NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable Review

NXT and their live specials tend to deliver, so there's always high hopes for these. Hideo Itami was forced to miss the show thanks to a shoulder injury so the Number One Contender's match was changed to a singles bout. Finn Balor always gets a special entrance for these, but Tyler Breeze was allowed one also. It gave this a WrestleMania like feel. The match itself was the usual fun stuff that these two deliver. I appreciated Finn leaping from the new stage. We also got some cool near falls as Finn is one of the few people to kick out of the Beauty Shot. They got a little more than eleven minutes to deliver and they put on a good show. Finn was able to win with the double stomp. I enjoyed this and it was a good choice to open. ***1/2

For the first time on an NXT live special, we are treated to two Divas matches. And why not? These girls, sans Dana Brooke, have all earned it. Bayley and Charlotte teamed up against Brooke and Emma. This was a blast. It wasn't the best tag team match in history, but it was exactly what it should have been. Absolute fun. Bayley is always a joy to watch in the ring and she played the sympathetic face in peril to perfection. The hot tag to Charlotte was well done too, since she's been billed as pretty unstoppable in NXT lore. Even Dana Brooke didn't look too bad here. The fans enjoyed it and so did I, but I do know that the ladies of NXT can do better. They have set a very high bar. **1/2

Baron Corbin is someone that I happen to see potential in, but he's been working squashes. Not just squashes, but really quick squashes and for too long. Here, he faced off against the veteran Rhyno. Baron has been better against vets who know the business and Rhyno certainly fits that mold. However, Baron is at his very best against smaller guys as far as I've seen. This wasn't bad but maybe eight minutes was a bit much for them. Early on, they seemed to just be killing time. I think this should have had more of an ECW feel or something to make it different from the rest of the card and play off the Rhyno stuff. Baron continues to improve and hopefully we see more against vets from him. **

Unfortunately, the NXT Tag Team division has always left a little something to be desired compared to the rest of the brand. Blake and Murphy have potential as champions but they've had to flesh out more of a personality, which they've been doing lately. Enzo and Cass are incredibly over but lack in the ring. Enzo must have heard me mention this and came out on his game. He busted out some moves I didn't expect and looked far better than I've ever seen him in the ring. Cass looked better than usual too. I expected Carmella to turn on Enzo and Cass, but it was Alexa Bliss who came out to attack her and cost Enzo and Cass the match. She has aligned herself with the Tag Team Champions and turned heel. Not sure how that will work but I'm interested. The match itself was solid and better than expected. **3/4

I have expressed my love for Sasha Banks as a performer for a long time now. I like Becky Lynch too, but she hasn't gotten a chance to fully shine yet. This was her chance and both girls delivered like never before. I say it at every special, but I never know how these girls will best themselves the next time. After that sick Four Way earlier this year, these two bested it. The psychology was outstanding as both girls worked the arm in tremendous, but different ways. The selling was on point, the match was fluid and everything just completely clicked. Sasha won via the Bank Statement in a classic. Becky sold the arm work even after the match and the disappointment of losing while getting a standing ovation. Seriously, this was the best singles match in the WWE this year. Absolutely incredible. ****1/2

If you didn't see the show, you're probably confused at the picture to the left. The main event was indeed Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn. It was told perfectly. Owens, the beast that he is, was overwhelmed by Sami coming out firing. Sami beat him up around the arena and in the crowd. This was perfect. However, it only takes a second for Owens to change that, and he does it with a popup powerbomb onto the apron. I love that the move is being sold as such a big deal. Officials checked on Zayn but Owens wouldn't stop. Not even William Regal could get him to stop. So some unfamiliar music hit and Samoa fucking Joe appeared. He is even called by that name and has a shirt supporting it. He gets into a staredown with Owens, but the NXT Champion leaves. Great match here that told the story it needed to. ***3/4.

As for the overall show, it wasn't quite on the level of the past two TakeOvers but that's not a bad thing. I gave those shows a 10/10 and 9/10. This one is slightly below, earning an 8.5/10. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch is a must see if you're a wrestling fan, Samoa Joe's debut was well done, the opener is fun and the show moves briskly. NXT delivers yet again.

Fave Five 5/11/15-5/17/15

1) The New Day: As usual with Pay-Per-View weeks, this list is put up a few days late. With such a busy week, you may be surprised to see the New Day top the list. I can't understate how good New Day has been in recent weeks. For the second straight PPV, they stole the show. They won the Two out of Three Falls match to retain the gold, while still making sure Tyson Kidd and Cesaro looked great. They all play their roles perfectly and are entertaining as hell to watch. As much as I love Kidd and Cesaro, there is no better choice to carry the straps right now. Hell, even their post match interview with the champagne flutes filled with milk was gold. New Day is untouchable right now as an act.

