Friday 30 December 2016

WWE Roadblock: End of the Line Review

WWE Roadblock: End of the Line took place last Sunday at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Will RAW end the year on a high? Let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show was Big Cass with Enzo Amore taking on Rusev with Lana. Big Cass is dominant for most of the match before it goes to the crowd. Lana pushes Enzo and he gets creamed with a clothesline by Rusev. When Big Cass checks on him, Rusev slides in and wins by countout. What the fuck was that?! It was looking like it was going to be a decent match thrn we suddenly get a shitty finish out of nowhere. Such a fucking disappointment
Winner: Rusev (1 for 1)

The first of the PPV was for the RAW Tag Team Championship as Cesaro and Sheamus challenge The New Day. Cesaro and Sheamus focus their offence on Kofi Kingston before he gets to tag in Big E. Later on, Cesaro hits the Neutraliser on Kofi but Big E breaks up the pin. In the end, Sheamus goes to tag in Cesaro but he moves his hand out of the way. Kofi hits Cesaro with Trouble in Paradise and covers him, thinking he's the legal man. Sheamus then rolls up Kofi to get the win and the 483 day reign of The New Day. This was a good match and I quite liked the ending.
Winners: The New Day (2 for 2)

Next is Sami Zayn taking on Bruan Strowman with a 10 minute time limit. Zayn uses his quickness but that lasted than a minute before Strowman proceeds to destroy him. After 6 minutes, Mick Foley comes down with a white towel. Zayn, however, persuades him not to throw in the towel then manages to avoid Strowman's attacks and survives the 10 minutes to win? I think? Isn't that technically a draw? Anyway, an interesting match to watch
Winner: Sami Zayn (2 for 3)

Now a match I was really looking forward to: Seth Rollins versus The Gift of Jericho. After some back and forth, Jericho hit a springboard dropkick sending Rollins off the apron. Rollins does get back into it and after a while, Kevin Owens comes in to try to help Jericho. When Jericho tells him to go to the back, Rollins hits him with a pedigree to win the match. To be honest, this match was a bit of a disappointment. It went too slow for me and nothing really stood out. Saying that, I quite liked that Owens keeps failing to help Jericho win matches yet Jericho doesn't seem to have that problem.
Winner: Seth Rollins (3 for 4)

Next is a triple threat match for the Cruiserweight Championship as Rich Swann faces the challenges of TJ Perkins and The Brian Kendrick. The match goes at a fast pace with all 3 guys heavily involved. There was a weird bit where Perkins has Swann in the kneebar and Swann gets to the ropes. Michael Cole says that that doesn't count in a triple threat yet the referee tells Perkins to release the hold. Anyway, in the end, Perkins and Swann superkick Kendrick then Swann pins Perkins after hitting him with a roundhouse kick. Except for the bit with the referee, it was a good match. However, it is overshadowed by what happened afterwards as Neville returns and beats the fuck out of Swann and Perkins. This was great and exactly what Neville needed. He has been criminally underused since he was called up to the main roster. Hopefully, he can go on to be the top heel in the division.
Winner: Rich Swann (4 for 5)

The penultimate match is a 30 minute Iron Man match for the RAW Women's Championship as Charlotte Flair challenges Sasha Banks. Charlotte is dominant for most of the match but it's not til the 20th minute that we get our first fall. Charlotte takes the lead after hitting a natural selection from the top rope. In the 22nd minute, Sasha manages to get a pinfall out of nowhere to make it 1-1. In the 25th minute, Sasha avoids a moonsault and gets Charlotte to submit to the Banks statement to take the lead at 2-1. It looks like, even with an injured knee, Sasha might just survive. However, Charlotte puts her in the figure 4 in the 29th minute and, despite her best efforts, Sasha submites with just 2 seconds left, ending the match at 2-2. The referee decides that the match will go into overtime. Sasha starts bleeding but she manages to apply the Banks statement. However, Charlotte gets out of it and gets the win with the figure 8 in the 5th minute of overtime.

This was a really good match and it was the match of the night. However, even though I predicted it, I'm not happy with Charlotte winning. Sasha has been a 3 time Womens Champion yet has never succesfully defended it. They have had some tremendous matches and it would have been my feud of the year. However, the Championship being passed around like a hot potato has ruined it a little for me.
Winner: Charlotte Flair (5 for 6)

The main event is Roman Reigns challenging Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship. During the match, Owens has Reigns in a chinlock for what seems like a year but Reigns does go back into it. Later on, Owens sends Reigns through the German announce table. In the end, Jericho comes in and Owens with the codebreaker, ending the match in a disqualification. Afterwards, it turns out to be a ruse. Rollins comes in and, along with Reigns, powerbomb Jericho through the Spanish announce table and Owens through the English announce table.

I thought that the match wasn't great to be honest although the ending was pretty good.
Winner: Kevin Owens (6 for 7)

I didn't think that Roadblock wasn't a great event. The women's match was really good but a lot of the matches were not that great. RAW PPVs have been a mixed bag this year. Hopefully, they will improve next year.

Monday 19 December 2016

WWE TLC 2016 Review

WWE TLC took place on Sunday 4th December at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas, Texas. The last couple of PPVs have been a mixed bag so will Smackdown end the year on a high? Let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show was the team of American Alpha, The Hype Bros and Apollo Crews taking on The Asecension, The Vaudevillians and Curt Hawkins. The match goes back and forth before Chad Gable gets worn down. Eventually he gets the hot tag to Jason Jordan and in the end, they go on to hit Simon Gotch with Grand Amplitude to get the win. It was a bit short for me but I enjoyed it.
Winners: American Alpha, The Hype Bros and Apollo Crews (N/A)

The first match of the PPV was for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship as Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt with Luke Harper challenge Heath Slater and Rhyno. Wyatt, thanks to Harper distracting the referee, pulls Slater off the ring apron to get his team the advantage. Slater does manage to get the hot tag but it was not enough. Rhyno goes to spear Orton on the outside but Harper moves him out of the way and takes the hit. Rhyno slides back in and is distracted by Wyatt's upside down walk and Orton slides in and hits the RKO to get the win. I was quite surprised that Orton and Wyatt but it's probably the  right decision as they both need this.
Winners: Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt (0 for 1)

Next is a no disqualification match between Carmella and  Nikki Bella. Carmella does a head scissors sending Nikki into the steel steps. She then focuses on Nikki's left leg, hitting it with a kendo stick. Carmella does go on to do the Code of Silence but Nikki hits her with the kendo stick. Nikki does get back into it, hitting a brutal roundhouse kick from the barricade. She then goes on to use a fire extinguisher for what seems like a year before hitting the Rack Attack 2.0 to get the win. Afterwards, Carmella tells Nikki that it was Natalya that attacked her at Survivor Series. The match was ok but I'm interested to see how they play with what happened after the match. Hopefully, it was Carmella who attacked Nikki and she's just fucking with her. Knowing WWE tho, it would turn out that Carmella was telling the truth.
Winner: Nikki Bella (1 for 2)

 Now a match that I was really looking forward to: Dolph Ziggler challenging Hollywood Miz (with Maryse) in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Highlights of the match include: Ziggler doing a tornado DDT sending Miz onto a ladder; Miz dropkicking a ladder into Ziggler; and Miz focusing on Ziggler's legs. Miz hits the skull crushing finale onto a ladder then climbs up. However, Ziggler takes the ladder, leaving The Miz hanging before he falls down, injuring his knee. In the end, Miz and Ziggler climb up on different ladders and Ziggler punches Miz off. The Miz, however, recovers and kickes Ziggler in the balls then grabs the belt to win the match. Afterwards, Miz decidates the match to Daniel Bryan and calls the Dallas crowd losers.

This match was really good and a great way to end the feud. Hopefully, The Miz can continue with someone else in the new year.
Winner: Hollywood Miz (2 for 3)

 Next is Kalisto facing Baron Corbin in a chairs match. Kalisto immediately goes at Corbin with but it's dealt with it quite quickly. Corbin goes on to be dominant for a lot of the match. Kalisto does a seated senton onto a row of chairs but Corbin responds by reversing a suicide dive into a deep six on the outside. Corbin then wins the match after hitting The End of Days onto a pile of chairs. Quite a good match between the two.
Winner: Baron Corbin (3 for 4)

The penultimate match is Alexa Bliss challenging Becky Lynch in a tables match for the Smackdown Women's Championship. The match goes at a fast pace before Alexa starts to be dominant. Becky tries to suplex Alexa through a table a few times, In the end, they end up fighting on the apron and Alexa manages to powerbomb Becky through a table on the outside to win the match. Although the finish seemed to come out of nowhere, this was quite a good match. I've become a big fan of Alexa over the last year but I didn't think that she was ready to be Champion just yet. Hopefully she can prove me wrong.
Winner: Alexa Bliss (3 for 5)

The main event is a TLC match for the WWE World Championship as Dean Ambrose challenges AJ Styles. Highlights of the match include: Ambrose running a chair into Styles while he was on the barricade; and Styles side suplexing Ambrose onto a row of chairs. There was a great spot where Ambrose put up a ladder on the German announce table and elbowed Styles from there through the English announce table. Later on, Styles hit a springboard 450 splash, sending Ambrose through a table. Styles goes on to climb up the ladder but stops when he sees James Ellsworth walk down the aisle. Styles attacks him but Ambrose stops him and hits dirty deeds onto the stairs. Ambrose looks like he's going to win it but Ellsworth tips the ladder sending Ambrose through 2 tables on the outside. Styles then climbs the ladder to grab the belt and win the match.

I enjoyed the match even though it was a bit of a weird ending. Ellsworth's reasoning for his decision, which he said on Talking Smack, does kinda make sense. He beat Styles twice so he wants him to be Champion. Sure, he had Ambrose's help in those victories but he has a point. I suspect that Ambrose will get his revenge in the near future.
Winner: AJ Styles

I thought that TLC was a good event and I was happy to see 2 new Champions. However, RAW will follow suit with Roadblock: End of the Line.


Sunday 18 December 2016

WWE Roadblock End of the Line Preview

RoadblockEOTL2016Poster.png 

WWE Roadblock End of the Line, the final RAW PPV of the year, will be taking place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. WWE TLC was pretty good so will Roadblock follow in that suit? Let's take a look.

Big Cass vs Rusev
I feel that Rusev, who is somehow the heel in this, will win here.
Predicted Winner: Rusev

The New Day vs Cesaro and Sheamus
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match
The New Day just recently became the longest reigning Champions this week. However, I feel that will come to an end
Predicted Winners: Cesaro and Sheamus

Seth Rollins vs The Gift of Jericho
This is one that I'm really looking forward to and it's a tough one to call. I feel that Rollins might just win this.
Predicted Winner: Seth Rollins

Sami Zayn vs Braun Strowman 
This match has a 10 minute time limit but I don't think it will last that long. I'm going for Strowman to win.
Predicted Winner: Braun Strowman

The Brian Kendrick vs TJ Perkins vs Rich Swann
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
This could be a good match. I think that Swann will find some way to retain
Predicted Winner: Rich Swann

Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks
30 Minute Iron Woman Match for the RAW Women's Championship
This feud, except for hot potato title changes, has been enjoyable and I really want Sasha. However, Charlotte is undefeated in PPV matches and I feel that WWE will continue in that vein.
Predicted Winner: Charlotte Flair

Roman Reigns vs The Kevin Owens Show
WWE Universal  Championship Match
This could be a good match between the two. I feel that Jericho will come in to help Owens win.
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens

I should have the TLC review in the next couple of days and this review before Christmas. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show  





Wednesday 14 December 2016

WWE Survivor Series 2016 Review

The 30th Survivor Series took place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. We've got 3 RAW vs Smackdown elimination matches plus 2 matches that could change the landscape of the WWE. So. let's take a look and see what happens.

There were two matches on the Kick Off Show and the first was the team of TJ Perkins, Noam Dar and Rich Swann taking on the team of Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak and Tony Nese. Perkins, Dar and Swann wear down Gulak and later on, Daivari hits an AA spine buster to give his team the advantage. Dar eventually manages to tag in Swann and he goes on to hit a standing 450 splash on Daivari to give his team the win. An enjoyable match to start the night.
Winners: TJ Perkins, Noam Dar and Rich Swann (1 for 1)

The second match was Kane taking on Luke Harper. Kane gets the win after avoiding a discus clothesline to hit a chokeslam. To be honest, the match wasn't great.
Winner: Kane (2 for 2)

The first match of the PPV was the Womens' elimination match. It's the team of Alicia Foxx, Bayley, Charlotte, Nia Jax and Sasha Banks from RAW took on the team of Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Naomi and Nikki Bella from Smackdown. Well, it was supposed to be Nikki but she was attacked backstage and unable to take part. Therefore, coach Natalya replaced her. After a little while, Alicia eliminates Carmella with a scissor kick to the back of the head but she is immeidately eliminated by Bliss with a twisted bliss. Nia Jax destroys Naomi and she gets eliminated by count out and Sasha Banks gets eliminated thanks to a roll up by Natalya. She then gets eliminated thanks to a big boot by Charlotte. In a big surprise, Nia Jax submits to the disarm-her applied by Becky then Bliss gets eliminated by another big boot by Charlotte. In the end, Bayley hits the Belly-to-Bayley on Becky to get her team the win. Charlotte celebrates by beating the fuck out of Bayley.

The match was pretty good but I am concerned about Nia Jax. Since she has been called up to RAW, she has destroyed random jobbers and Alicia Foxx yet she gets eliminated by submission. If they want to keep her as a monster, I thought it would make more sense to her to be counted out. The main difference between the divisions is that you can put the women in the title picture (except maybe Naomi) and it wouldn't look weird. RAW probably has the better talent yet are focusing their title picture on just Charlotte and Sasha Banks and I feel that that could harm the division in the long run.
Winners: Bayley and Charlotte (2 for 3)

The Intercontinental Championship is on the line as Sami Zayn challenges Hollywood Miz and if Sami wins, the Championship goes over to RAW. Miz takes advantage of Maryse getting in Zayn's face to chop block him and he continues to focus on the right knee. Zayn gets back into it with a brutal clothesline and it looks like he's going to win it when he puts Miz in the figure 4 when the bell suddenly rings. It turns out that Maryse rang it while the referee is telling Zayn that he hasn't won, Miz rolls him up to get the win. This was a good match and I liked the ending with Maryse. If I have a slight nitpick, I would have preferred it if Miz hit his finisher instead of a roll up.
Winner: The Miz (3 for 4)

Next is the Tag Team Survivor Series Elimination Match. The teams of Enzo and Big Cass, The Shining Stars, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Sheamus and Cesaro and The New day from RAW take on the teams of American Alpha, Rhyno and Heath Slater, Breezango, The Usos and The Hype Bros from Smackdown. Breezango get eliminated almost immediately when The New Day hit the midnight hour on Fandango; then Kofi gets hit with a superkick by Jey Uso to eliminate The New Day. The Hype Bros get eliminated Gallows and Anderson hit Zack Ryder with the magic killer; the shining stars get eliminated when Primo gets hit with an diving avalanche bulldog by American Alpha; and they get eliminated when Jason Jordan gets hit with another magic killer by Gallows and Anderson. Rhyno then gores Gallows to even the sides. Enzo and Big Cass eliminate Rhyno with the boom shakalaka to make it The Usos against Enzo, Big Cass, Cesaro and Sheamus. Enzo gets hit with a superkick followed by an Uso splash to eliminate his team; and in the end, Cesaro gets Jey Uso to submit to the sharpshooter to get team RAW the win. Except for the eliminations at the beginning, I enjoyed the match.
Winners: Cesaro and Sheamus (4 for 5)

Next is Kalisto challenging Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship. If Kalisto wins, the entire Cruiserweight Division will go over to Smackdown. Kalisto goes at 100 miles an hour before Kendrick hits a spinning heel kick followed by a belly-to-back suplex to get the advantage. Kendrick goes on to use the steel steps against Kalisto in front of the ref which doesn't get him disqualified for some reason. Anyway, Kalisto hits an awesome Spanish fly from the ring apron to get back into it. He goes on to hit the salida del sol but Kendrick gets his foot on the ropes. The match ends when Baron Corbin runs in, blindsides Kendrick and hits Kalisto with the end of days. Due to the fact that Kendrick was attacked first, he wins by disqualification. This match was good but I didn't see the point of the extra stipulation. The one with the Intercontinental Championship made sense because it was Ziggler's idea; although it was a shame that he lost it the week before. I just don't think you can't have two matches that could have far reaching consequences then decide to keep the status quo. Hopefully 205 Live will give some development to the Cruiserweights.
Winner: Brian Kendrick (5 for 6)

