#wwe friday night smackdown review

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

They’re Here: Discussing The Wyatt Sick6 And How Taylor Rotunda Is Keeping His Brother’s Memory Alive

Hello Everyone! I wanted to write a special article and review the end of last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW. Think of this as a tribute to Bray Wyatt ( I’ll have an article about him on here in August.) In this article , I’ll be giving my thoughts on the Wyatt Sick6 and how Taylor Rotunda is carrying on his brother’s name.

The story of Uncle Howdy started when Howdy’s brother , the late Bray Wyatt, made his way back to WWE in 2022. However , Uncle Howdy kept haunting Bray when he returned to WWE at the Extreme Rules PLE in October 2022. Bo Dallas’ first appearance as Howdy would be alongside his brother when he was feuding with LA Knight. He was taken off WWE TV when Wyatt became ill. Nevertheless, Wyatt passed away unexpectedly in August 2023. Therefore, leaving Dallas with an unknown direction in WWE. WWE’s COO , Paul ‘ Triple H ’ Levesque , wanted to keep Wyatt’s legacy alive with a new documentary, Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal and bringing Uncle Howdy back to WWE with a new faction.

After Wrestlemania XL, QR codes appeared at live shows for Monday Night RAW and Friday Night Smackdown as well as appearing on TV for WWE fans at home. This was teasing the return of Uncle Howdy as it did the same for Bray Wyatt’s return to WWE in 2022. This would go on for months until June 17, 2024.

At the end of Monday Night RAW , we saw Jey Uso celebrating his big win to qualify for the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match at the PLE of the same name after defeating WWE Hall of Famer, Rey Mysterio, The Judgement Day’s , Finn Balor , in a Triple Threat MITB Qualifying match. We see the lights go out and announcers, Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, become silent. The WWE Universe soon bring out the Fireflies as the lights went out. We see the door that Bray came through at Extreme Rules and the lantern. We also hear ‘ Shatter ’ , which was Bray’s music. Out came Nikki Cross who crawled through the door and soon stood up. She pointed to the Gorilla position and showed the camera man where to go. In the backstage area going to the Gorilla position , we find Erick Rowan , holding a hammer and beaten crew members and wrestlers. In the Gorilla position , we find Dexter Lumis sitting on top of what looks like a desk with beaten down crew members and what appears to be referees and other talent. Backstage , we find Joe Gacy ,who came from NXT, beaten down wrestlers with Chad Gable sitting up and beaten with blood on the side of his head. Soon, we find Uncle Howdy in the same area standing with his arms spread wide and walking towards the camera . He sees an injured Gable and then looks at Gacy, who follows him out to get Lumis and Rowan. They soon make their way to the entrance ramp to Cross. Howdy picks up the lantern in front of Cross and holds it up to the sound of fans cheering and Fireflies surrounding them. The camera man zooms in on the group. After this, the camera zooms out. Uncle Howdy screams out his Bray’s catchphrase, “ We’re here! ” and blows the lantern out. The segment ends with a small vignette of Nikki.

The Wyatt Sick6

Bo Dallas - Uncle Howdy

Nikki Cross- Sister Abigail ( Abby The Witch)

Erick Rowan - Ramblin’ Rabbit

Joe Gacy- Huskus The Pig

Dexter Lumis- Mercy The Buzzard

Taylor Rotunda stated in Bray’s documentary that his brother deserved to be honored with something big. He was going to carry on his brother’s legacy and wanted him to be remembered forever. To me , he just did that. I think that he is going to do Windham justice. I also think that all of them are going to.

My Final Review:

I thought the end of RAW last night was excellent. The way the Wyatt Sick6 was revealed is what I love to see in wrestling. This was phenomenal storytelling at its finest. Watching it, I felt like I was watching a horror movie and being brought into the movie thanks to that segment. They all looked like actual horror movie characters. What I’m saying is that they all looked well done! I also loved the little tribute to Luke Harper that Rowan had with the Bludgeon Brothers hammer and the extra mask. I also loved Howdy’s glove with Bray’s name on it and the hat with the circle on it. All I have to say is that wrestling scaring fans and giving shock value is back! I was very pleased with the reveal of the Wyatt6 and I felt so much emotion. I had chills in my spine and tears in my eyes. Bray was on my mind the entire time. Bray would have loved what his brother is doing . Taylor is keeping his promise. Bray, I know that you were smiling down on Taylor and I know that you would be proud of him. I know that you would be proud of Nikki , Dexter, Joe, and Erick as well. You will always be with us ! We love and miss you! I am so proud of Taylor and all of them.

Who do you think is the 6th member ? Do you think it’s Bray’s spirit or someone else like Alexa Bliss or Braun Strowman?

Follow The Buzzards,

-Kay

[ybcpatrick]

Hi!! If you don't mind me asking how did you get into wrestling/how do you keep up with it? Every time I see you post about it I'm reminded of my interest in it but severe lack of knowledge

hi!! i don't mind at all!! so, my answer here may not be too helpful, because i didn't decide to get into wrestling myself.

i've been watching since the day i was born (like no joke, i got here, forty minutes later smackdown came on and my parents had it on in the hospital room). for my entire life, i've been watching WWE with my parents. some of my earliest memories involve it, having it on in the background, asking questions, connecting with my mum and dad through their excitement at getting to give me answers.

the past few months have been the first time in my twenty-two years of existence that i've ever had to watch raw/sd without them, and that's only bc my parents' schedules have changed, and they aren't home in the evenings. (but even now, i'm still not watching alone, bc i accidentally got my best friend tiana @heartbreakfeelsogood into it, too, and we're having the time of our LIVES.)

but, even though i didn't get into it, the interest was just Given To Me, i do still have some advice for you if you wanna start watching (and i'm using WWE as my general example here, bc it's the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and it's the one i watch most):

• wrestling isn't actually wrestling:

the match outcomes in pro wrestling are pre-determined, because it's not meant to be a legitimate competition; it's a vehicle for storytelling. it's a tv show about a wrestling show, closer to live theatre or a soap opera. it is still a sport, and the wrestlers are incredibly skilled athletes, and if something looks like it hurt really bad, It Fucking Did. but, they're fictional characters that exist halfway in their own universe and halfway in ours, who experience time at the same speed we do. you can watch them learn, grow, and change, in real time, for years, even decades.

wrestling is fake, and that causes people to brush it off as stupid. but wrestling being fake is exactly why it's good.

• there is no beginning, and there is no end:

wrestling never ends. ever. literally ever. monday night raw has aired every single week, without fail, since january of 1993. like it just never fucking stops.

because of that, there's no good place to start as a new fan. you just gotta dive in headfirst. WWE programming/commentary is very accommodating to new viewers, they take time to replay important segments you may have missed, and explain past events so you have context for what you're watching. anything else, google and youtube. if you wanna dig into wrestling history, there are some great video essayists on youtube who delve into it; my personal favourite is wrestling bios.

in the US, raw's on mondays @ 8pm EST on USA, and smackdown's on fridays @ 8pm EST on FOX. there's other wwe programming on thru the week, too, and all of it is also available on peacock. in canada, i have sportsnet for watching live, and the wwe network as well. if you're in another country, look it up and check. (i can give you my streaming site if you DM me, too, if you're respectably interested in 🏴‍☠️, but bear in mind that ripping WWE shit is Weirdly Fucking Tricky sometimes, bc capitalism is a prison.)

