Invasion
July 22nd, 2001 | Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio | Attendance: 17,019
When the WWF purchased WCW in March of 2001, everything changed. There was no longer real competition, the WWF could be stagnant if they wanted to and they were about to have a super talented roster. Before all of that, they gave us something we never thought we’d see. An invasion angle. The problem was that the biggest names from WCW (Goldberg, Hogan, Sting, Steiner, etc.) were all sitting out their contracts so this totally lacked star power. Still, people were excited as this show earned the highest buyrate in history for a non-WrestleMania Pay-Per-View. It was the only Invasion PPV in history.
As usual, the opening video package is top notch. Paul Heyman and the three feuding McMahons all do voiceovers while highlights of the invasion are shown along with clips of war. Just a great feel for what we’re about to witness. Jim Ross and Michael Cole are on commentary.
The Alliance won a match on Heat to take a 1-0 lead.
Edge and Christian vs. Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Lance Storm tried to cut one of his “if I could be serious for a minute” promos but Edge and Christian interrupt. Edge had just won the King of the Ring and Christian was carrying around Edge’s trophy. This started as your basic tag team match. Edge and Christian have more experience as a team and it showed. They messed up a spot where Christian went to dive off of Edge’s back and he spilled to the outside in ugly fashion. Christian ends up taking the heat, where he bumps very well for his opponents. He even takes a trademark Bret Hart ring post bump at one point. I really wish they would have done more with Mike Awesome. Edge got the hot tag and did his thing for a while. He ended up in a small package but Christian turned it over, leading to a near fall. Awesome went for the Awesome Bomb but Christian speared him, allowing Edge to fall on him, earning the three.
Winners: Edge and Christian in 10:11
Just about what I want from an opening contest. Hot crowd, fun action and they didn’t overdo anything, leaving room for the rest of the card. Off to a good start. ***
Vince McMahon is excited about the win backstage, doing his own five second pose. William Regal shows up to inform him that Steve Austin has arrived. Vince tries to hype Regal up for his match later but doesn’t do a good job.
Earl Hebner vs. Nick Patrick
Oh my goodness, this got an actual video package. Mick Foley was the special guest referee since he worked for all three companies. Each referee came out with the rest of the officials from their respective companies, though I’m pretty sure I saw Brian Hebner with Nick Patrick. When the match started, they just threw punches at each other. Patrick used a low blow that Foley somehow missed. The highlight of the match came when the WCW officials attacked Hebner outside, so Chad Patton laid one of them out with a flying forearm that was better than most of the roster could have probably done. Foley kicked out the ringside refs and Patrick argued with him. Hebner tackled him to win.
Winner: Earl Hebner in 2:50
I won’t give it the DUD rating because it was short and about what I expected from two non-wrestlers. Putting it on the PPV is not something I would have done but whatever. ¼*
Nick Patrick eats some of Mr. Socko after the bell.
WWF Tag Team Champions The APA vs. WCW Tag Team Champions Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire
Somehow, this also got a hype video. Pitting tag champions against each other is kind of a no-brainer in a situation like this. They started by brawling with the APA getting the upper hand. Sensible considering their penchant for bar room brawls. The teams began trading some unenthusiastic stuff and the crowd didn’t seem to care. How did the Tag Team Titles go from the great E&C/Hardys/Dudleys rivalry back to the APA? Palumbo completely whiffs on a superkick but they acted like he hit. Bradshaw laid him out for his troubles with the Clothesline from Hell.
Winners: The APA in 7:17
Almost everything about this was dull. They hit a few power moves, but even with that, I was mostly bored. The decision to have the APA win was pretty dumb too. Palumbo and O’Haire, while not exactly future stars, were a fresh, young team that could have done a bit more. *¼
Backstage, Chris Jericho badmouths Paul Heyman to Vince McMahon. Stephanie, Shane and Billy Kidman watch backstage and Stephanie just complains about hating Jericho. They want Kidman to win and get them on the board.
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman vs. WWF Light Heavyweight Champion X-Pac
X-Pac has the Uncle Kracker X-Factor theme here. The quality of the show picked back up here. Both guys worked at a quick pace, which was very welcome after the previous two matches. In an odd twist, the WCW guy was the more popular worker for the first time tonight. X-Pac hit a nice dive outside but got greeted with boos. Jim Ross did a good job in putting over X-Pac applying a chin lock, saying that in a battle of aerial specialists, the one who grounds the other usually has an advantage. It’s a small thing to say but I feel like it was a nice addition. Kidman got a near fall on the Sky High, YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE! X-Pac proved to be the first WWF heel, trying to use the ropes for leverage. He made the mistake of trying to powerbomb Kidman, which we all know you can’t do. He counters it but ended up diving into the X-Factor. Somehow, Kidman got the shoulder up. He then got his foot up to block the Bronco Buster before climbing up and wowing the fans with his mediocre Shooting Star Press, defeating X-Pac.
