#chris brookes post-match promo segment

[endeus]

[unclewoodstock]

The Suplex Study: Week Of 24/4/17

This week in the world of WWE, new jackets, dumpsters, belt theft, and a WWE Studios film worth watching

Raw

If you wanna start off the show on a high, Chris Jericho is the man to do it. Jericho attempted to host his show, the Highlight Reel, until The Miz came out to interrupt. As Miz attempted to hijack the segment and transform it into Miz TV, Dean Ambrose appeared. He instead brought in his set, as Miz TV then became the Ambrose Asylum (no Mitch tho, sad). To replace the one he destroyed months ago. Ambrose would gift Jericho a new light up jacket, a regular jacket with fairy lights stuck to it. Miz protested about his segment being taken over, getting hit with the Dirty Deeds for his trouble. So the main event was set, Ambrose & Jericho vs The Miz and a partner of his choosing. I love both Jericho and Ambrose so this opener was gold for me. But this pairing would have another hilarious moment later. Matt Hardy vs Sheamus Last week, we had Jeff Hardy vs Cesaro, so no we have the other tag team partners duel it out. Both men had a solid match, not as good as last week’s one but good in it’s own right. The interesting moments came with the closing of the match. Matt was outside of the ring as he brother came to check on him. Sheamus proceeded to throw Jeff out of the way as he got Matt back into the ring. This led to Jeff and Cesaro bumping heads, as the distraction allowed Matt to hit the Twist Of Fate for the win. Afterwards, both teams argue before cooler heads prevail, and they shake hands. With the tag titles being defended at Payback, lets hope that is the time we finally see the Broken gimmick.

Neville & TJ Perkins vs Austin Aries & Jack Gallagher

Not a bad match, but nothing special either. Neville and Aries have been doing their up most best to keep this division a float. With 205 Live having very bad viewer numbers, I hope that things get better, as their is way too much great talent to squander.

Braun Strowman vs Kalisto in a Dumpster Match Probably the biggest talking point of this week’s Raw. Last week, during Strowman’s rampage, Kalisto was beaten up and thrown into a nearby dumpster. This week, Kalisto challenges Strowman to this new match. Looking at other articles from wrestling sites, alot of people seem to HATE this match. Personally, I couldnt bring myself to despise it so much. Before and during the match, Kalisto in one fell swoop came across as the ultimate babyface. He was disrespected and therefore, wanted retribution. Now one criticism I’ve seen about Strowman is that in his matches, there are many moments he could end the match but doesn’t. This certainly was the case here as Kalisto was able to get a decent chunk of offense, nevermind even being able to win the match. It was at this point where Kalisto to me looked like he was going to be a big star, then that thought went away pretty quickly after. Enraged, Strowman pummeled Kalisto, throwing him in the dumpster. He wheeled it up to the titantron and pushed it off the stage. It makes you wonder what was even the point of having Kalisto win, by a fluke even, if the end outcome is for Strowman to get his heat back seconds later. The match itself I enjoyed, but the outcome just made the whole thing kinda pointless in the end. Alicia Fox vs Dana Brooke To give this a positive, I am happy that there is more than one women’s storyline in this show. It makes the roster alittle bit more fleshed out. That aside, I didn’t care about this match until the ending. Brooke ended the match with a very sloppy looking Michinoku Driver, I went from being uninterested to being enraged. I have no idea who thought it would be a good idea to let Brooke do that move, but I never want to see it again!

Samoa Joe, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs Seth Rollins, Big Cass & Finn Balor The match was going to have Enzo Amore instead, but a sneak attack outside the ring made him unable to compete. Instead, we got Finn Balor instead. The match itself was fine, with Rollins debuting a new finishing move. Problem is it’s been kinda dull seeing Balor return when he has not been in any noteworthy matches. Hopefully things will be alot more entertaining when he is finally able to begin his feud with Bray Wyatt. As for Enzo, well maybe I’m biased but I can’t bare seeing him used a glorified jobber. He maybe still rough in the ring but he is more over then Roman Reigns will ever be. Surely he can be used better than this.

Sasha Banks vs Alexa Bliss

Before the match, we had a segment with Bliss, Bayley and Banks in the ring. Bliss called Banks apparent friendship with Bayley into question, leading to this match. Banks controlled most of the match, leading to Bliss getting herself counted out. Bayley would try to get Bliss back into the ring but would get blindsided by her instead. Bliss’ character is a welcome sight on TV, but the real feud will be Bayley vs Sasha. WWE haven’t done the best job with this, as no one is buying for a second that Banks isn’t just wanting to get the title off of Bayley.

