Hey there Skatronixxx peeps, and occasional Readers! Welcome Back to ICYMI! This past week at Skatronixxx all hands were on deck to cover the BIG DEAL… San Diego Comic Con! And our awesome writers went overtime to bring you all the news that is news at SDCC. But we also had some big, BIG news of our own! Read on for details! [Read more…]
Kickoff Show
Usos vs Breezango
Jimmy and Jey Uso arrive first on the kickoff entrance. I still believe they have one of the more entertaining entrances even though it has lost some steam over time. Breezango enter right after to a few spots of cheers. It feels like Breezango might win the match. Fandango starts against Jimmy, getting caught in a decent double team move followed by some chops. Tyler Breeze and Fandango show some decent teamwork with a slingshot elbow hopping over the top rope by Fandango. Frequent tags by Breezango leads to an opening by the Uso’s after they miss a window of opportunity. The Uso’s try to pump up the crowd with an US-O chant but it is followed by a sea of boos. The match is slow-paced with the crowd waiting for something to happen. Crowd cheering for Breezango after some near falls. A confusing outside spot leads to a super kick fiasco by the Usos. Jimmy sets up for a big splash, as Jey spears through the ropes with a suicide dive taking out Fandango on the outside. Jimmy jumps and hits the splash on Tyler Breeze but being the legal man, he wisely rolls Jimmy into a small package ending in a 1,2,3 count victory! Received well by the crowd to a moderate cheer!
Winners-Tyler Breeze and Fandango (Breezango)
Main Match Card
Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs Sasha Banks and ????
Sasha Banks enters to an eruption of cheers after Charlotte and Dana are already in the ring. Sasha’s mystery partner is……BAYLEY!!! Thank You GOD!!! WWE finally did something for the fans!! My heart is racing from the enormous reception she received. I have donned Bayley the female Daniel Bryan. Charlotte and Dana cutoff their celebration attacking both Sasha and Bayley knocking them outside the ring. Referee Mike Chioda settles things down and they ring the bell! Charlotte and Bayley begin the match with the crowd cheering for every move done by Sasha and Bayley. Sasha botches a hurricanrana off the top rope but still manages some effectiveness. Dana Brooke and Charlotte control the majority of the match for a good five minutes. A vicious double clothesline by Bayley and Dana allows the hot tag to Sasha who cleans house against Charlotte. Sasha hits double knees on Charlotte but again botches a cross body off the top rope barely connecting. Charlotte hits natural selection but Bayley makes the save! Sasha hits a bank statement but Dana makes the save. A squirm ends, with Sasha hitting another bank statement, Charlotte tapping fairly quickly! Sasha and Bayley have a moment with a hug after to a huge reaction! I was happy for Bayley, especially starting out the night on a great note and a gift from WWE. An ok match in which you kind of wanted more from Bayley but WWE did not allow it.
Winners – Sasha Banks and Bayley
Second Match
A New Day vs The Wyatt Family
New Day come out to a big crowd reaction as they immediately make a Taylor Swift joke while referencing Bone Crusher’s “Never Scared” hit song entering the ring. As they spew out the giddiness of being drafted together to RAW. The Wyatt Family disrupts them as the crowd turns into a sea of fireflies. New Day tags each member in before the match starts, while Xavier Woods is still hypnotized by Bray Wyatt. Frequent tags by both teams as every member appeared in the ring, in the first 30 seconds. Erick Rowan and Kofi Kingston end up as the beginners of the match. There has been 2 headlocks with no real action to begin with, other than a mean clothesline by Bray Wyatt on Kofi. Wyatt family clearly in control for the first part of this match. Big E gets the crowd back into it with his Big Splash chanting “New Day Rocks.” Kofi moments later hits a flip over the top rope on Strowman on the outside. Bray goes to hit Sister Abigail and Xavier Woods interrupts, to a standoff with Bray again hypnotizing Xavier. Eventually he breaks out of it and attacks Bray to a crowd cheer. Strowman grabs a hold of Xavier choking him and Big E hits his suicide spear on Strowman landing really awkwardly. Hopefully he is alright. In the blink of an eye you see Bray Wyatt in his spider walk, freezing Xavier in time which allows him to hit sister abigail for the 1,2,3 count! I am a fan of the Wyatts but it doesn’t matter as the winner of this match means nothing. Only time will tell where all these Wyatt Family superstars wil go. Bray Wyatt got the pin so I am satisfied with it.
