So I heard about Bring it to the Table for a few days now and I finally got around to watching it. Oh sweet goodness this was amazing in all the wrong ways though it was just about exactly what I was expecting. This was half an hour of WWE giving us their official line on almost everything and the big theme is pretty much “you don’t work for WWE and therefore you have no opinion.”
A few highlights:
JBL says WWE is better than UFC in the pay per view market because UFC runs big star vs. big star at every pay per view. I think this one speaks for itself.
Also, Raw needs to be three hours and fans need to stop complaining if they say it’s too long because money money money money money. The host, who is supposed to be the voice of the fan, says it’s a bit much to watch and JBL/Heyman just unload on him, basically saying he has no idea what he’s talking about and has no right to question WWE’s stance on anything.
EVERYTHING WWE does is positive no matter what. Like, everything. 205 Live airing after Smackdown is great because JBL and Undertaker used to work dark matches or something, meaning the fans won’t be going anywhere and shouldn’t complain about the tapings going on for so long.
Overall, this is about what you had to expect. WWE has never been a company that is going to pretend ANYONE else has an opinion (save for when HHH said Raw would be better at two hours on the Austin podcast) but this was pretty ridiculous. It was basically WWE covering its ears and shouting “LALALA WE CAN’T HEAR YOU BECAUSE WE’RE WWE AND NO ONE CAN TOUCH US!”. It was really entertaining to see WWE twist everything around like this and offer no alternative perspectives whatsoever. I’d watch it again just for the sake of the laughs but if you want a real discussion about issues, go somewhere else.
If so, that’s three in a row for me. Would anyone else be going?
Main Event – December 29, 2016: The Best Thing That Could Happen to Him
Main Event Date: December 29, 2016
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Austin Aries
We’re wrapping up the year with one more dark match show, meaning it’s hard to say what to expect here. Now that Jinder Mahal seems to be a regular on Monday Night Raw, we need a new top villain. By top villain, I mean wrestler who hardly ever does anything beyond job to people only slightly higher on the totem pole than him. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Curtis Axel vs. Titus O’Neil
The announcers talk about Axel’s recent face turn as he dropkicks Titus to the floor for a long breather. Back in and Titus shoves him down and starts on the leg as Aries suggests a thumb to the eye. Titus kicks at the leg even more and stops a comeback attempt with a single right hand to the jaw. Axel fights up but the leg prevents a PerfectPlex. Instead it’s the Clash of the Titus for the pin at 5:28.
Rating: C-. As uninteresting as this was and as much as it makes my head shake that Titus O’Neil of all people is now beating Curtis Axel, this wasn’t a half bad match. Titus worked a body part and that played into the finish, which is good for more psychology than Titus has probably had in his whole career.
From Raw.
Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Cesaro/Sheamus
New Day is challenging with Big E. on the floor. Cesaro gets beaten down in a hurry with double middle rope elbows and a legdrop for two each. Woods is thrown out to the floor and comes up grabbing his knee as we take a break. Back with Woods diving through the ropes into a tornado DDT to plant Cesaro on the floor.
The hot tag brings Kofi in for the flip dive and a slightly botched counter into the SOS for two on Sheamus. Everything breaks down and Woods’ top rope elbow gets two on Sheamus with Cesaro making the save. The Swing goes on but Big E. gets on the apron for a distraction. That earns Kofi a gorilla press down onto the big man and a blind tag sets up the Brogue Kick to retain the titles at 10:11.
Rating: C+. This was the required rematch so Cesaro and Sheamus can move on to someone else. New Day is in the Edge and Christian position of having long since outgrown the tag division so it’s time to move on to a new endeavor. Unfortunately I’m not sure what that’s going to be but a strong Kofi singles run could be interesting.
Video on Braun Strowman’s recent violence.
Also from Raw.
Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman
Strowman throws him into the corner to start but Seth gets in a suicide dive on the floor. Back in and the enziguri and springboard knee to the head stagger the monster. A second knee has him even more wobbled but he pulls Seth out of the air on the third attempt. Seth actually drops him with a Blockbuster but the Pedigree is countered with a backdrop over the top. Braun runs him over again….and here’s Sami through the crowd to jump Strowman for the DQ at 3:34.
Rating: C. I would have had Strowman go over clean here but I can live with what they did. Rollins shouldn’t be squashed but he sold quite a bit for the monster, which is the best thing they could have done without having him get destroyed. Strowman didn’t lose though and that helps so much.
Goldberg is back on Monday.
Tony Nese vs. Lince Dorado
Rematch from last week. They flip around to start until Dorado takes him down with an armbar. Back up and Nese stomps him in the corner as Aries talks about taking the title at will when he’s allowed back in the ring. A springboard middle rope moonsault misses though and Dorado nails one of his own for two.
Back from a break with Dorado eating a hot shot, followed by a clothesline for two more. La majistral gives Dorado another two but Nese kicks him down and grabs a bodyscissors. Dorado fights up and hits a Tajiri handspring Stunner, followed by a shooting star headbutt (he left it short) for the pin at 11:12.
