WWE Royal Rumble 2019
January 27, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
The
official road to WrestleMania begins in the desert where two Royal
Rumbles dictate the landscape of WrestleMania. Meanwhile, four big world
championship matches fill in the rest of the show including Finn Balor
having the challenge of the lifetime... a Universal Championship match
against Brock Lesnar.
Match 5: WWE Championship - Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles
The buildup leading into this match on episodes of SmackDown were absolutely terrific so the excitement for this one was certainly high. Unfortunately, those expectations were absolutely shot down here for this match. Whoever had the spot of following the first Rumble of the night would be stuck in a bad predicament considering how deflated the crowd would be from it. Having a fairly short match filled with lots of big spots would be the best case scenario for the two here, especially considering how heated their feud has been. Instead, we got an extremely long match that didn't match the intensity they brought in the television programming leading into this. This isn't to say the action in the ring wasn't enjoyable, it just dragged on for way too long than it needed to and about half way in, the crowd could not care less about who the winner was going to be. Eventually, Erick Rowan came out and helped Bryan win the match by delivering a Chokeslam to Styles. Seriously, what was that? Having Rowan come out to interfere in the match just seemed to anticlimactic in a match that just seemingly wasn't going to end. Love these two to death but this one gets a thumbs down.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: WWE Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor
This is another championship match for the night with a great backstory to it. Finn Balor beat out three other guys to earn his spot here against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. The build to this match was great and they did a fantastic job of making the fans believe in Balor being able to tackle the giant. If the crowd was dead for the last match, they definitely woke up for this one and having high hopes in Balor being able to score the win of a lifetime. Balor is able to catch Lesnar early on while Lesnar had his head turned away for a split second to start the match. Balor relied on his speed to try and take down Lesnar but was quickly caught and tossed around. However, the match would spill outside where Balor was able to drive Lesnar's gut into the corner of an announcers table twice before hitting a Coup de Gras on Lesnar in the middle of the ring. However, Lesnar is able to lock in a Kimura submission on Balor quickly to submit Balor for the win. Afterwards, Lesnar delivered an F5 to Balor for his troubles. Great match and exactly what it needed to be. Lesnar really works great with smaller opponents and this is a great example. For a split second, Balor looked to have the match in the bag until Lesnar turned the tides at the very end. Good stuff.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: 2019 Men's Royal Rumble Match
With your Royal Rumble match, you always want to have a bit of everything. You want action and you want drama... but you also want some comedy and good fluidity to the match. I believe that's certainly what we got here for the most part in this year's Rumble match. Enjoyed the start with Elias knocking out Jeff Jarrett with a guitar shot before eliminating him and then getting the match going from there. Good flow to the match here and it was also cool to see a couple NXT guys come in and get some time in the match. Also loved the couple funny spots with Titus O'Neil making sure he didn't trip under the ring or No Way Jose getting eliminated. But tt became pretty clear that the winner was going to be Seth Rollins after Bobby Lashley drove him through an announcers table. The final four came down to Rollins, Andrade, Dolph Ziggler and Braun Strowman. A solid four guys to close out the night. Finally, it was down to Rollins and Strowman. Rollins and Strowman had a great exchange before hitting a Stomp to Strowman on the ring apron to score one of the biggest victories of his career. Loved the finish here with the right man going over despite it being fairly obvious once things were narrowing down. Would have been interesting to see a swerve with Strowman or perhaps even Andrade getting the win. But sometimes, it's the most obvious pick that makes the most sense and that was definitely the case here.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The main event was great and there were a few solid matches on here including a great bout between Asuka and Becky Lynch. However, this show was long... much longer than it needed to be. The length of the show really allowed some of the matches to suffer with the crowd being so fatigued from it all. Say what you want but you know it's true. But if anything, the show at least ended on a great note.
Rating: 6.5/10
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Friday, January 24, 2020
WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Review (Part 1)
WWE Royal Rumble 2019
January 27, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
The official road to WrestleMania begins in the desert where two Royal Rumbles dictate the landscape of WrestleMania. Meanwhile, four big world championship matches fill in the rest of the show including Finn Balor having the challenge of the lifetime... a Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar.
Match 1: WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch
The top women on SmackDown open up the night as Becky Lynch looks to really start off 2019 the same way she ended her 2018... on a huge note. Absolutely love the setup for the show here with the wrestlers entering from the dugout with fans being very close to the stage. Great choice to have these two jerk the curtain with so many title matches on the card, this one was arguably the one that got the least amount of hype so opening the show with it was a great call to not let it get lost in the scuffle. Fun opening match here with the two ladies going at it and giving each other some sick shots and nice submission spots that had the crowd having no clue who would come out on top. Loved the creativeness here between the two like seeing Asuka put an Asuka Lock on Lynch on the ropes or Lynch putting Asuka in an Asuka Lock. The last few minutes of the match had some sweet exchanges before Asuka was able to finally get Lynch to tap out.
Winner: Asuka
Rating: ****
Match 2: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship - The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon
The second title match of the night is once again from the SmackDown side of things as the unusual pairing of The Miz and Shane McMahon look to take down both Sheamus and Cesaro of The Bar for the gold... or silver if we're being technical. Slow start to the match here for the first half until the teams ramped things up a bit for the second half. Sheamus and Cesaro are great in setting up big spots throughout the match including a near callback to driving McMahon through one of the announcers tables and catching McMahon from hitting his patented Coast-to-Coast. Finally, an inadvertent Brogue Kick from Sheamus to Cesaro set up an opening for Miz to hit a Skull Crushing Finale before McMahon hit a Shooting Star Press to seal the win. Good match for what it was but would have probably preferred to see it be a little shorter than what it was. The win for Miz and McMahon was a bit predictable but still fun to see the finish and an interesting way for them to go into WrestleMania.
Winners: The Miz & Shane McMahon
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: WWE Raw Women's Championship - Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Arguably the biggest match for Ronda Rousey as the Raw Women's Champion here against Sasha Banks. Early on, the two are able to establish something to work around the match with Rousey inadvertently driving her elbow into one of the ring posts. Banks did a great job of working her moves and more so her submissions around that exact arm that had been bothering Rousey. Banks looked ferocious here and tried submitting Rousey by biting her fingers and even using a piece of her own attire against Rousey during one of her submissions. While much of the match was dominated by Banks, Rousey did a good job of getting in some of her offense in and really showing the audience that she has some seriously nice moves in the ring. However, much of the match just did feel like it was Banks in control of things while we were all just waiting for Rousey to basically overcome the odds at the very end. That is exactly what happened here with Rousey being able to hit another Piper's Pit to score the win after taking an offensive onslaught from Banks. Solid match that probably could have been scored a little higher if they continued the pace they had at the end of the match for a few more minutes or so.
Winner: Ronda Rousey
Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: 2019 Women's Royal Rumble Match
Smart call to have the Women's Royal Rumble Match in the middle of the night, keeps the ball rolling and prevent things from dragging on too much. Unfortunately, this Rumble match just wasn't clicking too well from the start. While the bigger names in Natalya and Charlotte Flair came out in the first half of the match, the match just wasn't anything out of the ordinary and the crowd had a pretty hard time keeping their interest early on. While the Rumble is a great way to introduce some NXT names to the larger WWE crowd, it certainly felt like there were way too many of them and the crowd stayed wondering who they were actually watching. Things finally got a little more interesting when Becky Lynch came out to take the place of an injured Lana where the match came down to herself, Charlotte and Nia Jax. The perfect three women to end the match here. Lynch was able to eliminate Jax from the outside before Jax later on shoved Lynch off the top of the stairs. This caused Lynch to injure her knee and before the referee was about to call Charlotte the winner, Lynch willed her way back in the ring. The two exchanged for a few minutes before Lynch was able to eliminate Charlotte to secure the win and a spot at WrestleMania. Solid ending to a rather bland Rumble. The right person won and they did a fantastic job of setting up her triumphant victory.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: ***
January 27, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
The official road to WrestleMania begins in the desert where two Royal Rumbles dictate the landscape of WrestleMania. Meanwhile, four big world championship matches fill in the rest of the show including Finn Balor having the challenge of the lifetime... a Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar.
