NXT TakeOver: Rival Review

The TakeOver Pre-Show panel features Renee Young, Corey Graves, Jason Albert and Byron Saxton. I’m already happy at the lack of Alex Riley. As they hype the Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens match, the crowd behind them is split between “OLE” and “Fight Owens Fight” chants. Time for highlights from the excellent Number One Contender’s Tournament and build for Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor. Great video package and I love that NXT goes back to the history these guys have. We get some rather short build for Hideo Itami/Tyler Breeze. I wish this got more build since its two really good talents. Build time for Baron Corbin/Bull Dempsey, though with their two matches having gone a combined three or so minutes, I can’t really get behind him. We’re rapidly moving as it’s time to promote the NXT Women’s Championship match. Byron Saxton is kicked off the panel and replaced by Charlotte. They grill her on her friendship with Bayley but she understands Bayley taking her out a few weeks ago. As she runs down her list of accomplishments, the fans chime in with “FACT”. I love it. Byron has moved to the crowd, asking for predictions for the main event. Four fans are split on their predictions. So am I. The incredible Zayn/Owens video package plays to close things out. Renee, Corey and Byron pick Owens, while Albert picks Sami.

The opening video package is brilliant as usual. It focuses on the three big matches (Women’s Title and Zayn/Owens).

Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze

If their first round match in the Number One Contender’s Tournament is any indication, this should rock. Tyler Breeze is out with a fuzzy selfie stick. A girl jumps the guardrail and jumps on him, which was odd. Itamia goes for early kicks but Breeze shields himself behind the referee, He gets in a cheap shot but eats a corner clothesline. Itami misses two boots but connects on a knee and a loud kick. Tyler gets a breather outside. Inside, Tyler tries a cross body, but gets dropkicked. Every time that Tyler seems to try something, he eats a kick of some sort. Tyler finally gets in some leg work, which is wise since it’s most of Itami’s offense. Breeze relentlessly attacks the leg for a bit now, wrapping it around the ring post. That’s a rather old school spot that I miss. He goes all 1997 Bret Hart and does the corner FIgure Four. Badass. He goes to an interesting submission (might have been a single leg crab but couldn’t tell) but Itami makes the ropes. Itami gives us the GTS tease again, but Breeze gets out and gets two with a school boy. Big boot from Itami, but Breeze hits the Supermodel Kick for two. Split chants from the crowd now. Tyler fires away with some right hands but Itami is fired up. He eats them like he’s Hulk Hogan before firing away with a combination of chops and kicks. Big kicks to the chest and he’s still selling the leg, which is appreciated. Breeze is seated in the corner and gets the hesitation dropkick. Itami finishes off with the running kick.

Winner: Hideo Itami in 8:13

Really good opener. It was given the right amount of time and both guys worked hard. Targeting the leg is old school psychology and I loved it. ***1/2

No Disqualifications: Baron Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey

Baron Corbin charges the ring, which is different from his usual entrance. He attacks, as the “Rival” name of the show seems fitting. They go to the ramp and Bull nails a suplex on it. Bull continues to attack before going for a weapon, but not finding one. The crowd boos at that. Bull has officially lasted longer tonight than ever before against Baron and we just hit the two minute mark. Inside, big spinebuster from Corbin gets two. A clothesline is supposed to take both guys over, but only Baron goes over. Instead of fixing the spot naturally, Bull throws himself over late to boos. He throws Baron in and hits the diving headbutt but only gets two. They sell it as a big deal. He stays on the offensive and grabs a steel chair. As he swings it though, he is caught in the End of Days to finish this.

Winner: Baron Corbin in 4:10

I expected Baron Corbin to win, but this was underwhelming again. The No Disqualifications stipulation barely played a part. *1/2

It seems like Baron Corbin may use the chair after the match, but he just sits in it for a bit. We cut to a Fast Lane promo after seeing William Regal talk to Sami Zayn. I didn’t mention it before the last match but they also spoke to Kevin Owens. We see Becky Lynch and Bayley both getting prepared.

NXT Tag Team Championship: Blake and Murphy (c) vs. The Lucha Dragons

Double leap frogs from the Champions open this before Sin Cara hits a springboard moonsault. The crowd doesn’t seem as into this as they should be. Cara botches like he’s still Mistico on a head scissors. Cara shrugs it off and hits one now. Kalisto now messes up a dive outside. He recovers and hits it. Cara has Blake up top and hits a nice victory roll bomb of sorts for two. Murphy and Kalisto tag in. The former champions work  stereo kicks and a wheelbarrow senton for two. Quick tags from the champions, who hit a sweet popup neckbreaker for a near fall. Blake kicks away on Cara in the corner before tagging Murphy, who front flips in for a one count. Kalisto is tagged and he gets in a nice kick before SPIKING Murphy on a hurricanrana. He tries his finisher but it’s countered, only for him to reverse a powerbomb into an arm drag for two. Series of pinning combinations get a ton of near falls, ending in a double pin with both partners making the save. Dual tags as Cara hits a cross body that Blake rolls through for two. Suplex countered into an inside cradle for two. Sin Cara tries his amazing school boy bomb but that is also countered for two. He does hit a bomb but only gets two. Cara hits an arm drag and we get a tag that Cara missed. Murphy nails a running suplex before Blake comes in with a nice frog splash to retain.

Winners and Still NXT Tag Team Champions: Blake and Murphy in 7:32

Could have been better but it wasn’t bad. It started off rough with all of the botches but picked up near the end. **1/4

We get weird hack stuff with the video feed, saying the TakeOver isn’t done and to tune in next week. I guess Solomon Crowe is coming.

#1 Contender’s Tournament Final: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor

Finn Balor is sporting the body paint again. It’s slightly different than last time. We start with a headlock takeover from Adrian Neville. Shoulder block by Neville before we go back to the headlock for a bit. They work a series of counters before Balor shoulder blocks him down. Sunset flip attempt by Neville is countered by a dropkick from Balor. He goes out for a breather and Balor tries a dive, but Neville comes in, only to eat a dropkick. He goes back outside and the dive is blocked again. Neville springboards in with a dropkick for two. Back to the headlock for a bit. Neville gets Balor seated in the corner and chokes him with his boot. Neville works the mat again, which is wise since Balor has such a high impact offense. He fights out and chops Neville hard. He tries a springboard but eats a dropkick. He suplexes Balor in for two. Neville goes up top but Balor connects on an enziguri to knock him outside. Balor nails the front flip dive outside this time, but is selling the work Neville has done so far really well. Neville retreats inside and rolls outside, while Balor creeps around to follow. It’s a great play into the dark character. He hits a big dropkick that knocks the guardrail over. Inside, he nails a SICK diving double stomp to the back of the head but somehow only gets two. Forearm shot from Neville followed by his kick combo. Balor ducks the last two and nails the Pele but Neville hits a huge superkick before both men hit the mat. Adrian is up first and hits a big German suplex. He picks him up from the mat for a second that only gains a near fall. Neville goes up for a second rope Phoenix Splash but it also only gets two. Big shots from Neville but Balor busts out the Slingblade to stop his momentum. Enormous lariat from Balor that Neville flips inside out on. Bloody Sunday connects but that isn’t enough. Balor goes up but Neville latches onto his leg to stop him before a bit enziguri. He slams Balor to the mat and climbs up to “No!” chants. Balor gets up but gets kicked back down. Red Arrow is blocked by Balor’s knees right into an inside cradle but that still only gets two. Sick dropkick to the corner from Balor who now goes up himself. A second diving double stomp is enough to make him the number one contender.

