It was a great night for the last pay-per-view in the ThunderDome despite many fans having viewing issues with Peacock.
The night kicked off with a pre-show match between Natayla and Mandy Rose. Mandy's past accomplishments include being a fitness and bikini model. Nattie's past accomplishments include being a graduate of the Hart Dungeon. Adorable storyline but does anyone really think Ms. Rose could ever beat a Hart? Mandy did display evidence that she has been training and showed off some moves, including a dropkick off the top rope. She also tried multiple pin attempts to throw Nattie off her game. Nice effort but in the end, it was fruitless. Nattie picks up the win with a signature sharp shooter.
Now for the main event matches. Hell in the cell began with a championship match. Current SmackDown Women's champ Bianca Belair successfully defended her title against former champ Bayley. I don't understand why but my brain goes Freudian whenever these two fight each other. Last month at WrestleMania BackLash, I said that Bianca came dressed to win in her azure and gold gear. Bayley on the other hand had on what I initially thought was a picture of a ferengi on her shirt. It wasn't until the camera tightened in that I saw it a three headed Picasso like drawing.
Well, Freud would have a field day with these two because once again Ms. Belair came dressed with confidence while Bayley seemed more focused on making a questionable fashion statement. Bianca came dressed in white gear accented with flames and Bayley wore that same Picasso like shirt. I don't know what subliminal message she's sending us but someone should tell her that shirt is unlucky. But that's not what I tuned in for so let's get to the action.
It was brutal. Bianca gave as good as she took in her inaugural hell in a cell. At one point it was a "hair v chair" match. That braid of Bianca's is both a weapon and a hazard and needs to go. Then Bayley ties her opponent's hair to the bottom rope. At another point, Bianca purposefully ties her braid to Bayley's wrist for an attempt at a strap match. An intense match with one low point. Bayley bites Bianca. I don't get it. Tyson v Holyfield, Shayna Bazsler v Becky Lynch and now Bayley v Bianca Belair. The squared circle is not the name of a buffet! Biting an opponent undoes years of hard work, skill and credibility.
Continuing with the ladies, the match between Shayna Baszler and Alexa reminded me of a quote from Sun Tzu: "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle." That seemed to be the Mistress of Mind Games' strategy. The prolonged maniacal stares of Alexa appeared to put Shayna and her corner colleagues under a controlling spell. At one point, she had Nia in a trance resulting in Reggie receiving a slap from the irresistible force. In the end, Ms. Bliss picks up the win.
The last women's match was for the Raw Championship title. Of the thousands who participated in the Draft Kings pool, 59.74 % picked Rhea to win and 40.26 % chose Charlotte. Participants also had a chance to speculate as to how the match would be won. 58.87 % selected pinfall, 24.64 % chose submission and 16.49 % guessed disqualification. The least predicted winning move rose to the top.
The match began with Charlotte going for an immediate pin attempt. Rhea then turns things around with her trademark brutality. Ripley shines on offense and Charlotte can be equally cruel. The wicked queen helped Rhea become familiar with the turnbuckles. However, it was the action outside the ring from these two superstars that caused a perplexing ending. How many times have we seen wrestlers use the apron from the announce desk as a weapon? So, it was a little jaw dropping when Rhea did the same thing only to have the ref call for the bell and rule the match a disqualification. I'm just happy that Ripley retained.
Next was Cesaro v Seth Rollins. I was team Cesaro all the way. A sneak attack by Rollins before the bell is how it all began. Cesaro's strength was on full display last night. He powers out of Seth's Falcon Arrow and swings him at least 15 times. Despite all his efforts, Rollins rolls up Cesaro into a small package to pick up the win.
The showdown between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn didn't go the way I predicted yesterday. Sami won. The color commentary really played up the Nigerian Nail attack from 48 hours ago to explain why KO wasn't at peak performance. After the match, KO took to Twitter to issue the following statement: "I fought like hell. Now, I need a little break. I'll be back soon. Thank you, guys." Does this now open the door for a Sami Zayn v Apollo Crews storyline? Time will tell.
Now for the main event. It's Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley inside the sadistic structure of the menacing red steel cage. This was the other match that Draft Kings participants had the opportunity to weigh in on. Lashley was favored to win with 60.19 % of the votes and Drew garnered 39.85 %. One of the other questions was as to how the match would be won. 73.72 % of fans said pinfall and 26.28 % selected submission.
This match was vicious from bell to bell. Drew is one of the few that can match power with Bobby. One prime example is when McIntyre launches Lashley across the ring with a belly to belly. Hellacious beatings back and forth between the competitors. By the end, both men's bodies wore the battle scars of war but only one walked out the winner.
Before I get to the outcome, I would like to share a common experience I often have with people who give me grief for being a lifelong wrestling fan. Here is how the conversation usually goes with a non-fan:
Me: I like to watch wrestling.
Random Human: You like that crap?! You know it's fake right?
Me: Okay boss, what do you like to watch?
Random Human: Walking Dead.
Me: You know it's fake, right? Totally scripted.
Random human is stunned silent. There are no stunt doubles in wrestling. Their skin is really ripped open, bruised and bleeding. Broken noses and neck surgeries are also real.
O.K., jumping off my soapbox now. Time to get back to Drew and Bobby.
It is with an interference assist from MVP, that Bobby Lashley retains his title. I accurately predicted this outcome yesterday. My forecast went on to envision Lashley losing his title at SummerSlam. This, I think, would open the door for McIntyre to go after the gold again in front of a live crowd. I would love to see the current champ drop the belt to either Damien Priest or Jinder Mahal.
No matter who steps up next, I still miss Adam Scherr, aka Braun Strowman. Adam recently posted a video to his story on Instagram that gives me some hope. He recently stated how much fun he had in the Carolinas and was now on his way to Orlando. That's the same town as the WWE Performance Center!!! Are the suits correcting another mistake?
#BringBackBraun
No comments:
Post a Comment