Before I really get into the meat of the movie I want to say, do not go to this expecting to see the Avengers. A couple things you need to know about the differences between DC and Marvel is that DC is a lot more story driven. Marvel is more about real people becoming super heroes and the stories usually don't get to deep into what makes the character a hero. Villains aren't usually fleshed out and the stories are based on action and dragging you through the feeling of how anyone, if the circumstances are right, could be a super hero. For the most part a marvel character is the way he is because that is the way he is. Marvel has no problem killing off villains so they tend to be a little more one dimensional.
DC, on the other hand, is more about the story then the action. A DC super hero is complex. They delve more into the moral compass and fully admit there is a thin line between hero and villain. A DC character usually has a past or an upbringing or a moral dilemma that makes them good or evil. Superman is the way he is because his parents instilled good morals. Batman is the way he is because he witnessed his parents being killed in front of him. DC is more about bringing the bad guys to justice so that tends to lend it self to deeper more drawn out characters.
Keep all that in mind when you go to this movie and realize that you are seeing the first chapter of a bigger picture. Like most DC stories, this is not to be taken as a stand alone action packed joy ride. This is not going to be that "oh hey look, there's a bad guy so lets all band together and fight the bad guy cause that's what we do", type of feeling. This is the first chapter in a major story. This is a group of people that believe in similar things who got to that belief by different paths and they need to prove each other to one another to earn the right to fight together.
Ben Affleck played the part of Bruce Wayne to a tee. He may be the best variation of an adult Bruce Wayne I have ever seen. I am a little saddened they decided to continue using the "Dark Knight" microphone to do the Batman voice but at least they didn't try and hide it since it was explained as part of the costume.
I do enjoy Henry Cavill as Superman as well. I think he brings a certain dimension to the character that we have only seen in the comics. He comes across more as the guy who questions himself and what he is doing more so than other variations have in the past.
This paragraph may be a bit of a spoiler so if you want to see it with no info and be surprised by every turn, jump to the next pharagraph. I don't feel it is, however, since it happens so early in the movie. I was a little worried about Jesse Eisenberg playing Lex Luthor but I am glad they explained it as him being the psychotic son of the original bad guy. Jesse was brilliant in his casting playing the genius who orchestrates all of the terrible things and the fun loving psychopath son of a super villain.
Amy Adams is great in her role as Lois Lane which is no surprise since she was great in The Man of Steel. and Gal Gadot was fantastic in the role of wonder woman.
The story moved slow but it was done very well since it's goal was to play the opening act of a much larger production. The interactions between Clark, Bruce, and Lex was just plain brilliant and if you go to see this for any reason at all. Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of Lex Luthor is the reason to go. There was not really an origin story, which was a nice surprise, Most people are going to think that the opening was one but in reality it was just a way to show the dark turmoil that Batman goes through.
At times I also got the feeling that they were trying to out dark the Dark Night trilogy. It seemed like this Batman was a little closer to the edge of killing people than any other Batman has been.
I think this movie needs to be graded on a scale. If you go into thinking it is a stand alone movie and you need your fix right away you will be disappointed. However if you go into the movie realizing that much like Harry Potter, the Hunger Games and Star Wars this is the opening act in a much much bigger story. The movie lends itself to great story telling by the way it shows the differences between Batman and Superman and how they can come together and earn each others respect, and the action sequence's were well done.
As a stand alone movie I give it a 3 out 5 stars simply because it tended to drag at times and the fight scenes weren't as satisfying as they could have been.
As the opening act to the continuing story I give it a 4 1/2 stars out of 5 because it brilliantly introduced us to characters while still leaving them room to grow. It also told a very engaging story of misunderstandings making resentment build, but when the truth is discovers trust between them grows.
That's all I have for now. Be sure to click the links to the right of this article and follow me on Twitter. Also check out my other articles were you'll find movie and TV reviews as well as commentary on sports and music. You'll also find wrestling commentary and results for WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, NJPW, GFW and Lucha Underground. Also read my articles on The Sportster.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
This Week in Wrestling 3/25/2016
Unlike other websites,and lets face it there are literally thousands, I'm not gonna waste your time with results. Those you can get anywhere. Instead I'm going to breakdown the week that was in all the major wrestling promotions and give my feelings on the product as a whole.
WWE
In order to clarify things with the Undertaker and Shane McMahon, Vince came out to tell us that if Undertaker lost he would never wrestle at Mania again. That revelation makes no sense considering Vince would not have the authority to fire him anymore since Shane would be in charge. the only part of this match that I am even slightly excited about is that it may lead to another brand extension.
There are going to be a handful of really good matches but the booking leading into them is horrible. The only match on this card that is not filled full of holes is the triple threat for the Diva's championship. WWE has one week to make this make sense but at this rate it will rival Wrestlemania 29 as the worst booked event ever.
There are going to be a handful of really good matches but the booking leading into them is horrible. The only match on this card that is not filled full of holes is the triple threat for the Diva's championship. WWE has one week to make this make sense but at this rate it will rival Wrestlemania 29 as the worst booked event ever.
NXT
As much as the NXT brand has been enjoyable lately, however, this week did nothing to build towards Takeover. There were a couple of good matches but even Asuka and Emma put on an underwhelming performance. NXT is far and away the better marketer of their women but this match was not worthy of a main event spot. Somoa Joe made a statement which was a welcome sight and helped his feud with Finn Balor. The way they are booking things, Takeover looks like it may be the better of the two events Wrestlemania weekend.
TNA
The announcement of Robert Roode and Eric Young leaving is a horrible turn of events for TNA especially considering on screen they are both current champions. The insistence on making the Hardy Boyz main eventers is really bringing down the over all feel of the show. At this point Drew Galloway, EC3 and Mike Bennet are about the only people that make this promotion watchable. TNA is really struggling to stay relevant especially since other promotions are really putting on great progaming
ROH
Nothing new this week. There was no weekly show and nothing came out about any new developments. Some of their talent is working in NJPW getting ready for their Invasion Attack PPV. But nothing to report since the crowning of new #1 tag team title contenders last week.
NJPW
This week NJPW kicked off it's road to Invasion Attack in style by having a show every day except Wednesday. Roppongi Vice spent the majority of the week taking on Kushida and a partner of his choosing which is an odd way for Kushida to be spending his time. Bullet Club continued feuding with Michael Elgin, having traded victories against him and various partners through out the week, On Saturday we had a title change with Steve Anthony defeating Tiger mask to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Word came out also that NJPW is upset with WWE since they tried to buy the rights to Bullet Club.
Lucha Underground
If the WWE want's to learn the proper way to handle the Royal Rumble in the future they should watch this weeks episode. Aztec Warfare 2 was a great story that highlighted each individual talent and every current feud got it's spot in the sun. Lucha Underground is quickly becoming much watch TV for me especially after 3 straight weeks with a match of the year candidate.
GFW
Nothing New happened this week as they didn't have any shows
That's all I have for now. Be sure to click the links to the right of this article and follow me on Twitter. Also check out my other articles were you'll find movie and TV breakdowns, commentary on sports and music. You'll also find wrestling commentary and results for WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, NJPW, GFW and Lucha Underground. Also read my articles on The Sportster.
Lucha Underground Aztec Warfare 2 review
We start the show with a promo from Catrina, Fenix and Pentagon Jr. where we learn that Pentagon Jr. was not invited to compete this year.
Aztec Warfare Match.
The LU Championship is on the line. Every 90 seconds a new entrant and the only way to be eliminated is by pinfall or submission.
Entrant #1 Fenix
Rey Mysterio Jr. is the surprise entrant at #2 his first match in LU
Fenix steps back to allow Rey to get his proper admiration from the crowd
Fenix countered a 619 with a superkick
# 3 King Cuerno
#4 Argenis
Argenis kicks Rey Mysterio in the butt as he lands after a jump over attempt
Rey pins Argenis after a 619 and a frog splash
#5 Johnny Mundo
Johnny Mundo back body drops Rey Mysterio over the turnbuckle. Rey catches himself by draping his leg over the ring post.