Winner: Finn Balor in 13:28

Match of the night so far. The methodical start made sense before they just went balls to the wall. Great series of near falls without overdoing the false finishes and both guys looked excellent. Phenomenal stuff. ****1/2

Post match, we get a handshake from both men, though Adrian Neville looks a bit frustrated or disappointed in himself.

NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

Everyone is sporting relatively new attire tonight. Charlotte gets jumped at the bell but she double clotheslines Team BAE. Bayley school girls her for two. Charlotte does a nice corner bump to save herself but Team BAE takes her down. Sasha drives her back first into the LED apron, which breaks. Team BAE now double teams Bayley. They work a sweet cradle swing spot that sends Bayley into the corner. Double pin leads to the obvious friction from Team BAE. Becky hits a sweet pumpshandle suplex on Sasha and follows wiht a series of leg drops on Bayley for two. Becky goes to Bayley’s injured leg with a dragon screw before applying a nice submission. Banks breaks it up and they go at it. Becky goes up top after dodging the Sasha knee drop and hits a nice missile dropkick. Charlotte breaks the pin and hits a neckbreaker. Charlotte gives a neckbreaker to Sasha too but Becky breaks the pin. Charlotte is delivering neckbreakers left and right as another nearly does it but only gets two. Sasha and Charlotte trade forearms in the middle of the ring. Sasha steals the “Woo”. She dodges Charlotte’s rebound Spear and sends her into Becky. Charlotte and Bayley do a wheelbarrow lungblower combo that looked like it hurt. Sasha is up though and sends Charlotte shoulder first into the post. Sasha drives Becky into Charlotte and sets them up on the ropes before driving the knees into Charlotte which drives her onto Becky. She covers both girls but can’t get the pin. Suplex from Bayley takes her out and she hits Charlotte with big elbows. She sets Charlotte on the top and connects on a top rope hurricanrana. Belly to Bayley hits but Becky pulls her out of the pin. Bayley sends her into the apron and nails a nice baseball slide similar to the Sami Zayn post DDT. Sasha nails them with a suicide dive as this has been non-stop action. Charlotte is in teh ring and does a plancha out onto all three ladies. She rolls Becky in who comes back with a knee and then an Exploder suplex for two. She now sets Charlotte up top. Bayley gets involved and German suplexes Becky. She follows Charlotte up for a second rope Belly to Bayley but Sasha breaks the pin. Banks covers but only gets two. Bank Statement is locked in but I doubt Charlotte will submit. Sasha breaks it to knock the other two girls away and goes back to the submission. Charlotte gets close but Sasha rears back hard and rolls her up for the win!

Winner and New NXT Women’s Champion: Sasha Banks in 11:53

Non-stop action. These girls continue to find ways to top each other each and every live special. The finish was amazing as Sasha pinned the Champion. All four girls looked great and this might have been the best Women’s match I’ve ever witnessed. ****1/4

Charlotte offers the post match handshake and Sasha Banks comes in for the hug. They get into a playful shoving match before Sasha “Woos” at her.

NXT Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Kevin Owens

Sami Zayn is rocking new attire. “Lose Owens Lose” and “Fight Owens Fight” both come from the fans. At the bell, Kevin Owens goes outside as he did against Adrian Neville. It’s a good mind game from someone who knows Sami so well. Sami decides to leap over the referee and catch Owens with a front flip dive. Excellent! Inside, Sami continues the angry man role by firing away at Owens. Owens gets out of the corner and MURDERS Sami with a vicious clothesline. He does it again as Sami sells perfectly. He tosses Sami around the ring. He then chops Sami so hard that I felt it. Owens continues to pick apart Sami and gets some near falls. Sami tries to rally but runs into an elbow. Owens hits a slingshot suplex that Sami sells beautifully for. It gets two. Another sick Sami bump on a back suplex gets two. They go outside where Owens lights Sami up with more chests. He mocks the “OLE” taunt. Sami is a master at playing the resilient babyface as he takes a desperate swing at Owens. Back inside, even Owens’ stomps look brutal. Gutbuster and senton from Owens gets two again. A lariat from Sami connects as he shows fight. Two more hit with the last one sending Owens over and out. Sami follows and smashes Owens’ face into the steel steps. More clotheslines from Zayn outside before he runs into an elbow isnide. He ducks a swing and hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Sami charges for the Helluva Kick but runs into a sick sounding superkick. Corner cannonball from Owens gets two. Sami looks dead on his feet as Owens hits the brainbuster on the knee. He covers but somehow Sami is able to kick out again! Owens tries a popup powerbomb but Sami blocks with a dropkick. Half nelson suplex from Sam is enough for a close near fall. Owens is on the apron as Sami lifts him and drives him into the post. Owens comes back with a stunner on the ropes. He climbs to the top but Sami is up and stops him. Owens headbutts him down and follows with a swanton bomb but Sami gets his knees up! Corner Exploder from Sami connects but Owens moves away form the Helluva Kick. They go outside and Owens tries the apron bomb but Sami gets free. He does the slingshot moonsault but whacks his head on the ramp. In the ring they go as Owens tries to get up in the corner. Sami charges for the Helluva Kick again but he’s disoriented so he stumbles. Owens catches him with the popup powerbomb but Sami gets a shoulder up. Sami is playing the “glazed look in his eyes” perfectly from the bump. They get to their feet and Owens just gets in vicious shots. He even hits a big uppercut as commentary is selling how little Sami has left. A trainer appears to help Sami but Owens pulls him away and hits another powerbomb. He lift shim for a second powerbomb. Owens puts his hands on Sami and covers but he instinctively gets the shoulder up again. More trainers are in to help him. Owens doesn’t give a fuck though. A third powerbomb comes as does a fourth. He tries a fifth but the referee stops this and calls for the bell.

Winner and New NXT Champion: Kevin Owens in 22:45

Storytelling at its finest. Kevin Owens just beat the hell out of Sami Zayn, who sold everything perfectly. Even the ending was great as the ref stoppage finish made Sami look resilient and Owens like a beast. The fans were silent after the match and Owens is now the beast of NXT.  ****1/2

Overall: 9.5/10. So close to giving this the perfect score that I gave R Evolution but the Bull/Baron match wasn’t very good and the tag match underwhelmed. Everything else was fantastic. The opener was a hot start and Balor/Neville was a Match of the Year Candidate. Sasha Banks got her moment in an outstanding women’s match and the main event told a perfect story.

