What up to all the Smarks, Marks, fans, and otherwise unknowing people of the IWC, the Smark Shooter is back for a big roundup now!
WWE At a Glance from Extreme Rules to Tonight's PPV.
First, a quick recap of the Extreme Rules PPV, which for the record was a good 7 out of 10 overall.
Match 1: Corbin def. Ziggler
Correct result, good match considering the spot, 6/10
Match 2: The Club (Anderson/Gallows) def. The Usos in a Tornado Tag Match
Correct result, dragged a little bit but highlighted The Club very well. 6.5/10
Match 3: New Day successfully defeated The Vaudevillians to retain the WWE World Tag Team Championships
Xavier Woods was well highlighted after being the third guy for month upon month. Vaudevillians with a good rebound match from their scare at Payback with Enzo and Cass. 6.5 out of 10
Match 4: Rusev defeats Kalisto via a VERY brutal Accolade to win the United States Championship
Rusev was presented as a mauling machine, and Kalisto was well played as the resilient underdog. 7.5 out of 10 due to the great storytelling of the match.
Match 5: The Miz Retains in THE match of the night, beating Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Pinning Cesaro.
This crowd was into it from beginning to end, one of the best matches of all four of the participants career, and easily, the Miz's greatest victory in terms of quality of match.
9.75 out of 10. Highly recommend rewatching this one.
Match 6:Dean Ambrose defeats Chris Jericho in the first Asylum match.
So, due to the dragging pace of the match, this match couldn't get higher than a 7. That being said, it got the 7 due to the ending sequence. Jericho going back first into thumbtacks was sick!
7/10
Match 7: Charlotte successfully defended the Women's Championship against Natalya
So....Charlotte didn't use her dad directly because he was banned. Instead Dana Brooke dressed up as Ric Flair and....well Natalya was made to be a fool again.
Match itself was good....just the ending was another successful heel cop out.
Makes Charlotte weaker as a champion as much as it strengthens the cowardice part of the character. 6 out of 10
Main event: Roman Reigns retains the WWE Championship over AJ Styles
The ending was a little ridiculous, but the match overall was fantastic.
9.5 out of 10.
That's Extreme Rules. So next in the lineup was NxT Takeover: The End (of the Beginning)
Match 1: Andrade Cien Almas def. The Perfect Ten Tye Dillinger
Great debut for Almas, and Dillinger delivered beyond expectations. Could have been a little smoother and the entrance get-up is weird on Almas, but still a great start.
7.5 out of 10.
Match 2: The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) make history, becoming the first wrestlings to win a title in NxT Twice, defeating American Alpha to become the NxT Tag Team Champions.
Honestly, hype plus match quality, this was the BEST match of the night and on equal footing with their first match at NxT Takeover Dallas.
Add in the Authors of Pain debuting with Paul Ellering of the Legion of Doom as their manager, the entire segment was fantastic.
9 out of 10.
Match 3: The King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura def. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived Austin Aries
While Nakamura had the crowd and won the match, this was Aries's most complete match in NxT. Aries was able to control the pace while Nakamura controlled the crowd. Personally, it wasn't exactly up to expectations, but it still beat A LOT of the main roster and NxT Matches.
8 out of 10.
Match 4: Asuka successfully defended the NxT Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Memories of Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong were fruitful as these two were after each other. Jax proved her worth and Asuka proved her worth as champion.
7.75 out of 10.
Main Event: Samoa Joe successfully defended the NxT Championship against Finn Balor in a Steel Cage Match
You can pretty much say that Finn is moving up to the main roster VERY soon. Joe dominated when needed and Finn is main roster ready. This one underwhelmed too, but after two tremendous Takeover matches and a surprising title change, something had to give
7.75 out of 10.
Takeover The End would be an 8 out of 10 for me.
NOW to the MOST important part of this post. Money in the Bank Preview! LET'S GO!
Pre-Show
1)Golden Truth vs. Breezedango.
Winner
Golden Truth needs a win if they're going to continue this ongoing storyline.
2)The Lucha Dragons vs. The Dudley Boyz
Winner
Neither of these teams have any momentum and honestly I think this is just a way for either A) highlight the tag team division and make it seem like whomever wins has a shot in the near future at whomever wins....OR B) this is where Kalisto and Sin Cara finally split (or at least Start their split).
