New Era Train Derailed? Finn Bàlor Relinquished WWE Universal Title On RAW

 

By Daniel Finney

Nature  Boy  Buddy  Rogers,  first WWF World Champion, Pat Patterson   first  WWF  Intercontinental Champion, and now Finn Bàlor.The Demon King ushered in the New Era becoming first WWE Universal Champion. The event was the 29th annual SummerSlam at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY, this past Sunday.  His opponent fellow WWE Superstar, former 2 times WWE World Champion Seth Rollins.

The bar had been set high for Bàlor, when signing to NXT. Living up to that standard, Bàlor became the longest reigning champion there. After losing the NXT Title to Samoa Joe, everyone including Finn Bàlor wondered what was next. His next and final opponent at NXT was none other than Shinsuke Nakamura. After a valiant but losing effort, Bàlor was then drafted 5th overall at the WWE Draft this past July. Being called up to the big show, the brass ring was Bàlor’s for the grasping.

That next week on Raw, Bàlor was trusted into two fatal four way matches to determine a number one contender to face Seth Rollins at SummerSlam.

Bàlor, victorious over Roman Reigns was now headed to SummerSlam to face Rollins for the new WWE Univeral Championship. Fast forwarding this past Sunday, Rollins superiorly confident in his abilities and accomplishments thought Bàlor was just another wrestler. Underestimating Bàlor’s alter ego The Demon King, a deep, dark place Finn goes to take his skill to that next level.

In a grueling back and forth match it was difficult for people to determine who would be victorious. Sequence after sequence of maneuvers it truly came down to a battle of attrition. In the middle of the match, both competitors were outside the ring. In a desperate attempt to finish Bàlor, Rollins relied on one of his signature moves power bombs Bàlor into the barricade. Unbeknownst to the WWE Universe, Bàlor separated his shoulder. With a warrior’s mentality, Bàlor lived up to this warrior’s  code putting it back in place. Enduring on in the match, Bàlor turned perseverance into triumph. After a series of front dropkicks, Bàlor, ascended to the top rope and landing his finisher Coup de Grâce.

Bàlor accomplished the impossible, defeating Stephane McMahons chosen one Seth Rollins. Overcoming all adversity, and silencing the nay- sayers. Finn Bàlor was leading the helm of the WWE. Beginning with an appearance on Good Morning America accompanied with also newly crowned 2x WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte.

The sky was the limit for Bàlor, but unfortunately fate had other plans. Turns out that that shoulder was damaged more than everyone expected. What was thought to be a separated shoulder, MRI showed it to be a torn labrum of the shoulder. With the severity of the injury, Bàlor is required to have surgery to repair the injury. This results in Balor being out of action until early 2017. Devastated, Finn was forced to relinquish the title on this past Monday episode of Raw.  With grace in the middle of the ring Bàlor thanked GM Mick Foley, Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, the WWE Universe, and even Seth Rollins for pushing him to reach his full potential that night.

Handing over the title to Foley then making his exit to the back. In the middle of his walk, Rollin’s theme music comes on. Out comes the cocky self-proclaimed winner of SummerSlam.  Rollins walked into the ring hugging Stephany expecting to be handed the belt. The WWE had other plans, thrusting Rollins into a series of matches ending in a fatal four way next week episode of Raw. The finalist along with Rollins, are Kevin Owens, Big Cass, and Roman Reigns all members of the New Era as well. It’s up in the air will come out victorious, whispers are that Reigns will be “The Guy”. That victory could reopen the feud with Reigns and Rollins for Clash of Champions, Raw’s first PPV.

Or go in a different direction, and Kevin Owens seizing the victory. His feud with Sami Zayn has become legendary in a short time, and the WWE Universe seems enjoy their grudge. There’s the open possibility of a jealousy angle with WWE veteran Chris Jericho, and Owens.  The potentials seem to be high only time will tell. It begins next week on Raw. A new champion will eventually  be crowned.