Rating: C. This was exactly what you would expect it to be and that’s not necessarily the best thing in the world. Nese is getting better in the ring and it probably has something to do with being away from Gulak most of the time. They’re building up a character for him and that’s the best thing that can happen for Nese at the moment.
From Raw to wrap it up.
US Title: Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns
Reigns is defending. Owens hides in the corner to start and gets knocked to the floor with a right hand. Back in and Owens starts to slowly hammer away but Reigns clotheslines him down. Cue Jericho for a distraction so Owens can score with a DDT. The backsplash gets two and we take an early break.
Back with Owens getting two off the Cannonball and we hit the chinlock. Owens: “ASK HIM!” Reigns fights up and gets in the apron kick, only to get caught with a Backstabber for two. It’s too early for the Pop Up Powerbomb though so Reigns grabs the sitout powerbomb for two.
The Superman Punch misses but the second attempt connects for two on Owens. Jericho offers a distraction though and Owens gets in a Codebreaker for two. This brings out Rollins to Pedigree Jericho on the floor but Owens superkicks Seth down. Back in and the spear ends Owens at 16:21.
Rating: C-. I’m actually starting to get a kick out of WWE trolling the fans so hard. They just had the World Champion get pinned as close to clean as a World Champion is going to get pinned by Reigns again and they did it in Chicago no less. As much as I can’t stand the booking, there’s something amazing about how much WWE is willing to screw the fans over for their own ambitions.
Post match Owens gets Pedigreed and Jericho gets speared to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. Completely average show this week and that’s about all you can expect from Main Event most of the time. I’m really not interested in Dorado and I don’t think that’s exactly a rare perspective but at least the match was watchable. It’s not fair to expect great things from a show like this but it was fine for about forty five minutes.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
205 Live – December 27, 2016: I Think They’re On To Something
205 Live Date: December 27, 2016
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Austin Aries, Corey Graves, Mauro Ranallo
We’re starting to get in a groove around here and that’s the best thing that can happen for a show that has only been around about a month. Tonight’s big match is a non-title showdown (which WWE has gone out of its way to make seem like a title match) between Rich Swann and Neville, the latter of whom is likely to become #1 contender should he win. Let’s get to it.
We open with a long recap of Neville’s heel turn and subsequent path of rage.
Opening sequence.
Cedric Alexander vs. Tony Nese
Alicia Fox and Drew Gulak are the seconds. Nese powers him up to start but Alexander moonsaults into a headscissors, followed by a dropkick to the chicklets (as Mauro called them). A big throw puts Cedric on the floor and Tony’s missile dropkick gets two back inside. The showing off continues as Nese drops down and nips up to avoid a clothesline, leaving Alicia to play cheerleader.
We hit a chinlock for a bit before Cedric speeds things up with a Tajiri handspring elbow into a kick to the head. That means it’s time for Gulak and Fox to get into the required argument, capped off by Drew hitting the ground and claiming Alicia shoved him (she never touched him). The referee actually ejects her, allowing Nese to palm strike Cedric for the pin at 6:04.
Rating: C. Alexander is one of those guys who has grown on me so much since he’s been in WWE. The twenty pound weight loss has done him a lot of good, though some of that might have to do with getting away from Ring of Honor and the really stupid Veda Scott story. Nese is being built up in a nice way too, which is what we need around this show.
Noam Dar brings some mistletoe for Alicia, earning himself a slap to the face. Dar tries again and gets slapped a second time, though he doesn’t seem to mind.
Earlier today Renee Young sat down with Neville, who doesn’t like being left out of the Cruiserweight Classic. WWE and Americans in general are intimidated by his greatness. When he was in Japan, Swann was his young boy and Neville isn’t putting up with him here. Renee can’t understand what he says at the end and that’s enough of this interview.
Mustafa Ali vs. John Yurnet
Yurnet is better known as Mr. 450 and has been on NXT a few times. John seems to get injured early on with his right leg looking immobile in a hurry. He’s willing to keep going though and tries a sunset flip but the referee insists on checking it out. Ali hits a quick reverse DDT and finishes with an inverted 450 at 2:12. The finisher looked cool but it’s clear that Yurnet wasn’t wrestling at 100% here.
Post match Mustafa says he’s from Chicago and isn’t going to let all the prejudice against him define things. All he’s going to do is keep racking up wins and let those speak for themselves. Simple, yet effective.
Video on Ariya Daivari, who is certainly a scoundrel and thinks nothing of Jack Gallagher.
It’s time for the gentleman’s duel, which I don’t think counts as a match. Gallagher comes out in a suit while Daivari is wearing gear. There’s a table with some flowers and various weapons in the ring. Gallagher lists off some weapons, almost all of which can be found in a game of Clue, plus an umbrella and a teapot. Daivari picks the lead pipe but Gallagher will fight with an umbrella.
We’re not ready to go yet as Jack insists on standing back to back and taking five paces. Daivari tries to cheat but Gallagher knows it’s coming and proceeds to use the umbrella for a low blow and a leg trip. Gallagher shrugs off a beating and hits his running corner dropkick to send Daivari running. If Daivari had ANY personality, this would be really entertaining. As it is, it’s just something else to add to the highlight reel for when Gallagher becomes a star.
Tajiri is back next week.
Rich Swann vs. Neville
Non-title and Swann doesn’t even dance when he gets to the ring. Rich goes right after him to start and takes the fight to the floor for a right hand to Neville’s jaw. A dropkick frustrates Neville as we hear about Swann being Neville’s young boy in Japan. Neville gets fired up with a forearm to the face and sends Swann into the barricade a few times to really take over.
A hard ram sends Swann’s bad back into the LED apron and Neville follows by mostly missing a big flip dive. Back in and we hit a chinlock, followed by a standing shooting star to make the back even worse. A missile dropkick gets two and Neville is just toying with him. The USA chant only seems to get on Neville’s nerves until a hurricanrana sends him outside.
Swann follows him out with a Phoenix splash of all things and a tiger bomb gets two. One heck of a superkick knocks Neville out on his feet and Swann’s Fantastic Voyage gets a very close two. A loud kick to the head gets a third straight two but Swann gets crotched on top. One heck of a superplex knocks Swann silly for the pin at 13:55.
Rating: B. I liked this more than I thought I would and the ending was the right way to go. Swann’s back was messed up and his last run was all built on adrenaline, meaning it made sense for a big shot, especially one on the back, to be enough to cut him off for good. This also sets up the rematch with the title on the line and that’s going to be one heck of a fight, especially if it makes pay per view.
Post match Neville kicks him in the head and hammers away. He finally leaves and demands his crown to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. This show is starting to find its groove and if I just have to sit through a fifteen minute match between people I care about week after week, so be it. If you can tweak the formula just enough and keep people like Lince Dorado off the show, everything is going to get a lot better in a hurry. The show isn’t quite there yet but it’s gone from a task to get through to something I’m enjoying and that’s a very good sign going forward.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Main Event – December 22, 2016: Why the Cruiserweights Don’t Work
Main Event Date: December 22, 2016
Location: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Austin Aries
I’m curious to see what they’re going to do with what should be a holiday show. I know we already had one of those last week but shouldn’t that have been taking place this week instead? Either way we’re at one of the last shows before the end of the year and it’s hard to guess what we might get here, save for some uninteresting lower card matches. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Goldust vs. Curtis Axel
Goldust, who apparently debuted before Tom was born (according to Aries at least), works on the arm to start and grabs a powerslam to send Axel outside. Now it’s time for Curtis to work on the arm as I guess he’s a heel again this week. R-Truth plays cheerleader on the floor as Goldust comes back with a spinebuster to put both guys down. Ten right hands in the corner have Axel in more trouble and the Final Cut wraps Axel up at 5:21.
Rating: D. Nothing to see here but that’s what Main Event is for now that Jinder Mahal seems to be getting a small push on Raw. Why Mahal is the one getting that spot isn’t clear but I’m sure general idiocy can be blamed on some level. That being said, what did Axel do to deserve all these losses? He can’t even beat Goldust anymore?
Back to Raw for the first time.
Here’s New Day to address their title loss. They’re cool with losing the titles because Ric Flair couldn’t become a sixteen time champion without losing fifteen times. Big E.: “And that’s Charlotte in a month.” After declaring that they still rock, here are the new champions to interrupt. Sheamus and Cesaro are already bickering over who won last night so New Day insults Sheamus a bit more.
Cesaro on the other hand has catlike reflexes and is strong like a……someone help Big E. out. Cesaro: “Like an ox?” Kofi was thinking more like a carpenter ant who can lift seven times his own weight. They bicker a lot with Woods talking about how much merchandise they have at the moment. Cue Anderson and Gallows to talk about how sick they are of the New Day nerds, only to be cut off by the Shining Stars. A brawl breaks out and you can book the eight man tag from here.
Shining Stars/Anderson and Gallows vs. Cesaro/Sheamus/New Day
This is joined in progress with Epico hitting a nice double underhook gutbuster on Kofi. Gallows and Anderson take turns on Kingston as Saxton thinks Cesaro and Sheamus had one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of the division last night. This is why people make fun of you Byron. Anderson spikes Kofi and we take a break.
Back with the Shining Stars diving onto the champs and the Boot of Doom getting two on Kofi. Big E. comes in to clean house but Sheamus tags himself in, setting up an assisted White Noise for two on Epico. Cesaro comes in and swings Primo into the Sharpshooter for the submission at 10:46.
Rating: C. That’s your tag division people: the bickering champs, the bald guys who put “ski” at the end of random words, the jobbers and the team that is better than all of them put together. New Day is in a weird place now as they need something new to do but I’m not sure how they’re going to go fight outside of the division.
From Raw again.
Here’s Charlotte to address winning the title back last night. She goes into a big speech about how no one is on her level because she’s a guaranteed win on pay per view. This brings out Bayley and Charlotte isn’t pleased. Bayley knows Sasha vs. Charlotte was the greatest rivalry of all time but now it’s time for the Bayley vs. Charlotte rivalry to begin.
