supersonic

Kobashi vs. Suzuki - January 8, 2005 After watching only two matches, it might be safe for me to say that Minoru Suzuki is my favorite puro worker. The man has Bryan Danielson's quickness along with CM Punk's natural douche-bag charisma. Speaking of Punk and Danielson, there were moments early in which I had memories of Samoa Joe's ROH Title defenses against them. First there was Suzuki being the Danielson to Kobashi's Joe when he arrogantly showed off his quickness. Then, Kobashi surprised Suzuki by not playing into the mind games of Suzuki, instead keeping the challenger in a headlock for an extended period, similar to what Punk had done to Joe in their acclaimed matches. I couldn't help but also think forward to Shawn Michaels surprising Kurt Angle in similar fashion just three months after this. Suzuki though was able to get a fuck ton of work done on Kobashi's right arm and shoulder, applying what looked to be a triangle and then turning it into a cross-armbreaker, reminding me of Punk's instant classic against Brock Lesnar. Kobashi's selling was just awesome, showcasing just what a dangerous motherfucker Suzuki continues to be almost a decade later. I know I reference a lot of classic matches, but this didn't have the hot third act to be quite in that category. This started off hot, then the pace slowed quite a bit, resulting in a very good match, and it's a shame Minoru Suzuki was never booked for ROH during the Gabe Sapolsky era. Can you just imagine all the matches he could've had? ***3/4

Kobashi vs. Akiyama - July 10, 2004 Another instant classic that also stands the test of time. I appreciated the basic storytelling of Kobashi vs. Takayama a tad bit more, but this was excellent shit on a grand stage in front of an epic crowd. Akiyama found a way to get an advantage by going after Kobashi's knees throughout the match, but Kobashi was just too much of a fucking juggernaut not to find a way back in. Career-shortening highlights include a superplex to the floor, Exploder to the floor, and the usual head drop nonsense. But this was tremendously paced, with Akiyama throwing absolutely EVERYTHING possible to be the one to bring Kobashi's iconic reign to an end. In some ways, Similar to WWE to me, I also loved that when they threw bombs at each other near the end of the match, both eventually collapsed in pain and exhaustion. (Such a shame that Go Shiozaki vs. BJ Whitmer was a shallow copycat of this a year later, and many other indy matches do the same.) ****3/4

Kobashi vs. Takayama - April 25, 2004 Much like another Kobashi opponent would go on to do, Takayama starts this off early with a grumpy bitch-slap to the GHC Heavyweight Champion. Kobashi of course gets pissed, but Takayama uses that against him, gaining an advantage when he causes damage to Kobashi's right arm and shoulder. I was very pleasantly shocked to see Kobashi sell his arm throughout the match in this one, channeling Chris Benoit and Ricky Steamboat. Kobashi would of course get his offense in to prove why he was the fucking man, gaining an advantage when they got outside. However, I shuddered when Takayama grabbed Kobashi by the waist while the champ was on the apron, and delivered a fucking German suplex to the floor! That took years off of Kobashi's career for sure. Takayama would regain the advantage once they got back in the ring, putting numerous submissions holds on Kobashi's right arm/shoulder. Kobashi would even rely on his left arm when delivering his lethal strikes. After several minutes, Kobashi would allow Takayama to attempt a Yakuza kick and got his right leg caught in the ropes, gaining the advantage back in a thrilling finishing stretch that had the crowd going bonkers. From a pacing and stroytelling standpoint, I can't think of anything wrong with this match. Sure, from a safety standpoint this was absurd, but the quality of match certainly didn't suffer. *****

The indies revisit project returns September 24.

THE FINAL ROAD TO NXT TAKEOVER: DALLAS & WRESTLEMANIA 32 Raw – March 14, 2016: The Good Shit IC Champ Kevin Owens is great on commentary during the Miz vs. Sami Zayn match. Triple H vs. Dolph Ziggler Enjoyed this a bit more over the Ambrose match two days earlier. Ziggler was given quite a bit of shine in this one, actually dominating early with headlocks. HHH would get the heat with a back elbow, tossing Ziggler around on the outside. He’d get too cocky though, allowing Ziggler to hit him with a foot to the face on a top-rope knee drop attempt. They had a count out false finish and Ziggler was able to sniff the immediate Pedigree based on what happened to Ambrose. However, the Cerebral Assassin knew the Zig-Zag was coming as his back was turned, holding his ground and taking advantage of Ziggler’s exhaustion to finish him off with the Pedigree. Really good stuff. ***3/4 Roman Reigns returns to give Triple H a tremendous beating and he even shoves a ref. Too bad that based on the company’s goal, it’s a complete crowd psychology disaster though. HHH had savagely beaten Reigns after a match a few weeks earlier, so now Reigns is just giving him a receipt. NXT – March 16, 2016: The Good Shit Austin Aries clearly explains what an entitled bitch Baron Corbin is, and that in his WWE debut match at Takeover: Dallas, he’ll teach the lessons from his extensive experience to Corbin. SmackDown! – March 17, 2016: The Good Shit Kevin Owens and AJ Styles have a lovely exchange. As the IC Champ leaves, he tells Styles and Renee Young that they have the same haircut. Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles - *** (Distraction finish by Chris Jericho on Styles, then he lays him out with a Codebreaker and mockingly chants his name.) Raw – March 21, 2016: The Good Shit Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles - ***1/4 (Another distraction finish.) NXT – March 23, 2016: The Good Shit Finn Balor has a glorified squash over Rich Swann, and not a boring one. He seems to have more of a killer instinct going into the rematch against Samoa Joe. An American Alpha video package airs, and the stars so far have been lining up perfectly. They absolutely loved their times in amateur wrestling, only to lose on grand stages. In Dallas, they’ll show that they learned from defeat. SmackDown! – March 24, 2016 Paul Heyman does an outstanding job reminding everyone exactly what could happen in Brock Lesnar’s hardcore match against Dean Ambrose at AT&T Stadium. He also says Mick Foley and Terry Funk are only alive because God hasn’t answered his prayers yet. Yep, no more tweener shit from these two. Heyman calls out Ambrose on Lesnar’s behalf but instead Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, and Erick Rowan answer. Ambrose comes out and indirectly helps Lesnar out, only for them to go after each other with Ambrose’s kendo stick. Lesnar drops Ambrose via an F5. Dave Meltzer recently stated that he had heard writer Ryan Ward was promoted from NXT to this show. This segment sure felt like his fingerprints were on it – it was brief, it made its point, it gave just the right sample of violence, and now I’m more excited to see this match take place. I’m even still a bit intrigued about what the Wyatt Family will be up to. When’s the last time anyone said that? Raw – March 28, 2016: The Good Shit Undertaker and Shane McMahon trade barbs to hype up their Hell in a Cell match this Sunday. It became a brawl with Shane getting the upper hand thanks to him jumping out of the Last Ride and then using a TV monitor. He then capped it off with a flying elbow drop through the commentary table, leaving Taker laying. The Dead Man sits up before Shane has even left though, causing a staredown. While seeing Shane get this much shine is a bit difficult to take seriously, since his persona isn’t an epic bad motherfucker like Stick from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this was executed incredibly well and Brooklyn ate it up. From that perspective, mission accomplished making Shane presentable as a threat towards a quarter century icon that has only defeat on the grandest stage, as long as he can mind his surroundings. Chris Jericho accepts the challenge of AJ Styles for a match at WrestleMania 32. Fuck off with any complaints – I’ve been waiting a dozen fucking years to see this happen on the grandest stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLEtcaGFuME Paul Heyman cuts another outstanding promo with Brock Lesnar by his side, putting Dean Ambrose as smart and crazy like a fox. Apparently the term “weapon” is banned but he says he’ll use it anyway because that’s what the hardcore match on Sunday implies, and that Ambrose will not be rising his star status at Lesnar’s expense. Ambrose comes out with a wagon and fills it with weapons, completely ignoring the amused Lesnar. I’m looking forward to this chaos. NXT – March 30, 2016: The Good Shit NXT Champion Finn Balor says Samoa Joe is obsessed with the wrong things, and that Balor has proven his own obsession by dethroning Kevin Owens for the title while also having already survived Joe. "Two more days, Joe... two more days." A special look at Shinsuke Nakamura airs with him receiving deservingly endless praise. Baron Corbin vows to end the career of Austin Aries in Dallas, saying it'll happen in an arena and Aries can pair up with Virgil at convention centers begging to be remembered. Tremendous heel promo here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7BgIhn2Pq0 Sami Zayn welcomes the opportunity to face Nakamura in Dallas, treating it just as seriously as his IC Title shot in the ladder match coming two days later at WrestleMania 32. Short, sweet, and to the point. Balor and Joe have an excellent brawl to close the show, with Balor displaying the most aggression so far in his NXT tenure. The difference in build and presentation throughout the road to Dallas obviously couldn't have been any greater. I have not been impressed with the actual storyline build of either roster going into the biggest weekend of the year, but I'll be damned if I don't believe that both shows will present some gems to be remembered in the annals of time. Clearly, Takeover: Dallas is the most important event in NXT history, and will very likely end up being voted the 2016 Show of the Year. WrestleMania 32 has a chance to be a major turning point for the company going forward in terms of direction, presentation, and roster. While I expect the status quo to not truly change, only doing so for a brief period, I believe that the big four brands coming to Dallas this weekend, that being WWE, ROH, WWN, and WrestleCon, will collectively bring upon a weekend that will become the stuff of legend. This journey has had its amazing ups, its incredibly depressing downs, neon signs of hope, and mind-numbing paths taken. While the defining stories coming out of this year will be the abrupt retirements of Sting and Daniel Bryan as well as the unprecedented injury bug, this must also be a year to be remembered as one that changed WWE's hiring philosophies forever. As I left the Bay Area a year ago, I could not have foreseen that both legendary names mentioned would be left off the Show of Shows, never to wrestle again, but I also would not have foreseen Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles coming into the fold. In addition as will be shown at the end of this entry, this may have been the greatest match quality year in WWE history. Now if only the booking and roster elevation can match up to it starting this weekend. In a year with frustrating booking, there are major indicators of shots in the arm looming overhead. It is because of that and an off-the-charts all-star roster that this journey will continue next year for Orlando. Those of you who have read this, thank you once again for following along on this marathon of a journey. The Road to Takeover: Dallas & WrestleMania 32: Top Ten Matches in Chronological Order Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns – WrestleMania 31 ****½ Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch – NXT Takeover: Unstoppable ****½ John Cena vs. Kevin Owens – Money in the Bank 2015 ****½ Finn Balor vs. Chris Jericho – WWE Live in Tokyo 7/3/2015 ****½ Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor – The Beast in the East ****½ Sasha Banks vs. Bayley – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn ****¾ Seth Rollins vs. John Cena – SummerSlam 2015 ****½ Bayley vs. Sasha Banks – NXT Takeover: Respect ****½ Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns – Raw 11/16/2015 ****½ Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens – Royal Rumble 2016 ****½ This concludes this project, as The Road to Orlando 2017: The Good Shit, will begin with both reviews of NXT Takeover: Dallas and WrestleMania 32.

