Joshua VS Charles Martin – ‘ More Than A Heavyweight Title Fight ‘

Charles Martin entered as anonymous and he left anonymous. The only difference is he left without the title he had entered with. The fight lasted under five minutes. To call it a fight implies two people were involved and either could have won. yet from the 1st bell Martin looked unsteady, and possibly a small gust of wind may have even knocked him over. After a fairly eventful 1st round, the tornado that is Anthony Joshua came out and it wasn’t just Charles Martin he blew away. The 28,000 strong partisan were shocked at how quickly Joshua dispatched of his opponent, and there was a sense that this was the start of something special.

For the first time in the best part of twenty years, Britain, and the world had a reason to be excited about the heavyweight division. With the retirement of PPV King Floyd Mayweather, the dethroning of Klitschko and Anthony Joshua’s gold medal. The memory of Chisora and Haye’s disgraceful actions and Audley Harrison’s embarrassing career being a distant memory. Not only that but also the shadow that the more popular lightweights have cast over the glory division of boxing, has at least temporarily been removed. Were you aware that Pacquiao fought the very same night as Joshua?

To think that less than one year ago Floyd and Manny broke all PPV records, now one’s retired and the other is almost faded into obscurity. This as well as Joshua’s gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics, and enthralling scrap with Dillian White has been a catalyst for the rise of the heavyweights. Even with Haye, Fury and Wilder, their own personalities (or in Wilder’s case lack of), means the public had no real role model. Yet the charming, Greek God like physique, and thousand watt smile Joshua possess give him global appeal. So his win over Martin will transcend the heavyweight division, and brings a very exciting next 12 months to the division. Had Charles Martin won, he would have arrived anonymous, left antonymous and took with him the belt and possibly the future of the heavyweight division.

 

 

‘WWE’ & ‘E!’ Announce ‘Total Bellas’

With WWE and Total Divas alumni Nikki & Brie Bella sidelined from in-ring action, It seems that the veterans of pro-wrestling are moving onto pastures new with their own reality series Total Bellas.

During WWE’s broadcast of Monday Night RAW’s overseas trip to the UK; E! released the debut trailer for the Total Divas’s spin-off show. “We are excited to build on one of our most successful franchises with this new series that goes exclusively inside the world of WWE fan favourites The Bella Twins,” revealed Jeff Olde, EVP of Programming & Development at E!. “Nikki and Brie Bella have an undeniable charm and wit that matches their irrefutable beauty, and we are thrilled to get an intimate look into what it’s like to be in a relationship with some of the hottest sports entertainers in the world.“

The six-episode series will also feature WWE superstars John Cena and Daniel Bryan, with John ‘Big-Johnny’ Laurinaitis joining the Bella’s clan after becoming engaged to the twin’s mother, Kathy Colace, in September last year.

It had been reported last week that E! had trademarked the name Total Bellas with reference to the title being used for a reality based show, leading many outlets to suspect that the Twins would be departing the Total Divas brand. E! confirmed today however that the pair will remain on the cast when the show returns for Season Six in the fall, alongside new cast members Maryse, Lana, Naomi and WWE announcer Renee Young.

For all your Reality-Era-Wreslting-News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

WWE Monday Night RAW – April 11, 2016

Opener

Because of “overwhelming social media support”, Shane McMahon is back at the helm of Monday Night Raw. Pffft. Yeah right. If WWE really did make their decisions based on overwhelming social media support, NXT would be the flagship show, Dean Ambrose would be champion and Roman Reigns would be demoted to the Social Outcasts.

Regardless, Shane McMahon is a great fit as the GM of RAW. Aside from announcing fantastic matches and starting fresh new rivalries, Shane McMahon leaves his promos short and sweet. He doesn’t pause for reactions or waste anyone’s time a-la The Authority. I hope his run as GM isn’t a short-term storyline but rather a permanent gig. He’d bring back legitimate wrestling and appeal to both the hardcore and casual fan.

Opening segment: 3/5

Kevin Owens V Cesaro: #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship

Remember last week when Kevin Owens said he’s on to bigger and better things? Well, here he is, back in the IC title hunt. This wouldn’t be such an insult if WWE didn’t tarnish the prestige of the championship. I know they were aiming to fix this problem by putting the belt on Bryan but we all know what happened after that…damn, I shouldn’t have brought that up. The wound is still fresh!

Despite being stuck in the IC title picture, Cesaro and Owens do what they do best and put on a stellar match. Cesaro even wore some ‘bandages’ (more like black electrical tape) on his shoulder to show he isn’t 100%. Both men are insanely talented and would benefit greatly from an established run as IC champ.

Cesaro comes out on top after hitting the Neutralizer on Owens.

KO V Cesaro: 3.5/5

The Dudley Boyz V Lucha Dragons

As part of a new tag-team tournament, The Dudley Boyz face-off against the Lucha Dragons. The tournament is kicked off by the reigning W-W-E-Tag-Team-Champions (read this as you swirl your hips), The New Day. The New Day is thriving as a Face tag-team. They’ve got a ton of charisma and they just make me laugh with their whole Booty O’s concept.

The Dudley’s win in a matter of minutes. They would have won quicker if Sin Cara didn’t botch the Dudley Death Drop and D-Von didn’t go for the pin thinking he was the legal man! A very sloppy ending from these two teams.

If it wasn’t for Enzo and Cass coming out to save the day with a little Italian-American humor, this entire matchup would’ve been a complete waste. Unfortunately for Enzo and Cass, the crowd wasn’t as hot as the Raw after WrestleMania.

Dudley’s V Lucha Dragons: 1.5/5 (the extra .5 on account of Enzo and Cass)

Roman Reigns in-ring segment

Open the floodgates, Roman Reigns is out.

Romans practically copy and pastes his entire dialogue from last week and uses it this week. His promo classes must be really paying off.

Here’s what I don’t get about Roman Reigns; in my past couple of posts, I’ve written about Roman’s arrogant side. I’ve stated how I think his arrogance is a good fit for him. It seems natural and it’s the start of his eventual Heel turn. But then I really started thinking about the reasoning behind it and it just doesn’t make any sense. Usually, a slow build for a Heel is reserved for someone who needs time to turn. Roman doesn’t need any time. The crowd already hates him. Wouldn’t it be a better use of time, money and resources to have him ‘snap’ at the crowd and let the pressure of being a Face get to him?

