WWE Takes Over Brooklyn: The Winners & Losers

What's happening everybody?!  Glad you're back with me another week.  Last weekend was a big weekend for the WWE, as they took over Brooklyn for three straight days.  The first event was NXT's Takeover special entitled "Brooklyn".  For the first time in NXT's history, the developmental league of WWE was in a major arena for a Takeover show.  The results of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn?  Incredible show...but that's a mute point, as they always manage to put on outstanding shows.  Here are the results:

Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Tyler Breeze

This was a special night for NXT in many different ways, but one of the biggest reasons was for the debut of Japanese legend and high flying innovator, Jushin "Thunder" Liger.  The Brooklyn crowd was truly enamored with adulation and respect for the icon, but he was put to the absolute test with the so-called "Sultan of Selfies".  This match somewhat resembled Liger's matches with the late Brian Pillman in the early-mid nineties in WCW.  However, in spite of Breeze's excellent efforts, they weren't enough for the fifty-year-old that showed this young generation that he can still hang with anyone, as he won with the running Liger Bomb.

Winner: Jushin "Thunder" Liger

NXT Tag Team Championships
The Vaudevillains vs. Blake & Murphy w/ Alexa Bliss (c)

The next encounter was for the NXT Tag belts, as Simon Goch and Aiden English, collectively The Vaudevillains, faced off against the rapidly improving team of Blake & Murphy.  They of course had Alexa Bliss in their corner, and this wasn't a bad match.  I continue to see the great chemistry and in-ring work of Blake & Murphy, as they're slowly reminding me of a young Beautiful Bobby and Sweet Stan of The Midnight Express.  Bliss decided she wanted to get involved, and that's when NXT residential favorite, Blue Pants, made her way to the ring to an awesome pop from the fans.  Once BP mobilized Bliss, The Vaudevillains went to work, and as a result, became the NEW NXT Tag Team Champions!

Winners & New Champs: The Vaudevillains

Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger

This was the anticipated debut of the former Uhaa Nation of the indies and Dragon Gate.  Let me tell you, this guy has it all, and that's not being cliche.  He's a power guy that is also a flyer.  Hard to come by these days.  He didn't have it easy though with "The Perfect Ten", but Apollo ultimately defeated him with his Powerlift/standing moonsault combo.  Does he have the makings to be a huge star?  Absolutely.  Will he be?  It's up to Vince and booking.  I have little to no doubt in him.  Nowadays booking tends to be all over the place and not be consistent.  In any case, great debut showing by Apollo Crews.

Winner: Apollo Crews

Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin

This was a battle of two big bulls and this wasn't pretty.  We all know the capabilities of the "Samoan Submission Machine", but now we get to see how he does against a relative rookie in Baron Corbin, who has been very much impressive since his debut just over a year ago.  As good as Corbin looked in this match, in fact getting a few really near falls, Joe was just the man again, and the former multi-time World Champion got the win with the Kokina Clutch.

Winner: Samoa Joe

NXT Womens Championship:
Bayley vs. "The Bo$$" Sasha Banks

All I can say is  WHAT A MATCH!!!  Brooklyn gave the challenger a decent ovation, but Barclays Arena was clearly in favor of "The Bo$$".  This match was one of the most fantastic matches we've seen all year, and it came from the NXT women.  Banks was often times going after the injured hand of the young gutsy challenger and exhibited offense that continues to show why she may be pound for pound the best female competitor in either the NXT or main roster locker room.  However, it came down to a reverse huracunrana and a Bayley-To-Belly to put the NXT Womens Champion down for the three count, and a new champion was crowned.  The crowd exploded over the win, but later gave an awesome standing ovation for Charlotte, Becky Lynch (who both came out to ringside to congratulate Bayley) and Sasha, who tearfully came back in the ring to hug her opponent in a very emotional moment.  These four young ladies represent the change for the women's division for either locker room, and were united as The Four Horsewomen.  A memorable moment that will be remembered as one of the best moments of the year in NXT.  What a wonderful story: the young, underdog challenger who has failed in attempts before to go after the title to finally win the big one, much like Sami Zayn did the NXT Title almost a year ago against Adrien Neville.  Now, this tough lady from Cali won the big one, and what a hell of a match it was.  Not to mention, an emotional post-win locker room interview with her and her family on top of it all.  To Vince and the booking department of WWE: THIS is how you book women wrestling.  Get a clue!  From Charlotte vs. Natalya, Paige vs. Emma, Becky vs. Sasha, and the Fatal Four Way match for the NXT Womens Title, they get it, and it works...damn well at that.  The people are booing this "Divas Revolution" because it's forced, plus there's no need to keep shoving in peoples faces the progression and evolution of women in sports like the Williams Sisters or Ronda Rousey.  I will get into that area next week.  Right now, let's celebrate the much deserved win of Bayley (the fact that she dedicated the match to her mentor and teacher, the late , great "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, by wearing polka dot wrist bands was cool as hell too).

Winner and new NXT Womens Champion: Bayley

NXT CHampionship/Ladder Match
Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens

The women's title match was a hard one to follow, and normally I would say to people to just go home because that couldn't be topped or matched.  I was half right.  The second half of the double main event didn't top it, but it definitely matched it.  Owens is no stranger to ladder matches, as he is well known for his EPIC ladder match in ROH against Sami "El Generico" Zayn.  This was a rematch from WWE's Beast In The East special event in japan, where Balor defeated Owens in a great, great match to win the title.  In this one, the physicality was stepped up in big time fashion, as both men threw all they had at each other.  The end result was Balor's Coup De Grace finisher from the top of the ladder, then he climbed up and retrieved the belt.

All in all, this was yet another victory for the NXT brand, and it's starting to really show that NXT is for the WRESTLING fan, and not the casual sports-entertainment fan.  NXT has grown into a formidable brand alongside ROH ( I can't include TNA because of the disappointing material we've gotten from them on a weekly basis) and GFW.  Kudos to Triple H for bringing back an awesomely worked show and a brand that continues to grow in popularity because of one word: hunger.  These kids in NXT are hungry and aren't totally bogged down by inconsistent, flighty booking teams.  This event gets a 4/5.

The next night, however, was Summerslam.  One would imagine that Summerslam would at least attempt and come close to putting on a compelling show like their minor league brand did.  My hope was for that to happen, and for it to be an impressive show.  Was I wrong?  Truthfully yeah sort of.  Was it a disgrace?  No, but for a lineup and card like it had, it should've been a HELL of a lot better than it was.  Let's get into it.

Randy Orton vs. Shaemus

Typical match opener with two men that we've seen fight over and over and over and over again.  Shaemus got the win, but nothing special here.

Winner: Shaemus

WWE World Tag Team Championship/Fatal Four Way Match
Los Matadores (c) vs. The New Day vs. Prime Time Players (c) vs. Lucha Dragons

This was actually somewhat of an entertaining match.  I didn't say it was a masterpiece of artistic showmanship, I said it was entertaining.  Mostly on the part of The New Day, and their rendition of "Empire State Of Mind" that had to be heard to be believed.  Even the hardcore Brooklyn crown stood up in applause for the humor factor.  Not much of a story here due to too much going on at one time, like these Fatal Four Way matches tend to have happen.  In the end, Kofi got the win to help The New Day win their second WWE Tag Team Championship.  Of course, the next evening, they got new challengers in the returning Dudley Boyz so it'll be interesting to see how things unfold.

Winners & new champs: The New Day

Dolph Ziggler w/ Lana vs. Rusev w/ Summer Rae

Although it was good to see Ziggler back, this match was nothing special and almost walked the lines of a bore.  This was arguably the bathroom break match of the night.  The match ended up on the outside, where both men got counted out, only for the ladies to cat fight inside the ring afterwards.  Yawn!

Winner: None (double count out)

Neville & Stephen Amell vs. Stardust & King Barrett

A little bit of hype over the match as actor Stephen Amell from the Tv show Arrow finally got in-ring time and I must say he didn't look half bad.  For someone with no experience whatsoever, he looked better than some of the Tough Enough kids.  Other than Amell, I wasn't expecting a great deal out of this, and I was right.  Midway through they lost me, and at this time I just wanted to see the "Red Arrow" finisher from the former NXT Champion, and I got it.  Win for "The Arrow Brothers", but otherwise, another yawn!

Winners: Neville & Stephen Amell

WWE Inter-Continental Title/Triple Threat Match
Ryback (C) vs. The Miz vs. The Big Show

This match has been built for the last couple months but got delayed due to Ryback's staff infection.  They finally got off the ground with this, and it was no more great than I thought it was gonna be, which wasn't going to be much.  The match didn't suck, but it was damn sure average.  Show knocked out Miz then got clotheslined over the ropes by Ryback, then Ryback gets on top of an out cold Miz to pick up the win.

Winner and still champion: Ryback

Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. The Wyatt Family

Finally, my interest is starting to rise a little, and I do mean a little.  This was a match I wanted to see because I'm a fan of all involved.  This was physical and was a classic fight, but in the end, it was Ambrose's "Dirty Deeds" finisher, mixed with Reigns' spear to defeat Bray and Luke.

