A Break from the Blog

 Hi everyone

Hope you are well. You might have realised that I have been a few months behind on the PPV reviews. That's because I work in a hospital and with the pandemic, I have been working there a lot more than usual. Plus I got a temporary promotion last autumn so that led to the current situation with the blog.

When I started this blog almost 10 years ago, I was working 2-3 nights a week in Glasgow so I had a lot of free time to do it. Now, with work building up and my slight disillusion with the main WWE product, has led to my decision to take a break from it. I do enjoy watching wrestling, especially Dynamite and NXT; but I sometimes struggle to review the PPVs.

I won't be entirely going away. The podcast that I started several years ago is going well and I'm currently doing a series on the Austin/McMahon rivalry with Adam Wilson from Wrestling Without Context so I'm going to focus on that and catch up on the wrestling.

For those who have been reading my blog, thank you so much for your support. I hope you continue to support me on the podcast and if you have any ideas on what to do in the future. Until then, it's not goodbye; it's a "see you soon"

WWE TLC 2020 Review

The final WWE Pay-Per-View of 2020, TLC, took place on Sunday 20th December at the Thunderdome. The card looks pretty decent so, let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show was a eight man tag team match with the team of Daniel Bryan, Otis, Chad Gable and Big E taking on the team of King Corbin, Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn. Big E hits the Big Ending on Sami Zayn to get his team the win. The match was quite good.

Winners: Daniel Bryan, Otis, Chad Gable and Big E (N/A)

The first match is a TLC Match for the WWE Championship with AJ Styles challenging Drew McIntyre. Highlights of the match include: Styles being sent into a chair set up in the corner; and Styles using a ladder and then a chair to help him apply the calf killer. After McIntyre sends Styles through a table on the outside, The Miz and John Morrison run in to take out McIntyre and cash in Miz's Money in the Bank briefcase, making it a triple threat. When Miz climbs up, Styles' henchman Omos, grabs him and sends him through another table on the outside. Omos then runs off Morrison. The end comes when all 3 of them are on ladders. McIntyre gets taken off the ladder but he recovers to push Styles and Miz off the ladder then kills Miz with a Claymore Kick. McIntyre then climbs up the ladder to grab the belt and get the win.

I thought this was a really good match and I really liked the twist of Miz cashing in to make it a triple threat. I was surprised Miz wasn't successful but it turns out that, due to Morrison handing in the briefcase, it technically didn't count; so I guess that's ok.

Winner; Drew McIntyre (1 for 1)

The next match is for the Smackdown Women's Championship as Carmella challenges Sasha Banks. After a few pinning attempts, both women try to get the other to submit. Sasha applies the Banks Statement but Carmella's sommelier Reginald pulled her out of the ring. In the end, Sasha goes on to again apply the Banks Statement, getting Carmella to submit and get the win. I thought this was a good match to watch.

Winner: Sasha Banks (1 for 2)

We now get the RAW Tag Team Championship match as The Hurt Business challenges The New Day. The New Day almost win it in the first couple of minutes, but Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander recover and focus their attacks on Xavier Woods. Woods manages to tag in Kofi Kingston; however, Alexander hits Kingston with the Lumber Check to get the win. This was another good match and, even though I predicted the opposite, I'm happy that Benjamin and Alexander got the win.

Winners: The Hurt Business (1 for 3)

The next match is for the Women's Tag Team Championship as Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler face the challenge of Asuka and...Charlotte Flair. Jax and Baszler focus their attack on Asuka's right arm. Asuka recovers to get the hot tag to Flair, who goes on hit Natural Selection on Baszler to get the win. This was a good match but I feel like they ccould have gone a bit longer.

