₦airaland Forum

ValeeLove:
Charlotte Flair and Andrade have broken up.

For real?

pu7pl3:
For real?

ValeeLove:
yep. I am as shocked as you are. I guess Ric being in the news lately for the bad reasons after his infamous Dark Side of the Ring story affected their relationship in a bad way.

pu7pl3:
Sad stuff, I actually liked them together

samistry:
Those two seemed like an odd pairing right from the beginning.The news about retiring the cruiserweight title breaks my heart. I followed that title right from the 2016 cruiserweight classic tournament, to 205live and then nxt. I guess wwe no longer wants smaller athletes in nxt 2.0
People like kushida, Roderick strong etc may be chasing 24/7 title in the near future. That is if they don't get fired.

Kushida already looks prime for a 24/7 title reign

How did they seem like an odd pairing to you?

pu7pl3:
WWE NXT WARGAMES REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS


Let’s talk NXT WarGames.
Case of the P.T.A.
There was a moment in the men’s WAAAARGAAAAAMES match when every individual feud had a moment to shine. Grayson Waller landed an elbow drop from the heavens on top of a defenseless LA Knight. Tony D’Angelo put Pete Dunne in a swinging neckbreaker from the top rope. Oh, and he had a crowbar around the Bruiserweight’s throat. Dexter Lumis reappeared to chase off a nosey Trick Williams! And then there were the main four: Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Garagno, Bron Breakker, and Carmelo Hayes.
Those four had multiple moments that changed the temperature of the match. Whether it was Johnny and Melo during the match’s first five minutes, Ciampa calling in an Air Raid on Bron with a metal trash can breaking his fall (trash cans don’t really break falls), or the multiple mini DIY reunions perfectly in flow with the match.
The beauty of this particular WarGames match is it’s steeped in history. We’re talking about a battle between NXT’s past and its future, so everything has to count. That context is the only way a freaking crutch pops the crowd. They know what it means to the wrestlers, to the brand, and why its appearance is momentous. But if you get your Sherlock Holmes on, you’ll notice it was the Black and Gold team doing most of the callbacks. “Purple,” you’re saying to yourself, “of course they had the callbacks. They’re the team with all the history!” And you’re 100 percent correct. At a certain point, focusing too much on the past and the way things were done can inhibit one from focusing on the present and what’s happening now. And that’s how The Black and Gold walked away as losers.
Team 2.0’s number one rule was there are no rules. They’re the ones who bought in the plunder. They’re the ones who locked the cage door to use the numbers game to their advantage even if it was for just a few extra seconds. Melo and Bron’s crew didn’t have it easy, but they used every edge—no pun intended. Hey Beth!—they possessed to stall, punish, or surprise their counterparts who believed they just weren’t ready. That means we had several near falls, a lot of momentum swings, and many moments where the Black and Gold crew figured they had the entire thing wrapped like presents, mummies, or sandwiches.
Which brings us to the closing moments of the match. As I said, it was all about the four main players in our performance. Johnny announced this was his first WarGames and it might be his last. It only makes sense that he Ciampa showed off the moves and chemistry that made DIY, well, DIY. If that teamwork and showmanship ended the match and sent Team 2.0 crying? That’s pure poetry. And it’s what almost happened.
After a Meeting in the Middle put Bron out of commission, it was Melo shooting at Ciampa and Gargano. A thumb to the eye here, a low blow there, and it looked like the North American champ was ready to make history. Then that DIY teamwork kicked in again, as Gargano held Melo long enough for Ciampa to nail the champ with a knee to the back of his head, with Johnny taking some damage in the process.
Ciampa grabbed Melo, positioned him near a table placed ever-so-properly in a corner, and prepped him for a Fairytale Ending. Yet, somehow, through all that, they lost sight of the Big Bad Booty Nephew. Seriously, how do you take your eyes off of a human that large? Anyway, in one of the best moments of the night, Bron speared Ciampa through the table right as the NXT champ lifted Hayes into the air. It was poetry in motion because it said so much in less than 15 seconds. The NXT Champion took his eye off his biggest challenge because he doesn’t think he deserves a shot. While taking his sweet time to finish the match, he was caught off guard by that same man, put through a table, and then powerslammed for the three-second tan.
It wasn’t the greatest WarGames, but it was a damn good story, a satisfying ending, and the boys put on a hell of a show.
More importantly? I have no idea where we go from here. As someone who wants surprises from his wrestling, that’s the best place in which to be.
If you didn’t know already, it’s official now: 2.0 season has begun.