Winners – The Wyatt Family
Third Match
United States Championship
Rusev vs Zack Ryder
Lana is in the ring pretty much wearing a wedding dress outfit and tiara. I am already falling asleep. Zack Ryder comes out in an american flag Randy Savage looking outfit. Rusev is dominating with a series of wrestling moves and headlocks. Zack Ryder fights back to a desperate crowd cheering USA! trying to will some energy into this match. Rusev has done nothing but hug Zack up until this point. Ryder again trying to fight back with some forearms. Crowd chanting Woo! With every connection. The first attempt for a Broski Kick is stopped short by Rusev. Zach reverses a suplex into a neck breaker which is quite a good move on the eye. They tangle outside for a minute ending with Zack Ryder hitting a dropkick off the barricade. They enter the ring with Zack Ryder hitting a Rough Ryder and missing a Macho Man-esq elbow off the top rope. Rusev then locks in the “Rusev Crush'” applying major pressure, ending in a Zack Ryder tap out. Snooze Button Please….Rusev attacks Zack after the match with Mojo Rawley coming out for the save! I don’t know what this does for WWE but maybe just a segment that the writers did not want to work too hard on.
Winner – Rusev
Fourth Match
Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens
Let’s Go! Sami Zayn receives a great reaction as the vignette done by WWE was actually pretty good in-between matches. Kevin Owens musics hits to an equally big pop from the Verizon Center dawning a clean look. Sami immediately goes for a helluva kick, but misses as they spill to the outside exchanging aggressive moves, with Sami having the upper hand. The crowd going back and forth cheering both amazing wrestlers. Owens hits his cannonball to a near fall. You can feel the energy with crowd again starting an Ole’ chant, to Kevin Owens mocking them. Owens has had the advantage for most of the match so far. A 2 minute headlock by Owens allows the crowd to build behind Sami as he fights back with a big clothesline. A Michinoku driver out of nowhere to a near fall. Sami botches a flip off the rope, which looked like a botch on purpose so Owens can work on that limb. A blue thunder bomb, again out of nowhere to a near fall. Sami clutching that arm, again looks like a work on the botched move. Each wrestler struggles on the top rope teasing a superplex. Sami fights off Owens ending with a super kick into a crossface. Pretty good match so far I must say. Sami moments later hits a exploder suplex missing a helluva kick again. Both men fight on the apron with Sami hitting an amazing Suplex on the side of the apron to a “This Is Awesome” chant. Exchanging right hands to the crowd, being again half and half on the cheering meter. Violently trading right hands. Later, Sami goes for the tornado ddt through the ring post and is met by a super kick followed by a cannonball, followed by a frog splash! What A Sequence! Only a 2 count as Sami Keeps fighting! Sami hits a tornado ddt, walking on the ropes Undertaker style. Walking into a super kick by Owens followed by dragon suplex and then another, for a 2 count! The Crowd Is Standing Up Chanting YES!! Sami goes for a helluva kick running into a pop-up power bomb to a really close 2 count with Sami’s foot on the rope. Again “This Is Awesome” chant! Kevin Owens slaps the s**t out of Sami, with him begging for another. Sami stands up and hits Kevin with an exploder suplex, followed by 2 vicious helluva kicks for the 1…2…3!!! An amazing match!! By far the best match in a while put on by WWE, finally giving the crowd a great match stealing the show! A match for the ages, story telling, good wrestling and a finish sequence that had the crowd cheering the whole time. I really wish they would fight forever every week for the rest of my life!
Winner- Sami Zayn
Fifth Match
Natalya vs Becky Lynch
Every time Natalya’s music hits I get a nostalgia moment for my favorite wrestler Bret Hart. They grapple for the advantage with Natalya leaving the ring in a heel move. Becky is the crowd favorite, as Natalya methodically stays outside the ring every chance she gets. Whipping Becky into the steel steps hurting her leg. Natalya works on that leg Bret Hart style setting her up for the infamous sharpshooter hopefully. Becky is doing a fantastic job of selling her leg injury as Nattie continues to attack it. Natalya does a very acrobatic flip showboating, which is quite impressive. Becky comes back with an enziguiri, followed by some clotheslines. They trade submission attempts but Natalya locks the sharpshooter in with Becky crawling to a rope break. Moments later another sharpshooter hold is applied in the center of the ring. Strategically dragging her back into the center everytime Becky crawls to the ropes. Becky taps painfully with the winner Natalya! This match will go unnoticed because of the short segment they had. I like both female wrestlers and believe they are both at the top in terms of talent. Obviously Natalya is the best given her experience and background. Once again they deserved a better rivalry and more time to expand this feud!
