Survivor Series Fall Out - RAW 11/21 & SD LIVE 11/22

Survivor Series Fall Out

Thanksgiving can really mess up one’s week, can’t it? Mine only gets more hectic. With my ‘real work,’ work during Thanksgiving week skyrockets. I watched RAW on time, but only finished SD LIVE last night (Sunday).

That is why I am posting my commentary as a double bill Survivor Series Fallout.
There wasn’t much in the way of Fall Out to be truthful. The stories coming out of Survivor Series are basically the same ones going in. Seth Rollins hunting for the Universal Title, Dean Ambrose hunting for the World Title, Ellsworth doing whatever and Goldberg . . . sigh.

RAW COMMENTARY

Well, last week I wrote that I could write it is RAW!!! And write about how good the show was. This week, we went back to Really Average Wrestling. That is what last week’s show was, really average. We started out in 1998 with Goldberg and slowly made our way to 2016.

The last hour saved it from being a disaster of a show. The triple threat cruiserweight match was excellent. The main event stole the show, almost. Rollins and KO tore the house down in a No DQ match, with Jericho banned from ringside.

KO would win the match after Jericho interfered coming through the fans wearing a Luchador mask. This lead to a KO powerbomb and win. Seth once again failed, and the Best Friends reigned supreme.

They take away from this RAW were:

• Rich Swan will now face Kendrick for the Title on Tuesday, 11/29 on 205 Live, after winning the triple threat match.

Tonight’s RAW 11/28 will feature TWO Title Matches.

• The first will be New Day versus Gallows and Anderson (Same story heading into Survivor Series).
• The second will feature Charlotte versus Sasha Banks (Same story before Survivor Series)
• The final takeaway (and the least) is Goldberg’s announcement that he will be in the Royal Rumble. Apparently Goldberg now has a longer TV and PPV deal with the WWE. Goodie.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Oh Good. Goldberg is sticking around. This is perfect for moving forward, creating new talent and giving opportunities to people that haven’t had any. Yeah NEW Era!

RATING: 4

SD LIVE 

Smackdown was better than RAW, but not by much. It might be the weakest SD Live since the split.

It followed a similar path that RAW did in the fact that nothing new coming out of Survivor Series happened. Except for Tag Team Turmoil, nothing storyline wise changed.

Okay, one big take away, Ellesworth now has a WWE Contract! Yes, he won it (and a future title shot) by beating AJ in a ladder match in the main event in which Dean Ambrose interfered. (That never happened before (third time)).
Baron Corbin and Kalisto continued their feud when Kalisto attacked Corbin during a match (same as before Survivor Series).

Dolph and Miz will battle once more at the upcoming TLC for the IC title (same as before Survivor Series).

Redundant, isn’t it?

Tag Team Turmoil was the high point, with American Alpha earning a title shot against Beauty and the Man Beast at TLC. At least that is good.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
RAW Like.

RATING: 5

Survivor Series 2016

I’m going to get straight down to it.

Survivor Series was not good.

Yes, there were some good moments, but overall it was not good. Barely Average at best.

I’ve heard people say this show was unpredictable . . . really? Only if you have never watched a wrestling show before.



The woman’s match was sloppy, Baron Corbin’s interference in the cruiserweight match ruined a great match (even if it made storyline sense), and Goldberg versus Lesnar is officially the worse major PPV Main event of all time. Oh, and who didn’t see Mayrse cheating to help The Miz retain?

The Tag Team Survivor Series match, Miz versus Sami Zayn and the RAW v SD Live Men’s Survivor Series match are the only things worth watching on this show. Even then, the Men’s match had too many things going on. Dean Ambrose breaking down and attacking AJ Styles twice, (even after being eliminated) and working with Rollings and Reigns, Luke Harper’s interference to make sure Wyatt and Orton won.

Then there is the main event, or as former Wrestlementary writer Chris Rose called it “Dog Shit.”

Dog Shit is the nicest thing that main event can be called. All the build up to a 2:21 squash match. Spear. Spear. Jackhammer. Goldberg wins.

All the WWE did was spit on all the fans and their own roster. This is Worst for Business. No one on the roster can beat Brock Lesnar, Orton and Cena are squashed by him. But a 50 year old, hasn’t performed in 12 years, injured Goldberg can walk through him.

This match made the entire roster look weak and bad. It make Lesnar look pathetic. Goldberg even admitted in an interview last week that his body is telling him not to do this. Well, he should have listened.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I was so pissed last night, I considering quitting watching the WWE. I’ve calmed down now. I want to see how RAW can salvage this shit.

RATING: 4

GLITTER and SLAM Vol. 3

In this edition of Glitter And Slam we're going to look at the lost art of the non-finish, and how the women's rosters of Raw and Smackdown Live have been set up for the first-ever women's Survivor's Series match.

(A burning desire to get the crowds excited has resulted in Lynch becoming the best true baby face in the women's division-- and Bliss attaining new heights as the sociopathic rival. Source: WWE.com)

On the November 8 edition of Smackdown Live, Lynch vs. Bliss was considered the main event, and booking showed serious resources behind building them up. The Lass kicker continued to build up--even after medical issues kept her out of No Mercy--as a happy-go-lucky fighting champion. Instead of making Bliss take the cowardly route, she demonstrated no shame in mixing it up and wanting to hurt the champ physically and mentally before ultimate victory. That's why the very end of their match is a head scratcher.

(A flavorless finish dampened what was otherwise a solid bout that was Bliss' best in-ring work to date. Source: WWE.com)

Bliss tapped out to the Disarmer but her foot was on the rope. For over 20 years WWE has trended toward making sure nearly every big match has a definitive finish, whether clean or not. It's obvious that they are looking forward to Lynch/Bliss #3 at TLC, and the prospect of them making the most of the show's namesake props. Booking this match with a weird ending was actually a good idea, but they took the lazy route. A non-finish, whether by double count-out or disqualification, when done correctly can floor an audience.

(A violent double-count-out or DQ would have best served the smash mouth story between champ and challenger. Source: WWE.com)

Lynch and Bliss could have thrown down outside the ring, oblivious to the ref's count. Bliss could have gained the upper hand and loomed over the downtrodden champ, furious that the prize eluded her, but secure in her knowledge she demonstrated superiority. Another good non-finish could have involved Bliss snapping and grabbing a kendo stick, chair or other foreign object from under the ring and her standing tall after a vulgar display of power, leading to a DQ.

You'll notice either alternative involves the heel showing dominance. Having Bliss get screwed by poor officiating isn't a good way to facilitate a wrestler building negative heat. Bliss has become the top female heel on Smackdown, but she is still building her legacy. This hardly means the feud can't be repaired or that post-Survivor Series we won't get a good build, but the current booking route doesn't help either woman cement their standing. Time will tell if WWE is willing to think outside its own box as they did with the women's Hell in a Cell match. In light of this speed bump, we have seen that Team Blue has showcased all their women better than Raw to this point.

(Naomi isn't even booked in a feud, but she gets frequent opportunities to show her appeal and athleticism. Source:WWE.com)

If you didn't see it before, it's obvious after this week in WWE television that every woman on Smackdown Live has been given a chance to shine in some way. Natalya lost a match to Nikki Bella for the captaincy of Team Smackdown Live, but even she has been shoehorned in to get some face time.
The team coach angle is rather silly but Natalya has gotten a solid rub making visible friends with Carmella, plus she's gotten the opportunity to wrestle solid matches most of the year.