Winners: Asuka and Charlotte Flair (1 for 4)

The penultimate match is a TLC Match for the Universal Champion as Kevin Owens challenges Roman Reigns. Owens surprises Reigns by attacking him while the belt was being hung up. Jey Uso comes in to help but that turned out to be a bad idea as Owens destroys him. Eventually, Reigns recovers and hits Owens with a drive-by to get the advantage. They go on to destroy each other with everything they can get their hands on. Owens comes close but Uso slows him down and, after making Owens pass out from a Guillotine Choke, Reigns manages to climb up and grab the belt to get the win. I thought this was a good match and I liked it being a handicap match for some of it. 

Winner: Roman Reigns (2 for 5)

The main event is a Firefly Inferno Match between "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. Wyatt hits Orton with Sister Abigail then proceeds to set The Thunderdome on fire. Later on, Wyatt tries to use the Mandible Claw to push Orton into the fire but Orton pushes him into the fire instead. They go into the ring and Orton hits Wyatt with the RKO. Orton, despite winning the match a few minutes earlier, decides to confirm it by setting Wyatt on fire in the middle of the ring. So, Orton wins by murder...?

I wasn't a fan of this match. Having the fire effects surrounding the ring looked pretty good but that was it. I just wasn't invested in it.

Winner: Randy Orton 

I have mixed feelings about this event. I thought the vast majority of the matches were good, especially the 2 TLC matches. However, I thought the main event ruined it for me. I thought that would the end of the rivalry between the two. However, I know this feud will continue til Wrestlemania so...yay?

NXT TakeOver: War Games 2020 Review

The final NXT TakeOver of the year, War Games, took place on December 6th in the Capitol Wrestling Centre in Orlando, Florida. There are 5 matches, including 2 War Games matches, so let's take a look.

The first match was the Women's War Games Match between Team Shotzi (Shtozi Blackheart, Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai and Ember Moon) taking on Team Candice (Candice LeRae, Raquel Gonzalez, Dakota Kai and Toni Storm). Dakota Kai and Ember Moon start the match for their team followed by Blackheart, Gonzalez, Ripley, Storm, Shirai and LeRae. Shirai is prevented from going into the cage by Team LeRae with some help from Indi Hartwell and they go on to destroy the rest of Team Shotzi. Shirai eventually manages to dive into the cage and War Games officially begins. In the end, Gonzalez hits an one armed powerbomb on Shirai from the top turnbuckle through a ladder to get the win. I thought this was a really good match and a lot of fun to watch.

Winners: Team LeRae (0 for 1)

The next match is between Timothy Thatcher taking on Tommaso Ciampa. Both guys spent time putting each other in submission holds. In the end, Ciampa traps Thatcher in the ropes and applies a Guillotine Lock. He then follows that with the Willow's Bell to get the win. This was a brutal yet entertaining match between the two.

 Winner: Tommaso Ciampa (1 for 2)

We now get a Strap Match between Cameron Grimes and Dexter Lumis. Grimes insists on using his own strap then beats up Lumis before the bell rings. Lumis fights back and puts on the strap to officially start the match. Lumis then goes on to win by getting Grimes to submit to the Anaconda Vise. I was a bit surprised at the match as I thought it would have a bit of comedy in it. Despite that, I quite enjoyed it.

Winner: Dexter Lumis (1 for 3)

The penultimate match is Leon Ruff defending his North American Championship against Johnny Gargano and Damien Priest in a Triple Threat Match. Holy shit, this match was a lot of fun. You had Ruff being underestimated by his opponents: Gargano thinking he can easily beat Ruff; and Priest wanting Ruff out of the way so that he can beat up Gargano. Eventually, Priest gets pissed off with Ruff and sends him through a barrier with a Razor's Edge. Ruff gets taken to the back and it becomes a one-on-one match. A few minutes later, Ruff returns and beats up on both his opponents becoming close to winning a couple of times. It looks like Priest is about to win it when some men dressed up as Ghostface appear and try to stop Priest. In the end, another Ghostface appears and hits Priest with a lead pipe. Gargano goes on to hit Ruff with the One Final Beat to get the win. It's then revealed that the man who hit Priest with the lead pipe was Austin Theory, who apparently quit a few weeks beforehand. As I stated earlier, I really enjoyed this match. I really wanted Ruff to win as he had been a inadvertent middleman between Priest and Gargano and him winning would have a good underdog moment. Having said that, if Gargano and LeRae want to be the Power Couple of NXT, they have to win titles and this is a good first step.