Think about it? Wouldn’t it make for a much better storyline? It would let the crowd feel empowered. Just look back to how engaged the WWE Universe was with the Daniel Bryan/Authority storyline. If the Universe feels they’ve actively made a change in WWE, they’ll be hooked to what comes next.

Whatever WWE has planned, I hope it’s better than “I’m not a good guy. I’m not a bad guy. I’m the guy.” This gimmick is bound to get stale, soon.

Speaking of stale, League of Nations is out to zero reaction. Who are these guys? What are they doing in life? What power do they have on Vince McMahon to constantly appear on tv to stay relevant?

I really want to be a fly on the wall of a WWE writers meeting. I want to see what species of monkey WWE has chained to a typewriter to come up with these dry fillers that benefits no one.

Just when it seemed all hope was lost, The Wyatt Family come out to get rid of The League of Nations. They look to do the same on Roman but Shane comes out and makes a statement of Teddy Long proportions. The main event for Raw will be The League of Nations V Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt, playa!

Roman Reigns in-ring segment: 1/5

Primo and Epico video package

The Puerto Rican travel agents are back in all their flower-sniffing glory. This really isn’t a joke? WWE is really going through with this. Hmm.

Primo and Epico video package: 0/5

Charlotte V Natalya: Women’s Championship

I’m really happy with the direction WWE is going with the women’s division. Charlotte and Natalya have great in-ring chemistry. They’ve so far been the few standouts in this abysmal episode of Monday Night Raw.

Also, why the fuck was Dr. Phil at ringside?

Charlotte wins via DQ after Ric Flair pulls the referee out of the ring (right before Charlotte taps to the Sharpshooter).

Charlotte V Natalya: 3/5

The Usos V Social Outcasts

Ha, I’m not even going to subject my fingers to typing anything more about a match featuring The Social Outcasts. The Usos win via roll-up in a hot second.

While the Usos celebrate their win, they’re attacked by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. I never stayed up to date with the indy scene but I’ve heard nothing but good things about these two’s involvement in The Bullet Club.

Usos V Social Outcasts: 1/5

Backstage segment w/ The Miz, Maryse, and Cesaro

Bad acting and bad puns make for a bad segment.

Miz, Maryse, and Cesaro backstage segment: 0/5

AJ Styles V Sami Zayn

The wildly-anticipated lock-up between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn was sort of a letdown. It was a perfectly average match with some cool spots here and there, but I think everyone was expecting a bit more from these two.

AJ Styles picks up the win with a Phenomenal Forearm.

AJ Styles V Sami Zayn: 3/5

Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose in-ring segment

Jericho hosts a highlight reel featuring himself as the guest which is as exciting as you’d expect. Ambrose derails the production and replaces it with the Ambrose Asylum talk show. The segment didn’t provide much in the form of entertainment, but it does give us a look into Dean Ambrose’s next big rivalry and I can’t wait.

While Roman Reigns has been wrongfully catapulted to the top of the food chain, Dean Ambrose his honing his main event skills by getting into rivalries with Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens and more. When Dean Ambrose is finally ready to hold the strap, he’ll knock it out of the park. Trust me.

Jericho and Ambrose in-ring segment: 2/5

Apollo Crews V Adam Rose

Apollo Crews arrives, hits a few big moves and leaves. Squash match 101.

Apollo Crews V Adam Rose: 1/5

Primo and Epico video package

ANOTHER ONE?! Fuck off!

Primo and Epico video package: 0/5

Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt V The League of Nations (Sheamus and Del Rio)

While this was a pretty standard tag-team match, the pairing of Roman Reigns V Bray Wyatt was pretty interesting. It’s a testament to how even the slightest changes in everyday routine can make a big difference. Bray Wyatt and Roman worked decently together while getting in each other’s faces a couple of times. The Wyatt Family has run its course and a Face turn might be exactly what they need to reinvigorate their gimmick.

Reigns and Wyatt pick up the win.

Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt V The League of Nations (Sheamus and Del Rio): 3/5

Raw rating: 22/65

Based on my complex algorithm (assigning 5 stars to each match/segment and adding up the results), the April 11, 2016, episode of Monday Night RAW was a big-time failure. Aside from a few decent matches, RAW was mostly comprised of lacklustre performances, both in and out of the ring. This is not the calibre of show WWE should be running when they have a locker room full of promising young talent who’ve recently been brought up from NXT.

Ring Of Honor – April 9, 2016

Hey everybody and welcome to my first article on ROH. I’d like to begin this article by stating how good of a product that Ring of Honor puts out. They have some of the most talented wrestlers in the world and on a pretty consistent basis put on the best matches in wrestling. The purpose of these articles is to hopefully get more folks into Ring of Honor. I also hope those that are already into ROH enjoy these articles as well. Let’s get into my first ever piece on ROH.

On this week’s episode, we have Silas Young and Dalton Castle in the Main Event as well as Roppongi Vice against War Machine. We will also see ACH go up against Kenny Omega.

The first match of the night is Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero aka Roppongi Vice up against War Machine (Hanson & Rowe) for the ROH Word Tag Team Championships. Before we get into the match, I’d like to warn you that Beretta is one of my favorite wrestlers on the planet. There may be some bias involved in this match.

During War Machine’s entrance, Roppongi Vice attacks them from behind. Roppongi Vice start out the match by double teaming Rowe. Hanson gets himself together and it is even now at two on two. Hanson hits Romero outside the ring.

We come back from commercial and Rowe accidentally hits his partner. Romero tags in and gets a nearfall on Rowe. Rowe tags in Hanson but Trent Stops them from hitting a double team move on Romero. Trent and Romero are now back to double teaming War Machine but it is Hanson this time rather than Rowe. Rowe is able to get back in the match. Rowe and Hanson both pick up a member of Roppongi Vice and throw them into each other. War Machine now double teams Trent but Romero is able to stop them. Just as Roppongi Vice looks like they are about to take over, War Machine throws Trent against the side of the ring. Romero almost hits the 1, 2, 3. War Machine then hit a tag team leg drop on Romero for the win. I was hoping to see Roppongi Vice get the win. War Machine is a very suitable tag team but I’d like to see some new champs soon and I think the crowd seems to agree with me.

