Eliminate Unnecessary Gimmick Pay-Per-Views

  For quite a few years now, among other PPV's, Hell In a Cell has become a yearly event.  Sometimes, more than one Hell In a Cell match happens and it can be overkill.  For instance, I disliked TNA's PPV Lockdown, which featured every match on the card in a Steel Cage.  To me, it caused the Steel Cage match to be seen as not as special.  That's my problem with Hell In a Cell and gimmick PPV's in general.  Before I explain further, I wanted to address something, which sparked my idea for writing this blog.

   Hell In a Cell is usually in October but has been moved to September due to the placement of Evolution.  After SummerSlam, plans went forward towards Hell In a Cell.  On Raw this week, Braun Strowman said he will cash in his "Money In the Bank" contract against Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the show in a Hell In a Cell match.  By Raw's end, everything got confusing.  Braun was doing the honorable thing by letting his opponent know ahead of time when he could be cashing in.  Also, Braun mentioned it would be a good way to make sure the rest of The Shield wouldn't be able to interfere.  Later on, Braun turned on Roman during their tag team match against Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, joining together with them to turn heel again, which in my opinion, is a mistake due to Braun's popularity.  I can somewhat understand why the Roman/Braun match will be in the Cell but I don't think it's personal enough of a feud to warrant the stipulation.

   Along with this match set up for the PPV, we were told Ronda Rousey would defend her Raw Women's Title against former Champion Alexa Bliss.  As we roll into Smackdown, we already know Hell In a Cell will feature Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse, as well as AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton.  Jeff Hardy said his match with Orton at the PPV will be inside Hell In a Cell.  Meanwhile, AJ and Joe's match will not.  I don't understand this one bit.  You're going to tell me that Hardy/Orton with nothing on the line deserves the Cell but an extremely personal blood feud between AJ and Joe for the WWF Title does not!  How does that make sense?  I'm coming to terms with Roman/Braun in the Cell and the fact that it will main event the show.  However, I can't get behind the need for Orton/Hardy to be inside the Cell, yet not AJ/Joe.  This brings me to why I'm writing this blog.

   I feel that WWE should stop with some of the gimmick PPV's.  These shows and matches seem less special when they are shown often, even once a year.  I don't like the idea that some of the matches are going to be Hell In a Cell just because it's that time of year.  It's lazy booking in my opinion.  The same goes for Extreme Rules, TLC, and I may get hate for this, even Elimination Chamber.  Now, don't get it twisted and call me a hypocrite because I don't feel the same way on the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series.  Those are 30 plus year traditions that add to the stories, especially the Rumble.  Now, Money In the Bank has risen to become an important and necessary PPV.  However, when it comes to the ones I mentioned, I believe in a little thing called "less is more."  These gimmick matches should be earned due to the severity of the feuds going on, not based on what time of year it is.  When a feud calls for Hell In a Cell, Extreme Rules, Ladder, Table, Elimination Chamber, or whatever else, the match will be seen as special because something in the story must have caused a stipulation like those to be needed.

   Remember when a Steel Cage match was something special?  For longer than I care to remember, the match has lost all meaning.  Even Hell In a Cell and Elimination Chamber matches have become somewhat run of the mill.  In regards to Extreme Rules, WWE is barely able to put on shows that are seen as extreme enough.  Something like a Ladder Match or TLC should be a feud ender!  There was a time when the Cage match was that.  I just don't understand it!  WWE thinks that more content is better but I disagree.  The problem with wrestling today is over saturation.   It's one of the reasons I don't like Raw being three plus hours.  For the last 20 plus years, big time matches happen on free television way too much.  By the time the match happens at the PPV, which is supposed to be a big event, fans don't care as much because they already saw it.  For instance, they blew a huge match like John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on a random Smackdown when it should have happened at SummerSlam 2017.  Didn't they learn anything from the Hogan/Goldberg WCW Title match on Nitro in 1998?  While I feel like they did the Daniel Bryan/Miz match too early, there are ways to extend this to WrestleMania without it being seen as boring or old news.

   There is simply no need for some of these gimmick PPV's.  I understand wanting to keep your audience interested in the product but in the long run, these matches and shows are losing what make them special.  I mentioned the Elimination Chamber as something to be dropped as a yearly thing.  Generally, at least with two brands, the Chamber creates a number one contender for the other Championship that the Royal Rumble winner is not challenging for at WrestleMania.  In my opinion, it lessens the importance of the Rumble slightly.  Without a brand split, it becomes even more unnecessary.  The first two times the Elimination Chamber happened, it was out of feuds and creativity.  Who could forget the first one when Shawn Michaels made his monster comeback to win his first World Title in over four years?  The second one was to extend the Triple H/Goldberg feud and give Randy Orton a bigger platform.  The third one occurred at New Year's Revolution, which then became a yearly thing, and we started seeing the Chamber once a year for no reason other than it being February.   It would be great to use it tie in some intertwined feuds as something that shows up every once in a while.

   This is unrelated to this specific topic but has to do with the less is more approach.  There is simply too much content, both on TV and PPV.  For instance, Raw at three hours is simply too long.  We don't really see that much extra in that time.  We see clips of something that happened at the beginning of Raw several times in the show and that cuts precious time that could have been used for a match involving someone who could use the time to showcase his or her skills.  Also, as much as WWE claims that both brands are equal, Raw being three hours shows they put it first over Smackdown.  Cutting back to two hours would be great!  Ideally, WWE would like us to watch Raw and Smackdown, as well as WWE Network shows like 205 Live and NXT, among other things.  Soon, we will be given the NXT UK brand as well.  A friend of mine brought up a good point about SummerSlam recently.  The show was given a two-hour kick-off and went to four full hours.  There were a lot of matches and with so much time, many things still seemed fairly rushed.

   I can get behind the "Big Four" having the extra hour but we don't need a two-hour kick-off show.  They can barely fit in one or two matches within that time frame somehow.  If it were up to me, the "Big Four" would have a one-hour kick-off.  The other PPV's should go back to three hours and have a half-hour kick-off.  That's more than enough.  Even NXT's Takeover shows only need 30 minutes for their kick-offs.  The two-hour kick-offs we saw at WrestleMania and SummerSlam were full of mostly nonsense and even the matches barely got much time.

   In my opinion, 205 Live is an unnecessary show.  Just because it is on the WWE Network, that doesn't mean the same fans that watch it also watch NXT.  There are probably many people that don't watch anything beyond Raw and Smackdown and I think that's fair.  I myself, watch Raw, Smackdown, and NXT.  I feel like 205 Live is almost a death sentence when it comes to careers.  Once the Cruiserweight division left Raw, I think many fans are not aware of what is happening.  For me, 205 Live doesn't hold my interest and I think it is holding back some talents, such as Cedric Alexander.  In general, I think the Cruiserweight division itself type casts a lot of these wrestlers.  I think a big problem with 205 Live is its placement.  It's live but right after Smackdown, when many people are leaving the arena and the crowd is noticeably smaller on the show.  If anything, I'd put it on another day of the week if it is to be kept.  I'd even use it as a possible lead-in for NXT.  However, I do think another day of the week might help their viewership.  They need to spread things out a little.  There's almost too much content and that's just WWE.  Some people watch content from other companies like New Japan, Ring of Honor, Impact, and Lucha Underground, for instance.  It's hard to keep up!  Plus, the WWE Network has new content often and a plethora of content in general.  I promise that is the last tangent I will go on.  My basic premise is that WWE should eliminate unnecessary gimmick Pay-Per-Views.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Stay In NXT

   Something I think that needs to happen in WWE is slowing the amount of call-ups from NXT going to Raw or Smackdown.  There are too many at the same time and often WWE doesn't have plans or ideas for the people that get called up.  After WrestleMania this year, WWE brought the Authors of Pain to Raw, while Smackdown got the Iconics and the group Sanity.  The Authors of Pain have done nothing of note on Raw and there was a time when they weren't even on TV for weeks on end.  They came to Raw with manager Paul Ellering and after they decimated their opponents, they dumped Ellering.  No reason why was given and that was the end of it.  Now, they're in a never-ending feud with Titus Worldwide.  On Smackdown, they didn't even debut Sanity for months.  As for the Iconics, it started out promising as their attack on Charlotte Flair led to Carmella cashing in "Money In the Bank."  They teased an association with Carmella but nothing came from that either.

