The Shield vs. Stride Pro Wrestling

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Please note: The Shield is NOT appearing at any Stride Pro Wrestling event. This is merely a FANTASY BOOKING BLOG. Thanks.

Once again, WWE fans find themselves cheering for the threesome of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. The group is known as The Shield and first burst onto the WWE roster in late 2012. Of course, they've had their ups and downs and have been reunited more times than Big Show has turned heel. (I could be wrong on that.)

The most recent reunion occurred this past Monday, a day after Reigns regained the Universal Championship, Rollins recaptured the Intercontential Championship and a week after Ambrose returned from an extended injury. 

So I decided to have some fun and put together a threesome on the Stride Pro Wrestling roster to go head to head with the Hounds of Justice. If your favorite Stride trio isn't here, don't worry, I'm working on a more elaborate fantasy blog for Chikara's upcoming King of Trios. 

Heath Hatton, Ax Allwardt and Daniel Eads. Hatton and Allwardt are two-time tag team champions. Eads has impressed me since meeting him a few years ago. Together these three could pose a huge threat to the Shield. 

Tony Flood, Chris Hargas and Roger Matheus. These three have had their differences with each other in the past. However, I think in a crisis situation they could put those differences aside and work together. Flood, of course, is the current heavyweight champion in Stride. 

The Midwest Monster and Wraith: Bo Sawyer and Jason Tiller are the tag team champions and Wraith holds the Legacy Title. Not sure how Monster Hunters and a ghost would coexist, but you never know. 

Again these are just a few teams. I'll have the King of Trios blog up next week. Who would you put in the ring against the Shield?

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Survivor Series 2017 Predictions

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Survivor Series is coming up Sunday night and I'm looking forward to this event. The traditional elimination matches have always been one of my favorite things in professional wrestling. Thirty years ago this month the event debuted. It's morphed through the years and I'm glad we're getting at least a couple elimination matches this year.

Even though I'm looking forward to the 2017 event, I do have some criticism. If they're doing the whole Raw vs. SmackDown Live, there needs to be some kind of repercussions or stipulations involved. Last year SmackDown Live won the men's competition, but what does that mean? The show is still referred to as the "B show" by those on Raw. So my hope would be either make the rivalry mean something or just have both rosters on the same card but do Raw vs. Raw elimination matches and SDL vs. SDL elimination matches.

Enough of that though, here are my predictions for this year's show.

Enzo will beat Kalisto to retain the Cruiserweight Championship.

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will defeat WWE Champion AJ Styles.

The Intercontinental Champion The Miz will beat U.S. Champion Baron Corbin (at least I hope).

SmackDown Live Women's Champion Charlotte Flair will win against Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss. 

The SmackDown Live Women's Team will beat the Raw Women's Team in the elimination match. Asuka will either get disqualified or counted out to keep her undefeated streak intact.

The Shield will beat the New Day.

SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The Usos will beat Raw Tag Team Champions The Bar.

Team Raw will beat Team SmackDown Live after the Daniel Bryan screw job. (See Thursday's blog.)

That puts it Raw 4 and SDL 3. It'll be interesting to see how the Shane McMahon, Kurt Angle and Triple H involvement plays out. Someone had suggested Triple H leading an NXT team into battle that night, which would be epic, but obviously not happening. What are your thoughts on this year's card? 

Save it for Survivor Series

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I try not to judge WWE too harshly on the progression of storylines. As we've discussed before, pro wrestling is a marathon and not a sprint. With six hours of original content 52 weeks a year on top of two monthly special events, the flow must keep going. I understand all that. But in my 1-2-3 cents the main event set for TLC would be better served for next month's Survivor Series.

As it stands now; the Miz, Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Sheamus and Kane will face the three members of the Shield; Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. It's going to be contested in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. I'm all for the Shield reunion. The original main event of those three against the Miz and the Bar was enough for me. When Braun was added, my thoughts turned to saving this for Survivor Series. Now that Kane is in the fold, I'd definitely wait.

Kane returns
Courtesy: WWE

I've always loved the traditional four on four or five on five elimination matches at Survivor Series. In my Tuesday morning booker role, I would have saved Kane to reemerge at TLC and then join The Shield against the four others. Or, Kane appears Monday night and helps Roman win and eliminates Braun from the TLC main event. Then Kane and Braun battle on the undercard and build up to the tag match at Survivor Series.

Again, I don't know where we're headed, so my thoughts are probably not going to make sense in the long-term plan. But that's what wrestling fans do. We book things the way we want them to be. However, I get stacking the deck against the Shield makes them stronger than ever. I just wish they would have saved this angle for November.

Reuniting the Shield

The Shield
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I was asked for a recent podcast what I thought about the Shield reuniting. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins have already been hanging out on Raw and I believe have had a run on the house show circuit as a team. Roman Reigns, of course, is the missing piece to the puzzle since the group split in 2014. Long story short, I endorse a reunion of this super group.

As I explained on the Ask My 1-2-3 Cents podcast, putting these three superior Superstars back together is not a step back for any of them. Sometimes I think fans get caught up in the idea that once a team splits someone has to be the Shawn Michaels and someone has to be the Marty Jannetty of the unit. That's not the case in 2017. All three members of the Shield excelled outside their roles in the trio.

Flirting with a reunion
Courtesy: WWE

Each man has been WWE Heavyweight Champion, Reigns holding it three times. Ambrose has had a couple runs Intercontinentalial Champion. They've all been U.S. Champ too. In my 1-2-3 cents, the Shield can continue to dominate the WWE as a unit and as individuals. It would be no different than what Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson and Barry Windham (Lex Luger, Ole Anderson, Sid Vicious) did as the Four Horsemen. Evolution did it years later with Flair, Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista.

It's safe to say most fans would enjoy a Shield reunion and it's likely the only way to ensure Reigns is cheered by the crowd again. WWE has tried to make their Universe embrace the big Samoan, but for the most part, he's been rejected and booed. Look at his recent dealings with Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman.

A near reunion
Courtesy: WWE

Bring back the Shield. I like that WWE is building up some factions again, with Miz's Entourage and there's the New Day still rockin' on SmackDown Live and could Jinder Mahal be adding to his group now with the Great Khali? Oh, and while we're at it, let's do something with the Wyatt Family again too...

 

Should the Shield reunite?

The Shield
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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In the recent era of professional wrestling, there are three things you can bet WWE fans will speculate on. If WWE is in the Chicago area, CM Punk will be on the show. The Undertaker and Sting will face off at the NEXT WrestleMania. And the Shield will reunite. I think the third option is the most likely to happen, but doubt there will ever be a more than a one-time reunion between Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Don't get me wrong, the Shield was one of the best things to happen to WWE in late 2012. The trio shook things up and brought about some positive change in how WWE viewed the talent at NXT. I do wish the three would have stayed together as a unit a bit longer, but the execution of Rollins turn was perfect.

In breaking up the Shield, I liked that WWE didn't do what WCW did with the NWO decades ago by adding new members and growing the group. The Shield will always be remembered as that core three, Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose.

Rollins vs. Triple H
Courtesy: WWE

Now that all three men are back on Raw the speculation has already started that they'll team again. While I'm not opposed to it happening, I just can't see it being a priority right now. Reigns is enjoying the rub of beating the Undertaker, Rollins dethroned the "King of Kings" Triple H and Ambrose is busy with the Intercontinental Championship.

Undertaker vs. Reigns
Courtesy: WWE

That being said, it would make sense to bring the boys back together to help Roman in his battle with the nasty and vile Braun Strowman. But unless he gets a couple of allies, it would look more like the Shield bullying the big man. At one time, Roman Reigns was the darling of the group and fans cheered him. If WWE wants to make him THE good guy and face of the company, it might not be a bad idea to reunite the Shield and get that rub once again.

Ambrose as IC champ
Courtesy: WWE

All three former members of the Shield are talented Superstars and have bright futures in the company. I'm glad to see Ambrose on Raw because it felt like he was getting lost in the shuffle of SmackDown Live. I hope WWE Creative puts more emphasis on the IC title and Ambrose is a featured player on Raw in the weeks and months ahead.

Rumble Ramblings: #5 Rollins arrives

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Since the 2017 Royal Rumble is right around the corner, I've decided to countdown to this year's event with my 10 favorite non-Rumble Royal Rumble matches. 

