I've been falling into the habit of doing recaps. That wasn't my goal. I really only wanted to talk about the things that interested me and not the entire show. I'm really going to try to stick with that this week.
                 

                                   

Time for the three hour chore that is Monday Night Raw.

Damn if Vince and Co didn't do it. They got Roman over. He isn't as big as any of the past "Guys" but he is getting good reactions. I can't fail to mention that most of that is coming from kids. If you listen, at the end of his interaction with Chris Jericho, he does his "Believe That" and a chorus of high pitched voices join in.

I mentioned last week how much I hate Stephanie McMahon. Seeing her threaten Chris Jericho this week just adds to that. What makes a villain good, is that they have to get their comeuppance. Stephanie has yet to get hers, at least this century. I'm not advocating for one of the male wrestlers, like Jericho, to attack her. I know it's not the late 90's anymore and shit like that doesn't fly.
                                       

     

But when you see her smack the shit out of a dude, many dudes actually, with no recompense it kills the mood. I mean this is a woman who slapped, repeatedly slapped, an employee. Not even a wrestler she slapped Tom Phillips, a back stage interviewer. She beat the crap out of that guy. And yet, nothing happens to her.  All I need is just a short moment when she apologizes, not meaning it of course, to appease the HR department and the stock holders.

What I'm saying is the villain of any good story has to meet their fate one day. Stephanie is never going to get hers. As such there is no Drama. Vince and HHH both have gotten theirs. But Stephanie stands strong. Hell not even the Divas, I hate that word, can get over on her.

Speaking of "Divas" Natalya was on Raw. Sadly it was to push Total Divas, but I'll take it. Natalya is head and shoulders above pretty much the entire women's roster when it comes to in ring skill. What I wouldn't give to see her against any of the NXT call ups. Instead we get a super short match where she beat Brie Bella.

She came out with Paige. Don't know why and don't care. The only thing in the Diva's division worth anything, at the moment, is the Charlotte/Becky Lynch feud.

We got the Dudley’s vs. the Wyatt Family again. This feud is never ending. At least we got to see Luke Harper get a pin.

I want to hate the idea of the Big Show knocking out the entire Social Outcast group, but  I can't. They didn't attack him all at once. They went after him one at a time, so it's not that bad. If it was all four of them against him and he still kicked their asses then I'd complain. Besides the sight of Bo Dallas doing a victory lap, after getting out of the ring unharmed, and then getting knocked out was funny.
                                 

                  
I'm writing this sentence during the Vince and Stephanie Rumble lottery scene. Over a half million people changed the channel between the opening and closing of this show. I can see why.

Charlotte and Becky Lynch are having the second best rivalry in the WWE. Owens/Ambrose edges them out barely, but only because those two get more time in the ring.

I always knew Becky Lynch was good but she was amazing this week. Her match against Tamina was just OK, but the promo after it was fantastic. Her going after Ric Flair has been the highlight of this how thus far.

I was wrong about Kalisto getting his rematch against Del Rio on Raw. The match is now set for the Royal Rumble. It would have been smarter to have Kalisto get a few wins (making him a viable and established champion) and then have the rematch at the Rumble with Kalisto as champ.

Kevin Owens and Michael Cole have great chemistry, but Owens is at his best when he is shitting on Byron Saxton.

Tyler Breeze was in a 8 man tag. He was partnered with Stardust and the Ascension. It is safe to say that any chance he may of had of a push is gone. There have been rumors that Vince McMahon put an end to said push. That is a shame. Tyler has one of the most developed characters on the show. Not only that, but the guy has a good look and can work.

On the other side of Breeze's team were Mark Henry, R-Truth, Titus O’Neil and Neville.

Neville is amazing in the ring and has grown into a capable talker. But he is never going to get a chance to shine in the "Land of Giants". That is unless the WWE brings back the Cruiserweight title. I think now is the time for that. When you have guys like Neville, Breeze, Kalisto, Hideo Itami, and Rich Swann there is no reason not to have that title around.

It would be the easiest thing to do. On Raw you have the US and World Title, and on Smackdown you have the Cruiser and Intercontinental titles. The roster is big enough and there are enough guys small enough to vie for the title. If done correctly the Cruiserweight title, which is a world title, can be a big deal. No pun intended.
                