Donovan Dijak comes out with Prince Nana. Dijak is on television but is dressed like he just got off from his job as a plumber or something. That being said, I do think Dijak plays the dislikable heel really well. Nana berates the crowd and says Dijak will be the new ROH champ. Dijak then states that he’s done with Lethal & the House of Truth and speaks badly of Lethal. Lethal is having none of that and attacks Dijack while he’s speaking. These guys are beating the hell out of each other. Security has to come out and stop the fighting.

Dalton Castle speaks about Silas Young backstage and says he’s fighting to hurt him. If you are not familiar much with ROH, Dalton Castle is without a doubt one of the most entertaining wrestlers on the show and in wrestling in general. He will impress you.

Match two is upon us and its ACH up against Kenny Omega. Kenny Omega is a giant star around the world and I love seeing him in ROH. Omega comes out with his broom as well as The Young Bucks. This will be one heck of a match! I spoke highly of Omega but ACH is ridiculously talented as well.

The match starts off with Omega denying to partake in the Code of Honor. ACH seems to have the upper hand towards the beginning but ACH is kicked while outside the ring by one of The Young Bucks. One of the Bucks then throws a banana peel ringside. He does this to hopefully explain to the ref why ACH is no longer on his feet. That was a wonderful touch by The Young Bucks! The crowd even chants “He slipped!”

Both Omega & ACH are back in the ring now. Both men go back and forth. Omega misses some top rope moves that ACH is able to counter. The Young Bucks try to distract ACH but he is able to jump onto all three men over the top rope. This was by far the highlight of the night so far! Like I said, ACH is a ridiculously talented guy. Especially inside the squared circle.

Both men are back in the ring on the top turnbuckle. ACH is able to kick Omega down and go for the pin. Omega is able to kick out. Omega then hits a tremendous suplex on ACH. ACH then hits a brain buster. I can’t speak highly enough of this match so far. What a match!

ACH goes to the top turnbuckle but misses. Omega & ACH continue to go back and forth in the middle of the ring. Omega goes for a super kick but ACH is able to counter. ACH goes for the pin. Omega kicks out. ACH tries a top turnbuckle move again but Omega is able to move out of the way. Omega then hits his finisher on ACH for the win. What a fantastic match this was! After a relatively lackluster first match, these two men put on one of the best matches I’ve seen on television in quite awhile.

The Main Event is next and it is Dalton Castle up against Silas Young. It is a Fight Without Honor which essentially means that it is a No Disqualification match.

These men are fighting with streamers in the ring towards the beginning of the match. That’s not something you see everyday! You can tell that Castle is trying to prove himself in this match. Young & Castle are doing everything they possibly can to get the better of their opponent. Young uses a chair against Castle. Castle goes for a slap but ends up hitting the ring post.

Young now has two chairs and tries to suplex Castle on to them. Castle is able to counter. The two continue to fight outside the ring. Young attempts to use a table and ladde to further hurt Castle. Young is able to throw Castle onto those two chairs he had set up earlier. Young enters the ring with Castle to go for the pin but Castle is able to kick out. Silas Young is pissed everybody!

These two men continue to attack each other in the ring. Young goes to the top turnbuckle but Castle moves out of the way and Young lands on a ladder. These two are now throwing haymakers back and forth! Young goes for the pin but Castle kicks out again. Both men are clearly tired but this match means so much to each of them that they continue to fight.

Young brings in a trash can lid and a microphone. The Boys come out and attempt to take down Silas Young. They don’t get in much offense but it gives Castle the time to get his wits together and get some offense in on Young.

Castle hits a suplex on Young but he is able to kick out. He then throws Young through a table. Another kickout from Young occurs. Young punches Castle in the man zone with a low blow but is not able to get the win just yet. Castle performs the Bang-A-Rang on Young and is finally able to get the win. That was another great match!

ROH typically puts together an enjoyable hour of wrestling and they particularly did that this week. The match between ACH and Omega is even one of my personal favorite matches I’ve seen recently.

WWE SmackDown – April 7, 2016

WWE has slowed back down to its original cadence. The Road to WrestleMania is always an exciting time to be a wrestling fan (for the most part). There are a ton of rivalries set in motion to stack up the card for the grandest show of them all. The Raw after WrestleMania is an aftershock of the excitement that is built up during the January – April time frame. The first SmackDown after WrestleMania, however, signals the end of the excitement. Its back to the grind as it were.

WrestleMania video package

Before the show even begins, we’re treated to a highlight reel of WrestleMania 32 to the tune of “My House” by Flo Rida, AKA, Vince’s desperate attempt to stay hip in his old age. I’ve lost count of how many times Flo Rida has appeared or provided music for WWE. The highlight reel is flashy and a great summary of what WWE has become. There were no physical matches shown during the package, only entrances and fireworks and the attendance record. WWE is truly an entertainment juggernaut now. It’s more pomp and circumstance than DDTs and dropkicks.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s best for business. It’s just something I noticed during the package which made me feel some sort of way.

Opening segment

We have Roman Reigns come out to heavy boos — or so you would think if SmackDown wasn’t pre-taped. WWE editors worked their magic and muffled the boos with pre-recorded cheers. The cameramen made sure to only pan to pro-Roman Reigns signs. It’s really sad how badly they’re trying to push Roman as the top guy. Fans don’t like him. Just listen to them…

Roman talks about how he’s not a good guy or a bad guy, he’s just a champion. He vows to beat AJ Styles. Speak of the devil, AJ Styles is out looking like a trendy trucker.

Styles congratulates Reigns and shakes his hand. He says that he’s been all over the world and beaten the best and if he wants to do the same in WWE, he’ll beat Roman if he has to. Roman fires back with his one liners. He says Styles has beaten everyone except him and he never will. Roman pats Styles on the shoulder and walks out.

Roman seems pretty arrogant. I’m digging it.

Lucha Dragons V The Vaudevillians

The Vaudevillians make a disappointing debut on SmackDown. Their gimmick is bound to be short-lived on the main roster. They’ll surely join The Ascension in the doghouse.

Lucha Dragons hit a sweet monkey flip into a 450 splash combo on Aiden English. Simon Gotch blind tags and hits a painful running knee to Sin Cara as he attempts to dive out the ring onto English. Kalisto gets a tag in and energizes the match as usual. Kalisto looks to hit the Salida del Sol on Gotch but English pushes Kalisto off and the Vaudevillians hit their signature, The Spinning Dervish for the pin.

There were a few highlights but I don’t see this team gaining any traction. Creative is going to sour on them, quick.

Summer Rae V Natalya

Charlotte is sitting ringside with Poppa Flair. We get a highlight from Raw when Charlotte got her ass handed to her by Natalya.

Natalya is throwing Summer Rae around the ring like a ragdoll. Summer gets some redemption by hitting a snap suplex on the outside floor. Summer locks Natalya in a cobra clutch while Charlotte goes off on the headset about how she just wants some respect.

Summer goes for a kick to Natalya but Natalya grabs her leg and locks her in a Sharpshooter for the win. Natalya and Charlotte have a stare down. Pretty decent match. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t a squash.

Zack Ryder V The Miz: Intercontinental Championship

Ryder is in the ring and he looks intense and ready to go. Maryse is out to introduce her husband and champion, The Miz. Miz and Maryse pose on top of the stage in all their flash. I kind of like Maryse’s addition to Miz’s character. Their vain power couple gimmick is working for them.

Ryder controls the match early on but Miz switches that up by pulling Ryder off the top rope by his leg. Miz hits a ton of heavy hits on Ryder. Miz goes for a suplex but Ryder lands on his feet and turns it into a neckbreaker. Ryder goes for a dropkick from the top rope but Miz grabs him mid-air and slams him into a powerbomb. Ryder goes for a springboard splash but Miz puts up his knees. While Ryder is clutching his stomach, Miz hits a quick DDT.

Holy shit, look at these two putting on a stellar match!

Ryder gets Miz on the outside. Ryder hits a Broski Boot as Miz rests against the barricade. Ryder hits the El-bro drop for a near three count! I’m very surprised by the caliber of this matchup.

As Ryder works on Miz in the corner, Maryse unbuckles the padding from the bottom turnbuckle to distract the referee. Miz thumbs Ryder in the eye when the referee isn’t looking and then follows it up with a Skull-Crushing Finale.

Top notch bout.

Curtis Axel V Apollo Crews

The Social Outcasts play rock, paper, scissors to determine who fights Crews.

The Outcasts goof around outside the ring. Crews nails Adam Rose with a nasty looking apron clothesline. Crews makes quick work of Axel and gets the win. I think we all know how this one was going to turn out! I give Crews 3 months before Vince realizes that he himself is a racist and cuts Crews’ momentum short.

I hate to sound negative but there aren’t opportunities for African-American wrestlers in WWE. The last African-American to hold a tier-1 title was Mark Henry back in 2011. Just take a look at Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley, Shad Gaspard, Ezekiel Jackson and Titus O’ Neil. All of them had potential but were forced into lame tag-teams or jobbing stints until they faded into obscurity. It’s only a matter of time until Crews falls into that zone — which is a shame because he’s really talented.

Backstage segment:

An announcer tries to talk to Baron Corbin but he tells him to save it. He talks about what he accomplished at WrestleMania and Raw and then leaves.

Backstage segment:

Another backstage segment but with Becky Lynch this time. Becky talks about her amazing triple threat match at WrestleMania before being interrupted by Emma. They have a cringeworthy spat with some even worse puns added in.

What a pointless, pointless segment.

Dean Ambrose V Tyler Breeze

Dean Ambrose is out to a huge pop.

We get another promo with Primo and Epico sniffing flowers and urging people to visit Puerto Rico. I can practically hear their release letters being signed off on. This repackaged gimmick has absolutely zero chance of being successful.

Back in the ring, Tyler Breeze is on his way out.

I quickly glance at my phone to read a text. I look back up and…wait. The match is over?! Dean Ambrose wins, I guess.

Backstage Segment

Goldust and R-Truth try to be funny but to no avail. The segment has something to do with Hollywood. Why haven’t they fought as a tag team yet? They’ve been joking around in backstage segments for 2-3 months now? I don’t get where this is going but it’s dying quickly.

AJ Styles + Cesaro V Jericho + Kevin Owens

Cesaro comes out to the ring in a suit, again. He tears it off and the announcers call him the Swiss Superman.

Cesaro and AJ Styles make some quick tags and lay some cool sequences. Jericho throws a small tantrum on the outside of the ring and we cut to commercial. Jericho and Owens take control but Cesaro fights off with uppercuts. He runs his uppercut train then tries to lock in his Cesaro swing on Jericho and Owens, separately.

Jericho and Owens control Cesaro in the corner. Owens mocks Styles by doing his signature pose. The heels work on Cesaro so he can make the infamous hot tag. Cesaro knocks Jericho out of the ring with a huge uppercut. He goes for the big tag but Jericho pulls Styles off the apron. It almost looked like Styles jumped off on purpose.

Owens and Styles have a really strong back and forth. Styles goes for a Phenomenal forearm but Jericho pushes him off the rope. Cesaro deals with him.

Back in the ring, Owens is about to put Styles away when Sami Zayn starts walking down the ramp with WWE agents trying to shoo him away. Also, Billy Kidman is an agent now? Who knew?

Styles rolls up Owens while he’s distracted for the win. Owens runs outside and starts brawling with Zayn. The show ends with Owens being dragged out by Kidman and Jamie Noble.

Overall, this week’s SmackDown was pretty lame. If it wasn’t for The Miz V Zack Ryder and the main event, SmackDown would have been a complete let down. Like I said, the Road to WrestleMania is over. WWE is back to booking subpar shows until they have a big PPV coming up.

Wins of the night:

-Zack Ryder V The Miz

-Main Event

Fails of the night:

-All the backstage segments

-Primo and Epico’s new gimmick

-Editing of crowd reaction against Roman Reigns

Lucha Underground SN2 EP11- ‘Bird of War’

It’s week three of my Lucha Underground reviews, everybody! Before I get into this week’s episode, I’d like to thank anyone who has taken a look at my articles from the past two weeks. I love Lucha Underground and I’m happy to see so many people feel the same way! Alright, enough with that! Let’s get to this week’s episode!

This week’s episode starts out with a few recaps including the one and only, Joey Ryan’s life as an undercover cop as well as looks back at the matches from last week.

We now go to Vampiro backstage being verbally assaulted by Dario Cueto. Vampiro clearly wants to attack Dario but thinks better of it. After Cueto walks away, we see Vampiro’s shaking arm with a bottle of pills. He scarfs down multiple pills. It is a heartbreaking and intense scene. Unlike anything else you see in wrestling today.

Ladies and gentleman, it’s Joey Ryan time! We see him and Castro in the office of their captain. They recap her on recent events going on in the Temple. She wants evidence against Dario. Joey mentions how he met Dario and how Dario loved him so much that he was put in the Trios tournament. Who doesn’t love Joey Ryan? Joey Ryan is the only person in the world that can make me and Dario agree on something.

It’s time for action now! Striker mentions that Fenix will be facing Matanza tonight in the main event for the Lucha Underground Championship. The first match of the night is Ivelisse up against Kobra Moon.

These women are going at it from the start! This crowd loves Ivelisse, as do I. Ivelisse seems to have Moon’s number to start the match until a submission move is done by Moon on the ropes. Moon now tries to pin Ivelisse but she is able to kick out.

Moon tries another submission move on Ivelisse. She is ridiculously impressive with her submissions! Ivelisse refuses to give up and counters with her own submission. Moon is able to get out of it. After a bit more action, both women are now down in the ring. They get up and are throwing punches like nobody’s business! I’m loving this match!

Ivelisse hits a suplex and goes for the pin but Moon is able to kick out again. Moon then tries to pin Ivelisse after an impressive move but she kicks out as well. Ivelisse is able to get the 1,2,3 after a sunset flip. Moon is no longer undefeated in Lucha Underground. What a match! If you read my article on last week’s episode, you know how disappointed I was to see Ivelisse be the first eliminated in the Trios Championship match last week. This week she was able to shine and put on one heck of a match with Kobra Moon. Moon was very impressive in this match as well.

A vignette for Killshot is up next. Apparently he was a sniper in the army. We see him beat the hell out of some bad guys as well as shoot some. Where else in wrestling do you see a wrestler use a gun? And no, we’re not talking Brian Pillman… This vignette made a frequently underused guy like Killshot look like a total bad ass.

A backstage segment involving Famous B and Mascarita Sagrada follows. The background music makes me feel like I’m listening to a theme song from a 70’s sitcom. Famous B tells Sagrada he can make him famous.

Another backstage segment is next. This time involving Willie Mack and Sexy Star. Mack is stuck with Mariposa and The Moth in the Trios tournament and wants Sexy Star’s support. She declines and is haunted by the Moth and Mariposa as she lifts weights. One note I have to make is how impressive that tracking shot was in between the two backstage segments. The production quality and filming in Lucha Underground is always top-notch.

Match two of the night is up next. It’s Joey Ryan, Castro & Mr. Cisco up against The Mack, The Moth & Mariposa. How can you do this to me Lucha Underground? My two favorite acts in Lucha Underground against each other! This is like a parent picking a favorite child.

The match starts off with Joey Ryan and The Mack in the ring. Joey immediately tags in Mr. Cisco. Cisco and Mack fist bump and then the action starts. They go back and forth for awhile.Cisco and Mack are two guys who I’ve never particularly been fans of but I have to apologize to these two. They worked amazingly well together and started the match off way better than I would have guessed.

Ryan tags in and wants to face Mariposa. Mariposa then tags in. Creepy Joey Ryan everybody… You gotta love it! They go at it until Mariposa tags in The Moth. He is taken down by Ryan who then tags in Castro. Cisco is quickly tagged in too. While the ref isn’t looking, Mariposa kicks Cisco in the back of the head. Mariposa tags in and they hit that move I loved from last week where The Moth picks up Mariposa and throws her onto their opponent. Cisco kicks out. Mariposa then tags The Moth back in. They seem to be ignoring Willie Mack entirely. Cisco is taking a beating but is able to kick out again. He eventually hits a neckbreaker that allows him to tag in Castro. Some action between The Moth and Castro occurs before Willie Mack and Joey Ryan tag themselves in. The Moth is very unhappy even though The Mack is manhandling Ryan.

All six members of the match are going at it now. As I previously stated, I have to apologize to Willie Mack. He has made me a fan in this match and no matter the outcome has been the star of it. A guy of his size taking a dive over the top rope is beyond spectacular. The Mack throws Ryan into the ring for a pin but The Moth tags himself in. The Moth and The Mack won’t stop slapping each other even though they are teammates in the particular match. The Mack eventually hits a stunner on The Moth and Joey Ryan gets the pin and the win for his team. Joey Ryan celebrates like he just won the Super Bowl and completely ignore his teammates in the process.

After the match, Mariposa attacks The Mack but he is saved by Sexy Star. These women are about to fight!  Sexy Star attacks Mariposa. Mariposa is barely able to return any type of attack. First that fantastic match between Ivelisse and Kobra Moon to start off the show. Now this beatdown between Sexy Star and Mariposa. There is no better place in the world for women’s wrestling than Lucha Undeground! You can quote me on that.

Rey Mysterio and Dragon Azteca speak outside. They seem to be speaking on the roof of the Temple to be exact. Mysterio clearly is the mentor of Azteca and gives him some wise words particulary about Matanza. They will be in the Trios Tournament next week and their partner will be Prince Puma.

The main event of the evening is upon us and it is for the Lucha Underground Championship! It’s former champ, Fenix up against the man who took the title from him, Matanza.

The match starts off with Matanza throwing Fenix completely across the ring. Matanza is a killer. He almost even goes after the referee. Fenix is able to hit a few moves on Matanza but not enough to have any effect. Matanza continues to abuse Fenix. He does it specifically with consistent suplexes. Fenix seems to have no fight left in him. As I write that, he proves me wrong and gets Matanza with a kick and move off the turnbuckle. They fight outside the ring as Dario tells Matanza “remember mom”.

Matanza throws Fenix brutally to the ground outside the ring. He brings him back in and gets the win. Matanza is superb as a monster. I’m not sure if there is anyone better at giving a beating than Matanza. After the match, Catrina distracts Matanza while Mil Muertes attacks him from behind. Muertes is the first person in Lucha Underground to get some legitimate attacks in on Matanza. What a feud this will be!

That is Lucha Underground for this week. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this week’s episode. There was not a dull moment this week. I was 100% entertained for the full hour. Lucha Underground may be the only show I can genuinely say that about. I can’t wait to see what is in coming up next week on Lucha Underground!

RAW After WrestleMania 32

The RAW after WrestleMania has become an event in and of itself. The commentators even made it a point to call out the rowdiness of the crowd at the top of the show. Most likely to cover their asses for shoddy booking?

April 4th, 2016’s edition of Monday Night RAW was no different. The crowd was hot and ready to boo Roman Reigns out of Texas, forever.

Opener:

The show started with Vince McMahon walking out to his theme music being sung by the crowd. A forced grin appears along his face as he pointed out how crazy the WWE Universe can get after WrestleMania. You can always tell when Vinnie Mac is improvising his lines. He starts smiling like crazy and just yells and waves his hands around.

He speaks to Shane’s loss at WM and how The Authority is reeling from the events of Sunday night. He admits that he gained some respect for Shane after seeing him leap off the top of Hell in a Cell onto a bare announce table (which was amazing, BTW). He saw his passion but also his foolishness. The “Shane O Mac” chants begin and Vince signs off. As luck would have it, Shane McMahon’s music hits and you hear an uproar of excitement from the fans.

Shane limps out to address Vince and the fans. He says as the only man in the family, he wants to shake Vince’s hand and admit that he lost. He also wants to thank the fans for welcoming him back with such passion and says he’ll never forget the experience he went through. He begins to leave the stage and Vince tells him to stop. Vince refuses to be upstaged and agrees to give Shane temporary control of RAW, just to see how he’ll fair. The crowd goes nuts, Shane smiles, Vince leaves and The New Day is up next.

The New Day (Kingston & Big E) V League of Nations (Sheamus & Barrett) – Tag Team Championship:

The League of Nations make their way out to heavy boos. They go for their weird 4-man wave and Alberto is resisting hard. As Rusev, Barrett and Sheamus bow all the way down and back up for their salute, Alberto half-asses it. He seems to be embarrassed in this stable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he quit soon.

Pretty standard tag team match. Nothing exciting except for the crowd’s enthusiasm with The New Day’s trombone antics. If anyone doubts how over New Day is with the fans, just think back to last year’s RAW after WM. That’s when Sheamus returned with his new look and got wrecked by “you look stupid” chants. The New Day was exciting enough to keep the attention on them and away from the miscellaneous chants the crowd resorts to when they’re bored (which always happens when Sheamus is in the ring).

The New Day come out victorious and retain their Tag Team gold. Once they dance their way out of the ring, Sheamus grabs a mic and starts bitching about how the LoN is a team of world-class athletes. He says they’re only as strong as their weakest link and then orders Rusev and Del Rio to hold up Barrett so Sheamus can deliver the Brogue Kick. I guess Barrett’s out of the team. That’s okay, I’m sure he’s going to find another stable to join/create. It’s the only way he stays relevant in WWE (which is a shame).

After the kick, Sheamus, Rusev and Del Rio stand tall until they get interrupted by The Wyatt Family. The Wyatt Family come out and makes quick work of the LoN. The crowd starts chanting “Thank You Wyatt”.

I honestly can’t believe why WWE keeps booking The Wyatt Family so poorly. They have a solid gimmick and the crowd loves them. They did not deserve that segment with The Rock and John Cena at WrestleMania. They should have had a match and they should have won that match. I hope their feud with LoN gives them the spotlight they deserve.

Backstage segment:

We see Renee Young following Vince McMahon to his limo. Vince says he’s leaving because he doesn’t want to see Shane sink the ship. I’m interested to see where this angle goes. Perhaps they’re setting up for Shane V HHH for control over RAW or SD? I heard WWE is spit-balling the idea of splitting their brands up…again.

Sasha Banks V Summer Rae

 We’re back in the ring and Summer Rae is just wasting oxygen by garnering cheap heat until Banks makes her way out. Sasha Banks comes out and talks some smack before starting the match. There wasn’t really a point to this bout. It was slotted in so RAW could capitalize on Sasha Bank’s popularity post-WrestleMania. Banks makes quick work of Rae and forces her to tap via the Bank Statement.

Apollo Crews V Tyler Breeze

Up next is a squash match so WWE can showcase their next black superstar with a name derived from Roman history/mythology, Apollo Crews. He’s following the footsteps of Tony Atlas and the still-under-suspension-for-nothing, Titus O’ Neil. I can’t wait for the eventual debut of ‘Zeus Major’. Did I just make that up or is it real? No one will ever know…

Crews hits a few of his notable moves from NXT and covers for the 1-2-3.

Roman Reigns in-ring segment 

The moment everyone was waiting for. Roman Reigns is up next to showcase his new title. The moment Reign’s music hits, boos erupted from every corner of the arena. WWE tries to focus on the two tiny pro-Roman Reign signs in the crowd but are overpowered by the strength of the post-WrestleMania crowd’s hate.

Despite the jeers, Roman is loving every second of it, and you know what? It works for him. Roman glows as a smug and arrogant. The character fits him perfectly. That’s who he should be! He’s the guy who knows he’s the shit and doesn’t care what people think. Everything, from his cocked eyebrows to his body language screamed IDGAF if you hate me or not, I’m the champ. Way better than that lame “I want to be the guy who tells you to never give up” shtick.

Roman is simple with his words. He says that if anyone wants a shot at his title, they should come to the ring, now. After that, we have Jericho, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn all enter the ring. They go after one another until Jericho is left standing. Roman nails Jericho with a spear and walks to the back in a shower of boos.

I’m not a fan of Roman as champ but if he sticks with this attitude, I will be.

Backstage segment

Shane runs into Roman and informs him that Jericho, Owens, Zayn and Styles will have a fatal 4-way tonight to determine a number 1 contender (because WWE’s rematch clause is as inconsistent as Big Show’s Heel/Face switches).

Baron Corbin V Dolph Ziggler

*Sigh* Here comes Dolph Ziggler so he can be made an example of.

Corbin says he doesn’t care if anyone knows who he is, he has the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale trophy and that’s all that matters.

Ziggler and Corbin have a decent back-and-forth match which results in a double count-out so Corbin can throw poor Ziggler into all sorts of set pieces. Corbin blames what he did on the referee’s decision to count them out.

The camera pans to a lifeless Ziggler and you can’t help but think that he could have been one of WWE’s top stars right now if he didn’t receive that concussion via Alberto Del Rio a couple of years back. It’s such a damn shame.

Zack Ryder V The Miz 

Zack Ryder comes out to say a few words about his championship win. The crowd chants “you deserve it” and Ryder soaks it in. He says he wants to thank his father for always supporting him. The camera pans to his dad and he looks like he just banged out a couple of pushups because he’s jacked as hell.

The Miz comes out in a golden trench coat which he stole from the Gods of Egypt set. He says that the title was at his fingertips at WrestleMania. If Ryder hadn’t snuck up from behind and pushed him off at the last second, he would be the rightful champion.