Is the New Era train derailed, or can the WWE find an alternate route leading them back on track on a destination course to the future with Bàlor conducting the way. For now all we can do is wish him a full speedy recovery.

 

WWE Raw Review: 22.08.2016

Sooooooo…. Summerslam was weird, right? The matches weren’t terrible and there wasn’t a major problem with the results either, but the show was just off in some way. Going into Raw there are some big events that need to be addressed. The ordeal that was the main event, the lack of a US title match and most importantly the Universal Title. The belt may look like trash but my boy Finn Balor ascended to the top of the mountain and has earned his first WWE world championship, let’s pray for a long fruitful reign.

OPENER

Well fuck. The show opens with the announcement that last night Finn Balor injured himself during his match with Seth Rollins. Due to this injury, Finn will be out for 6 months and therefore has to vacate the title. This is fucking terrible news and I am praying Finn gets better ASAP. Balor gives a moving speech announcing that he has to leave but when he comes back he will be back in the hunt for the title. Before the Demon even has the chance to make his way to the back, the herd of challengers make their way into the ring. First Seth Rollins, followed by Zayn, Owens, Jericho, Enzo & Cass, and Roman Reigns. Foley announces a short tournament for the title that will end with a fatal 4 way next week.

SETH ROLLINS vs SAMI ZAYN

Before the rest of the wrestlers were able to make it to the back, Seth decides to ambush Zayn to get the first match of the tournament started. The match went as all the previous Rollins/Zayn matches did, which means it was very good.  Zayn eventually takes a nasty bump on his ankle which looked like a legitimate injury but as it turns out this was a worked spot that completely fooled me. Zayn was almost able to pull off a comeback to grab the win but in the end, a pedigree from Seth was able to seal the deal and made Crossfit Jesus the first man in the finals next week.

KEVIN OWENS vs NEVILLE

Well, we know who is winning this match right? I mean, no offense to Neville but he is far from the main event picture at the moment. Whereas Kevin Owens seems like the next in line for his moment. Despite the predictable outcome, Owens and Neville put on a really great match. Owens worked wonders selling the insane offense of Neville, and despite the unnecessary Jericho involvement the finish worked well as it allowed Neville to look slightly stronger than he would with a clean loss.

• The New Day come down to the ring and discuss their title reign. They celebrate retaining the title to make their reign officially over a year. The club comes down and demands their rematch which they are entitled to as they won the match last night even if it was by DQ. This segment sets up the next match Big E vs Karl Anderson, but honestly… I don’t care. This feud has managed to make what used to be one of the freshest teams feel stale, and weaken the reputation of the Club.

BIG E vs KARL ANDERSON

This was a short pointless match that had no purpose and only made The Club look ridiculous and gave little momentum to the New Day. Most of the action happened outside of the ring with the other members of both respective teams at ringside. Woods and Kingston brawled with Gallows and Big E hit the Big Ending for the win.

• Titus O’Neil delivers one of the worst promos I have ever heard. I mean Jesus Christ this was bad. He stumbled over his words like they were Olympic hurdles and the actual meat of the promo wasn’t anything special to being with. The promo ended with a Titus vs Darren confrontation.

RUSEV vs BIG CASS

Rusev is obviously worse for wear after the events of the previous night with Roman Reigns, which can be seen by the taped up ribs. Throughout the match, Rusev tries to act like his usual bullying self but the injury to his ribs prevents him from doing so. Rusev does a great job of selling the injury to his ribs and the damage done to Rusev obviously impacts his ability to go in the ring. The Bulgarian Brute walks out of the match halfway due to his injuries, meaning that Cass picks up the victory by count out. I feel like this was the right decision as the count out victory does not hurt Rusev too badly and even though he will not win the match, just being involved elevates Cass.

• Tom Phillips interviews JeriKO who as usual make fun of the interviewer and then argue about who will win the title.