2) Shinsuke Nakamura: During the big ROH/NJPW crossover, one man shined brightest. It was the former IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. The man only went out and swept his matches. First, he teamed with Okada to defeat the Briscoe Brothers, which is a big win by itself. Next, he topped Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal and Jushin Thunder Liger in a Four Corner Survival match. To cap things off, he went out and defeated ACH. Those are all big wins in general, but to do it in such a short span with no losses is impressive as hell. Since I've started getting into NJPW, nobody has impressed me more than Nakamura and that continued this week.

3) Seth Rollins: Along with the Tag Team Title match, the WWE Title match at Payback was the best thing about the show. Despite the copious amounts of interference, we saw a great match. Everybody did their part but Seth Rollins gets the nod here. I was tempted to cheat and put all three Shield members here for their Triple Powerbomb and the faceoff between Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns but I decided against it. I will say that I got some early 2000's Triple H/Austin/Rock vibes from the three of them during the match. Seth even ended the match with a Pedigree. A great way to end a relatively good Pay-Per-View.

            4) The Young Bucks: I've mentioned before that I'm not the biggest Young Bucks fan. They are good though and always find a way on here because they're successful. Of all of the NJPW/ROH shows this week, the Bucks got what may have been the biggest victory when they beat the Addiction and the Kingdom. Not only did the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions beat the ROH Tag Team Champions, but they also went over the IWGP Tag Team Champions. As far as I've seen, the Jr.'s and heavyweight divisions are pretty separate in New Japan, so them agreeing to have the Jr. Champs go over the heavyweight Champions is kind of a big deal.

5) Neville: During the week, Neville managed to do some good things. First, he stole the show on Raw against John Cena in the best Open Challenge so far. Not only was the match great but Neville was actually booked to look like he'd capture the title. He hit the Red Arrow only for Rusev to run in and cause the disqualification. So even though it was by DQ, he did beat John Cena. Then, he went onto Payback and picked up another win, though it was via countout. Granted a DQ and countout win wouldn't normally put you on the list, but considering the way he looked in the first match and that the second win puts him in line for the IC Title Elimination Chamber, this was a good week for the "New Sensation".

Raw is Owens Review

Before the show, they hyped that Stephanie McMahon would be back, which she was. However, that means she's part of the Authority opening talking segment. They put themselves over before revealing the Intercontinental Title and saying that Daniel Bryan once again couldn't get it done. We'll crown a new champion in two weeks at Elimination Chamber. Sheamus comes out to put himself over as the guy who injured Bryan. Ryback interrupts because he doesn't like bullies. Both guys get put in the Chamber and are forced to wrestle right here. The match itself was fine as both guys kicked the shit out of each other. Sheamus won due to Ryback's taped up ribs. I didn't mind him losing because of that as it built sympathy, while keeping Sheamus looking good. Going backstage, the Authority celebrate Seth Rollins' win from the previous night. They all drink champagne, though if you recall the 2012 angle between CM Punk and Chris Jericho, you can't drink on the job while WWE Champion. Anyway, Dean Ambrose interrupts, only to get put in a match against a guy he seemingly can't beat...Bray Wyatt.

Renee Young came out to interview Neville. He talked about being the longest reigning NXT Champion, only for Bo Dallas to interrupt and attack his leg. This led into King Barrett vs. Neville. I know we get tons of rematches but this one makes sense due to the dusty PPV finish. The Bo attack focused on the leg, which played into Barrett winning. Bo was great on commentary, but I'm not sold on a Bo/Neville feud since Neville just squashed him on Smackdown recently. Next up, Rusev comes out to give us his reaction to losing to John Cena. He says he never said I Quit, so he should get a rematch. I'm just sitting here like...dear god no. Lana came out to say that she did what she did because she cares about him and explains that he said he quit in Bulgarian. This pisses off Rusev like crazy and he calls her all sorts of names before dismissing her. The road to Rusev becoming Marc Mero is unfortunately almost complete.

Now we get our Dean Ambrose/Bray Wyatt match which was similar to their feud last year. In other words, they showed pretty good chemistry but ultimately, Bray won. At least he only won because J&J Security got involved but I still tire of seeing Ambrose lose constantly. Fine stuff though. Our next segment is the first of three advertised title matches. New Day defends the Tag Team Titles against Tyson Kidd and Cesaro with Xavier Woods barred from ringside. Since this was a quick match, it didn't reach the level of their great PPV matches lately. It ends via disqualification due to New Day not letting up. This led to a brawl which also ended up involving the Lucha Dragons, Ascension, Los Matadores and the Prime Time Players. We get told that these six teams will compete for the belts in the Elimination Chamber which should be fun. I just wish we got Luke Harper and Erick Rowan instead of Los Matadores. Some good build here though and I'm glad the PTP are getting back to competing.