• pick one promotion, go from there:

there is so much fucking wrestling, it's super overwhelming, you genuinely cannot watch it all. WWE, AEW, NJPW, Impact, WOW, the list goes on and on and on and on. pick one company to start, branch out later if it piques your interest.

if you want sparknotes on shows you missed/shows from promotions you don't keep up with, there are a million review channels on youtube to recap them. i do that personally to know what's happening in AEW, bc i don't watch their stuff week-to-week. i like whatculture wrestling's ups and downs series, the host simon is incredibly positive and fun-loving, and it's great.

• remember it is not that serious, and a lot of the internet wrestling community doesn't know what fun is:

wrestling makes people mad sometimes. fans who are really deep into it/the backstage stuff, called marks/smarks, are the most fickle, bitchy group of people on the fucking planet. if you wanna interact with other wrestling fans, on any social media, just remember that you're allowed to have your opinions and they're allowed to have theirs, and just because they say a match/story/whatever is shitty doesn't mean it actually is. wrestling fans love complaining more than they love wrestling itself.

it's just like any other fandom; step in, look around, find your friends, hang out with them and don't bother with the bullshit. if wrestling's pissing you off more than it is entertaining you, you can take a break from it. it's just a show!

if you wanna watch, just start. you'll pick it all up as you go. i think it's the coolest form of storytelling there is, and i think you'll have fun. BE FREE!

[wrestlingwiththoughts]

The First Annual WrestleMania Week 2024 Awards

The most interesting parts of WrestleMania Week 2024 were, as usual, in the shows that took place around Philadelphia this year. Though I didn't travel to Philadelphia for the shows, I tried to craft a path that covered as many of the most interesting shows that streamed as possible.

To start, let's acknowledge the shows that I was able to watch:

DEFY Wrestling: Can't Deny It

STARDOM: American Dream 2024 in the Keystone State

GCW Presents Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X

The first half of the Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow

ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!

Jersey Championship Wrestling: JCW & GCW vs. The World

ROH Supercard of Honor 2024

CMLL Super Viernes (April 5, 2024)

Let's also provide the caveats on the shows that were on my radar that I was not able to watch due to timing conflicts:

The second half of the Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow

DDT Pro-Wrestling: DDT Goes Philadelphia

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling: LIVE in Philly

Wrestling REVOLVER & Hog of Glory Wrestling

Game Changer Wrestling: Joey Janela's Spring Break 8

Expect the Unexpected: Unlock the Unexpected - ETU vs. Dragongate

The call to promoters who schedule shows around major AEW and WWE shows: I understand the need to schedule around those shows. I suspect the desire to competing against WWE SmackDown, ROH Supercard of Honor, WrestleMania XL Nights One and Two forced promoters to focus on Thursday night as the premier evening option of WrestleMania Week 2024. The point of the weekend is, presumably, to make money via ticket sales and through the streaming sales that a company would make. Forcing customers to choose your show over competing options limits the ticket and streaming sales and exposure that your company can get that week.

On Thursday night, I was able to give the Hitchcock Memorial Supershow about an hour of undivided attention before I switched to focus on DEAN~!!. I missed the DDT show completely, and given the pace of WrestleMania Week and wrestling in general, I will most likely never watch DDT's show (or any other show that I had to skip due to time conflict). That means that I won't even have the chance to forget about the widely praised KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. Shunma Katsumata and Mike Bailey vs. Yuki Ueno matches because I won't ever watch them. Had DDT's show taken place on Friday afternoon, it would have received undivided attention and possibly better ticket sales and more views on WrestleUniverse.

With that said, here are my reflections on this year's WrestleMania Week in the form of my supremely prestigious awards.

The "Best Pure Vibes" Award: ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!

I visited the Death Valley Driver Video Review Message Board fairly regularly when I was younger, but I never created an account or tried to participate because it seemed too intimidating. My horizons broadened by reading discussions and reviews on Segunda Caida, but I never felt like I had anything worthwhile to add because my wrestling viewing was limited to some syndicated WWF shows, some ECW, and mostly WWF and WCW. Nonetheless, I recognized the name "Dean Rasmussen" in the message board and SC reviews, and I was sorry to hear of his passing. DEAN~!! was held in Rasmussen's honor, and it was probably my favorite show of the week. It had a vision, and that vision was felt in the eclectic mix of matches on the card, the exuberant commentary from Dylan Hales and John Mosely. Wrestling promoters and fans will sometimes defend nonsensical character development and plots, cringeworthy comedy, and substandard wrestling by claiming that wrestling shows have to feel uneven because they're variety shows that offer a little something to everyone. DEAN~!! felt like a repudiation of that defense, a counterargument that wrestling itself can provide that buffet without relying on the tired tropes that companies trot out when they refuse to think of anything better.

These are a few of my favorite things from DEAN~!!:

Colby Corino's setup for and commitment to the headlock gimmick. He was a busy and tired man, so he tried to win using the basic move in his arsenal. That went fine for him until Alex Kane was able to use his dedication to working smarter, not harder against him. The match combined comedy and action very well, and it's forced me to re-evaluate my impression of Corino from the days when he ran with Eddie Kingston, Joe Gacy, and Shane Strickland in Evolve as The Unwanted.

O'Shay Edwards for ending the match with a moonsault. When a man as large as Edwards lands on you, the match should be over, and it was, which meant that the match ended at the right time.

The Ugly Ducklings and Violence Is Forever for giving the crowd an unexpected sprint.

Tom Lawlor for his reticence to touch the disgusting, bloodstained canvas that was used for his match with One Called Manders against the Coven of the Goat. I wouldn't want to either.

Dr. Cerebro for having some of the best looking gear that I saw all weekend. The key details are the exposed brain and glasses sewn on his mask.

Avery Good, the IWTV Championship Committee, and ACTION for commissioning a slightly larger IWTV Independent World Championship belt. It's a good bit.

Krule and Jake Parnell for surpassing my low expectations for their match. It was overbooked, but it was overbooked in a good way, and Krule impressed the most since the show where he emerged from a cornfield.

Arez for being such an odd fellow. Master of the Strange Style indeed had a match with Chikara alumnus Matt Makowski that exceeded my expectations.

Slim J for refusing to go gentle into that good night. He and Adam Priest ripped off an exciting match days after Slim J was released from AEW, and it hopefully makes promoters reflect on how they misused someone this talented.

Marcus Mathers for making me reevaluate my opinion after writing him off as a scramble flippy guy.

Demus and Mad Dog Connelly for unleashing violence and mayhem. Connelly started the match by snapping the chain and hitting Demus with it, and he upped the ante by punching Demus with chain-wrapped fists.

Daniel Makabe and Timothy Thatcher for rewarding the attention that I was forced to pay their match due to their style. Grappling-focused matches don't have obvious moments of excitement for most viewers, so you're forced to watch closely for small shifts in angle and advantage. Makabe and Thatcher had a match where I felt like the attention that I paid to them after a long day of watching wrestling was worth the effort.