CHARLOTTE DOESN’T LIKE HUGS

Fresh off her title win last night Charlotte delivers a promo detailing how she was able to beat Sasha Banks all by herself, without the help of her dad or Dana. Charlotte once again, top of the female division, decides that she is the queen of the WWE roster and tells Sasha that there is no point in her coming back to WWE. As she is about to leave Mick Foley decides to once again get overly involved in women’s wrestling and announce the new signing Raw has made, BAYLEY! The hugger herself has made her way to the main roster finally! Who would have thought that Alexa, Dana, Mojo, American Alpha and Nia Jax would get called up before her? Bayley is her usual babyface self as she hugged  Foley and even stole his cheap pop which made me laugh out loud. Charlotte is furious at this addition to the roster so she decides that Bayley has to make her way through the Women’s division the good ole fashioned way. By wrestling. Foley agrees to this and sets up Dana vs Bayley.  The pop for Bayley was great and her involvement will give the roster a fresh new feel.

BAYLEY vs DANA BROOKE

Bayley vs Dana Brooke was a solid match which is to be expected when you have a great worker vs a not so great worker. The hugger surprisingly had a 50/50 match with Brooke, considering this was her debut I expected her to bury Dana or whoever she would be facing, but it looks like they are committed to this babyface underdog story which is a good choice. Despite Charlotte’s involvement Bayley is able to pick up the win.

• Reigns says he is a big man with a big fist
• Cruiserweights are coming to Raw September 19^th. Excited to see my favourites such as Swann, Alexander, and THE Brian Kendrick.
• The best of 7 series continues next week. Sheamus says Cesaro will fold like New York sports teams (cheap heat).

BRAUN STROWMAN vs GAY RIGHTS

So we see the latest victim of Braun ‘I piss my pants’ Strowman, who is in an interview with Byron Saxton. His reasoning for fighting Braun is that he likes big sweaty men….. Is this the LGBT stories we had been told to expect? I can’t say I am surprised. Obviously, Strowman wins.

DUDLEYZ SAY GOODBYE

The Dudleyz come out to the ring in their hometown of Brooklyn, New York to say their goodbyes. I was certain that we would be seeing a Bubba heel turn on D-Von (come on Reverend D-Von I need you). However, it seems that the teasing we have been getting over the last few weeks will have no payoff. The Dudleyz go through their career bringing up the famed TLC match and their opponents like Edge and Christian and The Hardys (DELETE). The Club come out and they attack the retiring legends, earning the Club some cheap heat and possibly setting up a final match for the Dudleyz at Clash of Champions?

ROMAN REIGNS vs CHRIS JERICHO

This matchup has a rocky first half. The match seemed like it was just going through the motions from spot to spot. Nothing was visibly impressive despite both men being good in the ring (Jericho especially is an all-time great). Y2J played the part of an over cocky heel who really had no reason to be while Roman played the part of a dominating beast, beating down Jericho and hitting big moves. Kevin Owens arrives to help out his pal Chris but while he is able to hit the Samoan Badass with a superkick he is ultimately unsuccessful at securing the win for Jericho as Roman is able to get the W after taking out Owens and hitting Y2J with a spear.

FINAL NOTES AND SCORE

• Tonight’s MVP: Kevin Owens
• Match of the Night: Zayn vs Rollins
• Moment of the Night: Bayley debut
• So the title 4 way next week is Owens vs Reigns vs Rollins vs Cass. My prediction now is Owens to win and for us to get Reigns vs Owens up until Survivor Series.
• Finn you will be missed, I pray for a Demon return at the Rumble.
• The Club needs to be given wins soon, they are quickly becoming a joke.

So this Raw was once again weaker than its blue counterpart, but it wasn’t as bad as last week’s go home show. Good matches that actually meant something saved this Raw earning a 6/10.

‘Daniel Bryan’ Thinks ‘Finn Balor’ Should Have Made his RAW Debut “a year and a half ago”

In a sit-down interview with Michael Cole, Former WWE World Champion and current SmackDown!Live GM Daniel Bryan, layeth some home truths with regards to oft-forgotten but beloved brand, NXT.

