Friday 23 November 2018

NXT Takeover: War Games II Review

NXT Takeover: War Games II took place last Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The card looks awesome so let's take a look.

We have an unexpected start with Matt Riddle coming out and challenging Kassius Ohno. They were supposed to wrestle on the next NXT episode. As soon as the bell rings, Riddle knees Ohno in the face and gets the win. The match seemed a bit pointless but it was a fun way to start the show.
Winner: Matt Riddle (N/A)

The next match is a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the NXT Women's Championship as Kairi Sane challenges Shayna Baszler. Kairi starts at breakneck speed; but while the referee is checking on Shayna, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir run down and attack Kairi. Shayna gets Kairi to tap out to the Kirifuda Clutch to take the lead. Shayna goes on to dominate but Kairi hits a DDT onto the apron. She then goes on to hit an Insane Elbow to tie the match. When Jessamyn and Marina attempt to interfere, Dakota Kai and Io Shirai come out to even the playing field. Kairi hits another Insane Elbow but Shayna manages to turn it into a pin. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere. Despite that, it was a thoroughly entertaining match.
Winner: Shayna Baszler (1 for 1)

We now get to see the complete fall of Johnny Gargano as he takes on Aleister Black. Gargano plays mind games and gets the advantage after a kick to the face. Black gets back into it but Gargano comes close with a slingshot DDT. The match goes back and forth and Gargano applies the Garag-No Escape but Black hits 2 Black Masks to get the win. This was an amazing match to watch and I look forward to seeing what they will do with Gargano in the future.
Winner: Aliester Black (1 for 2)

Next is The Velveteen Dream challenge Tommaso "Fuckface" Ciampa for the NXT Championship. In the early stages, the play mind games with each other before Ciampa pushes Dream off the turnbuckle to the floor. Dream gets back into it and applies a Figure Four. Both of them come close to winning, before Ciampa starts to expose the flooring and Dream sends them flying over the announce table. Ciampa has a go at commentator Mauro Ranallo for some reason, and he gets hit with a Death Valley Driver onto the padding. Dream follows that with a Purple Rainmaker but Ciampa kicks out. Dream tries another Purple Rainmaker but misses, crashing to the floor. Ciampa goes on to hit a DDT onto the metal connecting the two rings to get the win. This match was amazing and a forerunner for match of the year.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa (1 for 3)

The main event is a War Games Match with The Undisputed Era taking on the team of The War Raiders, Ricochet and Pete Dunne. Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) and Ricochet start the match followed by: Kyle O'Reilly, Hanson, Roderick Strong, Rowe and Bobby Fish. When Fish comes out, he double locks Dunne's cage and The Undisputed Era proceed to beat the fuck out of their opponents with their custom made steel chairs. Eventually, the referee uses bolt cutters to get Dunne out of the cage and even the sides. Other highlights of the match include: Dunne taking out The Undisputed Era by himself; Fish spearing Rowe through a table; Hanson splashing O'Reilly through another table; and Ricochet hitting a 630 splash on everyone from the top of the cage. In the end, Cole goes for the Last Shot on Dunne. However, Dunne avoids it and hits The Bitter End. Ricochet follows up with a 450 Splash and his team gets the win. This match, whilst not as good as the others, was a lot fun to watch and a great main event.
Winners: The War Raiders, Ricochet and Pete Dunne (1 for 4)

Takeover was, as usual, an amazing event with some matches that were amongst the best of the year. I hope that WWE applies some aspects of these events and apply them to their own.

Sunday 18 November 2018

WWE Survivor Series 2018 Preview

Survivor Series 2018 poster.jpg



The 32nd Survivor Series took place this evening at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The card looks interesting, especially after the previous Smackdown. So, let's take a look.

