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.

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 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.

NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 Preview

 NXT TakeOver: WarGames will be taking place this evening at the WWE Performance Center. There are 5 matches on the card, including 2 WarGames matches; so let's look at the card.

Timothy Thatcher vs Tommaso Ciampa

This will be a brutal affair and I feel that Ciampa will get the win here.

Predicted Winner: Tommaso Ciampa

Dexter Lumis vs Cameron Grimes

Strap Match

This should be fun to watch. A tough call but I'm going for Grimes to find a way to win.

Predicted Winner: Cameron Grimes

Leon Ruff vs Johnny Gargano vs Damien Priest

Triple Threat Match for the North American Championship

Another tough one to call but I'm going for Ruff to retain.

Predicted Winner: Leon Ruff

Team Shtozi (Shotzi Blackheart, Ember Moon, Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley) vs Team Candice (Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez and Toni Storm)

WarGames Match

I'm quite looking forward to this one and I feel that Team Shotzi will get the win.

Predicted Winners: Team Shotzi

The Undisputed Era vs Pat McAfee, Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch and Pete Dunne

WarGames Match

The Undisputed Era's tradition of having a WarGames match continues and this should be fun to watch. I'm really torn on this one as I can see both teams winning. I'm going for The Undisputed Era to get the win.

Predicted Winners: The Undisputed Era

I'm still massively behind on the shows; hopefully I get to watch over the next month. I hope you all enjoy the show.

NXT TakeOver 31 Preview

 

NXT TakeOver 31 will be taking place this evening at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. There are only 5 matches on the card, so let's take a look.

Kushida vs Velveteen Dream

This should be an entertaining match and I'm going for Dream to win.

Predicted Winner: Velveteen Dream

Santos Escobar vs Isaiah "Swerve" Scott

NXT Cruiserweight Championship

I would love Scott to win. However, I feel that that Escobar will retain.

Predicted Winner: Santos Escobar

Damien Priest vs Johnny Gargano

NXT North American Championship

Priest should retain here.

Predicted Winner: Damien Priest

Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae

NXT Women's Championship

A tough one to call but I'm going for LeRae to win here.

Predicted Winner: Candice LeRae

Finn Balor vs Kyle O'Reilly(??)

NXT Championship

Nothing against O'Reilly but I never saw him being a challenger to the NXT Championship. I can see this being a good match and I think that Balor will retain.

Predicted Winner: Finn Balor

It will be a few weeks before I get to see it so I hope you enjoy the show.

NXT TakeOver XXX Review

 NXT TakeOver XXX took place on Sunday 22nd August at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. I'm trying a new way of reviewing these shows, which will be how the match ends and general thoughts about it. I appreciate any feedback about this new format.

Anyway, we had a match on the Kick Off Show, which was a triple threat tag team match between Breezango, Legado del Fantasma and Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Breeze gets the win after hitting Lorcan with a super kick. I was surprised that Breezango won.  Legado del Fantasma have been on fire over the last few weeks and I thought this would be the next step up. Having said that, it makes sense that Breezango would get the win here. 

Winners: Breezango (0 for 1)

The first match was Finn Balor taking on Timothy Thatcher. This was match in which you saw Balor use his high flying offence but struggle to deal with Thatcher's style of putting you in holds that hurt you. Despite Thatcher almost getting Balor to submit a few times with a single leg Boston Crab, Balor managed to overcome his injured ankle to hit a 1916 DDT and get the win. it would have been nice to see Thatcher get the win but Balor getting the win was the right call. The match was probably not as exciting as previous Balor matches have been in NXT but this was still an entertaining contest.

Winner: Finn Balor (1 for 2)

Now, a match I was really looking forward to seeing: Johnny Gargano, Damian Priest, Bronson Reed, Velveteen Dream and Cameron Grimes facing each other in a ladder match for the vacant North American Championship. Gargano gets some help from his wife, Candice LeRae, but she gets taken out when Reed, with her on his back, splashes Gargano from the ladder. At the end of match that had some insane spots, Gargano and Priest fight it out on top of a ladder. Gargano is pushed off and Priest grabs the belt to get the win. This match was really entertaining. Having said that, I felt like it had too many false finishes. As for Priest, I think he'll do a good job being North American Champion.

Winner: Damian Priest (1 for 3)

The next match is Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) taking on Pat McAfee. Despite McAfee putting up more of a fight than I thought he should have, Cole gets the win with a Panama Sunrise. I had mixed feelings about this match. I thought it was a bit weird that the biggest heel in NXT for at least 3 years was now a face against a celebrity. However, McAfee does portray himself as an arrogant jerk so it made sense. While I was quite impressed with McAfee's wrestling ability, it doesn't mean that we should have more celebrities wrestling in NXT. Save that for the main roster.

Winner: Adam Cole (1 for 4)

The penultimate match is for the NXT Women's Championship as Dakota Kai challenges Io Shirai. Kai gets some help from Raquel Gonzalez during the match, especially when the referee is briefly taken out. However, it is not enough as Shirai hits a Moonsault to get the win and retain the title. Afterwards, Gonzalez doesn't take the loss well and attacks Shirai but Rhea Ripley comes in to make the save. This was an entertaining match between the two and it looks like Shirai's next challenge will be Ripley, which should be fun to watch.

Winner: Io Shirai (2 for 5)

The main event is for the NXT Championship as Karrion Kross challenges Keith Lee. Kross focuses on Lee's right arm and despite a great fightback by Lee, Kross manages to get the win with a Doomsday Saito from the 2nd rope. The match was pretty good. However, I strongly disagree with Kross getting the win. Keith Lee becoming the NXT Champion was a great story, especially as he was also the North American Champion. Relinquishing the North American Championship made sense but it led to Lee having the shortest NXT reign in history and that is nonsensical to me. The thing is NXT have done this before with Sami Zayn and Johnny Gargano. Both guys became Champion as part of a great feel good story then go on to lose it on their first TakeOver defence. I get that they wanted to put Lee on the main roster. However, due to the pandemic, they're not going anywhere so they could have done what they did with Kevin Owens and have him feature on the main shows while still being NXT Champion. Then, to make things worse, Kross suffered a separated shoulder during the match, leading him to vacate the Championship the following Wednesday. So, not good all round.

Winner: Karrion Kross (2 for 6)

With the exception of Kross winning the main event, I enjoyed TakeOver XXX. All of the matches were pretty good and I'm interested in seeing how NXT goes moving forward.

NXT TakeOver: XXX Preview

 NXT TakeOver: XXX will be taking place this evening at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. The card looks pretty good so, let's take a look.