NXT TakeOver: Rival Predictions

NXT did a great job in building this up as two monsters meeting. It was like Taz/Sabu but on a MUCH smaller scale. The problems were A) Baron Corbin clearly has more star power than Bull Dempsey and B) In their first two matches, Baron won in a combined three minutes. Why are we supposed to believe that a No Disqualifications stipulation is going to make this ultra competitive? I expect it will last longer than a minute and a half, but Corbin will still stand tall.

Winner: Baron Corbin

I appreciate the efforts that NXT has done to improve their tag team division, but this is the match I’m probably least looking forward to. Nothing against the workers as I enjoy all four guys, but there isn’t the build behind this that the other matches have. The Lucha Dragons just lost the belts out of nowhere and this is their rematch. I feel like Blake and Murphy will show that they belong on the Specials and put on a good match here before retaining.

Winners and Still Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy

Now we’re getting to the really good stuff. The Tournament to determine a new top contender for Sami Zayn and the NXT Title was excellent. Nearly every match was good and enjoyable. This was the perfect choice for a Finals in my opinion. I don’t see Adrian Neville staying in NXT too much longer and expect him to be called up shortly after WrestleMania. Just like Bo Dallas put him over on the way out last year, I see Adrian doing the same for Balor. Balor has the “it” factor and a shot at the NXT Title would be huge. Neville will stay away from the title most likely, while I can see Balor winning. He may not be in NXT long and could win the title quickly.

Winner: Finn Balor

Hands down the best women’s division going is the one in NXT. All of these girls are talented and they’ve delivered on every single live special. At the last one, R Evolution, Sasha Banks came so close to dethroning Charlotte in my favorite women’s match of the past few years. She’s my pick to finally win the belt. Charlotte is similar to Neville in that she’s going to the main roster soon and this four way is a good chance to get the belt off of her without her being pinned. Bayley can continue the babyface chase, while Becky hasn’t done much to earn the shot.

Winner and New Champion Sasha Banks

The fact that this is so hard to predict is the beautiful thing about NXT. After the main roster produced the painfully predictable Royal Rumble, NXT gives us this. Part of me thinks Sami Zayn retains because he just won it and whenever I predict two title changes on these specials I’m wrong. The other side sees that Sami is so popular that he doesn’t need a long run with the belt and Kevin Owens ending that makes him an even bigger heel. If Owens loses, I don’t know where he goes from there. Besides, if all of my predictions are right, Balor/Owens could be incredible.

Winner and New Champion Kevin Owens

Raw Report 2/9/15

Instead of the Authority opening with a promo, we get Roman Reigns. It's not much better. He gets what's becoming his trademark 50/50 reaction. If John Cena is any indication, that means the WWE sees Roman as the most over guy in the company. He cuts a short promo and botches at one point but it's not bad. Daniel Bryan interrupts to a much better pop. They hype Fast Lane until the Authority interrupts. No surprise here huh? After Bryan makes a Katie Vick mention (which ends up trending), they book Bryan and Reigns vs. Big Show and Kane. Stop me if you've heard this before. And I would be okay if it just mashed two matches together so we saw less of Show and Kane, but this ends via disqualification and they book ANOTHER match for later. Kane, Show, Seth Rollins and J&J Security against Reigns and Bryan. Why do this again? Of course this was done because Bryan accidentally hit Reigns after the match and now they're having "issues". The issues are incredibly forced. Of course, because we somehow have a limited roster, Rollins also pulls double duty as he faces Ryback now. And it's short and ends in another DQ. That's a trademark of lazy booking. The first forty-five minutes has not only been dedicated to the Authority, but had two matches with non-finishes in a row. Not good.

We get a Sheamus video package because he's returning soon. Paige was in the ring as we returned, which means my pants were gone. She had writing on her arm in tribute to Drew McDonald, a European wrestler who passed away earlier in the day. She took on Brie Bella, and it seems like her partnership with Natalya is all but dead. Because she was pissed about last week, Paige came out aggressively and won, but only after a miscommunication by the Bellas. She should have won completely cleanly. Rusev and Lana came out to "pay tribute" to John Cena by playing a video of his highlights before it turned to a video of him getting destroyed. Fine stuff. Cena appears, sporting a black eye and says his usual stuff. He actually tells Rusev to jump if he's feeling froggy and Rusev runs down and fights him. That was great because I'm tired of chickenshit heels. Rusev is just a monster. He takes out Cena and is all like "you can't even see me." This segment was good for Rusev. Last week, Bray Wyatt and Dolph Ziggler had a great match, and with neither guy having anything to do, they do it again here. They stole the show this week, but it sucks that Dolph has nothing to do. He was the sole survivor and killed the Authority for a short while, but it has led nowhere. Bray disposes of him again as he continues his rise to potentially face Undertaker at WrestleMania while Dolph continues his trek to, most likely, the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Someone else should have done the job. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are now here, which leads to a really good Heyman promo as always. He promotes Fast Lane, while also hyping up Brock. The only real problem here is that this accomplished nothing. Why waste a Brock appearance on this?

Triple H called out Sting, so that he can accept being called out at Fast Lane. Yup, I can't make this stuff up. Before that though, the New Day took on Goldust and Stardust. Once again, Stardust leaves Goldust, as we're back to teasing a Rhodes brothers split. New Day wins. The fans don't care. Backstage, Stardust says "Cody is dead." Triple H is out and talks about Sting before we get crow sound effects and a video package that says "I Accept." Also, a terrible, nWo like, Fake Sting appears to scare Triple H and he quickly goes away. It was cool, even though the Fake Sting looked AWFUL. At least they didn't waste a Sting appearance here. Over the past few weeks, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd have bested the Usos in singles matches. Tonight, they get a non-title match and it was good. Kidd and Cesaro picked up the win, setting up a title match at Fast lane I believe. That should potentially steal the show because all four guys can go. After the loss, it's announced that Rikishi is going into the Hall of Fame. So the Usos celebrate and dance. Yea, that loss really matters huh?

Last week, The Miz lost to Sin Cara because of Damien Mizdow. Now it's Mizdow vs. Cara and Cara wins because of Miz. So your former Tag Champs both lose and Cara continues to win but I bet it won't mean anything. Another Bray Wyatt promo continues as he tries to build his match with Undertaker alone. Curtis Axel is out next, to hype AxelMania again. He's treated like a joke, even though he could be a key contributor to the mid-card. Not good. Dean Ambrose appears and beats him quickly. This happened last Monday and on Smackdown. Can we not think of anything different? Bad News Barrett appears and we get THE SAME THING WE GOT ON SMACKDOWN. Terribly. Main event time and it was what you would expect. The faces were outnumbered, so Ryback, Dolph Ziggler and meaningless Erick Rowan appear. Odd that Dolph helps here, but didn't help the Big Guy earlier tonight. Anyway, as Bryan is nearing the win, Reigns tags himself in and Spears Mercury. This leads to Bryan and Reigns arguing and Reigns spears him to close the show. This is how Roman should be booked. Not as John Cena 2.0. He has a chip on his shoulder and is playing the "take no prisoners" badass, while Bryan stood up to him. The match was only decent at best, but the close to the show was good.

