The Year in PPV- NXT 2015

You know how much I love NXT at this point, so why prolong the inevitable? This was a year in which NXT really came into the forefront as WWE's hottest commodity. Before, it was kind of this cool thing you'd hear about on the internet, but still somewhat of an underground secret. 2015 really turned WWE's developmental into its own brand.

So let's head to a historic night in NXT history with NXT TakeOver: Rival ...


1. NXT TakeOver: Rival

It feels like NXT makes landmark event after landmark event. The Rival event really showed how strong their product was at the time. You could have an opener in Tyler Breeze vs. Hideo Itami, a big brawl in Bull Dempsey vs. Baron Corbin, Finn Balor vs. Adrian Neville in a number one contender's match, and an NXT Tag Team Championship match with the Lucha Dragons trying to get their titles back from Blake and Murphy.

But this show really delivered with two great main events. First, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks (NXT's Four Horsewomen) had a great Fatal 4-Way match for the NXT Women's Championship. And NXT's most personal story so far culminated in an NXT Championship match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. No words I say right now can do these two matches justice. Go watch them for yourself and see just how good fans of NXT had it at this very moment in time.

Highly Recommended


2. NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable

For the first time in 2015, I was a little underwhelmed by the NXT product. Not to say these matches were bad, but it was missing that major spark needed to make the show a must see event. The opening match was a number one contender's match, that was originally supposed to be a Triple Threat. Hideo Itami was scheduled to be in the match between Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze, but was written out with an injury...which he's still recovering from nearly a year later. Boy, you bet on the wrong horse if you thought Itami was going to be the breakout superstar of the year.

If that injury wasn't enough, Sami Zayn headed into his match with Kevin Owens already injured. But the match with Owens was used to write him off for the remainder of the year. It's nowhere near as good as the Rival match, but it's the ending that had people going nuts. Right when Owens is ready to level Zayn with a chair, SAMOA JOE DEBUTS!!!!! WOW!!!! I never thought I would ever see that and it made me pop like crazy when I saw it the first time. This night also had an awesome NXT Women's Championship match between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, showcasing just how great women's wrestling can be in the modern era. Ok, so there's a number of things that helped salvage this show for me.

Recommended


3. NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

The night before SummerSlam, NXT held its first major televised event to not take place at Full Sail University. In front of a huge Brooklyn crowd, NXT came to play on this night. We saw a variety of matches and moments play out throughout the evening. From Tyler Breeze in his opening match with Jushin "Thunder" Liger, to the Vaudevillains challenging Blake and Murphy for the NXT Tag Team Championships, to the debut of Apollo Crews, to the smash mouth style match of Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe.

Then, we arrive at the main events. First, Sasha Banks and Bayley had one of the best women's matches I've ever seen in my entire life. It's an absolute show stealer. And, in a ladder match for the NXT Championship, Finn Balor tries to retain his championship against Kevin Owens, after winning the belt from Owens at the Beast in the East event in Japan. The ladder match was a really good way to close the show, but everyone was still focused on how amazing the women were that night. If only they had main evented the PPV.

Highly Recommended


4. NXT TakeOver: Respect

With a heavy pun intended, the theme of the night was that of respect. Most of the night was dedicated to the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament. We had semi-final matches that saw Finn Balor and Samoa Joe take on Dash and Dawson, as well as the team of Rhyno and Baron Corbin vs. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. The winners of those matches would face each other in the tournament final to take home a huge trophy that honored the late Dusty Rhodes. It was a fitting tribute for one of wrestling's greatest of all-time, especially since he had such a lasting legacy in NXT's success. It's a very big feel good moment for the show.

But the ultimate battle of respect on this evening was when two women main evented a WWE major event for the first time ever. In a 30-minute Ironman match, Bayley and Sasha Banks put on the performance of a lifetime in an amazing bout for the NXT Women's Championship. The work these two women put into this match is awe inspiring and some of the best face/heel work I've seen ever. This match did the impossible in topping their match from Brooklyn. I didn't think it would be possible, but they even further showed why the women's division was the best thing NXT had going for it in 2015.