Breezango vs The Brit-Am Brawlers vs Ledago del Fantasma

Triple Threat Tag Team Match to Determine the No. 1 Contender to the NXT Tag Team Championship

This should be a fun match to watch. I'm going for Ledago del Fantasma to win here.

Predicted Winners: Ledago del Fantasma

Finn Balor vs Timothy Thatcher

A tough one to call but I'm going for Balor to win here.

Predicted Winner: Finn Balor

Adam Cole (Bay Bay!)  vs Pat McAfee

I'm slightly disappointed that we have a match like this in NXT. Cole should beat the fuck out of him but  I can see McAfee finding a way to win this.

Predicted Winner: Pat McAfee

Dakota Kai vs Io Shirai

NXT Women's Championship

I'm quite looking forward to this one and I'm going for Shirai to retain.

Predicted Winner: Io Shirai

Cameron Grimes vs Johnny Gargano vs Velveteen Dream vs Bronson Reed vs Damien Priest

Ladder Match for the vacant North American Championship

This could go in a lot of different ways so I'm interested to see what WWE will do here. I'm going for Gargano to win here.

Predicted Winner: Johnny Gargano

Karrion Kross vs Keith Lee

NXT Championship

Lee has vacated the North American Championship so I think it will insane for him to lose the Championship in his first TakeOver defence. I'm going for Lee to retain,

Predicted Winner: Keith Lee

I'm a few weeks behind on NXT so I won't get to watch this for a few days. I hope you all enjoy the show.

 

NXT TakeOver: In Your House Review

NXT TakeOver: In Your House took place on Sunday 7th July in the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. I'm looking forward to this one as the card looks pretty good so, let's take a look.

After an opening musical performance by Code Orange, we get our first match; which is the team of Shotzi Blackheart, Mia Yim and Tegan Nox taking on Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. The match is a good back and forth affair before Kai distracts the referee, giving Gonzalez the chance to clothesline Blackheart and give her team the advantage. Blackheart manages to get the hot tag to Yim. Later on, Yim and LeRae brawl to the back and Nox hits The Shinest Wizard on kai to get her team the win. This was a fun match to watch.
Winners: Shotzi Blackheart, Mia Yim and Tegan Nox (0 for 1)

The next match is Finn Balor taking on Damien Priest. Balor hits Priest with a running dropkick before the bell and when the bell rings, Balor continues his assault. Priest sends Balor into the steel steps to get the advantage. Balor gets back into the match and hits Priest with a forearm, sending him onto the steel steps. Balor then hits 2 Coup de Graces to get the win. This was quite a good match.
Winner: Finn Balor (1 for 2)

We now get  Johnny Gargano challenging Keith Lee  for the NXT North American Championship. After a few minutes, Gargano tries to leave via the door on the entrance way. The match goes back into the ring and Gargano focuses on the hand that he injured earlier in the week. Lee does get back into it but he's hampered by the injured hand. Garagno and Lee go out of the ring and Gargano has to break the count to stop Lee getting counted out. That turned out to be a bad idea as Lee bodychecks Gargano through the plexiglass into the crowd. Candice LeRae tries to interfere but she's stopped by Mia Yim. In the end, Lee hits 2 spirit bombs followed by a Big Bang Catastrophe to get the win. I thought this was a really good match.
Winner: Keith Lee (2 for 3)

The next match is a Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship as The Velveteen Dream challenges Adam Cole (Bay Bay!). Highlights of the match include: Cole trying to leave a few minutes into the match and Dream stopping him with a baseball bat; an Uber randomly arriving(?);  Cole sent flying into a car windshield; Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish interfering; Dexter Lumis coming out from under the ring and putting Strong and Fish into the boot of his car and driving away; and Dream hitting a Purple Rainmaker. In the end, Dream gets caught monologuing and Cole low blows him. Cole then hits a Panama Sunrise onto a pile of chairs to get the win. The match was ok but the constant camera cuts and the random bit with the Uber did take me out of it a little bit.
Winner: Adam Cole (3 for 4)

The penultimate match is Karrion Kross taking on Tomasso Ciampa. Ciampa gets in some offense for a few minutes before Kross slams him onto the ring apron. Kross goes on to hit an array of suplexes keeping Ciampa down. Ciampa does make a comeback but Kross made him pass out due to the Kross Jacket, giving him the win. I was surprised that Ciampa got in as much offense as he did but otherwise, it was the kind of match that I expected.
Winner: Karrion Kross (4 for 5)

 For the first time in almost 5 years, the NXT Women's Championship will be in the main event as Charlotte Flair faces Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match. Highlights of the match include: Charlotte doing Flair chops on both Ripley and Shirai; Charlotte putting Shirai in a Boston crab; Shirai putting Charlotte in a cross face; and Ripley stopping Charlotte putting Shirai in the Figure 8. The match goes to the entrance way and Shirai takes out Charlotte and Ripley with a crossbody off the top of the set. The match goes back in the ring and Ripley hits Charlotte with a Riptide from the top rope then puts Shirai in the Prism Trap. Charlotte remembers that it's no disqualification so beats the fuck out of her opponents with a kendo stick. Charlotte puts Ripley in the Figure 8 but Shirai hits Ripley with an Asai Moonsault then pins her to get the win.

The match was really good and I was quite surprised that Io won. As for Charlotte Flair, I feel like her reign was a wasted opportunity. She only defended her title twice beforehand and she got herself disqualified in one of them. I was looking forward to see face other wrestlers such as Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae; but based on the fact that she challenged Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship the following night, I guess that's not happening.
Winner: Io Shirai (4 for 6)

TakeOver was pretty good but it was let down by the NXT Championship. With the pandemic happening, WWE have been doing a few cinematic style matches. For some reason, the 2 worst ones have been on NXT. Hopefully, they will do less of them in the future.

NXT TakeOver: In Your House Preview

NXT TakeOver: In Your House will be taking place tomorrow evening at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The TakeOvers are generally pretty good but this will be the first one during the pandemic, so I'm interested to see how it will go. Let's take a look at the card.

Finn Balor vs Damien Priest
I feel that Balor winning is the only logical choice here.
Predicted Winner: Finn Balor

Mia Yim, Shozti Blackheart and Tegan Nox vs Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez
I've not seen every TakeOver but I think this is the first time that we have a women's tag match. A tough one to call but I think that the team of Kai, LeRae and Gonzalez will win.
Predicted Winners: Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez

Keith Lee vs Johnny Gargano
North American Championship
This match is really tough to call. I can see Candice LeRae and Mia Yim getting involved at some point but I think that Lee will retain.
Predicted Winner: Keith Lee

Tommaso Ciampa vs Karrion Kross
I'm a big fan of Ciampa but Kross wins this, no question.
Predicted Winner: Karrion Kross

Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley vs Io Shirai
Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women's Championship
I really want Ripley or Shirai to win but it's more likely that Charlotte will win and be Champion til the end of time. Yay...
Predicted Winner: Charlotte Flair

Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) vs Velveteen Dream
Last Chance Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship
I feel that Dream;s gimmick is suffering due to the lack of crowd. I feel that if they are going to give him the belt, it will be when the crowds are back. I'm going for Cole to retain.
Predicted Winner: Adam Cole

Due to the TV deal in the UK, I don't get to see NXT until a week after it aired. Therefore, it will be at least a week until I'll watch and review the TakeOver. Until then, I hope you all enjoy the show.