In the end, this was a pretty mediocre episode of Raw. I enjoyed Bray/Dolph, even though I'm not a fan of the booking, the Usos vs. Kidd and Cesaro and the close to the show. Everything else was only alright at best. Repeating stuff from Smackdown is never good and the lazy booking of some matches killed me. 4.5/10.

Fave Five 2/2/15-2/8/15

1) Daniel Bryan: Since the Royal Rumble, the WWE has booked Daniel Bryan in every TV main event and Roman Reigns in the middle of the card. I get that Reigns lost to Big Show on Raw to build suspense that he might lose at Fast Lane, but it's odd to see Bryan getting more consistent shine. On Raw, Bryan had a fantastic main event against Seth Rollins with the winner moving on to face Reigns at Fast Lane for the chance at the main event of WrestleMania. Not only did Bryan and Seth tear the house down, but Bryan prevailed, securing a PPV main event showdown with Reigns. Over on Smackdown, Bryan was once again given the spotlight, as he successfully defeated Seth Rollins, and J&J Security in a three on one handicap match. While he was beaten down after the match, it was an extremely successful week for Bryan as he continues to show how valuable he is to the company.

2) Adrian Neville: This week's edition of NXT was one of the better episodes. The Number One Contender's Tournament has been one of the best things that NXT has done, which is saying a lot. The Semi-Finals were this past week, with one of those bouts pitting former Champion Adrian Neville against the undefeated phenom, Baron Corbin. I was very interested in how this would get booked since I didn't see Corbin winning, but I also didn't see him losing either. This was the first chance given to Corbin to showcase his abilities in an actual match and Neville bumped for him like a madman. Not only did Neville do a great job of making Corbin look good, but he actually pinned him. I expected Bull Dempsey's interference to lead to a countout win, but having Neville pin Corbin worked better. This was another big win for Neville as he advanced to the finals of the tournament and is set for another marquee matchup on an NXT Live Special. Adrian Neville may as well be considered Mr. NXT as he is their go to guy for big matches on their big shows and he always delivers. They counted on Adrian to make sure Corbin looked good and he did just that, just like I'm sure he will at the special next week.

3) Finn Balor: The other winner in the Semi-Finals of the Number One Contender's Tournament was Finn Balor. He had to square off against his partner and friend Hideo Itami. They got the main event spotlight of NXT and, just like Corbin/Neville, they made the best of it. I gave the match four stars on my 411mania NXT Report and I stand by that. Finn Balor clearly is a big part of NXT and I can see him winning the entire Tournament and earning a title shot before he eventually gets called to the main roster. There was an air of a big fight feel as Itami and Balor met. This is nothing against Itami, because he looked damn great. However, Balor continues to just outshine him and nearly everyone else on NXT.

4) Cage: Lucha Underground has become one of my favorite wrestling programs. After Prince Puma won Aztec Warfare to be crowned their first champion, he successfully defended the title against Fenix. After the match, he was attacked by Cage. This instantly made Cage a legit threat in the promotion. He's been part of the main event scene since then and this week, he racked up what was probably his most impressive win by defeating Johnny Mundo. If there is one guy on Lucha Underground that stands out as a recognizable face it's Mundo. Cage besting him in the main event was big for him and I can totally see Cage as the next Lucha Underground.

5) Santana Garrett: Back in 2010, I remember seeing TNA and thinking that Santana Garrett was pretty attractive as a valet for Orlando Jordan. After leaving the company and getting some SHINE (pun intended) on the indies she returned to TNA as Brittany. I wasn't able to enjoy her return work as I wasn't really watching TNA at the time, but I heard good things. However, just as I chose to return to viewing TNA, her contract was up and she was gone. Never fear though as Santana has found a way to remain successful. Last night, she captured the NWA Women's Championship which is a pretty big accomplishment. She's only 26 years old still so I can see big things in her future. I've heard that she's been at NXT Live Events, so I'd like to see her signed by WWE or even a return to TNA. Both the Knockouts and NXT Divas divisions are excelling right now and she'd be a welcome addition to both.

Lockdown Report 2/6/15

Lockdown has been a staple of TNA for over a decade now. Every single match on the card is contested inside of Six Sides of Steel. The show opens with the TNA World Tag Team Titles on the line as the Revolution defend against the Hardys. I'll say it every single week but the Revolution is such an odd looking group that it's so hard to take them seriously. Manik sneaks into the cage through the holes that are set for the cameramen but he just gets handcuffed. Koya decides against joining in. They were given about fifteen minutes and did well with it. Matt was pulled outside by the Revolution and beaten down before Sanada spit mist into Jeff's face, allowing Storm to superkick him and retain. Overall, this was a solid match but things really got interesting after the match. Revolution set up a table in the ring and steel steps at ringside. Jeff fights them off and tries to escape but ends up crotched on the door. Storm then levels him with the cowbell and he takes a NASTY bump onto the steel steps. It amazes me that Jeff has never had a major injury in his career. On a show with a pretty loaded card, we have to get a promo because TNA doesn't know what to do without their heel stable talking for a while. MVP, Kenny King and Eric Young are in the ring, which is odd since Low Ki and Samoa Joe are part of the BDC but EY isn't. MVP calls out Kurt Angle, who appears with Gunner and Austin Aries. MVP tries to convince them to not do Lethal Lockdown for their own benefit. It, as expected, ends with a beatdown, with Gunner taking the worst of it as they destroy his arm. I could have done without this and maybe just had Gunner get attacked backstage.

We are told that Gunner may not be able to compete tonight before moving to a match that I'm really looking forward to. Awesome Kong vs. Havok. These two big, hard hitting women have been building towards this since the Destination America debut and the crowd was pumped. They want each other so bad that the war starts in the aisle. The "Better than the Divas" chant breaks out again, while Josh Matthews actually mentions the Divas, Kharma and the WWE. Cool. Kong comes out on top of this hard hitting match with a splash. I enjoyed it but wish it got more time which it could have had if it wasn't for the promo we had to sit through. Before our next match, we go backstage to a clip from two weeks ago when Velvet Sky tells Angelina Love about getting fired. Angelina comforts her but shows that she's actually happy. We continue to another grudge match as Eric Young takes on Bobby Roode. I liked this as it was just two guys trying to beat each other down. MVP comes down and hands EY a steel chair. Roode did as he promised and made EY bleed before a Roode Bomb on the chair finished things off. Lockdown has been good so far.

In the back Kurt Angle begged Lashley to join his team but he declined again. As we go to our next match, I'd like to point out how hard it is to find photos of Impact a day after it airs. So you get old stuff. Sue me. Tyrus takes on the two British Bootcamp winners, Rockstar Spud and Mandrews. Not much here as the small guys fought valiantly but lost. EC3 went to shave Spud's hair but Jeremy Borash cuts the cord of the clippers. EC3 chases him away. Not bad for an angle because EC3 is wildly entertaining. I have high hopes that he can one day win the TNA World Title. He would be great as the heel who does everything in his power to keep the gold. After Bobby Roode speaks about EY and coming back for the TNA World Title, we see clips of Robbie E and Brooke Tessmacher. They competed, earlier in the night, in an odd race. While it was strange, it made sense as a play off of their Amazing Race time. Brooke wins the race, which involved them spinning around with baseball bats and climbing the cage. Looked fun and Brooke won because he stopped to take a selfie.

