Opinion

One Year Later: The 2017 Superstar Shakeup Report Card

Published

3 years ago

April 20, 2018

A lot of hype goes into the Superstar Shakeup. People switching shows are supposedly receiving new opportunities. It’s supposed to bring about new & exciting matchups to intrigue the WWE Universe.

I wondered if that’s actually true or not. So I decided to take a look back at last year’s Superstar Shakeup and grade how the people involved then fared on their new show over the past year. Should we really be excited? Or is this merely a bunch of hype that ultimately leads to nothing?

The 2017 Superstar Shake Up

From Smackdown to Raw

Apollo Crews: D

Amazing! Military Press…Standing Shooting Star! @WWEApollo #RAW pic.twitter.com/BZvbFUTVAB

— Brian The Guppie (@briantheguppie) February 28, 2018

Outside of some random Titus Worldwide wins over The Bar in January, Apollo hasn’t accomplished a whole lot of note during his year on Raw. He lost his last name for a couple of months but seems to have found it again. Crews has yet to really find his purpose since arriving on the WWE main roster & one wonders if he ever will.

The Miz & Maryse: B

As I sit at #WrestleMania, I can’t help but to think about my selfless wife. This time last year she was fighting by my side and now she’s at home taking care of our child. I hope tonight I can make you both as proud as I am of you two. pic.twitter.com/X7FsSCqZQO

— The Miz (@mikethemiz) April 8, 2018

Miz feels more at home on SmackDown Live to me & I’m glad he’s going back there. His run on Raw was highlighted by the formation of the Miztourage, but before that he was stuck in a forced marital drama with Maryse that nobody really bought into. They’re just too perfect together, amirite? He missed the main SummerSlam card as Intercontinental Champion. Miz rebounded towards the end of his run on Raw with his Mixed Match Challenge championship alongside Asuka & an IC title reclaiming victory over Roman Reigns on Raw 25.

He also became a father recently, explaining Maryse’s absence from his corner for most of the year. I’m hoping he does the Ricky Steamboat Family Man gimmick & has Maryse take Monroe Sky to ringside on a regular basis. Daniel Bryan/Birdie vs. Miz/Monroe has money written all over it.

Dean Ambrose: B

That feeling the next morning when you stay up all hours of the night to watch #WrestleMania #DeanAmbrose pic.twitter.com/lxTaQ3wQdh

— DA Gifs (@DAGifs_) April 9, 2018

Dean was having a really productive run on Raw until an injury put him out of action. His tag team with Seth Rollins leading to the reformation of the Shield was good business. He was advertised for upcoming Raw events in South Africa, though it seems like that was an oversight. He should be back in September, & hopefully he’ll still be aligned with Rollins & Reigns at that point. Given the hits Raw took to their roster this week though, maybe we’ll see Ambrose go back to his evil ways from back in the day.

Curt Hawkins: D

Last year I was completely against the #SuperstarShakeup …I didn’t want to go to Raw. But, it wound up being a great move. I’m going to embrace it this year. Whatever happens, happens. Either way I’ll give my best effort as always.

— Brian Myers (@TheCurtHawkins) April 11, 2018

Hawkins hasn’t won a match in a long time & doesn’t seem to be on his way to doing so anytime soon. If only he’d taken my advice.

Bray Wyatt: D+

@MATTHARDYBRAND ,

Who is this oracle @davemeltzerWON ???

And why does speak so poorly of me?

My allegiance to #HouseHardy is true

As long as I stay away from the creature that lives in the lake…

— Bray Wyatt (@WWEBrayWyatt) April 14, 2018

Bray spent most of the year doing things I couldn’t possibly care about. The Finn Balor feud was pretty painful to watch. The Matt Hardy feud started the same way, but I like how they’ve joined forces now. He also hooked up with JoJo to end his marriage, so there’s that.

Kalisto: D

….as only @KalistoWWE can. #205Live pic.twitter.com/w3nNLqvIQu

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) April 11, 2018

Once Kalisto got put on 205 Live where he belongs, he was more productive. He spent way too much time feuding with Braun Strowman & Apollo Crews early in his year. They were wanting him to be the next Rey Mysterio, but the charisma just isn’t there.

