Not-so-fresh off of the NXT TakeOver show aptly named "Rival", I guess it's time for a BLOG POST for the minimum amount of people that bother reading it to understand my TRUE thoughts.
I CAPPED THIS BLOODY IMAGE
I didn't bother with the pre-show for the first time ever. I don't know what happened there but I can only imagine an interview or two with someone guest starring on the pre-show panel as the Full Sail fans scream shit and try to be important on screen again? I dunno, just a guess.
Really wish that Enzo & Cass match against the Vaudevillains was actually televised fer fuck sake.
I won't really lie, with the last couple of shows having Itami tease the G2S and him facing Tyler Breeze, who protects his face (or at least, used to before the main event push he got months ago), made me hyped in a way for this match, mostly because I was pretty fucking sure Itami was going to actually finally hit the G2S, I could mark, the audience could finally get their marking over and done with, but it seems the bookers want to continually tease everyone, probably until Itami goes against Balor for the championship in a couple of months...
The constant cheers and gasping explosions every time Itami lifts someone onto his shoulders isn't something I want to see for weeks on end. Just get it over and done with in a match that makes sense, in other words, THIS FUCKING MATCH.
As for the match itself, it was a step up for Itami. The match was typical but well done, nothing to really flaw, and thankfully Itami's finisher has finally gained some traction and looks a bit damaging, as opposed to the extremely weak barely-hits-the-opponent look it has had since debuting. Also Balor stole his double foot stomp so Itami's in the dark here without the Busaiku or G2S. Not entirely his fault.
Unfortunately I wish I could skip this Corbin/Dempsey match because it was truly a let down, but uhh, I guess I have to comment on it to seem impartial (which I am, I promise).
A let down for sure, but not exactly a horrendous match. People still constantly forget that these two talents are actual developmental talents and not 10 year veterans like the other guys, so it's not exactly expected to pull off something great.
It was bad, but it wasn't horrendous. The few botches and the awful finish, as well as the pointlessness of the no-disqualification stipulation all add to how the match was slow and plodding as well as both guys looking confused as to what to do.
Maybe there's too much attention given to the bigger stars? Maybe these guys don't get the resources they need, the trainers attention, etc, to pull off a decent match? Who knows, but the four-and-a-bit minute length of the match and the awkward ending made me think it was cut short. It's all speculation though.
Can I skip this tag match too? Bloody hell.
None of the spots in this match that went bad were caused by Buddy Murphy or Wesley Blake. Somehow, the veteran and good wrestler Sin Cara kept screwing up even though he has impressed in the past. Maybe he's just phoning it in for a pay check now, knowing he'll never be utilised more. But Kalisto's botches were bad too sadly.
Also the booking was horrible with the constant near-falls not being anywhere near fast enough to warrant the existence in the match. Pretty bad overall, but I blame the Lucha Dragons.
HERE'S WHERE IT GETS GOOD, APPARENTLY.
Finn Balor vs. Adrian Neville
TWO OF THE BIG FIVE FACING OFF, GUYS. :)
Was it a good match? Aye, of course it was. Was it the MOTN? I wouldn't give it that. Why?
Well, for what it's worth, Kofi Kingston is a good wrestler, but a lot of people like to say all he does is jumps and strikes. True that, that's all of his offence. So what if you put two guys who just do jumps and strikes in a match, but the audience loves them? You get a "Match of the Night"!
Honestly, it was a good match and I'd probably give it a healthy 3.5 STARS, because of the performance, logical back and forth and bumping/selling of both guys involved - they know what they're doing - but the combat was too formulaic and at some times it was a little bit nonsensical.
Fighting over the top rope was basically the 'theme' for this match and it's honestly not a good 'theme' at all. You have two guys whipping eachother around in the ring and then trying to finish with a diving move from the corner, I don't get that. It adds nothing to the match when both guys have to take out 10 seconds to actually do their finisher. If this match wasn't revolving around Neville or Balor getting to the top rope to actually do some legitimate damage (in a kayfabe sense) then it'd be a lot better, but unfortunately, the combination of a good number of diving moves, attempts at diving moves and attempts at getting to places FOR diving moves, it's much too spot filled for a singles match.