The "But Now You Have My Attention" Award: The Sovereign/Sinner & Saint

My major takeaway from DEFY's Can't Deny It was the fast-paced and tightly executed work from Judas Icarus, Travis Williams, and Evan Rivers in their match against the Dragongate team (more on one of them later) and C4XKC. Icarus and Williams, as Sinner & Saint truly caught my attention in their match against Marcus Mathers and Austin Luke at DEAN~!!, and I'll peek in on what they'll do in TNA now that they're signed there.

The "Champagne Problems" Award: Mariah May

In the grand scope, AEW's insistence on continuing with Timeless Toni won't determine whether they sign a profitable TV deal or whether their ticket sales or TV ratings will reach new heights or depths. On a personal level, the combination of Timeless Toni and the Brochachos drove me away from AEW, and it took months before I could trust the company to not focus so heavily on crappy content. I'm willing to stomach a few minutes of Timeless Toni every week in recognition that nothing can be perfect. Nonetheless, watching Mariah May wrestle with Mina Shirakawa and Xia Brookside against Mayu Iwatani, Momo Kohgo, and Tam Nakano at STARDOM's show and against Kohgo during the ROH Zero Hour preshow highlighted how fresh and exciting she feels and how tired and mortifying watching Toni Storm play Timeless Toni feels.

The "Indifference Is Worse Than Hate" Award: Shun Skywalker

I gave Dragongate a chance to capture my heart in 2023, and it failed to attach. So, I wanted to give Dragongate another chance in a setting that piqued my interest in Dragon Gate back in 2006. Instead, the Dragongate team of Kzy, Shun Skywalker, and Ho Ho Lun seemed to disappear during their match in the DEFY show. I had hoped that it was an aberration, but the Dragongate group of YAMATO, Dragon Kid, and Shun Skywalker underwhelmed in the tag match against Los Desperados in JCW & GCW vs. The World. Then, the whole Dragongate group had an underwhelming performance in the much hyped match against Team CMLL during the Hitchcock Memorial Supershow. I want to give them one more chance with the ETU vs. Dragongate show, but the Dragongate showing this trip did not inspire me to give the company another chance in 2024.

The "Half-Hearted Efforts Produce Half-Hearted Results" Award: ROH Supercard of Honor 2024

Crowning Mark Briscoe as the ROH World Champion on the anniversary of his brother's ascension should have felt triumphant. Instead, it felt perfunctory, which seems deeply wrong. Other than the knowledge that it was Jay Briscoe's championship anniversary, viewers received no cues for the emotional stakes of the match, and pitting Mark Briscoe against fan favorite Eddie Kingston seemed misguided.

The "That Sure Is A Decision That You Can Make" Award: Syuri, Masha Slamovich, JCW, GCW

I was looking forward to Syuri vs. Masha Slamovich at JCW & GCW vs. The World when it was announced, and it was one of the matches that kept me going through the fatigue from the grueling activity of watching wrestling for hours on end on Thursday. My spirit deflated when ring announcer Emil Jay announced a 30 minute time limit for the match since he announced no time limit for the other matches on the show. It was also billed as a JCW Championship match, and since Syuri wasn't going to win the title from Slamovich this weekend, my expectations joined my spirit in a state of deflation. The fact that they wrestled to a 30 minute time limit draw at 1:00 am Eastern in front of a listless crowd probably contributed to my dissatisfaction with the match; it felt like a slowly paced collection of moves rather than a coherent story told through the medium of professional wrestling.

The Best Match of the Weekend, Leyenda Division: Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther

Bryan Danielson is my favorite wrestler, and I've greatly enjoyed his post-WWE run. He's made it clear for years to anyone who would listen that he greatly admired Blue Panther and wanted desperately to wrestle him, and we were served an appetizer when they faced each other at CMLL Homenaje A Dos Leyendas 2024 on March 29. We got the full course when Danielson and Panther wrestled at Super Viernes on April 5, and it was what I, as a Danielson fan, would have wanted from this match. Both men defied age and expectations and challenged each other's technical skills and indomitable wills. Danielson tried to play rudo by hitting the aged Panther with brutal kicks and dives and by showing off with the Santo Escape several times, but Danielson is too delightful for any attendee at Arena Mexico on April 5 to truly despise.

The Best Match of the Weekend, Non-Leyenda Division

The finalists are:

World of Stardom Championship: Maika (c) vs. Megan Bayne (STARDOM: American Dream 2024 in the Keystone State)

Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura (GCW Presents Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X)

Matt Makowski vs. Charlie Dempsey (GCW Presents Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X)

Slim J vs. Adam Priest (ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!)

Daniel Makabe vs. Timothy Thatcher (ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!)

Dog Collar Match: Mad Dog Connelly vs. Demus el Demonio (ACTION Wrestling & Segunda Caida: DEAN~!!)

Jordan Oliver vs. Aigle Blanc (JCW & GCW vs. The World)

Limited to what I saw, my pick is Connelly vs. Demus, which was the most fun of these great matches. I was hooting and hollering as they bludgeoned each other with garbage cans, chained fists, and possibly fans, and the experience was heightened by the very game crowd at DEAN~!!.

My second pick would be Maika vs. Megan Bayne, which featured a great story of Maika, usually the bully, finding herself unable to bully the bigger and stronger Bayne. Maika's absurd Michinoku Driver from the second rope on Bayne looked absolutely reckless and devastating, and it felt unique among the many watches from the past week.

[writingcombatfan]

WWE - SmackDown 12/1/2023 Review

Tonight, I decided to tune in to the December 1st edition of SmackDown. My Friday had gone perfectly. After work, I had absolutely nothing to do except wait for 4 hours until Smackdown would come on.

From the beginning, we are already told that Randy Orton will be making an appearance on this week's SmackDown. The Viper is a free agent currently. His inclusion for tonight is a bidding war between RAW and SmackDown for his exclusivity.

Damage CTRL Segment:

WWE continues to remain creatively stagnant in their Damage CTRL related segments. The same old shit happened where Bianca Belair calls out Damage CTRL, they walk out and talk some shit, then Charlotte and Shotzi walk out and brawl with Damage CTRL. My problem with these segments is that it's become so repetitive that it feels like there are absolutely zero stakes involved since it's not Iyo putting her WWE Title on the line. Overall I rate the segment a 2/5, character work really shined here but there was nothing else. I know Bailey will be kicked out of the group soon enough.

Butch vs Bobby Lashley

Following being abandoned by his tag partner last week on SmackDown, Butch decides to indulge in a singles career, and was matched up with Bobby Lashley.

The match was solid, with the main highlight being the beautiful finish by Bobby Lashley spearing Butch and pinning him.

Overall, I rate the Butch vs Bobby Lashley match a 4/5. Served it's purpose.

Nick Aldis and Paul Heyman Segment

Fun fact about the British SmackDown General Manager, Nick Aldis was actually a wrestler that held the championship that Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Kevin Von Erich, and more had held throughout history. Nick Aldis held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for over 1000 days.

This fact fascinates me when I see how they're using Nick Aldis in the Bloodline related segments. Nick Aldis could 100% be the guy to beat Roman Reigns. Paul Heyman ends up knocking on Nick Aldis' office door and asks Nick why Randy Orton would be appearing on SmackDown that night. Nick Aldis then revealed that Randy Orton would be offered a contract to be exclusive to SmackDown, which would be very enticing to Randy Orton given his motivation to destroy The Bloodline.

