My thoughts on Pro Wrestling: June 2018

NXT Takeover: Chicago
Chicago, IL
Allstate Arena
6/16/18

Match #1

Undisputed Era (c) def Burch & Lorcan (NXT Tag Team Championship) via Pinfall

With the Revival and AOP now on the main roster and DIY split up one might have worried about the fate of the NXT tag team division, but worry no more as it looks like it's going to be just fine as this match was absolutely fantastic. If this feud continues it could definitely become the 2018 version of the DIY vs Revival rivalry, but this time a whole lot stiffer. I'm so glad we get great tag team championship matches on NXT because we sure as hell haven't got them on the main roster this year. There was so much greatness in this match and there is no way I can write about it as it has to be seen. The only thing that didn't happen in the match that I wish had happened was Pete Dunne coming out to counteract Undisputed Era having Adam Cole at ringside, but other than that this match was pretty freaking awesome. Rating: ***3/4

Match #2

Ricochet def Velveteen Dream via Pinfall

I love how because Velveteen is scared of Ricochet stealing his spotlight he decided to come out dressed as Hulk Hogan, a man who no matter what always steals the spotlight. On top of dressing like Hogan, Dream did the poses and cupped his hand over the ear. I hate to admit it but my podcast co-host was right when he said this could be the match of the night and oh man it was indeed. We all know how great Ricochet is and has been for a long time, but once again Patrick Clark puts on an amazing performance, even though this isn't the first time he has put on a match of the night caliber performance it still feels unexpected each time he does it.

These two went back and forth and had several memorable moments in the match such as the two doing their version of the Ricochet vs Ospreay avoid each others move and end with a pose sequence that became famous from their match in New Japan. Dream hits Ricochet with an awesome looking cartwheel DVD off the top and the look on Ricochet's face after the move did a great job of selling the damage done by the move. Dream hits Ricochet with a suplex off the apron onto the floor. Dream really needs to get a name for that DDT that he does. The finish of the match sees both men trading top rope dives onto the other and in the end Ricochet wins out by hitting the 630 to the back of Dream. I definitely want to see these two go at it again, hopefully, they can find a way to drag it out until Takeover Brooklyn in August. Rating: ****1/2

Match #3

Shayna Baszler (c) def Nikki Cross via Submission (NXT Women's Championship)

This match was going to have to do a lot in order to even reach the same level of the previous match, let alone surpass it and unfortunately, they didn't even come close as it was pretty underwhelming. The story of the match was pretty much Shayna beating the crap out of Nikki and Nikki taking the punishment and wanting more because she is crazy. Nikki gets in a few hope spots and even hits an inverted DDT on the ring apron. The finish comes when Shayna locks in the Kirifuda Clutch and after smiling, Nikki eventually passes out. This is probably the least impressive big match Shayna has been in since coming to the WWE and by no means is this a slight on either Shayna or Nikki as I love both of them, but this match just didn't click for me. Rating: **1/4

Before the next match, it was time to "Bask in his Glory" as Keith Lee is shown at ringside.

Match #4
Aleister Black (c) def Lars Sullivan via Pinfall (NXT Championship)

I really enjoyed this match and it was much better than I expected it to be. I liked that Black had to use absolutely everything in his arsenal repeatedly to even phase Sullivan. I thought Sullivan looked really good in his first lengthy singles match and didn't seem to give out any during the match which is something you have to worry about with bigger guys. I do worry about Sullivan using the diving headbutt as we have seen how well that has worked out for everyone before him. We got to see Sullivan pull out the stretch muffler which is a move that isn't a move we see all the time in WWE. The only real complaint I have about this match was Sullivan selling the one Black Mass that barely grazed his head. The fact that it took three Black Masses in a row for Black to gets the win was a great way to keep Sullivan looking strong. As weak as this match looked on paper going into the show, I have to say I wouldn't mind if this feud continues. Rating: ***

Match #5

Tomasso Ciampa def Johnny Gargano via Pinfall (Chicago Street Fight)

I liked the backstage segment before the match where Candice LeRae gives Gargano the crutch and tells him to go kick Ciampa's ass. This was the crazy brawl that everyone expected it to be and while it was a great match with lots of crazy spots, for me personally it didn't quite connect on the same level as their first match which I thought was an all-time great match. The reason for the disconnect for me could be the fact that the outcome was pretty predictable that Ciampa would win after Gargano won the first match.

I liked that they brought back the spot where someone's sign was actually a stop sign, that is a spot I haven't seen since in a long time. Pretty interesting that the spot where Ciampa put the chair around Gargano's neck was just another move in this match whereas when it's done on the main roster it is used to put someone out of action for a while. Anytime someone pulls out handcuffs in a match I get flashbacks to Royal Rumble 1999 with Mick Foley and The Rock. It's always cool when the ring gets torn apart as that is something they do on rare occasions. I do love how they keep incorporating the crutch into different spots of the match as it has been a big part of the feud.

Ciampa drags Gargano back to the stage and this is when he really turns his SOB dial up to the max as he trash talks Gargano and sends him into the LED board which was a great callback to last year when Ciampa originally turned on Gargano. In the one moment of the match where I really thought oh Tommasso Ciampa you are an evil and sadistic SOB he takes the wedding ring off Gargano's finger and spits on it and throws it across the arena, that may have been my favorite spot in the entire match and it wasn't even a wrestling move. Gargano makes Ciampa pay for that and hits him with an air raid crash through two tables in a spot that would get replayed for what felt like a hundred times.

It's at this point Gargano notices his wedding ring is gone and this makes him snap as he grabs the stretcher that Ciampa has been placed on and wheels him to the ring and is hitting officials that are trying to get him to stop. I liked the repeated superkicks onto a handcuffed Ciampa which is a whole lot safer than repeated chair shots to someone who is handcuffed. Great way to end the match with Gargano's rage getting the best of him and him not thinking which allows Ciampa to capitalize and hit him with a DDT on the exposed wood of the ring to get the win. Really good match but not as great as their first, but I look forward to seeing what they bring to the table for Takeover in Brooklyn which should be the finale to one of the greatest feuds in NXT history. Rating: ****1/4

Once again Takeover delivered another great show with four out of the five matches delivering good to great matches and I'm sure this show will surpass whatever the main roster does at Money in the Bank, but thankfully they at least have the two ladder matches to help them get close to the same level as this show. Show Rating: A

WWE Money in the Bank 2018
Chicago, IL
Allstate Arena
6/17/18

Kickoff Match

Bludgeon Brothers (c) def Anderson & Gallows via Pinfall (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Before I get to the match I have to mention that during the kickoff, Booker T took shots at CM Punk about his loss to Mike Jackson last week in the UFC.

This match was the norm for Bludgeon Brothers matches as they pretty much squashed Anderson and Gallows by knocking out Gallows for most of the match at ringside and working Anderson over. Anderson eventually makes the hot tag and Gallows clears house momentarily and it looks like they may even hit Magic Killer but Rowan breaks that up and the Bludegons hit their finisher for the win.
Rating: **

Match #1
Daniel Bryan def Big Cass via Submission

This was a really great way to start the show and it was much better than I had expected. It's good to see that Daniel Bryan can have great matches without going balls to the wall and risking his well being and I really enjoyed watching Bryan work over the leg throughout the match. This was probably Cass's best showing yet as he looked really good out there and played the role of the bigger power guy very well. Cass was u nice to see a super fallaway slam as I can't remember seeing that move since JBL retired. After seeing Cass use the torture rack in this match I kinda want him to change that to his finisher or even better keep using that burning hammer that he used toward the end of the match. Now I see why Cass's first program since coming back was with Bryan, it's because they knew Bryan could get a match like this out of Cass. Rating: ***

Match #2
Bobby Lashley def Sami Zayn via Pinfall

I really hope this feud is over as it has not been captivating at all and neither has Bobby Lashley since he has returned. This match was the one that I was least looking forward to and just as I expected it was nothing special and will be completely forgettable by next week. Zayn gets the advantage for a short while early in the match after catching Lashley coming in the ring, but once Lashley recovered and made a comeback it was all over for Zayn and after a couple of delayed vertical suplexes Lashley picks up the win with only one hand covering Zayn. Rating: *3/4

Match #3
Seth Rollins (c) def Elias via Pinfall (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
The 2018 WWE MVP Seth Rollins has added yet another stellar performance to his resume, even though Rollins has been on a role I still didn't expect this match to be as great as it was because up until this point Elias's matches haven't really clicked with me but thanks to Rollins I finally saw exactly what Elias has to offer in the ring and I liked what I saw. These two went all out for close to twenty minutes and it was great. I want to see more matches between these two if they are going to be this good. I do hope that next time they go against each other that one of them wears their hair up in a bun or something because it takes me a minute longer than usual to recognize who is who as they both have around the same body type and both have long black hair and beards. Rating: ***1/2

Match #4
Alexa Bliss def Lana, Natalya, Charlotte, Ember Moon, Becky Lynch, Naomi, & Sasha Banks
(Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match)
This match was really good for the 2nd (technically 3rd) Women's Money in the Bank Ladder match and I thought all 8 women put on a great show and all of them had their time to shine. Some people were upset that Alexa won and said that she didn't do anything and to that, I say of course she didn't she did just enough because she is supposed to be the smart but also chicken shit heel and it made a lot of sense given what would happen later in the night. I will say that while I am happy that Alexa won and went on to successfully cash it in later I do feel there were other women in this match that needed it a lot more than she did considering she just came off a title run two months ago. I think Becky (who the Chicago crowd was hot for) or Sasha could have benefited more from getting this as neither is really doing anything. One thing I can't figure out is why Bayley wasn't in this match as it would've been cool to see all four of the horsewomen in the match and they could've used it to further the Sasha vs Bayley story but I guess they have forgotten about that feud.

I thought Lana (who I was most worried about in a match like this) did a really good job and didn't look as out of place as I thought she would and she even took a slam on a ladder which is something I wouldn't have expected from her. Toward the end, I kinda started to root for Lana because you can see how much she has worked to get better and how much she loves being in there. One of my favorites spots was when Ember hit the springboard crossbody on Sasha onto a ladder. Sasha did some cool stuff during the match and none of it scared me that she was gonna kill herself so that was a good thing. I liked Charlotte's spear on Natalya from under the standing ladder into the ladder propped in the corner. Really good match for the women and one of the best matches on the show. Rating: ****

Match #5
Roman Reigns def Jinder Mahal w/ Sunil Singh via Pinfall

I had to rewatch this match closely as I almost seen none of it when it actually happened as I was in and out of taking a nap but when I was awake I was distracted by the antics of the crowd. I know this was a match that nobody cared about going into it and I know I certainly didn't, but after rewatching it on mute so I could concentrate on the match and not the crowd I have to say I actually thought it was pretty good for a Roman vs Jinder match. I thought this match had a good pace and wasn't dragged down by an extended rest hold segment which is always a detriment to any Jinder match. I loved the role Sunil Singh played in the match and he his bump off the Superman Punch by Roman was probably my favorite moment of the match. The only thing I can say negative about this match was that it shouldn't have been 15 minutes long, especially when you know a Chicago crowd isn't going to be into this match from the beginning you shouldn't give them a reason to do their own thing for that long, this could have easily had 5-6 minutes shaved off and been even better. Rating: **3/4

Match #6
Carmella (c) def Asuka via Pinfall (Smackdown Women's Championship)
Carmella may not be the best in the ring (although she is improving) but damn is she entertaining and fun to watch and has her character down point (loved the spot where she was in the ropes and was waving at Asuka). I feel that Carmella may have got too much offense in on Asuka in this match but the offense she did get in looked pretty good and Asuka was great in the match as always. Asuka took a nasty sounding flat back bump off the apron and then Carmella hits a suicide dive which may have been the first time she has ever hit that move which was cool. The climax of the match came when a mysterious figure appeared on the apron and this distracted and stopped Asuka in her tracks for a ridiculous amount of time until Carmella hits Asuka with a kick to the head for the win. The mysterious figure turned out to be the Chinless Wonder James Ellsworth in Asuka cosplay. Glad to see Ellsworth back and happy they paired him right back up with Carmella as they have great chemistry together and I can't wait to see what they do next with them. Rating: **1/2

Match #7
AJ Styles (c) def Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship - Last Man Standing Match)
Hallelujah! We finally got the AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura match that we have been waiting for and it was great, who knew that it would take them having to have a stipulation match in order to pull that great match out of them. It was a bit slow for the first five minutes but is picked up quickly and had a good pace for the rest of the match.

I liked how Nakamura kept preventing AJ from hitting the forearm on multiple occasions as it showed he had learned from their previous matches. The face that Nakamura made when he tried for the low blow and AJ moved was hilarious as he knew he had just screwed up. Nakamura did do one of my wrestling pet peeves when he ran across the announce tables and hit the Kinshasa as if it would hurt more that way than if he did it normally but since he wasn't driving AJ through the table it wouldn't have hurt any worse and just would've given AJ time to recover. AJ was lucky the leg of the table didn't hit him in the eye when he fell on it. Great facial expressions by Nakamura when he was begging off not wanting AJ to hit him with the chair. The ending where AJ got his revenge by kicking Nakamura in the balls was great and the Phenomenal Forearm was a great way to finish the match.

I have to wonder if this is truly the end of this feud or if they want to get one more match out of them next month where they can put them in another stip match for Extreme Rules before breaking them apart for separate SummerSlam programs. Rating: ****1/4

Match #8 & 9
Ronda Rousey def Nia Jax (c) via DQ (Raw Women's Championship)
Alexa Bliss def Nia Jax (c) via Pinfall (Raw Women's Championship)
Welp Ronda is two high profile matches into her WWE career and both of them have been pretty damn great, while she is still a bit shaky on the mic at times she has had zero problems in transitioning from her work in the octagon to her work in the squared circle, she has had no problem learning how to sell a beating and her offense is different and fun to watch. Nia also looked really great in this match and this is probably one of my favorite matches she has ever had. I really liked how Ronda got off balance and fell out of the ring to transition to the outside spot instead of Nia throwing her outside like we see in every match. We even got to see Ronda go up to the top and hit a nice crossbody in this match which looked nice even though for half a second she scared me thinking she was gonna lose her balance and fall backward. This is gonna sound kinda stupid but when Ronda hit the judo throw on Nia I felt like an MMA expert (even though I'm the furthest thing from that) for a second because I had to tell my dad that was a judo move.

We then see Alexa interfere as Ronda is trying to lock in the armbar on Nia and beat the crap out of her with her newly won Money in the Bank briefcase and throws Ronda over the announce table. Alexa then decides to make history and cash in her briefcase, making her the second person to ever cash in on the same night as winning it. After a DDT and a Twisted Bliss we have a new Raw Women's Champion and it's "5ft of Fury" Alexa Bliss. I'm happy to see her as champion once again, but even more importantly I'm stoked to see her getting into a rivalry with Ronda as this means she will be in the very top women's story in the company and if the feud is built right any feud with Ronda has a chance to main event a PPV. I thought both the match and the cash in segment were great and made everyone look strong, Nia didn't tap out, Ronda didn't lose and had a great match, and Alexa keeps being a great heel. Rating: ***1/2

Match #10
Braun Strowman def Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode, The Miz, Rusev, Finn Balor, & Kofi Kingston (Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match)

Here are some of the most notable spots during the match:

I liked the spot where after being buried by ladders Braun crawls over and grabs the bottom of a ladder that Balor is trying to drag to the ring and then lays him out.
I wasn't expecting them to catch Kofi when he did the dive to the outside so that was a pretty cool spot.
Just when it looked like we were gonna get a repeat of KO coming off a very tall ladder and splashing Strowman he fights back again and throws KO off the ladder.
There was one spot where I think Braun wanted to toss Kofi across the stage onto a pile of ladders, but he tripped over another ladder and the spot got messed up.
The Miz did a great job of being scared to death after seeing Strowman run through a ladder.
Rusev locks in a triple Accolade on Kofi, Roode, & Miz.
Balor hits the Coupe de Grace on Roode from the outside of the ring to the inside, off a giant ladder set up at ringside.
Great way to finish the match with Strowman hitting the powerslam on everyone and knocking Kofi off of his back before grabbing the briefcase.

The good thing about ladder matches especially multi-person ladder matches is that even the ones that aren't all-time greats are still a lot of fun to watch and this one was no different. The majority of the match was worked around the competitors trying to keep Braun down and him coming back multiple times and fighting back no matter what they hit him with, Braun was back to looking like the monster that we all loved in 2017 as he laid out everyone in his way. I was a bit disappointed to see Kofi in the match instead of Big E, but for the spots, he was featured in I can understand why he was chosen. Hopefully, this win will reset Braun and bring him back to being a killer that I fill he has lacked a bit this year and hopefully this leads to him capturing the Universal Title from Brock in the near future. Rating: ***3/4

This was a great show with five matches over ***1/2 and two of those were over four stars. This was probably the best Takeover and Main Roster PPV combo weekend they have ever had as there were so many highlights coming out of both shows. Show Rating: A-

WWE Money in the Bank Weekend Match Rankings

15. Bobby Lashley vs Sami Zayn

14. Smackdown Tag Team Championship

13. NXT Women's Championship
12. Smackdown Women's Championship

11. Roman Reigns vs Jinder Mahal

10. Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass

9. NXT Championship

8. WWE Intercontinental Championship

7. Raw Women's Championship Matches

6. Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

5. NXT Tag Team Championship

4. Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match