In response to the former NXT, and mega-over, superstar Finn Balor’s recent sidelining injury. Bryan, no stranger to harsh bumps himself, had some interesting commentary on indie-darlings honing their craft down in NXT:

“Finn Balor should have been up here a year and a half ago. Right? And I understand that NXT is a very important part of our programming. A Very important part of the Network. But he was a superstar when we signed him and some people have to adjust to the WWE style [-] but that takes no more than six months.”

Although the respected Wrestler makes it clear that NXT is important to the WWE Business model and building new up-and-coming stars. Bryan goes on to comment that “Samoa Joe should already be here, Shinsuke Nakamura should already be here; those are guys in their primes and they’re down in NXT right now and they should be here on SmackDown Live or RAW.”

It’s hard to argue with Daniel’s points when it comes to known indie wrestlers biding their time in NXT while still facing the possibility of career ending injuries every-time they step into a WWE ring. Before Balor even made it onto Monday Night RAW, the first Universal Champion had already recovered from a serious Knee injury that kept him out of action for just under two months. It does however seem as if the GM underestimates how integral the small brand is when it comes to introducing smaller Pro-wrestling stars to the larger WWE universe .

Stars like Balor, Joe and Nakamura may have already made their name in other corners of Pro-Wrestling. But for better-or-for-worst WWE is the pinnacle of Sports Entertainment, which means sometimes for fans it is the first port of call for their wrestling fix. Not everyone is scouring the internet to watch AJ Styles Vs Shinsuke Nakamura’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 match or even still watching TNA. So how over would an off-camera name changed Prince Devitt be with a largely ignorant crowd or little kids that are only at live events because their parents took them.

It’s not to say that someone as talented as Finn wouldn’t have made a splash debuting on RAW straight away, he probably would have. But his stint in NXT shouldn’t be overlooked or seen as a waste of time when Triple H’s baby is without question honing stars to take the reigns from the current faces of the WWE.

At the moment former TNA star Bobby Roode is honing his ‘Glorious‘ Gimmick in front of the Full Sail audience. Whose to say if Roode will use it when he makes it onto the Main Stage but where is the harm in testing it out with an NXT crowd first?

The interview (which you can watch above), concludes with Cole drumming up heat for E!’s Total Bellas which stars Daniel Bryan alongside his wife Brie Bella, Nikki Bella and SmackDown! star John Cena. A prospect that causes Bryan to visible cringe, highlighting perhaps how the wrestler really feels about the Total Divas‘ spin-off show:

“It was a really tough part of my life and for people who are entertained by that, you can see it. I don’t necessarily want to relive it but yeah, it’ll go there.”

For all your SmackDown! Live News & Reviews, Follow @mitchrated and all of the #SkatronixxxWrestling team only on Skatronixxx.com

Raw Just Became A Hugger! Bayley Debuts!!

 

 

Ain’t no stopping her now, Bayley has been called up to Raw. On August 22nd 2015 at NXT TakeOver:Brooklyn, Bayley won the NXT Women’s  Championship from Sasha Banks. Bayley held the title for 223 days losing it to Asuka at NXT TakeOver:Dallas in April.

Four months later on the one year anniverery of Bayley first winning the title in Brooklyn, Bayley finally gets the call up to “The Show”. Where else, but in Brooklyn. What a difference a year makes.

During a Raw segment, the newly crowned two time WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte was giving her acceptance speech in the ring. In the middle of belittling her fallen at SummerSlam, Sasha  Banks. The champ was interrupted by Raw GM Mick Foley. It was at that time Foley dropped the bomb of signing the hottest free agent in the WWE New Era Women’s Division.

After a stunned Charlotte watched Bayley and Foley seal the deal with a hug, Bayley turned her attention to the champ. Unphased, Charlotte expressed to Foley, and to her former 4 Horse Woman member how the New Era Women’s Divison revolution had left Bayley behind. Being that Bayley was called up last after Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch.

Bayley having the upmost respect for her former friend, simply replied with a  challenge for the champs title. Charlotte being a savvy champion declined the title shot to Bayley. Instead the champ offered Bayley her protégé Dana Brooks.

