sports WWE Discussion Thread

[Kudasai]

In memory of Global Force Wrestling

 

 

[BUU8800]

God help me Raw is now easier to get through than Smackdown. Just...what the fuck?

[Kudasai]

I turned the TV off during​the Orton vs Rowan match

[Admin]

NXT was the one bright spot for me this week.

 

Nikki Cross V Ruby Riot is epic.

[Jman]

Raw's big July PPV where Brock Lesnar returns is called Great Balls of Fire.

 

Seriously.

[Admin]

watching the Payback.

 

Jericho (!) Vs Owens (!!):  went well.  Was surprised at the outcome, since Jericho is supposedly on his way out.  But I'm cool w/ Jericho as the champ (as long as he doesn't go dropping the belt on some steroid-slerping McMahon boner project)  But the match was pretty good. 

 

Austin Ares (!) Vs Neville (!!):  Underrated.  I kind of wish - there wasn't a "cruiserweight division" in a sense, because - WWE - both the brass and the fans, seem to way too easily be able to just sweep the whole thing under a rug and forget about it while they're waiting around to cheer Nakamura or troll Reigns.  But they almost never have a bad match.  And most of them are flat out great.  Guys like Neville and Ares should be making noise on the main roster.  instead they're herded off to a sidebar.  Meanwhile Jinder Mahal wutnow?  Roman Reigns is STILL getting the same failed push he's been getting for the last few years?  It's crazy to me how readily WWE has always just flat out wasted talent.  The tradition continues.  But doom and gloom aside - very good match.  Like Jericho/Owens, I like both performers so much I'd be happy no matter which way it went.  Neville retaining through heel trickery played okay with me.

 

so far so good for this PPV.

 

Hardy Boyz (all hail the 90s) Vs Sheamus and Cesaro:  Story-wise maybe not as smooth as the previous two matches, but fun to watch.  I was tired of the Hardys as champs the second they were sprung on the crowd as surprise entrants in the Wrestlemania Tag Championship thing.  But eh, could be worse.  It doesn't seem like that long ago they had Road Dog and Billy Gunn todder back in out of nowhere and snatch up the belts for some reason.  I've never been comfortable with how Sheamus/Cesaro have been handled.  The match ending was sort of just - more of that head-scratchingly random nonsense.  But I still sort of like the idea of the them sort of being all "enough is enough" and just turning heel already.

 

So all in all, the match itself was decent, and I feel like all parties came out of it with story potential moving forward, so I'll take it.

 

Braun Strowman is a goddamn hero. 

 

Alexa Bliss Vs  Bayley:  Alexa Bliss is good.  But it's sort of more of that like - the powers that be latch on to somebody they like and that person just gets endlessly pushed.  Bliss has been non-stop pushed for quite awhile now, and the women's division is freaking loaded with talent.  So - while I think Bliss is talented, come on man, it's somebody else's turn by now I think.  Bliss picks up the win as expected.  The match was disrespectfully short on the part of the bookers.  The women are in the same boat as the cruiserweights.  They have some fan momentum behind them with the whole "women's revolution" narrative.  Any two women (well almost any two) in the division could have a full match and blow the guys out of the water.  This could have been a great match, possibly potentially the best of the night.  But between the super predictable Bliss win and the ridiculously short timeframe, I'd have to say this is the most disappointing match of the night so far.

 

Bray Wyatt (!!) Vs Randy Orton (zzz):  Very low expectations for House of Horrors match.  I have to say, I'm kind of on the fence about the taped segments/matches.  I like the idea, but the execution always feels like the crew doesn't quite have a handle on those segments like they do with ring action.  The production value isn't abysmal, but neither does it feel quite professional-grade quality either.  It feels less like a creative idea and more like superficial noise of "well, this is how scary stuff looks, so flash the lights around and that should work great".  I liked the segment.  Didn't feel like it quite lived up to either the hype, or the possibilities of the basic concept.  But I liked it.  I'm assuming this is "part 1" and there'll be more in the ring later?

 

Seth Rollins Vs Samoa Joe:  This is one of those near-dream matchy type situations.  Felt like they were holding back a bit, but even with that it was good stuff.  Rollins with the win.  I think that's what's best for business.  Rollins building momentum, Joe's momentum doesn't get squashed by a loss. 

 

okay there's part 2.  Clearly Wyatt is selling even with Orton not in the ring yet.  Which seems to suggest Orton will pop up fresh as a daisy and mop the floor with Wyatt once more because - that's what they do.

 

which is - pretty much what happens.  the shamefully underpushed Wyatt (basically everybody's heel to beat on, thanks for the step up Bray now go get beat down by the next face we need to get over).  Jinder Mahal with the run-in.  Bray Wyatt slerps up the win thanks to the run-in by the inexplicable Jabroni-push of Jinder Mahal.

 

Okay, not inexplicable.  WWE is looking to stoke their growing market share in India. 

 

So the electric Bray Wyatt gets beat down by Orton, then Mahal (jobber til literally a few weeks ago) tosses him a bone.

 

Kind of shaping up like a lot of WWE PPVs.  The "lesser" card matches are good.  And then as the "bigger" matches take shape, so does my disappointment.

 

so here we go I guess.

 

Strowman Vs Reigns:  They've got Reigns limping into the match, which is kind of a cool angle, nice drama build on that.  The match is good.  Reigns' signature moves are annoyingly simple and low risk (the spear and the "superman punch".  But those weren't the center of the mix this match, though they kind of tried to shift focus at a few points.

 

Good ending, though - clearly creative was looking to evoke some boos eventually for Strowman, and instead the crowd erupted in "thank you strow-man".

 

Strowman was a beast.  Reigns sold very well.  He's always been smooth in the ring.  His big problems are his promos, which suck, his character, which he doesn't know what to do with, and his signature moves, which are clearly by design low-risk and simplistic.  his physical performing skills are brilliant.  And in WWE, I think if you're super talented in one particular area, often the fans can overlook other shortcomings.  But those signature moves I think severely undercut his legitimate ring acumen.  Like - as a fan, I can be watching the best match ever, and suddenly Reigns lands a simple spear and the match is over.  it can detract from one's ability to like a performer I think.