Highly Recommended


5. NXT TakeOver: London

The year comes to a close with its first TakeOver event to take place outside the United States. The London crowd certainly brought a certain gravitas to the event that only certain crowds are able to do, but part of me was a little troubled by how things were booked. I remember being completely blown away by this event when I first saw it, but I think that's the initial effects NXT has on viewers. When you go back and re-analyze it, you start to pick up on certain things. For example, the entire booking for that NXT Tag Team Championship match would've pointed at Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady finally winning the straps, yet they don't. It was such a one-sided booking that I didn't know if it did a whole lot for Dash and Dawson in the long run. They're still a great team and the match was great, but the moment was primed for Enzo and Big Cass, so this felt like a missed opportunity.

Everything else on the card was solid, but a little unspectacular. A lot of the matchups didn't get out of second gear and felt very by the books. Still, the roster came to play to close out the year. Finn Balor and Samoa Joe put out a good main event for the NXT Championship, Bayley and Nia Jax put on a compelling match for the NXT Women's Championship, even Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews were able to pull out a nice upper midcard match. It's all fine, but you definitely had the idea that they were relying on the crowd to be invested. This is far from the best show they put on in 2015, but it's definitely not the worst.

Recommended


Thoughts: The roster in NXT is always solid and the matches are always pretty good, but there's still the opportunity for certain elements to shine more than others. Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, the tag teams, and the women's division were all at the forefront of the most compelling wrestling NXT offered in 2015 and kept my NXT experience from falling into a sophomore slump. NXT is still great and I don't see signs of that slowing any time soon. When these competitors get called up to the main roster, there will always be younger, fresher talent waiting in the wings to keep NXT going. And I like that quite a bit. The future is now and it's very bright for NXT in 2016.


All rights and images are copyrighted and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment

Top 5 Favorite Payback Matches

Like I said last time, I'm very excited to attend Payback live in a few weeks. With that in mind, a Top 8 would be weird for the Payback PPV, simply because there's only been 3 Payback shows so far. I might as well review them all individually, and I don't have time for that. So instead, I'm going to lower the list down to a Top 5. Like Backlash, the Payback gimmick should be about resolving issues and rivalries in some quality wrestling matches. So let's see what makes the list of my Top 5 Payback Matches.


Number 5: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (Payback 2014)

After WWE really mishandled the booking of the Bray Wyatt/John Cena feud, a lot were waiting to see what would play out in their Last Man Standing match. A win between each man in back to back PPVs, this match brought finality to their rivalry. Getting The Usos in on the action to help take out Harper and Rowan was also a creative way to kickstart their rivalry, which lead to some great PPV matches between the two teams. The spots in this match were very clever and this was the best way you could have salvaged anything featuring two top performers of this caliber.

Number 4: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (Payback 2013)

Punk and Jericho had a handful of matches around this point, all of which were of high quality. This, however, is probably the weakest of their trilogy of PPV matches. The story here was Punk's return after a short hiatus after WrestleMania 29. Returning in his hometown of Chicago, there was never really any doubt who would win this match. Jericho put forth a good effort, but this moment and match was all for Punk. Kind of a waste, considering he'd be gone in less than a year, but that's beside the point. This was a well-wrestled match between two of my all-time favorites, and the moment of Punk returning home was certainly one of the last great moments in his tenure with WWE.

Number 3: Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose (Payback 2015)

Seth Rollins quickly became my favorite superstar of 2015 with his rise to the occasion mentality. While the booking of his championship reign might have been questionable at best, this Fatal 4-Way brought together all the major people he had pissed off in his rise to power. Squaring off against his former Shield partners and a former member of The Authority, it was obvious Rollins would have to bring his best in order to walk away champion. This is certainly a good Fatal 4-Way formula on its own, but let's be honest and mention the only real reason this is on here is because of that one moment when The Shield reunited for a minute. The chills that happened during that moment is still one of WWE's biggest highlights in 2015.

Number 2: Sheamus vs. Cesaro (Payback 2014)

At the time this opening match took place, I was really interested in what Cesaro could bring to the table within the midcard. Add the fact that I'd been a fan of Sheamus for years and we have a winner for a rough and rugged opener for the United States Championship. There was a lot of slams and stiff shots, but it really worked for these two and the crowd absolutely ate it up. For my money's worth, no match that night could deliver the right amount of action and pacing that this match was able to, so they were very successful in their mission to steal the show.

