Last night, NXT held their fifth special event, entitled Rival. It was a night of change, as two titles changed hands and a new number one contender was crowned.
The jewel of the night was easily the main event, where fans saw Kevin Owens destroy his former friend Sami Zayn and snatch away the NXT Championship almost as quickly as he won it. The match started off well, with Owens initially playing the cowardly heel, leading to an impressive spot where Zayn leaped over the referee and top rope in order to take out Owens.
In all, the match was booked perfectly. There was some great in-ring psychology between the two, as Zayn injured his head at one point in the contest after performing a moonsault to the floor. While being checked out by the medical staff, Owens capitalized, hitting multiple powerbombs before the referee was forced to stop the contest. In the end, the juxtaposition of Owens laughing and celebrating his victory while Zayn lay motionless was the perfect way to pass the title to Owens while furthering the “broken friendship” storyline.
The other title change involved Sasha Banks finally capturing the NXT Womens Championship from Charlotte in a fatal four-way match. Anyone who’s seen Charlotte and Sasha compete over the past few months knew this wouldn’t disappoint and it certainly didn’t, as each competitor had some time to shine.
One of the more impressive moments was Charlotte performing a diving crossbody to take out all three of her opponents. Overall, it was nice to see Sasha pick up the victory, and ultimately the title, by pinning the champ in the middle of the ring.
When I was a kid, I had a trampoline. My friends and I were all huge pro wrestling fans and long before the explosion of “backyard trampoline wrestling federations,” we would watch the matches together, go out on the trampoline and try and reenact what we saw on television.
Of course if you’re this enthused about professional wrestling as a youngster, you’re going to take your trampoline matches seriously and treat them as if they were part of a legitimate organization — for kids. Were we looking to become millionaires or television stars? Of course not. Did we fantasize and treat it like we were right in the middle of a WWE ring on a WWE Superstars or Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast?
We sure did.
So the next logical step, seeing is how we were taking this so seriously was to purchase replica WWE Championship belts so that when we won “the big matches,” we could crown ourselves the champion.
What was the first replica belt we bought? Well, obviously it was the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, right?
Wrong.
This was during the early-1990s and mid-1990s, when if you were a kid, the best wrestlers and your favorite wrestlers were generally the guys who held the WWE Intercontinental Championship. We thought the belt itself looked cooler than the “Eagle” championship that the main champions wore and we — even as kids — recognized that guys like Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels were much better wrestlers than Diesel or Yokozuna.
Fast-forward to today.
I can’t recall a time when the secondary titles in WWE have meant less. If you’re an Intercontinental Champion or United States Champion in WWE these days, you basically aren’t a champion at all. I can’t even count how many times a pay-per-view would come and go without an I-C or U.S. title match even taking place on the card. If they were on the card, they certainly didn’t come off as anything important or relevant.
With Brock Lesnar as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and with the main title in WWE being unified, meaning there’s only one “main” champion these days, and due to the fact that Lesnar has such a limited schedule in WWE, why doesn’t WWE take this opportunity to try and make their secondary titles mean more?
WWE Superstars need to cut promos and make the I-C and U.S. titles seem like a goal that is really worth achieving. They need to act like those titles are the be-all, end-all, if for no other reason than the fact that they are the only consistently active titles in the company right now.
There has been a lot of talk about unifying the I-C and U.S. titles and while I have always been in favor of that idea, I’m not so sure if that should be happening anytime soon. While unifying the I-C and U.S. titles would, in theory, make the one secondary title seem stronger, it would also take away even more from WWE live events having title matches.
Right now, the I-C and U.S. titles are the only men’s singles championships that are on the line at non-televised events. For that matter, they’re the only titles that are defended on television. Hell, they’re the only two men’s singles titles that are defended on pay-per-views more often than not.
WWE needs to raise the value of their secondary championships and make those I-C and U.S. titles mean as much as humanly possible. The good part is, when Lesnar does eventually drop the title and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship becomes active again, the I-C and U.S. titles, if they play their cards right, will at that point mean more and all of a sudden you have three titles of value, something WWE hasn’t had in years.
Basically, it won’t seem odd for a big-name Superstar to explain how important it is to win the I-C title at that point, whereas if Roman Reigns or John Cena said in a promo today, “I won’t sleep until I get the WWE United States Championship around my waist!” you would probably look at them like they have four heads. Although with Cena’s current program against U.S. Champion Rusev, we might actually hear a version of that, if WWE decides to make the title an important part of their feud, which of course is doubtful.
Regardless, WWE needs to work on getting these secondary championships to regain the luster that they had when I was a little kid jumping on a trampoline and pretending like my dreams just came true because I won a match and got to hold the — PRESTIGIOUS — WWE Intercontinental Championship high over my head.
What are your thoughts on WWE’s secondary singles titles? Leave your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also follow me on social media for continued news and views at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.
The Road to WrestleMania took a brief detour last night, stopping at THE Ohio State University for Raw. Sting finally answered Triple H’s challenge, and the show was bookended by a pair of nearly identical matches. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.
Pros
The highlight of the night was easily Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt. These guys have competed over the past two weeks, and have exhibited amazing chemistry on both occasions. There were a number of impressive spots in this one, including Wyatt delivering a brutal blow to Ziggler’s midsection and a devastating clothesline outside the ring that eventually set up Sister Abilgail for the win. Wyatt later cut another promo, presumably directed toward the Dead Man.
Triple H calling out Sting was a close second. The video package, which featured Sting’s makeup being transposed onto Triple H’s face, was both eerie and entertaining. The only downside to this was the absolutely dreadful Sting doppelganger they sent into the ring. With that said, I absolutely can’t wait to see what these guys have planned for Fastlane.
The Usos squared off with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. Kidd and Cesaro put in some decent heel work by crashing the dinner party on SmackDown, and it’s certainly nice to see them getting some television time.
Rusev continues to improve on a weekly basis, in my opinion. I loved his promo, where he made claims such as, “You don’t want me. I am a hero.” His brawl with Cena was also entertaining and helped further their feud heading into Fastlane.