 

Still though, pretty overall satisfying PPV (with the exception of the ultimately silly and pointless House of Horrors match).

 

Jericho/Owens:  Good

Ares/Neville:  Good

Hardys/Sheamus & Cesaro:  Above Average

Bliss Vs Bayley:  Average (should have been much better)

Wyatt Vs Orton:  Poor

Rollins Vs Joe:  Good

Strowman Vs Reigns:  Good

 

 

[BUU8800]

I literally forgot all about this until 5 minutes ago. Looking at the results Strowman winning(fuck you Roman) is good...only to be fed to part-time Lesnar is bad. Orton losing to Wyatt makes sense with Jinder helping...but the whole thing is still laughably bad. Why the fuck did Jericho win when he's leaving soon? Smackdown doesn't have enough talent as it is! The rest is meh. Glad Neville still has the title. Guess I'll watch Raw tonight...

[Admin]

the thing about the Jinder push - is if it's really about expanding market share - the only endgame I see is Orton dropping the belt to Mahal.

 

because - if they're not going to put a belt on his waste, how big a push is it into that market?  Seems like if they're committed to this course, they almost have no choice but to give Mahal the title.

[BUU8800]

Which, as said, is laughably bad. On another note, I miss Rusev. There's an evil foreigner done right. Not that he needs that gimmick, dude is awesome either way. He better win at Money in the Bank. Hopefully the WWE Championship, but it'll probably be the US title again.

[Admin]

wow Raw.

 

no Randy Orton.  No Roman Reigns.  No Jinder Mahal.

 

fucking main event set up with Ambrose, Rollins, Balor, and Miz all in the ring together.  Main event Balor Vs Rollins Vs Miz and on top of that Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt jump in as the match went on.

 

It was, dare I say, awesome.

[BUU8800]

The main event was very good, Sheasaro was good, but as a whole the show was a plodding chore to sit through. The first hour was particularly throwaway-able. I doubt Smackdown will have anything to match the main event though...Jinder and Orton...shudders. Let's find out!

[Kudasai]

Smackdown was actually watchable tonight

[Admin]

i still haven't watched muh smackdowns.

[Ginguy]

RAW was alright this week. I like the move to make Seamus and Caesaro heels. I lol'd at the slow-mo replay of Jeff Hardy getting his tooth knocked out. Ugh, enough of Roman Reigns, he should go to SD just so he will have to change his awful character. Better yet, "injury" and acting school. I want to see Stroman/Lesnar, that would be interesting. Bray wyatt is getting tired, he needs to do something more, though I'm not sure what that is exactly. I'm digging the Apollo Cruz/Titus O'neil team.

 

SDL was great, much improved. It was an across the board improvement, with the only hang-up being Dolph Ziggler and Sin Cara. Why is Ziggler being used to help a beer gut botch artist like Sin Cara, bad move. Women's division is good, and AJ Styles/Shinsuke Nakamura steal every promo and segment they are in. I didn't like the Jericho/Owens after match nonsense, it was gratuitous. 

[BUU8800]

I kept waiting for AJ to come out during that but nope. They clearly felt the need to write Jericho off but it definitely felt like too much.

[Admin]

I think it's like - this week - Raw had a spectacular ending, but the overall show was just kind of peaks and valleys.

 

And Smackdown didn't have that spectacular match.  but the overall show was smoother and more consistent.

 

Watching NXT right now.  I like what's happening there.  I actually had kind of written off Roderick Strong, but I admit to being intrigued by the possibilities of Strong Vs Roode. 

 

I can't imagine Itami will take the title. 

 

And Aleister Black, Drew MacIntyre and Kassius Ohno all waiting in the wings, things are looking pretty solid I think for the title picture there. 

 

Tag division is a bit light in NXT, but I feel like the writing there has stiffened up and become more WWE-like in that they're just no using the fantastic teams they have.  And instead seem to be falling back on monster pushes.  Like Authors Of Pain, who seem a little weak in their ringwork at times, missing spots and such.  And now another team Heavy Machinery, seems a bit green as well, but they are monsters so they seem to be shoving them on through just like they did AOP.  The tag division has lost a lot with Dash and Dawson moving up to WWE (which, btw, they've been virtually buried on the card).  Kinda leaves room for development and new teams.  Right now they've got DIY, Sanity, AOP, Heavy Machinery and that's about it.

 

And always the women are great.  Asuka is fantastic.  I love the Riot/Cross thing.  Lacey Evans' new intro is pretty cool and she's obviously gifted in the ring, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are decent ring performers with a great mic gimmick, they're the perfect mean girls.  Liv Morgan's intro still bugs me because it's just Carmella.  She deserves a better and more distinct intro, she's good in the ring.  Daria's in there on the periphery, looking for good things there as well.  And of course Ember Moon always a fave.  I mean - you've kinda got to be freakin kidding me with the women in WWE lately.  Like the roster is already jammed with top tier talent, and the developmental is equally jammed up.  It's an embarrassment of riches, which makes me a little sad, as I still feel like WWE creative doesn't know what to do with women and cruiserweights.  A shame since some of the more electric moments I think are coming out of those divisions as of late. 

 

having said all that, the battle royal seems a little sloppy to start.  As the ring cleared out though, things definitely picked up and smoothed out.  good to see Nikki Cross make it to the final three.  Things got really savage with Moon/Riot/Cross.  Icing on the cake, Asuka decides to crash the party.  It led to a murky ending (nobody won the match) but it was still a very dramatic ending and it left me wanting to see what happens next. 

 

Honestly, WWE really could/should think about creating a women's tag division, if for no other reason to mitigate the crazy truckloads of talent and create more title opportunities for that division.

[BUU8800]

I dunno, if Smackdown WAS smoother and more consistent I'd say that's literally only due to not having to be 3 hours. Which doesn't seem like it's saying much.

[Ginguy]

I think that SDL is going to do better if they can break out from carrying over RAW feuds. They have the talent levels, they just need to mix things up.

The same goes for RAW.