Winner: Billy Kidman in 7:12
WCW is on the board! Not the greatest match but a fine change of pace between two solid guys. Kidman was the right guy to get a win for WCW. I enjoyed the pace and near falls of this match. **¾
DDP creeps out Stephanie, Heyman and Shane when talking about how Debra is no Sara. He eventually just gets hype about the main event. They cut to Torrie and Stacy literally talking about their tits and ass. It’s not a bad segment at all.
Raven vs. William Regal
Babyface William Regal is such a strange sight. They traded blows early but this was the first match that the crowd didn’t really seem into. They did some awkward looking spots, like Regal hitting a slingshot where Raven just hit the ropes. Raven did some second rope offense that Regal put an end to but again, the fans were just not feeling any of this. They did a series of rollup near falls that next to nobody bit on. ECW’s Tazz ran in and Tazzplexed Regal while Raven distracted the referee. Raven won after hitting the Raven Effect.
Winner: Raven in 6:34
Almost as bad as the referee match earlier though it’s far more disappointing considering I actually like both guys involved. They never found a flow, the crowd never cared and all of it was uninteresting.½*
Vince McMahon angers Undertaker by discussing DDP stalking his wife. Undertaker nearly attacks him, which Vince likes as it means Taker is pissed.
WWF Intercontinental Champion Albert, Big Show and Billy Gunn vs. Hugh Morris, Kanyon and Shawn Stasiak
Who put this on the Pay-Per-View? Also, why was Albert the IC Champion in an era that was this loaded with talent? I don’t dislike the guy but come on. The WCW team came out to Stasiak’s bootleg Mr. Perfect theme. The WWF faces all hit gorilla press slams at the same time early on. It broke down to a regular six man tag with neither team gaining a clear advantage. Stasiak was greeted with “Meat” chants as he got in some offense. Albert got to strut his stuff a bit, overcoming some a sneak attack from Morris. Despite Billy Gunn hitting the Fameasser, Stasiak laid out Gunn and Morris draped his arm over him to steal it and even the score at 3-3 on the official PPV.
Winners: Hugh Morris, Kanyon and Shawn Stasiak in 4:23
Another relatively boring match. Unlike the previous one though, the fans were surprisingly interested in this. Most of the work was uninspired but it was kept short and to the point. Also, why couldn’t WWF win this and APA lose earlier? *
Shane McMahon and Booker T, with both the World and United States Title, get hype for the main event. I really feel like they were just throwing in as many rapid fire backstage segments as possible. An angry William Regal also demands that his little buddy, Tajiri, win his upcoming match.
Tajiri vs. Tazz
With the score tied currently, this is a pretty unimportant outing to be the swing match. They did have a fun ECW Title match at Heatwave two years prior. Thanks to Regal being angry beforehand, this started like it was kind of personal, with Tajiri hitting the ring. Tazz threw him around with a few Tazzplexes and managed to avoid some of Tajiri’s signature kicks. Tazz tried using some submissions, including a cross armbreaker, but Tajiri survived. Tazz did hit a very impactful concrete crash for a near fall. Tajiri did his trademark stuff like the handspring elbow and tarantula as part of his comeback. He used the green mist and a big kick to win.
Winner: Tajiri in 5:42
While it wasn’t great, it was a definite upswing in quality after the previous few matches being pretty bad. They worked at a good pace, had some close near falls and didn’t overstay their welcome. Solid enough. **¼
Backstage, the Hardy Boyz are discussing Jeff Hardy’s upcoming match. Rob Van Dam appears with a steel chair and lays out Matt. Cut to WWF New York where Hardcore Holly is signing autographs. He sees a fan with a WCW shirt and kicks him out while ripping the dude’s shirt. What a dick.
WWF Hardcore Championship
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Rob Van Dam
It always made me chuckle as RVD comes out and realizes he’s getting cheered so he stops to look at the fans and smiles to himself. Although this was for the Hardcore Title, neither guy went for weapons early on. They chose to have some great back and forth that excited the crowd, which was now hot again. RVD had Jeff well scouted, interrupting his guardrail run attack, which we had never really seen before. Commentary did a good job in hyping the similar styles and the importance of this being the only title match on the show. Finally, weapons came into play after some fighting in the crowd when Jeff brought out a ladder. RVD shook the ladder and sent Hardy falling into the aisle. Jim Ross got to say a bunch of lines that would be used in future WWE “Don’t Try This at Home” ads. They fought up to the entrance, where RVD nailed the Van Daminator that sent Hardy off the stage. Back in the ring, RVD got to showoff more of his stuff for the WWF audience, while also bumping well for the champion. Jeff missed the Swanton Bomb before RVD nailed the Five Star Frog Splash with the Hardcore Title on Jeff’s chest to become champion.
