WWE Battleground 2017.

Battleground, from an in-ring perspective, was a step down from Great Balls of Fire. However, this SmackDown PPV was arguably more newsworthy. Two championship changes and a surprise return, were the high points of a hit and miss show.

 

The first title switch, occurred during the lively opening contest between New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) and the Uso’s. The tag moves and false finishes were excellent, but they didn’t go overboard. Eventually, Woods hit a top rope elbow drop for the win. Will New Day hold the Smackdown Tag Team Championship as long as their record breaking run on RAW?

 

Shinsuke Nakamura faced Baron Corbin. Their fight was getting interesting, but then The Lone Wolf got intentionally disqualified with a low blow and hit End of Days after the bell. This made sense because neither man should be losing right now. Their feud will hopefully continue.

 

The ladies five way elimination was disappointing. Lana lowered the in-ring quality, but it got better after her elimination. Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Natalya hurried their mini-match, probably due to time constraints. Natalya winning was a welcome surprise; she now faces champion Naomi at SummerSlam. Carmella has the money in the bank briefcase, so she’ll probably cash in afterwards.

 

Kevin Owens surprisingly regained the United States Championship from A.J. Styles. The Phenomenal One recently won the championship from Owens at a Madison Square Garden house show. Some fans hate hot potato changes, but it made sense here. Both men looked very competitive; grappling, submissions and a ref bump raised the tension. Owens won via roll up, so the victory wasn’t emphatic. Match of the night, even if it could’ve gone longer.

 

John Cena and Rusev’s flag match was overlong and extremely tedious in places. Flag matches aren’t the most exciting concept, but it helps when the wrestlers act intelligently. Both patriots repeatedly locked in submissions (in a flag match!) and occasionally forgot how to climb and run. After 20 minutes of stop-start action, Cena climbed the podium steps with Rusev on his back and hit AA through two tables. I never want to see another flag match again after this debacle.

 

Sami Zayn got revenge over Mike Kanellis; that better be the end of it. Mike and Maria Kanellis have a dreadful gimmick and I can’t wait until they are gone.

 

Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal had a championship bout inside a Punjabi Prison. Firstly, this exceeded expectations. Secondly, it was the best of the three Punjabi Prison matches to date (the bar was low before this one). Thirdly, there was interference from The Great Kahli! Great Kahli featuring in the main event in 2017 is just bizarre. The Singh brothers got involved from under the ring. One of them took a bump off the cage through a table. Jinder’s reign reminds me of JBL, who had a nine-month-run filled with gimmick matches and tainted victories.

 

If you’re catching up, watch the three championship matches and skip the rest.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Philip.

WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017.

Which name is worse for a WWE pay-per-view in the modern era; Great Balls of Fire or December 2016’s Roadblock: End of the Line? I’d probably go for the first option. Thankfully, the Jerry Lee Lewis theme song is far superior to A Different Kind of Dynamite by Thousand Foot Crutch. Drive-in cinema effects during the introductory hype video showed extra attention to detail.

 

GBOF was a solid B-card from top to bottom but nothing got close to match of the year quality.

 

The opening contest between Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins had decent in-ring action and interesting moves, but it didn’t matter because the story has been uninspiring on Raw. Rollins lost his temper. Wyatt took advantage with an eye poke and hit Sister Abigail for the pin. Wyatt needed the win more; they’ll probably go again at SummerSlam.

 

Enzo Amore delivered a brilliant promo before his showdown with former tag team partner Big Cass. Mic skills and being a scrappy underdog are undoubtedly his major strengths. The 7-footer pinned Enzo after hitting a big boot in an elongated squash.

 

The Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus & Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Championship was my favourite match of the evening and a satisfying end to their rivalry.  I love the slow burning drama of Iron Man matches and their 30 minute effort was entertaining throughout. The Hardy Boyz went behind, made their comeback and then suffered a last minute defeat. The final score was higher than expected but all falls were believable.

Sasha Banks challenged Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship. Bliss used the hypermobility in her arm as a memorable distraction and worked over Banks’ previously injured back. They went back and forth until Bliss refused to enter the ring so Banks won via count out. My partner hated the screwy finish and has no desire to watch the rematch, even after the post-bell brawl. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

In the third championship bout, Miz successfully defended his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose. Miz had plenty of help from Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas and his wife Maryse. He worked Ambrose’s knee thoroughly and The Lunatic Fringe sold the pain convincingly. Little touches like that help the fans suspend their disbelief. After a false finish, Miz hit Ambrose with Skull-Crushing Finale for the win.