 

[BUU8800]

Taped RAW this week from the UK. Save yourself 3 hours and just read the synopsis:

 

http://officialfan.proboards.com/thread/558657/spoilers-tonights-raw-progress

[BUU8800]

Here's Smackdown/205 Live:

 

http://officialfan.proboards.com/thread/558693/smackdown-205-live-spoilers-london

 

Again, not worth watching.

[Ginguy]

Definitely watch Ziggler and Nakamura. That was great.

[Admin]

what bugs me a bit about the difference between WWE main roster creative vs NXT creative is how - like WWE Creative seems utterly committed to a very small handful of pushes, and like anybody they don't understand, or don't think should be there, they immediately start to tear down, to whatever extent they can.

 

I think this whole "The artist known as Shinsuke Nakamura" thing is about WWE creative not liking Nakamura and trying to find ways to cool the crowd reaction so they can feed him to a Roman Reigns or Randy Orton push, which seems to be pretty much all they think about.

[Admin]

watching Smackdown right now.

 

That Usos promo was very very bad.  Uncomfortably bad.

 

Like they're taking this "OVER THE TOP BITCHES SHOW WWE UR ATTITUDE" to such a degree that it was like a cringeworthy parody.

 

I like Breeze and Fandango a lot.  But story-wise I just don't see them as tag champs.  But wow if this is the Usos now, I just - don't even want to look at them anymore.

 

Mojo promo lacks Mojo.

 

Even Rusev's taped promo is pretty low key/one take/whatever here's a promo.

 

Kind of a weak night for Smackdown.

 

They really had it going on there brand-wise for awhile.  I don't know who slammed the breaks on, but there's been a very clear line they crossed where, like it was awesome every week, then it just went to shit and never quite got it's groove back.  Been kind of like this for weeks now.

[Admin]

the championship match for the next PPV is the same.

 

Like - my choices as a fan for who to root for are boring as fuck company man Randy Orton or mediochre jobber Jinder Mahal. 

[Ginguy]

Nakamura and Ziggler is great, and I think it will be the highlight match at the next PPV.

SDL has lost something, I think Vince told them to suck in order to keep RAW from being overshadowed. It used to be great, lots of new people and some really good entertainment. Now it is like RAW lame story lines with worse talent

getting the same tired pushes.

USOs were awful. That was the worst promo work I've ever seen them do, and I strongly suspect it was written for them/forced on them because I've seen them do much better than this.

[BUU8800]

Definitely watch Ziggler and Nakamura. That was great.

 

It had Ziggler.  :barf:

[BUU8800]

the championship match for the next PPV is the same.

 

Like - my choices as a fan for who to root for are boring as fuck company man Randy Orton or mediochre jobber Jinder Mahal.

 

SHOULD BE RUSEV!

[Admin]

watching NXT now.

 

opening match was kind of silly.  missed spots and just - lots of bad ring work.  But you know, NXT is kind of the place for that I guess in that it's the place the new talent hones their craft and such.

 

Ruby Riot film spot was boring.

 

Nikki Cross promo was freaking incredible.  The girl is a promo powerhouse.  I think in fact, she's far and away the best of all the women in WWE or NXT, and better than almost all of the men as well.  She's always in the zone, in that character, and bold as fuck.

 

so - Ember is injured.  That means Asuka Vs Riot Vs Cross for the title at the PPV.  That's going to be fucking INSANE.  I can not wait to see that.

 

DIY does indeed deserve a one on one shot at the titles at Takeover.  They've been sitting on Sabatelli for a long time, not sure why.  Is his ring work not quite there?  Given the opening match and how badly that went, I'm not sure that would be an issue.  But I think maybe with Sabatelli, they're intentionally bringing him along slow so as to provide him with the max lift possible when he hits the roster full time.  I think he's one of the talents they have their eye on for full development.  Maybe his mic skills aren't the best either.

 

The thing about DIY is those guys are smooth as silk in the ring.  If you're sticking somebody in there with them, they better be good enough or they're going to come off bad.  I'm not sure Moss/Sabatelli are quite there as a tag team or even as individual performers.  Not too bad I guess.  They're big guys, so they'll get pushed.  I think they're super green promo/mic wise and kind of ring-green as well. 

 

There seems to be this new school promo-wise, like with the Uso's last night, and now Moss and Sabatelli and a few others lately, where it's like "IMA GIVE U MY PROMO NOW I'M JUST GONNA SPLODE ON CAMERA BRAAAAH" and it doesn't work, because there's no emotion or story behind it, it's just some dude busting a vein to get over as having attitude.  And it works on the brass (or seems to).  But I think it kind of leaves the audience snickering and scratching their heads a bit.

 

Also NXT announce team is boring as fuck.  Almost hate to say it.  But there's zero energy there. 

 

Regal does the right thing and makes the match (DIY Vs AOP for tag titles at Takeover) in a ladder match.  Which - makes me nervous.  AOP has the look and stuff, but I'm still not convinced they have the ring skills to be where they are, and a ladder match is a pretty complicated affair for green talent.  We'll see how it goes.

 

Ohno Vs Almas next week should be good.

 

Itami Vs Strong is fantastic.  These two are clearly carrying on that NXT tradition of fast moving, complete, entertaining and well timed matches.  It's good to see NXT just keeps going even as WWE plucks talent.

 

Like they grab up all the women, and the women's division on NXT is as good as it ever was, maybe even better.  They keep grabbing up the other talent, and more keeps popping up that's just as good.

 

NXT is almost the opposite of WWE in that, WWE seems to gobble up talent and bury it.  NXT seems to sign a lot of talent and develop it to its max potential.  I love seeing that.

 

Far and away, the best match of the week (no contest whatsoever) Itami Vs Strong.  very good stuff. 

[Admin]

there's kind of a predictable pattern now with both shows where they start it out with the "contenders" all interrupting each other in the ring (both shows did that this week, and seems like they've been doing it a lot lately) one after the other.  And it's always like - the top four or the top five contenders and it's just - getting kinda old seeing it every week.

 

things I learned from Smackdown:

 

Jinder Mahal does not belong in the ring with AJ Styles

 

The Usos either need a rest from the mic or they need to have their cocaine privileges revoked.  Because these turnt up promos are just embarrassingly random meanderings that make me want to never see them on my tv ever again.

