wrestling / Columns
Wrestling’s 4Rs: The Right, Wrong and Ridiculous of TNA Impact & WWE Smackdown
How the 4Rs of wRestling Work!
Here is a quick explanation of the 4R’s. The column will run TWO times a week. We will group our feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and needs discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come. This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a “mark” column, nor a “smark” column, our goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. We will not apologize for our opinions, they are as they are, whether positive or negative.
By: Jericho Ricardi
IMPACT 9.17.14:
QUICK MATCH RESULTS:
* Havok def. The Knockouts Roster in a battle royal to become #1 contender at 8:23
* Chris Melendez def. Kenny King via roll-up at 2:49
* Samoa Joe def. Homicide via Kokina Clutch at 5:43
* The Wolves def. Team 3D and the Hardys in a ladder match at 13:37
* Bram def. Gunner via rollup at 4:04
* Lashley def. Bobby Roode via Spear x2 at 12:33
THE RIGHT:
Roode Awakening: Roode Vs. Lashley was an outstanding title match, possibly the best one that the company has put on in 2014. I was there live and it was an especially good match in person; I was hoping that this would translate to the TV show itself. It did, in spades. The Roode Bomb to the outside was sick, and a number of near-falls had the crowd completely losing their minds. While Aries/Lashley was even until Aries made a mistake, Roode/Lashley was evenly matched right up to the end and Lashley just edged out his challenger. I wouldn’t be surprised to see these two have a rematch in the near future.
Knockouts Battle Royal: It’s debatably too early to push Havok against the champion, but she really has been dominant so far. I’d have given her another feud in the meantime that she could win decisively. Brock Lesnar went through the Hardys and RVD before he fought Rock for the title. That said, with the company on borrowed time as it is, perhaps it’s good that Havok is getting pushed quickly. Regardless, this battle royal was a good one. I’m a big fan of battle royals and Rumble type matches, and the Knockouts division has been well booked lately, so this was bound to be something I liked. Taryn should have been the last one out, though, in my view. She should logically be the biggest threat to Havok in the future if Havok defeats Gail.
Sam Shaw Probably Has A Gunner Shrine: Sam Shaw proved that he’s completely insane by turning down the prospect of a date with Brittany. He said that he has someone else on his mind; the announcers referring to that someone as a lucky “person” has me thinking it isn’t a woman at all. The plot thickens! Watch your hair, Gunner.
Joe’s Gonna Homicide You: The X-Division title match was the final match of the taping, and by the end of the night the crowd was pretty tuckered out. That came across on TV, with this match not really getting the audience response that it could have. Regardless, it was a good match from two guys who are capable of putting on a good match in their sleep. This could have really used more time to ascend past “good”, though. I’m glad to see the X-Division back to one-on-one matches for now. And speaking of the X-Division…
Manik goes Majin: …I think I know where James Storm’s Revolution is headed. He’s turning X-Division competitors to the dark side, perhaps in an attempt to gain control over the division. Then he can have his guys bring him the X-Division title on a silver platter at will, allowing him to challenge the world champion. We’ll see.
Match Three: Another fantastic three-way tag team match. This company has had some fantastic tag teams and tag team matches in its history; a fairly underrated component of their shows if you ask me. This series is up there with some of the great tag team wars of the past decade in TNA. I feel like I should say a lot more about this match, but suffice to say it was great and you should watch it.
The overall amount of time spent on matches: I’m more of a promo guy myself, but there’s no denying that The Internet clamored for more matches on Impact earlier this year. Back in the early spring when the show had like 20 minutes of wrestling a night, the company frequently got raked over the coals for it. Now that they’re consistently putting on 40+ minutes of matches in an 80-minute show, they deserve credit for listening to what people were demanding.
puRgatoRy:
King Vs. Melendez: This was a good segment that got some nuclear heat at the Manhattan Center; however, it’s landing just short of the Right. King dominated the match fairly easily until Melendez rolled him up out of nowhere, and then King dominated more post-match. At this early stage we don’t want Melendez looking weak and drawing that kind of sympathy heat. Let the man look like a dominant badass. And give him a strong finisher, stat. On the bright side, the story they told post-match was a good one, that Melendez needs to take this more seriously and watch his back around the more dastardly guys in the locker room.
Gunner Vs. Mirror Universe Gunner: This match was fine for what it was, but the ending was pretty weird. Gunner lost off of a Sam Shaw clothesline? Seriously? And what’s the deal with this Gunner ankle injury that won’t go away? Also, I really hope we’re not looking at a Gunner heel turn. He has some traction as a face, and Sam Shaw is a natural heel. It’s unfortunate that Gunner has been paired with Shaw for months now, though. Gunner was well on the way to the main event earlier in the year and could have easily been matched up against Lashley. I doubt that’s still the case after all his time spinning in the lower midcard.
THE wRong:
The Commentary: Every week I bash the commentary team, and this week is no different. They were their usual lackluster selves this week, with Tenay blabbering over the explosive audience chants during the tag-team title match and the main event. Those matches were as chant-filled as any match on TV this YEAR and you could barely tell over Tenay’s nonstop yelling. Taz also brought some incoherence to the Knockouts Battle Royal by continuously talking about how Gail Kim probably wants Havok to win so she can get revenge. Really, Taz? Gail Kim wants the most threatening, evil, undeserving-from-a-story-perspective person in the ring to win #1 contendership to her title? Then later in the show, we have Gail herself talking about how undeserving and vile Havok is, followed by how she has “no issues” fighting her if she’s next in line. It was FAR from actively hoping for a Havok win. It’s like these announcers are out of touch with the story being told, and that isn’t a good thing. The announcers are there to help convey the story to the masses, and they need to be clued in on what that story is in order to adequately function as the voice of the action.
THE RIDICULOUS:
NOTHING
The 411:
This was, in my opinion, the best Impact of the year. It had not one but TWO MOTY candidates for the company in one episode, some major angle advancement, an amazing crowd, and an overall fun feeling without sacrificing the serious nature of the show. At times it felt like an Attitude Era show with better production and less fluff. I really hope that the show maintains this high level going forward.The only downside? The first half wasn’t as strong as the second half. Also, there was a distinct lack of EC3 or Spud on this show. Then again, EC3 just had a huge feud-ending match with Rhino on the previous episode, so he can be forgiven for taking the night off.
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Show Rating: 9.5
As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale…
0 – 0.9: Torture
1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
2 – 2.9: Very Bad
3 – 3.9: Bad
4 – 4.9: Poor
5 – 5.9: Not So Good
6 – 6.9: Average
7 – 7.9: Good
8 – 8.9:Very Good
9 – 9.9: Amazing
10: Virtually Perfect
By Daniel Clark
Smackdown 9.19.14
QUICK MATCH RESULTS:
* Jimmy Uso def. Stardust at 1.57 by pinfall
* Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler def. The Miz and Cesaro at 8.29 by pinfall
* Adam Rose def. Heath Slater at 2.55 by pinfall
* The Wyatt Family def. Los Matedores and the Big Show at 11.49 by pinfall
* Paige def. Nikki Bella at 2.54 by pinfall
* Bo Dallas def. Jack Swagger at 2.47 by pinfall
* Rusev def. Roman Reigns at 6.32 by disqualification
THE RIGHT:
The Miz and Cesaro vs. Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus: Although it was a slightly lazy way of combining these two feuds and the Miz facing Dolph Ziggler in a tag team match has been slightly overused as of late, this was still another good match that these four put on, with all four men putting in a strong performance, but with Cesaro being the star performer in the match. The Miz taking the fall a few days before his title match is not necessarily the most ideal booking but he and Ziggler have traded wins a lot during this feud so there is still an element of them being even, and he did take two finishers before being pinned. The midcard is delivering in terms of match quality even if they are stuck in the midcard with no obvious sign they will ever move up.
puRgatoRy:
Adam Rose vs. Heath Slater: Without any direction, Adam Rose never really had a chance to make an impact on the main roster, but for him at least, he has found a role in the comedy face which means he will at least get on TV. A feud between Rose and the Bunny and Slater/Gator is not exactly groundbreaking television nor is it a feud that will get anywhere other than a few minutes as a filler, but it does at least seem to be heading somewhere with the bunny getting more involved and there is at least some intrigue as to who the bunny will be revealed to be, and signs suggest it would be Darren Young, which would tie in with his injury just after the prime time players split up and would allow him to get some revenge on Titus.
Paige vs. Nikki Bella: If the aim is to make Nikki Bella a credible threat to the divas titles and to make it look like she actually deserves to be in the divas title match then it failed, as Paige scored a decisive, quick and clean victory. If the aim was to make Nikki look like she had a chance of winning the title because of AJ and Paige’s squabbling with each other and almost ignoring Nikki as a threat, then it succeeded, as they were so busy squabbling and fighting over the belt at the end, they allowed Nikki to take each other out. And so, it falls in the middle. Nikki has been portrayed as someone who might win the title but if she does, it would not because of her own ability but because of the inability of AJ and Paige to get along, which is not necessarily the strong look for a champion, but would fit in with her just being handed this chance.
Jack Swagger vs. Bo Dallas: They had a match which Bo Dallas won, but they seem to be in the same position that they were before the match. Bo may have won, but Swagger got some revenge on him after the match and then chased him away, neutering the effect of Bo’s win. It is almost like they have not got any idea as to what the end goal for this feud as thus everyone is staying statically in the same position.
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev: This whole thing made very little sense. Michael Cole said at the start of the match this is the future of the WWE now, so if that is true, why have they been booked to face each other with no build up on a random episode of Smackdown (and more the second time in a couple of months). And again the same thing happened with the match being okay, lasts around seven minutes, and then the match ends in a DQ and there is plenty of outside interference. Given that Seth Rollins and then Mark Henry got involved, this may have worked better as a tag team match where Rollins and Reigns take their brawl out into the crowd, allowing the same ending with Henry to get the better of Rusev and end the show standing tall. As it was, it was an average match that again wastes a big-first time collision between these two that ends with a run-in to further their respective feuds (that as it is the Rollins/Reigns feud will be put on hold due to injury and everyone expects Rusev to beat Henry anyway).
THE WRONG:
Jimmy Uso vs. Stardust: A rare outing for the Usos that ends up in the wrong as this just was not the best preparation for their tag team title match on Sunday. The match seemed to lack a bit of spark and given that it was so short, never had a chance to get going. Also, having the challengers to a title match losing clean in less than two minutes just days before the match does not do much to sell it as a contest, as in kayfabe terms, there is no reason why the Usos should not win quickly on Sunday. A segment that did not really add anything to the feud and given its length, really did not need to be on the show and it added nothing and if anything damaged the tag title feud.
The Wyatt Family vs. The Big Show/Los Matedores: This whole match and segment was just bizarrely booked from start to finish. We began by getting full entrances for both teams and a recap of what happened on Raw, and then just as the match was about to begin, we cut to a commercial and returned with the match in progress. Why? And then, having the Big Show as the face-in-peril when his two tag partners are Diego and Fernando is just a strange decision, as surely they can bump around and make the Wyatts look good, before the Big Show, who is supposed to be feuding with Bray Wyatt, can come in and look strong. Instead, we had a slow and lengthy control period on the Big Show before one of Los Matedores gets the hot tag and comes in and dominates Bray Wyatt, which is just such a strange booking decision. The Wyatts did at least get the win, but the booking of the match from start to finish was backwards and it seems to continue a feud between Bray Wyatt and the Big Show that I don’t think anyone is clamoring for or wants to see, but this match certainly didn’t make you want to see it.
Rusev/Lana promo: Cutting a backstage promo entirely in a foreign language and thus giving the crowd and the viewing audience no translation of what is being said is fairly pointless. How can we react to it and show our further distain for them if we don’t know what they said? If you are going to do this kind of promo, it has to be in-ring as then at least it gets some heat from the crowd for wasting their time.
THE RIDICULOUS:
NOTHING
The 411:
As a go home show before a PPV, this was pretty bad and did not really do anything towards building to Night of Champions that would convince people to make a last night decision to watch the show. But as an episode of Smackdown it was not particularly good either.The main event of the show was a Rusev vs. Roman Reigns match that should be being built as a big match for the future and a clash of two main eventers rather than just a random throwaway match that means nothing and is only ever going to end in a no contest – and this is the second time in a couple of months that this has happened. And although it was a decent match, everyone knew that it would not have an ending to it and would just be a way to move on the two feuds, but not in a fashion that was actually important. Reigns and Rollins just brawled off into the crowd and Mark Henry got the upper hand on Rusev, but not necessarily enough that made you believe he will beat Rusev.
The rest of the show was a much of a muchness, with the other main matches for Night of Champions, Jericho vs. Orton and Lesnar vs. Cena not having any of the four appear on the show, while nothing of consequence really happened in any of the other segments. The Miz/Cesaro vs. Sheamus/Dolph Ziggler was a good match but just continued the trend of the midcard having tag matches for no real reason and the ending did not necessarily do anything other than remind you that wins and losses seem to be interchangeable for these guys at the moment with no end purpose.
We also saw a lengthy six man tag match involving the Wyatt Family against the Big Show and Los Matedores, which at least saw a win for the Wyatts, but was a bizarrely booked match from start to finish and I don’t see the appetite for a feud between Bray Wyatt and the Big Show which seems to be where we are heading. The rest of the show was filler really and whether it was on the show or not really held no consequence.
The go-home episode of Smackdown before PPV used to be an important episode and that last push towards it but now seems to be a show that the WWE would rather do without to make sure that no-one gets injured, and given that Raw in the only show where anything of consequence happens, this show is about as meaningless as it can be.
Show Rating: 4.0
As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale…
0 – 0.9: Torture
1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
2 – 2.9: Very Bad
3 – 3.9: Bad
4 – 4.9: Poor
5 – 5.9: Not So Good
6 – 6.9: Average
7 – 7.9: Good
8 – 8.9:Very Good
9 – 9.9: Amazing
10: Virtually Perfect
SCUBA KANE
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