Last night was all about the scoreboard and Bayley is 2-0 against Charlotte, including at Survivor Series earlier this year. Charlotte put up four fingers last night for the Four Horsewomen but Bayley didn’t come up with the rest of them because she just wasn’t good enough. The challenge is issued and Charlotte actually agrees to fight right now.
Bayley vs. Charlotte
Non-title. Charlotte works the arm to start and puts Bayley in trouble with the figure four headscissors. A headlock gets Bayley out of trouble and she rides Charlotte on the mat. We even get a little strut before Charlotte is sent outside. Back from a break with Charlotte ramming Bayley face first into the mat over and over.
A chinlock keeps Bayley in trouble but she fights out of the corner and gets in her sliding clothesline. Charlotte sends her into the corner again but the moonsault only gets two. Bayley reverses a chop into a backslide (with Charlotte’s shoulder clearly up) to put Charlotte away at 14:45. Graves points out the shoulder being up and replays confirm it.
Rating: D+. This was actually one of the sloppier matches I’ve seen in a good while. Maybe it was nerves or Charlotte being a bit tired after last night but this really didn’t work as well as I was expecting. I don’t think Bayley gets the title at the Royal Rumble but the big match at Wrestlemania has a lot of potential.
Tony Nese vs. Lince Dorado
Dorado speeds things up to start and snaps off some armdrags into an armbar. Aries’ suggestion: poke him in the eye. Nese finally powers him up into a backbreaker as we go to a break. Back with Dorado going hard into the buckle and Nese posing a bit. One heck of a clothesline gets two for Tony and it’s off to a bodyscissors. Dorado fights up and hits the handspring Stunner, followed by the big dive over the top for good measure. Back in and Lince kicks him on the top, only to get shoved away, setting up the 450 for the pin at 11:48.
Rating: C-. Nese’s posing and power displays helped but this really wasn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Dorado really doesn’t do anything for me as he really is as generic of a luchador as you’re going to find. In other words, this was the cruiserweight equivalent of power vs. speed and it didn’t work all that well.
We see Jericho getting locked inside the shark cage on Monday.
We’ll wrap it up with Monday’s main event.
Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho
Rollins gets caught in the wrong corner to start and the Canadians take turns stomping him down. A quick Sling Blade puts Jericho down for two and the bad guys try to leave, only to get caught from behind. Back from a break with Reigns hitting his running clothesline on Owens, only to get decked so Jericho can take over.
The slow beating continues and we even get one of the suddenly favorite crowd reactions shots, showing a very bored looking girl. Owens puts on a chinlock of his own until Reigns gets free off a Samoan drop. Rollins comes in with a DDT/neckbreaker combo, earning himself two more crowd reaction shots. Jericho blocks a Pedigree and the frog splash to set up the Walls, sending Seth over to the ropes. Reigns gets in a Superman Punch and reaches for the hot tag, only to have Strowman run out to go after Roman for the DQ at 15:04.
Rating: D. Strowman getting involved is at least a little more interesting but DANG I’m bored with the main event scene right now. People were ready to cheer for Jericho, only to have the carpet pulled out from underneath them because SURPRISE, we’re right back where we were when these matches were announced.
A powerslam plants Reigns as Jericho and Owens watch from the ramp.
Overall Rating: D. This was bad even by Main Event’s standards and that’s about as low as you’re going to get in wrestling. The stuff from Raw wasn’t very good, the original wrestling wasn’t very good and Byron Saxton still has a job. Aries was his usual entertaining self but you have to give him something to work with or it’s going to be bad, like this one. Really lame show this week and that’s not nice around the holidays.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
205 Live – December 20, 2016: The Night of Neville
205 Live Date: December 20, 2016
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Austin Aries, Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves
We’ve actually got a hot story around here as Neville returned on Sunday and turned full on heel for the first time in his WWE career. This included beating up Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann, which set up a tag match on tonight’s show. Neville will team with Brian Kendrick to face Swann and TJ Perkins. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Sunday’s title match and Neville’s turn, including the tag match being set up last night on Raw.
Opening sequence.
Ariya Daivari vs. Lince Dorado
Dorado flips around a lot with Aries accurately saying it’s wasting energy. Daivari grabs a neckbreaker for two and drives a running knee into the back. We hit the chinlock as this isn’t the most interesting match so far. Dorado gets up and hits a Tajiri handspring into a Stunner, sending Daivari outside for a big flip dive. A springboard hurricanrana puts Daivari down but Dorado gets shoved off the top, setting up a frog splash to give Ariya the pin at 5:37.
Rating: D+. As interested as I am in the main event tag (which has a limit), this is a good example of everything wrong with the division. There’s almost no interest in the match, the wrestling was nothing all that special and Daivari is a rather dull character. Dorado is the most generic luchador in a long time and it doesn’t make for a strong match as a result.
Daivari says Jack Gallagher is a scoundrel.
Kendrick comes up to Neville in the back but Neville wants nothing to do with him until they’re out in the ring.
Tajiri is coming.
Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak
Speaking of uninteresting characters. Cedric, with Alicia Fox in his corner, works on Gulak’s arm to start and knees him in the face for good measure. Gulak sends him throat first into the middle rope and does something like a curb stomp with the shin instead of the foot. A chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Cedric coming back with his springboard clothesline for two.
In a pretty scary bump, Alexander grabs a vertical suplex and takes Gulak over the top for a crash to the floor. They’re lucky they landed right there. Gulak shoves Cedric into Fox and we’ve got a bad ankle. Cue Noam Dar to carry Fox off, leaving Cedric to hit the Lumbar Check for the pin at 5:35.
Rating: C. The wrestling was better here and both guys were trying but Gulak just isn’t interesting in the slightest. Cedric has the talent and there’s something there with the Fox story but it’s still fairly low level by comparison to a few of the others in the division. Alexander could make the jump up the division ladder but he’s going to need a stronger story.
Cedric runs off to find Fox. Gulak blames Fox for the loss because women do not belong on 205 Live.
Video on Jack Gallagher.
Fox is getting her ankle iced and thanks Dar for having her back.
Neville/Brian Kendrick vs. TJ Perkins/Rich Swann
Neville blasts Swann in the face to start and the aggression is really flowing early on. Swann gives a look that suggests he can’t handle this as the announcers talk about how awesome Neville has been since Roadblock. You know, the show TWO DAYS AGO. Kendrick smiles as Neville forearms Rich in the corner but a forearm allows a blind tag to Perkins.
TJ actually gets in some offense before Kendrick comes in, stares at Neville, and chokes on the mat. A good looking spinning kick to the face puts Kendrick down, followed by a slingshot hilo for two. There’s an interesting story here with Neville being the scariest thing in the match and Kendrick being the only one the good guys can beat.
The still banged up Swann tags himself in and manages a few clotheslines on Kendrick. A Flatliner cuts Swann off again though and Neville deadlifts him into a German suplex for two. Some weak rights and lefts have little effect on Neville but a superkick gives the champ a near fall (though the replay shows the lack of contact).
Neville pops right back up and clotheslines Swann inside out but the champ gets over for the hot tag. Perkins fires away on Perkins and the Detonation Kick sets up the kneebar. It’s Neville making another save but Swann tags himself in and kicks Neville in the head. A double superkick gets two on Kendrick as everything breaks down.
Perkins and Neville wind up on the floor, leaving Sliced Bread #2 to set up the Captain’s Hook on Rich. This time it’s Perkins making a save, leaving Neville to kick Swann in the head and talk a lot of trash. TJ tags himself back in and dives into an enziguri, setting up the Red Arrow for the pin at 14:09.
Rating: B. The wrestling was good here but this was completely about the storytelling. Neville looks about 900 miles ahead of the rest of the division and the beatdown of Swann was the perfect way to make that come alive. I completely got into the story here and Neville pinning Perkins and covering him like it’s an annoyance instead of a victory is great. Neville is just killing the character so far and that’s some great potential for this division.
Overall Rating: C+. The opening two matches didn’t do much for me but that main event saved the show. Unfortunately this brings up the obvious problem: there’s not enough (at the moment) for a whole show but this stuff doesn’t work on Raw. Since putting it on Smackdown is COMPLETELY OUT OF THE QUESTION AND WE SHOULDN’T EVEN ASK ABOUT IT EVER AGAIN for some reason, this is probably the best of the remaining option.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Main Event – December 16, 2016: Making My Christmas Merry
Main Event Date: December 15, 2016
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, Corey Graves
The dates on these shows continue to be all over the place as you hear about the show being on Friday but it’s already available, making me wonder why I care about these things in the first place. It’s been firmly established that this show has been taken over by the unstoppable force that is Darren Young vs. Jinder Mahal. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
SWEET! IT’S ANOTHER SPECIAL EPISODE! I’m assuming nothing was taped due to 205 Live being moved to Monday this week as Tuesday was Tribute to the Troops.
We’ll start with a match from Raw.
TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick
An early wristlock doesn’t get Kendrick very far and he has to bail from the kneebar. The Wrecking Ball dropkick knocks Brian outside and we take a break. Back with Perkins hitting a jumping spin kick to the head and a springboard missile dropkick for two. The Captain’s Hook is countered into the kneebar so Kendrick dives over to the ropes. Back up and Sliced Bread #2 gives Kendrick the pin at 8:24.
Rating: C-. So flash back to any time these two have fought in the last few months and update the details as necessary. This wasn’t interesting because neither of the wrestlers are interesting. The triple threat has some potential but for the life of me I never need to see these two fight again.
Our first flashback shows Kane and Daniel Bryan exchanging presents. Bryan gets a Slammy and Kane gets…..a puppy! Kane: “Thanks. I’m starving!” Bryan: “NO! NO! NO!” I miss these two together.