Main Card
3)Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus
Winner
Crews finally gets a PPV match to prove his worth. Expect some fireworks from Crews. Sheamus is a solid dude. If he wins though I WILL be pissed.
4) Corbin vs. Ziggler 3
Winner
This should be good enough to earn a spot on the PPV. Corbin winning makes sense here so he can finally move on.
5)Becky Lynch and Natalya vs. Dana Brooke and Charlotte
Winners
It only makes sense that these four would be around. Having Charlotte take the pinfall only makes sense here. No Championship on the line and could potentially predict a fatal four way match for next month with the title on the line.
6)US TITLE MATCH
Rusev. vs. Titus O'Neill
Winner
I expect this one by DQ. Titus is one of the advertised superstars amongst the commercials about being a good dad. Rusev can't lose the title just yet, but Titus shouldn't be fed. A cop out result would fit brilliantly here.
7)AJ Styles vs. John Cena
Winner
Fully understanding that I can and probably will be disappointed, I'll take AJ just because the "New Era" crap will have even less meaning if Cena sweeps. AJ needs to win at least 1 of these before he becomes everyone that wasn't Daniel Bryan. Money in the Bank is the right time.
8)The Club vs. The New Day (C) vs. The Vaudevillians vs. Enzo and Cass for the WWE Tag Team Championships
The Club wins
Banner night for the Club, just because The New Day doesn't necessarily need to break the all time title length record. They've done more than enough, plus Enzo and Cass need to chase a heel team....and The Club is more qualified that the Vaudevillians.
9) Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Cesaro vs. Owens vs. Zayn vs. Jericho Vs. Del Rio vs. Ambrose
They've done a great job of making this as unpredictable as possible. I'll say the obvious answer just because of later things going on in the night.
Ambrose wins and will cash in later on.
10)Reigns vs. Rollins
Reigns will retain the title, but Rollins will leave him for the pickings. Ambrose attacks Rollins for laying out Reigns....then cashes in and Wins the title (for Reigns to take back as soon as the next Raw).
When in doubt....don't believe these predictions haha. But definitely Watch Pro Wrestling!
The next blogs coming out will cover the two biggest topics in WWE right now. The WWE Cruiserweight Classic and The WWE Draft complete with predictions for both!.
THANKS!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
New Japan Roundup from Niigata to Current
Hello Smarks! This was a long time coming but I finally had time to analyze the progress of (In my Opinion)The best televised promotion outside of WWE , New Japan Pro Wrestling. This will be concurrent with my latest Ring of Honor post considering that they have a talent share agreement and titles from both promotions are defended at both promotions. So, I'll be covering everything up to the end of May for both ROH and NJPW. This post is dedicated to the NJPW side of things. Therefore, the following shows will be analyzed.
The New Beginning in Niigata
Briscoe and Yano def. Bullet Club to become NEVER OPENWEIGHT 6 Man Champions!
Kenny Omega def. Hiroshi Tanahashi to become NEW IWGP Intercontinental Champion!
Honor Rising-
Night 1: Two major things happened: Jay Lethal joined Tetsuya Naito's stable: Los Ingovernables De Japon, and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Roderick Strong for the ROH TV Title.
Night 2:
Meiyu Tag and ReDRagon defeated the Bullet Club
The Elite win the NEVER OPENWEIGHT TRIOS TITLES, defeated Toru Yano and the Briscoes
Lethal defeated Tomoaki Homna to retain the ROH World Title.
Lion's Gate Project 1
The young boys and Jr. Heavyweights from around NJPW, Pro Wrestling NoAH, and a few other came for the first of the Lion's Gate Project events.
Ishimori (NoAH) def. David Finlay (NJPW)
Ogawa (NoAH) def. Jay White (NJPW)
Nakajima (NoAH) def. Juice Robinson (NJPW)
TenKoji (Tenzan and Kojima) def. Captain Gemba (Captain NoAH and Gemba) (NoAH)
ROH 14th Anniversary
Ishii def. Fish and Strong to retain ROH TV Title
Goto def. Dalton Castle
Okada def. Moose
The Elite def ACH, KUSHIDA, and Sydal to retain NEVER Openweight 6 man title
New Japan Cup 2016
Advancing past first round:Yano, Elgin, Tonga, Kojima, Goto, Naito, Ishii, Fale
Advancing to Semi Finals: Yano, Goto, Elgin, Naito
Finals match:Naito vs. Goto
WINNER and No.1 Contender to IWGP Heavyweight Championship:Tetsuya Naito!