The Staten Island Princess has been locked into a somewhat pointless feud at this point with Nikki Bella. Beyond the storyline, WWE wants to keep Bella, a reality show star, on TV as much as possible. They smartly took the opportunity to give a rub to new talent as well with this rivalry--even if it is meandering.

(WWE is making sure they leech as much off Nikki Bella's aura as possible--but not at the expense of new talents in need of guidance such as Carmella. Source: WWE.com)

Finally, the best example Smackdown Live has in keeping all the women as interesting as time will allow is Naomi. She has no feud and is pretty much just Happy Girl in Neon, but showcasing her as the brand's resident airborne talent plants a crucial seed with the audience. Every time the black lights come on and Naomi dances to the ring, WWE wants you to know you're about to see something cool. The only woman out of the loop right now is Eva Marie, who recently finished filming the movie "Inconceivable" after serving a 30-day wellness violation suspension. Even she will come back to a solid booking niche that may make the most out of her heat and negligible ring skills.

(It was more evident even in the brief scuffle, that all six women on Smackdown have been given crucial face time, while Raw is the Queen/Boss show. Source: WWE.com)

On the Raw side, you have the top female face in Sasha Banks and the top heel in Charlotte. As mentioned in my previous article reviewing Hell in a Cell, the booking options are slim, in part due to injury, but also in tunnel vision booking.

Emma is poised to return soon with a makeover, possibly as another baby face. Bayley's path to ascension is clear but cashing in on her headband sales with championship gold should wait until WrestleMania season. After Survivor Series, Sasha Banks has a rematch and, should it happen, it will be the fifth straight title match involving her and Charlotte. Dana Brooke is still the female Virgil, and too green to break away from the champion's side. Brooke at least has benefitted from the creative team making the most of her strengths while hiding her weaknesses.

Nia Jax is simply the Large Angry Woman. Jax has made strides in the ring, but she's not at a point she can take maximum advantage of her size and strength. The only thing she's done is beat on the most neglected woman on Team Red, Alicia Fox.

(Whether Lynch retains or not, Smackdown Live is laying a more solid foundation for future title feuds than their Monday night counterparts. Source: WWE Network)

Fox can go, there is no doubt about that. She has always been a bit of a sidekick, siding with the Bellas during the initial Divas Revolution, and then in Team B.A.D. Now, there has been little effort in showcasing her until the recent Survivor Series buildup.

This doesn't mean the development of the Team Blue ladies has been perfect. There's no good reason for Nikki Bella to be team captain instead of the champ Lynch. Natalya's quoting one hit wonders and corny whistle thing doesn't stack up as her finest hour.

I already mentioned the flat finish to the November 8 title match and the lack of foresight in perpetuating Nikki Bella's feud with Carmella. Even in light of this we were treated to six already-distinct personalities on Talking Smack after the show. WWE wants you to get to know these women better.

This opens the door for more engaging title and personal feuds going forward.

In the next installment of Glitter and Slam I will look at what TLC has in store as well as how Raw will proceed around injuries and booking pitfalls after Survivor Series.

Oh, and follow me on Twitter! @WesKozalla #GlitterandSlam #Wrestlementary

SD LIVE’S! 900th EPISODE AND SURVIVOR SERIES GO HOME SHOW

SD LIVE’S! 900th EPISODE AND SURVIVOR SERIES GO HOME SHOW

Smackdown aired their 900th Episode Tuesday, which also served at the brand’s Survivor Series Go Home Show. It was a very good edition of SD LIVE, better than the last two weeks. However, for the 900th episode celebration, I felt it fell a little flat at the end.

Here’s the deal, the energy was through the roof, the matches were good, the set up for Survivor Series really good.

We started the show HOT with a major moment changed the scope of one match at Survivor Series. That is, IF the Miz decides to honor Ziggler’s open challenge and face Sami Zayn and not find some way out. Yes, the Miz is the new IC Champion.


The best part of the show was the Nikki Bella versus Carmella match, which exploded when Charlotte showed up in the stands. Team RAW invaded (after Nikki attacked Charlotte) and Team Smackdown responded, united and rebuked Team RAW.

Carmella even saved Nikki from a beat down!

It’s Edge! Time for the Undertaker on the Cutting Edge! With the Survivor Series team.

This is where it fell flat for me. Edge did next to nothing, and all the Undertaker did was cut a promo. They should have split this up, rather than have both on the same segment. Edge was overshadowed.

Unless Undertaker was announced for the SD Team, no go. He put over Shane, then told the team they better win. Why? Because if they lose they’ll pay dearly . . . to the Dead Man.

Yes, the big takeaway from Smackdown Live is that the Undertaker is back ‘digging holes and taken souls.’

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Good Show. Solid Go Home broadcast. Nice celebration with three major moments. Still, fell a little flat, Edge was barely used.

RATING: 7.5

MONDAY NIGHT RAW - SURVIVOR SERIES GO HOME SHOW

Finally I can write it like this MONDAY NIGHT RAW!!!

That is how it should be referred to: capital letters, bold, and exciting. Except for the last few months it’s been this: monday night really average wrestling.

But this past Monday it returned to MONDAY NIGHT RAW!!! This was the best RAW of the year, the best RAW since the Brand Split and the Best Go Home Show.

In truth, this was Go Home Show part 2, as it continued from last week.

Last week all the teams were split apart and forced to face each other, this week they were paired up and proved they can work together.







The Big Items to take away this week:

• SURVIVIOR SERIES is being made a big deal by the WWE, and it should be. This event is one of the big Four, original PPVs. It should be a big deal.

• Dolph Ziggler is putting up the IC Title. RAW is putting up the entire Cruiserweight Division? Kendrick versus Kalisto isn’t just for Kendrick’s title, if Kalitso wins, the Cruiserweights cruise onto SD Live, hasta la vista RAW!

• Lesnar versus Goldberg is the odd match out and should not be on the card.
  
  
  
  Every other match on this card has meaning to it, and all are RAW versus SD Live. Except this. This match should have been held off to the Rumble, or even WrestleMania. It can’t be though, ‘Fantasy Warfare,’ remember? This match has nothing to do with a rematch, it’s all about selling WWE2K17.

The only low point for me on RAW was the Lesnar/Goldberg face off. It did nothing. It didn’t add to the intrigue, it didn’t make one want to see the match. It was Heyman being Heyman, Goldberg interrupting and threatening him and Brock looking uninterested. Yawn.

The Main Event segment worked wonders. Initially Steph and Foley staring down Shane and Bryan, and evolved into both teams going at it and showing unity!








FINAL THOUGHTS:
SURVIVOR SERIES MAY ACTUALLY MEAN SOMETHING!

RATING: 8

SD LIVE - 11-8

The massive push for Survivor Series that started on RAW, continued on SD LIVE.
Fortunately SD LIVE this week was better than RAW, and better than last week’s SD LIVE.

There are really two big points to take away from this show:

• No one seems to give a damn about Smackdown’s Tag Team Survivor Series Team – There’s no story here at all as Breezango qualified as the last team for Survivor Series.

• Baron Corbin is out! Shane McMahon is in?!?!?

Okay. Baron walked out on AJ in the opening segment, then refused to be in the match Shane set up. Therefore he was put into a match with the returning Kalisto. A bad slip, dropkick to the knee and the Lone Wolf becomes the Lone Man Out.

Bryan’s job is to choose his replacement, so to end the show he asked “Shane McMahon, will you be the fifth member of our team.” This is freaking stupid. It smacks of an EGO on some ones part. It also leans toward the thought that the WWE have no faith in anyone else on the roster.

This is moving forward and giving new people opportunity?


