Professional Wrestling (WWE, TNA, ROH, etc)

[Lean]

I've read somewhere that Tom Phillips would be a producer, but not sure of which source that came from.

Interesting point from Smackdown this week, the Ali vs Nakamura match is the exact same thing they did here from their show last week. That close two-count from the superkick, the tope con hilo over the ref, Ali chasing Sami around the ring leading to the finish with Shin hitting the Kinshasa. Heck the referee is also the exact same ref from that house show match.

We know they got routines for shows, it's just interesting that they played this out on TV.

[[Q]]

I think a lot of times guys will have a great match on a house show and they'll be like man it's a shame no one saw that

[Andrew]

It's a place for them to try things out as well. Bret Hart and Mr Perfect had a set ending for their house show bouts back in the day that ended up on TV a couple of times.

[[Q]]

Interesting premiere for Raw. Commentary team needs to work the kinks out as King found himself filling a lot of silence

Cool to see pyro back. Curious to see who they added pyro for and Alexa was not a surprise. Disappointed they didn't have pyro for AJ like before.

A bit of a shocking return for Lana

[Lean]

Commentary team needs to work the kinks out as King found himself filling a lot of silence

I agree. That's what JR and Mauro have in commentary, they just keep on talking.

I like that the pyro's back. Makes you get pumped at the start of the show. I like the graphics, too. Apart from that hideous logo.

EDIT: Meanwhile, here's AEW Dynamite's intro:

phpBB [video]

[Andrew]

The Maria/Mike angle was bad enough with Rusev thrown in, and the addition of Lashley/Lana makes it even worse. I know, I know, give everything a chance and all that, but it's a mean-spirited and dismal storyline. Everyone involved deserves better, and it's beyond bad soap opera writing.

[Lean]

Ciampa and Balor both return to NXT!

[Lean]

Interesting that yesterday's episode of NXT is still not on the Network. It's been over 24 hours now.

[Andrew]

AEW had the higher ratings, the first time that WWE hasn't won a head-to-head ratings war with a live show since October 26th, 1998. That being said, reviews of NXT were positive, and I think people are used to watching it on the Network rather than TV. It's a strong start for AEW though, but WWE is going all out with the Fox premiere of Smackdown.

[Lean]

I've read somewhere that WWE congratulated AEW for a successful debut, and Jericho saying that WWE was so embarrassed that they did that.

Competition is good, but I hate it when they throw petty shade at each other.

That being said, reviews of NXT were positive, and I think people are used to watching it on the Network rather than TV.

And I think that's one of the reasons why AEW had higher ratings. Though I do hope that this won't lead to NXT being delayed on the Network a whole month (like Raw and Smackdown).

[Andrew]

People are saying Jericho is working and he probably is, but I still think it looks childish. It's like the Seth Rollins stuff a few weeks back; people want WWE to take their knocks, but seem to think they shouldn't be allowed to respond. On a brighter note, I heard AEW has banned anti-WWE signs from TV. I think it's a good move; in the long run, that kind of pettiness makes you look second-rate. It appeals to the diehards, but I think it eventually works against you when you look like you're more anti-something else than pro-yourself. You're still in the shadow if you keep mentioning the other side.

[Lean]

On a brighter note, I heard AEW has banned anti-WWE signs from TV. I think it's a good move;

And that's great! I see people wearing NJPW and AEW shirts on WWE shows and they're not banned anymore (I supposed there were rumors before that they kick people out when they're wearing AEW shirts)

I still think it looks childish.

Yeah, I think so, too. I'd like them to let their product speak for themselves, and yeah they might be targeting the hardcore wrestling demographic and as much as we don't like the WWE main roster booking for the most part -- they are still the industry giant that'd take a lot of effort to be defeated. And of course, there's NXT which is my actual WWE alternative, as ridiculous as that may sound.

[Andrew]

Seriously? That's how they end Kofi's reign? Awful. Absolutely awful. Brock's booking has destroyed a generation of stars. Garbage.

On the bright side, at least Billie Kay got to meet her idol, the person who inspired her to become a wrestler.

[Lean]

Man, I kinda understand giving the belt to Brock because of the move to FOX, but they could have at least made it a competitive match to make it believable that Kofi would win it.

I love the new Smackdown set, though.

[Andrew]

I'm fed up with Brock as the champion, but I understand wanting to put the belt on him because of the move to Fox. However, the way they went about it buried Kofi, buried the rest of the roster, and frankly, devalued the championship itself. I'd have been sorry to see Kofi lose, but I could at least understand and tolerate it if it had been a competitive match. This honestly makes me not want to watch anymore, because it's so painfully apparent we're in for more of the same.

[Lean]

And with the Cain Velasquez situation, I think Kofi would not be involved in the title picture anytime soon.

[Lean]

Pyro returns on PPV, as well as a new set. Becky and Sasha opened the show, with Becky surprisingly retaining after a brutal match.

WWE Championship not on the line -- unsurprisingly.

[Lean]

Asuka and Kairi are heels now, I think.

[Lean]

Charlotte's champion again.

[Lean]

Rollins retain after the ref called for the bell, after Seth hit Wyatt with a sledgehammer. Crowd chants "bullshit" which is exactly what it was. During the match, only red lighting was on which makes things harder to see from outside the already red cell.

Wyatt brutalizing Seth after the bell I don't think doesn't make him look strong, when he could've recovered during the time Rollins was covering Wyatt's head with chairs and ladders.

All in all, the only good matches in my book were Becky vs Sasha, and Bryan/Reigns vs Harper/Rowan.

EDIT: Tried casting the PPV on Chromecast, and a new error came up: it says that it's "unable to cast live events at this time."

[Andrew]

When you consider the title change on Smackdown, and entering a PPV with only three matches officially announced, WWE have basically become WCW after they jumped the shark.

[Lean]

They pretty much put the focus on the debut on FOX and kinda booked an instant show come the PPV.

Becky vs Sasha was the best match albeit not the result I wanted to see.

[[Q]]

I really enjoyed the unique and creative spots in the first cell match, and it made it really memorable without needing to go to the top of the cell.
Really liked the ending to the tag match, as it was a big surprise. Not feeling the heel turn as Kairi is naturally a babyface. In hindsight, you could tell they were pushing the warriors a bit with the commentary
I liked how happy Orton was and seeing how much fun he was having in his match with Ali. RKO counter was awesome
They tried to be too edgy with the second cell match but to me it was one of the worst matches. I felt ripped off much like how I feel after many Brock Lesnar matches. How do you get disqualified in a no DQ match?? lmao
Of course Charlotte won again. you could see that coming when they kept making it a point that she would be a 10 time champion. Whoop tee doo, she's so good blah blah. I'm sick of her. R Truth is way better than her. He's like a 20+ time champion! Hes' better than Ric Flair for sure
Would have made sense for Becky to drop the title to go to Smackdown, but that would have required Seth to lose and move as well. Perhaps they're saving that for Monday and then they'll jump on Friday. I could see Bayley rejoining Sasha on Raw with the other two on Smackdown

[Andrew]

I don't mind that Becky retained. Sasha is the heel after all, the culmination of the story doesn't need to be her winning the title. I think she should get the belt again and have a proper reign, but I'm fine with the result for now. Definitely Match of the Night with some great spots.

They did the DQ/No Contest finish in HIAC last year as well. As ridiculous now as it was then.

If it's not The IIconics with the belts, then I don't care. Alright, alright, in all seriousness I'm glad the Kabuki Warriors are getting a run, as it's definitely due. The heel turn is interesting, but arguably necessary to give them an edge. Asuka has been booked terribly since Charlotte ended her streak, with even her run with the women's title on Smackdown being treated as an afterthought and sacrificed for the main event of WM35. Kairi has fallen victim to the usual fate of most NXT call-ups, so it's nice for her as well.

For some reason, Charlotte winning doesn't bother me that much. She is a top name and one of the best in the division after all. I think I've made my peace with the idea that they're padding her title reigns and I expected it to happen. After the Kofi fiasco, anything that's a competitive match feels welcome, even if the result is questionable. That's how low the bar is.

[Lean]

I agree with Eric regarding Kairi. She's just naturally a face and you can see that she couldn't stop smiling after the final bell rang. Although I kinda wished that they didn't go that route with the mist. Heels can win cleanly too, you know.

Interesting to see how Seth gets received on Raw. I think he's chocked out too many finishers yesterday that it's over the Roman Reigns threshold.