Miz goats Ryder into defending his title by insulting his relationship with his dad.

Ryder and Miz put up a decent back-and-froth. Ryder gets a 2 ½ count after he nails the El-bro drop. The crowd is really behind Ryder. He’s getting the same reaction as he did back when he was US champion. I really think this will be his big break. I’m confident WWE won’t screw this momentum up…

Near the end of the match, Miz gets into Zack Ryder’s dad’s face. Mr. Ryder stiff arms Miz and the crowd loves it. Ryder is about to pick up the win when Maryse – former Diva and Miz’s current wife – storms over the security barricade and starts yelling at Ryder’s dad. She slaps him and diverts Ryder’s attention away from Miz – who nails Ryder with the Skull Crushing Finale. Miz covers Ryder and wins the Intercontinental championship!

For fuck’s sake.

History repeats itself and Ryder is on the losing end of the stick. I hope WWE is planning something because people aren’t happy.

Backstage segment:

 Renee Young talks with Kevin Owens. Owens says Sami Zayn won’t leave him alone and that it took Zayn and 5 other men to strip him of the Intercontinental championship. He says he’s on to bigger and better things. He vows to win the #1 contender match.

Women’s championship ceremony: 

Every WWE diva is in the ring as Lita introduces Charlotte and Ric Flair. Charlotte starts talking about how the new Women’s championship is a step forward for any woman who wants to be a wrestler. She tries to continue but the raucous crowd is singing some song lyrics and hijacking the attention.

Whenever there is an in-ring segment featuring a ceremony or crowning of sorts, no one is interested. Remember the infamous ‘championship ascension’ when the RAW crowd drowned out HHH with Daniel Bryan chants? WWE writers should really stop writing these segments in.

Back to the ceremony; Charlotte switches gears and starts bragging about how she’s new to the main roster and already accomplished so much. She talks down to all the other divas and they walk out in protest. She continues to gloat until Natalya grabs the mic. Natalya tells Charlotte that she needs to learn a lesson in humility and that if she wants to prove her genetic superiority, she should do so by facing a member of another famous family, the Harts. Charlotte says some shit and Natalya takes her down and locks her into the Sharpshooter. Flair pulls Charlotte out of the ring and they walk out.

WWE recently switched the ‘Divas’ section of their website to ‘female superstars’. Hopefully, the rise of the Women’s championship signals the end of cringe-worthy 10-female tag team matches which only last 5 minutes and mainly consist of screaming and botches.

Backstage segment:

Renee Young is back but this time with AJ Styles. Styles says there’s an era of change in WWE and that era is going to be phenomenal.

I wasn’t really paying attention. I was distracted by Style’s perfectly conditioned hair.

Primo and Epico video package:

We see a video package of Primo and Epico in Puerto Rico sniffing some damn flowers. They urge people to come to Puerto Rico and smell the said flowers.

Really? ANOTHER gimmick for Primo and Epico? Are they Puerto Rican travel agents, now? Isn’t this their 3^rd try as a tag-team? Did WWE not foresee Los Matadores completely bombing?

Ugh! I love WWE but some of the decisions they make are infuriating.

The Dudley Boyz V The Usos: Tables Match

In a rematch from WrestleMania, The Dudley Boyz face off against The Usos in a tables match. This match was pretty boring. Even with tables involved!

The Usos and Dudleys fightt outside for a bit and then make their way to the ring. Usos prop The Dudleys on two separate tables so they can hit a splash from the top rope just like they did at WrestleMania. The Dudleys roll off at the last second and send the Usos crashing through the table.

Backstage segment 

Sami Zayn speaks to his chance at the WWE Championship. He wants to prove that he has what it takes to make it. Unfortunately, he can’t prove it tonight because here comes Kevin Owens with a classic backstage ambush.

Oh, that dastardly Kevin Owens, what will he get up to next?

 In-ring segment 

Back in the ring, The Dudley Boyz are still flapping their mouths to the crowd. They’re on their way out when suddenly some familiar Italian music hits and the crowd pops like crazy.

Out come Enzo and Cass to a loud “How Ya Doin’?” chant. I never witnessed any of Enzo and Cass’s antics before but after this segment, I was pretty hooked. I can see why people love them.

Enzo and Cass rip into the Dudley Boyz and challenge them to a fight, which the Dudleys promptly refuse.

The crowd was on fire for this segment. They hung on every word coming out of Enzo’s mouth and repeated every notable line. Great stuff. A very enjoyable segment.

SAWFT!

Fatal 4-Way: #1 Contenders Match

We get all contenders out to the ring sans Sami Zayn. Lillian Garcia informs us that he is not medically cleared to wrestle after his backstage altercation. Although, they’ve found a replacement.

At this point, I was holding my breath, hoping that it wouldn’t be John Cena.

Suddenly, blood started trickling out of my ears. That only happens when I hear a high-pitched siren. Is it? YES! It is! Cesaro is the 4^th contender!

Cesaro walks out in a full suit to a huge ovation. He poses a little then rips off the suit to reveal his wrestling gear. He’s ready to fight.

The match starts and the crowd is chanting for Cesaro. Remember when Vince said Cesaro wasn’t resonating with the WWE Universe? Me neither.

All men quickly go after one another until Cesaro and Styles are left in the ring. Styles hits a stiff dropkick. Cesaro returns the favor with a dizzying tilt-a-whirl slam. He screams into the crowd to a huge cheer.

Fast-forward a few minutes and the crowd has burst into a “This is wrestling” chant which I’ve never heard before. That can only be the sign of a great main event!

Jericho and Owens look to double superplex Styles. Cesaro sneaks in and adds a powerbomb into the mix. The three fallen men retrieve to individual turnbuckles and Cesaro starts his uppercut train. He nails Jericho but gets derailed my Owens. Owens runs past Cesaro and hits a corner somersault onto Jericho. Styles floors Owens and Cesaro returns to hit Styles with a pop-up uppercut for a near fall.

Jericho thumbs the eye of Cesaro and begins to work on Owens. Jericho goes for the Lionsault but Owens puts his knees up. Jericho lies flat on his back and Styles lands a springboard 450 splash out of nowhere! This match is hype!

Owens is in to work on Styles. He calls out Aj Styles’ “stupid haircut” and ducks out of the way of a Cesaro crossbody attempt.

Cesaro pretty much owns the ring for the next 2 minutes, hitting countless corner uppercuts and even locks Jericho into a Cesaro swing for 10 roations. The man’s conditioning is uncanny.

Owens hits a Pop-up Powerbomb on Styles, Jericho hits a Codebreaker on Owens and locks in the Walls of Jericho on Cesaro. Cesaro counters into a Sharpshooter and Styles breaks it up with a Phenomenal forearm! Jesus Christ. I can’t keep up.

Styles clears the ring until it’s only him and Jericho. They struggle for a bit until Jericho hits the Codebreaker for a 2 ¾ count. He argues with the ref, giving Styles enough time to hit the Styles Clash and secure the victory!

Styles is going to be facing Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight championship.

What a match!

Summary:

Overall, RAW after WrestleMania was a noteworthy affair. It could have been way better if they didn’t include the filler matches but I get they wanted to include all the stand-outs from WrestleMania. The main event was definitely the highlight of the night. You don’t often see Fatal Four-Ways where all the participants are in the ring. Usually 2 people lie on the outside for the majority. I’m also going to give it up to Enzo and Cass for sparking the crowd back up after they started to lull. But as always, the biggest winners of Raw after WrestleMania are the crowd members. They were hotter than usual and it made for an entertaining night.

 

 

 

 

 

Lucha Underground SN2 EP10 – ‘El Jefe is Back’

What’s up luchadores and luchadoras! I’m back for my second week of reviewing the greatest hour of wrestling on TV each week, Lucha Underground.

We were treated with a five star match last week. Let’s see what we have going on in The Temple this week!

We start out this week with a some recaps including the debut of Matanza from last week as well as a few other refreshers on current feuds in Lucha Underground.

El Jefe is in the ring! Oh how we missed you Dario! Pentagon Jr. interrupts Cueto while he is announcing a new Trios tournament and new #1 contender for the Lucha Underground Championship. Pentagon wants to face Matanza. They will face each other for the title tonight. You’ll regret that Pentagon! Rather than ‘cero miedo’ you’ll have mucho miedo after facing Matanza.

This first match of the night is Taya & Johnny Mundo vs. Mr. Cisco & Cortez Castro. Taya and Cortez start the match off. Striker mentioning Taya being taller than Cortez gave me a good laugh. Sorry for that Cortez. Mundo tags himself in while Taya is impressing the #LuchaKliq at the Temple. He violently punches Cisco in the face multiple times. Cisco and Mundo go back and forth for a bit as both lay in the ring trying to tag in their partners. They both get to their partners. Castro pins Taya after a bit of action but Mundo stops it.

Now we hear “I’m a Machine!”. Cage is out to continue his feud with Mundo. Mundo runs off leaving Taya alone in the ring with both Castro & Cisco. They get the 1, 2, 3. This was a pretty solid first match to start the show.

Up next is a fantastic vignette involving Mariposa and Marty The Moth. Let’s just leave it at the fact that you don’t want to mess with Mariposa. The Moth and Mariposa are quickly becoming one of my favorite acts in Lucha Underground! I always liked Mariposa before she came to Lucha Underground,  so I’m glad she’s getting the chance to shine here.

We are then treated with a backstage promo between Dario and Catrina. Thank god you are back in charge Dario! Catrina threatens Dario that her man should be champ and not Matanza.

Match #2 of the night is up next and it’s a elimination match for the Trios Championship. It’s great to have Ivelisse, Angelico and Son of Havoc as champs again. I can’t imagine Lucha Underground without them. They will be facing the Disciples of Death.

We start of with some action between Angelico And Barrio Negro. Son of Havoc and Ivelisse also get involved and continue to beat the hell out of Negro. How dare you call Ivelisse the weakest Matt Striker! She’s the baddest bitch in Lucha Underground for goodness sake! Ivelisse is eliminated due to outside involvement from Catrina.

The action continues between the remaining men in the match. Angelico eliminate Trece. It’s now two on two. Angelico and Havoc have the moves of the night so far by going over the ropes and landing on the Disciples of Death. Angelico is next to be eliminated. The move that eliminated Angelico made me cringe. Son of Havoc is now all alone.

Havoc eliminates Negro to make it a one on one match. Ivelisse is back out to attack Catrina. Gotta love Striker calling Havoc a “bearded bastard”. The best commentator in all of wrestling is Matt Striker and I don’t think it’s even arguable. Havoc gets the win for his team to retain the titles. All in all, a pretty good match but I would have preferred more Ivelisse. Son of Havoc stole the show in that match.

We are then treated with more Dario Cueto backstage. This time with Rey Mysterio. Mysterio confronts Cueto about issues he has with Matanza, who he feels attacked his mentor.

Willie Mack and Sexy Star wait in the ring for the third match of the night. Sexy Star will be facing of against Mariposa. The Moth will also be ringside.

Mariposa and Sexy Star go at it. This kind of action doesn’t happen anywhere else. These are two of the most talented women in wrestling. It has to be said that Marty is one creepy son of a gun and you have to love him for it! Mariposa hits Sexy with what she calls ‘The Butterfly Effect’ to win the match. The Moth & Mariposa then attack Willie Mack as he is checking on Sexy Star. That move where The Moth picked up Mariposa and proceeded to throw her on Mack may be the highlight of the night for me.

The main event is next and it’s for the Lucha Underground Championship. Pentagon Junior watch your back! Matanza is coming for you! This match will be like something you’d see in a comic book. A young kid by me at the taping I attended described Matanza as, “like Bane from Batman but if he were a wrestler”.

Pentagon continually attacks Matanza to start of the match but it seems to have no effect. Matanza is a killer ladies & gents! He chucks Pentagon into the wooden chairs at ringside. Told you you’d regret it Pentagon! Matanza is probably the strongest and most intimidating guy I’ve ever seen in wrestling. Matanza easily defeats Pentagon to remain champ.

Vampiro enters the same ring as Matanza after the match. Man, Vampiro has some cajones! To no ones surprise, he is attacked by Matanza. Way to help out your buddy, Striker! I take back what I said earlier. Matanza then throws Pentagon through the commentary table. And that’s how we end Lucha Underground this week.

We were treated with another great hour of wrestling on Lucha Underground this week. The highlights being the singles debut of Mariposa, Son of Havoc in the Trios match and the continuing dominance of Matanza.

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.

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.