Match 1: WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch
The top women on SmackDown open up the night as Becky Lynch looks to really start off 2019 the same way she ended her 2018... on a huge note. Absolutely love the setup for the show here with the wrestlers entering from the dugout with fans being very close to the stage. Great choice to have these two jerk the curtain with so many title matches on the card, this one was arguably the one that got the least amount of hype so opening the show with it was a great call to not let it get lost in the scuffle. Fun opening match here with the two ladies going at it and giving each other some sick shots and nice submission spots that had the crowd having no clue who would come out on top. Loved the creativeness here between the two like seeing Asuka put an Asuka Lock on Lynch on the ropes or Lynch putting Asuka in an Asuka Lock. The last few minutes of the match had some sweet exchanges before Asuka was able to finally get Lynch to tap out.
Winner: Asuka
Rating: ****
Match 2: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship - The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon
The second title match of the night is once again from the SmackDown side of things as the unusual pairing of The Miz and Shane McMahon look to take down both Sheamus and Cesaro of The Bar for the gold... or silver if we're being technical. Slow start to the match here for the first half until the teams ramped things up a bit for the second half. Sheamus and Cesaro are great in setting up big spots throughout the match including a near callback to driving McMahon through one of the announcers tables and catching McMahon from hitting his patented Coast-to-Coast. Finally, an inadvertent Brogue Kick from Sheamus to Cesaro set up an opening for Miz to hit a Skull Crushing Finale before McMahon hit a Shooting Star Press to seal the win. Good match for what it was but would have probably preferred to see it be a little shorter than what it was. The win for Miz and McMahon was a bit predictable but still fun to see the finish and an interesting way for them to go into WrestleMania.
Winners: The Miz & Shane McMahon
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: WWE Raw Women's Championship - Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Arguably the biggest match for Ronda Rousey as the Raw Women's Champion here against Sasha Banks. Early on, the two are able to establish something to work around the match with Rousey inadvertently driving her elbow into one of the ring posts. Banks did a great job of working her moves and more so her submissions around that exact arm that had been bothering Rousey. Banks looked ferocious here and tried submitting Rousey by biting her fingers and even using a piece of her own attire against Rousey during one of her submissions. While much of the match was dominated by Banks, Rousey did a good job of getting in some of her offense in and really showing the audience that she has some seriously nice moves in the ring. However, much of the match just did feel like it was Banks in control of things while we were all just waiting for Rousey to basically overcome the odds at the very end. That is exactly what happened here with Rousey being able to hit another Piper's Pit to score the win after taking an offensive onslaught from Banks. Solid match that probably could have been scored a little higher if they continued the pace they had at the end of the match for a few more minutes or so.
Winner: Ronda Rousey
Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: 2019 Women's Royal Rumble Match
Smart call to have the Women's Royal Rumble Match in the middle of the night, keeps the ball rolling and prevent things from dragging on too much. Unfortunately, this Rumble match just wasn't clicking too well from the start. While the bigger names in Natalya and Charlotte Flair came out in the first half of the match, the match just wasn't anything out of the ordinary and the crowd had a pretty hard time keeping their interest early on. While the Rumble is a great way to introduce some NXT names to the larger WWE crowd, it certainly felt like there were way too many of them and the crowd stayed wondering who they were actually watching. Things finally got a little more interesting when Becky Lynch came out to take the place of an injured Lana where the match came down to herself, Charlotte and Nia Jax. The perfect three women to end the match here. Lynch was able to eliminate Jax from the outside before Jax later on shoved Lynch off the top of the stairs. This caused Lynch to injure her knee and before the referee was about to call Charlotte the winner, Lynch willed her way back in the ring. The two exchanged for a few minutes before Lynch was able to eliminate Charlotte to secure the win and a spot at WrestleMania. Solid ending to a rather bland Rumble. The right person won and they did a fantastic job of setting up her triumphant victory.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: ***
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
WWE's Top 10 Matches of 2019 Review (Part 1)
2019 was certainly a wild year in the WWE and while 2020 is already
here, I finally had time to stop and relive some of the best moments and
matches from last year. WWE posted their top 10 matches of 2019 on The
WWE Network and I decided to check them out and give you my thoughts on
each match.
#10: WWE Summerslam 2019 - WWE Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins
After winning the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, Seth Rollins finds himself having to go through The Beast once more to regain the gold in the main event here at Summerslam. Rollins is nursing some serious rib injuries after weeks on beatdowns inflicted by Lesnar on episodes of Monday Night Raw. This match was exactly what it needed to be, fast and full of action. Lesnar was great in his role here by toying around with Rollins and tossing him around like a rag doll, really putting an emphasis on those injured ribs. Rollins was great in his role here, too, selling the injuries perfectly and using his creativeness to score any type of offense whenever he had the chance. His Stomps seemed desperate and essential to taking down Lesnar with a highlight being a splash from the top rope through one of the announcers tables. Rollins was able to hit one last Stomp to secure the win and gain his second Universal Championship reign. Awesome main event match that featured a hot crowd from the start to the finish. When he wants to be, Lesnar is the best in the game.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***3/4
#9: WWE WrestleMania 35 - WWE Raw Women's Championship & WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Of course, these three are creating history by main eventing the very first all women's WrestleMania main event match. Much debate leading into this match if Charlotte Flair should even be in the match considering much of the heat was between Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch. But personally, I dig the idea of adding a third wheel and considering how big of a star Charlotte is, she has more than earned this spot. First off, the entrances for the three here were incredible. WWE did an amazing job of advertising this match and truly building it up as the biggest match of the year. However, this match simply just felt like an array of moves from everyone and no real pace here. At this point in the show, the crowd was definitely tired from what has been an extremely long show. While the action was fun to watch, much of it felt forced and even sluggish at times. To make things worse, the finish just seemed so off and underwhelming with Lynch getting the win from an odd pin attempt that left so many wondering what exactly happened. Regardless, it doesn't take away from the beautiful moment of Lynch holding her belts as the pyro erupted to close out the show.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: ***
#8: WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 - WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
With Kofi Kingston replacing Mustafa Ali in this Elimination Chamber match, he finally gets the opportunity he had been craving for his entire career. If Daniel Bryan wanted to retain his WWE Championship, he would have to do so as one of the first two participants to start the match with the other being Samoa Joe. Loved the idea of having Kingston enter the match third as the crowd was hot for him and injecting him fairly in the match kept the Kofi drama rolling fast and early. Tons of action from the beginning to the very end here with some cool spots we have never seen in the Chamber before like Jeff Hardy hitting a Swanton Bomb from the top of a pod onto AJ Styles as Styles was laying on a turnbuckle corner. However, the match was truly focused around Bryan and Kingston, it was the match everyone was wanting to see and once it came down to the two, the crowd absolutely lit up for it. Seeing Kingston nearly score the win and having the crowd erupt was an awesome moment. Bryan proved to be too much as a second Running Knee scored him the big win as Kingston and the rest of New Day closed out the show together in disappointment with the WrestleMania sign looming in the back, what a sight. Loved this match but the showdown between Bryan and Kingston may have gone a tad bit longer than it needed to. Regardless, fun match and a great way to head into WrestleMania.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ****1/2
#7: WWE NXT TakeOver: New York 2019 - WWE U.K. Championship - Pete Dunne (c) vs. WALTER
Huge match on another stacked TakeOver event here with Pete Dunne being brought in to defend his U.K. Championship against he surging WALTER. The commentators were very present in letting us know the size differential between the two competitors early on and both Dunne and WALTER were great in showing the audience how Dunne would have to be keen and sneaky in order to take down the much larger WALTER. Both have such physical styles and it meshed well here, the two beat the living daylights out of each other with some serious chops and elbows constantly being delivered to each other throughout the match. Seriously, these were some of the nastiest hits I've seen in a WWE ring in a very long time. Despite being completely outsized, Dunne was fantastic in his role of making the match believable from the start and breaking down WALTER by his hands. Eventually, he was able to throw some serious bombs against WALTER before getting hit with an insane powerbomb from the top rope. WALTER then followed it up with a splash from the top to seal the big win. Great match, maybe a tad too long than it needed to be but it doesn't take much away from what was truly a special match.