Over all Smackdown was a decent show with some good matches. Breezango versus The Vaudevillians was very short, but excellent in how it was laid out. It showed both teams took this very seriously, it meant something to them.

Bliss come up short in her long awaited match, and the women’s team is in worse shambles then their RAW counterparts.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Again, better but not up to the usual SD LIVE standards. Shane McMahon in the match drags this down.

RATING: 6

RAW 300 - 11/7/2016

Welcome to Really Average Wrestling . . . I mean Monday Night RAW.

The things to take away from this broadcast are:

• They are really making a big push for Survivor Series.

• Rusev is now a jobber.

Last week he was fodder for Goldberg. This week he lost to Sami Zayn (rather easily). Now Zayn will challenge Dolph Ziggler for the IC Title at survivor Series.

• R-Truth is an idiot.

Golden Truth is not on the Survivor Series team because of R-Truth. Truth traded away their spot to Primo and Epico for a time share. Later, Golden Truth lost a match to get the spot back.

• The Tag Team Survivor Series Team may be the most stable of ALL of RAW’s team.

• Bayley is the next major contender for the Woman’s title.

The woman’s team is not getting along. Charlotte’s still calls Bayley the weak link. Only problem is, Bayley pinned Charlotte in a tag match.

• Goldberg v Lesnar is such a big deal, neither guy could be on RAW.

Video Packages. Video Packages! Yeah, RAW Production team!

This whole show had one thing going for it: Focus.

It was a focused RAW with reasons for everything that happened, which is more than can be said for the previous months. That focus was squarely on Survivor Series. This actually felt like a Go Home edition of RAW, but that is next week.

That is the really good news. The bad news that it was still an average edition of RAW.

The Highlight of the Night was the RAW debut of Noam Dar. What a feeling it had to be for this young man, debuting in his home country, in his home town and to a massive ovation – easily the biggest of the night. Yes his team lost the match, but he one-upped his tag partner Kendrick (who was pinned).

Our main event saw all five members of RAW’s Survivor Series team face-off in a fatal five way (Stroman, Reigns, Rollins, KO, Jericho) which ended with KO the winner when he ‘accidentally’ fell of Jericho for the pin.

A sort of lackluster ending to the main event, basically designed to build the coming KO/Jericho split.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
‘Can’t we all just get along?’

Or maybe just have an original thought? I mean the story for all three survivor teams is the same. No one can get along, and they are all fighting each other in matches two weeks from Survivor Series. Just lame.

RATING: 5

Lucha Unleashed: Dire Consequences

Lucha Unleashed: Dire Consequences

On Thursday I posted a brief piece on the Lucha Unleashed promotion based in Glendale, AZ. That piece was timed to go with this past Saturday’ Lucha Unleased event: DIRE CONSEQUENCES

I want to mention two things up front:

• I wrote that there are not as many hard hitting matches at Lucha as there are at AWF. On this night there were two major hard hitting matches.

• The second thing is, this was the BEST show that Lucha Unleashed has put on in its short history. Seriously, there was not a bad match on the card. Seven matches, all good or better and everyone delivered in what they needed to do.

• Dirty Doug versus EJ Sparks

This was our opening match. EJ Sparks is a highly athletic high flyer who can wrestle and fly equally well, with an entertaining in-ring persona. His style is similar to Rich Swan, Kofi Kingston, but with more Spark.

Dirty Doug, well the less said, or experienced, about Dirty is better. Let’s say his name and gimmick has little to do with dirty tactics. Think Pig Pen.

This was a true clash of styles, the athletic ability of EJ versus the brawling of Dirty. Dirty was very Anderson like, working over EJ’s left arm for most of the match. This was a good, hot opening match with lots of action and near falls. In the end, Dirty was a little too Dirty and gained the pin.

• Jax versus Lawrence Tyler (LT)

I now know who Jax is, and I mean no disrespect by that. Jax is normally part of a tag team – Mason and Jax. They have always been announced as Mason and Jax and I was really never sure which one was which. This is the first time I have seen him in a singles match.

LT is one bad ass bruiser who can go in the ring. Jax hung in there with him, pounding away on LT as much as LT did on Jax. This was a solid, massive hard hitting, slobber knocker of a fight. That ended when Lt brought a wrestling hold (a roll up) to a fight.

• Jace Battle versus Greg Romero 

Jace Battle is becoming an AZ Stalwart. Greg Romero was making his Lucha debut. Romero was rocking some sorta, cowboy boots, chaps wearing leather biker, greaser gimmick. I think. Jace is the ‘Grand Father of Strong Style’ and has a Kung Fu Fighting inspired style.

Romero is a bruiser who dominated most of the match. Battle made numerous comeback with kicks, strikes and some spectacular high flying movies for his build. Even though Romero dominated, he never quiet seemed to get going against Jace, whose fighting spirit won out the day.

• Debuting JC Watson versus R3

JC Watson come to the ring with some epic music, received some cheers, grabbed the mic and showed some skills. At which point, he lost the cheers and generated a lot . . . cold (con) fusion. He claimed to be the rookie of the year, the greatest in the world, the hottest thing to ever come out of the AWF Academy. Those cheering for him were stealing his moment (whatever that was).

He rambled on about living the dream in-ring night in and night out, while we were at home, on our couches eating Lays potato chips. He motioned to me. I was eating a small bag of Lays original flavor at the time. I stood up, held the bag up like a title belt and started a small Lays chant.

Then music hit . . . it was R3 to the rescue! This was this shortest match of the night, but still decent. JC got in some good offense, and even had R3 off his feet a couple of times. But the Monster that is R3 overcame, hit Fatality, and doused the fire of the Hottest Wrestler going.

On a side note, I know this was JC Watson’s Lucha debut, but I don’t know anything else about the man. I know he hasn’t wrestles for the AWF (at least as JC Watson). I don’t know if he has wrestled anywhere else or if this was his pro debut.

During intermission, Dave and I talked to the ‘King of AZ’ Chris Evans and Johnny Saovi (pronounced Suave). Both are cools guys, great in ring and always fun to talk to. I told Johnny that he should squash Sanchise in their match. I said he should just low blow Sanchise when the ref isn’t looking, hit a DDT and pin him . . .

That match was up next.

• Daniel Sanchise versus Johnny Saovi

What a freaking awesome match this was. I have never been a big Sanchise guy, but he has some great moves and a lot of skill. Saovi is awesome, and it’s hard to boo him even though he’s the heel.

Defying Gravity is the best way to define and describe this match. Spectacular moves and escapes, exciting and fast paced, multiple near pins. This was a near text book perfect cruiserweight match.

Then, with the ref slightly distracted, Saovi hit a back kick low blow, a Michnoki Type Drive and put Sanchise down for the three.

Yes, Saovi won the match in almost the exact way I said during intermission! Freaking Awesome.

• Midnight Marvels versus Veterano IV/Thugnificent

The Midnight Marvels are two young, masked mysterious Marvels called Damien Drake and Spyder Warrior (true). Tonight they faced Veterano IV and Thugnificent, who were out for revenge after last month’s show.

Veterano IV and Thugnificent brought the punishment and tried to ground and pound the masked duo. The Marvels flew through the air with ease and skill. In the end the would-be super-heroes proved too much and vanquished the villainous team.

I have never been a big fan of the obvious fan boy gimmick of the Midnight Marvels, but this match was their coming out party. This is the best I have seen them, and they have an excellent dropkick into a crucifix pin finisher.

