WWE Week in Review, May 31: Adam Rose Impresses, Final Hype for Payback PPV
With the Payback pay-per-view this Sunday, the main focus of this past week's WWE programming was to build up each of the matches advertised for the event. Now that the card has been set in stone, it will be interesting to see if the show will ultimately live up to all the hype.
In what was billed to be their final encounter in a Monday Night Raw ring, The Shield and Evolution signed the contract for their No Holds Barred Elimination match at Payback. With Evolution getting the upper hand over the rogue trio, could it have been an indicator of who's winning the war Sunday?
John Cena saved Jerry Lawler from being viciously attacked Monday night by his archrivals The Wyatt Family. As their Last Man Standing match looms large, has Cena proven that he's ready to take on Wyatt's mind games and put an end to their feud once and for all?
Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd had a blockbuster of a match at NXT Takeover that saw Neville maintain possession of his NXT Championship. Is this the end of the line for Kidd, or will he continue to pursue the gold in weeks ahead?
I will break down the week in wrestling by analyzing all of WWE's weekly programs and occasional pay-per-views, including each show's highlights, low points and other noteworthy, monumental moments. Also, I will give an award to the show and Superstar that shined the brightest over the course of the week.
Match of the Week: Charlotte vs. Natalya (NXT Takeover, May 29)
1 of 5As recently as a few weeks ago, many fans (myself included) were worried about the NXT women's division revolving around the newcomer Charlotte. It was obvious before the tournament to crown a new NXT Women's champion began that Charlotte would be the next titleholder.
She debuted in developmental less than a year ago and hadn't improved much in her matches, but all those worries went away when she stepped into the ring with Natalya at NXT Takeover. The two familiar foes worked an excellent technical match that not only received the time it deserved but captured the audience's imagination and took them on one heck of a journey.
By the end, the two ladies reversed each other's finishing maneuvers so many times that it was a complete toss-up, but Charlotte ultimately emerged victorious as the new champ. Once the bell rang, both Charlotte and Ric Flair shed tears in a beautiful daughter-and-father moment.
An absolute masterpiece of a matchup.
Superstar of the Week: Adam Rose
2 of 5
Since making his WWE debut on the Cinco de Mayo edition of Raw, Adam Rose has been making life miserable for Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. Many figured that we would finally see Rose make his in-ring debut at the WWE Payback pay-per-view, but that didn't end up being the case.
Rose stepped into the ring Monday night for the first time against "Davey Crockett" (aka Damien Sandow), defeating him. At NXT Takeover, Rose was successful in defeating longtime rival Camacho.
To top it all off, Rose surprisingly scored an upset victory over Swagger on SmackDown, ending the week with a 3-0 record. Rose still has a lot left to prove, but his wrestling career is already off to an impressive start.
Show of the Week: NXT Takeover, May 29
3 of 5NXT Arrival was one of the most anticipated events in recent memory, and after weeks of buildup, the event ultimately lived up to expectations. It kicked off the NXT era on the WWE Network, and the program has been flourishing ever since.
Due to this, Takeover had the tough task of following Arrival, but some have said that the Takeover special Thursday night ended up being just as good if not better. The show kicked off on a high note with a fun match between Adam Rose and Camacho.
Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze worked an excellent match, and Breeze proved to his detractors that he is more than just a "pretty face." Charlotte and Natalya had an unexpected gem of a match over the vacant NXT Women's Championship, ending with an emotional celebration between Charlotte and her father Ric Flair.
Even Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd tore the house down in the main event for the NXT title. If this show didn't convince you that NXT is the future of WWE, then I don't know what will.
This Week's Highlights
4 of 5The Shield and Evolution contract signing
OK, OK, we've seen Evolution and The Shield for what has felt like a million times in the last two months, but not only does it never get old, but it ended what was a rather flat show on a high note. Evolution finally got the upper hand over The Shield and left fans wanting to see the two factions once again go to war Sunday. I found it interesting that the commentators kept mentioning that this might be the last time that we see The Shield and Evolution in the same ring on Raw again, but we'll see what that ends up leading to.