The opening promo was also entertaining, but nothing to really write home about. Reigns seems to be more confident on the mic each week, despite a minor flub. It was also nice to see Bryan on the mic, taking a humorous shot at Triple H for his involvement in the Katie Vick storyline.
It’s nice to see Axel getting more time on the mic. His promo was humorous, even if he was quickly dispelled after being hit with Dirty Deeds. Barrett’s new BNZ segment could also be entertaining, but I’m not totally sure how much shelf life it has.
Finally, the main event helped further the tension between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. The match was nothing incredible, by any means, but there were a few memorable moments, including Dolph Ziggler getting involved at the end. Roman’s spear to Bryan was also the perfect way to end the show. It seems like the next step in Roman’s evolution will be to turn him heel and possibly pair him with Heyman following WrestleMania.
We’re all familiar with the WWE. It’s the most profitable and prevalent wrestling organization in the world, and the primary focus of our coverage here at SEScoops. However, what about the rest of the wrestling world?
I decided to compile a list of 25 non-WWE wrestling matches that every fan should see. In order to qualify, each match had to meet three conditions:
An organization other than the WWE put on the match.
The full-length match is available on YouTube.
The match is something every wrestling fan should see.
The matches are listed at random and not ranked. The intention here isn’t to inspire debate regarding where a match should be placed on the list, but simply to provide fans with the opportunity to catch up on some classic matches they may have missed over the past few years. Already seen every match on the list? Relive your favorite moments again. Never seen a single one of the matches? You’ve got hours of material at your disposal, so sit back and enjoy.
25. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xy7KkH7NdY
24. Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (Ring of Honor Weekend of Thunder 2004)
23. Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) vs. Davey Richards (NJPW Circuit 2010 New Japan Alive)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXyAM9-9gHc
22. Ricochet vs. Kyle O’Reilly (IPW 10th Annual Super Junior Heavyweight Tournament)
21. The American Wolves vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Indypendence Day 2008)
Lucha Underground: Episode 13 Airdate: February 4, 2015
Report by Rudy Cabrera
Lucha Underground opens with a video package recalling the events of past weeks including a recap of Mundo’s issues with Cueto, Puma’s title win, Fong’s debut, and Cage’s mad assault. The show begins with Mariachi El Bronx playing to a ruckus Boyle Heights crowd obviously ready for some Lucha.
Son of Havoc is mid-ring with Ivellise, who is tired of reading derogatory Tweets about her boyfriend on social media. She says if you have a problem with him, you’ve got a problem with her – the baddest b**** in the building. Good promo, Ivellise is super talented and skilled on the microphone. She has a great look and comes off natural and unrehearsed. Angelico makes his entrance and one can’t help but feel the aura of confidence this young man exhibits, more than likely stemming from the fact he was trained initially by Booker T then Ultimo Dragon, Black Terry, and Negro Navarro. He also worked in Ultimo Dragon’s Toryumon Mexico promotion and IWRG before coming to AAA. This is going to be a great match.
Son of Havoc vs. Angelico
Striker says that South Africa brought wrestling the Simpson Brothers and Colonel DeBeers and now it has given us Angelico. They exchange some matwork and the result is a beautiful display of chain wrestling. Angelico kicks him down, then hits a sequence of kicks before hitting a flying knee that reminds Vampiro of a UFC fighter. He hits another amazing flying knee on Havoc as he is against the turnbucle and what follows is one of the most unique counters I’ve seen: Angelico attempts a hurricanrana but Havoc turns it into an inverted sit down powerbomb. The crowd is hot for these two. Angelico regains control and eats a somersault senton dive to the floor. Havoc comes back with a backbreaker and gets 2. Angelico goes for a superplex, but Havoc counters and goes for a shooting star press and misses but lands on his feet! Incredible. Angelico sets him up for a crucifix powerbomb and it’s countered into a hurricarana. Counter after counter, this match is exactly what the people came to see. The finish was entertaining as Havoc tried going for a school boy but Angelico kicked him away and into Ivelisse, knocking her off the apron. Angelico then rolled him up for the win. They’re teasing some dissension between Son of Havoc and Ivelisse based on the idea that he never wins and Ivelisse is frustrated with being linked to a loser. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.
WINNER: Angelico at 6:32
Backstage Dario Cueto welcomes Johnny Mundo back. He says he hasn’t seen him since Aztec Warfare and he’s glad they had time to cool off. Mundo, who looks and acts like a legit superstar of the silver screen, agrees and says it’s time for action. Cueto goes on to say that when Johnny Mundo is around they get five star main events so he makes Mundo vs. Cage the main event of the evening. Cueto was at his sleazy best here, trying to set up Mundo so he can get dismembered by Cage. Mundo puts on his glasses and walks out like a boss.
One of the things I truly enjoy about this show is the emphasis the writers place on long term character development. A few weeks back, Mundo punched Cueto’s lights out and ever since then Mundo is the one character that seems to make Cueto nervous whenever he’s around. We see continuation, which is extremely important, evidenced by the fact Cueto is always trying to come up with some underhanded scheme to destroy the guy. This is honestly the best produced wrestling show on the market today.
We return to the Temple and Famous B is introduced mid-ring, leading to Pentagon Jr. coming down. We get a very well made personality profile video for Pentagon Jr right before the match, where he talks about his origins, respecting his predecessors and having no fear, all while beating up a room full of movie villain looking bad guys. Again, character development. He says he represents the purest form of ancient hand-to-hand combat and he’s about to show us why.
Pentagon Jr. vs. Famous B
Famous B dives in for a calf kick which misses and Pentagon quickly capitalizes by punting him right on the head. Let me just say punting is dangerous and not even Randy Orton himself could have executed it more perfectly or safely. Pentagon corners him and asks for silence – gets it, and scores with a loud chest chop. Famous B does a sweet flying armdrag off the second rope, but eats a sick looking superkick. Pentagon sets him up for a running package piledriver that Famous B sells to perfection. Kudos to Famous B for making the move look devastating. Body language is everything in wrestling. Pentagon Jr. locks an armbar and makes Famous B give up for a win via submission. He refuses to break the hold and snaps the arm back, as commentary sells that he may have broken B’s arm. And NO Vampiro, that was not a kimura. Pentagon then proceeds to cut a promo where he once again emphasizes his motto “Zero Fear”.
