"Ow, my balls!" - A touch of Idiocracy on Smackdown Live

After a humdinger edition of Monday Night Raw, Smackdown came out of their corner swingin' with a couple of fun Dean Ambrose/AJ Styles confrontation, some new feuds teased, and the continuation of the Smackdown tag title tournament.

First off, the women's divison on Smackdown is starting to define itself through some great character tweaks. Naomi's new look and entrance is very "fire", as the kids say, and hopefully that will help her stand out from the pack. Also, I just like glow in the dark stuff. Carmella's heel turn seems to be working, as picking on Nicki Bella week after week is slowing turning her into a heat magnet. They have an uphill battle ahead of them, with fan favorites like Bayley and Sasha Banks on Raw, but protraying these women as fierce competitors rather than eye candy is a good start. I'll admit I was worried the Smackdown divison was going to be the more "Total Divas" of the two, but there's some good rasslin' in there bah gawd.

Ziggler called out Miz while he continued his ranting that started on last week's headline-worthy edition of Talking Smack. Miz played his part perfectly, portraying the hypocritical heel while I *think* people still want to love Ziggler after his brief title feud with Dean. The Dean/Ziggler match never lived up to the build, but this is a good spot for him right now since Miz talking trash about the beloved Daniel Bryan makes him a hated man in the eyes of fans, and Ziggler's style represents the opposite of the "cowardly" style Miz has been accused of employing.

A little bit of 90's Attitude entered the tag title tourney this week in the form of the returning Headbangers. This is a tag team I'd forgotten about almost completely, but once they got in the ring and mixed it up with Slater and Rhyno, I was immediately transported back to the good old days, when all I had to worry about was a spelling test and whether daddy would come home drunk or not. Slater and Rhyno went over (as they should) and Heath's quest to earn a Smackdown contract continues. I said it last week, but I like what they're doing with Slater.

Apollo Crews challenged AJ Styles and came up short after a backstage confrontation. Crews is wasted potential at this point and I think he'd be better served by a character change, as his smiling babyface persona lacks intensity and he's building a losing streak. The point of all this is really just to put over the fact that AJ Styles wants to remind us every chance he can get that he sent John Cena packing at SummerSlam a la Paul Heyman when Brock broke The Undertaker's streak. I like the story, but the crowd loves AJ too much to ever boo him, as least for the time being.

Kane beat a jobber calling himself The Milkman. I'm loving the use of jobbers on both shows; that's another throwback and it's better than burying guys on your regular roster. He had a little staredown with Baron Corbin as they crossed paths on the ramp. They did pretty much the exact same thing with Corbin while he was on NXT. He likes to hit his music before the other guys have cleared the arena. Expect alpha male shenanigans to ensue.

Corbin's match with the champ Dean Ambrose was a timid affair compared to Raw's main event last night, but both guys put in some work. Styles was at ringside for this match and his attempted interference at the end concluded with him getting crotched and Dean mocking him with a handshake. It was a funny ending to a so-so match. I think these two are going to knock it out of the park when they finally meet, but for now everything they do is going to rest in the shadow of Owens surprise victory on monday.

In conclusion . . .

Smackdown tried valiantly, but I'd say Raw put on the better show this week with that huge four way main event and the surprise turn with Hunter and K.O. at the end. Still, both brands are doing things that make me happy as a viewer and the emphasis on both brands has been on WRESTLING. It's a good time to be a fan and a hard time to be a hater.

Thanks for reading!
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Surprise eliminations - Raw hits Houston, Tx

WWE Raw invaded Houston, Texas this week. Big doings with the main event being a four man elimination match for the vacant Universal title. Let's see how things played out.

The show started with a promo from the four men in the Universal title match: Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and Big Cass. Rollins took easy jabs against his other competitors while Owens and Cass killed it in the comedy department. Reigns opted for deeds over words (good move) and cleared the ring. This was a nice way to set up the main event, and it was wise to let the talkers talk and not cap things off with an awkward Reigns promo.

Chris Jericho took on Neville, coming out on top with a Lion Tamer submission. Jericho did a great backstage interview before the match, mixing his usual pomous "gift of Jericho" stuff with some amausing antics. This is that match on Raw; the good one you want to see more of where they stick a commercial smack dab in the middle of it.

Nia Jax beat down another local gal. Like he entrance music says, she's not like most girls. Similar to Braun Strowman, they haven't put her in a proper feud yet, she's just squashing smaller wrestlers every week.

Gallows and Anderson did another skit, this time about sending the Dudleys to a retirement home. I've heard these guys on the Talk is Jericho podcast and they are quite funny when left to their own devices, but stuff like this doesn't always translate well with wrestling fans. I hope it doesn't hurt their momentum.

Sami Zayn beat Jinder Mahal in a short match. Mahal is already jobber status with his lack of a televised entrance.

Bayley and the New Day beat Dana Brooke, Gallows, and Anderson. This was a formulatic six person match designed to keep Bayley looking strong. This one got some time so everyone got to contribute a little something to the match. Nothing mind-blowing here.

Backstage, we learn that the winner of Cesaro and Sheamus's best of seven series gets a title shot. (I forgot this feud was even happening, silly me.)

Throughout the night, they aired video packages about the four men in the main event. Nobody does video packages like the 'E. NOBODY! But seriously, these were all pretty good.

Sheamus furthured his lead in the best of seven series by defeating Cesaro using a slam against the ring post and a Texas cloverleaf submission. Cesaro is starting to sell the wear and tear on his body. I like the progression of that and I hope both men keep it up as the series continues.

They showed a video honoring Mr. Fuji, who passed away on Sunday. The man was a legendary manager with a lengthy in-ring career of his own. Combine that with Gene Wilder passing yesterday and it's been an emotional week so far. 2016 has been harsh.

Braun Strowman beat and unmasked a wrestler named Americo. He's continuing to dominate guys until they find a babyface for him to feud with. I heard Strowman interviewed on Steve Austin's podcast and he sounds like a guy who really wants to develop his character and do something unique with his size. We'll see if he gets the chance; for now he's just your usual monster heel.

Sasha Banks did a pre-taped interview about her lingering injuries and was shut down by Charlotte. Banks didn't look very strong here, but Charlotte got some cheap heat and I guess that's what matters.

It was announced yesterday on social media that Brock Lesnar will have a rematch with Randy Orton at an upcoming live event in Chicago. That was never mentioned during the in-ring segment with Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman. This soap opera continues, probably culminating in something lame like Shane vs. Brock. I really don't want to see that. Heck, I've been bored to tears by Lesnar in his last couple of matches. He's going to need to give us a little more than Suplex City next time around.

Finn Balor status report: He'll be out for six months at least. He'll be back by Wrestlemania, so take that as some minor consolation. The Raw "brand" is really missing something special without him on it.

Dareen Young beat Titus O'Neil and no one seemed to care. This feud would be much more impactful is the Primtime Players had gotten a title run or at least been a team for a longer period of time. Bob Backlund has been the best part of all of this. I wrote a little about Backlund vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine the other day. You can find it HERE.

The main event elimination match started with 20 minutes left on the show. Owens capitalized on Reigns kicking Cass in the head and Frog Splashed him to score the fir elimination. (I like how they set that up earlier.) Then things got interesting when Triple H appeared and hit a Pedigree on Reigns on the outside. This helped Rollins eliminate Roman. (I guess we know where they're going with Reigns for the time being.)

Wait. Nevermind!

Hunter turned on his old protege Rollins and helped Owens win the title. I guess Owens is Triple H's "guy" now. That caught me off guard, whoa. Raw ended with Owens celebrating his win and the crowd chanting "you deserve it!" That was great, I really thought Reigns was going to win. Good stuff, WWE.

Alright Smackdown Live, you have your work cut out for you this week! Thanks for reading, and as always, you can hit me up on Twitter @ChrisBComics.

I'm not crying, I have salt in my eyes

The wrestling world lost another legend yesterday. I knew Mr. Fuji as the heel manager of wrestlers such as George "The Animal" Steele, the tag team Demolition, and of course, Yokozuna. He would toss salt into the eyes of his opponents, "blinding" them and helping his client score an underhanded victory. Yeah, he was often portrayed as an "evil foreigner", but hey man, jingoism is all part of the grand tapestry that is professional wrestling.

