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).