Kadaveri

I didn't like the flaming table spot. It's a fine idea but took so long to set up in practice it took me out of the match. Foley was hanging around in front of that thing for ages, surely he knows the risks of tables by now. But overall there's a lot of fun in this match. Mick's crazy bumping is always entertaining. Edge gave a much better 'hardcore' performance in the Flair ladder match a few months earlier than he does he, but I don't think he was ever actively bad. ***1/2

Our friends from Reddit organised a poll over the last couple of weeks. Can't say I'm a fan of the results, but at least there's some value in seeing how casual smart fans think. It's very Meltzerian, pro-recency (4 of the top 5 are from 2017-18!) and I was most struck by how there's not a single Lucha, Joshi, British or Shoot-Style match anywhere. I thought at least a Manami Toyota match would make it. No Flair vs. Steamboat 2/3 falls either, I thought that match had been canonised but apparently not. Oh and Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens ranking higher than any of the AJPW bouts they're cosplaying is funny. 1) IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada © vs. Kenny Omega - January 4, 2017 2) IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada © vs. Kenny Omega - June 11, 2017 3) NXT Championship: Andrade Almas © vs. Johnny Gargano - January 27, 2018 4) Submission Match: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin - March 23, 1997 5) WWE Championship: AJ Styles © vs. John Cena - January 29, 2017 6) NXT Championship: Adrian Neville © vs. Sami Zayn - December 11, 2014 7) Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - April 5, 2009 8) TNA X-Division Championship: Christopher Daniels © vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe - September 11, 2005 9) IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada © vs. Katsuyori Shibata - April 9, 2017 10) Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - April 3, 2005 11) G1 Climax Bout: Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito - August 13, 2016 12) WWE Championship: John Cena © vs. CM Punk - July 17, 2011 13) NXT Tag Team Championships 2 Out of 3 Falls: The Revival © vs. DIY - November 19, 2016 14) G1 Climax Bout: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega - August 12, 2017 15) G1 Finals: Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito - August 13, 2017 16) WWF Tag Team Championships Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match: The Dudley Boys © vs. Edge/Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz - April 1, 2001 17) IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - January 4, 2016 18) GHC Heavyweight Championship: Mitsuharu Misawa © vs. Kenta Kobashi - March 1,2003 19) Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn - February 27, 2014 20) WWF World Heavyweight Championship: Shawn Michaels © vs. Mankind - September 22, 1996 21) NWA United States Championship I Quit Steel Cage Match: Tully Blanchard © vs. Magnum TA - November 28, 1985 22) WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy Savage © vs. Ricky Steamboat - March 29, 1987 23) World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle © vs. The Undertaker - February 19, 2006 24) WWF Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho - January 21, 2001 25) The Hart Foundation vs. The Legion of Doom/Goldust/Ken Shamrock/Steve Austin - July 6, 1997 26) Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - July 24, 2016 27) Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - April 1, 2016 28) WWE Heavyweight Championship Iron Man Match: Kurt Angle © vs. Brock Lesnar - September 18, 2003 29) PWG World Championship: Chris Hero © vs. Bryan Danielson - September 4, 2009 30) Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship: Mitsuharu Misawa © vs. Toshiaki Kawada - June 3, 1994 31) NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair © vs. Ricky Steamboat - February 20, 1989 32) WWE United Kingdom Championship: Tyler Bate © vs. Pete Dunne - May 20, 2017 33) WWF World Tag Team Championships: The Two Man Power Trip © vs. Chris Benoit/Chris Jericho - May 21, 2001 34) Smackdown Tag Team Championships Hell In A Cell Match: The New Day © vs. The Usos - October 8, 2017 35) IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Kota Ibushi - January 4, 2015 36) Three Stages of Hell Match: Steve Austin vs. Triple H - February 25, 2001 37) IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - June 11, 2017 38) IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. AJ Styles - January 4, 2016 39) World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H © vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels - March 14, 2004 40) Losing Team Must Disband Cage Match: America's Most Wanted vs. Triple X - December 5, 2004 41. AJPW World Tag Team Championships: Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Akira Taue/Toshiaki Kawada - June 9, 1995 42) NXT Women's Championship: Sasha Banks © vs. Becky Lynch - May 20, 2015 43) NXT Tag Team Championships: The Authors Of Pain © vs. DIY vs. The Revival - April 1, 2017 44) IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada © vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - October 14, 2013 45) AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championships: Dan Kroffat/Doug Furnas © vs. Kenta Kobashi/Tsuyoshi Kikuchi - May 25, 1992 46) Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels - March 30, 2003 47) IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Kazuchika Okada - April 7, 2013 48) NXT Championship: Adrian Neville © vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Tyson Kidd - September 11, 2014 49) Streak vs. Career: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - March 28, 2010 50) No Disqualification: Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk - August 18, 2013 51) PWG World Tag Team Championships Ladder Match: The Super Smash Brothers © vs. Future Shock vs. The Young Bucks - July 21, 2012 52) ROH World Championship: Bryan Danielson © vs. KENTA - September 16, 2006 53) WWE Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle © vs. Chris Benoit - January 19, 2003 54) WarGames Match: Sanity vs. The Authors Of Pain/Roderick Strong vs. The Undisputed Era - November 18, 2017 55) NXT Women's Championship: Sasha Banks © vs. Bayley - August 22, 2015 56) Loser Leaves Town Street Fight Tuxedo Coal Miner's Glove Match: Jim Duggan vs. Ted DiBiase - March 22, 1985 57) Ultimate Submission Match: Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle - April 29, 2001 58) G1 Climax Bout: AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki - August 1, 2014 59) Vacant WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship: Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask - April 21, 1983 60) NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair © vs. Sting - March 27, 1988 61) NXT Tag Team Championships: The Revival © vs. DIY - August 20, 2016 62) CM Punk vs. The Undertaker - April 7, 2013 63) NXT Women's Championship: Asuka © vs. Ember Moon - August 19, 2017 64) WCW Cruiserweight Championship vs. Mask Match: Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rey Mysterio - October 26, 1997 65) WWE Intercontinental Championship vs. Career Match: The Miz © vs. Dolph Ziggler - October 9, 2016 66) NXT Women's Championship Ironwoman Match: Bayley © vs. Sasha Banks - October 7, 2015 67) Cage Of Death Match: Team CZW vs. Team ROH - July 15, 2006 68) WWF Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Razor Ramon © vs. Shawn Michaels - March 20, 1994 69) Triple Crown Heavweight Championship: Mitsuharu Misawa © vs. Toshiaki Kawada - January 22, 1999 70) IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Bout: Kenny Omega © vs. Chris Jericho - January 4, 2018 71) PWG World Championship Ladder Match: Kevin Steen © vs. El Generico - October 22, 2011 72) Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa - June 8, 1990 73) G1 Climax Bout: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito - July 17, 2017 74) Ted Petty Invitational Quarterfinals: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mike Quackenbush - September 30, 2006 75) WWE United States Championship: John Cena © vs. Cesaro - July 6, 2015 76) The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family - February 23, 2014 77) WWF Intercontinental Championship: Mr. Perfect © vs. Bret Hart - August 26, 1991 78) Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe - June 11,2005 79) IWGP Tag Team Championships: Hiroshi Hase/Kensuke Sasaki © vs. The Steiner Brothers - March 21, 1991 80) NWA World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match: Harley Race © vs. Ric Flair - November 24, 1983 81) WWF World Heavyweight Championship: Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior - April 1, 1990 82) Dragon Kid/Genki Horiguchi/Ryo Saito vs. CIMA/Masato Yoshino/Naruki Doi - 83) PWG World Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks © vs. The World's Cutest Tag Team - July 26, 2014 84) John Cena vs. Kevin Owens - May 31, 2015 85) Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship: Mitsuharu Misawa © vs. Toshiaki Kawada - May 1, 1998 86) Mitsuharu Misawa/Kenta Kobashi/Toshiaki Kawada vs. Akira Taue/Jumbo Tsuruta/Masanobu Fuchi - October 19, 1990 87) Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit - October 4, 1999 88) Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock - March 17, 2002 89) Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome - June 12, 2005 90) World Heavyweight Championship: Edge © vs. The Undertaker - March 30, 2008 91) IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii - July 2, 2017 92) Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart - March 20, 1994 93) WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg © vs. Diamond Dallas Page - October 25, 1998 94) Steel Cage Match: Brodie Lee vs. Claudio Castagnoli - September 7, 2008 95) ROH World Championship Ladder War: Kevin Steen © vs. El Generico - December 16, 2012 96) Loser Leaves Town: Chris Hero vs. Eddie Kingston - April 4, 2007 97) #1 Contendership Guerilla Warfare Match: Drake Younger vs. Sami Callihan - March 22, 2013 98) WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Brock Lesnar © vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins - January 25, 2015 99) Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin - May 2, 2005 100) Bobby Fish vs. Bryan Danielson - July 23, 2010

This rumour is all over the internet but it just comes from Disco Inferno misinterpreting a corporate promotion Road Dogg got on his podcast. Road Dogg's been in charge of Smackdown creative since January 2016 and Ryan Ward's been there since the Brand Split. There's been no recent change.

This is for the WWE Championship, which Edge won from John Cena the week before by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase at New Years Revolution. Brutal match. Both guys take some big bumps, which is crazy considering Ric Flair's 57 years old and in his first ever ladder match. Lots of drama too. Everyone knows full well going into this match that there's no way Flair is winning the title, but boy do they make you almost believe when he tips Edge's ladder over sending him flying through a table to the outside, and then Ric starts climbing it himself with crowd on their feet cheering him up it! ****1/4

I can't see Asuka's streak lasting till the end of 2018. They've been pushing her as 'undefeated' with increasing emphasis every week lately, which makes me think she's losing sooner rather than later (maybe Mania).

There's also Alundra Blayze vs. Bertha Faye in 1995 just before Vince fired the entire women's division.

Shook when I saw Jackie is 54 years old.

Joe was still doing the Muscle Buster 18 months after the Tyson Kidd injury, including once off a steel cage on Finn Balor. With Shawn though, WWE has always specifically pushed him as being the GOAT in-ring performer, whereas with HHH or Cena it's more of kayfabe 'greatest ever' accolade. Like you often hear them nowadays calling AJ Styles 'today's Shawn Michaels' and stuff to get over how exciting he is to watch, they never use HHH/Cena to make that point.

It's not just that. Sasha actually lands hip first on the apron and catches her feet in the ropes to double break her fall so by the time her hands hit the floor she's barely even falling. Superbly executed.

My favourite TV match so far this year that didn't have Roman Reigns in it. Sasha is full of aggression and cockiness early on playing on her earlier promo that she's not intimidated by Asuka. This leads to a lovely set of exchanges leading to Sasha getting Asuka into an armbar from the armdrag. Good chemistry already and this is the first time these two have wrestled. It's a strange dynamic with two babyfaces both working heelish taunting each other but it works. Sasha's really trying to fight Asuka at her own game to try show she isn't all that, starts a striking exchange by slapping her across the face and mocks her poses. Of course that didn't end well for her coz she's not the fighter Asuka is. That's the story of the match. Realising that was a bit dumb Sasha goes back to her more normal tactic of trying to reverse things into a rollup or the bank statement like she did when overpowered in the Charlotte matches. Sasha goes for a suicide dive but ASUKA KICKS HER IN THE HEAD IN MID-AIR and Sasha crashes to the floor. One of sickest bumps I've seen in ages that looked devastating the first time but then you go watch it again in slow-motion and it's actually pretty safe and clever. The crowd was a bit burned out up to this but that really woke them up. Asuka unloads a load of stiff looking knees and kicks. Michael Cole says this is best she's looked on Raw and I'm inclined to agree. Strong finishing stretch with Asuka countering the bank statement into her crossface chickenwing and Sasha taps. ****

I'm sure I read somewhere that he could be 'Chris Hero' in WWE if he wanted but he chose Kassius Ohno.

Could you elaborate on this, what is the difference?

I've just finished watching it for the second time. This is the best NXT match ever and Johnny Gargano is one of the best sellers I have ever seen in wrestling. He manages to look totally destroyed just from facial expressions yet at no point does it feel hammy, just pitch perfect. The structure of this match is so excellent, it feels fairly conventional in the opening but then takes you on so many twists you really don't know what's gonna happen next. When's the last time a WWE match had so many believable nearfalls, and yet the match never feels like it's peaked too early? The multiple acts of interference from Zelina Vega really added to the match by adding more insurmountable odds Johnny is having to overcome, and Candice kicking her ass was a great resolution to it that delighted the crowd. You really feel how totally invested they are in the outcome of the match and they're totally behind Johnny, and not in a "I hope the booker made him win" way. *****

But Batista had to leave months before Summerslam because of his Guardians of the Galaxy commitments, so how could that have been the plan?

I think what happened with Bryan is they did always intend to get him back into the title scene, but after Mania. Batista vs. Orton was the Mania title match. Victator's right that Bryan was way too central to the show to relegate him to the midcard long-term; but if him winning it at Mania was always the plan that would mean they sabotaged the Royal Rumble PPV and potentially the whole Wrestlemania build for the sake of a long-term angle. Seems like far too big a risk to take considering how important that Mania was (debut of the Network).

I'll be watching the women's Rumble with Japanese commentary.

Steve Austin vs. Spike Dudley - Smackdown June 14th 2001. Spike is a good sympathetic babyface here totally outmatched against a vicious Austin. Braun Strowman vs. James Ellsworth - Raw July 25th 2016. A squash match that launched not one but TWO runs has to be considered, plus it's just really funny.

Raw did its biggest rating in 3 years, 4.5 million viewers. What a weird decision to not do an angle on this episode. No reason for any of those extra viewers to watch next week at all.

Has NXT produced any male talent that was trained and developed in house? Enzo Amore is probably the best example.

All the charities are getting money really though so it's not that bad, the one who 'wins' just gets a bonus amount.

Remember when Cena had to put Alberto over clean in 2015 and half-assed it? Every time he's in the news I'm less critical.

This might be the best match I've ever seen where one of the participants is so limited as Sting is here. Flair gives an incredibly generous performance bumping around all over the place to get Sting over, flying over the ring ropes and over the judges table at one point. There's great psychology throughout with how Sting is physically dominating Flair right from the very start with the test of strength. Flair only ever regains momentum because he takes advantage of Sting getting a bit carried away sometimes, it's a veteran occasionally outsmarting a stronger young opponent to just about keep himself in the game. The flaw in this match is the middle section does get a bit repetitive as they're killing time, but for a 45 minute match this still flies by. The last 10 minutes are some of the most exciting wrestling I've ever seen.

The article on Nikki Bella is really shitty. She didn't leave because "the real women’s wrestlers got there". She left because she broke her neck, after wrestling with a broken neck for two months so she could put Charlotte Flair over on two PPVs in matches she carried. It'd be considered a heroic display of passion for wrestling if some indie dude did that.

On the Roman steroids issue, isn't this gonna date from before June 2016 when he served a suspension anyway? So I don't think it's gonna matter if he can claim he's been clean since then.