Rob’s Highlights (WWE)
5. Logan Paul and Dominick Mysterio, WWE Raw
Logan Paul returned on Raw, targeting Rey Mysterio with a promo and using Dominick Mysterio by his side. They drew an ultra-boo from the crowd, one of those negative reactions that just resonates in the arena. Paul brought Samantha Irvine into the ring, which drew out Ricochet, who still has unfinished business with Paul. If the crowd response is any indication, this story has a lot of legs.
4. Halloween Havoc Costumes, NXT
Shotzi and Scarlett started the night hot with industry-level horror costumes inspired by Hellraiser and Marie Antoinette and had multiple wardrobe changes throughout the night. Other NXT women also got in on the fun: Roxanne Perez dressed as Freddie Krueger, Blair Davenport as Georgie from It, and Gigi Dolin as Beetlejuice. Part of the fun of NXT is a willingness to try new things and be silly, so I loved seeing this from their roster.
3. LA Knight and Roman Reigns, WWE SmackDown
In the opening of SmackDown, the crowd was white hot for LA Knight and his catchphrases. That is until Roman Reigns swiped his momentum away with one sentence, “Have you ever been in a championship match?” It highlighted the contrast between the on-the-rise white hot challenger and the cool, been-here-a-million-times-before champion. Nick Aldis also did a great job as the General Manager in this segment, sticking to business and then letting the guys fight it out after he left.
2. Chase U Wins the Tag Team Championships, NXT
Chase U has been one of the best stories and most popular gimmicks in NXT. I would have loved to see them win against a heel team with a longer run, but Andre Chase and Duke Hudson still got the big win against The Family at Halloween Havoc. The crowd went crazy, and there is still more story to tell with Jacy Jayne in Chase U- her involvement may have had something to do with Chase U’s win, and it will be a conflict to watch moving forward.
1. Lyra Valkyria wins the Women’s Championship, NXT
After a great back-and-forth match, Lyra Valkyria defeated Becky Lynch in a shocking pin to win the NXT Women’s Championship. This was a masterful run from Lynch in NXT: she gave so many women in NXT their best match ever, and she went out exactly as she should. I had been wondering who NXT would build up to defeat Lynch, and the answer was right in front of us all along. Valkyria has been impressive in her NXT run, and while this was a huge win for her, she feels like she has earned this spot atop the NXT Women’s Division.
Reverse Hipster's (AEW & Impact) Highlights
5. TNA Returns
The TNA name is returning, and I'm glad because, like many others, that's how I first interacted with this brand. I'm glad to see it return to its roots a bit. Hopefully, they can get on a bigger network soon.
4. Jordynne Grace Wins Call Your Shot Gauntlet
Jordynne Grace is back in the title picture, and it's a beautiful thing. Trinity is having a great run, but Jordynne is at her most jacked. This will be a bigger challenge than anything Trinity has faced, and yet, and that's saying a lot.
3. Trinity Defeats Mickie James
Trinity making Mickie James tap out in the middle of the ring to retain her title was huge. It's moves like this that reaffirm why Impact was the perfect place for Trinity. I also think her success signals to other wrestlers that they should come to TNA. Also, props to Mickie for an excellent match and for passing the torch by putting Trinity over.
2. Will Osprey Beats Speedball
Will and Speedball was the match I didn't know I needed. Speedball went blow for blow with Will in an amazing sequence. Speedball proved he's one of the best in the world even though he didn't win.
1. Alex Shelly Retains
Alex Shelley retaining was a brilliant booking decision. When Shelly won the World Title, he seemed like a placeholder champ, but when he went to the biggest POV of the year and beat the former best wrestler in the company, he proved he was the best of the best, and his Reign is for real. It was also a great swerve.
Reverse Hipster (AEW & Impact) Lowlights
2. Flair Returns
This was a bad signing by AEW. Tony Khan has presented himself as the alternative to WWE in many stylistic ways. AEW has especially tried to maintain the morale high ground over WWE. So, taking shots at Vince for his sexual misconduct and then signing Flair looks hypocritical. Also, AEW is generally beginning to rely on too many older stars. TNT Champ is Christian, and he is on the younger side of the vets AEW is using. We have Sting feuding with Flair. The Hardy Boys and RVD were also on Dynamite, and don't get me wrong, I like a lot of these guys, but AEW shouldn't feel like a show where they are the main stars being showcased. AEW should rely on something other than the older talent to pop ratings. They should be mixing in and helping younger talent.
1. AEW Run-Ins
I don't like the way AEW does their run-ins. Some of the most exciting moments in wrestling are when a wrestler's music hits, and they come from the back and start whooping ass. It gets even more exciting when multiple superstars come, and multiple finishers are hit till one wrestler stands tall. AEW rarely ever does that. Usually, a wrestler or wrestlers will run out, and the wrestlers in the ring will just leave with no physical contact, and it is so anti-climatic and boring. Unfortunately, it is AEW's favorite way to do run-ins.
Rob’s Lowlights (WWE)
1. The Judgment Day and Cody Rhodes, WWE Raw
It seems like months have passed, and WWE is still opening most Raw episodes with Judgment Day and Cody Rhodes. Even with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn out of the mix, this feud feels stale, and both sides would be better off moving on.
Rob’s Winner of the Week (WWE)
For me, the easy winner of the week was NXT with their Halloween Havoc show. SmackDown had a good show, but NXT had two crowning moments for some of their rising stars. When NXT is firing on a story and in-ring level, they are hard to beat.
Reverse Hipster's (AEW& Impact) Winner of the Week
Impact is easily the winner of the week. They showed parts of their biggest show of the year. Aew just isn't hitting the mark right now. There's no story I'm heavily invested in at the moment.
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