Monthly Archives: April 2016

News

Ric Flair Terminated Podcast Contrast

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This has been quite a tumultuous week for The Nature Boy. Between an incident at airport and a harsh comment towards Natalya that needed cut out of this week’s SmackDown televised broadcast, he keeps finding himself at the center of some unfortunate news.

The most recent update in the Flair drama is that his podcast, Wooooo! Nation, is coming to an abrupt halt. The timing is suspicous, but Ric’s podcast partner, Conrad Thompson, revealed that the business decision was Flair’s…

So, Ric ended the contract and not his employer? That’s good if it’s true, but it’s still odd that the news came about during this week. Pinned at the top of Conrad’s Twitter feed is an assurance that despite the rough past few days, Ric is indeed fine.

Ric Flair is still expected to be in the corner of his daughter this Sunday at Payback. Charlotte will be defending her WWE Women’s Championship against Natalya, who will also be accompanied to the ring by her uncle, Bret Hart.

Show Reviews

Lucha Underground 4/27/16 Results & Reactions

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This was a big episode of Lucha Underground. It was announced ahead of time that Cage and Johnny Mundo would be settling their score in a cage match and the final match for this season’s Trios Championship Tourney would occur. Both bouts had tons of potential and upon viewing, they did not disappoint.

Cage def. Johnny Mundo (Ancient Aztec Medallion Match – In A Cage)

They made sure to replay the “Cage in a cage” line that Mundo spoke last week when he found out about this match. Cage rightfully looked like the dominant monster that he is and Mundo spent much of the time just trying to evade The Machine. Taya helped out when she could. She even fed a kendo stick and a chair to Mundo.

Highlights from this match included a pretty sick Boston Crab by Cage onto Mundo elevated on the turnbuckles, a top rope Spanish Fly by Johnny, Taya interfering with a crossbody off the top of the cage, and a Steiner Screwdriver on Mundo on top of a steel chair for the win for Cage. The score felt settled here with a pinfall in the middle of the ring.

Mitch’s Rating: ****1/4

Dragon Azteca, Jr., Prince Puma, & Rey Mysterio, Jr. def. 3 Other Trios Teams (Finals To The LU Trios Championship Tournament)

There’s not much better than sticking 11 fantastic luchadors in a match that has 4 people legal at the same time. Dario announced before the match start that Angelico wasn’t on his team due to some undisclosed injury, so Ivelisse and Son of Havoc had to defend their Trios belts with a man down.

Some of the fun spots and interactions included Joey Ryan causing his team to lose because he was too preoccupied with beating up the only girl in the match, more dives to the outside than I can count, a modified GTS by Prince Puma that ended in more of a Pele Kick to the head, a Prince Puma 630 off the top rope, and Puma launching Dragon Azteca, Jr. into the air to give one mighty assist with his Helicopter Tornado DDT. Rey Mysterio scored the winning pinfall for his team, which is smart. If I ran a wrestling company and I had Rey Mysterio, I would definitely find a belt to put on him.

Mitch’s Rating: ***3/4

Pentagon, Jr. Can’t Walk

The show closed with a cinematic piece. Pentagon, Jr., who I believe was last seen getting demolished by Matanza in the ring, was in a wheelchair and looked pretty bad off. His master, Vampiro, kept commanding him to walk. Vampiro even poured some liquid onto him that looked scalding hot. Pentagon, Jr. tried to get out of his wheelchair but instead flopped hard on the ground, face first. Vampiro simply called him weak for his failure. That’s some tough love right there.

Final Thoughts:

This was a FANTASTIC hour of wrestling. Both matches were among the best televised wrestling contests of the week. Lucha Underground tells stories well and I always feel satisfied with the way they do so. From the ending of the Cage/Mundo rivalry to the interactions between the slimy Joey Ryan and his undercover cop cohort, this isn’t just great wrestling, it’s great television.

Follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson. Also, check out my recent SmackDown, TNA, and NXT write-ups. Thanks for reading.

