Thursday 20 April 2017

The Superstar Shake Up

The Superstar Shake Up, effectively the WWE Draft, took place on RAW ans Smackdown last week. The way they did it was that they announced who were coming on the show moments before they turned up on TV. Let's take a look at the transfers.

From Smackdown to RAW

  • Alexa Bliss
  • Apollo Crews
  • Bray Wyatt
  • Curt Hawkins
  • Dean Ambrose
  • Heath Slater and Rhyno
  • Kalisto
  • Mickie James
  • Miz and Maryse
For most of these Superstars, I don't think it will affect them too much. I feel that they will just be in the same position as they were on Smackdown. However, I am worried about Bray and Alexa. Alexa was very close to becoming my Most Improved Wrestler from last year and she was one of the highlights on Smackdown. I was worried that she might get lost in the shuffle as they are better wrestlers such as Sasha Banks and Emma in the division. However, she became the Number 1 Contender and will face Bayley on Payback and that shows how high WWE regard her, I don't think she will win but I thought that when she faced Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women's Championship and I was proven wrong then.

As for Bray, I feel that it's the beginning of the end. It was great when he beat John Cena and AJ Styles at Elimination Chamber to become WWE Champion. Then it just fell apart as he first lost the Championship to Randy Orton a month later and then he gets transferred over to RAW without any of the Wyatt Family. Bray works well as the leader of a group and this could be the final nail in the coffin for him, I know that Bray has a rematch at Payback but let's be honest, does anyone really fucking think that he is going to win that?

From RAW to Smackdown

  • Charlotte Flair
  • Jinder Mahal
  • Lana
  • Rusev
  • Sami Zayn
  • Sin Cara 2.0
  • Tamina
  • The New Day
  • The Shining Stars The Colons
I feel that some of these Superstars will do well on Smackdown. I'm especially happy for Sami and Kevin. A part of me is gutted that they moved because I'm going to a RAW house show in 3 weeks so I won't get to see them. However, if used right, they can go no to become the highlights of the show plus we could see matches such as Nakamura vs Owens. I am slightly worried about the women's division. Charlotte is great and is probably worth more then Alexa Bliss and Mickie James combined. However, Tamina isn't very good and I almost forgot that she still works there. The biggest surprise so far has been Jinder Mahal. He became the Number 1 Contender to the WWE Champioship and will get that opportunity at Backlash. Jinder has improved so much since he came back and I'm interested to see how that match will go.

Sunday 16 April 2017

WWE Wrestlemania 33 Review

The biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania, took place on Sunday 3rd April at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. I'm not that excited about some of the matches but I'm interested to see how it goes so let's take a look.

There were 3 matches on the Kick Off Show and the first was for the Cruiserweight Championship as Austin Aries challenges King Neville of the Cruiserweights. Early on, Aries goes for the Last Chancery but Neville rolls out of the ring. He then gets the advantage after stopping a suicide dive. The match goes back and forth and Aries comes close with a 450 splash followed by the Last Chancery. However, Neville gouges the eye to get out of it then hits the Red Arrow to get the win. This was a really good match and I can't wait for them to have a rematch.
Winner: Neville (1 for 1)

Next is the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal with the following taking part Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews, Big Show, Curt Hawkins, Braun Strowman, Goldust, R-Truth, Primo, Epico, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn, Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Dolph Ziggler, Rhyno, Heath Slater, Jason Jordan, Chad Gable, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Mark Henry, Tian Bing and Killian Dian. Strowman and Show eliminate a few of the wrestlers before Strowman eliminates Show. The remaining wrestlers team up to eliminate Strowman. The final five end up being: Rawley, Mahal, Zayn, Dian and O'Neill. Zayn eliminates O'Neill but he is eliminated by Dian. Rawley gets beaten up by Mahal before he throws a drink at Rawley's friend Ron Gronkowski of the New England Patriots. Gronk doesn't take that well and should tackles Mahal. Rawley goes on to eliminate Dian and then Mahal to win the match. This was quite fun to watch and I was surprised that Rawley. Even though I'm not a big fan of him, it will be interesting to see how it will go with him. 
Winner: Mojo Rawley (1 for 2)

The final match on the Kick Off Show was for the Intercontinental Championship as Baron Corbni challenges Dean Ambrose. Corbin is dominant very early on, sending Ambrose into the ring post and the barricades. Ambrose gets back into it and gets the win after reversing an End of Days into a Dirty Deeds. This match wasn't great, which was a shame as it had the potential to be quite good.
Winner: Dean Ambrose (1 for 3)

After an introduction by hosts The New Day, we get the first official match of Wrestlemania, which was AJ Styles taking on Shane McMahon. Styles is understandably confident, which Shane takes advantageof.; Styles sends Shane flying over the Smackdown announce table and later on, puts him in the calf killer. Sane puts Styles in a triangle choke but it's reversed into a Styles Clash for 2. Styles accidentally knocks out the ref and Shane comes close after hitting a coast to coast, sending a trash can into Styles. Shane goes to elbow Shane through the Smackdown announce table but he misses. Styles goes on to win after avoiding a shooting star press to hit the Phenomenal Forearm. This match was really enjoyable and better then I thought it would be.
Winner: AJ Styles (2 for 4)

The next match is one that I was really looking forward to: Kevin Owens challenging The Gift of Jericho for the United States Championship. The match starts at a fast pace before Owens gets the advantage. Jericho avoids a pop up powerbomb and hits a lionsault for 2. In the end, Owens hits a powerbomb onto the apron then rolls Jericho in to get the pinfall and the win. This was a really good match and I'm looking foward to their rematch at Payback.
Winner: Kevin Owens (3 for 5)

We now get the fatal 4-way elimination match as Nia Jax, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair challenge Bayley for the RAW Women's Championship. Nia is dominant to start with but she gets ganged up on and after powerbombing her, they pile on her to get the pinfall and get eliminated. Sasha Banks gets eliminated when she gets thrown head first into an exposed turnbuckle and Charlotte pins her. Charlotte focuses on Bayley's left knee but it's not enough as Bayley hits a Macho Man elbow drop to get the win. This was a good match tho I do question the booking decision. Nothing against Bayley winning, but if he was going to win at Wrestlemania, why didn't they keep it on Charlotte til then as it would have made a great moment.
Winner: Bayley (3 for 6)

After we see the Hall of Fame Class of 2017, it is the ladder match for the RAW Tag Team Championship as Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson face the challenges of Cesaro and Sheamus and Enzo and Cass. Before the match, The New Day come out and announce an extra participant, which are The Hardy Boyz. Highlights of the match include: The Hardys going Poetry in Motion to Gallows and Anderson; Anderson pulling Enzo off the ladder into an European uppercut by Cesaro; and Jeff Hardy doing a swanton bomb, sending Cesaro through a ladder. In the end, Matt Hardy climbs up the ladder and gets the blets to win the match. This was a good match and it was nice to see The Hardys in WWE again.
Winners: The Hardy Boyz (N/A)

Next is the mixed tag team match as John Cena and Nikki Bella take on Hollywood Miz and Maryse. Pretty much. Miz and Cena do the work for 90% of this match. Miz wears down Cena but Cena eventually gets the hot tag to Nikki and she completely destroys Maryse. In the end, Cena and Nikki hit their finishing moves to get the win. Afterwards, Cena proposes to Nikki. This felt more like a house show match but it was enjoyable and congratulations to Cena and Nikki on their engagement.
Winners: John Cena and Nikki Bella (4 for 7)

Next is Seth Rollins taking on Triple H  in an unsanctioned match. Triple H during the match goes for the repaired knee and he gets the advantage with a DDT onto the German announce table. Rollins does get some offence in but, thanks to Triple H, his knee does hamper it. After some back and forth, Stephanie McMahon tries to help out but she gets accidentally put through a table by Triple H. Rollins then hits a Pedigree to get the win. This was a good match to watch and I'm interested to see where Rollins goes from here.
Winner: Seth Rollins (5 for 8)

After a musical interlude by Pitbull, Lunch Money Lewis and Flo Rida, we get the WWE Championship match as Randy Orton challenges Bray Wyatt. During the match, they were doing this weird thing when they projected things onto the ring, such as worms and cockroaches. Anyway, Orton gets a chance when he hits a RKO on the outside but later on, Wyatt hits a Sister Abigail for 2. In the end, Orton hits a RKO out of nowhere (seriously, there was nothing leading up to that moment that suggested that it was going to happen) to get the win. This match was a massive disappointment. First of all, the projections on the ring was just fucking stupid. Secondly, Orton doesn't need the title and I feel so sorry for Bray Wyatt. His Championship was probably a couple of years too late then he only gets a one month reign. I know that he has a rematch but due to the fact that he's been moved over to RAW (I'll talk about that another time), do you really think that he's going to regain his Championship?
Winner: Randy Orton (5 for 9)

The next match is for the Universal Championship as Brock Lesnar challenges Goldberg. Lesnar immediately hits 3 German suplexes then Goldberg spears him twice then spears him through a barricade. Goldberg then hits the jackhammer for 2. After Lesnar leapfrogs to avoid a spear, he hits 7 German suplexes then a F-5 to win the match. This match was a lot better than I expected it to be.
Winner: Brock Lesnar (6 for 10)

The penultimate match is a six-pack challenge for the Smackdown Women's Championship. Alexa Bliss faced the challenges of Becky Lynch, Naomi, Mickie James, Natalya and Carmella. Natalya puts Carmella and Naomi in a sharpshooter but it's stopped by Mickie. After Naomi takes out most of the field with an over the top rope splash, she goes on to make Alexa submit with the Slay-o-mission to win the match. This match was far too short, which is a shame as it could have been a good match.
Winner: Naomi (7 for 11)

The main event is Roman Reigns versus The Undertaker in a no holds barred match. The match starst with punches and kicks by both guys. Undertaker chokeslams Reigns onto the German announce table and Reigns by spearing Taker through the Spanish announce table. Taker hits a very poor last ride for 2 and later on, he hits a chokeslam onto a chair for 2. Reigns goes on to hit 4 spears to get the win. Afterwards, Undertaker puts his coat and hat in the middle of the ring and leaves.

This match, to be honest, wasn't great. There were some nice spots but they were some painfully obvious botches, such as the last ride. There are some people who feel that Undertaker should have been retired earlier. I'm not too sure about that but this match has showed that it is time for him to retire. I tell one thing, it is going to be weird next year without a Undertaker match.
Winner: Roman Reigns (8 for 12)

I thought that Wrestlemania was a mixed bag. There were some good matches but some were really disappointing. With the Superstar shake up, it will be interesting to see where things go from here.

Saturday 8 April 2017

NXT Takeover: Orlando Review

NXT Takeover: Orlando took place on Saturday 1st April at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Every Takeover that I have seen have been really good so will that continue on Wrestlemania weekend? Let's take a look.

In the first match, it was supposed to be SAnitY taking on the team of Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose, Roderick Strong and Ruby Riot. However, Jose decided to take part in a match earlier that day and SAnitY attacked him, resulting in an injured knee. Therefore, Kassius Ohno came in to replace him. SAnitY start to focus on Strong. Despite Strong getting the hot tag to Dillinger, it was not enough as Killian Dain gets out of the Tye Breaker and hits the Ulster Plantation to get the win. I quite enjoyed this match. However, I was disappointed with the women as I feel that they didn't get to do that much.
Winners: SAnitY (1 for 1)

 Next is Andrade "Cien" Almas taking on the debuting Aleister Black. Almas gets the advantage early on, applying an armbar over the ropes. Black gets back into it with kicks. In the end, Black hits 2 big boots to the head followed by the Black Mask to get the win. This was quite a good match and Almas continues his Takeover losing streak.
Winner: Aleister Black (2 for 2)

Our first Championship match as The Revival and #DIY challenge The Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championship. At times, The Revival and #DIY work together, sending Razer through a table and hitting their finishing moves. However, their disdain for each other proves to be their undoing as The Authors of Pain hit the Last Chapter on Ciampia to eliminate #DIY. Soon after, they hit Dawson and Wilder with the Super Collider to get the win. This was a really good match and I loved the psychology of it as well.
Winners: Authors of Pain (3 for 3)

 The penultimate match is for the NXT Women's Championship as Ember Moon challenges Asuka. They exchange moves early on before Asuka sends Ember into the guard rail with a hip attack. Ember does get back into it, although Asuka comes close with a German suplex. Ember goes for the Eclipse but Asuka pushes the referee into the ropes to stop it then kicks Ember's head off to get the win. Ignoring the fact that Asuka should have been disqualified, this was a good match and I look forward to their rematch.  I was surprised that Asuka won but I assume that she will get called up in the summer.
Winner: Asuka (3 for 4)

The main event is for the NXT Championship as Shinsuke Nakamura challenges Bobby Roode. Roode wears Nakamura down by keeping him in the corners and focusing on the neck. Nakamura gets back into it with knee strikes and kicks. After some back and forth, Roode chop blocks Nakamura after avoiding a Kinshasa. Roode hits the Glorious DDT for 2 then tries to use the bell but the referee stops it. In the end, Roode hits a Glorious DDTfrom the top rope to get the win. This was a good match between the two. Im interested to see where Roode goes from here as you can agrue that Ohno is the only one who is at that level. As for Nakaura, he made his main roster debut on Smackdown this week and I'm looking forward to some of the matches that he could have with the likes of AJ Styles and John Cena.
Winner: Bobby Roode (4 for 5)

Before I forget, NXT took this opportunity to debut some new Championship belts. They look nice although I liked the original design of the NXT Championship belt.

I really enjoyed NXT Takeover: Orlando.  The matches were really good and im really looking forward to seeing where they go from here.

Sunday 2 April 2017

WWE Wrestlemania 33 Preview

The Grand Daddy of them all, Wrestlemania 33 will be tkaing this evening at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. To be honest, I'm not that hyped for a lot of matches on this card. Howvever, let's take a look anyway to see if that changes.

