|
Post by Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story on May 16, 2021 21:15:36 GMT -5
That was a fine show. Cesaro/Seth in the cell will be good and unlike others here I don’t think they’re done with Cesaro yet. You don’t give him that kind of showing to just toss him back down the card. He lost nothing with that loss and is going into a prominent HIAC with Seth. It’s fine. If they were gonna let you know he and Reigns is not done they would have not had him get beat clean but he did and then they immediately had him get beat down setting up his next feud away from the title. so yea they wasted no time in pushing him back down away from the title. He’s in a prominent match and feud at the next show and a win puts him right back in the mix. He’s literally fine. The fact that they’re setting up another match for him to get his heat back right away says as much. Cesaro was in a main event and killed it. One of the best matches of the year. I choose to focus on that.
|
|
Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
FANatic
Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
Posts: 235,164
|
Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on May 16, 2021 21:16:33 GMT -5
I guarantee you Cesaro loses the next match to Rollins too. Because now that he lost to Roman, you have to put him back in his place, and since you signed him to a contract extension, you don't have to care about using him anymore Shit ass company. Nah, Seth's eating the Cell loss to Cesaro. Yeah, we always think that, but this is WWE, and I am just calling it like I see it. Not gonna be surprised just gonna expect it. Would love for Cesaro to beat Seth again even if at this point it's redundnt, but I'll just wait and watch...
|
|
|
Post by hbkid718 on May 16, 2021 21:30:56 GMT -5
Besides the Zombie crap, WrestleMania Backlash was the best PPV of 2021 and once again showed that despite the build, the in-ring action outweighs everything else. Fun Kickoff Match between Ricochet & Sheamus. The Triple Threat Match between Asuka, Charlotte Flair, & Rhea Ripley was awesome. Incredible match for the SD Tag Team Titles between The Mysterios & Roode & Ziggler. I loved the story. Damian Priest VS The Miz has to be one of the worst matches in WWE History. Priest should have stayed in NXT. There is no need for the crap with the Zombies. They should have used the rest of the WWE Roster that are sitting in the back doing nothing. Who cares that Army of The Dead is the sponsor? I always try to defend WWE, but there is no way I can defend that shit. Wow, interesting that Hell In A Cell is next month & not Money In The Bank. Bianca Belair VS Bayley was an amazing match & got the bad taste out of my mouth from the match before. Incredible Triple Threat Match for the WWE Title. McIntyre, Strowman, & Lashley kicked ass. Cesaro VS Roman Reigns was a phenomenal Universal Title match. It's fine that Cesaro lost. This showed what we have known forever that he belongs in the main event. Also, I had no problem with what happened afterwards with Seth Rollins.
WRESTLEMANIA BACKLASH • This was the 1st PPV of 2021 that Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Daniel Bryan, Nia Jax, Randy Orton, & Riddle didn't wrestle on • This was 1st PPV since the Royal Rumble on January 31 to not have a United States Championship Match & the 1st Backlash since 2016 to not have one, the 1st PPV since Elimination Chamber on February 21 to not have an Intercontinental Championship Match & the 2nd Backlash in a row to not have one, the 1st PPV since Fastlane on March 21 to not have a Raw Tag Team Championship Match & it has never been defended at Backlash, the 1st PPV of 2021 to not have a Women’s Tag Team Championship Match & the 1st time since it was instituted in 2019 that it wasn’t defended at Backlash. • This was the 1st time that there was more than 1 Triple Threat Match on PPV since Survivor Series on November 24, 2019 & the 1st ever at Backlash • Ricochet VS Sheamus was the 19th Dark/Pre-Show/Kickoff Match at Backlash & 15th event in a row, was the 1st ever Non-Title Match in Backlash History, Sheamus’ 2nd Backlash in a row & 1st ever Backlash Kickoff Match & 5th PPV in a row in 2021, Ricochet’s Backlash debut & 1st PPV since Elimination Chamber on February 21, his 1st 1-on-1 match on PPV since he lost to Brock Lesnar at Super Showdown on February 27, 2020, was the 2nd month in a row that 2 1-named wrestlers wrestled each other on PPV, & the 1st time at Backlash since Kane VS Viscera in 2005 • Asuka VS Charlotte Flair VS Rhea Ripley was the 4th Raw Women’s Championship Match of 2021, the 1st since Raw on April 12, & 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. This was the 10th Women’s Championship Match at Backlash & 3rd event in a row. It was the 3rd Raw Women’s Championship Match at Backlash in a row. It was the 9th Triple Threat Match of 2021, the 1st since Raw on April 12, & 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. It was the 5th Triple Threat Match at Backlash & 2nd year in a row. This was the 1st Singles Women’s Triple Threat Match of 2021 & the 1st ever at Backlash. It was the 1st Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match since Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey & Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 35 on April 7, 2019. This was Asuka’s 2nd Backlash in a row & 2nd Raw Women’s Championship Match in a row at Backlash. She was the 1st since Mickie James in 2006 & 2007 to be defending Women’s Champion & then challenge for the Women’s Championship at back-to-back Backlash events. It was her 2nd PPV in a row. It was her 3rd Triple Threat Match at Backlash & 1st since she defeated Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair at TLC on December 16, 2018 to win the Smackdown Women’s Championship, with the other Triple Threat Match being a win over Nikki Cross & Ruby Riott to retain the NXT Championship at Takeover: Chicago on May 20, 2017, giving her a Triple Threat Record of 2-1-0. This was Charlotte Flair’s 3rd Backlash & 1st since 2018, & her 2nd Women’s Championship Match at Backlash & 1st since a Smackdown Women’s Championship Match in 2018. This was her 1st PPV since Elimination Chamber on February 21. It was her 8th Triple Threat Match in her Career & 1st since she lost the NXT Championship to Io Shirai along with Rhea Ripley at Takeover: In Your House on June 7, 2020, giving her a Triple Threat Match Record of 1-7-0, with her last win being over Carmella & Becky Lynch to win the Smackdown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam on August 19, 2018. This was Rhea Ripley’s Backlash debut, making it the 2nd year in a row that a defending Raw Women’s Champion was making their Backlash debut. This was her 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. It was her 3rd Triple Threat Match in her Career, after she lost to Io Shirai along with Charlotte Flair at Takeover: In Your House on June 7, 2020 & she defeated Sasha Banks & Charlotte Flair on Smackdown on November 22, 2019, giving her a Triple Threat Match Record of 2-1-0. Against Asuka & Flair was her 2nd Raw Women’s Championship Defense, so if she would lose, she was the 1st since Alexa Bliss who lost to Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam on August 19, 2018 to lose in her 2nd Defense. As of Backlash, Ripley’s Raw Women’s Championship Reign has lasted 35 Days, making her the 1st to lose in 35 Days, & is the 3rd Shortest Raw Women’s Championship Reign after Sasha Banks’ 3rd Reign (11/28/16 – 12/18/16, 19 Days) & Banks’ 4th Reign (8/20/17 – 8/28/17, 8 Days). This was the 3rd Women’s Match to open Backlash, & 2nd year in a row, & the 1st Women’s Championship to open since 2016. This continues the streak of the Raw Women’s Championship never changing hands at Backlash. If Asuka would have won, she would have been the 4th 3-time Raw Women’s Champion after Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, & Charlotte Flair, & 1st since Bliss in 2018. If Flair would have won, she would have been the 2nd 5-time Raw Women’s Champion after Sasha Banks in 2020. • Dominik & Rey Mysterio VS Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler was the 4th Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match in 2021, the 1st since Smackdown on April 16, & the 1st on PPV since Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated The Lucha House Party at Clash of Champions on September 27, 2020. It was the 10th Tag Team Championship Match at Backlash & 1st since 2017. This was Dominik Mysterio’s Backlash debut, making The Mysterios the 4th Father & Child to both wrestle at Backlash after The McMahons, who also teamed up together, The Flairs, & Rikishi & The Usos. He was the 1st since Breezango in 2017 to make their Backlash debut challenging for the Tag Team Championship. It was his 1st PPV since the Royal Rumble on January 31. This was Rey Mysterio’s 2nd Backlash & 1st since 2003, making his 18-year gap the longest gap between Backlash events after Rhyno (15 years, 2001 – 2006), John Morrison (12 years, 2008 – 2020), & Edge (11 years, 2009 – 2020). It was his 1st PPV since the Royal Rumble on January 31. It was their 1st Tag Match on PPV since they defeated Murphy & Seth Rollins at Payback on August 30, 2020. This was Robert Roode’s Backlash debut, making him the 1st since Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas in 2003 to make their Backlash debut defending a Tag Team Championship. This was his 1st PPV of 2021 & 1st PPV overall since Survivor Series on November 22, 2021. This was Dolph Ziggler’s 4th Backlash, 1st since 2017, & 1st Tag Team Championship Match at Backlash. This was his 1st PPV since the Royal Rumble on January 31. Against The Mysterios was Roode & Ziggler’s 4th Smackdown Tag Team Championship Defense, so they are the 2nd Champions in a row after The Street Profits to lose in their 3rd Defense. As of Backlash, Roode & Ziggler’s Smackdown Tag Team Championship lasted 128 Days, which is the 3rd Longest of All-Time after The Usos’ 3rd Reign (10/8/17 – 4/8/18, 182 Days) & The Bludgeon Brothers (4/8/18 – 8/21/18, 135 Days). This was their 1st Tag Team Match on PPV since Elimination Chamber on March 8, 2020. This was the 2nd Smackdown Tag Team Title Change of 2021, 1st since Roode & Ziggler defeated The Street Profits on Smackdown on January 8, & was the 4th Tag Team Title Change at Backlash, the 1st since 2016 when Rhyno & Heath Slater won the Vacant Smackdown Tag Team Championships, the 1st where a team defeated another team since The Hurricane & Rosey won a Tag Team Turmoil in 2005 against William Regal & Tajiri, & the 1st in a 2-on-2 Match since Steve Austin & Triple H defeated Kane & The Undertaker in 2001. The Smackdown Tag Team Championship has now changed hands 25 times in History. The Mysterios are the 1st ever Father & Son to be Tag Team Champions. Dominik is the 9th Son of a Father to join his father as a Tag Team Champion in WWE after: Bo Dallas, Roman Reigns, The Rock, Samu, DH Smith, The Usos, Barry Windham, & Bray Wyatt. It was Rey’s 1st Championship of any kind since he was United States Champion in 2019, 1st ever Smackdown Tag Team Championship, but 5th Tag Team Championship & 1st since he & Batista were WWE Tag Team Champions in 2005. He is the 4th Champion in a row to be both Raw & Smackdown Tag Team Champion after Roode & Ziggler, The Street Profits, The New Day, & Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura, but only Cesaro was Raw Tag Team Champion. • Damian Priest VS The Miz was the 2nd Lumberjack Match of 2021, the 1st since Bobby Lashley VS The Miz on Raw on March 1, the 1st in Backlash History, the 1st Men’s Non-Title Lumberjack Match since Roman Reigns VS Erick Rowan on Smackdown on October 4, 2019, the 1st on PPV since Charlotte Flair VS Natalya at Clash of Champions on December 17, 2017, & the 1st Men’s Lumberjack Match on PPV since Seth Rollins VS Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam on August 17, 2014. This was Damian Priest’s Backlash debut & 1st ever Lumberjack Match. It was his 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. This was The Miz’s 5th Backlash event & 3rd in a row. It was his 5th Lumberjack Match in his career, & 1st since he lost to Bobby Lashley on Raw on March 1, & 1st ever on PPV, giving him a Lumberjack Match Record of 0-5-0. This was his 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. This was the 3rd 1-on-1 Match between them after Raw on February 1 & April 19, with Priest now winning all matches. • Bianca Belair VS Bayley was the 3rd Smackdown Women’s Championship Match of 2021, the 1st since WrestleMania on April 10, & 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. This was the 10th or 11th Women’s Championship Match at Backlash & 3rd event in a row. It was the 3rd Smackdown Women’s Championship Match at Backlash in a row. This was the 1st time since 2018 that there was 2 Women’s Championship Matches at Backlash. This was Bianca Belair’s Backlash debut, making her the 1st ever Smackdown Women’s Champion to make their Backlash debut, defending the Championship. This was her 5th PPV in a row in 2021. Against Bayley was Bianca Belair’s 1st Smackdown Women’s Championship Defense, so if she would have lost, she would have been the 1st since Charlotte Flair who lost to Bayley on Smackdown on October 11, 2019 to lose in her 1st Defense. As of Backlash, Belair’s Smackdown Women’s Championship Reign has lasted 36 Days, so she would be the 1st to lose in 36 Days, & is the 6th Shortest of All-Time, as she beat 4 of Charlotte Flair’s Reigns (2nd Reign (8/19/18 -9/16/18, 27 Days, 3rd Reign (3/26/19 – 4/8/19, 12 Days, 5th Reign (10/6/19 – 10/11/19, 4 Days), & 4th Reign (5/19/19, less than a day), & Naomi’s 1st Reign (2/12/17 – 2/21/17, 8 Days). This was Bayley’s 3rd Backlash event in a row & 1st Women’s Championship Match. She was the 1st ever to be Women’s Tag Team Champion & then challenge for the Women’s Championship at back-to-back Backlash events. It was her 1st PPV since the Royal Rumble on January 31. This was the 3rd 1-on-1 Match between them after Smackdown on December 18, 2020 (won by Bayley) & Smackdown on January 29, 2021 (won by Belair), so Belair has won 2 & Bayley has won 1. This continues the trend of the Smackdown Women’s Title not changing hands at Backlash since 2016. If Bayley would have won, she would have been the 3rd 3-time Smackdown Women’s Champion after Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, & 1st since Lynch in 2019. • Drew McIntyre VS Bobby Lashley VS Braun Strowman was the 9th WWE Championship Match of 2021, the 1st since WrestleMania 37 on April 10, & 2nd PPV in a row. It was the 22nd to take place at Backlash & 15th event in a row. It was the 10th Triple Threat Match of 2021, the 1st since Raw on April 12, & 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. It was the 6th Triple Threat Match at Backlash & 2nd year in a row. It was the 3rd for the WWE Championship & 1st since John Cena VS Edge VS Triple H in 2007 with the other Triple Threat Match taking place being Chris Benoit VS Triple H VS Shawn Michaels in 2004, so therefore this was the 1st ever WWE Championship Triple Threat Match at Backlash to not feature Triple H. This was the 1st Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship since Drew McIntyre VS The Miz VS AJ Styles at TLC on December 20, 2020. This was Drew McIntyre’s 2nd Backlash in a row & 2nd year in a row he’s in a WWE Championship Match. He is the 1st ever to defend the WWE Championship & then challenge for it at back-to-back Backlash events. It was his 1st Triple Threat Match at Backlash & his 5th PPV in a row in 2021. This was his 11th Triple Threat Match in his career & 1st since he defeated Randy Orton & Braun Strowman on Raw on April 12, 2021, his 1st for a WWE Championship since he defeated The Miz & AJ Styles at TLC on December 20, 2020, giving him a Triple Threat Match Record of 3-8-0, with him winning the last 3 in a row before Backlash. This was Braun Strowman’s 3rd Backlash event in a row & 2nd WWE or Universal Championship Match. He was the 1st ever to defend the Universal Championship & challenge for the WWE Championship at back-to-back Backlash events. It was his 1st Triple Threat Match at Backlash & 3rd PPV in a row in 2021. This was his 7th Triple Threat Match in his Career & the 1st since he lost to Drew McIntyre along with Randy Orton on Raw on April 12, 2021. It was his 1st ever for the WWE Championship, but he has been in 2 Triple Threat Matches for the Universal Championship, as he lost to Brock Lesnar along with Kane at the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018 & he lost to Roman Reigns along with Bray Wyatt at Payback on August 30, 2020, giving him a Triple Threat Record of 1-6-0, with his only win being over Keith Lee & Sheamus on Raw on November 2, 2020. This was Bobby Lashley’s 4th Backlash & 3rd event in a row & his 2nd WWE Championship Match in a row. He was the 1st wrestler since Triple H in 2008 & 2009 to challenge for & then defend the WWE Championship at back-to-back Backlash events. Against McIntyre & Strowman was Bobby Lashley’s 3rd WWE Championship Defense, so if he would have lost, he would have been the 1st since Roman Reigns who lost to Seth Rollins at Money In The Bank on June 19, 2016 to lose in his 3rd Defense. As of Backlash, Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship Reign has lasted 77 Days, so if he loses he would be the 1st ever to lose in 77 Days. It was his 1st Triple Threat Match at Backlash & 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. This was his 10th Triple Threat Match in his career, 1st since he & John Morrison lost to Riddle at Elimination Chamber on February 21, his 1st for the WWE Championship, but he had 2 as ECW Champion, when he defeated Test & Rob Van Dam on ECW on January 16, 2007 & Hardcore Holly & Mr. Kennedy on ECW on February 20, 2017, giving him a Triple Threat Record of 5-5-0, with his last win before Backlash being against Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins to win the Intercontinental Championship on Raw on January 14, 2019. This was the 2nd year in a row that McIntyre & Lashley wrestled each other, making them the 1st ever wrestlers to wrestle in a Singles Match & then a Triple Threat Match at back-to-back Backlash events. This continues the trend of no WWE Title change at Backlash since 2017 & the WWE Championship has never changed hands in a Triple Threat Match at Backlash. If McIntyre would have won, he would have been the 17th wrestler to be a 3-time WWE Champion & the 1st since Roman Reigns in 2016. If Strowman would have won, he would have been the 4th to be both Universal & WWE Champion after Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, & Bray Wyatt & the 1st to be since Brock Lesnar in 2019, the 4th in a row to be Intercontinental & WWE Champion after Drew McIntyre, The Miz, & Bobby Lashley, & 1st since The Miz in 2021, & the 1st to be WWE & Raw Tag Team Champion since The Miz in 2021, & the 1st since Seth Rollins in 2016 to be all 4. • Cesaro VS Roman Reigns was the 6th Universal Championship Match of 2021, the 1st since Smackdown on April 30, & the 5th PPV in a row in 2021. It was the 23rd to take place at Backlash & 15th event in a row. It was the 2nd Universal Championship Match at Backlash & 2nd in a row. It was the 2nd year in a row that there was both a WWE & Universal Championship Match at Backlash. This was Cesaro’s Backlash debut & his 2nd PPV in a row in 2021. This was his 1st Singles Title Match of any kind since he lost to then-United States Champion Roman Reigns on Raw on December 11, 2017, his 1st match for a WWE or World Title since the Money In The Bank Match for the Vacant World Championship at Money In The Bank on June 29, 2014, but 1st ever 1-on-1 Match for a WWE, World, or Universal Championship. This was Roman Reigns’ 2nd Backlash & 1st since 2018, but his 1st ever Title Match at Backlash. It was his 5th PPV in a row in 2021. Against Cesaro was Roman Reigns’ 11th Universal Championship Defense, which is the most of All-Time. As of Backlash, Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship Reign has lasted 259 Days, which is the 2nd of All-Time after Brock Lesnar (4/2/17 – 8/19/18, 503 Days). This was the 3rd 1-on-1 Match between Cesaro & Roman Reigns after Raw on November 16, 2015 & December 11, 2017, with Reigns now winning all matches. This was the 13th WWE or Universal Championship Match to main event Backlash, but 1st ever Universal Championship Match to main event Backlash, & 1st since Randy Orton VS Jinder Mahal in 2017, & was Roman Reigns’ 2nd Backlash main event & 1st since 2018. This continue the trend of no WWE or Universal Championships changing hands at Backlash since 2017 & the Universal Championship never changing hands at Backlash. If Cesaro would have won, he would have been the 1st since Jinder Mahal in 2017 to win a WWE or Universal Championship in his debut Backlash match, & it would have been his 1st Singles Title since he was United States Champion (8/19/12 – 4/15/13), making him the 4th to be both United States & Universal Champion after Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, & Kevin Owens, the 2nd to be Smackdown Tag Team & Universal after Bray Wyatt, & the 1st ever to be Raw Tag Team, Smackdown Tag Team, & Universal Champion.
|
|
|
Post by The Kevstaaa on May 16, 2021 21:41:54 GMT -5
WWE WrestleMania Backlash May 16th, 2021 | Yuengling Center in Yampa, Florida
On the kickoff show, Sheamus issued an open challenge but his United States Title wouldn’t be on the line since you have to earn those chances.
Ricochet vs. Sheamus I forget Ricochet is even on the roster at times. I have heard he has been killing it on Main Event with Mustafa Ali. He exploded out of the blocks with a dropkick, taking Sheamus by surprise. Sheamus weathered the storm and started throwing bombs at him. Ricochet takes a beating like few in wrestling, so that worked. He got going again, including a sweet combination of aerial offense and a near fall on a springboard 450 splash. Of course, Ricochet tried hard but ate a running knee for the loss in 7:12. That was good, hard hitting wrestling between two guys who know what they’re doing. I can’t ask for much more from a Kickoff bout. [***]
Post-match, Ricochet attacked Sheamus, dance with his coat, and took his fedora. Rude.
Batista narrated the opening video package.
WWE Raw Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair Charlotte was out in Cruella-inspired gear. Rhea has felt like an afterthought as champion. A lot of this was built around Charlotte being a spoiled brat who believed she was better than everyone. She talked a lot of trash in between offense and had the other two ladies jump her at points. Other than that, it followed a lot of triple threat tropes including having one person out of the ring at a time for lengthy bits and the double superplex spot we see in almost all of these. The ending came off awkwardly as Charlotte was sent outside but didn’t seem too hurt to break up a pin, so she might as well have just been hanging around watching. Rhea beat Asuka with Riptide in 15:22 and then did her lame taunt where she acts like a toddler. It’s so out of character. The match itself was solid enough but didn’t do anything new or all that interesting. It was a mis of really good stuff and some truly odd moments. [***¼]
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode [c] vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio On the Kickoff Show, Ziggler and Roode jumped Dominik, so Rey had to go it alone. I can’t even bring myself to feign interest in these guys. They’ve all been around for so long and we’ve seen underdog Rey a ton so nothing about this really stood out. I did like some of the offensive moves, like the wheelbarrow Fameasser combo or sliding Rey outside into a superkick the champions pulled out. That last move nearly led to a countout. Pat McAfee stood for most of the show and it was oddly distracting. Dominik limped out like the heroic guy that he is but Rey kept on fighting for his life, hitting top rope bulldog. He hesitated to tag out, not wanting to hurt his son further, so Dominik tagged himself in. He didn’t fare great so Rey rejoined and survived a sweet tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Another tag to Dominik led to the frog splash finish in 16:57. That was actually a lot better than I thought it would be but still not great. The handicap section went on far too long but the stuff after Dominik showed up was good. [***]
Lumberjack Match: Damian Priest vs. The Miz So the gimmick here was that the lumberjacks were zombies, seemingly as a tie-in to Batista’s Army of the Dead. I admittedly missed the early portions of this match as I had to step outside for a few. When I came back, I saw a lot of The Miz running from zombies. At one point, he and Priest both attacked zombies together. John Morrison, who discovered the zombies in the back earlier, did a run-in that led to a near fall. He did a dive onto some zombies shortly before Priest won with his finisher in 6:54. Wrestling it totally a carny business not to be taken too seriously but yeah, that was pretty lame. The zombies were the focal point and it wasn’t interesting. I’m pretty sure Miz and Morrison were eaten by zombies though. [DUD]
WWE Smackdown Women's Championship: Bianca Belair [c] vs. Bayley I enjoyed most of their feud a few months back. In the early stages, Bayley was bested at every turn by Bianca. The champion was constantly one step ahead of her in terms of wits, speed, agility, and power. Bayley finally got going and hit a front suplex onto the steel steps to really put herself in the driver’s seat. Bayley took pleasure in talking trash with each bit of offense and whenever Bianca seemed to gain momentum, Bayley had an answer. I liked when Bianca tried a move by the ring post outside but Bayley just slipped free and into position to send her into it. It’s simple but effective. A missed dive from Bayley led to Bianca hitting a Glam Slam style move into the apron for two. The ripcord with the hair into the Bayley to Belly was a great spot though I wish it led to a foot on the ropes and not a finisher. The ending was a controversial one as Bayley had a move countered into a pin with the hair for leverage after 16:05. That was a really well laid out and executed match, though the finish was odd even if it sets up a rematch. [***½]
WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley [c] vs. Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre BIG MEATY MEN BUMPING MEAT x3! Thankfully, that’s a lot of what this match was centered around. Right off the bat, Lashley tried to get McIntyre to work with him against the larger Strowman. It didn’t matter who was on which side because it was just big guys running each other over. Lashley would take out Drew and then get hit with steel steps by Braun. Braun runs over Drew and eats a Flatliner from Lashley. There was also a sweet suplex spot that stood out as a highlight early on. They did a big stage spot where Lashley got thrown through it. From there, it was Braun vs. Drew for a bit. Drew hitting a MICHINOKU Driver on Braun was nuts. Drew finally hit the Claymore and had the win set but Lashley returned, dumped him outside, and won with the Spear in 14:16. That was just what I wanted in terms of being a glorious car wreck. That ending is so played out though and it hurt the overall score. Super fun though. [***¾]
WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Cesaro Last time I saw Cesaro in a singles World Title match was at ROH’s A New Level against Nigel McGuinness and I was disappointed. Roman Reigns is on the run of a lifetime and I’m legitimately liking his title reign more than that of Punk’s 434-day one or Okada’s 700+day run or any other I can think of in recent memory. Reigns had to gather himself early because Cesaro came out hot. Once he did, he managed to turn the tide a bit but Cesaro was still on a roll and delivered a huge popup uppercut. Cesaro began pulling out all the stops, including dives to the outside and off the top rope. As Roman took control, he talked about how he loved wrestling, which was a nod to Cesaro and Bryan saying he didn’t like to get in the ring. The same went for Roman addressing Bryan while having hold of Cesaro’s arm. The closing stretch was fantastic, filled with some big moves but not too many, and some slick submission counters. Finally, Reigns’ guillotine hold was enough to beat Cesaro at the 27:32 mark. At this point, it’s redundant but again, Reigns has delivered in a huge title match. The outcome here was never really in doubt but they made sure to keep me locked in throughout. The wrestling was crisp, there was no BS, they didn’t just throw a bunch of finisher kickouts at each other, and I loved that finish. [****¼]
Post-match, Jey Uso came out and put the lei on Roman. He then attacked Cesaro until Seth Rollins showed up. He stared down Roman but then smirked and went after Cesaro too. Roman, Jey, and Heyman left while Rollins continued the attack, which included hurting Cesaro’s arm with a chair and a Curb Stomp on the floor.
Overall: 7.5/10. This was one of the better pandemic era shows. The only thing on the card that was bad was the zombie stuff. Otherwise, you get nothing but good to great matches and some that really stood out late.
|
|
Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
Posts: 23,517
Member is Online
|
Post by Bo Rida on May 19, 2021 15:31:22 GMT -5
First time watching in over a year. To prepare I watched the cinematic matches from last year's wm and a bit from this year. Loved Sasha Vs Bianca although could have done without a mid-match snickers ad. Good to have fans back. Which bring me to backlash:
Another ad? Oh well at least it's Batista. Aww shit I was expecting fans.
Triple threat - Wtf? Charlotte is almost unrecognisable. Her push isn't, the champ seemed an afterthought to the point I wasn't sure if she was heel or face, Asuka still there to be pinned, weird finish didn't seem enough to take Charlotte out. Still decent. Thunderdome is distracting, makes the constant camera cuts even worse.
Tag - skip the handicap bit, enjoyed the actual tag. Would have been better with fans.
Zombies - f***ing stupid and an advert. What a show to come back on, wouldn't have been as bad on raw.
Bayley Vs Belair - Good if unspectacular. Weird as hell hearing Bayley being called the veteran even if true. Commentary has been grating all night, been a while since I heard "knock off". Shame the finish wasn't smooth.
Men's triple threat. Fun. Loved the Michinoku driver. Didn't like canned chants. Another crap finish.
Roman Vs Cesaro. All the build seems to be on the Usos, never thought Cesaro would win but a good match. Nice to see Roman ditch the Shield baggage and it not being finisher spam. Could have done without the post match heel beatdowns.
So in conclusion same as ever. Good wrestlers ruined by annoying production/presentation and booking. Although glimmers of hope that it was still mostly logical (ignoring the zombies) and wasn't copy and paste finisher fests. Most importantly no Brock dragging everything down.
Also don't know if it's the lighting or not being on the road but nearly everyone looked extra ripped.
|
|