Winners: Ambrose & Reigns

Team PCB vs. Team B.A.D. vs. Team Bella

This is the bullshit I'm talking about when it comes to the "Divas Revolution".  This is nothing against the Divas themselves, as even the Bellas have worked their asses off to at least present somewhat formidable matches lately.  The problem is the booking.  After the phenomenal match Sasha had with Bayley the night before at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, why wasn't there one similar.  Why wasn't Nikki's title on the line in a one on one match?  This shouldn't have been a team encounter.  In any event, the action wasn't bad and each gave good to great showings.  The first team eliminated was Team B.A.D., however it was Team PCB that won with Becky Lynch's Disarmor finisher.  Let's hope this ends when Nikki finally sets the new record for being the longest reigning Divas Champion, which A.J. Lee presently holds but once she left, her legacy was on its way out as well.  Hopefully these teams can part ways and we start getting just some good ol' fashioned competition with GOOD storytelling.

Winners: Team PCB

WWE World Heavyweight Title vs. WWE U.S. Heavyweight Title
Winner Takes All
John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

This is definitely one match I was looking forward to seeing, and up until the end it was a pretty decent match.  The big match feel was clear, and there were no ill-effects from Cena's recent nose surgery from the Rollins jumping knee that caused Cena's nose to shatter.  Both men delivered, although I would seriously just stop using the springboard stunner that Cena likes to use all of the time.  However, what killed it (in a negative way) was the appearance of the host, Jon Stewart.  I'm a big Stewart fan, and was hurt when he left The Daily Show, but him being involved in the match grossly hurt it.  He came out with a chair and teased hitting Rollins but instead gut shot Cena with it and it was enough for Rollins to use the Pedigree on him for Rollins to win the U.S. Title and still be WWE Champion.  Never before has this happened, for someone to simultaneously hold two singles titles, but with Jay Lethal holding both the ROH Title and the TV Title, of course Vince is like "Anything you can do, I can do better", at least in his mind.

Winner and new U.S. Champion/still WWE Champion: Seth Rollins

Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

Another big fight feel.  This match was a straight up fight, as we knew it would be.  Taker was at times taken to "Suplex City", but Taker looked very good here also.  This was a slightly better match than their encounter at Wrestlemania 30, which honestly wasn't much to write home about.  Lesnar held Taker in his Kimura Lock armbreaker, and the bell rang suddenly.  We all thought Lesnar had once again beaten Taker, until the ref had looked at the instant replay and saw Taker tapping out his view and restarted the match due to the fact he never signaled for the bell to ring in the first place.  Taker then low-blowed Lesnar and put him in the Hell's Gate finisher, and with Lesnar flicking off Taker, he fell unconscious and Taker got the win, albeit controversially.

This event, unlike NXT's Takeover event, was just an average show and should've been a whole lot better.  This shows you the "creativity" of booking and Vince McMahon.  It's starting to be very clear that Hunter gets it, Vince doesn't only not get it, he doesn't care.  Although there weren't any disastrous matches on Summerslam, there definitely weren't any outstanding matches either, which is a shame.  This event gets a 3/5, and I can't say I'm pleased with that rating.

Just a quick FYI: I'm working things out to where hopefully very soon you'll see me with my own youtube channel for "The Wrestling Cypher".  Stay tuned, as I'll be keeping you updated.  For no, thanks for riding with me, and will catch you later this week.  Be safe, and keep being fans of the art of pro wrestling!

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn Previews & Predictions

What's happening kiddies!  Welcome back to the latest opinions from me about the current goings-on in professional wrestling.  Next week I'll have something to say concerning the whole TNA Impact-GFW situation and how this could be either a win-win or a lose-lose situation.  More on that next week.  For now, this week is reserved for what appears to be a pretty good weekend for the WWE.  I've covered Summerslam already and my predictions.  Now it's on to NXT's newest Takeover special entitled "Brooklyn".  As with most NXT specials in the past, this has the potential to be a damn good show.  While Summerslam has the possibility of actually matching up with the entertainment and competitiveness of NXT for a change, this new NXT special could hold up quite well with some of their other specials.  While I don't see it as classic like NXT Takeover or NXT Takeover: R Evolution, this will still do very well.  Let's start shall we?

NXT Title/Ladder Match
Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens

To no surprise, this will and should be the main event.  After their excellent match in Japan at Beast In The East when Balor won the title, one could only imagine how the rematch was going to work.  I couldn't have thought of a better type of match for these two.  Owens' history with Ladder matches has been known with his fantastic, yet brutal, match in ROH with Sami Zayn, when he was El Generico.  Along with the high flying capabilities of the man formerly known as Prince Devitt, this has classic written all over it.  The last time there was a Ladder Match was when Adrien Neville defeated Bo Dallas to become NXT Champion at NXT Arrival.  Expect Finn Balor to get over in this match, thus Owens can really be a full-timer on the main roster.  This could either be a bad weekend for Owens or an okay weekend for him, depending upon if he defeats Cesaro tomorrow at Summerslam.  Regardless, expect "The Demon King" to emerge victorious.  Now about those "Paul Heyman guy" rumors...???

Winner & still champion: Finn Balor

NXT Women's Title
Bayley vs. "The Bo$$" Sasha Banks (c)

I know, I know.  these two have fought before.  Yes they have.  However, this will be the first time they've fought with Banks as the champion.  Yes I'm also aware that this isn't the first time we've seen Bayley have good momentum going into a big match or a championship match and somehow doesn't pull it off.  Call me nuts, but I think this will be different.  Not to mention, Sasha is really turning heads since she has been part of the main roster in the Divas revolution being part of Team B.A.D. (Beautiful And Dangerous).  Chances are this will be her NXT swan song, and Bayley will finally grab the brass ring.

Winner & new NXT Women's Champion: Bayley

NXT Tag Team Championship
The Vaudevillains vs. Blake & Murphy (c) w/ Alexa Bliss

Let's face it, Blake & Murphy were already a pretty good team with chemistry that resembled The Midnight Express.  However, since they managed to get Alexa Bliss on their side, they've been damn good.  At the last NXT special, NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, they defeated huge favorites Enzo Amore & Big Cass.  Now they face the very impressive Vaudevillains.  This past Wednesday, we watched as The Vaudevillains tried to let the challengers what would be in store for them, but every time they tried, they would get slapped in the face by Bliss, so as to not even utter a word.  This humiliation could be all they need to defeat the champs.  Unfortunately, I don't see that happening.  I see Blake & Murphy continuing their forward momentum as champs and staying on top of the division.

Winners & still champions: Blake & Murphy

Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin

This has physical written all over it.  The world-renowned "Samoan Submission Machine" has had a hell of a run with NXT, but now he'll be facing another impressive NXT talent in Baron Corbin.  While some of Corbin's steam has cooled since his debut last year, it damn sure hasn't stopped him from kicking people's asses and defeating them in quick, resounding fashion.  I do expect for the former TNA and ROH Champion to defeat Corbin, but nowhere near in easy fashion.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Tyler Breeze

What a historic moment for the WWE and NXT, as Japanese icon Jushin "Thunder" Liger is wrestling against the mega-talented Tyler Breeze.  Liger is far from a stranger here in the States, as his series of matches with the late Brian Pillman in the early to mid nineties have been placed among some of the greatest in the history of WCW.  He also has competed in TNA and ROH, as he faced the likes of Daniel Bryan and Austin Aries.  Seen as one of the revolutionaries of the high flying style so very emulated today, the fifty year old has shown he can still go with the young guys.  No disrespect to Breeze, who's a superb talent in his own right, but the legend who has won thirty-eight championships and multiple tournaments is in a class all by himself and I expect him to get the 'W' in this encounter.

Winner: Jushin "Thunder" Liger

Also, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn will mark the in-ring debut of Apollo Crews, the indie superstar formerly known as Uhaa Nation.  If you've never seen this man compete, you're in for something special, as this man has been compared to the likes of Bobby Lashley and Booker T in terms of athleticism, and then some.  For a guy his size, he can moves like staining shooting star presses and over the top cross bodies like there nothing to do.  In 2009, he suffered a near career ending knee injury that put him on the shelf for over a year, but emerged better than ever.  He'll be facing NXT vet The Dillinger in what I expect to be an impressive mainstream showing for the "One Man Nation".

As you can see, this will be quite the exciting card and one that will serve as one hell of a precursor for the next night's Summerslam.  This will be bittersweet, as this will be the first NXT special without close friend, mentor, and teacher "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, but you know he'll be smiling with that signature smile of his and will be thrilled to see his NXT kids on the biggest stage they've been on yet.  This will be a great night and an even better weekend.  Report back to me next week for the review and reaction of both Summerslam and NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.  Until next week folks, be safe, live life, and enjoy some wrestling!

Summerslam 2015 Previews & Predictions

What's happening peeps!  For once, my post isn't about any deaths or anything morbid.  Instead, it's an exciting time because it's time for the biggest event of the summer, Summerslam.  This year's event will originate from Brooklyn, NY's Barclays Arena for the first time ever.  For the past few years, Summerslam has been contested in California so moving to NY is a change, albeit not foreign.  One of the best Summerslams ever was in MSG for Summerslam '91.  This year's event has been marketed to be more like a summer version of Wrestlemania than ever before, and truthfully this is a card that somewhat reflects this concept and could actually be a fairly entertaining show.  Here is the lineup and my predictions for each match.