Heath Slater & Rhyno: D

Working!!!!!!! https://t.co/FSddZxE3vi

— Heath Slater (@HeathSlaterOMRB) March 11, 2018

The most memorable thing either of these guys did this year? Jonathan Coachman mistaking Bo Dallas for Rhyno.

Alexa Bliss: B

She's been a diehard @BlueJacketsNHL fan from the beginning and @AlexaBliss_WWE is stoked for the playoff run. #StanleyCup https://t.co/fg8jerq2BD

— NHL (@NHL) April 3, 2018

Alexa was Raw Women’s Champion for most of the year. She doesn’t quite make it up to A level for me. It didn’t feel like she did a heck of a lot even though she was champion. She went months without defending the title & spent most of her time avoiding Asuka in order to set up a showdown for the championship that never really happened. It was a solid year for Alexa, but could have been better with more activity.

Mickie James: B

So I think we can all agree, Mickie James is obviously drinking the blood of babies to continue to look this amazing. pic.twitter.com/KedGdvtCcW

— Larry T. Csonka (@LarryCsonka411) March 20, 2018

Mickie’s booking wasn’t the best this year. She broke up with Alexa towards the end of their run on SmackDown. Then she decides to be friends with her again a couple of months ago because…reasons? I won’t complain too much because…reasons.

From Raw to Smackdown

Jinder Mahal: A

… and that's why I should have been #1 on the Smackdown Live Top 10 Superstars List. #sdlive

— The Maharaja (@JinderMahal) February 14, 2018

I’m not on the Jinder bandwagon like one of my Chairshot brethren. I’ll give the devil his due though: out of all the people moved in last year’s Shakeup, Mahal made the most of the opportunity. He went from complete irrelevance on Raw to the most pushed guy on SmackDown. His matches left something to be desired, but he did get the type of crowd reactions they were hoping for. I’m not sure the move back to Raw will help his cause, but at least it gets him away from Randy Orton.

Kevin Owens: C

On the flip side, KO was supposed to be the main addition from Raw & got the most hype. He ended up having a mixed bag of a year. His Face of America gimmick got undercut by Mahal & Rusev also working foreign heel gimmicks at the same time. His feud with AJ Styles was disappointing from a workrate perspective & his drama with Shane McMahon outlived its welcome by a few months.

Most of Kevin’s highlights involved the next person on the list.

Sami Zayn: B+

Every time I hear Sami Zayn’s theme tune, I think of that podcast where Steve Austin talked about how much he loves it. Then I think of Stone Cold doing the Sami ska dance and giggle. pic.twitter.com/41ynd8u5Fm

— David J. McCutcheon (@ZoopSoul) April 17, 2018

Sami got off to a slow start, but finally found his groove after helping Kevin defeat Shane McMahon at Hell in a Cell. He became a complete toolbag afterwards & it was fantastic. Even if his SmackDown win-loss record wasn’t anything to write home about, he was able to find himself creatively. So it was a year well spent.

The Colons: D

Con un equipo así, quién no se siente patriota… ¡Gracias, @WWE_Primo y @WWEEpico! #WWESanJuan pic.twitter.com/QVYcaqZAXb

— WWE Puerto Rico (@WWEPUR) June 9, 2017

It looked like Primo & Epico were going to do something for a hot minute. The injury bug bit them pretty hard. They didn’t do much on the limited occasions they were healthy either.

Tamina: D

Happy Birthday to #SDLive's own @TaminaSnuka, who had a memorable @WWE debut alongside the @WWEUsos! pic.twitter.com/afEnnrYEBd

— WWE (@WWE) January 10, 2018

She beat Bayley & Nia Jax in the Survivor Series Women’s Elimination Match. Do you remember anything else she did?

Charlotte Flair: C

What can happen in 4 years?
Taking the throne @WrestleMania.
Literally. pic.twitter.com/amtvQvIbx3

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 12, 2018

Much like Alexa, Charlotte mainy suffered from a lack of competition. I feel she’s miscast in the face role, and like her father is a much more natural heel. She did get the big win over Asuka at WrestleMania & held the Women’s Championship for a good amount of time. SmackDown’s women’s division did well in this year’s Shakeup, so Charlotte should be more productive over the next twelve months.

Sin Cara: F

Hey…I was just about to say "Sin Cara's not dead!" – then Joe's music hit. #SDLive #UseYourHead #SendHelp

— Andrew Balaz (@IWCWarChief) April 18, 2018

Other than a brief feud with Baron Corbin, Sin Cara did absolutely nothing over the past twelve months. Probably for the best, honestly.

Rusev: B-

Bury me softly, Brother https://t.co/IWnBvL20Ez

— Rusev (@RusevBUL) April 11, 2018

The Bulgarian Brute certainly had an up & down year. He was originally expected to get the push that went to Jinder Mahal. After months of not doing much, he formed Rusev Day with Aiden English & improbably became one of WWE’s top merchandise sellers. I have no real idea of what to expect from him in the next 12 months. He could be WWE Champion. He could be out of the company. Neither would surprise me.

Lana: D

People might think that I'm not good enough to wrestle on #SDLive & don't deserve to be in that squared circle. I will continue to train every day! Because NO ONE will stop me from doing what I love & achieving my dreams. Always resiliently chase your dreams

— CJ (Lana) Perry (@LanaWWE) March 21, 2018

They tried to have Lana as a wrestler. That didn’t go well. Then she managed Tamina and that didn’t go over much better. Now she’s booking matches for Rusev in Saudi Arabia. They’ve had no real idea what to do with her since Donald Trump told Vince McMahon to stop using Vladimir Putin for heel heat. Which is a shame.

The New Day: C

North American champion ladder match is first!!!! I’m Big E eating popcorn hyped!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/3mLSEIwh5D

— ? (@_emaleeee) April 7, 2018

I feel like Xavier, Kofi & Big E have kind of run out of useful things to do together. But then you see the merchandise in the stands and you realize they can’t really split these guys up. They’re a good mid-card act to get the crowd hyped, which is something every show needs.

So what have we learned? Nothing we didn’t already know. The Superstar Shakeup can bring about great opportunity for a select few. For most, it’s a mostly pointless jump to alleged new scenery. Most of the people involved in this week’s Shakeup won’t see a great difference in their status due to their new address. A couple will.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Opinion

Cook’s 2021 AEW Dynamite Awards Preview

Steve Cook is here to preview the 2021 AEW Dynamite Awards?!?! Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Published

3 days ago

January 20, 2021

Steve Cook

Steve Cook is here to preview the 2021 AEW Dynamite Awards?!?! Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

It’s Awards Season! Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like pro wrestling has more awards with each passing year. In addition to the Wrestling Observer, 411mania & countless other media outlets presenting awards, promotions do their own as well. WWE has the Slammys & the NXT Year-End Awards. Impact Wrestling has had their own awards since around the start of their company.

It only makes sense for AEW to add themselves to the mix. I’m a little confused by the Dynamite Awards, only because some of the moments nominated didn’t take place in 2020. Some of the late 2019 stuff was included here, which I suppose was in the interest of fairness because early 2020 would have been too soon to do awards. Still kinda off, but this will take care of itself in 2022. Probably.

Let’s take a look at this year’s AEW Dynamite Awards! I’m going to tell you who should win and who will win, so you can win your AEW Dynamite Award pool. I don’t know if people will be betting on these things, but just in case they are, here’s some help!

Best Moment on the Mic:
MJF Campaign Speech “We Deserve Better”
Cody Rhodes Accepts Mr. Brodie Lee’s Dog Collar Match Challenge
Jon Moxley “Accepts” The Inner Circle Invitation From Jericho
Brandi Rhodes Confronts Jade Cargill
Orange Cassidy Debates With Chris Jericho

Who Should Win: Orange Cassidy Debates With Chris Jericho

Honestly, one of the biggest travesties committed by the selection committee is the lack of Eddie Kingston in this category. Completely ridiculous. That being said, there aren’t any duds listed here. Brandi’s inclusion probably gets some heat from people, but her going off on Jade was tremendous. Orange’s performance against Jericho in the debate was some pretty good stuff & showed a different side of Mr. Cassidy than we’re accustomed to seeing. I’d give the award to him.

Who Will Win: Orange Cassidy Debates With Chris Jericho

We’re talking about Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Most Popular Wrestler of the Year here, along with the Demo God. Their star power carries them to the top of the polling.

Biggest Surprise:
Matt Hardy’s Debut
Jake “The Snake” Roberts Confronts Cody Rhodes
Brodie Lee Arrives As The Exalted One
Sting’s AEW Debut
Miro Revealed As The Best Man

Who Should Win: Jake “The Snake” Roberts Confronts Cody Rhodes

Your vote here will largely depend on your fandom of the wrestler involved. Matt Hardy fans will vote for Matt Hardy. Fans of underutilized WWE talent may go for Brodie or Miro. Sting’s popularity speaks for itself. For me, it goes back to Jake The Snake being my first favorite professional wrestler. Seeing him again, especially seeing him over the issues that had plagued him for decades, was a tremendous moment.

Who Will Win: Sting’s AEW Debut

“IT’S STING!” is all that needs to be said here.

Biggest Beatdown:
The Inner Circle Jumps Orange Cassidy
The Dark Order Attacks the Nightmare Family
Nyla Rose Puts Riho & Shida Through Tables
Brian Cage Sneak Attack On Jon Moxley
The Nightmare Family And Inner Circle Brawl

Who Should Win: The Dark Order Attacks The Nightmare Family

Brodie Lee’s destruction of Cody to win the TNT Championship really put Dark Order on the map as a force to be reckoned with. My favorite part of the beatdown: we didn’t see all of it. Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall were drug out from the back, explaining why they didn’t come out to help Cody earlier. Arn Anderson took some shots like a champ, and Brandi got choked out by Anna Jay. By the time the old TNT belt had been deposited on Cody’s carcass, the message had been sent loud & clear.

Who Will Win: The Nightmare Family And Inner Circle Brawl

This fight had a little bit of everything. MJF as a good guy. Cody smashing a window. Diamond Dallas Page looking like he could make one more run. Dippin’ Dots. Chris Jericho screaming about how he had a ticket. A hot crowd. What’s not to like?

High Flyer:
Rey Fenix
Marq Quen
Nick Jackson
Pac

Who Should Win: Rey Fenix

All four of these guys are insane, but nobody brings the insanity like Fenix. That guy just doesn’t care as long as he does as many flips as humanly possible. He & Penta were deserving winners of most web sites’ Most Underrated award, maybe he’ll get some recognition here.

Who Will Win: Nick Jackson

Fenix & Pac split the vote of Death Triangle fans, enabling Nick to ride the support of Elite fans to the crown.

Hardest Moment To Clean Up After:
Orange Cassidy Drops OJ on Inner Circle
Parking Lot Brawl
Bunkhouse Match
Big Swole Dumps Garbage On Dr. Britt Baker

Who Should Win: Orange Cassidy Drops OJ On Inner Circle

The Parking Lot Brawl is my favorite moment on the list, but the damage was largely contained to the parking lot. Big Swole’s garbage ended up in Dr. Baker’s Popemobile, not scattered all over the place. The Bunkhouse Match went everywhere and definitely deserves consideration, but the OJ incident resulted in a ruined suit & ring canvas. Definitely tough to get that stuff out.

Who Will Win: Parking Lot Brawl

People get a chance to vote for this, they probably will. Orange is represented in this one too, so it’s all good.

Biggest WTF Moment:
Cody Moonsaulting Off The Steel Cage
Sammy Guevara Is Hit By The Golf Cart
The Young Bucks Frog Splash Off The Stadium Railing
MJF Lashes Cody Rhodes
Bloody Dr. Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida
Kenny Omega Wins AEW World Championship and Walks out of AEW

Who Should Win: Sammy Guevara Is Hit By The Golf Cart

I am the golf cart.

The dumb "AEW needs to stop pushing ex-WWE guys!" arguments are Sammy Guevara. pic.twitter.com/ol2y9Qkzya

— Andy H. Murray (@andyhmurray) May 7, 2020

All these moments definitely had an element of craziness, but they all pale in comparison to Sammy getting hit by the golf cart. Like, who willingly does that? Definitely something people shouted “WTF?” at.

Who Will Win: Kenny Omega Wins AEW World Championship and Walks out of AEW

We certainly saw some funny business coming when Don Callis started appearing to call big Kenny matches. Nothing quite like what we’ve gotten, where AEW is regularly making their presence felt on Impact Wrestling’s AXS TV show while Omega & Callis have joined forces with the Good Brothers to re-live their New Japan glory days. Recency bias & the general craziness of AEW & Impact crossing over make this a solid pick.

LOL Moment:
Jericho & MJF: Le Dinner Debonair
Dr. Britt Baker Waxes Tony Schiavone
Young Bucks Super Kick MJF Into Cruise Ship Pool
The Inner Circle Las Vegas Trip

Who Should Win: The Young Bucks Super Kick MJF Into Cruise Ship Pool

The #ExplosiveMomentOfTheWeek from #AEWDynamite: The #YoungBucks showed up and tossed @The_MJF into the pool! 💧

Watch the latest episode on the @tntdrama app: https://t.co/j3B0YYteML pic.twitter.com/b4CXshMUjj

— All Elite Wrestling on TNT (@AEWonTNT) January 25, 2020

I’m a simple man. Anytime somebody gets thrown into a pool on a wrestling show, I laugh and cheer. As creative as Jericho & MJF’s musical number was, and as crazy as that Vegas trip was, and as much as I love Britt & Tony’s chemistry together, give me the classics every time. Man gets thrown into pool. Simple, yet effective.

Who Will Win: Jericho & MJF: Le Dinner Debonair

MJF needs another plaque honoring his musical performance to carry around. As Owen Hart & Scorpio Sky could tell you, one trophy is always better than two.

Best Twitter Follow:
MJF
Orange Cassidy
Dr. Britt Baker
Nyla Rose

Who Should Win: MJF

Dude just talks shit about everybody under the sun. Even Negative One, for heaven’s sake!

Who Will Win: Orange Cassidy

Twitter was made for people like Orange, who have no problem keeping their thoughts under 140 characters. I’m also good at it!

Breakout Male Star:
Orange Cassidy
Darby Allin
Eddie Kingston
John Silver

Who Should Win: Eddie Kingston

I can make a really good argument for every single nominee. We’ve already seen Orange’s name pop up a few times here, it’s no secret that he had an outstanding year. Darby is the current TNT Champion and has proven his worth every time we’ve seen him in the ring. The Brian Cage match took place after voting started, but it was evidence of why Allin deserves to win an award like this, and deserves his spot as TNT Champion and the man that Sting has chosen to carry on his legacy. Don’t get me started on Johnny Hungiee, once he started showing his personality on Being The Elite, everybody fell in love with the guy.

Eddie Kingston only went from needing to sell his wrestling boots to pay the rent to being one of AEW’s brightest stars. Those of us who were familiar with his work in the indies or in Impact wrestling knew about it. All Eddie needed was a chance, and he’d take care of business. That’s exactly what he did, and he’ll be in AEW as long as he wants to be.

Who Will Win: Darby Allin

It’ll be well-deserved, too. Nobody can deny that Darby brings it every time he’s out there. The man might be 170 pounds fully clothed with some chains, but his toughness and inability to quit can’t be denied.

Breakout Female Star:
Anna Jay
Tay Conti
Big Swole
Penelope Ford
Hikaru Shida

Who Should Win: Anna Jay

Anna had less than ten matches before getting on AEW television, and she immediately proved that she belongs. She can only get better in the ring, and she already performs at an acceptable level. Her only weakness? She always corpses when John Silver is being peak John Silver. I can’t really blame her for it.

Who Will Win: Hikaru Shida

I mean, she is the AEW Women’s Champion. Which is at least the second most important championship in the women’s division. It’s no fault of Shida’s, she does good work, but I don’t really see that connection between her and the audience.

Bleacher Report PPV Moment of the Year:
Stadium Stampede
Jon Moxley Wins AEW World Championship
Shida Wins AEW Women’s World Championship
Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page Defeat The Young Bucks
Darby Allin Defeats Cody Rhodes For TNT Title
Young Bucks Win AEW World Tag Title

Who Should Win: Jon Moxley Wins AEW World Championship

Tons of good contenders here, but it’s tough to argue against Mox knocking off Le Champion at Revolution. He was the right man to take the title from Chris Jericho at the right time, and few champions could have carried AEW through this weird year like Moxley did.

Who Will Win: Stadium Stampede

I think the multi-man clustermess has the best chance of garnering the most votes. It was certainly one of the most unique offerings from AEW in 2020.

Will the AEW Dynamite Awards be a unique offering? Tough to say, but you can find out by streaming the show on BR Live next Wednesday! You can also find out how right I was on every single award. It’s a gift.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Andrew’s Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 1/17/2021

Now since this week isn’t full of big events, the list should be a little more interesting. Let’s see what made the Top 5 and if it’s close to last week’s quality!

Published

5 days ago

January 18, 2021

Andrew Balaz

Last week kicked things off hot and heavy, and as expected; we cooled down a little this week. Still some fun matches, but nothing should really be competition for last week’s list.

Speaking of that list, all 6 matches had some support, and that’s really nice to see. However, there has to be a winner, and by only a couple of votes; Wrestle Kingdom Night 1: Will Ospreay vs Kazuchika Okada, won the popular vote!

So let’s see what matches we get to possibly add to the January pool!

Quick Top 5:

NXT UK: NXT UK Championship: Walter (c) vs A-Kid
Rating: ****
Hard to Kill: Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs Moose, Rich Swann & Chris Sabin
Rating: ****
Hard to Kill: Barbed Wire Massacre: Sami Callihan vs Eddie Edwards
Rating: *** 3/4
NXT: MSK vs Isaiah Scott & Jake Atlas
Rating: *** 1/2
Hard to Kill: X Division Championship: Manik (c) vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey
Rating: *** 1/2
IMPACT!: Rich Swann vs Karl Anderson
Rating: *** 1/2

Honorable Mentions:

AEW New Year’s Smash Night 2: TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs Brian Cage
Rating: *** 1/4
Hard to Kill: Knockouts Championship: Deonna Purrazzo (c) w/Kimber Lee & Susan vs Taya Valkyrie w/ Decay
Rating: *** 1/4
IMPACT!: Rohit Raju & Chris Bey vs Manik & Suicide
Rating: *** 1/4
WWE SmackDown: Daniel Bryan vs Cesaro
Rating: *** 1/4
NXT: Undisputed Era vs Breezango
Rating: ***
Hard to Kill: Knockouts Tag Team Title Finals: Fire & Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) vs Nevaeh & Havok
Rating: ***
AEW New Year’s Smash Night 2: NWA Women’s World Championship: Serena Deeb (c) vs Tay Conti
Rating: ***
WWE SmackDown: Jey Uso vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Rating: ***
IMPACT!: Tenille Dashwood w/Kaleb vs Rosemary
Rating: ***

4t. IMPACT!: Rich Swann vs Karl Anderson

From My Results:

The entire time Kenny’s been in the picture, they’ve put a lot of spotlight on some of Karl’s singles accolades in Japan. So it should come as no surprise that Karl actually came in with a plan and dominated for a good portion. Karl focused on the shoulder and it worked really well for him.

Rich was selling and getting caught by Shotgun kicks and a bunch of other moves, but at least proving to be resilient. Rich manages to catch Karl as Karl starts looking to finish things. A few nice strikes, the over the shoulder back kick and finally Swann’s got something. Karl does stabilize and look for the Gun Stun, but Rich ducks the Gun Stun with a School Boy Rollup and that’s the match!

Winner: Swann via School Boy Rollup

4t. Hard to Kill: X Division Championship: Manik (c) vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey

From My Results:

Rohit went after Manik to try and prove his point that it’s TJP. Bey seemed dead set on finding a way to win, and as we expected in an X Division match; there were a lot of spots, but they all made sense. Rohit does manage to take off the mask, but TJP painted his face under the mask, so it still throws off Rohit. TJP strings together a few moves, goes for the Mamba Splash, but gets caught by Bey with a Cutter. Bey then hits a Double Art of Finesse, but his brief moment of not knowing who to pin, caused the pinfall breakup.

Rohit almost won the title back after his call back to hitting his Tiger Knee after a Mamba Splash but Bey kicked out. Haymakers get thrown, Rohit hits the Dragon Stomp on Bey, and looks to finish things, but TJP slides in for the style of Cradle he’s used a bit lately, and retains his title after a fun, hard fought match.

Winner: Manik via Ole Cradle

4t. NXT: MSK vs Isaiah Scott & Jake Atlas

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Swerve drags Wes up, full nelson for Atlas to HEEL KICK Wes, then a spin to a fireman’s carry, toss and SPINNING POWERSLAM! Swerve is up top, 450 SPLASH! Atlas covers, but Carter breaks it just in time! Fans fire up as Swerve grows frustrated! Swerve throws Carter back out, Atlas drags Wes back over and tags Swerve in. Atlas drags Wes to a corner, rams his shoulder in, and Swerve helps hoist Wes to the top rope. Swerve and Atlas both climb up to bring Wes up but Carter drags Atlas down in a heap! Wes shoves Swerve away and both men fall to the mat! Fans fire up as everyone is down, and Wes gets to ropes. Wes kicks Swerve away to go to his corner but no one is home.

Swerve runs in, blocks a boot, but Carter tags in! Carter ROCKS Swerve, Wes pops Swerve up to the ropes, Carter ROCKS Swerve into Wes’ NO HANDS POISON-RANA!! Carter drags Swerve up, Wes runs in, BLOCKBUSTER HART ATTACK! Cover, MSK WINS!!

Winner: MSK via Blockbuster Hart Attack

3. Hard to Kill: Barbed Wire Massacre: Sami Callihan vs Eddie Edwards

From My Results:

Interesting pacing to get across the familiarity, twisted respect and love for punishment between these two. We saw Barbed Wire Tables, Chairs, Baseball Bats, Kendo Sticks and even an…N64 Controller!

Sami took a ton of punishment, but the story was basically playing with Eddie’s emotions to bait him into bad dives, and openings for Sami to move out of the way, or sneak in a barbed wire shot. Eddie hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on a barbed wire chair, Sami hit an Avalanche Piledriver through a barbed wire table, but none of this was enough. If anything, the Piledriver just pissed Eddie off.

Going for the callback that started it all, Sami tries to hit a Barbed Wire Chair into Eddie’s face with a Barbed Wire Bat, but Eddie hits a low blow to get a moment. Sami tries to bring himself up with a chair, Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party, then the Diehard Flowsion for the win!

Winner: Eddie via Diehard Flowsion

1t. Hard to Kill: Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs Moose, Rich Swann & Chris Sabin

From My Results:

We get a lot of Japanese tag stylings, from the triple team that Team Impact pulls off, to the way the Club breaks up any type of momentum with their own train attacks into the corner. Moose looked amazing in this match. He went toe to toe with everyone, pulled off great moves like a Standing Moonsault, leaped to the top rope for a Spanish Fly and was a really good teammate, regardless of his issues with Rich Swann. Hell Swann and Moose even hit a Doomsday Device variant together. Small aside, I did like seeing Chris Sabin pull off Cradle Shock, which just doesn’t happen often enough anymore.

Omega almost has the match one on Rich, but the only one able to break it up was Moose, and he did so. Omega went into V-Trigger spamming mode to wipe out Moose, rock Rich and then a One Winged Angel won the match for the Bullet Club former members.

Winner: Omega via One Winged Angel

1t. NXT UK: NXT UK Championship: Walter (c) vs A-Kid

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

AK survives two powerful impacts and BT Sports Studio is thunderous! Walter stirs and crawls over to AK. Walter facelocks AK, drags him up and eggs him on. Walter CHOPS AK back down and AK flops to ropes! AK sits up and Walter kicks at him again. Walter CLUBS AK but AK gets up with a clenched jaw. AK SLAPS Walter, then catches the chop to a takedown! AK locks up one arm, wants the other, but Walter resists! AK shifts to an ARMBAR! Walter clasps hands, moves around, but AK keeps his shoulders up in the triangle hold! Walter moves around, rolls them both to the ropes then out of the ring! Walter APRON BOMBS AK down!!

AK crumples to the floor but Walter drags him back up to put him in. Walter stalks AK but AK fires off palm strikes! Walter grabs AK for a sleeper but AK pries it off to PELE! Walter staggers, AK runs, into a LARIAT!! Walter CHOPS AK on the back! And POINT-BLANK LARIATS!! Cover, Walter wins!!

Winner: Walter via Burning Lariat

Thoughts:

Well it’s hard to argue that Walter vs A-Kid was the best match, it only lacked a little punch since I don’t follow NXT UK super closely; so I didn’t see A-Kid as a credible threat. He did prove himself fairly well with the MMA style strikes and grappling attacks, but he’s still to fresh of a face to me, for me to have bought in as much as say Ilja or Tyler Bate, when they had their big versus little man matches.

Impact did bring some higher quality, but that’s to be expected since they had a PPV and a Go Home. The Rascalz debuting as MSK was nice, so I’m glad they got a small moment to shine.

Either way, Walter vs A-Kid, is my vote for match of the week. Which one gets your vote?

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