Time for our Main Event, The Lucha Unleashed Championship on the line –

• Chris Evans (c) versus Owen Travers

‘Now this IS a wrestling match,’ said one of the girls who always sit next to Dave and I. That is the best description that can be applied to this match.

While there were some spectacular highflying moves, this stayed mostly a hard hitting, ground game wrestling match. It ran the gambit of emotions, passion and desire. The harder Travers hit Evans, Evans hit back harder.

Neither man gave an inch. One stiff kick, was returned with another. A hard chop, returned with a hard punch. Nothing either man did kept the other down for three. Evans fought to retain his title. Owens wanted, maybe needed, the title.

Despite Chris’s wishes, Lucha Unleashed General Manager June Jackson came out to ring side, following him. On more than one occasion, she slide a chair into the ring – for Chris. Chris refused every time to use it.

Due to Jackson’s distraction the ref got knocked out, Chris had the match won and Jackson looked on dumbfounded at what she did. Eventually the ref stirred. Jackson slide the chair back into the ring. Chris refused it, argued with Jackson . . .

No, Travers! No! Travers wrestled with his own conscience, but as Chris turned around, he made his choice. Chair Shot. Three Count. Damn June Jackson!

WINNER AND NEW CHAMP: OWEN TRAVERS!!!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

BEST LUCHA UNLEASHED SHOW EVER.

If you disagree I’ll have Chris Evan hit you – hard!

RATING: 7.5

GLITTER & SLAM #2 - Back From HELL.

In this edition of Glitter and Slam we're going to reflect on Charlotte's and Sasha Banks' groundbreaking Hell in a Cell match and touch on the future implications.

This match was like a flawed, but favorite movie one has on the Blu–ray shelf. There may be a couple nagging plot holes, some visual flubs or special effects shots here and there that didn't quite work. Perhaps there were some narrative bumps in the road, but the action was compelling, the casting right on and the characters resonated with the viewer. The ending may have been unconventional, abrupt and not the happy resolution the audience was looking for. Despite of that, the tale sticks in the mind after the ending credits roll. That was Charlotte's victory over Sasha Banks in Hell in a Cell.

(Source: WWE.com)

In my preview I cited the lack of a compelling personal grudge to warrant Sasha's need for their rematch to go down in WWE's most violent structure. The fodder was there, but creative didn't run with it enough. The competitors made up for lost time, however as the cage lowered. Hype and pressure grew exponentially throughout the week. Not only were they the first women ever in the Devil's Playground, they also were the first women to headline a WWE main roster pay-per-view. After the traditional pomp and circumstance of their entrances, the look in their eyes as the cell lowered around them set the tone. It finally hit Sasha Banks and Charlotte what they got into. Then the challenger attacked and Sasha hit the floor before the steel links from above did.

(Source: WWE.com)

They scored points for the pre–match tussle, going into the crowd slugging out with anger worthy of the match. The back-and-forth culminated in Charlotte power bombing The Boss into the announce table the champ set up herself for dishing out some pain.

(Did Sasha leap to her feet compelled to retain her title, or was it the realization she was about to leave with the worst EMT's in the history of the profession? Source: WWE.com)

The clever beginning was almost derailed when the fake EMT's somehow managed to get cables enmeshed in a hard collar around Sasha's neck. They were already treading a thin line with putting Sasha on the stretcher, emulating Mick Foley's condition after his infamous tumble from the Cell roof in 1998.

Luckily a knack for the details from Sasha, who got up at the last second before forfeiting her title due to injury, made the crowd and most viewers forget this god-awful flub as she painfully got into the ring, radiating a win-or-die attitude and the match finally began.

(Sasha Banks let the people see her agony--and her will to win as Charlotte relentlessly brought the pain. Source: WWE.com)

They used the cage, the ring posts, chairs. For every bit of fight Sasha had, Charlotte countered. Reminiscent of the Nature Boy, Charlotte shifted gears from cowardice begging for the cage to be unlocked to her trademark sadism, mercilessly attacking Sasha's lower back, twisting her around a ring post. Yet the champion valiantly fought back. Both showed no fear in using the chain link walls.

Occasionally the bumps appeared mistimed, but both sold the other's offense well. Sasha in particular got the crowd deeper into the palm of her hand, snapping like a ragdoll and arching in pain as Charlotte's explosive attacks continued. Also, in recent memory, I can't recall two wrestlers getting so much mileage out of one steel chair. The dents in it after Sasha came down on her back yet again lent the required amount of seriousness to the proceedings. Then The Boss was able to fight out of a figure eight leg lock folding the chair up and hitting Charlotte with it, before the tables came out.

(If that chair could talk, it would have said "dear god make it stop!" Source: WWE.com)

At the start, the announce table that Sasha was power bombed through from the cage wall seemed to collapse as most do in WWE's high spots outside the ring. The other two didn't break, although Charlotte sold her agony well enough getting dumped on one outside the ring. Had the attention to the little details and storytelling been not up to par this could have been highly embarrassing, but this kept the match from being as great as other contests either woman had in the past.

(Yep. Same chair. Source: WWE.com)

This is a mistake WWE will have to learn from as they didn't take into account, apparently, that these women don't weigh that much compared to their male counterparts. Taking into account that listed weights online are mostly bullshit, Charlotte probably weighs as much as some of the smallest cruiserweight men and it’s unlikely Sasha tips the scale much beyond 130 pounds. Either the wrestlers need to make sure the bumps into the tables are airborne high spots or the props themselves need to be prepared with their bodies in mind to begin with.

(Charlotte's eyes gave the impression she knew it was then or maybe never, getting the opportunistic victory. Source: WWE Network)

In the end, after The Boss's back couldn't take lifting Charlotte for a power bomb, The Queen seized the opportunity and stunned the crowd, earning her third crown hitting Natural Selection for the win. This was a bold move for WWE booking, as they have tended to go for happy, if predictable baby face resolutions to close story arcs much of this decade in World Title matches – especially in a superstar's listed hometown.

Speculation comes to mind about how much Vince McMahon trusts Sasha's back, or if the safe choice of the Flair name was the reason. If one looks a little deeper, this coda took a page from a great past rivalry.

(Ricky Steamboat took the NWA world title from Ric Flair to kick off a trilogy of matches that many--including this author--consider the best of all time. Source: Pro Wrestling Illustrated)

With the exception of the title change at Summerslam, their feud's arc mirrors that of Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat in 1989. Steamboat won the title, fought off the Nature Boy in a rematch, before losing to Flair in the last bout. This trilogy has always been considered must watch viewing for the expert storytelling, technical wrestling, personal heat, and the relentless will to win from both men. Charlotte and Sasha aren't up to this level of expertise yet, as they haven't been wrestling each other for over a decade like Steamboat and Flair had when their feud played out.

The chemistry is there and in time it is not unreasonable to expect timing and skill will catch up to their ability to spin the compelling narrative. In the end, like Ricky Steamboat, Sasha Banks was elevated to a whole new level even in defeat, and Charlotte's legacy as the grand supervillain champion continues to build. From here, as always, more challenges await the Cell's participants as well as WWE’s booking and the rest of the women's division.

(An uncharacteristic downer by WWE standards, Charlotte holding the title may be the best option for the foreseeable future. Source: WWE.com)

Since the brand split Raw has a dearth of solid heels for Sasha to go against. Paige is out after another wellness policy violation and neck surgery. Nia Jax is still exceedingly green and given the skittishness the company has over Sasha's back ailments, one wonders how safe a feud between the monster heel and Raw's top baby face could be.

Summer Rae is sidelined with back and elbow injuries and Tamina is still recovering from knee surgery.