The Shield made a huge impact on WWE in late 2012. The trio of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins didn't take long dominate the company. They won countless six-man encounters and were quick to capture gold as Rollins and Reigns winning the tag team titles and Ambrose picking up the U.S. Title. However, the honeymoon ended in mid-2014 and Rollins turned bad and joined the Authority.

He picked up a key victory by winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, guaranteeing a shot at the WWE Championship. Most of the time when that happens, the challenger ends up with the title, so it was just a matter of time for Rollins. 

Triple Threat
Courtesy: WWE

But by the time the 2015 Royal Rumble rolled around, he was still hovering over the line between main eventer and mid-card. He got himself booked into a triple threat match against then-champion Brock Lesnar and WWE poster child John Cena. Even though Rollins had the briefcase, I was skeptical about his involvement in this match. He was in there against the two biggest names in the company at that time. 

Elbow drop
Courtesy: WWE

As the match progressed, though, Rollins proved to the world that he did indeed belong in the World title picture. His showing was more than impressive and many agree that night is what made Rollins a SUPER Superstar. He was great before even stepping foot in a WWE ring, but the 2015 Royal Rumble cemented his legacy.

Two months later he cashed in that briefcase at WrestleMania (a WWE first) and became the champ. It was a creative way of getting the title off Lesnar without making Lesnar "lose" in the ring. Seth's run was cut short due to injury. Once he gets past the feud with Triple H, I suspect Rollins is due for some kind of championship gold in 2017.

10 Favorite Non-Rumble Royal Rumble matches

10. Super Posedown
9.  Harts Broken
8.  All fired up

7.  Daniel & The Giants 

6.  Co-owners Collide

The night the Shield ruled WWE

Money in the Bank
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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It's safe to say there hasn't been a faction as powerful or impactful in recent history as the Shield. I would argue the first 18 months that Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were as dominate as the early days of the nWo, Evolution and even the Four Horsemen. No, I'm not saying Roman Reigns is a better wrestler than Ric Flair.

The Shield in the early days
Courtesy: WWE

But the three newcomers took the wrestling world by storm, quickly grabbing the United States championship and the tag team titles. They beat everyone put in front of them including trios made up of Superstars like Kane, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Big Show, Sheamus, Triple H, Batista, Daniel Bryan, John Cena and Ryback. 

Two years ago when the trio split everyone wondered who would be the most successful member. Ambrose quickly became my personal favorite with his "lunatic fringe" attitude even though I hate the phrase lunatic fringe. All three men are solid performers. I like different things about each of them. But when Rollins snagged the WWE Heavyweight Champion first, I wasn't surprised.

He was a great champion and only lost it when he had to forfeit it due to an injury. WWE for whatever reason refused to listen to the fans and kept Reigns a good guy, despite the resentment from the crowd. I didn't hate him being champion, but he never seemed comfortable in the position. That's partly on him, but also on WWE for their lack of vision with his character.

Then on June 20, 2016 the unthinkable happened. All three members of the now-defunct Shield held the world title. Reigns dropped it to Rollins and about two minutes later Ambrose walked out with the gold. It's a great story and I can't wait to see the inevitable triple threat match between the three, hopefully at SummerSlam. It'll be one for the ages and hopefully creative won't jump the gun on the match.

Wrestling with Logic: Ambrose Asylum

Ambrose Asylum
Courtesy: WWE

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
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Last week I started what was supposed to be a weekly installment called “Yelling at Clouds.” I didn’t have anything to yell about this week other than the sad state of the USA Presidential election. Since we try to be apolitical here at My 1-2- 3 Cents, I didn’t think those were wise waters to swim. So I decided to make a slight change and going forward Wednesdays will be the day to Wrestle with Logic. Kevin and I often vent about the lack of logic in wrestling so this only made sense.

One of my biggest issues with WWE is the fact they can’t tell a cohesive story for more than two weeks without contradicting themselves. Add in stipulations that often get tossed to the side when they’re no longer convenient, I get the impression WWE books each show as an individual show instead of serialized episodic television.

The Shield
Courtesy: WWE

During Monday’s episode of RAW, Michael Cole announced next week the special guests on the Ambrose Asylum would be Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Roman Reigns. This makes sense as Rollins and Reigns are fighting six nights later at Money In the Bank and all three comprised the Shield for two years before Rollins dissolved the group by attacking Reigns and Ambrose. Will the tension between the three men be thick enough to cut with a knife? Will Rollins try to weasel his way out of getting into the ring? Will the crowd boo Roman and cheer Seth? Will Ambrose have potted plant Mitch Jr. as set decoration? These are just some of the questions I have. The biggest question however is, why is the Ambrose Asylum back?

On the May 2 episode of RAW, Stephanie McMahon was a guest on the Ambrose Asylum. After some harsh questions from Dean Ambrose, Stephanie announced she was cancelling the Asylum talk show and replaced it with Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel. So why, on a night Stephanie was running RAW by herself due to Shane McMahon being on vacation, is the Ambrose Asylum returning?

Going back to what I said at the beginning, since Ambrose and Jericho were feuding at the time it made sense for Steph to cancel the Asylum and replace it with the Highlight Reel in order to generate a fight between Dean and Chris. A month later, with two members of the Shield feuding for the WWE Championship and Dean having the potential to win Money in the Bank giving him the opportunity to challenge the WWE Champ at any time, it makes sense to have the Ambrose Asylum. Even though doing so contradicts the events of four weeks prior.

Bringing back the Ambrose Asylum isn’t as intelligence insulting as letting Shane McMahon have control of RAW after losing to Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. It does highlight the problem of no long-term booking. Simple solution would have a segment on RAW where Teddy Long suggested the Asylum interview and Stephanie stole it as she did his idea for the Fatal Four Way Tag Title match.

Two minutes to logically explain why the return of the Ambrose Asylum is happening next week. Why is WWE seemingly incompetent when it comes to basic storytelling? Why am I fan who expects simple logic in a pre-determined sport? I should just accept WWE for being WWE. Now if you’ll excuse me, the sky is getting cloudy.

Hey Roman, shut up

Roman Reigns
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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The intention of this post isn't to be mean spirited.  When I tell Roman Reigns to shut up, I actually mean it in the nicest way possible.  Wrestling fans seem to love to critique the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion to no end.  Many of these same fans were marking out for Roman when he was in the Shield.

The Shield
Courtesy: WWE

I've thought about what's different now, other than the obvious he's no longer affiliated with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.  Roman's skill set has changed.  Superman Punch and the spear are his two big go to moves still.  The difference now is he's talking.  If the WWE Creative Team isn't going to turn him heel (and I don't think they have to) then they should return to Roman's roots and make him the strong, silent type.  

Many will argue you can't have success in wrestling or sports entertainment if you can't talk.  I don't believe that. Leave the talking to those who can do it.  Make Roman Reigns a destructive ass kicker who doesn't speak or is just a man of few words.  When he cuts a promo these days there's little emotion involved.  He's repeating lines someone has written for him.  That works for some people, but not everyone.  Fans pick up on this and that's part of the reason he gets booed.

Roman & The Rock
Courtesy: WWE

While he's trying out this new style, work with him behind the scenes on promos.  You can't teach charisma, but you can teach someone how to fake it long enough to get a point across.  He's from the same bloodline as one of the greatest talkers of all time, so let the Rock work him.  And please, stop trying to make him the second coming of the Rock or John Cena.  Let Roman be Roman.

 

Reunited and It Feels So...

The Shield "returns"
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Some surprises came out of the WWE Payback show, at least to me.  I'll get into the undercard in a minute, but since I titled this as such, I figured I'd touch on the brief, but awesome reunion of The Shield during the main event.  Obviously going into the the fatal four way I knew that Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns had once been a part of the most dominant trio in recent years.  But it never occurred to me that they would all work TOGETHER during the course of the match.

Crash landing
Courtesy: WWE

Because of my work schedule, I was fast asleep (actually I was still tossing and turning) by the time the WWE World Heavyweight Title match started.  When I logged into Twitter hours later, I saw pics and gifs of the "one-time only reunion" between Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns.  It made me look forward to coming home and watching the former Shield members take out Randy Orton with the triple power bomb.  

Nope
Courtesy: WWE

I loved it.  I know the way the current storyline is going it doesn't make sense to reunite the trio for good.  But for those few moments, I thought it was awesome.  I liked how Rollins seemed to think the band was back together and when Ambrose and Reigns tore into him and Kane it was a nice break from what I'd expected during the match.

Did he quit?
Courtesy: WWE

Another minor surprise, although I had written in my previous blog my predictions and they mostly matched up, there were no title changes.  I feel like that's a rarity these days, but I don't have any proof that it is.  I'm curious to see where the Rusev angle will go next, as I do believe they botched up over emphasizing that the Superstar must say "I quit."  Clearly Rusev did not.  I imagine the story will unfold on Raw with Rusev "firing" Lana, which will be odd to see these two without each other.

New Day... rocks
Courtesy: WWE

I thought New Day did a great job getting heat during the tag team title match.  I still love the combo of Cesaro and Kidd and those uppercuts that the Swiss Supermen threw were incredible.  This story could continue, but I do think the tag team ranks need some fresh faces in the hunt for gold.  Speaking of which, I was surprised to see Axelmania and Macho Mandow lose in their first outing as a team.  I really am impressed with both men's impressions of the legends, but Axel's "Hogan" routine is spot on as far as I'm concerned.  I guess this means The Ascension is here to stay.  

Busted open
Courtesy: WWE

Dolph Ziggler getting busted open was ugly.  It took ten stitches to sew him up.  There's plenty of speculation online as to whether he did that himself or if it happened the hardway.  It seemed a bit too bloody too fast for a blade job, but I'm just a fan.

I hope Bray Wyatt's win over Ryback helps him continue to climb the ladder (perhaps right into Money in the Bank).  And despite some online criticism, I think Naomi is a great athlete.  I'm still not sure she's next for a run as Divas champ.  Time will tell for all these things and the future of the Intercontinental title will be told in a couple of weeks at Elimination Chamber.  We'll break it all down soon here and on the podcast.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

The Shield ends
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Lots of folks are still buzzing about Seth Rollins and his split from The Shield.  I'll be the first to admit, I was surprised by the actions, because I thought either Roman Reigns or Dean Ambrose would be the first to leave the group.  I'm sad to see the faction split up, because I really thought they'd hit their stride and still had enough gas in the tank to carry the gimmick a bit further.  But I'm interested to see how this situation is going to develop and instead of speculating on what's next, I'm going to look back on some other big breakups in the world of wrestling.

The shocking turns we all talk about include Hulk Hogan joining the nWo.  Paul Bearer whacking The Undertaker in the head with his own urn back in 1996 is burned in our memories.  And we'll never forget Shawn Michaels superkicking and throwing his Rockers partner Marty Jannetty through the glass window of the Barber Shop set more than 20 years ago.

Paul Orndorff turns on Hulk Hogan
Photo courtesy: WWE

When I was in middle school, Hulkamania was sweeping the nation.  Hogan and Paul Orndorff had formed an alliance after the first Wrestlemania and teamed up to rid the WWF of Roddy Piper, Bob Orton, and Bobby Heenan's family.  However, enough was enough and just over a year into their partnernship "Mr. Wonderful" was finished with the Hulkster.  Orndorff claimed he was tired of living in Hogan's shadow and on WWF Superstars, he clotheslined and delivered a devastating piledriver to the champ after they'd beaten the tandem of Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy.  This set the wheels in motion for a memorable feud between the former friends, which was highlighted with that epic steel cage match "tie" on Saturday Night's Main Event.  Hogan would go on to lose more friends through the years like Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, and Brutus Beefcake (in WCW).

Ronnie Garvin and his new friends
 

Besides Hogan, I think Dusty Rhodes is the other face to have lost as many friends.  The Road Warriors attacked him and tried putting out his eye.  Barry Windham turned on him and joined the Four Horsemen.  Even "Hands of Stone" Ronnie Garvin punched out the Dream.  It happened at the Great American Bash in 1988. Garvin walked into the ring, cold-cocked Dusty and left. Windham was defending the U.S. Title against Rhodes and covered the unconscious hero for the three count.  Garvin nor Rhodes stuck around in the NWA very long after so we never really got to see this feud develop.

Chris Adams snaps
Photo courtesy: worldclasswrestling.net

Another trusting group of faces who always had friends stabbing them in the back was the Von Erich family.  The popular and charismatic brothers ended up getting betrayed by the likes of Brian Adias, Iceman King Parsons, and "Gentleman" Chris Adams. While still a good guy, Adams turned to the notorious manager Gary Hart (who also briefly managed the rouge Ronnie Garvin in the NWA) for guidance.  Long time friend and partner, Kevin Von Erich advised against the move.  Eventually Chris got tired of the goody two shoes and blasted his buddy with a chair one night. This set up an epic feud between the two and lead to a partnership between Adams, Gino Hernandez, and very briefly Jake "The Snake" Roberts.  While the feud wasn't as intense as the Von Erichs and Freebirds, the matches were always solid and eventually simmered after Kerry and Kevin beat The Dynamic Duo and shaved their heads.  

These are just a few of the great (again in my opinion) breakups in wrestling.  What are your faves?  Post here and thanks for reading.

Payback: More Like Money Back

High flyin'
Courtesy: WWE.com

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

What a difference four days can make. Last Thursday, WWE presented NXT: Takeover, a show with mostly non-main roster talent that had two really good matches and arguably the best Divas match since NXT: Arrival. Last night, WWE presented Payback. Payback had a mixture of established stars and fresh talents who have the crowd soundly behind them, yet the only thing memorable about the show was how unmemorable it will end up being a week from now. 

I realize with “pay per views” now being on the WWE Network almost exclusively there isn’t the need to convince fans… I mean, members of the WWE Universe to fork over $45 on a monthly basis. However, WWE needs to realize with these shows being three hours long, they need to entice fans to spend that time watching the show. Out of the three hours for Payback, only about 45 minutes were worth watching. And that’s being generous. 

Bad news for RVD
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

Payback was essentially a one-match show in my opinion. There are several popular WWE Superstars that I don’t really care to watch and that affects my view of the show. That list includes, Sheamus, Rob Van Dam (which is sad since I used to be a huge RVD mark back during ECW’s heyday) and Evolution. 

Because of that bias, and the fact I didn’t watch the show until around 11pm due to watching the Kings/Blackhawks game, I’ll admit that I didn’t really give 100% attention to the Cesaro/Sheamus, Bad News Barrett/RVD or Big E/Rusev matches. 

In addition to matches with little personal interest, another complaint I had was with the announcing. I know complaining about WWE announcing is like complaining about a visit to the DMV. You know what you’re going to get before you get there but it’s still annoying. 

During Payback, Michael Cole started a new trend of telling the WWE Universe what hash tag to on Twitter during each match. When he wasn’t coaching the social media users, most of the time he sounded like he was parroting whatever was being said into his ear instead of actually calling a match. JBL and Jerry Lawler were their typical selves. So take that how you will. 

Evolution vs. the Shield
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

As for the actual matches, other than the Shield doing a complete sweep over Evolution in the elimination match main event, I don’t think there was anything worth going out of your way to see on this show. Even the Shield/Evolution match wasn’t as good as their match at Extreme Rules. It was more of Evolution lays out a member of the Shield until another member of the Shield comes flying into the picture taking out all three members of Evolution. Repeat that sequence for 30 minutes. 

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

The big announcement coming out of the show is Daniel Bryan is still WWE Champion after his wife Brie Bella decided to quit instead of being fired. After quitting, Brie slapped Stephanie McMahon who then ran off backstage never to be seen again. If you like bad acting, this segment was designed for you. 

They're both still standing...
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

The moment that really took me out of the show and made me question WWE booking was John Cena defeating Bray Wyatt in the Last Man Standing match. Everything WWE has done right with the Shield, they seem to do wrong with Bray Wyatt. Even though John Cena put over Bray at the press conference table, having Cena come out victorious instead of helping establish a new talent, doesn’t make sense to me. Or maybe I’m just a bigger Bray fan than Cena fan so I’m upset Bray didn’t win. 

Overall, if you have three hours to kill and are looking for something to watch, go to SMVOD.com and buy Chikara’s You Only Live Twice. If you have 30 minutes to kill, the Shield/Evolution match isn’t a bad time filler. 

Match results :

Sheamus defeated Cesaro to retain the US title

RybAxel defeated the Rhodes Brothers

Rusev defeated Big E.

Kane attacked Kofi Kingston before his match with Bo Dallas

Bad New Barrett retained the IC title over Rob Van Dam

John Cena was the last man standing against Bray Wyatt

Paige defeated Alicia Fox

The Shield had a clean sweep against Evolution in an elimination match.