Reverse Hipster's Highlights
5. (TNA) Trinity
Trinity came back to TNA, showed out, and got a win with Jordynne Grace. Watching Trinity in TNA is even more gratifying. It's been such a wonderful chapter of her career, and seeing her there now feels like graduation.
4. (Dynamite) Chris Jericho Taps Out... To his Own Move
Konsuke has been cold for a while, but Tony Khan decided he wanted to do something about that. Konosuke went head to head with Jerciho and wrestled him hold for hold until he made Konosuke made Jericho tap out with the walls of Jericho. This didn't just seem like a dominant victory but a passing of the guard.
3. (TNA) PCO & Kon
First, there was Kong and Godzilla, and now there is PCO and Kon. PCO is the best current monster in wrestling, and Kon is big and credible. They brawled throughout the impact zone, and you could see the appeal of the feud. PCO has someone his own size to challenge, and Kon can look dominant, destroying PCO, who will always get up.
2. (Dynamite) Hangman vs. Swerve
There is a lot to like about this battle. I said it after their death match: Swerve and Page can be enemies for the rest of their careers. They are off to a great start. This physical match-up went back and forth, and you felt like each guy was giving out everything they had. Finally, after an amazing half hour, Swerve pulled out the trump card by reversing the Buckshot into a driver. He went for the winning pin, but time ran out, and it was declared a draw.
Swerve asked for five more minutes because he needed to beat Adam Page to become the number one contender, and he knew he had him. However, Hangman tried to take his draw and run off with the championship match. I love this choice because Hangman isn't the babyface he used to be because it's Swerves House now, and pretending like Hangman was the hero would have just ruined him. Hangman as the heel is more interesting. However, Hangman's heel antics failed because Tony Khan declared that Swerve would be entered into a triple threat with Page and Joe for the world championship. Will Swerve or Page win the title, or will their feud cost them the title?
1. (Dynamite) Sting and Darby Allin's All-Time Moment
It's been a long time coming, and Sting and Darby made every moment of the wait worth it with their win. Bill was decimating Darby Allin in the ring. If you just turned the channel and saw Bill grabbing Darby by the neck and slamming his head against the mat, you might have thought he was killing Darby. Bill planned to send whatever was left of Darby through a table outside of the ring. Sting saved Darby at the last moment and then took on Ricky and Bill by himself, and he was winning.
However, Ricky turned the tables on him, ripping off the turnbuckle in the corner and turning Sting's splash into a stinger. Rick then had him lined up for a spear, and Ricky hesitated because of how great Sting was, but he speared him, and then Darby came back and saved Sting. In the final sequence, Big Bill is trying to save Ricky Starks from the scorpion deathlock with Darby on his back, but right as he is about to get in the ring, Darby sacrifices himself and sends them both through a table. Sting was then able to get the win with the Scorpion Death Drop. Sting not only won the title but won them for his team. This is an All-Time Moment for AEW.
Afterward, the Young Bucks came out and ruined the moment by beating down Darby, Sting, and Sting's sons. I hate to admit it, but it pissed me off. They have established themselves as that team Sting has to beat the shit out of. Sting's match with the Young Bucks is so much more meaningful now.
Rob’s Highlights (WWE/NXT)
5. Gunther and Jey Uso, WWE Raw
Gunther’s 600 day Intercontinental Championship celebration was cut off by Jey Uso. The two swapped insults, and it looks like they are headed toward a big match. Jey is hot as a babyface, and Gunther has had a long and credible reign. This is the perfect recipe for an exciting midcard match at WrestleMania. I believe Jey is worthy of his first singles championship, and Gunther can target the World Heavyweight Championship.
4. Triple H Promo, WWE SmackDown
Triple H opened SmackDown and did the best job anyone has done trying to regain control of the Cody Rhodes and Rock situation (see below). He also announced that Seth Rollins would face the winner of an Elimination Chamber match and qualifying matches would begin tonight. This was also a critical step in reminding people that Rollins has a goal to successfully defend his championship at WrestleMania, and there are a lot of worthy superstars for that opportunity.
3. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak, NXT
Ilja Dragunov and Dijak got in a confrontation early in the night which set up this main event. Dragunov and Dijak did a great job building on their feud last year while making a completely new match. Joe Gacy cost Dijak the match with a cartoonish exit from underneath the ring and hitting Dijak with a boxing glove on a stick. Dragunov won the match, but was attacked by Carmelo Hayes after the match, hinting at a possible big rematch at Stand and Deliver.
2. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams, NXT
The NXT crowd was a highlight of the week, as they barely let Carmelo Hayes get a word off in this promo segment. Hayes explained that he attacked Trick Williams. He had some corny stereotypical heel lines, but it was saved by Hayes’s promo ability and execution. Hayes was always better as a heel anyway. He also worked the crowd by playing Williams’s music to the loudest ovation of the night. Williams was the biggest babyface of the night without even being there. We could have a feud of the year contender on our hands.
1. Bayley, WWE SmackDown
Bayley’s win in the Women’s Royal Rumble has become the best story going into WrestleMania. She is a generational babyface, so it was smart to turn her against Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors, framing them as the mean girls that pushed her out of her own faction. This week, Bayley talked with Dakota Kai who tried to clear the air. Kai teased hitting Bayley with a chair before working with Bayley to fend off Sky and the Kabuki Warriors. Kai’s involvement is another hovering question in this feud, as Bayley potentially has a whole faction to overcome and a lot to prove at WrestleMania.
Rob's Lowlights
1. Rhodes, Reigns, and Rock, WWE SmackDown
The biggest news of this week came from the press conference Thursday and played out on SmackDown Friday. Roman Reigns announced that he would choose to face the Rock at WrestleMania, and the Rock came out to huge boos. Then, Cody Rhodes came out and announced he would face Reigns at WrestleMania. He insulted Reigns and the Rock, and the Rock slapped Rhodes in the face hard for invoking the family’s name. First, kudos to everyone involved in this promo who executed their lines perfectly. But most importantly, this whole booking has made absolutely no sense in line with their existing characters and knowledge we have of how wrestling works in kayfabe.Â
Why would Reigns try to choose his opponent? Reigns would have to be stupid to think Nick Aldis and Triple H would let him get away with this. Why would he choose the Rock, and why are they suddenly aligned? The Rock announced he may be after the Head of the Table, and Reigns certainly didn’t look cool with it when he thought the Rock would be gunning for his championship. Why is the Rock suddenly a heel? The Rock we know loves the WWE Universe and would hate the way Reigns acts, even if he is family. But most importantly, for an entire week, why did Rhodes pretend like he was going to face Seth Rollins when he has emphasized all year that he wanted to finish the story against Reigns? It made Rhodes look stupid, it made Rollins look bad, and it didn’t line up with everybody’s characters. The worst part is that they have the bones of a good program here. Now, WWE is saying the match is a straight up rematch of Reigns vs. Rhodes. For my money, Reigns vs. Rhodes vs. Rock is the best case scenario for everyone. Rhodes has a chance to finish the story against two of the biggest stars of the millennium, Rock gets his dream match without taking an opportunity from a current superstar, and Roman’s reign has the most credible threat it has ever faced. Instead, we are stuck scratching our heads of what just played out and what will happen next.
Reverse Hipster's Lowlights
1. (Collision) Adam Copeland
Adam still hasn't found his personality in AEW. Actors say they don't play angry. It's easy to play angry, and that's all I'm getting from Edge. He's tough, angry, and crazy at best. I want more from Adam's character. We know he can wrestle. We know he can be a good character, but he hasn't been thus far.
Rob’s Winner of the Week (WWE/NXT)
Unfortunately, this week of wrestling felt like WWE killed all the good will they built up with a great Royal Rumble. For that reason, I have to give the week to NXT. They built off of their Vengeance Day PPV with feuds that made sense and good matches in front of a hot crowd.
Reverse Hipster Winner of the Week
Dynamite win this week. AEW had a major bounce-back episode. It was the most compelling episode of the last few months. Hopefully, this isn't a one-off.
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