AverageKong

Quite impressed with Io vs Candice. Indy darling Candice finally got in there and was able to do her thing. She is sloppy but definitely game for some fun stuff. Wasnt really expecting Shirai to be the base for a lot of that. I thought Io was remarkable. She has transitioned into this smug heel character so seamlessly that she managed to put fire to what was already a hot act. Is it possible to be more interested in the most interesting female wrestler in the world? Shayna and Mia needed to be something other than a good match with a predictable win. Mia needed this win more than anyone on the roster. I'm assuming they move towards a 4 way match with Shayna, Io, Mia, and Bianca and that's where big, bad Shayna FINALLY drops the belt.

Of all the women circling the title, she is probably the one who needs it the most. She's too good and has been around too long to not be looked at as a serious contender. If only breifly as a transitional champ for another heel such as Io or Bianca or even if to drop it back to Shayna. They hesitated to push her when she first debuted and she's had to slowly gain steam. She has some now and they're booking her to be really smart and resourceful. Its believable that she can have Shayna's number given their "training partner" relationship. Taking down the biggest baddie on the scene could possibly create a new star.

The womens tag was decent enough for something that was added to the card last minute. With the reception that Bea got it's a shame she kinda got thrown on with little build. Surprised with Riho taking the pin from someone who is largely unfamiliar and isnt signed. Nothing against the work Brandi has been putting in to improve, but she is rather bad and Allie has never been that great to me. Sloppy match that I dont think did either woman any favors. The involvement of Awesome and Aja was a nice distraction but I'm not excited if their program is parallel to anything more with Brandi and Allie Omega vs Cima was pretty intense fun. Thought the outcome was obvious, but Cima looked strong here and he wore Omega down up to the ending stretch.

Mia has been working these young girls through some of their best televised performances. You could see some growth in Bianca during their series of matches and now here for the first time I can recall Aliyah looked really comfortable. Even better is now Mia has that momentum to go along with being such a reliable performer. I too could do without her trying so hard with her current character though. Bianca hit the reset and came back really mean. I'm not disappointed that she isnt as physical as that normally. It's a shame Diamante sat most of her run in Impact out with an injury. Her getting tossed around like a bag of bones will be my favorite memory of her. Tough chick.

The womens 4way was pretty extreme. I want to say probably the most hardcore I've seen females in a mainstream promotion here in the US get. Rosemary and Yung taking those suplexes onto the ladder was insane. The finish was brutal too. I've seen Havok and Yung do the second rope tombstone before but the thumbtacks were a nice touch.

A lot of Mia's emotions pre and post match were documented by wwe, but I'm not quite sure why she was so giddy. A big show, but damn. Didnt know she and Keith Lee were dating. The match between she and Belair was good. The story of Mia learning to get Bianca's number has been cool to watch these past weeks. Action was solid. That high angle backdrop Bianca gave Mia got replayed a few times just so I could see how Mia didnt break her neck. I've been kinda iffy on Mia's "protect ya neck" finisher but I thought the one she hit off the second rope was cool. If Mia doesnt go on to beat Shayna or capture the title in a 3/4 way involving Io and Bianca I'm going to worry about her ability to keep her spot on the cards. Shes had to work hard to get the momentum shes gained since signing and unlike Io and Bianca I dont know if she can keep it up without going all the way over.

Charlotte and Lacey could possibly have had a better match, but I appreciated the way the match was led into and felt like it was legit impromptu. The choice of finish to keep both women looking strong and get Becky over was ok. I love the Iconics. I find them to be comedic gold on the mic and in their segments. Peyton and Nikki have worked together before and used that little time well to also work in Billy and Alexa. Ricochet and Cesaro had another great match. I was a little iffy on them starting out and going straight for that corner rana spot, but their pace and chemistry throughout was too good to deny.

Not a fan of that finish or variations of it either lol. Main event wasnt the worst but they didnt sell me on this encounter. Shayna and Io was good. Shayna as a dominating champion is fun. The reality is as a character she needs that title more than anyone else and I'm ok with the idea of her stacking up a list of contenders. Io snapping after the match was cool. Loved the chair moonsault. Go away Candice.

Womens title match was good. Didnt think Nina stood a chance walking away with the strap, but she brought the fight to Toni. Never knew Nina was that athletic and I haven't seen a woman break out a butterfly backbreaker in a long time. Hope they mix it up again.

Solid match with Yim vs Belair. They were given some decent time and made good use of it. Bianca's build to title contender was great, but I've always felt she works best on the outskirts and here was a great example. Mia has been struggling to get momentum and I feel like this win was the step she needed to be looked at the way most familiar with her would. I think now that we have Bianca in that upper-mid card spot it would be a great time to bring Deonna Purrazo back into the mix and give them something to work with while Yim sorts things out with Shayna and Io.

Sadie was rumored to be contracted several months ago. Weird that they're just announcing it now. There were several female names that were announced as signed talent, but they didnt make appearances at DON and I haven't seen them announced for any shows (Sadie, Bea, Penelope). Sadie reminds me of Shantelle Taylor/Taylor Wilde and Athena/Ember Moon.

Not the smoothest of shows but nearly everything got over well with the live audience and delivered the entertainment I expected. SCU vs Strong hearts was a nice opener. Changes in pace of the match at points was done well. Awesome Kong was a pleasant surprise for the womens 4way. Nice they kept that under wraps and the crowd responded well. The match however was a bit of a struggle. Kong working light is no fun. Thought the finish stretch was good. I'd be ok if they didnt bring Nyla back. Joshi tag was good though I was unfamiliar with several ladies. I haven't seen Ryo work since her early years in Sendai and I was quite shocked to see her have so much personality. Hikaru Shida is probably where they need to put their attention. I thought Cody vs Dustin was fine up until the end with the stretch of finishes and kick outs. They visibly exhausted the crowd. A great moment for the 2 of them though. Lucha Bros vs Young Bucks was a great sprint, but kinda lost me at the end too. I didnt mind the spottines until they end where they incorporated the arm work just for Nick to fly out of nowhere to hit their spotty finish. Not the biggest fan of the Judas Effect, but it will catch on I feel. Another good match from Kenny and Jericho. A few rough patches they worked through well. Moxley debuting was cool. I think he is going to be essential in stretching out the main event card for their future shows.

That would be great. There aren't many women I can recall using a lariat as a finish. I think Reina's size would add legitimacy to it finishing the match more so than anyone else though. I find snuff/chew abosultely repulsive, but I think that could be something to take her character over the hump. She is so different yet so dry to me.

I've read that Ruby is going to need/have surgery on the other shoulder as well so there apparently isn't a return date anytime soon. But where the hell have Sarah and Liv been since they split?

Candice has come a long way, but I still think she needs a lot more polishing. I dont think she is dangerous, but she is sloppy. Not sure how I feel about Reina. Seems that she can do neat things with the smaller girls and is more mobile than someone like Nia. Not the most charismatic though. The post match attack from the horsewoman and Io running in with the kendo stick was fun. Thought she looked cool in the all black and leather. I hope that's something that she sticks with. I think she does need something to distance herself from Asuka/Kairi and their colorful/flashy characters. An edgy Ozaki/Oz Academy like character would be cool.

They get PPV bonuses in addition to what their contracts dictate. So yeah, if Lesnar gets paid more and didnt put his body on the line... I think they should be compensated with more money. Again it's not about what was booked, scripted, wins/losses. It's the ethics of the company looking out for these guys who put their bodies on the line to make a living.

It's being reported that Brocks involvement was kept a secret until moments before the match. It's likely they had already planned most of those spots ahead of time... days or weeks in advance. It would have made no sense to completely ditch their plans because management chose to throw Brock in last minute. So yeah they're doing the same moves, but NO they didnt really know of Brocks involvement. No it's not real... but that's how they make a living. If they're not compensated for risking their bodies in such a way and someone else is making millions doing the minimum, why wouldnt they be upset? Because the story called for that? They're just doing their jobs? I'm not expecting anyone to throw a fit because Brock stole their thunder in a scripted show... I'm expecting them to throw a fit if they didnt get paid GOOD. I hope that you can understand that line of reasoning.

Womens MITB was probably my favorite of the 3 they've done. Didnt quite get the Carmella injury angle, but other than that I thought it was done well. Probably the only time I've felt like Nikki Cross belonged in the ring. Bayley winning was the right choice judging from the reaction. Becky vs Lacey could have happened on RAW. Not a bad match, but it didnt feel important and wasn't worked like a match with any importance. Didnt last long either. Crowd really dug Becky, but I dont feel any of that heat was absorbed by Lacey. Becky vs Charlotte was just as short and uneventful but had more of a story going in that carried it through. Bayley cashing in was kinda obvious when she ran out to make the save, but it was a hot angle and was received well. I hope the guys involved in the MITB match will get a bonus comparable to Brocks salary. A complete fuckery to have him walk out and grab the case after they've worked a crazy dangerous match that didnt elevate any of them.

Yeah it seemed like they're investing a little extra energy into Arisa for some reason. I do feel she needs this more than Kyona and Hazuki because she isnt as popular at the moment. I dont mind her, in fact I rather like Arisa, but they're going to have to be careful with how they continue to push her.

More new champs in Stardom from their recent shows. Hana Kimura, Konami, & Jungle Kyona (Tokyo Cyber Squad) took the trios title from Mayu, Saki Kashima, & Tam Nakano. Arisa Hoshiki kept her momentum rolling from the Cinderella tourney and pinned Momo Watanabe for the Wonder of Stardom title.

I felt it was all precautionary. The thing is I feel that decision should have been made before now and if they've been watching Alexa's condition like I know they have, why use her so heavily on TV when they could have been priming Nikki, Ruby, or ffs Dana who they've known is going to be in the match? Alexa's talk show segment is a great way to keep her relevant without competing. She has THAT. She doesn't need to be in the ring at the moment if she isn't 100% healthy. Use that time to elevate some other women.

Didnt she compete a few weeks ago? I'm super confused and annoyed as she has been getting a good amount of screen time these past weeks yet they haven't been sure if she'll be able to work MITB. Now at the last minute they're reaching for some angle to insert Cross into the picture.

Outside of Vanessa and Aliyah having more of a gimmick to work off of, I'm still not buying into them. Not a bad match, a rather decent showing for Borne I thought. I just dont see much there in the ring. I dont know much about Jessie Eleban, but I see some potential there. She is athletic though a bit awkward.

Piper is probably my favorite female on the brand outside of Jinny at the moment. She isnt having stellar matches but works appropriately to where she appears on the card. Solid match against Hayter. Ligero vs Devlin was fun, but Devlins selling was a little to overdramatic at points. Jazzys debut was cool because she has a great 2nd accompanying her. Loved that Kelly ditched Xia to be destroyed

I haven't really been able to get behind Mia since she has been signed. She doesnt really have any momentum and I cringe at her character work. I feel the 1st encounter between Bianca and Mia was better, but the finish made Mia look better here.