The NXT Review – 30th March 2016 “The Go-Home Show”

Whats up Wrestling Peeps! Were here, we did it! The Go-Home show of NXT before TakeOver Dallas and to be honest … it went out with a whimper. But hey, with TakeOver now in sight we didn’t need this to steal the show. Save it for Dallas boys and girls.

American Alpha kick-the-action off and right now, from where I sit, it’s all been said and done at this point about these guys. I’m sold, there over and its time for a title change. Will it happen? I dunno because although I’ve fantasy booked these guys to go up against Enzo & Cass. I think that Team SAWFT may have already covertly jumped to Main Roster already. And if that’s the case – the night after WrestleMania may not only get SAWFT-Up – but NXT will have the perfect underdog pair in American Alpha to go up against The Revival on the weekly programming. And in the long-run, that’s the best story going forward. Or Best-For-Business as the head honcho of NXT would say.

But still … American Alpha FTW at Dallas!

Baron Corbin’s Back! So yeah, I’m quickly becoming a fan. In an effort not to bore the regular readers but I strongly believe that this guy has a lot more to show when he makes that jump to the big leagues. Whether it shows arrogance – and Proving Ground defiantly shows this guys propensity for that – but this guy clearly believes he is a Big Fish in a very small pond.

So dependent on how you see that as ambition or arrogance will skew your attitude towards the Lone Wolf, I’m just glad to see his progression in skill set inside the square-circle.

I can’t say this for every match on the TakeOver card but I’m super-excited for Shinsuke Nakamura & Sami Zayn. Not for any particularly reason and almost in-spite of how NXT have handled the approach and build up to the match, but I super-dig that they have held off actually showing Nakamura in the flesh. It’s actually a perfect example of the WWE using Press and the internet – where millions of Fan-boys, like me, exist – to their advantage. After all it was no small secret that the King of Strong Style had signed with the company and was to debut on the yellow brand, so to hold-off until one of its biggest Streaming events for the Network, makes this a can’t miss match for a sight of the newest signee alone.

To make a blatant comparison, its Sting debuting in the WWE … maybe even bigger.

Another guy who has continued to impress me after a rather lacklustre debut is Apollo Crews, It’s a shame however that the same can’t be said for Alex Riley. Maybe its just because I enjoyed Riley on the commentary team, maybe its just because I’m not a fan of the long-haired brooding-Heel look. Perhaps both but I just can’t get it up for this guy.

For a superstar who has experience on the Main Roster, nothing about him or his wrestling set entertains. And isn’t that what that ‘E stands for. M’eh just a thought to consider.

But lets look past that squash match and into the future because after Crews was done wiping the floor with Riley, we got the soft dulcet tones of Elias Sampson, signalling a building tension between the two.

Did I space out, am I tripping? When was these two a thing? I’m defiantly forgetting something but any who, I’m not against this. But will we see this at TakeOver? Hopefully not unless it’s the start of a storyline with these two because Sampson defiantly needs some elevating and perhaps Crews could be the man to do it.

No Women’s match tonight but we did get a kick-ass promo that reinforced how awesome Bayley Vs Asuka will be. So the question is, who will be NXT Women’s Champion walking out of Dallas? Who knows for certain. Asuka has been on a roll but Bayley’s story as Champ isn’t over just yet. My bet is that this is just the beginning of a series of matches between these two. Why? Because they are too awesome in their own right to have just one TakeOver match.

So you better believe Bayley will still be Champ at the end of the night.

Talking of Champ material, Samoa Joe has been through it of late. Facing Sami Zayn numerous times to just get a chance at Finn Balor and that NXT Title. You’ve gotta think that this pisses off Joe to no end. Lets just say I wouldn’t want to be Balor this Friday.

Will he win though? Probably not but this is a match that I think is very much alive. In essence … it could go either way. As I keep predicting, I certainly see a Heel-Turn in Balor’s future. Could this set him off, a lost to Joe on the Grandest NXT Stand of ’em all?

I certainly hope so. Heel Balor FTW!!!

