WWE Survivor Series 2017.

*A brief note.*

 

I really enjoyed NXT TakeOver: WarGames, with special praise to Black/Dream and Almas/McIntyre for the unexpected title change. WarGames was an entertaining brawl, once all three teams had entered the match.

 

*

 

After such a good show, I didn’t have high hopes for Survivor Series. The champion vs. champion matches seemed redundant because they were all non-title. With the exception of pride (and Kurt Angle’s general manager job), nothing was at stake. There were no draft picks, favourable Royal Rumble numbers or title shots for the survivors.

 

Despite these criticisms, Survivor Series exceeded expectations and felt like a ‘Big Four’ pay-per-view. Six out of seven matches lasted for 15 minutes or longer; the wrestlers had ample time to tell their in-ring stories.

 

The Shield vs. The New Day was a great opening contest, one that really got the fans involved. They even cheered for Roman Reigns, which shows the type of reaction he can receive when booked to his strengths. The Shield won with a triple powerbomb from the second rope. Overkill, but a lovely finish.

 

The women’s Survivor Series match focused on one dominant arse-kicker. Sole survivor Asuka. She eliminated three of her SmackDown opponents and looks unstoppable.

 

Baron Corbin beat The Miz in the shortest bout of the night. Miz targeted the knee, but Corbin overcame the odds and hit End of Days. Fair effort, but nothing memorable.

 

The Usos vs. Sheamus and Cesaro was good, better than expected. The final few minutes – including The Usos flying tag/dive – were particularly dynamic. They are Tag Team Champions for a reason and both teams looked stronger after the final bell.

 

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss went back and forth in a good, tough battle with convincing near falls. The winning submission looked extra painful. Even in defeat, this was arguably Bliss’ best match.

 

In the biggest surprise of the show, Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles wrestled for 15 minutes (Lesnar’s longest singles match since Hell in a Cell 2015) and broke the ‘Suplex City’ formula. ‘The Beast’ seemed motivated and sold Styles’ impressive offence. The stupid RAW (2) vs. SmackDown (3) graphic foreshadowed the result. Sure enough, Lesnar won with one F-5, the most protected move in WWE. A rematch would be tasty because as Styles said on SmackDown: “In Rocky II, Rocky wins!”

 

The men’s Survivor Series main event. Hmm. Braun Strowman got the greatest push with three eliminations. No complaints. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn interfered to spite Shane McMahon. Logical story progression. Three of the last four survivors (HHH, Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon) were playable characters on WWF No Mercy, a wrestling game released 17 YEARS AGO!

 

The ending was one hell of an anti-climax. Yes, the betrayal set up HHH/Angle, but why didn’t it take place at the start of the match? Nakamura, Roode and other fresh talent were eliminated early at the expense of storyline development. Braun Strowman beat up HHH post-match, but this merely papered over the egotistical cracks.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Philip.

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2017.

TLC 2017 was a very weird pay-per-view. Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt were both absent because of medical issues. Their replacements (Kurt Angle and AJ Styles) featured in the best two matches of the night. The main event justified the handicap and TLC rules, but the undercard had no such additions. A disappointing choice because a few extra gimmicks would’ve livened up the weaker bouts considerably.

 

Asuka defeated Emma in her main roster debut. They worked well together and showcased Asuka’s impressive moves. Generally, Emma was a good first opponent and no slouch in the ring. Asuka should keep on winning and hopefully earn a title shot before WrestleMania.

 

The cruiserweight tag team match was fun and fast paced with plenty of high-flying action. All the wrestlers involved made the most of their eight minutes. Cedric Alexander won with the Lumbar Check and looks likely to be a future contender.

 

Alexa Bliss retained her Raw Women’s Championship against Mickie James in an above-average contest. In the build-up, Alexa (26) made age related jokes about James (38). Their story didn’t have a happy ending, so someone else will have to give ‘Little Miss Bliss’ her comeuppance. Mickie’s post-match promo added some extra realism.

 

Enzo Amore defeated Kalisto and regained the Cruiserweight Championship in a sloppy, but passable title change. Since Neville’s contractual disputes, the dip in quality has been noticeable and this new direction will require some adjustment.

 

AJ Styles and Finn Bálor wrestled for 18 minutes, but the time never dragged. This was a very good match and both men showed respect after the bell. Styles was protected in defeat because he was travelling from South America at short notice. They didn’t use their entire repertoire; a rematch another day with Styles at 100% and a title on the line would be even better.

