 Heath Slater def. Curt HawkinsI've been saying for weeks that I'm so sick of seeing Hawkins face Goldust on Main Event, so we ended up getting Slater as Hawkins' opponent this week instead... even though they've clashed countless times in the past, too. Be careful what you wish for, I guess. They went for the same antics they always do with Hawkins laying down for Slater among other things, so while it was formulaic, it wasn't entirely terrible. The crowd enjoyed parts of it, but it just felt like deja vu for me. kalisto, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik def. TJP, Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari205 Live has become so much more must-see in recent months, but these Cruiserweight matches on Main Event have essentially stayed the same. That isn't to say this was bad by any means, but they were barely given any time. With the commercial break, this might have been only two minutes long. No joke. It was fun while it lasted, though, and I give them credit for making the most of what they had to work with.
0 Comments
 Universal Champion Brock Lesnar Attacked Roman ReignsNo matter what WWE does (including booking him in Stone Cold Steve Austin fashion), the fans in attendance at WrestleMania are going to boo Roman Reigns' inevitable title win. That said, this angle was really done. Reigns came across like a badass for resisting arrest while Lesnar was a total opportunist in attacking Reigns when he was obviously incapable of defending himself. This added a ton of much-needed heat to their WrestleMania match and kicked off the show on a hot note. Asuka def. Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss by Count-out (Non-title)Bliss' pre-match promo was excellent as she ran down Nia Jax and successfully set up their WrestleMania match. Meanwhile, I found the original encounter between Bliss and Asuka to be a bit boring two months ago, so I was happy when Asuka ultimately chose Charlotte Flair as her WrestleMania opponent instead. Thankfully, this was better, but despite receiving a good chunk of time, only the final few minutes were actually anything of note considering the outcome was never in doubt. The count-out finish was flat, but at least Jax targeting Bliss afterward made up for it.
 Sami Callihan def. Fallah BahhCallihan has been a hot topic in the wrestling world over the past few weeks for his ruthless attack on Eddie Edwards, and to IMPACT's credit, they've been getting all the buzz they possibly can out of it. Edwards' injury looked brutal, but he reemerged after this match and forced oVe and Callihan to flee from the ring, so it obviously isn't going to keep him out for long, if at all. Oh, and as for the match between Callihan and Bahh, it was mostly comedic relief, though it was a fine way to further Callihan's recent momentum. Alberto El Patron Interrupted McKenzie Mitchell's Interview with IMPACT World Champion Austin AriesThe whole purpose of this segment (in addition to hyping Aries' book Food Fight) was to drive home how Aries is a vegan and El Patron eats meat, or something like that. It felt like something we would have seen a number of years ago in WWE with either Daniel Bryan or CM Punk (it would have been alcohol in his case), but it was a simple segment that established tension between the two. Both men played their roles well and I liked how Aries stood up to the slimy El Patron instead of taking his crap. This was also more effective in the backstage setting than if it played out in front of the live crowd.
 SAnitY def. Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinal MatchSabbatelli and Moss previously teased tension the last time they teamed up, so it was obvious they weren't winning here. It's a shame because they were starting to find their footing as a pairing, and I thought they fared well for themselves here. That said, SAnitY are much higher up on the totem pole in the tag division and still have unfinished business with Undisputed Era, so I can't say I was shocked when they punched their ticket to the next round. Tommaso Ciampa Storms Off in the Face of a Defiant NXT UniverseAlthough this was virtually a carbon copy of the segment Ciampa was involved in last week where he appeared in front of the crowd and said nothing before leaving, it was still very well done and further illustrated just how despised by the audience he is. The segment didn't overstay its welcome and the atmosphere was electric for Johnny Gargano. Just imagine how the audience is going to be during their likely match at TakeOver: New Orleans. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!
#AskGSM Edition #224: Braun Strowman's Partner, Women's Battle Royal, Fastlane Fallout, More3/14/2018  #AskGSM is a weekly Q&A video where I, Graham "GSM" Matthews (and special guest RJ Marceau) answer fan questions from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in regards to the world of wrestling. Nothing is off limits, and this week’s edition touches upon a variety of topics including:
|
Categories
All
Archives
April 2025
|
RSS Feed