Every week, the United States Title Open Challenge has been fun. Here, after John Cena cuts his usual promo the challenge is seemingly answered by Kevin fucking Owens. He got on the mic, telling Cena that it was he who injured Sami Zayn so Cena shouldn't worry. Cena tried to give him "veteran advice" but Owens shut that shit down, saying he's been doing this longer than Cena. Fantastic. Cena wants him to accept the challenge, but Owens claims he already has a prize, the NXT Title. He declines the challenge, saying he'll fight Cena on his own terms. He then hit Cena with the popup Powerbomb and stepped on the US Title. This was masterfully done. Owens looked like a badass who wasn't intimidated by Cena, it built towards TakeOver and all just came off great. Best segment in weeks. Next, we get told that R-Truth, King Barrett and Rusev were added to the Chamber. Why Truth and not Neville or Stardust is beyond me. Speaking of Stardust, he gets squashed by Dolph Ziggler next. Dolph is then told he gets the final spot in the IC Title Chamber. Lana comes out for some odd reason...and kisses Dolph. Then she does it again. No reason why. Rusev is pissed and comes out to hit Dolph. He yells at Lana, only to get slapped. Dolph then hits him with the Zig Zag. His shirt doesn't lie...he really steals your girl. This came off as random and rushed. We just had a Lana/Rusev segment earlier in the show. I know that Rusev and Ziggler are both in the Chamber, but this could have waited until Smackdown or something.

In a throwback to the old days of Raw, our next match is a complete tag team squash. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper beat Fandango and Zack Ryder. Fine with me, but I still don't see why the former Wyatt Family couldn't be in the Chamber. Following that, Stephanie McMahon tells Brie Bella that she can't accompany her sister to the ring because of her mental state after what happened to Daniel Bryan. Nikki defended the Divas Title against Naomi, which ended via disqualification after Tamina got involved. They do the two on one beating until Paige returned. She saves Nikki, but remembers that Nikki was a total bitch to her, and lays her out too before holding up the title. She was the number one contender before she left. I know that a lot of people on the internet are upset because the Divas division tends to be focused on the Bellas and Paige but there's a reason for that. They're the most over Divas. It's the same reason why the top men are a focal point. Good to see Paige back and Naomi not as champion is great.

We find out that the Authority books Kevin Owens vs. John Cena for Elimination Chamber. Wow. Our Seth Rollins "Architect of a Dream" segment followed. It was basically just everyone putting him over, which is fine. Kane even plays a tribute video to him. They continue the running gag of Joey Mercury not talking as Dean Ambrose interrupts. He wants a rematch at Seth for beating him a few weeks ago, but wants a title shot. They decline but it leads to a brawl. Dean ends up taking Seth over to cinder blocks, busting out some rare continuity. He threatens to hit him with a chair into the cinder blocks if he doesn't get his match. Stephanie agrees before J&J and Kane get involved. The numbers game is too much and Seth plants Dean with a Pedigree. Good closing segment as Seth got to stand tall, but Dean was allowed to look good. Overall, don't look now but that's three straight really good episodes of Raw in a row. I'm all for this trend continuing. Every segment had a point, though one or two didn't make complete sense. Regardless, good stuff here. 8/10.

Payback Review

I'm pressed for time on this review, so I'm going to avoid the Kickoff Show mostly. The official show started with Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus. This was a really good opener that got better as time went on. In the end, a vicious headbutt by Dolph Ziggler busted him open bad. It was a situation where blood added to the match as once Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick, you could tell it was a need to end it and Dolph didn't come off looking bad at all. Dolph even got some revenge and made Sheamus kiss his ass during the match. My only gripe with the whole thing was that Sheamus forgot to sell some knee work throughout. Other than that, this was a really good opener. Sheamus wins in just over 12 minutes. ***1/4

The WWE Tag Team Titles were defended next in a Two out of Three Falls match. Within the first three minutes, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, in new gear, won the first fall. It was an incredibly crisp fall and they looked fantastic. It continued the theme that they are better, but can't get past New Day's shenanigans. New Day tied it up with their finisher before the official finish comes. Xavier Woods sneaks in and gets the pin before quickly escaping. The referee thought he was Kofi Kingston, because all black guys look alike to him. I'm sure that joke has been played out after the show already. I thought this was really good. The tag team division has found new life and these two teams are the main reason why. They have now stolen the show at two straight Pay-Per-Views, which they may do again at Elimination Chamber. ***3/4

No part of me actually cared about the Bray Wyatt/Ryback program heading into this match. They gave it a video package, which they did an amazing job with considering there hasn't been much material to work with. Their battle had me not paying attention as much as I probably should have, but from what I saw, this was better than I expected. It featured some relatively big spots and we even saw Ryback take to the top rope. He reportedly injured his ribs on a senton during the bout. Bray Wyatt continued his trend of winning feuds against upper mid-carders. He seriously dominates those guys but loses to the important top tier guys. Bray wins in about 11 minutes. Better than I thought it would be, but nothing special. **3/4

