WWE Super-Show Down took place on Saturday 6th October at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. The card looks pretty good so let's take a look.
The first match is for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships as The Bar challenge The New Day. Sheamus and Cesaro catch Kofi Kingston attempting a suicide dive and wrap up round the ring post, giving them the advantage. Kofi manages to send Cesaro to the outside and then tags Xavier in. In the end, The New Day hit a backstabber/coup de grace combo on Cesaro to get the win. This was a good match and a good way to start the show.
Winners: The New Day (1 for 1)
Next is Charlotte Flair challenging Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women's Championship. The match starts with them beating each other up before Becky pulls Charlotte out of the ring to the floor to get the advantage. Becky gets Charlotte in the Dis-Arm Her but she gets out of it and later on, stomps on the back of the knee to get back some momentum. Charlotte gets Becky in a Boston Crab but Becky rolls out of the ring and tries to leave. Charlotte stops her, rolls her back into the ring and pus her in the Figure 8. In desperation, Becky whips Charlotte with the belt to lose vua disqualification. After the match, Charlotte attacks Becky when she tries to leave but that turns out to be a bad idea as Becky fucks her up. I thought this was a good match and I was slightly disappointed that it ended in a disqualification. However, it showed Becky acting like a heel in the ring so I'm ok with it.
Winner: Charlotte Flair (1 for 2)
We get a musical interlude with Elias and Kevin Owens before their match with John Cena and Bobby Lashley. Lashley is dominant against both guys to begin with before Owens superkicks him and then stomps on him. Lashley hits a spine buster on Owens and he finally tags in Cena. Cena beats up Elias, hits an AA then a lightning fist to get the win. It would have been nice to see Cena wrestle a bit more but otherwise, it was a decent match.
Winners: John Cena and Bobby Lashley (2 for 3)
We now get Australia's two favourite females, The IIonics taking on Naomi and Asuka. Asuka and Naomi work well together before Billie Kay hits Asuka with a big boot to get the momentum. Asuka eventually manages to tag in Naomi. However, Billie holds Naomi up for Peyton Royce to knee her in the side of the head to surprisingly get the win. This was a short yet fun match.
Winners: The IIonics (2 for 4)
Next is a No-Disqualification match for the WWE Championship between Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. The match goes back and forth before Joe tries to use a steel chair but it gets dropkicked into his face. Joe hurts his knee when he goes through and Styles focuses on it. In the end, Styles gets Joe to submit to the calf crusher to get the win. This was a good match and the best one that they had.
Winner: AJ Styles (3 for 5)
We now get our 2nd women's tag match as The Riott Squad take on Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins. During the match, The Bellas only tag each other. The Riott Squad wear down Nikki Bella and she eventually tags in Rousey, who proceeds to destroy them. Rousey goes on to get Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan to submit to a diuble armbar. This was another fun match to watch. However, it looks they are continuing to make Rousey invincible and I feel that it's not really necessary
Winners: Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins (4 for 6)
Now a match that I was quite looking forward to seeing: Buddy Murphy challenging Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship. Murphy immediately knees Alexander in the head to get an early near fall; then goes on to press home his advantage. Alexander hits a super kick to get back into it and they go on to hit some amazing moves such as a top rope Michinoku driver. Alexander comes close after hitting the Lumber Check but Murphy gets the win after hitting Murphy's Law. This was a great match and I'm so happy that Murphy got the win.
Winner: Buddy Murphy (5 for 7)
Our final tag team match pits the team of Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre taking on The SHIELD. Early on, The SHIELD try to powerbomb Strowman through the announce table but Ziggler and McIntyre stop it and go on to wear down Seth Rollins. Strowman misses a splash, giving Rollins the chance to tag in Dean Ambrose. During the match, Roman Reigns accidentally hits Ambrose with a Superman punch then goes on to spear Strowman through the barrier. In the end, Ambrose hits Ziggler with Dirty Deeds to get the win. This was another enjoyable match.
Winners: The SHIELD (6 for 8)
The penultimate match is between Daniel Bryan and Hollywood Miz to determine the Number 1 Contender for the WWE Championship. As soon as the bell rings, Miz attacks Bryan focusing on the ribs. Bryan recovers and when Miz goes for the Skull Crushing Finale, Bryan reverses it into a small package and get the win...wait, what? The match was over in less than 3 minutes. What the fuck? This was such a disappointment as I was looking forward to this match. There's about a hour left of the show. Do we really need that long for the main event?