The outcome was alright though. This match being longer than a championship match makes sense because it's for a shot at the championship and the two guys involved are two of the best booked guys on the roster, Finn being virtually unstoppable, as well as Neville being the most accomplished NXT roster member of all time (in NXT) adds to the length making sense, unlike Itami vs. Breeze taking up more time than a tag championship match, even though the match was made because of a fight backstage.
P.S. That handshake at the end is really overdone. It's so clear that there's going to be another guy turning after a handshake eventually because of how much they do it, but it makes the show look too FRIENDLY, as if the only bad guy in the company is Fat Kassius Ohno.
THE REAL MATCH OF THE NIGHT, FOLKS.
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch in a F-F-FATAL FOUR WAY MATCH!
Was it a good match? Aye! OF COURSE IT WAS. Was it the MOTN? Aye! OF COURSE IT WAS.
In all honesty this match is a bit weaker than the past divas matches at NXT specials, but overall on the night it was the best match. Fatal four way matches are built on a large number of spots in WWE, it's formula and it's how it works, it's how fatal four way matches are booked and they get booked well most of the time because of it. Sadly though it's the match of the night, I'd still not even give it FOUR. I'd give it a slightly-healthier-than-the-last-match-rating 3.75 STARS.
The culmination of all teamwork and friendship coming to an end BEFORE this fatal four way was a unique way to book it, as most of the fatal four ways culminate the friendships ending (or rarely create new alliances) DURING the match, however as this one had everyone break down before the match, it made it more interesting. The spots were fairly decent and they were neither over the top in numbers or in stature like Balor/Neville was,
I don't really know how I feel about the ending though. John Charlotte probably will never tap out at this rate. I hope she goes to the main roster now though, get popular and then bring in Sasha in some months.
THE M-M-MAIN E-EVENT!
Two more of the BIG FIVE FELLAS, and THE BIGGEST OF THE BIG FIVE, FAT KASSIUS OHNO, takes on the great Sami Zayn and inevitably wins "via referee stoppage".
Not really much to say on this considering I already said a fair bit about it, but I suppose I'll probably ramble anyway.
I wasn't really a fan at all. The so-called "story" that made it a "great match" in some peoples' eyes was, to me, rushed, and even if you wrestle 10+ years on the indie scene I don't think you should win a championship even in developmental (especially in developmental, you don't need it!) in the first two months of debuting, and honestly you shouldn't just get a shot at it willy-nilly. Obviously the story was there for that quick opportunity to make sense but it was booked that way.
These two things took the match from something I could have been invested in, to something I didn't like just because of principle. Just like Reigns winning the Royal Rumble because it was both so expected that everyone knew it would happen, and the guy didn't deserve it, Owens comes along and wins a match we 100% expected him to win, and does it so quickly that he doesn't deserve it.
"But he worked so long on the independent scene!"... Does it really matter? If anything this means that he should work a feud not revolving around a championship and leave the championship open for talents that still need the development but are still otherwise decent enough for a title reign. Throwing these indie stars in like that is stupid not just because of aforementioned reasons but also because there's so much hype behind them that they can transcend the championship level, have matches in the middle of the card, and leave the championship matches to actual developmental talent.
On to the match though, after the rambling. It was alright, but the overselling at the beginning by Zayn reminded me somewhat of HBK vs. Hulk Hogan at the SLAM OF THE SUMMER we all know about. Getting clotheslined in the corner and then bouncing and twirling about immediately was so over the top ridiculous, and then he followed it up by getting thrown into the turnbuckle again only to bounce about again. Then he was out of it for what, ten minutes, and all of a sudden had a huge comeback, and Owens sold the assault like he WASN'T dominating for ten or so minutes?
I understand the concept of an adrenaline-based comeback, but that 'comeback' was too quick, too strong, and lasted way too long, and it made the match look ridiculous. This isn't some blind ass hate because I really like Zayn and he is easily among the best sellers WWE has ever seen in history but when you're that good at it, you're bound to go overboard at one point, and this match was overboard, and it made it look way too excessive for the most part.
The selling at the end where Owens sadly actually won the championship (2 months in) was good though, but a good ending doesn't make up for 10+ minutes of stupidity. 3 STARS!
Thanks to Shalashaska
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