Curt Hawkins vs Apollo Crews Nothing really to say about this, except it is nice to see Crews actually doing something. Not sure yet how I feel about an eventual Crews vs O’Neil fued, but I think Crews is too underrated to not be on TV, so I’m OK with it for now. Chris Jericho & Dean Ambrose vs The Miz & ???

Before I go into the match, I must say that the dynamic between Jericho and Ambrose made Raw enjoyable for me. The segment where Ambrose tried to get off the list was not only funny, but it had something that is often lacking in WWE, continuity. The pair brought up their history together and the feud they had, which is much better than just pretending like it never happened. This wasn’t really a match however, more of a farce. The Miz’s mystery partner didn’t come out initially when intended, so Miz had to fight in a handicap match. As he tried to leave, Ambrose caught up to him and teased putting him threw the announce table. Suddenly he was stopped by the mystery partner, Bray Wyatt. Wyatt laid out, Ambrose, Jericho and even the Miz to end the show. This made no sense on so many levels. Why would Bray team with Miz? Why wouldn’t he come out at first? Why did the match just end with no resolution? This was a big letdown, no one really looked good coming out of this, not even Wyatt. It would have been fine if it was a straight tag team match, but WWE tried to be more clever then they could pull off. As a go home show before Payback, this didn’t get me excited for it.

Smackdown

We begin with Shinsuke Nakamura coming out to the ring, with Renee Young ready to interview him. Before Nakamura was able to say a word, Dolph Ziggler comes out. Ziggler then cuts an awful promo, comparing Nakamura to Michael Jackson. The segment ends after the two come to blows and Ziggler dodging the Kinshasa before running away. I still have faith in this eventual match stealing the show come Backlash, but this build has been nibbling away at my patience. Nakamura has yet to compete yet since debuting on the main roster, it would really be good to show the audience why this man is meant to be a big deal.

AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin After last weeks countout result, Styles and Corbin went at it again in a rematch. Kevin Owens, once again was on commentary, providing some amazing soundbites. Like last week, this was a pretty good match, Corbin especially seems really comfortable keeping up the pace. Styles would get the roll up win but would be attacked by Owens and Corbin. Sami Zayn tried to make the save, hitting Corbin with the Helluva Kick, but got beat down by Owens for his troubles. My major nitpick is why hasn’t Zayn gone after Jinder Mahal, who cost him a chance at the title last week? It would have made more sense to have Zayn have a grudge match with Mahal, even if it meant jobbing out to make Mahal look strong. Instead, Zayn now has a feud with Corbin (not a bad thing) and Mahal still doesn’t seem like a threat. American Alpha vs The Colons: Beat The Clock Challenge To take on the Usos for their Tag Team Titles, we had two of these matches. While this was a decent match, it’s kind of weird that American Alpha got the win after having trouble with the Colons last week. As for them, The Colons seem to similar to the Usos in gimmick. If this division is to get back on track, alittle distinction between the two would certainly help.

Randy Orton vs Erick Rowan: No DQ match

This was a good match, tables, a kendo stick, lots of plunder to pop the crowd. The noteworthy stuff came afterwards. As Orton beat Rowan, Jinder Mahal came out and did the typical anti-American rant. Himself and the Bollywood Boys beat up Orton, and even stole away his title. In fairness, that is some pretty good heel heat. However, Mahal still doesn’t appear as a threat to Orton. They guy has lost nearly all of his matches since returning to WWE, so it’s a big stretch that title match come Backlash wont be just onesided. There is still time for Mahal to win some matches, have him look like there is a real danger that Orton could lose to him. To add to this tangent, I discovered that Mahal has a pretty large following in India. I can understand the people being happy about a prominent Indian star in the company, but I don’t get how they can be invested in his portrayal. With all the social media posts about tryouts in India and this new market they are pursuing, I feel WWE owe the people of India alittle better in terms of storytelling. The Ascension vs Breezango: Beat The Clock Challenge

To get my biased out of the way, I love Breezango. Fandango and Tyler Breeze are far too underutilized, so it’s great to see them getting a title shot. With that said, it’s still an odd choice. The match made sense, Ascension tried to win as quickly as they could with some hard hitting moves from the start, only for Breezango to steal a win out of the blue. Like with Jinder Mahal, WWE expect the viewers to buy into a jobber at being in contention for a title shot. However, with a face turn, Breezango could go on to be an over comedic team. Even if they don’t win the belts, which I doubt they will. Smackdown Women’s Title Match: Charlotte vs Naomi

Not only did we see Charlotte earn her shot at the Women’s title, but we also saw the seeds sowed for a new stable. The match itself was very good, with two great female workers in the ring. Sadly, it would end with a no contest as Natalya, Carmella and Tamina rushed the ring, beating up the combatants. There haven’t been many women’s factions in WWE so there is a possibility that this could work. One thing going against this though is the small number of women on the Smackdown roster, it would help out if there were more. But giving the women’s division the main event slot certainly helps get the team over, we can only see where WWE takes this. Smackdown was technically the better show, as they set up some new plot threads and began new feuds. However, Raw won me over thanks to the comedic banter of Ambrose and Jericho, despite some extremely bizarre booking in most of the matches. It’s hard to say which show won, but it really should be Smackdown. Raw would have won it if it wasn’t for the fact this is the go home show for Payback. The whole point is to get me excited for the PPV, and after watching Raw, I wasn’t.