Emma is healthy again, but her comeback appears to be a baby face run. That leaves Alicia Fox, who has not been seen, let alone built up, on Monday nights.

Dana Brooke is relevant as Charlotte's answer to Ted DiBiase's bodyguard Virgil and was brought up to the main roster before she could develop the skills to meet the bar set in WWE's women's division. She isn't ready for a major feud with Sasha, or a title shot, yet and may not be for a long time to come.

Bayley remains as the only other baby face option – and poised to become a mega–baby face – she's the alternative to Sasha down the line for a feud with the heel champion Charlotte. In fact, taking the long view, having Bayley as the one to finally bring down the sadistic Queen at WrestleMania may be the smart business move.

Reaching one summit almost always brings new challenges and they are indeed there for a thin women's roster on Raw with injuries and underdevelopment for some, but Hell in a Cell accomplished its mission. The women prove they belong there, that they can main event a smaller pay-per-view on occasion and sometimes there can be real beauty in violence.

(It is a tough way to go out for The Boss, but due to a thin roster, challengers for Raw's beloved baby face would probably make for lackluster feuds leading into WrestleMania.  Source: WWE.com)

Next time, Glitter and Slam will take a look at Survivor Series and how some of the roster issues in the wake of Hell in a Cell for both brands will affect the first ever women's Survivor Series match between Teams Raw and Smackdown Live.

SD LIVE 200 - 111/2016

Ever since the BRAND SPLIT I have been preaching the Goodness that is Smackdown LIVE.

However, this past Tuesday it seems that USA Network ran a rerun of an Episode of RAW I have never seen in the Smackdown timeslot.

The Spirit Squad? The Head Bangers? WTF? Why? Retro night?

Are the Spirit Squad actually signed to contracts?

Bad enough they were both on SD LIVE, but both teams were fighting for a chance to be on the Smackdown Survivor Series Team? Does anyone believe that? Does anyone believe they stood a chance? What a waste.

Alexa Bliss actually looked good, getting a pin on Becky in a tag team match. Next week it is finally their one-on-one Title Match, I expect Becky to win.

There were two big stories coming out of SD LIVE, and neither of them were about the Survivor Series Team.

Yes, Miz TV was a nice bit, with Daniel Bryan and Miz going at it again. Bryan announced the team of Baron Corbin, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles. Good Team.

No, the big stories were this:

Randy Orton has joined the Wyatt Family? Why? Is this an attempt to finally legitimize the Wyatt Family? Or, more likely, mind games by Randy in this feud? Either way, Randy looked terrible against Kane in their match. He looked slow, awkward and uninterested. I wonder what was up, or is this style his gimmick with the Wyatts?

The second big story was Dean Ambrose getting another shot at AJ Styles, and this time succeeding. He pinned AJ – with distraction help from Ellsworth – and received another title shot. However, Ellsworth was banned from ringside by Bryan, so will there be fallout from this?

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall this was the weakest episode of SD LIVE since the Brand Split. It was RAW worthy.

RATING: 5.5

AWF Presents . . . The Elimination

I didn’t write a commentary on last month’s show. I just didn’t make the time. On that show there were two major angles that lead into The Elimination:

• The First was then AWF AZ State Champion Alexander Hammerstone hitting AWF Owner Jared with a chair. This forced a suspension and Hammerstone was stripped of the State Title.

• Next perennial favorite R3 won the four-way main event to claim the AWF World Title.

That was a decent show but, even with these two massive events, lagged behind Summer Explosion.

This past event (10/22/2016), The Elimination, was a much better show, almost on par with Summer Explosion.

The Elimination saw all three AWF Titles on the line, a number #1 contender’s match and what turned out to be an epic tag match.

Jakob Austin Young (JAY) versus Ju Dizz
JAY, excuse me (NOT) Justin Bieber, is an AWF vet. Ju Dizz made his AWF debut on this night. And what a debut. JAY (despite being the guy everyone loves to hate) can go in the ring, but on this night he meet a cyclone named Ju Dizz who outclassed JAY, out entertained JAY and well . . . out JAYed, JAY for the victory.

This was actually a very good opening match. I’d like to see these guys match up again.

Mason and Jax versus Super Nicktendo (Nicktendo and Super Chaos)

“and what turned out to be an epic tag match,” this is the match I referenced above. Mason and Jax are the heel team everyone hates, and don’t ask me which one is which. Super Nicktendo is the face team (yes that is their name).

Mason and Jax put on a solid showing as the heels, Chaos always delivered, but the star here was Nicktendo. I haven’t been that big on Nick since his debuted last year, but there is no denying that this was his best match period.

He not only shined in this match, he almost stole the night. Mason and Jax hurt Chaos early in the match, leading to Chaos being taken to the back by refs. Nick continued the match by himself. He took massive punishment, dished out some himself and never gave up. He almost won the match by himself a number of times.

In the end Chaos would return and Super Nicktendo would win the match.

Afterwards, Mason and Jax (sore losers) would destroy Nick and Chaos leading to the ref ejecting them from the building! The building! Awesome angle.

This was an epic match.

#1 Contender’s Match: Big Duke versus ‘The Fifty Year Storm’ Mike Camden

Big Duke has contended for, and lost, the AWF Title. This was Camden’s biggest match since his AWF debut a few months ago. This was a rather brutal and sometimes ugly affair, and Camden outlast, and out wrestled Duke to the Victory.

Good Match overall, Duke’s Best, but Camden is the New Number 1 Contender for the Title.

AWF Tag Team Championship: SouthWest Dream Team versus THE WHIRLWIND GENTLEMEN

I was very broken hearted in this match. I LOVE the Southwest Dream Team. But there opponents were the freaking WHIRLWIND GENTLEMEN! My favorite tag team in the industry today. I want to apologize to Awesome Andy and Danny Gee for not cheering for them in this match (that’s a first). But I also want to thank them, for they and the Whirlwind Gentlemen put on what might be the best tag tem match I have seen this year.

Remy Marcel and Awesome Andy tore it down when in the ring together in great displays of wrestling and athleticism. This was an emotional, passion filled match with two fired up teams that saw Andy gain the pin with a classic wrestling move.
After the match was a classic moment, the champs called The Gentlemen back into the ring, raised their hands and all four received a standing ovation . . .

Match of the night. (Plus I got my Whirlwind Gentlemen hat signed!)

Next up The 6-Man Elimination Match to crown the new AWF State Champion.
This match featured LT vs Chris Evans vs Evan Daniels vs Devin Sparks vs Aydan Colt vs ???

Yes, there was a surprise entrant in this match. Shockingly, this match ran the gambit of a brawl, technical wrestling, high flying and . . . something else I am not sure. Devin Sparks bills himself as the American Kaju from Tokyo . . . and apparently in Tokyo they have remote controls that can stop time in wrestling matches.

Either that, or he stole Vince Mc Mahon universal remote (as seen on the Edge and Christian Show). Anyway, when he used the remote, even one in the ring froze in place, even the ref. Only LT was left unfazed, as he was outside the ring, perplexed as what to do.

Once the control was whisked out of the hands of Sparks, the match continued . . .

Eliminations were slow to begin with, but as competitors started to go many in the crowd started to hated, what could happened . . .

Could the surprise entrant win the title? Could this really happened??? Yes!!

This sixth and final entrant became the new AWF State Champion: Spray Boy Roy!

Most people booed, I love it. Spray Boy Roy is a long time AWF guy who’s out in a lot of work, good for him.

Our Main Event of the evening saw a rematch for the AWF Title: R3 defending against Alvaric Reiner.

This was not a pretty match, but it was fun. Hard hitting, very punishing, but the real story was outside the ring. Alvaric’s henchmen, Mason and Jax, weren’t there to help. But honestly, he seemed better with them.

Someone else did come to ring side though . . . Big Duke. He got ahold of Alaric baton, rolled into the ring when the ref was down, went for Alvaric and . . .

New and first ever 2-time AWF Champion Alvaric Reiner! Thanks to Big Duke knocking out R3.

Big Duke looked like he was shocked at what he did, in a Mock fashion. Did he mean to hit R3 all along?

FINAL THOUGHTS:
The AWF delivered again. Better than September’s show, just slightly under their EPIC Summer Explosion show.

We left the show with some major questions:

How long can Spray Boy Roy hold onto the AZ State Title?

What team is next to challenge the Southwest Dream Team?

Why did Big Duke interfere in the title match?

When will Mike Camden get his title match?

Most importantly, who will be the first to feel the wrath of R3?

RATING: 7.5

EXTREME MIDGET WRESTLING

Yes, this is an actual thing. No, I am not making it up. Yes, I unfortunately attended this yet. However I made a new friend that same night, and what an impact she made on this show.

First I really have to mention this: This show may have been truth in Advertising.

They advertising themselves as:

EXTREME MIDGET WRESTLING, Baddest ‘Lil Show on Earth.

Let me break this down into the truth part.

EXTREME: It was Extreme. That is true. Extremely bad. Extremely Terrible. Extreme in bad test. Extremely not safe for family and anyone of the female gender.

MIDGET: There were midgets. Six in total. The whole show is midget run. Two them, Little Nasty and Little Rampage, doubled as wrestlers and MCs. Even the ring was a midget.

WRESTLING: Well, there were at least two wrestling holds I know that were used the entire night: Suplex and the DDT. Other than that, it was nothing. Lame.

Baddest: Correct! Baddest is the best term that can use. This was the Baddest event I have ever attended – of anything. Train wreck would be a compliment.

‘Lil: It was ‘Lil alright. ‘Lil people. ‘Lil entertainment. ‘Lil Value.

Show on earth: Well, it did take place on Earth. That is true.

I have to get this out of the way up front: I was under the impression that this was a legit Midget Wrestling show. So were my friends, Dave and Jamilyn. While the night was still good, this show was complete crap.

Okay, with all that out of the way, I can get down to spewing the real venom.

EXTREME MIDGET WRESTLING
Extremely terrible. The set up was poor, the ring dilapidated and there were only six wrestlers. SIX! This was so bad, they were loading up the gimmick items under the ring while the crowd was taking their seats! Bell time was 7pm and they were still setting up at 7:15pm!

There were only four ’matches’ the entire night. If you want to call them that, I don’t think they qualify. The only extreme moments came from the use of baking pans . . . multiple baking pans. Not one of these guys seemed like they had been trained, except for KING who had some skill.

These matches were actual a terrible sight to behold.

During intermission, they announced that they were doing a photo session with all VIP ticket holders, and that there would be free t-shirts for VIP ticket holders at the end of the show. How nice. Something this simple can’t be screwed up, can it?

Well, I don’t know. Dave’s picture went well. My pic went okay. The pic Jamilyn had taken went great. Very sexy, model like with her head thrown back. She later told us that her head was back because one of the midgets was pulling her hair. Not good.

The second half of this show gave us the one and only highlight of the night. A masked midget came down, started high-fiving those at ringside, then dragged Jamilyn from her chair and literally threw her into the ring.

We had no idea what the fuck was going on. She went with it though, dancing in the ring with the little guy, then made her way back to her seat. He did spill her $18 drink . . .

Yes, my friend being dragged into the ring was the moment of the night, and she got the loudest cheers of the night.


Fortunately the show ended not long after that.

Hey remember the free T-shirt for VIP Ticket holders? Guess what, they screwed that up to. All they had were XXX-Large shirts. Seriously, everyone received a XXX-Large T-shirt. This group couldn’t even get Photo Shoots or T-Shirts right.

The company I was with was good, but the event was the worst event of any kind I very attended.
Oh, and it was worse than one might even think.  Remember the MCs I wrote about above? During the entire show, except for his match, Little Rampage acted as MC and commentator. He gave a running commentary on each match.

Worse than that, he was sexist a jerk and very inappropriate in a myriad of way. He kept making overly sexual comments and kept asking if there was any women in the audience that wanted to get it on with a little guy.

Twice he asked about mothers who wanted to get it on with a little guy, then segued into talking about the children in the audience. Yes, there were families at this show. Just creepy.

In the next room over some Drag Queen event was taking place. Little Rampage mention this a number of times too. It was as if he was either massively homophobic, or thought that he’d have a better chance of getting lucky there.

Sigh.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This is the only ‘wrestling’ event I have ever been too where an MC was overtly trying to get laid, security was actually called into action for something, the wrestlers legit threatening the crowd and some who WASN’T a plant was dragged into the ring.

RATING: SHIT

PHX Wrestling - STRAIGHT OUTTA PHOENIX

PHX Wrestling is a new promotion in Phoenix, AZ. Much like Lucha Unleashed I haven’t written about their first two shows just because I haven’t. But I will give some thoughts right now.

They held their first show RISE in September, October saw their second show STRAIGHT OUTTA PHOENIX. If you don’t know PHX is short for Phoenix.

The shows have been a mix of local talent, other regional indie talents and some nationally known talent such as The Whirlwind Gentlemen and the Awesome Willie Mack! On the woman’s side we’ve seen Hollidead and Sage Sin live (or dead) in the ring.

RISE was a mixed bag, but entertaining. STRAIGHT OUTTA PHOENIX was better, smoother and close to epic.

Sage Sin has been announced as Woman’s Champion. She won her match on the first card against Brittany Wonder (due to Aydan Colt). Nothing was said at the show that it was for a title, but they list Sage as Champion.

The Whirlwind Gentlemen and Suede Thompson defeated The Keepers of The Faith and Jack Jameson to when the Trios Title at RISE. They defended the titles (with substitutes for Gabriel Gallo and Jack Manley) successfully in a rematch at STRAIGHT OUTTA PHOENIX.

For their main title, they are currently doing multi-event qualifying matches for a tournament in January to crown the Champion.

RISE didn’t start off that smoothly. The VIP part of the show never happened, and the show started late.
VIP is supposed to be a half-hour pre-show for VIP ticket holders with an exclusive match. For RISE Dave and I had VIP tickets, but the pre-show never happened – no match.

The show saved itself with good matches, and Willie Match!

STRAIGHT OUTTA PHOENIX had any problems with RISE worked out. The VIP pre-show actually happened, but we didn’t have VIP tickets this time. If RISE was a mixed bag, STRAIGHT OUTTA PHOENIX was a bag full of goodies. Literally.

Both shows saw a lot of the talent set up at the tables, doing autographs, selling merch, taking pictures, and being awesome. At STRAIGHT OUTTA PHOENIX I literally left with a bag full of swag . . . gladly emptying out my wallet.

Right now, the Indie Wrestling scene in the Valley of the Sun is scorching: AWF on the West Side; PHX on the East side.

One of these days, when time allows, I’ll check out some of other Indies in AZ.

For now, as long as PHX keep going, things should be good. Their next two shows are scheduled for Friday, November 11th and Friday, December 16th.

If you’re in PHX, don’t miss out.

PHX Wrestling: http://phxwrestling.com

Ace Masters

Wrestlementary October EOM

I’m almost wanting to skip writing these EOM’s because they are becoming redundant: Smackdown Good, RAW bad.

Yep.

So, I’ll apologize up front if this piece is weak and/or lame. Just Blame RAW. (

I have a few things I want to cover, so let’s get started.

FITE TV app.

I can’t believe I didn’t know about this before. I especially want WWE only fans to pay close attention to this and do what I say:

GET THE #$%^&*( FITE TV APP NOW! NOW!! NOW!!!

No really, go get the app and come back. I’ll wait. (

Seriously though, any wrestling fans needs to get the FITE TV app. It’s full of indie wrestling goodness. ALL FREE.

Promotions on FITE TV include Ring of Honor, Paragon Pro, FSW, Full Impact and many more.

LUCHA UNDERGROUND

Okay, I haven’t watched any of this season yet. But I will soon, and will make my comments then.

TNA

I’m still behind (yes, I know). The last episode I watched was the Debut of Arron Rex (You know, the guy who’s never had his IQ checked).

I can’t comment on the current state, but I do have some thoughts up to this broadcast.

Bobby Lashley is solid. Eddie Edwards is always good. EC3 is Awesome. Mike Bennett is getting better, but I still hate the gimmick. He sells it well though. Drew is Drew, and Eli Drake is actually good. James Storm rocks and I love DJ Z. I even love the Bro Mans.

However, down with the Tribunal, Grado and the Hardy’s.

Yes, Broken Matt is just stupid. The whole Obsolete thing is dumb. Matt Hardy attacked a fan and drew blood by biting him? REALLY? Stupid.

I plan on being completely caught up by the end of the November, at which point I will really dive into TNA.

WWE

NXT

Well, I am still behind and am going to skip again. November is my month to get caught up on Lucha, TNA and NXT. Then expect a State of for NXT.

I know. I know.

RAW

The 10/17 and 10/24 RAW’s that I didn’t comment one were the best RAW’s WWE have produced since the RAW after the Draft. They were above average shows at best, but for RAW these last few months, above average equals excellence.

The best thing about the 10/17 RAW was the two big upsets: Dana over Bayley and Bo Dallas over Neville. Dana is already a thing of the past after Hell In A Cell, but I am hoping they do something with Bo Dallas.

Of course the big news is the return of Goldberg . . . yea . . . ( I’ll cover this in a moment.

I know one thing that will improve RAW right now: GET RID OF FOLEY.

Foley is terrible. He killed the cruiserweight division on the night they debuted, and he almost killed Charlotte and Sasha’s Hell In A Cell match. The 10/24 RAW was a decent Go Home show for Hell In A Cell, except for the contract signing.

Contract signings are a mixed bag at best, and they never really seem to add anything to the match. This was no exception, but it almost killed the match. The focus was supposed to be on Charlotte and Sasha, but instead the focus was on Foley. Foley, who took time to chastise the ladies for wanting this match and telling them they don’t know what they are getting into.

This came off very sexist, and all about Foley. There were two other Hell In A Cell matches, but Foley didn’t go out of his way to tell Rusev, Reigns, Owens or Rollins how dangerous the Cell is. He didn’t make a point of trying to talk them out of it.

Foley – a great way to ruin everything.

Another way is the return of Goldberg. Really, who cares? All these people cheering are probably the same people that booed Goldberg and Lesnar’s match at Wrestlemania – You know when Goldberg was booed out the building because everyone knew he and Lesnar were walking out on the WWE?

The whole Brand Shit was supposed to be about making new stars, giving new opportunity and moving forward . . . Instead we get Mr. Heyman’s way back Machine.

And Rusev . . . Rusev? You have Goldberg take out Rusev in a matter of seconds on the 10/30 broadcast? Way to devalue your Top Dog Roman Reigns and everyone else Rusev has beaten (including Cena). How and Why?

Reigns could barely beat Rusev. Titus, Mark Henry, Swagger, Neville, Sheamus, Cesaro . . . the list goes on and on of the guys who Rusev destroyed. Yet Goldberg, 12 years away, could take out Rusev.
Way to shit on your roster.

SMACKDOWN LIVE!

Wow, that was a chunk on RAW, SD Live will be a little shorter.

Simply put, SD LIVE is a far better show. It is firing on all cylinders and seems to be doing everything the WWE promised that the Brand Split would do: Create new stars and give more opportunities.

The return of the Spirit Squad, Curt Hawkins and The Head Bangers aside, SD is living up to this.

Really, who would have thought that AJ Styles would have been champion so soon? Would this have happened without the split? Eventually, but not this soon.

But here is the proof that SMACKDOWN is better, two words, one name:

James Ellsworth.

I am not a huge fan of the Ellsworth beat Styles angle. Let’s be honest, is Ellsworth WWE material, or TNA, or ROH? Nope, and I don’t mean to disrespect the man. Local indie guy, sure! Mainstream prime time player? No. Unless it is as a jobber.

But SMACKDOWN has turned the guy into a Star . . . and a MAJOR STAR at the moment. The crowd is behind him, his merch is selling, he’s headlining a few indie dates and the WWE is reportedly considering signing him.

Nuff’ said.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I will be caught up in November.

RAW = Really Average Wrestling

SD LIVE = Stupendously Daring

As for Ellsworth, good for him. Even if the WWE doesn’t sign him, I hope he’s making some good $$$ off this run, and that it helps him on the Indie scene to make even more coin.

Lucha Unleashed in Arizona

I have never written a commentary on Lucha Unleashed in its nearly two year history. No reason for it, I just haven’t.

Lucha Unleashed debuted toward the beginning of 2015 and the shows are held in the AWF Arena in downtown Glendale, Arizona, and shares a lot of talent with the AWF.

Since its inception there have been four Lucha Unleashed Champions: Exciting Evan Daniels, XXX Lawrence Tyler (LT), Daniel Sanchise and current champ, The King of AZ Chris Evans.

As with the name, Lucha Unleashed tends to lean more toward the Lucha style then its sister promotion. It doesn’t quite have as many hard hitting matches as the AWF, but tends to have more high flying, and speed up action.

The problem is the shows tend to be uneven. They aren’t usually as good as the AWF shows, and tend to be shorter events. While the AWF tends to go from 6 – 9, Lucha tends to end around 8:30.

Lucha does have something that AWF doesn’t have: A General Manager.

Miss June Jackson, who claims to be a mutli-selling singer, started out in Lucha as a manager. Then one show she announced herself as General Manager and took over the show as a heel. As far as I know, no one in power has ever confirmed her as General Manger, but like a good heel she took power anyway.

While she started out as an annoying manager, she’s turn into a very good power-mongering heel General Manager.

Lucha Unleashed is generally a good show, fun time, with great talent and even better ticket prices ($10 at most). Most importantly for many, it’s family friendly.

If you’re a wrestling fan in the Metro Phoenix West Valley, get down to Glendale, AZ and check out Lucha Unleashed. The next show is 11/5/2016.

Facebook: facebook.com/LuchaWrestlingUnleashed

Hell In A Cell Commentary

Hell In A Cell has come and gone, and we have entered Hell and walked out still the same. :-(

This PPV was promised and hyped as a game changer. Hell, we did have a historic women’s Hell In A Cell match. We also had good matches from New Day/Cesaro/Sheamus, Perkins and Kendrick and Rollins v KO.

However, it failed to really rise up to the level it should have.

Hell In A Cell was good overall, but ultimate fell flat in the end.

The Card

Pre-Show: Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Sin Cara versus Drew Gulak, Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari

Commentary: Good match, wrong spot. This should have been on the main card, with either the Bayley or Enzo/Cass match here. Highflying, hard hitting and exciting, Cedric came away with the pin for the win.