Winner: WALTER
Rating: ****1/4
#6: WWE Money in the Bank 2019 - Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor vs. Ricochet vs. Andrade vs. Ali vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar
With Braun Strowman being eliminated from the equation here, it looks like this year's Men's Money in the Bank match is open for the taking. Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre formed a little bit of an alliance here as they would turn their attentions to the other competitors in the ring before seeing what would happen when it came down to just those two. We all know how that always turns out. As usual, plenty of cool spots here with a couple of spots that I've never seen. For instance, Andrade slamming Finn Balor off the top of a ladder through another ladder was a spectacle to see. Seeing Balor bounce off the ladder like it was a spring was a sick sight and easily one of the biggest highlights of the year. McIntyre also looked like a beast here and WWE did a great job early on in really building this guy up to be a legitimate monster, absolutely loved the spot that saw him toss Ricochet outside the ring through a ladder. However, a very strange finish to this one here. ALI looked to finally score the biggest win of his career until Brock Lesnar's music hits. Lesnar runs out, pushes a ladder onto a few cameramen before pushing the ladder with ALI on it. Lesnar sets up a ladder and climbs up to grab the briefcase and score the win. Couple things here... ALI was at the very top of the ladder when Lesnar's music hit, why couldn't he have just grabbed the damn thing? Secondly, I love whenever Lesnar scores a big win, nothing satisfies me more than seeing the internet fans get pissy over it. However, did Lesnar really need to win this match to get back his Universal Championship? I think this opportunity could have given to someone to challenge for the WWE Championship while Lesnar would still have his sights on the other title after this match. Regardless, fun main event match here and glad to see many of the nerds mad over this one.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ****1/4
#10: WWE Summerslam 2019 - WWE Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins
After winning the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, Seth Rollins finds himself having to go through The Beast once more to regain the gold in the main event here at Summerslam. Rollins is nursing some serious rib injuries after weeks on beatdowns inflicted by Lesnar on episodes of Monday Night Raw. This match was exactly what it needed to be, fast and full of action. Lesnar was great in his role here by toying around with Rollins and tossing him around like a rag doll, really putting an emphasis on those injured ribs. Rollins was great in his role here, too, selling the injuries perfectly and using his creativeness to score any type of offense whenever he had the chance. His Stomps seemed desperate and essential to taking down Lesnar with a highlight being a splash from the top rope through one of the announcers tables. Rollins was able to hit one last Stomp to secure the win and gain his second Universal Championship reign. Awesome main event match that featured a hot crowd from the start to the finish. When he wants to be, Lesnar is the best in the game.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***3/4
#9: WWE WrestleMania 35 - WWE Raw Women's Championship & WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Of course, these three are creating history by main eventing the very first all women's WrestleMania main event match. Much debate leading into this match if Charlotte Flair should even be in the match considering much of the heat was between Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch. But personally, I dig the idea of adding a third wheel and considering how big of a star Charlotte is, she has more than earned this spot. First off, the entrances for the three here were incredible. WWE did an amazing job of advertising this match and truly building it up as the biggest match of the year. However, this match simply just felt like an array of moves from everyone and no real pace here. At this point in the show, the crowd was definitely tired from what has been an extremely long show. While the action was fun to watch, much of it felt forced and even sluggish at times. To make things worse, the finish just seemed so off and underwhelming with Lynch getting the win from an odd pin attempt that left so many wondering what exactly happened. Regardless, it doesn't take away from the beautiful moment of Lynch holding her belts as the pyro erupted to close out the show.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: ***
#8: WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 - WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
With Kofi Kingston replacing Mustafa Ali in this Elimination Chamber match, he finally gets the opportunity he had been craving for his entire career. If Daniel Bryan wanted to retain his WWE Championship, he would have to do so as one of the first two participants to start the match with the other being Samoa Joe. Loved the idea of having Kingston enter the match third as the crowd was hot for him and injecting him fairly in the match kept the Kofi drama rolling fast and early. Tons of action from the beginning to the very end here with some cool spots we have never seen in the Chamber before like Jeff Hardy hitting a Swanton Bomb from the top of a pod onto AJ Styles as Styles was laying on a turnbuckle corner. However, the match was truly focused around Bryan and Kingston, it was the match everyone was wanting to see and once it came down to the two, the crowd absolutely lit up for it. Seeing Kingston nearly score the win and having the crowd erupt was an awesome moment. Bryan proved to be too much as a second Running Knee scored him the big win as Kingston and the rest of New Day closed out the show together in disappointment with the WrestleMania sign looming in the back, what a sight. Loved this match but the showdown between Bryan and Kingston may have gone a tad bit longer than it needed to. Regardless, fun match and a great way to head into WrestleMania.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ****1/2
#7: WWE NXT TakeOver: New York 2019 - WWE U.K. Championship - Pete Dunne (c) vs. WALTER
Huge match on another stacked TakeOver event here with Pete Dunne being brought in to defend his U.K. Championship against he surging WALTER. The commentators were very present in letting us know the size differential between the two competitors early on and both Dunne and WALTER were great in showing the audience how Dunne would have to be keen and sneaky in order to take down the much larger WALTER. Both have such physical styles and it meshed well here, the two beat the living daylights out of each other with some serious chops and elbows constantly being delivered to each other throughout the match. Seriously, these were some of the nastiest hits I've seen in a WWE ring in a very long time. Despite being completely outsized, Dunne was fantastic in his role of making the match believable from the start and breaking down WALTER by his hands. Eventually, he was able to throw some serious bombs against WALTER before getting hit with an insane powerbomb from the top rope. WALTER then followed it up with a splash from the top to seal the big win. Great match, maybe a tad too long than it needed to be but it doesn't take much away from what was truly a special match.