Wrestlemania 36 Part 2 Review

The second night of Wrestlemania took place on Sunday 5th April at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The first night wasn't too bad so let's see how the second night goes.

The Kick Off Show featured Natalya taking on Liv Morgan. Natalya uses her experience to get the advantage. However, after a few minutes, Morgan manages to get the win. The match wasn't great.
Winner: Liv Morgan

The first match of the night is one that I was really looking forward to seeing: Charlotte Flair challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship. Charlotte taunts Ripley early on but Ripley hits the Riptide to get a 2 count. This gives her the chance to get the advantage. However, Charlotte injures the left knee and focuses her offence on it. Ripley gets back into it and almost gets Charlotte to submit with a standing cloverleaf. However, in the end, Charlotte gets Ripley to submit to the Figure 8 and become the new NXT Women's Champion, This was a really good match and I'm interested to see how they handle Charlotte on NXT. As for Ripley, she has been awesome over the last year and I'm confident that she'll bounce back.
Winner: Rhea Ripley

The next match is Aleister Black taking on Bobby Lashley. Lashley avoids a moonsault and hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex to get the advantage. Lashley hits power moves to keep Black down. On Lana's recommendation, Lashley goes for a pear. However, that turns out to be a bad idea as he runs into a Black Mask, which gives Black the win. The match was pretty good and it looks like it's set the foundations for the break up of Lana and Lashley.
Winner: Aleister Black

We now get Otis taking on Dolph Ziggler. Otis uses his weight against Ziggler but Ziggler's quickness quickly gets him the advantage. Otis catapults Ziggler into the turnbuckle and this gives him the opportunity to make a comeback. Otis goes for the caterpillar but Sonya Deville distracts the referee and Ziggler hits a low blow. This prompts Mandy Rose to come out and bitch slap Deville and roll her into the ring. When the referee tries to get Deville out, Rose hits Ziggler with a low blow. Otis then hits the caterpillar and gets the win and the girl. The match wasn't a masterpiece but it was fun to watch.
Winner: Otis

Next is Edge's first singles match in 9 years as he takes on Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. Orton disguised himself as a cameraman and he surprises Edge with a RKO. When Edge recovers and the bell rings, Orton hits another RKO and he goes on to dominate the early going. The match goes all over the Performance Center and ends up on top of a trailer. Orton goes for the one man con-chairto but Edge puts Orton him in a choke hold then hits him with the con-chairto to get the win. Except for the beginning and the end, I found this to be a disappointment. The match is the 2nd longest match in Wrestlemania history and it was far too long. This match had a really good build and I feel like the match didn't live up to it.
Winner: Edge

After Ron Gronkowski pins Mojo Rawley to become the 24/7 Champion, we get the RAW Tag Team Championship as AOP Andrade Austin Theory(?) and Angel Garza challenge The Street Profits. After Theory throws Angelo Dawkins out of the ring, Graza super kicks him while the referee is distracted to give his team the advantage. Dawkins avoids a clothesline by Garza to get the hot tag to Montez Ford. In the end, Theory hits a TKO on Dawkins but Ford breaks up the pin by hitting a frog splash. Dawkins then pins Theory to get the win. Garza, Theory and Zelina Vega don't take the loss well and beat up The Street Profits. This prompts Bianca Belair to come out and make the save.This was a fun match to watch.
Winners: The Street Profits

The next match is a Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match for the Smackdown Women's Championship as Lacey Evans, Naomi, Sasha Banks and Tamina challenge Bayley. The first woman to be eliminayed is Tamina as they all team up to pin her. Banks gets Naomi to submit to the Banks Statement but she gets eliminated thanks to a Women's Right by Evans. In the end, Banks returns and hits Evans with the back stabber. Bayley follows that up with the Rose Plant to get the win. The match was pretty decent.
Winner: Bayley

The penultimate is a Firefly House Match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt. The basic story of the match is Wyatt referencing parts of his and Cena's wrestling history such as his debut against Kurt Angle and Cena being the Doctor of Thuganomics, and Wyatt's gimmick when he debuted on the main roster. We then get a NwO reference as Cena then attacks Wyatt. Wyatt turns into a puppet and The Fiend then hits Sister Abigail and technically pins Cena to get the win...? This was batshit insane and it was fun to watch in a way. It was also quite thought provoking if you really look at it and probablyt the most unique thing that WWE have ever done. I think that this would have been a disaster if Cena wasn't involved. I don't think where both guys go on from here but I'm interested to see what happens.
Winner: Bray Wyatt

The main event is Drew McIntyre challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick almost immediately to get a 2 count. Lesnar goes to hit 3 German suplexes and a F-5 but McIntyre kicks out at 1. Lesnar hits 2 more F-5s but McIntyre kicks out each time. McIntyre goes on to hit 3 Claymore Kicks to get the win. This match wasn't great as it was just finishers and suplexes and it had the same format as the Strowman/Goldberg match from the night before. Having said that, McIntyre is the first Scotsman to become the WWE Champion and, as a fellow Scotsman, I'm really happy for him.
Winner: Drew McIntyre

I thought that Wrestlemania was pretty decent over the two nights. The circumstances surrounding the event did lead to some things that you couldn't do with a live crowd. However, there are some great moments in the event that are hurt because of the lack of crowd reaction. That's quite sad. As for the foreseeable future, Florida have issued a stay-at-home order (finally!) yet WWE have taped some shows and are planning to have their Money in the Bank event in May. I'm quite torn that the WWE are still doing some shows but I don't think they should be building to another PPV. Let's see how they will handle it.

NXT TakeOver: Portland Review

NXT TakeOver: Portland took place last Sunday at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The card looks pretty cool so, let's take a look.

