Rox here, filling in for CB this week. Hope you’re all well<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hot on the heels of WWE Fastlane<\/em>, the machine keeps rolling and tonight it thunders into\nPittsburgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The arena erupts into a chorus of cheers as\nDean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns descend through the crowd to make\ntheir farewell address as the SHIELD to the WWE Universe. Nothing has happened\nyet, but you can\u2019t help but feel emotional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLife is short and tomorrow is not guaranteed\nand if last night was the last time ever, then I have no regrets. I was in this\nring doing what I love with people I love\u201d \u2013 Roman Reigns<\/p>\n\n\n\n They talk about how they each have business\nto attend to, none more so than Seth Rollins, who\u2019s encouraged to \u2018Slay the beast\u2019\nand \u2018Burn it down\u2019 by the raucous Pittsburgh crowd. Ambrose and Reigns depart,\nleaving Rollins to take the mic. He\u2019s, of course, interrupted by Paul Heyman. Back\nand forth dialect ensues, Rollins cleverly highlighting some of Brock Lesnar\u2019s\nmost recent opponents have almost bested him and Lesnar can\u2019t handle the style\nof the \u201csmaller\u201d guys. Is the Universal Title coming home? I sure hope so. The\nLesnar vignette was pretty cool but the Pittsburgh crowd aint buying it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shelton Benjamin appears out of nowhere and\nexecutes three German Suplex\u2019s to Rollins. Do we have our new Paul Heyman guy? Do\nwe need a new Paul Heyman guy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shelton\nBenjamin v Seth Rollins \u2013 Winner \u2013 Seth Rollins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A match between the two follows and Heyman\njoins the commentary table. It\u2019s almost a relief to see Benjamin being utilized,\nseeing though he\u2019s done next to nothing since coming back to WWE. Rollins needs\nto build momentum leading up to Wrestlemania\n<\/em>and a match like this is perfect for pushing him. We all want Rollins to win\nat \u2018Mania <\/em>and it\u2019s important we go\ninto in believing, whole-heartedly, that he can do so. Benjamin looks purposeful\nand aggressive. The two work well together and put on a decent match. It is, of\ncourse, Rollins who picks up the win but with a very strong showing from both\ncompetitors. Oh, and Lesnar will be present on Raw next week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finn Balor interrupts Rollin\u2019s celebration\nand the two shake hands at the top of the ramp. Be still my fangirl heart.\nShall we take another moment to appreciate how glorious the Intercontinental Title\nlooks around the waist of Balor\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bobby\nLashley v Finn Balor (c) \u2013 Intercontinental Title match \u2013 Winner \u2013 Bobby\nLashley<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Is Lashley powdering his head? Not that it\nreally matters, He looks mean and calculated but he can\u2019t sell a move for jack,\nhe even managed to make Balor\u2019s Slingblade look weak. Balor is precise and\nquick as always but I, like everyone else, am tired of seeing this. Lashley has\nbeen underwhelming since his return, even the charisma of Lio Rush didn\u2019t\nelevate him. Balor needs convincing and exhilarating competition so he can\nunleash the potential we all know he has. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rush interrupts the match by distracting\nBalor, ringing the bell. As a result, Balor is caught mid-air by a Spear,\nsecuring Lashley the victory, thanks once again, to Lio Rush. I am sat here\nwith my head in my hands questioning once again, who in the blue hell is\nbooking Balor like this and why are they switching the title three weeks before\nWrestlemania? <\/em>If someone could\nenlighten me, I\u2019d be very grateful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ronda Rousey, trying so desperately hard to\nbe the \u201cbaddest woman on the planet\u201d comes storming down to the ring looking all\npouty and grumpy. This should be good, *coughs* NOT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crowd are not impressed. From\nexperience, the crowds of the upper eastern states are loud, passionate and\neducated. Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York etc are always going to make\nyou work hard for their approval, either as a heel or a face. Ronda Rousey is\nneither and this Pittsburgh crowd are not having it. Although I do thank her\nfor the \u201cbandwagon bitches\u201d phrase, I plan on incorporating it into my everyday\ndialect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Breath between sentences Ronda. She claims WWE,\nBecky and Charlotte are \u201ccarnie con-artists\u201d and she\u2019s going to expose them, anyone\nwho believes in Becky, Charlotte or any of this is a joke. Mic drop, in the literal\nsense, not in the \u2018oh my god I love to hate her sense\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dana Brooke comes out. And for the record,\nshe looks absolutely AMAZING!! Fierce, composed, articulate, she bares her heart\nto us all and challenges Rousey to a match. Rousey rags Brooke about before uttering\n\u201cpay sixty bucks and I\u2019ll show you an armbar\u201d to the crowd. Make what you will\nof that. Maybe we could all list 1 thing we\u2019d rather pay sixty bucks on\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aleister\nBlack & Ricochet v Bobby Roode and Chad Gable<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I think we can all agree that the call up\nof Black and Ricochet have been great so far. I think we can also agree that Roode\nand Gable have done a good job as a tag team since randomly being thrown\ntogether. Black is quick and calculated, Roode has a fabulous Spine Buster,\nGable executes the highflying style, I personally really enjoy and then Ricochet\nenters the match, dazzling and captivating. I could watch Gable and Ricochet go\nat it forever. All four have such wonderful chemistry, every sequence is\nequanimous whilst maintaining a momentum which suits all participants. A Fade To\nBlack to Rood secures the win for Black. These two appear to be in a role but\nThe Revival appear disgruntled by the win, attacking the NXT hopefuls on the ramp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A quick insight into what the superstars of\nWWE do in their spare time \u2013 they visit kids fighting cancer. These guys are\nclass acts, in every possible way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nmoment of Bliss<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexa Bliss is a goddess, she really is. Alexa\nBliss is going to the host of this years Wrestlemania.\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Backstage Strowman segment, a new car from\nthe Saturday Night Live folks, which subsequently gets wrecked. Are we done\nwith Strowman yet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ladies and Gentlemen\u2026. Elias<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pittsburgh love him, a hometown hero who\neveryone wants to walk with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No Way Jose comes out to interrupt proceedings\nand to quote Renee Young, he looks like Naomi but he soon finds himself on the\nreceiving end of an Elias Dropkick. Elias unleashes hell on Joe\u2019s entourage. To\nquote myself in a slightly different context, \u2018Oh Elias, what are they going to\ndo with you?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hall of Fame 2019 inductee \u2013 Harlem Heat \u2013\nStevie Ray and Booker T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lacey Evans and her strut about the place\nsees her sass Renee Young this week. Please do not sass Renee Young, she\u2019s our God\n(well mine anyway) and her strut is interrupted by Nia Jax and Tamina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As an educated female wrestling fan, I feel\nWWE makes us feel like we should be grateful that Nia Jax has a permanent slot\non our TV screens, but I cannot emphasize enough how much I dislike her, her character\nand her lack of ability. I know there are people out there who do and each to their\nown, but I feel that her skills in terms or her ability to advocate women empowerment\nand positive body image are best placed outside of a WWE ring. For the record,\nthat says ring, it doesn\u2019t mean she can\u2019t remain a positive force within the\nWWE brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nia Jax\nv Natalya<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nattie cuts decent promo about who has her\nback. Out walks Beth Phoenix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sort of having a fangirl moment right\nnow\u201d \u2013 Renee Young<\/p>\n\n\n\n Me too Renee, me too!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This match is a none starter. Jax and\nNattie start it out but it\u2019s only a few minutes before Phoenix and Tamina are\ninterfering. Phoenix looks strong as she clears the ring but chaos goes off in\nthe Gorilla Position as The Boss n Hug connection pounce on the disrespectful duo.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is building an interesting story for\nthe women\u2019s tag team division on the road to Wrestlemania. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Batista arrives!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Triple H, wrists and fingers strapped in\nhis jeans and leather jacket looks ready to fight and Batista\u2019s music hits and\nthe crowd go nuts. It\u2019s been year since we heard his entrance music \u201cI walk for\nmiles inside this pit of danger\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Batista is rusty in the mic, I hope he aint\nrusty in the ring. They don\u2019t teach them to cut promos like Triple H does. He\nrefers to Batista\u2019s security as the \u201cGuardians of the independent scene\u201d and\nfrankly I can\u2019t decide if this is hilarious or radically disrespectful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The intensity between these two is undeniable\nand culminates in Triple H granting Batista a match to end his career on his\nterms and to end Trips career on his terms. No rules, no restrictions, no law,\nNO HOLDS BARRED!! You better bring it Hollywood!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kurt Angle takes to the ring to address his\nfuture. 23 years ago he left Pittsburgh to compete in the Olympics with a\nbroken freakin\u2019 neck. He\u2019s been a part of WWE for 20 years. At Wrestlemania <\/em>he will compete in his\nfarewell match. He goes on to thank WWE and the WWE Universe. Pittsburgh erupts\nto a chorus of \u201cthank you Kurt\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apollo\nCrews v Kurt Angle \u2013 Angle\u2019s final match in Pittsburgh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is absolutely no doubt that the time\nis right for Angle to hang up his boots. You can see a lot of Angle\u2019s influence\nin Crews\u2019 style. The low center of gravity, the ground and pound but the\nprecision and technical ability, is tangible. This match is almost a passing of\nthe torch and you can absolutely see Crews taking over this technical ability.\nCrews would do well to remember that Angle\u2019s success is largely down to him not\ntaking himself too seriously and being able to carry a story line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Roman\nReigns v Baron Corbin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As Reigns walks down the ramp, Corey Graves\nmakes a very contrived comment about Reigns\u2019 battle with cancer. And I quote \u201cRoman\nReigns credits the entire WWE Universe to helping him pull of this miraculous\nrecovery\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make of this comment what you will but is\ndelivery and tone, something about it, didn\u2019t sit right. Was it too contrived,\ntoo scripted? Could it be perceived as quasi inauthentic? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the match even gets under way, Reigns\nis attacked by Drew McIntyre. He leaves Reigns laid out on the mat outside the\nring before Corbin has even entered the fray. Reigns fights back but is on the\nreceiving end of a Claymore, twice. He looks dazed as medical officials attend\nto him at ringside. Seth Rollins comes out to aid his friend. Reigns selling it\nlike a boss, hesitantly makes his way backstage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now what? We have 20 minutes of Raw left.\nFast lane recap! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Backstage segment with The Shield, Reigns\nand Rollins head to the arena as Ambrose approaches Triple H for a No DQ, No Count\nOut, Falls Count Anywhere match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dean\nAmbrose v Drew McIntyre <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n These guys spend the remainder of the show\nknocking ten bells out of each other. It saddens me that Ambrose won\u2019t be staying\nwith WWE because he has such intensity and heart, it almost feels like he\u2019s\npart of the furniture. You can\u2019t help but think that with his contract coming\nto the end, he\u2019s been given some creative control of his character and where he\nsits now is where he\u2019s at his best. This enigmatic lose canon, this cheeky\ntweener with a wicked sense of humor, a badass with a soft spot, a weakness if you\nwill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This match spills all over the arena,\nAmbrose even taking time to enjoy some popcorn. Both can execute and sell these\nbig moves in all areas of the arena, adding to the storytelling of the match.\nMcIntyre taunts Ambrose and Ambrose is avenging his fallen brother. This match\nhas everything, pace, intensity and technical capability as well as audience\nengagement. Pittsburgh wants brutality and massive high spots and these guys deliver.\nFrom fighting it out on the announce table to Ambrose taking a body slam into\nthe LED stag, this match sates the crowd. Ambrose takes brutal looking Claymore\nwhen tied up in the steel railings on the stage, securing him the victory. But\nAmbrose is back on his feet during the celebration and once again, is laid out\nby a Claymore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Drew McIntyre is demanding our attention\nand I think he\u2019s got it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rox here, filling in for CB this week. Hope you’re all well Hot on the heels of WWE Fastlane, the machine keeps rolling and tonight it thunders into Pittsburgh. 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