Show Reviews

5 Best Moments From SmackDown 4/28/16

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Payback is this Sunday but hold on, we still have a SmackDown to get through. Whether or not you have the two hours available to watch the whole show, donā€™t worry ā€“ Iā€™ve got you covered. These are the 5 best moments from the show, so this will at least get you up to speed with the really good stuff. Letā€™s kick things off with the ladiesā€¦

5. Natalya & Charlotte Promo

The big news earlier in the week was the Ric Flair told Natalya to kill herself during an Ambrose Asylum segment on SmackDown. By the time the show made it to broadcast, that sort-of-controversial remark was simply edited out. Even though the harshest comment from the exchange was missing, it should be noted that both of the ladies who will be competing this Sunday for the WWE Womenā€™s Championship were solid in their verbal sparring. This very much felt like this was going to be an easy win for Charlotte a few weeks ago but now Natayla feels like a legitimate contender. I still don’t think she’ll defeat Charlotte, but after their great match at Roadblock they could have a repeat (well technically, three-peat) performance.

(On a side-note, Dean Ambrose revealed during this segment that his plant is named Mitch. That’s one solid plant name right there.)

4. They Couldnā€™t Mute ALL Of Sandowā€™s Cheers

It was heartbreaking on Raw that Damien Sandowā€™s match against Baron Corbin never even happened. It was clear that he was getting cheered, but when Dolph Ziggler attacked Big Banter, Damien was not seen again. Sandow would get another chance at an actual on-screen match on SmackDown and it was once again against Baron Corbin. Yes, it was a squash. Also yes, the crowd noise was obviously tampered with. But it didnā€™t take super-hero quality ears to hear that WWE couldnā€™t scrub out all of those pro-Sandow choruses. While the Intellectual Savior of the Masses was getting a whooping on the floor, I definitely heard some muted ā€œLetā€™s Go Sandowā€ chants. Why do they hate the man so much? Let us love him!

3. R-Truthā€™s Selfie Stick

Okay, the never-ending tease of “will The Golden Truth finally unite” keeps chugging along after what seems like years and years, Iā€™ll admit that. But these guys can be funny and I even find things to like about them in this blasĆ© recreation of the Ross and Rachel chase from the first two season of Friends. (Right now, R-Truth is in his ā€œEmilyā€ phase with Tyler Breeze, I believe. Itā€™s been a while since Iā€™ve watched Friends, but I think there will be a marriage ceremony at some point and Truth will accidentally say ā€œI take thee Goldust.ā€) The one really funny moment that Iā€™ll give them props for tonight is Truthā€™s Selfie Stick that was LITERALLY A STICK. Like, he duct taped his phone to it. Very clever MacGyver-ing, Truth.

2. All Of That Tag Match

New Day were on commentary, which is a big plus. Enzo & Big Cass faced off against The Social Outcasts, which is another plus. Also, The Vaudevillians peered ominously at the top of the ramp to watch their opponents for the Number One Contender tag match at Payback on Sunday. The match was short and effective and the funny commentary was non-stop. I didnā€™t even take notes on all of the comments because I was just enjoying the charisma of everybody involved. Even Byron Saxton was amusing as he sat quietly on the floor, legs crossed and minding his business.

1. Post-Main Event Drama

Miz vs. Roman Reigns was the best match on the show, but itā€™s the stuff that happened after the match that really shined. AJ Styles still refuses to fully take the side of his old Bullet Club buddies and only came to blows when he was first attacked by an Uso. Roman even speared Gallows after he and AJ were arguing a little. This had the same feeling like on Raw, but it works for me because Iā€™ve been digging the intrigue of who AJā€™s pals might align with in the end. Weā€™ll know for sure on Sunday.

Final Thoughts:

Okay, the show wasnā€™t too great from an in-ring standpoint. The main event was the best match, and it was good, but nothing else was even on the three star level. Still, there was plenty to like. The promos were good and hey, Damien Sandow had a complete match. Iā€™ll take that.

