Wrestlemania XXXII Preview: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
Pick a Horsewoman.
Now this one could go multiple ways, and by that I mean Charlotte or Sasha walking out with the title. Becky is my current favorite Diva (hopefully this is the last night that term is used) but there’s no reason for her to win the title here. Charlotte and Sasha are flat out better than Becky and I really can’t imagine anything her getting the belt.
That brings us to the question of who wins and likely feuds with Bayley as she makes her main roster debut this coming Monday. If WWE is smart they’ll have the Horsewomen in the ring together on Raw and go from there, but I think I’ll go with Sasha getting the belt. It’s going to be a big reaction and an awesome moment, but more importantly it needs to be a great match.
The Divas Revolution has stumbled all over the place and a big reason for it is due to the way the matches have been booked. If WWE wants this to go somewhere they need to have it be an NXT style match instead of a WWE style match. In other words, DON’T HAVE THEM SPEND HALF THE MATCH IN A CHINLOCK. We know these three can go as hard as you want them to so let them show off their talents and pop the crowd instead of sending them off to the concession stands. This could be something special but more than that it could be something important.
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I really don’t want to see this match. I know it’s going to be good and I know the story is good enough but ever since this was put together I’ve felt like it’s nothing I want to see. The Usos are long past their point of being interesting (though they’re still very talented) as their characters really hit a wall, which wasn’t the biggest surprise in the world. The tables stuff has stopped being worth anything either so the whole thing isn’t doing much for me. At least it’s on the pre-show though so it won’t get that much time.
The Usos are going to go over here and much like Jericho vs. Styles, there isn’t much of a reason to think otherwise. The Dudleyz can do whatever they want and are going to stay over so there’s no need to give them a win on this level. I’m sure it’s going to be an entertaining match but it’s really just not something I want to see. That Uso splash looks really cool in person though and the dives will help carry it to entertaining though.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Much like Jericho vs. Styles, this has been a very simply told story and there’s nothing wrong with that. It really seems like Kalisto beating Ryback in the World Title tournament (Yeah remember that?) in November was planting seeds for this (ok so that’s probably giving WWE way too much credit) and the story has come together really well. I’m digging the heck out of Ryback’s heel character but Kalisto has so much potential.
I think we’re getting a new champion here with Ryback needing to get something to get him back on track. Now I don’t buy for a second that WWE is going to stick with that and Ryback will wind up right back in the midcard purgatory that he’s been in for years but I think they go with him here and that’s probably the best thing for everyone around. Kalisto can come back and do something later but it would be much more damaging to Ryback to have him lose here.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Wrestlemania XXXII Preview: New Day vs. League of Nations
And something I don’t understand.
For reasons that I absolutely cannot fathom, this seems to have been changed to just a match instead of a title match. The only possible reason for this would be the League going over and since that might be the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, it’s probably what we’re going to be seeing.
New Day is on such a roll right now that they deserve a major win on a major stage to continue their long title reign. The League is in the midcard spot that they belonged in and were destined to reach as soon as they formed. There was no reason to turn this into a title match and then make it a regular match but somehow that seems to be where we are. Oh and how amazing is New Day’s entrance going to be? Just think about that for a second. New Day’s entrance at Wrestlemania in front of 100,000 people. How is that not going to be one of the coolest things ever?
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
Wrestlemania XXXII Preview: AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho
Part 4.
Now this one kind of confuses me as there’s really no reason to have them fight three times before this match. I get the idea they’re going for but they could have done the same story after Styles beat Jericho once instead of a best of three. It’s not the best story but the build has been, for lack of a better term, phenomenal. Having Jericho whisper those AJ STYLES chants gave me chills and the story is better every time I think about it. Above all else, this story is simple and you could follow it step by step along the way. It’s a bit like Bret vs. Owen from 1994 and that’s a high compliment.