WINNER: Pentagon Jr at 1:53
We then see Dario Cueto in an undisclosed location looking at his key discussing the mystery woman to a growling entity. He speaks about her need for revenge and says he knows she wants the key. He says he could have given it to her but needed to protect his Temple from Matanza (slaughter). Cueto’s new goal is to prevent her from getting her hands on the key. Drago is mid-ring to start, while Aero Star enters via the crowd.
Drago vs Aerostar
Drago has been established in his feud with King Cuerno and has been impressive thus far. Aerostar wad trained by Gran Apache and Abismo Negro and has earned ther reputation of one AAA’ s best high flyers. They start with a tie-up and push off before an arm wringer. Cross chop misses and leads to an Aerostar hurricanrana. Striker talks about the move being named after Hurican Ramirez. Aerostar gets 2 off a nice looking jumping double stomp. Drago is sent to the corner but drop-toe-holds Aerostar onto the second turnbuckle. Drago gets 2 off a modified Codebreaker. A 619 on the top takes Drago to the floor while Aerostar hops up on the second rope, springboards with one foot and flies over onto Drago – that was as daring as it was exciting! Aerostar gets caught on a leapfrog and goes for a double backflip, but gets dropkicked right in the face. He goes to the floor and takes a corkscrew dive by Drago, a move which Vampiro attributes to the late Hector Garza. Aerostar gets a handspring elbow and a 2 count. Drago gets a back kick and in a thing of beauty hits a running blockbuster/DDT combo for the win. It looked like he was broken in half! Drago picks him up, checks on him and shakes his hand afterwards. Classy. I think he might have been genuinly worried that he broke his neck. Both men won in this match and that is something you rarely see today in the world of wrestling. This was a crazy highlight reel match that is well worth going out of your way to see.
WINNER: Drago at 4:14
Backstage Fenix is training and we see Catrina come up to him. She asks him why the tattoo is on his chest, if it prevents him from having nightmares. “What can scare a man that can’t die” she adds. Then she does the unthinkable and kisses him, telling him to keep it between them because if it gets out, Mil Mascaras will bury them both. I’m digging the suspense. Mundo comes down from the entrance way, and Cage follows wearing the title belt as a necklace. Ladies and gentlemen it is time for our main event.
After being postponed last week due to snow, the good ole live, in-ring version of Raw was back last night, emanating from the Mile High City. The company was back in full force, with Triple H making a “major announcement” and a big main event between Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.
Pros
The clear highlight of the night was the main event between Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan. Anytime you get two guys with this type of talent in the same ring, you know you’re in for a treat. They certainly didn’t disappoint either, pulling off a number of impressive spots and exhibiting impeccable chemistry. The spot of the match was probably Rollins countering Bryan’s Running Knee finisher into a Powerbomb. In the end, Bryan picked up the win and will face Roman Reigns at Fast Lane for a chance to go to WrestleMania (more on this later).
The second best part of the night was probably the segment involving Curtis Axel and Dean Ambrose. It’s sad when the first thing Axel has to say when coming out is, “Don’t change the channel.” It’s like he’s a mind reader or something. Anyway, it was hilarious to see Ambrose quickly toss Axel over the top rope before telling him he’s now eliminated. Even more exciting was that Ambrose called out Bad News Barrett. This is a program that really needs to happen, as Ambrose is the type of guy who could bring some prestige back to the Intercontinental Title after the company has played hot potato with it over the past few years.
Bray Wyatt had a big night. His match with Dolph Ziggler was incredible, and it was nice to see two guys who don’t work together much get a chance to shine. Wyatt hit a devastating Sister Abigail that Ziggler sold better than anyone to end the match. Later in the night, he cut a promo saying things like, “I am the new face of fear” and, “We cannot wait to see you again.” It looks like they are going with the rumored Wyatt/Taker program for WrestleMania and I, for one, cannot wait. If only they had gone this route last year instead of wasting the streak on a part-timer…
Rusev’s beating of Rowan and post-match promo was money. I absolutely love this guy and he played off of the Russian flag miscue perfectly. Please push this guy to the top and don’t feed him to Cena.
Jimmy Uso and Cesaro looked great together. The highlights were a Cesaro Swing into a Half Crab and a brutal uppercut to end the contest. It was nice to see Cesaro pick up a victory, but the only downside was that they are already teasing tension between Cesaro and Kidd. I’d like to see these guys stick together for a while and get a run with the titles.
Finally, the Miz/Mizdow promo was absolutely hilarious. It was nice to see the Miz berate his now former stunt double and put the wheels in motion for a breakup. Here’s to hoping for a payoff at WrestleMania.
I’m a massive fan of the WWE Network. I’ve been a subscriber since day one, I truly believe it’s a great value, and do not think fans should cancel the service. However, if fans are truly dissatisfied with the current state of the WWE, there is absolutely no better way to voice displeasure with the company than by cancelling service.
Since becoming a publicly traded company, the WWE has had to deal with an entity that is even more demanding and impatient than hardcore fans: shareholders. Indeed, the company could be on top of the world one day and hit rock bottom the next. With the WWE Network, the company has essentially put all (or at least most) of its eggs in a single basket.
By offering the company’s monthly pay-per-view for only $9.99, the WWE has decimated their former pay-per-view model. Who’s going to buy those $14.99 DVDs anymore when you can see the content a week later (along with thousands of hours of additional content) for only $9.99? In short, aside from television deals for Raw and Smackdown, merchandise sales, and live shows, the WWE Network, for all intents and purposes, is now the WWE.
The WWE fans are not idiots. Following the disastrous Royal Rumble, you didn’t see #DontWatchRawTomorrow or #StopBuyingWWEMerch trending. No, instead they went right for the heart with #CancelWWENetwork. It was trending during and after Sunday’s Rumble, and I can imagine Vince McMahon thought he was hallucinating when he woke up the next morning and saw it was still a top trend.
