WWE Fastlane (March 11, 2018) -- Results & Afterthoughts

Fastlane (2018) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and WWE Network event produced by WWE for the SmackDown brand. It took place on March 11, 2018, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the fourth event under the Fastlane chronology. The 2018 event was the final SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view and subsequently the final brand-exclusive pay-per-view under the second brand split as following WrestleMania 34, all WWE pay-per-views will be dual-branded, featuring wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Rusev

I caught the tail end of this one, but from what I saw it was better than what I was expecting going in to say that they booked this match at the last minute. I hope whenever they do the next Superstar Shake-Up post-WrestleMania they do something with Rusev, Aiden English, and Lana. They need to quit squandering a potential main event player they have sitting on the sidelines here. As for Nakamura, it was a no brainer to give him the win here as he has to look strong going into WrestleMania. It just seems like they are biding their time on his time to shine before WrestleMania, where they (hopefully) make him look like a rockstar in his first WrestleMania match.

United States Championship Match - Randy Orton def. Bobby Roode (c) to become new champion and become the latest entry in WWE's ongoing list of Grand Slam Champions

There were some good moments in this match and a lot of slow bits too. Call me cynical but Orton and Roode just don't click well. They were teasing the RKO reversal from the top rope almost the entire match as even the crowd was ready to see it coming the multiple times that Roode kept going from off the top rope. I kept saying to myself, "Roode's going to get RKO'd out of the air..." I just knew it was going to happen as Roode isn't known for high flying offense and mostly kept his arsenal ground based.

I can't be mad at WWE taking the belt off Roode as that run was a flash in the pan anyway. Orton has more name value going into WrestleMania so I can understand why they went with Roode dropping the title to Orton here. Either they are going to have Orton drop it back to Roode at 'Mania or (groan) drop it to Jinder Mahal...

Carmella and Natalya def. Naomi and Becky Lynch

Nothing really to write home about this match other than the shock I had at Carmella picking up the win. They must be setting up the Money in the Bank winner to fail whenever she cashes in as WWE's mantra is usually to job out the MITB holder until they cash in for their big win. If they are setting up Asuka to win the title from Charlotte then Carmella can definitely count that out if she thinks she has a chance to cash in on Charlotte.

SmackDown! Tag Team Championship Match - The Usos (c) vs. The New Day ends in no contest after the Bludgeon Bros. (Luke Harper & Erick Rowan) laid waste to both teams

Going into this match I had little to no enthusiasm to see this match, despite the fact I knew that this would have been arguably the sleeper hit of the evening. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against New Day and the Usos' in-ring talents. I'm just sick of seeing them feud. Their promos for this match have been great, but I don't want to see the Usos drop the titles to anyone until or after preferably WrestleMania. This has been the best run of their careers and no need to waste that push on dropping the belts to the New Day for the millionth time.

Seeing the former Wyatt Family members lay waste to the opposition here was the best thing I've seen from any portion of WWE's tag team division in months. Superb booking here. If they can find a way to shoe in Haas and Benjamin... err Gable & Benjamin into the mix too and have a Fatal 4 Way for the SmackDown! Tag Team Championships that's NOT on the damn preshow for WrestleMania then you can call me a happy camper.

SmackDown! Women's Championship Match - Charlotte Flair (c) def. Ruby Riott (w/ Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan); Asuka challenges her post-match for WrestleMania

I hate to knock both ladies here as this wasn't a bad match by any means, but good Lord Charlotte is a far cry from her father in terms of ring psychology. These matches where she takes the bulk of the abuse in the match and barely working her opponent's legs only to win off the Figure Eight drives me nuts. After the Alabama Slam/Modified Electric Chair Slam into the corner, it would've made more sense to win off a Natural Selection than slapping in the submission. I mean, c'mon she was working Ruby's head more than her legs in this match so that just made me throw my hands up in terms of psychology here.

As for the post-match angle that saw Asuka immediately come down to point at the WrestleMania sign, I wasn't surprised in the least. Out of all of the women on the main roster who have been spared Asuka's wrath, it's Charlotte who has somehow dodged the bullet to cross paths with the Empress of Tomorrow until now. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that they were going to have Charlotte drop the title to Ruby when they were building her up for this pending match. The only thing that would have stopped this match becoming reality would be some freak accident/injury between now and WrestleMania in April. Besides, out of the two reigning champions on RAW and SmackDown!, everyone knows that

WWE Championship Match - AJ Styles (c) def. John Cena, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, and Dolph Ziggler to retain

This match wasn't bad, but it was very telling that AJ Styles was going to retain because he out of the mix for the bulk of the match. When I noticed that, it was very telling that they were going with the safest means possible to avoid any possible injury from the Phenomenal One here. You knew Baron Corbin wasn't winning this and Dolph Ziggler sure as hell wasn't going to win it, especially when John Cena's in the damn thing too. Owens and Zayn were there just to play off their bromance that's been the focus of SmackDown! Live for the last few months (and main reason I haven't cared to watch honestly...)

NXT TakeOver: Chicago -- Results & Afterthoughts

NXT TakeOver: Chicago was a professional wrestling show in the NXT TakeOver series that took place on May 20, 2017, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.The event was produced by WWE for its NXT brand and streamed live on the WWE Network.

Roderick Strong def. Eric Young (w/ SAniTy)

Both of these guys are solid workers but I couldn't really invest into this match when it's apparent that they merely shoehorned Strong into the same position that Tye Dillinger was in before he got called up to the main roster. Both Sanity AND Strong deserve to move onto better feuds than this. This is getting neither of them nowhere. There were a few cool spots in this match and a brutal sequence by Strong to end it, but overall, it all felt very "meh" to me... After that stellar bout between Itami and Strong on NXT a few weeks back, you would think that they would have this guy in a better program elevated higher onto this card. And if Sanity isn't in the tag team division then what's the point of them just being a big faction when all of this ganging up on people isn't getting them nowhere. I'm just sayin'...

WWE United Kingdom Championship Match - Pete Dunne Def. Tyler Bate (c)

It kills me that the UK title is the coolest looking belt in the company right now. You would think that WWE would put a stronger effort into making the rest of their belts look legit like this.

I joked about it on Twitter during the UK title special last night, but Pete Dunne looks like Roger Klotz from Doug to me. I can't help but think that every time I see that guy.

That being said, this was easily the showstealer at this point. I felt sorry for anyone who has to follow this match. I thought this match would have been a showstealer even without the series of dives and flips towards the end by Tyler Bate. The sequence of counters, reversals, and pure mat/technical wrestling was more than enough to blow me away. These two guys are easily going to be the top stars of that UK show whenever WWE gets it off the ground. With the title on Pete Dunne, they easily elevate it more with a top heel putting babyfaces like Bate and Wolfgang into the chase.