I’ll go with AJ winning for what should be obvious reasons. As is the case with every major Jericho match, there’s no reason for him to win and I can’t imagine WWE or Jericho in general for that matter is going to think otherwise. Styles wins here and moves on to something else, hopefully involving a title. Jericho can feud with whomever he wants and give them a good rub, despite the fact that he loses here.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
We have arrived. This is the biggest night of the year and is going to be one of the biggest shows of all time. I know the card isn’t the strongest in the world but the atmosphere and crowd size alone are going to carry this several levels further. This is the night of the year that we all wait for and it’s our Super Bowl. Wrestlemania is something special and there’s always something great on the show. I know a lot of people aren’t happy with what we’re getting this year but I can almost promise you that you’ll enjoy something. Take off the smart glasses this year and just enjoy the spectacle that this show is going to be.
Went To Axxess
And it was an absolute disaster.
Let me put it this way: we left over an hour early because it was so boring and we were so sick of being there. Never in my life have I seen such a disaster in one place and it can be summed up in a few major issues.
1. TOO MANY PEOPLE. This was the most packed Axxess session of the week and a lot of that is due to them cutting it down to three sessions on Saturday to make room for an hour in between. If that’s the case, they need to add the fourth back immediately as there were too many people in this mess to possibly have any real fun.
2. Find a better way to organize it. The problem here is there’s no way of knowing who is where because the only schedule you get is on the WWE about three minutes before the session starts. The lineups change (more on that in a second) at the halfway point, or at 4pm in our case. The new schedule was unveiled at 3:57pm. How in the world is that the best they can do?
3. Bad lineup. Here’s the list of people advertised for the four hour session:
Sheamus
Sasha Banks
Dolph Ziggler
AJ Styles
Jim Duggan
Kane
Cesaro
Jake Roberts
Michelle McCool
There were a few other names, including Ted DiBiase inside the Elimination Chamber. Now here’s the list of people who were actually in the second half.
Ascension
Becky Lynch
Summer Rae
Sgt. Slaughter
Cody Rhodes
Mandy
Tyler Breeze
Cesaro
Darren Young (inside the Chamber replacing DiBiase)
King Barrett
David Otunga (replacing AJ Styles)
Jim Duggan
Look at that second list and tell me who you would stand in line for two hours to see. Cesaro maybe? Perhaps King Barrett? There were actually people who were walking out of lines when they found out about the switch because, simply put, would you stand in line to meet David Otunga?
What this show needed was some groups of wrestlers to meet. Like say the League of Nations (Or at least three of them as Alberto Del Rio was a VIP guest. New Day and Edge are regular guests tomorrow, but ALBERTO DEL RIO is a VIP guest?) or the Social Outcasts or three or four NXT stars (yes stars, as the NXT people we had were Mandy (hasn’t debuted yet), Peyton Royce and Billie Kaye. Yeah there was an NXT show going on (which you couldn’t get near unless you were there at the beginning) and apparently wrestling a few minutes kept you from being able to sign autographs.
The whole thing felt like a job we had to get through instead of something we got to do. I get the idea that you need to make as much money as you can, but I have a major issue with what you’re getting at an event like this. I shouldn’t only be able to meet one person in that span of time. There is no way that should happen and it’s really not acceptable.
Like I said, put a group of people at the end of a line or something like that or have some better names (I’m sorry but I don’t care to sit around waiting to meet Michelle McCool, Darren Young or Candace Michelle.) available. WWE has an army of talent and that’s really the best they can get out there?
Two years ago the legends booth was the Wild Samoans/Lanny Poffo and then Ricky Steamboat/Paul Orndorff. This year I believe one booth (the NXT booth) had more than one person as a guest. Yeah these people might be at multiple sessions but so what? Oh no: they have to sit there and sign autographs for more than two hours at a time. I think they’ll survive.
Now that all being said, there were a few fun moments.
I met Jake Roberts. Uh yeah that’s about it for that. He was very quiet and seemed to want to move the line along quickly. Not rude or anything but really quick.
Linda McMahon of all people was walking around and I got a quick handshake, even though she really seemed to want to get out of there.
I got a hello from Dolph Ziggler as he was on his way to his booth.