   There were other times in the past where so many NXT names were called up that it almost drained NXT of talent to keep their show going.  I think it needs to slow down tremendously.  In my opinion, Apollo Crews is someone who could have benefited from staying in NXT longer.  Then there's guys like Hideo Itami who got called up but ended up on 205 Live, stuck in the Cruiserweight division, which is something I worry about for certain NXT wrestlers that are somewhat on the small side.  Meanwhile, some wrestlers flourish on the main roster when they failed in NXT, such as Elias.  Right now, I think EC3 is someone who doesn't quite fit in NXT, whereas I think the main roster would be more suitable for him.  

   When it comes to the next set of wrestlers getting called up, it would be wise to keep it to a minimum.  As far as the women go, the only one from NXT I see getting called up soon is Shayna Baszler, who lost the NXT Women's Championship at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV to Kairi Sane. Other than Shayna, I'd stop calling up the women from NXT for quite some time.  As I said before, EC3 is someone who will connect better on the main roster and although many others have been in NXT for a long time, I'd stop completely for a while for the men as well.  The Velveteen Dream made waves when he appeared and wore pants that read "Call me up Vince."  Whether he was talking about Vince McMahon and whether or not he got permission to do so, Dream getting called up is the last thing he needs, as I feel he will be shortchanged on the main roster.

   NXT really needs to continue to form its own identity.  The main NXT roster will likely lose many talents to the NXT UK brand as well, which once it gets a WWE Network show, will also need to create its own identity.  Even if people are sick of the feud between Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa, there's still more to accomplish with both men.  I'm worried that their big feud will be all for nothing when one or both get lost to obscurity on 205 Live.  One former NXT guy on 205 Live that can get back to things on the main roster is Kalisto, as he and Sin Cara could reform the Lucha Dragons, who had great matches on the main roster.  Otherwise, most wrestlers on 205 Live are doomed to be type cast for the remainder of their WWE contracts.

   The women's division in NXT, despite possibly losing Baszler, will flourish, likely picking up some of the women competing in the Mae Young Classic.  In fact, I'm sure we'll see the tournament's eventual winner against the inaugural winner, current NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane.  NXT's women's division is growing.  Some of the Mae Young Classic competitors already have WWE/NXT contracts, such as Deonna Perrozzo.  However, it's possible Dakota Kai and even Nikki Cross could end up in NXT UK.  Even so, there's the other two MMA Four Horsewomen in Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, former American Ninja Warrior competitor Kacy Catenzaro, Bianca Belair, and Candice LaRea.  The women's division in NXT looks promising.

   I think there's still mileage in the Gargano/Ciampa story.  Whether Johnny's knee injury is legitimate or kayfabe, I'd still keep him off the next few months, possibly not even appearing at Takeover: War Games in November.  Ciampa can focus on new opponents for his NXT Championship, while Aleister Black gets to the bottom of who his attacker was.  Then, Black can get his one on one rematch with Ciampa for the Title.  When Gargano returns, I'd create some kind of smaller Royal Rumble for January 2019's Takeover, getting him to WrestleMania weekend, where he finally defeats Ciampa and wins the NXT Title.  Then, one last match would  take place at Takeover: Chicago III, two years after their breakup.  From there, I have plans for where the NXT Title could go.

  I'd keep the Undisputed Era in NXT for a while as well.  By next August's Takeover, I'd have Adam Cole be in the running and soon win the NXT Title.  Meanwhile, Bobby Fish could tag again with Kyle O'Reilly to get yet another reign with the NXT Tag Team Titles, while Roderick Strong goes after the North American Title.  Then, going into 2020, I'd have dissension within the Undisputed Era when Strong receives a shot at Cole's Championship.  It could be a similar situation to Sting, who got kicked out of the Four Horsemen for refusing to give up his Title shot to Ric Flair.  Strong would then become a babyface once again and finally defeat Adam Cole at Takeover during that 2020's WrestleMania weekend.  After that, I'd send the Undisputed Era to the main roster.

   As I stated earlier, The Velveteen Dream would benefit from staying in NXT for a good amount of time.  After all, he's still very young, having just turned 23 years old.  There's no rush!  Plus, with the way his character and wrestling ability is coming along, by the time he goes up to the main roster, he'll be ready.  Hopefully, his character connects to that audience and he doesn't end up like Tyler Breeze.  In the mean time, NXT just got some new blood in the form of Keith Lee and Matt Riddle, who are bound for great things.  Ricochet just won the North American Title and there's many things he can still do in NXT.  As I said, NXT needs to continue to create its identity, and that helps when the crowd gets used to the same people, rarely losing a talent to the main roster.  In fact, having a mid-card Title in NXT might slow things down, as there is more to strive for and it will take longer to get to the top.

   There's also the Tag Team division in NXT.  I already discussed the Undisputed Era, who are about to battle the War Raiders.  The War Raiders are incredible talents and very agile big men.  They are bound to dominate the division for quite some time.  I think they could eventually make a big splash on the main roster but what's the rush?  Even though Mustache Mountain will surely end up in the UK brand, NXT still has TM61, the Street Profits, and Heavy Machinery.  If Danny Burch stays, he and Oney Lorcan are also a team.  At some point, I'm sure other teams will either emerge or be created.

   In a past blog not too long ago, I mentioned that Raw and Smackdown are presented exactly the same and do not have their own individual identities, whereas NXT does, and I believe the UK brand will.  The only way I'm okay with Raw and Smackdown being presented similarly is if the brand split ends, which I think it should.  However, that's neither here nor there.  What I'm getting at is that there's absolutely no rush to bring these superstars up, especially when there is no idea for them.  Not to be misunderstood, I am in no way saying that they all should get pushed heavily or get Championships right away.  I do, however, think there needs to be some kind of direction once on the main roster.   In the mean time, with the exception of a few, no one should be leaving NXT for quite a while.  

Who Should Be Ronda Rousey's Opponent at Evolution?

   Since the announcement of the first all-woman WWE Pay-Per-View Evolution, fans knew that Ronda Rousey would be a big part of it.  Rumors began circulating that her opponent for Evolution would be Nikki Bella.  As if that possibility wasn't scary enough, it got worse when Ronda won the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam a week ago.  That's not to say that wasn't a great moment.  It's scary to me because, especially with Ronda as Champion, that match will likely be the Main Event.  As much as Nikki improved during her career, she's the antithesis of the evolution the women in WWE made.  Frankly, no one wants to see Nikki be Ronda's opponent!  Not to mention, Nikki is still not far removed from her almost career ending neck injury and surgery so Ronda would have to be very careful.  Some claim that Nikki is reported to be the opponent due to her mainstream appeal.  I'd argue that Ronda has enough mainstream appeal on her own and should be in the ring instead with a gifted veteran.  

   The night after SummerSlam, a ceremony dedicated to Ronda Rousey's Championship win was hosted by Stephanie McMahon, because, of course it was!  As predicted, Stephanie again made the women's evolution all about herself, even claiming Ronda to be her protege.  When Ronda didn't agree, Stephanie warned all the women that Ronda would try to break all their arms, much like she did to former Champion Alexa Bliss.  Ronda then put Stephanie in an arm bar and nearly broke it, before celebrating in the ring with some of the women.  This gave me a scary thought, in that instead of Nikki Bella being Ronda's opponent, it could be Stephanie.  This is the stuff of nightmares!  I also don't understand why they continue this feud between Stephanie and Ronda.  This was now the third time Ronda almost tore Stephanie's arm out of its socket, fourth if you go back to their altercation at WrestleMania 31.  They competed against each other already at this past WrestleMania in a Mixed Tag Team Match, also featuring Kurt Angle and Triple H.  I sincerely hope that Stephanie is not Ronda's opponent.  For one, it would be a bad match and two, it would overshadow the accomplishments of other women that fought to make a change.