Bayley gladly acceted the challenge, and the match was immediately uderway. Despite Bayley losing her NXT title rematch at TakeOver:Brooklyn 2, also finally being on the big stage. Bayley showed Charlotte why the WWE saved the best for last, defeating Dana Brooks with the Bayley to belly suplex.

I’m interested to see how Charlotte responds to Bayley’s victory. I’m sure the whole WWE Universe is as well. To find out, just tune in to Raw every Monday night.

WWE Legend Bret Hart Takes Aim At Seth Rollins….Again!

I want to say that Bret “The Hitman” Hart is my favorite wrestler of all-time, so if this comes off a little biased, I apologize. As someone with the mantra “Best There Is, Best There Was, Best There Ever Will Be,” you’re going to have a few opinions on what you do for a living. Seth Rollins recently was in a match for the WWE Universal Championship with Finn Balor at SummerSlam. In the match Finn Balor was injured and had to relinquish his Universal Championship due to an arm injury. This has brought out once again a firm belief from Bret Hart, that Seth Rollins is unsafe and dangerous in the ring! This is the third wrestler Seth Rollins has injured significantly in a match. He broke John Cena’s nose, injured Sting forcing him to retire and most recently Finn Balor at SummerSlam.

Now, no wrestler will intentionally go out and hurt someone on purpose, that is not what the intention is in a match. Bret Hart has been very upfront on how he wrestled for years, never seriously injuring someone. Seth Rollins has injured 3 major wrestling icons in a matter of two years. Seth is by far, one of the best wrestlers in the world right now and will be at the top for a very long time. But Bret may have a point here. With the same turnbuckle powerbomb move, he significantly injured Sting and Finn Balor. Which raises the question about the move being banned for a while from WWE. Samoa Joe retired Tyson Kidd with a Muscle Buster move in NXT and continues to use it as his finisher, which Bret doesn’t like either. In today’s wrestling it does seem to be strange that a big number of the top wrestlers seem to be on the shelf for months and months following injuries. Is it todays wrestling style or the wrestlers being unsafe?

On Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter Podcast he claims, that he is a huge fan of Seth Rollins and just wants him to wrestle cleaner and a little bit safer. Something or someone is always to blame when a wrong turn is taken. Bret has placed this on Seth following the history of Rollins in a WWE ring. WWE has ironically stayed mute on the situation and has not acknowledged anytime a wrestler is hurt upon a move. I wish Tyson Kidd and Sting were still wrestling but freak accidents can also occur, so it is somewhat unfair to flat-out put the blame all on Seth Rollins.

There are many factors that go into a match and dangerous spots do take place for the sake of entertainment. Bret has made a valid point, but as someone who was at the front of the business for a long time, he doesn’t seem to be considering all angles. It is a different era, and a way different vision for the WWE these days so it’ll be interesting to see what comes out of this whole debacle of a situation. The train might move to fast for some WWE legends to understand that change is good for the business. From my view I know Seth Rollins has injured 3 favorite wrestlers and Tyson Kidd can no longer compete. But once again, no athlete is purposely trying to destroy somebody’s career and take them out of the game. Unless of course you’re in the main event at SummerSlam, Cough*Cough*, Brock Lesnar. I assume nothing will come of this and will just end up being another wrestler’s opinion going unnoticed. WWE needs to improve on their writing and all wrestlers should be extremely safe in the ring! The first priority should be protecting each other, which any wrestling fan can agree with.

The NXT Review – August 24th 2016 – Barclays, Bayley & Tears

Whats Up Wrestling Peeps! After TakeOver Brooklyn 2, those that were left off the card got their chance to shine tonight. But then again, these matches were pre-taped before the event so in reality its nice to see that Fan-Faves such as Tye Dillinger and TM61 still got to perform in front of a packed-out Barclay’s Centre.

Speaking of Perfect 10, Dillinger has been conspicuous by his absence, especially for this NXT fan. Last seen, the Perfect 10 was on a bit of a losing streak. Particularly disheartening when I believe Dillinger is some-what underused given the immense talent at his command.