Winner: Daniel Bryan (6 for 9)
Well, I guess we're about to find out. It's The Undertaker versus Triple H "for the last time ever". Triple H plays mind games in the beginning and is able to shut down Undertaker quite quickly at the beginning. During the match, Kane and Shawn Michaels get involved and we get two ref bumps in a no disqualification match. In the end, they both try to hit their finishing moves and Triple H manages to hit the Pedigree to get the win. Afterwards, after a show of respect, Undetaker and Kane attack Triple H and Michaels just because...?
This match wasn't great. It was far too long and Undertaker did not look great, despite the best efforts of everyone else involved. Some of it didn't make sense either, such as the ref bumps in a no disqualification match. Whilst the ending means that we will see the return of Shawn Michaels, it would have been nice to see it a few years earlier.
Winner: Triple H (6 for 10)
The vast majority of Super Show-Down was really good with a nice house show feel to it. However, choosing to dramatically cut down a match that a lot of people were looking forward to seeing so that we can have a overlong crappy main event leaves a bad taste in my mouth. At least I can look forward to Evolution, which look pretty good at the minute.
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Saturday, 6 October 2018
WWE Super Show-Down Preview
WWE Super Show-Down will be taking place early Saturday morning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The card looks pretty decent so let's take a look.
Asuka and Naomi vs The IIonics
A tough one considering the IIonics are from Australia. I'm gojng for Asuka and Naomi to win.
Predicted Winners: Asuka and Naomi
Bobby Lashley and John Cena vs Elias and Kevin Owens
Yeah, Lashley and Cena are winning this
Predicted Winners: Bobby Lashley and John Cena
The Bella Twins and Ronda Rousey vs The Riott Squad
I'm going for the Bellas and Ronda to win here. Hopefully, Brie Bella won't break Liv Morgan's face in the process.
Predicted Winners: The Bella Twins and Ronda Rousey
The New Day vs The Bar
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
This should be a good match and I'm going for The New Day to continue their reign
Predicted Winners: The New Day
Daniel Bryan vs Hollywood Miz
Match to Determine No 1 Contender for the WWE Championship
This is a match that I'm really looking forward to seeing. I would love Bryan to win but I think Miz will win instead.
Predicted Winner: Hollywood Miz
AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe
No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
I think that Styles will retain and go on to lose to The Miz
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles
Cedric Alexander vs Buddy Murphy
If the hometown boy, Murphy, doesn't win, I will be very surprised.
Predicted Winner: Buddy Murphy
The Shield vs Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler
This should be an interesting one to watch. They have been teasing an Ambrose heel turn recently. I don't think it will happen here and I'm going for The Shield to win.
Predicted Winners: The Shield
Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair
Smackdown Women's Championship
I found their last match to be slightly disappointing but hopefully, this one will be better. I'm going for Becky to retain.
Predicted Winner: Becky Lynch
Undertaker vs Triple H
This match will be the "Last Time Ever" between the two. I don't know about this one. Undertaker will win it but I feel that he's been showing his age in his last few matches. Hopefully, Triple H will help him have a good match.
Predicted Winner: Undertaker
I won't get to see the show until the middle of the week. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.
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.
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
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.
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.
Wednesday, 29 August 2018
NXT Takeover Brooklyn IV Review
NXT Takeover Brooklyn IV took place on Saturday 18th August. As usual, the card looks awesome so let's take a look.
The first match is for the NXT Tag Team Championship as Moustache Mountain challenged The Undisputed Era. The match starts in a brawl before the referee manages to restore order. The match goes back and forth before Roderick Strong kills Tyler Bate with a brutal clothesline. There was a great bit later on when Kyle O'Reilly puts Bate in a heel hook and Trent Seven gets tempted to throw in the towel but doesn't. In the end, despite the best efforts of Bate and Seven, Strong and O'Reilly hit Total Elimination on Seven to get the win. Afterwards, The War Raiders attack Strong and O'Reilly. This was a really good match and probably the best one out of the three that they had. I don't really like what happened afterwards tho. It looks like they're making The War Raiders faces so it seemed weird them attacking Strong and O'Reilly.