John Cena has been doing great work with the US Title, but the Rusev feud has lacked. After a really good match at Fast Lane, they had a decent one at WrestleMania and a dull affair at Extreme Rules. There was no need for this one and I Quit matches honestly tend to be boring. This one tried to throw as many spots into it to keep it interesting, but it came off as shit. Having Mike Chioda ask "Do you wanna quit?" every two minutes was incredibly annoying. It also seems like Cena thought to use old spots here including a pyro spot taken from his Ironman match with Orton and the top rope spot from his rivalry with Umaga. It was laughable at times. The best thing about the match was Rusev's facial expressions and Lana in general. Cena uses the STF with the top rope as Rusev shouts in Bulgarian. Lana enters the ring, saying he quit and that's all in 28 minutes. Even though they spent the entire match promoting how the guy in the match had to say the words. It also would have been better had Lana thrown the towel in. This all could have been handled better, but at least the Cena Open Challenges will be less predictable if this is (hopefully and rightfully) the end of this program. *1/4

The Divas went on next, in a Divas angle that I'm not a real fan of. I mean, Naomi as the heel that hasn't been given a chance is fine, but it's kind of just there. It all feels placeholder until Paige returns or Charlotte gets called up. This was a pretty standard Divas tag. Each girl got a chance to hit some key spots. Brie's attire was pretty cool and Nikki busted out a rather impressive enziguri like kick. She even kicked out of the Rear End, which I didn't expect. It still didn't help though as Naomi pinned her after about six minutes and should now earn another Divas Championship match. It was absolutely basic and was kind of just there. I wish it was better because the Bellas has improved vastly and Naomi's ring work as a heel has been better. *1/2

Before we get to the main event, King Barrett and Neville have their rubber match. Their match at Extreme Rules last month was good and the King of the Ring Finals was also really solid. Unfortunately, something was missing here. Neville started fast and wowed the crowd with his athleticism. Barrett fought back and took control, which was fine, but again, nothing out of this world. He would get knocked outside and allow himself to get counted out. I didn't really get the finish. It's not like it's a title match where he would retain in cheap fashion. It was lazy. He attacks after the match, but it backfires as Neville kicks his ass and hits the Red Arrow. I get that the fans needed to see the move, but Barrett's attack should have worked so he could save some face. A disappointment for sure. **1/2

Time for the main event, which got off to a cool start as Roman Reigns busted out a badass dive. Things slowed as it got held down by so much interference from Kane and J&J Security. However, things picked up and never stopped after we got our Shield reunion of sorts. People speculated and we got it. They beat down on Randy Orton and Triple Powerbombed him through the announce table. It was fantastic and the pop was insane. Seth Rolling tried to get them to do the Shield fist bump, but the faces wanted no part and took him out. Then, Dean Ambrose and Reigns realized they had to fight and the crowd was RED HOT. The three of them gave me a slight Rock/Austin/HHH feel from around 2000. Seth is able to put down Orton with a Pedigree, to tons of heat, around the 21 minute mark. Fantastic match that could have been an all-time classic had it not been for all of the interference. Honestly, a really good capper to the night. ****

First off, I'd like to point out that I went 7-1 in predictions. Damn the Ascension for going over the Meta Powers on the Kickoff Show. The show itself was good. I thought it started very strong, but slowed in the middle for Cena/Rusev, the Divas and Neville/Barrett. However, the Tag Titles, opener and WWE Title match were all great and this was overall, a good way to spend three hours. 6/10.

Payback Predictions

I'm pretty sure that I haven't been this enthused about a KickOff match since Hornswoggle and El Torito faced off in a Hair vs. Mask match. However, Curtis Axel and Macho Mandow have been rather fun together and it's better than them wasting time by jobbing in singles matches. Take this for what it is; a fun tag team match for the crowd to enjoy.

Winner: The Meta Powers

The WWE really seems to have no idea what they have in Bray Wyatt. They don't know what to do with him most of the time. He could be so much more. He just wanders around and cuts weird promos before challenging people for no real reason. I can't get into him after his loss to the Undertaker. He calls himself the "New Face of Fear", even though he lost. So what was the point of the match for Bray? Anyway, in feuds like this, Bray does good. He massacred Dean Ambrose over the winter and Ryback is closer to Dean than he is to the likes of John Cena and Undertaker, who Bray sucks against. Expect a win for Bray here or a dusty finish. Expect me not to really care.

Winner: Bray Wyatt

Nothing about this really interests me and I'm someone that looks forward to Divas matches. The WWE seemed to misinterpret the #GiveDivasAChance movement. It didn't just mean to give Divas longer matches. There should be character development. Why are the Bellas faces? Why should I cheer for them? Naomi is actually justified here. Regardless, this all feels like filler stuff until Paige returns or Charlotte gets called up. I see Naomi winning to earn one more title shot.

Winners: Naomi and Tamina

Heel Sheamus has been pretty awesome so far. I just wish he would lose the braided beard. It's not a good look. With the exception of the "Kiss Me Arse" stuff, this has been a really good midcard feud. When they brawl, they really beat the shit out of each other and it shows. While it's good that he didn't turn heel and just beat everyone, I like how vicious he has been. With classic WWE 50/50 booking at hand, I expect Sheamus to get his win back from Extreme Rules before moving into what I expect to be an Intercontinental Title run.

Winner: Sheamus

I wish that we didn't have to see a million variations of this in tag team matches as it diminished the feud a bit. However, they've only had two singles matches that I can recall. Extreme Rules last month and the King of the Ring Finals. They are currently tied. This should be a good match and part of me wants to pick Barrett to win since he is the King. But, I've picked multiple heels to win and, considering his booking in the past, I don't really expect much from him. Neville wins and gains momentum.

Winner: Neville

Honestly, this will probably be the match of the night. It was at Extreme Rules and this is Two out of Three Falls. Since winning the belts, New Day has been one of the most entertaining thing about the weekly TV shows. I think they could go a very fun route here and give us a different New Day pairing in each of the three falls. That would give us three different matches basically. I sense New Day retains here before possibly dropping the straps at Elimination Chamber.

Winners: New Day

There is nothing at all good about this match and program. First, they are dragging this feud out way too long. They had a really good match at Fast Lane, a decent one at WrestleMania and a shit one at Extreme Rules. Second, having this booked has hurt the drama of the open challenges. Lastly, this should effectively kill the Rusev character. I love his ring work so seeing him get killed like this sucks. Maybe if Lana throws in the towel, there's a chance he could save some face but I suspect he quits and is dead in the water.

Winner: John Cena

While I think this match will be good, something about it feels kind of cheap. Like, we're technically getting the Shield Triple Threat we all want, but with Randy Orton thrown in there. I love Seth and he certainly deserves to be the WWE Champion but this has all felt like filler until they are ready to pull the trigger on Roman Reigns. The fact that the focus has been on Kane making Seth his bitch more than the challengers tells you how important this match is. Seth retains in cheap fashion.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Smackdown 5/14/15 Review

The weekly Smackdown intro video is cut off by a backstage promo from Bray Wyatt on Ryback. It's standard Bray fare. Cutting to the ring and we are joined by Dean Ambrose. He talks about how much he likes to do things alone so standing by himself at the end of Raw was good. He says he didn't mean to lay out Roman Reigns, it just happened. Out comes Reigns, Dean won't apologize and Reigns doesn't expect one. They agree on the fact that it is every man for themselves and go to shake hands, only for Kane to interrupt. He breaks Teddy Long tradition, booking a singles match between Ambrose and Sheamus right now. Ambrose cracks a joke that "right now" is the only time Kane knows how to make a match. They worked a really fun match, similar to their King of the Ring bout that had moments where it felt different than the other things we get on TV weekly. It was hard hitting and enjoyable. Ambrose wins with a rollup, which is good since he has a title shot coming up, but it sucks for Sheamus to lose heading into the PPV.

Backstage, we get another argument between Kane and Seth Rollins, which I hate. I don't give a fuck about Kane and hate that he's a focal point of a title match he isn't in. Rusev and Lana are out as she reads an apology for her actions as of late. Rusev then cut a promo on Cena and played a loop of him saying "I Quit". Bland build for Payback. Moving on, as Ryback comes out for a non-title match against Seth Rollins, he is attacked by Bray Wyatt. He wants to compete anyway because he's the BIG guy, but it leads to Seth beating him. I'm more fine with this result since at least Ryback was attacked beforehand so he doesn't look weak losing before the PPV. 

The official announcement is made for Naomi and Tamina vs. the Bella Twins at Payback. This is the third Pay-Per-View where Nikki will be in a tag match rather than defend her belt. I wish that wasn't the case because her run has been good. The New Day came out and cut a really fun promo before Kofi Kingston squared off against Tyson Kidd. This was a decent match, made more fun by the ringside shenanigans from Xavier Woods and Big E. Kidd is able to counter Trouble in Paradise and win with the Sharpshooter. After a recap of Daniel Bryan relinquishing the Intercontinental Title is shown, Bo Dallas comes out. He's perfect in his role, telling fans that he will get them through the grief of losing Bryan. Neville interrupts to give us our next match. Funny to think that this headlined the first NXT live special right? King Barrett joins commentary to run down Neville throughout the match. Neville wins before Barrett cuts a promo to build towards Payback. Barrett had a good line in there, making fun of Neville's cape and attire even though he's wearing something ridiculous himself. In the back, we see Adam Rose and Rosa Mendes. Rose is not happy that the hot dog in the Exotic Express is staring at them, so he beats him up. Then, in the worst thing I've seen all week on television, Rose and Rosa proceed to make out, grossing me out completely. Seriously, why the fuck does Rosa Mendes get TV time? Actually, why is she employed at this point? She is beyond worthless.

It was now time for the first time ever match pitting Roman Reigns against Kane! There is obvious sarcasm there as we've seen this a ton. It was better than expected since there was no disqualifications or anything like that. Reigns wins with a Spear as one would expect. In the back, Seth Rollins dismisses Reigns' win. Ambrose appears with a tray of cookies, because he's weird like that. They brawl until Reigns shows up and they send off the heels. The WWE Title falls on the floor, so Ambrose picks it up, places it on Reigns' shoulder and tells him that he will take it on Sunday. In the end,I feel that this was your typical Smackdown episode. Some decent matches, but nothing of real note goes down. Just the usual average stuff. 6/10.