The Ambulance match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns exceeded my expectations. They fought Hardcore-style and used steps, chairs and equipment from the ambulance. Strowman fell through the stage barrier. Eventually, Strowman sidestepped Reign’s spear attempt and closed the door.

The post-match events were gloriously ridiculous and felt like a throwback to the unpredictable backstage segments of the Attitude Era. Roman locked Braun into the ambulance, then reversed backwards into a production truck. The Fire Brigade used the Jaws of Life whilst general manager Kurt Angle played his concern to perfection. Braun stumbled out of the ambulance, bloodied and battered and refused medical help. Roman and Braun both now look like badass characters and one of them will surely face Lesnar at SummerSlam.

Speaking of The Conqueror, his Universal Championship main event with Samoa Joe was tense but may divide fans. They broke the formula immediately; Joe slammed Lesnar through the announcers table before the bell. Not many wrestlers manhandle The Beast! Lesnar hit multiple German Suplexes and Joe kept trying for the Coquina Clutch. Lesnar predictably won with an F-5 but it lasted longer than Lesnar’s WrestleMania 33 match against Goldberg. Personally, I think Joe looked strong in defeat but others might disagree.

Thanks for reading,

Philip.

WWE Battleground 2016: Hits and Misses.

Battleground was broadcast on Sunday 24th July, 2016.

Battleground Hits

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn: Best match of the evening by some margin, 18 minutes of entertaining wrestling. They demonstrated excellent chemistry and their fierce, believable rivalry justified the risks and bumps both men took. Dramatic elements throughout raised standards considerably, especially facial expressions in the closing stretch. They're both on RAW so this feud is far from over.

Shield triple threat: A good quality three-way that could've been saved for a larger event. Dean Ambrose retained his WWE Championship and will hopefully have a decent reign on SmackDown. To the surprise of no one, returning wellness policy violator Roman Reigns was booed heavily and also took the losing fall. He will move slightly down the RAW hierarchy now and surely has to turn heel? Rollins looks set to have a more prominent role on the red team in the upcoming months.

John Cena pins A.J. Styles: The ending to the six-man tag (including super AA finisher) sets up a possible singles rematch at SummerSlam between Cena and Styles. Before the bell, Enzo was a highlight on the mic. He benefited from being on the winning team alongside his partner big Cass. The action was decent but slightly overdependent on using move barrages to create tension. Good fun regardless.

Bayley makes her PPV debut: For once, the 'mystery partner' gimmick had a satisfying reveal. Bayley received cheers galore in the opening contest. Sasha Banks won for their team, which made sense because she is after Charlotte's title. This was only a 'one-night' deal for Bayley. Once she's done on NXT, expect her to make a statement on one of the main rosters.

Highlight reel: It was good to see Randy Orton return. He interacted with host Chris Jericho and left him lying with an RKO after some verbal jousting. Orton threw a few stingers towards future opponent Brock Lesnar regarding his recent UFC drug test failure. Their match at SummerSlam is (no-pun intended) heating up nicely.

Battleground Misses

New Day/Wyatt family six-man tag: This needed an extra five minutes because it felt a little rushed. Another bugbear, face tag-team champions should never lose without the belts being on the line. Even in this protected six-man environment the loss made New Day look weak. So-so, if removing those niggles.

United States Championship match: Rusev is a dominant champion. Zack Ryder was an unbelievable challenger to dethrone him. Ryder did a dropkick off the barricade and seemed to hurt himself more than his opponent. Mojo Rawley made the awkward post-match save and nobody cared. I really hope Mojo isn't the next challenger.

Natalya beats Becky Lynch: Decent European-Canadian technical match but nothing too fancy. It let the crowd breathe a bit after the previous epic so served its purpose well. Natalya as a veteran should put over the new blood. Becky will likely get the rub eventually in an overlong series of return bouts. I'm not thrilled with that on paper but we'll see what happens.

Intercontinental Championship match: OK in the ring but the finish was a little confusing. Bob Backlund definitely can not make Darren Young great again (was he ever great to begin with?). Miz and his wife could be more entertaining working with another pairing.