Winner: Johnny Gargano (1 for 4)

The main event is the Men's War Games Match between The Undisputed Era and Team McAfee (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch) Kyle O'Reilly and Pete Dunne start for their respective teams. They are followed by Oney Lorcan, Bobby Fish, Danny Burch, Roderick Strong, Pat McAfee and Adam Cole (Bay Bay!). When War Games officially beigns, both teams come close, especially when Cole hits a Panama Sunrise on McAfee. In the end, O'Reilly hits a knee off the top rope, slamming a steel chair onto Lorcan's face to get the win. Whilst I would have preferred McAfee taking the pin, I enjoyed the match. I was impressed by McAfee taking some difficult moves such as the Panama Sunrise. I think he would be better being a manager but he has shown that he's not just there to make up the numbers.

Winners: The Undisputed Era (2 for 5)

I really enjoyed War Games. All of the matches were enjoyable and I had a lot of fun.

WWE Survivor Series 2020 Review

 Survivor Series 2020 took place on Sunday November 22nd at the WWE Thunderdome. There are a lot of interesting matches on the card so, let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show was a Battle Royal. The wrestlers involved were: Angel Garza, Apollo Crews, Chad Gable, Cedric Alexander, Dolph Ziggler, Dominik Mysterio, Elias, Humberto Carrillo, Jeff Hardy, John Morrison, Kalisto, The Miz, Murphy, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Robert Roode, Shelton Benjamin and Shinsuke Nakamura. The final four end up being: Jeff Hardy, Dominik Mysterio, Chad Gable and The Miz. Gable eliminates Hardy but he is then eliminated by Dominik. Miz then slides in and eliminates Dominik to get the win. I thought this was a fun match to watch.

Winner: The Miz (N/A)

The first match on the show was the Men's Survivor Series Elimination Match with Team RAW (AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman and Riddle) taking on Team Smackdown (Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Seth Rollins and Otis). Rollins is the first to be eliminated after deciding to martyr himself and get hit by a Brogue Kick by Sheamus. Styles eliminates Owens thanks to a Phenomenal Forearm and Riddle eliminates Corbin with a corkscrew splash. Strowman eliminates Otis thanks to a Running Powerslam. Jey Uso tries to splash Styles but Keith Lee catches him and hits a Spirit Bomb to get a clean sweep and the win. This was quite a decent match between the two teams although I was surprised to see a clean sweep.

Winners: AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman and Riddle (1 for 1)

The next match was between the RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day and the Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits. The New Day spend most of the match focusing on Montez Ford before he manages to get the hot tag to Angelo Dawkins. In the end, Dawkins put Xavier Woods on his shoulders and Ford hits him with a top rope blockbuster to get the win. I thought that match was a bit slow to begin with but it developed into an entertaining contest.

Winners: The Street Profits (1 for 2)

We now get the Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn taking on the United States Champion Bobby Lashley. Sami tries to provoke Lashley's buddies, The Hurt Business, into hitting him (therefore, winning by disqualification) but to no avail. In the end, Lashley gets Zayn to submit to the Hurt Lock to get the win. This was quite a good match.

Winner: Bobby Lashley (1 for 3)

Next is a battle between the RAW Women's Champion Asuka and the Smackdown Women's Champion Sasha Banks. During the match, both women try to get the other to submit. In the end, Sasha manages to roll up Asuka to get the win. I was quite surprised at the ending as Asuka had never lost to Sasha before this match. Having said that, I thought it was a really good match.

