Reverse Hipster's WWE Highlights
5 (SmackDown) You Think You Know Me
Edge celebrated 25 years on this episode of SmackDown, and it was really fun to see superstars from multiple generations talk about how great Edge is. It is a reminder of how far Edge has come from being a member of the Brood in the '90s to being a tag champ in the early 2000s and revolutionizing the tag team match to being the Iconic You Think You Know Me Rated R superstar and winning world championships in the late 2000s and early 2010's. Edge has done it all, including beating a career-ending injury, coming back as one of the best wrestlers of the modern era, and ending things on his terms. Edge is truly one of the greatest of all time.
4. (Raw) JD
JD came out to confront the Judgement Day on behalf of Finn. The segment itself wasn't anything crazy, but I love the way JD is being utilized. In NXT, JD was one of the best wrestlers who ran out of room down there. On the main roster, he seemed lost in the shuffle, but now he is back with Finn and can begin showing off his skills.
3. (Raw) Piper Becomes a Tag Team Champion
First, Chelsea was doing a great job on her own, keeping these tag team titles relevant and her chemistry with Adam Pearce. However, Piper FKA Doudrop returned and bullied Chelsea into choosing her as her tag team partner. I like Piper's new attitude. Piper is an excellent wrestler and a serious physical force, and now that she is acting like it, everyone should look out. Chelsea has lucked into a powerhouse, and their dynamic will be fantastic.
2 (SmackDown) La Knight Loses to Austin Theory
I think this match did a great job of moving two stories along without hurting either character. LA Knight beat the tar out of Austin Theory all match. Miz did a great job on commentary, running down LA Knight and selling their feud. Ultimately, Miz distracted LA Knight just long enough for Austin Theory to beat LA Knight for the right to face Rey for the United States Title. Now Austin and Rey can finish their feud for the title, and LA Knight has a whole new reason to hate the Miz. The promos between Knight and Miz will be awesome.
1. (Smackdown) Edge vs. Sheamus
These two did what they always do, which is put on a banger. These men tried to answer the question of how much punishment the human body can take. Edge superplexed Sheamus off the top rope, held on, and delivered an Edgexcution DDT. Sheamus trapped Edge around his back, then hopped off the top rope, hitting White noise and falling hard on Edge's spine.
Reverse Hipster's WWE Lowlights
3. (Raw) Sami beats JD
I just don't see the point of this. You are trying to showcase JD but immediately have him lose. Well, now it looks like he can't hang with the big boys. A win wouldn't have hurt Zayn and given JD a lot of credibility.
2. (Smackdown) Charlotte and Bianca beat Damage Control
WE GET IT BIANCA AND CHARLOTTE ARE GOOD. But Iyo Sky just won the title, so why is she losing to Bianca and Charlotte in tag team action? Especially when Iyo and Bayley are the only ones in a tag team. Charlotte and Bianca winning puts this at live event status. There was no advancement. The champ looked weak, and its only purpose was to hype the crowd at the moment.
1. (Smackdown) Paul Heyman
Paul took shots at the backstage interviewer's personal life in the WWE segment. Kayla has since dissed Heyman online for being unprofessional, and maybe that's true, or maybe they are just keeping kayfabe. Regardless, this was too far. Heyman making fun of Kayla for growing up in foster care is fucked up. It's not cool cause he "went there" It just makes him look like an edge lord asshole. Also, what's the point of even doing that? We already don't like Paul Heyman as a character, and Kayla isn't going to beat Paul in a match down the road. It was too far, and it didn't add anything to the program.
Rob’s Highlights (AEW/Impact)
5. Knockouts Tag Teams, Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling has such a deep women’s division relative to its roster. They are showing how to book a women’s tag team division correctly. Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich are dynamic and exciting champions, and they have multiple challengers of true teams lined up to challenge them.
4. Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage, AEW Collision
Like other pillars Sammy Guevara and Jack Perry, Darby Allin is ready for the main event but lost in the shuffle of AEW’s big roster. He has a building feud with Christian Cage and Luchasaurus. It paid off well in the main event of Collision. If the TNT Championship feud is a consolation prize for Allin, he didn’t look like it here as he put his whole body into this match.
3. Britt Baker is Going All In, AEW Dynamite
For my money, AEW’s women’s division was at its best when it was led by champion Britt Baker. Baker is an undeniable star who clearly has favorable booking that gives the whole division more exposure by proxy. She beat Bunny to earn her way to a fatal four-way women’s championship match that will pay homage to the fatal four-way at the original All-In, which became AEW.
2. The Young Bucks vs. the Gunns, AEW Dynamite
Tag team wrestling has long been AEW’s specialty. FTR is the frontrunner for the tag team of the year, and they are champions of AEW going into All In. The Young Bucks and the Gunns fought for the right to face them here. It was an exciting main event with fast-paced action. The Bucks are always at their best in this style of match, and the Gunns didn’t look out of place, as they’ve earned their place in the conversation of this division as well. Secretly, I was hoping the match would be the Acclaimed and FTR, but the Bucks are a good choice too. It’s easy to forget years ago that this was a dream match we thought we may never see. Now, the tiebreaker third match will be in front of a packed stadium in the UK.
1. The Festival of Jericho, AEW Dynamite
Much like Chris Jericho’s earlier work in the Festival of Friendship, I was glued to the TV during this segment to see weeks of storytelling pay off. Don Callis had a covered portrait in the ring and called out Jericho, asking for Jericho’s final answer: will Jericho join the Don Callis Family? Jericho talked about how he always seems to be the leader, not a follower, in factions, hinting that he wouldn’t join before saying something about this felt right and he would join. Even Callis himself was surprised, trying to rush out of the ring to celebrate the new faction before Jericho asked him to reveal the portrait. It was a painting of Callis beheading Jericho. I could almost hear Jericho whisper, “How come my name’s on this list?” Callis and Jericho got in a verbal dispute before Konosuke Takeshita, and a surprise Will Ospreay came in to attack Jericho, setting up a match at All In between Jericho and my current pick for best wrestler in the world, Ospreay.
Rob’s Lowlights (AEW/Impact)
1. Bullet Club Gold vs. the Iron Savages, AEW Collision
AEW has its fair share of forgettable factions, and I regret how easy it is to put the Iron Savages among those. In a spot that called for Bullet Club Gold to dominate, the match took multiple segments. The Iron Savages put up a fight but ultimately still lost. It didn’t help the Iron Savages, and it made Bullet Club Gold look weak too.
Reverse Hipster's Winner of the Week
The winner of the week is easily SmackDown. Everything in NXT was so middle of the road. It's probably because of their special show next week, but that didn't make me any more interested. Raw put up a fight this week, but it was nowhere near as good as SmackDown. SmackDown did a better job putting on A-level matches and developing feuds.
Rob’s Winner of the Week
AEW Dynamite was my favorite show of the week by far. The Fight for the Fallen show raised money for the Maui Wildfires. Among even the worst segments, the Texas Chainsaw death match, AEW raised six figures for a good cause from the product placement, and it was still a fun watch. Among its best segments, Dynamite took my top three highlights for the week.