 

After two peculiar segments (involving music, fruit and vegetables), Jason Jordan got a much-needed PPV win, beating Elias with a roll up. ‘The Drifter’ had one shoulder off the canvas, so their feud will probably continue.

 

Finally the main event had lots of standout moments. Kane and Braun Strowman had a falling out, which ended with Braun being thrown in a bin lorry. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins performed ladder dives.

 

Best of all was the return of Kurt Angle, who entered through the crowd with his teammates and wore a Shield vest. He was slammed through a table by Braun and taken backstage, but later returned triumphantly with entrance music. The concluding minutes provided an old-school feel-good ending, the type of which I haven’t felt in quite some time. Angle at 48, may be slowing down but still oozes veteran cool. Is it greedy to hope for one more WrestleMania match before he calls time on his legendary career?

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Philip.

WWE Hell in a Cell 2017.

Hell in a Cell had three good matches that lived up to the hype. They were, the two ‘Cell bouts, which opened and closed the pay-per-view, and the triple threat for the United States Championship. Everything else ranged from passable to decent, but was generally forgettable.

 

The Usos and The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods) fought for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. This was very vicious (by PG Era standards). The Usos won after 22 minutes of exciting action. Their creative use of weapons and the enclosed environment was a definite highlight. This feud has reached a natural conclusion as demonstrated by their truce on SmackDown. Top marks.

 

Back down to earth, Randy Orton and Rusev had a flat contest. Randy won again with an RKO, except this time it took him 11 minutes. Where do they go from here? I don’t really care.

 

Baron Corbin defeated AJ Styles (and late addition Tye Dillinger) to win his first major championship. After winning 2016’s André the Giant Memorial Trophy and Money in the Bank, ‘The Lone Wolf’ seemed destined for greatness. That didn’t happen, but he beat Styles clean on SmackDown in his first title defence, so hopefully his push is more consistent this time around.

 

Charlotte versus Natalya for the SmackDown Women’s Championship was getting interesting, and then it ended in a disqualification. Natalya used a chair on Charlotte’s bad knee, who sold the pain convincingly. Their rematch has the potential to be very good.

 

Jinder Mahal retained his WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. This didn’t have the spectacle of their SummerSlam clash, but was still the best match of Jinder’s championship reign, with some dramatic moments. Most noticeably, The Singh Brothers interfered again, but this time the referee ejected them from the arena. Jinder hit the Khallas and escaped with his championship. The crowd will go wild when someone dethrones Jinder, but who will it be?

 

Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler had a decent back and forth match. Ziggler made his entrance with no music or video; a small level of character development is better than none. Eventually, Dolph grabbed the tights after a series of roll ups. Roode reversed and grabbed Ziggler’s for an instant karma finish.

 

The main event was slowly paced, a touch overlong, but had some memorable moments. Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens also did everything possible to justify the additional falls count anywhere stipulation. They brawled, used tables and fought on top of the cell. Kevin Owens took a 10ft bump through a table. Shane went for a 20ft elbow drop off the cell and missed, thanks to interference from Sami Zayn.  The new Owens/Zayn dynamic looks set to keep fans on their toes well into the winter months and 2018.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Philip.

WWE No Mercy 2017.

No Mercy was another show of two halves, similar to last month’s SummerSlam. Once again, the Raw Tag Team Championship match set the bar. Once again, Brock Lesnar retained his Universal Championship. Unlike SummerSlam, this B-level pay-per-view didn’t have a bad match, even if some poor booking choices deflated the Staples Center.

The Miz held onto his Intercontinental Championship via interference from his Miztourage. A solid opening contest that showcased Jason Jordan’s impressive repertoire. ‘Kurt Angle’s son’ has lost to John Cena, Roman Reigns and Finn Bálor recently on Raw, hopefully his storyline arc has a satisfying payoff.

Non-demon Finn Bálor beat Bray Wyatt to go 2-0 up in their feud. WWE love 50-50 booking, so this result was a pleasant surprise. Wyatt’s pre-match attack and promo effectively set up the fiery Irish comeback. Finn will either rematch Wyatt, or change course and face Brock Lesnar. I’d much prefer the second option.

Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus and Cesaro went to war for the Raw Tag Team Championships. Rollins and Ambrose won, but some of the counts were breathtakingly close and made fans doubt the likely outcome. Cesaro even kept going with broken teeth. Respect earned, Swiss superman indeed!

Alexa Bliss reigned supreme. This Fatal 5-Way match for the Raw Women’s Championship exceeded expectations. Nia Jax dominated the competition; she must get a one-on-one shot by the end of the year. It took four women to keep her down, Bliss took advantage afterwards and picked up a sneaky victory.

The first of two ‘WrestleMania worthy’ main attractions was overindulgent. John Cena and Roman Reigns fought for 22 minutes, but didn’t live up to the hype. Their efforts were stop-start, paint-by-numbers and too dependent on finisher kick outs. Reigns withstood FOUR Attitude Adjustments and won with a regular spear. Cena endorsed ‘The Big Dog’ afterwards and the fans booed heavily. What a mess!

Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship reign ended abruptly after Enzo Amore hit a low blow and rolled up ‘The King’. Enzo has the promo skills, but only time will tell if the sudden change in direction pays off.

Finally, the biggest disappointment of the evening. Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman. ‘The Monster’, who seemed superhuman at Great Balls of Fire when he walked out of a smashed ambulance. ‘The Monster’, who destroyed three tables and manhandled ‘The Beast’ at SummerSlam. Put down by one F-5? Oh well, got to keep Lesnar strong so he can put Reigns over at WrestleMania 34! Deviating from the long-term plan occasionally pays off, but what do I know?

Thanks for reading,

Philip.

WWE SummerSlam 2017.

Compared to the excellent NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, SummerSlam 2017 was an overlong, disappointing show of two halves.

 

John Cena and Baron Corbin had a passable opening match. Cena won for the first time at SummerSlam since 2010. Corbin’s push seems to have stalled after this defeat and his unsuccessful money in the bank cash-in.

 

Natalya beat Naomi for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Their efforts looked a bit clunky. Natalya is probably keeping the belt warm until Carmella cashes in.

 

Big Cass had another boring brawl with Big Show. Enzo Amore, locked in a shark cage, eventually greased up and slid through the bars. Cass hit him with a big boot, then pinned Big Show after a rubbish elbow drop. Cass suffered a legitimate knee injury on Raw, get well soon. Enzo joined the cruiserweight division, his promos might improve 205 Live.

 

Rusev jumped Randy Orton before the bell. The bell rang. Randy hit an RKO out of nowhere, still wearing his ring jacket. That was it. Brilliant for the sudden finish.

 

Sasha Banks beat Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship in a decent effort. Alexa mainly worked Sasha’s arm. Sasha later failed to lock in Bank Statement on the first attempt because of the pain. Good selling. Her second attempt succeeded and Alexa tapped out.

 

The second half of the show received a better reaction. Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor had great entrances and I enjoyed their psychological tactics. Bray usually plays mind games to intimidate his opponents, but seemed scared by Balor’s demon character throughout this bout. Balor got a much needed win; Wyatt will bounce back.

 

The Raw Tag Team Championship match was excellent, and just like Great Balls of Fire last month, my favourite of the evening. Champions Cesaro and Sheamus lost to the reunited team of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. It had double team moves galore, false finishes and the right result. Tag team wrestling done well.

 

A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens squared off again for the United States Championship and exceeded their efforts at Battleground. Special guest referee Shane McMahon got knocked over in three separate incidents. This created drama, for example, Shane didn’t see a tap out or couldn’t count fast enough. Owens shouted: “YOU FALL OFF BUILDINGS!” to Shane, which cracked me up. After A.J. retained on SmackDown, their memorable feud is over. Hopefully, they have even better matches with fresh opponents.

 

WWE Champion Jinder Mahal beat Shinsuke Nakamura. India versus Japan added an international atmosphere. Nakamura looked like a megastar with his entrance, mannerisms and strong style offence. If Jinder stays champ, I’d like to see alternative heel tactics that don’t involve predictable Singh bros. interference.

 

The Fatal Four Way main event for the Universal Championship was like a human demolition derby. It served two purposes. Brock Lesnar looks tough for surviving so much punishment. Braun Strowman is a monster destroyer and serious contender. Raw set up a singles match between those two at No Mercy. I can’t wait!

Thanks for reading,

Philip.