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Wrestling

Started by 1-Adam-12, January 02, 2018, 09:54:59 pm

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1-Adam-12

February 16, 2018, 06:44:07 pm #50 Last Edit: February 16, 2018, 06:45:43 pm by 1-Adam-12
That "TBA" in the men's EC became Finn Balor AND Seth Rollins, after they both pinned Bray Wyatt in the last chance match.

The Women's Division looks to be picking up some steam.  Bayley/Sasha, Asuka/Nia and Alexa & Mickie/Absolution all have pretty good storylines working.

And Ronda Rousey will sign with Raw at the EC.   I still think she should have to go through NXT, but that's just one man's opinion.  Leads me to believe that one or more of the Raw women are headed over to SmackDown after Mania.

Also, Rich Swann has been released.

Longfellow

Apparently, Vince is steadily trying to recruit Rob Gronkowksi to retire from football and join the WWE. Gronk has been considering retiring, so this is interesting

VHSCoach2

How about that Gauntlet Match on Raw last night? It clocked in at just under 115 minutes, making it the longest match in WWE history. It easily surpassed the previous record of 81 minutes, which was held by Bruno Sammartino and Waldo Von Erich way back in 1964.

Also, kudos to Seth Rollins for putting on the performance of 2018 so far.

1-Adam-12

I don't care if Strowman won the gauntlet match.  The real winner was Seth Rollins.

Getting pins on Reigns AND Cena while lasting 65 minutes in the ring?  Much, much respect and he has become a favorite of mine.

1-Adam-12

Here's what I think happens in the EC matches:

Men's:  We all know that Vince wants Roman to face Brock at Mania, so I think that's what we will get somehow.  Although I would much rather Rollins or Balor win.

Women's:  I think Alexa drops the title, either to Sasha (more likely) or Bayley.  I just don't see them putting the belts on either of the Absolution girls this early on.  Mickie is a possibility as well, but I just don't think it'll happen.  Maybe this will be the moment for them to turn Sasha heel and have her feud with Bayley.

Asuka will beat Nia.  They have too much tied up in Asuka for it to be otherwise.

Look for another match to be added late, and it will probably be The Bar vs. Titus Worldwide for the tag titles.

VHSCoach2

I am not too keen on the decision to get rid of brand-specific pay-per-views after WrestleMania.  This will leave very little room for anyone who is not in a title feud on those cards.

Most cards will feature two World title matches, two Tag Team title matches, two Women's title matches, two Mid-Card title matches, and a Cruiserweight title match. 90% of the shows will also be main evented by the Universal title, which will automatically make the WWE title seem inferior.

This is how the brand split ended before, and it seems WWE is quickly headed in that direction again.

The best solution would be to have the split-brand PPVs like they used to be:

January - Royal Rumble - both shows
February - No Way Out - Smackdown
March - WrestleMania - both shows
April - Backlash - Raw
May - Judgment Day - Smackdown
June - Vengeance - Raw
July - The Great American Bash - Smackdown
August - SummerSlam - both shows
September - Unforgiven - Raw
October - No Mercy - Smackdown
November - Survivor Series - both shows
December - Armageddon - Raw

1-Adam-12

There have indeed been two matches added to Elimination Chamber:

Gallows and Anderson take on The Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel).  This will be on the pre-show.

The other one is the one I thought would happen:  Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Titus O'Neil and Apollo (with Dana Brooke) for the Raw Tag Team Championship. 

They have dropped Apollo's last name like they did with Elias.

VHSCoach2

Elimination Chamber in terms of enjoyment for me:

1) Women's Elimination Chamber Match
2) Men's Elimination Chamber Match
3) The Bar vs. Titus Worldwide
4) Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt
5) Asuka vs. Nia Jax
6) The Club vs. The Miztourage

1-Adam-12

After tonight's goings on, the question does linger:

Are we indeed witnessing a Sasha heel turn....

or a BAYLEY heel turn?

1-Adam-12

I may be wrong, but after watching the last two weeks and putting it all together, I don't think it's a Bayley heel turn.

Rather, I think it is a much needed evolution of the Bayley character, from the naïve fangirl into someone more mature who now realizes that The Boss has (in her mind) manipulated her, and isn't going to take it any more.

I think she will remain a face, but be more edgy.  Still with hugs, but beware anyone who crosses her.  As I say, very much needed.

I think we're seeing Bayley vs. Sasha at Mania as a standalone match.  We might know who has done what by then, or maybe we'll see the final heel turn by one of them. 

VHSCoach2

Fastlane has come and gone, and it was a pretty good show.

In terms of enjoyment for me:

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
Six-Pack Challenge
Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott
Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode
The Usos vs. The New Day
Carmella/Natalya vs. Becky Lynch/Naomi
Breezango/Tye Dillinger vs. Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin, and Mojo Rawley

VHSCoach2

Daniel Bryan has finally been medically cleared by WWE doctors to return to the ring!

1-Adam-12

March 20, 2018, 07:23:46 pm #62 Last Edit: March 20, 2018, 07:38:44 pm by 1-Adam-12
I think when Daniel Bryan told everyone he was cleared, it was the biggest pop anyone got all year. 

Just that segment beat anything Raw had to offer last night.  It was tough to watch.  The matches were unexciting and I couldn't get invested in the Ultimate Deletion.   

Bayley gave one of her better promos and was much more aggressive than usual.

I'm calling it right now:  Nia Jax takes the belt off Alexa.

Lost in the Daniel Bryan hoopla was the fact that Big Cass has also been cleared.  I wonder, with Enzo gone, what kind of storyline will he be put in?

VHSCoach2

Shane McMahon has been hospitalized with diverticulitis. This is the same illness that Brock Lesnar had when he was in the UFC.

This has been confirmed as legitimate and not part of the storyline, so this leaves the rumored Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan/Shane McMahon match at WrestleMania in question.

VHSCoach2

WrestleMania Week is almost upon us!  Here are the updated cards for the two main shows of the weekend:

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans:

1) NXT Championship Match
Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Aleister Black

2) NXT Women's Championship Match
Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler

3) Unsanctioned Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

4) Six-Man Ladder Match to crown the inaugural NXT North American Champion
Adam Cole vs. EC3 vs. Killian Dain vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet vs. The Velveteen Dream

WrestleMania 34:

1) WWE Universal Championship Match
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

2) WWE Championship Match
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

3) WWE Raw Women's Championship Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

4) WWE Smackdown Women's Championship Match
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka

5) WWE Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match
The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins

6) WWE United States Championship Fatal Four-Way Match
Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev

7) WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Braun Strowman and ???

8) WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match
The Usos vs. The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day

9) Tournament Final Match for the vacant WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

10) Mixed Tag Team Match
Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

11) Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

12) Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Dash Wilder, Scott Dawson, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Tye Dillinger, Matt Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Fandango, and others TBA

13) WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Natalya, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Bayley, Lana, and others TBA



1-Adam-12

Hitting on a few points:

JMO, I think the Cruiserweights ought to be given a bigger push, as a group. 

If Shane can't go, who is going to partner Daniel Bryan?

Charlotte vs. Asuka has the potential to be a dynamite match.  There is no question that Nakamura vs. Styles will be.  As will Gargano and Ciampa on the NXT show.

Quite a few are unhappy that Sasha Banks and Bayley were not given their own match. My guess is that Bayley turns the tables on Sasha by eliminating her.  But everybody ought to watch out for Ruby Riott. She or Bayley are my picks.

In the men's, I would not be surprised at all by a Dolph Ziggler win.  But wouldn't it be absolutely hilarious if Tyler Breeze or Fandango pulled it off?

bleudog


VHSCoach2

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans turned out to be the greatest TakeOver of all-time. Being there in person made it that much better. The atmosphere was electric all night, but the opening six-man Ladder Match and the main event between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were five-stars to me (let's see if Uncle Dave Meltzer agrees). I would then rate Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler as 3.25 stars, Undisputed ERA vs. Authors of Pain vs. Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne as 3.75 stars, and Aleister Black vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas as 4.5 stars.

1-Adam-12

Lots of swerve at the end of both Battle Royals. 

First Bray Wyatt shows up out of nowhere, and HELPS Matt Hardy win!  Not many expected that!  Are they going to be a tag team now?  Sure looks that way.

And in the women's, when Bayley got rid of Sasha and was the only one left in the ring, she, myself and everybody else thought she'd won it.  But Naomi had pulled out the oldest trick in the battle royal book, hiding out after going out of the ring not over the top.  Nothing against Naomi winning it, but I think WWE dropped the ball. 

But what a splash (literally) was made by one of the NXT ladies, Bianca Belair.  Amazing 450!

And Cedric vs Mustafa is exhibit A on why the Cruiserweights should get pushed more.   Incredible action.

BigLion10

Yea Adam I didnt care for the women's battle royal ending either. NXT girls had a good showing though

BigLion10

Real question is will we see the Undertaker tonight?

VHSCoach2

Ronda Rousey is here to stay, boys.

Very impressive first outing in the four-sided ring as opposed to the eight-sided one.

bleudog


VHSCoach2

WrestleMania was a mixed bag, but overall a good show.

-Men's Battle Royal was fine; surprised that Matt Hardy won. The Hardy/Wyatt tag team will be interesting.
-The Cruiserweight Championship Match was dull, honestly. You can tell someone other than Triple H put it together. If it had happened on 205 Live, it would have been much better.
-Women's Battle Royal was sloppy. Two of the NXT women (Kavita and Taynara) should not have been in; they looked lost. Once again, Bayley and Becky are made to look like jokes. Bayley's elimination of Sasha should have won the match for her, but alas, it did not.

-Intercontinental Title Triple Threat was a great opener. Rollins, Miz, and Balor worked very well together and I would not mind seeing a rematch between all three at Backlash. Rollins joins his Shield brothers as a Grand Slam Champion, too.
-Charlotte vs. Asuka was great, but should have been given more time. I was surprised at the result and that Asuka tapped out. I think Charlotte vs. Ronda will main event WrestleMania 35 in NYC.
-The Four-Way for the U.S. title was dull. Jinder with another win. Yay?
-Angle and Rousey vs. Hunter and Steph turned out to be the match of the night, shockingly. Ronda is a natural athlete and she was the star of the match. Of course, Steph has to break and resist the arm-bar numerous times, because she is Stephanie.
-The Triple Threat for the Smackdown Tag titles was fine. Bludgeon Brothers dominated as they have since they reunited. Could have been a little longer.
-Undertaker vs. Cena was fine. Who would have thought that Cena would be squashed at Mania in 2018? Potential rematch between the two next year, I'd guess.
-Bryan and McMahon vs. Owens and Zayn was good. It was pointless of Bryan to miss the first ten minutes of the match, but I guess they wanted to play it extra safe in his first match back.
-Nia vs. Alexa was too long, but it was a good brawl. With the story they have, Nia should have been booked to beat Alexa in about 2 minutes.
-Styles vs. Nakamura was underwhelming. It just never seemed to get going until the last five minutes. The heel turn for Nakamura will add a good dynamic to the rematch.
-Strowman and Nicholas vs. The Bar was... well, it was a match.
-Lesnar vs. Reigns. More part-time Lesnar title reign... that's all that needs to be said.

Show took a serious nose dive after Bryan/McMahon vs. Owens/Zayn. After that match, I was out of it, the crowd was out of it, and the show dragged. Honestly, 7+ hours is too much for a show. For the first time, I contemplated turning the show off and finishing it tonight, but I powered through.

BigLion10

My favorite match was the first one the triple threat match for the IC title. Great atmosphere and the fans were into it. Awesome athletes as well

1-Adam-12

April 09, 2018, 07:25:34 pm #75 Last Edit: April 09, 2018, 07:29:38 pm by 1-Adam-12
Some thoughts:

Once again, they tried to put Reigns over.  Once again, they failed.  They need to put that belt on Balor, Rollins, Braun, someone who doesn't spend the majority of his time with nothing to do with WWE.

Sure didn't see that Shinsuke heel turn coming.

IC match was great. So was Charlotte/Asuka.

I've gotta say, Nia deserves a run with the belt. She is so happy as I watch her on Raw tonight.

Rousey surprised me pleasantly.

Jinder surprised me unpleasantly.

Ember Moon just got a call-up and wouldn't be surprised if Peyton Royce got one too.  Peyton was very popular during the Battle Royal.

They should have left well enough alone at the end of that one.  Bayley was getting some major pop and the actual end spoiled it.

Matt and Bray could be very interesting together.

VHSCoach2

Raw is coming to North Little Rock on Monday, June 11th. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

bleudog

April 12, 2018, 10:41:57 am #77 Last Edit: April 12, 2018, 04:54:19 pm by bleudog
Imperial Wrestling Revolution coming to MAD (Murphy Arts District - El Dorado)

CLICK HERE

bleudog

Quote from: VHSCoach2 on April 10, 2018, 10:43:36 am
Raw is coming to North Little Rock on Monday, June 11th. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

They'll be in Bossier City the day before:

http://www.centurylinkcenter.com/events/wwe-live-2/

1-Adam-12

With a superstar shake up coming next week, who do you think will switch between the red and blue brands?




1-Adam-12

The following have moved, * means I thought they would.

Jinder Mahal. Riott Squad, Baron Corbin, *Natalya, *Bobby Roode, *Breezango, Dolph Ziggler, KO, Sami Zayn, *Mojo Rawley, Zack Ryder, The Ascension, Chad Gable, and Mike Kanellis.  Plus a callup from NXT for Drew McIntyre.

Meanwhile The Miz heads to SmackDown, minus the Miztourage.

And did anyone else notice Graves slip up and say "Bullet Club" instead of "Balor Club"?

VHSCoach2

"The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino passed away today at the age of 82.

1-Adam-12

One of the greats, I saw a very few matches of his on TV toward the end of his career.

1-Adam-12

April 18, 2018, 06:32:27 pm #83 Last Edit: April 18, 2018, 06:38:08 pm by 1-Adam-12
And moving from Red to Blue, again * meaning I thought it would happen:

*Asuka, *Big Cass, The Bar, *Gallows and Anderson, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, and *Absolution, along with the previously mentioned Miz.

Also, NXT call-ups *Andrade 'Cien' Almas (with Zelina Vega) and SAnitY, apparently minus Nikki Cross.

I think SmackDown came out the better.

Although, there are those that will say in jest that Sheamus and Cesaro got run off Raw by Breezango.

VHSCoach2

Rumor has it that the guys in Saudi Arabia are paying WWE $60 million dollars for the Greatest Royal Rumble event this Friday. It goes on to say that WWE will be receiving $60 million per year for the next ten years (including this one) to host the Greatest Royal Rumble there after WrestleMania every year.

I'll have to avoid social media until I am able to watch the show, as it begins at 11 AM our time on Friday. If I had to guess, I probably won't be able to watch it until Saturday morning. According to the WWE Network schedule, the Greatest Royal Rumble has a timeslot from 11AM to 5 PM, so it looks to be a six-hour show.

VHSCoach2

Beginning October 2019, Smackdown will air on Fox. The deal is for 5 years and ONE BILLION DOLLARS.

1-Adam-12

That is some serious money to be thrown out there, and for it to be on an over-the-air network.  Stunning!

1-Adam-12

Jeez.  I never thought I'd ever see worse than that Alexa Bliss "Bayley This Is Your Life" segment from last year.

I just have, with this Sami Zayn rubbish.

VHSCoach2

Raw tonight is the cure for insomnia.

VHSCoach2

Smackdown is returning to its 2016 form. It is very clearly the A Show, and it must continue to be the A Show as it transitions to the Fox network.

1-Adam-12

No wonder the Superstar Shake-up was so lopsided in favor of SD. 

Really and truly, there are not that many talents on Raw that I would call "over" with the fans.  Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, perhaps Elias and maybe Drew McIntyre and the Hardy/Wyatt tag team among the men; Ronda Rousey, Ember Moon, Bayley and maybe Nia Jax and Sasha Banks among the women.

They are once again trying to force Roman Reigns "over" by putting him in a program with Jinder Mahal.  Still not working.  Both are being roundly booed.

I really don't understand the call up of No Way Jose, when they could and should have called up someone like Aleister Black or Velveteen Dream, or maybe shifted the whole Gargano/Ciampa feud to Raw, picking up Candice LeRae in the process.


VHSCoach2

It is simply amazing that Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa probably wrestled their second five-star rated match against each other in 2018 last night at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II. If it does get rated as five stars, it will also be Gargano's third five-star match of 2018, along with this match against Andrade "Cien" Almas at NXT TakeOver: Philaelphia.

It is also amazing at the stark contrast between NXT and the main roster...

1-Adam-12

June 18, 2018, 07:19:20 pm #92 Last Edit: June 18, 2018, 07:33:44 pm by 1-Adam-12
I have to say this....

Alexa Bliss is one of the best heels I have ever seen.  And I've been watching a very long time.

1-Adam-12

RIP to one of the baddest dudes in wrestling in the 80s and 90s.

Big Van Vader passed away Monday at age 63.

VHSCoach2

It's a shame Vader was not inducted into the Hall of Fame while he was alive. He will likely be the posthumous induction for the Class of 2019.

1-Adam-12

Quote from: VHSCoach2 on June 17, 2018, 09:00:45 pm
It is simply amazing that Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa probably wrestled their second five-star rated match against each other in 2018 last night at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II. If it does get rated as five stars, it will also be Gargano's third five-star match of 2018, along with this match against Andrade "Cien" Almas at NXT TakeOver: Philaelphia.

It is also amazing at the stark contrast between NXT and the main roster...

Meltzer gave Gargano/Ciampa 4.5 stars, the same for the tag championship match, and 4.25 for Velveteen Dream vs Ricochet.

1-Adam-12

June 26, 2018, 09:11:31 pm #96 Last Edit: June 27, 2018, 06:32:14 am by 1-Adam-12
Well, well and well.

They finally pulled the trigger on a Bayley/Sasha feud on Raw last night and it looks like we may have a heel Bayley.

I think it's going to be very interesting to see where this goes. Many say that this is just what Bayley needed.

VHSCoach2

Former WWE Superstar Matt Cappotelli died this morning after a battle with brain cancer.

Cappotelli won one season of Tough Enough, if I remember correctly, and was pegged as a future main event star. Tragically, he was diagnosed with brain cancer shortly thereafter. He beat the cancer once and was in remission for a while, but it came back. He had surgery one year ago to remove most of the tumor, but they couldn't remove all of it.

Incredibly sad story, but his suffering is over and my condolences go to his loved ones.

1-Adam-12

That Raw last night was very difficult to watch. 

1. 50 minutes of Roman. Enough said.

2. They had gold in their hands after the Bayley attack on Sasha last week and they THREW IT AWAY with this counseling storyline, instead of letting them have it out.

3. Strowman's stuff is getting more ridiculous by the week.

4.  No Way Jose grates on me.  He should be sent back to NXT.

About the only thing that was any good was The Revival finally getting a push.

Add to that:  Sami Zayn is out with a double rotator cuff injury (out for the rest of the year), Ruby Riott is out two months with a MCL injury, and Bray Wyatt was injured in a car wreck. 

Not a good week for the red brand.

bleudog

AXSTV is showing New Japan stuff all day.

It culminates at 7:00 with:

New Japan Pro Wrestling: G1 Special in San Francisco

New Japan Pro Wrestling returns to California for their largest US event to date. Kenny Omega defends the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Cody. The Young Bucks defend the IWGP Tag Team Championship against EVIL and SANADA. 

Fox 16 Arkansas Fox 24 Arkansas