 

All the women want James Ellsworth.

[BUU8800]

I literally only watched Smackdown for Rusev...no Rusev.

[Admin]

watching NXT right now.

 

Drew McIntyre is going to the top unless something horrible happens.

 

Lacey Evans Vs Sonya DeVille.  Two super diverse talents.  Looking for big things from both.  For as technical as these two are capable of being, they put on a fairly violent little match.  Between these two, Askuka, Riot and Cross, the Women's Division has taken quite a sort of violent turn with this new class of performers.  Deville takes it.  Could have gone either way.  enjoyable match. 

 

Kassius Ohno Vs Adrade Cien Almas:  These guys are good.  You know - I'm watching these two dudes on WWE's developmental brand pull off moves and just yesterday was watching Jinder Mahal botch the simplest freakin moves in his match with AJ Styles.  But I digress.  Ohno picks up the win (as expected), but the match was very very good.

 

Roode closes it out with a glorious promo.  Itami confronts him and Regal attempts to get between them with security.  Itami chases Roode from the ring and then systematically dismantles Regal's security, eventually getting his hands on Roode and takin him down.  A good segment.  I still think Roode shall be victorious at Takeover.  But we'll see.

 

 

so far then we got for Takeover:

 

DIY vs Authors Of Pain in a ladder match.  Could be awesome.  Could be tragic.  This one's tough to predict.  But I already think no other NXT titles will change hands, and DIY is definitely a deserving tag team, so I'm going to say DIY will grab the belts from AOP.

 

Asuka Vs Ruby Riot Vs Nikki Cross for the NXT Women's Championship.  I'm pretty sure Asuka's gonna retain, but I'm looking forward to this match more than any other I can think of in recent memory.

 

Bobby Roode Vs Hideo Itami for the NXT Championship.  Hard to tell if this match will be good or not.  I like both of them.  But I have to admit, their matches, while sometimes fantastic, are often hit and miss.  So we'll see.  I expect Roode to retain there.

 

Tyler Bate Vs Peter Dunne for the UK Championship.  I honestly think they'll put the title on Dunne for a bit.  He's more than proved himself, and I think he's way flashier than Bate and better with promos.  They're both good in the ring.  I just think overall Dunne makes a better champion/brand anchor. 

 

Roderick Strong Vs Eric Young (w/Sanity):  It seems obvious Young would prevail, but Strong may steal one here.  In fact, I'm going to go with Strong for the win.  He might get beat down after that.  But hey, a win's a win.

 

 

 

 

[Admin]

Takeover Chicago:

 

opening match was Roderick Strong Vs Eric Young and - smooth as butta.  This is the developmental brand at its very best, matches like this, that are actually better than most of the matches going on in WWE right now, are why I like NXT.  I was a bit surprised that, not only did Strong win the match, but came out of the gate strong (sneak attacking Wolfe and Dain during his intro music) and remained fairly dominant throughout.  The mid-air drop kick as Young came off the top rope was a thing of beauty.  My one criticism was perhaps a creative one, in that Wolfe and Dain didn't really play into it much, and I would have liked to see more of a sense of Strong having to overcome odds to win it.  But it's a small complaint, as the match itself was great. 

 

Bait Vs Dunne:  Surprise guest commentator Jim Ross!  This is EXACTLY what NXT needs.  Somebody like Ross would be an amazing addition to the NXT broadcast team (which frankly is mush right now).  Of course, he's basically retired, but I think he's actually a much better fit for NXT than WWE, and would probably even be happier at NXT, and having somebody like Ross around interacting with up and coming talent would also be a huge win.  There's nobody on the current broadcast team that needs to stay.  They're all pretty much boring as shit.  And Tom Phillips has other duties anyway.  It'd be great to see Ross on NXT full time.  Bait is good.  But Dunne is not only good, but also has a great look and character, and is very good on the mic.  Bait is a bit uncomfortable seeming on the mic, and while he's great in the ring, he always looks a bit out of place on camera when he's outside the ring.  Like he doesn't quite know where to look and what to do.  the match is a little weird, but something different.  Two younger performers, so there's better energy.  But there's a lot of hit and miss as they feel out what they're doing.  Not the smooth match that the opener was, but it's no less entertaining.  Pete Dunne takes it.  I'm a little disappointed in a sense that - like with WWE splintering itself more and more - we'll probably never see Pete Dunne in WWE, since he's like considered NXT, a Cruiser Weight, and UK Version of WWE.  So there he will probably languish.  But he's got the makings of probably the best heel character to come WWE's way in a long long time.

 

Asuka Vs Ruby Riot Vs Nikki Cross:  This should be a perfect combo of the previous two matches.  Riot and Asuka are smooth, but also innovative.  Cross is just plain wild.  Asuka's got one of those entrances that's amazing.  And it's all her.  She moves in such a cool and creepy way, like a comic book super villain.  Good long match.  Nobody outshines anybody else.  Three spectacular performers.  This match had rhythm.  It told a great story.  And it just never let up.  Actually came out better than I expected and my expectations were very high.  Ending in an epic near win by both Cross and Riot, and ultimately a double pin by Asuka.  Amazing stuff.  Most fun I've had in quite awhile watching a match.

 

Itami Vs Roode:  I just noticed so far all my predictions came true (still have the tag titles coming up though).  We'll see if this one does too.  Roode's extended intro kinda kills the mood.  Bad choice there.  Sometimes the NXT extended PPV intros are amazing.  This is not one of those times.  The match is alright.  Probably the slowest of the night and most traditional WWE type match.  I think once Roode goes to WWE, he'll be right at home there and probably do well.  Storywise I think right now for NXT Roode makes a good champion.  And he's solid in the ring.  I'm not trying to take anything away from him.  But for better or for worse, Roode's matches are very "WWE"-like.  And Roode retains, as expected.  Not bad.  Glad there's another match.  Coming off the first three matches, this one was pretty lackluster.

 

Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Pat Patterson and Kassius Ohno in the audience.