Winner: WALTER
Rating: ****1/4
#6: WWE Money in the Bank 2019 - Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor vs. Ricochet vs. Andrade vs. Ali vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar
With Braun Strowman being eliminated from the equation here, it looks like this year's Men's Money in the Bank match is open for the taking. Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre formed a little bit of an alliance here as they would turn their attentions to the other competitors in the ring before seeing what would happen when it came down to just those two. We all know how that always turns out. As usual, plenty of cool spots here with a couple of spots that I've never seen. For instance, Andrade slamming Finn Balor off the top of a ladder through another ladder was a spectacle to see. Seeing Balor bounce off the ladder like it was a spring was a sick sight and easily one of the biggest highlights of the year. McIntyre also looked like a beast here and WWE did a great job early on in really building this guy up to be a legitimate monster, absolutely loved the spot that saw him toss Ricochet outside the ring through a ladder. However, a very strange finish to this one here. ALI looked to finally score the biggest win of his career until Brock Lesnar's music hits. Lesnar runs out, pushes a ladder onto a few cameramen before pushing the ladder with ALI on it. Lesnar sets up a ladder and climbs up to grab the briefcase and score the win. Couple things here... ALI was at the very top of the ladder when Lesnar's music hit, why couldn't he have just grabbed the damn thing? Secondly, I love whenever Lesnar scores a big win, nothing satisfies me more than seeing the internet fans get pissy over it. However, did Lesnar really need to win this match to get back his Universal Championship? I think this opportunity could have given to someone to challenge for the WWE Championship while Lesnar would still have his sights on the other title after this match. Regardless, fun main event match here and glad to see many of the nerds mad over this one.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ****1/4
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Top 5 WWE Superstars of the Decade
Can you believe the 2010s have finally come to a close? It seriously feels like yesterday that we were all getting ready for WrestleMania XXVI. Fast forward to now and we are getting ready for WrestleMania 36 with some new faces and some old faces being front and center in the WWE realm. There's been so many Superstars who have taken the decade by storm so compiling a top 5 list was a very difficult task. Nonetheless, here is my list and why I believe these stars were the five best...
5. Randy Orton
The most underrated characteristic a wrestler can have is consistency. A consistency to show up, perform and always put on a damn good show at that. As a matter of fact, Randy Orton has done that at nearly a main event level since the start of 2010. Of this list, Orton is the only wrestler to have started as a top name from 2010 and finish as a top name here in 2019. Whether Orton was competing as a babyface or a heel, the audience was simply invested in what he was doing. His best work was arguably in 2011 where he had some of his best matches against the likes of Christian and Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship. From multiple world championship wins, to winning his second Royal Rumble and to even winning a Money in the Bank Ladder Match, his resume more than speaks for itself.
4. John Cena
This is where the list begins to get really controversial. I really wanted to rank John Cena higher than this position but I think with the next three guys you will see on this list, this is ultimately the right spot for him. Like Orton, Cena began the decade as a marquee name in the business. But unlike Orton, Cena did not finish off the decade on top as he would only make sporadic appearances in the company starting in about 2017 or so in order to focus on other ventures. Regardless, his catalog of accomplishments and amazing matches during this time frame cannot be overlooked. Put aside the fact that the man won tons of championships and events and just look at the quality and quantity of matches the man had. Say what you want about the man, but his matches against guys like CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles and Seth Rollins speak for itself. When all is said and done, we will have to seriously consider John Cena as the greatest of all time.
3. Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns first appeared on WWE television in late 2012 as a member of The Shield. The trio of Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose ran rampant through the company before breaking up in 2014. It was no secret at the time, Reigns was picked to be the golden boy of the group and the company looked to make him the new face of the WWE as John Cena began to step away from the limelight. Although it was Rollins to be the first member of The Shield to become a world champion, it was arguably Reigns who was the first member to truly make their mark on the main event scene. A 2015 Royal Rumble victory propelled Reigns into three straight WrestleMania main events along with multiple world championships and multiple amazing matches. Reigns does not carry a long of a catalog as both Orton or Cena but certainly carries an incredible one that makes up for those missing years in the beginning of the decade. He became the face of the WWE for damn good reason.
2. Daniel Bryan
Of all the wrestlers on this list, I don't think anyone has a more inspiring or more wild one than that of Daniel Bryan. Bryan began the decade on the original NXT show before legitimately getting fired from the company. Upon return, Bryan willed his way to the main event scene and eventually forced the WWE to have him main event an incredible WrestleMania XXX. The "YES" movement became worldwide and his career had finally reached its peak... until he was forced to retire in early 2016. A sad and abrupt end to an amazing career left so many hearts broken until Bryan was eventually medically cleared to wrestle again in 2018. Bryan continued to reinvent himself as he became an environmental-obsessed heel in late 2018 where he would eventually win the WWE Championship against AJ Styles. Charisma, popularity, in-ring abilities and the power to reinvent himself when needed is what helped put Bryan on this list.
1. Brock Lesnar
Love it or absolutely hate it, Brock Lesnar is the WWE Superstar of the decade and in my opinion... it's not even close. The thought of Lesnar returning to the WWE after his departure in 2004 seemed like a dream that would never happen. However, Lesnar eventually left the UFC in 2011 before returning to the WWE in 2012 and immediately making an impact with an F5 to John Cena on the Raw after WrestleMania in Miami that left the crowd in complete disbelief. Lesnar was different this time around, he was a legitimate monster and the people treated him as such. His star soared highest in 2014 when at WrestleMania XXX, he broke The Streak in what can be seen as the most memorable and infamous WrestleMania moment ever. Soon after, he demolished John Cena to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and really... never looked back. He became the longest reigning world champion in the history of the company to go along with so many main event victories and above all, becoming the most controversial and most talk about figure in the company's history. You can call him boring and you can call him whatever the damn hell you please, but you have to respect the legitimacy he brought to the business this decade to go along with some of the most shocking and memorable moments in the history of professional wrestling.
5. Randy Orton
The most underrated characteristic a wrestler can have is consistency. A consistency to show up, perform and always put on a damn good show at that. As a matter of fact, Randy Orton has done that at nearly a main event level since the start of 2010. Of this list, Orton is the only wrestler to have started as a top name from 2010 and finish as a top name here in 2019. Whether Orton was competing as a babyface or a heel, the audience was simply invested in what he was doing. His best work was arguably in 2011 where he had some of his best matches against the likes of Christian and Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship. From multiple world championship wins, to winning his second Royal Rumble and to even winning a Money in the Bank Ladder Match, his resume more than speaks for itself.
4. John Cena
This is where the list begins to get really controversial. I really wanted to rank John Cena higher than this position but I think with the next three guys you will see on this list, this is ultimately the right spot for him. Like Orton, Cena began the decade as a marquee name in the business. But unlike Orton, Cena did not finish off the decade on top as he would only make sporadic appearances in the company starting in about 2017 or so in order to focus on other ventures. Regardless, his catalog of accomplishments and amazing matches during this time frame cannot be overlooked. Put aside the fact that the man won tons of championships and events and just look at the quality and quantity of matches the man had. Say what you want about the man, but his matches against guys like CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles and Seth Rollins speak for itself. When all is said and done, we will have to seriously consider John Cena as the greatest of all time.
3. Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns first appeared on WWE television in late 2012 as a member of The Shield. The trio of Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose ran rampant through the company before breaking up in 2014. It was no secret at the time, Reigns was picked to be the golden boy of the group and the company looked to make him the new face of the WWE as John Cena began to step away from the limelight. Although it was Rollins to be the first member of The Shield to become a world champion, it was arguably Reigns who was the first member to truly make their mark on the main event scene. A 2015 Royal Rumble victory propelled Reigns into three straight WrestleMania main events along with multiple world championships and multiple amazing matches. Reigns does not carry a long of a catalog as both Orton or Cena but certainly carries an incredible one that makes up for those missing years in the beginning of the decade. He became the face of the WWE for damn good reason.
