Reviews

Music Of 2020: Quarter #1- Top 12

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

I don’t like making these quarterly lists too long, but the fact that artists like Halsey, Grimes, The Weeknd, Mac Miller (posthumously) and Chelsea Cutler all put out albums over the last few months and I chose to put none of their songs on here is a testament to just how much great music has been released so far this year. As always, I’m not saying that these are the BEST songs released, they’re just my favorites :). Enjoy.

 

Honorable Mentions

4. Kisses To The Sky- Jadakiss ft. Rick Ross

3. loneliness for love- lovelytheband

2. He Don’t Love Me- Winona Oak

  1. Anxiety- Krewella ft. Arrested Youth

Top 12 

12. Murder Most Foul- Bob Dylan

I think it’s quite fitting that at 79 years old, and during a worldwide pandemic, Bob Dylan would drop a near-17 minute marathon track, with a simple melody, led by just piano and strings, about another worldwide phenomenon that is still such a mystery. John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas on November 22nd, 1963 will forever and always be one of the most mind-boggling events in America’s history, and history as a whole. Dylan, his prowess as a songwriter as effervescent as ever, seems to be warning the listener to, even in these times of uncertainty and fear surrounding COVID-19, stay alert and stay thoughtful.

11. Letters to Nipsey- Meek Mill ft. Roddy Ricch

Nipsey Hussle’s passing brought not only his artistry and musicianship to light for many people, myself included, but also his incredible character and selflessness for others. While this song isn’t one I return to often, I believe it is a fitting tribute to a man whose career hadn’t even peaked yet and would have gone onto such great heights had he not been taken from us. Meek Mill, a rapper who’s struggles are prolific and well-documented in his own right, and Roddy Ricch, who spent 11 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “The Box” trade emotional verses, where they attempt to rationalize the loss of a man who left a wife and kids behind; “Seen your kids on the ‘Gram, got me sick to my stomach and as the marathon continues, we keep runnin.”

10. Cinnamon- Hayley Williams

Hayley Williams is one hell of a vocalist and performer. She’s served as the lead singer of a little group called Paramore (ever heard of em?) for a decade and a half now, but “Petals For Armor” is her first attempt at a solo in-between type project. “Cinnamon”, my favorite track off the project, sees the singer show the same type of impressive restraint she showed on lead single “Simmer”, her silky, lilting vocal growing more and more captivating throughout. She sings of the smells and comforts of her home, and the safety of it; “I’m not lonely, I am free. If I let you in you would never want to leave.”

9. All That I’m Not- Nearly York

Nearly York is an up-and-coming alternative-pop group from Lancaster, PA. Their debut EP, “Like Everybody Else” is a smooth, easy listen, but “All That I’m Not” is by far my favorite track. It’s a song for everyone that just can’t seem to figure it out, even though things are changing around them; “I finally got that tattoo on my shoulder, I thought by now I might feel a bit older. But I’m still the kid that can’t please myself, too concerned with everybody else.” One of the highlights for me is the vocal production, which is warm and luscious atop the soothing Ed Sheeran-esque instrumental.

8. In My Bones- Jacob Collier ft. Kimbra and Tank and the Bangas

If you’re looking for something to dance to while you’re in quarantine, this is the song for you. Led by literal music genus Jacob Collier, it’s Nile Rodgers and Bruno Mars’ “24k Magic” record on steroids. With him on the track are Kimbra, most known for her contribution to Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” and Tarriana “Tank” Ball of funk group Tank and the Bangas. If I could compare it to anything, it’s what Fred and George Weasley’s Hogwarts exit in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” would sound like if it was a song. Combining clashes of sounds, whirring tempos and boundless, playful energy, Collier makes it look easy.

7. Born Tired- Jhene Aiko

I’ve had a hard time connecting with Jhene Aiko and her previous releases, particularly 2017’s “Trip”, an album I feel I should revisit. Her newest release, “Chilombo”, showcases just how gorgeous her voice is, with lush vocals and “chill” instrumentals designed to highlight them. On “Born Tired”, Aiko encourages the listener to find the strength to push through daily life even if things seem bleak and tiresome; “Look at how far you’ve come and look at all that you have going. Look at who you have become, baby, you gotta keep going.”

6. Quick Escape- Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam rocked my world at the Global Citizen Festival at New York’s Central Park in 2015 with raucous, riveting performances of classic balls-to-the-wall rockers like “Alive”, “Better Man” and personal favorite “Lightning Bolt”. “Quick Escape”, a cut off their newly-released record “Gigaton”, shows Pearl Jam at their best, political and ferocious; “Crossed the border to Morocco, Kasmir then Marrakech. The lengths we had to go then to find a place Trump hadn’t f***ed up yet.” A potent bassline, a gutteral guitar solo (that could have stretched another minute or two) and Vedder’s gruff, intense vocals are like ecstasy, a sign that the bands stranglehold on grunge-rock as a whole is far from over.

5. Take Yourself Home- Troye Sivan

There’s just something so alluring to me about Troye’s music. Whether it’s the darker, moodier cuts like “Bite” or “Talk Me Down”, the brash and brazen “My My My!” or the lighter, poppier sounds of “Bloom” or “Plum”, I can’t help but be drawn to him. “Take Yourself Home”, seemingly the first single off his upcoming record, is not just your standard electro-pop song. There are layers here. We go from the softer, more introspective side of Troye, as he sings about not really knowing where he fits in the world despite seemingly having it all; “Counting all the losses that you can’t collect, got everything and nothing in my life.”, before switching to a dance-heavy instrumental that adds well over a minute to the tracks runtime.

4. Physical- Dua Lipa

It took quite a long time for much of the world, myself included, to warm up to
“Don’t Start Now”, Dua Lipa’s lead single off her newly-released “Future Nostalgia” record. It, however, took me about one minute to be absolutely obsessed with “Physical”. The call-and-response vocal in the chorus, the hand-claps in the bridge and just the overall energy throughout the track result in a perfectly-executed ode to the synth-pop sound of the 80’s, and it’s a beautiful thing. The chorus is pure bliss, as Dua playfully yet sensually corrals a lover; “I’ll night I’ll riot with you. I know you’ve got my back and you know I got you so come on….come on…..come on, let’s get physical.”

3. Forever- Justin Bieber ft. Post Malone and Clever

I know, “Yummy” is not lead-single material. Is it horrible? I don’t think so. But is it Justin’s best work? No, it doesn’t quite measure up to “Sorry” or “Let Me Love You”. What does measure up is this cut from his new record “Changes” that is by far the most interesting song on the album. Justin’s singing about his wife, as is the norm on this album; “You still intimidate me, keep me up on my toes now. Better man is what you made me, made me aware of what I was missing.”, but I think it’s the production, which sits in a gorgeous spot sonically, that allows Justin’s voice itself to sit in such a comfortable place. It’s just so incredibly pleasing to listen to. Post Malone’s verse is standard, but it’s Clever, with his soulful, gritty voice that really steals the show here, taking the opportunity to showcase himself on one of the biggest releases of the year with his own story of devotion; “When I leave it’s bye for now, it’s just never bye for long. Set my feelings aside, let’s settle down, every time I go the wrong way you turn me back around.”

2. Modern Loneliness- Lauv

It’s no secret that Lauv is one of my favorite artists right now. Songs from his “I met you when I was 18” playlist have defined the last two years of my life, and he delivered in a big way with his debut album “how I’m feeling”. The last pre-released single from the record,  I was lucky enough to see him perform it live mere hours before the album dropped but I almost wish he could have saved it. The track encapsulates what it’s like to be young and lonely, particularly in the age of social media; “Modern loneliness, we’re never alone but always depressed. Love my friends to death, but I never call them, I never text them.” The track begins with just Lauv himself, singing in his sweet falsetto, but is later accompanied by a chorus of voices of those seemingly echoing the sentiments of the hurt they also feel. The explosive, poignant track is as arena-ready as anything Lauv has released thus far, and is the perfect way to close out the record.

  1. not ur friend- Jeremy Zucker

Jeremy Zucker, like Lauv, Cheslea Cutler and a boatload of other artists that fall into the alternative pop category, just has a knack for connecting with listeners who can relate to his outward sincerity and his ability to process his feelings. This acoustic-driven track, a cut off his upcoming record “love is not dying”, is simple yet stirring as Jeremy sings about coming to terms with a toxic individual and letting them go; “Honest, if I’m coming to your place it’s to say it to your face. I’ve decided that I’m not your f***ing friend.” Typically calmer and composed, his intensity grows until it reaches a boiling point near the end of the track, when he lets out a shout of anger and frustration, no longer allowing this person to have any control.

