Tuesday 26 July 2016

WWE Battleground 2016

WWE Battleground 


WWE presented what was built as its post Draft Pay Per View nostalgia with all the trimmings, but would that mean a successful run of a C run event? Leading to one the then A class, Big 4 build ups, could WWE build on that momentum? Would it be able to structure the new scene in WWE with the Raw and Smackdown rebrands? Could it really develop new feuds or was it another repeat of Raw that has so badly been dwindling in the ratings over recent  years?

Let's find out..

Live on PPV from the Verizon Centre in Washington D.C, on Sunday July 24th, WWE presented its Battleground PPV.

Tag Team
Charlotte and Dana Brooke Vs Sasha Banks and Mystery Partner



Starting us off was the Diva Tag Battle with a mystery buzz surrounding it. Sasha Banks, as predicted recruited Bayley as her partner in crime to battle the freeloading Charlotte (given another night off defending the so called prestigious Women's title) and her plus one Dana Brooke. WWE cheated the draft to call her up this way. After all the buzz Bayley was keen but green in the ring and whilst the pair up against her were easy to shine among, did not stand out as the so called defining force of the NXT playground of developmental 'talent' there-within.

The match was boring, with a few jumpy, buzz factor moments but lacked any depth or being. It was simply a cheap option to call up a reserve to the big time. Sasha Banks was allowed to get some momentum, with the other two floundering. Albeit a very sloppy interaction covered by fandom. Time will be their biggest test. Sasha Banks and Bayley win.

Six Man Tag Team
Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman Vs The New Day

All three of the New Day were in action with the tag champs Kofi Kingston and Big E also granted record breaking days favour with non defence of titles.

The match of the six was choppy, blocky and unoriginal.

New Day joking around as Wyatt's
The only moment was Bray Wyatt's weird tantalisation of Xavier Woods in the upturned crab. The Wyatt Family's Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan won. Once again, no one cared. The Wyatt's are still on the road to nowhere and Strowman is departing for Raw with the other two to Smackdown.


United States Championship
Rusev (c) w/ Lana Vs Zack Ryder


Zack Ryder's Intercontinental rug pull from Wrestlemania and post Raw win/loss donation was relived briefly. However this time whopping boy Zack was granted the match and a respectable talent but dropped in a squash job for Rusev. To his credit once again, Rusev sold for his opponent like no other and made Zack Ryder more credible than before. Rusev has grown perfectly and is still lagging by WWE booking, but making exceptional growth to the development of the brand and gold. Their technical skirmish was challenging, entertaining and pleasantly well wrestled.


Sami Zayn Vs Kevin Owens

Once again the same old empty feud made on a whim and from Independent companies past rears its turtle head. Stinking the place out with his festing ignorance Owens once more failed to sell and was carried by his best buddy El Gener-cabbie-o! Zayn proved capable over his blockade of bulbous distress with technical, high whizzing action. Though it needs more than some "flippy sh*t" to excel fully.

It's another play on the best friends from the indies who are inseparable at doing their own thing and have no story or reason to be feuding. Fans don't want one either. Isn't it such a sad indictment that WWE hired two random and one highly useless thing that can't materialise that only drags the shows and ratings down? All through WWE's failed method of listening and running a business than HHH's ignorant fandom loving playground of useless playthings? How embarrassing that WWE has sunk to lower levels of TNA production standards.

There is nothing these two can do. Boring repeats and for those who aren't Indy darlings, why would they even give a hoot at some blob in a tee shirt? Fans really are disinterested harshly and WWE is completely oblivious every time. Sami Zayn won. 


Becky Lynch Vs Natalya

After a grudge match last month of these two from out of nowhere where Natalya's loss in a tag with Becky was enough to change wasn't really anything to behold. It was a standard women's match with diva match booking standards from WWE.

With lack of thought, care and passion, WWE didn't care about it at all. Natalya beat mild ignorant dabbler Becky Lynch. Though it did surpass the other female wasters, this was an empty feud lading nowhere. So why launch it WWE? Gotta fill the empty slots, right? ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... 


Intercontinental Championship
Darren Young w/ Bob Backlund Vs The Miz w/ Maryse

With Smackdown's lack of titles, the main reason The Miz was drafted in requirement not request and a lack of stern opposition, the result of this was obvious. This one was all about toilet breaks and side attractions. The title couldn't be devalued any more than it already is.

The action was minimal and tepid. Even if you want to find something good to say, you cannot. They did they job. That was it. Nothing of interest. It ended in a double disqualification for The Miz and Darren Young. Miz keeps the title. Great paying action for fans.


Six Man Tag Team
John Cena and Enzo and Cass Vs AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Another repetitive piece of action from WWE, in six months, years or same night, the six man beckons.

Enzo is protected,
equipped with Super Nappy.
WWE, desperate to get Enzo 'I cannot take a bump right' Amore over, with the six foot emptiness in human mannequin Cass added to the national hero hated was so sad to see. Their opponents in AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl 'bookend' Anderson was another boring repeat that had no options etched in WWE's future and continues to cause multiple problems onward.

The match was all over the place, many botches, lack of action, stalled moments and charging lunacy that made a complete laughing stock of WWE again.

The hero of the world John Cena saved us all with a predictable win alongside Enzo and Cass. While their opponents did not deserve the win, neither did this poor version of Edge and Christian cock up. WWE are clueless on its creative decisions these days.


Randy Orton also made his long awaited return at Chris Jericho's latest edition of The Highlight Reel. It was pretty tame and empty but Orton was the star, as usual. He decked mouthy ignorant Jericho with a crisp RKO 'outta nowhere.' He hyped his returning match next month against WWE farmer and milk cartoon filler Brock Lesnar.



Lesnar has also managed to find the time outside of his three year, six figure million dollar deal with WWE to go back to the UFC for a one night fight event. Lesnar failed a performance enhancing drugs test but faced no fines or reprimand from UFC. Shame on UFC for being so desperate and dirty glamorising steroids.

So how exactly is WWE going to justify Summerslam's big match with an ignorant doper using steroids to beef up his body? WWE continue to allow its abusers to perform before suspending, which is also against its own rules. Charming.


WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Dean Ambrose (c) Vs Seth Rollins Vs Roman Reigns

Champ Champ Champ.
Chump Chump Chump.

WWE were riding all their hopes on this one to save its crumbling infrastructure.

The third man, now the first man, whom WWE thought was the second man to succeed the threesome formerly known as The Shield entered as champion.

Dean Ambrose would defend against former pals Seth Rollins, the number three to WWE, who became number one thanks to Max Waltham and Roman Reigns, the number one come second slipped into third.

Roman, who has just come back from his first suspension of 30 days for violating WWE's wellness policy using performance enhancing steroids under pressure from WWE at his WWE championship run wasn't going to mess up WWE's grand planning of nostalgia match up.

Abusers are often rewarded in WWE, especially with title matches. Further to the absurdity WWE egotist and regular hater of anyone better than him, Triple H humiliated Roman, forcing him to apologise individually to everyone in the lockeroom. Talk about bullying used as trying to be honourable. Triple H is always a two faced deceiver. Be A Star!

With Dean Ambrose lagging and typecast as a floating star than can't grow or be important, this was a crucial time for him to succeed. Seth Rollins gave him strong competition and Roman Reigns held up his end well with some powerful and well implemented moves for his repertoire. Fans were a little less caring to Reigns since his freebies from WWE making him the 'John Cena Mark II' title hogger.

Seth Rollins was the only choice. With high flying skills, sheer technique and classic wrestling style, he went toe to toe well with Ambrose and while their connection as a double and trio act was red hot, it couldn't justify one moderately hot match as great PPV.

When the chips are down to it, Dean Ambrose retained and defeated his cohorts Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to complete Smackdown with the World Heavyweight Championship victory.



PPV Rating - 2/10


Men/Women of their matches - Sasha Banks, Bray Wyatt, Rusev, Natalya, Darren Young, Luke Gallows, Seth Rollins


Man/Woman of the PPV - Dean Ambrose



The skills and wrestling was decent, moderate but felt like a too long waiting anti climax led from a poorly integrated card.

Missing turtle poker.
Please locate to lavatory. 
Mediocre is not the word. It was abysmal. Dire. Pitiful. Shambolic.

This PPV was all filler but could not fill in the cracks WWE's leaky wall is providing. A gloss over or paint isn't going to change the damaged hub of all the action. Problems must be fixed, not sheened over.

Last month's PPV was low ranking and the three before it scored 1/10. It's completely embarrassing for WWE at this time and magnitude to push these disastrous choices.

Lack of creative ideas, people, on screen roles and writing interns filled with ignorant nepotism under Triple H's stained business management have and continue to cost WWE vividly. They still don't listen. What will it take before WWE loses everything it knows and holds dear to itself as a professional, entertaining and business model for success?

Ditched the mascara for a generic,
random look instead, with no impact.
Oh and by the time you read this, Raw's new re-brand after Battleground offered more delusion. Facepaint warrior and random unknown from sell out crowds of 200 people in NXT, Finn Balor made his debut. He got a title contendership match at Seth Rollins at Summerslam. It was a boring and hypeless, fandom moment which was a novelty act as it was Finn's birthday. How sad of WWE, being so interpersonal and pathetic that the don't even realise what they did to ruin the business side of things.

You aint Asuka...
Sasha Banks finally tried to seem important winning the Women's Championship at too late a time with a tepid victory that meant nothing to the injury prone flash in the pan.


After taking all the main titles in the draft, WWE announced a new title for Raw, as predicted. It will be called, no joke, the Universal Championship. Bwaaaahahahhaaahahahahaaaaa!!!!! How laughably pathetic is that?

After all of the five minutes of fame fandom noobs culture wears off and their NXT hardon's deflate WWE is once again in the same boat of turmoil that sees it without a paddle.

What a disaster.

Must dig deep to survive coming storms.
Wrestling is in decline over 2016 and the beyond does not look encouraging. Only Max Waltham has the answer and Vince McMahon and his pals at Titan Towers have no clue what to do. Stubborn failures and loose ideas wont strengthen anything. We've mentioned time and again that Triple H's ignorant hires, his NXT playground and hateful management style have done nothing but cripple the company's way forward. He and WWE have failed to listen.

Is WWE's future really some random ignorant guys jumping around, as pint sized nymph's or goofy guys with a bit of a tongue to get over the future? Are they going to excel and win big for WWE? More importantly, do WWE think they can and can they not see the errors in them?

The roster is short stacked as it is and old hiring jobbers to get the 'New Era' of people over in squash matches won't be the way. What legacy McMahon had and what he will leave behind, all to make Triple H's ego feel loved because he is an abusive hater of those who can, just to be awkward have proven one thing.  At this rate Triple H will be WWE's downfall. Anyone who thinks it will be safe out of McMahon's hands is deluded. Triple H hates more than McMahon does. His ignorance has proven such and if he doesn't change his ways (he has had too many over the last year alone) then WWE is really about to hit the skids.

The need to feel loved, yet harbours so much hate...

McMahon has really got to dig deep and re-find his balls. That means firing losers like Owens and NXT ignorance jobbers. It means hiring those who can succeed the company. It means stop taking liberties just to test waters. WWE is looking more bleaker than ever. All because McMahon can't keep his house in order. It makes him look bitter, senile and juvenile. Everything fans believe he has become. Everything this writer has always respected him over all else. McMahon's respect however has been disgraceful and nasty. Now his world is crumbling before him. Man up and save your business or continue to have your legacy in tatters forever. It's all going down the pan.


© Max Waltham 26th July 2016

All Rights Reserved

Wednesday 20 July 2016

WWE Draft 2016 LIVE: All the picks here!

WWE Draft 2016 LIVE: 
All the picks here!




WWE draft live in progress!


WWE's first new Smackdown LIVE episode started with the 2016 WWE Draft.

Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon, the new commissioners (?) for Raw and Smackdown, respectively pick alongside their named General Managers.

Stephanie choose floating ignorance Mick Foley while bumbling ignorant Daniel Bryan was for Smackdown.

There are now rules for the Draft, funnily.

6 NXT picks are allowed. 

Raw gets three picks for every Smackdown's two as it is three hours long.

Raw has the first pick. Picks are alternate. One then the other and back and forth.

Tag Teams can be selected as one pick unless the pickers choose only one of them specifically.

Injured stars such as Tamina, Luke Harper and others are not selectable.

Ryback and Rosa Mendes are not selectable, which means they will likely get future endeavours. Thank god.
The Undertaker and Triple H are also unselectable.

Stephanie McMahon also announced on Raw post Smackdown that a new Cruiserweight division would be launched, exclusive to Raw. Triple H's love of yesteryear's midget men not materialising isn't any selling point, especially when most of them he has and intends to hire on fandom choices than professionalism are highly ignorant failures. No success for a proposed "New Era" can succeed this pitiful run through.

After the Draft is over, WWE will be back to square one, with no selling point or exceptional selling points. Again, both shows, now split with stars exclusive to one brand each and jumbled favourites of fans and critics, WWE just cost itself dearly. Nothing good will come of this poor production draft, which is a cheap play on 2002 to claw some interest back. After the dust has settled, it will be boring once again. 
A sheer flash in the pan come one hit wonder. 

WWE are fresh out of ideas and stubborn to the very core as to what will make it excel. Too proud to send one enquiry. You're loss. A loss it truly will be for many a short-sighted future, lacking any conviction.

Also, it should be noted Roman Reigns currently failed, admitted and apologised for using steroid enhancing drugs, which saw him win the WWE championship last month. His first is currently almost over with his first 30 day suspension.

30 extra picks in the Supplemental Draft will be made on the WWE Network. 



The Draft 2016


Raw

Seth Rollins
Charlotte (WWE Women's Champion)
Finn Balor
Roman Reigns 
Brock Lesnar
The New Day
Sami Zayn
Sasha Banks
Chris Jericho
Rusev w/ Lana
Kevin Owens
Enzo and Cass
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Big Show
Nia Jax
Neville
Cesaro
Sheamus


Supplemental Draft

Golden Truth (Goldust & R-Truth)
Titus O'Neil
Paige
Darren Young w/ Bob Backlund
Sin Cara
Jack Swagger
The Dudley Boyz
Summer Rae
Mark Henry
Braun Strowman
Bo Dallas
The Shining Stars (Primo and Epico)
Alicia Fox
Dana Brooke
Curtis Axel


Smackdown

Dean Ambrose (WWE World Heavyweight Champion)
AJ Styles
John Cena
Randy Orton
Bray Wyatt
Becky Lynch
The Miz (Intercontinental Champion) w/ Maryse
Baron Corbin
American Alpha (Jason Jordan & Chad Gable)
Dolph Ziggler
Natalya
Alberto Del Rio

Supplemental Draft

The Uso's
Kane
Kalisto
Naomi
The Ascension
Zack Ryder
Apollo Crews
Alexa Bliss
Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango)
Eva Marie
The Vaudevillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch)
Erick Rowan
Mojo Rawley
Carmella


Heath Slater was not picked at all! The programme closes as lights go out for the lone lockeroom rockstar.


Mistakes

Randy Orton should have been switched with Roman Reigns. A daft decision for such a strong force for WWE.
They choice to make the women's division seem meaningful with number 2 picks high up did nothing for them and was wasteful.

On paper you see just how weak and empty the WWE roster and draft selections really are. 

WWE cannot make anything exceptional or interesting with this. The roster full of ignorance is no selling point wither. All will be WWE's downfall.

The pointless return of the Cruiserweight division.

Err Sami Zayn? Who just got pummelled by Kane in short time.

Stephanie didn't want Wyatt as they were too scary for her. Aww bless. Can't handle the heat?

Raw tried to raise the female stance again by picking Sasha Banks. Zzzzzz.

Most of the picks are highly predictable but WWE is trying to mix up the running order to keep some interest. Ha!

Foley then fumbled his paper to seem interesting as Stephanie caved in. Blergh!

If Smackdown LIVE was clever, its first pick of the best Women's Wrestler in the world should have been Asuka from NXT! She should be on Raw though. What a mess this draft all is.

Best have some trades happening by next week.

Ignorant bowling ball with legs Kevin Owens should have been drafted to NXT.

Why hasn't Cesaro been picked yet? Simple. So we can stare at his sweet Swiss man boobs instead of a tee shirt!

Boo's for Big Show's pick. Can you blame them?

Absurd running order and choices with Owens/ Zayn followed by Show and Ziggler. Laughable. 

It should have skipped most of the matches and only a few with a main draft show.

The Vaudevillains going to Smackdown but obvious a) WWE don't value them and b) Simon Gotch was involved in a backstage fight with Sin Cara earlier today, which sees them split to different shows. Pathetic.

Heath Slater, obviously.


If WWE are to excel they need to have Cesaro and Orton on Raw and trade them for Kevin Owens and The Club tag team. Wrong shows, unworkable and can't get over. Raw needs the former talents to balance the brand properly, but WWE have no idea, fans believe, by their choices on the draft. It certainly doesn't look like a selling point of success, either. Once again it looked like Smackdown was dealt the short straw and topping it all, doesn't lay a stable future for either brand with exclusively separated stars who should be elsewhere to job to other losers who can't make it. 

WWE really needs to get itself in the game. The draft was their big moment to prove they can change for the best and categorically failed.

With a massive team of creatives, writers and stooges, WWE should have been able to make this work. WWE has no strengthen to make its future legacy work. It's just another day. Vince McMahon was said to have been developing this draft for the past couple of years. Wow.

Mock Draft

How would Max Waltham have done it? (And still retained credibility?)

Seeing as NXT lost 6 and included, it should have two picks, chosen (randomly) from Raw and Smackdown each. Plus one supplemental draft and diva.

Raw


Max Waltham (obviously)
Seth Rollins
Randy Orton

Cesaro
Bray Wyatt
Brock Lesnar

Charlotte (WWE Women's Champion)
Rusev (United States Champion) w/ Lana
The New Day (WWE Tag Team Champions)

The Vaudevillians
Asuka
Naomi

Sami Zayn
Chris Jericho
Neville

Curtis Axel
Nia Jax
Carmella


The Undertaker (eventually)
Triple H (Unfortunately)


Supplemental Draft

Golden Truth (Goldust & R-Truth)
Titus O'Neil
Darren Young w/ Bob Backlund

Big Show
Paige
Summer Rae

Kevin Owens
Alicia Fox
Fandango

Braun Strowman
Bo Dallas
Dana Brooke

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
Mark Henry


Smackdown

Dean Ambrose (WWE World Heavyweight Champion)
AJ Styles

John Cena
Roman Reigns

Sasha Banks
The Miz (Intercontinental Champion) w/ Maryse

American Alpha (Jason Jordan & Chad Gable)
Becky Lynch

Baron Corbin
Natalya

The Uso's
Enzo and Cass



Supplemental Draft

Kane
Kalisto
The Dudley Boyz

Alberto Del Rio
The Ascension
Zack Ryder

Apollo Crews
The Shining Stars (Primo and Epico)
Alexa Bliss

Tyler Breeze
Eva Marie
Sheamus

Erick Rowan
Mojo Rawley
Sin Cara

Dolph Ziggler

Heath Slater


NXT

Kevin Owens
Karl Anderson
Kalisto
Paige


Trades
Chris Jericho (Raw to S/D) for The Uso's (S/D to Raw)


WWE Heavyweight, Women's and Tag titles on both brands.



© Max Waltham 20 July 2016
All Rights Reserved