BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I went into this non-PPV with very low expectations. I noticed a day or two before the event that most of the biggest matches were “old school” vs. “new school” and I think that’s why I wasn’t that excited. I wanted to see fresh matches, not old dudes clinging on to modern relevancy by working with talent people actually want to see and support.
The term “old school” used to hold some value of being cool. I’m starting to see that term as “old IN school” because it’s a term that represents things that are clearly held back. That guy with the full mustache shouldn’t be in 8th grade anymore, but he’s “old school”. I like older things, but those things are “classic” and “timeless”, not “old school”. We grow, evolve, and take on new things because that’s what is needed to provide the world new content and moments. “Old school” music is fun to look back on, but it’s not the end all-be all. I feel people should respect the classics and learn from them and then take the ball and run as far as you can with it. Sometimes it will flat out suck and it won’t match up the impact or magnitude of the “old school” stuff but if we’re not trying to better ourselves and the artistic mediums we love then why even try?
The WWE has an amazing influx of talent right now. The younger guys are fresh, entertaining, and the crowd is getting behind them. Their time is now. Meanwhile there is a group of WWE “old school” guys convincing themselves and others that they are “passing the torch” and trying to “get the new guys over”. That’s nonsense. These guys aren’t going to put on great matches with broken down and uninspired old timers. All of the vets aren’t like this, but in the long run “old school” is holding the new talent and the business back from taking the next leap into the next era of the art form.
This was on my mind going into this non-PPV event.
I didn’t expect much. Luckily I didn’t get much.
I’m not going to be super jaded or hateful about the show. It wasn’t “bad” at all. It had some fun and interesting spots and in the grand scheme of things it was one of the better PPVs(or not) in a while that wasn’t one of the “big four”. It didn’t blow me away or make me want to rewatch it anytime soon. In fact it didn’t even convince me to renew my Network subscription at all unless they get the Google Chromecast application in order.
The opening “Wee-LC Match” was a lot of fun. It was more “extreme” than 75% of the show and I have to give credit to everyone involved. El Torito is pretty athletic and did some cool looking stuff. Hornswoggle pulled off more than anyone would have expected and all in all it it was a good and fun match. The Matadores didn’t add much, but 3 Man Band certainly did. Those guys took crazy bumps that they didn’t really need to. It was a comedy match and they were taking table bumps and doing shit that most people in Money in the Bank Matches wouldn’t dare doing. I really hope they are rewarded for their efforts here. With the Usos being tag team champions I think it’s safe to say the belts are fair game for the entire roster.
The triple threat match should have just been a one on one between RVD and Cesaro. I know Swagger has a point to be in it because of his feud with Cesaro, but he just sucks. I’m not going to sugar coat it. He’s boring and bland. He’s not a bad wrestler but he does nothing to make me care what he does. He could really use a complete gimmick overhaul including new gear, a new name, and a mask. Cesaro and RVD had some fun spots and it’s cool to see Cesaro’s rise continue.
What is there to say about the Rusev handicapped match. Lana looked really hot and I’d love to see more of her, but he’s dull a shit. I’d buy him a lot more if he had an equally intimidating partner and went after the tag belts. Shit man, him and Swagger under hoods could be bad ass. Not this though.
I enjoyed the IC Title match. It was cool big man vs. big man match. I’m bummed that Big E’s reign wasn’t really developed, but I’m happy to see Barrett get another shot at glory. He’s a damn good talent and could be money with the right push. I anticipate a rematch and hopefully a feud. I’d honestly be interested to see these two have a ladder match. It would be uncharacteristic of the traditional ladder match set up, but I bet they’d do some cool stuff in it.
The Shield and The Evolution match was really fun. I’m happy as shit to say that the Evolution did a great job to not only put The Shield over, but they sold their asses off for them. I honestly expected they’d lose, but still stand tall afterwards. The Seth Rollins dive was the shit and he’s officially replacing Jeff Hardy now, but with a lot more upswing and talent. Ambrose REALLY came into his own as a face in this and pulled off some cool stuff like the table run and dive and all the energy he had. Meanwhile Reigns got his big moment and pop and is starting to wear thin in terms of protection. I honestly can’t tell you anything else he does outside of his spear, punch, and clotheslines. I’m a fan of his, but it’s starting to be pretty clear of how limited he is. He’s young and had plenty of potential to grow from. He’s charismatic and has great presence so I have plenty of faith in him.
The cage match was a good story. It wasn’t a good “match” persae, but John Cena isn’t exactly known for five star outings. Of course they protected the shit out of Cena, made him look like a super hero, and still managed to keep Bray Wyatt strong in the end. That little kid has to be related to someone because he’s awesome. He’s got great timing and when he tilted his little head after putting the mask on I all but clapped for the kid. Good stuff. I’m excited to see if they’ll actually let Cena break down without coming back with horrible comedy promos.
Paige continues to kick ass and look hot and Tamina really showed some improvement here. Ever since Paige hit the scene I have a new found interest in the women’s division of the company.
Danny B and Kane had the match they needed to have. It was straight out the attitude era. They had a good brawl, went back stage, pulled off some storyline antics, went back to the ring, brawled some more, LIT A TABLE ON FIRE, big bump, finisher, 1-2-3, and the crowd goes home happy with the story to tell of “that time Kane set the table on fire and went through it”. This totally distracted the fact that the match didn’t have much rhythm or excitement. It was all story antics and it worked out. Of course I’d have rather have seen a five star Daniel Bryan match, but for the purpose of the feud and the limitations of the match-up this was more than satisfying.
Maybe it was my lack of high expectations, but I actually enjoyed this show. Like I said, it wasn’t a mind blower or anything but it served its purpose of furthering storylines and providing a nice family night distraction. Well done. I know all of their shows aren’t going to be like this, but I can’t complain for the time being. Now if we can get Dolph, Kofi, Fandango, and a few others back into the swing of things…
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