Winner Takes All Match
WWE World Heavyweight Title vs. U.S. Heavyweight Title
John Cena (U.S. Champ) vs. Seth Rollins (World Champ)

This has the makings to be one hell of a match, but this match is currently up in the air.  A couple of weeks ago, Rollins violently broke the nose of Cena on RAW, which resulted in emergency surgery for the former fifteen time World Champion.  The grotesque injury has resulted in him being off television since the injury.  As of this time, the match is still unknown due to no clearence from the doctor yet.  IF the match occurs, I expect Cena to come away as a sixteen time World Champion and vacate the U.S. Title.  However, stay tuned to see if the match still takes place.

Winner & new World Champ: John Cena

Return Grudge Match
Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

Since Wrestlemania XXX (30 that is), Taker has been hearing, like we all have, the constant barrage of Lesnar being "the one behind 21 and 1) from Paul Heyman, and now Taker has rightfully had enough.  Since that awesome pull-apart brawl on RAW a couple of weeks ago, Taker and Lesnar haven't been in the same building, but that may change next Monday on RAW. This is billed as the main event, but here's to hoping this match will be better than the match they had at Wrestlemania.  Taker looks as good as he's looked in years, and he's gonna have to be dealing with a red hot Lesnar.  Taker may take a trip to "Suplex City", but I expect Lesnar to get taken to the "Tombstone" and come away with his first ever win over "The Beast Incarnate".

Winner: Undertaker

WWE Inter-Continental Title
Triple Threat Match

Ryback vs. The Miz vs. Big Show

This match was just announced, as Ryback was recently cleared to compete after a severe staff infection in his right knee.  The match was originally set for last month's Battleground event, but was cancelled at the last minute due to the injury.  Now this rivalry for the belt can finally happen, and although Ryback has gained good momentum as champion, I fully expect The Miz to come away with his third title, and continue to be the insanely egotistical star he is.

Winner & new champion: The Miz

Triple Threat Divas Elimination Match
Team Bella (Brie & Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox) vs. Team PCB (Paige, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch) vs. Team B.A.D. (Naomi, Tamina Snuka, and Sasha Banks)

There is a Diva revolution folks, and they're definitely taking the bull by the horns.  Kudos to Stephanie McMahon for finally getting it, and realizing the potential the Divas division has.  While Divas like Natalya have been off television being ambassadors for the company, the on camera talent has stepped their game up in spades.  Steph brought up NXT women badasses Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and even the NXT Women Champion Sasha Banks to elevate the division.  Since then, we've had fairly fantastic matches from them.  Now it's time to see who's the best crew of the three.  I'm personally a fan of Team PCB, but I see Team B.A.D. as the new, female version of The Shield, but somehow I see Team Bella going out of this with the 'W', thus continuing their momentum.

Winners: Team Bella

WWE Tag Team Championship
Fatal Four Way Match
Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores vs. The New Day vs. Prime Time Players

Not really looking forward to this match truthfully because the tag division is back to suffering from sub-par talent.  Actually, I should say sub-par booking.  The Dragons are a great, lucha team with lots of exciting talent.  Los Matadores (the gimmick) is a tired concept and needs to die.  Primo & Epico were good enough without a gimmick, but these Puerto Rican bullfighters need to let it go.  The New Day has grown to be very annoying heels and it's really getting over with the fans and they enjoy booing these guys.  The PTPs have never enjoyed this kind of success, especially the dominance of Titus O' Neill.  I peronally wouldn't be surprised if The New Day beciomes champions again and in fact that's what I'm predicting.  Overall, it'll likely be a joke of a match.

Winners & new champions: The New Day

Family vs. Family
Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. The Wyatt Family

This will be a hell of a tag team match with four superb competitors.  Reigns faced Bray Wyatt at Battleground but due to interference from Luke Harper, Wyatt picked up the win.  It was revealed shortly afterwards that Harper had reunited with his "brother" and that spelled tons of trouble (damn, if only Erick Rowan hadn't injured his tricept, we would have a full-fledged reunion of the entire family).  However, Reigns and Ambrose are Shield brothers and this rivalry between these four has been hard hitting.  I predict The Wyatts to win this one, but definitely not in easy fashion whatsoever.

Winners: The Wyatt Family

Grudge Match
Neville & Steven Amell vs. Stardust & King Barrett

At last, Arrow actor Steven Amell is finally going forward with his feud with Stardust.  Only now, they have backup in terms of Neville and Barrett.  I'm not expecting a classic by any means, and might walk the lines of meaningless, but at least we see how physical this actor can be in the ring with Stardust and Barrett.  I expect he and Neville to get the win.

Winners: Amell & Neville (billed as The Green Arrow and The Red Arrow)

If the Cena vs. Rollins match doesn't occur, there's word that it could be a triple threat match of Rollins, Orton, and Shaemus would be the replacement.Also, there are rumors of Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens, but Owens will also be a part of the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn special facing Finn Balor in a Ladder Match for the NXT Title.  Stay tuned next week for the finalized card but these are the matches advertised thus far.

After the unfortunate debacle that was AAA Triplemania this past Sunday, wrestling needs a great follow-up show.  I expect something very good from NXT but also from Summerslam.  This year's Summerslam, overall, looks like an intriguing show, and I'm expecting good things from this show.  I don't root for them very often compared to ROH events or even the NXT events, but I think this could be a pretty good one.  Am I expecting something as epic as Lucha Underground's Ultima Lucha event, absolutely not.  However, am I expecting something as all over the place as Triplemania XXIII? Not at all.  This event will be right in the middle, and for a change, I hope it's a hit.  Come back in two weeks for my review of the event.  Until then, have a great two weeks!

The Tears Continue

What's happening everybody!  Unfortunately, more sad news to report from the world of professional wrestling and entertainment in general.  We now mourn the passing of WWE Hall Of Famer and  beloved wrestling icon, Rowdy Roddy Piper.  Best known for his feud with Hulk Hogan and with actor Mr. T in the early eighties, Piper would end up main eventing the first Wrestlemania, as Hogan and Mr. T, with another Hall Of Famer Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka in their corner, faced Piper and partner "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, with Hall Of Famer Cowboy Bob Orton Jr (Randy Orton's dad) in their corner.  This match marked the period known as "Rock N Wrestling", in which WWE was crossing over into the mainstream and with MTV.  As part of his superb heel act, he would often feud with globally known Pop act Cyndi Lauper over her music.  Aside from other rivalries that he would later have with the likes of Ric Flair, Adrien Adonis, and even had an incredible match with Bret "Hitman" Hart for the I-C Title at Wrestlemania VIII, he dabbled in acting.  He starred in the horror cult classic, They Live, as "Nada", a drifter who had the ability to see people for who (or what) they really were through his sunglasses.  He also starred in Hell Comes To Frogtown, and had guest appearance spots on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Cold Case, and even on reality shows like Celebrity Wife Swap and Celebrity Ghost Stories.

Longtime fans remember him in the Mid-Atlantic territories and Georgia Championship Wrestling (later called WCW).  He had big time feuds with the aforementioned Flair, Don Muraco, and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.  His rivalry with Valentine skyrocketed into a "Dog Collar Match" at the first Starrcade in 1983 in Greensboro, NC.  This match was seen as the show stealer of the evening, which wasn't bad at all considering the rest of the card and the main event being Flair vs. Harley Race for the NWA title. Although very brutal for its day (not to mention Piper suffered a busted eardrum and ended up losing fifty percent of his hearing), it showed the world Piper was a bonafide star in big match environments.

Highly seen and regarded as one of the best four talkers ever on a microphone (Piper, Rhodes, Flair, and The Rock), he was able to mix intensity with over the top and sarcastic humor with his promos.  Although he's not necessarily known for any one particular promo like Dusty's "Hard Times" promo, anytime he got on the mic you were in for a treat, although there were times he would be a loose cannon and you really didn't know what would come out of his mouth.  Piper had a gift much like Dusty and Flair, in which he didn't need a script of any kind to do a promo.  All he needed was his imagination and his passion.  He likewise is known as one of the best heels of all-time.  His obnoxious, rude, over the top ways were that of legend.  Who can forget when he smashed the coconut over the face of Snuka during the now infamous segment of his trailblazing WWE talk show segment, "Piper's Pit"?  In fact, "Piper's Pit" was such a huge hit, he actually sent it on the road.  Interview segments to later come along like "The Brother Love Show", "Paul Bearer's Funeral Parlor", "Edge's Cutting Edge", and "Christian's Peep Show" all came from the groundbreaking concept of "Piper's Pit".

He still continued in wrestling occasionally after his run in WCW in the late nineties.  He was seen in TNA and even had off and on spots with WWE.  One of his last matches in the ring was at Wrestlemania XXV, when he, Snuka, and fellow HOFer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat faced Chris Jericho in a three-on-one handicapped match.  We last saw him on a regular basis as part of the Legends House cast, along with Hillbilly Jim, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Gene Okerlund, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Tony Atlas.

