WWE Superstars TV Report – 20th March 2014

And just like that WWE Superstars goes back to being a show with no star power, that’s eminently miss-able with some average wrestling. It was weird watching them completely flood the show with mid-card talent for a few weeks while the network launch was front and centre but this week it was literally just like it used to be as an internet TV show. I guess Main Event got the rub instead this week.

Natalya v Alicia Fox

Natty looks great these days but more often than not she’s out there to carry another Diva. Alicia Fox has never lived up to her early hype and she’s now been with the company for for six years.

They trade holds and covers on the mat to start things off in a very technical display where Natty is clearly leading the way. She does a kip up and eats a superkick from Fox but Natalya kicks out at two. So Fox goes to work on her, throwing her head to the mat and then applying a rear chin lock. Natty works her way out but is again thrown to the mat.

A suplex from Fox into a bridge pin again doesn’t get the three count and so Fox reapplies the rear chin lock. Some horrendously blatant calling it in the ring is going on in this match as the camera cuts to a shot of Fox just talking to Natty while in the chin lock. There’s a nice spot of the rest hold where Fox tries to scoop slam out of an Irish whip but Natalya counters with a cross body into a two count.

The finish is literally a clothesline out of nowhere from Natalya so that Fox is on the mat; Sharpshooter is applied; Fox taps. Nothing match that was so short it was essentially not really worth it.

Winner: Natalya via submission in 3:05

They skipped this last week but Jerry Lawler interviewed Natalya on the ramp and she says that the win feels ‘amazing’ and Lawler asks her about Total Divas Season 2 and she claims that Summer Rae will pay on the show. She ends by saying “Natty by nature, naughty by choice, made in the dungeon.”

The Raw Rebound recaps the opening segment from Monday between HHH, Orton and Batista followed by the Daniel Bryan win against Orton and the Shield and Kane angle.

R-Truth & Xavier Woods v 3MB (Drew and Jinder w/ Heath)

Woods and Truth come out to Truth’s rap. Truth is now 42, I wonder how long he’s got left doing this kind of tired gimmick. This tag team division is stacked full of people going nowhere at the moment. 3MB come out; Drew’s now clean shaven which looks kind of weird. I still really just don’t get why Heath isn’t working every week and Jinder Mahal is.

Woods and Jinder start it off. Jinder is growing his hair out. Woods is quick in the ring and has some athletic ability as shown by the nice drop kick he hits here. Drew tags in and Woods hits a great hurricanrana on him as he and Truth work Drew over in the corner. Truth tries a quick roll up pin but McIntyre kicks out at two so he goes for his big leg drop but again to no avail.

They do a spot where as they’re running the ropes, Truth tags in Woods who drops down to the floor and trips Drew as he hits the ropes. Then Woods hits a cross body from the top rope. Drew hits back with a really stiff drop kick on Woods and Jinder comes in and works him over as we go to a break.

After the commercials, R-Truth goes on the offense against McIntyre. A facebuster makes Mahal enter the ring to make a save. The ring fills and Jinder and Woods tumble outside the ring. Heath tries a distraction but McIntyre unintentionally hits him with a big boots that was intended for Truth. R-Truth hits him with the Lie Detector for the win.

Again, a nothing match that given how long it went had little of note. Crowd seem to enjoy it, though.

Winners:  R-truth & Xavier Woods via pinfall in 7:57

The finish the show with three packages: Cena and Bray, Undertaker and Heyman from Main Event and HHH and Daniel Bryan.

WWE Superstars TV Report – 13th March 2014

Superstars continues to try to be more relevant in its new slot on the Network. Alberto Del Rio gets what I think has to be his Superstars debut this week. He’s made noises about it but I can see him leaving the company when his contract is up – you know you’re doomed when your week’s TV work is on this show.

Sin Cara v Alberto Del Rio

Now that Hunico has had this huge tattoo emblazoned across his right shoulder, there’s no fooling the kids anymore that this Sin Cara isn’t the same as the old one. I’d guess they’re keeping the gimmick going while this Scooby Doo DVD release is doing the rounds. He’s also looking heavy around the waist and, although he’s good, this character with this move-set doesn’t really suit him. And, of course, as they lock up the lights turn to yellow and blue.

Del Rio does what he does best; he beats Sin Cara up with stiff punches and kicks and tries to stem his speed. Del Rio’s a good dastardly heel and he looks dangerous when he lets go but I always felt that WWE never really went all the way with him in the way that they could have. Sin Cara eventually catches him in a sloppy hurricanrana and barely drop kicks him through the ropes. He hits a tope through the ropes and rolls him back into the ring where Del Rio regains command.

Some weird camera work on this match; they barely use the hard cam and so it’s all quick cut shots from the handheld cameras around the ring. Del Rio works over Sin Cara with a suplex, a backbreaker but gets caught in a tornado DDT that sends them both to the mat. These two don’t really work that well together; Del Rio struggles to take the hurricanrana that Sin Cara uses next and so it looks slack as is the timing of the Senton that Sin Cara then misses.

The finish sees Del Rio barely lift his leg to hit a superkick on Sin Cara who is just recovering on the mat. A nothing match. I worry about Del Rio and where he’s headed.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio via pinfall in 4:15.

There’s a huge Raw Rebound next which included Hogan’s promo about the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale at WrestleMania. He’s botched two in two promos now: here he said that “3 men” would compete in the ring at Mania; last time out he stumbled over the terms ‘WWE Universe’ and ‘WWE Network’. Been away too long? Too old? Too complacent? We also get a really long rehash of the Heyman, Lesnar and Undertaker angles from the last few weeks, including this week’s in full.

Total Divas advert. By the looks of it, this is going to kill Summer Rae for a lot of people.

Fandango and Summer Rae are out next. Fandango seems to have some new dance steps. Ziggler is out to face him tonight. Wow the crowd were into Ziggler here.

Fandango (w/ Summer Rae) v Dolph Ziggler

So, apparently Summer Rae is going to be starring alongside The Miz in The Marine 4. Because of course the world needs more shoe-string budget, straight to DVD action thrillers where underwhelming military ‘rebels’ with a devil may care attitude take on generic terrorist militia groups, single-handedly. Anyway, Fandango takes the early going here and gets thrown outside as we go to the break.

Fandango has Ziggler in a chinlock as we come back from the commericials. He tries to break out but gets hit with a knee. Ziggler wriggles out of a suplex attempt and charges but Fandango gets in another knee and chokes Ziggler on the bottom rope as Rae slaps him in the face. Ziggler takes a few elbows in the middle of the ring, kicks out of a cover and Fandango returns to the rest hold.

The fans are really into Ziggler in Memphis. He does have that about him in some cities, certainly I can remember the huge reaction when he cashed in East Rutherford and the place went nuts, as they did when he faced Cena at TLC 2012. Ziggler escapes the dreaded chin lock with the help of the crowd but eats a spinning heel kick but kicks out of the pin at two.

We then go to a series of near falls: Ziggler with a neckbreaker ; Fandango dodges the Fameasser and rolls up Ziggler; Ziggler then does hit the Fameasser; Ziggler goes for the Zig Zag but Fandango dodges and hits a sitout scoop slam. The finish sees Ziggler slip under Fandango’s legs who eats the Zig Zag.

A fine Superstars match. Both are very good in the ring but aren’t in programmes at the moment. I would suggest that Fandango is due a push and that Ziggler may get one more push when or if he does what he’s told.

Winners:  Dolph Ziggler via pinfall (6:30)

The show finishes with video package of the wonderful Occupy Raw segment from Monday.

WWE Superstars TV Report – 6th March 2014

Superstars opened up this week with Titus O’Neil coming down to the ring wearing one of the new WrestleMania 30 basketball vests that they’ve just released in the WWE shop. They broke Darren Young and him up so that they could have them wrestle on Superstars with zero storyline direction. Great.

