The NXT Review – May 11th 2016 – ‘Clean Cut Hardy Boys’

Whats Up Wrestling Peeps! Boom or a Whimper? That is the question regarding the handling to the aftermath of NXT’s longest reining Champ Finn Balor’s lose to Samoa Joe. I somewhat subscribe to the later given that the wound still smarts with how that lose occurred offscreen. But I can’t let-go of the hope that NXT will give a big payoff to a feud that has dragged on for many months. Especially if that oh-so-tantalising rumour of a Steel Cage goodbye Match for Balor is set in stone.

Oh baby, pleases all round.

The perpetual show openers, rabble-rouser or ‘The New Day‘ of NXT, American Alpha, got this weeks show off the blistering start. Who’d thunk that giving the most over guys on the developmental Brand the Tag Team titles would go over so well? It’s almost like giving fans what they want seems like a good idea or something. Who knew!

Okay, snarkiness aside, it takes more than being a crowd pleaser to ascend to the next level once you own that coveted title. But these guys – like The New Day – have used the fans goodwill and championship gold to catapult them to the face of the division, rather than resting on their laurels.

I could bang on about their in-ring skill and their willingness to try new things, but that’s old hat at this point. In fact, it is American Alpha’s commitment to their pro-wrestling background, a gimmick that altogether is old hat too (hello Kurt Angle, Jack Swagger and The Worlds Greatest Tag-Team), that has reinvigorated the NXT Tag Division.

Whereas the The Vaudevillians took the old timey too far, perhaps cementing themselves as a gimmick with a limited shelf life. American Alpha is old-skool exciting whose gimmick and mass-appeal lies in their talent in the ring.

Think a cleaner-cut Hardy Boys. Now doesn’t that get you excited for this teams future?

Could this count as a goodbye match for Alex Riley?

I know I’ve had some unkind words for Riley in the past but I won’t Sh@t on dude on the way out because simple fact is, the style of matches he produces just don’t do it for me. It’s not his fault and neither should he conform to suit any one individuals opinion. But there just isn’t anything new since he debuted with The Miz back in the day. A glaring fault in Riley’s repertoire highlighted when paired against the ever-entertaining Shinsuke Nakamura.

Of course Nakamura got the win here as he continues to rack up the points before the final boss in the form of Samoa Joe. A match that I hope we will see on NXT before the two inevitable rise to the Main Roster. I would have liked to see Nakamura and Balor face-off for the title but guess I’ll have to wait for a future WrestleMania match or … you know … WWE2K17.

Sidenote, I absolutely agree with Austin Aries observation that Blake & Murphy with Alexa Bliss is a marketable improvement.

Because EVERYTHING is better with Alexa Bliss.

Alexa’s ‘Blissed-off’ expressions is constant gif-worthy gold. Her total lack of enthusiasm for Rachel Ellering’s entrance was everything you want from a mean girl of her calibre.

So why is she being wasted on newbies?

My love for the Bad-Pixie of NXT is no secret. And my girl needs to be put in a storyline of substance. I’m not saying she is NXT Women’s Championship material just yet, due in part to my inability to watch Asuka wreck that smarmy little face of hers. But she deserves something better than this.

With her boys matching up against Aries and a partner of his choosing next week. Maybe – at the very least – she’ll get some airtime going forward.

Baby steps Alexa, I can wait for that eventual push.

Main event time and back to that Boom or Whimper pondering. But first … Erm, stop wasting the former NXT Champ on the drifter Elias Samson already.

I’m sorry but I just can’t get it up for this guy. It’s that bad, I only just realised that I’ve been spelling his name wrong since he debut. Oops my bad, but can you blame me? Ugh, so boring.

Anywho, Balor got the win, William Regal got angry and Balor went flying over the top rope right smack-boom on Samoa Joe’s face. A full stop on the episode that set up a title rematch for TakeOver.

No Steel Cage stipulation just yet but there’s always time.

Make it so Regal. Get your trusty ol’white board out and make it so.

 

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

WWE RAW Review: 9th May 2016

It’s a new era in WWE. That’s what they want us to think anyway, and despite the fact they bombarded the audience with this new phrase ‘new era’, it’s hard not to agree with them as of recently. Since Wrestlemania 32 things have changed drastically in the biggest wrestling company in the world. Whether it’s calls ups from NXT or imports from other promotions the main roster seems to have gone through a shift. This week’s episode of Raw has honestly been quite difficult for me to pin down. The show had solid matches and new talent (hence the new era) however, the booking was odd, to say the least. We had 4 out of 4 champions who wrestled tonight lose. Why? Well, it wouldn’t be WWE if I didn’t question the booking.

OPENER

The show starts with Chris Jericho’s highlight reel. Firstly I have to point out something that cannot be overstated. Chris Jericho is a perfect heel. Jericho quickly brings the crowd to life, managing to get them to chant the name of a plant pot. Pretty impressive. Jericho’s monologue can’t go on forever though as Big Cass comes down to the ring to shut up Y2J. Even with the absence of Enzo Amore the tag team of Enzo and Cass is over like crazy, Big Cass didn’t even need to say the catchphrase “And you can’t teach that” as the crowd was saying it for him. This segment ends with a boot kick that could be heard around the world onto Chris Jericho.

• Jericho then speaks to Stephanie but against his wishes, she puts him in the main event with Big Cass. Wow! Big Cass in the main event? Things are going well so far.

CORBIN def. ZIGGLER

Our first match of the night is Dolph Ziggler against Baron Corbin. The match itself was as good as their opener at WWE Payback, but this time the right man wins, Baron Corbin. The match starts off with a good pace. Ziggler clearly tries to use his speed to counter Corbin’s size, while Corbin portrays the monster opponent with great moves such as that amazing deep six. The moment of the match was when Ziggler played possum in order to use the fameasser for a near pin. This showed the veteran that Dolph has become.

• Backstage we see another instance of someone trying to turn Shane and Stephanie against each other. Once again they fail to do so.

 

• Jojo interviews The Club, hopefully soon to be renamed the Balor Club (please). AJ is pissed at last week and the lines between face and heel get blurrier by the week.

TRUTH def. FANDANGO

How long has this Golden Truth angle been going on for? It feels like babies have been conceived and born while this feud has been going on. At least Tyler Breeze is getting screen time. This match was the definition of average.

• Backstage we get an IC title debate. Miz, Owens and the sharpest man in wrestling Cesaro all make their case to Stephanie and Shane, but Stephanie eventually tells them how it’s going to be. A triple threat match at Extreme Rules for the title. However Zayn has yet to present his argument and when he does we get another match scheduled for tonight. Zayn vs Miz, if Sami wins he gets a place at Extreme Rules.

PAIGE def. CHARLOTTE

Having been the face of the division in recent years it is good to see Paige back on Raw after a long absence. The match was very back and forth, Paige and Charlotte looked even. The match ends when despite being banned Ric Flair makes his way to ringside to confront Natalya, however, this distraction costs Charlotte the match. The way this was booked was extremely confusing honestly. It seems purpose of the match was to show Charlotte’s weaknesses without her father, but all it did was make it seem like the Nature Boy was a distraction. The glaring issues though was the commentary. JESUS CHRIST, THE COMMENTARY! This week Natalya was a special guest commentator and somehow things got even worse. The constant bickering between all 4 commentators was extremely distracting, and this proved that while she is an expert in the ring it, unfortunately, seems as if Natalya will always remain poor on the mic.

ZAYN def. MIZ

This match is a prime example of two superstars who know their characters. Sami Zayn is the ultimate baby face. A true underdog and before the match even begins we hear ole chants from the crowd who are all behind Sami. The Miz, however, is a true heel right down to his core and he plays the role like he was born to. This match was great tonight and though only the fourth match of the planned eight it is an early contender for match of the night. Zayn especially looked great, from his barricade moon sault to his as always brilliant Helluva Kick, Zayn was on form. After Sami gets a pin on The Miz we see footage of both Kevin Owens and Cesaro watching the match, the Intercontinental Championship match at Extreme Rules is going to be great no matter what.

• Renee Young interviews Becky Lynch backstage asking about her match with Emma the previous week. She tells Renee that she will give Emma a lass kicking but is suddenly interrupted by Emma and a debuting Dana Brooke, who proceed to ambush Becky.

• Another Make Darren Great Again segment. Am I weird for laughing at these? They don’t seem like they should be funny at all but I can’t resist chuckling.

• Oh yeah! Upupdowndown getting the recognition it deserves? About time! Oh, wait… W-What’s happening… is that pizza hut? Really? God damn it.

• The backstage segment shows Zack Ryder pleading his case to Shane O Mac as to why he should be in the fatal 4 way at Extreme Rules. Kevin Owens interrupts the two and after getting in Shane’s face the match has been set, Ryder vs Owens for a place in the fatal 4-way match

SIN CARA def. RUSEV

If we cast our mind back to Wrestlemania 31 Rusev was one of the strongest wrestlers on the roster in both kayfabe and talent wise. However since he lost the US title he has been on a downward spiral that hit rock bottom with the League of Nations. Hopefully, his chase of the US title helps him reclaim former glory. The match between Sin Cara and Rusev was standard, it helped heat up the feud which is all that it needed to do. You can’t go wrong when you have Rusev’s acting ability.

THE FAMILY def. THE CLUB

The Club make their way down to the ring, the team of Styles, Gallows, and Anderson seem like a formidable unit, and despite their differences in the previous weeks, they seem ready to take on The Family. Said Family make their way down to the ring (I don’t even need to mention the boos at this point). The match starts and I have to say both teams look very comfortable working with each other. This shouldn’t be surprising giving the ties all the respective teams have, but it was nice to see how well they gelled for this match. It is obvious that Roman and AJ are being kept away from each other as they should early on. The Usos and the team of Gallows and Anderson put on a good show with the club being able to pick up the first elimination on one of the Usos (I can’t tell them apart). As Newton’s third law tells us though there must be a reaction from The Family as Anderson quickly follows Jimmy/Jey. After this, we go to commercial break only to come back to see that another elimination had happened and that we missed Styles hitting a spectacular phenomenal forearm. Eventually, we are down to only Styles and Reigns when all hell breaks loose. Both men quickly exit the ring and it seems we might get a repeat table spot from last week. However, eventually, The Club and then the Usos return to support their teammates. After a chaotic brawl and one intense stare down we are left with Reigns staring down Styles while lifting the title. As a professed AJ mark, I have to admit I am ecstatic about a WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch in 2 week’s time.

OWENS def. RYDER

The stipulations of this match were established earlier by Shane McMahon, and while I love me some Long Island Ice Z, Owens winning was the correct outcome. It seems that Vince and the rest of WWE do not have any long-term plans for Ryder and I have to come to deal with that I guess. The match was good, Ryder was able to get in some good near falls and looked threatening, but in the end, Owens did not seem troubled by Ryder as he hits a pop-up power bottom to get the pinfall.

• Big Cass calls tonight, “the biggest match of my career” and dedicates it to Enzo (aww). He then flirts with Renee (no one tell Dean)

DUDLEYS def. NEW DAY

The Dudley’s defeating the New Day really wasn’t necessary, even if you give the reasoning that it created more heat. Too many champions lost tonight. I have no comment on the “people like us” line.

ENDING SEGMENT

Well, this week’s Raw has been hit or miss so far but we have a great match to close the show. The one and only Big Cass will be main eventing on Raw for the first time in his li- sorry what’s that? Dean Ambrose? Fuck…. Well, it seems like we are closing on an Ambrose/Jericho brawl instead. There was nothing wrong with this brawl but it seemed like an odd way to close the show. Definitely, could have close with Styles/Reigns instead. Also, if I was Ambrose my number one priority would be the limitless amounts of scarfs, not the jacket.

FINAL NOTES/SCORE

• Tonight’s MVP: Sami Zayn
• Match of the Night: Sami Zayn vs Miz
• Moment of the Night: AJ/Roman staring competition
• As much as it pains me to admit I have lost all hope for a serious Ryder push. At least he got his WM moment.
• Did anyone else get a weird vibe between Shane and Stephanie? It wouldn’t be the first time Vince wanted an incest story.
• Despite the fact we all miss him, Big Cass does not need Enzo to be cool.
• New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era, New Era…..

As I said earlier this week’s RAW was very hit or miss. The show contained some very great technical ability but it was ultimately let down by its booking. This week’s RAW gets a 6/10 from me.

‘WWE Thursday Night SmackDown’ Gets Cheeky

 

Opener:

Just like this past week’s Monday Night RAW, Smackdown emanates from London, England. Before the show begins, we’re shown a video package of the entire AJ Styles/Roman Reigns/Bullet Club encounter from RAW.

And just like RAW, we’re treated to another talk show opening the show. The Miz and Maryse are in the ring in all their Hollywood glory.

AJ Styles is Miz’s guest.

Side note: I really can’t take AJ Styles seriously with his hairstyle. He needs a haircut or at least an elastic band to tie that shit up.

Miz grills Styles on whether or not Styles had anything to do with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson attacking Roman Reigns. Even though Styles declines, Miz keeps on questioning which results in Miz getting knocked on his ass.

This has been the longest a Miz TV segment has ever lasted. A full 7 minutes!

Opening segment: 2/5

Kalisto V Ryback:

Ryback faces off against Kalisto in an exciting rematch from WrestleMania.

I appreciated this matchup for a couple of reasons:

1. Ryback and Kalisto worked well together.

Ryback’s bull-headed fighting style complimented Kalisto’s swiftness to create compelling in-ring chemistry. The way Ryback tossed Kalisto around at the beginning helped me get behind the Lucha Dragon and root for him.

2. The match wasn’t too long.

I wouldn’t have cared if it went on for longer but it was right in the goldilocks zone for being the first match of the night. Neither man locked in a submission to run down the clock. They both did their thing and left us wanting more.

3. It wasn’t one-sided.

Ryback did have the upper hand due to his size and power, but Kalisto put up a fight and wasn’t a punching bag for the entire match. They both had their fair share of surprising moments — like Ryback reversing Kalisto’s Salida Del Sol into a Shell Shock for the victory. That was a beauty.

It helps that Kalisto isn’t a botch-magnet like his “mentor”, Sin Cara. He can pull off surprise moments without face-planting.

Kalisto V Ryback: 3.5/5

Baron Corbin V Dolph Ziggler

Corbin attacks Dolph from behind as he makes his way out to the ring.

Thank god. I was worried I’d have to sit through a Baron Corbin match.

Baron Corbin V Dolph Ziggler: 1/5

AJ Styles V The Miz

A solid ending to an otherwise average bout. Anytime AJ Styles starts to pick up the pace, The Miz slows him down with a headlock or a kick to the gut.

Miz shouldn’t be paired up with high-intensity wrestlers. He’s not exciting enough to keep up. He mainly resorts to holds and quick stabilizers to bring the match down to his level.

Contrary to what some people might think, pairing Miz with another non-exciting wrestler forces him to elevate his game. His match against Zack Ryder a couple of weeks ago is proof that he needs someone at his own wavelength to truly shine.

Styles comes back at the end with a solid sequence of moves. Miz tries to leave but is forced back into the ring by an approaching Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.

Styles wins with the Phenomenal Forearm.

AJ Styles V The Miz: 3/5

P.S. I love Mauro Ranallo’s commentating. He’s an actual student of the sport. He knows all the moves by their original name and even makes it a point to call out what’s happening in the ring rather than babbling on like JBL and King do. He reminds me of Matt Striker. I miss Matt Striker.

Backstage segment:

Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn talk about their match later tonight. Ambrose and Zayn try to have an odd-couple-style banter but it falls flat. Oh well, you never know until you try!

Backstage segment: 1.5/5

In-ring segment:

Oh, what? Miz is still in the ring?

Miz demands that somebody launch an investigation into AJ Styles and The Bullet Club. Shane O Mac comes out and tells Miz that he’s not a priority. Being the egomaniac that he is, The Miz gets insulted by this remark and starts poking Shane to do the right thing. Shane tells Miz to stop poking him and Miz pokes him a couple of more times.

Shane hits Miz with a few baby punches and then a big elbow.

In-ring segment: 2.5/5 (it would be a ‘3’ but the segment went on too long)

Backstage segment:

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows say that they’re not aligned with AJ, they’re just here to make an impact. Hmm, a possible shot at TNA?

They say that they’re making their debut on RAW against the Usos.

By the way, did anyone else notice that Luke Gallows’ arms were incredibly orange during this segment? It looks like he just freshly spray-tanned his arms and nothing else. That or he was shoulder deep in a bag of Doritos.

Backstage Segment: 2/5

Paige & Natalya V Team B.A.D:

This was a sloppy match. I have respect for all the wrestlers in this match but you could tell they didn’t run through the chain of events.

Paige wins via PTO:

Paige & Natalya V Team B.A.D: 2/5

R-Truth V Fandango w/ Goldust as Special Guest Referee:

What the fuck was this?

Why is WWE stretching this “will they won’t they” Golden Truth partnership? Why is Fandango involved? Why did I just watch 3 grown men awkwardly dance for cheap laughs?

R-Truth V Fandango: 0/5

In-ring segment:

Enzo and Cass are out to have a verbal smackdown with The Vaudevillians.

Both teams did a great job of trash talking one another but Enzo came out on top, obviously.

In-ring segment: 3/5

Primo and Epico video package:

Ugh.

Does anyone want to join in on a pool with me to see how long these guys will last before they fade into obscurity? I’m going to give them 2 months.

Primo and Epico video package: 1/5

Dean Ambrose & Sami Zayn V Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens:

Alright, so what the hell happened at the end of this match? There had to be some sort of miscommunication between Owens, Ambrose and Jericho because it seems like Ambrose being pushed off the top rope and getting pinned isn’t how it was supposed to end?

The Heels dominated for the majority in order for the Face team to come back with a hot tag victory. The only problem was the Heels won. Was that supposed to happen? Maybe Sami Zayn missed his mark to break up the pinfall? I don’t know, but something funky happened.

The entire broadcast went whack after that moment. The cameramen were confused and didn’t know where to focus and Eden stood in the ring as if she was going to announce a match.

Overall, a standard tag-team match.

Dean Ambrose & Sami Zayn V Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens: 2.5/5

Conclusion:

WWE Thursday Night SmackDown emanating from London, England was a lacklustre affair. It started off on the right foot with a great opening match but didn’t live up to that hype as the show went on. Anything that came after was perfectly average or downright awful — I’m looking at you Goldust and Fandango.

You’ll get ‘em next time, SmackDown! I will always love you more than your pampered brother, RAW.

SmackDown rating: 24/60

‘ WWE Monday Night Raw ‘ Does England

Opener:

RAW is in London, England. Which can only mean one thing: soccer chants!

The show opens with The Ambrose Asylum; Dean Ambrose’s new talk show…

I’m curious to know what readers of this post think about WWE’s talk show segments. Have there ever been any talk show iterations that you’ve genuinely enjoyed? I’m sure there have been some, but ever since I’ve been a WWE fan (early 2000’s), I’ve never found any.

Shane McMahon is Dean Ambrose’s guest and surprise! He’s the RAW GM again. Hooray for social media! He’s here to spread change, and he has the perfect opportunity to do so as Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn AND Chris Jericho make their way out to the ring to huge pops, each. Shane O’ Mac makes matches for Payback between Jericho and Ambrose and Zayn and Owens. The crowd loves it and Jericho tells them all to shut up. He can say that because he’s Jericho and he can do whatever the fuck he wants.

The segment ends in a brawl and we’re on to our first match.

Opening segment: 3.5

Chris Jericho V Sami Zayn:

A great back-and-forth match between two in-ring veterans. Jericho controlled early on until Zayn came back – which is when the fun started. I could watch Sami Zayn hit his Blue Thunder Bomb all day! That and Jericho being a Heel. Jericho’s mid-match jeers and taunts are just hilarious.

Jericho wins with a thumb to the eye followed by a Codebreaker.

Jericho V Zayn: 4/5

Backstage segment:

AJ Styles is being interviewed until Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson show up. They hug it out all bro-ey like and embrace with some grunts and chest slaps. Luke Gallows says he wants to thank AJ Styles for putting in a good word for them and getting their foot in the door. I’m guessing we’re all supposed to forget the two other times Luke Gallows had his foot in the door — but hey! I ain’t complaining. The segment was decent and helped reestablish the Bullet Club bond.

Backstage segment: 3/5

Enzo and Cass V The Dudley Boyz: #1 contender qualifier

My boys, Enzo and Cass are out to a huge pop! These guys are, dare I say it, electric! Their mic skills and charisma draw parallels with Stone Cold, The Rock and DX. They can lighten up any crowd and you can’t teach that!

In a pretty standard tag-team match, Enzo and Cass pick up the win with the Rocket Launcher. They’ve moved up to the next bracket in the #1 contender tag team qualifiers.

Enzo and Cass V The Dudley Boyz: 3/5

Roman Reigns in-ring segment

THE guy is out to the ring. Remember, he’s not a good guy or a bad guy.

Roman hits rewind on his “Raw promo” cassette tape and starts spewing the same shit he has been since the past 2 weeks. The crowd charts chanting boring and AJ Styles music hits immediately (probably to shut them up).

AJ Styles and Roman talk a little bit about being the best and beating the best. Styles begins to leave. He’s almost to the top of the ramp when Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson appear in the ring and take out Roman Reigns!

Styles catches up with Roman in the back and says he didn’t have anything to do with that attack. Roman says Styles can bring all his friends to Payback, it’s one versus all for Roman.

Roman Reigns in-ring segment: 3/5

Fandango V Baron Corbin

Fandango is in the ring “Fandango-ing” in a desperate attempt to bring that back. One day, buddy. One day. You’ll get your Zack Ryder WrestleMania moment and have it taken away from you just like he did. I promise you!

Anyways, what do we really expect from this match? Baron Corbin makes quick work of Fandango by hitting him with his lack of charisma.

Ziggler jumps in after the match to try and earn back his dignity but is quickly flattened by Corbin’s receding hairline.

Fandango V Baron Corbin: 1/5

Miz TV in-ring segment

Nothing exciting here except for Cesaro’s James Bond gun barrel sequence. Is this a permanent thing or was it just used to get some hometown love? Either way, it was pretty neat.

I will say this; Cesaro needs to stay away from the mic. I understand that to be a top star in WWE, you need in-ring skills and promo skills, but let Cesaro be the exception. Give him the title and let his uppercuts do the talking!

Miz TV in-ring segment: 1.5/5

League of Nations and The Miz V Cesaro and The New Day

A surprise 8-man tag? I can dig it. Cesaro rips off his suit to reveal a Booty O’s tank top and The New Day comes out to what has to be the biggest pop of the night. Good on these guys for taking a gimmick doomed for failure and making it their own. I love watching these guys do what they do.

I enjoyed this match. It wasn’t as exciting as it could be but it was pretty entertaining in its own right. The New Day and Cesaro pick up the win after Big E reverses Miz’s Skull-Crushing Finale into a Big Ending and Cesaro hits Sheamus with the Neutralizer. Sexy stuff.

League of Nations & The Miz V Cesaro & The New Day: 3.5/5

Natalya, Becky Lynch, Paige and Sasha Banks V Team B.A.D, Summer Rae and Charlotte

Another 8-person tag match, but this time, It’s women’s action!

Natalya, Becky, Paige and Sasha all are out to amazing fanfare. The same can’t be said for the Heel team. Charlotte is the only member who got any sort of reaction.

Team Face wins after Natalya locks in the Sharpshooter on Charlotte and forces her to tap. Natalya will face Charlotte for the WWE Women’s Championship at Payback with Bret Hart by her side!

Natalya, Becky Lynch, Paige and Sasha Banks V Team B.A.D, Summer Rae and Charlotte: 2.5/5

Primo and Epico video package

They’re back! The Puerto Rican travel agents are back to sell us on Puerto Rico, the shining star of the Caribbean!

At least they’re not smelling flowers this time.

Primo and Epico video package: 0.5/5

The Usos V The Vaudevillians: #1 contender qualifier

I’m having a tough time getting behind The Vaudevillians. I don’t know if it’s their gimmick, their entrance or the fact the Aiden English hasn’t seen the sun since 1987. I just can’t seem to invest myself in anything they do. Here’s hoping Enzo and Cass beat them at Payback to advance and face The New Day.

Vaudevillians pick up the win and advance.

The Usos V The Vaudevillians: 2/5

Apollo Crews V Heath Slater

We get a video package of Apollo Crews to start off the match. You see some pictures of Crews as a baby and Crews wrestling in High School. WWE is positioning him as the “you can achieve your dream” guy. Nothing says achieving your dreams like becoming a grown man after being a baby.

So, help me out here. What’s the point of NXT if all you do is start superstars back on square one once you bring them to the main roster? I just don’t get the point of the entire video package and 2 weeks worth of squash matches for Crews. If he still had work to do, you shouldn’t have called him up so quickly…

Crews beats Slater but not as quickly as I thought. I guess Slater is the powerhouse of the Social Outcasts!

Apollo Crews V Heath Slater: 1/5 (minus 1 for the cheesy video package)

Kevin Owens V Dean Ambrose

You know what I loved about this match? Aside from the fact that it was a solid 20-minute match? Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens main-evented Monday Night RAW! They weren’t in a tag team with Roman or The League of Nations. No, it was just Ambrose and Owens putting on a show.

Owens hits some heavy bombs on Ambrose but Ambrose keeps coming back for more.

Ambrose wins after hitting the Dirty Deeds on an unsuspecting Owens.

Kevin Owens V Dean Ambrose: 4/5

RAW in London rating: 32.5/65

Overall, RAW in London was okay. It started off really strong but declined midway with the addition of unnecessary fillers. I really believe WWE Monday Night Raw should go back to 2 hours of programming. I understand 3 hours gives them a chance to showcase more of their talent but the quality of matches isn’t there. It actually hurts the talent more than it benefits them.

Luckily, the program ended on a high note with Dean Ambrose V Kevin Owens. Lets have more of that and less of Puerto Rican tour guides and Baron Corbin, AKA, the wrestler you’d create when you’re 14 in a WWE video game.

The NXT Review – 20th April 2016

Whats up Wrestling Peeps! With NXT tapings still emanating from Dallas in the hangover from WrestleMania & TakeOver. It means that we get to see stars that have made the jump to the Main Roster perform double-duty. Well, at least in the WWE timeline in any case.

Edit-altering-timeline aside. It means we get to have fantasy booking such as American Alpha Vs. Enzo & Cass, a match which every NXT fan wanted to see before Team SAWFT took their smart-mouths to Monday Night Raw.

Yes okay, I admit it. As a major fan-boy for these two teams, it would take a mess-of-a-match for me to deduct points from these teams performances. But the varied move sets from both sides made for an eclectic match where storytelling was never in doubt given the calibre both teams have demonstrated in the past.

That being said, the match wasn’t perfect, with moments coming from Chad Gable‘s immense speed making Enzo Amore look a little long-in-the-tooth. Don’t get me wrong, Enzo is not known for his mat skills or pro-wrestling acumen but rather a more smash-mouth fighting style. Its just interesting observation that maybe the scrappy-talker could improve in-between the ropes as Team SAWFT ascend the lofty heights of WWE.

American Alpha on the other hand are ready packaged and just waiting to be sign, sealed and delivered to RAW. But not just yet Trips, NXT isn’t done with them yet.

Big shout-out to Corey Graves for the mad LOL’s “Who is this Jose and why is he always being denied.” A very good question that I’m sure my favourite colour commentator will ponder for many weeks to come or alternatively until this gimmick wrestler runs-his-course. *cough* Fandango *cough, cough*

Sorry but I’m going to be a hater for a sec. I know Gimmicks are a facet of Wreslting that have been around since day dot. Along with Heel or Face, it’s an easy way for an audience to identify the character you are portraying in an effort to “get over“. But as Wrestling feels the need to evolve so too must the Gimmicks that are on display.

Lets take Bray Wyatt’s Undertaker inspired character. Rather than straight forward portrayal or homage to the future Hall of Famer. Wyatt’s classic Monster-Type was given a Cult Leader update that was fresh and innovative. How fresh can a dancing Gimmick be?

Lets heed the lesson learnt from Adam Rose shall we and throw this character on the scrap heap before the act runs thin … please.

Oh Hello Deonna Purrazzo, welcome back to your own personal purgatory. I enjoyed that Tom Phillips and Graves referenced this underdog’s propensity for punishment given her rather unlucky losing streak so-far on NXT. But with her opponent Nia Jax looming large over the NXT Women’s locker room, her bad luck looked to continue.

Besides an otherwise obvious squash match to show Jax’s overwhelming power, I have to think that this losing-Purrazzo-Losing meme is leading to something for the young superstar. Because if not, Sad-Purrazzo-is-sad may become the theme to her NXT career.

What was ultimately a m’eh episode of NXT culminated in a pretty m’eh Main Event also. Much like the hangover from a raging party, the storylines are really just hanging on the yellow brand at the moment. Samoa Joe Vs. Apollo Crews is fine but with Crews now smiling-wide on RAW, we know that a long drawn out feud with Joe is not on the cards so why bother here.

With characters like Shinsuke Nakamura, Austin Aires and Finn Balor calling NXT home. This weeks episode was pretty weak-sauce with under whelming strides in making storylines going forward. And with Nakamura paired with Elias Sampson next week, the trend looks set to continue.

I’m not angry NXT, just disappointed.

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

‘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.

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

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

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

But still … American Alpha FTW at Dallas!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I certainly hope so. Heel Balor FTW!!!

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