Winner and New WWF Hardcore Champion: Rob Van Dam in 12:24
2001 proved to be the best year ever for the Hardcore Title and this might have been the best Hardcore Title match ever. It was the perfect way to truly introduce RVD to the WWF audience as he faced a similar performer and got to do a lot of his key stuff. Both men worked hard and had a great match that stole the show. ****
More backstage segments as Vince tries to hype up Kurt Angle, who says the word bullshit on television.
Bra and Panties Match
Lita and Trish Stratus vs. Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson
Brilliant Mick Foley made himself the referee for this match. There wasn’t much to really write about here as this wasn’t placed here to be a great wrestling match. JR did deliver the classic line of “thongs are legal.” Neither WCW girl wanted any part of Lita, who brought Stacy in the hard way. Stacy and Torrie struggled with almost all of their spots. Stacy lost her shirt first and ran, leading to Lita chasing her and getting stuck before having her top removed. Trish had her shirt taken off but removed Torrie’s pants instantly in one of the best camera angles in WWE history. The WWF girls did some Hardy Boyz poetry in motion and Lita hit a moonsault on Stacy as they removed the rest of their opponents clothing.
Winners: Lita and Trish Stratus in 5:04
Torrie and Stacy were incredibly green and not really ready to do any in ring work. Lita and Trish did their best to overcome that though it wasn’t enough. The crowd was obviously excited for it and they put in a good effort. In terms of pure enjoyment, I’d say over four stars. As a match, it ranks much lower. *¾
Inaugural Brawl
Team WCW (WCW World and United States Champion Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, the Dudley Boyz and Rhyno) w/ Paul Heyman, Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon vs. Team WWF (Chris Jericho, Kane, Kurt Angle, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the Undertaker) w/ Vince McMahon
Including Heat, they are tied 5-5. After the owners and Heyman came out, the teams alternated entrances which I found really cool. Undertaker attacked DDP before the entrances were over, leading to a big brawl. The “old Stone Cold” showed up last and got right into the brawl. When things calmed down, everybody got a turn in the ring, with the match getting ample time to showcase all ten men involved. The Dudley Boyz became the first guys to really take a clear advantage, using their experience as a duo to do so. Undertaker ended up mostly putting a stop to that. Surprisingly, when DDP and Undertaker went at it, it didn’t get as personal as expected. Outside of Austin, Angle got the best pops throughout the match and was well on his way to being a top babyface in the company for the remainder of 2001. With so many moving parts, the match manages to never get dull at any point. Angle played the face in peril and they held off the big hot tag to Austin with some smaller ones to other guys. The match got out of hand, with Undertaker and DDP fighting in the crowd while everyone else fought at ringside. Austin seemed to have injured his knee during all of this. There were about three table spots in a row with Rhyno, D-Von and Kane all going through them. Angle made the babyface comeback and put Booker T in the Ankle Lock after taking Shane out, who hit Vince with a title. Austin got back inside as Booker tapped out and kicked Angle. He planted him with a Stunner, allowing Booker to win it for the Alliance.
Winners: Team WCW in 29:03
As noted, this moved along rather nicely and was entertaining throughout. Everyone got a chance to shine for the most part, with almost all of them bringing their working boots. The crowd was molten hot throughout and the final few minutes were pretty chaotic in a good way. The swerve finish was pretty good too since the crowd badly wanted the old Austin and he wouldn’t give it to them. His reasoning for this and the booking of the entire invasion following this were horrible though. ***½
Overall: 5.5/10; Decent. The invasion angle itself could have been something amazing but instead, it was poorly handled for the entire duration. This was the first real stop and it was a mixed bag. Some of the matches were dreadful (Raven/Tazz, Patrick/Hebner, the six man tag) most were middle of the pack and a few were good. I enjoyed the main event and loved the Hardcore Title match. There was a lot of potential here, but a good chunk of it went wasted. My next “Random Network Review” looks like it will be Survivor Series 2013!
RevPro Wrestling/NJPW Global Wars UK Night Two
November 10th, 2017 | Walthamstow Assembly Hall in Walthamstow, Greater London
After a strong night one, RevPro and NJPW return with night two of Global Wars UK.
