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.

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.