Winner: Sasha Banks (1 for 4)

The next match is theWomen's Survivor Series Elimination Match as Team RAW (Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lana, Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce) take on Team Smackdown (Bayley, Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Natalya). The first elimination occurs when Royce takes out Bayley with a Deja Vu. However, she is eliminated a few minutes later by Natalya thanks to a Sharpshooter. Lacey Evans eliminates Natalya after she hits The Woman's Right and Baszler eliminates Riott. Morgan eliminates Evans after hitting a Crucifix Bomb but she gets eliminated after being flattened by a Samoa Drop from Jax. Baszler decides to be an idiot when she gets disqualified for not releasing the Krirfuda Clutch on Belair when she got to the ropes. Jax then grabs Belair and they fight outside the ring. Unfortunately, they both get counted out leaving Lana, who had been treated like shit by her teammates during (and even long before) as the sole survivor. So, Lana effectivley wins by being disrespected...? Erm, ok. As for the match, aside from a few obvious mistakes, I enjoyed it and I liked Lana getting some comeuppance on her teammates, who had no respect for her.

Winner: Lana (1 for 5)

The final match is Universal Champion Roman Reigns taking on WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Reigns is dominant for most of the match before McIntyre gets back into it. The match goes back and forth and McIntyre goes for the Claymore Kick but Reigns counters with a Superman punch. Reigns goes on to send McIntyre through the announce table with a Samoa Drop followed by a Spear through part of the barrier. McIntyre eventually hits a Claymore Kick but it sends Reigns into the referee, who goes out of the ring. Jey Uso, who Reigns had told to fuck off home earlier in the night, comes in and helps Reigns with a superkick to McIntyre. Reigns then applies a Gillotine Choke and a second referee comes in to call for the bell when McIntyre passes out. This was a really good main event and, whilst I picked McIntyre to win, Reigns winning was the best call to make.

Winner: Roman Reigns (1 for 6)

The event ends with the retirement ceremony of The Undertaker, who debuted 30 years ago at Survivor Series 1990. The Undertaker is an icon of the industry, who is highly respected. My first match that I saw of his was when he took on Jake "The Snake" Roberts at Wrestlemania VIII. Whilst I'm not been a big fan of him, I've always enjoyed his work, especially some of his Wrestlemania matches. He will be greatly missed and I hope he continues to find some way to stay involved in WWE. As for the ceremony itself, it was good although Kane being in his custome in the middle of other wrestlers wearing normal clothes was a bit weird. 

I actually really enjoyed Survivor Series. The last few events I've enjoyed but I felt like they were nowhere near as good as the NXT TakeOvers. This is the first time in a while that I felt that WWE had put on a really good event. I'm probably wrong but I hope the next one is just as good.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 Preview

Elimination Chamber 2021 will be taking place in the Thunderdome this evening. There are only 5 matches on the card so let's take a look.

Jey Uso vs Kevin Owens vs King Corbin vs Sami Zayn vs Cesaro vs Daniel Bryan

Elimination Chamber Match

The winner of this match will get to face Roman Reigns later in the night. I'm might be in the minority but I'm going for Bryan to win.

Predicted Winner: Daniel Bryan

Bobby Lashley vs Keith Lee vs Riddle

Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship

I have a sneaking suspicion that Keith Lee might win this.

Predicted Winner: Keith Lee

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

This should be a good match and I'm going for Jax and Baszler to retain.

Predicted Winners: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler

Drew McIntyre vs AJ Styles vs Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton vs Sheamus vs Kofi Kingston

Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship

A tough one to call but I think that McIntyre will find a way to win.

Predicted Winner: Drew McIntyre

Roman Reigns vs Winner of Smackdown Elimination Chamber Match

Universal Championship

Yeah, Reigns win this.

Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

It will be a while before I get to see this. I hope you all enjoy the show.

NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day Preview

 NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day will be taking place at the Capitol Wrestling Center. There are 5 matches on the card so, let's take a look.

