Thursday 25 May 2017

NXT Takeover: Chicago Review

The third NXT Takeover of 2017 took place at the AllState Arena just outside Chicago last Saturday evening. The last 2 Takeovers have been pretty good so far so, in one of the most boisterous crowds in the country, will that continue? Let's take a look.

The first match was Eric Young taking on Roderick Strong. Strong surprises Young by taking out his henchmen, Killian Dian and Alexander Wolff, at ringside. Strong then goes after Young but his momentum is stopped by a back suplex. Later on, Dian runs Strong over with a brutal running crossbody. Strong makes his comeback and hits a high knee, sending Young onto Dian and Wolff on the outside. Strong then rolls Young back inside and hits the End of Heartache to get the win. This was a good match and I was surprised that Young won, especially in the first match between the two. It seems that WWE are going to push him into the main event scene. Strong has the talent for it but I still feels that he needs to develop his character.
Winner: Roderick Strong (0 for 1)

The next match is for the United Kingdom Champioship as Tyler Bate faces the challenge of Pete Dunne. After some back and forth, Dunne gets the advantage after hitting a X-plex. Dunne comes close after a suplex into a sit down powerbomb and Bate reverses the Bitter End into a DDT. In the end, Dunne avoids an over the top rope suicide dive and rolls back Bate to hit the Bitter End and become the new United Kingdom Champion. The match was absolutely amazing to watch and so much better than their match at the United Kingdom Championship Tournament in January. This is a strong contender for match of the year and I can't wait for them to have a rematch in the near future.
Winner: Pete Dunne (1 for 2)

We now get the triple threat for the NXT Women's Championship as Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross challenge Asuka. The match goes at a steady pace to begin with with all 3 women being involved. Cross saves Riot a couple of times as Asuka hit a powerbomb into an anklelock then the Asuka Lock. Cross has a good chance to win with a solo magic killer but Riot breaks up the pin. In the end, Riot hits Cross with an overhead kick but Asuka hits her with a running knee. Asuka then pins both to win the match. This was quite a good match but I'm not a fan of Asuka pinning both women. It seems like a dick move to me.
Winner: Asuka (2 for 3)

The penultimate match is Hideo Itami challenging Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship. Itami has the early advantage before Roode hits a blockbuster. During the match, both guys get hurt. Roode with his shoulder, making it difficult to do moves such as the Glorious DDT; Itami with his knee, making it hard to do the GTS. Roode does bear the pain to hit a Glorious DDT but it only gets two. Itami hits the GTS but Roode rolls out of the ring. In the end, Itami goes for the GTS but Roode reverses it to hit 2 consecutive Glorious DDTs to get the win. I quite enjoyed this match and it would be nice to see them have a rematch. However, I suspect that WWE will do something different.
Winner: Bobby Roode (3 for 4)

The main event is a ladder match for the NXT Tag Team Championship as #DIY challenge The Authors of Pain. Highlights of the match include: Gargano doing a suicide dive through a ladder onto The Authors of Pain; #DIY splashing Akam and Razr through ladders on the outside; Paul Ellering stopping Gargano grabbing the belts and getting superkicked for it; Gargano getting uppercutted with a ladder; and Ciampia suplexing Razr through a ladder. The end comes when Ciampia and Gargano have their hands on the belts but Razr and Akam pull the ladder out from under them. They then pull them off and hit the super collider , climb up the ladder and grab the belts to win the match. Afterwards, Ciampia beats the fuck put of Gargano at the entrance way.

Although it was a little slow at times, this was a good match. As for Ciampia turning on Gargano, I thought it would happen at some point but I didn't think it would happen for a while yet. #DIY are the only team that could challenge them. TM-61 are out due to injury and it seems that Heavy Machinery are next up. However, they have had what 3 TV matches together and I think that it is way too soon for them.
Winner: Authors of Pain (4 for 5)

I thought that NXT Takeover: Chicago was a good event and the matches were generally good. It will be interesting to see where the Championship scenes will look like over the next few weeks and I'm quite looking forward to it.

Sunday 21 May 2017

WWE Backlash 2017 Preview

Backlash 2017 Poster.jpg



WWE Backlash will be taking place this evening at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, just outside Chicago. This should be an interesting event so let's take a look at the card.

Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English
Quite a tough one to call but I'm going for Dillinger to win
Predicted Winner: Tye Dillinger

Baron Corbin vs Sami Zayn
This has the potential to be a good match and I'm going for Corbin to win
Predicted Winner: Baron Corbin

Luke Harper vs Erick Rowan
To be honest, I don't really care about this, especially as Bray Wyatt is now on RAW. I have to make a prediction so I'm going for Luke Harper to win here.
Predicted Winner: Luke Harper

AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens
United States Championship
I'm really looking forward to this one and I would like Styles to win this. However, I'm going for Owens to retain.
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens

Naomi, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs Tamina, Carmella and Natalya
Getting over the fact that I find it weird that Charlotte is now a face, this could be a decent match. I'm for Naomi, Becky and Charlotte to win here.
Predicted Winners: Naomi, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair

Dolph Ziggler vs Shinsuke Nakamura
This is another one that I'm looking forward to. I feel that Nakamura has to win this.
Predicted Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Breezango vs The Usos
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
I'm quite surprised that Breezango are the number 1 contenders and seeing them as Champions could be interesting. However, I'm going for The Usos to win.
Predicted Winners: The Usos

Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton
WWE Championship
This is an interesting one to predict. At first, I thought that there is no fucking way that Jinder is winning this. However, he has been booked well recently and with the help of his henchmen, The Bollywood Boyz Singh Brothers, Jinder could actually become Champion. I can't see WWE doing that so I'm picking Orton to win. However, I hope that I'm wrong.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

I won't get to see this until later in the week. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Saturday 20 May 2017

NXT Takeover: Chicago Preview

NXT Takeover: Chicago will be taking this evening at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, just outside Chicago. I'm quite looking forward to this one and we will be having 4 Championships on the line instead of the usual 3, so let's look at the card.

Roderick Strong vs Eric Young
WWE have been pushing Strong with vignettes recently and that's exactly what he needs. I think Strong is a good wrestler but he doesn't seem to have much of a character. Despite the push, Young has the other members of SAnitY to interfere like fuck and help him get the win.
Predicted Winner: Eric Young

Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate
United Kingdom Championship
A tough one to call. Bate has been impressive and I feel that it might be time to see a new Champion therefore, Dunne to win here.
Predicted Winner: Pete Dunne

Ruby Riot vs Nikki Cross vs Asuka
NXT Women's Championship
Shame that Ember Moon is injured to be in this as she was my pick to win. I feel that it's too soon for Ruby and Nikki would be awesome as Champion. However, Asuka's recent heel turn, which I have been wanting for fucking months, could be derailed if she loses. Therefore, I think they will keep the status quo.
Predicted Winner: Asuka

#DIY vs The Authors of Pain
Ladder Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship
I think that this could be a match of the year candidate. The Authors of Pain's best matches have been against #DIY and the addition of ladders could make this a really good match. I'm going for The Authors of Pain to win.
Predicted Winners: The Authors of Pain

Hideo Itami vs Bobby Roode
NXT Championship
Oh God, I spent ages thinking about this. I can see either guy winning as it can work either way. With Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe leaving, I was worried about the main event scene. However, with Hideo, Kassius Ohno, Drew McIntyre and possibly Roderick Strong being in the mix, it looks good for the next year. The only thing that at the minute, they are all faces. Because of that, I feel that Roode will win this and stay Champion for the time being.
Predicted Winner: Bobby Roode

I will hopefully watch this over the weekend or early in the week and until the review goes up, I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Friday 12 May 2017

WWE Payback 2017 Review

WWE Payback took place at the SAP Center in San Jose on Sunday 30th April. Due to the Superstar Shake Up, we have a couple of matches that we wouldn't normally have. Anyway, let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show is Enzo and Big Cass versus Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Gallows and Andersno focus on Enzo's arm and stop him tagging in Cass a couple of times. Enzo does manage to tag in Cass and, after Enzo tags back in, they get the win after Cass stops the Magic Killer and Enzo puts Gallows in a small package. The match was ok and whilst it was a good ending, it seemed to come out of nowhere.
Winners: Enzo and Big Cass (1 for 1)

After an enjoyable segment of MizTV with Finn Balor, we get the first match of the event which is The Gift of Jericho challenging Kevin Owens for the United States Championship. Owens gets the advantage after stopping a springboard dropkick and focuses on the head and neck. Jericho makes his comeback, chopping the fuck out of Owens. Jericho applies the Walls of Jericho but Owens gets one finger on the ropes. Jericho doesn't take that well and attacks the hand. Owens tries for the Pop-Up Powerbomb but he can't because of his hand. Jericho then puts on the Walls of Jericho again to make Owens submit and become the United States Champion.

This was a really good match and it was a great way to start the event. I was surprised that Jericho won and I was worried if Owens' Face of America gimmick would work without the Championship. However, Owens regained the Championship two days later so I'm not that worried.
Winner: Chris Jericho (1 for 2)

Next is Austin Aries challenging King Neville of the Cruiserweights for the Cruiserweight Championship. Aries keeps Neville off balance with arm drags before Neville stops a 450 splash to get the advantage. Aries does his comeback and hit a sunset flip powerbomb into a Last Chancery. However, Neville assaults the referee to get himself disqualified.This was a good match and based on the ending, I'm assuming we will get them again soon.
Winner: Austin Aries (1 for3)

Next is Cesaro and Sheamus challenging The Hardy Boyz for the RAW Tag Team Championship. Jeff was beaten down by Cesaro and Sheamus, including an impressive leg drop by Cesaro. Eventually, Matt gets tagged in and we get some back and forth. Sheamus hits Matt with a power slam but he doesn't realise that Jeff is the legal man and he hits a Swanton Bomb to get the win. Afterwards, Cesaro and Sheamus attack the Hardys. This was a good match that went back and forth. I was surprised by Cesaro and Sheamus turning heel but I'm interested to see where they go with it.
Winners: The Hardy Boyz (2 for 4)