Number 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler (Payback 2013)

Only a city like Chicago could host a match like this and deliver the best double-turn since Steve Austin and Bret Hart's match at WrestleMania 13. Ziggler, that heel most fans love to hate, was World Heavyweight Champion and just came off a concussion injury. Del Rio, who was having a pretty successful run as a babyface, wanted to win his championship back by any means necessary. The match, for the most part, was a one-sided beatdown with Del Rio targeting Ziggler's head with brutal kicks, with Ziggler refusing to give up. You can see in both those performances how the crowd was able to turn on Del Rio and root for Ziggler. It's absolutely spectacular to watch and a prime example of why I love the Chicago crowds for WWE events. And in a week, I'll be part of that crowd when I attend Payback 2016.

Are there any that I'm forgetting? Is there one on this list that you think isn't deserving of a top spot? Well, let me know in the comments and also suggest what type of wrestling countdown you'd like to see me do next.


All rights and images are copyrighted and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment

Top 8 Favorite Backlash Matches

We're inching closer to Payback and I'm all abuzz with excitement about it. Normally, I wouldn't care, but my wife and I are attending the event live, our first WWE live event together, and the first WWE event I've attended since 2008. Payback has recently switched the calendar order with Extreme Rules for being the post-WrestleMania PPV. Before the days of Extreme Rules and Payback, the original post-Mania show was Backlash. Through Backlash, we were given a majority of storylines and rematches that upped the ante of famed matches we previously saw at WrestleMania a month earlier. This is the revenge PPV for a lot of stories, which makes for some epic encounters. And we're gonna look at my 8 favorite Backlash matches today. As a reminder, I do my best to enforce a stipulation of only one entry per PPV, so there will be a number of Sophie's Choices for a few of these slots, but I'll be prepared to pay for that when I get to it. On with the countdown, these are my Top 8 Favorite Backlash Matches.


Number 8: Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Matt Hardy (Backlash 2008)

By the time the guys got to this match, two things had been established. The first was a very personal feud that had begun all the way back in the summer of 2007, and the other was MVP's legitimacy as one of SmackDown's top heels with a lengthy run as US Champion. This feud really makes this match stand out as an important Backlash match because of how well these two worked off each other. Two very different styles, trading signature moves in a solid opening match that gave Matt Hardy one of the biggest moments in his career. Having Hardy win over MVP is the right booking decision to bring this feud to a close, which is what Backlash should do for a lot of feuds.

Number 7: Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam (Backlash 2006)

With this match, I really dug the stipulation that put Van Dam's Money in the Bank briefcase against Shelton's Intercontinental Championship. Someone was going to lose something in this match and I really liked seeing that. On top of that, you have the high-flying offense of Van Dam against Shelton's pure athleticism. The result is a very well-wrestled match between tow of RAW's best athletes at the time and one of the best Intercontinental Championship matches to take place during the era. The stakes and the expectations were both high on this night and the two competitors went out and put on a match that stole the show.

Number 6: Shane McMahon vs. Big Show (Backlash 2001)

Well this story seems a bit recent. I can see that Shane's feud with Undertaker borrowed heavily from this story with Big Show. The factors that are the same definitely include Mr. McMahon using an imposing superstar as an instrument to beat up Shane, as well as Shane throwing himself off a huge structure to try and win the match. Thankfully for Shane in THIS match, he hits his target. That spot pretty much makes this match, but he and Show are able to have a pretty fun brawl together, with the Last Man Standing stipulation helping them out loads in terms of offense.

Number 5: Edge vs. Chris Benoit (Backlash 2005)

Another Last Man Standing match on display here, I really liked the amount of aggression and violence Benoit and Edge brought to the table. Edge was fresh off of winning the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 21, and was in need of a match to show he could hang in the main event scene. Enter Benoit, a former World Heavyweight Champion and the man Edge stole the victory from at Mania. The result was a very stiff Last Man Standing match that had me riveted. What really stood out to me was the ending, showcasing just how tough Benoit was and how smart Edge had to be in order to survive the match. Nothing too complex with this choice, just a physical match between two of my all-time favorites that delivered the goods.

Number 4: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton (Backlash 2007)

There were a lot of multi-man main events in Backlash history as a way to build off the Mania feuds and try for something even more epic. For my money, my favorite of these main events was the one from 2007. Simply put, it's because of the components and stories told. I was a brand new fan in 2007, so I was hooked on the stories that saw two great teams split up. With Michaels and Cena, it was over competition for the WWE Championship. For Orton and Edge, it was the implosion of their massive egos. The result was RAW's top 4 main event talents tearing the house down. All 4 men wanted the title and all 4 men had something to prove against each other. Yet, you'd get moments where the former teammates would team up together for brief moments in the match. It told a very compelling story and had a conclusion that I thought was absolutely genius.

Number 3: John Cena vs. Edge (Backlash 2009)

With his third appearance on this list, I think I'm about to label Edge "Mr. Backlash." Also making its third appearance on this list is the Last Man Standing match, a clearly popular gimmick for this type of PPV. The story here was the culmination of a 3 year rivalry that defined the era. Cena and Edge are two of the most important figures of that time period and a lot of that is thanks to the matches they had with each other. This match showed how much these two knew each other and how much pride was on the line. Beating the other felt more important than winning the World Heavyweight Championship. That's the definition of personal. Plus, the spots are all enjoyable and the finish has one of the biggest HOLY S#!% reactions from yours truly.

Number 2: Triple H vs. The Rock (Backlash 2000)

What was really enjoyable about this match was that it gave us the WrestleMania main event we deserved a month prior. The story was how the deck was stacked against The Rock. Seeing him try to overcome the odds is one of the best babyface performances you could ask for. Add the teased return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to be in Rock's corner and you have a lot of eyes glued to the screens to see what is going to happen. It's a formula you've seen loads of times during the Attitude Era, but the components here make it appear fresh. The Rock was THE guy fans wanted to get behind in Austin's absence to get rid of the McMahon-Helmsley Era and this match gave us the story we wanted to see.

Number 1: Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack (Backlash 2004)

As much as I liked the rematch between Chris Benoit, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels, I knew THIS was the match from Backlash 2004 to take the top spot on this list. This match gave us everything we wanted to see. It allowed Foley to do his thing and give Orton the hardcore beating we'd wanted to see for a long time. But it was also smart in giving Orton the victory, showing he can hang tough with one of the all-time greats and was destined to be a huge superstar. The spots are all great, but the image of Randy Orton falling into a bed of thumbtacks is etched in the minds of all fans who have seen it. There's blood, barbed wire, diving off stages, teases of fire, and the aforementioned thumbtacks. It's an amazing match that does wonders for the careers of both men involved, and the best match to take place at Backlash.

Are there any that I'm forgetting? Is there one on this list that you think isn't deserving of a top spot? Well, let me know in the comments and also suggest what type of wrestling countdown you'd like to see me do next.


All rights and images are copyrighted and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment

WrestleMania 32 Review

It seems to be a recurring pattern for me over the years that I get nervous of how disastrous WrestleMania could end up being. This used to be the most legendary and iconic night of the year for fans everywhere. It was once in a blue moon that we'd get a turd Mania. It wasn't a thing fans were expecting to happen every year. With WrestleMania 32, I was expecting things to fall apart at the seams. The build was part of it, but the real nail in the coffin was the NXT TakeOver: Dallas event. That show was so good that I didn't think Mania stood a chance of following it. With all the speculation, the time finally arrived. My 10th WrestleMania as a fan, I bore witness to a historic event. Held in front of over 100,000 fans, this was a night the history books would remember, but would the matches and moments live up to the record breaking hype? Here's where things get a little tricky. Over the last few days, I've had to re-watch a number of the matches and moments numerous times to properly analyze all of them. Based on my first impressions, I couldn't tell if this was a good show, a bad show, or just an ok show. And the internet can't really say for sure either. There's fans that love it, fans that hate it, and fans that don't really know what to do with it. It kinda reminds me of the reception that Batman v. Superman received. With that in mind, let's see how this record-breaking night stacks up with the other Manias. Here are my thoughts on WrestleMania 32.


United States Championship Match: Kalisto vs. Ryback

Kicking things off on the KickOff Show, Ryback and Kalisto delivered a classic David and Goliath match on the Grandest Stage of 'Em All. The ring work was fine and the story told was by the books, so there's nothing overly offensive in terms of an opener. The ending was what I thought needed to happen in a match like this. Showcase Ryback's dominance, give Kalisto a fighting chance and win by the skin of his teeth to keep his belt. With some rule-breaking shenanigans helping him, Kalisto has toppled Ryback, but I can't imagine them being done with this feud. Ryback has a legitimate claim that he could've won that title had Kalisto not cheated to win, so expect a rematch sometime soon.

Team BAD and Blonde vs. Team Total Divas

There was just so much going on in this match that you couldn't properly balance. The main stories here were the in-ring debut of Lana and Brie Bella's final match. A big story that was teased and went completely nowhere was Total Divas' uncertainty of trusting Eva Marie. This match was an average Diva tag match that gave a few Divas (Paige, Brie, Natalya, Naomi, Emma, and yes even Lana) a Mania moment. A little sloppy here and there, but maybe the pressure of knowing a REAL women's wrestling match was taking place on the main show was enough for the fans to not get overly critical of this one. Plus, the post-match celebration for Brie was nice. They had Nikki come out, which was good to give her because she was unable to compete at Mania after having the biggest year of her career last year. But my question is why they didn't have Daniel Bryan come out too? Yes, it's a Divas match and his entrance would probably pull the crowd out of Brie's moment, but just don't play his theme then. Heck, Brie started to "YES!" when she saw Nikki, so why not have Bryan come out to celebrate with his newly-retired wife? Missed opportunity for the moment, in my opinion.

The Usos vs. The Dudley Boyz

This encounter was a little short for my taste, but the story made sense for it to do so. This tag match was very personal, so the Dudleys and Usos fought with a ferocity in them that would've appropriately resulted in a match that went by quickly. I loved Bubba Ray's trash talking, bringing over an attitude from Bully Ray that he desperately needs to incorporate more often in his work. The post-match moment with the tables was a nice little spot that you'd hope would get the fans fired up, but this crowd is very interesting. Maybe it's who the Usos are related to, but the crowd was very pro-Dudleys in this match, so they probably would've popped louder had the Dudleys put the Usos through the tables.

Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Stardust vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder vs. Sami Zayn vs. The Miz vs. Sin Cara

There's an obvious need to compare this to last year's ladder match, simply for the title and number of competitors involved. For my money's worth, this match blew last year's out of the water in terms of story told and number of spots. The major story was the feud between Owens and Zayn, but there were other small moments that I loved. I loved how many high spots they gave to Sin Cara, knowing many years ago that would've been a joke in and of itself. I loved how they gave Stardust the time to show tribute to Dusty Rhodes, hearing the crowd erupt in approval. I loved how Miz had the appropriate amount of heel heat on him throughout the match. It didn't feel like the "go away" heat he's had for a while, the fans treated him like he was the most hated guy and they wanted him to be that. And of course, the ending with Zack Ryder winning was a surprise no one saw coming. And the story of him celebrating with Scott Hall, after watching him and Shawn Michaels have a ladder match at Mania X, is an awesome cherry on top that any fan would dream about having themselves. Great opener and really set the tone heading into Mania.

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho

If seeing AJ Styles debut at the Royal Rumble wasn't surreal enough, seeing him compete at a WrestleMania sure was. Granted, the feud with Jericho has stalled out a little bit due to how often they've wrestled each other in the last few months, and also because they can't really get out of 2nd gear in their matches. This is Jericho vs. Styles, it should have Match of the Year written all over it, but something isn't clicking in their work. Is it Jericho in his older age? Is it getting used to an opponent like AJ, who has thrived on a much smaller stage and environment for so long? Is it just that they can't live up to the hype? I'm not sure, but this match was fine for what it was. I'm not going to complain over Styles losing in his debut Mania because it's FREAKING AJ STYLES!!! Fanboys need to relax. He's going to be fine. Losing to Jericho at a Mania is just him paying his dues early on in the company. Plus, Jericho's win-loss column at Mania is a bit of a mess, so it's nice to see him victorious in a good match at a Mania. Nothing overly special, but still a fine encounter nonetheless.

The New Day vs. The League of Nations

The New Day's entrance is absolutely bonkers, check it out for yourself as there are no words that can accurately describe a trio coming out of a box of cereal dressed as anime characters. The match with The League of Nations was, again, another fine match on the card. Nothing overly special, but still good stuff all around. The League winning was a bit confusing, at first, until we had the moment of Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and Stone Cold Steve Austin coming out to beat them up. Then The New Day tried to dance with the Hall of Famers, resulting in Xavier Woods getting a Stone Cold Stunner. That moment produced so much loudness in my living room, you have no idea. While a pure nostalgia moment, it was the best nostalgia you could use. Shawn is my all-time favorite and Austin is my wife's all-time favorite, and we both hold Foley with high esteem as one of the greatest performers ever. There were no other 3-man entity that would've elicited the pop these legends did. This is a WrestleMania moment sandwich. A great entrance, a solid match, and a fantastic post-match encounter.

No Holds Barred Street Fight: Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar

This match has had a lot of reviewers split and I think it boils down to who you were rooting for. If you were into the story of Lesnar being the most dangerous weapon in the match, you probably thought this was pretty good at best and utilized Lesnar as the destructive force he is. If you were hoping for this to be a career defining moment for Ambrose, you were left utterly crushed. They teased the use of some of the weapons he was going to use, like a chainsaw or barbed wire baseball bat, but everything else was just him getting tossed around. 13 suplexes and an F-5 on a set of steel chairs was a lot to put him down, but you don't market a No Holds Barred Street Fight as a match where you refuse to say die. That's more of an "I Quit" Match. I didn't expect blood, but certainly more offense from Ambrose would've been great. Also, he needed to win. What does Lesnar gain from winning here? Nothing. He'll probably sit out of action til SummerSlam. What would Ambrose have gained from a victory? Validation as a main eventer. Getting closer to becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I'm sure he'll get there, but this win would have gotten him there a heck of a lot quicker.

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016

I thought the Hall of Fame Class was pretty good this year. Some memorable gimmicks in The Godfather and Big Boss Man, a fairly entertaining celebrity inductee in Snoop Dogg, Texas legends in Stan Hansen and Jacqueline, an all-time great stable in the Fabulous Freebirds, and one of the all-time great icons in Sting. If there was one thing that has become really grating over the last 2 years of the Hall of Fame, it's the Warrior Award. No offense to Joan Lunden, but this type of award is not what Warrior had in mind when he pitched it. For WWE to take his idea and spin it to make themselves look like great humanitarians by honoring charitable organizations and use Warrior's name and drag his family into it makes me kind of sick. Just rename it or something, get Warrior's name off it. And in addition to this year's official class, the ceremony inducted a bunch of older legends like Frank Gotch and Lou Thesz as honorary inductees. I liked that a lot and hope they continue that in the coming years.

Women's Championship Match: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch

You read that right. The WOMEN'S Championship. In the KickOff Show, Lita unveiled a new belt and said the woman who won this triple threat would earn this title. They just upped the ante for this match to live up to greatness. Could it do that? In many ways, it delivered a great triple threat that played to the strengths of all three superstars. The downside was definitely the ending. Had they given Sasha or Becky a chance to leave their legacy at Mania with a title win, it would've been great, but that apparently wasn't the story WWE wanted to tell on this night. On this night, it was important to give the women attention, but also label Charlotte as the undisputed head of the division. I'm just at the point where I'm done caring about Charlotte while she has Ric Flair in her corner. Just get rid of him, let her tell her own stories. Let her do her own cheating to be the top women's heel. Anyways, all three women were made stars in this match and I really look forward to what's next for the women's division.

Hell in a Cell Match: The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon

Part of me really didn't care about the action in this match because of the confusing story that was being told between Taker, Shane, and Mr. McMahon. Watching Shane train MMA style to get into Hell in a Cell was also a headscratcher, and I also felt history is boasting Shane's legacy up a little bit. The man was a spot-monkey performer that worked maybe a few times every couple of years. Is he really THAT iconic to be one of Taker's last Mania opponents? Apparently so, but the match didn't pick up until they escaped the cell. The visual of Shane jumping off the cell MADE this match a classic. Before that jump, this was just ok. After the jump....again, loudness emanating from my living room. That moment stole the rest of the show from any of the performers, which meant the next hour and a half of Mania was going to have that tough spot of following the act of the night.

3rd Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

This is fine in terms of Battle Royals, but it probably deserved to be on the KickOff show, instead of the match between the main events. Biggest moments for me was definitely seeing Baron Corbin debut and win the trophy, as well as giving Diamond Dallas Page a good reaction when I heard his music and once he started to hit the Diamond Cutter. I was very confused with the appearance from Shaq simply cause it wasn't 2009 anymore. By that I mean, we've all moved on from when we first saw Shaq and Big Show stare each other down, so this wasn't anything new or huge to me as a fan. If you're a casual viewer or a basketball fan, you might have enjoyed it, but I was left going "Why Shaq?" Still, great way to debut Baron Corbin on the main roster and hopefully this trophy win does more for him than it did with Cesaro.

The Rock and John Cena Fight The Wyatt Family

This was a strange moment. For starters, with how late it was on in the show, it signaled that we were going into overtime with Mania. After a performance from the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, The Rock comes out with a flamethrower, sets his name on fire, and announces the record-breaking attendance. Then The Wyatt Family comes out, he insults them, beats Erick Rowan in a 6-second match, and gets help from a returning John Cena to bury Bray Wyatt for the 3rd year in a row. The Wyatts can't catch a break. Just once, I wish the WWE would have the foresight to give these guys a victory at Mania. Just because they work with guys like Cena, Rock, and Undertaker doesn't mean they are made men. It's what they are able to do with those legends that achieves the passing the torch moment. Getting beat over and over again does absolutely nothing for the Wyatt Family's momentum except make them look like jokes. Plus, THIS was the moment Rock was building up for months? What an odd moment to hype for weeks on end, especially considering this moment was warming us up for the inevitable disappointment that was the main event.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H vs. Roman Reigns

The main event was dead on arrival for nearly all the fans watching. We all knew what was coming, so there was no point in stretching it out for nearly a half hour of "action." I put quotes on that because there wasn't a whole lot of memorable moments or spots to make this an epic main event. Apart from Roman Reigns spearing Triple H through the barricade and Stephanie McMahon on accident, not much else happened. All of this show's momentum sucked out by the fans inability to get behind this match. Roman Reigns is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Good for him. Bad for us. We just don't care about this guy being THE guy the way he's being written or booked. Shakeup his gimmick a little. Less talking, more action, and most importantly, turn him HEEL. Maybe WWE will get that through their heads by Mania 33, and maybe they won't. If 100,000 fans booing their chosen one doesn't help get things changed, what will?


Final Thoughts: With the record-breaking attendance, this should be an amazing show. It's just not THAT amazing. It's a GOOD Mania, but we've had 2 previous years of having GREAT Manias. This is a slight step backwards in quality on a normal stage, but this show had over 100,000 fans in attendance and was nearly 7 hours of action. That's just exhausting to get through for any fan. There's much to enjoy, but also a couple of let downs, and a main event that absolutely derails the momentum. It's a night about moments, as opposed to actual match quality, and that's probably what they were prepared to do once NXT TakeOver Dallas provided the best WRESTLING quality for WrestleMania Weekend. WrestleMania 32 is definitely Recommended for history's sake, but be ready for the long haul.


All rights and images are copyrighted and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment

NXT TakeOver: Dallas Review

It's no secret how much I love NXT. So with a TakeOver event happening the weekend of WrestleMania, I thought it would be a great time to do my first ever in-depth review of an NXT event. NXT TakeOver: Dallas was their way of saying "follow that" to the entire main roster heading into Mania this Sunday. Needless to say, the Show of Shows may have a tough time topping this incredible show. Let's just cut to the chase and talk about how this show was probably the best NXT event I've seen since NXT TakeOver: R Evolution.


NXT Tag Team Championship Match: The Revival vs. American Alpha

I've really enjoyed the tag team division in NXT and no two tag teams have had me enthralled these last couple of months than The Revival and American Alpha. There were a few sloppy moments in the match, but it didn't take away too much. I'm really into both these teams, so they were a great way to open this show. My best friend and I were having a conversation about how these teams were emanating the styles of some of the best wrestling teams. For The Revival, they remind me of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. For American Alpha, they remind us of The World's Greatest Tag Team. That's a good combination to have in the ring together. One team focusing on tag team psychology, while the other team are phenomenally technical wrestlers. Having American Alpha win the belts was a great opening moment for the show and I can't wait to see which tag team challenges them next because our new tag champs will be ready, willing, and GABLE!!!!

Baron Corbin vs. Austin Aries

This is easily the weakest match on the card, but it's still an intriguing watch for the story and the debut of Austin Aries. I'm waiting to see how Corbin's rivalry with William Regal is going to play out. I know I should talk up Aries a little more, but if you've been a wrestling fan for the last decade, you know who Aries is and what he does. Aries was just a pawn Corbin used to get back at Regal. It may be time for the GM to return to the ring and teach that miscreant a lesson. Time will tell, but I think this match was as good a debut and big match moment you could give to Aries. It forced Corbin to really rise to the occasion and I like when the indy darlings are able to do that with him. He's got a great look, but needs to really step it up in the ring. As for Aries, I'm wondering what they'll be able to do with him next.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn

This match was perfect! The moments were truly superb. From Shinsuke's captivating entrance, to the standing ovation for Sami Zayn after the match. And let's talk about the match itself. Fans who weren't used to Nakamura, like myself, found out very quickly why he was called the King of Strong Style. Those hits looked painful and the fact that Sami kept fighting was perfect for his character. This will be an easy Match of the Year candidate for NXT and possibly for wrestling in general. It was an amazing debut for Shinsuke Nakamura and a wonderful NXT swan song for Sami Zayn. There aren't too many words I can use to properly summarize how great this match was, so check it out for yourself. If there's only one match you're going to watch from this fabulous show, make sure it's this one!

NXT Women's Championship Match: Bayley vs. Asuka

Now this match had me intrigued because there was no real heel here. People liked Asuka and people liked Bayley. They put on another great match on this card, but what really wowed me was the ending. As I was saying to my wife how this match should end, it happened. It wouldn't make sense for the Bayley character to submit, so passing out in pain like Austin did at Mania 13 is about as perfect a loss you can give to a character like her. It leaves you asking questions. Will Bayley be moving up to the main roster soon? Will she stick around and chase the title again? And if Bayley is going to the main roster, who's next for Asuka? Another match that lets the fans know it's a good time to watch women's wrestling.

NXT Championship Match: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe

I thought it was going to be hard for Joe and Balor to follow those two matches. But two things changed that. The first was Balor coming out sporting a Leatherface inspired getup. The other thing that really helped this match was Samoa Joe getting busted up. The amount of blood that poured down his face was a surreal sight. From there, it was an all-out brawl between the two. The strikes sounded painful. The counters were all very smart. It was a fast and furious encounter that I think topped their match from London. I wasn't too big on the finish, but we'll have to wait and see what comes from it. We might be in store for another match come the next TakeOver special, which I'd be down for. I love seeing Joe and Balor wrestle. Maybe something else can come of this. Oh, and one more thing. BOBBY ROODE!?!? AAAHHHHHH!!!!! That's right! Before the main event, we cut to the crowd and Roode is sitting there. I REALLY hope something comes out of that. Anyways, very good way to end this terrific show.


Final Thoughts: This should be no surprise that I'm giving NXT TakeOver: Dallas a Highly Recommended. They continue to prove with every event that NXT is the place to be and this is an amazing show from beginning to end. Good luck, WrestleMania 32. You're gonna need it!


All rights and images are copyrighted and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment