Posts

Showing posts from July, 2023

RAW Does a Last Run Before Showtime - SummerSlam 2023

Image
How’s It Going, Enthusiasts? It’s a mixed bag at the beginning of this week but at least there’s stuff to talk about. Let’s get right into it.  So, let’s address the sad news in Paul Reubens better known as Pee-Wee Herman passing over the weekend. He was quietly battling cancer and unfortunately succumbed. This is sad, despite his less than savory past. I grew up watching Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and didn’t discover the adult origin until I got older. Regardless, that was a great children’s show that I will always remember fondly, not to mention his movies.  I missed his spots on WWE television but I feel I won’t be the only one a bit grieved at his passing. Sincere condolences to his loved ones. This one was a bit of a shock. Back to the Wrestling World, WWE had a kinda lively weekend. NXT had their American Bash and Cody Rhodes’ documentary dropped on Peacock. I didn’t partake of either and I doubt I would but while perusing the rumors/news of the day, I saw that Gable Stevenson had his f

SmackDown Double Checks RAW's Work Ahead of SummerSlam...

Image
  Happy Friday, Enthusiasts: It looks like it’s a slow news day in the Wrestling World but there are a couple things to comment on. Let’s talk a little about them, shall we? So, WWE will get a little mainstream press over the weekend as a select few will represent them on Celebrity Family Feud this Sunday night on ABC . It will be Men vs. Women with Seth Rollins fronting the crew consisting of Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Dolph Ziggler. The Ladies are headed by Becky Lynch, with Bayley, Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan and Natalya on the team. Check your local listings if you want to check it out. Not sure I’m that interested but it’s a good chance to get fresh eyes on the current product. It seems like this was already taped so, hopefully they had fun with it. I may catch it on a replay some time. We’ll see. This next tidbit I wasn’t sure I was going to comment on because of the not-so-favorable press on Mr. Vince McMahon but reports hit general news outlets so I guess I better say

RAW Makes Sure All Is in Place for SummerSlam...

Image
A Merry Monday to You, Enthusiasts! How’s every little thing? It’s a Monday so…you know start of the week and all that. Work keeps me busy. There’s a little bit going on in the Wrestling World. Enough to have a brief conversation so let’s chat about what’s going on. Word is that Bray Wyatt may soon return to our TV screens. Most signs point to SummerSlam or shortly thereafter. The consensus seems to be more or less agreed that a reboot back to the Rob Zombie-esque cult leader is a good way to go. That “Fiend” angle just doesn’t hold up for a live entertainment medium. I know some fans ate it up but you all know my many issues with the concept. The backwoods preacher can always grasp our imagination and it leaves the door open for so much kooky fun. I don’t mind experimentation but I don’t think adding weight to this sort of content makes sense. I do want to get caught up and forget it’s not real but at the same time, I’m looking to escape so anything too heavy is going to be off-puttin

SmackDown Takes a Little Detour on the Way to SummerSlam...

Image
Happy Friday, Enthusiasts! I hope it’s treating you well. There’s not a whole hell of a lot to chat about today but enough for a short post. Let’s get to it, shall we? So, the first bit of interesting news is how Shayna Baszler is letting us know how she abides by the Kayfabe assignment that is her career. She’s doubling down on her current feud with Ronda Rousey and saying she isn’t pulling any punches. What she says is the “truth” and she’s sticking to it. Rousey was fast-tracked due to popularity while Baszler slanged in the background. Well, enough is enough and they’ll soon settle this once and for all. I am like many Baszler well-wishers in the sense that I wouldn’t mind seeing Baszler on a Face turn. Rousey is a good start but to be honest, I think Sonya Deville is probably a better “enemy”. I’ve pitched Baszler being a sort of anti-hero before. She could begrudgingly defend the likes of Liv Morgan against Deville’s bullying ways at some point.  A display like that is more belie

RAW Is in No Rush for Summer Slam....

Image
How’s It Going, Enthusiasts? Can’t say it’s so bad for a Monday. This one had a few little perks for me so, no complaints. Shall we get into what’s floating around the Wrestling World. There’s a few things we can talk about.  First up, Bayley suffered a knee energy during a house show recently. Her having been out not too long ago due to injury had her fans on edge. Could she have reaggravated something? Bayley appears to be sucking it up according to what’s going around social media. Piss poor timing going into SummerSlam, though. Let us wish her a speedy recovery 🙏 Speaking of injuries, Ridge Holland apparently felt compelled to delete his Twitter account due to being blamed for Elton Prince’s injury of the duo Pretty Deadly. I’m not sure how “injured” Prince is seeing how he talked about it in character on a WWE Digital Exclusive. Yet, we know how trolls operate. They don’t need much to get going and I suppose Holland wasn’t in the mood for it. He start off with a preemptive tweet

SmackDown Keeps Things Interesting as We Coast to SummerSlam...

Image
Happy Friday, Enthusiasts! Is it hot where you are? I’m not quite melting but this is why I like the summer months. Always shed a few pounds just due to the heat 😉 Anyway, there isn’t a whole lot going on in the Wrestling World but enough to chat a little bit. Shall we get into it? So, first thing that jumps out is the rumors of Ronda Rousey going back to UFC are appearing to be just that. There are now reports going around that Rousey currently has no plans to return. Some commenters pointed out that it’s been over 6 years since she last competed and was on a losing streak at the time so, to think she was returning was probably farfetched to begin with.  Well, if anyone has taken note of how social media and commenters don’t necessarily fact check, this should be no surprise. Many follow the human inclination of jumping to conclusions with only a few bits of information and presuming one is absolutely right. I try not to fall into this easy trap but I couldn’t help noticing the senti

RAW Asks for Preferences for SummerSlam...

Image
Happy Monday, Enthusiasts. How are things going so far? Fair enough? It’s the beginning of the week. Feel free to ease into it. Well, the Wrestling World is kinda quite at the moment. There are a lot of on-going rumblings but not much new to report. This should be a “to the point” post. With the Bloodline Saga now “at recess”, we have a little under a month to switch focus to SummerSlam. As we do that, there’s also more talk of LA Knight. Apparently, he was given a dark segment to help appease some vocal fans. I don’t mind Knight’s popularity. It took me a little while to catch-on so, I’m glad people are. Yet, again, I have not been impressed with the ring work I’ve seen. It’s his job on the mic that appears to really be putting him over.  So, that’s the only discrepancy I see in the way at present.  Let’s see where he is at the end of the year before making too many final conclusions. Conversely, Grayson Waller is being said to be on the “push train” as those in the know feel he could

SmackDown - Money in the Bank Fallout (2023)

Image
How’s It Going, Enthusiasts? Friday treating you well? I have to say, my ship appears to be coming in so, I’ll just say, I’ve had worse 😉 There’s not that much going on in the Wrestling World that has caught my interest so, this should be a short post. Let’s start in the Realm of AEW. There’s a rumor going around that the Young Bucks may be getting tired of the AEW way. There’s a feeling that they may try for WWE in the near future. Many commenters think that may not be the wisest decision because they are far from stellar performers.  From what I’ve seen, I’d have to agree. With intense training they may be able to get up to speed but I don’t know why the WWE Universe would care about them. They’re not imposing or impressively skilled and definitely look like they work at Trader Joe’s or something. I don’t see them being taken too seriously outside of AEW. We’ll see if they come to their senses or settle for Impact. In the WWE Universe, the main focus continues to be the Bloodline Sa

RAW - Money in the Bank Fallout (2023)

Image
How’s It Going, Enthusiasts? For those in the United States, how’s the kinda 4-day weekend treating you? It’s an awkward position for the 4th of July but if anyone was planning ahead, they probably took today off. I don’t have that much going on but did have the option of working remotely today so, that’s something. But enough about me. Let’s break down Money in the Bank and get to tonight’s business. So, MITB was very solid this year. Anyone who had problems with it is probably a LA Knight fan or prone to complain. I had no problem with Damian Priest taking the contract. Not that I mind LA Knight it’s just he’s only started getting going and I’m not all that impressed with his ringwork. Priest, on the other hand, has been showing consistent progress so, I feel he earned it. Wouldn’t have minded a surprise, Shinsuke Nakamura win but the fact that it didn’t happen lends me to believe that they just don’t know what to do with him. His spoken English hasn’t really improved much though I’m

Money in the Bank 2023

Image
What’s Going On, Enthusiasts?   It’s that time again. The beginning of summer is always marked by Money in the Bank. I remember it more in June but I’m flexible. I understand scheduling issues. So, here are the matches that interest me.   First off, it’s Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor. That should be the best technical match of the night but the real tell of it will be how Bálor plays. This is his moment to shine. Rollins has shown that he gets the job. He has the Crowd doing it for him. Isn’t that the ultimate endgame? And the beauty of it may be it’s not one he was trying for. It’s organically grown. So, there, he doesn’t need the win. The question then becomes, does Bálor earn it? Depends.   There has to be a plan for B álor if so and that’s always the question. Those who read this know what my problem is with Bálor. It needs help to work. Skilled as Bálor is, he’s a small guy compared to the typical wrestler. Why are we afraid of him? If WWE is not going to use weight clas