Before we discuss the main event, Brooke's voice is super annoying. Time for Lethal Lockdown. These are usually pretty good and the talent level in this one, sans Gunner, is relatively high. Gunner does compete and he starts. I hope it was randomly selected because putting him out there first while injured is a dick move by Kurt Angle. Kenny King and Low Ki get the advantage on him because the heels should always have the upper hand in these kinds of matches. Like War Games, it should be a series of "hot tags" so to speak. I appreciate that Austin Aries decided to sport street clothes. It's something I dig when it's a street fight environment. The ring continues to fill as Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle and MVP join in before a commercial break. Low Ki destroys Gunner with a double stomp while he's in a garbage can. As expected, Lashley arrives to even the odds as the BDC was just picking Team Angle apart. His presence shifts the balance and Team Angle comes out on top of a really solid twenty minute match.

Against all odds, and no that's not a play off the old TNA Pay-Per-View name, this company has turned me into someone who enjoys their product. I gave up on TNA a long time ago but decided to give them another shot and I've enjoyed every episode since the move to Destination America. It's not amazing but it works well. Lockdown was a satisfying special episode with some good matches and fine blowoffs to rivalries. 8/10.

Smackdown Report 2/5/15

Smackdown opens with MizTV as Miz makes his assistant, Damien Mizdow, sit at ringside. His guests are Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan, who will meet at Fast Lane. Roman takes out Miz with a Superman Punch once he gets in the ring, which is exactly the Roman Reigns we should see. Not the one who cuts poorly scripted promos. Just be a legit badass. Roman cuts a short and to the point promo before saying they should do this thing right now. The set gets cleared and they may go, but Seth Rollins interrupts. He, by way of the Authority, books Daniel Bryan against J&J Security tonight. When Bryan laughs at this, he adds himself to make it a 3 on 1 handicap match. Shorter than the drawn out Raw opening segments and accomplished just as much. Great segment for Roman. After the commercial, an angry Miz is interviewed by Renee Young and challenges Roman for tonight. Goldust and Stardust open the wrestling portion against Dolph Ziggler and Ryback. They are both wearing weight belts, with Ryback's saying "The Big Guy" and Dolph's saying "The Lil Guy." Trust me, I want Dolph to be a focal point of the show, but the matching weight belts make me think this will be a tag team that lasts a while. I don't hate it though. They could be the most popular tag team in the division and maybe give it a boost. This was a solid opener, with both teams looking good. Interestingly, Dolph got the hot tag before Ryback picked up the win. The Dust Brothers continued to have problems because Goldust called his partner Cody and he walked out. I'm not sure what this will lead to, but I'm okay if it brings me back Cody Rhodes.

After another Black History Month video for Ernie Ladd, we are joined by Curtis Axel. He gets microphone time again, which isn't his strong suit. I wonder if this will go past this week. He wants to right the wrong of Royal Rumble and for the fans to join the AxelMania movement. #AxelMania was actually indeed trending last night and we know how much the WWE loves it when things trend. He's going up against Dean Ambrose and we all know how this goes. If there's anyone that Dean can actually get a win over on the roster, it's a Curtis Axel. After the match, we get video of Bad News Barrett on the Bad News Zone. It's a play off TMZ, complete with a parody logo and a ticker of bad news on the bottom. He claims that Ambrose is too much of a lunatic to get an Intercontinental Title shot. I like the BNZ idea but Barrett has done a lot of nothing since his return. In the meaningless match of the night, Fandango, with the worst dance partner possible, takes on Adam Rose. The Rosebuds fail to catch him on his trust fall. Fandango wins in just over two minutes. Is he a face now? Regardless, he's not very good and this match was pointless. The Miz is out and he's pissed. He calls out Roman and attacks him once he gets on the apron, even throwing him into the steel steps. This was interesting because on the one hand, I feel that the Miz's ability to draw consistent heat should have him higher up on the card so I was happy he wasn't destroyed. On the other hand, if we're to believe that Reigns is a threat to Brock Lesnar, he shouldn't be struggling to beat a mid-carder. Roman ends up winning in just over six minutes, but it wasn't the showcase that he should have had.

We are taken to video highlights of Rusev dismantling Erick Rowan on Raw. It was another in a long line of John Cena being the worst babyface friend in WWE history. He's never around to help. Tonight is our Rusev/Rowan rematch. It isn't a rematch we were clamoring for and ends in just over three minutes. Paige and Renee Young are now in the same screen and my heart can't handle it. Paige discusses the Bellas making fun of her skin. It's a good promo as she brings up how she isn't a cookie cutter diva but she will be Divas Champion again. Is the Anti-Diva returning? Her stomach is still black from whatever the Bellas did which was still never properly explained. Just like them being buddy buddy again. Even though Alicia Fox gets the best spot of this match by tossing Paige outside hard, she gets back in and wins via the PTO. We are taken to clips of a double date between Jimmy Uso, Naomi, Tyson and Natalya. Tyson is late and shows up with Cesaro. How excellent is this? Tyson claims that he thought it was a double date like Canadian doubles tennis rules which is three players. This obviously doesn't end well and builds towards our eventual Tag Title match which should steal the show whenever it happens.

Triple H's upcoming face to face with Sting at Fast Lane is promoted before we go to a backstage Bray Wyatt promo. He calls himself the Reaper which is another hint towards a match against Undertaker. I hope we get an actual explanation for why Bray is targeting him instead of it being random. Main event time as Daniel Bryan takes on Seth Rollins and J&J Security. J&J can still do well in the ring and this was entertaining. Bryan knocks Seth out of the ring and makes Mercury tap to the YES! Lock to win. His celebration is short lived though as Kane appears to ruin everything like he does. Roman not helping Bryan in this situation makes sense because they're meeting at Fast Lane. He's not just being selfish like he was after the Shield split or the way that John Cena is every week. They beat down on Bryan and I really hope we never get another Kane/Bryan match.

Overall, moving to Thursday continues to work for Smackdown. Their shows have been more focused and featured less nonsense for the most part. Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns both had relatively important nights, Paige picked up another win, we got build for the Tag Title match, saw Ziggler and Ryback team up for the first time and enjoyed a fun show. There was the Rose/Fandango match which hurt the show badly though. 7/10.

