Matches of the Week 29/08-05/09

Outside the ring, this past week has not been a good one for wrestling; Jimmy Snuka was suspended from his WWE Legends contract after being implicated in the death of his 1983 girlfriend, Bram was released from TNA due to charges of domestic assault and false imprisonment along with the non-fatal shooting outside WWE's Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida. Inside the ring, wrestling hasn't faired much better. An insipid RAW was followed by a tepid Smackdown and TNA continued to fight off their annual invading foe, GFW.

In better wrestling news, PWG held their annual Battle of Los Angles, or Bola, at Reseda, California. As I don't live in California I have absolutely no idea what happened and have to wait for the release of the DVDs in a few weeks time. I anticipate 90% of the matches at BOLA to be better than those named on this week's list but they will have to wait until another time. Instead, this week's matches of the week begin with the rejuvenation of a formerly floundering weekly NXT television show. This week's NXT marked the beginning of the Dusty Rhodes tag team classic; a tournament assembling NXT's finest tag teams to compete in the honour of Dusty Rhodes' name.

Chad Gable & Jason Jordan vs Neville & Solomon Crowe

Earlier in the night, a returning Descension were defeated by the team of Rhyno and Baron Corbin in the first match of the Dusty Rhodes classic. Ready, willing, and Gable, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable make their way to the ring to compete in the Dusty Rhodes tag team classic and main event of the evening. The makeshift team of Solomon Crowe and first time WWE Network NXT Champion Neville make their way to the ring next- a small point of anguish here; I may be wrong but I have not heard of what the winners of the tournament will receive as a prize. At times like this, it is clear what Dario Cueto would do: the winning team competes in a one on one match to determine the number one contender for the NXT Championship. Anyways, unlikely scenarios aside Crowe and Gable get things under way.

After trading various holds, Solomon Crowe gains the upper hand after delivering a flapjack to the former amateur wrester, Gable, before tagging in Neville. Chants of Neville ring around Full Sail before Gable, too, tags in his partner. Jordan immediately attempts a suplex but Neville lands on his feet before cartwheeling across the ring. Again, Jordan attempts a german suplex but Neville lands on his feet. After several forearm blows, Jordan connects with a belly to belly suplex this time as Gable and Jordan work over Neville in the corner. Jason Jordan takes the opportunity to cool down Gable by waving his towel in his direction before Neville makes the tag to Crowe. Solomon Crowe doesn't fair much better as Jordan immediately applies a chin lock- after Crowe escapes thanks to the ropes, Jordan tags in Gable, who applies a bow and arrow submission hold before Crowe reverses into a pinning predicament. Neville, coming in off the hot tag, dodges the offence of Gable before delivering a series of kicks followed by a cross body. An enziguri in the corner places Jordan in position for the Red Arrow but Gable pulls Jordan to the safety of the outside- Neville, meanwhile still positioned on the top rope, redirects a moonsault to the outside that grounds Jordan as a tope con hilo by Crowe grounds Gable. Neville rolls Jordan back into the ring before attempting a springboard elbow- Jordan, impressively, catches Neville before delivering a beautiful belly to belly suplex that sends Neville halfway across the ring back to his corner.

Crowe tags himself in before connecting with several knees in the corner- after rebounding off the ropes for a cross body, Jordan catches Crowe this time before delivering a beautiful belly to belly. Jordan tags in his partner as Gable and Jordan perform an assisted bridging saito suplex for the three count.

This was a really excellent match. Gable and Jordan, as a team, have potential to really make an impact not just in NXT but on the main roster,too. In the mould of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, Gable and Jordan will have a great deal of success in WWE, particularly Jason Jordan. Jordan's suplexes were excellent all match and, combined with his look, he has the potential to be one of the few NXT success stories on the main roster.

Chris Mordetzky vs Lashley

Available to watch here. 

Eight years ago, Bobby Lashley was the first man to break out of Chris Masters' Master Lock. Now, under completely different circumstances, Lashley met Chris Mordetzky, formerly Chris Masters, in a match pitting TNA's most muscular mound of flesh against GFW's most muscular mound of flesh.

As the bell rings, both competitors lock up in a stalemate. A shoulder block take down barely makes an impression on Lashley before a clothesline doesn't make an impression on Mordetzky. After a failed "Mordetzky Lock", Mordetzky begins work on Lashley's lower back before applying a chin lock. Powering out the hold, Lashley sends Mordetzky to the outside on a collision course with the barricade. Both men trade blows around the outside before Mordetzky sends Lashley into the ring post- Mordetzky, after rolling the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion back in the ring, delivers a butterfly suplex for a near fall.

A series of forearm blows by Lashley allow him to regain some control before a double clothesline grounds both men. Lashley is the first to his feet and connects with a german suplex before delivering a spear into the turnbuckle. After a beautiful delayed vertical suplex, Lashley attempts a spear but misses- Mordetzky looks to lock in the Mordetzky Lock but Lashley powers out before delivering The Dominator. Lashley successfully connects with the spear this time before members of the GFW locker room come rushing to the aid of Mordetzky resulting in the match ending in a no contest.

This was an enjoyable match between two of the most jacked men in the industry. Insufferable commentary by Josh Matthews and Pope detracted from a good match here, though. According to Pope, "GFW is piggy backing off TNA"- an interesting assessment of the invasion angle considering TNA has barely been able to carry its own weight for in excess of two years now. Anyway, TNA rant aside, this was a perfectly good match that put over Mordetzky as a legitimate threat to Lashley and sets up a bigger mathc between the two in the near future.

Jay Lethal vs Hanson 

Available to watch here.

Few have had a better 2015 than ROH World & Television Champion, Jay Lethal. After defending the ROH Television Championship the most times in ROH, Jay Lethal earned the right to compete against Jay Briscoe at Best in the World in a winner takes both the TV Championship and the World Championship- a match he won and in doing so became the first person to pin Briscoe in over two years. After defeating Lethal in a non title match up several weeks ago, Hanson was granted an opportunity to face Lethal for the ROH Television championship on this week's ROH TV.

Accompanied to the ring, as ever, by Truth Martini, Jay Lethal arrives after Hanson. Surprisingly, Jay Lethal adheres to the code of honour as the match gets under way. After an initial exchange, Hanson tosses Lethal into the corner. Hanson's size advantage allows him to stay on top with several strikes to the back of Lethal's head followed by multiple knees to the gut. An attempted power slam is escaped by Lethal as an enziguri sends Hanson reeling to the outside.

Lethal, after connecting with q trifecta of tope suicidas to the outside, rags Hanson's beard before spiking it on the ropes. A big back body drop allows Hanson to mount some offence- a body slam is followed by multiple stomps to the chest before Lethal escapes a dead lift vertical suplex only to run into a clothesline. An attempted Bronco Buster is blocked by a knee to the groin by Lethal- referee Todd Sinclair determines the blow was unintentional as the match rolls on. Lethal, taking advantage, heads up to the top rope and connects with a diving elbow for a near fall. Lethal, whilst setting up the Lethal Injection, is distracted by Bobby Fish on commentary before Hanson connects with a variation of the Lethal Injection culminating in an elbow. Hanson misses with a lariat before a superkick unbalances the 300+ pound man- Lethal connects with the Lethal Injection but Hanson bounces straight back up. A second Lethal Injection allows Jay Lethal to pick up the victory.

Sure, Lethal has had many matches better than this one this year and so too has Hanson but this was a solid match that was very obviously edited to conform to time constraints. Still, what was shown was very entertaining and one of the better matches from this week.

Genichiro Tenryu & Katsuyori Shibata vs Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Lizuka

Available to watch here

After several years absence, the legendary Genichiro Tenryu returned to NJPW this past week as he prepares for his official retirement match against Kazuchika Okada on the 15th November. Tenryu, on his return, teamed up with Shibata, fresh off a break out performance at the G1 Climax. The team of Tenryu and Shibata teamed up to face Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Lizuka in a good encounter worked around Tenryu's age.