If I had one complaint about this match it was the referee CLEARLY stopping at 2 during the pinfall to allow Pete Dunne to kick-out afterwards. That was facing directly towards the hard cam and I know I wasn't the only one who saw that. That was the only thing that was stopping this match from being flawless in my eyes.

Triple Threat Match for NXT Women's Championship - Asuka (c) def. Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot

I'll be blunt here, but this was was the weakest TakeOver bout that Asuka has defended the title to date. I thought that Fatal 4 Way was bad a few months go, but this took the cake for me. That being said, Ruby and Nikki put up a great effort as they carried Asuka throughout this bout instead of the other way around with a few interesting spots here and there, but the sloppy execution at times just made me keep shaking my head and took me out of the moment.

I just felt bad for the girls having to follow that stellar UK title bout in the shit stain/piss break spot here. The crowd tried to stay with them too but it was hard to stay hyped after the previous match blew everything they've done here out of the water.

I guess this is just filler until Ember Moon recovers from her injury to get her rematch at TakeOver: Brooklyn or maybe WWE are saving Asuka's first defeat for Io Shirai or Kairi Hojo's debuts later this year. (Shrugs) Who knows, but whatever they have in mind I hope they know that this women's division is dead in the water until Asuka is dethroned or called up.

NXT Championship Match - Bobby Roode (c) def. Hideo Itami

It was hard to care here and I don't feel sorry that they were robbed of the main event spot. This was the exactly the same as Roode's last few bouts with Nakamura, with him going for a redundant injury angle on a body part. Where does Itami go from here now that Roode beat him CLEAN in this match? The two DDTs for the finish was lame (and rather overkill)to say that Itami had him beat prior to that before he rolled out of the ring.

Much like everything else on this show after the UK title match, I felt like they just phoned it in here as they were under the impression that they weren't going to top that act.

Ladder Match for NXT Tag Team Championships - The Authors of Pain (c) w/ Paul Ellering def. DIY

I know I'm in the minority here, but I watched this match twice and didn't see too much here that blew me away. If I'm perfectly honest, I felt that DIY did a bit TOO much here to say Ciampa was allegedly injured. I think both him and Gargano injured themselves at multiple occasions here, but if they didn't, they have to consider themselves to be extremely lucky. That being said, this has to be the best AoP match they've had to date. I'm still not too fond of these guys, but I have to give them props here.

To say that they gave this main event spot to the tag team division was the clear signal that they were planning something post-match for me. Otherwise, NXT likes to end with the NXT title match, save for that one exception with the Ironwoman match between Sasha and Bayley. I was honestly more surprised that Ciampa stayed babyface this damn long as I was more accustomed to him being heel back in Ring of Honor prior to his WWE debut. I thought it was proven during the CWC series last year that DIY could make it as singles stars, but I think they are jumping the gun on splitting them up right now. What is even weirder to me is that if both of them are on the bench, then why do this angle now for people to forget about it in a few weeks/months while they are at home recovering?

With DIY on the shelf and split up, then who's next for AoP to feud with? TM61 are still injured and everyone else other than Heavy Machinery are straight job squad filler, so I don't know what they are going to do. They could feud with Sanity but that would make AoP the babyfaces in that feud and I doubt that NXT is going to go that route. Much like the women's division, it seems like that NXT's booking has backed them into a wall.

NXT TakeOver: Orlando (April 1, 2017) -- Results & Afterthoughts

NXT TakeOver: Orlando was a professional wrestling event in the NXT TakeOver series. It took place on April 1, 2017, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, as part of the WrestleMania 33 weekend festivities. The event was produced by WWE for its NXT brand, the event was streamed live on the WWE Network.

Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Bobby Roode defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the NXT Championship. On the undercard, Asuka retained the NXT Women's Championship against Ember Moon and Authors of Pain retained the NXT Tag Team Championship against #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) and The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder). The event also saw the debut of Aleister Black. Also, all of the championships were given new belt designs.
Note: This article was posted AFTER my WrestleMania 33 write-up, so I'll be mentioning stuff from after the fact.

SAnitY def. Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose Kassius Ohno, Roderick Strong & Ruby Riot

You guys can go back to one of the earliest entries I've wrote about women's wrestling for here or for the archives from Let's Talk Wrestling, but DAYUM Heidi Lovelace/Ruby Riot isn't easy on the eyes. She's even uglier to me in HD. That being said, it was cool to see what she brought to the table against Nikki Cross. I still feel like she needs to change her ring gear as it looks like she belongs in Sanity instead of against them. Her and Cross didn't do much other than deliver their own unique brands of crazy while the guys did most of the work.

No Way Jose was written off in an injury angle during the preshow so Kassius Ohno was made to be his replacement. Thank god he changed up his ring gear to some more flattering colors to hide his fat. That white NBA jersey wasn't doing him any favors. Now you can focus on his offense instead of seeing his gut and cellulite jiggling around during everything that he does. Can someone tell Roderick Strong to SLOW THE FUCK DOWN? This isn't Ring of Honor anymore so he doesn't have to go a million miles per hour in his matches. I'm sure one of the coaches/road agents chewed him out about that post-match. A part of me hopes Dillinger gets called up just for he doesn't have to be burdened with this feud much longer. I rather see NXT go in a different direction with everyone involved here (except for Ruby and Cross) out of the guys as it just seems to be redundant at this point.

This wasn't a bad match at all and definitely got everyone hyped to kick off the show, but I rather see most of the guys on Dillinger's team in singles feuds than in a huge stable war against Sanity, who could be in the tag team division conversation, especially in a division that's going to be lacking bodies once Revival get called up.

Aleister Black def. Andrade “Cien” Almas

I had no idea who this guy was supposed to be from the vignettes until I read up on message boards and social media to find out that this is the debut of Tommy (FUCKING) End in NXT. The guy definitely lived up to his reputation and I appreciated that NXT presented him like a megastar right off the bat. That's something I'm still shaking my head at how they failed to do with Roderick Strong. That guy was a fucking main eventer for Ring of Honor (which you can pretty much call an unofficial feeder system for WWE nowadays) and they just brought him in like a regular guy with little to no fanfare. Some of the Full Sail folks knew who he was but it wasn't made into a big deal like End's debut here. I've seen Almas work matches at NXT house shows, so he was the perfect opponent to put End over in his TakeOver debut.

If memory serves, isn't this the same guy who had that stellar exhibition match against Neville during the UK Championship Tournament?

NXT would be crazy not to push this guy to the moon. Then again... this is the same company that's deadset on doing NOTHING with guys like Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, etc. at a main event level...

NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain def. #DIY and The Revival

I've been hearing people call this a MOTY candidate all weekend and I don't know about that. I'm usually biased towards the Revival's matches because they are that damn good at tag team wrestling, but at the same time, this wasn't as flawless as Revival's last few TakeOver outings. Don't get me wrong, Revival and DIY made the Authors of Pain look like a million bucks by enduring their arsenal of moves being laid on them, but the second DIY got eliminated this match went to shits. The Authors of Pain went back to being sloppy and green as grass. You could see that in how sloppy they finished off the Revival for the win here. Everything up to that point was superb though from DIY and Revival.

I was personally pulling for Revival as three time NXT Tag Team Champions but whatever, if they want to keep pushing AoP, I hope they learn something from Paul Ellering in the long haul as they got a LOT to learn about tag team wrestling.

I'm sad that we didn't get a special one night only appearance of Jim Cornette managing The Revival since he raves about them so much on his podcast.

NXT Women’s Champion Asuka def. Ember Moon

This was a great back and forth match with Ember Moon matching and one-upping Asuka move for move and counter for counter. They have fought each other previously prior to signing with WWE, so this was a highly anticipated rematch of sorts for fans who have followed both the former Kana (Asuka) and Athena's (Ember Moon) careers up to this point. I was ready to call this the match of the night until the finish.

I get that NXT are toying with the idea of making Asuka a heel but it really doesn't work when everyone is going to cheer for her anyway when she's beating the shit out of everyone thrown her way. Besides, it doesn't make much sense that she has to cheat when her whole gimmick to this point has been she's been an unstoppable striking machine. The whole referee bump spot just seemed like a cop out since they want to milk this feud until the next TakeOver event or even longer. I seriously doubt they are calling up Asuka to the main roster any time soon anyway. From the way it looks currently, I wouldn't be surprised if they call up Ember Moon before they call up Asuka.

That being said, NXT needs to do something drastic to pull this women's division out of being on life support. I was hoping that this Ember/Asuka feud was going to be the shot in the arm that it has needed since all of the Four Horsewomen left, but I was kinda let down here. Sure, Ember was the first opponent in a long time where she could go all out against instead of holding back (looking at all of you - Eva Marie, Aliyah, Liv Morgan, Billie Kay, and Peyton Royce), but it seemed like they were told to not play all of their cards at once. I don't know what it is about NXT and wanting to wear out something good (the Joe/Balor feud, any feud involving Revival, etc.). Start doing some one-off feuds and a rematch tops after a title change. No need to force feuds to go on and on to bore people to no end. Besides, NXT has a TON of talent that hasn't even debuted on TV yet, so you would think they would be trying to cycle in as many people as possible to get them TV ready for the main roster before they raped clean like last year's draft again.

NXT Champion Bobby Roode def. Shinsuke Nakamura

I'm going to be in the minority here and I'm starting to get bored by these bouts between Nakamura and Roode. They are both amazing wrestlers, but this is getting stale to watch. It's starting to bore me as much as the Nakamura/Joe and Balor/Joe feuds where they blew their load on everything that you can expect them to do. This match felt like the Asuka match before it whereas it's starting to become a chore to watch these repetitive rematches since audiences have become used to what to expect from these two. At least Ember Moon/Asuka was something new, but this was the exact same thing that we saw at the previous TakeOver event without the whole injury angle at the end. I'm honestly ready for both Roode and Nakamura to move onto other things. Wouldn't be surprised if Nakamura gets called up to SmackDown! tonight. At the same time, I don't see why they wouldn't call up Roode for either brand. You got an instant main eventer here that can talk and work solid bouts, so why keep him in NXT? He's not getting any younger.

I forget which podcaster said it best, but WWE need to start worrying about how many guys they have on their roster that are mostly "entrance props" and that's it. The more it carries on, I fear that Roode's music will be more over than he actually is in the eyes of WWE fans. Wrestling fans that have seen him elsewhere in TNA and GFW know better, but I'm skeptical that he's just over because his music is freakin' awesome.

I have to ask at the end of this NXT TakeOver review, but where do we go from here? Solid show as usual that we've come to expect from these events, but what's next for this brand in terms of storylines? It just seems like a lot of feuds have stagnated.

WWE NXT Takeover: San Antonio (January 28, 2017) -- Results & Afterthoughts

NXT TakeOver: San Antonio was a professional wrestling show in the NXT TakeOver series that took place on January 28, 2017, at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. The event was produced by WWE for its NXT promotion, and was streamed live on the WWE Network.

Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Bobby Roode defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the NXT Championship.

Sanity's Eric Young def. Tye Dillinger

Tye REALLY needs a better look for these Takeover events. That vest thing looks fucking stupid.

Watching this opener, I was having deja vu back to their match on the weekly NXT tapings a few weeks ago. There really wasn't much to write home here about this. The match left a bad taste in my mouth where they did the two-man interference spot and finisher reversal to the near-fall, which should have been the finish yet they continued with the match anyway.

I don't know what was more moronic here - the fact that it took interference from BOTH members of Sanity at ringside or the fact that Dillinger lost another one of these Takeover matches. Who's dog did Dillinger kill in the front office that they are holding a grudge not to give this guy the ball and run with it? Good lord man, after Toronto I thought that NXT would scrap the rocket on this guy's back and shoot him up to the moon but nope, he continues to be the Dolph Ziggler of NXT, having stellar in-ring bouts but never winning when it matters the most. I dunno where they are going with this next. I hope WWE knows that if they keep doing this that people are going to give up on him JUST LIKE FUCKING ZIGGLER.

As for Sanity, I get that they are heels and EY is supposed to be building these guys up but holy shit they looked pathetic here, collectively as an unit. If you can't beat a guy with a shitty of a win/lose record as Dillinger without help then something is CLEARLY wrong.

The whole wannabe Aces & Eights thing with Sanity still isn't doing anything for me by the way...

Roderick Strong def. Andrade 'Cien' Almas

This was easily the second best match of the night. I remember seeing a lot of people saying on social media this past week that Almas would get a great match out of Strong and they weren't lying at all. Even though I tire of that rope resting spot from Almas (TJ Perkins does it, Dragon Lee in Ring of Honor/CMLL does it, a few guys in Lucha Underground do it, and even one guy in TNA did it a few months ago, so yeah it's pretty stale at this point...), you can't deny that Almas is one hell of a worker even though his gimmick isn't worth writing home about. Roddy started busting out the backbreaker variations that he's known for and that's when I really was getting hyped about this match. A few sloppy spots here and there, but it still came together nicely by the time it was all said and done.

Sad to say but there were a lot of sloppy performances on this show tonight worse than what was seen here.

The Authors of Pain def. DIY (c) to become the NEW NXT Tag Team Champions

Good grief, AoP got exposed as being green as grass here. DIY were wrestling circles around them to the point those guys were CLEARLY winded and DIY had to slow down to accommodate. DIY was carrying them from bell to bell here which managed to be AoP's best match to date here in NXT, but that's not saying much when those guys have been in majorly squash matches up until the Dusty Classic finals back in Toronto.

I figured that DIY were going to lose the gold here, as NXT has a history of the babyface tag champions losing the gold shortly after winning them. LuchaDragons, Vaudevillains, American Alpha, and now DIY.

Seth Rollins calls out Triple H

While most people were shocked at this turn of events, I was sitting here laughing during this segment. So it took Rollins MONTHS after the fact to realize that if he wanted to reach HHH he had to show up at NXT? Of course, HHH ignored Rollins and sent out his henchmen, err security goons to do his handiwork.

(Sighs) At least WWE is starting to care about continuity...

NXT security in a nutshell #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/drkkwMuRUh

— Let's Talk Wrestling (@LetsTalkWrestle) January 29, 2017

Asuka (c) def. Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, and Nikki Cross to retain the NXT Women's Championship

I mentioned this on Twitter for the past week, but I had like no faith nor passion about this match in the least. NXT did absolutely NOTHING to make me care about the build-up to this match. Nikki Cross' gimmick is still in its infancy, so you know she wasn't getting a title shot - thank god she wasn't the one pinned. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce as wannabe Adam West Batman-themed villains crossed with Mean Girls weren't winning either, so who cares? The marks on social media rave so much about Billie and Peyton's gimmick but it's fucking stupid and just the same as almost every other dime a dozen female heel duos. I would love to know what is up with WWE Divas' fixations on being inspired by Batman's female villains for their heel personas. The only person who isn't pulling that shit is Charlotte but she's ripping off her dad and Stephanie McMahon enough as it is, so I guess she doesn't have to.

Speaking of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, here's the thing that just ruined the ENTIRE narrative to this match for me where I pretty much mentally tuned out for most of this match. Right off the bat, it was established that Billie and Peyton didn't care which one of them won the title, but not for ONE FUCKING SECOND did these two "geniuses" think about pinning each other, especially while Asuka and Nikki Cross were out cold at ringside.

The double suplex through the table on Nikki Cross (who didn't really do much here at all) and the double team moves from Royce/Kay weren't bad either but this was another match wasn't really much to talk about either. They could've done this match on the TV taping for NXT this past week if they were going to do that.

Most people were complaining on Twitter that the in-ring segment with Rollins/HHH took away some of the time for them, but I doubt that when the show is on the Network and they could go as long as they wanted tonight.

Bobby Roode def. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) to become the NEW NXT Champion

The best match of the night, without a shadow of a doubt. While I have openly expressed that Bobby Roode has bored me since his last run in TNA, I have never said that he wasn't a talented worker. That was shown off here why he's one hell of a hand to have on any roster. The guy carries himself like a main eventer, but I still feel like the guy has stagnated since his days in TNA. I fear that if his entrance wasn't so over, the same people who didn't give a flying fuck about his World Heavyweight title runs and main event push in TNA yet are dick-riding him hard right now wouldn't care about him right now in NXT either. He would be in the same collective rut that Aries and Strong are in post-ROH and TNA where their hype levels have fizzled out.

Major props to Nakamura to playing out the injury angle in the finish flawlessly. I have to wonder why did they go with this again when they just did an injury angle during the feud with Samoa Joe a few months prior? Roode barely worked Nakamura's legs until that point and just kept hitting his finisher (which targets the head more than the legs...) and then that Single Leg Boston Crab, but Roode and Nakamura's facial expressions were on point. I cannot stress enough how valuable that aspect is important to ANY wrestler selling a narrative.

Nakamura tonight during that finish ROTFLMAO xD. #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/RrWNvYue1d

— Let's Talk Wrestling (@LetsTalkWrestle) January 29, 2017

Closing Words

I felt that this show was pretty average at best, with the finish to the main event saving it from being entirely mediocre from start to finish. There was flashes of brilliance here, such as how well the injury finish was executed in the main event and the hard-hitting, back and forth contest between Strong and Almas was, but this show struggled with a lot of VERY predictable and questionable booking decisions. If I were to give it a grade, I would give it a C+ until the main event, whereas the finish bumps it up to a strong B-. For once, I'm confident that the main roster will actually outperform NXT on the following night with the Royal Rumble.

Where do they go from here? Well, they have a lot of options, I'll say that much.

Anyone who thinks that Nakamura will be in the Royal Rumble tomorrow night, or rather tonight as you're reading this, are fucking stupid as he just played up this major injury and lost the title. He's not getting a main roster call up after that. They are setting him up for a rematch after benching him for a few weeks or months to lead up to the Takeover rematch during WrestleMania weekend in Orlando.

For Asuka, I say it's now or never to pull that trigger on the next few tapings to have her feud with Ember Moon. They've put that off long enough. They could do a singles feud between her and Nikki Cross for filler between these months between now and April, but after tonight I'm under the impression that Nikki Cross would want revenge on Billie Kay and Peyton Royce more than anything else to get her credibility back.

DIY losing the tag titles here doesn't hurt them in the long run as they function better when they are in the chase for the gold as it gives the fans someone to cheer for as the "underdogs" since they are still in the title hunt. I'm guessing that NXT will set up a triple threat between the Authors of Pain, DIY, and The Revival for WrestleMania weekend since TM61 are derailed with that injury to one of their own. With both DIY and Revival (alternatively, Sanity) in that match, it would help hide the Authors of Pain's lack of experience MUCH better there than they did tonight.

NXT Takeover: Toronto (November 19, 2016) -- Results and Afterthoughts

NXT TakeOver: Toronto was a professional wrestling show in the NXT TakeOver series that took place on November 19, 2016, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The event is produced by WWE for its NXT brand, and streamed live on the WWE Network.

Bobby Roode def. Tye Dillinger

This was a solid opener for this event, but if I'm perfectly honest, I'm not really blown away from anything Bobby Roode has done since his arrival in NXT. I'm not knocking the guy - it's just that I have been bored with him since his last run in Impact Wrestling and Global Force Wrestling. That goes double for Austin Aries too. It just seems like those guys are riding off the same old shit that they were doing in TNA for the last decade or more and the WWE marks who haven't bothered to watch anything outside of Vince's kingdom don't know any better, even though NXT is supposed to be the smarky audience.

To say that Roode dominated the majority of this match to a minor comeback by Dillinger, only for Roode to ultimately win at the end (with a fucking Impaler DDT no less) just seems like another blow to Dillinger as NXT continues to chop that guy's legs out from underneath him. Despite how stupid he looked in his entrance and he had to follow behind Roode's fucking mass choir singing along with his GLORIOUS entrance theme, Dillinger didn't allow that to shake him and the crowd was really behind the guy - even carrying on his memory throughout the weekend. I just wish WWE would give him a chance to shine instead of allowing him to fizzle out like most of their homegrown talent in NXT in favor of the established "indie darlings".

Dusty Tag Team Classic 2016 Finals - Authors of Pain def. TM61 with Paul Ellering confined within a shark tank hanging above the ring

Speaking of indie darlings, this is one case where the established indie guys should have gone over. The Authors of Pain have been lame since their debut and having Paul Ellering in their corner has done them absolutely no favors. They pulled that shark tank stipulation right out of their asses too as who saw that one coming. I guess they wanted to hype up that new playset for the kids with the holidays right around the corner.

Outside of that crazy dive spot off the structure at ringside, I couldn't have cared less about this match. Both teams tried but this year's Dusty Classic has been a complete waste just to feature the former CWC talent in pointless tag team matches as filler while taking away the focus from deserving new and established teams in NXT. Goddamn, this tournament has been such a wasted opportunity this year.

I'm guessing that they gave Paul Ellering's team the win since they are trying to brown nose him into sticking around even though his daughter recently signed with Ring of Honor for their women's division.

By the way, Paul Ellering would be one hell of a Hall of Fame induction sooner more than later. He's MORE than qualified at this point.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match - DIY def. The Revival (c) in a Best of 3 Falls Match

After the first fall, I stood up and applauded as I thought that was the finish. I had NO fucking idea that this was a Best of 3 Falls Match like Revival's last encounter against American Alpha. That Shatter Machine counter to Gargano's Slingshot Spear was fucking beautiful. That being said, Revival and DIY put on a tag team clinic in this match. It was as great as their last Takeover match, despite a few miscues and botches but it came together by the end. This was the ONLY match the entire weekend that had me emotionally invested from bell to bell.

I predicted that DIY would win the gold here, but at the same time, I was a little heartbroken to see Revival lose the titles. I hope they are getting a call up to the main roster sooner more than later as both brands could benefit from a tag team of their caliber on their rosters. If it is time for Revival to move up, then the division is in good hands with DIY on top.

NXT Women's Championship Match - Asuka (c) def. Mickie James

I don't get why the Canadian crowds were chanting that Mickie "still got it" when she honestly never quit wrestling much other than during her pregnancy. Just because you leave WWE for roughly the last few years doesn't mean that you haven't been wrestling period. Geez, folks. Give TNA some credit for keeping her memory alive after all of WWE's work lately to drag the post-Lita and Trish era of WWE Divas in the mud until the Bella Twins came around.

This match just seemed off. It wasn't as bad as Gail Kim and Mickie James' lack of chemistry from throughout the years, but to me, it felt like that Asuka and Mickie James were struggling to click with each other on this one. At the same time, I couldn't help but think in the back of my mind that Trish Stratus turned down this match because there wasn't no way in hell she would have come back just to get stiffed by Asuka and job out in her homeland. Yeah, I'd get knocked up too if that meant I would have an excuse not to fight her. Mickie did enough to keep this one interesting but not at one moment I felt that Mickie was going to win here.

Sadly, this match had a rushed/sloppy finish that just came off awkward in the middle of their reversal exchange. That alone left a bad taste in my mouth as we didn't get a true "decisive" win here. Instead, it just looked like a botch and the girls went with it. On top of that, this seemed like a missed opportunity to not have Asuka's next challenger make herself known after this match but I guess they didn't want to take the spotlight away from Mickie's "glorious" return.

As for Mickie James, I doubt she'll come back to a full-time WWE schedule when she's got a kid at home and her husband is still working the indies as well.

NXT Championship Match - Samoa Joe def. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) to become the first ever 2-time NXT Champion

Outside of not dislocating Samoa Joe's jaw again, I felt that this was about the same as their first match. Not saying that was a bad thing, but if you enjoyed their first encounter then it was a lot of the same here. I was really surprised to see Joe bust out the Chimera Plex in this match, but I guess that was to cater to the New Japan fans. I was even more surprised to see Nakamura lose here. I thought they would have given the two-time NXT Champion spot to Balor before he left but I was definitely wrong on that one. Samoa Joe seems like he's going to be one of Triple H's pet projects for a long time. If handled well, Joe could be a more dominating and unstoppable force than Owens and Lesnar combined. That would definitely make up for how TNA handled that guy's main event push.

I have to wonder if Nakamura is getting the call up sooner than we are expecting. I mean c'mon the guy is FAR too big of a star too keep him down in NXT for two WrestleManias in a row. Then imagine the crowd reaction for his entrance at WrestleMania, let alone for the Rumble next month if they debut him like they did AJ Styles last year. Just imagine that crowd reaction for Nakamura if he showed up in the Rumble match. It would be crazy if Nakamura and Styles have their Wrestle Kingdom rematch at WrestleMania next year.

After seeing people mention this online, I have to agree with the predictions that Nakamura will more likely get the belt back when NXT tours in Japan next month. That makes perfect sense for Samoa Joe's last hurrah and for Nakamura to regain the gold back in his homeland. I'm fine with that as long as they don't start tossing the belt back and forth like a hot potato like how Sasha Banks and Charlotte were doing on the main roster for the last few months.

Closing Thoughts

If I were to give this show a grade, I would give it an average B. That's it. It was your average run of the mill NXT episode stretched into two and half hours. The best match was easily the best match of the night and I'm sure people will be buzzing about the entrances for months to come, but there's nothing much else to write home about this event. Sad to say, but this was EASILY the best thing that WWE offered during Survivor Series weekend. If forced to pick between the two to watch, I HIGHLY recommend watching this show over wasting 3.5+ hours of your life watching that mess that was Survivor Series.

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II (August 20, 2016) -- Results & Afterthoughts

 

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II was a professional wrestling show in the NXT TakeOver series that took place on August 20, 2016. The NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II event was produced by WWE, showcasing its NXT developmental brand, and streaming live on theWWE Network. The event took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Austin Aries def. No Way Jose

Jose has so much intensity when it comes to his meanstreak and aggression when he needs to fire up. That dude's mean/game face is fucking scary. I'd hate to be in his way on a bad day. Jose was beating up Aries at one point like he was fighting for payback for every slave during the civil rights movement. I was surprised that Aries picked up the win with the Last Chancery in a WWE ring though - even though he comboed into it after the Rolling Powerbomb out of the corner. I would've preferred to see the Brainbuster into it, but that works too.

Overall, this match had some high and low points, but it served as a good warm-up to get the crowd buzzing.

They put this off LONG enough. About time Itami finally did it in WWE.

The biggest takeaway from this match was Hideo Itami coming down to confront Aries and lay him out with the Go to Sleep. About time KENTA started reclaiming his moves that were raided by CM Punk, Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson, and even AJ Lee.

Ember Moon def. Billie Kay

This match was a FAR too short for my taste, but these two SHIMMER Women's Athletes' alumni know each other well enough to get both of their shit in and make this look good enough for Athena's NXT debut. She's been hired for over a year and working house shows just as long so I don't know what was the hold up on getting her on TV until now. I really hope that Moon is built up as the one who ends Asuka's streak. Bayley doesn't need any more accolades in NXT. She's long overdue to move on to the main roster. The women of NXT are being held underneath her thumb as long as she's there in the top spot. It's time to make some new stars in that women's division.

We finally get to see the O-Face in a WWE ring! Welcome to NXT, Athena... err Ember Moon.

I'm SOOOO glad that Athena/Ember Moon got to keep the O-Face as her finisher in NXT. From the reactions on Twitter and social media, I can tell that people were blown away from what they have seen in this debut. Athena vs. Naomi has been on my list of dream matches out of women's wrestling for a LONG time now and I might get to see that in the near future.

Bobby Roode def. "Cien" Almas

That entrance was something else, but man, I hated how the Brooklyn crowd ruined this match for me for the most part. They were booing Almas throughout the ENTIRE match when Roode is supposed to be the heel. Cool, you like his entrance but at least TRY to buy into the heel/face dynamic when Almas is busting his ass off trying to get a reaction from the crowd - only in vain. Ultimately, Roode ends it with a fucking Pumphandle Slam/Drop that they are calling the Glorious Bomb. I guess no Payoff (Perfect Plex) since Curtis Axel is still on the payroll nor a Roode Bomb when Cena and like two other guys are using finishers and signatures similar to that, but whatever. That was a fucking lame way to end the match.

Both of these guys tried, but I wasn't really impressed. Both are talented but there's no chemistry between them. They definitely have to do something to change up Almas. I'm starting to think that taking the mask off of La Sombra was a HORRIBLE idea because the Mexican pimp look isn't doing anything for anyone.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match - The Revival (c) def. DIY (Ciampa & Gargano)

This was essentially a tag team clinic from top to bottom. Somehow, someway, the Revival surpassed their performance with American Alpha here and even managed to get in all of their tag team spots in to garner and maintain heel heat. Whether you love or hate this tag team, you have to respect and admit that these guys are the best pure tag team in WWE today. Gargano and Ciampa put up an amazing effort though and don't have a damn thing to be ashamed of.

After that match, I feel like the main roster needs to trash the WWE Tag Team titles because those two divisions are laughable in comparison to what they are doing on NXT. So, when are we getting a #GiveTagTeamsAChance movement going on the main roster?

NXT Women's Championship Match - Asuka (c) def. Bayley

This was a lot more of the same from their first encounter at Takeover: Dallas, but a lot more heavy-hitting from Asuka - if that's even possible - and more aggression from Bayley. There were a few stumbling blocks here and there, but it ultimately came together for the most part.

I'm VERY happy that Bayley didn't pick up the win. Asuka doesn't need to have her hype train derailed by anyone who is set to move up to the main roster at any moment now. I know the marks would have preferred to see Bayley become a two-time NXT Women's Champion but she has overstayed her welcome in NXT for far too long. It's time for Bayley to move on like the rest of the Four Horsewomen.

I thought it was a little in bad taste to have Asuka hug Bayley after the match. That moment takes away a bit of Asuka's aura of bad-assery in my honest opinion. You don't see Brock Lesnar hugging guys after he just beat the shit out of them. Keep me in the suspension of belief that Asuka legit wants to kill all of these girls and eat their flesh.

By the way, how the HELL did Izzy get there? Does WWE have an all-expenses paid deal with that kids' family to be there for all of Bayley's matches?

NXT Championship Match - Shinsuke Nakamura def. Samoa Joe (c)

Going into this match I thought this was going to be a straight up slugfest or a brawl given the build after the last few TV episodes of NXT. Nope - they worked a pretty slow and technical match. It seemed pretty strange to follow up with that after the Brooklyn crowd blew their loads during the Women's title match. Then again, how could you follow up the main event with anything else other than a cool down before slowly building up to another powerful finish.

I have to admit that I applaud WWE for getting someone to play the violin to the sound of Nakamura's theme for his entrance. That was fucking amazing but can they tone down the flashing lights a bit. I had to look away from the TV as I was avoiding having a seizure as my eyes are already bad enough from sensitivity to bright lights.

I was legit shocked that they went with Shinsuke Nakamura getting the gold tonight and becoming the first Japanese NXT Champion - they are really trying to sell the Network to the Japanese fans to compete with New Japan World, huh? At the same time, I hope Samoa Joe is okay. He looked like he couldn't close his jaw after the first Bomaye from Nakamura. The follow-up attacks and the finish didn't do him any favors as the referee threw up the "X" symbol as soon as the match was over. I'm thinking they called an audible with Joe possibly off the table from this injury.

Closing Thoughts

This was a solid show from top to bottom, despite a few very minor stumbling blocks. As usual, it's going to be a tough act to follow for the main roster at Summerslam the following night. The men and women of NXT definitely continued the trend of great wrestling that Ring of Honor started with Death Before Dishonor Friday evening. As for Samoa Joe and Bayley, it's about time that they move up to the main roster after their performances tonight. You could call up the Revival too, but I would be scared to see what happens to the NXT Tag Team division without them. I can honestly see Bayley debuting as early as Sunday during Summerslam or during Monday Night RAW.

As for tonight's show, it blows my mind that there was ZERO talent booked on this card who could be considered in "development" - i.e. meaning that they were trained from scratch out of WWE's system. I guess Triple H wanted to play it safe and stack the card full of their "internet darlings" instead of giving the newer folks a platform. At the same time, that shows how little confidence they have in their own homegrown talent when NXT lives and dies off their big indie signings.

Impact Wrestling Presents Bound For Glory 2015 -- Results & Afterthoughts

Despite the potential hurricane on the horizon and flooding throughout the Carolinas, Impact Wrestling held their annual Bound for Glory event on Sunday, October 4, 2015 from Charlotte, North Carolina. Many fans believe that this could potentially be the last Impact Wrestling Pay-Per-View event. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best, right?

Ultimate X Match for X-Division Championship – Tigre Uno def. DJ Zema Ion, Manik, and Andrew Everett to retain the title

Great opening match with a ton of exciting spots to get fans invested for the rest of the show. Everyone busted their asses off in this match. I’m glad that they are using Tigre Uno to legitimize the X-Division again. This division doesn’t need to be on the back burner, it should be at the forefront of TNA programming if they want to regain their former glory in the eyes of wrestling fans.

To the snarky wrestling fans on Twitter who had something to whine about that the match started without a bell, I have a question for you - why watch Impact Wrestling or any wrestling PERIOD if the only thing you're going to do is fucking complain about it. Fans like you are the eye sores of professional wrestling and why the state of the sport is in the mess that it is in currently anyway.

A hurricane swept through the Carolinas last weekend in more ways than one...

Of course, there were people who had something to complain about Gregory Helms showing up too after the match. Sure, the guy works backstage at TNA now and I didn't see it as a way to shoehorn himself into the show. He is a Carolina native as well, much like the Hardy Boys, plus it was a nice "endorsement" to the current X-Division champion to have the longest reigning Cruiserweight champion in history promote the reigning X-Division champion for a job well done tonight.

Bound for Gold Match – Tyrus wins the opportunity to challenge for ANY TNA title in the near-future. Tyrus openly expresses that he’s going for the World title to the dismay of EC3. 

For those who don’t know, this was TNA’s version of the Royal Rumble. I was thoroughly entertained with this match as it had everything that I miss from mainstream wrestling – some LIGHT comedy (thank you Pope/D’Angelo Dinero for that hilarious moment, along with everyone doing the Shera Shuffle at one point of the match), a small bit of nostalgia, and most importantly, great wrestling.

The Shera "Super" Shuffle?

TNA did a great series of teases with potential feuds here as I wouldn’t mind an Abyss vs. Tyrus feud or Jesse Godderz vs. Mr. Anderson (especially since he has a knack for putting young, newer guys over) feud.

By the way, that new O'Shea character is just Jay Bradley with a new gimmick as a wannabe Sheamus.

TNA Tag Team Championship Match – The Wolves def. Brian Myers & Trevor Lee to retain the titles

Brian Myers was formerly Curt Hawkins from WWE while Trever Lee is one of the Hardyz’ students. The Wolves and the team of Myers/Lee have been feuding for weeks building up to this event as part of the “invasion” of Global Force Wrestling and serves as the last remnant of that feud, whether you loved or hated it.

The Wolves are definitely one of the best tag teams in wrestling today and definitely the best TNA has to offer nowadays after most of the other teams have split up or departed (Dirty Heels, the Hardyz, Team 3D, etc.) but Myers/Lee definitely pull their weight in this match as well. This is another exciting match to watch with a lot of false finishes to keep you on the edge of your seats from start to finish.

TNA King of the Mountain Championship Match – Bobby Roode def. Bobby Lashley to retain

I’m glad that these two guys had another opportunity to work with each other as I loved their feud over the World title last year. Roode never got the chance to bounce back from that lost to Lashley when he was steamrolling through everyone that the TNA roster threw at him (like a full-time version of WWE’s returning Brock Lesnar last year). These two have natural chemistry with each other, so you really can’t go wrong here. The exchange near the end of the match which saw Lashley and Roode using each other’s finishers was a little reminiscent of WWE Vengeance 2002, but it just seems like there’s a lot of people “copying” their opponents’ finishers just to be doing it. Before that used to be a rare treat and now it seems like everyone in mainstream wrestling is doing it just for cheap pops. Here, I’m guessing that they wanted that extra “umph” to add to the finale here but the dynamic of them settling the score was more than enough for me. Regardless, this was another solid match on the card.

TNA Knockouts Championship Match – Gail Kim def. Awesome Kong to retain

I was a little disappointed with this one. Awesome Kong dominated Gail Kim for the bulk of the match until the action poured out to ringside, where Gail’s husband (Robert Irvine) got involved. That was a sick spot with the Implant Buster onto the steel chairs at ringside. Somehow, Gail manages to turn it around into a victory to retain the title - via a roll-up. I was expecting Gail and Kong to tear the house down after seeing the NXT Divas emulate the Knockouts’ style over the last two years.

Stick to Restaurant: Impossible, Robert. This is one fight you're NOT
going to win...

Am I the only one who was surprised that they didn’t do anything with the Dollhouse and the Beautiful People on this show or did they already resolve that feud prior to this event?

Kurt Angle def. Eric Young

This was Kurt’s first match back in the company after his neck surgery and I have to admit that I was fearing for Kurt’s well-being after all of the Piledriver spots and trauma to his neck.

EY just killed Kurt, folks.

To those hoping for a WWE return for Kurt, well you’re going to be disappointed. It looks like Kurt doesn’t have much left in the tank but then again, I thought the same thing of Sting when he was wrestling his last few matches for Impact Wrestling before popping up in WWE, so who knows. EY played his cards well as the villain here, but ultimately Kurt came out on top, fighting through the pain and agony like a true “Real American Hero”.

Triple Threat Match for TNA World Heavyweight Championship w/ Special Guest Referee: Jeff Hardy – Matt Hardy def. Ethan Carter III and Drew Galloway to become the NEW champion

This wasn't a bad match at all, but I felt it was a little in bad taste to have Matt Hardy pick up the win here after EC3 has been playing his card as one of (if not the best) pure heels in wrestling today. At least Matt pinning Galloway made sense as that finish kept EC3's undefeated streak intact. I don't think that the loss is going to hurt Drew Galloway as he has a knack for bouncing back from whatever obstacle gets thrown in his way, from the fallout of the Rising vs. Beatdown Clan feud to being the last man standing in the war of Impact Wrestling vs. Global Force Wrestling. I suppose TNA wanted to have Matt Hardy win in the Carolinas to cater to the natives in the crowd, but it would've given EC3 more heel heat to go over their "hero" despite the odds stacked up against him.

Even Baby Maxel was choked up at the moment after seeing his daddy
win the title... 

Matt Hardy winning the gold was a "feel good" moment that was a nice note to end the night on with the Hardy family clan joining the celebration - similar to how WWE tends to love sending everyone home at WrestleMania with a "happy" ending for the fans.

Closing Thoughts

There wasn’t not a single bad match on this PPV – no stupid finishes (other than the questionable roll-up finish to the Knockouts title match), no random interference, no bullshit. I’m still pretty bummed out that I didn’t get to attend the show live and in person, despite having bought tickets but I trapped in South Carolina with the flooding over the past weekend. I was glad to see that TNA managed to get a decent sized crowd for this event that was into the show from start to finish. If TNA keeps this up, maybe – just maybe they can bring people back into watching their product regularly instead of being the butt end of almost every wrestling fans’ jokes.

Impact Wrestling: No Surrender 2014 -- Results & Afterthoughts

On September 17, 2014, Impact Wrestling held it's No Surrender Pay-Per-View on Spike TV in place of a regular episode of Impact. The show was still in the 2 hour format on TV, but that didn't hinder the match quality for one bit.

Havok wins #1 Contender's Over-The-Top Rope Battle Royal For TNA Knockouts Championship

This was straight-forward and to the point. Havok came in there and cleaned house. TNA didn't sugarcoat it or anything. We knew it was coming but it was cool to see win the right to challenge Gail Kim.

If memory serves me right from the reports, this was the match where Rebel broke her arm after taking a rather nasty fall to the floor upon her elimination in this match. Speaking of Rebel, I was surprised to see her last that long in this match, especially to say that she's still pretty green in terms of her training. If I were to guess their direction from here with Rebel, I'm guessing that she would have a program with Angelina Love or The Beautiful People would feud among themselves (Angelina's jealousy was obvious during the calendar reveal last week) before we find out whether or not if Velvet Sky is going to leave with Bully Ray after Bound for Glory.

I remember reading comments online and seeing people complaining that the other Knockouts didn't get to do much here. That was the point of this match - pure domination from Havok. I guess some fans weren't paying attention that all hope wasn't lost as Rayne, Taryn, and Velvet Sky held their own against the powerhouse briefly before getting eliminated, so it's not like everyone jobbed to her.

This post-match promo from Gail Kim is one of the reasons why I love her as the fighting babyface champion. See? You don't have to be a wannabe CM Punk-like heel to get over, ladies!

Chris Melendez (Sarge) def. Kenny King (w/ MVP)

MVP comes out with Kenny King to the ring to shoot a promo on Roode's chances of defeating Lashley tonight looking bleak and hopeless. Surprisingly enough MVP and Kenny King put over Sarge in their promo before calling him out for a match here tonight.

Every time I see Sarge on #TNA I think of Stewie on #FamilyGuy going "GO CYBORG!" from the 1st time he saw Joe in a wheelchair #NoSurrender — Let's Talk Wrestling (@LetsTalkWrestle) September 18, 2014

Don't get me wrong, but this was pretty boring to watch. Sarge gets beat up without mercy throughout this match, only to get a simple roll-up out of nowhere for the win. If TNA wants to impress me with this guy, I would like to see him getting some solid offense in there like he did in his debut. Kenny King goes for the Royal Flush post-match out of spite, but Sarge DDTs him the canvas. Sarge tried to shake K2's hand out of respect, but was shot down as King assaulted Melendez until Mr. Anderson made the save.

X-Division Championship Match - Samoa Joe (c) def. Homicide to retain

I marked when I heard Homicide coming out to a variation of the original LAX theme. It was cool that Mike Tenay took the time to review Joe and Homicide's fabled history throughout this match to add to the drama. While I enjoyed this match (especially the Rear Naked Choke counter to the Gringo Cutter), I wouldn't rate it better than Samoa Joe's matches against Low-Ki over the past month. These matches are fulfilling their purpose though:

1. These matches have been putting the X-Division back into the spotlight after taking a backseat on TNA's programming for a LONG time during the Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff takeover.
   
2. TNA is slowly rebuilding Samoa Joe as a legitimate threat again. Whenever he does decide to move up back into the main event picture, he will be taken seriously as a major player like back in 2006-2007. 

Last but not least, after all of the complaints about Manik/TJ Perkins' costume, TNA finally changed it to suit his "transformation" to fit in with James Storm and The Great Sanada's stable when the trio attacked Samoa Joe and Homicide after the match. 

@MaskaraManik I'm always going to be a fan of yours, but I'm gonna need some time for that new costume to grow on me, bro. #NoSurrender
— Let's Talk Wrestling (@LetsTalkWrestle) September 18, 2014

Match #3 in Best of Three Tag Team Series: Ladder Match - The Wolves def. The Hardys and Team 3D

Easily a Match of the Year candidate here. Each one of these matches in this Best of Three Tag Team Series has been better than the last. 

How the HELL can you care about tag team wrestling in #WWE when @IMPACTWRESTLING & @ringofhonor do it SOO much better? #NoSurrender— Let's Talk Wrestling (@LetsTalkWrestle) September 18, 2014

If you love tag team wrestling, do yourself a favor and watch this match in its entirety, folks. Words can't do this one justice. 

Bram def. Gunner

Let's be serious here, this was the "cool down" match after that insane ladder match. No offense to either of these guys, but I honestly didn't care much for this match. It just served its purpose to continue the ongoing Samuel Shaw and Gunner storyline/partnership. I'm just putting it out there, but if Shaw isn't interested in Brittany, send her my way. Holla at 'cha boy, Gunner!

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match - Bobby Lashley (c) def. Robert Roode

I hope this match shuts up all of Lashley's critics. Much like Eric Young before him, TNA is maintaining this track record of building up legitimately strong champions representing their top prize as the face of the company. This was yet another great title defense from the "Destroyer." Roode put up a great fight but narrowly missed the margin to dethrone Lashley for the gold.

Lashley "The Destroyer" eh? Maybe he should come out to the Conan the Destroyer theme song from the 80s http://t.co/94NUvvFpxl #NoSurrender
— Let's Talk Wrestling (@LetsTalkWrestle) September 18, 2014

Fortunately, GM Kurt Angle already booked the rematch, along with the last match in the Best of Three Tag Team Series to be a Full Metal Mayhem match, for TNA's next set of live TV tapings. I don't know about anyone else but I would gladly pay to see this on PPV. Somehow, I'm thinking they have a triple threat main event in mind for Bound For Glory (set to be held in Japan) between Lashley, Roode, and Eric Young. All in all, No Surrender was solid show, with the Tag Team Match and main event being must-sees this week.