This edition of WWE Superstars was dedicated to the memory of Warrior. The picture they used was of him at the HoF ceremony. He truly was a Superstar in the WWF and I guess that this show was originally conceived with people like him in mind.
My word, a
lot happened in the space of a week.
Dolph Ziggler v Ryback (w/ Curtis
Axel)
Ziggler
comes out to kick off the show in front of the hot post-Mania crowd and he
really eats it all up. Ryback with Curtis Axel come out – notably to his music,
not the new mash up that they’re using as a tag team. Ryback appears to be
wearing something out the Rob Van Dam tie-dye singlet collection.
The crowd
love Ziggler here, unsurprisingly. Dolph looks tanned, bleached and trim.
Ryback tries to get ‘Ryback’ chants going but in the style of the ‘Goldberg’
taunts that fans have largely given up on these days. Really glad that match
never happened.
Ziggler
works over the left arm goes for a suplex that gets blocked; Ryback tries to
reverse it, Ziggler wriggles out and as Ryback tries for a gorilla press, he
blocks and hits a sweet drop kick. Ryback launches Dolph into the top
turnbuckle and the top rope. He hits a second rope slam, gets a two and we go
to a break.
Axel gets
involved after the break as Ryback stays in control. We get a small ‘Curtis
Axel’ chant for the New Orleans crowd. I have to say, Ryback is getting better –
he works over Ziggler with a range of big moves and holds and looks so much
better than he first did. Best spot of the match is when Ryback charges at
Ziggler in the corner, who dodges, and Ryback goes absolutely flying on to the
ring side matted area. Looked so great.
Ziggler
takes some control: cross body, punches to the corner, neck breaker but Ryback
cuts him off with a spine buster. Two count. Awesome spot next where Ziggler
met Ryback on the tope rope where he was planning for another splash; Dolph
grabs him and hits a massive X-Factor. So clear that they raised their game
this week because they were in front of the post-Mania crowd etc.
After a
Ziggler sleeper, Ryback hits the meathook clothesline and gets caught by a drop
kick and a big DDT for a near fall. The finish sees Axel distract Ziggler, who
was setting up for the Famemasser, so that Ryback can hit the powerbomb
followed by the Shellshock for the pin.
Good match.
Ryback much better than of old here; Ziggler the perfect foil for him in this
context.
Winner: Ryback (w/ Curtis Axel)
via pinfall in 8:56
Best Raw
Rebound of all time was next. THAT Heyman promo in full, followed by Wyatts v
Cena, Sheamus & Big E. Tremendous.
Kofi Kingston v Titus O’Neil
My God. That
Kofi spot in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale was just so fantastic.
Kofi out in
bright luminous green. Titus has pretty bombastic music but he’s going nowhere.
As always with Titus, I’m always acutely aware that if it doesn’t happen soon,
it ain’t happening – he’s already in his late 30s. What happens to Darren
Young? I’d be worried if I was him.
They had an
OK match. Early back and forth leads to them trading big chops – presumably because
they knew that it would get a huge Flair pop in front of this crowd. Titus hits
two huge back breakers and rag dolls Kofi around. Kofi hits a drop kick off the
top rope. For some reason Titus sells a big forearm from Kofi like it was a
really big deal so that Kofi can hit the Boom Drop. Trouble in Paradise is cut
off (as always) by Titus who merely just sticks his elbow into Kofi’s face.
Finish sees
Kofi hit a top rope cross body where he injures his left knee. Unless he does
something when he pushes off the ropes, I can’t see how this can be legit but
he sells it like its real. Titus just puts him out of his misery for a Clash of
the Titus for the pin.
Winner: Titus O’Neil via pinfall
in 4:15
We get an
Adam Rose promo video next. Kind of reminds me of a character from Spinal Tap,
if they had been mildly antipodean or South African. We get an Oculus trailer
which looks glossy but essentially another in a long line of mediocre horror
flicks.
The show
finishes with a Triple H and Daniel Bryan montage to explain the current Shield
& Bryan v Evolution & Kane programme.
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