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New Reviews!

Hey guys back again.

I'm finally back to reviewing wrestling and I'm doing a year in review for 2004.

Use the link below to keep checking the site for new reviews. The first Smackdown one is up.

Thanks for reading.

http://rosscoreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

New Page

Hey everyone!

I have no idea if anyone still comes to this blog so this may fall on deaf ears.

I wanted everyone to know that I'm coming back to reviewing with a brand new blog, this one will be combining my movie reviews (most of which will be up soon) and wrestling reviews will be starting again so I can alternate between the two.

The movie side will feature new releases and reviews from my blu ray collection.

The wrestling side will feature all new PPVs, PPVs and shows from the past, and maybe some current shows thrown up there soon.

So far I've only got a review for Phantom Menace up as I review every Star Wars movie, and you can expect to see Summerslam 2016 up there soon.

I hope everyone can have a look and hopefully enjoy.

Here's the link: rosscoreviews.blogspot.com

Thank You.

NXT February 17th 2016

NXT February 17th 2016 Review


Time for another episode of NXT, and tonight we have the hotly anticipated match between Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe. Let's get to it.


We're still at the CFE Arena this week.


Enzo & Cass, & American Alpha vs Blake & Murphy, & Dash & Dawson
It seems like every time NXT goes away from Full Sail, they have a big multi-man tag match, not that I'm complaining since they're always fun. Blake & Murphy are still in the Krueger gear.
This was the tag team formula down to the letter, but damned if it wasn't a lot of fun. Gable played the face in peril fantastically and had the crowd right behind him. Cass and Jordan showing their intensity at the finish was a sight to behold as well. I do wish it had been a bit longer though. Enzo gets the pin on Dash to hopefully set up another Tag Title match. **1/2



Deonna Purrazzo vs Asuka
Out of all the squashes on NXT, Asuka's are easily the one's I look forward to the most.
I loved the chants of 'You fucked up' when Deonna slapped Asuka. That was probably a mistake. Another fun squash here as we get to see Asuka demolish another diva. The submission moves looked great and those kicks were just brutal. Asuka hits the roundhouse kick for the win. *1/4



Tye Dillenger vs Alex Riley
I am enjoying the new look and attitude of Riley, even he weirdly looks like a younger Triple H. Fans get a 'Lets go Riley/Riley sucks' chant going. Short match, but it wasn't bad. Nothing really great about it though. I was surprised that Tye got the win, but I suppose it continues the story of Riley trying to get some redemption. *



Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe
The winner becomes the No.1 Contender for Finn Balor's NXT Championship. I think it's fair enough to say that this a dream one on one match in NXT between two indie darlings.
The crowd was definitely behind Sami. It's no wonder since he's the master of selling and looked like he was getting the crap kicked out of him here. Great main event match here with both guys trading their signature moves back and forth and getting some really stiff shots in there too. The story was great with Joe hitting Zayn with everything he had but Zayn got up every time and fought back. I did think the same fake out finish as the triple threat was a bit lazy, but if it get's us another match between these two, I'm all for it. Great match overall. ***3/4


Another very good show from NXT as we move closer to Takeover Dallas. The main event is definitely worth checking out, and the first two matches are pretty fun too.

Here's a link to my movie blog: casualmovies.blogspot.co.uk

FastLane 2015

FastLane 2015 Review


We're coming up pretty fast for the 2016 edition of the FastLane PPV and it could end up being pretty interesting. Until then, let's have a look at last year's edition.


The build for this one was less than spectacular and fans thought it would be an early contender for worst show of the year. Would that statement be true? Let's find out.

Also it doesn't help that this show came right after the amazing NXT TakeOver: Rival show.



Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan & Ryback vs Seth Rollins, Kane & The Big Show
I don't remember this match being built at all so it must have been a last minute edition to get these guys on the card. The feud goes all the way back to the Authority being fired at Survivor Series after the three faces were fired and then brought back. I thought this match might have been an apology for the Rumble match after Show and Kane eliminated all the up-and-comers, but unfortunately this was not the case.
This was a pretty decent tag match. Rowan was playing the face in peril most of the time, but the crowd was just not invested in him at all so it was boring to watch. Once Ryback was tagged in it fired the crowd up and Ryback looked impressive. The finish could have been better as Show hit Ziggler with the knockout punch and deflated the crowd in doing so. Decent opener. **1/2

After the match, Randy Orton returns and makes the save by taking out the Authority. Rollins escapes the building before Orton can get his hands on him. It looked like we would get a great build for their Mania match but it became stupid with some idiotic story moments.