 

Jeremy-Zucker-Not-Ur-Friend

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WWE Review: Payback

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Clearly, the post-WrestleMania lull has not started for WWE yet. Payback had its fair share of “who books this crap” moments, but the standout matches were some of the best we’ve seen this year.

Preshow

Match 1: Kalisto vs Ryback…Winner- Kalisto

I enjoyed their match at WrestleMania (after I was finally able to watch it), but I think this one was the better of the two. Ryback might not work well with a lot of people, but guys like him and Rusev thrive when wrestling the high-flyers like Kalisto. He showcased himself well here, looking super dominant throwing Kalisto around like a toy. Kalisto had some excellent offense as well, even the almost-botched corkscrew to the outside. Some of his stuff looked a little less picture-perfect then usual, but only because Ryback is isn’t used to having to take moves like that. I really enjoyed the finish, even though I felt like Kalisto popped up too quick from the gorilla press slam from the middle rope. The Salida Del Sol is one of my favorite finishers right now, and Ryback sold it well. Time to  move on though

Match 2: Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler…Winner- Dolph Ziggler

This match was essentially Corbin throwing Dolph around, only for Ziggler to pick up the quick win via roll-up. It really made no sense to me. I wouldn’t have minded seeing Ziggler get a win on Raw, but on a stage like Payback, Corbin should have gone over to establish himself as a legit badass. I’m the biggest advocate for Dolph Ziggler ever, but that was not the right decision. Corbin looked good, but does it really matter? WWE playing it off as “Oh, he’s young” doesn’t help either.

Main Show

Match 1: The Vaudevillians vs Enzo and Cass…Winners- The Vaudevillians

Unfortunately, we only got about 4 minutes of this match due to Enzo’s injury, which by the way, was brutal. Whiplash off the rope and the back of the head against the apron? That SUCKS. We barely got to see any of Cass, and even what we saw of Enzo was a bit wonky. He took a few bad bumps early, and the Vaudes were at fault. If it was nerves I don’t know, but they can’t afford to do that anymore. They played their parts well though. And now we get to see them wrestle for the Tag Titles at Extreme Rules. It didn’t happen in the way I would have liked, so they’ll have to really step up against New Day.

Match 3: Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn…Winner- Kevin Owens

It was a brawl from the get-go and I LOVED it. Owens is SO good, that he was able to turn a brawl into a mat-wrestling match and made it look so easy. And not to mention his in-ring psychology last night was as on point as it ever has been. The expression on his face when he’s in pain and when he’s angry and just the way he hits every move is a sight to see. Sami Zayn doesn’t get to that level of anger, but his in-ring work completely makes up for it. Of course he hit his signature diving DDT through the bottom rope (which is insane) but I loved the backdrop on the apron and the counter into the Blue Thunderbomb as well. The sequence near the end of the match was fantastic, and the crowd appreciated it as well. Owens finished it with a Pop-Up Powerbomb for the win, and immediately got on the mic and continued to show how great he is, before doing commentary for the Cesaro/Miz match.

Match 4: Cesaro vs The Miz- Intercontinental Title match…Winner- The Miz

We’ve seen this match way to many times. It’s always entertaining don’t get me wrong, but I don’t get excited about it anymore. There was nothing particularly special here, and it even made me see how annoying some of Cesaro’s offense is. Is it REALLY necessary to hit 5 uppercuts in the corner? I don’t think so at least. 2 is sufficient, 5 is overkill. Also, he didn’t even sell Miz’s Skull-Crushing Finale, literally keeping his arms crossed over his shoulders. I’m not a wrestler, but I know you’re supposed to sell a guys finisher. So yeah, I wasn’t a fan of that, and it’s the reason why I was perfectly content with Miz getting the win. Owens and Zayn getting back into it on the outside was great, and them assisting Miz win was a safe way to make sure Cesaro doesn’t lose clean so early after his return.