Being the last SmackDown before Payback, I guess the weak matches were to be expected. Lots of big stuff is teased for that show on Sunday and Vince could shake things up a little with his announcement regarding the status of whoā€™s running what shows. I wonā€™t hold my breath, but something resembling a brand split could be in the cards.

What did you think of this list? Where other good moments left off? Comment below and let me know what I shouldā€™ve included instead.

Thatā€™s all for me with this SmackDown article. If youā€™d like to read more of my work then head on over to my blog where you can read about the 10 Best Insights From Lucha Underground’s Catrina’s Reddit AMA. I’ve also teamed up with Wrestling Arcade to deliver 15 Great Wrestling Moments In 16-Bit. Also, follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson. Thanks for reading.

 

Reddit AMA

10 Best Insights From Lucha Underground’s Catrina’s Reddit AMA

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Lucha Underground’s Catrina took to Reddit for their popular Ask Me Anything series. The lady with the lick of death talked about a wide range of topics, from face-licking to a small world animal story about “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. This is an interesting AMA, for sure.

Catrina’s real name is Karlee Perez, but she’ll remain as Catrina for the rest of this article. Questions by Reddit users are highlighted while Catrina’s quotes are blocked out. It should be a pretty easy format to follow along with.

10. Catrina’s Beginnings In Wrestling

jxshuabathers asked about Catrina’s start in this business..

I started my journey when I was 21-22 years old when I was offered a contract with the WWE, I was at the time working at the State Attorney's office, when I got there, that's when I fell in love with the business.

Catrina has experience in the legal field and apparently majored in criminology in college. It looks like she has a backup plan, but that probably won’t be necessary considering how well she’s doing in Lucha Underground.

9. Poor Morale On NXT Season 3

In its beginnings, NXT was a far different experience than its current incarnation. The reality show of that time little resembles the brand that it is today and few put the product and even the talents over. Even the commentators trashed the product, which had to be disheartening.

Reddit user stormeaglex1 asked about Catrina’s time in NXT…

I am not a huge fan of that time of NXT, I think was a lot of wasted talent in and out of there, and there was a lot of great talent that came out of there. I enjoyed my time with the girls in FCW because we'd spent many years together, but the show itself I was not a fan of.

8. No “Wrestling Rules” In Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground looks very different from the standpoint of the fans watching what’s being presented. But how is it for the workers? Is it a different experience than how other wrestling promotions are run? KingKongTaxiCompany inquired about this very topic…

It's very different. It's not ran the same... there's no so called 'wrestling rules' that LU goes by. You don't have to walk on eggshells around anybody and it's really a better work atmosphere to be in.

That’s good to hear. Respect to your peers and to the veterans is one thing, but the anecdotes that are heard about other locker rooms can be silly. Wrestlers have gotten heat because they failed to shake every hand upon arrival.

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Show Reviews

NXT 4/27/16 Results & Reactions

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I thought that last week was the final bit of matches from the WrestleMania Axxess event in Dallas, but I guess this is the last one. Well, I hope it’s the last one. This crowd has been okay but not as animated as the usual Full Sail audience.

I’ll be a little briefer this time around with my reactions because I’m trying to still finish this on top of a way busier schedule from my day job. First up is a monumental mis-match for Eva Maria. Say a prayer for the lady in red…

Asuka def. Eva Maria

I was hoping for more drama like when Eva faced off against Bayley a few months back but this one was a little more tame. Eva’s passable in the ring and I wouldn’t say that she’s garbage, but there’s clearly a huge gap between her skills and Asuka’s. Nia Jax came out midway through the match as an enforcer type. I was hoping that she’d turn on Eva but it never happened. Asuka won with a stiff kick and I’ll reiterate that this felt like a way tamer version of the Bayley vs. Eva match.