Winners: The Undisputed Era (1 for 1)
The next match is Velveteen Dream taking on EC3. Dream gets the advantage after hitting a twisting DDT onto the ramp. Dream then focuses on the neck. EC3 manages to make a comeback, hitting moves such as a sit down powerbomb. However, Dream hits a rolling death valley dirver onto the apron, followed by the Purple Rainmaker to get the win. I enjoyed the match, although it was hard to top the tag team match.
Winner:Velveteen Dream (2 for 2)
We now get our 2nd Championship match as Ricochet challenges Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) for the NXT North American Championship. Cole manages to cope with Ricochet's fast paced offence before sending him to the floor. Ricochet gets back into it, although Cole comes very close after hitting a superkick followed by a fireman's carry neckbreaker. In the end, Ricochet hit an awesome leaping hurracarrana, sending Cole from the apron to the floor. He then follows that with a 630 splash to get the win. This match was awesome and so much fun to watch.
Winner: Ricochet (3 for 3)
The penultimate match is for the NXT Women's Championship as Kairi Sane challenges Shayna Baszler. Sane takes it to Baszler before Baszler dropkicks her knee then stomps her calf to death to get the advantage. Baszler focuses on the knees, bending them in ways that a contortionist would be proud of. She then starts to get cocky before Sane hits 2 rolling neckbreakers. Sane goes on to hit 2 Insane Elbows but Baszler kicks out. They then both try to do submission moves before Sane goes for another Insane Elbow. Baszler manages to block it and apply the Kirifuda Clutch. Howver, Sane reverses it into a roll up to suddenly get the win and become the new NXT Women's Champion. This match was another awesome one to watch. I thought the psychology of the match was well done and I loved the ending, which is similar to how the Piper/Bret match finished at Wrestlemania VIII. I was surprised that Sane won but it probably means that Baszler is being prepped to go up to the main roster so I'm looking forward to thier rematch in the near future.
Winner: Kairi Sane (3 for 4)
The main event is Johnny Gargano challenging Tommaso "Fuckface" Ciampa in a Last Man Standing Match for the NXT Championship. Highlights of the match include:
The first match is for the NXT Tag Team Championship as Moustache Mountain challenged The Undisputed Era. The match starts in a brawl before the referee manages to restore order. The match goes back and forth before Roderick Strong kills Tyler Bate with a brutal clothesline. There was a great bit later on when Kyle O'Reilly puts Bate in a heel hook and Trent Seven gets tempted to throw in the towel but doesn't. In the end, despite the best efforts of Bate and Seven, Strong and O'Reilly hit Total Elimination on Seven to get the win. Afterwards, The War Raiders attack Strong and O'Reilly. This was a really good match and probably the best one out of the three that they had. I don't really like what happened afterwards tho. It looks like they're making The War Raiders faces so it seemed weird them attacking Strong and O'Reilly.
Winners: The Undisputed Era (1 for 1)
The next match is Velveteen Dream taking on EC3. Dream gets the advantage after hitting a twisting DDT onto the ramp. Dream then focuses on the neck. EC3 manages to make a comeback, hitting moves such as a sit down powerbomb. However, Dream hits a rolling death valley dirver onto the apron, followed by the Purple Rainmaker to get the win. I enjoyed the match, although it was hard to top the tag team match.
Winner:Velveteen Dream (2 for 2)
We now get our 2nd Championship match as Ricochet challenges Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) for the NXT North American Championship. Cole manages to cope with Ricochet's fast paced offence before sending him to the floor. Ricochet gets back into it, although Cole comes very close after hitting a superkick followed by a fireman's carry neckbreaker. In the end, Ricochet hit an awesome leaping hurracarrana, sending Cole from the apron to the floor. He then follows that with a 630 splash to get the win. This match was awesome and so much fun to watch.
Winner: Ricochet (3 for 3)
The penultimate match is for the NXT Women's Championship as Kairi Sane challenges Shayna Baszler. Sane takes it to Baszler before Baszler dropkicks her knee then stomps her calf to death to get the advantage. Baszler focuses on the knees, bending them in ways that a contortionist would be proud of. She then starts to get cocky before Sane hits 2 rolling neckbreakers. Sane goes on to hit 2 Insane Elbows but Baszler kicks out. They then both try to do submission moves before Sane goes for another Insane Elbow. Baszler manages to block it and apply the Kirifuda Clutch. Howver, Sane reverses it into a roll up to suddenly get the win and become the new NXT Women's Champion. This match was another awesome one to watch. I thought the psychology of the match was well done and I loved the ending, which is similar to how the Piper/Bret match finished at Wrestlemania VIII. I was surprised that Sane won but it probably means that Baszler is being prepped to go up to the main roster so I'm looking forward to thier rematch in the near future.
