#AskGSM is a weekly Q&A video where I, Graham "GSM" Matthews 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:
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Matt Taven def. The Boys in a 2-on-1 Handicap MatchThis was originally supposed to see The Kingdom's TK O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia battle The Boys, but Taven decided that he could beat them all on his own. Sure enough, that didn't turn out to be the case at all and Taven needed a ton of interference in order to win the match. That was a bit strange/disappointing, but at least this succeeded in getting further heat on Taven and The Kingdom. Zack Sabre Accepted Jonathan Gresham's Final Battle Open ChallengeGresham has been on quite the roll since his ROH World Championship clash with Jay Lethal a while back and it's cool to see him involved in a prominent match at Final Battle. He told Ian Riccaboni in the middle of the ring that he was issuing an open challenge for the pay-per-view, and then soon after, Sabre appeared on the big screen to accept his invitation. Unless I'm mistaken, Sabre has never before wrestled for Ring of Honor, so it will be a monumental matchup and an extremely fun one at that.
Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox def. Curt Hawkins and Ember Moon in a Quarterfinal MatchWhat's funny is that Mixed Match Challenge Season 2 was originally supposed to see Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss reunite following their successful alliance last season, but an injury prevented Bliss from competing, so Moon replaced her. Then, Strowman went down with an injury, so Moon was forced to team with the ultimate loser, Curt Hawkins. There was zero chance she and him were winning this thing, so there was absolutely no drama or suspense behind this whatsoever. They tried, but failed. The finish was clever with Hawkins attempting to pin Fox and pick up the victory himself only for it to backfire and lead to Mahal and Fox advancing. Finn Balor and Bayley def. Bobby Lashley and Mickie James in a Quarterfinal MatchThis match benefited from what happened on Monday's Raw, where Lashley took part in a beatdown of Balor alongside Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre. Thus, they already had established issues with each other (not to mention their series of matches from last month) and their interactions here were fine. Additionally, Bayley and James worked well with each other, so on the whole, this was an enjoyable outing. It was far from must-see, mind you, but it was also better than most matchups you'll see on this show nowadays.
SmackDown General Manager Paige Announced a SmackDown Women's Championship TLC Match for WWE TLCIt was unknown how long Becky Lynch would be out of action for when she got hurt a few weeks ago, so it's cool that she'll be back in the ring at TLC to defend her SmackDown Women's Championship in the first-ever women's TLC match next month. I like that she and Charlotte Flair aren't on the same page despite seemingly "making up" the last time we saw them together. All of their matches up to this point have been outstanding and I have no doubt they'll steal the show yet again come TLC. I'm also in favor of adding a third woman to the mix so it isn't Lynch vs. Charlotte one-on-one for the umpteenth time. The Usos def. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar (Non-title)Before the bout, it was revealed via a backstage segment from earlier in the evening that The Bar parted ways with Big Show. I'm not complaining, but why bother putting him with them in the first place? We've seen so much of The Bar vs. The New Day this year that I almost forgot there were other tandems in the SmackDown Live tag team division, including The Usos. They have largely been flying under the radar since dropping the straps back at WrestleMania 34, not to mention they've only had one match with The Bar in 2018 that I could remember. That said, this felt fresh and both teams unsurprisingly worked well against each other. It was an entertaining encounter and The Usos winning sets them up for a future title shot.
Titus O'Neil def. Mojo RawleyWith Titus Worldwide no longer being a thing, I honestly forgot O'Neil was still a part of the roster. That's not a complaint, either, because I have zero desire to see him competing in singles matches on a regular basis (he's much better off in an ambassador role at this point). Rawley isn't that great, either, so I can't say I was surprised by how abysmal and lifeless this outing was. If nothing else, this was kept relatively short and didn't last longer than it needed to. The B-Team and Zack Ryder def. The Ascension and Tyler BreezeNo, Breeze isn't a heel just because he teamed with The Ascension. He was clearly hesitant every time he tagged in, but then why was he with them in the first place? WWE has had some weird pairings on Main Event lately, but I guess trying something new is better than doing the same matches week after week. The heels' heat segment was dreadfully boring, but at least the final stretch or so was decent.
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