         
Paul Heyman.
                                     

 
Paul Heyman.
                                         

       

Paul Heyman.

I don't have words to describe how good the man is on the mic. ECW has been described as being a cult, I buy that. Paul Heyman is the kind of guy that can talk people into anything.

Him and Jericho had a great back and forth which led to Brock Lesnar coming out. At that point I had completely forgotten about Roman Reigns. I just wanted Jericho vs. Lesnar.

I have to mention how great the face Heyman made, when he heard Brock's music, was. It was the look of man who knows he is going to have clean up a huge mess. Which is what happened, but not the way I would have thought. Roman came down and speared Brock. The League of Nations showed up and got destroyed by Brock. Roman speared him again and then the lights went out. The Wyatt family appeared and cleaned house. Roman and Brock were both taken out of the picture.

The show ended with the Wyatts standing proud in the center of the ring.

It was a strong ending to a shit show. The thing is I have very little doubt that Roman is losing the Rumble. If he does Brock is the only person, aside from a returning HHH, that I believe will walk away with the belt.

I don't believe for a second that Bray Wyatt is winning the Rumble, but it is a nice thought.

That's it for Raw. I said last week that the show is a chore and it really is. If next week's episode isn't a marked improvement I'm dropping this show. It's just not worth the time commitment. Especially when I can watch the Top 10 moments on Youtube the next day.



            

Let's see what SmackDown Has in store for us.

I'm going to skip over the opening segment, which was basically a recap of Raw that turned into a Jericho/New Day segment, because it's nothing we haven't seen already.

The 6-man tag was good but not worth going over.

Mauro Ranallo adds so much to this show, but he also sticks out a bit. During the Diva's match he's trying to call the action as Byron Saxton is talking to Charlotte and Ric Flair.  It's funny and a little jarring every time Mauro calls a spot and interupts Byron. Actually, I should say Byron is interrupting Mauro calling the match. When they cut to the commentary table, Mauro is the only one looking, via the monitor, at the action.

What I'm saying is Mauro is doing the job a commentator is supposed to. while Byron and Lawler are doing what the WWE wants them to. It won't be long before Mauro is put on a leash. I fear that day.

Alicia Fox has been wrestling for how long? You think at this point she would know better than to do a suplex into a bridge on the outside. The move itself was done well but why do it on the outside?

Aside from that the match was pretty good. Better than I expected, although the difference in commentary styles was distracting.

I like the Miz. I know a lot of people, maybe all of them, hate the guy. Sure he isn't great in the ring, he can get the job done though, but what he lacks in work rate he makes up with in personality. They guy is an amazing heel, and to be honest he can be a decent face.

Take this segment for instance. He plays the petulant, cowardly asshole perfectly. I assume since he attacked Dean Ambrose that will be the feud going forward from the Rumble. Ambrose/Miz will be a fun match up, the matches won't be as good as the ones between Ambrose and Owens but the promos should be good. Then again knowing the WWE they might continue to milk the Amrose/Owens thing for a few more months.
                              

The best part of this segment, for me, was hearing Owens refer to himself as a "Zoo Enthusiast".

After Monday night you would expect the WWE to build up Bray and the Wyatts. That would be an easy thing to do. All you need is for Bray or the Family to win a match against a legit opponent in dominate fashion. Instead we get Bray going one on one with Ryback. You can argue as to whether or not Ryback is legit, what you can't argue is that Bray shouldn't have needed the assisstance of the Family to beat the man. He should have won a clean victory on his own to show him as a real threat.

How many fucking times do we have to see Titus vs. Stardust?

The last thing I want to talk about is Kalisto and the League of Nations. Kalisto was being interviewed by Renee Young, he compared Alberto Del Rio to Mil Mascaras, Rey Mysterio, and Eddie Guerrero. Every time Kalisto mentions Eddie he does this over the top motion to show how much the man meant to him as a Mexican. It's so over the top that it rings a little false and forced.

The ending of SmackDown isn't worth going over so let's end it here.