I’ll be back with another Hits and Misses shortly after SummerSlam next month.

See you then wrestling fans.

Philip.

WWE Extreme Rules 2016: Hits and Misses.

Extreme Rules was broadcast on Sunday 22^nd, May, 2016.

Spoiler alert: I have also watched the 23/05 episode of RAW. This blog may reference some of those events so please be warned if you haven’t caught up yet.

Extreme Rules Hits

The main event: Roman Reigns retained his WWE Championship against A.J. Styles in an extreme rules match that involved crowd brawling, weapons and interference galore. The result was expected but false-finishes created additional tension and drama. Styles took some hard knocks in defeat and proved why he belongs near the top of the pile. As for Reigns, WWE have evolved him into an aggressive, cocky ass-kicker who isn’t good or bad but simply ‘The Guy’. How will the crowd react when he faces a proper heel?

Seth Rollins returns: We’ll find out when Reigns faces Seth Rollins, who returned from injury to reclaim the title that he never lost in the ring. His post-match pedigree was a genuine surprise that contributed to a strong ending. Their championship bout at Money in the Bank seems too big for the occasion so expect a controversial finish.

Fatal Four Way: Miz retained his Intercontinental Championship against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cesaro. This looked good on paper and it certainly lived up to expectations in the ring with fast action, multi-man spots and cheating by Maryse. Owens and Zayn can continue their feud in the ladder match. Cesaro got a ‘visual tap-out’ against Miz so they can go back to that for a rematch if they wish.

Asylum match: Credit to WWE for trying a new gimmick that successfully enhanced Dean Ambrose’s character because the ‘lunatic fringe’ won a feud for the first time in ages. As for the asylum concept, it was basically a steel cage with weapons but the action was fun, if a little bit stop-start. Ambrose’s cage dive and Jericho’s bump into thumb tacks were top moments. Jericho effectively sold the brutality when he wrestled on RAW covered in plasters and looking like a nicotine patch addict.

Extreme Rules Misses

Women’s Submission: This women’s championship contest was spoiled by another lame ending. Ric Flair was banned from ringside so after Payback’s Montreal Screwjob, a clean finish would’ve been welcomed. Instead of Charlotte or Natalya out-wrestling the other; Dana Brooke dressed up as ‘Nature Boy’, which led to a distraction win for Charlotte. Sasha Banks or another fan favourite will hopefully dethrone her for an effective payoff at SummerSlam.

United States Championship match: Clunky and tedious but I am very happy Kalisto’s run is over because he lacks the credibility or charisma to fill the Hispanic underdog role. Rusev as champion and free from the dreadful League of Nations is where he belongs.

Tag team Championship (result): Entertaining but New Day have been champions since Summerslam last year. They ran out of opponents so fresh teams (Vaudevillians and Enzo/Cass) were promoted from NXT. Vaudevillians hit Whirling Dervish but still lost. If Enzo/Cass don’t win their eventual title shot, New Day may break the 331 day record.

Tornado Tag: Remember when faces got cheered and heels got booed? This tag match between the Uso’s and Gallows/Anderson inverted that traditional template. Decent opener, strange crowd who booed Uso’s for being (stale and) related to Roman Reigns. Modern wrestling, eh?

I’ll be back with another Hits and Misses shortly after Battleground in July.

See you then wrestling fans.

Philip.

WWE WrestleMania 2016: Hits and Misses.

Wrestling fans around the world joined the road to WrestleMania at Royal Rumble. Next, we experienced life in the Fast Lane before hitting an unexpected Roadblock. We’ve made it through rush hour traffic jams, toll booths and navigated mini-roundabouts all without being Over the Limit (that was a genuine pay-per-view name in 2010-2012). Enough of the driving puns because we have reached our destination. It is time for the showcase of the immortals, the granddaddy of them all. It is time for WrestleMania 32!

WrestleMania XXXII was broadcast on Sunday 3^rd, April, 2016.

Spoiler alert: I have also watched RAW and SmackDown following WrestleMania. This blog will reference some of those events so please be warned if you haven’t caught up yet.

WrestleMania Hits

Chris Jericho vs A.J. Styles: Their forth encounter was top quality entertainment with big moves and false finishes. I particularly enjoyed numerous counters that showed their familiarity from previous matches. The stakes were high and both men sold emotion during key dramatic moments. Styles and Jericho are now tied at 2-2 in their excellent rivalry. They may have a decider eventually but would be better apart for a while. Fortunately, this seems to be happening. Styles won a great Fatal Four way match on RAW to become #1 contender.