2. Daniel Bryan
Of all the wrestlers on this list, I don't think anyone has a more inspiring or more wild one than that of Daniel Bryan. Bryan began the decade on the original NXT show before legitimately getting fired from the company. Upon return, Bryan willed his way to the main event scene and eventually forced the WWE to have him main event an incredible WrestleMania XXX. The "YES" movement became worldwide and his career had finally reached its peak... until he was forced to retire in early 2016. A sad and abrupt end to an amazing career left so many hearts broken until Bryan was eventually medically cleared to wrestle again in 2018. Bryan continued to reinvent himself as he became an environmental-obsessed heel in late 2018 where he would eventually win the WWE Championship against AJ Styles. Charisma, popularity, in-ring abilities and the power to reinvent himself when needed is what helped put Bryan on this list.
1. Brock Lesnar
Love it or absolutely hate it, Brock Lesnar is the WWE Superstar of the decade and in my opinion... it's not even close. The thought of Lesnar returning to the WWE after his departure in 2004 seemed like a dream that would never happen. However, Lesnar eventually left the UFC in 2011 before returning to the WWE in 2012 and immediately making an impact with an F5 to John Cena on the Raw after WrestleMania in Miami that left the crowd in complete disbelief. Lesnar was different this time around, he was a legitimate monster and the people treated him as such. His star soared highest in 2014 when at WrestleMania XXX, he broke The Streak in what can be seen as the most memorable and infamous WrestleMania moment ever. Soon after, he demolished John Cena to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and really... never looked back. He became the longest reigning world champion in the history of the company to go along with so many main event victories and above all, becoming the most controversial and most talk about figure in the company's history. You can call him boring and you can call him whatever the damn hell you please, but you have to respect the legitimacy he brought to the business this decade to go along with some of the most shocking and memorable moments in the history of professional wrestling.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
WWE TLC 2015 Review
WWE TLC 2015
December 13, 2015
Boston, Massachusetts
The final PPV event of 2015 sees Roman Reigns try to regain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus in a TLC Match. Is Reigns up to the challenge or will Sheamus escape Boston with another big PPV victory?
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championship - Ladder Match - The New Day (c) vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos
What a way to open up the night with a wild Ladder Match with three of the hottest tag teams in the company. The New Day working as heels was an amazing act, would love for them to go back to heels one day. Big E and Kofi Kingston represent The New Day for the match with Xavier Woods being on commentary and getting his hand prints on the match later on. This was certainly one of the more overlooked matches of the year with all teams giving it their all throughout the match with some innovative spots that had the crowd rocking to start the show. Highlight of the match was Kalisto delivering a Selena del Sol off the top of a ladder and driving one of The Usos through another ladder set up in the ring. Crazy spot. Unfortunately for him and Sin Cara, Woods would involve himself in the match by tossing his trombone to Kalisto which allowed Kingston to toss Kalisto off the ladder and grab the belts to win the match. Wow, what a match. Super overlooked match that everyone needs to check out!
Winners: The New Day
Rating: ****1/2
Match 2: Rusev vs. Ryback
What an odd match to follow up with. Nothing screams 2015 like Rusev vs. Ryback on a PPV. Pretty standard match here with Lana watching closely in the background as she cheers on her man. Crowd was pretty taken out of the fun for the match here and could not care less for what was happening. With Lana pretending that Ryback ran her over outside the ring, Rusev would later take advantage and lock in his Accolade submission to secure the win. Take it or leave it. At this point, Ryback's run in the WWE has come to a screeching halt.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: WWE United States Championship - Chairs Match - Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger
With Alberto Del Rio turning on his manager in Zeb Culter, Jack Swagger looks to fight in his defense against Del Rio for the United States Championship... in a Chairs Match. Always thought that this was one of the WWE's oddest stipulations but in this case, the two here made the match work. Del Rio was great in making those chair shots look nasty and meaningful throughout the match and coming off as a nasty heel that he is. Great ending to the match here with Del Rio stomping Swagger through his chest from the top rope on to a pool of steel chairs to seal the deal. Del Rio did a great job of selling the ankle injury after the match when Swagger locked in a Patriot Lock with a chair earlier on. Good middle of the card match here.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: Elimination Tables Match - The Wyatt Family vs. The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno & Tommy Dreamer
Here it is, the match you have all been waiting for as The Wyatt Family goes against some ECW Originals in a Tables Match. Keep in mind that the year here is still 2015. Wild. This match was exactly what you would expect, all eight guys beating the crap out of each other as the fans wondered what exactly they paid for. Lots of messy spots here with Braun Strowman eventually saving the day for The Wyatt Family by slamming Bubba Ray Dudley through a table before Bubba could drive Bray Wyatt through a table. If you like mindless table spots, this is for you. If not, pass on this. The real saving grace here was giving The Wyatt Family a win on PPV.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: *1/2
Match 5: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Any time you put these two against each other in a ring, sign my ass up. With the roster being so limited at the time due to injuries, this is basically the second main event match of the night and it's for Kevin Owens' Intercontinental Championship. As you would expect, fun match here with both guys beating the living daylights out of each other as the crowd ate up every minute of it. Even after hitting a Dirty Deeds DDT onto Owens, Ambrose was still unable to secure the win. However, it all set up for a sweet finish that saw Ambrose counter a Pop Up Powerbomb attempt from Owens into a pin to score the big win. Afterwards, Ambrose celebrates the win with the crowd as the new Intercontinental Champion. Great Match.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: WWE Divas Championship - Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Paige
It's interesting to look back at how much Charlotte Flair has evolved these past years and has really come onto her own. It felt like she was rushed to the main event scene here in 2015 and was essentially just a carbon copy of her dad. Her taunts, actions and moves all felt so forced and as if her persona was strictly just to be Ric Flair's daughter. That case was on full display here in her match against Paige. The action itself was decent but nowhere near as good as what she has become now in 2019. A little bit of a sluggish finish here with Ric helping Charlotte get her leg under a rope for a pin before Charlotte was able to drive Paige into an exposed turnbuckle... right in front of the referee. Charlotte scores the win and retains the belt in another successful PPV match.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - TLC Match - Sheamus (c) vs. Roman Reigns
The fans are already booing the match before it even begins, pro wrestling fans are the absolute worst. This match tends to be one of the more forgotten TLC matches and it's a shame because these two delivered when they really needed to. This was just a good ol' fashioned spot fest above all, table spots galore and it was just downright fun to watch it all go down. I think we all tend to be so damn technical in the way we match pro wrestling that we forget what it's supposed to at its core: fun. Tons of drama throughout the match with some really innovative spots that eventually kept the crowd from booing. One of the coolest spots saw Roman Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Sheamus off the ladder and through a table set up nearby. However, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev hit the ring to prevent Reigns from grabbing the belt. Eventually, Sheamus would hit Reigns with a Brogue Kick and grab the belt for the win. Fantastic main event, Reigns would go on to defeat Sheamus for the belt the next night on Monday Night Raw for those keeping score. After the match here, Reigns took out the three guys from League of Nations before Triple H came out to try and stop the mess. However, Reigns ended up beating the living daylights out of The Game for his troubles. Great way to send the fans home happy along with setting up the main event for WrestleMania.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Even with a couple weak matches on the card, the show still had a nice fluidity to it and the main matches really delivered. The opening contest and the main event match were both fantastic efforts and a nice way to close out the year with a banging PPV leading into the final weeks of 2015. The seeds for WrestleMania have officially been planted.
