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| Never change New Day, never change |
- Daniel Bryan has said on some podcast that SmackDown! LIVE will introduce both a new set of tag team titles as well as a new women's title. I guess it was bound to happen, but as a big fan of cool looking belts, I hope they're cool looking.
- WWE has applied for the trademark 'King of the Ring' as an event name. So, hopefully this time we'll have better luck at it actually meaning anything at all. Maybe we could turn Tyler Breeze from Prince Pretty to King Pretty.
- Rhyno won the Michigan Republican Primary for State Representative, I'm sure my American compadres will know more about what that means than me, but all I know is that Rhyno is gonna make politics cool again. What this means for his schedule with WWE, I dunno, but I hope it doesn't affect it too much. Hell, I'd be happy if all he does is gore people then leave every week.
- Jinder Mahal is back and on RAW. Yaaaaaaaaay.....
Best Match on RAW (1/8/16): Cesaro vs Sheamus
Appearing on the flagship show we have a clash brought about from these two being pissed off at Mick and Stephanie, so they were made to fight each other. Top class leadership.
Just as commentary pointed out, these two like to go to work with a bunch of stiff shots in their briefcase. We had an exchange of European Uppercuts, something I don't think I've seen happen in a Cesaro match. The ending saw a slick as shit transition from a roll-up into Cesaro's Neutraliser for the pinfall. Nice little match on the show here. It also looks like we get more of this with these two being separated by security afterwards.
Appearing on the flagship show we have a clash brought about from these two being pissed off at Mick and Stephanie, so they were made to fight each other. Top class leadership.
Just as commentary pointed out, these two like to go to work with a bunch of stiff shots in their briefcase. We had an exchange of European Uppercuts, something I don't think I've seen happen in a Cesaro match. The ending saw a slick as shit transition from a roll-up into Cesaro's Neutraliser for the pinfall. Nice little match on the show here. It also looks like we get more of this with these two being separated by security afterwards.
SmackDown! LIVE
Best Match on SD! (2/8/16): Bray Wyatt vs Dolph Ziggler - No.1 Contender's Match (Dolph putting his contendership on the line)
Honourable Mention: Baron Corbin vs Apollo Crews vs Kalisto - No.1 Contender's Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
We've got another pretty damn cool main event on SmackDown! LIVE taking the shape of Bray Wyatt challenging Dolph Ziggler for the No.1 contender's spot for Mean Dean Ambrokerlund's WWE World Championship. Dolph started us off by taking all his anger on Wyatt in a flurry as soon as the bell went twang. It didn't take too long for the momentum to shift and it all became about Bray beating the piss out of The Showoff. He slapped on a headlock that seemed to last forever, but things picked up sure enough. I will never grow tired of Bray's uranage, lift the fucker up-bring the fucker down. The back end saw some shenanigans with an exposed turnbuckle, leading to Dolph eventually winning, once again using his superkick to win. Pretty nice stuff right here. Glad to see Wyatt actually show some interest in championships.
As for the honourable mention, we had a real cool triple threat to decide who's gonna be facing The Miz at SummerSlam for his Intercontinental Championship. There was a lot of cool spots and sequences put in place that I really liked with all three being incorporated and involved in some way, and judging by how it ended we might be getting another Intercontinental Title Fatal-4-Way. Should be good.
Also, in the hype for Shelton Benjamin, I dug up The World's Greatest Tag Team's theme, and it's all kinds of awesome. Haas is like semi-retired but I hope they bring him in for them versus Alpha.
Honourable Mention: Baron Corbin vs Apollo Crews vs Kalisto - No.1 Contender's Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
We've got another pretty damn cool main event on SmackDown! LIVE taking the shape of Bray Wyatt challenging Dolph Ziggler for the No.1 contender's spot for Mean Dean Ambrokerlund's WWE World Championship. Dolph started us off by taking all his anger on Wyatt in a flurry as soon as the bell went twang. It didn't take too long for the momentum to shift and it all became about Bray beating the piss out of The Showoff. He slapped on a headlock that seemed to last forever, but things picked up sure enough. I will never grow tired of Bray's uranage, lift the fucker up-bring the fucker down. The back end saw some shenanigans with an exposed turnbuckle, leading to Dolph eventually winning, once again using his superkick to win. Pretty nice stuff right here. Glad to see Wyatt actually show some interest in championships.