Fenix attempts a a splash and catches a kick attempt by Mundo he then throws Johnny's leg into Mysterio who is on the ring apron
Cuerno is standing on Rey on the floor
#6 Joey Ryan comes out and handcuffs himself to the barrier so he can't be pinned
Cuerno superkicks Joey Ryan while he is handcuffed to the barrier
#7 Prince Puma
Puma with a springboard shooting star press to everyone on the floor
#8 Jack Evans
Cuerno is eliminated by Rey Mysterio by tap out with an armbar
Fenix, Mysterio and Puma are all three putting the boots to Johnny Mundo
Jack Evans attempts a springboard crossbody and misses when everyone moves out of the way
the three then put the boots to Jack Evans as Mundo rolled out
Matt Striker says that all of Mexico is stomping on Jack Evans
Mundo comes in to join in and starts kicking Jack Evans as the other three stand around confussed
the three then attack Mundo and throw him from the ring
Rey with a splash on Jack Evans from the shoulders of Fenix
#9 Taya
#10 Cage
Mundo throws Cage through a window at ringside
#11. Mascarita Sagrada
Matt Striker says to call him a paragraph because he is to short to be an essay
Johnny Mundo catches Sagrada as he dives through the ropes
Johnny uses Sagrada to do some curls
Cage hits Weapon X on the floor the throws Mundo in the ring where Prince Puma hits a shooting star press for a pinfall
#12 Marty "the Moth" Martinez
#13 Drago
Sagrada hits a DDT on Marty The Moth, Mysterio hits a splash on The Moth and he a Sagrada double pin Marty
#14 The Mack
The Mack with a Stone Cold Stunner on the Moth on the floor
Fenix throws Sagrada into Joey Ryan
#15 Chavo Gurerro Jr.
Drago Powerbombs Jack Evans on the steps
Sagrada submits to a Camel Clutch by Chavo
Johnny Mundo Returns to break a cinder block on Cage's head and Taya gets the pinfall
#16 "The Darewolf" PJ Black
Taya was eliminated by pinfall after a German bridge suplex by Fenix
#17 Aerostar to a huge pop
Aerostar hits a top rop DDT on Jack Black and PJ Black with a Bloody Sunday
Jack Evans and Drago are pinned at the same time by Aerostar and Black as the ref counts with both arms
#18 Dragon Azteca Jr.
Azteca Jr with a seated senton over the ringpost to The Mack on the floor
#19 Texano
PJ Black eliminated by Texano by pinfall after a sit out powerbomb
#20 Mil Muertes
Pentagon Jr. attacks Muertes with a chair during his entrance, then throws Muertes into the ring where Mysterio hits a top rope splash and then Muertes is pinned by both Mysterio and Puma
Muertes then chases Pentagon Jr. while Catrina calls out Vampiro and slaps him.
the clock continues to count down and Dario Cueto makes his return to take control back from Catrina and announces a surprise extra entrant, his brother
#21 The Monster Matanza Cueto
Cueto pins Fenix after a spinning powerslam
Cueto no sells a stunner and then pins The Mack after a bridging German suplex
Cueto pins Aerostar after another bridging German suplex
Cueto pins Texano after a sit out power bomb
Cueto rips the handcuffs out of the barricade and pins Joey Ryan after 3 rolling side suplexes
Chavo attacks everyone who is still on the outside and throws Azteca Jr in to the ring
Cuerto pins Azteca after a spinning choke slam
Chavo tries to make an alliance with the Cueto's Chavo enters the ring and Cueto attacks
Cueto pins Chavo after a standing back flip
Cueto pins Puma with a bridging German suplex
Cueto blocks a 619
Cueto pins Mysterio with a spinning powerslam after catching him coming off the top turnbuckle
Grade 4 3/4 stars
Final thoughts
An hour long match that I watched 3 times. The match held my interest from the opening bell. Every one had a chance to stand out and show what they could do and it was fun to see Jack Evans in a match like this. The match had comedy, hard hitting action and a lot of what makes the Lucha style great. A couple of surprise returns didn't hurt either. Cuerto's no selling was done perfectly to sell himself as an unstoppable force. Every feud got the spotlight too which was a smart way to extend them.
That's all I have for now. Be sure to click the links to the right of this article and follow me on Twitter. Also check out my other articles were you'll find movie and TV breakdowns, commentary on sports and music. You'll also find wrestling commentary and results for WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, NJPW, GFW and Lucha Underground. Also read my articles on The Sportster.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
This week in wrestling 3/17/2016
Unlike other websites,and lets face it there are literally thousands, I'm not gonna waste your time with results. Those you can get anywhere. Instead I'm going to breakdown the week that was in all the major wrestling promotions and give my feelings on the product as a whole.
WWE
After putting a match of the year candidate with Triple H at Roadblock, I’m just waiting for the time when Ambrose gets his top billing as the companies # 1 baby face and they finally turn Reigns heel to capitalize on the hatred he already has against him. I will not be holding my breath since the WWE has had many opportunities to do that and they are so hell bent with having Reigns become the new face of the company there are ignoring the obvious.
I can’t imagine the WWE wanted the reaction they got from the audience when Reigns returned to attack Triple H. The boo’s that were raining down on him were a sign that the fans are sick of his push. He is not being utilized all that well and they need to figure out his character before he starts getting X-Pac heat. Make him what he was at TLC and the Monday after, he is a very good silent ass kicker, take the mic out of his hands and just let him beat people up. If he is that guy he may be able to turn some of this around and the fans may start cheering him. If the WWE continues pushing him he will never get to where they want him to go and he'll be out of the company in 5 years.
They are building the Y2J and AJ story perfectly especially since we have already seen these two wrestle 3 times. We got robbed out of a great AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens match that probably should have waited until a PPV. A screwy, way over done, distraction ending on Smackdown is no way to end the clinic that KO and AJ were putting on.
NXT
Kind of a rushed show this week Emma won in another squash match and the announcement of Bayley defending her title against Asuka should make for a great match and one that could be a match of the year candidate. American Alpha is set to collide with The Revival since they were named the new #1 contenders. Look for both of those matches to happen at Takeover.
TNA
Again they are just hit and miss. There is some good especially with the Drew Galloway cash in and anything that Beer Money does. I don’t know that building the show around Jeff Hardy was a wise Idea. However, getting the belt off Matt Hardy was great call. Matt was never heavyweight title material in his prime. forcing it on him and the fans now is just insulting. Now turn EC3 heel again so we can get a Galloway/ Carter feud.
ROH
The entire episode this week was dedicated to a tag team gauntlet match which was very exciting. Roppongi Vice picked up the win over the Young Bucks. ROH has some of the best tag teams in the world, especially when you team them up with NJPW. Red Dragon, the Young Bucks, Roppongi Vice, Motor City Machine Guns and the Addiction I could literally watch every day. The news that Christopher Daniels is thinking retirement is sad but he has given us a lot of enjoyment over the years and if he is going to hang it up I want to say thank you.
NJPW
We got the finals of the New Japan Cup and the prediction I had was wrong,although we got the match up I predicted just a little earlier. Michael Elgin lost in the Semi-finals to Hirooki Goto. Goto went on to lose to Tetsuya Naito in the finals. On the 4/10 show it looks like it will be Naito vs the “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada. The Invasion Attack 2016 card is shaping up to be a good one.
Lucha Underground
Solid show this week, Lucha Underground is quickly becoming a must watch show for me. A couple of title changes the first being the Trios Championship that was won, in a very fun match by Son of Havoc, Ivelisse and Angelico. Then Fenix beat Mil Muertes to become the new Lucha Underground Champion in another really good match to end the show. Mil was a great champ hopefully Fenix can fill his shoes. We had a Chavo Guerrero sighting which is always fun but still no Jack Evans. I’m going to have to pull out my old ROH and Dragon Gate tapes to get my Jack Evans fix since this is three straight weeks he hasn’t given us a televised match.
GFW
The only thing noteworthy this week was Nick Aldis stating that he was a wrestling free agent which if that is true will really deal a blow to GFW since he is a must watch wrestler.
That's all I have for now. Be sure to click the links to the right of this article and follow me on Twitter. Also check out my other articles were you'll find movie and TV breakdowns and commentary on sports and music. You'll also find wrestling commentary and results for WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, NJPW, GFW and Lucha Underground. Also read my articles on The Sportster.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
February 2016 Match of the Year Candidates
I'd like to give a little background into match grading. For the most part match grading is subjective, some people look for flawless execution of a story while others look for consistency and a feel of realism. Others view the match as a single entity while other people include the story into the grade.
I want to tell you my grading system. The story is huge to me, if the story is great, then that can raise a grade of a match a whole 1/2 star, and vice versa if the story sucks it can also drop the grade a 1/2 star. I'm also huge into realism, if a guy takes a DDT and lays on the floor for 15 minutes only to come flying in at the last second to save the match, that's a little to much for me. Also a blown spot or two isn't a deal breaker if the blown spot results in a realistic feel. Lets face it, when you are doing a back flip of the second rope into a reverse DDT where you need to catch your opponent who is standing a few feet behind you, it isn't always going to work out perfectly. In a real fight that move would actually hit perfectly 1 out of every 100 times. I will also give a guy a break if he kicks out of a finisher simply because finishers aren't as devastating as they used to be. While standing in the middle of the ring trading punches while the crowd yells Yay/Boo will drop the grade. That move is so over done and usually is placed at a point where a guy took a DDT that he jumped back up from but is trying to make us believe the strikes are really hurting him.
