Takeover: Phoenix
Undisputed Era vs War Raiders
- War Raiders’ entrance was great. Obviously, their entrance was win face.
- The match was amazing from start to finish, and yet again shows what the tag division can do, if actually given the chance
Kassius Ohno vs Matt Riddle
- The Match was good, hard-hitting, and really showcased each wrestler well.
- The thing is the crowd was still recovering from the previous tag match, so the crowd was a bit burnt out.
- After watching this match, I see why Matt Riddle is the real deal. He’s gonna make a great addition to the main roster when he moves up.
- Kassius Ohno needs to move up. I know he may not be a Vince guy, but he’s too good to stay the gatekeeper for NXT. He needs to move up.
Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano
- Nice frenetic pace to start the match
- Good moments while slowing down the match.
- I really liked how they knew and countered each other’s moves, and how amazing both wrestlers are.
- There was a good story told in the ring, and even though Ricochet lost, he looked very strong throughout the match.
- Gargano was great as always, and proved yet again why he has the moniker “Johnny Takeover”.
Shayna Baszler vs Bianca Belair
- The match started out ok, but the interference finish with Shafir and Duke was complete garbage, and honestly killed the crowd for the final match of Takeover.
- Belair was strong in this match and really showed that she’s more than up for the game.
- Baszler was good in the match.
- The thing is I hate cheating. I hate cheap ass heels who have to cheat, especially with numbers in order to win. Apparently, Shayna Baszler has gone from a badass, bullying, take no prisoners heel to being a cheap ass, cowardly heel, who has to result to her cohorts help in order to win. Honestly, I think that’s garbage because I really liked the badass Baszler heel. I don’t like cheating with numbers, fake bully Baszler heel at all.
Tammaso Ciampa vs Aleister Black
- The story of this match was amazing
- The match was slow, stiff and methodical with moments of flurry, as a grudge match should be.
- Aleister Black sold his knee injury like a champ. Both wrestlers were amazing in the match.
- This is Black’s second title match loss. Is he finally moving up to the main roster soon? If so, I hope he goes to Smackdown.
On the whole, most of the matches were very good. The ones that stood out to me were the Tag Team match and Ricochet vs Gargano.
Royal Rumble
- The women clearly stole the show of this pay-per-view
- Both Rumble matches were good, with the edge going to the women.
- I loved seeing wrestlers like Candice Larae, Io Shirai, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, Aleister Black, Rhea Ripley and Xia Li as entrants. I honestly lost it when they came out, because I love them, and they all had good showings in their respective rumbles.
- The surprise of Becky coming out to take Lana’s spot, just told me that she was winning; and I cheered and yelled right along with everyone else when she did. Charlotte was amazing in this Rumble. She was a woman possessed from the moment she entered until she was eventually beaten by Becky at the end.
- I loved that three of the four horsewomen were in the final four.
- Though, I have been disappointed with Nia Jax of late, because I feel like she’s losing a step in the ring, and has become reckless with other wrestler’s safety; I did like her playing the foil in both the Women’s and Men’s rumbles. I was quite shocked when she came out and took R-Truth’s place, after taking him out. She sold the men’s moves like a champ, and for her character, it was a bit of a comeuppance.
- Honestly, the Women’s Rumble should have been the main event, because it felt like the main event, even though it was in the middle of the main event card.
- The Roode/Gable vs Rezar/Dawson match felt so thrown together and last minute, I just didn’t care about this match at all.
- Shinsuke and Rusev put on a good match, and I’m glad Shinsuke got the belt back. This match proved how good both of these wrestlers are. The match was far and away better than the buildup. This match and the men’s rumble also showed how much WWE creative needs to turn Nakamura face again. I have loved Nakamura since he joined NXT so much that I went back and watched his matches against Kota Ibushi, AJ Style and the like from NJPW. He is so good, but for some reason, creative won’t allow him to shine. Rusev is such a good wrestler and a very likable, charismatic person. This feud could have been booked so much better. Also, I wouldn’t mind seeing them as a tag team—the brutish Rusev matched together with the lithe and hard-hitting Shinsuke—sounds like a winner to me.
- Man, I love Hideo Itami. I don’t know why they won’t give him a legit chance to win the belt. He played his persona to perfection in the fatal 4-way Cruiserweight Championship match. This match and wrestlers were amazing, and just another example of how awesome 205 Live is, and how it’s been misused and misrepresented in the past. These wrestlers put on a match that should have been on the main show. Honestly, this match and the US Championship match should have been on the main roster in place of the Smackdown Tag match.
- Asuka vs Becky was the match of the night for me in a women’s card that showed up and showed out. Both wrestlers went above and beyond, and this match, along with the Rousey/Banks match showed that the women are up to the fight, and are in many ways the best that the main roster has to offer right now. I really like that Asuka won because it kept her strong, and honestly, she deserves better than being a transitional champion. She’s too good, and the way Asuka finished the match kept Becky strong as well. I mean if I was basically lying on my neck with the Asuka lock on me, I’d tap too.
- Also, I really liked that as she walked out, Becky put up the Four Horsewomen’s sign. Maybe it’s a symbol of what’s to come?
- I didn’t really care about this Smackdown Tag Team match, but I loved how Shane worked it. His shooting star press both scared the crap out of me and amazed me. It was so slow, but a thing of beauty. I was scared the whole time that he wouldn’t make it all the way, but he did, and I have mad respect for him. The match, on the whole, was good, but I still don’t think The Bar should have lost.
- Sasha Banks is the awesomeness. She and Becky have been my favorite Horsewomen since NXT. She brought Ronda to an amazing match, but I give a lot of credit to Rousey as well. She had yet another good match. This match was amazing. I loved that Sasha used more of her submission skills in this match. Just goes to show that she is well on her way to becoming a G.O.A.T. Though Rousey won, Sasha yet again put on a very solid performance.
- The AJ/Bryan match was a very good match. The problem was it followed the Women’s Rumble, and the crowd were pretty much spent after watching Becky win. So during this match, the crowd were almost completely dead, when though both wrestlers were putting all into the match. I honestly think this match should have been after the Smackdown Tag Team Championship match. It would have been a better placement.
- I love Finn Balor. I have since his NXT days. The thing is even though he was great in the match, and put his all into beating Lesnar, it’s a Lesnar match, which means in WWE storyline there is no one who can beat Lesnar. Garbage if you ask me, but there it is. This put a damper on the match from the moment it was announced. To be honest, I would have lost my shit if Balor had won, and I know I’m not alone.
- The men’s rumble was good, and it started off with a bit of nostalgia. Pretty much knew who was going to win from the start, but the action as good. The problem is it was the wrong Rumble to end the show.