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez vs Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart

Women's Dusty Rhodes Classic Final

I'm quite looking forward to this one and I think that Ember and Shotzi will win.

Predicted Winners: Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart

MSK vs Grizzled Young Veterans

Men's Dusty Rhodes Classic Final

I really like the team of James Drake and Zack Gibson. However, I feel that MSK are being groomed to be the next NXT Tag Team Champions. Therefore, I'm picking them to win.

Predicted Winners: MSK

Io Shirai vs Toni Storm vs Mercedes Martinez

Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women's Championship

This has the chance to be a really good  match. I feel that it's time for a chance and I'm going for Toni Storm to win this.

Predicted Winner: Toni Storm

Johnny Gargano vs Kushida

NXT North American Championship

I think that Gargano will retain.

Predicted Winner: Johnny Gargano

Finn Balor vs Pete Dunne

NXT Championship

I really want Dunne to win. However, I feel it's more likely that Balor will retain.

Predicted Winner: Finn Balor

I'm slowly making my way through the backlog of shows I need to review. I hope you all enjoy the show.

WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 Review

 WWE Hell in a Cell took place on Sunday 25th October at the WWE Thunderdome in Orlando, Florida. There are 7 matches on the card, including 3 Hell in a Cell matches; so, let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off Show was R-Truth defended his 24/7 Championship against Drew Gulak (if you care about that). After Gulak fucks with R-Truth regarding Little Jimmy (which is still a thing after what, 8 years?), R-Truth manages to roll up Gulak to get the win. I struggled to get into this match but thankfully, it only lasted a few minutes.

Winner: R-Truth (N/A)

The first match on the show is Jey Uso challenging Roman Reigns to a I Quit Hell in a Cell Match. Jey gets the upper hand for a little bit but Reigns manages to hit a Spear to get back the advantage. After a while, Jey is practically unconscious but he doesn't quit. This resorts in Reigns using more brutal methods to force the words out of him. After hitting Jey with the steel steps, the referee decides to end the match. However, Reigns stops him from doing so and throws him out of the ring. Various officials and referees come into the cell to try and stop him but it takes Jimmy Uso running in to stop Reigns from hitting Hey with the steel steps. Reigns then puts Jimmy in a Guillotine Choke. Jey eventually recovers and says "I Quit" to save his brother from further injury. 

This was an interesting match to watch. The chance to a slow pace at the end was a surprise but it was used effectively to show Reigns being initially remorseful in his actions only to take advantage of the Uso's love for him and each other to get the win. I was worried for a minute that it might be used to start a face turn for Reigns. Thankfully, it was used instead to cement Reigns as the number 1 heel on Smackdown. 

Winner: Roman Reigns (1 for 1)

The next match is Jeff Hardy taking on Elias. After a short back and forth affair, Elias goes to the outside and grabs his guitar. However, Hardy grabs it off him and hits him with it, getting disqualified in the process. The match was ok but I thought that the ending didn't quite make sense.

Winner: Elias (2 for 2)

The next match is for possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase as Otis takes on Hollywood Miz. Miz struggles with Otis before he gets some help from John Morrison to get the advantage. Despite a brief comeback by Otis, helped by referee Jessika Carr sending John Morrison to the back; Miz gets some unexpected help when Tucker hits Otis with the briefcase. Miz then pins Otis to get the win. This was quite a fun match and I was quite surprised when Tucker betrayed Otis. I'm a big fan of The Miz so I'm looking forward to him cashing in and becoming a World Champion once again. 

Winner: The Miz (3 for 3)

We now get our second Hell in a Cell match as Sasha Banks challenges Bayley for the Smackdown Women's Championship. Sasha doesn't fuck around and gets rid of the steel chair that Bayley has been using to injure people while the cell is being lowered. During the match, they use 

tables, kendo sticks, a fire extinguisher  and steel chairs against each other. In the end, Sasha applies the Bank Statement while Bayley's head is through a chair to get the win by submission. I thought this was a really enjoyable match between them and I can't wait to see how Sasha's reign goes.

