The Good: Don’t call me Adrian Neville’s push-
It was common knowledge that Triple H holds Neville in high regard, but who knew that when Neville made his main roster debut he would make such a splash. Yes, even though he doesn’t exactly have the world’s best win loss record at this point his main roster run thus far should be considered a success. Smarks tend to get caught up in wins and loses. It really isn’t about that. Neville’s third match on the main roster was against WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. That in itself is amazing.
Not only was he in the match, but also he was allowed actually offense during the match. Furthermore, Neville has followed that up with matches against much larger opponents such as Sheamus and Wade Barrett and they both actually sold Neville’s offense. It will be very interesting to see how the rest of his run will be handled. Look for him to win singles gold within the next five months or so. Neville has Intercontinental Champion written all over him.
The Bad: Big Show vs. Roman Reigns- The re-re-re-re-re, deep breath re-re-re-re-rematch-
This writer feels obligated to preface his comments with the following: Big Show is great. So is Roman Reigns. That said its safe to say no one wants to see these two fight again. In wrestling there is always going to be a bit of a repetition. There are only so many feuds to go around but WWE insist on putting these two together no matter how uninteresting their matches are. This is quite literally the definition of insanity.
Big Show is in fact a giant. That should mean something but WWE has done a pretty good job of devaluing him. How many times do you think the WWE Universe can see Big Show cry or get destroyed by someone considerably smaller than him and still see him as a killer? WWE likes to think their fans have a short memory, but that is far from the truth. Why not have Reigns feud with someone new? Why not Bray Wyatt? Speaking of Wyatt…
Editors Note: The Big Show vs. Roman Reigns match actually ended up stealing the show during Extreme Rules. Who saw that coming?
The Ugly: The totally unsubstantiated rumor that Bray Wyatt is talking about Ryback in his promos (Crosses fingers that this isn't true)-
No… Just… No… Wyatt goes from feuding with John Cena, to Dean Ambrose to the Undertaker then to… Ryback? What purpose would that serve? Is that going to help Wyatt OR Ryback get over at all? Who does that benefit? We need answers, damn it! Wyatt deserves better than this. You know... If it is actually true.
The Good: NJPW and ROH coming together for War of Worlds and Global Wars IPPVs-
If you enjoy wrestling without frills you should definitely check these four shows out. NJPW has been doing a good job of trying to become more of a mainentity in the US. They have a weekly show on Axis TV that highlights classic NJPW matches. It serves as a way for the casual wrestling fan to become familiar with the NJPW stars. Hopefully, they will start running a weekly show along the same vein as Raw or TNA Impact.
The one to watch here is going to be ROH’s ACH taking on NJPW’s Shinsuke Nakamura. Talk about a crazy contrast in styles. ACH is one of the best high flyers on the planet and Nakamura takes strong-style to a whole new level. Also any match involving Jushin “Thunder” Liger is going to be worth the price of admission.
The Good: WWE bringing back the King of the Ring. Let the Game of Thrones begin!-
The details on this one are a bit sketchy but during the Extreme Rules pay per view “Vintage” Michael Cole noted the tournament was returning. The preliminary matches will be held on Raw and the finals will take place this Tuesday during a special event on the WWE Network. You would be hard pressed to find a writer here at Vavel Pro Wrestling that doesn’t love the King of the Ring.
In the past the event showcased the best wrestlers in the company all battling for a crown that means nothing, but wearing it can make an awesome visual and the start of a main event push (let’s ignore the fact that Mabel won it at one point… It never happened). The last KOH that was held was a bit of a farce. Having Sheamus win made no sense and hopefully they will not repeat the same mistake. If Daniel Bryan wasn’t injured this would be his tournament to win.
The Bad: Taryn Terrell’s alliance with the Dollhouse-
The Dollhouse (Jade and Martie Belle) debut on TNA Impact this past Friday was interesting to say the least. Both Jade and Belle play bat ‘ish crazy very well. The way they dismantled Laura Dennis and Christy Hemme further proved how maniacal they can and will be. That said, having them join forces with Terrell later that night left a bit to be desired. This writer has always felt Terrell’s character was missing something… ok let’s be real she flat out doesn’t have any semblance of a character.
Under normal circumstances allying a “white meat baby face” champ with no personality with a heel faction works like gang busters (see Rocky Maivia The Rock), but its tough to envision Terrell being able to pull off the crazy/sadistic chick gimmick Dollhouse is currently portraying. This role may be better served for someone like Mickie James. If she is going to continue her in ring career why not align James with the Dollhouse and have them torment Terrell. You are only as good as the enemy you are facing. If you really want to get Terrell over, having her concur Awesome Kong and then feud with a formidable faction like the Mickie James led Dollhouse may have been a much better way to do it.