Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman Confronted Raw General Manager Kurt AngleThe reaction Angle received from his hometown crowd gave me goosebumps. It was wise to have him kick off the night, set up what was on tap for the show, and have Lesnar and Heyman interrupt in shocking fashion. It helped the Fatal 4-Way match for SummerSlam as well as establish that they will quit the company if Lesnar loses the title. I don't think that will be the case, but it does play into the rumors of Lesnar potentially fighting Jon Jones in UFC later this year. The Hardy Boyz def. Karl Anderson and Luke GallowsWe've seen this match a handful of times before, so while it wasn't too different from any of their past encounters, they work well together and thus this was a fun matchup. The Revival were a welcome addition on commentary as they discussed their beef with The Hardyz and the crowd was engaged in the action. The Hardyz not only got their win back over Gallows and Anderson but laid them and The Revival out on the stage afterward, leading me to think we'll be getting some sort of Triple Threat tag team match at SummerSlam.
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By Phil Cooper It’s one of the most hyped-up fights of the year, a meeting between one of mixed martial arts’ current stars and one of boxing’s undefeated former stars. Two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor will meet boxer-turned-promoter Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 26 to put an end to their dispute and win the gigantic sum of money on offer.
But what’s to happen after the fight? Floyd Mayweather will, presumably, just return to his promoting regardless of the result, but Conor McGregor has a couple of different options, including a possible appearance in a WWE event. Once the Cruiserweight Classic and the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament were considered successes, it was only inevitable before a women's tourney was announced. Sure enough, it was made official over WrestleMania 33 weekend back in April, with it later being named the Mae Young Classic. Additionally, it was revealed that the first three rounds would be available as on-demand content on the WWE Network starting in late August, so it will not be following the same format as the Cruiserweight Classic. Nevertheless, the crop of women that will be participating looks very promising with a number of names I recognize from other promotions and even WWE's past.
I wrote something similar to this piece last year for the Cruiserweight Classic (which you can read here) and everyone I picked fared pretty well in the tournament, so here's hoping the following eight women also advance at least past the first round if not ultimately win it all. Ethan Carter III, Eli Drake and Chris Adonis def. Impact Grand Champion Moose, Marufuji and Eddie EdwardsMoose has been feuding with all three members of the heel team in recent months, and even had a match against Marufuji a few weeks back, so this match made sense from a storyline standpoint and was entertaining to boot. Edwards felt like the odd man out, though he had a solid showing as well. EC3 cheating to pick up the victory by pinning Moose successfully set him up for a title match with Moose on next week's show. By the way, it should be noted that the commentators played up Drake as the future of GFW. Are they finally going to start getting behind the guy? Matt Sydal Attacked LashleySydal has been killing it since coming to GFW and I'm glad Lashley's attack on him last week wasn't forgotten about. Instead, Sydal came across like a fighting babyface by standing up to Lashley, refusing to back down and ultimately laying him out. Understandably, Lashley wants another shot at the GFW World Heavyweight title, but I like how he'll first have to go through Sydal at Destination X next month in order to get it.
By Guest Contributor It seems The Destroyer has really found his footing and has been hitting his stride as of late on Monday Night Raw.
Since joining the main roster in January earlier this year, Samoa Joe has quietly flown under the radar as a legitimate badass, putting on quality contests without true direction. Based on his reputation alone, The Samoan Submission Machine brought a lot to WWE’s flagship show, but up until recently he was not connecting with the fan base as the true fearsome fighter he is. A healthy scratch from “The Ultimate Thrill Ride,” WrestleMania XXXIII, Joe’s impact on the main roster was hardly spiking the Richter scale two months into his run. He engaged in a mini-feud with Sami Zayn just prior to The Show of Shows, but those flames fizzled before the rivalry could even ignite. His program with Seth Rollins served a purpose in the grander scheme of Rollins seeking retribution against Triple H, but it was far from his best work, and he came across as an afterthought. It was not until his historic victory at Extreme Rules against the likes of Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor and Roman Reigns in a No. 1 Contender Fatal Five-Way match that Joe’s powerful potential poked through. Winning the right to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire was the spark that Joe needed to explode into the spotlight. The week-to-week build to Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar was some of the most engaging television WWE had produced in years and the perfect wake-up call to the post-WrestleMania lull in which they found themselves. Say what you will about their eventual encounter, but it was refreshingly physical, Joe was able to bring more out of Lesnar than many past challengers and he walked out of Dallas a bona fide star. With a full head of steam, Joe is on his way to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to headline SummerSlam against Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Regardless of who has their hand raised when the lights go out and the cameras turn off, here are five must-see feuds for Samoa Joe after SummerSlam. |
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