Prediction: Gulak and crew win.
Winner: Cedric Alexander and crew

Main Card

HELL IN A CELL US Title Match: Roman Reigns (c) versus Rusev

Commentary: This may be the weakest of any Hell In A Cell Match. This was their typical RAW match with a chain thrown in. Nothing happened in this match to distinguish it from a non-cage match. It certainly shouldn’t have been in Hell In A Cell.

Rusev dominated most of the match. At the end, he had the accolade hooked in on Roman on the steel stairs, and used a chain across Reigns’ mouth. Of course Reigns slipped out, performed a Samoan drop on the stairs then speared Rusev off the stairs for the pin.

Weak finish. Weak ass cage match. If this was a regular match, it would have been okay, but in Hell in a Cell . . . Hell No.

Prediction: Reigns wins in a hard fought match. This should be the most violent match of the night.

Winner: Reigns won again with a weak ass spear. This should have been the most violent match of the night, but never even got close.

Bayley versus Dana Brooke

Commentary: Fortunately this match was short. It was about what I thought and predicted it would be: Nothing more than a RAW match, and a PPV filler. Good news is Bayley won. Bad news is the match wasn’t very good, but I didn’t expect much with Dana.

I watched the match a second time last night, and have to begrudging agree with Wrestlmentary Crew member Dave that Dana had the match of her career and stepped it up. It still wasn’t enough to make this a good match, or PPV worthy.


Prediction: Bayley wins.
Winner: Bayley wins.

Enzo & Big Cass versus The Club
Commentary: I said to Dave while watching that I hope this match is shorter then Bayley/Dana. I’m glad it was. The only thing worse than this match was Enzo’s promo – I have no idea what he was saying, and what comes out of his mouth is usually the stupidest stuff I have ever heard.

Hopefully, this puts The Club back on track in the WWE.

Prediction: The Club (Please!!!)
Winner: The Club (Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!)

HELL IN A CELL Universal Title Match: Kevin Owens (c) versus Seth Rollins

Commentary: Think about this: Two former RING OF HONOR WORLD CHAMPIONS FIGHTING FOR THE WWE UNIVERSAL TITLE!

They delivered. In the first five minute this was better and more violent than Rusev v Reigns. We had chairs, a ref taken out by KO with a fire extinguisher, KO power bombed through two table, Jericho, and Seth Rollins power bombed through two chairs.

They first half of this match was back and forth, with both guys beating on the other – more often than not KO was in charge. A turning point came when KO went to use a fire extinguisher, but set it off into the ref’s face instead.

While the ref was escorted out of the cage, Jericho ran in, locked the door and stole the key! Initially it didn’t help, Rollins held his own, but focused on beating up Jericho.

The end came when KO set up two chairs side by side and Power Bombed Rollins through them for the pin!

Afterwards, Jericho hit the Code Breaker on Rollins.

This was a cage match. Damn good match. It would have been a great match without Jericho involved, but it is Jericho.

Prediction: KO wins when Sparkle Crotch interferes.
Winner: KO wins when Sparkle Crotch interferes.

RAW CRUISERWEIGHT Title Match: TJ Perkins (c) versus Brian Kendrick
Commentary: Match of the Night.

This was really the most emotionally charged match of the night – and that is all because Kendrick. Kendrick has played the desperate card, pulled some cheap tactics, and even asked TJ to lay down for him. Kendrick needed this.

And he got this. Kendrick played his role perfectly. Not a heel, but a man desperate for redemption, desperate for one last shot, willing to do anything. Kendrick doesn’t have to do it, but wants to. The mind games worked.

He and Perkins put on the match of the night – with Kendrick winning by submission and gaining the title. His road to the title and last shot is complete, question now is: where does he go from here?

Prediction: This could steal the show. Let’s rev this feud into high gear. Kendrick wins the title, but cheats to do so.

Winner: Brian Kendrick NEW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION. He didn’t quiet cheat, but did use underhanded tactics and a hook.

RAW Tag Team Title Match: The New Day (c) versus Cesaro/Sheamus

This was a highly entertaining and damn good tag match, and what a great finish.

Cesaro and Sheamus’ antics are like Laurel and Hardy, but they actually showed good teamwork in this match, at one point isolating Woods in their corner and beating him down with multiple tags. Of course, they were just trying to one up another.

Later in the match it seemed like a cinch that Cesaro and Sheamus would win, then Sheamus missed a Brogue kick on Big E and hit Cesaro. The turn was coming and New Day would win, right? No. Sheamus took control of the match, saved Cesaro and took out New Day with a dive from the top rope! (You read that correctly.)

Cesaro clasped Woods into the Sharp Shooter. Outside the ring, Sheamus took out Big E with Francesca II. Kofi hit Trouble in Paradise on Sheamus. Ref turned around just in time to see that but didn’t see Woods tap out.

Cesaro and Sheamus celebrated, but it turned soured when the announcement is a DQ victory!

Great finished. Loved it.


Prediction: I love all these guys, but I’m going with The New Day. I want to see the Day they eclipse Demolition’s record.

Winner: Well, I was half right. New Day are still the champs, but Cesaro/Sheamus won by DQ.

HELL IN A CELL RAW Woman’s Title Match: Sasha Bank (c) versus Charlotte

I wrote in my Preview Commentary “This needs to be Flair versus Steamboat. Anything less is a failure.” I stick to that. However, I probably should have wrote Flair versus Funk.

The beginning of this match was awesome, the sneak attack by Charlotte – but not the cage nearly crushing Sasha when she fell underneath it as it was coming down. Before the match officially started, Charlotte destroyed Sasha, beating the hell out of her and putting her through an announcers table.

This beating was so harsh that Sasha was being taken off on a stretcher, as the ref raises Charlotte’s hand, and she was announced as the winner by forfeit.

I think it would have been great to end this right there. Let Charlotte win like this, keep Sasha out for a couple weeks, and have her come back for vengeance . . .

But wait Sasha rolled off the stretcher, refused attention and climbed into the cage.

Match On. And what a match it turn out to be. It went everywhere, in the ring, out of the cage, on the cage . . . tables, chairs. They pulled out all the stops and went all out. Charlotte finally outlast Sasha and regained the title by pin.

Sasha was game and courageous, but in the end Charlotte was just able to take more punishment and keep going.

History was made: They were the first two woman to be in the Hell In A Cell match, and the first two women to headline a WWE PPV.

I just wish the match had ultimately been better, it fell a little flat at the end. I said they need to put on the match of both their careers – they almost did. I still think Summerslam was better. Here’s the thing though – this deserved to be in Hell In A Cell and was better than both other Cell matches.

Prediction: Flair’s bleed. We will find out in this match if Charlotte is truly worth of the name Flair. Charlotte, by hook or crook.

Winner: Charlotte has arrived and earned the name Flair. Sasha has arrived as well. This is a turning point in their careers and maybe the WWE.


FINAL THOUGHTS

Two really good Hell In A Cell matches, one Lame One. A good Tag Title Match. A great Cruiserweight title match. Two terrible filler matches. Yep, RAW Brand SHOW.

“Sasha and Charlotte for the Main Event – anything else is Unacceptable.” It was the Main Event, for that alone Hell In A Cell deserves praise.

Overall Hell In The Cell was an acceptable RAW Brand PPV.

It wasn’t a complete waste of three hours like RAW normal has been.

RATING:
Four top of the line matches, one average match and two fillers: 6.5