WWE Studios Interrogation Trailer Drops And It ‘Reeks Of Awesomenss’

WWE Studios is a juggernaut that has been slowly gaining momentum in recent years and why not? After all, we all know that the WWE superstars and divas are trained actors and actresses, oops I mean “professional athletes”. Although WWE is going through a resurgence of sorts, it still doesn’t mean that it can’t have it’s figures in many pies outside the world of wrestling and this is where WWE Studios comes into play.

Yes sadly some of the films have tanked (Knucklehead) but some have done surprisingly well (The Marine) and proved to us that quite a few wrestlers are good actors (Sorry Hulk Hogan and Triple H). The transition from full time wrestling to full time acting is one that has done very well by very few aside from the most obivious Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson you are struggling to find more  people other than Dave Bautista  (Guardians Of The Galaxy )and Robert Maillet (Pacific Rim).

One guy who has crept under the radar and earned his acting stripes is none other than ‘The Rated R Superstar’ aka Edge aka Adam Copeland. Adam was forced to retire from wrestling whilst in his prime at a relatively young age due to a serious neck injury. Adam then went on to join cult SyFy TV show Haven playing the role of Dwight Hendrickson. As a wrestler although he ‘reeked of awesomeness’ he actually kinda annoyed me and I was less than optimistic about his chances of joining the acting world. However his performance of Dwight quickly proved I was wrong and he can act well!

Until recently Adam stayed away from WWE films and I think that’s the right move, he was allowed to grow and learn his craft before returning to his home of the WWE to try his hand at a feature film. Had he gone straight into WWE movies, I sadly think the outcome would have been different.

You may recognise his co-star as the smoking blonde bombshell otherwise known as Lana aka C.J. Perry. As well as supporting her man Rusev ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ she was also a model, dancer and actress prior to entering the WWE. This acting experience clearly shows when watching the trailer for the film.

The film’s synopsis reads:

‘After the FBI receives a threat that endangers the entire city, an interrogator (Copeland) and an IT specialist (Lana) are plunged into a series of mind games with a criminal mastermind, desperately racing against time to uncover the villain’s true agenda as they fight to protect thousands of lives.’

I have a sneaky feeling that this film may be surprise hit of the year for WWE Studios and Lionsgate.

 

WWE Raw Review: 4.7.2016

OPENER           

So it is July 4^th and any long time WWE fan will know what that means. Murica. Tonight’s RAW opens with what seems an extremely boring Independence Day celebration party, however, everyone is in attendance (minus the main eventers, e.g. Dean Ambrose). Things quickly get out of hand largely thanks to The Miz, and we are treated to a food fight. Great. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world and many people would argue it was all in great fun, but to me, this was just a massive waste of time. The highlight was definitely Kevin Owens though as he hides under the table eating food and at the end of all the commotion he is the final victim of the food crimes that had been committed.

RUSEV def. TITUS O’NEIL (UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP)

Of course, as it is the most American day of the year, the US title had to be defended on this show. Once again the task of defeating Rusev fell to Titus O’Neil who after failing his family on father’s day, was given a chance to fail his country. If this is meant to be an apology push after the unnecessary suspension, then I never want to get an apology from Vince. Ever. The match was exactly the same as it had been the previous times and I am absolutely tired of seeing it. Rusev is able to get the win as once again Titus tapped out to the Accolade, I wish this would put an end to the feud but I am not too optimistic considering how long some recent WWE feuds have been. The real question WWE have to ask themselves is why does Titus deserve the opportunity to challenge for the title? He’s repeatedly lost to Rusev and the only win he has picked up was by count out. Titus should be at the back of the line.

ENZO & CASS def. THE SOCIAL OUTCASTS

In case the July 4^th food fight, the US title opening match, the national anthem and the American flags all over the place wasn’t enough to remind you that today is Independence Day, the Social Outcasts come out to the ring dressed in Colonial outfits. Enzo and Cass come make their entrance and Enzo quite impressively lists every single president of the United States (44 names). The match starts and the Social Outcasts do not remove their costumes indicating that this is going to be a short affair, which it is. Enzo sells a beatdown by the Outcasts but he is able to tag in Big Cass who, as usual, wrecks house picking up the win only 3 minutes after the match had started.

CHARLOTTE SCREAMS… A LOT

Charlotte with Dana Brooke cuts a promo on Sasha calling her jealous and claims that she has done nothing whereas Charlotte has been an excellent champion. While Charlotte says it in a shrieking tone that would annoy a bat, she does have a point. What has Sasha Banks done to earn a title shot? Sasha does make her way out in order to defend herself and remind Charlotte that she is unable to stand on her two feet without help from others. A messy brawl ensues. Overall this was a pretty weak segment as it displayed how weak Charlotte’s promo skills are, how green Dana Brooke’s in ring skills are and how forced Sasha has been into the title picture.

DEAN AMBROSE def. THE MIZ

Earlier in the show, this match was hyped up as a rare champion vs champion match up and once again we are told this just before the match starts. It seems that no one is really watching Smackdown then as this happened last week. This brand split cannot come soon enough for Smackdown. The match on Smackdown was by no means spectacular so why they chose to repeat it on Raw is beyond me, lazy writing perhaps? Ambrose has been putting in some good work since his win at Money In The Bank but this match was very underwhelming as he seemed lazy and failed to properly sell any of The Miz’s attacks. Ambrose picks up the win, as he should as the WWE Champion, but the problem is that the cost of this win is devaluing the Intercontinental Championship. Also, this week could have definitely should have been used to set up and Intercontinental title feud, something that has been missing since Extreme Rules back in May.

• Before Dean has the chance to leave, Seth Rollins makes his way out prompting a stare down between the two. Ambrose fakes a run in, instead joining the Spanish announce table.
• Brock Lesnar’s Summerslam opponent will be revealed at this week’s Smackdown (my guess is Randy Orton)

SETH ROLLINS def. DOLPH ZIGGLER

This is easily the best match of the night, there is clearly a structure for this match as it both competitors has motivations and goals that are expressed in the ring. Seth was very clearly distracted by Dean Ambrose at ringside, which could be seen by the frustration from Rollins as well as the glances at the commentary table. As for Dolph Ziggler, his game plan is to try and keep the notorious high flyer on the ground using mat wrestling, which is highlighted by Cole and JBL. Both men are amazing in-ring competitors, which is shown in this match, with Dolph’s bumping second to none as usual and Seth being in the position of the larger competitor for a change. Seth is able to pick up the win after he hits Dolph with a pedigree (which of course Ziggler sells to perfection). It is matches like these that make me love both of these wrestlers, and while Seth is the main eventer he should rightfully be, Dolph is still a jobber to the stars and it appears that will never change.

• Rollins hops up onto the announce table to rant about the upcoming triple threat match at Battleground. While he disguises very well by using textbook heel insults he does actually make a great point. Roman shouldn’t be in the triple threat, he shouldn’t be a role model and Rollins (and Ambrose) are the ones putting the hard work in. Not Reigns. Dean joins Seth on the tables and the brawling commences.
• We get a video from the Wyatt Family compound. Bray and the gang send an invite towards the New Day for them to visit a place of fear.
• A Baron Corbin video package.
• Fucking hell. Vickie Guerrero is back, I know she’s a brilliant heel but that voice is just too much for me. Well, Vickie makes her case for why she should be the next Smackdown General Manager.
• Big Show delivers a speech to Team America backstage. Why wasn’t it Jack Swagger?
• Vickie Guerrero pleads for Dolph to save her from being escorted outside, despite former their former relationship Ziggler doesn’t really care.

GOLDEN TRUTH def. THE VAUDEVILLAINS

Wow. I feel so bad for Simon Gotch and Aiden English. How could they have possibly fallen so far so soon? The fact that the WWE creative team think that this Golden Truth storyline is a bigger priority than a new fresh tag team is a joke, the Vaudevillains have been putting on good matches and despite an odd gimmick, they have made it work.

• Another week, another Make Darren Young Great Again promo

#BEATUPJOHNCENA

John Cena aka the real life Captain America comes out and tries to get the crowd pumped up which as expected brings out the duelling Cena chants. The Doctor of Thuganomics recalls his first in-ring moment with AJ Styles fondly remembering the electricity of the event. However, Cena puts down Styles as he claims that when you fight one member of The Club, you fight them all. The Club comes out and Styles calls Cena a cry-baby, and he makes another burying reference. AJ and the club then detail how on every holiday they are going to have fun by beating up John Cena (also Karl Anderson apparently has a hot wife), this was quite well received prompting the #BeatUpJohnCena on twitter. The Club walk towards Cena in order to make good on their promise to beat up Cena but my boys Enzo and Cass make their way out to the ring in order to save John. It seems that at Battleground we will get a 3v3, with Enzo and Cass backing up John Cena. I never knew I wanted this until now.

• The Shining Stars still exist

BECKY LYNCH def. SUMMER RAE

Despite both Becky and Summer Rae being great workers this match was quite sloppy. The obvious example of this was the botched suplex that looked like it really hurt Becky Lynch, however, there were minor mistakes for a lot of the match. At least Becky got the win.

• Jericho tries to unite Team International but is unable to inspire comradery in a team with such a mix of heels and faces, especially when some of these are currently feuding such as Owens and The faces try to unite but it is clear that this team will suffer from in-fighting.
• Enzo and Cass advertise the $5 Sonic Boom Box. I hate these forced advertisements as much as everyone else does but man Enzo and Cass are so charismatic, they just make it work, the cuppa taters line was absolute gold.
• The New Day come out, and Big E and Kofi Kingston talk some trash about The Wyatt Family, most specifically that they are all inbred. The Wyatts show up on the screen to again invite the New Day to their compound. The New Day accept but Xavier Woods has his doubts as he recognises how big of a threat Bray Wyatt is. Good to see Woods with some serious stuff for a change.

TEAM AMERICA def. TEAM INTERNATIONAL  

It is clear what they are trying to tell us about the teams in this match by the entrances. The international team is conflicted, each entering separately, unlike the American team who is united in their entrance. The match itself wasn’t great due to the complete suspension of disbelief. Time and time again key members from each team were being pinned or submitted but no one in the team made an effort to prevent them from being eliminated. The match was a bit all over the place, the commentary team even acknowledged how confusing the Kevin Owens and Kane disqualifications were. There were some cool callback spots such as the Cesaro and Jack Swagger moment. Team U.S.A gets the win unsurprisingly with Zack Ryder scoring the pin on Sheamus. I will forgive this match if it is a catalyst for a Ryder push (I just want him to be good dammit).

FINAL NOTES & SCORE

• Tonight’s MVP: Seth Rollins
• Match of the Night: Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler
• Moment of the Night: Enzo and Cass save Cena
• JBL points out something very important. The state of Dean’s hair
• “Yeah, I lost again. But I tried really hard.” Ziggler has the potential to be hilarious
• #BeatUpJohnCena
• I wanna try some certified cheese

This week was a rough episode of Raw, there were some good parts such as the Rollins/Ziggler match, and the Cena segment but the overly American theme, the cartoonish food fight, every other match being average – terrible and most importantly Titus’ American gear means that this Raw suffered a lot. 4/10

Brock Lesnar Responds To Steroid Allegations

Few people have accomplished as much as Brock Lesnar he’s ‘The Beast Incarnate‘ , ‘The Next Big Thing‘, he’s conquered the squared circle otherwise known as the WWE being a four time WWE Champion and also conquered the octagon winning the UFC Championhip on one occasion.

It’s no surprise that controversy follows Brock around, be it his relationship with Sable, his close relationship with Paul Heyman or breaking the Undertaker’s streak at Wrestlemania.

So it’s no surprise that when Brock was asked about the allegation that he takes steroids that was thrown at him by UFC 200 opponent Mark Hunt, he hand the following to say.

“I’ve been dealing with that my entire life,” Lesnar said on today’s UFC 200 media conference call. “I’m a white boy and I’m jacked. Deal with it. What do you want me to say? I’m a white boy and I’m jacked, deal with it.”

Whereas most other fighters would have a filter applied to their mouth, either by the media or their agents, this is what I love about Brock, his speak first and deal with the consequences later attitude.

Not only that but when asked if his fight and a potential loss at UFC 200 would harm his standing in the WWE he reponded by saying.

“I really don’t give a s–t,” Lesnar said during a media conference call Thursday.

I for one will be watching to see what happens at UFC 200 to see if ‘The Beast Incarnate’ can once again become the king of the octagon.

 

RUMOR MILL: Tajiri To Return To The WWE?

According to reports that are surfacing online The Japanese Buzzsaw aka Tajiri is scheduled to make a permanant return to WWE once his involvement in the Cruiserweight series is over.

With the roster split coming soon, WWE top brass will be looking to pad out thier roster, due to thier currently incredibly thin talent pool to chose from and have been reaching out to past stars who featured for the company in the past.

Tajiri is no stranger to WWE, not only is he a 3 time WWE Cruiserweight Champion, 2 time WWE tag champion, and a former WWF Light Heavyweight Champion he also featured in ECW winning the ECW tag team and television championship as well as the WCW United States Championship.

Even if Tajiri does not make an active return to the ring, he still has a lot to offer as a trainer or road agent. I for one would love to see Tajiri return, to quote Star trek, make it so Mr McMahon!

Smackdown 30/6/16

Welcome back to our Smackdown reviews. This week’s Smackdown follows on from a promising Raw that didn’t deliver on the potential plot progression it supplied with AJ and Cena. Tonight we have a Fatal 4 Way to decide the #1 contender for the US title and a title match later on. I doubt that Rusev will drop the title but I hope we have a set up

We go into the Fatal 4 Way immediately, with Del Rio and Cesaro focusing on each other and Sheamus immediately dragging Apollo out of the ring. This later evolves to Sheamus helping Del Rio attack Cesaro while Crews sprints between opponents like a tank. I’m glad that the feuds are intermingling in this match since usually feuds just exist in their own place without showing any impact on any other wrestlers. Here we see the feuds affecting each other in ring which is refreshing to see. While this 4 way lacks the urgency and energy of the 4 ways shown in the run up to MITB, the winner of this match was hard to determine as the match went on. I’m glad that Cesaro managed the win by submission, I think that him and Rusev can put on some good matches down the line. Obviously tonights match will be hindered by Del Rio’s attack of Cesaro immediately following the match.

Winner by Submission: Cesaro

Rusev vs Cesaro US Title Match

Rusev stalks down to the ring after the match to congratulate Cesaro for achieving mans greatest glory, facing him for the title. Rusev challenges Cesaro to have the match there and then, while Cesaro is still on the ground. Cesaro looks hesitant before Rusev calls him a coward

Typically, Cesaro gets into the ring and actually manages a good match even following the 4 way. Most of my focus in this match was on the crowd chanting ‘USA’ in a match between a Swiss and a Bulgarian. Although he was *injured , Cesaro manages some great high flying moves, with the European uppercut always pleasing the crowd.  The end of the match is a game of submissions with a sharpshooter from Cesaro proving ineffective before Rusev manages the Accolade to force a win from Cesaro. This match was a lot better than I expected .

Winner by Submission: Rusev

We get some a promo with Rusev earning some more heel points as he suggests that Independence Day be renamed to Rusev Day. He is then told that his holiday will be interrupted as he has to defend the title against Titus O Neil on the July 4^th Raw. What’re the odds that Rusev has to end his great Title run in match against the Floridian? I hope he ruins another public holiday like he did on Father’s Day to retain.

Dana Brooke vs Billie Kay

You know things aren’t going well when we need to recruit NXT Stars to the main roster to job to Dana Brooke. No other main roster star is willing to lose to Botchmaster Brooke. At least  Kay has the chance to see how things are run on the main roster matches. Kay knows how to sell at least while Brooke spends the entire match yelling rather than fighting properly. Kay is allowed to use like four moves and they’re all interesting, impressive spots. Then she takes a Samoan Driver and that’s it. One day I think Brooke could be good, I have no idea how she’s gonna do it but she through some magic she could.

Winner by Pinfall: Dana Brooke

Sasha Banks put on a good promo attacking Charlotte and Brooke before… Oh My God theyre actually letting Summer Rae continue appearing on the main roster. Thank God. Sometimes you can be forgiven for thinking that there are six people on the womens roster, hopefully with Summer coming back to stay we can expect some more women staying for multiple feuds at the same time.

The Miz is back from Monday’s destruction to put on an episode of Miz TV, potentially the last one we’ll see on Smackdown with the brand split coming, maybe the first of many. Ambrose comes out halfway through his introduction holding a paper bag. While Miz yells at him for coming out early he begins to dig in to the sandwich. I’m enthralled. I don’t know how he can get so many inanimate objects over with the WWE Universe. I hope the sandwich comes in at number 30 for the next Royal Rumble.  Anyway, no one wants to read my fantasy booking, back to Miz Tv. Ambrose reminds the Universe about his championship win, before talking about how he came out to see how other talk shows run. Ambrose needs to be champ for a long time, bullying Miz or his $40 director’s chairs before starting a match due to a complaint about Mitch from Miz. As a true champ would, he gives Miz one last chance at the sandwich before he gets into the big arguments. Dean wipes his mustard coated face on Miz’s suit, starting another feud over a ruined jacket. Ambrose takes a kick to the face before returning to his sandwich.

Oh my god I just remembered that Jerry Lawler isn’t here.  Last week David Otunga replaced Lawler as commentator and is here to stay, although he doesn’t have the same presence as Lawler, he’s doing a pretty good job filling his shoes on the commentary team.

Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman vs Jobbers

The Wyatts have come out to do some Wyatt things. They are out tonight fighting –LOCAL COMPETITORS-. Seriously, they’re even listed as that on the official WWE Youtube video of the match.  They are fed to The Wyatts in about 2 minutes before Strowman drops one on the other before pinning both at the same time. I’m not sure if –LOCAL COMPETITORS- are the same Jobbers that Enzo and Cass murdered earlier on Raw  but I don’t think it matters.

Winner by Pinfall: Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman

Kofi Kingston comes out on the Titantron with a still fearful Xavier and an excited Big E. They question what Bray fears. Big E thinks it might be women with big bootys. I wonder if Sister Abigail had a big booty. Bray questions why Woods isn’t laughing before revealing that the devil calls for him in particular.  I’m actually really happy with this feud, can’t wait to see where it’s going… I miss Luke Harper.

Summer Rae vs Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks is just so good to watch in the ring. Her moves are just so impressive in comparison with the other stars on the roster. She can also actually sell properly in ring. That being said, Summer definitely holds her own in this match up, giving as much as she gets. I’m glad that there’s room on the card for multiple woman’s matches, something that isn’t seen very often in main roster cards. The impressive match comes to an end with a bank statement before we move on to the main event.

Winner by Submission: Sasha Banks

The Miz vs Dean Ambrose

We end the night with a match between champions.  Following on from the Miz TV segment from earlier we have Ambrose proving to The Miz why he’s champion. I’m glad that Ambrose isn’t trapped in an endless cycle of Rollins matches before Battleground, this respite is interesting as it is refreshing.  After all those months of Reigns only fighting feud matches, we have a champion that fights matches that aren’t exclusively story driven. We haven’t had a champion vs champion match in a while either so this is interesting anyway. I’m glad that this match was saved for the main event rather than the US Title match taking the spot. We’re definitely seeing that the WWE is putting more value into the brand with 3 champions fighting in one night. We aren’t seeing them save their bodies for Raw either, they all put on risky moves to make the best show possible.  How does Ambrose always seem to be the underdog in matches even while he’s the champ? I think it’s because of his sheer ability to sell convincingly in his matches, something that Reigns lacked during his championship run. It definitely makes his matches more convincing and engaging to the viewer.  I’m glad that The Miz is being allowed a match that goes to the finish rather than running away like he did on Monday, it gives him the chance to show of everything in his arsenal  rather than being overshadowed by the great competitors around him. The match ends with a Dirty Deeds finishing The Miz to close out Smackdown tonight.

Winner by Pinfall: Dean Ambrose

Overall I’d say that was a good Smackdown, with most of the matches performing above my expectations for each of them, even the Brooke match. The world is a brighter place with no ‘Make Darren Young great again’ segments.

Follow me on Twitter @oliverwoodster.

You CAN Bust Ghosts With Madame Tussauds New York In ‘Ghostbusters Experience’

 

If you love Ghostbusters as much as me, chances are you will be probably be around about the same age as me, which is …. *awkward silence and coughs* Actually to be honest I was born in the year the first Ghostbusters film came out as well as the original (and best) Transformers movie, which goes to prove and to quote WWE superstar The Rock ‘it doesn’t matter’, in this case, what your age is. If you love Ghostbusters, you love Ghostbusters.

I’m pretty certain that everyone that loves Ghostbusters will like me at one point pretended to be a Ghostbuster, what if I tell you that now you CAN be a Ghostbuster. You can save New York. You can be a hero.

July 1^st marks the official opening of the all new Ghostbusters Experience exclusively at Madame Tussauds New York. Sony Pictures, Ghost Corps and THE VOID have teamed up ahead of the movie release date on July the 15th , the official press release states.

‘The new experience is a fully immersive, authentic and multi-sensory space where guests are not only able to interact with Madame Tussauds’ newest figures, but also enter an authentic physical environment that brings the Ghostbusters story to life with an epic Hyper-Reality finale.

The opening of Ghostbusters Experience marks the next step in an evolution for Madame Tussauds as the attraction launches into a new era of completely immersive entertainment offerings for visitors. Guests will walk through multiple scenes from the new film and then can become actual ghostbusters themselves as they grab proton packs and blast their way through an incredible Hyper-Reality experience, Ghostbusters: Dimension. Designed and created by tech innovators, THE VOID, Ghostbusters: Dimension combines interactive physical environments, real-time effects, and virtual reality to allow guests to step into the movie in a way not even the actors have done.’

So what can you get up to whilst you’re there? Well again the press release states the following

• Visitors to Madame Tussauds New York start their Ghostbusters journey in a New York City subway station haunted by “Sparky,” who terrifies guests through the windows of an oncoming subway car.
• As guests proceed through the Alridge Mansion Museum, they feel a ghostly presence coming to life as they pass portraits that follow their every move and end up face-to-face with “Gertrude,” an ill-ridden ghost who spits mock slime all over them, rickety doors, spooky portraits and moving rocking chairs amplify the unknown presence.
• Zhou’s Chinese Restaurant serves as Ghostbusters Headquarters where visitors will meet Jillian Holtzmann (portrayed by Kate McKinnon), working on her proton pack, and Patty Tolan (portrayed by Leslie Jones), readying herself for the next spirited brawl. In the Headquarters, guests will learn about fighting the paranormal and see actual ghosts trapped in a containment unit just feet away from a display case with actual props from the movie.
• The experience concludes with an epic finale in the Mercado Lobby, where a Ghostbusters will urge guests to assist Erin Gilbert (portrayed by Kristin Wiig) and Abby Yates (portrayed by Melissa McCarthy) as they fend off “Slimer” and blast away any remaining villains. The hologram of “Slimer,” is seen chasing guests around, anxiously trying to get a selfie with them.
• Moving on from the Ghostbusters Experience, guests can ride off in victory on a replica of the Ecto-2 motorcycle complete with a green screen photo opportunity.

I don’t know about you but the option to grab a proton pack and get blasting is something that I’ve wanted to do my entire life. Maybe we’ll be able to finally see if ‘bustin’ makes you feel good’.

You can find out more information and buy tickets for the Ghostbusters Experience at https://ghostbusters.madametussauds.com/

WWE Raw Review: 27.6.2016

OPENER

With the shocking announcement of Roman Reigns’ suspension after last weeks the WWE Universe has been eagerly anticipating this week’s episode of Raw, wondering what the official response from the WWE will be. Well, we immediately got our answer at the start of this week’s Raw as Seth Rollins made his way out to the ring in order to discuss the upcoming triple threat at Battleground. Seth claims that “they said I wasn’t allowed to talk about this”, but talk he did and we find out that the WWE are going to acknowledge the suspension on TV, though I am sceptical it seems that the suggestions this suspension could possibly be a work might be legit (check out the article on Skatronixxx.com about this specific topic). As expected Roman has not been removed from the match to Rollins’ chagrin (he has a point though). Seth suggests that it becomes a singles match between him and champion Dean Ambrose, however after interruptions from superstars AJ Styles and John Cena, as well as the princess of wrestling herself Stephanie McMahon, it is revealed it will still be a triple threat with the possibility of becoming a fatal five way. Tonight Cena will face Rollins and Styles will face Ambrose in order to earn a spot in the title match at Battleground. Holy crap those are some big matches.

PAIGE & BANKS def. CHARLOTTE & BROOKE          

I feel like saying this might get me crucified by the IWC who rightfully adore Sasha Banks as she is definitely an amazing performer, however, this is the second time she has been in a title feud on the main roster and it is also the second time that her involvement has felt forced and undeserved. Sasha has been gone for months now and all of a sudden she comes back and overshadows Paige who has 2 legitimate clean wins over the champion Charlotte. I’m sure they will make something good out of this feud but the Women’s division deserves more. The match itself was pretty standard with the babyfaces coming across strong as they got the win, Banks especially continues to look like a force to be reckoned with after submitting Dana Brooke.

TITUS O’NEIL def. RUSEV (UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP – COUNTOUT)

The match started with a beat down from Titus as he continues to take out his rage on Rusev, eventually after trading control things get moved outside the ring and eventually lead to a count out victory for Titus after a double clothesline spot. They continue to build this feud for absolutely no reason. I have no issue with Titus but he is not the tight person to be challenging the Bulgarian Brute like this currently. Titus is not a credible singles champion and was an okay victim to build Rusev’s monster status but this is not how you do it. Titus is being portrayed as a serious threat towards Rusev seen by this count out victory.

• Corporate Kane makes his return to speak with Stephanie McMahon, once again pleading for the job as Smackdown manager. They are interrupted by a returning Miz who rudely complaining about the lack of a movie star treatment. In response, Kane sets up a surprise IC title match. (Call me crazy but I was hoping for an NXT call up, especially hoping for my man Finn).

SETH ROLLINS def. JOHN CENA

Now if you were around during Summerslam last year and saw the Rollins/Cena over both the WWE and US titles, also paired with the fact that Cena can really raise his game when put with world class performers (examples being  Michaels, Styles, and Punk), then you should have known that this was going to be a good match. Well, we aren’t disappointed as what we receive is definitely the match of the night with some great spots, such as the falcon arrow from Seth and the near fall after the AA from Big Match John. Seth eventually picks up the win but not after a run in from The Club which is not surprising as we all know a clean win over John is hard to come by. I would have liked Seth to get the win clean, however. I know this is a lot to ask the WWE, especially for a heel but it would be nice to see Rollins become the cocky heel who really is that good, making him that much of an asshole. This does make sense however as they want to keep both Cena and Rollins protected going into their big matches at Battleground.

ENZO AND CASS def. JOBBERS

It would take me longer to recap this match then for it to actually take place. So Enzo & Cass win. Easily. The only thing of note is that the Social Outcasts come out to the ring after the match and make a penis joke. It’s as bad as it sounds.

• I am beginning to wonder when all these Darren Young promos are going to lead to something. We have been seeing them for a while now, maybe they are waiting for the general elections?
• Becky Lynch had a scheduled match with Summer Rae (underrated by the way) but it never happens as she decides to attack Natalya who is at commentary. It is good to see Becky look like less of a victim.

THE HIGHLIGHT REEL – SAMI ZAYN AND KEVIN OWENS

Jericho sticks with his heel shenanigans and starts to insult our WWE Champion Dean Ambrose (depending how long Dean is champ this is definitely a possible future championship feud). Y2J announces his guests, former best friend’s now bitter rivals, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. I enjoyed this segment as they brought up the storied past between the two, both recent and not so recent events. My only complaint is that Jericho felt uneeded in this segment and though he tried to stay out of focus he interrupted enough that it became annoying, even if it did end with a cool double kick spot. Both Owens and Zayn were great in this segment but I have to highlight Sami especially as he brought some real fire to his promo on Kevin Owens and anyone who doubted his serious mic skills needs to watch this segment.

DEMON KANE (SIGH) def. THE MIZ (INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP – COUNTOUT)                    

Earlier in this review, I said that the best case scenario for this surprise Intercontinental title match was a call up for NXT star Finn Balor, who has to be arriving soon due to the upcoming brand extension. It seems that WWE decided to mock me as we did end up getting a demon. It just happened to be the wrong one. Kane completely dominated The Miz in this short-lived match up that is until Maryse Streep took a dive that looked like it belonged on a football pitch (soccer for my Yank readers). In order to save his lady love Miz receives a count out loss which of course allows him to keep his title. This was really a crowd killer as it was the second title match that ended in a count out, plus the reveal of Kane was extremely underwhelming. Bad match.

• Maryse reveals to Miz that she was faking the injury in a masterclass of acting that it worth an Emmy.
• Jojo interviews Dean Ambrose but they are interrupted by Stephanie who tells Dean that she is furious that he is a champion and cannot wait until he is no longer champion. I understand that Dean is meant to be the anarchist/renegade face who hates the authority so they are getting big heels to hate him but why does Steph hate him so much? She has a bigger and more and more troubled history with Reigns.

CESARO & CREWS def. SHEAMUS & DEL RIO          

I can’t think of much to say about the action of this match. The most striking thing about it was that there was an unusual focus on Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio who despite being former teammates they are not in a rivalry, unlike Sheamus and Apollo Crews, and possibly Del Rio and Cesaro. I’m still waiting for Apollo to turn it up a notch like I know he can. Also, it is upsetting to Cesaro without a solid storyline which he deserves. Not inherently bad, just there is nothing to make me care about this at all.

• The New Day impersonate The Wyatt Family by coming out to a parodied version of their entrance while wearing similar clothing. The interactions between Xavier Woods and Bray Wyatt is absolute gold as Woods continues to be the star of this rivalry so far. They are continuing to play on the possession angle they introduced last week.

DEAN AMBROSE def. AJ STYLES

This match has never been considered a dream match by a lot of people but as soon as it was announced I couldn’t wait to see it. On top of this surprise main event, we get some Seth Rollins commentary as he hilariously has to deal with the fact that he is rooting for his arch rival The Lunatic Fringe. The match is quite good as both men seemed to adjust comfortably with working with each other. We get to see some varied move sets from both of the wrestlers, including a brain buster from Styles (I bet Vince wasn’t crazy about that). In the end, Ambrose gets the win with a Dirty Deeds on Styles after Cena provides some distraction. Raw ends with Cena being taken out with the Magic Killer at the top of the ramp while Seth takes out Ambrose in the middle of the ring. Once again Styles proves how insanely good he is in the ring, as he was able to really show off and frankly he overshadowed Dean a little bit. Not that Dean isn’t also good, just that you need someone special to keep up with AJ.

FINAL NOTES & SCORE

• Tonight’s MVP: AJ Styles
• Match of the Night: Seth Rollins vs John Cena
• Moment of the Night: New Day and The Wyatts
• Cena, can you PLEASE call your spots a little quieter? It’s like you’re a guest commentator for your own matches.
• Enzo and Cass are definitely popular with the fans but that wave stuff is way cooler when it is spontaneous
• Let us all pray to God that we do not get a Miz/Kane feud
• So no new additions to the Battleground main event. Not really surprised but at least the matches we got were good.

This week’s Raw was poor for a 3-hour show, but it is saved by a good New Day/Wyatt segment and the two qualifying matches. I am going to give this week’s episode a 6/10.

Was Roman Reigns ‘Suspension’ A Work?

Let’s face it, everyone loves to chip in with their thoughts on WWE. We all do it, we plot returns, turns and swerves and debate the latest episodes, then say ‘I told you!’ if you get it right or moan and threaten to switch off if they get it wrong.

WWE wants us to think they are in a ‘new era’,  gradually the shows are getting more edgy with the lunatic Dean Ambrose as WWE champ, you can hardly call it, the PG-era still can you?

That’s why the recent news about Roman Reigns, drug suspension shocked me. Reigns was Vinnie Mac’s poster boy of the ‘new era’, he liked to remind us by saying

Drug suspensions  within the WWE are usually like a sidenote to its shady reality and past they  hoped to forget. Normally when a ‘superstar’ is suspended they post an article on WWE.COM with the wrestlers name and reason why they won’t be seen  on programming for a while.

I remember the Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio saga a few years back. Half of the roster were suspended for using banned substances, don’t believe me look it up.

Maybe it’s because he was champ and the company wanted to punish him publicly. With him returning just in time for the next WWE pay per view. Conspiracy theorist got thinking and so did I!

So I ask you to think is the Roman Reigns drug suspension actually a work? Consider this?

Wrestlers returning normally from a ‘break’ more often than not get a massive boost if they’re a face or heat magnet. Either way all eyes are gunna be waiting for his return. An example of this is the Triple H Royal Rumble return.

Roman was getting stale and stagnant. The crowd was starting to boo him regardless. Returning after a  holiday oops I mean ‘suspension’ would give us a break from Boo-man before he got X-Pac heat. No one want’s X-pac heat SERIOUSLY!

You gotta remember Vinnie Mac is crazy plot wise, I remember the Mae Young hand scenario. If you’re too young to remember this, let me explain, Mae Young (RIP) was one of the greatest and back in the day best female wrestlers in her first run. Flash forward to the ‘Attitude Era‘ and she has sexual relations with ‘Sexual Chocolate’ Mark Henry and they gave birth to a hand. Yes a hand, don’t believe me? Check it out below!

Then you got The Rock and the money WWE invested in him. WWE has spent loads on Roman and how will they recoup it? Plus you gotta be careful you don’t piss off arguably your biggest stat since Hogan!

If I was Vinnie Mac I’d punish him MVP style, make him go on a massive losing steak to see how he rebounds. If he’s the star they think he is,he’ll recover. If not it’s setting an example to fans not to do drugs. To quote Roman again.

After all WWE are idiots if they push a champ so quick after being banned. Then you got Titus, anothy floundering star who got suspended for man handling I mean touching Vinnie’s arm. Really Vinnie you made Droz puke at will.

Then Titus returns BOOM instant US title shot push. Either Vinnie realised he over reacted or gave Titus s sabbatical to recharge, refresh and gain momentum on his return.

You can see how I  came up with this crazy theory. Seriously if it’s legit Vinnie is a douche or creative genius but then again wasn’t he both already?

WWE Raw Review: 20.6.2016

OPENER

Well, it has finally happened guys. Sunday night marked the dawn of a new era, the era of Dean Ambrose. Everything about last night’s main event shined a new light on the future of the company and with Dean walking out as champion the consequences are going to be seen tonight. So to open the show Dean made his way out to the ring as the new champion and cut a promo about how long this day has been coming. Dean celebrates with the crowd but soon enough his brother in arms Roman Reigns comes out to congratulate Deano, though he is still getting booed in the process, (also he can definitely wrestle guys, he just sucks at everything else). Not wanting to be the only Shield member left out of the fun times, Seth Rollins made his way out demanding his rematch saying that he has a better claim than Roman, which he does. Dean is able to take a backseat as he watches the squabbling between both former champions until Shane O Mac makes his way out to put everything in order. We find out that the main event tonight will be Seth vs Roman for the number 1 contendership at Battleground. Already I am extremely excited for the main event as the match the night before wasn’t perfect but very enjoyable.

SAMI ZAYN vs KEVIN OWENS

This is obviously your standard Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn match, meaning it is a good one. The two have fought so much over the years I’d be surprised if they even knew how to put on a bad match with each other at this point. Both men were selling injuries from the hectic Money In The Bank ladder match from the night before, however, that did not stop them from going full speed in the match as they spilled outside with Sami suicide diving over the top rope. It looked like Owens was about to pick up the win after he used a superkick to set up the pop-up powerbomb, but Zayn is able to reverse this into a roll up and his able to steal the victory. The fighting did not stop there however as both men fought at the top of the ramp with officials coming down to separate the pair.

• After the break we see that the refs were not enough to stop Owens and Zayn brawling and we get some awesome parkour action from Sami backstage. On commentary Cole also hints that Owens and Zayn could be split up which wouldn’t surprise me.
• We also get a surprise visit from John Laurinaitis. Now I have all the respect in the world for Laurinaitis, who created the cutter (aka the RKO) back when he was Johnny Ace, but Jesus Christ I hate his voice. As expected, John is the latest former GM to stake claim to running Smackdown but Shane is quick to come out and put a stop to this.

ENZO & CASS vs THE VAUDEVILLAINS

This was basically a squash match, as while they didn’t dominate the Vaudevillains Enzo and Cass did beat them handily in roughly 3 minutes. Enzo is able to pick up the win by pinning Aiden English but once again Cass is the man who looked undeniably dominant in-ring. What this match established is that the Vaudevillains are out of the title chase for now whereas Enzo and Cass are still involved.

APOLOGIES FOR EVERYONE

An angry AJ Styles reveals that he had no part in the Clubs interference in his match on Sunday. He demands an apology from Gallows and Anderson as well as asking them to apologise to John Cena. Big Match John makes his way out to tell us that he doesn’t care about these fake apologies and claims that AJ broke his contract because he isn’t as good as he thinks he is. Well, John I watched Money In The Bank and Styles ran circles around you for most of the match. Styles tells John that he can have a match with anyone from The Club besides Styles himself as he has to do the Stone Cold podcast.

JOHN CENA vs KARL ANDERSON

While it is good to get this match done quickly as it was obvious that Cena was going to get ambushed by the other members of the club and get a DQ victory, Cena did not need to squash Anderson like that. Cena completely took out Karl Anderson in around 3 minutes and it really made Anderson look weak.

• Jojo interviewed Seth Rollins backstage. Seth tells us that he proved that he was better than Roman Reigns last night (which he did). Rollins also claims that Ambrose proved that he was a thief as he snuck up on Seth from behind. They emphasised the question of who is the best in the Shield.
• Renee Young interviewed Becky Lynch about the betrayal from Natalya the previous night. Becky is definitely the ultimate babyface of the Women’s division on the main roster at the moment. Natalya comes from behind Becky and ambushes her, saying she is only looking out for herself from this point onwards.

BARON CORBIN vs ZACK RYDER

Firstly Zack Ryder deserves his own entrance, he’s better than jobber status. Secondly, YAY Baron Corbin isn’t wrestling Ziggler. For a very short match this was quite competitive with Zack being able to land some big moves such as a top rope elbow drop but ultimately he is unable to overcome Corbin who hits the End of days for the win.

• It may have been spoiled by the pre-show but as a Bray Wyatt mark, I am still hype for the Wyatt family return.
• Paige tries to give an interview backstage but is distracted by Charlotte and Dana Brooke. Paige gives Dana the deadly head pat and gave a quite intense speech about how she would win tonight. At least Paige is relevant again

PAIGE vs CHARLOTTE (WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP)

Charlotte immediately goes for the pinfall as soon as the match starts, but she is unable to keep Paige down. The English native dominates the match early on as she is able to hit the Women’s Champion with some strong strikes. Charlotte is able to turn the tide of the match as she throws Paige from the turnbuckle then hits the moon sault to get a near cover. Paige is quickly able to regain control as she hits the Rampaige but due to some help from Dana, Charlotte’s leg gets to the ropes. Shortly after this Charlotte is able to pick up the win to retain her title by hitting Paige with the natural selection. Overall this was a good match, with Paige looking especially fired up for this. Let’s hope she sticks around as she is still one of the most talented Women on the roster. After the match finishes Charlotte and Dana continue to beat down Paige however their celebrations are ruined by Sasha Banks who has been missing for a while now due to injury. Paige and Sasha take the fight to Charlotte and Dana driving them from the ring.

• Roman Reigns is interviewed by Jojo about his match last night and tonight. Reigns claim he is just here to beat Seth despite what happened last night.

HE’S HERE

I am so happy to see Bray Wyatt back in action and clearly I am not the only one as he gets a “Welcome Back” chant from the crowd. Bray claims that the Wyatt family is as strong as ever. Bray is interrupted by The New Day who claims that Bray talks too much (not as much as Cena). It seems that Xavier Woods falls under some cult possession momentarily, which I hope is a sign of Bray’s skills as a cult leader actually being relevant for once. A feud between the Wyatt Family and New Day seems possible, maybe Strowman and Rowan will be the ones to take the tag titles from them?

• Another Make Darren Young Great Again segment. Still don’t care
• Rusev is set to fight Titus in a MITB rematch after Titus demanded it due to Rusev disrespecting his kids. The match never starts as the two brawl and what a brawl it was. Titus especially displayed intensity that we have never seen from him before.
• WWE Brand Split draft hype in the form of a video package.

• The commentators question whether Miz and Maryse will be split up (WHY IS THAT YOUR QUESTION), we then get Miz being an asshole to one of the movie crew. Textbook heel
• From one great heel to another Jericho goes to Shane in order to demand a title shot against Dean Ambrose.

SETH ROLLINS vs ROMAN REIGNS

As with last night’s match, this was a great main event between Seth and Roman who gave each other their beast and did their best to make sure they walked out with the contender spot. We didn’t see any crazy moves or finishers like we did last night which is understandable but what we did get was action packed and well worked. Once again the face and heel dynamic was the opposite of what you would expect as Roman played the role of dominant monster and Seth as the underdog competitor. Roman was using heavy hitting strikes in order to bully Seth around the ring whereas Rollins was wrestling with a technical style, trying to wear down Reigns. Seth’s quickness came in handy when he was successfully able to avoid being put through one of the announce tables and eventually the shenanigans outside the ring cause a double count out making this match a draw. Shane O Mac comes out to make a decision regarding Battleground. We learn that at Battleground we will finally get the Shield Triple Threat match (wait what? At Battleground? Really?). The show ends with Ambrose taking out both Roman then Rollins, standing tall once again.

FINAL NOTES & SCORE

• Tonight’s MVP: Of course, it is going to be Dean Ambrose
• Match of the Night: Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns
• Moment of the Night: Bray Wyatt return
• Was the New Day possession a joke or a hint at some Bray character development?
• Enzo and Shane bonding over sneakers was awesome

So this was a great episode to start of the Ambrose era. Unfortunately, this will be overshadowed by the shocking news of the Roman Reigns suspension that was revealed barely 2 hours ago. In fact, I only discovered this 1 hour after writing this review. Anyway, I am going to give this week’s episode a 7.5/10.

Roman Reigns suspended

WWE has just announced that Joe Anoa`i (Roman Reigns) has failed the company’s talent wellness policy and will be suspended for 30 days. Reigns has issued a statement.

I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 21, 2016

Although the suspension ends before Battlegound, leaving the triple threat match active, Reigns will be missing the WWE draft on July 19th. Could this have been why Roman lost at MITB? Likely but we can only guess. What this means and how the WWE will present it can only be found out as the story progresses.