CWC EPISODE TEN - SEMIS & FINALS (9/1416)

[Charlie M.]

Perkins needed it more in the transition to the main roster. Metalik will get over just by doing his cool stuff, IMO.

I would do a women's tournament next year instead of the CWC and alternate years. Make it more special.

[Beech27]

Maybe I'm grasping here--or maybe just not paying attention--but did ZSJ seem a bit pissed to anyone else? He kicked out right after the fall, then didn't stick around for the customary handshaking/pointing/chant-absorbing, post arm raise.

[steve]

He sorta kinda looked like he was selling a stinger. Not sure if he's actually that good at selling or not, I admit to not seeing much of his stuff at all prior to the tournament.

[JCM]

Fun show, but I really don't think anything could follow the Ibushi match. I have a hard time buying TJP as a guy that should be beating Ibushi after kicking out of all his stuff and beating Metalik. Tag match was a little too cutesy for me. The CWC was pretty great overall and likely the best thing WWE will do this year.  I have my doubts how this will translate to Raw, but with HHH behind it who knows.

[odessasteps]

10 minutes ago, Niners Fan in CT said:

I wanted Metalik to win the whole thing but I'm pretty confident he will have his day.  TJP won because of his underdog story.  He didn't win because WWE thinks he is a superior worker to Metalik or whatever.  Anyway, great show. Great belt. I'm looking forward to the division.

I agree with Rob that the first champ was prob going to be an English speaker. 

[EVA]

I've still yet to find a context where Dar looks worth a shit.  You'd think in a sprint tag match he'd at least find a spot to stand out, but nope.

[Raziel]

I'm annoyed Dar was in that tag match when Swann and Gallagher were sitting right there.

[Niners Fan in CT]

5 minutes ago, odessasteps said:

I agree with Rob that the first champ was prob going to be an English speaker. 

That and TJP now has something he can go back to.  "I won the first classic! I beat Metalik and Ibushi in the same night!"  Metalik doesn't need anything more other than being Metalik. I thought he was the best guy in the tournament and the WWE crowds will adore him.

[Peck]

Is there a particularly obvious reason why I'm wondering that the new Belt is blue when it's going to Raw?

[cubbymark]

The new belt is purple, almost an Evolve purple if you'd ask me.

[Niners Fan in CT]

 

[Peck]

7 minutes ago, cubbymark said:

The new belt is purple, almost an Evolve purple if you'd ask me.

 

4 minutes ago, L_W_P said:

 

It looked like it was purple to match the theme color of the event. It was a little weird at first sight but I like it.

Christ, now I need to get my eyes checked. Thanks guys.

[The Man Known as Dan]

I get the argument of wanting TJP to have a catch, but if I'm starting a brand new division, I want my champion to be someone that jumps off the screen enough that he draws interest. I don't think TJP is that guy.

[Eivion]

I thought all the matches delivered. I'm not sure which was the best out of the tournament stuff though I'm leaning towards Ibushi/TJP. With the exception of that dive miss in the final I thought TJP looked good. I think he is a solid choice for the first champ.

[Niners Fan in CT]

1 minute ago, El Dragon said:

I get the argument of wanting TJP to have a catch, but if I'm starting a brand new division, I want my champion to be someone that jumps off the screen enough that he draws interest. I don't think TJP is that guy.

I think they are all going to jump off the screen at first glance because we don't see the kind of stuff they are going to do on RAW.  There will be plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" to go around.  I wish that the division will evolve to something past that which if Kendrick's story/style was any indication it probably will..   but the first month or so I'm guessing they will work everyone in through mostly spots we haven't seen before. "We" meaning aside from us hardcore fans.

They can even work the boos that TJP received into his eventual heel turn. I think that's where this will go too.  Gallagher and Metalik will be too loveable to garner heel heat.  TJP can be their cocky little shit.

[Charlie M.]

I'd probably run Perkins vs Neville at Clash Of Champions.

[Marcel]

53 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

I wasn't. I was mocking TNA for yet another person the wasted for years that the WWE used better in less than two months

I mean...that's par for the course, right?  They also had Kazuchika Fucking and turned him into the Green Hornet's sidekick.

Also, agree with the sentiment that WWE put on a better Super J Cup than NJPW did and NJPW should be embarrassed about it.

 

[Marcel]

29 minutes ago, L_W_P said:

 

It looked like it was purple to match the theme color of the event. It was a little weird at first sight but I like it.

I like the purple - it stands out as the theme color as you said, plus it's a combination of Raw's red and Smackdown's blue which will give it a different look on the cross-brand shows.

[Marcel]

Also...I'm okay with Perkins as the initial champ - he'll be able to work with everyone as they establish a strong heel to eventually beat him - but he really should have caught Metalik on that one dive.

[DreamBroken]

1 hour ago, Smelly McUgly said:

I know I'll hear it, but mediocre show for me. ZSJ/Metallik was excellent and clearly MOTN in my view. 

The booking of TJ Perkins as some sort of ace is absurd. Yes, they protected the kneebar (which is nice), but dude has been a good athlete and a mediocre wrestler since I've first seen him. Manik was mediocre, Perkins now has weak strikes and offense that looks pretty rather than like it hurts someone. I give him credit that he's smooth on transitions and has decent mat skills, but the Ibushi match was a lesser version of the Cedric Alexander match and the Metallik match had a solid finishing run, but was disjointed as the two guys had a few timing issues.

Tag match was solid.

Perkins being champ and the centerpiece of the division immediately puts me off of it. My interest for it went down about a hundred notches. 

OK show, but not one I'll watch again.

Hunter soaking in the nerd love was pretty priceless and such a Hunter move. 

Sums up my thoughts pretty much exactly. I had a lack of emotional investment which dropped my interest in it. But I did love the "Thank You Hunter" chant.

1 hour ago, El Dragon said:

Just too many holes in TJP/Ibushi for me to call it best match of the night. I don't buy TJP as being able to kick out of Ibushi's Super Death Bomb, at all.

Agreed. I had a hard time buying anything TJP was doing putting down Ibushi after the Kendrick and Alexander matches. Especially tapping out, though the submission looked better in the final. Thought Metalik looked great here atleast. Also agree on the majority take around here on ZSJ.

 

[Tim Evans]

Ibushi/TJP was amazing to watch live. The Full sail crowd HATED TJP to begin the night and were booing every mention of him before the show like he was roman reigns. The finish was awesome as they went nuts when Ibushi lost. TJP won them back after the Metalik match. I don't mind TJP winning as I guess he was the only one that could show up on Raw Monday.

Watching Sasha mark out for the tag match at ringside makes me like her even more. She's such a mark.

[Johnny Sorrow]

I totally bought into the TJ underdog story they told, and it was told brilliantly.

[Go2Sleep]

I thought the show was good, and I'm totally sold on TJP.

I'm still not sold on Metalik, and I'm not sure why he's so popular here. He's the epitome of the "empty spots" style that people hate. Granted, most of his spots do look great (like that high-jump rana to the floor), but his matches are all very "get my stuff in no matter what," which I guess will translate fine to the main roster. The match with ZSJ was really disjointed and not that good outside of some cool moves, but there's no way that's all on Zack. Metalik clearly had no interest in selling, transitioning, or establishing a coherent story either.

On the other hand, Ibushi/Perkins was rather great. It combined a lot of what I liked from Ibushi/Alexander and Perkins/Gargano. For all of TJP's shocking wins, this one was by far the best laid out. They just went pure strong style, which obviously worked to Ibushi's strengths, but also lured the viewers into believing there was no way Perkins could win. Ibushi escaped the kneebar attempts rather easily and TJP hadn't established anything else that could believably pin him. The powerbomb was hit at the right time to be a believable finish, and it was the first WWE finisher kick-out I've liked in a long time. I actually bit on it, and TJP didn't just get up and start trading moves again. He actually sold the move and the match, which didn't drag out any further than it needed to. Adding the simple chinlock to the kneebar made it a suitable super-finisher. It reminded me of Cena locking HHH's arm at WM 22 to secure a believable, but previously-unfathomable tapout.

The tag match was an alright sprint. Perfectly acceptable filler.

The final match was decent. No way they could follow the Ibushi match, but it was definitely better than the other semi. Metalik did sell his knee a little down the stretch so the finish worked. This match felt a more WWE-style than most of the CWC. Perkins is a fine choice for the first champ. His matches have all been solid at worst, and he can go face or heel on the main roster.

[Matt D]

This is the most divisive thing in ages.

I would really need to watch things again but I did go nuts for Metalik's clothesline on ZSJ. I can say that for certain.

[turk128]

The semi-finals, I would never have guessed such different styles would work out so damn well but both Metalik and TJP changed up their game to really help transition the gap.

The finalists also brought their PPV epic gear. Seriously, their gear were like top notche threads and designs.

And then there was a PWG match in between tourney matches. Best Dar has looked so far.

The final was about two legit exhausted guys (Metalik more so) selling they were exhausted on top of that, yet refusing to give up; everything they did emphasized their exhaustion and drive. Then mid way thru the final TJP managed to turn the crowd to his favor (really helped that he helped carry the clearly exhausted Metalik until he recovered).

The belt seems blue under certain lightning because it's more violet than purple... basically transition color between blue and purple.