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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Go on WWE, excite me.

That sounded dirty didn’t it?

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

Pros And Cons of WWE’s New Brand Split

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

Pro: They could have their cake and eat it too

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

Pro: More screen-time for certain guys

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

Pro: Less pressure on everyone

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

Con: More Authority Figures

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

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

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

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

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

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

WWE BRAND SPLIT ANNOUNCED

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

— Variety (@Variety) May 25, 2016

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

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

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

WWE RAW Review: 23rd May 2016

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

OPENER

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

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

SAMI ZAYN def. SHEAMUS

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

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

THE NEW DAY def. THE SOCIAL OUTCASTS

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

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

CESARO def. THE MIZ

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

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

CHRIS JERICHO def. APOLLO CREWS

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

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

BIG CASS def. BUBBA RAY DUDLEY

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

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

DEAN AMBROSE def. DOLPH ZIGGLER

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

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

KEVIN OWENS def. AJ STYLES

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

FINAL NOTES & SCORES

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

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

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

Camp WWE Is Worth The Trip

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo: WWE

WWE Extreme Rules Review

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

PRE-SHOW EVENTS

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

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

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

Parzy Rating: 3/10 Fuck this match

TheRealDills’ Rating: 5/10

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

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

Parzy Rating: 4/10

TheRealDills’ Rating: 5/10

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

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

TheRealDills’ Rating: 6/10

Parzy’s Rating: 7/10

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

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

Parzy Rating: 6/10

TheRealDills’ Rating: 6/10

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

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

Parzy Rating: 9/10

TheRealDills’ Rating: 8/10

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

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

TheRealDills’ Rating: 3/10

Parzy’s Rating: 6/10

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

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

TheRealDills’ Rating: 4/10

Parzy’s Rating: 5/10

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

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

TheRealDills’ Rating: 7/10

Parzy’s Rating: 8/10

FINAL NOTES & SCORES

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

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

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

WWE Extreme Rules (2016) Review

The Usos vs. The Club – Texas Tornado Match

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

Overall rating: 3.75 (Out of 5) Stars

Rusev vs. Kalisto – US Championship

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

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

The New Day vs. The Vaudevillains – Tag Team Championships

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

Overall rating: 3.25 out of 5

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

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

Overall rating: 4.75 stars

Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho – Asylum Match

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

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

Overall rating: 3.25 stars

Charlotte vs. Natalya – Women’s Title Match

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

Overall rating: 3 stars

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

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

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

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

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

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

BREAKING NEWS – Cody Rhodes asks for Release

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

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

— Hyrule Husky (@PrinceCGR) May 21, 2016

Remembering Cody

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

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

WWE Extreme Rules Predictions

Can you feel it? It’s that time of year, the time when the rules are thrown out of the window and so are the wrestlers. It is time for Extreme Rules. Only 3 weeks since Payback, the matches at Extreme Rules seem to benefit from this short gap between the pay per view shows. The feuds have not overstayed their welcome as they have had a shorter lifespan and it seems that the 3 weeks since May 1^st have been used to intensify the feuds leading into this barbaric (hopefully) pay per view. Now as this is the first pay per view that will be covered on the site it feels necessary to explain the structure. The monthly pay per views are going to be previewed/reviewed by both me and the resident Smackdown reviewer and my best friend/bitter enemy Parzy. As there are 8 matches for Extreme Rules we will take 4 matches each to write a preview and review. Though we will both give our predictions and scores for all 8. I know it’s a bit confusing but sharing is caring guys.

Parzy Match 1 – Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin (No Disqualifications)

In what will most likely be the pre-show match, we’ll have Ziggler getting over Corbin on the grandest stage of all (New Jersey). Gather all of your friends and family to watch The King of Strong Sells get buried by the up and comer. This match suffers in comparison to the rest of the card since the feud has received no attention at all, even less than attention than the Golden Truth storyline. In all likelihood, the culmination of this feud will actually be very impressive, especially since the two have the most to prove to the WWE Universe out of everyone on the card. This fight could decide Corbin’s bookings for the next year, the crossroads between a Kevin Owens opening year and a Tyler Breeze opening year. Hopefully, the two can put on a match that will put the AGMBR winner on the road to Corbinmania.

