You know what, I’m glad they were called The Viking Experience that one week.
When they were introduced in NXT as War Raiders, it always felt off. Where was the “The?” As in a proper tag team name, “The War Raiders.” Why were they just “War Raiders?” It didn’t feel right any time they said it. Same with Street Profits, actually. Thankfully, The Forgotten Sons were able to keep their “the,” so their match teases don’t feel so awkward. Up next, it’s Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly against War Raiders! How does that roll off the tongue?
So they got called up to the big show, Monday Night RAW. And they got re-named The Viking Experience. And that was a stupid, stupid name. A very stupid name.
So miraculously, WWE adapted. And they re-named them The Viking Raiders. And it’s not perfect, but guess what? They’re not War Raiders. They’re not Viking Raiders.
They are THE Viking Raiders.
And I think that makes that one weird week where all wrestling fans were like “THAT’S THEIR GOD DAMN NAME?” completely worth it.
What an experience.
RAW (4/22/19)
Uhh I liked Sami Zayn being a weirdo, the random Cedric Alexander vs. Cesaro match, and the trio of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Rey Mysterio – all 40 years old or over – working like they were trying to get noticed in Reseda. But for a show with a bunch of new faces that had a few fun matches, it was pretty boring.
Oh and the Firefly Fun House thing.
The opening promo was 20 minutes of brutal interruption-centric trash to setup the rest of the show, and if anything clarified how many lame possible programs there are for Seth Rollins on RAW. I mean Bobby Lashley wasn’t even here! Samoa Joe‘s “my shoulders are plenty wide” made it clear that the man deserves at least one title run that he talks shit through ala Mark Henry, otherwise zzzzz. Drew McIntyre needs some smoke and mirrors. Give him some lackeys, or some actual smoke and fire in his entrance or something. Horrible.
AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe to qualify for a Universal Title contender’s match later on was one HELL of an opener. They brought the non-stop action and crazy spots but also took their time on stuff and let it register. Everything felt just a little extra risky – AJ and Rey’s hyper-speed rana, Joe’s hyper-speed powerslam. These are seasoned veterans who will tuck that chin at just the last second, thank God. Rey is timeless, while I wasn’t even aware Joe could move around and bump like this anymore – this man was wrestling like he could pull off an Adrian Adonis tribute gimmick with ease. AJ meanwhile left it all out there here so he could slum it up with Baron later on. AJ and Joe teeing off, a wild-ass back body drop, a double powerbomb by AJ on Rey ONTO Joe followed by a STYLES CLASH ONTO JOE… these old pros just went out there and DID IT.
Then Naomi wrestled Billie Kay for 60 seconds. Corey Grave‘s “who wrote that?” line for the pre-match IIconics promo killed me – just blatantly awful material, even though those girls always power through.
The second Triple Threat qualifier was The Miz vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Baron Corbin and while babyface Miz is not yer best wrestling and Corbin and McIntyre not yer most compelling two-thirds of a Triple Threat Match, they pulled off fine Triple Threat matchup that was rewarded with big LET’S GO MIZ chants at the end that made me believe again in the power of pro wrestling.
“I dropped to my knees and I burst into tears from the beauty all around me” is an incredible WWE heel line. Sami Zayn is pulling a Daniel Bryan in that he is sneaking some wild, philosophical shit into promos that I doubt goes anywhere but sure is fun while it lasts. “It’s easier to blame me than to hold yourself accountable!”
Cesaro vs. Cedric Alexander was very fun. Cesaro is a great tag wrestler, but Singles Cesaro was fun to see in action again. And I mean actual Singles Cesaro, not Cesaro the tag guy with Sheamus in his corner working one of the New Day or Jimmy Uso for 4 minutes or something. Cedric’s comeback was good, the uppercut catch finish was amazing. Bring me more Singles Cesaro. But you can also put him in a tag or something too, I dunno – I’m just glad he’s around.
One highlight of weekly RAW’s might be The Usos just casually laying down all-time epic promos. The kind of limped to a close after them though – The Viking Raiders laid out Lucha House Party and it was fine but felt small, Zack Ryder (along with Curt Hawkins and his new dreamboat haircut) called the Raiders “smelly, horny woolly mammoths”, Becky Lynch vs. Alicia Fox was just not good, and Bobby Roode finally turned heel by… shaving his beard down to a moustache, and is now Robert Roode, which was one of the more needed gimmick changes on the roster. Then he beat Ricochet for some reason.
The re-invention of Bray Wyatt with Firefly Fun House was a trip and sent a wonderful little meteor of chaos through this stale show.
The AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin main event was a match laid out well with Styles on the defensive, but it wasn’t any good in execution. All-time bad Phenomenal Forearm right here.
It has occurred to me that there is no big money match besides AJ vs. Rollins on this show. Let’s turn one of em bad.
SMACKDOWN (4/23/19)
What is it about SmackDown that makes a big guy wrestler who feels overpushed on RAW feel like the most popular superstar on SmackDown? First there was Dave Batista, now there is Roman Reigns. “I’m gonna break his jaw” Roman is ideal Roman. I guess the return from leukemia would also help. McMahon Family angles on SmackDown still feel kind of jarring, but slotting Elias in as a corporate baddie seems like a good decision. The Shane McMahon/Elias beatdown of Reigns felt real ugly too, and in pro wrestling an ugly beatdown means a beautiful beatdown.
If I’m Andrade and the folks in charge, I power through the initial non-reaction his quiet sexy promo voice is going to get. It might be just what he needs. Or not. He and Finn Balor had a fine TV match with a couple of premium athletic talents.
I smell a rat with Paige managing Asuka & Kairi Sane – is an Absolution reunion incoming? Kairi had a squash match and it was very cool.
R-TRUTH going at Lars Sullivan was an awesome thing before the inevitable. This Lars appears to be a dominant competitor.
A Becky Lynch/Charlotte Flair/Bayley promo killed some time before a Charlotte Flair/Bayley match, which RULED. Charlotte worked the leg, Bayley showed her badass side, and there were some near falls everyone should be proud of.
Becky wrestling twice at Money in the Bank is very cool. The Man.
Look. Kofi Kingston and Shinsuke Nakamura are not the most compelling professional wrestlers if given a bit of time. They had a solid match. A SOLID. MATCH.
Then Kevin Owens turned on The New Day, just like that. I kind of love and kind of hate him instantly switching back – I thought good guy Owens had legs, but he stays true to the character here. Owens heel turns are also usually pretty great and this was no exception.
205 LIVE (4/23/19)
So this was a show with a Winner Receives a Cruiserweight Championship Opportunity Match. Pardon me, but whatever happened to a #1 Contender Match?
I can respect steam being put on a probable Gulak/Gallagher match.
Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carrillo was Gulak just casually doing some transcendent shit with Carrillo but boy oh boy is the 20-minute 205 opener a load of garbage. The shot of Humberto up top on the turnbuckle and Gulak on the floor was cool. The Aztec Press was cool.
Oney Lorcan seems to be growing his beard back – good. I don’t know if Oney as a quasi-blue chip John Cena who fights through odds as the centerpiece of a TV show is a social experiment or deliberate attempt to make a good wrestling show but I’m into it. And OF COURSE Oney would have the good Ariya Daivari match, of course. The raising of the one finger as he fought out of the Million Dollar Dream was GREAT. The cruiserweight show milking every last drop out of the atomic drop maneuver is wild too.
Of course, this also setup Daivari vs. Tony Nese. WTF?
NXT UK 40 (4/24/19)
In theory I liked some of this, but it continues to lack the component of a wrestling TV show where where the stuff on it actually leads somewhere.
In theory, Aichner & Barthel walking around AXXESS talking shit was a good idea. The delivery, not so much.
Toni Storm cut a little promo that was a nice reminder that she’s still around and also served as a tease for a prospective Kay Lee Ray match. Ray vs. Xia Li was a solid TV match in that both looked good in it but it was like 4 minutes long.
Moustache Mountain vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster was a nice restrained version of what these fellas do. Bate vs. Andrews, Webster’s sweet quebrada, and the tope suicda catch into an airplane spin were highlights. Trent Seven chopping Andrews, causing Andrews to DDT Morgan… not so much.
NXT (4/24/19)
Slow week as far as stuff happening, but two quality matches.
Before them, I dug Humberto Carrillo running through his stuff and then BOOM Jaxson Ryker chucks him into the ropes and beats him on the floor until the bell rings. A decent squash for Ryker, whom I continue to have no read on.
Candice LeRae & Kacy Catanzaro vs. Aliyah & Vanessa Borne had some cool stuff from the good guys and I respect Aliyah and Borne being right there for all of it but otherwise the whole deal’s a little boring.
War Raiders (Godspeed) vs. Street Profits was like 6 minutes long and a wonderful sprint of a wrestling match. The Profits going right at War Raiders and almost getting the pin on Rowe 20 seconds in was AWESOME. It was a match all about the Profits looking legitimate vs. the monster viking dudes, then the monster viking dudes crushing. It was a great time.
Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong was very good. They kept things moving, Roddy tortured Gargano, and there were some wild counters towards the end. Plus Gargano has a special way about him being thrown around by Roddy Strong, like his little bitty body is just built to be dumped with reckless abandon.
MAIN EVENT (4/24/19)
David Otunga was on commentary this week, replacing Sam Roberts. Just thought I’d let you know.
Dana Brooke beat Ruby Riott.
EC3 looked bored vs. No Way Jose.
WWE TV Match of the Week: AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe on RAW
WWE TV MVP of the Week: In a slow week, Candice LeRae had two appearances and kicked ass in each.
Eh.
RAW: 5/10
SmackDown: 6/10
205 Live: 5/10
NXT UK: 4/10
NXT: 6/10
