Professional Wrestling (WWE, TNA, ROH, etc)

[[Q]]

Looked like she kept LEANing too far forward trying to sell the kicks. Usually people sit upright and take the kicks to the arms

[Lean]

Couldn't find the footage, but in the same match, it was said that Brie should take a forearm spot from Ruby after Brie's catapulted by Sarah, but instead Brie hit Ruby with her own forearm which was also stiff.

she kept LEANing

[Lean]

Surprise appearances on NXT house shows are always great:

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[shadowgrin]

Always love seeing tag teams do finishers with both members actively involved in the setup and execution and not just one member doing the setup while the other one does all the work.

[Lean]

Same here. I also don't like "tag finishers" that are just their individual finishers executed consecutively.

[Lean]

Best moment from yesterday's Raw:

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[Andrew]

That was some tremendous heat indeed. Meanwhile, I wonder if Undertaker and Kane standing tall at the end of the show means HHH is going over this weekend, as it so often telegraphs. Hopefully not.

Also, Becky continues to attack Charlotte and gets cheered. Charlotte attacks her back, and gets booed. Listen to the crowd, WWE. No one's buying the face-heel dynamic you're desperately trying to sell.

[[Q]]

Lol Sonics to OKC has to be the worst franchise move in sports history. So unnecessary.

I skimmed through a bit of Raw for the first time in a while because I heard Ambrose turned heel. I was disappointed that he actually didn't and it's basically the same old BS every week. I'm also not interested in a bunch of 40+ year olds trying to pretend like they are still what they were 15-20 years ago.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Smackdown stories though. I think it's cool that R Truth is back and he even beat the Mix on the main event a while back! Who would've thought that would happen?

Sad to see them break up Rusev day but there is a bit of mystery in the story. I hope it doesn't turn out like the Enzo story.

And Becky 3:16 chugs along, I hope they finally give in to the fans

[Andrew]

Is it just me, or are they trying to phase out Lana's accent?

[[Q]]

Its been noticable since the Aiden turn. At first I chalked it up to her being "serious" and kayfabe breaking kayfabe on purpose but I think it might be Vince or someone's idea to do that to drop the foreign thing and make them more likeable/relatable

[Andrew]

Reminds me of Kofi Kingston's accent disappearing out of nowhere. Probably not a bad idea as far as being authentic and avoiding the cheesiness of a stereotypical accent, but it's an awkward on-air retcon.

[shadowgrin]

god that was amazing heat, wish those two improvised or were allowed to improvise instead of sticking with the script and forced to finish the promo amidst the boos

[Lean]

Shame they had to follow a script, and it seems that Elias has a direct feed from Vince (you can see him mouthing "okay" during the first minute of the boos).

Lana's accent gradually faded ever since she re-debuted as a singles wrestler except when she says "crush." The accent comes back randomly in backstage segments. While this feud with English is Rusev is going on, I fear for the both of them once it ends.

The whole R-Truth re-emergence probably stemmed out from the backstage segment where he asks Paige for a shot at Shin's US title, and he'll do it by pinning Carmella -- which in turn made Carmella face.

I appreciate that Becky didn't insult the fans during Smackdown and the crowd was really behind her throughout. Even booed Charlotte after the beatdown.

Meanwhile, I wonder if Undertaker and Kane standing tall at the end of the show means HHH is going over this weekend, as it so often telegraphs. Hopefully not.

I felt sad seeing HBK with no hair. It feels so wrong. And it seems like that match will main event the show on Saturday.

[Andrew]

He definitely looks weird with a shaved head. It was strange enough seeing him cut it short some time back.

[[Q]]

Haha those R Truth segments where he looked for Carmella for a title shot were hilarious

So weird to see HBK without his signature hair. It would be like if Vince let Undertaker show up with grey hair or bald or something

[Andrew]

Well, there was that period were Undertaker had the mohawk.

[Lean]

As much as I'd like to see Undertaker, part of me wants him to be fully retired. That match at Super Showdown was very, very slow. I'm kind of disappointed with the result because it means the storyline isn't over, but I like the post-match ending.

Overall, I'd say it's better than the Greatest Royal Rumble, but it still feels like a bigger house show. Match of the night was definitely Alexander vs Murphy, and it's great that they gave the moment to Murphy with the title win.

[Andrew]

Of course HHH went over. Of course he did. And of course he was pretty dominant throughout the match, too. It wouldn't surprise me if, when HHH finally does get ready to hang it up, he wins every belt in the company, pins everyone on the roster, and retires without dropping any of the straps. It's all about The Game, after all.

Apart from that, I thought the match was a lot better than I'd expect a long match with Undertaker would be at this point. I enjoyed the spectacle but it was certainly no classic and, well, it's been said before: Taker's career is in overtime right now. Remains to be seen what they do about "One Last Time", and whether HBK does have a comeback match. It wouldn't surprise me, they way they booked this. I can't fault anyone for not wanting to see him anymore, and while I'm happy to see a few appearances where he's not losing to Roman Reigns, if he calls it quits, I certainly won't say it's too soon.

Anyway, on the whole, it was a pretty good show. Good matches and entertaining spots, we even got a title change with the hometown boy picking up the victory. I was expecting the IIconics to force a heel reaction during their entrance by claiming they'd rather be in Sydney or whatever, but it was probably for the best they just let them be faces for a night, without really changing their characters at all.

Ronda Rousey just keeps getting better. I love the way she's diversifying her moveset and incorporating more judo and MMA moves. The finish with the double armbar was innovative, and rightfully got a big pop. She's a much better investment than Brock Lesnar, with a much better attitude towards the business.

Sadly, Cole, Graves, and Renee were doing their utmost to sell Becky Lynch as the heel, and Charlotte as the betrayed best friend who earned everything she'd ever been given (paraphrasing an actual quote, there). The crowd certainly weren't buying that characterisation, and I don't think many people are. They're so stubborn and clueless in their booking of who's a face and heel there, but at least the matches and the story are doing well in spite of that. It's a testament to Becky and Charlotte's abilities to put on a show regardless.

[Lean]

Again, Charlotte giving Becky a Natural Selection at SummerSlam is pretty much a heel move like how the Shield attacked Strowman before he cashes in on Reigns. Both Charlotte and the Shield should've been heels.

I really like how different cruiserweight matches are with the other matches on the main roster, and I'm glad Buddy Murphy was given the moment in his home country to a huge crowd. Same with Billie and Peyton.

I also like how HBK stays "retired," but if he's going to have a comeback match, I wish it would be against AJ Styles.

[Andrew]

Yeah, definitely, sort of. It's part and parcel of a triple threat match of course, but it is opportunistic and an attack from behind though, so it's at least a bit heelish. I think with Charlotte, it's more that even in kayfabe it feels like she's been given a lot of opportunities because of her name, and her character acts somewhat entitled about it even as a face. Her actions aren't those of a heel, but her character represents the villain in the story, because the audience identifies more with Becky for having to work hard for an opportunity and then not getting the 1-on-1 match as originally promised. WWE are running by the old logic of "Becky snapped and attacked her, so she's the heel", but that old narrative/trope doesn't fit with these characters.

The Shield reforming and powerbombing Strowman through the announce table definitely should've heralded a heel turn. Instead, they've forced one with Braun by having him team up with two established heels. Sadly, I think they've dropped the ball and blown their chance with Strowman. He should've gone over Lesnar at Wrestlemania, or even the Royal Rumble. Now the "Monster Among Men" is paired up with two lackeys, blew his MITB shot, and has lost clean to Reigns. People like HHH and Road Dogg can say that we don't understand and don't know what we're talking about, but the ratings and the crowd reactions speak for themselves.

[Lean]

DX vs Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel.

[Andrew]

I hate how they're trying to present themselves as the faces in this, with that promo about respect. HHH won the match dirty, and stacked the deck by making it No DQ in the first place. He's still a heel authority figure; he and HBK are the villains here! Par for the course, though.

[[Q]]

Lol same old HHH.

[[Q]]

Rumor has it that Vince loves the work Stone Cold Becky Lynch has been doing lately so don't expect a change there. At this point we all know what we're getting so I don't think a face turn is needed immediately especially with Charlotte in the mix but I could see it happening eventually like pipe bomb Punk turning into the Cult of Personality despite not changing a thing about his character

[Andrew]

A double turn a la Stone Cold and Bret Hart would be great, but in the meantime everything is working despite their approach.