Winner: Kairi Sane (3 for 4)
The main event is Johnny Gargano challenging Tommaso "Fuckface" Ciampa in a Last Man Standing Match for the NXT Championship. Highlights of the match include:
- Gargano not waiting for Kaylee Braxton to finishing announcing before attacking
- Gargano throwing Ciampa over the announce table then Ciampa sending Gargano through the Spanish announce table.
- Ciampa applying a sleeper.
- Ciampa hitting 3 powerbombs into a double knee then sitting on a chair while the referee counted
- Ciampa hitting an implant buster onto the steel steps
- Gargano accidentally hitting a member of the ring crew with a superkick
- Ciampa sending Gargano crashing through the timekeeper's area then burying with anything he can find, including the knocked out member of the ring crew
- Gargano sending Ciampa through a table he had set up earlier
The end comes when Gargano handcuffs Ciampa to part of the stage then proceeds to kick him repeatedly in the head. When Garagno hits a running knee, he goes flying off the stage into the crates nearby. Both guys are down but Ciampa just about slides off the stage onto his feet before the ten count to get the win.
Like the other matches on this show, it was awesome to watch and I liked the way it ended. Gargano, in his attempts to beat up Ciampa, has been letting his anger get the best of him. This is another example as he hurt himself in the process of hitting Ciampa and it ended up costing him the match. Whilst I've enjoyed these matches, I feel that we need a little step back away from it and have Ciampa have another feud. Hopefully, Gargano's injury will do that.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa (4 for 5)
I have not seen every Takeover but I think that this was the best one I've ever seen. Four of the matches were amazing and Dream vs EC3 was not as good but it was better than most of the matches that I see on the main roster. Hopefully Summerslam will be just as good (it probably won't but I can dream, right?)
Sunday, 19 August 2018
WWE Summerslam 2018 Preview
The 2nd biggest event of the year, Summerslam, will be taking place this evening at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. There are 13 matches on the card so it will be a long night. Let's take a look.
Rusev and Lana vs Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega
I think that Aiden English will find some way to fuck over Rusev and Lana, giving Almas and Vega the win.
Predicted Winners: Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega
The Revival vs The B-Team
RAW Tag Team Championship
Finally, The Revival get a Championship opportunity and I feel that they have to win to give the RAW Tag Team division a boost.
Predicted Winners: The Revival
Drew Gulak vs Cedric Alexander
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Gulak has been one of the best things on 205 Live right now and I believe that its' time for him to be Champion
Predicted Winner: Drew Gulak
Finn Balor vs Constable Baron Corbin
I don't quite know yet but I'm not bothered about this match. Balor won the last one so I think that Corbin will win this one.
Predicted Winner: Constable Baron Corbin
Jeff Hardy vs Shinsuke Nakamura
United States Championship
Hopefully, their match will last longer than their last one on Pay-Per-View. I think that Nakamura will win.
Predicted Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
The New Day vs The Bludgeon Brothers
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The New Day have to win this, right?
Predicted Winners: The New Day
Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman
Strowman's MITB Contract is on the Line
This is an interesting one as it can go in a lot of different ways. I think that Owens will find some sneaky way to win.
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens
Ronda Rousey vs Alexa Bliss
RAW Women's Championship
I love Alexa Bliss but Ronda is going to fuck her up. Rousey to win easily.
Predicted Winner: Ronda Rousey
Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair vs Carmella
Smackdown Women's Championship
A tough one to call here. I think that Carmella will find some way to win and retain.
Predicted Winner: Carmella
Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler
Intercontinental Championship
Rollins has been great to watch this year. Despite that, I feel that Ziggler, with Drew McIntyre's help, will retain.
Predicted Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles
WWE Championship
This has a small chance to be the match of the night. A tough one to call but I'm going for Joe to win.
Predicted Winner: Samoa Joe
Daniel Bryan vs Hollywood Miz
The match that everyone is looking forward to see. Part of me wishes it was for a Championship but it doesn't need it. I really want Bryan to win. However, I think that they will extend the feud over the autumn meaning that Miz will win.
