Wrestling Thursday

The dailies keep rolling in, and this one is certainly no surprise. Wrestling Thursday is where I will cover the highlights of the week's WWE programming, and maybe some action outside of it (especially of this feature grows in popularity to a degree that makes spending time watching indies sustainable for me). On the Thursdays before WWE PPVs, this is also where you'll find my previews. PPV recaps/impressions, if they happen, will be in a separate post.

RAW

This was a VERY good Raw, with a mediocre main event.

Roman vs. Bray was very solid. They always work well together, and this was no exception.

The slow burn Sasha heel turn is finally happening, I think. Will hopefully be completed in Elimination Chamber or the Raw after. Heel Sasha vs. Asuka at Mania? Who doesn't want to see that?

Definitely gonna turn on her. All images: WWE.com
Bayley Vs. Asuka was terrific. THIS is the Bayley we should see all the time. This is NXT Bayley, who very capably carried her division, just as Asuka did after her.

If they wanted me to believe there's a chance the tag titles match will end any differently, they shouldn't have put Roman, who's got a full plate, in the match. Once that happened, you knew The Bar were going over. And it was a safe bet it would all be Jordan's fault. He's a great heel and I hope he's back healthy soon.

The triple-threat main event was meh. There were some nice spots, but overall it didn't fully work for me. Elias is probably the right guy to go over here, though he won't in the Chamber.

Smackdown

Much of this show didn't really hold my interest.

I like Liv Morgan, but putting a wrestler who was lower mid card on NXT against Charlotte and expecting anyone to really care is a stretch.

The Usos promo was amazing. These guys have been SO good, and this promo was literally about how they used to be just okay and are now amazing. They are a legend in the making right now.

If you watch one video in this post, this is the one.

The US title match was okay, but there is a clear misalignment here. Roode's character works a million times better when he's a heel, and the entire crowd wants a face turn for Rusev. Give us our double turn, WWE. Rusev COULD be a mega face. Trust.

Orton showing up to RKO everyone sure was very Orton. I don't like Randy Orton.

The No. 1 Contender main event was terrific. One of the best Kevin/Sami matches in WWE, and they're always gold together. I would have preferred to have Sami go over. He's due. He's putting in the work. He deserves this. I wasn't thrilled with the Styles interference, for this reason. But hopefully it'll lead to a great match on Fastlane.

Mixed Match Challenge

This was WAY more entertaining than it had any right to be. The last time Goldust was this match fun during a match was... I don't even know when it was. Not a great showing for Rose, but everyone else worked their asses off.

205 Live

It was recently reported that Vince has stepped down from running 205 Live, and has given the book to HHH. Which probably explains why the show is so much better now. Drake Maverick is a big part of that.

The two matches were terrific, and I was shocked to see Strong go over Itami. Less shocked now that I know HHH has the book. I think an Itami heel turn is coming, and a newly vicious Hideo will be a destructive force in the show. Here for it.

NXT

Well, that was a stormy start. But why, if he wants to end the feud, doesn't Regal make the Tornado match a match for the title?

I love Johnny Wrestling, and I love Candice Wrestling, but wish they didn't make Candice's early days in NXT all about Johnny. She's too good. The only way I'd be happy to accept that is if WWE lets her do the thing she may be the best woman in the world at: Fighting dudes. Do I think they will? I do not.

Wasn't the Strong/Dunne match supposed to happen this week?

The Tornado Tag match was, as one would expect, terrific. Chaotic, wild, lots of fun. I'd like Alexander Wolfe to get more of a spotlight, as he really is exceptional when he gets it

Post show, Ember Moon accepted the challenge Shayna Baszler laid out during the show. This has me a bit worried. I'd like Ember to have a long, strong reign before moving to the main roster. We'll see.

All in all, a good week of WWE programming. Thanks for helping me out with some good content to debut the weekly post, WWE.