Tagged under:
By @MeenHendrix
Gregory Helms is one of the greatest wrestlers to walk the earth period and in my opinion, the real face of Cruiserweight Wrestling. Now that may be a bold statement with guys like Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chavo, Juventud, Rey Mysterio and Psychosis all putting a stamp on that division, but a part of me feels like Helms has been the only constant in that division. Most have transcended the division and even though Helms hasn't, I feel like what he actually has done in the division is enough to warrant legendary status.
What I want to focus on is Gregory Helms' run on Smackdown in 2006. Although I am a big fan of the man they used to call Sugar Shane, I really wasn't the biggest fan of the Hurricane. The comic relief and random skits were very entertaining, but I wasn't always interested in it.
When Hurricane and Rosey broke up, Helms suddenly was given new life. He was a slow grower at first, but he grew nonetheless. His natural charisma on the mic began to shine brighter as a heel during his weak feud with Jerry Lawler. Soon after, he won an open invitational for the Cruiserweight Championship at the Royal Rumble. His first promo on Smackdown showed off his new arrogant attitude stating that no man on the roster could force him into breaking a sweat against them. He started off as a fighting champion. He'd given Nunzio and Scotty 2 Hotty (replacing Kid Kash that week) back to back opportunities to beat him and he defeated both. Then he defeated every Cruiserweight on the roster in a match for the title at No Way Out. Teddy Long tried to force Helms into defending his belt every week, but a broken nose ended that quickly after his first defense against Psychosis.
When he came back, I felt like he was underutilized. This guy was oozing charisma on the mic and all he did was brag about being better than everyone. Yet he was relegated to Velocity his first few weeks back (4-0 on Velocity, 1-0 on PPV and 0-2 on Smackdown). He continued to make due with what he was given though. He participated in a few Champion vs Champion matches, going 0-3 against Benoit (US Champ before Helms's broken nose), Mysterio (World Heavyweight Champion), and Bobby Lashley (New US Champion). His rivalry with Matt Hardy presented us 2 underrated matches at No Mercy and The Great American Bash. To close out the year he entered into a feud with Jimmy Wang Yang, which also gave us a pretty good match at Armageddon.
I have mixed feelings about the year Helms had in 2006. On one hand, he did everything he said he was going to do. He dominated the Cruiserweight Division. Took on all comers and defeated most of them. He had become the longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion in WWE history and that's something to be damn proud of. However, I felt like he could have been so much more. Maybe this was me being naive. He was hot in the ring. Maybe he could have had an angle with him being the first guy to carry the US Title and Cruiserweight Title at the same time. He was damn good enough to move up the card.
He did everything he was asked. He beat every Cruiserweight Teddy Long threw at him and held his own in the ring with top stars in Champion vs Champion matches. He compiled an 18-10 overall record after winning the Cruiserweight Championship and a 5-3 record on PPV. After his horrible match with Lawler, none of his matches registered a star rating below 2.5 with his best outings being his matches with Matt Hardy (3.25 rating in both). He moved up in the PWI top 500 from 153 to 44 at the start of 2007. He wasn't necessarily underutilized, however I feel like he could have done much more in the midcard had WWE used the Cruiserweight Championship as a launching point into the upper midcard.
-Ameen
Tagged under:
By Nathan Neumann
@Headliner5
Hello wrestling fans and welcome to another ROH TV review from yours truly to provide you with your weekly dose of honor as we edge closer to Death Before Dishonor in Las Vegas on August 19th. This show had some good progression towards that show so without any further ado let's get to it.
The show opens up with a recap of how Adam Cole shaved the head of Jay Lethal, which took place at the closing of last week's show. We then find out that we will have a World Title match tonight as Colt Cabana faces Jay Lethal in a rematch from Global Wars. From there, we head to the ring for the first match of the night.
Match 1
Jay White vs. Will Ferrera
Thoughts:
So even though I have New Japan World, I haven't seen a lot from Jay White, so this is my first real exposure to him and I'm sure I'm not the only one. The match begins and Ferrara starts it off by working on White's wrist before following it up with a second rope hurricanrana. White recovers and then hits a backdrop before following it up with a suplex variation. Jay White applies a submission hold on the ground before rolling Ferrara over for a near fall. Ferrara hits a suicide dive on White to the outside before we go to a commercial break. Back from break and Ferrara hits White with a tornado DDT off of the second rope for a near fall. White recovers and hits a brainbuster before climbing up to the top rope to connect with a missile dropkick for a near fall. White hits a Uranagi for another near fall. The match comes to an end when White hits Ferrara with a Kiwi Crusher to pick up the win via pinfall.
