I’m baaaack, and better than ever! No, I am not Eric Bischoff but I am going the general manager of this here article. The biggest party of the summer is only weeks away, and both the main roster, NXT and 205 Live are gearing up for the festivities. This week we crowned a new champion, learned who several number one contenders are, and were introduced to a brand new PPV event. So let’s get into it!
Match of the Week
Alesiter Black vs. Tommaso Ciampa
The marquee match of NXT pitted the NXT champion, Aleister Black, defending against the best heel in the company, Tommaso Ciampa. This was a rather lengthy TV match, but man did it deliver! The near falls and false finishes had the audience on the edge of their seats. In the end, Johnny Gargano interfered and made a fatal mistake, leading to an inadvertent belt shot to Black and a championship reign for Ciampa. This was NXT at it’s finest, and it hope it leads to a Ciampa, Gargano & Black triple threat in Brooklyn.
Honorable Mention
Mustafa Ali vs. TJP vs. Drew Gulak vs. Hideo Itami
205 Live crowned its number one contender for the Cruiserweight Title this week in a thrilling Fatal 4 Way contest. The non-stop back and forth action was exciting, and the match ended with a submission hold from Gulak. This match is definitely worth checking out.
Segment of the Week
The McMahon family announces first ever all women’s PPV event
Raw opened up this week with the chairman of the board (When is the last time that happened? It felt like 1999 all over again). As the entire roster stood on the stage, he invited his daughter and son in law to the ring. Together, the three of them revealed that in October, WWE will be presenting Evolution: The first EVER all women’s PPV. Triple H and Stephanie praised the women for their hard work in what surprisingly felt like a very sincere and genuine promo. It was very cool seeing the McMahon;s in the ring together for this historic moment.
Honorable Mention
Randy Orton rips the WWE Universe
On Smackdown Live, the Viper addressed the WWE universe regarding his recent change in attitude. He blamed the fans for his actions and accused them of being the true legend killers. Randy exclaimed that he has been the constant presence in the company for the past 16 years (Uh, John Cena anyone?) and that he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. It’s refreshing to see the Apex Predator with a heel persona, cutting scathing promos against the fans. I’m interested to see how it plays out, and I hope it leads to a Heel Orton vs. AJ Styles match down the line.
Quote of the Week
Referring to his new album, Elias – “Buy two copies. One for youself, and one for the person you become after listening to it.”
Turn Back the Clock Moment
Natalya vs. Mickie James
This match on Raw had me asking myself if I had suddenly slipped back into 2009. I googled Bruce Jenner in order to make sure that wasn’t the case. Yup, he’s still a woman. Phew.
What Worked
Obviously the historic announcement on Raw generated enough buzz to carry the show. The rest of the night was pretty bland. Smackdown Live however had lots of stand out moments, including Samoa Joe being named the #1 contender for the WWE Championship, the Miz once again delivering the goods on the mic, and the return of everyone’s favorite dad bod tag team, The Bar.
NXT stood out due to the title match, but also had a strong segment w/ Ricochet and Adam Cole to boot. 205 Live remained consistent with their in ring work.
What Didn’t Work
Roman Reigns is facing Brock Lesnar again. No one cares. The Bayley/Sasha Banks melodrama has reached a confusing level of nauseum. Also, is it just me or has the Woken Matt Hardy gimmick gotten extremely stale? See, what i did there? Extremely stale… team extreme? I digress.
The only other gripe is have is with the very obvious language barriers that are making me cringe during promos. It is blatantly obvious that Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Kairi Sane etc. should not be getting time on the microphone. Just give them a mouthpiece already!
That’s it for me guys. Until next time!
Oh, one more thing… watch Miz & Mrs. It’s AWESOME!!!!!