I'm personally in such an immense state of shock, awe, and grief.  It was just last month we suffered the loss of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, and now this heartbreak that follows it.  I still truly can't believe Dream is gone.  It doesn't sound right nor feel right.  No matter how many tribute videos and on-stage memorials there are, I can't grasp the thought of the sport with Dream.  I'm in the exact same state of mind with Piper.  There was never really a time you never saw him smiling, even as a heel.  He was totally known for his often cheesy grins that would result in potent ass beatings.  There will no doubt be a touching tribute to Hot Rod, as he impacted so many lives in and out of the business.  A multimedia star, a wrestling icon, and an impactful human being, Roderick Toombs will never, ever be forgotten.  Hot Rod, we will always love and cherish you.  Thank you the memories, the non-stop entertainment and influence.  To quote the now late, great folk hero, "Just when they think they have the answers, I change the questions".  May the bagpipes play on!  Rest In Eternal Power Hot Rod!  The Heavenly Battle Royal now has a new entrant!

Money In The Bank Results & Review

Welcome folks!  Great to have you back with me this week.  I definitely appreciate you guys and gals hanging with me once again.  We are fresh off the heels of a very emotional past few days with the passing of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, but we are also off the heels of this year's Money In The Bank pay per view, which truthfully was a pretty good overall event.  Let's dissect the event from top to bottom.

From the onset, there was a melancholy vibe to the event, as the Kickoff panel gave recollections of the late icon himself.  From there, it was a throwaway match between King Barrett, whose run as "king" has been nothing less than a joke, and R-Truth (speaking of jokes).  Truth got the win in a shocker, but really, who cares?  Then, the panel introduced a moving and fitting tribute video dedicated to The Dream, that by the end of the video even had Renee Young audibly in tears and her voice noticeably cracking with emotion.  Very real moment.

The start of the event itself, after the kickoff, had all the stars from the company up on the stage, along with Hunter, Steph, and Vince himself, to give a ten second moment of silence with ten bell tolls.  With stars like Paige, Steph, Ryback, and even Vince with tears in their eyes, it was a heartfelt yet classy moment.  What was just as cool was the fans in complete and total pindrop silence as the bell was being rung out of respect, much like they've done with deaths of Warrior, Savage, Owen, and Eddie Guerrero.  Afterwards, Rhodes' old music played with his epitaph on the video wall.  Emotional moment and one that would reflect the rest of the evening. 

Then it was off to the races as the MITB Ladder Match was first.  I wasn't honestly looking too much forward to this simply because the match had mostly people we had seen in this match before, or people who have already been World Champions such as Shaemus, Orton, and Kane.  The only first timer in the match was Adrien Neville, and what a great job he did.  The match was primarily a spot fest, but was only an average match.  It wasn't the most thrilling or captivating one ever, but it was also wasn't a bore of course.  The end of the match came when Roman Reigns was on his way up when the Bray Wyatt montage came up on the screen and when the lights were back on, he was in the ring and tilted the latter over.  Reigns fell off and in the hands of Sister Abigail.  This made Shaemus and Neville fight on the ladder, and ultimately Shaemus got the better of the exchange and won his first MITB match, thus making him the only guy to win the World title, win the Rumble match, win the King Of The Ring, win the I-C Title, win the U.S. Title, and headline Wrestlemania.  The only guys who have ever come close to that greatness have been Edge, Cena, and Orton.  Pretty big stuff.

Next up was the Divas Title match between Nikki Bella and Paige.  Not a very bad match, but honestly you won't get one out of Paige.  Regardless, the match was pretty back and forth but Brie did a switch-er-roo with Nikki to pretend to be Nikki and tried to pin Paige but it backfired as Paige pinned Brie.  Of course the ref was fooled as Brie quickly disputed the pinfall as showed herself taking tissue out of her cleavage area to state Paige pinned the wrong Bella.  With the ref and Paige's back turned, Nikkie delivered a hard forearm to the face and Paige ultimately succumbed to Nikkie's "Rack Attack" finisher.  It definitely appears that they really wanna troll all over AJ Lee's legacy as longest reigning Divas Champion by consistently stating how long Nikkie has been champion.  She's still a little over a month away from being the longest reigning champion.

Next was the Inter-Continental Title match between Ryback and Big Show.  This was Ryback's first match defending as champion, but this was nothing spectacular, and I wasn't going to expect much from it.  Miz was at ringside commentating and not long afterwards got involved, costing Big Show the title.  Ryback lost the match but retained the title.  Blah!

However, next up was the huge rematch between John Cena and NXT Champion Kevin Owens.  Although no title was on the line, this was every bit as awesome as their first encounter, if not better.  This match had the same intensity and passion as their fantastic first meeting a couple of weeks ago at Elimination Chamber.  A key point in the match was when Owens mimicked all five moves of doom from Cena, including the Attitude Adjustment.  Cena, later, botched a hunancunrata which was a tad scary considering he landed on his neck and shoulder.  After over thirty minutes, Cena emerged victorious in this epic rematch.  Afterwards, Cena respectfully tried to shake the hand of Owens, to which Owens attacked him and canvas powerbombed him, which lead to Cena getting helped to the back by referees and officials.  In any event, an exceptional match and definite Match Of The Year candidate for the company.

The next battle was for the Tag Team Titles, as The New Day, represented by Xavier and Big E (Kofi was injured during the MITB match) faced off against the Prime Time Players.  It was very hard following the instant classic Cena and Owens put on so to no surprise the people were a little quiet for the match.  However, Titus delivered his Clash Of The Titus set out powerbomb move on Xavier Woods for the three count, and we have NEW WWE World Tag Team Champions!  After five years of being together, Darren and Titus realized their dream and hit the big time winning the gold, thus officially making them "millions of dollars".

Now we're at the main event with Seth Rollins defending the WWE Title against Dean Ambrose in a Ladder Match.  This has been one of the more excellent rivalries the company has had concerning two of its brightest young stars.  Although this has been signaled as the close out of the rivalry, this was a great way to end it.  The big fight feel was in the air similar to Cena vs. Owens, and the from the word go, it was intense.  Ambrose had his knee worked on in the match thus making it very hard to climb up the rungs of the ladder.  Also, we saw Seth have a pronounced mean streak in this match.  The end came when both men were on the ladder and had their hands on the belt, but when the belt was yanked off by both, the belt was in the clutches of Rollins when they both landed, thus making him the winner and still champion.  After the grueling match, Ambrose made a speech that was eerily similar (likely on purpose) to the "Hard Times" promo Dusty Rhodes was so very known and revered for.  Excellent moment for Ambrose and for any Dusty fan.

I must say, this was a better pay per view than I thought it would be.  Of course I had high hopes for the MITB match, Cena/Owens II, and Ambrose/Rollins and they delivered.  An amazing effort from most of the competitors in the event, and in the midst of somber and grief with the loss of a true wrestling folk hero, Big Dust would be absolutely proud, especially of his former NXT kids Owens, Woods, Neville, Ambrose, Reigns, and Rollins (whose hand Rhodes raised win Rollins won his first NXT Title).  I give this event 4/5 and was a great way to introduce us into the summer season of pay per views for WWE.

Now the stage is set for Cena vs. Owens III: Street Fight Rules, as well as Seth vs. the returning Brock Lesnar for the title and Roman vs. Wyatt.  We may have another pretty good event on our hands.  Until next time folks, have a great week and another huge Rest In Peace to "The Common Man".  We'll always love The Dream!

Requiem Of A Dream

What's up friends!  Wish I was in a better mood as a wrestling fan folks, but I'm not.  Earlier today, WWE sent out a heartbreaking press release, stating that the only and only, the legendary "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes had passed away at the age of 69.  There are stories emerging that he suffered a fall in his house just before 6:00 AM, and that he suffered complications while unconscious and ultimately expired.  While none of the stories or reports have been confirmed officially, regardless, the world, as Edge so sadly put it on Twitter, is a lot less brighter.  Dusty wasn't a man with a Greek god-esque physique or even for that matter mat abilities like say Dean Malenko or Kurt Angle, but what he did have, and have in abundance, was charisma.  It can disputed and argued that Rhodes, real name Virgil Runnels, was the most charismatic guy to ever step foot in a ring, not to mention one of the best talkers of all-time.  His promos were often times emotional, fiery, and definitely passionate.  However, they were also relate-able.  He presented himself as your next door neighbor who was a blue collar, everyday worker who just so happened to be tough, major league tough.  Take this promo for example, which is considered the best promo of his career and one of the best ever seen, when he talk about "hard times"





As you can see, promos greatly helped his on camera persona, as nowadays young wrestlers, give or take a Bray Wyatt or John Cena, sound like things are written for them for them to memorize.  Every promo he gave was genuine, from the heart, and soulful.  Yeah, many criticized him for having, what was considered, a Black style about him for a White Texan.  As well, he was criticized for his lack of physique and a rather plus-sized heavyweight.  Once one saw him wrestle, however, opinions changed and their outlook of him was rearranged as well.  He was a hell of a worker, and his rivalry with Flair and the Horsemen is one of legend and one of the single most revered feuds ever in wrestling history.  He was a three-time World Heavyweight Champion, with the majority of success coming under the Grahams in Florida.  Here's a look at him winning one of his World titles, when he defeated Harley Race in 1979.