Ladies Triple Threat: Wonderful because it felt like a change in attitude towards women’s (not Diva’s) wrestling. NXT has a women’s championship so it was only a matter of time before WWE caught up. Production values felt lavish throughout with a new belt announcement, epic fireworks and Snoop Dog rapping during Sasha Banks’ entrance. The action in the ring was also compelling; Charlotte retained with assistance from her father. She now looks likely to face Natalya in a ‘family (Flair) vs family (Hart)’ feud. Should be fun, especially if ‘The Hitman’ makes a special appearance in Natalya’s corner.

Shane’s elbow drop off the roof during Hell in a Cell: Credit to Shane McMahon for his daredevil antics and going through the announcers table for our entertainment. I’ve always admired Shane’s dedication, even though his back catalogue has generally involved stunts, weapons, and other shortcuts. This was no exception but a well-constructed and effectively executed brawl nonetheless and one of the pleasant surprises of the night. Undertaker improves his WrestleMania record to 23-1 and will hopefully retire in a colossal showdown against a worthy opponent. Barring injury, John Cena is the obvious choice.

Dean Ambrose looks tough in defeat: Brock Lesnar took his underdog opponent to ‘suplex city’, used multiple weapons and finished with an F5. Mick Foley’s barbed wire bat made an appearance but wasn’t used; this felt like an anticlimactic waste of pre-match hype. Ambrose had some comeback moments but this was all about ‘the beast’ looking strong for a greater battle, possibly at SummerSlam. After SmackDown, it looks like Ambrose faces Jericho next. Hopefully he gets a desperately needed win after four major losses this year.

Zach Ryder wins the Intercontinental Championship: The multi-man ladder opener generated decent excitement but was less dangerous than previous years. If you weren’t aware of betting odds the outcome was a genuine surprise. Ryder had a ‘WrestleMania moment’ and celebrated with his father. This ended up being a one-night reign. The Miz won the championship on RAW and subsequent rematch on SmackDown. Meanwhile, Kevin Owens doesn’t look weak from losing against the odds. His feud with Sami Zayn is now on another level and will probably be the highlight of WWE in the upcoming months.

WrestleMania Misses

The main event: Roman Reigns vs HHH was underwhelming and did not receive a response worthy of the occasion. Roman won the championship twice before this victory and got screwed over by the authority repeatedly to the point where fans no longer cared. WWE only have themselves to blame for his lukewarm coronation. Heel HHH got a special, ego-boosting entrance; no fuss was made of face Reigns who was passionately booed by the Dallas crowd.

The match itself was slow, methodical and just plain boring. Only a spear through the barricade and spear on Stephanie McMahon lifted the audience temporarily. HHH’s trusty sledgehammer made an appearance for nostalgia purposes. It was ducked and Reigns hit a spear to mercifully conclude the tedious storyline. Judging by RAW and SmackDown, Roman is slowly morphing into a cocky heel; a welcome and long overdue development.

New Day vs League of Nations: Not terrible but another snoozer with no drama before the finish. Both entrances were disappointing; League of Nations wore non-matching outfits and New Day had cereal box props instead of riding to the ring on unicorns. League of Nations booted out King Barrett after their unsuccessful tag-team championship opportunity on RAW. They urgently need to break up permanently. New Day still need fresh challengers, recently called-up NXT teams would be a good start.

Battle Royal: NXT’s Baron Corbin was a worthy winner because he has heel potential and followed up on his debut by battling Ziggler on RAW. Everything else about the Battle Royal was mediocre. Big Show and Shaquille O’ Neil had a random face-off but the lack of credible winners really hurt the atmosphere.

Legends overload: Stone Cold, HBK, Mick Foley and Rock turned up. John Cena also made a brief return. It is unlikely these interactions will lead to a meaningful grudge match down the road to put over the younger talent. League of Nations, New Day and the Wyatt Family all looked expendable and had their star power severely weakened at WrestleMania.


Please Note: I’ll be skipping coverage of Payback but will be back with another Hits and Misses shortly after Extreme Rules in May.

See you then wrestling fans.

Philip.