Reverse Hipster Highlights
5. (Impact) The System (TNA World Champion Moose, Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards) w/ Alisha Edwards def. Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
This match may have been a six-man tag match, but it felt like Kevin Kight's showcase. Kevin Knight was going crazy, taking out the system all at once, diving off his teammate's backs. He has such a rare combination of height and Shelton Benjamin-like athleticism. Unfortunately for him, his flurry ended when Moose speared his soul out of his body to win the match.
4. (Dynamite) Sonning Them
Christian is bringing a new meaning to Sonning. I don't know how, but he keeps finding young wrestlers with dead fathers. I shouldn't be surprised, but the shock still hasn't worn off. Christian is so savage he not only brings up Garcia's dead dad, but he disrespects him for being an alcoholic and then says he wants to be Daniel Garcia's father in the ring. I love Christian's gimmick. It's unique and turns his age into a positive. I'd love to see Adam Copeland come at Christian from the standpoint of being someone on Christian's level, not a young wrestler. Either Way, Christian remains the most interesting heel in AEW.
3. (Collision) Sammy Guevara vs. Hobbs: No DQ
This match did a good job showcasing both wrestlers. Hobbs showed off impressive feats of strength, like seamlessly catching Sammy out of the air for the World's Strongest Slam. He also hit another World Strongest Slam off the second rope and through a table for the win. This huge win for Hobbs made him feel like a legitimate threat.
However, Sammy was still able to shine even in a loss. Sammy put Hobbs through the ringer by trying everything he could to keep Hobbs down. He helped him with the commentary screens and his finisher, and it still wasn't enough. But Sammy's greatest moment was the Swanton off of a ladder inside the ring to a prone Hobbs outside of the ring on two tables. It was the best airtime I've seen by a wrestler since the late 2000s, Jeff Hardy.
2. (Dynamite) FTR vs. Moxley & Claudio
These two teams went so hard that it went to a time-limit draw. FTR are the big dogs in the tag team lane. However, remember, Moxley has been a great member of teams for his entire career. Claudio is a tag team savant who has reached the top with multiple partners. Moxley and Claudio reminded anyone who forgot how good they were. They actually got the best of FTR until the end when it looked like FTR was going to get the win with a shatter machine, but the bell rang as time expired. We will have to wait to see who the big dogs really are. However, these two teams couldn't wait, and they brawled until the locker room pulled them apart.
1. (Dynamite) The Uncrowned King
Wardlow Cut a promo complaining about the fact that he squashed MJF, choked out Samoa Joe, and crippled CM Punk, and yet he has never received an AEW Title. He said he's everything champions are supposed to be, and he is done taking scraps. People booed him, but honestly, he was spitting. I love that Wardlow is talking that talk. His promo skills have improved, and he is a bad man, and I love the Uncrowned King moniker. He did have an undefeated streak. It is weird that a homegrown megastar never had a shot at the AEW TItle (just like Jade). You may not like Wardlow, but I ask you to do one thing. Tell me when he's telling lies.
Rob’s Highlights (WWE)
5. Raquel Rodriguez Wins the Battle Royal, WWE Raw
Raw held a last-chance qualifier for the Women’s Elimination Chamber in the form of a battle royal. Raquel Rodriguez returned to action and handled business in the battle royal, eliminating Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark to win the match. Rodriguez should be an exciting powerhouse to add to the mix of already great competitors in the Women’s Elimination Chamber.
4. Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre, WWE Raw
Raw’s set changed with darker lighting in the crowd that highlighted the work in-ring more. It felt like a new season of WWE, as they kicked off with Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre. They were great in-ring, and naturally, didn’t give us a clean finish. Jimmy Uso distracted the ref while Solo Sikoa hit Rhodes with a Samoan Spike. McIntyre picked up the much-needed win, and Rhodes has more reason to be mad at the Bloodline.
3. Chase U, Nathan Frazer/Axiom, and The OC, NXT
Earlier in the night, the Wolf Dogs celebrated their tag team championship win, which brought out new challengers Nathan Frazer/Axiom and Chase U. Later in the night, Chase U narrowly won a number one contender’s match with a roll up from Andre Chase. This surprisingly brought out Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, who attacked both teams. This is a great spot for the OC, who has years of tag team expertise all over the world that they can share with the NXT roster. They never get a chance to shine on Raw/SmackDown, so why not bring their talents to NXT?
2. Gunther vs. Jey Uso, WWE Raw
The only bad part of this match is that they gave it away for free. Gunther and Jey Uso had good chemistry in the main event of Raw. Jey gave everything in this match, leading up to a splash where it looked like he had Gunther beat, but again, the Bloodline interviewed. A mysterious figure rang the bell prematurely that was revealed to be Jimmy Uso. Jimmy cost his brother a chance at finally winning an individual championship, so it seems like the feud is back on for the two twins to have a singles match at WrestleMania.
1. R-Truth interview, WWE Raw
R-Truth hilariously recounted his journey from joining the Judgment Day to being betrayed by Damian Priest and the rest of the faction. He walked around the streets in a blue poncho while being interviewed. He followed this up by teaming with DIY and the Miz to face the Judgment Day in an eight-man tag team match. Truth got the pop of the night when he was the hot tag in this match and launched into the moves of his idle John Cena. Even though the Judgment Day won this match, Truth has made this feud a candidate for one of the most anticipated possible WrestleMania matches.
Rob’s Lowlights (WWE)
2. Lexis King, NXT
If Lexis King is the trendsetter for someone going from AEW to NXT, nobody should want to follow suit. King lost in the opening match against Oba Femi in a weeks-long feud that concluded in a dominant win for Femi. King’s character work is the only thing keeping him afloat at this point, as this match was neither good to watch nor good for King’s credibility.
1. The Street Profits vs. The Authors of Pain, WWE SmackDown
No disrespect to these teams, and this was a serviceable match that saw the Authors of Pain go over the Street Profits. The reason this is in the lowlights is because I can’t believe these teams are still feuding, and I’m not invested at all. Somewhere in the middle, I realized that this whole feud may be building to a WrestleMania program, which it just doesn’t feel worthy of at this time.
Reverse Hipster Lowlights
1. (Dynamite) Madison Rayne Blown Up
Madison Rayne was supposed to be an enhancement match for Deonna as she built towards the AEW women's title match. Toni had already done and won her enhancement match, but this one went differently. On paper, this should have been an excellent opportunity for Deonna. Madison Rayne is an impact girl, so they have previous chemistry and should have been able to put on a good show. However, it immediately became clear that Madison Rayne was not in top form.
All of Madison's moves and reactions were very slow, and it made the match look horrible. It looked as if Madison very quickly got blown up and out of breath. Maybe she had another injury as she was holding her chest a bit, but it was clear early on that Deonna would have to drag her through this match. However, the match would end early due to an injury scare for Madison Rayne. Her head got spiked by Deonna, and I'm glad Madison is okay because you never want to see anyone sustain a major injury. But it really seemed like it only happened because Madison tucked her head the wrong way, probably because she was tired and not thinking clearly or reacting quickly.
Reverse Hipster Winner of the Week
I have to go to Dynamite this week. Every show got on the board, but Dynamite would have dominated even more if this were a top 8. Dynamite is clearly the A show of AEW where all the best matches and story developments happen, and Impact was good throughout, but the moments weren't big enough to be ranked higher.
Rob’s Winner of the Week (WWE)
SmackDown was largely just a preview and go-home show for the Elimination Chamber. While the show was okay, it didn’t generate any highlights. NXT only had one highlight, but I also have to shout out the Carmelo Hayes/Ilja Dragunov promo segments and NXT showing their adaptability after Shotzi got hurt in the main event. That leaves Raw to stand alone at the top. I had four of the five major highlights this week, and I could have also given a highlight to the Chad Gable/Ivar match and Becky Lynch promo. Raw showed a new attitude this week with good in-ring action, meaningful matches, and progression on the road to WrestleMania.
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