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| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 5:48pm On Nov 28, 2022 |
Kaycee7: no wahala I dey wait We done hammer  |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 10:38am On Nov 29, 2022 |
WWE RAW REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS The Infamous Kevin Owens interrupted a great moment for The Bloodline. Sami Zayn, still euphoric of Survivor Series, celebrated with Jimmy & Jey Uso, pledging their love and allegiance to one another. Jey and Sami embraced with so much joy as all three men stated The Bloodline has no clots in its system. Actually, they said no cracks, but blood clots, it doesn’t crack. As the three men created the happiest group hug ever, they looked at stoic Solo Sikoa. Solo didn’t smile and resisted their pleas. But then he moved just a bit and it looked like he might actually hug his brothers and his adopted brother. But then KO’s music blared through West Virginia and I, along with the crowd, felt dejected. How dare you, Kevin. Kevin didn’t want to scrap with Sami. In fact, he’s happy for Sami. He’s happy the world finally gets to see Sami’s greatness. But he’s done with Zayn. Not just as a friend but as an enemy. He doesn’t want to fight him, fight with him, or drive up and down the road together. Sami is cool with that too because he doesn’t need KO anymore; he has a new family. KO, always a downer, reminded Sami that no matter what he or anyone in The Bloodline says, he’s not their real family. Continuing the fantastic character work done in this story, it was Jey Uso who stepped up in Sami’s defense. Jey told Sami not to sweat KO and he has no problem fighting KO on Sami’s behalf. Fantastic progression for two people always at odds, and a great moment illustrating Jey’s love for Sami. In a family, when one of you have beef, you all have beef. And in wrestling, nothing says “I love you” like fighting on someone’s behalf. The KO and Zayn stuff felt real in the way only true friends can make it feel real. They dropped the pretension and talked to each other like people. That part of the segment is worth your time, even if you miss everything else before or the match after. Oh but the match after? Excellent. What started as a back and forth turned into a question of how much could KO endure? He hurt his lower back, he took multiple Superkicks to the chin—including one where Jey actually flew—and of course, dealt with a few Bloodline shenanigans. Jimmy tried interrupting, Solo swiped his legs on the ring apron, and Sami coached Jey on the outside. Jey worked on KO’s back after Sami pointed it out to him, and eventually that back betrayed Owens when he went for a Pop up Power Bomb. That was the moment I figured Jey had the W in hand. But Owens never gave up. He took all that punishment from his body, a forceful interruption from Solo, and kept going. He played possum, escaped Jey’s splash attempt, and finished the Uso off with a Stunner. Kevin got out of dodge almost immediately while the rest of the Bloodline looked on in shock. Everything with this angle is the best part of WWE television at the moment, so the more we get of them the better. Saving this for the main event was a great idea, especially after all that emotion we got earlier. Without taking the rumors into account, I wonder what the next part of the story is and how it plays out. Sami’s loyalty is solidified (right?) and the Usos have a tag title match next week with Elias & Riddle. Perhaps it’s building in the short-term to another confrontation between Sami and KO that only happens because Roman Reigns demands it so. Sami says he’s done with Kevin but his loyalty to Roman might be the one thing that makes him go back on his word. My guess is Jimmy gets a shot at KO next, then Solo, and neither get the job done. Roman forces Sami into battle and then we go from there. Whatever it is, I’m down because they have me hook, line, and sinker. Extracurriculars Anarchy Rhea Ripley wrestled Mia Yim in Raw’s first bout. I kept asking myself why no member of The O.C. accompanied Mia since she’s working with them as their solution to the “Rhea problem.” Then Dominik got involved, which brought out AJ Styles and everything clicked in place. Needless to say, Mia vs. Rhea ended in a no contest but an eight-person tag match emerged from the wreckage. But we know what it looks like when The O.C. goes against Judgment Day’s three male members. Yup, I know what I wrote and I’m not changing it. Anyway, with that in mind, it makes sense that seeing those two square off within the context of the tag match got the most excitement. Or just any time either of them did anything in the match. Whether it was Rhea beating up on Karl Anderson for a bit, or Mia powerslamming Finn Balor. But the minute Michin put her hands on Dom, Rhea struck with a Riptide. Don’t mess with Mami’s man. I want more of this and thankfully, this feud isn’t over yet. If Mia is the solution, we need the proof. Graduation It’s time. If the Street Profits aren’t getting those tag titles, then break them up for solo runs because they’re both ready. Angelo Dawkins looks better and better while Montez Ford, returning from an injury, keeps adding power to his game. This week, he showed Bianca Belair isn’t the only one in their household with an ability to carry Otis. While not as impressive as that feat, Montez power slammed the big man with ease. The Profits looked great in their match against Alpha Academy, I just think the writing is on the wall. The Carter Speaking of moving on, Austin Theory is done with everyone. His promo packed convention as he celebrated the fact he regained the United States championship. Of course he rubbed that in everyone’s face, which is his right. But there’s also a chip on his shoulder the size of the Golden Nugget. Seth Rollins showed up dressed like he’s working the Victoria’s Secret runway and issued a challenge. The new champion said sure but on his time. Of course, Seth called him a kid, which always gets under Theory’s considerably thin skin. That’s his kryptonite and more than likely the key narrative device for his title run. He’ll either overcome said shortcoming or fall victim to it. An okay segment that sets up the future not just for these two, but a look at why Theory’s second run with the US title will differ from his first. Me Against the World Dexter Lumis’ Anything Goes match against Miz was too long. This isn’t an indictment on the men involved since they both came to play—no pun intended. Lumis surviving an actual vice grip on his skull was a fun moment. But it's an Anything Goes match against a psychopath, so anything going longer than a few minutes feels like wasted time. Especially since we all know the outcome with Adam Pearce ringside, contract in hand, and Miz is the bad guy at the end of a very long and tedious story. I’m just glad the ordeal is over. Back for the First Time Candice LaRae came back with Damage CTRL in her sights. Candice wants a little revenge since the crew put her on the shelf for a month. First on her list? Dakota Kai. And the match started perfectly with Candice attacking Dakota Kai as Kai made her entrance. But the match didn’t maintain that aggression level and energy once it settled. The fight became a wrestling match and the story, at least at this point, calls for a lot of the former and less of the latter. I didn’t dislike the match because both women know what they’re doing in the ring. But the booking, along with the time, did them no favors. Eyes on This Alexa Bliss is plotting. During a backstage interview with her, Bianca, and Asuka, Alexa looked disinterested and in her own world. On the real, this isn’t new. For the past few weeks, Alexa looked like someone wishing they were anywhere else in the world than following Bianca’s lead. Bianca and Asuka finally noticed this week, which means a heel turn is possibly on the horizon. Maybe I expected a more exciting show coming off a really great outing at Survivor Series, but this whole left me wanting. The opening and closing worked on every level, but it’s Raw’s middle that leaves me wanting. There was nothing objectionable but nothing truly stood out either. Not quite a 40 degree day, but nothing newsworthy. Truly one of those episodes that makes me pine for a two-hour show. Make it brief, son. Half short and twice strong. Grade: B- 1 Like |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 11:02am On Nov 29, 2022 |
I didn't catch it before but I went on Twitter and people that have sharper eyes than me did.
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| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 8:32am On Nov 30, 2022 |
WWE NXT REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS The Ballad of Nikkita Lyons Allow me a minute for some pontification. I don’t want to talk about this week’s main event matchup between Toxic Attraction and Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, & Nikkita Lyons. The reason it happened in the main event is because Zoey attacked Nikkita prior to the match and aggravated her bum knee. Nikkita saw a trainer, got the knee wrapped, and showed up at maybe 50 percent in the main event. That all makes sense with Zoey waiting in the wings because this isn’t over yet between them. But what doesn’t make sense is what’s happening with Nikkita right now. Many moons ago, Nikkita looked prime for title shot against Mandy Rose. Then she got hurt and things changed. Two big signs? Nikkita isn’t anywhere close to even sniffing a title match against Mandy Rose, and her absence from the Iron Survivor Challenge match. Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, X-Pac, Alundra Blayze (or Medusa), and Molly Holly did a couple backstage segments discussing their picks for the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge and the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge. Not only did Nikkita not make the cut, but they didn’t even discuss her. They talked about Zoey Stark, Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, Kiana James, and Fallon Henley. The woman who got so much attention her first few weeks on the brand didn’t elicit so much as a pity mention. Oh, and the wild card match for the fifth and final spot in the women’s match? She’s not in that either. Instead it’s Wendy Choo, Indi Hartwell, and Fallon. No diss to either of those women but Nikkita not being there just feels weird. I’m not saying she’s the best in the ring but this is developmental; most NXT wrestlers are rough around the edges minus a few. But I am saying Nikkita’s name rang bells and she was a big deal. She still might be a bigger deal than most of the women in this match. So what gives? Is the injury worse than we know? Did she rub someone or several someones the wrong way? They’re still using her but they’re also not putting her in the big spots she seemed prime for earlier this year. Even in this six-way dance, in which she barely wrestled, it seemed like she only showed up to take the pin. This feud with Zoey should shed more light on the situation, even though it’s hard envisioning Zoey losing after getting christened by five hall of fame wrestlers and competing in WWE’s newest creation. It’s all weird and, right now, the most fascinating story in NXT. Extracurriculars Pop 4 Roc One of my least favorite JAY-Z songs and what the crowd did for Roxanne Perez. Her match with Indi Hartwell came from Indi being in her feelings that Roxanne didn’t watch her match. In reality, it’s just because Indi feels insecure at the moment and took it out on the wrong person. That’s real, I get it. Maybe Roxanne watched the match and maybe she didn't, but she did watch her foot go down Indi’s throat. Solid match and a good boost for Perez. Indi keeps floating aimlessly because when you pick that fight and talk all that trash, you gotta win. Final Justice Dijak defeated Dante Chen, a man who seemingly had a little push a while ago. Chen didn’t get squashed, but Dijak dominated. The match didn’t do anything for me and I’m not interested in Dijak yet but there might be something there. I’m not sure if this “hard justice” gimmick is the thing for him, but we shall see. Heels I dig Kiana James and Fallon Henley. I love Fallon’s character and style. Kiana’s character is growing on me just like her in-ring ability. And I love that she cheats. Heels doing heel things always makes me smile. Heels play fair way too much for my blood these days, so seeing Kiana use her bag to get the bag and the W? Keep it going. The match held my attention because I’m invested in both ladies. Like most NXT matches, it was solid wrestling with solid character progression. BBC Big Body Javy makes me chuckle. He’s the goofball that every territory needs. His work with McKenzie is probably the best in NXt since they have an easy rapport. Big Body got his wish this week, finally, and got his hands on Axiom. A broken clock and all that. Axiom, of course, got the W because Javy isn’t there to pick up wins; he’s the punchline to every joke. But both men looked pretty good and impressed in their short time. Props to Axiom for selling that knee injury from a few weeks ago through his offense and sporting a limp after Javy exploited the injury. It’s the little things. Tossed Salad & Scrambled Eggs Bron Breakker showed up at Apollo Crews’ diner this week! “I knew you’d be here,” said Bron. Because duh. Where else is Crews but at a Florida diner sitting at a small ass table while journaling? Deniro and Pacino in Heat it was not, but it’s a change of pace than the usual in-ring microphone battles. Neither man said anything new, just gave each other props, tried getting into their respective heads, and kept it civil. Apollo’s journaling is quite comical to me and I think the diner stuff has its limits, but throwing Bron into the mix gave it a spark. Cross Purposes JD McDonagh is such a weird cat. He poked his nose in Diamond Mine business this week, kinda on Ivy Nile’s side. He, like Ivy, thinks the Creed Brothers bit off more than they can chew with Sanga & Veer. Julius didn’t take any of that well, so in typical Creed Bros. fashion, they fought about it. I dug the match for the most part. JD can go and Julius is such a powerhouse and an entertaining watch. But Veer & Sanga were the story. The two behemoths stood at the entrance and when JD went for a chair shot against a defenseless Julius, Sanga stepped in to take the shot. But he didn’t go after JD. In fact, Veer & Sanga let JD step away before turning their focus on the Bros. Creed. They told the Creed’s they want them at their best and at their healthiest. That’s why Sanga took the chair shot and that’s why they didn’t beat them down when they had a chance this week. Just let them fight because I’m excited for this one. It hit me around the time we got a Malik Blade match with Von Wagner over the fact Von destroyed Malik’s father’s sweater last week that this was another week with a lot happening in two hours. Too much happening. There was no true standout match this week or compelling storyline. Wes Lee didn’t show up for revenge against Dijak, Melo was absent, and we only saw the NXT champ in a brief segment in a diner. Outside of the Iron Survivor Challenge announcement, you can skip this show. Grade: C |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 12:04pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
WWE SMACKDOWN REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS WWE started the first episode of Friday Night SmackDown following “the most watched Survivor Series in history” with Sami Zayn and the rest of The Bloodline doing their thing. That “thing” has become Sami Zayn and The Usos rocking special handshakes, hugging it out, and generally letting the good times roll. All while Solo Sikoa hangs out in the ring, stoic, a part of the crew but unwilling to engage in such cheery displays of affection. Lord how I love him. It’s worth noting that Jey outright said Sami was the reason The Bloodline won their War Games match. They’re really doing a great job of showcasing a unified front and bringing across the idea that these guys are genuinely close now. It’s what they need to do to make the turn hit that much harder. It has to be all sunshine and roses now. It will make the darkness later that much more worse. In a good way. Then, Sheamus came out to wrestle Zayn, tired of all of it, and The Bloodline further showed just how together they are when Jey made sure Sami won the match with a big assist. Solo and Jimmy helped too, of course, but Jey being the guy to pull the trigger is worth quite a bit. The emotional investment will only get more intense from here. Another damn good story beat. World Cup I want to make sure I put a separate section for this here match, not because I have a ton to say about it, because I don’t, but because it’s worth emphasizing the fact that they headlined with a Ricochet vs. Santos Escobar match and it was an outstanding tournament final. It’s unfortunate it happened on an FS1 show, and maybe that played a part in this, I don’t know, but if nothing else they should see that they absolutely can put a match like this in a spot like this. Take that, Braun Strowman. All the rest -Kofi Kingston became the first wrestler to declare for the Royal Rumble in 2023, and that just reminded me that we’re so close to the Royal Rumble! This is truly a great time of year, folks. Let us rejoice! Sadly, he ended up getting into it with GUNTHER and lost a match against him, even despite Braun Strowman interfering in it. -Bray Wyatt was back with another backstage promo where he said a lot but didn’t say that much. But I’ll be damned if he didn’t make it sound good. It was related to the fact that nature sees death as a way to sustain life so why is it different for humans? It’s not. LA Knight was food for a predator. Sustenance. You can’t run from it. Or Bray can’t. Later: “Revel in what you are.” -Shayna Baszler beat Emma in a singles match, one that was preceded by Madcap Moss hyping the latter up. She kissed him on the cheek and their romance is growing by the week. I think she even called him Riddick! Baszler was sent off by Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez, for what it’s worth. -Tegan Nox made her return to WWE on this show to what felt, at least to me, like a tepid response. I’m a big fan of her work, and tend to think she’ll make the women’s division on the blue brand a whole hell of a lot better than it has been, but I’m a bit surprised at the response she received here. Never mind all that, she’ll be doing the kind of work that gets a much bigger response soon enough. -Karrion Kross is so very good in vignette form. It now seems he’s going after Rey Mysterio. Tick tock. This was a pretty good show, though I always wonder about how they book when they know they aren’t on the main channel. Grade: B- 1 Like |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 8:58pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
There's a dilemma o! Some fans or fans of the WWE in general are not happy over this news. They called it "disrespectful". Apparently the great 'WWE universe' don't think having Dwayne win the Royal Rumble is a good idea with some calling it a 'Vince Mcmahonic' kind of booking and even bringing back up the rumours that Vince could still be running WWE booking. So what to do? That's why the WWE sent letters to fans to go to every wrestling community to source ideas on how to solve this said dilemma. So I've brought it here. Cos as it is now, Roman is holding the 2 titles so there's no way of having the Royal Rumble winner not facing him, so it has to be The Rock winning it to end that way. Or should he lose one of the belts before then? How will he do that? Or should he lose the 2 belts before Mania? How will they pull that off too? It's easier than the first anyway, but will he still main-event mania, even without the World titles? Tor. That's the dilemma we are in now. What do you guys have to say?
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| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 9:01pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
ValeeLove: Overthinking dey cause problems I have no issue with the Rock winning the royal rumble. 1 Like |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 9:05pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
pu7pl3:baba. So sorry. I haven't been here for a while now. I'm just seeing this. Thanks for the shout out. I appreciate. I do this for the future generation. 1 Like |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 9:10pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
pu7pl3:me I have o. And it's simply due to his age and commitment. I mean I've watched The Rocky Balboa movie where he returned for a title shot even at an old age, but Rocky(Sylvester Stallone) actually felt like he wanted to win. The Rock is just doing it for a paycheck and that's it. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 9:15pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
samistry:that's Reggie. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 9:50pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
ValeeLove: with Roman as champion any other RR winner that isn't Rock is just a waste of time. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 10:29pm On Dec 03, 2022 |
pu7pl3:you forgot Cody Rhodes. There's also Theory(which you guys claim is now better and the face of RAW). |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 7:20am On Dec 04, 2022 |
ValeeLove: Cody has cooled down...maybe he should wait till the next one. Austin has become better but he is still midcard level, no need to rush him. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 8:41am On Dec 04, 2022 |
pu7pl3:omoh. You're in the minority. As of now, many strongly believe Cody is winning this Rumble. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 8:45am On Dec 04, 2022 |
pu7pl3:some are also saying Seth, even Sami. Come on. What's the use of waiting one whole year for mania if we cannot use that time to build someone who will win the Rumble and main-event mania. We have to get a 50-year old partimer to do our work? During The Rock's days he was maineventing mania and no part-timer did. Let HHH accord the current roster same previlege to do same except ofcourse they failed in building stars; I wonder who has been saying that for a long time now. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 10:53am On Dec 04, 2022 |
ValeeLove: what's the point of winning it and then losing to Roman Reigns? |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 10:55am On Dec 04, 2022 |
ValeeLove: Storywise Sami is also a good option. Probably the best option but I don't know if they're bold enough to go with it. 1 Like |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by ValeeLove(m): 1:52pm On Dec 04, 2022 |
pu7pl3:that's the point. He isn't losing. Roman is expected to drop the belt at Mania. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 6:12pm On Dec 04, 2022 |
ValeeLove: Let's see how the whole thing unfolds. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 7:20am On Dec 06, 2022 |
WWE RAW REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS It’s Time for a New Challenger... I’m combining Raw’s two big women’s matches into one because they were the best matches on the show and they’re part of the same story. Raw needs a number one contender for Bianca Belair’s title. They scheduled two triple threat matches, where the respective winners go against each other next week. The first match? Rhea Ripley vs. Bayley vs. Asuka. Rhea dominated early because that’s Rhea’s story right now. Yes, Bianca has the championship but Rhea dominates the women’s division right now on the strength of her presence. It’s Mami’s world and we’re all living in it. But that domination didn’t last long because Asuka and Bayley are Asuka and Bayley. But Asuka was an afterthought in the larger picture because before the bell rung, Becky Lynch got into a microphone duel with Bayley where Becky essentially said the Role Model is nothing without her homegirls by her side. Becky left the ring as Rhea entered and they engaged in what felt like a five minute stare down. So right there, they teased Becky vs. Bayley or Becky vs. Rhea. Like I said, Asuka as an afterthought makes sense. The Empress even fell victim to the dreaded “heel double team” which only lasted but so long because heels gotta heel. The match flow made it clear that Asuka and Bayley couldn’t solve the Rhea problem. In fact, the only reason Rhea lost the match is because she got overzealous and took herself out. Rhea attempted a cannonball off the steel steps but Bayley was one step ahead of her and moved. Bayley was the smarter wrestler the entire match, actually. And that’s why she came out on top after hitting Asuka with a Roseplant with Rhea completely out of the picture. Rhea took out her frustrations on a beaten Asuka, which hopefully means we’re getting that feud next although it probably means a few more Ls for Asuka. The main event featured Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross. Based on everything that transpired earlier, Becky gets the win, right? Actually, no. For a few weeks, but most notably last week, WWE told us Alexa’s not entirely happy. Even right before this match, commentary noted that her singles career isn’t exactly flourishing at the moment. That meant either The Man or Ms. Bliss seemed destined for the W, with Nikki as cannon fodder. Nikki went after Alexa immediately, continuing their very long story and their most recent chapter at Survivor Series. But once Becky and Alexa tossed Nikki out the ring, apparently she just smiled and laughed on top of the commentary table while Lynch and Bliss wrestled. I know it’s her character and all but it’s a weird touch for a high stakes match for one of your wrestlers to willingly sit out because she’s “crazy.” Eventually all three women got involved and the match found a flow I liked. Becky and Nikki entertained in their one-on-one moments because neither woman backed down and Becky talked a lot of trash, begging Nikki to get up and fight her. It sucks when the same person kicking you down tells you to get up and fight. The match’s next big moment came in the end sequence. Becky hit Cross with the Manhandle Slam on the ring apron but Damage CTRL interfered! Bayley wants none of Becky and with the championship so close, she’s not taking any chances. Bayley believes her chances improve if she faces Nikki or Alexa, so she ensured that happened. While Dakota Kai & IYO SKY powerbombed Becky through the commentary table, Alexa hit Twisted Bliss on an already dazed Nikki. So next week, it’s Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley and my money is on Alexa. Besides the fact that there’s something going on with Alexa and her facing Bianca provides an avenue for a heel turn, I don’t see Becky behaving herself and letting bygones be bygone. Extracurriculars Enforced Steel Off top. anything Bloodline related goes above the fold. For those unfamiliar with a thing called “newspapers,” above the fold refers to things on the first page above the part of the paper that folds in half. In digital terms, anything above the “Extracurriculars” section. Anyway, I always assume it goes there because Bloodline-related issues normally tower over everything else in terms of what I like in my wrestling. So color me shocked the tag team title match sits here and not elsewhere. Solo Sikoa took out Elias before the match, so Kevin Owens filled his spot as he and Matthew Riddle battled The Usos. Meh. And I’m shocked at that meh! The match felt anticlimactic. Maybe because I knew Jimmy & Jey weren’t losing but also because they were never in jeopardy either. A good title match involves risk; either the championship changes hands through high stakes or it looks like it might. Riddle & KO never got close to making me think for a second they had those belts. Riddle eventually took the 1D, the Bloodline beat up Riddle after the bell, and KO chased Sami Zayn, Jimmy, and Jey into Downtown D.C. traffic. That left Riddle alone with Solo, who assaulted him in ways only Solo knows how. That included Solo wrapping a chair around Riddle’s neck and running into him at full speed from the other side of the ring. Riddle did the stretcher job so who knows if he’s out for a while or just a couple weeks, but clearly it’s him and Solo whenever Bro comes back. And that’s a bet. Side note but Sami saying “bet” the way me, The Usos, and every one of my friends say “bet” makes me smile and laugh. More Seth. More Bobby I don’t have anything clever for this one because it was Bobby and Seth in the ring once again talking trash to one another. Seth got under Bobby’s skin by insinuating the All Mighty is afraid of Brock Lesnar. A fight broke out, officials and security intervened, then Bobby accidentally speared a WWE official. It’s Bobby and Seth next week in a number one contender’s match for Theory’s title, but Adam Pearce checked Bobby as the former champ left the arena. Pearce understands accidents happen but it better not happen again. That’s a threat. Bobby said cool but just make sure nobody gets in his way again. That’s definitely a threat. Something tells me Bobby loses this match next week. Last Dance? Ali stepped to Austin Theory and challenged him for the United States championship. Austin not only accepted but said after this match, he doesn’t want to hear the word “opportunity” out of Ali’s mouth ever again. And you know what? I agree. Not just for Ali but every single wrestler in WWE. But I digress. The match started with Theory flexing his brutality, beating Ali into the ring post and then slamming his head against the barricade. Austin gets more violent every week and I like that addition to his character. Eventually Ali found his footing and it turned into a conventional wrestling match. A solid one too, but sadly interrupted by Dolph Ziggler. Dolph attacked Theory, giving the champion a DQ win and also hurting Ali’s chances at winning a championship. An incensed Ali confronted Ziggler and while the two argued, Theory struck, threw Ali out the ring, and nailed Ziggler with an A-Town Down. Ali, once again, plays the sacrificial lamb. That I can do without but I like Ziggler showing up for continuity sake. Casino Royale Remember Duke Hudson’s poker gimmick? A bunch of cats in NXT remember. Anyway, I bring it up because JBL seemingly snatched Duke’s poker tournaments and brought them to Raw. The O.C., Baron Corbin, Shelton Benjamin, Alpha Academy, Dominik, Dexter Lumis, Johnny Gargano, Tamina, Dana Brooke, and Tozawa competed in JBL’s tourney. Tozawa and Dom got into it first, then The O.C. called Baron Corbin a cheater, which resulted in a big fight that effectively ended the tournament. The Alpha Academy had Corbin’s back, which resulted in a match between those three and The O.C. And The O.C. came out on top in another solid but uneventful match. I love everyone involved but there’s nothing worth mentioning here. It felt like a placeholder match while WWE figures out what to do with everyone involved. That said, I’m shocked WWE put Dom and The O.C. in the same spot and didn’t do anything with the pairing. With all that bad blood between The Judgment Day and the California Boys, it doesn’t make sense. Speaking of Dom... Dominik defeated Tozawa. It was fine but Tozawa is basically a punchline at this point while Dom it’s only fun seeing Dom wrestling meaningful matches. While The Judgment Day lorded over Tozawa after the match, the Street Profits came to his aide. Which they did just because they’re good guys who clearly want beef with JD. I still feel like there’s unfinished business between Judgment Day and The O.C. but I guess WWE feels different. Another week and another solid Raw. The show rarely stands out these days but it’s...adequate. However, the show started some new feuds, and even put some of an NXT band back together as Candice LaRae found her backstage interview interrupted by her husband and his psychotic son-in-law, who just won a lot of poker money. If there’s one thing this episode, and previous episodes show, it’s that Triple H believes in following up on stories, so hopefully we get resolution for that and the other stories started here. Grade: B- |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 9:09am On Dec 07, 2022 |
WWE NXT REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS Axiom Man Andre Chase, Axiom, and yes, Von Wagner, put on an incredible triple threat match this week. With a spot in the Iron Survivor Challenge on the line, this was the biggest match for everyone involved. It started like you figured, with the big man dominating through sheer power. Neither Chase nor Axiom are on Von’s level in an arm wrestling contest much less a feat of strength, so yeah, he did the smart thing. But the problem heels always run into when they double team the good guys is it gives the good guys turn their focus toward him rather than on each other. Andre and Axiom did just that for most of the match’s first act, attacking Wagner together with double shoulder blocks and suplexes, or going at him solo one after the other. The second act, obviously involved more equal opportunity beatdowns, including Chase powerbombing the big man from the top rope. Regardless of how it played out, the match made one thing clear: Von Wagner’s strength is a problem so either neutralize him or perish. The action kinda slowed for a quick couple seconds when Axiom and Chase first tangoed, almost like they didn’t know each other’s rhythm. But eventually figured it out although the match shined when all three men found roles. The shining moment of the match for me came after Chase dodged an Axiom attack, which led to Axiom suicide diving into Von. Axiom then darted back into the ring, thought he caught Chase off guard, and ate a beautiful Tiger Driver. Props to both men for that one because it looked great. Eventually, rather quickly, Wagner canceled out Chase, and fell victim to the Golden Ratio. And with that, Axiom gets the last spot in the Iron Survivor Challenge, along with some momentum. Iron Hart(well) What immediately catches my attention about the Women’s triple threat match for the last spot in the Iron Survivor Challenge is while all three women have a larger goal in mind—winning the title, duh—there’s smaller goals as well. Indi has beef with Roxanne Perez and a giant chip on her shoulder. Wendy Choo can’t stand Cora Jade and still owes her for a couple weeks ago. Fallon Henley and Kiana James have a turf war going and dislike each other with the passion of 1000 suns. With all that in mind, either women makes a compelling entrant but sadly, only one survives. It’s like Highlander. Well, no, it’s not like Highlander but everything sounds cool when compared to Highlander. Indi started aggressive, as is her style these days. But Wendy interrupted with her own brand of aggression, going after both of her opponents, bouncing from one to the next like a pinball. She and Fallon exchanged blows like two runny noses. What made it funny is Indi kept trying to get back into the match but Wendy kept knocking her out. That’s actually illustrative of NXT’s Women’s division as a whole. The other women, including Mandy Rose, see Indi Hartwell as an afterthought. Worse, they see her as yesterday’s news. But Indi said “nah” to all that and kept plugging. She countered Wendy’s splash with a spinebuster, she broke up pin attempts when her opponents figured she was out, and that played out in the ending too. Wendy Choo puts Fallon in the drop zone and hits her with a big splash. She goes for a cover but guess who pushed her out of the ring? Indi. Guess who smashed Fallon with an elbow for good measure? Indi. And guess who earned her spot in the Iron Survivor Challenge match? Indi. While this match wasn’t quite on the level of the Men’s match, it worked for me because of the running storyline with Indi plus the action. I can do without Indi’s promo she cut in Toxic Attraction’s locker room after the fact, but before that? She was gold. Extracurriculars Here Comes a New (Day) Challenger... Pretty Deadly, with nothing to do and no one to fight, read a Christmas story for us this week. They laid on the innuendo rather thick, especially with lines like “bulging sacks,” while being their typical smarmy selves. Okay I’m burying the lede here: The New Day showed up. They noticed Pretty Deadly beat everyone so why not challenge them for the tag titles at NXT Countdown? A “fight” commenced, and I use quotes because Pretty Deadly barely put up a fight, and Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston posed with the tag championships. This is now my most anticipated match of the show. Does WWE really allow one of its biggest and best tag teams to take an L? Or will the New Day take their talents to Florida? Wes Side! Whew, the ballad of Xyon Quinn is a sad one. Quinn wrestled the returning Tony D’Angelo this week and took an L quicker than you can say “fugetaboutit.” The Don had other business on his mind, like Wes Lee. The Don wants revenge for what he feels was Wes purposely putting him on the shelf. Wes said whatever to that noise because Dijak is his business right now. Dijak showed up on the big screen, essentially called Tony D a thug not worth his time, and told Wes Lee to lay low or else. Which is weird because he attacked Wes. “Neither one of you can stop me from decimating NXT.” Yeah, that sounds good and all, homie, but do you not want a championship since you attacked a champion? I know Tony D does but Dijak seems apathetic. I’m confused. Not Ready for Primetime Players Ivy Nyle worries her boys are in over their heads. The Creed Brothers want to fight Sanga & Veer, but she knows they’re not physically ready. NXT medical won’t clear Julius Creed due to rib injuries, and the Bros. Creed disagree. In fact, they’re at odds with Ivy as a result. Why do I mention this? Because Veer & Sanga destroyed a man with an incredible wrestling name, Bryson Montana, took the microphone, and told the Creeds they have no problem waiting but they don’t keep them waiting too long. Naturally, the Diamond Mine hit the ring because someone mentioned their name and security held them back. OH! How can I forget Big Body Javy fronting like he wanted static with Veer & Sanga only to “twist his ankle” on his way to the ring. Hilarious. I’m digging the anticipation for this one, along with Ivy playing protector. Poor Hank Everyone loves Hank Walker. The security guard turned wrestler who fights in jeans and a shirt he threw on because it’s laundry day took the Performance Center by storm. Well, almost everyone loves him. Charlie Dempsey believes Hank’s presence disrespects wrestling. Hank disagrees. Even though he didn’t start this dream at age 4, he cares just as much as someone who did. Dempsey said “nah” to all that noise and the two locked up in the ring. The match went as it should, with Walker getting in some offense but Dempsey basically dissecting the big man. Walker won by submission with Drew Gulak watching. Is Drew coming to NXT or is he just scouting? Meh match but the Drew Gulak wrinkle interests me. Are You Ready? Isla Dawn wants Alba Fyre but she took time from playing with her Ouija board to wrestle Thea Hail. Not all of Chase U agreed with Thea taking the match, mostly Duke Hudson. He voiced his opinion that Thea isn’t ready for Isla. And guess what? He was right. Thea got in a little bit of offense but this was all Isla all the time. Duke looked on with the biggest “I told you so” look in the history of our sport. But remember when I said Isla wanted Alba? Alba showed up after the match and granted her wish. The two fought, refs broke them up, and Isla spat her poison mist in the unsuspecting ref’s face. Poor guy. Next Week... Lyra Valkaria. Just thought you should know. Power vs. Speed Edris Enofe, Malik Blade, Briggs, and Jensen got into a little altercation last weekend. As seen on Sol Ruca’s TikTok, Briggs & Jensen tried consoling their friends but Enofe & Blade weren’t in the mood. So, yeah, a fight broke out. This match felt off for me, maybe because a lot happened that distracted from the in-ring action. We got Kiana James’ assistant slipping something into Jensen’s jacket, we got Von Wagner coming out and attacking Odyssey Jones (who accompanied Enofe & Blade), and both teams playing the “I’m distracted” card at separate moments. Briggs & Jensen got the W because apparently they were just a bit less distracted than their opponents. I’m not sure either team benefitted from this, although Malik Blade looks a lot better without his dad’s sweater. No diss to his dad or those fashion choices, just saying. BUT, and this is a big but, Kiana invited Jensen to Deadline. Which means she’s no doubt using him to throw Fallon off her game. Jensen isn’t bright enough to see that so of course he’s going. Grayson Waller’s Effect The five competitors in the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge met on the Grayson Waller Effect. And honestly? The talking bored me. Melo said what Melo says, JD talked about lactic acid and the physical issues facing his opponents, Joe Gacy did the creepy cult leader thing, Axiom was earnest and everyone clowned him for it, and Grayson was typical Grayson. the one standout moment for me was JD telling Melo he’s “been protected” in NXT since day 1, walking around this place “like a kid at a petting zoo” but he’s “in the lion’s den” at Countdown. That was pretty damn dope got a big reaction from my couch and the crowd. Eventually, we got what we all wanted, a fight, and the show ended. If it’s me, I’m ending the show with the Women’s triple threat but hey, I’m not Shawn Michaels. Thunder in Paradise Bron Breakker showed up at Apollo Crews’ diner last week. This week? Apollo showed up on Bron’s boat. They fished, Bron gave Apollo props for the standing moonsault, and Apollo gave Bron props for stealing that standing moonsault. They kept it friendly but the tension felt more palpable this week on that boat than in the cozy diner. It’s worth watching before their match. This week ran at a much better pace than last week. We got one really dope match, a hell of a surprise with New Day showing up, a bunch of solid matches and even some weird thrown in for good measure. Everything built to Countdown, which, on paper, looks like a very fun Saturday night. Grade: B+ |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 9:18am On Dec 10, 2022 |
WWE SMACKDOWN REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS Kurt Angle is a certified legend in the pro wrestling industry, so WWE takes any chance it can to celebrate him. In this case, that meant an episode of Friday Night SmackDown dedicated to wishing him a happy birthday. We got multiple looks backstage at Angle walking around shaking hands with everyone. He was flanked by Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist amateur wrestler we’ve heard very little from since he signed with WWE to great fanfare. Braun Strowman was playing a jolly ol’ giant when he bumped into them but still managed to set up a future match with Steveson. Later, Jason Jordan made a cameo to give his “father” a birthday card. It was a nice bit of harmless fun that actually acknowledged that goofy story from the past under the old regime. Finally, it was time for the main event and Angle to get the chance to head out in front of his hometown faithful. “YOU SUCK!” “YOU SUCK!” “YOU SUCK!” “YOU SUCK!” It really doesn’t ever get old, does it? Alpha Academy showed up to crash the party and there was really only one way to get back at them. Come on, you didn’t think they would have Angle back for a birthday celebration and not bring the milk truck with ‘em, did you? The funny thing is these segments really only work when you have the right characters to play off, and Otis shaking himself all about in the ring with milk flying everywhere was amazing. He was perfect for this. WWE has gotten much better at bringing Legends back for segments like this. -You just knew they were going to find a way to promote The New Day challenging for the NXT tag team titles at Deadline, and I love how they did so. Ricochet and GUNTHER were scheduled for an contract signing to make their Intercontinental championship match next week official — I guess it wasn’t already, despite Ricochet winning the SmackDown World Cup for exactly that — and Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston decided their boy couldn’t be out there alone. Imperium is together always, and contract signings end the same way every time, so they hit the scene as a show of support for a friend. Who doesn’t love that kind of wholesome content? GUNTHER is a favorite if only because I’m getting older and therefore more and more tired of pro wrestlers not buying into what pro wrestling is supposed to be. They are performers but they shouldn’t be acknowledging themselves as such. That kills the whole thing! GUNTHER and his crew is the last hope for this great sport. A six-man tag team match ensued, which was also a great play because it allowed both Ricochet and The New Day to score a big win ahead of title matches while GUNTHER himself didn’t have to take a pinfall or submission in the process. This was all really great. All the rest -I’m just fine with The Usos tag team title reign lasting for many years if they keep delivering matches this good on such a consistent basis. These guys simply don’t miss, and they didn’t miss again this week in defeating Sheamus and BUTCH with some help from Sami Zayn. Not much story progression, just a really fun match to kick off SmackDown that saw the champs keep their straps. -I usually dislike when WWE calls attention to minor details in its stories, because the act of calling attention to them make them something more than that. I always appreciate art that helps me get there but doesn’t drag me there. Having said that, I do appreciate the way the LA Knight used the Bray Wyatt attack clues to paint a picture in just the most condescending way possible. And then he went backstage and they did more spooky business, with the lights going out and Knight using his phone to illuminate Wyatt in the mask having invaded his locker. -Tell the china shop the bulls are coming cause you know what they say — you mess with the bulls, you get the horns! I don’t even care, I love Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler together. Hit Row have been made to look like chumps recently, so they interrupted a Legado del Fantasma vs. Viking Raiders match to take everyone out. They needed to do something like this just to reestablish some credibility. Karrion Kross threatened Rey Mysterio while he was doing rehab on his injured foot. Tick tock and all that. His angle? “It’s almost sad when you have to put an animal out of its misery.” -A video package aired giving us the story of Tegan Nox in WWE, one marked by adversity with multiple catastrophic injuries she somehow managed to claw her way back from. Now, she’s back and apparently they’re putting her in a tag team with Liv Morgan. They tussled with Rousey and Baszler, in a match commentary made like would put the winner in line for a title shot. Naturally, Nox and Morgan emerged victorious in part because Raquel Rodriguez showed up to distract Rousey and the referee as a measure of payback for Shotzi being taken out earlier in the night. Shortly after the win, they outright announced Nox & Morgan would be getting a title shot next week. This was a decent show. Grade: C+ |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 1:49pm On Dec 11, 2022 |
WWE NXT DEADL1NE REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS Tony Stark Axiom wanted the number one spot and got it. JD McDonagh believes going 25 minutes is nothing for him, so he started the match with the masked man. Much like the woman’s match, they felt each other out. That became a bigger issue when Axiom dropped JD in the middle of the ring and...sauntered around and went to his next attack instead of going for the pin. That’s not saying Axiom gets the win there, but illustrating just how serious this is through cats taking advantage when they have the advantage is so necessary. I say that now because the match found its second gear thanks to some violence between Axiom and JD. After Melo entered and got a pinfall, then Waller showed up and got two in a row, JD and Axiom hit the penalty box. While Waller and Melo battled it out, JD and Axiom got into a penalty box fight. A brutal one at that. It started when JD stopped Axiom from leaving the box. Axiom closed the door and they got busy. JD even got his face plastered against the glassing a very good shot that showed the pain and ridiculousness baked into the situation. They left the box (eventually) but that feud percolated throughout the match. Everyone fed off their violence, including Joe Gacy. But the true story here is Grayson Waller. I know, I know, he’s not my favorite either. But Waller came in with a plan. Besides nailing that double stunner when he entered for two quick falls, he used that JD and Axiom beef to his advantage. At one point, he beat up Axiom near the penalty box and presented him as an offering to JD. JD happily obliged, not realizing the clock worked against him the more he focused on his rival. Waller just lurked around and lurked around while Melo, Axiom and Gacy caught up to his two victories. In fact, Melo’s second victory came as Grayson tapped out rather quickly to Melo’s crossface. Why so quick? Because of the clock. Grayson understood the longer he fought the hold, the less time on his side to get that third victory. It was smart but not as smart as what he did after serving his time in the box. Grayson went for a couple stunners on his way back into the ring to not avail and found himself summarily dismissed. Eventually, it boiled down to Axiom and Melo. Melo nailed the Nothing But Net as the hour glass emptied, but Waller found his second win and interrupted the pin attempt. He pulled Melo out of the ring and covered Axiom for his third victory. Then, he ran from an incensed Melo and pulled JD’s body out of the ring so Melo had no one to pin. Melo and Gacy chased Waller around the commentary table and the ring as time expired. And that was that. It was Deadline’s best heel work and one fitting for Waller’s character. He’s a snake through and through, so everything he did worked for his personality. This match felt very different when compared to the women’s match. The women wrestled for the most part and the men brawled. They used the penalty box to their advantage, took more risks with said box (Axiom hit a moonsault from the tippy top) and had more bad blood. Good match although I prefer the women’s iteration. RiRi Williams Roxanne Perez and Zoey Stark christened WWE’s latest innovation. They basically felt each other out for the first five minutes, engaging in headlocks, feats of strength, and anything else that might weigh an opponent down. As a result, the first five minutes lacked a sense of urgency. Sure, we got one moment where Roxanne went for pin attempts like a rabid dog, but the rules didn’t match the approach both women took. Business picked up when Kiana James entered at the five minute mark. James went on offense immediately, and eventually, went for pin attempts on both women at different intervals. But all of that was for not as Stark hit Perez with her signature move and got the first pinfall in the contest just before we hit the 10 minute mark. Guess who showed up next with Perez in the penalty box? If you said Santa Clause, you’re a couple weeks early and watching the wrong program. The correct answer is Cora Jade. Jade beat her hands against the penalty box while her rival stewed, which I thought was a very dope touch. It’s not flashy, but it’s good character work. Fittingly, when Roxanne re-entered the match, she made a beeline towards Jade with a Lou Thez press and so much emotion. But maybe that emotion cost her a bit because things went a little awry for Perez once Jade showed her face. She eventually found herself on the wrong end of an Indi Hartwell pinfall shortly after Indi stepped foot in the ring. Perez hit a sunset flip on Indi and attempted a jawbreaker but Indi countered with a stun gun. Yes, it’s still a stun fun to me. The boot followed the stun gun and Indi got the W. Once Roxanne served her minute in the penalty box, she looked at the clock. Much like Cora earlier in the match, Roxanne got desperate for pins. She threw Kiana into the steel steps, went for a crossbody pin on Zoey, but, of course, Cora up the attempt. Everywhere Perez went, Jade followed and vice versa. I love the fact these two told their own story inside of this larger story. Roxanne eventually scored her first pinfall on Zoey after reversing her back suplex into a sunset flip. The odd woman out, Kiana, just needed a W on the board so she went for anyone on the mat but only found two counts. Kiana never got going until the very end but we’ll get to that in a bit. Once Zoey left the penalty box, all hell broke loose with time running low. So guess who emerged with her second pinfall? Roxanne Perez thanks to a Pop Rox on...Cora Jade. That put Cora back into the penalty box with only a few minutes left. Perez didn’t play keep away at that point, but she did dodge pin attempts from Kiana and Indi, while breaking up any other pin attempt. Kiana finally put herself in a position to score after hitting a beautiful Spanish Fly on Indi. And with Roxanne out of the ring thanks to the general chaos, Kiana had a chance to at least score a point. But her pin attempt coincided with Jade leaving the box, so of course she broke up the three-count. Cora scrambled looking for her second pinfall and finally got her hands on her archival. Jade nailed Perez with a gorgeous DDT as the clock inched closer to 25 minutes but as the crowd counted down, Perez did the smartest thing anyone in the match did during the entire 25 minutes: She rolled out of the ring. That move left Cora incensed as the bell went ding and the match ended with Perez reveling in victory. She not only scored a pinfall on her former best friend, but outsmarted her in the end. This started slowly but it really picked up an showed why it’s a brilliant concept. Roxanne survived from the first bell to the last, while also furthering her beef with Cora. Roxanne has a date with Many soon but I feel like Roxanne has something to say about that before we even get there. Extracurriculars Stunning Three powerbombs. Three German suplexes. A vicious knee countering a top rope bulldog attempt, and a nasty moonsault onto the mat from the apron. Oh, and a DDT countering the military press slam. These are just a few of the things Apollo dished out against Bron Breakker. Apollo Crews vs. Bron felt like Superman vs. Shazam. Two of the universe’s most powerful beings just throwing bombs at each other. Taking each other’s best shot and begging for more. I’m surprised the Performance Center didn’t explode. Apollo took Bron to his limits, including hitting his own military press slam. While the first two acts involved a lot of Apollo dominating and even Bron throwing a wrinkle in his game with a sweet senton dive over the top rope and onto Apollo waiting on the outside, the third act was all fisticuffs and a whole lot of barking. It really came down to one false move, which Apollo made when he tried lifting Bron over his head one more time. Bron quickly got out the hold, ran to the ropes, and nailed Apollo with a spear. Bron stood tall and posed with his belt for a while until Waller snuck in and hit the champion with a stunner. This match delivered on what they promised: Two powerhouses with similar movesets just figuring out the right combination for a victory. Bron figured it out first but the storytelling illustrated an even matchup that might go differently if they ever do it again. Before we get to the idea of a rematch, we gotta talk about Waller. He called his shot and has the champ’s attention. This has potential because Waller is so different than anyone Bron’s faced and very different from Bron in skillset and temperament. It’s a brand new challenge for Breakker even if I don’t see Waller defeating him fro the championship. As an aside, the moment where Apollo paused, the camera pushed in, he closed his eyes, and opened them wide? Let’s not do that ever again. It pulled me out of a match adding a hokey element to a match that didn't need it. Weird, Wild Stuff Earlier in the bout between Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre, Isla removed the padding on the second turnbuckle. The official didn’t see it, the camera caught it, and commentary spotted it but didn’t make it into a big deal. The match continued and these two showed why they work so well together. This was a really good match but the ending was a little much, even if it paid off several setups. The refreee for this match was the same ref Isla traumatized with black goo on the last NXT episode. Word? The same guy? I wonder if that black goo might play a role again. With Isla on her back and Alba climbing the ropes, the ref checked on the downed Ms. Dawn. Isla did something to the poor guy so when Alba hit her top rope maneuver and went for the pin, that ref spat up the black goo. That episode left him in no shape for a three-count, which brought a replacement ref to the dance. Isla and Alba tussled and Isla tossed her opponent into that exposed turnbuckle from the first act that everyone forgot about thanks to all the nasty stuff dripping from the zebra’s mouth. Isla got the W but there’s no way this is over. A really good match that didn’t need all the extra at the end, but I appreciate the thought that went into it. So there’s that. Your Winners...and NEW... Never saw myself writing this sentence: The NXT tag team championship match contained a twerk off. And Booker T noted that Kofi didn’t do it with “enough action.” As a quick aside, Kofi Kingston and Elton Prince both suck at twerking because you must have ass to twerk. And that’s all I’ll say about that before I get myself into trouble. Pretty Deadly has fun but they’re vicious. They play around and twerk with New Day but possess a mean streak New Day lacks. That’s the match’s story: Would Pretty Deadly’s heel behavior mitigate New Day’s experience and greatness? The one thing I really want to note about this match, besides the fact it delivered, is Xavier Woods’ dopeness in the ring. He got a hot tag in the third act and executed everything so smoothly. The dropkick, the DDT he hit while coming back into the ring from the middle rope, and even earlier when he missed with a roundhouse kick, ducked a roundhouse, and nailed a leg sweep all in one fluid motion. I know it’s a pipe dream but Xavier needs the big belt one of these days. Of course, that day isn’t today since he is one-half of the...new NXT tag team champions. New Day essentially beat Pretty Deadly at their own game. Elton and Kit pulled an Eddie Guerrero: They got the tag belts and played hot potato with Xavier and Kofi but rather than fall prey to the oldest trick in the book, both men played dead in the ring. By the time the ref got his bearings, he saw all four men on their backs and a belt in the middle. He kept the match going and that’s when New Day took over. Xavier survived a cheap shot with the belt, kicked out at two, and Kofi prevented any Spilt Milk by grabbing Kit’s feet and dragging him outside the ring. Trouble in Paradise takes him out the game and New Day plays their tandem music Prince for a very big victory. Good match with some fun shenanigans in between with a game-changing victory for Xavier & Kofi. NXT told a little story with Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley at this “PLE.” In several backstage segments, starting with an Ivy & Tatum interview about Ivy’s love for the Brothers Creed. Katana Chance & Kayden Carter stepped in and gave Ivy & Tatum their props and sympathy. Ivy wasn’t really that sympathy part, but cooler heads prevailed. Toxic Attraction ran into the NXT women tag champs later on and dissed them for offering tag team championship matches to Ivy & Tatum, two women they consider beneath them. Ivy & Tatum were clearly in earshot as a fight broke out between them and Toxic Attraction. So, yeah. those four have a match scheduled for the next time NXT is on your television. I kinda dug it. I expect varied opinions on the Iron Man Survivor Challenge concept and the matches. I liked both, with the women’s match working more to my liking than the men’s. The other matches delivered as well, but the Iron Man Survivor Challenge matches are the big talking points. Very good show from start to finish. Not perfect or always that exciting, but very good. Grade: B+ 1 Like 1 Share |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 9:19pm On Dec 11, 2022 |
A very dope picture↓ 1 Like 1 Share
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| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 10:37am On Dec 13, 2022 |
WWE RAW REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS Fiendish Last week, I asked a basic question from Bianca Belair’s perspective: friend or foe? Well, we kinda sorta got our answer. I say kinda sorta because while Alexa Bliss got the W over Bayley, she’s clearly going through some things so maybe the answer is both. But let’s get to the match before I get back to that. Becky Lynch chased off Dakota Kai & IYO SKY before the bell rang. While that doesn’t completely settle the beef between Bayley and Becky, it’s a start. Then Bianca came ringside to scout, support Alexa, and ensure Bayley stayed on the straight and narrow. Bayley’s reaction when Bianca came out made me cackle. I always appreciate Bayley’s character work, even when it’s subtle things like exasperation when she believes everyone wants her head on a pike. With the “deck stacked against her,” Bayley went for quick covers. She tried ending the match before it truly got going and I appreciate that. Bayley’s confidence of late comes from knowing Kai & SKY have her back. Even if they don’t show up when the match starts, they always show when it ends and tip the scale in her favor. With the stakes this high and Bianca playing hall monitor, she started unsettled, which actually worked in Alexa’s favor. Bayley and Alexa wrestled a very methodical match. Bayley used her power against Alexa’s quickness, which makes sense. Bayley reversed a top rope attempt from Alexa into a spinebuster, then followed that with a Sunset flip powerbomb into the same turnbuckles. Alexa kicked out of a Bayley-to-Belly and that’s when Bayley lost her cool. She removed the turnbuckle pad while the ref checked on Bliss, but Bianca noticed. I mean, how could she not? Bianca got the ref’s attention. Bayley turned her focus to the champ and off Alexa, who kicked Bayley out of the ring. Bayley got in Bianca’s face, almost begging the champ to hit her for a DQ win. But Bianca saw through it and basically distracted Bayley long enough for Alexa to take control with a dropkick when Bayley went back into the ring. One Twisted Bliss later, and we have a new number one contender. But back to the thing I said up top, Bliss is going through some things. Bianca hit the ring and congratulated her friend and tried shaking her hand. Alexa turned that down and opted for a hug. But that damn Bray Wyatt butterfly flashed on the Titantron and Alexa put her friend in position for introduction to Sister Abigail. But she didn’t follow through, seemingly snapping out of the trance just in time. Alexa left the ring looking horrified while Bianca, and everyone else, looked confused. Solid match with a better cliffhanger. Extracurriculars Mami Angry An angry Rhea Ripley and an aggressive Asuka made magic this week. Rhea blames Asuka for her loss last week. Asuka didn’t appreciate what Rhea did to her after their triple threat match. They collided in the middle of the ring. As one of my favorite songs says, beef starts with the shove. Ripley shoved Asuka when the bell rang and Asuka went buck wild with kicks. Unlike Raw’s opening match, this was a slobberknocker out the gate. Asuka used her feet for roundhouse kicks, sweeps, and all Strong Style signifiers. Rhea was just strong with bear hugs, stomps, and kicks of her own. The match turned when Dominik interfered once the match went outside the ring. Dom played sacrificial lamb for Rhea, putting himself in harms danger on her behalf. What I loved here was after Asuka attacked Dom and Rhea speared her then got her back in the ring, Rhea checked on Dom. She almost lost her advantage just to check on Dom’s well-being. And she actually did. Rhea went for the Riptide but gave Asuka too much recovery time. The Empress reversed the hold and countered with the Asuka Lock. Rhea desperately tried getting her left foot on or under the rope but flailed wildly. Dom got out of the ref’s eyesight and placed Rhea’s foot on the bottom rope, then got on the apron and told the ref. Asuka, clearly done with Dom at this point, stepped to him and spit mist in his eyes. That distraction allowed Rhea one more attempt at a Riptide and this time, she hit it. Rhea won the match but found herself almost immediately wrapped up in Dom’s safety as he screamed at ringside. Rhea yelled for help and took him to the locker room. This was a great match and Rhea continues her role as Raw’s most compelling wrestler. The backstage segment with Dom in pain while Rhea and the rest of Judgment Day looking on as the “doctor” administer eyedrops signified that we’re not finished with Asuka and Rhea. Mami wants revenge for her man. Which is fine because this match rocked and with more time, the next one might be great. Walking Papers Before Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins tangoed, Dolph Ziggler addressed Austin Theory. Ziggler explained how much the United Sates championship means to him and every wrestler on Raw. He doesn’t believe Theory has what it takes for that responsibility. Speaking of Theory, the camera cut to him several times during this match. Nothing exciting or notable, just him watching tv in that weird way while wearing his favorite jacket. Lashley came out hotter than blacktop in the middle of an August heatwave. In fact, he got so physical that he almost lost control. After clotheslining Rollins to the floor, Bobby grabbed the steel steps and almost got DQ’d. The ref talked him out of it but we’re clearly keeping this angle going that Bobby needs anger management. After dropping the steps, Lashley launched Rollins into the crowd with a back body drop. Eventually, the action got back to the ring, where Seth only got in the game after biting Lashley. Yup, he pulled a Tyson: When nothing else worked, he started biting. He mounted some offense and then tried a Falcon Arrow. Nope, Bobby kept fighting. After going back to the outside, where Bobby once again found the advantage, Bobby put Seth back inside to finish the job. Seth dodged a spear, hit beautiful frog splash that once again didn’t put the big man away. Seth went for a Curb Stomp that, well, Bobby blocked because he’s Bobby. The story here is that Seth just can’t handle Bobby. It’s only through desperate moves does Seth stand a chance. Or when Bobby makes mistakes. Or when the ref takes a bump. The ref bump here wasn’t great. And by that I mean he stumbled out the ring after Seth countered a Hurt Lock by backing into the same ring corner in which the ref stood. Yeah, he fell out the ring awkwardly as hell but... a leg injury? From that slow of a fall? And that modest of an impact from Bobby? Meh. Anyway, to make a long story short, Bobby speared Rollins, the ref barely got back in the ring for a count and only got to two. Bobby went for another spear but Rollins countered with a sloppy Pedigree. The timing looked off and the two men just didn’t connect right for the move. Seth got the W, and Bobby lost his temper. Bobby confronted the ref, complaining about the slow count. Another ref hit the ring and tried grabbing Bobby’s arm from behind. Bobby, unaware who tapped him, accidentally elbowed the man. Adam