After we start with a musical performance by Poppy, we get our first match, which is Dominik Dijakovic challenging Keith Lee for the North American Championship. After a little back and forth, Dijakovic hits a cyclone kick to get a little advantage and comes close a couple of times after hitting a corkscrew moonsault and later on, an avalanche Feast Your Eyes. Lee hits 2 spirit bombs but Dijakovic just kicks out. In the end, Lee hits the Big Bang Catastrophe and gets the win. This match was a lot of fun with both guys hitting some amazing moves.
Winner: Keith Lee (1 for 6)

 The next match is a street fight between Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox. Kai doesn't fuck around and ambushes Nox during her entrance. During the match, they use a cricket bat, a trash can, a steel chair and a table against each other. Nox is about to send Kai through a table when Raquel Gonzalez comes in and sends Nox onto the table. This gives Kai the chance to pin Nox and get the win. I wasn't a fan of the finish. Nothing against Raquel Gonzalez, but she isn't well known so it threw the crowd off slightly. Despite that, it was a pretty good match.
Winner: Dakota Kai (1 for 2)

Now a match that I was really looking forward to seeing: Finn Balor taking on Johnny Gargano. After some back and forth, Gargano spears Balor off the apron taking the fight to the outside but Balor hits a sling blade to get the advantage. Later on, Balor focuses his attack on Gargano's left knee. Balor goes for the Coup de Grace but Gargano avoids it and puts Balor in the Garag-No Escape. The match goes back to the outside and Balor reverse suplexes Gargano onto the Spanish announce table and follows up with a John Woo dropkick, sending Gargano off the announce table into the barrier. Balor then throws him back into the ring and hits the Coup de Grace followed by the 1916 DDT to get the win. This was a great match and I hope they have a rematch in the near future.
Winner: Finn Balor (2 for 3)

The next match is Bianca Belair  challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship. Ripley starts off well with clotheslines and Flair chops before Belair manages to get in some offence of her own. After a while, Belair hair whips Ripley then hits a Gorilla Press Slam. Both ladies go for their finishers before Ripley tries a sunset bomb but Belair prevents it. Ripley manages to use the turnbuckle to help her hit Belair with the Riptide to get the win. Afterwards, Charlotte Flair attacks Ripley and announces that she will face her at Wrestlemania.  I thought this was a good match and I'm really looking forward to seeing Flair vs Ripley at Wrestlemania. Hopefully, they will find some way to include Belair in the match as well.
Winner: Rhea Ripley (3 for 4)

The penultimate match is for the NXT Tag Team Championship as The Broserweights challenge The Undisputed Era.  Matt Riddle leads the crowd in a sing along before Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish get pissed off and attack them on the aisle. When the match starts, Fish and O'Reilly strike Pete Dunne down to get the advantage. Dunne hits Fish with a step up enziguri, giving him the chance to tag in Riddle. Later on, O'Reilly manages to get Riddle in a knee bar but Dunne helps Riddle get out of it. In the end, the Broserweights do a GTS/kick combo to get the win and become the new NXT Tag Team Champions. This was another good match between the two teams and congratulations to Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne on becoming Champions.
Winners: The Broserweights (4 for 5)

The main event is Tommaso Ciampa challenging Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) for the NXT Championship.The match goes in and out of the ring in the early going before Cole does a wheelbarrow suplex, sending Ciampa onto the announce table. Cole goes on to focus on the neck. Later on, Ciampa gets back into it and, after powerbombing Cole through the Spanish announce table, hits the Project Ciampa for 2. After a few near falls by both guys, they start trying to get the other to submit. The Undisputed Era run in to attack Ciampa but it doesn't work. After Ciampa kicks out of another Last Shot, Cole pushes him into the referee. Johnny Gargano then comes in and hits Ciampa with the NXT Championship. The referee conveniently recovers and Cole pins Ciampa to get the win.

I thought the match was really good but I thought the ending was overbooked. We had people kicking out of multiple finishers, interference by The Undisputed Era and Johnny Gargano's heel turn. I just felt it was too much for me. As for Gargano vs Ciampa renewing their rivalry, I'm not too sure about it. The rivalry they had last time was great but I wonder if it's too early to start it up again.
Winner: Adam Cole (5 for 6)

Despite a couple of minor issues, I really enjoyed NXT TakeOver. With the recent developments and the return of The Velveteen Dream, I'm really looking forward to see how the next few weeks of NXT go.

Royal Rumble 2020 Review

The Road to Wrestlemania officially got underway at the 2020 Royal Rumble, which took place on Sunday 26th January at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Let's take a look and see how Wrestlemania will start to form.

The first match on the Kick Off Show is Sheamus taking on Shorty G. Sheamus is easily able to deal with Shorty G's offence at the beginning before he slams him into the ring post to get the advantage. Shorty G goes to make a comeback and comes close after hitting a moonsault. In the end, it wasn't enough as Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick to get the win. I thought it was a pretty decent match.
Winner: Sheamus (1 for 1)

The next is for the United States Championship as Humberto Carrillo challenges Andrade. After a fast paced beginning, Andrade pushes Carrillo off the top turnbuckle to the floor to get the advantage. Carrillo has a brief comeback starting with a cross body but Andrade shuts it down. Andrade goes for the Three Amigos but Carrillo reverses it into a suplex of his own. Carrillo tries for a harracarrana into a pin, but Andrade turns into a pin for himself to get the win. The match was pretty good between the two.
Winner: Andrade (2 for 2)

The first match of the show is a Falls Count Anywhere Match between King Corbin and Roman Reigns. During the match they go all over the place and use various things such as steel steps against each other. Corbin has a great opportunity when he choke slams Reigns through the Spanish announce table. Later on, they go to the international announcer area and go through a couple of tables there. When the match goes into the technical area, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler come out to help out Corbin and The Usos come out to even the odds. The match ends when Reigns spears Corbin on top of the away team dugout to get the win. I thought the match was ok but I feel that it went for too long.
Winner: Roman Reigns (3 for 3)

The second match is the Women's Royal Rumble Match. The first two entrants were Alexa Bliss and Bianca Belair. Highlights of the match include:

• The return of Mighty Molly, Kelly Kelly (why?) and Beth Phoenix
• Lana and Liv Morgan eliminating each other so that shit will continue
• Mandy Rose being saved from elimination by Otis appearing seemingly out of thin air in probably my favourite moment of the match
• Belair eliminating 8 wrestlers and lasting over 33 minutes
• Beth Phoenix getting injured when she bangs the back of her head against the ringpost 
• Naomi, making her return from injury, almost gets eliminated but managing to jump and hang onto the barricade. She then manages to use the top of one of the announce tables to get back to the ring.
• Santina Marella makes his return. What. The. Fuck? Luckily, he doesn't last long and eliminates himself.
• Shayna Baszler coming in at number 30 and also eliminating 8 wrestlers in less than 5 minutes.