Predicted Winner: Hollywood Miz
Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar
Universal Championship
Hey look, Brock has decided to grace us with his presence as he faces Roman Reigns for (check notes) the 6th time in over 3 years. Yay? Anyway, Reigns has to win this. Otherwise, there's no point. Keep in mind tho, that this is a rare opportunity for the MITB Briefcase holder to cash in.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns
It will be a few days before I get to see the show. Until then, I hope you enjoy watching it.
Saturday, 18 August 2018
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV Preview
The 4th annual NXT Takeover: Brooklyn will be taking place this evening at the Barclays Center. The card looks pretty awesome as usual so let's take a look.
Velveteen Dream vs EC3
The only match that doesn't involve a Championship has been the one that has the most fun to see build. Having said that, it has been weird seeing EC3 as technically the face as his gimmick doesn't say that. This is a tough one as I can see both guys winning. I feel that Dream has to win a match at Takeover and I think it will happen here.
Predicted Winner: Velveteen Dream
Mustache Mountain vs The Undisputed Era
NXT Tag Team Championship
Based on their last two matches, this should be fun to watch. Whilst I like Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, I feel that The Undisputed Era will retain.
Predicted Winners: The Undisputed Era
Ricochet vs Adam Cole (Bay Bay!)
NXT North American Championship
A strong contender for match of the night and I think that Ricochet will win here.
Predicted Winner: Ricochet
Kairi Sane vs Shayna Baszler
NXT Women's Championship
Another tough one to call but I don't think it's Sane's time yet. Therefore, Baszler to win.
Predicted Winner: Shayna Baszler
Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso "Fuckface" Ciampa
Last Man Standing Match for the NXT Championship
Whilst I love to see Gargano as Champion, I don't think it's that time yet. I'm going for Ciampa to win.
Predicted Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
I will get to see Takeover during the week. I hope everyone enjoys the show.
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Review
Extreme Rules 2018 took place on Sunday 15th July at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Money in the Bank was pretty good so will Extreme Rules continue in that vein? Let's take a look.
There were two matches on the Kick Off Show and the first was Sin Cara 2.0 taking on Andrade "Cien" Almas. Almas deals with Cara's offence by throwing him into the crowd barrier. Almas keeps Cara down with moves such as an arm lock. Cara makes a comeback and hits a frog splash. However, Zelina Vega distracts the referee, which gives Almas the chance to hit a dropkick, which is followed by the knees in the corner and the Hammerlock DDT to get the win. The match was pretty good.
Winner: Andrade "Cien" Almas (1 for 1)
The other match on the Kick Off Show is a Tables Match between The New Day and Sanity. The match descends into chaos, leaving Eric Young and Alexander Wolff beating down on Big E. Everyone else recovers and the match goes back and forth, including both teams coming very close to winning. In the end, Young, with the help of Wolff, sends Kofi through a table with a top rope elbow drop to get the win. This match was fun to watch.
Winners: Sanity (2 for 2)
The first match of the show is for the RAW Tag Team Championship as The B Team challenge The Deleter of Worlds. A cheap shot by Bo Dallas on Matt Hardy gives his team the advantage. Hardy hits a side effect on Curtis Axel , and it enables him to tag in Bray Wyatt. Hardy tags back in but that turns out to be a bad idea as Dallas hits him with a hangman's neckbreaker to get the win. I was surprised that The B Team won but it was a good yet short match.
Winners: The B Team (2 for 3)
Next is Finn Balor taking on Constable Baron Corbin. Corbin is dominant early on, hitting brutal clotheslines and keeping him down with chinlocks. Balor gets out of a powerbomb and hits a dropkick. Corbin goes for The End of Days but Balor manages to stop it and put Corbin in a small package to get the win. This was a pretty decent match.
Winner: Finn Balor (2 for 4)
We now get Asuka challenging Carmella for the Smackdown Women's Championship with James Ellsworth suspended above the ring in a shark tank. Someone didn't think to search Ellsworth as he keeps interfering in the match. Then he manages to escape but gets caught and ends up hanging upside down. Asuka decides to forget about Carmella and start kicking Ellsworth. Carmella then slams Asuka's head against the cage then hits her shitty finishing move to get the win. This match was a fucking abomination and definitely the worst match of the year so far.