Roadblock 2016: The Good Shit The New Day cut an amusing promo burying the League of Nations and revealing Booty O’s cereal. Paul Heyman cuts a brief but tremendous promo pontificating what Brock Lesnar will do tonight to Luke Harper & Bray Wyatt. Chris Jericho cuts a great anti-Canada promo to piss Toronto off, and he’s glad he left. So of course proud American Jack Swagger came to face him, rather than proud Canuck Sami Zayn. NXT Tag Titles Match The Revival vs. Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore Have a feeling JBL will love the champs. The challengers dominated early, and it took Amore’s left shoulder hitting the ring post for the champs to find their groove. They constantly worked that body part as expected, cutting the ring in half as is their MO. The teases for the hot tag were tremendous as well, peaking with my highlight when Dawson desperately shoulder-tackled Amore out of the ring before reaching Cassady. Tremendous. Once the hot tag was made, Cassady was his usual house of fire. He eventually got taken out though with the Shatter Machine. This gave the champs to control they needed over Amore to hit the Shatter Machine on him as well, and that was ballgame. As predicted, JBL loves the Revival. ***1/4 WWE Title Match Triple H vs. Dean Ambrose Good match but this definitely wasn’t the best they could do. I appreciated Ambrose clipping HHH’s left knee after several minutes and targeting that joint. Perhaps that would be a sound strategy, even if using weapons for assistance, once he faces Brock Lesnar three weeks later. This still felt very much long a house show main event, lacking the highly dramatic twists and turns. I wasn’t super high on the finish, as Ambrose should’ve clearly seen HHH motioning to avoid the running elbow drop on the commentary table. Then as soon as Ambrose avoids a count out defeat, he immediately eats the Pedigree and it’s over, no struggle, no drama, just anticlimactic. These two have a blood feud in them. ***1/2

ROAD TO ROADBLOCK 2016 Raw – February 22, 2016: The Good Shit OH FUCK YES~! Vince McMahon presents the Legacy of Excellence Award in his father’s honor, but the crowd doesn’t take him seriously at all as he discusses his ancestry over the past century. It of course goes to his daughter Stephanie. She has a speech prepared for such a touching moment. She’s admittedly hilarious claiming there’s crowd support as they’re booing this out of the building. She takes time to give her hubby Triple H a shout-out. HERE COMES THE MONEY~! With that, comes the return of the prodigal son Shane McMahon in the third best moment of the year to date. DETROIT IS FUCKING BONKERS. His presence immediately oozes “fresh coat of paint” for this otherwise stale McMahon family bullshit and he’s obviously taken aback, similar to AJ Styles debuting the month before. “This is awesome!” Shane stops his dad from a hug, then also declines a handshake as the crowd is still marking out for him. He then tells his sister that she’s not worthy of the award. Vince wants him to play nice and they could talk behind the scenes. Shane says the time is now to do it publicly. Stephanie gets butthurt and then cuts a rant about Shane being a sideline skeptic while the Authority have run the show. Shane then realizes “she doesn’t know” about something to Vince, then points out the oppressive regime of the Authority causing stock price decrease, ratings declines, and talent injuries. Stephanie labels him a quitter and says he knows nothing of success, using tonight’s packed house as evidence. Shane asks Vince if it’s time to inform her, which Vince is hesitant about it. Apparently, Shane bailed Vince out several years ago, cutting a deal that allowed him to leave without losing his place in line. Shane says the Authority only rose because he allowed it, then Vince refuses to deny Shane’s information when Stephanie asks. She’s incredibly condescending to him, only to be asked by Vince to leave, and she’s demanding to know if Shane’s being truthful. Vince admits there’s some truth to the situation, while Shane says all of it is. “At the time it was best for business.” Awesome. Stephanie finally fucks off, claiming she’ll never forgive her brother. Vince offers him money but Shane says isn’t the issue at hand. Shane wants control of Raw! Whatever takes it to end this Authority oppressive regime on top, I’m on board. Vince used the “publicly traded” excuse to keep Shane at bay, but Shane won’t have it, insisting instead on inheriting his spot on the throne. Crowd pops huge when Vince gauges their interest of what Shane wants. Vince offers what Shane is demanding, as long as he’ll compete and win a match of Vince’s choosing. Should Shane lose, Vince gets “the lockbox” to remove his son’s leverage. Vince then names the match. Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon. WrestleMania 32. Hell in a Cell. That’s… unique. It also clearly displays how badly the midcard heels were booked throughout 2015, as none of them are hot enough at this time to face Taker. A weird but definitely not boring segment, one of the best of the year so far. The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons & Neville - ***1/4 (Terrific comment by JBL as New Day were in control, saying if Matt Millen had hired them then he’d still have a job.) Paul Heyman cuts a promo with Brock Lesnar by his side as usual. This is tremendous as he articulates that Lesnar is the real main event, and the reason for the parking lot assault before the broadcast is because Ambrose didn’t just rob Lesnar out of being in the main event and winning the WWE Title at WrestleMania 32, but he turned their match involving Roman Reigns the night before into a street fight as soon as he used a chair on the Beast. It’s interesting to hear Heyman, the owner of ECW, dismiss Ambrose as a hardcore archetype. Ambrose arrives driving an ambulance and wearing a neck brace, but can’t stand as he approaches ringside. Lesnar steps on his face and then Heyman literally drops the mic on him for good measure. As Heyman & Lesnar are about to leave, Ambrose grabs the mic and challenges the former UFC World Heavyweight Champion to a hardcore match at AT&T Stadium. Lesnar gives him an F5 on the floor, then Heyman says the challenge is accepted. I cannot wait to see Ambrose get elevated in that spectacle. Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh is in the house! Damn I miss the rivalry in the NFC West. Chris Jericho and AJ Styles agree to become a tag team. Quite the stacked list of makeshift partners for each in their careers – for the former, there’s the Rock, Big Show, Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Edge, and Christian. For the latter, there’s Kurt Angle, Low Ki, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels. NXT – February 24, 2016: The Good Shit NXT GM William Regal announces Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn in 2/3 falls in 2 weeks to determine the #1 contender to the NXT Title. In addition, a new talent acquisition debuts next week. Indy sensation Biff Busick debuts under his real name of Chris Girard in a losing effort to Apollo Crews. NXT Champion Finn Balor will face former NXT Champion Neville next week. No complaints here, although not sure why it’s non-title. SmackDown! – February 25, 2016 Raw – February 29, 2016: The Good Shit Horrible episode with two matches built I’m looking forward to: Big E & Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho & AJ Styles next week for the Tag Titles in Chicago. Triple H vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE Title. Earlier leak said Roadblock 2016 on March 12 in Toronto. Not the proper stage for this match, but I’ll take it. NXT – March 2, 2016: The Good Shit OH FUCK YES~! Finn Balor vs. Neville - ***3/4 SmackDown! – March 3, 2016: The Good Shit Renee Young informs Divas Champ Charlotte she will defend the title against Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a three-way at WrestleMania 32. One of my most anticipated matches in Dallas. Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose - ***1/4 Raw – March 7, 2016: The Good Shit Kevin Owens vs. Neville - ***1/2 (The post-match is far more important, as Owens attempts a post-match assault on Neville but Sami Zayn finally re-debuts on the main roster to have fisticuffs with the IC Champ. Neville and Zayn team up on Owens, causing him to scurry away. Tremendous pop, but why wasn’t this done 6 weeks ago? Dean Ambrose vows to dethrone WWE Champ Triple H this Saturday at Roadblock 2016. HHH of course comes out to interrupt and bury him for not being corporate or driven. Ambrose uses dialogue that is a bit of a diet version of CM Punk, but the dynamic really works between these, making it clear this should’ve been happening at AT&T Stadium, title involved or not. Roman Reigns could’ve gotten the bragging rights clean win over Brock Lesnar. Tag Titles Match Big E & Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho & AJ Styles Killer match in front of a killer Chicago audience. Jericho started and the New Day tried getting cute, so he and Styles hit stereo slingshot planchas to the outside. Back from commercial break, the champs got the heat on Jericho. The crowd was noticeably rooting for Styles to get tagged in; once the hot tag was in, he kept the pace and atmosphere strong. Highlights off the top of my head include a springboard 450 splash by Styles, which is pretty amazing to see a 38-year-old with his mileage pull off. There was also the Trouble in Paradise being turned into a Boston Crab, as well as E catching Jericho early and attempting the Big Landing. By far the peak moment of the match was the flawlessly fluid springboard moonsault inverted DDT by Styles on Kingston, just blowing the roof of Chicago with that. While Kingston was in the Boston Crab, Xavier Woods tried pushing the ropes towards his stablemate. Styles attacked him to eliminate the numbers game, only to get scooped and drilled into the barricade by E. Kingston reached the ropes and tagged in E to have a battle against Jericho. E got up and Jericho went for the Codebreaker, only for E to scoop him with his strength advantage and drop him with the Big Landing to retain. ***3/4 In the post-match, Styles went to console Jericho, only to get hit by 3 separate Codebreakers! When Renee Young finds Jericho backstage, he says he got fed up with the chants for Styles. So that makes Jericho’s perspective of Styles quite clear. Jericho wanted to prove his superiority against a world-traveled workrate MVP candidate and it bit him. He then wins the rematch and agrees to the rubber match, only to get even further embarrassed by tapping out due to the Calf Crusher’s excruciating pain. Since Jericho knew he couldn’t beat Styles, he tried leeching off of him to stay relevant and recapture some gold. That plans falls through, so he has no further use for Styles and is butthurt over the fact that being in his mid-40s means his time is starting to pass. I cannot wait for Round 4 in Dallas. NXT – March 9, 2016 NXT GM William Regal announces Baron Corbin will face Austin Aries in the former multi-promotional champion’s WWE debut match at Takeover: Dallas. Samoa Joe wins a disappointing 2/3 falls match against Sami Zayn. It’s a rematch against Finn Balor for the NXT Title at Takeover: Dallas. First match was tremendous, so this should be no different. SmackDown! – March 10, 2016: The Good Shit Sami Zayn is the guest for MizTV. This is an astonishingly boring way to get him over with the main roster, as Miz didn’t take him seriously while talking about his history with Kevin Owens. This would’ve been far more suitable for a video package or pre-taped interview with Michael Cole. Don’t use the excuse that it’d bore the crowd; this show airs multiple video packages every week recapping Raw, so there’s plenty of time and Cole would’ve made Kevin Owens interrupting far more interesting. Chris Jericho cuts a tremendous promo blaming the crowd for his betrayal of AJ Styles, and after telling them to go to Hell, he says Styles is just a rookie and his career will go down in flames. To symbolize, he lights a Y2AJ T-shirt on fire and then tosses it inside of a trash can that had gasoline in it. Absolutely tremendous visual to have the fire burning in front of his sociopathic facial expression. The Entire Wyatt Family vs. The Usos, Dean Ambrose, & Dolph Ziggler - ***1/4

Fast Lane 2016: The Good Shit US Title – 2/3 Falls Match Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio - ***1/2 IC Title Match Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler Typical good match between these two, though I preferred their prior Cleveland match last summer since Owens was white-hot at the time feuding with John Cena. Owens dominated the first several minutes, delivering numerous trash-talking gems such as trolling Ziggler about dueling chants in his hometown and saying he could do this all night. Ziggler would generally cut Owens later via multiple superkicks, which while a sound “if it works then do it” strategy, hurt the crowd psychology when he tuned up the band. I appreciated that clean as a sheet, Owens went over after the pop-up powerbomb. ***1/2 Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles The best match in their series thanks to an electrifying finish. It was competitive early with various cutoffs, the best one coming later when Jericho hit a sling-shooting Styles with a dropkick on the outside. Jericho did a fabulous job working the back of Styles with the Boston Crab and even a Liontamer on the outside. Eventually, the finish came when Jericho attempted to work the back more going for a double underhook backbreaker, but Styles turned into a Styles Clash. It was genuinely surprising for that to be a false finish, causing Cleveland to start rocking. But once Styles locked on the Calf Crusher, there was no way out for Jericho, despite making an absolutely tremendous effort not to tap out. His facial expressions were absolutely priceless, making the submission hold as he tapped out look like a million bucks. Post-match, Jericho teases a brawl but shakes hands instead. **** WWE Title Shot – No DQ, No Count Out Match Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Ambrose gets shoved out at the start by Lesnar, who then takes Reigns to Suplex City and hits an early F5 just like last year at Levi’s Stadium. Ambrose would reinsert himself by hitting a shotgun dropkick on Lesnar to break up a move, so Ambrose got his fucking ass kicked with a lovely visit to Suplex City for him as well. On the outside, Ambrose took a scary bump on an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. I hope he didn’t suffer a concussion there. Ambrose & Reigns would team up on Lesnar when he got low-blowed by the former, having just caught Reigns in mid-air and about to hit an F5 through the commentary table. Instead, they gave him a Shield powerbomb through it to take him out. Ambrose went for the attack first on Reigns, realizing both were pussyfooting around as the crowd popped for their teamwork. In the ring they had a sensational battle, peaking with Ambrose beating Reigns to the punch via the rebound lariat. Lesnar was reawakening so they went back out and repeated their teamwork from earlier, the crowd going crazy again. Then they had another terrific battle, this time with Reigns getting the upper hand. As he was about to Samoan Drop Ambrose, Lesnar had reawakened and was back in, having Ambrose eat the Samoan Drop while Reigns was simultaneously taken to Suplex City. This took Ambrose out of the equation briefly. Lesnar and Reigns picked up where they left off last year with another tremendous powerhouse battle, this time Reigns hitting him with a second speak. Unfortunately, the fatigued Reigns couldn’t go for an immediately cover, so Lesnar immediately capitalized with the Kimura Lock! Reigns used his power to lift Lesnar but couldn’t break the hold. He was saved by Ambrose, who smacked the Beast in the back with the chair, then assaulted his best friend with it as well. As predicated by anyone with a clue, Reigns would gather enough of himself to finish Ambrose off with a speak, bringing this hot classic to an end. Fucking awesome match dripping with storytelling and I’m looking forward to Lesnar eventually in singles against these two, as well as them having their dream three-way still eluding the main roster. ****1/4 Post-match, WWE Champ Triple H comes to the ring and has a heatless staredown with Reigns. Seriously, that was it. No brawl at all, with the bookers arrogantly thinking the crowd would pop for this moment to tease them headlining Jerry World. There was some absolute utter shit on this show. The Good Shit was aplenty, all of it of different varieties, and peaking with two legitimately great matches. Totally must-see show.

Fast Lane 2016: The Good Shit US Title – 2/3 Falls Match Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio - ***1/2 IC Title Match Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler Typical good match between these two, though I preferred their prior Cleveland match last summer since Owens was white-hot at the time feuding with John Cena. Owens dominated the first several minutes, delivering numerous trash-talking gems such as trolling Ziggler about dueling chants in his hometown and saying he could do this all night. Ziggler would generally cut Owens later via multiple superkicks, which while a sound “if it works then do it” strategy, hurt the crowd psychology when he tuned up the band. I appreciated that clean as a sheet, Owens went over after the pop-up powerbomb. ***1/2 Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles The best match in their series thanks to an electrifying finish. It was competitive early with various cutoffs, the best one coming later when Jericho hit a sling-shooting Styles with a dropkick on the outside. Jericho did a fabulous job working the back of Styles with the Boston Crab and even a Liontamer on the outside. Eventually, the finish came when Jericho attempted to work the back more going for a double underhook backbreaker, but Styles turned into a Styles Clash. It was genuinely surprising for that to be a false finish, causing Cleveland to start rocking. But once Styles locked on the Calf Crusher, there was no way out for Jericho, despite making an absolutely tremendous effort not to tap out. His facial expressions were absolutely priceless, making the submission hold as he tapped out look like a million bucks. Post-match, Jericho teases a brawl but shakes hands instead. **** WWE Title Shot – No DQ, No Count Out Match Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Ambrose gets shoved out at the start by Lesnar, who then takes Reigns to Suplex City and hits an early F5 just like last year at Levi’s Stadium. Ambrose would reinsert himself by hitting a shotgun dropkick on Lesnar to break up a move, so Ambrose got his fucking ass kicked with a lovely visit to Suplex City for him as well. On the outside, Ambrose took a scary bump on an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. I hope he didn’t suffer a concussion there. Ambrose & Reigns would team up on Lesnar when he got low-blowed by the former, having just caught Reigns in mid-air and about to hit an F5 through the commentary table. Instead, they gave him a Shield powerbomb through it to take him out. Ambrose went for the attack first on Reigns, realizing both were pussyfooting around as the crowd popped for their teamwork. In the ring they had a sensational battle, peaking with Ambrose beating Reigns to the punch via the rebound lariat. Lesnar was reawakening so they went back out and repeated their teamwork from earlier, the crowd going crazy again. Then they had another terrific battle, this time with Reigns getting the upper hand. As he was about to Samoan Drop Ambrose, Lesnar had reawakened and was back in, having Ambrose eat the Samoan Drop while Reigns was simultaneously taken to Suplex City. This took Ambrose out of the equation briefly. Lesnar and Reigns picked up where they left off last year with another tremendous powerhouse battle, this time Reigns hitting him with a second speak. Unfortunately, the fatigued Reigns couldn’t go for an immediately cover, so Lesnar immediately capitalized with the Kimura Lock! Reigns used his power to lift Lesnar but couldn’t break the hold. He was saved by Ambrose, who smacked the Beast in the back with the chair, then assaulted his best friend with it as well. As predicated by anyone with a clue, Reigns would gather enough of himself to finish Ambrose off with a spear, bringing this hot classic to an end. Fucking awesome match dripping with storytelling and I’m looking forward to Lesnar eventually in singles against these two, as well as them having their dream three-way still eluding the main roster. ****1/4 Post-match, WWE Champ Triple H comes to the ring and has a heatless staredown with Reigns. Seriously, that was it. No brawl at all, with the bookers arrogantly thinking the crowd would pop for this moment to tease them headlining Jerry World. There was some absolute utter shit on this show. The Good Shit was aplenty, all of it of different varieties, and peaking with two legitimately great matches. Totally must-see show.

ROAD TO FAST LANE 2016 Main Event – February 9, 2016 Heath Slater vs. Zack Ryder - *** NXT – February 10, 2016: The Good Shit Asuka assists NXT Women’s Champion Bayley and Carmella from an assault by Nia Jax & Eva Marie. What really matters: Asuka makes it clear to Bayley she’s gunning for the title. Samoa Joe vows to beat Sami Zayn next week and end up NXT Champion. SmackDown! – February 11, 2016: The Good Shit The Dudleyz cut a great promo, saying they’re tired of being tried as a one-note nostalgia act. No more tables shtick as they gun to reclaim the Tag Titles. Like anyone believes they’re sincere. Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles Damn good performance from Jericho here, as he was on fire with so many small details to paint the picture of this superior rematch. The pacing and cutoffs were top-notch as could be expected, but he was the one to elevate this. I loved him repeatedly kicking Styles at random points, daring Styles to step up his aggression. There was also a terrific moment of selling when Styles cut him off with a dropkick to the midsection. When Jericho hit a Quebrada moments later, he delayed for just a split to go the cover due to the pain in his abdomen. Styles was his usually great self, but Jericho stepped up his game as well, and it made sense based on his overall superior control to come out the victor here, setting up what’d be on obvious rubber match for Fast Lane 2016. ***3/4 Raw – February 15, 2016: The Good Shit IC Title – No DQ, No Count Out Match Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Stardust vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Kevin Owens - ***14 (Owens reclaims the IC Title but without pinning Ambrose of course.) Ambrose welcomes more obstacles. Owens gloats and demands Renee Young to say he was right. Ziggler gets in his face and challenges him for the belt at Fast Lane 2016 based on having beaten the new champ clean twice this month. Owens of course declines. The Miz vs. AJ Styles - *** (Styles challenges Chris Jericho to the expected rubber match for Fast Lane 2016. Jericho declines, saying he’ll have an answer on SmackDown!) Paul Heyman asks Roman Reigns to come out and hear his statement face-to-face. He respectfully states he believes Reigns cannot get past Brock Lesnar this Sunday, but says should he go on to stand above them all by dethroning Triple H for the WWE Title at AT&T Stadium, he must of course get past his best friend Ambrose. Either do what’s best for his daughter or what’s best for his friendship. Will he make friends and end up in divorce court, or put his family first and hold the top prize? Reigns isn’t rallted though, making reference to already facing Ambrose for the title. After Heyman leaves, the Dudleyz attack Reigns who’s saved by Ambrose. Been wanting that particular tag match for months. Ambrose teases a double underhook DDT on Reigns. Solid segment. Vince McMahon will present a Vincent J. McMahon Legacy of Excellence Award next week in Detroit. NXT – February 17, 2016: The Good Shit Baron Corbin demands of NXT GM William Regal to be in the NXT Title Shot match, but Regal says he lost and his decision is final. Corbin feels this is stealing and warns about “eye for an eye.” SmackDown! – February 18, 2016: The Good Shit Confirmed is Kevin Owens defending the IC Title against Doph Ziggler in the challenger’s hometown of Cleveland this Sunday. Owens provides his usual excellent commentary during the trios match pitting Ziggler and the Usos against Rusev, Sheamus, & Alberto Del Rio. Fabolous is in the house with his son. He’s 13 years late and in the wrong location for his invitation to Safeco Field.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN… Music I find appropriate while reflecting on this historic event: Raw – February 8, 2016: The Good Shit Various Bryan Danielson related videos, including video packages and thoughts of his peers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS3VCRtw-1U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hgRilxPup0 Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens - ***1/4 MizTV with guest Chris Jericho gets turned into The Highlight Reel after Jericho buries Miz for not being entertaining. Miz is great protesting as well as questioning why AJ Styles attacked him last week. Miz is pissed when footage of his teeth being fucked up airs, claiming to have auditioned last week for Stephen Spielberg. Jericho laughs at his diatribe and recites “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” That’d be far more appropriate to sing for Mark Briscoe. Miz is seriously tremendous being so easily gotten to, pointing out Jericho also lost to Styles and that it’s eating him alive, which Jericho admits is true. We Seattleites start chanting for Styles, which displays just how much of a global star he’s become considering he has very minimal history here. This week in their rematch, Jericho will remind Styles that he’s still the best in the world. Styles comes out, granting me the first time I’ve seen him live in a decade (ROH’s Vendetta.) Miz attacks Jericho from behind, only to get taken out by the two all-time greats. The workrate legends have a staredown then a melee that Miz ruins, so he’s taken out again for his trouble. The New Day successfully recruit Mark Henry in amusing fashion to be their partner tonight in their tables match against the Usos and the Dudleyz. The Usos and Dudleyz win the tables match thanks to a 3D. In the post-match, the Dudleyz FINALLY make their badly needed heel turn on the Usos. Bubba portraying his Bully Ray character is exactly what this thin roster needs now with Bryan Danielson’s retirement official in addition to all the stars shelved. This makes sense as well – the Dudleyz have been in danger of becoming totally irrelevant. Various Danielson videos pre-ceremony, including WWE highlight reel and family moments: BRYAN DANIELSON’S RETIREMENT CEREMONY “For the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at those grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I’m lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift, that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies, that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter, that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body, it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed, that’s the finest I know. So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.” Lou Gehrig on July 4, 1939, announcing his retirement at Yankee Stadium I am not going to dive deep into this segment, as instead I will allow Dave Meltzer to speak for me: Danielson, better known as Daniel Bryan, announced his retirement at the age of 34 in a nearly 25 minute speech that combined humor, sadness, unbridled joy, and nearly every other emotion possible. In reality, it was a longer and even better version of the sports speech it has already been compared with, even if it will never come close to the notoriety. It was also the single greatest segment in the history of modern televised pro wrestling. As far as my own takeaway from this segment: I am privileged to have come home and experienced this moment in person. While bittersweet, I could not have fathomed witnessing this incredibly important life chapter for both Bryan Danielson’s life and career, and to have it in Seattle, OUR hometown, to boot. There's also the surreal dynamic of having this come the day after Marshawn Lynch's retirement as well. In my 3 years since I returned home, I have been blessed to experience some tremendous gridiron football and professional wrestling, in addition to unforgettable moments that moved me to tears. While of course an extremely different flavor of fandom-defining entertainment, this ceremony is equivalent to the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII Championship Parade in February 2014. Like that parade, this speech was truly larger-than-life, and now after a few more embedded attachments, I will give my thoughts on a special career, inasmuch as I can only 7 weeks removed from this retirement speech. Footage from after the broadcast: While many of Danielson's peers of his career, including John Cena, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Randy Orton, Austin Aries, and Hideo Itami, were either on the shelf or on NXT at the time of this event, I do like the symbolism that some on the stage carried: Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Ryback, and Darren Young - NXT Season 1 and Nexus The Miz - NXT Season 1, Danielon's first WWE feud and title win Mark Henry - Danielon's first feud in his rise to relevance in WWE Sheamus - Danielson's first feud and WWE breakout match opponent Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns - WWE's weekly TV opponents in his rise to the tippy-top The Authority - WrestleMania XXX Kevin Steen - indy circuit peer and opponent AJ Styles - indy circuit peer and one of Danielson's greatest career opponents with numerous MOTYC wars against each other I’m not gonna be able to do a true deep dive on Mr. Danielson’s career quite yet. That time will come in 2019 when I catch up on my retro indy viewing to his rivalry-ending, mutual ROH farewell match against his greatest opponent Nigel McGuinness. Instead, I will take this time to share the gravity of what a special contributor to the professional wrestling business he was (and possibly could still be.) Before I even do that though, we must remember that this is a major fork on the Road to WrestleMania 32 journey, and with that in mind, I must address the following: This is the final domino in completely, utterly obliterating my dream card to take place come April 3 at AT&T Stadium. While we now know for sure there were no plans to ever clear him out of concern for his own well-being and the company’s medical practice integrity, we didn’t know for 100% sure until February 8, 2016. With Bryan Danielson’s official retirement, my most anticipated match, AND his most anticipated match as well, that being the dream David vs. Goliath collision course against Brock Lesnar, is now permanently shelved. That absolutely sucks for me as a fan, without question. While my thirst for Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan could never touch what I had for Shawn Michaels vs. Eddie Guerrero, this was the closest competition possible for that spot. So now all of the following matches I had hoped to see have been removed from what was supposed to be the biggest show in company history: Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton Undertaker vs. Sting Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns John Cena vs. Cesaro John Cena vs. Undertaker UN. FUCKING. REAL. With that out of the way, I can now return to focusing singularly on Danielson. I’m gonna bring up a name that Danielson will always be compared to, another legend that he unfortunately never got to do business with. On June 25, 2007, my wrestling fandom innocence was emotionally bent over and assaulted by the unspeakable actions of Chris Benoit. As I went through the difficult five stages of grief to process the tragic deaths of not just Chris, but more importantly Nancy and Daniel, I was taught a difficult life lesson, which would be to avoid the sin of false idolization. My mentality as a fan still developing into a man at age 20 coming out of the Benoit family tragedy was to not just avoid false idolization, but become highly cynical towards celebrities of both the mainstream and underground levels. After all, Benoit had hidden so many demons until it was too late, so why would I ever again be foolish enough to view athletes and entertainers as nothing more than carnies putting on a show that I pay to see? On March 31, 2008, I was moved to tears by Ric Flair’s unforgettable retirement ceremony, less than a year since the Benoit family tragedy. However, I still had my guard up. I still loved consuming and discussing this wacky form of entertainment, but I was overly cautious, never once wanting to become emotionally attached to a person I only know through his body of work, not as a loved one or even at least as a peer or colleague. Bryan Danielson, because of his patience and kindness to me on multiple occasions in my encounters with him, as well as the genuinely big heart he that conveyed beyond the structures of his chosen profession, reminded me that I could truly get behind someone again. He reminded me that I could genuinely be happy for someone I celebrate as an athlete and entertainer. Like Steve Borden, he reminded me that not every celebrity and popular figure is a demon when the cameras turn off. More than the fact that a decade later, his masterpiece against Roderick Strong at Vendetta remains the greatest match I’ve ever witness in person, Danielson’s traits as a human being are what have had the greatest impact on me. His cream-of-the-crap workrate, extremely underrated charisma, and rise to the top of the business are all just delicious gravy for a human being filled with substance. While I will not falsely claim something as ludicrous as knowing Bryan Danielson on any kind of personal or professional level, I am comfortable enough in stating that I know he is a quality person and role model. It is because of him that I no longer have such a strongly cynical viewpoint of entertainers, using my fully developed adult brain to make better judgments of character and sometimes give these strangers the benefit of the doubt, whether it’s a professional wrestler, multi-million-dollar team sport athlete, or film star. Without question, Bryan Danielson is a Hall of Famer and will be inducted in the two that matter in the coming years. While everyone of course feels sadness at his career being cut so swiftly, there’s no denying the one emotion he expressed when considering everything he’s done for us: gratitude. If you ever read this Mr. Danielson, thank you for everything. Thank you for reminding me that this world is filled with kind souls and rejuvenating my optimistic attitude about those who entertain us for a living. This seedy business is incredibly blessed to have had you play such an inspiring part in it, and I can only imagine the future stars who will learn from your contributions. I wish you nothing but the absolute best in whatever the next chapter of your life ends up being. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

ROAD TO THE FINAL COUNTDOWN Raw – January 25, 2016: The Good Shit Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens - *** Dream Match Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles Styles won an arm twist battle early, so Jericho just clubbed him and hit a back elbow to do some damage. Styles regains control after a leaping lariat, but Jericho cuts him off in the corner. Minor fuck-up by Jericho being in the wrong corner at first to hit a springboard dropkick to the running Styles off the apron, finally gaining some advantage. It becomes clear what Jericho’s aiming to do when he says “C’mon kid” then slaps his head. This feels somewhat similar to Bryan Danielson’s demeanor towards Styles at ROH’s Main Event Spectacles. Styles teased a comeback as the crowd rooted for him, but Jericho tripped him on the apron as the broadcast went to commercial break. Back from break, Jericho still has control and then they knock each down with mutual crossbodies. Styles hits a tremendous striking combo that he learned in NJPW followed by Stinger Splash. Jericho elbows Styles while on his shoulders and goes for the Boston Crab, but that’s blocked and he eats the planned fireman’s carry neckbreaker. A Northern Lights Suplex and bridge is countered into a backslide by Styles, but Jericho regains control with an Enziguri. Styles cuts off a running charge and then delivers a springboard foream for a nearfall. Styles mistakenly goes for a hurricanrana, which is turned into a visually flawless Boston Crab. He reaches the ropes to the Miami crowd’s delight. After getting up, he hits a Pele Kick counter but misses a Frog Splash. Jericho eats knees to his gut on a Quebrada attempt, then blocks the Styles Clash, but gets pinned Sunset Flip style for Styles to get the victory. Post-match, Jerico holds on to the handshake, obviously bothered by being defeated by someone he tried using to keep his name relevant. This is a great first chapter for a rivalry. ***1/2 Rich Brennan awaits to advertised major star to return tonight, and Miz shows up in a limo. He’s interrupted by a large pickup truck, and out walks THE ROCK~! Miz tries to shame Rock for stealing the moment, so he gets buried and told to park the truck. Miami legend Rick Ross gets some love. Rock runs into Big Show and discusses their 2000 Royal Rumble match finish, admitting Show should’ve won and his life could’ve been so different, perhaps getting all the Hollywood roles. Show breaks his laptop and breaks down in tears, while Rock condescendingly puts him over. Rock then runs into Lana, who doesn’t look thrilled to see him. He strongly claims they engaged in sexual activity in the hotel room after their segment 16 months earlier in Brooklyn. Rusev then shows up and just takes it. Rock congratulates him on the engagement, then says he’s got a spouse that’s “flexible as all Hell.” If you’re gonna bury someone, then all I ask is at least do it this way. BE FUCKING ENTERTAINING IN THE DELIVERY LIKE DWAYNE JOHNSON. As he continues walking to the entrance, he gives Pat Patterson a shout-out then reaches Gorilla position, getting his hometown South Beach crowd hyped for him to walk through the curtain. Crowd chants “this is awesome!” before he says a word. Rock starts getting everyone hyped for WrestleMania 32, then says he doesn’t even remember the black commentator’s name. Rock then goes “off-script” when he notices fans in wrestling costumes sitting front row to a huge pop. After the Hulk Hogan guy, he says “the weed is good in Miami tonight, obviously.” Randy Savage guy goes last since the crowd had been chanting for him. Absolutely tremendous improvisation. He says it’s time to get hyped for tonight, then FUCK YES NEW DAY INTERRUPTS HIM~! Xavier Woods puts Bryon Saxton over and acknowledges him by name which Saxton appreciates. “Watch the product.” They brag about dominating the tag division, then ask the “People’s Champion” where his gold is to put themselves over as Tag Champs and even pointing out their golden trombone. Big E says he’s a pretty smart man saying he just like LeBron James, he got the Hell out of Miami for greener pastures. “He says he did it for the people, but he did it for the paycheck.” He puts them over for being extremely entertaining, then describes their unicorn horns head bands as “llama penises.” This guy knows how to make the juvenile humor to not be low-rent unlike Jericho. He mocks Big E for being gotten to, saying “she’s getting upset.” Then he throws a “nerdy” jab saying it looks like “the Incredible Hulk banged Erkel.” Rock then invites them into the ring so he can shove the trombone up their candy-asses. New Day then have a “champions huddle,” excluding Rock since he’s not a champion. Rock calls out the silliness of that, telling them to get in the ring. They then say Miami doesn’t deserve for this to “get real” and attempt to fuck off, only for Rock to say he made a Plan B in his family. The Usos then come out and have a brawl with the champ, dragging them to the ring for a 3-on-3 melee! As usual, Woods is saved for last and takes the most punishment, including the People’s Elbow! An absolutely five-star segment that never once dragged for its approximate half hour of uninterrupted time on the broadcast. The crowd was bonkers, the burials were the most entertaining I’ve ever seen, Rock’s improvisation elevated this to new heights, the New Day got to have a dream verbal confrontation with the greatest entertainer in pro wrestling history, and the Usos got a rub at the end as well, effectively giving the tag division a rub. Flawless entertainment here and in a normal year, would’ve easily been the best Raw segment of 2016. But of course, while this would be the blissful hometown yin in the most geographically Southeast major metro area of America, a tear-jerking hometown yang would await us in the largest metro area in the opposite corner of the nation to challenge for that spot. Stephanie McMahon confirms the WWE Title Shot main event at Fast Lane 2016 in Cleveland will be Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns. It’ll be interesting to see Ambrose and Lesnar go at it. Obviously Ambrose is in the match to do the job. What’s puzzling is for Reigns to be placed in a match taking place on Ohio soil against Lesnar and a Cincy guy when the goal is make him the babyface franchise player. Oh well, match should deliver. Main Event – January 26, 2016 Jack Swagger vs. Kevin Owens - *** Rusev vs. Ryback - ***1/2 NXT – January 27, 2016: The Good Shit A good Asuka video package airs that’s less than 2 minutes. Weird how a one-hour show can fit this in. Ditto for Baron Corbin. Alex Riley cuts an incredible self-importance promo, failing to realize how irrelevant he is in spite of the years he’d spent in WWE. Finn Balor vs. Apollo Crews headlines next week in a non-title match. SmackDown! – January 28, 2016: The Good Shit The New Day cut a funny promo trying to shame the Rock for his verbiage this week, then the Miz shows up to pile on, trying to play the Hollywood card. US Title Match Kalisto vs. Neville - *** Raw – February 1, 2016: The Good Shit Paul Heyman cuts his usually great promo to sell Brock Lesnar’s upcoming match against Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Unfortunately, once Ambrose interrupts, his confrontation with Lesnar is lackluster. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens - *** MizTV Guest: AJ Styles Great heat segment here as Miz told the story of Styles taking so long to come to WWE, and never allowing the newcomer to speak. This of course got to be too much that Styles went mental on Miz. VERY bad decision for Miz to be smug to this guy, proving he hasn’t done his proper film study of Styles against the like of Low Ki, Samoa Joe, Paul London, Bryan Danielson, and Christopher Daniels when they’ve pissed him off. I imagine there’s plenty of NJPW stuff displaying that testiness of his as well. Crowd was fully behind Styles here while Miz attempted to bury him. The New Day cut another amusing promo shaming the Rock for the week before, saying to think of the children! Interesting to see them point out a child and presumably his father in Bullet Club shirts, with the camera showing them multiple times. NXT – February 3, 2016: The Good Shit Carmella has a good pre-taped interview with Tom Phillips so she can explain the importance of her upcoming NXT Women’s Title shot against Bayley. Zero interest in the match but this is pretty convincing. NXT Tag Champs The Revival gladly welcome another defense against Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore so they can have once again prove to the best tag team on the planet. NXT GM William Regal has a rematch planned to determine an NXT Champion. He informs the entitled Baron Corbin that he for sure lost against Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn. Those two will be facing each other in one-on-on action. Finn Balor vs. Apollo Crews - ***1/4 SmackDown! – February 4, 2016 The Miz vs. AJ Styles - ***1/4 In the post-match, Chris Jericho and Styles agree to a rematch next week in Portland. That’s enough to convince me to make the drive.

Royal Rumble 2016: The Good Shit (AKA The Entire PPV Portion) Kevin Owens gives another fantastic interview, citing his main roster debut victory over John Cena as evidence that tonight, he reclaims the IC Title from Dean Ambrose in their Last Man Standing match, and then will later win the WWE Title in the Royal Rumble match. Total babyface if he wasn’t a rude cunt. IC Title – Last Man Standing Match Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens Not including any trios action, easily the best Ambrose match in WWE to date, perhaps of his entire career actually, definitely in the same conversation as his feuds against Seth Rollins and Jimmy Jacobs. Owens brought his trash-talking A-game to this one, with gems such as “I hate you” (which Ambrose repeated back to him), “Stay down!,” and even early in the match when their wrestling telepathy went off ever so briefly and Owens told Ambrose “you’re going my way.” The psychology of the match built up beautifully as both men gave valiant efforts to be the alpha and leave the evening as IC Champ. The first near-fall was great as Owens tossed Ambrose around on the outside, then hit him with a cannonball that broke down the barricade. Other great moments would be Owens being back-dropped into chairs on a powerbomb attempt, the build to the pop-up powerbomb later on as a near-fall, and of course the Super Swinging Fisherman’s Neckbreaker through a table. The finish came when Owens stacked some chairs together and placed Ambrose on them, planning to squash him through the chairs via a moonsault. But the overzealous ego of Owens caught up to him (surprisingly so considering he ate double underhook DDTs, the second on a chair, and rolled out of the ring to avoid the 10 count.) His cockiness cost him opportunities to dish out additional punishment on Ambrose earlier; in this case he inexplicably forgot that he set up stacked tables in this corner, so when Ambrose got up, he simply shoved Owens the outside, he did a front somersault through them. A truly epic, climatic finish that his match deserved. With so much content nowadays and WWE’s failure to market this instant classic afterwards, I fear this match may not go on to have the historic reputation that it earned. Simply put, this match lived up to the expectations I had for these two to eventually collide the day that Kevin Steen signed with WWE. As a PPV broadcast opener, this is one of the greatest EVER. It’s in the same class as celebrated gems such as the Rockers vs. Kato & Pat Tanaka, Jushin Liger vs. Brian Pillman, Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, Pillman vs. Johnny B. Badd, Psychosis vs. Rey Mysterio, Mysterio vs. Dean Malenko, Malenko vs. Ultimo Dragon, Mysterio vs. Billy Kidman vs. Juventud Guerrera, Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero, MITB 2007, the Money in the Bank 2011 and 2013 PPV openers, Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan, and D-Bry vs. Triple H. This kicked an event off into absolutely high gear and had Orlando rocking. As a Last Man Standing match, this is right in the conversation with Triple H’s classics against Chris Jericho and Randy Orton, as well as John Cena’s classics against Umaga, Edge, and Wyatt. It might actually be the very best LMS of all-time. This is also one of the all-time elite IC Title matches, in the same class as Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart, Bret vs. Davey Boy Smith, Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty, both of the HBK’s PPV ladder matches against Scott Hall, The Rock vs. Triple H, Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley, and Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio. This is not a hyperbolic statement – this is a match that years in the future when viewers revisit this event, they will truly grasp what a work of art plunder match this truly is. Now I just wonder how these two will top themselves when they inevitably have a main event feud. ****1/2 Tag Titles Match Big E & Kofi Kingston vs. The Usos Jericho had destroyed their trombone, so the New Day have a moment of silence for it, only for Xavier Woods to show up with a new one to the crowd’s delight. Crowd treated the Usos as total heels in this, simply because of what an entertaining act the New Day had become. Early in the match, the Usos even played dirty, which was justified knowing that Woods would be interfering inevitably to play the numbers game. Speaking of Woods, he earned his paycheck on this night. When the crowd chanted “Play Francesca,” he set the trombone down and refused, not allowing the crowd to dictate. He would later quote Shang Tsung from the Mortal Kombat film, telling an Uso “your brother’s soul is mine… you will be next.” Then near the end he ordered Big E to “finish him!” There was of course some great wrestling in this one packed with cutoffs and tremendous spots. I particularly loved the perfectly executed superkick that was blocked by Kingston’s roundhouse kick, allowing him to get the advantage and a takedown. The match truly peaked at the end, just like the prior match, when Kingston got tagged by E and Jimmy didn’t see it. So Kingston ate a gorgeous close range superkick, then Jimmy went up top for a splash. While in the air, E got in the ring and caught him, immediately dropping him with the Big Ending to the crowd’s delight and Woods celebrating on the trombone. So far so good for this PPV. ***1/2 US Title Match Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto One of Alberto’s most motivated efforts since returning, perhaps because this is an opponent he can bounce ideas off of. Very crisp match for the most part, but even the botch that I’ll get into was improvised into something that worked. Alberto did his best to keep Kalisto often at a distance, using his size and arm length advantage also to hit devastating attacks on numerous high-risk move attempts. But Kalisto would keep finding a way to sucker Alberto in, using his quickness in the finishing stretch to seal the deal. I recall a Skull Crush Hurricanrana, Springboard Twisting Press, and botched Code Red in which Kalisto slipped off and landed head-first. However, Alberto’s body still went backward with the momentum, allowing Kalisto to improvise with a cradle pinfall attempt. Kalisto managed to evade the cross armbreaker, while Alberto blocked a Super Sitdown Shiraniu, instead countering it with a Super Reverse Vertical Suplex. But once Alberto’s head hit the turnbuckle and Kalisto immediately hit a follow-up Sitdown Shiranui, it was ballgame for him to recapture the US Title. If Alberto can find just the right dynamic to heat him up as a character like Big E & Kofi Kingston did, I’d love to see these have a blood feud. Under the right circumstances, we could have this decade’s version of Rey Msyterio vs. Eddie Guerrero on our hands here. ***1/4 Divas Title Match Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch Charlotte is of course accompanied by her father Ric Flair. Lynch targeted her left arm early to set up for the seated Fujiwara arm bar, but didn’t do enough damage to make it mean something. Perhaps that’s on Charlotte to become a better seller, but whatever. Charlotte would gain control by blocking some boots in the corner and hitting a neckbreaker, and she deserves tremendous credit for heeling it up while on offense. I’d have liked to see Lynch show more fire in her comebacks, but perhaps the plan is for her to be the female Cesaro and Bayley will become the female Daniel Bryan in that regard. The finishing stretch would come when Lynch successfully blocked a top-rope move in the corner and turned it into a cross armbreaker, which the champ eventually ended with a powerbomb. She missed Lynch on a baseball slide, hitting her dad instead. Lynch rolled up and locked on the seated Fujiwara armbar, so Ric threw his jacket on Lynch to distract the ref, allowing Charlotte to hit an eye poke and spear to retain. *** In the post-match, Charlotte continues assaulting Lynch and poses with Ric. The theme song for Sasha Banks plays and Charlotte is clearly rattled by her new obvious challenger. Banks slides Lynch out of the ring, saying this is her spotlight, teases being BFFs with Charlotte again, and then hits her with a Lungblower and Banks Statement! Tremendous moment that the crowd ate up, and why wouldn’t it? This is an important event drawing tourist hardcore marks and it’s in NXT’s home city of Orlando. I cannot wait for the obvious, inevitable three-way at AT&T Stadium. The 2016 Royal Rumble Match for the WWE Title The one major detriment is getting taken care of first: this match did a TERRIBLE job in getting Roman Reigns over as a sympathetic character. In fact, I wonder if Kofi Kingston’s elimination took place simultaneously as the League of Nations (sans Wade Barrett) attacked Reigns with Vince McMahon cheering it on, as a means of making it appear to the TV audience that the crowd, who would legit be upset about Kingston’s elimination, is pissed about Reigns getting screwed. With that out of the way, this was otherwise an excellent Rumble match, the best edition since the classic in Phoenix 3 years earlier. Without question, there were 3 peaks in this match, which I’ll be going over of course. What made this stand out so well was the pacing of this and different stories it told, especially the various teasing of interesting matchups that could come in the future. For the first half of this match, the debuting AJ Styles was unquestionably a huge breath of fresh air as so many familiar WWE names piled into the ring. I for one couldn’t be happier for the enormous he got when the phrase “I am phenomenal” popped up on the Titantron; this was a world-class, Hall of Fame level performer that had spent more than a decade never getting his just recognition, and then had to jump across the Pacific Ocean to make that happen. When considering that he had never been treated seriously in prior negotiations with WWE, this may objectively be more inspirational than Daniel Bryan’s rise to headlining the biggest show of the year. Of course, the debuting Styles was by far the crowd favorite in this match, a testament to how poor the writers had been with its roster in 2015. There’s the other dynamic that there were so many fresh, and in some cases legitimate dream matchups for him in this one. I love the fact the reigning Wrestler of the Year Award winner’s first in-ring foe was the WWE Champion Roman Reigns. That moment was like two worlds truly colliding, the best of each one. The other major opponent for him in this one was Jericho, and they seemed INCREDIBLY eager to work with each other. I know that I had been looking forward to them colliding for a dozen years, having given up hope a couple years back when Styles got a significantly better offer from NJPW. I certainly was thirsty to see them have a singles match at AT&T Stadium coming out of this main event. Another standout performer in this one was Kofi Kingston as mentioned. The New Day were hilarious as he was entering the match, and then we got an incredibly creative false elimination for him to continue that tradition first started by John Morrison. As Kingston was being clotheslined out of the ring, the New Day were right behind, and he landed on Big E’s shoulders to the crowd’s delight! The New Day ran around in celebration over this, and it was truly a peak moment for the entire evening, not just this match. There were plenty of other standout performers in this one, and I’m gonna keep going over them. Kevin Owens, while motivated by selfish reasons, gave an inspiring performance as he limped to the ring, still sore from the MOTYC brawl that opened the PPV a couple hours earlier. His immediate fisticuffs with Styles provided for an off-the-charts atmosphere, and who couldn’t love him superkicking Styles right as he had Neville in position for the Styles Clash, followed by “welcome to WWE!” and then tossing him outside? It was sheer genius for Owens to get those honors rather than IC Champ Dean Ambrose as originally planned, because as mentioned Styles was by far the crowd favorite, even more than a certain Beast that was to smash his fingerprints all over this roller-coaster. I also liked that Styles was eliminated right before Ambrose’s entrance; I’m sure that barring injury, those two will eventually collide, and having that matchup not happen yet will make us ache for it in the future. Ambrose and Owens of course picked up on their hatred for each other before they eventually had to remember there were other participants. The second peak moment would be Sami Zayn’s entrance into this match, one that I easily foresaw coming as soon as his shoulder went out and the reports said wintertime for his ETA. Owens was sensational selling the shock of Zayn’s appearance, having convinced himself that he’d never pay for the sins committed against his former best friend, even though he had shown up earlier in the month to troll him some more. It was a sensational moment for the two to pick up on their feud going into the biggest show in company history, and what a beautiful piece of art to have Zayn eliminate Owens, sabotaging his attempt to capture the biggest prize in the business. The next standout performer to go over would be Brock Lesnar, who came in and turned the match into Suplex City as expected. What I said about Styles being gone before Ambrose came in? Multiply that by 1000 in this case, as it would’ve been a huge mistake to have Lesnar or Styles putting each other over on this night. The time will eventually come for them to do business together. It was also fantastic booking to have their arcs completely separate in this match, as it meant there was really something for everyone. Lesnar and Jericho didn’t much business in this match, which was a bit disappointing to me. However, there were plenty of doozies involving Lesnar in this one, including obliterating Bray Wyatt’s cronies and even taking Dean Ambrose to Suplex City on occasion. Seeing Lesnar manhandle Ambrose was something I’d been wanting to see for a couple years, and now that we had a taste, they visually looked like a great contrasting matchup for each other. An interesting moment to me Jack Swagger entering and getting immediately obliterated by Lesnar. Considering the combat sports history both men have against Cain Velasquez, I’d be curious if Lesnar could so easily squash Jake Hager in a shoot. I absolutely loved Lesnar just stiffing the shit out of Braun Strowman early on a lariat to know him down in a showcase of heavyweights as well. Lesnar in this match totally lived up to expectations, even after Bray Wyatt told his Wyatt Family members to help him eliminate the Beast. It was good to see Dolph Ziggler some shine in this one; and perhaps it was a good thing he came in right after Lesnar was eliminated, not having to get completely feasted upon by the Beast. Keeping him away from Styles makes that interesting dream match for later down the road as well. Another great moment was when Lesnar hadn’t been eliminated yet, just leaving a path of destruction in his wake, and the Miz came out. Rather than enter the match, Miz joined the commentary team and said he would wait for a convenient time to step in the ring, which came after all the monsters were out of the match. As Sheamus entered the match, Reigns reappeared, having been taken to the back for medical attention after the cheap mugging by the LON, and Superman Punched him. The crowd still hated Reigns, perhaps losing respect for him leaving the match for so long after Ambrose and Owens battled without hesitation despite brutalizing each other in their classic. With Reigns now mentioned, it’s time to mention his pretty good bewilderment expression when Triple H was the final entrant, although he should’ve clearly seen that coming. HHH and Reigns had a staredown, the latter easily disposing of Ziggler with a Pedigree, the former easily disposing of Wyatt with a spear. While on the surface that could be viewed as burials of the midcard backbone, neither were tossed out, as instead the main-eventers were too focused on each other to eliminate them. Once they went at it, their matchup was quite good, making me actually look forward to their obvious main event to come at WrestleMania 32. A teased matchup for down the road would be when Wyatt and HHH had a staredown, and the former chose not to form an alliance to take out Reigns, instead having a battle of his own with the Game. Once Wyatt, Jericho, and Ziggler got taken out, the final four became basically a mini-tag collision of Reigns & Ambrose vs. Sheamus & HHH. Reigns took care of Sheamus, but then HHH scooped him up from behind for an elimination in the third and final peak moment of this match, leaving it to Ambrose vs. HHH! The crowd was fucking rocking here, happy for Reigns to be gone and knowing a new champ would be crowned. This was ingenious booking, as Reigns vs. HHH at the end likely could’ve been lackluster or had the crowd rooting for the NXT godfather. The crowd was solidly behind the damaged Ambrose, hoping he could pull off the miracle against the fresh HHH, but it just wasn’t meant to be, as HHH captured his 14 WWE/World Title. As stated, an excellent piece of business that must be seen, especially seeing Styles as an incredibly fresh coat of paint in the match’s first half. **** It’s quite puzzling that the camera angle wasn’t corrected on the on-demand stream, but the company managed to remove Ric Flair kissing Becky Lynch to fuck with her. This is probably gonna be the North American show of the year. Every match delivered, including one that I compared to numerous highly-regarded all-time classics. Need I say anymore?

ROAD TO ROYAL RUMBLE 2016 SmackDown! – December 17, 2015: The Good Shit The New Day brag about winning the epic ladder match at TLC 2015, and claim the Usos and Lucha Dragons are just jealous about it. They go OTT by trying to sabotage fans from enjoying their antics. Charlotte helps Becky Lynch win against Brie Bella. Kevin Owens is focused on getting the IC Title back from that “cockroach” Dean Ambrose, saying “he cannot survive me.” He promises bad things for Dolph Ziggler in their match tonight, saying he won’t stop until he hospitalizes him. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens - *** (Owens goes for a post-match assault but Ambrose arrives to brawl with him. As Ziggler is leaving, Owens superkicks him. Ambrose checks on Ziggler who assumes it’s Owens, so the champ eats a superkick from the former World Champ to the delight of Owens. Raw – December 21, 2015: The Good Shit The 2015 Slammy Awards Show Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens - ***1/4 John Cena returns next week in Brooklyn to face US Champion Alberto Del Rio. Definitely missed him. The New Day is pissed that the Usos won Tag Team of the Year. Even more damning than Neville winning Breakout Star of the Year. Big E hilariously threatens to spoil The Force Awakens, but Kofi Kingston stops since he hasn’t seen it yet. [ SmackDown! – December 22, 2015: The Good Shit The New Day are still justifiably about pissed about being snubbed for Tag Team of the Year, and song an entertaining rendition of “We Wish You A Booty Christmas and a Happy New Day.” IC Title – No DQ, No Count Out Match Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens - ***1/2 NXT – December 23, 2015: The Good Shit Vaudevillains vs. Hype Bros. vs. American Alpha vs. Wesley Blade & Buddy Murphy The London crowd is fully behind AA, particularly Chad Gable. Incredibly fun spectacle with Gable dominating early, then once he tagged himself in got the ring cut in half on him by Blake & Murphy. Once Jason Jordan got tagged in, he threw suplexes aplenty, triggering a “Suplex City” chant. A big chunk of the participants fought to the outside, so Jordan gave Murphy an overhead belly-to-belly suplex over the top rope onto the pile, then he and Gable finished off Blake with the Grand Amplitude, and the ref never once failed to remember who was legal. ***1/2 An interview from last week with the Revival airs, one I didn’t find online. Dash Wilder gives Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore credit for their effort, but Scott Dawson says the Revival are clearly the best tag team on this planet. Sami Zayn’s return to action is a wonderful moment as expected. Unfortunately, he has a long, tediously competitive match against Tye Dillinger. I’m sure this was done to give Dillinger some shine. It failed. Raw – December 28, 2015: The Good Shit Vince McMahon warns WWE Champion Roman Reigns that Triple H will be coming for vengeance soon, and Reigns won’t see it coming. Don’t care about any of the other silliness in this, even if well-executed. Sasha Banks defeats Becky Lynch after Charlotte had stayed away to oblige Lynch’s request to let her win matches on her own. The New Day refuse to sing for Brooklyn due to being robbed of the Tag Team of the Year Award and not even being nominated for OMG Moment of the Year. This is fucking hilarious. Finally, an actual brawling feud between these two. Now if only could have a true promo confrontation for the ages like I know they’re capable of. It’s definitely good to see John Cena back. Don’t care about him feuding with the League of Nations, but we all learned just how valuable he truly is during his two-month absence. The Rock will appear at WrestleMania 32! Raw – January 4, 2016: The Good Shit Neville vs. Kevin Owens - ***1/4 (Post-match brawl between IC Champ Dean Ambrose and Owens when the latter tries to further assault Neville. Ambrose gives Owens an elbow drop through a commentary table, saying to come get the IC Title if he wants it so badly.) Chris Jericho returns to the main roster! The segment sucks, but who cares? The roster needs his star power depth during the most important time of the year. Vince McMahon informs WWE Champ Roman Reigns will be defending the title at Royal Rumble 2016 in the Rumble match itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uwwhDfEWhM SmackDown! – January 7, 2016: The Good Shit Making his new debut as the program’s lead commentator is the legendary Mauro Ranallo. No complaints whatsoever here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DrrGuaEd7Q Renee Young asks Kevin Owens for a minute of his own, so he gives her 60 seconds and checks her watch while he claims he dethrones the “cockroach” IC Champ Dean Ambrose tonight. Hilarious how adamant he is about the 60 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5dU5P763uU Raw – January 11, 2016: The Good Shit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mc-yLJT58I John Cena is confirmed to be out of action for several months and will miss WrestleMania 32 due to shoulder surgery. FUCK, now the obvious match against Undertaker is off the table. Just unreal. Divas Champion Charlotte says she learned from Paige to throw ethics and sentiment out the window. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-DaFFiwj9I Becky Lynch gives a great interview voicing his disappointment in Charlotte and vows to defeat her again. Brock Lesnar’s in the Royal Rumble match! OH FUCK YES~! His presence will be HUGELY instrumental in rejuvenating that concept as a special box-office attraction, which is badly needed after the past couple years. NXT – January 13, 2016 Sami Zayn confirms he’s gunning for the NXT Title, while Samoa Joe claims otherwise based on what happened at Takeover: Unstoppable and based on his performance against Balor. Baron Corbin says that based on defeating Apollo Crews, he should be #1 contender, then Joe references beating him at Takeover: Brooklyn to say he has no claim. It’s so awesome to see Samoa Joe and an unmasked El Generico doing business together for an inevitable singles match that nobody else ever booked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgg98XIpP58 SmackDown! – January 14, 2016: The Good Shit IC Champ Dean Ambrose challenges Kevin Owens to face him in a Last Man Standing match for the title at Royal Rumble 2016. OH FUCK YES~! Becky Lynch challenges Divas Champ Charlotte to a title match at Royal Rumble 2016. Look forward to it. Raw – January 18, 2016: The Good Shit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUAJ-enwS3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifA47YwM8Hc Kevin Owens is great on commentary as usual during Dean Ambrose’s match. The New Day vs. The Usos for the Tag Titles is confirmed for Royal Rumble 2016, as is Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto for the US Title. A terrific card on paper and unofficial night of champions. NXT – January 20, 2016: The Good Shit Rich Swann makes his WWE debut in a losing effort to Baron Corbin. Next week’s main event is Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin for an NXT Title shot. Dry month of build on top. Huge missed opportunities for the midcarders and curtain-jerkers to not get any airtime at all to discuss their rare opportunity to become WWE Champion in the Royal Rumble match. Whatever, with all the rumors going on, I’m anxious for Royal Rumble 2016.

NXT Takeover: London: The Good Shit Triple H kicks off the show with a hype speech. Zero issue with this after getting carted off earlier in the week. A month before this, I witnessed in person at CenturyLink Field an ambulance take Mike Iupait off the field as a precautionary measure when his neck took a bad angle. He then started against the Bengals the following week. HHH merely took some blows to his face, back, and abdomen, and he proved his toughness in 2001 during his first quad tear. This didn’t bury Roman Reigns at all. Emma vs. Asuka Emma is of course accompanied by Dana Brooke. “Asuka’s gonna kill you” chants as the match starts. They exchange waistlocks and arm twists early, then have an extensive hammerlock exchange on each other’s left arms. Neither will let up on it, Asuka rolling with Emma just like she did with Brooke two months earlier. Emma ends it with an elbow, so Asuka locks a Fujiwara amrbar on her right arm, then kicks her repeatedly and hits a running hip attack to the outside. Brooke distracts Asuka to allow Emma to gain the advantage. Emma works on the arms and shoulders after some attacks, screaming out of frustration while dishing out the punishment. She locks a Full Nelson and the crowd gets behind Asuka to make a comeback, which she does with elbows strike and a backslide pin. That’s quickly cut off by Emma though as shes continues the attack, including an Irish Whip into the corner that hurt Asuka’s back. Brooke is tremendous talking shit to her. Asuka teasing a comeback only to get cut off thanks to simple slap that knocked her to her knees, but manages to hit a missile dropkick to end Emma’s dominance. As they’re getting up, they have a striking exchange and Emma makes the mistake of running the ropes as that allows an Asuka comeback. Asuka brings out numerous attacks including a dropkick, spinal kick, dropkicks, and another hip attack. She unleashes some Yes kicks but Emma catches her right leg. Asuka ducks a punch and Emma ducks a spinning backfist, and Emma gets a jackknife pin near-fall. Asuka successfully lands some spinning backfists and another hip attack for a near-fall. Asuka has been exceptional selling her arm, shoulders, and neck, which comes into play when Emma strikes it create some desperate distance. Emma avoids a corner charge and immediately locks in a Tarantula while Brooke talks shit. Asuka eats a Butterfly Suplex in the corner and running corner charge then takes more punishment. Emma sets her up for the inverted STF and Emma goes for the modified old-school Curb Stomp, but Asuka grabs the legs to apply an Ankle Lock, then delivers a German Suplex. This is tremendous as Asuka continues to strike while also selling her head and neck. She goes for the Crossface Chickenwing but Emma prevents her hands from locking. Emma gabrs the ref and pushes him to the corner to back Asuka into him andknock him out. Brooke throws a weapon to Emma, who has a tug of war over it with Asuka. Of course Asuka is caught by the ref with it, but he believs her about not using it. Emma tries taking advantage of the distracted Asuka with a rolling reverse cradle, but that was a fatal mistake. Asuka kicked out and immediately used that positioning to lock in the Crossface Chickenwing as the crowd went bonkers. Emma tapped out by Brooke distracted the ref and got banned from ringside by him. Emma was about to use the weapon, but got knocked with the roundhouse kick to bring this classic to its conclusion. A sensational opener in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Give me Bayley vs. Asuka in Dallas please. **** NXT Tag Titles Match The Revival vs. Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore Challengers went after Scott Wilder’s left arm early, including Cassady using his height to lock on a Standing Position London Dungeon. After some more work on Wilder, the champs cut the ring in half on Amore, targeting his left arm as well thanks to it striking the ring post, with my highlight there being a Hammerlock Northern Lights Suplex. They did a tremendous job of building up the hot tag, including Amore being placed in a drop toe hold to make sure of it. Once Cassady got in he was a house of fire, knocking the champs to the outside so Amore had himself get tossed out to the them and bring in Scott Dawson to do so some work. However, Cassady found himself getting dominated when Dawson attacked his recently healed left knee, allowing the Revival to target that with various strikes and submissions, once again preventing a hot tag to Amore. The hot tag would be made with Cassady giving Amore some elevation on a splash. That would be a sensational false finish though as Dawson pulled Amore out of the ring during the count. He used Carmella as a shield so she slapped him and Cassady went after him, only to get tossed into the ring post. This allowed the champs to hit a double-team Gutbuster on Amore for the win. Damn good tag team wrestling with tremendous officiating as well, as the referee refused to allow a non-legal pin during the match, and that second may have cost the champs an early victory. Cutting the ring in half, working on body parts, even Wilder in the post-match squeezing his left hand to still sell the damage to boot, zero complaints about this match. ***1/2 Baron Corbin cleanly wins a disappointing match against Apollo Crews. The highlight was Corbin telling Crews to “go back to Ring of Honor.” Nia Jax has a staredown with Asuka during his pre-match backstage interview. Not in Dallas, please. NXT Women’s Title Match Bayley vs. Nia Jax Crowd is signing “Hey Baby!” towards Bayley at the beginning. I wonder if any other female has ever connected with an audience and gained their respect as much as she has. Had ROH ever been able to book a James Gibson vs. Takeshi Morishima match, I imagine it would’ve been an awfully similar, superior version of this one. That’s not a criticism of this match, but the dynamic of it was incredibly similar, with the finish reminding me of Gibson’s time in ROH to boot. Jax used her size to dominate Bayley, but her lack of experience, composure, and conditioning ultimately became her undoing. Bayley did a great job of attacking at any chance possible, while Jax often got cocky on her pinfall attempts or just failed to move with a sense of urgency. That usually wouldn’t work, but because that was the story of this match, it worked beautifully, and Bayley went above and beyond to carry this match. Once she got Jax to sit down while locking on the guillotine choke, there was no way she was leaving without a submission victory, forcing the monster heel to tap out. Again, give me Bayley vs. Asuka in Dallas dammit. ***1/4 In addition to Zayn’s return, booked for next week is Vaudevillains vs. Hype Bros. vs. American Alpha vs. Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy. That has potential to be fun. NXT Title – Dream Match Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe Joe absolutely DOMINATED the first dozen or so minutes of this match. Balor would make his cut off attempts to ensure this wasn’t a squash, but for awhile it looked like it could have been all for moot. The domination came when Balor attempted a double-foot stomp to Joe on the steps but it got avoided. When Balor charged at Joe seconds later, he ate a Uranage on the floor. A highlight of Joe’s dominance for long-time fans of his was his combination powerbomb, kickout into a Boston Crab, and then applying a Crippler Crossface. Balor would roll into a pinfall, but Joe kicked out and used the positioning to reapply, then changed it to a shoulder submission, softening him for more of the musclebuster and more of his arsenal. After the destruction of the first dozen or so minutes, Balor finally made a comeback with a DDT. From this point it was pretty much a competitive match, with Balor’s answer to Joe’s earlier Elbow Suicida being a somersault Plancha to pop his fellow 10,000 or so Brits. They pulled Enziguris, Pele Kicks, forearm smashes, this really was an action-packed match full of bombs being thrown in attempt to break each other down for their ultimate finishers. Balor would even hit a double-foot stomp on a kneeling Joe for a near-fall and went for the Reverse Bloody Sunday but Joe cut off, only to get hit with multiple strikes and a second Sling Blade. Joe would bounce back with a senton after avoiding the corner shotgun dropkick, kicking out after Balor got a Sunset Flip pinfall attempt counter on a musclebuster. Once Joe kicked out, he ate one of numerous Pele Kicks, with both down in exhaustion. The crowd was ecstatic for them to break the 10 count. After more competitive action, the finishing stretch came when Balor knocked down joe with multiple running shotgun dropkicks. He’d go for his “Coup de Grace” foot stomp finish, but Joe got up and attempted a musclebuster, only to be knocked down and ultimately eat it for the finish. A tremendous slugfest reminiscent of ROH’s glory days and living up to my dream match expectations. ****1/4 Had Corbin vs. Crews not disappointed, this is on par with Takeover: Respect. As is, this is just a shade below. In other words, SEE THIS IMMEDIATELY.

TLC 2015: The Good Shit Tag Titles – Ladder Match Big E & Kofi Kingston vs. The Usos vs. Lucha Dragons Xavier Woods has standard hair, which is brought up because he says Boston doesn’t deserve a special occasion hairstyle. They say tonight they cement themselves as the faces of the tag division. They did that six months ago when Tyson Kidd’s career ended and Jey Uso was still out. They bury the Usos for Jey getting hurt and the Dragons for being short, saying this isn’t “WWE Junior.” They also bury their face paint and masks because “we are stars.” They do their version of a 5 second pose for the “next Wheaties box cover.” Woods is providing commentary during the match as well. This isn’t the kind of match to analyze move for move or even in terms of psychology. This was obviously a stunt show and that’s not a criticism, but a pure gem. In a time that ladder matches are constantly becoming great examples of the law of diminishing returns, this managed to stand above the rest of the pack, easily the best one since the Money in the Bank 2013 PPV opener. All I can really do in this match is list off all the highlight reel moments off the top of my head in this match, and there was no shortage of them. Sin Cara #2 sacrificing his body by doing a somersault plancha to the outside on a ladder, an Uso eating a dropkick from Kingston while the ladder was in his face and Woods played the trombone, Kalisto hitting a monkey flip 450 splash on a ladder, Kingston being stuck in a Tree of Woe and getting hit with a ladder, this was a nonstop demolition derby of epic proportions. I certainly cannot forget one of the more creative spots in this match, in which both Lucha Dragons were on the primary ladder with E planted underneath, but he BENCH-PRESSED THE LADDER WITH TWO GROWN MEN STANDING ON IT. This caused Sin Cara #2 to fall off the ladder and Kalisto was still on it, a very perilous. Thankfully the Usos caught him when he jumped off, only to eat a Black Hole Slam for his troubles. What an ingenious spot, as it brought something new to the ladder match history while showcasing the strength advantage the New Day had with Big E. Of course, the highlight of them all was truly jaw-dropping both for entertainment and concern for these athletes’ well-beings, as Kalisto hit a Sitdown Shiranui to Jey coming off the top of the ladder… onto a ladder platform. UN. FUCKING. REAL. The pop for this was just out of this world. The finish came shortly after that highlight, as Kalisto was the only one left standing of the six official participants and started to climb the ladder. Woods left the commentary table again and threw his trombone at Kalisto to distract him. This allowed Kingston to yank Kalisto off the ladder, who took a tremendous rotation for his bump, and the New Day retained, bringing this legitimate barn-burner to an end as the audience reveled in it. ****1/4 Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns take turns visualizing how they’ll become IC and WWE Champs tonight respectively, wishing each other luck and ready to celebrate after the show. IC Title Match Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose Owens buries Bostonians for being attached to their sports teams and feeling accomplished when their teams succeed, saying they’re just spectators and nothing more, then compares it to Ambrose for not having done anything of note yet. He of course dismisses that Ambrose beat him just three weeks ago. Ambrose dominates early but gets cut off thanks to an Owens back elbow. Eventually they’d spill to the outside and that’s when this match kicked into gear. Ambrose went for a rebound lariat on the outside, but Owens caught him and executed a Fall Away Slam on the barricade in picture-perfect fashion. After being tossed towards the timekeeper area, they teased a count out near-fall on Ambrose. Ambrose kneed Owens in the back on a Senton attempt, but the champ would tease a comback on an elbow drop attempt by Ambrose, giving him one visit to Suplex City. Ambrose would however avoid a cannonball, allowing him to hit an elbow drop. They teased their finishers with Ambrose hitting the double underhook DDT, and they had a SENSATIONAL false finish as Owens got two fingers on the bottom rope. As Ambrose sold the emotion, Owens went on the attack but Ambrose kept avoiding the pop-up powerbomb, turning the second attempt into a hurricanana pin. Would have preferred an extended reign for Owens to build traction and culminate in a loss to Sami Zayn at AT&T Stadium, but there needed to be a babyface title win on this show. ***1/4 WWE Title – TLC Match Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns Dueling chants early, but not for either of these two. “We want Cena!” “Cena sucks!” That right there is a culmination of John Cena earning the hardcore type of fans’ respect after all these years, as well as the abysmal booking of these two throughout 2015. They started hot and heavy here, having a true slugfest right at the very beginning. In fact, these two heavyweights just clubbed the fuck out of each other and killed themselves to put on the best show possible and compensate for the poor booking. To a degree, it worked. Some of the stunts in here were wince-inducing while simultaneously inspiring, seeing these two give everything they had to be the champion of the company. As far as bumps through plunder that stood out, there would be: Sheamus being toseed into the TLC props entrance area (which could’ve VERY badly for him), Reigns being backdropped and then suplexed through tables, Sheamus giving Reigns a Schwein off steel steps through a table, and Reigns giving Sheamus a Samoan Drop off the apron through a ladder platform, damaging the champion’s right arm in the process. Oh yeah, speaking of bumps and bruises, Sheamus had a gash on his left tricep through almost the entirety of this match, a nice little display of the brutality in this heavyweight fight. I can certainly appreciate the story of Sheamus going above and beyond to brutalize Reigns, as it sells his awareness of what a formidable juggernaut the challenger is. The atmosphere was a bit lacking, which doesn’t keep this match from being the classic it should’ve been. This felt very much like a classic BJ Whitmer plunder gem, but didn’t have the enthusiastic crowd to put it over the top, and again that’s because of the booking. However, the crowd was believing when Reigns hit a Superman Punch to Sheamus on the ladder, causing the champ to fall off and through a table in the ring. It was an electrifying moment, highly creative and perfectly timed to have Boston buying into Reigns getting his coronation at long last. But Rusev and Alberto Del Rio would come to the aid of Sheamus, attacking him. They took Superman Punches to the outside while Sheamus sucked up every bit he could muster to climb the ladder and retain the title, but the juggernaut Reigns got back in the ring. Sheamus then Yakuza kicked the former Tag Champ, then climbed the ladder and pulled down the title to retain, getting a celebration from his fellow League of Nations members on their shoulders. It’s odd that Ambrose and the Usos are missing, although much more for the former based on the conversation he had with Reigns earlier and he hadn’t been put through a brutal ladder match. ***3/4 Reigns is fed up though, so after recovering from the Yakuza kick, he spears Rusev & Alberto while they’re carrying Sheamus, then pummels them all with a chair. The Authority come out as do numerous referees to calm him down, and Triple H is fantastic with his acting, loosening up his tie and some buttons on his shirt to sell the stress. After checking on the champ, HHH approaches Reigns only to get Superman Punched! HHH is being carried out but Reigns continues the assault, then powerbombs the Cerebral Assassin. The table doesn’t break however, so he delivers an elbow drop to make it happen for good measure, triggering “Thank you Roman!” chants. He’s about to leave and then sees the referees bringing HHH, so he runs back and spears him, triggering the chants again! For those who believe this attack was unwarranted, this was a breaking point of everything the Authority had done since April 2014 to him and his friends. Absolutely sensational segment to win the bloodthirsty Boston crowd over, and I was legitimately into it, smiling to see this Reigns project succeed. Raw – December 14, 2015: The Good Shit Roman Reigns has no regrets about last night when talking to Stephanie McMahon. When she labels him a disgrace, he says that’s a more accurate term to describe her entire family. Steph drops the bombshell that her father Vince is on the way. It’s AWESOME to see Philly behind Reigns here after the debacle nine months earlier. Owens once again gives tremendous interviews when Jo Jo finds his backstage. He now wants to drive Ambrose to the point of legit insanity and recapture the IC Title. Vince McMahon shows up during the R-Truth vs. Bo Dallas match, having it thrown out and demanding them to leave ringside. He has Stephanie go back to Connecticut, wanting to handle Roman Reigns on his own. He of course cuts a great promo, saying Reigns is now sweating and demands him to come to ringside after a commercial break. Reigns refuses to apologize, not giving in to Vince’s aggressive demand. Vince gets ahead of himself, preparing to beat an apology out of Reigns, but WWE Champion Sheamus comes out. He wants the honor of forcing Reigns to apologize. Sheamus is so cocky about beating Reigns again, he wants to put the title on the line against him. Philly’s on board, but Vince denies it. Reigns makes a cringeworthy comment about “old, shrived up prunes,” but whatever, the crowd’s stoked that Vince approved the match. If Reigns doesn’t win though, he’s fired. Vince kicks Reigns right in the nuts before leaving. The New Day come out selling the pain from the night before and put over everyone involved, asking the Usos and Lucha Dragons to come out. Both units are skeptical of the trio even with New Day having photo highlights of the classic ladder match. Kalisto in particular brings up that Xavier Woods attacked him with the trombone, resulting in a shitty apology from Woods that nobody buys. Everyone shakes hands since the New Day are insistent that they respect both teams. This attitude got the Philly crowd to chant “New Day rocks!” But as both duo teams leave, the New Day start boasting about still being Tag Champs, including bumping around, so they get their asses kicked and the crowd boos! Tremendous segment to put focus on the tag division and sell the fantastic match they had the night before. This was an excellent bounce-back for New Day, and it’s obvious that their push has helped the entire division. Becky Lynch is unaware that Ric Flair intervened to help her and Charlotte win. WWE Title vs. WWE Career Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns Vince McMahon is sitting at ringside in support of Sheamus. Fucking Irish supremacist. The champ’s pale skin displays the bumps and bruises from their brutalizing TLC match just 24 hours earlier, and it’s a testament to both men that they could pull off a good match like this. Of course, the booking of the past 24 hours played a significant part in this match delivering the moment that everyone was expecting to come much sooner in 2015. They pulled off their usual arsenal and paced it well with the various counters, but what made this stand out was just how much Philly was pulling for Reigns finally. Vince was absolutely tremendous selling the emotions of every near-fall, ever so cocky about Sheamus, ever so panicky about Reigns. If there was one actual wrestling moment that stood out to me, it would be when Reigns was busted open after a headbutt. He did grab his head before the color showed, so hopefully he bladed rather than doing the idiotic, career-shortening hardway bullshit that Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness pulled in this city 8 and a half years earlier. The atmosphere of course kicked up a notch in the third act, which started when Sheamus ate a Superman Punch for certain defeat, only for Vince to drag out the ref and tell him to sit down, then permitting him when Sheamus got the distraction advantage. Vince had a chit-chat with the ref over that, allowing Rusev & Alberto Del Rio to come to ringside. Reigns immediately took the latter out of the equation with a Superman Punch, but ate a kick from Rusev. Rusev tossed Reigns back in the ring and stood on the apron to boast, perhaps sacrifice himself in case the challenger hadn’t taken enough punishment to stay down yet. He got Superman Punched for his troubles and Sheamus was up to attempt a Yakuza kick. Reigns avoid that and gave him a Superman Punched, then gave one to Vince as well at the crowd’s delight! Sheamus took advantage of the distraction and finally hit the Yakuza kick for an excellent near-fall and the crowd is fully behind Reigns. Sheamus goes for it but Reigns scouts it, spearing him and finally reaching his culmination as the crowd genuinely erupts! In a terrific piece of storytelling, Reigns sweeps the fallen Vince off the apron to the outside like a sack of garbage. Seeing that online post-match exclusive, it now becomes clear that despite not seeing it on-screen, Reigns must have asked his friends to not intervene, he wanted to test himself to overcome the odds just like he said to Triple H the month before. It was a very clear parallel seeing Reigns on the Usos’ shoulders in celebration, having overcome the odds on his own, compared the Sheamus accepting every bit of assistance possible in the closing moments of the prior night’s match and then sitting on his partners’ shoulders like he’d done it on his own. Obviously a terrific, historic moment, and a good match elevated by the circumstances, similarly to Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan. This isn’t the best moment of the year due to Brock Lesnar and Undertaker’s brawl, but it’s one that should be remembered for years to come, and of course means even more having taken place in Philly, nine months after the Royal Rumble 2015 mess. ***1/2 The obvious question: can the writers come up with an effective follow-up direction heading into the most important period of the year for Reigns?

ROAD TO TLC 2015 AND NXT TAKEOVER: LONDON Raw – November 23, 2015: The Good Shit The Authority books Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Title in a TLC match to headline TLC 2015. Rusev vs. Reigns is tonight’s main event. I’m not wasting my time and energy, nor yours either, breaking down everything wrong with the creative direction of Reigns chasing the dastardly Authority and their henchmen champion Sheamus. I have full faith in Sheamus and Reigns providing a quality match though, but holy shit the TLC novelty event couldn’t have been replaced at the last-minute with a standard event after all the injuries? Today marks the first anniversary of the New Day. Even their material is flat, as they go way over the top with props to mock and bury country music, going on tangents to get heat from the Nashville crowd. This is a HUGE drop from their SummerSlam 2015 peak. Rusev vs. Roman Reigns - *** Reigns wins by DQ thanks to an attack by Wade Barrett. Reigns gets medieval on Sheamus & Rusev moments later with a chair. The three Europeans had been teaming together regularly, so while I wouldn’t have booked Reigns to fend off all three by himself so early on the road to TLC 2015, at least it’s not a new faction the company is trying to pass off as a force to be reckoned with. Awful, AWFUL episode saved by Rusev and Reigns being workhorses. NXT – November 25, 2015: The Good Shit With NXT GM William Regal still recovering from emergency neck surgery, Michael Cole has been assigned by him in the interim tonight. He informs the Full Sail audience that he received a phone call from “corporate” approving Eva Marie’s challenge to Bayley for the NXT Women’s Title and the match will take place tonight as she requested. Tremendous trolling direction here. Cole oversees the Finn Balor and Samoa Joe contract signing, the former coming out first and venting about what he’ll do to Joe in London. The latter simply arrives, signs contract, leaves, without one bit of eye contact. As Balor is leaving, Joe attacks him from behind and then leaves him laying after a Coquina Clutch. Eva Marie has Tom Phillips interview her in Regal’s office, claiming she’d need a bigger space to train for tonight’s main event and that the GM won’t mind. She says it’s time for a “real woman” to hold the title, then introduces Nia Jax as her ally. The Asuka vs. Dana Brooke rematch is a total ruse, as Brooke talks shit from the ramp and that allows Emma to attack Asuka from behind and leave her laying with an inverted STF. WWE senior official Charles Robinson arrives and will be overseeing tonight’s main event to ensure no controversy per “corporate.” Fantastic trolling. NXT Women’s Title Match Bayley vs. Eva Marie Nia Jax accompanies Eva Marie. Corey Graves is tremendous justifying the possibility of Eva having all the odds stacked in her favor, citing “responsibility to stockholders.” Tremendous little smoke-and-mirrors spectacle. After Eva has some shine, Bayley surprises her with a belly-to-belly suplex and the match is obviously over, but Jax removes the ref before the count of 3. Eva rolls up the distracted Bayley and Robinson comes in to make the count. He also stepped in when Bayley was going for a corner attack. Just fantastic. Eva landed a Shiranui for a near-fall and a second attempt was blocked, as she would inadvertently by shoved into Robinson. Bayley went for a Super Belly to Belly Suplex but was knocked was dragged out by Jax. Bayley retaliated by grabbing both feet to slam her on the apron, then hit the Super Belly to Belly Suplex for the win as the original ref had regained consciousness. Post-match, Jax attacks Bayley and poses with the belt before dropping it on the champ. SmackDown! – November 26, 2015: The Good Shit IC Title Shot – No DQ, No Count Out Match Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze IC Champion Kevin Owens provides commentary to just obviously scout the competition, no ulterior motive. He was ON FIRE in this match with so many tremendous gems, the peak being when asked about his potential opponents bring to the table. He acknowledged Ambrose’s scrappy brawling skill to match his, said he’s proud to have nothing in common with Ziggler, and compared his gorgeousness to that of Breeze’s. Jerry Lawler had him clarify and Owens doubled-down on that statement. The match itself was very good as would be expected between these three workhorses, in the same territory as the Ambrose vs. Ziggler quarterfinal match the week before. Breeze brought some terrific scouting to this one, perhaps having learned from losing to Ambrose in the first round two weeks earlier. On a rebound larat attempt by Ambrose, Breeze grabbed his feet to block it and that allowed ZIggler to strike the former indy sensation, temporarily marginalizing him. This had terrific timing over and over again, with a key point coming when Ziggler hit the Zig-Zag on Ambrose, and Breeze desperately broke it up in the nick of time because that’s actually an established finisher. When Ambrose later went for the rebound lariat again, Breeze ducked it and that allowed Ziggler to eat it, then Breeze shoved Ambrose out to take the near-fall. Breeze would take Ziggler out with the heel kick, leaving himself open to the double-underhook DDT. Ambrose has a staredown with Owens, but the champ walks away. ***1/2 Raw – November 30, 2015: The Good Shit Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze - ***1/4 Divas Champion Charlotte agrees to face her friend Becky Lynch as her dad can be at ringside. Speak of the devil, Ric Flair shows up. Charlotte feigns an ankle injury while Ric distracts the ref so she can roll up Lynch. Backstage after the match, Charlotte says it’s just tough love now that they’re in the big leagues, then they do the pinky swear, albeit Lynch is really disappointed and hurt by her actions and attitude. Sheamus vs. Reigns ends up with Reigns winning by DQ thanks to Rusev attacking him while the WWE Champ got bailed out of the ring by US Champ Alberto Del Rio and Wade Barrett. Sheamus announces the four of them have formed the League of Nations. This doesn’t sound very promising considering how all four had been booked coming into this. I documented already how mishandled Sheamus was when the writers KNEW he was getting the top title at some point. Barrett was a jobber mixing it up with the likes of Stardust and R-Truth. Rusev was damaged, perhaps permanently like Sheamus in 2012, by the saga involving Lana, Dolph Ziggler, and Summer Rae. Alberto was as flat as most Midwestern geography thanks to the absolutely abysmal, utterly pointless Meximerica gimmick with Zeb Coulter. But maybe, just maybe, this formation will be a shot in the arm for all four individuals. Lord knows the company needs it due to depth issues. LON thankfully win their first match together in the main event against Reigns, Dean Ambrose, & The Usos thanks to some New Day assistance. It makes sense for New Day to try doing anything to sabotage the Usos, as they’d already fucked with them and the Lucha Dragons earlier in the night. New Day are getting a bit overexposed, but hey, depth is lacking. I'd have also preferred LON to divide and conquer to win without assistance from anyone else, even if they use dastardly tricks of their own, with New Day attacking the Usos afterwards to pile on. NXT – December 2, 2015: The Good Shit Next week’s main event is confirmed as Finn Balor & Apollo Crews vs. Samoa Joe & Baron Corbin. Tom Phillips interviews the Revival, who aren’t worried about defending the NXT Tag Titles against Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore at Takeover: London, threatening to go after Cassady’s other knee this time. James Storm makes one other appearance that I’d forgotten about in a squash over Adam Rose. To hype up their match tonight, American Alpha interrupt the Vaudevillains interview and vow to eventually become NXT Tag Titles Champs. After Emma wins a squash match, Asuka appears on the Titan Tron and confirms they’ll collide at Takeover: London. Emma is clearly rattled, realizing she may have bitten off more than she can chew. OH FUCK YES~! Nia Jax assaults Bayley during an interview, clearing wanting an NXT Women’s Title shot. Samoa Joe vs. Tommaso Ciampa At the risk of this sounding like a shoehorned homer reference, this somewhat felt similar to me a 2015 Divisional Round playoff game when the Carolina Panthers visited the Seattle Seahawks. CAR had been on a 5 game win streak, while SEA was on a white-hot 6 game regular season win streak and had a Wild Card Round bye thanks largely to a ferociously resurgent defense. The win-loss records made the matchup lopsided on paper, and when factoring the stakes of the game, with it being at CenturyLink Field, and on prime time to boot, there was no way the Panthers were gonna pull the off the upset. So why do I bring up that game and compare it to this match? It’s because while the Seahawks proved to clearly be the superior team en route to hosting the NFC Title game the following week and eventually advancing to Super Bowl XLIX, the Panthers gave an admirable effort, keeping the game far closer than it had should’ve been for a significant period until Kam Chancellor’s pick-six off Cam Newton. That is the story that this match told. Ciampa gave an absolutely admirable effort to topple a buzzsaw that had his sights set on his confirmed NXT Title match. He slugged it with Joe, he went after Joe’s left arm to marginalize much of his moveset, and got the former ROH Champion in a guillotine choke. While in that position he also went for the Kimura lock on Joe’s left arm. But like that fateful pick-six Chancellor got off of Newton, Joe set everything back in place to ensure his victory en route to challenging for the top prize, seating Ciampa on the top rope during the Kimura Lock, and then hitting him with a deadly Enziguri. It was ballgame from there – Uranage Slam, musclebuster, Coquina Clutch, Ciampa taps out, thanks for coming. I’m sure Ciampa was able to raise his asking price on the indies due to this match, and deservedly so. No snowflakes from me, but a very effective match to remind Joe not to look past anybody. SmackDown! – December 3, 2015: The Good Shit Becky Lynch appears to be way too trustworthy of Charlotte after the cheap win she got this week. The New Day vs. The Usos vs. Lucha Dragons in a ladder match for the Tag Titles is confirmed for TLC 2015. Should be an action-packed spectacle. Roman Reigns defeats the League of Nations by count out. I was willing to be open-minded and optimistic that LON would be a shot in the arm for its members. Instead, despite the severe lack of depth, gotta keep making sure Reigns looks strong over everyone else even on free TV. The annual cold period just can’t be avoided by this company I guess. Raw – December 7, 2015: The Good Shit Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler - ***1/4 (Post-match has Dean Ambrose throwing popcorn and soda in the face of Owens. Glad we get this instead of heated interviews and promo wards, this is definitely maximizing this dream feud.) MizTV Guests: Divas Champion Charlotte & Ric Flair Miz manipulates Charlotte into revealing her heel turn, constantly trying to bury him for any hard questions he asks, and then proclaiming she’d love to talk shit to Paige. Of course Paige shows up and they have a brawl after Ric gets slapped, but Paige scurries away since they’re both heels. The smarter move to cement Charlotte’s heel turn would’ve been for Sasha Banks to be getting the title shot at TLC 2015 since it’s in Boston. Banks would be a far more interesting arrogant default babyface as well without doing any damage whatsoever to Becky Lynch being on the side questioning Charlotte’s attitude change. In fact, it could build more heat between Banks and Lynch as well. NXT – December 9, 2015: The Good Shit Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore vow to achieve vengeance and dethrone the Revival for the NXT Tag Titles at Takeover: London. Effective promo with genuine emotion. Emma is confident she’ll pull off the upset against Asuka next week, citing that she’s the one who laid the groundwork for the Divas Revolution on NXT before the Network launched. Emma & Dana Brooke appear as an attempt to cost Asuka her match against Deonna Purrazzo. Instead, Asuka cancels Purrazzo’s plan to take advantage by immediately roundhouse kicking her for a KO victory. Apollo Crews reminds NXT Champion Finn Balor that once they’re finished with Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin next week, he’s coming for the title again. SmackDown! – December 10, 2015 IC Champion Kevin Owens has an attorney represent him to sign the title match contract, but of course he shows up to sucker attack Dean Ambrose, then scurries away when it doesn’t go his way. This attorney segment involving Kevin Steen worked because it was live with very little dialogue from the one-time character, preventing overexposure of terrible acting. In addition, in late 2011, Steen was an unhinged character that wouldn’t seek legal action for anything. In 2015, he’s a manipulative politician that cuts throats to get to the top. Just ask Sami Zayn. There couldn’t have been any more of a contrast in building to the December 2015 supercards. I have no emotional connection whatsoever with TLC 2015 although I’m sure a few of the matches will deliver, while I’m fucking stoked as shit for Takeover: London.