WingedEagle

I also expected Ric to work underneath here before pulling out a win, but was pleasantly surprised that he was in fact The Man most of the way. Not to say that there weren't moments where Flair begged off or gave some credibility to Gilbert as his challenger of the moment, but those were the wrinkles rather than the story here. The chops were solid, the finish decisive and as simple as this was nothing looked preposterous and just about everything as sold. I'm sure the match by match comps will stop as I get deeper into the set, but its natural to think in terms of what came before it at this early stage. I enjoyed this a hair more than our the first Abby/Colon outing, primarily because it was much tighter with no wasted time or motion. Just love the way Flair paces things -- long, short, his tempo is always outstanding. Let's things breathe but never too much. Fun TV match. Was this a studio taping? It appeared so but the crowd also looked large enough that I'd believe it if you told me otherwise. ***1/4

That wasn't good. I'll take one more night of babyface Jericho, but my god was that long and lifeless.

This match would absolutely do record low ratings if it were on TV. Why tease us with focusing on the leg if you refuse to work it at all? Just hoping it doesn't go too long past 11. Really, really disappointing match thus far.

Rusev vs. Reigns Match was fine, but really just fine for the most part. I wanted a bigger, louder more explosive Cesaro vs. Sheamus and got a solid Raw match. Very curious to see where they go with Roman Reigns, US Champion, but they did seem to get him a babyface pop for the win. Progress?

According to a friend in the building, they've been dead since Sheamus/Cesaro.

Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Bayley Maybe I'm crazy and will regret this tomorrow, but I absolutely loved that, probably as much as Sheamus/Cesaro even if completely different. How are these multi-women matches always laid out so well? Never lacking creative transitions whether going from 2 to 3 or 3 to 2. Smartly weaving in spots and storytelling. Why can't they do that with the guys? For my money, Charlotte is far & away the best heel in the company. That's not a knock on anyone else, she is just that great. Promos, presence, little facials and mannerisms in the match. Very much the glue in these matches. **** for now

Love the Jordans, but beyond that I don't see him as all that charismatic.

Zayn vs. Jericho Rarely impressed by these two and tonight was no exception. Perhaps we're getting the Jericho face turn and title match with Owens at Survivor Series in Canada, which actually sounds promising as a one-off. Zayn seems to have a few spots in every match where he goofs in a manner that screams at you how planned everything is and this was no exception. Feel like he needs to be in whatever amounts to a blood feud in WWE these days rather than relying on flippy spots that don't seem his strong suit.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro This started off the weakest of any match in the series. That did not last long. These two killed each other, and Cesaro even tried to kill himself on the grossest tope I've seen in some time. Great transitions once it got going, stiffness, selling, murder. Good stuff! The finish couldn't kill it even if that may have been the goal. Curious where they take the booking from here, as hopefully there's something planned other than simply going again tomorrow. **** and would've been higher with a proper finish.

Perkins vs. Kendrick - Still don't quite get the fuss about Perkins. Generally moves well and has some unique offense, but he's not great selling and working underneath and seems a bit rough keeping things together. Structure here was also odd as they set up a few spots to build heat and generate some sympathy for the babyface, both with the awesome early apron spot and then later with the neck injury, but didn't stick with it in either case for very long. Not bad but the botch and spotty nature definitely held this back. Post-match was nice though.

New Day vs. Anderson & Gallows - Enjoyed this a hell of a lot more than I expected. They kept it tight at roughly 8-9 minutes and was all action the entire way. Hot start with the Club jumping the champs for a big near fall, and then near falls down the stretch seemed to matter as well -- perhaps because of how they've hyped the length of New Day's reign? Seemed ripe for a title change, but then came the finish which is apparently why we were here, as New Day debuted a Kofi-assisted Big Ending called the Midnight Owl. So it was a marketing opportunity. But solid stuff until then.

Not sure how that's consistent with pushing her as a monster heel in matches. Would make more sense when the time comes to begin teasing a face turn, but its just something they harp on during her entrance and on commentary. Doesn't seem to add a whole lot to the overall package at this stage.

I love the ear attack because its unique, brutal, and fucks up your equilibrium. A monster like Abby is going to ignore/only be further angered by something like arm work. Abby isn't some mere mortal so you have to approach him differently from a normal wrestler. Ear work fucks up his balance and his ability to think clearly (well as clearly as Abby can). I dug it. And Colon was so focused and forceful attacking the ear. I haven't seen a single Abby/Colon match yet that would contend for my top 5, but I've really liked every one of them and they take different approaches to each of their matches which you wouldn't expect. Awesome, great to hear that they're all so different. The ear attack was completely unexpected and not something I sure I've ever seen right out of the gate. Its one thing were there's a storyline or blood that makes it a focus, but this was so unique and grabbed your attention right away because of it.

You are the man. That power outage did not sound like a great time.

You are a maniac. Love it. I will be moving at a much slower pace

Opening the set with Abby having his head stitched together is quite apropos. This was the blood and violence you want and expect from these two but without the insanity of a gimmick or blow off match. From Colon attacking the ear (I'd ask why, but will opt instead for why not?) at the start to Abby's thrusts to the throat -- always a favorite and something I constantly forget how much I love, to the double juice this was a hot way to kick off Puerto Rico. A blood stoppage finish that felt a bit premature along with some extended stalling early on hold this back a bit, but just a bit. Very fun and a very different vibe from most territories and promotions. We'll see how far into the set I keep saying that. *** Some other random likes and thoughts: - Abby looks pretty terrifying and insane when he mutters to himself as his lips vibrate as blood flows down his face after jabbing someone in the throat. - We weren't on the verge of a riot, but when that crowd was right up next to the ring and you could see policy gathering a few rows deep it felt like something crazy could happen. Have a feeling this is not your PWG / west coast Brooklyn crowd. - Speaking of the crowd, loved the Ed "Too Tall" Jones lookalike in the first row who couldn't even be bothered to uncross his arms early on. - Again expected a riot when someone clearly hit Abby on his way out. All involved were fortunate things didn't escalat.e - Colon looked older with the stache and for whatever reason looked quite dusty.

Looking forward to the show. Ideally it'd come in under 3 hours like Backlash, but I'm not optimistic. Every match is promising and a couple look like they could be really good. Hopefully we get a few surprise performances. Also, its somehow apparently Clash of Champions. No "the."

Boricua, hoping to dive in today and generally plan to jump to the appropriate extras as I come to them in chronological order. Any reason to avoid/jump around certain bonus footage?

Presumably removed when it switched to MLW.

Listened to the first 2 episodes today and found them an enjoyable breeze. Nice to have something in the mix that doesn't require a marathon session or callbacks to my specific thoughts on older matches and angles, even if I love those as well. Great production here as well.

Would seriously rather watch you guys go than the debate next Monday. Yours won't see me make bad jokes (but am I kidding?) to the wife about moving to Canada, and there will undoubtedly be a greater mix of substantive issues to go along with the biting personal jabs. Never quit.

Always enjoy these summaries as sometimes its tough to follow someone's progression through the Yearbooks. Still never gets old seeing folks' fresh takes on things.

I think being the focal part of a Wrestlemania -- and a successful one -- is a strong point in Bryan's case. I almost look at that as tantamount to a QB winning a Super Bowl, where winning one isn't on its own grounds for inclusion, but a factor for discussion when you can count on a couple hands the number of wrestlers who've been responsible for buys at the biggest show of the year.

Last night was unusual. Almost as though they were afraid to give us the full match. Hasn't been the case week in and week out.