Winner- Natalya
Sixth Match
Darren Young vs The Miz
What the hell is Miz and Maryse wearing?!?!? All I can say is google it. Darren Young looks good to start the match executing his holds well. Backlund shouts some words of encouragement as again he performs his maneuvers very technically. Maryse with a distraction, allowing Miz to push Young off the top rope. Headlock by Miz allowing the crowd to pick sides, they clap for Darren to come back. Miz talks trash to Backlund, which I think is a dumb move, if you know who Bob Backlund is. Both guys try a backslide and fail for about 10 seconds. Miz hits the boots in the corner stomping out Darren Young showboating. Young explodes with a suplex. Pumping up the crowd Young drops Miz on the apron. Miz tries to leave the arena as Backlund cuts him off. Maryse comes over and slaps Backlund pretending that Bob hit her. Miz comes outside the ring to confront Bob as Darren Young hops down and applies the crossfire chicken wing! The ref rings the bell in a disqualification because of a 10 count! Darren holds the submission attempt while referees try to break it up. Darren Young pushes a referee, which the commentators say will lead to a fine. I thought Darren Young looked good but we didn’t get a good enough sample size for these wrestlers which stinks! Darren Young does have potential with Bob Backlund but again a segment which felt rushed, and a terrible ending on a PPV!
Winner- The Miz
Seventh Match
John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs The Club
Cena, Enzo and Big Cass gets a big crowd reaction! Enzo and Cass do their thing with the crowd behind them echoing every word. Enzo actually tells a few good jokes which are pretty funny. The crowd is 100% behind them. Well, all I can say is if there was a mic war, this match is already over. S-A-W-F-T SAWWWFFTTT! Great mic work by both men. Enzo Amore starts against Karl Anderson. Karl immediately tags AJ Styles to the crowd’s favored chant. Cass and Anderson enter, off both teams tagging. A minute later Cass sends Enzo outside into The Club minus AJ. Right after Cass sends AJ into The Club as well knocking everyone down. Cena chants, back and forth as you could imagine. Great teamwork by The Club attacking Enzo every moment they get. Enzo five minutes later is still getting beat up by The Club. Enzo fights them off and flies for a tag, which he is met mid-air, by a fantastic knee by Karl. Finally a tag to Cena, with the five moves of death coming. Every wrestler gets their hits in, finishing with a sit down choke bomb by Gallows on Cass. I am not sure what just happened as Cena used Enzo as a kendo stick almost. Every wrestler is hitting their spots, while it concludes with Enzo jumping off the steel steps hitting a ddt on Karl Anderson. Cena makes it into the ring, with the count of 8, falling into a styles clash disrupted by Cass. The Club takes control of the ring. Enzo is left in the ring hulking up against Anderson and Gallows. He takes out Anderson. Him and Gallows stand toe to toe eating a boot to the face. It is now Gallows and Cena in the ring with John knocking Gallows outside the ring. Styles mounts the top rope as Cena hits an amazing Attitude Adjustment for the 1…2….3! An entertaining match/segment that any fan would appreciate. All wrestlers had their good moments as Enzo stole the show again with his microphone skills! It’ll be interesting to see where Enzo and Cass go after this.
Winners-John Cena, Enzo Amore, Big Cass
Highlight Reel with Randy Orton
Randy’s music hits and everybody reacts positively! Randy is enjoying the response and he deserves it. He makes a joke about Y2J and the crowd immediately chants, RKO! RKO! They exchange insults which is pretty entertaining. Chris Jericho recalls the asylum match involving the 69 thumbtacks. Randy makes a pretty good Ellen DeGeneres joke as well. They show a vignette of Brock Lesnar. Randy explains he needed to make an epic return not like Jericho did against Fandango. Randy introduces he only needs 1 RKO a.k.a. Viper Ville, and says he does not need any enhancement!! WOOOO!! Jericho talks some more and they tease the RKO, followed by an RKO outta nowhere!! At SummerSlam it will be Suplex City vs Viper Ville!! Another segment which did not need to be on a PPV. It would have been much more exciting to see Randy return interfering in a match or interrupting a segment. But I did enjoy seeing him back as his mic skills have greatly improved.