So the things I look for while grading matches are the story leading up to the match, whether the execution in the ring was believable and how enthralled I was by the match. Did I get sucked in? Did I at any moment utter the words Holy S!%#? Did I look forward to the match because of a great build? Was the action in the ring a great story being told?
Keep that in mind as you read what I believe are the match of the year candidates from February for 2016.
That's all I have for now, Click the links to the right of this article to follow me on Twitter. Be sure to check out my other articles for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary also wrestling reviews and commentary for many different wrestling promotions, such as WWE, TNA, NXT, ROH, NJPW, Lucha Underground, and GFW. Also be sure to check out my articles on The Sportster.
I want to tell you my grading system. The story is huge to me, if the story is great, then that can raise a grade of a match a whole 1/2 star, and vice versa if the story sucks it can also drop the grade a 1/2 star. I'm also huge into realism, if a guy takes a DDT and lays on the floor for 15 minutes only to come flying in at the last second to save the match, that's a little to much for me. Also a blown spot or two isn't a deal breaker if the blown spot results in a realistic feel. Lets face it, when you are doing a back flip of the second rope into a reverse DDT where you need to catch your opponent who is standing a few feet behind you, it isn't always going to work out perfectly. In a real fight that move would actually hit perfectly 1 out of every 100 times. I will also give a guy a break if he kicks out of a finisher simply because finishers aren't as devastating as they used to be. While standing in the middle of the ring trading punches while the crowd yells Yay/Boo will drop the grade. That move is so over done and usually is placed at a point where a guy took a DDT that he jumped back up from but is trying to make us believe the strikes are really hurting him.
So the things I look for while grading matches are the story leading up to the match, whether the execution in the ring was believable and how enthralled I was by the match. Did I get sucked in? Did I at any moment utter the words Holy S!%#? Did I look forward to the match because of a great build? Was the action in the ring a great story being told?
Keep that in mind as you read what I believe are the match of the year candidates from February for 2016.
AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho
Fastlane February 21st 2016
Promotion: WWE
Story:
After AJ debuted to a huge pop and strong showing at the Royal Rumble these two traded victories on Raw and Smackdown. Jericho teasing a heel turn refused to give AJ the rubber match until AJ beat him into it.
Winner: AJ Styles wins by Submission when Jericho taps to the Calf Crusher
Grade 4 1/2 stars
Reason it was great:
These two have really good chemistry between them. The story leading up to the match was really good pitting the newcomer to the WWE, who may be the best wrestler in the world, against the war torn veteran of the WWE. A lot of high spots and impressive moves were done. There were a couple of missed moves which didn't take away from the match because of there realism. All in all it was a great story told in the ring with an even better build and mutual respect shown by both men and I had an honest feeling that both men could have won the match.
Kushida ACH, Matt Sydal vs Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks
14th Anniversary Show February 26th 2016
Promotion: ROH
Story:
After winning the championship at Honor Rising just a week earlier Kenny Omega makes his return to ROH wrestling for his first match in more than 5 years. The Young Bucks continue their rivalry with Matt Sydal and ACH. The last time these two teams met was on ROH TV where Sydal and ACH were victorious. Kenny Omega and Kushida also have a long standing rivalry in NJPW having traded the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship over the last year and Omega lost the title to Kushida at Wrestle Kingdom 10 just over a month prior.
Winner: Matt Jackson by pinfall after a One Winged Angel to retain the 6 man NEVER Openweight Championship
Grade: 4 3/4 stars
Reason it was great:
This match was awesome from start to finish. High spots every where and the ending had so much going on I needed to watch it 3 times. Moves were believable and they all had really good chemistry together. I enjoyed the way that The Elite for Bullet Club played with the crowd and were able to draw up some really good heel heat. ACH is also a man possessed, he makes almost every move look effortless. All six men packed a lot of action in just over 16 minutes of ring time.
Jay Lethal vs Adam Cole Vs Kyle O'Reilly
14th Anniversary Show February 26th 2016
Promotion: ROH
Story:
Adam Cole turned on his partner Kyle O'Reilly and will do anything he can to keep O'Reilly from winning the top belt in ROH. Cole is also trying to become the third man in ROH history to win the title twice. O'Reilly recently made Lethal tap out in a non title match.
Winner: Lethal by Pinfall on Cole after a double Lethal Injection on both men to retain the ROH Heavyweight Championship.
Grade: 4 1/2 Stars
Reason it was great:
You could feel the animosity between Alex Cole and Kyle O'Reilly through the TV set. The sheer hatred they showed towards each other brought a very unique dynamic to the match. All three had great chemistry and the move set was very believable. I got sucked into the match and really bought in to all three men having a legitimate shot at winning the belt.
That's all I have for now, Click the links to the right of this article to follow me on Twitter. Be sure to check out my other articles for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary also wrestling reviews and commentary for many different wrestling promotions, such as WWE, TNA, NXT, ROH, NJPW, Lucha Underground, and GFW. Also be sure to check out my articles on The Sportster.
January 2016 Match of the Year Candidates
I'd like to give a little background into match grading. For the most part match grading is subjective, some people look for flawless execution of a story while others look for consistency and a feel of realism. Others view the match as a single entity while other people include the story into the grade.
I want to tell you my grading system. The story is huge to me, if the story is great, then that can raise a grade of a match a whole 1/2 star, and vice versa if the story sucks it can also drop the grade a 1/2 star. I'm also huge into realism, if a guy takes a DDT and lays on the floor for 15 minutes only to come flying in at the last second to save the match, that's a little to much for me. also a blown spot or two isn't a deal breaker if the blown spot results in a realistic feel. Lets face it, when you are doing a back flip of the second rope into a reverse DDT where you need to catch your opponent who is standing a few feet behind you, it isn't always going to work out perfectly. In a real fight that move would actually hit perfectly 1 out of every 100 times. I will also give a guy a break if he kicks out of a finisher simply because finishers aren't as devastating as they used to be. While standing in the middle of the ring trading punches while the crowd yells Yay/Boo. That move is so over done and usually is placed at a point where a guy took a DDT that he jumped back up from but is trying to make us believe the strikes are really hurting him.
So the things I look for while grading matches are the story leading up to the match, whether the execution in the ring was believable and how enthralled I was by the match. Did I get sucked in? Did I at any moment utter the words Holy S!%#? Did I look forward to the match because of a great build? Was the action in the ring a great story being told?
Keep that in mind as you read what I believe are the match of the year candidates.
That's all I have for now, Click the links to the right of this article to follow me on Twitter. Be sure to check out my other articles for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary and wrestling reviews and commentary for many different wrestling promotions, such as WWE, TNA, NXT, ROH, NJPW, Lucha Underground, and GFW. Also be sure to check out my articles on The Sportster.
I want to tell you my grading system. The story is huge to me, if the story is great, then that can raise a grade of a match a whole 1/2 star, and vice versa if the story sucks it can also drop the grade a 1/2 star. I'm also huge into realism, if a guy takes a DDT and lays on the floor for 15 minutes only to come flying in at the last second to save the match, that's a little to much for me. also a blown spot or two isn't a deal breaker if the blown spot results in a realistic feel. Lets face it, when you are doing a back flip of the second rope into a reverse DDT where you need to catch your opponent who is standing a few feet behind you, it isn't always going to work out perfectly. In a real fight that move would actually hit perfectly 1 out of every 100 times. I will also give a guy a break if he kicks out of a finisher simply because finishers aren't as devastating as they used to be. While standing in the middle of the ring trading punches while the crowd yells Yay/Boo. That move is so over done and usually is placed at a point where a guy took a DDT that he jumped back up from but is trying to make us believe the strikes are really hurting him.
So the things I look for while grading matches are the story leading up to the match, whether the execution in the ring was believable and how enthralled I was by the match. Did I get sucked in? Did I at any moment utter the words Holy S!%#? Did I look forward to the match because of a great build? Was the action in the ring a great story being told?
Keep that in mind as you read what I believe are the match of the year candidates.
Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata
Wrestle Kingdom 10 January 4th 2016
Promotion: NJPW
Story:
Who really needs a story, this is just two bulls going toe to toe so they can see who's best. The reason Shibata got the match was because of a pair of pinfalls he scored on Ishii during the World Tag League event.
