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Your Average NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn Preview & Predictions
NXT’s latest live special is kicking off what should be a hell of a weekend for the WWE. TakeOver leads into Summerslam which leads into Monday’s Raw, with all three of the events taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. TakeOver is SOLD OUT, which is so great and shows you the mainstream appeal NXT is generating. I’m not sure which matches will be on the live special and which matches will be for the TV tapings, so I’m just going to preview every match listed on the poster tweeted by HHH. The main card is headlined by two titles matches, both of which may actually blow the roof off the arena. Let’s get the preview and predictions!
Apollo Crews vs. ‘Perfect 10’ Tye Dillinger
Apollo Crews (former Uhaa Nation) will be making his televised NXT debut at TakeOver against an unnamed opponent. Crews is as gifted an athlete as NXT has ever seen, and if you have any doubts about his ability, check out that video I linked above. He’s a physical freak who has a ton of Indy experience, and much like Owens, Zayn, Itami, Balor etc. before him, he’s ready to take the next step. Tye Dillinger’s perfect 10 gimmick is really great, and it’s going to be fun to see Crews slap him around a little bit.
Prediction: Apollo Crews.
Bull Dempsey vs. Elias Sampson
Bull Dempsey is going through a character resurgence, and they’re finally giving him some personality. This is what they should do with Corbin, minus the funny workout routines because the guy is already in pretty phenomenal shape. But I’m glad some of these guys are getting to show their personalities. He’s listed s 6’2, 300 pounds, which is not the body type of an unstoppable monster, but it could be the body type of a solid grappler with an occasional mean streak.
Prediction: Bull Dempsey. No Bull-Fit.
Eva Marie vs. Carmella
I could pretty much copy and paste what I wrote about Bull Dempsey here and just sub in Eva Marie’s name. She’s a gorgeous woman with a ton of potential who WWE clearly has big plans for, and as long as she continues to try and improve her in ring skills then I’m ok with the push. The only thing WWE has to be wary of is giving her all this physical/wrestling move training and not having her worry about the psychology of the matches. I know that’s not the Divas forte, but if you’re starting Eva Marie from scratch why not have her break the mold? She already has the unteachable attribute of making people hate her by just walking out from behind the curtain. Add some depth and legit wrestling skills and you have a solid Divas heel.
Prediction: Eva Marie. At least Carmella will get her entrance during the 8 man tag.
Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley vs. Jason Jordan, Chad Gable, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson
When the initial TakeOver card was announced, the most glaring omission was Enzo and Big Cass. They’re not in the tag team title picture anymore, but not seeing their entrance in Brooklyn would have been an enormous missed opportunity. Well HHH changed his mind and put pretty much the entire roster on this card, and that includes Enzo and Big Cass. As far as the actual match, it’s a toss up. Enzo’s team should win in Brooklyn, but Jordan and Gable are the new hot team. Honestly, once I see the entrance, I’ll be content with either outcome.
Prediction: Ready, willing & Gable.
Charlotte vs. Emma vs. Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke
Charlotte and Becky are main roster mainstays now, but if you’re having the biggest show in NXT history, you can’t leave out two of the most important women. Dana Brooke is getting pegged as the next big thing, and I can see her being Bayley’s first challenger, which means she should probably win here. It’s nice to have NXT as a safe place where you can have three women’s matches and you know they’ll all be great. This won’t be able to match the story telling of Sasha/Bayley, but it still should be a fun match.
Prediction: Dana Brooke.
Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
I can honestly say the only wrestler on the NXT roster that I’m not sold on is Baron Corbin. His debut was fine, as was the counting during his match, but he literally has not evolved in what seems like forever. He’s still wrestling squash matches, and he’s still just moseying on down to the ring with what I’m assuming is supposed to be an intense look, but it comes off as indifference. Samoa Joe is different from the other Indy guys NXT has brought in, as his run in TNA gave him more mainstream exposure than anyone else. I still think he’ll be in the main event scene in NXT, so perhaps he beats Corbin here and forces him to switch up his gimmick. All I know if is Corbin keeps winning and doesn’t change things up, it won’t be long before the crowd turns on him for good.
Prediction: Samoa Joe, which hopefully forces Corbin to changes things up and become something more interesting.
Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger vs. Tyler Breeze
This should be Tyler Breeze’s coming out party. He’s easily the most improved guy on the NXT roster, but has continually had to take a backseat to new guys coming in. Now he has a chance for a live special win against a hall of fame name, and this has to be his time. Liger is wrestling his first match for the WWE/NXT after a hall of fame career all around the world, and I think putting over Breeze here would be awesome. Nothing is ever 100% in pro wrestling, but this is obviously a one and done for Liger, so hopefully he’s able to put on a good match and they give Breeze the win. Prince Pretty is too talented to not make the next step, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to do so.
Prediction: Beauty Shot. 1,2,3. Selfie Stick. Tyler Breeze for the win.
NXT Tag Team Title Match: The Vaudevillians vs. Blake & Murphy (C)
The X factor here is Alexa Bliss, and how the Vaudevillians can counteract her knack for interfering in matches. Blake & Murphy are insanely athletic, and adding Bliss not only gives a talented woman TV time, but it added much needed personality to their act. I sincerely hope they give this match a good chunk of time, because both of these teams can GO in the ring. I’d be lying if I said wouldn’t be sad if Vaudevillians lost, because they’re awesome, but the key is going to be how do you neutralize the outside interference. Do the Vaudevillians compromise their moral code and accidentally ‘bump’ Bliss if she gets involved, or do they have a trick up their sleeves with an X factor of their own?
Prediction: Heart > Mind. Vaudevillians and manly posing for the win.
NXT Women’s Title Match: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (C)
I don’t know if Vince and the WWE writers watch NXT, but if they want to know how they can kick start the Diva’s Revolution, they should watch this match. The progression of Bayley (and Sasha Banks) is what wrestling should be all about. They have great matches, sure, but they’re all real characters, people who have had ups and downs, wins and losses, and are now at a breaking point. Sasha went through it when she finally beat Charlotte for the NXT Women’s title, and now Bayley is going through the same thing. She was always the sidekick, and had to watch as Sasha, Charlotte and Becky Lynch tore through NXT and debuted on the main roster. Now it’s her turn to prove she belongs, and she’s already gone through Charlotte and Becky Lynch just to get to Saturday night. This is going to be the most emotional match of the night, and I’m pulling for Bayley more than anyone else on the show. Should be a classic.
Prediction: hugs for everyone. Bayley is the champ.
Ladder Match For The NXT Title: Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor (C)
Few wrestlers are on more a downward spiral than Kevin Owens. Between losing to Cena and losing to Balor, Owens can’t really catch a break no matter where he shows up. He’s also losing to the two top dogs, so it’s not irreversible damage, but eventually he needs to get thrown a bone. I don’t think it happens Saturday night, and I hope it doesn’t happen Sunday against Cesaro, but I’ll get to that in the Summerslam preview. Balor is the rightful champion, and he’s a good one at that. He also can summon ‘the demon’ for big time matches, which is like a real life video game cheat code. It remains to be seen if Balor brings out ‘the demon’ Saturday night, but making this a ladder match is a nice little wrinkle to throw in. Balor doesn’t have to get pinned or submit to lose his title, and ladder matches or any kind of gimmick match usually favors the challenger. I can see Owens cheating to win, or losing again and finally snapping (spoiler reports from the NXT tapings show him with the NXT title, although he’s never announced as champion, which leads me to believe he could steal it). All I know is this is the main event for NXT’s biggest show EVER, and if you don’t think Finn Balor and Kevin Owens are going to blow your socks then you’re an idiot.
Prediction: Finn Balor.
-Ryan
5 Star’s From Last Nights #RAW
The go home edition of Raw was live last night from Brock Lesnar’s home state of Minnesota. This year’s Summerslam is a 4 hour show, so WWE had a lot of ground to cover last night. John Cena and Dolph Ziggler returned, the NXT women reigned supreme and The Undertaker is kind of a dick. Let’s get to the 5 stars from last nights Raw!
1. Roman Reigns
Reigns and Harper had easily the best match on the show, and while a lot of that has to be attributed to the workhorse that is Luke Harper, Reigns had an impressive showing as well. The problem I have with Reigns is probably the same problem everyone else has with him, which is the same problem we’ve had with Cena forever. I’m past the point of thinking Reigns is going to lose, but Jesus Christ man, sell once in awhile. He and Harper go through a 15 minute war and Reigns wins and just hops around like he just got finished with a brisk job. Reigns should have lost after Harper hit the super kick/sit out power bomb, but that’s too much to ask of WWE right now. So if he’s not going to lose, at least have him make it look like he’s had a tough match. He’s got the look, his in ring skills are coming around and as long as his promo’s are kept relatively short, he’ll have no problem being the guy. But being the next John Cena is never going to work, so figure out something else and stick with it.
2. NXT Women
Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks both won Raw matches via submission, and the NXT women continue to dominate on Raw. The only problem I see with this is that the same stuff has been happening since all three debuted. Nikki Bella is still champion, Team Bella is still referred to as the standard bearer of the Diva’s division and we haven’t even gotten a pay per view Diva’s title match yet. All 9 of the Divas are in an elimination tag match at Summerslam, so I guess we have to wait until Night of Champions for something to actually happen. I love the actual wrestling, but it seems to me that they’re going in circles. If you’re trying to buy time until Nikki Bella passes AJ Lee as the longest reigning Diva’s champion, fine, but at least develop a #1 contender to her title. As great as the NXT women are, they need a storyline beyond ‘I have two friends and six enemies”.
3. Seth Rollins
Rollins’ promo was a little long winded, but when you’re wearing a t-shirt that says ‘never shuts up’, that’s to be expected. As refreshing as his words were, this isn’t the first time someone has called out John Cena on his bullshit, and it won’t be the last. I still liked the promo though, and obviously Rollins is right. Honestly all you have to do is look back on the Kevin Owens feud to see that everything Cena says is bullshit. Owens beat him, CLEAN, in the middle of the ring, which is the one thing Cena asked the young guys to do. Cena has a rematch before the fucking pay per view is even over, and continues to beat Owens until he’s on to the next thing. Cena thinks by saying Owens is a ‘hell of a competitor’ that it negates the fact that he just tossed another young guy aside so he could stay on top, but of course it doesn’t. I know Owens is great on the microphone and in the ring, but what he needed, and what Bray Wyatt and Rusev needed before him, was to beat John Cena without Cena immediately getting back the heat he never lost to begin with. Cena will probably beat Rollins Sunday, and then six months from now the WWE will wonder why none of these young guys are big stars yet.
4. John Cena
As much as Cena completely usurped one of Rollins’ best promos, it still sold the match. Cena’s also got a legit reason to be pissed off, which always helps his promos out. Wacky, funny Cena is the worst Cena, but a John Cena who just wants to beat you up is the best Cena. Rollins legitimately busted his nose and kept him off Raw for a few weeks, and although I disagree with a lot of stuff Cena does, you can’t deny that the guy loves being in the WWE. He lives and breathes the WWE, and not being able to be on Raw and hear the crowd cheer/boo him probably ate him up inside. Also, everything he said was true. The crowd was chanting either ‘let’s go Cena’ or ‘Cena sucks’ but nobody was saying anything about Rollins. That’s mostly the WWE’s fault, but sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. I refuse to pick against Cena anymore, especially if he’s facing a young guy, so unless the Authority interferes, John Cena will be your new super duper champion.
5. Paul Heyman & Brock Lesnar
Paul Heyman is a special kind of wonderful on the microphone, and watching Brock Lesnar get legitimately teary eyed during his homecoming was weirdly heartwarming. This is the same guy who ripped the door off a car and who could murder me, but is somehow making me root for him against the god damn Undertaker. Speaking of Taker, he’s kind of a dick now, going low on Lesnar for the second time in a month. How pissed off do you think everyone backstage is when they found out you could beat Brock Lesnar by just kicking him in the dick? Taker comes out and gets booed out of the building, which he should, because as much as he’s earned every ovation he’s received, he’s going against the Beast and Brock Lesnar is white hot right now. Plus, Brock beat Taker fair and square at WM 30. Lesnar was the alpha male and Taker was the old man. He didn’t’ cheat. He just beat him until he couldn’t get up anymore, so Taker is really coming off as a jackass. Heyman’s promo was great, too, and he continues to switch his delivery up and simultaneously hype up Brock and sell whatever match he’s pegged with selling. I hope Brock goes over Sunday, but you never know with the Undertaker involved. Either way, it should be one hell of a main event.
-Ryan
Jon Stewart Will Be The Official Host Of This Sunday’s Summerslam #WWE
BREAKING: Former @TheDailyShow host Jon Stewart will be the host of @SummerSlam THIS SUNDAY! http://t.co/NY362xMnKQpic.twitter.com/dLUOyMNVxU
— WWE (@WWE) August 17, 2015
Big ol’ news ahead of the ‘biggest party of the summer’ this Sunday: former ‘Daily Show’ host Jon Stewart is going to step back into a WWE ring to host Summerslam. Stewart briefly feuded with WWE Champion Seth Rollins a few months ago, and is fresh off his final ‘Daily Show’. Between this and ESPN/Jonathan Coachman doing a Summerslam themed Sportscenter segment, it almost feels like WrestleMania season all over again. It’s easy to complain about how wrestling isn’t what it used to be, but the current WWE has more mainstream appeal than any other era sans the mid 80s. It’s pure entertainment mixed with a roster of men and women who are ready to steal the show. This weekend should be out of this world.
-Ryan
Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger Is Ready For Tyler Breeze In This WWE.Com Exclusive Clip
One of the most anticipated matches at NXT Takeover in Brooklyn is Tyler Breeze vs. Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger. Liger is as decorated a competitor as there is in the wrestling world today, and he’s been winning championships and revolutionizing the wrestling business for four decades. This will be his first time in a WWE/NXT ring, and he has the perfect dancing partner in Tyler Breeze. This card is so stacked that it’d be easy to overlook this match, especially for a guy at Liger’s age, but he’s been a proven commodity for a long time now. His entrance alone will be worth it, and if anybody can get a good to great match out of him at this stage, it’s Prince Pretty. This is going to be the biggest match of Breeze’s career, and this is his shot to catapult himself to the main event. I have to imagine Owens is going to be off NXT after Summerslam, and with Itami and Zayn still out, Breeze could be the next guy to challenge Balor for the title. Win or lose, this match, and the entire show, should be awesome.
-Ryan
5 Stars From Last Night’s #RAW
We’re officially less than two weeks from the biggest party of the summer, and the Summerslam match card is starting to take shape. Rusev now has an enormous Bulgarian flag with his face on it, Seth Rollins is continuing to taunt John Cena and Randy Orton received another title shot. Let’s get to the five stars from last night’s Raw.
1. Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins opened up the show with a promo and defended his WWE Championship in the main event, so it’s tough not to give him some credit. While show opening promo’s aren’t the most exciting thing in the world, Rollins changed it up a bit and was genuinely entertaining. His new t-shirt will always be hilarious, and I’m never going to get sick of someone making fun of John Cena because they legitimately broke his face. For Cena not to be there for two straight Raw’s means he’s pretty messed up, and now it seems like WWE is moving some pieces around just in case John can’t fight at Summerslam. That brought out Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Orton, all of whom would like to take Cena’s place whether he can fight at Summerslam or not. The ‘Conan’ mouth gag was a nice change of pace and got a couple belly laughs, and overall the opening promo didn’t drag like it normally would. The main event was nothing special, as Orton seemed pretty fatigued for most of it, but Rollins once again proved that he can take an RKO better than anyone on the planet.
2. New Day
New Day took on (and defeated) Los Matadores, but that’s not why they’re getting a star this week. New Day backstage segments, along with anything involving Rusev (I’ll get to that later) are my favorite things on WWE TV right now. Between their backstage dunking/celebration on Smackdown and their general charm last night on Raw, I can’t get enough of them. Renee Young informs them they have a tag team title shot at Summerslam, and their positivity shines through. As Renee goes on to tell them that Los Matadores AND Lucha Dragons also have a title shot, their positivity wanes but never completely leaves, and it’s great. I knew Big E and Xavier Woods had the energy and charisma to pull off these characters, but Kofi Kingston has been a pleasant surprise. I hope New Day never breaks up.
3. The #1 Contender Triple Threat Match
The WWE could’ve put Owens and Cesaro in a triple threat match with a corpse and this would’ve been awesome, so it shouldn’t come as a shocker that this was the best match on the show. It was disappointing to see Orton win, but it was clear Rollins was going to retain so I’d rather him retain against Orton than my two beautiful boys. Plus, the WWE HAD to set up that Sheamus/Orton match at Summerslam that everyone is psyched about. Getting back to the match, it was really fun, and although I wasn’t thrilled Orton won, the finishing sequence was a thing of beauty. Owens throws Cesaro off the ropes to set up the pop up power bomb, Cesaro leaps over and Orton comes out of nowhere for the RKO. Cesaro charges towards Orton who springs up and hits another perfect RKO for the win. Assuming Owens pulls double duty Summerslam weekend, he and Cesaro’s grudge match should steal the show. That’s going to be a wonderful weekend to be a wrestling fan.
4. Rusev
Rusev took on Mark Henry, who’s back to being everyone’s favorite depressed American hero, and the match is a squash sandwich. The real fun comes after the match, as Summer Lana and Lana get into it and Summer Lana ends up applying her own Accolade. Rusev is PUMPED about this and his cheers summon the single greatest thing I’ve seen on WWE TV this year:
THAT FLAG THO!!! @WWEAustralia where can I buy that Rusev/Bulgaria flag? So awesome!! #RAWpic.twitter.com/4wW2JrBWGt
— ChampChong (@ChampChong) August 11, 2015
I need that flag like I need air to breathe. I’d honestly spend several hundred dollars for that flag and hang it in my living room so anyone who came over would be perplexed/petrified. Rusev is the god damn best.
5. Stephen Amell
Neville beat perpetual loser King Barrett in like 12 seconds, which caused Stardust to come out and attack Neville. He then went outside the ring and confronted Stephen Amell, TV’s Arrow, face palming him, which caused Arrow to hop over the barricade and over the top rope like Spiderman and spear Stardust to the ground and forearm him to death. Security came in the ring because provoked or not, a fan can’t just attack a wrestler (I’m looking at you, Canadian fans). HHH confronts Amell backstage and reads him the riot act, because again, you can’t attack the wrestlers. Amell convinces HHH to put him in the ring with Neville at Summerslam because he wants revenge, and he does a pretty good job of acting. Most of the celebrities WWE brings in aren’t even that skilled in their own profession, so it’s nice to see someone who is a legitimate wrestling fan add some emotion when it’s his turn to act. Bet the house on King Barrett taking the pin at Summerslam.
-Ryan
The NXT Title Match At Takeover Is Now A Ladder Match
#WWENXT GM @RealKingRegal announces that @wwebalor vs. @FIghtOwensFight is now a #LadderMatch! http://t.co/49h6TaD3B6pic.twitter.com/Ogenqgkt4i
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 6, 2015
As if NXT Takeover wasn’t already going to be amazing, the NXT title match main event is now going to be a ladder match. The Brooklyn crowd is going to be insane all night, and why wouldn’t it be? In addition to the NXT title match, you have Sasha Banks vs. Bayley for the NXT Women’s title, The Vaudevillians vs. Blake & Murphy for the NXT Tag titles, Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin, Tyler Breeze vs. Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger and probably at least one or two more matches. According to HHH, the Women’s title match will be the co main event, which means the Brooklyn crowd is in for the best 45 minutes-1 hour of wrestling that they’ve ever seen in their life. I’m infinitely more hyped for Takeover than I am for Summerslam, and that’s not a slight on the WWE main roster. NXT has just built pretty much the perfect show.
-Ryan
5 Stars From Last Night’s #RAW
Raw was live last night from San Jose, California, and it was another really solid show. The best match of the night was the opener, and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper got to steal the show one more time with WWE’s 10 bell salute and excellent video tribute. John Cena was absent, Brock Lesnar was not and the Submission Sorority continues to roll. Let’s get to the 5 stars from last night’s Raw!
1. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
Piper got the spotlight one more time, and rightfully so. A 10 bell salute followed by a wonderful video tribute was a bittersweet way to start the show, but luckily for us Seth Rollins and Neville brought their grown man boots and tore the house down soon after this.
2. Seth Rollins & Neville
Whenever there is an exemplary match on Raw, I like to link the two guys together, because it’s impossible to separate the two competitors. This was the show opening match after a solid Seth Rollins promo with his hysterical new t-shirt, and it was part of Seth Rollins’ WWE Championship Open. After a brief El Torito tease (WWE was on its comedy game last night), Neville answered the challenge, and it’s probably the best he’s looked since his debut. While being a heel limits Rollins’ move set, Neville should just always be going balls to the wall. The people want to see him do insane shit, and nobody on the WWE roster is better at doing insane shit than Neville. The best part about matches with guys that are this skilled is that they also tell a story. Neville needs to prove he belongs on the main roster, so he pulls out all the stops right away. Reverse hurricanrana’s, TOP ROPE hurricanrana’s, cork screw dives off the top to the floor; Neville wrestled with a sense of urgency and had the champ beaten. Rollins was basically trying to survive. He bit off a little more than he could chew with his open challenge, and just needed to survive. At the same time, he is, at least in his own mind, the architect of The Shield. He’s smart, and he sees things that most wrestlers don’t. So when Neville hits the Red Arrow, he shifts his body a few inches closer to the ropes. Neville is a little over eager with his cover because he just hit the RED ARROW, a move no one has kicked out of, and he’s about to become the champion. He pulls Rollins’ legs up too far and they hook up in the ropes, causing the ref stop his count. He loses his cool and argues for just a second too long, and when he goes for another Red Arrow, Rollins moves out of the way, hit’s the Pedigree, and retains the title. Great, great stuff.
3. New Day
The New Day skip to the ring is tied with Rusev speaking as my new favorite thing on WWE TV. They tagged up with The Ascension to take on the Spanish People last night for an 8 man tag, and it was very good. Pretty much everyone on the WWE roster is a good-very good pro wrestler, so when they’re given some time, they know how to put on a fun, exciting match. The tag team division is trying it’s hardest to become relevant, and while I don’t know if a revolving door of contenders is the right approach, it’s clear that New Day needs to stay in the picture. Xavier Woods is a master on the outside of the ring, and Big E and Kofi are a really enjoyable team. They’re a perfect blend of power and speed, and Mr. Woods serves as the perfect X factor. The match itself was good, as every team but The Ascension got to look strong at different points in the match, and the right team won. Give me New Day and PTP forever.
4. Charlotte
It’d be easy to dismiss Charlotte’s spot in the Divas division as a product of her last name, but by doing that you’d be missing the point. She’s simultaneously one of the most skilled and athletic people (men or women) on the roster, and she just keeps better in the ring. She’s starting to understand the pacing and emotion of the match, and a Charlotte hot tag is as enjoyable as it gets right now. Watch her get the tag from Becky and just WRECK the Bella’s. Add in the fact that she’s a legit gymnast who can somehow improve the figure four, and you have the total package. Every Diva looked great in this match, and Becky Lynch throwing T-bone suplexes is always going to be wonderful, but it’s clear this is slowly becoming Charlotte’s division. The best part about her is that you don’t even have to tweak her character if you want to turn her heel. Her character is “I’m better than you. I know it, you know it and the crowd knows it.”. That’s interchangeable.
5. Paul Heyman (& Brock Lesnar)
My favorite thing about the Heyman/Lesnar pairing is how jacked up Lesnar gets listening to Heyman hype him up. Watch Lesnar after Heyman finishes his promo. He’s ready to run through a god damn wall. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got backstage and just started savagely beating people. I don’t know where WWE is going to go with the Lesnar/Taker match, but I do know that Paul Heyman is still wonderful on the microphone. I listened to an interview earlier this year where he said that this current WWE run is he and Brock’s favorite run, and they’re just having so much fun out there. Heyman’s idea of fun is standing in the middle of the ring and hyping up his beast, and that’s exactly what he does here. The best part is that he’s not lying. Brock did destroy the Undertaker at WM 30. Taker did have to leave in an ambulance, and did have to stay in the hospital. Everything else on this show is fake, sure, but Brock Lesnar hurting people is not fake. That’s what Paul Heyman makes you believe, and that’s why he’s the best talker in the business. This match at Summerslam needs to end with Brock murdering ‘Taker, but I can also see a Kane return costing him the match. Either way, for now, I’m going to enjoy the build up. The biggest party of the summer is almost here.
– Ryan
WWE’s “Rowdy” Roddy Piper Tribute Was Predictably Wonderful
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper passed away last Thursday night, and in what has become a custom on Raw, the WWE honored Piper with a 10 bell salute and a wonderful tribute video. As great as these video tributes always are, they’re very bittersweet, in the sense that you’d rather still have Hot Rod being rowdy instead of celebrating his life. Hopefully no more legends pass away anytime soon, because between Dusty and Roddy, this summer has been rough. If you’re interested in playing the song used in the tribute video 1,000 times a day like I do, it’s ‘Hold On Tight’ by Greg Holden.
– Ryan