For all your NXT-News-And-TakeOver-Review, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

Lucha Underground SN2 EP9 – ‘ Aztec Warfare 2 ‘

Here we are Lucha Underground fans! Aztec Warfare 2! For those unfamiliar, Aztec Warfare is like a Battle Royale/Royal Rumble match but instead of being eliminated over the top rope, it is done by pinfall or submission.

 We start this week’s episode with new champ, Fenix speaking to Pentagon Jr. And Catrina. This segment was purely for Catrina to show her power.

 We are going straight to the match now! Whoever wins this is Champ! We start the match with Lucha Underground Champion, Fenix and arguably the most popular luchador of all-time, Rey Mysterio making his Lucha Underground debut. It is great to hear the response Mysterio is getting and I must say you will be pleasantly surprised with how much Rey still has left in the tank.

Mysterio and Fenix start out the match with the high-flying action that made Mysterio famous all over the world. King Cuerno and the return of Argenis are next into the match. Argenis doesn’t last long and is eliminated with a 619 from Mysterio. Who wasn’t happy to see Rey do that again?

 Johnny Mundo is entrant #5 and Mysterio waits for him in the ring. They go back and forth for awhile until Fenix gets involved.

Up next in the match is the person I feel is most underrated in all of Lucha Underground, Joey Ryan. He handcuffs himself to the rafters so he can not be pinned. This is fantastic! Famous B, who has been there all match gives Ryan his business card. Famous B has come a long way since season 1!

 Now into the match is the winner of Aztec Warfare 1, Prince Puma and he takes out nearly everyone. As Jack Evans enters, Mysterio eliminates Cuerno by submission. Mysterio is the only one to eliminate anyone so far.

 Taya enters next to join her boys Mundo and Evans. It is now the group of Evans, Taya and Mundo up against the group of Fenix, Puma and Mysterio. Joey Ryan is still relaxing handcuffed to the side of the stage. Joey Ryan may be the most entertaining wrestler in Lucha Underground.

 Cage is #10 and as you’ve heard many times, “he’s a machine!” He chucks Jack Evans and Taya like yesterday’s trash. Cage then throws Mundo through the window of Cueto’s office by the ring.

 We see Famous B again as Mascarita Sagrada enters Aztec Warfare 2. Cage continues to attack Mundo to further their current feud. Cage gets Mundo eliminated by Puma. Cage and Mundo may be the best feud in Lucha Underground right now.

 The Moth is in next and gets in some offense on guys like Evans and Sagrada. Drago now enters at #13.

The Moth is eliminated by Mysterio and Sagrada but I most say The Moth made me a fan this episode. The Mack is in next at #14. Nobody looks more like a old school wrestler in pro wrestling today than Willie Mack. He hits a stunner on a quite a bit of his opponents.

 We see Chavo in at #15. I have to say I was never a fan of Chavo in his WWE days, but I love him in Lucha Underground. Chavo eliminates Sagrada.

 The already eliminated Johnny Mundo comes back out and hits Cage with a cinder block… A CINDERBLOCK! Only in Lucha Underground! Cage is eliminated by Taya and she is eliminated quickly after.

 P.J. Black is in next as they show my guy, Joey Ryan still handcuffed to the rafters but looking like a disheveled mess. Aerostar enters at #17 as he hits Evans off the top rope. Nobody has gone through more in this match than Jack Evans.

 Black eliminates Drago and Aerostar eliminates Evans simultaneously. Dragon Azteca enters at #18. Expect big things out of this guy. When I went to a taping a few months ago, this guy stole the show. He has the most exciting move of the episode so far by running from one turnbuckle to the other and over it onto multiple other superstars. We now see Texano enter the match to quite the ovation. Texano quickly eliminates Black.

 Mil Muertes is in last at #20. Mil Muertes haunts my dreams but he’s great at what he does. Pentagon Jr. attacks Muertes with a chair and he is eliminated surprisingly quick by Mysterio.

 Catrina starts to shout at Vampiro and slaps him as the clock keeps going for no reason. As Striker says, “a technical difficulty”.

