1.Lashley vs Cedric NR
2.McIntyre vs Corbin NR
3.Danhausen vs Johnson NR
4.KUSHIDA vs Dunne ***3/4
5.North American Contender Gauntlet Eliminator ***1/2
6.NXT UK Title: WALTER(c) vs Ciampa ****1/4
7.NXT Tag Titles: MSK vs Grizzled Young Vets vs Legado del Fantasma ***3/4
8.NXT Women's Title: Io(c) vs Raquel ****
9.Jurassic Express vs Bear Country NR
10.TNT Title: Darby(c) vs JD ***1/4
11.Conti vs Bunny NR
12.Omega, Good Brothers vs Moxley, Young Bucks NR
13.Sabin vs Deaner NR
14.Omega, Good Brothers vs Swann, Mack, Edwards ***
15.Andre the Giant Battle Royal NR
Thoughts:
This week, I was admittedly exhausted after a trip across the country mixed with a load of other personal engagements. I also expected a big drop in views thanks to how loaded the weekend was with Mania related shows. As a result, the format change I have planned did not happen this week. My kids, who are a big reason why I make this playlist format series, still loved it, though.
First, Raw coverage started with Drew making his intentions clear and then King Potato and Lashley coming out to rebuttal for a back and forth. Backstage, Shelton and Cedric question MVP as we all wonder who thought it was a good idea to break this unit up and to plug in Corbin.
The first match of the episode saw Cedric get in some offense before falling to the WWE Champ and then Lashley beating down his former partners in post solidifying things further.
MVP declares Lashley, "unbeatable" backstage.
Corbin was not unbeatable, though. MVP tried to get the potato to take out McIntyre but failed, eating a Claymore and then a pin instead.
It was all okay for what it was and the match itself between Drew and Bobby, which I'll watch soon, should rock if nothing else. Acceptable build.
Ring of Honor coverage this week saw Danhausen and Johnson work a completely acceptable tv match that felt very old school indie style in a way. Danhausen's role in ROH is interesting but more interesting, in my opinion at least, is what I perceive to be an incoming push for Mecca 3 which could be potentially fun.
This week's NXT served as night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, and as a result the show was stacked with must-see content!
KUSHIDA and Dunne's match was crisp, technical badassery and a great match in general with the right dude winning after a series of dramatic near falls.
The Gauntlet Eliminator match did just enough for me to consider it recommendation levels and your mileage will certainly vary, but I appreciated the general usage of the gimmick, the content was largely enjoyable, and the endstretch put it over the line. The outcome was also a pleasant surprise, which is a nice bonus.
My SNSM US TV Match of the Week was WALTER and Ciampa in a fantastic contest with the United Kingdom Championship on the line. The right dude won for sure, though I am unsure how I feel about the Sad Ciampa angle they are currently running. Hard hitting stuff, as expected, and full of excitement and drama. The cheesy yet awesome table chop spot was gif worthy madness, too. Make sure to check this one out for sure!
Merch of the Week this time is that badass surfer Sting shirt that PWT had up for sale!
The NXT Tag straps were on the line next in a great spotfest. I loved seeing MSK take the gold too as they have a lot they can do as champs and I see them being a major part of the division for a while. Everyone got a chance to shine which was nice, too.
The main event of Stand & Deliver night one saw Io fall to Raquel in a killer match! Io was of course the star but Raquel deserves credit as she's improved drastically, quickly. I am unsure how her reign will go but as long as they pair her with the right opponents it should go very well. Io was an amazing champion, which is no surprise considering that she is one of the best wrestlers ever, regardless of gender, and I have no doubt she'll do well with whatever they have planned next.
Over to Dynamite, we start with a pretty good Jericho promo building off of the hot feud between Inner Circle and Pinnacle before moving to another promo, this time showcasing Death Triangle and setting up something with them and Orange/Best Friends which should be fun. I like that they called back to Orange/Pac here as it shows that AEW generally cares about fluidity of angles across time, even if they are not always perfect on that.
The first match from Dynamite saw Luchasaurus, whom my kids LOVE, and Jungle Boy beating Bear Country in a decent match. It came off a bit rough around the edges at times in the highlights, but not terribly so and the right team won. The hot/cold booking of the team has been a bit confusing at times though and even more so for Jungle Boy himself. It happens when you over-bloat your roster.
JD Drake, a dude I have been desperately wanting to see get more looks on a big stage, challenged Darby next for the TNT Championship, which was a nice match for sure. Drake looked good in defeat, Darby rag dolled until he pulled away, and the entire thing worked nicely for what it was. I wouldn't mind a unit with Mox, Eddie, and JD.
Next, highlights of Tay, who deserves credit for how good she's gotten so quickly, beating Bunny in a solid looking match. They still annoyed me a bit with some overbooking and the fact that they once again had to inject penis into the sole women's match of the night, though.
The main event of Dynamite this week saw Kenny, Anderson, and Gallows beating Mox and The Young Bucks in a match that was more about the angle. It seems the will they/won't they on Matt and Nick is finally over as the brothers joined Omega and The Good Brothers in the end while turning on Jon. While the match didn't come off as much, I'm glad to see the five unite finally.
What happened with the forbidden door stuff, by the way? Is it only open when New Japan wants to utilize Jon?
On IMPACT, Sabin beat Deaner in a solid looking match. After, EY got payback for last week, with his buddies taking out everyone. Rhyno's gore was pretty decent here for sure and the entire angle was decent for what it was.
The show closed with Kenny, Anderson, and Gallows falling to Swann, Mack, and Edwards in what was a good building block match. I have no idea why it wasn't advertised on Dynamite, but it is what it is. Swann pinned Karl to give the IMPACT Champ an important win as they head to Kenny vs Swann, which I am very much looking forward to.
On SmackDown, we had promos throughout the night featuring Edge, Bryan, and Roman ahead of their Mania match. All three were well done and enjoyable enough and the match itself has a lot of potential. I'll watch that soon, for sure.
Sami and Kevin continued their rivalry this week, too, though I find it funny that Sami is okay with his current gimmick which literally just makes fun of himself and turns his real stances into a joke.
The Andre the Giant Battle Royal saw Jey Uso take the W, last throwing out Shinsuke. Meh.
That's it for this week's #SNSM. Thanks for reading!
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