WWE Smackdown Live - 7/3/18

WWE Smackdown Live
7/3/18
Century Link Center, Omaha, Nebraska

Quick Results:

1. United States Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) defeated The Miz to retain. 
2. Asuka vs. James Ellsworth ended in a double countout. 
3. Non-title Match: AJ Styles defeated Aiden English w/ Rusev by submission. 
4. Becky Lynch defeated Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay by submission. 
5. Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) defeated The Usos (Jimmy and Jey). 

Blog:

Smackdown opened up with one of the most debated topics in the WWE; Team Hell No. Some fans hate to see Daniel Bryan doing comedy and feel he should be protected until he challenges for the title, while others believe the nostalgia act will help Bryan get more over until he is moved to the main event (assuming he signs a new contract).

Personally, I believe this is a great direction for Daniel Bryan. He is naturally funny and has great chemistry with Kane. Fans have fond memories of the dysfunctional yet successful tag team so this is a good way to draw interest to Smackdown. During Bryan's rise, the tag team division was on fire with the Shield, Usos, Wyatt Family, and Rhodes Bros., so there is no doubt that, even five years later, Team Hell No and the Bludgeon Brothers will steal the show at Extreme Rules.

The bickering between Kane and Bryan was funny and a good callback to their roots. The main event against the Usos was also a good reminder to the matches Team Hell No had in their first run.

Jeff Hardy and The Miz had the second best match of the night. No one believed Miz would win but the crowd was happy to see Jeff Hardy. I am enjoying the "open challenge" so far but would like to see Nakamura with the U.S. title. He needs something to light his character up and he can bring a lot of value to the belt. A long term feud with Jeff Hardy would be great, as both are charismatic and exciting in the ring.

It's good to see Rusev playing a definitive heel. Fans have been wanting to cheer him but will choose AJ Styles over him every time. Rusev laying out AJ after his victory was a good way to heat him up for the title match. The real test will be how Rusev is booked after Extreme Rules. I doubt he will win the title so I am hoping he does not end up back in the lower mid card as a comedy act. AJ continues to be booked well, with a quick submission victory over Aiden English.

On the undercard, Becky Lynch continues her win streak, with a quick win over Peyton Royce. The Iiconics are a great duo but do not need to be protected in the ring in order to get over. Becky is a fan favorite but fans need to see her win in order to believe in her. It is unclear where she is headed, but I am hoping to see her face Asuka for the title.

I am hoping for better things for Asuka and that should start with a win over Carmella for the title. Her segments with Ellsworth were entertaining and I like the vignette featuring the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis game in order to set up the match. However, Asuka has cooled off a lot since her days on Raw and needs the title win in order to gain back her momentum.

Other Thoughts:

I was happy to see Sanity interrupt the New Day's pancake eating contest. New Day is becoming very stale and I find myself not looking forward to their segments anymore. Their matches are solid but their act just doesn't make people laugh anymore. The "internet" wants to see Big E break away from them and go on his own, without an official breakup, which wouldn't be a bad idea. However, there is currently no indication of that. A six man tag against Sanity at Extreme Rules can be fun but I am not looking forward to promos featuring New Day make fun of Sanity.

It's good to see Nakamura should be ready to compete at Extreme Rules despite his dog bite at a house show about two weeks ago.

Match of the Night: Team Hell No vs. The Usos.

Thank you for reading. Be sure to follow wrestlingfightclub.blogspot.com for more content on pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.

• Instagram: @thewfc
• Twitter: @theofficialWFC

WWE Monday Night Raw - 7/2/18

WWE Monday Night Raw
7/2/18
Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Quick Results:

1. Curtis Axel w/ Bo Dallas defeated Matt Hardy. 
2. Authors of Pain (Akem and Rezar) defeated Titus Worldwide (Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews)
3. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre by DQ. 
4. Ember Moon defeated Liv Morgan w/ Sarah Logan. 
5. Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley defeated The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) by DQ.
6. Nia Jax w/ Natalya defeated Mickie James w/ Alexa Bliss. 
7. Braun Strowman defeated Kevin Owens by countout. 

