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 7.01.15

THE Right:
The Dirty Heels vs. The Wolves: WHAT A MATCH!! This was a 30 minute iron man match, that served as the finale in the tag title best of 5 series. These two teams gave everything they had and more, making for the best match of the night hands down. Throughout they traded momentum and awesome double team moves, and it seemed as if neither team would be able to score a win. But finally, down the stretch, with 4 minutes remaining Austin Aries would hit a beautiful 450 Splash and pick up the first fall of the match. The Heels then did their very best at keeping The Wolves out of the ring, so as to get an easy victory with the clock expiring. They were able to keep this up for about 2 minutes before the Eddie fought his way in. Out of the corner, with A Double on the second rope raining down fists, Eddie Edwards would powerbomb Aries into a backstabber from Davey Richards, and The Wolves would knot things up. Both teams would scramble, and The Heels would get the better of it as the It Factor looked for the Roode Bomb. But he would get reversed and then rolled up for the shocking game breaking point, and The Wolves now lead with 10 seconds on the clock. Roode would try frantically to lock on a Crossface, but was not able to get the tap before the final bell. The best of 5 series comes to a close and The Wolves are the new TNA Tag Team Champions! This was an unbelievably good match, that featured some of the best wrestling of the night (and that’s saying a lot on a card with Angle/EC3). I’m curious to see where The Dirty Heels go from here. Will they continue on as a team, or will they go their separate ways once again in search of the ever elusive World Heavyweight Championship? And, of course, who’s next for The Wolves? It’s interesting because there isn’t a whole lot of tag teams around right now that aren’t The Dirty Heels. The BroMans split, not sure if The Hardyz are going to be back any time soon, The Rising just disbanded, and The Revolution are busy. Maybe the BDC? Or we can always just have match 6! Either way it should be interesting to see how this plays out, awesome final match to close the series and easily the highest part of the night.

Jeff Jarrett Interview Part 1: This was a special interview with The King of The Mountain himself, conducted by The Professor Mike Tenay. He spoke about winning the King of The Mountain Match at Slammiversary (kinda), and about what that meant for both TNA and his new promotion Global Force Wrestling. He said that the two companies have agreed to a partnership and that fans should be excited for what’s coming. This is very cool news, and it should be fun to see a cross brand thing in TNA. But they had to make it a 2 parter? That first part wasn’t that long.

EC3 vs. Kurt Angle: IT’S FINALLY HERE!! And it did not disappoint. What a match between these two, and the wait was definitely worth it. They went back and forth throughout the whole match, with both guys getting to shine and hit their signature moves. Kurt Angle became the very first person to kick of a 1 Percenter from EC3, and Carter showed some great resiliency staying in The Ankle Lock as long as he did. Tyrus got involved a bit much for my liking, and got thrown out a little late, but luckily it wasn’t as bad as when EC3 fought Lashley. In the end it was a lucky roll up pin that got EC3 the victory and his very first World Heavyweight Championship. This was a very good match, with really good wrestling, that was the perfect capper to the night. Carter’s title run should be a lot of fun, and hopefully Angle’s rematch will be the first title defense for the new champ. But Carter needs to win, and keep winning, to establish himself as The Guy. I think EC3 could attain a level of douchebaggery higher than that of The Future of the WWE himself, Seth Rollins. But TNA can’t afford to screw up his reign with too many lucky wins, or take the belt off him too early. The Age of Carter has begun, and what a match this was to kick off his reign.

puRgatoRy:
The Rising vs. The BDC: This was a 4 on 3 elimination tag match (because apparently Galloway couldn’t find anyone to fight with his team against the biggest heel faction in the company) that would disband the losing team’s faction. Galloway got off to a good start, getting the control for his team, before Micah would get tagged in. The son of Haku got dominated for a pretty good while before being eliminated by Low Ki, leaving Drew Galloway and Eli Drake severely disadvantaged. Galloway would take a short beating before a hot tag to Drake, which saw him come out all guns blazing. He was looking real good up until a springboard cross body caused him to “blow out his knee”. That would signal the end for Eli Drake, and it was all up to Drew McInt.. er.. I mean Drew Galloway. Galloway took yet another short beating before ducking a springboard enziguri from Low Ki. The errant move would end up hitting Kenny King in the back of the head, knocking him stiff. In the confusion Galloway would roll up Ki for a surprise 3 count, then cover the stunned King of the Night for another pinfall. Ki would try to get some revenge on Galloway by pulling him out to floor, but would pay for it with a devastating shoulder breaker to the steel steps. That may be the last time we see Ki on TV for a while, as they say he “separated his shoulder”. It was now 2 on 1, and in comes Hernandez for the very first time. It didn’t take Super-Mex long to get control, and he would deliver the Border Toss to Galloway before tagging in MVP. The leader of The BDC would hit the very defiant Galloway with The Drive-By for the win, and The Rising is no more. I am really disappointed that this match didn’t get promoted like at all, and this was the last one that they’re going to have. You can’t really take back being forced to disband. What’s going to happen to Micah and Drake? Are they going to go their separate ways too? Are they going to form a tag team, or can they even? Will Drew Galloway continue his quest to bring down The BDC, or is he over it just because his posse got taken away? And The BDC have no one to feud with now, at least not for a little while (The Revolution vs. The BDC would be cool but Storm’s tied up at the moment). Really big missed opportunity with this feud, but at least this final match was a good one.

THE wRong:
Magnus/Mickie/Storm Segment: I can’t wait for this to be done with. For one Mickie James just looks like she’s so uncomfortable when she’s on the mic. For two why does she do all of Magnus’ talking for him? He didn’t say one damn thing to Storm, but he’s so pissed at him. For three this is going to be Mickie’s last match?? Come on, really? She couldn’t have one last good singles match? Her last match is going to be a mixed tag team match?! Maybe it’s just me, but I was looking forward to a singles match between her and another KO. Oh well, lets just get this over with so we can go back to not caring about Magnus and Storm can go back to leading his nonexistent Revolution. Where were they all? Or is he just down to Khoya? And on a side note, did they really have to do this on Bell to Bell night? Bell to Bell should be once a match ends another one begins. This could’ve waited until next week.

THE Ridiculous:
Awesome Kong vs. Brooke vs. Taryn Terrell: This was a triple threat match to determine the Knockouts Champion, and it was a mess. From Kong acting like she’s an actual giant in the beginning of the match, to The Dollhouse getting involved way too much, to Kong literally running at Jade’s foot. That leads to a Taryn Cutter for Kong and another successful title defense for Terrell. All around not very good, and it’s a total shame because this could’ve been a decent match (or good series of matches had they been singles contests). Why is Kong relying so much on her size? She can’t wrestle anymore? Stomping around the ring like the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, trying to step on her opponents, was stupid. And then running right at Jade (there’s no way she didn’t see her), and letting her kick her? That was awful. And hopefully that wasn’t Brooke’s only hoorah in the title picture, she deserves to have a one on one match.

The 411:
This Bell to Bell edition of Impact was good, but I wish there would’ve been more wrestling and less talking. Otherwise why bother calling it Bell to Bell? The first match between The Rising and The BDC was actually pretty good, but the lack of promotion really hurt it. The Magnus/Mickie/Storm thing has officially run its course, and they need to just have the match already and be done with it. The Wolves and The Dirty Heels once again provided the fight of the night, and this series will be sorely missed week to week. The Knockouts title was defended this week, as Taryn Terrell battled both Awesome Kong and Brooke in a triple threat match. The match, though, was just not very good and it really was a big disappointment. Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Wrestling are bringing their brand of wrestling to TNA it seems, and this could be very big for TNA. EC3 and Kurt Angle had a great match for the world title, and EC3 as champion should make for some great TV in the coming weeks and months. I think Carter could possibly surpass the heel level that Seth Rollins currently has in WWE, TNA just can’t afford to screw up this title reign. This was an OK episode of Impact, with a couple really good matches. But if they say Bell to Bell then they should stick to it.

Show Rating: 6.9

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 7.02.15

THE Right:
Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt: This was another fantastic outing between these two that absolutely had it all. Both guys got time to show off a little, land big moves, and really reenergize the crowd. Throughout much of the match, it seemed as if Ambrose would be able to take home the victory. But, after a trip to the outside, that would all change. Ambrose would get spiked, back first, onto a security barrier and then rolled into the ring. Wyatt would pick up the pieces with a Sister Abigail, and The New Face of Fear walks out the victor. This was an awesome opening match, that was just a lot of fun to watch. Wyatt getting the win was perfect, as he needed it for his feud with Reigns, and it didn’t hurt Ambrose much because of how it ended. Good stuff here but it’s hard to go wrong with Wyatt or Ambrose, especially when they’re put together.

Mark Henry vs. Ryback: This was a power vs. power matchup, that actually didn’t disappoint. Both guys got to deliver some big moves, show off their strength, and control parts of the match. Ryback took the early lead, and kept it until Henry would counter a suplex attempt. The World’s Strongest Man then showed why he still carries that nickname, with some devastating moves and holds, before The Big Guy could fight his way back into the match. The finishing sequence began with a huge suplex from Ryback that shook the entire ring. He would follow that up with a Spinebuster, a Meathook Clothesline, and then an extremely impressive Shellshocked for the win. This match, as is usually the case with two power wrestlers, could’ve been monumentally bad. But this one was actually quite good, and we even got to see a clean finish! Ryback looks unstoppable going into his match with Big Show and The Miz, and Mark Henry was the perfect opponent to put him over as such.

Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns: This was the match that was never supposed to happen. All night there was doubt that Roman Reigns would even show up, after the heinous beating he took on RAW. Rollins came to the ring as smug as ever, and even started a 10 count, to get the forfeit win. But then Reigns’ music hits, and down from rafters he comes. Rollins controlled most of the match, focusing mainly on Roman’s injuries from RAW. But Reigns would fight back, however, and even get in position for a Superman Punch. But before he could fire off his attack J&J Security would get involved to cause the DQ, and it looked as though Roman was bound to take yet another vicious beating. And then a certain Unstable One’s music hit, and down came Ambrose once again wielding a kendo stick. Ambrose would clear the ring, and Reigns would hit Rollins with a Superman Punch to set him up for a Spear. J&J would pull Rollins out of the ring, though, and they would look to slither away. But before The Authority could their great escape, Ambrose and Reigns would grab hold of Joey Mercury. They got him back in the ring and proceeded to lay a beating down on him with kendo stick shots, a Superman Punch, and a Spear to end the night. The match wasn’t much of anything, but it served its purpose of keeping Rollins looking strong and making Reigns seem invincible.

puRgatoRy:
Seth Rollins Opening Segment: Rollins got things rolling on Smackdown this week, but said nothing new. He talked about how nice he was to J&J and Kane, because of how he bought them a bunch of stuff. He spoke of how he beat up Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, and about how he is the greatest superstar of all time. Then he said that, before leaving for Japan, Kane made two matches for the evening – Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins. Ambrose would then make his way down the ramp, with a kendo stick in tow, and proceed to clear the ring. Rollins then tells Ambrose that his match with Wyatt is right now, as The Unstable One paced around the ring. Very routine, kinda boring, opening segment. Nothing new was said, besides the two matches that were made, and it just felt like this was filler. Not a good way to kick off the night.

The Ascension vs. The Prime Time Players: Another alright little match here, with The PTP’s picking up another win. Titus started the match strong, and got control for his team, before tagging in the human punching bag Darren Young. Mr. No Days Off took quite the beating before he could make the hot tag, and then Titus would like ok a ball of fire. He spent a short while tossing around The Ascension, showing off his impressive strength, before ending the match with the Clash of the Titus. Decent enough match and it keeps The PTP’s looking strong ahead of their battle with The New Day. Not sure why The Ascension hasn’t gotten more of a push yet, instead becoming a jobber tag team of sorts. But at least they kinda got to shine before being put away yet again.

THE wRong:
Naomi vs. Brie Bella: This match had one purpose, to prominently feature Brie Bella. Brie took control early on and kept it throughout the match, not without help from Alicia Fox. Naomi got in maybe 3 punches, and a version of a dropkick, before one of the worst match endings in recent memory. Alicia Fox tripped Naomi so hard that she stumbled right into a face buster from Brie. Don’t really get burying Naomi here, but the Divas division is just not supposed to make sense now is it?

THE Ridiculous:
Adam Rose vs. R-Truth: Adam Rose stood in the ring after a commercial break, to do a little talking before his scheduled match. He said “nobody gets it because they’re all jelly of us”. Gets what, and why should we be jealous or ’jelly’? King What’s Up would make his way to the ring and the match would get underway, if you can even call it a match. To me it was more like ‘designated fuck around time for R-Truth. Either way, Truth would quickly hit the Lie Detector and the match would come to an end. This match was so unnecessary that its kinda funny. Rose just looks like a 100% nothing, and Truth just… well… he’s Truth and that’s about it. And is he feuding with Barrett? Because if he is then I had no idea.

Rusev/Summer Rae Promo: Ok this is just getting silly now. Summer Rae and Rusev do not work together, and it makes 0 sense as to why she would even want to be with him. Rusev said the next time he sees Dolph Ziggler he’s going to beat the crap out of him, and show Ziggler what it feels like to lose everything. But how can he on one leg? This whole segment was just boring, and time killing, and really didn’t need to be there.

The 411:
This was an alright episode of Smackdown, not bad but certainly not great. The opening segment was pretty dull, and did a bad job of getting the crowd ready for the rest of the night. The first match, however, was exceptional. Ambrose and Wyatt put on an instant classic, not to mention fight of the night, and really made up for what the opening segment lacked. Rose/Truth and Bella/Naomi both were filler matches, and were awfully unentertaining. Ryback and Mark Henry had a pretty good match, and Ryback looking like an unstoppable force is good going into a triple threat match for his title. The Ascension and The PTP’s had a decent enough match and, even though they are getting the short end of the stick, it was good to see The Ascension doing something. Rusev and Summer Rae just isn’t working, and it certainly isn’t helping Rusev’s love triangle/feud with Lana and Dolph Ziggler. The final match between Reigns and Rollins was ok, but ended exactly like it should have. It kept both guys looking strong ahead of Payback, and the attack on Mercury to end the show was dynamite. Decent show this week, with a couple good matches, but overall nothing really special.

Show Rating: 6.5

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

The 1004th edition is over…