I’m live at Full Sail University in Florida for the opening round of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. All matches are single elimination.
– Gran Metalik (the former Mascara Dorada) beat Alejandro Saez via Falcon Arrow. Metalik looked like a star in this one.
– Ho Ho Lun beat Daivari via bridging suplex
– Cedric Alexander beat Clement Petiot via sideways lungblower
– The Brian Kendrick beat Raul Mendoza via crossface submission. Great showing by Mendoza who hit a coast to coast dropkick to the tree of woe for a great nearfall
– Tajiri beat Damian Slater via buzzsaw kick
– TJP beat Da Mack via wheelbarrow roll through grapevine ankle lock. Good match by both guys.
– Lince Dorado beat Mustafa Ali via shooting star press. Great match that got the “This is awesome” chants.
– Akira Tozawa beat Kenneth Johnson via delayed bridging german suplex
– Zack Sabre Jr beat Tyson Dux via submission with a series of arm bending submissions
– Drew Gulak beat Harv Sihra via dragon sleeper
– Tony Nese beat Anthony Bennett via 450 splash
– Kota Ibushi beat Sean Manuda via sit out powerbomb. Amazing performance by Ibushi
– Rich Swann beat Jason Lee with a hopping 450. The most over guy of the night has been Swann, and the crowd even sang his brand new theme song lyrics “Can You Handle This” during the match. Star making crowd reaction.
– Noam Dar beat Gurv Sihra via leglock submission
– Jack Gallagher beat Fabian Aichner via running corner dropkick. Both men looked great here.
– Johnny Gargano beat Tommaso Ciampa via roll through crucifix pin after an incredible match. Violent chops and huge moves by Ciampa including a lungblower powerbomb and white noise on the apron. Match of the night.
During an appearance with Hannah Storm on ESPN SportsCenter Thursday, UFC strawweight and Dancing With The Stars runner-up Paige VanZant alluded to the fact she’s not going to be appearing at WWE SummerSlam this year.
She said that she loves WWE and would love to work with them, but that she’s focused on her training for a fight that she announced during the interview. The 22-year-old also said that she declined to be in the Kickboxer reboot because filming would have got in the way of training.
VanZant said she’ll be fighting on August 27th against Bec Rawlings in Vancouver, Canada. There was a lot of speculation that Hollywood would come calling for PVZ and that perhaps her fighting career would be behind her, especially considering the beating she had laid on her last year by Rose Namajunas.
Given that SummerSlam is on August 21st, it’s highly doubtful she’ll do an appearance just six days before her return to action.
When asked about what she missed about fighting, she said “the violence” and how it was tough to sit cageside watching other people fight over the past few months. She also talked about the much-publicized incident about Ronda Rousey and that there’s really no relationship there. She wants to move forward from it, and speculated she may have just caught her on a bad day.
Amid speculation that many former WWE stars have been approached with returning to the company due to the upcoming brand split, the possibility that free agent Kurt Angle could be one of those talents got some fans excited.
Unfortunately for those fans, that will be an unrealized dream as WWE officials confirmed Thursday that Angle is not returning to the company.
The story started when Angle was on Mark Madden’s Pittsburgh radio show on Monday and said that Paul Levesque had called him, but that no deal was in place. Although nobody officially said it, the story grew to a point where people said that a deal was done with a start date even listed.
The 47-year-old wrestler had his final TNA TV match in March, and has been working select indy dates with recent matches against the likes of Rey Mysterio Jr. and Zack Sabre Jr.
Welcome to the longest running episodic Internet Wrestling Show recap report in the history of all time and space: The main Eeent of weekly WWE recaps, the weekly recap of WWE Main Event.
The Ascension vs. Big Cass and Enzo Amore
The commentary team is very concerned about the WWE right now. Tom Phillips thinks that the WWE is in the midst of a time of change. David Otunga, I’m not too sure about him. Between showing up regularly at the Steve Harvey Show, painting the town red with his Hollywood wife, being a high powered attorney, and making sure his arms are ripped to the point of absurdity, I can understand how he doesn’t have time to reflect on how I find his fashion offensive. He is wearing a sleeveless hoodie over a shirt that has to be a Youth XL, because it looks like it is about to tear itself in half from being so tight.
And Phillips is right, things are changing because the other Ascension is back from his suspension.
Enzo and Cass make their way out to a huge ovation from the crowd, and Otunga has the nerve to make fun of Enzo’s outfit. Enzo says his piece, and they get a few laughs over on the Ascension. Big Cass talks a lot about football for a really long time. Otunga continues to make fun of Enzo’s outfits. Enzo starts off the fight against Viktor, and then Konnor gets tagged. There’s a cool spot where Enzo lands a springboard plancha and Viktor hits him with a corkscrew uppercut. Otunga loves that move. Konner beats up Enzo, and the Ascension cut him off and everyone wants the HOT TAG.
Enzo makes tag to Big Cass and they hit the Badda Boom Shaka Laka for the win.
We learn that John Cena speaks Mandarin.
Sin Cara vs Baron Corbin
Otunga reminisces for a moment on his in-ring career. Out comes Corbin. He’s closed the book on his rivalry with Dolph Ziggler, according to Phillips. So with that out of the way, now is the opportunity to establish who Corbin is with the audience. I know what he is. He’s a sweaty biker dude with a skullet, who also drives an old white van, carries a pocket knife and will do unspeakably horrific things to you if he doesn’t like you, and man oh man, he doesn’t like you because Corbin doesn’t like anyone. Otunga thinks Corbin is a future world champion, and everyone knows Otunga is famous for his eye for talent.
Sin Cara kicks Corbin, and then Corbin throws Cara across the ring. Cara fights back for a bit and attempts the pin to no avail. Corbin hits the End of Days, and as my girlfriend always says, “No one ever kicks out of the End of Days”.
Otunga is so excited about the upcoming brand split.
US Champion Rusev vs Zack Ryder
If there is any justice in the world, Rusev will be a multi-time World Champion by the time his run is over. His talent and charisma is off the charts. Plus he gets to hang out with Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, and Kris Kristofferson in Hawaii, he tries to play the acoustic guitar in his spare time, he seems like he is in a happy relationship, and he loves Space Jam.
Dolph Ziggler is on commentary wearing a Degeneration X shirt and a blazer. I have to apologize to Ziggler because I lied to him once. He was doing a comedy thing and I went to laugh, but I didn’t laugh at all because I didn’t think anything was funny. I saw him leaving the venue and I shouted “Good job” to him, and I feel bad because that is not how I felt at the time. Dolph, I hope you can forgive me, and I promise to be honest from now on.
Otunga, such a brave and bold broadcast journalist, asks Dolph about Rusev and Lana’s engagement. Dolph rambles off about Twitter. Sometimes I think all he has in this world is his Twitter account, @heelziggler. Rusev kicks Ryder in the damn face because Rusev is a damn beast and he can and will rip your damn heart out in front of your damn face. But, he can also steal it from you.
Rusev has everything it takes to be America’s sweetheart and American Psycho. Otunga is so mad that Rusev is US Champion. No one on commentary thinks that there’s any truth to Rusev’s claim that he is an American hero. What a bunch of ignorant meatheads. Rusev continues to beat the living puke out of Ryder. Ryder shows his heart for a bit, and puts up some offensive. But Rusev machka.
Ryder taps out to the Accolade. Ziggler calls Phillips “TP”…and we’re done.
– Air Date: June 23, 2016 – Location: Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, AZ
– The Big News:
There was no acknowledgement of the Roman Reigns wellness policy violation or suspension. There was also no mention of what happened with Jerry Lawler this week. Smackdown did feature Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins for the first time ever, and it delivered.
Show Recap:
They started with a video package recapping Dean Ambrose’s night at Money in the Bank and Raw. They officially announced Ambrose vs. Rollins vs. Reigns at Battleground. The commentary team was Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton and David Otunga. The Raw/Smackdown podiums were on the stage too, even though they were never used.
Seth Rollins Promo
Rollins said all of our parents told us that we can accomplish our goals if we work hard, but MITB was proof that they’re all liars. Nobody works harder than him and he proved it when he came back early from his injury and pinned the paper champion Roman Reigns. Rollins said Ambrose snuck up behind him and stole his title.
Rollins said he would prove again that he was, and always will be, the best member of the Shield. Tonight, he wanted to prove he was the man and issued an open challenge, which brought out Sami Zayn. Rollins asked him of his master Kevin Owens let him off his leash. Rollins was taking Zayn lightly and called him the perfect opponent.
Before Zayn could say anything, Dean Ambrose interrupted. Ambrose called for the production guys to bring his Ambrose Asylum set into the ring, which they did. Ambrose has a cactus now. He also (poorly) drew the WWE title belt on the bristol board sign. Rollins thought this was crap and didn’t want to be a guest on his show, but Zayn played along, acting overly excited and honoured to be on.
Ambrose’s first question was for Rollins, asking him why he’s such a jackass. Rollins didn’t want to be there, so Zayn challenged him to a match right now. Rollins was pissed about this whole thing and stormed off. Ambrose announced the match for the main event, and Ranallo called it a first-time ever match. Perfectly fine opening segment.
Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio via pinfall
They went to commercial one minute into the match. The story behind this was that Del Rio blames Cesaro for costing him the ladder match. Cesaro won an 8-9 minute match after reversing the armbar into a Neutralizer. Really good match and the crowd got into it the more it went.
Sheamus beat Apollo Crews via countout
Otunga said he understood Sheamus’ position because when Otunga himself was out, he was afraid somebody else would take his spot, and Sheamus must be worried about the same thing.
Crews had control until Sheamus gave him a rolling senton on the outside. Sheamus grabbed the steel steps, stood them up, and eventually hit Crews with a Brogue kick, sending him into the steps. This was somehow not a DQ, and Sheamus got in the ring as the referee counted out Crews.
The announcers discussed the Draft and the AJ Styles/John Cena program.
Backstage with The Club
Gallows said there’s no better feeling than beating Cena, which Styles did. Anderson said there was no better feeling than beating up Cena, which they all did on Raw. The Usos interrupted and told Styles he can’t win without his boys “Head and Shoulders.” Styles couldn’t tell the Usos apart. Jimmy said they’ve fought Gallows and Anderson before, but not Styles one-on-one, and challenged him.
Styles agreed to a match and would take him on without the Club at ringside. Jimmy wanted to shake on it, but when Styles went to shake his hand, Jimmy pulled his hand back and dabbed. The crowd laughed. They cut to Ranallo who said the match was made official, even though the segment literally just ended a second earlier. Whoever runs Smackdown works quickly, I guess.
AJ Styles beat Jimmy Uso (w/Jey Uso) via pinfall
Otunga picked Jimmy Uso to win this match. He also mentioned listening to the Stone Cold podcast and thought Styles was insecure about his size, which is why he hangs out with such big guys. Amazing. As Styles held a headlock, the younger portion of the audience chanted “AJ sucks.” Jimmy made his comeback and hit a superkick.
At this point, Gallows and Anderson ran down through the crowd to attack Jey. Jimmy nailed them both with a dive, and Styles followed with slingshot forearm on Jimmy. Styles pushed him back in the ring and hit a Phenomenal forearm for the win. The action was good but this was too short. The story, of course, was that Styles won thanks to the Club.
Non-title: WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Big E (w/Xavier Woods) beat The Vaudevillains via pinfall
New Day won very quickly after hitting Gotch with Midnight Hour.
After the match, the Wyatts appeared on the screen. Bray said the measure of a man is what he does with power, but New Day used their power of positivity to interrupt the eater of worlds and that would be a grave mistake. New Day falls… Run.
There was a new segment with Bob Backlund and Darren Young. Young said his goals were to win a singles title and main event WrestleMania. Backlund said his era was called the “Bob Backlund era” and this will be the “Darren Young era.”
Backstage Interviews
Sami Zayn told a new interview man that it was time to move on from Kevin Owens, which is why he accepted Rollins’ challenge. He said the earlier segment may have been fun and games, but it was time to get serious. Zayn said he wouldn’t be worried about Owens tonight, and he hoped Rollins wouldn’t be worried about Ambrose, because Zayn would kick his face off. This was great.
Elsewhere, Renee Young asked Charlotte and Dana Brooke about Sasha Banks, which led to “We want Sasha” chants in the background. I missed Charlotte’s response. I’m sure it doesn’t matter. Brooke said she would beat Carrot Top Becky and playtime was over. One of the announcers (or someone) coughed into their mic during this segment and they didn’t bother editing it out.
Dana Brooke (w/Charlotte) beat Becky Lynch via pinfall
After Lynch hit a reverse DDT, Charlotte jumped on the apron, so Lynch knocked her off. The distraction allowed Brooke to apply a small package for the win in less than 2 minutes. Stupid. Another short women’s match and it was the only one on the show.
Afterwards, the heels doubled teamed Lynch. Lynch gave Brooke an Exploder, but Charlotte nailed her with a big boot. Sasha Banks came down for the save. Charlotte bailed and Brooke attacked Banks from behind, but she gave Brooke the Bank Statement as she stared at Charlotte.
Backstage, Rollins walked toward Gorilla when Ambrose showed up behind him. Ambrose said he wasn’t about to miss this match and casually walked along behind Rollins. Rollins was annoyed and responded by just walking really fast to get away. Funny.
Seth Rollins beat Sami Zayn via pinfall
Dean Ambrose joined commentary. Ranallo called him the new kingpin of WWE, and Ambrose really liked that. There were dueling chants of “Let’s go Rollins” and “Sami Zayn.” After a break, Rollins stomped a mudhole into Zayn. They each tried to hit a vertical suplex, but Rollins got the better of it and hit a Falcon Arrow.
Ranallo asked Ambrose what it was like to get “You deserve it” chants. Ambrose said you can’t outsmart the people and, “to quote John Cena, even though I don’t want to, real recognizes real.”
Zayn began making a comeback but Rollins escaped to the outside. Zayn went right after him with a clothesline, followed by a crossbody back in the ring for two. Zayn then hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall.
Zayn went for the Helluva kick but Rollins countered with a jumping kick and turnbuckle bomb. Zayn countered into a school boy for two, then reversed a Pedigree into a tornado DDT. Zayn went for Helluva kick again, but again Rollins escaped the ring. Zayn hit a flip dive, but as they re-entered the ring, Rollins immediately hit the Pedigree for the win. Very good match, although it was only about 12 minutes.
After the match, Rollins confronted Ambrose, but when Ambrose got in his face, Rollins backed off. Ambrose went to sit back down so Rollins gave him a cheap shot. With Ambrose down, Rollins celebrated, but Ambrose wildly attacked him. Ambrose went for a Dirty Deeds in the ring but Rollins bailed.
– Final Thoughts:
Based on normal Smackdown standards, this show was pretty good, especially with what felt like a light crew. Del Rio vs. Cesaro and Zayn vs. Rollins were both really good and the talking segments were entertaining too. I love that Seth Rollins seems like he’ll be perpetually annoyed as long as Dean Ambrose is WWE champion.
The Big News: Finn Balor will wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura on July 13!
The Medium News: Bayley returned to the ring after 5 weeks, picking up a big win
The Little Beaver Sized News: Chris Girard changed his name but shockingly won a match
Oney Lorcan pinned Tye Dillinger
We start things off with the Perfect 10. Dillinger had won a match 3 weeks ago, but since that, he has straight losses to Andrade Cien Almas. Lorcan is the new dumb name for Chris Girard. This is the first time Dillinger has wrestled where his opponent was already in the ring, which gave him a really good chance of winning as per the rules of wrestling.
Lorcan got more offense than you would think, including nearly taking Dillinger’s head off with an uppercut. Lorcan hit a series of elbows in the corner until he got smacked right in the jaw with a superkick, which popped the crowd. Dillinger went for the 10 Punches of Doom, but Lorcan pushed him off…and pinned him with a neck breaker?
So much for the rules of wrestling.
*******
Austin Aries cut a promo backstage with Cathy. He said he will prove his greatness and one day become NXT Champion. You don’t become the greatest in one match and you don’t lose it in one match. He is now more focused and has a bigger chip on his shoulder.
Up walked No Way Jose, who told him to stay positive.
*******
Bayley was standing outside in her wrestling gear and announced that she just found out she has been cleared to return to action.
*******
No Way Jose pinned Josh Woods
Woods looks like an indy MMA fighter, but we proved that the real tough men are in WWE. This match was 95% Jose and he won with the Full Nelson Slam.
Jose danced after the match when he was interrupted by Aries. I guess that’s only apropos since Jose interrupted his promo time. Aries told him that in this industry, you are not defined by your victories, but by your victories. He was not 100% at Takeover, but will not make excuses.
Aries then realized what Jose taught him. Aries forgot that NXT is about having fun and thanked Jose for reminding him of that and reminding him what he needs to be. Aries shook his hand and went to leave, but Jose dragged him back into the the ring to dance.
This actually happened.
Jose and Aries danced all the way up the ramp and over to the announce position…and then Aries finally turned on Jose. Aries beat Jose back to ringside and eventually slapped the Last Chancery on on the ramp.
*******
William Regal met with Shinsuke Nakamura and informed him that in 3 weeks it will be Balor vs Nakamura.
In walked Buddy Murphy who was mad that Mr. Regal wasn’t treating him like a top star. Nakamura basically informed her that they would be wrestling.
*******
Bayley defeated Deonna Purrazzo
This is Bayley’s first tv match in 5 weeks since a worked injury angle in a match with Nia Jax. The fans exploded for her. This match was all about Bayley, which is exactly what the fans wanted. Bayley won with the Bayley to Belly Suplex.
*******
Carmella wants to be the face of the women’s division and wants to be the next champion. Up walked Alexa Bliss who said no one knows who she is. They argued over who was more important to their respective team.
They challenged each other and will wrestle next week.
*******
We got a video package for Samoa Joe and then a video package of the Asuka-Nia Jax match from Takeover. If that wasn’t enough for you, we also got a video package for The Authors Of Pain.
*******
Nia Jax destroyed Liv Morgan
Morgan went for a headlock in the first ten seconds, which caused Nia to squash her like a bug. Morgan did her best to run from Nia, but Nia ran at her, smashing Liv with her entire body and winning with a power bomb.
*******
Shinsuke Nakamura pinned Buddy Murphy
Blake and Murphy seem to have finally thrown the towel in on the team. However, I do remember saying that about Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger, but they kept breaking up for months until they finally did.
The match didn’t even start until 8:55 and the first thing that happened was Nakamura kicking poor Murphy. Murphy got to use both an armbar and a headlock before resuming his position as Nakamura’s kicking bag. Nakamura eventually got tired of kicking Murphy and won with the Kinshasa.
So, that does it for this week. It’s almost a skippable episode, but we are just three weeks away from Nakamura-Balor! Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
Editor’s Note: Most of this was written before the news of Roman Reigns’ wellness policy violation and suspension.
Since WrestleMania, I’ve been thinking about Dean Ambrose’s WWE career, about how the company missed their chance with him, about how he could’ve been a big star, and about how he may never reach his potential. Then, Ambrose won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Sunday night at Money In The Bank.
Here’s a look at his wild ride to the top.
Leader of The Shield
During The Shield’s run, Ambrose was the de facto leader of the group, mostly because he could cut a promo significantly better than the other two. He was frequently positioned front and centre, and held a singles title (the U.S. Championship) while Rollins and Reigns were tag team champs. (Trivia note: the Undertaker’s last ever TV match not on PPV was against Ambrose.)
It seemed like when The Shield would finally break up, Ambrose would be a top heel coming out of it because he was a natural. Reigns would be a babyface and pushed as a top star and Rollins, a fantastic wrestler but mediocre on the mic at the time, would end up a babyface as well, but one who would probably get lost in the shuffle. Of course, that’s not what happened.
WWE teased the breakup of The Shield several months before it happened, and it looked like Ambrose would be the catalyst. They decided not to pull the trigger, because The Shield still had life. After feuds with the Wyatt Family and Evolution, Rollins surprised everyone when he pulled the trigger that ended the partnership. Rollins–not Ambrose–was the heel.
Missed Opportunities
As it turned out, Ambrose made for a great babyface. Ambrose, not Reigns, started a summer-long blood feud with Rollins that resulted in plenty of highlights, including Ambrose busting out of a giant birthday gift to wildly attack his foe. He desperately wanted Rollins to pay for what he did, and the fans were into it. Ambrose was red hot, and the fans wanted to see him get revenge.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The Ambrose-Rollins feud culminated in a Hell in a Cell match (which notably headlined that show over a John Cena vs. Randy Orton HIAC match). On Chris Jericho’s podcast, Ambrose once said he likes doing things differently, things that may not make sense to everyone. Hell in a Cell was evidence of that. Ambrose started the match not in the ring, but on top of the cell.
Ambrose should have won this match and his feud with Rollins. Rollins was being protected anyway as Mr. Money in the Bank, a member of the Authority, and destined to win the WWE Title regardless of what happened in this feud. But a win for Ambrose would have put him on another level. The fans deserved to have their faith rewarded.
Instead, he lost after some bizarre interference by Bray Wyatt. Not only did Ambrose lose the feud to Rollins, he lost the following feud with Bray. This was the first big example of the company dropping the ball with him.
Up and Down the Card
After losing feuds to Rollins and Wyatt, Ambrose found himself fighting for the Intercontinental title. In the 2015 Royal Rumble, after Daniel Bryan was unceremoniously eliminated, Ambrose was someone the fans fell back on, hoping he would win instead of Reigns. Of course, he was dumped out of the ring like nothing by Big Show and Kane.
Ambrose continued on in the mid-card, fighting for the IC title in a ladder match at WrestleMania won by Daniel Bryan. Then, somewhat out of nowhere, Ambrose finally beat Rollins in a match on Raw. The win earned himself a title shot in a Fatal 4-Way that included Reigns and Randy Orton, but, of course, Ambrose didn’t win.
He did find himself in another singles feud with Rollins with the title on the line. After getting screwed at Elimination Chamber, Rollins barely defeated Ambrose at MITB to retain his title. Ambrose came close, but again, came up short. After this, he found himself feuding with the Wyatts again, and again, came up on the losing end.
Anyone But Roman
After Rollins got hurt and had to surrender the WWE title, Ambrose was put in a tournament to crown a new champion. This led to a match they’ve never done, a match they perhaps should have never done — Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns. Reigns won the title by defeating Ambrose, but it was somewhat forgettable considering what happened next — Sheamus cashing in his MITB briefcase to win the title.
While Reigns feuded with Sheamus over the strap, Ambrose returned to the IC title mix. It was around this time Ambrose started to gain momentum again. When his popularity was rising, he was getting comparisons to Steve Austin. Maybe that’s absurd, but fans were desperate for a new star.
With Reigns still not clicking with the audience, there was the thought, or hope, that maybe Ambrose should take his spot at WrestleMania. When Reigns lost the WWE title in the Royal Rumble, it was Ambrose–not Reigns–who was last eliminated by Triple H.
At the next PPV, Ambrose was again pinned by Reigns, this time for the number one contender spot. A few weeks later, Ambrose fought Triple H for the title at Roadblock in Toronto and came up short…again. To be fair, he got screwed, but there was basically no follow up, and in the end, the story was that Ambrose failed to win the big one.
Losing Steam
I was at that Roadblock show and there really was a feeling among fans that Ambrose could win and change the WrestleMania plans the way Daniel Bryan did two years earlier. Instead, Ambrose was roundly beaten by Brock Lesnar, both throughout the feud and in the actual Mania match.
To this point, Ambrose had lost almost every big match he has been in with Rollins, Wyatt, Reigns, Triple H and Lesnar all getting their hands raised at the end. Yes, he’s been U.S. and IC champion, and yes, he beat Jericho, but a lot of guys can say both of those things.
After WrestleMania season, Ambrose lost a lot of steam. Instead of being the unhinged lunatic who would wildly attack Rollins at any opportunity, he became a caricature. He was acting crazy, but it was just that: an act.
There were complaints about Ambrose feuding with Jericho over a fake talk show and plant, but this is the same guy who once used ketchup and mustard as weapons, and at the time, that worked. But Ambrose was losing the authenticity and credibility he once held with the audience, and feuding over plants and jackets was sad more than it was fun.
A Second (or Third) Chance
I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that WWE put the title on Ambrose when he is at his least interesting point. He’s not red hot anymore. The comparisons to Austin have stopped. But, the opportunity still exists to make Ambrose a top guy. All of the losses and times he got screwed over can add to his story, and WWE would be smart to take advantage and tell that story. Cashing in on Rollins was the perfect start.
Ambrose went from being the de facto leader of The Shield to the odd man out. But now, it seems as though all three Shield members are back on the same level. I certainly don’t think Money in the Bank was a sign that they’ve given up on Reigns. If anything, Ambrose winning was just a way to set up an angle through SummerSlam and nothing more.
It’s possible Ambrose will go back to where he was before this all happened, but that would be a mistake. This company seems filled with top heels who get cheered and top faces who get booed, but Ambrose is a face who gets cheered and seems genuinely well-liked. Hopefully he’s trending upward again.
Learning from The Shield
You could argue that all three members of The Shield should be bigger stars than they are — If only they had turned Reigns heel, if only they brought back Rollins as a babyface, if only they didn’t do all that stuff I just mentioned with Ambrose. Still, all three guys have done pretty well for themselves.
It’s important to note how protecting The Shield for as long as they did really make all three guys. Smackdown is frequently advertised and centred around these three men, while guys like John Cena are given the night off. Headlining shows with any combination of The Shield members would have been impossible if they hadn’t been booked so strongly (or if they had debuted on their own as individuals).
That’s why it’s totally fine getting upset when AJ Styles or Kevin Owens or Bray Wyatt or whoever loses a big match. Ambrose’s struggle to make it through poor booking isn’t a new story. WWE has a long history of ignoring a guy when their popularity peaks. Whether it’s because that guy wasn’t in the plans or because they like to prove the fans wrong, it’s self-destructive.
But as we’ve seen, plans can change. If the plan is to keep the title on Ambrose for any length of time, which I know is unlikely, I hope the shows feel different with him on top. During his initial rise, Ambrose’s segments were often a breath of fresh air on dreary Raw shows that are always too long.
We already knew that Dean Ambrose had the ability to be a biggest star of The Shield. Maybe now, especially in light of recent news, he will be.
The Wednesday night wrestling block will get a bit more crowded this summer as WWE announced that the much-anticipated WWE Cruiserweight Classic will debut on the Network starting Wednesday, July 13th at 9 PM EST, airing for 10 weeks through a live two-hour finale on Wednesday, September 15th.
Current Smackdown lead man Mauro Ranallo and former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan were announced as “hosts” for the Classic, but we confirmed they are indeed calling the action.
Also announced was a preview special — CWC Bracketology — for Wednesday, July 6th at 9 PM EST where we should get the actual tournament brackets and all 16 first round match matchups.
The Classic will feature 32 talents (some under WWE contract & some not) from around the world in a single-elimination tournament including Zack Sabre Jr., Gran Metalik, Noam Dar, Kota Ibushi, Rich Swann, Akira Tozawa, Johnny Gargano, Cedric Alexander, Tommaso Ciampa, and more. Here’s the full list of participants.
Big pop for Truth. Goldust hit his normal drop to the knees, punch to the face spot a couple of times. The heels worked over Truth until the hot tag to Goldust. Goldust with a spinning suplex for the win.
– Enzo and Cass def. The Ascension
Konnor is back after his 60-day break due to a wellness policy violation. Usual opener by Enzo and Cass, ripping the heels by asking them where their pads were and if their mommy was bringing them so they (Ascension) could go and play pee wee football after the match. Heels worked over Enzo until the hot tag to Cass. Enzo with a splash, assisted by Cass, ends the night for the Ascension returning from suspension.
– Baron Corbin def. Sin Cara
Corbin played football for the Arizona Cardinals but the fans did not know this as he was soundly booed. Fans tried to get behind Sin Cara with the “Lucha” chants as Sin Cara tried to attack the legs of Corbin with kicks. Corbin kept the action on the ground and finished Sin Cara with The End of Days.
– US Champion Rusev (with Lana) def. Zack Ryder
Lana had her hair down instead of the usual bun. Ryder and Rusev locked up and then went into a series of amateur wrestling moves. Eventually, Rusev overpowered Ryder and started stalking him around the ring dealing out punishment. Ryder, however, is like a college hoops team that is the ultimate underdog. They hang around long enough to throw a scare into the opponent. Rusev botched a climb up the ropes when he tried to knock Ryder down. Ryder had a couple of near falls teasing a title change and eventually fell to the Accolade.
Smackdown —
– Seth Rollins opened the show with a promo, talking about the three-way match* at Battleground.
He railed about no one outworking him and how unfair it was that he did not have the belt. He issued an open challenge to anyone in the back for the night’s main event. Challenge accepted by Sami Zayn. At first, Rollins scoffed at Zayn but then decided that Zayn was a perfect choice.
Both men were interrupted by the Lunatic Fringe as the new champion hit the ring. He called for the set people and the workers rushed the ring to set up an impromptu Ambrose Asylum complete with Mitch The Plant. Rollins was angered, but Zayn was excited. Ambrose played the part of a host behind the scenes asking if everyone was ready and if they needed anything like water. Rollins ad-libbed and said that he was parched before catching himself and telling Ambrose to shut up. Zayn goaded Rollins to fight immediately, and Rollins dropped the mic and left in a huff.
*All references to the title match at Battleground were for a three-way match, so the main event seems to be continuing with Reigns in it. None of the interviews acknowledged anything about Reigns.
– Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio
Good, hard hitting match between the two. Del Rio started fast and went after Cesaro’s arm. Cesaro sold the beating and eventually fought back with a string of uppercuts. Del Rio hit the Backstabber and went for the Tree of Woe stomp which Cesaro countered. Cesaro climbed up and jumped off the ropes which Del Rio countered into an attempted cross arm breaker. This was countered by Cesaro who hit Del Rio with a pump handle slam and abruptly ended the match. Cesaro climbed onto the announcer’s table and bowed to the crowd to a large pop.
– Sheamus beat Apollo Crews via countout
Rematch from MITB with Sheamus all over Crews at the beginning while the rookie looked timid. Eventually Crews fought back but did not hit many aerial spots other than a sunset flip off of the ring apron. Sheamus pulled the steel steps into a vertical position and kicked Crews into them for the countout victory.
– The Usos returned, and did an angle backstage with Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson & A.J. Styles. This set up Styles vs. Jimmy.
– A.J. Styles pinned Jimmy Uso
Jey was ringside and played the role that Cena did on Monday, watching the back for signs of the club. AJ seemingly had a counter for Jimmy’s moves and mocked the Uso with his Phenomenal gesture. When it looked like Jimmy finally had caught AJ and had him in trouble, the Club came through the crowd to attack Jey. Jimmy jumped over the ropes and bowled the club over only to eat a Phenomenal Forearm onto the concrete floor. AJ rolled Jimmy back into the ring and hit another Phenomenal Forearm for good measure.
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day over The Vaudevillains
The heels worked over Kofi as Big E could only watch. Xavier Woods took the night off and just played the trombone. The heels worked together to isolate Kofi until he could make the hot tag to Big E. Big E preceded to suplex everyone many times and the heels could not even hide outside of the ring as Kofi stalked the outside and splashed anyone hanging around outside the ring. Big E with the pinfall. The celebration was cut short by a Wyatt family promo in which Bray promised to bring pain to the New Day and that they would fall.
– Dana Brooke beat Becky Lynch
This was over in about a minute after Charlotte interfered, allowing Dana to take advantage and pin Becky. Charlotte entered the ring to add injury to insult when Sasha Banks’ music hit to a huge pop. Sasha sauntered down to the ring in her inimitable fashion and removed her bling. It looked like Charlotte was going to engage but then she ducked out the ring and laughed at Banks. Brooke tried a sneak attack but was stopped by the Banks Statement.
– Seth Rollins pinned Sami Zayn with a pedigree
Rollins toyed with Zayn at first, slapping him, countering his moves, and resting on the turnbuckle while Zayn recuperated. Eventually Zayn started hitting his spots. The two went back and forth in an entertaining match. Zayn took a power bomb fling into the turnbuckle but hit Rollins with an “Undertakeresque” walk up the ropes into a hurrincanrana.
Both men had near falls. Rollins went for the pedigree but Zayn reversed it into a tornado ddt. Rollins bailed from the ring and Zayn did a flip over the ropes onto Rollins. Rollins staggered back into the ring and surprised Zayn with a pedigree as Zayn re-entered the ring.
Rollins gave Ambrose a cheap shot and Ambrose chased him through the ring. Ambrose laid out the belt in the ring motioning for Rollins to come back but Rollins stayed at the top of the ramp.
After the cameras stopped rolling…
Suddenly AJ’s music hit and the Club came out to the top of the ramp. AJ told Rollins that the Club was planning on hurting Ambrose and that he could join them if he (Rollins) wanted to. Rollins agreed and the four heels headed to the ring. Zayn rolled back into the ring to help Ambrose but they were quickly overwhelmed. The crowd was chanting for Cena but it was the Usos for the save. The faces cleared the heels out of the ring and Ambrose grabbed the mic and challenged the heels to an 8 man tag team match.
The Club w/ Seth Rollins vs. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, and the Usos.
This match was quick with the heels isolating Jey at the outset. A hot tag to Ambrose brought the house down as each man entered the match and hit his spots that he was known for. Eventually Anderson ate Dirty Deeds and was pinned. The faces stayed around and celebrated with fans. Ambrose stayed around for at least ten minutes signing autographs, taking selfies with fans and letting kids hold his belt.
Monday night’s post-Money in the Bank edition of WWE RAW certainly had its moments including the new World Heavyweight champion Dean Ambrose grabbing the spotlight impressively and Big “Johnny Laryngitis” (thanks, Enzo) making his glorious return. As always however, those diamonds were surrounded by a lot of rough spots too.
— The Hits —
DTA Ambrose
While it’s probably too early to tell, Monday’s RAW showed encouraging signs that the WWE may see Dean Ambrose as more than just a transitional champion. Ambrose was given ample opportunity to play to his strengths, demonstrating his natural line delivery in the opening segment and shining on commentary at the end of the show.
While his in-ring work remains a frantic and often sloppy work-in-progress, Ambrose’s bountiful charisma, paired with a new harder edge to his character, makes him a very realistic candidate for the role of top babyface. That added grit, which saw Dean back up his threats to take out Roman Reigns if necessary, must remain if the transition from upper-midcarder to main eventer is to stick. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wasn’t exactly too interested in making friends or being wacky either.
Fight Forever
No, I’m not referring to the en vogue crowd chant. Rather, the seemingly neverending beef between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, complete with the always hilarious, and cartoonish, fist-flailing dust-ups.
Although only five minutes aired, the match between these two, who the announcers again claimed are “destined to fight forever”, was a very enjoyable taster for what will presumably be a rubber match at Battleground. The finish, with Zayn reversing the Pop-Up Powerbomb into a cradle, was particularly enjoyable.
Angry Dad
I’ve been as critical of the paint-by-numbers Rusev/Titus O’Neil feud as anyone, but Monday night’s resumption of hostilities between the two was a major improvement.
Titus’ impassioned backstage hollering about the Bulgarian having the temerity to disrespect his kids was excellent, ensuring that the former Prime Time Player actually received a reaction for running off the US champion for a change. While I’m not crazy about the idea of another PPV match for a guy that has no business working matches of that calibre, one must award credit where it’s due.
People Power!
Recent unsolicited auditions of Teddy Long and Kane for the role of Smackdown general manager were both leading to this glorious moment — the return of John “Big Johnny” Laurinaitis. Hearing the hoarse one protest that “Big Johnny loves change!” was music to my ears, as was his hurried “People Power!” before Shane McMahon ushered him off the stage. What a preview for those of us literally counting the days to his debut on Total Bellas.
— The Misses —
The Apology Club
Following on from the crummy finish to their match on Sunday, everything about the Cena/AJ Styles dispute fell completely flat on this show.
While AJ’s promo delivery remains great, the material he, Cena and The Club had to work with was wafer-thin, centering mostly around an insincere Styles looking to extract an “apology” from his buddies. Cena of course rejected it, but not in nearly as brief a manner as might be expected. The subsequent 3-minute encounter between he and Karl Anderson was also terrible, with Cena making his opponent look like a geek by destroying him despite gawking at the entrance ramp the entire time. Weak.
Rollins’ characterisation (again)
Seriously?! Let’s get this straight — Seth Rollins works the Money in the Bank main event as a babyface, reverts to whiny heel mode in Monday’s opening segment, and then cuts a rousing “prove myself” promo in the second hour!? The characterisation of The Man/The Future is even more inconsistent than that of his former leader Stephanie McMahon at this stage.
The kind of predictability we saw in his plodding main event against Reigns — complete with Chekhov’s (unbreakable) Spanish announce table and obvious double countout finish — would be very welcome here.
“Oooh, the Wyatts are mad at me. I’m so scared! Oooh, the Wyatts!”
The Wyatts, sans the injured Luke Harper, made their return on Monday night, threatening to ensure that “New Day Falls”. Colour me underwhelmed. The fun-loving New Day should be too, given that Bray Wyatt and co. have delivered on precisely zero of their threats to date.
In fact, it’s difficult to think of a non-jobber heel group with a lower success rate than these jamokes. Hey, at least our tag champs’ interruption prevented us from enduring some of Bray’s patented rambling windbaggery. No buys for anything involving him until the way he’s booked improves drastically.
