WWE has just announced that Joe Anoa`i (Roman Reigns) has failed the company’s talent wellness policy and will be suspended for 30 days. Reigns has issued a statement.
Although the suspension ends before Battlegound, leaving the triple threat match active, Reigns will be missing the WWE draft on July 19th. Could this have been why Roman lost at MITB? Likely but we can only guess. What this means and how the WWE will present it can only be found out as the story progresses.
Well that was awesome, with a new champion crowned, we finally have some plot progression in the WWE, and it couldn’t go to anyone more deserving. Dean Ambrose is the World Heavyweight Champion!
Money in the Bank was great, but something needs to be talked about. Cards on the table, if MITB seemed a bit filler filled, that’s because it was, it had to be. The WWE had a lot to contend with this Sunday, while MITB was on, so was game 7 of the NBA Finals, one of the tensest finals in years and The Battle of the Bastards, an episode that has received an entire season of build up. Whoever booked the card, knew that people would switch from MITB at times to watch one of those, that’s why we had filler matches. That’s why Corbin vs Ziggler, Crews vs Sheamus and Rusev vs O’Neil (Also arguably the Women’s match) were so spread out over the card rather than all at the start. Imagine how bad the WWE would have looked if people turned off Cena vs Styles to watch the end of the NBA Finals? That’s why the US Title match was so far down the card, during the end of the game (Which was tied with a minute to go). The WWE needed the filler.
TheRealDills – Tag Team Fatal 4-Way (Tag Team Championship)
The opening match tonight was rough, to say the least. All 4 teams were pretty good tonight, however, this match type just breeds botches. On the positive side of things, we saw some good old-fashioned entertainment as all teams looked as if they were enjoying themselves when things went smoothly. If I take anything away from this match it will be how bad I feel for referees when the in-ring action is this chaotic. This match was just all over the place. We had a dodgy 3 count that the fans screwed up on leading everyone to think Enzo had picked up the win and more illegal men in the ring than I could count. The low point was when Luke Gallows decided he wasn’t a wrestler for a while and just stared down Big E while he held Anderson. The icing on the cake was that when The New Day got the pin it wasn’t even on the legal man. As for New Day winning, it was obviously going to happen. No way WWE wants to keep the record with Paul London and Brian Kendrick. I do think we are definitely going to get new champions soon but just like Nikki Bella and the divas title they just want to cement that legacy first.
TheRealDills’ Rating: 6/10
Parzy’s Rating 6/10
Parzy – Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler
All that being said about filler being needed, this was rough. What was even rougher was that it wasn’t pre show material.Instead, the pre show saw the Lucha Dragons vs The Dudleys and the grossest most humiliating match I’ve ever seen in The Golden Truth vs Sunburnt Breezango (Their skin was made up to look like it was peeling off of them). Having barely made the main show, this match was exactly what we’ve seen in the already, Dolph overselling, Corbin’s hairline visibly receding and Corbin showing little to no emotion throughout the entire affair. At this point, I enjoy ‘Make Darren Young great again’ segments more than this match up, at least we don’t see as many of those as we do Corbin vs Ziggler. I hope this is the final match of the feud but I won’t get my hopes up.
TheRealDills’ Rating: 4/10
Parzy’s Rating 3/10
Parzy – Becky Lynch and Natalya vs Charlotte and Dana Brooke
Boy oh boy, I hope that Dana Brooke stops tagging around Charlotte soon because I am fucking sick of her. I had my reservations when she first came up to the main roster, I gave her a shot when they kept pushing her after Emma’s injury, but enough is enough. She came up to the main roster far too early, it’s even worse that she’s now always in our faces since she’s partnered up with Charlotte. Let her develop on house shows until she finds her character then give her a solo run. Her complete lack of talent meant that Natty and Lynch’s loss was completely unbelievable. They were dominating, then Brooke and Charlotte get a leg up and run off. There was then an uncharacteristic betrayal by Natty as she beat into Lynch after their loss even though Lynch saved her from Charlotte in the first place. With the seeds of a Lynch/Natty feud in place, there looks to be two women’s matches at Battleground, giving the women’s division the push it’s been needing.
TheRealDills’ Rating: 5/10
Parzy’s Rating 4/10
TheRealDills – Apollo Crews vs Sheamus
Now I am a big fan of Apollo Crews who may lack some character and personality but in the ring, he is the complete package. However this placing of this match couldn’t have been worse for a feud with this little build, after 2 matches that were either filler or just simply uninteresting this match capped off a very boring middle of the show, and as someone who lives in the UK watching 3 back to back boring matches at 2am in the morning is bloody torture. The match was pretty standard and didn’t feel like a match worthy for the “greatest MITB of all time”, with both Crews and Sheamus doing nothing in particularly special. It seems obvious to me that they are going to do the exact same thing to this feud they have done to Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler. They are going to trade wins until the newer guy, in this case, Apollo, comes out on top.
Rating: 4/10
Parzy’s Rating 5/10
Parzy – AJ Styles vs John Cena
This match was incredible, while this is expected of the two long time veterans, their performance was still noteworthy. Every spot was impressive and showed off both competitors talent, making predicting the winner during the match almost impossible. However, the end definitely has to be brought into question. After a ref bump costs Cena the count out, The Club run out and delivered a Magic Killer to Cena, before depositing Styles’ corpse on top of him for the count out. This should have voided the match since it went against AJ’s contract but it didn’t. AJ gets the hollow win. The only consolation to this is that it looks like AJ gets away without being buried for now, and we may see the two duke it out again at Battleground, if this match is anything to go by, they’ll put on another incredible bout.
TheRealDills’ Rating: 9/10
Parzy’s Rating 10/10
Parzy – Money in The Bank Ladder Match
The fantasy booking came through guys! Ambrose won! Then he cashed in! Now they’ve set up a Shield triple threat! Yay! I’m getting ahead of myself. This match was the tits. Every participant landed some excellent spots, especially Cesaro and Del Rio, with Cesaro’s flying uppercut off the ropes taking the throne as the most impressive maneuver of the night. The match was brutal in every way that a ladder match should be, Zayn slamming Owens onto the ladder being the primary evidence of that. That part definitely brought up some worries from their last ladder slam at WM which made me think Kev had died as well. The match was great but although every participant was great, Ambrose really took a back seat until the end, making some of us question whether he was deserving of the contract. Having fought the least, it seemed like it, we thought he had to save his energy for the end of the night, but all he did then was one Dirty Deeds? I think he had more in him for the match, but his win was still important.