Rating: 7.75/10
December 13, 2015
Boston, Massachusetts
The final PPV event of 2015 sees Roman Reigns try to regain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus in a TLC Match. Is Reigns up to the challenge or will Sheamus escape Boston with another big PPV victory?
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championship - Ladder Match - The New Day (c) vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos
What a way to open up the night with a wild Ladder Match with three of the hottest tag teams in the company. The New Day working as heels was an amazing act, would love for them to go back to heels one day. Big E and Kofi Kingston represent The New Day for the match with Xavier Woods being on commentary and getting his hand prints on the match later on. This was certainly one of the more overlooked matches of the year with all teams giving it their all throughout the match with some innovative spots that had the crowd rocking to start the show. Highlight of the match was Kalisto delivering a Selena del Sol off the top of a ladder and driving one of The Usos through another ladder set up in the ring. Crazy spot. Unfortunately for him and Sin Cara, Woods would involve himself in the match by tossing his trombone to Kalisto which allowed Kingston to toss Kalisto off the ladder and grab the belts to win the match. Wow, what a match. Super overlooked match that everyone needs to check out!
Winners: The New Day
Rating: ****1/2
Match 2: Rusev vs. Ryback
What an odd match to follow up with. Nothing screams 2015 like Rusev vs. Ryback on a PPV. Pretty standard match here with Lana watching closely in the background as she cheers on her man. Crowd was pretty taken out of the fun for the match here and could not care less for what was happening. With Lana pretending that Ryback ran her over outside the ring, Rusev would later take advantage and lock in his Accolade submission to secure the win. Take it or leave it. At this point, Ryback's run in the WWE has come to a screeching halt.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: WWE United States Championship - Chairs Match - Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger
With Alberto Del Rio turning on his manager in Zeb Culter, Jack Swagger looks to fight in his defense against Del Rio for the United States Championship... in a Chairs Match. Always thought that this was one of the WWE's oddest stipulations but in this case, the two here made the match work. Del Rio was great in making those chair shots look nasty and meaningful throughout the match and coming off as a nasty heel that he is. Great ending to the match here with Del Rio stomping Swagger through his chest from the top rope on to a pool of steel chairs to seal the deal. Del Rio did a great job of selling the ankle injury after the match when Swagger locked in a Patriot Lock with a chair earlier on. Good middle of the card match here.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: Elimination Tables Match - The Wyatt Family vs. The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno & Tommy Dreamer
Here it is, the match you have all been waiting for as The Wyatt Family goes against some ECW Originals in a Tables Match. Keep in mind that the year here is still 2015. Wild. This match was exactly what you would expect, all eight guys beating the crap out of each other as the fans wondered what exactly they paid for. Lots of messy spots here with Braun Strowman eventually saving the day for The Wyatt Family by slamming Bubba Ray Dudley through a table before Bubba could drive Bray Wyatt through a table. If you like mindless table spots, this is for you. If not, pass on this. The real saving grace here was giving The Wyatt Family a win on PPV.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: *1/2
Match 5: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Any time you put these two against each other in a ring, sign my ass up. With the roster being so limited at the time due to injuries, this is basically the second main event match of the night and it's for Kevin Owens' Intercontinental Championship. As you would expect, fun match here with both guys beating the living daylights out of each other as the crowd ate up every minute of it. Even after hitting a Dirty Deeds DDT onto Owens, Ambrose was still unable to secure the win. However, it all set up for a sweet finish that saw Ambrose counter a Pop Up Powerbomb attempt from Owens into a pin to score the big win. Afterwards, Ambrose celebrates the win with the crowd as the new Intercontinental Champion. Great Match.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: WWE Divas Championship - Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Paige
It's interesting to look back at how much Charlotte Flair has evolved these past years and has really come onto her own. It felt like she was rushed to the main event scene here in 2015 and was essentially just a carbon copy of her dad. Her taunts, actions and moves all felt so forced and as if her persona was strictly just to be Ric Flair's daughter. That case was on full display here in her match against Paige. The action itself was decent but nowhere near as good as what she has become now in 2019. A little bit of a sluggish finish here with Ric helping Charlotte get her leg under a rope for a pin before Charlotte was able to drive Paige into an exposed turnbuckle... right in front of the referee. Charlotte scores the win and retains the belt in another successful PPV match.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - TLC Match - Sheamus (c) vs. Roman Reigns
The fans are already booing the match before it even begins, pro wrestling fans are the absolute worst. This match tends to be one of the more forgotten TLC matches and it's a shame because these two delivered when they really needed to. This was just a good ol' fashioned spot fest above all, table spots galore and it was just downright fun to watch it all go down. I think we all tend to be so damn technical in the way we match pro wrestling that we forget what it's supposed to at its core: fun. Tons of drama throughout the match with some really innovative spots that eventually kept the crowd from booing. One of the coolest spots saw Roman Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Sheamus off the ladder and through a table set up nearby. However, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev hit the ring to prevent Reigns from grabbing the belt. Eventually, Sheamus would hit Reigns with a Brogue Kick and grab the belt for the win. Fantastic main event, Reigns would go on to defeat Sheamus for the belt the next night on Monday Night Raw for those keeping score. After the match here, Reigns took out the three guys from League of Nations before Triple H came out to try and stop the mess. However, Reigns ended up beating the living daylights out of The Game for his troubles. Great way to send the fans home happy along with setting up the main event for WrestleMania.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Even with a couple weak matches on the card, the show still had a nice fluidity to it and the main matches really delivered. The opening contest and the main event match were both fantastic efforts and a nice way to close out the year with a banging PPV leading into the final weeks of 2015. The seeds for WrestleMania have officially been planted.
Rating: 7.75/10
Sunday, November 3, 2019
WWE Crown Jewel 2018 Review (Part 2)
WWE Crown Jewel 2018
November 2, 2018
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
One of the biggest nights of the calendar year for WWE sees Shawn Michaels returning to action as he teams with Triple H to represent D-Generation X and go into battle against The Brothers of Destruction. Also, the vacant Universal Championship is up for grabs in a bout between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman while the WWE World Cup Tournament decides who is the best in the world.
