They clashed in the ring and champions remained, but was it enough to leave an impression?
Clash of Champions just sort of happened. Good wrestling, but ultimately rather skippable. But there’s possibly big things on the horizon so let’s get right to it.
1) With the inevitable demise of TNA approaching, do you think that WWE is going to buy them out like they did with WCW and ECW?
Corey: I think there is a strong possibility that it could happen. I can see Vince wanting TNA’s library for a fact as well as a number of their talent. Also, I can see Vince laughing to himself that he conquered another company that once tried to rival him.
Josh: I mean we knew this was coming right? TNA was skating on thin ice for what seemed like an eternity. Rumor has it Vince McMahon put in a lowball offer for TNA that hinted at interest in the tape library to add to the WWE Network. There’s definitely some talent they’re interested in as well, but I would expect that if they do purchase TNA they will most likely renegotiate the contracts they want and buy the rest out. But I will also say, I don’t think WWE buying TNA is likely to happen. If someone, such as Billy Corgan, buys TNA there’s still a possibility Vince could get the tape library five or 10 years from now at another fraction of the cost. Vince can bide his time on this and I would guess he has every intention of doing so.
2) Clash of Champions was this past Sunday. What was the high point and the low point?
Corey: I hate to say this but the low point to me was New Day retaining the tag titles. I’m a fan of them, but at the same time it’s time for something new in the tag division and if they keep beating Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson then after a while no one is going to care about either of them. The high point was definitely Cesaro vs Sheamus which, by the way, I’m still shocked that I’m saying this. Those two beat the living daylights out of each other and I loved it. Granted the suicide dive Cesaro did scared the life out of me for how he landed, but also when he did a 619 — it actually made me laugh!
Josh: Match of the night would probably go to Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. Great match even with the highly predictable result. But they’ve grown some characters in the process, which is definitely important moving forward. Low point would be the general way the Cruiserweight Title match came across. Expectations seem to be a little out of whack when these guys enter the ring. I’m not sure if it’s because people are expecting these super high-flying affairs, but there’s a disconnect between what’s happening in the ring and how the crowd is responding. TJ Perkins new entrance is dope, but I would like to see some new ring gear to match it.
3) As of RAW Mick Foley has now said that Sheamus and Cesaro are now going to be a tag team. What are your thoughts?
Corey: I think it’s an interesting idea. It reminds me of when Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit held the tag titles or even when Stone Cold Steve Austin and Undertaker held the tag titles. Two men that don’t really get along but are great in the ring. Hopefully if they do get a tag title run they won’t end up overshadowing the other tag teams since this is clearly just a storyline match up.
Josh: It’s a fun story, but I’m just a little stuck on if it’s the best use of these talents. Clearly the Raw tag division needs some more teams, and it’s a good way to give two guys you haven’t really done anything with something that’s meaningful. I need to see how this plays out before passing judgement, but color me skeptical.
4) What are your thoughts on the Cruiserweight division so far now that they are on the main roster?
Corey: I am INCREDIBLY disappointed. The CWC was magic. Perfect. But the way that they are used on RAW so far is terrible. It’s still early but at the current time it seems like they have really dropped the ball.
Josh: It’s definitely a missed opportunity. As I’ve already mentioned, there’s something not quite clicking with the Cruiserweight matches. I think a large portion of that has to do with there only being one true heel amongst the group in Brian Kendrick. Perkins and Kendrick’s story I think will pan out for the better. But what happens after that? Who is the next guy in line? Lead us down the path and tell meaningful stories — the division will come around in the end.
5) On this week’s Talking Smack, John Cena had an excellent interview. At one point the discussion turned to Dean Ambrose and he had some not too nice things to say. One of the main points was that out of all of the Shield members, Dean, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, Dean was the only one that hasn’t quiet figured it out. How do you feel about that comment?
Corey: I do see that Dean is a great talent, but at the same time he is missing just one tiny thing to make him a star and quite frankly I think it’s a heel turn. He just comes off as a natural heel to me. He has the in-ring work but it seems he would be better in a heel role. And I do kind of agree that once he became champion and went to Smackdown he did seem to get complacent.
Josh: Cena was throwing some shade! Seriously though Cena has a point. Dean is sort of the odd man out. He’s not as big of a star as Rollins or Reigns. Ambose feels like the everyman wrestler and while he’s billed as this lunatic he never feels dangerous. If you bill a guy as crazy then he should probably be a little crazy. Ambrose has plenty of time to figure it out and I think he will. His talent is too good not to, but there could be a serious case of wandering happening for Ambrose in the near future.
Additional Thoughts
Corey:
– I want to see more Brian Kendrick. Out of all of the cruiserweights he has the most polished and fleshed out character.
– The Raw Women’s division has 3 women right now that at any point could carry the Women’s Championship and I LOVE that.
– The Career vs Title Match with Miz vs Dolph Ziggler looks like it’s finally going to be Ziggler’s time to shine. Too bad the WWE has given him so many losses that no one is really going to care when he finally wins and I hate that because he’s one of my favorites.
Josh:
– Speaking of that interview with John Cena, Renee Young looked super uncomfortable towards the end there. There are clearly reasons for that to be the case.
– The pacing of Raw is still off. After two strong first weeks of the brand split, Raw is a slog to get through. I thought the cruiserweights would fix that problem, but there’s clearly more going wrong that just an inability to fill time.
– I’m so excited for the start of the 2nd Annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The first one was great and the teams already announced for this year’s are insane. This should be a really fun event.
Corey Stewart
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