June 1, 2019 - Evan Luebbe

XXV – Adam Champ Baby

August 17, 2019June 1, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

The main event of Takeover: XXV was the number one reason why the WWE universe gravitates toward NXT so much, and that is because of the level of focus and attention to detail regarding the in-ring work. Each move of matches is easily better thought out and the performers pay special attention to the detail and precision with which they approach their work in the ring because they are still trying to make a name for themselves and build their reputation within WWE. They put extra effort in to make the WWE universe resonate with them and give them an adequate amount of respect for their abilities.

In terms of storyline, Adam Cole may gain even more cockiness to the point where he becomes just flat out annoying, and the entire Undisputed Era becomes turned off by it, ultimately leading to their demise.

As for Johnny Gergen, this is most likely all part of the plan for Tommaso Ciampa’s return, in which he returns to take the NXT Championship from Adam Cole and return to his heel persona, only for Gargano to regain the title. I’m just spitballing here, and I have absolutely no sources to back this up, however I do know that a storyline has already been devised for Ciampa’s return, so Gargano losing the title was probably the initial event to give the storyline momentum.

Matt Riddle and Roderick Strong had a fantastic match to kick off the show and get the crowd into it. It is very underestimated just how important the first match of a wrestling show is as it sets the tone for the rest of the show, so it’s a very big deal to be put in the #1 spot. The loss may be enough to send Roderick Strong’s frustrations over the edge and cause him to part ways with The Undisputed Era, becoming the last man to join the group and the first to leave.

As for Matt Riddle, the former UFC fighter has proven that he has the potential to be a reliable champion. He came into NXT a little less experienced than most, having gotten out of UFC in 2013 and getting into wrestling the following year, but he has proven to be a fast learner and has impressed many fans, including me. A potential retirement match at WrestleMania next year between Brock Lesnar and Matt Riddle, maybe even for the Universal Championship, would be guaranteed to be a massive moneymaker for WWE, Pitting two former UFC fighters against one another.

Congrats to the Street Profits on winning the NXT Tag Team Championships (and to Angelo Dawkins on a victory and a great performance in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. One has to admit that he looks eerily similar to Demarcus “Boogie” Cousins. I’m only kidding of course). Absolutely no one can argue that the Street Profits deserve it. They are obviously an extremely entertaining team. It’s a little bit of a strange phenomenon that the ladders that are used in NXT appear to be harder and less forgiving than the ladders that are used on the main roster.

One other topic of discussion is the fact that Jaxson Ryker appears to have been established as a force at Takeover: XXV. Maybe he could develop a rivalry which leads to a match at Takeover: Brooklyn with someone like Keith Lee. Ryker’s look has also been changed slightly to appear a little more rugged. He reminds me a little bit of Kane: we will see however if, and that’s a big if, he can have anywhere near that amount of success.

Tyler Breeze’s attitude about returning to NXT is very admirable. He views it as a lateral move within the company that many NXT fans have wanted to see for quite a while rather than a demeaning move being sent back somewhere, he has already been. He could easily view it as proof that the company does not believe in him, but it is a great attitude that he has of returning somewhere where his talent will be truly appreciated. He will have an opportunity to develop a newfound sense of aggression to his character.

As for the match between Breeze and Velveteen Dream, this was the point in the show where the crowd calmed down. This was not the most exciting match or the best performance by a longshot from Dream, but it was plenty interesting enough. The result was exactly what it should have been, as Velveteen Dream needs to be kept in a prominent position if WWE is seriously considering putting him in a marquee WrestleMania match next year with John Cena, which would indeed be awesome.

Shayna Baszler is without question the dominant force in the NXT women’s division and has been for quite some time now. WWE has a major attraction to these former UFC fighters, men or women. That looks to continue because Triple H is determined to make it so that WWE is viewed by major sporting organizations as a legit sport. This will benefit WWE greatly in the future and get them more time on networks like FS1, since they are moving to Fox in October. They have AEW beat in that department. Io Shirai, however, gave a very impressive performance which should bode well for her in the future. She has a much better look and feel to her in-ring style than Kairi Sane. I wasn’t sure what to make of her first couple months in NXT as Kairi Sane’s sidekick, but now that I’ve seen what she can do on her own, I have developed a liking towards her style.

Better Pacing

May 31, 2019June 1, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

SmackDown was paced significantly better than Raw this week, as is the case most weeks, primarily because WWE already has Monday Night Raw off of which to build for the week. One actually felt like they could catch their breath between segments. The show started off exactly the way it should start off every week, with the WWE Champion. Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens had a match that means really nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it was entertaining, nonetheless.

One also has to feel for Drew McIntyre and Elias to some extent because they are both talented superstars with real potential, but they are both being belittled by the roles they are currently undertaking for Shane McMahon’s benefit. This is quite frankly a waste of both men’s talents which is a shame because most people are fully aware of just how talented they are. All we can do, however, is hope that WWE realizes this and quickly shifts the storyline of both men to something more redeeming, like going after a title.

It will be very good to see Aleister Black resurface again soon on the main roster. He definitely has the capability to provide some entertaining matches. Anyone who tells you that Super Showdown will be a WrestleMania caliber event is telling a lie. WWE tried to position the last Saudi Arabia event the same way, but it did not in any way feel like a WrestleMania. In fairness, this year’s event has a better card than last year’s event. The best memory from last year might be Titus O’Neill falling underneath the ring during the Greatest Royal Rumble match.

Side Note: What is wrong with Otis? Daniel Bryan is trying to cut a brilliant promo about earthquakes in Oklahoma only to be interrupted by Heavy Machinery and Otis’ violent hip thrusting. So funny! He makes Big E look normal.

Just so everyone is aware, I will be writing about NXT Takeover: XXV (it’s unbelievable that this is already the 25^th Takeover. I can vividly remember the first one five years ago, with Sami Zayn and Cesaro having what was, in my opinion, the best match.) But I won’t be posting anything next week because I will be on vacation. I will be writing again however starting on June 10.

2019 Prep

May 31, 2019June 1, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

Some WWE superstars who won’t be in Saudi Arabia for Super Showdown are Daniel Bryan (who refused to attend Crown Jewel in November 2018 and deal with the political fallout of the assassination of a US reporter in that area), Kevin Owens (after his family asked him not to attend).

This is also at least a partial reason as to why Dolph Ziggler returned and is immediately being thrown into WWE Championship contention), Sami Zayn (Syrian heritage), and Aleister Black (religious nature of his tattoos). This will be a major blow for WWE and their Saudi Arabia shows if they will be without several top superstars for each one because they have a 10-year deal to do these shows.

Some superstars are reportedly not happy about the “wild card” rule being employed because they view it as an excuse that WWE can use to be lazy with booking, so that top stars can be featured on television as much as possible and WWE does not have to work quite as hard to constantly establish new stars and evolve as a business. Triple H should fully understand this point of view, given that back in his day he was part of a group known as Evolution (with Ric Flair, Batista, and Randy Orton).

Regardless of the reason, Dolph Ziggler is getting a title match at Super Showdown. He is doing a superb job of telling a good story with limited material and time to work. This will also give WWE fans a break from Kevin Owens vs. Kofi Kingston again. It will benefit WWE to orchestrate a different matchup at Super Showdown, given that Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston are already scheduled for a follow-up match at Stomping Grounds, a new event, on June 23. This pay-per-view will have a somewhat underwhelming card, as quite a few events during this May – June – July time usually do, rather than exposing fans to first time ever matches and fostering excitement for the future, very similar to NXT. Matches could be done like Roman Reigns vs. Lars Sullivan or Seth Rollins vs. Ricochet. Instead, matches will be on the card like Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin and Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre.

· AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin has been added to the card for Super Showdown.

· Charlotte Flair may also end up eventually breaking her father’s record of 16 world title reigns (which is co-held by John Cena). Just something to keep an eye on.

· The New Day probably won’t achieve the record of 10 tag team title reigns as Vince McMahon set the goal for them to do so about three years ago.

· With Kofi Kingston as the current WWE Champion and the team only being at five reigns, it’s hard to see Vince not electing to see what these three superstars could do individually.

Two good comparisons of current superstars to past ones to provide context are Baron Corbin: JBL (John “Bradshaw” Layfield and Ricochet: Rob Van Dam. The reason I would compare Corbin to JBL is that he possesses that rugged look and also because I personally foresee his career taking a very similar trajectory. He has been on the main roster for three years and, while he has had moderate success, he has not proven to be the top draw that Vince McMahon envisioned him as. He may end up winning a world title or two, but it most likely will not be for at least several more years until he has proven himself within the company without any doubt.

Ricochet to Rob Van Dam is more obvious. Ricochet can do far more in the ring than any other current superstar and is at least 5 to ten years ahead of his time, and Rob Van Dam was exactly the same way 15 to 20 years ago. They have both also worked for other companies aside from just WWE. Ricochet worked for several other independent wrestling organizations, and I first was exposed to him when he was wrestling for Lucha Underground in Southern California. Rob Van Dam made his name primarily in ECW in the late 90s before signing with WWE.

Chaotic Shows

May 31, 2019June 1, 2019 by Evan Luebbe

The whole format of Monday Night Raw between 8:30 and 10:30 the past number of weeks has felt messy and disorganized to say the least. It feels like the show has been thrown together without proper planning, and this is apparently true from what I have read. Even last week, the show was still having the script written as the show went on the air. It is chaotic primarily because it’s jumping around to many different storylines with many different superstars at a rapid pace. Even so, there has to be a way to make it feel more cohesive.

It’s a little unfortunate to see the storylines surrounding the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship taking up such a significant amount of time in the show. This is nothing against Kofi Kingston or Seth Rollins, or Brock Lesnar for that matter, it’s just that if they take up this much time in the show every week, it takes away time that could be given to up-and-comers like Mojo Rawley for example.

With that being said, Dolph Ziggler is doing a fantastic job with the limited material he was given for what appears to be a very short-term storyline between he and Kofi Kingston seemingly until right after Super Showdown, since he was merely a replacement for Kevin Owens to challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. How great of an idea was Brock Lesnar’s Beast Box? This is exactly what I’m talking about in that the WWE creative team seems to be putting all their creative energy into the primary title feuds as opposed to spreading it out and sprinkling some of their creative juice onto each storyline.

Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn put together a great match, one in which I thought it may be very possible for Brock Lesnar to cash in his Money in the Bank contract with Seth Rollins injuring his knee. The electric chair segment with Corey Graves and Sami Zayn couldn’t have been more brilliantly executed with Zayn acting irritated by every question from each member of the WWE universe and Corey Graves trying to maintain some sort of remote level of professionalism.

The history of Evolution at this point is simply tiring. I’m talking of course about the buildup to the Triple H vs. Randy Orton match at Super Showdown. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia habitually asks for matches at their events that attend to rekindle old flames from the past. Most younger fans don’t even remember Evolution. Drew McIntyre has also replaced Elias as Shane McMahon’ and enforcer, as if it really matters.

Ricochet and Cesaro were simply unreal again. We all need to keep our fingers crossed that Cesaro’s neck is all right because he is a special talent. While he is not especially athletic, he does all the little things exceptionally well. It is extremely unfortunate that Rey Mysterio will be forced to relinquish his United States Championship, and it looks like Samoa Joe will look to regain it ASAP.

As of right this moment, Baron Corbin will be getting a Universal Championship match at Super Showdown. I imagine WWE will go through with this and after the Rollins-Corbin match, Lesnar could cash in and become Universal Champion, because he is advertised to make an appearance at the event as he did last year. Corbin also helped Lesnar win the Universal Title in November at Crown Jewel by hitting Braun Strowman with the belt, so there is history between the two.

Side Note: It’s also encouraging to see Sami Zayn and WWE publicly acknowledge competition in the form of AEW, because their Double or Nothing event from this past weekend was wildly successful. Dean Ambrose, or Jon Moxley, has officially signed up with AEW, along with many other former WWE talents like Chris Jericho. AEW may prove to be a strong competitor to WWE once their TV deal with TNT begins in October of this year. It’s also very encouraging to see Lance Anoa’i, Roman Reigns’ cousin, making his television debut and carrying on the family legacy. Hopefully, we will all see Lance at some point in the future.