Eyes On WWE: NXT's Mount Rushmore

By @AmeenKnows

I've been away from writing for a really long time. My notes even say my last article was October 29th of last year. Interesting. Well nearly a year later, I'm back to discuss something that I've never really thought of until today. For a bit of background on this, I saw a picture of Johnny Gargano's stats from a fan made sign that stated he was the greatest NXT Superstar of All Time. I'll get to the stats later and although as of today I can't say that I agree with that fan in particular, Johnny is well on his way.

Before writing this, a lot of thought was put into who I did or didn't want to include in this list. I wanted to add a tag team like The Ascension who was responsible for the most dominant win streak in the brand's history. I wanted to include Paige who was an absolute trailblazer for the Women's division. I thought of adding the Four Horsewomen who certainly had an amazing impact on NXT's Women's Division but I couldn't pick out which one to single handedly knock one name off my personal list to be included. I thought of adding Seth Rollins, who without a doubt was the standard for what NXT would become in the future, however he just doesn't compare to the others on this list to me and I will explain why.

*Honorable Mention: Asuka

The reason Asuka is my honorable mention is because not only did she not have a single loss in NXT but she was so convincingly dominant and brought the best out of every single opponent she had ever worked with. It was tough leaving her off the list knowing how much she meant to women's wrestling in NXT when Charlotte, Becky, Sasha and eventually Bayley, were called up. Now onto my Mount Rushmore

4. Sami Zayn

-Sami Zayn was the heart and soul of NXT from the moment he stepped foot in Full Sail University's hollowed halls. The reaction he garnered week in and week out is the stuff that my generation will tell their kids about what it was like watching The Rock in his peak. I'm not trying to say Sami Zayn was The Rock of NXT but the building went bat shit insane every time they heard the "LET'S GO!" part of his entrance. However, there's a reason beyond catchy theme music and an infectious smile that gave Sami that level of popularity. The man could go. His 2 out of 3 Falls Match with Cesaro at NXT Arrival is the direct launching point of the brand and the WWE Network. Losing every big match he ever had made fans more and more eager to see him finally grip that brass ring similar to Jeff Hardy in 2008. His title win over Adrian Neville is something you can watch over and over and over again and never get tired of it. If I could show any person looking to get into the brand one match that defines the greatness of the NXT, it would be Zayn vs Nakamura at NXT Takeover: Dallas.

3. Johnny Gargano

-The man affectionately known as "Johnny Wrestling" is everything that defines an NXT superstar. I selfishly believe that he should be the first ever NXT "lifer" just necause he epitomizes what NXT is. I mentioned a sign with his stats on it so I'll just rattle them off now:

⁃ Most NXT Takeover Matches in History with his 10th at Takeover Brooklyn

⁃ Most Takeover Main Events: 5 tied with Samoa Joe

⁃ Only man to appear at 3 Takeover Brooklyn events
⁃ Longest singles bout in Takeover history at 36:07

Those are amazing stats and none of them mentioned his two 5 star classics in 2018. Johnny can do it all. He's a part of one of the greatest tag teams in NXT history. He proved he belonged in the main event when given a chance to headline Takeover: Philadelphia. The one thing holding him back is he has yet to win the big one. The NXT Championship has eluded him the same way it had once eluded Sami Zayn and with each loss it only makes the desire to see him break through grow stronger within fans. There's a lot of guys with more impressive résumés than Johnny by virtue of holding the brand's top prize but very few can compare to the excellence he has shown since arriving at Full Sail.

2. Finn Bálor

-Finn Bálor has one of the strongest cases for being the number one guy here almost by default because even with as influential as Adrian Neville was, no one has the impact and reach that Prince Devitt does. Finn, like Neville, put the brand on his back and it led to the biggest surge in support that NXT had ever seen up to that point. His era of popularity made NXT so big that he headlined the final NXT Takeover to be filmed at Full Sail to date because the company realized that this brand is simply too big to leave in Florida. Already one of the world's best when he arrived, Finn brought all the stuff that made him well respected in Japan and turned himself into a Superstar in NXT. His matches delivered time and time again whether it be against Kevin Owens, Adrian Neville or arch rival Samoa Joe. His final match on the brand with Shinsuke Nakamura is truly a gem that hasn't been discussed in a long time. Imagine that, so many good matches that people forget about one of your best!

1. Adrian Neville

-I struggled very heavily with putting Neville here instead of Bálor at number one but the top guy has a very strong case for number one. Adrian Neville is what you would call a jack of all trades. He can work the midcard programs, becoming the first NXT Tag Team Champion, which is a big deal. He can also usher in a new era and carry the brand on his back, which is exactly what he did in 2014. Earlier, I mentioned Cesaro and Sami Zayn's match at NXT Arrival as the launching point for the brand but the first ever ladder match for the NXT Championship between Neville and Bo Dallas was right next to that match in kick-starting something amazing. Neville brought a struggling Tyson Kidd who was going through a reinvention with him to the first NXT Takeover and they delivered. At NXT Takeover: Fatal Four Way they put Kidd in there with 2 new challengers in Tyler Breeze and Zayn, and he still delivered a classic performance. When it came time for Sami Zayn to take his place at the top of the mountain, Neville stepped out of his comfort zone as a face and became the antagonizing tweener needed to give Sami that extra kick in the ass and they delivered the best performance of their careers, up to that point, at Takeover R-Evolution. There were no other stars. The World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Champion weren't coming down to give ratings a boost like they had done in 2012 and 2013. Neville put the brand on his back and set the standard for what NXT Takeover events should be and they got better and better even after he was gone. Neville is the strongest pillar of these four men in stabilizing the success of the brand without help so that the others could build off of it.

-Ameen

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Eyes on the Ring 11:45 PM  10 comments

Eyes On Royal Rumble: 2018 Royal Rumble Preview

By @Phranchize19

With the Royal Rumble kicking off the Road to Wrestlemania, its only right the fine people at Eyes On The Ring give you predictions for the beginning of the year big event in WWE. Who will be victorious at the Rumble? Let's take a look.

Kalisto, Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik vs TJP, Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak
Kickoff Show

-The Cruiserweight division was thrown for a loop upon the firing of its most charismatic star Enzo Amore. With the brand in even more of a struggle finding its footing than it already was, this match isn’t exactly a step in the right direction. No Cedric Alexander, no Hideo Itami or anything. This spot should’ve been used to either start a tournament or a match with Cedric (the rightful number 1 contender) and someone else (could’ve been a fatal four way to decide this) to decide who will be the champion. The point is, expect the heels to go over here especially with Gulak being the most popular guy in this match.

*The Revival vs Balor Club
Kickoff Show 

-This one is a bit sketchy seeing as Gallows and Anderson have revived Bullet Club lite with Finn Balor and The Revival are desperately needing signature wins after what happened on Raw. I expect Revival to pick up the win here but this will not be the last time they fight. This could go either way though.

*US Title Open Challenge
Kickoff Show

-Bobby Roode being US Champ is the right choice. However with Rusev as over as he is, he would be a great option here to answer the challenge. I expect Tye Dillinger or Aiden English to answer the call however and Roode retains the title. Perhaps we see Ziggler appear with the belt and they start a feud once again.

*The Usos vs Gable and Benjamin
2 Out Of 3 Falls
Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship 

-This rivalry should come to a head after this and even with the recent arrest of an USO, I expect them to retain here. They’re one of the best if not the best team in wrestling and it potentially sets up the red hot Rusev Day to get a title shot, but I do expect this to possibly steal the show and be a match of the night candidate.

*Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins vs The Bar
-RAW Tag Team Championship

Part of me wants to pick The Bar, but I don’t think WWE is ready to pull the trigger on the Jordan heel turn. I believe The Revival will take the belts from these two so I expect Jordan and Rollins to retain here in a great match. Honestly, it's time to move on from a Seth Rollins led tag team against The Bar. They've faced each other consistently since July. It's almost February of a new year. Put that feud to rest.

*AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Handicap Match
WWE Championship

-There’s no way WWE is pulling the trigger on a Co-WWE Champion especially considering how poorly the Co-Intercontinental Championship reign went. I do not see Zayn or Owens winning here since AJ hasn’t stood tall against these two as of yet. AJ retains the title and starts his Road to Wrestlemania.

*Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman vs Kane
WWE Universal Championship Match

-Some people think Brock is the biggest draw and that he will headline Wrestlemania. In reality, Braun is the most over and deserves to win this match so we can avoid the inevitable Brock vs Roman at Mania. However, WWE won't do that, so Brock retains by pinning Kane, who is only in the match to take the fall. Nothing to see here.

*Women’s Royal Rumble Match

-History will be made as the first ever Women’s Rumble match will take place. I honestly feel it would be a shame to waste this on a Ronda Rousey victory, as it would be an insult to all the other women who worked hard to have a Women's Revolution in the first place. If Rousey is to face Charlotte at Mania, that bout doesn’t need a Rumble victory to get to it, especially since Rousey isn’t experienced as of yet. I’m going with Asuka here.

*Men’s Royal Rumble Match

-I see this playing out only two ways. Roman Reigns or Shinsuke Nakamura. One would hope that since Reigns has already won in Philly and it backfired, that they would try and avoid that here. So, let's hope Nakamura wins this. 

-Phranchize

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Eyes on the Ring 12:04 PM  No comment

EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: Three Tag Team Reunions Smackdown Live Needs

By @AmeenKnows 

Last week I touched base on the state of the Smackdown Live Tag Team Division. I could have used harsher words to describe just how much disdain I actually have for the grotesque state of said division, but I like to play nice. And yes, I used the words grotesque and disdain so you can see I know fancy words. However that's unimportant. I've thought up 3 particular teams I would want to see reunited on Smackdown. Three teams that I think could bolster the division and breathe new life into it. I wanted to use actually plausible actions instead of doing something like randomly putting Rollins and Ambrose back together and moving them to the Blue Brand.

*Luke Harper and Erick Rowan
-I kicked off with Harper and Rowan because its the easiest option to book. Gimmick aside, it's very clear that WWE just doesn't see how special Luke Harper really is as a singles star. He may not wow you with the showmanship, but Harper can get his hands dirty with the best of them. Erick Rowan hasn't done anything, besides creep out Renee Young, and it's clear creative has no plans for him similar to the first split the two experienced in 2014 when Harper was Intercontinental Champion for a week and Rowan was in a stairs match. Putting them together brings back an interesting dynamic where they both will become the hardest hitting and most physical team on the brand which bodes well meshing with Highflyers (Usos) and more technical/hybrid styles (The New Day). Also, the duo doesn’t speak so they can float between tweener as a face to knock off the Usos or as a heel randomly attacking the New Day.

*Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
-This is the most unlikely of the three teams due to character but would be the most exciting to see. Sami Zayn is the loveable underdog babyface and Kevin Owens is the trash talking prizefighter who hates his bestfriend. In order to set this up it would take a huge change of heart from either star thus making it highly unlikely since both are really good in their roles. Teaming up in ROH was one of my favorite things about both of them. They were so in sync with each other from years of knowing each other so each match became special because they presented something different each time. With them in the Division you know you're going to get two talkers who can carry the division if need be and can make forgotten guys who randomly get a title shot (like the Ascension) look good with a good amount of time in a match.

*Moustache Mountain
-I figured this one would also be hard to pull off considering no United Kingdom Tournament competitor will be called up anytime soon and WWE clearly sees Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne as the clear cut runners of the division, so pairing up with Trent Seven as Moustache Mountain in WWE seems a bit unlikely, however that doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun. The current Progress Tag Team Champions are fun to watch because of their showmanship, similar to fellow Brit Jack Gallagher, and their abilities to wrestle their asses off. They've got two good fighting styles that usually always mesh well together: a brawler and a mat wrestler. I don't have to tell you how great potential matchups will be. Just search "Moss & Slater vs Moustache Mountain" and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

-Ameen

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Eyes on the Ring 7:19 PM  No comment

Eyes On WWE: The 5 Best Matches At WWE Battleground

By @TrueGodImmortal

Battleground is coming up and while I'm not entirely excited about this year's event, in the past, this event has spawned some good matches. Today, I wanted to look at the best matches in the PPV's history. Let's get into it.

5. John Cena vs Kevin Owens
US Championship Match
Battleground 2015

-The three match series between the two stars culminated in this excellent contest that was just below the quality of the first two matches. This was a back and forth battle that saw both men give it their absolute all and Owens should have won this contest and the US Title, but of course, Cena walked away with the victory. Everything about this match was great up until the final minute, when Owens lost by submission. I don't think a submission loss did much to help Owens and his momentum, and because of that, this match is not higher on the list.

4. The Usos vs The Wyatt Family
2 Out Of 3 Falls Tag Team Title Match
Battleground 2014

-Before their Day One Ish, the Usos were trapped in a limited gimmick and had to let their talent show in the ring. During this run, they would have consistently good matches against the best of the best in the tag team division at the time, and there was no greater series for them than against The Wyatt Family in 2014. This match was great and saw some really entertaining action where near fall after near fall made the crowd even more into it, after it was tied 1-1. The Usos won this near 19 minute contest and retained their tag team titles 2-1 in this 3 falls match.

3. Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs The Shield
Battleground 2013

-At the initial Battleground event, this Tag Team Match was the best match on the card without question. The story was built perfectly, with Cody going through hell and back after losing his job. He finally decided that enough was enough and with his father Dusty in his corner, he teamed up with his brother Goldust, who was also fired at one point to try and get reinstated. If The Shield won the match, the Rhodes family in general would have been terminated forever. However, after 14 minutes of great action, the Rhodes brothers ended up winning and getting their jobs back. It's unfortunate that they didn't do much after this story, but this match was superb from beginning to end.

2. Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Battleground 2016

-The match we all waited for. The Shield Triple Threat. It lived up to the hype, but was unfortunate because it deserved to headline Summerslam instead. Regardless, with the brand extension coming and Ambrose heading to Smackdown, this match was set and ready to go. The contest went about 20 minutes and had great action throughout. All three men showed up and showed out, but only one man could emerge victorious. That man would prove to be Ambrose on this night, and he was heading to Smackdown with the WWE Title in his possession with one of the biggest wins of his career.

1. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens
Battleground 2016

-The best match in the short history of the event was supposed to end the most infamous rivalry of the last 10 years in the business. However, the rivalry wasn't really ending, but the match was a classic. Owens and Zayn went back and forth for 19 minutes, giving each other everything they had to try and walk away with the victory. Zayn had struggled to get a convincing victory over Owens, but that changed on this night when Sami would have his hand raised. This great rivalry added another epic chapter here.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 1:53 AM  1 comment

Eyes On MITB: The 2017 Money In The Bank Ladder Match

By @TrueGodImmortal 

Smackdown is bringing back the MITB PPV this year as an exclusive, and they've announced two matches so far. One, the WWE Champion Jinder Mahal (wow....) will defend against Randy Orton, who will be looking to have his rematch. However, despite that horrible match, what we will see that's sure to be a lot of fun is the 6 Man Money in The Bank Ladder Match, featuring what some of us have christened the new "Smackdown 6". Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura will do battle in a few short weeks for the most important briefcase in WWE, the Money In The Bank briefcase. So, with the match official and the participants announced, who will walk away with the win? Let's take a look at each participant.

*Baron Corbin
-I think there's a huge chance that Corbin will walk away with the victory and the briefcase, as his momentum continues to dwindle with back to back losses to Sami Zayn after losing a feud to Dean Ambrose. With that behind him and knowing WWE booking, Corbin is definitely a favorite to walk away with the briefcase, and if I'm being honest, I could very well see him cashing in the same night or perhaps at Battleground (the next Smackdown PPV) or on a summer episode of Smackdown. If this were to be case however, it would totally ruin the plans that I thought WWE had of Orton vs Styles for the WWE Title in a huge dream match feud, and puts Corbin in the driver seat that I don't think anyone wants him to be in.... yet. Though, in a weird scenario, we could see Corbin cash in, win, then drop the belt to soon to be returning John Cena..... which sounds oddly realistic. No one wants that, which means WWE will likely do it.... of course.

*Sami Zayn
-All of a sudden, Zayn is building momentum up after being reduced to a talented jobber these last few months. The move to Smackdown hasn't paid off yet minus two wins over Corbin, but he's still painted as the underdog. So, as the underdog, he'd have to have a shot to win this briefcase, right? Right? Not at all. There's literally no chance that Zayn walks away with this briefcase and I think he truly has the lowest odds possible of winning the briefcase of all the competitors honestly. If Zayn does win, I suspect he'll end up in that rare club of stars who lost their MITB cash in.

*Dolph Ziggler
-Right below Zayn is Ziggler in terms of who has the smallest chance of winning. Ziggler and Zayn are in the match to fill out the rest of the lineup and make the match more exciting and intriguing. Will Ziggler have a chance to win? Who would he feud with over the title? Nakamura? Orton? Owens? Styles? While those matches aren't bad to watch, Ziggler hasn't been a viable option in a while and is only in the new Smackdown 6 to fill his role as the good worker who can sell for guys. He's the WWE veteran in this "new era" and he will end up selling for all of the guys involved in this, which could end up being a lot of fun to witness, but he has no chance to win and he shouldn't anyways.

*Kevin Owens
-Surprisingly, I think Owens has a great shot at winning this match even as the US Champion and my reasoning is simple: Owens vs Orton in the future for the title. Now, don't get me wrong: I think there's a chance he doesn't win, but I do think if he won, it would easily make him the biggest heel on the brand, and since we know Jinder Mahal is a novelty act sure to fall off in the next few months, what better way to make Owens the man in the WWE by giving him the briefcase as well as the US Title. Truthfully, I think Styles vs Owens will happen again and Styles will take the US Title from him, which will see Owens move up into the WWE Title picture if this was to happen. Owens cashing in to beat Orton or someone else who holds the belt would be amazing to witness and his crowning would put him in the driver's seat again.

*AJ Styles
-In any other match, I'd say Styles would be the smartest choice for winning this match but something tells me he will end up getting a title shot soon anyways. AJ vs Nakamura is the match we need for Wrestlemania and I think the WWE could do one of two things, and that's pull the trigger early at SummerSlam, or let Styles begin another lengthy title run and start the Nakamura push to the main event and an eventual Royal Rumble win. It makes so much sense that I don't see Styles winning this match, but still getting a title shot very soon, likely at SummerSlam. It makes so much sense, but unfortunately with WWE, that means you won't see it happen. I'd love AJ to win, but something tells me he doesn't get the briefcase here.

*Shinsuke Nakamura 
-Nakamura should be your favorite. Though I think he won't win, I do think he should be the favorite. He's the hottest thing in the WWE right now and the biggest star on Smackdown next to AJ Styles. The fact that Nakamura has come in and instantly gotten over is a testament to his greatness, but the reality is, Nakamura is on a path to greatness with the WWE Title sooner than later and a briefcase win would put him square in the driver's seat.

So who wins? My pick? Corbin or Owens. I think the heels of tomorrow need to win, as I can't see Styles or Nakamura winning, but if they did, I'd not be mad at it. I just hope we get Styles vs Nakamura at Wrestlemania 34 for the WWE Title. It might be the biggest matchup possible for the Smackdown brand. However, we have a MITB match to look forward to, and it should be one hell of a contest to witness.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 3:55 AM  No comment