   I've now spoken about women that should not be Ronda's opponent.  There's a few more that either won't or shouldn't.  It won't be Nia Jax, as Ronda already faced her at Money In the Bank before Alexa Bliss cashed in.  She will clash with Nia in the future but not at Evolution.  Since Ronda's arrival at the Royal Rumble back in January, many fans have been predicting a match between her and Charlotte Flair.  That match is likely to occur at next year's WrestleMania so a match at Evolution is unlikely, especially because Charlotte is the new Smackdown Women's Champion, embroiled in a personal feud with Becky Lynch.  Ronda's opponent should also not be Asuka, as I believe that is a big money match that should be saved for another time.  Asuka is also coming off losing her streak at WrestleMania, followed by two losses to Carmella, and she needs some momentum, especially gong into a match with Ronda.

   At this time, I'd like to focus on who I believe should be Ronda's opponent at Evolution.  Firstly, I'll go with some honorable mentions.  Either Bayley or Sasha Banks would make great opponents for Ronda, as both are integral parts in the evolution of women in WWE, going back to what many believe is the root of it all, NXT.  Both have competed for a number of years and would help lead Ronda to a great match.  Someone else who would be a great fit for Ronda's opponent at Evolution would be Mickie James.  James is an accomplished veteran who is familiar with Ronda in recent storylines, as she was the right-hand woman of Alexa Bliss.  Mickie hasn't shown up in a while and she might be injured so that's probably out.  There's a possibility that any number of former female competitors could be her opponent as well.  Though Trish Stratus will be busy at Evolution against Alexa Bliss, Lita or Beth Phoenix would make great challengers.

   I've narrowed it down to one woman that I think deserves the spotlight at a historic show such as this.  That one woman is Natalya!  Unfortunately, Natalya came in during the "Divas" era, and her fantastic wrestling ability was overshadowed by other things.  She fought through that era into the women's revolution and evolution.  She is a third generation technical wrestler from the famous Hart family.  However, her skill is not the only reason why Nattie deserves this match.  She and Ronda Rousey are great friends, both as characters and outside of wrestling.  Natalya helped train Ronda in the ring before her debut.  In fact, not only did Ronda dedicate her Title win to her mentor Rowdy Roddy Piper, she also dedicated it to Natalya's father, the late Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, who recently passed away.  It would be touching for Ronda to give Natalya a chance to win the Women's Championship and potentially main event a PPV.  To me, there is no one more deserving at this time than Natalya.  

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Lucha Underground Wrestlers I'd Like To See in NXT

   I wanted to make this my own top five list but there were only four out of Lucha Underground's roster that I care to focus on.  There's a reason I want to talk specifically about these wrestlers coming to NXT and not WWE in general.  For one thing, I'm not sure about any of them debuting on Raw or Smackdown.  NXT is a great first environment for wrestlers to learn WWE's way.  However, NXT call-ups are often a mixed bag.  For instance, in NXT the Ascension were looked at as one of the best teams there and once they got to the main roster, they were treated like buffoons.  Whereas, in NXT, Elias was not catching on, but since he's been on Raw, his star has risen exponentially.  I understand that not everyone that connects in NXT is going to connect on the main roster.  That's why I think they need to wait a while on a lot of these superstars, especially the Velveteen Dream, in my opinion.  I'm not asking for any of these people to be handed Championships right away or anything and I understand where certain characters are in the totem pole.  No one's asking for No Way Jose to main event anything or even be given any Title.  This is his role and he's good at it.  When it comes to my list of Lucha Underground wrestlers, I trust NXT to portray them correctly more than the main roster.   The following are in no specific order.

Fenix

   As we've seen in Lucha Underground and various Mexican wrestling promotions, Fenix is a character that has connected with fans and is one of those Luchadores that people want to get behind. Throughout his time there, even when he was on top, he was somewhat of an underdog that fans wanted to see succeed.  Of course, it helps that he is an incredible wrestler in the ring.  One thing that would probably hinder him in WWE is the language barrier.  Also, I'd be afraid that he'd be relegated to the Cruiserweight division and left to rot on 205 Live.  While there may be some that are fit to stay in the Cruiserweight division, not everyone is.  For instance, I think Cedric Alexander is too good of a wrestler to stay there.  Hideo Itami, on the other hand, probably would have been better off staying in NXT.  Fenix, I feel, is at a certain level where he can achieve more than the Cruiserweight Title, at least in NXT.  Although I was hesitant about it, introducing the North American Title as NXT's mid-card Championship was a great idea.  Not everyone in NXT is going to be NXT Champion so having that mid-card Title is perfect for some.  I feel that guys like Tyler Breeze or Tyson Kidd when in NXT, could have benefited from that kind of Title.  I don't necessarily think Fenix should be hotshotted to a Title at all, but it's important to go through steps.

Ivelisse

 There is only one woman on the Lucha Underground roster that has a great shot to succeed in NXT and that is Ivelisse.  Years ago, she was a contestant on the season of Tough Enough hosted by Stone Cold Steve Austin.  She was a standout then and eventually got signed to a WWE contract.  In fact, she appeared on some of the early episodes of NXT.  Since moving to Lucha Underground, she has thrived.  Initially, she was a heel but fans really started to back her.  A year ago, I may have included Sexy Star but based on the liberties she took in her match with Rosemary, she should be blacklisted from wrestling.  Back to Ivelisse!  She's has a great look, is gorgeous, and is pretty good on the mic.  She just exudes confidence and determination.  She could definitely be a threat in the Women's division on NXT.  I'm actually of the opinion that she'd be ready for Raw or Smackdown as well.  However, one thing I'd like to see done is less call-ups to the main roster.  There's no hurry and often times, wrestlers get called up without an idea in place for them once they get there.  Apollo Crews is someone that could have benefited by staying in NXT longer.  Ivelisse is the real deal, though, and it would be fun to see her in NXT once again.

Mil Muertes

   This man has been wrestling for quite a while.  I mostly remember him as the character Judas Messias in TNA several years ago.  That character didn't connect as much as they had hoped.  Since his debut in Lucha Underground, he's been seen almost as that promotion's Undertaker.  He's big and intimidating and rarely if ever, is hurt or affected by anyone or anything.  He was the perfect person to take the Lucha Underground Championship from Prince Puma, who is doing well in NXT currently as Ricochet.  He had a great reign with the Title and I'd say he was equally as important to lose said Championship to the determined underdog Fenix.  It was also fun to see him have equal rivals, such as "The Monster" Matanza.  Since a lot of his character's powers come from Katrina, I'd have her come along as a package deal.  Fans might remember her from the all female season of NXT as Maxine.  She's improved by leaps and bounds as a character since then, and perfectly compliments Mil Muertes.  If you're not familiar with Mil Muertes, his name means Man of 1000 Deaths, and is treated like an Undertaker or Kane type of wrestler.  I can imagine his intimidating presence creeping like death within NXT.

