Friday 28 September 2018

WWE Hell in a Cell 2018 Review

WWE Hell in a Cell 2018 took place on Sunday 16th September at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Summerslam was a mixed bag so will this be any better? Let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show is Aiden English and Rusev challenging The New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. Rusev knees Kofi Kingston to death then hits a fall away slam to give his team the advantage. Kofi hits a tornado DDT on Rusev, giving him the chance to tag in Big E. English manages to get Kofi in The Accolade. However, Kofi powers out of it a d hits Trouble in Paradise to get the win. This was a good match between the teams.
Winners: The New Day (1 for 1)

We start the show with a Hell in a Cell match between Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy just...because? During the match, they use tables, ladders and chairs to beat the crap out of each other. Orton also decided to continue his attack on Harry's ear lobes with a screwdriver. In the end, Hardy tries to splash Orton through a table by hanging off the top of the cell. Unfortunately, Orton moves out of the way and he crashes through the table. Orton then pins him, despite the referee's protest to get the win. Afterwards, Hardy is taken out by paramedics. The match was ok but it didn't really need the cell. Speaking of the cell, it's been painted red and it looks stupid.
Winner: Randy Orton (2 for 2)

Next is Becky Lynch challenging Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women's Championship. Early on, they both try apply their finishers but they get stopped. Becky gets the advantage after kicking Charlotte off the apron. Becky focuses on the left arm and aftersome back and forth, Cahrlotte gets out of an armbar with a sit out powerbomb. In the end, Becky reverses a spear into a pin to get the win. After Charlotte tries to offer her congratulations but Becky basically goes "fuck you" and leaves. I found this match to be a slight disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the match and it was technically very good. However, Becky didn't act like a vindicative heel until after the match. Hopefully, she can have a decent title reign and further develop her character.
Winner: Becky Lynch (3 for 3)

We now get our 1st RAW match as Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose challenge Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler for the RAW Tag Team Championship. A distraction by Ziggler gives the opportunity for McIntyre to club Ambrose in the back of the head. Rollins gets tagged in but Ziggler and McIntyre continue their advantage. Both teams have chances to win it but in the end, Rollins is about to hit Ziggler with a superplex/falcon arrow combo. However, McIntyre hits him with a Claymore Kick and Ziggler flops on top of Rollins to pin him and get the win. This match was amazing and (spoiler alert) the match of the night.
Winners: Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler (4 for 4)

Next is Samoa Joe challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Styles starts off hot but Joe manages to deal with it and gets the momentum by kicking Styles in mid air. Joe goes for a superplex but Styles bounces his head off the turnbuckle to start a comeback. After the match goes back and forth, Joe applies the Coquina Clutch but Styles rolls through it to pin Joe and get the win. However, the referee doesn't see Styles tapping and Joe is irate. Later on, Joe bitches to Smackdown General Manager Paige about the result and she grants a rematch to take placw at Super Show-Down in Australia. This was a good match but I hated the ending. Styles tapping out while he was pinning someone makes him look like a idiot. He's been wrestling for almost 20 years. I'm sure he can survive a submission move for 3 seconds as the referee's counting. Hopefully, in Australia we can get a clean ending.
Winner: AJ Styles (4 for 5)

We now have a match that should be interesting: Hollywood Miz and Maryse taking on Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella. As expected, Miz and Bryan do the vast majority of the match. Bryan does manage to get Miz in the Yes Lock but Maryse breaks it up. Eventually, Brie gets tagged in and beats up Maryse. In the end, Maryse manages to reverse a roll up to get the pin and the win. This match was ok but the women added nothing to the match. Also, I know Maryse is probably on the same level of talent as Alicia Fox but she could have at least have done one offensive move.
Winners: The Miz and Maryse (4 for 6)

The penultimate match is Ronda Rousey defending her RAW Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss. Bliss gets a lot more offense than she did at Summerslam and she focuses on the ribs that she injured earlier in the month. Alicia Fox and Mickie James try to help Bliss out but Natalya evens the odds. Rousey manages to hit a gutwrench powerbomb to get back the momentum. Rousey then goes on to get Bliss to sumbit to the armbar and get the win. This match was pretty goog and I wished they had this match at Summerslam.
Winner: Ronda Rousey (5 for 7)

