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http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-last-cast-19-wwe-payback-predictions/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-last-cast-19-wwe-payback-predictions/#comments Thu, 14 May 2015 02:58:44 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty CH Podcast Reviews http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11735 The Last ‘Cast Episode 19 – WWE Payback Predictions Mark Adam Haggerty and Gary Mastriano are back with another half hour of power, this week discussing the upcoming Payback pay-per-view, and speculating on what might go down at Elimination Chamber later this month. As of this recording SEVEN matches have been announced, but it's fair […]
The Last ‘Cast Episode 19 – WWE Payback Predictions
Mark Adam Haggerty and Gary Mastriano are back with another half hour of power, this week discussing the upcoming Payback pay-per-view, and speculating on what might go down at Elimination Chamber later this month. As of this recording SEVEN matches have been announced, but it's fair to assume we'll also be given a Diva's bout of some kind.
The Payback Kick-Off
Macho Mandow & Axelmania vs. The Ascension
King Barrett vs. Adrian Neville
Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
WWE Tag Team Championship – 2/3 Falls Match
Kidd & Cesaro vs. The New Day (c)
Ryback vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE United States Championship – "I Quit" Mach
John Cena (c) vs. Rusev
WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Fatal Four-way
Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Now that you've heard our predictions, get ready for our reactions! Join us for our full-length flagship show on Sunday Night, when we'll be joined by the award-winning Milan Martin, the immensely talented Dave Sloyan, and the "Wrestling Broad" Brianne Marie. You can also read Mark's latest "Educated Guess," where he goes into greater detail in terms of what to expect at Payback.
Our Theme Song today was Shane McMahon’s Entrance Theme by Jim Johnston, which you can buy on iTunes for only $1.29!
Follow Mark and Gary throughout Social Media with these EASY LINKS!
Mark Adam Haggerty on Twitter
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http://www.cheap-heat.com/highlight-of-the-night-top-5-moments-from-raw-51115/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/highlight-of-the-night-top-5-moments-from-raw-51115/#comments Thu, 14 May 2015 00:21:35 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Reviews http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11727 What's CRACK-A-LACKIN', it's your boy Mark and I'm back in action! It's May 11th, 2015 and Monday Night Raw just off the air here in the United States. Another decent broadcast from the "Revolutionary Force in Sports Entertainment." This evening's program took place in Cincinnati, Ohio and featured some above average in-ring entertainment from a […]
What's CRACK-A-LACKIN', it's your boy Mark and I'm back in action! It's May 11th, 2015 and Monday Night Raw just off the air here in the United States. Another decent broadcast from the "Revolutionary Force in Sports Entertainment." This evening's program took place in Cincinnati, Ohio and featured some above average in-ring entertainment from a company that doesn't seem to value that sort of thing these days. For the first time since I can remember, we've got actual wrestling matches taking center stage here at the "Highlight of the Night"—my name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and here are your Top Moments from Monday Night Raw.
5. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
The main event this week was yet another meeting between the 12-time world champion and the
CURRENT
WWE World Heavyweight Champion; Randy Orton and Seth Rollins went to war at Wrestlemania and put on what is—in retrospect—being called the "Match of the Night." Their subsequent meeting at Extreme Rules inside the steel cage was far less memorable, but featured the most prestigious prize in the WWE Universe. Tonight's match is more of the same featuring two of the best performers in the WWE. It's hard to get emotionally invested in the main events on Monday Night Raw, because they almost always include some kind of absurd hijinks with a disgustingly dusty finish. Tonight wasn't much different, and did little more than afford all combatants for the world title this Sunday the chance to go out in a visible manner during the final moments of Raw. I actually had to look up who won this match, because I was so checked out by this point I didn't even realize Raw had ended and NCIS was starting up. Not much to say about this match other than it was well-worked, but didn't offer any of the added accoutrement that I'd expect from entertainers at the level of Randy Orton and Seth Rollins.
4. Cesaro vs. Big E
These two potential world champions have each been a part of some of the most exciting contests we've seen in the last two months. The battles between The New Day and Masters of the WWE Universe have been revolutionary for the nearly-deceased WWE tag division. Unlike most ongoing storylines, their matches haven't yet dulled with time, and tonight was just another display of how talented these individual Superstars are. In addition to mixing it up in tag team competition, all five members of the New Day and the Masters' are well versed in singles combat. Tonight it's time for the resident power houses to prove their worth on behalf of their team mates; Big E tries as he might, but is ultimately bested by the Swiss Superman, and one half of the duo that hopes to reclaim their titles this Sunday.
3. "Daddy's Home"
This episode of Monday Night Raw opened just the same as any other—with a long, drawn out monologue. The only thing that ever seems to breathe life into said-monologue is the inclusion of new faces from time to time. Last week we got a showdown involving the New Day, and this week is the return of Triple H. "Daddy's home," he told the WWE Universe, the moment he took control of the microphone. The Authority immediately started to come unglued, now that their fearless leader was back; Kane sought to dismantle Seth Rollins, but Triple H warned the "Big Red Machine" that if he can't handle his job, then he'll find someone who will. Didn't Kane give his two week's notice three weeks ago? The best part of this entire opening segment was the repartee between Jamie Noble and Triple H. The five-foot-eight-inch Noble got up in the Game's face, and asked, "Don't you know who this is? Seth Rollins is the man around here!" He demanded that Triple H show
HIS
both Seth Rollins respect, to which Triple H responded with a couple of height jokes. Vintage Triple H—disregard all valid points and make fun of the way someone looks. This was a fun way to start the show, and lucky for those of us watching it, it didn't last too long at all.
2. Bryan Vacates the Title
Daniel Bryan is always wearing flannel button down shirts, sadly, because he's always relinquishing titles. It's now eerily close to a year removed from the last time Daniel Bryan vacated a championship, and once again the "B+ Player" is forced to drop his title. Bryan won the intercontinental championship in a hard-fought ladder match that opened Wrestlemania 31. After less than a handful of title defenses, Daniel Bryan received some jarring news from the doctor; he told the audience in Cincinnati that he might not ever be able to wrestle again. It's hard to feel too terrible for a Superstar that has made zero attempts to curtail his own style since returning from surgery. It's a very sad situation, but as it is in any case, the show must go on. I truly hope to see Daniel Bryan wrestle again, but would far prefer he lives a long and healthy life if the alternative is unforeseeable.
1. John Cena vs. Adrian Neville
For the second week in a row John Cena is taking top honors with the #1 "Highlight of the Night." Cena has made waves across the industry since stepping down a tier to the U.S. title level, and has helped to grow a fledgling midcard in the process. Since starting his "U.S. Open Challenge," John Cena has faced a variety of wrestlers including Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Kane and Sami Zayn. This week John went one-on-one with the "New Sensation" of the WWE, the "Man that Gravity Forgot," Adrian Neville. What an incredible match from bell to bell. I sent out a tweet in the middle of the match saying: "This is pretty good for a WWE match." I followed up just moments later with: "Okay this is just a good match." John Cena has proved time and again that he has what it takes to steal the show with absolutely anyone. This Open Challenge has done wonders for midlevel talent, but has also helped reinforce what will one day become John Cena's legacy. In 20 years, we'll most certainly reminisce about the feud with Edge, the matches against Umaga, Batista, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton—but it's his time as U.S. Champion that we'll hold above all else. It's similar to the Macho Man's run as the Intercontinental Champion; sure, Randy Savage was a celebrated world champion, but it was his work between the ropes for the secondary strap that earned him his most storied reputation. I love seeing John Cena wrestle NXT performers, and I look forward to many more matches with names such as Finn Balor or Kevin Owens. Adrian Neville was no slouch in this match, but who do you have to sell on the merits of Neville? He's not called "The New Sensation" for no reason. While it was clear John Cena would leave with the title, there was no telling how this contest would end. Rusev inevitably saved Cena from defeat when he interrupted, immediately following a "Red Arrow" that—dare I say—had John Cena beat.
This was an adequate episode of Monday Night Raw. I wasn't crazy about it in the way some Internet Wrestling pundits were, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Some weeks I struggle to find five different things to list, while other times it's tough to whittle the bunch down. This week there were exactly five moments worth mentioning, which is kind of sad for a three hour broadcast. This weekend is Payback on the WWE Network—yet another FREE Pay-Per-View, just two weeks away from Elimination Chamber, and four weeks from Money in the Bank. By the time Raw went off the air, we had but two matches announced. Will there be more, or is this going to be another "December to Dismember?" We'll find out on Smackdown I suppose. Until then, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty. Follow me in social media on Twitter @TapeTraderz and on Facebook at the "B+ Players."
http://www.cheap-heat.com/highlight-of-the-night-top-5-moments-from-raw-51115/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/total-nonstop-analysis-5815/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/total-nonstop-analysis-5815/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 21:11:31 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Destination America TNA TNA Impact wrestling WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11706 Welcome back one and all to another exciting edition of Total Nonstop Analysis available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and I’m breaking down this week’s episode of TNA Impact on Destination America. This very special “live” episode was actually filmed about two hours before the event began on television, but there […]
Welcome back one and all to another exciting edition of Total Nonstop Analysis available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and I’m breaking down this week’s episode of TNA Impact on Destination America. This very special “live” episode was actually filmed about two hours before the event began on television, but there were still an enormity of surprises and special guests to make this installment of Impact truly “must see TV.” The main event of the evening would be a TNA world heavyweight championship title bout wherein a returning former champion would serve as special referee. Who was that very special returning champion? Let’s find out.
I review almost every professional wrestling program available in the United States, and dare I say my weekly TNA column is among the most detailed. This week I am coming to you on a Sunday afternoon—almost 48 hours removed from the show—smack dab in the middle of two podcasts that I erroneously scheduled for the same day. So full disclaimer: If you’re looking forward to my 5000 word recaps, then this edition of Total Nonstop Analysis might come up a little short. I will be going into every aspect of the show, just without the usual assortment of direct quotes and dry wit. Not that any of you care for my sense of humor anyway, so I’ll spare you any further editorial.
The show begins with Eric Young, who demands to know who the special guest referee is going to be. He says that he’s been the number one contender to Kurt Angle’s world heavyweight title for the past five weeks, and he’s earned the right to know who the special guest is going to be. That’s when Eric got his answer, in the form of a TNA Hall of Famer—BULLY RAY! The last time mainstream American fans had the chance to see Bully on television, was at this years Royal Rumble when he entered at number three and proceeded to eliminate both R Truth and the former WWE Champion the Miz. Bully is wearing his trademark leather vest tonight, over a striped referee shirt. The audience didn’t seem to know whose music was playing, but once they got a glimpse of the record-setting tag team champion, the crowd went crazy.
The first match of the evening pits Mr. Ken Anderson against Ethan Carter III in a bout that was decided upon by the TNA fans. Ethan Carter has been “running for champion” since first announcing his bid two weeks ago on Destination America, to which Mr. Anderson has taken mild offense. The fans had the chance to vote for either a “Falls Count Anywhere” match or an arm wrestling competition. Carter of course preferring the latter, was mortified to discover his supporters voted for the former, and far more dangerous option. Mr. Anderson went after Tyrus first so as to even the odds, and proceeded to reign supreme over the kayfabe third generation Carter. Ethan was no slouch from bell to bell however, and provided his own share of unique offense both inside and out of the ring. Mr. Anderson, a former world champion himself, hit Ethan with his patented Green Bay Plunge across a pile of steel chairs, and delivered a second, square in the center of the ring. That’s when Tyrus returned; he hit Mr. Anderson with a T-Bone suplex that sent him from turnbuckle to turnbuckle. The monstrous body guard-turned-brawler followed up with an Asiatic Spike, giving Ethan Carter the 1-2-3 victory over his greatest adversary on his race to the top of TNA.
Kurt Angle and Bully Ray are chatting backstage about the main event match that Bully will be officiating. Kurt asks Bully if he is going to call the match down the middle, to which Bully responds: “Do you know who I am?” Next up is another backstage segment, this time featuring the TNA Knockouts. Gail Kim and Awesome Kong are set to get on the same page for the first time in history to take on Taryn Terrell and the Doll House. Gail asks Kong if she’s in, and receives but an ominous stare before the gargantuan Awesome Kong proceeded down the hallway.
The next portion of the show is perhaps one of the most controversial segments in TNA, since switching stations earlier this year. It didn’t involve any blood shed or overt sexuality, but a specific word that isn’t uttered all too often on wrestling TV shows, save for once by Booker T by accident, and then 10 years later by Vince McMahon on purpose. Of course I’m talking about the “N-Word.” There’s been talk that Billy Corgan wants to make TNA the “All in the Family” of professional wrestling, by incorporating real life situations involving “transgender issues” and “race relations.” As the first broadcast since Billy began working with TNA, it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that this could be the first step in that direction. Is it the right direction to go? I promised to leave my editorials at the door this week, so I’ve got nothing to say on the matter. MVP said that while people have been stealing championships in professional wrestling for years, when the BDC does it they are referred to as “thugs.” He says that the BDC takes what they want, similar to how the US government takes oil from foreign governments, and went on to assure the audience that “thug” is just another word for—well, you get it. An interesting direction to take the product without question.
The Rising shows up, as they prepare for Drew Galloway’s encounter with MVP. Galloway promises that the Rising had nothing to do with what happened to Homicide, and suggest MVP should check out his own team before he looks elsewhere. Galloway points the finger at Kenny King, but MVP is quick to defend the Beat Down Clan. I don’t understand how anyone can cheer the Rising after MVP went off on a very uncomfortable tirade about racism. This match is all Montel Vontavious Porter from the get-go, thanks to an all out gang war between members of the rising and the BDC. Galloway was walking tall towards the end of the non-sanctioned street fight, but come the opening bell was unprepared for MVP. The leader of the Beat Down Clan maintained a considerable edge throughout the entire match, with Galloway achieving little offense throughout. MVP is truly an immense talent that oftentimes goes overlooked, for whatever the reason may be. He possesses a unique combination of psychology and ring awareness which makes him a deadly force when booked in one-on-one action. The incredible one sided nature of this bout made it easy to predict an outcome; Drew Galloway got the pinfall over MVP with the “Future Shock” DDT. Following the bell however, Eric Young made a surprise appearance and attacked Drew Galloway with the steel chair. Kenny King and Low-Ki joined the fight, and MVP followed suit.
There’s a quick backstage segment featuring James Storm, looking kind of like Adam Rose, carrying a large gift covered in white and gold wrapping paper. After the commercial, the “Cowboy” is en route to the ring where he proceeds to explain what’s inside the box. He invites Mickey to the ring, and presents her with a custom black and purple guitar to celebrate Mickey’s music career. The fans in attendance seem to love the interaction between James Storm and Mickey James, which begs the question as to how many are aware of what’s going on with Mickey’s husband Nick, a.k.a. Magnus? In fact, the fans booed Magnus when he arrived in the arena, and Storm even told him not to “ruin the party.” Storm has a gift for Magnus as well; his old gladiator helmet that he wore when he first arrived in TNA. James Storm is hilarious: “It was a good gimmick, I liked it.” The fans began to chant “put it on” along with Storm, further establishing Mickey’s husband as the bad guy in this situation. That was until James Storm went one step too far. He presented a final gift for Mickey and Nick’s son Donovan, saying, “You can give it to him when he sleeps at night.” Nick shocked everyone in attendance returned the ring and smashed the custom guitar over James Storm’s skull.
MVP is backstage, asking Eric Young why he attacked the Rising on behalf of the Beat Down Clan. Eric Young is concerned about the numbers game with Bully Ray playing the part of special guest referee in his world title match. Young is hoping to rekindle his former alliance with the Beat Down Clan, and promises that his TNA world heavyweight title will be the BDC’s title when he wins it.
Next is without question the most uncomfortable segment of the night—and yes, I remember MVP saying the “N-Word.” This was worse. Worse as in bad. But I’ll bite my tongue and present the facts as they are: Gail Kim is married to celebrity chef Robert Irvine. For the first time since I can remember, TNA is acknowledging their relationship, by formulating a storyline involving both of Irvine’s daughters. Gail is at an event featuring her husband and is dismayed to see Taryn Terrell on hand, snapping photos with Gail’s step-daughters. This mind blowing altercation leads directly into their showdown tonight on Impact.
The match kicks off with Gail Kim versus Jade, with the first ever TNA Knockout Champion gaining a considerable advantage. Awesome Kong soon tags into the action, and appears to have problems working alongside Gail Kim. But their differences are soon squashed, as are their opponents. Taryn Terrell is the wildcard of her team, helping to keep her subordinate stable mates in the fight when their sloppy workmanship threatens to rip the Dollhouse apart. After a number of impressive maneuvers by both the rookie and veteran Knockouts, The Dollhouse walked away with the win. Gail Kim prepared to deliver “Eat Defeat” to Marti Bell, but was rolled up in a school girl by Taryn Terrell. This rivalry appears far from over, and the Dollhouse will undoubtedly remain in power until Taryn Terrell drops her championship.
Matt Hardy arrives in the Impact Zone, where he must relinquish the TNA tag team championship belts. Matt’s brother Jeff was involved in an unfortunate motocross accident just over two weeks ago, making the Hardy Boyz the second team in less than a month to drop the straps. Matt appears almost bitter, annoyed over the fact once again, the older brother is responsible for cleaning up the mess made by his younger sibling. This isn’t the first time a Jeff Hardy injury has hindered the Hardy’s, and V1 seems to know that. Matt vacates the ring, leaving it to Austin Aries and Bobby Roode, who claim their right to carry the tag team gold. Davey Richards—one half of the American Wolves—is next to appear, laying claim to that same right. It would seem that Davy Richards was without a partner in this handicap situation, but lo and behold Eddie Edwards arrived in the Impact Zone, ready to reengage in tag team combat. These two teams will go head to head over the course of several weeks in a “Best of Five” series to determine the new tag team champions.
We got a quick reunion between “Beautiful People” when Angelina Love came face-to-face with Velvet Sky for the first time since Velvet was released following “Feast or Fired.” It came as no shock to anyone when Velvet returned, being that her longtime boyfriend Bully Ray made his much anticipated return about an hour and a half earlier in the show. Velvet showed up dressed in a denim vest, much more befitting the Bully Rey character. After some words were had, Velvet Speared Angelina Love and started choking her with her own hair until the two women were ultimately separated.
For what seems to be the tenth time or more, Kurt Angle is headlining TNA Impact. I suppose if TNA’s intention is to be as different as the WWE as possible, then the Olympic gold-medal list is doing a fine job of being the Anti-Brock Lesnar.” The special guest referee Bully Ray was the first to be announced and was, at least to me, the most interesting part of this match. Kurt Angle has had a number of great matches with Eric Young in recent weeks, including a “Stretcher” match that far and away exceeded my own expectations. Other companies catch guff for booking the same main event every month, but TNA is booking the same main event every week! I thought that this was a fantastic show up until this point; we get a ton of BDC interference throughout and after the same back-and-forth we’ve become accustomed to, The Rising and Chris Melendez appear to fend off the Beat Down Clan. Eric Young has victory within his sites with a crippling piledriver, but Kurt Angle kicks out and hooks the evil EY in his patented Ankle Lock. Eric Young had no choice but to submit—your winner and STILL champion, Kurt Angle.
As previously stated, this show was fantastic until the final segment and subsequent match. I’m sick of the same people wrestling for the TNA world title, and the same interference from the same warring factions at the same time every week. And before anyone starts saying, “Well WWE is worse”—YOU’RE RIGHT! You’re 100% right, but WWE was the shitty wrestling company first. Since day one, TNA Wrestling has claimed to be DIFFERENT than the WWE. So different in fact, that they now open their show with monologues and close with fifty-fifty booking featuring flippant finishes. So different that they hire every developmental defect, including Camacho, with the added claim that they’re much better than they ever had the chance to do. WWE recently went on record and said they are not interested in any former TNA talent. Perhaps the best way for TNA to separate themselves from the competition, is to make the same decree and stick to their homegrown stars. They’ve been doing a fine job lately, but after an hour and forty minutes of fresh faces, I don’t want to watch 45-year old Kurt Angle. That’s like if NXT ended with a Triple H match every week. And I’ll leave you on that. Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep checking out my work here at Cheap-Heat and at Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter vis @TapeTraderz; and listen to new episodes of my weekly podcasts available every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/total-nonstop-analysis-5815/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 20:47:30 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews John Cena Professional Wrestling Smackdown Stephanie McMahon TNA TNA Impact Triple H Vince McMahon Wrestlemania Wrestlemania 31 WWE Wwe Smackdown WWE Wrestlemania http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11685 How's it going wrestling fans? IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT'S GOING! Just kidding of course. I haven't earned the right to berate my audience like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has. Speaking of the Rock, it's Thursday, which means it's time for the 16-year old tradition named in his honor. Of course I'm talking about the […]
How's it going wrestling fans? IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT'S GOING! Just kidding of course. I haven't earned the right to berate my audience like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has. Speaking of the Rock, it's Thursday, which means it's time for the 16-year old tradition named in his honor. Of course I'm talking about the show that began on UPN, can currently be seen on SyFy, and will appear on the USA Network in 2016—it's SMACKDOWN! My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and while you don't care who I am, you'll be happy to know that I'm with you each and every week for a quick take on the Thursday Night Delight. When you don't have time to tune in, you can count on me to tell you WHAT'S COOKIN' and WHAT DOESN'T MATTER!
The show began with Jerry "The King" Lawler standing inside the ring, awaiting the entrance of the newly crowned King of the Ring, Bad News Barrett. Once Barrett appeared, he immediately began to battle the King in a "War of Worlds." Barrett said that HE was the only King in the WWE, and that Jerry Lawler is nothing more than a "commoner." He even went so far as to say: "Forgive me if I'm wrong Jerry, but the trailer parks of Memphis don't have any castles, do they?" He insists that Jerry say the same four words, that all of the fans will be forced to say: "All Hail King Barrett." Dolph Ziggler shows up for his match against Bad News Barrett, and takes exception to the way he speaks to Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler. Their match is quickly underway, and features the same sort of WWE Big Guy vs. Little Guy spots; Dolph Ziggler goes up high, but Barrett cuts him off low, and so on until Bad News Barrett is in firm control. The contest continues until the "Celtic Warrior" Sheamus interjects, attacking Dolph Ziggler and costing Barrett the bout by disqualification. Sheamus is seeking retribution for the stitches he suffered at the hands of Ziggler at the King of the Ring last week. Bad News Barrett is less concerned with the loss—because why would any WWE Superstar give a shit about wins and losses—and proceeds to put the boots to Ziggler alongside Sheamus. Just then, the "Man That Gravity Forgot" showed up to even the odds against the imposing combination of current and former Kings of the Ring. Neville brought the fight to Barrett, dishing out the onslaught right into a commercial break. Was this COOKIN'? Find out in the NEXT segment.
When the action resumed, all four competitors were still around the ring, preparing for an impromptu tag team match up. Neville and Ziggler would seek to depose the diabolical duo of Bad News Barrett and Sheamus. This was a continuation of the first segment, but brought with it a whole new feel thanks to the aerial mechanics of Adrian Neville and the relentless brutality of the former WWE champion, Sheamus. Although the smaller-statured team had their share of difficulty battling back from the brink of defeat, it was the unlikely Irish and English allies that were ultimately slain thanks to the underdog forces of Ziggler and Neville. Neville's "Red Arrow" didn't come into play, but he certainly had his chance to soar through the clouds and onto his unsuspecting opponents on the outside, which gave Dolph Ziggler the leverage he needed to finalize things with the Zig Zag. Dolph earned the 1-2-3 for a hard-fought victory after two matches with Bad News Barrett. I really like it when Raw or Smackdown begin with a MATCH, and it never seems to happen anymore. The best we can ever hope for, is a short monologue about the opening match. And that's what we got here, and included therein were some hilarious bits from Barrett. Might we see a future feud between the King of the Ring and the King of the Announce Desk? Dare I say—at Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas, Texas? I expect a JAM-PACKED CARD, with all the bells and whistles. What better place to give Jerry Lawler his REAL Wrestlemania Moment? This segment and the preceding match were both highly enjoyable, they kicked Smackdown off in a positive way, and they were without a doubt COOKIN'!
The night begins to slow down with Lana in the ring who's receiving an insanely positive reaction. I'm not a fan of the Lana face turn, and I know most other critics aren't keen on it either. So who are these idiots in the crowd showering her with adulation when they should be feeding her heat? It's very strange. Tonight's show emanated from Ottawa, a city in Ontario just over the American border, that doesn't get as many live events as the New York or Chicago markets. The crowd was hot all night, which could have attributed to the overall positive feel of the program. Once Lana was at her peak of babyface support, Rusev made his arrival and ordered her to leave the ring, much the same as Marvelous Marc Mero back before the Attitude Era. Rusev then proceeded to deliver an impassioned speech about how he's stronger than John Cena, paying special attention not to mention America while wrestling in Canada. He spliced sentences together incorporating both English dialogue and what I perceived to be Russian, although Rusev is of course Bulgarian. At the end of the night, this segment really DOESN'T MATTER, because it was just Rusev talking and Lana walking, the latter was far more interesting than the former.
Fandango has become one of those performers who nobody ever expects to win, at least in my eyes. His music hits and while people still dance and do the "Fandango," there's never any question as to who's going to win. The answer is almost always: "Not Fandango." Which is a shame! This is the guy who beat Chris Jericho in his WWE debut, wrestling on the grandest stage of them all—WRESTLEMANIA—at Met Life Stadium in the shadow of New York City. And now his music hits and people think: "Well, no matter who he's wrestling—his opponent is going to win." Tonight was no different, when Fandango went up against one of the most peculiar entities in WWE in recent years, Luke Harper. Harper made quick work of Fandango within just a matter of moments. Do you know how I know this match was really short? I stepped onto my balcony to feed my house plants while Harper's entrance music was playing, and when I came back inside, his music was playing again. Following the match was a strange turn of events between former partners, when Erick Rowan appeared and seemed as though he had his sights set on Harper. He walked down to ringside with his sheep mask, and shocked the audience by attacking Fandango. Neither man said a word, and Erick Rowan returned from whence he came, leaving Harper alone in the ring, bewildered as he stared into the eyes of the plastic sheep mask.
The tag team championship hunt has fast become one of the most entertaining aspects of the WWE since Kidd and Cesaro captured the titles before Wrestlemania. Since then, the New Day have won the belts, and are still mixing it up with the former tag team champions. Tonight is a six-man tag team match, pitting all three members of the New Day against Kidd and Cesaro, as well as a mystery partner of their choosing. Smackdown is weird because there are never any surprises, unless you're inside the arena. But even then, you know nothing substantial is happening at a Tuesday night TV taping. I had no idea who Kidd and Cesaro would choose, though in hindsight their decision to pick RYBACK rather predictable. This wasn't in any way the classic confrontation that their earlier matches have been, partially due to the inclusion of Ryback, but also as all three members of the New Day are forced to work simultaneously, without Xavier on the outside as a manager. There were some insane spots in this match, including a number of aerial innovations, and a DDT from the barricade by Cesaro. When the end came, the New Day won it just as they have before—with Kofi Kingston grabbing a handful of tights for the one, two, three. It was COOKIN'!
Naomi and Tamina were next, and lead off with a searing promo aimed at whomever may have "Forgotten" various nuances of either woman's repertoire. This was a standard effort by Naomi against Emma. Naomi is an above average professional wrestler by WWE Diva standards, while Emma is still learning. I think it better serves Naomi to spend time with more seasoned Divas at this stage, so that when Emma is ready to sit at the learning tree, Naomi has knowledge to pass along. Naomi won the match, and following the bell, Tamina clocked Emma in the jaw with an absolutely beautiful Super Kick. It was interesting, was it entertaining? Eh—I didn't LOVE it. In the interest of never copping out and giving you one of two responses, I'm afraid I'd have to say this segment and match therein just DIDN'T MATTER!
I'll tell you right now that this match between the Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores didn't matter. At all. The Mexican Team wrestled the Puerto Rican team that pretends to be a Mexican team. This was a clash of styles that proceeded to make the Matadores look like a joke. Granted, they are a joke team that wanders around with a miniature bull, I'm just not keen on how the WWE feels the only way to build new Superstars is at the detriment of pre-established performers. The Lucha Dragons won and Los Matadores took out their frustrations on El Torito. It DOESN'T MATTER!
Tonight's main event was a contract signing, unlike any other we've seen before. First off, rather than the standard two men at a table, this was a four person set-up, featuring Kane presiding over the entire ordeal. Second, Seth Rollins refused to participate! Once the Lunatic Fringe, the Viper, and the uh—Roman Reigns, were seated inside the ring, Seth Rollins emerged from the backstage area with J&J Security in tow. He informed the audience that as champion, he reserves the right to have the Director of Operations sign his contracts for him. Kane says that might be true—in theory. Earlier in the evening, Seth Rollins called Kane "irrelevant," which the "Big Red Machine" brought to light when explaining to Seth why he WASN'T going to sign his contact for him. Seth eventually made his way to ringside, but did so with a plan; he used his close relationships with Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and even Randy Orton to his advantage, in an attempt to turn the three against one another before he even entered the ring. The challengers didn't buy in to his trickery, and soon Seth was standing in the center of the squared circle, surrounding by the three number one contenders, and J&J Security. While tensions heat, Dean Ambrose slowly began to assemble a table in the corner of the ring. Nobody realized what he was doing as he sought to start the war right then and there. He grabbed the microphone and said, "Look, we all know how this is going to turn out. I call the table." With that, he tossed Joey Mercury toward the table, but it didn't break. All four Payback participants were engaged in battle inside the ring, along with Noble and Mercury, as well as the Operations Director Kane. This was an interesting way to end Smackdown; we've seen contract signings in the past, but this was different and well worth a watch if you've already made it this far into the show. I'm going to certify the main event as COOKIN'!
This was a fantastic week for World Wrestling Entertainment in terms of cable television programming. NXT is always on point, and the �Network shows offer something for everybody, but Monday Night Raw and Thursday Night Smackdown have a tendency to UNDER deliver. This week's episode of Raw received unanimous praise, minus some polarizing viewpoints on the Sami Zayn appearance, and Smackdown continued to produce quality in-ring entertainment. Until next time, keep checking out Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News for all of my latest work; follow me through social media via TapeTraderz and on Facebook at “The B+ Players” ; and be sure to catch my tri-weekly podcasts available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com!
http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/viva-la-lucha-libre-5615/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/viva-la-lucha-libre-5615/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 20:31:42 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Indy/Puro/Lucha Other Reviews Reviews AAA Alberto El Patron CMLL ECW Hernandez Hispanic International Wrestling Johnny Mundo Konnan Lucha Libre Lucha Underground Mexican Mexican Wrestling Mexico nWo Prince Puma Professional Wrestling Rey Mysterio ROH Si Si Si Spanish TNA WCW WWE WWF http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11678 What's happening everybody? Mark Adam Haggerty back again with some Lucha Libre action courtesy of AAA, Mark Burnett and the El Rey Network. May 5th is a holiday observed in Mexico the United States known as Cinco De Mayo, celebrating the Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. […]
What's happening everybody? Mark Adam Haggerty back again with some Lucha Libre action courtesy of AAA, Mark Burnett and the El Rey Network. May 5th is a holiday observed in Mexico the United States known as Cinco De Mayo, celebrating the Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. This week's episode of Lucha Underground took place one day removed from the annual festivities, and featured a number of subtle clues as to the future of the performers inside the Boyle Heights Temple. What were the most exciting moments of the night, and who walked out of TV with their hands held night? Let's kick things off with this, the 26th edition of "Viva La Lucha Libre."
This week's episode opens much the same as previous installments, inside the darkened office of Dario Cueto. Dario is at his desk, assembling what looks to be some kind of bracket for an upcoming event. In fact, Dario looks like he's putting together a ransom note, which given the vibe of Lucha Underground, isn't the craziest thing he could be doing. Dario is soon joined by two former WWE Superstars-turned-Temple Warriors—Johnny Mundo and the AAA Mega Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patron. They argue over who is the rightful number one contender to Prince Puma's Lucha Underground Championship. Dario tells both men that they are probably the best in the business, and they will each get their opportunities in due time. Johnny Mundo says that they can all agree that both he and Patron are better suited to challenge for the LU title than "Fernandez." Dario Cueto corrects him: "Hernandez is the number one contender." Dario draws two slips of paper from his current project, one reading Johnny's name and the other con el nombre de Alberto. Dario says that Alberto El Patron will battle Johnny Mundo, and the winner will wrestle Hernandez in a NEW number one contender's match. The two tecnicos stared one another down, as Dario looked on with an evil smirk: "I'm really looking forward to finding out who's the best."
We are back inside the boisterous Lucha Underground Temple! Boyle Heights is a cool little neighborhood—one of hundreds that make up the overall metropolis that is Los Angeles. I use to live in Downtown LA, which is just a quick drive up the street from the Temple itself. Now I'm down in Long Beach, planning to move to Las Vegas so I can cover Global Force Wrestling full time. But you don't want to hear about me, you want to hear about Lucha Underground! Sergio Mendoza is the musical performer once more, or Sergio Mendoz y La Orkesta, to be exact. When this show debuted, I wasn't sure how to take Vampiro and his whole "Canadian Cholo" routine, but I have to say he has been a phenomenal addition to Lucha Underground. While there are certainly production meetings and scripts to follow, nobody is in Vamiro's ear when he's calling a match. And he doesn't pretend to be an expert; on more than one occasion, Vampiro has admittedly defaulted to Matt Striker for technical analysis when he was just overwhelmed by the action. He's the perfect multi-faceted bridge between a litany of different fans, including residents of the WWE Universe, Lucha Libre aficionados, and even Old Schools WCW fans.
The opening bout of tonight's card is already set to begin—a tag team match between members of the Trios Champions and the Crew—with all four participants in and around the ring. Ivelisse is sitting this one out, still on crutches from the events that would eventually lead her to the Trios Championship two weeks ago. Bael is also on the shelf this week, but in his team's corner, pacing behind Mr. Cisco and Castro Cortez. Son of Havoc starts things off against Castro, and quickly brings his partner Angelico into the action against Mr. Cisco. The Crew gains the advantage over their opponents, as Angelico and Son of Havoc are still anything but friends. Ivelisse screams from ringside, "Oh my god! Do I have to do everything around here?" Angelico turns things around with a series of spinning knees against both Castro and Cisco, and attempts his "Fall of the Angels" crucifix power bomb, but to no avail. The Crew was back in command, but Havoc and Angelico were resilient; Angelico flew over the top rope onto his opponents on the outside, while Ivelisse put the kicks to her adversaries behind the officials back. The crowd began to chant "We Want Havoc," as Angelico was on the receiving end of a gang beating by the Crew. Son of Havoc blind tagged his partner, essentially saving him from further torture, and set to work taking on the most dominant faction in Lucha Underground. However, the numbers would eventually prove to be too much for the masked superstar, especially with Angelico still reeling on the outside. Cortez Castro plucked Son of Havoc in the eye, temporarily blinding him, and putting him in the direct trajectory of the "Psycho Realm," a Codebreaker-Flapjack combination by the relentless Crew. Mr. Cisco and Cortez Castro get the win this week over the Trios Tag Team Champions.
Dario Cueto is enjoying a cool beverage in his office with an unknown free agent. He tells him that it "takes real huevos to come back to the Temple after being called out by a man like Texano." The man he's speaking to is none other than Shawn Daivari, formerly of TNA and WWE fame, who appears far more fascinated with his smart phone than he is with the owner of Lucha Underground. It's unclear what this character is all about. He spends countless seconds texting, completely ignoring Dario's comments, until the promotor is forced to be honest: "I'm surprised you want to compete in my temple. I know who you are, you're a very wealthy man. Your family owns half the real estate in Boyle Heights and half the neighborhoods in LA. Why put your body on the line?"Daivari finally looks up from his phone and tells Dario, "You like to watch violence—I like to inflict it."
The next scene is incredibly interesting, as I don't think anyone's been sure about what to think of Konnan since this show began. He claims to have Prince Puma's best interest at heart, but quite often plays the heel side of his character to a more prominent degree. But last week, Konnan held Drago's hand high after Puma defeated Drago in the main event. And this week, Konnan comes at his longtime friend Hernandez with some substantial accusations. "Hernandez," Konnan began, "I don't think it was cool the way you got involved in Puma's match last week." Hernandez was immediately defensive, "Oh you mean the way I saved his title?" Puma was ready to strike the moment he and Konnan came around the lockers, but the "Artist Formerly Known as K-Dawg" was trying to play peace-keeper as best he could. "Tranquilo," he told Puma, almost as if he was saying, "I know how you feel, but why are you going to fight someone in the locker room? Use your head." Konnan told him that they go back a long time, and from where he was sitting—it looked like Hernandez was trying to cost Puma the title. "I don't want to think—," Konnan began. Hernandez cut him off in an instant, "You don't want to think. Cause if I want that belt, I'll make damn sure it's him I beat for it." Konnan told Puma to relax once more, in the same tone, although this time with less restraint behind his left arm. "Now that is something I would like to see." From the shadows, emerged Dario Cueto, "Hernandez, there's been a slight change of plans. In order to be the number one contender, you'll have to beat the winner of Alberto El Patron and Johnny Mundo." Hernandez asked if the Lucha promotor was joking, to which he said no, and informed all three men that Hernandez and Puma would be involved in a tag team contest against King Cuerno and Cage. "If anyone can get you two on the same page," Dario said, turning to Konnan, "It's you."
Melissa Santos is in the squared-circle, under a spotlight when she informs the �Faithful' that the following Lucha is scheduled for one fall. "Currently in the ring, from Beverly Hills…" Huh? Who could this be? Shawn Daivari, otherwise known to the Boyle Heights fans as "Delavar Daivari." For those that might be curious as to where the new stage name comes from, it's interesting to note that there are a number of locales in modern day Iran with Delavar preceding the rest of the city name. I'm not going to go into more than that, because if I do, I won't finish watching Lucha Underground, I'll spend all day on Wikipedia learning about Iran. Big Ryck use to smoke cigars on the way to the ring, and Daivari appears to be sipping a cocktail. While I'm sure he's actually enjoying an iced tea, I wonder if Big Ryck's cigar was actually a vaporizer enclosed in tobacco leafs? Daivari is set to meet Texano Jr. For those that might not remember, Texano was part of a final team in the Trios Tournament, but was distracted and subsequently eliminated, after run-in with a gentleman seated in the front row. Well, that gentleman was the mouthpiece for the Great Khali, he managed Kurt Angle, and even held the TNA X-Division Championship. Texano doesn't wait for his introduction and runs from the backstage area into the ring where he meets Daivari head-on. Within moments, Texano is in possession of his trademark bullwhip and beating Daivari within an inch of his life. Delavar gets loose after smashing a microphone over the skull of Texano and escapes into the dressing room. The crowd went wild for Texano; it seems that this consummate rudo might be gaining a babyface following now that he's making a name for himself in the �States.
The next match is the tag team bout featuring yet another set of uneasy partners, in Hernandez and the Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma. Their opponents are King Cuerno and Cage, who were partners with Texano during the aforementioned Trios tournament. The team of Puma and Hernandez arrive to the musical sounds of the champion's entrance theme, which appears to bother the incumbent number one contender. Konnan pleads with both men to get along, and within seconds, this match is underway with Hernandez against Cage. There are no real villains in Lucha Underground—save for the Crew, or Dario Cueto himself—and competitors like Cage and Cuerno are afforded the same respectful response from the Temple as the more heroic characters. The �Faithful' fans are not dissimilar to those found down at NXT, or PWG, or even the old ECW, in that they are there on a regular basis and appreciate the ingenuity of the performers they come to see.
The two power house members of either team went at each other with considerable momentum, with Hernandez coming out on top. He extended his hand in an always unwilling, and sarcastic manner to tag his "partner" Prince Puma. Puma took the fight to Cage, with a much more aerial-based offense than the 40+ year old Hernandez. King Cuerno turned things around for his team after a well-placed set of knees caught Puma's standing Shooting Star Press in the breadbasket. Props to Gorilla Monsoon for that colloquialism. Puma continued to be at the mercy of King Cuerno, and ultimately the monstrous Brian Cage. Cage surprised everybody when he hit the Lucha Underground champion with a 619, prompting Matt Striker to say: "Usually someone else answers from that area code." He followed suit with a delayed Jackhammer for a near pinfall over the champion. Cuerno tagged in, giving Puma the split second he needed to tag Hernandez. The veteran demolished King Cuerno and sent Cage flying out of the ring. Puma kicked Cage off the apron, and Hernandez threw Puma down and onto his tag team partner. The big man then hit the ropes and flew over the top, landing on his opponents on the outside. Puma attempted to continue the trend and hit a high-flying assault of his own, but was unable to do so when Hernandez was standing in the way, strutting his stuff. The duo continued to have trouble inside the ring, but their differences actually turned them into a formidable two-man fighting force. King Cuerno was able to get the upper hand on Puma once more and went for his signature suicide dive on Hernandez, but Hernandez pushed Puma in the way. After recovering, Puma questioned Hernandez, to which Hernandez responded with a boot to the face, followed by a crucifix power bomb against the crux of the apron. Konnan had seen enough, and chased Hernandez out of the arena with his wrought iron cane. Cage and Cuerno picked up the victory in a huge upset over the Lucha Underground champion and the number one contender.
The main event this evening is a qualifying match for the number one contender's match against Hernandez next week on Lucha Underground. Alberto El Patron is the first to arrive and receives an uproarious ovation from the Faithful inside the Lucha Underground Temple. He carries with him the AAA Mega Heavyweight Championship, which to me COMPLETELY overshadows the pointless Lucha Underground title, but whatever. His opponent is Johnny Mundo, who doesn't get the EXACT same fanfare, but is very well received, even prompting the fans to chant: "Mundo, Mundo, Mundo, Mundo Mundo."
We head into commercial and once we get back, senior official Marty Elias is calling for the bell and this bout is underway. Johnny and Alberto meet one another in the center of the ring with a classic tie-up, that then turns to a battle for early supremacy in this exceptionally important match. Alberto is the first to earn a considerable advantage over Johnny, hitting him with massive shots to the head and a mean streak that hasn't arisen thus far on the El Rey Network. Vampiro says that he "really likes that Alberto is fighting dirty," alluding to the stiff repartee between combatants. Johnny soon finds his way back to the top of the action with a springboard back kick to El Patron's jaw. He hooked the AAA champion in a sleeper hold, but the Faithful at ringside kept chanting: "El Patron." Alberto threw Johnny to the outside and followed behind with a suicide dive that shoved both competitors into the hard back wall of the Temple. They each struggled to return to the ring before a count out, and proceeded to trade shots, until the former WWE champion landed the former Intercontinental champion with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Johnny fought valiantly, hitting several twists and turns from the top rope, but it would all prove futile when the veteran Patron landed on Johnny following a Super Kick for the win. Following the contest, both men showed signs of mutual respect and admiration for the other, perhaps stemming from Johnny's earlier comments that "they both deserve to be champion more than Hernandez." Alberto El Patron will go on to wrestle Hernandez next week, and the winner will face Prince Puma for the Lucha Underground Championship thereafter.
Before this week's show comes to a close, we're transported to a blackened room with a coffin in the center. Catrina speaks cryptically, and tells somebody named "Pasqual Mendoza" to rise as Mil Muertes. The coffin door raises, the same coffin that Mil was buried in following Grave Consequences with Fenix, and Muertes' eyes open—revealing glistening whites and piercing black pupils.
We are just thirteen episodes away from the season finale, and with no deal in place to continue into 2016, it's currently unclear what lies ahead for the men and women of Lucha Underground. This was another spectacular show—well worth the $200K+ price tag—from the undecided leader in professional wrestling production and cinematics. Until next time, keep checking out Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News for all of my latest work; follow me through social media via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook at “The B+ Players”; and be sure to catch my tri-weekly podcasts available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com!
http://www.cheap-heat.com/viva-la-lucha-libre-5615/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-mvp-of-nxt-5615/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-mvp-of-nxt-5615/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 20:15:13 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Reviews WWE Network Reviews Finn Balor Hideo Itami Kevin Owens NJPW NXT NXT Superstars Professional Wrestling ROH TNA Tyler Breeze wrestling WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11671 The MVP of NXT Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Wednesday has become the number one night for professional wrestling; NXT has gone head-to-head with Lucha Underground since the latter debuted at the tail-end of the summer. Twenty-six weeks later and neither show has lost momentum, in fact, they’ve only gotten better! Not since the Monday […]
The MVP of NXT
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
Wednesday has become the number one night for professional wrestling; NXT has gone head-to-head with Lucha Underground since the latter debuted at the tail-end of the summer. Twenty-six weeks later and neither show has lost momentum, in fact, they’ve only gotten better! Not since the Monday Night Wars have we had two top-notch sports entertainment programs to choose from, and thanks to DVR, we don’t have to. This week’s episode of NXT was another home run that carefully set the stage for what’s to come at Takeover on May 20th. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, with you on a weekly basis to present—”The MVP of NXT.”
Kevin Owens is not the "MVP of NXT" for the first time in over two weeks. He was thoroughly entertaining during his interview with Michael Cole, but I wouldn't feel right awarding him the honor for the third week in a row, especially if he didn’t have a match. I already did that last week. So who, pray tell, did I consider the number one performer on this week’s episode? There were quite a few contenders including Uhaa Nation who didn’t do anything aside from sign a contract, and he still made an intense impact. But rather than the newest face on the roster, I decided to go with one of the NXT veterans. A man who has challenged for the NXT championship on multiple occasions, and on May 20th will enter a triple threat wherein he hopes to become number one contender again. Of course I’m referring to the one and only “Prince Pretty,” Tyler Breeze.
Tyler has been a staple of NXT since the debut of the WWE Network in February 2014 and has been featured as a prominent part of every subsequent Takeover special. I would dare say Tyler Breeze may be the most talented member of the developmental roster that wasn’t already established on the independent circuit beforehand. Tyler was trained by the record-setting Lance Storm, who at one time held three different championships while part of WCW. It would certainly seem that Tyler has picked up quite a few interesting nuances from the “Perfect Storm,” which make for an interesting dynamic when paired against the Japanese “Strong-Style” employed by Hideo Itami and Finn Balor. While Tyler definitely deserves recognition for his previous contributions to the overall product, I have decided to declare him the "MVP of NXT" because of his actions on tonight’s broadcast.
Tyler went one on one with Hideo Itami, as a preview for their upcoming triple threat with Finn Balor at Takeover. The match was exciting from start to finish with both men gaining the upper hand on the other, and Tyler coming within mere inches of victory. An ill-timed running offensive maneuver from Hideo to Finn Balor, who was seated at ringside, and the former
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was unwittingly involved in the action. Hideo eventually conquered the cocky “King of Cuteville,” earning the 1-2-3 and the psychological advantage over Breeze going into their next encounter. After the match however, Breeze was afforded a moment to gain retribution, when he Super Kicked Finn Balor square in the jaw, and delivered a debilitating "Beauty Shot" to Hideo Itami. He might have lost the battle, but Tyler Breeze has his sights set on winning the war.
The question now relates to where Tyler goes from here. Of course the short answer is: "Takeover, to see who will become the number one contender." But does Breeze really stand any chance against the lights of Hideo Itami AKA KENTA and Finn Balor AKA Prince Devitt? One has to wonder who will be wearing the NXT strap at the end of May 20th, and this humble wrestling pundit is quick to predict Kevin Owens to retain. I think Sami Zayn is a bit fragile at the moment, and might require time off to recuperate from various nagging injuries. If there's going to be a heel title holder, can we really expect Tyler Breeze to challenge for his championship? Perhaps Kevin Owens is enough of a "character babyface" to contend with the tremendously bold Tyler Breeze. That remains to be seen, but I look forward to the day that Tyler Breeze is able to retrieve the title from all of the "uggos" and return it to "Cuteville" where it belongs.
Thank you for stopping by for another edition of “The MVP of NXT.” Remember to keep checking out Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News for all of my latest work; follow me through social media via TapeTraderz and on Facebook at “The B+ Players” ; and be sure to catch my tri-weekly podcasts available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com!
http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-mvp-of-nxt-5615/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/puroresu-perspective-njpw-hinokuni-42915/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/puroresu-perspective-njpw-hinokuni-42915/#comments Wed, 06 May 2015 21:45:31 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11602 Puroresu Perspective NJPW Hinokuni 4/29/15 written by Mark Adam Haggerty How’s it going pro wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty back at you with a very special puroresu review featuring New Japan Pro Wrestling's Hinokuni event. American audiences have embraced NJPW in recent months, thanks to the new series on AXS, as well as the English […]
Puroresu Perspective
NJPW Hinokuni 4/29/15
written by Mark Adam Haggerty
How’s it going pro wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty back at you with a very special puroresu review featuring New Japan Pro Wrestling's Hinokuni event. American audiences have embraced NJPW in recent months, thanks to the new series on AXS, as well as the English broadcast of Wrestle Kingdom this past January. New Japan introduced a streaming service not unlike the WWE Network for around the same price called “New Japan World” earlier this year, making it easier than ever for American fans of Japanese wrestling to get their strong-style fix. April 29th was the Hinokuni show, featuring the stars of NJPW in some highly competitive contests. Let’s kick things off with the opening multi man match up.
Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu & Jay White vs. Gedo & RappongiВ Vice
The first team to be introduced is the babyface trio comprised of White, Komatsu, and Tanaka, Who head into the arena to a mild ovation from the local audience. Their opponents make their entrance to Rappongi Vice’s hip hop theme, performed by Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta. The heroes push one another as they argue who is going to start this match against the dastardly junior heavyweight tag team champions and the current head booker for NJPW. Things begin with Trent Beretta one-on-one against Sho Tanaka, and it’s not long before Beretta is tossed back toward his corner. Rocky Romero enters the fight, and he too is unprepared to head into battle against Tanaka. Rocky scurries back to his corner where he seeks Gedo's help; Gedo tags into the match and the crowd goes wild. Gedo has more luck than his partners, and draws Komatsu into his teams’ corner where they proceed to triple team the 26-year old, 2-year rookie. The wrestling match degenerated into an exchange of rights and lefts between Gedo and Komatsu; the latter was finally able to reach his partners in the corner, and tagged Jay White. Gedo also left the ring, opting out in favor of introducing Trent Beretta. White and Beretta proceeded to keep the momentum up, with White gaining an early upper hand and earning the advantage for his team. All three members of the babyface trio—Tanaka, Komatsu, and White—had their opponents grounded with "tri-dentical" Boston Crabs, save for Rocky Romero who was the victim of a vicious half-crab. Things continued at a fast pace until the villainous Rappongi Vice could counteract the heroes' momentum with a great deal of double-team maneuvers. Jay White tried to take the fight to his opponents, but Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta proved to be too much, winning the match with a two-man Spike Koriyama Piledriver.
Winner: Gedo & Rappongi Vice
Rating: 3 Stars
Yujiro Takahashi & Cody Hall vs. Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan
The Bullet Club anthem echoed across the arena—Yujiro Takahashi and Cody Hall will be the first members of the Bullet Club to make their appearance tonight. Cody Hall looks amazing, and has already achieved a firm grasp on what it means to perform in Japan. Their opponents are the consummate "Enhancement" stars Satoshi Kojima and Captain New Japan. Things never look good for Captain New Japan, that is, unless he's up against Captain NOAH. I've always loved Kojima; perhaps its because I associate his name with Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. Things begin with the wily Takahashi for the Bullet Club against the veteran Kojima. They begin by traded a number of stiff elbows to the face, and a slew of stunts to prove who is the stronger competitor. Kojima of course wins this test of strength, and tags Captain New Japan who uses his "Super Powers" to stop Takahashi. Cody Hall won't stand for that however, and interjects himself immediately, earning the advantage for the Bullet Club. Takahashi bludgeoned Captain New Japan to a variety of near falls, before finally tagging the big man, Cody Hall. After maintaining the edge for a few moments, Cody Hall lost control and Satoshi Kojima was back in the action, taking command of the New Japan newcomer. Cody Hall stands six-feet-eight-inches, but Kojima has no trouble going toe-to-toe with the super heavyweight. Hall hits an impressive discus lariat for another near fall. Kojima and Takahashi battle; Yujiro is a phenomenal athlete, but has been forced to play the comic relief to the more menacing Cody Hall. Captain New Japan hits Takahashi with an STO for a 2-and-three quarters count, and seeks to seal the deal with a flying head butt. Takahashi rolled out of the way and gouged the eyes of Satoshi Kojima. Yujiro landed an impressive brain buster on Captain New Japan followed by his signature "Tokyo Pimps" sit-out power slam for the win.
Winner: Takahashi & Hall
Rating: 3 Stars
KUSHIDA, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Mascara Dorada, Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata
We are on to the second-of-four trios matches this evening. The "Time Splitter" himself, KUSHIDA, leads the team of Manabu Nakanishi and "Funky Weapon" Ryusuke Taguchi to the ring. They're a somewhat mismatched threesome comprised of the fun-loving Funky, the cool and collected KUSHIDA, and the bad ass Nakanishi. Their opponents are a team of world-famous professional wrestlers in Mascara Dorada, Tiger Mask and Yuji Nagata. Tiger Mask kicks things off against KUSHIDA in a battle of two highly respected puroresu stars. Tiger Mask has the experience advantage, but KUSHIDA is perhaps a more mainstream attraction in 2015. Tiger tags Mascara Dorada, the Mexican Luchador who's made his home in the "Land of the Rising Sun." Funky Weapon is next to enter the match, and quickly falls prey to the dazzling dynamics of Dorada. They fight on the outside of the ring, but Mascara is quick to return his opponent to the squared-circle—the only place where victory might be achieved. He put Funky Weapon in a surfboard, and Tiger Mask and Nagata entered the ring so as to keep KUSHIDA and Nakanishi from breaking up the submission. Nagata is next to tag in, followed Manabu Nakanishi. Manabu slaughters Nagata with hard chops in the corner, but Nagata turns it around and returns with a set of right hands. The two Irish whip one another to opposing corners and back again, until Yuji Nagata's educated feet prove to be too much for Nakanishi. Nagata spends too much time showboating, and Nakanishi hits him with a Spear. Everyone looks great in this match, but I'd be hesitant to call anyone the MVP aside from Manabu Nakanishi. Not only does he dish out the most punishment to the opposing team, but he takes their offensive with utter fluidity. KUSHIDA was now on the receiving end of a three man attack; a sit-out powerbomb by Tiger Mask, followed by a Senton bomb by Mascara Dorada. All six men were now involved, and the match came down to KUSHIDA and Mascara Dorada. KUSHIDA came off the ropes and rolled his opponent up with a bridge, earning the 1-2-3 and victory for his team.
Winner: Kushida, Nakanishi & Taguchi
Rating: 3.5 Stars
NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship
Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Steve Anthony (c)
The first singles match of the evening is for the National Wrestling Alliance Junior Heavyweight Championship. Jushin Thunder Liger is the first to appear, followed by the always entertaining President of the NWA, Bruce Tharpe. Tharpe is wearing a glittery jacket of aqua marina and purple, with a set of bedazzled grape-colored sports spectacles to match. He berates the audience in Japanese and introduces Steve Anthony, the current reigning NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion. Bruce Tharpe carries with him a Liger mask on a mannequin head, stuck on the end of a stick—signifying his intention to end the legacy of Jushin Thunder Liger. By this point, Gedo and Satoshi Kojima are both on commentary, ready to watch this exciting event. The crowd is cheering the sound that signals the start of the bout and we are underway with a contest comprised of mat-wrestling and heavy on psychology. Right from the start, Liger is in command and stretching the young Anthony with a litany of rolling submission holds. He keeps the edge by never letting go of Anthony, a trick that's learned over years of experience and thousands of matches. This style of hold-based wrestling is becoming increasingly popular in the United States thanks to wrestlers like Drew Gulak and Timothy Thatcher, but it was Jushin Liger and others of his ilk that brought chain wrestling to a world-wide audience. Liger has the experience, and technical advantage, but Steve Anthony most certainly possesses an edge in terms of power. He taunts Liger, as if to say, "I'm young and strong, and you can't hurt me." Liger has no problem taking up the challenge, and proceeds to dictate the pace over the egotistical Anthony. Liger is 50-years old and still hits the roll off of the apron the way he did in 1984. Tharpe demands that the official disqualify Liger for jumping on Anthony on the outside, but the referee ignore the brash American manager in favor of allowing the competition to continue. Liger and Anthony are back in the ring and the former WCW star is moments away from winning the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship. Just then, Bruce Tharpe drags him from the ring which gives Anthony the opening he needs to defeat Jushin Thunder Liger. He assaulted him on the outside by throwing him into the barricade and kicking him in the face, and continued the carnage in the ring, allowing for Bruce Tharpe to get his cheap shots in the process. The end came for Liger following a ref bump which presented Tharpe the opportunity to hand Anthony his title belt, and hit Liger with a low blow. Tharpe quickly vacated the ring and Steve Anthony clocked Jushin Thunder Liger square in the forehead with the belt. Anthony lifted Liger on his shoulders for a spinning neck breaker similar to Marc Mero's TKO or Brock Lesnar's F5. Anthony will take his junior heavyweight title back to America following a match that would have rated higher, had it not been for the interference.
Winner: Steve Anthony
Rating: 3.75 Stars
NWA World Championship
Big Daddy Yum Yum vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (c)
The next match is another National Wrestling Alliance title contest, this time for the world heavyweight championship. Bruce Tharpe is back—only moments later—now wearing a sequined American Flag jacket with light-up sunglasses. Side note: I imagine an all-American boy like Bruce Tharpe is in HEEL HEAVEN when shopping for a wardrobe in Japan. There is no shortage of clothing with an inordinate amount of technology sewn in. Tharpe is representing Big Daddy Yum Yum—a former developmental talent from Louisiana—who is challenging Hiroyoshi Tenzan, for the highly coveted NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This NWA title belt is the same belt worn by Ric Flair and Harley Race; the belt that represented TNA for a number of years; and the belt that Bruce Tharpe would very much like to bring back to America. Things are underway and Yum Yum is immediately having trouble contending with the far superior Tenzan. But takes him to the limit when the fight falls to the outside. Yum Yum is incredibly impressive for a virtual unknown with a stupid fucking name. Failing out of the WWE's developmental system has seemed to work for Ethan Carter III, and judging by the work he's doing in Japan, I'd suggest Yum Yum is having the same sort of success. He drops Tenzan down across the barricade, and uses the elements of the ringside area to his advantage. He works on the safer side of being disqualified, but doesn't hesitate to push Tenzan's pain threshold, by incorporating more of an "extreme" offense than previous bouts this evening. Tenzan is more successful back in the ring, but Big Daddy Yum Yum continues to manhandle the champion with relative ease. Yum Yum landed a picture-perfect springboard moonsault into a charismatic pin for the near fall and the crowd went wild. Tenzan fought back and climbed the ropes to finish the match and Bruce Tharpe became involved once more. Tenzan fought him off and hit Big Daddy Yum Yum with a flying head butt that was incredibly anticlimactic. I'd say he didn't hit him at all, but he no-sold the impact, so I'd assume he did. Hiroyoshi Tenzan was now in firm control of the Geijin challenger, and won the match via submission with an "Anaconda Max"—Anaconda Vice/Cobra Clutch combination.
Winner: Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows & Kenny Omega vs. Tomoaki Honma, Tetsuya Naito & Alex Shelley
The third of four trios bouts this evening pits the main event members of the Bullet Club against three of the most decorated wrestlers in puroresu. The first participants introduced are Tomoaki Honma, Tetsuya Naito and one half of the Time Splitters, Alex Shelley. The Bullet Club is usually first to arrive, but tonight Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega make their opponents wait as they strut to the ring in the usual fashion. I love that Doc Gallows paints his face, and he gets into the same sort of verbal scraps with Karl Anderson on pay per view that he does on their weekly podcast, "Talkin' Shop." Gallows begins the match against Honma, and right away, the babyfaces are in control. Honma tags Naito and Gallows powers Naito into his team's corner where he tags his partner "The Machine Gun" Karl Anderson. Naito and Anderson have a good back and forth allowing for Naito to gain the upper hand and introduce Alex Shelley. Kenny Omega was next, and taunted the "Time Splitter" by mimicking his signature hand motions, and mocking the Japanese audience. Honma and Gallows battled on the outside with Omega and Anderson running roughshod over Shelley. The bout goes back and forth with both teams earning the advantage until the Bullet Club sought to finish things once and for all. They used their comradery to their advantage over their opponents—comprised primarily of singles competitors—and succeeded in winning the match when the numbers became too much for Tomoaki Honma. He was segregated in the corner and suffered a direct kick to the face courtesy of the "Machine Gun." Omega followed suit with a full body attack, and Big LG finished things with a big splash of his own. The Bullet Club hit Honma with a three-person combination, and Karl Anderson won the match after a number of power moves and pin attempts. The Bullet Club is 2-0 this evening, with one more match before a perfect streak can be declared.
Winner: Anderson, Gallows, & Omega
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga vs. Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi
Kazuchika Okada is one of my favorite wrestlers in New Japan Pro Wrestling—but Bad Luck Fale is probably my least favorite. Going into this tag team match I was consumed by reservations, but was pleased to discover a far better bout than I ever imagined. Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale are the first to arrive, to Fale's entrance theme rather than the Bullet Club anthem. I really love Tama Tonga, and I think his outward zaniness—for lack of a better word—adds deeper dimensions to the stoic Kiwi Geijin Bad Luck Fale. They are wrestling Yoshi-Hashi and the 2-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Hashi begins against Tama Tonga and is early to gain a lead over the second-generation former member of the US Military. Tama's painted face and scraggly beard don't allow audiences to see the pain plastered across his face, but the actions of Hashi make it clear—Tama Tonga might be out of his league. He tags the superheavyweight Fale into the fray, and the crowd chants for Kazuchika Okada. He takes the battle to the big man with his signature pat on the chest as if to say, "Don't worry junior, I won't hurt you." Fale brushed him away—insulted by the tactic employed by Okada. He became the victim of a two-man attack by both the former champion and the seven-year pro Yoshi-Hashi. Fale was able to regain his composure when Tama Tonga dragged Okada out onto the outside, leaving Hashi vulnerable and without support. Fale kept up the offensive, even sitting across the back of a man nearly one hundred pounds his junior. Tonga was back in action; what an awesome look this guy has, if I do say so myself. I've been privy to Tama Tonga for the past few years, and only recently started to see the forest for the trees in terms of midcard Bullet Club members. He splashed Yoshi-Hashi, both in the corner and down on the mat, but Hashi was able to come back following a vertical suplex-turned-neck breaker reversal. Okada and Fale sought to finish this fight when they began exchanging heavy hands in the center of the ring. Okada couldn't possible contend with the rights and lefts from the 320-pound Fale, and instead opted to wrestle the big man instead. Fale came back—thanks to a distraction by Tama Tonga—and hit Okada with a big splash and an attempted chokeslam out of Kazuchika's "Rainmaker Lariat." Tonga joined Fale as the Bullet Club double teamed Okada, and would have won the match if it wasn't for the save by Yoshi-Hashi. Okada hit Tama Tonga with his high angle drop kick, followed by the big elbow drop, and signaled for the "Rainmaker." Fale attempted to make the save, but Hashi kept him stuck in the ropes long enough for Okada to hit Tama with his patented Lariat, for the final decision in favor of Kazuchika Okada and Yoshi-Hashi.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Kazushi Sakuraba, Toru Yano & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Katsuyori Shibata, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hirooki Goto
We are down to the fourth and final Trios match of the evening featuring six of the most celebrated members of the NJPW roster. All of the competitors make their own individual entrances, beginning with Katsuyori Shibata. His partners are the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and the soon-to-be IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hirooki Goto. Their opponents begin with the most decorated mixed martial artist in Japan, the world famous "Gracie Killer," Kazushi Sakuraba. His first partner is the exceptionally eccentric Toru Yano, who brings a steel chair to ringside. Finally is the man who is currently wearing the IWGP intercontinental championship title belt; he has been called the most charismatic wrestler in the world and is the self-professed "King of Strong Style," Shinsuke Nakamura. The crowd comes unglued for this super celebrity who has been featured in Japanese media and pop culture for years, including as part of the Japanese video for Pharrell's "Happy." Nakamura begins against his rival Goto, who he will wrestle in just for days for one of the most prized items in all of the sport—the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. They begin their engagement with a test of strength, and Nakamura wastes little time in proving what kind of competitor he is, with a cheap shot in the form of a kick to the face. Goto battles back, sick of the shenanigans employed by Nakamura and his faction of flunkies. The competitors tag out and allow for Sakuraba and Shibata to take the fight to the mat, where they battle for figure-four supremacy. Everybody in this match was extremely impressive, especially the record-setting 7-time IWGP champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. He and Toru Yano have no issue in getting the audience into the act, as both men rally the live crowd for their cheers and jeers. Yano is an impeccable heel; he has a goofy look and dresses like an asshole, and never backs down from selling his character as psychotic. Suddenly the action broke out of the squared circle and all six men were featured at various places in the arena. Sakuraba and Shibata continued their storied rivalry on the outside of the ring, while Yano battled Tanahashi into the audience, and Nakamura fought Hirooki Goto in the front row. Tanahashi was the legal man and struggled to make the 20-count, but returned to the ring at 17. Sakuraba beats Tanahashi into a heap of a human in the corner of "Choas." Chaos is of course a seldom-referred to stable of strong-style performers, created by Shinsuke Nakamura and Toru Yano. Once Hirooki Goto is able to get back in the fight, it's near curtains for the intercontinental champion; Goto is brutal in the way he massacres Nakamura with discus lariats, spinning heel kicks, and sidewalk slams. Yano is back in the match, but prove to be no use against a determined number one contender to the IC championship. Tanahashi returns to the ring against his nemesis Yano, hoping to perhaps gets some semblance of revenge on the New Japan Cup Cheater. The fan favorites launch an assault against Yano, but Nakamura makes the save before the bell can ring. Yano tosses Tanahashi from the ring, and the former champion skins the cat to come back and hit Yano with a bridging German suplex. He gets a 2-count, and heads uptown looking to put things away. Yano protected himself with his knees, and following an exchange of slaps, forced Tanahashi to the ground, where he physically held the seven time world heavyweight champion for a pinfall against his will.
Winner: Sakuraba, Yano & Nakamura
Rating: 4 Stars
NEVER Openweight Championship
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii (c)
The main event of this New Japan Pro Wrestling card is for the NEVER Openweight Championship. The NEVER Openweight is a title that was introduced in 2012; NEVER stands for "New Blood," "Evolution," Valiantly," "Eternal," and "Radical." The current champion, Tomohiro Ishii is the record-setting three time NEVER champion, and will defend his prize against the oldest NEVER title recipient in history, Togi Makabe. Ishii Makabe vacated the title due to illness earlier this year, and sought to reclaim his prize after earning the record shortest reigning NEVER Openweight champion EVER. He appeared in the arena with a look upon his face that said: "I'm not leaving without that fucking belt." This match was another back and forth brawl consisting of elbow sashes, stiff knees to the face, and forward momentum lariats. They even tossed in a slew of top rope offensive maneuvers including high risk belly to back Suplexes. The brutality was unprecedented for a night comprised mainly of multi-man pro wrestling action. The story being told was the tale of two men unwilling to waiver in terms of power and overall energy. At the end of a twenty six minute match that this writer struggled to keep up with, Togi Makabe hit Tomohiro Ishii with the King Kong Knee from the top rope, and pinned the champion to reclaim his NEVER title.
Winner: Togi Makabe
Rating: 3.75 Stars
A fantastic show per usual from the leader in professional wrestling—NOT Sports Entertainment. I calculate my STAR RATINGS as such: 1-Awful, 2-Bad 3-Average, 4-Good, 5-Perfect, with varying decimals placed in between. Of a total 9 matches, the average STAR RATING was 3.5. Taking all other aspects of the event into consideration, I can genuinely award NJPW's Hinokuni Event a 3.75. Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to check out all of my work at Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook by LIKING "The B+ Players"; and listen to my weekly podcasts available every single Friday, Saturday and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/puroresu-perspective-njpw-hinokuni-42915/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-top-moments-from-raw/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-top-moments-from-raw/#comments Tue, 05 May 2015 03:35:14 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Monday Night RAW RAW WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11574 The Highlight of the Night Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Blinded by the light—revved up like a Deuce, it’s the “Highlight of the Night.” That’s a tune by the a London-based rhythm and blues band Manfred Mann, titled “Blinded by the Light.” It always comes to mind when I say the […]
The Highlight of the Night
Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
Blinded by the light—revved up like a Deuce, it’s the “Highlight of the Night.” That’s a tune by the a London-based rhythm and blues band Manfred Mann, titled “Blinded by the Light.” It always comes to mind when I say the name of my weekly article, so it’s inevitably stuck in my head once a week. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I’m back here at Cheap-Heat.com to deliver another Top Five Moments from Raw. This week’s show went down in Montreal Quebec and featured some very exciting action and intriguing plot twists. I’ll save any further description or analysis for the countdown, so let’s kick things off with number five.
5. Tamina Returns to the WWE
It’s been rumored for weeks that Tamina would be returning to television, but we had no idea in what form she would arrive. Tonight, the Bella’s were set to meet Naomi when the former enforcer for AJ Lee appeared out of nowhere and helped Naomi decimate the unsuspecting set of twins. Naomi proceeded to berate the Bella’s on the mic by saying their reign of sibling dominance over the Divas division is over. She said that her and Tamina represent what family is all about, and walked off to Naomi’s new—and in my opinion, improved—theme music. Michael Cole went on to explain that Tamina and Naomi are cousins through marriage.
4. “New Day Rocks”
I really enjoyed the opening contest tonight between The New Day and the number one contenders to Seth Rollins’ WWE world heavyweight championship. Randy Orton and Roman Reigns coexisted peacefully for the bout, but failed to outsmart the reigning and “Freebird Ruling” tag team champions. The show started just like any other episode, with a set of main event monologues, but Roman and Randy were ultimately interrupted by Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E. I especially enjoyed the way in which the members of the New Day spoke with ease and fluidity, as if they weren’t just reading from a script. Big E was especially comical when he told Randy Orton: “Seth Rollins doesn’t just have your number, he’s got you on speed dial!” Xavier alerted Roman and Randy that Kane booked the three of them against the duel-heir apparent to the WWE title, and that match is up first. Everyone looked pretty good in this match, and The New Day scored the victory when Kofi Kingston got the pinfall. But Xavier Woods was without question the MVP of this match. Xavier understands the subtle nuances of heel behavior, as do his partners, but Xavier is already beginning to exhibit clear signs of turning. When the crowd chants “New Day Sucks,” Big E and Kofi ignore them and continue clapping. But Xavier becomes irate at the mere mention that he and his crew might be less than capable. Woods did a number on Roman during this match, and beckoned the crowd to respond when he asked, “THIS is Roman Reigns?!” An all-around fantastic tagteam contest between five highly talented performers.
3. “All Hail King Barrett!”
В
I suppose congratulations are in order for the new King of the Ring, Bad News Barrett, who won the honor this past Tuesday night in the first KOTR tournament since 2010. Tonight the King is teaming with the last King of the Ring—the “Celtic Warrior” Sheamus—to go up against Dolph Ziggler and Neville. The WWE has a habit of combining storylines and rivalries to create nonsensical tag team bouts, but tonight’s ensemble of multi man matches have been rather intriguing and downright entertaining. This was poised to be my match of the night until a number of unannounced contests got in the way and distracted me from the overall awesome chemistry between this foursome of foes. Adrian Neville has been having the most successful first month out of anyone I can remember, save for someone like Santino Marella, who ended up being a joke in the end anyway. Neville was in the finals of the King of the Ring against Barrett, and has already wrestled the WWE champion and performed on pay per view. I asked the “B+ Players Podcast” audience if Neville was going to be a Bo Dallas or a Bray Wyatt, and I think it’s safe to say he’s already carved out a niche all his own. Kings Barrett and Sheamus were both impeccable in this match, as the irate Irishmen manhandled Dolph Zigler and bodyslammed him over the barricade into the timekeeper’s table. Barrett followed suit and hit Neville with the “Bull Hammer” for the win. Both Sheamus and Barrett stood on the ropes in opposing corners, playing to the crowd as the tried and true heels that they are.
2. Dean Ambrose is Going to Payback
Seth Rollins wrestled Dean Ambrose on SmackDown last week, but since the majority of the WWE Universe probably didn’t see it, they opted to do it again tonight on Raw. Tonight’s match wasn’t as good as the aforementioned battle on Smackdown, but there were much larger stakes at hand other than securing a victory on the Syfy. Kane said that if Dean Ambrose could defeat Seth Rollins, he would be entered into the main event at Payback, thus making it a Fatal Four-Way. Both men were highly impressive during this match, especially Dean Ambrose who’s been evolving into more than just a “Ketchup and Mustard Wrestler” since his ladder match at WrestleMania 31. The WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins is always a pleasure to see, especially in his recent rekindled rivalry with Dean Ambrose. This was one of more than a hundred WWE matches that’s been hindered by commercial breaks planned for less than opportune occasions. This match did win itself a very audible “Holy Shit” chant from the boisterous French-Canadiens however. The final moments featured the champion in rare frustrated form, unable to beat Ambrose, and forced to resort to his most heinous of tactics. But Dean Ambrose persevered, and when the dust settled it was the “Lunatic Fringe” who walked away with his hands held high. WWE Payback will take place on May 17th and will now feature a Fatal Four-Way. And Dean Ambrose will be one of the four.
1. John Cena vs. Sami ZaynВ
I’ve really been enjoying John Cena’s US Open challenge since he won the title from Rusev at WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara California. He’s had some phenomenal matches with an array of Superstars that might not otherwise be wrestling John Cena, or even competing for the US belt. Canada has no reason to care about the United States championship, and are booing John Cena more than any other city in recent memory. Even more than the Extreme Rules crowd in Chicago. The crowd chants “John Cena Sucks, “and “Go Back Home,” ordering him to return to America. But John Cena is still able to get the fans on their feet. When he puts the challenge on the table, we are pleasantly surprised to hear the theme song of the WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart. Bret comes out and says that he’s there to introduce a great wrestler, but before that wrestler might show up, we get Heath Slater. Heath slowly saunters on down to ringside and says that he’s tired of being attacked out of nowhere. Bret immediately clocks him across the jaw, and continues to introduce a “hometown boy from NXT,” the one and only Sami Zayn. This was an enormous mark-out moment for me, for my friends, and my Twitter followers. Which just goes to show what kind of an impact the NXT Superstars can have on the main roster. Sami Zayn is absolutely incredible in the ring and watching him one one one with “the champ,” is almost like watching Cena versus Kurt Angle over a decade ago. It seemed like John Cena didn’t know how to wrestle someone like Sami Zayn, and who’s to say that wasn’t a result of the “shoulder injury” that Sami suffered during the course of the match. The bit where the doctor came in to check on Sami’s shoulder was confusing, but added an element of realism to have a bout. Sami proved that he would continue the fight regardless of what obstacles may lay and his path, and even reversed Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” signature special. Sami caught Cena in a submission hold that Cena sought to reverse into an Attitude Adjustment, but Zayn turned that into a German Suplex. Cena once again tried for the AA, but Zayn landed on his feet, and proceeded to hit Cena with his patented turn post DDT. Cena hit Zayn with an Attitude Adjustment but Zayn kicked out. He kicked out of the finishing move WWE’s number one guy in his debut match. Zayn hit Cena with the Blue Thunder Bomb for a two and three quarters count until the Montreal crowd erupted with a raucous cry of “This is awesome.” John Cena finally defeated Sami Zayn to retain his United States Championship with a springboard stunner into an AA. After the match, Cena held Zayn’s hand high and cheered for him along with the live audience. Best moment of Raw in months.
This was a solid episode of Monday Night Raw wherein all major plot points were addressed and formerly absent Superstars were made relevant again for the first time in months. Even our ring announcer has been afforded a last name, as Eden Stile could be a sign of more meaningful programming to come each and every Monday Night.В Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep it here at Cheap-Heat for all the latest and greatest in professional wrestling.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-top-moments-from-raw/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-5215/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-5215/#comments Mon, 04 May 2015 21:02:07 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Ring of Honor ROH http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11569 Honorable Mention ROH TV 5/2/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I'm back! The clouds have lifted, the earth has shifted, you knew I'd be back so—that was the beginning of a Kid Rock song. Not sure which one or how the rest of it went, but whatever. How's it going wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty […]
Honorable Mention
ROH TV 5/2/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
I'm back! The clouds have lifted, the earth has shifted, you knew I'd be back so—that was the beginning of a Kid Rock song. Not sure which one or how the rest of it went, but whatever. How's it going wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty back with another edition of "Honorable Mention," where I cover Ring of Honor TV for those of you who might not have the chance to check it out on the reg. Last week's episode was—dare I say—incredible? The tag team main event was a shoe-in for "Match of the Week," and the Knights of the Red Dawn reveal was pretty awesome. Especially considering so many of us figured the KRD was the Kingdom in disguise. Let's kick things off with Kevin Kelly and "King" Steve Corino, back inside the Shrine Auditorium.
The fans are electric as always—who wouldn't be at a LIVE Ring of Honor event? I've seen Ring of Honor in person twice, most recently in Las Vegas for the Thirteenth Anniversary Show. It's always a fun atmosphere with ROH, featuring fans that are happy for the comradery and not beat for the bullshit. This is another off-the-chain hour of wrestling from the premiere mat-based promotion in the United States. The opening bout is a tag team match between Ring of Honor's War Machine and The Killer Elite Squad—the current NWA and GHC tag team champions—representing Suzuki-gun of NJPW. If I just threw a whole lot of nonsensical terms at you, allow me to break it down:
War Machine, comprised of Hanson and Rowe, have had their beef with former ROH World Champion Michael Elgin in recent weeks. Elgin surprised War Machine, as well as the Ring of Honor fans, by bringing David Hart Smith and Lance Archer to even the odds. Smith and Archer are known in Japan and around the world as The Killer Elite Squad, and are members of Suzuki-gun with Minoru Suzuki, Shelton X Benjamin, Taka Michinoku, and others. Suzuki-gun recently invaded NOAH, and proceeded to capture all of their titles, including the GHC tag team titles, now held by KES. All caught up? Good, because this match was a barn-burner.
Michael Elgin leads the highly decorated tag team champions to the ring, as they prepare to take on one of the most fearsome teams in Ring of Honor since the Briscoe Brothers debuted a decade ago. These performers have a hard time starting things of in a traditional sense, and instead all four combatants battle-it-out until War Machine has the upper hand. Michael Elgin is already sweating bullets; he can't believe his �ringers' have already been manhandled, but it isn't long until KES shifts the momentum back in their favor. War Machine double teamed David Smith, and Hanson ascended ropes, giving Smith and Archer the opportunity to strike. The entire ring shook with every move, the result of a powerful corner-based offensive maneuver by War Machine. Every time any of the wrestlers hit the ropes, the turn posts would buckle and emit an unsavory sound that must have concerned the fans in the front row. The Killer Elite Squad maintained their edge over War Machine, and Smith tagged Archer into the bout. Archer laid into Hanson with thunderous chops across the chest and a forceful body slam in the center of the ring. Archer stayed poised in the corner while he waited for Hanson to return to his feet, and capitalized with a lethal lariat. He tagged his partner, David Hart Smith, into the action and Smith continued the dominance over War Machine with a slew of submission holds including a crippling camel clutch. He followed with swift side-kicks and big boots, and tagged Archer into the bout once again. The Killer Elite Squad are decimating one of the most dominant teams in ROH history, when we head into a commercial break.
As soon as we're back, Hanson is powering—or HULKING—up and returning Archer's fire with a number of stiff shots of his own. His comeback wouldn't last however and Hanson was soon on the business end of a double team attack. David Smith drew Hanson's arms behind his back and placed a knee square in the center of his spine, hoping to end this match via submission. Hanson began to power out, but Smith had the wherewithal to bring him to his corner before it was too late. Lance Archer beat Hanson down with brutal right hands to the back and shoulders, and maintained his edge over his opponent by knocking Ray Rowe off the apron, so that he couldn't tag Hanson. Davey Boy Jr. was now back in the match and went for a powerbomb on Hanson, but Hanson fought back and was finally able to tag his partner, Rowe. Ray and Lance went to war right out of the gate, as Kevin Kelly said: "Two men very familiar with the Texas wrestling scene." War Machine was now cooking with gas, and planted Lance Archer with a double chokeslam. War Machine prepared for their finishing maneuver, "Fall Out"—a sidewalk slam/leg drop combination from the top rope. War Machine was within a three count of upsetting the GHC and NWA world tag team champions, when Michael Elgin pulled the official from the ring. This gave the KES the opening they needed to get the upper hand; they hit Ray Rowe with a variation of the "Hart Attack," a double team maneuver performed by David's uncles Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart. The Killer Elite Squad were only able to get a two count, and this match continued and degenerated into all-out chaos. After well-over a minute of anarchy, featuring all four men in the match and Michael Elgin, referee Paul Turner had no choice but to call for the bell.
The next match is our main event, and unlike WWE Superstars or Main Event, that means we've got a 25-minute match ahead of us. Although this is a championship match, the television champion is the first to appear. Jay Lethal is accompanied by his long-time manager Truth Martini and the newest member of the House of Truth and 2015 Top Prospect winner, Donavan Dijak. Tommaso Ciampa could have the coolest entrance in all of Ring of Honor; his "Titan Tron" video features his trademark Mohawk-skull, and he walks to the ring dressed like Doctor Doom wearing a hoodie. Bobby Cruise is our ring announcer per usual and introduced the Sicilian Psychopath, as well as the Ring of Honor World Television Champion. The crowd is split in their support with the battle cries "Let's Go Ciampa" and "Let's Go Lethal" echoing throughout the arena. The champion and challenger engage in the "Code of Honor," the bell rings, and this match is ready to begin. The audience is relentless with their cheers, and the noise inevitably corrupts Lethal's objective thinking, forcing the champ outside the ring to take a lap. We head into commercial, and by the time the action resumes, Lethal is in control but only for a moment. Ciampa plays possum and scoops Lethal up with a school boy, but to no avail. He Irish whips Lethal into the corner and follows up with a hard full body attack, but the champion's resiliency allows for him to meet the challenge head-on. They trade off on the offensive edge for a matter of moments with Lethal living up to his name, and the Sicilian acting truly PSYCHOTIC.
Every time Tommaso gained any sort of upper hand, Jay jumped onto the outside where he was protected by his lackeys, Truth and Dijak. Ciampa finally got Lethal where he wanted him and bit his nose in the corner, along with a number of hard shots to the face. He Irish-whipped his opponent into the ropes, but Lethal reversed him and Truth Martini pulled down the opposing rope. The result was a tumble for Tommaso, over the top and down onto the outside. He was ready to take out his aggression on Martini, but Jay Lethal was ready with a few "Crash and Burn" suicide dives in rapid succession. Tommaso was launched over the barricade between he and the audience, and nearly kicked a young woman in the face. Tommaso Ciampa struggled to regain his composure while Donavan Dijak and Truth Martini mocked him from ringside. Senior Official Todd Sinclair was in the middle of counting to twenty, when Jay Lethal returned to keep the advantage in his favor, fearing Tommaso would most certainly make the count. He dragged Tommaso inside the squared-circle, because any champion of length such as Jay Lethal knows the only place to BEAT your opponent is between the ropes. He situated Ciampa's skull—complete with Mohawk—in a vice comprised of his forearm and bicep. The headlock kept the number one contender grounded for several moments before he landed a few well-placed elbows, to alleviate the pressure. Tommaso went for his signature clothesline, but Lethal ducked and missed the blow within an inch of his life.
Both men were reeling going into another commercial break. When we get back, Tommaso was in control and ready to plant Lethal on his back with a belly-to-back release suplex. Some might call it a German suplex, but as Sean "X-Pac" Waltman will tell you: "A German Suplex includes an arch and a pin." This sent Lethal spiraling outside of the ring where Tommaso was able to perform his signature running knee strike, from one corner of the ringside area to the other, and back again. The second attempt was so forceful that it sent Ciampa over the barricade, but he was on his feet only seconds later, smiling and taking selfies with a fan at ringside. I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. I really like seeing independent stars reach out to the fans in this way, especially the die-hard loyalists seated at ringside. The entire Shrine Auditorium popped for Ciampa, and the two returned to the ring at the count of SIXTEEN. Jay Lethal took control of the match and Super-plexed Ciampa down and into the center of the ring. Steve Corino made a valid point when he told Kevin Kelly, "The amount of time that Tommaso Ciampa spent taking a selfie with a fan—that gave Jay Lethal the opportunity he needed!" The two traded shots back and forth with Lethal landing an elbow and Tommaso returning with a knee. Both men were down and the audience brought the �Auditorium to life with stomps and claps and screams and "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole."
The chants returned: "Let's Go Lethal" was forced to once again contend with "Let's Go Ciampa." The ring was making the strange "broken" sounds again, as they both flew from side to side. Lethal climbed the ropes and jumped over a charging Tommaso, and doubled back for a "Lethal Combination." But Tommaso turned Lethal's signature spot into the "Sicilian Stretch." Lethal fought with all he had and reached the ropes where Martini was waiting. We head into the final commercial break of the hour, and Tommaso Ciampa is staring down Donavan Dijak on the outside of the ring. Lethal remained in the ring, as Ciampa refused to step down; he walked toward the towering Dijak, unafraid of his wrath and slapped him across the face, begging him to react. Lethal sprang into action and attempted another "Crash and Burn," but was instead caught by Ciampa—who gave him the belly-to-back piledriver on the outside. He sent Lethal into the ring and was in a pinning predicament within seconds. After earning but a two count, he hit him with another belly-to-back piledriver from the top rope. This time he was robbed of the victory when Truth Martini pulled Todd Sinclair from the ring; Donavan Dijak entered and hit Ciampa with a big boot in the style of Sheamus's "Brogue Kick."
Despite the obvious advantage, Lethal was unable to pick up the win and the crowd went wild with a rallied cry of: "THIS IS AWESOME!" Tommaso Ciampa flew to the outside to take out Dijak and returned to try his hand at securing the television title. Lethal opted to perform his "Lethal Injection," but was surprised when Ciampa mimicked the champ's actions by handspringing into the ropes alongside Lethal. Ciampa followed up with a discus lariat and a top rope variation of Lethal's elbow drop dubbed "Hail to the King." Sensing that the House of Truth might be in trouble, the gargantuan Donavan Dijak injected himself into the ordeal, only to be met with immediate expulsion from Tommaso. Todd Sinclair points at Donavan, and he points at Truth—and says: "You, you, GET OUT OF HERE!" He ordered Donavan Dijak and Truth Martini to return to the backstage area, and followed behind to make sure they did as they were told. The lack of an official gave Jay Lethal the opportunity to land a low-blow on his opponent. Jay followed up with a successful "Lethal Injection," and a 1-2-3 to retain his Ring of Honor World Television title.
There were only two matches on tonight's episode of Ring of Honor TV, but they were two of the best matches you'll probably see anywhere all week. The tag team opener featuring the Killer Elite Squad was a specific treat, and the 20+ minute main event was a thing of beauty. I don't generally give Ring of Honor TV a score, but on a scale of one-to-ten, I'd be inclined to give this a solid 8—maybe even an 8.5. Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to keep checking out my work here at Cheap-Heat and at Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook at "The B+ Players"; and listen to my weekly series of podcasts available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.
http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-5215/feed/ 0http://www.cheap-heat.com/superstars-really-its-still-around-may-1-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/superstars-really-its-still-around-may-1-2015/#comments Sun, 03 May 2015 20:09:57 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Reviews WWE Network Reviews Superstars WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11505 Superstars: Really, It’s Still Around May 1, 2015 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Oh what a night! Why’d it take so long to see the light? Seemed so wrong, but now it seems so right! WWE Superstars is one of those programs you completely forget about until you’re actually watching it. Even if you’ve seen […]
Superstars: Really, It’s Still Around
May 1, 2015
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
Oh what a night! Why’d it take so long to see the light? Seemed so wrong, but now it seems so right! WWE Superstars is one of those programs you completely forget about until you’re actually watching it. Even if you’ve seen it before, odds are you’re not watching it on a weekly basis. There’s even a chance somebody saw the title of my column and asked, “Really? Superstars is still around?” My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, back again to answer to your question: “Really, It’s Still Around.”
Superstars is a little easier to watch than Main Event, as the former is available on the WWE Network each and every week. Main Event however, is currently on a one-month delay, and only available in the United States through a Hulu Plus subscription. Tonight's episode of Friday Night Superstars kicks off with Byron Saxon and Rich Brennan at ringside, and tag team action inside the squared circle.
The opening bout pits the Primetime Players—Titus O’Neil and Darren Young—in two on two competition against the familial duo of Los Matadores. Titus begins against Diego, and the big man earns the upper hand through a powerful onslaught of power slams and back breakers. Los Matadores turn the tables through a rousing round of trickery, punctuated with a high angle drop kick to Titus O’Neil. Fernando tags into the match and works on Titus’s left leg with stiff shots, and by grape-vining it to the point of nearly snapping. The Matadores double team the big man, but Titus is finally able to get to Darren Young. Young enters the match like a house of fire—whatever that means—and hits Los Matadores with hard right hands, a big clothesline, and a phenomenal suplex. The end came for Los Matadores when Darren Young lifted one unnamed masked Matador and dropped him across his knees for an inverted backstabber. The Prime Time Players pick up the victory, much to the dismay of Los Matadores and El Torito.
We get an enormity of advertisements for upcoming WWE Network shows, as well as past programs that we might very well have missed. After that is a King of the Ring recap, with clips from each round, leading to the moment Bad News Barrett became the first King of the Ring in five years. Then we get some John Cena; I’ve noticed that no matter the show—Superstars or Main Event—there’s always a segment featuring Cena. I guess it’s true what they say: “Brock sells, but Cena draws.” This week, it’s John’s altercation with Alexander Rusev from Monday Night Raw where they began laying the seeds for a Lana-face-turn and the emergence of “CJ.” I often times ponder the kayfabe lengths that Rusev and Lana would really have to go to, in order to hang the Russian flag above the ring in an adversarial fashion.
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The main event of Superstars is always around seven minutes long, but begins about 20 minute before the end of the program. That’s because the show is never allowed to end with an original match, such as tonight’s “main event” between the Lucha Dragons and the Ascension. It’s peculiar how this show only features two matches, and both are tag team bouts. But given the recent state of the WWE tag team division, I certainly can’t complain about an abundance of viable undercard teams on the roster. We saw four tag teams tonight, none of whom are holding championship gold or even in contention for a title. This main roster wrestling match between the Lucha Dragons and the Ascension is interesting, because it was the Lucha Dragons who defeated the Ascension for their titles down in developmental, after Konnor and Viktor established a record setting reign. The ‘Dragons have been arguably more successful since arriving on the main roster, but the Ascension can still be seen a hell of a lot more than some solo acts. Where is Zack Ryder you guys? He’s GOT to be hurt. The action is intense as the Ascension throws power and might at a team known for their fast pace and highflying acumen.В
There’s a quick commercial for the WWE app—IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING MATCH ON THE NETWORK— and when we return, Konnor of the Ascension is in control. Kalisto manages to get away from the domineering brawlers, but to no avail as Konnor and Victor begin to double-team the smaller-statured Superstars. Sin Cara enters the match and sends both members of the Ascension flying over the top rope. Sin Cara and Kalisto follow up with a double dive through the ropes and onto their opponents. The ‘Dragons brought the action back inside the squared circle, where they finished their rivals with a modified powerbomb by Sin Cara and a Senton Bomb by Kalisto.
I really enjoy Superstars and Main Event, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever the next C-String series happens to be. The action on Superstars doesn’t get bogged down by hideously nonsensical story lines, and the outcomes are far less predictable than more visible bouts on Raw or Smackdown. A solid two matches from the “Revolutionary Force in Sports Entertainment.” Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, thanking you for continuing to read my work both here at Cheap-Heat and at Daily Wrestling News. Please follow me on Twitter and LIKE me on Facebook . And be sure to check out my weekly podcasts available every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.
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