And now, Ebenezer Piper. Oh this could be glorious. Jacob Marley comes to visit and tells him that three guests will be visiting the rotten Piper tonight. First up is the Ghost of Christmas Past and Piper makes jokes about his shoes. This goes nowhere so the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Piper how bad the Cratchits have things this year. Piper won’t give up his Scotch tape (it doesn’t make much more sense in context) so the Ghost leaves.
Finally we have the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Piper: “You don’t shave under your arms do you?”) and of course he shows Piper his grave. Roddy throws him out and that’s it. This really wasn’t funny and it’s just the standard Christmas Carol with Piper doing some of his standard jokes.
Long video on Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte.
We go back to December 2001 with the Rock in the ring talking about Test. Rock likes Test so much that he’s going to sing a little rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas. He lists off some things that Test is going to go through, including five seconds of the people chanting the Rock’s name. This was really fast but I’d completely buy Rock doing this off the cuff.
Back in 2012, Alberto Del Rio hit Santa with his car. This set up Cena vs. Del Rio in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight and I think you can get the idea. During the match, Santa took a turn for the worse but, with his heart rate monitor to the beat of Jingle Bells, he came out to help Cena get the win. It turned out that Santa had a sock in his belt and a certain Mandible Claw was used.
Back in 1990, Bobby Heenan gave Gorilla Monsoon a banana. Heenan got some tools, which he used to break the janitor’s present. It turns out he got things a bit backwards though and broke his own present: a Rolex. Cue the wah wah wah music.
In 1997, a kid told Santa he wasn’t real so Steve Austin came out and Stunned the imposter for not knowing what Austin wanted when he was six. Jim Cornette: “He cracked Kris’ Kringle!”
We see the last ten seconds of New Day’s first triple threat win, plus the events that set up the main event. Only the last few minutes of the main event airs but New Day breaks the record. We also get the post match spear to Kevin Owens.
A rundown of Sunday’s card wraps up the show.
Overall Rating: D+. This is a situation where your individual tastes will vary wildly. This show wasn’t about much other than filling in time because they didn’t tape anything new. I’d much rather see something like this than just Raw matches though and it’s always cool to crack open the video library. Other than that pretty bad Piper thing, all of the clips were either short enough to not be bad or funny enough on their own. Good show this week and instantly more entertaining than two jobbers having a dull match.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
As you’ve probably heard by now, WWE is going to be holding a UK wrestling tournament in early 2017 which is likely leading to a regular TV series. Now if you listen to WWE, this is for the sake of expanding their international brand. If you pay attention, it’s to crush ITV’s attempt at reviving World of Sport. This isn’t the first time WWE has done something like this and it certainly won’t be the last.
I’m sure the tournament is going to be entertaining as they know how to do these things really well, especially with Nigel McGuinness on commentary. They’re going to crush ITV’s stuff with pure star power and that’s all they need to do. If this is anything like the Cruiserweight Classic or the potential upcoming women’s tournament, this is going to be a blast.
There isn’t much to say about this because it pretty much is what it is: WWE is buying up a lot more talent and giving us cool wrestling with it. I don’t know what is left for WWE to do unless they invade Japan next but I’m sure they would find a way to do it well. Odds are this doesn’t last long but at least it’s a cool concept and should be fun while it lasts.
Tribute to the Troops 2016: It’s Just Getting Worse
Tribute to the Troops 2016 Date: December 14, 2016
Location: Verizon Center, Washington D.C.
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, John Bradshaw Layfield
I try so hard to care about this show but it feels like WWE puts in less of an effort every single year. This is the annual show for the members of the United States military, meaning almost nothing of consequence will happen and the big main event will be Americans vs. foreigners. Let’s get to it.
Shane and Stephanie McMahon welcome us to the show.
Video on the history of the series with a look back at all of the shows. The ones where they went overseas just feel so much more important.
Lillian Garcia is back to sing the National Anthem.
Cole says this is a rare occasion when the Raw, Smackdown and cruiserweight rosters are on the same show. You mean like Survivor Series?
Here’s Roman Reigns to get things going. Reigns says the people in this arena are the real champions of the United States but here’s Kevin Owens to cut him off. Kevin thinks he should get the praise around here because he’s the longest reigning Universal Champion in history. Trash talk is exchanged with Owens saying he would take the US Title and put a maple leaf sticker on it to turn it into the Canadian Heavyweight Title. So he’s a Lance Storm fan. I admire the cut of this Canadian’s jib.
A challenge is issued but here’s Rusev to interrupt. We get a rare kiss with Lana but Reigns wants a soldier to come out here and show Rusev how to do that properly. A brawl is about to go down but Big Cass comes out to even things up. Mick Foley comes out to make the main event, even though it’s not Raw and he shouldn’t have any authority.
Package on wrestlers visiting troops.
Cesaro/Sheamus vs. Shining Stars vs. Anderson and Gallows vs. Golden Truth
The winners get New Day on Sunday with one fall to a finish. Anderson punches Goldust to start before it’s off to Epico who gets beaten up as well. The Shining Stars get together to put Goldust on the floor and we take a break. Back with Gallows kicking Goldust in the face because it’s beat on the old man night.