The main event is Braun Strowman's Money in the Bank cash-in as he challenges Roman Reigns in a Hell in a Cell match for the Universal Championship, with Mick Foley as the Special Guest Referee. The match goes back and forth as they use steel steps, kendo sticks, a steel chair and thge ell itself against each other. Reigns spears Strowman through a table and that is enough to take them out for the next 5-10 minutes as McIntyre and Ziggler attempt to interfere. They get stopped by Rollins and Ambrose and their brawl goes on for ages and they end up on top of the cell. Rollins and Ziggler end up falling through the announce tables from the side of the cell. Then Brock Lesnar and PAul Heyman turn up. Lesnar kicks the door in and Heyman pepper sprays Foley. Lesnar hits Strowman and Reigns with F-5s and another referee runs in and declares the match a no contest.

The match was pretty good but then it degenerated into a clusterfuck. The brawl outisde the cell went on for far too long and having not only a Hell in a Cell match, but your main event end in a no contest is unforgivable in my eyes. I guess it extends the feud but I feel that that was going to happen anyway.
Winner: No Contest (5 for 8)

I thought that Hell in a Cell was another mixed bag. Some of the matches were good but some of them had crappy endings, especially involving the WWE and Universal Championships. I hope we get a better show in Australia.


Sunday 16 September 2018

Hell in a Cell 2018 Preview

Hell in a Cell 2018 PPV poster.jpg

WWE Hell in a Cell will be taking place this evening at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Some of the matches look good so let's take a look.

The New Day vs Rusev and Aiden English
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
This should be a good match on the Kick Off Show. I think The New Day will win this one.
Predicted Winners: The New Day

Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy
Hell in a Cell Match
This can go either way but I'm going for Orton to win.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella vs Hollywood Miz and Maryse
I expect Miz and Bryan to do most of the work and I think that Bryan and Bella will win.
Predicted Winners: Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella

Ronda Rousey vs Alexa Bliss
RAW Women's Championship
This won't be much of a contest. Ronda wins.
Predicted Winner: Ronda Rousey

Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre vs Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
RAW Tag Team Championship
I feel sorry for The Revival. It looked like they would be getting a push towards the Tag Team Championship; then suddenly Ziggler and McIntyre win the belts. This could be a good match and I'm going for Ziggler and McIntyre to retain.
Predicted Winners: Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre

Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch
Smackdown Women's Championship
This is a match that I'm really looking forward to seeing. I really want Becky to win but I feel that Charlotte will win instead.
Predicted Winner: Charlotte Flair

AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe
WWE Championship
I feel that it's time for Joe to become WWE Champion
Predicted Winner: Samoa Joe

Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman
Hell in a Cell Match for the Universal Championship
A tough one to call as Reigns has just become Champion and this is Strowman's Money in the Bank cash-in. I'm going for Reigns to win.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

I won't get to see the show til the middle of the week so until then, I hope you enjoy the show.

Sunday 9 September 2018

WWE Summerslam 2018 Review

WWE Summerslam 2018 took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday 19th August. There are 13(!!) matches on the card, so let's get to it.

There are 3 matches on the Kick Off Show and the first match is the team of Rusev and Lana taking on Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega. A distraction by Vega helps give Almas the advantage over Rusev. Lana eventually gets tagged in. When Lana attacks Almas when he tries to distract the referee, Vega rolls her up and, with leverage on the ropes, gets the win. The match was pretty decent.
Winners: Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega (1 for 1)

Next is Drew Gulak  challenging Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship. Gulak tries to apply the Gu-Lock but Alexander gets out of it and hits a dropkick. Gulak hits a knee to the back of the neck to get the advantage. Gulak continues to focus on the neck but Alexander hits a flatliner, giving him a chance to make a comeback. After a lot of roll up attempts, Alexander manages to roll up Gulak to get the win. This match was pretty good but this is only our 2nd match but they have both ended in a roll up. That's slightly worrying.
Winner: Cedric Alexander (1 for 2)

