Friday 31 March 2017

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017




This evening, the Class of 2017 will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This year, it is a really good class so let's look at the inductees.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude
Rick Rude was a tremendous wrestler who had a gimmick of an arrogant ladies' man. He is best known during the Hulkamania era for his feud with The Ultimate Warrior. For people who watched both WWE and WCW during the Monday Night Wars will also remember from when he appeared on both shows at the same time in 1997. He won the WCW International World Championship 3 times, the Intercontinental Championship once and the WCW United States Championship once. He passed away in 1999 but he is well remembered and he will be inducted by Ricky Steamboat.

The Rock 'n' Roll Express
Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson formed the Rock 'n' Roll Express in the 1980s and they worked in various promotions including the NWA, WCW, TNA and WWE. They won eighteen Tag Team Championships during their time and they will be inducted by Jim Cornette.

Theodroe Long
Teddy Long had been in wrestling for years in WCW and WWE as a manger and a referee. He is most recently known as the long time General Manager of Smackdown and for making tag team matches at every opportunity. He will be inducted by John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Ron Simmons.

Beth Phoenix
One of my favourite female wrestlers in recent memory. Whilst she was a great talent, it was in an era where women's wrestling was fucking horrible. Despite that and being in horrible creative decisons, he was a shining light in that era and she went on to become a one time Divas Champion and a three time WWE Women's Champion. She will be inducted by Natalya.

Eric LeGrand
This year's winner of the Warrior Award got paralysed while playing American Football for Rutgers University against the Army in 2010. He has since gone on to become a motivational speaker.

Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page started out as a manager in the AWA and WCW before becoming a wrestler in 1991. He went on to win 10 Championships in WCW, including the World Championship 3 times. Page was one of the few shining lights in the catastrophic Russo/Bischoff era and in WWE, he won 2 more Championships. Page will be inducted Eric Bischoff.

Kurt Angle
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Angle won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. After a very brief stint in ECW, he joined WWF and went on to win 11 Championships and the King of the Ring there. After he left WWE, he went to TNA and won 9 more Championships. He will be inducted by John Cena.

Tuesday 21 March 2017

WWE Fastlane 2017 Review

WWE Fastlane, the last PPV before Wrestlemania, took place on Sunday 5th March at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have to admit, having a PPV in March is a little weird but let's take a look and see how it goes.

The match on the Pre Show is The Brian Kendrick and Noam Dar versus Akira Tozowa and Rich Swann. Kendrick and Dar get the advantage and wear down Tozowa. Tozowa manages to tag in Swan but then he gets worn down. Tozowa and Swann make their comeback make their comeback and get the win thanks to Swann hitting a Phoenix splash on Dar. This match wasn't too bad.
Winners: Akira Tozowa and Rich Swann (0 for 1)

The first match on the show was Samoa Joe taking on Sami Zayn. Joe is dominant for most of the match, although Sami came close with a blue thunder bomb. In the end, Joe does get the win with a coquina clutch. This was a really good match and it's great to see Samoa Joe on the main roster and, at the minute, being used right.
Winner: Samoa Joe (1 for 2)

Next is Enzo and Cass challenging Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson for the RAW Tag Team Championship. Gallows and Anderson get the advantage after Anderson kicks Enzo in the back of the head. Enzo, after getting beaten up, eventually gets the hot tag to Cass. They go on to hit the Bada Boom Shakalaka but Gallows breaks up the pin. Anderson knees Enzo in the head then covers him. Enzo does put his foot on the ropes but Gallows pushes it off and the referee doesn't see it. This was quite a good match and I'm quite looking for a possible rematch at Wrestlemania
Winners: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (2 for 3)

We now get Nia Jax against Sasha Banks. Sasha starts at a fast pace before Nia takes control, focusing on the back. Sasha does manage to apply a sleeper to slow Nia down. In the end, Sasha gets the win with a bridging sunset flip out of nowhere. I was a bit surprised that Sasha won but this was a decent match.
Winner: Sasha Banks (2 for 4)

Next is Jinder Mahal against Cesaro. Earlier in the night, Mahal and Rusev ended their partnership and General Manager Mick Foley gave them single matches. Before this match, they brawled and it ended with Mahal sending him over the barrier. Anyway, the match ends when Mahal sees Rusev standing by the announce table. He then walks into a pop up European uppercut by Cesaro and Cesaro wins. Not a great match to be honest.
Winner: Cesaro (N/A)
 
After Rusev beat up Mahal in retaliation to earlier, he took on The Big Show. Despite Rusev's best efforts, Big Show hit 3 choke slams followed by a knock out punch to get the win. This felt like a filler match, which you shouldn't have on PPV.
Winner: The Big Show (N/A)

Now, a match that I was really looking forward to: Jack Gallagher challenging King Neville of the Cruiserweights for the Cruiserweight Championship. Gallagher frustrates Neville at the beginning before Neville gets the advantage. Gallagher is forced to do moves that he doesn't usually do, such as a suicide dive and a back suplex from the top turnbuckle. Neville comes close after a brutal German suplex followed by a Phoenix splash. In the end, Neville hits the Red Arrow to get the win. This was a really good match and it was probably Neville's best match since he turned heel.
Winner: Neville (3 for 5)

Next is Roman Reigns taking on Braun Strowman. Strowman hits big power moves such as a spinebuster and a Samoan drop but Reigns doesn't stay down. Reigns does mount a comeback but he gets power slammed through the Spanish announce table. In the end, Strowman misses a top rope splash and Reigns spears him to get the win. It was a good match but I feel that Strowman should have won.
Winner: Roman Reigns (4 for 6)

The penultimate match is for the RAW Women's Championship as Charlotte Flair challenges Bayley. In an interview earlier on, Bayley wanted Charlotte's lackey, Dana Brooke, to backstage and, surprisingly, Charlotte did that. After some back and forth, Charlotte clotheslines Bayley outside the ring to gain the advantage. Bayley eventually makes her comeback and comes close aftera hurracarrana then a Macho Man elbow drop. In the end, Charlotte is about to go to for a moonsault to the outside when Sasha Banks runs down and they brawl. This gives Bayley the chance to hit a Belly-to-Bayley on the outside. When the action goes back into the ring, Charlotte does a roll up with a handful of tights, which Sasha points out to the ref. Charlotte kicks out at Sasha then Bayley hits another Belly-to-Bayley to get the win.

Ok, where to start with this? First of all, Charlotte losing her first match on PPV was a surprise as I thought they would do it at Wrestlemania. Secondly, why didn't this match end in a disqualification? Sasha comes out and interferes twice, helping Bayley. Bayley is the babyface here, right? She is the most babyface character WWE have had in years and I'm worried about what WWE are doing with her.
Winner: Bayley (4 for 7)

The main event was for the Universal Championship as Goldberg challenges Kevin Owens. After both guys are introduced, Owens spends ages outside the ring walking around. He finally gets in and demands that the bell be rung. Suddenly, The Gift of Jericho comes out, distracting Owens. The referee decides that this is a prefect time to ring the bell and Goldberg hits a spear followed by a jackhammer to get the win and become the Universal Champion. The match lasted 22 seconds.

Ok, what the actual fuck? I cannot believe that the main event of a PPV ended like this. They do musical distractions leading to endings all the time on RAW and it's so annoying. Also, this match committed a cardinal sin, which is you absolutely cannot feel sorry for a heel. I love Owens but I feel that his reign wasn't as great as it could have been and for it to end to a part time wrestler in 22 seconds feels like a giant "fuck you" to him. Hopefully, like Bryan who suffered a similar fate a few years ago, he can recover from this and be his usual awesome self. Now, we're going to get Lesnar vs Goldberg for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania, which to be honest, I'm struggling to give a fuck about.
Winner: Goldberg (5 for 8)

I feel that Fastlane was a disappointing event. It started pretty well with Samoa Joe vs Sami Zayn and the Cruiserweight Championship match was probably the best one of the show. However, there were some filler matches and the last two matches were just ruined by really shitty booking. At the time of writing this, there are 11 matches announced for Wrestlemania and there are some that I'm looking forward to, such as Owens vs Jericho and Neville vs Aries. However, there are some that I'm finding hard to give a fuck about and that's worrying for WWE's biggest event of the year.

Sunday 5 March 2017

WWE Fastlane 2017 Preview

The final Pay Per View before Wrestlemania takes place this evening at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Will there be some new Champions before we get to Wrestlemania? Let's take a look.

The match on the Pre Show is Akira Tozowa and Rich Swann vs Noam Dar and The Brian Kendrick. Tough one to call but I'm going for Dar and Kendrick.
Predicted Winners: Noam Dar and The Brian Kendrick

Sasha Banks will take on Nia Jax in what could be a short match. Jax has been absolutely dominant over Sasha recently and I expect that to continue.
Predicted Winner: Nia Jax

Roman Reigns will be facing Bruan Strowman. Strowman has been impressive and I really want him to win. However, since WWE has been shoving Reigns down our throat, so I expect him to win.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns

Charlotte Flair gets her rematch with Bayley for the RAW Women's Championship. Due to that Charlotte is 16-0 in PPV matches, I expect her to win
Predicted Winner: Charlotte Flair

Sami Zayn will face Samoa Joe in a match that I'm looking forward to. I feel that Samoa Joe will win this one.
Predicted Winner: Samoa Joe

Jack Gallagher will be challenging King Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship. Whilst Gallagher being Champion would be awesome, I feel that Neville will win here.
Predicted Winner: Neville

Enzo and Cass will be challenging Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson for the RAW Tag Team Championship. I think that Anderson and Gallows will continue their reign here.
Predicted Winners: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Goldberg  will be challenging Kevin Owens for the Universal Champion in the main event. I really want Owens to win but I feel that Goldberg will be Universal Champion.
Predicted Winner: Goldberg

I will get to watch the show during the week so I hope you guys enjoy the show 

Friday 3 March 2017

WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Review

The last Smackdown Pay-Per-View before Wrestlemania took place on Sunday 12th February at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. We all know that Randy Orton will face the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania but who will that Champion be? Let's take a look.

The match on the Pre-Show is Curt Hawkins taking on Mojo Rawley. Hawkins gets the advantage early on and tries to win it by count out. Mojo hulks up and starts his comeback with punches and shoulder tackles. In the end, Rawley gets the win with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam. This was quite a decent match to start the show.
Winner: Mojo Rawley (0 for 1)

The first match of the event was Becky Lynch versus Mickie James. Mickie  gets hit with a forearm on the outside before hitting an armbreaker on Becky when they go back into the ring. Mickie then focuses on the left arm before Becky makes her comeback. In the end, Becky goes for the Disarm-Her but Mickie reverses it into a pin. I thought this was a good match between the two.
Winner: Mickie James (0 for 2)

Next is Apollo Crews and Kalisto taking on Dolph Ziggler in a handicap match. Ziggler attacks Kalisto during his entrance, making it a 1-on-1 match between Crews and Ziggler. The match goes back and forth before Kalisto comes back down. They then go to get the win after Kalisto does a roundhouse kick followed by a spin out powerbomb by Crews. Afterwards Ziggler takes out Kalisto then injures Crews' ankle with a chair. The match was quite short but I thought that it was pretty decent.
Winner: Apollo Crews and Kalisto (0 for 3)

We now get the Tag Team Turmoil match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. The first two teams were Heath Slater and Rhyno and Breezango. Breezango get eliminated when Fandango grts hit with a Gore by Rhyno. The Vaudevillians were next and they got eliminated thanks to a DDT by Slater. The Usos come in next and they eliminate Slater and Rhyno thanks to Jimmy Uso hitting a super kick on Slater. Next to come down were the Champions American Alpha and they eliminate The Usos after Chad Gable pins Jey Uso. The Usos don't take that well and they beat the fuck out of American Alpha The last team team to come down were The Ascension and, even though they hit the Fall of Man on on Jason Jordan, they end up losing after Viktor gets hit with Grand Amplitude and American Alpha get the win. This was an enjoyable match but I wonder if American Alpha comimg out earlier would have made it better.
Winners: American Alpha (1 for 4)

We now get our 2nd  Women's match of the night as Nikki Bella takes on Natalya. After some back and forth, Natalya sends Nikki into the ring post. Natalya then goes on to beat down Nikki while shouting at the crowd. Nikki starts her comeback and comes close after hitting a spinebuster. In the end, they brawl to the outside and they both ended up getting counted out. Except for the ending, I thought this was a good match. I thought they would continue this feud until Wrestlemania. However, it ended a couple of weeks later and it looks like Nikki will be joining John Cena and feuding with Hollywood Miz and Maryse instead.
Winner: Double Countout (1 for 5)

Next is Randy Orton versus Luke Harper. Orton back suplexes Harper onto the announce table then proceeds to beat down on him. Harper does manage a mount a comeback and does a back suplex, sending Orton onto the same announce table. However, Orton goes on to win after countering a discus clothesline to hit a RKO. This was a match of two halves for me. For a long portion of it, it wasn't very interesting. However, it seemed to get a lot better with some really good spots.
Winner: Randy Orton (2 for 6)

The penultimate match is Naomi challenging Alexa Bliss for the Samckdown Women's Champion. Alexa initially doesn't take Naomi seriously, which almost cost her the match. Despite Alexa beating Naomi for a while, Naomi counters the Twisted Bliss and hits a split legged moonsault to get the win and become Champion...? Wait, what? Wow, I honestly didn't see that coming. Naomi has improved a lot over the last couple of years but I didn't see her becoming Champion for a long while yet. I would say that it would be interesting to see where it goes. However, a few days later, Naomi had to vacate the Championship due to injury and Alexa regained it after beating Becky Lynch.
Winner: Naomi (2 for 7)

The main event is the Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship. The Champion John Cena will be taking on Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles, Hollywood Miz, Baron Corbin and Bray Wyatt. Cena and Styles start the match and then Ambrose, Wyatt, Corbin and The Miz enter the cage in that order. Corbin is the first to be eliminated when Ambrose rolls him up. Corbin doesn't take that well and beats up Ambrose. Miz seizes the opportunity and pins Ambrose to eliminate him. Cena then eliminates Miz with an AA. After Cena and Styles trade blows, Cena goes to hit the AA on Wyatt. However, Wyatt goes out of it and hits Sister Abigail to eliminate Cena; then goes on to hit another Sister Abigail on Styles to win the match and become WWE Champion.

Holy shit!! I know that I predicted Wyatt to win but I didn't actually think that he would win. Up until quite recently, I was getting sick of Wyatt. He seemed to be the doing the same shit for years and always lose the big matches. Orton joining the Wyatts was a surprise and it seemed that it was going somewhere. They became the Tag Team Champions briefly and Orton went on to win the Rumble and Wyatt is WWE Champion. It initially looked like it was going to be Wyatt vs Orton at Wrestlemania. Instead, Orton declines and after a battle royal and a match with Luke Harper, AJ Styles became number one contender. Later that night, Orton declares that joining the Wyatts was this master plan(?) and burns down the Wyatt Compound, exhuming Sister Abigailin the process. Can someone remind me why I would be cheering Orton for that, because what he did was evil as fuck? Anyway, well done to Bray Wyatt.
Winner: Bray Wyatt (3 for 8)

I quite enjoyed Elimination Chamber as a lot of matches were fun to watch. It looks like we will be getting some interesting matches from Smackdown for Wrestlemania. Let's see hoe RAW does at Fastlane.