Sunday 24 January 2016

WWE Royal Rumble 2016 Preview

WWE Royal Rumble 2016 2nd Promotional Poster.jpeg


The Road to Wrestlemania 32 officially begins as the Royal Rumble begins this evening at the Amway Center in Orlando. For the first time since 1992, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line in the Royla Rumble match. So, let's look at the card.

The match on the Kick Off Show is a tag team match for a place in the Royal Rumble. The team of Darren Young and Damien Mizdow will take on The Dudley Boyz, The Ascension and the team of Mark Hnery and Jack Swagger. This is a tough one to call but I think that the Dudleys will win here.
Predicted Winners: The Dudley Boyz

Kalisto will get the chance to regain the United States Championship from Alberto Del Rio. I would like to see Kalisto win it and have the Title for more than a few days. However, I feel that Del Rio will retain here.
Predicted Winner: Alberto Del Rio

The Usos will  challenge, for what seems like the billionth time, The New Day (Sucks!)  for the Tag Team Championship. I really want The New Day to win here but I don't think they will so The Usos to win here.
Predicted Winners: The Usos

The Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose continues as they face each other in a Last Man Standing match for the Intercontinental Championship. I am really looking forward as I like Last Man Standing matches and I feel that they have the ability to steal the show here. I'm going for Ambrose to win here.
Predicted Winner: Dean Ambrose

Becky Lynch will face Charlotte  for the Divas Championship in what could be a good match. I would like to see Becky win it here but I feel that it's not going to happen til Wresltemania. Therefore, Charlotte to win here.
Predicted Winner: Charlotte

The main event will be the Royal Rumble match as  Roman Reigns will defend his World Heavyweight Championship. The announced participants so far are: The Big Show, Curtis Axel, Bray Wyatt, Braun Stroman, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Ryback, Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, Stardust and Sheamus. Even though Roman Reigns has been drawn at number 1, he is definitelyt going to win it here and become only the third man after Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit to do it from number 1.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

My New Year's Resolution is to do the reports within 10 days of each event so  you should get a review of the show soon. Until then, I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Lo-Down Wrestling Awards 2015

It's that time of year where I get to give out my wrestling awards. I didn't anywhere near as much wrestling as I would like. Despite that, I've enjoyed what I've seen. So, let's look at the winners.

Moment of the Year
Seth Rollins Cashing In His Money in the Bank Briefcase at Wrestlemania
WrestleMania 31: Seth Rollins and Biggest Winners from Championship Results
What a moment for Seth Rollins. To cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase during the main event of Wrestlemania was a very ballsy call. It made for great drama and a wonderful ending as Rollins pinned Roman Reigns to become World Heavyweight Champion.

PPV of the Year
Wrestlemania 31
WM31Poster.png
 Out of all the PPVs that I watched, I found this to be the most enjoyable. It had some really good matches and possibly the most dramatic ending to a Wrestlemania ever.
  
Most Surprising Moment of the Year
Kevin Owens Beating John Cena at WWE Elimination Chamber
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What a moment for Kevin Owens. To beat John Cena, the face of the company, clean in your first match on the main roster is a tremendous achievement. Shame that they announced a rematch that same night.

Douchebag of the Year
TNA
Over the last year, TNA lost another TV contract and let people go like Samoa Joe and  AJ Styles. Then they did a World Title Series that was recorded over 4 days then showed over 6 months. They have some great talent there (like EC3) but I don't think that that will be enough to save them.

Newcomer of the Year
Kevin Owens
Image result for kevin owens
What a year for Kevin Owens. He joins NXT, becomes NXT Champion; beats John Cena in his first match on the main roster; then becomes Intercontinental Champion. Here's hoping 2017 will continue the rise of Owens.

Most Improved Wrestler of the Year
The New Day
The New Day and the Best WWE Mic Mastery for Week of August 31








In a first, I'm giving this to a group and The New Day have been brilliant over the last year. They took something that was a stereotype that could have buried them into the best thing to see on WWE Television this year. Well done to them. 

Match of the Year
Bayley vs Sasha Banks, NXT Takeover Brooklyn

For the second time, a match from NXT wins this award. This match stole the show and their rematch, a 30 minute Iron Woman match at NXT Takeover Respect, was almost as good.


Tag Team of the Year
The New Day
 New Day's Comedic Gimmick Prevents WWE's Hottest Act from Turning Heel
The first ever LDW Tag Team of the Year Award goes to The New Day, the best thing to see on the WWE right now.

Female Wrestler of the Year
Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks
What a year for Sasha Banks. She became NXT Women's Champion then got involved in a tremendous feud with Bayley; then got promoted to the main roster. It's a shame she's with Tamina and Naomi, who aren't great, but I expect a big year for her in 2016.


Male Wrestler of the Year
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins' Development Is WWE's Biggest Success Story
For most of the year, Seth Rollins was one of the best things to watch on WWE, along with The New Day. Rollins was involved in great matches over the year, including cashing in his Money in the Bank to become World Heavyweight Champion at Wrestlemania. It's a shame he is out for a year as he could have done so much more. However, I look forward to his return and become World Heavyweight Champion once again.

Thursday 21 January 2016

WWE TLC 2015 Review

WWE TLC took place at the TD Garden in Boston on Sunday 13th December. There is normally a good crowd in Boston so will the WWE end their year on a high? Let's take a look.

The match on the Kick Off show was between Becky Lynch and local girl Sasha Banks. I saw them face each other at the Smackdown taping in Manchester and it was my match of the night. Therefore, I was looking forward to this. The match had some back and forth and in the end, Becky had Sasha in the disarmer. However, Tamina distracted the referee giving Naomi the chance to interfere. Sasha then hit the backstabber followed by the bank statement to get the win. It was a good match, helped by the crowd being into it. I hope to see more matches between the two.
Winner: Sasha Banks
Predictions: 0 for 1

The first match on the show was for the Tag Team Championships as The New Day (sucks!) face the challenge of The Usos and The Lucha Dragons in a triple ladder match. This was a really entertaining match with the definite highlight being Kalisto hitting a salida del sol from the top of the ladder sending Jimmy Uso crashing through another ladder. In the end, Xavier Woods, who was brilliant on commentary, suddenly realises that the match is no disqualification and hits Kalisto with his trombone. Kofi then violently yanks off the ladder and grabs the belts to win the match. This was a great match which was fun to watch.
Winners: The New Day
Predictions: 0 for 2

The next match was Rusev taking on Ryback. In quite a short match, Rusev gets out of the shell shock and kicks Ryback in the head. He then applies the accolade and Ryback passes out to give Rusev the win. The match wasn't anything special and whilst I'm happy to see Rusev and Lana back together, I'm not a fan of them shoving the lovey dovey stuff down my throat.
Winner: Rusev
Predictions: 0 for 3

Next is Jack Swagger challenging Alberto Del Rio in a chairs match for the United States Championship. As expected, they hit each other with chairs a lot. In the end, Del Rio does his shitty double stomp in the corner, sending Swagger onto a pile of chairs to get the win. Like the match, it was nothing special.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Predictions: 1 for 4 (finally!)

We now get a 8 man tables elimination match between The Wyatt Family and the team of The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno. The first man to be eliminated was Erick Rowan after was put through a table thanks to a 3D by the Dudleys. Harper then sends Ryhno through a table in the corner with a big boot. Devon then sets up a table but is slammed through it by Wyatt. Bubba Ray is the only one left after Harper suicide dives Dreamer through a table. Bubba Ray tries to set a table on fire and powerbomb Wyatt through it. However, Harper stops that with a kick and Stroman chokeslams Bubba Ray through a table to give his team the win. Except for the end, I didn't think that this was a good match. It seemed slow and you can obviously see some botches during it. It was nice to see Dreamer and Rhyno wrestle again but I'm in no hurry to see them again (if ever)
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Predictions: 1 for 5

Now a match I was looking forward to: Dean Ambrose challenging Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Championship. Like their match at Survivor Series, this was another entertaining contest. Ambrose thought he won it when he got out of a pop up powerbomb to hit dirty deeds. However, Owens got a fingertip on the ropes. In the end, Ambrose managed to hit a huracanrana into a pin to become the new Intercontinental Champion. I was surprised that Ambrose won but it was throughly deserved and I hope he gets a good run with the belt.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Predictions: 1 for 6

The penultimate match was for the Divas Championship as Paige challenges Charlotte. Paige thinks she's won it after hitting the rampaige but Ric Flair puts Charlotte's leg under the ropes. Paige starts shouting at him and this gives Charlotte the chance to bounce Paige's head off the turnbuckle and roll her up to get the win. This was an interesting match to watch as Charlotte acted a lot like a heel even though she is the face in this feud. I thought it would be better if she acted like the face until Flair cheated to stop her from losing. Otherwise, except for the end, I thought it was a good match.
Winner: Charlotte
Predictions: 2 for 7

The main event is a TLC match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with Roman Reigns challenging Sheamus. As expected, this was a very physical and brutal match. Examples of this include: Reings sending Sheamus into the display of tables, ladders and chairs by the titantron; and Sheamus putting Reings through a table with a white noise. In the end, Reigns hits a Superman punch, sending Sheamus off the ladder and through a table. Reigns almost grabs the belt but he's stopped by Rusev and Alberto Del Rio. Reigns does deal with them but Sheamus sends him out of the ring with a brogue kick. He then climbs up to grab the belt and win the match.

Reigns doesn't take the loss well as he proceeds to destroy Sheamus, Rusev and Del Rio with a chair. The Authority come out to calm him down and he goes on to fuck up Triple H. The show ends with Reigns spearing Triple H as he's being carried to the back.

I thought this was a good match and it was good to see Reigns look like he could be a Champion. WWE were trying to give him a personality and make him John Cena-lite. However, I feel that, based on what happened after this match, it would be best to use elements of Goldberg's push.
Winner: Sheamus
Predictions: 3 for 8

I wasn't a fan of this event. There were some good matches but most of them were either not great or didn't do anything to make them stand out. It's a shame as I think that WWE has had a decent year. With Reings becoming Champion the following night on RAW, it looks like they're giving him a run with the belt. I hope that they use this opportunity well.

Friday 1 January 2016

WWE Survivor Series 2015 Review

WWE Survivor Series 2015 took place on Sunday 22nd November at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. We will be seeing a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion after the show. So who will it be? Let's take a look.

The match during the Kick Off was a Survivor Series match. It was the team of Hollywood Miz, Bo Dallas, Stardust and The Ascension taking on the team of Neville, The Dudley Boyz,Titus O'Neill and  Goldust. The first elimination was when Viktor was eliminated by Goldust with a powerslam. Konnor gets eliminated by Bubba Ray with a spine buster. Neville then gets eliminated by The Miz thanks to a skull crushing finale but he gates immediately eliminated when he gets rolled up by Goldust. Stardust becomes the omly person left on his team when Titus eliminated Bo with the Clash of the Titus. In the end, Stardust walks into a 3D to give the opposition the win. It was a good match and got the fans ready for the show.
Winners: The Dudley Boyz, Titus O'Neill and Goldust
Predictions: N/A

The event starts with the first semi-final of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament with Roman Reigns taking on United States Champion Alberto Del Rio. In an entertaining match, Del Rio thought he won it with a cross armbreaker but it was in vain as Reigns hit the spear to get the win. I really enjoyed the match and a good way to start the show.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Predictions: 1 for 1

The second semi-final was one that I was really looking to: Dean Ambrose taking on Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens. In the end, Owens goes for the pop-up powerbomb but Ambrose gets out of it and hits the Dirty Deeds to get the win. This match was throughly enjoyable and it sets up an interesting final between Reigns and Ambrose.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Predictions: 2 for 2

We now get the second Survivor Series elimination match. It's the team of Ryback, The Lucha Dragons and The Usos against the team of The New Day (sucks!), King Barrett and Sheamus. The first elimination took place when Sin Cara 2.0 pinned Barrett after a swanton bomb. Jimmy Uso was eliminated thanks to a double stomp off the top ropes by Woods then Sheamus eliminates Sin Cara 2.0 with a brogue kick. The teams are down to 3 each when Big E is eliminated thanks to Jey Uso. Woods and Kofi take Big E to the back, leaving Sheamus by himself. In the end, Ryback hit Sheamus with the Shell Shock to get his team the win. I thought it was a good match and The New Day continue to show why they are probably the best thing to watch in the WWE right now.
Winners: Kalisto, Ryback and Jey Uso
Predictions: N/A

The Divas Championship is on the line as Paige challenges Charlotte. Charlotte manages to apply the figure 4 early on but is forced to let go when Paige gets out of the ring. The match changes momentum a few times until Charlotte spears Paige off the barricade. Charlotte gets her back into the ring and applies the figure 8 to get the win. It was a good match but some of Charlotte's actions during the match was questionable as she's supposed to be the good guy in this feud.
Winner: Charlotte
Predictions: 3 for 3

Next we get Tyler Breeze taking on  Dolph Ziggler. In quite a short match, Breeze kicks Ziggler in the knee, giving him the chance to hit the Unprettier to get the win. It was a good match and I look forward to see how Breeze does on the main roster. You know, before creative find some way to fuck it up.
Winner: Tyler Breeze
Predictions: 4 for 4

The penultimate match was between the team of The Undertaker and Kane and two members of the Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper.  Wyatt and Harper get the advantage after Braun Stroman sent Kane flying over the announce table. Undertaker gets the hot tag after Kane hit a running DDT on Wyatt. They proceed to chokeslam both Wyatt and Harper followed by Stroman through the Spanish announce table. In the end, Undertaker hits the tombstone piledriver on Harper to get the win. It was a decent match. However, I feel that Wyatt should have taken the loss. Plus, I still don't get why Stroman wasn't in the match.
Winners: Kane and The Undertaker
Predictions: 5 for 5

The main event was the final of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament with Dean Ambrose taking on Roman Reigns. They go all out for this match, going at an fast pace. Ambrose almost wins it with the dirty deeds but in the end, Ambrose gets hit with the spear after he goes for an avalanche splash and Reigns wins. I thought, although it was quite short, was very enjoyable. I was expecting an Ambrose heel turn and become Champion. However, I'm glad that they didn't.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Predictions: 5 for 6

After some confetti and fireworks, Triple H comes out to congratulate Reigns. Reigns responds by spearing him. Suddenly, Sheamus comes in, brogue kicks Reigns and cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Sheamus immediately covers Reigns but he kicks out. Sheamus then hits another brogue kick to get the win. I was quite surprised that the WWE  went down this road. I assume that they want to do the same route as they did with Daniel Bryan. However, Reigns is not that kind of wrestler. I wonder if it would be better if they go down the Goldberg route.
Winner: Sheamus
Predictions: N/A

I thought that Survivor Series was a good show. I did question some of the creative decisions behind the matches but they were generally good. We now have to see how they handle Sheamus and Reigns.