There was a cool memorabilia section with all of the statues (Andre, Dusty Rhodes, Bruno Sammartino and Ultimate Warrior) and A LOT of stuff from the Hall of Fame class. Other than that there was some random stuff like a Goldust bodysuit, the Ultimate Warrior’s ring gear from the 1991 Royal Rumble, the Million Dollar Title, an Undertaker costume and Seth Rollins’ white outfit from last year. There was also a collection of really cool posters from each Wrestlemania, along with Brock’s ring gear from the Undertaker match, Eddie’s boots from 2005, Harley Race’s robe from Wrestlemania III and the tights Edge wore at Wrestlemania XVII, along with a bunch of other stuff.
Overall though, this was a VERY bad event because of how much they tried to cram in there without having the first thought of how to organize it. The biggest problem though was probably the lineup. At the end of the day, I need some better options than what I was given and I really shouldn’t have Cesaro and King Barrett as my top choices to wait an hour and a half to see. Just a disorganized mess that felt like a major cash grab instead of anything worth seeing.
Pictures of all the memorabilia and some cool stuff coming later.
Lucha Underground – March 30, 2016: Bring Her Down Easy
Lucha Underground Date: March 30, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker
It’s the start of part two of the season as Aztec Warfare is out of the way and we have a new star in Dario Cueto’s brother Matanza, who won the Lucha Underground Title last week. That means it’s time to start the long build towards Ultima Lucha, which could be one of the best shows of the year if they do it right. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of last week, along with the debut of Mariposa a few weeks back and the Disciples of Death losing the Trios Titles.
We have a house band back and Dario is walking around ringside. He’s glad to be back in charge in his temple and promises a new trios tournament starting next week. As for this week though, it’s time to find a new #1 contender to the Lucha Underground Title. This brings out Pentagon Jr. to say the only reason Matanza won was because he wasn’t in the match. Dario says Pentagon isn’t championship material so Dario gets choked and has his arm loaded up. That’s enough to earn Pentagon a title shot tonight, which is WAY sooner than it should be taking place.
Vampiro approves of Pentagon’s actions.
Taya/Johnny Mundo vs. Mr. Cisco/Cortez Castro
Castro and Taya get things going as this is a rare heel vs. heel match. A running boot to the face takes Taya down and a double bulldog gets two. Taya finally gets in a shot of her own and drags Cisco to the corner, where Johnny tags himself in. For some reason that annoys her, even though it seemed like she was going over for a tag in the first place. Johnny takes way too long to set up the End of the World and gets rolled up for two, followed by a neckbreaker from Cisco.
That’s enough for Johnny as he immediately tags Taya back in, only to have Cisco get in a DDT as everything breaks down. Cue Cage after that whole cinder block over the head last week. You know, because you can recover from that in a week. Cage is so mad that he just stands at ringside, leaving Taya to take the Psycho Realm (Shatter Machine, a 3D into a Codebreaker) for the pin at 4:41.
Rating: C-. This was an acceptable enough match as Johnny and Taya are showing dissension and we also get advancement of Cage vs. Mundo at the same time. Cisco and Cortez aren’t an entertaining team or anything but at least they got a win here to give them some credibility going forward.
Marty the Moth is sitting in a chair and reading a book while talking about people envying the moth tribe. They had a secret weapon in Mariposa though, who we see murdering various masked men. The Mariposa mask was passed down for generations and now it’s the most dangerous Mariposa of them all. As usual, this was an awesome video which made something as stupid as the warrior of the moth tribe sound terrifying.
Catrina teleports into Dario’s office (Dario: “I didn’t see you come in, but that’s kind of your thing isn’t it?”) and promises the death is coming for Matanza. Dario seems a bit shaken but still confident.
Trios Titles: Son of Havoc/Ivelisse/Angelico vs. Disciples of Death
The Disciples are challenging and this is an elimination match. Barrio Negro (sweet they have names again) starts with Angelico and they flip around a bit until Angelico armdrags him into an armbar. Havoc comes in with a top rope double stomp to the back and it’s already off to Ivelisse vs. another unnamed member of the team. Catrina offers a distraction and a kick to the face eliminates Ivelisse. I’m not a fan of the champs losing the first fall like that as it would be a title change in a regular match.