I'll be the first person to admit I'm a dumb mark. It's only in recent years I've come to appreciate wrestling from the pre-WWF era. Wikipedia has informed me that Mr. Fuji got his start by partnering with the gruesome King Curtis Iaukea and winning the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championships in the 60's. A Google image search shows me they were quite a fearsome pair. 

This is going to perhaps seem like a weird tangent, but whatever. When I was born my mom was already in her late forties and my pop was even older than her. My dad was already an "old man" by the time I was around. We had a house fire when I was very little (pre-kindergarten) and one of the worst things about it is we lost a lot of pictures and personal effects. There weren't many photos of my dad from his younger years. 

(Oddly enough, friends and family would often tell me my mom and dad looked a lot like Sam and Diane from Cheers when they started going out.)

As a teenager, I finally got to see some pictures of my dad from "back in the day". My brain couldn't handle it. My dad had always looked a certain way, and this suave-but-rugged guy in the photograph just looked like an entirely different person. Cognitive dissonance much?

I had that same reaction to seeing the younger Mr. Fuji. This mean little man, who tormented my childhood heroes and occasionally parodied old TV shows with Don Muraco was once a fierce competitor. This man, who accepted his WWE Hall of Fame induction from a wheelchair due to having over nine (!) knee surgeries was once a cobra clutch applying, lariat throwing badass.

Respect your elders, and if you see an old timer you like at a con or a wrestling show, make the effort to say hello and let them know you appreciate what they've done. Some of these guys and gals don't make it out of the buisness with a lot of money, but they can at least know that someone cared.

Rest in peace, Mr. Fuji. I loved to hate you.

Getting our buzzards in a row

When Bray Wyatt moved up from NXT to the main roster, it felt like the second coming of The Undertaker. (Well, for me it did.) He had a spooky/cool entrance and an aura built into his character that every new wrestlers hopes for. He was a preacher, a doomsayer, and a harbinger of destruction. During his SummerSlam debut in 2013 against Kane, it felt like there was a new "big bad" in the WWE. It's been a bumpy road since then; feuds against Chris Jericho and John Cena and the like that were intended to increase his star power ended up backfiring in weird ways, and eventually the crowd started reacting not out of fear, but out of admiration for the self-proclaimed Eater of Worlds.

Many times on his podcast, Jim Ross has made an argument for Bray becoming what he calls a "character babyface". It does make sense. Wyatt is good on the mic and fans really seem to dig the whole "firefly" gimmick. It is pretty staggering to see all those iPhones light up when his music hits. Flanked by various iterations of his family, Bray is designed to be a bad guy. They can intervene on his behalf, help him escape danger, or even act as a wall against babyfaces like Roman Reigns. But his role as a "heel" doesn't seem to want to take. Maybe his persona and his sermons appeal to our lesser urges? Maybe it's a counter-culture thing.

As of last Tuesday night, Bray has been pitted against the recently Brock-battered Randy Orton. While I like the idea of these two mixing it up, this seems like a recipe for disaster for two reasons. The first is inconsistency, which the 'E is no stranger to when booking matches and angles. It seemed like Bray was set to turn on his acolyte Eric Rowan after walking out on him during a match the previous week. They seem to have let that loose end remain loose in a manner reminiscent of Chris Claremont's X-Men. Is he going to play the spoiler during a Wyatt/Orton match. Maybe, but I doubt it. Cynical little "smark" that I am, I fully expect the WWE to leave this hanging and hope we forget about it.

Reason number two: this might actually hurt both performers. Not physically, like a Seth Rollins powerbomb onto the apron, but it will hurt their perceived characters. Fans want to interact with Bray in the form of fireflies and they want to cheer Orton as well because of the sheer awesomeness of the whole "RKO outta nowhere!" bit. Babyface versus babyface matches can work under certain cricumstances, but here it's not the intention. WWE wants Bray Wyatt to play the villain, but he's too cool. He's too "alt".

In this wrestling fan's opinion (and I have it on good authority that Vince McMahon checks this blog every day), Bray should do away with the cool entrance. Or any kind of entrance at all. Bray should just appear, call out the people for being sheep and avoid Orton or any other opponent like the plague. A good heel should never do anything to appease the vox populi. He should taunt, sneer, laugh, and run like hell. He should slip out of the RKO nine out of ten times.

Bray Wyatt shouldn't care about the conventions of WWE's televised product. It bugs me that he and his former "family" even adhered to the recent brand split at all. (I though they would be pretty interesting as outliers anyway.) He should regain his villain status by doing everything possible to make you hate him. We don't need another beloved heel running around--we already have that in Kevin Owens. In short: less "kewl", more nasty.

Bray probably has a bright future ahead of him in the WWE. His character is gradually evolving over time and he seems to be able to retain some fan interest, even when he isn't in a big feud or booked on a pay-per-view. We've yet to see the ceiling for his potential. His offense is savage, his mannerisms are strange, and his promos are just on the cusp of being truly great. I just don't want to see him become the next Kane or Big Show, flip-flopping between heel and babyface roles with no clear direction. And that's not a knock on those men either, it's all about the booking.

Or just listen to Jim Ross. He seems to know a thing or two about rasslin'.

Thanks for reading! As always, you can find me on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or on the Facebooks (chris.bearden.98). I also like to let my geek flag fly in a number of other places, including (but not limited to) Back Issue Diving and Gotham Animated.

Blading a match open - Bob Backlund vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (WWF, January 1982)

The "blading" part of the title is literal today folks, as Mr. Valentine gets busted open in this one. This edition of Work/Shoot might not be for the faint of heart. Also, The Hammer's do is pretty fabulous in this match (I had the same thing goin' when I was in junior high), so be forewarned if forearmed when it comes to that as well.

This match is the culmination of a feud between the then-reigning WWF champ Backlund and his erstwhile nemesis Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. They had clashed for over four months, with Valentine stealing the title belt itself from a dazed referee and holding it captive as he toured other territories.

(It turns out this is something that used to occur quite a bit back in the day. Before wrestling events were broadcast nationally, there would be a bit of wool pulling with the fans. This is was a promoter's trick that allowed them to get folks from other territories to become invested in their storylines. Meanwhile, in the "home" territory, the title would change hands and new angles could press on.)

Their rivalry was set to end once and for all inside of a steel cage at the Philadelphia Spectrum arena. Ah, the steel cage match. It's an old standby, a way of telling your audience, "He ran off last time before your hero could get his revenge, but this time there's no escape!" The cage being used here is pretty primitive compared to the sturdier stuff the 'E uses now. Heck, this is even from before the blue barred cages were in use. It looks flimsy, dangerous, and I don't envy the man who attempts to climb out of it.

(You only get one pair of God-given testes, kids. It's up to you to determine what manner of metal structure you mangle them on.)

Oh yeah, Bob Backlund's here. Younger readers might recognize him as the strange man that follows Darren Young to the ring on Raw and yells at him, but he used to be a pretty big deal. Before Hulk Hogan was brought in by Vince McMahon, Backlund was their number one white-meat babyface. His temperament was something to behold, which would often result in some unintentionally hilarious facial expressions and spastic movements. On this particular night, however, he looks a bit more collected and focused than in his previous big matches with greats like Ken Patera and "Superstar" Billy Graham.

Greg Valentine, the challenger claiming to be champ, had developed a reputation for breaking the legs of his opponents. Classic stuff; drawing heat by fighting dirty. Nowadays you have heels like Seth Rollins who just go in there and bust people up for real, but I digress . . .

The match starts with a hungry Backlund on the attack but quickly the men separate. This is a bumpy start to me, since such a vendetta between two guys should mean a more ravenous lock-up to start. It isn't long before Backlund is back on the attack. It occurred to me at this point that Valentine really is here just to drop the strap. He's almost helpless for most of it and the whole point of this encounter is cathartic release. Catharsis for Backlund who want to put this phony thug down for good and catharsis for the fans who want to see their hero bust up Valentine, a man who'd taken out such greats as Chief Jay Strongbow with his dirty tactics.

As you well know, there are two methods of winning the match in a cage: climbing over the top or stepping out the door. Valentine goes for the latter once he finally breaks away from Backlund. This sequence brings about one more gasp of "Oh God no!" from the announcers and the crowd as Valentine is inches away from getting to the floor when Backlund grabs his leg. This is my favorite bit of the match. Backlund straining to hold onto Valentine foot and prevent him from tumbling out onto the floor.

Finally yanking Valentine back in, Backlund gets to have his way with the heel for a bit longer. This is such a simple match, but it perfectly demonstrates the roller coaster of emotion that any self-respecting main eventer strives for. The crowd is back from the brink of despair, cheering Backlund on as he gets to wallop The Hammer for a bit more, made all the more impressive since Backlund's persona was wearing thin with fans at the time. Valentine's manager, The Grand Wizard, even dubbed Backlund "Howdy Doody" in a promo during the buildup. Sick burn.

("The Grand Wizard" That name might not fly in these tumultuous times. One love, guys.)

Bob scoops him up super fast and seals the deal with a piledriver. A really painful looking one, to boot. A simple match like the last one I bladed, with the heel/face dynamics thrown for a loop. Since this was the feud capper, Valentine didn't really need to draw anymore heat. Backlund is your champ once again, regaining the stolen belt that commemorates his ranking.

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow, I'm going to divulge some ideas for WWE's current boogeyman Bray Wyatt a.k.a. fan fiction.

Twitter: @ChrisBComics
Facebook: chris.bearden.98
E-mail: backissuechris@gmail.com

Don't call it a comeback - Impact is slowly getting better

Impact Wrestling is an easy target for snarky wrestling fans. Or normal wrestling fans. Or anyone who has ever watched television. Even with all the recent improvements in developing talent and in-ring action, it's still a tough sit. There was a period where TNA was a pretty solid alternative to the WWE, particularly around '05 to '08 when Vince's circus was getting stale. The don't-call-them-cruiserweights X division was on fire, great main eventers like Kurt Angle, Christian, and Sting were at the top of the card, and tag teams like LAX and America's Most Wanted were putting on 4-5 star barn burners.

Not unlike the implosion of the WCW, the blame for TNA/Impact's fall from grace could be laid at the feet of a few key figures: Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan. Yeah yeah, there are a lot of other factors, but it is an eerie coincidence that the waters were all icebergs once those two arrived in the Impact Zone. Now that era has passed us by for the most part and we can breathe a sigh of relief as things (hopefully) get better. It's been a long road to recovery, but the future looks bright.

Well, bright-ish.

I've been doing my due diligence, catching up on Impact's summer output, and there are some fun things going on over there that are worth highlighting. So, in the spirit of positivity, here are a few of the reasons you might actually want to seek out Pop TV and give Impact's "new era" a shot.

First, let's get THE FINAL DELETION out of the way. In the spirit of a Tim & Eric skit or perhaps Tommy Wiseau's The Room, the big feud between the Hardys has been surreal to say the least. Matt Hardy has emerged from a gruesome near-injury as "Broken" Matt, complete with an inexplicable accent and references to cosmic forces that would make the late Ultimate Warrior scratch his head in confusion. Their outdoor match at the Hardy estate was something to behold and the best part of it is . . . I think the Hardys are in on the joke. This is a wrestling angle with a touch of "meta", a real-life recreation of what you're average teenage Hardy fan would find "deep" or "disturbing". When you learn to relax and laugh along with the people involved, you'll see this is a pretty ingenious angle.

Willow still baffles me though. Put down the model airplane glue, Jeff. We've all been there, man.

As Ric Flair famously said, "To be the man, you have to beat the man!" The Man in Impact right now is Bobby Lashley. If that name rings a bell, it's because Lashley did have a pretty good run with the 'E, even challenging John Cena for the strap at one point. He's always been a force to be reckoned with in the ring, but now he has some mic skills to back it up. His braggadocio is similar to how AJ Styles has been acting on Smackdown lately, but he's got three(!) title belts dangling from his massive frame to reinforce his words. I'd like to see him stay on top for as long as possible. He's a former serviceman, a legit amateur wrestler, and a "damn good hand in the ring" as Stone Cold would say.

Ethan Carter III (EC3 for short) and Drew Galloway are the next two that deserve a shout-out. Carter is the nephew (?) of Impact Wrestling figurehead Dixie Carter, who until a few minutes ago I was certain was the same lady from Designing Women. Nepotism aside, he's developed into quite a persona over the last few years in and out of the ring. (I especially like his "political campaign" shtick from when he was feuding with Mr. Anderson.) Drew Galloway was a solid worker who the WWE passed on. He's found his footing in Impact now, improving as a wrestler and exuding confidence and swagger on the mic. He has that "intensity" that's so hard for certain guys to fake.

The tag division is plentiful, but I'm sorry to say many of the teams aren't all that memorable to me. I do really like the American Wolves team of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. Both are lean, fast "internet darling" types who would be right at home on NXT or in the Cruiserweight Classic tourney. They're getting over with fans in a way not dissimilar to another old TNA tag team, the Motor City Machine Guns. Both guys are fantastic in the ring, I just wish they had a stronger division surrounding them.

I want to rave about the Knockouts divison, but I can't say it's made much of an impression on me. Gail Kim is still great (and always has been), but like I said about the tag division, there just aren't enough contenders to surround her with. Her and Jade did have a pretty good match last week, though. The "Knockouts" branding for the female wrestlers is a bit hard to swallow now, especially since WWE has ditched the whole "Diva" thing. I'd like to see them follow suit.

I'm well aware that I'm not quite qualified to make projections like these, but if Impact just stays the course, avoids inconsistent booking, and is careful of frivolous spending on guests and washed-up talent, they can turn things around. I want them to succeed. I want ROH to succeed. I want NJPW to succeed. I even want Vince McMahon's evil empire to succeed. It means more opportunities, more jobs, and most importantly, more money for everyone trying to make a living in and around this business.

Thanks for reading! Next update I'm going to blade another match open and do some analysis. Hit me up on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com).

The Miz fires back at his critics and the next generation shines: WWE happenings for the week

More big happenings in the WWE this week, as Raw tries to pick up the pieces following Finn Balor's SummerSlam injury and the Smackdown brand debuts two new title belts: the Smackdown Women's Championship and their very own tag team titles.

Smackdown was the superior wrestling show this week with AJ Styles winning a helluva match with Dolph Ziggler to become the #1 contender to Ambrose's title, but the best bit of action occurred on the WWE Network's Talking Smack post-game show.

After Daniel Bryan accused the Miz of working a cowardly style in the ring, the Intercontinental Champ spat some serious venom in a promo reminiscent of C.M. Punk's infamous "pipe bomb" promo from 2011.

This is the kind of thing I like to see. Blending reality and fantasy in a way that actually has fans wondering if they went off the script (Spoiler alert: It's all a work, man), The Miz showed he has some legit fire in his belly. I don't know exactly what a feud with Bryan will lead to in the ring, but if it launches Miz into the top heel spot for a bit, I'm all for it.

I can't believe I'm about to type this . . . but . . . I think we've been taking The Miz for granted.

Moving on to NXT for this week, we were treated to some matches that were taped during the Brooklyn show. Tye Dillinger and his sweet new jacket got a huge reaction from the live crowd as he put away former tag teamer Wesley Blake. Then, The Mighty Don't Kn--uh, I mean TM-61 faced The Authors of Pain in a hard-hitting match. The Authors simply overpowered their foes, positioning them as the new Ascension for NXT.

(Let's hope they don't get booked as poorly as The Ascension did once they made it to the main roster.)

Meanwhile, the Cruiserweight Classic marches on, with Rich Swann taking on Lince Dorado. This was a medly of high spots and strange holds. Swann picked up the win after a big splash right onto Dorado's face. Ouch. Following that, Zack Sabre Jr. took on Drew Gulak. Gulak played a classic disrespectful heel here, even slapping Zack's handshake away at the start of the match. Gulak kept up the heelish tendencies with lots of slaps and shoves. ZSJ unleashes an entire arsenal of submission holds, some of which you don't see on this side of the Atlantic that often; I love the different styles that are emerging in this tournament. ZSJ used a strange pinning bridge to put Gulak away, and the bad guy made good by finally accepting that handshake. Aww, shucks!

Johnny Gargano vs. T.J. Perkins was the last match of round two. Johnny Wrestling earned his nickname "Johnny Wrestling" by displaying a plethora of grapples and strikes. The match devolved into a superkick party (Don't tell Matt and Nick Jackson!) until Perkins made Gargano tap with a heel hook. Great match, but no one has topped that Kota Ibushi showcase from a few weeks ago.

With Smackdown adding two new titles and the crowning of a cruiserweight champion on the horizon, there's plenty of gold to be sought in the 'E. But what do you think, dear reader? Are the brands distinct enough yet? Are their respective rosters strong enough? Howabout that Miz promo?

Thanks for reading and hit me up in the comments or via Twitter (@ChrisBComics).

The dust settles . . .

SummerSlam was a baffling bit of wrestling programming. There were a couple of solid matches, a couple of truly great matches, and few segments that left me scratching my head. While I won't go into every occurrence from Sunday here, there are a few things I have to comment on.

First, the good. The tag team opener between Enzo & Cass and Jeri-K.O. (Love that team name) was a great bout, even if I don't think the heels really needed the win here. I think both Jericho and Owens are performers who can "bounce back" from any number of losses. The AJ Styles/John Cena match was incredible, with the Doctor of Thugganomics throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the Phenomenal One, only to come up short and ultimately lose clean, establishing the Smackdown brand's newest star. Same for the Balor/Rollins match. Strange new title belt aside, this was a fantastic display of wrestling featuring two guys the audience isn't burnt out on yet. (It also makes Finn's injury all the more deflating.)

There were a couple of matches that were pretty good, but fell into a strange place on the card. The Women's title match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks was as good as any of their NXT encounters, with the right woman coming out on top and a hot crowd behind it. It troubles me this match went on second, however, as this is supposed to be one of the most important belts the 'E has and there was a far inferior six woman tag match later on. (Yeah I know it was intended to be a "cool down" match, but Charlotte and Banks should not have gone on so early. Give them some prestige, for shucks sake.)

Roman and Rusev's encounter was more of an angle than a match. This and the Women's title match probably should have switched places. I like what they're doing with Roman and the US Title feud in general, but it shouldn't have gone on right before the main event.

And the main event between Orton and Lesnar . . . whoa. I didn't expect things to go quite that way. On one hand, I like Brock looking like a monster and having him attack Shane is a nice way to get him off of television for a bit, but on the other I feel like the bloody finish to the match sucked the air out of the building, and not in the hype-generating way his defeating The Undertaker in 2014 did. Brock's Suplex City gimmick is wearing thin, and I'm not sure what Orton is getting out of this other than a little babyface sympathy. It was an odd last match, and for whatever reason not as effective as Brock's previous SummerSlam massacre (John Cena).

It was an oddly paced show with some great wrestling. Shuffle the card around a bit and it could have been great. As for Raw . . .

Finn's injury forced their hand creatively, and the Raw brand responded with something rather predictable: a series of match designed to set up a fatal four way match for the Universal Title next week. Finn's speech was stirring, but knowing he'll be back in time for next year's Wrestlemania helped me keep my emotions in check. The crowd was chanting "You deserve it!" and rightfully so.

The four men who ended up winning their qualifying matches by the end of Monday night were Rollins, Owens, Big Cass, and Reigns. Unless they have a big ol' swerve planned for next Monday, the outcome for this isn't hard to predict. Both Owens and Big Cass have partners that will interfere on their behalves, a situation of two interested parties cancelling each other out. I fully expect Rusev to stomp down to the ring and take Roman out for the night, seeing as their feud is just starting to gain some steam. That leaves Seth Rollins in a very Edge-like role where he can pick the scraps and steal away with the title.

I'm fine with Rollins resuming his title reign, but the thought of Roman being bumped back up to feud with him again so soon bores me. I'd like to see Sami Zayn or even Big Cass in the number one contender spot. Zayn will add instant gravitas to their matches with his unmatched charm, not to mention the matches will be spectacular. Big Cass and Enzo are probably the two other biggest babyfaces right now, so I don't see the harm in penciling them in for a month or two. The matches won't be as strong as Rollins/Zayn would, but the promos would be pure fire.

Overall, it was a great weekend of wrestling, anchored by NXT Takeover (no surprise there) and the rise of several key new talents who are rapidly proving (to me, at least) that this really is a "new era". Thanks for reading! And you can hit me up on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com) for more rasslin' chatter.

Results and Predictions

Despite a build that left much to be desired, NXT Takeover delivered a solid wrestling show, with a new champion being crowned in Shinsuke Nakamura and two new competitors making their in-ring debuts in Bobby Roode and Ember Moon.

Austen Aries defeated No Way Jose and attacked him after the match, until Hideo Itami made the save. Hideo hitting the G.T.S. on Aries got a rise out of me. I haven't seen that move since a certain someone took his ball and went home a couple years back. Following that, mysterious newcomer Ember Moon destroyed Billie Kay in quick fashion. I'm not familiar with Moon's earlier work, so I look forward to seeing what she's capable of. (I should mention Kay got in some good offense too!)

Despite his acrobatic shenanigans, Bobby Roode put the kibosh on "Cien" Almas. No big surprise here. Expect Roode to be challenging Shinsuke in the near future, but you don't need to be a fortune teller to see that coming. 

The first real breakthrough match of the night came from the tag champs, The Revival, defending against Gargano & Ciampa. The Revival showed they have a few more tricks up their sleeve than the challengers were ready for, retaining the titles via submission. Asuka and Bayley put on a show, with the champ retaining. And Bayley got a hug from Asuka to boot!

Samoa Joe and Shinsuke had a damn fine main event match, but I feel like something was held back in case of future rematches. The bit mid-match where they were reversing each other's holds into various other submissions was top notch. That kind of mat work warms the cockles of my heart. They kicked out of each other's finishers until Shinsuke sealed the deal with a trio of kicks to the back of Joe's head. Nakamure joins the ranks of Seth Rollins, Neville, etc. as the 9th NXT champion!

But that was just night one of WWE's invasion of the Empire State. Howabout Summerslam? Here are some quick and dirty predictions:

The Miz vs. Apollo Crews (Don't care. This has zero heat behind it.)

Enzo & Cass vs. Y2J & K.O. (Will make a great opener. Enzo and Cass need this one. Jericho and Owens are the type that can bounce back.)

The New Day vs. Gallows & Anderson (Are we still calling them The Club? I want Gallows and Anderson to win here just so more gold can go to Bullet Club Alumni--Kenny Omega won the G1 Climax and Adam Cole won the ROH title the other night.)

Rusev vs. Roman Reigns (Are they having another match tonight? I'm not sure . . . Either build sympathy for Roman or make him a monster. I want Rusev to retain; if their match on Raw was any indication, this could really surprise people.) 

John Cena vs. AJ Styles (Fall is coming, so expect Cena to take some time off to film a show or two. I want AJ to take this one for the same reason as Gallows & Anderson. Bullet Club 4 Life dur dur dur.)

Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler (Dean ain't losing that belt yet. Dolph is gonna wrestle circles around him though.)

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (Was Sasha more interesting when she was chasing the belt? Maybe Flair's baby girl should win this one? I dunno, I'm torn.)

Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (Could be a Match of the Year contender if all goes well, although I think they gave away Finn's "Demon" character a little early. In my personal fan fiction, Balor wins the new belt and a big ol' Bullet Club banner appears. See also: AJ Styles and The Club. I'M CALLING FOR A WORLDWIDE TAKEOVER!)

Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton (I want to care about this more, but Brock's Suplex City shtick is wearing thin with me. I want Orton to take him out of his comfort zone. Let's see a little of that 2013 Brock that was jumping all over C.M. Punk and stuff. Orton wins to punish Brock for his various doping scandals and whatnot with an RKO onto a table covered in barbed wire and possibly set aflame.)

Thanks for reading! You can hit me back on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com).

We're not done yet! The Bullet Club soars at Death Before Dishonor XV

Ring of Honor's latest pay per view event, Death Before Dishonor XV, has concluded. Las Vegas got a heck of a show, but what else do you expect from North America's finest?

Up-and-comer Donovan Dijack defeated three other men to become the number one contender for the ROH TV Title, after cutting Lio Rush off at the pass with a big boot and a Feast Your Eyes. "The Last Real Man" Silas Young was choked out by New Japan NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata, followed by a kick to the head that left Mr. Mustache out cold. Team CHAOS lost to Team Bullet Club in a six an tag match, with BC's Yujiro scoring the pinfall on the ever-shrugging Toru Yano.

Following Team CHAOS's defeat, Hangman Page tried to hang Yano, only to be halted by Jay Briscoe. This transitioned into an "Anything Goes Grudge Match" between the two. Nice way to go from match to match, ROH. I like it! This was the token blood-and-guts match for the evening, with Hangman Page eventually picking up the win and sliding a noose around Jay Briscoe's neck. Both men gave their all, but this was not an encounter for the faint of heart.

New Japan's Heavywight Champion Kazuchika Okada took on one of ROH's hottest new acts in Dalton Castle. This match had a much lighter tone than the previous one, with Dalton's manservants mimicking Okada and Dalton playing a cowardly Ric Flair-like heel throughout. Okada finishes Castle off with a piledriver and his patented Rainmaker lariat. Fun match; kind of a cool down after the brutal Briscoe/Page match.

Bobby Fish and Mark Briscoe had the most traditional ROH-style match of the evening, right down to the show of respect between the two at the end. Fish retains after a hella fast suplex and a Falcon Arrow. ROH tag champs The Addiction also retained in a triple threat tag match against Naito/Evil and Elgin/Tanahashi. I like the Elgin/Tanahashi team. It's like Mr. Perfect teaming with a Japanese Shawn Michaels. Good Stuff.

And finally, the main event! Adam Cole barely came out on top against Jay Lethal to win the ROH World Title. There were a lot of great spots here, with both men showing an almost palpable animosity for one another. Cole was a nasty heel here, and by the end of the match even I started to wonder if my hate for him was just "wrestling hate" or if I really did hate the person I was seeing on my screen. What really put it over was ROH owner Cary Silkin presenting Cole with the belt; even he looked disgusted. Looks like Lethal is going back to the end of the line. A dark new era dawns in ROH, bay-bay.

Good show. Not the best ROH PPV I've ever seen, but a bad ROH or NJPW show is like the equivalent of a really good WWE show, so as a wrestling nut I sometimes have to adjust my expectations when going from promotion to promotion. I'll be back tomorrow with some last minute Summerslam predictions. As always, I can be found on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) and via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com).

Prelude to a Takeover

This year, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II seems to be overshadowed by Summerslam. Maybe it's the recent exodus of talent from NXT to the two main WWE rosters or maybe it's the fact that this year's Summerslam has a pretty loaded card, but something about this latest NXT special feels . . . I don't want to say lackluster, but . . . underwhelming. The two singles title matches have me hyped, but the rest of the show is going to have to really wow me.

(And wow-ing me is really important to the WWE as we're all well aware, heh.)

Let's see what the Florida team has cooked up for us, shall we?

No Way Jose vs. Austen Aries

NWJ has been growing on me as an entertainer, but he needs a broader arsenal of moves before I'd rank him among the other solid workers in NXT. Aries is a ring veteran who is known for pulling great matches out of people, but his run with the 'E has left much to be desired. This feud seemed like a step down for The Greatest Man That Ever Lived, but as the weeks have worn on, I think it's done wonders for his onscreen character. He just wants to be taken seriously sooo bad! I think Aries needs the win here to establish himself a bit, and NWJ doesn't. He's a comedy act for now, and comedic wrestlers don't need wins.

Bobby Roode vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas

There's a high ceiling for Almas, and I get the feeling we've only seen a fraction of what he can do thus far, but his debut and subsequent matches seem to have fallen flat with the crowd. This match is more about introducing us to the GLORIOUS presence of Roode. Roode was a mainstay in TNA/Impact for nearly a decade and whether he was tagging with James Storm or harassing a rookie Eric Young as the second coming of the Million Dollar Man, he was one of their top heels in and out of the ring. They could go two ways with this: Roode could walk in and simply body Almas, or get punked out to set up a more ruthless turn. I'm leaning toward the former, since they need to line up some solid contenders for the champion ASAP. 

The Revival vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano

I feel like The Revival lost some steam somewhere along the way. I think not having American Alpha or Enzo & Cass to play off of has hurt them a bit. I want them to retain, just so they can establish themselves with a long title run and fine-tune that smash-mouth "no flips, just fists" style. Ciampa and Gargano teased a breakup during the Cruiserweight Classic, but cooler heads prevailed and we got a handshake and a hug instead. Could a loss here bring that pot back to a boil? Perhaps.

Asuka vs. Bayley

The buildup to this match hasn't been the greatest thing in the world, but man, I just wanna see these two throw down! I predict Asuka will bring that long-dormant mean streak out in Bayley the way Charlotte did a while back, but will ultimatelt retain. Bayley is on her way to one of the main rosters, mark my words. Maybe the 'E will have a fall draft of some sort? Plus, Asuka needs to have a nice, long title run for the same reasons as The Revival. Let her hold onto that strap for a good long while, so once they move her up to Raw or Smackdown, she'll have a reputation to make up for her promo skills. (And she doesn't need promos anyway, just that crazy smile.)

Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

One thing that irks me about Joe's title reign is the way they tried to retroactively act like her just walked in, stomped on Finn, and grabbed the belt. He battled Finn Balor for months. Aside from that, this match has had a decent build, with things really heating up in the last two weeks. Shinsuke stealing Joe's nose is the .gif of the century and his unusual demeanor makes it hard to compare him to other comedic acts we've seen. He has a goofy persona that masks what a killer he is in the ring. I don't think WWE has had a character quite like him in their roster before. This one is tough to call. I think we'll get more than one match of it, with the eventual loser moving up to one of the main two rosters. I want to think Joe will hand Shinsuke his first loss here, but with so many of the heels going over before this match, I also think they'll want to end on a high note with the good guy winning.

Either way, it's gonna be a slobberknocker, as Good 'ol J.R. likes to say. Thanks for reading! Drop me a line on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com). 

Twink night at the bath house: Cruiserweight Classic recap for the week of 8/17/16

We're well into the second round of matches in the CWC, and if last week was any indication, the matches are only going to get longer and better from here. Sure, these guys have all blown us away in 3-7 minute spot fests, but can they tell a richer story with more time given? Let's find out!

Jack Gallagher takes on Akira Tozawa in our first match of the night. It starts out as a mat wrestling showcase, with Gallagher having a clever counter for every hold Tozawa attempts. I've seen a lot of wrestling in my day and let me tell you, there were some maneuvers in this match I have never seen before. Midway through the match they find time for a few comedy spots, with both men trying to both outdo and embarrass the other. Tozawa scores the win after a snap suplex followed by a dead lift suplex into a pin. Great stuff. Tozawa advances to the next round, where he'll face last week's winner, luchador Gran Metalik.

Scotland's adopted son Noam Dar faces Ho Ho Lun in the second match. This match didn't flow quite as well as the previous one, with a few of the spots looking a little too telegraphed for my taste. I also noticed a lot more strikes in this bout, whereas the last match was more about grappling. Dar picks up the win to advance in what was a disappointingly brief encounter.

THE Brian Kendrick takes on Tony Nese in our last match of the evening. It's good to see Kendrick doing his thing. Announcer Mauro Ranallo even alluded to his "past mistakes" during the talk-up; Kendrick has been busted with pot before, hampering his career. (These guys kick each other in the face for a living, so I think it'd be okay to let 'em imbibe a little herb now and then, but hey.) Daniel Bryan (also on commentary) makes mention of their time together in Shawn Michaels' wrestling school. The little things get me hype, what can I say. The match starts with Nese dominating early on, only to get suckered into a more deliberate pace by Kendrick's craftiness. They go tit for tat for a little bit until Kendrick dodges a 450 Splash by Nese. After that, it's just a matter of wearing the bigger man down, which Kendrick does to score the win.

This sets up Kendrick vs. Ibushi in the next round, which should be a fantastic match.

Haters of the WWE who think they don't care about pure "work rate" need to invest some time in this show. This is the kind of quality stuff you'd expect from ROH or New Japan, and its great to see fantastic in-ring action with 'E level production values.

Thanks for reading! Come back tomorrow where I'll be taking a look at NXT and making my predictions for the Takeover Brooklyn show on Saturday.

Twitter: @ChrisBComics
E-Mail: backissuechris@gmail.com

Well, ain't that a kick in the teeth: Smackdown hits Austin, Tx

Raw was a pretty good show this week. Let's see if the blue brand can keep up the pace.

Heath Slater is working double duty again this week, getting up in Randy Orton's grill just like he did with Lesnar the previous night. I like what they're doing with Slater here. I hope it goes somewhere. The poor guy has suffered through some ridiculous angles during his time with the 'E. I'd like to see him get his shot at a midcard title. He's funnier as a lone wolf than as ringleader of a group like 3MB or the Social Outcasts.

Dolph Ziggler made my night with that Super Kick OUTTA NOWHERE on Dean Ambrose during the MizTV segment. He's showing a lot of fire in this feud and Dean might have bitten off more than he can chew when it comes to going move for move with Mr. Ziggles. Also, Miz's role on Smackdown with Maryse by his side parallels what they're doing with Rusev and Lana on Raw. Midcard champs with sexy valets are back!

Apollo Creed came out to spoil Miz's fun during the commercial break. Oh shucks, did I say "Creed"? I'm not sure how I feel about them taking Daniel Bryan's little verbal slip-up from last week and running with it, but hey--that what they do in WWE. They make lemonade. I like Crews, but I don't know where he's headed right now. The rosters on both shows are pretty stacked; it might serve him better to lie low on NXT for a while . . .

The entire Smackdown tag division was split into heels and babyfaces for a six on six tag match. Fun stuff, even if its not that substantial. Just a chance for everyone to get their stuff in. It was almost like a live highlight reel for Smackdown's tag team potential. The good guys win thanks to American Alpha's team Perfectplex-type move. A lot of potentially great match-ups here. Expect Smackdown to get their own tag title belts sooner than later.

(Man, remember when The Ascension ran roughshod over NXT for nearly a year? Neither does the WWE, lol.)

Naomi has a cool new glow-in-the-dark bodysuit and entrance to match. Eva Marie was unable to compete due to being "stuck in traffic". I hope this gimmick of her working her way out of matches gets some heat, otherwise it could backfire. I like the angle, though.

Randy Orton got himself disqualified for beating on poor Slater a little too much. Then he mocked his Summerslam opponent Lesnar by suplexing Heath a few times and mocking his mannerisms. It's been a nice build up to their match, but the real star here is Slater. Like I said before, hopefully this leads to bigger things for him.

Dean Ambrose defeated Eric Rowan while Bray Wyatt looked on. Wyatt ditched him after his defeat, setting up a feud between the two. Just two weeks ago, I was expecting Wyatt to insert himself into the Ambrose/Ziggler title match, but it seems they have other plans for the Eater of Worlds. They've tried this kind of thing before with Rowan, but it didn't stick.

Beck Lynch and Carmella faced Natalya and Alexa Bliss. It was a decent tag match. Eva Marie tried to sneak in and pick up the scraps, but her would-be opponent Naomi ran back out to chase her off. It went all Looney Tunes for a minute like the tag exhibition earlier, but hey, at least everyone here has a part to play. Raw and NXT definitely have the stronger Women's divisions for the time being.

Baron Corbin is still picking on Kalisto backstage. What a bully. I feel like Corbin is another guy who was moved up from NXT a little too fast. I think they're trying to hide his somewhat limited in-ring work, but to what end? I still like his entrance with the red spotlights, so he's got that going for him.

The show ended with a nice main event between John Cena and Alberto Del Rio, with Cena's Summerslam opponent AJ Styles on commentary. (I forgot they were having a match this Sunday; man, there's too much going on in WWE right now.) It was a valiant effort by both guys, but I think Roman and Rusev put on more of a spectacle. AJ tried to sneak attack Cena and got AA'd through the announce table for his trouble. I take back what I said yesterday about Enzo & Cass vs. Owens & Jericho. THIS match will steal the show.

This was fun. Both Austin and Corpus got some great wrestling, and even with Summerslam less than a week away, it didn't feel like anybody was holding back. The WWE has been firing on all cylinders since the brand split, and I hope the hard work by all involved pays off in the form of some stronger TV ratings. This is NOT the 'E for 2010. There's plenty to enjoy, and you have to be trying pretty hard to be a hater right now.

(Garsh, maybe I'm just too optimistic for my own good?)

Thanks for reading! If you like, hit me up on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or via e-mail (backissuechris@gmail.com).

That's (not) me in the corner: WWE Raw comes to Corpus Christi

Raw was live from my neck of the woods this week (Corpus Christi, Tx), but sadly I was unable to attend. As I sat at home watching a replay of the show and sobbing into my stuffed Macho Man wrestling buddy, I did my best to look at the bright side and not let jealousy completely consume me. Here are some highlights:

Roman Reigns and Rusev started the show after an outdoor promo from Seth Rollins where he called out Finn Balor and his "demon". Rusev is a great heel and I'm glad to see him with some gold. He's a part of the grand wrestling tradition of evil foreigners, and his valet-turned-bride Lana completes the package. Her parading around in her wedding dress is as pathatic as it is hilarious. She's also desperately needed as a "heater", since Roman still can't get the crowd behind him sometimes.

Sheamus and Sami Zayn had a nice match following that, with Cesaro using the old distraction ploy to help Sami nail a Helluva Kick and score a sneaky victory on the Celtic brute. Not much else to say here, just that I love all three guys involved and look forward to more great matches between any combination of them. Backstage, Commissioner Foley set up a 2/3 Falls Match for this sunday at Summerslam.

The skits with "Doctors" Gallows and Anderson are falling flat with the crowd as their feud with The New Day continues. New Day faced the Dudleys and scored the "v", so here's hoping the Bubba Ray turns on D-Von sometime in the near future and he imports his fantastic "Bully Ray" character from Impact over to Raw.

Nia Jax destroyed a local gal. She's the femme fatale version of Goldberg.

Heath Slater made another big to earn a Raw contract by challenging Brock Lesnar. It went about as well as you'd expect. I'm starting to like Heath on the mic, though. I hope they have a plan for him down the road. And Brock was a freaking monster as usual. Paul E. even let him talk this week!

Kevin Owens took on Big Cass, with their current tag team partners at ringside. Not at ringside for long, however, as both partners got involved and turned it into the usual clusterf***. Everything about this feud is a win for me. I like everyone involved and if not for Balor/Rollins, I'd even think them capable of stealing the show on Sunday.

Roman and Rusev fought backstage in the catering area. All that perfectly good food gone to waste.

Titus O'Neill made his heel turn official by attacking Darren Young and leaving him lying during their tag match against The Shining Stars. The crowd seems a little more into these guys than when they had their last push. Bob Backlund is unintentionally funny, as he grows older and approaches Ric Flair levels of insanity and flushness of skin.

Jinder Mahal is back. Neville beat him. Mahal did some very old school heel-ish things, which I like. Neville's still awesome, but I don't see either of these guys doing much for the time being; the roster is just too stacked right now.

Somebody ran in the ring during Seth Rollin's promo. Don't be a douche if you ever go to a live event. No one is there to see you, idiot. Way to rep the 361, asshole. It's all good though, because Finn did his "demon" entrance and got to kick Seth around a little bit.

(Damn, now I'm really sorry I missed this show.)

Gallows and Anderson beat the Pokemon Trainers, a.k.a. Goldust and R-Truth. New Day came out and attempted to whack Anderson in the huevos with a trombone, but the bald duo slipped through their fingers.

Charlotte beat Alicia Fox in a quickie match. I remember in 2014 thinking Fox was actually going to turn things around and be a contenders, but I guess the 'E had different plans. Sasha came out to confront her, only to get blindsided by Dana Brooke and be put into the Figure Eight submission by Charlotte. Am I looking forward to their title match on Sunday? Oh yeah!

Roman and Rusev had a pretty good hoss fight to close out the show. I really liked the multiple top rope flying headbutts from Rusev. I didn't think the 'E was okay with that move anymore, since what happened with Chris Benoit nearly a decade ago. They pulled out all the stops (sans blood and weapons) to have a good WWE-style main event match. Congrats to both guys and I'm sorry I missed it!

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow I'll be back with thoughts on Smackdown Live. I don't know if I'm going to cover every show week by week but I felt especially compelled to do so this week since they were in my hometown.

Twitter: @ChrisBComics
E-Mail: backissuechris@gmail.com

Blading a match open: Shawn Michaels vs. One Man Gang (WCCW, January 1985)

There's something I've been wanting to experiment with here on Work/Shoot. Usually I do a general sweep of recent events in WWE, ROH, or New Japan, just giving my two cents on current angles and match-ups, but I'd like to--maybe once a week or once every two weeks--dive into a single match for a little analysis.

Now don't expect total play-by-play; there's people out there like John Canton and R.D. Reynolds who do that stuff better than I ever could. What I'd like to do is "autopsy" an older match every now and then and see what worked and what didn't. For this inaugural edition, I picked a pretty basic squash match featuring an established star of the time and a future WWE Hall of Famer.

(It's also the first match on the first disc of the Shawn Michaels: My Journey DVD set.)

It's 1985. George Gray, better known as the One Man Gang, is plowing through jobbers and other "enhancement talent" in the now-defunct World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). Nowadays, WCCW is known mostly for the rise of the Fabulous Freebirds and the tragic story of the Von Erich family, but back then it was your WWE equivalent if you lived down here in Texas. One Man Gang is your classic "big man" style worker. He's a mean spirited, impatient heel whose rage ban barely be contained within a 20' x 20' wrestling ring.

On the other end of the beat down is a very young white meat babyface named Sean Michaels. This is before the Rockers, before Brutus Beefcake's Barber Shop, before D-Generation X, before all of that. He's almost a nobody here; a ham-and-egger paying his dues on his back. When exactly he switched from Sean to "Shawn" is a mystery for another day . . .

The ring announcer here cracks me up. He puts over One Man Gang as an unpredictable loon and seems legitimately frightened while introducing him, a splash of realism that's missing from today's ring announcers. How Lilian Garcia can introduce sadists like Kane and Bray Wyatt without batting an eyelash is beyond me. Moreover, he almost sounds sympathetic in his intro for young Sean Michaels, adding to the aura surrounding OMG. The announcer's behavior is a boon to the match, giving the whole affair an underground "fight club" feel.

Right from the bell, OMG is on Sean like a wild bear protecting her cubs. His offense isn't anything flashy, but when you're the size of a truck it doesn't have to be. Sean is in full "sell mode" here, bouncing off of OMG like a tennis ball off a brick wall. Sean hardly has time to breathe between beatings, and soon finds himself rolling out of the ring to take five and regroup.

The impromptu time out doesn't do jack squat for poor Sean. As soon as he manages to get back in the ring, OMG has returned him to canvas face first, getting a quick and easy one-two-three and securing a victory.

The brief moment Sean spends outside the ring catching his breath serves a purpose. The crowd is given a moment to see OMG for the force of destruction he is, and as the worried Sean tries to pick his spot to reenter the ring, the sounds of fearful women and young fans gasping at the power of OMG only adds to his mystique. This moment is more important than the match itself. It keeps this from being the usual squash, and generates the idea that OMG is not only a dominating force, but also capable of inspiring fear and doubt in his opponents.

With his mohawk and decorative chains, OMG looks like a Mad Max or Warriors extra. His sheer girth and "country strong" physique makes him look less like the shredded, glistening MMA guys we have now and more like a legit bad dude you might actually run into in a biker bar. There aren't enough of these body types in wrestling anymore. There used to be more . . . I dunno . . . street tough-ish looking characters.

Everyone's too damn pretty now.

For what it is (and it isn't much), this is a successful match. The crowd really feels for Shawn as he takes this lickin', and One Man Gang walks out looking like a contender for any title he decides he wants to get his hands on. It's a small slice of WCCW goodness, and very "old school" in its presentation.

Thanks for reading! Next time I'll pick a match with a little more meat on its bones, so I can really dig in, but thanks for joining me on the experiment regardless. Shout at me on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) or drop me a line (backissuechris@gmail.com).

When you like something so much you just wanna hear people talk about it

I don't know about you, dear reader, but podcasts are one of the few day to day things that keep me from sticking my head in the oven and sucking in what comedian Richard Jeni once referred to as "the brown wind of doom". Pro wrestling is another one of those things. Make-pretend stories about conflict writ large somehow help take the edge off. Merge those two in an effective way and I'm in hog heaven. Here's a few that I make time for each week, and through the use of HYPERLINK technoloogy, you too can join in on the listening party:

The Ross Report

Legendary wrestling commentator and BBQ enthusiast Jim Ross hosts his own show on the Podcast One network every Wednesday. If you only know him from his days at the announce table, then you might be surprised at what and insightful and downright funny guy he can be. His obvious connections in the world of pro wrestling grant him access to top shelf guests, both from inside the ring and out. His interviews are always a pleasure, and he knows how to get good, earnest conversations out of his guests. The main draw for me, however, is the preamble that comes before every interview. Ross always gives his two cents on things in the WWE and beyond, and his advice for aspiring wrestlers is always worth listening to. He prioritizes storytelling over high spots, and considering his many years in booking and talent relations, you never feel the urge to roll your eyes at an "old timer's" commentary. All that and an Oklahoma drawl that I never tire of for some reason.

 The Art of Wrestling

ROH alumni and former Second City Saint Colt Cabana hosts a show that doubles as an interview podcast and a road diary of his travels. Colt always puts it on front street, and isn't afraid to air his grievances about being a part of what can be a shady and ruthless business. His interviews often divert away from the action in the ring and focuses on the plight of struggling wrestlers on the climb. His "Song of the Week" segment has also introduced me to many bands I may have never heard of otherwise, and yes, every song is wrestling themed. I don't find his Chicago accent as enjoyable as Ross's southern twang, but that's just personal preference.

T.J.R. Podcast

John Canton is easily my favorite fan commentator in the world of wrestling. He's been writing about wrestling for well over a decade and his weekly Raw review, The John Report, is the very first thing I look at after a show, or if I miss a show entirely. He's dutiful, even-keeled, and has great theories about how to book angles and set up matches. He's one of the only talking heads on the internet that doesn't reek of fanboyism, and sometimes I really think the WWE should hire him on to their creative team. The podcast features himself and other contributors to the site discussing all of the week's events, both on screen and backstage. His Canadian accent is slightly more bearable than Colt's Chicago accent, but not as great as Ross's.

Cheap Popcast

Part of Chris Antista's Laser Time network of pop culture podcasts, the Cheap Popcast is not for the faint of heart. Hosted by Dave of Laser Time fame, the show runs through all the current angles and storylines with wit and a ruthless edge. Henry Gilbert, who used to co-pilot show isn't around as much and the episodes have been less and less frequent, but as long as they came to make them, I'll endeavor to listen. Due to language and occasional subject matter, this is the only show on my list I'd have to label NSFW.

There are other wrestling podcasts I check in on from time to time, like Talk Is Jericho and Pro Wrestling Torch's show, but those are the key four. Occasionally, Stone Cold Steve Austin will have an interesting guest, but most of the time he delves into non-wrestling subject matter, and while I'm sure Steve is a man of many interests, I really just want to hear the Bionic Rattlesnake talk about rasslin'.

Do you have any favorite wrestling podcasts that I didn't list? I'm always up for suggestions! Thanks for reading and I'll be back tomorrow with some Lucha Underground thoughts and squiggles.

Twitter: @ChrisBComics
E-Mail: backissuechris@gmail.com

Death before dishonor, bay-bay!

Both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling have taken hits in the talent department recently thanks to the WWE's recent injection of new blood into their roster, but neither promotion shows signs of slowing down. Today I'm looking at what the American-based Ring of Honor promotion has in store for us in a week at Death Before Dishonor, and I like what I see.

ROH is anchored by several key talents. Right off the bat you have Jay Lethal, the reigning champ and former top heel in the company. Lethal has been a dominant force for well over a year, securing one title win after another. At the recent Global Wars pay-per-view, Lethal went from hunter to prey when Adam Cole revealed himself as the newest member of The Bullet Club and sabotaged his match with industry vet and podcaster Colt Cabana.

Cole is another one of those "key talents". "Story time with Adam Cole!" always get a huge reaction and when you see "BAY BAY" flash on the screen, signaling his entrance, you know you're in for a good time. Cole is an all around good hand when it comes to his in-ring work. I could see him bouncing off a larger foe in the WWE, but in ROH he's often a down and dirty grappler with a tendency to cut corners. Since aligning with the Bullet Club, he looks to be aiming for Lethal's "top villain" role, but how on Earth can they expect people to boo Cole, especially when he's flanked by fellow fan favorites like The Young Bucks?

Speaking of bullets and clubs, that particular faction is in an interesting place right now, especially considering how many of their heavy hitters have defected to the 'E. They're supposed to be the big bads of the indy wrestling world, but their collective persona is too cool for fans to turn on. That makes Cole's attack on Lethal (where he humiliated him and shaved off his signature braids) all the more important. They're establishing that these guys aren't just "heels", they're genuine shitheels. It'll be interesting to see who the crowd is behind in Las Vegas at Death Before Dishonor.

Moving on down the card to the ROH television title, Mark Briscoe and Bobby Fish are set to square off for the strap at the same show. Both Briscoe and Fish are part of two of ROH's most important tag teams, The Briscoes and ReDRagon, but neither one of them is a stranger to singles competition. As a singles wrestler, Mark has been slowly making his way up the card and this is his chance to bring some gold back to the family farm, especially since that spot on their shelf at home has been vacant ever since his brother Jay dropped the world title a while back.

Fish and his partner Kyle O'Reilly practically were the tag division for ROH in 2014, blowing our collective minds with their double-team attacks and old-school demeanor. Reilly is usually portrayed as the "scrappy" one, so I'm interested to see what Fish brings to the table, considering I haven't seen as much of him as a singles wrestler.

Circling back to the subject of "key talents", both The Briscoes and ReDRagon fit all the criteria. They're solid workers with growing fanbases and the ring psychology of veterans. They can split into singles competitors at any time, and in the case of The Briscoes, are extremely loyal to ROH as a company. Heck, The Briscoes have spent nearly their entire careers flying the honor flag.

The Death Before Dishonor show is only a week away and the card is still evolving, which would normally worry me. Of course, this is ROH we're talking about: the matches will be good, guys you've never heard of from Japan will be there, and somebody will be sporting a shiny blood mask by the end of the night.

Thanks for reading! And if my words don't completely disgust or offend you, check out my comic book ramblings HERE!

Twitter: @ChrisBComics
E-Mail: backissuechris@gmail.com

That purple show and that yellow show

There's a lot more to the WWE than just Raw and Smackdown these days. If I were to travel back in time and tell my younger self about the sheer excitement I get nearly every week from watching NXT or how the Cruiserweight division was not only back, but starring in its own weekly show with a tournament format, I'd swear that I was pulling my own leg.

The Cruiserweight Classic or "CWC" has been quite an entertaining little program for the last few weeks, with each episode featuring a succession of quick matches designed to give us a little insight into the international cruiserweights and a chance for them to display the kind of offense you don't get to see much on the main roster. (Although I will say that is changing thanks to new faces like Sami Zayn and Finn Balor.)

This week, the tournament began its second round of matches and we were treated to two longer matches instead. I hope this is the format going forward, with episode length matches in the next round and a huge payoff at the next NXT special or even on the Raw brand.

Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik was the "WWE style" match of the two, with the usual in-and-out of the ring hijinks that can bog down two less than prepared workers. Fortunately for us, Tajiri is a craft ring veteran and while I'm not terribly familiar with Gran Metalik, he seems to know his way around a squared circle as well. Metalik advanced in the tourney after a Metalik Driver, which looks a lot like Zayn's Blue Thunder Bomb. Hmmm . . .

Kota Ibushi and Cedric Alexander had the ROH/NJPW burn-down-the-house style match that indy fans and "smarks" crave. They even got a "fight forever" chant, which is quickly becoming the new "this is awesome". I've followed both men in other promotions, but personally I'm leaning toward Ibushi to win the CWC, since I think he might be the biggest international signee since Shinsuke Nakamura. Seeing as he came out victorious against Cedric this week, I'd say he has a shot.

Let's move from the purple show to the yellow show for a bit.

NXT has evolved into so much more than just a "third show" or even a talent development program. It's a rival to the WWE itself from within the 'E, and that's pretty incredible. For a hot minute there last year, NXT's big programs were overshadowing the stuff on the main roster, as least as far as I'm concerned. It's become THE pure wrestling show, with its production values eclipsing Ring of Honor and its year-round schedule keeping it in view when Lucha Underground hibernates between seasons.

Currently, Samoa Joe is scheduled to face Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Title at the next Takeover special. Until this week's show, I was lukewarm about the feud itself, even though the match will surely be great. This reminds me of how I felt about the Charlotte/Sasha stuff on Raw. I should feel something more, but I just don't. Nevertheless, this is most likely going to be the first of a series of matches and they'll all be good.

The question is: Who's going to one of the main rosters first? Joe or Shinsuke?

The NXT Women's title feud between Bailey and Asuka picks up the slack for me. Bailey's anguish is palpable, and Asuka's leering has gradually gone from cartoony to threatening and disrespectful. Asuka's inner monster is coming to the surface and it'll be interesting to see the crowd split over these two fan favorites.

That's just the surface of NXT, but I have to save some for tomorrow. What else is there to write about? As always, thanks for reading and follow me on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) if you dare!

It's a new era and I'm digging it.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Work/Shoot blog is back! Okay, I'm probably the only one that excited about it . . .

We're a few weeks into a new era for the WWE, thanks to the brand extension and roster split. In my opinion, both Raw and Smackdown have really put their best foot forward, establishing new feuds and storylines that will carry us on through the summer and into the fall, when the NFL emerges from the sea like a mighty kaiju to destroy the prime time sports-entertainment landscape for yet another season.

But who cares about football when you have Finn Balor and Seth Rollins main event-ing the Raw brand? With apologies to Kevin Owens and Cesaro, the two best workers in the 'E are going to square off later this month at Summerslam to crown a new champion with a new belt.

How does everyone feel about the "Universal Championship"? Is it too intergalactic for the WWE, or is it par for the course?

Silly new title names aside, this is going to be a barn burner, folks. No other way to phrase it. If you missed Balor's spectacular debut on Raw a few weeks ago or you haven't seen him do his thing on NXT, you've been missing out. With or without the demonic face paint, Balor is a demon in the ring, with a lithe form and a flashy style that will force Rollins into the strongman role. Even their promo exchanges, which were lackluster at first, have gradually gotten more heated, although I don't feel the tension brewing quite as thick as with the Dean Ambrose/Dolph Ziggler stuff over on Smackdown.

Raw viewers have also been gifted a great, if only slightly too-comedic tag team feud between Enzo Amore/Big Cass and Cheris Jericho/Kevin Owens. The Jericho/Owens team sees two of the best pure wrestling villains pairing up to give a hot new tag team the rub. Regardless of who goes over at Summerslam, this should be a good one.

I want to like the Charlotte/Sasha title feud, but the issues between them haven't reached that boiling point that really gets me excited yet. Their in-ring work is always incredible, as any viewer of their NXT matches can tell you, so the grappling will be the redeeming factor for this disappointing* feud.

Let's stay positive here: it's nice to see Roman Reigns in a new role, challenging Rusev for his United States title. I like the physicality between these two, and there's a great "hoss fight" to be had, but I wish Reigns (and the writing staff) would lay off the comedy bits. Roman should come out every week, destroy someone, cock an eyebrow to the crowd, smile at your girlfriend, and walk triumphantly to the back. If you're listening WWE, let's put the monster back in Roman Reigns. Remember when he was the muscle for The Shield? No one was laughing at that Roman.

The title matches are hot on both brands, but I feel like they will still play second fiddle to a pair of other big matchups I haven't mentioned yet: Cena vs. Styles and Orton vs. Lesnar.

AJ Style's issues with John Cena echo a lot of fan sentiment, but he's not as striking on the mic as C.M. Punk or Kevin Owens, both of whom filled the "outlier" role previously. Where AJ really shines, naturally, is in the ring. He can bounce off of beefy John like a ping pong ball, as well as force Cena to step up his game and keep the pace up. This match up interests me because normally the heel will try to slow the pace and isolate one of the other wrestler's limbs, but considering their styles, I think Cena might benefit from trying to keep AJ grounded. It'll be interesting to see unfold, and I can't wait to see how the crowd reacts, since John Cena matches are really about the audience reaction as this point.

Brock Lesnar is walking into Summerslam virtually unfazed by the UFC doping scandal, and Randy Orton is fresh off another injury, so the main draw here is we get two guys who not only don't wrestle a whole lot anymore, but also haven't been paired against one another. The back and forth surprise attacks on Smackdown, along with a little of that Paul Heyman magic, have made this the true main event of Summerslam, no matter where it falls on the card.

That's just a brief overview of the big stuff coming out of Raw and Smackdown as we head toward Summerslam and whatever lies beyond. There's a lot more to talk about, but I'll save it for the future. Look forward to future ramblings about NXT, the Cruiserweight Classic, Ring of Honor, and all kinds of grappling goodness. Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter if you like! (@ChrisBComics)

*I don't even know why I consider it "disappointing", it's just that something isn't clicking for me. Oh well, who cares--the match will kick ass and that's what matters.