Match 6: WWE World Cup Semifinal - The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
At this point, the crowd is beginning to become deflated from what has already been a pretty long night. Either way, the show must go on as the first semifinal match of the night sees The Miz go against an injured Rey Mysterio. Mysterio is nursing his injured ribs throughout the match and Miz is doing is best to exploit that injury. This made for some fun action and probably the best match of the night with Mysterio gutting through the contest and even kicking out of a Skull Crushing Finale. However, Mysterio hit a 619 and followed it up with a dive from the top that resulted in Miz putting his knees up into Mysterio's injured ribs. Miz quickly pinned Mysterio to close the match and advance.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: ***
Match 7: WWE World Cup Semifinal - Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
When you run out of ideas, what do you do? That's right, put Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler together in a singles match. Some may argue that these two had the feud of the year in 2018 as they do battle in Saudi Arabia. Per usual, the two had a great match as their chemistry together has completely been raised to a different level after all their bouts. However, this match just wasn't as exciting as their other encounters with such a dead crowd to work with. They built much of the match around Drew McIntyre being ringside and possibly interfering until Rollins was able to later take both him and Ziggler out with a single dive out of the ring. However, McIntyre would later insert himself in the match by tossing Rollins off the top rope which led to Ziggler hitting a Superkick for the win. Solid match between the two but like I said, not their best one but still a great match for what has been a fairly dull night.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: WWE Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe meet once again in a singles match here for the WWE Championship. More than two hours deep into the show and the crowd is already super tired, tough task for the two veterans here. Despite the crowd being completely out of the action and having their own fun in the stands, the two in the ring were still able to put on a solid match as you would expect from the two. However, that isn't to say the match didn't feel a tad bit underwhelming. For a feud that has gotten so personal, I would have preferred to see the two beat the daylights out of each other opposed to a regular singles match that we were presented with here. Styles is able to hit a Phenomenal Forearm to seal Joe's fate as Styles is able to go home with the title in his hands. What's the count for failed title challenges for Joe at this point? Poor guy.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ***
Match 9: WWE Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman
With Roman Reigns having to surrender his Universal Championship, it was left vacant as Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman having a match here to determine a new champion. Before the bell even rings, GM Baron Corbin whacks Strowman over the head with the Universal Championship belt. Lesnar is able to land a few F5s to Strowman who is able to still kick out of them. Lesnar then tried to win the match by tossing Strowman out of the ring with an F5 until Strowman was able to beat the referee's count by sliding back into the ring. However, this would lead Strowman to walk right back into another F5 for Lesnar to score the assisted win. Hate him or love him, Lesnar is definitely the top guy of the company and it's no surprise why they put the belt back on him. Every time his music hits, people stop to watch. For Strowman, his momentum was basically derailed at this point and by the end of 2019 now, he's still trying to find his footing.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: 3/4*
Match 10: WWE World Cup Final - Shane McMahon vs. Dolph Ziggler
Welp, The Miz was unable to compete due to injury so Shane McMahon decided it would be best to sub himself in and take on Dolph Ziggler. Much to the chagrin of Baron Corbin and the Raw commentators, the bell rings and it's a fresh McMahon against a worn down Ziggler in the final. As you could imagine, a very quick match here with Shane being able to hit his Coast-to-Coast finisher and scoring the big win as he went on to celebrate as if he went through the rigorous tournament himself. Strange finish and really puts a stinker on could have been a cool thing to do yearly at this Saudi events. I guess this was their way of setting up the brand warfare for Survivor Series.
Winner: Shane McMahon
Rating: 1/2*
Match 11: D-Generation X vs. The Brothers of Destruction
We finally got it, the one match everyone was looking forward to happening in 2018... D-Generation X against The Brothers of Destruction. It is insane to think how long these guys have been doing this for. As much as everyone was hating on this match before it even happened, just about everyone was still interested in seeing Shawn Michaels make his return to the ring for the first time since retiring in 2010. That included me, as much as I would prefer to see these guys step away from the ring at times, there was still no denying the interest I had in seeing Michaels back. Funny thing, he was probably the one who looked the best in the ring despite having over 8 years off. Everything else in this match looked so sluggish and slow with both teams fighting in a match that went way longer than it had any right to. The nostalgia feelings wore off early on and watching these guys wrestle just felt a bit disheartening. A couple Sweet Chin Musics to The Undertaker and Kane led to Triple H landing a Pedigree on Kane to score the win as the match and show mercifully come to an end.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: **1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was a long ass show and I felt like I should have been compensated with pay once I finished. Seriously, having shows this long feels like such a chore to finish and the action certainly becomes repetitive at times with the crowd being basically dead near the half-way mark. There were a couple good spots during the show but the main events were pretty bad and definitely not worth investing your time into.
Rating: 4.25/10
November 2, 2018
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
One of the biggest nights of the calendar year for WWE sees Shawn Michaels returning to action as he teams with Triple H to represent D-Generation X and go into battle against The Brothers of Destruction. Also, the vacant Universal Championship is up for grabs in a bout between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman while the WWE World Cup Tournament decides who is the best in the world.
Match 6: WWE World Cup Semifinal - The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
At this point, the crowd is beginning to become deflated from what has already been a pretty long night. Either way, the show must go on as the first semifinal match of the night sees The Miz go against an injured Rey Mysterio. Mysterio is nursing his injured ribs throughout the match and Miz is doing is best to exploit that injury. This made for some fun action and probably the best match of the night with Mysterio gutting through the contest and even kicking out of a Skull Crushing Finale. However, Mysterio hit a 619 and followed it up with a dive from the top that resulted in Miz putting his knees up into Mysterio's injured ribs. Miz quickly pinned Mysterio to close the match and advance.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: ***
Match 7: WWE World Cup Semifinal - Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
When you run out of ideas, what do you do? That's right, put Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler together in a singles match. Some may argue that these two had the feud of the year in 2018 as they do battle in Saudi Arabia. Per usual, the two had a great match as their chemistry together has completely been raised to a different level after all their bouts. However, this match just wasn't as exciting as their other encounters with such a dead crowd to work with. They built much of the match around Drew McIntyre being ringside and possibly interfering until Rollins was able to later take both him and Ziggler out with a single dive out of the ring. However, McIntyre would later insert himself in the match by tossing Rollins off the top rope which led to Ziggler hitting a Superkick for the win. Solid match between the two but like I said, not their best one but still a great match for what has been a fairly dull night.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: WWE Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe meet once again in a singles match here for the WWE Championship. More than two hours deep into the show and the crowd is already super tired, tough task for the two veterans here. Despite the crowd being completely out of the action and having their own fun in the stands, the two in the ring were still able to put on a solid match as you would expect from the two. However, that isn't to say the match didn't feel a tad bit underwhelming. For a feud that has gotten so personal, I would have preferred to see the two beat the daylights out of each other opposed to a regular singles match that we were presented with here. Styles is able to hit a Phenomenal Forearm to seal Joe's fate as Styles is able to go home with the title in his hands. What's the count for failed title challenges for Joe at this point? Poor guy.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ***
Match 9: WWE Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman
With Roman Reigns having to surrender his Universal Championship, it was left vacant as Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman having a match here to determine a new champion. Before the bell even rings, GM Baron Corbin whacks Strowman over the head with the Universal Championship belt. Lesnar is able to land a few F5s to Strowman who is able to still kick out of them. Lesnar then tried to win the match by tossing Strowman out of the ring with an F5 until Strowman was able to beat the referee's count by sliding back into the ring. However, this would lead Strowman to walk right back into another F5 for Lesnar to score the assisted win. Hate him or love him, Lesnar is definitely the top guy of the company and it's no surprise why they put the belt back on him. Every time his music hits, people stop to watch. For Strowman, his momentum was basically derailed at this point and by the end of 2019 now, he's still trying to find his footing.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: 3/4*
Match 10: WWE World Cup Final - Shane McMahon vs. Dolph Ziggler
Welp, The Miz was unable to compete due to injury so Shane McMahon decided it would be best to sub himself in and take on Dolph Ziggler. Much to the chagrin of Baron Corbin and the Raw commentators, the bell rings and it's a fresh McMahon against a worn down Ziggler in the final. As you could imagine, a very quick match here with Shane being able to hit his Coast-to-Coast finisher and scoring the big win as he went on to celebrate as if he went through the rigorous tournament himself. Strange finish and really puts a stinker on could have been a cool thing to do yearly at this Saudi events. I guess this was their way of setting up the brand warfare for Survivor Series.