 Dario Cueto is back in the temple! But why? He is back in charge! There’s another entrant, MATANZA! I’m ecstatic to see him finally debut on television. At the taping I attended, he put on a hell of a match. He is monstrous in person as his nickname “The Monster” states.

 Matanza demolishes Fenix first. We will have a new champ! The Mack is eliminated next. Then Aerostar. It’s Suplex City in the Temple! Texano is eliminated as well. That’s four eliminations for him in the process of about a minute. He decides to go after the handcuffed Joey Ryan.

 Matanza breaks the steel that Ryan was handcuffed to and promptly eliminates him. I was hoping we’d have a Santino at the Royal Rumble moment with Joey Ryan in this match but we unfortunately did not.

 Dragon Azteca is eliminated next by Matanza. Chavo tries to befriend Matanza but is eliminated quickly as well. Matanza does an impressive aerial move for a guy of his size and it eliminates Chavo.

 Mysterio, Puma and Matanza are the final 3. Matanza eliminates the former champ, Puma with another suplex. I can’t think of the last time I’ve seen a wrestler completely destroy all his competition.

 It’s down to Mysterio and Matanza now. Who will win?

 Mysterio and Matanza go at it as Rey attempts to hit the 619 but it is blocked by Matanza. He hits it on his second try but then tries a move off the turnbuckle where he is caught by Matanza . Mysterio is thrown around like a rag doll. Matanza gets the 1, 2, 3 and is your new Lucha Underground Champion.

 It was going to be difficult for the people at Lucha Underground to put on a show at the level of Aztec Warfare 1, but they did that and it was even more impressive. This was by far the best episode of season 2 so far and I can’t wait to see what is next.

The NXT Review – 23rd March 2016

Whats up Wrestling Peeps! Welcome back to your favourite developmental brand and FINALLY (bold, italic, underline!) some personality injected in the sullen-drifter that is Elias Sampson.

Okay so I’m just gonna jump straight into it this week because damn just when I was about to give up on this guy, NXT makes a believer out of me. I’m sure my loyal followers have noticed that over the past few weeks I’ve tended to skip over any-and-all Sampson matches. Not trying to be a D-bag because the guy has skill but I’ve just been bored with his character.

Sure you can argue that creative (it seems) have been playing the long game, which if all goes well – given the Heel heat from the audience – we could have a legit compelling bad-guy on the yellow brand. I’m still not going all in on this guy but that beat down of Johnny Gargano at the matches end … shades of Bray Wyatt. And that excites me.

Sidenote, Gargano breaking Sampson’s winning streak. Capitalise on this please NXT because his wrestling ability coupled with Sami Zayn like fan-love he garners. Future WWE superstar. Just sayin’

Oh Hello Rich Swan, long time no see my friend. Why is this guy not on my WWE Network each and every week? Because dance moves aside this was great match – undoubtably a showcase for the NXT Champ – Swan was still able to hang with Finn Balor.  Even, dare I say it , outshining the Champ at times. Say What?

These two need to feud-it-up. And if my prediction that Balor will turn Heel sooner rather-than-later, I could see Swan making a worthy babyface in the equation. Perhaps its too soon to be so hyperbolic on Swan but hey, I’m a passionate guy when it comes to good wrestling.

Talking of which, Round Two in the Saga of Emma and Asuka was tonights Main Event. And can these two ladies just like, fight forever? Their chemistry is magic. In a feud that arguably reminiscent of Lita and Trish, I’m afraid that its a matter of lighting in a bottle with this pairing. Much like the Hall of Famers never getting a WrestleMania pay-off to their career-elevating-rivalry. I feel that this Saga is doomed to play out only on NXT.

Speaking of doomed. Emma was just that when it came to Asuka. In her last match before TakeOver Dallas, there is no-way Asuka – the #1 Contender to the NXT Women’s Championship – was going to lose. But Emma, with the help of Dana Brooke, wasn’t going to make it easy for the Empress of Tomorrow.

In a match just as hard hitting as their first encounter at TakeOver London, it was defiantly faster. Trading one reversal after another, both women showed they can tell a comprehensive story between the ropes elevating a feud that signals that the Heel Duo may yet prove to be a thorn in Asuka’s side in the future.

