Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
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With the almost daily announcement of some new disaster occurring for Impact (I think it’s Impact again now), it’s easy to forget that they are still producing wrestling. Yet, they are, and this week was Impact Victory Road. Much like Destination X, this wasn’t a PPV, but a special edition of the weekly show. Despite that, I figured I’d give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen? Let’s dish out those stars.
On a weekend stuffed with wrestling, Ring Of Honor’s latest IPPV came and went without much fanfare. Outside of Minoru Suzuki returning to America for the first time in 25 years, this show and hype had never met. Despite that, the card was decent, and there is always a chance that ROHÂ delivers a classic. Let’s dish out those stars.
No Mercy has, for the longest time, been a nothing PPV. One that is purely there to fill a gap. Then, this year, WWE got a bit excited, and we suddenly had a card headed up by two potential WrestleMania main events. It was a strange move, and the fact that the show wasn’t sold out a few days beforehand spoke volumes as to how successful it was (WWE reported it as a sellout on the day, but who knows if that was true). No Mercy felt like it had been given the chance to shine, and it was floundering. All of that would, however, be forgiven if it delivered in the ring. Let’s dish out those stars.
The Destruction tour comes to an end and it’s safe to say that in an incredible year for New Japan, these shows won’t be making the scoreboard. It’s had its moments, but it has been a B tour through and through, and 90% of the cards were made up of tag matches. That doesn’t stop us rating them, though. Let’s dish out those stars.
Last Tuesday night WWE sent Jinder Mahal (a heel whose main motivation is the fact he’s Indian) down to the ring to make a series of crass jokes about Shinsuke Nakamura. He made fun of the Japanese tendency to pronounce ls as rs and referred to Shinsuke as Mr Miyagi. They were dumb, insensitive jokes and screamed of something that Vince McMahon would find hilarious. They also speak to a problem at the heart of WWE.
Two years ago today, Charlotte Flair defeated Nikki Bella to win the Diva’s Championship. While it wouldn’t become the Women’s Title till WrestleMania the next year, this was Charlotte’s first reign and was the symbolic end of the Divas. Since then, Charlotte has gone on to become a four-time Raw Women’s Champion and it’s safe to say that on the whole, women’s wrestling in WWE is much better off, but how much better off is it?
In a strange way, the pressure was off Destruction in Hiroshima. The first Destruction show was New Japan’s worst outing this year and it’s lowered the expectations for this tour. The wrestlers booked here won’t have to do much to impress, as it isn’t hard to improve on crap. Let’s dish out those stars.
Oh dear, it’s happening again. Just a few months after it seemed like Impact Wrestling/GFW had got their act together, the train has not so much fallen off the tracks as backflipped off them in an explosion of chaos. Jeff Jarrett has been sent home due to personal issues (and whatever they are, I obviously hope he sorts himself out sooner rather than later) while rumours are swirling that Anthem already wants out. On top of that – in classic Impact style – they hadn’t completed the paperwork for their merger with GFW, which considering Jarrett’s position, may now never happen. Basically, it’s a disaster.
The Mae Young Classic comes to an end with the final we all expected. The MMA badass vs the Pirate Princess, in another world this match would be ridiculous. However, for all WWE’s faults, they’ve done a good job of presenting this tournament as a serious proposition, with every wrestler in it to win it. It’s the easiest of things to do, but it makes it all feel so much more important. One final thing before we get to the stars, I’ve (rightly) been harsh on JR and Lita all tournament – and while JR was still awful – Lita wasn’t too bad during this match, so that’s something at least. Let’s dish out those stars.
No Mercy 2017Â is shaping up to be one hell of a night. You’ve got the new vs the old as Roman Reigns clashes with John Cena and a war of monsters when Braun Strowman does battle with Brock Lesnar. Underneath that, you’ve got a fatal four-way for the Women’s Title with three of the bigger stars of the division and a tag match between two of WWE’s better sides. It’s a guaranteed night of good wrestling, so why does it feel like WWE still don’t know what they are doing?
Ramblings About Wrestling 