The road to Wrestlemania and NXT Takeover is finally over. Tomorrow will be the Hall of Fame ceremony (which I'll be ignoring), followed by TakeOver on Saturday and finally Mania on Sunday. Are you ready? This is Wrestling Thursday.
Raw
Not A Contract Signing
So the WWE rehired Coach because he's got legitimate chops now after being on ESPN for years. And that made sense. But he keeps saying he isn't a journalist and is basically a second heel color guy now? Get it, I do not. In any case, he got to host this... debate? I don't even know. And was bad at it. But then Steph put Ronda through a table and that was cool, so... a wash?
The Bayley/Sasha saga continues
So after a perfectly decent match and win against Sonya Deville, Bayley was of course attacked by Absolution, and Sasha, who attacked her from behind, came to the rescue, and then... wanted Bayley to raise her hand? Like that's a thing after a non match together? At least this is finally heading in a clear direction, and presumably will lead to some fun shenanigans during the women's battle royal match. But I just want them to have a match. A real, heel vs. face match at a PPV.
Holy Crap Seth and Finn!
So Seth Rollins and Finn Balor are two of the best professional wrestlers in the world. We all know this. But they rarely get to showcase that on Raw in a one on one match. This time, they did, and they were awesome. In a show that's basically here to promote Mania, this was a bright light. Miz on commentary was... odd. As he was going full Face for pretty much the whole thing. Apparently it's not a real face turn, just promotion for his upcoming reality show with Maryse. Which is a good thing, as Miz is a phenomenal heel and a mediocre face.
Brains Strowman
Okay, this definitely got a chuckle out of me. Braun pretending to be his twin brother "Brains" was funny. But I still legit want to know who his tag partner is. And I still want it to be Neville.
Woken Matt made me sleepy
I mean... really? This is the followup to the Ultimate Deletion? A boring Raw match against Goldust?
Still No Taker
So, apparently, WWE has decided they don't need Cena/Taker to be in the promotional materials, because the "surprise" appearance of Taker will be a bigger moment? I mean... I kinda see it, except who would be surprised? Well, at least Cena has finally admitted that no response is a NO.
Poor Heath and Rhyno
I mean... what happened? Weren't they doing a storyline in which Rhyno toughens Heath up? I like Elias, but feeding him these two guys two weeks in a row seems misguided, as I still have no clarity where it leads.
Wait... Dana AND Asuka?
Beating up Dana Brooke has been an Asuka staple since she arrived in NXT. It's one of her regular activities. So it was WEIRD to see them teaming up. But hey, it meant Dana actually got a win! And then, of course, Nia showed up and Alexa ran away. I still hate the decision to center the Alexa/Nia feud around fat shaming. And Alexa saying earlier that Nia's face "broke her phone"? One of these women is a professional model, and that one is Nia Jax. So this is just weird. And I gotta think Alexis Kaufman is hating the shit she has to say as Alexa Bliss in this feud.
One Last Brock/Roman Showdown
Wait, he hit him with a move that isn't his finisher a bunch of times, and that didn't finish him off? I am shocked! Shocked, I say! Feh. Well, it was a pretty strong Heyman promo, so that's nice. Wonder if he'll manage Ronda after Brock leaves for UFC again.
Smackdown
Daniel and Shane Are Pals Again
So both apologized and hugged it out and are ready to go beat up some bad guys at Mania. Except... I... don't think they will? But also Bryan can't lose his comeback match? So someone's turning heel. My bet is Shane. Please let it be Shane.
Charlotte and Nattie Do It Again
These two just always work well together. This time, the Carmela cash in fakeout didn't turn out as well for the baddies, and then Asuka came out for funsies.
It's Rusev Day!
Rusev wins, Jinder loses, I barely care. and every bit of caring is thanks to Rusev. He's gonna be so tired after Mania. Carrying three people to a decent match is hard work!
Wait, Primo still works in WWE?
So the Andre The Giant Battle Royal is shaping up to be quite the jobberfest, huh? Which... you know, I'm happy for them. Getting a bunch of guys who don't get used enough on the card means they all get the Mania bonus check, which is apparently quite nice. And lords and ladies know Breezango and The Revival and Tye deserve it.
Sami and Kevin are fun
This was fun!
Good wrestlers wrestle good
At some point, Gable and Benjamin are going to get a run, right? As much as I think Shelton has lost a step, Chad more than makes up for it with sheer awesome. And, of course, Shin and AJ are great and their Mania match will be spectacular. That said, it was odd that AJ not tagging Nakamura in before delivering his finisher was branded as "refusing to tag Shin in." Shinsuke didn't ask to be tagged in, and had worked most of the match before tagging AJ in.
Mixed Match Challenge: Where Predictable Happens
I really wanted them to do something interesting here. I outlined in a recent Wrestling Thursday how Charlotte can go over here, making the Mania match that much more heated. But, really, from the moment WWE decided Miz taking a fall in this tournament would mean the undefeated streak is over, this result was kinda set in stone, and I really feel it damaged what was a terrific thing in the early going. Still, Charlotte getting to look strong against the IC champion is AWESOME.
205 Live
Strong Style vs. Lucha
This was not as good as it should have been, and I think that's because the heel/face alignment is entirely unclear. These guys are all, nominally, faces. Except Itami is maybe a heel? And also, until they announce a tag division, Tozawa and Itami claiming to be the best tag team in 205 live is just odd. These are THE ONLY TWO THEY HAVE.
Drew Gulak Promo
Nese Wins!
In case you were wondering, the caliber of wrestler Tony Nese can currently beat is "jobber." This was a nothing, though the jobber tried his best.
Okay, FINE. I buy Buddy Murphy now
I've been a Buddy Murphy skeptic until now, but this match turned me around. And, sure, part of it is how great Kalisto is, but Murphy held his own, and was actually awesome. I am fine with him as the first challenger to the next champ. Less fine with him as champ quite yet.
NXT
Dusty Rhodes Classic Finals: Take One
I guess the Bobby Fish injury forced WWE's hand here? If he can't go at Takeover, they still need bodies in the ring to have a match, which is why this excellent match was cut short without a finish, and now the finals will be the same match as the title match at TakeOver.
Kairi is Awesome. Borne is not
I think maybe Vanessa Borne still needs some time off tv getting better at this. Because having a mediocre match against Kairi Sane is actually reverse-impressive. Looking forward to Kairi's title push, where she gets to show off more of her skills against better opponents.
One Last Promo Spot
While Lars still isn't a great worker, Killian is, so the few minutes of actual match here were fun big man fare. But was never about their match. It was about the North American Title ladder match at Takeover, which has weekend stealing potential. Interesting that Ricochet got to close the segment out. He's an amazing athlete and also a very good looking man. He's the one who may benefit the most from the ladder match stipulation. I'll have more on that in tomorrow's TakeOver preview and predictions post.
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