Pearce came ringside and after a back and forth, told Bobby his hands were tied. Bobby Lashley is fired. This match was okay. Definitely not the best bout between these two and the ending just didn’t work for me. Not the greatest ending for Raw but Bobby’s firing does intrigue me. Spilt Milk Chad Gable is angry. Gable, still feeling embarrassed after taking that milk bath on SmackDown, stepped to AJ Styles backstage when The O.C. walked by laughing like hyenas. Turns out they too can’t get enough of watching Kurt Angle spray Chad and Otis with two percent milk, Gable insulted Angle, called him washed, just like Angle, and mentioned that all he ever hears anyone say is how good AJ used to be. AJ said “bet”—he didn’t but he should’ve—and we got a match. AJ and Chad are incredibly smooth in the ring. I actually want more of a program between them, and not within the confides of a tag team story. Or outside of a story involving Chad’s hurt ego. I never get tired of the spot where Otis’ mass saves Chad from assured destruction. It’s simple but it works. The ending really worked for me. Chad missed a moonsault, AJ went for a jackknife pin, got the two-count, flipped backwards over Chad and put him in the position for Styles Clash. Then got the pin and with the rest of The O.C. That was really dope. My one criticism is with the California Boys & Girl no longer feuding with Judgment Day, they need something big. While I love AJ and Chad wrestling against each other, Alpa Academy plays the humorous tag team role at the moment. The O.C., at least as presented, is serious business. The problem is that as currently constructed, the only group that fits the bill is Judgment Day. South of Heaven Speaking of Judgment Day, they took on the Street Profits & Tozawa. Tozawa shined here, getting the best moments before the match with the solo cup, and killing it during the match. And seeing him beat up on Dominik Mysterio was a great move. My issue wasn’t with the match itself, which was a very fun six-man tag, or with the Judgment Day going over; it’s with what happens next. I know, I know, stories play out over weeks and sometimes we don’t understand why a thing happens until the following week. But Raw, at its best, eschews that in favor of whetting our appetites for the future. The Profits came back a couple weeks ago and as of now, they still seemingly have no larger story. Maybe that’s because the tag titles are locked down in the Uso penitentiary. But giving some larger direction to the Profits, and Judgment Day for that matter, feels necessary. Without Edge, Judgment Day found a groove with the Rey Mysterio/Dominik/Rhea Ripley story. With part of that equation on Friday nights, they’re just engaging in random beatdowns. Which, sure, I guess, but it’s a step down from everything that came before. Genius. Sheer Genius. I watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 last night so that line echoes in my head at the moment. Anyway, IYO SKY defeated Candice LaRae with a gorgeous moonsault. Candice wanted revenge but Damage CTRL denied her that honor. Which makes sense seeing as how Dakota & IYO have a tag team championship match coming up on SmackDown and should look strong going into that. Candice is 1-1 in her Damage CTRL mission, so that’s not awful. But now one questions is going .500 good enough for her or does she want more? Psycho Sigh Look, I appreciate a silly wrestling segment as much as the next person. Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis buying WWE merchandise and sharing it with the crowd as Christmas gifts is fun...to a point. Dexter figuring out what to do with all that money is fun...to a point. Some of Raw’s segments just go on way too long these days. This is one of them. Miz bum rushed the show and stole the purse with all that money because he’s “not liquid” right now. Adam Pearce hit the ring and made Miz return the money for basketball reasons, Then Johnny and Miz bickered in the ring for far too long, debating bank accounts, wives, and allowances. Anyway, we finally got to the point: a ladder match. Not just any ladder match but one between Dexter and Miz with all that money hanging over the ring. Also, they forced Miz into an elf outfit and made him hand out gifts throughout the arena. I wish this story would end and thought we were out of the woods. But nope, not yet. Bloodline Ties Elias never stood a chance against Solo Sikoa. Not even a little chance. So the match wasn’t the point here. Before the match, Elias wanted a word with Kevin Owens. One of those enemy of my enemy is my friend arrangements. The Bloodline took out Matthew Riddle last week, they “took Sami” from KO—Elias’ words—so Elias wanted KO in his corner. BUT KEVIN OWENS REMEMBERS ZEKE! KO hilariously reacted to Elias even asking for his help after everything they went through. Elias said that’s beef with Ezekiel, not Elias, which further incensed KO. Elias’ logic that KO took out Zeke and he took out KO with a guitar shot so that makes them even just made it funnier. This was wrestling’s Rabbit Season, Duck Season. While KO didn’t show up at first, he rescued Elias from suffering Riddle’s fate when Sami and Solo tried putting the Man Who Walks out of commission. But again, KO didn’t forget. Elias went to thank Kevin but got a stunner for his troubles as Sami & Solo left the ring while promising more pain in the future. Another awkwardly paced Monday night. One match truly rocked, while everything else was solid as per usual but nothing anyone who missed it needs to see. Grade: B 1 Like 1 Share |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 10:06am On Dec 16, 2022 |
so WWE truly fired Mandy Rose  |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by Kaycee7(m): 12:29pm On Dec 16, 2022 |
pu7pl3:Yep! Still trying to find the pictures that flouted WWE's moral policy. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 11:13am On Dec 17, 2022 |
WWE SMACKDOWN REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS WWE seemed to be promising something big in relation to the Sami Zayn journey with The Bloodline on Friday Night SmackDown just outside Chicago, Illinois this week. There was every reason to think that Zayn would become “a made man” as they put it a few times. Or, if not that, some kind of major angle. There was no major angle. Unless you count a surprise appearance via video from John Cena as a major angle. There was some story progression, at least. Reigns made clear that it was going to be a big night for Zayn but he changed his mind because Kevin Owens has continued to be a problem, seeing as he has been hanging on to Zayn a bit too much. Sami even slipped up and called him his “friend.” A mistake he instantly corrected, but a notable mistake nonetheless. Reigns’ plan for dealing with this is a tag team match, where he will tag with Zayn against Owens and a partner of his choosing on the Dec. 30 episode of SmackDown. That would be the same show Cena was already scheduled to appear, and by the time everyone connected those dots they had Cena appearing via video to say he would indeed be Owens’ partner for that tag match. It’s hard to see how this would be where the big turn happens, but at the very least they’ve set up a big match with the biggest star of today against the biggest star of yesterday and two secondary stars getting to shine right along with them. It’ll do. Having said all that, it made for something of a let down for this show. Cena was his ultimate goofy self for his video promo, even if you overlook that his appearance was via video. It was a classic case of Cena doing that thing he could sometimes do — take a serious story and make it feel silly. We met Uncle Howdy on this show: I think the idea here was to make clear that Uncle Howdy is not Bray Wyatt as it first sounded, just a guy with a similar build. But that’s not really what this gets across. It’s not like that couldn’t be walked back and/or used as a way to play more of the dreaded MIND GAMES with whomever is opposite Wyatt at any given time. Right now it’s LA Knight and while I remain enraptured by Wyatt more generally I just can’t seem to get into all the spooky overly cinematic storytelling they do with him. It’s a visual trip with him, with the smoke and the mood lighting and all that. It just doesn’t feel pro wrestling enough for me. That’s about the best way I can put it. I think what I’ve learned from this Bray Wyatt story more than anything is that LA Knight is an incredibly gifted talker. To that end, maybe some credit is due. One of the chief criticisms of Wyatt in the past was no one came out of a feud with him looking any better. Knight is quite clearly not getting the better of this feud but, if nothing else, he’s been given the chance to showcase how much fun it is to give him a mic and let him talk to ya. YEAH! So, hell with it, take it as a win. All the rest -Damage CTRL retained the women’s tag team titles thanks to a hooded figure interfering from the crowd, kicking Tegan Nox in the face despite her being in control and having just dealt with Bayley’s interference. We got no indication of who it was but it kept the straps with IYO SKY & Dakota Kai. The match itself was sloppy at points but also featured some fun spots like Kai willingly taking a sunset flip powerbomb from the apron to the floor on the outside. I would definitely be interested in seeing more of these teams going at it. But the focus coming out was less on another go round between these teams and who the hell the hooded figure was. Strangely enough, they revealed it to be Xia Li — in a “digital exclusive” video they released online and didn’t play during this show. I don’t get it. -Ricochet said his gameplay was to flip all around GUNTHER and use his high flying skills to neutralize the power of the Intercontinental champion. The match ended up being a really fun contrast of styles, a predictably awesome back-and-forth. The crowd really seemed to buy Ricochet winning off a beautiful Shooting Star Press and exploded when GUNTHER kicked out. Ricochet’s response was even better — instead of flying, he took his tape off and started throwing heavy blows. He couldn’t win in the air, so he’d have to win on the ground. But that’s GUNTHER, and he just rocked his shit from there to get the pinfall, delivering a power slam that appears to be his new finish, what Michael Cole called “The Last Symphony.” This was fantastic all the way around. Braun Strowman appears to be next, if that suits your fancy. -Hit Row won a triple threat tag team match to become the new top contenders to the titles. They’ll face The Usos next week. The match was pretty sloppy, with Top Dolla missing multiple spots. It was rough all around but this seemed to be the only option they had considering they were taping next week’s show right after and The Usos should only be beating these two and definitely not the others. -Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler are beating the trash out of everyone in the women’s division almost entirely backstage and I kinda love that. I fear I’m one of the only ones, but I don’t care, it’s been entertaining. Rousey’s attempts at clever one liners has been the best part about it. Raquel Rodriguez was attacked this week but she’s still set for the Gauntlet match next week and appears to be a clear favorite. It felt like this was supposed to be a big show and it was mostly a let down outside of that amazing Ricochet/GUNTHER match. Grade: C |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 11:14am On Dec 17, 2022 |
Kaycee7: You'll have to subscribe to her fan page for that one. I think they'll still bring her back sha. |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by Debroslink: 12:00pm On Dec 17, 2022 |
But why do commentators and pundits write GUNTHER's name in capital letters? |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 2:15pm On Dec 17, 2022 |
Debroslink: cos you must pronounce it with force  |
| Re: Purpl3's WWE (and Pro-wrestling in general) Discussion And Banter House by pu7pl3(m): 11:42am On Dec 20, 2022 |
