Wrestling’s 4Rs: The Right, Wrong and Ridiculous of WWE Smackdown & TNA Impact

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.

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By Pyro Mitchell
Impact 11.11.15

THE Right:
Madison Rayne vs. Gail Kim: Despite the terrible Ninja Queen thing, this match was very successful. Madison and Gail went back and forth throughout the whole match for the most part, neither ever really having a big upperhand. Rayne would eventually get in position to attempt her Rampaige style finisher, but Gail would reverse and roll her up. Gail Kim moves on to the round of 16, and Madison Rayne goes home. This was a very good match to kick off the night.

Eddie Edwards vs. Matt Hardy: This was a good match. Once again neither guy really had a time of control, as both guys hit big moves on each other through the whole match. A couple of particularly nasty moments include when Edwards chopped the corner ring post with all his might, and when Hardy got driven into the apron by a DDT. The ending would come off a Super Twist of Fate, and Matt Hardy has a clean sweep in Group Tag Team Specialists while Edwards is done. This was probably the match of the night, and it really kinda saved the show after that Drake/Godderz match.

DJZ vs. Mandrews: This was a Madrews match, he started out somewhat strong, showboated, and then got dropped on his head. Once it starts that way, you kinda know how its gonna go. I can’t tell if they’re having Mandrews showboat so much on purpose or not, but I really like the commentators pointing out that every time he does it ends up screwing him. After getting dropped on his head early, he actually managed to fight back into the match. But then his showboating would end costing him again, as he played to crowd and went for a Shooting Star Press. DJZ would get his knees up and then immediately cover Mandrews for the win. Good match and a nice win DJZ, he’s really turned it on lately and it’s been a lot of fun to watch.

puRgatoRy:
Eli Drake vs. Jessie Godderz: Early on in this one, both guys cancelled each other out with their wrestling and strength. And that never really changed throughout, as it seemed like for every move that one did the other had an answer. Eventually it was Eli Drake who, thanks to having his feet on the ropes, was able to roll up Godderz. Drake is all the sudden the leader of Group Future 4, and Godderz drops to 2nd. Not the best match ever but not the worst either.

THE wRong:
No Crimson vs. Micah: What the hell?? They chose to show tons of video packages and a retarded thing about EC3 storming TNA’s front office, not to mention plenty of Pope and Matthews talking, instead of a series match? REALLY? If they didn’t want them on TV they shouldn’t have put them in the series. That’s 2 matches of Crimson’s now that we haven’t got to see.

Mr. Anderson vs. EC3: This was such a good match. Mr. Anderson really made it look as though he could play spoiler for EC3, and took him to the limit. Which is why it is so lame to see it end the way it did. Anderson took out Tyrus with a steel chair, since Tyrus wouldn’t butt out, and then turned his anger towards EC3. He was considering using the chair but went against it and, while the ref was getting it out of the ring, EC3 hit a low blow. Carter gets the win, and everybody got to witness another good EC3 match ruined by heel tactics. It got him the win he needed, but he couldn’t do it clean? That would’ve gave him much more momentum than a tainted win.

THE Ridiculous:
The Ninja Queen: Really? That was the single most ridiculous thing I think I’ve ever seen on TNA, and this is a show where Pope is a commentator. Whoever had that idea needs to be kicked out the door, and kicked out quick.

The 411:
I don’t know why, but TNA is just not turning out the best episodes right now. They should be flying high, on fire right now thanks to this series, but instead they seem to be stuck in a rut. The first match between Rayne and Gail was pretty good, and I thought that was a sign of things to come for the rest of the night. But then we got Drake/Godderz, which was not all that great. Thankfully we were saved by Hardy/Edwards and DJZ/Mandrews, but it really sucks that we didn’t get to see Micah/Crimson. And then the main event was just so disappointing, it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Not a horrible show, but it certainly wasn’t what it should’ve, and could’ve, been.

Show Rating: 6.7

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

Pyro Mitchell
Smackdown 11.12.15

THE Right:
The Wyatt Family Opening Segment/Braun Strowman vs. Fandango: This was a great way to kick off Smackdown. All of Wyatt’s disciples had times to talk and pledge their allegiance to their mentor, before Wyatt began talking about Kane and Undertaker. He said that they may have returned but they will never be the same, that he has taken a part of them. He then goes on to make a big challenge for Survivor Series, 2 of his family members against The Bros of Destruction. I thought this was fantastic, I love seeing The Wyatts on Smackdown. I do believe WWE should bring them on the blue brand more often, they’re a big deal wherever they go and Smackdown could use more of that. Then the match that followed was good only because it had to happen, Strowman needs to look like a freakin monster ahead of Survivor Series. That was just good stuff all the way around.

Neville vs. King Barrett: Neville had a very nice start to this match, seemingly having an answer for everything Barrett attempted. But King Running Joke would fight his way back, sending Neville crashing into the barricade. Barrett would take his time from there on out, trying to wear out The Man That Gravity Forgot. But then, for some dumb reason, Barrett began showboating to the commentators. That’s when Neville would land a senton off the barricade, and he was suddenly right back in the match. From that point the match was basically all Neville. Barrett did land a few nice moves in that stretch, including Winds of Change, but Neville wasn’t going away. Soon enough The Red Arrow would flatten Barrett and that was it, Neville will move on in the tournament. This was a good match, and Neville picked up a nice win. Too bad it came against Barrett, since a win against him is such a certainty, but I suppose someone had to beat him.

Kalisto vs. Ryback: Am I alone in saying that I was excited to see this match since RAW? This one sparked my interest so much, and it really didn’t disappoint. Kalisto actually had a brilliant start to this match, even landing an early Salida Del Sol. Ryback would kick out though, and then began the domination from The Big Guy. But it didn’t come without some major resistance from Kalisto, as he made the most of every opportunity to counter and reverse moves. They had a nice little back and forth for a while, but then Ryback hit a Meathook Clothesline. Kalisto would somehow manage to get his foot to touch the bottom rope however, and the match continues. Ryback looked desperate and set Kalisto on the top rope. But before Ryback knew what was happening, Kalisto landed a few nice elbows and then a sudden Super Salida Del Sol. Kalisto gets the huge upset win and moves on in this world title tournament. This was an AWESOME match, and I’m beyond glad to see Kalisto getting this push. I’ve thought for a long time that Kalisto was being held down by Sin Cara, and this shows that I was right. Kalisto had the finest match that he’s had so far in WWE, and I think he is exactly who they needed in this tournament, a wild card type guy that could end up shocking the world. I don’t expect him to defeat Del Rio next week, but hey I didn’t expect him to beat Ryback either.

The Usos vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan: When I first saw this match being promoted I thought ‘Why are they doing this to The Usos?’. I completely figured that this was going to be a dominant squash match much like Strowman/Fandango earlier. And that’s exactly the way it began as The Wyatt’s took the upperhand early, thanks in part to a massive Fallaway Slam from the second rope. That would allow The Wyatt’s to dominate Jey Uso for a good while, isolating him from his brother. But, despite their best efforts, the hot tag eventually made. Jimmy Uso came in like a ball of fire and quickly got the control back for his team, delivering a big cross body that nearly ended the match. He would then use a Samoan Drop, followed by one of those running butt slams that Umaga used to do, to take out Harper. He would also deliver what the commentators called a Corkscrew (it was a Whisper In The Wind) from the top rope to take out Rowan. From there it was The Uso show, as the brothers exploded with multiple Super Kicks and a double Suicide Dive. That’s when The Wyatt’s decided that enough was enough, and they flooded the ring to decimate The Usos. But, before they could finish, The Undertaker’s bell would toll. Taker’s voice could be heard throughout the whole arena as he accepted Bray’s challenge to meet at Survivor Series. This was a great match, and it’s almost a shame to see it end the way it did. But it was necessary ahead of their showdown at Survivor Series with The Bros of Destruction. Very good way to end a show that was considerably better than recent installments.

puRgatoRy:
NOTHING

THE wRong:
Alberto Del Rio vs. Stardust: So, unlike Kalisto/Ryback before them, this match was not as amazing. Stardust had an awful start to the match, getting thrown into the barricade about 2 minutes in. From there the match was mostly Del Rio’s, although Stardust did have a couple of nice moments and even hit a Disaster Kick. None of it would end up being enough, and Del Rio would The Double Stomp to end the match. Del Rio gets an alright win but that finisher is ridiculous. He desperately needs to find another move to do, its getting more and more stupid that people hold on to the ropes and let him stomp their faces in. It looks nasty, but when you think about it why would they hold themselves up and just watch his feet plow into their face?

THE Ridiculous:
NOTHING

The 411:
Smackdown this week was surprisingly pretty stellar. The Wyatt’s kicking off the show was great, as they made a huge match at Survivor Series. Then Strowman/Fandango happened just to remind everyone how much of a freakin monster Strowman is. Neville/Barrett was shockingly good, and the running joke continues as Neville picked up a decisive victory. And then they followed that up with another great match between Kalisto and Ryback. The show would slow a bit with Del Rio/Stardust, but only just a little because next was the main event. The Wyatt’s and The Uso’s put on a fantastic show, and the end of the match was done very well. Good show from the blue brand, maybe Seth Rollins dropping the title was the shot in the arm that they needed.

Questions or comments? I love hearing all of them so please leave your comments below. Or you can always email me directly and I shall reply ASAP. Thanks for reading!

My email – [email protected]

Show Rating: 7.0

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

The 1042nd edition is over…