Mitch’s Rating: **

Samoa Joe def. Finn Balor (Highlights – NXT Championship)

This was just a few clips of the event from Lowell, Massachusetts. New footage showed that Finn went for a double foot dive toward Joe against the barricade on the outside. He injured himself in the process, which directly led to Joe catching him in the Muscle Buster when Balor was on the top rope. Will this seemingly abrupt title change lead to an imminent main roster debut?

No rating at this point. If the entire match is released in full then I’ll offer one.

The Revival def. Matt Lee & Jeff Parker

Dash & Dawson had the biggest “botch” of TakeOver: Dallas and made a point to address this at one point during the match. This was one-sided because NXT knows how to effectively put on an enhancement match. They won via Shatter Machine.

Mitch’s Rating: **

The Hype Bros. def. Blake & Murphy

This was a decent bout, but nothing overly special. Zack Ryder tagged with Fandango on Main Event this week, which bums me out that WWE isn’t so eager to boost this act to the main roster. I’d forgive it if Ryder was up there because he was in a singles push but that isn’t the case. His WrestleMania Intercontinental Championship win seems like more and more of a fluke as time goes on. All of the good moves are performed, including the Hype Ryder for the win.

Mitch’s Rating: **1/2

Dawson & Wilder attacked The Hype Bros. post-match because they’re jerks.

Carmella def. Aliyah

I never watched Breaking Ground but many on social media were commending Aliyah by how much she’s improved. I liked what I saw. I’m bummed that Carmella isn’t on the main roster with Enzo & Cass but there is plenty for her to do in NXT, so it’s not the worst thing ever for her to stick around this brand for a while. She’s looking better and better on her own and has a much better shot of continuing on a career ascension where she’s at. Carmella did that submission thing she does in which she chokes out her opponent with her legs for the win.

Mitch’s Rating: **

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Elias Samson

I don’t mind Nakamura in NXT, I really don’t, but this seems like such a waste of such an amazing talent. Even the Tye Dillinger match from a week or two ago wasn’t too bad because Tye felt like he rose to the occasion and pulled out some funny interactions with Shinsuke with his Perfect 10 gimmick. Elias, however, was his always boring self. I don’t want to be super negative on the guy because he seems capable in the ring and he’s got a great build. It’s just that his character is boring. How does a lackadaisical drifter who’d rather be strumming a few acoustic riffs on his six string ever translate into something marketable in a wrestling ring? It doesn’t. Maybe if he started getting ticked off and whacked a few people with a guitar from time to time – but even then, people would probably criticize him for being too Jeff Jarrett-y. Nakamura is a superstar, but I feel dirty scoring a match of his this far below 2 stars. You did this to me, Elias Samson.

Mitch’s Rating: **1/2

Slow your roll? Nakamura insults are apparently awesome.

Final Thoughts:

I’m a little bitter that Nakamura isn’t main eventing main roster Pay-Per-Views at this point, so forgive my smark rage. I’ll be more optimistic and realize that, according to info my wife told me, we’re just a couple of months away from a Network Special from Japan. He’ll get a big match on that event. Maybe that’ll be a good time to do an NXT title challenge against Samoa Joe? THAT would be something to get excited about.

A lot of the show was just kind of there for me. I saw a bunch of decent matches but nothing too outstanding. I think when the roster is back in Florida there will be a renewed direction again. This is still a great show, I’m just kind of sick of the Texas setting. It feels too house show-y.

Check out other recent show reviews by me, including one for this week’s Raw and TNA. Did you know that EC3 took his first pinfall this week? Shocking, I tell you. I also picked out the 10 Best Questions From Christopher Daniel’s recent Reddit AMA. It was a fun look into his lengthy career.

That’s all from me. Follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson. Thanks for reading.