Raw Cincinnati Review

Like this is 1997 WCW Nitro, we open with a shot of a limousine arriving at the arena. Out pops Triple H, who opens the show with one of his usual promos. Seth Rollins and Kane get involved and bicker. Triple H does his thing where he wants to get cheered, so instead of being the heel he should be, he makes jokes that makes everyone look bad. It's so annoying. He books Kane vs. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton tonight. Jamie Noble steals the promo by getting in his face, so HHH puts J&J Security against Dean Ambrose.The crowd was extra hot for this since it was in Ambrose's hometown and J&J Security play their roles perfectly. Obviously Ambrose won and this was a fine choice to open as it entertained and was a lot of fun. As we got ready for the next match, we are informed that we get Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus II and Neville vs. Bad News Barrett III at Payback. King Barrett took on Ziggler here in a solid little match, while Sheamus was on commentary. The combinations between these four guys is getting a bit tiresome, so hopefully it's over after Payback but with some news that we got later, I highly doubt this. Barrett won following a distraction from Sheamus. Sheamus and Ziggler brawled after the match, which has been my favorite thing about their rivalry so far. It's intense and everything besides the Kiss Me Arse stipulation has been spot on.

On Smackdown, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper seemed to be on good terms again. Here, they came out together to Harper's theme and Rowan squashed Fandango. I was fine with this as I prefer them together than jobbing apart. John Cena issued his Open Challenge in the next segment, cutting his usual promo. Neville answered and we all knew we were in for a treat. Neville took Cena back to SUPLEX CITY BITCH, causing him to regroup. Neville became the next guy in a long line to kick out of the Attitude Adjustment. This was the best match of the night and the best that Neville has looked on the main roster. Not only did he kick out of the AA and hit a bunch of high flying moves, but he hit the Red Arrow and looked like he would win until Rusev hit to cause the DQ. I was fine with this finish as Neville looked excellent and was protected, while it built towards. Plus, it was the only non clean end to a challenge so far. Great stuff here.

We were set for Kane/Roman Reigns here, but Reigns was attacked before the bell. This lasted far too long and honestly, the crowd didn't seen to really care for it. Not the worst, but nothing really good. Moving on, Brie Bella came out to her putrid theme music to face Tamina. This was fine to help the build for Nikki/Naomi...which I think is happening at Payback. It was decent work and Tamina won with a superkick. Again, moving on, Curtis Axel and AxelMania took on Macho Mandow. After about a minute, the Ascension interrupted and cut a promo on them that commentary pretty much laughed at. They ran in and got taken out, leading to Mandow and Axel doing the Mega Powers handshake. I wasn't a fan of this. It was like a cheap LOD knockoff challenged Mega Powers knockoffs. It was meant to be fun, but came off as kind of awkward to me. Maybe I'm just a cynic. At least it didn't last too long.

Some Tough Enough videos air and we see submissions from the Big O and Scarlett Bordeaux which is cool. Daniel Bryan comes out to address the fans and he cuts an emotional promo. He says that we deserve to have guys like Ambrose, Neville and Barrett competing for the Intercontinental Title. He does a good job of putting over those guys and the title itself before saying that due to injury, he has to relinquish the belt. It was like deja vu unfortunately as it was nearly a year ago that he had to do the same thing with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I'm interested in seeing what they do with the title now that abeyance has another reign. As for Bryan, it's unfortunate but I get it. I'd rather he take a ton of time and heal up fully if he is ever coming back. Similar to Shawn Michaels in 1998.

In a perfect segue, we got from the sadness of Bryan's announcement to the upbeat New Day.

They tell the crowd to stop being sad about Bryan and chant New Day Rocks. This leads into Cesaro vs. Big E, which was a fun match that Cesaro wins. We also get told that these two teams meet in a Tag Team Title match at Payback, which will be 2 out of 3 falls. That should deliver. Bray Wyatt appears next for a talking segment. He said that he's going after Ryback because he's in his way, though they don't specify how exactly. He says that sometimes the bad guy just wins, which seems to be the case for Bray unless it's at WrestleMania. Ryback appears to take him out, allowing to get one over in the feud.

Before I talk about the main event, there were some other things to address. They announce the "Mega Powers" against the Ascension for the Kickoff Show at Payback. I'm not too fond of that. The Prime Time Players mocked the New Age Outlaws, which was great but they need to wrestle again. They also announce Kane/Reigns for Smackdown. Yay. The biggest news is that they announce another PPV for May. After Payback on the 17th, we get NXT TakeOver on the 20th and now, Elimination Chamber on the 31st. I'm not sure if they should add more PPVs since they can barely build the ones they have now, but a Chamber match or two will be fun. I think they should use the Chamber to crown the new Intercontinental Champion. Barrett vs. Sheamus vs. Neville vs. Ziggler vs. two other good midcarders would be great. Anyway, as for the main event, it was solid. Not bad but nothing we haven't seen before. It ends in the predictable DQ fashion, leading to appearances from Ambrose and Reigns. Seth Rollins eats every finisher before Reigns spears Orton. Ambrose is all like "DTA" and hits Dirty Deeds on Reigns, to stand tall for the second straight week. Not the best ending to Raw, but fine. I think this was a solid go home show. It wasn't as good overall as last week's, but Neville/Cena is must see. That's two good Raws in a row for the WWE. 7/10.

Fave Five 5/4/15-5/10/15

1) Dean Ambrose: Man it has been a really long time since I was able to put Dean Ambrose atop this list. Hell, maybe I haven't ever had him at number one. Since the Shield split, he's been insanely over, but loses big matches. After finally getting a singles PPV win at Extreme Rules for the first time since September 2013, he was set to face his nemesis Seth Rollins on Raw. Kane came out and said if Dean won, he'd be added to the Payback main event. That added intrigue to the match and those two never disappoint. Dean was able to pin the WWE Champion, then go on to be the most entertaining thing about the contract signing from the Smackdown closing segment. Granted, he's probably only in the Payback match to eat the pin, but that doesn't put a damper on his good week.

2) Alberto El Patron: Alberto El Patron is one of my favorite guys in all of wrestling now. This past week on Lucha Underground, he squared off against another former WWE Superstar in Johnny Mundo. These are two of, if not the biggest names in all of Lucha Underground. They never really got into interact much in WWE but got to main event here and shiend brightly. I no longer get El Rey Network so I miss Lucha Underground but I went out of my way to find this match and enjoyed the hell out of it. They tore the house down and El Patron won, earning his spot on this list. I feel that life in Lucha Underground and AAA is perfect for him, as he seems to be rejuvenated and it's a joy to watch.

3) Sami Zayn: With the John Cena Open Challenge, there is excitement to see just who answers it. After a fun start, some of the recent ones have been dull. (I'm looking at you Kane) That all changed this past Monday when Sami fucking Zayn accepted the challenge in front of his hometown of Montreal. Not only that, but he was introduced by Bret Hart of all people. The match that followed was really good and was a great way to introduce Sami to the main roster audience. The crowd was red hot for him and he took the former 15 time World Champion to the limit. The only damper on all of this was that Sami got injured in the process, potentially shelving him for a significant amount of time. I pray that isn't the case because he is in the midst of a great run.

4) Kurt Angle: Once again, it's easy to put TNA Champions on this list for one reason. They defend them so often and it's a great thing. On their live Impact this past Friday night, Kurt Angle successfully defended the TNA World Title against Eric Young. The fact that Angle is not only still going, but going at a relatively high level is insane. That dude is nuts. I hope he's done with Eric Young because he needs to move on to a feud with Ethan Carter III. Seriously, if EC3 faces Angle at Slammiversary and somehow doesn't win the title, I'll be officially done with that company and that's not something I say often. Despite my need to see Angle drop the title, I feel that he's done fine work as the fighting champion and this was another example.

5) Cherry Bomb: I feel like Cherry Bomb is becoming a regular fixture in my Fave Five. The girl continues to rack up the successes and another one came this week. After recently capturing the prestigious SHIMMER Tag Team Titles as one half of the Kimber Bombs, she dethroned LuFisto to become the WSU Champion. I haven't followed WSU closely over the years but I do know some of their past champions. They include Nikki Roxx, Havok, Mercedes Martinez and of course, LuFisto. Adding to this, Cherry's win ended LuFisto's reign at one day shy of a year. If past winners and her recent success is any indication, Cherry Bomb is headed for big things. 

Who Should Step Up in NXT?

Earlier this week, Sami Zayn wrestled John Cena on Raw in his hometown. Despite the really good match, Sami would injure his shoulder beforehand and now there is talk that he will have to miss a significant amount of time. The really troubling part is that Sami is currently in the midst of the top rivalry in NXT against his former best friend Kevin Owens. They are set to headline the next TakeOver special on May 20th. If Sami cannot compete there, I've heard people suggest a certain plan. They would have the winner of the Number One Contender's Triple Threat match between Finn Balor, Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze, go on to face Owens later in the show. This sounds like a solid idea doesn't it? Well unfortunately, there's a wrench in that plan too.

In my eyes at least, Hideo Itami was the favorite to win that Triple Threat match. Finn Balor already had a shot at Kevin Owens and I doubt they would do heel/heel with Tyler Breeze and Owens. That left Itami, who has been improving by the week and seems to have really hit his stride. However, it was also recently reported that Itami has a shoulder injury and could actually miss up to eight months of action. That would certainly be a big hindrance to his momentum and future with the WWE. So, while the question remains of what to do with the upcoming TakeOver Special, there is a bigger concern of what to do with NXT going forward if two of their top guys are on the shelf. Just who fills those shoes?