Winner: Sasha Banks (4 for 4)

Next is Bobby Lashley taking on Shane Throne Slapjack in an impromptu United States Championship match. After a few minutes, Lashley gets Slapjack to submit to the Hurt Lock to get the win. The rest of Retribution come in to attack Lashley but The Hurt Business arrive to make the save. The match was ok and this is the first time that I've seen any members of Retribution wrestle. I can see why they have received a huge amount of negative criticism. Nothing against the people involved but this could have been an opportunity to do another version of Nexus. Instead, we get whatever this is. I feel that WWE never gave them a chance and they need to retool it or disband the group.

Winner: Bobby Lashley (N/A)

The main event is our third Hell in a Cell match as Randy Orton challenges Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. Orton, I assume inspired by the Hitman games, tries to attack McIntyre during his entrance while disguised as a member of the crew. However, McIntyre is ready for him and they attack on the outside of the cell before McIntyre throws him inside and the match starts. McIntyre goes for the Claymore early on but Orton stops that by using a steel chair. The match goes back and forth before Orton uses bolt cutters to leave the cell and is followed by McIntyre. They then decide to fight at the top of the cell, which turns out to be a bad idea as Orton sends McIntyre from the side of the cell through the announce table. McIntyre somehow recovers and hits a Claymore. However, it was not enough as Orton avoids a second Claymore and hits a RKO to get the win. I thought the match was pretty good but, spoiler alert, McIntyre wins it back a few weeks later. Therefore, I didn't see the point of giving Orton the belt only for him to lose it before Survivor Series.

Winner: Randy Orton (4 for 5)

I quite liked Hell in a Cell. I don't find them as enjoyable as the NXT TakeOvers but they seem to be doing pretty well recently. Let's see how it goes.

 

WWE Royal Rumble 2021 Preview

 

WWE Royal Rumble 2021 will be taking this Sunday at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. There are 6 matches on the card, including 2 Royal Rumble Matches so let's take a look.

Asuka and Charlotte Flair vs Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

This should be an entertaining contest. A tough one to call but I'm going for Asuka and Flair to retain.

Predicted Winners: Asuka and Charlotte Flair

Sasha Banks vs Carmella

Smackdown Women's Championship

I think that Sasha will win here.

Predicted Winner: Sasha Banks

Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens

Last Man Standing Match for the Universal Championship

I'm quite looking forward to this one. Owens will put up a good fight but I think that Reigns will retain.

Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

Drew McIntyre vs Goldberg

WWE Championship

I really want McIntyre to win but it's more likely that WWE will book Goldberg to win.

Predicted Winner: Goldberg

Women's Royal Rumble Match

I might be thinking out of the box here but I think that Alexa Bliss will win.

Predicted Winner: Alexa Bliss

Men's Royal Rumble Match

A lot of people think that Bryan will win and I tend to agree with them. He is probably his last run as a full-time superstar and I feel that he will go into a feud with Reigns.

Predicted Winner: Daniel Bryan

Due to being (technically) a key worker, it might be a while before I review it. Having said that, I hope you all enjoy the show.

NXT TakeOver 31 Review

 NXT TakeOver 31 took place on the 4th October at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. There are 5 matches on the card, including a surprising main event; so let's take a look.

The first match was for the North American Championship as Johnny Gargano challenges Damien Priest. After some back and forth, Gargano takes advantage of Priest accidentally taking out a couple of security guards to hit a low blow followed by a kick to the head. In the end, Gargano goes for the One Final Beat however, Priest is able to stop it and hit The Reckoning to get the win. This is an enjoyable match between the two.

