Some cool stuff happened at WrestleMania, but this was a pretty sleepy follow-up.
It was less fresh new faces and more guys in different places, plus The Undertaker and Lars Sullivan.
No show or match or angle felt like it really committed to one direction or anything too, so despite the post-Mania crowd heat you had a couple of carefree, occasionally fun, ultimately uneventful shows.
There should be a Superstar Shake-Up or something. Oh. I get it.
Really, post-WrestleMania is an interesting time, especially when this year’s WrestleMania had so many feel-good finishes. Where do you go from there? Do you have a slate of heels ready to face the new champs? An interesting hook to make the story interesting when it isn’t simply The Chase? Or do you just sleepwalk until July when it’s time for SummerSlam?
Huh.
RAW (4/8/19)
Good energy, just not quite RAW After Mania level. Just barely Good RAW level, to be honest. A lot of big names were missing, and the big surprises were… The Undertaker, Lars Sullivan, Sami Zayn, and… The Bar?
They setup a big red herring for a run-in (title unification match) only to deliver… The Bar?
Weird show. Having Kurt Angle lay out Baron Corbin and commentary sending him off with a “later, loser” felt like a weird follow-up to Corbin beating Angle in his last ever match at WrestleMania. Alexa Bliss just ending poor Bayley one more time felt weird. Bobby Lashley just laying out Dean Ambrose in front of his wife as Dean’s last thing in WWE felt right, but also weird.
Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston standing opposite each other with their World Heavyweight Championships to start things off was good stuff though. So was Big E and Woods rocking out to Seth’s theme in the background. I like it whenever WWE does a New Generation thing, even though it is usually overwhelmingly crushed in the subsequent weeks. When’s Kane coming back?
Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins are no ring warriors but are indeed your most serviceable possible WWE wrestlers who had an OK match with The Revival in which they retained the RAW Tag Team Titles. It was shorter but more to-the-point than the Mania Kickoff match. The Shatter Machine followed by sneaky legal man Hawkins getting a cradle win was kind of awesome too.
Lars Sullivan is finally here, and he is laying out Kurt Angle. Of course Kurt goes ahead and gets another young pup over before he steps away. God bless. I think this was an OK re-introduction of Lars after the weird “Lars is Lurking” thing was dropped.
Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable was a solid tag, though by this point lower-level Black and Ricochet. Roode and Gable as heels ehhhhh.
Sami Zayn showing up was cool, as was the surprise IC Title match with Finn Balor. Sami was getting his reps in and looked really good. The heeling on the crowd afterwards was funny, but unless he’s joining up with Daniel Bryan or something I’m really over bad guy Sami Zayn.
At WrestleMania Elias got laid out by John Cena, on the RAW After WrestleMania he got laid out by The Undertaker. It’s a spot, I guess. Taker got a pop, but the cameos are less exciting than they ever were.
The Seth Rollins/Kofi Kingston Winner Takes All LOL Yeah Right main event was a decent match, but one where you’re just waiting for the angle. And the angle was The Bar. And the crowd’s bewilderment was… palpable.
Rollins and Kingston vs. The Bar as a follow-up actually kind of ruled. Everybody laid their shit in and kept the pace up, mostly because they were fighting against an unruly mob of apathy.
As pleasant as some of it was, a half-there show.
SMACKDOWN (4/9/19)
Just like this show.
Braun Strowman confronting Samoa Joe was cool. As was Kofi Kingston and Becky Lynch taking their victory laps. Paige is bringing in a new team next week, so that’s interesting. Lars Sullivan was here again too, laying out new tag champs The Hardy Boyz. And… The Bar. Again. And they are apparently friends with Drew McIntyre now. I love The Bar, but… The Bar?
Aleister Black, Ricochet & Mustafa Ali vs. Andrade, Nakamura & Rusev was a wild tag on paper and pretty good match on TV. It was a match of gentleman who are conceivably superstars waiting to happen, or at least once were. Ricochet vs. Nak for a bit was sweet, as was the very cute triple sit-down spot. Ali sold and bumped a bunch, then got a win. That’s good. Then he got RKO’d by Randy Orton.
Loved the tease of the Superstar Shake-Up next week with Braun going after Joe, who wiped the mat with poor R-Truth. Braun struggling to get Joe up for a powerslam was a good bit. As was The IIconics trying to shake Braun’s hand. Speaking of The IIconics, they seemed to have fun in their first squash match as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, though I have not a clue how long this reign can go. Carmella made it work last year – can these two?
The Usos vs. The Hardy Boyz for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles was a kind of rushed preview of what I assume will be a bigger match down the road. Or it just won’t ever happen again, I don’t know. The Hardys have got their limitations these days, but of course Usos managed some sweet near falls. Loved Kayla Braxton nope’ing out of there when Lars ran out.
Also Shane McMahon killed some time by torturing poor Greg Hamilton by making him say stuff on a microphone, and Becky Lynch is apparently going to feud with Lacey Evans.
The main event – The New Day vs. The Bar & Drew McIntyre – was 5 minutes of solid action that by mid-way through the show I forgot was even announced. Woods’ selling the reverse Alabama Slam, which really needs a name, on the floor was a highlight.
205 LIVE (4/9/19)
Drew Gulak being incensed on commentary was more interesting than the formula Jack Gallagher vs. Humberto Carrillo match in the ring before him. One might say they are telling a story with Humberto trying to be a flyer and Gulak being against that style, one might also say that the story they are telling is dumb and not appealing.
Jack Gallagher turned on Gulak after the match to help out Humberto, so that’s happening. See, stuff does happen on 205 Live!
Tony Nese vs. Buddy Murphy for the WWE Cruiserweight Title RULED, the Mania match was good but this was better because they were able to take on more of a big dramatic finish. They worked their holds but kept a crazy pace, and Murphy as per usual was launching himself full force into every bump he took or knee he threw. I mean that knee smash on the apron – WOW. This was indeed – as the crowd chanted – wrestling.
NXT UK 38 (4/10/19)
Look I love Toni and Jinny but a yucky pointless show.
Kassius Ohno vs. Travis Banks was kind of a dumb, wannabe tough guy match. Dumbass Banks leaped right into a boot to the face. And the guy can’t be throwing leg slap kicks on the apron and then be a guy that wins with cradles – choose a side man. Ohno basically finishing him off and STILL losing has him coming off as SUCH a loser already. Boooo.
Piper Niven didn’t have the most impressive debut, a pretty straightforward but uneventful squash of Killer Kelly.
Trent Seven alluded to going singles last week, this week he’s amped to go to Brooklyn for NXT to team with his buddy Tyler Bate.
If this show couldn’t get any dumber, Joseph Conners squashed Jack Starz. And Starz tried with the comeback, but yikes.
At least Toni Storm vs. Jinny was very good, these two have great chemistry and always go hard and it’s not all pretty but two young gals working like they’re main eventing Budokan just WORKS sometimes. The Tiger Driver near fall with Toni putting her foot on the ropes was sweet, and the crowd was having themselves a good time getting wrapped up in it.
NXT (4/10/19)
It’s a post-TakeOver NXT! So, video packages. And quick promos. Velveteen Dream and Buddy Murphy had some words. And Roderick Strong seems to be arguing with Adam Cole. They’re also really pushing a Pete Dunne/WALTER rematch. Good.
Not the most impressive set of pre-TakeOver matches. Candice LeRae vs. Aliyah was a fine “Candice doing stuff with a rookie” kind of match but there wasn’t much here, outside of Aliyah yelling “CHEER FOR ME BROOKLYN” then getting dropkicked. The only good parts of the slightly-better-than-average squash that was Jaxson Ryker vs. Danny Burch were from Oney Lorcan and he wasn’t even in the match. And, well, Street Profits and Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel tried. It was A Match.
MAIN EVENT (4/10/19)
Speaking of A Match, No Way Jose vs. Jinder Mahal. And Heavy Machinery vs. The Ascension. Heavy Machinery should maybe have another promo or two, no?
WWE TV Match of the Week: Tony Nese vs. Buddy Murphy for the WWE Cruiserweight Title
WWE TV MVP of the Week: Lars Sullivan
I guess let’s see how next week SHAKES out.
RAW: 6/10
SmackDown: 6/10
205 Live: 7/10
NXT UK: 3/10
NXT: 6/10