Winner: Carmella (3 for 5)
Our third Championship match is Shinsuke Nakamura challenging Jeff Hardy. When the referee gives his belt to the timekeeper, Nakamura gives Hardy a low blow. Hardy insists that he is ok but when the bell rings, Nakamura hits a Kinshasa to get the win. Afterwards, Randy Orton makes his return and attacks Hardy, turning heel. Ok, what the fuck was that? I understand if Hardy was injured, but he wrestled on the following Smackdown, so what was the point? As for Orton returning, I don't really care.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (4 for 6)
We now get a steel cage match between Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman. Owens tries to escape at every opportunity but Strowman keeps stopping him. Owens gets his best chance when he handcuffs Strowman to the turnbuckle. Unfortunately, it's next to the door so Owens starts to climb the cage. Strowman breaks the handcuffs and climbs after him. Strowman then proceeds to throw Owens off the top of the cage through the announce table. This technically means that Owens wins. Afterwards, Owens is taken away on a stretcher. I quite enjoyed the match but I found it hard to support Strowman in this feud. He's been treating Owens like shit and when Owens goes to Kurt Angle about it, he gets put into a steel cage match. I was also surprised at the ending, as it took place in the same city where Mick Foley got seriously injured when Undertaker threw him off the top of the cell.
Winner: Kevin Owens (4 for 7)
Next is Team Hell No challenging The Bludgeon Brothers for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. Earlier in the night, Harper and Rowan attacked Bryan and Kane backstage. Kane didn't recover in time so Bryan had to take on The Bludgeon Brothers himself. Bryan uses his quickness to Harper and Rowan at bay but it doesn't last long. Harper and Rowan accidentally take each other out and Kane comes out with a leg cast and gets tagged in. Unfortuantely, Harper and Rowan manage to hit a powerbomb/diving clothesline combo on Bryan to get the win. The match wasn't bad but it was hampered by Kane's real life injury. A lot of people were looking forward to seeing the return of Team Hell No but, depending on Glen Jacobs' bod for Mayor of Knox County, there's a chance that we will never get to see it.
Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers (4 for 8)
We now get Roman Reigns taking on Bobby Lashley. Yay...? Anyway, Reigns acts a little more aggressively during the match and is quite dominant in the early going. Lashley stops getting hit
by some steel steps and hits a clothesline to start a comeback. Both guys have a chance to win it but in the end, Reigns goes for a spear but Lashley hits a spear of his own to get the win. The match was actually pretty decent with a couple of nice spots. I just found it hard to get into am match where I have very little interest in the guys involved.
Winner: Bobby Lashley (5 for 9)
Next is Nia Jax, with Natalya, challenging Alexa Bliss, with Mickie James, in an Extreme Rules match for the RAW Women's Championship. An added factor is Ronda Rousey. She had been banned from RAW but she got a ticket to watch the show because...loophole? Mickie gives Alexa a fuck ton of weapons but Nia just grabs them and chucks them into the ring. After Nia press slams Alexa ontop a trash can, Alexa uses a trash can lid to get the advantage. When Mickie and Alexa start attacking Natalya, Ronda gets involved. After Mickie takes out Ronda with a kendo stick, Alexa goes on to hit Nia with a DDT on to a steel chair to get the win. Ignoring the fact that, due to the stipulations, Ronda could have got involved at any time, it was a fun match.
Winner: Alexa Bliss (6 for 10)
The penultimate match is for the WWE Championship as Rusev challenges AJ Styles on Rusev Day. Rusev uses power moves before focusing on the lower back. However, Styles injures Rusev's left leg, slowing him down. The match goes back and forth with both guys going for submission moves. Rusev tries to put on the Accolade but is unable to due his leg. Aiden English exposes a turnbuckle but Rusev accidentally runs into it and Styles hits a springboard 450 followed by a Phenomenal Forearm to get the win. This was a really good match and hopefully, Rusev gets another Championship opportunity in the near future.
Winner: AJ Styles (7 for 11)
The main event is a 30-minute Iron Man match for the Intercontinental Championship as Seth Rollins challenges Dolph Ziggler. Rollins takes the lead after 4 minutes with a buckle bomb followed by a inside cradle. Rollins hits a Curb Stomp to make it 2-0. Drew McIntyre then interferes and beats the fuck out of Rollins, resulting in the referee ejecting him. Even though McIntyre's actions gave Rollins a 3-0 lead, it was negated when Ziggler pins a fucked up Rollins to make 3-1. he then hits a super kick followed soon after by a Zig Zag to tie the macth at 3-3. A minute before the half way point, Ziggler hits a forearm and pins Rollins, using his feet on the ropes for leverage. This gives Ziggler the lead. With 3 minutes to go, Rollins bounces Ziggler's head off the ring post and pins him to tit the match at 4-4. Despite Rollins' best efforts, the match ends at 4-4. Normally, this means Ziggler retains the title. However, Kur Angle comes out and takes the match into overtime. When the bell rings, Rollins gets distracted by a returning McIntyre and Ziggler hits a Zig Zag to get the win. This was a generally good match but I hated the ending. I don't see the point of taking a match into overtime and then it ends 10 seconds later. Also, some of Rollins' logic was questionable, esecially when he stopped Ziggler from leaving. If he left him, Ziggler would have been counted out and Rollins would have won.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler (8 for 12)
I thought that Extreme Rules was an average event. There were some good matches but there were some that were really shit. Hopefully, at Summerslam, we will get more of the good and less of the bad.
There were two matches on the Kick Off Show and the first was Sin Cara 2.0 taking on Andrade "Cien" Almas. Almas deals with Cara's offence by throwing him into the crowd barrier. Almas keeps Cara down with moves such as an arm lock. Cara makes a comeback and hits a frog splash. However, Zelina Vega distracts the referee, which gives Almas the chance to hit a dropkick, which is followed by the knees in the corner and the Hammerlock DDT to get the win. The match was pretty good.
Winner: Andrade "Cien" Almas (1 for 1)
The other match on the Kick Off Show is a Tables Match between The New Day and Sanity. The match descends into chaos, leaving Eric Young and Alexander Wolff beating down on Big E. Everyone else recovers and the match goes back and forth, including both teams coming very close to winning. In the end, Young, with the help of Wolff, sends Kofi through a table with a top rope elbow drop to get the win. This match was fun to watch.
Winners: Sanity (2 for 2)
The first match of the show is for the RAW Tag Team Championship as The B Team challenge The Deleter of Worlds. A cheap shot by Bo Dallas on Matt Hardy gives his team the advantage. Hardy hits a side effect on Curtis Axel , and it enables him to tag in Bray Wyatt. Hardy tags back in but that turns out to be a bad idea as Dallas hits him with a hangman's neckbreaker to get the win. I was surprised that The B Team won but it was a good yet short match.
Winners: The B Team (2 for 3)
Next is Finn Balor taking on Constable Baron Corbin. Corbin is dominant early on, hitting brutal clotheslines and keeping him down with chinlocks. Balor gets out of a powerbomb and hits a dropkick. Corbin goes for The End of Days but Balor manages to stop it and put Corbin in a small package to get the win. This was a pretty decent match.
Winner: Finn Balor (2 for 4)
We now get Asuka challenging Carmella for the Smackdown Women's Championship with James Ellsworth suspended above the ring in a shark tank. Someone didn't think to search Ellsworth as he keeps interfering in the match. Then he manages to escape but gets caught and ends up hanging upside down. Asuka decides to forget about Carmella and start kicking Ellsworth. Carmella then slams Asuka's head against the cage then hits her shitty finishing move to get the win. This match was a fucking abomination and definitely the worst match of the year so far.
Winner: Carmella (3 for 5)
Our third Championship match is Shinsuke Nakamura challenging Jeff Hardy. When the referee gives his belt to the timekeeper, Nakamura gives Hardy a low blow. Hardy insists that he is ok but when the bell rings, Nakamura hits a Kinshasa to get the win. Afterwards, Randy Orton makes his return and attacks Hardy, turning heel. Ok, what the fuck was that? I understand if Hardy was injured, but he wrestled on the following Smackdown, so what was the point? As for Orton returning, I don't really care.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (4 for 6)
We now get a steel cage match between Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman. Owens tries to escape at every opportunity but Strowman keeps stopping him. Owens gets his best chance when he handcuffs Strowman to the turnbuckle. Unfortunately, it's next to the door so Owens starts to climb the cage. Strowman breaks the handcuffs and climbs after him. Strowman then proceeds to throw Owens off the top of the cage through the announce table. This technically means that Owens wins. Afterwards, Owens is taken away on a stretcher. I quite enjoyed the match but I found it hard to support Strowman in this feud. He's been treating Owens like shit and when Owens goes to Kurt Angle about it, he gets put into a steel cage match. I was also surprised at the ending, as it took place in the same city where Mick Foley got seriously injured when Undertaker threw him off the top of the cell.