Shibata and Suzuki begin the match and immediately Suzuki taunts Tenryu. After exchanging various holds, Shibata misses with the penalty kick attempted before Suzuki delivers a big boot to Tenryu. Tenryu, angered by the disrespect, tags himself in to a huge roar from the crowd. Suzuki and Tenryu trade chops in the centre of the ring before Suzuki drives the veteran into the corner where Lizuka uses a rope to strangle Tenryu. Suzuki and Lizuka put Tenryu's head in a vice grip between both of their feet before Lizuka is officially tagged in the match for the first time. At this point, the match descends into a brawl across the arena- Lizuka grounds Tenryu with several chair shots before driving a chair into his opponents throat. Meanwhile, Suzuki applies an arm breaker to Shibata whist his arm is placed between a chair.

On returning to the ring, Lizuka strangles Shibata whilst Suzuki distracts the referee. Suzuki, after being tagged in, delivers a series of forearms shots that only appear to galvanise Shibata. Suzuki and Shibata trade multiple fierce forearms strikes whilst somehow managing to stay on their feet-Shibata lands a drop kick allowing him to make the tag to Tenryu. After a series of rapid fire chops in the corner, Tenryu tags Shibata back in as the referee is knocked over. Lizuka takes advantage of the referee's incapacitation by delivering a chair shot to Shibata's back as he rebounded off the ropes. After several forearms and an atomic drop delivered to Shibata, Tenryu comes to his aid with a big lariat to knock Lizuka down. Shibata, after applying the sleeper hold, successfully connects with the Penalty Kick to secure the victory.

After the initial euphoria of seeing Tenryu back in a NJPW ring had worn off, the cold light of day revealed a frail, old man that could not keep up to the pace. Sure, this was the first match in a long time for the former AJPW Triple Crown Champion and it is only natural for a certain amount of ring rust. I do expect him to improve over the coming weeks with more matches. It is going to be interesting to see how Tenryu goes against Okada, a man who wasn't born when Tenryu debuted, on 15th November. I still believe it will be a good match but it will be a test for Okada as much as Tenryu to deliver a worth match up.

SummerSlam Preview

SummerSlam 2015

Oh, boy, NJPW really spoiled this one. Coming live from Brooklyn, NYC, it is the most 'epic' SummerSlam in the history of history. Due to excessive levels of epicness, for the first time in history, the biggest party of the summer will run for four hours in a show that features the resurrection of the undead deadman, a nose more discussed than the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, a bromance that appears to have run its course and a romance that is enough to make even the most ardent romantic feel nauseous.

WWE has pulled out all the stops to bill the 28th annual SummerSlam as the biggest in the company's history. Will SummerSlam live up to the immense hype of WWE's marketing machine? That remains to be seen. But for now, here is my preview of the biggest biggest event of the summer.

Sheamus vs Randy Orton

Straight from bottom of the barrel, with more side headlocks than fans paying attention it is Randy Orton vs Sheamus. Again. In a rivalry no one realised they wanted to see continue, Mr Money in the Bank, Sheamus, faces Randy Orton for what seems like the 4647252 time. Sheamus will be looking to exact his revenge after Orton denied the Celtic Warrior the opportunity to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on RAW a couple of weeks back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of both Sheamus and Randy Orton but the continuation of this rivalry does neither man any favours. So many opportunities lay wasted whilst this rivalry chugs along in second gear with no end in sight. Why has Orton, who was nowhere to be seen when Sheamus unhooked the case, taken umbrage with Sheamus? It was Neville who Sheamus unceremoniously dispatched before unhooking the case. A Neville/Sheamus rivalry would have surely been more logical but logic, like wrestling, is a dirty word around WWE.

Sure, these two will probably have a solid match but I really feel Sheamus and Orton need to move on from this rivalry in order to inject a new lease of life into their currently stale characters. A return to hoss Sheamus tossing smaller men around (Ziggler in particular), please.

Hopefully a stipulation is attached to this match before SummerSlam starts to save the match from heading towards Groundhog Day territory- maybe a street fight, maybe Sheamus' case will be on the line or maybe even a Kiss me Arse match. Just something... anything to distinguish this match from the previous ones they have had.

Prediction: Sheamus

Rusev (w/ Hot Summer) vs Dolph Ziggler (w/ Lana)

The hypocritical fallacy that is the diva's "revolution" will once again be exposed by Lana who will play the damsel in distress in this despicable morality play. This is a perfect example of WWE's retrospectively rewriting their own history to suit current story lines. Twelve months ago, Lana instructed Rusev when to crush his opponents even encouraging Rusev to adopt her home country of Russia. Now, WWE has rewritten Lana's narrative so she is the object of sympathy in her, allegedly, tortuous relationship with Rusev. What was one of the few powerful, strong female characters in WWE is now a doughy eyed sap every time Dog sorry Dolph Ziggler looks at her. After receiving the kayfabe injury to film WWE's latest straight to the bargain bucket DVD, Ziggler returned last Monday on RAW to a thunderous ovation to make the run in and save his damsel in distress.

During his absence, Ziggler kayfabed his twitter account by sending various emetic tweets to Lana who returned the favour with her own stomach turning responses. If this feud is supposed to make me dislike Ziggler, it is certainly succeeding; at this stage, there is nothing more I want to see than Rusev superkicking that shit eating grin off Ziggler's face back to Hollywood.

Since finishing with Lana, Rusev has taken up with Summer Rae. Inevitably, this rivalry appears to be heading in the direction of a mixed gender tag match at Night of Champions in September. Rusev deserves  the victory here purely based on the fact that he has consistently turned this shit into gold (see Rusev's gifts to Hot Summer , Rusev throws a fish at Lana). 

Without the women present, this has the potential to be one of the matches of the night. However, the women will be a major part of this match.Women, can't love 'em, can't crush 'em, ammirite Rusev?

Prediction: Rusev

King Barrett & Stardust vs Neville & Stephen Amell

I'm not even going to pretend I know who or what a StephenAmellGreenArrow is or even begin to try and comprehend why he is scheduled in a wrestling match at SummerSlam. That being said, a couple of weeks ago on RAW, Amell navigated the ropes with the expertise of a ten year veteran. Sure, the match will be constructed around Amell's limited wrestling ability to ensure he spends as little time as possible in the ring. Much of the in ring duties, I imagine, will be performed by Neville. As of late, random title match with Rollins aside, Neville has been languishing in the black hole that is WWE's mid-card. This match provides Neville with the opportunity to impress a casual audience. In this comic book world of heroes and villains, Neville will be a hero in possession of a flippyshit super power to combat the villains. 

The villains, on the other hand, well they are not doing so well at the moment. Well, one of them isn't.

Has anyone received worse booking since winning King of the Ring than King Barrett? First, the interminable feud with R Truth consigned to the pre-show now this thinly veiled attempted to appeal to the greater populace.  Barrett really must have pissed someone off as he has been doing more jobs than a Polish immigrant. It is a damn shame, too. Barrett is in possession of all the attributes required to take him to the top but WWE seem to have placed him in the midcard 4 life club with Ziggler, Swagger and a man he will be teaming up with.

WWE achieved new levels of meta a couple of weeks ago with Stardust, Barrett's partner and instigator of the feud, when Michael Cole spoke extensively on how Stardust can not distinguish between Stephen Amell the actor and Green Arrow the fictional character before drawing the parallel with Stardust, who can't distinguish that he is Cody Rhodes and not the fictional character Stardust. Stardust's quest for identity could be one of the more highbrow angles WWE has ran for a while. If handled correctly, there is big potential for a Cody Rhodes face return after all this. 

The way things have gone for King Barrett since winning the King of the Ring tournament, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Amell pinned Barrett.

Prediction: Neville & Amell

Los Matadores vs Lucha Dragons vs New Day vs Prime Time Players (C)

For the WWE Tag Team Championships

Wow. I don't even know where to start with this one. At this stage, the WWE Tag Team Titles have as much value as a victory over Zack Ryder on Superstars.

Teams such as reDRagon, The Young Bucks, RPG Vice, The Addiction, Sumerian Death Squad, The Hunter Brothers and the Wolves have revitalised the concept of tag team wrestling over the past few years with fun, entertaining matches. Don't expect anything like that here, though. The New Day are sooooooooo far ahead of anyone else in the division it is unfair to put all these teams in the ring together as it only serves to highlight the incompetence of the other teams:

Lucha Dragons: haven't said a word apart from "Lucha" since arriving on the roster (unsure whether they can speak at all never mind speak English)

Los Matadores: laughing stock of the division since 2013, don't say anything apart from "ole" (again, unsure if they have a deaf mute gimmick)

Prime Time Players: Titus O' Neill is the Danny Welbeck of professional wrestling- every time he gets in the ring, he looks as though he will fuck up. Darren Young is okay, I guess.

New Day: the Paul Heyman of the division.

It was a mistake to take the titles from the New Day at Money in the Bank and WWE will surely rectify their mistake this Sunday. The best we can hope for is a giant clusterfuck spotfest.

Prediction: New Day

The Wyatt Family vs Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose

Some night clubs water down their alcohol. WWE water down their rivalries. In The Wyatt Family vs Shield redux, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper team up to face Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose- who are best friends, in fact like brothers if you missed it. After Wyatt reconciled with Luke Harper at Battleground, Roman recruited the help of long time friend and part time cheer leader, Dean Ambrose, to over come The Wyatt Family because apparently one versus all isn't a thing any more. 

Since reuniting with Luke Harper, Bray Wyatt has quietly gone about his business. I say this every week but the fans are ready to get behind The Wyatt Family; it is an exciting concept that could carry WWE in a fascinating direction. Thus far, The Wyatt Family haven't had the requisite support from creative to help them reach the next level. But that will come with time, beginning here.

Unfortunately for the ever noble Roman, I think that Dean Ambrose, Roman's brother and only friend wink wink, will do the dirty on him at SummerSlam to finally dissolve the Shield once and for all. WWE's penchant for pegging 6 ft 4'+, 270 pound athletes as underdogs will continue here as the odds will be firmly stacked against Roman in the coming months. Additionally, Dean Ambrose turning his back on Roman gives credence to The Wyatt Family mystique and psychological warfare they so often indulge in. Although Reigns turning his back on his brother would make more sense and re-legitimise the Wyatt's as a psychological threat, WWE is intent on Roman being the next top babyface and I don't expect that to change any time soon.

Prediction: The Wyatt Family

PCB vs Team B.A.D. vs Team Bella

Many fans have suggested this match is scheduled in order to protect Nikki Bella's title thus ensuring she will beat AJ Lee's longest ever reign with the Diva's title. I, too, agree with the theory as with each week that passes the Diva's Revolution is shown to be a distraction, albeit a poor one, from the fact Nikki will pass AJ's longest reign a week before Night of Champions.

At SummerSlam, we have the three diva's factions face off; Pakistan Cricket Board face Team Ethnic and Team Confused Motivations in an elimination tag match because apparently women like to hang around in groups for no particular reason. Seriously, why are these teams together? They share no common purpose, goals or motivations other than the fact Stephanie arbitrarily grouped them all together. 

Anyway, it is what it is and Paige, Charlotte, Becky Lynch team up to face the teams of Sasha Banks, Tamina, Naomi and Nikki, Brie and Alicia Fox. Hopefully this match begins the dissolution of these "factions" thus giving the women a platform to showcase their skills on an individual basis and increase competition for Nikki's title. This probably wont be the case as a couple of weeks ago rumours surfaced that WWE was planning on introducing a Diva's Tag Team Championship. Clearly, someone backstage believes the endless stream of bullshit propaganda spewing from Michael Cole's mouth.

The "Diva's Revolution" is nothing more than savvy branding and a marketing slogan. If you need evidence of this statement, listen to what Jerry "The King" Lawler has to say about the match.

Winner: PCB

Ryback (C) vs The Miz vs Big Show

For the Intercontinental Championship

Sometimes I forget who he Intercontinental Champion is before realising that it is not important anyway. True story: I had to ask Google just exactly who the Intercontinental Champion is. The answer, apparently, is Ryback whose championship reign has been less than memorable.

But, the people seem to like Ryback for some reason as he returned to a good reaction as the camera panned to various fully grown men in the audience wearing Ryback shirts- a fact that is astounding in itself. Ryback's injury has significantly halted his momentum after winning the title at Elimination Chamber (again, I had to Google that). The Big Guy makes his first Intercontinental Championship defence The Miz and Big Show in what seems like an active attempt by WWE to encourage viewers to change the channel.

People often talk of their dream matches in wrestling that never happened; The Undertaker vs Sting, The Rock vs Shawn Michaels, CM Punk vs Stone Cold Steve Austin but this is a nightmare match that is happening. I would be hard pressed to pick three wrestlers I would rather see in a match less than these three. I hope this match receives the ol' diva's division treatment- a two minute match conveniently placed in the middle of the show to coincide with my bladder. 

Prediction: Ryback

Kevin Owens vs Cesaro

After a barrage of fat jokes over the past few weeks, Kevin Owens heads into the SummerSlam weekend with arguably the two most anticipated matches. On Saturday, Owens invokes his rematch clause for the NXT Championship in a ladder match against Finn Balor. On Sunday, Owens meets another man who has been on a role as of late, the Swiss Superman Cesaro. 

In spite of some questionable booking and underhanded comments regarding Owen's weight, this match has the potential, if given ample time, combined with the Brooklyn crowd, to be match of the night and possibly even a match of the year contender. Unfortunately, this match should be for the US Championship- instead, Cena will pointlessly be defending the title in a match that will, in all likelihood, end in a no contest.

Minor quibbles aside, this is the match that i'm looking forward to most on the card. Given enough time, these two, as evidenced by their previous matches in the indies, will tear the house down in a match that will showcase both men's ability and help get them both over in the long run.

This is a tough one to call but I believe Cesaro will pick up the victory in what is hopefully the first match of an extended rivalry.

Prediction: Cesaro

John Cena (US Champ) vs Seth Rollins (WWE WHC)

Winner Takes Both Championships

Over the past few weeks, in big match John's absence, WWE have pushed his broken nose harder than the exceptionally low price of the network. Of course, who could forget, it was Seth Rollins, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, that delivered the infamous strike that i have seen more times than Randy Orton vs Sheamus and goddamn i have seen that match a lot. The following week, Rollins emerged wearing one of the more creative parodies of John Cena's t shirts. 

Enough preamble. This match has serious potential to be a match of the year contender. As previously demonstrated, Seth Rollins and John Cena have excellent chemistry together and have proven in the past that they are capable of putting on high quality matches. However, my opinion of this match, and I'm sure many others will echo similar sentiments, will be determined by the result. WWE consider that being in the ring with John Cena raises the profile of who ever his opponent may be. There are certain exceptions, mainly CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, but as a general rule, Cena has dispatched many of his opponents back into the midcard after defeating them. 

John Cena really has an opportunity to inject impetuous into Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship which, quite frankly, has been a mere after thought over the past couple of months. John Cena can achieve this with an excellent match followed by him taking the loss. Clean, dirty, whatever, it doesn't matter. Sure, Rollins doesn't need the US Title as well as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship but a John Cena victory sends a resounding message to talent; no matter how well you perform, no matter the reaction you solicit from the crowd, no matter how much you improve you are not immune to Mr Make a Wish coming to steal your thunder. 

No one gets the divisive reaction like Cena- as Cena pointed out on RAW, the crowd chants "lets go Cena/Cena sucks"- nothing to do with Rollins. Being in a high profile feud with Cena does elevate his opponent but losing to Cena and then floundering in the midcard does not. For the first time in Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship run I am doubting Rollins will walk out as champion. I guess that is a good thing.

However, my faith in WWE has not completely dissipated despite the constant flow of bullshit and dissatisfaction. I can't see Cena being victorious here. In fact, I can't see anyone being victorious here and leaving with both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the US Championship. Rollins has been far too good to just get LOLCENAWINS'd and I don't think he will be.

Prediction: No Contest/Double Pin/Everything remains the same

Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker

You know you're in trouble when Heyman can't sell you on a match when the guy could sell you a holiday to Tunisia.

Admittedly, WWE is not always about the wrestling. Sometimes, the spectacle and the story triumphs over athletic feats or mat wrestling. But what if the story tells of an embittered 50 something year old man constantly blindisding the sympathetic would be champion with low blows because he can't beat him fair and square? 

Despite the years and years of entertainment, memories and thrills the Undertaker has provided this match should not be happening. Either Lesnar loses his mystique or Undertaker does and it must be Undertaker considering his age.

As with any match, there are three options.

1. Lesnar defeats Undertaker- What was the point of Undertaker returning?
2. Undertaker defeats Lesnar- What was the point of Lesnar defeating the streak? In fact, what would be the point of the last 15 months?
3. The match ends in a no contest- What was the point of any of this? Please, not another bullshit ending to avoid Lesnar losing or beating anyone. Surely they can't keep using Lesnar this way.

All three options are less than appealing and no amount of Paul Heyman's genius, brawls across the arena, smoke and mirrors will change that. The concept of this rematch being "too big for WrestleMania" is astounding and only confirms that if you lock WWE creative in a room they won't produce the works of Shakespeare but instead this type of non-statement that concurrently undermines the biggest event in wrestling as well as diminishing the importance of WrestleMania 30. 

What route WWE goes remains to be seen but either Brock Lesnar conquered the streak for nothing or Undertaker started something he couldn't finish to borrow a line from Morrissey. This match seems to be a desperate attempt to attract former fans to a currently stale product- this match was headlining PPV's in 2002!

As painful as it is to say, Brock Lesnar must retire Undertaker by not only defeating him but brutally victimising him. Will this happen? I think that that outcome is the least likely of three. I feel like Undertaker gets the win here before things finish where the legacy of Undertaker began, WrestleMania.

Prediction: Undertaker

Matches of the Week 18/07/15 - 24/07/15

With the beginning of NJPW G1 Climax tournament this Monday, ROH's Death Before Dishonor XIII taking place just yesterday and WWE's Battleground, this week has been a good one for wrestling fans providing something to please everyone.

Here is a look at my three Matches of the Week:

Seth Rollins vs Cesaro (Smackdown, 23/07)

A little watched wrestling show called SmackDown airs every Thursday in the US and Friday in the UK. Formerly home to talent ranging from Brock Lesnar, Edge, The Undertaker and Tajiri. In 2015, SmackDown is the home to seemingly endless RAW replays (not even the good bits of Raw, usually) and feigned crowd enthusiasm for Roman Reigns. Occasionally, an interesting match or two happens on SmackDown to the surprise of the few remaining fans showing faith in the show. This weeks episode threw the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, and The Swiss Superman, Cesaro together for the first time on WWE television in non-title action.

The ethnically diverse team- although trying to make a point- of Jey Uso, Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton spoke of Cesaro's dedication and workrate as he made his way to the ring to meet the WWE WHC, Seth Rollins. As the bell rings, Rollins flees immediately to ringside before making his way back into the ring. Fresh off defeating Rusev clean on last week's edition of SmackDown, the first wrestler to do so apart from John Cena, The Swiss Superman gorilla presses the champ who lands on his feet. The champ hits a running knee to the back of the head before hitting a suicide dive. The commentators remind viewers that owning a pinfall victory over the champ entitles Cesaro to a WWE WHC opportunity. Unfortunately for J&J, WWE are anything but stringent when it comes to enforcing the rule otherwise we would be seeing J&J team up to face Rollins at SummerSlam for the richest prize in sports entertainment.

As we return from the ad break, Cesaro sends Rollins to suplex city with a belly to belly. Over the past few weeks, Rollins has spent so much time in suplex city he maybe looking into buying to save on letting costs. Sadly for Cesaro, he appears to have a minor brain melt as he makes his way to the top rope to do God only knows what- Cesaro attempts a crossbody which is rolled through into a small package by Rollins for a two count followed up by a backslide for a two count once again.

Great athleticism by both competitors as Rollins hits a buckle bomb before going for a pedigree which is reversed in to a sharpshooter by Cesaro. Rollins desperately claws to reach the ropes but Cesaro notices this, transitioning into a cross face. Rollins finally reaches the ropes, simultaneously deciding enough is enough as he grabs his title from the time keeper before making his way up the ramp. Cesaro tracks him down with a huge European uppercut before tossing Rollins and the championship into the ring before attempting to lock in the sharpshooter one last time. As the ref turns to hand the title back to the time keeper, Rollins pokes Cesaro in the eye before sending him into the steel ring post shoulder first before hitting the pedigree for the three count. Rollins picks up the victory and looks rather pleased with himself as he makes his way up the ramp. Kevin Owens heads down to the ring, talks some trash to Cesaro before delivering a devastating pop up powerbomb to stand tall at the end of the show.

This is one of the better matches WWE has put on in a while that served two purposes; firstly, the match allowed Cesaro to continue building on the momentum he has been gathering week by week with the finish keeping Cesaro strong. Secondly, the match further develops Rollins' as a conniving opportunist who will do anything to win. Additionally, Owens' standing tall at the end alleviated some of the concerns about his position in WWE. Clearly, there are plans for Owens and if they involve Cesaro all the better for it. Something seemed different here in comparison to RAW, there seems to be a more laid back approach to SmackDown that suits the format better than the often over produced RAW. All in all, the match made was a fun way for WWE to end a tumultuous week.

Available Here:

AJ Styles vs Shibata (G1 Climax, Block A, 20/07)

This year's G1 Climax has already thrown produced some fantastic matches. Michael Elgin impressed in his NJPW debut against Okada, Tanahashi put on a a highly entertaining match against Kota Ibushi and Karl Anderson shocked the world by defeating Nakamura and the man that defeated Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Title, Hirooki Goto. My favourite match so far saw AJ Styles, leader of The Bullet Club, face off against Katsuyori Shibata, a man whose facial expression seemingly never changes. Whether you handed him a million pounds or pissed on his grandma on Christmas day his facial expression would remain identical. The man looks like a badass, end of. As a newcomer to NJPW, I had not heard or seen a great deal about Shibata before this year's G1 but his match with AJ on the first day stole the show.

As the opponents meet in the ring, chants of Shibata echo around the arena. AJ, unimpressed, waves away the chants with disdain. Shibata attempts a stiff kick to the chest and misses before grounding AJ with a sideheadlock followed by an early attempt at the Penalty Kick and missing. AJ and Shibata lock up for the first time in the match, AJ breaks and slaps Shibata-whose facial expression still hasn't altered from the "I'm gunna fuck you up real bad" face he has been pulling since the beginning, Nice back and forth between the two before AJ hits a huge dropckick, challenging Okada for the prize of best in the world. AJ looks to work over Shibata's leg, locking in the calf killer before Shibata powers out, taking more slaps to the face by AJ. As AJ learnt to his detriment, you don't want to get in a slapping match with Shibata-it only ends one way. Shibata hits some stiff shots of his own before irish whipping AJ into the turnbuckle followed by a huge running dropkick. Shibata picks up AJ and hits a vertical suplex as the fan's support of Shibata continues to grow.

 Styles finds some energy from somewhere allowing him to get to his feet, attempted Styles Clash reversed but AJ follows it up with a pele kick  before going for the Styles Clash for a second time which is reversed again! AJ locks in the calf killer, Shibata looks to be struggling this time but he eventually reaches the ropes but AJ isn't willing to let him off just yet, looking for the Styles Clash again but is reversed into a death valley driver by Shibata. Shibata locks in the sleeper hold as AJ struggles for air desperately pulling the fingers of Shibata in an attempt to escape, Shibata proceeds to lock in the hold tighter by biting his fingers! AJ is grounded as Shibata attempts a huge Penalty Kick but misses, AJ pops up and hits a beautiful pele kick before hitting the Bloody Sunday brainbusterrrrrr! AJ pulls the trigger on his gun to signal the end before hitting the Styles Clash for the three count.

What a match this was and what a great way to be introduced to Katsuyori Shibata. AJ, perhaps the best American wrestler on the planet, picks up the win and the points here but it was Shibata who impressed. I would love to see ROH use Shibata for one of their cross promotional PPV's with NJPW; Shibata vs O Reilly, Shibata vs Strong and Shibata vs Adam Cole all have potential to be great matches but ROH seems intent on always bringing the same guys each time. Not that I'm complaining, just it would be nice to see a few other NJPW faces in ROH.

Available here

Jay Lethal (C) vs Roderick Strong (Death Before Dishonor XIII, 24/07)

This week's match of the week and, to be fair, probably the match of most weeks, is Jay Lethal's first ROH World Championship defence against Mr ROH himself, Roderick Strong. Strong receives a huge ovation from the Baltimore crowd demonstrating his ability to seamlessly transition between heel and face depending on which promotion he is wrestling for. Jay Lethal arrives with the House of Truth members Truth Martini, Jay Diesel and winner of the 2015 Top Prospect tournament, Donovan Dijak.

Lethal enters the ring and the two competitors stare each other down before, surprisingly, Jay Lethal complies with the code of honor. As the bell rings, Lethal slides out under the bottom rope to talk some last minute tactics with Truth Martini. Lots of history between these two men, it was Roderick Strong that ended Lethal's first Television Championship reign three and a half years ago. Lethal, now ROH World Champion as well as Television Champion, returns to the ring succeeding in landing a few blows before hitting a well executed snap suplex. Strong manages to gain some of the control in the match, hitting a belly to belly as Lethal flees once again on landing. This time, the challenger chases the champion out the ring, dropping Lethal on to the barricade.

The crowd are divided in their support with half chanting Roddy and the other half chanting for Lethal, Lethal hits an inverted atomic drop (how is this legal but a low blow isn't???) followed by a body slam, followed by a body slam which is followed by a third body slam. Lethal tosses Strong outside as the House of truth members administer a viscous beat down as Lethal continues to dictate the pace in the sweltering heat. Strong manages to break free before being thrown back out to meet the fist of this year's top prospect, Donovan Dijak- how the referee has not dismissed the members of House of truth by now is beyond me. Lethlal goes to join in the beat down, ushering the House of truth members away before going for a bodyslam reversed into a reverse ddt. This is the opening Roddy has been looking for as he tosses Lethal back into the ring, hitting a dropkick, attempted pinfall only 2.

The action once again spills out of the ring as Lethal and Strong slug it out before Strong manages to send Lethal jaw first into the barricade. Roddy piks up the dead weight of Lethal, rolling him under the ropes just before the referee reaches the count of 20. As Lethal gets to his feet, Roddy hits a combination of running knees and elbows followed by a double knee gutbuster only for 2. Roddy drags Lethal to his feet, hitting a snap suplex once again.

What a match this has been, already clocking in at over 30 minutes with no end in sight.

Roddy sets up Lethal for the superplex but Lethal has it scouted before attempting a tornado ddt transitioning into a guillotine choke hold. Lethal applies the wrist tape for extra leverage, concealing his underhanded tactics from the ref with his arm before referee Todd Sinclair forces Lethal to break the illegal hold. Martini is hiding underneath the ring apron as Roddy is sent to the outside again, Martini grabs the boot of Strong allowing Lethal to hit a running dropkick followed by three consecutive suicide dives by the champion. Content to take the count out victory, Lethal returns to the ring for a break. Roddy, still willing, gets to his feet- somehow- and makes it back into the ring at 19.

Roddy is welcomed back with a crossface but makes it to the ropes in time. The heat has encouraged Truth Martini to lose his jacket, who continues to urge Lethal on. Strong gets what now must be his 6th wind and chops the living shit out of Lethal in the corner, quite a different reaction than he usually gets in front of a PWG crowd. Lethal manages to escape and land some shots of his own before attempting the Lethal Injection but Roddy has it scouted and hits a huge suplex. Strong Hold locked in now as Lethal's title reign looks like it could be over before it even started but he eventually reaches the ropes after nearly tapping on a number of occasions. Strong hoists Lethal up top again looking for that superplex but Lethal counters before hitting a big elbow drop from the top rope followed by the Lethal Combination transitioned into the Koji Clutch-reversed by Roddy into a roll up for a two count!

Both men make it to their feet seemingly just having exited the shower, the pair trade tired strikes as Lethal grabs the Book of Truth, swings and misses as Roddy hits the double knee gutbuster but somehow Lethal makes his way to his feet and hits a huge superkick and a kick out at 2 by Roddy! What a match this has been! Lethal is the first to his feet and makes his way up to the top rope looking for that elbow again but Roddy gets to his feet, finally hitting his superplex followed by the double knee gutbuster before a huge sick kick. Kick out at 2 and Truth Martini celebrates as though Lethal had just retained his gold. Chants of ROH echo around the arena as the fans of Baltimore witness what has got to be one of the best ROH World Title matches of all time. The crowd are firmly in Strong's corner now as The End of Heartache is reversed by Lethal who hits the Lethal Injection for what must be the win. Strong somehow manages to find a way to kick out at two, though, as this match continues still! Lethal blasts the referee for a slow count but he can barely stand up straight. What an effort by these two men.

Roderick Strong and Jay Lethal trade blows again in the centre of the ring with both men landing a blow at the same time that sends them both to the floor. Again, both men get to their feet as Roddy hits a big jumping knee followed by a forearm smash but Lethal somehow manages to summon enough strength to hit a superkick as both men tumble in a heap to the floor. The bell rings and that is it. Ring Announcer Bobby Cruise declares that the match is a 60 minute time limit draw as streamers flow over two broken down bodies strewn in the centre of the ring to end the PPV.

Wow. What a match that was. Roderick Strong and Jay Lethal are at their peak as wrestlers and produced a magic performance that will go down as one of the best ROH World Title matches of all time. The endurance on display from both athletes ensured the pace did not drop and if it wasn't for Bobby Cruise ringing the bell as the clock struck 60 minutes, I think they would still be at it now. This match is not only match of the week but in place to be considered as one of the top matches of the year in all promotions. If Lethal's run as champion is going to produce matches like that, long may it continue.

Available Here.

RAW Review and Results 20/07/15 + SmackDown Spoilers 23/07/15

RAW headed to Kansas City following the return of the Deadman at Battleground in a frustrating episode that proved a massive slap in the face for full time wrestlers not named John Cena. Two part timers, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, took centre stage as the road to SummerSlam officially begins.

Here is my three point RAW review along with spoilers for Smackdown airing 23/07:


RAW Three Point Review 

One

The main event for SummerSlam was confirmed on Monday night RAW as The Undertaker opened the show by explaining his motivations for costing Brock Lesnar the opportunity to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins. 'Taker explained he is not only pissed off that Brock defeated him but mainly pissed off that Paul Heyman and the Beast haven't shut up about it for 15 months.

Heyman was allowed to provide a rebuttal, detailing once again how Brock Lesnar not only beat the streak but he also made The Undertaker his bitch. All returned to darkness before 'Taker appeared for the second time on the show, stalking Heyman from behind. The threat of 'Taker drew the Beast to the ring to protect his advocate, Paul Heyman. As the two behemoths brawled it became clear that the security team could not keep them separated as a whole army of troops ranking from jobber to mid-card filed to the ring to keep Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker separated. Despite the jobbers outnumbering the Deadman and the Beast approximately 30-2, they ulltimately failed in carrying out the now inexplicably babyface HHH's orders. As Lesnar was finally torn away up the ramp by a combination of  a security team, more jobbers and people that could have been main event level heels if it wasn't for 'Big Match John', the camera panned to 'Taker, zooming in on his eyes as he looked to be having a Vietnam style flashback to the time Lesnar sent him hurtling towards the mat after a 3rd F5 and the 21 year streak was finally over.

The brawl injected a great deal of intensity into the rematch that was absent the first time these two met. The Undertaker, in possibly the best shape he has been in since WrestleMania 28, responded to Brock's parting threat to 'kill him' by stating that's what will have to happen to get rid of him. Concern for The Undertaker's well being replaced the initial excitement of his return going into Monday Night Raw but the large brawl placated most of those fears. The physicality of the brawl is conformation of a change of tact in the development of the story between these two by WWE; the build towards Mania 30 relied heavily on The Undertaker's super natural presence, playing on Brock's fear of the Deadman. This time, though, the feud appears to be based on flat out hatred for one another. Hopefully we get more brawls like this in the coming weeks just to see R Truth calm Brock down again. 

Two

What a difference two months make. Just eight weeks ago, at Elimination Chamber, Kevin Owens made his main roster début by pinning John Cena clean in the centre of the ring. Fast forward two months and three clean PPV defeats later and Kevin Owens is -literally- lost in the midcard fracas designed to keep 'Taker and Lesnar apart. Maybe I'm reading too much into this as Sheamus, Cesaro and Rusev were recruited by HHH as well but, after defeating Cena clean in his debut match, I thought Owens would have been more than just an anonymous face in the midcard. At the moment, he is just another guy who failed to beat Cena. Again, maybe i'm reading too much into this because if you judge a wrestler's success from his record against Cena you are likely to be disappointed. But someone has to beat him eventually. Someone has to get the better of him and I thought that man was going to Kevin Owens. 

Who knows, it may yet happen but i'm not holding out for it after Monday's episode of RAW. The night after tapping out to Cena, Kevin Owens spoke fewer words than R Truth, who at least got to tell Brock Lesnar to calm down, before superkicking Rusev and taking his exit in the generic, time killing 3 faces vs 3 heels main event to end RAW.

Regardless of rumours of politicking and backstage detractors, Kevin Owens is a big deal and will make it to the top whether the high ups like it or not. If the rumours about his backstage detractors are proved true and become popular knowledge a la Daniel Bryan, i think we an see a situation develop in which the lines of kayfabe and reality are blurred for storyline purposes. If this is to be the case, hopefully we will get to see Owens produce work similar to his pursuit of the ROH title so we can get more gems like this.

Three

John Cena has been putting on some excellent matches recently. That is undeniable.  Cena, formerly heavily criticised by members of the IWC for his wrestling ability, enters what appears to be his wrestling prime in his 12th year in the WWE. A statement seemingly confirmed by the weekly United States Title Open Challenge featuring 4* matches with the likes of Ambrose, Neville, King Barrett, Rusev, Cesaro and most recently Kevin Owens- a match he knows he shouldn't have won, just look at his face after the win... he knows he shouldn't have gone over. THIS DOES NOT AND SHOULD NOT ENTITLE HIM TO A SHOT AT THE WWE WHC!!!

WWE's problems of being unable to establish new babyfaces was painfully apparent on Monday night's episode of RAW as it looks like the next challenge to Seth Rollins WWE World Heavyweight Championship could well be John Cena, who maybe looking to cash in his John Cena in the Bank this August at SummerSlam. Due to John's extensive charity work and US Title Challenges he has earned enough good credit to deserve a shot at Seth Rollins' WWE WHC, at least in the mind of creative, despite already having a title of his own. 

Seth Rollins, whilst bragging how he has defeated all challengers for his title, was interrupted by Make a Wish causing many fans to fear the worst; WWE reverting back to Cena once again. Make a Wish proceeded to verbally castrate Rollins with the same jokes he has been repeating for the past ten years before Rollins decided he had had enough and took leave before Cena had the chance to go over... AGAIN... because fuck progression and establishing new talent.

Seth Rollins has been fantastic since winning the title at WrestleMania. Playing the role of chickenshit heel, Rollins has even gained criticism from his most ardent supporters for looking 'too weak' and 'too undeserving' as champ. He is fulfilling his role yet WWE creative  have failed to do theirs by establishing a credible babyface with the backing of the fans to chase Rollins' title. Having no challenger harms Rollins as much as anyone and proves that holding the richest prize in the company's history does not mean creative wont forget all about you.

Once more, as with CM Punk, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is cast aside in favour of two part timers as WWE continue to struggle to create new megastars on the level of Cena, 'Taker and Lesnar; a problem only confounded by short sighted booking like this. Rollins finds himself in the unique position of being WWE WHC without a clear challenger apart from Cena, an option that would be a massive step back at this stage. I really hope Seth's interaction with Cena was to merely kill time and not amount to anything. Next Monday presents a perfect opportunity for Rollins to question a now, for some reason, babyface HHH's decision to have 'Taker vs Lesnar II headline SummerSlam above himself. As things stand, though, Rollins is without a challenger going into the second biggest show of the year.

RAW Results

• The Undertaker opens the show with a promo explaining his motivations for attacking Brock Lesnar. 
• Charlotte def Brie Bella with the Figure 8 whilst Team Blac... sorry Team BAD were on commentary.
• Los Matadores def Prime Time Players off a distraction from The New Day. Whether Los Matadores win here translates into a shot at the title, as a pinfall victory over the champions should, is another matter.
• Big Show def The Miz in what was the first turn of the night. After picking up the victory in essentially a squash match Big Show returned to a heel by cutting a promo running down Ryback. So i guess that ain't over.
• Undertaker and Brock Lesnar brawl.
• Roman Reigns def Luke Harper via disqualification as Bray Wyatt attempts an interference before Reigns and Ambrose chase away the two thirds reuinted Wyatt family.
• Rollins promo interrupted by John Cena. 
• Naomi and Sasha Banks def Paige and Becky Lynch as Paige taps clean to the Bank Statement. 
• John Cena, Cesaro & Randy Orton def Rusev, Sheamus and Kevin Owens after Sheamus and Owens both decided that they didn't fancy it leaving Rusev to fend for himself. Cena hit the AA allowing Cesaro to perform the swing before catapulting the former Russian now Bulgarian brute into a huge RKO. 

All in all, this episode of RAW felt like a massive kick in the teeth to the young talent; the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is without a clear challenger, the person who should have been Rollins' chief antagonist has been demoted to the role of Roman Reigns' cheerleader and Kevin Owens has been reduced to just another face in the midcard clusterfuck. At least 'Taker is back, right?

Smackdown Spoilers

• Dean Ambrose kicks of Smackdown with a promo before he is interrupted by this year's Mr Money in the Bank, Sheamus. A match between Ambrose and and Sheamus is scheduled.
• Sheamus def Ambrose when Bray Wyatt's entrance music plays. Sheamus picks up the win of the distraction.
• Neville def Adam Rose with the Red Arrow. Stardust cuts a promo on Neville post match furthering their feud.
• King Barrett cut a promo on being the true 'King of the Ring' after defeating R Truth o the Battleground pre-show in the battle for the crown.
• Rusev def Kevin Owens via countout. Apparently Owens is the guy who walks out of matches he can't win now.
• The Bella Twins def Naomi and Sasha Banks, Nikki picks up the pin on Naomi after the Torture Rack.
• Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro in this week's main event after Kevin Owens caused interference in the match delivering the pop up powerbomb to Cesaro. 

Battleground 2015 Review

Despite Battleground's status as a B PPV, this year WWE pulled out all the stops to deliver a memorable show. Orton and Sheamus strung together one of their finer performances together, a minor Wyatt Family reunion helped defeat Roman Reigns, John Cena forced Kevin Owens to submit via the STF in his first high profile submission victory since Albert Del Rio at Night of Champions '11 and The Undertaker returned to cost Brock Lesnar his chance to regain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship subsequently allowing Seth Rollins to retain his title.

Although Battleground provided more questions than answers in the lead up to SummerSlam, all in all the show should be considered a success through a combination of good wrestling and storyline development.

Here is my review of Battleground:

King Barrett vs R Truth in the Battle of the Jobbers

The first match of Battleground got under way to determine who is the rightful owner of the crown Barrett rightfully won during the WWE Network's King of the Ring Special. R Truth, a man with the reputation of just "wanting to have a good time", began the match by doing exactly that before WWE ran an advert for Battleground half way through the Battleground pre-show.

Upon return, King took the opportunity to try some of his comedy stylings, even claiming his crown was better than both R Truth's paper crown and King Barrett's crown he won by achieving something Jerry 'The King' Lawlor could never do by winning King of the Ring. 'The King', acting like he had never seen Barrett's nose before, continued with his jokes whilst the action continued in the ring as Barrett kicked out of a scissor kick delivered by Truth. Barrett misses with the first Bull-Hammer before hitting the second for the three count finally ending the madness.

Winner: King Barrett
Prediction: King Barrett

Barrett keeps the crown and his title of King after defeating R Truth in a match that lasted slightly longer than the usual pre-show match up. Will this lead to better booking of King Barrett? Hopefully, although rumours continue to persist that Barrett will be dropping the King gimmick in favour of a return to the Bad News gimmick.

Randy Orton vs Sheamus

The obligatory WWE hype video preceded this match, referring to the arena as a modern day Colosseum. The first two gladiators in the WWE's Colosseum, Sheamus and Orton, begin the show underscored by the collective moans and groans of the audience with some mustering up the energy to ensure Sheamus understands just how stupid he looks. If it wasn't for Sheamus' hair he would be incredibly hard to detect in the ring, somehow he manages to get paler by the week.

The match spills out of the ring with Orton irish whipping Sheamus into the barricade whilst I can't help but feel this isn't the way to start a PPV particularly after last year's show stealing opener of The Wyatt Family vs The Usos (2 out of 3 falls). Sheamus continues to portray his modern gladiator schtick asking the fans if they are entertained, giving Orton the thumbs down before hitting White Noise for a two count. Sheamus makes his way to the top rope to perform a move he has never done before... oh what a surprise Orton chases him up before delivering a picture perfect Super-plex for only two. Orton stalks his prey before an attempted RKO  is reversed into a roll up for another close fall, Orton makes his way up to his feet before walking into a Brogue kick. Both men lay strewn across the ring, Sheamus finally makes it to his feet before locking in the Irish Clover Leaf. Orton struggles to the ropes and the hold is broken. Orton gets to his feet then BAM! Huge RKO outta nowhere to pick up the win.

Winner: Randy Orton
Prediction: Sheamus

At the beginning of the night, the thought of this match made me angry and want to break things. However, Orton and Sheamus put together a really solid match here which certainly proved me wrong. I was a little surprised to see Orton pick up the win due to Sheamus' position of MITB holder but perhaps there is even more to come from these two in the near future.

***1/2 Stars

Stephanie McMahon Backstage

The Stephanie McMahon face turn continues as the Executive Vice-President cut a baby face promo dropping the name of the city before alluding to the venue's historical importance before announcing a triple threat match for later in the show pitting one member of each new Diva faction, Team Paige, Team Bella and Team Ethnic, against one another.

Prime Time Players vs The New Day

The New Day emerge, mic in hand, professing the benefits of a positive mindset, claiming that they are winners already due to their attitude. The whole thing made me feel sorry for Bo Dallas who debuted this gimmick before The New Day. I can't help but feel that Bo could be a fantastic addition to The New Day as the guy that hangs around them all the time but nobody really likes him and i don't really understand why this has yet to materialise. Maybe it is due to  WWE's policy of grouping ethnic minorities together to form factions so Bo can't be friends with New Day despite having an almost identical gimmick.

Anyway, Kofi and Big E start the match for New Day with Xavier Woods mixing words of encouragement for The New Day whilst criticising the quality of Titus O Neil's moves. Woods continues to trash talk PTP, claiming O Neil has the worst leg drop ever before reminding Big E to pick up his suitcase because he is going to work. As the match approached the ten minute mark, Woods has yet to shut up. King suggests a mute button for Woods. Conversely, I suggest a mute button for King would be much more desirable. Woods finally gets his comeuppance as Young delivers a side slam to the ring apron before walking into a superkick by Kofi, attempted Trouble in Paradise dodged before Young hits the Gut Check on Kofi, who rolls out of the ring. Young tags O Neil back into the ring before he delivers the Clash of the Titus (they really are pushing this modern Colosseum stuff) to Big E to pick up the three count.

Winner: Prime Time Players
Prediction: Prime Time Players

Pretty standard tag-team match up here, nothing special, nothing insulting. Battleground has enjoyed a short history of fantastic tag team match ups with the likes of The Rhodes Brothers vs The Shield and The Wyatt Family vs The Usos which has not been added to here. I can't understand why a team with as little momentum as PTP were given the titles over The New Day who were ,a couple of months ago, one of the most over group of wrestlers on the show. Xavier Woods saves the match from being rated lower.

**3/4 Stars

Roman Reigns vs Bray Wyatt

Firstly, you gotta give credit to WWE's pre-match video promo guys. They have managed to transform weeks of uninspired drivel into a big match feel. Wyatt makes his way to the ring first up- and what an entrance it is. The fans are desperate to get behind a Wyatt monster push, every single person in the arena held up a light when he made his way to the ring. The commentators switch on to serious mode for this match with Michael Cole providing Reigns with the "he had it won" narrative. Cena-esque in all but appearance. JBL continues to build Reigns as an unpredictable hothead despite seemingly never altering his facial expression.

A man with a Kevin Owens shirt in the front row boos Roman, shock. The contest starts to heat up as Wyatt dodges a spear, Roman goes hurtling into the steps- remember, Roman, sell that shoulder.Wyatt backs Reigns into the corner before beginning the ten punches in the corner spot. Wyatt only reaches seven before Roman forgets about his injured shoulder and delivers a powerbomb. As with the majority of Roman Reigns' matches, the side headlock plays a prominent part in this match. Roman finally... finally... powers out of the side headlock to deliver another powerbomb before proceeding to cock his fist-gun to set up the Superman Punch, reversed into an attempted Sister Abigail which is again countered into a roll up before Roman connects with a Superman Punch for a two count. Roman lines up a spear but runs directly into a big right hand by Wyatt. Both men lay in the centre of the ring. Wyatt sits up into his signature spider taunt, heads to the outside of the ring and picks up two chairs before turning around into a big Superman Punch from Reigns. Roman tosses several chairs into the ring until a hooded figure delivered a big superkick to Roman causing him to stumble back into the ring before walking into the Sister Abigail for the three count.

Winner: Bray Wyatt
Prediction: Bray Wyatt

Wyatt kneels down in the centre of the ring and raises his arms to the heavens. The hooded figure enters the ring and reveals his identity to be Luke Harper, former member of the Wyatt Family, in one of the better booking decisions of the night. Although many will perceive this as WWE stacking the odds against Roman, providing him more obstacles to inevitably overcome at SummerSlam, I enjoyed how no one kicked out of his opponent's fishing move, making this one of the better matches of the night whilst developing the storyline.

***1/2 Stars

Sasha Banks vs Charlotte vs Brie mode

It is very easy to get carried away with all this talk of a 'revolution' in women's wrestling. Stephanie McMahon, Michael Cole, Tom Phillips, JBL and Renee Young all spoke extensively on the subject whilst Jerry 'The King' Lawlor eyeballs the woman, commenting on how beautiful everyone was. Come on, WWE. Surely it is not hard to see a problem here. If a 'revolution' in women's wrestling is to take place, WWE must first get rid of the outdated attitudes of The King whose comments range from seedy observations on the lack of clothing worn by the women to comments the most pervy of perverts would blush at.

The action heats up as the new NXT recruits, Charlotte and Sasha Banks, perform a suicide dive to the outside of the ring, taking out the majority of the Diva's division. A muffled This is Awesome chant briefly breaks out as the match stretched past the ten minute mark, a first in a long time for the women. Sasha Banks locks in the Bank Statement on Charlotte only to be broken up by Brie, who is subsequently knocked to the floor. Charlotte takes advantage and locks in the Figure 8 on Brie and it's all over.

Winner: Charlotte

Charlotte makes Brie tap in what must be the longest Diva's match in a long, long time. Clocking in at a whopping 11 minutes and 28 seconds, the match far surpassed anything the main roster Divas have achieved in the past year though not reaching the heights of certain NXT matches just yet. This is a good start to revolutionising the Diva's division but it is only that, a start. Don't buy into Stephanie McMahon's hyperbole just yet, there is still a long way to go.

*** Stars

Kevin Owens vs John Cena

One year ago to this very day, the wrestler formerly known as Kevin Steen faced Steve Corino for his last ever match in ROH. Today, Kevin Owens claims that he is going to win the US title from Cena in the third match of their epic trilogy. Big pop for Cena whose performances over the past couple of months have significantly reduced the "John Cena Sucks" chants to secondary to the cheers.

As the match begins, so too does Owens begin to mock Cena. Kevin Owens is seemingly attempting to resurrect the lost art of trash talking your opponent all by himself as he comments on the execution of his own moves. After performing a couple of shoulder tackles, Owens continues to mock Cena by giving him the big U CNT C ME before hitting the five knuckle shuffle. Owens takes this opportunity to ask Michael Cole if he is calling the match right, proving that not only does he share the appearance of a member of the IWC but also has the same concerns. Owens appears to have Cena well scouted as a spring-board stunner is reversed into a German suplex-not the first we will see tonight. Owens goes for the pin before Cena powers out to hit an AA for the first kick out at 2. Slowly getting to their feet, both competitors connect with multiple punches before Owens counters an attempted AA with a huge superkick followed by an AA of his own before locking the STF in. Cena eventually reaches the ropes before no selling his own submission manoeuvre and hitting an AA immediately after escaping the hold. Another kick out at two by Owens from a second AA.

Climbing to his feet whilst using Cena to balance, Owens lands some stiff punches before irish whipping Cena into the ropes for a pop up powerbomb. Kick out at two AGAIN! What a match! Owens goes up to the top rope looking for that moonsault but Cena gets to his feet quickly. Owens is stranded on the top rope, Cena lifts him over his shoulders for a huge AA from the second rope and HITS IT! That is it, surely gotta be over.... 1.... 2.... HOLY FUCK OWENS KICKED OUT!!! NO ONE EVER KICKS OUT OF THAT!! Cena, in shock, stands over Owens and a small package by Owens... NO FREAKING WAY.... kick out at two! Cena rolls out before locking in the STF. Smarks worldwide will Owens to continue, begging for him to reach the ropes... Owens so nearly reaches the ropes before being dragged back to the centre. No place for Owens to go as he taps out to Cena's STF, Cena's first high profile submission win since he defeated Alberto Del Rio in 2011.

Winner: CENAWINSLOL!
Prediction: Cena

HOLY FUCK! WHAT A MATCH!

Smark's new appreciation of Cena will stand a considerable test after that ending, though. Whilst not possessing the same intensity as the first two matches, the third match certainly delivered a shocking finale. I don't think many people would have anticipated Cena tapping out Owens here but that is what we got. Sure, I was pissed after the match but I still feel certain Owens wins the title at SummerSlam by pinning someone over than Cena in a triple threat. It was nice to see a male WWE wrestler pick up a victory with a submission even though it was Owens. A loss here for Owens does not make him look weak, instead only provides motivation to win that US title.

**** Stars

Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar

The night's main event saw a pissed off Beast seeking vengeance on Seth Rollins. Lesnar salivates in anticipation of finally getting his hands on Rollins, whose eyes never leave Lesnar's. The match has been going a total of a few seconds when Lesnar attempts the first German suplex which Rollins manages to escape from by hitting an elbow. Rollins isn't so lucky this time, though, as Lesnar delivers the first German. And a second. And a third. And a fourth. And so on until I lost interest and started thinking about the kayfabe reason Rollins is so wet all the time. Rollins finally falls outside the ring and grabs his WWE World Heavyweight Championship before deciding he has had enough, climbing over the barricade and into the crowd. Lesnar proceeds after him, hurdling the barrier, tossing Rollins back into the ring for more punishment. Lesnar goes for a sixth German but Rollins lands on his feet before hitting a superkick which barely makes an impression on Lesnar. Rollins follows up the superkick with numerous kicks to the hamstring looking to take Lesnar down. Rollins finally succeeds as the Beast rolls outside of the ring only to be hit with two consecutive suicide dives.

Lesnar, unperturbed by Rollins' brief offensive flurry, re-enters the ring to execute a seventh German. followed by an eighth. And ninth... And so on until the 13th. Heyman signals it's all over as Brock lift Rollins onto his shoulders to deliver the final blow. A huge F5 sends Rollins crashing to the mat then DONG! Lights out.

FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

The Undertaker is here!!!

Undertaker stares down Lesnar in the ring with a look from beyond the grave. Lesnar is in awe, Heyman too. Rollins is so shocked he spontaneously combusted and is nowhere to be seen. Taker goes for the chokeslam but it is countered by Lesnar, who picks 'Taker up looking for an F5 but that too is reversed. Undertaker hits a low blow (and perhaps with it a heel turn). 'Taker picks up Lesnar for a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! The crowd lose their collective shit before pleading for one more, a request to which 'Taker obliges before he makes his way up the ramp to close the PPV 15 minutes early.

Winner: Brock Lesnar via DQ. Seth Rollins retains. 
Prediction: Seth Rollins retains

This match had potential to be match of the year. Rollins' athleticism vs Lesnar's power would have sure made for an interesting match up. It was not like that, though. Sadly, this match was no more than a glorified squash and only served to strengthen the position of Lesnar in the company. Rollins mounted next to no offence and took one hell of a beating, managing to look even less worthy as a champ than before. This was never meant to be Rollins' arrival, though. That will come when he eventually faces HHH.

In the end, the decision to have 'Taker interfere was the only option WWE had left. Clearly, they did not want Rollins vs Lesnar at SummerSlam ending in a shady finish and they clearly don't want to put the title on Lesnar at this time. Ergo, they needed someone to come and interfere in the match on the level of Lesnar and Undertaker is the only one who kind of makes sense. As for the Undertaker's motivations, well, they are pretty questionable. Imagine the impact of this if 'Taker stays away after the streak ends and makes his return here without appearing on WWE TV since the loss at 'Mania. Minor quibbles aside, I'm pleased 'Taker is back as there is certainly an unfinished story with Lesnar. Undertaker returning keeps Lesnar strong and Rollins chickenshit champ.

** Stars for the match
***** For Undertaker Returning.

Notes

• Only six matches on the card gave the matches some room to breathe. Less matches on the card translates into better story telling.
• The child in me will always love The Undertaker.
• Two out of the big three matches (Owens vs Cena, Reigns vs Wyatt and Lesnar vs Rollins) ended with interference. I expected it to be all three,
• Overall, this was an entertaining PPV which provided good wrestling whilst advancing story lines. I understand a lot of people's frustration  at the booking of the main event and Cena vs Owens but this show was always going to be a set up for SummerSlam.

Overall Rating 

*** 1/2