Performance Review
Evaluate Performance and achieved goals
Damnit, man! * slaps you in the face *
What’s going on here!? There’s nuggets of gold inside a presentation that has quickly gone from a bunch of exciting possibilities to me questioning what Big Match or Big Angle there is to even really look forward to. I’m half expecting Vince McMahon to pop up and say it’s time to SHAKE THINGS UP!
Is it me? Am I the problem? Am I expecting too much? Am I out of touch?
It’s just 11 weeks in but it’s also 11 weeks in. I’m not going to say a thing about a rating, but I do know that my personal excitement to watch is waning.
As Jim Ross has probably said in a dozen production meetings: “week-to-week television is hard, folks.”
There’s a reliance on not just familiarity with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks but also with 1980s wrestling tropes like bribing a guy to have match and also 2019 wrestling tropes like guys waiting around to get hit with dives. It’s all very strange, and while world-building is something to be appreciated I don’t really have a sense of the world right now, or any payoffs within said world.
Beyond Dark Order, I guess. I’ll flip if that doesn’t go somewhere.
Discuss areas of excellence within performance
Jon Moxley beating a guy in 10 seconds to start a show is a good idea. Chris Jericho as Le Champion continues to be one of wrestling’s greatest gimmicks, and I yearn for a world where he can do commentary every week. Cody‘s entrance lighting remains incredible.
Also, MJF remains a great promo. Him making a security guard kiss his ring because he laughed at his botched Crossroads last week, then laying him out with a pitch perfect Crossroads, was a heck of a way to get heat back.
I’m troubled that there isn’t a lot more to say here though. I am still digging a lot of the individual acts, but it’s just not all coming together yet.
Oh, also: “Aren’t you tired of being a jobber, Alex?”
Discuss areas of improvement
I’m not sure you needed Chris Jericho swearing here. Give me a pro wrestling promos with organic use of a swear words all day, but don’t give it to me when it’s somebody’s dad trying to make the wrestling show he’s on cool. This isn’t exactly a children’s show, but you’ve also got Jurassic Express running around. I dunno. Figure it out.
Jericho vs. Moxley? Really? On pay-per-view?
The QT Marshall thing would’ve worked a lot better had they established him as an oaf before it. Do that, the match works. Alas – simply “fine.”
The women’s division has introduced several new and dynamic acts into the professional wrestling mainstream and I appreciate that, but it still needs work. The random 10-minute Match of the Week is only hitting about 50% of the time and Brandi Rhodes already bringing up Riho barely being around seems bad.
Also, the Brandi Rhodes promo wasn’t good. Be a heel all you want, just don’t expose the business while you’re doing it.
Luchasaurus trading moves with Sammy Guevera in his second or third match in the company is probably not good. Seems like there’s something here, would be bad to see him taking reverse hurricanrana’s on a week-to-week basis. Their match was just like the rest of the matches – the occasional exciting maneuver mixed with nobody really getting all that over.
And who the fuck is Kip Sabian? What’s his deal? Just a cocky guy with a toothpick and a girlfriend? Why’s he here? I think he and Shawn Spears had less chemistry than Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler. For that matter, so did Kenny Omega and Hangman Page. We’ve got Tully Blanchard out here completely unprepared for live TV getting harassed by creepy Joey Janela too. Come on guys.
Develop future goals with set expectations
Make some stars and find some middle ground between good wrestling and shit. Everything’s in this weird in-between place.
Additional Feedback
Top Plays of the Week
3. QT Marshall’s Dive: QT Marshall going balls deep on a Space Flying Tiger Drop was both completely unexpected and got the point of his match across more than anything else in it.
2. Cody and Jericho’s Theme Music: After hearing these jams week after week, I can officially say they are excellent pro wrestling theme songs. Cody’s might have to change as he gets older and wiser, but these are a couple of TUNES.
1. MJF Cuts a Promo: If anything, at least we’ll get one of these every couple weeks.
Dum Dum’s Got Something to Say
3. I have nothing to say about PAC/Kenny. Sometimes saying nothing is saying something. PAC wants a rubber match to determine the winner of his completely average series of matches with Kenny Omega, who’s gimmick seems to be Bored Guy Who Can Do Pro Wrestling Moves.
2. Who is Jon Moxley? Is he, as Tony Schiavone said, “Mr. Attitude?” Just a guy who snarls? He’s as over as God, but there’s got to be more to this story.
1. I really want you to succeed. Like, for real. The wrestling world needs this. You might be all we have. Why does this Revolution feel like the same thing we’ve been watching for years?
Chase Presents, The Negative Balances of the Week
3. Brandi Rhodes’ Promo: Dunking on the Brandi Rhodes gimmick is becoming a cliche, but seriously – what’s going on here? Is this some Hollywood sizzle reel or something?
2. Commentary: Love Tony S, but this is supposed to be some hip show and we’ve got two old pricks and a masked guy who seems like he’s 28 but is actually 46 calling the action. I dunno.
1. The Elite: Kenny, Matt, Nick… even Adam Page himself – when do we find out who you are?
Oh Yeah, The Wrestling
It wasn’t good this week.
There is a fine line between TV wrestling and bad wrestling, and this was more of the latter.
The Moxley squash of Alex Reynolds was perfectly fine, but that’s because it was less than 30 seconds.
Cody & QT Marshall vs. The Butcher & The Blade was an angle of a match that would’ve been better without the stink of the Butcher/Blade intro and the complete lack of an intro for QT Marshall. Darby Allin helping Cody up post-match – OK. That’s something.
Big Swole vs. Emi Sakura just didn’t hit – Swole did some cool stuff here but there’s just not a heart beating inside the women’s division right now.
Kenny Omega & Hangman Adam Page vs. Shawn Spears & Kip Sabian was uncomfortably boring.
Luchasaurus vs. Sammy Guevera was pretty neat but I just don’t think it was good for anybody.
The Young Bucks vs. Santana & Ortiz in a Texas Street Fight was the main event and it had A LOT OF FUCKING TABLE BUMPS. The tope through a table was awesome, and then they just kept going through tables again and again and again. I dig Santana & Ortiz, the Bucks did their stuff, and it was a fun match that could also be a little much.
Official Star Rating
1.75 out of 5 Stars
