Between Battleground, the first post-draft Raw and Smackdown, NXT and another exciting episode of The Cruiserweight Classic, it’s time to stop and smell the roses. Wrestling is pretty freakin’ great again. For so long, we’ve all taken part in the WWE-bashing.
They don’t get their audience. They’re pushing the wrong guys. We’re tired of Roman Reigns. All of the gloom and doom that is the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) just rains and pours over the WWE.
If you watched WWE this week, you’d be hard pressed to find something negative to say. They’ve really stepped up in a big way.
10. American Alpha – After months of being the best and most entertaining tag team in NXT (Sorry Revival, I’m a big fan of you guys, too), American Alpha finally gets the call up to Smackdown. We’re based out of Nashville, so we’ll actually be in attendance for their Smackdown debut. I’ll be the guy screaming “GA-BLE! GA-BLE! GA-BLE! GA-BLE!” a la Kurt Angle early 2000s chants.
9. Enzo’s Battleground promo – “Never make eye contact with someone while you’re eating a banana.” Everything about Enzo Amore and Big Cass is great. When these guys hit the arena, they have everyone eating out of the palms of their hands. I can’t remember an act that was so unanimously loved as these two. Enzo’s promo at Battleground was pure fire. He can bring it like no one since The Rock has been able to. Yeah – I’m ready to say that.
8. Shinsuke Nakamura – If you need me to tell you why Nakamura makes wrestling great, you should probably worry more about having your pulse checked. Actually, there’s a good chance you’re already dead. I don’t know how that works, but the point is that Nakamura is easily one of the most entertaining acts in pro wrestling today, period.
7. The Cruiserweight Classic – Who would have thought that WWE would take the initiative to find the top independent cruiserweight wrestlers and put ’em all in one tournament? I certainly never would have thought it. More so, a lot of these guys are getting full-fledged WWE offers. The cruiserweight division on Raw is about to explode. Bottom line: if you aren’t watching this, you’re missing out.
6. Randy Orton is back – “No enhancement needed” was a gut punch in a week of amazing promos. It’s good to have Orton back, and he really seems to just be having fun with it. Brock Lesnar’s probably not too happy about it, but hey – take your medicine. Orton still has a lot left in the tank, so it’s good to see the future Hall of Famer relaxed and recharged.
5. The Shield triple threat – I still think they blew it with the buildup to this match, but I see the logic in doing it. The three have been split up between Raw and Smackdown, but this was the one match they had to have before the three could their separate ways. Boy, did it deliver or what?! I’m not ready to give it ‘Match of the Year’ honors (Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura have something to say about that), but it’s definitely in top-5 consideration. We finally got the match we’ve waited two years to see.
4. Sasha Banks is the WWE Women’s Champion – Bae done did it and that’s all there is to it. Seriously, though, all of the women involved in 2015’s Divas Revolution are great and more than deserving of that championship, but there’s just something about Sasha Banks that screams ‘SUPERSTAR!’ She’s among the world’s elite wrestlers, man or woman. Seeing her nearly tear up with pride and joy at Battleground when Bayley made her main roster debut was fantastic – that’s the kind of stuff that’s just good for your soul, y’know? Then, the next night, she wins the title….AH – cloud nine.
3. Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler – I really thought the WWE was going to play the WWE Championship safely after taking a chance and pushing Finn Balor to the main event on Raw. I would’ve put money on Bray Wyatt becoming the number one contender and a John Cena vs. AJ Styles rematch at Summerslam. We may still get the Cena-Styles rematch, but Smackdown really threw us a curveball when Ziggler won a WWE Championship match against Ambrose. When we did our WWE mock draft, Brandon took Ziggler claiming, “I’m going to make him the star he deserves to be.” Well done, Brandon – someone must have been listening.
2. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor – It’s safe to say the wrestling world expected the draft to shake things up, but to imagine Finn Balor would pin Roman Reigns clean on his first night as a Raw superstar was ludicrous. Well – that’s exactly what happened, and now, the WWE Universal Championship match is set for Summerslam: Balor vs. Seth Rollins. Reigns was assumed to get that spot opposite Rollins, but his failed drug test likely played a role in removing him from the contest. Whether that was wholly the reason for Reigns’ subtraction, or the WWE is genuinely trying to push new superstars, it doesn’t matter. The fact is that two of our long-time wrestling darlings are competing at the second biggest show of the year.
1. Unpredictability – If this week taught us anything, it’s that unpredictability is still possible in the WWE. Whether the stay the course or not remains to be seen, but there’s not much to complain about this week. You would’ve been laughed out of your social circle if a month ago you said Finn Balor and Dolph Ziggler would be the number one contenders. No one thought Sasha Banks was going to get her big moment on Monday Night Raw. It’s great! Just sit back and enjoy it…
…..or as Chris Jericho would say, “drink it in, maaaaaaan.”
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley,@PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo
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