Needless to say, the WWE went into full-on damage control mode yesterday, releasing the latest WWE Network subscriber numbers a few weeks early. It was originally announced that the company would release the latest numbers on February 12th as part of the latest earnings report.
They clearly wanted to stop the bleeding, announcing they have surpassed one million Network subscribers. The news was well received too, as WWE stock shot up almost 20 percent on Tuesday following the announcement.
Tonight, fans will be treated to perhaps the most exciting sixty-plus minutes of action all year. Bodies will be flying, dreams will be shattered, and ultimately, one man will punch his ticket to WrestleMania. However, there are still many questions to be answered before we start discussing ‘Mania. Most importantly, here is how I believe this Sunday’s Royal Rumble will play out.
The New Day vs. Cesaro, Tyson Kidd, and Adam Rose
It’s sad to see Kidd and Cesaro once again relegated to the pre-show, but at least they are getting some airtime, I suppose. On one hand, I expect Adam Rose to find a way to screw things up and cost Kidd and Cesaro the match. With that said, the New Day got the upper hand on Raw by picking up a clean victory, so based on WWE logic, it’s Kidd and Cesaro’s turn to win.
Winners: Cesaro, Tyson Kidd, and Adam Rose by pinfall
The Usos (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow
Am I going crazy, or have we seen this matchup way too often in recent months? It seems unlikely that Miz and Mizdow would pick up the titles shortly after dropping them, especially as they continue to tease tension between the two. I think Miz once again tries to steal the show and refuses to tag Mizdow, eventually costing the team the match. This will further tension between the partners, eventually resulting in a breakup and payoff match at WrestleMania.
Winners: The Usos by pinfall
Paige and Natalya vs. The Bella Twins
This was basically slopped together so there’s not much to analyze or discuss. Either Paige or Natalya (whichever they want to challenge for the Divas Championship next month) forces Nikki to submit for the win.
This time of year is always thought of as the “Road to Wrestlemania” and is supposed to be a moment in which a career is made, a legacy is increased, or a hall of fame spot is cemented. With such a grand prize at the helm, it’s no wonder the Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated matches of the year. Between the surprise returns, the elimination teases, the underlying stories, or the sheer number of superstars in the ring at one time, there’s no denying the excitement that the January event brings with it. This Sunday will host the latest installment of the event, which is sure to thrill, as Seth Rollins joins John Cena and Brock Lesnar in a battle for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The build-up for this match thus far has been amazing, with each superstar taking turns to look as good as possible, with Lesnar being the most recent destroyer.
But the best part about the Royal Rumble is that it’s more than just a match; it’s a full-scale event, complete with it’s own card, stories, and unique twists. In fact, some of the best matches in WWE history took place at this battlefield, and a few times in history, those matches overshadowed the Rumble itself. When you’re not one of the thirty men in the match, you have to take matters into your own hands. You have to make sure that the fans don’t forget about you, and you have to make sure that you compete at a level that you may only reach once or twice a year. Just as Cena, Rollins, and Lesnar look to do this Sunday night, superstars in the past went out there to steal the show, and make sure the Rumble didn’t steal their spotlight. Let’s take a look at the top-five matches that stole the Royal Rumble.
#5. Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt, 2014.
What was otherwise a disappointing Royal Rumble was fortunate enough to see one of the best one on one match-ups in Royal Rumble history. I was lucky enough to be just five rows away from this incredible match when it happened, and even now as I look back on it, it was by far the best live match I have ever seen. Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt met after weeks and weeks of build-up, which included Bryan joining the Wyatt family for a brief period of time, as well as a series of other strange and unusual situations. Disappointingly, the overall feud itself mostly fizzled, as Wyatt was not truly portrayed as a cult leader, and Bryan was portrayed as a hero who moved too quickly through the events that unfolded. The truth was, Bryan being so over made it impossible to capitalize on him becoming a heel in the Wyatt family, so the plug was pulled prematurely, and the feud ended up changing neither man for the better or worse.
While the feud itself may have been sub-par and disappointing, Bryan and Wyatt proved that night that they had chemistry in the ring, and understood each other completely. It was a match filled with high-risk spots, high-impact moves, and false finishes, and eventually saw Wyatt taking the win. Some of the best moments included Wyatt nailing the “Sister Abigail” on the barricade, Bryan selling a Wyatt clothesline like a champion, and Bryan nailing a number of suicide dives.
#4. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels, 2004.
A lot of people look back at RAW from 2002-2004 as Triple H’s “reign of terror.” He was the 2002 Royal Rumble winner, and somewhat exclusively traded World Championships back and forth with Shawn Michaels and others between then and 2005. 2003 also saw the rise of “Evolution”, a group dedicated to keeping Triple H on top of WWE, which took over most of the Monday Night Raw storytelling up until Wrestlemania 21. Despite Michaels and Triple H being one of the best feuds of all time, this period in history is widely looked at with a negative annotation, usually referred to as “boring” or “predictable.”
However, despite the criticism, there’s no denying that Triple H and Shawn Michaels put on some of the best matches throughout the early 2000’s, and on that list is their Last Man Standing match from the 2004 Royal Rumble. It was a match that followed months of assaults, abuse, torture, injuries, and bad blood, and led to one of the best Last Man Standing matches of all time. Michaels and Triple H put each other through hell and back, and then some, and overshadowed not just the Rumble match itself, but the entire event. (Not to mention, WWE would most likely want you to forget who won that year.)
The annual WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which features the highly entertaining Royal Rumble match itself, a match concept that was created by veteran WWE executive Pat Patterson, takes place this Sunday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Rumble match is a unique version of a Battle Royal, where two men enter the ring, and in timed intervals, which have ranged from one minute to three minutes over the years, new competitors will enter the match. To be eliminated from the match you must be thrown over the top rope, with both feet hitting the floor. This continues until there is only one man standing. The Rumble winner then goes on to receive a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, usually at the WrestleMania pay-per-view later in the year.
The Royal Rumble is a rare match concept in that it is one of few where rabid wrestling fans will analyze it inside and out. Statistics are a big part of the Rumble, as nearly every year since the match began, fans will look at stats such as who eliminated the most competitors, who lasted in the match the longest, who lasted the least amount of time, and so on and so forth. We saw an example of the statistics craze in a cool video package on Monday’s RAW (which you can check out by clicking here).
On the next page, we’ve compiled a number of interesting statistics related to the annual event, which since 1988 has been one of the “big four” pay-per-views in WWE. Let’s take a look at some interesting facts connected to the unique match.
A lot can change over the course of a year, especially in the WWE. At last year’s Royal Rumble, Batista earned the opportunity to headline WrestleMania, going from fan favorite to Bootista in a matter of moments.
It will be Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, and a whole slew of others hoping to earn that opportunity this time around, as the card for this Sunday’s Royal Rumble appears to be officially set. Here is a look at the superstars who have taken a leap forward over the past year, as well as those who have taken a step backward.
Progression
1. The Shield
Nobody has progressed over the past year more than the three men who formerly comprised The Shield. Roman Reigns set the record for the most eliminations at last year’s Rumble, although he was never really seen as a serious threat to win it all. This time around, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania.
Reigns eliminated his former partners at last year’s event as a means to tease tension between the former Hounds of Justice. Both of those men have moved onto better things. Seth Rollins will be challenging for the title this time around, and Ambrose is seen as one of the most credible entrants in the Royal Rumble match. Believe that.
2. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar destroyed Big Show’s back at last year’s Rumble, walloping him with a chair about 50 times in a match that lasted two minutes. His character’s direction was unclear at the time, having engaged in various feuds in 2013 that didn’t really go anywhere, largely due to Lesnar’s limited schedule.
A few accomplishments have been added to his resume since last time around. Most importantly, he apparently broke some sort of WrestleMania undefeated streak that fans held dear to their hearts. Cena and Rollins will attempt to slay the Beast this year, as he comes in as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and undisputed top dog in the company.
Last night’s Raw was held in Dallas, TX and was the final episode before the Royal Rumble. There were plenty of surprises, and after weeks of terrible programming, perhaps the biggest shocker was that the company put on an episode of Raw that wasn’t half bad. Without further ado, here are this week’s pros and cons.
Pros
There were a few highlights to choose from, but for me, the final segment easily takes the top spot. The action during the contest was commendable, but the real excitement occurred after the match. Sting’s appearance was completely unexpected, especially an in age where nearly everything is spoiled online beforehand. The Stinger looked great (much better than he did at Survivor Series, imo) and held the pose long enough to make everyone wonder if it was a picture to distract the Authority, or whether he was really in attendance.
Fans quickly found out the answer, making a match between Triple H and Sting at WrestleMania all but official. Sting’s appearance, followed by Lesnar’s destruction of everything in sight, was an amazing way to end the show and sell Sunday’s Rumble. Speaking of Lesnar, the crowd is dying to cheer this guy. He could have a monster face run if he decides to stick around after ‘Mania.
A close second goes to the nWo reunion. The Ascension is completely laughable and unconvincing as intimating heels (Hall was straight-up laughing at them throughout the segment). I predict they will be dancing on the WWE comedy circuit within a year. With that said, it was awesome to see JBL finally take out his anger on these fools. It was hard not to mark out at the Clothesline From Hell, and it was pleasant to see actual planning and some sort of payoff for once.
The legends panel was decent, even if it’s the same three guys that are there every time a group of legends rolls into town. However, it was nice to see three Rumble winners talk about their victories, with Shawn Michaels saying, “There would be no Mr. WrestleMania without the Royal Rumble.” It was also humorous to watch Big Show bring up talking points from about two decades prior and refer to anyone as “three washed-up has-beens.”
In terms of wrestling action, the best match of the night, in my opinion, was Dean Ambrose and Bad News Barrett. These two had good chemistry and pulled off a number of impressive spots. In particular, Ambrose’s reversal of Wasteland into Dirty Deeds was an awesome way to end the match. I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys work a program for the IC Title at WrestleMania.
Finally, Sandow posing as X-Pac backstage was absolutely hilarious. This guy deserves bigger and better things. Hopefully the company comes to the same realization before it’s too late.
There are a lot of words that could be used to describe WWE’s 2014 campaign, and some of them are better than others. While the 2014 year did give us some great moments, like Wrestlemania 30, or the squash of John Cena, it was also filled with moments that left us scratching our heads, and planting our faces in our hands. Understandably, not everything a major promotion like WWE does will be a success, but there’s a big difference between something failing, and something going neglected.
WWE had a number of chances to do big things last year, like pushing Cesaro to the main event, or building on the destruction of The Shield, that they simply did not capitalize on, or at least not to the level they were capable of doing. Because of this, a lot of people are afraid that WWE 2015 may suffer some of the same fates, and it very well could, if in the following year, some of the same decisions are made. If WWE wants to avoid the path of decline, and produce a gripping, fan-friendly product, than they must do the following five things:
5. WWE Must Improve Its Booking.
It was brought to my attention by Reddit’s top wrestling community, /r/SquaredCircle recently that, not counting battle royals or one on one matches, The Usos have faced the Rhodes Brothers over twenty times across the last year. To put that to scale, let’s say The Usos & The Rhodes Brothers have one tag match a week for twenty weeks. This means that, on RAW, you would see The Usos face The Rhodes Brothers from January to April / May every single week. That is almost half a year that you would see the same match over and over again. From a practical standpoint, let alone an entertainment standpoint, this is absolutely unacceptable. Putting the same four superstars in the same match over and over again is boring. Imagine if John Cena and Randy Orton fought every single week for almost half a year. Oh, wait…
You may also remember the stipulations leading up to Hell in a Cell; John Cena and Dean Ambrose had a match to determine who would get Seth Rollins, as each man felt like they had a legitimate quarrel to settle. Dean Ambrose ended up winning, and going on to Hell in a Cell to face Rollins, but the very next night on RAW, the main event was John Cena vs. Seth Rollins. Combined with the dirty finish at Hell in a Cell which set up an average-at-best feud between Ambrose and Bray Wyatt that also somehow erased that past number of months from Dean Ambrose’s head, John Cena circumventing the event and going right after Rollins the next night basically rendered all of October meaningless.