Paul then asks Nick if Our Tribal Chief was made aware of this, and Nick Aldis proceeded to shut it down by delivering the message to Paul Heyman to then tell to Roman Reigns. Nick Aldis is getting increasingly territorial with SmackDown by competing with RAW and demanding dominance by his talent.

This segment is awesome for the ongoing Bloodline storyline. I rate this a 4.5/5.

Butch gets bullied by Pretty Deadly

This segment is utterly pointless and only serves to hammer in the fact that Butch was abandoned. 1/5.

Santos Escobar vs Joaquin Wilde

Santos Escobar continues to be one of the fastest rising heels in SmackDown history. Joaquin Wilde was matched up with him to attempt to defend the LWO's honor against Santos, but Santos actually beat Joaquin and proceeded to beat him up in the middle of the ring.

Match was a 3.5/5. Beatdown at the end added nothing except to continue to fuel the Santos Escobar heat.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce bidding war on Randy Orton

Adam Pearce had caught wind of Nick Aldis offering a SmackDown contract to Randy Orton tonight, and had prepared a counter-offer for Randy Orton in a segment later tonight.

This GM rivalry is incredible to me and I'm excited to see what it brings.

Logan Paul appears on SmackDown

Outside of WWE, Logan Paul is an asshole. However, inside of WWE, he is an incredibly pivotal heel in the United States title picture. Logan Paul boasts about his totally fair championship victory over Rey Mysterio, and he reveals that he spoke with Nick Aldis to introduce a tournament including the following wrestlers.

Santos Escobar

Bobby Lashley

Dragon Lee

Karrion Kross

Austin Theory

Grayson Waller

Kevin Owens

An NXT superstar that will be called up to the main roster.

This tournament has some supremely talented performers and sports entertainers, and we had the privilege of seeing a sneak peek over the rest of the tournament with a match against Kevin Owens and Grayson Waller.

Overall, I rate this segment a 4/5. Crowd really added to this segment and Logan has shockingly good promo skills.

Kevin Owens vs Grayson Waller

The KO vs Grayson Waller match ended up being a comedic pleasure to watch. There were many out of ring shenanigans with Austin Theory that really added to the match and helped gather my attention. Kevin Owens ended up beating Grayson.

Match was a 2.5/5. Not horrible. Not great.

CM Punk Segment

WWE played a video segment of reactions to CM Punk returning to WWE at Survivor Series. At the end of the video segment, it was revealed that CM Punk would be at next week's SmackDown. Pretty interesting to see if CM Punk and Paul Heyman will interact.

Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair

Match was kinda boring. Bringing back Kairi Sane just to make her lose a lot is a bad booking decision. 1/5.

Randy Orton makes his Decision

WWE decided to book the equivalent of Lebron's The Decision. Randy Orton makes a great and uninterrupted entrance and at the end he even hit the pose.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce then get heated with each other and try to throw out their offers for Randy. Adam Pearce offered Randy the winner of Seth Rollins vs Jey Uso on RAW, and Nick Aldis offered Roman Reigns and The Bloodline.

At that point, Paul Heyman interrupted. He gave his whole schtick about how Randy was taken out by Our Tribal Chief, WWE Undisputed Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Paul declared there will be no RKO's that night and that Randy won't have time to make that decision because The Bloodline would stop him.

Solo walks out with Jimmy Uso, then Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce leave the ring. Nick and Adam have had a wrestling career so it doesn't make sense as to why the WWE has not used them for wrestling.

LA Knight runs out to make the save for Randy, and ends up brawling with Solo Sikoa, leaving Randy in the ring with Jimmy. Randy hits a DDT, and then a RKO.

Randy ends up signing with SmackDown, to the ire of Paul Heyman who was shouting "GO TO RAW!" Just like that, Randy Orton returns to Friday nights. At the end of the segment, Randy RKO's Nick Aldis and Paul Heyman calls Roman Reigns on his cellphone. 5/5

Final Rating

7/10

This episode of SmackDown truly shined in the story telling department, but really could have benefited from higher quality matches.

[hazyheel]

WWE Friday Night Smackdown 10/4/19 Review

The season premier of Friday Night Smackdown basically ended up being a normal smackdown that just had a bunch of spectacle around it. Although we had the Rock, who had a good segment, all the other people who came to the event weren’t involved. But we have some interesting setups for some future matches, whether that is in the immediate future or Wrestlemania, along with a couple upsides, so there were some things that ended up promising. Here is my full review of this week’s Friday Night Smackdown.

The set for this show is actually awesome. I love the little tube thing that they have on the entrance ramp, it looks badass. Waaaaaaaaaay better than the Raw set, let me tell you. Stephanie and Vince McMahon came out first. They popped the crowd with a quick “Welcome to fox” type thing, before throwing it to the new theme song. This was all kind of a pre-show thing, so I’m not gonna grade it. And possibly the most exciting thing: A TWO MAN ANNOUNCE BOOTH. Corey Graves and Michael Cole were holding it down, and I’m so excited to see how well they do without a third wheel. 

Becky Lynch Promo: She thanked everyone at smackdown for boosting her up to title level. King Corbin interrupted and walked down to the ring. He told Lynch that she wasn’t the Man anymore, to which she said “step in the ring and we’ll find out.” He did, and I was excited to see Corbin get his comeuppance for attacking her at Extreme Rules, but The fuckin Rock came out instead, which is also good. He and Lynch slapped up in the ring as he posed in the corners, and even without talking, he exudes charisma. It is crazy. Rock talked about how he was the guy who invented the word smackdown. He put the show over a bit, before calling Corbin a Broke Ass Burger King on Crack. Then he hit his catchphrase, saying that he is back home. He was gonna keep going, but Corbin cut him off. Corbin said that Smackdown isn’t his home, and he isn’t the great one anymore. Corbin told him to shut up, so Rock told him that he wasn’t a King, and called him a 35 yer old version who hangs out at Comicon. He said that winning King of the Ring doesn’t make him a King, and just because Becky is the man doesn’t mean she is gonna carry a pair of testicles. Lynch said “yeah, but if I did, they’d be bigger than his.” Corbin kept heeling on LA, before Lynch hit the whole “it doesn’t matter what you think.” Rock then put him over a bit, before calling him a Super Tough Dude (STD), and the crowd chanted it, which Lynch said would stick with him for life (which it won’t but that was clever). Rock then told him that he was getting mad, and told him that Lynch and Rock would kick his ass. The two of them beat him down, and Rock hit the People’s Elbow, followed by a Rock Bottom. 

Grade: B. I liked this promo, and of course I loved the Rock. It was perfectly fun, and Lynch actually carried herself really well in this segment. She wasn’t groveling for the Rock at all, she was on equal footing with him, which was good. I don’t like when today’s stars stand shoulder to shoulder with attitude era guys and act like excited little kids. Becky is a star, and she caries herself like one. So yeah, really fun. Sucks that Corbin got the crap kicked out of him though, that kinda hurts him. Highlight of the night. 

Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley: Bayley and Charlotte started things out, with Bayley giving Lynch a cheap shot on the apron, before Charlotte put her down with some strikes. Bayley quickly took control back, and tagged in Banks, only for Charlotte to nail several chops to the chest, and a big boot off the apron. Charlotte went to the top, and Bayley tried to push her off, but Lynch intercepted with a forearm. The ref yelled at Lynch for it, so Bayley was able to push Charlotte off anyway. We cut to commercial, and as we came back, Charlotte was able to give Lynch the hot tag. Lynch took down Bayley with a series of strikes and a huge superman forearm. Bayley was able to fight back by hanging her up on the top rope, but Charlotte got the blind tag. She kneed Bayley in the stomach to take her down, and hit Natural Selection, but Banks broke it up. Everyone then started to brawl in the ring, with the faces coming out on top and throwing both heels to the outside. Charlotte nailed them with a moonsault to the outside, and then threw Bayley back in the ring for the tapout win with the figure 8. 

Grade: B. These four together always make for a really good match. This was short, but it did what it had to do. It teased the violent Hell in a Cell match, while setting up a Smackdown Women’s Championship match as well. Good stuff, and a fitting first ever smackdown match. 

New Day Interview: Erin Anderson interviewed them, and I wasn’t going to emphasize her at all, but holy crap she is way better than most of WWE’s interviewers. She actually had a personality, so that was refreshing. Kofi Kingston said that he will win despite being the underdog, and Big E and Xavier Woods confirmed that they wouldn’t be in Kingston’s corner in the main event. Hopefully we will get more Renee Young backstage, with a similar amount of personality. 

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Before the match, Bray Wyatt came on the screen, and introduced his puppets. Ramblin Rabbit told Rollins not to fight the Fiend, but Wyatt interrupted him. They then showed Mercy the Buzzard killing Ramblin Rabbit in a Hell in a Cell representation. He told Rollins that was what will happen to him in their match on Sunday, before leaving. Nakamura came out with Sami Zayn. The match started, and Nakamura immediately tried for an armbar. Rollins powered him up and nailed a buckle bomb, followed by a pair of suicide dives. The two then fought back into the ring, where Rollins nailed a springboard knee, and then a superkick to the face. He had Nakamura set up for the Curb stomp, but the lights went out. Rollins booked it to the top of the stage, where the Fiend was able to lock in the mandible claw once again, before throwing him off the stage. 

Grade: C+. The match was going pretty well, and the attack was cliche at this point although somehow managed to be fresh with a bit of fight from Rollins. But this was just good enough in my opinion. 

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon in a Career vs. Career Ladder Match: As the announcer was giving Shane his huge introduction, Owens attacked, and the match was off. Owens took Shane down by smacking him into a ladder bridge, and tried to get up the ladder. Shane pulled him off and hit a side Russian leg sweep. The two brawled beside the ladder, until Owens took it down and threw it at Shane, who ducked. Shane took control after nailing Owens in the back with the ladder, and then set Owens up on the table. He smacked Owens in the head with part of the announce table, before putting him through it with an elbow drop. We cut to commercial, and when we came back, Owens put Shane through a ladder bridge with a huge frog splash. Owens started to climb up, but Shane got back up and started to attack him with a chair. He beat the hell out of Owens with it for a bit, before putting him down in the corner and then setting up a Coast to Coast with the ladder. He was able to nail it, and Owens rolled out of the ring. Shane then started to climb the ladder slowly, but Owens grabbed his foot, and pulled him down for a powerbomb into a ladder that was set up in the corner. Owens then grabbed the briefcase and got the win. 

After the match, Owens told Shane that he was fired, and gave him a stunner. 

Grade: B-. This match was fine, it had a few big spots. This was just good enough to be in the positive, and the right guy won. Good stuff. That splash through the ladder looked brutal though. 

Paul Heyman interview: He just yelled a little bit about how Kingston was gonna lose to Lesnar. 

Heavy Machinery, Braun Strowman and The Miz vs. AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode: Miz and Ziggler started out, and Ziggler nailed a Zig Zag almost right away, but Miz countered back with a DDT. Strowman then tagged in, and took out Ziggler a couple times with huge tackles, only for Roode to break up the pin. Everyone hit a finisher real quick, and landed on the outside. Stromwan then ran around the ring to give everyone a shoulder tackle. Strowman then started to yelled at Tyson fury in the front row, and they playfully jaw jacked a bit, until he threw Ziggler into him on the barricade. Fury then started to scream at him, allowing Ziggler to nail a superkick. That only made Strowman more mad, and he gave Ziggler a Running Powerslam for the win. 

After the match, Fury tried to ump the barricade, but a bunch of security ran out to stop him. Eventually, after swearing a lot, he backed down.

Grade: C-. I’m bumping this down for celebrity involvement. The match was just kinda boring and simple, but the real story of this match is Fury and Strowman. I smell a Wrestlemania match, unless they wanna blow their load early. 

Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan in a Lumberjack Match: Daniel Bryan was on commentary, and Luke Harper wasn’t at ringside at all. They all both put each other on the outside early on, but when Rowan was on the outside, he fought off the lumberjacks, and even caught Reigns as he came in with a flying splash and threw him into the barricade. When we came back from commercial, they fought each other a bit with their signature offense. As they were fighting, Luke Harper started to walk down. Bryan met him in the ramp and they brawled, and the lumberjacks tried to gain control, only for Reigns to take everyone out with his splash into the crowd. Rowan then powerbombed Ali into Reigns, before bringing him into the ring with a running splash. He was about to hit the iron claw, but Reigns countered and hit a superman punch. Harper then ran in to save Rowan, only for Bryan to nail a Running Knee. Rowan then went to give Bryan the iron Claw, but Reigns nailed a spear for the win. 

After the match, Reigns and Bryan shook hands. 

Grade: C. I don’t really like lumberjack matches, but we need these types of Lumberjack matches in order to have a good one once in a blue moon. The closing stretch was pretty fun, with Harper and Rowan getting involved. Although this match did get me excited for the tag match on Sunday, so it did what it had to. Not a great match though. 

Kofi Kingston vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship: Kofi actually came out last, which was good, because I didn’t expect him to. Kofi tried to jump at Lesnar, only for him to catch him on his shoulders and it one F5 for the win. 

After the match, Rey Mysterio and CAIN FUCKING VELASQUEZ came down to the ring. And took him down, and started to hammer him with shots. Lesnar quickly retreated, and contemplated fighting Velasquez for a bit, before ultimately walking away with fear in his eyes. 

Grade: C. So, at first I was pissed about the match going so quick, but honestly, it was kinda effective. I think that, if they were gonna just give Lesnar the WWE Championship, they should’ve had him cash in on Kingston to win it here. Disappointing, and a real missed opportunity, but the squash was a good way to get heat on Lesnar. That being said, that was a very unexpected debut, and I definitely popped for it. That is a big get, even if he is just freelancing for them. Quite the way to close the first Friday Night Smackdown. 

Overall Grade: C+

Pros: The Rock and The Man promo; Lynch & Flair vs. Bayley and Banks

Cons: 8-man tag; lumberjack match; main event

[rawsmackdownnxtdivas]

I posted 10,668 times in 2022

That's 668 more posts than 2021!

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@rawsmackdownnxtdivas

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My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Bianca Belair

See the full post

286 notes - Posted July 30, 2022

#4

Rhea Ripley vs Roxanne Perez

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#3

Rhea Ripley

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383 notes - Posted November 26, 2022

#2

Rhea Ripley

1,716 notes - Posted July 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Rhea Ripley 💞

2,198 notes - Posted June 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[unis-trash-stash]

I posted 1,273 times in 2021

1200 posts created (94%)

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For every post I created, I reblogged 0.1 posts.

I added 3,834 tags in 2021

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#i’m getting so frustrated over these events that it’s affecting me irl

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Tonight’s mood

136 notes • Posted 2021-01-12 07:25:59 GMT

#4

Me @ Bad Bunny tonight

144 notes • Posted 2021-04-11 03:00:47 GMT

#3

Bitches be asexual and obsessed with Doctor Octopus from Spiderman

356 notes • Posted 2021-12-22 01:33:59 GMT

#2

Hello lgbtq+ community

370 notes • Posted 2021-10-14 19:55:42 GMT

#1

Please Otto I’m begging

819 notes • Posted 2021-12-25 06:53:33 GMT

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[chaoticnerdreview]

No Stronger Connection Than The Illegal Finish Situation

First of all, we have to address the elephant in room: whoever was in charge of RAW last night has a lot to answer for because the show was an absolute mess. From top to bottom, passing through every single segment. There wasn’t one moment that was pristine and there was a collection of moments that varied from pure laziness/distraction to downright disrespectful - the later being, of course, the way Mickie James returning match was handled.

However, for now - and only because SummerSlam is right around the corner -, we’ll focus our attention onto something else: the tag team match between Bayley and Sasha Banks vs Asuka and Shayna Baszler. Much like how the night had been up until that point, the match was confusing, messy and in a couple of occasions, illegal. That being said, and without further ado, let’s dive into it.

1) THE INTERFERENCE

The match was well underway, with Shayna and Asuka showing everyone why they can’t be a tag team, or else they’d be undefeated in power and strength, while Sasha and Bayley fought as hard as they always do to maintain their unbeatable consistency levels. All was right until Nia Jax pushed out a plexiglass onto Shayna Baszler and proceeded to try beating up, but was stopped by the ring officials who attempted to push her away from the ring. And they succeeded, however Shayna followed Nia out and their fight continued on the way to backstage area.

In any other match, and the timeline doesn’t have to be pushed further than last week or two weeks ago to see the differences, the official referee would have ordered the bell to be rung. However, that wasn’t the case last night with senior referee John Cone allowing the match to continue despite one member of the challenging team having been attacked and dragged out of the ring area.

2) THE VALIDATED TAG

As any fan of tag team wrestling knows, the players can only change inside the ring - legally - after the referee validates their tag. There have been cases of matches where finishes had to be revoked due to tags not having been validated and others where fans had to review footage to see the sneaky tags being validated. However, everyone knows the rules...

...Except the referee of this match. Once again, John Cone finds himself involved in controversy after allowing players from both teams to stay inside the ring for longer than they are allowed due to not being legally tagged in. Not only that but, and this might have been the biggest mistake of the entire match - if we discount the interference, of course - was the fact that, after loudly validating the tag to make Sasha Banks legal, John Cone “forgot” it. Thus leading us to...

3) THE ILLEGAL FINISH

While the fact that it was the SmackDown women’s champion tapping out to the woman who, before the match, announced she’d fight at PayBack whoever surfaced victorious out of the RAW women’s title match at SummerSlam, could be explained, the way it happened absolutely cannot. As described above, many tag team matches had their fair share of controversy due to tags not having been validated, but never like this.

After validating the tag and making Sasha Banks the legal competitor for the Golden Role Models, it was Bayley who was left inside the ring fighting Shayna Baszler with Asuka dragging Sasha outside. Rather making sense of the situation, since all players were crossed and not in a legal way, the referee allowed the match to, once again, continue. But, since there’s no stronger connection than the Boss’n’Former Hugger connection, Bayley tapped out to Shayna AFTER the cameras showed us Sasha Banks was doing the same thing to Asuka outside the ring.

However, John Cone did not see that and he called the match as if Bayley had been the one to lose it to Shayna. One can only assume that something went wrong somewhere during the finish of this match but the only conclusion we can, realistically, achieve is that this match was called upon a series of unfortunate events.

Maybe payback for how the Golden Role Models ended Extreme Rules on an illegal finish along the same lines - an interference not being called, and the match ending with a non official referee. Or maybe it was a terrible ending of the Era where everyone tried to bake wedding cakes without eggs, butter and flour. Whatever it was, it set us up for the new beginning at the ThunderDome on Friday as well as possible friction between Sasha Banks and Bayley - since both of them tapped out to the wrong people -, not to mention PayBack because both women Shayna warned ended the match on the floor, while she stood tall.

Until we figure out what this finish actually meant, stay tuned because in WWE?

Anything is possible.

[prowrestlingpost-com]

205 Live Landscape Year In Review: 5 Things For A Better 205 Live

205 Live Landscape Year In Review: 5 Things For A Better 205 Live

Since taking over 205 Live Landscape review of the fastest and exciting hour of WWE television on Friday nights late in 2019, I’ve enjoyed the high flying, more wrestling based show than I have in years past.

Gone are the days of over the top RAW & Smackdown storylines, and more mat-based content that has made NXT what it is today, which made the announce talent exchange between 205 GM Drake…

[hellstobetsy]

This morning, the ratings for Friday Night Smackdown came out and it was the lowest viewership in the 20-year history of Smackdown, losing in ratings to Black Jesus on Adult Swim. 

In response, the main event Monday Night Raw was dedicated to the primary cucking story (there’s more than one!) culminating in the scene above playing out as the crowd reaction was limited to exactly one (1) woman yelling “This is weird!”.

WWE has too much Saudi Arabian blood money to go out of business anytime soon, but it’s starting to feel like the bottom’s dropping out now that AEW exists all a lot of fans are switching over. 

There’s a real chance Smackdown is under 2 million viewers on Fox this week, and even though I’ve stopped watching WWE years ago and mostly live it vicariously through reviews, I’m living for watching Vince McMahon’s empire go up in flames.

[steamfunkstudios]

What’s that? Just a friendly reminder from those of us at Steam-Funk Studios to catch our content at Manifest Density Tour: COGS Expo 2! Bharat's Ballads! Cosplay Court Case! And much more! We'll even be exploring behind-the-scenes of The Living Multiverse, our multi-platform fictional project featuring teams of artists, writers and playtesters spanning the continental U.S.! And why YES, we DO have our Performance-Schedule for the carnage! ————————————————————————————

Friday 4:30 - 5:30 pm Airship’s & Arya-Samaj (Salon 3) 5:30 - 6:30 pm Mantra, Mudra, Sutra Mecha (Salon 3) 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm  Bharat’s Ballads (Ball Room Stage) Saturday 9pm - 11pm Cosplay Court Case: Night Court (18+) (Living Room Stage) 11pm - 12am Swagger 303: Hench & Henceforth (Troy Hills Room) Sunday 1 pm - 2 pm       For A Few Dice More (Main Stage) ———————————————————————————— Tales to Astound: Bharat’s Ballads (Multicultural Folklore w/Modern References) A Storytelling Session with Rohan Mauryan Balraj & his band of notorious Silk Road mercenaries, the Dogs of War. Outlandish deeds and daring exploits are retold, to what audience members are not ‘roped-in’ to participate as extras or ‘Special Effects’. The Ramayana as WWE Smackdown? Epic Battles of Devas and Rakshasas as Redneck Olympics? Araungzeb and Shivajii as the most epic of Rap Beefs? All this and more! Mantras, Mudra, Sutra & MECHA!!! (Vedic & SE Asian influence on Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Horror) Being an exploration of the numerous instances, concepts and derivative works, past and present, that have been produced by both Western and Eastern Presses, inclusive of Scripture, Literature, Saga Poetry, Graphic Novels, Roleplaying Games and more. From the Rg Veda to Ramayana 3392 A.D. From Escher to Exalted RPG. Grab your Brahamastra and get ready to Pilot some Vimana. First one to mention Aliens gets hit with the Sanskrit version of the Mahabharata. Swagger 303: Hench & Henceforth - A Finale (18+) Back for one Final Time, One Night Only. A Count Named Slick-Brass and the Titilus Crew have schooled audiences from one end of the nation to the other, with 'Swagger 101: The Art of Shameless Self Promotion' and 'Swagger 202: More than a Hint of Pimp'. Bringing the Trilogy to a close, with this Postgraduate Studies course, The good Count himself analyzes his Crew, both present and historical, and showcases the most valuable arsenal in any Captain, Commander or Overlord has in their repetoir: their Squad. Spanning the Mahabharata to Alexander's Companions, to the Star Trek Bridge crew, and other Magnificent Seven allegories. Strap in, and bring your crew. This one's going to make an Impact Crater. Cosplay Court Case: Night Court (18+), Tesla Tribunal Edition Is your character in need of justice? For the past fifteen years, the officers of Cosplay Court Case have arbitrated grievances across fandoms of all genres with assistance from audience members in this widely-loved improv event. So whether you're a Arthur Conan Doyle looking to file a restraining order against modern fandom for molesting his beloved Sherlock, The League of Extraordinary Gentlement seeking damage against Hollywood for wage theft and Reputational Slaughter, or want Will Smith's Jim West tried for war crimes against Robotic Spiders, come get yourself on the docket! Our Irascible, Irreverent, Malevolent arbitration is HERE for YOU! For a Few Dice More: LMV Design Diaries (Lateral Thinking & Ditching Story Formula). An analysis of the line between internal logic and tropes in Sci-Fi and Fantasy, while engaging with particle physics, brane cosmology, and M- and SuperString- Theories. A quick overview of Campbell’s Monomyth, Dramatica’s, Story-Quartets, and Dan Harmon’s Story-Circle. *restrained Yawn, followed by kicking over a table* These methods have their logic and uses... and moments where they break HARD. We’ll review when these rules should be followed, when they should be AXED, and how to circumvent them with style! Spanning ventures from Tabletop RPG's to LARP to Live Performance Troupes, and back to written product.

[hazyheel]

WWE 205 Live 9/17/19 Review

Well, it seems pretty clear now that 205 Live’s days are numbered. More than likely, after the move to Friday’s for Smackdown, 205 Live will be cancelled and the cruiserweights will be moved to NXT. So these next few weeks will probably be the show’s last. Which is unfortunate, becuase I like the cruiserweights a lot, but this is just an educated guess from me. Looking at the fact that 205 Live may be canned soon, they certainly aren’t stepping up their game. The best word I can use for this week is safe. Nothing big, nothing small, just a few good matches. Plus the crowd was basically a dead man walking during this show, another problem that has always plagued the purple brand. Here is my full 205 Live review.

Lince Dorado vs. Ariya Daivari: This match is of course stemming from the fact that Daivari has been trying to convince Dorado to split away from from the Lucha House Party. Daivari started things out by insulting Dorado about not taking advantage of his services and then losing at the pay per view.  Dorado then attacked, and Daivari rolled out, but Dorado gave him a springboard splash to the outside. He beat down Daivari a bit, until Daivari chucked Dorado out of the ring and to the floor, causing a small knee injury. Daivari just beat Dorado down and constantly tried to target the knee. Dorado then fired back a bit and hit some interesting combination offense, coupled with some high flying. At one point, Dorado was perched on the top rope, and Daivari just pulled him off and planted him on the mat. Another point saw Dorado go for a trifecta of moonsaults, but Daivari caught Dorado out of the last moonsault and nailed a rough uranagi. In the finish, Dorado pushed Daivari off the top rope and out of a superplex, and nailed a Shooting Star Press for the win, although Dorado’s feet caught the top rope a bit. 

Grade: B-. This was a pretty fun match and I was happy to see it end this way. Dorado sold Daivari’s power moves really really well, and was able to fly around at incredible speed. WWE is pushing the Lucha House Party because their contracts are coming up soon, but they are great talents and I’m happy to watch them. I don’t know if they will stay, but this was a good win for Dorado.  

Oney Lorcan Backstage: He called out Tony Nese for a match later on, and said that he was going to destroy Nese, and then Gulak for the Cruiserweight Championship. 

Jack Gallagher vs. The Brian Kendrick: Akira Tozawa was out to corner Kendrick. The match started out with Gallagher tying Kendrick in knots a bit. Kendrick escaped and tried to pick up the pace, but Gallagher was still able to take him down. Gallagher then went for a suicide dive, but Kendrick ducked, so Gallagher just slid over the top of him and threw him into the barricade. As Gallagher was throwing Kendrick back in the ring, Kendrick kicked him back into Tozawa, and the two started arguing. Gallagher wanted Tozawa to leave, and they talked, Kendrick walked up behind Gallagher and nailed him with a kendo stick for the DQ.

He then beat down Gallagher with the stick until Tozawa pulled it away from him, so Kendrick went out and grabbed it again and hit Tozawa in the back the stick. 

Grade: C+. Short match for an angle, but this is fine. Kendrick is a great performer, face or heel, and a heel would be a welcome change from him. Sucks that we are kinda back to square one with 205 live though, in terms of face and heels. With this and the Nese turn, lots of people are back to their original character. Interesting to see where this goes though.

Humberto Carrillo interview: he claimed Drew Gulak stole his win on Sunday, and he vowed to win the cruiserweight championship in a one on one match. 

Oney Lorcan vs. Tony Nese: Before the match, the commentators argued about whether or not it was smart for Nese to join up with Gulak as a friend, which was interesting. Lorcan destroyed Nese  in the beginning of this match, countering signature offense and lighting him up with chops and strikes. Nese took control by beating Lorcan down on the outside, and threw him over the top of the announce table, causing it to collapse. Lorcan barely made it back, and Nese continued to beat him down. Nese busted out a delayed vertical suplex which looked awesome with his physique. Nese then locked in a body scissors to work over the ribcage, with Lorcan barely being able to break out. As he did break out, Nese nailed a chop to the throat to take control back. Lorcan gained the advantage after creating some space by nailing a blockbuster that looked awesome. Lorcan then threw Nese around ringside, and even launched him into the crowd. They got back in the middle of the ring, exchange big hits after big hits. At one point, Nese countered out of a Half and Half suplex by throwing Lorcan to the ground and nail a standing double foot stomp for a near fall. Nese tried for the Running Nese, but Lorcan intercepted with a dropkick to the face. Lorcan then brought Nese up to the top, and tried to hit the Half and Half, but Nese elbowed him off. Lorcan still caught him with a european upper cut as he was on the top, and then going for a suicide dive, but Drew Gulak ran out and tripped him up. Off the distraction, Nese rolled him up with a hand full of tights for the win. 

Grade: B-. Another pretty good match. I loved the strength on strength stuff, as well as Nese’s awesome agility. The alliance with Gulak is only growing more and more dangerous, and that is a story that would be awesome to see play out. As for Lorcan, he should feud in the midcard a bit. Needs some time away from the title. Good match though, hard hitting and fast. Match of the night. 

Overall Grade: B-.

Pros: solid action

Cons: completely dead crowd; nothing too standout

[jwgammuto]

Go Home Smackdown Live for WrestleMania 35 Review 4/2/19

Last stop on the Road to Wrestlemania for the Blue Brand. SD Live has been the better show for almost the entirety of 2019, let’s find out if that trend continues on the go home show with a little of The Good, The Bad, and the WTF: Potato Face Edition.

The Good: Daniel Bryan continues his absolutely perfect heel work at the contract signing. Kofi’s stoicism and then flipped switch to emotion was also kind of fun but DB is the real star here playing with the crowd and flat out ignoring them when necessary. This was a significantly better send off to Mania for a big title match than Lesnar and Rollins gave us. If I have a complaint, it’s how irritatingly goofy Big E insists on constantly being. He basically gyrated his junk and made cocaine faces for the entirety of this segment and while I get that his deal is he’s a fun goof, it distracted from a solid segment that didn’t really need him or Woods.

The KO Show. Sure there’s about 100 ways they could be making better use of such a talented guy but these segments tend to be a million times better than Moment of Bliss so for this I am thankful. AJ and Orton continued the trade digs here in what has been a pretty good WWE Vet vs Indie Darling angle. I do question what the hell they can do at WM now that they’ve blown the whole Forearm into RKO bit but I’m pretty sure this match will still be good.

Samoa Joe gets back on track with a win over Ali. Much as I like Ali, this was absolutely necessary. Joe has been losing too much lately and he needed to look dominant here and did.

Otis. Basically everything he does on tv will go in this column for the foreseeable future.

Sanity makes a TV appearance, albeit to job in a handicap match to the Miz. Shane continues to be ok, not great, as a heel McMahon. This match build has been awkward but certainly not terrible. Looking forward to Shane’s insanity Sunday.

The Bad: Lazy booking in the form of an 18 person inter gender tag match that eventually devolved into a battle royal preview. This wasn’t without highlights such as Otis courting Mandy, Rose and Benjamin’s hi-five, Nikki Cross being a nut, and Asuka standing tall after Jeff Hardy foolishly turned his back on her, but ultimately this was a forced way to highlight the WM battle royals that no one cares about and felt unnecessary in a show that should be focusing on promoting consistent interest in a show that will be as long as a work day.

Becky Lynch’s rare weak promo. Basically a recap of what happened on Monday night, which was slightly lackluster to me anyway. I didn’t need anything quite so dramatic and overdone as Raw’s segment, but something more effective than Lynch standing on a desk regurgitating the same old schlock she’s been feeding us for two months felt lazy and weak.

The IIconics cut a promo ahead of the fatal four way title match at ‘Mania. Pretty boilerplate stuff from Peyton and Billie. Not that it’s horrible, it’s what they do, it just didn’t do much to convince me that they can win. So mildly pointless?

The WTF: The Twist of Fate. Riddle me this. Why do different performers sell it different and why is only when Jeff does the move? EC3 sells it last night as a half assed stunner, as many do. This move used to be a variation on the diamond cutter and it looked awesome. Some people still sell it this way, particularly when Matt does it, but when Jeff does the exact same move, about 2/3 of the time, the opponent sells it as a weird shitty version of the stunner. I want an explanation. Can I get some continuity anywhere with this product anymore?

The Smackdown Tag Title Picture and Alexa Bliss booking matches. The USOs are great. Them having the titles, while not 100% ideal due to the number of times they’ve had them already, is fine. What isn’t fine is no feud built to the biggest show of the year for these guys. They never seem to get a fair shake this time of year and WM 35 is no exception. Another freakin Fatal Four Way is inexplicably booked after we just watched the exact same match by the host of Wrestlemania, Alexa Bliss. She refers to the no no Jimmy and Jey had last week when the forfeited their gauntlet match in the name of KofiMania. This would have been far better served if it had come straight from Vince. He’s become a bit of a half assed authority and Bliss is the host of a show, not the GM. Why is she passing this message or making the match? It just feels dumb.

Finally, on to Aleister Black and Ricochet. How many title opportunities are these guys going to get in 30 days? Let’s count em up. Two against the Revival, both lost. This will be number 2 for the SD titles, one already lost. And they get a shot against the War Raiders on Friday night. That’s a fiver. It’s not that I don’t like these two guys. It just doesn’t make a ton of sense why they’re a team in the first place and despite losing every major title chance they get, they continue to get chances. I can’t imagine they beat the War Raiders at TakeOver. Maybe they win at Mania, which honestly I prefer over them winning the Raw titles from The Revival at any point. But what if they don’t? Then what? Some direction would be nice.

Certainly not awful but definitely lacked a real holy shit moment that made WM must see. The contract signing was good but not so good that I’m desperate to see Bryan and Kofi. There’s whispers that Mysterio might be hurt and out for the US title match so the Joe squashing Ali makes sense. God help us if Cena replaces Rey. How about Andrade? Or Ali in a rematch? Or even the triumphant return of the United States of Truth! Or.....OTIS! Similarly to Raw, there was stuff to like, other to not. Unbalanced, not amazing go home show gets 3.5 big Hogan Belt Whips because it did do a couple of things very well and there was little face palming. Stay tuned for One Chance in Hell this week, my fantasy booking for the Showcase of the Immortals. Top Guy.....out.

[unis-trash-stash]

I posted 1,245 times in 2021

1176 posts created (94%)

69 posts reblogged (6%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.1 posts.

I added 3,801 tags in 2021

#wwe - 881 posts

#world wrestling entertainment - 810 posts

#uni watches wrestling - 740 posts

#friday night smackdown - 346 posts

#uni speaks - 245 posts

#uni art - 242 posts

#oc - 201 posts

#monday night raw - 162 posts

#asks - 88 posts

#cesaro - 86 posts

Longest Tag: 70 characters

#i’m getting so frustrated over these events that it’s affecting me irl

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

SHE HAS SPOKEN

84 notes • Posted 2021-02-23 02:16:27 GMT

#4

[record scratch] Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation

100 notes • Posted 2021-09-25 01:58:10 GMT

#3

Tonight’s mood

136 notes • Posted 2021-01-12 07:25:59 GMT

#2

Me @ Bad Bunny tonight

144 notes • Posted 2021-04-11 03:00:47 GMT

#1

Hello lgbtq+ community

365 notes • Posted 2021-10-14 19:55:42 GMT

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