There are two matches on the Pre Show and one of them is for the Cruiserweight Championship as Austin Aries challenges King Neville of the Cruiserweights. I'm looking forward to this one and it's a tough one to call. I think that Neville will retain here.
Predicted Winner: King Neville

The other one is the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The confirmed participants are: Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews, Big Show, Curt Hawkins, Braun Strowman, Goldust, R-Truth, Primo, Epico, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn, Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Dolph Ziggler, Rhyno, Heath Slater, Jason Jordan, Chad Gable, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Mark Henry, Tian Bing and Killian Dian.Yeah, I will be very surprised if Strowman doesn't win this.
Predicted Winner: Bruan Strowman

Seth Rollins will take on Triple H in a non-sanctioned match. Due to the fact that I'm a big fan of these two, this should be a good match. I'm going for Seth to win here.
Predicted Winner: Seth Rollins

Shane McMahon will be taking on AJ Styles and I feel so sorry for Styles. He faced Jericho last year and went on to the WWE Championship. It does seem like a step back for him and I know that Shane is a good entertainer. I think that Styles will win this match.
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

John Cena and Nikki Bella  will be taking on Hollywood Miz and Maryse. It does feel weird that Cena is in a mixed tag match. However, this has the tendency to be a good match. I'm going for Cena and Nikki to win.
Predicted Winners: John Cena and Nikki Bella

The Undertaker will take on Roman Reigns. Whilst The Undertaker has only lost once at Wrestlemania but Reigns has to win here due to the fact that WWE will be continuing to shove him down our throat.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson will defend their RAW Tag Team Championships against Enzo and Cass and Cesaro and Sheamus in a ladder match. I feel that this is the time for Enzo and Cass to win the Championship here.
Predicted Winners: Enzo and Cass

Alexa Bliss  will defend the Smackdown Women's Championship in a Six Pack Challenge match against Mickie James, Naomi, Carmella, Becky Lynch and Natalya. I think that Naomi, in her home town, will win here.
Predicted Winner: Naomi

Baron Corbin will challenge Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship. I like Ambrose but I feel that Corbin will win here.
Predicted Winner: Baron Corbin

Kevin Owens will challenge The Gift of Jericho for the United States Championship and this is a match that I'm really looking forward to seeing. I'm going for Owens to win here.
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens

Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks will challenge Bayley in a fatal 4-way elimination match for the RAW Women's Championship. This is quite a tough one to call as I can see any one of them winning. I'm going for Sasha to win here with a heel turn.
Predicted Winner: Sasha Banks

Randy Orton will challenge Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship and to be honest, I'll be really pissed if Orton wins as it proves that it's ok to burn down houses and desecrate graves if you're the good guy. I'm going for Bray to win here.
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt

Brock Lesnar will challenge Goldberg for the Universal Championship. I really don't care about this match. I'll be very surprised if this last more than 5 minutes and I'm going for Brock to win and become Universal Champion.
Predicted Winner: Brock Lesnar

I'll be watching Wrestlemania during the week and post my review up as soon as I can. I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Saturday 1 April 2017

NXT Takeover: Orlando Preview

NXT Takeover: Orlando is taking place this evening at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The last few Takeovers have been really good, so will that continue? Let's take a look at the card.

SAnitY vs Roderick Strong, No Way Jose, Tye Dillinger and Ruby Riot
An interesting match and I'm interested to see how Ruby Riot does.  I'm going for SAnitY to win here.
Predicted Winners: SAnitY

Aleister Black vs Andrade "Cien" Almas
Black is known in the UK as Tommy End and he faced King Neville at the UK Championship Tournament in January. I assumed by the promos for Black, I assumed he was going to be a heel. However, due to the fact that he's facing Alamas, a guess not. Anyway, Black is going to win here.
Predicted Winner: Aleister Black

Authors of Pain vs #DIY vs The Revival
Triple Threat Elimination Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship
This is a match that I'm really looking forward to watching. I Loved The Revival and #DIY and the Authors of Pain are growing on me. I'm afraid that The Revival will be the first one to be eliminated and I feel that the Authors of Pain will retain here.
Predicted Winners: Authors of Pain

Asuka vs Ember Moon
NXT Women's Championship
This was been quite fun to watch with Asuka acting like a dick to her opponents and seemingly not taking Ember Moon seriously. I feel that she is going to regret that and Ember will win here.
Predicted Winner: Ember Moon

Bobby Roode vs Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT Championship
At first, I thought that Roode would win here. However, with reports that Nakamura is booked to be on the NXT Tour to the UK, I'm not so sure. Nakamura, along with maybe The Revival, are overdue to be called up and I don't feel thjat Nakamura will be a 3-time Champion. Therefore, Roode to win here.
Predicted Winner: Bobby Roode

This is part of about 10 hours of wrestling that I'll be reviewing so this and the Wrestlemania reviews wmight take a while. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show