Vince McMahon Movie

This week, the news broke that WWE Studios would be producing a biopic of the company’s owner, Vince McMahon. The cynical side of me wonders how detailed are they gonna make this film, or even what moments won’t be featuring. With final go ahead going to the boss, I can imagine certain plot points in McMahon’s life being glossed over. Some moments arguably viewers would be very intrigued to see. With that said, McMahon’s story is certainly a compelling one to tell. I like many self respecting wrestling fan, will make this film an essential watch.

That’s all for this week, let’s just hope the House Of Horrors match doesn’t turn out to be awful.

Till next time

Nay

[henrytcasey]

Watch This Wrestling 46 (11/19–25)

Hello friends! If you look at the below, you’ll see a couple of changes. This upcoming week marks both me watching Impact again (yes, this is all Ethan Page’s responsibility) and my renewed interest in Chikara.

For Chikara, I plan to watch the VOD of the penultimate episode Kill the Moon and possibly attend its season finale Closing Time, a decision which will depend on whether or nor Mike Quackenbush vs David Starr is announced for that show in Philly.

And at some point, I’m going to begin the grand project of watching the show from its 4th season, a long-overdue project. The decision to start there was helped by the excellent Courtney Rose (@ChicagosCRose on twitter).

As always, if I’m missing anything that can be accessed without too much trouble, @ me on twitter: henrytcasey.

What I Watched

Survivor Series 2017, 11/19

Progress Chapter 57: Enter Smiling, 11/19

Monday Night Raw, 11/20

SmackDown LIVE, 11/21

205 Live, 11/21

NXT, 11/22

Powerbomb.tv: Wazzup, 11/25

Powerbomb.tv: This Very Second with Bryce Remsburg, 11/25

Upcoming Watch List

Beyond Wrestling/Women’s Wrestling Revolution, 11/27

Monday Night Raw, 11/27

SmackDown LIVE, 11/28

205 Live, 11/28

NXT, 11/29

Impact Wrestling, 11/30

Chikara: Kill the Moon, ?? VOD

Chikara: Closing Time, 12/2 — possibly attending live

Non-WWE Match of The Week:

Keith Lee vs. Flash Morgan Webster

Progress Chapter 57: Enter Smiling, 11/19

Nobody’s surprised to see me hand out a best to my two favorites from BOLA 2017, who wrestled a fantastic, epic match, that just happened to be booked the wrong way.

Anyone watching Progress during the last months has to be wondering what they’re doing with Flash. If all of these almost-wins will build to a major character point and a championship, then maybe they’ll be able to say it was worth it.

But Keith Lee loses nothing if Flash manages to eek a suprirse underdog victory out of the WWN Champion, not the least because the title wasn’t on the line. The crowd adored Keith Lee, though, to the point where nobody would even hazard the opinion that he needed to beat The King of the Mods.

Honorable Mentions:

Logan Easton LaRoux vs AJ Gray vs Anthony Greene vs Razerhawk, Powerbomb.tv: Wazzup, 11/25

Thick Boys (Jay Freddie & John Silver) vs Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude & Rob Killjoy), Powerbomb.tv: Wazzup, 11/25

Ringkampf (Timothy Thatcher & WALTER) vs CCK (Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos) (c) vs for the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships, Progress Chapter 57: Enter Smiling, 11/19

Non-WWE Segment of The Week

“Revenge can only be found on the road to self-destruction”

Dahlia Black promo via YouTube

While I thought the four-way match that included Dahlia and Jinny was rushed and didn’t gel together as one whole match (instead reeking of two, smashed together), Ms. Black’s pre-match promo was excellent.

Until this moment, this feud existed in short moments where announcers rushed out words to one of the two, who typically had joined them on commentary. While it could have used one more story beat (at the start, showing their friendship pre-injury), it still was the most well-acted (bravo, Dahlia) and necessary story beat of the week.

Honorable Mentions:

The shit talking Trent Seven gave Zack Gibson, Progress Chapter 57: Enter Smiling, 11/19

All of the weirdness that was Powerbomb.tv: This Very Second with Bryce Remsburg, 11/25

WWE Match of The Week:

AJ Styles vs Brock Lesnar

Survivor Series 2017, 11/19

How could it be anything but this? AJ Styles elevated himself even higher in the lore of WWE by pulling an amazing 1 on 1 match out of the notoriously unreliable Brock Lesnar.