If 2015 is going to be better than 2014, one thing that must change is bookings. New match-ups and match possibilities must be created. The same seven or eight people cannot be used week in and week out for main events. Titles cannot just go back and forth, especially between two or three people. WWE must take the time and seriously commit resources to increasing the depth of their show, and the number of people invested in the main angles of the product. Otherwise, we may see yet another Gold & Stardust vs. The Usos half-year battle.
4. John Cena Must Begin Playing A Smaller Role.
When Daniel Bryan was injured last May, John Cena stepped in and replaced him in the title picture. At the time, I was upset by this because it felt like they were trying to use Bryan’s popularity to push a stale product who was already over, but in retrospect it easily made the most sense; John Cena is a reliable, proven commodity, who can not only handle singles feuds, but carry them, and with the direction WWE was heading, there was no way they could have chanced that spot with an unproven rising star like Reigns or Wyatt.
However, as of Smackdown tonight, Daniel Bryan is back in action, and barring something like a re-aggravation of his injury or bad writing decisions, his rise to the top is almost guaranteed. The truth is, there is plenty of money to still be milked from the “Ultimate Underdog Daniel Bryan” angle, and only a fool would miss a chance to milk that cow while it’s prime. What that means is that Daniel Bryan must take back his spot from John Cena. Otherwise, it won’t feel authentic, and it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or gripping as it needs to be. If Daniel Bryan stays in the shadow, there’s no sense of urgency, or worth. He’s just another name. An over name, but just a name all the same.
The WWE’s next generation was back in class last night, meaning it’s time to grade their performances. Matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, crowd involvement, and overall impact on the storyline. Important promos will also be graded based on entertainment value, believability, and originality.
Without further ado, here is this week’s NXT Report Card.
Tyson Kidd vs. Finn Balor
This week’s show kicked off in a big way, as two of the most talented athletes in NXT locked up. Balor came out firing, going for the diving double foot stomp just seconds into the match.
Kidd eventually took control and slowed the match to a methodical pace, at one point driving Balor through the barricade into about the third row. Balor eventually turned it around after hitting the move Alex Riley so eloquently described as a “floating, spinning neckbreaker of some kind.”
After delivering a kick to the head and hitting a somersault over the top rope to the floor, Balor dominated the rest of the contest (aside from a minor Kidd offensive), eventually picking up the victory after hitting a diving double foot stomp.
Result: Finn Balor wins via pinfall
Analysis: Most importantly, I think it’s awesome that Tyson’s gimmick is basically a guy who loves cats and Beats headphones. With that said, these two worked very well together. The action was fast paced for the most part, and it was nice to see Balor get the win. He definitely needed the win more, and as much as I love seeing Balor and Itami together, I’m hoping he starts his solo career in the near future.
Last night’s episode of Raw was held in the Big Easy, and it’s obvious that the company knew they were going up against the CFP Championship because they seemed to be holding something back all night. Anyway, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Raw.
Pros
The best thing to come out of last night’s show was the announcement that the “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. It’s about time one of the most talented and influential superstars of all-time takes his rightful place amongst fellow legends. Some will probably complain about the choice to have Hogan induct Savage, but as someone who loved the Mega Powers as a child, I think it’s a good choice and has the potential to be a touching and heartfelt tribute to one of the company’s most iconic figures.
I wasn’t expecting a ton out of the New Day vs. Kidd/Cesaro matchup, but it turned out to be one of the better contests of the night. Kidd and Cesaro worked well together, with the Cesaro Swing into a dropkick spot being particularly impressive. It would have been nice to see Kidd and Cesaro pick up the win, but I guess it’s a minor victory just to see them on television.
The recurring promos featuring Dean Ambrose and the doctor were certainly humorous. Ambrose seems like a natural actor and really at ease on camera, so it’s nice to see him get a chance to show off his talent. The promos were entertaining and it was an original way to have Ambrose gain entry into the Royal Rumble.
Finally, it was nice to see Daniel Bryan back in the city where he captured the title at last year’s WrestleMania. The interactions between Bryan and Stephanie were on point, especially when she tried to present Bryan with her crappy workout DVD. It was finally announced that Bryan would make his return to the ring against Kane on SmackDown this Thursday. As Kane approached the ring, Bryan dove threw the ropes and took out the Devil’s Favorite Demon before celebrating with the crowd.
The most exciting sixty-plus minutes of wrestling action is only a few weeks away, where bodies will assuredly be flying over the top rope, Kofi Kingston will likely avoid defeat in dramatic fashion at least once, and one superstar will walk away with a spot in the main event at WrestleMania.
However, although thirty men ostensibly have a chance to headline the biggest event of the year, even the most delusional fan realizes there are only a handful of competitors who are legitimate contenders to walk away victorious. Here are those men.
Odds-On Favorite: Roman Reigns
After his record-breaking performance last year, the Powerhouse is easily the favorite to win it all in 2015. Even though there are still questions regarding Reigns’ ability to headline a major pay-per-view such as WrestleMania, it appears the company is ready to pull the trigger on what they apparently believe to be their next big thing.
Assuming the company goes this route, they need to be careful, because the crowd could easily turn on Reigns in a situation similar to last year’s Rumble. If fans think the Pittsburgh crowd was harsh toward Batista last year, try putting Reigns over Bryan in the city whose fans at one point pelted Santa Claus with snowballs. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.
Last night’s Raw was the first of 2015 and the company started the year not with a bang but with a whimper. The show was held in Corpus Christi, TX, and it’s unclear whether the audience was drugged prior to filming, because it was probably the most silent crowd I’ve ever heard at a WWE event. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons from last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Pros
The clear highlight of the night was the Ambulance Match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt. As always, the two worked pretty well together and delivered a few memorable spots. The ending felt just a bit sloppy, but the rest of the match more than made up for it. In all, it was good to see Wyatt come out on top, as he needed the win more than Ambrose. This program has been one of the only good things going over the past few weeks, so it’s kind of sad to see it come to an end.
