Sunday 20 August 2017

WWE Summerslam 2017 Preview

Image result for summerslam 2017

WWE Summerslam will be taking place this evening at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. There are 13 matches on the card, so will the 30th Summerslam be the best one yet? Let's take a look.

The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan vs Hollywood Miz and The Miztourage
There are a lot of interesting matches on the Pre Show and this should be a good one. I'm going for The Hardys and Jordan to win.
Predicted Winners: The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan

The Usos vs The New Day
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
Based on their last two matches, I'm looking forward to this one. I think that The New Day will retain.
Predicted Winners: The New Day

King Neville of the Cruiserweights vs Akira Tozowa
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
It was a bit weird seeing Neville lose his Championship 6 days before Summerslam. Whilst I would like Neville to win, I feel that Tozowa has to win this otherwise what was the point?
Predicted Winner: Akira Tozowa

Randy Orton vs Rusev
Er...I'm not too bothered about this but I think that Orton will win.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

Big Show vs Big Cass
Oh God, I don't care about this either although seeing Enzo Amore in a shark cage might be  funny. I'm going for Big Cass to win.
Predicted Winner: Big Cass

Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt
Balor will be in Demon Mode for Summerslam and hopefully that will be enough to beat Wyatt, who I give no fucks about.
Predicted Winner: Finn Balor

John Cena vs Baron Corbin
Corbin is on thin ice at the moment. After the worst cash in of all time, this match will define the direction of his career. If he wins, he should be ok but I think that won't happen and this will be the beginning of the end for him.
Predicted Winner: John Cena

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs Cesaro and Sheamus
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship
A tough one to call but I think that Cesaro and Sheamus will retain.
Predicted Winners: Cesaro and Sheamus

Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles (Shane McMahon Guest Referee)
WWE United States Championship
This is one that I'm quite looking forward to. I feel that Styles will retain.
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

Natalya vs Naomi
Smackdown Women's Championship
Whilst I feel that it should be Charlotte Flair instead of Natalya, this could be a good match. I think that Naomi will win but I do wonder if Carmella will make a surprise appearance.
Predicted Winner: Naomi

Sasha Banks vs Alexa Bliss
RAW Women's Championship
Another one that I'm looking forward to. I feel that Sasha will be the new Champion.
Predicted Winner: Sasha Banks

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jinder Mahal
WWE Championship
This has the potential to be a good match and I feel that Nakamura will be victorious.
Predicted Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Samoa Joe vs Braun Strowman vs Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar
Fatal 4-Way Match for the Universal Championship
I can see any one of these guys winning but I'm going on a bit of a limb here and predicting Samoa Joe to win.
Predicted Winner: Samoa Joe

I'll get to see it during the week but until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Saturday 19 August 2017

NXT Takeover Brooklyn III Preview

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NXT Takeover Brooklyn III will be taking place this evening at the Barclays Center. The last few Takeovers have been pretty good so will this one be in the same vein? Let's take a look.

Johnny Gargano vs Andrade "Cien" Almas
This is an interesting one to predict as I can see each one winning. It's a tough one but I think the influence of Almas' valet Zelina Vega will be enough for him to win.
Predicted Winner: Andrade "Cien" Almas 

Hideo Itami vs Aliester Black
Another tough one to call but I think Black will win this.
Predicted Winner: Aliester Black

SaNity vs Authors of Pain
NXT Tag Team Championship
This is another tough one to call but I'm going for Authors of Pain to retain.
Predicted Winners: Authors of Pain

Ember Moon vs Asuka
NXT Women's Championship
This match is one that I'm really looking forward to.  I think it's time for Asuka's undefeated streak to end and for Ember Moon to win the Championship.
Predicted Winner: Ember Moon

Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Roode
NXT Championship
Another match that I'm looking forward to. Like Asuka, I think that's time for a new NXT Champion so McIntyre to win.
Predicted Winner: Drew McIntyre

I'm going to be a bit busy over the weekend so I'll review it during the week. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Wednesday 16 August 2017

Worst. Cash In. Ever.