An elbow drop gets two with Sheamus making the save. The hot tag brings in R-Truth to clean house with an ax kick getting two on Primo. Cesaro comes in to clean house with his usual stuff, including the high crossbody for two more on Primo. Epico saves his cousin from the Swing but gets Brogue Kicked for the pin at 9:28.
Rating: D+. If they just have to give Cesaro and Sheamus the titles so be it, as long as New Day has the record once and for all. I’m still not a fan of the team but they’re probably the only option out of these four. The tag division means nothing at the moment so they’re as good an option as there is otherwise. Also, how weird is it to see storyline development on one of these shows?
More wrestlers meeting troops.
Here are Miz and Maryse for a chat with Miz calling himself an inspiration due to his role in the Marine movies. Anyway it’s open challenge time so here’s comedian Gabriel Iglesias to answer. They argue about who is out of their element until Iglesias brings out a friend to answer the challenge.
Miz vs. Apollo Crews
Non-title. Miz starts with the Daniel Bryan mockery fast by doing the YES pose and hitting the running corner dropkick. The running corner clothesline is countered into a belly to belly suplex as Iglesias starts taking pictures with Maryse. Neither Miz nor Maryse are pleased so Crews kicks Miz in the face, meaning another picture can be taken. The distraction lets Crews grab a rollup for the pin at 2:30.
Some troops say hello to their families.
Dolph Ziggler/American Alpha vs. Wyatt Family
Jordan immediately goes for the belly to belly on Harper but gets headlocked for his efforts. Luke is knocked out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Ziggler coming in to clothesline Orton and dropping him with a neckbreaker. The triple teaming puts Ziggler down in a hurry though and Orton’s snap powerslam gets two. Ziggler gets away for the hot tag without too much effort and everything breaks down. That’s fine with the Wyatts who clean house off a release Rock Bottom to Gable. The RKO finishes Chad at 10:55.
Rating: C-. Well that was rather squashy. The Wyatts completely destroyed the three of them here and that’s not a good sign for Alpha’s title hopes going forward. You would think they would be the best option to eventually take the belts from the Wyatts but that really doesn’t seem to be the case, at least not yet. At least they’re keeping the Family strong for a change.
Bayley, Charlotte and Dana Brooke meet a rescue dog. Dana isn’t impressed and a match is made for later.
Bayley vs. Dana Brooke
Charlotte and the dog are at ringside. Dana takes her down and cranks on an arm and a leg at the same time. Bayley comes back with her spinning elbow in the corner but Charlotte grabs the leg to break up the suplex. The fans want Sasha but have to settle for Bayley throwing Dana into Charlotte. Back in and the Bayley to Belly wraps Dana up at 2:24.
Bayley celebrates with the dog just in case she’s not adorable enough yet.
TJ Perkins/Jack Gallagher/Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick/Tony Nese/Drew Gulak
Perkins and Kendrick speed things up to start with TJ sending him outside, meaning it’s time for all the dives. Gallagher goes last but opts to climb through the ropes and hit an ax handle from the apron for the pop of the night. Back in and Gulak puts Perkins in something like the Edgecator to take over for the first time.
Perkins cross bodies Nese but it’s not enough for the hot tag. Gulak gets kicked away and it’s off to Swann as things speed up. Everything breaks down with Jack headbutting Nese out to the floor but shaking himself up in the process. A double superkick drops Kendrick and the spinning kick to the jaw ends Gulak at 5:33.
Rating: C. This was exactly what this match needed to be with the right ending. I liked the fact that they didn’t do much to set up the triple threat here as this was much more an exhibition than anything involving storylines. They need to find some better heel jobbers than Gulak and Nese though as they’ve lost so many times now that it’s starting to lose meaning.
HHH and Stephanie went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a ceremony.
More wrestlers in Afghanistan.
New Day talks about their title defense on Sunday but instead opt to dance over breaking the record. Big E. thinks they’re the greatest trio of all time when the Club comes in to laugh at the thought. They throw up the too sweet sign and here’s the Shield to stare all six of them down. Reigns: “Nah.” Well that worked.
Big Cass/Roman Reigns vs. Rusev/Kevin Owens
Enzo is back and we hear about how the Americans are going to beat down the bad guys for every branch of the military. Rusev and Reigns get things started with the Bulgarian actually taking over. The running splash misses though and Rusev has to bail from the threat of the Superman Punch. Instead it’s the apron dropkick and the good guys stand tall as we take a break.
Back with Owens getting in a cheap shot on Reigns to give the bad guys control. Owens gets all angry with the trash talk and drops a backsplash on the floor. Reigns finally throws Rusev down and a big uppercut to Owens allows the hot tag to Cass. Everything breaks down but Lana shoves Enzo into the steps. The distraction lets Rusev get in a superkick to set up the frog splash for two. Another hot tag brings in Reigns for the spear and pin on Rusev at 12:55.
Rating: C-. Totally standard main event to end a totally standard show. Lana laying out Enzo was the highlight of the match here and actually makes me want to see them have a wacky comedy match. I’m really happy with the idea of Cass moving higher up the card and while I don’t see him beating Rusev, it’s a good sign to have him in that spot on a pay per view.
