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WWE Extreme Rules 2019 Preview/Predictions
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
The main roster has been in a place of recovery in recent weeks after the announcement of both Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors of Raw and SmackDown respectively.
Although Bischoff is expected to begin his role after this event, it has been said that Heyman had his “fingerprints all over” Raw the last two weeks. The first week was complete with Corey Graves swearing on air, a stage explosion/pyro angle and logical storyline developments, a key aspect to Heyman’s creative skills.
This most recent Raw episode felt like more of the same filler we had previously, yet SmackDown was the better show, so who knows if Heyman had his way with the blue brand just prior to Bischoff’s beginning?
Extreme Rules is being looked forward to by many, only because it will mean the end of one era (hopefully the dreadful Wild Card) and the start of a more meaningful one. Enthusiasm is dead with the current main roster product and if anybody knows what to do to rejuvenate it, it might as well be Heyman and Bischoff at this point.
Let the games begin.
WWE Stomping Grounds 2019 Preview/Predictions
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Stomping Grounds (Or Stomping Ground? We had to literally look at the poster to remind ourselves) comes at a time when main roster television has become uninspired at best. Is it just Lesser Super Showdown aka Less Than And Not Equal To WrestleMania?
It only made sense that last night, the WWE app accidentally let out a notification that the show was “about to begin,” clearly meant for tomorrow night. It was quite a “universal” problem (wink, wink).
We almost wanted it to happen yesterday, just so we can get it over and done with already.
The Wild Card rule continues to drag down Raw and SmackDown in quality and has made both shows feel the same. We have started to forget who is on which show now. What’s the point of a brand split then?
This probably has to do a little bit with SmackDown’s move to Fox in October. Maybe Creative has saved their best stuff for then, but it’s a chore these days to watch. Give us something. Anything.
Outside of the imaginatively hilarious and outlandish Bray Wyatt vignettes, the storylines have become immensely repetitive – Shane McMahon says stuff, Drew McIntyre is angry, Sami Zayn loses, Alexa Bliss is a disgruntled Starbucks customer, R-Truth loses the 24/7 Championship and wins it back (although not this week), Ricochet may or may not win his match and Baron Corbin is simply terrible.
You have not missed much outside of the aforementioned. Shame.
WWE NXT TakeOver: XXV Preview/Predictions
Photo courtesy of Deviantart.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
All Elite Wrestling grasped the wrestling world after their first Pay-Per-View last week, topped off with a Five-Star Rhodes Brothers match, Awesome Kong, a tag team classic between The Young Bucks and Fenix/Pentagon Jr. and of course, Jon Moxley (the former Dean Ambrose of WWE fame) at the end.
Anybody who looked to WWE for an answer was left hopeless on Raw and SmackDown, side for a surprise mention by Sami Zayn on Raw.
The only true competitor with WWE’s name is its NXT brand, spearheaded creatively by Triple H. The 25th TakeOver event celebrates all that has happened before while also giving us another five-match standout card to feast on.
The essence of TakeOver is the heart of NXT itself – it’s where the up-and-comers showcase their true potential. Who knows where we would be if we didn’t get Zayn-Shinsuke Nakamura, Bayley-Sasha Banks, Johnny Gargano-Adam Cole and The Revival-#DIY, amongst other countless memorable bouts? It’s matches like those that have elevated NXT to the bar that has been set for wrestling expectations in 2019.
TakeOver has become more than a live event. It’s a movement. Beyond that, it has happened in America, United Kingdom, Canada and other places. It has brought NXT to the conversation of actual world domination.
Triple H’s formula to build stars, sign big names, focus on wrestling and characterization is one for success. It’s hard to believe there have been 25 TakeOvers, but we don’t think anybody will disagree that NXT can make 25,000 more TakeOvers for all we care.
WWE Money In The Bank 2019 Preview/Predictions
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
The poster of this event is a microcosm of the problems that plague the main roster – the illusion that two’s better than one.
In a panicked reaction to low ratings, Vince McMahon introduced (in a half-assed manner, mind you) the “Wild Card Rule,” where four superstars from Raw could appear on SmackDown and vice versa. McMahon messed up the promo to explain it and then managed to break his own made-up rule as five superstars from SmackDown appeared on that very Raw.
Since its forgettable introduction, it has actually made Raw and SmackDown feel like the same show, with Elias, Roman Reigns, Shane McMahon, The Miz and The Usos being most of the “Wild Cards.”
We’ll get into the bigger problems later, but Money In The Bank comes at a time when the main roster needs unpredictability and luckily, the briefcase holders can contribute a bit of that to their respective Title pictures.
Notes In Observance – WWE Raw 3/13/17: Trim The Fat
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 3/13/17)
Trim The Fat
– The opening video showcased WWE Universal Champion Goldberg’s victory over Kevin Owens at Fastlane. They wasted no time to show Brock Lesnar’s interruption of his promo last week and subsequent face-to-face. All of this was to of course, hype their encounter for the Title at WrestleMania 33. As we remember, Lesnar stood tall at the end with an F5 while Paul Heyman provided the verbal bloodshed. Basically, the momentum shifted from Goldberg to Lesnar. Good time for this to happen with Mania in the wings.
Notes In Observance – WWE Raw 3/6/17: Reclaim The Yard
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 3/6/17)
Reclaim The Yard
– The opening video recapped WWE Universal Champion Goldberg’s defeat over Kevin Owens at Fastlane the night before that lasted just longer than a National Basketball Association shot clock. WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho – once Owens’ best friend that was betrayed mercilessly weeks prior – cost him the belt that he at one point helped him keep countless times. He did that with his simple presence on the ramp, which deterred Owens from his “mind games” strategy of repeatedly stalling for time. We hoped they’d work in actual footage of Jericho helping Owens time in and time out (Dammit, WWE Network, there’s an archive waiting to be used) but they did give us the line from Commentator Michael Cole, so we guess we’ll settle for that. On the other side of the WrestleMania 33 spectrum, this sets up an inevitable Universal Championship match between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, just what their third match in history needs.
Manopera! Episode 55: Royal Rumble 2018
*Courtesy Of The Bonesaw*
Check out the latest edition of “Manopera: A Wrestling Symposium,” where PWO’s own Nick joins Hosts Chris Butera and “Spaceman” Frank for a discussion about WWE Royal Rumble 2018 and predictions for WWE WrestleMania 34!
Listen Below:
WWE Fastlane 2017 Reaction
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Indicative of the lackluster Raw brand compared to the glitz of SmackDown Live’s progressive storylines and vibe, Fastlane is what you get when you bring WrestleMania season into the fold.
Ice cream bars, Jinder Mahal singles matches, potential streaks ending and questionable creative decisions are what this Fastlane will be best remembered for.
Also let the record show that the Cruiserweights stole the show and it wasn’t close.
Deemed “the last stop before WrestleMania,” this one had us downright sleepy at the wheel at times. Drive with caution.
Notes In Observance – WWE Raw 2/27/17: Post Breaker
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 2/27/17)
Post Breaker
– We began with Goldberg, who we know challenges WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens at Fastlane in six days. Cue his classic “walk from the back and snort aggressively” entrance. Goddamn, his pyro gets so bright. Among the fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin looks like an adult woman decked out in WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bayley’s gear. Well, something seems off about that. Not a bad promo from Goldie – “KO talks too much” and “I’m six days away from gold” are things his character should be saying. It’s inevitable, isn’t it? We think people just like to chant Goldberg’s name more than it being an indication that he’s actually over. He sure was throwing a lot of promises out there. Things looked to wrap up there, but we got a KO appearance. Luckily for last week’s sit-down suit promo, we can take the Champ slightly more serious now. Okay, he flubbed “mood” for “mool,” but that can slide. We liked that he sold his credibility and reminded us of how he beat John Cena on his first night on the main roster and scored big wins over AJ Styles and WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose. He even name-dropped WWE United States Champion Roman Reigns. The telling line was that he outright said Chris Jericho didn’t matter. Foreshadowing. We’ll say that Goldberg has gotten better at promos than we can remember. “I don’t speak neanderthal” was a very KO response. Ha. Pick on the hometown, classic heel move. “The Goldberg chant dies” was a pretty morbid way to end the exchange, but that set the table for FL nicely. KO ultimately stands no chance in the long run with Brock Lesnar in the wings and his history with Goldberg.
Notes In Observance – WWE Raw 2/20/17: The Behemoths Collide
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Nicholas Jason Lopez
“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.
(Aired 2/20/17)
The Behemoths Collide
– The opening video recapped WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho’s “Festival Of Friendship” that emanated from Las Vegas. To sum it up, it was a millennial rehash of “This Is Your Life” with a showbiz extravaganza theme to showcase Jericho’s appreciation for his best friend. They did a great job as they drove home the emotion and set up the moment perfectly when Jericho didn’t suspect an attack until it was too late. Loved the closeups on WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens’ sadistic expressions as he betrayed Jericho and was thus, friends no more.