Winner: Kevin Owens (4 for 7)
Next is Team Hell No challenging The Bludgeon Brothers for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. Earlier in the night, Harper and Rowan attacked Bryan and Kane backstage. Kane didn't recover in time so Bryan had to take on The Bludgeon Brothers himself. Bryan uses his quickness to Harper and Rowan at bay but it doesn't last long. Harper and Rowan accidentally take each other out and Kane comes out with a leg cast and gets tagged in. Unfortuantely, Harper and Rowan manage to hit a powerbomb/diving clothesline combo on Bryan to get the win. The match wasn't bad but it was hampered by Kane's real life injury. A lot of people were looking forward to seeing the return of Team Hell No but, depending on Glen Jacobs' bod for Mayor of Knox County, there's a chance that we will never get to see it.
Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers (4 for 8)
We now get Roman Reigns taking on Bobby Lashley. Yay...? Anyway, Reigns acts a little more aggressively during the match and is quite dominant in the early going. Lashley stops getting hit
by some steel steps and hits a clothesline to start a comeback. Both guys have a chance to win it but in the end, Reigns goes for a spear but Lashley hits a spear of his own to get the win. The match was actually pretty decent with a couple of nice spots. I just found it hard to get into am match where I have very little interest in the guys involved.
Winner: Bobby Lashley (5 for 9)
Next is Nia Jax, with Natalya, challenging Alexa Bliss, with Mickie James, in an Extreme Rules match for the RAW Women's Championship. An added factor is Ronda Rousey. She had been banned from RAW but she got a ticket to watch the show because...loophole? Mickie gives Alexa a fuck ton of weapons but Nia just grabs them and chucks them into the ring. After Nia press slams Alexa ontop a trash can, Alexa uses a trash can lid to get the advantage. When Mickie and Alexa start attacking Natalya, Ronda gets involved. After Mickie takes out Ronda with a kendo stick, Alexa goes on to hit Nia with a DDT on to a steel chair to get the win. Ignoring the fact that, due to the stipulations, Ronda could have got involved at any time, it was a fun match.
Winner: Alexa Bliss (6 for 10)
The penultimate match is for the WWE Championship as Rusev challenges AJ Styles on Rusev Day. Rusev uses power moves before focusing on the lower back. However, Styles injures Rusev's left leg, slowing him down. The match goes back and forth with both guys going for submission moves. Rusev tries to put on the Accolade but is unable to due his leg. Aiden English exposes a turnbuckle but Rusev accidentally runs into it and Styles hits a springboard 450 followed by a Phenomenal Forearm to get the win. This was a really good match and hopefully, Rusev gets another Championship opportunity in the near future.
Winner: AJ Styles (7 for 11)
The main event is a 30-minute Iron Man match for the Intercontinental Championship as Seth Rollins challenges Dolph Ziggler. Rollins takes the lead after 4 minutes with a buckle bomb followed by a inside cradle. Rollins hits a Curb Stomp to make it 2-0. Drew McIntyre then interferes and beats the fuck out of Rollins, resulting in the referee ejecting him. Even though McIntyre's actions gave Rollins a 3-0 lead, it was negated when Ziggler pins a fucked up Rollins to make 3-1. he then hits a super kick followed soon after by a Zig Zag to tie the macth at 3-3. A minute before the half way point, Ziggler hits a forearm and pins Rollins, using his feet on the ropes for leverage. This gives Ziggler the lead. With 3 minutes to go, Rollins bounces Ziggler's head off the ring post and pins him to tit the match at 4-4. Despite Rollins' best efforts, the match ends at 4-4. Normally, this means Ziggler retains the title. However, Kur Angle comes out and takes the match into overtime. When the bell rings, Rollins gets distracted by a returning McIntyre and Ziggler hits a Zig Zag to get the win. This was a generally good match but I hated the ending. I don't see the point of taking a match into overtime and then it ends 10 seconds later. Also, some of Rollins' logic was questionable, esecially when he stopped Ziggler from leaving. If he left him, Ziggler would have been counted out and Rollins would have won.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler (8 for 12)
I thought that Extreme Rules was an average event. There were some good matches but there were some that were really shit. Hopefully, at Summerslam, we will get more of the good and less of the bad.
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.
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.
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