The penultimate match was the final Survivor Series elimination match. It was the team of Kevin Owens, The Gift of Jericho, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Bruan Strowman from Team RAW against AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Shane McMahon with mascot James Ellsworth from Smackdown. It's a while before we get our 1st elimination. Ambrose and Styles let their feud boil over and they start fighting each other. Strowman takes advantage and eliminates Ambrose with a running powerslam. Strowman gets elbowed through the announce table by Shane then gets eliminated by count out when Ellsworth stops him from getting back into the ring. Strowman responds by throwing a fleeing Ellsworth off the ramp through a table, Owens gets eliminated by disqualification when he hits Styles with the List of Jericho. When Jericho picks up the pages that were strewn over the ring, Orton comes in and eliminates him with a RKO. Shane gets murdered when he attempts a coast to coast and he gets speared by Reigns. Shane then gets sent to the back by doctors. Later on, Ambrose runs back in and attacks Styles. Security try to stop him but Rollins and Reigns stop them and they combine to powerbomb Styles through the Spanish announce table. Rollins then rolls Styles in and pins him, making it Rollins and Reigns versus Orton and Wyatt.

Luke Harper returns to help out and Rollins gets eliminated by a super RKO by Orton. In the end, Reigns goes to spear Wyatt but Orton pushes him out of the way and takes the hit. Wyatt then hits Sister Abigail to get the win. I was quite surprised that Orton and Wyatt were the survivors but despite that, I really enjoyed the match.
Winners: Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton (6 for 7)

The main event is Goldberg in his first match in 12 years taking on Brock Lesnar. Goldberg hits 2 spears follwed by a jackhammer to win the match in 85 seconds. I'm torn about this. Goldberg has never really done long matches and I'm ok with him winning. However, Lesnar ended Undertaker's streak, destroyed John Cena and has been generally destroyed as a monster over the last 2 1/2 years. For him to lose to a guy who hasn't wrestled in over 12 years in less than 90 seconds does show that perhaps that it's the beginning of the end for Lesnar.
Winner: Goldberg (6 for 8)

I thought that Survivor Series was a bit of a mixed bag. I generally enjoyed the matches. However, you had 2 matches with game changing stipulations which didn't happen and a 85 second main event and it lowered my opinion of it. Recent WWE PPVs have been good in terms of wrestling quality. However, some of their creative decisions have disappointed me. Hopefully their last 2 PPVs of the year will improve on that.

Sunday 4 December 2016

WWE TLC 2016 Preview

WWETLC Poster2016.jpg

WWE TLC 2016 will be taking place this evening at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. At the time of writing this, there are 6 matches on the card. So, how will Smackdown look at the end of the year? Let's look at the card.

Kalisto vs Baron Corbin
Chairs Match
I'm not too bothered about this match but I think that Corbin will win here.
Predicted Winner: Baron Corbin

Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton vs Rhyno and Heath Slater
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
This is an interesting match to consider. I can see it going both ways but I think that Orton will fuck Wyatt over and Rhyno and Slater will retain.
Predicted Winners: Rhyno and Heath Slater

Nikki Bella vs Carmella
No Disqualification Match
I'm quite looking forward to this one and I think that Nikki will win here.

Dolph Ziggler vs Hollywood Miz
Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
This match has the potential to be the match of the night and Miz has been one of my favourite wrestlers to watch at the minute. I think that he will win here.
Predicted Winner: The Miz

Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch
Tables Match for the Smackdown Women's Championship
Another match that I'm looking forward to and Alexa is one of the front runners for my Mopst Improved Wrestler of the Year. I would love to see her as Champion but I think that it's too sonn so I think Becky will win.
Predicted Winner: Becky Lynch

Dean Ambrose vs AJ Styles
TLC Match for the WWE Championship
Another match that could be match of the night. It's also another tough one to call but I think that Styles will win here.
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

I'm running a bit behind with PPVs but I hope to catch up before Roadblock. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.