Team RAW (Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, The Revival, The B-Team, Lucha House Party and The Ascension) vs Team Smackdown (The Usos, The New Day, Sanity, Luke Anderson and Luke Gallows, and The Colons(?))
Survivor Series Elimination Match
The RAW Tag Team Division is a joke at the minute even though they have The Revival. I'm going for Smackdown to win.
Predicted Winners: Team Smackdown

Buddy Murphy vs Mustafa Ali
Cruiserweight Championship
This should be a good match and I'm going for Murphy to win.
Predicted Winner: Buddy Murphy

AOP vs The Bar
This should be a good match and I'm going for The Bar to win.
Predicted Winners: The Bar

Seth Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura
This is one of the matches that I'm really looking forward to seeing. Rollins is awesome at the minute but I can see Dean Ambrose interfering, giving Nakamura the win.
Predicted Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Team RAW (Mickie James, Nia Jax, Tamina, Natalya and Ruby Riott) vs Team Smackdown (Carmella, Naomi, Sonya Deville, Asuka and TBD) 
Survivor Series Elimination Match
A tough one to call, especially as we don't know yet who the fifth member of Team Smackdown will be. I'm going for Team RAW to win this one.
Predicted Winners: Team RAW

Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair
Unfortunately, Becky Lynch's injury meant that she can't face Rousey; so we get Charlotte instead. This could be the match of the night and I think that Rousey will win.
Predicted Winner: Ronda Rousey

Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan
In a big surprise, Bryan became WWE Champion, turning heel in the process on Tuesday. This has led to an interesting match up between, technically, two heels. I'm going for Brock to win.
Predicted Winner: Brock Lesnar

Team RAW (Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley) vs Team Smackdown (Hollywood Miz, Shane McMahon (Fuck's Sake...), Rey Mysterio, Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy)
I think Team RAW will win this one and hopefully the Best in the World Shane McMahon will be the first one to be eliminated.
Predicted Winners: Team RAW

It will be a few days before I see this so the review won't be up for a while. Until then, I hope you all enjoy the show.

Friday 16 November 2018

NXT Takeover: War Games II Preview

NXT Takeover: War Games II will be taking place tomorrow evening at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Even though there are only 4 matches, the card looks fucking amazing. So, let's take a look.

Johnny Gargano vs Aleister Black
In a year of surprising heel turns of beloved wrestlers, Gargano's was probably the best one done. This is a tough one to call but I'm going for Gargano to win.
Predicted Winner: Johnny Gargano

Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane
2 out of 3 Falls for the NXT Women's Championship
Their rivalry has produced some great matches so far and, whilst I love Kairi to regain the Championship, I think that Shayna will win.
Predicted Winner: Shayna Baszler

Tommaso "Fuckface" Ciampa vs The Velveteen Dream
NXT Championship
The Dream was perhaps an unusual choice to be the No 1 Contender but he's tremendously talented and also well deserved. I might be in the minority but I think he'll win.
Predicted Winner: Velveteen Dream

The Undisputed Era vs War Raiders, Ricochet and Pete Dunne
War Games Match
The Undisputed Era need to stop pissing off William Regal round this time of year to avoid being put in this match. This should be a great match and I think that The Undisputed Era will find a way to win.
Predicted Winners: The Undisputed Era

Along with Survivor Series, it will be a few days until I get to see it, so the review won't be up for a while. Until then, I hope you all enjoy the show.

Wednesday 7 November 2018

WWE Crown Jewel Review

WWE Crown Jewel took place last Friday at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Parts Unknown...? This is going to be hard to watch, not just because of the political situation but the card doesn't appeal to me. Anyway, let's get through this.

The match on the Kick Off Show was for the United States Championship as Rusev challenges Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura hits a backstabber to get the advantage and keeps Rusev down with kicks and knee strikes. Rusev manages to get out of a headlock and start a comeback. Rusev avoids a Kinshasa to put on the Accolade. However, Nakamura "accidentally" headbutts Rusev in the groin while getting out of the Accolade then hits the Kinshasa to get the win. This was a decent match between the two.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamua (1 for 1)

After WWE decide to start with a segment involving that racist piece of shit Hulk Hogan (fuck's sake...), we get our first match in the WWE World Cup, which was between Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton. Orton hits a dropkick on Mysterio while he was in the air and continues to beat him down. Mysterio gets back into it with a senton and a DDT. In the end, Orton goes for the RKO but Mysterio avoids it and pins him to get the win. Orton responds by hitting Mysterio with a RKO anyway then proceeds to slam him against the Arabic announce table. This match was ok.
Winner: Rey Mysterio (N/A)

Our second quarter final pits Jeff Hardy against Hollywood Miz. Miz hits a couple of running dropkicks but gets hit with a clothesline when he goes for a third. The match goes back and forth before Hardy goes for the Twist of Fate. However, Miz reverses it into a Skull Crushing Finale to get the win. This was a decent match and it sets up an interesting semi-final between Miz and Rey Mysterio.
Winner: Hollywood Miz (N/A)

The third quarter final was Seth Rollins taking on Bobby Lashley with hype man Lio Rush. Lashley hits a brutal spine buster to get the advantage. Rollins counters a vertical suplex then goes on to hit a couple of suicide dives to get back the momentum. Rollins goes on to hit the Curb Stomp to get the win. This was quite a short match and I was surprised that Lio Rush didn't get involved to help out Lashley.
Winner: Seth Rollins (N/A)

The final quarter final was between Kurt Angle and Dolph Ziggler. The match starts at a slow pace with lots of holds before Ziggler gets the advantage. Angle goets back into it with multiple German suplexes. Angle hit the Olympic Slam but Ziggler kicks out at 2. Angle manages to put on the Ankle Lock but Ziggler manages to power out of it and goes on to hit the Zig Zag to get the win. This was quite a good match.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler (N/A)

Next is The New Day challenging The Bar with The Big Show for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.  The Bar focus their attention on Kofi Kingston before he gets the hot tag to Big E. Big E goes for the Big Ending on Sheamus but Big Show distracts the referee. Show goes on to hit Big E with a punch when the referee is looking away. Sheamus follows that with a Brogue Kick to get his team the win. This was a good match between the two teams.
Winners: The Bar (2 for 2)

We now get our first semi-final in the WWE World Cup between Hollywood Miz and Rey Mysterio. Miz gets the advantage and keeps Mysterio down. Miz goes for a pumphandle slam but Mysterio reverses it into a DDT to start a comeback. Miz manages to hit a Skull Crushing Finale but it only gets 2. In the end, Mysterio hits a 619 then goes for a frog splash. However, Miz gets his knees up and pins to get the win. It was a bit of a damp ending but it was a good match.
Winner: The Miz (N/A)

The second semi-final was between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins. Drew McIntyre distracts Rollins, giving Ziggler the chance to hit a DDT. After a few pinning combinations, Rollins hits the ripcord knee for 2. In the end, McIntyre takes advantage of the referee being distracted to push Rollins off the turnbuckle. Ziggler then hits a super kick to get the win. This was a good match and I was surprised that Ziggler won. Based on their previous history, Ziggler vs The Miz should be a good match tho.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler (N/A)

Next is Samoa Joe challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Styles attacks the left knee at the beginning but Joe bounces him off the crowd barrier to get some momentum. Styles hits a step up enzigiuri to start a comeback. After some back and forth, Joe manages to apply the Coquina Clutch but Styles attacks the knee to help him get out of it. In the end, Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm to get the win. This was a good match and, after some of the stupid endings that they've previously had, it was nice to have this match have a clean ending.
Winner: AJ Styles (3 for 3)

We now get Brock Lesnar  taking on Braun Strowman for the vacant Universal Championship. Acting General Manager of RAW Baron Corbin presents the Championship belt then hits Strowman on the back of the head with it. The bell rings and Lesnar hits 3 F-5s but Strowman kicks out each time. Lesnar then F-5's Strowman out of the ring and after a very, very brief fightback, Lesnar hits a fifth F-5 to get the win. Wait, what?! My reaction to that was:
bad girls club wtf GIF

Seriously, what the fuck was that?! You have had a part time Champion for almost a year and a half, now you want to go back to that so soon?! Plus, you just made Strowman once again look stupid. Ah well, be prepared for Lesnar's first title defence in what? A year or two?
Winner: Brock Lesnar (3 for 4)

The penultimate match is WWE World Cup Final between Hollywood Miz and Dolph Ziggler. The referee tells McIntyre to go to the back before the match. Then Miz attacks Ziggler before the bell. When Miz throws him out of the ring and follows him, he lands badly. They continue fighting but Miz is not able to continue so Shane McMahon, who was watching at ringside with Baron Corbin, decides to take his place...? What?! I take it Rey Mysterio or any Smackdown wrestler was suddenyl unavailable?! Anyway, during the match, Corbin interferes so he gets ejected. Ziggler beats the fuck out of Shane but Shane recovers and hits a Coast to Coast to get the win?! Shane McMahon wins the World Cup?!?!
Bullshit GIF

Seriously, what the fuck just happened?! This show was pretty decent so far then in the last two matches, it just went off the fucking rails. Michael Cole on commentary was stunned and angry over what had happened and I agree with him. I cannot believe that they ended a decent tournament like that.
Winner: Shane McMahon?! (N/A)

The main event is where we get to see the return of Shawn Michaels as he teams up with Triple H to take on The Undertaker and Mayor Kane. I am not looking forward to this so let's get through it. Early on, Triple H suffers a torn pectoral muscle so he has to do most of the match with one arm. Michaels goes for the Sweet Chin Music on Kane but he gets hit with a Chokeslam instead. The match descends into chaos and Kane chokelams Triple H through the announce table. Undertaker and Kane beat up Michaels for what seems like a year before Triple H gets tagged in. In the end, Kane gets hit with a Sweet Chin Music by Michaels followed by a Pedigree by Triple H and D-X get the win.

The match was ok and Michaels did better than I thought he would. However, did this match, involving 3 guys in their 50s, need to go for 27 minutes; especially since the only regular-ish wreslter gets seriously injured?
Winners: Triple H and Shawn Michaels (4 for 5)

Crown Jewel was going actually quite well but it suddenly went to shit near the end. The main event was ok but once again, it was far too long. Hopefully, WWE can now  put this show behind them and focus on Survivor Series

Tuesday 6 November 2018

WWE Evolution Review

WWE Evolution took place on Sunday 28th October at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Inbetween The Super Show-Down and Crown Jewel, the build up to their first all women's pay-per-view has been mostly terrible. However, there are some really good matches on the card so let's take a look.

The first match on the show is Trish Stratus and Lita taking on Mickie James and Alicia Fox with Alexa Bliss in their corner. Lita and Trish are absolutely dominant before Alexa stops Lita from doing a moonsault on Mickie. Lita hits a reverse DDTm giving her the chance to tag in Trish. Trish hits a Stratusfaction and, after a moonsault by Lita, hits a Chick Kick to get the win. I felt that Trish and Lita had to be carried a little bit but despite that, it was a fun match.
Winners: Trish Stratus and Lita (1 for 1)

Next is a 20 women battle royal, with the winner getting a title shot. In the match were: Naomi, Michelle McCool, Sonya Deville, Alundra Blayze, Carmella, Zelina Vega, Kelly Kelly, Tamina, Ember Moon, Lana, Maria Kanellis, Mandy Rose, Molly Holly, Dana Brooke, Nia Jax, Ivory, Asuka, Torrie Wilson, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay. Highlights of the match include: Billie and Peyton being eliminated almost immediately; a massive combined suplex; and a dance break involving Carmella and Ivory. The final 4 end up being: Asuka, Ember Moon, Nia Jax and Tamina. Ember eliminates Asuka and then Tamina. Then Zelina Vega, who had fell out of the ring under the ropes earlier on and tries to eliminate Nia and Ember. Nia responds by press slamming her out of the ring and then eliminates Ember to get the win. This was a fun match to watch and it was nice to see people like Molly Holly and Ivory back in the ring.
Winner: Nia Jax (1 for 2)

We now get the final of the Mae Young Classic between Toni Storm and Io Shirai. Highlights of the match include: a brutal snap German suplex by Storm; Shirai hitting a moonsault to the outside; and Storm hitting Storm Zero for 2. Shiari goes for the Asai Moonsault but Storm gets her knees up and goes on to hit another Storm Zero to get the win. This match was really good and one of the best of the tournament. I'm so happy that Toni won and hope that she does well in NXT UK. As for Io, except for her inconsistency in landing the Asai Moonsault, she has been extremely impressive. I can see her being NXT Women's Champion within the next year.
Winner: Toni Storm (2 for 3)

Next is The Riott Squad taking on the team of Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley. Sarah Logan baseball slides Bayley into the ring post to get her team the advantage. Eventually, Bayley manages to tag in Sasha. Bayley hits a Belly-to-Bayley on Ruby Riott but Liv Morgan pushes Sasha onto Bayley to break up the pin. Later on, Natalya puts Ruby and Sarah in a double sharpshooter but Liv stops it. In the end, Liv gets hit with a powerbomb by Natalya, an elbow drop by Bayley, and a frogsplash by Sasha and their team get the win. This was a good match and quite fun to watch.
Winners: Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley (2 for 4)

We now get a match that I was really looking forward to seeing: Shayna Baszler challenging Kairi Sane for the NXT Women's Championship. In the early going, Shayna keeps on trying to put on a choke but Kairi is able to prevent them. Shayna viciously stamps on Kairi's left arm, which somehow doesn't get her disqualified, to get the advantage. Shayna goes on to manipulate the arm but Kairi gets back into it with a spear. The fight goes to the outside and Kairi tosses Shayna into a group of NXT Superstars watching the match, including Shayna's friends, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. Jessamyn and Marina use this as justification to try to interfere but Kairi fends them off. In the end, Jessamyn hits a cheap shot while the referee was distracted and this gives Shayna the chance to apply the Karifuda Clutch. Kairi passes out and Shayna regains the Championship. Whilst I was slightly disappointed that it was a tainted victory, this was a really good match.
Winner: Shayna Baszler (2 for 5)

The penultimate match is a Last Woman Standing Match for the Smackdown Women's Championship as Charlotte Flair challenges Becky Lynch. Highlights of the match include: Charlotte putting Becky through a table with a senton; Becky slamming Charlotte onto a ladder; and Charlotte trapping Becky's legs in a ladder and then applying the Figure 8. After they fight through the crowd, Becky puts Charlotte through the German announce table with a legdrop from the ladder. Charlotte somehow beats the 10 count and then again after being bureid under a fuck load of chairs. In the end, Charlotte gets powerbombed from the ring apron through a table and doesn't beat the 10 count, giving Becky the win. This was an amazing match between the two and definitely the match of the night.
Winner: Becky Lynch (3 for 6)

The main event is for the RAW Women's Championship as Nikki Bella challenges Ronda Rousey. Rousey is cocky at the beginning before Brie Bella helps Nikki get the advantage. Ronda gets kept down by being thrown onto things and Brie hitting cheap shots at every opportunity. Ronda gets back into it and hits both the Bellas with a spinning Samoan drop. Even though Nikki gets to hit the Rack Attack 2.0, Ronda manages to prevail after getting Nikki to submit to an Armbar. The match was better than I thought it would be, although I feel that it might have been a bit too long.
Winner: Ronda Rousey (4 for 7)

Except for a few minor criticisms, I thought that Evolution was really good and the best event of the year so far. Despite a terrible build up, it had some really good matches. Hopefully, WWE do it again next year and give it more of a build up.



Friday 2 November 2018

WWE Crown Jewel Preview

WWE Crown Jewel will be taking place this afternoon at the King Saud University Stadium in Riydah, Saudi Arabia. There has been a lot of controversy about this event but putting that aside, the card doesn't look that great to me. Also, WWE thought that this event would be a great time to bring back that racist piece of shit, Hulk Hogan. So, let's take a look at the card.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rusev
United States Championship
This match will be on the Pre Show and I'm going for Nakamura to retain.
Predicted Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

WWE World Cup
WWE are hosting a tournament to find determine "the best in the world" involving 8 American wrestlers... Anyway, the quarter finals are:
Seth Rollins vs Bobby Lashley
Dolph Ziggler vs Kurt Angle
Jeff Hardy vs Hollywood Miz
Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton
A tough one to call but I'm going for Seth Rollins to win the whole thing.
Predicted Winner: Seth Rollins

The Bar vs The New Day
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Bar only won the Championship a few weeks ago so I can't see them losing it so soon but I could be wrong.
Predicted Winners: The Bar

AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe
WWE Championship
As much as I love Joe to win, I'm going for AJ to retain.
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

Braun Strowman vs Brock Lesnar
Universal Championship
Unless WWE want to go back to having a part-time Champion, Braun Strowman's winning this.
Predicted Winner: Braun Strowman

Undertaker and Kane vs Triple H and Shawn Michaels
We get to see the return of Shawn Michaels, which would have been great 5 years ago. This is a main event which seems like a nostalgia tour involving 3 wrestlers in their 50s so hopefully, this match will not be that long. I'm going for Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
Predicted Winners: Triple H and Shawn Michaels

I haven't seen Evolution yet so once I've seen that, I'll watch this and put up the review within the next week. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Thursday 1 November 2018

WWE Choosing Money Over Morality

On Friday, WWE Crown Jewel will take place in Saudi Arabia as part of  Saudi Vision 2030. I was quite surprised that they're hosting another event in the country in the same year as they hosted The Greatest Royal Rumble. I've had my concerns about the WWE hosting events there however, I was ok with it if it led to Saudi Arabia being more tolerant towards Western culture in the future. There were quite a few things that have bothered me about the event, especially as it's taking place 5 days after WWE Evolution, their first ever all women's Pay-Per-View. From a kayfabe standpoint, it did bother me that they seemed to be focused more on Crown Jewel than Evolution. However, recent events have put a massive elephant in the room.

Jamal Khashoggi. a journalist and Saudi dissent, was believed to have been murdered when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Despite initial denails, the Saudi government admitted that Khashoggi was killed in a fight. It is believed that the murder was premediated and it's possible that high level members of the Saudi Royal Family were involved in the planning. A report yesterday suggested that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Consulate.

In the United States, this has led to politicians from both the Democrats and Republicans to call on WWE to cancel the event. The company has political connections as well as commerical. Linda McMahon is the Administrator of the Small Business Administration and Glenn Jacobs, who wrestles as Kane, is the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. Despite the criticism, WWE have chosen to do the event citing "contractual obligations".

WWE's deal is worth 450-500 million dollars over 10 years so a part of me can understand them not wanting to suffer the financial consequences. However, the Saudi government have been made it clear that they are not going to change as much as we thought they would. Add the fact that the Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman is believed to be the one who approved the murder and it seems that WWE are happy to be a part of blatant pro-Saudi propaganda. WWE choosing to do this is a dark day and they have chosen money over basic morality and that is troubling to see. I feel sorry for the wrestlers involved in this. John Cena and Daniel Bryan will be not taking part but they are a big enough name to do that. The other wrestlers might feel like they have to take part.

I thought a long time about whether I will watch the show and I decided that I will. Part of me feels like I'm supporting the Saudis in doing that. However, I will be watching partly out of interest to see how WWE handle the show. Hopefully, there will be no pre-show and they will try to make the event as short as possible. If you're angry about what the WWE have done, all I ask that you don't take it out on the wrestlers. Most of them would feel that they are stuck between a rock and a hard place and would probably wish that they weren't there.