Winner: Shane McMahon
Rating: 1/2*
Match 11: D-Generation X vs. The Brothers of Destruction
We finally got it, the one match everyone was looking forward to happening in 2018... D-Generation X against The Brothers of Destruction. It is insane to think how long these guys have been doing this for. As much as everyone was hating on this match before it even happened, just about everyone was still interested in seeing Shawn Michaels make his return to the ring for the first time since retiring in 2010. That included me, as much as I would prefer to see these guys step away from the ring at times, there was still no denying the interest I had in seeing Michaels back. Funny thing, he was probably the one who looked the best in the ring despite having over 8 years off. Everything else in this match looked so sluggish and slow with both teams fighting in a match that went way longer than it had any right to. The nostalgia feelings wore off early on and watching these guys wrestle just felt a bit disheartening. A couple Sweet Chin Musics to The Undertaker and Kane led to Triple H landing a Pedigree on Kane to score the win as the match and show mercifully come to an end.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: **1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was a long ass show and I felt like I should have been compensated with pay once I finished. Seriously, having shows this long feels like such a chore to finish and the action certainly becomes repetitive at times with the crowd being basically dead near the half-way mark. There were a couple good spots during the show but the main events were pretty bad and definitely not worth investing your time into.
Rating: 4.25/10
Saturday, October 12, 2019
WWE Crown Jewel 2018 Review (Part 1)
WWE Crown Jewel 2018
November 2, 2018
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
One of the biggest nights of the calendar year for WWE sees Shawn Michaels returning to action as he teams with Triple H to represent D-Generation X and go into battle against The Brothers of Destruction. Also, the vacant Universal Championship is up for grabs in a bout between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman while the WWE World Cup Tournament decides who is the best in the world.
Match 1: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton
Dig the mention of the two meeting 12 years ago at the start of the 2006 Royal Rumble match, here they are now to kick open one of the biggest shows for 2018. Longevity doesn't get the recognition it deserves. If you were expecting a usual amazing match between the two here, forget it. They have had some outstanding matches in the past with some great chemistry between the two, even fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship. However, this was barely 5 minutes and not much offense from the two was on display here. Rey Mysterio is able to quickly roll Randy Orton up to score the win before Orton hits Mysterio with an RKO afterwards and attacks him around the ring. With so many matches lined up for the night, I get why it was so short. But damn, would have loved to see them go at it for just a few more minutes.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: *1/2
Match 2: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
How I miss The Miz as a heel... and how I miss Jeff Hardy as a top star. Good times. Much like the last match, this was a fairly quick and basic bout, almost as if I was at a house show watching this. Hardy is able to hit some of his usual stuff here in a more competitive match than the last one before falling to The Miz and a Skull Crushing Finale. Good for what it was. Like I said, very basic match as you would expect here but still solid, especially considering how many matches they have lined up for the night.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley
Am I the only one who enjoyed seeing Lio Rush as Bobby Lashley's hype man? I think their dynamic worked really well together. With Rush by his side, Lashley was seemingly having his way against the Intercontinental Champion in Seth Rollins. However, a missed Spear was enough to cost Lashley the match as he would quickly fall right into a Curb Stomp for the finish as Rush watched in horror. Again, continuing the pattern of quickly getting the first round matches out of the way. Take it or leave it. Still would have been nice to have Rollins maybe get a little more offense than he did.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler
Completely forgot they had Kurt Angle wrestling on this card, he goes against Dolph Ziggler who also has Drew McIntyre keeping an eye on things in his corner. Almost sad to watch Angle at this point in his career, looking very stiff in the ring and unable to move around like he once did. Thankfully, he had somebody like Ziggler who was able to really sell much of Angle's attacks nicely and really keep the match pushing forward at a great pace. Angle gave his best efforts to Ziggler but he would run himself into a corner post before Ziggler would be able to land a Zig Zag to score the win.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: **1/4
Match 5: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship - The Bar (c) vs. The New Day
For those keeping score at home, The Big Show is a heel around this time and accompanies The Bar to the ring as their enforcer. The Bar defend their belts against The New Day with Xavier Woods rooting on both Big E and Kofi Kingston. Loved seeing The New Day come down to the ring on a magic carpet, they really do have the best entrances in the game today. The action in the ring was solid for what it was worth with both teams getting in a good amount of offense. Watching Kingston prior to him winning the big one feels strange, it's almost unbelievable how good he is and how baffling it is to think that he wasn't actually given a shot at it until a few months later. But I digress, Big Show gives Sheamus a helping hand with a punch to the face of Big E as the referee's back was turned which led into a Brogue Kick for the finish.
Winners: The Bar
Rating: **3/4
November 2, 2018
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
One of the biggest nights of the calendar year for WWE sees Shawn Michaels returning to action as he teams with Triple H to represent D-Generation X and go into battle against The Brothers of Destruction. Also, the vacant Universal Championship is up for grabs in a bout between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman while the WWE World Cup Tournament decides who is the best in the world.
Match 1: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton
Dig the mention of the two meeting 12 years ago at the start of the 2006 Royal Rumble match, here they are now to kick open one of the biggest shows for 2018. Longevity doesn't get the recognition it deserves. If you were expecting a usual amazing match between the two here, forget it. They have had some outstanding matches in the past with some great chemistry between the two, even fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship. However, this was barely 5 minutes and not much offense from the two was on display here. Rey Mysterio is able to quickly roll Randy Orton up to score the win before Orton hits Mysterio with an RKO afterwards and attacks him around the ring. With so many matches lined up for the night, I get why it was so short. But damn, would have loved to see them go at it for just a few more minutes.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: *1/2
Match 2: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
How I miss The Miz as a heel... and how I miss Jeff Hardy as a top star. Good times. Much like the last match, this was a fairly quick and basic bout, almost as if I was at a house show watching this. Hardy is able to hit some of his usual stuff here in a more competitive match than the last one before falling to The Miz and a Skull Crushing Finale. Good for what it was. Like I said, very basic match as you would expect here but still solid, especially considering how many matches they have lined up for the night.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley
Am I the only one who enjoyed seeing Lio Rush as Bobby Lashley's hype man? I think their dynamic worked really well together. With Rush by his side, Lashley was seemingly having his way against the Intercontinental Champion in Seth Rollins. However, a missed Spear was enough to cost Lashley the match as he would quickly fall right into a Curb Stomp for the finish as Rush watched in horror. Again, continuing the pattern of quickly getting the first round matches out of the way. Take it or leave it. Still would have been nice to have Rollins maybe get a little more offense than he did.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler
Completely forgot they had Kurt Angle wrestling on this card, he goes against Dolph Ziggler who also has Drew McIntyre keeping an eye on things in his corner. Almost sad to watch Angle at this point in his career, looking very stiff in the ring and unable to move around like he once did. Thankfully, he had somebody like Ziggler who was able to really sell much of Angle's attacks nicely and really keep the match pushing forward at a great pace. Angle gave his best efforts to Ziggler but he would run himself into a corner post before Ziggler would be able to land a Zig Zag to score the win.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: **1/4
Match 5: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship - The Bar (c) vs. The New Day
For those keeping score at home, The Big Show is a heel around this time and accompanies The Bar to the ring as their enforcer. The Bar defend their belts against The New Day with Xavier Woods rooting on both Big E and Kofi Kingston. Loved seeing The New Day come down to the ring on a magic carpet, they really do have the best entrances in the game today. The action in the ring was solid for what it was worth with both teams getting in a good amount of offense. Watching Kingston prior to him winning the big one feels strange, it's almost unbelievable how good he is and how baffling it is to think that he wasn't actually given a shot at it until a few months later. But I digress, Big Show gives Sheamus a helping hand with a punch to the face of Big E as the referee's back was turned which led into a Brogue Kick for the finish.
Winners: The Bar
Rating: **3/4
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