I am really excited about this weeks NXT. After months of waiting Rich Swann is making his debut. I was a huge fan of Swann when he was on the independents. The guy has so much natural charm and charisma, that his physical abilities are just a happy bonus. And what a bonus it is. The guy is amazingly agile and acrobatic. One of the best things about Swann are his facials. After getting hit by a big move he really looks like he has been turned inside out.  But I’m jumping the gun.

The first match of the show and we get Sami Zayn and Adam Rose. This was a good solid match. It's easy to forget how good Adam Rose is in the ring. He isn't flashy but he is technical. The guy can put on a good match. It's a shame he got carried down by stupid booking.

I don't know why Jonny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa aren't signed. They are getting TV time and decent pushes. Gargano cut an OK promo, it's funny to see him using his indie gimmick/catchphrase on NXT. Wrestling is weird right now.

Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are going by the name American Alpha now.  I like it. These two guys have a natural chemistry. They just work as a pair.

This is the, what, third time we've seen Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillenger? Even so I enjoyed this match. I think this was their best match. Everyone knows how great Crews is so let's talk about Tye Dillenger. He is damn good. He has personality and looks great. The only thing the guy is missing is a break out performance. He needs to have a match that get's people talking. Unfortunately for that to happen he'd need to be treated as something other than a jobber, or enhancement talent, if you prefer.
                                          
I gushed about Rich Swann earlier so I should talk about the actual match. Swann faced Baron Corbin. Corbin won, which is fine. Corbin is on an upswing and has changed a lot of people's minds so having him lose would serve no purpose. Swann didn't need to win this match, he just had to make an impact. He did. A large part of the audience knew who he was, as shown by the "All Nigh Long" chants. Those who didn't know him were shown exactly what the man can do.

                                                         

                                                         

The only problem I can see is that Swann needs better music. You don't give a man who can sing, dance, and play guitar shit music. He gets people hyped, which may be a bad word at Full Sail (I'm Looking at you Mojo), he needs music you can groove to.

Carmella is the future of the Diva's division. The woman has the look and personality needed to be a star on the main roster. She has improved in the ring and "Breaking Ground" showed she has the drive. The only question is if she'll be given the chance. I can see her being on "Total Divas" but I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

The main event of the show was Samoa Joe vs Johnny Gargano. This was probably the match of the night. It was an energetic fast paced match. Joe went over after an impressive performance from Gargano.

All in all a good show. The triple threat match next week is going to be great.

Are the time splitters still a thing? The last time I remember seeing them was at Field of Honor, although I did miss a lot New Japan towards the end of last year.

I bring this up because Kushida has the Junior title in New Japan and Alex Shelly has been working ROH by himself.

This week he teamed with ACH against the Addiction and Chris Sabin. I like the idea of Alex Shelly and ACH as a team. ACH would kill in New Japan but his normal tag partner, Matt Sydal, is working with Ricochet. If the Time Splitters are on a break that would allow Shelly and ACH to work together in NJPW.

That would give the Junior Tag division a shot of new blood, something it desperately needs.

Adam Page has yet to have that breakout performance for me. He can go in the ring, that's not up for debate (although he needs to stop doing that Shooting Star Press to the outside, he never hits it clean and it always looks like crap), but he hasn't shown much personality.

Maybe he is just being overshadowed by BJ Whitmore, who is just such a hate-able heel. I'm not sure, but until Page has that match or moment he will not be able to move up the card. ROH is filled with guys who can work, the one's that make it to the top need to have personality and charisma.

Back to Whitmore for a second. I have been dying to see him and Steve Corino go at it. They have been building that story for months. Unfortunately Whitmore had the knee injury that postponed the match, and then Corino had neck surgery that put it off even longer. At this point it's up in the air if the match will even happen. If it doesn't it'll be a great loss. Sure both guys are older and can't go like they used to, but I'm sure they'll be able to work around their limitations.

Silas Young came out and cut a promo on Dalton Castle and the Boys. It was fine but not worth commenting on. I only bring this up because during the promo they cut to fans in the audience wearing the Boy's trademark mask. One of them was a young girl. There is something very disturbing about that.

Basically the Boys are, at best personal servants and at worst sex slaves. The most innocent version of the story would be that they are servants to an extravagant man that makes them wear very little and uses them as living furniture. Even in that light seeing this little black girl wearing that mask was just unsettling.

Oh before I forget, the crowd chanted "You got Dumped!" at Silas. It was the best part of the segment.

On to the Main Event. I mentioned, multiple times, that I hate Stephanie McMahon. I compared her to Maria Kanellis, who I hate as a character, but like as a person. I bring this up because as the Kingdom made their way to the ring, for the Philadelphia Street Fight, there was a kid hanging over the rail with his hand out. Adam Cole, Matt Taven, and Michael Bennett walked right past him, as they should they are heels, but Maria didn't. She, very discreetly, touched the kids hand. It was a sweet thing to do.

Before we get to the match I need to say something to Matt Taven. What the hell are you doing? Your knee is fucked, there is no need for you to be in the ring, let alone taking a super kick. I don't care how safe the bump was.

Sure this was taped right after he was injured and he probably didn't know the extent of the injury. But if he needs crutches then that means it pretty fucking bad, and it is. I just hate when guys who are hurt do unnecessary shit. Just take time off and heal.

The match itself was fantastic, the best match of the week actually. It was fast paced and full of cool spots. It was a spot fest in the best possible way.

Kevin Kelly got super kicked. Adam Cole was placed into a shopping cart and rolled into a Super Kick. Bobby Fish looked like a killer when he put Michael Bennett through a table. One of the Bucks, like the Uso’s their interchangeable to me, did a splash from the top rope to the floor. Maria Kanellis was on the bad end of a Meltzer Driver (getting her comeuppance like a good heel should, I'm looking at you Stephanie McMahon). And A.J. Styles came out for the finish. Every team got to shine in this match. This is the environment where Michael Bennett is at his best. He needs to be in a tag team or faction. That way he can be used to his strengths (good fundamental wrestler) but also have his weakness (lack of personality) covered.

ROH delivered this week, even though it was really a one match show. That one match was more than good enough to carry the hour.

This week's Impact opened with a great video package recapping the Matt Hardy/EC3 feud. The video reminded me of a Rocky move. The music even had a similar sound, which was probably intentional. It got me excited, maybe not excited more like interested. It got me interested in the main event.

Jeff Hardy is called the Charismatic Enigma. It's a cool name but I never found the guy very charismatic. He is impressive in the ring but charismatic? I'm not sure about that. In his defense I never saw any of his main event work in WWE or even here in TNA, so that could just be me having missed out.

During the Hardy Brother's segment, that opened the show, I noticed a kid in the front row. He was so invested in what was happening that I had to smile.

After a promo between Matt and Jeff, Tyrus came out and we got a match. Tyrus, who is angry Jeff called him stupid last week, challenged  Jeff to a match. Early on Jeff fell from the top rope and hurt his knee. The match ended in a DQ.

TNA is going to the UK soon and Jeff isn't allowed in the country. He also may need surgery on his knee, from preexisting issues, so this is probably setting up an excuse for his eventual departure.

Gail Kim is the Ace of the Knockout's division. She faced Awesome Kong for the title on this show. The match itself was actually pretty good, even with all the interference. But what I want to talk about is Gail. She did a cross body from the top rope to the outside where she landed on the Dollhouse. She jumped blind. She had her back to the outside so she couldn't be sure the Dollhouse was in place. It takes a lot of trust and balls to do something like that.

I finally got to see Beer Money in a 2 on 2 tag match. It was worth the wait. They are what I want in a tag team, in a general sense, matching gear, tandem moves, and a team name. I like the idea of unity in a tag team.

After the match we got a quick look at Matt Hardy and EC3 backstage. Hardy was wrapping his wrists in tape. Not a minute later we see a backstage segment, after a recap of the Jeff Hardy match earlier, where Matt is with his wife and son. His wrists are untaped. It's a small thing but it comes off as a little sloppy from a production stand point.

The segment leads to Matt and his wife confronting Jeff. They urge him to go to the hospital. Jeff is reluctant but eventually agrees. I bring this up only to mention his knee. He shows how bad it is, it's not scarred, but there is something really wrong with it. It was nasty.

I never saw Lashley in WWE. My experience with him in TNA has left me with a decent impression. I thought "Here's a guy that can wrestle and has a good look." but that's it. He had an in ring promo with Kurt Angle that changed that. For the first time, since I've been watching him, I thought this guy has more than just a look and in ring ability. He can deliver a decent heart felt promo.

On a side note Kurt doesn't look great. I noticed that while he was standing his knees were always slightly bent. He also shuffled a bit. He must be beat to hell. I hope he takes some time off after this "Farewell Tour". He deserves it.

If Maria Kanellis is the First Lady of Wrestling does that mean Mike Bennett is the President? Cause I didn't vote for him.

Main event time. A lot of people are upset about this match. Not the match itself, it was pretty good, but the angle that played out during it. I'm talking about the double turn. EC3 turned face and Matt Hardy turned heel.

The turn isn't what pissed people off, no it's that the title changed hands. Matt hardy won the title, rendering the whole World Championship Tournament even more pointless. EC3 winning the title back made it pointless to begin with.

I liked this angle. Matt Hardy doesn't feel like a face to me. He should be heel, and EC3 as a face is intriguing. This can go in some interesting ways.

I would have preferred a new champion, Drew Galloway for instance, to have come out of the tournament but this isn't terrible. The main event scene needed a change.

The only issue is that the turns came out of nowhere. Neither Matt nor EC3 showed any signs of turning. The match itself wasn't long or dramatic enough to make the turns feel natural.

Having said that this wasn't terrible. It's something different. If the Matt Hardy Promo after the match is anything to go by, then I'm mildly excited.

Time for the NEWS. And we have a pretty good week for that.

Austin Aries made a surprise debut at this week's NXT tapings. This got people talking about how WWE is trying to kill the Indies. I can't say that isn't true. The thing is the WWE has always been an aggressive company when it comes to it's rivals. So this is nothing new. But it is hard to watch.

While you want the best for these guys, by best I mean the most money the can make, it's hard to see them leave the smaller companies that depend on them.

WWE is always going to play hardball, NJPW became viable completion and a talent raid was done, so it's something we have to get used to.

The bright side is that now we get matches we never thought we would see. Aries vs. Balor, Zayn, Crews, and the list goes on. So its one of those win some lose some deals.

Aries, by the way, is a former ROH champion. This got me thinking. How many ROH champions are currently working for the WWE? I did a little research (Wikipedia) and this is the list; Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Jamie Noble, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Steen. Out of 20 ROH World Champions 7 are now working for the WWE. That belt is a fast lane to the WWE. And if the rumors are true and the American Wolves are on the WWE's radar then that would bring the total to 9. Add Jay Lethal to that, if he doesn't re-sign with ROH (there are rumors he is also on the radar) then half of the former champs will be in the WWE.

If I can back track a second. I talked about the NJPW raid. We have some news about that. TNA recently released a statement on their website. You can read it here. It basically said that A.J. Styles, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows all signed contracts with the company and then backed out.

If true, and sources are saying it isn't, then this would be a total mess. On the one hand the WWE deals would be in Jeopardy and TNA would be admitting to contract tampering in the case of Anderson.

Conesus has been that the guys may have signed letters of intent, which are not binding, and then got better offers from WWE. The wrestling community is writing this off as TNA being TNA.

To be honest TNA does look bad by doing this. Jeopardizing the lives of men that decided they would rather work elsewhere is petty. But if (IF) it where true (and I don't think it is) then no one would walk out of this clean.

Finally, we have good news. Everyone was wondering what would happen with New Japan on AXS now that Mauro Ranallo has signed with WWE. Who would join Josh Barnett? It was revealed that Jim Ross has joined the team. This is fantastic. Jim Ross is the voice in my head when I think about wrestling. He did a fantastic job at Wrestle Kingdom 9 and I can't wait to hear him again.

So that's it for this week. Next week sees the return of Lucha Underground. I can't wait. The Rumble is tomorrow, as well, but I'm less excited about that. See you next week.

Update.

I'm updating this on Monday January 25th. The rumble was yesterday night and below are my reactions to it.

First some predictions.

Del Rio VS. Kalisto

I don't see Kalisto winning this. It's too soon to do another title change and WWE.com just released a new Lucha Dragon T shirt. My guess is that this feud will drag on a bit longer but Kalisto as champ is one and done, for now.

The New Day VS. The Usos

There is no reason for The New Day to lose the titles. They are still the most over guys in the tag division. The only reason to do a title change would be so the New Day can turn face.

Charlotte VS. Becky Lynch

Charlotte is probably going to win this. WWE has a bad habit of stretching feuds out past their natural end. That's what is going to happen here. Charlotte wins, thanks to her father, and they have another match with a stipulation. The ring becomes a no "WOOOOing" zone and Flair has to stay in the back.

Ambrose VS. Owens

Dean is going over. The Intercontinental belt has been going through a bit of a rebuilding and part of that are longer title reigns. This is another feud that the WWE is going to milk. I can see these two fighting for the title again at Mania. Maybe Owens will win it back then but not here.

Royal Rumble

40% Reigns, 40% HHH, 20% Brock. No one else even has a shot.

Complete outside shot, Vince McMahon enters the rumble and eliminates Reigns winning the WWE World Heavy Weight Championship. I think that is more likely then any other member of the roster winning.

Those are my prediction. Let's see how right or wrong I am, or was. Was? Yeah, how right or wrong I was.

                                                      
So, before I get to the show I need to say something. I've said this before but I hate, hate, when the Champion comes out first. It devalues the title and the person carrying it. The only Champion to come out second was Charlotte. Any money bet that was because of Ric Flair. He knows how to act like a champion. Ambrose, Del Rio, and the New Day need to learn that lesson.

Okay so the show itself. I got a lot of my predictions right. Let's go match by match.

The show opened with the Last Man Standing Intercontinental Championship match. It was the match of the night. Owens and Ambrose have amazing in ring chemistry. I don't know if that feud is over but if it isn't, I'm cool with that. Ambrose retained which is one for me.

We then went to the Tag Team Championship match. The Usos leave me a little cold. They are good in the ring but are lacking in charisma. Also their look doesn't do much for me. I like the shorts, those are cool, the T shirts and face paint are fine. But the tights under the shorts are just weird and when you add the tape on the shoes it just doesn't work.

The match itself was good. The New Day were on point and the Usos were able to keep up. The New Day went over which makes two for me.

Next up was the US Championship match. This was another good outing from Kalisto and Del Rio. There was one botch towards the middle of the match that was a little scary. Kalisto is always going so fast and doing so much it's only a matter of time before he gets hurt. These two guys work okay with each-other but it doesn't feel like a natural fit to me. Kalisto won. I was wrong about the outcome but not unhappy. I like Kalisto and want to see him do well as the US champion.

The last Singles match was the "Divas" Championship. Becky Lynch and Charlotte had an okay match. It wasn't great but there were a few
ok moments. My favorite was Ric Flair throwing his sports coat over Becky to break up a submission attempt. It was so ridiculous that I had to smile. That almost made up for Ric kissing Becky earlier in the match. Charlotte won.

And then things got interesting. Sasha made a surprise entrance to a huge pop. She kicked Becky out of the ring, I didn't like that, and then attacked Charlotte. This will probably lead to Charlotte/Sasha at Mania. But I'm hoping for a Charlotte/Sasha/Becky 3 way match. It would tear the house down. That by the way was another one for me.

Finally the rumble. A.J. Styles made his debut at #3 and was an instant fan favorite. That moment, when he debuted, made me happy to be a wrestling fan. He didn't win the rumble though, which would have been a great debut, not that he didn't look good.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn made their Rumble debuts. Owens eliminated Styles and then was thrown out by Zayn.

The Wyatt family went on a tear until Brock Lesnar came out. He took the entire Family out one by one. Bray Wyatt then entered the Rumble and with the help of the already eliminated Family took out the beast incarnate.

Roman, who had been injured earlier, made his return to a round of Boos. As expected HHH came in at number 30 and went on to win the rumble and the belt.

It's funny how many people cheered when Hunter eliminated Roman. The last two men in the ring were Hunter and Ambrose. Had Ambrose won the roof would have come off the place. Still Hunter winning got a better reaction then Reigns would have. Although I was over it the moment Stephanie got in the ring and I realized the Authority would never die.

I have to mention that Chris Jericho was fantastic in the Rumble. He was in longer than anybody (Reigns came out first but  got a nice break) and put in a fantastic showing.

All in all this was a good show. The ending was a little 'meh' but other than that it was a solid card. I enjoyed it.