Top Ten February PPV Matches

10) No Way Out 2001; Intercontinental Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. X-Pac - We jump start our list with a forgotten classic. On an absolutely stacked No Way Out 2001 card that featured a really good Kurt Angle/The Rock main event and another match that will be on here soon, this is often overlooked. All four of these guys can work and they stole the show early on. The action was fast paced, featured multiple near falls and gave everyone a chance to shine. The finishing sequence was fun and Jericho retained after rolling up X-Pac. All four guys looked great and this featured wall to wall action. ***3/4

9) In Your House: Rage in the Cage; Number One Contender's Match: Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - The absolute hottest wrestler around this time was Shawn Michaels. Not only did he win the 1995 Royal Rumble, but he turned face that year and went on to repeat in the 1996 Rumble. With a potential match against Bret Hart set for WrestleMania XII, Shawn put his title shot on the line against Owen and they went on to have a great match at the WWF's first ever February Pay-Per-View. These are two of the best performers in the history of the business and this was probably my favorite match between them. It was a great precursor to WrestleMania as Shawn picked up the win before beating Bret a month later. Great match. ****

8) No Way Out 2009; WWE Championship Elimination Chamber: Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H vs. The Undertaker vs. Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov - I do realize that the photo I used is of Edge with the World Heavyweight Title. See, Edge opened the show as WWE Champion and defended it in this Chamber. In less than three minutes, Edge was eliminated and that completely shocked everyone. Edge would go on to steal a spot in the World Title Chamber later in the night and win that. However, back to this match, it ended in the best way possible. Triple H and the Undertaker tearing things up before the Game captured the title. This was filled with fun action, shocking moments and an epic conclusion. ****1/4

7) No Way Out 2004; WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero - This will probably go down as one of the best David vs. Goliath matches in history. Brock Lesnar could pretty much do no wrong at this point in his career, and Eddie Guerrero was red hot. I didn't think Brock would lose because I expected him to go into WrestleMania and defend the belt against Goldberg. Instead, Goldberg interfered here, helping Eddie to do the unthinkable and capture the title. It was a pretty amazing moment, as one of the better workers in history got to have his moment and be one of the few people to beat Brock. ****1/4

6) Elimination Chamber 2010; World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber: The Undertaker (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk vs. R-Truth vs. John Morrison vs. Rey Mysterio - The best thing to happen in Elimination Chamber matches usually is when the weak links are eliminated early. In this case, that link was R-Truth. He was gone in about three minutes, leaving CM Punk alone in the ring. Just like he did at the 2010 Royal Rumble, Punk began to cut one of his amazing Straight Edge Savior promos. Rey Mysterio came in next and we saw a precursor to their upcoming rivalry. In the end, this came down to the Undertaker and Chris Jericho, who had only one singles match against each other from my memory. When Undertaker seemed near victory, Shawn Michaels came up through the floor of the Chamber and hit Sweet Chin Music on Undertaker, allowing Jericho to win. It was a great match, part of an amazing Undertaker/HBK angle and it all came together perfectly. ****1/4

5) No Way Out 2000; WWF Championship vs. Career Hell in a Cell: Triple H (c) vs. Cactus Jack - At the 2000 Royal Rumble, Triple H had THE match that a lot of guys need to really solidify them as a major player. Yes, he was already WWF Champion, but the Street Fight against Cactus Jack was damn near perfect. The stakes were raised for the rematch as they stepped into Hell in a Cell and Cactus' career was on the line. While this wasn't on the level of the Royal Rumble classic, it was still a brutal match with huge spots. It was a suitable sequel and both guys delivered. Cactus' career ended and Triple H earned another massive win. ****1/4

4) In Your House: Final Four; WWF Championship: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker vs. Vader - The 1997 Royal Rumble was one of the most controversial in history. Steve Austin was eliminated before Bret Hart dumped out Undertaker and Vader. Austin snuck back in and tossed out Bret. This led to a Final Four match, the first of its kind, to see who gets to go to WrestleMania. I recently, along my with my friend Bash, did a video podcast about this show (which you can find here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzzRPO2jnaI&feature=youtu.be). The match got a stellar review from us as all four guys were awesome, with Vader stealing the show. See, the rules here were that you could be eliminated by pinfall, submission or getting thrown over the top like in the Royal Rumble. Bret Hart clotheslined Undertaker over the top and became WWF Champion for the fourth time. ****1/2

3) No Way Out 2006; World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs. The Undertaker - There are two matches on this list that should have been saved for WrestleMania and this is the first. I get that they wanted the Rey Mysterio title win that year but Kurt Angle as a viable threat to Undertaker's streak would have been better than Undertaker/Mark Henry. Both guys were incredible here and the climax was astounding. While locked in a choke, Angle would roll through and pin Taker's shoulders to the mat to retain the belt in a 30 minute classic. ****1/2

2) Elimination Chamber 2014; The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family - Here's the other match on this list that should have been saved for WrestleMania. There was something incredibly special about these two teams. The crowd was absolutely on fire every single team they even had a stare down. The atmosphere was always red hot and when they finally met at Elimination Chamber, they produced magic. I've not only picked it as my Feud of the Year for 2014, but also as my match of the year in 2014. It was breathtaking, featured non stop action and one of the best things I have ever witnessed. ****3/4

1) No Way Out 2001; Three Stages of Hell: Triple H vs. Steve Austin - Before Steve Austin was set to face The Rock in a MASSIVE match at WrestleMania X-Seven, he had a score to settle with Triple H. A Three Stages of Hell had never happened before, and has only been done a few times since. None would top the first though. We started with a regular singles match, which Austin won before moving to a Street Fight that Triple H won. The final fall was a Steel Cage match that Triple H would also win. For nearly forty minutes, these two beat the hell out of each other and it was glorious. ****3/4

Raw Report 2/2/15

As usual, Raw kicks off with a good old fashioned Authority promo. We expected it this week though because Triple H and Stephanie (who was looking mighty fine) had to make their big announcement. Before that though, they brag about going to the Super Bowl before making #CancelNFLNetwork jokes. Seriously guys, pick a side and stay on it. They say that the Rock's appearance in the Royal Rumble is what made the Rumble controversial and maybe Roman Reigns doesn't deserve to go to WrestleMania. This brings out Roman, who jumps to the conclusion that he's already been removed. He gets in Hunter's face, which instantly makes me want Roman/Hunter at WrestleMania. It would be great for Roman's career. Daniel Bryan comes out, which causes the place to go nuts. He mentions that he never got his rematch and wants to throw his name in the hat for WrestleMania. Seth Rollins joins us and we go to commercial. Well that tells you that this will be an extended opening segment. Basically, they manipulate stupid ass Roman to agree to put his title shot on the line. In our main event, Bryan will face Rollins and the winner takes on Reigns at Fast Lane to determine the number one contender. I like him being the badass to agree, but he should have just agreed and not looked dumb by getting manipulated. Then, to make things better, Triple H brings out Big Show for our weekly Roman/Show match. This has to be the fourth or fifth time they've faced this year already. Rollins interferes and Roman loses. Seriously? Roman is supposed to be the guy, but you job him to Big Show? I don't care if it was by interference, it's Big Show.