Parzy’s Prediction: Baron Corbin

TheRealDills’ Prediction: Baron Corbin

TheRealDills Match 1 – Jericho vs Ambrose (Asylum Match)

So first off it is the dreaded ASYLUM MATCH! Now this match can definitely go either 1 of 2 ways, the first possibility is that we will get Dean Ambrose going back to his CZW roots and bring Jericho to his hard-core limit. The second possibility is that we will get a repeat of Ambrose’s match with the Beast at Wrestlemania 32. Which would be dull, boring and worst of all not extreme. Whether the match is good or bad the winner will hopefully be Ambrose. The Lunatic Fringe was beginning to become synonymous with the phrase ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ and there was truth to that. However with his win over Jericho at Payback, it seems that WWE may finally be attempting to build momentum for Ambrose

TheRealDills’ Prediction: Dean Ambrose

Parzy’s Prediction: Dean Ambrose

Parzy Match 2 – The Club vs The Usos (Tornado Tag Team)

The last Tornado Tag Team stipulation on the WWE main roster  occurred almost three years ago at Extreme Rules 2013 where The Shield beat Team Hell No for the Tag Team Titles. I think that this stipulation hasn’t been wasted for this match, as shown by the inability that these teams have to wait for tags on Raw and Smackdown. Both teams are experienced, talented athletes with long histories, so it’ll be good to see them wrestle without the shadows of AJ Styles and Roman Reigns at ringside stretching over them. This match should be a long one, provided that they work as teams rather than immediately splitting into two one on one matches. So far The Club’s talent has been squandered in favour of the Usos winning matches, so I hope that all those losses will end in one big win on Sunday night to get The Club fully over in the eyes of the WWE Universe.

Parzy’s Prediction: The Club

TheRealDills’ Prediction: The Usos

TheRealDills Match 2 – Rusev vs Kalisto (United States Championship)

The US title has been through a difficult time in recent years. Cast your minds back to the lead up to Wrestlemania 31 and the then champion (now challenger) Rusev was an unstoppable monster. Then after the Rusev train was stopped by the one and only John Cena, we got an amazing run with the US Open Challenge. Ever since his departure back in October at Hell In A Cell, the US title has slowly moved its way down the card and into the pre-show. Kalisto’s run as the champion has not been able to regain the value that the title recently held, this is why my prediction is that Rusev walks away champion.

TheRealDills’ Prediction: Rusev

Parzy’s Prediction: Rusev

Parzy Match 3 – The New Day (C) vs The Vaudevillains (Tag Team Championship)

This matchup has had one of the biggest build-ups out of all of the card, with the Number 1 Contender contest starting…. Holy shit it was only a month ago, this build up has felt like its been going on for much longer, with the debut of Enzo and Cass and The Vaudevillains kicking off the  contest and so much going on since then (The Dudley Boys/Enzo and Cass feud, the Enzo and Cass/The Vaudevillains feud, Enzo’s injury and  The Vaudevillains/The New Day feud). Even though this match has had so much build up I expect the New Day to win, The Vaudevillains are too fresh for a championship already and The New Day are only 11 days off of the record for longest Tag Team Title reign (As of 20/05/2016). I love the New Day as champions so I hope that they hold on to the titles this time. The belts would look great on The Vaudevillains in the future, though.

Parzy’s Prediction: The New Day

TheRealDills’ Prediction: The New Day

TheRealDills Match 3 – Natalya vs Charlotte (Women’s Championship)           

      

The match between Charlotte and Natalya at Payback was a really solid match with the only flaw being the ending, and it was a very big flaw. The way the match ended at Payback was so unnecessary and frankly a bit disrespectful towards Bret and Natalya. The solution that was offered for Extreme Rules was the added stipulation that this will be a submission match. It does make sense as this will prove who truly able to outlast the other. I am pretty confident when I say that Charlotte will be able to get the win as her reign is clearly heading for bigger things. Hopefully, with the added stipulation that Flair cannot be at ringside, we do not get a repeat of the events of May 1^st.

TheRealDills’ Prediction: Charlotte

Parzy’s Prediction: Charlotte

Parzy Match 4 – The Miz (C) vs Cesaro vs Zayn vs Owens (Intercontinental Championship)

This match is my most anticipated match of the night, with each contender equally worthy of the title, it’s the least predictable match-up on the card. I can also now confidently say that this match has had the longest build-up to the match, starting way back when KO lost his title to Zack Ryder at Wrestlemania. Even though we have seen these four fight each other again and again over the weeks, I still feel invested in the story, and these four can definitely put on a great match together. This match would definitely benefit from a longer run time than some of the other matches on the card, with each superstar given time to flesh out the rivalries on display in the match up. Although this match’s results are up in the air, I think that Sami Zayn could be the surprise victor here, especially since KO is more compelling when he’s working for a title and Cesaro has nothing to prove. It would also set up a great one on one Sami vs KO feud in the coming weeks, which would be perfect without any other superstars diluting it.

Parzy’s Prediction: Sami Zayn

TheRealDills’ Prediction: Cesaro

TheRealDills Match 4 – AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

Let’s not kid ourselves here guys. We all know that Roman Reigns is leaving this match with the title. Despite the fact, he is still not, and probably never going to get the crowd reaction that Vince and co want is clearly not deterring them. The Roman Reigns project is in full effect. I expect this match to be a great match, AJ is, in my opinion, the best in the world at pure wrestling and Roman is half bad in the ring either. There is also the extreme rules stipulation which means things are bound to get out of control. Normally the lack of a clear face/heel in the feud would lead to an unpredictable match. But this is Roman Reigns we are talking about. Sure Styles definitely deserves a victory as not only is he the better wrestler but also a fan favourite, but Roman is not dropping that belt before Summerslam. My only real question is, are we going to see Finn Balor? Please let it be so.

TheRealDills’ Prediction: Roman Reigns

Parzy’s Prediction: Roman Reigns

So there we go, those are our predictions for WWE Extreme Rules. Do you agree with me or are you more inclined to agree with Parzy? Maybe you disagree with both of us and if so be sure to leave a comment and tell is what you think the outcome of Extreme Rules will be. You can follow me on twitter @THEREALDILLS and Parzy @oliverwoodster.

WWE RAW Review: 16th May 2016

It is less than a week until the next pay per view, Extreme Rules! Tonight we are in North Carolina also known as Flair Country! I didn’t have high expectations for this week’s RAW as it is the ‘Go Home’ show for Extreme rules, but pretty much every storyline has been established. So I was left wondering would there be a spanner in the works? Or would RAW just coast into this Sunday’s pay per view?

OPENER

The commentary team tells us that tonight we will get Gallows and Anderson vs The Usos in a tag team match. Do you remember what I said about coasting? This is the seventh time, if you include both RAW and Smackdown, that The Club has faced The Family in some form. The night starts off with AJ Styles coming out to the ring. Styles aims to set the record straight, he is not using his friendship with Gallows and Anderson to unfairly win the WWE title. Roman Reigns comes out to interrupt Styles, with a chorus of boos to welcome him. Reigns isn’t believing anything AJ is saying. This segment is already beginning to drag honestly, and the crowd obviously agreed as we got a “We want Rollins” chant (Don’t we all). There is some more back and forth, AJ hates Reign’s “The Guy” speech as much as we do it seems. Also, The Family is no longer ‘The Family’, instead, the name has been replaced with ‘The Bloodline’. There are worse names I can think of so I’m not too fussed with this choice. Well, every good thing (and boring in this case) must come to an end as The Club come out to give AJ moral support, but the Usos are a step ahead as they enter the ring before The Club gets a chance to make their way down. The segment ends with a screaming contest between AJ and Roman.

• Ambrose to call out Jericho tonight
• Contract signing between Natalya and Charlotte also announced for tonight

SAMI ZAYN vs CESARO (NO CONTEST)

Before the start of the match, The Miz and Maryse make their way down to the ring as they will be joining the commentary team (I love heel Miz so this is fantastic). Things get even better when we see that not only is Miz going to be on commentary, we are also graced with Kevin Owens’ commentary which is always a joy to hear. Miz and Owens waste no time in bickering, continuing during the entrances of Zayn and Cesaro. The match gets underway as Sami and Cesaro feel each other out, however, the spotlight is quickly stolen by Kevin Owens, who attacks The Miz at ringside, leading to a brawl between the two. This an opportunity that Zayn and the Swiss Superman can’t afford to pass up and they both get involved in this brawl. The match ends in a no contest.

But wait! Here comes the money! It’s Shane O Mac! Shane quickly restores order and sets up a tag team match, Zayn, and Cesaro vs The Miz and Owens (Hilariously Owens screams that he has been given the worst partner). However, more craziness ensues when Stephanie McMahon decides to chip in, claiming that given the outcome of the same match on Smackdown the better choice is Cesaro and The Miz vs Zayn and Owens (Wait what! Zayn and Owens?!)

ZAYN & OWENS def. CESARO & MIZ

As we return from the break we find that Cesaro and Owens begin the match, with Cesaro quickly gaining the upper hand. The sassiness between the team of Zayn and Owens is wonderful both clearly despising each other. The match is very well paced and shows off the strengths of each competitor, especially Cesaro. Kevin Owens’ constant running commentary throughout the match is absolutely brilliant. This match was brilliant throughout, the Kevin Owens cannonball was great, and the spot in which Miz and Cesaro used each other’s finisher was entertaining. Surprisingly, in the end, it is the team of Cesaro and Miz who cannot cooperate causing Zayn to pick up the win after a Helluva kick on Miz. Unsurprisingly though the celebrations do not last long as Sami eats a superkick from Kevin Owens.

• Jericho is interviewed by Renee Young telling her that he is giving Dean Ambrose one chance to apologise.

THE SHINING STARS def. JACKSON & KENNEDY

After weeks of waiting it turns out those Puerto Rican video packages weren’t just a holiday advertisement, but actual wrestlers. Primo and Epico debut their new gimmick tonight, as The Shining Stars. What exactly they are meant to be is beyond me. Their match with Jackson and Kennedy (nice job on their tights by the way) is exactly what you would expect, a squash match. As expected The Shining Stars received no crowd reaction. At least their finisher is nice (Even if it is similar to The Ascensions).

• Ambrose comes out to the ring and calls out Jericho (what the hell was Jericho wearing?). Jericho who is still furious at Ambrose heels it up for the crowd and demands reparations for his jacket. The main thing we take from this segment is that this match will be an asylum match (basically a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match from TNA).
• Dana Brooke absolutely humiliates a random backstage guy. Brutal!

DANA BROOKE def. BECKY LYNCH

With the upsetting news of the back injury to Emma, it seems that Dana Brooke is being thrown into the deep end, even more than she was before. When Dana Brooke debuted on RAW last week, every NXT fan was left wondering, is it too soon? This week would be her gauntlet by fire it seems as she is left completely on her own against Becky Lynch. Well if this was her test then, unfortunately, Brooke did not pass. The crowd could not care less about Dana Brooke in this match, instead chanting “We want Sasha” whenever Dana was on offense. Dana looked sloppy in the ring and hesitant during the match, she definitely could have used more time down in NXT.

• Another ‘Make Darren Young Great Again’ video package. This one didn’t make any sense, are we just meant to laugh at Bob Backlund for being old?
• Stephanie and Shane are still trying to stay on good terms, but the cracks are there. The Dudley Boys interrupt the awkward tension in an attempt to get an easy match, which backfires leading to one of the Dudley’s facing Big Cass.
• Golden Truth video package (YOU WILL NEVER MAKE ME CARE ABOUT THIS)

BREEZANGO def. GOLDEN TRUTH

Well if you had thought that the troubles between R-Truth and Goldust were over then you will be disappointed after tonight. After a dominant showing from Goldust, the chaos in ring lead to R-Truth accidentally kicking Dust in the face with a corkscrew scissor kick, Tyler Breeze quickly took advantage of this clearing Truth from the ring and getting the pin on Goldust. It seems the trouble is far from over with the Golden Truth (but more importantly ANOTHER WIN FOR TYLER BREEZE!)

• Truth and Goldust vow to remain a team
• Now for the best part of the night, The New Day! This whole segment was gold. Absolute gold. From old school Kofi to Derriere Squares, this segment was brilliant. The Vaudevillains were also made to look very strong in taking out The New Day.

THE USOS def. ANDERSON & GALLOWS

There is nothing wrong with this match if you look at it from a technical perspective, both teams work well in the ring and have good chemistry. However, we have seen variations of this match so many times by this point that I am sick of it. This week’s version is the same as the previous matches that have taken place over various episodes of RAW and Smackdown. The Usos continuously dab, Style and Reigns trash talk and The Club look weak. I have to question the choice in having the Usos come out victorious, so far The Club has not looked like a threat at all during their feud with The Bloodline, and this has not helped at all. The all out brawl at the end of the match even feels stale at this point, even if the Styles Clash on the chair was cool.

BIG CASS def. DEVON DUDLEY

Holy shit! Cass was made to look really strong here. From start to finish this match was exactly 1 minute long. It seems even without his partner in crime Enzo, the WWE are invested in Big Cass’ future (as they should be).

DEL RIO def. KALISTO

This was a pretty good match between the former and the current United States Champion. Del Rio does a fantastic job at being the heel this week especially that swing into the barricade. It seems that some bonds are not easily broken as Del Rio forces Kalisto to watch former LON team member Rusev dismantle Kalisto’s partner Sin Cara. Alberto is able to control the pace of the match, with various bouts of offense from the Kalisto in response. Eventually, Rusev and Lana make their way to the ring while Rusev bullies and torments Sin Cara. This distraction costs Kalisto the match as Del Rio gives him a backstabber to pick up the win. That’s not the end for Kalisto however as Rusev then places him in the accolade, almost as if he is intent on snapping his spine. I for one am very glad to see that Rusev is being portrayed as a monster again. Hopefully, we can put this last year of love triangles behind us and return to the Rusev we know and love.

CLOSING SEGMENT

Can we take a moment to point out that a women’s segment is closing the go home Monday Night RAW? It seems that the era of bra and panties matches is long gone and it is a relief to have good women’s wrestling. Well, it is time for a good ole fashioned contract signing! With Shane and Stephanie acting as mediators, we have them introduce (or TRY to introduce in Charlotte’s case) the champion and the challenger. Now considering this is Flair country, Charlotte had to work very hard to get some heat tonight, but by god she did it. Charlotte had to resort to calling herself a goddess and silencing her own father but she was able to silence the boos. As expected with a WWE contract signing things get out of hand quickly. It is revealed that the contract has a clause. If Ric gets involved in the match against Natalya at extreme rules, then Charlotte will lose the Women’s Championship, and if Charlotte doesn’t sign she will forfeit the title tonight. Not much choice for the Women’s champion. This gets the Nature Boy heated as he berates Stephanie and tried to take on Shane (I don’t care how old he is, I will always love Flair). Flair gets a bit too angry though and ends up eating a slap from Stephanie McMahon. All this commotion in the ring leads to Nattie giving Charlotte the sharpshooter and we end the show on Natalya standing tall.

FINAL NOTES & SCORE

• Tonight’s MVP:
• Match of the Night: Zayn & Owens vs Cesaro & Miz
• Moment of the Night: The New Day time machine segment
• They have definitely pulled the trigger on Dana Brooke too soon.
• I’m definitely not imagining it, there is definitely a weird tension between Shane and Stephanie

In the beginning of this review, I questioned whether this week’s RAW would make some interesting changes or if it would just coast into this Sunday. Well considering that of the 8 matches tonight we have seen 7 of these matches before with a few slight changes. Not a good sign for the New Era. This week’s RAW gets a 5/10

As always you can follow me on twitter @THEREALDILLS, I am also considering making a private account so I can stalk Becky Lynch in peace.