Match 5: Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho…Winner- Dean Ambrose

Perhaps given an extra 5-6 minutes due to the time lost earlier in the show with Enzo’s injury, these guys went on for 19 minutes. Some people weren’t too high on it, but I really enjoyed a majority of the match. Like Cesaro, Ambrose is in danger of overusing his signature moves and having them appear less effective. For him, it’s the springboard clothesline off the rope. He did it at least 3 times, so between that and him  getting a little sloppy midway through, it wasn’t my favorite Ambrose appearance ever. Jericho worked well though as he always does, taking Ambrose’s stuff and delivering his own but not overusing anything (except maybe the Enziguri). I was slightly disappointed with the table spot, as whoever took the slingshot (I think it was Ambrose) fell really awkwardly into the timekeepers area. The finish was a bit underwhelming with Ambrose hitting Dirty Deeds after trying to lock it in for what felt like forever, but it was a good match nonetheless. I’d love to see them in a gimmick match at Extreme Rules.

Match 6: Charlotte w/Ric Flair vs Natayla w/Bret Hart….Winner- Charlotte

While the match itself was just as good as the one we saw on the Network special a few weeks ago, that is eclipsed by the idiotic finish and how bored Bret Hart looked during the entire thing. I know that might not mean a lot to most people and I know he doesn’t want to be there, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. It wasn’t anything new; Charlotte worked on the knee, Nattie was defiant, Flair gets involved…you know, the normal stuff. But the STUPID Montreal Screwjob-like finisher ruined the whole thing and put a bad taste in my mouth and everyone in the crowd. You could tell  they were disappointed. I know it led to the Double Sharpshooter spot, but as Adam from WhatCulture said, there are 1000 ways to get there. That didn’t have to be one of them.

Match 7: Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles- World Title match….Winner; Roman Reigns

One thing I admire about WWE and their booking of Roman is how hard they make him work. This match went for 27 minutes, I think a little under what the Mania main event was against Triple H. He looks good through all of it to, so that’s a good sign. Anyway, Roman is really great in the ring with guys who can fly and who can carry him, and that’s what AJ did. He tried to be as technical as he could possibly have been, and he sold Roman’s power moves like a boss. The match ended twice; once by countout and once by DQ, both being restarted by Stephanie and Shane of course, but at least AJ “won” both of them. It doesn’t completely make up for Roman kicking out of 3 Phenomenal Forearms, a 450 splash, an attack from Anderson and Gallows and a Calf-Crusher while AJ gets pinned after 2 Superman Punches and 1 Spear, but hey, that’s how they’re going to book him for the rest of his life. It’s annoying and it’s a little hard to believe considering just a little over a year ago he lost to Big Show after 1 Chokeslam, but hey, I’m not booking it. The addition of Anderson and Gallows and the Uso’s added a nice bit of drama, and while none of that caused anything remotely unexpected to happen, I still really enjoyed watching it.

 

 

WWE Review: WrestleMania 32

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Just like that, life returns to normal. For me, Mania season begins when our tickets are purchased and ends after the Smackdown following the big show, but it’s always bittersweet. In my book, WrestleMania was a success. With it’s back against the wall, WWE proved that even with some of their top stars unable to compete, those who remain are more then capable of putting on a great show. They did so in front of 101,763 people (I’m very much aware that the number is not accurate but I could care less. They still broke the record regardless). They should be proud.

I’d just like to take the opportunity to express my disappointment with the AT&T Stadium staff. I was one of the thousands upon thousands of people who was denied entry to the building for well over an hour, until we were finally allowed to enter via one of the Suite gates. I have been to six WrestleMania’s, two now in the state of Texas, and have never encountered this problem before. For a stadium that is home to Cowboys games and Lord only knows how many other huge events during the course of the year, this is disheartening. I was later informed that not only were there issues outside the venue but inside as well, and it created an unsafe environment for the fans, some who had traveled from all the way across the world to get there. Luckily it only took me 5-6 minutes to enter once we were granted access to that gate, but some were not so lucky. I missed two matches, whereas some people missed the entire pre-show. This was  extremely disorganized, and to my knowledge, there has been no statement released from the venue yet. WWE fans have gotten and deserve better. If and when WWE returns to Arlington, I can only hope the correct steps are taken to ensure that this does not happen again.

Match 1: Kalisto vs Ryback- Winner: Kalisto (pre-show)

*I missed this match due to the carelessness of the AT&T Stadium staff*

I am pleased with the result of this, although I wish Kalisto had gotten to work with someone that would have allowed him to be on the main card. A match with Ryback would not have done that, but hopefully going forward he will be involved in more compelling storylines. He can work with anyone really, so it’ll be interesting to see where creative takes him.

Match 2: Team Total Divas vs B.A.D and Blonde- Winners: Team Total Divas (pre-show)

*I missed a majority of this match due to the carelessness of the AT&T Stadium staff*

Very pleased with the amount of time that these ladies got to showcase themselves. I was only able to see two out of the 11 1/2 minutes that the match went on for, and even then I was just getting my bearings once I finally got to my seat, but I heard good things later on about some spots from Paige and some of the others. With the loss, Lana does not seem to be getting any sort of push, but her loss is Brie’s gain. If this was her swan song, then I think it was a good way to go. Nikki Bella embracing Brie after the match was a nice touch.

Match 3: The Usos vs The Dudley Boyz- Winners: The Usos (pre-show)

It was cool to see the Dudley Boyz back in action at WrestleMania after all these years, but that was the extent of anything noteworthy. The match itself was short and really did nothing to showcase both teams like we know they can be showcased. The Usos get the win and after an attempted post-match beat down from the Dudley’s, put the ladder team through two tables, which a majority of the fans were not happy with. Even in defeat, the Dudley’s move on to a feud with NXT tag-team Enzo and Cass, so who are the winners here exactly?

Main Card

Match 1: Kevin Owens vs Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz vs Sami Zayn vs Stardust vs Sin Cara vs Zack Ryder- Winner: Zack Ryder

An excellent way to start the show. Everyone is this match was hungry for a WrestleMania moment, and they all took the opportunity and ran with it. As predicted, Sami Zayn was the star of the match with Stardust and Sin Cara following closely behind him. I’ll need to watch the match back as it’s hard to see everything noteworthy happening while you’re there in person, but even from where I was sitting, some of the high spots looked absolutely brutal: Cara’s plancha off the top rope onto the competitors below him, Owens planting Zayn on the ladder in the ring, Stardust being laid out on the ladder laying across the barricade and the ring before Sin Cara was sent through it, etc. Zack Ryder’s victory came as a shock to everyone in the stadium, but what a reaction he got. I might not be his biggest fan, but he deserved that moment and the ovation.

Match 2: Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles: Winner- Chris Jericho

Boy do I love a classic mat-wrestling contest, and while I very much enjoyed Punk/Jericho at Mania 28 in Miami, this is easily my favorite technical wrestling match I’ve seen live. Styles did not get the reaction I expected him to get for his first time at WrestleMania, but perhaps the crowd still needed a few minutes to regroup after the ladder match. Running for a respectable time of just over 17 minutes, I very much enjoyed seeing the two of them do what they do at their best. Jericho’s victory came as a surprise and made me think the feud would continue to and most likely end at Extreme Rules with an Ironman match perhaps, but now Styles is headed for a title match with Roman Reigns. Both men looked strong, both in victory and in defeat.

Match 3: League of Nations vs New Day- Winner: League of Nations

The best moments involving the two teams happened both before and after the match itself. Obviously, New Day is extremely over and was going to be the fan favorites in front of the smarky Mania crowd, but I don’t even think they could have imagined the reaction they would get. They entered through a box of “Booty-O’s”, and received one of the loudest ovations of the night. I actually think I got up to buy something while it was happening (I know, shame on me) so I didn’t see the entire 10 minutes but what I did see was fine, though nothing that we haven’t seen before. Xavier Woods was showcased well, though Big E was sadly not. The fans were not happy with LON getting the win, but the post-match assist from Shawn Michaels (who was in wrestling gear; I almost peed), Mick Foley and Stone Cold Steve Austin definitely made up for it. Austin easily got the biggest pop of the night and arguably the loudest pop I’ve ever heard live.

Match 4: Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose- Winner: Brock Lesnar

Many wrestling analysts predicted that Brock Lesnar would crush Ambrose. While he didn’t exactly do that, the match ended in just 13 minutes; far shorter then what you would expect a match like that between two men of that caliber would be. Both men hit stiff throughout the match, adding to the realism, but nothing Ambrose did was able to get him to the level the buildup to the match made one think he would get to. No matter what offense he got in or would try to get in with his toys, he would be suplexed. Brock looked strong, almost too strong, against a man who called himself the ironman of the WWE. The fans were evenly split behind both men, but were perfectly fine with Brock getting the win. Now Brock will take a vacation and return to another monster reaction over the summer, while Dean will  have to try very hard to remain relevant. The loss doesn’t kill his momentum (not that he had much to begin with), but it doesn’t help elevate him either.

Match 5: Charlotte vs Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks- Winner: Charlotte

Lita unveiled the new WWE Women’s Championship belt earlier on in the night, and after the match that these three fantastic athletes had, it’s clear why the divas division is continuing to be legitimized. The girls got a little over 16 minutes to shine and did they ever. Although Charlotte came out on top, Becky Lynch (who shared her battles scars post-match on Twitter) and Sasha Banks proved that they can hang with anyone in the division, or hell, that they’re better then anyone in the division. While everyone expected Sasha to win here, one could argue that the win would be premature. She’s only been on the main roster as a singles star for a few months, so maybe Vince and company thought she needed a little more time before they put her in that position. Charlotte might be the least prepared of the three, but she can definitely handle it. Her moonsault from the top rope to the floor outside the ring was incredible, and as I’ve seen many times over the last two days, will be in every WrestleMania buildup package for the rest of time. The fans were invested in the match, which says a lot considering that two years ago the Divas match on the Mania 30 card was the piss break match, and now these ladies had the entire audience in the palm of their hand. Not a fan of Ric Flair assisting in Charlotte’s win again, but that’s a small price to pay for what we got.

Match 6: The Undertaker vs Shane McMahon- Winner: The Undertaker

Undertaker could have been the one to have the six second match with Erick Rowan that happened later on and I still would have thought it was the best thing I’ve ever seen. Sorry, but I’m a bit partial to the guy. Regardless, the match was exactly how you would expect it to be. Lots of punching and ducking and all that in the first few minutes before slowing down to Taker’s speed for the rest of it. Even though it did slow down, it was never not interesting (at least for me; you had people chanting “boring” after the initial flare of offense died down), because you kind of knew what direction it was going in. I think that whether there was a run-in from someone or not, Shane jumping off the cage was inevitable. Not taking anything away from that, because you had to get to that moment, and to get to that moment you need to make the fans want that moment which is not easy to do. So really, props to both of them for getting the crowd to that place. You can climb to the top of the thing and jump off of it as soon as the bell rings but it’s not going to have the same effect if you do it they way they did, which was slowly pull the fans in. The anticipation leading up to it, though it took some time, was worth the few seconds the fall onto the table took. I was in a position where I couldn’t see the area right in the vicinity of the announce tables so I had no clue Taker had gotten out of the way until I look up at the screen, but it didn’t even matter. They had us, and they knew it. A run-in would have been good after they got back in the ring, but the way it ended was perfectly fine to. I was elated about it, so does it really matter what anyone else thinks?

Match 7: Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal- Winner: Baron Corbin

When you go to a live event and there’s a battle royal, it’s really hard to focus on what action WWE wants you to be paying attention to (unless of course you’re watching the screens. If you are, then why are you even there?). Asides from the Big Show/Shaq face-off, there was nothing particularly special about this match. It was fun to watch, I just wasn’t on the edge of my seat. I do think it was a good thing that the cameras seemed to hide Baron Corbin for a while (people started cheering so l looked up at the screen and there he was) because it made him winning all the more special. He’s been compared to Chuck Palumbo, but I never thought Palumbo was talented, whereas Corbin is still a little green but very much on his way past that phase. Mark Henry winning was the obvious choice, and that would have been cool and appropriate location wise, but it’s good that WWE sees the opportunity to use the battle royal as a chance to push a young star on the grand stage.

Match 8: The Rock vs Erick Rowan- Winner: The Rock

I wish I had timed the entire segment that The Rock was out there for, because I guarantee is was longer then most of the marquee matches on the card. He came out (with a flame thrower for whatever reason) to announce the record-breaking attendance before being interrupted by the Wyatt’s, who needed a moment on this show since Bray wasn’t physically able to contribute (even though he kind of did). The whole thing went a little long, and you’d think that if WWE is as high on Strowman as they appear to be, that they would put him in there instead of Rowan, but that’s just nit-picking. Totally going to ignore the 6 seconds thing because I wasn’t a fan of that, and having Cena run in for the save was cool, but he looked a little uncomfortable. Clearly he still needs some time before he returns to his normal schedule, so maybe it’s a blessing that Taker/Cena didn’t happen.

Match 9: Roman Reigns vs Triple H- Winner: Roman Reigns

Triple H and Stephanie’s entrance was stellar (as Triple H’s entrances usually are and even though Steph’s mic was not working that well), but as soon as that happened, the fans came back to reality and started losing interest. It was just so obvious what was about to happen. Roman was booed with every single offensive move he hit, and I heard that the mics were turned down for that, but I mean damn, the boo’s were loud. They didn’t die down either. Every time he’d hit a punch, a kick, anything, he was booed. And he was the FACE in the match. Triple H hitting a dirty low blow got a huge pop from the crowd, meanwhile the guy who’s supposed to be the hero is getting booed out of the building. The match was fine though, it really was. They got 27 minutes of work out there, and Stephanie getting speared was cool, but really, the fans knew what was happening. Roman didn’t look any stronger then he normally does, and I’d like to think that getting booed by 101,763 people might make him want to go into the office and say “Hey, maybe I should turn heel.” What a concept. No one else in the history of wrestling, at least to my knowledge, has remained a face for over two years of a MAIN EVENT run that is dominated by the crowd just not caring and booing the hell out of them. They have the opportunity to do it now with so many of the NXT kids being brought up, Cesaro back as of last night, and hopefully Cena, Orton and Rollins soon after. Even with the sledgehammer being brought in, there was no chance Roman was losing. I don’t think the fans were disappointed or angry by it, I just think they were as nonchalant about the whole thing as a crowd has ever been about a main event. Most of the crowd stuck around to watch, but by the end people were barely paying attention. That’s not what the main event of WrestleMania should be, and hopefully WWE will learn from this.

Grade

Overall I give this show a straight B. I enjoyed it being live in the arena, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it when I watch it back, and I had a great weekend so I can’t really ask for anything else. Thanks WWE. See ya in Orlando.

 

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WWE Review- Fastlane

Posted on by nwadeblogs_

Even though the only two predictions I got right were Kalisto and AJ Styles’ victory, Fastlane was still a solid show, even though I didn’t necessarily agree with all of it. We got an absolute gem in Styles/Jericho, and with Roman Reigns’s (predictable) win, the main event of WrestleMania is now finalized. Whether we like it or not, we know how this story ends, but lets try not to focus on that until April 3rd. Here’s my match-by-match review of Fastlane.

Match 1: Preshow- Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio

I’ve noticed that it doesn’t really matter who is in these two-out-of-three falls matches because both heels and faces have done it, but the first two decisions are always the result of a DQ followed by a decisive pin. That’s what happened here too, and because it was Del Rio doing it, it wasn’t all that shocking. Both guys got their stuff in, but there was nothing besides the added stipulation to made the match any different then their other matches on Raw and even The Royal Rumble. I was not a fan of the quick-pin finish, as it made me feel like I was watching a re-run of one of their earlier matches. A clean pin on Del Rio would not have hurt him in the slightest, but they didn’t do it. They made Kalisto look cheap. Again.

Match 2: Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs Naomi and Tamina

Even after watching Raw tonight and seeing the direction their heading with the Divas Title match at WrestleMania, it makes no sense to me that Sasha did not turn on Becky either during or after their last night. Obviously the fans cheer for her so she’s over, but she’s supposed to be a heel who likes to do things on her own so why was that side of her character nowhere to be seen? The two of them worked well together against Naomi and Tamina, who also work well together, and the double submission finish was fun, but it did nothing for me to build to that big moment. I am liking that Sasha is getting more ring time now so that the fans who have been living under a rock for the past year or so can see what she can really do.

Match 3: Kevin Owens vs Dolph Ziggler

*sigh*. I can watch these guys wrestle every week to be honest. Are the matches different every time? Not really, but neither were Punk and Cena’s matches and those were thought of very highly by the fans. The only problem is, no matter how good of a show Ziggler puts on, and he put on a great one last night, they will not let him go over. They won’t move him back up to where he was in 2013 before he got hurt, or even in 2011 in his feud with Edge. Him and Owens had some great spots in this match, as they always do, and it ended with an innovative-ish Pop-Up Powerbomb for the win. Fantastic. Now Owens will probably go on to have a great WrestleMania moment with AJ Styles and maybe even Chris Jericho, and Ziggler will get stuck in the Final 4 of some battle royal. Just the thought of that makes me like this match even less.

Match 4: Big Show, Kane and Ryback vs The Wyatt Family

As soon as this match passed the 5-minute mark I said to myself “why is this not looking like its about to end?” The match went on for almost 11 minutes and not only did the Wyatt’s not look nearly as dominant as they should right now, but they LOST. To RYBACK. Of all people to lose to, it would be the one who’s smaller then any of the guys he’s wrestling, and who is even more of an afterthought then either of the guys he’s teaming up with, and that is saying something. They failed to make Braun Stroman look like a monster, they failed to make Bray look good even though he wasn’t in the match, they failed at everything here. It dragged way too long and the live crowd was not interested, and neither was I. Next.

Match 5: Charlotte vs Brie Bella

A Divas Title match lasting over 12 minutes. A great sign that WWE is finally going to be giving these women not just the platform to shine, but the time to do so too. It would be nice if they didn’t botch spots (its fine, it happens) every so often and they had some decent chemistry that didn’t seem forced, but that’s what you get when you build a feud over the course of three weeks. Brie looked good here, Charlotte didn’t look any better then she usually does, and at least Ric Flair’s involvement didn’t directly result in Charlotte’s win. Although, they really need to find something else for her to do to make her win apparent then the “she hit her forehead on the ropes/turnbuckle” finish. Or the spear, because those are just terrible. At least they made it seem like Brie injured her knee rather before Charlotte locks in the Figure-Eight rather then do what they did with Nikki and have her dominate the match before losing after two moves. Let’s just forget this happened and move on to Charlotte/Becky/Sasha.

Match 6: Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles

Not that this show was terrible, but this was it’s saving grace. Jericho might not be in his prime anymore but he’s pretty damn close, and AJ is definitely in his prime, so watching the two of them do what they do was a treat. Of course it started off technical before moving to higher spots (Jericho botched one too….see girls? It happens) that had the live crowd and every sane fan watching on PPV or on the WWE Network on the edge of their seats. I think the fans are dedicated to making the Styles Clash a thing in WWE, but Vince is apparently set on making the Calf Crusher his main finisher from here on out which is totally fine since he can lock that thing in in just as many ways as he could get someone in the Styles Clash. It’s really riveting. Really fantastic match though and I hope they have some interaction at Mania, whether it be in an Ironman match or in a multi-man match for the IC Title, I really don’t care. It’s magic.

Match 7: Curtix Axel vs R-Truth

Wow I really don’t care. Shocker. Next.

Match 8: Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar

I think WWE likes to forget that Brock Lesnar actually knows how to wrestle. Like, he can actually do more then suplexes and F5’s. That’s why I will never be into this “Brock’s going to dominate for the first few minutes, then get laid out and sleep for 10 minutes” thing that WWE like to do when Brock is in a triple threat. You can give Roman and Dean time to wrestle each other, but the announce team doesn’t have to make it sound like Brock is laying their dying after getting slammed through a table. Either way, this was entertaining, and largely because Brock is so good at what he does and he makes it look way too easy, but Roman and Dean played their parts too. Apparently so did Paul Heyman, who needs to realize that when people nowadays see him go up to Brock as he’s laying outside and whisper something to him, they know he’s calling the spots for him. Be a little more subtle please guys. That double suplex was fantastic and even though I know we’ve seen that before, it never ceases to amaze me. It’s kind of off-putting that Brock was taken out by three chair shots when he popped right up after 3 AA’s from Cena in that triple threat with Rollins, so if WWE can stop trying to humanize him, that would be great. Reigns being able to hit that good of a spear on Ambrose after being in the Kimura for that long isn’t believable, but hey, he’s Superman.