The NXT Review – May 25th 2016 – Boybands, Bombshells & Brand Extension

Whats Up Wrestling Peeps! With another exciting (and storyline progressive) show ahead, I just want to take the time to mention this little Wrestling news called the New Era Brand Extension. Oh you heard of it!?

Well of course you did my friend, but what does this mean for NXT? Meh – I dunno. But what I can impart is my two cents on the matter and well … I’m in two minds on this. On the one hand with SmackDown! moving to Tuesday nights with a live show, the Big-Wigs could harness the chance to showcase new talent from our little-brand. Rather than planting wide-eyed and fresh-faced NXT stars on the main roster for the big guys to feast on. They could be given a chance to show their skills and establish themselves on the Blue-brand while (perhaps) playing double duty for NXT. I mean let’s be honest, for every Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin, there is a Adam Rose, Tyler Breeze and (poor guys) The Ascension. Who without any clear direction have floundered and fallen into obscurity on the frantic RAW Roster.

Put simply. With Championships and Talent spread across two shows, there is going be more opportunities for NXT stars to get a shot on the main stage and grasp for that damn Brass Ring that Mr. McMahon moans about constantly.

But lets put the hater hat on for a second. The WWE may be wrestling-entertainment but it is foremost a business. My snarky attitude to how the Biz handles fresh-talent is already blighted at best. Save for a handful of the talent mention, WWE will sooner drop you into a Gimmick-effused stable before it even gives the audience a chance to buy your merch. So what stops the ratings dictating who should be the “Face” and planting established Superstars at the head of Tuesday Night SmackDown!, effectively taking away New Era Stars opportunity to shine?

Hater-Aide enthused sure, but its not like WWE isn’t in it for the money. Why do you think John Cena has stuck around so long.

For the most part I’m cautiously excited for a brand split, but with very little information at this stage, I reserve the right to hold my comment until that SmackDown! roster and Championship line-up is revealed.

With that ahead of us let’s get back to the action with Johnny Gargano. With my team of Blake & Murphy seemingly parting ways last week, Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are fast filling their spot. My love for American Alpha aside that is.

The two favourites of NXT were a perfect match for a debuting Shane Thorne & Nick Miller, with a fast pace chain wrestling and an abundance of charisma in-between the ropes, it made for a successful introduction for the Australian duo.

But seriously TM-61 … sounds like a lame Boyband.

Austin Aires, never the one to be overlooked, called out the NXT Title scene prompting the King of Strong Style to saunter to the ring and cut a promo all over Ol’ Sparkle Pants himself. Its got to be worth mentioning that for a guy who English is not his first language, Shinsuke Nakamura put “the Guy” of WWE, Roman Reigns, to shame. #ShotsFired!

It wasn’t long until William Regal interfered announcing that the two would face-off on June 8th at TakeOver. Much to the delight of Nakamura whose toothy grin spoke volumes.

With Bayley sidelined with an injury, it was left to Carmella to step-up for her bestie in the nights Main Event to find the #1 Contender to Asuka’s NXT Women’s Championship. But the favourite going into the Triple Threat Nia Jax and my favourite Alexa Bliss standing in her way. The two top Heels on NXT weren’t exactly going to move aside for the Princess of Stanton Island.

As my past hyperbolic statements regarding Carmella have shown, I am more than high on this woman. And yes her association to the perpetual underdogs Enzo & Cass doesn’t hurt her stock. But since the two guys have moved on-up, she has more than shown that she is not just a mere cheerleader but a serious competitor also.

That being said, it is Jax’s time to go onto the Title scene, I mean just look at that Double-Suplex she gave to her opponents, a thing of beauty. And a TakeOver match against Asuka is going to be epic.

This also means that Carmella and Alexa Bliss have the opportunity to enter feud which will no-doubt elevate the pair if the higher powers pull the trigger on it that is.

Go on WWE, excite me.

That sounded dirty didn’t it?

For all your NXT News & Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

Pros And Cons of WWE’s New Brand Split

With the recent influx of talent and the return of Shane McMahon, a brand split felt inevitable. Fans have been clamoring for this to happen for years now. But is should fans be careful what they wish for or is gonna be everything they dreamed of? There is one good one way to examine the risks. Let’s take a moment to look at the things they got right and the things they did wrong the first time there was a brand split.

Pro: They could have their cake and eat it too

Realistically, wrestling is a negative sum expansion – someone has to be on top, there is only one world champion. The company recently inherited a ton of talent including AJ Styles and a whole lot of people from NXT have drifted to the main roster. That’s already in conjunction with people who have been headliners for years such as Reigns, Cena, and Rollins and people who fans have been clamoring to see in the main event such as Ambrose and Owens. The early days of the brand split also took place during what fans unlovingly call the Reign of Terror when Triple H was very much a world title hog. However, that was on Raw. On Smackdown, guys like Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero had chances at the world title. True, guys like Christian and Rob Van Dam often ended up mid-carders (with occasional world title reigns) regardless of what show they were on. I sadly see the same thing happening to guys like Neville and maybe Cesaro – things are kinda looking up for him ever since he started wearing that tear-away Bond suit. But for the most part, I see new stars created.

Pro: More screen-time for certain guys

It’s not just a chance to let new people have some chances at world title gold, but these guys may have a little extra TV time. Instead of giving attention to Roman Reigns on two shows, Reigns will be on his own show so that time can be spent giving a little promo time to Kevin Owens or AJ Styles. On that note…

Pro: Less pressure on everyone

If the WWE is splitting shows into different brands, guys may not be working every night. This may sound like a rip off to fans who might want to see a certain someone on a certain show. However, those fans would probably be a lot happier when those guys are getting injured a lot less. Injuries have been piling up more and more. If they can divide the roster among different brands, they can have people work certain shows, having people work a little less and (hopefully) cause fewer injuries.

Con: More Authority Figures

WWE sure loves their authority figures. And they were all over the place during the brand split. Both Raw and Smackdown had some kind of authority figure – sometimes more than once. To be fair, they had the right people doing these – Steve Austin, Teddy Long and Paul Heyman were all entertaining in their roles. But we also Stephanie McMahon and we’re gonna have a lot more of her.