Winner: Shibata by pin fall after a Penalty Kick to become the New NEVER Open weight Champion
Grade: 5 star
Reason it was great:
Both Wrestlers told a fantastic story in the ring with neither of them having the advantage for long. They sold moves and also no sold moves at the perfect time, and also kept the crowd engaged through out the match. I always felt that the match could go either way and it had a big fight feel from the opening bell. What helped that along was they stuck with strikes through the majority of match which helped it with the big fight feel.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles
Wrestle Kingdom 10 January 4th 2016
Promotion: NJPW
Story:
After Nakamura defended his belt at Power Struggle, he issued an open challenge to any member of Bullet Club for Wrestle Kingdom. That challenge was accepted by AJ Styles. This match was billed as the first ever meeting between the two and was considered a dream match.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall after a Bomaye to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Grade: 4 1/2 stars
Reason it was great:
An incredibly compelling story in the ring left us not knowing who was going to win. What makes that even more special is these two were able to make us suspend that disbelief even though we knew that AJ Styles was leaving NJPW after this match. Also the mutual respect shown after the match was a feel good moment.
Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens
Last Man Standing Match, Royal Rumble January 24th 2016
Promotion: WWE
Story:
This rivalry got kick started at Survivor Series when Ambrose and Owens met in the semi finals of the WWE Title tournament. They met again at TLC in an incredible match with Ambrose leaving with the gold and then a double count out on an episode of Smackdown to set up this match. The build up was done to perfection with them trading beat downs and verbal jabs and not meeting in tag team matches and singles matches every show Because of that it actually felt special when they did meet in the ring.
Winner: Dean Ambrose when Owens couldn't answer the ten count after going through a table outside the ring from the top turbuckle. Ambrose retained the Intercontinental Championship.
Grade 4 3/4 stars
Reason it was great:
Back and forth action making both guys look incredibly strong. I like the fact that Owens was going for the moonsault to end the match instead of trying another pop up power bomb since Ambrose kicked out of the first one. There were a ton of high spots with a great lead in story and great selling of the injuries after the match when they both came into the rumble match bandaged and obviously hurting. I was on the edge of my seat not knowing who was going to win because it seemed at times like they both might. Just a great telling of a hard fought match.
That's all I have for now, Click the links to the right of this article to follow me on Twitter. Be sure to check out my other articles for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary and wrestling reviews and commentary for many different wrestling promotions, such as WWE, TNA, NXT, ROH, NJPW, Lucha Underground, and GFW. Also be sure to check out my articles on The Sportster.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
WWE Roadblock Review
New Day vs League of Nations (Sheamus and Wade Barrett) for the Tag Team Titles
Highlights:
The New Day comes out to a huge pop, clearly playing the faces tonight.
New Day is up to their usual antics before revealing the packaging for Booty O's cereal
Crowd gives a Booty O's chant
New Day double teams Wade Barrett in the corner with quick tags that JBL calls a unicorn stampede
Kofi drop kicks Sheamus in mid air as he jumps off the top turnbuckle
Kofi counters a Cloverleaf into a pinfall
S.O.S by Kofi
Scary spot where Kofi landed on the back of his head in what looked like a missed spot when he was coming off the top rope.
Xavier Woods distracts the ref while Barrett has Big E pinned. Michael Cole calls it like a face would and JBL calls him out on it by saying "a week ago you had a problem with that"
Winner: The New Day Retains by pinfall when Big E hits the Big Ending on Sheamus
Grade: 2 1/2 Stars
Thoughts:
It was an okay match that I still don't understand. What did Sheamus and Barrett due to deserve a title match. New Day is still one of the highlights of WWE programming so it's no surprise that they had the majority of the highlights in this match. The story was horrible. This match had no build up and had New Day not been involved, it would have been a match better served for Smackdown.
Paul Heyman gives a very good Promo talking about Lesnar looking for revenge against Bray Wyatt.
Then we get highlights of Chris Jericho's turn on AJ Styles
Chris Jericho Vs Jack Swagger
Highlights:
Jericho comes out to put down Toronto and continued with his reason's for turning on AJ
The crowd gave us probably the first ever asshole chant after Jericho called Toronto the Anus of the country
Beautiful standing dropkick by Jericho
Jericho counters the Swagger Bomb with knees to the chest
Jericho misses a lionsault then Swagger hits the Swagger bomb
Swagger counters a Code Breaker into a side slam from his shoulder.
Winner: Chris Jericho by submission when Swagger taps to the Walls of Jericho
Grade: 3 1/4
Thoughts:
What a waste of a great match by not advertising this. Incredible effort by Swagger and I actually felt like he would win more than once. Jack Swagger did show in this match that he is a great in ring performer. It's really to bad he has never been able to connect with the crowd. Although this is another match that really had no explanation or lead in. So far this show has felt more like Monday night Raw then a special event. When it's a Special Event which is what these shows on the WWE Network are, I wouldn't call any of them PPV's anymore, They need to put a little more effort then what they normally do for a Raw or Smackdown.
The Revival vs Enzo and Cass
Highlights:
Enzo has a new haircut maybe he could spare some of his hair so Dawson's head doesn't get cold
Cass throws Enzo intp Dawson then throws Dash into Dawson
Cass launches Enzo over the top rope onto Dash and Dawson who are on the floor
Dawson shoulder tackles Enzo to keep him from tagging Cass
Hot tag to Cass who gives the biggest splash I've ever seen to Dawson then to Dash
Big boots by Cass on boot members of the Revival
Dawson trips up Enzo to prevent the Rocket Launcher
Dash and Dawson hit a Shatter Machine on Cass on the floor
Winner: The Revival retain their belts by pinfall on Enzo after a Shatter Machine
Grade: 3 3/4 Stars
Thoughts:
So far the best match of the night, both teams gave a great performance. If Enzo and Cass do come up to the main roster Carmella needs to come with. It's to bad the New Day are face now, a verbal war between them and Enzo would be great TV.
Natalya vs Charlotte for the Divas Championship
Highlights:
Nattie and Charlotte swap submission moves early on.
Natalya spanks Charlotte while setting up a surfboard
Charlotte gives a Flair strut
Natalya reversed the figure four
Charlotte made it to the ropes and out to the floor while still holding the figure four
Natalya hits a sit out powerbomb
The crowd explodes when Natalya puts on the Sharpshooter
Winner: Charlotte retains by pinfall with a roll up and her feet on the ropes when Flair distracts Natalya
Grade: 3 3/4
Thoughts:
Another unadvertised match that really shows the WWE just doesn't care about the Diva's or the Mid Card. Charlotte is really starting to come into her own as a heel. I really wanted to give this a much higher rating since they really worked their buts off. However, there were a few to many rest holds and submissions for my liking early on. Of course it looses a 1/2 star because of the toe to toe exchange in the middle of the ring. and the screwy distraction ending that is way over done also hurt it. All in all though they were given plenty of time to work and really did put on a good showing.
Brock Lesnar vs Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper
Highlights:
Luke Harper has a clean shirt, I wonder if the other one just finally fell apart
Bray announces that this is now a handicap match.
Bray backs away from Brock up the ramp.
A pair of super kicks to Brock and then a discus clothesline for a quick pin
Brock takes Harper to Suplex City while Bray backs away up the ramp.
Winner: Brock Lesnar by pinfall after an F-5 on Luke Harper
Grade: minus 1 star
Thoughts:
What the Hell was that??? it was supposed to be Bray vs Brock and Bray never even got into the match and looked like a scared little kid the whole time. if this was somehow going to lead somewhere I may be okay with it but this was the blow off to their less than exciting feud. I feel so sorry for Bray. He is the best talker in the business and an incredible worker and it's like the WWE goes out of their way to make him look weak. A handicap match does nothing for the credibility of Bray and it was made even worse by him looking like a scared child the whole time.
Sami Zayn vs Stardust
Highlights
Stardust hits a straight right to the jaw of Zayn when he tries to dive in over the top rope.
Winner: Sami Zayn by pinfall after a Helluva Kick
Grade: 1 Star
Thoughts:
Another unadvertised match that just continues to make this show feel like a Raw. So far this show has been an incredible disappointment. Please end this Stardust gimmick and bring back Cody Rhodes. He was on the cusp of the main event and now he's a joke. Very uneventful match that went on way to long and only served as a way to make Zayn look like a tough comeback kid, and just made Stardust look worse. I never once bought into Stardust as a credible threat.
Triple H vs Dean Ambrose WWE Heavyweight Title Match
Highlights
Ambrose chewing gum reminds me of Shawn Michaels. Shawn's the only other one I've ever seen still chewing after a big hit.
Ambrose lays across the top turnbuckle
Ambrose grabs Hunter's nose
Triple H kicks Ambrose into the ringside steps
Triple H hits a front suplex on the barricade
Ambrose with a flip flop and fly on the top turnbuckle followed by an elbow from the top rope
Ambrose turns a face buster into a rebound clothesline.
Triple H hits a clothes line on a running Ambrose
Triple H hits a straight right as Ambrose dives through the ropes
Ambrose puts on a Sharp Shooter and the crowd boos when he reaches the ropes
Ambrose scores a three count after a Dirty Deeds but the ref waves it off saying Deans feet were under the ropes
Ambrose mocks the DX crotch chop while laying on the floor
Ambrose walks the barricade and goes through the table when Triple H rolls out of the way to avoid the flying elbow
Winner: Triple H to retain the title after a Pedigree
Grade: 4 3/4 stars
Thoughts:
This may be one of the few times I have ever liked the whole feeling out process. The slow start to the match actually worked very well and showed Ambrose as a savvy cerebral wrestler while he was picking his spots and getting into "The Games" head. Even though the fans in attendance didn't seem to care this was a great match. Unbelievable ring psychology and Ambrose truly seemed like a threat. I also really liked the fact that neither of them kicked out of each others finishers. I wish wrestling would get back to that because it really makes the matches stronger. This is easily a match of the year candidate. Ambrose looked incredibly strong and main event material.
Final Thoughts:
An absolutely horrible show was saved by a match of the year contender. This entire show felt rushed and terribly booked with the only highlights being The New Day, the NXT Tag Team Match, the Divas match and the main event.nothing about this show felt special until the end when Triple H and Ambrose were given almost 30 minutes to tell a fantastic story. This is also the second time Ambrose has won the title only to get screwed out of it.
Wrestlemania 32 and Beyond, What I Would Like To See
With Roadblock coming up this weekend I wanted to map out a perfect scenario (well perfect in my opinion anyway) of how things should unfold.
I would like to see Ambrose win this match and take home the WWE Heavyweight title giving his rematch to Triple H at Wrestlemania. Roman Reigns, who already earned his title match, is also included into the main event making it a triple threat.
Ambrose goes into Wrestlemania set to do double duty, initially wrestling in his No Holds Barred Street Fight against Brock Lesnar. That match being a brutal match on par with his match against Kevin Owens at the Royale Rumble with Brock picking up the win and having Paul Heyman force his way into the main event, since he pinned the champion, turning it into a fatal four way.
Reigns wins the fatal four way by pinning Ambrose to become the New WWE Heavyweight Champion. Ambrose then goes on to feud with Triple H, trying to get his rematch clause enacted. After finally earning his way into a Payback main event match against Reigns where the latter turns heel to retain his title. Reigns then aligns himself with the Authority as a carefully planned way to screw Ambrose over while making Vince McMahon look like a fool. All in an effort to gain control of the company.
Now I see you kind of trying to figure out how all that will work so let me tell you……
Let’s go back to the events leading up to the Survivor Series. Triple H, Stephanie and Roman Reigns devised a plan to lure Vince back to the WWE by having Reigns shun Triple H. They convince Sheamus to cash in his Money in the Bank contract causing Reigns to lose the title. Then at TLC Sheamus retains the title while Roman gets essentially screwed again this is causing him to go off the deep end and take out Triple H. That beat down by Reigns is the reason for Vince to return and feud with Reigns over the treatment of his son in law. We saw how all that played out but in this carefully conceived plan by the “Cerebral Assassin” we missed a few things.
The League of Nations were never officially a part of the Authority even though it may have seemed that they were somewhat aligned. Vince, believing that they were, used them to help eliminate Reigns at the Royal Rumble. All the while Triple H was just manipulating the league to “help” Vince.
Reigns was then graciously added to the Fastlane main event, which we all thought was stupid because Vince went to all that work to get the title off Reigns. That’s the thing, Vince went through all that trouble, not Triple H. Triple H then returns the beat down favor on Reigns to buy some time for Ambrose to work his way into the mix.
Meanwhile Shane returns to feud with his father and in a strange move Vince chooses the Undertaker to defend him. All of this was also carefully planned by Triple H who reached out to Shane for a little help in getting Vince to put his company up for grabs. Triple H and Shane, knowing the stakes, Figured that Vince would want to defend his honor with the Undertaker who is the biggest of big stage stars at Wrestlemania.
Wrestlemania, is where the plan starts to unfold when Shane turns heel with a little help from Triple H who interferes in the match causing Shane to defeat the Undertaker. Reigns, being the final peace of the puzzle, turns heel at Payback when Triple H and Shane help him defeat Ambrose completing the puzzle and making Vince look like a fool who was just played by his family to give up control of the company. Shane then signs over his shares for a very healthy sum and goes back to being a boardroom genius.
I know this whole thing is a long shot and WWE creative doesn’t have it in them to pull the trigger but it would be a fantastic swerve and a satisfactory pay off to a few really confussing and un compelling story lines. This would also be a story that catapults Ambrose into the main event star he should be and makes Reigns the big time heel he should be.
That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary, and wrestling commentary and event reviews. Follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster.
WWE Roadblock Predictions and Thoughts
I don’t expect too many surprises to come out of Roadblock, much like Fastlane, so I’m just going to give quick match predictions. Triple H will retain his title, the New Day will win and so will Brock Lesnar. Also winning but not leaving with the titles will be Enzo and Cass. Check out my Review article on Saturday night after the event where I will break down the Good, the Bad and the God Awful. Now on to thoughts about this event.
The Brock vs Wyatt match should be fun, hopefully Bray will be treated respectfully and put up a strong showing against Lesnar. Enzo and Cass, I believe, are set to make their main roster debut to feud with The New Day so I don’t expect them to win the titles but I can see them winning by outside interference or a DQ.
It’s good that Ambrose is getting shot at main eventing another special but they need to pull the trigger at some point and give him the title. He has earned it by putting on classics for the last two years with a number of different opponents and has a ridiculous connection with the fans. I’ve been hard on the WWE’s treatment of Ambrose and Reigns and unfortunately I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Ambrose is the guy they will continue to plug in to the main event when it needs a little jolt and Reigns will continue to be the top dog.
I'm confused by the WWE. How did Sheamus and Wade Barrett earn a title shot at Road Block? Wade Barrett hasn't been in the ring for months, with the exception of this last week, and he is leaving the company soon. The only build to this rivalry is the New Day making one liners against the League of Nations on TV and a few Youtube video’s trashing them. Then to add insult to more insult after the New Day’s supposed face turn at Fastlane they have been playing heels again by facing Y2AJ, Lucha Dragons and The Uso’s.
It's almost like the WWE just doesn’t care about their story telling unless it is a main event match. Back when I was younger, people would shell out lots of money to see their favorite tag team or the Intercontinental Champion. I for one was a huge Macho Man fan and could’ve cared less about Hulk Hogan. I was a big fan of Jake Roberts, The Hart Foundation and Rick Rude because they were great in the ring and on the mic. These were midcard acts that held secondary titles and were in engaging feuds with good story telling. There is so much more than just the Main Event and the WWE needs to do a better job showcasing all the titles. If they do fans may not be so upset when guys like Neville, Cody Rhodes, Cesaro, Damian Sandow and so many more don't get bumped to the main event.
That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary, and wrestling commentary and event reviews. Follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster.
This Week in Wrestling 3/11/2016
Unlike other wrestling results pages, after all let’s face it there are literally thousands of them. We aren’t going to focus so much on the results but give a rundown on what we feel the product is looking like for the week.
WWE
Thank God we finally got a couple of matches that have me excited about Wrestlemania, AJ Styles and Chris Jericho can put on a 5 star match and Zayn vs Owens should be fun too. I hope the WWE resists the urge to have Zayn win, Kevin Owens is a rocket ship they need to get on and ride to the top of the WWE and a lengthy strong IC title run could go a long way.
The Owens vs Neville match was magical. If the WWE can’t realize that Neville needs to be more involved after this match then they should just let him go so he can catch on somewhere else and have a great career.
The Y2AJ vs New Day was a fantastic match with a great heel turn by Jericho. This is going to make a fantastic Wrestlemania match and could very well, when mixed with the story, be the match of the year.
Ambrose again shone under the spotlight and proves time and time again that he is deserving of the spot as the top face in the company. His fan support, and connection with the fans, is off the charts and he has really good chemistry with Triple H. Chemistry was something that was seriously lacking with Triple H and Reigns.