Pentagon

   Out of everyone that has been on the Lucha Underground roster, no one has impressed me as an all-around performer as much as Pentagon.  Whether he was Pentagon Jr. or Pentagon Dark, he is a world class athlete and character.  He has some maneuvers that many of the Luchadores do but can work in many different styles, especially in a hardcore environment.  For instance, it was such a thrill to see him go toe to toe with Tommy Dreamer during Aztec Warfare 4.  When Lucha Underground first began, he feuded with Fenix, who happens to be his real life brother.  Before the first season's end, he developed a character that enjoyed others' pain and he started breaking his opponents' arms after every match he won.  He was a fantastic heel and was intimidating as well, especially with this character development.  Things got darker when he became increasingly violent, and then Lucha commentator Vampiro intervened.  It led to a match between the two at Ultima Lucha.  During the build up, Pentagon spoke of a master he was serving.  After Vampiro lost in a bloody match, he voluntarily had Pentagon break his arm.  Vampiro then revealed that he was Pentagon's master all along.  After that, Pentagon Jr. became known as Pentagon Dark.

   Pentagon's character was so bad-ass that the fans started to get behind him.  He lived by the words Cero Miedo, which meant zero fear.  Just as hustle, loyalty, and respect is not a catchphrase to John Cena, Cero Miedo is certainly no catchphrase for Pentagon.  Perhaps Lucha Underground fans are bloodthirsty, because they started cheering when he broke someone's arm.  He became well respected.  Eventually, he won the Gift of the Gods Championship and exchanged it for a shot at the Lucha Underground Championship, which he then won.  Most recently, he's been on Impact television and briefly held the Impact World Championship.  He's been all over the world and in various promotions but I'd love to see him ply his craft in NXT.  The arm-breaking thing would obviously have to be toned down and extremely rarely done.  However, they could use it either for storyline purposes specifically or do it to someone who is going out due to injury, and create a story from there, much like they are currently doing with Aleister Black.  Pentagon is in a class all by himself, in my opinion.  While the language barrier could be an issue, I feel his charisma overshadows his lack of the English language.  Who are some Luncha Underground stars you'd like to see in NXT?

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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How the 1987 Survivor Series Made Bam Bam Bigelow

  I was listening to an episode of Something To Wrestle..with Bruce Prichard, about the 1987 Survivor Series.  More times than not, I disagree with Prichard about something.   Mind you, he's been in the business and I never have.  However, often times he defends some of the dumbest things, especially if they were his ideas, and really comes off like he's kissing Vince McMahon's ass.  For instance, Prichard believes that the Red Rooster was a good gimmick and the only reason it didn't work is because Terry Taylor didn't put his effort into it.  I think it's a dumb gimmick no matter what!  I can't blame Taylor for disliking it.  Moving on, as I was listening to this, Prichard said something about how he disliked the 1987 Survivor Series main event due to what happened between Hogan and Andre, as well as thinking it didn't do anything for Bam Bam Bigelow.

   The main event was in response to the epic showdown Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant had at WrestleMania III.  Hogan led a team of Ken Patera, Bam Bam Bigelow, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, and Don Muraco, who was a replacement for Superstar Billy Graham.  They took on Andre the Giant, Ravishing Rick Rude, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, and Butch Reed.  I'll start from the moment Andre's team was up 3-2 against Hogan.  Andre had the two biggest men still there, in Bundy and Gang, whereas Hogan had only Bigelow by his side.  Bigelow found himself alone with Andre but was able to make the tag to Hogan.  During the scuffle, Bundy dragged Hogan out of the ring, as he and Gang prevented Hogan from getting back into the match and he got counted out.  Because Hogan was a bit of a crybaby, he came back to the ring to battle Andre's team and was told that if he did not leave the ring, Andre's team would automatically win.

   Before I get to my main point, I'll start with one of the things Prichard did not like, which was the entire Hogan/Andre confrontation.  He says that Hogan getting eliminated the way he did was dumb and that it was a poor choice to do that as the rematch of sorts between Hogan and Andre.  While yes, it would have been nice to have Andre pin Hogan in the ring, it was the heyday of Hulkamania, and the official rematch was to take place a few months later.  I was perfectly okay with the way Hogan was eliminated.  It kept the feud going, in my opinion, having nothing resolved.  Sure, Hogan came off like a cry baby but the fans were still with him.  It kept Hogan out of the match and gave Andre some glory for a change.

   The ending sequence, following Hogan's elimination and banishment, is something else Prichard did not like.  He claims it did nothing for Bam Bam Bigelow.  That's where I disagree!  I think this absolutely made Bam Bam Bigelow.  While nothing came from it and he left the company midway through 1988, that was more on the company and creative, not so much on him.  While he wasn't the best promo out there, his intimidating presence and popularity should have made him a bigger star at that point in time.  Back to my point, the future results notwithstanding, this match did a lot for Bigelow.  It came down to Bam Bam all alone against the three largest men in the WWF, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, and the biggest of them all, Andre the Giant.  I should point out that Bigelow was not a small man.  He weighed close to 400 lbs and stood about 6'4.  However, compared to his opponents, especially Andre, he was dwarfed.  Bigelow was able to survive Bundy and Gang, miraculously eliminating the behemoths.  Right here, Prichard also points out that Bigelow was gassed at this point.  Honestly, him being gassed added to the story here, as he was exhausted from the task of eliminating two huge men like that.  He was so tired that he fell short to Andre the Giant, who won the match for his team and became the sole survivor.  The effort put forth by Bigelow, eliminating two men before ultimately succumbing to Andre, was brilliant, in my opinion.  

    One thing I do agree with Prichard on is when Hogan came back after the match to attack Andre, as he thought it didn't make Hogan look good.  Just like earlier when Hogan was being a crybaby for getting counted out, he again came off petty.  However, as Prichard remembers during that time of Hulkamania, Vince McMahon always wanted Hogan to come out and pose, no matter what, which Prichard disagrees with.  For once, we're on the same page on that one.  

   Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention what happened next in Hogan and Andre's story.  The rematch was set for the Main Event in February of 1988.  Meanwhile, the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase had been trying to purchase the WWF Title from Hogan, who refused to sell it.  During the match, the referee turned out to be Earl Hebner, twin brother of regular referee Dave Hebner, who was paid off by DiBiase to make a fast count, therefore rendering Andre the Giant the new WWF Champion.  From there, Andre proceeded to sell it right then and there to DiBiase.  Weeks later, WWF President Jack Tunney said no one could buy the Championship and declared it vacant, setting up a tournament to culminate at WrestleMania IV, in which the Title was won by "Macho Man" Randy Savage.   Things took a slight twist here, as Hogan and Andre's match in the tournament ended in a double count out.  Hogan and Savage, the Mega Powers, ended the things between Hogan and Andre, when they defeated Andre and DiBiase at 1988's inaugural SummerSlam.

   The bottom line here, despite what may or may not have been the best use for the Hogan/Andre story, is that the ending sequence of the main event of the 1987 Survivor Series, was a fantastic way to showcase Bam Bam Bigelow.  He was deemed important enough to participate in the WWF Championship tournament at WrestleMania.  Had he stayed a little longer, he could have come out on top in his feud with Slick's men, Butch Reed and the One Man Gang.  Bigelow could have even been a serious threat to the Honky Tonk Man's Intercontinental Championship.  Even though those things did not happen, Bigelow came off great from his time in the Survivor Series.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Wrong Approach On Becky Lynch

   I had two blog ideas ready to go but based on what happened at SummerSlam and Smackdown tonight, I've got some things to say on a specific topic.  I'm talking about Becky Lynch!  I didn't want to jump to conclusions from the aftermath of their match and waited until tonight to see how Becky would react to what happened.  To my utter disgust, my feelings on what WWE would do with the situation was right.  It's very akin to the Roman Reigns situation, which I will get into at another time.  

   I'll start with SummerSlam.  Leading up to SummerSlam, Becky Lynch defeated Smackdown Women's Champion at the time, Carmella, to earn herself a Title match at SummerSlam.  For weeks, fans were gearing up for a one on one contest between Carmella and Becky, with the hopes of Becky winning the Championship.  Barely two weeks out, Charlotte Flair made her return to Smackdown.  Smackdown General Manager Paige set up a match between Carmella and Charlotte, in which if Charlotte won, she would be added to the SummerSlam Title match, making it a Triple Threat.  Of course, Charlotte won that match and got added to the Title match, to the dismay of Champion Carmella, and especially Becky Lynch.  