Separation Anxiety
The question going into the women’s WarGames match—for me at least—was whether the babyface squad could get on the same book, much less the same page. Everyone had their own agendas and that normally leads to at least a mild case of chaos. Opposites attract but they can also repel. Nope, that’s not how science works, but you get my point.
In the end, the story was about the rookie and youngest person in the entire match: Cora Jade. Jade, the third entrant, wrestled with something to prove. And who can blame her? Her teammates and her opponents are champs, former champs, or wrestling legends. Of course she goes after Dakota Kai with her skateboard. Of course she goes after everyone like a rabid dog. And, of course, she took the riskiest high risk of the match.
With her squad placing Jacy Jayne on a table, Cora went to the top of the cage. High on adrenaline, and, again, needing to prove her self, Jade goes for a Senton. I say goes for because she landed awkwardly. Sure, anytime you land on someone, it’s not a smooth landing, but you normally don’t land on your shoulder either. Cora held on to that shoulder and was clearly in agony. After some discussion with the referees, it looked like Cora was on her way out. But Dr. Io Sharai wasn’t having any of that. Sharai popped Jade’s shoulder back into place after telling everyone she would handle it.
Cora nursed her shoulder for the rest of the match while the fighters fought. And fought they did. Trash cans, tables, and utter violence. At this point, Raquel González, Kay Lee Ray, and Sharai were just trying to protect their injured partner.
But then something happened. Once Mandy Rose entered and the match “officially” started, Cora summoned the Power of Greyskull, and broke up a potential match ender with a Kendo stick. Once again, that adrenaline kicked in and she managed to get a few shots in before getting a surprise rollup pin on Jayne.
The one-armed woman in a wrestling match scored the W for her team, and the biggest one of her career to this point. A fun opener that had a couple sloppy moments, but props on the ending that makes sense based on the main story the match conveyed.


The Rest
No New Friends
Kyle O’Reilly is done with affiliations and friends. O’Reilly and Von Wagner—still an awful name—put up a really good fight against Imperium. But that good fight didn’t equate to a meaningful win. Their newfound friendship wasn’t enough for the longtime chemistry the champs developed. Kyle fell victim to an Imperium Bomb and unloaded his frustration on his partner and only friend in NXT. Kyle’s paranoia got the best of him because he doesn’t trust a soul anymore. Good match with an interesting twist in the end.
I hope the Powers That Be weren’t going for a heel moment there because the crowd was fully on Kyle’s side. Almost as if to say, “Von Wagner, we’re just not that into you.”

Luck Be a (Grimey) Lady, Tonight
The right man won. Does it matter that he had a handful of tights? Not really. The whole thing between Cameron Grimes and Duke Hudson is about outplaying the opponent. Poker isn’t about playing the cards; it’s about playing the person in front of you. Bluffing and hustling are built into the rules. In that context, I have no problem with a babyface playing loose with the rules to get a win. Another good match with the added bonus of seeing Duke Hudson humbled with a God-awful haircut. Seriously, a bowl cut is better.

Get Your Weight Up
Roderick Strong walked into the Performance Center as Cruiserweight champ and he leaves the same way he entered. I’m not sure how to feel about the match because if Joe Gacy isn’t going to win, what was the point? Not even saying I’m a fan of dude, but it’s just weird.
Gacy stopping Harland from harming Ivy Nile was the most interesting part of the match. Other than that? Meh.

This was a fun show for the most part. The one match I wasn’t feeling is the match I predicted I wouldn’t feel, while the rest was, unsurprisingly, consistent. We also got a lot of vignettes in this show.
It didn’t need to be anywhere near 3 hours and it felt like they were dragging it out for Sports Entertainment Reasons ™. The two matches that needed to stand out did, while setting the stage for a very interesting week of television.

Grade: B+

ValeeLove:
Dem don release Jeff Hardy. He was offered rehab but rejected it.

ValeeLove:
Scott Steiner's mathematics promo in Impact Wrestler. Funny.

Sometimes I just randomly go back to YouTube and watch this shiit

pu7pl3:
Sometimes I just randomly go back to YouTube and watch this shiit

pu7pl3:
WWE SMACKDOWN REVIEWS RECAPS AND REACTIONS


When Friday Night SmackDown kicked off this week with Sami Zayn rolling his way to the ring with a boot on his foot and a neck brace on, flanked by two nurses, I knew we were in for something magical. He cried conspiracy, because of course he did, and then Paul Heyman showed up, surprisingly enough, and the two exchanged some barbs before nearly getting into a physical confrontation that was only stopped when Brock Lesnar showed up, wearing overalls, no less.
I forgot he was going to be on this show, and oh boy were we in for a delight.
Look at the way these two interact:

https://youtu.be/cPKNRenASo8


Right away they get you laughing, as Zayn responds to Lesnar, with a shit eating grin, asking him “how you doing” with an incredulous “I’m not great!” Brock keeps joshing with him, genuinely treating him like a friend he’s giving a hard time to. He plays it so well. The way he nods his head and looks at the ground right at the end of the clip after Zayn tells him how much his feelings are hurt over the situation makes me lose it all over again.
These two are fantastic together. There’s a real chemistry here you don’t often see with Brock. He invites Sami out to Canada where they can bond over hunting and fishing and just generally being Canadian dudes in Canada, and even starts wheeling him out, even when Zayn seems less than enthused. You get the idea that this is just Friend Lesnar, and there’s a terrifying charm to it.
As entertaining as it all is, there was a payoff to all this.
Heyman, seeing this display of fondness and affection, reacts with a mixture of confusion and disgust. Who the hell has Lesnar turned into? Is this really how it is when Brock is left to his own devices? The trademark aggressive nature is still there — you see how pushy he tends to get, even while being friendly — it’s just lurking underneath. As it turns out, he needs someone to help bring that out of him.
As it turns out, that someone is Paul Heyman.
His advocate.
They go right back into the schtick, with Heyman giving him that legendary introduction and Lesnar feeding off it as he goes, growing ever stronger, eventually unleashing a burst of impressive violence on the two nurses before doing the same to poor Sami Zayn, all while Heyman was smiling along. Just like the good ol’ days.
So, then, we’re right back to Final Boss Brock and right back to wondering if Heyman really is still on his side or not. Roman Reigns, for the record, was not on this show and therefore unable to get involved in any of it. Surely he will have much to say about this when he returns next week.
Well done all around.
Later in the show, Lesnar met up with Adam Pearce for a truly bizarre segment where he went into detail about hunting a moose and killing it and eating it and also hanging it up and naming it “Pearce.” That way he remembers being suspended, which he was actually happy about.
Also, Brock uses a flip phone.
https://youtu.be/UQAFq5uHfXk

This guy, man. He sure is something.


All the rest
Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs defeated Los Lotharios in a strangely short match considering they pushed on commentary that the latter team was undefeated since coming over to SmackDown. Seems odd to just throw that away for a random match on a random Friday night, but such is life in WWE.

Oh no, there’s a higher authority again.
Drew McIntyre was told the higher authority didn’t want him in the battle royal, and that also he needs to stop taking that big ass sword to the ring, probably because he tried to murder some guys with it. Even without it, he beat Sheamus clean in the middle of the ring and he “continues to roll on Friday nights,” as Michael Cole put it. He got his sword stolen by Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss, though.

I’m not sure how crazy I am about debuting Xia Li, she who helps the oppressed, by having her make the save for Naomi. It makes sense from that character perspective, I suppose, but I strongly dislike how one-sided this entire program between Naomi and Sonya Deville has been. Naomi badly needs a win here, somewhere, somehow, and without someone else coming to save the day for her. In this case, Li was more or less just acting as an equalizer, and there’s still time to put Naomi over, but they’ve been dragging this out too long and now the focus turned to the big debut they hyped for weeks and is much less about Naomi finally getting hers. It’s fine, it just didn’t sit right as I watched it live. Your mileage may vary.

Toni Storm was given a “championship contender’s match” against the SmackDown women’s champion herself, Charlotte Flair, and she got the trash beat out of her. She won by disqualification because of it, of course, but it was done in such a way that Flair decided she was done with someone she sees as underneath her and went about making that clear in a very physical manner, regardless of the rules. We’ll see if this somehow means Storm gets another match but Sasha Banks buddied up with her earlier in the night, so perhaps we aren’t far away from her getting involved once more.

The main event of this show was a triple threat tag team match pitting Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. The New Day in a match that would decide, as they kept pushing all throughout the evening, the best tag team in all of WWE. Naturally, the match was entirely built around making the crowd want Randy Orton to tag in, his doing so, running wild, and then getting taken out late to give Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston time to steal the match. Immediately, commentary said “they’re the greatest tag team in WWE tonight.” Funny how they added “tonight” onto that. It was a fun match, though.

I’m a big Lesnar fan, and loved all this interaction with Zayn, so this show was fun for me. The non-Lesnar stuff was mostly bland, though there was plenty of solid wrestling throughout the night.

Grade: B-

samistry:
Epic promo especially That moment petey William confuse look like wtf is he saying?

ValeeLove:
my question is what's the use of the brand split and the "Survivor Series is the only time RAW and SmackDown get to compete in a year" if RAW and SmackDown tag team can compete any time they want. It's becoming ridiculous.

pu7pl3:
Pro wrestling

ValeeLove:
it's not even close to an excuse. They should be logical and follow their own rules is all we're asking. Pro-wrestling would be ton better if promotions followed those 2 rules.

ValeeLove:
Tonight is the last PPV for ROH.
Without ROH, there would be no AEW and WWE as it is today.
It's a sad day in wrestling apparently.

ValeeLove:
Young Bucks, Braun Strowman(now Titan), Jay Lethal and FTR were all present at ROH's Final Battle. Strowman made his debut as a member of EC3's stable.