Zack Ryder v Titus O’Neil

A rare outing of Zack Ryder provides Titus with an opponent tonight. Ryder said this week that he wants to gain 15 pounds. Punk tried that when he first got called up and it just made him look bloated. You have to feel for Ryder, he’s prepared to keep trying again and again and won’t accept that they’re not interested in him.

Ryder is still living off some of that popularity that he had back in 2012 as he cheer leads the crowd early on here with “woos”. This soon stops as Titus throws him around and catches him with two of his signature backdrops. After throwing him headfirst to the mat, O’Neil actually pats himself on the back.

Ryder rolls out of the way of an elbow drop and goes for the Broski Boot but Titus rolls out of the ring. Ryder hits him through the ropes with a missile drop kick, goes to the top rope but gets kicked down to the mat where he is fed into the Clash of the Titus for the win.

Slightly longer than a squash, but that is essentially all that this was. Ryder is fine in the ring, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be on TV every week as a part of some of these 6-man tags, but they’re not interested. This was his first Superstars appearance since November 28^th 2013.

Winner: Titus O’Neil via pinfall in 5:15.

On the Raw Rebound this week was a music video package of the Heyman promo that COMPLETELY cut any reference to CM Punk and focused purely on the Undertaker and Brock aspect. We’re then shown that incredible Shield v Wyatts match from Monday; I actually stopped to watch it through again.

Before the show starts up again, we’re shown the Paul Bearer Hall of Fame induction video.

Los Matadores (w/ El Torito) v Rybaxel

Diego and Ryback open things up in the ring and after some quick heelish dominance from Rybaxel, the match comes to life when Diego balances on the top rope and catches Axel in a tilt-a-whirl headscissors followed by a perfect arm drag takedown. The Chicago crowd like this but are chanting all manner of stuff at Ryback who is spending much of the match on the apron bitching at fans.

Fernando comes in and they double team Axel getting a two count. Axel drives Fernando in the Rybaxel corner and Ryback blind tags in. It is so much fun watching the big, bumbling Ryback getting the run around from these two. It’s hilarious watching them run the ropes again and again until Fernando raises his hand to halt the charging Ryback. He claps his hands, raises his left arm and plants his fist into his chest and shouts “ole!” with the fans. Los Matadores clear the ring as we go to the break.

Ryback is in control after the commercials (which included a trailer for the Scooby Doo-WWE cartoon movie – which looks… zany) until Axel comes in against Diego who tries a small package to no avail. Axel beats him up with clubbing blows to the back of his head, a series of elbows and a drop kick. Ryback comes back in and the pair of them keep Diego in peril.

Diego manages to tag in Fernando when Ryback misses a charge to the corner and shoulder barges the post. Fernando runs wild and the finish sees Ryback take a suicide dive from Diego to the outside while inside Fernando rolls Axel up with an O’Connor roll and steals a quick pin for the win.

After the match Jerry Lawler, in the revitalised Mean Gene position, interviews Los Matadores. They speak English!? Well, they put on some bad, generic Latin American/Hispanic accents and Fernando makes a lewd joke about El Torito being horny just like Lawler and then Diego cuts a distinctly 1980s promo (you know, when everyone shouted in gravelly voices) about becoming the next WWE Tag Team champions. Doubtful.

Winners:  Los Matadores via pinfall (8:18)

A good show ends with a video package that kind of hyped up Daniel Bryan v HHH and kind of suggested that his beef was just as big with Dave Batista and Randy Orton. We can only pray that they put this right by April 6^th…

WWE Superstars TV Report – 27th February 2014

Well, this was the first ever episode of WWE Superstars to air on the live stream on the WWE Network. I must confess that I didn’t watch it on there, though, as I still have issues with on demand content and due to time difference, cannot watch it live. The show is still available on Hulu, if you’re interested.

If you watched it live, this show followed NXT ArRival which is a little like following The Shiled v The Wyatts with a Vince Russo booked show. OK, not quite, but you get my point. On that note, it never occurred to me until today that when the show’s titles play and the chorus chants, “it’s the dawn of a new day” the stills shown are The Shield followed by The Wyatts. Has to be intentional and if you listened to Hunter on the NXT conference call this week, you’ll know just how strongly he feels about and rates those two teams.

Kofi Kingston  v Damien Sandow

Kofi is now wearing a his t-shirt as a bandana as he comes to ring and, a la Bret Hart, gives it to a fan before he enters the ring. His opponent, Damien Sandow, seems to have dispensed with gimmickry and just marches down to the ring these days without pomp or ceremony. His push fell off a cliff a while back. Actually, it’s only when you see him live and in the flesh that you realise the man’s size – he’s in great shape, way better than when he wrestled as Aaron Stevens briefly in WWE in 2007.

Kingston takes the early advantage here using pace and speed to outwit the heel, Sandow. There’s a nice spot where Kofi does a double leap frog followed by a flying forearm for a near fall which is followed by a beautifully-timed hip toss. Kofi uses kicks and a drop kick to push Sandow into the corner and gets caught out when he goes for a springboard cross body and Sandow ducks.

Sandow’s new thing is to show how ‘frustrated’ he is by using moves to bully his opponents – lots of knees, punches, kicks, stomps etc – but he now goes for the Cubito Aequet (‘elbow of disdain) and instead of landing it, here he just dives on top of Kingston and rains down on him with punches to the head.

Kingston makes his comeback with chops, drop kick and a Boom Drop. He lands a neat back drop and goes for the Trouble in Paradise but Sandow sees it coming and catches him with a big boot. Kofi hits Sandow with a cross body, Sandow kicks out at two and after a little back and forth they go home early with Kingston winning with a small package.

Presumably because this is on the Network and they wanted to make this show seem a bigger deal, we get Jerry Lawler interviewing Kingston in that position that Mean Gene always used to interview people on – the raised platform by the ramp – and Kofi says that the win gives him “the start to [his] road to WrestleMania”. Hmmm.

Winner: Kofi Kingston via pinfall in 4:21.

On the Raw Rebound this week (yes, they still do it on the Network) was Hogan’s homecoming and the Bray Wyatt and John Cena angle from Monday.

We’re treated to 8-man tag action next on Superstars. Essentially, the normal Los Matadores/3MB match with some main roster additions. It all feels like they’re trying to make this show relevant this week – I really hope it lasts.

The Brotherhood (Goldust & Cody Rhodes) & Los Matadores (Fernando & Diego) w/El Torito) vs. Rybaxel (Ryback & Curtis Axel) & 3MB (Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal) w/Heath Slater

Ryback and Goldust kick things off in the ring and Ryback dominates Goldust, initially. This match is full of too many personalities but is perfect Superstars fodder. In fact, throw in some celebs and this is the kind of match they would put on as a buffer match at Mania. Goldust shows himself to be more than a match for Ryback. He spits in his face but El Torito is bouncing up and down on the ropes to distract Ryback, who takes the bait. El Torito wiggles his crotch at him, Ryback chases him outside and corners him with Axel. They both get hit by the Rhodes brothers and then Los Matadores hit cross bodies on 3MB and we go to a break.

We come back to find Diego getting beaten down by Ryback who tags in McIntyre. Diego sells his knee and Drew also works over his lower back. He isolates him in their corner and tags in Jinder who stomps on him and tags in Axel. Diego bumps all over for them. Ryback cones back in and appears to be bleeding from the mouth. We go to a rear chin lock…

Diego eventually manages a flapjack out of nowhere on Drew and reaches to tag in Rhodes who gets the heat. Rhodes and McIntyre seem to work really well together – this wouldn’t be any buys as a feud but might be a great little programme. Cody hits McIntyre with a Disaster Kick but the pin gets broken up. The ring fills; bodies fly over the rope. El Torito takes out Slater with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors outside while in the ring Rhodes hits Cross Rhodes for the win.

This was really short given how many were involved; tantamount to a Divas tag match.

Winners:  The Brotherhood & Los Matadores via pinfall (6:47)

An above average edition of this show wraps up with a re-run of the Orton and Batista promos from Monday and then a video package of the Undertaker and Lesnar encounter.