 Dusty had a stint in WWE in the early 80s as well, with his biggest rivalry being with another legend and Hall Of Famer, Superstar Billy Graham.  Those two lost lots of blood but provided many a memory to those who would be fortunate to attend Madison Square Garden.  He ended up going back eventually to Georgia and WCW, where we proved to also be a big behind the scenes person, being behind such innovative concepts such as War Games, and he was also responsible for breaking down barriers and, as head booker, was responsible for making Ron Simmons the first Black WCW World Heavyweight Champion.   As creator of War Games, he was involved in most of the first few, and they were all involving The Horsemen and J.J. Dillon.

Perhaps his most questionable period was when he went back to WWE, this time he was booked as "The Common Man", but was wrestling in polka dots and dancing.  It was a polarizing time for Rhodes, but nonetheless he weathered the storm, and even introduced a sweet grandmother to the world who just so happened to be a huge Rhodes fan, in Sweet Sapphire.  His feuds with Ted Dibiase and the late Randy Savage were intense, and ast times personal.  During this time, he also introduced the world to his eldest son Dustin to WWE at the age of 21. Years later, Dustin would return to the WWE after having success in WCW.  He would return as the ever controversial Goldust, in which time Dusty had issues with the character, but problems between them concerning Dustin's then wife, Terri Runnels, made them estranged for a number of years.  They eventually reunited, and then  we got introduced to his youngest son, Cody, in WWE.  Cody, now known as the bizarre StarDust, would achieve great success, notably his tag championships and Inter-Continental Title run.

His role as NXT head producer was a big deal, but he was very much looked upon as a father figure to many of the developmental talents including Paige, Emma, Fandango, and Bray Wyatt, whom was like family due to his dad being Mike Rotunda, his uncle being Barry Windham, and his grandfather being Blackjack Mulligan.  He taught them the art of the promo and the microphone.  Perhaps his biggest moment came when he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2007 by both of his sons.  Indeed, this moment was way overdue for The Dream.

This is a very sad and melancholy moment for fans all over the world, and has broken the hearts of many longtime fans of his such as myself.  He was the definition of blue-eyed soul in the sport, and was truly what one would call, a "sports entertainer".  Wise, witty, hilarious, and always humble, Virgil Runnels Jr was, and is, one in a million, and there will never in the lifetime be another Dusty Rhodes.  He was the original "People's Champion" before The Rock, and would always get "funky like a monkey" during every match he had.  To his wife, as well as Cody, Dustin, and the rest of his family, friends, and loved ones, I extend my deepest condolences and know that by myself, and every other fan, we will always love and miss Dusty, and we thank him vehemently for his powerful and dedicated impact upon the sport.  Here's a touching tribute to the late, great, American Dream.  We love you Dust!!!

Wrestling Wednesdays: The Resurgance of Mainstream Wrestling...besides WWE

What's happening folks!  Welcome back for another post of the crazy world that is professional wrestling.  For a change, this post isn't about WWE, at least not the majority of it.  This about what could be the most awesome news in many years for us professional wrestling addicts.  Last week, Destination America announced that it was bringing the legendary Ring Of Honor to its network during its 8:00 time slot.  This comes after the same network announced that it was cancelling TNA from its programming come September.  One might be saying, "How is this good news?"  For TNA fans, it's not, in fact it may be the death blow to TNA.  More on my opinions about this later in this post.  However, what this means is, for the first time in seemingly ages, is we have not one, not two, not three, but an astounding FOUR wrestling promotions in one evening starting tomorrow June 3 in the form of ROH, TNA, Lucha Underground, and NXT, all within a three hour time span.

This is something hardcore and devoted fans have been waiting for years to be able to experience.  We had Monday night wars between WCW and WWE but when was the last time we had something as monumental as four different promotions airing on one night?  I've heard of three before, but FOUR???  These aren't just any rinky dink companies.  These are the best promotions not named WWE in North America today, although one is the developmental brand of WWE.  Let's also keep in mind that Global Force is still in search of a national television home, New Japan has their weekly shows on AXS-TV every Friday, and Paragon Pro is starting up on Pop TV very very soon.  Can you imagine if one of those were to air on Wednesdays as well??  Let's break each promotion down.

Ring Of Honor has long been known to produce some of the very best indie wrestlers of all-time.  It has produced the likes of Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn (as El Generico), Austin Aries, and CM Punk.  Now these legendary wrestlers are worldwide mainstream stars.  They're still bringing out breakout young stars like The Kingdom, Moose, Adam Cole, The Briscoes, and Michael Elgin.  Not to mention, their pay per views are excellent for the most part and their following is as devout as any hardcore audience in the industry.  Plus their tight relationship with NJPW, which is the best promotion arguably on the planet, results in exceptional events when they collaborate.

TNA is not a terrible promotion, in fact sometimes it can be damn good, but unfortunately I think their best days are far behind them.  Up until about 2009, TNA was hot, I mean red hot.  When Jeff Jarrett was in charge, you couldn't find a more fresh promotion.  They even starting attracting stars such as Kurt Angle, Christian, Kevin Nash, and Rob Van Dam, and they added to the young talent and ROH-graduated talent to put on compelling television and they were by far the most fan friendly promotion.  Once Jeff and Dixie fell out over the direction of the company, it went completely downhill.  While I'm rooting for TNA, this makes the second network to cancel them so I'm not sure what's left of this promotion, but until then, I'll still be rooting for TNA.

A few weeks ago, I did a piece talking about how amazing of a product Lucha Underground was, and how it could definitely be the future of the business.  I still stand by that one hundred percent.  Every week they put on rather intriguing television.  Yeah, they can be a tad over the top with the soap opera-esque aspect of their scenes in between matches, but that's part of its charm as well.  This is what sports entertainment could really become: a male soap opera with Lucha as its main premise in story form.  Awesome competitors such as Angelico, Mil Muertes, Fenix, Johnny Mundo, Alberto El Patron, and the Lucha Champion Prince Puma all set a new standard in athleticism and in-ring storytelling each and every time, with Matt Striker and Vampiro quickly becoming one of the sports best commentary teams.  Only thing they need is a special or pay per view, and word is their special has already been taped so I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Last but not least, the quickly popular NXT.  Listen, this is billed as "developmental" for WWE's main roster.  I've been very vocal about the fact that NXT is superior in talent, enthusiasm, and by far overall special events.  Anytime the women's division can main event an all-male promotion and receive standing ovations, there's something special about the promotion as a whole.  Vince made one smart move: he left his son-in-law in charge, and Hunter has had no problem saying he misses the athleticism in wrestling and has hopes to bring back fluidity to it.  They have sold out house shows and they've delivered each and every time on their special events.  Their flagship show may not be quite the entertainment value RAW is, but if it was two hour show, you never know.  In any event, NXT has graduated talent like Bray Wyatt & The Wyatt Family, The Shield, Adam Rose, Adrien Neville, Bo Dallas, Paige, and Big E.  They've been hits and misses, but overall they have excelled on the main roster, and with word of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Finn Balor joining soon, NXT can say they're on a roll.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again.  It's a very exciting time to be a wrestling fan.  Even if you don't have cable, if you have Roku, look up and find World Wrestling Network.  It's a Roku exclusive channel that has on demand content from some of the finest indie companies out such as Dragon Gate USA, Chikara, Evolve, Shine, Shimmer, CZW, and a few others.  Only thing missing is PWG, which is highly considered the most entertaining indie company there is.  Hopefully that changes too soon.  This is such a great time and an exciting time in general.  It's almost like there's a wrestling renaissance of sorts.  However, the mistake that people like Eric Bischoff made back in the late nineties was that he was trying to compete with Vince McMahon.  One knows by now, don't compete with him.  Instead, just let the environment be conductive for alternatives.  There's enough room in this game for a lot of people.  Yeah we know VKM is a greedy bastard when it comes to competition and he has single handedly bastardized the integrity of the business once he took it away from his father Vincent James McMahon in the early eighties.  Still, we have enough room to have fun with other promotions.  It's healthy for the fan.  Everyone doesn't want PG, we want grown folks wrestling and action.  On Wednesdays, we will start having it continuously.  Even when TNA leaves in September, think about it, there will still be ROH, NXT, and Lucha.  I'm still very pleased. 

Well before I go, I'll give one last shout to my people that follow me and keep up with me on a weekly basis.  I'll be giving a preview and predictions for WWE's next pay per view, Money In The Bank.  Until then, have tons of fun this and every Wednesday, because after all, it's now Wrestling Wednesdays!!  See you guys and gals next week.

Elimination Chamber Results & Review

What's going on kiddies?!  Glad you could make it back with me for my posts on the latest happenings within professional wrestling.  This post concerns last night's Elimination Chamber pay per view "exclusively" on the WWE Network.  This event came as a complete and total shock a couple of weeks ago, as it was announced as breaking news during the Payback pay per view that this would be a "special WWE Network exclusive".  This was an obvious PR move to bring in more viewers and subscribers, thus making the month of May free for new subscribers.  The push and build for this event was rushed and accelerated to the point where most didn't have enough time to fully absorb some of these story lines (apparently that's the new direction creative is going in is planning two week builds instead of monthly builds, which is completely idiotic but I digress).  The question is, was the two week build worth it?  This actually wasn't a bad show.  Let's get into it.

