Good evening! I thought it might be a good time to write some more sports coverage, even though many people don't consider professional wrestling a true sport because everything is scripted and choreographed. Perhaps, sports entertainment would be a good label for the WWE. Clash of Champions was the WWE's most recent pay per view and it featured a card of title matches. That means every belt was on the line. I'll give you a short post about my favorite elements, disappointments, and biggest surprises. Let's see what happened at last weekend's event.
Clash of Champions opened with a triple threat match for the Cruiserweight Championship with Drew Gulak, Lince Dorado, and Humberto Carillo. I won't make you feel confused with a long list of wrestling moves. Basically, I felt a little bit disappointed because this match wasn't memorable. Usually, I enjoy the cruiserweight matches with faster and more acrobatic wrestlers. I thought Carillo might take the belt, but Drew Gulak retained it with his signature finisher and a pinfall. In a way, I appreciated that part because Gulak's title run is pretty cool, but the overall match was slow and boring. After that, AJ Styles defended the United States Championship against Cedric Alexander. This match was much better with a fun set of moves, athleticism, and plenty of energy. Alexander is getting more screen time this year and I'm glad. He's a talented wrestler who moved from the cruiserweight division to the main roster, but that can be a perilous transition because many newcomers become an afterthought. Ultimately, Styles retained the title and I figured it would happen. The match showcased Styles as a heel, but I'm not crazy about that part because he's not an effective villain. Regardless, the match was great. Fan favorites, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman, defended the Raw Tag Team Championships against Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler. Shockingly, Roode and Ziggler took the belts from Rollins and Strowman. I actually like Robert Roode, but he and Ziggler aren't popular wrestlers, whereas Rollins and Strowman are wrestling staples. The match was pretty short and I felt somewhat perplexed. Perhaps, management could have a future storyline for this title run. Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair by pinfall to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship. Personally, I found this match unmemorable too. I expected a lot more from two wrestlers who have a lot of skill, experience, and talent. The match wasn't bad; however, it seemed more like a typical feature on a house show instead of a pay per view. I'm tired of watching Charlotte lose, but the WWE obviously has big plans for Bayley. Recently, her tag team partner named Sasha Banks resurfaced, so we're probably going to see a lot of action with them in the future. The New Day defended the SmackDown Tag Team Champion against The Revival. Wrestling fans might get upset at me, but I didn't care about this match. It was really short and I don't care about these teams. Lately, the WWE tag teams have been lackluster. Both of these teams have really lame gimmicks. Surprisingly, The Revival took the titles away from The New Day. I thought The New Day would win because they're insanely popular, but it seems like the WWE is giving opportunities to some of the company's underdogs. I guess we'll see what happens. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defeated Fire and Desire (aka Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville) to retain the Women's Tag Team Championship. Actually, I think this was one of the better matches. It was fun to see Bliss and Cross win. By the way, Bliss was sporting a Harley Quinn outfit. It seems like their onscreen partnership is progressing and Cross seems to have a likeable persona. Bliss might be manipulating her tag team partner, but an interesting storyline seems to be cooking. Shinsuke Nakamura defended the Intercontinental Championship against The Miz and won by pinfall. This match was also forgettable. The Miz used to be one of the WWE's most prominent wrestlers, but he rarely wins matches anymore. I'm not sure what's happening. Overall, the match was short and unimpressive. I guess this match was on the card because all of the championships were on the line. Luckily, I was really entertained by the Raw Women's Championship match between Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. This match was a combination of great wrestling moves, power, skill, and aggression. Both of these superstars are very talented. Lynch is probably the most popular superstar in the WWE and this match also played up Banks as a heel. In the end, Lynch lost the match via disqualification for hitting Banks with a steel chair. By the way, Banks had it coming. Fortunately, champions don't lose their belts from disqualifications, so Lynch retains the Raw Women's Championship. However, that wasn't the end of the confrontation. Lynch continued to throw her opponent all over the place, including outside the ring, backstage, etc. It was incredibly entertaining. I have a feeling we're going to see a big feud between these two wrestlers. After that, Kofi Kingston defeated Randy Orton by pinfall to retain the WWE Championship. It was a very strong match with a lot of contrast. Kingston is a high flyer and quick on his feet while Orton is really strong and difficult to wear down. Even though I enjoyed the match, it was pretty much a throw away. I figured Kingston was going to retain the title because the WWE is still running his main storyline. Honestly, I don't think he's going to lose the WWE Championship until WrestleMania or another pay per view further down the road. The penultimate match was the only fight without a championship on the line. Roman Reigns faced Erick Rowan, building off a feud that was created on Raw and SmackDown. The match wasn't particularly impressive, but I appreciate the storyline. Reigns is a great wrestler, but Rowan isn't very impressive. For some reason, Rowan tried to injure or kill Reigns backstage during several house shows. It's kind of like a soap opera plot that's still going on. I didn't care about the match, but it would be nice to see what happens to this story as the house shows continue. Finally, Seth Rollins battled Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship. Yes, they fought along side of each other to defend the Raw Tag Team Championships. These guys are allies and foes at the same time. This match was quite exciting and impressive. Rollins is a faster and more atheltic wrestler while Strowman is powerful and intimidating. It was a lot of fun, although I figured Rollins would retain the championship. Naturally, he won, but the next part was unexpected. A character called The Fiend showed up and attacked Rollins after the match was done. So, Rollins kept his title, but The Fiend beat him up. Basically, The Fiend is a wrestler who wears a creepy mask and randomly attacks some of the WWE's most popular superstars. It definitely seems like a major pay per view match is being set up for Rollins and The Fiend. I wouldn't be suprised if The Fiend takes the Universal Championship at some point. Well, Clash of Champions ended on a peculiatr note and some of the matches were disappointing. But some of the matches were very good and I'm looking forward to more storylines that are still developing. The WWE is also facing major changes in the near future. SmackDown is leaving USA and moving to FOX. NXT recently left the WWE Network and premiered on USA. There's going to be a huge draft for Raw and SmackDown starting on Monday because the brands aren't going to cross over anymore. I assume the two brands will only mix on the pay per view events. We probably won't see NXT superstars on the flagship shows anymore unless they move to the main roster, but that part will become more clear within the next few weeks. Are you a wrestling fan or do you simply fail to see the appeal? Leave a comment. Stay tuned for more sports posts and my usual content, such as steampunk, movies, games, etc. Thanks a lot for checking out my blog and have a good week. Bye!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2019
Categories |