The Unholy Dragon
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Posts posted by The Unholy Dragon
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Seth Rollins is the first WWE Champion to be younger than WrestleMania.
Amazing show. Maybe a GOAT contender for Manias. Detailed thoughts later.
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Well, there it is.
(Batman Eternal spoilers)
Cluemaster WAS the big mastermind, albeit with the assistance of Earth-0 Owlman/Talon.
A little disappointed they seem to have killed Cluemaster. This was very much a breakout book and could have led to more down the line. Alas.
Finale next week should be bananas.
I'm disappointed they killed him but more for whatever could have been further built with Stephanie down the line. He really doesn't work as a big name villain considering he is far too similar to Riddler. I did like the motivation behind him and his crew, but honestly I would have been pretty disappointed if he had straight up been the Big Bad, especially considering that a good deal of this got way too personal for a guy who didn't actually know Batman's identity until this issue. If I'm being honest it really feels like he was thrown in at as last minute as a red herring because so many people already figured out this would March would be the Big Bad.
See but I love that the notion was to fake a big organized play, get everybody going nuts while Batman struggles to see a pattern that doesn't exist. It's such a different approach and it worked for me to justify Cluemaster being the architect of the whole deal since really there wasn't much to build.
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Well, there it is.
(Batman Eternal spoilers)
Cluemaster WAS the big mastermind, albeit with the assistance of Earth-0 Owlman/Talon.
A little disappointed they seem to have killed Cluemaster. This was very much a breakout book and could have led to more down the line. Alas.
Finale next week should be bananas.
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The problem with Arrow is that you really want all that action stuff, but they insist on making Ollie the worst and having all the characters around him act as his conscience. The whole supporting cast is some kind of weird Jiminy Cricket.
I've actually been enjoying the Black Canary build and I've found Thea has replaced Sara as the character who consistently has logical motivations and acts with some consistent sense of morality.
Also, Eddie Thawne is clearly going to be Cobalt Blue, right? -
I don't get that feeling at all from this reboot. I'm all for DC being open to new ideas and greenlighting books for characters who wouldn't get a book were this Marvel or DC in a different time, but greenlighting books for characters like Prez AND putting relative unknowns on them seems to be a terrible idea. I'd probably be more interested in Prez, Omega Men, Midnighter, etc. if I knew more about the writers and artists (at least Prez is just a min-series). Most of the talent lineup are names I haven't heard, or barely know of.
I'm all for new talent and culling people from the indys is a fine idea, but I admittedly don't read a lot of indys any more and I'm guessing most of these new names won't have the mainstream success of someone like Jeff Lemire. That was more or less a stroke of luck which I bet can't be duplicated once DC starts trying to duplicate it. I know there are still a lot of writers around that I'd enjoy - because most of them either work for Marvel now or have worked at DC recently - but, as it stands, there's a lot of question marks for me in those solicits and I'm not sure how much money I'm willing to spend to see if I like a writer or not. Really, I'm wondering what happened to all the "names" DC has used in the past couple years.
This is a weirdly insular view all said. You don't think indie stars are likely to make it big, but you don't read indies.
Really, it's a combo of things here. DC's approach of "MAKE EVERYTHING APPEAL TO OUR HARDCORES" blew up in their faces due to a combination of not getting what their hardcore audience wanted and the fact that most people can't afford to buy an entire line so it'd be a game of diminishing returns. Meanwhile Marvel has diversified its lineup, turning a lot of indie creators into megastars and having risky books pay off huge. Such as the new Ms. Marvel which is apparently one of their top sellers when all platforms are considered. That's a book about a legacy character for a legacy that historically doesn't sell well, with a Muslim girl as the lead, written by a creator whose biggest work to that point was Air (which was amazing but sold terribly). But it was marketed well, hooked a different audience than the cores, and has not only become a sales hit but acted as a gateway drug to comics/Marvel for new readers. DC wanted some of that and are duplicating the approach.
There's also the fact that Image has finally become a viable alternative for people that aren't Robert Kirkman. Creator Owned is selling, building stars up before they get Marvel/DC work. But it also means that a lot of the big name creators are taking extended breaks from superhero stuff to focus on doing creator owned work because it can be as profitable in the short term, and due to an ownership stake, MORE profitable in the long term while often being more creatively satisfying. Hence a lot of the bigger names of the past 10-20 years more or less 'retiring' from superhero comics.
It's not that different from wrestling logic. If you don't start building up the new stars, you have nothing when the old guard leaves you.
Oh and the first two issues of Secret Six were pretty cool, pissed that I have to wait until June for #3.
It's been solid. Gail is often hit or miss with her openings. I find her books tend to sneak up on me after 4-8 issues.
Also, fuck Ken Lashley. Putting aside that he's kinda Bill DeMott-esque in his studio, dude is not SO GOOD that I'm willing to wait like six months an issue for his shit.
I'm very disappointed at all the backlash & subsequent cancelling of Rafael Albuquerque's Joker variant Batgirl cover. I'm a HUGE fan of his work & I really do not think he had any malice in his heart when he designed this cover. What is wrong with people?
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dc-comics-cancels-batgirl-joker-variant-at-artists-request
It doesn't fit the book. You wouldn't put the cover of a Harlequin on Hunger Games. Comics needs to start actually targeting their marketing instead of running on inertia or else they'll lose the new audiences they're cultivating.
And clearly Rafael Abuquerque gets this which is why he asked them to pull it.
Honestly, I think it's a great cover. It's got really strong horror elements and the fact that we know Batgirl isn't a civilian makes her terror that much more intimidating. It's a good piece of work and if this were, for example, a cover during Death of the Family? I wouldn't see the problem. It would have fit the tone of the book at that time as well as the content of the issue. The problem is that the book is being targeted at teen girls and queer audiences, groups that often experience heavy amounts of violence, threats of violence, and sexual assault. So yeah, it was offensive to the actual target audience of the book. Which is why they pulled it. And rightfully so.
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This is the last day to get like 30 Comixology Submit titles for $3 USD. It includes Leaving Megatropolis by Simone/Caliafore which is worth more than $3 alone. Kid Code and Snipe are also pretty great. Well worth the $3.
also check Comixology's Twitter for some free comic redemption codes. Some stuff is expired but there's still a bunch from yesterday including Scott Pilgrim colour volume one in full and some other graphic novels.
SXSW is a great time for digital comics.
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So...any thoughts on the new looks for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman?
Superman harkens back to the Morrison run at the start of the New 52, which I'm hypothetically in favour of. The story element will matter but the costume is fine.
Batman is...I mean, interesting? It looks cool but doesn't read as 'Batman' for me which is likely the point. Story will also be key here.
Wonder Woman is hideous liquid dogshit. Just the worst kind of excessive Image Comics in the 90s nonsense and further evidence that David Finch should never design anything.
Excellent point about March, I really do hope it's him and not someone like Ra's.
All signs seem to point to March, especially Spoiler thinking the guy she saw IS Bruce Wayne.
I thought James Gordon Jr was going to be involved somehow since Gordon was the first guy taken down. Has he shown up in New 52 yet? Snyder had that Black Mirror story w him from Detective a few years back too.
Well, we know Hush can do a mean Bruce Wayne. That part could have been him. Lincoln or Owlman still seem most likely though who knows?
Also, James Jr. has shown up a bunch in the New 52. He was in Batgirl culminating in an arc where both Babs and Jim thought she had killed him (dovetailed off Death of the Family) before showing up in Suicide Squad.
Moreover though, he was actually in Eternal. He received the invite but decided not to take part aside from offering to break his father out of jail to prove he's no better than James Jr. Gordon declined it though and James hasn't been back in the series since.
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Endgame has been really great so far. Someone give Scott Snyder a hand.
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Roman was the hottest act in the world coming out of the Shield split. They should have given him the title right off that and figured out a different Brock deal much like how they subbed Batista into Orton's Wrestlemania spot when they realized Batista was the hotter act in 05.
As is they tried ti make it this huge perfect magical deal, people cooled on Reigns and now we're here. Gotta strike when the iron is hot, not 8 months later.
Also they need to stop booking ME guys to do 15+ on PPV when they can't. If Roman vs. Orton had been 10-12 minutes it would have been great but neither guy is good at long matches without some handholding. Roman would be fine if WWE would go back to letting monster dudes be monsters and wrestle tight 12 minute main events instead of big epic deals.
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For the Joshi option that'll never happen, Io Shirai.
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Hindsight is proving my fantasy booking correct.
Cena vs. Reigns for the WWE Title with Brock vs. Bryan would have been a better bet for fan engagement.
Hell, wrestling Brock got people over the end of Punk's title reign finally. -
So hey this was a card full of misfires up to the last two matches. Aside from the big segments, both of which I thought were basically perfect for what they were looking to accomplish.
Opening six man tag somehow managed to pick the worst possible guys to work the bulk of the match, leading to a terrible affair with a few good spots. The finish is just as infuriating because it's actually a great double finisher, except it's Kane and Show teaming to beat Dolph in 2015 to set up Randy Orton killing all the heels. Mediocre match that was super frustrating because it could have been good if Dolph/Rollins were more the focus. Misfire.
The Dusts had a good little match until the botched finish. Sort of a long game feeling out with Goldust holding back and Stardust just trying to rip him apart. I loved the ridiculous number of counters given how well they know each other and the finish would have been great if the ref hadn't screwed it up. Misfire.
Tag Titles felt restrained given the teams. Again, I don't get the heavy push on Tyson when Cesaro is RIGHT THERE and the match was just...weird. Great spots, but the hot tag bit was sloppy and mistimed and the whole match just kind of felt disjointed. No real rhyme or reason and it's like they jammed the tag formula into 3 minutes to set up a 6 minute finishing run. Really brought out the worst in each other and I mean...it was still fun, but not great. Certainly not what it could have been. Misfire.
Paige vs. Nikki...man, it was good for what it was. Nikki's improvement is noticeable and I love her working her way through AJPW tributes. Green and finishing with an elbow last month, yellow with the big powerbomb this month. Orange outfit, Nodawa throwing Nikki Bella can't be far off. Paige is Paige so most of the work was good. But the bottom buckle cradle fumbled and the finish was overly abrupt and with the tights pull being kinda flubbed. Sadly another misfire despite good work.BNB vs. Dean...man, I called it. Barrett is the guy that Vince keeps pushing because Vince is really into him despite him never really getting all that good in-ring. Great promo, granted, but Wade should really just be a manager/enforcer deal. His moveset is just such a weird hodgepodge that never really fits any of the gimmicks he's done and he doesn't really know how to structure a match. Ambrose helped a lot with that here and it was a decent deal, but Ambrose is another guy who got super hot on his own merits but isn't a WWE guy and thus has an upper limit on the card. Thus we get the horrible compromise between what the fans want and what Vince wants. Terrible. Misfire.
Rusev vs. Cena though...total showsaver. Unsurprisingly, the IWC at large is sleeping on it but this was Rusev's match and his story to tell. Cena is the Ace. He's lost a step or two, but he's still the Ace. Rusev is overconfident because he hasn't really been pushed all that hard so far, but he hasn't faced anyone quite like Cena and it's about 5-7 minutes in when Cena starts cutting off the stuff that usually leads to the end that Rusev starts to realize that he's out of his depth. Most of the time he just has to survive long enough to get the kick and the Accolade, but Cena isn't most guys and as the match goes on you can see Rusev starting to doubt if he can actually get it done. Because as tough as Rusev is, he's never been challenged enough to really have to figure out how to go deep into a match. As it goes longer he keeps getting more and more desperate and it becomes apparent that Cena can survive his stuff and dig deeper. Rusev may be tough enough to survive an STF for a bit or even an AA but he's not sure of it and avoids them desperately, trying to find anything that'll keep Cena down. Superman keeps coming though. Rusev survives each of his bombs once, but he's losing momentum. He gets his opening and finally gets the Accolade but for the first time since he came to the main roster, it doesn't work. So he's forced to cheat. Cena holds up his end by being monster match workrate Cena, but this really is Rusev's match.
Then the main event...it's great too. Bryan comes in trying to wrestle like it's 2013, but Roman's got all that shit scouted and schools him for trying. So instead Bryan gets makes an opening with the leg and just uses it to break Roman down. Roman manages to work away from it and his leg recovers, but Bryan gets another opening with the stomach kick and since that works better gets right on it instead. From there he uses a combination of good scouting and clever work to stay on top with a good mix of big spots and striking to keep him down. Roman holds tough and uses big power moves to wear Bryan down himself and in the end it comes down to a war of attrition. Very much becomes a case where Bryan has these weapons that would put down Roman in any other match, but this is for the main event of Wrestlemania and Roman will not die. This constant fight to survive leads to Bryan getting frustrated and making his biggest mistake, leaving him open for the Spear which is a silver bullet and easily THE most protected finisher in WWE right now.
Frustrating show on a lot of levels, but those two top matches were great with some of the best storytelling I've seen on the main roster of WWE in some time. Mixed bag, but great matches are great.-
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NSFW:
Oh my god, source?
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HHH's sudden run as a Puro king was amazing. Bryan-HHH was as close to perfect as it gets, with HHH basically cribbing Puro offense and wrestling a prime era RoH main event with Bryan. Shield match was a fun squash, Battle Royal and Divas match were inoffensive and did what they needed to. Brock vs. Taker was sort of a disappointing halfassed version of both of their epics and for that reason it was kind of a disappointing ending to the Streak? I figure I may enjoy it more on a second viewing. Bray-Cena was as perfect as it could be, great storytelling and facial expressions and awesomeness. I need a second viewing though because I had stream issues.
Then the main event was perfect.
GOAT quality Mania. -
So for those who haven't noticed, the first Beware the Batman DVD has two previously unaired episodes...and ends on a cliffhanger! Fortunately the show's back on the air. In New Zealand.
Episodes 13-15 makes one of the best animated three parters I can think of, too.
Goddammit Cartoon Network. WHY ARE YOU MAKING IT SO EASY TO HATE YOU? -
That makes sense. Still I don't really see why there had to be a crossover with the main book to payoff Jack's story.
Fables kind of assumes you're reading everything. If you skip 1001 Nights then you'll miss a lot of backstory they assume you know, and Fairest has had at least two major events happen that are reflected in the main book. The recent Fairest OGN also pays off at least two major main story plotlines. The spinoffs aren't really spinoffs because they're not important...they're just stories that wouldn't fit in the primary narrative. You CAN skip them but you will miss stuff and some plot points just plain won't make whole sense without them.
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Read The Great Fables Crossover. I'm not entirely sure what the point of it was. The Literals were an interesting concept I suppose, but I didn't care for how they were done. It all ended up being a bit too goofy to be honest with little in the way of decent drama or cool moments save a few. I also felt it delayed a far more interesting story/direction in the main Fables book with the new villain and Rose Red's build to become the next big hero/heroine of the series. Can definitely see why some aren't high on it. Hopefully things improve with the next volume.
It's more of a payoff to the stuff going on in Jack at the time than anything happening in Fables. If you read it more as part of that run? Fits perfectly. It's definitely a kind of odd aside for the main book though.
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Well, the whole point seems to be that a lot has changed.
And she seems to be less about profit and more about maintaining a certain order in a vacuum. Which is a different thing.
New 52 Black Mask sucks anyway. Mind control powers just...yeah. Sapped every last bit of my interest.
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What is the history of the Earth-2 Batman? I know who it is, but not much else. I won't be reading the issue for two or three weeks so I humbly request one of you to spoil it for me.
He faked his death to protect Bruce, but when he revealed himself to Bruce, Bruce disowned him. When Bruce passed in the war, Thomas decided to take up the mantel to honor Bruce.
Interesting, not what I expected. Does it explain his meta powers?
The new 52 version of Miraclo!
I'm not kidding
Huh, I was thinking he might be a literal spirit of vengeance. This worries me a bit as I was hoping to see Hourman.
Anything is possible, I mean, they brought back Thomas Wayne. Rick Tyler could come and try to avenge his father/brother
Someone somewhere else pointed out that Thomas got the Miraclo from Rex Mason, not Rex Tyler.
Taylor said in an interview that it was intended to be Tyler. He didn't realize which name was in the book until it was published. I suspect it'll change by the time the trade rolls around.
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I dunno. They've been building up Hickey as a regular, while also integrating Chang and Duncan into the group more...I think it's building toward something of a different group. But I mean...it was always going to be different with the new dynamics. Troy and Pierce being gone plus Jeff being a teacher now forces change.
Then again, I've really been enjoying this season's mix of comedy and story. To the point that it's kinda starting to shape into my favourite (though it still has a way to go) -
I think it suits what they seem to be going for. It's not like things are a hundred percent final anyway. Smith went through a couple notable outfits throughout his run.
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Yeah. There's a definite immediate dropoff while it tries to decide what the hell it's doing now and set that up, but once it gets its sea legs again? Pretty great.
'Cubs in Toyland' might be my favourite single volume of the series and that's well into the late game. -
They're trying really hard to make her interesting and they kind of just keep throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. I mean, her as the strong willed legal firm person was at least steady. This season she's all over the fucking place and in a handful of episodes, the actual Black Canary has a personality that is both clearer and more compelling. It's seriously at the point where I'm kind of okay if they don't use her as a stepping stone to getting Laurel in the costume.
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Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying "YESSSS BUY DC FOREVER". If they're not doing anything you want to read, then by all means don't. I'm just REALLY sick of the vocal boycotting both because a company-wide boycott as a rule doesn't help and because it's seriously been two years or more at this point and consistently making a point of mentioning you're boycotting something on a forum that as far as we know, nobody from the company visits is getting weirdly masturbatory.
Wrestlemania XXXI - The Greatest Show Ever
in WWE PROGRAMMING
Posted
I spent about 50% of that segment repeating that exact same fact.
I marked the fuck out for Rousey (surprised they didn't make more of both of them being in Furious 7) and basically this was a great way to tide me over until she finishes murdering the women's division in UFC and moves to WWE for a run. I can dream.
I definitely got the impression the segment was stalling for time, whether because stuff had run short or because they were still trying to give Bray time to get going. Also, on the subject of Bray/Taker, that way overperformed for me. For a match between a 50 year old man and a guy with one good leg, that was good stuff. Played on the freakshow elements and character dynamics more than ACTION which gave Taker a nice, laid back match. I think he only took one or two real bumps in the whole thing. And Bray looks just as good as Punk, Edge, or anyone else who lost to the Streak without being in the Kliq.
Alright. Breakdowns.
Tag Titles were solid. Total spotfest but a well delivered one with lots of fun spots and a great finish.
Andre Battle Royal...man, wasted Itami. Ending run was great with a tease of Cesaro repeating the show elimination as well as the Mizdow stuff. Show winning is whatever, but it's not like the match really got any build anyway. If it weren't for a memorial trophy, no one would care.
At this point my fiancée joined me and it probably helped me appreciate the show more. She's a casual viewer so she gets the broad strokes but needs some of the fine points explained to her. Especially in terms of match build and storytelling as well as the thought process behind how a match is worked. Guiding her through helped me look at stuff a little closer and I had a lot more fun and appreciation for the show as a result, I think.
Ladder match was another solid spotfest. I still have no idea why Truth was there. He contributed nothing of value and I'm kinda wondering if Vince just mixed up him and Kofi. Not that Kofi isn't terrible, but he at least brings the freakshow athletic spots. Stardust was another weird choice, frankly. I love Cody more than is rational. I would back a Cody World Title run. Cody does not do ladder matches well. They're all about high impact stuff that looks rough and all his stuff looked SUPER safe and restrained in comparison. Just a bad fit. Harper, Ambrose, Bryan, and Dolph carried this. And honestly, Barrett looked better than he's looked in probably two years. Loved him using the broken ladder step as a weapon and throwing murder elbows everywhere. Finish sets up the twin aces of midcard titles to reestablish the value of the secondary titles and allow for them to be suitable for house show main events moving forward. The powerbomb was sickening. Otherwise this sure was a ladder match. Fun in the way they are, but not overly memorable. The segment with Bryan later SUPER put him over as a big deal so yay that.
Orton vs. Rollins...man, both these guys REALLY need someone better to lead them. They either structure a match poorly or so safely that it's completely fucking dull. This was super average with a hot finishing run and an admittedly brilliant finish. It served its purpose and I never screamed at the TV for Orton's death so that's something.
Sting vs. HHH was some great smoke and mirrors. Couldn't help but see HHH from the Landis view at the start. He really wants to embarass Sting by totally dominating him, only Sting keeps coming back so HHH just keeps getting dirtier and dirtier to get ahead. Sting looked better than he has in a decade here with a really nice dropkick and a daring dive for a guy his age. I was SUPER annoyed by them doing the Pedigree counter - Dive only to then REPEAT THE SETUP with the Pedigree hitting again. Overbooking was a lot of fun, if nonsensical. I actually found the finish to be fairly clever, both with the hammer being split and the fact of that causing Sting to miss it until he got KO'd. This is a really face-win-heavy show so HHH winning breaks it up a bit while also protecting HHH as a big match guy. Pedigree went from DEATH to "At least one kick out." over the last 3 years or so due to HHH only wrestling epics now though. Sting shaking hands was dumb and clearly down to HHH jerking off, but whatever. Better match than it should have been.
Paige/AJ vs. Bellas was a great little match. They worked hard and got the crowd on-side but it was better if you've been tracking the feud. The layout called back to the Rumble match where the Bellas isolated Nattie enough that she didn't even get to tag in. They used interference in the same way as Paige's title shots. It was a culmination of all the dirty tricks they'd used to win before, only Paige survived it all and with AJ's help managed to FINALLY beat them. Really good culmination to the last few months of story/build.
Rusev vs. Cena was great. Rusev was emboldened by his last win, but also still remembers how hard Cena was to kill and scouts all his finishers. Cena knows the Accolade could get him and avoids it like the plague. But Rusev has scouted him so thoroughly that he ends up having to go high risk to get ANYTHING, leading to the Indy Cena bucket with the diving Tornado DDT and the Springboard Stunner. His usual stuff ain't doing it, so he innovates. But Rusev keeps going because he knows if he gets the Accolade, he'll win. Only that's not how it works out. Cena escapes and Rusev freaks out because THAT was his magic bullet. He's panicked which leads to him forgetting his scouting and getting taken into the STF and then AA'd for the win. Perfect extension of the match they had last month and great storytelling overall. Probably a slightly better match than Fast Lane but different.
Thoughts on the Furious 7 seg above.
Undertaker vs. Bray. As I said above, I thought it overperformed. Bray kept things within the realm of what Taker could safely do, hurling himself around recklessly like a cannonball to keep momentum and allowing Taker to move slower. They played on character a lot. Taker was stripped down. No druids. No light shows. Just him and mist. Bray's entrance was more Taker than Taker's. But when he saw Undertaker he finally felt afraid...just for a second. Taker came in strong but didn't have the fire to keep it up the way he did when the Streak was alive. Bray finds that wound and just digs in like a wild dog, ripping him apart in any way he can. I actually thought the first Tombstone should have finished, but as with the Pedigree as discussed above, the Tombstone has lost strength due to Taker only doing epics. To lose to just one is a sign of disrespect. I liked the finishing run from there. Sister Abigail looked wild, almost like a fall. They did some good stuff and finished on the second Tombstone which worked. Taker may be diminished, but he's not dead yet.
Brock vs. Roman...holy hell that was a slugfest. I liked how Brock basically tried to wrestle the same match he did against Cena. Some of it worked but Roman being a bigger and arguably more powerful dude neutralized a lot of that and turned it into something with a lot more back and forth. Roman took some insane abuse and just hung in there, outdoing both Cena and Streak Taker by kicking out of three F5s. Him realizing Brock didn't have anything else to throw at him and laughing even as Brock slapped the hell out of him was amazing. Brock bleeding hard way in three separate instances ruled and made it feel decidedly non-PG. Then Roman getting his shot, chaining those Superman Punches and the Spears...awesome nearfall. Given his Spear is the most protected finisher in WWE right now, I bit on the double. One last F5 but Brock can't capitalize, leaving it wide open for Rollins to cash in. PERFECT booking on that. By coming in at that moment, Rollins can pick out whichever dude is weaker and finish them. Some people may hate it, but it stands out as ballsy booking that elevates everyone. Brock-Roman is unsettled, leaving everything open for a rematch. Meanwhile Rollins has a ton of ready made feuds in there. Also it finally delivers on the idea that was presented after Edge won the first MitB ten years ago...a successful cash-in at Wrestlemania.
Really great show. Everything worked and was at a minimum good, which puts it into that 17/19/30 realm of greatness. It didn't have the highest highs but it lacked the lows and was a good time all the way through. I'm definitely a fan.