The first match was the WWE Tag Team Championship EC match.  The New Day was defending against Cesaro/Tyson Kidd, Prime Time Players, Los Matadores, The Ascension, and Lucha Dragons.  All three members of The New Day were allowed in this match so odds were automatically against all competitors (yeah, the matadors had their bull mascot but does he really count in this environment??).  This wasn't a terrible match, as The Ascension did a good job eliminating two teams, as did the PTPs.  There were high spots in this affair from the likes of The Dragons and El Torito, but in the end, the numbers game was too much as The New Day retained the belts.

Next up was the Divas Title match, as Nikki Bella defended against former champion Paige and Naomi in a Triple Threat Match.  While this wasn't a train wreck, as the effort was appreciated, this was no NXT Women's Championship match either, as this was just short of a botchfest, with Nikki subsequently kicking air at one point, and Naomi doing a botched reversed huracanrana on Paige and thus resulting in a terrible bump that could've hurt Paige.  Nikki won with her "Rack Attack" finisher to retain her title.

Next was personally the most anticipated match of the night for me, as it was billed "Champion vs. Champion", with U.S. Champion John Cena against the ultra hot NXT Champion Kevin Owens.  This match was every bit worth the hype, as we saw an outstanding performance from Owens.  For those of us that have been familiar with his in-ring work, this is no shocker, as he's been one of the sports hardest workers for years, especially since he lost over forty pounds.  The build for this match has been actually pretty good, and the actual match was excellently executed (sorry, Bret).  Easily the match of the night, there were quite a few near falls and, whether or not you like Cena, he showed up as always for the big fight.  We saw Steen, er I mean Owens, attempt swantons, single leap moonsaults, and a great reversal to a superplex, but Cena hung right with him.  In the end, Owens delivered a second "Lights Out" pop-up power bomb (Cena kicked out the first one), and it was enough to hold down Cena for the huge win.  The dominant Canadian has beaten a TON of big stars over the years such as Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Joey Mercury, AJ Styles, and of course Sami Zayn (mostly when Zayn was El Generico), but none as big as Cena.  There were shots of a stunned crowd, which was quite entertaining.  Afterwards, he got on the mic and proclaimed "The champ is here!"

While that was a hard match to follow, next was Neville vs. Bo Dallas.  These two aren't strangers, as Dallas lost the NXT Title to Neville at the first NXT Takeover special called NXT: Arrival.  This was clearly a filler match, so even though Neville won with his spectacular "Red Arrow" finisher, this was a bathroom break match.

It was time for the second EC match, only this was for the vacant Inter-Continental Title.  Former champ Daniel Bryan was at ringside to present the belt to the winner.  Bryan had quite the entertaining appearance on MizTV with The Miz during the pre-show, that had The Meta-Powers appear and attack Miz.  It was announced that Rusev was out of the match due to a fractured foot, which is apparently legit.  There was speculation as to who his replacement was going to be, as rumors of Bray Wyatt to Big Show surfaced.  While we knew Ziggler, Ryback, Shaemus, Barrett, and Truth were already in, who would the replacement be?  Turned out to be a slightly slimmer Mark Henry, who came out to a fairly decent reception in his home state of Texas.  A better EC match then the Tag Title EC match, we saw impressive showings by everyone involved.  What was surprising to me was the Barrett, favorite in this match, was the first one eliminated.  It finally came down to the odds on favorite to win, Shaemus, and Ryback.  In a surprising twist, Ryback pinned Shaemus with his "Shell Shock" finisher to win his first major championship, much less it being the I-C Title.  Bryan graciously handed the belt to a jubilant, yet humbled, new champion.

It was finally time for the main event.  The WWE Title was on the line as Seth Rollins defended against former Shield-mate Dean Ambrose.  These guys have been fighting since last year but only now it's for the title.  Obviously you can expect great overall chemistry between these two, but this was honestly the worst match between the two that I've seen, though that doesn't mean it was a sloppy snoozer whatsoever.  These two put on a pretty good performance overall.  The finish came when Rollins pulled the ref in the way of a flying Ambrose and got nailed by him.  Not long afterwards, Ambrose hit Rollins with his "Dirty Deeds" finisher, but the legal ref was knocked out of the ring.  In comes another ref to count down Rollins for the pin so we had a new WWE World Champion, much to the huge delight of the Corpus Christi crowd (say that five times fast).  Wait, there's more.  The original ref awoke to tell the sub ref that he's overturning the pinfall to disqualify Rollins, therefore although Ambrose won, he's not the champion.  An irate Ambrose went after Rollins, Kane, and J&J, only to be saved by best friend Roman Reigns, in which Ambrose and Reigns pulled a CM Punk, and left the arena with the title.

While this pay per view wasn't a game changer (as most WWE pay per views aren't), this was at least a little better than Payback.  This could be a set up for the MITB pay per view in two weeks.  The participants for the match were announced as Reigns, Neville, Kofi (???), Ziggler, Shaemus, and Orton (like we don't see who will obviously win this one).  Clearly, Cena and Owens stole the show like I predicted that they would during my prediction & preview post, and they didn't disappoint whatsoever.  The rest of the night, well...again it was better than Payback, but not by much.  However, I'm very much looking forward to Wrestling Wednesdays starting this Wednesday, with TNA, Lucha, NXT, and now ROH.  I'll be posting about this tomorrow and how big of an impact this really is.  I give Elimination Chamber maybe a 3/5, which is half a point higher than Payback.  Again, I'm not looking for anything higher than that before Summerslam.  What can you say?  Until tomorrow folks, take it easy!

Elimination Chamber Preview

Hello once again folks!  Glad you're hanging with me once again for another post in my Wrestling Cypher.  This week we focus on the previews and predictions for their recently brought back pay per view Elimination Chamber.  The announcement of this pay per view shocked audiences when it was announced on Raw two weeks ago that they would have this pay per view exclusively on the Network.  This was done as a means to further give people reason to subscribe to the Network, and what a better time than on the last day of the month.  They did, however, screw the kind people in Greenville, SC out of a live event because of this last minute move and told ticket holders to hold on to them as they will return later for a live Raw.  Am I looking forward to this WWE Network exclusive?  Nope, quite frankly.  Call me spoiled from NXT's special events, but the main roster hasn't been able to captivate like they completely could.  Even the go-home shows from Raw and Smackdown leave one asking, "Is that it?"  With that being said, let's get into it.

WWE World Heavyweight Title
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins (c)

These two aren't any strangers to each other whatsoever, as they've competed quite a number of times within the past year alone, and now add to it the big title now.  This will no doubt be a great one on one contest between these fantastic competitors, but as with most cases, expect The Authority to get involved somehow, and Seth will sneak his way out of the match with a win.  It's time for Rollins to move on past Reigns, Orton, and Ambrose, so here's to new challengers for him.

Winner: Seth Rollins

John Cena vs. Kevin Owens

This will be the most intriguing match of the night as the current WWE U.S. Heavyweight Champion, John Cena, will face NXT Champion, and their biggest heel, Kevin Owens.  Fresh off retaining his title at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, Owens will look to pull off the biggest win of his fifteen year career with a win over Cena.  He has all the capabilities to not only be the most successful NXT Champion ever, but whenever he gets to the main roster, he will definitely be the biggest heel on the main roster.  Cena serves nothing to come away with a win over Owens so the wrestler formerly known as "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen will somehow continue his incredible momentum as the biggest source of hatred at NXT and will defeat Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Neville vs. Bo Dallas

Throwaway filler match.  These former NXT Championship rivals will compete in a bathroom break-type match.  Neville isn't the problem, but Dallas' main roster run has been an absolute bust so there's no real reason to invest in this match.  Expect Neville to continue to rise and Dallas to continue to plummet.

Winner: Neville

WWE Divas Title Match/Triple Threat Match
Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige vs. Naomi

This could be a somewhat intriguing match, as all three are on top of their games right now.  It behooves me how, even with her attitude change, that Naomi still isn't the Divas Champion.  If it doesn't occur now, it won't ever.  She has enough momentum to do so and she's the only one in the match who hasn't held the title yet.  I'm expecting Naomi's coming out as the Divas Champion...finally!

Winner & new Divas Champion: Naomi

WWE Tag Team Championship/Elimination Chamber Match
The New Day (c) vs. Los Matadores vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Prime Time Players vs. The Ascencion

How the hell they're gonna pull off a six team Chamber match is beyond me, but regardless, I won't be terribly impressed by this one.  I'm still a little sore that Harper & Rowan aren't in this match, but whatever.  I expect that, somehow, The New Day will continue their run as champions, thus continuing the annoying claps.

Winners: The New Day

WWE Inter-Continental Title/Elimination Chamber Match
King Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Shaemus vs. Ryback vs. R-Truth vs. Rusev

This will be the better of the two chamber matches, but don't expect this to be a classic.  Why Truth is in this?  Beats me.  In any case, this is for the vacant title that Daniel Bryan had to vacate due to injury.  I'm not really a fan of seeing most of these guys win the title, but right now I may have to give this to Shaemus due to momentum and how hated h would be as a 2-time champion.  Truth is all but a failure at this point, Rusev isn't ready for the title yet, Ryback isn't too far from Truth at this point, Barrett is already king and is slated to be the best MITB winner, and creative is halfway on Ziggler.  Shaemus seems like the most logical choice.

Winner & new Inter-Continental Champion: Shaemus

This won't be an outstanding event, especially due to the short builds to these matches, but what else is new?  Come back next Tuesday and check out the results and review of the event.  Until then, have a great week and stay up on the other promotions such as Lucha Underground, Ring Of Honor, and others.  Take it easy!