The last match on the Kick Off Show is for the RAW Tag Team Championship as The Revival challenge The B Team. Dash Wilder hits a dragon screw on Bo Dallas then The Revival hits a Shatter Machine on Curtis Axel to get the advantage. Dallas hits a hangman's neckbreaker on Wilder, giving him the chance to tag in Axel. The end comes when Dawson puts Axel in a small package while Wilder is fighting Dallas at the ropes. Wilder bounces Dallas' neck off the ropes who stumbles into Dawson an Axel. This then puts Dawson's back on the mat and The B Team win...? What the fuck was that?! This match was getting good then The B Team win by stupidity?! Plus this is the 3rd match in a row that ended in a roll up. Out of 3 matches!! Oh dear God, the Kick Off Show has really pissed me off and I'm now worried about how many more matches that are going to end in a roll up. On a side note, this is the first time I've heard The B Team's theme tune and it's fucking shite.
Winners: The B Team (1 for 3)

The 1st match on the show is for the Intercontinental Championship as Seth Rollins challenges Dolph Ziggler. After a fast paced, back and forth start to the match, Ziggler attacks the knee then hits a neckbreaker. Rollins catches Ziggler doing a crossbody and suplexes them both out of the ring; and this gives Rollins the chance to start a comeback. Ziggler comes close after reversing a frog splash into a small package. In the end, Dean Ambrose stops Drew McIntyre from interfering with a Dirty Deeds and Rollins hits a superkick followed by a Curb Stomp to get the win. This was a really good match and a lot of fun to watch.
Winner: Seth Rollins (1 for 4)

Next is The New Day challenging The Bludgeon Brothers for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. Harper and Rowan get the advantage almost immediately, beating down on Xavier Woods. Woods eventually tags in Big E, who hits overhead belly-to-belly suplexes on The Bludgeons. Harper and Rowan hit The Crucifix Bomb but it only gets 2. When it looks like The New Day are going to win it, Rowan starts attacking them with his hammer to get himself disqualified. This match was a lot of fun but the ending ruined it for me.
Winners: The New Day (2 for 5)

We now get Braun Strowman taking on Kevin Owens. If Owens wins, he'll win the Money in the Bank briefcase. Strowman completely fuck up Owens, who does manage to hit a superkick. However, Strowman chokeslams him onto the ramp, then hits a Running Powerslam when he rolls him back into the ring to get the win. Okay, once again,  what the fuck was that?! This was a squash match in WWE's second biggest event of the year and the loser is a former Universal Champion! I don't see the point of this match at all.
Winner: Braun Strowman (2 for 6)

We now get our 1st Women's Championship match as Carmella defends her Smackdown Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. Carmella tries to pit Becky and Charlotte against each other but it doesn't really work. There's a lot of back and forth between the three before Becky breaks up Charlotte putting the Figure 8 on Carmella. Carmella breaks up a couple of pins to save the match before Becky puts her in the Dis-Arm-Her. Charlotte breaks it up by hitting Natural Selection on Becky then pins her to get the win. Afterwards, Becky helps Charlotte celebrate by beating the fuck out of her. The match seemed a little slow at times but it was pretty good. As for Becky's heel turn, the crowd cheered for it because Becky is 100% justified in her actions. Becky worked hard for weeks to get a opportunity. Charlotte returns from injury and basically get added to the match then goes on to win. I can see why Becky went apeshit at Charlotte. They now need to make Becky the worst person on the planet in order to get the crowd to boo her. Maybe, she can get some tips from Tommaso "Fuckface" Ciampa.
Winner: Charlotte Flair (2 for 7)

