2 hours in and awakening from a bit of a RAW coma that
usually sets in about now, if I decide to watch live. I’ve found skimming
through the following day can be a bit less painless. But thought I’d try
another alternative: step away from the 180 minute plus marathon (don’t worry,
it’s on in the background) and the barrage of live tweeting, and do some
writing about the previous week in wrestling. And if they’re all like last
week, it would be a pleasure. Between a fantastic NXT, a Smackdown with a
couple very bright spots, a Lucha Underground that finds the show coming into
its own, and a RAW which, at the very least, shows signs of shaking off some of
the shackles of monotony and getting on a few interesting turn arounds and
returns. TNA was…there. All this and not a minute left to devote to ROH or New
Japan Pro Wrestling.
Let’s start with NXT, the crown jewel and saving grace of
the Network, which was firing on all cylinders this past week. If they are
turning up the intensity to showcase what prospective subscribers can get as
they get their free preview of the Network this November, then job well done
and mission accomplished. But since this is a show with several episodes taped
at once and in advance, it’s more likely the result of careful planning and inspired
booking. Finn Balor , the WFKA Prince Devitt, came out looking ripped,
delivered a solid promo to be interrupted by Tyson Kidd, one of the brand’s
best talkers who would make a mark on Smackdown this same week. It lead to a
swift and satisfying tag team match in which Finn and Hideo Itami, the WFKA
Kenta, took out Kidd and Justin Gabriel with a battery of brutal kicks, and an
impossibly fluid flying takedown by Finn onto Kidd and Gabriel on the outside.
The Lucha Dragons also defended their titles in a solid
tagteam match, with the wrestler presently known as Sin Cara redeeming the name
Sin Cara and Kalisto hitting an incredible flip to the outside. I hope these
guys are treated right; they are surpassing my expectations when they first
started teaming together.
Finally, there’s nothing like a main event that you feel
invested in, that features teo very strong competitors, and a result has
consequence. This is what we got in Sami Zayn’s match taking on Adrian Neville. After a match that was surely a tease of just how far these two can
go, we get a shady screw job of sorts with Zayn checking on Neville, who is
claiming an injured knee after missing his brilliant arial Red Arrow finisher
from the top. It might’ve felt a bit gimmicky but some smart moves were made
keeping things up in the air as far as Neville’s heel status – not quite a full
turn – and the fact that the injury could’ve been legit, at least a legit work
and not Neville making it up all along. It is likely to build to increasing
tension between the two and a very impressive title match between the two at
the Next NXT special.
Ok, time for some conjecture. I know the mode of NXT thus
far has been to groom and push talent until they are ready for the eventual
move up to the main Roster, where they either rise to the top (The Shield,
Rusev) or simply round out the roster (Bo Dallas, Adam Rose). But with newly
acquired superstars in their own right like Kenta and Devitt, along with
mainstays who had come on the scene with their own trail of experience behind
them (Zayn/El Generico, Neville/PAC) what if there were a shift to make NXT
more of a destination of its own? What if completely in house wrestlers
continued to be prepared for the main roster – I can see Tyler Breeze on his
way – but keeping the guys mentioned before, soon to be joined by Kevin Steen,
as a focal point of a very slick talent-centric brand? Could it function like
this in a 2 hour mode? Really make the Network appealing? Bring in other
reputable guys from other companies and indies before Lucha Underground and
hmmm, maybe Global Force Wrestling grab them up? Have them remain the center of
NXT’s action while making occasional appearances on the main roster? I can
imagine this rebooted NXT giving us dream matches between, say Devitt and a
some day acquired Austin Aries…
Let’s get into the other hour long show to hit airwaves this
week, Lucha Underground. Before this third week, I did not have much love for
the show. I harped on the fact that it felt overproduced and the audience
reactions, a steady level of shouting from beginning to end with no ups and
downs, did not feel hard earned, thus not genuine. It did not help that its
home, the El Rey Network is not easy to come by. I don’t get it. So, watching
it after the fact through dubious sources takes a bit of the shine off the
experience. Yet the important thing is week 3 is making the vibe of the show
gel together. A bigger assortment of wrestlers have been introduced, with some
guys maintaining a steady presence and others adding some nice variety to the
mix. Unsurprisingly, the thing that brought it home for me was closest to what
an outsider like myself might consider a traditional lucha match: a triple
threat showdown between three masked luchadors. It was filled with mind blowing
spots. I want more of this. While I appreciate the desire to show something
encapsulating a number of styles, I have a lot less interest in the non-lucha
guys so far. Am I compelled to make my way to week 4, though? Absolutely.
It’s hard to say much about TNA. Not in it’s lowest of lows,
but far from great, it is showing slow and steady signs of improvement that are
sadly too late, as it doesn’t seem like it has a future. I didn't see all of
it. As for what was worth talking about, I’ve got to shout out Samuel Shaw.
After being handed terrible gimmick after terrible gimmick, the guy has
maintained a charisma and a decent showing throughout. The crazy couple gimmick
he is in now with Brittany is actually pretty good. The black rubber gloves he
wears during matches is a nice freakish touch. So, while it may all be moot
anyway, it pains me to see them treat him as a throw away character time and
again, as in book him to lose. In a decent hardcore match, he lost to Gunner
who is physically impressive, but as a well-rounded pro wrestler with a vision,
I’m left cold. Him no selling excruciating looking spots does not impress.
Neither does yelling crass obscenities in the heel valet’s face, not if you’re
trying to get over as a face anyway.
This doesn't strike me as a persona with a future. On the other hand,
Shaw and Brittany running wild like Woody and Juliette in Natural Born Killers
is an intriguing pair that is far more deserving of a push. Aries was solid as
always and helped made the match with Lashley a good one. To me he is the guy most deserving of greener
pastures if TNA can’t make it to 2015.
OK then, as far as the big leagues. Smackdown continues to
prove my theory that it has a team of writers and bookers behind it doing
better work than the RAW crew. For whatever reason, maybe as simple as the fact
that 3 hours is bloated and 2 hours is less excess to muck around with? Matches
for the most part seem better, and here I’ll only talk about one: Ziggler vs
Tyson Kidd vs Cesaro. This was some of the best spot-filled wrestling action
I’ve seen, well worth seeking out and giving a look. Aside from the odd
decision to add a stipulation that it was an elimination match, which seemed to
only serve the purpose of continuing the burial of Cesaro and giving fodder for
the uninspiring commentary team to tee off on Kidd, it was an excellent
showcase of their talent.
And finally, the monstrosity, the juggernaut…RAW. After week
after week of frustrating booking centered around the same 4 – 6 talents, it is
nice to see them putting some new moves in motion. The emergence of Luke Harper
on the main event scene was odd, but very welcome. The guy is extremely
talented. The return of Ryback, while going through some muddled turns this
week, is a nice change up as well. Goes to show, sometimes the best way to make
us want someone is to make them go away for a while. Hard to believe this is
the same guy who has been in mediocre heel tag team purgatory for such a long
time. I wonder how long he will keep our interest? It seems as long as you let
people chant feed me more, he’s golden.
For now, it gives much needed options. I’m guessing the absence of Orton
will have a similar effect on him when he makes his return.
Last of all, I’ll talk about one of my favorite things to
see on Raw and Smackdown: the heel turn of Adam Rose. While not an important
figure, I love seeing plans gone awry being problem solved, and the tweaking of
the obvious miss of a baby face gimmick into heel territory is a nice
correction. Watching him work heel, you can see it is a very natural fit. They
could’ve made him disappear completely and return to his South African
brutalizer persona once worn in NXT, but I actually think the Adam Rose heel
twist is perfect. When I first saw Rose on NXT, he was in fact a heel for me.
That generic soulless light beer commercial theme song, the trendy followers
all scream heel. I hope he keeps all of this moving forward. All he had to do
was grow a bit more facial hair, apply that eye liner a bit more heavily, and
make his facial expressions a bit more vain and superficial looking and I’m
sold on an entertaining villain. Add in one of my favorite forms of heel heat –
beating up the mascot – and we’ve got a really good thing going. One must
remember that with WWE, you never know if their end game is what makes sense or
the result of other agendas. If they are pushing Rose toward a match with the
Bunny, and putting the Bunny over for cheap comedy, it will be seriously
painful. Hopefully they get whatever that is out of their system and keep Adam
Rose the heel with the empty headed entourage. I can see some solid feuds with
Chris Jericho, the new incarnation of Woods, Kofi, and Big E, or even some
fodder for the once again fan favorite Ryback being solid wrestling.
I love to dole out
opinions and welcome yours. Leave some feedback, let the verbal throw down
begin! And catch me on twitter @mondocurrymark