Match Result: Jay White defeats Will Ferrara via pinfall after the Kiwi Crusher
Match Rating: **
From there, we flash to a recap of how Mark Briscoe earned his TV Title shot against Bobby Fish at Death Before Dishonor before heading into a live Fish Tank segment.
Mark Briscoe comes to the ring and claims that the Fish Tank is some sort of mind control device. He then says that he is taking over the show and it will now be known as the "Chicken Shack". Bobby Fish is Mark's guest on the show, Bobby tells Mark he looks like an unmade bed before getting asked if he prefers chicken or fish. Mark then asks Bobby if he married an Ethiopian Midget the last time that they were in Vegas. The segment ends with Bobby Fish talking up both the match and the importance of the TV title. He really put the strap over huge here.
We head to the second match of the night, which happens to also be the main event of the evening.
Main Event - Match 2
Colt Cabana vs. Jay Lethal (C)
ROH World Heavyweight Championship Match
Thoughts:
The match begins with some mat wrestling early on with neither man gaining a clear advantage in the early going. Lethal hits Colt with a shoulder block and follows it up with a dropkick. Lethal hits three suicide dives on Cabana to the outside of the ring before heading to commercial. Back from commercial and they are back in the ring, as Cabana chops Lethal down to the mat. Cabana runs from the corner and hits a clothesline on Lethal. The two meet each other in the center of the ring to trade punches, Cabana hits a weird splash variation off of the second rope while Lethal is down to score a near fall. Jay Lethal recovers and hits the Lethal Injection but Cabana gets the shoulder up at two. Cabana drops Lethal stomach first on the top turnbuckle, Lethal's body lands in the ring and Cabana is able to get a near fall from it. Lethal makes it up to his feet but is knocked back down with a Cabana flying butt smash, which earns Cabana a near fall. Lethal gets the advantage after kicking out of Cabana's last pin attempt by hitting an Ace Crusher. He follows it up with a Lethal Injection to score the deciding pinfall to win the match and retain the World Title.
Match Result: Jay Lethal defeats Colt Cabana via pinfall after the Lethal Injection to retain the ROH World Heavyweight Championship
Match Rating: ***
After the match, Jay calls Nigel into the ring, Jay then states that he wants Adam Cole at Death Before Dishonor for the World Title which goes against what Nigel said about not giving Cole another shot at the World Title. Nigel wont budge on his decision which brings out Adam Cole. Adam Cole grabs a microphone and says that if Jay Lethal can't beat him then his title reign means absolutely nothing. Cole then calls Lethal a bitch for ducking him for so long. Lethal then demands Nigel to make the match while the crowd is chanting "Make The Match". Nigel then caves in to peer pressure and makes the match, so it's now official Adam Cole will challenge Jay Lethal for the ROH World Title at Death Before Dishonor on August 19th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That'll do it though for this week and another ROH review. Very good show this week and I'm glad they returned to the two match formula even if it is for only one week. I would definitely recommend checking out the main event if you have some spare time this week. Stay tuned for next week's review.
-Nathan
Tagged under:
By @SpeedOnTheBeat
Gather around, children. For today, we're revisiting the land of WIRTB on Eyes on the Ring. And, for real, we're going into the depths of hell a bit differently than usual. Instead of riffing the everlasting beejeebus out of an old school pay-per-view (or even a more recent one), let's take a look into the future and discuss the inevitable consequence of the Brand Extension/2016 Draft Era/The New Era (such a classy and memorable name, amirite?)
Because WWE, we're about to get a second women's title and (the prospect of) a new tag title that'll be exclusively on Smackdown. Because why squander the epicness that is Eva Marie faking an injury for nothing. Actually, before we get into the big show, let's talk Eva Marie. I've tried my best to avoid discussing her to not look like a cyberbully or whatever. But, even after training with Brian Kendrick, she still hasn't improved that much. My God, I'd take Cameron, all day, every day over her--and Cameron cares less about wrestling than I usually do. Beside, Cameron has dat ass. Eva Marie does not. Dat ass is important if you're pretty much there for eye candy since, you know, you can't wrestle your way out of a paper dildo.
Did I just type that? Yes, I did. That's how confusing the respective timelines of Eva Marie and Cameron are. They're probably nice people and Cameron/Ariane Andrew (since she's going by her real name again) has good intentions and whatnot. But, I don't need to see either one of them in a ring. I'm sorry that I'm not sorry. Girl bye and whatnot. Don't sue me for slander/libel.
Anyway, we're getting a new Women's Title and (the prospect of) a new Tag Title on Smackdown. That's not, at its core, that bad of an idea. However, when you look at the Tag and Women's divisions respectively for Smackdown, you see two things. First, there's a lack of depth. Secondly, there's a lack of teams and women's wrestlers you actually want to give a damn about.
Do we really want to see The Usos have yet another snoozefest run? I don't. And I like The Usos. I give them crap sometimes because I still can't tell them apart. But, for what they are, they're cool. But, they're not a team that should be anywhere near a tag title match--unless they heel out and do it for The Rock or something like their daddy. Other than that? Meh.
Yes, Smackdown has The World's Greatest Tag Team 2016--I mean, American Alpha (they've even got the Black guy with non-kayfabe experience). That's something. They're cool. They're in now. But, Smackdown also has failed experiments in The Vaudevillians, The Ascension, and The Whyatt Family (I think). And yes, I spelled it "Why-att" as in "why can't they let Bray be solo/get a new league of monsters?" We also have The Hype Bros, I guess.
But, Mojo Rawley will never be a thing. I have Bayley going all Triple H and winning every title, men's and women's, at the same damn time before I see Mojo Rawley fully becoming a thing. And that's sad, since Mojo has improved since he first debuted--unlike some people.
On the Women's side of Smackdown, it's not much better. You've got Becky Lynch, Natalya, and then "the rest." But, "the rest," including Eva Marie is only 4 other wrestlers. A six-woman division doesn't make for interesting. It makes for us getting the same feuds over and over. In other words, it'll be how we got A.J. Lee going back and forth with someone for six months, then maybe losing the title to Paige--which led to a year-plus rivalry/frenemy-ship with loads of lesbian pollen. At least Sasha Banks versus The World could go over pretty well.
For a new era, we're sure getting some retreads of the past--and I'm not talking Shelton Benjamin and Rhyno. The only way I see these titles working is if the WWE brings in new (read: old) Women's talent (I never thought I'd see the day I'd want Nikki Bella to come back and clean house) and tag talent. But even that's just a stopgap--just like how RAW loved to trot out Sgt. Slaughter and 'em every couple of years. So, what do?
WWE needs to accelerate its push to bring folks like Asuka and Bayley into the main roster fold for the Women's division. And for tags? Well, just bring in some filler tag teams to help put over the focus teams.
As long as we don't have to deal with Eva Marie or the Usos winning titles, I'll be mostly fine. So, will it really be that bad? Ehhhh...maybe. Maybe not. Right now, I'm leaning more towards maybe (read: oh hells yasss). But, with a couple right moves, Smackdown may beat RAW in some ways yet. The key word, of course, is "right" moves, not "we're just going to do this because reasons and/or feigned shock value" moves.
-Speed
Tagged under:
By @SteveSignore
Wouldn't it be magical to take a wrestler from a different era and drop them into today's product? I think about it all the time. Who's the one wrestler you would choose if you only had one choice? For me, there's no question, it's Randy "Macho Man" Savage. The intensity equaled the talent. You were never disappointed during Savage's prime years in the WWE. Ironically enough, that's the feeling I have whenever Seth Rollins wrestles.
In an era where the WWE has completely turned a blind eye to wrestling kayfabe, mostly due to the existence of the WWE Network, Seth Rollins is held back, in my opinion. He's done a very good job portraying a heel, but let's be honest, since his return from injury, the fans really haven't had a reason to boo him. The WWE Network chronicled the blood, sweat, and tears Rollins endured during his rehab from injury. How can we go out there as fans and boo this man? It seemed like a perfect time to say, "Seth, go out there and be yourself." That's the Seth Rollins I would want to see in a dream match with Randy Savage. So we'll go there!
Savage was at his best as a heel. The paranoia he showcased while being the overprotective lover of Miss Elizabeth wasn't an act, it was real. And that's part of the reason he was so great. Everything he did had a natural feel. And if Seth Rollins could be himself, I feel like that stifled intensity would be released. Even as a member of the Shield, you can see a different aura around Rollins. Then the WWE turned him into the cowardly heel. But let's shed that persona for now.
It's impossible to say, but in terms of athletic competition, a match between Rollins and Savage could equal, if not surpass Savage and Steamboat from WrestleMania 3. It's the measuring stick, of course. Steamboat was arguably the greatest face in the history of the genre. His ability to tell a story in the ring is legendary, especially in his battles with Ric Flair. In no way can you predict that Rollins versus Savage would surpass that, but why couldn't it? If you let Rollins be himself, there's a real chance for an immortal classic.
Rollins could match Savage move for move, there's no question about that. You'd love to see these two trading elbows off the top rope during the match. But what if the "CrossFit Jesus" (a term I hate, by the way) maybe stole the wandering eye of the sheltered Miss Elizabeth? Seems like the deciding factor in a match that could easily go an hour, even with today's short attention span WWE fanbase. The deciding factor is simple, Savage gets distracted due to his overprotection of Elizabeth, falling into Rollins' finishing move, which in my world will always be the "Curb Stomp."
Just my two cents, but I hope the WWE is planning on letting Rollins be Rollins by the time the next Wrestlemania comes around. While Finn Balor has become an overnight sensation (on WWE TV, that is), Rollins could and should very well be the real face of the company.
-Steve
Tagged under:
By @YaBoyChrisHov
With the first week of WWE after the draft in the books, fans were pleasantly surprised with the changes that occurred on both shows. On Monday Night RAW, fans were astonished by the improvement of the show as a whole, putting more emphasis on the new talent as well as the in ring product. The same occurred on Smackdown Live, just with an hour less time to fit in everything, so most of what happened looked either rushed or confusing. The best part of Smackdown Live however was the main event, which saw Dolph Ziggler become the number one contender to Dean Ambrose’s WWE Championship at Summerslam. With the decision to put Ziggler in that role a lot of fans are wondering why the opportunity is just now coming for Ziggler? The reasons behind it are quite clear, which make Dolph Ziggler the best possible opponent for Dean Ambrose at Summerslam.
*New Era, New Opportunity
-Before the brand split, there was definitely no room for superstars to develop, and if you did not make the most of your opportunity or you were not the top guy in Vince McMahon’s eyes, then most likely you were relegated to the mid card. This was the story for Dolph Ziggler, a man who at the time was one of the most over superstars on the roster, garnering the same support from the fans that one would expect to be given to Kevin Owens. However, much of Dolph Ziggler’s career up to this point has been to make other superstars look good, because that is what he is best at. The only real time when fans saw an imminent push on the rise for The Show Off came when he won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2013 over Alberto Del Rio, which he immediately relinquished due to a concussion, and his victory at Survivor Series in 2014, which was originally meant for Roman Reigns, who was injured at the time.
With the brands being split once again and someone finally giving Vince McMahon his medication, it seems as though there might be a chance for the guy with the worst wrestling name of the past decade. For someone that has been booked so poorly over the past year, it is rather surprising how he has been able to maintain a positive response from the crowd. Which leads me to my next point….
*Laying Down Pays Off
-Dolph Ziggler has jobbed to everyone. Most of 2015 as well as 2016 has seen Dolph Ziggler lay down for everyone from Kevin Owens to Tyler Breeze. Acting as the veteran teaching the young superstars some respect, ala his feud with Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler has been booked to make everyone look as good as he possibly could. While guys like Baron Corbin and Tyler Breeze have not panned out as management would have liked, Ziggler still did the company’s dirty work. Ziggler could have easily left the company a year ago when his contract was set to expire, however he decided to stay with the company despite terrible booking and of course his feud with Rusev, which made both of them look absolutely foolish. With Ziggler acting as the team player and doing exactly what was asked of him by the company, now is his chance to be rewarded. While I do not see him winning the title from Ambrose, the chance for Ziggler to solidify himself as a top contender with a classic at Summerslam is there, which leads to my final point…..
*Ziggler vs Ambrose Could Steal the Show
-When Dolph Ziggler is in the ring with anyone not named Baron Corbin, he can give you a good match. If he is working with someone just as good if not better than he is, then he can give you the match of the night. The six pack challenge on Smackdown Live was phenomenal, which was no surprise considering the Ziggler was in the ring with four of the best workers in the company, and Baron Corbin. With the momentum from that win last week, Dolph Ziggler knows this could be a make or break moment for him. Also, Dean Ambrose is definitely out to prove that he is the best champion on both rosters and is deserving of that WWE Championship. Monday Night Raw may have the advantage with Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, but Smackdown has a lot to prove. Dolph Ziggler vs Dean Ambrose could prove to be the best match on that card due to the will of both men being on a mission to prove themselves not only to Vince, but to the fans as well. Time will tell how it all plays out, but with AJ Styles vs John Cena already set in stone basically, Ziggler was the perfect choice.
Thank you for reading.
-Chris
Tagged under:
By @Headliner5
Hello and welcome to another one of my ROH TV reviews from yours truly. It's Nathan here again, and I'm sorry for the lack of reviews the past few weeks, but we are back at it again this week, so without further hesitation lets get right into it shall we?
This week's show opened with a recap from last week and the actions by the Bullet Club in their attempt to ruin the ROH World Title main event. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks injured Kyle O'Reilly earlier in the show and they attacked him once again after his match with Lethal. It was then revealed that Adam Cole will never get another World Title opportunity as long as Nigel McGuinness is ROH Match Maker.
Jay Lethal begins the hour as he responds to what happened last week, and Lethal tells the audience that what happened to Kyle O'Reilly wasn't right and that he didn't like having to defend his world title under those circumstances. Jay talks directly to ROH Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness asking him to change this week's main event into a six man tag team match to allow both him and Adam Cole into the match for later. Nigel accepts so the main event will be Adam Cole and The Young Bucks vs. Jay Lethal and The Briscoe Brothers.
From there, we head to a commercial break, and then we see a video package of Steve Corino and Kevin Sullivan sitting together in what is apparently Sullivan's backyard. Corino asks Sullivan why he betrayed him and Sullivan tells him that BJ is the chosen one and it's not Steve Corino. He also tells Steve to get out of Whitmer's way.
Next, we head to the ring where the Getalong Gang is with their leader P-Dogg. P-Dogg calls Moose out to the ring for a match. He arrives with Stokely Hathaway in toe and the first match is set to begin.
Match 1
P-Dogg vs. Moose
Thoughts:
This match was pretty much what you would expect from Moose and a relative unknown in P-Dogg as it was pretty much a squash. Moose took out the entire gang of misfits before finishing off P-Dogg with a flipping spear.
Match Result: Moose defeats P-Dogg via pinfall after a flipping spear.
Match Rating: N/A
After the match, Prince Nana makes his way out to the ring with former EOTR Live guest Donovan Dijak. Nana puts over Moose and his former apprentice Stokely Hathaway. He then challenges Moose to a match on behalf of Donovan Dijak and Moose gladly accepts which leads us to the next match of the night.
Match 2
Moose vs. Donovan Dijak
Thoughts:
First a squash match for Moose and now some real competition, we join this match after a commercial break. Moose hits a dropkick, which sends Dijak to the outside. Moose begins to take over on offense until Dijak turns things around in his favor with a chokeslam onto the ring apron. Back in the ring, Dijak hits a fireman's carry into a powerbomb for a near fall. Dijak climbs up to the top rope but Moose is able to dropkick him off of the top rope to the outside. Dijak quickly recovers and gets back into the ring before Moose hits a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. Both men get back up to a vertical base and begin trading punches in the center. Moose eventually hits the game breaker on Dijak, but can't follow it up with the spear as he missed it. Dijak is able to capitalize just long enough to hit Feast Your Eyes on Moose to pick up the win via pinfall. Solid match from both and it's good to see Dijak begin to get noticed even more than he already has.
Match Result:
Donovan Dijak defeats Moose via pinfall after Feast Your Eyes
Match Rating: **1/2
After the match, doctors are in to check on Moose who appears to be hurt, as Nana shakes Hathaway's hand. As Nana turns his back to Hathaway, he signals to Dijak who hits Hathaway with a bicycle kick to knock him out cold.
We go to a pre-taped promo featuring the Addiction in front of the ROH banner, and Daniels states that ROH has the best tag team division in all of wrestling. He talks about how the ROH World Tag Team Titles and the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles are both under the ROH banner, and they also mention the Bucks being the junior heavyweight tag team champions. Frankie says everyone including the two tag teams that they just mentioned should worship them.
Back from commercial, we see a recap of what took place at Global Wars and the ending to the Jay Lethal vs Colt Cabana match. We are then informed that next week's main event will feature Jay Lethal taking on Colt Cabana for the ROH World Title.
From there, the Cabinet are seen backstage and they address their latest campaign to fix the Young Bucks problem. They are going to build a wall around them and make them pay for it with their T-Shirt sales money. The Cabinet's goal is to rid ROH of any wrestler who they don't feel is fit to be in the company. Caprice Coleman takes a shot at Moose by saying that he would cut him, but Moose is already used to being cut.
We head back to ringside for the introductions to the six-man tag team main event. Matt Taven joins the broadcast table. He starts off by immediately insulting the Bullet Club. Nigel then tells us that he has informed security to rush the ring if the Bullet Club tries anything like they did last week.
Main Event - Match 3
Jay Lethal and The Briscoes vs. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks
Thoughts:
All six men start the match by brawling until Lethal and The Briscoes get the advantage. The Briscoes and Lethal hit stereo suicide dives on the club to the outside of the ring. The brawl spills to the outside, Lethal and Mark set up a table to powerbomb Adam Cole through it, but the Bucks are able to stop it with stereo superkicks. The action goes back inside of the ring as the Bullet Club has now taken full advantage. They tag in and out while having Jay Briscoe isolated in their own corner for a few minutes. Jay finally builds some momentum and hits a samoan drop to Matt Jackson. Jay makes the tag to his brother Mark, who comes in and takes out all three members of The Bullet Club. Adam Cole finds himself alone in the ring as Lethal and The Briscoes begin triple teaming him. Mark climbs to the top rope and The Bucks recover and push him off of the top rope onto a table that was positioned at ringside. Mark is out and being checked on by officials.
Back from break and Mark is hurt, but is now refusing to be taken to the back, and security is trying to get Mark to leave but he wont listen to them. Nigel McGuinness says that he doesn't want security to leave the ringside area so he tries to take Mark to the back by himself. Nigel leaves the broadcast position and eventually is able to get Mark to the back.
Meanwhile back in the ring, the action is still going strong as The Bullet Club now has a 2 on 3 advantage. Lethal finds himself isolated in the corner while the Bucks and Cole take turns beating on him. Lethal eventually begins fighting back enough to make the hot tag to Jay Briscoe. Jay Briscoe comes in and clears house with a superkick party of his own and he then hits a neckbreaker on Cole for a near fall. We return to the action after one final commercial break and Jay Lethal is now fighting the bucks in the ring. The Bucks hit Lethal out, but Jay Briscoe comes in and takes out the Jacksons on his own. Adam Cole comes back into play by laying out Jay Briscoe, but Lethal makes his way to this feet to hit a Lethal Injection on Cole to get the win via pinfall.
Match Result:
Jay Lethal and The Briscoes defeat Adam Cole and The Young Bucks via pinfall after Jay Lethal hits Adam Cole with the Lethal Injection
Match Rating: ***1/2
After the match, The Bullet Club attacked The Briscoes and Jay Lethal, and Cole grabs a pair of clippers and The Bucks and him proceed to shave Jay Lethal's head completely bald as the show goes off of the air for the week.
Exciting hour capped off by an exciting main event, though I wasn't a fan of the first match, but still was solid to the show.
That will do it for another ROH Review from myself, a very enjoyable episode that I would highly recommend to anyone who is a ROH fan or to anyone who is just looking to kill an hour with some good wrestling.
-Nathan