Next is Samoa Joe  challenging AJ Styles  for the WWE Championship. The match starts at a slow pace before it quickens and Joe kicks Styles' leg out from under him. Styles makes a comeback but Joe comes close to winning after hitting a knee from the top rope. Later on, Styles hits a Styles Clash but Joe kicks out. After Joe goes on the mic to mock Styles' wife, who was standing in the crowd nearby, Styles snaps and fucks Joe up. He then attacks Joe with a steel chair, getting himself disqualified. Afterwards, Styles leaves with his wife and daughter. This match was really good. I'm slightly pissed that it ended in a disqualification. However, this made more sense than the disqualification at the New Day/Bludgeons match.
Winner: Samoa Joe (3 for 8)

After an Elias musical segment that didn't involve any music, we get a match that I think the whole wrestling world was looking forward to: Daniel Bryan taking on Hollywood Miz. Miz hits a cheap shot early on to get the advantage. After a lot of back and forth, Miz bounces Bryan's head off the turnbuckle then hits the Skull Crushing Finale but Bryan kicks out. Later on, Bryan puts on the Yes Lock but Miz gets to the ropes. The match goes to the outside and Bryan kicks Miz into the barrier, where his wife Maryse is sitting. She gives Miz with a foreign object and he hits Bryan with it when Bryan tries a suicide dive. Miz then pins him to get the win. This was an amazing match and definitely the match of the night.
Winner: Hollywood Miz (4 for 9)

Next is Constable Baron Corbin taking on Finn Balor,  who decided to surprise Corbin by turning up in Demon Mode. Corbin is not happy about this and when the bell rings, Balor destroys him. Balor goes on to hit the Coup de Grace to get the win in less than 2 minutes...? Right, this is our 2nd squash match and I would have been ok with it if we didn't have the Strowman/Owens squash earlier.
Winner: Finn Balor (4 for 10)

We now get Jeff Hardy challenging Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship. During the match, they mock each other, and Nakamura hits knees to the back of the head to get the momentum. Hardy gets back into it and hits a Twist of Fate followed by a Swanton Bomb but Nakakmura kicks out. Hardy does another Swanton Bomb but misses and hits the apron. Nakamura then goes on to hit the Kinsasha to get the win. Afterwards, Randy Orton runs (sorry, strolls) in and then turns around and goes to the back...? Ok...anyway, this match was pretty good. It's just the Orton thing made no sense.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (5 for 11)

The penultimate match is Ronda Rousey challenging Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women's Championship. Bliss plays mind games as she avoids locking up with Rousey. Bliss eventually puts Rousey in a chinlock but she powers out of it and hits a spinning Samoan drop. She goes to destroy Bliss and gets her to submit to an armbar to get the win. Afterwards, Rousey celebrates with Natalya and The Bella Twins for some reason. This match was a bit weird with Rousey asking Bliss if she's ready to get hit with a move. I knew that Rousey would destroy Bliss but I'm now worried that she would destroy everyone on the roster and end up like Chyna when she won the Women's Championship. A quick side note about The Bellas, there were on 3 times on this show. Firstly, in an interview to promote their show and say that they started the Women's Evolution (Bull. Shit); then we saw Brie with Daniel Bryan (which made sense); finishing with them celebrating with Rousey. I do feel sorry for the other women wrestlers who don't have as much of a presence outside of wrestling as much as The Bellas do. It would be nice to feature them a but more.
Winner: Ronda Rousey (6 for 12)

The main event is Roman Reigns having yet another opportunity to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. Before the match starts, Braun Strowman comes down and announces that he'll cash in on the winner of the match. When the bell rings, Reigns hits 3 Superman punches and 3 Spears but Lesnar manages to apply the Kimura. Reigns tries another Spear but misses and hits Strowman, who was watching on the outside. Lesnar then hits a F5 on Strowman then attacks him with his own briefcase and a steel chair. When Lesanr goes back into the ring, Reigns hits a Spear and gets the win. The match was short, which was fine, and pretty good.
Winner: Roman Reigns (7 for 13)

Honestly, Summerslam was a fucking weird show. The Kick Off matches weren't great but the show did have some really good matches. However, we also had a musical segment that had no music, a run in that didn't happen, 3 squash matches and 2 DQ finishes. Hopefully, Hell in a Cell won't be as weird.