I went 3/6 on the predictions. I really thought WWE would let Drew get one over on Roman for a change. I don’t think he’s ever beaten him. Now I don’t know what the fuck they’re going to do for Hell in a Cell.
Meh. There was some great work by some of the wrestlers, but overall, meh. Nothing hinges on these wins or losses. Now it’s not like we ever expect much from the show after Mania either, so in that sense they didn’t disappoint.
Backlash hasn’t meant very much in a long time. It’s very hard to get excited about a show that has only one title match.
I can’t believe they added Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre to the card and actually made it less compelling to tune into. Although I loved how Roman was dodging Drew.
They should have had the good guys win in the main event, for crying out loud. McIntyre and Reigns have been engaged in an on-again, off-again feud for years, dating back to when Reigns was a face. They were the main-event of Survivor Series 2020. They faced each other at a WrestleMania. I don’t think McIntyre owns a single televised victory over Reigns. Giving him a win in a relatively meaningless six-man tag-team match would have at least set him up as a future challenger for Roman’s title. Now I don’t know how they get him there.
And what the hell is up with them completely shoving Nakamura to the side after it looked like he was going to be Roman’s next challenger?
Vince hasn’t made Nakamura appear meaningful since coming up to the main roster, and when he wasn’t instantly meaningful when Vince did decide he might be in the title picture, Vince dumped him back down. As Michael Cole would annoyingly say, “Classic Vince”.
And I agree, McIntyre should have gotten the pin on Reigns. The only reason why WWE might not have done that here is that WWE decided that’s the SummerSlam main event and didn’t want to pull the trigger too early. That’s what happens when you make plan your finishes the day after the show.
Reigns vs. McIntyre would make a nice SummerSlam main event, no doubt.
But we’ve got two PPVs before we get to that point. What’s Roman doing at Hell in a Cell and Money in the Bank?
WWE has got to find a way to build a credible challenger for Roman Reigns, and I don’t mean simply feeding Brock Lesnar to him again.
Cody Rhodes is getting a shot at Theory’s U.S. Title tonight on RAW. It’s a belt that Cody has never held, though he’s a 2-time Intercontinental Champion and six-time tag-team champion.
I’d be surprised if Theory lost the title in his first defense. But is Cody really going to do the job here? Only solution: Screwjob ending. Because it worked so well for them at Backlash.
It was just announced five minutes before RAW starts that RK-Bro will defend the RAW Tag Team Titles against The Street Profits. So, two title defenses on RAW but only one at last night’s pay-per-view.
And of course the match ended with a Seth Rollins run-in, because apparently this is a feud that needs to bw dragged out for another PPV cycle, and heaven forbid we make anyone look good in the process.
I wonder how long before Vince turns Cody into Stardust again.
Two title matches, two non-finishes, both which were telegraphed as soon as the match announcement was made. How Not to Book 101 by Vince McMahon.
Actually, to be fair, the tag-team title match had me convinced there’d be a title change when Riddle’s Asai moonsault missed one of the Street Profits and hit Orton instead. But nope. Are we going to have the tag-title unification match NOW?!
You are right. THREE title matches with only one clean finish. 3 separate interference DQs. This is what happens when you start planning your finishes at 7:45pm for an 8:00pm start. Why can’t there be a simple whiteboard with all the matches and all the finishes so that they don’t do the same shit multiple times in the same show? That includes too many roll-ups. Honestly, if you don’t want Cody or Asuka losing yet, but don’t want to change the title, don’t make that damn match! Put the tag title match in the main event, and have Theory and Belair get convincing wins in another manner. Too bad WWE has been so short-sighted in the planning and writing that no one looks like a possible, credible contender for the US title, and if you keep having Ali lose, he won’t be either. As for the women, triple threat is obvious, but the execution was horrendous. And despite the vignettes, how long before heel Lacey Evans is challenging for the title?
Well, they could hire an Olympic wrestling champ, and then — hey, wait a minute.
Reigns is going into Lesnar mode where he’ll make limited appearances. Those wrestling YouTubes never miss on their predictions right?
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
- Excalibur wishes Mama Taz a Happy Mother’s Day. Taz tells him not to call her that. Ex says Mama Hook would probably be better.
- Yambag Yahtzee!
- Luther looks in good shape because he stopped eating 10-12 ears of corn a day.
- Serpentico likes corn dogs dipped in salsa.
- Taz is considering buying a submarine. His hover jet is getting a paint job.
- Taz calls referee Paul Turner “Paul Schaffer.”
Kevin Knight & The DKC vs. The Factory’s Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo with QT Marshall
QT smarts off at the crowd, and they reply in a derogatory manner.
Taz: Ah, people saw what you just did. That’s why they reacted here at the deck. They saw what you did, Excalibur. You stuck your finger in your ear and went “Tinga Linga Loo!”
Ex: laughs hoarsely
They try to hide their giggling.
Ex: Oh, brother
Taz: You can’t stick your finger in your ear while you’re broadcasting! These people’ll see ya. This is a sound stage! C’Mon.
If I remember correctly (and I’m not saying that I do), the hoverjet, which Taz will be using to get to the UBS Arena, is black and orange, and it was whatever he made up as a new form of transportation for getting to the Las Vegas PPV that is being painted. But this is just picking nits, and it is entirely possible I am mixed up.
Also enjoyed when talking about the Gunn kids, aka The Ass Boys, Taz commented on how they have to get permission from Daddy to align with The Acclaimed, whereas an even younger Hook never asks Taz’ permission for anything.
“Wait a minute,” what? Lesnar never wrestled in the Olympics. Besides Kurt Angle, has the WWE ever had an Olympic gold medal wrestler before Steveson? Chris Taylor may have wrestled for Vince Sr., but the best he got was a bronze in 1972.
I figured that, if they wanted a guy who has an automatic ‘credible challenger to anyone’ card, they could’ve hired Stevenson; and that, for some reason, they — hired Stevenson.
There was also a time when Taz recognized a hockey player on a flight and woke Hook up to tell him. Hook didn’t care and went back to sleep. Hook takes after Orange Cassidy in making indifference into a promo.
AEW put on a magnificent Demolition Derby type match with Jeff Hardy and Darby Allin. We’re used to seeing Jeff’s unsuccessful suicide attempts so it’s good to see Darby Allin will carry on the tradition of destroying his body for our entertainment.
They also had an interesting twist on these sick bumps, the wrestler lying on the un or over chairs or across the steel steps would at the last moment jump up and get out of the way, so it looked to the audience like he narrowly avoided getting hit. If you thought that was how it was supposed to work then you haven’t been very observant when watching wrestling lately. According to recent wrestling performances the wrestler on the ground would get up, wander around the arena, do some hand slaps, sit down and eat a sandwich, all while the wrestler perched high in the air continued to pose for the audience before finally, with great hesitation taking the leap and lands off the mark anyway.
The first two moves were Darby shooting like a bullet at Jeff. That looks so much more authentic than somebody doing a flip with their arms outspread like ballerina wings. Jeff won with a trick pin. That opens the door for a long-term feud if they follow through.