While Asuka goes into Dallas looking strong, I’m sure Bayley has some Hugs in reserved if The Empress even thinks about putting her mitts on the title.

More over WrestleMania, TakeOver Dallas is about to live up to its namesake.

For all your NXT-Reviews-And-Wrestling-News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

UFC Fight Night 85 Hunt vs Mir Review

So this weekend we saw a heavyweight UFC fight between Mark ‘Super Samoan’ Hunt vs Frank Mir in Brisbane you can read the review of the fight below.

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The fight starts off slowly and eventually we see Hunt land an early heavy leg kick on Mir trying to wear him down early. Shortly after this we see Hunt land a a good right and send Mir briefly down to the mat but he quickly recovers and gets back to the fight. Mir attempts a jab but this is easily slipped by Hunt, Mir attempts the same jab again and this time it lands on Hunt but does not cause any damage and the fight continues on at a slow pace.

Hunt then attempts to land a high kick to the head of Mir but the shot is blocked but we then see Hunt continue to move forward and land a combination of punches on Mir, the fight is looking very one sided at this point with Hunt getting all the success. Hunt follows this up by swinging two back to back wild right both of which missing the mark.

We get down to the last 2 minutes of the 1st round and Hunt lands an absolute beauty of a right hand just behind the ear of Mir sending him  crashing down on the mat, rather than storm Mir whilst he is on the floor Hunt simply walks off shaking his head knowing full well that the fight is over just as we see the ref signalling the end of the fight.

In the post fight press conference Hunt was asked why he just walked off after knocking Mir out? His reply was “His face was still…he wasn’t there, so I just left it. He wasn’t there. He was out, somewhere else.” after some laughter from the audience Hunt went into a bit more detail stating “Well, it’s true, He wasn’t there. He was blacked out.” after following up that he would like to get back to fighting the guys at the top of the heavyweight division.

As always for all your UFC action stick with Deadpool_1984

 

The NXT Review – 16th March 2016

Whats up Wrestling Peeps! After last weeks two-man domination of NXT, it was back to your regular scheduled programming and one helluva Tag Team Match. And thats saying something after that NXT Tag Team match at Roadblock just Saturday past.

But lets not skip-to-the-best-bit because we actually got some Big build up for TakeOver Dallas, with the co-mish William Regal awarding Sami Zayn a headlining match against the newly-signed Shinsuke Nakamura. Like the crowd can attest, truly a “Holy Sh#t!” moment, but it does raise the question as the build-up we will be getting to this face-off.

Now Hey, I don’t need Nakamura to debut before TakeOver arrives. Surely NXT holding off on the New Japan Wrestling star’s debut until the big night in Dallas will ensure butts in seats and fans fapping all-over the WWE Network (imagine the mess!) But in saying that I wouldn’t mind it either, especially given that word-on-the-street (via Dirt Sheets galore) that NXT is meanly a pit stop for the King-of-strong-style before hitting the bright lights of Monday Night RAW. It would be nice to see him get some decent NXT matches under his belt before he gets lost in the Main-Event-shuffle.

I mean, Its not as if WWE has an abundance of Wasted Talent already right?

Okay I’ve sunken my Hater-Aide early this week, so lets move onto the positives and Deonna Purrazzo actually getting a win … Oh wait! She lost again. Seriously? I’m really trying to be positive here guys. Well … I guess she looked good while losing. After all, Emma does have a knack of getting a good match out of the of greenest of wrestlers, so theres that I guess.

Better luck next time Deonna.

But singles completion aside, it really was the Tag Teams that dominated the night with Bayely & Asuka teaming up against the impressive team of Nia Jax & Eva Marie. Great match that set little up other than the fact that Asuka is out for the gold, a match that was quickly established by the co-mish for TakeOver Dallas. Almost like it was planned or something.
But lets not overlook that inadvertent leg drop on Eva by  Nia, her own Tag partner no less. Thing of beauty and painful as hell. Gif it internet … keepsake for life.