The final 4 ends up being Natalya, Beth Phoenix, Charlotte Flair and Shayna Baszler. Phoenix eliminates Natlaya and Baszler eliminates Phoenix. Charlotte goes to eliminate Baszler to get the win.

I thought the Rumble was quite fun and it was nice to see some NXT wrestlers such as Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler get a chance to shine. However, a couple of participants bothered me, especially Santina Marella. He is the personification of the low point of the women's division in WWE, and I'm not happy that, despite the ton of women that they had available, they would go with that. Despite that, it didn't overshadow the match. As for Charlotte, everyone assumed that she would go to face "The Man" Becky Lynch. However, it's looking more like she will challenge NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley instead. Whilst I think it will be a good match, I wonder if it's a step backwards and whether it's another example of doing something with the women that they would never do with the men.

Winner: Charlotte Flair (4 for 4)

We stay in the women's division as the next match is Lacey Evans challenging Bayley for the Smackdown Women's Championship. Bayley tries to cheat at the first opportunity by removing a turnbuckle but the referee stops it. She then fiegns injury to lure Lacey in and hit her with a right hand to get the advantage. Bayley goes on to miss a cross body and this gives Lacey the chance to make a comeback. In the end, Lacey does a springboard moonsault but Bayley gets her knees up and rolls her up to get the win. I didn't think it was a good match as it seemed sloppy and the ending seemed to come out of nowhere.
Winner: Bayley (4 for 5)

We now get a Strap Match for the Universal Championship as Daniel Bryan challenges "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.  Wyatt hits a power bomb early on to get the advantage and goes on to use the strap against him. Bryan gets back the upper hand and whips Wyatt with the strap at the German announce table. The match goes back into the ring and Bryan continues his assault with Yes kicks. Wyatt puts on the Mandible Claw but Bryan gets out of it and applies the LeBell Lock. In the end, Wyayy no sells being whipped by the strap and hits a Mandible Claw Slam to get the win. I thought this match was pretty decent, although I feel that they can do better.
Winner: Bray Wyatt (5 for 6)

The penultimate match is for the RAW Women's Championship as Asuka challenges "The Man" Becky Lynch.  The match goes back and forth in the beginning before Asuka bounces Lynch's neck off the ropes with a neck breaker to get the advantage. Later on, Lynch reverse suplexes Asuka onto the floor to get back the momentum. Asuka manages to apply the Asuka Lock but Lynch gets to the ropes. In the end, Lynch almost runs into the referee and this gives Asuka the chance to spray the green mist. However, Lynch avoids it by kicking Asuka in the stomach then gets her to submit to the Dis Arm-Her to get the win. I thought this was a good match and I hope they have another match on the near future.
Winner: Becky Lynch (6 for 7)

The main event is the Men's Royal Rumble Match with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar coming in at number 1 and Elias coming in at number 2.  Brock doesn't have time for Elias' song and eliminates him quite quickly then goes on to eliminate the next 12 wrestlers, including his best friend Shelton Benjamin. Eventually, Ricochet and Drew McIntyre combine to eliminate him. The only other major highlight after that is the return of Edge. Yes, you read that right. Edge returned from a career ending neck injury for the first time in almost 9 years. Thanks to Lesnar's elimination, it led to more wrestlers being in the ring. Seth Rollins comes in at number 30, and with the help of his lackeys, AOP and Buddy Murphy, eliminate Aleister Black, Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe. Joe and Black fight Murphy and AOP all the way to the back, leaving Rollins by himself. Rollins gets destroyed and then eliminated by McIntyre, leaving him along with Randy Orton, Edge and Roman Reigns. Edge and Orton team up before Edge eliminates Orton. Edge and Reigns end up on the apron and Reigns manages to knock Edge off to the floor. McIntyre then eliminates Reigns to win the Rumble...? Holy fucking shit!! Wow!

While there wasn't anything special that stood out, I quite enjoyed the match and the stories that they told. My mind is still blown that Edge made his return and I'm happy that he came back. As for McInytre, I'm shocked that he won but, as a fellow Scotsman, I'm so happy for him. McIntyre has the potential but I was getting worried that WWE was going to keep him in the mid card. This is McIntyre's biggest opportunity since he came back and hopefully, he grabs it with both hands.
Winner: Drew McIntyre (6 for 8)

I thought that the Royal Rumble was quite good, and I enjoyed the 2 Rumble matches.  It just sometimes I find some of the matches not particularly exciting and it's hard to be positive about them. Hopefully, they might start to look at NXT  TakeOver and see how they do their matches.

NXT Takeover: Portland Preview

NXT Takeover: Portland will be taking place this evening at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The card looks pretty good so let's take a look.

Keith Lee vs Dominik Dijakovic
North American Championship
Lee has only recently become the Champion but I'll think he'll retain.
Predicted Winner: Keith Lee

Dakota Kai vs Tegan Nox
Street Fight
This should be a good one to watch and I'm going for Nox to win.
Predicted Winner: Tegan Nox

Finn Balor vs Johnny Gargano
I'm really looking forward to this one and I'm going for Balor to win.
Predicted Winner: Finn Balor

Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair
NXT Women's Championship
Whilst I like Belair, I can't see her winning this so Ripley to retain. Except to see Charlotte Flair making an appearance after the match.
Predicted Winner: Charlotte Flair

The Undisputed Era vs The Broserweights
NXT Tag Team Championship
I might be in the minority but I'm going for the Broserweights to win.
Predicted Winners: The Broserweights

Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) vs Tommaso Ciampa
NXT Championship
This should be a good match and I'm going for Cole to find some way to retain.
Predicted Winner: Adam Cole

I will watch the event during the week so helpfully, the review will be up by next weekend. I hope you all enjoy the show.

WWE Worlds Collide 2020 Review

WWE Worlds Collide took place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday 25th January. How will the NXT vs NXT UK competition with *checks notes* nothing on the line end up? Let's take a look.

