Thoughts From Clash of Champions, Raw, and SmackdownLive

With the current PPV model WWE seems to be adopting as a result of the brand split, simply put, there's just a TON of content. For example, in order to keep up with all the main roster storylines this week (not to mention the hour-long NXT on Wednesday), one would've had to watch a solid 8 hours of content by Tuesday. Therefore, in an effort to help make reviewing all that content in a more manageable way, here are my thoughts from the last 7 days of WWE main roster programming!
*Side note: they're in no discernible order or anything like that, just in whatever order came to mind. Also, I'll only be talking about things that stood out to me. For example, the Jericho vs Zayn match was very solid, but it was nothing especially noteworthy. Therefore, it will not be on this list.
Enjoy!


Sheamus/Cesaro match at Clash of Champions and resulting angle on Raw: Personally, I'm a fan of the whole thing Sheamus and Cesaro have going right now. While, yes, I feel like it would've been cooler to have them go at it one final time inside HIAC, this partnership also has potential to be entertaining. Also, the backstage Foley promo with these two to explain it further was extremely good, in my opinion (not matter how cringe-worthy the one in the ring was. Please keep Cesaro away from any and all mics in the future). Essentially, a majority of people have reacted in two ways to this development: they're either 1) annoyed that WWE has once again gotten around giving fans what they were promised or 2) excited about the potential of an unwilling partnership—sort of like a new team Hell No—between two of the company's most reliably excellent performers. I'm a part of the latter group, and I'm excited to see where it goes. Frankly, if it succeeds the way I'm predicting it will, I could see this duo being the ones to finally take the titles off the New Day.

Gallows and Anderson vs New Day at COC and Raw: Unpopular opinion: Gallows and Anderson aren't that great. Frankly, they're not even good. Not charismatic, not that good in the ring, not entertaining as a whole. Meanwhile, somehow, the New Day is STILL entertaining after 400 days. As far as I'm concerned, they don't deserve to lose the titles yet. The fact that they took a gimmick that seemed so doomed from the start and turned it into the most over act in the company for more than a year speaks volumes about the talent of these guys, and they should be rewarded for it. At this point, I hope Gallows and Anderson either get a full character revamp, turning into remorseless monsters (which I suppose I could bear), or that they stay far away from the tag titles. Simply put, there's a multitude of teams much more deserving than these two, including the aforementioned Sheamus and Cesaro.

Reigns vs Rusev at COC and Raw: I'm sorry, but this Reigns vs. Rusev feud isn't doing it for me. I don't know if I'm the minority there, but it's just not entertaining. Neither match excited me, or got me emotionally involved. In addition, it also feels like WWE jut refuses to let Reigns look anything less than unstoppable. While that does make some sense, given that he's clearly being groomed as the company's next golden boy, it also certainly won't do him any favors when it comes to winning over hardcore fans. When more fans are cheering for Rusev, a guy who consistently gets more heat than just about anyone on the roster, than Reigns, something isn't right. That being said, Rusev is also extremely good as a dominant heel champion, and I certainly believe it was too early to take the belt off him here. 

Owens vs Rollins at COC: While there were many elements of this match that made it excellent, Kevin Owens' trash-talking during his title match was INCREDIBLE. Too good. I saw a tweet that summed it up quite nicely: Owens was doing color commentary as well as Bobby Heenan, all the while wrestling. He's just so, so good. He was doing a better job commentating than Byron Saxton was, and he was wrestling a match at the same time. It's stuff like this that ultimately convinces me that he's arguably the greatest professional wrestler alive today. Yes, there are some guys who are arguably better in the ring than he is, but his ability to rile up the crowd and provide pure entertainment during the match is absolutely unparalleled. 

Foley on Raw: Personally, I'm enjoying the character of Foley as GM. I know some people don't like it much, but he can still deliver a great promo. My only criticism is that he's sort of becoming like Dolph Ziggler as of late: that is, displaying a ton of emotion in every single promo, constantly raising his voice. The problem with that is, when you do that in every single promo you give, it takes away from that special feeling the added emotion is supposed to give. Also, Ziggler's added emotion actually goes along with his character right now. Speaking of which...

Ziggler and Miz's feud: Somehow, a feud for the Intercontinental Championship between two perennial midcarders (albeit very good midcarders) currently feels more important than a three-way feud between AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, and John Cena for the richest prize in the industry. That speaks volumes both as to how red-hot the Miz is right now, and how much Dolph Ziggler has simultaneously upped his game, as well as the stakes. Frankly, even though it'll never happen, I wouldn't mind this match closing off No Mercy. That's how important this feud, and more importantly, the IC Title, feels right now. Everybody and their grandma knows that the Miz is absolutely on fire right now, and a great majority also know just how good Ziggler can be when he's on. Combine that with the intense drama of Ziggler's career being on the line—side note: this is when a losing streak actually makes sense, booking-wise. Kudos to the Smackdown creative team for actually utilizing some relatively long-term booking here—and you have the recipe for an excellent, emotional match that's legitimately unpredictable. Will WWE take the belt off the hottest performer in the company right now? Or will they actually axe one of their more perenially over performers, a man who's been passed over time and time again? I honestly cannot wait for this match, which is exactly how fans should be feeling. Very well done. 

TJ Perkins vs Brian Kendrick at COC: TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick are both incredible talents (Kendrick is an amazing heel). However, I just don't like Perkins' music. It's way too joke-y. With regards to the match...it was ok, I suppose. Certainly not bad, but by the standards set during the Cruiserweight Classic, it wasn't great either. Then again, I guess not many matches going forward will meet that standard either, since the talents are reportedly being told to decrease the amount of high-flying, exciting spots they do. 

Cruiserweight action on Raw: Prediction: Cedric is gonna become a star. Fans are already starting to become emotionally invested in him, he's got a great look, and he just feels like a natural babyface (plus, just like all the other Cruiserweight competitors, he's excellent in the ring). Also, Tony Nese is excellent. If he's not officially signed to the division yet, he definitely should be. 

Jericho...drink it in, maaaaaan: The fact that Chris Jericho debuted almost 20 years ago and he's STILL relevant (involved in the main event, no less) speaks volumes to his talent. Y2J truly is a special, special performer. Also, his segment with Owens on Raw was very good. Shoutout to the Raw creative team for seemingly using long-term booking here to set up a feud that looks likely to be red-hot once it finally occurs (assuming Jeri-KO does actually implode at some point).

Bliss attacking Lynch on Smackdown: Alexa Bliss did an excellent job here of showing that, if effectively done, two minutes of TV time can be more than enough to advance a storyline. Both women are very talented, and, admittedly, I'm a bit of a Bliss mark, so I'm excited for this match.

Tag Team match on Smackdown: The only thing I really wanted to mention here was how sad it is that the Ascension have been turned into a joke. Looking back at some of their old stuff on NXT, it's ridiculous how popular they were. Unfortunately, their treatment on the main roster just goes to show you that once you make the jump from Full Sail to Raw/Smackdown, you truly do have to start all over. Here's hoping that, by some miracle, they're eventually made to look decent again. Also, I like the Usos' new entrance music. Not sure about the ring gear necessarily, but, hey, at least it's a change. Little things like that are what differentiate the good superstars from the great ones.

Those were my major takeaways from Clash of Champions, Raw, and Smackdown this week! You may have noticed that there's nothing about the WWE World Championship there, and that's because frankly, I just had nothing to say about it. The current feud for it is moderately interesting, but nothing more than that for me (although that may just be because, by comparison, Miz vs Ziggler was so so so good). Hopefully that changes next week, because on paper, this match is incredibly important, seeing as Cena could end up tying Ric Flair for most world championships won. Regardless, hope you enjoyed this article!

WWE Backlash Review

Well, that was better than anyone expected, don't you think?

Despite a majority of fans feeling rather underwhelmed coming into the first Smackdown-exclusive PPV since the brand split this July, Backlash delivered a number of high-quality wrestling matches and storylines. From the crowning of three new champions (two of those being inaugural) to the continued evolution of another into one of the company's most consistent performers, if this PPV is any sort of indicator, Smackdown Live has a bright future ahead. Let's get into it:

Firstly, I'm sorry, but if you want to expose more fans to quality performers like Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews, you can't put them on the pre-show every single PPV. There's already an absolute ton of good programming WWE puts on every week, and sometimes a pre-show just feels like overkill. I understand the concept, producing more programming for those dedicated enough/able to watch it, but if you keep putting the same superstars on it over and over, a majority of the audience won't ever get to see them wrestle in a high-stakes situation. Just my two cents.

Now, the first match on the official card: the Elimination Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship. Again, this may be largely a result of a lack of hype going in to the show, but I was pleasantly surprised with this match. Especially considering how, in the past,WWE has simply thrown a bunch of marginally talented women in the ring with essentially no storyline and just told them to go at it, this match seemed very well-thought-out, with some pretty solid wrestling thrown in as well. Of course, it also helps that the right woman won. Someone like Nikki Bella or Natalya could probably have pulled a title reign off successfully, but frankly, Becky Lynch is the most talented woman on the Smackdown roster, and she's simply most deserving of the title. Kudos to WWE for not overbooking this match, and giving multiple women a chance to shine. Carmella looked to be settling in to her new heel role and subsequent feud with Bella quite nicely, and despite being eliminated first, Alexa Bliss put in a strong showing.


On to the first tag team matchup of the night, the "Second Chance" semifinal between the newly-heel Usos and the Hype Bros. As much as the whole "GET HYPED" gimmick can be kind of annoying, you've got to give credit to Mojo Rawley for staying dedicated, as well as pulling it off rather decently. Even though I hate that this is what they've relegated Zack Ryder to, at least it keeps him on TV. The Usos, on the other hand, were instantly injected with a breath of fresh air the moment they turned on American Alpha to attack them a few weeks back, and they compounded that newfound interest with a strong showing in this match. They did well to tinker with their rather babyface-like high-flying offense in order to make it more heelish, and the new outfits did a good job of accomplishing that too. Overall, solid match, even if the result seemed pretty obvious. It seemed as if the Usos were saving some for the upcoming title match later on in the night.

Continuing with the theme of surprisingly good matches, this is probably my match of the night. On the same night that AJ Styles won his very first championship within WWE, that's definitely saying something. After a rather lackluster Summerslam showing, Dolph Ziggler showed us why so many people have long touted him as one of the company's best overall performers, while the Miz continued his absolutely red-hot streak right now. Frankly, this is what the Intercontinental Championship should be about. Good workers putting in a great match (by the way, thoughts on the opening of the match being a nod to CM Punk's UFC loss?) with high-quality storytelling. This match got all the little things absolutely spot-on, from Ziggler's predictably amazing selling to Miz's mocking of Daniel Bryan's old moveset.
Even the brief pre-match interaction between the IC Champ and the GM was great, further establishing the Miz as a cocky, unlikable egomaniac. The ending to the match was excellent too, a great way to grab even more heat for Miz and Maryse. Overall, this was an excellent match that did a phenomenal job of getting the viewer emotionally invested, which, at its core, is what WWE is all about. I'm very interested to see where Miz's reign as champion goes, because his performances have been ridiculously good as of late, and he's done a great job of making the Intercontinental Title feel important again. Is it perhaps time for another fantasy booking scenario soon?

*Sigh* WWE was doing so well...and then we got to Bray Wyatt versus Kane. Man. It's not the fact that Kane was chosen for the match, mind you. I suppose now that's why they've been giving hima  mini-push over the past few weeks, having him appear on Smackdown to chokeslam a jobber here and there, just in case Randy ended up not being ready to wrestle (which he wasn't). Kane is a bona fide legend who was established as a Hall of Famer years ago, and he's still a decent enough performer today. Moreover, a win over an established veteran like Kane could have done wonders for the Eater of World's confidence, as well as his perception among fans. Not only that, but a win seemed like a sure thing! It's not like Kane needed the victory, after all. Therefore, I don't even care about the interference, having Bray lose here was a bad move. It was just absolutely unnecessary. I know Randy hit him with an RKO, and I know they've been heavily pushing that move as of late, but there are simply many other ways they could've chosen to do this. Why not have Randy simply distract Bray, then have Wyatt still manage to come out on top? Or simply have Randy hit an RKO while Kane was incapacitated, allowing Wyatt the chance to recover and still manage to win the match? Or even have him take Wyatt out after the match was already over?? Simply put, Bray Wyatt has the potential to be one of WWE's standard-bearers for years to come, sporting one of the most unique gimmicks in the history of the company, and if bad booking prevents him from reaching that level, WWE should feel absolutely ashamed. I don't think we've quite reached that point yet, but with every stupid loss and threat that's not followed up on, we teeter dangerously close.

On that unfortunately condemning note, let's move on to something much more positive: Heath Slater got a contract! While Bray Wyatt is something WWE got absolutely wrong at Backlash, the whole storyline arc with Heath Slater is something they got absolutely right. Despite being used as the company's go-to jobber for years, Slater managed to get himself over simply using his charisma, taking this storyline that easily could've gone nowhere and running with it. A lesser man could've easily quit and gone home with the big fat paycheck he's surely obtained over the years after being humiliated so many times. However, Slater stuck with it, and this tag team title reign is definitely his just reward. The fact that Heath Slater has been quite possibly the most entertaining aspect of the brand split is undoubtedly a huge surprise, but it's also a very welcome one. Rhyno, of course, has done well in his role as the veteran muscle of the team—and let's face it, who doesn't love yelling, "GORE" whenever he crushed the ribs of an unsuspecting opponent?

Finally, we get to the main event of the night. I have to admit, the whole dichotomy going into this match was very interesting. About three months ago, when Dean Ambrose first won the WWE World Championship on the night when all three former member of the Shield held the belt at one point, fans rejoiced. He was far and away the most popular member of the former Hounds of Justice at that point, popular with casual and hardcore fans alike. However, during the title match this past Sunday, fans seemed to be very much pulling for his opponent AJ Styles to win the belt. Whether this is a result of the former's slightly heelish tendencies during his reign, or the fact that something simply felt as if it was missing throughout, we can't truly say. However, what we can say is that the man who left Richmond carrying the biggest prize in the industry Sunday night is more than deserving of that honor. AJ Styles has a legitimate argument to be the best professional wrestler in the world right now, and the belt he currently holds backs that claim up. Their match itself didn't necessarily tear the house down in Match of the Year-type fashion, but then again, very few do, and it was still an extremely solid matchup. Both guys are extremely good at what they do, and this match confirmed that. Ambrose showed us what he's capable of after a slightly disappointing matchup at Summerslam, and Styles continued what would have to be called an MVP-caliber year for the squared circle veteran with another "phenomenal" showing. This match had all the drama a world title match should have, and although some may be disappointed with the way it ended, here are the facts:
1)AJ Styles is a heel.
2)Heels cheat to win. It's one of the most basic elements of being a villain.
3)Regardless of the outcome, the two best wrestlers in the company as of right now hold its top two championships. I'm not going to complain.

That's what we thought of Backlash! Feel free to leave any comments or responses down below, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter at @WWEreview2

Fantasy Booking Kevin Owens' Universal Title Reign

Some of the best narratives WWE has ever constructed have occurred as results of real-life situations being mixed into storylines. For example, the love triangle between Lita, Edge, and Matt Hardy made it incredibly easy to hate Lita as a lying, cheating scumbag. The infamous Summer of Punk storyline where CM Punk's contract legitimately was about to expire had fans legitimately questioning if the Second-City Saint would stay int he company. Simply put, when two quality superstars have some sort of true, real-life connection that fans know about, it is incredibly easy to produce entertaining programming. That's why the first big-time feud of Kevin Owens' Universal Title reign simply has to be against. Sami Zayn.
By now, it's a well-known fact that Zayn and Owens have been very good friends for over a decade. Traveling the world together from promotion to promotion, the duo have fought with and against each other for longer than many current WWE fans have even been alive. Therefore, there is no conclusion more fitting to their remarkably parallel journeys throughout the world of professional wrestling than to have the two fight at Wrestlemania for the Universal Championship.
Imagine this: for the next couple of months, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn each go about business as usual. KO defends his title against the likes of Cesaro and Roman Reigns, coming out on top each time—through devious methods if WWE feels the need to protect Roman, since Owens is a heel, after all—all the while producing some predictably great programming. Zayn, meanwhile, finds himself in the U.S. title picture versus Rusev, an always-reliable way to gain some heat. In the first couple of matches between the two, the Bulgarian Brute initially manages to retain through various cheap methods, garnering even more heat. However, in the third match, Zayn looks poised to defeat Rusev before the champion resorts to a straight-up low blow, ending the match on a DQ. Enraged after having technically lost, Rusev embarks on a post-match rampage, beating a helpless Zayn all over the arena. After doctors come and eventually help Sami backstage, we later learn that the Ultimate Underdog will be out for at least a couple of months due to injury.
Fast forward to the Royal Rumble, and a yet-unbeaten Kevin Owens watches on confidently with WWE World Champion AJ Styles as the battle to face one of them in the main event at Wrestlemania takes place. After a few surprise entrances by Rob van Dam, Bobby Roode, and Nia Jax, the match winds down to a close, with only entrant #30 left to go. As the clock ticks down and the crowd chants, out of sync with the numbers on screen as per usual, the buzzer sounds, and Sami Zayn's music hits. The crowd absolutely erupts as the camera pans over to a look of absolute shock on the face of the formerly unflappable champion Kevin Owens. As Zayn enters the ring, he absolutely cleans house, destroying everyone in sight in a mad frenzy. Finally, as the match calms back down a bit and begins to wind to a close, Zayn eventually dumps out Cesaro to win the 2017 Royal Rumble. The PPV then closes out with Zayn walking right up to Kevin Owens, staring him square in the face, and pointing to the Wrestlemania sign.
Quite frankly, the rivalry between these two men has the potential to be one of the greatest WWE has ever seen, right up there with the likes of Stone Cold vs. the Rock and Jericho vs. Michaels. If done right, this feud could not only set up one of the most incredible and deserved main event matches in Wrestlemania history, but also serve as one of the building blocks of the New Era, serving as one of the rare perfect feuds that continues for years and years. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn truly are destined to fight forever.

The significance of Kevin Owens' Universal Title Win

Make no mistake about it: the moment that occurred just three days ago concerning a returning Triple H, Seth Rollins, and the new WWE Universal champion Kevin Owens has the potential to be one of the most significant events WWE has ever seen. 

First and foremost, there's the obvious importance of yet another indie guy holding the main championship on WWE's flagship show. While it was initially guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk who truly paved the way for this to occur, we must remember that the concept is still relatively new. Just a decade ago, the idea of a so-called indie guy holding one of the top championships in the company would've been unthinkable. Now, we live in an era where Jon Moxley, Kevin Steen, and NJPW icon Shinsuke Nakamura are the faces of WWE and NXT respectively. What a time to be alive!

However, despite the numerous similarities that do exist, Kevin Owens is still just a little bit different from some of those other indie guys. In case you've somehow missed the numerous fat jokes JBL and others have thrown at him throughout the years, Kevin Owens is a slight bit larger than most other guys on the roster. This, even more so than his former indie status, would seemingly paint him as a huge liability in a world formerly populated almost exclusively by roided-up beasts who looked more like grizzly bears than humans. This oh-so-deserved crowning of KO as champ signifies that, no matter what sorts of signals WWE may have sent in the past, looks aren't everything. And that's how it should be. When a guy is as good at every single aspect of being a superstar as Kevin Owens, there's no reason why they shouldn't crown him as champ. This apparent change of mindset could of course have been attributed to Vince realizing just how over/good this guy is, or it could possibly have something to do with our next point...

...which is that this victory could signify Triple H gaining more and more influence backstage. Both on and off camera, it's well-known that HHH is a huge fan of Kevin Owens, As is evinced by the amazing success of NXT over the past few years, as much as some may criticize him for the so-called Golden Shovel used to bury superstar after superstar, at the end of the day, Triple H understands what fans want. He knows that we want well-developed storylines, not cheap nonsensical segments simply thrown together at the last second. He knows that we want women to be butt-kicking stars that produce absolute slobberknockers, not just eye candy. And most importantly, he understands that a majority of fans, particularly in the very vocal IWC, want nothing more than good wrestling. And that's what he's given us. Whether it's behind the curtain at NXT orchestrating masterpieces such as Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at Takeover: Brooklyn a year ago, or in the ring such as when he helped Daniel Bryan create one of the most dramatic and satisfying title wins in recent memory at Wrestlemania XXX, Trips has given us quality storylines time after time over the past few years. If WWE plays their cards correctly, this Kevin Owens title reign will be no exception. Not only is there an incredible quantity of absolutely mouthwatering title matches sure to nearly give Internet fans a heart attack that are now possible, but there's also the fact that Seth Rollins is seemingly on the verge of turning face. That's a BIG deal. Like, a huge one. The man who's been the top heel in the company (and arguably its MVP) over the last couple of years is quite possibly about to become a good guy. That's huge, both storyline-wise and for merchandise too. 

Not only was Owens winning the title on Raw one of the most incredible and shocking moments in recent memory, but it could also serve as the catalyst for some of WWE's biggest (and perhaps best) storylines ever. For more on the possibilities of Owens' reign in particular stay tuned for an upcoming article!