Main Event time and American Alpha brought it well and truly. The Vaudevillians however weren’t going to make it easy for them. After their return, the throwback duo seem to have reverted to their namesakes. With a ruthless style and killjoy agenda, they looked to put a stop to the wave of enthusiasm that has built for American Alpha since NXT’s tour of the UK.

The Vaudevillians tyranny was in vain however. After some high spots like Jordan’s Spear to the corner and that roll-through-German-Suplex from Gable, the brightest Tag Team in the division at the moment won the match and a chance at the titles.

So normally I would say that the chase is often better than the win but these guys are better served by holding the NXT Tag Team titles. Unlike Enzo & Cass’ plucky underdog story, American Alpha are just too good at the moment to not hold the titles and be left on the back-burner come Dallas.

Picture it. American Alpha as the Tag Champs Vs Team SAWFT at TakeOver Dallas.

I think I just Wrestle-Gasmed … make is so NXT!

For all you Fantasy-Booked-WWE & NXT News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

The NXT Review – 9th March 2016

Whats up Wrestlings Peeps! Okay so first, I have a Major-LOL to get out the way with Corey Graves & Tom Phillips assertions that when NXT General Manager William Regal shows up, overtly complicated storylines become clearer. Really? This is a man that takes a whole two weeks (minimum) to decide what a draw means for the #1 contender spot. Just saying.

So with draws seemingly in Vogue with the WWE at the moment, I shudder to think how much that White-Board in Regals office will be getting serious work-out and wipe-down (insert dirty White-Board joke here) in the coming months.

But lets put the Hater-Aide away and leap into the match that took over the night and dude … they gave an entire episode of NXT to that Two-Out-Of-Three-Fall match! Props. And is that Sasha Banks, Hideo Itami and Michael “Freebirds” Hayes in the front row!? What an eclectically-odd bunch. Selfie anyone?

So we all know what was on the line for both men in this competition. But with the Main Roster lights looking ever closer for Sami Zayn, this easily could’ve been the last hurrah for the Ska-enthuasist before he saids goodbye to the yellow brand forever (or until they need him to perform double duty of course).

This match started as an intimate affair between wrestlers and fans.  The first 30 minutes was a measured back-and-fouth until Samoa Joe nailed a Muscle Buster to gain the upper hand, amping up the match, the fans and the stakes alike.

But this is where Zayn shines. With his final chance at Gold on the line he took it to the top rope, out of the ring and to the mat before locking in a koji-clutch for his first fall via tap-out.

From that point on, Joe ultimately takes it to the former Champ but Zayn is the man of the people and wouldn’t give up. Unfortunately he didn’t have too because with a Coquina Clutch firmly locked-in, Zayn passes out causing the Ref to call it a Fall in favour of Joe. Sidenote, when did we stop the hand raising thing?

You know, when the Ref raises the hand of a seemingly passed-out competitor once, then twice and a third time only for that guy to stop it before it hits the mat in a very Hulk Hogan-esque “Hulking-up” fashion. I miss that … the hand thingy, not Hogan, lets make that clear.

Anywho, Joe is your #1 Contender and I am totes-amosh because reasons.

I mean, I didn’t see a final NXT Title run in Zayn’s future. Obviously Samoa Joe is the sensible choice to go-forward to TakeOver Dallas given that the rumour mill has Zayn’s Monday Night RAW appearance as his welcome party to the main stage. But isn’t Joe also rumoured to be leaving soon-as. Like Post-WrestleMania RAW soon-as?

Hey whatever, Rumour-Mill will churn but I don’t wanna see Finn Balor lose the title only for Joe to just drop the title before moving up. There is president for that after all. Technically WWE’s Anti-Diva (and E!’s Total Divas Star) Paige never lost her title but rather gave-up the belt leading to a Tournament to award the next Women’s Champ. I wouldn’t put it past NXT to do that again, they love their Ttitle Tournaments after all. It just seems cheap to take the title off Balor to see that angle through is all.

Look at me, I’m totally Balor-Fan-Boying-out before the fact. But this is just the hokey crap that WWE pulls sometimes. M’eh, we will see. Prove me wrong WWE.