   At SummerSlam two nights ago, the match was going great.  It looked like Becky was closing in on the win when she locked Carmella in the "Dis-arm Her."  Out of nowhere, Charlotte nailed Becky with Natural Selection and pinned her best friend to become the new Smackdown Women's Champion.  It was a tough loss for Becky, who really thought it was her time.  They both hugged after the match but then Becky did something out of character by attacking the new Champion.  She certainly made a statement with her actions!  If the intention was to make Becky a heel, I'd say WWE failed miserably, as the fans in the arena cheered wildly for what Becky did.  If anything, Becky became an even bigger babyface.  I wanted to wait until tonight's Smackdown to see where they would go with this.

   Even though technically Charlotte didn't do anything wrong, fans felt Becky was cheated.  First of all, in my opinion, Charlotte should never have been added to the match.  Although I wasn't happy about it, I moved on.  I love Charlotte as much as the next fan but it seems to me that she gets chance after chance with the Women's Championship, no matter what brand she's on.  Meanwhile, Becky always seems to get screwed.  Fans are really behind Becky and want her to succeed.  After the beating she gave Charlotte at SummerSlam to the fans approval, I made my peace with what happened because I figured it would lead to a singles program between the two, which it has. 

   Much to my dismay, WWE is spinning this story to their narrative, much like they are trying to do with the Roman Reigns/Braun Strowman story.  Becky came out on Smackdown tonight and started to deliver a great promo, with the fans audibly behind her.  Or course, they just had to try to portray her as the heel in this thing.  The problem is, even though she started talking about how she felt the fans gave up on her, they still cheered for her.  Charlotte then appeared and bolted to the ring to fight with Becky.  Even during the scuffle, fans erupted with cheers every time Becky was in control, whereas they kind of booed a little when Charlotte was.  I don't understand these unwritten rules where WWE wants to condition us to act a certain way.  This was totally the wrong way to go about this.  Again, if the intention is to make Becky a heel, it's not working.  People want to cheer Becky.  She's relatable, she's a great wrestler, and a great role model.  I enjoy her having a mean streak like this but if anything, her character is more along the lines of Stone Cold Steve Austin in a way.  

   I think they are blowing an opportunity to portray Becky as even more popular than ever, as well as bringing Charlotte back to her best work, as a heel.  First of all, I wouldn't have had Becky start to run down the fans.  Everything she said before that was true, though, and the fans were loving it.  If anything, it would have been smart to have Charlotte come out and act all smug, not holding any sympathy for Becky, and rubbing her face in the fact that she was Champion.  Instead of acting upset, Charlotte should have called Becky jealous and say that was why Becky attacked her.  She's not mad at Becky, but feels sorry for her.  Charlotte is at her best when playing a heel.  She's a Flair after all, the dirtiest player in the game.  So far, they're batting 1000 trying to garner heel heat for Becky.  It's not going to work!  

   I'm so aggravated that this is the approach WWE is trying to take.  They're trying to ignore the fact that everything Becky does is getting cheered and will do their damnedest to make sure she comes off as a heel.  If you want to look at the perfect heel, look how WWE is portraying Tomasso Ciampa.  That is a great heel!  He might even be the best heel in the company right now.  Whereas some heels still get cheered from time to time, Ciampa gets exactly no cheers whatsoever.  It portrays Johnny Gargano as an even better underdog babyface because of how effective Ciampa is as a heel.  I'd say Samoa Joe is doing a damn good job as a heel.  I like Becky getting more aggressive and I'm definitely open to her being heel in the future, but now is not the time.  Hopefully, they change the narrative towards what the fans are clamoring for, turning it into Charlotte being the heel with Becky finally getting redemption, perhaps at the Evolution PPV.  In my opinion, that would be ideal.  

   After witnessing what Becky Lynch did, I related it to the recent struggles between Bayley and Sasha Banks on Raw.  Uncharacteristically, Bayley viciously attacked Sasha because she was tired of her crap and always playing second fiddle.  Even before they reunited in the story, this did not turn Bayley heel.  She got a huge reaction for the beat down she gave Sasha, which is exactly what happened when Becky did the same to Charlotte.  Now is the time to pull the trigger on a babyface Championship run with Becky.  Becky is likely to get involved in Carmella's Title rematch with Charlotte at Hell In a Cell next month.  If Becky should fall short at Evolution, I'd continue the chase until Becky finally wins the Title.  Charlotte could then go on to win the Royal Rumble and potentially face Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania next year.  I understand that's the big money match and I understand Charlotte's value.  However, right now in the Smackdown women's division, it should be Becky's time.  The bottom line is, Becky is not a heel, nor should she be forced to portray one currently.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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SummerSlam 2018...Not Horrible

   The title of my blog pretty much sums up my feelings on last night's show.  It was not a bad show by any means but I wouldn't exactly call it a great, or even good show.  It was decent!  Even though it's unfair comparison, I happened to enjoy Takeover much more than I did SummerSlam.  However, that is just my opinion.  I didn't say Takeover was better, because that's an objective statement, but I enjoyed Takeover more.  With that being said, while there were a few downs, there were certainly several ups as well concerning the biggest party of the Summer.  Let's get to it, shall we?

KICK-OFF SHOW

Mixed Tag Team Match - Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega

   Before the match, Rusev and Lana were in the back, approached by Aiden English.  Even though he apologized for his latest mess-up and offered his services, Rusev told him not to come to the ring.  After that exchange, it made me question the match result when Rusev and Lana lost anyway, with it having nothing to do with Aiden this time.  Once again, Almas and Vega got one over on Rusev Day, though Vega got the pin on Lana, thus keeping Rusev's credibility.  

Cruiserweight Title - Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak

   Since I do not watch 205 Live, simply because I can't find the time or even the interest, I have no idea what's happening in the Cruiserweight division.  I haven't seen Cedric in action since he won the Title at WrestleMania.  When the Cruiserweights were featured on Raw, I at least had somewhat of an interest but I believe 205 Live is a mistake that hinders these talented performers more than helps them in the long run.  205 Live happens after Smackdown is over, which by that time people already watched a two hour show and are starting to leave the arena.  Tuesday is just the wrong night for this show.  A better slot might be Wednesday, leading into NXT, for instance.  The match was fine but I was not invested.  I think Cedric is too good to be stuck in the Cruiserweight division.  In the end, he retained.

Raw Tag Team Titles - The B Team vs. The Revival

   Since Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel have been without The Miz, they started doing very well, getting themselves a winning streak, and eventually dethroning the Deleters of Worlds for the Raw Tag Team Titles.  However, they're too silly of a team to take serious.  In fact, both tag team divisions on Raw and Smackdown are a joke and tag team wrestling is not paid attention to.  Sooner or later, the experiment will be over.  The Revival will get their turn but last night just wasn't it, as I didn't think it would be either.  Sadly, the B Team once again won by dumb luck more so than actual skill.  The match itself was fine.

MAIN SHOW

Intercontinental Title - Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

   This was a fantastic way to start the show and I almost feel like it was a nod to how good the previous night's Takeover was in the kind of match we were about to see.  As we saw last week on Raw, Dean Ambrose is back, jacked, and in Rollins' corner to combat Dolph's partner Drew McIntyre.  The match was great and I think the focus on Ambrose made it even more exciting.  Many were expecting Dean to turn on Seth but it did not happen.  I think it will soon enough.  Surprisingly, Rollins regained the Intercontinental Championship.  This was a great opener.  I can't complain.  Although, I would have just kept the Title on Rollins the entire time if he was just going to get it back barely two months later.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles - Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day

   This is the first of several complaints I have but it's very minor for this match.  In fact, it has nothing to do with the fact that I dislike the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick and that don't enjoy their matches as much as I did when they were part of the Wyatt Family.  The match itself was pretty decent and The New Day are always entertaining.  The match ended in a lame disqualification due to the use of those mallets.  While I appreciate the visual of using a foreign object like that, I would have preferred it either ended the match with the referee's attention elsewhere or after the match to continue the story.  It seems to me that this feud is not over.  It was a good match ruined by a weak finish.

Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

   One of the problems I had with this PPV was the unnecessary things it brought.  For instance, there was no need for this match at all if it was just going to be a squash in less than two minutes.  The fact that Braun's Money In the Bank briefcase was on the line made the match intriguing but I can't even rate this match.  I would have left this off the card completely, making Braun's appearance later in the show seem all the more exciting.

Smackdown Women's Title Triple Threat Match - Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

   WWE redeemed themselves with this match, as I was expecting.  I was rooting hard for Becky to win the Championship the entire match, hoping she would achieve that goal.  I ultimately don't have a problem with Charlotte winning but it would have been nice to see Becky get her moment.  However, I am glad the Carmella experiment is over.  Becky had Carmella locked in the "Dis-arm Her," with the Staten Island princess about to tap at any moment.  Charlotte took advantage of the situation and planted Becky with Natural Selection to win the Title.  What happened next, specifically the reaction to it, makes me wonder what WWE's intention was.  After hugging it out, Becky attacked Charlotte viciously to the enjoyment of the crowd.  If it was supposed to be a heel turn, than it was a failure because I think it made Becky even more popular.  I'm looking at it in the same vein as the Sasha Banks/Bayley story, when Bayley, completely out of character, attacked Sasha.  Perhaps this leads to a singles match between Charlotte and Becky at Evolution!  While I would have preferred a Becky win, the match itself was great.

WWE Title - AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

   In the last few weeks, Joe has made this feud very personal, bringing AJ's family into it.  This match was almost surreal, in that we saw it many times in TNA but never thought we'd see it in a WWE ring.  Joe had some words for AJ before the match, which I thought for sure would make AJ start the match much more aggressively than he did.  The match was great and very hard hitting, with both pulling out all the stops.  Joe grabbed a microphone to speak to AJ's wife and after what he said, AJ had enough and launched at Joe.  AJ got so angry that he assaulted WWE personnel and hit Joe with a chair repeatedly, which got himself disqualified.  Normally, I dislike endings like this.  However, with the way this feud has been building and knowing Hell In a Cell isn't far behind, I was okay with it.  While normally a DQ finish would cause me to take points off a match, in this case it made sense and extended the story.  The PPV's these days are even longer now and if the show ended here, people would have been more invested in the rest of the matches.

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

   The story between these two men is well documented and is eight years in the making.  The video packages on it further enhanced the intensity.  This was another good match, yet for some reason the crowd was dead for it.  I don't quite understand that but maybe the crowd was a little burned out.  Sitting at ringside was The Miz's wife Maryse, with their baby in the carriage.  Later in the match, she slipped him something which he used to nail Bryan in the face with to get the victory.  I wouldn't have expected anything less from The Miz.  It just seems odd that Bryan's wife Brie Bella and her sister Nikki Bella were in the crowd as well, yet Brie didn't get involved when Maryse did.  Although, it's only odd due to the Bella Twins involvement later in the show.  As expected, The Miz got the win and this will not be the end of it.  It's important that The Miz won, as it prolongs the story, hopefully leading up to Bryan's redemption.  Depending on how the AJ/Joe story plays out, perhaps The Miz could end the year as WWE Champion, leading to a Daniel Bryan Royal Rumble win and main event at WrestleMania.  Unfortunately, the crowd killed the match slightly.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

   Going into this match, I didn't care much, especially because I find Corbin to be a black hole of charisma, and because we saw this match already at Extreme Rules.  Balor actually went to that dark place and brought out the Demon.  Unfortunately, this was yet another less than two minute squash that was completely unnecessary, and frankly a waste of the Demon persona.  I hope the person that painted Balor up got paid exponentially, otherwise it was not worth it.  Not only that, I don't think a match with Baron Corbin of all people warranted a Demon appearance.  This should have been left off the card if time wasn't going to be given.  As happy as I am to see the Demon, this was a big waste.

US Title - Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy 

   On paper, this sounds like an incredible match but they completely killed any care people had with their "match" at Extreme Rules.  Despite an amazing missed Swanton onto the ring apron by Hardy, it was just missing something.  Many were thinking Randy Orton would get involved, as he has been a problem for Hardy since his return last month.  Shinsuke won the match to retain.  After the match, Orton appeared but did absolutely nothing and walked away.  What the hell was that all about?  If not for the fact that this was for the US Title between two guys that should have chemistry, it should have been pulled from the card or put on the Kick-Off show.  The lack of chemistry and Orton's lack of doing anything made me not care as much about the match.

Raw Women's Title - Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey

   Once again, we get a match that almost completely redeemed other prior mistakes on the card.  If ever there was a squash that needed to happen, this match was it.  Ronda stormed to the ring without her usual smile and went straight for Alexa.  When the bell rang, Alexa did her best to dodge Ronda.  Frustrated, yet understanding Alexa's fear, Ronda sat down in the middle of the ring and told Alexa she was free to take a shot.  Alexa chose to use a chin lock on Ronda, who quickly laughed it off and brutalized Alexa soon after.  In just four minutes, Ronda made quick work of Little Miss Bliss, making her tap out after nearly breaking her arm, to become the new Raw Women's Champion.  What made the moment even sweeter was not only did Ronda dedicate this match to her idol the late Rowdy Roddy Piper, she won for Natalya.  Nattie just lost her dad the legendary Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and was even wearing the same jacket he wore at SummerSlam 1990 and when he and Bret Hart, the Hart Foundation, defeated Demolition to become the Tag Team Champions.  A very happy Natalya celebrated with Ronda in an emotional display.  The Bella Twins then got into the ring to celebrate with the new Champion, out of nowhere.  Remember when I thought it was weird that Brie didn't involve herself in her husband's match?  This is why!   I heard rumors about Ronda vs. Nikki at Evolution that I hope are not true, as that would be an awful match.  Regardless, Ronda Rousey is a freakin' star and now she is Champion.  With the exception of the out of place Bellas, this was probably my favorite moment of the night.

Universal Title - Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

   Finally!  Was this thing finally going to be over?  Fans speculated many different scenarios going into this match, anywhere from Paul Heyman turning on Brock to another Shield reformation.  Before the match began, Braun Strowman marched to the ring with Money In the Bank in hand.  He informed both competitors that he would cash in on the winner.  As we learned by the result of the match, Braun was only there to make sure the crowd wouldn't completely shit on the match as expected.  It's a dick move but it's genius!  We all got worked last night!  Braun found himself involved when Reigns was launched out of the ring and onto him.  Lesnar than hit Braun with the briefcase and threw it all the way up the ramp, followed by laying out The Monster Among Men with an F-5.  This distraction allowed Reigns to follow up with a spear to pin Brock Lesnar and become the new Universal Champion.  To WWE's credit, they didn't give him time to celebrate and briskly ended the show.  I was expecting a Roman win but I frankly didn't.  Despite Reigns being Champion, at least he'll actually be around to defend it, unlike Brock.  All in all, the show was okay but the negative things during the show took away from it, as it could have been a great show.  I still enjoyed Takeover more, but that's neither here nor there!

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Takeover: Brooklyn IV Review

   Wow!  That's really all I can say about last night's show.  Once again, Takeover has hit it out of the park!  I don't want to be one of those people that says, "top that, SummerSlam!"  I just want to emphasize how much I enjoyed this show and how Takeover has never disappointed me.  While some of it was predictable, that isn't always a bad thing.  Each match was great and I think the pacing and match placement was perfect.  We had some Title changes and all around great entertainment, even an appearance by the latest signee to NXT, Matt Riddle.  I guess I'll get to it!

NXT Tag Team Titles - Undisputed Era vs. Mustache Mountain

   I couldn't think of a better match to start this show.  As we've seen at the UK Championship Special and on NXT television, these two teams provide fantastic matches.  Even though many people assumed the Undisputed Era would retain, there were so many times during this match that I thought we'd all be wrong.  I'd also like to point out the amazing story telling, that adds so much more to the match.  The spot with Trent Seven possibly throwing in the towel over concern for his partner's well being took us all back to their last encounter when Tyler Bate did that actual task.  Seven throwing it into the crowd instead and going on with the match was a great moment.  The action was non-stop and the things that Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly did were nothing short of amazing.  This was the perfect opener.  Not only that, but after the match, we saw the War Raiders enter the ring and obliterate the Undisputed Era, staking their claim to a future shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles. 

The Velveteen Dream vs. EC3

   It shows how good Takeover is when a match like this is considered number five out of the five matches on this card.  Don't get me wrong because this match was very good.  But, everything on this card was fantastic so it's simply nitpicking.  I didn't find a fault in the match but it comes in last when rating how good the other matches were.  As I'm sure many of you noticed, the Dream had the words "Call me up Vince" on the back of his tights.  It was meant to stir the pot but ultimately he was not actually referring to Vince McMahon like many assumed.  Honestly, the last thing The Velveteen Dream needs is to be called up to the main roster and promptly ruined.  The man is only 22 years old and if he's this good now, both in and out of the ring, think of how much better he'll be when he's older.  I think he needs to stay there until 2020, especially now that there is a mid-card Championship to go for in NXT.  Before I get carried away, EC3 is certainly no slouch and brought his A game, but it just wasn't his night.  EC3 will be a big deal in NXT as time goes by and I'm sure he will on Raw or Smackdown at some point as well.  They're both at that point where they deserve separate matches showcased on the Takeover shows.  Either one against Keith Lee would be great, for instance.

NXT North American Title - Adam Cole vs. Ricochet

   This match was simply bonkers!  I had been thinking about where this match would end up on the card and thought it was here because everyone knew it would be great; therefore, it would not be smart to put it right before the main event.  I knew these two would create magic in the ring.  I went back and forth on my pick for the winner before the show.  I originally had Ricochet but changed it because I thought they could extend it a little more.  I'm not upset one bit that Ricochet is the new NXT North American Champion.  That spot where Ricochet was caught mid-air with a super kick to the head was outstanding!  It was all action and both men gave us something special last night.  I'm predicting a War Games match featuring the Undisputed Era against Ricochet and the War Raiders at the next Takeover.  What a match!

NXT Women's Title - Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane

   I think a lot of people were sleeping on this match before it began.  You can see the development in both women since their encounter at the Mae Young Classic almost a year ago, especially Shayna!  I was completely wrong on my pick, as I thought Kairi would get it done at the upcoming Evolution PPV in October.  This was another match that contained great story telling and Kairi's selling of her leg injury was great.  The Pirate Princess went deep down to find that killer instinct that Shayna said she didn't have, fought back, and won the day.  It makes one think now about where they go next with the Queen of Spades.  Will she execute her rematch on NXT TV or Takeover: War Games, or will she find herself on Raw or Smackdown?  With the next Mae Young Classic coming up, along with the current state of the NXT women's division, there will be plenty of competition for Kairi so losing Shayna won't be too bad of a blow to NXT.  The growth Shayna has gone through, both in the ring and as a character, has been fun to watch.  She is a great heel and plays the bully character to a tee!  Congratulations to both women, but especially to our new NXT Women's Champion, Kairi Sane!

NXT Title Last Man Standing Match - Tomasso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

    Where do I even begin with this one?  Just when you thought we've seen everything from these two, they surprised us once again and it didn't even matter that this was their third Takeover singles encounter this year.  Not only was the action incredible and often hard to watch, but the story telling again was amazing.  I had a feeling Ciampa would retain, especially because he just won the Title last month, but did not see the end coming.  What I mean by that is once again, Gargano beat himself.  He was so caught up in emotion that he lost the match.  He already had Ciampa down, and even handcuffed but he just had to go the extra mile.  Gargano went too far over that it cost him dearly.  I love the story because now we're at that point where he must find Johnny Wrestling once again.  Clearly, he's become what he hated, driven mad by Ciampa, who is laughing it up.  Though I don't see this as their last encounter, I think they'll be separated for a while.  Ciampa will defend against someone else at War Games while Aleister Black goes after his mystery attacker, leading to Black getting his one on one rematch with Ciampa at Takeover in January.  Then for WrestleMania weekend, have Gargano finally defeat Ciampa and win the Title.  Have their last match go down at Takeover: Chicago III, two years after DIY exploded.  This match was absolutely insane and for the right reasons.  Good job to all who are involved in NXT.  I'm not trying to shit on SummerSlam, which hasn't even aired yet.  I'm simply emphasizing how much I love NXT, Takeover, and what these men and women bring to the table.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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SummerSlam 2018 Predictions

   We're in for a long night!  Am I complaining about too much content in wrestling?  You're damn right I am!  There's a thing called "less is more" and WWE doesn't know how to execute this.  Now, I know I'm not obligated to watch the entire thing but still, there's way too many matches and it's just too long.  Three-hour Pay-Per-Views with a half-hour pre-show was the way to go.  Now, we have the PPV's starting an hour earlier, lasting an hour longer, with a two hour pre-show.  Not only that, there will most likely be a post-show as well.  I'm still of the opinion that Raw should go back to two hours.  Anyway, don't let this make you think I'm coming off too negative.  It's SummerSlam, a WWE tradition, the hottest show of the Summer!  With that being said, I'm here to give you my predictions.

KICK-OFF

Cruiserweight Title - Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak

   I'll be honest, once all the Cruiserweights left Raw and went strictly to 205 Live, I don't have any idea what is going on in the Cruiserweight Division.  I don't watch 205 Live, mostly because after watching a three hour Raw and a two hour Smackdown, I get a little burnt out with wrestling.  I do make time for NXT but that's because I enjoy the format of the show.  I love Cedric and I feel like he's being wasted in the Cruiserweight Division, considering his talent.  These wrestlers are great and all, but when AJ Styles can do everything the Cruiserweights can do, how are they really set apart?  I enjoy Gulak's character and although I can see him taking the Title, I'm going with Cedric to retain.

Mixed Tag Team Match - Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega

   Rusev and Lana have been losing left and right thanks to the shenanigans of Aiden English, even though he often has the best of intentions.  Even though Andrade and Zelina may have gotten the upper hand on Rusev and Lana time after time, I'm pretty sure they're walking away with another victory here, likely due to another mess-up or possible intentional act from English.  It's not going to be a very happy Rusev Day, as I'm predicting their opponents walk out victorious.  I've heard rumblings about WWE wanting to move Almas up and he's gotten so much better since taking on Vega as his manager.  On the other hand, it feels like they're not capitalizing on the popularity of Rusev and Rusev Day.

Raw Tag Team Titles - The B Team vs. The Revival

   The B Team of Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas recently defeated The Revival and the Deleters of Worlds, in what was perhaps Matt Hardy's last match for a good while.  The Revival, now that both Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are healthy, have been picking up steam and have earned themselves a shot at glory, something they did often in NXT.  I don't think the B Team project is over yet, though.  Plus, they pretty much just won the Titles recently.  Since The Miz left for Smackdown, the former Miztourage have been on quite a role.  I do think their reign is coming to an end soon but it's not The Revival that will dethrone them.  You'll see why later when I get to the rest of the card.  Not only that, but I can't see the B Team losing the belts so soon after they received their new Spirit Squad-esq music.  B Team, B Team, go go go!

MAIN SHOW

Money In the Bank Briefcase - Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

   Since even before Braun became the Monster in the Bank, he has been at odds with Kevin Owens.  Though Owens technically won their last encounter, he sure didn't look like a winner when Braun threw him off the cage and through a table.  Now, Braun's briefcase is on the line.  While many expect a cash in tomorrow night, could it be Owens as the one to do it?  I don't really like when the briefcase is on the line, honestly.  Should Owens win, it makes me think, he should have just won Money In the Bank in the first place!  Braun doesn't really need it, as he is a threat all on his own.  As far as this match goes, I think Braun is picking up the victory but will not cash in.  He's still got time!

Smackdown Tag Team Titles - The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day

   To me, as destructive and brutal as they are, I feel underwhelmed by the Bludgeon Brothers.  I dislike the gimmick and wish they never left Bray Wyatt's side.  The New Day have managed to get back into the Title race and have a good chance of dethroning the Bludgeon Brothers.  I don't see The New Day walking out with another set of Tag Team Championships, though.  I don't feel like WWE puts the effort into either tag team division, which makes me apprehensive about the possible addition of Women's Tag Team Titles.  When it comes to this match, I'm going with the Bludgeon Brothers.

US Title - Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy

   Their first encounter when Nakamura won the Title was almost a non-match and with Randy Orton getting involved in Hardy's affairs, Nakamura continues to come out on top.  The weird thing is, though, with Hardy and Orton likely to have a match soon, where does that leave Nakamura, who is the US Champion?  With that being said, that means I'm picking Nakamura to retain, probably due to Orton.  As for what's next for Shinsuke, there's a possibility of a Triple Threat between him, Hardy, and Orton, but after that, who knows?  Who are some contenders for Nakamura?  If Daniel Bryan wins his match, I'm sure he'll be in line.  I hate to say this, but I really feel like they dropped the ball on Shinsuke.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

   The story telling within this feud has been nothing short of fantastic and the video packages they put together on Smackdown pinpointing their feud really emphasize the hatred for one another.  In a way, Bryan has been acting more heelish, especially after that promo on Talking Smack that The Miz cut, in which the things he said were very accurate.  It's a very heated rivalry, one I don't think is ending at SummerSlam, no matter who wins.  In this case, I'm picking The Miz.  I feel they might continue this as some kind of redemption story for Daniel Bryan, possibly going with him to win the 2019 Royal Rumble and headlining another WrestleMania.  If that's the case, it's possible we could see The Miz walk out WWE Champion by year's end.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

   Even with Corbin's somewhat amusing Constable character, he still bores me to tears and I don't care about anything he does.  Sadly, it makes even a match with an amazing talent like Finn Balor come off boring.  Will Balor bring out the Demon tomorrow night?  Perhaps!  Then again, wrestling logic tells me that since Balor won the last match, Corbin will win this one and that's my prediction.  I frankly don't care about this feud whatsoever!

Intercontinental Title - Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

   The rivalry between these two have produced some great matches.  Of course, Dolph has had Drew McIntyre by his side every step of the way.  However, Rollins upped the ante on Monday when he brought in former Shield brother Dean Ambrose as his backup.  Ambrose came back looking jacked, almost like Dean Ambrose ate Dean Ambrose, exciting the Raw crowd to end the show Monday night.  While my prediction is that Ziggler retains, the reasoning is contrary to what many fans are thinking.  Many believe Ambrose will turn on Rollins, which is a real possibility.  However, I'm thinking that will be for another time.  I've heard rumors also about Ambrose and Rollins being involved in a tag team match at Hell In a Cell, likely against Ziggler and McIntyre.  Once again, my prediction, much like that of my talk of the B Team retaining, will be further explained as I go on.

Smackdown Women's Title Triple Threat Match - Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

   Originally, this was supposed to be one on one between Carmella and Becky.  However, when Charlotte returned, she defeated Carmella in a match, causing Smackdown GM Paige to add her to the match.  I strongly dislike Charlotte being added here because I really think Becky deserves her moment.  Since we do have Charlotte involved, I'll deal with it, as Flair is an amazing talent.  Even though Carmella will try to do whatever it takes and Charlotte winning is a strong possibility, I'm still going with my heart here.  I predict Becky Lynch will win the Smackdown Women's Championship.  Here's how I see it playing out further should my prediction come true.  Becky pins Champion Carmella to get it done at SummerSlam.  Carmella exercises her rematch clause for a one on one Title match with Becky at Hell In a Cell while Charlotte faces another opponent or opponents to gain number one contendership once again.  I have Becky retaining over Charlotte at Evolution, with Charlotte turning heel directly after the match.  They'll be on opposite teams at the Survivor Series, and eventually Charlotte will win the Title from Becky, hopefully at the 2019 Royal Rumble, giving Becky a decent reign.

Raw Women's Title - Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey 

   This is Ronda's second Title shot.  During her first Title match with Nia Jax at Money In the Bank, after taking so much punishment from Nia, it looked like Ronda was about to come back and win.  Bliss entered and nailed Ronda with her Money In the Bank briefcase she obtained earlier in the night to cause a disqualification.  Bliss used the briefcase on Ronda again as well as on Champion Nia Jax.  Little Miss Bliss then cashed in to become the new Raw Women's Title.  Ronda was so angry that she destroyed Bliss, several officials, and even Raw GM Kurt Angle the next night on Raw, getting herself suspended.  The line was crossed for her when Bliss refereed to Ronda as an over-hyped rookie.  Since then, Nia got her rematch with Bliss but lost.  I originally had an idea for some kind of double turn where Stephanie McMahon gets involved and helps Ronda in a swerve to make her the new Corporate Champion.  There's still a strong possibility that Ronda will walk out with the Title.  However, my prediction is for Alexa to retain.  It's either going to be a non-finish or some kind of disqualification because I don't think Ronda's getting the Title yet.  A week ago, I would have said that Natalya would cost Ronda the Title.  However, with the recent death of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, I don't think that's the route they will go.  It's possible that we'll see Ronda take the Title at Evolution, though.  Either way, I think next year's WrestleMania will feature Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair in possibly the show's main event.  By hook or by crook tomorrow, Alexa is walking out with the Championship.

WWE Title - AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

   I've really enjoyed AJ's second reign as WWE Champion but if ever there was a legit threat to his Title, look no further than Samoa Joe.  Not only has Joe attacked AJ several times physically, it's the verbal attacks that have done the most damage, most notably bringing up AJ's family.  Joe is a no-nonsense competitor and will do what it takes to become Champion.  Though I can see Joe winning, I'm picking AJ for now.  Joe will win but I think that day comes next month in a Hell In a Cell match.  This is probably the match I'm looking forward to the most.

Universal Title - Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

   Even the amazing work of Paul Heyman hasn't gotten me into this match.  I'm tired of seeing it and I'm really tired of seeing, or not seeing for that matter, Brock holding the Title.  In my timeline, Reigns defeated Lesnar for the Title a few months ago at WrestleMania and this is the rematch.  No matter how or why it gets done, there is nothing that stops Reigns from winning finally.  Here's how I see it going down, as has been rumored.  However, mine has a twist.  There's a theory Reigns wins and Brock gets pissed and attacks him after the match, causing Rollins and Ambrose to show up and reform The Shield.  While a Reigns win and reforming The Shield are also my predictions, here's where it differs.  I see Reigns winning with help from The Shield and all turning heel together.  The extra twist here is that it will all be done as Paul Heyman turns on Brock and is the new advocate for The Shield.  The next order of business will be the next night on Raw when Rollins and Ambrose destroy the B Team to win the Raw Tag Team Titles.  No matter which way it goes down, however, my predicted winner is Roman Reigns. 

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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