Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
It’s sad that Hell In A Cell doesn’t feel like a big deal anymore. Once upon a time, those four words were a source of giddy excitement. Now? It’s just another gimmick match. A glorified cage which has had more duds in recent years than greats. Let’s dish out those stars.
This Sunday Shane McMahon will walk into a Hell in a Cell match with Kevin Owens. It will be the third time he’s wrestled since his shock return in the build-up to WrestleMania 32. Both of those previous matches took place at a WrestleMania and yet, it’s possible this is the most important one yet. The Undertaker and AJ Styles didn’t need the rub of a McMahon to establish themselves, while Kevin Owens (despite having been around for a while) feels like he does at the moment. He’s been floundering since he moved to SmackDown.
For the second week in a row, the final segment on Raw (minus a short SHIELD tease) focused on the Cruiserweight Division vs. Enzo Amore. It’s a feud that has generated a double turn as an entire division turned face due to their disgust at the twat in a hat holding the belt. The question is, will this actually work? Is Enzo Amore the thing to save 205 Live?
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.
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?
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?
We’re into the semi-finals and it’s time for the Mae Young Classic to step up. Through no fault of the women involved and every fault of the minutes they’ve been given, the first few rounds have been good but unspectacular. All four of these wrestlers have equipped themselves well, but just needed a little bit more time to really show what they could do. With only two matches on this show, it should be their moment. Let’s hand out those stars.
We’re into the quarter finals of the Mae Young Classic and the action is steadily improving. We’re still yet to see anything like the highs of the Cruiserweight tournament, but with the competitors left there is still plenty of time for that to happen. Once again, I won’t be mentioning JR and Lita because they suck. Right, let’s dish out some stars.
Ramblings About Wrestling 