Late to the Party Review: KOTR, Queen’s Crown, and G1 Climax Finals.

WWE Photo
Photo Credit: WWE

Welcome to our late to the party review of the G1 Climax, Queen’s Crown, and King of the Ring finals. One tournament finale triumphed while another one ended in disaster. Then, there was one that was just, meh.

QUEEN’S CROWN: Zelina Vega defeated Doudrop to become the inaugural Queen’s Crown winner. It was a slow and plotting match that failed to resonate on an engaging level. I’m not sure if it was the massive size discrepancy between the two.

Perhaps their ability to move around the ring comfortably was hindered by the long sleeve shirt and pants they wore instead of their wrestling gear per Saudi law? While Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bianca Belair didn’t have that problem in their Triple Threat Match, it’s different strokes for different folks.

Vega’s Queen’s Crown coronation on Raw and rematch with Doudrop was her longest televised segment in over a year. Vega looks the part and is good on the microphone. If WWE sticks with booking her as a serious character long-term, they will get a good return on the investment. I would have bet the farm she would lose to Doudrop due to WWE’s 50/50 booking. Surprisingly, she did not, which is promising.

Continue reading “Late to the Party Review: KOTR, Queen’s Crown, and G1 Climax Finals.” →

G1 Climax, Queens’s Crown & King of the Ring Predictions

Three tournaments culminate tomorrow as WWE and NJPW hold one of the biggest events on their respective calendars. New Japan Pro Wrestling will hold the finals of the G-1 Climax, a grueling month-long, round-robin tournament. WWE will head to Saudi Arabia with a loaded card to crown a new King of the Ring, and one woman will win the inaugural Queen’s Crown.

Continue reading “G1 Climax, Queens’s Crown & King of the Ring Predictions” →

King of the Ring & Queen’s Crown Update: 4 Remain

WWE revealed the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown brackets last Friday as all first-round matches are in the books. The right-hand side of the semifinal bracket will occur on SmackDown with the other half on Raw.

King of the Ring saw Sami Zayn beat Rey Mysterio and Finn Balor topple Cesaro. On Raw, Xavier Woods defeated Ricochet in a fun matchup, and Jinder Mahal pinned Kofi Kingston.

In the Queen’s Crown, Carmella beat Liv Morgan while Zelina Vega pinned Toni Storm. Shanya Baszler made quick work of Dana Brooke and Doudrop over Natalya in somewhat of an upset.

The finals of both tournaments will occur at Crown Jewel.

Continue reading “King of the Ring & Queen’s Crown Update: 4 Remain” →

King of the Ring & Queen’s Crown Preview

WWE dusts off King of the Ring, which coincides with the inaugural Queen’s Crown beginning tonight on SmackDown and continues Monday on Raw. Both tournaments conclude at Crown Jewel on October 21, one day before the new draft rosters go into effect.

The brackets haven’t been released. However, we can still preview the tournaments by looking back at how WWE fulfilled their past needs.

Continue reading “King of the Ring & Queen’s Crown Preview” →

Another WWE Draft In The Books

Another WWE Draft is in the books, with both Raw and SmackDown refreshing their respective rosters with some NXT pick-ups sprinkled in. The draft occurred over two nights. Beginning on SmackDown and ending last night on Raw. The new rosters won’t go into effect until Friday, October 22, which is the day after Crown Jewel.

Continue reading “Another WWE Draft In The Books” →

Bron Breakker Shines In NXT 2.0 Debut

NXT 2.0 debuted with a colorful and vibrant motif to signal the start of a new era for WWE’s developmental brand. While opinions are mixed regarding NXT’s new direction, one piece of business that conjured up some excitement is the arrival of a new wrestler named Bron Breakker.

Continue reading “Bron Breakker Shines In NXT 2.0 Debut” →

Looking back at 9/11 with WWE Documentary ‘Never Forget’ (Review)

I was sleeping in on the morning of September 11, 2001, for I thought it was another Tuesday off from school.

Continue reading “Looking back at 9/11 with WWE Documentary ‘Never Forget’ (Review)” →

Thoughts on the 13 NXT Releases

Image: WWE

The bloodshed continues as WWE released 13 NXT talents Friday night during SmackDown. Many of the names on this list were currently on television, while others wrestled sparingly. What does this mean for the future of NXT and WWE? What about Triple H and Vince McMahon’s eye for talent? Bronson Reed is the prominent name on the list that includes:

  • Bobby Fish
  • Mercedes Martinez
  • Leon Ruff
  • Tyler Rust
  • Jake Atlas
  • Ari Sterling
  • Kona Reeves
  • Zechariah Smith
  • Asher Hale
  • Giant Zanjeer 
  • Stephon Smith (Referee)
  • Denzel Dejournette
Continue reading “Thoughts on the 13 NXT Releases” →

Ringside Roundup: Bray Wyatt, Adam Page, Ronda Rousey, Adam Cole’s Contract, More

– Bray Wyatt Released by WWE

WWE releasing Bray Wyatt was the big news of this past weekend. Wyatt, whos been out since WrestleMania in a losing effort to Randy Orton, was expected to return at any moment. At the end of the match, Alexa Bliss turned on Wyatt while simultaneously taking over “The Fiend” character.

WWE has released over 33 wrestlers in 2021, with Wyatt as the latest casualty with “budget cuts” cited as the official reason. The company is reportedly trying to get the payroll down, and with such an initiative, a wrestler’s on-screen range as a performer means more than ever. What do I mean?

Continue reading “Ringside Roundup: Bray Wyatt, Adam Page, Ronda Rousey, Adam Cole’s Contract, More” →

Wrestling’s “Pizza Cutter Gate” is a Howl

Yesterday morning, I told my wife, who doesn’t follow wrestling, about “Pizza Cutter Gate.” As I finished telling the story, her dog barking text notification went off. It was a message from Dominos about a new pizza deal. At that point, I knew I had to write about this.

Dominos issued a statement regarding a commercial that aired Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite playing juxtaposed to Nick Gage using a pizza cutter on Chris Jericho’s forehead. This bloody and hilarious coincidence has everyone but AEW laughing.

Continue reading “Wrestling’s “Pizza Cutter Gate” is a Howl” →