A quick thank you to the troops wraps us up.
Overall Rating: D. Is that really what they think of the troops? This was basically an extra hour for Raw and Smackdown with nothing interesting whatsoever going on. In two hours we had maybe ten combined minutes of stuff on the troops, making this one of the lamest tributes ever. It used to be a show in the Middle East. Then it was a show at a military base. Then it was a glorified house show. Now it’s something thrown in as a bonus when you went to Smackdown. To suggest this was about the troop is a joke and you almost have to know that just by paying attention. Totally unnecessary show, as it’s been for years.
Results
Cesaro/Sheamus b. Shining Stars, Anderson and Gallows and Golden Truth – Brogue Kick to Epico
Apollo Crews b. Miz – Rollup
Wyatt Family b. Dolph Ziggler/American Alpha – RKO to Gable
Bayley b. Dana Brooke – Bayley to Belly
Jack Gallagher/Rich Swann/TJ Perkins b. Drew Gulak/Tony Nese/Brian Kendrick – Spinning kick to Gulak’s head
Roman Reigns/Big Cass b. Kevin Owens/Rusev – Spear to Rusev
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
205 Live – December 13, 2016: You Can Feel the Vince
205 Live Date: December 14, 2016
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Corey Graves, Austin Aries
This is turning into a more traditional WWE show week by week. Tonight’s main event is focusing on setting up Sunday’s triple threat match for the Cruiserweight Title instead of tonight’s match standing on its own. The main event here is Rich Swann vs. TJ Perkins in a non-title match so let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of last week’s main event where Swann defeated Brian Kendrick to retain the title. Perkins was on commentary during the match and got into it with Swann to end the show.
The announcers preview tonight’s main event and Sunday’s title match.
Jack Gallagher vs. Drew Gulak
Gulak accepts the handshake and they hit the mat to start, meaning Gallagher can do his handstand to escape a headlock. After rolling around for some near falls, Gulak gets tied up in the Windsor Knot for the running kick to the back of the trunks. Drew’s answer is to kick Jack in the jaw and then start in on the bad knee. Jack will have none of that though and blasts Gulak with that headbutt. The running dropkick in the corner puts Gulak away at 5:52.
Rating: C. I know Gallagher does the same stuff almost every match but he’s just so darn likeable. How can you not smile when you see someone this into his gimmick? Pushing him towards the title and putting him in a feud with someone whose personality he can bounce off of will be a great springboard for his character. Good enough here though and that’s all it needs to be.
Perkins tells Swann that the luck is about to run out.
Tajiri is coming.
Gallagher is talking about his victory when Ariya Daivari comes up. Jack is willing to call it even but Daivari says no way and starts speaking his native language before leaving.
Mustafa Ali vs. Lince Dorado
Ali says he won’t be defined by our ignorance. A great looking springboard hurricanrana takes Ali down to start but a hard kick to the head puts Dorado down. We’re already in a chinlock before a dropkick sends Ali into the corner. They’re certainly moving out there. A Tajiri handspring into a Stunner…uh, stuns Ali and Dorado sends him outside. An Asai moonsault crushes Ali again and both guys are down long enough for the double countout at 3:35.
Rating: C+. Now that was more like it with a standard cruiserweight style. It’s cool to have Gallagher and Gulak doing their mat work but sometimes you need two guys to fly around and look impressive. I liked this more than I was expecting to and it’s a good idea to establish as much talent as they can.
Ali goes for a post match cheap shot but gets kicked out to the floor.
Noam Dar hits on Alicia Fox but she isn’t interested.
Long video on TJ Perkins.
Rich Swann vs. TJ Perkins
Non-title and as you might expect, Kendrick comes out to join commentary. They trade wristlocks to start with both guys flipping out of the others offense. A double dropkick means a double miss into a double nip up and a standoff. Swann finally kicks him in the jaw to take over but Perkins tosses the champ outside for a slingshot dropkick.
Back in and Swann scores with Rolling Thunder for two but another trip to the floor sees Swann tweak his knee. Perkins is no fool and dropkicks the knee out for a near fall of his own. A kick to the head puts TJ down but the knee is too banged up for Swann to capitalize. Perkins’ Detonation Kick is countered into a tiger bomb for two, only to have the knee give out again. The kneebar makes Swann tap at 10:01.
Rating: B-. It’s a good sign that these guys are showing themselves capable of wrestling a match instead of just doing a few minutes of high spots. Perkins needed a big win heading into the pay per view but I can’t imagine they would actually change the title. Swann was fine here and while I’m rarely a fan of champions losing, the knee injury gives him an out.
Kendrick comes to the ring but eats a superkick.
Overall Rating: C+. This was better and having something to build towards is a really positive step. However, the same problem as last week persists: I don’t know how long they can keep this show going with just one set of talent. It works in NXT with a revolving door but this is a bit more limited and it’s going to start showing in a hurry. Still though, they’re in the very early days and this was an entertaining way to spend about forty minutes.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume V at Amazon for just $3.99 at: