First off, congrats to the NXT team on putting together a fantastic program. Nice to see Samoa Joe and Finn Balor win the first Dusty Rhodes Memorial Tag Team Tournament. Very much a throwback to the Jim Crockett Memorial Cup. I saw some complaints online than an “established” team did not win, but if you look at the history, it was not always the case. Joe and Balor make a great team and shows the Memorial was serious and well-planned. Even having Cody and Dustin, non-gimmicked address the crowd was a nice, and “real” touch to it.
The build to Hell in the Cell continues on, but I have felt something has been lacking, and I can’t put my finger on it.
I am excited about New Day vs. The Dudleys, because the pairs have shown they can put on some very exciting matches, and The New Day has quickly gone from future endeavored to must-see. With the card as it stands right now, might be the show stealer.
Kevin Owens needs more air time. More KO. That should be a chant at events. MORE KO! I like it. Ryback, for his worth, was a good mid-tier champion. WWE is trying to elevate the mid-tier championships as the WWE Championship seems to once again be a title defended on few occasions, much different than in the 90’s where there were title matches on a near-weekly basis.
This is a good thing. WWE is going back to old school tactics which worked prior to the Attitude Era. The major title defended at major events, and the mid-tier championships would serve in main event situations or be highlighted with stipulations. Ryback held the title, and held it proudly I am sure. He gets the crowd pumped, and despite a limited moveset, he can carry a long match. Kevin Owens can do all that, but better, and he is the bad guy. We love a bad guy who is also a jerk. We love bad guys like him. We love ‘em more when they hold titles. Makes it more exciting.
Intriguing is the word when I think of Kane vs. Seth Rollins, WWE Championship on the line. Interesting stipulation, should “Demon Kane” fail to win the championship, then “Corporate Kane” will be fired. I feel like I am playing No Mercy for the N64 where characters have different identities. Could Kane get one last run? I highly doubt it, but as always, you just cannot ever be 100% sure. He could win the belt at Hell in the Cell, then drop it the next night or simply relinquish it. The question here, is why is this match NOT in the Hell in the Cell, and instead we have Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns? The event is called Hell in the Cell, you can have more than two matches with the gimmick, or is there some rule which says no? Rollins and Kane for the title would benefit from being in the cell. I can see why Reigns and Wyatt have their match in the cell, it has been a long feud with some twists and turns. I am sure Dean Ambrose will be there, the fact he does not have a match bugs me though. I would have really liked to see some sort of Shield version 2 vs. Wyatt Family version 2. I’ll take Braun Strowman over Erick Rowan any day.
Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella will be touted as the match to prove if Charlotte and the NXT women can “hang” with the main roster Divas. We know the answer, real question is whether WWE has the same confidence?
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker. I had to turn to the dirtsheets on this one. Seems Undertaker is healthier than he has been in past years, but does not mean he still won’t collapse after a match with a guy 30 years younger and in better condition. This match means one thing. There will be blood.
Moving onto other promotions, Global Force Wrestling showed some clips from their tapings, promising to be more “personal” than other wrestling promotions.
*Slams brakes*
Is this not what TNA/Impact did a few years ago, the whole “wrestling is personal to me” thing because yeah-that’s-totally-not-scripted-anyway-so-let’s-pretend-to-be-personally-fighting-for-a-scripted-fictional-championship-which-is-won-in-predetermined-did-I-mention-scripted-matches?
Please don’t do that GFW. Instead, please do the, “hey, we are wrestlers, this is our livelihood, and this is why we do what we do.” Because THAT is real. Showing people who either performed around the world, in WWE, or other promotions and show their actual struggle to make it in the business is what is REAL.
I really want GFW to succeed. I really do. But don’t start out of the gate with four flat tires.
Speaking of rolling flat, I am not sure what TNA is doing right now. I’m just confused. This is not a knock, but more of a complaint that even I can’t follow their storylines.
Later Villains.