TheRealDills’ Rating: 8/10
Parzy’s Rating 9/10
TheRealDills – Rusev vs Titus O’Neil (US Championship)
There are two things that I need to say/ask, firstly Rusev is the heel to top all other heels. It takes a special sort of man to beat a father on father’s day then to go up to said father’s kids and berate him and them about how much of a loser he is. Monster Rusev is coming back guys. The other thing I wanted to ask is do Dads kiss their children on the lips? Is that a thing in America or something? Anyway, it goes without saying that this match was a squash match and ultimately just a way to get Rusev over as a heel as Titus is the latest victim of the accolade.
TheRealDills’ Rating: 6/10
Parzy’s Rating 4/10
TheRealDills – Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns (World Heavyweight Championship)
So we finally get to out Wrestlemania calibre main event as we see two of the three members of the Shield collide, and as we all found out earlier the possibility for that third man to get involved is very likely. Now despite the fact that Roman gets hit with the “you can’t wrestle” chants we have come to see that Reigns is very capable of putting on a match of the year candidate as long as he has someone world class to work with as seen with Bryan, Lesnar and most recently AJ Styles. Now as Seth is one of those world-class wrestlers I expected one of those matches, but what we got was quite different. Firstly unlike the matches I mentioned this one saw Roman take the lead rather than Seth, which unfortunately did make the match suffer as Reigns just isn’t as good as Rollins in the ring. However, this was done for a very specific reason as it allowed Roman to play the role of monster heel all match with Seth fitting into the role of babyface underdog. The match wasn’t a classic like the Styles one at Payback but it was still great and we saw some great offense from both guys (please make the Razor’s Edge powerbomb Roman’s finisher). To everyone’s surprise, Seth actually ended up picking up a clean victory which only strengthens this heel-face dynamic possibly hinting at a double turn. Seth beating Roman clean was absolutely huge but it only got bigger when good ole Dean Ambrose made his way down to the ring in order to cash in on Rollins but hitting him from behind then laying him out for the pin. All 3 Shield guys were world champion in the same night and Ambrose finally has his deserved title run. That Shield triple threat is coming and it’s coming soon.
TheRealDills’ Rating: 8/10
Parzy’s Rating 9/10
Overall
The Real Dills Rating: 8/10
Parzy’s Rating 9/10
The matter of the bet from the preview must be brought up. For our predictions, I got 5 correct predictions, Harry got 6. That means that Harry got rights to name my first born child [REDACTED] Wood. Huh, guess I’m not really allowed to say his name due to the WWE’s removal of the name as a whole. Oh well, luckily I got a picture of the kid in the future. Here he is. 
So that’s it for our MITB Review, come back next month for our joint Battleground review and as always, follow our Twitters @oliverwoodster and @therealdills.
The Vaudevillains vs. Enzo and Cass vs. The New Day vs. The Club – Tag Team Championship
Both Enzo and the New Day started out this match with some laugh-out-loud funny promos. The Fatal Four-way set-up gave this match the chance to never slow down. There were some exciting spots, though I must confess that after Payback I winced when Enzo took a spill on the floor (especially since he grasped his head). The New Day won, which I’m split on. I like the New Day as much as the next guy, but I felt that after recovering from his serious injury, Enzo Amore was a legit hero and his team winning would have been more satisfying.
Overall rating: 3.75 (Out of 5) Stars
In between matches was another outright hilarious promo between the Money in the Bank compeitors
Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
I was honestly floored that this made it to the main show when it reeked of pre-show. Despite the “boring chants”, I thought this match was… tolerable. Tolerable is not exactly high praise, and I think I only felt that way because I have missed most of their televised matches. If this had been the only filler match on the card, I could have forgiven it, but sadly filler piled up, making my opinion about this match dimmer.
Overall rating: 2.25 stars
Becky Lynch and Natalya vs. Charlotte and Dana Brooke
This match was also okay, but honestly with the women involved I expected better than just okay. I wish they had the chance to show how talented they really are. Then again, when I feel like complaining, I remind myself of the dark days where Bellas and Kelly Kelly matches were the norm. This match is mostly noteworthy for Natalya turning on Becky after the match.
Overall rating 2.75 stars
Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews
Yup, ANOTHER filler match. Both of these guys are normally extremely talented (though I can’t help but notice Sheamus only seems to bring his A-game when he’s in A-matches) so seeing these two duke it out in a match that felt like it belonged on The Main Event disappoints me. I heard McMahon sometimes goes through mood swings on who he likes/dislikes and Sheamus is a perennial victim of this – not too long ago, he was world champion, now he’s jobbing to new guys. I can’t call this match completely worthless as there were a handful of cool spots such as an off-the ring moonsault. Plus, I’m glad a young guy got over – mediocre match or not.
Overall rating 1.75 stars
John Cena vs. AJ Styles
Yeah, now we’re playing with power! This was one of the matches that had a lot of hype and for good reason – these are two tip-top talent, and the fans knew it. Like Cena or not, it’s hard to argue his matches usually have a big match feel. These guys are such names that the fans were cheering them even when they were just standing there, which gave them chances to pace themselves. As the match built up, they both had chances to perform, escape and kick out of each others’ finishers. Despite the buildup, the Club interfered after a ref bump. After doing SEVERAL clean jobs (including to Kevin Owens) I’m not going to play the Cena ego card, but I would have liked to have seen a clean victory. However, I do acknowledge that they could be building to SOMETHING so I’ll let time tell how this one is going to go. Tainted victory and all, these two put on a clinic – not the 5 star classic I expected, but a clinic nonetheless. I look forward to the great matches I know they’ll have.
Overall rating 4.25
Money in the Bank – Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio
Methinks I realize why there was so much filler on this show – half the A-talent was locked into this match! Being the type of match this is, WWE can usually throw one or two guys like Kane and Big Show into the fray as there are usually enough top guys and plunder to hide their limitations, but this year, they went for broke in putting the best guys on board – not to mention, most of these guys were actually believable as winning. (Only Jericho – who is on borrowed time – seemed like a dark horse.) This was the usual spot fest fans have come to expect from this match, but everyone was on point with some insane bumps. The one that made me cringe was when Zayn performed a Michinoku Driver to Owens onto a ladder. I only have two gripes with this match – In any money in the bank match, I’ve grown tired of spots where the person can clearly grab the briefcase but obviously stalls for time. Also, the ladder bridge did not add up to match. Dean Ambrose won the match, and while I’m a fan of everybody in that ring, Ambrose felt like the right guy – especially after years of his “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” push.
Overall rating 4.5 stars
Rusev vs. Titus O’Neil – US Championship
If I can praise Cena again, I kinda miss the size and importance he gave to US Championship matches. There were a lot of bad matches on this card and this may have been the best of the worst. Rusev is a great old school villain and one of the more talented big men. But still, this match had a “this should be on Raw” vibe to it. Giving credit where it’s due, the post-match promo where Rusev taunted O’Neil in front of his kids was classic heel behavior.