The first thing to get out of the way is that Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze will be focal points. Both guys are already near the top of the brand and should stay there. Where else do we look for the next set of top level NXT guys? The first guy I'd look to is Baron Corbin. I know that a lot of people aren't sold on him since he mostly works squash matches. However, when I was at NXT live in Columbus and Cleveland back in March, Corbin stood out. He had two really good matches against Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd. While the crowd was rather anti-Corbin, he seemed to love it and played up the heel role perfectly. With his recent vignette and feud with Rhyno, it seems the heel work is coming, which seems to suit him more. While a heel/heel match against Owens may not work, it would be intriguing and fresh. Add in that Corbin is a homegrown talent and it would be a great time to showcase someone that wasn't raised through the indies. There is star potential with Corbin and I know the ring talent is in there. The other guy worth a look is Solomon Crowe. Now, I'm not fully sold on him just yet. I know he was big as Sami Callahan, but something about Crowe has yet to click. He does have a connection with the fans due to his time on the indies and has worked Owens on recent live events. With the right push, he could be another guy to step up and help out where NXT needs it. Rhyno would be a choice to step up in the short term as well.

The last point that I would like to make is regarding the Divas of NXT. For a long time now, they have been one of the best things about NXT. However, if Kevin Owens ends up short on viable challengers, the focus of the company could shift to the Women's Title for a small window. Sasha Banks and Charlotte have proven their ability to main event shows, while Bayley is one of the most popular acts they have. I'm not saying the Women's Title in total should overtake the NXT Title as the focal point of the brand but it is possible to turn the spotlight on them for a short while. Regardless of what ends up happening, I have complete faith that NXT will handle it well. So far, they have yet to let me down and I'm going to stick by that track record. The talent is there, now it's time to see if certain guys will sink or swim.

Smackdown 5/7/15 Review

This week, Smackdown started with Jerry Lawler conducting an interview with King Barrett. Barrett is condescending throughout and Lawler doesn't like it, refusing to say "ALL HAIL KING BARRETT". When BNB threatens him, Dolph Ziggler runs out, leading to a match. This goes nowhere as Sheamus runs in for the DQ, bringing Neville out after, leading to the Teddy Long Special. Yup. A tag team match. The same one we saw before Extreme Rules and this past Monday on Raw. Look, I really like the work of all four guys but I've seen it too much. Ziggler gets the win for his team by pinning King Barrett, which was a bad move. It's tough in general here, since nobody can really afford the loss, so don't even book the tag match again. Now your new King of the Ring is already jobbing.

Next up we get a guy with talent, Luke Harper, taking on a Fandango. Harper mockingly does the Fandango dance, which steals the show for me. Harper wins pretty easily, which is how it should be. Erick Rowan shows up after the match and also attacks Fandango. Maybe we'll get a Rowan and Harper reunion? Hell, it's better than Harper losing meaningless singles matches each week. Then we get a filler talking segment from Rusev and Lana. Lana thanks the fans for cheering her but asks them not to. Rusev still gets pissy and banishes her. He then runs down John Cena and says he's weak for showing mercy to Sami Zayn. He says that he's going to tell Cena on Raw why he's going to win at Payback. So he came out to tell us that he's going to talk on Raw. See what I mean? Filler.

The New Day challenged Tyson Kidd and Cesaro to find a partner for a six man tag match. They went out and chose THE BIG GUY. Interesting pick here. This was probably the match of the night. All six guys worked hard, and I appreciate that they are putting in some effort to not give us the same tag match every week and trying to put variation on it. There was an extremely sloppy spot outside between Big E and Cesaro but the rest of the match was fine. The New Day win after a distraction from Bray Wyatt. This furthered both angles pretty well and did its job. Naomi, with Tamina, now faces Emma. I'm still not sold on Naomi's heel turn. It's like, she got AJ's role as a heel with Tamina, while acting like a Sasha Banks knockoff. She defeats Emma in relatively short order as one would expect since Emma is pretty much a jobber on the main roster. Throughout the show, Renee Young has interviewed the four men involved in the Payback main event and it's all standard stuff. Dean Ambrose says there will be chaos, Randy Orton will drop anyone, Roman Riegns will fight hard and Seth Rollins says he always has a plan.

The Lucha Dragons come out, in awesome attire, to face Los Matadores. This was fine though it featured a Sin Cara botch that hurt it. Lucha Dragons pick up the win before we head to the big contract signing. Kane introduces the challengers, who all sit down and await the Champion. Seth stays atop the ramp, they all bicker, and Seth says the Authority can sign for him. Kane wants him to sign on his own, again putting the focus on those two instead of the guys competing. Seth gets the challengers to argue with each other, leading to the usual contract signing brawl. Dean was the MVP of this, being highly entertaining. Seth ends up being the guy to stand tall at the end of it all, giving him an actual chance at looking strong, though the Justin Bieber stuff is fucking dumb. Seth is nothing like him and it's just a dumb way to try and be "cool." Overall, another relatively average episode of Smackdown. Nothing of real note continues to happen here, but the show isn't straight up bad. 6/10.