Show Reviews

TNA Impact 4/26/16 Results & Reactions

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This week’s edition of TNA is called Sacrifice. Like usual, I won’t break down every backstage segment but I’ll cover the major stuff with a big emphasis on my opinions of it all. Let’s get to it…

Drew Galloway def. Tyrus (w/Rockstar Spud)

Galloway had taped up ribs because of a Bobby Lashley spear last week, which played into Tyrus’ tactics. He targeted the ribs, even ripping off the tape. Spud keep trying to distract and interfere and was an overall nuisance to Drew. Tyrus lost, but looked good in the process. He took some big offense from Drew and kept coming at him, kicking out of pin attempts after a top rope superplex and also a Claymore Kick.

Mitch’s Rating: ***

Rosemary (w/Crazzy Steve) def. Gail Kim

Rosemary and her Decay pals kidnapped Gail Kim recently because they’re creepy like that. Josh Matthews said during this match that he recently asked Kim what happened during that ordeal but she refused to comment. Gail had this match won but failed to get the three count because Steve pulled her out of the ring after 2. Maria Kanneli, who was at ringside, also tried to be a distraction to Kim. She’s got a fan club, I guess. Rosemary capitalized on all of this nonsense and scored a win over the Kim.

Mitch’s Rating: **

Eli Drake’s Fact Of Life

This was strange, but I liked it. He kept calling people Dummies in the middle of the ring in front of a podium. He even had a button that played a recording of his voice saying, “Dummy, yeah.” The BroMans came out and he of course called them dummies. This ended with a brawl that Jessie and Robbie came out on top of. I’ve seen a bunch of befuddled reactions online about this segment. I liked it, though. It was weird in a way that I can get on board with.

The Decay (w/Rosemary) def. Beer Money (Valley Of Shadows Match For TNA Tag Team Championships)

With Bobby Roode out of the company, I’ve waiting to see how Beer Money would drop the tag titles. I’ve been happy with the chemistry that all three members of Decay have with each other, so them being the new Tag Champions is fine with me. It took a little bit of time for this match to get to the big spots parts but it ended with few good ones. Roode ate a Chokeslam onto a pile of tacks and Abyss & Crazzy Steve both covered him for the win. See you later, Roode.

Mitch’s Rating: ***

Bram def. Eric Young (KOTM Championship)

Like Bobby Roode, Eric Young was another TNA title holder on the way out that I’ve been waiting to see drop their belt. I’m not really into the idea of Bram as a babyface champion but he’s capable in the ring. The King of the Mountain Championship hasn’t really become established at this point, so I guess it’s no big deal who carries it. It’s like the TNA version of the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship. Bram hit his Brighter Side of Suffering DDT off of the apron through a table to set up the winning pinfall. See you later, Eric.

Mitch’s Rating: **1/2

https://twitter.com/REALBobbyRoode/status/725149449018728448

There was a Jeff Hardy in-ring promo segment that Reby Sky and Rockstar Spud interrupted. It came to blows and Jeff laid Spud out.

Mike Bennett def. Ethan Carter, III

I watched this match a couple of days after airing and am shocked that I wasn’t spoiled on the ending here. They did the old Million Dollar Dream rollup off the corner spot, with EC3 not letting go of the submission and suffering the pinfall because of it. Carter has officially suffered his first loss and it’s a little surprising that this wasn’t a slightly bigger deal. I’ve literally heard nothing about it beforehand. This should serve as a hearty endorsement of The Miracle Man. Perhaps he has a TNA Championship run on his horizons?

Mitch’s Rating: **3/4

https://twitter.com/Lagana/status/725157578121043969

Final Thoughts:

This was a decent episode of Impact. Many matches hit right around the *** star range, which is an enjoyable mark to be at. Tyrus performed well in the opening match and Bennett made some degree of history by being the first man to pin EC3. TNA’s stock is so low in the public’s eyes, and I’m attributing the lack of fanfare over the milestone to it. This is a wrestling company that has tons of great performers, it’s just that the mismanagement by the people in the top has soured too many people.

Check out my other recent articles, including the 5 Best Moments From Raw and the 10 Best Questions From Christopher Daniel’s Reddit AMA. I’m on Twitter @MitchNickelson. Thanks for reading.