Honorable Mentions: 

The New Day vs The Shield, Survivor Series 2017, 11/19

Charlotte Flair vs Alexa Bliss, Survivor Series 2017, 11/19

The Bar vs The Usos, Survivor Series 2017, 11/19 

Roman Reigns vs The Miz (c) for the WWE Intercontental Championship, Monday Night Raw, 11/20

Akira Tozawa vs Drew Gulak in a Street Fight, 205 Live, 11/21

Johnny Gargano vs Pete Dunne (c) for the WWE UK Championship, NXT, 11/22 

Ruby Riot vs Sonya Deville, NXT, 11/22

WWE Segment of the Week:

Paige Returns, With Friends

Monday Night Raw, 11/20

Obviously, this segment will age well or poorly based on how WWE books Paige and the friends she picked up on her way back to the main roster, but for now, it’s a win.

Not only was it fun and shocking for a return to turn into an invading faction, but it’s quite clever. Rose and Deville provide solid cover and distraction from the controversy that took place during the time where while Paige’s injury (among ohter thing) kept her off camera.

Honorable Mentions:

Braun Strowman’s post-show interview, Survivor Series 2017, 11/19 

Enzo and The Zo Train give thanks, Monday Night Raw, 11/20

SmackDown Gets its own Women’s Trio from NXT, SmackDown LIVE, 11/21

[geektified]

New Post has been published on http://www.geektified.com/2017/04/25/the-raw-expose-night-of-the-dumpster-aka-kalistos-last-ride-not-based-on-a-power-rangers-story/

The Raw Exposé: Night of the Dumpster - AKA Kalisto's Last Ride (Not Based on a Power Rangers Story)

By: Keila Cash

  Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from The Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This is the last show before Payback and with the Superstar Shakeup blurring the brand split lines, it’s a tricky PPV to figure out because some wrestlers are trying to hype their matches alone while their opponents are on another show doing the same thing.

  It’s awkward, but this should be a one-shot deal to wrap up outstanding storylines dating back to WrestleMania. Did WWE work out the kinks in terms of logic or was this a case of the blind leading the blind heading into the PPV in San Jose? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

  The Highlight Reel/Miz TV/Ambrose Asylum hybrid featuring Chris Jericho, The Miz, Maryse, and Dean Ambrose was a fun way to start the show.

  The segment dragged at times, but I appreciate WWE remembering the Jericho-Ambrose feud from last year as Ambrose brought up how Jericho smashed Mitch the Plant over his head and how he returned the favor by ripping up Y2J’s Light Up Jacket. Jericho reminded Ambrose that he still owed him $15,000. Ambrose didn’t have any cash on hand, but he gave Jericho a jacket adorned with Christmas Lights as a peace offering.

  Jericho put the Jacket on and struck a few poses while Miz whined about not getting a gift. Ambrose responded by nailed Miz with Dirty Deeds while Jericho put Maryse on LIST for marrying a stupid idiot as the opening segment came to an end.

  This was a long talking segment, but I enjoyed it for the most part. Jericho’s material was so-so as his jokes about Kevin Owens were a little flat which did little to hype their United States Championship match at Payback. Things got better once Miz and Ambrose came out which ended the opener on a high note.

  Matt Hardy defeated Sheamus with the Twist of Fate, but it wasn’t without controversy. Sheamus nailed Hardy in the face with a sick high knee. Hardy tried to counter with his finisher on the floor, but Sheamus laid him out with a rolling senton instead. Jeff tried to check on his brother, but Sheamus pushed him out of the way.

  Jeff climbed on the ring apron to confront the Celtic Warrior, but Cesaro yanked him off the apron which led to the finish.

  The Mutual Admiration Society between both teams was about to hit the skids, but cooler heads prevailed as everyone shook hands which kept the babyface vs. babyface dynamic intact heading into their Raw Tag Team Championship match on Sunday.

  Jack Gallagher and Austin Aries defeated Neville and TJ Perkins when Aries nailed Perkins with the Discus Five Arm for the win. The match was short, but Aries maximized his minutes when he made the hot tag midway through the match.

  Aries put on a one-man show when he took out Neville and TJP with a suicide dive. Aries was about to make TJP tap out to The Last Chancery, but Neville broke the hold in the nick of time. Gentleman Jack evened the odds when he nailed Neville with a head butt. TJP tried to capitalize on Gallagher knocking himself loopy, but Gallagher was alert enough to steer Perkins in Aries’ direction which set up the finishing sequence. Overall, this was a fine way to hype the Cruiserweight Championship match between Aries and Neville at Payback.