Overall rating: 2.5 stars
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Championship
Here’s another match I was pumped for, and it delivered… sadly, you wouldn’t know that by the crowd reaction. I don’t know if WWE lowered the crowd mic (again) or what was going on, but this crowd was inexplicably not into what was a stellar match. Putting aside opinions on how I think Roman is treated unfairly by the fans, I chalk a lot of the lukewarm reaction to the fact that both guys have been playing shades of grey. I praised the WWE for giving Roman more grey to his character since he wears that attitude well, but when both sides are showing signs of being kind of good and kind of bad, it leaves the fans without a clear hero.
Both men deserve that praise because this match was stellar. There were some cool spots such as Rollins countering a spear into a Pedigree. Rollins showed off his aerial abilities – again, kind of uncharacteristic of a heel. Reigns ran into the barricade during a spear attempt – again making me wince after one too many injuries. There was also a ref bump which saw Rollins kick out of the spear. Rollins did pin Reigns after a Pedigree so his stance as a clean victory is borderline.
Overall rating: 4 stars
However, the real story is what happened after the match. Admittedly I saw this coming as soon as Rollins won the title, but Ambrose came out and cashed in his money in the bank briefcase. As much as I would have liked to have seen Ambrose win the title in an actual match (but alas, I knew it would never happen), I am happy to at least see a fan favorite get his due.
Money in the Bank was… a mixed bag. The good parts were excellent while everything else felt like Raw fodder at best. Ambrose winning the championship admittedly helped put a positive shine on this event, but the filler is hard to ignore – especially since those matches caused the show to go into overtime. Check this out for Reigns vs. Rollins, Cena vs. AJ, the money in the bank, the tag four way, and Ambrose winning (and the women’s match if you have time to spare) and skip the rest.
Hello and welcome to this month’s PPV Preview! As with last month, you have myself and resident Raw Reviewer, TheRealDills giving you our thoughts and predictions on the matches coming up this Sunday. We’ll tally up our correct guesses and declare an ultimate winner! (Winner gets to name the losers future first born). After last month’s astounding victory I’m sure to take it. In all honesty, ignoring the low card matches, which are kind of shit, this is one of the most stacked PPVs I’ve seen in a long time. I mean we have the MITB itself, a chaotic 4 way tag team championship match, Big Match John vs AJ Styles and Roman Reigns finally tussling with Rollins. This is sure to be a great event (Unless they truly fuck it up). Let’s get to it.
Parzy – Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin
In what is perhaps the most highly anticipated match of the night, we have our two strong top card competitors battling it out at the end of their critically acclaimed rivalry, surely this’ll be a match for the… I’m sorry, I just had to try and inject some excitement into this boring ass ‘feud’. Y’know how I said the low card was shit? Well here we are again with Corbin vs Ziggler! Again. I’m starting to feel like this feud will go on forever without anyone actually noticing. I mean come on, has anyone really noticed the build up to this? Never mind, this match will help boost Corbin’s career yada yada yada no it won’t. This match will solidify Dolph’s place in the Hall of Fame bla bla bla no it won’t. I had hope that this feud would end on a high note at Extreme Rules yet here we are, 4 weeks on. I’m as sad about this as you are, see if you can catch the first ten minutes of GOT, no one will judge you.
Parzy’s Prediction: Who cares? Corbin probably
TheRealDills’ prediction: Baron Corbin
TheRealDills – Apollo Crews vs Sheamus
So first up for my preview matches is the up and comer Apollo Crews set to face off against Sheamus at Money In The Bank. The feud has seen little TV as of recently, with the run in on this week’s Raw being the most important development the feud has had in weeks. This match should be decent at the very least as Crews may not be the most charismatic guy but he can definitely go in the ring and despite the Fuck Sheamus camp being as strong as ever at this point he is a seasoned veteran. The result could go either way depending on how long the feud is set to go on. If this is the end tonight then expect Crews to be going over The Celtic Warrior, however if they are looking to prolong this rivalry similar to Ziggler and Corbin then this could definitely result with a Sheamus victory.
TheRealDills’ prediction: Apollo Crews
Parzy’s prediction: Sheamus
TheRealDills – Rusev vs Titus O’Neil (US Championship)
Now there are two things WWE can do here. Either the right thing or the wrong thing. Rusev has yet to the hit the stride that his last run with the belt had but who can blame him? Titus ‘bear hug’ O’Neil is hardly a prestigious opponent for Rusev who is trying to restore the United States Championship to its former glory. Clearly it would be a grave mistake to take the belt off of the Bulgarian Brute this soon to someone with as little momentum as Titus. Yet in the back of my mind, I cannot let go of the fear that the father of the year is going to get a father’s day rub (as well as the “sorry we suspended you” rub). They can’t be that stupid can they? I’m going to be optimistic and pray WWE don’t screw this up.
TheRealDills’ predictions: Rusev
Parzy’s Prediction: Rusev
Parzy – Becky Lynch and Natalya vs Charlotte and Dana Brooke
This is the first PPV since Mania that there hasn’t been a Women’s Title defense so people are getting scared that the WWE doesn’t care about women anymore. Is the Women’s revolution over? My answer is no. We had a long string of Diva’s championship defenses stretching back to last year, the WWE still cares about the division. You should be a little worried if there’s no title defense next month, but for now, see it as a break. Admittedly, we could have had a break with a better feud than this but we get what we get. This match could have easily been Becky vs Charlotte straight up but absence makes the heart grow stronger, hopefully next month we’ll have a title match between them. This match is kind of slanted in Team Beckalya’s favour, what with Natty beating Charlotte multiple times and Dana just being smushed all around, but you have to make the champ look strong so this could go either way. I’m hoping Becky and Natty win to make Becky look good going into next month’s bout.
Parzy’s Prediction: Becky Lynch and Natalya (Beckalya)
TheRealDills’ prediction: Becky Lynch and Natalya
TheRealDills – Tag Team Fatal 4-Way (Tag Team Championship)
This is one of two matches on the card that I feel is really open for multiple people to win. Though the obvious favourites have been established on the recent episodes of Raw and Smackdown I feel like this is an open race. The match should hopefully be good as long as it does not get too chaotic, all 4 teams are great together and can put on a solid match. For me both The Club and The New Day have good arguments for why they should be the favourites but it comes down to the tag team record, New Day are so close to this record and with it being mentioned on Raw it seems as if they are likely to break it.
TheRealDills’ prediction: The New Day
Parzy’s prediction: The Club
AJ Styles vs John Cena
I could not come up with a better person for AJ to go heel against than Cena. I mean wow, what better way to prove yourself to the WWE Universe than to challenge the biggest dog at the park. AJ put in some incredible work against Jericho and Reigns, with even Stone Cold himself saying that AJ carried those matches, so I think he could have a chance with this one. I mean sure, Cena has uploaded some… disconcerting images on Instagram,
But I think AJ could truly assert himself with a win here, making him a concrete fixture in the WWE. Of course I say all of this while AJ is the current top seller of merch in the company, and is here to stay, but if AJ doesn’t think he’s made it, who am I to say otherwise. A win here would be phenomanal.
Parzy’s Prediction: AJ Styles
TheRealDills Prediction: AJ Styles
Parzy – MITB Match. Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio, Sami Zayn, Chris Jericho, Cesaro
The build up to this match has been incredible. Even after the wondrous Intercontinental push, this match is one to behold. The participants in this match are by far and away, the most fun to watch standalone superstars in the WWE today (except maybe Del Rio). They also have the most personality out of the standalone superstars. I have no doubt in my mind that this match will be masterful. The problem for your humble reviewers is the prediction. Ideally, Dean AMbrose wins this, cashes in for the Title Match and walks away champion, setting up a triple threat somewhere down the line. However, Creative hates us, they hate our families, they hate our pets. This paired with Del Rio’s desire to turn heel, gives me the uneasy feeling that he takes this. Ultimately, I need to go with my fantasy booking gut for this one, lest I fall to depression.
Parzy’s Prediction: Dean Ambrose
TheRealDills’ prediction: If you asked me this 2 weeks – 2 months ago I would have said, Owens, 100% but recent booking has changed my mind to Dean Ambrose
TheRealDills – Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins (World Heavyweight Championship)
I said it last week. I will say it again. There is no way (Jose) Roman Reigns loses the title before Summerslam. As much as I would love it for my lord and saviour Crossfit Jesus to get the win, it is just not going to happen. The WWE are committed to the Roman Reigns experiment whether we like it or not. Despite this inevitable ending, this will obviously be a great match. Though Seth has been off a long time but he is one of the best wrestlers in the world a future best in the world. As for Reigns, despite the deserved hatred he has received from fans, he has proven that with world class talent like Bryan, Lesnar and Styles he can put on tremendous matches. The only other question worth asking is will a Dean Ambrose MITB cash in occur? I have been going back and forth on this possibility and while it is likely Dean wins the MITB, I don’t see such an early cash in.
TheRealDills’ prediction: Roman Reigns
Parzy’s prediction: Please please please Seth Rollins
And that’s it for our Money in the Bank Preview! Make sure to come back after MITB for our review, where we’ll tally up our points and declare a winner. Also expect to see my either ecstatic over an Ambrose win or saltily bitching about Del Rio’s inevitable win.
TheRealDills: When I win, I’m naming Oliver’s kid Chris Benoit Wood, if it’s a girl, Yvette Wood, pronounced ‘I’ve eat’
I’m gonna name Harry’s kid Woody ‘Sin Cara’ Dillon when I win. Felicity Smoak Dillon if it’s a girl.
You can follow us on Twitter @Oliverwoodster and @Therealdills
OPENER
Tonight we start with your WWE World Tag Team Champions the New Day, who cut a promo about the upcoming 4-way tag team championship match at Money In The Bank, though the main talking point was Kofi’s old man shoes. We are soon joined by Enzo & Cass who have a few things to add about Kofi’s shoes and some very serious allegations about a certain trumpet. The WWE Universe has been waiting for a long time for this battle of wit but it seems we have to wait longer as we are interrupted by The Vaudevillains and The Club who each claim they are the future of the tag team division. This was a fun segment even if we had to get a terrible Camp WWE joke from The Club, I am definitely curious to see who walks out of MITB as champion.
THE CLUB & VAUDEVILLAINS def. NEW DAY, ENZO & CASS
This was a good match where everyone played their parts well. As usual Enzo and Cass stuck to their scrappy fighter and big man roles, while the New and Big E especially got the crowd working. The Club and The Vaudevillains both played dirty in order to gain the advantage. Luke Gallows is able to get the win after they use the magic killer on Kofi Kingston due to some tag confusion with Karl Anderson. It’s refreshing to see the opening segment and match focused on the tag team division as we have been used to a Reigns/Authority/Stephanie promo at the start of the show. After this match, it seems if anyone beats New Day at MITB it will be The Club but that tag titles record is getting ever closer.
AMBROSE ASYLUM – SHEILD REUNITED
Dean Ambrose comes out and immediately puts over the upcoming PPV for being a possible Wrestlemania card, which is true. Dean introduces his guest, “scum of the earth” Seth Rollins and then Roman Reigns. The trio eventually begins reminiscing about the old times and Seth even gets a little emotional as he says that the best times he has ever had in this ring was with Dean and Roman (gotta love the Bootista chants). Despite Seth’s kind words it’s not long before Rollins sours it by claiming the very best times was when he betrayed the SHEILD and cashed in his briefcase against Brock and Roman. There is some back and forth between Roman and Seth who both claim they are the rightful champion, but we finally get a tease of what have been waiting for 2 years now. A SHEILD Triple Threat match tease, after Ambrose, points out that he could win the briefcase. Seth Rollins ambushes Dean and Roman as he leaves which results in a Superman punch on Rollins and a Dirty Deeds on Reigns.
PAIGE def. CHARLOTTE
What has happened to a decent women’s storyline? We have had Charlotte feuding with Natalya for 3 months now and adding Becky Lynch into the mix doesn’t change that. Now they have been relegated to a 3-minute match on Raw where the champion loses cleanly to the same woman as she lost to last month. Screw Natalya and Becky, I’m wondering why Paige hasn’t demanded a match for the Women’s Championship. Not a fan of what is happening to the women’s division recently and I my only hope at this point is that by Summerslam things take a turn for the better.
SHEAMUS def. ZACK RYDER
Ryder puts up a good fight as he is able to hit both the Broski boot and the Elbro drop but it is simply not enough to put away Sheamus who is able to end things quickly after he hits Ryder with a Brogue Kick. Not surprising that Sheamus gets the win as he is the only one of the two that is involved in a programme at moment. Post-match Sheamus takes his anger out on Ryder but Apollo Crews comes out to make the save and chase off Sheamus.