Invasion Attack 2016
Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Romero) def. Sydal/Ricochet to become NEW IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions!
KUSHIDA def. Will Ospreay to retain IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Tanahashi, Elgin, and Yoshitatsu def. THE Elite to win NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag Team Championships
Shibata def. Tenzan to retain NEVER Openweight Championship
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) def. Great Bash Heel (Tomoaki Homna and Togi Makabe) to become the NEW IWGP Tag Team Champions!
Tetsuya Naito def. Kazuchika Okada to become the NEW IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!
Wrestling Dontaku
Sydal/Ricochet def. Roppongi Vice to win back the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships
The Elite def. Tanahashi, Elgin, and Tatsu to win back the NEVER Openweight 6 man Championships
Yuji Nagata def. Katsuyori Shibata to win the NEVER Openweight Championship (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)
KUSHIDA def. Lyger to retain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
EVIL def. Goto
Okada def. Seiya SANADA
Naito. def Ishii to retain IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Global Wars
Cheeseburger and Lyger def. The Addiction (Daniels and Kazarian)
Tetsuya Naito def. Kyle O'Reilly
Okada and Moose def. Tanahashi and Elgin
Fish def. Ishii to win ROH TV TITLE
Bullet Club def. Team ROH
War of the Worlds
Night 1
War Machine def. CHAOS
KUSHIDA def. Dalton Castle
ReDRagon def. Los Ingovernables de Japon
Bullet Club def. Team ROH
Night 2
The Elite def. Tanahashi, Elgin, and Tatsu
Okada def. Sydal
Castle def. Gedo
Naito def. Moose
O'Reilly def. KUSHIDA
Lion's Gate Project 2
Team ROH def. Bullet Club
Night 3
KUSHIDA def. Silas Young
MCMG def. CHAOS
Lyger and the Briscoes def Bullet Club
Tanahashi def. Sydal
Naito def. ACH
Team ROH def. Bullet Club and CHAOS
Best of the Super Jr. 23
After the various tournament days, which included the Ricochet/Will Ospreay match going viral, here were the final standings
Block A:
BUSHI:8 Points (Finlay, KUSHIDA, Romero, Taguichi)
GEDO:2 points (Bushi)
KUSHIDA: 8 Points (Finlay, Gedo, Sydal, Taguichi)
Kyle O'Reilly: 8 Points (Bushi, Finlay, Gedo, KUSHIDA)
David Finlay (replacing Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks):2 Points (Gedo)
Matt Sydal: 10 Points (BUSHI, Finlay, Gedo, O'Reilly, Romero)
Rocky Romero: 8 Points (Finlay, Gedo, KUSHIDA, O'Reilly)
Ryusuke Taguchi: 10 Points (Finlay, Gedo, O'Reilly, Sydal, Romero)
Taguichi Advances to final via direct victory over Sydal.
Block B:
Beretta: 6 Points (Lyger, Volador Jr., Ospreay)
Bobby Fish:8 Points (Beretta, Owens, Tiger Mask IV, Volador Jr.)
Jushin Thunder Liger: 6 Points (Fish, Owens, Tiger Mask IV)
Chase Owens(replacing Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks): 6 Points (Beretta, Ospreay, Ricochet)
Ricochet: 8 Points (Beretta, Fish, Lyger, Tiger Mask IV)
Tiger Mask IV: 6 Points (Beretta, Owens, Ospreay)
Volador Jr.: 8 Points (Owens, Lyger, Ricochet, Tiger Mask IV)
Will Ospreay: 8 Points (Fish, Lyger, Ricochet, Volador Jr.)
Ospreay Advances to final via direct victories over Fish, Ricochet, and Volador Jr.
Final: Will Ospreay becomes the first British Best of the Super Jrs. Champion, defeating Ryusuke Taguichi.
NJPW Dominion
Tenkoji(Tenzan and Kojima) and Nakanishi defeat the Young Boys(Finlay, White, and Robinson)
Bullet Club (Fale, Adam (Hangman) Page, and Yujiro) def. Makabe, YoshiTatsu, and Captain New Japan
CHAOS (Ishii and YOSHI HASHI) Def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI and Sanada)
Goto def. EVIL
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships: Young Bucks def Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Romero), ReDRagon (Fish and O'Reilly), and Sydal and Ricochet in a Four way eliminator to become 5 time Jr. tag Team Champions.
Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA retains over Will Ospreay
The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark from ROH) def. The Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championships
NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata def. Yuji Nagata to regain the NEVER Openweight Championship
Michael Elgin defeats Kenny Omega to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Kazuchika Okada defeats Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
KIZUNA Road Results
Kizuna Road (winners in bold)
Chase Owens vs. David Finlay
Ryusuke Taguichi, Tiger Mask IV, Jyushin Lyger, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Trent Berreta, Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii, and Kazushi Sakuraba
Captain New Japan and YoshiTatsu vs. The Hangman Adam Page and Yujiro Takahashi
Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata vs. Juice Robinson and Togi Makabe
Elimination Tag(eliminated if pinned, submitted, or thrown over the top rope and both feet hit the floor):
Okada and Naito eliminate each other
Evil eliminated Goto
YOSHI-HASHI eliminates EVIL
Sanada eliminates YOSHI-HASHI
Ospreay wins after eliminating both Sanada and BUSHI
Chaos(Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Will Ospreay) vs. Los Ingovernables de Japon(Tetsuya Naito, Seiya Sanada, EVIL, and BUSHI)
NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag Team Championships
The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks [Nick and Matt Jackson]) vs. Matt Sydal, Ricochet, and Satoshi Kojima (NEW CHAMPS!)
NEVER Openweight Championship
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomoaki Homna
When in doubt, watch Pro Wrestling and The WWE related stuff is up next!
OH! And Be on the lookout for the SUPER J CUP coverage coming soon!
The New Beginning in Niigata
Briscoe and Yano def. Bullet Club to become NEVER OPENWEIGHT 6 Man Champions!
Kenny Omega def. Hiroshi Tanahashi to become NEW IWGP Intercontinental Champion!
Honor Rising-
Night 1: Two major things happened: Jay Lethal joined Tetsuya Naito's stable: Los Ingovernables De Japon, and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Roderick Strong for the ROH TV Title.
Night 2:
Meiyu Tag and ReDRagon defeated the Bullet Club
The Elite win the NEVER OPENWEIGHT TRIOS TITLES, defeated Toru Yano and the Briscoes
Lethal defeated Tomoaki Homna to retain the ROH World Title.
Lion's Gate Project 1
The young boys and Jr. Heavyweights from around NJPW, Pro Wrestling NoAH, and a few other came for the first of the Lion's Gate Project events.
Ishimori (NoAH) def. David Finlay (NJPW)
Ogawa (NoAH) def. Jay White (NJPW)
Nakajima (NoAH) def. Juice Robinson (NJPW)
TenKoji (Tenzan and Kojima) def. Captain Gemba (Captain NoAH and Gemba) (NoAH)
ROH 14th Anniversary
Ishii def. Fish and Strong to retain ROH TV Title
Goto def. Dalton Castle
Okada def. Moose
The Elite def ACH, KUSHIDA, and Sydal to retain NEVER Openweight 6 man title
New Japan Cup 2016
Advancing past first round:Yano, Elgin, Tonga, Kojima, Goto, Naito, Ishii, Fale
Advancing to Semi Finals: Yano, Goto, Elgin, Naito
Finals match:Naito vs. Goto
WINNER and No.1 Contender to IWGP Heavyweight Championship:Tetsuya Naito!
Invasion Attack 2016
Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Romero) def. Sydal/Ricochet to become NEW IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions!
KUSHIDA def. Will Ospreay to retain IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Tanahashi, Elgin, and Yoshitatsu def. THE Elite to win NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag Team Championships
Shibata def. Tenzan to retain NEVER Openweight Championship
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) def. Great Bash Heel (Tomoaki Homna and Togi Makabe) to become the NEW IWGP Tag Team Champions!
Tetsuya Naito def. Kazuchika Okada to become the NEW IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!
Wrestling Dontaku
Sydal/Ricochet def. Roppongi Vice to win back the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships
The Elite def. Tanahashi, Elgin, and Tatsu to win back the NEVER Openweight 6 man Championships
Yuji Nagata def. Katsuyori Shibata to win the NEVER Openweight Championship (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)
KUSHIDA def. Lyger to retain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
EVIL def. Goto
Okada def. Seiya SANADA
Naito. def Ishii to retain IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Global Wars
Cheeseburger and Lyger def. The Addiction (Daniels and Kazarian)
Tetsuya Naito def. Kyle O'Reilly
Okada and Moose def. Tanahashi and Elgin
Fish def. Ishii to win ROH TV TITLE
Bullet Club def. Team ROH
War of the Worlds
Night 1
War Machine def. CHAOS
KUSHIDA def. Dalton Castle
ReDRagon def. Los Ingovernables de Japon
Bullet Club def. Team ROH
Night 2
The Elite def. Tanahashi, Elgin, and Tatsu
Okada def. Sydal
Castle def. Gedo
Naito def. Moose
O'Reilly def. KUSHIDA
Lion's Gate Project 2
Team ROH def. Bullet Club
Night 3
KUSHIDA def. Silas Young
MCMG def. CHAOS
Lyger and the Briscoes def Bullet Club
Tanahashi def. Sydal
Naito def. ACH
Team ROH def. Bullet Club and CHAOS
Best of the Super Jr. 23
After the various tournament days, which included the Ricochet/Will Ospreay match going viral, here were the final standings
Block A:
BUSHI:8 Points (Finlay, KUSHIDA, Romero, Taguichi)
GEDO:2 points (Bushi)
KUSHIDA: 8 Points (Finlay, Gedo, Sydal, Taguichi)
Kyle O'Reilly: 8 Points (Bushi, Finlay, Gedo, KUSHIDA)
David Finlay (replacing Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks):2 Points (Gedo)
Matt Sydal: 10 Points (BUSHI, Finlay, Gedo, O'Reilly, Romero)
Rocky Romero: 8 Points (Finlay, Gedo, KUSHIDA, O'Reilly)
Ryusuke Taguchi: 10 Points (Finlay, Gedo, O'Reilly, Sydal, Romero)
Taguichi Advances to final via direct victory over Sydal.
Block B:
Beretta: 6 Points (Lyger, Volador Jr., Ospreay)
Bobby Fish:8 Points (Beretta, Owens, Tiger Mask IV, Volador Jr.)
Jushin Thunder Liger: 6 Points (Fish, Owens, Tiger Mask IV)
Chase Owens(replacing Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks): 6 Points (Beretta, Ospreay, Ricochet)
Ricochet: 8 Points (Beretta, Fish, Lyger, Tiger Mask IV)
Tiger Mask IV: 6 Points (Beretta, Owens, Ospreay)
Volador Jr.: 8 Points (Owens, Lyger, Ricochet, Tiger Mask IV)
Will Ospreay: 8 Points (Fish, Lyger, Ricochet, Volador Jr.)
Ospreay Advances to final via direct victories over Fish, Ricochet, and Volador Jr.
Final: Will Ospreay becomes the first British Best of the Super Jrs. Champion, defeating Ryusuke Taguichi.
NJPW Dominion
Tenkoji(Tenzan and Kojima) and Nakanishi defeat the Young Boys(Finlay, White, and Robinson)
Bullet Club (Fale, Adam (Hangman) Page, and Yujiro) def. Makabe, YoshiTatsu, and Captain New Japan
CHAOS (Ishii and YOSHI HASHI) Def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI and Sanada)
Goto def. EVIL
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships: Young Bucks def Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Romero), ReDRagon (Fish and O'Reilly), and Sydal and Ricochet in a Four way eliminator to become 5 time Jr. tag Team Champions.
Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA retains over Will Ospreay
The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark from ROH) def. The Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championships
NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata def. Yuji Nagata to regain the NEVER Openweight Championship
Michael Elgin defeats Kenny Omega to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Kazuchika Okada defeats Tetsuya Naito to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
KIZUNA Road Results
Kizuna Road (winners in bold)
Chase Owens vs. David Finlay
Ryusuke Taguichi, Tiger Mask IV, Jyushin Lyger, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Trent Berreta, Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii, and Kazushi Sakuraba
Captain New Japan and YoshiTatsu vs. The Hangman Adam Page and Yujiro Takahashi
Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata vs. Juice Robinson and Togi Makabe
Elimination Tag(eliminated if pinned, submitted, or thrown over the top rope and both feet hit the floor):
Okada and Naito eliminate each other
Evil eliminated Goto
YOSHI-HASHI eliminates EVIL
Sanada eliminates YOSHI-HASHI
Ospreay wins after eliminating both Sanada and BUSHI
Chaos(Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Will Ospreay) vs. Los Ingovernables de Japon(Tetsuya Naito, Seiya Sanada, EVIL, and BUSHI)
NEVER Openweight 6 man Tag Team Championships
The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks [Nick and Matt Jackson]) vs. Matt Sydal, Ricochet, and Satoshi Kojima (NEW CHAMPS!)
NEVER Openweight Championship
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomoaki Homna
When in doubt, watch Pro Wrestling and The WWE related stuff is up next!
OH! And Be on the lookout for the SUPER J CUP coverage coming soon!
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
NxT Takeover Quick Preview.
Extreme Rules Review almost done. Admittedly haven't touched this since that PPV.
WWE Roundup, along with a New Japan, ROH, and wrestling one as a whole coming up before the 15th. Also coming soon is a preview (and prediction) of the the WWE Draft, as well as updates on the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, Chikara King of Trios, PWG Battle of Los Angeles, and NJPW Super J Cup.
This is YOUR shotgun preview of NxT Takeover: The End.
Why is it the End? Listen to the audio of the Triple H Conference call (find it on WrestleZone.com)
Match 1: Andrade Cien Almas vs. The Perfect 10 Tye Dillinger.
Dillinger is recently off of a victory and using a finisher that finally makes sense: The Ushi Kuroshi (Fireman's Carry Neckbreaker).
Unfortunately for him, he will be facing off against the debuting Andrade Cien Almas. Formerly known as La Sombra in the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion in Mexico, he is not only one of the top new guys that Triple H had signed (before Nakamura, Aries, and Roode) and potentially the rumored (picked lol) favorite of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. Essentially the Mexican version of either The Great Sasuke or Taka Michinoku circa 1997 WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament.
While I don't have a lot of coverage on Almas, I've watched a few clips of him in his time with New Japan and he's a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion who faced off against the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and Togi Makabe.
I expect a highlight reel from Almas similar to the one Apollo Crews had at NxT Takeover Brooklyn.
Winner: Almas
Match 2: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived Austin Aries vs. The King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura
I never realized I wanted this match so badly until it was announced. Aries is a prime heel and in the prime of his career going against Nakamura, hands down the most beloved figure in NxT since Sami Zayn. Aries hasn't had the big spark that others of his caliber have had, but with this marquee match against Nakamura, that could quickly change his stock immensely.
That being said.....THIS IS SHINSUKE'S HOUSE currently.
So Shinsuke wins. Period.
Match 3: NxT Women's Championship.
Asuka vs. Nia Jax.
This will probably be the Semi-Main Event, but I'm putting it here for personal reasons.
Asuka recently won the title from Bayley at NxT Takeover Dallas. The last major title defense Bayley had was against Nia Jax at NxT Takeover London. Jax injured Bayley in their latest encounter and Bayley wasn't cleared, so Jax, Alexa Bliss, and Carmella had a 3 way match to determine the no.1 contender.
This should be a hard hitting affair that if done right, can be reminiscent of Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong from the All Japan Women's promotion in the 1990s.
Asuka retains, because Nia will tap....and I really want to see a Bayley/Asuka rematch.
Match 4: NxT Tag Team Championship
American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder)
Honest to God, the NxT Takeover Dallas card had 4 main events on it. This was the most surprising of them all. Alpha and the Revival had an AMAZING match to kickoff the show, culminating with a hell of a storybook ending with Jordan finally being able to raise Championship gold amidst tears running down his face.
This is the proving ground for Gable and Jordan to see if they can continue their run against the most sound heel team in NxT.
Dash and Dawson recently are reeling from a loss to WWE CC participants Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, but this team honestly has been great in every situation given.
Out of all the matches on the card, this is truly the most unpredictable.
I'm taking Alpha, mainly because I think they deserve a chance to hold the titles longer than the Vaudevillians.
Main Event: STEEL CAGE MATCH for the NXT Championship
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor
Culmination of a feud dating back under a year ago.
1)Joe and Balor win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
2)Balor can't provide on a promise to Joe, hence, Joe attacks Balor.
3)Balor escapes both Takeovers London and Dallas with the NxT Championship in hotly contested matches
4)Joe Wins in Massachusetts at a House Show for his first NxT Championship reign.
5)Odds are the winner (like I tried to predict last month) stays in NxT as champion for the next 6-9 months before WrestleMania), loser will be part of the WWE draft in the upcoming weeks.
Note: First Steel Cage match in NxT History.
Joe wins, because it's high time that Balor comes to the main roster and either feuds or joins the rest of the Bullet Club.
When in Doubt, WATCH PRO WRESTLING and I will be back in the next few days with most updates on the various promotions!
WWE Roundup, along with a New Japan, ROH, and wrestling one as a whole coming up before the 15th. Also coming soon is a preview (and prediction) of the the WWE Draft, as well as updates on the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, Chikara King of Trios, PWG Battle of Los Angeles, and NJPW Super J Cup.
This is YOUR shotgun preview of NxT Takeover: The End.
Why is it the End? Listen to the audio of the Triple H Conference call (find it on WrestleZone.com)
Match 1: Andrade Cien Almas vs. The Perfect 10 Tye Dillinger.
Dillinger is recently off of a victory and using a finisher that finally makes sense: The Ushi Kuroshi (Fireman's Carry Neckbreaker).
Unfortunately for him, he will be facing off against the debuting Andrade Cien Almas. Formerly known as La Sombra in the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion in Mexico, he is not only one of the top new guys that Triple H had signed (before Nakamura, Aries, and Roode) and potentially the rumored (picked lol) favorite of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. Essentially the Mexican version of either The Great Sasuke or Taka Michinoku circa 1997 WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament.
While I don't have a lot of coverage on Almas, I've watched a few clips of him in his time with New Japan and he's a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion who faced off against the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and Togi Makabe.
I expect a highlight reel from Almas similar to the one Apollo Crews had at NxT Takeover Brooklyn.
Winner: Almas
Match 2: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived Austin Aries vs. The King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura
I never realized I wanted this match so badly until it was announced. Aries is a prime heel and in the prime of his career going against Nakamura, hands down the most beloved figure in NxT since Sami Zayn. Aries hasn't had the big spark that others of his caliber have had, but with this marquee match against Nakamura, that could quickly change his stock immensely.
That being said.....THIS IS SHINSUKE'S HOUSE currently.
So Shinsuke wins. Period.
Match 3: NxT Women's Championship.
Asuka vs. Nia Jax.
This will probably be the Semi-Main Event, but I'm putting it here for personal reasons.
Asuka recently won the title from Bayley at NxT Takeover Dallas. The last major title defense Bayley had was against Nia Jax at NxT Takeover London. Jax injured Bayley in their latest encounter and Bayley wasn't cleared, so Jax, Alexa Bliss, and Carmella had a 3 way match to determine the no.1 contender.
This should be a hard hitting affair that if done right, can be reminiscent of Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong from the All Japan Women's promotion in the 1990s.
Asuka retains, because Nia will tap....and I really want to see a Bayley/Asuka rematch.
Match 4: NxT Tag Team Championship
American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder)
Honest to God, the NxT Takeover Dallas card had 4 main events on it. This was the most surprising of them all. Alpha and the Revival had an AMAZING match to kickoff the show, culminating with a hell of a storybook ending with Jordan finally being able to raise Championship gold amidst tears running down his face.
This is the proving ground for Gable and Jordan to see if they can continue their run against the most sound heel team in NxT.
Dash and Dawson recently are reeling from a loss to WWE CC participants Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, but this team honestly has been great in every situation given.
Out of all the matches on the card, this is truly the most unpredictable.
I'm taking Alpha, mainly because I think they deserve a chance to hold the titles longer than the Vaudevillians.
Main Event: STEEL CAGE MATCH for the NXT Championship
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor
Culmination of a feud dating back under a year ago.
1)Joe and Balor win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
2)Balor can't provide on a promise to Joe, hence, Joe attacks Balor.
3)Balor escapes both Takeovers London and Dallas with the NxT Championship in hotly contested matches
4)Joe Wins in Massachusetts at a House Show for his first NxT Championship reign.
5)Odds are the winner (like I tried to predict last month) stays in NxT as champion for the next 6-9 months before WrestleMania), loser will be part of the WWE draft in the upcoming weeks.
Note: First Steel Cage match in NxT History.
Joe wins, because it's high time that Balor comes to the main roster and either feuds or joins the rest of the Bullet Club.
When in Doubt, WATCH PRO WRESTLING and I will be back in the next few days with most updates on the various promotions!
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