 

Authors Of Pain (w/Paul Ellering) Vs DIY (Thomaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) ladder match:  The crowd is pretty pumped for DIY, and I'm right there with em.  I hope they take the titles.  I have to say, I think the DIY gimmick isn't very good.  I think Ciampa and Gargano deserve a better idea/concept.  AOP pacing like caged animals as the titles rise over the ring.  Maybe DIY is a good concept, they seem to be taking their time picking out jussst the right ladders.  AOP is doing pretty well.  I've seen them stumble around a bit here and there even as the tag champs.  Really, their jobs in this type of match is to sort of set up mainly gargano (but also ciampa) for the high risk moves, and then pull off the power moves.  They're actually doing that really well.  And the match is flowing nicely.  I would say it doesn't have quite the high energy level of other ladder matches I've seen.  But still a good solid successful match so far.  Surprised to see Ellering actually climb into the ring and get directly involved.  AOP retain.  Disappointing.  BUT I was more impressed with them this time around.  A ladder match is clearly no easy thing, and they did very well I thought.  The Ciampa heel turn at the end was CRAZY unexpected.  Makes sense in a way, I mean, if DIY weren't getting the belts, they either continue to languish in the tag division or they split em up.  I think this would have been cooler if they'd won the belts first, and then had Ciampa lose it after they lost the lost the belts.  That gives the story a bit more motivation.  But eh.  Even though it wasn't the match I would have wanted to see, and wasn't quite "great", it was entertaining.

 

All in all it was a fun show, enjoyed it a lot.

[Admin]

watching the 2017 Backlash:

 

Ziggler Vs Nakamura:  the crowd is thunderous already with Nakamura chants.  Great to hear that intro music again.  This should be awesome.  These two have it in them to put on a "match of the year" type match.  Match is good so far. 

 

What I'm noticing is the commentating.  Which, like good soundtrack music, should enhance without detracting.  WWE seems like it's in a serious slump at the announce table across the board.

 

Ziggler is phenomenal in this.  Nakamura is Nakamura.  I'm not sure I can even remember off hand a bad match by either of these.  Great back and forth, both performers getting some great spots.  one of those matches that both combatants come out of looking great, no matter who wins.

 

"The Artist" bugs the holy living shit out of me.  It's like - WWE HAS to get its digs in there.  Can't take a talent like Nakamura, who literally sells himself, and just let him be him.  They have to try to tag him with a dipshit nickname, in this case "the artist known as Shinsuke Nakamura" which is dumb as fuck.

 

anyhow - sidetracked.  Nakamura wins his WWE debut match.  Ziggler was spectacular.  Nakamura was spectacular.  Great opener.

 

It's prolly all down hill from here...

 

well - Fashion Files.  This has become an oddly well liked segment on Smackdown, getting a lot of positive social media attention.  Fandango has been a joke from day one, but he and Breeze are both immensely talented in the ring.  These spots have really brought out some of their other talents.  They're both pretty funny, and their timing in these bits is almost as good as their timing in the ring. 

 

Crowd seems strangely hyped for the Tag Team championship match.  Breezango Vs Usos.  My prediction was that Usos will retain.  I used to really like the Usos.  But their recent meth-head-like promos have kind of made me want  not to see them anymore.  So I would kinda like to see Breezango win.  For one thing - Fandango is one of those dudes, he's been around forever, he's always good, and he never gets anywhere.  Breeze is one of those phenomenal NXT talents that got kicked "upstairs" to WWE only to be promptly buried.

 

this should be good.  All four of these dudes know how to go in the ring.

 

the mop stuff is fucking hilarious.  partly because of Breeze's timing, but also the crowd reaction is hilarious.  They're actually chanting "mop mop mop".  And when the Usos break it, the whole arena erupts in thunderous boos.

 

I have to say, I'm digging the unpredictability of this match.  Breeze especially is pulling some crazy shit.  Between the mop thing and the rolling back and forth between corners, it has definitely been quite awhile since I've laughed this much at a WWE match.  And it's not just Breeze, Jey Uso is selling it well too.

 

Fandango getting a shot.  The crowd is super into this.  I'm kind of surprised.  I'm not surprised that the match is this good (all four are great in the ring) but I'm a bit surprised by the crowd response.

 

Breeze with a costume change, returning in old lady drag.  This match is nuts.  The whole fucking auditorium is roaring "LETS GO GRAM-MA".  and again, this is kind of a neat gimmick, and Breeze is playing it fantastically, but the Usos are really adding to it and selling it from their end as well.  Kind of shows how optimal a match can be when all the performers are pulling in the same direction to make it the most entertaining match they can make it.

 

Some beautiful drop kicks by Breeze and a move that can only be described as "old lady flash".  AND Gramma Breeze STILL has her glasses on her face.  hasn't lost her specs through all this.  OH there goes the wig and glasses.

 

Not sure which Uso that is.  I think it's Jimmy just tore off Gramma Breeze's dress and pitched it out of the ring and it landed on JBL's head.  ... and the crowd goes wild.

 

You know what?  this is the most entertaining match I've seen in a long time.  I'm super into this.  And Breeze keeps playing possum throughout.  It's working really well. 

 

hah slow motion replay of the dress on JBL's head.

 

I guess those Fashion Files segments have really paid dividends because the crowd is crazy for Breezango.

 

Oh I KNEW the Usos had it that time and Breeze kicks out.  One of the Usos kicks the other one in the nards because of Breeze's possumming antics. 

 

Another near fall, this time I KNEW Breezango had it.

 

whoops Breeze gets knocked over the barracade into some kids.  But looks like everybody's alright.  Fandango launches out of the ring into the Usos.

 

Usos retain.  I'm sad.  But can't be too sad, because that was one of the most entertaining fucking matches I've ever seen.

 

 

[Admin]

they're playing highlights from the match, of which there are like 1000.  All four of these dudes tore it up.  Breezango really made a name for themselves even in losing.  I've not been too hyped on the Usos' promos lately, but holy crap they were spectacular in that match.

 

THERE IS NO WAY the rest of the card can come anywhere near these two opening matches.  NO FUCKING WAY.

 

there.  the gauntlet is thrown.

 

well... next match is Sami Zayn vs Baron Corbin.  Which - could also be good...

 

I predict Corbin win.  As usual my personal pick is at odds with where I think creative will go on this, I would love to see Zayn pick up the win.  But it's Corbin's push, so I'm about 99.999% sure Corbin will take it.

 

Zayn is amazing, Corbin has improved quite a bit and it'll be cool to see how he does in there with Zayn in a PPV environment.

 

many many many foreign broadcast teams being introduced, as WWE seeks to expand their market share worldwide.

 

that's basically the main reason I fully expect an upset with Jinder Mahal winning the belt tonight off Randy Orton.

 

[Admin]

Zayn V Corbin is good.  This match is like - the standard WWE PPV - this would be the best match of the night.  As it is, it's #3.  But still very good.  Corbin is working well with Zayn, the match is unfolding really well.

 

god dammit. You know, so far, this 3rd string Smackdown PPV is way more enjoyable than Wrestlemania was for me.  This is nuts.

 

so Corbin is mauling Zayn, Zayn pulls out that kick of his and actually takes it.  I'm surprised.  Zayn wins what was yet another really great match.

 

taped promo segment, Xavier Woods plays Rocket League w/Ember Moon, Zack Ryder and Brennan Williams.  Nice to see Ember Moon in there after missing the Takeover match due to injury. 

 

Next we got Jinder Mahal limo arrival (okay, tell me they're not going to float him the belt after that).

[Admin]

NOW it's downhill from here.  Given the normal WWE PPV pace, three fantastic matches in one night is practically impossible.  The rest of the card has to be shit.

 

oh wait...there's James Elsworth.  6 woman tag is next.  So...

 

all the women want James Elsworth.  It's just the facts.

 

Carmella is first out.  Would like to see her get a title run.  Tamina, like her new intro music.  And Natalya, would also like to see her get another title run.

 

The other side of the crazy talented women's division six woman tag:  Becky Lunch (would like to see her get another title run), Charlotte (she's immensely talented, but she's had enough title runs for awhile) and Naomi (current Smackdown Women's Champion and deservedly so, she's spectacular).

 

I'm going to predict that the underdogs (in this match the heel team) takes it.  Honestly don't care which team wins, they're all great.

 

Natayla and Becky are smooth as silk in there.  Natalya and Charlotte also good, they've had some genuinely epic matches.  Charlotte with some amazing stuff.  Natalya carrying a lot of the match, which is good to see, she's one of the best and has never really got her due.

 

And Natalya takes it for her team.  That works for me.  Not sure a Becky Lynch tapout is optimal from a character/branding perspective.  But it's nice to see Natalya getting a win.

 

So - what is this? 4 great matches in a row now. 

 

I have no fucking idea what's going on.  But this is one of the best PPVs eva.

 

 

 

[Admin]

FUCK YOU match #5 tonight is AJ Styles Vs Kevin Owens.  what the fuck happened to WWE PPVs?  Like - just - suddenly.  Every single match tonight is fucking awesome.

 

And even watching SD leading up to it, I still somehow didn't see it coming. 

 

I guess - you know, the Nakamura debut was just plain going to rock.  And the Breezango/Usos match was a crazy surprise.  The Women's matches are always great.  Zayn is usually a safe bet no matter who he's in there with, and Corbin/Zayn was really good.  And now two of WWE's current best (Styles and Owens) for the US title.  It somehow snuck up on me how awesome this was going to be.

 

but it is.

 

anyhow - Styles and Owens are magic.

 

AJ Styles gets his foot tangled in wires from the messed up announce table and ends up getting counted out, Owens retains.  Forgot to predict ahead of time.  But actually I think I expected Styles to take the title.  But I love Owens as champ so either one was fine with me.

 

replay of the pre show match (Tye Dillinger Vs Aiden English) dillinger taking the win.  I think those two work really well together.  It's a good pairing.

 

 

[Admin]

Match #6.  HAS to suck right?

 

so - nope.

 

Luke Harper Vs Erik Rowan.

 

Rowan has really emerged from the last injury with some great promos and great ring work.  These two have always worked really well together.  They even replayed a bit of his Talking Smack promo from last week, which was amazing.

 

Match is interestingly one-sided, almost all Rowan.  Harper had some great crowd momentum for awhile there, but WWE unceremoniously killed that.  He would have made a great champ, still could.

 

another really good match.  fuck you WWE.  are you switching things up on me??  Do these PPVs actually mean something again?? wtf?

 

A big man smash up.  I'd say "traditional WWE big man smash up" but it's a little more innovative than that.  Both of these guys seem able to transcend that traditional WWE "Big Man" role.  Crowd doesn't seem quite as into this match as they have been the others.  But there's still a lot of chants for Harper and boos for Rowan.  Harper wins it.

 

I am satisfied with that.  Wouldn't have been sad to see Rowan win it either.  I really like both of these guys.  They put on a great match.

 

sooo onward.

 

Main Event:  Jinder Mahal Vs Randy Orton.  I predict Jinder Mahal is taking it because - why push him this far to increase foreign market share if you're not going to push him all the way, just doesn't make sense (but, WWE often doesn't make sense, so there's a very good chance I'm wrong about that).

 

Crowd is chanting bigtime for Orton.

 

wow big cena-esque chants for Mahal (Let's go jinder / jinder sucks)

 

For as bad as I expected this to be, it's actually pretty good.  Don't know if the previous matches made me more receptive or it's legitimately not a bad match.  It's definitely the most WWE style match in that traditional sense of clotheslines and chest chops etc.

 

As Orton is pummeling the Singh Brothers, he very gingerly picks up JBLs hat and hands it back to him.  That was kind of an oddly comic little moment.  For the record, the guys that play the Singh Brothers are brothers in real life and were also part of the Cruiserweight Classic tournament on WWE Network, and they're actually very good.

 

Mahal takes the belt.

 

Crowd seems okay with it.  I would have expected more negativity.  But they seem to be taking it well.  Again, maybe it's the amazing matches that came before this one.  It's hard to be disgruntled with WWE after 6 fantastic matches in a row.  And the 7th (the title match) wasn't terrible.  It was maybe even good.

 

wow, totally did not expect this.  But I thoroughly enjoyed this Backlash.

 

If I have to put my finger on one thing, it'd have to be the tag title match, which was so nuts, and so good, that it put me in a fantastic mood I think.  But then every other match on the card was also great.  so - pretty awesome.

[BUU8800]

Didn't bother with Backlash, saw the results, fucking garbage. ::: Smackdown is now garbage. :barf:

 

1.) STOP HAVING CORBIN LOSE! I don't give a shit if he's ready I love him, start pushing him!

 

2.) JINDER IS AWFUL! God I hope Rusev takes the belt but he won't.

[Ginguy]

 

  I have to say that I really enjoyed RAW last night. It has been a while since I enjoyed it from start to finish, but everything was good last night. Even dumbass Roman Reigns was likable, somewhat, and he came very close to emoting.

Cruiserweights are getting stale, it seems like there are only four or five at any given time, with the rest buried. Still, I enjoyed the ring performance, it is top notch work.

Titus brand works, I like it. If it can grow to include a couple other NXT transfers, I can see it going places.

 

 

We'll see what happens with SDL.

 

[BUU8800]

I couldn't bring myself to watch either this week. Oh well.

[Admin]

apart from the Goldust promo which I absolutely loved, Raw was meh for me this week.

 

That whole "Fatal Five Way build up to face part-time WWE champion Brock Lesnar" storyline feels like a placeholder to me.  Like a substitute for literally anything.  A talent packed roster and creative is having this much trouble building decent stories/rivalries?

 

I will say this, my comments about the announce teams don't currently extend to Raw, which has Corey Graves and Booker T (both are awesome).

[Admin]

watching the Smackdown. 

 

for as poorly as they set up the Jinder Mahal title thing, I will say they're on it from a post-Jinder-Mahjal-title-win perspective, absorbing any negative spin into their press such that it almost reads as a work rather than what it is.

 

And probably to their credit, they are all in, kicking off Smackdown with a Jinder Mahal motorcade arrival.  The one thing I will say is maybe a bit of a miscalculation might be how - like they set Mahal up as a heel, a specifically foreign heel, and elevated him to champ in an attempt to expand foreign market share, BUT - in so doing, they set the crowd up for "U-S-A! U-S-A!" chants, which could actually have a potentially adverse effect on said market expansion.

 

So Money In the Bank.  This year they're only doing five participants?  That's - kinda - lame.  (AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura). 

 

Of those five, I think Styles would make the best winner story-wise, as having him hanging around waiting to cash in his MITB Contract would keep things tense and unpredictable I think.  Otherwise, I think Corbin makes the most sense.  Though I'm not sure I see Corbin/Mahal.  I'd much rather see a Corbin/Orton championship match.

 

Kevin Owens got added to it, making it six.  But doesn't change thing for me, with Owens already US Champion, I'd still rather see Styles or Corbin take it.  Also though, I will say, I like all six of these guys quite a lot.

 

oh wow, AJ and Shinsuke tagging in the main event.  That's cool.  Nakamura has yet to compete in a tag match in WWE.  Styles/Nakamura is a dream match no matter if their competing with each other or on the same team.

 

women's match, yet another variation of Lynch/Charlotte/Naomi Vs Natalya/Carmella/Tamina.  These matches are always good.  But just like with the similar main-eventer formula lately, this is getting a little old creatively.  Any two of these people could have an epic storyline/rivalry.  yet we're still mired in this 3 on 3 thing.

 

And neither brand has a lot going on up top these days (between absentee champ Lesnar and jobber-turned-marketing-ploy Mahal champ for the other brand).  It feels like, where the brand split initially injected a bit of freshness (mostly from the Smackdown side), both brands have grown increasingly stale in the last few months.

 

Zayn Vs Corbin rematch.  I'll be shocked and confused if Corbin doesn't win this time.  I love Sami Zayn, but - ope.  wow.  two seconds Zayn gets a pin.  That's CRAZY.  Why would they do that?  Anyhow - Corbin is beating the crap out of Zayn now, going crazy.  I guess that works.  Kind of a decent enough angle for Corbin, elevating him as a heel.

 

Pairing Corbin with Zayn has been really good I think for Corbin.

 

Breezango I now love.  They're doing single matches against each of the Usos tonight.  Love their segments. 

 

Tyler:  "do you want our guns?"

 

Shane:  "you have guns??"

 

I hope they continue this Breezango/Usos thing.  Though it would be nice if Breezango to hold the titles for awhile.

 

wow - Mahal segment is going all out to suck up to India.

 

Again, say what you want about the legitimacy of the storyline that ended with Mahal taking the belt (it was silly/rushed/etc).  But now that they've crossed the finish line, they are going all out to package Mahal as champ in a way that they haven't in a long time.  his appearance has all the hallmarks of an event.  so, I would say that - even though the execution of getting to this point was super flawed, post-championship, the WWE really has their shit together.

 

Also Mahal has the crowd going.  I don't think this is traditional audience rickroll/troll of Vince and creative.  They seem to be legitimately reacting to Mahal as a performer and the storyline itself.  So - if the lead up to this was a fail, I think they've turned it into a success with this promo.  we'll see if they can keep that pace up.

 

so Breeze vs Jey should be good.

 

ope - ooh fuck an uso has the mic.  hold up - another quickie pin.  Fandango squirts Jey in the face with a squirtgun and Breeze pins him in mid promo.  I might be disappointed, but having seen the PPV match, which was pretty long and complex, I'm okay with this.  Especially as part of an ongoing story.  Fandango keeping Jey "covered" with the squirtgun is a nice touch.

 

Fandango Vs Jimmy.  Almost as quick.  Breeze has Jey chasing him around the ring, distracting Jimmy enough for Fandango to snag a pinfall.

 

A nice quick followup to a spectacular PPV match.  keeps the rivalry alive, keeps the humor alive, hopefully they can stretch it to MITB.  I'm enjoying this.  These 4 are gold.

 

ope not over yet.  Breezango suggest another title match.  Usos say let's go right now.  Official consults on the headset or something.  Aaaand - I guess they're doing it.  Tag Title match right now.  Not sure how I feel about this.  Feels like too soon.  But anyhow - .  Usos retain.  So - not sure - what that was about.  Kind of mystifying creatively.  It kind of took a great rivalry with great rhythm and life ahead of it and slammed the breaks on for seemingly no reason.

 

Tamina wants James Elsworth.

 

yet another fatal five way elimination match for #1 contender next week, this time on the women's side.  These are getting kinda boring.  Seems like WWE's new answer to everything is a fatal five-way to determine the #1 contender.  At least the Women's championship kind of means something.  Both SDL and Raw titles right now are more company tools than creative tools, one being in the hands of an overpaid part timer, the other a jobber turned marketing campaign.

 

So Styles/Nakamura Vs Owens/Ziggler should be awesome.  I think Nakamura and Ziggler both are better in this match than they were at the PPV.  Owens really good in this.  They seem to be bringing out the best in each other in this.  I gotta say, Owens and Nakamura are really great together.

 

Great main event sends me out on a high note.  Feel sort of like mmmaybe Smackdown is starting to get its shit together?  or maybe not.  too soon to tell.

 

I'd love to see a Nakamura/Owens feud.  And I wish they hadn't fucked up the Usos/Breezango thing tonight, because would have loved more of that.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ginguy]

I think the brand split has resulted in talent being stretched thin and creative not wanting the same old thing week after week because that doesn't work.

 

That aside, SDL was very good last night. RAW was slightly better, but I was genuinely happy with everything on SDL except Mahal, who is just obnoxious.

Nakamura and Ziggler routinely steal the show, pairing with Styles and Owens worked well.

I don't like Owens in the MitB match. He could instead have a match with someone else and leave a spot open for new talent to be brought up in much the same way that the Hardy's showed up.

 

The women's match was good but not great. James Elsworth is a chinless slug and I hope that JBL hits him with a clothesline from hell. In that regard he does a great job being a pipsqueak troll.

 

 

[Admin]

NXT kind of boring this week.  Mostly just a Takeover recap show.

 

A couple decent matches.  Aleister Black vs Curt Hawkins was kind of cool.

 

WWE tried to sneak Tough Enough's Patrick Clark through as "Velvetine Dream" but the audience sniffed it out right away and started booing him.  I hope Tough Enough is just done for good.  That show is a terrible way to introduce new talent.  Because - as a reality TV show, they're tasked with presenting personal conflict and drama, but it makes all the contestants look like whiney little bitches.  And then when they finally trot them out on WWE TV, people are like "oh hey I remember that guy, he was a whiney little bitch on Tough Enough".  And he might even not be that, and might even be good at what he does.  But Tough Enough is like - people hate it, but they watch it anyway, and generally they tend to hate people who come off the show.  They've snuck a few through.  But you really have to sneak.  If they were ever like "HEY KIDS IT'S THAT DUDE FROM TOUGH ENOUGH!" they'd be like "naaaaw booooo".

 

I have to say, he was really good tonight.  But he was facing a jobber, and, kinda like the crowd in attendance, it's tough not to remember back to the last Tough Enough and how awful almost all of those people were.

 

Drew McIntyre vs Wesley Blake was also pretty good.

 

Eh.  As NXT shows go, this one was pretty sucky.  Too much recapping and not enough violent things happening.  But a couple good matches.

[Admin]

I just thought this up - here's what we need:  Rusev somehow enters MITB at the last minute and wins the contract.  Then Rusev smashes WWE Champion and becomes WWE Champion.  All Bulgerians begin watch Smackdown.  Bulgarian market is prime market for WWE expansion.  WWE should heed my words on this. 

 

Bulgaria = $$$.

[Ginguy]

I love the idea of Rusev crashing MitB.

[Ginguy]

Really liked RAW last night.

Fatal 3-way was great, I like the idea of Samoa Joe getting pushed, he works well as a great heel.

Titus O'neil was surprisingly well done, I dig the Titus Brand angle. Now he just needs a couple more people to be with and feud with. Maybe R-Truth?

Main Event, was really good. I kind of hate to say it, but Reigns was almost emotive on his mic work. I think he is getting some lessons, because this is the second week in a row that he hasn't outright soiled the bed on the mic.

Amusing as it is to watch Alexa Bliss swing for the fences, I just wasn't that impressed with the women last night.

Elias is great, quit wasting him on jabronis and move him into serious work. His debut against Ambrose showed he can handle himself, why waste him with jabroni's.

 

Overall 4/5  Keep up the good work.

 

[Admin]

was kinda bored w/raw this week.

 

it's been pretty much this for the last few weeks now.  Same fatal mutli-way whatevers.  There's no story.  It's like they've run out of ideas so they just toss everybody in the ring at once.

 

Not that I dislike that stuff, but just - not every single week, two or more matches a show of that.

 

I perked up a little at the Goldust promo again, but then that came crashing down when it was followed by an R Truth promo, so basically - no, the GD promos aren't about something new actually happening, it's just the same thing again.  Goldust and R Truth. 

 

So even the one thing I was like "well this could be something" turned out to be kind of just more of the same.

 

It wasn't a bad show.  They have a good roster right now.  But just zero storytelling.  It's boring.

[Ginguy]

SDL this week.

Loved Nakamura/Owens/Corbin mic work. That was great. Sammy is alright, but they need to find a better feud for both KO and SZ. Baron Corbin continues to impress me every week.

Styles and Ziggler was great. I really want to see Ziggler win MitB, I think it would be great for him.

Women stole the show. Every single one of them, well except Tamina on the mic, but maybe she can get lessons from whoever is coaching Roman Reigns. That match was great all around, though I kind of wanted it to be Ellsworth who went through the table.

New Day and Usos was good. New Day seemed to suck all the cringe out of Usos mic work, or maybe creative quit trying to force Usos to be awful. Either way I was very happy in general with that entire promo.

 

SDL did a great job this week. 4/5 and a slight edge over RAW. I think things are looking up, though I agree, the multi-matches are getting a little stale, time to go back to individual/tag team storylines.