Stardust vs Goldust
I was actually really looking forward to this one as I liked the story of Goldust trying to stop Cody from going too deep into his character and willing to beat the crazy out of him to kill the idea of Stardust. I think a Mania match may have originally been on the cards, but I think they may have been cancelled pretty quickly.
This was just a complete mess and I have no idea what happened. The crowd was not into this at all and both guys seemed lost at quite a few points in the match. I'm guessing it was meant to be a lot longer considering how the match was structured and the botched pin at the end. It looked like Stardust kicked out so I'm guessing the ref was told to call an audible and just end it. We should probably forget that this ever happened. DUD


The Usos vs Cesaro & Tyson Kidd
The Tag Team Championships are on the line. This feud mostly seemed to revolve around Naomi and Natalya's dwindling friendship as we need Total Divas to make storylines. Although who would have known that the thrown together team of Cesaro and Kidd would become as big a team as they did.
The crowd was once again pretty quiet, but they did get into the last five minutes when the action kicked into overdrive. This was a very good tag match with everyone playing their part well. The double team moves were great and there were even a few good close calls towards the end. Kidd hit one of the Usos with a swinging neckbreaker to win the Titles. Best of the night so far. ***


Now it's time for the confrontation between Triple H and Sting. HHH tries to lure Sting to his side by offering him tributes on the Network and a future Hall of Fame spot. Sting decides he doesn't want that and a brawl breaks out. We get the Bat vs the Sledgehammer. Sting points to the Mania sign to make the match official and hits HHH with the bat and a Scorpion Death Drop for good measure.

Fun segment and it led to one of the most gloriously overbooked matches in Mania history that would turn out to be a ton of fun.


Nikki Bella vs Paige
The Divas Championship is on the line. Yes we're still in the reign of Nikki as WWE decided she had to beat AJ Lee's Championship record so they could erase her from history. The storyline here is that Nikki and Brie stole Paige's ring gear and forced her to wear a fairy outfit during a match. Truly riveting stuff.
Decent match here that I was starting to enjoy until the abrupt finish. The crowd wasn't into it but they've not been into anything tonight. You could tell Nikki was improving and she hit some cool moves like the sunset powerbomb in the corner. Paige was her usual good self and managed to actually get some support from the crowd. Nikki wins by holding the tights with a roll up. **



Dean Ambrose vs Bad News Barrett
The IC Championship is on the line. Ambrose said that he decided he wanted the Title after visiting WWE headquarters and wanted his name on the wall next to the other great IC Champions. He wouldn't get the Title until December 2015. Ambrose tied up Barrett the week before and forced him to sign the contract for the bout. Seems like a pretty heel thing to do.
Once again the crowd is silent which is pretty unusual for an Ambrose match. The match wasn't too good though. It did seem to be building up to a nice finish after some close nearfalls, but it ended with a dumb DQ because Ambrose wouldn't let go of Barrett. Bullshit and you could tell the crowd was pissed with the decision. *1/2

Ambrose steals the Title to start the build to the Ladder match at Mania.


The lights go out and we have druids with a casket in tow. The crowd immediately thinks this is The Undertaker and the commentators are building it up too. Turns out it's Bray Wyatt in a pretty cool reveal shot. Wyatt cuts one of his crazy promos and promises to take Undertaker's soul at Wrestlemania. The fake out for the crowd was great.A good segment to set up another Mania match.


John Cena vs Rusev
The US Championship is on the line. For some reason the story here is that Cena is getting old and a shell of his former self. They probably should have just went with the USA vs Russia story. I also don't know why they didn't just wait until Mania to do the match as it felt like old news once Mania came around. At least Cena made the US Title great again even if this feud went on WAY too long.
Good match here as Rusev was made to look like he could easily match Cena, at least until the finish that is as Lana had to distract the referee so Rusev could hit the low blow and pass Cena out in the Accolade. I suppose they did need a reason for a rematch. Still it was a good power match and probably the best in their series. ***1/4



Roman Reigns vs Daniel Bryan
The winner of this one goes on to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Title at WrestleMania. This was easily the most anticipated match on the card as no one knew how it would go. Would WWE hit the reset button like the year before and add Bryan to the main event? Would Reigns win clean? Would Bryan win clean? So it was pretty interesting to watch and see what would happen after the disaster that was the 2015 Royal Rumble.
I did enjoy the story of the match with Bryan using his technical skills and submission tactics to try and match Reigns' power, which didn't quite work out for him. Bryan carried Reigns to a terrific match and made him look like a million bucks, even if the fanbase didn't agree. A great back and forth encounter with some great nearfalls and tension. An awesome way to close out the show. ****


Overall I'd say this is a pretty middle of the road show with a great main event and not much else. The tag match might be worth a bit of your time and the US Title match if you haven't seen it before. The matches holding the show back aren't too long, except for the Rhodes Brother's match which seemed to go on for ages. Still there's some fun to be had and it was a pretty good build for WrestleMania.


Here's a link to my other blog where I review movies old and new. Coming soon; every Batman and Superman movie reviewed! casualmovies.blogspot.co.uk

NXT February 10th 2016

NXT Review: February 10th 2016

Time for another anticipated episode of NXT. Tonight we're getting a Women's Title match which I'm looking forward to watching.

Let's begin.


Tonight we're in the CFE arena for the show and that's quite a big crowd.


Baron Corbin vs Johnny Gargano
Corbin is still pissed off that he's not in the rematch between Zayn and Joe since he was the one who tapped at the end of the Triple Threat. Gargano gets a big reaction from the crowd. Pretty good match here which surprised me as I was expecting a squash. Gargano got some great offence in here and looked like he about to come away with the win which amazed me. Corbin managed to outsmart Gargano though and hit the End of Days for the win. **1/4



The Hype Bros vs Skyler & Hollis
I guess it's nice to see The Hype Bros getting a win after their loss to the Vaudevillains last week, even if it's against Walter White's wife and a guy named Hollis. Short but fun squash match. Hype Bros get the win with the Hype Ryder. *


Next week is Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe. I cannot wait.



Alexa Bliss vs Cameron
Oh God this can't be good. Poor Alexa. Alexa has new music and looks to have a Nightmare on Elm Street-inspired outfit tonight. Strange they went for heel v heel here. Cameron's getting the same reaction Eva Marie got on her return. Bliss was definitely treated as the face here. Not a very good match overall as Cameron looked lost out there and Bliss looked like she was struggling to carry her. Cameron could use a TON more work. Bliss wins with the top rope splash. 1/2*



Elias Samson vs Jesse Sorensen
I'm still not sure where they're going with Samson as a character as he's not really that impressive in the ring either. Jesse is more well known in his time at TNA. Just a squash here as Jesse got no offence at all. It felt longer than it was. Elias wins with the swinging neckbreaker. 1/4*



Bayley vs Carmella
The NXT Women's Championship is on the line. I like the way they've been making this a big deal for the past few weeks and the show has been building it up with interview segments. The awesome show 'Breaking Ground' definitely helped with this and has made the match feel that more personal. This was a great match and Carmella really surprised me with her performance. She has really improved and this is easily her best match yet. Her two suicide dives were awesome and let to a good nearfall. Bayley was her usual terrific self and got the win after trading pins. Great main event. ***1/2

After the match, Eva Marie and Nia Jax come out for the assault which leads to a couple of leg drops on Carmella. Eva is a heat magnet. Asuka comes out to make the save and kill everyone. Asuka sends Jax and Eva running off and has a staredown with Bayley to give us a Holy Shit moment to end the show.


That main event and ending is definitely enough to make this show a recommended viewing, even if a couple of the squash matches weren't that interesting. Check out the ending for sure.

As usual, here's my plug for my movie blog, featuring a review of Deadpool: casualmovies.blogspot.co.uk

NXT February 3rd 2016

NXT Review: February 3rd 2016


God I've missed reviewing NXT.

Also before I start, I've noticed a new 'Collections' menu on the Network which I may review at some point.

Anyway, let's begin.



The Vaudevillains vs The Hype Bros
Great to see Gotch and English back in action once again. Also a rare match-up that NXT always seems to deliver is it's face vs face here. Short, but fun tag match here that did well to show a potential heel turn for the Vaudevillains while also giving the Hype Bros some good offence in defeat. Good stuff to start the show, and Aiden's taunt of "We're not hyped, we're men!" was awesome. **


We recap Carmella earning a shot at the Women's Title.

Next week we get the Title match between Bayley and Carmella. Looking forward to it.


Carmella vs Emma
Dana Brooke is in Emma's corner. It's great to see Carmella getting more attention and moving up on the card as you can see she is improving in the ring. Emma does seem to be the go-to girl for divas that need more in-ring training. Not the best match here but it wasn't too bad. Carmella's pacing does need a bit of work, but she's getting there. Carmella picks up the win with a backslide. *1/4


Enzo & Cass vs Jobber 1 & Jobber 2
Nothing much to say about this one. It was just short squash with the team of jobbers getting zero offence. Enzo & Cass get a win to make them look good going into a future Title match. 1/4*


William Regal announces a rematch between Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe for the winner to face Finn Balor for the NXT Title


Asuka vs Santana Garrett
I don' think I've talked about Asuka on here before, but I fucking love her. She's like the women's division's version of Brock Lesnar. Very short match which was a lot of fun while it lasted. It wasn't exactly a squash as Santana got a few good moves in there. Asuka comes out on top while looking like a total badass with the crossface chickenwing. *3/4


Finn Balor vs Apollo Crews
Non-Title match and I've been looking forward to this since their first match for the Title. It's really hard to pick a winner here as they both have a good chance of victory. I love it. Great showing for both men, especially Crews who showed once again that he can easily hang in the main event. He came close to beating the Champion and that's all you to make yourself look good. Good back and forth main event with Balor hitting the Brainbuster for the win. ***1/4



Another hour flies by on NXT while Raw continues to drag on. Once again they gave us a very entertaining show while giving us tons of stuff to look forward to in the future.


Here's a link to my movie review blog, Casual Movie Reviews, for those who enjoy movies. Later tonight I'm hoping to have a review of the first Paranormal Activity in the bag.

casualmovies.blogspot.co.uk