Tuesday 24 July 2018

WWE Money in the Bank 2018 Review

Money in the Bank 2018 took place on Sunday 17th June 2018 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Lat year's event wasn't great so will this year's be any better? Let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show is for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship as Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson challenge The Bludgeon Borthers. Harper and Rowan bounce Anderson off the ring apron to get the advantage. Despite Gallows getting the hot tag and coming close to hitting the Magic Killer, it gets stopped and The Bludgeon Brothers hit The Bludgeoning on Gallows to get the win. The match was ok.
Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers (1 for 1)

The first match on the show is Daniel Bryan taking on Big Cass. Bryan tries to keep Cass down by attacking the legs. However, Cass sends Bryan into the barricade to get the advantage and slow down the pace. Bryan gets back into the match and after some back and forth, Bryan manages to get Cass to submit to a heel hook and get the win. This match was a lot better than their match at Backlash and with Cass now gone, Bryan can go and do something else. 
Winner: Daniel Bryan (1 for 2)

Next is Sami Zayn taking on Bobby Lashley. Despite Zayn using his quickness to get the advantage, Lashley manages to hit Zayn with power moves such as a spine buster. Lashley then goes to get the win after 3 delayed vertical suplexes. This felt like a glorified squash match to me and Lashley seriously needs to change his finishing move.
Winner: Bobby Lashley (2 for 3)

The next match is Elias challenging Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship. Elias clotheslines Rollins, who lands badly on his neck, to get the advantage. After Rollins makes his comeback, Elias tries to hit the Drift Away but Rollins stops it and manages to roll up Elias to get the win. This match was pretty good and Elias has proved that he has the ability to be a Champion.
Winner: Seth Rollins (3 for 4)

We now get the Women's Money in the Bank Match between Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Ember Moon, Naomi, Lana, Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss.  Highlights of the match include: Ember hitting a crossbody, sending Sasha onto a ladder; Naomi hitting Sasha with a blockbuster to the floor; and Charlotte spearing Ember onto a ladder. In the end, Becky has her hand on the briefcase but Alexa tips her off the ladder then climbs up to grab the briefcase and get the win. This match was a lot of fun to watch although I was surprised that Alexa won.
Winner: Alexa Bliss (3 for 5)

Now a match that I'm struggling to give a fuck about: Roman Reigns taking on Jinder Mahal. Mahal struggles to deal with Reigns' offence. Luckily, a wheelchair bound Sunil Singh helps out by pushing Reigns into the ring post. Mahal then slows the match down with elbow drops and chinlocks. Reigns gets back into it and, after hitting Sunil with a Superman punch and a  spear, spears Mahal to get the win. The match was ok, nothing special.
Winner: Roman Reigns (4 for 6)

We get our first Women's Championship match as Asuka challenges Carmella for the Smackdown Women's Championship. Carmella manages to survive Asuka's offence and slam her into the ring post to get the advantage. After both competitors have the chance of getting the upper hand, someone comes to the apron wearing Asuka's entrance attire. This is enough to distract Asuka and when that person is revealed to be James Ellsworth (for fuck's sake), Carmella hits her shitty finishing move to get the win. I thought the match was pretty decent but the ending was shit. WWE have managed to turn possibly the most dominant women's wrestler in the company's history into a fucking idiot. Congratulations.
Winner: Carmella (4 for 7)

 Next is a Last Man Standing Match with Shinsuke Nakamura challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Highlights of the match include: Styles hitting a Phenomenal Forearm to the outside; Nakamura going for the low blow but missing; and Nakamura running across the announce tables to hit a Kinshasa. Styles comes close to winning after hitting a Styles Clash off the steel steps, getting a count of 9. Styles then gives Nakamura a low blow then hits a Phenomenal Forearm, sending Nakamura through the English announce table. This is enough to keep Nakamura down for 10 and Styles wins. This match was definitely the best one that they had. However, I felt that Nakamura should have won, otherwise his heel turn seems a little pointless.
Winner: AJ Styles (4 for 8)

The penultimate match is for the RAW Women's Championship with Ronda Rousey challenging Nia Jax. Jax immediately uses her strength to throw Rousey round like a rag doll. Rousey goes for the armbar but Jax gets out of it with a sit out powerbomb. Jax continues to be dominant but she misses a leg drop, giving Rousey the chance to make a comeback. Rousey is finally about to put on the armbar when Alexa Bliss comes in and attacks them with her newly acquired MITB briefcase. That means that Rousey wins by disqualification.
Winner: Ronda Rousey (5 for 9)

I don't have time to give my thoughts on the Rousey/Jax match as Bliss continues to beat the fuck out of them and then cash in her briefcase. Bliss hits a DDT then a beautiful Twisted Bliss to get the win and become the new RAW Women's Champion.

I thought that the Rousey/Jax match was pretty good and I like the story they told. I was surprised at the ending as I didn't expect Bliss to cash in so quickly. Despite that, I'm happy that Bliss is Champion. It looks like Rousey will be Champion in the near future and I feel that her going after Bliss will be a better story and I'm interested to see where it goes.
Winner: Alexa Bliss (N/A)

The main event is the Men's Money in the Bank between Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode, Hollywood Miz, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Rusev and a member of The New Day, which was Kofi Kingston. Highlights of the match include: Strowman being buried in ladders; Rusev hitting a fallaway slam sending Owens onto a ladder; Strowman tossing Owens off a ladder through a table; and Rusev putting Kingston and Roode in The Accolade. In the end, Strowman, Balor and Kingston fight it out on the ladder. Strowman throws Kingston off his back then beats down Balor. Strowman then grabs the briefcase to get the win.

I thought that the match was a lot of fun and I like the story of keeping Strowman down for as long as possible. Like Alexa Bliss, I was surprised that Strowman as I don't think he needs it. However, I can't wait for him to cash in on Brock Lesnar. You know, on one of the 10 days a year that Lesnar works.
Winner: Braun Strowman (5 for 10)

I thought, with a couple of exceptions, that Money in the Bank was a fun event. Extreme Rules is the next event and hopefully, it will be as fun as these one.

Sunday 15 July 2018

WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Preview

Extreme Rules 2018.jpeg



Extreme Rules 2018 will be taking place this evening at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Money in the Bank was pretty decent. However, some of the matches have no stipulations, which defeats the purpose of an Extreme Rules event. Anyway, let's take a look.

Sin Cara vs Andrade "Cien" Almas
The first match on the Kick Off Show could be a good one. I'm going with Andrade to win.
Predicted Winner: Andrade "Cien" Almas

The New Day vs Sanity
Tables Match
I'm quite surprised that this is on the Kick Off Show. It's a tough one but I think that Sanity will find a way to win this.
Predicted Winners: Sanity

Finn Balor vs Constable Corbin
I might be in the minority but I'm going for Corbin to win.
Predicted Winner: Constable Corbin

Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens
Steel Cage Match
Strowman will win this, no question
Predicted Winner: Braun Strowman

The Bludgeon Brothers vs Team Hell No
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship
I feel that Daniel Bryan and Kane will find a way to win and become the new Champions.
Predicted Winners: Team Hell No

"Woken" Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt vs The B-Team
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
I think that Wyatt and Hardy will continue on their reign.
Predicted Winners: "Woken" Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Jeff Hardy vs Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE United States Championship
I feel that Nakamura has to win this otherwise it will continue to feel that his heel run has been pointless.
Predicted Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins
30-Minute Iron Man Match for the Intercontinental Championship
This has the potential to be the match of the night. I'm going for Ziggler to find a way to retain.
Predicted Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Carmella vs Asuka
WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
I really want Asuka to win. However, I think that James Ellsworth, who will be suspended in a shark tank, will help Carmella get the win.
Predicted Winner: Carmella

Alexa Bliss vs Nia Jax
Extreme Rules Match for the WWE RAW Women's Championship
I think that Bliss will win here and go on to be murdered by Ronda Rousey at Summerslam
Predicted Winner: Alexa Bliss

Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley
I'm struggling to care about this match and, with any luck, it won't be the main event. I feel that Lashley will use his shitty vertical suplex to get the win.
Predicted Winner: Bobby Lashley

AJ Styles vs Rusev
WWE Championship
I feel that this could surprise a lot of people. Styles is obviously awesome and Rusev, who I never saw in this position, has the ability to match Styles. Anyway, whilst Rusev being Champion would be interesting to see, I think that Styles will retain.
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

I have been really busy over the last month but I will hopefully get to see this over the next couple of days. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Sunday 8 July 2018

NXT Takeover: Chicago II Review

NXT Takeover: Chicago II took place on Saturday 16th June at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The card looks really good on paper, so will it live up to the hype? Let's take a look.

After getting used to not having Mauro Ranallo on commentary, we get Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch challenging The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championship. The match goes at a fast pace before Roderick Strong hits a dropkick on Burch to get the advantage. Burch lands badly after another dropkick by Strong, which results in a cut to the head. A headbutt by Burch on O'Reilly gives him the chance to tag in Lorcan. They go on to hit their finishing move on O'Reilly but Adam Cole (Bay-Bay!) pulls him out of the ring and gets ejected. In the end, O'Reilly and Strong hit their finishing move on Lorcan to get the win. This match was a lot better then I thought it was going to be and it was a great way to start the show.
Winners: The Undisputed Era (1 for 1)

Now a match that I was really looking forward to; Ricochet taking on The Velveteen Dream. The match starts at quite a slow pace with headlocks and scissor moves before the pace quickens. Dream gets the advantage by bouncing Ricochet's neck off the ropes. During this time, Dream does some moves that are more athletic than what he normally does. Ricochet gets back into it with 2 awesome over the top rope moves. Dream hits a death valley driver from the top rope to get the 2 count. Dream comes close a couple of times and Ricochet hits the Purple Rainmaker, but it only gets 2. In the end, Dream goes for the Purple Rainmker but he misses. Ricochet then hits the 630 splash on Dream's back to get the win. I was quite surprised at the pace of the match at the beginning. However, it was a really good match.
Winner: Ricochet (1 for 2)

Our second Championship match is Nikki Cross challenging Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship. Cross fucks with Baszler at the beginning but Baszler slams her onto the ramp to get the advantage. Baszler goes on to hit a ton of knee strikes but Cross hits a belly-to-back suplex to get back the momentum. Cross hits a hanging neckbreaker but Baszler puts her foot on the rope. Baszler goes to put on the Kirifuda Clutch and Cross passes out, giving Bazler the win. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in this match but I found it to be quite entertaining.
Winner: Shayna Baszler (2 for 3)

 The penultimate match is Lars Sullivan challenging Aleister Black for the NXT Championship. Sullivan and Black go at a fast pace before Sullivan catches Black doing a moonsault and bounces him off the apron. The match goes back and forth and Sullivan goes for the Freak Accident but Black reverses it into a DDT. In the end, after a botched Black Mask, Black goes on to hit 2 more of them to get the win. Except for the botch, it was a good match. I didn't see Sullivan as a Champion but this match has opened me to that possibility.
Winner: Aleister Black (3 for 4)

The main event is a Chicago Street Fight between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampia.Some of the early highlights include:
  • Gargano tossing Ciampia over the announce table, taking out Nigel McGuinness.
  • Ciampia putting Gargano into a steel chair vice and throwing him onto the steel steps.
  • Ciampia hitting White Noise onto the steel steps.
 The fight goes on to near the entrance and Gargano hits a White Noise, sending Ciampia off an elevated container through a table. Ciampia is treated by medics and put on a stretcher and it looks like the match is over. However, Gargano doesn't want to happen and takes Ciampia back to the ring, taking out officials and the referee in the process. Gargano puts Ciampia in handcuffs and attacks the officials trying to stop him. Unfortunately, this gives Ciampia time to recover and hit Gargano with a hanging DDT onto the exposed wood that was exposed earlier. The referee recovers and counts the pinfall, giving Ciampia the win.

This was a really good match to watch. I especially liked the ending with Gargano losing it, which led to hsi downfall. I can see them facing each other at Takeover: Brooklyn IV and I'm looking forward to that if it happens.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampia (4 for 5)

I thought that this was a really good Takeover with some enjoyable matches. The Takeovers are generally pretty entertaining. Hopefully the PPVs will start to be like that as well.

Friday 6 July 2018

Big Van Vader (1955-2018)




It was reported last month that Leon White, better known as Big Van Vader and Vader, passed away on the 18th June. He was 63.

White was born in Lynwood, California and actually started out in American Football. He was an offensive lineman for the University of Colorado and was drafted in the 3rd Round in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. White went on to play for the Rams against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Superbowl XIV but had to retire soon after.

After being trained by Brad Rheingans, White spent time in the American Wrestling Association and the Catch Wrestling Association before going to New Japan and winning their World Championship 3 times. While there, he was approached by WCW and went on to become a 3-time World Champion and a United States Champion. White then went to the WWF and would have become World Champion if it wasn't for the creative control of Shawn Michaels. His time there was not as successful as it was at other companies and he left to return to Japan in 1998. He went on to compete at TNA and various independent companies.

My experience of seeing Vader is actually very little. I didn't watch WCW until 1999 and I wasn't watching WWF for most of the '90s. I bought a Wrestlemania box set when I was younger and I watched him at Wrestlemanias XII and XIII. Looking back on it now, Vader is someone that the WWF never booked properly. The man had impressive ability for his size yet that was not enough for them.

Vader is considered to be one of the best heavyweight wrestlers of all time and his legacy will live on for years to come. He is survived by his ex-wife and 2 children.