 

 

Reddit AMA

10 Best Questions From Christopher Daniel’s Reddit AMA

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Long-time professional wrestling veteran Christopher Daniels took to Reddit yesterday (April 26th, 2016) to participate in their popular Ask Me Anything interview forum. Chris fielded all sorts of questions over the course of an hour, from working with Jerry Lynn in WWE in 2001 to how his and Kazarian’s variation on The Young Buck’s Meltzer Driver came about. There’s a ton of insight into his lengthy pro wrestling career.

I’ve sifted through the question and answer event and highlighted what I think are 10 of the more interesting interactions. Daniels’ quotes are in grey-ish boxes, which should be easy to figure out as you click through this list.

Before getting started, check out this cool comic project that Daniels is involved in. This anthology to wrestling is “a book that is equal parts love letter to, and examination of, the world of professional wrestling.” Sounds cool. Give Chris some support on the Kickstarter for this after you read this AMA roundup.

10. Dream WWE Opponents

When it comes to fantasy booking Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, The Addiction, there are a few WWE acts that they’d likely work very well against. Reddit user megatron83 asked Chris who e’d like to work with if he had the chance in Vince McMahon’s company…

I definitely think that Enzo and Cass would be people Frankie and I could work well with; I'd love to get to work with the New Day - I've worked with Xavier in the past and feel that Kofi and Big E are people we would really click with.

The Addiction vs. New Day. The Addiction vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady. Daniels picked two of the hottest acts in WWE – also two of the funniest. It’s a shame that these matchups will remain merely hypotheticals for the time being.

9. Life After Wrestling

Reddit user 2nahc asked Daniels about his plans after wrestling, something that Chris hasn’t fully ironed out yet…

I don't have anything 100% planned out yet; I would like to be behind the scenes at ROH and I would like to do commentary. I have recently started doing stunt work in Southern California and I am not sure which percentage of what is going to be my life when wrestling is done.

Chris seems like a perfect fit for a commentary role. The man is blessed with the gift of gab, for sure. Regardless of what he does after wrestling, let’s hope that he still has many good years ahead of him.

8. His Ultimate Opponent

Reddit user josethebassist inquired about who Chris thinks is the among the best among the talent he’s faced in his career…

Hey Chris! Who would you say is your ultimate opponent? As in someone who you enjoy wrestling every time you get a chance to have a match with them?

Well, it's sort of different now... over my whole career I'd have to say AJ Styles, but at this point in my career, I'd have to say The Young Bucks. Now that I am focusing on the tag team, they've been the ones I've worked with most and had the most fun with.

I’m partial to those early bouts in Ring of Honor with guys like AJ Styles, but he has also been a big player in the modern indie tag team scene. Along with The Young Bucks, independent tag team wrestling has been quite a lot of fun over the past few years.

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News

Ric Flair Says “Kill Yourself,” Natalya Plugs WWE Network (Video)

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At this week’s Smackdown tapings, The Nature Boy” Ric Flair caused a little bit of controversy withĀ Jim Neidhart’s daughter Bret Hart’s niece when he told her to kill herself. Natalya responded semi-appropriately with a comeback of asking him if he knew about the WWE Network. The video of the exchange is beginning to make the rounds on social media…

https://vid.me/gh0J

Is this something that Ric needs to put on blast over? I don’t think so, but it is good that it’s opening up discussion. Kids who watch might be tempted to repeat this phrase to their peers. If WWE doesn’t have a stated policy on this language then maybe it’s time to inform their on-air talent that this is unacceptable.

https://twitter.com/MonNightDawes/status/725145845302190081

It’d be disappointing if Flair was suspended over these comments when all WWE needs to do is edit them out of theTV broadcast. Even if they kept the comments in, as long as the commentary team responded with remarks about how terrible Ric’s words were, then that would probably be fine.

https://twitter.com/MonNightDawes/status/725145845302190081

Have any thoughts on Ric Flair telling Natalya to “Kill Yourself?” If so, comment below.