Another clear highlight was the Intercontinental Championship match. It was a good way for the Authority to exact revenge against Ziggler, and the 2-out-of-3 falls swerve was decent. It’s also nice to see that the company still has confidence in Bad News Barrett, and this hopefully means that Ziggler will move into the main event picture permanently.
It was nice to see the program actually have an intro and pryo again. This is a minor complaint, but the intro-less format felt really cheap, with it simply going to a lifeless Michael Cole saying, “Welcome to Raw” while panning over the crowd. Unfortunately, the intro and pyro will probably be gone next week due to budget cuts.
Adding Seth Rollins to the main event at the Royal Rumble was brilliant. With Rollins essentially having two chances to win the title in a few weeks, it provides many booking possibilities. My interest level in the main event went from nonexistent to moderately intrigued in a matter of seconds.
Booker T on commentary was a nice change of pace. Hopefully King is well soon, but they really need to shake up the commentary team. I wouldn’t mind seeing Booker become a regular at the table again.
The Kane/Rollins vs. Ryback match was somewhat entertaining but nothing to write home about. The double Curb Stomp was at least a decent finish.
Finally, it was nice to see the company giving guys more time to cut backstage promos. Rusev, Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt, and possibly a few superstars whom I’m forgetting all received promo time last night. Good to see the company letting the talent speak instead of filling that time with ads or plugs for the Network.
The WWE is always harping on about the Attitude Era. If they’re not plugging their “critically acclaimed” Monday Night War series, they are gloating about past successes while subtly bashing a long-dead company. However, despite the company’s love of the Attitude Era, there’s a considerable lack of attitude anywhere within the company.
When the company first announced the WWE Network, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to cash in on nostalgic fans eager to relive the glory days. After all, those kids that grew up in the 90s watching Austin and the Rock were now adults with college degrees and full-time jobs, so it seemed like a no brainer to try to reel in old fans that departed over the past decade.
Cena is still the top guy in the company, but at age 37, it’s obvious his days are numbered.
During the lead-up to the Network launch, it was promised that every pay-per-view and episode of Raw would be available within a few months of launch. Nearly a year later, the Attitude Era is practically nonexistent. Sure, the pay-per-views are all there, but the most controversial and memorable moments of that era typically occurred on Raw.
By even the most conservative estimates, the Attitude Era started in 1997 (some would say it started at the 1996 King of the Ring, but I won’t go back that far). As of today, there are 20 episodes in total from the years 1997 through 2001, including the episode where Vince McMahon purchased WCW, which essentially marked the end of the era. A lot of the most controversial and memorable moments are also conveniently missing, such as Brian Pillman pulling a gun on Austin, the infamous Bret screwed Bret promo, and Bret Hart’s profanity-laced tirade in March of 1997.
In contrast, there are 45 episodes from 1993 alone, and it’s not like the company is uploading the episodes in order because they also uploaded the entire year of 2012 and random episodes from various years. It undoubtedly takes time to convert old episodes of Raw into a format that is suitable for widescreen televisions, but it seems like there is really no rush to upload the content.
Instead of creating the same episode of Monday Night War 20 times, they should instead show the stories that inspired the mind-numbingly boring series. While uploading the content, the company should also take a moment to revisit the past, because there are a lot of similarities between today’s product and the era that immediately preceded the Attitude Era, which I refer to as the In Your House Era.
For better or worse, it’s a new year. Everyone starts with a fresh slate, New Year’s resolutions are in effect, and generally speaking, people try to better themselves for the first week of the year before giving up the futile expedition.
Things are no different in the WWE, as every superstar will be trying to reach the next level in 2015. Here are ten superstars who will strike gold in 2015 by capturing a title that was previously unattainable.
10. Charlotte
Although her debut on the main roster was less than memorable, Charlotte has the potential to revolutionize the Divas division. As seen in NXT, the daughter of the Nature Boy can easily put on entertaining 15+ minute matches any night of the week. It’s now up to the WWE to let the talented women of NXT show what they can do on a regular basis. Charlotte will help to legitimize the Divas division a bit in 2015 by capturing the Divas Championship.
9. Sasha Banks
Charlotte and Sasha Banks put on one of the best Divas matches in the history of WWE a few weeks back at R Evolution. It appears “The Boss” is next in line for the throne in the NXT Women’s division, meaning she will capture the title after Charlotte leaves NXT in 2015.
Where I’m from, local residents occasionally use the phrase “lazy man’s load.” If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it involves straining oneself by carrying multiple bags of groceries from the car in order to save a trip. Based on last night’s episode of Raw, I’m starting to wonder if WWE creative lives in my neighborhood.
As most know by now, the Authority is back in power in the WWE. We all knew they would be back in some shape or form, but most (myself included) did not expect them to be back so soon. So, was bringing the Authority back best for business?
The company appears to be laying the groundwork for a Triple H/Sting match at WrestleMania.
It is hard to deny that Raw has been directionless over the past few weeks. One week we had Daniel Bryan making matches, next fans were subjected to a stupid podium that decided to show up for a week or two, and finally we had Hogan dressed as Santa Claus calling the shots. In short, the shows were all over the place, and for the most part, just plain bad.
That isn’t a knock on the superstars, as they did everything they could to make the shows entertaining. Instead, it’s a knock on creative because they are unable to adapt from their comfort zone. For the past year, nearly every major storyline has focused on the Authority, and it seemed that creative was lost without their tried-and-true conflict creative device.
With that said, I suppose it is necessary to bring the Authority back into power to set up a potential match between Sting and Triple H at WrestleMania. It definitely appears that Sting’s first match in the WWE will be against the Game, so it makes more sense to have Sting deal the final blow to the Authority than to have Triple H request a match to exact revenge even though he’s no longer in power.
As promised, here are the top pay-per-view events from 2014.
8. NXT Takeover
This event started off sluggish but certainly ended with a string of entertaining matches. In particular, the match between Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn featured solid in-ring work and highlighted why both of these guys could succeed if given the opportunity.
The real treat during this pay-per-view, however, was the final two matches of the evening. The match between Charlotte and Natalya for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship was probably the most technically sound women’s match I’ve ever seen, and the main event between Neville and Tyson Kidd was the perfect way to end the show. In my opinion, this was the event that made fans realize NXT is more than simply a developmental league for the main roster.