NXT Takeover: Unstoppable Results & Review

What's going on good people?!  Thanks for coming back around to the Wrestling Cypher and hanging with me again.  I'll be going over last night's stellar NXT special and what may be to come for the stars of NXT from last night.  I've often said that NXT is what Vince McMahon's main roster should be on a regular basis.  With the unfortunate news that broke yesterday of TNA getting dropped from Destination America, the need for more alternative programming is more needed.  I know you're saying that NXT isn't alternative programming, but if you think about it, NXT is alternative to the "sports entertainment" mantra that the main roster presents.  NXT relies less on storylines per se and more on the action, physicality, and story telling that takes place in the ring.  With all that being said, let's begin the review.

The show started off with video of Hideo Itami seemingly getting assaulted by the way he was writhing in pain and clutching his shoulder in the parking lot.  Coincidentally the NXT Champion, Kevin Owens, just so happened to walk by and say, "That's a shame".  Itami will be out of action for a good portion of the year with surgery and rehab so here's to a successful recovery for one of the best to come from Japan of our era. 

The first match was supposed to feature him in a triple threat match to determine the number one contender for the NXT Title, along with former contender Tyler Breeze and the always exciting Finn Balor.  Due to the "attack" in the parking lot, it became a one on one match and both guys' entrances were noteworthy.  Breeze, as usual, went the modelesque route with his entrance.  Although it was catchy, next came Finn Balor.  Anyone who knows his history in Japan is more than familiar with his insane entrances for big matches (his love of comic books plays highly into what character he wants to be portrayed as when he goes out in front of everyone).  He came out as his alter ego, the Demon King, complete in his incredible, yet eerie, makeup and body paint, along with his creeping and crawling to the ring.  Unquestionably one of the biggest pops all night, and the only entrance to receive a "That was awesome" chant for ring entrances.  To say that Balor has it all is an understatement.  Although he has stated that he's in no rush to go to the main roster, whenever he does, he will be headlining Wrestlemania one day, no doubt about it.  As for now, hie did a great job with an equally focused "Prince Pretty".  This would've been even better with Itami, but it was a great start to the event.  Balor defeated Breeze with his Coup De Grace double stomp and is now the number one contender for the title as Owens looked on backstage.

Up next was a women's tag team match involving former NXT Women Champion, Charlotte, and Bayley against newcomer Dana Brooke and the newly heel Emma.  Not a spectacular tag match but at least the women did pretty good.  Bayley and Charlotte (Flair) won this one.

The next match was former ECW/TNA World Champion Rhyno against the man known as "The Lone Wolf" Baron Corbin.  This wasn't a pretty match, and there was one very brief instance of a "boring" chant, but at the end, Corbin nailed "The Man-Beast" with the End Of Days finisher and defeated the burly Detroit native. 

Next was the NXT Tag Team Titles, as the champions Blake & Wesley faced the always entertaining duo of Enzo Amore and Big Cass.  The two Jersey Boys had the audience in the palms of their hands and it's always a good time with them getting television time.  After Cass loudly, as usual, proclaimed the champs as "S-A-W-F-T", it was time to get it on, and this was a better match than I thought it would be.  Blake & Murphy are actually a very good team that somewhat reminds me, in terms of chemistry, of Billy & Chuck (only without the gay innuendos that we got every week from Billy & Chuck).  Near the end, NXT star Alexa Bliss came to ringside and attacked Amore and Cass' sidekick, Carmella.  With the distraction, Blake & Murphy took advantage and defeated Cass and Amore to retain the belts as Bliss walked to the back and raised the hands of the duo.

Next up was the NXT Womens Title match between the challenger Becky Lynch and the champion "The Boss" Sasha Banks.  Quite frankly folks, this was the best wrestling match all evening long and has to be considered one of the single best matches all year from either roster, male or female division.  This was an absolutely awesome match, and we saw the best effort from both young ladies that we may have ever seen from them, especially Lynch.  Lynch, who spotted orange hair and a more focused demeanor, came up just short and was defeated by Banks, but to say Lynch has officially arrived is a poignant statement.  The crowd gave her a standing ovation for about ten minutes as she was becoming increasingly emotional during this time.  A simply unbelievable effort from both women.  Lynch will make a great champion one day.  As for Sasha, this was her best match as well, but she continues to improve every time we see her.  The real life cousin of the big homie Snoop Dogg grew into her own in this match and showed she deserved the title.

Now it was time for the main event for the NXT title, as the gamie, (although less than one hundred percent) challenger Sami Zayn squared off against the ruthless, yet incredibly talented, champion Kevin Owens.  I documented their history on the last posting, but this was a fight from the word 'go'.  Near the end, Sami tried to perform a poncha, but was caught by Owens for his Lights Out pop-up powerbomb on the outside.  The match was over because Zayn could no longer defend himself, but Owens was relentless as he kept brutally beating the defenseless Zayn.  As Owens was getting his belt and a steel chair, some new music played.  Unfamiliar music.  Out came the one and only SAMOA JOE!!!!!!!!  The crowd went completely ape shit, as the man that has won over twenty championships (eleven of which with TNA) locked eyes and went face to face with Owens in an epic stare down.  These two are totally no strangers to each other from Ring OF Honor, but it has been many years since those two have fought.  The crowd went into the signature pro-Joe chant, "JOE'S GONNA KILL YOU!"  Owens eventually walked away stating that he was watching Joe, and that's how the show ended. 

This was yet another strong showing from the guys and gals at NXT.  Kudos to Triple H for his vision of NXT and these absolutely spirited shows.  Although this is not as consistently great per weekly show as Lucha Underground, these Takeover events are well worth the forgiveness.  This is the only promotion that I'm aware of that the Women's division can take control and have the best match of the evening, but what we saw with Banks and Lynch showed us it could damn sure happen.  We've seen similar memorable battles such as Charlotte vs. Natalya, Emma vs. Paige, and the Fatal Four Way match that Sasha won the title in.  I'm very proud that Sara Del Ray has taught these women what putting on true wrestling matches are like, instead of the occasional bathroom break match WWE has traditionally been known to do over the last several years.  I give this event a 4.5/5 and I have no doubt that their next special event in August will be every bit as compelling and hard-hitting as the rest.  Vince, you better put your ego and stubbornness to the side and look at what your son-in-law is doing with NXT.  This is an outstanding product and may only get better.  If you're not already on the NXT bandwagon, what the hell are you waiting on.  As I said in anothert post, with Paragon Pro starting their television deal in June, ROH, Lucha Underground, AML (out of Winston-Salem), and the weekly episodes of New Japan Pro, now is a great time to be a wrestling fan again.  Once Global Force gets off the ground and moving, wrestling will start having alternatives instead of the main roster of WWE as its fix.  With NXT, the future is coming, the future is now! 

That's all for now folks, but I shall return next week with a preview of Elimination Chamber (sigh).  Until then, have a great and safe Memorial Day weekend and save me some food from the grille.

NXT Takeover: Unstoppable Previews & Predictions

What's happening folks!  Glad as always you could join me, and man oh man do I have an exciting previews & predictions post today.  This evening, the WWE Network will present NXT's quarterly special, Takeover.  Tonight's event, NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, will attempt to continue to expand their already devoted audience and show why they're truly the brand on the rise, other than Lucha Underground and Global Force, in the sport today.  Since their first major NXT Takeover special, they've been all the buzz, and in most cases they've forced their major league competitors to step their game up and provide better quality with their product, especially for the pay per views.  Exceptional matches and memorable debuts have been tthe norm for the NXT specials and this looks to be no different.  With that being said, let's begin.

NXT Title
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (c)

Quite frankly, this is the best rivalry on either roster.  Of course this rivsalry has gone back over a decade and has produced some of the most memorable classics ever seen in our sport in the indies.  Back when they were El Generico and Kevin Steen, they've sent each other to hospitals and have hurt each other on numerous occasions.  Their most recent encounter in the indies was actually at ROH's pay per view, Border Wars in a Ladder Match, in which Steen (Owens) put Generico (Zayn) in his vaunted package piledriver through a ladder.  Insane stuff!  However, their last encounter on NXT resulted in a hell of a match, but the ref stopped the match due to kayfabe injuries sustained by Zayn so Owens won the NXT title.  With their recent contract signing and other altercations leading up to tonight's match, you can expect a match of the year candidtae with this one, even moreso than the last encounter.  Also, based on the epic altercation this past Monday between Owens and U.S. Champion John Cena, don't be surprised of Cena showed up for this one to either cost Owens or to get him after the match.  This will be a hard one, but I'm going to say that Sami will walk away a two-time NXT Champion.

Winner & new champion: Sami Zayn

NXT Tag Team Titles
Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy vs. Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy (or shortened to Blake & Murphy) (c)

This will be an fairly entertaining match, if not for nothing else, Cassidy and Amore are a very funny, yet highly talented, team and this could finally be the big win for them.  Blake & Murphy have been a surprisingly very good team to hold the belts.  They've finally gotten over as this annoying team that you 're starting to love to hate (think a young Edge & Christian) and with them making advances with Amore & Cass' friend Carmella.  While this may not be a potential classic like the main event, I expect good things from this match, but unfortunately I have to go with Blake & Murphy for the win simply to continue their momentum. 