Curtis Axel is out and he has a microphone. He talks about the controversy from the Royal Rumble being the fact that he was never eliminated. I liked it, but commentary totally buries it by laughing at him. Axel is not a comedy character so why do this? Dean Ambrose interrupts and tosses him over the top, eliminating him. He gets on the microphone and brings up pinning Bad News Barrett two weeks ago before saying that he's coming for the Intercontinental Title. While I'm interested in Ambrose/Barrett, he's going for the IC Title while Rollins and Reigns are in the WWE Title picture. That should tell you where these three stand with the company. Axel gets back in to attack but is taken out with the Dirty Deeds. Fine segment. After a Black History Month vignette, the Ascension take on Goldust and Stardust in a Smackdown rematch. We're two for two in those. The Ascension win despite the negative response from commentary. After the match, Goldy and Stardust have some tension and Stardust storms off. Returning from commercial, Goldust tries to calm him down and calls him Cody, which only upsets Stardust more. Please, give me back Cody Rhodes. It's all I ask for.

We go to John Cena welcoming Ryback, Dolph Ziggler and Erick Rowan back. If he wanted to welcome them back, why didn't he do it on Smackdown two weeks ago when they actually returned? Is Raw the only that matters? Because we can't have a promo that doesn't plug something else, Cena promotes the Stone Cold Podcast tonight. (There maybe an article coming tomorrow about that) This is a rather quick segment as once the returnees come out, Stephanie McMahon appears on the titantron to interrupt. She shits on anything that they've done, claiming that only Cena has done anything. So Dolph's win at Survivor Series means nothing. She books some matches for tonight for the three, starting with Ryback vs. Luke Harper tonight. This was a good big man match. There are times that I'm not a fan of Ryback's ring work but he's impressed me a bit recently including here. It went about six minutes and Ryback won. Next, Cesaro takes on Jimmy Uso. On Smackdown, Tyson Kidd defeated Jey Uso and here, Cesaro does the same. I don't mind this since it's still relatively fresh and the Usos have never won many singles matches since they're stronger as a unit. I expect Kidd and Cesaro vs. the Usos at Fast Lane and they should steal the show. Backstage, Miz gets upset when someone comes up to Damien Mizdow for an autograph so he fires him as the Stunt Double and makes him an assistant. Not sure how well this will go.

Dolph Ziggler takes on Bray Wyatt next and this delivered. I know that I've gotten on Bray's case before because he hasn't had many standout matches, but this was another. He has been booked incredibly strong since November to try and save his character. The John Cena and Chris Jericho feuds did nothing for him, but earning wins over Bryan, Ambrose and now Ziggler is huge. The match was really good, we got a cool spot where Dolph nailed the Fameasser only for Bray to get up instantly and hit Sister Abigail. They're doing a good job rebuilding Bray. Backstage, the Authority name drop Randy Orton so I guess he's returning soon. Divas time as the Bella Twins are on commentary for Paige vs. Alicia Fox. No Natalya with Paige tonight. Maybe she's upset that Pagie got a singles title shot. Brie is TERRIBLE on commentary, but Nikki plays the bitch very well. After a Paige win, Fox holds her while the Bellas spray her with something. I guess it was spray tan but it looked black so that was odd. At least it helped build the match and wasn't just random. Miz comes out with his assistant to face Sin Cara. Another short but solid match. Mizdow was forced to stand still but the fans still chanted for him. He would randomly break into mimicking the Miz, which distracted Miz and led to a win for Sin Cara. Fun angle but nothing special.

Bray Wyatt cuts a promo backstage, where it seems like he's targeting the Undertaker. Rusev takes on Erick Rowan in his punishment match. As expected, Rowan loses very quickly. John Cena continues to be the worst face from a kayfabe standpoint as he doesn't help Rowan while he's in the Accolade for a while. Rusev and Lana play a "movie" of him kicking ass but the Russian flag gimmick gets stuck and doesn't come down. The fans pop and credit to both of them for playing the frustration well. After a discussion between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan backstage, we go to our main event. While Bray/Ziggler was really good, Bryan/Rollins stole the show. The fact that Raw can be main evented by Tyler Black and Bryan Danielson is a thing of beauty. They put on a great match with shenanigans from J&J Security and Big Show. Reigns got involved and Speared the hell out of Show before delivering a Superman punch to Rollins that led to the win for Bryan. Okay, so now the WWE is in an interesting spot. Bryan vs. Reigns is a big deal because if Reigns wins, the crowd still dislikes it, but if Bryan wins, what happens to Roman? I'm intrigued.

This was a solid episode of Raw. There wasn't really any fluff as everything had a point. We had two standout matches in Bray/Ziggler and Bryan/Rollins, plus the promos were all well done. Also, based on this show, things are shaping up for a potentially good Fast Lane show. Reigns/Bryan, Kidd & Cesaro/Usos, Ambrose/Barrett and Pagie/Nikki all sound good to me. 7.5/10.

Fave Five 1/26/15-2/1/15

1) Bobby Lashley: It was a pretty uneventful week in the world of wrestling. After the world nearly exploded in the fallout of the Royal Rumble, Raw was basically cancelled due to the weather so we were down the biggest show of the week. So, we look to Impact for our number one spot. In what was possibly the best episode of Impact since the move to Destination America, nobody shined brighter than their World Heavyweight Champion, Bobby Lashley. Lashley has been playing up the fighting champion gimmick and did it better than ever this week. With three potential contenders for his belt, he challenged all three to a Fatal Four Way match and came out successfully. Beating Austin Aries, Bobby Roode and MVP is a tough task, but Lashley did it and it made him a shoe in for the number one spot this week.

2) Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy: In the most shocking moment of the week, Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy came from out of nowhere to capture the NXT Tag Team Titles. Blake and Murphy have done well for themselves on the NXT live event scene, but hadn't won much on TV. In fact, I believe their win a few weeks ago over the Vaudevillains was their first. They went out and challenged the NXT Tag Team Champions, Kalisto and Sin Cara and won the belts to open the show this week. It was a very cool surprise since every title change in NXT last year occurred on a live special and not on a taping. You can hear my complete thoughts on NXT this week right here http://runningenzuigiri.com/2015/01/nxt-podcast-episode-1/, along with my very good friend Heather.

3) Daniel Bryan: The biggest match advertised for Smackdown was a Casket match. It pitted Daniel Bryan against Kane. They got to main event the big live Smackdown and were given over twenty minutes. It was a decent bout as Bryan can always get the best out of his former partner, but this needs to be the end of their feud. Daniel Bryan deserves so much more than feuding with the whipping boy of the Authority. I get that they have their history, but Bryan should be doing something better. Regardless, he did win and cut a passionate promo on Raw where he discussed how disappointed he was that he didn't win the Royal Rumble. Hell, he even discussed the David vs. Goliath thing that he and Brock Lesnar could have done, thus booking a better WrestleMania than what we are getting.