Blog

Holiday editions of WWE programming are usually uneventful and this edition of Raw almost continued that trend until the closing segment.

Kurt Angle officially announced Lashley vs. Reigns at Extreme Rules, and while this match does have sort of a "big fight feel" to it, I would like to see this billed as a number one contender match in order to make it feel more important. The dialogue between Lashley and Reigns, calling each other "ego maniacs" is just weak. Both of them are natural heels but are being held back by portraying babyfaces and being heavily scripted in their promos.

Rollins and Reigns taking on Ziggler and McIntyre was easily the match of the night, despite the non finish. Rollins continues to put on excellent matches and he had some great talent in the ring with him. They did a great job limiting the interactions between Drew McIntyre and Reigns, making fan want to see a one on one match between them. I didn't mind the finish at all, as The Revival attacked Reigns for the dq. This made sense for the match later on in the show with the Revival taking on Reigns and Lashley.

While it would have been great to see Lashley and Reigns have a straight up match against the Revival, the story here was Reigns refusing to tag Lashley in. I am not sure why Reigns hates Lashley so much but the story here was Reigns was "too proud" to tag Lashley in. I am hoping to see Lashley turn full on heel and just attack Reigns going in to their match at Extreme Rules and lighting a fire in their program.

The big visual from Raw was Braun Strowman throwing a porta potty containing Kevin Owens off of the stage. Following this, the ring announcer made it clear that Strowman won the match by countout, taking away the seriousness of this angle. While this segment alone was good, the lead-up to it could have been better. Owens, wearing a Baron Corbin hoodie, made a valid point in asking Angle to send Strowman to counseling like he did to Bayley and Sasha Banks. He also asked Angle to suspend Strowman or fire him. Angle instead makes a match between Owens and Strowman. I am not sure why Angle is condoning Strowman's actions, such as crushing Owens' rental car, but hopefully next week, he will make a logical decision regarding Braun Strowman's actions. Strowman remains a comedy character in the upper mid card so hopefully a conflict with Kurt Angle with heat up Strowman for a future title match against Lesnar. I feel Strowman should be the one to dethrone Lesnar for the Universal title.

I was glad to see Dr. Shelby conducting the counseling between Bayley and Sasha, as it brought back fond memories of the early days of Team Hell No. Unfortunately, these were a big let down. Bayley and Sasha have a believable and relate-able feud, with Bayley constantly getting stabbed in the back by her best friend. Her attack on Sasha last week was well done but this segment was a huge step back. It worked with Kane and Daniel Bryan, who were in a comedy feud, but this was anything but funny.

Speaking of comedy, Finn Balor is someone who should not attempt to be a comedy character. His joke about Corbin's haircut wasn't funny but I am glad he was able to get the upper hand on Corbin. These are two guys that have potential to be big stars but need the support of creative to do it. Both guys are in their mid 30's so hopefully that support comes sooner rather than later.

Other Thoughts:

The AoP are on a good run right now, running through teams, and I hope it is a few months or so until we see them challenge for the titles. The B Team continue their winning streak, but with Bray's injury (due to his wreckless driving), it will be hard to keep people interested in this feud with just one on one matches.

I am not sure how many suspended wrestlers are given promo time on Raw but that was a good way to keep Ronda Rousey in people's minds. Until she returns, the women's division seems to be on hold. No one expects Mickie James to win and I doubt Nia Jax will defeat Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules, as the real match fans want to see is Rousey against Bliss.

I would not mind seeing a cruiserweight match on Raw every now and then just to see some fresh faces on this show.

Thank you for reading. Be sure to follow wrestlingfightclub.blogspot.com for more content on pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. 

• Instagram: @thewfc
• Twitter: @theofficialWFC

NJPW New Beginning in Osaka - 2/11/18

NJPW New Beginning in Osaka
2/10/18
Osaka, Japan

Quick Results:

1. Yuji Nagata defeated Katsuya Kitamura
2. Non-title Match: Suzuki Gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) w/ Rocky Romero. 
3. Togi Makabe. Michael Elgin, KUSHIDA, and Rysuke Taguchi defeated Suzuki Gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taka Michinoku, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka). 
4. Chaos (Jay White, Toru Yano, and Tomohiro Ishii) defeated Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and Toa Henare. 
5. Bushi defeated Gedo. 
6. Tetsuya Naito defeated Yoshi-Hashi. 
7. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) defeated Hiromu Takahashi to retain. 
8. NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) defeated EVIL to retain. 
9. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Sanada to retain. 

Blog:

Going in to this show, I do not believe the crowd expected a title change. However, Sanada's (and Okada's) performance in the main event did a great job in making the live crowd believe that this would be Sanada's night. The undercard featured about 3 premier matches while the rest were sort of there to just further some stories.

I like the trial series that Kitamura is going through, as working with veterans is a good way for him to polish up in the ring. His match with Nagata was a solid opener, however I would have liked to see him get the win here. He is in prime shape while Nagata is on the tail end of his career. They could say that Nagata's experience won him the match but I was not a fan of the result.

The Jr. Heavyweight tag match probably would have been a better opener. 3K and Suzuki Gun had a great match that told the story of Sho's back injury, causing his team to lose by submission. This was great, as every time 3K looked to end the match, Sho's back would give out, making him unable to perform a move. This will probably lead to a tag title match for Suzuki Gun but I hope to see 3K retain the belts. 

It was strange that Desperado and Yoshinobu did not stick around for the next match. The babyfaces attacking Suzuki-Gun before the match was a great call, since Suzuki Gun usually jumps them. The match was pretty much a showcase for Makabe and Suzuki, as everyone else did not really contribute much. Makabe will eventually challenge Suzuki for the Intercontinental title. This wasn't a good use of Elgin and KUSHIDA who could have had a better match elsewhere on the card. 

Jay White getting his own entrance despite being a member of Chaos was great and it made him seem like more of a star. His "Switchblade" character is coming along great, despite a slow start. He was the star of this match and his finish via ref stoppage was great. He refused to get the pin and instead kept striking Henare until the referee stopped the match. 

Rey Mysterio appeared on the big screen and challenged Jushin Liger to a match. This is a great get for New Japan and should get them a lot of buzz.

Bushi and Gedo had a better match that I expected. LIJ is very over in Japan so the evil looking Bushi was treated as a babyface. Gedo played heel while trying to rip off the mask while Bushi had hedge clippers to cut off Gedo's beard. As ridiculous as it was, I enjoyed this match.

 Yoshi-Hashi and Naito had the match of the night up to this point (and the same would hold true for the Ospreay/Takahashi match). Yoshi-Hashi dominated most of the match before losing to two Desitino's by Naito. Yoshi-Hashi looked strong here and looks to be moving his way up the card. The announcers brought up how he has never won a title in New Japan and that can be a great storyline moving forward. Naito was attacked by Taichi after the match which the announcers acknowledged but then quickly moved on. A storyline feud between LIJ and Suzuki-Gun can be great but this was a strange start to it.

Will Ospreay continues to impress while Hiromu was able to hang with the "Aerial Assassin". This was a fast paced match in the beginning that slowed down at times to sell an Ospreay neck injury but then it continued. Hiromu had some good nearfalls after blocking the Oscutter twice. While I can't name all the spots in this match, Ospreay hit a reverse rana off the top rope and an inverted 450 while Hiromu hit a great Canadian Destroyer type move. Ospreay finally gets the win following an Oscutter and this was again, the match of the night up to this point.

Evil and Goto had to follow this match which was not an easy task. Goto gets the win but this match was placed poorly here.

As mentioned earlier, on paper it looked like Okada would win but both men worked hard and gave Sanada some believable nearfalls here. Sanada hit a piledriver on the entrance ramp and one in the ring later on in order to weaken Okada and give the sense that the champ was in danger. Sanada even hit a Rainmaker while Okada locked in the Skull End dragon sleeper move. The crowd was buying Sanada as a main eventer here. Okada got the win as expected but this match was unbelievably good. This was a long match timewise but it flew by. They had the crowd from start to finish. Okada will compete in the New Japan cup this year.

Overall, this was another strong card from New Japan. The order of matches could have been changed up a bit but the show itself was great. Most matches served a purpose, whether it was to set up a title match or to highlight a certain talent. The eight man tag was the low point of the show for me while the Jr. Heavyweight and Heavyweight title matches were the two standouts.

Match of the Night: Tetsuya Naito vs. Sanada
Honorable Mention: Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Thank you for reading. Be sure to follow wrestlingfightclub.blogspot.com for more content on pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.

Royal Rumble 2018 Predictions

WWE Royal Rumble
1/28/18
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Note: The Pre-show matches are not included in this post.

Match Card:

1. Smackdown Tag Team Championship 2 out of 3 Falls: The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) (c) vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. 
2. Raw Tag Team Championship: Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan (c) vs. The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro). 
3. WWE Championship Handicap Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. 
4. Universal Championship Triple Threat Match: Brock Lesnar (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs, Braun Strowman vs. Kane
5. 1st Annual Women's Royal Rumble Match: 30 Participants. 
6. Men's Royal Rumble Match: 30 Participants.

Predictions:


The WWE has not done a great job building up to the 2018 Royal Rumble, making this a difficult event to predict. One might argue that their focus is currently on declining television ratings leading in to Raw 25, but the Royal Rumble is the official start of the "Road to Wrestlemania". Recent Royal Rumbles usually have one or two wrestlers with a ton of momentum going in, making it a fairly easy one to predict but that is not the case this year (at least for the men's rumble match).

The Smackdown tag title match might be a show stealer. Gable and Benjamin have gelled well together while the Usos are the best duo in all of WWE. With that said, I feel the WWE will keep the titles on the Usos and push this feud a little longer, going in to Wrestlemania. If anything, I feel the newly babyfaced Usos will end up facing the Bludgeon Brothers at some point.

Prediction: The Usos will retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.

The Raw tag team title match should be entertaining, only due to the dynamic between Rollins and Jordan. They each play their roles really well, and while the match should be good, I do not see it being better than the Smackdown tag title match. Since Rollins and Jordan are a reluctant team, and due to the frequent tag title changes, I do not believe they will win here. Sheamus and Cesaro are a better act with the tag team titles anyway.

Prediction: Sheamus and Cesaro will win the Raw Tag Team Championship. 

Usually, World titles matches at the Royal Rumble are easy to predict, and this one is no different. Owens and Zayn are a great act, but neither of them come off as "main eventers" in this current role. Owens is a top level talent, no doubt, but this comedic character should not be the champion during Wrestlemania season. Zayn is a top level babyface who has not been given a chance yet. AJ Styles is the best wrestler in the WWE now and he should be facing someone like Nakamura or Orton at Wrestlemania, defending his title.

Prediction: AJ Styles will retain the WWE Championship. 

The Universal title match is probably the biggest non-rumble match on this show. Strowman has gained a lot of momentum recently with his actions on Raw, such as dropping scaffolding, flipping over a truck, and throwing Michael Cole off the stage. This extra emphasis on Strowman leads me to believe he will not win and is just being built up in order to be protected. The consensus is that Kane will be pinned by Lesnar and I have no reason to doubt that. WWE has too much money invested in Brock to take the title off of him here.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar will retain the Universal Championship.

The first ever women's Royal Rumble match has already gotten criticism. Virtually no one is a fan of the way Stephanie McMahon introduced the match, causing babyfaces and heels to stop brawling and chant "Yes". The loss of Paige also hurt this match. However, I do believe this match will be memorable. The talent in this match, without Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, and Paige is still great. Becky Lynch, Naomi, and of course, Asuka, along with surprise entrants, are going to make this match great. As for the winner, there is no one on the roster as strong as Asuka. As much I would like Becky Lynch to win here, there is no doubt WWE is behind the Empress of Tomorrow.

Predicion: Asuka will win the first ever women's Royal Rumble match. 

As for the men's Rumble, there are still a lot of empty slots available. While the women's rumble will most likely feature surprise entrants and NXT call-ups, I see the men's rumble being filled with lower card wrestlers. I can see Strowman entering the match but that is about it. Roman Reigns is the clear favorite to win this match, leading to a match against Lesnar at Wrestlemania. The other likely (albeit less likely) favorite is Shinsuke Nakamura in order to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in a Wrestle Kingdom rematch. Finn Balor, believe it or not, is also a strong candidate given his recent push on television. With all of this said, the WWE firmly believes Roman Reigns is "the guy" and that is all that matters. He will win the Royal Rumble and will face Brock Lesnar in a Wrestlemania rematch.

Prediction: Roman Reigns will win the Royal Rumble match. 

Predictions for the Future: Reigns will most likely dethrone Lesnar at Wrestlemania. I also believe we will get AJ vs. Nakamura at Wrestlemania but through other means (maybe a tournament on Smackdown). Asuka will win the title from Bliss while Charlotte will spin off into a feud with Becky Lynch. The next big act in the WWE is the Balor Club and I believe they will have a six man tag at Wrestlemania, against Miz, Sheamus, and Cesaro.

Let's see how this goes...

Thank you for reading. Be sure to follow wrestlingfightclub.blogspot.com for more content on pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.

UFC on Fox: Jacare vs. Brunson 2 - 1/27/18

UFC on Fox: Jacare vs. Brunson 2
1/27/18
Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Main Card

1. Frank Camacho (12-5) vs. Drew Dober (18-8, 1NC) - Welterweight Division

Round 1: Camacho scored two takedowns during the round by inside trip, making me see the fight 10-9 for Camacho. 

Round 2: This round consisted of striking by both fighters but Dober was able to outland Camacho. 10-9 round Dober. 

Round 3: Camacho scores another takedown but Dober escaped. Dober landed significant strikes but Camacho dominated the final minute. 10-9 round for Camacho. 

Decision: Drew Dober wins via Unanimous Decision after 3 rounds. 

2. Jordan Rinaldi (13-5) vs. Gregor Gillespie (10-0) - Lightweight Division

Round 1: Gregor Gillespie scored a takedown and landed strikes for the TKO win in the final 15 seconds. 

Decision: Gregor Gillespie wins via TKO in the 1st round. 

3. Andre Fili (17-5) vs. Dennis Bermudez (16-7) - Featherweight Division

Round 1: Fili landed significant strikes followed by a single leg but Bermudez was able to escape. Bermudez landed leg kicks but gets taken down by Fili. Bermudez was able to escape before the round ened. 10-9 Fili. 

Round 2: Fili lands a double leg but Bermudez immediately escapes. Bermudez lands more leg kicks but gets caught with a left hook by by Fili. Fili is able to secure another takedown by Bermudez once again escapes. 10-9 Fili. 

Round 3: Fili lands a big uppercut. Bermudez accidentally knees Fili in the groin. Bermudez lands strikes and secures a takedown to win the round. Bermudez 10-9. 

Decision: Andre Fili wins via Split Decision after 3 rounds. 

4. Jacare Souza (24-5) vs. Derek Brunson (18-5)

Round 1: Souza lands a head kick and strikes on the mat for the Knockout win. 

Decision: Jacare Souza wins via KO in the 1st round. 

Blog:

The announcers noted that the judges at cageside were boxing judges and questioned if they had ever seen a takedown following the decision of the Camacho/Dober fight. I had scored that fight for Camacho and the takedowns were a big part of that. 

Gregor Gillespie remained undefeated here and will definitely be a featherweight contender in the near future. 

Andre Fili had a good performance during the first two rounds, reading the leg kicks and timing his takedowns accordingly. He seemed to be tired out during the third round, so the cup shot might have been a lucky break. I was afraid the results would be similar to the Camacho/Dober fight, with the judges disregarding takedowns, but the right fighter won here. 

Jacare looked happy and calm going in to the cage today. His confidence was evident in his performance. While I guessed he would win, I did not think it would be a first round knockout. Tough break for Brunson but this was a dominant performance by Jacare. 

Fight of the Night: Andre Fili vs. Dennis Bermudez

Performance of the Night: Jacare Souza

Thank you for reading. Be sure to follow wrestlingfightclub.blogspot.com for more content on pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.