Just like The New Day at the beginning of their crazy Unicorn Ride. Tye Dillinger is a Perfect (10) Heel with whom the crowd just love to cheer for. This isn’t unusual for WWE fans but it is maddening that NXT has yet to capitalise on this. For crying out loud! Put this guy up against your biggest and best babyface and sit back and watch as the magic happens.

At present, I’ve given up on the hope that we will see the era of a Perfect 10 NXT Title run (whoa, mouthful). But with a win against Wesley Blake now under his belt, are we witnessing the upswing for Tye Dillinger?

*Fingers Cross*

With only two matches on the card tonight, Paul Ellering’s Authors of Pain got the chance to takedown Nick Miller & Shane Thorne in Tag Team action for the Main Event.

And it was okay. Rather than the beat down that we have become accustomed too when it comes to Ellerings’ Lads showing in the ring. TM61 got some impressive offensive in before ultimately falling victim to the killjoys of NXT.

This was also the longest match that both Rezer and Akam have had since debuting on the yellow brand. Oh yes! They also have names now, so yeah … progress. Very slow progress.

With this episode functioning as more of a Look-back to TakeOver Brooklyn 2, I feel like I should mention our dearly departed Bayley.

After losing to Auska. The Huggster did what every plucky underdog does; tighten her side pony-tail and immediately make her Monday Night RAW debut to rapturous applause. Although I’m sad to see her go, let’s be honest. Its way past due.

Although I (like many) lamented her exclusion when the other members of the Four Horse-Women of NXT made their Main Stage debut last year. It has served Bayley to remain on NXT.

Without Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks by her side. Bayley took the mantle as Veteran of the NXT Women’s Division and showed that the foundations that have been laid for women’s wrestling are strong, viable and ready to be built upon, not only in NXT but WWE as a whole.

What Bayley leaves behind in NXT is far greater that what she takes away from the product. A feat that many wrestlers only dream of achieving.

Although the Huggable one will be missed. I’m excited to see what comes next for the future Hall of Famer.

For all your NXT News & Reviews, stick with @mitchrated only on #SkatronixxxWrestling

Dudley Boyz Retire From WWE

As someone who has been watching wrestling for over 20 years, there are certain wrestlers who give you an adrenaline rush every time you see them. Whether it’s their energy, entrance, or the fact you just flat-out hate them. For myself and A LOT of other wrestling fans, the Dudley Boyz are on of those teams. You just know every time they come to the ring, entertainment and excitement is about to happen. Whether they are heels (bad guys) or faces (good guys), the wrestling is always spot on. A tag team nobody ever wants to breakup and will be remembered forever!

Devon Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley starting grabbing the spotlight right away in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). And nothing brought the house down more, than their vintage 3D table spot. Putting everyone, yes, I mean everyone through a table using their 3D finisher. As time went on, it was becoming an honor to go crashing against a table by the Dudley Boyz. Winning tag team championships well over 20 plus times in almost every wrestling company in the industry. Bubba and Devon are the only tag team to hold the WWE, WWF/World, ECW, WCW, NWA, TNA and IWGP Tag Team Championships in the world!

This is another lesson that you should enjoy what you have, as the Dudley Boyz officially retired from the WWE on the August 22nd edition of Monday Night RAW. With the current tag team divisions looking super weak on both shows, the Dudley Boyz will be missed forever. Two legends who can perform solo or together and have solidified their place in the wrestling world right at the top. I must be getting old, the Dudley Boyz were a huge part of my childhood and now we must say goodbye to them from the WWE. I will miss their entrances, matches and most of all screaming WAZZZZZZUUPPP! at the top of my lungs. Is this the end? Nobody knows but Tommy Dreamer doesn’t think so, and has recently stated that he will bet anyone that they wrestle again. Hopefully we see them again in some form or fashion in a wrestling ring soon. Bubba and Devon thank you, for bringing us as fans, good wrestling and smiles on our faces. You two are wrestling legends! 3DDDDDDDDDD!!!