Main Event
WWE Championship
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns
They introduce all the GM’s with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan getting huge reactions. Seth Rollins has a good reaction. Roman Reigns gets booed like crazy. Dean Ambrose gets a pretty decent pop, but Seth wins the crowd reaction. The crowd is anticipating a great match. Mike Chioda rings the bell here we go! Roman Sucks! Chants echo through the Verizon Center! Reigns shoulder tackles Rollins to begin. Rollins taking the damage from both guys to begin. Quick schoolboy on Roman by Ambrose. Dean against Reigns to start. Boo! Yeah! Chants as Dean and Roman exchange right hands. Seth gets back involved in the match attacking both men. All 3 men go at it, fighting for control hitting intermediate level moves on one another. Rollins and Ambrose take the ring as Seth mocks Dean by slapping him. You can feel the crowd ready to explode! Reigns then goes after Rollins with Ambrose interfering. Running knee off the apron by Rollins on Ambrose. All men are outside the ring. Back body drop into the time-keeper on Rollins by Roman. Dean runs across all 3 announce tables colliding with each member of the former Shield. Dean and Roman scramble into the ring, with Ambrose having the upper hand. After a near fall Seth Rollins hits a splash on Dean following the pin. Roman takes advantage knocking out both men looking for a spear on both guys. Superman Punch on Seth, Clothesline from Dean on Roman! In a triangle, the former Shield members exchange punches. Concluding with Dean and Seth stomping out Roman to a YES! chant. Roman falls to the outside, suicide dive by Dean, Flip over the rope by Seth! Seth and Dean rip the spanish table off..YES! YES! YES! Dean sets up Roman on Seth Rollins for a power bomb Shield style! Through the table goes Roman! Seth grabs a chair and deja vu, nails Dean in the back with it! They get back in the ring with a turnbuckle power bomb, reversed into a hurricanrana by Dean. They fight on the top rope with Seth hitting his vintage superplex into another suplex pin. “This Is Awesome” chants ring again. Reigns is back, powerbombing Seth, knocking out Dean to a close 2 count! Roman teases, superman punch misses, Dean teases dirty deeds, Roman teasing Razor’s Edge, Seth hits the pedigree 1…..2….kickout! Seth turnbuckle powerbomb, reacted with a superman punch by Roman, Dean breaks the count up and hits dirty deeds on Roman Reigns! 1…….2……..3!!! Dean Ambrose retains!! Smackdown Wins!! The whole Smackdown roster comes out and lifts Dean up, ironically it is the Uso brothers lifting him. A great match with a good finish! Dean winning is fine with me as long as Roman did not win. Smackdown has the championship which will keep the fans interested in the new product. The PPV as a whole only had a few good moments, but it was the first ppv after the draft. Give them time to get acquainted. I am fine that I took time to type this all out and appreciate the good wrestling that took place. RAW should be interesting tomorrow!
Tonight is the long-awaited WWE PPV Battleground 8pm Eastern on the WWE Network. Taking place live from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. I am super excited for this match card based on the fact it is going to determine the future of the WWE. The brand split has raised many questions with the recent WWE Draft. Personally I see many good and bad things that come out of this but we will only know by the end of the tonight. Let’s preview the matches that will change the WWE Universe!!
Kickoff Show
Usos vs Breezango
This is going to be a warmup match for the crowd piling in, in what usually is a good energetic scene in the Verizon Center. Breezango to me has a huge upside in the long run. We haven’t seen much of the Usos on Raw and Smackdown lately so it’ll be interesting if this is just another match or they will actually make them competitive again in the tag team division. Not a bad match from my view but in today’s society nobody has the patience to appreciate the work in a good match on paper.
Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho Featuring Randy Orton
I am a little confused as to why this is even on the PPV. Maybe we will see Brock Lesnar interference or Randy Orton possibly putting Chris Jericho through a table just to get the crowd on his side. I am not too interested in this segment even though Randy Orton is one of the better wrestlers in the company today. A waste of time to fill space is what comes to mind.
New Day vs Wyatt Family
Unfortunately this feud could have been so epic but again WWE had to kill it with the recent WWE Draft. After having a great segment at the Wyatt Family compound, New Day will be staying together with the Wyatts breaking up after this match. I am a huge Bray Wyatt fan and you just wish he would get the push he deserves already. Maybe Bray turns against his family and destroys everyone after the match? That is the only way this would be interesting. Another match where the outcome won’t matter at all unless they doing something dramatic.
Becky Lynch vs Natalya
Becky Lynch and Natalya are two of the most talented and well equipped female wrestlers today. Not giving Natalya any love and Becky switching partners every month pushes them to the bottom of the barrel which they do not deserve. This clash should have been written better with a more dramatic storyline then another partner who turned on Becky. Natalya and Becky Lynch will put on a better match than expected as long as the WWE gives them a decent amount of time for their segment.
Charlotte & Dana Brooke vs Sasha Banks & Mystery Partner
The big question since this match was announced is who is going to be Sasha’s partner? Obviously everyone in the world wants it to be Bayley, but WWE does have a tendency to go against the people just to prove whose in control. I have heard names like Eva Marie, Carmella, and even Nikki Bella. With the crowd expecting Bayley anybody who comes out will get booed out of the gym unless it is Bayley. The only other name I can think of to get some sort of recognition is Asuka. Asuka injured Dana Brooke in NXT so there is some history there and is arguably the best female wrestler in the company. I’ll be biting my nails like everyone else until we have the answer to, who is Sasha Banks’ mystery partner?
Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn
I can write 100 pages on why this match is going to be amazing. With the move sets and history these best friends have on the indy scene, this will be your match of the night. A rivalry that we all wished would last forever. Crowds have ironically chanted “fight forever” when these two square off. Kevin Owens is a genius in terms of mic skills and in-ring psychology. Sami Zayn is your perfect underdog to get behind and root for considering all the injuries he has been through.I am a huge fan of Sami and I will be on the edge of my seat this whole match, unless of course WWE lets somebody win by DQ or interference which would cause a riot at the Verizon Center.
Cena, Enzo & Big Cass vs The Club
Enzo and Big Cass shockingly joined John Cena in the fight versus AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Enzo and Cass have a great gimmick going and to pit them with John Cena shows that the people backstage are clearly high on them. Another segment which should be entertaining and might even be a good idea to start the show with given the mic skills from almost every wrestler in this match. Is it going to be #BeatUpJohnCena day or The Club turning SAWFT after the match concludes? The future is foggy for The Club after being split up by the WWE Draft. Another match I believe will be fun and exciting for the fans.
United States Championship
Rusev vs Zack Ryder
Rusev and Zack Ryder have been forced to compete against each other in the weirdest way. I can’t even remember how this feud started to be honest. I am a fan of Zack Ryder and was happy for him with his big IC win at WrestleMania. Nobody wants to see Rusev, they all want to see Lana, which we have had a small taste of with her in-ring abilities. So we don’t really know how good she is. This match will be a low point for me with Rusev most likely retaining the United States Championship with his infamous “Rusev Crush.” A good time to take a bathroom break or even play Pokemon Go!
Intercontinental Championship
The Miz vs Darren Young
A rush of energy ran through my body when Darren Young signaled for the CrossFace Chicken Wing last week! Bob Backlund and Darren Young are entertaining whether your an old school fan or not. The Miz has been the same gimmick for years and Maryse is a nice addition. It would be funny if Maryse and Bob somehow got into it distracting Miz and Darren Young coming away with the victory! Once again WWE won’t give the fans what they want unless their investors agree. So another match which could have the potential to be really good but a Miz win with a distraction by Maryse seems to be the consensus like we have seen 1000 times.
WWE Championship
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns
Whether you like it or not this is the match everyone has wanted since The Shield broke up. “The Man” against “The Guy” against “The Dude.” Personally I think it was a little to premature to do it this earlier but everyone will be looking forward to this. Former Shield buddies with injuries plaguing almost every member up until this point. A match which should have been saved for a WrestleMania opportunity and a little bit better of a build up. Who is going to be the victor? Was the Roman Reigns suspension for Adderall a work? (Find out HERE with an article written by Mr. Skatronixxx himself) Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose work magic segments together and will always come through entertaining in my opinion. Another possibility in this match is we can see some type of tag teaming back and forth between the 3 former Shield members. A match everyone will be glued to the television for in hopes of something spectacular happening. I can’t see this match failing in any way, but if it does I will be extremely disappointed and it will kind of be a turn-off with the let down of the recent WWE Draft. Come on WWE, don’t fail your beloved WWE UNIVERSE Tonight!
According to an article written by Joe Burgett on inquisitr.com (View Here) Jeff Hardy is coming back to World Wrestling Entertainment. As reported his contract appears to be up around February 2017, which as we all knew is right around WrestleMania season. If this does turn out to be the case it’ll be very interesting to see which Jeff Hardy shows up?
Unfortunately Jeff’s career has been a rollercoaster ride with as many highs (literally) as lows over his wrestling tenure. His return seems all good and well, but of course last night at BloodyMania 10 he had some weird, strange actions after his match. Announced by Nick Paglino from wrestlezone.com which you can see by Clicking HERE! Jeff Hardy looked like the one we saw versus Sting which is pictured above where he was drunk. Breaking tables Sabu-Style with no opponent above or below the objects he was destroying. We all know if Jeff shows up at WWE like that, Vince McMahon will certainly have none of the nonsense he has shown in his dark past.
On the other side of things if we get the entertaining daredevil we had from the Hardy Boyz it could prove to be a huge addition to beef the roster up at WWE. I personally hope he is doing well and does make a return, which could lead to many rivals and matches that we know he can perform well in. Finn Balor comes to mind possibly if he returned as the ENIGMA WILLOW (pictured below) from TNA! I can’t even think of a scenario where they would have a bad match together except for the obvious which nobody can control but Jeff himself. Another opportunity could be against Bray Wyatt, in which his brother Matt Hardy recently took offense to. Responding to the Wyatt Family Compound segment WWE had a few weeks ago in a negative way via twitter.
All in all, I am rooting for Jeff to make a return to WWE. I was a fan of him, especially those tag team matches he had at WrestleMania with the Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian. By far some of the best entertainment to this day, I can re-watch those matches all day! Nobody should wish bad upon him and only time will tell if this is another rumor, or we do hear his music hit one day in the WWE. Some might say he is already lined up for the WWE Hall of Fame if he is to come back. But I think one more strong run would solidify him and clear his name of the negativity that have poisoned people’s memories of him. Jeff Hardy Please Come Back Stronger Than EVER!!
So it has been revealed that three time Bantamweight contender Chad Mendes has failed a drugs test that cam back positive for GHRP-6 or growth hormone releasing Hexapeptide.
The USADA announced the sanction on Wednesday and the 2 year suspension with a provisional start date of June 10th when the test was taken and it has yet to be revealed if Mendes has accepted the ruling.
Mendes was flagged for the potential violation on June 10th and had the following to say via his Twitter account “I didn’t do my homework and that was a big mistake. I own it and I’m going to pay for it.”
This is now the third UFC fighter that has failed a drug screen and Mendes now joins Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones on a list of fighters awaiting hearings about there failed drugs tests.
As always for all your UFC news and fight reviews stick with @Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com
Bellator 159 took place in Mulvane, Kansas at the Kansas Star Arena. The co-main event featured Melvin Guillard versus David Rickels with the main event pitting undefeated Darrion Caldwell against Joe Taimanglo. Below are the results for the preliminary fights followed by round by round analysis for the main card.
Fernando Martinez def. Marcio Navarro via Split Decision
Johnny Marigo def. Andy Riley via Submission (Inverted Triangle Key Lock) Rd 1
Gaston Reyno def. L.J. Hermreck Jr. via TKO (Punches) Rd 3
Jessica Middleton def. Bruna Ellen Unanimous Decision
Luis Philipe Lins def. Guilherme Viana via TKO (Punches) Rd 3
Daniel Weichel vs Emmanuel Sanchez:
Round 1 – Both fighters feeling each other out with a few good punches each. Daniel Weichel makes the difference with 3 good takedowns but dealing no damage. Each fighter had a few good combos but nothing really connecting with effectiveness. Not too exciting but Weichel and Sanchez are trying. Sanchez throwing wild roundhouse kicks with none connecting. My Card: 10-9 Weichel
Round 2 – Weichel is the counter striker in this round trying to pick his spots. Sanchez doing slight damage with leg kicks showing some strength behind it. Slow round nothing too entertaining with the difference in my book being a takedown by Daniel Weichel with the stand-up about even. My Card: 10-9 Weichel
Round 3 – This round Weichel takedown Sanchez and actually keeps him there for a little over a minute. Furthering his position to taking his back but again, you guessed it NO DAMAGE! They exchange good combos each and Sanchez has a lot more energy than Weichel standing up connected with better combos with a little more power than the earlier rounds but Weichel still looking for takedowns. The round ends with Sanchez pumping up the crowd? Which is very confusing to me…….. I personally gave the round to Sanchez just based on aggressiveness and a minor power advantage in the striking. My Card 10-9 Sanchez
Final Result- My Card: 29-28 Weichel
Bellator Judges- Daniel Weichel wins by split decision over Emmanuel Sanchez
Bruna Vargas vs Emily Ducote
Round 1 – Bruna leads with a great combo to begin with. Both women exchange good strikes with it leading to Emily connecting with 2 great overhand rights wobbling Vargas. Emily follows the cage battle with a takedown struggling with Bruna Vargas ending up on top. Bruno stays there for about 2 minutes trying to pass but failing ending the round laying on top with no punches really landing. My Card 10-9 Vargas
Round 2 – Emily Ducote comes out with a mean overhand right again, this time rocking Bruna to the floor! Following it up by taking her back with some ground and pound. Right after a few punches to the head on her backside she slips Bruna into a rear naked choke. Getting the tap immediately making this her first submission victory in her career.
Winner: Emily Ducote 2nd Round Rear Naked Choke Submission
Melvin Guillard vs Dan Rickles
Round 1 – Rickles is the crowd favorite being from Kansas. Guillard and Rickles both come out aggressive trying to land bombs and missile leg kicks. The fight is stopped abruptly when Rickles lands a left kick in the *family jewels*. Almost in the blink of an eye when fight resumes Guillard and Rickles hug against the cage, while separating Melvin lands a mean right forearm to Dan Rickles’ forehead putting him on danger street on his back. Melvin Guillard violently lands elbow after elbow with the referee stepping in to stop the fight! Melvin announces he is moving up to 170lbs after missing weight in the post fight interview.
Winner: Melvin Guillard Round 1 TKO Elbows Ground and Pound
Darrion Caldwell vs Joe Taimanglo
Round 1 – Caldwell and Joe missing big with right hooks. Joe tries a takedown terribly and missing more front kicks. Finally a successful takedown by Darrion. Passes aggressively to mount for a split second doing absolutely nothing with it. Taimanglo scrambling but held down by Caldwell. Joe does a good job to eventually stand up but they hug and go right back down with a chimera attempt by Darrion. Joe escapes and takes Caldwell’s back, both fighters fight for position to end the round. Considering both fighters are explosive it was a very boring round. My Card 10-9 Caldwell
Round 2 – Touch gloves and a missed roundhouse kick by Darrion Caldwell. Joe connects with a body kick but slips and eats a flying knee from Darrion doing moderate damage looking for a guillotine choke. Joe and Caldwell struggle to their feet with both fighters still not fighting like themselves. Joe misses a right giving Darrion another takedown into half guard. I zoned out for about a minute and they are still on the ground doing nothing. Rib shots which I consider love taps from Caldwell. John McCarthy stands them up. Thank You! Joe spears Darrion against the cage to end the round. My Card 10-9 Caldwell
Round 3 – Takedown attempt missed by Caldwell, quickly into a guillotine by Joe Taimanglo and a very quick tap! If you blinked you missed it! 10 Seconds into the Third Round a comeback victory by guillotine choke via Joe Taimanglo! What Just Happened?!?
Winner Joe Taimanglo via Guillotine Choke Round 3
Final Thoughts: Bellator 159 did have some moments of brilliance but overall it did kind of perform sub-par tonight. I do believe Bellator as a company is going to get better as a whole. Unfortunately a lot of the fights they seem to bring together don’t bring the fireworks as expected. We did see some surprise finishes but I feel it was overshadowed by the unaggressive rounds prior. Joe Taimanglo and Melvin Guillard both missed weight which made me feel like I was watching Season One of UFC’s Ultimate Fighter. I know it is absolutely insanely hard to do what these fighters do on a daily basis but as they say…. you had one job to make-weight! The only fight I wish went differently was Dan Rickles versus Melvin Guillard. Dan was the home state guy and he does do a lot of charity work which I always respect. Bellator I know you will get better but again we raise the question of is a takedown worth more than a significant strike? We didn’t find out tonight but as I said before, Bellator I Believe In You!
An article by Mike Killam of wrestlezone.com which you can view by clicking HERE! states that the former WWE veterans may be making in-ring returns. A podcast called the Gerwick Report, recently had former Smackdown GM Teddy Long as a guest on it. Teddy Long had spoken with MVP and rumor has it that he has already signed with the company and is waiting to hear back from the doctors to be cleared for in-ring competition. Teddy also implied that the return of Shelton Benjamin is on its way also which could bring back recognition to the lesser United States and Intercontinental Titles.
Shelton Benjamin could definitely be an awesome addition to the team of recent Smackdown Draftees American Alpha (Jason Jordan, Chad Gable). Shelton is a world-class athlete who could teach some of the upcoming NXT wrestlers a thing or two. MVP would open opportunities in every title situation as he has shown his wide range of skills from tag teaming to singles competition. Let’s be honest for a second, the stuff MVP did with TNA was not that bad! Unfortunately not too many eyes were on the product at the time but again as a boss in TNA or a star in Japan, it is a great addition for WWE if they do add both of these awesome veteran wrestlers.
According to an article posted by pwtorch.com Click HERE to read it. The rising star Will Ospreay has apparently signed a contract with WWNLIVE. At Paul Heyman’s One Man Show in the U.K. over a week ago, Paul gave Will Ospreay an envelope telling him when he is done with New Japan to “give him a call.” If this turns out to be true it could open many doors for Will as he has been the hottest wrestler in the business over this past year.
Although he has some unfinished business with the man they call “Vader.” Ironically this feud started over Twitter, which nowadays doesn’t sound so weird to say. Still kind of blows my mind the attention people get from social media but that is today’s world. Vader had aggressively critiqued the match between Ricochet (Prince Puma) and Will saying matches like that will eventually kill the business and seemed more like a dance routine. Will responded with a tweet saying ” Just throwing it out there I would absolutely love to face @itsvadertime people think I hate him but i don’t, I genuinely want this match.”
If these rumors are true and Will Ospreay does eventually become business buddies with Paul……..Heyman! I can’t even wrap my head around how excited I would be if he eventually got a gig in NXT/WWE someday. Endless possibilities and the “Pop” for his performance every night would make WWE that much better of a product. Paul Heyman is a very persuasive voice in the industry with a savvy like nobody else to negotiate. I am excited just thinking about it! Anything is possible with the shift that these wrestling companies have recently showed in their product. The first step for the hottest wrestler Will Ospreay is taking down Vader on August 12th, in the York Hall Bethnal Green at Revolution Pro’s UPRISING!
With the impending news that the WWE Draft is going to take place tonight, I thought I’d have a little fun and do a prediction game. I can pretty much guarantee that most people reading this will have done their own fantasy draft in their head already as who they’d like to see on each show, so I thought I’d chip in with my thoughts.
Well what is the WWE draft? For those of you that don’t know the draft is where wrestlers get assigned to brand specific shows, in other words if you get picked to appear on Smackdown you can’t appear on Raw and vice versa. It’s what the WWE Universe has been crying out for, for years we’ve seen talented wrestlers fall by the wayside by not giving a chance to shine. How would have Cody Rhodes or Damien Sandow fared if there had been a brand split in place before their releases or even Wade Barrett? One can only imagine!
THE RULES
So what are the rules you ask? well WWE.com states the following:
‘The rules for the WWE Draft are as follows:
THE ROSTER
It then goes on to list the following superstars and divas eligible for draft selection:
‘The list of current WWE Superstars eligible for the WWE Draft will be as follows:
Male Superstars
Tag Teams
Female Superstars
HOW WILL THE PREDICTIONS WORK?
Well I’m going to do a relatively short article as if I did each individual draft pick and the reasoning behind it, I’d be here for hours, instead I’ll give you my complete rosters at the bottom of the article.
WHAT ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIPS?
Well anyone who watched Raw last night will know about the awkward but obvious finish to the world title match. This was signposted as we needed to have dual champions for each brand and what better way to do that than by having that kinda ending. Yes it sucked and yes it was obvious, but yes it made sense.
As for the secondary titles, with the news that Raw will be bringing back the Cruiserweights I have made the bold prediction that Smackdown will be home of the Divas.
As for the Intercontinental and United States championship? Although I see the Intercontinental as the clear middle card title, I see it going to Smackdown so that leaves the United States title for Raw.
HOW MANY PICKS DO EACH SIDE GET?
With Raw getting 3 picks to every 2 for Smackdown and there being about 52 picks (I’m not going to split teams or try not too although I see that happening), this works out to around 21 for Smackdown and 31 for Raw. I’m making sure that each brand gets 3 NXT picks each as well. So that leaves us with 24 for Smackdown and 34 for Raw.
SO WHAT DO MY ROSTERS LOOK LIKE CURRENTLY?
Raw Smackdown
Seth Rollins – WWE Champion Dean Ambrose – World Champion
Rusev – United States Champion The Miz – intercontinental Champion
Kallisto – Cruiserweight Charlotte – WWE Womens Champion
Neville – Cruiserweight Sasha Banks – Womens Wrestler
Sami Zayn – Cruiserweight Becky Lynch – Womens Wrestler
Jimmy Uso – Cruiserweight Natalya – Womens Wrestler
Jey Uso – Cruiserweight Paige- Womens Wrestler
Epico – Cruiserweight Dana Brooke – Womens Wrestler
Primo – Cruiserweight Eva Marie – Womens Wrestler
Sin Cara – Cruiserweight Alicia Fox – Womens Wrestler
You may have noticed that I have left of Naomi and Summer Rae, this is due to the need for valets on Raw, with Naomi being married to one of The Uso’s this makes the most sense to me, along with Summer Rae.
WHAT ABOUT THE REST?
I see the rosters made up of the following picks:
Raw Smackdown
Alberto Del Rio AJ Styles
Big Show Apollo Crews
Braun Strowman Baron Corbin
Brock Lesnar Bray Wyatt
Chris Jericho Cesaro
Darren Young John Cena
Demon Kane Kevin Owens
Dolph Ziggler Randy Orton
Erick Rowan Gallows & Anderson
Jack Swagger Golden Truth
Mark Henry
Roman Reigns
Sheamus
Titus O’Neil
Zack Ryder
Breezango
Enzo and Cass
Social Outcasts
The Ascension
The Dudley Boyz
The New Day
The Vaudevillains
NXT DRAFT PICKS
Raw Smackdown
Austin Aries Bayley
Corey Graves Samoa Joe
Fin Balor American Alpha
FINAL THOUGHTS
Are the rosters fair? Definitely not, the fact that Raw is an extra hour does not allow them to have an additional 10 draft picks and it clearly shows, with the massive difference in numbers of talent.
Could I get this horribly wrong? Did I make a massive error by assuming that Smackdown will be the home of the Divas? Probably! Who knows, let’s find out tomorrow, how many I got right!
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