Winners: Blake & Murphy

NXT Women's Title
Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (c)

This will likely be a wildcard and the undercard show stealer.  The young lady known as "The Boss" Sasha Banks scored a much deserved win at the last NXT Takeover event to become the NXT Women's Champion.  Don't let her fool tiny size fool you as she has become a very talented in-ring performer gradually throughout the past year especially.  Becky, meanwhile, is a hellacious talent that has been wrestling for over a decade now.  This young lady, who was trained by Finn Balor at the age of seventeen, has been wrestling in Japan, France, and all over Europe.  She has come a long way since her debut in 2013, and now she has become a bonafide threat to the title.  Look for a spectacular match and possibly the breakout match for Lynch, but I expect banks to remain champion, if not barely. 

Winner: Sasha Banks

Charlotte & Bayley vs. Dana Brooke and Emma

Staying with the women's division, this should be an interesting tag match.  I'm not going to put it up there as a highly anticipated match of the evening, but I think it'll be a good match to start with.  What's intriguing here is the heel persona of Emma, which to be honest I don't see going over too long.  She's a natural babyface and she needs to own it.  Her partner is a newcomer but is not too bad in the ring, although hopefully she'll improve greatly over the next several months with Sara Del Ray as her teacher.  I expect Charlotte and miss hugger herself, Bayley, to come away with the win.

Winners: Charlotte & Bayley

Baron Corbin vs. Rhyno

How nuts was it to see "The Man-Beast" return to the WWE after being gone for over a decade?  He looks better than ever, and a career resurgance at this point in time wouldn't be so bad.  The former ECW Champion (the REAL ECW) is facing the intimidating and awesome "Big Bad Wolf" Baron Corbin.  The former Arizona Cardinal linebacker has been nothing short of a badass since debuting last year.  This will be a big test for both men and I see this as being a rough and rugged affair.  Don't expect any scientific stuff here folks.  Asses will get kicked here.  I'm going with Corbin in this one, but this won't be a walk in the park for neither man.

Winner: Baron Corbin

Contenders Match for NXT Title
Finn Balor vs. Tyler Breeze

Originally slated as a triple threat match, Hideo Itami won't be able to wrestle due to his shoulder injury so the match will now be a one on one affair between "Prince Pretty" and the phenomenon formerly known as Prince Devitt internationally.  I'm a pretty big Breeze fan, as he has shown his more aggressive side and has what it takes to be a good main roster mainstay if marketed right.  However, Balor is a sight to see.  His ring entrances are stuff of legend and his in-ring style is second to none.  I expect the "Demon King" persona of Balor this evening, and that spells trouble for Breeze.  This will be another big time match that could be a potential show stealer (definitely if Itami were to have still been in the match), but I expect Balor to emerge victorious.

Winner: Finn Balor

This will be a fantastic evening of athleticism and in-ring storytelling.  What could make this event historic would be if the rumors prove to be true and we see the debut appearence of the legendary Samoa Joe in NXT.  Rumors have been rampant about seeing Joe on NXT and there's no better stage than tonight, as well as the recently signed indie fave Uhaa Nation.  Come back tomorrow for my review of NXT Takeover: unstoppable.  See you guys and gals then!  Enjoy tonight's potentially epic show.

Payback Review

What's up peoples?! Glad you could make it back with me.  This time, I'm posting my review of WWE's recent Payback pay per view this past Sunday.  The event took place from Baltimore, which is surprising considering all the very publicized turmoil that the city has been experiencing.  Thankfully, everything went off without a hitch.  With that being said, on to the matches.

The first match of the evening, post the kickoff show and that God-awful Meta-Maniacs vs. Ascencion crap, was Dolph Ziggler vs. Shaemus.  Admittedly, this was a better match than even I anticipated.  Ziggler had a great accounting for himself, which isn't unheard of anyways from "The Showoff".  The match was definitely a back-and-forth affair, but the turning point came when Dolph delivered a headbutt to Shaemus.  The impact badly lacerated Ziggler and he became a bloody mess in seconds.  The ref clearly wanted to have the guys wrap the match up so that the doctors and can tend to the deep wound just above the right eye of Ziggler.  Shaemus hit the Brogue Kick to put a highly bloodied Ziggler out of his misery and for the win.  Doctors and refs tended to Ziggler and escorted him to the back with a blood-stained towel.  He ended up with ten stitches, but once again Ziggler showed that he would do what it took to entertain the fans and to win.  I can't help but wonder why people feel the need to headbutt Shaemus?  Daniel Bryan did it and he took eight stitches and has the scar to show for it.  Now, Ziggler did it and has ten.  To all future opponents of Shaemus, chill with the headbutts.

Next up was the tag team title match between the challengers of the former champions, Tyson Kidd & Cesaro and the new champs, The New Day, who were represented by Kofi and Big E in a two out of three falls match.  Their last encounter was actually pretty good, and this one was even better.  As the challengers won the first fall and the champs won the second, the finish came when Kofi switched with Xavier Woods on the outside behind the ref's back and he rolled up Cesaro for the win.  Very heelish move, but got The New Day the win.

Next up was Ryback and Bray Wyatt in a one on one match.  Truthfully this was a yawn.  After two halfway decent matches, this was a bore.  Usually any match concerning Ryback is, and this was no exception.  During the match, Wyatt executed a running senton splash on Ryback and injured his ribs, perhaps even broke them.  I was expecting Luke and Erick to reunite with their leader/brother, but I guess that will be for another time.  In any event, Wyatt won with Sister Abigail and put an end to the snooze of a match.  Although Ryback doing his version of a frog (or in his case a bullfrog) splash on Wyatt was an entertaining touch for two seconds, it still stunk.

Next was the U.S. title match between the champion John Cena and his more than formidable challenger, Rusev, in an I Quit match.  If you were expecting the incredible I Quit match Cena had with Randy Orton or especially his bloodbath of an I Quit match with JBL at Judgement Day of 2005, keep dreaming.  What was exhibited, however, was a good to decent fight between a veteran and a young lion who should one day be an even bigger deal than he is right now.  This was far from either of the two instant classics I just named, but there was enough brutality to give a few nods of approval.  There was that one spot where Cena did his Attitude Adjustment on Rusev through the pyro table that was briefly okay, but still it was whatever because we've seen that spot done more than once.  In the end, Cena won with his STF with a piece of ring rope across the face of Rusev and he was saying something in Bulgarian that apparently translated into Lana screaming at the ref Rusev said that he stated that he had quit.  Cena is still undefeated in I Quit matches.  Needless to say, Rusev likely cussed out Lana in Bulgarian.

Next was the former NXT Tag and World Champion Adrien Neville vs. the 2015 King Of The Ring, King Barrett.  This was an average match basically, but all props to "The Man That Gravity Forgot" for showing he can hang with anyone on the main roster.  He needed his first pay per view win and he got it, albeit by count out as Barrett got himself deliberately counted out.  From there, he assaulted Neville and tried to nail him with the scepter but Neville avoided it and eventually hit him with his astounding Red Arrow finisher. 

The Divas tag match was next as the newly babyfaced Bellas (??) faced the new tandem of real life cousins-in-law Naomi and the returning Tamina Snuka.  I personally feel very bad for Snuka because she's a hell of an athlete but she lacks personality and mic skills.  A little time at NXT might help her a lot.  Look what it did for Tyson Kidd's career.  In any case, the match was okay at best.  It wasn't any better or worse than any of the other matches on the card.  Well, if I tell the honest truth, it was still better than Ryback and Wyatt.  Naomi and Snuka picked up the definitive win.

Finally, the main event is here.  The WWE World Title in a Fatal Four Way match between Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and the champion Seth Rollins.  It was of no coincidence to me that these four men who were in last year's Payback main event were in this main event for this year's Payback.  This was actually the saving grace for this very average event.  This was simply fantastic.  it was almost like they put us through all that mediocrity for that main event.  It was worth it.  I'm typically a fan of their multi-participant matches like Fatal Four ways and Triple Threats, and this was one of the best in recent memory in terms of FFWs.  A major spot occurred when the former members of The Shield (Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns) did a Shield-like triple powerbomb on Orton through the announce table.  Yes, that was a big mark out moment, as we temporarily had that vision of The Shield reuniting.  Didn't last long, but it was awesome regardless.  The end came when Rollins delivered a Pedigree (a la his mentor Triple H) onto Orton and picked up the win.  Yeah there was a ton of interference from Kane and J&J security, but we knew that was going to happen.  It actually didn't take away from the match, in fact it added to the story of The Authority willing to do whatever it took to keep the belt around the waist of the cocky young champion.  Plus Kane's job was on the line. 

As a whole, this was a 2.5/5 event, but I may put it as a 3 due to the main event.  Unfortunately, this will take a hell of a back seat to NXT's Takeover event this week.  Expect a preview and prediction of the NXT event later today.  Anyways, WWE continues to produce average to below average events while produces excellent events.  Within two weeks, the Elimination Chamber pay per view will take place and we'll see how it fares to this bland yet not horrible Payback event.

That's all for now but I'll be back later for the NXT Takeover event slated for tomorrow.  Have a great one!