As for the honourable mention, we had a real cool triple threat to decide who's gonna be facing The Miz at SummerSlam for his Intercontinental Championship. There was a lot of cool spots and sequences put in place that I really liked with all three being incorporated and involved in some way, and judging by how it ended we might be getting another Intercontinental Title Fatal-4-Way. Should be good.
Also, in the hype for Shelton Benjamin, I dug up The World's Greatest Tag Team's theme, and it's all kinds of awesome. Haas is like semi-retired but I hope they bring him in for them versus Alpha.
NXT
Best Match on NXT (3/8/16): The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) vs TM-61 (Shane Thorne & Nick Miller)
SAY YEAH! The Revival are back and claiming their stake in this little blog of mine, this time against the Australian tag team of TM-61. I was there for this one too (and all the way til TakeOver) and I loved shouting 'YEAH' with The Revival's theme.
The early goings had TM-61 getting the upper hand over the champions until some dirty work came into play, allowing Dash and Dawson to dissect the arm of Thorne. I feel like The Revival didn't quite hit their usual mark of great tag team matches, they've not got the greatest chemistry with TM-61 but perhaps with a few more encounters they might be able to find their rhythm. Luckily, I've been hearing good things about The Revival's matches with Gargano and Ciampa on recent live events, so I'm looking forward to seeing those teams finally square off. The match ended with a DDT sort of outta nowhere, which was a pretty cool change. Overall, nice match, but at the same time, nothing too special.
Also, we got doused in greatness this week.
And not only that, it was accompanied by this absolute treat for your ears...
Roode's here baby! Hideo returned too but Bobby Roode!
SAY YEAH! The Revival are back and claiming their stake in this little blog of mine, this time against the Australian tag team of TM-61. I was there for this one too (and all the way til TakeOver) and I loved shouting 'YEAH' with The Revival's theme.
The early goings had TM-61 getting the upper hand over the champions until some dirty work came into play, allowing Dash and Dawson to dissect the arm of Thorne. I feel like The Revival didn't quite hit their usual mark of great tag team matches, they've not got the greatest chemistry with TM-61 but perhaps with a few more encounters they might be able to find their rhythm. Luckily, I've been hearing good things about The Revival's matches with Gargano and Ciampa on recent live events, so I'm looking forward to seeing those teams finally square off. The match ended with a DDT sort of outta nowhere, which was a pretty cool change. Overall, nice match, but at the same time, nothing too special.
Also, we got doused in greatness this week.
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| My view of this monumental moment |
Roode's here baby! Hideo returned too but Bobby Roode!
Cruiserweight Classic
Best Match on CWC (Episode 4): Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa
Talk about telling a story guys, this was the shit. Depicted in the video package and backstage segment, the first we've seen yet in this tournament, Ciampa and Gargano have formed a brotherly bond since teaming in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Then we have the two of them saying that having an opportunity like this in the tournament, they can't hold back. The interview was a bit hostile but all of this just made the impact of this match even greater.
Started off fairly normal, wristlocks and headlock takeovers, those sort of exchanges. That all change in an instant, seen when Gargano had the hammerlock on Ciampa who replied by driving his elbow through Johnny's head. Sweet Lou Ferrigno that was a fucking clattering shot, spit spewing every which way as Gargano just crumples to the mat. From then on, it was Ciampa's match for a good few minutes. Brutalising the fuck outta Johnny, little remorse shown, stopping Johnny's flurries in their tracks by throwing even more strikes at him.
But Johnny just kept kicking out and kicking out and didn't stay down. He'd lay there, pretty much motionless with his eyes focusing on nothing in particular, dead. This only made Ciampa do more and more to put him away, leading to this cataclysmic spot;
Talk about telling a story guys, this was the shit. Depicted in the video package and backstage segment, the first we've seen yet in this tournament, Ciampa and Gargano have formed a brotherly bond since teaming in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Then we have the two of them saying that having an opportunity like this in the tournament, they can't hold back. The interview was a bit hostile but all of this just made the impact of this match even greater.
Started off fairly normal, wristlocks and headlock takeovers, those sort of exchanges. That all change in an instant, seen when Gargano had the hammerlock on Ciampa who replied by driving his elbow through Johnny's head. Sweet Lou Ferrigno that was a fucking clattering shot, spit spewing every which way as Gargano just crumples to the mat. From then on, it was Ciampa's match for a good few minutes. Brutalising the fuck outta Johnny, little remorse shown, stopping Johnny's flurries in their tracks by throwing even more strikes at him.
But Johnny just kept kicking out and kicking out and didn't stay down. He'd lay there, pretty much motionless with his eyes focusing on nothing in particular, dead. This only made Ciampa do more and more to put him away, leading to this cataclysmic spot;
Pants were shat. Even then, Gargano kicks out. It's a little bit after this we see Ciampa show mercy in one of the pivotal points in the match. He lowers the knee pad, ready to wreck shit with it, and he looks at Johnny. He sees how helpless and broken he already is after already enduring so much. He stands there, looking on, before he slides the pad back up. This is how you tell stories in that squared circle.
Fucking incredible. The look in Ciampa's reaction after the kickout just sells everything about it perfectly.
The ending was great, Johnny managing to roll up his partner in a feat against the odds. Ciampa is in disbelief, he shuns the offered hand, makes to leave but bring himself back in the ring to embrace his partner, raise his hand and sit with him. Beautiful.
I've seen a lot of people heralding this as a Match of the Year candidate, and I have to agree. Incredible stuff here on the Cruiserweight Classic.
Ring of Honour
Fucking incredible. The look in Ciampa's reaction after the kickout just sells everything about it perfectly.
The ending was great, Johnny managing to roll up his partner in a feat against the odds. Ciampa is in disbelief, he shuns the offered hand, makes to leave but bring himself back in the ring to embrace his partner, raise his hand and sit with him. Beautiful.
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| Friendship |
Ring of Honour
Best Match on ROH TV: MOOSE vs Donovan Dijak
We had a Hoss-Off on ROH this week, between two of the more agile and athletic hosses of professional wrestling. The match started with a lot of action on the outside, they spent a good few minutes ringside. In this time we saw MOOSE swinging Dijak into the barricades and Dijak doing a sweet chokeslam onto the ring apron. It did eventually get back into the ring and it quickly became 'who can hit harder?', trading blows and big ol' power moves. Dijak would win this war of attrition, landing his 'Feast Your Eyes' finisher, which is essentially a reverse GTS. Good exciting match on the show here, and I should think this was probably MOOSE's last ROH TV appearance now that he has started in TNA.
We had a Hoss-Off on ROH this week, between two of the more agile and athletic hosses of professional wrestling. The match started with a lot of action on the outside, they spent a good few minutes ringside. In this time we saw MOOSE swinging Dijak into the barricades and Dijak doing a sweet chokeslam onto the ring apron. It did eventually get back into the ring and it quickly became 'who can hit harder?', trading blows and big ol' power moves. Dijak would win this war of attrition, landing his 'Feast Your Eyes' finisher, which is essentially a reverse GTS. Good exciting match on the show here, and I should think this was probably MOOSE's last ROH TV appearance now that he has started in TNA.
The Verdict
Best Match of the Week: Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa - Cruiserweight Classic (Episode 4)
Clearly this week's standout, Gargano/Ciampa is arguably the best match we've witnessed so far in the CWC, and potentially the Match of the Year, it was sheer bliss in wrestling form. This whole episode was great though, Swann/Lee was real good, Dar/Sihra was good and Gallagher/Aichner was awesome. Definitely check this one out.
And just like that, here's what the leaderboard looks like following this week's best matches. I wish you well in your adventures delving into this crazy but glorious world of pro wrestling, and I hope you enjoy yourselves thoroughly.
And also this.
Clearly this week's standout, Gargano/Ciampa is arguably the best match we've witnessed so far in the CWC, and potentially the Match of the Year, it was sheer bliss in wrestling form. This whole episode was great though, Swann/Lee was real good, Dar/Sihra was good and Gallagher/Aichner was awesome. Definitely check this one out.
And just like that, here's what the leaderboard looks like following this week's best matches. I wish you well in your adventures delving into this crazy but glorious world of pro wrestling, and I hope you enjoy yourselves thoroughly.
And also this.
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