WWE Royal Rumble 2015 Review

           So, erm, yeah, the Royal Rumble was a thing on Sunday night. Many opinions were shared, many emotions were emoted, many jobbers were eliminated. This review will atempt to mainly focus on what happened in the ring (and, of course, crowd interaction is a big part of that) and I'll attempt to steer clear of the mad-world Twitter and such other places, because that's only a section of the WWE's target audience (Although it was nice to see some people reacting postively to the tweets ATPW sent out regarding the show)

       Get a biscuit and get reading the review...now!

The 2015 Royal Rumble Match

The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Luke Harper vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Curtis Axel vs. The Boogeyman vs. Sin Cara vs. Zack Ryder vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Fandango vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Stardust vs. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Rusev vs. Goldust vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Adam Rose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Big E vs. Damien Mizdow vs. Jack Swagger vs. Ryback vs. Kane vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Titus O'Neil vs. Bad News Barrett vs. Cesaro vs. Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler

    Of this years Royal Rumble competitors, only seven have recieved broadcasted one on one World title matches over the last three years. Of those seven, only six occured on pay-per-view, and only three of those have main evented a pay-per-view with the title on the line. The point I'm getting at here is the *severe* lack of star power in this Rumble. The more stars you have in a match like this, the bigger the moment for the winner, surely? Now obviously come the day of the match, there wasn't much WWE could have done about this, but it does flag up the problem that many have been seeing for years, WWE has been over reliant on the old guard and returning or part-time performances, meaning this match was chock-full of mid carders, jobbers and those with no hope of winning at all. 

      The match was structured rather bizarelly as well with a number of moments that had me shaking my head. Building the crowd into a frenzy for Devon to save Bubba Ray Dudley from Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt only for Dudley to simply get thrown over the top rope, Wyatt's speech calling out the next entrant only for it to be Zack Ryder when Daniel Bryan was the bloke after Ryder, Kofi Kingston's rather disapointing way of avoiding elimination, Dolph Ziggler entering at Number 30, long periods where nothing of note happened at all! But, of course, the most notable of all was Daniel Bryan's early elimination. Now, I'm not entirely against Bryan going out of this stage (although it took a lot out of the crowd and made it obvious who was winning fairly early on) but it didn't really seem like a big deal when he was eliminated by Wyatt, neither did WWE attempt to win the crowd around by sending out a big name next, as Goldust, Kofi Kingston and Adam Rose were next, followed by Roman Reigns! Surely sending out Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler or even Damien Mizdow at this point would have been a better option?

     The odd structure aside there were a few moments that stood out. Obviously the surprise returns of Bubba Ray Dudley and Diamond Dallas Page were cool, and I got a kick out of The Boogeyman coming out and getting battered by Bray Wyatt. Daniel Bryan's ten minutes in the Rumble were enjoyable, he clearly wanted to help those he was in the ring with, taking a number of signature moves, and seemed to pick out Tyson Kidd for a little bit of a showcase, with the two putting together an entertaining sequence. Bray Wyatt and Rusev both put a shift in, playing the roles they were given nicely, with Wyatt confrontations with Bryan and Rusev's with Big E and Ryback standing out in particular. Damien Mizdow and The Miz' segment was done well, although it probably wasn't the best idea that the two could've been given, especially seeing as Mizdow lasted only 18 seconds!

     Finally, let's get onto the winner...Roman Reigns. I know a lot of the "Internet" don't seem to like Reigns, and certainly the Philly crowd wasn't happy with the result, but I'm really not sure what  else could have been done. I'm not sure I'd want to see Daniel Bryan go against Brock Lesnar so soon after neck surgery, and having Lesnar drop the title to accomodate this would have been throwing away what was built when Lesnar defeated the Streak. WWE clearly recognised that Reigns was going to get a negative reaction and attempted to change this by sending out The Rock to help out his cousin when he was attacked by Big Show and Kane. It worked, perhaps for a second, when The Rock received a big pop, before the fans realised Reigns had still won. Is Reigns ready to main event WrestleMania? Only time will tell, but I do hope, that the crowd that day, at least, gives him a chance to prove himself on that stage, instead of simply taking away anyone else's chance to enjoy it.

World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Match

John Cena vs. Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar (C)

        As triple threats in WWE go, this match is up there with the likes of Edge vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H from Armageddon 2008, Kurt Angle vs. The Rock vs. The Undertaker from Vengeance 2002 and even Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H from WrestleMania XX, it was that damn good. A true spectacle to watch, that you wouldn't see anywhere other than WWE.

      The bout was extremely well structure to get the best out of the three men in match. Brock Lesnar dominated early on, before suffering an onslaught of offence from both challengers, allowing Seth Rollins and John Cena to battle it out, before Lesnar made his own version of a Superman comeback to pick up the victory and retain the title following an F5 to Rollins. This continued to build Lesnar into an undestructable force, allowed Rollins out a career-making performance, whilst Cena held the match together, even chucking in a couple of new moves because he was feeling generous. 

    Everything in the match seemed to be building towards the finish, as the drama was heightened by a series of near falls, as well as making it look  like Lesnar may have to leave the match on a stretcher following a diving elbow from Rollins through the announce table. This moment was played incredibly well by Lesnar, whilst his manager Paul Heyman and Michael Cole on commentary both put shifts in to allow for the suspension of disbelief, which was needed to make Lesnar's comeback even more special a moment. 

      Whilst everyone involved did their bit well, the undoubted MVP of the match was Seth Rollins who didn't look a step out of place against the two bonafide stars in the shape of Lesnar and Cena. His performance throughout the bout was spot on, especially after the bout when his selling was very good indeed, having to be picked up by J&J Security, and getting a lot of screen time after the match, really got over that Rollins' had been through a war. I was a little disapointed not to see Rollins' attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, although that doesn't take anything away from the match itself or Rollins' performance. Rollins will be more than ready to cash-in that briefcase following WrestleMania, which perhaps couldn't have been said when he initially won it.

Tag Team Championship Match

The Miz & Damien Mizdow vs. The Usos (C)

           This match was all about the crowd reactions. Everyone loved Damien Mizdow, hated The Miz and were almost completely indifferent towards The Usos. Luckily, Mizdow's stunt double act was kept to a minimum, with Mizdow crotching himself on the top rope the only notable spot, instead the match focused more the relationship between Miz' reluctance to tag in his stunt double, which played nicely off the crowd reaction.

        Beyond that however, this was a rather dull tag team encounter, which came nowhere near to being pay-per-view quality. A lack of structure and no real sense of drama or build, let everything feeling rather throughout. An Usos comeback could have had potential but Jey simply ran through the regular Usos combination of strikes, samoan drop and running arse attack. There was no real hunger of adventure or excitement that the pair had bought to their matches in 2014 and Jimmy and Jey looked fairly content to just run through the motions, with WrestleMania around the corner is that really something these boys can afford?

     It wasn't the Usos who looked lazy, as whilst The Miz did a good job playing with the crowd and used his character nicely, not being in the correct place for Jey's Tope Conhilo is extremely poor for someone who's been around as long as Miz has! When WWE decide not to show a replay of a dive over the top rope, you know you've fucked up and the Philly crowd made sure that everyone knew about it as well. Miz, you big ol' colostomy bag, you used to be WWE Champion, now you can't even catch one of Rikishi's kids?

     The closing stages did go some way to aiding some storyline progression for Miz and Mizdow with both men hitting Skull Crushing Finales and Miz unable to get the win on both occasions, whilst Mizdow continued to save his arse when The Usos seemed to have the win. The finish was also rather nice, with Jimmy hitting a Superkick from the apron, allowing Jey to smash Miz with a powerbomb, before Jimmy got the pin following a Superfly Splash. Still not enough to make me think this match should have been anywhere near a pay-per-view.

Tag Team Match

The Bella Twins vs. Paige & Natalya

        Out of the three tag matches on the show, this was actually the one I was looking forward to the most, mainly down to an interest in what these women could do when given a little bit more time than they would for this sort of match on Raw or Smackdown. Whilst there were a smattering of nice double team moves, and Paige and The Bella Twins, at least, tried to get the crowd involved in the match, the off kilter pacing and structure and two big mistakes really hurt this one for me. The finish, especially, that saw lengthy build towards hot tag from Natalya to Paige, only for Brie to pull Paige off the apron and Nikki hit a forearm shot to pick up the victory, felt rather strange and took a bit of the energy out of the crowd that was beginning to warm towards the bout.

       The two mistakes in the match that really harmed the match saw Paige and Natalya unaware of who was supposed to be legal in the match, followed up quickly by a nasty looking bodyslam reversal by Brie on Natalya. Not knowing who was legal showed a real lack of focus on the performance, I'm not sure who is to blame but neither of these performers should be making that mistake the length of time they've been wrestling for. As for the botch, slips and trips happen, but it definitely harmed the quality of the match and my interest in the bout fell from that point on.
       

Tag Team Match

The New Age Outlaws vs. The Ascension

      An unremarkable and basic tag team match, The Ascension picked up the victory in just over five minutes, following a decent closing sequence that saw Viktor dodge Billy Gunn's Fameasser, before Ascension were able to hit Fall of Man.The Philly crowd were pretty indifferent throughout, with a "You Still Got It" chant and Korma pop for the "hot" tag being pretty much their only contribution throughout the whole match. Not sure why Konnar felt the need to slap on a lengthy headlock when the crowd clearly didn't care and the match was only going five minutes!

    Credit to The New Age Outlaws for coming back again and putting over younger talent, however, at this point I'm not really sure if beating 45 and 51 year old blokes is actually that impressive, especially considering we haven't seen Outlaws on television since they got their arse handed to them by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. I'm still not sold on Konnor and Viktor (especially under the tweaked gimmick), but it's clear WWE has plans for them heading into WrestleMania season.

Finally...

       Aside from the World Heavyweight Championship three way, everything else on this card was entirely misable. Whilst The Rumble had it's moments, it was poorly structured and didn't seem entirely thought through, and the plethora of tag team matches ranged from the bog average to duller than a bag of hammers. Certainly not a classic.
   

WWE Royal Rumble 2015 Preview and Predictions

        It's one of WWE's biggest and most popular events of the year, jumping starting the road to WrestleMania, so what has Vinny Mac got in store for us this year? Let's have a look, shall we?

The Royal Rumble Match

It's the match that get's everyone talking! Who is going to eliminate the most people? Who is going to last the longest? Will there be any surprise entrants? And most importantly...Who is going to win and main event the biggest show of the year, WrestleMania?

Here we'll take a look at the bookies favourites (We used the best odds from www.oddschecker.com) and consider their chances of winning it all!

Dolph Ziggler (16-1)

Ziggler qualified for Rumble with a win over Bad News Barrett on Thursday Night Smackdown

Ziggly puff has been on a bit of a run as of late, getting a lot storyline attention in his battle against The Authority, as well as a number of runs with the Intercontinental Championship over the last few months. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ziggler enter early in this one, possibly even Number One, the role would suit him well and fit nicely with his continuining feud with the Authority. However, whilst I see The Show-off playing a big part in the match itself, I would be extremely surprised to see him pull out a victory.

Dean Ambrose (16-1)

Ambrose picked up a big victory over Bad News Barrett on Monday Night Raw.

       Ambrose had two major feuds last year, including ATPW's Feud of the Year opposite Seth Rollins, however, despite The Lunatic Fringe's surge in popularity, he was more often than not on the losing end. In fact, Ambrose hasn't won on PPV since the break up of The Shield. Therefore I'm doubtful that we'll be seeing Dean standing tall at the end of the night. Ambrose needs some big wins heading out of WrestleMania, but I'm sure where he's going to fit into the event itself at this time.

Randy Orton (12-1)

Orton lasted over 48 minutes to win the 2009 Rumble, eliminating Big Show, Kane and Triple H! 

      Orton hasn't been seen on television since 3rd November edition of Monday Night Raw, after turning babyface on The Authority and ending up on the recieving end of a Curb Stomp from Seth Rollins. However, appearances on house shows at the end of December point to possible return for Orton at the Rumble. With the popularity of the "Outta Nowhere" vines now long since gone, I can't see Orton picking up his second Rumble win here. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see him costing Seth Rollins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, either during the match or during a Money in the Bank cash-in.

      

Daniel Bryan (13-8)

Bryan kept his place in the Rumble by defeating Kane in a No DQ match on Thursday Night Smackdown

      Certainly the "IWC"'s pick to win the Rumble, but what do they know, eh? Bryan missed nearly 9 months of action following neck surgery and has returned with some impressive performances against the likes of Kane and Bray Wyatt on television recently. Bryan winning the Rumble would be met with almost complete acceptance from the audience and a title match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania could be a triumph of storytelling, however it does run the risk of ending up a little too similar to the previous years show. WWE was reluctant to pull the trigger on Bryan last year, so it'll be interested to see if they put their faith in him for the second year running.

Roman Reigns (4-9)

Reigns teamed with Bryan and Ambrose to defeat The Authority a week ago on Thursday Night Smackdown

      The outright favourite to win the Rumble, Roman Reigns appears to have been handpicked as WWE's next "Chosen One", protected for a long time as a member of The Shield with a series of dominant performance, including breaking Kane's elimination record at last year's Royal Rumble event. Probably since last years WrestleMania, Reigns had been my pick to win the Rumble, he does seem to posses all the qualities WWE goes after in a leading star. However, missing three months of action following surgery on an incarcerated hernia have cost Reigns some of the momentum he had heading out of a victory over Randy Orton at SummerSlam and feud with Big Show that no one asked for hasn't helped The Powerhouse either. Reigns is still my pick to win, both because I think WWE will go with Reigns over Bryan and because I think they should go with Reigns over Bryan. For years WWE was criticised for not attempting to make new stars, this is a big opportunity to turn Reigns in a bonafide star.

Outsiders

Although still to be pinned, Rusev suffered a countout loss to Ryback on Thursday Night Smackdown

       Notice something about all the favourites? They're all babyfaces! Yes everyone loves a feel good Rumble, but what if John Cena pulls out the victory in the World Heavyweight Championship match? Perhaps Rusev (18-1) could be the best option, the character alongside Lana is over and has momentum, but perhaps a Mania main event could be stretching it. How about Bray Wyatt (20-1) who's only lost one match on TV since returning in November? Could Triple H (25-1) get involved in the Rumble this year? It could tell an interesting story of The Authority stacking the deck, but I doubt we'll see The Game in the title match at Mania. Speaking of The Authority's Big Show and Kane trail behind at 40-1, and although I see dominating performances from both men again this year, neither would seem capable of WrestleMania main event status at this point in their careers. Rounding off the heels is Adam Rose (bizarelly at 50-1), maybe if all the Exotic Express enter as well, he has a chance?

The Stingers back! But has he got his eye on the gold?

      At the back of the babyface pack, how about the man that made his Monday Night Raw debut this week, Sting! (25-1) If Sting does enter the Rumble the roof may very well leave the Wells Fargo Center, however I think it's much more likely that we'll see Sting facing off agaisnt Triple H, rather than chasing the title come WrestleMania. Current NXT Champion Sami Zayn (33-1) and Adrian Neville (50-1) could also end up being surprise entrants, we've seen both Bo Dallas and Rusev turn up in the Rumble over the last few years, and both men have proved extremely popular over on NXT. However, I wouldn't get your hopes up for a WWE vs. NXT title showdown at Mania. Finally, there's that bloody rascal Ryback (35-1), who's had his own trouble with The Authority. If WWE really want to CM Punk spontaneously combust, they'll have The Big Guy win and main event WrestleMania.

ATPW's Pick - Roman Reigns

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Match
Brock Lesnar (C) vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

Lesnar stood tall at the end of Monday Night Raw, after battering Rollins' allies Big Show and Kane

      Brock Lesnar (4-9) has been one of WWE's best used assets over the past 12 months, used sparingly and making it feel like a special occasion every time he appears on screen, with Paul Heyman crafting some excellent promos to keep the story ticking. Even with rumours that Lesnar could be heading back to MMA (either for UFC or Bellator), I'm expecting him to hold onto the title until WrestleMania, mainly due to that being the biggest stage for him to give back and pass on the rub that he recieved from The Undertaker last year. John Cena (12-5) would, of course, be more than capable of main eventing another WrestleMania with the title around his waste, but I feel Cena has much more to give in a separate "main event level" match on the card. Seth Rollins (13-2) is the dark horse of the match, and I do expect we'll see Rollins attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase directly after the match, with Randy Orton potentially making his return to thwart Rollins' attempt.

ATPW's Pick - Brock Lesnar

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

The Usos (C) vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow

The Miz suffered singles defeat to Jey Uso on Monday Night Raw

          Based around The Miz attempting to get Jimmy Uso's wife Naomi a job in Hollywood, this has been a rather inane storyline over the past two months or so, but at least it's a storyline for the tag division. The duos have faced off in numerous combinations recently with the results ranging from dull to not bad, and therefore I haven't got my hopes up for a tag classic here. The Usos (2-7) would appear to be the favourites having only won the titles from Miz and Mizdow (7-2) at December's TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs...and Stairs PPV. I'm seeing a Miz vs. Mizdow match at WrestleMania (possibly a Pre-Show Lumberjack bout?) following some shenanigans involving the two in the Rumble, so if they do win back the titles here, expect them to drop them pretty sharpish, either on the preceding Raw or the next PPV, Fast Lane.

ATPW's Pick - The Usos to retain.

Tag Team Match

Paige & Natalya vs. The Bella Twins

Paige and Natalya were at ringside for Brie Bella's win over Naomi on Thursday Night Smackdown

      I'm half expecting this one to get turned into a Fatal Fourway. It just seems an odd decision to have a Diva's tag match on a PPV. But again, at least these ladies have been given some time to develop an intriguing feud and add depth to their characters, Paige especially has excelled over the last month or so. If this match is given enough time and focuses on telling a story, then I think it could surprise a lot of people. Paige & Natalya (8-15) would make sense as winners here, and would allow for something interesting develop heading into WrestleMania, however I wouldn't be totally surprised to see one cost the other the victory and allow The Bella Twins (6-4) to walk out victorious. If this match does get turned into a Four-Way then I wouldn't be shocked to see Brie Bella walk out with her sisters title.

ATPW's Pick - Paige & Natalya

Tag Team Match

The Ascension vs. The New Age Outlaws

The New Age Outlaws joined forces with The APA, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and X-Pac to take out The Ascension on Monday Night Raw.

       After a month of mouthing off about being the Most Powerful Tag Team in WWE History and running down the likes The Road Warriors, Demolition and The Powers of Pain have The Ascension (1-6) met their match in the New Age Outlaws (5-1), who are, of course, reknowned world over for their power. This is a non-starter, isn't it? The Ascension will dominate, New Age Outlaws will have a comeback, before finally falling to The Fall of Man. It's simple, but could prove effective for The Ascension.

ATPW's Pick - The Ascension


There's a bloody lot of tag matches on this show, isn't there? Especially when you take into account that Adam Rose, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (5-2) will take on The New Day (1-3) on the Pre-Show. I wouldn't say I'm particularly hyped about any of the undercard, an Intercontinental Championship rematch between Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler could've really brightened it up a little and I expect the first hour and half of the show to draaaaaag. However, I am looking forward to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout, as their seems to be a lot of possibilities with the three guys in the ring and the build up has been strong and, as always, I'm hyped for the Royal Rumble, because it's the Royal Rumble and I'm intrigued as to whether WWE will side with Daniel Bryan or Roman Reigns to headline WrestleMania XXXI. See you tomorrow for the review! 

Impact Wrestling 8th January 2015 Review

Impact Wrestling is back! Yes, TNA's flagship TV show returned to our screens on 8th January (Yes, I'm playing catch up already with reviews!), and promised a big show, with Bobby Roode defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against ex-champ Bobby Lashley, Kurt Angle returing to action after eight months on the sidelines in Street Fight against MVP and more. But was the debut show on Destination America actually any good?

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match

Bobby Lashley vs. Bobby Roode (C)

      Correctly so, this match was hyped throughout the show, beginning with the brawling opening segment. Followed up with the highlights video of the original Bobby Lashley vs. Bobby Roode match from No Surrender in September and a backstage segment that teased some tension between Lashley and stablemates MVP and Kenny King, with those two having another segment later on, that was almost completely drowned out by background noise. Through in a recap of the second Lashley vs. Roode match from October and you had a pretty solid amount of build toward the main event, with the recaps especially making it feel like the main event was going to be something worth watching.

     And for the most part that's exactly what this match was. Something worth watching. Did it reach the heights of the previous two matches? Not quite, but that's got more to do with the ending than anything else for me, but we'll get to that in a minute. Lashley continued to repay TNA's faith in him throughout, he looked every bit the star they've attempted to build him into, his facial expressions whilst no selling clotheslines from Roode were spot on and meant that when Roode eventually knocked him it felt more important than it probably should have. On the other hand of the coin, Roode has grown into TNA's biggest home grown star over the last two years, and looked very crisp in the ring throughout, a lovely flying neckbreaker was particular high point.

     The match built nicely towards it's closing stages, with Roode and Lashley throwing there best shots at each other to attempt to get the victory, even stealing each others finishers. The two flowed nicely during this stage, as they did throughout the entire match. However, with MVP, Kenny King and two mystery guys coming out, I began to lose interest. With the referee being pulled out of the ring with Lashley about to tap in the crossface, everything went a bit nuts. Angle ran in, but got battered by the four guys, with the two mystery men being revealed as Low Ki and Samoa Joe (this turning them heel), with Eric Young scaring off the heels, he himself then turn heel nailing Roode with a chair and allowing Lashley to hit a spear to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the second time in his career. Now, I usually go with the idea that if it's mouthfull to say and confusing to read, it's probably not a great finish to a match. Personally, I think allowing Roode and Lashley alone would have sent out much better messages about the new direction of the product.

     Whilst, Low Ki, Samoa Joe and Eric Young all turning heel in the space of two minutes did have a degree of shock value, it felt like TNA were giving away at least three weeks of booking in one segment. Surely, having one guy turn each week would have extended the "Impact" of the turns? With Eric Young booked against Bobby Roode in a Falls Count Anywhere match on this weeks, it's difficult to not think TNA is simply going to repeat the same mistakes it has done in the past, rushing angles and not giving them enough time for anyone to get invested in what is actually going on in the ring! 

Street Fight

Kurt Angle vs. MVP

       Yes, Kurt Angle returned to in-ring action at the tender age of 46 years of age! This, of course, was holy unadvertised, because that would be silly, wouldn't it? Yes, instead of having weeks or even months of build to Angle's return to the ring, it was rushed into the opening segment of the show! Angle's return match would surely sell tickets and boost ratings (maybe even sell PPV's) if advertised and hyped correctly.

     Now the segment itself started nicely, with a well directed video package that saw a number of TNA wrestlers recieving an invite to the show (complete with new music that was featured throughout the show), eventually leading to them brawling outside the Manhattan Center and then into the building. A decent attempt to try and get as many guys and gals on the start of the show and create a different feel to what WWE is doing at the moment. Personally, this brawl went on for a bit too long, but it seemed to get the crowd really pumped for the show, as they remained very loud throughout the broadcast.

      After Angle had put all Championships on the line for the night (again, would it not have been wise to advertise this?), MVP attempted to interupt Angle and after some back and forth Angle made the announcement that he was no longer Director of Wrestling Operations and would resume his in-ring career, booking his final match as a Street Fight against MVP. Again, it all comes down to promoting big matches, even having Angle announce that the match would open the second hour of the hour would have been an improvement on it happening straight away!

     However, for two men wresting in street clothes, MVP and Angle made the best they could out of the strange booking. The wrestling was sound, only Kurt Angle could make German Suplexes look so beautiful whilst wearing a suit at 46 years old and there was some solid psychology with MVP focusing his antention on Angle's knee, referecning the ACL tear that had kept Angle out of action, with a chair shot on the steel steps. The two strung together some nice sequences and when Angle picked up the win with an Angle Slam, I was more than satisfyed with the opening match of the show. I still hold out that this match shouldn't have opened Impact (without prior advertisment anyway), but this was a solid out for Angle and MVP, with the result sparking a chain of events that would impact on the rest of the show.

TNA World Tag Team Championship Match

James Storm & Abyss (C) vs.  The Wolves

       Before this match took place, TNA cleverly hyped their new Impact Unlocked series, by broadcasting a teaser of the footage that one could expect when tuning into the show. This footage was a pre-recorded one on one sit down interview between Mike Tenay and one half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions James Storm. The style of interview presented here felt fresh and most importantly it used Mike Tenay to bring a touch of reality to Storm's larger than life character. Many viewers will have created a connection with Tenay over the year, so seeing him in this situations, not only made for uncomfortable viewing (in a good way) but also allowed Storm's character work to come to the forefront.

    It was straight into the match following the interview, with The Wolves being revealed as Storm and Abyss' challengers. This was an adequate tag team bout, if not a little short. The Wolves impressed throughout, with both Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards taking turns bumping for Storm and Abyss, before both men showed some sound athletism, including both flipping out of a chokeslam attempt from Abyss and delivering a handful of double team moves, such as the Backstabber/Double Stomp combo that earned them a two count. A personal highlight of the match was seeing Abyss catch Edwards during a handspring elbow attempt before delivering Shock Treatment for a great near fall. The finsh wasn't to my taste however, with The Hardys getting involved to attempt to even the field by taking out The Revolution's Manik and Great Sanada who were at ringside, before Jeff Hardy ended up bumping into Edwards, allowing Storm to hit a Last Call Superkick to pick up the win and retain the titles. Whilst the original Hardys vs. Wolves match and the subsequent tag series with Team 3D were all good matches, I'm personally not interest in a rematch between the two.

TNA X Division Championship Match

Low Ki (C) vs. Austin Aries 

      With Low-Ki's challenger for the evening being revealed as former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries, it was difficult not to get hyped for this match. Given more time and I'm sure these two would have put on an absolute clinic in X Division style wrestling. There wasn't quite enough time for these two to put things into top gear, but it was still an entertaining seven minutes of action, with the two going back and forth with mainly strike based offence. The closing stages especially showed that this match up had a lot more to give, with a beautiful modified dragon sleeper reversal from Low Ki to escape a brainbuster attempt, before Aries was able to catch Low Ki with a dropkick with Low Ki perched on the top rope, before delivering a brain buster to pick up the victory and become a SIX time X Division Champion! These two deserved at least an extra five minutes.

TNA Knockout's Championship Battle Royal

Velvet Sky vs. Angelina Love vs. Gail Kim vs. Tarynn Terrell (C) vs. Madison Rayne vs. Havok vs. Rebel

KNOCKOUT'S BATTLE ROYAL! Fuck that, AWESOME KONG IS BACK! Yes, after a rather uninspiring battle royal that saw Tarynn Terrel hold onto the TNA Knockout's Championship by last eliminating Gail Kim and Havok, Awesome Kong (last seen on TV as WWE's Kharma) returned to TNA after a five year absence. Kong made her presence known by chokeslamming the referee and staring down with Havok. TNA's knockout's division hasn't been the same since Kong left in 2010, so hopefully with near 300lb'er back on board the Impact Wrestling train, we'll see an upturn in the division fortunes in 2015.

EC3 shaves Jeremy Borash's head!!!

       With cameras supposedly installed "everywhere" in the building, Ethan Carter III and Tyrus attempted to hijack the show, appearing in a number of backstage segments calling out Spud for a little trim. When EC3 made it out the ring, his crowd work was impeccable, he knew exactly what he needed to do to get the reaction he wanted from the fans in attendance. The rest of the segment however, I'm not quite sure about. Spud was carried to the ring by Tyrus, before ring announcer Jeremy Borash attempted to stand up for Spud, with the camera unforgivably missing the big moment of Borash slapping EC3 hard in the face! This eventually led to Borash getting his head shaved by EC3. Erm... Erm... I don't know! Was this great television? Was it another bizarre piece of booking? Did Jeremy Borash just want to shave his head? All this and more will probably never be answered.

Finally...

       This was an entertaining episode of Impact Wrestling, with the majority of the matches being extremely watchable.  Josh Matthews was a fresh addition to the commentary team alongside Taz and seemed to push his partner on, the two made a compelling duo on commentary, perhaps the best change to the broadcast style. I still have a few reservations about TNA rushing storylines, with both the turns of Low Ki, Samoa Joe and Eric Young and the in-ring return of Kurt Angle all not feeling quite as big as they could have, if given the correct time and attention.

Over the Border IV - A New Hope: Ones to Watch 2015

       In my first foray into blogging on Across the Pond Wrestling for 2015 I’m going to take a look at wrestlers that I predict will have an outstanding year and for you, dear reader, to keep an eye out for in a town or TV screen near you. I have picked the following with valid reason.

Sammii Jayne

Consistency is difficult when it comes to wrestling and Sammii Jayne consistently puts 100% into every match. Many, including myself, saw 2013 as Sammii’s breakthrough year but 2014 has seen her become a staple for Fierce Females among other companies and putting on great matches on a consistent basis. 2014 was just the start and 2015 will be the year that Sammii continues to put on great performances and getting the opportunities she deserves.

Check out Sammii Jayne on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/SammiiJayneofficial

https://twitter.com/sammiijayne21

Also check out my chat with Sammii Jayne:

https://oswtv.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/oswtv-meets-sammii-jayne/

Joe Coffey

        The Iron Man has long been tipped as being the next big thing in professional wrestling, battering all that come near with forearms or twisting opponents like pretzels. He can work long endurance matches, earning the title of Iron Man, tag team matches with his brother Mark and can adapt to nearly every match type. A cameo appearance on RAW as a Rosebud and winning the SWA Zero1 Heavyweight Championship in 2014, Joe will be looking to build towards regaining that title in 2015 from Doug Williams plus he will be facing the ICW Heavyweight Champion at The Barrowlands in March for Barramania. Coffey will have plenty of opportunities to cement his name as a main event guy for any company he works for.

Check out Joe Coffey on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/joe_coffey

The Gatecrashers

(Chris Saynt, Dave Conrad and Courtney)

     Saynt and Conrad are a young tag team with a tonne of potential. They recently added the stunning Courtney to their ranks, who will have a great 2015 in her own right. All three are improving at a very fast rate and with Saynt and Conrad showing more confidence and chemistry with every performance whether it’s at Pride Wrestling, ICW or Reckless Intent, it won’t be long before they are a sought after tag team up there with the likes of Just Uz.

Check out everything Gatecrasher related on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/gatecrashers01

https://www.facebook.com/courtney94x

https://twitter.com/chrisaynt

https://twitter.com/daveconradgc

https://twitter.com/courtney94

Joe Hendry

 

     

      As soon as someone asks me who the future is in professional wrestling this guy is the first name to mind. 2014 was his first full year in professional wrestling. He appeared on RAW…twice, won countless titles in numerous promotions, won amateur wrestling matches, wrestled in Europe. Global Hero is not just a cocky moniker. 2014 was just the practice run and I predict big things from Joe Hendry in 2015 with titles, accolades and great matches to follow.

Check out Joe Hendry on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/joehendrylocalhero

https://twitter.com/joeshendry

Lou King Sharp

     2014 was just the start for the young Lou King Sharp and 2015 will be his year to make a statement. The latter half of 2014 saw Sharp facing big names like Chris Renfrew and Grado. he will be looking to keep that momentum going. He’s your Mothers Favourite Wrestler, ripped, jacked and counting fat stacks. The guy talks the talk and thus far has been walking the walk. I can see Lou King Sharp being a star attraction in the future and a great 2015 will certainly help that.

Check out Lou King Sharp on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/loukingsharppbw

Also check out my chat with Lou King Sharp:

https://oswtv.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/oswtv-meets-lou-king-sharp/

Lionheart

     2014 wasn’t the best year for Lionheart after suffering a neck injury that many would retire because of. He became GM of PCW and started his own podcast From the Heart which boasted a stellar guest list including Grado, Mark Dallas and Wolfgang. Due to make his in ring return in March for PCW and ICW, Lionheart will be looking to make up for lost time and will be proving that he still has a lot of mileage left in the tank. The showdown with Jackie Polo in The Barrowlands for ICW in March will be a mouth watering affair.

Check out Lionheart on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/LionheartWrestler

https://twitter.com/lionheartuk

There you have it, just a couple of my picks for wrestlers that you should keep an eye out for in 2015, some veterans, some just into their first full active year but all have the talent and ability to be game changers. This of course has only scratched the surface and there are many more names that come off the top of my head of guys and girls that will be pushing themselves to the limits this year and beyond to make a name for themselves in a business that is a hot property in Scotland and the whole of the UK. Do you have a particular favourite that you think should be on people’s radars this year?

Contact me at VoiceOfOSW@gmail.com

Lucha Underground 7th January 2015 Review

           Those Lucha Underground chaps only went and crowned their first champion on their first show of 2015! But was the show actually any good? Let's take a look

Lucha Underground Championship Aztec Warfare

Fenix vs. Johnny Mundo vs. Mr. Cisco vs. King Cuerno vs. Son of Havoc vs. Pimpinella Escarlita vs. Prince Puma vs. Ivelisse Velez vs. Drago vs. Bael vs. Cortez Castro vs. Ricky Mandel vs. Big Ryck vs. Pentagon, Jr. vs. Super Fly vs. Chavo Guerrero, Jr. vs. Mascarita Sagrada vs. Sexy Star vs. El Mariachi Loco vs. Mil Muertes

       Aztec Warfare is essentially a Twenty Man Royal Rumble, but with pins and submissions instead of over-the-top rope eliminations. This style of match, of course, suited Lucha Underground's performers much better than your traditional battle royal, as it allowed them to pull off some exciting flips and tricks over the top rope, whilst also allowing the ring to be cleared at times to allow for some more exciting action inside the ring. Unlike your traditional WWE-style Royal Rumble, which more often than not has a lot of guys standing around or dicking about by the ropes, this match was full-on action from start to finish.

      Alongside the quite frankly ridiculous action, a few storylines and feuds were weaved into the match. There was the struggle of Big Ryck's Crew to stay in the match before Big Ryck arrived, in which they ultimately failed, leaving Big Ryck to get eliminated thanks to a three pronged flippy floppy attack by Johnny Mundo, Prince Puma and Fenix. There was rascally veteran Chavo Guerrero, Jr's steel chair based madness, as he twatted many a wrestler in the head, before Sexy Star continued the pairs feud. The return of Blue Demon, Jr. to attack Guerrero felt like an important moment and the set up to a chair shot from Star allowed that story to reach a satisfying conclussion in the match.

    The final two in the match were Prince Puma and Johnny Mundo, with Mundo having been in the match since the very beginning. With the pair having main evented the first Lucha Underground, this felt like fitting finish to the match to crown the first champion. The pair had an engaging battle, with both going back and forth with a series of exciting moves. A top rope reverse rana from Mundo was perhaps the highlight of the bout for me. Puma's selling was also particularly impressive, especially with Mundo looking to see up for a Spanish Fly on the top rope, Puma looked genuinelly out of it. The finish saw Puma knock Mundo off the top turnbuckle, crotching him on the rope, before delivering a kick and a beautiful 630 splash to pick up the victory and become the first Lucha Underground Champion. It was refreshing to see a match end in such a fashion, as both men are big stars for the promotion so to see one of them gain a clean victory over the other on TV, was a nice change to WWE's usual shitty finishes. 

      This was a great watch from start to finish, which felt like the action didn't stop one bit, and the action was always exciting, with each wrestler getting an opportunity to show off, at least some of their style in the ring. If you hadn't seen Lucha Underground before this would be a good match to start with, as you get to see twenty of the promotions top stars, pulling out some of their most exciting moves. Put quite simply, this match was an awful lot of fun to watch.

Finally...

I thought having only one match take up the entire show was an interesting concept that having only an hour long show affords Lucha Underground the chance to do. As the show went to commercial breaks you had a reason to continue watching to see how the match would unfold, and unlike WWE's commercial breaks you didn't go into the break with a rest hold, you went in with a Tope Conhilo or some other flippy move.  This show is steadily become on of the strongest and most unique on the market at the moment, if you're not watching Lucha Underground, you should be.