For all your Angry-Angry-Ranty-Ranty-WWE & NXT News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

UFC 196 Fight Reviews

So this weekend we saw two main event fights the first was between new bantamweight champion Holly ‘The Preachers Daughter’ Holm and challenger Miesha ‘Cupcake’ Tate and the last fight of the evening was between ‘The notorious’ Connor McGregor and Nate Diaz you can see my break down of the fights below.

Holm Vs Tate

Round 1

Both fighters start cautiously, trying to feel each other out. There are a couple of leg kick attempts from each fighter. Holm attempts a body kick, which is caught by Tate and thrown to the side. Holm attempts a jab but it is easily blocked. Holm then manages to land two punches on Tate and proceeds to push her across the octagon, and after a bit more feeling out, plants a body kick on her. She storms forward with another jab. The two exchange a few punches and Holm manages to land a good body kick. Tate retaliates with a counter left jab on Holm after she attempts to land one of her own. As the round is coming to an end, Holm attempts a high kick to the head that Tate blocks at the last minute. Holm connects with a side body kick and the buzzer goes to end the round.

Round 2

Tate comes out more aggressive in the start of the second round. Holm attempts to land a right hook that Tate ducks under. Tate then shoots for a takedown, succeeds, and gains side control while holding Holms neck. Tate lands an elbow to the head of Holm. After Tate gains top control, she lands another good elbow and it’s then back into side control where she lands more good elbows to the champions body and head. She gains back control again and attempts to lock in a rear naked choke. She almost manages to get this locked on the first attempt but Holm slams her down. This gives Tate the chance to lock the choke in again but Holm manages to push her chin down and survive the round.

Round 3

Round three gets under way and it starts the same as the first with both fighters being cautious and feeling each other out. Holm manages to lands a head kick on Tate who takes the shot well. Tate plants a body kick and Holm replies with some jabs to the head. Holm attempts another left hook that Tate ducks and she attempts another take down, only to be pushed off this time. Holm attempts a head kick but Tate blocks this. Holm steps in with a jab but Tate manages to catch her with a hook. Tate attempts another takedown and is again blocked; the round comes to an end.

Round 4

Punches and kicks landed by both fighters at the start of the round. Holm attempts a leg kick to the body of Tate who catches this and lands some shots on Holm before they clinch. Holm pushes Tate up to the cage but she manages to get free. Holm attempts a front kick that misses. There are few brief exchanges between the fighters and Tate attempts another takedown but Holm sprawls on it and lands some good shots to the head of Tate. Both fighters end up back on their feet. Holm then manages to land a front kick to the head of Tate and then another to the body and the round comes to an end.

Round 5

Tate comes out stalking Holm and lands a good jab to the head followed by a body kick. Holm answers back with a combination to the head. Tate attempts yet another takedown but is once again denied. Holm attempts to land a left hook but Tate manages to slip under this and push Holm up against the cage but Holm breaks free and catches Tate with a good shot. Tate uses a push kick on Holm that spins her around. Holm retaliates with a sidekick and attempts to land a shot on Tate who ducks it and grabs hold of Holm, dragging her to the floor, gaining back control. Holm gets to her feet but Tate is on her back and has locked in a rear naked choke. She attempts flip her off but ends up on the mat with Tate still locked in tight. A few seconds later and Holm passes out and the ref stops the fight.

Miesha ‘Cupcake’ Tate is the new Women’s bantamweight champion.

McGregor Vs Diaz

Round 1

Both fighters come out looking lively and ready for war. McGregor gets to work using front kicks to the leg of Diaz. This is followed up with a good left jab that connects and a spinning heel kick that misses. The fighters get into a clinch and Diaz backs McGregor against the fence. A few shots are exchanged before McGregor breaks free. Diaz catches McGregor with a good shot and McGregor then lands a left over the top. A few legs kicks are exchanged followed by McGregor catching Diaz with a good left jab. Diaz manages to slip a combination thrown by McGregor. Both fighters exchange some good punches and McGregor attempts another spinning heel kick, which misses its mark again. Diaz manages to catch McGregor with two left right combinations but no damage is inflicted. A few back and forth shots are thrown by both fighters and then McGregor smashes Diaz with a left hook to the eye, cutting Diaz open. After a few missed shots Diaz manages to land two good jabs on McGregor but he replies with a good left straight to the cut eye of Diaz who is now bleeding a lot. McGregor steps in with another good straight left to the eye. He attempts a kick to the body of Diaz who catches it and puts McGregor on the ground. Two soft shots are landed on McGregor before he manages to roll Diaz to his back. Against the cage McGregor lands some shots to the already wounded eye and the buzzer goes to end the first round.