  Did Kalisto use Kane’s old masks to create his new Lucha mask? Hmm…

  The record will always show that Kalisto defeated Braun Strowman in a Dumpster Match. However, the victory became mute when Strowman destroyed Kalisto when he dropped him with a series of one-handed slams before tossing him against the barricade.

  Strowman put Kalisto in the dumpster and pushed it up the ramp. WWE officials tried to stop Strowman as he strapped the dumpster shut. He pretended to head backstage only to push the dumpster off the stage as the segment came to an end.

  The spot was nice, but it wasn’t spectacular because the drop wasn’t that steep. In comparison to Strowman’s recent feats of strength, The Dumpster spot was more meh than wow.

  Strowman’s promo before the match was good as he tried to generate heel heat by calling the fans trash. At least the creative team is trying to get him over as a badass heel who should be jeered instead of cheered.

  Bray Wyatt cut another rambling promo about Randy Orton leading up to their House of Horrors match at Payback. Yawn…

  Dana Brooke defeated Alicia Fox when she dropped Fox with an ugly version of the Michinoku Driver for the win. The match was short, but it was still rough in spots.

  After the match was over, Emma got in the ring and gave Brooke a half-hearted hug before heading backstage. That was odd…

  Before the six-man tag team match featuring Enzo Amore, Big Cass, and Seth Rollins vs. Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Samoa Joe got underway, Anderson, Gallows, and Joe ambushed Enzo and Big Cass during their in-ring introductions. Cass went flying over the barricade while Anderson and Gallows took out Enzo with The Magic Killer onto the floor.

  Seth Rollins ran out to make the save, but he was tripled teamed until Big Cass evened the odds.

  After the commercial break, Kurt Angle announced that Enzo wasn’t medically cleared to compete. Angle added Finn Bálor to the match as the six man tag officially got underway.

  Big Cass, Finn Bálor, and Seth Rollins defeated Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Samoa Joe when Rollins nailed Anderson with a knee to the face for the win.

  The match started off slow as Bálor was in sell mode early on, but things picked up down the stretch. It appears that Rollins is retiring his Pedigree finisher because it’s a reminder of who he used to be before getting his much-needed epiphany a few weeks ago. Bálor’s interaction with Gallows and Anderson was nice and I hope WWE plays into their history in New Japan because the possibilities are endless in terms of storytelling and future feuds. *Cough* The Balor Club vs. The Shield *Cough*

  Alexa Bliss powered through the “What?” chants and delivered a solid promo as she vowed to put an end to Bayley’s Cinderella Story at Payback. Bliss wanted to embarrass Bayley in her hometown by winning the Raw Women’s Championship while her father was sitting in the front row.

  Sasha Banks came to her best friend’s defense and challenged Bliss to match. Bliss tried to dodge The Boss, but Banks clocked Bliss in the face to signal that the match was still on.

  Banks defeated Bliss via count-out when Bliss decided to save her energy until Sunday.

  Bayley tried to drag Bliss back in the ring, but Bliss ran for the hills. However, Bliss attacked Bayley from behind which added some heat leading up to their Women’s Championship match at Payback.

  Banks chased Bliss away before checking on Bayley as the segment came to an end.

  The promo exchange leading up Banks vs. Bliss was good. The creative team had to build up the Women’s Title match between Bayley and Bliss in one night. Considering the tight deadline, they managed to make it work. However, Bliss’ lines were recycled from her feud with Becky Lynch as the Cinderella comparison was a direct lift from a segment on SD Live last fall. Outside of that, the promo work was solid for the most part.

  Apollo Crews pinned Curt Hawkins with the Spinout Powerbomb in a decent match. I guess Crews will be elevated to the main event next week after passing through Curt Hawkins’ Star Factory.

  Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho vs. The Miz and his mystery partner ended with no clear winner as Bray Wyatt showed up to save Miz from getting dropped with Dirty Deeds on the announce table. Wyatt attacked Ambrose and nailed him with Sister Abigail which sent The Lunatic Fringe head first into the LED board.

  Jericho tried to make the save, but he was double teamed by Miz and Wyatt.

  Miz threw Jericho back in the ring only for Jericho to nail him with the Codebreaker. Wyatt laid out Jericho with Sister Abigail as Miz smiled like a Cheshire Cat.

  Miz’s cockiness got the best of him as Wyatt took him out with Sister Abigail to complete the trifecta as Raw went off the air with Wyatt telling everyone to “Follow The Buzzards.”

  The Good News: Bray Wyatt is not a Hollywood Elitist because the mere thought of him teaming up with The Miz would have been a classic case of character assassination.

  The Bad News: The ending of the match was lame.  This was such a weak way to end the show. The main event was pretty one-sided with Miz getting his ass kicked for 95% of the match. Wyatt being the last man standing was fine, but it was counterproductive for a number of reasons.

  Ambrose gets beat up which means he should want a piece of Wyatt next week even though he’s been feuding with Miz since the Superstar Shakeup.

  Jericho looks weak heading into his United States Title rematch against Owens because he hasn’t picked up any key wins to build momentum. With Y2J going on tour with Fozzy next month, he should’ve been built up as a legit contender instead of a lame duck opponent who has one foot out the door.

  Miz looks like a chump without a clear sense of direction. Instead of Ambrose and Miz facing off for the IC Title, The Hollywood A-Lister is probably going to be on the receiving end of another ass whopping courtesy of Bálor at the Payback Kickoff Show. Coup de Grace, anyone?

  As for Wyatt, he looks strong heading into his House of Horrors match against Randy Orton. However, the WWE Championship is not on the line which makes this camp fest extravaganza pointless outside of Wyatt picking up a moral victory to avenge the spirit of Sister Abigail. Regardless of the outcome, I’m glad the Wyatt-Orton saga is coming to an end because it’s way past its expiration date.

  Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was pedestrian at best. The opening segment was entertaining, but the in-ring action was hit and miss. The go-home show didn’t give me added incentive to watch Payback on Sunday. The card looks solid, but it’s a show that is very skippable based on the so-so build.

  On the bright side, WWE played it smart by keeping Roman Reigns off the show for another week. Braun Strowman has been built up like an indestructible monster in recent weeks. It is imperative that Strowman beats Reigns on Sunday. If not, it’s another questionable booking decision that puts his push into a state of flux once again. We shall see how it all plays out on Sunday.

  The Payback PPV should be a good show, but the buildup leaves a lot to be desired terms of excitement and anticipation. Here’s hoping the wrestlers have their working boots on because they have to over deliver in order to make up for the uneven booking decisions over the past couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!

  On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with another installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!

[dreamspeardreams]

RAWcap 16/01/17

I’m going to try a different format for this week, making notes here live, and doing mainly thoughts, rather than results.

We start out dedicating the show to Jimmy Superfly Snuka.

And a dedication to Martin Luther King Jr., unsure as to why this is part of RAW, but it’s nice to see him recognised here, which transitions in famous African Americans of popular culture in particular. Good stuff WWE.

Roman opens the show, Paul heyman Interrupts, JeriKO interrupts, Rollins interrupts, Braun interrupts, Lesnar interrupts, then Sami Zayn attacks Braun and a small brawl breaks out. Decent promo from Roman and Heyman, Lesnar v Zayn or Strauman would be great if they were actual matches, and not Brock Lesnar matches.

Rusev and Jinder Mahal v Enzo and Cass; good to see Enzo back from injury. Maybe this dumb program can end finally, although it’s a good thing Jinder is getting some screen time, he’s a good athlete. Corey Graves makes a valid point about Rusev being the face in this matchup. Enzo and Cass pick up an unsurprising win. Match was fine, but honestly just want everyone in this to move on to something better.

Ariya Daivari v Lince Dorado; I figured maybe the Cruiserweights were stepping away from 50/50 booking, but I guess not. And why isn’t the I Forfeit match just an I Quit match?  Jack Gallagher is pretty good on commentary, his character works well. Lince Dorado is a great competitor, his Springboard Stunner looks great. Daivari of course goes over, short match.

Reminder of Undertaker’s return last week, his theme transitioning into the Royal Rumble theme was really cool.

Nia Jax beats up on Sasha Banks. Weird spot to put in this footage, but nice that they’re not just doing a backstage segment I guess?

Cesaro and Sheamus v The Club; I still absolutely love Sheamus and Cesaro’s entrance. And the Club’s music is low-key some of my favourite entrance music in the whole WWE. Cesaro is such a great athlete, always busting out new moves, always entertaining to watch, and he works a great pace. Sheamus beats on the ref accidentally, new official comes down and The Club takes the titles. But then Sheamus and Cesaro get disqualified and keep the titles. Not sure on this ending, but it makes the club look strong, cos they kept Cesaro down for about 15 seconds. The Club is absolutely taking those titles at the Rumble.

Now we have a full memoriam for Jimmy Snuka. Makes me feel I should go back and watch some of his stuff on the network, he seemsed like a great competitor. Very touching tribute. With a strange transition into an Emmalina promo. Something felt more penultimate about this, but it’s been coming soon for months.

Cut to Zayn backstage with Rollins and Reigns. Sami is making a strange plan to beat up Strauman in the main Event; he wants to join the SHIELD. Personally I would love to see this, especially since Roman said “He’s crazier than Ambrose”, and see Sami just get stranger and stranger until he heel turns. Then in a few years he turns face on KO after they win the tag belts, and oh man the pop would be huge.

Tony Nese v Rich Swann; Neville stops the match from starting by beating up Rich Swann. Absolute lcok that Neville wins that title at the Rumble. Absolute Lock. Rich Swann getting in some decent shots, and Tony Nese doing his part to remain tangentially relevant. Neville interview backstage, he’s fantastic as a heel, really going all in on his King of the Cruiserweights gimmick. I love it.

New Day promo time. They’re almost teasing a New Day split here, I could see a Triple Threat between these guys over the IC title a couple years down the line being fantastic. I really like how everyone is all in on wining the rumble. Everyone announcing their entrance’s early felt a little off, but since they’re all embracing it fully, even with the teams, and everybody going in with their own storylines makes it feel like a really full Rumble. Titus comes out. He’s going to replace someone from the New Day in the Rumble. Titus calls Big-E ‘thickums’, which seems like a really off colour insult. However, my prediction came true, Titus is facing Big-E, although I’m not sure who’s going to win. Being able to hear Kofi and Xavier talking about interfering is a nice small detail. big-E wins and retains his spot, so I wonder what this program will do next week. They’ll probably both move onto new things after the Rumble however.

Charlotte shares her strategy for never losing at a pay-per-view. Charlotte’s strategy is studying her opponents. Putting in hard work to win makes her more hate-able. Bayley used to write poems. Charlotte can’t read, but can cuss out on the crowd. Charlotte is really laying into Bayley here, but fantastically as a heel by making Bayley so relatable that she’s going to win out incredibly with the fans until she takes that title. Bayley comes down to the ring, but fails to attack Charlotte. Bayley is such an incredible role model for the kids. AS Charlotte leaves she’s punching the tube men, and I can’t help but think that having a heel pop them and having Bayley lose them, in a similar vein to Jericho losing his jacket to Ambrose, would be a great way for someone to garner heat.

Braun and JeriKO with a backstage promo for the Main Event. JeriKO are pretty great, but Braun is just on fire, always. He’s one of the best big guys I’ve ever seen.

Brian Kendrick v Cedric Alexander; This should be a good match. Brian Kendrick is fantastic in the ring and on the mic, and Cedric is an incredible competitor. Noam Dar is watching the match backstage, without Alicia Fox. Hopefully she doesn’t interfere. So far this match is fast and good, both guys looking strong. Alicia Fox comes down to help Cedric(?). Noam Dar is laughing backstage. Cedric picks up a strange win? Surely it makes sense for Kendrick to win to further Cedric turning on Alicia, this doesn’t make a huge amount of sense. Cedric blanks Alicia on a hug, and Noam Dar looks happy with the discontent he’s sowed.

Nia cuts a promo on Sasha backstage, I think Nia could have done with some more time in NXT, but at least she’s no Dana Brooke.

Next is the first inductee into the Hall of Fame Class of 2017, Kurt Angle. Good Choice in my opinion, I know he’s done incredible stuff for the company, and if this precludes a return that would be fantastic, there’s some great stories that could be told.

And now the Main Event; Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman v Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Just one of these days I want the ring announcer to announce Seth as Seth Freakin Rollins. Simply through the virtue that this is a 6-man tag, it should at least be interesting in the small stories it tells. Sami Zayn attacking Braun over KO is a prime example. Disappointed to see that Roman still has his vest, he should be in only a singlet. Roman’s Superman Punch countered into a Choke Slam by Braun and thrown into a Superkick by Owens looks great. Sami manages to cover Braun for a 2 count, but Sami eats the pin from Strowman for the finish. Overall, A fun match that sadly doesn’t do a whole lot to advance these storylines, or stand out amongst the past two months. After the match a brawl breaks out at the top of the ramp, and we’re once again reminded how weird it is to see the show without commentary. Kevin Owens stands tall after beating everyone with a chair, then puts Roman through the Announce Table.

Overall I think this was a decent RAW, although we seem to be in a holding pattern until the Rumble shakes some things up. It did well with what it had, and wasn’t a Black Hole RAW like last week, but it’s no post brand split RAW. 7/10

[endeus]

i'm tired of waiting

[henrytcasey]

WTW 45

Watch This Wrestling 45 (11/12—18)

Okay, I’m almost caught up on this project. As always, if I’m missing anything that can be accessed without too much trouble, @ me on twitter: henrytcasey .

What I Watched

Monday Night Raw, 11/13

SmackDown LIVE, 11/14

205 Live, 11/14

NXT, 11/15

RevPro Global Wars Nights 1 & 2, VOD 11/17

NJPW World Tag League Press Conference, 11/17

NXT: TakeOver WarGames, 11/18

NJPW World Tag League Night 1: 11/18

Upcoming Watch List

Various other NJPW World Tag League events

Survivor Series 2017, 11/19

Progress Chapter 57: Enter Smiling, 11/19

Monday Night Raw, 11/20

SmackDown LIVE, 11/21

205 Live, 11/21

NXT, 11/22

Powerbomb.tv: Wazzup, 11/25

Powerbomb.tv: This Very Second with Bryce Remsburg, 11/25

Non-WWE Match of The Week:

Keith Lee vs Tomohiro Ishii

RevPro Global Wars Night 1

I’m thankful that the two-night RevPro & NJPW collaboration was made available on NJPW World, because it features this excellent faceoff of two of my favorite big men. Sure, Lee‘s size almost dwarfs Ishii’s, but find me a man who says that Ishii isn’t thicc, and I’ll tell him to get new glasses.

This match has tons of fun moments inlcuding that spine-buster that looked like a choke-slam, and some mind-blowing German suplexes, but there’s one fantastic sequence: Powerbomb -> Guillotine -> Suplex -> DDT that left me scrambling to rewind.

Honorable Mentions:

Lord Gideon Grey and Damian “No Fun” Dunne vs Toru Yano and Gedo, RevPro Global Wars Night 1

Tetsuya Naito vs Marty Scurll, RevPro Global Wars Night 1

CCK (Chris Brookes and Travis Banks) vs Rocky Romero and Yoshi-Hashi, RevPro Global Wars Night 1

Zack Sabre Jr. vs Will Ospreay, RevPro Global Wars Night 2

Michael Elgin, Jeff Cobb, David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Trent & Chuckie T, NJPW World Tag League Night 1, 11/18

Non-WWE Segment of The Week

Zack Gibson’s Promos

RevPro Global Wars

If you’ve never seen Zack Gibson — the self-anointed future Number 1 of Liverpool — own a microphone while giving a promo, you need to fix that, and do so soon.

I won’t spoil any of the punchlines in this, but it’s safe to let you know that rather than verbally attack his opponent, The King of Scouse Style harangues the fans in the audience, and questions their actual fandom. And it’s excellent.

Honorable Mentions:

Being The Elite: I Just Want To Go Home, YouTube, 11/16

NJPW World Tag League Press Conference, 11/17

WWE Match of The Week:

Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream

NXT: TakeOver WarGames, 11/18

The hottest take of the week seems to be the opinion that this wasn’t the match of the week. And while the WarGames match had a lot much to love, I’ll take this concise storytelling over that excess any day of the week.

Let’s first start in praise of a good feud based on differences in characters. All too often, bouts are just about championships or betrayal, but this story of Dream wanting Black to pay him attention, and Black refusing to give it to him, is a perfect first chapter in what I hope will be a storied rivalry and possibly tag-team (in the 2018 Dusty Classic, call them Black Velvet).

Then, a bravo to the match for starting off with the excellent simmer of ground-based offense and technical expertise. That out-of-nowhere Octopus Lock from Black looked even slicker than when ZSJ accomplishes his take on it.

And then when the fireworks went off, it was blazing like the fourth of July. Dream’s Superkicks looked epic and almost cartoonish with their contortion, his rolling Death Valley Driver was magnificent and that inside-out modified DDT was more proof that young Patrick Clark is a superstar in the making.

For more contemplation about this match, check out this episode of Jim Smallman’s Tuesday Night Jaw podcast, to hear Progress co-owner Jon Briley unfurl a mountain of thoughts.

Honorable Mentions: 

Andrade “Cien” Almas w. Zelina Vega vs Drew McIntyre, NXT: TakeOver WarGames, 11/18

The Undisputed Era vs SaNitY vs The Authors of Pain in a triple-threat WarGames match, NXT: TakeOver WarGames, 11/18

WWE Segment of the Week:

“Enjoy infamy, Velveteen Dream.”

NXT: TakeOver WarGames, 11/18

I debated including this in the above, but since that blurb got away from me, I have to bring it here.

The most important part of this, aside from delivering the sentiment that both Black and the Houston audience demanded, is its brevity and indirect language. To only say “Enjoy infamy, Velveteen Dream,” is so honest to the Aleister Black character (curt, mysterious and abstract) that even if you saw it coming, you had to applaud it.

Watch the whole match, and see this as its capper. And then, if you hadn’t seen it yet, check out this post-show interview where Velveteen Dream expresses his relief that Aleister Black said his name:

Honorable Mentions:

Triple H joins Team Raw, Monday Night Raw, 11/13 

Lars Sullivan delivers a scary message to the NXT locker room, NXT: TakeOver WarGames, 11/18

Billie Kay and Peyton Royce play a game of word association, NXT: TakeOver WarGames, 11/18