ICYMI – Last Week in Skatronixxx!

Here at Skatronixxx we have awesome writers who are working towards WORLD DOMINATION in the pop culture news site industry. Potential Advertisers, take a look at what we have accomplished in the past year, and imagine where we can be in the next year with your help. Big Guys take note! We’re coming for ya! We even have a shop! Yep, we do. It has Tees, Tanks, Hoodies, and Sweatshirts for now; stay tuned for MUGS!

I have changed up the format of ICYMI to include an article from every one of our writers, because they all deserve mention! There is crossover in about every category but I have put each writer in only one category for this article. We pretty much ALL do the TV section.

Here’s a taste of the articles we published for the week of August 13th to August 20th for our incredible and loyal readers and followers, and our occasional readers whom we would love to be followers. All of you are AWESOME! Just so you know! On to the articles!

ANIME:

In Anime this week @MCPomarRossello talks about Tonari no Totoro, an Anime movie fondly remembered from childhood, about childhood; growing up in a new environment, learning, adapting, playing and working through the emotions of having a sick Mother. @darrick_scott takes us all back to the days of Saturday Morning cartoons (loved those!), with the 1984 classic Transformers.

BOOKS:

This week’s Weekly Bookette by @darthaybak features indie books. The reviewed books include both light and dark material, from the lightness of “Let’s Dance On Our Wedding Day” to the far darker “The Hat That Danced in the Wind” trilogy. Even though The Little Librarian tied the knot this summer, @alyjoshaver managed to read a LOAD of books. Check out her June & July Haul and Wrap Up of Doom!

COMICS:

Read why @concreteshawzee made a recommendation for the Alterna Comics 10th AnniverSERIES Anthology. Don’t forget, we LOVE Indie! Indie games, indie comics, indie shorts… For a change of pace, and a return to the campy 60’s, @dammitrooster waxes nostalgic about the return of Adam West and Burt Ward in an animated adventure, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders.

GAMES:

In our Games section this week, @auburn_geek is excited for the release of NVIDIA’s Indie Spotlight Program which will help good indie games get to where they should be. Check out what @dellarscott wrote in his No Man’s Sky “Idiot’s Log”. Meanwhile, @gaming8811 happily reviewed an Indie game called Never Alone. Find out what he thought about it, and have I mentioned? We LOVE Indie!

MOVIES:

Last week @franpan was all about Spider-Man: Homecoming, and @starkwyvrngamer brought us BIG news about the Mary Poppins Sequel. And on the sequel front, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is not really going to be a sequel, says @sohodoll, but she’s excited about it, and would love to hear your thoughts.

MUSIC:

Our music writers are very busy people! @presh81 did reviews on American Horror Story, the Top 50 Weekly Singles Chart, The Weekend Box Office Movie Chart, and Fresh Friday as well as other articles! @Deadpool_1984 not only does the UFC, he also picked Massachusetts Punk band The Unseen and their track Scream Out for his Track of the Week, and also talked about The Punisher.

VLOGS:

In our vlog section, @alyjoshaver went to the St. Louis Zoo to catch Pokemon, and dance to kpop. Girls just wanna have fun! Join her, @meaganprecourt and @chellybean4894 for the Uglies readalong. @heyankitverma took a well deserved break last week, but you can catch his earlier video review of Suicide Squad.

TELEVISION:

Last week in Television, @DalekBuster523 tried to decide which high profile Marvel character would make a cameo in the coming season of Agents of Shield. The Walking Dead will open its new season with a major death. Read @Netta_Bear13 speculations about who it might be. Writer @este_guy reviewed the season finale of Scream. @luvnidleness introduced us to Peaky Blinder, the best show you’ve never watched, @langlangbrenda wondered about the possible return of those ghastly Weeping Angels, and @awesomect98 teases with the Scream Queens season 2 trailer. Writer @devenbhagwandin catches up on The Expanse. Meanwhile, @MaliaYourTita of LoyalBloodline.clothing, hangs out with Ballers, @reille78 has discovered that Joss Whedon may be involved with an upcoming favorite show, and @b2daitch continues her Summer Binge Watch with Charmed. @fondofjesus marvels  at the DC Extended Universe take worldwide. The Doctor Who Fan Film Web Series caught @alexthed’s eye, and The Fast8 trailer news caught @chellybean4894’s.