Worst Match: Adam Rose vs. Camacho
Best Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya
7. Payback
There was some worry heading into this one, largely due to the absence of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The event would carry on just fine without the title, however. It started off strong with a bruising contest between Sheamus and Cesaro.
From there, the Last Man Standing match was entertaining, even if it would have been nice to see Wyatt pick up the victory. With that said, this pay-per-view is all about the main event. It was an awesome 30-minute affair that featured memorable spots, brutal action, and a decisive Shield victory. This was also important because it would set up Seth Rollins’ heel turn the next night on Raw.
2014 is coming to a close. Aside from two episodes of Raw that most likely be forgettable, fans have seen everything the WWE has to offer this year. Here is a look back at all 16 pay-per-views (including NXT), with each event ranked and summarized.
16. Battleground
This event took place during July, and boy was it a hot mess. The opening contest between the Usos and Wyatt Family was money, but it was downhill from there, as fans were subjected to one dud contest after another.
The biggest mistakes involved advertising a Rollins/Ambrose match that didn’t take place, and using the same predictable ending sequence during the main event. Overall, this was completely forgettable and easily the worst pay-per-view of the year.
Worst Match: Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt
Best Match: The Usos vs. The Wyatt Family
15. TLC
The final pay-per-view of the year was certainly not the best the company has to offer. Overall, this event suffered from a thin roster and overcomplicated booking. Like many pay-per-view events, it started off strong before derailing.
Ziggler and Harper stole the show during the opening contest. However, lame gimmicks (Stairs/Chairs Matches) and cheesy endings (Wyatt/Ambrose, Cena/Rollins) really held this event back and prevented it from being a success.
The future of the WWE went to school last night, and I’m here to grade their performance. Matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, crowd involvement, and overall impact on the storyline. Important promos will also be graded based on entertainment value, believability, and originality.
While this is supposed to act as a weekly report and recap for NXT, more importantly, it’s a place for you, the SEScoops readers, to discuss this week’s episode, dole out your own grades, and discuss the future of the product. Without further ado, here is this week’s NXT Report Card.
Adrian Neville/Kevin Owens Opening Promo
This was a pretty good way to start the show and the crowd really seemed to be into it. Neville did his best to make amends with the fans and put over Sami Zayn, saying things like, “We went to war” and “The better man won.”
Neville isn’t the strongest promo man in the game, but he did his best, even if he can be a bit redundant at times. Owens, on the other hand, cut an intense and articulate promo that seemed to have the crowd on the edge of their seats. Overall, it was a good way to start the show and set up the main event between Neville and Owens.
Grade: B+
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
This one started off a bit sluggish, with most of the early action consisting of Bayley throwing punches and not utilizing many wrestling moves. The action picked up toward the end, however, with the ending sequence being particularly impressive. The counter into Lynch’s finisher was fresh and it worked well with the in-ring psychology due to Bayley’s injured knee.
Sometimes things work out. Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins.
Other times, things don’t. Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Fandango.
After last week’s NXT Takeover: R Evolution special, which fans are still raving about a week later, it became crystal clear to me that WWE is developing a number of future Superstars that have the potential to lead the company into the next generation.
Today, we are going to look at ten current performers/acts in the NXT system that I feel have the best shot at achieving success on the main WWE roster. With that being said, lets jump right into the list at number ten….
#10. The Lucha Dragons
The Lucha Dragons — Kalisto and Sin Cara, two talents that as individuals could flourish, but as a unit, make up one of the best tag-teams in WWE’s developmental system. Their ring work is solid and entertaining. Crowd pleasing. The gimmick is another story, but unfortunately, with WWE being in the middle of their PG-era, gimmicks and characters such as these two are unavoidable.
With that being said, they are what they are, and that’s a great tag-team combination. They’re the Los Matadores, only better. That’s not a knock against them, despite the fact it could be seen as one. If they remain under their current gimmick, it’s pretty much a given that they’ll never reach past mid-card, comedy-team status, but like I said, we’re going to have that one way or the other. Since that’s the case, it might as well be two guys who are as talented as these two.
I think it’s a given that these two guys will eventually make it to the main roster, and equally as predictable is the way in which they’ll be used. They’ll be two guys in a tag-team division on the main WWE roster that isn’t worth much, but for whatever it is worth, these two guys have the potential to be among the top teams in the company. While that’s not saying much, it’s saying something, and in this day and age, you pretty much have to take what you can get if you’re an aspiring wrestler.
#9. Tyler Breeze
Much like The Lucha Dragons, I feel that Tyler Breeze is an extremely talented worker, but is unfortunately stuck in a lame-duck gimmick. On social media, I’ve read a lot of comments that makes it seem like fans are actually believers of the Tyler Breeze gimmick in the sense that it could actually go somewhere on the main roster.
I am not one of those believers.
I’m of the opinion that if Breeze jumps to the main roster and is used with the same exact character that he has now, it’s one that has a ceiling that comes with it. This type of character can only go so far. Think of talents like Fandango and Adam Rose and how they are positioned on the main roster, and you’ve got my opinion of how Breeze would be used in this type of role.
If they were to change his gimmick, he certainly has the potential to go further than this type of character would allow. He’s got the talent in the ring, he has a unique charisma about him and he’s got a great look. His promo work is decent, nothing to ride home about in my opinion, but he’s got enough tools to work with that if he was given a different type of character, it would be interesting to see how far he could take it. Maybe if they started a character-change in NXT and let it grow a bit, that would be the route to take in terms of preparing him for a call up to the big leagues.
Whether or not that ever happens is another subject entirely.
2014 is quickly coming to an end. With only two weeks left in the year, fans have seen basically everything the WWE has to offer in 2014, for better or worse. In particular, the fourth quarter of 2014 was filled with exciting action, unexpected debuts, and a noticeable lack of WWE World Heavyweight Championship matches.
With all four quarters essentially “in the books” at this point, we want you to familiarize yourself with our picks from all four quarters. Next week, we are going to create a poll where you can vote on your pick for 2014 Match Of The Year.