4) Taryn Terrell: Taryn Terrell was especially impressive on Friday. Before I get into why she made the list, I'd like to state that I was never the biggest Taryn fan. I enjoyed her as ECW General Manager under the name Tiffany, but wasn't sold when she began to wrestle. She proved herself to me and a lot of doubters during her series of big matches against Gail Kim last year. I checked those out even though I didn't watch TNA on a regular basis. When turning on TNA for the first time on Destination America, I was surprised to see that she was the Knockouts Champion. After retaining her gold in a battle royal, Awesome Kong returned and the focus has been on her and Havok lately. This has made Taryn seem like an afterthought, which is not good for your champion. However, Taryn really endeared herself to me this week. She opened the wrestling portion of Impact by defending her belt against Gail Kim and Madison Rayne. Kim and Rayne are my two favorite Knockouts and Taryn hung tough with them. The match was really fun and proved why the Knockouts division bests the WWE Divas division (NXT not withstanding). Not only did she prove her worth but she also retained the belt and continues to impress me week in and week out. That was long winded but whatever.

5) Jeff Hardy: TNA continues to have the spotlight on my list this week. Jeff Hardy and Abyss busted out a Monster's Ball match like it was 2004 and I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was brutal like it should be and built towards the Hardys vs. Revolution at Lockdown next week. Seeing the Wolves, Matt Hardy and the rest of Revolution get involved made things even cooler but the main star was Jeff. He continues to show that, when motivated, he can still go with the best of them. The sunset flip bomb onto the thumbtacks was sick and the Swanton Bomb spot to finish things was even better. Jeff Hardy picked up a win and I really hope they are able to win the Tag Team Titles at Lockdown.

Impact Wrestling Report 1/30/15

Impact kicked off with the arrival of Bobby Roode. Interestingly, he still had possession of the TNA World Title that he found outside last week. He talked about how much it means to him before he called out Lashley to return it to him. He claims that they are the only two men that belong in the World Title conversation. There are even split chants as the crowd prefers Roode. He hands the title over to Lashley and mentions his rematch, which he wants tonight. The crowd is all about this possibility and Lashley accepted. Before anything could happen though, Austin Aries makes an appearance. He brings up his Feast or Fired Title shot and debates on cashing in to join the match or doing so when one is drained after their match. I truly love that Aries is getting involved in this. He needs to be the World Champion again, the man is just too good. MVP now makes his way out and makes his claim for a shot. Lashley, being the fighting Champion says all three guys will get shots tonight. Speaking of titles being on the line, our opening contest sees Taryn defend the Knockouts Championship against Gail Kim and Madison Rayne in a Triple Threat match. I've never been big on Taryn, but Madison and Gail are my two favorite Knockouts. Commentary does a good job pointing out the similarities between a match like this and Fatal Four Way for the TNA Title tonight. They go for about seven minuets and really impressed me. We saw innovative moves, multiple near falls and a "Better than the Divas" chant. Taryn retained in a really good match. TNA is off to a great start.

Next week will be Lockdown. Already announced are Team Angle vs. The BDC in Lethal Lockdown. Revolution vs. the Hardys for the Tag Titles and Awesome Kong vs. Havok! We get clips of Rockstar Spud and Mark Andrews from earlier today in New York. It's funny as they keep thinking they can find the White House and stuff here. Tommy Dreamer makes his way out to the ring. Interestingly, he calls out Eric Young. It turns out that Tommy, EY and Bobby Roode used to kick it consistently and Tommy doesn't want to see Young turn on his friends. EY calls Tommy a fat loser. Tommy tries to be the voice of reason but eats a piledriver from Young, who then lays out the time keeper and gets a steel chair. Bobby Roode appears to run him off. Jeff Hardy cuts a short promo about the Monster's Ball match tonight. Kurt Angle recruits Gunner for Team Angle. No clue why as Gunner has been irrelevant since the Destination America debut. We now go to see Magnus and Bram meeting up in a bar. Things have been rocky between them since Magnus captured a briefcase in Feast or Fired last week. I had no clue that Bram was married to NXT's Charlotte in real life. Anyway, they have a heated discussion in the bar over the possibility of them working together to get the Tag Team Title shot that Magnus earned. Bram is disappointed that he didn't get to retrieve the briefcase. This is all a trap as Bram ends up beating the hell out of Magnus. I get that this leads to a feud but I wonder where this leaves the Tag Team Title shot and who Magnus will choose as a partner. I expected them to get the shot and then Bram would make the turn on him. I realize that the photo I used here is irrelevant to this Impact episode but I couldn't find any that were and decided to focus on TNA's newest signing, Drew Galloway! I look forward to seeing him around.

We move to the Monster's Ball match between Jeff Hardy and Abyss. I feel that this was a great way to build the TNA World Tag Team Title match at Lockdown. Jeff Hardy is a very marketable name, has good chemistry with Abyss and the Monster's Ball match is a TNA staple that is almost always fun. Josh Matthews continues to shine on commentary, pointing out that Jeff sits out on his Twist of Fate while Matt lays out and that Abyss has been in 95% of the televised Monster's Ball matches. The Revolution comes out but get taken out by Matt Hardy and the Wolves before we get a creative finish to this fun match. Jeff nails a sunset flip powerbomb into thumbtacks and then a Swanton Bomb onto Abyss on the tacks. Post match, James Storm argues with Abyss. Austin Aries is interviewed about how he appreciates that Lashley is a fighting Champion because he was just granted a title shot without having to cashing in his shot. Rockstar Spud and Mandrews come out because they've challenged EC3 and Tyrus. Rockstar Spud's bowtie is the stuff of legend. EC3 and Tyrus come out to say that their request for a match has been denied. They found suitable replacements in the BroMans! They are still a ton of fun, and I'm not really against Angelina Love in a short skirt. This was short and a shooting star press from Mandrews wins it. After the match, Tyrus lays them out with heart punches like he's Crush or something. EC3 says that Spud and Mandrews can face Tyrus inside a cage at Lockdown because they'll never get a match with him..

After some Lockdown hype, it's time for the main event. I'm not sure when TNA began to implement their Ranking System but they discussed it a few times tonight and would show someone's ranking as he came out if he was ranked. I think this is a great idea if done right. It can make wins and losses mean more. I mean, Roode has lost twice recently, but he is the number one contender because he gets his rematch. Pretty cool idea. The match itself didn't disappoint. All four guys worked hard and we saw some cool spots for sure. I love when Roode busts out the Crippler Crossface. Roode looks close to winning after a Tower of Doom bomb but Eric Young comes down and attacks him. Lashley is able to retain and he pins Aries, which upset me. MVP could have eaten the pin, but I guess he'll probably get a one on one shot soon. The BDC come down and beat down on all three challengers until Kurt Angle and Gunner make the save. I still can't get behind Gunner. After a commercial, Roode challenges Young to a match at Lockdown which is accepted. Angle gets Aries to join his team but Lashley declines because he wants nothing to do with either team.

So TNA has been on Destination America for about a month so far and all four shows were pretty solid. Nothing ridiculously dumb has happened and I appreciate that as it is a step in the right direction for TNA. This episode did a great job in building towards Lockdown and featured four fun matches. The two title matches were really good, the Monster's Ball was an exciting brawl and even the short tag was enjoyable. 8/10.