On Smackdown it was really nice to see a heel Jericho again. I wish they would've explained why he aligned with AJ to begin with. That really made no sense for them to be partners for a couple weeks when he admitted Jericho admitted he didn't like AJ to begin with. Thankfully though it is over and we can move on with AJ in a singles match where he's going to shine a lot better.
NXT
The number one contenders match was fantastic and was able to hold our excitement the full hour which was good. But WWE ruined the ending by having Sami Zayn fight Kevin Owens on Raw. We knew all along that Joe was going to win. The Announcement of Austin Aries having his first match against baron Corbin at Takeover was nice move and something to really start looking forward to Wrestlemania weekend.
TNA
I go back and forth a lot with TNA. Beer Money and the Wolves had an amazing match with Beer Money winning and becoming the new tag team champs so there was the good. Now the bad is a confusing heel turn by Lashley. It’s confusing for a couple of reasons, number 1 didn’t he turn heel two weeks ago at Lockdown when he interrupted and cut a heel promo on Angle and number 2 didn’t he cut a heel promo on Drew Galloway earlier in the night. Hey TNA how about you hold the secrets in a little. Maybe Lashley building up Angle at Lockdown and building up Galloway in the backstage segment would have made this heel turn actual mean something and feel like a surprise
Also it was announced earlier this week that Ken Anderson is officially done with TNA having failed a drug test after a taped match with Eric Young. It'll be interesting to see if this is it for him or if he'll be popping up in the independents soon.
ROH
A fairly weak episode this week. Daniels vs Castle was really the only thing to take away from this show with Castle and Silas Young continuing their feud.
Lucha Underground
Entertaining show this week Marty the Moth may be a waste of air time and we didn’t get enough Jack Evans with only a back stage segment for him. That doesn’t mean that the rest of it was bad though. Cage showed a vicious side in his no DQ battle against Taya and even more so after Johnny Mundo interfered. The Main event was a master piece where Mil Muertes retained his LU Title against Puma and Pentagon Jr. in what is the first 5 star match I’ve ever seen in Lucha Underground.
NJPW
Big week for NJPW with events in three straight days. On Tuesday Tanahashi, Goto and Elgin defeated Okada Ishii and Yoshi-Hashi with Got and Okada continuing their weird little handshake bit. On Wednesday The New Japan Cup rolled on with tag team matches Tanahashi and Goto getting the win over Okada and Ishii while Michael Elgin found himself on the losing side. Then on Thursday Elgin got back in the Win Coloum and we had our third straight night of pitting Tanashi and Goto against Okada and Ishii in 6 man tag matches. Okada at the end of the night stated he wants the winner of the New Japan Cup to come and challenge him.
There were also rumors swirling that the WWE is looking to take a run at signing Okada. It's rumored that "The Rainmaker" signed an exclusive 5 year deal with NJPW but that hasn't been confirmed. We'll have to watch that and see where it goes
Global Force Wrestling
Nothing to note in GFW either. Seems like they haven’t done much since the announcement of the TV deal last week. Hopefully that announcement will start to pay off because GFW has some talent that really needs to be on TV.
That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary, and wrestling commentary and event reviews. Follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Peyton Manning - Saying Goodbye to Greatness
Peyton Manning announced his retirement and it is a sad thing not only for his fans but for fans of football in general. He is a once in a lifetime talent. We do have a few hall of fame quarterbacks playing in the league right now, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers to name, well, all of them. None of them are on Peyton’s level. Even though we are in the era of the quarterback and numbers are somewhat inflated, what Peyton was able to accomplish still stood head shoulders above the rest.
He was in the NFL for 18 seasons and played 17 of them having lost one full season to a neck injury. He played in 4 Super Bowls with two different teams. One of those teams was the Indianapolis Colts that Peyton literally drug from obscurity to make them a perennial contender. He won 5 MVP’s, Let that sink in for a second. In the era of the quarterback he was not only the best QB in the NFL but the best overall player in the NFL 5 times. He has won more MVP titles that Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas and Brett Favre who each took home 3. He won more than Kurt Warner, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers who have each won two. While the book is still open on Rodgers to reach Peyton’s lofty status it is quickly closing on Brady.
Peyton Manning is the all – time career leader in touchdown passes, passing yards and wins. He achieved those records in less passing attempt then Brett Favre while also throwing fewer interceptions in three less years. Dan Marino and Peyton both played 17 seasons but Peyton had over 100 more touchdown passes and 10,000 more passing yards so the stats definitely allude to his greatness.
But it was more than that. It wasn’t just physical talent that made Manning so great. He has a mind for football that is like none other. He could recognize a defense and change the play to counter act what the other team was planning. Not what the other team was doing but what they were thinking of doing. He may have been the closest thing to unstoppable we will ever see. In 2013 he had better numbers than most people do playing Madden Football with 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions. Even in 2014 he still threw for 39 Touchdowns and over 4,700 yards that was 17 years in the NFL and after a neck injury that would have ended a lot of people’s careers at that age.
Greatest of all time? The numbers prove it, the actions on and off the field prove it. Ultimately that is up to your personal preferences but for my money, and keep in mind that I am a die hard Miami Dolphins fan who has more Dan Marino memorabilia then I have days on this planet, He is the best quarterback I have ever seen play the game.
That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs for movie and TV reviews, sports commentary, and wrestling review. Follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster and my YouTube Channel for more pop culture reviews and opinions from the Realest Guy on the Internet.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
This Week In Wrestling 3/5/2016
Unlike other wrestling results pages, after all let’s face it there are literally thousands of them. We aren’t going to focus so much on the results but give a rundown on what we feel the product is looking like for the week.
WWE
This week we got a rushed Diva’s match that didn’t give Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch time to work. We also had a Raw that was bogged down by promos. The Lucha Dragons squared off against the League of Nations, again, in a feud that won’t die. Ryback also continued his heel turn by claiming he needs more spotlight. It seems that they are trying to make this Wrestlemania worse than it already is by having Owens face off against Big Show and Styles being lost in a tag team, Hopefully those last two get corrected soon.
The League of Nations just needs to disband, they have been in a feud with the Lucha Dragons for so long they now resemble the Social Outcasts more than the Authority as a strong faction. What started off as a fantastic idea has fizzled so much that no one even cares about them anymore. And the US belt is getting lost being in tag matches all the time. How about giving Kalisto a feud maybe?
On Smackdown Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch had another go at their number one contender match which again led to a screwy ending and the announcement that we will get a triple threat match at Mania. That one announcement maid Mania instantly a better show. Kofi and AJ Styles put on an absolute clinic in the ring too, I am really looking forward to Y2AY ve New Day for the tag team title on Raw, but I’m still a little disappointed that AJ is going to be lost in a tag team.We got treated to another great main event from KO and the Lunatic Fringe. I could watch Ambrose vs Owens every day for the next 2 months and never get sick of it. Those two have some sickening chemistry.
NXT
Hugo Knox is a freak of Nature. I would give anything to be built like him. The other highlights for this weeks is Austin Aries, Austin Aries, Austin Aries and Baron Corbin attacking Austin Aries. Also Finn Balor and Neville put on clinic that is absolutely in the conversation for Match of the Year
TNA
Rockstar Spud explains his heel turn in typical heel fashion. It is really depressing to see such great talkers in uncomfortable roles. What was the point of turning ECIII face? He is a natural heel and cheap pops are just annoying. Let him be a heel and the fans will decide if he should be turned or not. TNA especially is way too quick to pull the trigger on a heel or face turn. There was nothing about Carter that was stale enough to need a turn. And in typical wrestling fashion the two people that got betrayed want to fight. Carter and Spud put on a great match where Carter showed a pure hatred towards Spud by Powerbombing him through a table and choking him out to end the match. If you get a chance to watch the opening match from this week, Angle and Bobby Rhoode put on a 3 1/2 star match.
ROH
This week we had the 14th Anniversary show that happened Friday night you can read the review I posted earlier this week to get a full recap. There were two match of the year contenders on this one PPV alone
On TV we had Dalton Castle attack Silas Young before and after Silas and Beer City Bruiser beat “The Boys”. After the match Castle took the beating and looks like they will continue their feud. The main event gave us a really well worked match between Matt Sydal and Adam Cole. Considering Cole was in the main event of the 14th anniversary show I hope this win catapults Sydal up the card for a nice program with Jay Lethal over the Heavyweight title.
Lucha Underground
Not enough Jack Evans for my liking but all in all the show was OK. The only real Highlight was a ladder match where Fennix and Cuerno put on a crazy match with a lot of hard bumps and high spots. I enjoy what is happening in Lucha underground I just wish there was a little more story development each week instead of having Johnny Mundo do what he did last week and nothing really said about it this week.
NJPW
In the first round of the New Japan Cup we had wins by Yano, Elgin, Tonga, Kojima, Goto, Naito, Ishii and Bad luck Fale. Nothing else really of note happened. I’ve giving my prediction of a finals of Goto vs Elgin
Global Force Wrestling
Another slow week for GFW looks like their next event is on March 11th also would like to note that they have signed with a company to start producing a television show so that is very good news.
That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster and my YouTube Channel for random babbling on a variety of topics by the realest guy on the Internet.
Friday, March 4, 2016
TNA Lockdown 2016 Review
Beer Money VS Bram and Eric Young
Highlights:
Beer Money attacks Bram and Young on the ramp during their entrance
Storm grabs a beer from a fan and takes a few sips before hitting Bram with it
Bram hits a DDT on Storm who was then locked out of the cage.
Storm climbs the cage to get into the ring and bounces Bram's face of the cage 10 times
Storm throws EY in to Bram who gives Young a DDT when Storm gives Bram a neckbreaker
Winner: Rhoode pins Bram after a DWI
Grade: 2 3/4 stars
Thoughts:
I really wanted to give this match a higher grade but I never bought into Bram and Young as being real competitors. I also am going to say it right now for any future matches that has a going toe to toe moment in the middle of the ring immediately gets a 1/2 star lower grade. It's the most over used moment in wrestling today and it is 90% of the time not believable. Beer Money was entertaining and worked the crowd well. All in all the match needed a little more passion to be a feud blow off like it was supposed to be.
Ethan Carter III promo
Typical face promo, couple of cheap pops and Matt Hardy is evil lines before calling out Rockstar Spud.
With the amount of love that ECIII is giving Spud there is no way he is not going to turn on ECIII at some point.
Rockstar Spud with a passionate no one tells me what to do promo that gets interrupted by Matt Hardy who babbles something about owning everything.
Threat to Rockstar Spud to not get involved. Yep I sense a heel turn coming
Tigre Uno vs Trevor Lee (w/ Shane Helms)
Highlights:
Uno with a cross body from the top of the cage
Winner: Lee with a fisherman's buster to retain the X-Division Championship
Grade: 1 1/2
Thoughts:
The X-Division was always known as the highlight of the company. This was a weak match that didn't really do much for either guy. Uno hit the cross body from the top of the cage and then seconds later Lee wins the match. Really not a whole lot to buy into.
Lethal Lockdown
The Dollhouse vs Gail Kim, Velvet Sky, ???
Highlights:
Jade and Gail Kim start the match
Marty Bell enters next
Velvet Sky enters as a house of fire
Rebel then enters and lays everyone out
Rebel is the first to grab a weapon
Jade hits herself in the face with a kendo stick that ricocheted off the turnbuckle
Maria comes down and acts like she is going to enter then shuts the door and walks out on velvet and and Gail
Velvet Sky and Gail give Jade a flapjack from the top rope
Winner: Jade by pinfall on Gail Kim after a cradle pile driver on a chair
Grade: 2 stars
Thoughts:
A horrible heel turn by Maria that really made no sense. After a brief conversation between Gail and Maria in the back, Maria feigned entering the match. The match itself had very few high spots and was almost a waste of time.
Kurt Angle promo
Seconds in he gets interrupted by Lashley who cut a heel promo?? Angle challenges Lashley and Bobby just walks away? Did we just see another heel turn.
Eli Drake Vs Odarg the Great
Highlights:
Odarg struggles to get to the top of the cage.
Drake gets his tights pulled down as he tries to leave the ring and wrestled the next 3 minutes with a full moon (I guess it's your call if that's a highlight or not) Personally it's just stupid.
Winner: Odarg by escaping the cage when Drake pulls off his mask
Grade: 1 star
Thoughts:
This is why I think the Feast or Fired match is the dumbest gimmick ever. Every year the guy that gets fired takes a couple months off or comes back wearing a mask. It's a waste of time and was fun the first time, but it's been a decade now. It was an entertaining comedy match that made me chuckle a couple times. but had no place being anywhere near a PPV
EC3 vs Matt Hardy for the TNA Heavy Weight Championship
Highlights:
Tyrus throws in a chair
EC3 hits a big splash in the corner then follows with a flapjack
Side Effect on a chair
EC3 tries to escape the cage but Tyrus blocked him.
Pope- "He just told tyrus he's number 2"
EC3 invited Tyrus into the cage.
EC3 uses the chain from the door to lock Tyrus to the ropes
Twist of fate on EC3 with his head through a chair
Winner: Matt Hardy retains by escaping the cage when Rockstar Spud turns on EC3
Grade: 2 1/2 Stars
Thoughts:
Solid match through out EC3 makes a much better heel thought, I felt like he showed a ton of hatred towards Hardy and Tyrus and worked really well, Matt Hardy has no business in the main event. This match also lost a half star for the two of them going Toe-Toe in the middle of the ring; Also a predictable heel turn by Rockstar Spud while wearing the worst suit in the history of man.
Final Thoughts:
What a horrible show. To many promo's, backstage segments and failed heel turns for a special event. The Jimmy Havoc/ Rosemary segments were out of place and their were two many of them. Also to many comedy mid card acts that had no reason to be in the 6 sides of steel. I actually feel bad for Josh Matthews, having to shoe horn those promos for other shows in the middle of a match, it is just getting painful to listen to. I have seen better Impact shows in the middle of the year then this one that was a Special show. TNA is also really struggling with no uper echelon stars since every one who was marketable either jumped to ROH, GFW, or NXT.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Roman Reigns Rant
This week’s Raw proved without a shadow of a doubt that the WWE chose wrong when they decided to push Roman Reigns over Dean Ambrose. The chemistry between Ambrose and Triple H along with the connection he has with the fans made for a great confrontation. Ambrose is one of those rare characters who can make the fans love him no matter what he does. That is a great quality to have since it gives him the ability to put a heel over in any program. One thing about the PG era that sucks is since it is geared towards kids, and kids don’t like to see their heroes lose, the good guy comes out on top of almost every feud. But with the connection that Ambrose has he can lose a few feuds and the fans still love him.
Now this isn’t a knock on Reigns by any stretch, I think he is an amazing worker who, given the right gimmick and maybe a manager to be his mouth piece, would make a great champion and a great face of the company. But the creative people in the WWE obviously don’t see it that way since they like to make him out to be a super hero joke teller ala John Cena. Let’s Face Roman doesn’t have that kind of personality. He should be a silent assassin. A guy who puts his all in destroying the competition and says as few a words as possible. It looked like they were starting to get it right. When Roman Reigns destroyed Triple H after TLC and the shows right after.. Heading into the Royal Rumble I had hope that he would continue that way, it didn’t. The saddest part is if he had given a gutsy performance and went from #1 to winning it all i would have been okay with it.
Roman made what was supposed to be a spectacular and gutsy comeback into the Royal Rumble after getting beaten down and hauled away mid match. I had a couple of problems with it. First of all he didn’t have to face any of the big guns like Luke Harper, Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar since they were all eliminated by the time he came back, Second he was able to come back showing absolutely no ill effects from the beat down he received at the hands of the League of Nations. That is the moment that I realized they hadn’t learned anything and were going to continue making him into this ridiculous superman character.
Then we go into Monday night and find out he is going to be added to the Fastlane main event to determine the #1 contender. Wait What???? The Authority worked so hard to get the title off of him and now you are just going to give him a chance to get it back without earning it? Seriously? How about you make him work for it. How about you make the main event at Fastlane be Brock Lesnar because he was never eliminated by anyone in the match. The winners of the matches that night on Raw could be placed in the match Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, and Ambrose gets an automatic in because he was the last guy eliminated. Then make Roman Reigns go through a serious of challenges where he needs to win all of his challenges to qualify for the main event.
Instead we got Roman vs Ambrose vs Brock. There was no drama, there was no build up, there was no thinking that anyone other than Reigns was going to win the match. After he one the match why did he get fireworks?? He didn’t win the Main Event at Wrestlemania. This wasn’t a culmination of months and months of work leading to him finally getting his big win and first chance to hold the WWE Heavyweight Championship. This was a number one contender’s match for a title he had just lost a month ago. When Daniel Bryan won it was a magical moment, a culmination of chasing the title for months and having to fight the authority at every turn including having to beat Triple H earlier that night. Daniel Bryan had a magical moment, Roman Reigns winning at Survivor Series and Fastlane was hardly a culmination that deserved fireworks and streamers.
I hope the WWE figures it out soon cause if they don’t they are risking X-Pac heat on Roman Reigns and he is to talented of an in ring worker for that.
That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster and my YouTube Channel. My podcast with Shane is always a fun listen too as we discuss anything and everything in the world of pop culture.
ROH 14th Anniversary PPV Review
Ring Of Honor 14th Anniversary
ROH World TV Championship match Bobby Fish, vs Tomohiro Ishii vs Roderick Strong
Highlights:
Strong hit Ishii with a picture perfect dropkick
Ishii held Bobby Fish above his head while standing on the second turnbuckle before a superplex
Ishii held Bobby Fish above his head while standing on the second turnbuckle before a superplex
Winner: Ishii retains his title by pinfall on Strong after a brain buster
Grade: 2 3/4 stars
Thoughts:
Decent back and forth action. I never really bought into Bobby Fish as having a legitimate chance of scoring the win. I'm becoming a huge fan of Ishii though
BJ Whitmer VS Adam Page
Highlights:
BJ drops Page on the guardrail with a belly to back suplex
Page hits a shooting star press off the apron to BJ who was standing on the floor
Winner: Whitmer by pinfall after a low blow
Grade: 1 3/4 Stars
Thoughts:
For a grudge match between to former partners I didn't really see the hatred. This was just a heel vs face match and the face wasn't really over with the crowd. I would have liked to see a little more brawling and some more life out of Adam Page.
Goto vs Dalton Castle
Highlights:
Castle sits on the top turnbuckle and gets fanned by the boys. He then uses them as steps to get down.
Castle catches Goto off the turnbuckle and turns it into a belly to belly suplex
Castle hits a beautiful missile drop kick
The boys fan Goto's hands away from the rope when he was reaching to get out of a submission move
Winner: Goto gets the pin after a Shouten
Grade: 3 3/4 stars
Thoughts:
the effort and taunts by Castle brought this grade up quite a bit but the blown finisher brought it down a 1/4 star. Dalton Castle is fantastic, his taunts remind me a lot of Goldust.
Alex Shelly VS Christopher Daniels
Highlights:
Shelly with a cross body from the top turnbuckle to the floor on both members of the addiction
Daniels hits a springboard moonsault on a fallen Shelly
Shelly yells Super Fly as he does a cross body from the top rope
Winner: Shelly by pinfall after Sabin turned on Daniels
Grade: 3 1/2 Stars
Thoughts:
I think it's hilarious that Frankie Kazarian is bald considering he didn't want to cut his hair in 2009 and that's what kept him out of the WWE Alex Shelly is probably the best wrestler to never hold a world title. As far as the match goes I have seen these two do a whole lot better. It was nice to see The Motor City Machine Guns reunite. The tease of them possible fighting after they cleared house was a little much but the whole thing served it's purpose.
The Briscoes VS Elgin and Tanahashi
Highlights:
Tanahashi refused the code of honor
Elgin and Tanahashi with stereo suplexes and flex poses
Mark Briscoe tries the Karate Kid Crane move on Tanahashi
Mark Briscoe with a blockbuster from the apron to the floor on Elgin
Mr;. Wrestling said Mark Briscoes has dreams of winning the TV title and of owning a television
Elgin and Tanahashi with stereo suplexes and flex poses
Mark Briscoe tries the Karate Kid Crane move on Tanahashi
Mark Briscoe with a blockbuster from the apron to the floor on Elgin
Mr;. Wrestling said Mark Briscoes has dreams of winning the TV title and of owning a television
Winner: Tanahashi by pinfall after the High Fly Flow
Grade: 3 1/2 stars
Thoughts:
After a slow start this matched picked up to get as high a rating as it did. it lost a half a star for to much repetition with Jay hitting the big boot about 6 times to many. Also a blown spot where the ref needed to tap Tanahashi on the shoulder to remind him to kick out. Dem Boys are the perfect blend of Hardcore redneck and goofiness, Jay Briscoe is an unbelievable talker.
Moose vs Okada
Highlights:
Both Moose and Okada faked a dropkick in the corner
Moose big spun Okada into the barricade and the ring post
Okada hit a cross body over the barricade onto Moose
Moose mocked Okada's rainmaker taunt
Class act by Okada showing respect by leading the fans in a Moose chant
Winner: Okada by pinfall after The Rainmaker
Grade: 2 3/4 Stars
Thoughts:
The Rainmaker has one of the top five entrances in all of professional wrestling. Moose no selling a DDT was really hard to get past. No selling a kick or a punch is one thing. No selling a move that a lot of guys use as their finishers is just not cool. That one spot really dropped the rating of this match.
NEVER Openweight 6 man tag team title match Kushida ACH, Matt Sydal vs Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks
Highlights:
Kenny Omega places the broom in a chair for color commentary and then puts headphones on the broom.
ACH did a Lou Thez press and then a Stone Cold Elbow on Omega
Sydal gave a a double huricanrana to both the Young Bucks at the same time.
Omega caught Sydal as he was dropkicked of the apron then belly to back suplexed him on the ramp.
Omega over the top rope onto all three of his opponents on the floor
Kushida off the top turnbuckle onto the Young Bucks who were on the floor
Omega powerbombs Kushida into the corner where Matt and Nick stereo kick him in the back of the head.
Sydal uses Matt's foot to kick Nick in the face
ACH over the top rope onto everyone
Kushida with the Nomo on all three of Bullet Club and then was invited to a three way Super Kick Party.
Winner: Matt Jackson by pinfall after a One Winged Angel
Grade: 4 3/4 stars
Thoughts:
The crowd threw this is awesome chant around a little to much in this show but it was well deserved in this match. This match was awesome from start to finish. High spots every where and the ending had so much going on I needed to watch it 3 times. Absolutely amazing match that is easily in the conversation for Match of the Year. The only part I wasn't a fan of was Kushida just crawling out of the ring before ACH dove on everyone. I would have rather seen him have a high spot to explain why he was out there.
All Night Express Vs War Machine
Highlights:
Hanson back drops King through a table on the floor.
Hanson and Rowe alternated running face washes on Titus
King kicks out of Fallout
Rowe kicks out of One Night Stand
Rowe throws Kenny King through a ladder
Winner: War Machine Retains after a Fallout on Titus
Grade: 3 1/2 stars
Thoughts:
Well done tag team title match. Both teams took full advantage of the No DQ stipulation and there were High spots all over the place. If it didn't come right after the NEVER 6 man it may have stolen the show
Jay Lethal vs Adam Cole Vs Kyle O'Reilly for the ROH World Championship
Highlights:
O'Reilly and Cole double team Lethal with a fast pace spot that was something that needs to be seen to explain
O'Reilly capitulates over the top rope and misses because Cole and Lethal moved out of the way
Fisherman suplex by Cole on Lethal and German by O'Reily on Cole at the same time
Superkick by Lethal on O'Reilly as he came off the apron
Lethal Combination on Cole
Cole pulls O'Reilly in front of him to take the Lethal Injection
O'Reilly hits a Tornado DDT into a BrainBuster
O'Reilly has a Triangle Choke on Lethal and an Ankle Lock on Cole at the same time
Cole stops Lethal's arm from falling a third time
O'Reilly capitulates over the top rope and misses because Cole and Lethal moved out of the way
Fisherman suplex by Cole on Lethal and German by O'Reily on Cole at the same time
Superkick by Lethal on O'Reilly as he came off the apron
Lethal Combination on Cole
Cole pulls O'Reilly in front of him to take the Lethal Injection
O'Reilly hits a Tornado DDT into a BrainBuster
O'Reilly has a Triangle Choke on Lethal and an Ankle Lock on Cole at the same time
Cole stops Lethal's arm from falling a third time
Winner: Lethal by Pinfall on Cole after a double Lethal Injection on both men
Grade: 4 1/2 Stars
Thoughts:
Another great match that is in the match of the year talk too. A ton of high spots and all three men felt like they could win it at anytime. On first watch the beginning with Lethal trying to join the match and getting knocked down by simple elbows by both men may have been to much of a stretch for me to completely buy in. Also It could be because I've seen it in every match this last month but, the three of them standing in the center of the ring trading blows is getting a little over done. All in all though this was a fantastic match.
Final Thoughts:
Only one bad match on the entire card. Out of 9 matches to only have one below 2 stars is a good achievement. Two match of the year candidates came from this card and very good story telling throughout the event. Ring Of Honor is really got a groove going right now and even though I think it may be time for Lethal to drop the belt or start a lengthy feud with someone. I really can't complain about the product as a whole.
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