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Last night, the main event of Smackdown Live was Jinder Mahal taking on John Cena. It looked like Cena was going to win when Corbin interferes and beats up Cena. He then decides to cash in his briefcase. Unfortunately, he is distracted by Cena and this allows Jinder to roll him up and get the win.

Without a doubt, this is the worst cash in I have ever seen and there are many things to look at. First of all, the timing. To do this in the last few minutes of your go-home show before the second biggest event of the year is a big surprise and if Corbin was successful, it would have made Summerslam very interesting. Would Cena vs Corbin now be a Championship match? What would Shinsuke Nakamura, the Number 1 Contender, have to say about it? Would it be now be a triple threat match or will Corbin face Nakamura instead? If Talking Smack was still going on, you could see all those questions being answered by Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. 

Secondly, Jinder is probably the luckiest person on the planet because everyone else involved in this are fucking morons. Corbin is practically back at the Gorilla position before he decides to cash in. Then he has to wait for the referee to tell the ring announcer and the time keeper about what is happening and make sure Jinder is ok to compete. This gives Jinder a long time to recover. When the match starts, Corbin gets distracted by Cena, who is just standing on the apron not doing anything. Also, you have to think that Cena is an idiot in this as well. Even though he techncially didn't do anything, but he's laughing at Corbin afterwards. You do realise that you could be facing Corbin for the WWE Championship at Summerslam, right? You know, the chance to be a 17-time World Champion, breaking Ric Flair's record? I know that Cena is supposed to be the ultimate babyface but there are times where he does some really dumb things.

I'm not the biggest fan of Baron Corbin but I feel so sorry for him. He not only loses in less than 10 seconds but by a roll up. Jinder doesn't even hit his finishing move. If that isn't a big "fuck you" by WWE, I don't know what is. I know that some people think that this could make Corbin better but we thought that about Damien Sandow and look what happened to him.

Sunday 13 August 2017

The Podcast is Moving

As you may know, I have been doing a podcast for the last 3 years. It started by talking about match in Undertaker's Streak. I have since go on to discuss various other matches such as every Money in the Bank match and the Austin/Rock Trilogy.

The podcast has been hosted on Wordpress but until recently with work, I have not been able to arrange a iTunes feed. When I got round to doing it, I kept on getting into complications. Therefore, I decided to move the podcast to a site in which I can reach more of the Internet Wrestling Community.

Soundcloud is used by various other wrestling podcasts such as How2Wrestling and the RAEra Podcast. It is also used by up and coming musicians as well. It is my hope to reach more people with this. I admit that it sometimes doesn't sound like a professional podcast (I record in the back room with a sometimes unpredictable Wi-Fi signal); but if you want some analysis into matches that have gone on to be significant to wrestling fans good or bad, then give it a try. The link will be at the bottom of this article and on the menu bar.

For the guys listening on the Wordpress, I thank you for your support and I hope you continue your support as we go forward.

https://soundcloud.com/lodownwrestling

Saturday 5 August 2017

WWE Battleground 2017 Review

WWE Battleground took place on Sunday 23rd July at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The last couple of Smackdown PPVs have not been great so will Battleground be an improvement? Let's take a look.

The match on the Pre Show was Aiden English taking on Tye Dillinger.  Early on, Dillinger uses some impressive technical skill before he gets headbutted then kneed in the back. English goes to get the win after hitting The Director's Cut. Quite a surprising victory for English but it was a decent match between the two.
Winner: Aiden English (0 for 1)

The first match on the show is for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship as The New Day  challenge The Usos. The Usos start to wear down Xavier Woods with cheap shots and double team moves. Woods his a missile dropkick, giving him the chance to tag in Kofi Kingston. The match goes back and forth with The Usos coming close a couple of times. The New Day then almost win it after hitting The Midnight Hour. In the end, Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise on Jimmy followed by an top rope elbow drop by Woods from the other side of the ring to get the win.This match was awesome to watch with so many near falls. A great way to start the show.
Winner: The New Day (1 for 2)