We now get the RAW Women's Championship as Alexa Bliss challenges Bayley.  Bliss gets the advantage after a brutal elbow to the face. Bliss' taunting gets the best of her as Bayley uses it to mount her comeback. However, it was in vain as Bliss gets out of a small package and hits a DDT to get the win. Holy shit, I honestly didn't see that coming. I should have expected it as WWE have a tendency to book their hometown wrestler to lose. Despite that, I was surprised that Bliss won. She is currently one of my favourite wrestlers at the minute as her character is brilliant and I think that she will do well as the RAW Women's Champion.  
Winner: Alexa Bliss (2 for 5)

The next match is the House of Horrors Match between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton, which is not for the WWE Championship because Wyatt is a fucking moron. The match starts with Orton arriving at the house in a limo. Orton, while fighting Wyatt, has to deal with shitty jumpscares, a driverless tractor and toys hanging from a ceiling. Eventually, Wyatt pulls a fridge on top of Orton, leaves the house and gets in Orton's limo, which is nice enough to stay around, to go back to the arena. Ok, because of the rule that the match has to end in the ring, we'll continue this later on.

While Wyatt makes his way back to the arena, we get Seth Rollins versus Samoa Joe. Joe attacks the knee that he injured earlier in the night and he gets the advantage with a dragon screw against the ropes. Joe continues on the knee with a senton and a kneebar. Rollins makes his comeback after a sling blade and goes on to get the win after getting out of a sleeper and doing a fireman's carry into a pin. The match was pretty good but it's bookended by the House of Horrors Match so the fans didn't really seem that into it. Also, I thought the ending was a bit abrupt.
Winner: Seth Rollins (2 for 6)

We now return to the House of Horrors Match as Wyatt comes back in the arena. Even though the match is technically still going on, Wyatt still does his entrance. When Wyatt finishes his entrance, Orton appears out of fucking nowhere and goes on to beat the fuck out of Wyatt. When Orton goes for the RKO, The Bollywood Boyz Singh Brothers and Jinder Mahal interfere and Wyatt hits the Sister Abigail to get the win. That means that Wyatt is the new WWE Cha- oh wait, sorry. I forgot it's a non-title match so Wyatt wins by interference in his own gimmick match. Fuck's sake.

This match was fucking terrible and it looked like a fucked up horror movie that wasn't scary. I could list a lot of things that I hated about this but I can't be bothered. The worst match of the year by fucking miles.
Winner: Bray Wyatt (2 for 7)

The main event is Roman Reigns taking on Braun Strowman. Reigns, who has a taped up shoulder due to thrown round like a ragdoll over the last month, tries to win the match early. However, Strowman gets the advantage and after 2 running powerslams, gets the win. Afterwards, Strowman fucks Reigns up with the steel steps. The match wasn't too bad and it's nice to see Strowman win.
Winner: Braun Strowman (2 for 8)

Like the last few PPVs, I thought that Payback was a mixed bag, There were some good matches with some surprising results. However, it has the fore runner for the worst match of the year. Hopefully, Backlash and Extreme Rules will be better. 

 

Monday 1 May 2017

WWE Payback 2017 Preview

WWE Payback 2017 Poster.jpg 

WWE Payback will be taking place this Sunday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. There won't be a Universal Championship match nor an Intercontinental Championship but there will be a United States Championship match, even though the title is on Smackdown. Also, there will be a non-title WWE Championship match. Erm...this is weird. Anyway, let's look at the card.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
This is a bit unusual as there were fighting over the RAW Tag Team Championship two months ago. Yet, this continues without the belts. Anyway, I'm going for Enzo and Cass to win.
Predicted Winners: Enzo Amore and Big Cass

Austin Aries vs King Neville of the Cruiserweights
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Their match was really good at the Wrestlemania Kick Off Show and I'm hoping it will be the same here. I'm going for Neville to win here.
Predicted Winner: Neville

Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe 
This is one match that I'm really looking forward to and it's a tough one to call. I think that Joe will find some way to win here.
Predicted Winner: Samoa Joe

The Hardy Boyz vs Cesaro and Sheamus
RAW Tag Team Championship
Another tough one to call. I'm going for the Hardys to win here.
Predicted Winners: The Hardy Boyz

The Gift of Jericho vs Kevin Owens
United States Championship
This is another match that I'm really looking forward to. I know that Jericho will move over to Smackdown if he wins but I can't see that happening. Owens to win here.
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens

Alexa Bliss vs Bayley
RAW Women's Championship
This is another tough one to call as I can see either one of them winning. I'm going for Bayley to win here.
Predicted Winner: Bayley

Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
House of Horrors Match
First of all, Wyatt didn't make this for the WWE Championship. Ok, you're a fucking moron and there is no fucking way that he's winning this.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman
I can not give a fuck about this match. Hopefully they will surprise me and I think that Reigns will win.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

As usual, I won't get to watch this til later in the week so I hope you guys enjoy the show.