Reverse Hipster's Highlights
10. (Rampage) Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, and Wheeler Yuta Defeat Rush & Private Party
The was a pretty high-octane match with elite competitors, but one man stood above the rest. Claudio stole the match. He did a giant swing while holding a man on his shoulders. The Swiss Superman wasn’t just a moniker. Claudio can do anything in the ring. Later, he reversed a tornado DDT, turned it into a suplex, and then threw his opponent in the air and uppercut his opponent. Claudio also got the winning pin. I can’t wait until Claudio starts having more one-on-one matches.
9. (NXT) Schism Adds a New Member
Cameron Grimes tried to talk a hooded figure out of joining Joe Gacy, but the plea fell on deaf ears. Gacy and Schism viciously attacked Grimes as the new member watched. The segment ended without revealing who the new member is. It’s likely Gacy's former disciple, Harland, but it could be anybody. It’s definitely a good reason to tune in next week.
8. (NXT) New Stipulation for Julius Creed and Damon Kemp
After Brutus Creed got done taking his frustration out on an NXT superstar, Damon Kemp showed up to taunt Julius and Brutus. Kemp got Diamond Mine to agree to the stipulation. If Julius loses to Kemp, then Brutus is out of NXT. This development adds significant stakes to an already intense rivalry. Also, the match will be an Ambulance Match, which ties into Kemp putting Roderick Strong in the hospital. The most likely outcome is that Julius wins, but you never know. WWE may be planning to call up Brutus.
7. (Raw) Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle Rivalry Heats Up
Bobby Lashley and Ali Mustafa had a great match. After Ali injured Bobby's arm with a 450 splash, Lashley heroically solidered through the pain to get a victory over Ali. Afterward, Seth came through and delivered Curb Stomps to everyone. Riddle came out to confront Seth and made fun of Seth’s career. Riddle said Seth is always playing second fiddle to Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch, which really got under Seth’s skin because there were elements of truth. Then, Daniel Cormier popped up on the Jumbotron and revealed he would be reffing Seth and Riddle's match. This Seth and Riddle feud has been so good that I don’t know who needs the win more.
6. (Impact) Masha Slamovich and Jordynne Grace’s Contract Signing
This contract signing was very well done. Masha was stoic, only stating in Russian and English that she was going to kill Jordynne Grace. Grace was unflinching. Grace refuses to back down from anyone, even Masha. Plus, she has the power to back up her talk. Then, out of nowhere, Masha flipped the table and buried Grace. However, Grace got on the offensive and it seemed like she would put Masha through a table. But, Masha turned the tables, and Snow Plowed Jordynne Grace through the table. Masha is no chump.
5. (Dynamite) Jon Moxley’s Worked Shoot
Moxley and Adam 'Hangman' Page had a great promo segment. First, Moxley talked about how much this fight means, how long they both waited, etc. Moxley did a great job selling the fight. He truly is back to being one of the best on the mic. Hangman challenged Moxley to fight right there and everyone loved that one-liner.
However, there was still the elephant in the room. Adam Page lost the title to CM Punk. Page went into the business for himself in the promo, which caused Punk's spiral. Then, Page's friends in AEW handled the rest. Now, CM Punk is gone and Page is challenging for the title. That had to be addressed. Moxley handled it perfectly with his last line saying Page was a sweet kid, but, like other sweet kids, his expletive mouth gets him into trouble. Additionally, Moxley said he would give Page one warning and one warning only. It was a perfect moment.
4. (Raw) Damage CTRL Does Some Damage
Last week, I complained that I was bored with Damage CTRL and Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka. This week, Raw took some steps to remedy that. First, Damage CTRL badly injured Asuka’s leg. Asuka cried, which provided the emotional fuel to make me want to see Alexa try and get revenge in her match with Iyo Sky in the main event.
Also, the attack meant Bianca and Alexa were at a disadvantage, leading to a more interesting babyface vs. heel dynamic. Also, after the numbers game overwhelmed Bianca and Alexa, Asuka came out on one leg to try and help, which was an awesome babyface moment. Ultimately, Damage CTRL destroyed Alexa and Asuka, which will probably lead to a three-on-one against Bianca at Extreme Rules, which makes the ladder match at Extreme Rules even more interesting.
3. (Dynamite) Willow Nightingale, Athena, and Toni Storm Defeat Jamie Hayter, Penelope Ford, and Serena Deeb
This was an excellent six-woman tag. I gained more respect for every single woman in this match. All of them upped their game and had moments. The most surprising moment was Penelope Ford doing Liv Morgan's Matrix Dodge, then popping back up and doing a cutter. It was amazing. Speaking of amazing, Willow got the pin in this match. Willow has been so good. Finally, she got to win. After the match, Saraya had a physical altercation with Britt Baker. Then, all hell broke loose between every woman in the ring. The women's division continues to get better and better.
2. (Dynamite) Sammy Guevara & Chris Jericho Defeat Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia
This match was simply incredible. All four of these guys are great, and three of them make up the top three wrestlers in the company. This match was the kind of match you could just watch. You didn’t need to know the story to enjoy it, but it would be even better if you did. In the end, Jericho cheated to get the victory by hitting Garcia with the belt after slammimg him through a table. This continues Jericho's current gimmick as the most dishonorable Ring of Honor Champion.
1. (SmackDown) The Bloodline
Triple H has fixed The Bloodline. After Jimmy Uso entered the picture and got a DUI, The Bloodline got stale because they strayed away from family conflict. Through Sami Zayn, the conflict between The Bloodline has been reintroduced. Now, The Bloodline is operating at its highest levels. It’s fueling everything, including great promo segments with Logan Paul, great backstage segments with Sami, and even the six-man tag match, where The New Day and Braun Strowman beat The Bloodline because of Sami and Jey Uso.
Rob’s Highlights 6. Women’s Contract Signing, Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling ended before a major PPV by highlighting the women’s championship match, and I think that was a great choice. There are clear stakes with Jordynn Grace’s championship against Masha Slamovich’s undefeated streak. For my money, I think Slamovich should win and stay undefeated until a showdown with Mickie James. A year-plus undefeated streak vs. career match would be some of the biggest stakes you could get in women’s wrestling.
5. Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark, NXT
Kept out of the Women’s Tag Team Tournament by injury, Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark are establishing themselves in the tag team division on NXT. They defeated Toxic Attraction to earn a right at the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Personally, I like both of them more in this tag team than as singles stars.
4. Legado del Fantasma Debut, WWE SmackDown
Hit Row came out and got attacked by masked men before they could do anything. The masked men turned out to be Legado del Fantasma. They debuted with a returning Zelina Vega, who will be an excellent mouthpiece to the excellent wrestlers. I do think they should still have Elektra Lopez with them, but this is a good spot for everyone to be in. My first thought after this debut was that WWE could totally start a trios division on SmackDown. They already have Imperium, Brawling Brutes, New Day, Bloodline, and Legado del Fantasma to compete.
3. Pretty Deadly vs. Brawling Brutes, NXT
WWE would be smart to keep leveraging WWE stars to show up on NXT and build credibility for NXT staples like Pretty Deadly. Pretty Deadly has done some of the best character work in NXT, and this is the best they have looked in the ring. Even needing help, it made them look great to defeat a main roster tag team and set up a future feud with other teams in the division.
2. Sheamus vs. Gunther, WWE SmackDown
It wasn’t as good as their first clash, but TV matches rarely are. This set up that Sheamus can beat Gunther, and Gunther needs help to beat Sheamus. This undoubtedly should set up a final encounter between them. In the meantime, I love that they both have trios to have a full-on faction warfare match at Extreme Rules.
1. The Bloodline, WWE SmackDown
The Bloodline are clearly the main characters of WWE right now. They opened SmackDown, had a great backstage segment setting up Sami Zayn in charge of managing Jey Uso’s temper, Solo Sikoa defeated Ricochet, and they had a great trios match with the New Day and Braun Strowman. Wherever they go from here, the Bloodline is the faction to watch in WWE.
Reverse Hipster's Lowlights List
Rob’s Lowlights 5. Sammy Guevara in the Main Event, AEW Dynamite
Drama continues to cast a shadow over AEW shows. After rumors of a backstage altercation, Andrade got sent home, and Sammy Guevara still got to wrestle in the main event. Without much detail, it’s just speculation, but I don’t love how AEW has inconsistently punished stars in these scenarios. Guevara seems to be surrounded by drama, as he just got out of his rumored backstage feud with Eddie Kingston too.
4. Dark Order, AEW Rampage
I can’t help but point out that Dark Order is the only AEW Originals that feel like they’ve never had THAT moment. Other teams and trios have passed them by. They had a great match with Death Triangle, but with distractions and the circumstances, it wasn’t enough. Even on the anniversary of Brodie Lee’s last match, AEW will not pull the trigger on the Dark Order.
3. Grayson Waller Effect, NXT
This was an awkward segment. Grayson Waller is a good talker on the mic, but he didn’t help Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez at all by constantly trying to get himself over while they were trying to develop their feud. Waller kept interrupting them, saying it was his show, but then he would let them talk for minutes. It didn’t make any sense. In the ring, Jade and Perez are equals, but I thought this segment showed Jade has Perez beat clean on the mic and should be rewarded for such. In my opinion, Jade’s whole heel turn still doesn’t make sense, and this didn’t help any of it.
2. Continued Double Booking, WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown
WWE continued the trend of double booking their stars on Raw and SmackDown. Solo Sikoa, Braun Strowman, and more had matches on both brands. WWE needs to reestablish their brand split and split the titles. They have the deepest roster in all of wrestling; with even more stars returning, they will need the brand split.
1. AEW Battle of the Belts, AEW Rampage
AEW already has three hours of wrestling to fill per week. They’ve already shown they aren’t afraid to substitute special shows like Fyter Fest or Winter is Coming in place of Dynamite. I’m not sure why they are insistent on making Battle of the Belts an additional hour instead of just replacing Rampage. On top of that, this special show was extremely underdeveloped. It was all of AEW’s less meaningful titles and no champions lost (nor did it feel like they were ever threatened in the first place). AEW either needs to overhaul this completely or kill the Battle of the Belts concept.
Rob’s Winners of the Week
6. AEW Rampage didn’t have as big of a promise as AEW Dynamite, but it wasn’t anything special. The main event was a great match with disappointing booking. 5. AEW Dynamite was a mediocre for a promised special show. When they were supposed to deliver an anniversary show, none of the matches were bad, but it was just okay.
4. Impact Wrestling isn’t working with the talent of the other companies, and yet, they find a way to be competitive with their roster. They got me excited about Bound for Glory with this show. 3. WWE Raw took a step in the wrong direction. I think they held back this week in preparation for Extreme Rules, and nothing was noteworthy enough to be a highlight. 2. NXT isn’t always the best show, but it had strong segments this week and established their new branding by changing their ring decorations. 1. WWE SmackDown was the premiere show, in my opinion, this week. They had a stacked card for their season debut, and everything felt meaningful.
Reverse Hipster's Winners of the Week
6th Place Rampage
The show was entertaining in terms of match quality, but it lacked major developments.
5th Place Impact
Impact was solid, but its only highlight was the contract signing. The show was mostly focused on hyping the PPV, which went well.
4th Place NXT
NXT did a great progressing stories and giving fans a reason to tune in next week. Also, it seems like the Halloween Havoc card gets better and better each Tuesday.
3rd Place Raw
Raw did a great job with the story and matches. The Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle feud got better as well as Bianca Belair and Bayley's feud. The one thing that held Raw back is I didn't feel like the matches were as good or as important as some other shows.
2nd Place SmackDown
SmackDown was a good show, but outside of The Bloodline, there weren't any highlights.
1st Place Dynamite
Dynamite had the best matches and stories, and created the most highlights.
Who Is the Best Bloodline Member?
- 0%Roman Reigns
- 0%Sami Zayn
- 0%Jimmy Uso
- 0%Jey Uso