Con: One Show is Probably Gonna be the B-Show

It may be interesting to see how the company will split up the roster – define who is a Smackdown guy and who is a Raw guy. However, the WWE booking team may not have the same ideas as the fans as to who is talented and who’s a star. Between 2002 and 03 and when the brand split was fairly new, Smackwon was THE show. Even with Jericho, RVD and other talented guys, Raw also had the reign of terror while Smackdown – which had Paul Heyman as a booker – had guys like Eddie Guerrero, Edge, Brock Lesnar and Rey Mysterio tearing down the house. Even Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon were mainstays of Smackdown during this era. However, when Brock Lesnar left in 2004, that seemed to trigger something that made people care less about Smackdown and it became a clear B-show. Even with guys like Undertaker, Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle, the show just had a B-feel to it with tons of guys the company just didn’t seem to care about while Raw started having much better programming. There were still good matches, but read some of the cards for those Smackdown pay per views in 2004 and 05. Among gems like Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio were a whole lot of matches that did not sound PPV-worthy. Between 2008 and 09, things improved a little. Smackdown still kinda felt like a B-show, but it was a B-show worth watching. Guys like CM Punk and Jeff Hardy would have killer feuds/matches without jockeying for position from guys like Cena. But 2010, the writing was on the wall that Smackdown was gonna be a b-show even if worthwhile talent was there.

Con: WWE needs to stick to their guns to make it work

The original brand split was diluted by a few things. By 2009, Smackdown guys started showing up on Raw more often. In 2011, Raw Supershows which featured both shows became frequent. In 2012, there was a storyline about both shows having the same general manager, but for some reason, they were still treated like separate brands… with guys just randomly jumping from show-to-show and challenging for whatever title they wanted. At the end of 2013, the world heavyweight and WWE Championships were officially unified, thus putting the end to any illusion that the brand split was still a think. Unless WWE wants to recreate the mistakes of the past, they need to go all the way and make sure people aren’t just drifting from show-to-show.

There are certain things that are hard to tell whether they’re pros are cons just because it’s hard to predict whether or not they’ll pan out a certain way. Will WWE go with brand exclusive pay per views again? I highly doubt that, but if one show is a B-show, once again bad history might repeat itself one way or another. Of course, that could also mean good things like giving storylines more time to develop. On that note, the show’s writers may be stretching themselves for having to write for two distinct shows. If nothing else, Smackdown should at least have some unique program rather than feeling like a dumping ground for less important matches. The brand split will occur in July so time will tell on all of these.

WWE Brand Split: Fantasy Roster

With the news of the upcoming WWE brand split, many questions are being brought up about how the WWE will change, while Vince says  “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.” People who started following  the company will want to know how this will affect the regularly scheduled programming. Firstly, Smackdown will now be live on Tuesday nights as opposed to being taped on Tuesday and released on Thursday. The roster will also be split between the two shows, with the superstars only appearing on one show rather than both, while likely coming together for PPVs.

If Creative follow the same structure as the last brand split, we will receive a number of advantages as compared to the current programming. The best of these at the moment being that wrestlers won’t be overexposed, we won’t have to see Roman Reigns appearing twice a week, or The New Day or KO or Enzo and Cass. Their promos and matches will feel fresh rather than overused or tired, this means that the quality will improve since the writers won’t be stretched so far. It will also mean that secondary titles will feel more important, since they will be split between brands, so half of the roster won’t be able to get them. However, this does bring into question whether they will introduce another world title for men and women’s wrestling, a title for each show.

After predicting that Shane Mcmahon would take control of Smackdown and Stephanie would take control of Raw, myself and resident Raw reviewer TheRealDills decided that a fantasy draft was in order.We decided to flip a coin (I won) and take it in turns to pick what our respective rosters would be.  We also decided on two NXT stars each that we would bring up to  our rosters.

Of course, I would also draft the fist.

What would your dream rosters be? send thoughts on the brand split to me on Twitter @oliverwoodster, or if you’re interested in cheeky bum pics follow @therealdills for his thoughts on the topic.

WWE BRAND SPLIT ANNOUNCED

WWE’s ‘Smackdown’ Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/uLsdjWiFCJ

— Variety (@Variety) May 25, 2016

Today Variety announced on their twitter that as of July 19^th, 2016, Smackdown will now be aired live every Tuesday night. The tweet has been retweeted by WWE on twitter and with the release of a recent video on their YouTube channel, it seems as if we will be having either Shane or Stephanie McMahon take control of Smackdown, with the other staying on Raw. The brand split has been rumoured for months due to the return of Shane McMahon but it seems that with talents such as Seth Rollins, John Cena and Randy Orton making their way back onto the screens soon WWE see this as the perfect time to jump back into the brand split, which was in effect from 2002-2011.

“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” said Vince McMahon in a released statement. The WWE CEO went on to claim that “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.”

As someone who grew up during the brand split, my earliest memories of wrestling are Paul Heyman the Smackdown six during the early 2000s, therefore this news of the brand split is immensely exciting There still remains many unanswered questions, however, such as who goes where? When is the draft? How will the titles work? I expect these questions to be slowly answered over the coming weeks and until then we can only guess at what might happen.

WWE RAW Review: 23rd May 2016

Extreme Rules has been and gone, and though we are still reeling from the aftershock that was the events of Sunday night, the WWE has already set its sight on the future. This week’s Raw focuses on one thing and one thing only, that being Money in the Bank. On the long road that is the WWE year, Money in the Bank is probably the most important event besides the ‘Big 4’, so this focus on the upcoming pay per view is alright in my books.

OPENER

This RAW started the same way Extreme Rules ended, with a returning Seth Rollins. Well, what a return it was, the reaction to Rollins’ music was insane, we all missed ya, Seth. Seth cuts a promo talking about his time in recovery and what he has been through, he also confirmed the suspicions of last night. Seth is still a heel (people are still gonna cheer him like crazy). Seth is interrupted by Roman Reigns who shows Seth what a real heel sounds like, the contrast between the two crowd reactions is amazing (We all heard it, even if Dunn and Vince want to deny it). We get our mediator in the form of Shane McMahon who tells us a few things. Firstly the main event of Money in the Bank will be Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns and secondly tonight we will have qualifying matches for the money in the bank match.

• Renee Young interviews Sheamus about his upcoming MITB qualifying match with Sami Zayn, he is also really bad at geography

SAMI ZAYN def. SHEAMUS

This was, of course, the expected big vs small match, and it was a well worked one at that. Both Sami and Sheamus tried to use their strengths to their advantage. Sami was representing the new era tonight while Sheamus was playing the part of the paranoid old guard and this won’t be the last time the new era is mentioned tonight. The match ends as Sami is able to sneak a Helluva kick on Sheamus as he makes his way back into the ring, laying him out for a 3 count. So Sami Zayn is our first competitor for the 2016 Money in the Bank ladder match, this is someone who definitely deserves the spot. The new era doesn’t look so bad after all.

• While Renee interviews Apollo Crews (long time no see) about his upcoming money in the bank qualifying match with Chris Jericho, they get interrupted by Sheamus who proceeds to give Crews a beat down while ranting about the new era.
• The New Day come out to celebrate RAWs 1200 episode, there is a cake in the middle of the ring (surprised it didn’t say Happy Bootyday), they tease throwing the cake but are attacked by the Social Outcasts before anything happens.

THE NEW DAY def. THE SOCIAL OUTCASTS

The Social Outcasts may have got the early advantage as they were able to sneak attack the New Day but this does not last for long. As soon as Kofi is able to drag Heath Slater down from the top rope via head scissors the match was a one-sided affair. Slater suffered most having to deal with the unicorn stampede, he ate the pin after the combination between Big E and Kofi and received a face full of cake after the match, to which Cole said: “Let them eat cake” (Love my history references). However his fellow Outcasts didn’t get off lightly either has they were a victim of a great suicide dive by Xavier Woods, it is really good to see him in the ring for once.

• Miz comes out with Maryse before his MITB qualifying match with Cesaro. He gloats about winning the match of the night to retain his Intercontinental Championship. The Miz and Maryse get a bit close for comfort but luckily we are saved by the Swiss Superman.

CESARO def. THE MIZ

The Miz and Cesaro must be getting sick of sharing the same ring together. They have been feuding for months now and are constantly in the ring with each other whether as combatants or unwilling partners. Despite this, they are still able to pull off an entertaining match, despite the fact we have seen it repeatedly in other variations. Cesaro once again impresses the hell out of me with his insane ability. Every corkscrew uppercut and every swing look effortless. The Miz also plays his part as the cowardly heel, persistently targeting the taped up shoulder of Cesaro. The Swiss Superman is able to hit the Neutraliser on Miz to pick up the victory earning a spot in the MITB ladder match. Definitely the right decisions, another new era star climbing the ladder (no pun intended) of WWE. Plus we don’t want another run with Miz as WWE Champion.

• We see a Seth Rollins interview in which Seth details that he has a good history with the Money in the Bank pay per view. He then spots Stephanie McMahon and gets his attempt at a hug awkwardly rejected, as their relationship must now be strictly professional. (Way to kill the hype Steph)

CHRIS JERICHO def. APOLLO CREWS

A rough looking Chris Jericho makes his way down to the ring for his match with Crews the man is 45 years old and wrestles the night after a bump like that? Respect. Chris is then joined by his opponent Apollo Crews, who just comes out to the ring as happy as ever despite being beaten down roughly an hour ago. The match starts off well, Apollo as always impresses in the ring with his agility, the backflip off the ring apron is especially great. The match isn’t entirely smooth sailing however as Crews botches a Jericho springboard moon sault spot by springing up at the wrong time. Jericho eventually wins with a codebreaker (if you listen to the pin you can hear Crews apologise for the botch).

• Sheamus is asked for his opinion on the match but he just chuckles. A Sheamus/Crews feud looks right around the corner.
• The same ‘Make Darren Young Great Again’ video package as we saw on Smackdown. Is this gimmick just to make fun of old people?
• Oh God. Another Ziggler vs Corbin match?
• ENZO AMORE IS BACK BITCHES! Enzo has to be the most over person in the entire WWE right now, he spits fire on the mic and the crowd is enamoured, whenever watch Enzo I am fully engrossed in whatever he is saying. He says he has the gift of gab but that’s an understatement. Enzo and Cass call out ‘Bub and Devin Dud’ for being out of line.

BIG CASS def. BUBBA RAY DUDLEY

Big Cass has the Dudley Boys number by now. They repeatedly come up short against the 7 foot tall Cass (and you can’t teach that). With Enzo back in the picture, it’s not surprising that this match was as short as it was. That rocket will be strapped to Enzo and Cass soon.

• Charlotte is accompanied by her father Ric Flair and new BFF Dana Brooke out to the ring. The Nature Boy tells Charlotte that he is proud of his daughter but the good feelings don’t last for long. Charlotte tells Ric that he was never there for her growing up, but the promo does get a little side-tracked due to the crowd. Charlotte corpses a bit under the pressure from the crowd. However she is able to carry on with the promo in which she announces her father is “dead to me.” I get that this was meant to be emotional but I don’t think Charlotte could handle the pressure even without the chants from the crowd. The Women’s Champion makes fun of her dad for crying but it seemed like she was on the verge of tears constantly.

DEAN AMBROSE def. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Ambrose and Ziggler work a very balanced match, though Ambrose is the one that feels more relevant to the larger scene of WWE at the moment it did feel like either could win this match. The start of the match was very technical as both used holds to wear the other down, though a double hook suplex from the top rope kicks the match into life and the big moves start to make their appearance. The only thing that seemed suspect was the lack of selling from Ambrose after he was hit by Ziggler’s superkick. It’s not his finisher but the superkick has always been protected as a strong move, yet Ambrose didn’t even hit the floor, instead doing his shitty rebound clothesline. Dean is able to hit Dirty Deeds and get the pin. As the 4^th confirmed member of the MITB ladder match there now lies an interesting opportunity. This would be to have all 3 members of the SHEILD in the title picture at the same time, the commentary made note of this many times throughout the match. I would rather they save the eventual SHEILD triple threat for Wrestlemania 33.

• Ric Flair seems like he just got a farewell. He is consoled by long-time friend Arn Anderson and refuses the interview from Renee Young. I don’t think we will be graced with the Nature Boys presence for a while.
• The Shining Stars are deluded to think that the crowd “couldn’t get enough of the Shining Stars”
• Before his match AJ Styles tells the WWE audience that “Roman Reigns is every bit the man he says he is” (fucking hell how many people are we going to have to hear put over Roman?). The Club come out to speak to AJ and they are offended that AJ puts the blame for his loss on them. The segment ends with the split of The Club.
• Cesaro vs Miz (IC Title) and Kalisto vs Rusev (US Title) on Smackdown

KEVIN OWENS def. AJ STYLES

Despite both losing at Extreme Rules, this match definitely felt main event worthy. The commentary constantly put over the fact that both men were very close to winning their respective matches and walking away champions. AJ was his usual self and his in ring ability shined all match long and the “headlock master” Kevin Owens was able to work the crowd to perfection. The greatest feud in the WWE is also continued tonight, that being Kevin Owens vs Commentary. The best spots of the match include the various close 2 counts, the 450 splash and the pop-up reversal into the Pele Kick. Owens is successful tonight after a pop-up powerbomb gives him the victory. Owens is going to MITB and I think he’s the favourite. Many people have called this a burial of AJ Styles but to me, this seems like them pushing Kevin Owens. It’s clear that they are fans of AJ but it seems to me like they have something special in store for KO, something gold maybe?

FINAL NOTES & SCORES

• Tonight’s MVP: Enzo Amore
• Match of the Night: Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles
• Moment of the Night: Enzo’s promo
• “Enzo forgot to pay his electric bill. They knocked my lights out”
• Enzo’s dab makes the Usos look like amateurs
• Seth may be a heel but in my heart, he will always be a face.
• “Shut up Cole I can hear you from here!”

This RAW is probably the best I have review for Skatronixxx so far. Of the 7 matches, we got tonight 5 of them were meaningful as they results could change the landscape of WWE in the future. This Raw gets a 7.5/10 from me.

For some mediocre tweets go to @THEREALDILLS. I like wrestling and movies, that’s all folks, tune in next week for another review, apparently there will be a lot of Hustle, Loyalty and Respect.

Camp WWE Is Worth The Trip

If you’re a wrestling fan looking for an even sillier diversion, Camp WWE might be the trip for you. The titular camp is the animated home to childhood, foul-mouthed versions of John Cena, Steve Austin, the Undertaker and others. The camp is owned by Vince McMahon, with his teen daughter Stephanie and future son-in-law Triple H serving as head counselors. Sergeant Slaughter and Ric Flair round out the cast.

It’s a niche concept – an animated comedy for adult wrestling fans – but it has enough charm and immature humor to get a smile out of even the most strident haters.

The show is produced by Seth Green, whose Robot Chicken turned the concept of the pop culture reference on its head. The Simpsons and Family Guy made jokes about pop culture. With Robot Chicken, pop culture was the joke. Green’s the perfect choice to produce an animated in-joke about wrestling. It’s fairly well-written, with all the childish humor you’d expect.

The show shines best, though, in its choice of casting Vince McMahon, Ric Flair, Sergeant Slaughter and other wrestling legends as themselves. Each plays a pivotal role in the currently-released four episodes. McMahon is particularly good, somehow channeling the spirit of Ted Knight as he ruins the lives of everyone around him. Flair floats in his robe, humps inanimate objects and has relations with a bear. Slaughter is an immediate retro trip, instantly bringing his GI Joe days to mind.

The show falters, though, when the wrestlers aren’t played by themselves. The dialogue is fine, a wrestling-centric South Park without the message. The actors playing the campers do a good job, but they sound like they would on a kids’ show. If you’ve always wanted to hear the Rugrats swear, you won’t mind too much.

Camp WWE is a fine addition to the WWE Network, a unique, often laugh-out-loud take on some beloved icons. It would be nice to see the team of Green and WWE stay together for future projects. How about the intergalactic adventures of the Rock?

Photo: WWE

WWE Extreme Rules Review

Well, Extreme Rules is upon us after weeks of anticipation. Last year’s event saw a mixed reception as, the matches, unfortunately, felt like a Wrestlemania rerun and nothing more. So the question we have to ask ourselves is that did this year’s Extreme Rules feel like a rerun of Payback? The answer is not so simple. As with the Extreme Rules preview tonight’s matches have been split into two sections, for me the RAW reviewer and for Parzy the Smackdown reviewer. We will both be giving separate ratings for the pay per view at the end of the review. (Just want to highlight that Parzy and I agree and disagree on many things which will be evident through our scores)

PRE-SHOW EVENTS

• Many, many, many panel discussions featuring the usual cast as well as special guests Becky Lynch and Paige
• Call me crazy but I swear I heard a “Cody” chant
• The Dudley’s cut a promo on New Jersey, which is answered by Big Cass who tells them that they shouldn’t mess with the New Era and lays them out.
• The Miz gives an absolutely hilarious monologue worthy of an Oscar. Ridiculously funny.
• Rusev being Rusev in the social media lounge with Lana. His deadpan humour gets me every single time “I’m going to take his shirt and hide it”

Parzy Match 1 – BARON CORBIN def. DOLPH ZIGGLER (NO DISQUALIFICATIONS)

This match deserved the Pre-Show. What a shitshow this turned out to be. I want to like Corbin, hell I do like him, but he really needs to find his footing on the main roster. Both of these men are great athletes but they just couldn’t find their rhythm in this match The no DQ stipulation was barely used, only once for a late match low blow for the win. If this match didn’t end the feud, these two will go out to some more meaningless feuds with pre-show culminations. The pre-show could have been used on anything else, the Dudley Boys spot made me realise that they could have put on a handicap match Cass vs the Dudleys. Instead, they put on a match that wouldn’t be out of place on Main Event.

Parzy Rating: 3/10 Fuck this match

TheRealDills’ Rating: 5/10

Parzy Match 2 – THE CLUB def. THE USOS (TORNADO TAG TEAM)

So the whole point of this match was to ensure that neither team interrupts the main event. What was the point of giving them two hours to recuperate after this match so they could interrupt the main event? The booking aside, this match was actually pretty decent, nothing special but it filled the card. Luckily they used the stipulation well, actually working as a team rather than pairing off into two singles matches. Unfortunately didn’t even hit the ten-minute mark, that’s kind of a poor showing when you have a teammate to interrupt any potential pins. Sadly the first part of the card was full of drastically short matches so the Asylum match could be dragged out. Overall, it was a decent match but its purpose is questionable, why bother setting it up if they have no time to put on a decent match and lots of time to get ready for the main event?

Parzy Rating: 4/10

TheRealDills’ Rating: 5/10

TheRealDills’ Match 1 – RUSEV def. KALISTO (US CHAMPIONSHIP)

The feud between Rusev and Kalistio has definitely reinvigorated my interest in the United States title recently. I mean it’s not that I don’t like Ryback, I really don’t like Ryback. The match was surprisingly balanced, and by that I mean Rusev didn’t crush Kalisto 100% of the time. Rusev was the dominating competitor in the match however Kalisto had some moments of offense mostly in the forms of kicks and one key sleeper hold. The main story of the match, however, was that Rusev had badly injured the back of Kalisto during the accolade he applied in last week’s RAW. Rusev continuously targeted the back throughout the match using holds such as bear hugs and the torture rack. The match finishes with another brutal accolade similar to the one from the previous week and this time it cost Kalisto the title. Overall the match was solid, it didn’t blow me away but it was a well-told story and we are continuing down the road of redemption for Rusev as he climbs his way back to his pre-Wrestlemania 31 self. Now I just hope Cena doesn’t come in and ruin it again.

TheRealDills’ Rating: 6/10

Parzy’s Rating: 7/10

Parzy Match 3 – THE NEW DAY  def. THE VAUDEVILLAINS (TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP)

This is another match that suffers from poor runtime, two months of buildup for a 6-minute match is a travesty, this match could have been great if it was given a decent amount of time to play out, instead it was sort of good. The match was actually convincing, it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve actually felt that The New Day was going to lose their title, Xavier kicking out after the Whirling Dervish had me out of my seat. It was odd to have Kofi cheat for the win, though, especially since they’ve just turned face. Maybe that’ll be a plot point to carry this storyline to Money in The Bank. Overall it was an enjoyable match, with Woods hitting a Hadouken, Cole referring to Street Fighter immediately afterwards and The Vaudevillains being actually threatening. VV worry me, though, they don’t seem to know how to hold back when wrestling, Big E going through the steel steps gave me Enzo flashbacks, maybe they should hold back a little bit when Irish whipping people.

Parzy Rating: 6/10

TheRealDills’ Rating: 6/10

Parzy Match 4 – THE MIZ def. CESARO, ZAYN, OWENS (IC CHAMPIONSHIP)

From that very first Helluva kick this match was special, destined to completely steal the show from the rest of the card. Every superstar was at the top of their game this match, stopping every pin just in time, landing the most ridiculous of spots and moves. Speaking of which, Sami and Cesaro were poetry in motion in that match, pulling off the most incredible spots and moves. I definitely feel for Cesaro, taking all of those finishers before finally getting pinned by the guy who contributed zero of them.The end of the match is where it was kind of let down, I don’t think creative could set up a more climactic title change for Miz than that finale, yet he steals the pin and runs off with it anyway. However, the Intercontinental always stays interesting, so I have high hopes for its future. Even though The Miz still has it.

Parzy Rating: 9/10

TheRealDills’ Rating: 8/10

TheRealDills’ Match 2 – AMBROSE def. JERICHO (ASYLUM MATCH)

This match was always going to have a hard time following the Intercontinental Championship match as it was easily the match of the night (some even saying the year). With a tough act to follow and placed in the middle of the show, the Asylum match was always going to struggle to live up to expectations. It didn’t help that the match was not very good on its own merits. The match lasted over 25 minutes and most of that felt like it was transitioning from one weapon spot too the other. At Extreme Rules, an extreme spot filled match would normally bot be out of the ordinary but this was a 25-minute spot filled match, with pointless objects like mops. The Asylum match is a match type I would be glad to see the last of as it allowed no natural flow for the match. Despite big moments such as Ambrose jumping off of the top of the cage into Jericho, the match was never able to catch my attention. The one time this match was able to grab my attention and hopefully, the attention of all fans was the use of the thumb tacks. Jericho being thrown into the thumb tacks, then being dirty deeds into the thumb tacks could represent a huge shift in WWE programming. The PG era has changed a lot about the way WWE conduct their business but the use of thumb tacks here hints at a possible shift in attitude.

TheRealDills’ Rating: 3/10

Parzy’s Rating: 6/10

TheRealDills’ Match 3  – CHARLOTTE def. NATALYA (WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP)

After the bitter taste of that frankly absurd finish at Payback we are treated to another round of Women’s Division action in the rematch of Charlotte and Natalya. Now if you thought it couldn’t get any worse than Payback then you were correct. However, that doesn’t make this match or ending any better. The absence of Ric Flair in this match meant that the audience expected to see Charlotte overcome her opponent using her own skills. I don’t think anyone expected Charlotte to win cleanly but I was hoping she would be able to pull out some tricks, reminiscent of her old man. Well following a poorly worked match we got an unexpected finish. Not that the result was surprising as I had predicted Charlotte would win the match. The surprise that occurred was that Ric Flair came out to the ring despite being banned. Wow, that’s reckless of you Ric. Oh, wait a sec. Never mind it’s Dana Brooke in the funniest wig I have ever seen. Okay then. If this match made anything abundantly clear it’s the fact that Dana Brooke has been called up way too early and without Emma there’s a good chance she is going to become ‘That Girl’ with Charlotte.

TheRealDills’ Rating: 4/10

Parzy’s Rating: 5/10

TheRealDills’ Match 4 – ROMAN REIGNS def. AJ STYLES (WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)

When it Reigns it bores. That was clearly the attitude of the crowd as we headed into the main event of the evening as the champion came out to the thunderous sound of boos. The challenger, however, was welcomed and clearly had the support of the fans all night. The match was extremely well worked, even for a match with an athlete like Roman and possibly the best wrestler in the world like Styles. Surprisingly it was Reigns who had the spot of the match with the Razor’s Edge into the sit-down powerbomb, a combination that had me on the (Razor’s) edge of my seat. The match was obviously an extreme rules match and as allowed the fight quickly escalated as Reigns and Styles went brawling all the way to the pre-show broadcasting area. As we all expected the fight does not stay a 1 on 1 contest throughout as The Club and then The Usos get involved interrupting the match various times preventing both Reigns and Styles picking up the win. Well, the match ends after Roman Reigns completely no sells various chair shots, Styles Clashes, and a beat down from the Club. All to pin AJ with one spear (sigh, it’s always the bloody same). “Well I have lost hope and nothing can save me from the pain of Roman Reigns as champion” I said after the main event finished (paraphrasing slightly). Well, I was fucking proved wrong as my personal hero, the man known as Crossfit Jesus returned from the grave. IT’S SETH FUCKING ROLLINS. Seth Rollins returned to lay out the WWE champ Roman Reigns. Oh man, this is fucking hype.

TheRealDills’ Rating: 7/10

Parzy’s Rating: 8/10

FINAL NOTES & SCORES

• Tonight’s MVP: The fanboy in me wants to say Seth Rollins but I will go with Cesaro
• Match of the Night: Intercontinental Championship Match
• Moment of the Night: Seth Rollins return
• Let us all hope that the Asylum Match never rears its ugly head again.
• Unfortunately, I failed to represent Team Raw with honour as I lost to Parzy and Team Smackdown 7-6 for the Extreme Rules Predictions. Money in the Bank will be my redemption.
• Welcome back Seth I have missed you so God damn much.

Overall while Extreme Rules had two great matches and the return of my favourite wrestler, I think the show felt too reminiscent of Payback, the main event especially was guilty of this. My score for Extreme Rules is a 7/10 and Parzy’s score is also a 7/10.

As always you can follow me on Twitter @THEREALDILLS, maybe I’ll tweet pictures of cats. Parzy is on twitter too @oliverwoodster which is an account in which he tweets about female wrestlers feet.

WWE Extreme Rules (2016) Review

The Usos vs. The Club – Texas Tornado Match

Talk about starting a show off on the right foot. Both teams are filled with talented guys. As a standard tag match, these guys probably could have put on a solid tag match, but the tornado tag stipulation put it over the top. All four men were combatting at once, saving us from the contrived ref not seeing the tag spots, resulting in this match being 100% action. There were tons of wild spots and The Club won. While I like the Usos, The Club felt like the right guys since they are new and need the rub. Overall, this was a standout tag out match.

Overall rating: 3.75 (Out of 5) Stars

Rusev vs. Kalisto – US Championship

This was another great old school-style match with Rusev playing a monster heel with Kalisto playing the underdog champion. Kalisto took a wicked bump on the ringside. Time will tell whether this was real or not, but after Enzo’s injury last month, it felt a little too real. Kalisto’s flexibility lead to an insane variation on the Accolade. This was a solid match, but I have to deduct a few points for some rest holds that slowed the match down. Still, it is nice to see Rusev back in monster form. I was worried he was doomed to be a jobber with a hip hop gimmick, but the booking team finally has Rusev back on the right track.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

The New Day vs. The Vaudevillains – Tag Team Championships

I suspect that with Enzo Amore injured, they’re letting the New Day hold onto the tag team gold a little longer since I suspect the company wanted Amore and Cass to be tag champs. The match was good, but they broke very little new ground. They kept the flow going with some exciting kickouts and there was an exciting spot where Big E attempted the spear. The ending was a little weird since it saw Kofi cheat to win. I suspected something like that would happen. I felt a New Day babyface turn was inevitable since it’s hard to hate guys who are as genuinely funny as they are. But it is weird that the babyfaces usually outnumber their opponents and still use dirty tactics. Then again, we don’t see them just randomly change their attitude just because the audience cheers them. So there’s that.

Overall rating: 3.25 out of 5

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. The Miz – Intercontinental Championship

If there was one sleeper match of the night, this was it. I knew this match would be good, but I didn’t expect it to be this far off the hook.  Beginning a match with a finisher is usually a gamble as we saw Zayn use the Heluva Kick right out of the gate. However, with three other guys carrying out a wild brawl, this was another match where the action was nearly non-stop. All four men did or attempted their finishers at one point with plenty of kickouts, Maryse interfering, Maryse being thrown into the match. There were some insane multi-man spots including Cesaro powerbombing all three other opponents during a double superplex. Cesaro pulled a running elbow on all three members of the match in turns while Kevin Owens did his usual taunting. Miz won which was irksome as he is easily the least interesting person in the match, but that was not enough to ruin this match of the year candidate.

Overall rating: 4.75 stars

Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho – Asylum Match

Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho are two of my favorite guys on the roster – with Jericho being one of my all-time favorites. So it pains me to admit two things: 1. The most extreme thing about this match was how underwhelming it was. 2. I never like to admit this, but I have read a few reviews on this match. I bring this up because it’s not nearly as bad as other people have been making it out to be. People have been calling it a zero star match and saying it’s a worst match of the year candidate. I cannot get behind the hate that way, but I will agree this match was a letdown considering the talent involved. First of all, I think the gimmick of the match hurt them more than it helped them. If these two had just had a regular street fight/extreme rules match, I bet dollars to doughnuts this would have been better. With the mop, potted plant, straight jacket and nunchaku on the cage, there was an obligation to use those strange weapons, which almost turned this into a comedy match.

Even worse, this match was nearly TWENTY-SEVEN minutes. Word on the grapevine is that there was a ten-minute segment cut and this match had to fill in the time. I suspect Jericho and Ambrose had a much tighter match planned, but had to fill things out when they learned the match needed to go longer, thus causing them to go longer. I say this because there were spots that demonstrated the brilliance this match could have been. The last few minutes alone showed some brilliance. The spot this match will be remembered for was Ambrose slamming Jericho through a pile of thumbtacks. You read right, it wasn’t the guy who always wears a shirt who went through the tacks. I applaud Jericho for taking that obviously brutal spot. Ambrose won with Dirty Deeds, which was the right choice, but hopefully he can do some work to undo the damage of this match.

Overall rating: 3.25 stars

Charlotte vs. Natalya – Women’s Title Match

As much as I like both women, I feel that there was little suspense to this match. Natalya, as talented as she may be, is essentially the female Cesaro – she carries other women to good matches (not that Charlotte needs that much help) then does the job. Still, with the way WWE has had a habit of kicking women to the curb, and their history of treating the beautiful Natalya like a freak, being a respectable athlete who happens to be a jobber to the stars is a trade-up. Besides, she’s at least jobbing to another respectable athlete, and these two did put on a respectable, but not great match. With Flair banned from ringside, Dana Brooke came out disguised as Flair. I have to admit, that was pretty clever chicanery to open the door for Charlotte to gain a tainted victory.

Overall rating: 3 stars

AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns – Extreme Rules for the WWE Championship

Styles and Reigns had a solid match at Payback, and this was even better. The extreme rules stipulation gave way for some amazing brawling for both men. They brawled in the crowd, Reigns gave Styles a back body drop onto the announce table, there were some wicked powerbomb spots outside of the ring. Both the Club and The Usos interfered. We saw a different shade of AJ’s character. The technical marvel showed a vicious side, wailing on Reigns and both Usos with chairs. The match told an interesting story with both guys showing shades of grey to their personalities.

Both men gave it their all in this match. AJ Styles already gets the respect he deserves – when I defended their match from last month, people said Styles did all the work and merely carried Reigns. While you’ll get no argument that Styles is one of the best guys on the roster, Reigns deserves a little credit too. He’s had some great matches recently, but this is the first time he’s done something that felt like a star performance. Don’t believe me? The crowd went from their usual booing him out of the building to at least SOME people cheering him, which is more than I can say about some nights. He won the match with a cool spot that was a little too similar to Payback – i.e. the same Phenomenal Forearm into the Spear.

The other big news was the return of Seth Rollins. Look, I would have loved to have seen Styles win, but Rollins vs. Reigns is the much more logical match.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

Overall, Extreme Rules was a solid show. Some people may argue with me on this, but I found there to be no bad matches. Okay, there was some filler and that Asylum Match was marred by some awful booking, but look at it this way – no interminable McMahon promo! Plus we got TWO match of the year candidates out of the deal.

TNA Review: 17th May 2016

OPENER

We open to TNA commentator Josh Matthews telling the audience that earlier today, the current TNA Heavyweight Champion Drew Galloway arrived at the Impact arena, similarly so did Lashley. The similar times of arrival lead to a clash between champ and challenger, reminiscent of the gym brawl two weeks ago. Eventually, the backstage fight between the two is broken up by members of the locker room. Now there is something that I have ignored in my past two reviews for Impact Wrestling but I feel it is unavoidable and unforgivable here. Josh Matthews is the worst commentator on any wrestling promotion in the world. He has this really weird way he pronounces the words he is saying. He often elongates said words unnecessarily so and this is especially noticeable when he says a wrestler’s name. This is something I won’t mention too often as this is something that will not change (still going to shit on Jeff’s music though).

• ‘Willow’ comes out and cuts a promo telling the audience that he has no “fear” or “regrets”. Almost immediately Jeff Hardy comes down to interrupt telling Willow, that he is not the true Willow, and that the real Willow “lives inside me”. He then attacks Willow starting the match.

JEFF HARDY def. WILLOW

This match is only 1 minute long and somehow it does many things wrong. The psychology of the match is nowhere near as intense as it should be. It was literally a minute before the match started that Hardy tells Willow that he is willing to go deep inside and bring out the real Willow when needed. Hardy leads us to believe that the fake Willow has brought The Charismatic Enigma to a very serious place, yet in this match we see Jeff jumping for joy trying to get a pop from the crowd. If we are supposed to believe that this Willow/Hardy feud is going somewhere we need them to act like it. Hardy completely no sells fake Willow, completely shrugging off the Twist of Hate, then grabbing the pin after his on Twist of Fate. With the match over Jeff goes for the reveal before this fake Willow can be unveiled Hardy is attacked by another Willow, with then finally a third Willow makes his way out. This Willow taunts Jeff and for good reason as it is revealed that the real imposter Willow is Matt Hardy. This is stupid. If you ever wanted concrete evidence that Matt is the lesser Hardy then this is it. To go against Jeff, Matt has literally had to resort to being Jeff. This is a bad start to tonight’s show. Can it get any worse? Yes.

• Both Velvet Sky and the audience are introduced to Maria’s new assistant Allie. This new assistant tells Velvet that she will be facing Sienna tonight and after a call from Maria, it is revealed that if Velvet loses then she will be fired.
• Dixie Carter announces that due to the trouble between Drew Galloway and Lashley that tonight’s main event has been changed to a lumberjack match. This does fit the feud very well as the brawls between the two have been uncontrollable.

SIENNA def. VELVET SKY

This match told the story of Velvet Sky very well, she was desperate to keep her job, however, she was facing Sienna who, as we have seen in the previous week, is being portrayed as a force of nature. Both Velvet Sky and Sienna are still sloppy in the ring, despite having established careers by this point, the kicks to the stomachs looked especially bad. After a match that only lasts 3 minutes, Sienna picks up the pin meaning Velvet has officially been fired. This was obviously the correct call for both of the knockouts. Sienna is being built as a monster and there is no better wat of continuing that than having her take out established names, and Velvet was someone who always seemed they would rather be in the WWE so it’s about time she was gone for good.

• So are we meant to be sad about Sky’s firing? NOPE, let’s watch Mike Bennett and Maria by a pool. Also, someone needs to tell TNA that everyone already knows Maria is hot.
• Mike and Maria come out before their match and cut a promo on EC3. And boy is it a LONG promo. Unbearably long. Eventually, he calls out legendary referee Earl Hebner and challenges him to a fight…

MIKE BENNETT def. EARL HEBNER

No. I refuse to a do an in-depth review of a 31-year-old Mike Bennett trying to get cheap heat by wrestling the 67-year referee Earl Hebner. It was a 2-minute match and it was ridiculous. After the terrible match that this was The Miracle decides that it would be fun to kick around a 67-year-old unconscious man, luckily EC3 comes out to save Earl and hopefully what so far is a terrible episode. Driven from the ring Bennett tells EC3 that he will be in another match tonight and hat match will be against another demon from his past, Tyrus (Holy shit a possibly good match?). Before The Miracle could even announce his name Tyrus ambushed Carter leaving him at a disadvantage for the upcoming Last Man Standing Match.

EC3 def. TYRUS

Tyrus definitely isn’t the strongest in ring worker, he is big and his size is enough to make him a credible threat but in terms of in-ring talent there is a lot to be desired. However whenever we are lucky enough to get a Last Man Standing match with a performer as talented as EC3 then we know the match will be fun no matter what (bar a victory 2011 like catastrophe). The match waste no time in taking things to the hardcore level, as Tyrus litters the ring with chairs and eventually a table is introduced by Carter. There was a range of impressive spots both extreme and technical. The cross body from Ethan to Tyrus got a loud reaction from the crowd and the Saito Suplex onto the double chairs looked viscous, causing one chair to bend. In the end, EC3 resorts to burying his past bodyguard, as he dumps parts of the railing and the steel steps onto Tyrus. Mike Bennett makes his way out to the ring, clearly disturbed by EC3;s performance.

• We get Lashley being strong and shit for almost 2 minutes
• Jeff Hardy says the love between him and Matt is broken, he calls out Matt and Jeff claims he will put an end to his brother at Slammiversary.

EDDIE EDWARDS & DJ Z def. TREVOR LEE & ANDREW EVERETT

Oh, Jesus the X-Division is still a thing? Really? 14 years ago the X-Division title helped put TNA on the map and has been held by people such as AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Austin Aries (I wonder where they all went). You would think an iconic part of TNA’s history would be used much more often. The match itself proves that the X-Division deserves its place in TNA, all 4 men were very impressive in the ring. The match lasts for 5 minutes of good back and forth action ending with an insane moon sault reversal into a DJ Z DDT (RIP Trevor Lee’s jaw).

• We get a similar video package about Drew Galloway as the one we got about Lashley earlier. I definitely preferred Galloway’s one as it highlights his desire and passion. Both vignettes work well as a contrast to each other.
• We get the latest edition of the Facts of Life with Eli Drake, this week his guest is the current KOTM Champion Bram. The segment goes as expected, the two trash talk each other throughout. Drake suggests that Bram hand over the championship to save himself the embarrassment of a cash in. This clearly enrages Bram and things then go downhill from here leading to a brawl, with Bram quickly getting the upper hand.
• EC3 catches up with Mike Bennett and Maria, asking for a rematch. The Miracle tells Ethan that there is one more demon from his past in the form of Matt Hardy, who he will face next week.

DREW GALLOWAY def. LASHLEY (WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)

Well after a few weeks of build-up it is finally time for the Destroyer Lashley to get his hands on the current TNA Heavyweight Champion Drew Galloway. The feud between the two has become very intense as they seem to be unable to keep it civil before their match. Both competitors in this match are by no means small, whether it is the absolutely ripped Lashley or the 6 foot 5 Galloway, both are a big presence in the ring. Both men have a clear strategy, Drew uses the running boot repeatedly clearly using his long legs and reach to keep the distance between the stronger Lashley. The Destroyer is intent on tearing Lashley apart. Lashley repeatedly throws Drew into the aggressive heel Lumberjacks who stomp Galloway when he is down. When Drew is in the ring he is also a victim of Lashley’s big moves such as the spine buster. The troublesome lumberjacks are the cause of tonight’s result though when they pull out Drew ending the match in a DQ. This leads to an all-out brawl between the entire roster. All of the major feuds get there 15 seconds of screen time, from the Hardys to Ec3/Bennett. The longer this lasted the more blatantly obvious it became that the lumberjack match was used to advertise all the feuds going into Slammiversary, though the end with Galloway standing tall felt right as he has been the fighting champion that he had promised.

FINAL NOTES & SCORE

• Tonight’s MVP: EC3
• Match of the Night: EC3 vs Tyrus
• Moment of the Night: The ending of the X-Division match
• 67 YEARS OLD! COME ON
• The obvious Slammiversary advert felt very contrived

I was very bored and upset with the first half of this show, it took me a long time to sit through the first hour because of how bad everything that happened was. If I were to split the show into 2 1 hour scores they would be vastly different but as I judge this on the entire show I will have to combine it and give the show a 4.5/10. The good parts were okay the bad parts were BAD.

Hey why don’t ya follow me on twitter @THEREALDILLS. I’m a hoot

BREAKING NEWS – Cody Rhodes asks for Release

Well, it has only been roughly a week since the latest round of WWE releases, but it seems that we fans have to suffer through another heartbreak as Cody Rhodes who is currently wrestling under the name Stardust has asked for his release from WWE. Cody tweeted from his personal account today, stating that he had asked for his release after 10 years with the company. Rhodes also thanked his fans and tweeted that he will speak further on the matter shortly. Cody is from a family of wrestling royalty as his brother is the 20-year ongoing veteran Goldust and his father is the legend, hall of famer and visionary Dusty Rhodes. Though Cody asked for his own release unlike wrestlers such as Damien Sandow who were fired, many fans cast the blame onto Vince McMahon and WWE as they believe that Cody Rhodes has been misused throughout his entire run with the company and had wasted potential.

(1/2) The past ten years have been quite the trek, but as of earlier today I have asked for my release from @WWE

— Hyrule Husky (@PrinceCGR) May 21, 2016

Remembering Cody

I have always liked Cody Rhodes, he was never my favourite wrestler but when I was younger during his run with Legacy in 2008, I very quickly began to enjoy him on with Orton and Manu (eventually DiBiase). As I got older I began to realise the technical prowess of the wrestler and my respect for Cody as a performer only increased. Rhodes is a 2-time Intercontinental Champion and a 6-time Tag Team Champion, however, it always felt like he deserved more, possibly being a candidate for the world champion. As a member of Legacy, I always assumed that Rhodes would eventually rise to the level of his then mentor Randy Orton, as a fellow second generation superstar. When Legacy ended the true test began for Cody Rhodes, and gimmick after gimmick he hit it out of the park, Dashing Cody Rhodes was a classically smug heel and Undashing was the perfect development from that. Cody’s best work to this day has to be with his brother Goldust as The Brotherhood, starting with a hell of a promo on September 2^nd, 2013 (if there was ever a time to pull the trigger on Cody, this was it). The character of Stardust has been different, however, while Cody seemed to be fully motivated to making work, having gone a complete personality shift, the character has never sat right with me.

Whether or not Cody was a solid mid-carder who has had the WWE career he deserves or a wasted talent that could have been a top guy is all subjective, however, I think any WWE fan should be saddened by this loss. At only 30 years of age Cody Rhodes has many years left to make his mark on the world of wrestling, and personally, I hope that wherever he goes he is treated with the respect that WWE should have given him.