NNNOOOOOO!! My Empress has fallen to the Queen. Best wrestler to break the streak, but I’m still heart-broken.
Whew! Charlotte sure takes after her old man. She took her share of cheese grating.
Loved her entrance with the Centurions, and Asuka’s holographic masks. That was a grate (hehe) way to end the streak.
Well, three for three so far (of four if you give me Cedric). Called Charlotte, Seth, Jinder.
Realistically, that match should have ended about ten seconds after Ronda tagged in.
Hell of a match, though, and probably the best mixed tag match WWE has done in recent years.
Woot! Harper and Rowan finally get tag team gold! Beard Powah!
Agreed about the mixed tag. Too bad the Usos, New Day, Big Guys wasn’t given time.
Well, that was funny. Elias stole UT’s heat for a few minutes.
I knew UT would have to have a supernatural entrance.
UT gets heat back from last year with a squash over Cena. Everyone is happy.
I’m being quiet cuz I had a loooong weekend. But I’m watching what I can.
I’m trying to be as unbiased as possible, but hand-to-God match of the night so far is the Rousey match. I haven’t had fun like that in forever.
The thing that makes me most angry about 'Taker is that it kinda-sorta renders my 'Mania as just another 'Mania. I guess we had Goldberg’s last match, but man mine was special for a bit there!
DBD still got it. He kept selling concussion pain when he’d make a risky move and make me nervous.
Smiles all around. Guess Zayn and KO are RAM bound.
This has been a really good WM. Best in years. I love how they have LED boards making a web all throughout the arena with flowing electricity and so forth.
Strowman with the kid was good fun. Keeps me at 100% on my predictions too.
So that was a Make-A-Wish kid, right?
Ten for ten in my match predictions.
Agreed, but this show was also goddamn weird.
Roman loses, Cena jobs like a bitch, both RR winners lose, Asuka’s streak ends, and a pre-teen child is tag team champion. I couldn’t have booked a 'Mania like this if I were high on bath salts.
Weird, yes. But there were no stupid celebrity matches!
Bad news. After becoming the youngest person to hold a title in WWE, Nicolas tested positive for Flintstone vitamins and has been future endeavored. What does that mean for the RAM tag team titles? Tune into Smarkamania tonight on USA to find out!
411Wrestling reports it was a WWE referee’s son.
It had to be somebody (a) at least somewhat wise in the business (Jim Cornette has done at least one podcast about how wrestlers had to keep kayfabe to their own kids, who occasionally ended up getting beaten up in school if their fathers were heels), and (b) that they can get on Raw the next night, if only so the Raw GMs can say, “Uh, no, he’s not cleared to wrestle any more, you need a new tag partner.”
For a minute, I thought they might have gotten Jorge Vega (“Kid Spidey” from the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
My thoughts:
- Way too long of a show. Fortunately, I live out west, so I didn’t have to stay up until midnight.
- So tell me, how much credibility does The Bar have now, considering they lost what was for all intents and purposes a 2-on-1 handicap match?
- Please, please, please, pleasepleaseplease, PLEASE, did I mention please, please tell me they’re not going to turn Stephanie/Rousey into Vince/Austin The Next Generation and shove that down our throats for the next couple of months-er, years. All Rousey needs now is her version of “What?!”
- Am I the only one who gets a #WWESoNotJapanese vibe from Asuka and Nakamura both losing? Speaking of which, and pardon me for saying this, but Asuka needs to work on getting rid of that accent; when she grabbed the mic and said “Charlotte,” I thought she was telling the crowd, “Shut it!” (or even “Shove it!”).
Considering Asuka and Nakamura both won their Royal Rumbles, I wouldn’t say they’re being shat upon just yet. Plus, RR and Cena came off as the biggest losers, and somebody has to job in high profile matches…
With Zayn and KO presumably gone from SD, they needed more top level heels, so may as well make it Nakamura since no one else comes close to AJ’s level. Maybe there will be some roster shuffling as well.
I did a double-take there for a moment. There are two RRs now.
This is friggin hilarious and needed to be called out way before I’m saying something now
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!00% Agree. Although this year felt like it moved much faster than other years. I think there were less (and shorter) video packages and no stupid concert in the middle of it
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They’re still fine. They’ve had the titles forever and beaten plenty-o-tag teams in the recent past. Besides, I think it’s pretty well known both these guys have some good comedic chops, so they can play along very well
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I don’t think they are. I think they just needed a foe for her that everyone hates (Stephanie) and is SUPER underrated for her ability to sell and put other people over. She isn’t a wrestler, but she did her job (heh) last night better than literally anyone else on that roster
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1000% agree on the Japanese talent cutting promos. Asuka’s was especially bad last night. CHARLOTTE!!! WAS!!! READY!!!..good lord you just lost, be contrite, be humble…it’s not the time for intensity. And Nak needs to take his goddamn mouthpiece out.
I was visiting family in South Carolina this weekend so I didn’t see much of Takeover, but from what I did see I liked. I literally watched maybe the last 5 min of Black/Almas and…hot take…that 5 min was WAY better than Garbonzo/Chiampa. For being “unsanctioned” the match was basically a regular ole match with a crutch spot. Anyone who says that match was the best of the night is a smark-and-a-half and needs to be cut out of your life.
'Mania wasn’t too bad. I turned it off before Brock/Reigns because I just don’t care, and by the sounds of it the crowd didn’t either. Then again, the crowd was tapped after the Rousey match. You just can’t watch wrestling for 4 goddamn hours and expect to have any energy at the end. Between Impact and NXT, I’ve been to enough tapings to see it after just 2 or 3 hours.
Just like when someone says Chiampa/Garbonzo was the best match is a damn liar, anyone who says any match other than Rousey was the best match is also a goddamn liar. That match had everything you want in a wrestling match and Rousey looked very competent. I’m excited for her future.
We’ll have to see what happens tonight, but I’m expecting some NXT callups and a Bobby Lashley appearance. TNA Takeover continues!