Show Reviews

5 Best Moments Of Raw 4/25/16

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There’s less than a week until WWE Payback is upon us and Raw was the go-home show for that event. Try as they might, the program seemed to be lacking overall. Still, this is an article about the best moments from WWE’s flagship show so I’ll put on my positivity cap and focus on the good stuff.

I didn’t include the Chyna memorial package in this list because it doesn’t need my banter. She was a huge part of one of the biggest booms in professional wrestling and it’s sad that she’s passed on. I’m glad WWE acknowledged her passing.

An honorable mention that just barely missed the cut for this week’s list was Lana’s reaction to Rusev’s loss on Raw. She stood by her man in defeat, removing her shoes to viciously hurl them at Kevin Owens’ opponent on Sunday. I would’ve included this moment on the list but I’m pretty committed to this being a solid 5 points every week.On to the moments that did make the cut…

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/724807707610456064

5. Owens vs. Zayn Video Package

WWE always had such fantastic production that itā€™s almost criminal how much they under-utilize it. For the Zayn vs. Owens match at Payback, we were treated to some of the history between these two in the form of a video package prior to Samiā€™s match against Rusev. It was a documentary-style piece, with both men sporadically interjecting their account of the friendship gone wrong. The best line of from either guy was when Kevin Owens stated, ā€œIā€™m the victim.ā€ I legitimately laughed out loud at that one.

4. What The ā€œMiz Sectionā€ Looks Like

I am an unapologetic Miz fan and have been singing his praises for quite some time. On Raw, he gave us mediocre impressions of Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Clint Eastwood. He also used his wife, who he has great on-screen chemistry with, as the prime example of the Miz Section. Most importantly, he played up the fact that heā€™s got a prize that Cesaro has never held in the Intercontinental Championship. The promo ended with a scuffle, of course, and Miz sold an elevated uppercut like he was shot. When The Swiss Superman tried to follow the strike with his patented Swing, Maryse threw herself on top of her man to protect him. Miz is consistently one of my favorite performers on Raw, so expect him on this list frequently.

3. Damien Sandow!

It was only for a mere moment that he was on our screens.

One. Glorious. Moment.

2. A HOT Ending

Gallows & Anderson tried to interrupt Roman Reigns while he was wrestling Alberto Del Rio in the main event and they were almost successful in distracting him, but Roman still found a way to win. The post-match attack and exchanges of Superman Punches and Phenomenal Forearms were a much needed final impression for the show. The crowd was on its feet through it all and justifiably so. It should be noted that even though Roman went to blows with Styles’ Bullet Club buddies at this moment and earlier after their Usos match, he never used his Spear or Superman Punch on them. An alignment between those three still seems in the realm of possibilities. Thatā€™s the kind of intrigue needed going into Payback.

1. A More Serious Dean Ambrose

THIS is what I want to hear from Dean Ambrose. Dean always has a little bit of quirkiness to him and heā€™ll never be able to shake all of it, but this was a promo that worked so much better for him than some of his previous ones. He was less jokes and more fight and it was so much better for him. Ambrose called out Chris Jericho and by the time Y2J answered the call, I truly believed that he was wanting a fight. Jericho, whoā€™s upped his game by light years from a few months ago, was also on fire. He demanded apologies and contemplated making Ambrose kiss his $1500 boots. This banter lead to a very satisfying brawl that ended with Chris Jericho showing his butt crack while applying his Walls of Jericho to Dean Ambrose on the announce table.

Final Thoughts:

The full three hours of Raw was rough to get through in its entirety but when it was good it was good. There wasn’t a “great” match on the card but WWE did keep things steady for the matches I’m most looking forward to on Sunday. I’d even say that the Ambrose/Jericho feud is much better positioned after last night.

Can Damien Sandow get more on-screen time? Like, next time he’s put in a match that actually gets to the opening bell? That’d be awesome.