Round 2

The fighters come out for the round and McGregor takes the center of the octagon straight away and landing a spinning body kick on Diaz. After few back and forth punches between the two, McGregor attempts another spinning heel kick and misses. McGregor lands a good body punch; Diaz then connects with a good right jab to the face. McGregor plants a good left hook to the head of Diaz and then follows up with an uppercut. The pair end up against the cage in a clinch which McGregor manages to slip out of. He continues his reign of punishment on Diaz’s cut eye with a couple of combination punches. The two fighters then step it up with some good exchanges. McGregor grabs hold of Diaz and knees him in the face. Diaz replies with some good jabs and then McGregor catches Diaz with a solid uppercut. After a few mores punches are landed, Diaz lands a right left combination that rocks McGregor. Diaz sees this instantly and storms on ahead with some good shots to McGregor who is now noticeably rocky on his feet. Diaz unleashes a barrage of shots on the stunned looking McGregor. He pushes him up against the cage and hammers home some left hooks to McGregor’s head. McGregor manages to get away from the cage and land some shots of his own. The two fighters are now standing toe to toe in the center of the octagon trading punches. Diaz lands another good combination and rocks McGregor further, forcing him to attempt a take down. It does not go well for him and ends up with Diaz attempting a guillotine. Diaz gains top control and lands some good punches to the face of McGregor who then tries to roll out. He gives up his back far to easily and Diaz, taking full advantage of this, flattens McGregor out. He locks in a rear naked choke. McGregor taps out and Diaz to wins the fight causing a huge upset and McGregor to have his first professional loss of his UFC career.

UFC 196 – McGregor vs Diaz & Holm vs Tate

So tomorrow we see “The Notorious” Connor McGregor vs Nate Diaz as well as a title fight between newly crowned Woman’s Bantamweight champion Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm vs Misha “Cupcake” Tate.

The co-main event will be Holm vs Tate. Holm won the UFC title from Ronda Rousey with a viscous head kick that rocked the UFC world. Before this Rousey looked unstoppable putting away opponents for fun. Tate has been chasing the belt ever since the women’s division was entered into the UFC and has fought Rousey for the title at UFC 168 but lost in the 3^rd round by tapping out of an arm bar. This is going to be a very interesting fight as it will be the first Bantamweight title without Rousey being involved and could (finally) be the time that Tate takes home the title.

The main fight of the evening comes down to McGregor vs Diaz. This is set to be another interesting fight, as McGregor has had to move up to Welterweight in order for the fight to happen. The fight was originally meant to be for the Lightweight title against Rafael Dos Anjos, however, he had to pull out due to injury. McGregor and Diaz are both looking forward to this fight. how the 2 main events unfold next week, but for now, you can view a short highlight reel of the open workouts at the following link http://www.ufc.com/media/ufc-196-mcgregor-vs-diaz-open-workout-highlights

Stick with Deadpool_1984 for all your ground and pound action.

The NXT Review – 3rd March 2016

Whats up Wrestling Peeps! We are firmly on our way to WrestleMania but with so much time between now and then (and a WWE Network Special known as “RoadBlock” in place), everything is up-in-the-air in NXT.

With that in mind, the superstars of the yellow brand step up their game in a bid to get notice, with the Tag Team division proving no exception. Talking of the division, is it just me or did that security footage of Dash & Dawson attacking Team SAWFT look a tad old skool 8-Bit video gamey to you? The artificial slow-down to the footage just made the guys look jumpy in a classic Super Mario Bros. dealio.