SAMI ZAYN def. CESARO
Cesaro is able to take control early on in the match, as he is able to uppercut Sami in the ring and then post commercial break we see him work down Zayn in the ring. Sami momentarily gains the upper hand with a cross body but an uppercut train derails Sami’s progress. After this point, the match becomes a lot more even with both men trading blows and manoeuvres. Eventually, Zayn is able to hit a beautiful code red onto Cesaro to pick up the win. This match was short but great. Both men displayed how talented they are and in such a short match they were able to show off what they could really do.
CONTRACT SIGNING STYLES AND CENA
Big match John Cena is the first to make his way out to the ring and before AJ Styles can make his way out John cuts a promo about the Money In The Bank PPV. Ever the company man, Cena puts over the show as another Wrestlemania, but he also criticises them for preventing AJ from joining. John goes all CM Punk on us as he lists ROH, PWG and NJPW as the places that AJ Styles has been and proven how good he is (never TNA though). Styles makes his way out and he and the WWE Universe learn he has two options a contract for 1 on 1 with Cena or a contract in which he is backed by The Club. Luckily he chooses the former.
OWENS & DEL RIO def. THE LUCHADRAGONS
Adding the stipulation that if Owens and Del Rio lost this match they would be out of the MITB ladder match made this very predictable. It was obvious who would win. Straight out of the gate the team of Del Rio and Owens are off to a rocky start and for most of the match, they are constantly fighting. The Luchdragons are able to dominate Del Rio for most of the time, despite an awful miss of a Swanton bomb from Sin Cara. Owens is able to pick up the win with a pop-up powerbomb on Sin Cara. After the match Del Rio takes out Owens with a kick. Overall this was an okay match, Sin Cara and Kalisto got to show off some flashy moves (with a few botches) and I am always happy to see a sassy Kevin Owens.
AMBROSE def. JERICHO
The first thing that has to be pointed out is how funny Del Rio looks sat within the time keeper’s area. Especially as he is only wearing his trunks and no shirt. The match between Jericho and Ambrose was pretty average. Not only have we seen this specific matchup multiple times now but also this match honestly felt like a distraction to the real main event, Kevin Owens on commentary. Owens roasted everyone other than JBL, reminding everyone how poor the quality of Raw commentary is compared to him. Ambrose is able to win the match after multiple Dirty Deeds teases and to the surprise of no one, this leads to a brawl between all of the MITB participants. Zayn is able to take out everyone apart from Jericho after he dives from the top rope. Raw ends with Chris Jericho climbing to the top of the ladder and removing the vital briefcase. What does this mean? Well for sure it means that Jericho isn’t going to win this Sunday as he was the last man standing on the go home show.
FINAL NOTES & SCORE
This was a good go-home show for Money In The Bank on Sunday and I feel like though there are some clear favourites a lot of the matches on the card are still open for many to win. I am going to give this Raw a 7/10.
Well after weeks and weeks of waiting it is finally time for SLAMMIVERSARY! All 5 titles are on the line for this major PPV tonight and we also have two massive feuds that come to a close, Bennett/EC3 and Matt/Jeff. For reference I am writing this before the show starts so here are my predictions:
EDDIE EDWARDS def. TREVOR LEE, ANDREW EVERETT & DJ Z (X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP)
Immediately after all 4 men make their entrance into the ring, the referee announces that Gregory Helms has been banned from ringside for this match, a decision that is celebrated by the commentary teams, fans and just about everyone besides Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett. Both Eddie Edwards and DJ Z waste no time in taking advantage of all this commotion as they ambush both Lee and Everett with a baseball slide towards the outside of the ring. All 4 men in the match impress, as they are able to tell a clear story. DJ Z and Eddie Edwards try to team up in order to even the odds against the so far dominating Helms Dynasty. In the end, Eddie was able to pick up the win against Trevor Lee after he counters into a roll up. This was a fitting end for me as the Edwards was able to steal the win from Trevor Lee after weeks of the reverse happening. Great match with great spots and we have a new X-Division champion.
THE TRIBUNAL def. GRADO & SHERA
Before the match Al Snow comes out with an attempt to get even more heat than he already had by telling everyone he planned to follow in the footsteps of his idol Donald Trump and make wrestling great again. This match was definitely a step down from what we just had with the X-Division title match as this definitely tried to make The Tribunal the dastardly heel and Grado and Shera the loveable babyfaces. The problem is that we have not seen enough of any of these guys besides Grado. The Tribunal are victorious in this match and while I have not enjoyed this feud I will always enjoy when Al Snow breaks down in tears of joy after a meaningless match.
SIENNA def. GAIL KIM & JADE (KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP)
Despite this title match having only been created a week prior to this and had another competitor added mere moments before the start of the match, there definitely has been a build. Champion Jade may have been relegated to a rare sight in TNA but both Gail Kim and Sienna have had plenty of screen time over the last few weeks, setting both women up to be worthy challengers for the title. At the start of the match both Kim and Jade team up in order to take down Sienna who has been portrayed as a monster in the women’s division as of recently. Things are not smooth sailing for former and current Knockout champion as Kim and Jade also brawl with each other as well as they brawl with each other. Kim continues to sell the leg that was injured in last week’s episode of Impact. After an eat defeat on Sienna it appears that Kim has the win but Allie and Maria get involved in the match up leading to Marti Belle to come down and take out Jade allowing Sienna to pick up the win, we have another new champion. This match was okay but there was one massive underlying problem. The crowd. There were multiple big moments in this match such as the near pin, the Maria/Kim confrontation and Marti Belle’s involvement yet the crowd didn’t seem to care at all.
JAMES STORM def. BRAXTON SUTTER
Storm comes out and cuts a promo about how the Cowboy is an original TNA guy as he has been at every single Slammiversary. James Storm tells the crowd that he wants to give someone an opportunity like he was given all those years ago. Well enter Braxton Sutter someone who has a lot of potential and we saw earlier talking to Storm. The match between Storm and Sutter was a very fluid match with lots of arm drags, hip tosses and running of the ropes. Sutter is able to get some good moves in such as the crossbody or the suplex into the turnbuckle. However, Storm picks up the win with his superkick the last call. Though BS lost this match tonight I still see this as a possible passing of the torch matchup, which was supported by the beer sharing during the celebrations.
ELI DRAKE def. BRAM (KOTM CHAMPIONSHIP)
Drake is a great heel and everyone who has watched TNA in recent times knows this and Drake immediately displays this tonight as he heels it up by acting the coward against Bram. At one point Drake decides that he has had enough of this match and walks out of the matchup only for Bram to chase him up the ramp in order to bring him back. Bram has his own share of punishment however as he has to deal with a backdrop on the concrete after his plans go awry. In the end, Eli Drake is able to get the victory after he surprises Bram with blunt force trauma. Drake retains.
EC3 def. MIKE BENNETT
This match is as heated as you would expect from a feud with this much build up and intensity. EC3 vs Bennett may not have been a title match but this definitely felt like it was worthy of the main event and both of these guys could easily be in the title picture. Carter goes all out in this match with fiery attacks from the outset, whereas The Miracle seemed to have a specific tactic he was sticking to. Try to incapacitate Ethan. The DDT from the security gate was a great spot early on that looked vicious. Though some may not see this as that great of a compliment but this match reminded me of the Cena vs Orton matches. Bennett like Orton using calculating moves such as the kicks to the head (The Miracle even hits an RKO/Cutter out of nowhere) and Carter uses the strong moves such as that sit out power bomb. Both Mike and Ethan looked strong as they kicked out of big moves, the one percenter, and piledriver respectively. Maria does get involved in the match preventing the pin by throwing in a chair. Bennett uses this distraction in order to hit the miracle in progress but that was not enough it seems and Carter hit the third one percenter in order to win the match. This was a good match to end a great feud, and I can only assume Carter moves back into the title picture after this and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bennett go there with him.
JEFF HARDY def. MATT HARDY
Matt’s wife comes out to introduce Broken Matt Hardy (does she ever put that kid down?) luckily he has new music fitting his eccentric character. Jeff is not even able to get fully down the ramp before the fighting between Matt and Jeff starts as the younger Hardy goes straight for the bins. The weapons were a huge part of this matchup with the Hardy with multiple spots involving a weapon of some kind especially the splash onto the long ladder. The ultimate spot came at the end of the match when Jeff hit the Swanton bomb on Matt through a table picking up the victory. Technically the match was fine as both Hardy’s are veterans and know how to put a match especially a hardcore match. However, the match was never going to live up to the craziness that has been the promos we have been getting.
DECAY def. BROMANS (TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP)
I have to say I really like the Decay theme music. Maybe it is because these mystical nightmare theme songs are always my favourites (Bray Wyatt at the top of that list). No matter who Decay faced in TNA they needed to win this match, as they are by far the hottest thing going in the tag team division. It has reignited Abyss and given the other two members a chance to shine. This was a well-worked match unsurprisingly as all 4 men are great in ring technicians. Jessie Godderz continues to stand out to me as does Crazy Steve. The only problem with this match for me was the finish that made Decay look weak as Steve tapped out and as a team, they were not good enough to beat the BroMans.
LASHLEY def. DREW GALLOWAY (WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
Right out of the gate Galloway is able to hit the Claymore kick on Lashley, which would set the tone for this matchup. This was a fast paced match from the outset, as both men were determined to win. Both men hit hard and fast looking for a possible knockout at all opportunities, however, we also saw a vast amount of submissions used specifically the iron maiden from Drew Galloway, the same move that made Kurt Angle tap out. This was a clash of two heavyweights, both Galloway and Lashley hit big moves all match in and outside of the ring, the Celtic cross from Galloway on the steel steps looked especially nasty. Lashley is one tough SOB as after that Celtic cross, a sharpshooter, and another claymore kick Lashley will not stay down and when Drew tried to put Lashley through a table he missed putting himself through the wood. Ultimately Lashley is able to pick up the win after Drew passes out in a submission. WE HAVE A NEW WORLD CHAMPION! While Galloway is my favourite wrestler in Impact Wrestling I do not have a problem with the result of tonight’s main event. Drew is already established as a title contender and Lashley is a monster heel that can dominate the division convincingly.
FINAL SCORE & NOTES
Slammiversary 2016 had a very good second half of the show, the last 4 matches were all great especially the main event and EC3 vs Mike Bennett, however, it is important to note that the first half was pretty lacklustre (besides the X-Division) overall. As this is meant to be one of TNAs biggest shows of the year I have to be harsher than usual but this still gets a 7/10.
Welcome to today’s coverage of Smackdown! Things are all setting into place for MITB with only one more Smackdown to go before the PPV. Let’s see if there will be any last minute developments before it arrives.
We start with AJ Styles and the Club coming out to boos, man they’re so over as heels and its only been two weeks. Never mind,they sound very artificial towards the end. AJ Styles opens up to describe the upcoming MITB as the GOAT, I have to say I kind of agree, the card is stacked. The crowd starts chanting Cena’s name before he can finish. Thankfully AJ is a profesional and rolls with the punches, really shows his experience in comparison to those who corpse under the pressure (Charlotte). As AJ plays hypeman to The Club, the future tag team champions, Enzo and Cass come out(!!!). They’ve been on the roster for a few months now and I’m still filled with childish glee when their music hits. Cass christens them ‘The Mr Clean dream’. The Club can keep up with Enzo and Cass hit for hit on this promo, I didn’t actually expect that. Enzo and Cass then take the stage for a tag team match.
The Club vs Enzo and Cass
I was really excited for this match during commercials, then The New Day came out on commentary and completely stole the show. As Byron feeds them grapes and they completely steal the commentary. We get a great set up for a hot tag, with Enzo getting battered and missing out on the tag multiple times. These teams are perfect for eachother, putting on a great match. The Vaudevillains come out and watch from the stage top. The match lights up when Enzo gets the tag and Cass puts on a great show dominating the Club. After a big boot puts gallows over the ropes and The Vaudevillains descend and The New Day go to meet them the match turns into chaos. When the dust clears Enzo and Cass are the only two left in the ring, yelling at The Vaudevillains while The New Day drive off The Club. Man I’m actually so hype for this chaos match up, it’ll probably end up being pretty short though with all of those variables.
Match ends in No Contest
We then get a spot in memory of Muhammed Ali who died earlier this week. We get a part on Ali’s relationship with the WWE and his influence in the ring, Gorgeous George. As we see clips of Ali taking on wrestlers and his iconic appearance as referee in Wrestlemania I. The memorial is a heartfelt message from the WWE and I’m glad they saved the time for it.
Oh never mind, they’re using it to progress Rusev as a heel. As he declares himself to be the true GOAT and Titus comes out to argue against it I can’t help but cringe at how forced it feels. You can tell that no one there has their heart in the poor segment and it wasn’t really needed at all.
Cesaro and Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio
I can’t reiterate enough how glad I am that Creative knows how good these guys are together, but I’m not sure where they can go after MITB. The match goes well but is a bit vanilla until Kevin Owens calls it quits and walks off. I loved Del Rio’s face as he heard ‘Y’know what? you’re doing great on your own.’ Rather than turning the match into a 2 on 1, Zayn runs out after KO . The tag team match turns into a 1 on 1 with an interesting beginning. These two have been in the business long enough to know how to put on a good match and it shows, they carry the match until Zayn and Owens return, fighting down the ramp. Del Rio confronts KO about his desertion and they come to blows outside the ring before Zayn comes flying in to interrupt. The match continues with some great moves in ring before the ring is inhabited only by bodies. Cesaro continues fighting Del Rio until KO drags Del Rio out of the ring and steals the tag from him for the win. Organised chaos is so much fun with these guys.
Winner by Pinfall, Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio
Becky Lynch vs Dana Brooke
This Brooke/Charlotte run just seems like a replacement for the Brooke/Emma relationship. I still don’t think she’s strong enough to be on the main roster at the moment, maybe if she had more time to develop before being thrown in with Charlotte. Anyway, this match saw the typical interruptions that come with Heel Charlotte in an otherwise slow match. It seems as if the match was only there for Natalya and Charlotte at ringside, the moment they’re ejected, the match is over in seconds. God I hope they don’t turn this Becky Lynch push into another Natty push. She deserves more.
Winner by Submission, Becky Lynch
Life Lessons with Coach Backlund
NO PLEASE STOP! ENOUGH! Wait is Backlund gonna come out as Young’s manager when he comes back?
Baron Corbin vs Kalisto
They’re still pushing the Corbin/Ziggler feud so we have Dolph as commentary for this match. What has to be done to end the feud? Hopefully it isn’t on the MITB card. As history has shown, Kalisto can work really well with big guys and Corbin is no exception. both athletes work really well to put on a stiff looking match, including a nasty looking whip into the steel sides of the ring from Corbin. The match doesn’t get enough time to shine unfortunately, with an end of days ending the match before it can get too good. I elt that this match could have had a little bit more time dedicated to it, if Kalisto had held onto the US Title, I wouldn’t have been against a title match between the two.
Winner by Pinfall, Baron Corbin
Time to double up on fulfilling contractual obligations. Get that TMNT promo in, get that Apollo Crews promo in… A bit shoehorned but eh, it was ok.
Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho
Continuing the trend of ‘Feuds that I thought were over’, we have another Ambrose/Jericho match up. I do enjoy this relationship though, Heel Jericho running away after screaming at Ambrose about the thumb-tacks of Extreme Rules. Heel Jericho is a treasure to the WWE, but as he flings a drink at Ambrose and continues screaming, I can’t help but become more aware of how bored I am with this feud. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both incredibly talented and out on a good match, but these two need to move on. The chain of pins before Ambrose ascends the turn buckle had me fully invested in the match. The competitors using newer moves that haven’t been seen in the rivalry was refreshing, with Ambrose using Lucha moves in an attempt to win. In the end, a CodeBreaker ends the matchup, as Jericho gets a hard fought victory over Ambrose.
Winner by Pinfall, Chris Jericho
An attempt to get rid of Ambrose before MITB ends with Jericho getting a ladder to the face after the end of the match. This turns into an elbow drop from the top of said ladder to close out Smackdown today. Overall, I think this would be a suitable final Smackdown before MITB, but it isn’t. I’m dreading how weak next weeks Smackdown coud potentially be.
You can follow me on Twitter @oliverwoodster
OPENER
I’m glad that before we get into this week’s show we get a reminder of the hot mess that was the Hardy short film from last week’s Impact. After the painful memories, Matt Hardy makes his way down to the ring (the entrance music definitely needs changing). Matt continues to blame Jeff Hardy for his loss of the TNA Heavyweight Title. Matt also announces his intention to regain what he once lost, the Championship title. He calls out Drew Galloway who promptly makes his way down to the ring. Our champion Galloway enters the ring and rightly points out that Matt has lost his mind. After a bit of back and forth Drew Galloway agrees to point his title on the line tonight against Matt Hardy, the reasoning is consistent with his character since his title win, Galloway wants to be a fighting champion.
SIENNA def. MADISON RAYNE
After weeks and weeks of the Knockouts championship being irrelevant to the storylines of Impact Wrestling, it is finally revealed that the title will be defended at Slammiversary by Jade against the winner of this match. This was announced 5 days before Slammiversary. Way to give the title prestige TNA! Anyway, predictably Sienna gets the win as she had all the momentum going into this match. The match is short, going only 3 minutes before Sienna hit Madison Rayne with the AK47, but it was a well-worked match with both women getting in some decent offence. Too bad Allie’s high pitch squealing distracted me the entire time. Afterwards, Jade tried to attack Sienna but with help from Allie, Sienna flees from the ring.
TEAM HEEL def. TEAM FACE (10 MAN TAG MATCH)
The story of this match was the dominating heels crushing the faces, and for the majority of this match, this story was performed really well as most of the beatings were sold well. The two stars from this matchup were on the face side however as Bram and especially Jessie Godderz looked amazing when in the ring. However, this match suffered from absolute chaos after Jessie Godderz’ amazing hot tag. People were coming into the ring from left and right, it was impossible to tell who the legal man was and more discouragingly referee Earl Hebner didn’t seem to care at all. As with our previous match, we were treated to an annoying background noise except this time it was a whistle courtesy of Al Snow, not Allie. Team Heel is able to pick up the win after a low blow from Eli Drake onto Grado.
EC3 & GAIL KIM def. MIKE BENNETT & ALLIE
Yay some more Allie screaming, oh how I do love that. Maria was set to wrestle in this mixed tag team match but she claimed as the leader of the Knockouts division she can choose to wait until Slammiversary, instead having Allie take her place. They are clearly building a lot of anticipation for Maria to get back into the ring and let’s hope the payoff is worth the time this feud has been given. At the start of the match, Bennett goes for the insane heat by making Allie wrestle EC3 for me he gets heat for making me hear her voice. EC3 clearly feels the same way as he tags in Gail Kim who proceeds to kick the shit out of Allie until Maria gets involved taking down Kim from ringside. Allie is then able to get some of her own offense in beside her voice. Eventually after spouts of exchanges between the guys and the girls Kim is able to roll up Allie for the victory (despite her not being the legal woman at the time). Gail is then beaten down Maria, Allie and Sienna who make her way down to the ring.
TREVOR LEE def. EDDIE EDWARDS (X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH)
Lately, there has been an upsettingly low amount of the X Division on display in TNA, what was once the selling point of the entire brand seems to have been relegated to a rare occurrence. However, it seems that we can hope for an X Division revival, with the recent Ultimate X match and this week’s championship match. Tonight after some impressive in-ring work from both Trevor Lee and Eddie Edwards, Lee is able to steal another victory after the interruption from the rest of the Helms Dynasty. Trevor Lee is barely holding onto that title at the moment as he repeatedly gets away by the skin of his teeth. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a new champion at Slammiversary.
BRAXTON SUTTER def. KALUS
With the teasing that has occurred over the new guy on the roster Braxton Sutter, it is clear that TNA is very high on him and the question is can he deliver? If he continues to perform like he did in this match then sure thing. Sutter looked extremely confident in the ring, from strong strikes to an Orton-like smooth power slam, Braxton impressed me greatly during his match against Kalus. Sutter is able to pick up the victory with his finisher the flatliner. Looking forward to seeing more from this guy.
DREW GALLOWAY def. MATT HARDY (WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
Before we get into this match I have to say that any wrestling fan in the world could have seen this outcome coming from miles away. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Galloway definitely should not have lost this match as he is in a hot world title angle against Lashley 5 days away from Slammiversary but at the same time, Matt is in a high profile feud going into the same PPV. Neither needed a loss. So the DQ finish is the obvious solution. As for the in-ring work of this match, it is also what you would expect when you put a world class Galloway against the aging veteran Hardy. The match is fine if a bit slow. The highlight being the ringside action such as the slam on the apron and the use of the steel steps. As Galloway looked to set up the Claymore Kick to pick up the win, the match was run in on by Lashley who clearly wanted Drew to keep the title but suffer (nicely explained Pope). The brawling of the two goes backstage as Hardy gloats in the ring. Matt isn’t smug for long though as some trickery by Willow leads to Jeff coming down to the ring as the show ends in a brawl between the brothers.
FINAL NOTES & SCORE
This week was a vast improvement on last week’s and I am much happier for it. This week’s episode did its job well as I am definitely excited for Slammiversary. I give this a 6.5/10
Whats Up Wrestling Peeps! TakeOver: The End is here and with it comes a whole host of new question, new opportunities and new talent to our little brand.
But those are wonderings for another time – lets stay focused shall we – because the talent on display was Main Roster worthy, and really put some of the top stars to shame. But that is NXT. When it comes to TakeOvers they just seem to give a little extra each and every time. And lets face it, that’s what makes a PPV or Network Exclusive different from weekly programming Because otherwise, why bother?
So lets dive right into it with “Flash! Ahhh Ahhh“! Dude, I doubt The Ming The Merciless attire was what The Perfect 10 Tye Dillinger was going for, but my main complaint is how budget the overall get up looked. Sorry 10, love you and all that but damn that glowing 10 box on the back … I’ve got to stop.
Moving on.
After appealing to GM William Regal for a Match at TakeOver, Dillinger got his wish in the form of a debuting Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Now of course with a debut you think “well he is gonna win” … and you would be right.
For a match that was spectacular I was let down by allowing Almas to go over the uber over Dillinger. Again, maybe its my fan-boy status when it comes to the mega popular Heel, but I’m going to stop using that as an excuse for the higher-ups failings. Lets get The Perfect 10 into the big leagues. For a guy whose Gimmick could be considered hokey – like an Elias Samson – he has proven that with skill and the ability to entertain. He is more than just superficial wrapping, he is the complete package.
That sounded vaguely naughty.
I’m going to get this going #GiveDillingerAChance.
Feels like American Alpha have been Champions for ages, given how comfortable they feel atop the Tag Division. So the fact that tonight was their first title defence felt special, which translated into a fast-paced and entertaining match. Would you expect no-less from Jason Jordan & Chad Gable though?
Side note moment. Two matches in and three superstars have utilised the rip-away pants for entrance attire. No hater here but Cesaro take note. Royalties to be collected son.
What a match. Too many high spots to mention here but worthy mugging for the crowd from Jordan & Gable. These guys were pumped – as were the crowd for that matter – so perhaps it was fitting for The Revival to get the win. Especially considering the beat down American Alpha received at the end of the match.
Speaking of Ming, Hello Paul Ellering.
On to the match that I tipped to steal the show. And Boy did it deliver.
Some of the better matches are simply to find out ‘who is better’ and my heart went out for Austin Aires, who I tend to agree with, has been overlooked since stepping into NXT. He has won matches, don’t get me wrong, but ultimately has plateaued. So a win over Shinsuke Nakamura meant more for his stock within the company than The King of Strong Style.
Surprisingly this match was slower than expected, which perhaps worked more for the aggression that Aires brought to the match-up. It was as if Ol’ Sparkle pants had taken a page out of Nakamura’s book, punishing the flamboyant star with knees, forearms and kicks galore. And that barricade buster though. ouch!
For all the control that Aires had at the first half of the match, he couldn’t maintain as the match-up went deep and Nakamura pulled out all the stops. Ultimately however it was Aires eagerness that cost him the win leading to yet another win for Nakamura.
As many of my loyal readers will know, for me, the NXT Women’s Championship match is more than winning the title. Its a chance to find an opponent that can convincingly match-up against the Champ Asuka, a feat that so-far only Emma – in my opinion – has been able to do.
Nia Jax’s methodical pace was in step with Asuka, which like the match before it, made for a hard-hitting affair that allowed both women to showcase their strengths. Unlike Asuka’s last TakeOver match this one felt more concise but that was mostly down to the champ playing the underdog role with Nia dominating as she is want to do.
Of course Asuka was destined to retain but Nia did not make it easy for her, which leads me to believe that her involvement at the top of the ranks won’t come to end just yet.
Triple Threat with Bayley perhaps? We will see.
Main Event time and how fitting for The Demon Finn Balor to actually climb into the cage like some Spider-Demon hybrid. And I totally digged the allusion to the Venom make-up of Balor’s indie past reminding us just how far he has come since joining NXT.
For Samoa Joe, this is the only way for his war with The Demon to end. He has known for some time now that he is better than Balor but this was his time to prove it. By breaking down the challenger and taking his time to exit the cage, he showed dominance over the former-Champ in the early going. But Joe’s arrogance to not end the match via escaping allowed Balor to get a few high spots in, with a particular high spot from the top of the cage that Samoa Joe was able to turn into a Muscle-Buster from the corner.
This was perhaps one to the shortest matches between these two but this wasn’t about showcasing each others skills, this was about ending a feud that has taken these men to limit, with neither men backing down.
The biggest takeaway from tonight is the future of Finn Balor. With the arrival of The Club on the main roster, many have been predicting The Demon’s call-up. With a loss such as this, it would seem sudden for the top brass to move Finn over to the main stage with that on his resume. Not that continuation means much of anything over there but we fans would know that Balor has unfinished business on the yellow brand.
Best case scenario – and my best guess – we see Finn Balor getting drafted in the Brand split in July.
All I know for sure, Balor’s days in NXT are numbered.
For all your NXT News & TakeOver Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx
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