411’s WWE LFG Report: Episode Six

-Welcome to another week of WWE LFG! This week we had a tease that there would matches in front of an actual crowd. Let’s get to it!

-Here is a reminder of the teams:

-Team Bubba Ray: Zena Sterling, Drake Moreaux, Tatyanna Dumas, Brayden Ray

-Team Mickie James: Chris Island, Troy Yearwood, Dani Sekelsky, Sirena Linton

-Team Booker T: Anthony Luke, Penina Tuilaepa, Jasper Troy, Leigh Laurel

-Team Undertaker: Tyra Mae Steele, Shiloh Hill, Bayley Humphrey, Elijah Holyfield

-Another reminder that Joe Tessitore is our narrator!

-Scoreboard: Team Booker 4, Team Mickie 2, Team Taker 2, Team Bubba 0.

-We start with Undertaker talking to Shiloh Hill. Taker wants him to dial in on the guy who cut a promo that closed last week’s show. Taker could see the passion and doesn’t need Shiloh passing on any more opportunities. Shiloh tells him he will be ready and thanks Taker.

-Shawn Michaels is here and notes there are still people who have not been in the ring yet. It’s sink or swim time as they will be working in front of a crowd.

-Show opening!

-Taker notes all 16 have been involved in the faction match, but that was with no fans and 7 other people out there with you. This is totally different as they will be in front of a crowd and on an island.

-Taker is with Elijah and asks who he thinks he can have the best match and he picks Anthony Luke. Taker calls Booker over and brings up the idea of Elijah working with Anthony. Booker is all for it and Anthony notes that Elijah is a smart man.

-Mickie is with Chris Island and they think a match with Drake will work and Bubba is all for it. Bubba tells Drake to make sure he can do what he has to give Chris a great match, but also get himself over with the fans.

-Back to Taker who lets Bayley know she will be having her first match with a crowd. She talks about the emotions and the adrenaline. She will be facing Dani, and it’s her first singles match in front of the crowd (she had the mixed tag match earlier in the season). Sirena vs. Penina is set as the final match.

-Those not involved are kind of bummed, except Tyra who notes life is like a roller coaster and there are ups and downs/

-Team Bubba: Bubba shows his team his debut in ECW. Fantastic! The stuttering gimmick! Bubba tells them this is everything they should not do.

-Team Taker: Now, this is kind of a cheat as they show Taker’s WWF debut and not his WCW debut let alone the stuff he did before that. I did a review of that Survivor Series recently and you can find that here. To Taker’s credit he had the gimmick down cold his first appearance.

-Dani asks Bubba how he was able to get the crowd behind them and he says that is a great question. He has no idea and why he told them “do not of this, but do all of this.” He tells them to listen to the crowd and no reaction is the worst reaction.

-Taker notes he looked calm, cool, and collected, but all he could see is the ring was filled with WWE Hall of Famers while he was trying to figure out who The Taker is. Koko took the first Taker Tombstone and Taker notes it wasn’t his best, but he got better. He notes Elijah and Bayley are soaking in everything he says, which he likes to see. He tells the team to take a minute and enjoy the process because you only get one first match.

-Commercials!

-Team Booker: They get to watch Booker make his WCW debut as part of Harlem Heat. Booker jokes about the jobbers they are facing.

-Team Mickie: They watch her debut singles match on RAW when she was part of Trish’s orbit. Mickie talks about the nerves and how no first match is great, but you have to get it under your belt and get better. There have been some great first matches. A lot were in tag matches were the new person could be protected (Rousey, Bad Bunny, Logan Paul), but some knocked it out of the park in their first solo match (thanks to working with someone great). For whatever reason the first one that comes to mind is McAfee in NXT against Adam Cole.

-Back to Booker as he talks about being in the moment and he left his brother hanging on a high five. He lets the kids know he was two years into the business when he got this match. They don’t mention it here but he was doing TV matches when he and his brother were The Ebony Experience.

-Mickie tells her team they won’t get it overnight. She is asked how long it was to get to that point and she mentions she had been wrestling for six years to get to her first TV match. That is the difference between her story and the one they all have as they aren’t getting six years of training.

-Dani says it put things in perspective as this is a great opportunity where they get the best of everything and she has only been here a few months.

-Booker talks about his final match in WCW where he won the World Title and kept his US Title. I reviewed that show as well and you can find it here.

-Mickie talks about working for and looking for the people in the last rows in the building. If they can see you, then everyone else can as well.

-It’s showtime as we are in the main arena in the PC where NXT is shown each week. Drake notes he is responsible for Chris Island. Bubba tells him they are looking to earn a point, but have to make sure Chris is taken care of in his first match. Chris just wants any kind of reaction no matter what it is. You can see he is about to jump out of his skin with the excitement and nerves.

-Penina notes that she thrives under pressure. Sirena just needs to rely on her training even if it was a short period.

-Maxxine Dupri is here to lend support to her fiance, Anthony. She reminds him of all the little things you forget when the nerves hit and notes it still happens to here. Elijah’s mom is in attendance tonight and he talks about how special it is to have here there. Taker tells him to soak it all in and enjoy the moment no matter what happens.

-We see Dani and Bayley getting ready back stage as they are the first to go this week.

-Commercials!

Dani Sekelsky (Team Mickie) vs. Bayley Humphrey (Team Taker)

-Vic Joseph and Jeremy Borash on commentary! This should be an easy story to tell: David vs. Goliath! The crowd starts a “Bayley’s going to kill you,” chant. Dani ducks a clothesline and tries a cross-body, but bounces off. Dani with a side headlock as Taker likes that she is scrappy. She takes Bayley to the mat with the headlock and Bayley pounds the mat, which made he think she was tapping, but obviously not the case. Bayley finally is able to create space and gets a backbreaker. A splash gets a two count. She hooks a bear-hug and makes sure to rag doll here. That always works! Dani is doing a solid job of selling the hold and showing life as well. She breaks and gets a jawbreaker. She is able to knock Bayley down with a leaping shoulder tackle. She comes off the top with a cross-body for two. Bayley avoids a charge and sends Dani head first into the time buckle and then squeezes the head for the tap at 4:27.

Winner: Bayley Humphrey via tap-out at 4:31
-This was okay. This would have fit in with a Level Up show. They had the ready made David vs. Goliath story and Dani made Bayley look good here. *1/4

-Taker and Mickie were impressed and both note they would have taken that kind of match over what they did in the first ones they had.

-Taker and Mickie meet with their kids. Mickie tells Dani she did well in making Bayley loosk good. She is concerned about Dani’s hip and tells her now is the time to get ice and treatment on it before the adrenaline wears off. We see Dani get into an ice tub. I’ve never tried one of those. Closest I ever had was rehab for a knee injury where they wrapped bags of ice on my knee at the end of the session and that sucked for a few minutes.

-Commercials!

Sirena Linton (Team Mickie) vs. Penina Tuilaepa (Team Booker)

-Another David vs. Goliath situation here! P-Nasty shoves Sirena into the corner and plays to the crowd. Another lock-up and Sirena does a back flip off the shove this time. She then forces Penina to chase though Booker notes she is rushing. I forgot to mention the coaches are watching from the back and aren’t at ring side. Penina drops an elbow for a two count. She hooks an abdominal stretch and adds a fish hook. She knocks Sirena down with a head-butt. She tries another and we get some dramatic music. Sirena tries a head scissors and it does not go well at all. This one is falling apart and even the coaches are concerned. We head to a commercial break at 3:34.

-Commercials!

-Back with the ref checking on both women. Sirena heads up top and P-Nasty catches her on the way down. Samoan Drop as Booker yells for a cover. She does cover and gets the pin at 4:16.

Winner: Penina Tuilaepa via pin at 4:16
-This was rough and not as good as the earlier match. The crowd was rather quiet and then we had the head scissors/rana that went wrong. Credit to them for hanging in there and getting through it. 1/4*

-Booker lets Penina know that she was rushing and needed to slow things down so she can work with someone out there who is greener. She knows she could have done better.

-Penina apologizes to Sirena and notes she didn’t catch her. Mickie knows they got lost and says they were going to fast and had too much planned. Mickie tells Sirena she doesn’t think she got up high enough for the rana and I could see that. She notes that is why she does it in the corner so she can use the rope so to get up there.

-Commercials!

Drake Morreaux (Team Bubba) vs. Chris Island (Team Mickie)

-This is Chris’ first match in front of a crowd. Drake is way more seasoned as I have seen his on Level Up quite a few times. Drake controls early with a side headlock. Island rolls him back for a two count. Drake runs Island over with a shoulder and then gets a hip-toss. Island back with a right hand and then forearms in the corner. He hits a solid back elbow in the corner and then more forearms. Bubba says he always thought forearms looked small unless you are great at throwing them. I have heard others says better to throw them than punches, if you can’t throw a punch. Short-arm clothesline gets two for Island. Bubba mentions Drake is the face, but his face is covered and you can’t see his emotion. It’s a small thing but it means a lot. Drake starts his comeback and gets an inverted atomic drop. He gets a running boot followed by a chokeslam for the pin at 3:43.

Winner: Drake Morreaux via pin at 3:43
-Not much here though everything they hit looked solid. Island is certainly an athlete and we will see how quick he can pick things up. Drake did what was needed. *1/2

-Chris is bouncing off the walls he is so happy. Shawn tells Chris the forearms look good, but he needs to turn more into it. Bubba things they worked well together and they laugh at Drake being a better dancer.

-Commercials!

Anthony Luke (Team Booker) vs. Elijah Holyfield (Team Taker)

-Holyfield has a great look. This is his single’s debut. Luke controls with a side headlock with Booker and Taker both noting it’s a good one. We cut to Elijah’s mom in the crowd. Real quick, Rest in Peace to George Foreman. Elijah hits a running shoulder for two and Luke backs off in the corner. He then pulls Elijah into the corner as Taker notes he is going to be a good heel. He lays the bad mouth on Elijah and tries to box a Holyfield. That doesn’t go well for him. Elijah lands some body shots, but gets caught with a back elbow for two. Modified Cobra Clutch from Luke. Elijah reverses a whip and gets a backdrop. He fires off some more punches and makes the comeback. Spear in the corner followed by a leaping shoulder tackle. He gets a slam for a two count as the crowd starts a “Holyfield” chant. He runs into a boot in the corner, but is able to slip behind Luke and gets a roll-up for the pin at 4:35.

Winner: Elijah Holyfield via pin at 4:35
-Best match of the night as they worked to the crowd better and had a better pace. They got the crowd into it with the nod to Elijah’s dad by playing up the boxing aspect. Kudos to both. **

-Booker and Taker are there to greet both men and give them their props. Elijah thanks Anthony for the match. Taker tells both that he is proud of them.

-Mom is here to give her son a hug. Taker meets Mom and lets her know how great her son is doing at this point. Elijah is beaming and gives love to Anthony for the match, as we see him celebrating with Maxxine.

-Commercials!

-To the judges for tonight’s points. Tonight it is one point for a man and one for a woman. Booker gives props to Anthony Luke, but gives his vote to Elijah. Anthony is not happy. He gives the other vote to Bayley, but gives Dani her props. Taker says everyone who had their first match tonight was 100 times better than his first match. He tells the people who had their first match to take the person in the ring with them out to dinner. His votes are also for Elijah and Bayley. He does thank Anthony and Dani. Mickie tells Elijah he was great, but her vote is for Chris. For the women she wanted it to be Sirena but the rana stopped that. Tatyanna calls that match a shit fest and she feels sorry for the crowd that had to witness it. Mickie’s vote for the women is Bayley. Bubba keeps it simple and gives it to Elijah and Bayley. Chris knows the crowd chanted Holyfield but that is because of who he is, while if they chant for him, it’s due to what he gave them.

-Scoreboard: Team Booker: 4, Team Taker: 4, Team Mickie 2, Team Bubba: 0

-Booker’s not thrilled and says Elijah couldn’t do what he did without Anthony Luke. Anthony notes he is no longer going to be nice and we will see the real Anthony Luke.

-Taker really wants that LFG Belt and says his team has expectations now and they better deliver.

-GUNTHER is our guest next week. Will anyone dare ask him to take one of his chops?

-This was a fun episode thanks to getting full, actual matches in front of a live crowd. It was fun seeing the coaches react to their early matches. The coaches watching from the back and offering commentary and thoughts as the matches happen is also a plus. This was good this week. Thanks for reading!