Havoc comes in and flips over Trece before it’s off to Angelico for a jumping knee to the face. Barrio gets a knee as well and the Fall of the Angels puts Trece away to tie it up. They keep right on going with Angelico hitting a great suicide dive at the same time Havoc takes out the other Disciple with an Asai moonsault. Back in and Sinestro (thanks for that Matt) drives to knees into Angelico’s back for the elimination, leaving us with Havoc vs. Barrio Negro/Sinestro.
Havoc drops them both with a double back elbow. A double cross body does the same and a standing moonsault gets rid of Negro to tie it at one. Sinestro kicks Havoc down but misses a moonsault, only to have Catrina break up the shooting star. Cue Ivelisse again to take care of Catrina so Havoc can dive onto Sinestro. Now the shooting star can connect to retain the titles at 9:20.
Rating: C+. Now that’s more like it. This was the kind of high flying match that it needed to be with all six flying all over the place and just doing cool stuff. Hopefully that’s it for this feud though as there’s no reason for them to keep going after the Disciples have lost twice in a row. Good match though and that’s what it needed to be.
Rey Mysterio is in Dario’s office and says he’s here because of Dragon Azteca. Dario liked seeing him in the ring last week but Rey is talking about Dragon Azteca Sr. He blames Matanza for Azteca’s death but Dario denies any involvement. They drink a toast to Azteca’s memory and that’s about it.
Mariposa vs. Sexy Star
Star bails to the floor to start but Marty throws her inside for some hard (ish) punches in the corner. Star’s Black Widow is easily broken up with a side slam, followed by a Vertebreaker of all things (the Butterfly Effect) for the pin on Star at 1:25. Nearly a total squash.
Post match Mack gets beaten down.
Dario Cueto holds the Lucha Underground Title and tells Matanza to break Pentagon’s back. The cage is opened and the champ is loose.
Lucha Underground Title: Pentagon Jr. vs. Matanza
Matanza is defending. Pentagon isn’t sure what to do with him to start so he goes with shots to the leg. A superkick only staggers the champ a bit and a backstabber has about the same effect. Matanza sends him outside and throws Pentagon into the crowd, followed by a whip into the barricade. Back in and a German suplex has Pentagon shaken and it’s the Wrath of the Gods (that reverse powerslam) to retain the title at 4:02.
Rating: D+. That’s exactly what this needed to be but I’m not sure on the idea of squashing Pentagon. My guess is that this leads to rebuilding him as a monster with Vampiro at his side, which could lead to a big rematch down the line. At least it was short, which really pushes Matanza as a monster to be dealt with.
Post match Vampiro gets in the ring to check on Pentagon but gets kicked in the head. Pentagon is powerbombed through the announcers’ table and taken out on a stretcher to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. This was a step down from Aztec Warfare but there was almost no way that wasn’t going to be the case. They had to do something to follow up on the show and setting up the potential for Pentagon to rise back up the card after being knocked down is a good idea, assuming that’s what they do of course. It’s not a great show or anything but as usual with Lucha Underground, you can come and go with ease and have fun.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of the Intercontinental Title at Amazon for just $3.99 at:
I’m half dead already so no full live report at the moment (though the full reviews are coming eventually) but here are some quick highlights.1. American Alpha is so over it’s scary.
2. The Aries match ended REALLY fast, almost to the point that I thought Aries was injured.
3. The Zayn vs. Nakamura match woke everyone up like few matches I’ve ever seen. That was amazing live.
4. “BOTH THESE GUYS” is the best chant they’ve had in a long time.
5. The ending of the women’s title match really didn’t work as it just ended out of nowhere. Also Asuka needed to work on the shoulder to set that up.
6. The towel was the biggest heel of the night.
7. This wasn’t a great show and is probably in the bottom tier of Takeovers.
8. I was tired at this show so a second viewing might severely change my mind.
Met Bray Wyatt
At FYE in Texas.And he couldn’t have been nicer. It’s a horrible breach of kayfabe but it was a really nice time as he talked to my wife about her hometown and how messy the roads are there and said meeting me was his pleasure. It was almost jarring how nice the guy was and how he really seemed to like being there.