The match of the Kick Off Show was Mia Yim taking on Kay Lee Ray.  Yim doesn't fuck around and hits a dropkick as soon as the bell rings. Ray manages to recover and hits a tornado DDT to get the advantage. Ray goes for a swanton bomb but misses and this gives Yim the chance to make a comeback. Yim comes close after reversing a Gory Bomb into a Code Blue. In the end, Ray manages to roll up Yim while using the ropes for leverage to get the win. This was a good match but I felt it was a bit too short.
Winner: Kay Lee Ray (1 for 1)

The first match of the show was Finn Balor taking on Ilja Dragunov. Early on, Dragunov slaps Balor and Balor returns the favour then hits a baseball slide to get the advantage. Dragunov reverses a suplex then hits a brutal clothesline to get back the advantage. After they exchange punches, both guys come close to winning but in the end, Balor manages to the Coup de Grace followed by the 1916 DDT to get the win. I thought this was a good match and a great way to start the show.
Winner: Finn Balor (2 for 2)

The next match is Angel Graza defending his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Isiah "Swerve" Scott, Jordan Devlin and Travis Banks in a Fatal 4-Way Match. Highlights of the match include: Scott hitting a flat liner on Devlin; Banks hitting a cannonball on scott and Garza in the corner; Devlin hitting a tornado DDT on Scott; and Banks reversing a Devlin-side into a Canadian destroyer on Devlin. Garza hits the Angel Clipper on Scott but Devlin breaks up the pin then hits the Devlin-side on Scott to get the win. This was a really fun match to watch. I was surprised that Devlin won but he has been one of the most improved wrestlers on NXT UK, so I'm glad that he won.
Winner: Jordan Devlin (2 for 3)

Now is a match that I was looking forward to seeing: #DIY taking on Mustache Mountain.  After the early going, in which they show moments of respect towards each other, Ciampa hits Bate and then he and Gargano send Bate and Seven over the announce tables to get the advantage. Later on, Bate hits the Tyler Driver '97 on Ciampa but he kicks out. #DIY go for their finishing move, Meet in the Middle. but Bate and Seven avoid it and hit Ciampa with a burning hammer with a knee assist. In the end, #DIY manage to hit the Meet in the Middle on Seven to get the win. I enjoyed this match and I was sad that Mustache Mountain lot. However, I think they gave a really good performance and I hope that they continue on an upward curve.
Winners: #DIY (2 for 4)

After we get Tegan Nox attacking Dakota Kai in the crowd, we get our penultimate match is Toni Storm challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT (Women's) Championship. When Ripley sends Storm into the corner, she argues with the referee. This gives Storm the chance to hit the super kick followed by a German suplex into the corner to get the advantage. Storm goes on to focus the neck, hitting moves such as a DDT. Ripley gets back into it and applies a standing cloverleaf on Storm. In the end, Storm misses a frog splash and Ripley hits the Riptide to get the win. I thought it was a decent ,match and I feel like they have had better matches before.
Winner: Rhea Ripley (3 for 5)

The main event is a 8 man tag team match between The Undisputed Era and Imperium. Early on, Alexander Wolfe gets injured and has to withdraw, and The Undisputed Era manage to isolate Marcel Barthel and focus their attack on him. Later on, WALTER is tagged in and hits a German suplex on both Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong. Other highlights of the match include: Strong putting Fabien Aichner in the Strong Hold them later on, putting WALTER through the announcer table with an Olympic slam and Aichner hitting O'Reilly with a brainbuster. WALTER hits a powerbomb followed by a splash on Strong but Cole hits him with The Last Shot and Barthel breaks up the pin. In the end, WALTER hits Bobby Fish with a running dropkick followed by a powerbomb to get the win.

This was a really good match. I wasn't how they would work this match as they are both heel factions. However, Wolfe's legitimate injury made Imperium the underdogs, turning the crowd in their favour. A great way to end the show.
Winners: Imperium (4 for 6)

I really enjoyed Worlds Collide. All the matches were really good and the crowd were really into it. It blows my mind that all the NXT events are really good and the events on the main roster can be mind numbing and at times, illogical. WWE need to realise to focus on using wrestling to tell stories on the main roster.

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Preview

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 will be taking place at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. How will the Road to Wrestlemania start? Let's take a look at the card.

Shorty G vs Sheamus
I think that Sheamus will win this one.
Predicted Winner: Sheamus

Bayley vs Lacey Evans
Smackdown Women's Championship
I might be in the minority here but I feel that Evans might win this.
Predicted Winner: Lacey Evans

Andrade vs Humberto Carrillo
United States Championship
I feel that it's too soon for Andrade to lose this so I think that he will retain.
Predicted Winner: Andrade

Roman Reigns vs King Corbin
Falls Count Anywhere Match
Hopefully Reigns will win and end this feud.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

"The Man" Becky Lynch vs Asuka
RAW Women's Championship
I would love to see Asuka but I think that Lynch will retain.
Predicted Winner: Becky Lynch

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan
Strap Match for the Universal Championship
A tough one to call but I'm going for Wyatt to retain.
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt

Women's Royal Rumble Match
The only person that I can see winning is Charlotte Flair. Let's see if I'm proved wrong.
Predicted Winner: Charlotte Flair

Men's Royal Rumble Match
The interesting one in this is that WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is entering at number 1. I can see him winning but I feel that Roman Reigns will win instead.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

It will be a while before I get to post my review so until then, I hope you all enjoy the show.

WWE Worlds Collide 2020 Preview

WWE Worlds Collide will be taking this evening at The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. There are some really interesting matches on the card so, let's take a look.

Mia Yim vs Kay Lee Ray
This should be a good match between the two and I'm going for Kay Lee Ray to win.
Predicted Winner: Kay Lee Ray

#DIY vs Mustache Mountain
I'm really looking forward to this one and I'm going for Mustache Mountain to win.
Predicted Winners: Mustache Mountain

Angel Garza vs Isaiah "Swerve" Scott vs Jordan Devlin vs Travis Banks
Fatal 4-Way Match for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship
A tough one to call but I think that Garza will find a way to retain.
Predicted Winner: Angel Garza

Finn Balor vs Ijla Dragunov
Finn Balor has to win this, right?
Predicted Winner: Finn Balor

Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm
NXT Women's Championship
Ripley beating Shayna Baszler at the end of last year was the feel good moment of the year so I'll be very surprised if she loses here.
Predicted Winner: Rhea Ripley

Imperium vs The Undisputed Era
I'm really looking forward to this one and I think that Imperium will find some way to get the win.
Predicted Winners:Imperium

With the Royal Rumble on during the weekend, it will be a few days before I post the review. I hope you all enjoy the show.

WWE Survivor Series 2019 Review

WWE Survivor Series took place on Sunday 24th November at the AllState Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. This year, we get NXT added to which brand is the best, if you care about that sort of thing. Anyway, let's take a look.