UFC:

@Deadpool_1984 brought some surprising news on a meeting of the minds between rival fighters McGregor and Diaz. Stay tuned for his upcoming review of the UFC 202 in Vegas.

WRESTLING:

The week of August 13th to 20th saw @alexthed sharing his thoughts on WrestleMania’s Brock Lesnar – Dean Ambrose wingding. @mak10gator discovered some shocking news about superstar suspensions just days before SummerSlam. WWE Raw fan-atic @therealdills was first excited, then got to flinching over the over use of the term “Demon King” by the end of the show. @mitch_rated brought us his review of NXT – August 17th. @oliverwoodster talks Smack…. Down Live after a brief hiatus.

INTERVIEWS:

Cosplayer interviewer, @skatronixxx did interviews with the Maid of Might and MCubed, both very talented cosplayers. And what did I do, you ask? Well, I did an interview of Satinder Kassoana and a writeup for his Indie Drama production – Don’t Walk Among the Dead. Told you we love Indie!

Well folks, that was it for last week. Let me know what you think about the format of this week’s ICYMI… too long, too much, too short, not enough?
Until next time! Luv from me, @AlexMi6!

Is Lucha Underground Star Rey Mysterio Preparing For Life After Wrestling?

Booyaka, booyaka 619, is Rey Mysterio Jr preparing for a life after wrestling? Well according to recent reports this appears to be the case. Rey Mysterio Jr a wrestling veteran with over 25 years of experience having competed and won numerous titles in his homeland of Mexico and in North America in federations such as AAA, WWE and his curent home of Lucha Underground.

Rey is known for his lightning quick arsenal and being one of the main pioneers to revolutionise the cruiserweights in the wrestling industry. Rey joined Lucha Underground during it’s second season and will also feature heavily in the third season due to air on September the 7th 2016 on network El Rey.

Could this be Rey’s wrestling swansong though? Well El Rey Network recently announced this it has signed an exclusive deal with Mysterio, which will involve him consulting, developing and producing content on the network. It’s common knowledge that Rey is one of the biggest Hispanic stars to hit mainstream outside the world of wrestling and this is a shrewd deal by El Rey to sign him up before someone else tries too *coughs* WWE *coughs* .

 President and G.M. of El Rey Network Daniel Tibbets had this to say “He is creative and collaborative and has a keen eye for great entertainment. Rey embodies the El Rey Network brand and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with him.”

I for one will be interested to see what content Rey and El Rey come up with together but I will also enjoy more moments like this.

Be sure to check out the new series of the BEST wrestling show around Lucha Underground premiering on 7th September 2016 on El Rey Network.

 

 

 

Conor McGregor Gets Medical Suspension After UFC 202

McGregor has received a medical suspension of up to 6 months following his victory of Nate Diaz at UFC 202.

So following on from my comments that McGregor said he thought he had broken his foot after the match and it appears that he has come out of the fight with damage to his foot and ankle, including a possible fracture.

McGregor has also admitted that his shin was sore after landing so many kicks on Diaz during the fight. McGregor hobbled out of the post fight press conference on crutches and needed assistance walking.

As these sort of suspensions are not uncommon in the sport Mcgregor could have his suspension waived if he is cleared by an Orthopedic doctor. If he does not get this waiver he wont be able to train with contact until October 5th and will be suspended from fighting until October 20th when he can be re-evaluated.

Despite Diaz being bloodied and swollen after the fight only received a 30-day suspension. 

Both fighters called for a third fight but McGregor wants the bout to be at Lightweight and not Welterweight, but the UFC have told McGregor he must drop back down to defend his Featherweight title first.

As always for all your UFC needs stick with @Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com