Winner: Damien Priest (1 for 1)

The next match is Kushida taking on The Velveteen Dream. Kushida doesn't fuck aorund and attacks Dream during his entrance. When the referee gets control and rings the bell, Kushida continues his assault and focuses on the arms. After a brutal affair, Dream hits the Dream Valley Driver. However, Kushida grabs hold of the arm during the move and gets Dream to submit to the Hoverboard Lock to get the win. After the match, Kushida celebrates by continuing to attack Dream. This was a good match and it looks Kushida is about to go on a heel run, which I'm interested to see.

Winner: Kushida (1 for 2)

We now get Isaiah "Swerve" Scott challenging Santos Escobar for the NXT Interim(?) Cruiserweight Championship. Scott comes close to winning a couple of times before Escobar has to get help from his lackeys Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza. Scott gets some backup from Ashante Adonis but Escobar recovers and comes close to winning after hittting the Phantom Driver. In the end, Escobar gets the win after hitting a double underhook into a face buster. This match was really good although I thought the ending was a bit underwhelming. There was a great sequence that led to the Phantom Driver earlier in the match and I feel that that would have been a better way to end it.

Winner: Santos Escobar (2 for 3)

The penultimate match is for the NXT Women's Championship as Candice LeRae challenges Io Shirai.  Both women come close to winning before LeRae puts  Shirai in a cross face. When LeRae is forced to release the hold, she accidentally elbows the referee then makes it worse when she sends Shirai into him, sending him out of the ring. LeRae hits the Wicked Step Sister and her husband Johnny Gargano runs in with a referee shirt to do the count. Despite her husband helping and hitting Shirai with the Championship belt, it was not enough as Shirai hits a Spanish fly followed by an Asai Moonsault to get the win. This is a really good match between the two and I hope we get a rematch. I'm slightly gutted that LeRae didn't win but I feel she will be the Champion in the future.

Winner: Io Shirai (2 for 4)

The main event is for the NXT Championship as Kyle O'Reilly challenges Finn Balor. Balor and O'Reilly go toe-to-toe for the vast majority of the match, before Balor comes close after hitting a 1916 DDT. O'Reilly tries to get Balor to submit. However, in the end, Balor hits the Coup de Grace to get the win. This was a really enjoyable match and I was impressed by both guys. Afterwards, Ridge Holland desposits a beat up Adam Cole at ringside. A feud between Cole and Holland would be interesting to see. 

Winner: Finn Balor (3 for 5)

TakeOver 31 was a good show to watch. NXT most of the time hit the nail on the head and this is another example of that. I'm looking forward to seeing Ember Moon make her comeback and whether they will keep making Kyle O'Reilly a main eventer or treat it as an one off. Based on his match with Balor, I'm hoping for the former.

WWE TLC 2020 Preview

 

The final WWE Pay-Per-View of the year, TLC, will be taking place this evening at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida. At the time of writing, there are only 6 matches on the card so, let's take a look.

The New Day vs The Hurt Business

RAW Tag Team Championship

This could be a good match and I think that The New Day will retain.

Predicted Winners: The New Day

Sasha Banks vs Carmella

Smackdown Women's Championship

I might be in the minority here but I'm going for Carmella to get the win.

Predicted Winner: Carmella

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs Asuka and TBD

Women's Tag Team Championship

I feel that Jax and Baszler will retain.

Predicted Winners: Nia Jax ans Shayna Baszler

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton

Firefly Inferno Match

Yeah...I'm not looking forward to this based on their last rivalry a few years ago. I'm going for Wyatt to win just because.

Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt

Drew McIntyre vs AJ Styles

TLC Match for the WWE Championship

I'm quite looking forward to this one and I think that McIntyre will retain.

Predicted Winner: Drew McIntyre

Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens

TLC Match for the Universal Championship

Whilst I like Owens, I can see Reigns being Champion til Wrestlemania. Therefore, I'm going for him to retain.

Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

I'm going to try and watch this over the next month. I hope you all enjoy the show.