The first match is a Tag Team Battle Royal. Taking part were The O.C., The Revival, The Forgotten Sons, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, The Street Profits, Zack Ryder and Kurt Hawkins, Breezango, Lucha House Party, Imperium and Heavy Machinery. Steve Cutler from The Forgotten Sons is the first to be eliminated quickly followed by Lince Dorado from The Lucha House Party. The final 3 teams end up being The O.C., Ziggler and Roode, and The Street Profits. Ziggler eliminates Luke Gallows. Montez Ford hits a beautiful frog splash on Ziggler but Roode grabs him and throws him over the top rope to give his team the win. The match wasn't too bad.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode (N/A)

The next match is for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship as Lio Rush faces the challenge of Kalisto and Akira Tozowa.  Highlights of the match include: Rush hitting a double elbow on his opponents; Tozowa hitting a sucker punch on Rush; and Kalisto stopping a German suplex pin and almost pinning Rush. In the end, Kalisto hits Tozowa with the Salida del Sol; but Rush hits him with The Final Hour to get the win. This was a fun, fast paced match to watch.
Winner: Lio Rush (1 for 1)

The Kick Off Show main(?) event is The New Day, The Viking Raiders and The Undisputed Era facing each other in a triple threat tag team match. Highlights of the match include: Kyle O'Reilly putting Kofi Kingston in a knee bar; and Erik body slamming Ivar onto their opponents on the outside. O'Reilly and Fish take out Kingston leaving them to face Erik and Ivar. In the end, The Viking Raiders hit O'Reilly with the Viking Experience onto Fish to get the win. This was quite a good match.
Winner: The Viking Raiders (1 for 2)

The first match of the show is the Women's Survivor Series Elimination Match with Team Smackdown (Sasha Banks, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, Carmella and Dana Brooke) taking on Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Sarah Logan and Natalya) and Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and Candice LeRae). During the match, Io Shirai and Candice LeRae have to withdraw from the match due to injury. Cross is the first to be eliminated as she gets rolled up by Belair. Then Belair eliminates Logan with a 450 splash. Carmella gets eliminated thanks to a Natural Selection from Charlotte, Sasha Banks eliminates Sane with a double knee then Asuka eliminates Carmella. Charlotte and Asuka get into an argument and Asuka retaliates by spraying green mist into Charlotte and going: "fuck you guys, I'm off". Evans takes advantage and hits Charlotte with the Women's Right to leave Natalya left for RAW. Natalya rolls up Evans to eliminate and Natalya and Sasha team up to eliminate Storm and Belair. Banks then eliminates Natalya with a punch (wait, what?) leaving her to face Ripley. Banks gets Ripley in the Bank Statement but LeRae and Shirai suddenly recover from their injuries and pull her out of the ring. LeRae distracts the referee while Shirai kills Banks with a springboard dropkick. Ripley then hits the Riptide to get the win.

I thought the match was pretty decent but I found the ending a bit weird. I'm a few weeks behind on NXT but, last I checked Shirai and LeRae were in a feud. So, I found it strange that they teamed up to help NXT get the win, especially since they were opposite sides in the Women's War Games Match the previous night. Anyway, as I said, it was a decent match.
Winners: Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai and Candice LeRae (1 for 3)

Now a match I was quite looking forward to seeing: a triple threat match between the Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, the United States Champion AJ Styles and the North American Champion Roderick Strong. Highlights of the match include: Styles throwing Strong into Nakamura; Strong monkey flipping Styles into a running knee by Nakamura; and Nakamura kicking Strong off Style's shoulders. In the end, Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm on Nakamura. However, Strong throws Styles out of the ring and pins Nakamura to get the win. I thought this was a pretty good match to watch.
Winner: Roderick Strong (1 for 4)

The next match is for the NXT Championship as Pete Dunne challenges Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) Both guys are carrying injuries from the night before, which slows down their offense. Dunne goes for a moonsault but Cole gets his knees up then hits the Last Shot but it only gets 2. Later on, Dunne hits the Bitter End but Cole kicks out at 2. After some back and forth, Dunne goes for another Bitter End but Cole manages to reverse it into a Panama Sunrise. He then hits another Last Shot to the back of the head to get the win. I thought this was a really enjoyable match.
Winner: Adam Cole (2 for 5)

Next is for the Universal Championship as Daniel Bryan challenges "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. Bryan starts at a tremendous pace, hitting 2 running dropkicks before Wyatt responds with a clothesline. Wyatt goes on to press home his advantage. Bryan avoids a Sister Abigail to hit a running knee off the apron and make a comeback. Bryan hits a running knee but it only gets 2. In the end, Wyatt pins him with the Mandible Claw to get the win...? Erm, ok. Anyway, the match was pretty good but last time I checked, the Mandible Claw is not used to pin someone. Also, stop fucking using the red light. I hate it.
Winner: Bray Wyatt (3 for 6)

We now get our 2nd Survivor Series Elimination Match with Team RAW (Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet and Kevin Owens) taking on Team Smackdown (Roman Reigns, Shorty G, King Baron Corbin, Ali and Braun Strowman) and Team NXT (Tomasso Ciampa, Walter, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee and Damien Priest). Walter is the first to be eliminated thanks to a Claymore Kick by McIntyre, which pissed me and the crowd off. Shorty G gets eliminated after a frog splash by Owens, who then gets eliminated thanks to a hanging DDT by Ciampa. Orton eliminates Priest with a RKO but Riddle rolls him up and eliminates him. Orton thanks Riddle by hitting him with a RKO and Corbin takes advantage and pins Riddle to eliminate him. Strowman gets counted out after a Claymore Kick by McIntyre and Ricochet gets eliminated thanks to an End of Days by Corbin. Corbin has an argument with Ali and this gives Rollins the opportunity to eliminate Ali with the Blackout. McIntyre is eliminated thanks to a Spear by Rollins. He then gets into an argument with Rollins, who goes on to hit a Superman punch followed by a Spear. Ciampa then pins Corbin to eliminate him. Rollins and Reigns team up Rollins eliminates Ciampa with another Blackout. Lee then eliminates Rollins with a Jackhammer, leaving him and Reigns. They go on to have some very close falls before Reigns hits a Spear to get the win. The match was generally good. However, I'm pissed off that Walter was the first to be eliminated. He is the United Kingdom Champion and he has been booked as almost undefeatable. So, I wasn't happy with him having getting less than 3 minutes.
Winner: Roman Reigns (4 for 7)

The penultimate match has Brock Lesnar gracing us with his presence and defending his WWE Championship against Rey Mysterio in a no disqualification match. Lesnar throws Mysterio round like a rag doll before Mysterio's son Dominic runs in to try to throw in the towel. When Lesnar refuses, Mysterio low blows him then teams up with his son to take out Lesnar. Despite this, Lesnar recovers and German suplexes Dominic and F-5's Mysterio to get the win. The match was only 7 minutes but I quite enjoyed most of it.
Winner: Brock Lesnar (5 for 8)

The main event is a triple threat between the RAW Women's Champion "The Man" Becky Lynch, Smackdown Women's Champion Bayley and NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler. Highlights include: Baszler stamping on Bayley's elbow; Lynch hitting Bex-ploders to her opponents; and Bayley hitting Belly-to-Bayley on Baszler. After Baszler sends Lynch onto the announce table, she goes on to get Bayley to submit to the Kirifuda Clutch and get the win. Afterwards, Lynch sends Baszler through the German announce table.