WWE RAW REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS Running Bloodline The Bloodline went on a warpath early. Roman Reigns appeared...from somewhere...explaining to the audience that since Kevin Owens always shows up on SmackDown and pokes his nose where it doesn’t belong, he sent the Bloodline to Raw, KO’s home. According to Reigns, John Cena isn’t enough for the Bloodline; KO needs the entire Raw roster. And since Owens won’t go away, the entire Raw roster better watch out. The camera cut to Jey Uso narrating the Bloodline beating down Mustafa Ali and telling the whole roster that sh*t is real right now so they better rock a vest. I’m paraphrasing but I swear that’s what he meant. During the first match, they cut to the Bloodline decimating Andre Chase (Teachable moment for Chase U!) and Elias. And yes, Elias got smashed with his guitar. Shortly after the first two matches, we got an Adam Pearce interview. Pearce said he and Bobby Lashley spoke but it’s all good. He didn’t announce when we might see Bobby back on tv, but it’s happening. MVP showed up with Lashley on his mind and wanted a meeting with Pearce. Pearce acquiesced but caught word of yet another Bloodline beatdown. This time, Cedric Alexander, Dolph Ziggler, and I believe Shelton Benjamin found themselves in the crosshairs. With Shane Helms by his side, AP told everyone to scatter! The Bloodline interfered in two more segments, which created separate matches for Sami Zayn and the Usos. But I’m singling this out for two reasons: I love a running storyline through the show and wish WWE did that more often. It’s a little tougher for three hours since not idea stretches out that long, but WWE does it effectively more often than not. B, it further establishes the Bloodline and puts them against the world heading into the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season. It added an element often missing from Raw: chaos. Raw hit its peak format wise in the late ‘90s because it truly felt like anything could happen. And, thankfully, it often did. A little anarchy goes a long way for me, so yeah, more of this. That said, the way the story ended this week left a sour taste in my mouth. I still love the idea and most of its execution. Just wish WWE went all the way with something like this rather than playing footsie. War of the Roses Alexa Bliss excels when the territory gives her something interesting which to wrestle. This week, Byron Saxton interviewed Alexa and Bianca Belair, questioning the number one contender about her actions last week. For those playing along at home, Bray Wyatt’s symbol flashed on the Titantron, Alexa went into a bit of a trance, and almost put Bianca in the Sister Abagail. But she snapped out of it and rushed to the locker room. Byron wanted answers, as did the Raw Women’s champion. Alexa had no answers for what happened but she explained how she got to this point. Bliss explained the whole saga with Bray in serious terms that put her as the focal point in the story rather Bray’s co-star. He abducted her, brainwashed her, took everything from her, and turned her into someone completely different. And yet, she was the one forced into therapy. She took the brunt of everything. Left unsaid but definitely inferred, is that Bray came back to cheers and adulation, even after all of that. Alexa carried the segment with believability and sincerity. It felt real and I felt so much sympathy for her. Even when she told Bianca that she appreciates their friendship because it helped, I felt her. That said, she wants Bianca well aware that she wants the championship, and that she’s a threat. In fact, she believes Bianca forgot about Alexa’s championship reigns and the threat she poses. Bianca responded sympathetically but felt misplaced with everything Alexa gave. No diss to Bianca at all, but it just felt like she and Alexa rode different wavelengths during the segment. Alexa reminded Bianca that Bray isn’t a problem for her in the slightest because Alexa is more than enough for Belair. That, combined with Alexa putting herself at the center of the story with Bray, also reclaims that narrative. The Bray Wyatt logo flashed again and when the interview ended, Alexa hit Bianca over the head with a vase filled with roses. I really dug this. Like really, really dug it. I’m not sure how it affects their championship match in two weeks, but I really hope it remains a focal part of this story. Extracurriculars The Takeover, pt. 1 Sami Zayn defeated AJ Styles in a very good match. And AJ got in everything early, which makes sense. AJ barely contained his anger and wanted all of Sami . In fact, AJ damn near controlled the entire match until Sami outsmarted him. How? Glad you asked. AJ went for a Phenomenal Forearm around the mid-match point but Sami hit the ring rope, which knocked AJ down a peg or two. Sami controlled that portion until AJ hit him with a Rack Bomb, got a two count, and tried going for the Styles Clash. I say tried because Sami blocked it, exchanged an elbow or two, and hit AJ with a Brainbuster. AJ kicked out, and the two exchanged more blows, AJ nailed a Pelé Kick, but Sami recovered first. Sami got in some offense, set Styles up for the Helluva Kick, but missed. Styles turned that miss into a Calf Crusher, which Sami sold like he stepped into a bear trap! And that’s when the Bloodline thread continued. AJ broke the hold once he saw Solo Sikoa walking to the ring from the stands. AJ went after Solo, Sami followed him, and AJ summarily dismissed Sami with one head smash into the commentary table. Once Sami got back into the ring, the ref checked on his wellbeing. Solo saw an opening for a cheap shot, and the rest is history. Sami got the W and the Bloodline’s Raw dominance continued. Very good match that extended a running storyline for the show. I’m always a fan of shows using a focal point for the narrative, and one group going destroying everyone in their path might be my favorite version of that trope. The Takeover, pt. 2 Seth Rollins found himself in a promo battle with Austin Theory. This came after Seth mentioned the fact the Bloodline attacked everyone on Raw except him. Hmm, wonder if that was smart. Anyway, Seth told the “kid” that there’s something more important than that championship around his waist, something he will never be: Seth Rollins. No matter how hard Austin tries, there’s only one Seth Rollins and he’s not ready for that level. Austin fired back, taking shots at Seth’s legacy and calling him the SHIELD’s third most successful member. Jimmy & Jey showed up, Austin left Seth in the ring by himself, and Kevin Owens came to the rescue. Then we got a tag match in the main event that almost didn’t disappoint. The ending let me down. I get making Owens look good going into this tag match...two weeks from now...but then don’t book the match. The Bloodline dominated the entire night from the opening moments. Giving them an L before the credits rolled makes a lot of that story moot. Raw’s final image of Owens standing tall with Zayn coming out, standing nose-to-nose= and then deciding “nah” while regrouping with his dogs, supersedes all that came before. Like it or not, the beginning and ending of a thing matter more than the middle in terms of what people remember. Maybe something happens on SmackDown that makes me change my tune but as of now, it felt like a misstep on a night where WWE didn’t make many bad moves. But props to them for bringing together so many elements from the show into the main event: Gallows & Anderson beating up on Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa, and Austin’s sneak attack against Seth from the crowd. Shocker I say shocker because of course Bayley and Becky Lynch put on a very good match. Not quite the level commentary gassed it beforehand, but still very good. So I’m not going to waste words or time there. The other sarcastic shock comes from the fact Bayley cheated. Becky’s pre-match promo revolved around Bayley doing things by herself. Despite their similarities and great careers, Becky says she did everything, including the things she’s not so proud of, dolo. Bayley can’t say the same thing, so she challenged her. Bayley, the heel, and the very specific type of heel, didn’t fall for that. She came to the ring with her Damage CTRL fam by her side, and used them in the win. Dakota Kai & IYO SKY pulled Bayley out of the ring after Becky hit her with a Manhandle Slam and went for the W. Becky, clearly tired of their nonsense, went out the ring and threatened both women with a freaking monitor. The ref threw them out but while ensuring they left the ring, he missed Bayley nailing Becky with that same monitor. Bayley hit a Roseplant on Becky and showed the only rule in which she believes is by any means necessary. The Eyes of Dominik Mysterio You ever get whatever is in a red solo cup thrown in your face? Luckily my answer is no but if your answer is yes, you understand Dominik’s pain. Dom accompanied his Judgment Day family doing his best Keifer Sutherland from The Lost Boys impression, rocking a pair of black shades due to his Oscar-worthy performance last week when Asuka spit mist in his eyes. How did Dom get in that position? Well, while the Street Profits wrestled Finn Balor & Damian Priest, Tozawa stalked Dom with a solo cup in hand. Rhea, continuing her position as the most interesting person on Raw, stood in the way. She backed Tozawa off and made him hesitate. But she ducked when he finally got the moxie to throw, and the contents of said cup hit Dom right in his eyes. Well, we know Rhea so her reaction was anything but calm. She chased Tozawa down after the match and demanded a match. Stand by your man, indeed. Tozawa hesitated but the Profits talked him into it if only in the name of defending his manhood. And lo and behold, we got an honest to God inter gender match. It took Tozawa a minute because he clearly didn’t know what to do and hesitated. This wasn’t the smoothest match as we got at least one botch and potentially another with a powerbomb that almost went bad. But it entertained on sheer spectacle alone because we don’t see this in WWE. Rhea got the win thanks to a Riptide. This match embodied chaos, much like all of Raw’s opening half hour. Before That Though... So, about that tag match. The highlight sequence for me was Angelo Dawkins getting the hot tag and going crazy. Montez Ford gets better every week but Dawkins is right there with him, showing incredible athleticism and explosiveness when he gets his minutes. Finn sold beautifully for him but the amount of height Dawkins got on his flying shoulder tackles and the 360 splash he does in the corner. But Damian Priest, showing equal explosiveness, came from nowhere with a South of Heaven on Dawkins, which transitioned to gorgeous Frog Splash from Montez, who also came from nowhere. The match came alive in this moment, and it preceded everything with Tozawa, Dom, and Rhea. But the shenanigans with those three gave the Profits the win when Finn got distracted and found himself on the wrong end of a three count thanks to a Montez roll up. Still Not Over... Two good things about the ladder match between the Miz and Dexter Lumis: Bronson Reed’s return and Maryse’s tweet. I’ll let you take your time picking your jaw up off the floor. Anyway, Bronson showed up right when Dexter thought he had the match...in the bag. Bronson stopped his ascent, then flattened him from the top rope with a Tsunami. He then reset the ladder, helped Miz to his feet, and watched as the A-Lister got his money. So, yeah, Bronson by Miz’s side means this feud still isn’t over. Sigh. Really enjoyed Raw. Two missteps in my eyes: the ladder match and the ending. They’re not huge issues that make me hate the show, but I do take umbrage with them quite a bit. Well, at least a little bit. Mostly because a story about the Bloodline dominating the whole night needs them standing tall at the end of the show. At least it does for me. But even with that, we still got an exciting three hours. Grade: B+
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