John Cena saves Jerry Lawler from The Wyatt Family
While I agree this feud has been done to death, they did a very good job of switching things up on Raw with this segment. The Wyatt Family looked vicious by attacking JBL and Jerry Lawler in Lawler's home state of Tennessee, and John Cena came off like the babyface in the feud for once by making the save. It was a simple yet effective segment that provided a nice hard sell for their upcoming Last Man Standing match.
Cesaro vs. Rob Van Dam
Of the three matches Cesaro and Rob Van Dam have contested against each other, this was easily their best. It consisted of enjoyable action, and the right person went over. Bad News Barrett was also effective on commentary in hyping up his Intercontinental Championship match against RVD at Payback.
Sheamus vs. Bad News Barrett
Similar to Cesaro vs. RVD, this match was successful in providing hype for the two midcard title matches at Payback. More importantly, the spotlight both belts received over the course of SmackDown made them feel prestigious for once as well as the champion vs. champion match. I, for one, believe WWE has done a superb job of making the midcard mean something again as of late, and I hope they keep it up going forward.
Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd
The ending outcome was never in doubt, but it didn't matter at all. They worked hard to have a memorable match, and they certainly succeeded. Their styles meshed perfectly, and it made for a high-risk, exciting contest with Neville retaining his title. Kidd showing signs of a heel turn afterward saw fit that the feud will continue past this point, or so I hope.
Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze
Of all the matches at NXT Takeover, this one was definitely the most unpredictable. Due to the fact it could have gone either way, the live crowd was sitting on the edge of their seats with every near-fall and pin attempt. Zayn had a show-stealing performance per usual, but Breeze proved to the world in this match that he's here to stay and that he's capable of much more at the main event level in NXT. His pending feud with Neville for the NXT title should be a fun one.
This Week's Low Points
5 of 5El Torito vs. Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal
Remember when Drew McIntyre was Intercontinental champion four years ago? Yeah, me either. I was hoping he'd lose to El Torito and then snap after the match and break away from 3MB, but no such luck. Maybe some day. The matches themselves were fine for what they were, but my issue is this: If it's been established that Torito is better than both Mahal and McIntyre, then how are fans supposed to believe that he can lose to Hornswoggle on Sunday?
Eva Marie vs. Summer Rae
For those unaware, these two have history together on Total Divas, so I was fine with that aspect of the match because it made sense. I was also fine with keeping the match short because no one wants to see Eva in the ring for more than a minute. Summer's apparent "feud" with Fandango and Layla is what bothers me because it makes no sense. Who are we supposed to be cheering for in this love triangle? Better yet, do fans have any reason to care at all?
Alicia Fox vs. Emma
You'd think the No. 1 contender to the Divas Championship would win a match before going after the title in mere days, but apparently not. Don't say that it was done to make Fox flip out, either, as it was clearly established last week that Fox will flip out regardless of whether she wins or loses. Her post-match meltdown was fun, but it felt dragged out and a bit over the top to the point where it wasn't garnering any heat. The worst part about this? The babyface champion, Paige, was nowhere to be seen. Way to go, Paige.
Adam Rose vs. Damien Sandow
Once again, my problem was not with the match itself. It was decent yet brief. First off, Sandow going from being "The Voice of Voiceless" one week to dressing up as Davey Crockett the next is completely ludicrous. He looked like a complete goof wrestling in that getup against Rose. Also, I disliked how Rose's in-ring debut hadn't been advertised hardly at all in advance. Many figured it would come at Payback, but WWE decided to give it away on Raw without any prior notice.
R-Truth vs. Damien Sandow
Take my complaints with Sandow's match with Rose and apply them to this match. I will admit that D-Sizzle was slightly comical but a bit stereotypical at the same time (even though I personally wasn't offended by it). The only saving grace of this match was that it didn't drag on for longer than it needed to like last week, so there's that.
The Ascension vs. Kalisto and El Local
I had higher hopes for this match, to be honest. Kalisto had a nice showing, but this was an off night for Local. I don't see why the luchadores couldn't win here since there isn't anyone else for The Ascension to defend against right now.
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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website at Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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