By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Shield Addressed Evolution

We've seen it all in the feud between The Shield and Evolution these last two months, but this was a very good promo where each member of The Shield was able to shine on the mic. It was a logical follow-up to the assault they were on the receiving end of on Raw this week and an effective final push for their No Holds Barred Elimination match at Payback. It was a good, straightforward way to kick off the show.


Cesaro def. Kofi Kingston

While this was meant to be nothing more than an enhancement match for Cesaro, I really liked the pre-match interview with Kingston. He established his past rivalry with Cesaro and that he's on his way back to reclaiming the United States Championship. Granted, I don't think he'll be pushed for title contention any time soon, it made him feel more legitimate before beating beaten by Cesaro in what was a nice, little match.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Big E def. Titus O'Neil

The commentators acknowledging the bad blood between these two following their altercation on SmackDown was a nice touch, especially when they mentioned how it affected their interactions to the ring. Due to that, the match came off much more meaningful than it would have had their not been a story behind it. The action was very physical and they worked their best match to date. I feel like I see O'Neil on every episode of Superstars nowadays. Is he the new Mr. Thursday Night or something? As for Big E, it seems like he's been doing better without the Intercontinental Championship, strangely enough.


Rybaxel def. R-Truth and Xavier Woods

Truth and Woods are together one week, and singles competitors the next. I know the tag team division is suffering at the moment, but I think both guys are better off on their own. While the live crowd didn't have any incentive to care about anyone involved in this bout, the two tandems would a nice, long match that was given much more time than I would have originally expected. Neither tandem means anything at the moment, so it didn't matter much who came out on the winning end. Even still, it was decent enough match that would have never gotten as much time on an episode of Raw or SmackDown.

By Greg Lowenthal

Hey folks, it's prediction time for WWE Payback 2014 so here's what I'm predicting. So here's the Lowdown for this PPV.

The Hair versus Mask match between El Torito and Hornswoggle is NOT of interest to me so I won't make any comments on it.


Paige versus Alicia Fox for the WWE Women's Championship should be an interesting match full of ups and downs and a big W in the win column for Paige. 

(Winner via submission: Paige)


Sheamus and Cesaro for the United States Championship is a classic match of two European men who are both real powerhouses and this match will prove to the WWE Universe just who is the better man.

(Winner via pinfall: Sheamus)

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bully Ray Put Rockstar Spud Through a Table

I really like the idea of Ray wanting to put each member of the MVP/Dixie Carter heel faction through a table as it gives fans something they can continue to tune in to see happen each week. The talking here wasn't nearly as bad as it was last week, but it was strange to see Ethan Carter III and Spud aligned with MVP and company. The subsequent brawl that broke out set up the six-man tag team match for after the break, so that was a nice-tie. Obviously, I'd rather have the show kick off with a match as opposed to a promo, but this was tolerable, especially since it saw Spud go through a table.


MVP, Kenny King and Bobby Lashley def. Austin Aries and TNA World Tag Team Champions The Wolves

The action itself was very good, but unorganized. There were several points from everoyne was in the ring at the same time, making it convoluted and confusing. Usually that sort of thing is reserved for the end of the match, but not at the beginning. That said, it was an enjoyable match and the right team went over considering MVP is contending for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Adam Rose def. Camacho

It's amazing to see just how incredibly over Rose down in NXT compared to the main roster. It's literally like night and day. Granted, he debuted on Raw only a few short weeks ago, but it goes to show how much livelier the Full Sail University crowd is than most Raw and SmackDown crowds. Rose making his way to the entrance via the Exotic Express was very fun and it kicked the show off on a high note. This feud has been nothing of note in recent weeks, but this was a nice matchup with both competitors holding their own. Rose picking up the win was academic and while I couldn't care less about Camacho, he managed to impress me with his showing here.


NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension def. Kalisto and El Local

The Ascension is in a very strange spot right now. The reaction they receive from the crowd indicates that they are babyfaces when they are actually heels. The issue is that they do nothing to make people boo them. Thus, Kalisto and El Local were in an awkward position since the crowd wasn't behind them much during the match. Some of the spots were missed and it wasn't a good match on the whole. I like Kalisto and El Local as a tandem, but The Ascension is too over to the point where any face tag team they go up against will get booed. As much as I enjoy The Ascension, it's time for them to drop the straps and make their way to the main roster.