#CCK vs. Gedo, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI
I really wish CCK got paired up with better opponents during these shows. Banks, Brooke and Lykos against Naito, BUSHI and SANADA would’ve been dope. If only more LIDJ members traveled on this tour. The chemistry of the best boys was great. They utilized quick tags and hit impressive tandem offense. The match built to a Hirooki Goto hot tag and he showed more fire than a lot of his recent work. His exchange with Banks was a highlight. Goto could benefit from being sent somewhere other than NJPW. If they still had their partnership with NOAH, that would’ve been ideal. Banks got saved from defeat by his partners, who then hit dives that took out Goto and Tacos. Banks drilled Gedo with the Kiwi Krusher to win at 9:18. I thought this was a fine opener. I liked it more than the CCK match on night one. Goto brought energy, it didn’t overstay its welcome and was quite fun. [***]
Toru Yano vs. Zack Gibson
Gibson’s pre-match promo got its usual heat. He made a crack about the fans, saying just because they listen to Dave Meltzer, doesn’t make them smart (it might’ve been slightly different but was hard to hear over the boos). Like he did against Yuji Nagata, Gibson went after the arm to set up the Shankly Gates. Yano responded with his usual bag of tricks, including several spots involving the exposed turnbuckle. Yano got a damn car stereo out from under the ring. The referee stopped him from using it, but the distraction allowed for two low blows and a rollup win in 5:38. Like Yano’s match on night one, this was good comedy. He did a bit of a compilations of his best stuff and it worked extra well because of Gibson’s heat. [**¼]
Josh Bodom vs. Rocky Romero
I haven’t seen Rocky work a singles match since last year’s BOTSJ. At least, that’s the last one I recall. He showed he could still go, working at a fast pace with Bodom. He nailed a tope suicida and took the fight outside, before eating a neckbreaker on the apron to stop his momentum. Bodom began disrespecting the veteran with slaps and trash talk. Bodom also learned from earlier mistakes. When Rocky did his latch onto the ropes spot a second time, Bodom was ready with a dropkick. Rocky rallied with the FOREVER clotheslines and picked up a few near falls. He ran into the Bodom Breaker and then Bliss Buster, but wisely rolled outside to avoid a pin. They fought to the top rope, where Rocky brought him off into an armbar, but Bodom rolled over into a pinning combination to take it in 14:00. That went longer than I expected, but was also better than I thought. Good back and forth, with some strong close calls late. [***]
Dave Mastiff vs. Tomohiro Ishii
THICC BOI BATTLE. They charged at each other as soon as the bell rang. After a hot start, Mastiff slowed the pace a little and wore down Ishii. Ishii’s not one to stay down, though. He fired up and returned with some stiff forearms and chops. He kicked out of the best stuff Mastiff could muster up and throw at it. At one point, Ishii began leaning into Mastiff’s forearms. In an awesome moment, Mastiff simply caught Ishii’s sliding lariat. Ishii fought free of his grip and still hit it, but it remained a cool spot. It was Mastiff’s turn to fire up, no selling a lariat, though again, a second attempt was successful. Ishii scored with a Brainbuster to pick up the victory in 11:02. They kind of worked this similarly to the Lee/Ishii match, with results that were nowhere near as effective. It was a good hoss battle that disappointed me because I always expect the best from Ishii matches. [***¼]
RPW British Cruiserweight Championship: Ryan Smile [c] vs. El Desperado
Thanks to Smile’s title win on night one, this was made a title match. Early on, it was clear that Smile had an advantage. In typical Desperado form, he began looking for any and all openings to use underhanded tactics. His eventual target became Smile’s leg, attempting to take away his aerial ability. I appreciated that the knee work felt a bit different from what Desperado used on Riddle the night before. It didn’t full work, because Smile managed a nice tope con hilo to get himself back into the match. Desperado had a good close call when he took Smile kicking out of a spinebuster and turned it into the Stretch Muffler. Smile made it to the ropes, leading to them fighting on the top rope. Smile knocked him to the mat and won with a frog splash in 14:03. That was fine, just nothing special. I liked Desperado’s leg work, though Smile could’ve sold it better. [**¾]
BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito vs. Keith Lee and Yuji Nagata
This should be a blast. As expected, we got early fun from BUSHI squaring up against Lee, only for Naito to attack from behind. It didn’t matter, because Lee was too big for them. Their cheap tricks eventually got Lee down. Naito did everything to antagonize Nagata on the apron, including spitting at him. Nagata’s hot tag didn’t get a huge pop, but he did light Naito up with kicks. BLUE JUSTICE! He slapped on his signature armbar, but Naito reached the ropes. Things broke down and I couldn’t help but get a kick out of seeing Lee completely run over BUSHI. While battling Naito, Lee did a goddamn slingshot cross body. My major gripe with this match came in the finish. BUSHI misted Lee, allowing Naito to hit two Destinos and win at 12:56. I don’t think Lee should’ve eaten the pin. I’d rather BUSHI take the loss if they wanted to keep Nagata unpinned in RevPro. Aside from that, this was a fun sprint. Even with Naito giving a t-shirt wearing effort, all four men brought something cool to the match and made the most of the time given. [***¼]
Matt Riddle vs. Minoru Suzuki w/ El Desperado
Two guys with MMA pasts. Neither man wanted to make the first mistake, so it was slow for a minute or so. Then, they just started trading vicious blows. Minoru caught one into a rope hung armbar, before the fight went outside. Unfortunately, it was there that Desperado got involved. He hit Riddle with a bunch of cheap shots because that’s what Suzuki-Gun does. Inside, Riddle started turning things around with bridging gutwrench suplexes. His comeback saw him work his own armbar and wrist, finding an opening. He kicked and slapped at the arm as often as possible, even with Suzuki screaming in his face. Desperate, Suzuki pulled the referee in the way of a Riddle shot, allowing Desperado to jump Riddle. Riddle fought him off, but it was enough to lead to a Gotch Style Piledriver that gave Suzuki the W at 14:57. There was potential for this to crack four stars. It was the kind of hard hitting match I wanted and it mostly played to their strengths. Of course, there was too much Suzuki-Gun nonsense and interference that held it back. [***½]
RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Will Ospreay
Though the shine has worn off considerably on Will Ospreay, the two matches I’ve seen these two have ruled. At Evolve 58 (****½), they stole WrestleMania 32 weekend, before having another high quality outing at the BOLA (***¾). They opened with some very fast paced exchanges. Ospreay was continually too quick and elusive to remain in Sabre’s grasp for long. I loved that Sabre didn’t let Will do his dumb flippy shit early. His first handspring attempt saw him get pulled outside and his second was greeted with a swift kick to the chest. From there, Sabre took over. Being the slimy Suzuki-Gun member, he was more than happy to try for a countout victory, though of course he didn’t get it. When Ospreay started his comeback, he still got to use aerial stuff and have it make sense because Sabre never targeted his leg or anything too specific. The continuing trend of the match saw Sabre turning a lot of Ospreay’s flying offense into some sort of submission. Down the stretch, Ospreay started daring Sabre to hit him harder, before bringing his own stiff shots. He found a great counter for the European clutch pin, turning it over into one of his own for a fantastic near fall. Ospreay hit the always incredible looking imploding 450 splash, yet Sabre managed to kick out. When Will hit the Oscutter and Sabre instinctively rolled outside to avoid getting pinned, the fans reacted perfectly. The finish was great, as Sabre caught a Red Arrow into a triangle choke. Ospreay fought out, only to end up in the Octopus Hold. He fought out of that into a pin that Sabre countered into his insanely painful looking shoulder submission to retain in 24:59. While not quite as good as their Evolve battle, it ranks as a close second for them. The work made sense and the fans were way into it. Sabre constantly had an answer for everything Ospreay did, while the challenger showed a lot of heart and fire. They told a great story, as Sabre was constantly just one step ahead. It was one of three standout Ospreay matches I saw in 2017. [****¼]
Overall: 7/10. About as good as night one. While that show had a higher ceiling (Lee/Ishii), this one still delivered a consistent barrage of quality matches. Everything is at least fun, with Yano/Gibson being the floor and that being kept short. Riddle/Suzuki and Mastiff/Ishii felt like disappointments, but both were good matches. Smile/Desperado was solid, while Bodom/Romero was a nice little surprise. The LIDJ tag was hella fun and the main event was up there with the best RPW Title matches I can recall.
WWE Survivor Series
November 19th, 2017 | Toyota Center in Houston, Texas | Attendance: 14,478
Elias vs. Matt Hardy
One positive thing came out of this match. We got to hear Elias sing about Houston. He’s great. Anyway, since the WWE insists on making their “big four” shows about six hours long, they threw two extra matches on the Kickoff show. Instead of opening the doors for fans earlier, they allowed this match to take place in front of near half empty arena. The match itself was basically exactly what you’d see on an episode of Raw. Elias won with the Drift Away in 9:12. Completely forgettable. [**]
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Enzo Amore [c] vs. Kalisto
This rivalry has gone on way too long. Nothing against either guy, but they’ve only had one solid match against each other, and that was on Raw. In the highlight, Kalisto botched his entrance and got stuck on the top rope. It was hilarious. The match started fine, with Kalisto hitting a sweet Code Red. Then, the commercial break came and it kind of halted the momentum. The rest of the match was dull and the crowd didn’t care at all. Enzo won with a shit looking Eat Defeat in 8:24. Move on from this. Kalisto already beat him and dropped the title right back, so why should we care at this point? Low point of the night. [*½]
Breezango vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
I saw a lot of people upset that this was a poor use of Owens and Zayn. Admittedly, I’d rather see them doing something more important. However, with Raw vs. Smackdown as the top angle right now, they’re kind of just killing time until the Shane feud reignites. Anyway, Breezango were a good choice here, because they remain very over. Tyler Breeze got isolated for most of the match. He made the hot tag to Fandango, which was solid, though probably not Fandango’s strongest trait. Owens planted him with a Popup Powerbomb for the finish at 8:31. Good tag team wrestling, with two over teams. Nothing special though, and about what you’d expect from a Kickoff Show. [**¾]
The New Day vs. The Shield
Finally, onto the main card. I came with high hopes for this. It’s the two best stables in recent memory and New Day were coming off some insane matches against the Usos. The early portions were typical multi-man tag stuff. We got the guys pairing off, with the most interesting being Big E against Roman Reigns. It was great seeing Big E shrug off Roman’s power offense. New Day showed off stronger cohesive work, while Shield won a lot of the individual battles, which made sense given the strengths of the teams. There was an odd feel to parts of the match. At times, each team would kind of stand around awkwardly for a moment or so before setting up their next move. Other than that, the closing stretch was a lot of fun and led to some quality near falls. New Day’s double Midnight Hour was particularly cool. The Shield won with a super triple powerbomb at 21:30. A very good way to start the show, but I was hoping for something better. Maybe my expectations were too high. [***½]
Team Raw (Alicia Fox, Asuka, Bayley, Nia Jax and Sasha Banks) vs. Team Smackdown (Becky Lynch, Carmella, Naomi, Natalya and Tamina) w/ Lana
Last year’s women’s match was one of the better ones. This went back in the opposite direction. First, they had Becky Lynch get eliminated first. Why? She’s the best female the company has. It would’ve been awesome if they teased or gave us a small taste of what Asuka vs. Becky would be like. Instead, they saved the big “showdown” moment for Nia Jax and Tamina. Yes, that Tamina. The one who has been awful since the day she was signed. This came after Bayley was eliminated by a Tamina splash. Losing to Tamina is a career-low for anyone. Nia got eliminated after a barrage of offense on the outside. Alicia got sent home with a shit rollup by Naomi, who then immediately tapped out to Sasha Banks. Asuka came to the rescue, beating Carmella. Sasha tapped to a Sharpshooter and Asuka’s alone. The problem, is that you’ve now got Asuka working someone the fans don’t care about. She made both Tamina and Nattie tap, winning for her team in a strange 18:25. The action wasn’t terrible, but the structure was confusing. There were so many better ways to do this. At least Asuka got to shine a bit. [**¼]
WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz w/ The Miztourage
Maryse was in the front row. Though Miz and Corbin never interacted on TV, the build was good thanks to Twitter. Anyway, this match suffered from some of the same stuff the last match did. It was strangely laid out. Thanks to Miz being more popular and Corbin’s remarks about Miz’s wife, the IC Champ was positioned as the babyface. That would’ve been fine, but Miz had two goons at ringside who continually cheated on his behalf. The near falls down the stretch were solid, before Corbin won with End of Days in 9:32. This happened. It had good points, though nothing made it stand out from your average TV match. [**½]
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Usos
With the Revival on the shelf, the Bar and the Usos (along with New Day and the Shield) have kept tag team wrestling as a highlight of WWE this year. The Usos’ pre-match promo was great and they’ve excelled there for most of 2017. Like the Shield/New Day match, this didn’t get off to a fast start, but once it picked up, it was great down the stretch. Sounds like an NJPW match. Unfortunately, the odd Houston crowd who popped for Nia/Tamina, was kind of quiet for this. I get that both teams are heel, but so are Nia and Tamina, and the Usos have kind of worked tweener the past month. The crowd did wake up for the false finishes, though. In the end, the Usos did a cool spot where they tagged out during a plancha and the legal man hit the big splash for the win in 15:54. Great stuff that would’ve been helped by a stronger opening sequence. Lots of fun. [***¾]
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte
THE IRRESISTIBLE FORCE MEETS THE IMMOVABLE OBJECT! Two women who run roughshod over their competition. It figures that the one singles match with a heel/face dynamic features one of the worst faces in the company. Charlotte just doesn’t work in that fashion. Alexa was a great heel here, as always. She continues to nail all the needed mannerisms. Charlotte sold rather well in the early stages, but she’s way too inconsistent with it. She’d completely forget about it so she could hit her offense. Charlotte got her knees up on a Sparkle Splash and went right into the Figure Eight, because why sell your ribs? Alexa tapped at 15:43. There were good parts to this match, though it left a lot to be desired. Charlotte’s selling hurts so many of her matches for me. [**¾]
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
Smackdown just took a 3-2 lead and there’s two matches left. Plus, Brock Lesnar’s in this one, so the outcome was clear. I came into this without too much excitement, because Brock singles matches usually underwhelm (see: Strowman, Ambrose, Rollins, etc.). However, Brock decided to put in effort tonight. In the early stages, Brock dominated AJ like he was John Cena at SummerSlam 2014. AJ bumped like a madman and made Brock’s already brutal offense like incredible. When AJ finally kicks into his comeback, it feels earned. And not just that, but it’s realistic. He didn’t just start going into his offense. He kept selling the damage and whatever he did came out of desperation. The crowd totally bit on a Phenomenal Forearm near fall. AJ went for a second, but was caught in the F5 for the finish in 15:19. When I first watched this, I thought the early portion was dull. Rewatching it the following morning, I liked it a lot more. It wasn’t exciting, but it built up a lot of sympathy for AJ and made his comeback better. They did horribly botch a tornado DDT spot. Other than that, this ruled. AJ’s most likely dropping the title this week, but the switch to him for this match was masterful [****]
Team Raw (Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe and Triple H) vs. Team Smackdown (Bobby Roode, John Cena, Randy Orton, Shane McMahon and Shinsuke Nakamura)
Last year’s Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown tag was unbelievably good. Top two or three ever. This didn’t live up to that. Looking at the people in the match, this looks like something only possible in a video game. Finn Balor looked incredibly small next to his team. Anyway, the start of this match was a lot of fun. We got some cool interactions, as you’d expect. Finn vs. Shin (seriously Cole, that’s a horrible nickname) was a blast, as was Triple H against his adopted Japanese son and HHH taking on his slightly younger self in Roode. Nakamura was the first man gone, at the hands of Braun, who then also got rid of Roode. With Team Raw winning, they decided to spend the next few minutes arguing. For no reason. Cena came in and treated Balor and Joe like cannon fodder. He eliminated Joe with an AA, before Angle pinned Cena with the Angle Slam. That left Orton and Shane against four guys. Why? Orton got tired of that new star Balor being around, so he ended him with an RKO. Then, Owens and Zayn showed up to attack Shane. Then, in one of the worst moments of the night, Super Shane fought them off BY HIMSELF and sent them scurrying to the back, with Orton also nailing an RKO on Owens. Braun then eliminated Orton. Shane was left alone and Braun wanted to kill him. Instead, HHH tagged himself in. Then Angle did the same, only for HHH to Pedigree him. He helped Shane pin him. BUT WHOSE SIDE IS HE ON? His own, as HHH dropped Shane with a Pedigree and took the win for himself at 33:19. What the hell happened to this match? It was fun at the start, but became kind of a disaster late. The only potential new star to do anything of real note was Braun. Every other elimination came from Cena, Orton, Angle and HHH. They shit on the closing stretch to further McMahon family drama. Not a good move. The more I think about this match, the less I like it, which is a shame because it started so well. [**½]
Post-match, Braun Strowman got in Triple H’s face and warned him to never do that again. Triple H sold the hell out of his fear. Then, he attacked Braun, only to get his ass handed to him. I can’t wait for Stephanie to emasculate Braun in retaliation.
Overall: 6/10. Like a lot of these long “big four” shows, this was a middle of the pack show. It was slightly above average thanks to how awesome AJ/Brock was and the high quality outings between Usos/Bar and Shield/New Day. The two Survivor Series tags were hampered by poor booking. The kickoff stuff was mostly fine and the two main card singles matches were average.
It's almost impossible to get excited for anything in the cruiserweight division since Neville left. Enzo Amore works in the role he's been given and it'll be fun to see him dethroned. However, we've already seen Kalisto beat him, only to lose it right back. The outcome of this match means nothing to me. Enzo retains and eventually drops it to someone more interesting.
Winner: Enzo Amore
This should be fantastic. The Shield was the best thing in WWE from 2013-2014. New Day was arguably the best thing in WWE in 2015-2016. For most of 2017, they didn't do anything of note. Then, the Usos feud happened and rejuvenated them. The returning Shield are probably looking to put on one hell of a performance, while New Day is on quite the roll. That should make for one of the more exciting matches in recent memory. It's going to be a magnificent battle, but a predictable result. The Shield will win because losing this quickly into their return is kind of damaging, while New Day won't be hurt by it.
Winner: The Shield
In a year with the Revival on the shelf, these have been the two best main roster tag teams. I'd even go as far to say the Usos have been the best tag team in all of wrestling this year (Authors of Pain and British Strong Style are in the conversation). These teams were the final two in the giant Survivor Series match last year and it was a lot of fun. With both units being heel, it could cause problems, but the Usos have kind of been rolling as tweeners and I think the fans will get behind them. This could honestly go either way, but I'm gonna pick the Usos for the Smackdown victory.
Winners: The Usos
Is the world going to implode? It's Alexa Bliss, who continually wins major feuds, where the babyfaces come off looking bad against LADY BIG DOG. It's tough to see either woman losing because of how they're typically booked. If anyone could run through Alexa and come out looking strong, it's Charlotte. I fully expect her to win for Smackdown here, being the only one allowed to come out on top against Alexa. At least, until Asuka.
Winner: LADY BIG DOG
This is one of those matches where I like both guys, but can't get excited about the pairing. They're just not ideal opponents for one another. Corbin is at his best when he's the bully heel, but Miz's one weaknessis playing some kind of sympathetic babyface. The promo stuff has been fun, at least. Normally, I'd pick Miz to win here, but I'm thinking Raw wins the entire show 4-3. I have them winning four matches in my head, so Smackdown will get this one.