Damn it! Every-time Enzo goes high risk now i’ll have the Boooop sound in my head. Have to say, not hating it. Amusing.

Given the rotation of wrestlers, as NXT wants to do, it means that we get the cold hearted Aussie Emma back on our screens this week (yay). With the jacked-up Barbie Doll with a screeching feature (Batteries not included) Danna Brooke in tow (boo!).

Having the opportunity to see Emma’s ringwork against Auska at TakeOver London, its criminal how underutilized the mat technician is within NXT. I mean it is probably smart to pair Emma with a the fairly-green Santana Garrett, wrestle safe and all that. But why on Earth is she not in title picture? Of course I wouldn’t want to bump anyone out of the scene, meh perhaps Eva Marie maybe. But to have Auska move up without Emma is leaving Dollars-at-the-door. Wheres the follow-up to TakeOver London? A blow-off match. I’d take a good ol’fashion grudge match without the title involved even (remember those WWE) rather then nothing. Okay granted they may have put a pin in it but then don’t taunt me with Corey Graves and Tom Phillips mentioning the feud between the two because thats … thats just … mean.

So after spoilers on the internet because you know, internet-gonna-internet. Austin Aries finally arrives in NXT. Now of course I know who Aries is because Google has eliminated the need to ask people things and make yourself look like a pop-culture-recluse. But I haven’t seen him wrestle ‘cus I don’t watch TNA and haven’t got round to YouTube-ing his ass at this point because, you know, life.

But Aries inside a WWE ring seems like a big deal so I will cheer or boo appropriately with relation to his Face-Heel O-Meter. But for now, I remain neutral and underwhelmed. Not even under because thats harsh, just Whelmed.

A Young Justice reference for the kids there.

On to the Main Event and I feel the need to bemoan the use of Neville on NXT. Its sacrilege because the name is crap. It just sounds nerdy to me. More-over I’m probably sensitive that they didn’t go ahead with the dual persona idea I mentioned last week but you know. Whatever.

Moving on. Its good to see Neville back on the brand that established him as the legit badass Gravity-defiying Motha-F’er he is. He is after all the longest reigning NXT Champion (So far), with this match celebrating that fact because I have no doubt that Finn Balor is being positioned to supersede that in the future.

That aside, this match lived up to hype. Both men being well-matched in a reversal heavy performance apropos of their skill-set and the fast story telling that the reality era has become accustomed too. That begin said (and it may be just me), but hasn’t Balor been wrestling Heel-style for some time now or what? And its not even flagged by Graves or Phillips, so in the world of WWE my opinion is non-canon, but I get the slight whiff or arrogance of late.

Its feasible that Balor is simply growing in confidence, which kudos to him because his matches are some of the more exciting on the roster. His skill set and repertoire also befitting an aggressive style could be throwing me off. But speaking as an Edge fan, everyone loves a Heel Champion. So it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Just don’t bring back Vicki Guerrero anytime soon because ain’t nobody got time for that.

His gracious win at the end puts a kibosh on that idea for now of course.

But a guy can dream, right?

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

‘WWE’ Goes Animated With ‘Surfs Up 2: WaveMania’

WWE’s history with cinematic offerings has been sketchy at best but their Animated ventures have proven far popular with Sony now getting in on the action with Surfs Up 2: WaveMania.

The number one wrestling company and Sony Entertainment will co-produce and finance the animated sequel while WWE will get some good use out of the VOD Network in marketing the feature film.

Some of the WWE’s biggest stars will also lend their voice to the project with John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker, Paige and even the head honcho himself Mr. McMahon receiving animated counterparts. Known as Hang 5, the wrestling team will help hero Cody Maverick search for the legendary wave The Trenches.

Rainmaker Entertainment will handle the animation while Hotel Transylvania 2 story artist Henry Yu will direct. It is unknown whether original movie star Shia LaBeof will return to voice Maverick, but given the stars much publicised bar fighting and paper-bag wearing antics. It seems unlikely given WWE’s PG target audience.

For all your Animated-Wrestling-News and NXT Review, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx