Our Favourite RAW Moments

What's this? A shameless cash-in article because it's RAW 25 tonight? Absolutely not. Shut up. Don't go away though, read these views. 

I thought I'd ask our writers and a few friends what they've enjoyed the most over the last twenty five years and this is the collection of those views. What a treat for you the reader. We've got a cavalcade of the great and the good when it comes to ATPW involved Craig Hermit, 

CRAIG HERMIT 

Twenty Five years people, that's a quarter of a century. That's how long RAW has been on that long?! So what is my favourite moment? I genuinely can't give you one because think about it. You as an individual has changed throughout that time.

Case in point, I remember being a child cheering watching the RAW episode when Mr Perfect sent Ric Flair away to WCW after a career ending match. I wouldn't be having the same reaction now. I remember watching the Stone Cold vs Mr McMahon feud every week with something else added on, now I'd be saying this is just drawn out. 

Kurt Angle feuding with Stone Cold was my highlight of the Invasion, "Milkomania!"

Then when the Trish Stratus feud with Lita reached new levels, they main evented the show. WWE had consistently fed fans that Women in the division were eye candy, but damnit that match, both women displayed exactly why they were role models to women that this was just the beginning and it's to WWE's discredit that fans never saw more of this and more development from their wrestlers until recently.

And Daniel Bryan, or should I say the Daniel Bryan movement, wow, think about it, highjacking The Authority's Championship speech and then in the run to Wrestlemania highjacking the show.

Closing with Paige, remembering her first Divas Title victory. It was incredible, not the match but the moment. Fans who'd seen her in NXT, Shimmer and UK knew how awesome she is and this moment seeing her seize the Title. Damn incredible.

So those are some of the moments I remember, oh The Shield breaking up too, there we go!


Think about your 25 years, can you sum it up in one moment? Much like RAW, you can't.

JOZEF RACZKA

Not everything great in WWE happened in the Attitude Era. I'm sure a lot of them did but as someone whose first Wrestlemania was Thirty, it would be disingenuous to write about something that really had no meaning to me. The first full episode of RAW I watched was June 2nd 2014, does that mean anything to you? It should, it's when Seth Rollins, the Architect of The Shield brought it all crashing down around him when he beat Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose with a chair. It was the beginning of my understanding of why you dumb nerds watch this shit and also of me becoming one of you.

But here's the thing, that's not even the death of friendship, I wanted to talk about today. Sure, we've had the end of The Shield, we've had The Miz & Damien Mizdow but in recent years, there's no contender for one moment that we're going to all look back on , maybe even 25 years from now and think 'well that was basically perfect'. I talk to you, of course, about Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens' Festival of Friendship. The Festival is a tribute to the rock-solid nature of Owens and Jericho when it comes to character relations, you see, anyone who's been watching the programming could have worked out that Owens was going to turn on Jericho but Jericho being so blinded to how one-sided the friendship is at that point makes it all the more heartbreaking. Yet it doesn't forget in making Jericho the hero of the story, that he's also a grand-stage narcissist who talks of himself as a gift and makes his entrance with a chorus of showgirls, it's a celebration of friendship but very much, it's a Chris Jericho event, nothing of the flash or pomp suggests Kevin Owens. Wrestling is just a media through which the story is performed, stories of superheroes and supervillains can stand alongside more nuanced tales of broken people refusing to see that they can't make someone change.

That's what we got here and with all the Craigslist magicians, reinterpretations of The Creation of Adam and surprise Gillberg returns you could ask for. This segment was great, as good as the pipebomb, as good as The Rock: This Is Your Life. All this and we learnt one of the most important lessons that wrestling has taught us in years: "It's art! You don't need pants!"

SEAN TAYLOR-RICHARDSON

When Nitro commentator Tony Schiavone joked about Mick Foley’s title win putting butts on seats, he not only hammered a nail in the WCW coffin, he also pointed viewers in the direction of Raw’s greatest ever moment. In front of a wild crowd, Mankind and The Rock engaged in a fiery brawl, aided and abetted by a rich cast of supporting characters: from the McMahons to D-X, this who’s who of the Attitude Era was capped off by the arrival of the never-hotter Stone Cold Steve Austin. As the glass shattered, the fans came unglued; more than happy to see a major star, this pop was reminiscent of a home crowd witnessing a last minute winner over the local rivals Moments later and Mankind was champion: for all of Schiavone’s sarcasm, this represented one of the most genuine feel good moments in WWF/E history.

ANDY SCOTLAND 

I think for me personally, my favourite moment from Raw would be the segment between Mike Tyson and Steve Austin from January 19th, 1998. Steve Austin had just come off his Royal Rumble win and was as popular as anyone had ever been. Vince McMahon was a proud as could be about having “The Baddest Man On The Planet” Mike Tyson on Monday Night Raw and you just knew that Austin was coming to spoil the whole thing. I can still remember the whole segment almost from memory. I was glued to the TV watching it. You could have offered me anything in the world but as a 10 year old, nothing else existed for those minutes. It made regular news around the world. That brawl between the two was probably up there with the best brawl ever on TV, not just WWE. Over 20 years later, people still put it in the top moments in WWE history and I can completely agree.

JAMES MARSTON 

When I asked myself to write my favourite RAW moment, it seems like a lot of our writers I struggled to find my moment. Not because of a lack of choice, but because of the abundance of choice. As much as we, the fans, like to bemoan the WWE, there's no doubt that Vince McMahon and his pals know how to create moments that stick in your mind for years and years. Part of that is how often WWE likes to replay it's classic moments...how often have you seen D-Generation X invade on WCW get an outing on RAW? But another part is the power behind the moments themselves in the first place. Whilst storylines might not always hit home or end how we'd like to see them end, the moments along the way are what keeps us coming back. 

I was a young fan during the tail end of the Attitude Era, but didn't have Sky, so my main exposure to WWF was Sunday Night Heat on Channel 4 and the handful of PPVs they showed. Whilst I've obviously seen the majority of the iconic moments from this period, it would be wrong to choose something from here as it just didn't have the same impact on me watching them years after the fact and often knowing what was going to happen. I began finding WWE back again in 2007, before learning how to connect with RAW online a few years later. Therefore the moments I've been most effected by mostly come from after 2010. I remember being baffled by Donald Trump buying RAW, thrilled by the Nexus invasion angle and saddened by Edge's retirement...but the first time I remember coming away thinking "Holy shit, what has just happened?" was CM Punk's Pipebomb promo. 

Coming after a fairly forgettable Tables Match between R-Truth and John Cena, from the moment Punk sat cross-legged on ramp, clad in a "Stone Cold" Steve Austin t-shirt, his energy came straight through the screen and made me take notice of what was about to happen. Pre this moment, Punk's 2011 had been hit and miss, placed as the leader of the New Nexus, over as fuck and picking up victories over John Cena, Rey Mysterio and John Morrison, but also losing ever match in his series with Randy Orton, there was no particular indication of what was about to come. That's probably what made the subsequent promo so special. 

It might have launched a series of worked shoots that didn't always work, but in that moment as Punk began to rile off his issues with WWE, Vince McMahon, John Lauranitis and the fans, it felt like a real shift was occurring. Winks and nods to things outside the company, mentioning New Japan, Ring of Honor and even Colt Cabana, at a time when WWE was much more cut off from the rest of the wrestling world than it is today, felt like nothing else that had happened on that show, that month, year or beyond. Punk bought attitude, a real visceral energy as he spat his lines at the audience, the camera and mentioned the death of Vince McMahon. Pulling back the curtain and airing petty grievances, all whilst John Cena, the Micky Mouse to WWE's Disney, lay prone in the ring, selling a table bump for what felt like an age. It propelled storylines for months and months to come, resulting in a lengthy WWE title run for Punk, the return of Paul Heyman and gave WWE a genuine buzz. Even if WWE essentially dropped the ball after Money in the Bank, this promo also gave us one of the greatest WWE matches of all-time. 

(All this nice stuff and we're still blocked by CM Punk on Twitter!) 

--- 

Enjoy RAW 25 tonight folks, lets hope it brings us many more fantastic moments to talk about!

Article by Craig Hermit, Jozef Rackza (@NotJozefRaczka), Sean Taylor-Richardson (@GrownManCenaFan), Andy Scotland (@WrestleRopes) and James Marston (@IAmNotAlanDale) 

RAW 1278 Review // The Miz vs. Roman Reigns // Intercontinental Championship

It was the first RAW after Survivor Series and we where still in the Toyata Center in Houston, Texas on 20th November. The show heavily featured The Shield as they appeared on an episode of Miz TV, resulting in Roman Reigns getting a shot at The Miz's Intercontinental Championship in the main event, whilst Dean Ambrose also had a match against Sheamus. We also saw the return of Paige, as she interrupted a RAW Women's Championship #1 Contenders match, alongside NXT performers Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, as well as some of the fallout from the Survivor Series main event as Kurt Angle, Jason Jordan and Braun Strowman confronted Triple H, resulting a match between Jordan and Strowman happening later in the show. But was it any good? Lets take a look! 

 The Shield wreaked havoc on Miz TV

Dean Ambrose def. Sheamus // 9:01

Intercontinental Championship // Roman Reigns def. The Miz (C) via pinfall // 12:54

The Shield were all over the show this week, beginning with an appearance on Miz TV, that had originally been announced as solo appearance from Roman Reigns. Miz drifted past his loss to Baron Corbin the night earlier, before The Shield arrived and things got interesting. The two parties did job, playing around with the lively pro-Miz portion of the audience, having a load of fun along the way, even if the lights did go off in the middle! I get a weird satisfaction anytime Miz loses his head and starts ranting and raving at people and there was plenty of that on display here as he went on a madcap tirade asking The Shield to say "thank you" for the part The A-Lister played in the group getting back together. The crowd bought into it and Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins joked around, bouncing off each other and looking natural in their interactions as they took the piss-out of Miz for losing at Survivor Series. When Reigns said he felt left out when Rollins talked about he and Dean Ambrose (who mostly wandered around in the background, presumably because he's the Lunatic Fringe) getting a RAW Tag Team title shot, Rollins suggested Reigns have a chance at The Miz's championship, leading to The Miztourage taking a beat and a main event IC title match being made.

A good television bout in the second chapter of the Shield's story on this episode. Dean Ambrose and Sheamus worked a physical contest in their tenth TV singles match, based around a number of power moves from The Celtic Warrior. Some work was done on Ambrose's elbow, although despite the commentary team mentioning it a few times and The Lunatic Fringe selling well, it didn't seem to be a massive focus of the in-ring action. What was a focus was the power of Sheamus, as he lobbed around Ambrose with a series of release verticle suplexes, as well as a cool moment when The Great White went straight from a stretch muffler into a sitout powerbomb. Ambrose's scrappy comeback, after Sheamus went into the corner post was fun, but the match peaked once Seth Rollins and Cesaro started to interact at ringside. This produced a couple of distraction near falls, as well as a brilliant moment of Rollins flying through the ring and hitting The Swiss Superman with a suicide dive on the other side, seconds before Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Sheamus to pick up the clean win. The match used it's time well, built towards its finish and also included a really good highspot near fall for Sheamus off an avalanche rolling senton.

As Kurt Angle tried to check on Jason Jordan's injured leg, The Miz was unsuccessful in his attempt to get Angle to cancel his match with Roman Reigns...

After no title matches on the main show the night before it was a good idea to stick one on this episode and perhaps a brighter one to take the belt of The Miz, following a poorly booked loss to Baron Corbin. Considering that loss, the creative for the contest did a stellar job of making Miz look like a threat to Reigns. Without The Miztourage or Maryse at ringside it could have easily felt like Reigns was going to coast to a quick victory, yet we saw The A-Lister constantly ducking to the floor in the early goings, before eventually managing to block a Superman Punch coming off the steel steps and hit snap DDT on the floor and from then on wards Miz became a threat to the Big Dog, able to escape Samoan drops and superman punches. Amongst a couple of really well-done chains of action, the threat level was raised when Cesaro & Sheamus came to ringside and Miz got a believable near fall off a Skull Crushing Finale following the distraction. The ending with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose out to counter the threat and Reigns nailing a gorgeous spear on the champion had bags of energy and ended the show on a high note, getting a good pop from a crowd who had initially been split for the pair. A solid main event, that opened a few interesting avenues for The Shield and their rivals, especially with no RAW PPV scheduled in December.

Paige, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville attacked Mickie James, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Alicia Fox

Before we talk about Paige's return, I wanted to discuss the dud of a segment that preceded her return. RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss was out to complain about fans patronising her following a loss to SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair the night earlier. It was alright work from Bliss, but it was clear she had very little direction or idea where this promo was supposed to go. Mickie James, then Bayley, then Sasha Banks and finally Alicia Fox came out to say they thought they deserved a title shot. The problem was none of them did. James had lost two consecutive title bouts in October, hadn't won since and didn't even quality for the RAW Women's team at Survivor Series, Bayley was the first RAW Woman eliminated at Survivor Series and had only won one non-tag team match since her last title shot in September, Banks probably had the best case, with two wins over Fox since the September five-way and a stellar tag team record, but had also submitted to Natalya the night earlier and Fox had one win since May. Kurt Angle coming out and making a four-way because the four women had came out was daft, because of Asuka's performance at Survivor Series. I understand wanting to hold off her win, but at least give her a reason for not going after Bliss' title. This was a ham-fisted attempt to get bodies in the ring for the upcoming attack, but they could have just as easily done that without this segment.

The Fatal Four-way didn't last all that until Paige interrupted, making her first WWE appearance since, to a massive pop. Paige commanded the crowd with ease, before Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville hit the ring to cause the Four-way to go to a no-contest.

After the match, Paige, Deville and Rose lay waist to Bayley, Banks and James, concluding with a Rampaige to Bayley in an interesting development to RAW's Women's division. Backstage, Alexa Bliss interrupted Renee Young trying to interview Paige, Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose, before the trio battered the RAW Women's Champion, leaving her lying on the floor.

Kurt Angle, Jason Jordan and Braun Strowman all confronted Triple H // 5:55 

Braun Strowman def. Jason Jordan via Disqualification // 1:45

Following the contentious conclusion to Survivor Series, the show began with the fallout from the main event, with Stephanie McMahon gloating over the RAW victory and bringing out her husband, Triple H. The segment kept a great pace with Kurt Angle, Jason Jordan and Braun Strowman all flying down the ramp to get in the face of The Game, with Angle in particular doing a brilliant job of selling his anger after Triple H hit him with a Pedigree on Sunday. Whether you enjoyed that finish or not, this was Angle's best acting performance since returning to WWE as he looked genuinely pissed off with his 2000-02 rival. He stormed to the ring, got up in The Cerebral Assassins face and looked fucking furious, like Triple H had told him that milk was a bad choice. Jordan coming out was okay, it made sense after the Pedigree he took last week, and the crowd was actually into him challenging Triple H, but it was Braun Strowman's arrival, moments after the D-Generation X founder had said he wasn't afraid of anyone in the locker room that created the real moment. A tense stare-down, with Triple H exiting the ring was a lovely piece of business, with the crowd desperate to see Strowman go off on one and lob the COO all over the ring. Where this is heading I have no idea, but I'm interested to fine out. The segment closed with Stephanie McMahon booking a match between Strowman and Jordan later on.

Jason Jordan tried to get out of his match with Braun Strowman, telling his Dad that he was really hurt, but then got weirdly pumped up about the prospect when Angle couldn't stop the match... Braun Strowman told Charly Caruso he was glad that Jason Jordan had said he wasn't afraid of him, because that makes him different from everyone else, including Triple H... Jason Jordan went to Matt Hardy for some advice about his mater later, with Hardy telling him "some nights it's just not your night" HELPFUL...

The Strowman vs. Jordan match didn't last long, as it appeared Jordan was ready to bail after less than two minutes, holding onto his injured knee and with Strowman looking the other way, Kane attacked the Monster Among Men with a steel chair.

Kane continued to attack Strowman after the match, driving a steel chair between Strowman's throat and the ring steps, leaving the Monster Amongst Men gasping for air...

Akira Tozawa, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali def. The 'Zo Train // 4:13 

I had a few issues with the segment that lead to this week's only Cruiserweight match and very little of that has to do with the performances of the Cruiserweight. Firstly, Enzo Amore doing his usual schtick isn't working. It was great when he had a sore throat and would get his 'Zo Train to help out, because it actually go heat, however right now the crowd is happy to join in and it caps the reactions that the actual babyfaces of the division are able to get. Secondly, if all of the 'Zo Train are here, then why on earth didn't they book an Elimination Tag on the Kick-Off show for Survivor Series? It would've showcased ten different performers from the division and surely been a much more exciting affair than the crowd sitting in silence to watch an adequate Amore vs. Kalisto title match. Thirdly, if they didn't want to do that, why weren't some or all of the 'Zo Train not at ringside to enhance Amore's gimmick and give him a cheaper than cheap victory? Rich Swann even mentioned "Without your boys you're nothing but a catchphrase and a T-Shirt!" which made Swann look like a goon, because Amore had clearly retained his title on his own 24 hours previously! Drew Gulak was the one shining light throughout the whole thing, he's a babe.

The tag match was solid multi-man fare with a nice spot involving interference and distraction from Amore allowing The Zo-Train to take control and an action packed hot tag from Cedric Alexander, that would conclude with a Neuralyzer to Dar and Lumbar Check to Nese, before Ali picked up the pin on Dar with the 054 splash. It wasn't much more than filler, but it would've improved the quality of the Kick-Off show had it replaced the Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore match on the show.

Samoa Joe def. Finn Balor [Prince Devitt] via referee stoppage // 8:34 

A good opener, but weirdly thrown away here on television, with a clean finish to boot and no follow up. This quality of the action was a step down from the match the pair had in Manchester two weeks ago, being mostly Joe dominating his smaller opponent. The Samoan Submission controlled, about 80% of the match, reversing slingblades into overhead belly to belly suplexes, hitting suicide dives and more or less rag-dolling Prince Devitt all over the ring. The action was always crisp and impactful, but lacked a little something of the energy and fire that I enjoyed in their Manchester bout. It was, of course, better to see a decisive finish, instead of the previous double countout, but I was surprised to see Balor lose so clearly. He looked good in his final fire up, but Booker T threw him under the bus on commentary for not making it to the top rope quick enough and this took away a little from Joe eventually dragging him off the top and locking in a Coquina Clutch for the win. I'd suspected Balor might've been a future opponent for Brock Lesnar before WrestleMania, based on this match that appears to no longer be the case.

Matt Hardy attacked Elias [Elias Samson]

Elias mocked the crowd and attempted to sing about Matt Hardy, but was quickly interrupted by his subject. The two brawled a little, before Elias escaped a Twist of Fate and left...

Asuka [Kana] def. Dana Brooke via pinfall // 2:35 

Dana Brooke had a split-screen promo ahead of her match with Asuka, claiming that she'd watched the Asuka Collection on the WWE Network and had found some holes in her opponent's game....hmmm, yeah, ok hen. 

Dana Brooke wasn't ready for Asuka, 5-0. 

Also

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows shilled various merch for WWEShop, as part of the Countdown to Black Friday.

Roman Reigns won the Intercontinental Championship, Paige returned alongside the debuting Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose, Kane assaulted Braun Strowman. In terms of creating moments this show did a very good job. There was also quite a few good to very good matches for a television product, with the main event, Ambrose vs. Sheamus and Balor vs. Joe (to some extent) all standing out. However, some of the booking showed a lack of thought and at times, direction. Specifically, Asuka's positioning in the Women's division and the mindless segment that lead to the four-way and to a lesser degree the baffling use of the Cruiserweight division. There was a few developments that I'm interested to see play out, such as where Samoa Joe and Finn Balor are heading next and also I feel like Jason Jordan's story is beginning to head somewhere productive (hopefully!). My match of the night was the Intercontinental title change as it had some drama to it and was one of the better finishes we've seen on RAW this year.

Review by James Marston

Blu-Ray Review: WWE Survivor Series 2015 (The B.O.D. vs. Wyatt Family)

WWE Survivor Series 2015 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now in the UK. You can order here at WWEDVD.co.uk and all other reputable Home Video stockists. Broadcast live on PPV (and on the WWE Network) from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia USA on 22nd November 2015. The show features The Brothers of Destruction clashing with The Wyatt Family's Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper in the main event. The Blu-Ray edition includes nine other matches featuring the likes of Dean Ambrose, The New Day, The Lucha Dragons, King Barrett, Charlotte, Paige, Sheamus, The Usos, Roman Reigns and Ryback in prominent bouts. Commentary is provided by John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Michael Cole, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Byron Saxton, Booker T & Rich Brennan.

survivor series 2015 blu-ray match card

Match 1 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Final – Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio w/Zeb Colter

Match 2 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Final – Dean Ambrose vs. WWE Intercontinental Championship Kevin Owens

Match 3 – Traditional Survivor Series Elimination – Ryback, The Lucha Dragons & The Usos vs. Mr. Money in the Bank Sheamus, 2015 King of the Ring King Barrett & WWE Tag Team The New Day

Match 4 – WWE Diva's Championship – Paige vs. Charlotte ©

Match 5 – Singles – Tyler Breeze w/Summer Rae vs. Dolph Ziggler

Match 6 – Tag Team – The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper) w/Braun Strowman & Erick Rowan vs. The Brothers of Destruction

Match 7 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final – Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose 

Match 8 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Roman Reigns © vs. Money in the Bank Contract Holder Sheamus

Match 9 – Five on Five Traditional Survivor Series Elimination – The Miz, Bo Dallas, Stardust & The Ascension vs. “The Man That Gravity Forgot” Neville, The Dudley Boyz, Titus O'Neil & Goldust

Match 10 – Tag Team – WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio w/Zeb Colter vs. Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns

main feature

Survivor Series 2015 kicks off with a solid bout between Roman Reigns and Alberto Del Rio, as the pair battle it out in the Semi-Final of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament. At times it feels like ADR is simply going through the motions, however it is some competent selling from Reigns that manages to drive the clash. A second semi-final bout between Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose is probably of a similar quality, with Owens standing out as the star of the bout as he works hard to lift a initially flat crowd. Despite an excellent finishing stretch, there are still portions of the match that one would expect to have been a lot tighter from workers of this calibre.

The only Traditional Five on Five Elimination contest on the bout begins brightly with King Barrett and Sheamus bringing a different energy to The New Day's pre-match promo. However, the clash with Ryback, The Lucha Dragons and The Usos suffers from some bizarre booking, an off-beat pace and a crowd that doesn't seem to be interested at all. That being said, there are some nice spots peppered throughout the contest. 

The first title match see's Charlotte defending the WWE Diva's Championship in a scrappy fight with Paige, who was in the middle of another ill-advised heel turn. Whilst there are some nice ideas on display, the contest never really comes together, which isn't helped by a flat finish. Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze then run through some decent sequences of action, but a lack of time, character-depth and crowd interaction hurt what feels like another throwaway match.

The main event of the evening has The Undertaker and Kane teaming up once more, as The Brothers of Destruction, as part of the celebration of 25 years of The Undertaker, an idea that dominates the presentation of the bout. Opposite Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family, there are a lot of cool moment that play well off the different characters signature move and mannerisms. The crowd being so into the action makes the match a lot more watchable than perhaps it would've been otherwise. 

To close the show, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose are back to compete over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, in what is a good, little match, which it's difficult not to feel disappointing by. The crowd continue to give a korma reaction to action, but they do wake up for the big post-match angle. 

special features 

From Survivor Series 2016 Kick-Off, there's another Traditional Five on Five Elimination bout, with The Miz, Bo Dallas, Stardust & The Ascension taking on Neville, The Dudley Boyz, Titus O'Neil and Goldust in a very meh kind of match. The wrestling throughout is all completely fine, but with no real drive and a lack of quality booking there's no real reason to check this one out. 

Onto the Blu-Ray exclusives and we start with a fun, back and forth between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt on the mic from Monday Night RAW #1173, that build towards the PPV well. From the same show there's a contract signing between Charlotte and Paige for their bout, which features some strong mic from Charlotte and an enjoyable ringside brawl. An edition of Miz TV from Thursday Night Smackdown #848 with appearances from the four semi-finalists in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament is highlighted by a comedic appearance from R-Truth. The set rounds off with a fairly straight-forward tag bout from the same show, with Kevin Owens teaming with Alberto Del Rio against Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.

finally...
blu-ray rating - 5.02

A distinctly average show here. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament provides the best action across the disc, but with the four performers involved I think many would expect a lot better quality. The Brothers of Destruction make for a fun main event, but one that ultimately lacks substance. The special features are also a bit of a downer, for not including any of the prelimary tournament matches. A miss opportunity to include the likes of Cesaro vs. Reigns, Owens vs. Neville or Ambrose vs. Ziggler, all of which could have boosted the quality of the content on the disc.

Guest Article: New Year, New WWE? (Sean Taylor-Richardson)

As the clock struck midnight and 2015 jobbed out to fresh faced rookie 2016, social media platforms erupted into a crescendo of self-important and delusional new year, new me platitudes. Truthfully few of us will change in the next 12 months: we've dug ourselves into a nice little rut and we’re happy with it. But is that sentiment true of Vince McMahon and co? Will things change in that vast universe across the pond? Will the arrival of 2016 be the opportunity for mid-carders to finally achieve main event status, for divas to smash the glass ceiling and for old dogs to finally learn new tricks? At the risk of looking extremely foolish come December 31st, I predict what I think 2016 has in store for the guys and gals of the WWE.

room at the top

Despite all fears to the contrary, Roman Reigns is gradually getting over. Expect him to hold the big belt for the majority of (if not all of) the year…John Cena’s quest for a 16th World title will be one of the stories of the year and a major match between Reigns and Cena will occur at SummerSlam. Big fight feel guaranteed for that one… On the topic of Cena, expect fans to finally soften and show him some more respect. Legend status is approaching for Big Match John… For Seth Rollins, the big babyface turn is coming. He will be the most popular performer in the company by the end of the year… Second most popular could be Bayley: her gimmick should transfer to the main roster and she could become the face of the women’s division (as well as several kid friendly campaigns). A feud between her and the evil Stephanie McMahon could generate rare levels of heat… I could see Vince overlooking Finn Balor. But the Demon Balor character should hold his attention…And if Demon Balor does fail to catch on, Bray Wyatt will turn face and take up the Undertaker’s monster mantle… Wyatt fighting off his former family members will be the start…Not sure how great their overall run will be but Enzo and Cass’ debut, in front of a post ‘Mania or Summerslam crowd will raise the roof. That is one fun entrance… Jordan and Gable will get more and more over as they continue to channel that Kurt Angle vibe…The Miz will re-invent himself as a manager with a Hollywood agent vibe. It will be his best stuff in years… Mauro Ranallo’s talents will illuminate Smackdown; Corey Graves will have the same effect when he hits the booth on the main roster… Nia Jax and Asuka will have an absolutely belting feud…Brock Lesnar will continue to throw people around and it will continue to be very cool.

stuck in the middle with you

Can NXT top its stellar 2015? It will do well to sustain those levels. As long as we get another UK tour all will be well…Dean Ambrose may have to wait another year before he really breaks through at the top: he sells enough merch to justify being kept face but not quite enough to force the Fed’s hand in regards to their booking of him. Mid-card act for now…Kevin Owens will get big matches in 2016 but not the big wins… Sami Zayn may not be elevated as quickly as his avid fanbase might expect. Raw’s loss is NXT’s gain… Randy Orton’s best days are behind him whilst Cesaro’s may never come. I could see these two having a pretty decent feud though…The New Day are great but I don’t see them getting any bigger than they are now. If anything the inevitable babyface turn may harm their act… Likewise the Usos may have to turn heel to stay fresh… Charlotte, Sasha, Becky and Paige will have a decent year but the highs they experienced in NXT will continue to evade them… Raw commentary will continue to be frustrating… Dolph Ziggler will stay in the midcard. Forever. Accept it.

going down

Sad to say but Daniel Bryan won’t wrestle for WWE again. Given his condition, maybe he shouldn’t wrestle again at all…It’s hard to see Kane doing anything special in 2016; Big Show won’t retire but probably should… Tyler Breeze looked great in NXT. He may end up back there as their touring schedule expands and his main roster run fluctuates… No more Bo. There’s just no point anymore… Titus O’ Neill doesn’t have it. Nice guy but not a star… Los Boricuas wouldn’t sweat The League of Nations …Brie mode is so 2014… Friend of WWE star Wayne Rooney will struggle to get goals for Manchester United and disappoint for England at the Euros. Again.


So there we have it people: that’s your 2016. With regard to other wrestling predictions, I expect Brock Lesnar to win the Rumble, record Network subscribers for Wrestlemania, Undertaker to reject retirement and hang around the Fed a bit longer (he has to hit the road- since she retired, Layla’s always round the bloody house), Ric Flair to marry Paige in the spring, a CM Punk chant in Chicago (Editor's note: Only a twat tells people what to chant), Byron Saxton to snap on air and bite JBL’s nose off, Paige to divorce Ric Flair by the summer, a British indie darling to reach NXT, Ronda Rousey to make a significant appearance late in the year, and Ric Flair to wrestle Paige at Survivor Series. That would be a hell of a year.

Guest Article: The Women of WWE - Part 3 (Lily Lestrange)

As we've seen from parts one and two of this blog series, WWE's history books are full of women who have made some sort of impact on the industry and have paved the never-ending path to what women's wrestling is today. But it's time to stop dwindling on the past and start looking at the (mostly) present and future Divas of the WWE.


Spot that cheeky wee "mostly" tucked away in brackets in that last sentence? That's because this lady is sadly no longer involved in the WWE but her presence is still felt despite this. I tried to keep this blog as future-focused as I could but this wee one just had to slip through; if WWE aren't going to give her the recognition she deserves then I certainly will.

AJ Lee

Who else but AJ? I've never personally been a fan of her in the ring but her mic work was some of the best that we've ever seen in the women's division and her accomplishments - like all of the other women in this series - are so important when it comes to progress in that division. She was the one who decided that "Divas" were a complete omnishambles, that being just like them wasn't anything to be proud of; so she told them all to take a running fuck to themselves and stood against them on her own because she was an independent wee mental goth chick that didn't need no help from anyone. 


Sure, they dumped her with the "crazy chick" gimmick that they burden a lot of good wrestlers with but she ran with it and made it her own; you saw the character developing from that shy little girl who cost Daniel Bryan the World Heavyweight title to Sheamus at Wrestlemania 29 to this sadistic, manipulative woman who pushed CM Punk off the top rope and through a table. At Mania 29 she just wanted to kiss her man good luck... that night on RAW she was kissing CM Punk goodbye because she was done with his shit. All the kisses she was dishing out resulted in the black widow gimmick that she ran with for the rest of the time she spent with the WWE and it was brilliantly thought out, the lot of it. There hasn't been that much attention to detail given to a female character in the history of WWE, as far as my memory serves. You could see her character developing as time went on and that’s why she was as popular as she was; you can be the best wrestler in the world with the best mic skills ever but if your character is stale then people begin to lose interest very quickly.


It was a shame that things ended the way they did with her. She was the longest reigning Divas champion in history and she didn't get so much as a thank you or a proper send off when she left. They wrote her out of the history books by making Nikki Bella hold it for 6 days longer than her; a title reign that was nowhere near as interesting as AJ's. Despite this, AJ still holds the combined record with Eve Torres for the most title reigns with the Divas Championship.

Paige

Speaking about AJ ties in nicely with Paige, given that it was on her debut to the main roster that Paige defeated AJ for the Divas Championship. Asides from Gail Kim winning the Women's title in a battle royal (a battle bloody royal, some things never change eh?) no other woman has won a title via pinfall on their debut. An amazing achievement for her given that she was only 21, which makes her the youngest Diva's champion ever.


I'm going to cheat a bit here and gush on about her time in NXT, because this is where her best matches have all happened. Her time on the main roster has seen her garner a bigger fanbase but with time constraints she's not really been able to show off her true skills in any of the matches she's had. She's had a lot of decent matches but none worth noting. NXT is another story; her match with Emma on NXT ArRIVAL in February 2014 was, I believe, the first match that really got people's interests piqued in terms of women's matches in the WWE. Everything about that match was brilliant, from the storytelling to the visible emotion they both showed throughout it, it's a must-see for every wrestling fan. But after that match was when people started talking; it got people saying "aw here, these lassies actually CAN wrestle" and from there everyone's been in mutual agreement that


The women of NXT are, well, fucking brilliant. It's leading to more people giving a damn about what happens on the main roster now that a lot of the NXT women have been called up too, so the more buzz that's generated by that, the more that creative will see how much people care about the women's division and hopefully that leads to them paying more attention to their Divas.


Her wrestling skills aside, Paige has fallen from the same tree as AJ and Lita where she has never been afraid to be different and takes pride in being a pillar of hope for kids who have always felt like they've never fit in. It's touching to see young girls approach her with their stories about how she's inspired them to embrace who they are because it was the exact same for me back when I was a kid except it was Lita that we looked up to. It's heart-warming to see that the next generation of kids have someone like that to look up to in wrestling, especially someone as talented as her.

Charlotte

I've seen people flapping their gums about Charlotte a lot this past while so I felt that she was the most relevant of the Horsewomen to talk about for now. She's been getting a lot of flack from the IWC because they think that she's only achieved what she has because she's Ric Flair's daughter, when in reality that couldn't be farther from the truth. I mean don't get me wrong, I don't think she'd have gotten into NXT if it wasn't for her family but to say that her entire wrestling career is built on the basis of her being the kid of a Hall of Famer completely discredits everything she has achieved in the time that she's spent on NXT and the main roster. The mentality of a lot of wrestling fans is that if you've no previous experience in the industry then you've no right to be in the WWE. A lot of those same fans shit their knickers with joy when Enzo Amore comes out with Big Cass. Enzo was in the same boat, he joined WWE with no previous experience but there we go, that's the IWC for you.


Charlotte's journey through the ranks and her development as a wrestler has been an interesting one: she started out on NXT as Bayley's tag team partner then turned on her not long after to join Sasha Banks and Summer Rae as part of the BFFs. Whilst all of this was going on she was feuding with Paige for the title and when Paige was called up to the main roster (and when she won the Divas Championship) she was stripped of it, so a tournament was held to determine who would win the vacant title. Charlotte ended up winning after pinning Natalya and went on to successfully defend the title for another 258 days before losing it to Sasha Banks at NXT TakeOver: Rival. Before she lost the title, the matches she had where she was defending it weren't some mickey mouse squash matches; she got to demonstrate her wrestling abilities, her mic skills and her athletic prowess (and by god is she athletic) in all of the matches she had which is why she's drawn in a lot of fans amongst the people criticising her.


As expected when she was called up to the main roster along with Becky Lynch and Sasha, the storyline they were inserted into hasn't exactly been thrilling; I haven't watched RAW for a long time (and given the kinds of matches and story lines that not only the women but all of the wrestlers have been put into, I won't be inclined to watch it anytime soon) but the gist I got from it is that they all got put into different sororities (like they were high school teenagers) and got pitted against each other in teams of three, as per usual in some daft triple threat matches where you don't actually get to see anyone demonstrate their capabilities. It was Charlotte, Becky and Paige versus Naomi, Tamina and Sasha versus The Bellas and Alicia Fox versus... no-one gives a fuck. It was all the women thrown together and put in meaningless matches with no continuity. Aaaaanyway, regardless of all of the half-arsedness of their feuds, Charlotte ended up feuding with Nikki and after being cheated out of a win a few times, she finally defeated her at Night Of Champions to become the new and current Divas Champion.


Now this doesn't seem like a lot; the timeline of her career that I've just described sounds quite short, right? Well she's been with NXT for 3 years now, so it's really not. Given that she has previous athletic experience she's obviously picked this up quicker than what some model with no experience would *cough* Eva Marie *cough* and she's been working alongside some of the best coaches in the business to get where she is now, so it's got little do with who her dad is and more to do with the effort she's put in to get where she needs to be. Working her way up from nothing to become the NXT Womens Champion then the Divas Champion in that timescale is an amazing feat and it's well deserved.

-------


And there we have it, the last instalment of my Women Of WWE blogs. I've -hopefully- covered the past, present and now future of the women's division sufficiently enough for you all to know and appreciate a bit more about it. Once again, I'm sorry I didn't get to cover all of the people that I wanted to in this one; Becky Lynch and in particular Sasha Banks have achieved great things in their careers and they should be recognised for it. I'll hopefully be covering more about these great ladies over on my own blog at some point in the future.