I was slightly disappointed in this match. There were some good spots but it was a lot of 1-on-1 action, despite it being a triple threat match. Also, it seemed to go at a very slow pace until the few last minutes.
Winner: Shayna Baszler (5 for 9)

With the exception of the main event and a couple of booking decisions, I generally liked Survivor Series. With NXT winning most of their matches, I thought this could lead somewhere but, with the exception of Seth Rollins' heel turn, it looks like that it hasn't. We'll now see how the rest of the year goes.

WWE Survivor Series 2019 Preview

The 2019 Survivor Series will be taking place this evening at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Whilst I don't give a fuck too much about brand supremacy, this year has had NXT involved and it has to some interesting matches. So, let's take a look.

Lio Rush vs Kalisto vs Akira Tozowa
NXT Cruiserweight Championship
This should be a fin match to start the evening and I'm going for Rush to win.
Predicted Winner: Lio Rush

The New Day vs The Viking Raiders vs The Undisputed Era
Triple Threat Tag Team Match
This could be one of the matches of the night and I'm gutted that it's scheduled to be on the Kick Off Show. I'm going for the New Day to win.
Predicted Winners: The New Day

Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) vs Pete Dunne
NXT Championship
I'm quite looking forward to this one and I'm going for Cole to retain.
Predicted Winner: Adam Cole

Team RAW (Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Ricochet and Kevin Owens) vs Team Smackdown (Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali, Braun Strowman, Shorty G and King Baron Corbin) vs Team NXT (TBA)
Triple Threat Survivor Series Elimination Match
I can see teammates from the RAW and Smackdown teams fucking each other during the match and that might give NXT a chance. However, since I don't think NXT will win of these matches, I'm going for Smackdown to win.
Predicted Winners: Team Smackdown

Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Asuka, Kairi Sane and Sarah Logan) vs Team Smackdown (Sasha Banks, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke and Lacey Evans) vs Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Candice LeRae, Bianca Belair and Io Shirai)
Triple Threat Survivor Series Elimination Match
A tough one to call but I'm going for Team RAW to win.
Predicted Winners: Team RAW

AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Roderick Strong
Triple Threat Match
I should be looking forward to this one but every Styles vs Nakamura match has not been great. However, the addition of Strong will change that. I'm going for Styles to win.
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

Brock Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio
No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
If Brock doesn't fuck up Mysterio within 5 minutes, I will be very surprised
Predicted Winner: Brock Lesnar

"The Man" Becky Lynch vs Bayley vs Shayna Baszler
Triple Threat Match
I'm really looking forward to this one and I would love for Baszler to win. However, I'm going for Bayley to win.
Predicted Winner: Bayley

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs "The New" Daniel Bryan
Universal Championship
This could be a good match and I'm going for Wyatt to win. Hopefully, it won't take place bathed in red light.
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt

Due to personal issues, it will be a while before I get to see this. Until then, I hope you all enjoy the show.

NXT TakeOver: War Games 2019 Review

NXT TakeOver: War Games 2019 took place on Saturday 23rd November at the AllState Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. There are only 4 matches on the card but it does include 2 War Games matches, so let's take a look.

We actually get a match on the Kick Off Show as Isiah "Swerve" Scott taking on Angel Garza. The match starts at a fast pace before Garza pulls off his pants, throws them in Scott's face and hits a Superkick. Scott gets back into it after hitting a death valley driver onto the apron however, Garza manages to hit a Wing Clipper and get the win. This was a fun match to watch.
Winner: Angel Garza (N/A)

The first match of the night was the Women's War Games Match. During the Kick Off Show, Mia Yim was attacked by an unknown assailant and was replaced by Dakota Kai. So, the teams were Shayna Baszler, Kay Lee Ray, Io Shirai and Bianca Belair taking on the team of Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox and Mia Yim Dakota Kai. Shirai and LeRae start the match and they are joined by Belair, Ripley and Lee Ray. When Dakota Kai comes out, she decides to take the opportunity to turn heel (and become prime suspect in the attack on Mia Yim in the process) and brutally fuck up Tegan Nox at the cage. She gets ejected by William Regal and Baszler then enters the match, leaving her team with a 4-on-2 advantage. Io Shirai almost wins it with an Asai Moonsault on LeRae but Ripley breaks up the pin. After Ripley creams Lee Ray with a trash can, Baszler applies the Kirifuda Clutch. Ripley gets out of it and hits the Riptide onto 2 steel chairs to get the win. Ignoring the fact that perhaps Ripley and LeRae shouldn't have won this with a 2 woman disadvantage; it was still a very fun match.
Winners: Rhea Ripley and Candice LeRae (0 for 1)

The next is a triple threat match between Pete Dunne, Damien Priest and Killian Dian to determine who will face Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) for the NXT Championship at Survivor Series. Highlights include: Dian hitting a Michinoku driver onto Priest's face; Dunne hitting both guys with clotheslines; and Priest hitting Dunne with the Razor's Edge onto the Spanish announce table. In the end, Dunne has Dian in a sleeper and Dian gets out of it by hitting a senton onto a prone Priest. However, this gives Dunne the chance to pin Priest and get the win. This was a good match even though it was obvious who was going to win.
Winner: Pete Dunne (1 for 2)

We now get Finn Balor taking on Matt Riddle. Balor hits a dropkick then applies a chinlock to get the advantage. Riddle hits a fallaway slam to get back the momentum. After hittign each toher with German suplexes, Balor goes for the Coup de Grace but Riddle avoids it and applies the Bro-Mission. In the end, balor hits the 1916 DDT to get the win. This was a good match and a lot of fun to watch.
Winner: Finn Balor (2 for 3)

The main event is the Men's War Games Match. It's The Undisputed Era taking on the team of Tommaso Ciampa, Dominik Dijakovic and Keith Lee. Ciampa and Roderick Strong start the match and they are followed by Kyle O'Reilly, Dijakovic, Bobby Fish, Keith Lee and Adam Cole (Bay Bay!). When it looks like a fourth member of Campia's team wouldn't turn up, Kevin Owens comes out. Strong, O'Reilly and Fish get sent through tables and Ciampa and Cole end up fighting on top of the cage and Ciampa sends Cole through the table to get the win. This was a really good match with all the people involved getting a chance to shine
Winner: Tomasso Ciampa, Dominik Dijakovic, Keith Lee and Kevin Owens (3 for 4)

I really enjoyed War Games. All the matches were really good, especially the women's War Games match. We will now see if Survivor Series will be just as good.