Winner: Big Banter
With Smackdown's final spot open, I want to say they win. Maybe Paige makes her return and having her lose here wouldn't be ideal. Plus, I'm always gonna want to pick a team captained by the great Becky Lynch or one led by Alicia Fox. The difference is Asuka. Sure, last year the unbeaten Nia Jax tapped out in a Survivor Series match, but having both Asuka and Nia lose would be strange booking. For that reason, and the possibility that Natalya is the fifth member and not Paige, I'm gonna pick Raw. Asuka and Nia being the most likely survivors and Bayley being the most likely to get eliminated like a jobber.
Winners: Team Raw
Last year's Raw vs. Smackdown match was all kinds of awesome. This one probably won't be as good, but I'd be happy to be wrong. Team Cena vs. Team Authority back in 2014 had no right to be as good as it turned out to be, and this looks much better than that on paper. Shane is gonna try to kill himself, as always, while Triple H and Kurt Angle will put on their best efforts. Orton is usually at his best in Survivor Series matches, while guys like Cena, Finn, Joe and Braun are going to give us fun combinations. I'm thinking Raw wins because of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. With them not being booked, but being in a key storyline, I'm gonna say they interfere to cost Smackdown the match. Their selfishness will most likely set up some kind of tag against Shane and someone at the next PPV. Part of me could see Angle and HHH costing themselves the match, but I think there will be a slower burn for the expected Mania match.
Winners: Team Raw
Putting the title on AJ Styles was one of the best moves WWE did all year. Even if AJ had a lackluster summer, he's still the best the company has. I'd love if AJ Styles were to win this match. But it's Brock Lesnar and Aj's name is not Roman Reigns. Nobody's beating Brock until Reigns eventually does it. So, I'm going into this hoping for AJ to get the best out of Brock. I enjoyed Brock/Joe, though it could've been better. Even if Brock is bringing minimal effort to this match, Styles is good enough to get greatness out of him. That's what I'm expecting.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
2017 Prediction Record: 68-36
2016 Prediction Record: 72-41
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35
I know a lot of people have been disappointed with the use of Kassius Ohno in NXT, but I like him in the mentor role he’s in. He’s been working a lot of the young, inexperienced guys, like Lars, on live events. This will be the first real test for Lars and there aren’t many better to be in there with than Ohno. I think the match will be solid, and Lars will surprise many by winning in rather convincing fashion. It won’t be a squash, but Lars will look very impressive.
Winner: Lars Sullivan
This has been my favorite male program NXT has put on all year. Gargano/Ciampa would’ve probably been higher, but Ciampa’s injury put that on hold. The Velveteen Dream is an absolute blast, who completely nails his character. Aleister Black is a very good wrestler, who should be able to put on the best match of Dream’s young career. I don’t expect Dream to win at all, but I’d be totally happy if he did. I’m gonna say Black gets the win, but it’ll be Dream’s next step into becoming a star.
Winner: Aleister Black
This is the hardest match to predict by a wide margin. Nikki Cross is a great choice, because I feel she’s the most complete package among the NXT women. However, if she wins, SAnitY will have multiple titles, which I see as more of a heel stable trope. Peyton Royce would be an excellent candidate, as I could see her sharing the title with Billie Kay and their segments would be golden. She deserves this recognition. Ember Moon makes a good pick after coming up just short against Asuka multiple times. But, a loss here could send her frustration into heel turn territory, which is an interesting route for her. Kairi Sane is the least interesting pick to me, but after winning the Mae Young Classic, I could see her getting a big push. However, unlike Asuka, I think Sane works better as an underdog chasing the title, than as a dominant champion. My heart says Peyton, but I’m gonna say Ember finally does it.
Winner: Ember Moon
Along with Johnny Gargano, Andrade Almas is my favorite NXT wrestler. The dude is fantastic and the addition of Zelina Vega as a mouthpiece was just what he needed to make it to the next level. If I were booking, he’d absolutely win the NXT Championship here. But I’m not booking. Drew McIntyre will retain the title here and most likely lose it to Adam Cole. Yawn. Maybe Almas gets called up after this match, though I’m not sure he’d get much of a push there. Ah, well. This should be a pretty good outing.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
It’s still wild that I’m going to watch a WWE produced War Games match. And even crazier to think that the first WWE War Games features Roderick Strong, reDRagon, Eric Young and Adam Cole. 2017 is strange. I’m excited for this match because it’s historic, it should be bananas and I really like most of the guys involved. I believe the Undisputed Era has to win here. SAnitY have the Tag Titles, so they’ll be fine coming out of this regardless of the outcome. The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong aren’t a usual team, so they won’t have the chemistry of the other trios and that could cost them. Plus, Cole/O’Reilly/Fish came in as big deals and a win in this kind of match would fully establish them.
Winner: The Undisputed Era
