Neville/Ziggler... Creepy Laugh etc. but they hit the Leo Kruger Theme and he comes out onto the Ramp. Nearly every physical debut is, well physical. But not in this case- and he'll come out onto the Ramp and say something along the lines of "I've been Reborn" and then go on to say how the IC Title is his Prize which makes Ziggler/Neville his Prey.
Smackdown: Just a Replay of what Happened on RAW when it comes to Kruger, but Neville/Ziggler will have a match and win- but they'll be challenged by someone who really shouldn't be able to challenge them because they keep looking over their shoulder, which the commentators would put over.
Week Commencing- August 3rd
This is the big week, it's week of my Birthday! (August 6th if you wanna give me stuff). But it's also the week we finally see Leo Kruger in action.
RAW: Ziggler/Neville will once again be in a match, as you'll see as I've gone on I'll have protected Kruger completely he won't bump once until Summerslam. They call him out- Lights Go Out, Creepy Kruger Laugh- Kruger Theme hits, he confronts him head-on. That's something I'll make a point of, although it's not very heelish- it makes him look like a killer who isn't afraid of Zigger/Neville. He cuts a Promo walking (Key Here, He doesn't have to rush into anything- he's a considered expert hunter type remember) down the ramp along the lines of the Previous RAWs "Prize/Prey" one before he casually gets into the ring and expecting a physical attack Ziggler/Neville jump him- but get pushed off. He says "I Didn't Come here to Fight... Tata" before looking as if he's going to leave- Ziggler/Neville jump at him again and he catches them in a Spinebuster (Quick Side Point- For Me Rose's Spinebuster is one of the best I've ever seen, He really drives them into the mat). Before Smiling and getting them into the Inverted Keylock he was doing for a while as his finisher. Even though he was using the Kruger End/Party Foul for me his rebirth needs to distance himself completely from Adam Rose as such I'd revert back to the Keylock Submission which I can't remember the name of. Also for me a Submission works so much better with his character.
Smackdown: Leo Kruger comes to the ring, Once again says the IC Title is the Prize- he doesn't have anything against Ziggler/Neville but while they have the belt they're his target. Ziggler and Neville come out cut an intense/impassioned promo and rush the ring- but Kruger swiftly exits. You can read that as retreating if you want, but I'd have Kruger circle the ring with Neville/Ziggler in the middle begging him to come in and fight. He'll get up on the Apron teasing the fight before laughing, saying "TATA" and exiting. Halfway down the Ramp is when Ziggler/Neville will run after him and catch up with him- however him being the type of hunter he is he'll have anticipated the attack and will once again catch them when they jump at him and Spinebuster them onto the Ramp.
Week Commencing- August 10th
Even though this is two weeks away from Summerslam, every week in the build for Summerslam is key- and presumably with Part-Timers coming in the Midcard feuds could get lost in the Shuffle, but hopefully given the way they're elevating the US Title and how they attempted to Elevate the IC Title by giving it to Bryan they do see enough value in it give it a reasonable amount of time. All of the things I've pitched wouldn't take up any more than 15minutes which includes the Match preceding the Kruger character development.
RAW: I know WWE is big on the ol' Continuity- but here we go. Leo Kruger comes down to the ring and pretty much does an updated version of this Promo aimed at Ziggler/Neville...
Ziggler/Neville come out and they have a little back and forth before Kruger says "He hasn't come here to fight... Tata" to which Neville/Ziggler respond "You may not want a fight, But you've got one" and Rush the Ring- but Kruger exists. Once again you can perceive this as running away- but for me, and it's something to commentators would put over it's smart to avoid confrontation, and he hasn't initiated contact with anyone.
Smackdown: Replay of what Happened on RAW. Ziggler/Neville match against an Ultra-Jobber. Basically any of the Jobbers who survive the Spring Cleaning will be eligible. The lights go out Creepy Kruger Laugh "THEY'RE LAUGHING AT YOU DOLPH/NEVILLE... TATA" which'll allow the Ultra-Jobber to win with a Roll-Up and also set up a potential feud the other side of Summerslam.
Week Commencing: August 17th
It's Summerslam week, and it's a fun one. It's also a big week for Kruger.
RAW: The way Kruger has been built is perfect for me, he looks like a considered killer- which for me fits perfectly, and that'll continue for this RAW, but for the first time he'll be the aggressor. Ziggler/Neville come out for a Promo and do the usual babyface I'll win for you guys stuff- Kruger comes out with the arena completely blacked out other than a Spotlight on Ziggler/Neville, so Kruger is cutting a Promo in the Pitch Black and the Mic Volume will slowly turn up to give the illusion of him getting closer and says something along the lines of "The Crowd can't help you on Sunday, It's just you and me" and just as the Mic reaches a really loud volume the Spotlight drops out and the Arena Lights come back on with Kruger behind Ziggler/Neville they do the Jump Scare type thing before Kruger is Unleashed, he takes him out with a Big Clothesline, before he throws Ziggler/Neville around the arena like a ragdoll ending with a Spinebuster onto the Mat before rolling him back into the ring and putting him in the Inverted Keylock until some agents have to come out and pull him off at which point he doesn't try and get back on Neville/Ziggler he simply goes to sit in the corner and laughs maniacally, says Tata- before cutting to an Ad Break.
Smackdown: This'll just be a Replay of what happened on RAW before the commentators explain that Dolph/Neville was scheduled to have a match but he's unable to compete.
Summerslam: This'll be a real back and forth match, with them selling the injury angle on whomever Kruger is facing it gives them an excuse and it gives a solid base for the psychology of the match with him working the arm and shoulder. With Kruger eventually winning. For me this is the peak of the Kruger character- a solid 3 Months of Build later and Kruger has gone from Jobber Adam Rose to IC Champion Leo Kruger.
The Promos and Feuds after would be along the lines of Kruger wanting to protect his prize- and then the babyface chasing him saying that he's always been the Hunter- but now he's got the belt he's the hunted.
Well that was a Rollercoaster, Thanks for reading as always- I hope you enjoyed this; as I said before I've been wanting to do this for while and now seemed as good a time as any. As always with this type of blog I appreciate feedback on this- even if you want to say this whole idea was crap and you want however many minutes you spent reading this back. Thanks again for reading, and let's hope we see Leo Kruger back some day... TATA!
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Fulham: Summer Window Preview Part 1- Outs
Hello! It's Thursday, and of course that means another Fulham Post; and unsurprisingly with the window opening in under a month the Transfer Window- and are activity in said Transfer Window will be dominating for the time being. We're starting off it all with the "Outs" and given how bloated our squad is in some areas this'll be a long one. I'm going to divide this up into a few different sections, the "Definitely" section will be for players who have no future in a Fulham shirt and will have already left Motspur Park for the last time; then there'll be players who I personally would get rid of either on Loan or Permanently and then there'll be some players who I think will drum up interest in them but we should hang on for dear life.
With some of the Championship Clubs already announcing their releases this week I was dreading us announcing our one before I could write this and I'd have had to revise this Post completely and talk retrospectively for a lot of them. Anyway, it didn't happen so yay!.
Before I start, given this is the only Fulham Post I'm doing this week I thought I'd react to the news that came out yesterday with "Sky Sources" reporting Kit is going to stay on next season- which to me makes next season already a write off. I have high hopes that Rigg will be good for us in terms of getting good transfer deals and building a squad ready for a Championship Promotion Push; but as we've seen over the years with some teams you can have the best players available to you, but if the Manager doesn't find a tactic that works for the players it means nothing- and I have no faith in Kit as a tactician to do just that. I like Kit, and this is not a personal attack which some people might do- but as a Manager for me he's just too naive for the situation we're in- and if he is going to stay in charge as it seems likely I can't see him getting much leeway with the crowd, and I reckon he'll be gone by October even if he is to stay on through the Summer- but of course that'll only be after he's had the whole Summer window to build a squad in his image (in conjunction with Rigg) and that'll do us in for the season with whoever comes in having an uphill battle. At least Parachute Payments last for 3 seasons eh? 16/17 Promotion Party!
Anyway onto the business part of this blog- there isn't any ranking or anything to this; I'm just going to go by Position.
Gabor Kiraly- One of the few of "his" brainwave signings left- and unfortunately we won't be seeing his trackies next season. With his Contract up at the end of the June I can't see any scenario where we renew his deal and as I'll discuss next week there are a few Keeper I'd have my eye on when it come to competent back-up/rotation options to challenge Bettinelli with- which Kiraly simply doesn't.
Maarten Stekelenburg- The Man in Monaco, Stekelenburg is someone who with his wages isn't really a viable option for us- if you take wages out of the equation he'd be ideal to create the Courtois/Cech dynamic I was talking about a few times toward the end of the season- but I'm not sure if Stekelenburg would be happy to fulfil that role in the Championship, and his wages would be massive in comparison to the role we would want him to play. As such I can see Stekelenburg being sold for a minimal fee- I doubt we'll get anything above a Million for him, but it'll be worth it to get the wages off our books.
Tim Hoogland- This is an interesting one, but with his contract up at the end of the season I don't see any value in him as a Right-Back. That's not to be confused with me seeing no value in him at all- as I've made abundantly clear over the season, but seeing as Kit has an aversion to playing him as a DM it's not really worth keeping him on.
Fernando Amorebieta- Someone who became a Fulham hero with his actions last Friday, but also someone who's arguably been our most frustrating player of the season- he was one of the guys we had left from our disaster in the Premier League, so you would have expected him to do something in the Championship- so for him to be completely shown up never more so than against Bournemouth means he isn't at all worth the wages he'll most likely be on, an as I'll discuss next week in a lot more detail I'd just do a straight swap between Husband and Amorebieta this Summer to get Amorebieta's wages off our books and getting a competent Left-Back in return, for me that's a win-win.
Kay Voser- Another of "his" brainwave signings- despite reports to the contrary he didn't die on the Madejski Pitch in September, and he made a few bench appearances at the back end of the season. He does have another year on his deal- but I can see us just releasing him because he is pretty much the definition of dead-weight.
Thomas Eisfeld- Eisfeld is a strange one, speaking to a few of my Arsenal supporting friends they actually rated him- but he hasn't shown anything to indicate why he should be staying on, and as with Voser I think despite him having another year on his contract I can see us just releasing him.
Chris David- He's a weird one, unlike Eisfeld he has shown signs of being a quality player- but his Loan to FC Twente hasn't been ideal and he's ended up being a feature for their U21s as opposed to their First Team which is a massive step backwards in my book. If David could get fit and sort out his alleged attitude problems I think he could be a force for us without a shadow of a doubt, but it doesn't look like Kit rates him and unless I'm mistake Twente have an option to buy on him which they may well exercise seeing the potential of what he could be, which is why I don't think we'll be seeing Chris David in a Fulham shirt next season.
Adil Chihi- What can you really say about Chihi, the only thing to say is that "he" signed him- and when he came on against Cardiff he looked horrendously overweight for a Winger and proceeded to lose the ball at every opportunity. With his Contract up at the End of the Season I can't see any logical reason why we'd renew it and he'll be going back to Cologne in Shahid Khan's Lamborghini.
Bryan Ruiz- It looks like the Saga of Bryan may not be over yet. With reports coming out yesterday that we wanted 4.5mill for him it looks like we activated the extension option in his deal and as such with the way the last two windows have gone there's a chance Bryan may end up playing in a Fulham shirt again. However I think the extension was solely so we could command a fee for a player with undoubted ability and if he does line-up for us again I'll eat Paddy Ashdown's hat.
Hugo Rodallega- Unlike Bryan there isn't an Option for another Year in his deal- and with the supposed wages Hugo is on thank god there isn't. It's not that I don't see any value at all in Hugo, his goal run before Christmas was arguably as important as Ross' in the closing stages of the season with regard to picking up points that kept us up- but over the course of a season Hugo isn't really worth it and he'll be riding off into the Sunset.
Kostas Mitroglou- This is a really interesting one, I'm sure the very optimistic Fulham fans among those of you reading would have gotten excited over the rumoured Swap Deal for Mitroglou and Emenike, and while I highly doubt that'll happen I can't see a scenario where we keep Mitroglou- which is a shame because he is without a doubt a goalscorer and someone who we could use next season- however I highly doubt he'll want to stay at Fulham next season and whether it's Fenerbahce or another team I think Mitroglou is someone who'll be gone when it comes to September.
Of course there'll be the usual handful of Youth Releases, I remember seeing Jonathan Buatu saying he was gone a few days ago- but in terms of First Team guys these are the one's who I see as definitely gone players for the Summer. There are of course the various Loans we had in Turner, Guthrie, Fofana etc. but they aren't Fulham contracted players so I thought I'd leave them out of this. But for the record the only two Loan Players who I'd want back are Turner- who I wouldn't have any objection to signing although on purely personal preference I'd want someone younger and Fofana back on Loan for another season.
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This next crop of players are "maybes" in that I would personally be either selling or loaning them out.
Jesse Joronen- As I'll discuss Next Week there's a few Keepers I'd be looking at to properly challenge Bettinelli, unfortunately I don't see Joronen as being there just yet so I'd be looking to Loan him out as we did before he got injured at Accrington to further his development. Joronen is a decent Keeper, he wasn't exactly helped by his appearances coming under "him" when we had a really disjointed defence but there isn't any doubt Bettinelli is infinitely better than him at present and Joronen needs a proper Loan Spell like Bettinelli had at Accrington before he can come back into the first team fold in my opinion.
Tiago Casasola- I've said it a couple of times this season that I don't know a lot about him other than his development curve on Football Manager but either way I'd Loan him out to a League 1/2 team so he can adapt to the English game.
Patrick Roberts- This is probably the most contentious one of the whole post. I would sell Pat Roberts this Summer provided we can get north of 10million for him without a shadow of a doubt. Roberts is someone with undoubted ability- I don't think anyone can question he has a lot of potential. But he hasn't shown any end product to match that potential and getting north of 10mill for a largely unproven player, and the FFP implications of getting that much of a fee for one player would make this transfer a must for me.
Adam Taggart- He's someone who's first season with us was disrupted to say the least, and I think Kit hinted at it when he was brought onto the subject of Taggart saying he was going to Loan him out last season, that didn't happen- but I really hope we loan him out to a team in League 1 to further his development.
Moussa Dembele- Another of our Strikers- and as with Taggart I'd Loan him out. It's quite funny that under Jol a lot of people were calling for him to get the call-up for the First Team in the Premier League, while his opportunities ended up being limited as the season went on as the season started the opportunity was there for him to stake a claim for a First-Team place which he didn't really grasp and aside from his Double which was pretty much a gift against Derby he had a barren season. As such I'd Loan him out to a League 1 team and as we get into the last year of his deal I'd see how he performs over the course of a season in a First Team scenario at League 1 Level before we decide to renew it or not.
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This next lot of players are people who I think will attract interest over the Summer, and it's interest we need to beat away with a stick. I'll preface this by saying I haven't seen fresh links with any of these guys but because of their ability I highly doubt they won't attract interest over the Summer.
Marcus Bettinelli- Take out the Chelsea link- which I'm convinced I started and I still think it'll be a busy and angst filled Summer when it comes to Bettinelli. Just off the top of my head I think Bournemouth might go after him if they can't get Boruc and he'd fit with the Eddie Howe philosophy of signing Young English Players- and then as I discussed when it comes to Chelsea there may be a few Champions/Europa League Teams after him to fulfil the Homegrown Quota and be more than suitable back-up.
Lasse Vigen Christensen- I'm hoping the fact his season cooled off because of injury will in turn mean the interest in him will have cooled off. We allegedly had Villa after him in January and just because his season did cool him it doesn't mean you can ignore how good he was before Christmas, and even with taking my Fulham Hat off I would confidently say he was the best player in the Division at one point. As such I think he will almost definitely attract interest- or at the very least there'll be a few rumours but I think if we are to have any hope of a Top 6 push which without a doubt should be our ambition for next season- although with Kit in charge I think that's a Pipe Dream.
Ross McCormack- Ross is someone with so much ability and goalscoring potential I think it'd be more surprising if there wasn't interest in him. However I highly doubt any Championship teams would be able to pay the fee we would presumably want from him of what we paid for him and then a a couple million on top- and then I doubt many Premier League teams will want to pay said fee because he's unproven at Premier League level and he's in his late 20s. That said I still think there'll be rumours at the least and there might be some interest- however Ross as well as the two guys mentioned before are absolute musts if we want to have something vaguely resembling a successful campaign.
For me these are the three sections of "Outs" and the guys I haven't mentioned will 99% be at the Club next season. I don't know the contract situation of everyone at the Club but I think I covered everyone who is out of Contract this Summer. Anyway, if you have any differing opinions feel free to either comment or Tweet and I'll happily discuss why you're wrong.
Thanks for reading as always, next week is going to be the "Ins" section and of course it'll be really long so I hope you stay tuned for that one because I may bring up a few names you hadn't considered as viable signings for us as well as some of the obvious guys we should be chasing and then the guys I've been going on about on this blog for a while i.e. Aden Flint. Anyway, thanks again for reading- stay tuned for next weeks- and have a good weekend.
With some of the Championship Clubs already announcing their releases this week I was dreading us announcing our one before I could write this and I'd have had to revise this Post completely and talk retrospectively for a lot of them. Anyway, it didn't happen so yay!.
Before I start, given this is the only Fulham Post I'm doing this week I thought I'd react to the news that came out yesterday with "Sky Sources" reporting Kit is going to stay on next season- which to me makes next season already a write off. I have high hopes that Rigg will be good for us in terms of getting good transfer deals and building a squad ready for a Championship Promotion Push; but as we've seen over the years with some teams you can have the best players available to you, but if the Manager doesn't find a tactic that works for the players it means nothing- and I have no faith in Kit as a tactician to do just that. I like Kit, and this is not a personal attack which some people might do- but as a Manager for me he's just too naive for the situation we're in- and if he is going to stay in charge as it seems likely I can't see him getting much leeway with the crowd, and I reckon he'll be gone by October even if he is to stay on through the Summer- but of course that'll only be after he's had the whole Summer window to build a squad in his image (in conjunction with Rigg) and that'll do us in for the season with whoever comes in having an uphill battle. At least Parachute Payments last for 3 seasons eh? 16/17 Promotion Party!
Anyway onto the business part of this blog- there isn't any ranking or anything to this; I'm just going to go by Position.
Gabor Kiraly- One of the few of "his" brainwave signings left- and unfortunately we won't be seeing his trackies next season. With his Contract up at the end of the June I can't see any scenario where we renew his deal and as I'll discuss next week there are a few Keeper I'd have my eye on when it come to competent back-up/rotation options to challenge Bettinelli with- which Kiraly simply doesn't.
Maarten Stekelenburg- The Man in Monaco, Stekelenburg is someone who with his wages isn't really a viable option for us- if you take wages out of the equation he'd be ideal to create the Courtois/Cech dynamic I was talking about a few times toward the end of the season- but I'm not sure if Stekelenburg would be happy to fulfil that role in the Championship, and his wages would be massive in comparison to the role we would want him to play. As such I can see Stekelenburg being sold for a minimal fee- I doubt we'll get anything above a Million for him, but it'll be worth it to get the wages off our books.
Tim Hoogland- This is an interesting one, but with his contract up at the end of the season I don't see any value in him as a Right-Back. That's not to be confused with me seeing no value in him at all- as I've made abundantly clear over the season, but seeing as Kit has an aversion to playing him as a DM it's not really worth keeping him on.
Fernando Amorebieta- Someone who became a Fulham hero with his actions last Friday, but also someone who's arguably been our most frustrating player of the season- he was one of the guys we had left from our disaster in the Premier League, so you would have expected him to do something in the Championship- so for him to be completely shown up never more so than against Bournemouth means he isn't at all worth the wages he'll most likely be on, an as I'll discuss next week in a lot more detail I'd just do a straight swap between Husband and Amorebieta this Summer to get Amorebieta's wages off our books and getting a competent Left-Back in return, for me that's a win-win.
Kay Voser- Another of "his" brainwave signings- despite reports to the contrary he didn't die on the Madejski Pitch in September, and he made a few bench appearances at the back end of the season. He does have another year on his deal- but I can see us just releasing him because he is pretty much the definition of dead-weight.
Thomas Eisfeld- Eisfeld is a strange one, speaking to a few of my Arsenal supporting friends they actually rated him- but he hasn't shown anything to indicate why he should be staying on, and as with Voser I think despite him having another year on his contract I can see us just releasing him.
Chris David- He's a weird one, unlike Eisfeld he has shown signs of being a quality player- but his Loan to FC Twente hasn't been ideal and he's ended up being a feature for their U21s as opposed to their First Team which is a massive step backwards in my book. If David could get fit and sort out his alleged attitude problems I think he could be a force for us without a shadow of a doubt, but it doesn't look like Kit rates him and unless I'm mistake Twente have an option to buy on him which they may well exercise seeing the potential of what he could be, which is why I don't think we'll be seeing Chris David in a Fulham shirt next season.
Adil Chihi- What can you really say about Chihi, the only thing to say is that "he" signed him- and when he came on against Cardiff he looked horrendously overweight for a Winger and proceeded to lose the ball at every opportunity. With his Contract up at the End of the Season I can't see any logical reason why we'd renew it and he'll be going back to Cologne in Shahid Khan's Lamborghini.
Bryan Ruiz- It looks like the Saga of Bryan may not be over yet. With reports coming out yesterday that we wanted 4.5mill for him it looks like we activated the extension option in his deal and as such with the way the last two windows have gone there's a chance Bryan may end up playing in a Fulham shirt again. However I think the extension was solely so we could command a fee for a player with undoubted ability and if he does line-up for us again I'll eat Paddy Ashdown's hat.
Hugo Rodallega- Unlike Bryan there isn't an Option for another Year in his deal- and with the supposed wages Hugo is on thank god there isn't. It's not that I don't see any value at all in Hugo, his goal run before Christmas was arguably as important as Ross' in the closing stages of the season with regard to picking up points that kept us up- but over the course of a season Hugo isn't really worth it and he'll be riding off into the Sunset.
Kostas Mitroglou- This is a really interesting one, I'm sure the very optimistic Fulham fans among those of you reading would have gotten excited over the rumoured Swap Deal for Mitroglou and Emenike, and while I highly doubt that'll happen I can't see a scenario where we keep Mitroglou- which is a shame because he is without a doubt a goalscorer and someone who we could use next season- however I highly doubt he'll want to stay at Fulham next season and whether it's Fenerbahce or another team I think Mitroglou is someone who'll be gone when it comes to September.
Of course there'll be the usual handful of Youth Releases, I remember seeing Jonathan Buatu saying he was gone a few days ago- but in terms of First Team guys these are the one's who I see as definitely gone players for the Summer. There are of course the various Loans we had in Turner, Guthrie, Fofana etc. but they aren't Fulham contracted players so I thought I'd leave them out of this. But for the record the only two Loan Players who I'd want back are Turner- who I wouldn't have any objection to signing although on purely personal preference I'd want someone younger and Fofana back on Loan for another season.
*****************************************************************************************************************************
This next crop of players are "maybes" in that I would personally be either selling or loaning them out.
Jesse Joronen- As I'll discuss Next Week there's a few Keepers I'd be looking at to properly challenge Bettinelli, unfortunately I don't see Joronen as being there just yet so I'd be looking to Loan him out as we did before he got injured at Accrington to further his development. Joronen is a decent Keeper, he wasn't exactly helped by his appearances coming under "him" when we had a really disjointed defence but there isn't any doubt Bettinelli is infinitely better than him at present and Joronen needs a proper Loan Spell like Bettinelli had at Accrington before he can come back into the first team fold in my opinion.
Tiago Casasola- I've said it a couple of times this season that I don't know a lot about him other than his development curve on Football Manager but either way I'd Loan him out to a League 1/2 team so he can adapt to the English game.
Patrick Roberts- This is probably the most contentious one of the whole post. I would sell Pat Roberts this Summer provided we can get north of 10million for him without a shadow of a doubt. Roberts is someone with undoubted ability- I don't think anyone can question he has a lot of potential. But he hasn't shown any end product to match that potential and getting north of 10mill for a largely unproven player, and the FFP implications of getting that much of a fee for one player would make this transfer a must for me.
Adam Taggart- He's someone who's first season with us was disrupted to say the least, and I think Kit hinted at it when he was brought onto the subject of Taggart saying he was going to Loan him out last season, that didn't happen- but I really hope we loan him out to a team in League 1 to further his development.
Moussa Dembele- Another of our Strikers- and as with Taggart I'd Loan him out. It's quite funny that under Jol a lot of people were calling for him to get the call-up for the First Team in the Premier League, while his opportunities ended up being limited as the season went on as the season started the opportunity was there for him to stake a claim for a First-Team place which he didn't really grasp and aside from his Double which was pretty much a gift against Derby he had a barren season. As such I'd Loan him out to a League 1 team and as we get into the last year of his deal I'd see how he performs over the course of a season in a First Team scenario at League 1 Level before we decide to renew it or not.
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This next lot of players are people who I think will attract interest over the Summer, and it's interest we need to beat away with a stick. I'll preface this by saying I haven't seen fresh links with any of these guys but because of their ability I highly doubt they won't attract interest over the Summer.
Marcus Bettinelli- Take out the Chelsea link- which I'm convinced I started and I still think it'll be a busy and angst filled Summer when it comes to Bettinelli. Just off the top of my head I think Bournemouth might go after him if they can't get Boruc and he'd fit with the Eddie Howe philosophy of signing Young English Players- and then as I discussed when it comes to Chelsea there may be a few Champions/Europa League Teams after him to fulfil the Homegrown Quota and be more than suitable back-up.
Lasse Vigen Christensen- I'm hoping the fact his season cooled off because of injury will in turn mean the interest in him will have cooled off. We allegedly had Villa after him in January and just because his season did cool him it doesn't mean you can ignore how good he was before Christmas, and even with taking my Fulham Hat off I would confidently say he was the best player in the Division at one point. As such I think he will almost definitely attract interest- or at the very least there'll be a few rumours but I think if we are to have any hope of a Top 6 push which without a doubt should be our ambition for next season- although with Kit in charge I think that's a Pipe Dream.
Ross McCormack- Ross is someone with so much ability and goalscoring potential I think it'd be more surprising if there wasn't interest in him. However I highly doubt any Championship teams would be able to pay the fee we would presumably want from him of what we paid for him and then a a couple million on top- and then I doubt many Premier League teams will want to pay said fee because he's unproven at Premier League level and he's in his late 20s. That said I still think there'll be rumours at the least and there might be some interest- however Ross as well as the two guys mentioned before are absolute musts if we want to have something vaguely resembling a successful campaign.
For me these are the three sections of "Outs" and the guys I haven't mentioned will 99% be at the Club next season. I don't know the contract situation of everyone at the Club but I think I covered everyone who is out of Contract this Summer. Anyway, if you have any differing opinions feel free to either comment or Tweet and I'll happily discuss why you're wrong.
Thanks for reading as always, next week is going to be the "Ins" section and of course it'll be really long so I hope you stay tuned for that one because I may bring up a few names you hadn't considered as viable signings for us as well as some of the obvious guys we should be chasing and then the guys I've been going on about on this blog for a while i.e. Aden Flint. Anyway, thanks again for reading- stay tuned for next weeks- and have a good weekend.
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
RAW Review: 11th May
Hello! It's another RAW Review, it's almost as if these are weekly right?! Anyway, after last weeks strong edition of RAW we were headed into the "go-home" show for Paperback you had to at least hope they could carry on some semblance of momentum from last week and deliver at least a "good" show to match the prestige of Paperback which as we learned tonight is not only going to be a Free PPV- but it's not even the biggest PPV this month which they're giving away for free. Anyway, enough aimless rambling, time for some RAW rambling!
Triple H and Others
We kicked off last night's RAW right. We've been deprived of Triple H opening the show for far too long, and in a masochistic sort of way we all kinda missed it let's be honest. RAW just isn't the same without it. The Trips Promo was- well a Trips Promo, I'm not entirely sure what the point he was making was- and he spent an awful lot of time not making that point any clearer. Then we brought out the backing singers with Rollins, J&J and Kane coming out and giving us pretty much exactly what we've had over the last month- but with Triple H being out there to steal all of the heat. The will he-won't he with Kane for me has lost all of the heat it had on it because of the repetitiveness we've had over the last month or so with Rollins and Kane. It did set up the 4 Main Matches to go through the show- but when will whoever is in charge learn that they don't need a 15min+ Promo in order to set up said matches.
Dean Ambrose v J&J Security
This was surprising for a few reasons, firstly that they actually gave us somewhat of a competitive match with J&J involved- and the second most surprising thing was they had Ambrose win in his hometown which is truly breaking with tradition as of late. I actually liked this match as well, while it started out as a "Tag" Handicap which I'm opposed to on a fundamental level the fact Noble and Mercury were both in there for a large portion of the match was good- and crucially it made the Ambrose comeback mean so much more, because while J&J are jobbers there's still two of them, which is after all the point of a handicap. For me this match struck the right balance between playful and serious and all in all made it a pretty decent match.
King Barrett v Dolph Ziggler
Dolph came out like he was coming straight out of a 1980s themed workout video, and it all carried on in that tone for the rest of the segment. The dynamic with Barrett, Dolph, Sheamus and Neville has largely made me forget about the IC Title situation- every time these guys are paired together (which is a lot... No I mean a lot- like every time they're on TV) they deliver a good match and this wasn't an exception- especially when you factor in all of the different things that were taking away from the in-ring focus.
The Sheamus attack after was pretty much as expected, the one thing that did slightly annoy me was that Dolph did get some albeit brief offence in- he'd just been in a match against Barrett who's just won KOTR and taken the Bullhammer and lost, so there would be no shame in having Dolph simply take a beating- but for whatever the reason they felt the need to pop the crowd before Sheamus got back on top, which for me is just pointless.
Erick Rowan v Fandango
This tiny segment is the thing that annoyed me most last night, yes- even more than that segment we're all thinking of right now which I'll discuss a bit later on. Fandango turned less than a month ago, and while he's not exactly set the world alight he's had some good matches and the crowd are behind him to an extent. So to get the absolute burial that there was when it comes to Fandango last night is just bad. The commentators were taking bets on how long it would be before Fandango lost- just, wow. Also surely if Rowan can beat Fandango in 30 Seconds after Rusev scraped past Fandango in 6-7 minutes last week he should be in the US Title Hunt, No? Of course not, logic simply doesn't apply.
Neville v John Cena- US Title
I absolutely loved this, the match itself was alright- I suppose given how watered down the "This is Awesome" chants have become this was deserving of it. Any time Neville gets in the ring you get something exciting to watch- people may get on him about various things, I think I remember seeing Meltzer slag him off not so long ago saying he just did the same moves in a different order or something along those lines, but for me I like him, without loving him on the Main Roster- yet. Which for me is I suppose the point of the push they've given him, and it's one I said right from the outset when he lost to Rollins that it was the way to go- so Neville could get over organically because of his ring-work and be featured regularly without it feeling like he's being shoved down our throats. If anyone had any doubts over whether WWE does see value in Neville you only have to see the finish to see what I've been saying all along. There are some times where Finishers, well don't look like finishers because of the way they're booked especially when it comes to Cena, but this was booked to absolute perfection. Kicking out of an AA is losing a bit of it's meaning now- but for Neville to kick out of an AA before hitting the Red Arrow and then to be denied of the win, which the commentators did put over as much as they would given it was Cena involved for me made this match booked perfectly- and it's something which doesn't really take that much thought, so surely WWE can do it on a consistent basis.
Roman Reigns v Kane
At least we didn't get another Reigns v Kane/Big Show match. Unless they ascend to different levels of stupidity Reigns isn't going to win this Sunday and while I'll discuss it in my Predictions a lot more a Roman Reigns turn is where I'd be going for Sunday, but even if he doesn't turn he needs fresh opposition. I recently listened to Regal's TIJ Podcast- and for me he hit the nail on the head. I'm not going to give an entire synopsis of the Podcast, but in short he was teaming with an Over the Hill Big Daddy when he was I believe 19. Which was a good spot to have, but he didn't want that spot because he wasn't getting better- and he ended up going to a different UK Promoter because he promised to put him in the ring with someone better than him every night. This isn't a slight on Kane and Show, Kane in particular is a freak athlete and his longevity is astounding- but Roman needs to be in the ring with different guys to stop his ring-work stagnating.
Tamina v Brie Bella
This was an alright match in all honesty. But at this point- and it's more true when it comes to Velvet Sky which I talked about in my Impact Review. Take out who Brie is in bed with- nobody cares about her. Nikki has a solid character and foundations for a character, Brie is just kind of there to bounce off of Nikki.
Axelmania & Macho Mandow
I might well get some people hating on me for this- I didn't think this was that bad. It might be because I'm hopelessly naive or like both guys- but I'm just taking this at face value as a bit of fun and nothing more. As much people go on about it, this is "Sports Entertainment" and for that you need some entertainment as well as the sports part. It's not that I loved it- but I understand it needs some variety, and these two as the Minor Powers should be pretty good- because both guys can be entertaining.
Daniel Bryan's Speech
There's not much to say about Bryan- I said most of what I had to say in the Predictions for Extreme Rules. For me Daniel Bryan shouldn't wrestle again. I love Bryan as an in-ring competitor as I'm sure 99% of the people reading this do- but the thing you have to say for Bryan is he's charismatic enough to make being a non in-ring competitor work just as well without throwing himself at the ground multiple times a night. He's doing the Tough Enough stuff already- and he could easily be added to the Smackdown commentary team, or Main Event because I'm sure some of you lot will remember his brief run on Saturday Morning Slam as Daniel Bryan- Bear Enthusiast. In short, just because Bryan is most likely done in the ring, and for me they should have called it last night and just had him call it last night- it doesn't mean Bryan is done being on our screens.
Cesaro v Big E
With all of the guys currently involved in the New Day & KiddSaro feud these are the two guys who I think WWE has the most stock in and see the most value in. So it's smart from that perspective that they feature these guys predominantly when they aren't facing off in Tag Matches. For me this feud is another one of the Wyatts v Usos or Rhodes Brothers v Pretty Much Anyone type of feuds where everything they do is quality- and this wasn't an exception. Aside from Big E nearly breaking his neck this match was solid- and continued the feud well. I still say New Day are the best Heels in the Company at the moment, because they actually get consistent heat from all sides. NEW... DAY ROCKS
Bray Wyatt Promo
I can't remember where I heard this, I think it's an Irish saying- but it's very difficult to push Treacle up a Hill- and that's what Bray's had to do. I like Ryback don't get me wrong- but he's been booked like crap consistently; so for Bray to go from Cena to Ambrose v Taker... to Ryback and for it not to be seen as a massive step-down in terms of kayfabe and perceiving him as "settling" for Ryback to get back on track has taken a lot. For me he hasn't quite done that- I do think their match will surprise a few people and I think they'll tell a good story, but for me this feud was doomed from the start and it's a bridge for Bray to remain relevant until Summerslam and it's pretty much been booked as such. Ryback coming in like a Wrecking Ball and taking out Bray was good. I've thought this for a while- and I know it's completely against the fundamentals of the business, but with the way Ryback's built both physically and his character I'd seriously have Bray drop to his knees and be passive as Ryback unloads on him.
Randy Orton v Seth Rollins
In lieu of giving us a fresh pairing, or as I went off on one about featuring Adam Rose they decided to give us a 20 minute Main Event without a definitive finish as usual which we've seen so many times before. It's not that Rollins and Orton aren't good workers- they're at the top end of the scale without a doubt- but how many times have these two faced off against each other either as the focal point of a Tag/6-Man Tag or in Singles Matches? It's getting to the point where it's ludicrous. The end to the show they gave us was pretty much step for step exactly what gave us last week with everyone killing Rollins before they took out each other with Ambrose standing tall to end the show, which confirms- if it hadn't been already that he's the one taking the pin on Sunday.
Thanks for reading as always, we've got 2 PPVs this month now- and with that it means even more posts on this blog so I hope you stay tuned for all of them. You know it's Summer now the Impact Reviews have started up again- and those'll be continuing throughout the Summer so I hope you read and enjoy those as well. Anyway, thanks again for reading- and also stay tuned for my "Booking Leo Kruger" blog that'll be up soon, because judging by the reads I got on my Booking Posts during Mania Week people enjoy those- thanks again, and let's remember that this is supposed to be fun; let's not take some of this stuff so seriously.
Triple H and Others
We kicked off last night's RAW right. We've been deprived of Triple H opening the show for far too long, and in a masochistic sort of way we all kinda missed it let's be honest. RAW just isn't the same without it. The Trips Promo was- well a Trips Promo, I'm not entirely sure what the point he was making was- and he spent an awful lot of time not making that point any clearer. Then we brought out the backing singers with Rollins, J&J and Kane coming out and giving us pretty much exactly what we've had over the last month- but with Triple H being out there to steal all of the heat. The will he-won't he with Kane for me has lost all of the heat it had on it because of the repetitiveness we've had over the last month or so with Rollins and Kane. It did set up the 4 Main Matches to go through the show- but when will whoever is in charge learn that they don't need a 15min+ Promo in order to set up said matches.
Dean Ambrose v J&J Security
This was surprising for a few reasons, firstly that they actually gave us somewhat of a competitive match with J&J involved- and the second most surprising thing was they had Ambrose win in his hometown which is truly breaking with tradition as of late. I actually liked this match as well, while it started out as a "Tag" Handicap which I'm opposed to on a fundamental level the fact Noble and Mercury were both in there for a large portion of the match was good- and crucially it made the Ambrose comeback mean so much more, because while J&J are jobbers there's still two of them, which is after all the point of a handicap. For me this match struck the right balance between playful and serious and all in all made it a pretty decent match.
King Barrett v Dolph Ziggler
Dolph came out like he was coming straight out of a 1980s themed workout video, and it all carried on in that tone for the rest of the segment. The dynamic with Barrett, Dolph, Sheamus and Neville has largely made me forget about the IC Title situation- every time these guys are paired together (which is a lot... No I mean a lot- like every time they're on TV) they deliver a good match and this wasn't an exception- especially when you factor in all of the different things that were taking away from the in-ring focus.
The Sheamus attack after was pretty much as expected, the one thing that did slightly annoy me was that Dolph did get some albeit brief offence in- he'd just been in a match against Barrett who's just won KOTR and taken the Bullhammer and lost, so there would be no shame in having Dolph simply take a beating- but for whatever the reason they felt the need to pop the crowd before Sheamus got back on top, which for me is just pointless.
Erick Rowan v Fandango
This tiny segment is the thing that annoyed me most last night, yes- even more than that segment we're all thinking of right now which I'll discuss a bit later on. Fandango turned less than a month ago, and while he's not exactly set the world alight he's had some good matches and the crowd are behind him to an extent. So to get the absolute burial that there was when it comes to Fandango last night is just bad. The commentators were taking bets on how long it would be before Fandango lost- just, wow. Also surely if Rowan can beat Fandango in 30 Seconds after Rusev scraped past Fandango in 6-7 minutes last week he should be in the US Title Hunt, No? Of course not, logic simply doesn't apply.
Neville v John Cena- US Title
I absolutely loved this, the match itself was alright- I suppose given how watered down the "This is Awesome" chants have become this was deserving of it. Any time Neville gets in the ring you get something exciting to watch- people may get on him about various things, I think I remember seeing Meltzer slag him off not so long ago saying he just did the same moves in a different order or something along those lines, but for me I like him, without loving him on the Main Roster- yet. Which for me is I suppose the point of the push they've given him, and it's one I said right from the outset when he lost to Rollins that it was the way to go- so Neville could get over organically because of his ring-work and be featured regularly without it feeling like he's being shoved down our throats. If anyone had any doubts over whether WWE does see value in Neville you only have to see the finish to see what I've been saying all along. There are some times where Finishers, well don't look like finishers because of the way they're booked especially when it comes to Cena, but this was booked to absolute perfection. Kicking out of an AA is losing a bit of it's meaning now- but for Neville to kick out of an AA before hitting the Red Arrow and then to be denied of the win, which the commentators did put over as much as they would given it was Cena involved for me made this match booked perfectly- and it's something which doesn't really take that much thought, so surely WWE can do it on a consistent basis.
Roman Reigns v Kane
At least we didn't get another Reigns v Kane/Big Show match. Unless they ascend to different levels of stupidity Reigns isn't going to win this Sunday and while I'll discuss it in my Predictions a lot more a Roman Reigns turn is where I'd be going for Sunday, but even if he doesn't turn he needs fresh opposition. I recently listened to Regal's TIJ Podcast- and for me he hit the nail on the head. I'm not going to give an entire synopsis of the Podcast, but in short he was teaming with an Over the Hill Big Daddy when he was I believe 19. Which was a good spot to have, but he didn't want that spot because he wasn't getting better- and he ended up going to a different UK Promoter because he promised to put him in the ring with someone better than him every night. This isn't a slight on Kane and Show, Kane in particular is a freak athlete and his longevity is astounding- but Roman needs to be in the ring with different guys to stop his ring-work stagnating.
Tamina v Brie Bella
This was an alright match in all honesty. But at this point- and it's more true when it comes to Velvet Sky which I talked about in my Impact Review. Take out who Brie is in bed with- nobody cares about her. Nikki has a solid character and foundations for a character, Brie is just kind of there to bounce off of Nikki.
Axelmania & Macho Mandow
I might well get some people hating on me for this- I didn't think this was that bad. It might be because I'm hopelessly naive or like both guys- but I'm just taking this at face value as a bit of fun and nothing more. As much people go on about it, this is "Sports Entertainment" and for that you need some entertainment as well as the sports part. It's not that I loved it- but I understand it needs some variety, and these two as the Minor Powers should be pretty good- because both guys can be entertaining.
Daniel Bryan's Speech
There's not much to say about Bryan- I said most of what I had to say in the Predictions for Extreme Rules. For me Daniel Bryan shouldn't wrestle again. I love Bryan as an in-ring competitor as I'm sure 99% of the people reading this do- but the thing you have to say for Bryan is he's charismatic enough to make being a non in-ring competitor work just as well without throwing himself at the ground multiple times a night. He's doing the Tough Enough stuff already- and he could easily be added to the Smackdown commentary team, or Main Event because I'm sure some of you lot will remember his brief run on Saturday Morning Slam as Daniel Bryan- Bear Enthusiast. In short, just because Bryan is most likely done in the ring, and for me they should have called it last night and just had him call it last night- it doesn't mean Bryan is done being on our screens.
Cesaro v Big E
With all of the guys currently involved in the New Day & KiddSaro feud these are the two guys who I think WWE has the most stock in and see the most value in. So it's smart from that perspective that they feature these guys predominantly when they aren't facing off in Tag Matches. For me this feud is another one of the Wyatts v Usos or Rhodes Brothers v Pretty Much Anyone type of feuds where everything they do is quality- and this wasn't an exception. Aside from Big E nearly breaking his neck this match was solid- and continued the feud well. I still say New Day are the best Heels in the Company at the moment, because they actually get consistent heat from all sides. NEW... DAY ROCKS
Bray Wyatt Promo
I can't remember where I heard this, I think it's an Irish saying- but it's very difficult to push Treacle up a Hill- and that's what Bray's had to do. I like Ryback don't get me wrong- but he's been booked like crap consistently; so for Bray to go from Cena to Ambrose v Taker... to Ryback and for it not to be seen as a massive step-down in terms of kayfabe and perceiving him as "settling" for Ryback to get back on track has taken a lot. For me he hasn't quite done that- I do think their match will surprise a few people and I think they'll tell a good story, but for me this feud was doomed from the start and it's a bridge for Bray to remain relevant until Summerslam and it's pretty much been booked as such. Ryback coming in like a Wrecking Ball and taking out Bray was good. I've thought this for a while- and I know it's completely against the fundamentals of the business, but with the way Ryback's built both physically and his character I'd seriously have Bray drop to his knees and be passive as Ryback unloads on him.
Randy Orton v Seth Rollins
In lieu of giving us a fresh pairing, or as I went off on one about featuring Adam Rose they decided to give us a 20 minute Main Event without a definitive finish as usual which we've seen so many times before. It's not that Rollins and Orton aren't good workers- they're at the top end of the scale without a doubt- but how many times have these two faced off against each other either as the focal point of a Tag/6-Man Tag or in Singles Matches? It's getting to the point where it's ludicrous. The end to the show they gave us was pretty much step for step exactly what gave us last week with everyone killing Rollins before they took out each other with Ambrose standing tall to end the show, which confirms- if it hadn't been already that he's the one taking the pin on Sunday.
Thanks for reading as always, we've got 2 PPVs this month now- and with that it means even more posts on this blog so I hope you stay tuned for all of them. You know it's Summer now the Impact Reviews have started up again- and those'll be continuing throughout the Summer so I hope you read and enjoy those as well. Anyway, thanks again for reading- and also stay tuned for my "Booking Leo Kruger" blog that'll be up soon, because judging by the reads I got on my Booking Posts during Mania Week people enjoy those- thanks again, and let's remember that this is supposed to be fun; let's not take some of this stuff so seriously.
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Destination Impact Review: 8th May
Hello! Yes, they're finally here- Impact Reviews are back for the Summer! I promised they wouldn't be stopping, but in between the last Impact on Spike and them moving to Destination America and moving to a Friday I didn't really have time to watch and then Review the shows on the Saturday. I have still been watching every week when I could during the week- and now the Fulham season is over I'm going all out. It's almost like they planned it all for me because we have a live(ish) show with which to greet me and what was likely to be the crescendo to a number of feuds. Anyway, let's not waste any more time.
EY meets the Special Guest Ref.
This was short, sweet and effective. Pretty much the antithesis of 99% of the opening segments of RAW. Bully Ray coming back in was a bit "meh" for me, it might have been because I was seeing a load of people saying the Special Guest Ref would be RVD, but for me Bully coming back in was a bit of an anti-climax. I wasn't one of the guys desperately wanting the Dudleys back in WWE- but I'd have quite liked them to have an NXT run especially with the New York links with Bubba and then Enzo and Big Cass. While I was hoping it was a one off appearance, the appearance of someone else later on and seemingly starting a feud all but confirmed Bully's re-signed.
EC3 v Mr. Anderson
I don't want to throw mud, but I think the voting for this match was rigged. However because EC3 is very good he overcame the odds when they were truly stacked against him and the won match all on his own. THE STREAK LIVES! I love EC3, you only have to look at my Impact Reviews and general musings on Twitter before the turn of the year to know this- and I do like Anderson to an extent, but for me this match didn't really click. It might be because they had Tyrus in pretty much from the outset and the time constraints this match had- but for me it didn't do either of the guys any favours. As I've already said, this Impact was most likely going to be the the culmination of quite a few feuds- and I hope that they start to build EC3 up for Angle at Slammiversary now.
Backstage Segments Back to Back
I don't know if my mind is warped by Wrestling- or it's the fact it is Bully Ray, but for me the Angle backstage segment pretty much screamed "Heel Turn imminent" to me, which I suppose was a good thing because it added an intangible to the match. Although them advertising Angle as the Champion for next weeks Impact didn't exactly help the situation.
The Kong & Gail backstage segment set up the good ol' Tag Team that don't like each other dynamic well enough. I wish Fulham's season had ended a week earlier so I was watching it live and Reviewing when Gail brought out Kong because I had so many mixed feelings with it all- because I do understand why they did it, but for me Kim & Kong should always remain separate.
BDC/The Rising Promo
I don't know what someone said to MVP before he went through the curtain- but he was going off on one. I thought my stream had cut out for a second- but apparently he dropped the "N" Word, clearly channelling a certain FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME Champion- and him going off on one about invading countries because of oil and generally having a complete tirade against the US Government was definitely something, Oh Yeah- and Homicide was injured. The way it's worked out I pretty much bypassed the whole UK Tour in terms of being active when it comes to Impact, but I have liked what they've done in bringing in Galloway and The Rising, it's not like it's come out of nowhere with Galloway at least in comparison to EC3 and it's further proof if it was needed that WWE dropped the ball on him... HE WAS THE CHOSEN ONE! The Galloway Promo was a standard "Let's Fight" promo- although them teasing that Kenny King attacked Homicide was an interesting way to go. Anyway...
Drew Galloway v MVP
Considering how long the Promos went it annoyed me that the match felt a bit rushed- at least for me. The two guys didn't do a lot wrong- but for me, especially with how heated the promos (one in particular) were, it may have put my expectations up for the match beyond reach especially given the time they had. For me the finish summed the match up in that it was pretty much out of nowhere and judging by the reaction to it- or rather the lack of reaction it caught everyone out.
I liked the EY attack after, it's rare you see Main Eventers intervene in supposed Midcard matches- and it added another factor into the Main Event, which as I'll discuss may not have been a good thing.
James Storm, Mickie James and (Brutus) Magnus.
This is another feud/gimmick where I've been dying to add my say on it. Storm as "Revolution" Storm was impressing me- for me they'd position his character so it didn't feel like a Wyatt Family rip-off but they still had it in a way where the "Brainwashing Cult" type gimmick would work. His obsession for want of a better word with making Mickie James feel good doesn't fit at all with what he's been doing. The crowds reaction to it all pretty much summed it up, unless I'm completely missing the point we're supposed to think Storm is trying to manipulate Mickie to get to Magnus- yet the way the crowd reacted you'd think Storm was the Babyface. Also, lets be honest- if you bring a Guitar into a Wrestling Ring anything that happens with said guitar is your own dam fault... Sorry, About Your Damn Luck.
Various Backstage/Non-Live Segments
The EY/BDC Backstage Segment as I've already said furthered the "outside" factor for it all which while I do see why, I didn't necessarily agree with given the way EY had been built as Piledriving Killer who can beat the Champ in a Stretcher Match.
I liked the Taryn thing at that bloke who's married to Gail's cooking show- and apparently the two people Taryn was taking selfies with were her Daughters. This type of stuff is what I like and where TNA can excel in comparison to WWE in that they need to have a product based a lot in reality- because the idea of kayfabe is dead, so why not play on Real-Life situations and relationships where it's applicable.
The Dollhouse v Kong & Kim
I'll preface this by saying I love the Knockouts- and they usually deliver on a par or exceed the majority of the Men on the show. But this was what's commonly known as a "Botchamania Special Edition" Match. I liked the Dollhouse vignettes- and while I can't say I'm particularly familiar with Mia Yim's work, judging from the reaction she is a talent to watch, but for whatever reason it just didn't click last night and it simply didn't work. I do like Taryn as a Heel, although I can't help but feel they turned her to show the Network they have control over the on screen talent given the alleged Network's preference for her and Angle to be Champ.
The Tag Title Argument
The Tag Belts are cursed, that was pretty much confirmed after Jeff's accident. Considering how long this segment went- and how many words were spoken, there wasn't really a lot notable about this segment; and for me the build and time taken didn't simply didn't work with the handshake ending. It's good to see Edwards back and I don't doubt the Best of 5 Series will be top draw- but to have the segment go this long for them to simply shake hands and walk away from each other felt like a bit of anti-climax.
Backstage Segment with Galloway & Hardy
So it seems as though Matt Hardy'll be joining The Rising- so I guess the whole Drew trying to end Matt's career and all is in the past.
Angelina Love & Velvet Sky thing
I was expecting Jessicka Havok- and I got Velvet Sky. Although I suppose I should have seen it coming given Bully's return earlier in the night. Judging from responses I got last night in all be it limited audience of a about 6 People who read my Tweets regularly during Impacts, RAWs etc. I'm going to confidently say- Nobody cares about Velvet Sky. I just hope for her sake she looks like crap to fit the gimmick, otherwise her time with Bubba hasn't done her any favours. The actual attack was pretty good all in all but I just don't care about Velvet.
Kurt Angle v Eric Young TNA WHC Match
Can someone say overbooked? If they were going to have Angle win, which was clearly where they were going with it- even if you take the Adverts for next weeks Impact naming Angle as Champion out of the equation I don't see why he couldn't have "just" won. Yes, EY is the Heel and has to do heelish things to be seen as a legitimate threat, but surely that legitimacy was given in spades when he beat Angle in a Stretcher Match. The addition of the BDC, The Rising and randomly Melendez- combined with the Low Blow to Bully and the attempted Piledriver etc. for me this just felt like a bit of a cluster. I would have loved EY to win, and for me his Heel Run deserved the win last night- but in the position TNA are in they can't afford to not bend to the Networks demands which is why I'm happy for Angle to be Champion for the time being.
Thanks for reading as always, these Impact Reviews are back for the Summer so enjoy them while they're here. It's definitely going to be interesting to see where TNA go between now and Slammiversary at the end of June, and I'll be here every step along the way- don't forget to stay tuned for the RAW Review on Tuesday, and thanks again for reading.
EY meets the Special Guest Ref.
This was short, sweet and effective. Pretty much the antithesis of 99% of the opening segments of RAW. Bully Ray coming back in was a bit "meh" for me, it might have been because I was seeing a load of people saying the Special Guest Ref would be RVD, but for me Bully coming back in was a bit of an anti-climax. I wasn't one of the guys desperately wanting the Dudleys back in WWE- but I'd have quite liked them to have an NXT run especially with the New York links with Bubba and then Enzo and Big Cass. While I was hoping it was a one off appearance, the appearance of someone else later on and seemingly starting a feud all but confirmed Bully's re-signed.
EC3 v Mr. Anderson
I don't want to throw mud, but I think the voting for this match was rigged. However because EC3 is very good he overcame the odds when they were truly stacked against him and the won match all on his own. THE STREAK LIVES! I love EC3, you only have to look at my Impact Reviews and general musings on Twitter before the turn of the year to know this- and I do like Anderson to an extent, but for me this match didn't really click. It might be because they had Tyrus in pretty much from the outset and the time constraints this match had- but for me it didn't do either of the guys any favours. As I've already said, this Impact was most likely going to be the the culmination of quite a few feuds- and I hope that they start to build EC3 up for Angle at Slammiversary now.
Backstage Segments Back to Back
I don't know if my mind is warped by Wrestling- or it's the fact it is Bully Ray, but for me the Angle backstage segment pretty much screamed "Heel Turn imminent" to me, which I suppose was a good thing because it added an intangible to the match. Although them advertising Angle as the Champion for next weeks Impact didn't exactly help the situation.
The Kong & Gail backstage segment set up the good ol' Tag Team that don't like each other dynamic well enough. I wish Fulham's season had ended a week earlier so I was watching it live and Reviewing when Gail brought out Kong because I had so many mixed feelings with it all- because I do understand why they did it, but for me Kim & Kong should always remain separate.
BDC/The Rising Promo
I don't know what someone said to MVP before he went through the curtain- but he was going off on one. I thought my stream had cut out for a second- but apparently he dropped the "N" Word, clearly channelling a certain FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME, FIVE TIME Champion- and him going off on one about invading countries because of oil and generally having a complete tirade against the US Government was definitely something, Oh Yeah- and Homicide was injured. The way it's worked out I pretty much bypassed the whole UK Tour in terms of being active when it comes to Impact, but I have liked what they've done in bringing in Galloway and The Rising, it's not like it's come out of nowhere with Galloway at least in comparison to EC3 and it's further proof if it was needed that WWE dropped the ball on him... HE WAS THE CHOSEN ONE! The Galloway Promo was a standard "Let's Fight" promo- although them teasing that Kenny King attacked Homicide was an interesting way to go. Anyway...
Drew Galloway v MVP
Considering how long the Promos went it annoyed me that the match felt a bit rushed- at least for me. The two guys didn't do a lot wrong- but for me, especially with how heated the promos (one in particular) were, it may have put my expectations up for the match beyond reach especially given the time they had. For me the finish summed the match up in that it was pretty much out of nowhere and judging by the reaction to it- or rather the lack of reaction it caught everyone out.
I liked the EY attack after, it's rare you see Main Eventers intervene in supposed Midcard matches- and it added another factor into the Main Event, which as I'll discuss may not have been a good thing.
James Storm, Mickie James and (Brutus) Magnus.
This is another feud/gimmick where I've been dying to add my say on it. Storm as "Revolution" Storm was impressing me- for me they'd position his character so it didn't feel like a Wyatt Family rip-off but they still had it in a way where the "Brainwashing Cult" type gimmick would work. His obsession for want of a better word with making Mickie James feel good doesn't fit at all with what he's been doing. The crowds reaction to it all pretty much summed it up, unless I'm completely missing the point we're supposed to think Storm is trying to manipulate Mickie to get to Magnus- yet the way the crowd reacted you'd think Storm was the Babyface. Also, lets be honest- if you bring a Guitar into a Wrestling Ring anything that happens with said guitar is your own dam fault... Sorry, About Your Damn Luck.
Various Backstage/Non-Live Segments
The EY/BDC Backstage Segment as I've already said furthered the "outside" factor for it all which while I do see why, I didn't necessarily agree with given the way EY had been built as Piledriving Killer who can beat the Champ in a Stretcher Match.
I liked the Taryn thing at that bloke who's married to Gail's cooking show- and apparently the two people Taryn was taking selfies with were her Daughters. This type of stuff is what I like and where TNA can excel in comparison to WWE in that they need to have a product based a lot in reality- because the idea of kayfabe is dead, so why not play on Real-Life situations and relationships where it's applicable.
The Dollhouse v Kong & Kim
I'll preface this by saying I love the Knockouts- and they usually deliver on a par or exceed the majority of the Men on the show. But this was what's commonly known as a "Botchamania Special Edition" Match. I liked the Dollhouse vignettes- and while I can't say I'm particularly familiar with Mia Yim's work, judging from the reaction she is a talent to watch, but for whatever reason it just didn't click last night and it simply didn't work. I do like Taryn as a Heel, although I can't help but feel they turned her to show the Network they have control over the on screen talent given the alleged Network's preference for her and Angle to be Champ.
The Tag Title Argument
The Tag Belts are cursed, that was pretty much confirmed after Jeff's accident. Considering how long this segment went- and how many words were spoken, there wasn't really a lot notable about this segment; and for me the build and time taken didn't simply didn't work with the handshake ending. It's good to see Edwards back and I don't doubt the Best of 5 Series will be top draw- but to have the segment go this long for them to simply shake hands and walk away from each other felt like a bit of anti-climax.
Backstage Segment with Galloway & Hardy
So it seems as though Matt Hardy'll be joining The Rising- so I guess the whole Drew trying to end Matt's career and all is in the past.
Angelina Love & Velvet Sky thing
I was expecting Jessicka Havok- and I got Velvet Sky. Although I suppose I should have seen it coming given Bully's return earlier in the night. Judging from responses I got last night in all be it limited audience of a about 6 People who read my Tweets regularly during Impacts, RAWs etc. I'm going to confidently say- Nobody cares about Velvet Sky. I just hope for her sake she looks like crap to fit the gimmick, otherwise her time with Bubba hasn't done her any favours. The actual attack was pretty good all in all but I just don't care about Velvet.
Kurt Angle v Eric Young TNA WHC Match
Can someone say overbooked? If they were going to have Angle win, which was clearly where they were going with it- even if you take the Adverts for next weeks Impact naming Angle as Champion out of the equation I don't see why he couldn't have "just" won. Yes, EY is the Heel and has to do heelish things to be seen as a legitimate threat, but surely that legitimacy was given in spades when he beat Angle in a Stretcher Match. The addition of the BDC, The Rising and randomly Melendez- combined with the Low Blow to Bully and the attempted Piledriver etc. for me this just felt like a bit of a cluster. I would have loved EY to win, and for me his Heel Run deserved the win last night- but in the position TNA are in they can't afford to not bend to the Networks demands which is why I'm happy for Angle to be Champion for the time being.
Thanks for reading as always, these Impact Reviews are back for the Summer so enjoy them while they're here. It's definitely going to be interesting to see where TNA go between now and Slammiversary at the end of June, and I'll be here every step along the way- don't forget to stay tuned for the RAW Review on Tuesday, and thanks again for reading.
Thursday, 7 May 2015
Fulham: End of Season Awards
Hello! The Seasons over, the players are on holiday- so it's time for the glitz and glamour of an Awards Blog. As you saw in my Norwich Review I had you lot vote on the 6 Main Categories, but of course it wouldn't be any type of awards if it wasn't over-long, dragged out and for the most part stupid. On top of the 6 Main Categories, there'll be some other serious ones- and then a few tongue in cheek ones; Anyway I hope y'all enjoy- you can either skim read through and see all the winners or read the whole thing, either way LET'S GET STARTED
We're Kicking off with a Big one; Game of the Season
You can make the argument for a lot of games being up there for Game of the Season- it's all down to personal preference at the end of the day, and having the three I narrowed it down to does not discount the likes of Huddersfield Away among others.
Nominations:
Fulham 4-3 Boro
What to say about this game eh? 7 Goals, 2 Penalties, A Red Card and a 90th Minute Winner to send Watford up- and those were just the headlines. This game truly had everything- whether it be world class saves, awful goalkeeping, a 2 Goal comeback from 10 Men the list truly goes on for a long time. I don't know if I'd be looking back on this as fondly had McCormack not gotten the winner and the lasting memory of the Cottage for the season was us blowing a 2 Goal Comeback- but as such we ended the season on a high, because let's be honest we'd checked out by the time we played Norwich.
Fulham 2-0 Derby
I Believe I described this as "Perfection" at the time. At the time Derby were one of- if not the form team in the division, and we completely outclassed them. Whether it was Scott Parker having the game of his Fulham life- or Nikolay Bodurov of all people scoring for want of a better term a Karate Kick everything just seemed to click for us in this game- and that's why it's in the Game of the Season Category for me, even if in comparison to some other games it was pretty non-eventful.
Forest 5-3 Fulham
A Game I didn't Review because I pretty much boycotted the last few of "his" matches- because to be honest it was too depressing, and there wasn't really much you could say that hadn't already been said. That said this game was mental- and for a long period of time, even though we lost you could make the argument that it was our Performance of the Season. As with Derby at the time Forest were the form team of the division and when we went two goals down it was seemingly business as usual. But for some intangible reason our players suddenly remembered that they were actually decent footballers on their day and we ended up not only getting it back to a Draw- but going ahead against Top of the League via Ross McCormack and Rodallega. While we ended up blowing it- that in the grand scheme of things was probably for the best because it got rid of "him" as a result.
Results:
Forest 5-3 Fulham- 0%
Fulham 2-0 Derby- 33%
Winner: Fulham 4-3 Boro- 67%
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We now move onto the Equally Prestigious- "Oh Yeah, They Existed Award" this award is here to honour the true heroes of the season- the players who were too good for selection; I'm sure I speak for all of you reading when I say the following nominees are deserving of legend status at the Club.
Nominations:
Dino Fazlic
One of "his" many brainwaves was to sign this guy- and what a genius move it was. Let's take a look at his truly outstanding stats for him...
Exactly.
Adil Chihi
Someone who did actually grace us with his presence this season- and his cameo was... Interesting. When he came on it looked like he'd swallowed a tyre, and for a winger that is the #1 Characteristic required. His ability to lose the ball is almost unmatched- and that is why he is more than deserving of a nomination.
Richard Lee
Not all of these great signings were from "him", Oh No- in the middle of the Loan Deadline Day we announced the signing of Danny Guthrie and Richard Lee. One of these two went on to play in pretty much every game of the season left with a variety of performances. The other- was also there, and that other was Richard Lee.
Winner: Dino Fazlic
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Let's get another one of the Main Categories out of the way with the "Team Performance of the Season", not to be confused with Game of the Season- this is the award for most complete team performance we had this season, whether it be because we dominated whomever was there or we looked defensively sound (BANTER!) or it was what you could simply call a complete team performance. Let's have a look at the three games that most fit the criteria
Nominations:
Fulham 2-0 Derby
As I've already said, this was as close to perfection as I'd seen this season- it's something we'll need a lot more next season in that we entertained a Table Topped and completely overran them and for the most part dominated them. That isn't because of an individual performance- it was because everyone was on the same page.
Fulham 4-0 Bolton
A Game I unfortunately didn't get to Review because I was really ill when the game took place, but it really was a quality display. Coming off the back of the Birmingham game we were starting to get on a bit of a role under Kit and the confidence was coming back, and that was never more apparent than this game.
Fulham 1-0 Norwich
Speaking of performances under Kit- if you divide his reign into the Caretaker and Permanent sections this was probably his best result. Yes, Bolton was convincing- but we were up against a very poor Dougie Freedman team; the game against Norwich was perhaps less convincing- and we rode our luck at times; but it was up against a top of the table Norwich and for that it's deserving of a spot on the list.
Results:
Fulham 1-0 Norwich- 0%
Fulham 4-0 Bolton- 40%
Winner: Fulham 2-0 Derby- 60%
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We now move onto one of, if not the most prestigious award of this post the "Hit for Five" award. This is the award for the other teams- so we can be all inclusive. The qualification for this category was relatively easy in all honesty in that the criteria is that they had to have put 5 past us in a game this season.
Nominations:
Nottingham Forest
I've already pretty much had my say on this match earlier on, it was a mental game- and I think the statistic we'll remember till death is the fact Forest only had 5 Shots on Target in the game.
Derby (Twice!)
What to say about Derby, the first of the 5 Goal hauls was under "him" and you only have to look at the 5th Goal to see where we were as a team under "him". The second time was more disappointing for a number of reasons- primarily we were 2-0 up! However what followed was a collapse of epic proportions and we ended up blowing our chance at the Carling Cup (and Chelsea in the Next Round) by conceding 5 to Derby for the second time in the same season. It all turned out alright though because we ended up starting their slow decline.
Watford
The first of the two teams that put 5 past us and went up- and this was a humiliation. At the time Watford were off form- and a lot of people were touting us to win in front of the Sky Cameras, instead Watford completely outplayed us from the 1st Whistle- and between Watford's Goal of the Season from Almen Abdi, to a Bettinelli Red Card it just wouldn't click for us that night and it was truly "one of those days"
Bournemouth
The second of the two teams that put 5 past us and went up- and the Champions, when Bournemouth put 5 past us in front of the Sky Cameras for me it was a mixture of Bournemouth being extraordinary as they were for the majority of the season, and us letting them be extraordinary.
Winner: Derby, We wrecked their season it's the least we can do.
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It's time to knock out a few of the main categories in a row, much like the Oscars- you've sat through all of the stuff only the people winning cares about in between the bad jokes and ego stroking to get to the bit you actually care about. We're starting it off with the "Individual Performance of the Season". This is here to acknowledge a players performance in a game that was truly extraordinary- and disappointingly there weren't many to choose from.
Nominations:
Marcus Bettinelli v Brentford (Away)
Although we ended up losing the game, Bettinelli's performance that night was on a completely different level. It could well have been a cricket score were it not for him- and his sublime saves, particularly in the First Half- the one from Diagourage stands out particularly. As I said, while we ended up losing Bettinelli's performance in the goal was worthy of winning any game and him being undone by a screamer and a deflection was the only way he was getting beaten that night.
Ross McCormack v Nott. Forest (Home)
The First Hat-Trick from a Fulham player since Pavel Pogrebnyak- and what a Hat-Trick it was. The third was perhaps a bit lucky to go in and be accredited to him, but a First-Half Hat-Trick is a rarity from those in a Fulham shirt- so when one is done it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise it has to be acknowledged.
Marcus Bettinelli v Huddersfield (Away)
The Second Bettinelli performance out of the three nominations, and this performance was on a completely different level. Bettinelli simply couldn't be beaten up at the Galpharm with the exclamation point being the Penalty Save from Nakhi Wells.
Results:
Ross McCormack v Forest- 14%
Marcus Bettinelli v Brentford- 14%
Winner: Marcus Bettinelli v Huddersfield- 72% (for some reason the Strawpoll was saying 71% but I rounded it up)
*****************************************************************************************************************************
We're carrying on with the Main Categories with the " Signing of the Season" which is a hotly contested award this year here's why...
Nominations:
Ross McCormack
What to say about McCormack that hasn't already been said. He's a special player- and one who is worth whatever price we paid for him because him and Bettinelli have grabbed us by the scruff of our neck and dragged us over the safety line. His haul of 19 Goals and 11 Assists for the Season is extraordinary when you consider the team he's had around him, and it gives me a lot of hope for McCormack to at the very least challenge his Leeds tally next season provided we get a competent and consistent team around him.
Michael Turner
The man who was brought in to solve our defensive woes, and to an extent did. We only lost two games while Turner was in the team, and while we probably should have won a few more of those- you can hardly put that on a Centre-Back and he did his job. While he wasn't here for the majority of the season his contribution is more than worthy of a place in this hotly contested list.
Shaun Hutchinson
A Defender we've had since the start of the season, and one of the most schizophrenic players I think I've ever seen. He started off horribly against Ipswich and it was a long road for him to get back into the first team- but when he did after Dan Burn was torn apart against Watford he grew into his role and really did impress me, and if he can continue that trajectory for the most part I won' have a massive objection to him playing next season (New Signings notwithstanding)
Nikolay Bodurov
For me early on in the season he was our signing of the season by a clear margin. He brought a level of calmness to the defence that we hadn't seen in a long time and he was one of not very many who managed to impress me in the first 7 games of the season. Sadly he did tail off a bit as the season went on- but for my money he is still one of our better out and out defenders at the club and he does hold some value for next season.
Dino Fazlic
A Player that truly embodied Fulham. I don't know anyone who's had a bad word to say about any of his performances at the Club- and it's for that reason that he's a nominee.
Results:
Michael Turner- 0%
Shaun Hutchinson- 0%
Nikolay Bodurov- 0%
it's at this point I have to intervene- McCormack won the Vote 57-43 to Fazlic, but this is why Democracy doesn't work on this day of all days so...
Winner: Dino Fazlic
*****************************************************************************************************************************
We're on the Final Stretch now, and we're here for the "Goal of the Season" Award. There isn't much to say about them that Videos can't do so if you need a refresher course the videos are linked.
Nominations:
Lasse Vigen Christensen v Huddersfield
Lasse Vigen Christensen v Sheff. Wednesday
Ross McCormack v Huddersfield
Seko Fofana v Huddersfield
We're Kicking off with a Big one; Game of the Season
You can make the argument for a lot of games being up there for Game of the Season- it's all down to personal preference at the end of the day, and having the three I narrowed it down to does not discount the likes of Huddersfield Away among others.
Nominations:
Fulham 4-3 Boro
What to say about this game eh? 7 Goals, 2 Penalties, A Red Card and a 90th Minute Winner to send Watford up- and those were just the headlines. This game truly had everything- whether it be world class saves, awful goalkeeping, a 2 Goal comeback from 10 Men the list truly goes on for a long time. I don't know if I'd be looking back on this as fondly had McCormack not gotten the winner and the lasting memory of the Cottage for the season was us blowing a 2 Goal Comeback- but as such we ended the season on a high, because let's be honest we'd checked out by the time we played Norwich.
Fulham 2-0 Derby
I Believe I described this as "Perfection" at the time. At the time Derby were one of- if not the form team in the division, and we completely outclassed them. Whether it was Scott Parker having the game of his Fulham life- or Nikolay Bodurov of all people scoring for want of a better term a Karate Kick everything just seemed to click for us in this game- and that's why it's in the Game of the Season Category for me, even if in comparison to some other games it was pretty non-eventful.
Forest 5-3 Fulham
A Game I didn't Review because I pretty much boycotted the last few of "his" matches- because to be honest it was too depressing, and there wasn't really much you could say that hadn't already been said. That said this game was mental- and for a long period of time, even though we lost you could make the argument that it was our Performance of the Season. As with Derby at the time Forest were the form team of the division and when we went two goals down it was seemingly business as usual. But for some intangible reason our players suddenly remembered that they were actually decent footballers on their day and we ended up not only getting it back to a Draw- but going ahead against Top of the League via Ross McCormack and Rodallega. While we ended up blowing it- that in the grand scheme of things was probably for the best because it got rid of "him" as a result.
Results:
Forest 5-3 Fulham- 0%
Fulham 2-0 Derby- 33%
Winner: Fulham 4-3 Boro- 67%
*****************************************************************************************************************************
We now move onto the Equally Prestigious- "Oh Yeah, They Existed Award" this award is here to honour the true heroes of the season- the players who were too good for selection; I'm sure I speak for all of you reading when I say the following nominees are deserving of legend status at the Club.
Nominations:
Dino Fazlic
One of "his" many brainwaves was to sign this guy- and what a genius move it was. Let's take a look at his truly outstanding stats for him...
Exactly.
Adil Chihi
Someone who did actually grace us with his presence this season- and his cameo was... Interesting. When he came on it looked like he'd swallowed a tyre, and for a winger that is the #1 Characteristic required. His ability to lose the ball is almost unmatched- and that is why he is more than deserving of a nomination.
Richard Lee
Not all of these great signings were from "him", Oh No- in the middle of the Loan Deadline Day we announced the signing of Danny Guthrie and Richard Lee. One of these two went on to play in pretty much every game of the season left with a variety of performances. The other- was also there, and that other was Richard Lee.
Winner: Dino Fazlic
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Let's get another one of the Main Categories out of the way with the "Team Performance of the Season", not to be confused with Game of the Season- this is the award for most complete team performance we had this season, whether it be because we dominated whomever was there or we looked defensively sound (BANTER!) or it was what you could simply call a complete team performance. Let's have a look at the three games that most fit the criteria
Nominations:
Fulham 2-0 Derby
As I've already said, this was as close to perfection as I'd seen this season- it's something we'll need a lot more next season in that we entertained a Table Topped and completely overran them and for the most part dominated them. That isn't because of an individual performance- it was because everyone was on the same page.
Fulham 4-0 Bolton
A Game I unfortunately didn't get to Review because I was really ill when the game took place, but it really was a quality display. Coming off the back of the Birmingham game we were starting to get on a bit of a role under Kit and the confidence was coming back, and that was never more apparent than this game.
Fulham 1-0 Norwich
Speaking of performances under Kit- if you divide his reign into the Caretaker and Permanent sections this was probably his best result. Yes, Bolton was convincing- but we were up against a very poor Dougie Freedman team; the game against Norwich was perhaps less convincing- and we rode our luck at times; but it was up against a top of the table Norwich and for that it's deserving of a spot on the list.
Results:
Fulham 1-0 Norwich- 0%
Fulham 4-0 Bolton- 40%
Winner: Fulham 2-0 Derby- 60%
*****************************************************************************************************************************
We now move onto one of, if not the most prestigious award of this post the "Hit for Five" award. This is the award for the other teams- so we can be all inclusive. The qualification for this category was relatively easy in all honesty in that the criteria is that they had to have put 5 past us in a game this season.
Nominations:
Nottingham Forest
I've already pretty much had my say on this match earlier on, it was a mental game- and I think the statistic we'll remember till death is the fact Forest only had 5 Shots on Target in the game.
Derby (Twice!)
What to say about Derby, the first of the 5 Goal hauls was under "him" and you only have to look at the 5th Goal to see where we were as a team under "him". The second time was more disappointing for a number of reasons- primarily we were 2-0 up! However what followed was a collapse of epic proportions and we ended up blowing our chance at the Carling Cup (and Chelsea in the Next Round) by conceding 5 to Derby for the second time in the same season. It all turned out alright though because we ended up starting their slow decline.
Watford
The first of the two teams that put 5 past us and went up- and this was a humiliation. At the time Watford were off form- and a lot of people were touting us to win in front of the Sky Cameras, instead Watford completely outplayed us from the 1st Whistle- and between Watford's Goal of the Season from Almen Abdi, to a Bettinelli Red Card it just wouldn't click for us that night and it was truly "one of those days"
Bournemouth
The second of the two teams that put 5 past us and went up- and the Champions, when Bournemouth put 5 past us in front of the Sky Cameras for me it was a mixture of Bournemouth being extraordinary as they were for the majority of the season, and us letting them be extraordinary.
Winner: Derby, We wrecked their season it's the least we can do.
*****************************************************************************************************************************
It's time to knock out a few of the main categories in a row, much like the Oscars- you've sat through all of the stuff only the people winning cares about in between the bad jokes and ego stroking to get to the bit you actually care about. We're starting it off with the "Individual Performance of the Season". This is here to acknowledge a players performance in a game that was truly extraordinary- and disappointingly there weren't many to choose from.
Nominations:
Marcus Bettinelli v Brentford (Away)
Although we ended up losing the game, Bettinelli's performance that night was on a completely different level. It could well have been a cricket score were it not for him- and his sublime saves, particularly in the First Half- the one from Diagourage stands out particularly. As I said, while we ended up losing Bettinelli's performance in the goal was worthy of winning any game and him being undone by a screamer and a deflection was the only way he was getting beaten that night.
Ross McCormack v Nott. Forest (Home)
The First Hat-Trick from a Fulham player since Pavel Pogrebnyak- and what a Hat-Trick it was. The third was perhaps a bit lucky to go in and be accredited to him, but a First-Half Hat-Trick is a rarity from those in a Fulham shirt- so when one is done it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise it has to be acknowledged.
Marcus Bettinelli v Huddersfield (Away)
The Second Bettinelli performance out of the three nominations, and this performance was on a completely different level. Bettinelli simply couldn't be beaten up at the Galpharm with the exclamation point being the Penalty Save from Nakhi Wells.
Results:
Ross McCormack v Forest- 14%
Marcus Bettinelli v Brentford- 14%
Winner: Marcus Bettinelli v Huddersfield- 72% (for some reason the Strawpoll was saying 71% but I rounded it up)
*****************************************************************************************************************************
We're carrying on with the Main Categories with the " Signing of the Season" which is a hotly contested award this year here's why...
Nominations:
Ross McCormack
What to say about McCormack that hasn't already been said. He's a special player- and one who is worth whatever price we paid for him because him and Bettinelli have grabbed us by the scruff of our neck and dragged us over the safety line. His haul of 19 Goals and 11 Assists for the Season is extraordinary when you consider the team he's had around him, and it gives me a lot of hope for McCormack to at the very least challenge his Leeds tally next season provided we get a competent and consistent team around him.
Michael Turner
The man who was brought in to solve our defensive woes, and to an extent did. We only lost two games while Turner was in the team, and while we probably should have won a few more of those- you can hardly put that on a Centre-Back and he did his job. While he wasn't here for the majority of the season his contribution is more than worthy of a place in this hotly contested list.
Shaun Hutchinson
A Defender we've had since the start of the season, and one of the most schizophrenic players I think I've ever seen. He started off horribly against Ipswich and it was a long road for him to get back into the first team- but when he did after Dan Burn was torn apart against Watford he grew into his role and really did impress me, and if he can continue that trajectory for the most part I won' have a massive objection to him playing next season (New Signings notwithstanding)
Nikolay Bodurov
For me early on in the season he was our signing of the season by a clear margin. He brought a level of calmness to the defence that we hadn't seen in a long time and he was one of not very many who managed to impress me in the first 7 games of the season. Sadly he did tail off a bit as the season went on- but for my money he is still one of our better out and out defenders at the club and he does hold some value for next season.
Dino Fazlic
A Player that truly embodied Fulham. I don't know anyone who's had a bad word to say about any of his performances at the Club- and it's for that reason that he's a nominee.
Results:
Michael Turner- 0%
Shaun Hutchinson- 0%
Nikolay Bodurov- 0%
it's at this point I have to intervene- McCormack won the Vote 57-43 to Fazlic, but this is why Democracy doesn't work on this day of all days so...
Winner: Dino Fazlic
*****************************************************************************************************************************
We're on the Final Stretch now, and we're here for the "Goal of the Season" Award. There isn't much to say about them that Videos can't do so if you need a refresher course the videos are linked.
Nominations:
Lasse Vigen Christensen v Huddersfield
Lasse Vigen Christensen v Sheff. Wednesday
Ross McCormack v Huddersfield
Seko Fofana v Huddersfield
Matt Smith v Wigan
Results
Seko Fofana v Huddersfield- 0%
Matt Smith v Wigan- 14%
Ross McCormack v Huddersfield- 14%
Lasse Vigen Christensen v Sheff. Wednesday- 14%
Winner: Lasse Vigen Christensen v Huddersfield- 57% (according to Strawpoll I realise it should be 58)
Democracy does indeed work, because for me this was our goal of the season by a mile, yes- you can make the argument for the Sheff. Wednesday goal as a pure counter attacking goal, and without exaggeration it was the best counter-attacking goal I've ever seen- The Huddersfield goal was a special goal and a deserving winner.
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Now we're off for the Main 2 Awards, one of which I didn't have votes on just because I had no idea how to do it. So before we get to the Player of the Season we have the "Team of the Season". For me this is a fairly obvious choice so I'm not going to get into in-depth reasons- if you want to challenge me on any of them you can do so on Twitter. I'm also going to have this laid out how I'm going to be doing the teams next season because the alignments were really annoying me by the end of the season- and of course it'll be laid out in the Diamond, because Diamonds are truly forever.
*****************************************************************************************************************************
We now move onto the big one, the "Player of the Season" award, it was a hotly contested award this year- I'm not quite sure how but I've managed to narrow it down to three nominees and those are...
Nominations:
Ross McCormack
As I've already said, McCormack is a Special Player- in terms of performance level he tailed off towards the end of the season; but in a very rare turn of events a Striker who isn't on top of his game was still bagging goals for us. His Statistics for this season have been special and provided we can hold onto him for next season and we have a good Summer in the Transfer window the chances of his goals spearheading a push for the Top 6 are high in my opinion.
Marcus Bettinelli
You can make the argument that it doesn't matter how many McCormack scored if we let in more at the other end- and vice versa. As I said in my Norwich Review the fact we've conceded 83 Goals in the League season of which 62 were put past Bettinelli- and yet he's still on this list speaks volumes for his performance level and doesn't speak at all highly for those in front of him.
Lasse Vigen Christensen
One of this biggest shames of the season has been LVC's rather anti-climactic end to the Season- because for me and I'm sure many others just before Christmas he was the best player in the Division. But between Kit rushing him back to his injury against Derby his season tailed off quite early, but his performances before his season was cut short make him more than worthy of a nomination.
Results:
Lasse Vigen Christensen- 6%
Marcus Bettinelli- 25%
Winner: Ross McCormack- 69%
Thanks for reading as always, as I promised the Fulham posts won't be stopping for the Summer- and they'll be going up on Thursday so here we are. I hope you enjoyed this blog- and some of the tongue in cheek bits as well as the more serious awards- The Suggestion Box for some of the Posts I'm going to do over the Summer is still open so feel free to drop one in and Thanks again for reading
END CREDIT POINTLESS AWARDS MONTAGE!
Save of the Season- Bettinelli from Diagouraga
Miss of the Season- Rodallega v Reading
Red Card of the Season- Stafylidis v Leeds
Debut of the Season- Matt Smith v Reading
Tuesday, 5 May 2015
RAW Review: 4th May
Hello! It's another RAW Review, and now the seasons over- at least from a Fulham perspective the Wrasslin side of this blog'll be taking the forefront until August. Anyway, I think we were all pretty cold headed into this edition of RAW- but I think coming out of it we can all agree that the RAW last night was the best of the Calendar Year, and if it is topped it'll be a truly special RAW with which it is topped by. Also if you read my last Fulham Review you'll know- but I accept people don't go on this necessarily because of my literary talents so the two sides of this have two entirely different audiences- My Netbook died last week so I've upgraded to a proper Laptop, which in turn means a bigger keyboard which I haven't entirely gotten used to yet- so if there's any typos forgive me. Anyway... LETS GET READY TO R..... HUMBLE!!!!
Randy Orton & Roman Reigns meet New Day
I thought this would be a standard, hey- I respect you but if you get in my way I'll kill you type back and forth between Orton & Roman before they inevitably got put in a Tag Match against Kane and Rollins or some combination of the RAW Main Event tag teams we've seen for pretty much a solid 6 Months. What we got instead was great. New Day are truly the Rocky Maivia of the current WWE landscape, everyone hated them until they turned- now I'm pretty sure the general consensus is that they're great in their new roles and especially last night they were one of if not the most entertaining part of the show. Randy & Roman sarcastically playing along with the Clapping stuff made it that much better, I said it last week that Xavier was finding his role as the main heater- and that was apparent again last night which is a good thing because when they were babyfaces he was just kind of there.
New Day v Roman Reigns & Randy Orton
If you were following along on Twitter you'll know I was a bit distracted during this match- it's a long story involving a potential fire hazard, a microwave and Garlic Bread- no, really. But from what I did see of the match it was pretty good- Booker butchering what the freebird rule was annoyed me but apart from that there wasn't anything obviously wrong with it all. I was scared they were going to have New Day lose clean- and given the way they've booked "secondary" champions I think I was rightly concerned, but the finish was good and it gave New Day a great platform as well as teeing up the Main Event match and teasing the tension a lot more than any promo could have done.
Kane Backstage Promo
A Common Theme for most of the Backstage Segments last night in that New Day were a highlight- them going mental after winning was entirely in keeping with their characters and I think it speaks highly for them that they got pretty much more air time in one night than they did in their entire babyface run. The Kane/Rollins stuff is getting a bit repetitive now- we're getting pretty much the same thing every week with very little progression, and they need to either pull the trigger on this Kane/Rollins feud or drop it because it's losing steam every repetitive week.
Ryback & Bray Wyatt's thing
We already had the Ryback sob story promo a couple of months ago- then again in keeping with Rybacks on/off pushes presumably Vince forgot all about it and thought it was an original idea. The one thing you do have to say to Ryback's credit is that he won the crowd over when they were split on him. The Bray promo was, well a Bray promo- I still say he's a bit wasted with all if this build, but hopefully this is something just to hold him over for something a lot bigger for Summerslam.
KiddSaro v The Ascension
KiddSaro didn't come out to that much of a reaction- and I started to think maybe we'd were overestimating their over-ness, but if the crowd weren't won over by them before- after Cesaro proved how much of a beast he is every single person in the crowd had bought into them. But nope, Cesaro hasn't connected... Has he Vince.
Seth Rollins Backstage Promo
As with the previous backstage promo it did feel a bit like they just Copy & Paste, Seth antagonises Kane- Kane responds into every RAW script.
Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins
I really liked this match, I'm going to preface everything I say with that so people don't get the wrong idea. The "Holy Shit" and "This is Awesome" chants have lost all meaning now- they did the former after a Suicide Dive, which you see almost every week on RAW whether it's from Neville, Harper, Reigns, Ambrose etc. it's not a special occurrence when someone does a suicide dive- and for me it just didn't merit it. Then the first "This is Awesome" chant broke out when the match was just starting to click from my point of view- and as such didn't deserve it at that time. However, by the end it deserved all the adulation in the world, the finish was near perfect, in that a roll-up protects Rollins to an extent- but at the same time J&J coming down meant the odds were against Ambrose.
I got into a semi-argument with someone over what I'm about to say last night, Ambrose from my point of view is completely out of place being in a Main Event. Since Hell in a Cell he hasn't even had a sniff of the Main Event scene, and since his "What other potentially dangerous stipulation can we put these guys in" feud with Bray fizzled out he hasn't even had a heated feud with which to sink his teeth into. While there is obvious history between Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns- Ambrose within kayfabe is nowhere near credible enough to be in the Main Event, and has presumably been put in solely to take the pin before going back to the Midcard. I like Ambrose, and the crowd clearly care about him- but going from the most filler of filler matches on the last PPV card to the Main Event with no bridge makes little sense to me.
Seth Rollins, Kane Backstage Promo
Do I even need to say what happened, you can fill in the blanks.
Lana Backstage Promo
Lana dropping the seed of her Murican-ness was a nice subtle touch- I completely disagree with the reported plan for her, because she's almost perfect in her Russian role and has almost naturally turned into a babyface of her own accord so why they feel the need to do anything other than slightly tweak her gimmick so it's more "fan-friendly" is beyond me. If you just disengage for a second and pretend Fandango is Johnny Curtis and he chloroformed Saxton, you feel that- that's the feeling of the world being right.
Rusev v Fandango
To be fair to them- they actually gave us a proper match, with a story attached to it with Lana and Fandango getting in some good offence. If all of Rusev's squash matches had been like this one the crowd would have gotten into him a lot earlier.
KRUGAH!!!!!
Stardust v R-Truth
I really liked this RAW, but this was one of the worst things to ever happen in a Wrestling ring ever. You can tell it was a Vince idea and he was probably pissing himself laughing when it happened, but everyone else- not so much. It's a shame as well because both guys are a lot better than a win via Plastic Spiders.
John Cena v Sami Zayn
I'm going to try incredibly hard to not go on a rant- everyone is entitled to an opinion and I respect every one equally. However, how anyone can say Sami Zayn was "buried" last night and Cena "buried" him is beyond me. I was tempted to do an entire post last night when RAW ended about why Sami Zayn wasn't buried- but I was way too tired and I don't like half-arsing any of these posts, because you lot have decided to read this; and I want you to keep coming back week after week for these. Sami Zayn, someone who was completely destroyed by Kevin Owens- gave Cena a proper match, even when he was injured; and if that doesn't elevate him and Owens to a different level, he was introduced by Bret fucking Hart. Without being ITK I'm assuming this whole part was produce by HHH because Cole was actually calling moves and telling a proper story- it might not seem like a lot but when you get so used to the usual half-arsed commentary, for Cole to actually be calling a Koji Clutch and a Blue Thunder Bomb added a lot to the match. I'm not sure if this was his "Debut Debut" or if they're Charlotte-ing him, the injury may have a part to play in all of it- but either way this was top draw stuff.
Oh Yeah... Justice for Slater.
New Day, KiddSaro Backstage Promo
This and what directly followed it with the Ring-Walk for the Bellas cemented New Day as one of the highlights of a very good RAW, and if you'd predicted that before they turned you'd have been sectioned.
Nikki Bella v Naomi
So pretty much the highlight of all of this was New Day when they were doing the walk to the ring. The Naomi is getting AJ's turn stuff is pretty apparent to the point they put Tamina with her- who looked out of place without wearing someone's merch, if there were ever a reason to give Naomi merch it's for the sake of Tamina. The attack was alright, for me it was positioned wrong because there was no way they were going to get a hot reaction after the crowd had expended so much energy during Cena/Zayn. If they really want to "Give Divas a Chance" they need to stop being in the pallet cleanser spot, I'm not necessarily saying give them the Top of any of the hours- but give them the first match of the night or something.
King Barrett and Sheamus v Neville & Dolph Ziggler
This was alright for what it was, all 4 guys are solid in-ring- so if they were to not put on a good match it would be more of a surprise. While I know it's a long-shot I'd have Neville turn on Dolph and do a British Invasion type faction- even though Sheamus isn't British.
Randy Orton v Roman Reigns
Literally nobody saw this match playing out the way it did and then subsequently getting an Ambrose run-in to make the save before everyone took each others finishers, nobody. While the Main Event was shaken up with the Ambrose addition there's still an air of predictability surrounding the current Main Event picture and the way each Main Event is going to play out which WWE needs to address- because especially on a RAW like this one the Main Event looks like shit in comparison.
Thanks for reading as always, as I said at the start this RAW is the start of the Wrasslin Summer for this blog now the Football Season is over from a Fulham view, and with that comes Impact Reviews! So they'll be going up every Saturday, and while they won't necessarily be regular there's going to be quite a few booking blogs between now and August- so stay tuned for both of those things and I hope you enjoy them. Thanks again for reading, and remember- JUSTICE FOR SLATER BAYBAY!!!
Randy Orton & Roman Reigns meet New Day
I thought this would be a standard, hey- I respect you but if you get in my way I'll kill you type back and forth between Orton & Roman before they inevitably got put in a Tag Match against Kane and Rollins or some combination of the RAW Main Event tag teams we've seen for pretty much a solid 6 Months. What we got instead was great. New Day are truly the Rocky Maivia of the current WWE landscape, everyone hated them until they turned- now I'm pretty sure the general consensus is that they're great in their new roles and especially last night they were one of if not the most entertaining part of the show. Randy & Roman sarcastically playing along with the Clapping stuff made it that much better, I said it last week that Xavier was finding his role as the main heater- and that was apparent again last night which is a good thing because when they were babyfaces he was just kind of there.
New Day v Roman Reigns & Randy Orton
If you were following along on Twitter you'll know I was a bit distracted during this match- it's a long story involving a potential fire hazard, a microwave and Garlic Bread- no, really. But from what I did see of the match it was pretty good- Booker butchering what the freebird rule was annoyed me but apart from that there wasn't anything obviously wrong with it all. I was scared they were going to have New Day lose clean- and given the way they've booked "secondary" champions I think I was rightly concerned, but the finish was good and it gave New Day a great platform as well as teeing up the Main Event match and teasing the tension a lot more than any promo could have done.
Kane Backstage Promo
A Common Theme for most of the Backstage Segments last night in that New Day were a highlight- them going mental after winning was entirely in keeping with their characters and I think it speaks highly for them that they got pretty much more air time in one night than they did in their entire babyface run. The Kane/Rollins stuff is getting a bit repetitive now- we're getting pretty much the same thing every week with very little progression, and they need to either pull the trigger on this Kane/Rollins feud or drop it because it's losing steam every repetitive week.
Ryback & Bray Wyatt's thing
We already had the Ryback sob story promo a couple of months ago- then again in keeping with Rybacks on/off pushes presumably Vince forgot all about it and thought it was an original idea. The one thing you do have to say to Ryback's credit is that he won the crowd over when they were split on him. The Bray promo was, well a Bray promo- I still say he's a bit wasted with all if this build, but hopefully this is something just to hold him over for something a lot bigger for Summerslam.
KiddSaro v The Ascension
KiddSaro didn't come out to that much of a reaction- and I started to think maybe we'd were overestimating their over-ness, but if the crowd weren't won over by them before- after Cesaro proved how much of a beast he is every single person in the crowd had bought into them. But nope, Cesaro hasn't connected... Has he Vince.
Seth Rollins Backstage Promo
As with the previous backstage promo it did feel a bit like they just Copy & Paste, Seth antagonises Kane- Kane responds into every RAW script.
Dean Ambrose v Seth Rollins
I really liked this match, I'm going to preface everything I say with that so people don't get the wrong idea. The "Holy Shit" and "This is Awesome" chants have lost all meaning now- they did the former after a Suicide Dive, which you see almost every week on RAW whether it's from Neville, Harper, Reigns, Ambrose etc. it's not a special occurrence when someone does a suicide dive- and for me it just didn't merit it. Then the first "This is Awesome" chant broke out when the match was just starting to click from my point of view- and as such didn't deserve it at that time. However, by the end it deserved all the adulation in the world, the finish was near perfect, in that a roll-up protects Rollins to an extent- but at the same time J&J coming down meant the odds were against Ambrose.
I got into a semi-argument with someone over what I'm about to say last night, Ambrose from my point of view is completely out of place being in a Main Event. Since Hell in a Cell he hasn't even had a sniff of the Main Event scene, and since his "What other potentially dangerous stipulation can we put these guys in" feud with Bray fizzled out he hasn't even had a heated feud with which to sink his teeth into. While there is obvious history between Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns- Ambrose within kayfabe is nowhere near credible enough to be in the Main Event, and has presumably been put in solely to take the pin before going back to the Midcard. I like Ambrose, and the crowd clearly care about him- but going from the most filler of filler matches on the last PPV card to the Main Event with no bridge makes little sense to me.
Seth Rollins, Kane Backstage Promo
Do I even need to say what happened, you can fill in the blanks.
Lana Backstage Promo
Lana dropping the seed of her Murican-ness was a nice subtle touch- I completely disagree with the reported plan for her, because she's almost perfect in her Russian role and has almost naturally turned into a babyface of her own accord so why they feel the need to do anything other than slightly tweak her gimmick so it's more "fan-friendly" is beyond me. If you just disengage for a second and pretend Fandango is Johnny Curtis and he chloroformed Saxton, you feel that- that's the feeling of the world being right.
Rusev v Fandango
To be fair to them- they actually gave us a proper match, with a story attached to it with Lana and Fandango getting in some good offence. If all of Rusev's squash matches had been like this one the crowd would have gotten into him a lot earlier.
KRUGAH!!!!!
Stardust v R-Truth
I really liked this RAW, but this was one of the worst things to ever happen in a Wrestling ring ever. You can tell it was a Vince idea and he was probably pissing himself laughing when it happened, but everyone else- not so much. It's a shame as well because both guys are a lot better than a win via Plastic Spiders.
John Cena v Sami Zayn
I'm going to try incredibly hard to not go on a rant- everyone is entitled to an opinion and I respect every one equally. However, how anyone can say Sami Zayn was "buried" last night and Cena "buried" him is beyond me. I was tempted to do an entire post last night when RAW ended about why Sami Zayn wasn't buried- but I was way too tired and I don't like half-arsing any of these posts, because you lot have decided to read this; and I want you to keep coming back week after week for these. Sami Zayn, someone who was completely destroyed by Kevin Owens- gave Cena a proper match, even when he was injured; and if that doesn't elevate him and Owens to a different level, he was introduced by Bret fucking Hart. Without being ITK I'm assuming this whole part was produce by HHH because Cole was actually calling moves and telling a proper story- it might not seem like a lot but when you get so used to the usual half-arsed commentary, for Cole to actually be calling a Koji Clutch and a Blue Thunder Bomb added a lot to the match. I'm not sure if this was his "Debut Debut" or if they're Charlotte-ing him, the injury may have a part to play in all of it- but either way this was top draw stuff.
Oh Yeah... Justice for Slater.
New Day, KiddSaro Backstage Promo
This and what directly followed it with the Ring-Walk for the Bellas cemented New Day as one of the highlights of a very good RAW, and if you'd predicted that before they turned you'd have been sectioned.
Nikki Bella v Naomi
So pretty much the highlight of all of this was New Day when they were doing the walk to the ring. The Naomi is getting AJ's turn stuff is pretty apparent to the point they put Tamina with her- who looked out of place without wearing someone's merch, if there were ever a reason to give Naomi merch it's for the sake of Tamina. The attack was alright, for me it was positioned wrong because there was no way they were going to get a hot reaction after the crowd had expended so much energy during Cena/Zayn. If they really want to "Give Divas a Chance" they need to stop being in the pallet cleanser spot, I'm not necessarily saying give them the Top of any of the hours- but give them the first match of the night or something.
King Barrett and Sheamus v Neville & Dolph Ziggler
This was alright for what it was, all 4 guys are solid in-ring- so if they were to not put on a good match it would be more of a surprise. While I know it's a long-shot I'd have Neville turn on Dolph and do a British Invasion type faction- even though Sheamus isn't British.
Randy Orton v Roman Reigns
Literally nobody saw this match playing out the way it did and then subsequently getting an Ambrose run-in to make the save before everyone took each others finishers, nobody. While the Main Event was shaken up with the Ambrose addition there's still an air of predictability surrounding the current Main Event picture and the way each Main Event is going to play out which WWE needs to address- because especially on a RAW like this one the Main Event looks like shit in comparison.
Thanks for reading as always, as I said at the start this RAW is the start of the Wrasslin Summer for this blog now the Football Season is over from a Fulham view, and with that comes Impact Reviews! So they'll be going up every Saturday, and while they won't necessarily be regular there's going to be quite a few booking blogs between now and August- so stay tuned for both of those things and I hope you enjoy them. Thanks again for reading, and remember- JUSTICE FOR SLATER BAYBAY!!!
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