The next match is Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Mr Money in the Bank Baron Corbin. Corbin gets the advantage, wearing down Nakamura with moves such as a bearhug. Nakamura stuns Corbin to get out of a chokeslam and starts to make a comeback. The end comes Nakamura goes for an exploder suplex and Corbin hits a low blow, getting himself disqualified. Er...what? Afterwards, Corbin hits Nakamura with The End of Days. There was a cool spot when Corbin reverses a Kinshasa into a Deep Six, otherwise the match was pretty poor. Also I don't get the booking decision. I understand that you want to make The Money in the Bank winner has to look strong. However, there have been times when previous winners have lost clean, Daniel Bryan being a prominent example. So, why is Baron Corbin any different?
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (1 for 3)

We now get to determine who will face Naomi at Summerslam for the Smackdown Women's Championship as Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Lana, Natalya and Tamina face each other in a 5-Way Elimination Match. Becky puts Lana in the Dis-arm-her twice but her buddy Tamina saves her both times. Becky eventually gets Tamina then Lana to submit to the Dis-arm-her. However, Natalya immediately rolls up Becky to eliminate her. In the end, Natalya rolls Charlotte head first into the bottom turnbuckle and pins her to win the match? Er...what? The match was going at a decent pace but we suddenly had 3 eliminations in less than 40 seconds then a pretty shitty ending. As for Natalya winning, part of me is happy for her and I think her match with Naomi could be pretty good. However, I feel that the majority of the fans would have preferred Charlotte instead.
Winner: Natalya (1 for 4)

Next is Kevin Owens challenging AJ Styles for the United States Championship. Styles accidentally hits the barricade, giving Owens the chance to send him into the ring post and get the advantage. Styles does eventually make a comeback and after some and forth, Owens sends Styles flying into the referee. Styles has Owens in a crossface but it's reversed into a pin and Owens wins. The match was pretty good but the ending came out of nowhere. There are rumours that the referee fucked up or the decision for Owens to win was very last minute. Despite that, congratulations to Kevin Owens.
Winner: Kevin Owens (1 for 5)

We now get an old school flag match as Rusev takes on John Cena. Well, I thought it was. In order to win, you have to grab your flag then plant it on a pedestal by the entrance way. Rusev is the first one to get his flag after reversing a missile dropkick into a powerbomb. After taking out Rusev with a STF, Cena grabs his flag. The match goes up to the pedestals and Rusev stops Cena from planting his flag. Instead of chucking it into the crowd, Rusev goes to grab his flag and comes very close to planting it. In the end, Cena hits an AA from the pedestal, sending Rusev through 2 tables. Cena then plants his flag to get the win. Except for the ending, the match was ok, nothing special.
Winner: John Cena (2 for 6)

After an awesome episode of The Fashion Files, we get our penultimate match which is Mike Kanellis taking on Sami Zayn. Maria Kanellis stops Sami from hitting a suicide dive, giving Mike the chance to gain the advantage. Sami does get back into it and despite Maria interfering again, gets the win with a Helluva Kick. The match was too short and whilst I'm happy for Sami getting the win, I really think that Mike should have won.
Winner: Sami Zayn (2 for 7)

The main event is Randy Orton challenging Jinder Mahal in a Punjabi Prison Match for the WWE Championship. Early on, they both try to go through  one of the inner doors but they don't do it within the 60 second time limit.The Singh Brothers turn up from under the ring and help Mahal go through an inner door. They go on to interfere and Orton fucks them up as usual, including sending Samir off the outer cage through the announce table. It looks like that Orton is going to climb out to win when The Great Khali makes his triumphant(?) return and stops Orton from climbing any further. That gives Mahal the chance to climb out of the outer cage and win the match.

I thought that this match was pretty boring and I struggled to see what was going at times. As for The Great Khali returning, I mean for fuck's sake. I understand that WWE want to expand into the Indian market but bringing back the worst wrestler that I have ever seen to do that? Really?
Winner: Jinder Mahal (3 for 8)

I honestly think that Battleground is the worst show of the year and possibly the worst show that I have ever reviewed. Some of the wrestling was good but some of the creative decisions and the endings are really shitty at times. At times, the RAW shows weren't great but not to this level. With Summerslam coming up, I hope that WWE pull their finger out and make a vast improvement. Hopefully it won't get any worse.