What were your favorite moments from the show? Go ahead and drop me a comment below to let me know. In the meantime, look me up on Twitter @MitchNickelson and give me a follow.

Thanks for reading.

Show Previews

Answering WWE’s 5 Point Raw Preview 4/25/16

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We’re 6 days away from WWE Payback and the roster is fresh off of a trip to the other side of the Atlantic. WWE is in Connecticut tonight, which is where the company calls home. Here are the 5 major points that WWE has used on their website to tease the show tonight. Just like last week, my opinions are the unbolded stuff below.

Styles’ Longtime Friends Gallows & Anderson To Make Raw Debut

Anderson & Gallows will be facing off in tag team action against The Usos tonight in their first WWE match. I expect the debuting team to look strong but more importantly, I expect some revenge from RomanĀ  Reigns during this match. I don’t see Roman just running out to be a pure heel or anything, but maybe the Bullet Club duo will grab chairs or other obvious signs of cheating to provoke The Big Dog to get involved. To aid his friends, AJ Styles could then come out to help out his pals to even things out. To avoid an obvious alignment, AJ should then shove his friends and ask what they were thinking while pointing at the chair originally used. Then he could storm off with a disappointed father look on his face.

Regardless of how it plans out, more teasing of who Anderson & Gallows might be aligned with needs to be happening. This is a highly interesting element to Payback’s main event.

How Will Dean Ambrose Retaliate Against Chris Jericho?

Dean Ambrose defeated Kevin Owens during the main event of last week’s show and instead of getting to enjoy his victory he was attacked by Chris Jericho. I can’t say enough how much I’ve been loving Chris Jericho’s heel work as of late and look forward to whatever dastardly stuff he has planned for tonight.

I’m hoping that Dean Ambrose wins the singles match against Y2J on Sunday. But then again, if he loses then that means he gets a WWE Championship match at the next Pay-Per-View, right? Right?!

Has Corbin Stolen Ziggler’s Spotlight?

Baron Corbin, the winner of the illustrious Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal has been introducing The Showoff to his finisher every time they meet up on the floor area around the ring. I think we’ve seen Dolph eat an End of Days three times on the floor recently, which is a little too repetitive. Corbin’s the new guy to the main roster and will almost certainly win at Payback, so I expect Ziggler to get some sort of an upper hand tonight. He’s got to look good right before he stares at those ceiling lights.

Will Old-School Fisticuffs Trump New-School Smacktalk?

The Vaudevillians had there best main roster promo yet last Thursday on SmackDown. Actually, I think it was their only real bit of promo time so far. They seem pretty neglected in getting the audience truly invested in them and I’m hoping that they can get something similar to what they got on SmackDown tonight on Raw.

They’re super proper and are offended by the crudeness of Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady. Enzo & Cass have really taken off and it’s been mostly off of the overwhelming charisma that emanates from Amore’s voice. Promo time opposite the Smacktalker Skywalker is the best thing to get Aiden English & Simon Gotch as over as they should be.

Is Shane McMahon’s Tenure As Raw Showrunner Coming To An End?

The fact that the stipulation to the Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania 32 has been rendered completely meaningless has been said millions of times by millions of people in the past few weeks doesn’t mean that it isn’t still worth stating. The show’s been overall better in that time frame but it would still be nice to hear a logical explanation to important issues like where Triple H and Stephanie have been during all of this.

There’s probably going to be a new element to the “Shane on Raw” story and it will likely get tied into the WWE Championship, which is a mistake. Keep the Roman & AJ story separate because it doesn’t need the over-complication treatment when the McMahon drama gets mixed in.

Final Thoughts:

I find most of these stories to be interesting, so my hopes are high for Raw tonight. Even the lesser developed feuds like Baron Carbon vs. Dolph Ziggler (which has consisted of nothing other than repeated End of Days to the floor) still has interest because it’s a completely fresh matchup.

As long as at least two or three matches with some quality talent are give a decent amount of time, this could be a strong wrestling show.

Follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson.