Working Man’s WWE TV Review: 1/26/20 – 2/1/20

Not great, though WrestleMania season brings the noise. SmackDown still sucks.

It was a newsworthy Monday night because Randy Orton went all Randy Orton again and reminded you that WWE is still sometimes capable of balancing the line between silly performance and concerning violence. They closed the show with Edge giving his return speech, and I love how forthcoming he is about putting over others like when he gave Matt Riddle a shoutout or Daniel Bryan the nod for the YES chants.

I would’ve been into a month or two of Rated RKO dream match tags but then what they did here wouldn’t have felt so shocking. Say what you want about Randy Orton but once in a while in between the weeks and weeks of crap TV he does, he reminds you he really is some kind of special breed of sports entertainer. His timing and movements after he hit the first RKO and debated which way he wanted to try and cripple him absolutely had that live crowd shook, with shots of concerned faces you used to only see on Coliseum Home Video. Tremendous WrestleMania angle.

Also, did they make up Edge helping Randy out of alcoholism to really sell the angle or did that actually happen? Either way – respect.

WWE stacked this up to get some eyeballs as they start formulating a card for WrestleMania that will probably get jacked up by a trip to Saudi Arabia and Roadblock or something. I appreciated the eventfulness, though they also ran the two weakest Andrade/Humberto Carrillo and Charlotte/Asuka matches. Glad Humberto actually got his sweet revenge before Andrade got sent off to a 30-day suspension, and really a man who is Ungovernable needs at least one suspension under his belt.

Drew McIntyre as a wrestling mark who can also beat ass and is Vince McMahon’s ideal human is a new path for McIntyre I’m into watching play out, even if it’s very possible he’s speaking with a thick New York accent by the time this is all over. Him vs. Brock Lesnar is one of those matches you fantasy book as something that would be kind of cool if they could figure McIntyre out. Now we get to see them try.

Aleister Black finally figuring out he doesn’t have to just wait around for fights nearly a year into his main roster run is a special breed of character development. Good to see the CWC’s Kenneth Johnson back too, even if he got kicked in the face like all the rest.

MVP going for one last ride with Rey Mysterio was tremendous, a fun little match with zero expectations. He took a 619 to the BACK! Liv Morgan vs. Lana happened. Liv has a new finish which is very neat. Becky Lynch‘s GOAT jacket was cool.

There was also just some bad stuff. I still support 24/7 Champ Mojo Rawley, but I will not stand for low key introducing Riddick Moss as his “offensive lineman” only for Moss to let R-Truth through so he could pin Mojo, all while Tom Phillips and Lawler laugh about how stupid the gimmick is. You’ve got to introduce the guy somehow, seems like an odd first pass at strategy.

Seth Rollins and his crew opposite Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe is very much a week-to-week WWE main event angle, and by that I mean I’m glad everyone’s roles are settled but everything this week was overproduced and lame. Joe getting hurt in the Tag Titles match was a bummer, but then we just got Owens getting slowly worked over by Rollins and Buddy. I’m cool with putting heat on Owens but where is the heat actually?

Rating: 6/10

Maybe though, and hear me out – keep Beth Phoenix off commentary for ONE week after her husband who just returned to wrestling from a neck injury that could have killed him immediately got attacked and nearly murdered on the USA Network? One week?

Overloaded, solid, not good? The wrestling didn’t really carry the show this week, so we got NXT telling stories. I mean, they should. But. Ffffff

NXT is giving Tommaso Ciampa the Stone Cold push, just an unstoppable ball of justice-seeking ass-kicker. It rules, but I’m still not sure I buy the match working. Sorry.

This show is weird. NXT is building up all these cool possibilities ala Finn Balor opposite Moustache Mountain and Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai and then it’s like BOOM here’s the match OK next. There will likely be follow-ups to this week but it feels a little desperate and it doesn’t seem to actually be helping anybody in the angle.

Still – Balor stopped the Trent Seven roll-in!!! Then they worked a 15-minute match that kind of followed the template of your run-of-the-mill good match these days but also managed to continue the re-establishment of Big Balor in a quality way.

Shotzi Blackheart comes to the ring in a TANK!? A TANK? I like her and they’re moving quick on it but I’m not sure why you’d have your Virtuosa drop a fall so easy.

Between the way they enter an arena and the lame wrestling promos, WWE has a special talent for making their big and tall guys look like big and tall goofs. Keith Lee came off well enough, but Damian Priest and Dominik Dijakovic both made pitches for the strong silent type before they had a pretty exciting match that included an avalanche poison rana. Can everybody just relax? Can somebody just calm down and squash someone?

First match in a series or not, Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai happening in the middle of the show with a little brawling followed by interference and STORYTELLING was not ideal.

Kayden Carter, who has an excellent theme song, got a surprising win over Chelsea Green accompanied by Robert Stone. Seems both productive and counterproductive at the same time.

Love The Broserweights, familiar with The Grizzled Young Veterans. The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals was a good tag match that just didn’t feel like a FINALS MATCH until the very very end. It also relied on cute spots like double finger-breakers and electric chair tope suicidas, which on occasion just offend me.

Rating: 4/10

Deonna Purrazzo is good, but her in a cold Main Event match vs. Sarah Logan was bad. Then Riddick Moss beat Cedric Alexander. What is happening?

Rating: 1/10

After Worlds Collide, I’m more interested in possibilities of NXT UK guys being on NXT than anything going on here.

Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. The Hunt… man way to make Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. The Hunt an awkward bore, NXT UK. Danny looked straight-up off and really hasn’t felt like he’s in the right role since Triple H got his grubby fingers all over him, while even Oney couldn’t muster enough energy to really pick it up. Oney & Danny vs. Gallus for tag gold seems to be a plan. Yup.

Trent Seven just TRIES with his promos but he was setting up a match with not only Eddie Dennis but one where his language seemed to be headed towards a No Ropes Match which would’ve been way cooler than whatever a Steel Corner Street Fight is.

Aofie Valkyrie is up there with one of the weirdest dang names in WWE developmental, and I can’t decide right now if it’s good they embraced it or bad they didn’t flag it. Either way, her vignette on this show made her look like a cool video game character.

Isla Dawn vs. Nina Samuels was not good but had a cool half-hatch suplex by Dawn. Ridge Holland vs. Tyson T-Bone did what they needed to and Ridge does an Emerald Frosion.

You’re main event – Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster & Bomber Dave Mastiff vs. Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & (the recovered) Alexander Wolfe – was ultimately a completely mediocre everyday WWE 6-man tag but you’ve really got some talent here and they did all the fun dives and spots any live audience could ever want.

I hate to say it but outside of some cool Wolfe and WALTER singles matches, Imperium as a group hasn’t delivered where they should: in wrestling matches… on this canvas. Needs more of that (JR voice) PUUUSH.

Rating: 3/10

Friday nights are a time to unwind and relax after a long week of work, and yet these sick sons of bitches want to spend ten weeks on DOG FOOD?

Also LEAVE ME ALONE BRODUS CLAY.

Random incredible Daniel Bryan promo about his daughter after the Royal Rumble Strap Match in the middle of all this – love this show being trash and then Daniel Bryan is just here.

Took me until halfway through that Fatal 4-Way Tag Match to realize it wasn’t an 8-man tag, and it was for a shot at the Tag Titles at the next scummy Saudi Arabia show. That might be on me. Might also be on them. Appreciated John Morrison ready to throw down with Gran Metalik and The Miz’ dive tease, as well as mighty fine finish.

We’ve got a two weeks in advance announcement for the Mandy Rose and Otis Valentine’s Day date, glad to see there is some commitment on this show to SOMETHING.

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross<?b> vs. Fire & Desire kind of bummed me out because it was one of those WWE TV tags where they awkwardly setup some heat pre-bell and then within 30 seconds of the match starting we’ve got a chinlock going.