The Raw Exposé: The Bayley Is The Queen of Scotland Edition (11-7-2016)

By: Keila Cash 

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. With Survivor Series a little under two weeks away, WWE needed to hype Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar before their face-to-face confrontation next week. Plus, the teams representing Team Raw at the PPV had to be finalized. Were there any snubs? Most importantly, did the fans care or did they go into business for themselves by taking us on a trip to Bizzaro Land where heels become babyfaces and vice versa? The answer these pressing questions can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

·        Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Seth Rollins are the five men that will represent Team Raw at Survivor Series. Owens and Jericho weren’t thrilled, but Stephanie McMahon told them that they needed to work together in order to survive. Not only that, they needed to win in order to keep their jobs as well. Stephanie dropped the mic and left the ring as Owens and Jericho cut a condescending promo talking about how the rest of the team should follow their lead.

·        Rollins didn’t agree as he punched Jericho in the face which caused Reigns and Owens to go at it as well. Strowman was standing in the ring like a tree until he pulled Rollins off of Jericho and laid both men out.

·        Reigns and Strowman were the last men standing when Stephanie appeared on the stage and announced that all five men would face off in a Fatal Five Way match later in the show as the opening segment came to a close.

·        The opening segment was solid for the most part. Jericho and Owens were great on the mic as they came off as arrogant co-captains that planned to will their team to victory at the PPV. The promo was mainly played for laughs, but it was still good.

·        Rich Swann pinned Brian Kendrick for the second time in three weeks as he and Sin Cara defeated the Cruiserweight Champion and the debuting Noam Dar. The match was decent as Dar got a huge ovation from the hometown crowd. This might be the biggest reception he receives until the next European tour. Dar had a few hope spots during the match, but Sin Cara dominated the pace for the most part.

·        Kendrick ripped Dar for losing the match and told him that he was a loser like TJ Perkins. He attacked Dar, but the hometown boy regrouped and dropped Kendrick with an enzuirgiri as the crowd cheered him on.

·        Swann pinned the Cruiserweight Champion, but Dar’s Raw debut in his home country was the top story.

·        Stephanie McMahon: Professional Ball Snipper is back in business as she emasculated Sami Zayn to the point of no return. Stephanie was offended that Mick Foley picked Zayn to face Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series. Stephanie thought that Rusev was more deserving of the opportunity and decided to book Rusev vs. Zayn to determine who will go on to face Ziggler for the IC Title at Survivor Series.

·        Rusev and Zayn should have a good match, but I have a feeling that Zayn is going to eat another loss. If that’s the case, Zayn needs to be traded to SmackDown Live because he doesn’t deserve to get bitched out like this on a weekly basis.

·        The lone highlight of the Tag Team segment featuring Enzo Amore & Big Cass, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, The Golden Truth, Cesaro & Sheamus, and The New Day was Big E channeling his inner Sir William Wallace from Braveheart. Big E’s theatrical performance got a great pop, but the rest of the segment dragged. The jokes were hit and miss and there were too many men with too many mics in their hands doing a lot of talking that really didn’t accomplish much in the grand scheme of things.

·        Anderson and Gallows pinned Big E with The Magic Killer to send a message that The Club only cared about themselves heading into Survivor Series. On the plus side, Kofi Kingston knows how to wrestle in a kilt. Outside of that, the match was a bore. The crowd was dead and no amount of audio sweetening would have salvaged things.

·        I will admit that R-Truth selling his team’s spot on Team Raw for a Puerto Rico timeshare was pretty damn funny. That’s the first time I laughed at anything R-Truth related in years.

·        There’s nothing like a Brock Lesnar sit-down interview to hype a major PPV. He was smooth like butter and talked a lot of shit as usual. It never gets old.

·        The Shining Stars secured their spot on Team Raw when Primo rolled up Goldust. It wasn’t a clean victory as Primo put his feet on the bottom rope for leverage. The match was nothing to write home about.

·        It’s nice to know that the Glasgow crowd has a pulse because they were serenading Bayley throughout the women’s segment. It was cute, but it got annoying as they drowned out the other ladies on the mic.

·        Charlotte talked up the fifth woman representing Raw like she was about to introduce Sasha Banks, but The Queen trolled the audience when she called out Dana Brooke instead. Michael Cole quickly jumped in and announced Banks as the actual fifth woman.

·        Sasha and Charlotte traded words which led to Nia Jax staring Sasha down as the segment came to an end.

·        Bayley getting some much-needed love from the crowd was great to see, but it bogged down the segment because they kept singing during her promo. Considering how the second hour of Raw sucked, I don’t blame them for letting off some steam, but there's a time and place for everything. Balance out the singing by actually listening to what The Hugger has to say. By doing that, it would have been a more effective segment instead of a grating one.

·        Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Alicia Fox vs. Charlotte, Dana Brooke, and Nia Jax was solid as this was easily one of the hottest matches on the show. Bayley got her moment to shine when she pinned Charlotte with the Bayley-to-Belly after the Raw Women’s Champion inadvertently nailed Jax with a big boot to the face. Bayley proved that she wasn’t the weak link on the team and positioned herself for a future title shot if WWE can connect the dots from a logistical standpoint.

·        Sami Zayn defeated Rusev via a Helluva Kick from the top rope and will go on face Dolph Ziggler at Survivor Series for the Intercontinental Championship. Zayn and Rusev had the best wrestling match on the show so far. Their differing in-ring styles complimented each other nicely as Zayn used his quickness and agility while Rusev utilized his strength and dangerous feet to even things out. If the bout took place earlier in the show, it would have been even better. Minor criticism aside, both men maximized their minutes and delivered a quality match.

·        Well, that was a very creative finish. Roman Reigns nailed Kevin Owens with a Superman Punch, but Owens landed on top of Jericho to pick up the screwy win.

·        The Fatal Five Way featuring Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho vs. Braun Strowman was good. Each man had a chance to shine which enhanced the overall quality of the match. Strowman destroyed everything in his path but was eventually chopped down to size as the bout went on.

·        Rollins and Reigns tried to powerbomb Strowman through a table a la The Shield, but Jericho and Owens broke up the crowd-pleasing moment.

·        Owens had a great spot when he delivered a cannonball to Reigns while he was pressed against the barricade.

·        Owens tried to do the same thing to Rollins, but he got out of the way. Rollins went after Jericho and power bombed him through the table with Strowman laying on top of it. That was a great spot.

·        The match came down to Owens and Rollins as Owens set up Rollins for the Popup Powerbomb, but Rollins countered and dropped Owens with a Pedigree. Jericho dragged the referee out of the ring to break up the pin count. Rollins laid out Jericho with a suicide dive and tossed him back in the ring. Jericho got back on offense and tried to put Rollins in the Walls of Jericho, but Rollins escaped the hold.

·        After nailing Jericho with an enzuigiri, Rollins dropped him with a Pedigree. Owens broke up the pin by kicking Rollins in the face. Reigns got back in the ring and nailed Owens with the Superman Punch which set up the aforementioned finish.

·        It was a quirky way to end the show. Owens was more than happy to get the win at Jericho’s expense. Jericho looked pissed, but he was still supportive of his best friend. The finish planted another seed in the pending implosion of Jeri-KO. WWE has done a nice job slow burning this storyline and the payoff will be even better when Owens lands on the List of Jericho. The main event edged out Rusev vs. Zayn as the best match on the show. That’s not saying much, but I digress.

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was boring. The second hour of the broadcast damn near killed this show dead. The Glasgow crowd was doused with Ambien as they sat on their hands during a lot of the matches not involving Noam Dar and Bayley. I am glad that WWE didn’t insult television viewers by piping in crowd noise to make the show seem livelier than it actually was. That would have been embarrassing on so many levels.

·        The central theme of the night was Team Raw hating each other and decided to resolve their issues by talking trash and beating each other in pointless matches. How is this supposed to foster team unity at Survivor Series? It made no sense and the crowd demonstrated that by not giving a damn about the action taking place in the ring. This shoddy storyline highlights why the Brand War between Raw and SmackDown is so stupid. If WWE focused on delivering a Survivor Series card which highlighted the best of both shows, it could work as a concept.

·        WWE has one more chance to get it together next week as Goldberg and Lesnar will be face-to-face inside a wrestling ring for the first time in over twelve years. Both men should have the creative license to handle their business like legit badasses.

·        Plus, Stephanie McMahon has issued an invitation to Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan to appear on Raw to have a State of The WWE Universe Address. It’s bound to be pointless and stupid, but Daniel Bryan is a professional shade artist who will make things interesting based on his sharp wit alone. Outside of that, I am not looking forward to this corporate pow-wow. Let’s hope Goldberg and Lesnar give people their money’s worth because this faux brand wars crap is bound to put a wet blanket on the festivities. Serenity Now!

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!

Rebels Recap: Star Wars Rebels “The Last Battle”

Well, Star Wars Rebels fans this episode gave us some closure to the Star Wars Clone Wars series. This entire episode was about the aftermath of the clone wars and the scars it left behind not just physically but mentally on both sides of the war, and from this point on SPOILERS ahead.

We get to see Captain Rex open up a little about the effects of the war. The episode shows Rex was reliving the battles he had fought in the past. My favorite clone trooper is suffering from PTSD in this episode. PTSD is a mental condition caused by a traumatic event, in this case, constant battles that Rex had fought and began to flash back to in this episode.

 

The episode starts off has a simple salvage mission and Rex, Ezra, Kanan, Chopper, and Zeb are there to find proton bombs, and the planet had seen many battles between droids and clone troopers. The rebels had just entered Rex’s old world and though they had doubts about the droids they would soon find out how threatening they could be.

 

 

While attempting to retrieve the proton bombs they ran into a trap that was all too familiar to Rex, a ray shield. The rebels are captured by the droids and brought to their leader, Kalani a super tactical droid. Kalani wants one last battle to see who would have won the clone war. An obvious question seeing has both sides dismantled, and there was no winner among them.

 

Ezra accepts the terms to save them from being killed, but Rex is reluctant at first and then decides to fight one last battle.  So the battle begins with Zeb staying behind as a hostage and Ezra, Rex, and Kanan fighting against the last of the droid army. Rex takes the lead and starts to flash back and yells out Cody. Another fan favorite clone trooper and with the way Rex reacted could mean Cody didn't survive the clone war.

 

 

 

 

The rebels end up beating the droids but only because the droids start to breakdown. They reach Kalani and Ezra begins to point out something crucial in war. He asked both sides what they were fighting for and that while they were fighting the Empire took the victory from both sides. Ezra pointed out that their true enemy is the Empire and that they should join forces. The Empire was on the way to wipe them both out so unfortunately, the proton bombs had to be destroyed to fight against the Empire.

 

This episode was my favorite so far because it was great to reminisce about the clone wars. This episode brought us back the clankers and one last battle in the grand army of the republic. The incident also points out that the Republic and the Separatists were nothing but pawns for the Empire. Stay tuned Rebel fans for tonight Star Wars Rebels return with a brand new episode, “Imperial Supercommandos.”

 

Photo Credit: Star Wars.com, Disney, Lucasfilm

Rebels Recap: Star Wars Rebels “The Antilles Extraction” & “Hera’s Heroes”

Welcome back to the world of Star Wars Rebels, the world that is continuing to change with each coming episode. When it came to these two particular episodes, something became incredibly apparent. The ghost crew and the rebels as a whole have been able to dupe and trick the Empire thus far because numbers and resources are not on their side. How do you fight an enemy that is stronger than you are, you become smarter than that enemy.  Both of these episodes are showing that the empire is no longer easily tricked and that they are fighting back not just with force but with intelligence and strategy. In this recap, we will discuss, “The Antilles Extraction” and “Hera’s Heroes” in that order. So be warned SPOILERS are ahead.

 

The episode, “The Antilles Extraction” revealed three important details. One of them is that rebels need more recruits and that they are losing them faster than they can replace them. We also get to see that finding people is not easy due to fear of retaliation from the Empire. So that leaves us with people who want to help, but they struggle with whether the risk which could be death is worth the benefit of helping save lives from the Empire.

 

 

Another detail is that we learn that fulcrum who was Ahsoka in the previous seasons is a codename for rebel informants. So we got excited for second thinking it may be Ahsoka, but the new possible identities for fulcrum is also exciting. Could the new fulcrum be Obi-wan Kenobi? Could it be someone working with the Empire like Agent Kallus? He did help Sabine escape in this episode, but for now, the fulcrum’s identity is unknown.

 

 

The last detail also ties into the next episode, and it is about these undercover missions. These missions where rebels are going undercover in enemy territory looking pretty much the same, and at first the Empire doesn’t notice but with new characters on the board who are real adversaries the missions almost fail.

 

The first episode had Sabine go undercover, and she changes her clothes and hair color, and the Empire doesn’t recognize a rebel they have been hunting, but when Arihnda Pryce comes on screen things change. She sets a trap that would and does have Sabine out herself as the rebel.  The ingenious plan leaves one of the new recruits dead and the other two including Sabine captured by the Empire.  Leading to a mini showdown between Sabine and Pryce where Sabine not easily but does take out Pryce and escapes.

The episode “Hera’s Heroes” was also an undercover mission but a more personal one for Hera. This episode occurred at her home planet Ryloth in her actual home. Hera’s home was overrun by the Empire and her father said it best, “I underestimated the commander” which is what the rebels continue to do in this episode especially.

 

 

Hera wants to retrieve the Kali Kori a family heirloom that has been passed down through her family for generations. So her plan is to distract the Empire from the outside and then enter with Ezra who dressed as a very short stormtrooper. 

 

 

 

The thing that was mind blowing for me is that Hera came into her home with no disguise other than bowing her head and acting as a servant or slave. She is even wearing her rebel’s uniform and faces the man who has been battling her father for quite a while, and he doesn’t recognize her at all.  How can stopping the rebel threat be accomplished when you face to face with them, and you don’t remember them? But just like the previous episode a new character fixes that error by recognizing the enemy and knowing the enemy. Grand Admiral Thrawn knew exactly who Hera was and knew exactly what she was after, so he took the Kali Kori for his personal collection.  He even said in this episode “to defeat an enemy you must know them,” how can you defeat someone or something, and you know nothing about them. Thrawn also showed some emotion in this episode when Slavin threatened to destroy the Kali Kori; you get to see that art and culture are important to him and he does not believe in killing it.

 

Hera does manage to escape by destroying her home but realizes she has a new home and family in the ghost crew.  Both of these episodes dealt with undercover missions that both almost blew up in our rebels faces because they underestimated the Empire. These rebels are adaptable which is why they have survived against the Empire. I do believe things will get worse before they get better this season, but keep watching to found out.

Photo Credit: Star Wars.com, Disney, Lucasfilm

Marvel Comics’ “Ms. Marvel” Encourages Everyone to Vote 
Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel wants YOU to Embiggen Your Voice

                                                                                                              

New York, NY—November 4, 2016— It’s election season in the United States and Marvel wants to remind everyone that they have one of the greatest powers there is – the ability to vote! And who better to champion this ability than Marvel’s breakout Super Hero, Ms. Marvel. 

Today, Marvel Comics is proud to debut an exclusive first look to MS. MARVEL #13, spotlighting Ms. Marvel’s quest to encourage everyone to vote this Election Day. Written by G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel, A-Force) accompanied with artwork by Mirka Andolfo, MS. MARVEL #13 finds Kamala Khan at the start of a new chapter in her life and as she begins this journey of discovery, Ms. Marvel takes to the streets of her home town, Jersey City, to encourage all its residents to summon their own super power – the right to vote! 

Can Ms. Marvel inspire and encourage her neighbors to select their candidate, or will this be more challenging than taking down Ultron? Find out this November in MS. MARVEL #13 and check out Marvel’s exclusive preview to witness Kamala Khan’s march to encourage everyone to get out and vote.

MS. MARVEL #13 (SEP161032)

Written by G. WILLOW WILSON 
Art by MIRKA ANDOLFO
Cover by JOELLE JONES 
Divided We Stand Variant Cover by TBA (SEP161033)

FOC – 11/07/16, On-Sale – 11/30/16

To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook.

GHOST RIDER #1 Brings Wheels of Vengeance to Marvel NOW!

New York, NY—October 3^rd, 2016 — Start your engines, True Believers – because this one is a scorcher! That’s right, Robbie Reyes is back and he’s hitting the gas and driving straight for your local comic shops in the all-newGHOST RIDER #1! Robbie’s co-creator Felipe Smith (All-New Ghost Rider) is back to pen the ongoing adventures of this high-octane hot head and he’s bringing new series artist Danilo Beyruth (Deadpool v Gambit) along for the ride! A bizarre and powerful object has been unearthed in Southern California, and the mystery behind it has lead Amadeus Cho, the Totally Awesome Hulk right to Ghost Rider’s backyard! What chaos will be unleashed when this jade giant comes face-to-face with the ultimate speed demon? Plus – this oversized first issue also includes a special back-up tale from Felipe Smith and artist Tradd Moore featuring the debut of Ghost Rider’s newest nemesis! Who isPyston Nitro, and what is her endgame?  

Strap in and buckle up, because the ride is just getting started. Don’t get left in the dust when GHOST RIDER #1 speeds into comic shops everywhere on November 30^th!

GHOST RIDER #1 (SEP160959)
Written by FELIPE SMITH
Art by DANILO BEYRUTH AND TRADD MOORE
Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Variant Covers by FELIPE SMITH (SEP160960), TRADD MOORE (SEP160961),

And SKOTTIE YOUNG (SEP160960)

Hip-Hop Variant by FELIPE SMITH (SEP160963)
Action Figure Variant by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER (SEP160964)

TV Photo Variant Also Available (SEP160966)

Blank Variant Available (SEP160965)

FOC – 11/07/16, On-Sale – 11/30/16

To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook.

“Caught Red-Handed” Starts NOW! Your First Look at THUNDERBOLTS #7!

New York, NY—November 2^nd, 2016 — The Winter Soldier and his team of outlaws are crashing headlong into Marvel NOW! with a new story arc and a new jumping on point! Today, Marvel is pleased to provide your first look atTHUNDERBOLTS #7 – the next explosive chapter and the first installment of “Caught Red-Handed”! From creators Jim Zub and Sean Izaakse – Bucky and his rogue unit have operated in the shadows long enough. It’s time to shine a light on them. But Bucky didn’t think the person hunting them down would be his best friend – Steve Rogers! Captured and separated from his team, Bucky will have to face Captain America on his own—and with Steve’s secret transformation into an undercover Hydra agent, that might not go as smoothly as Bucky expects. Plus – an original Thunderbolt returns! How will Songbirdreact to the reunion of her former team? Will the Thunderbolts leave Bucky high and dry? Those answers and more as the Thunderbolts make their Marvel NOW! debut in THUNDERBOLTS #7 – coming to comic shops everywhere on November 30^th!

 

THUNDERBOLTS #7 (SEP160942)
Written by JIM ZUB

Art by SEAN IZZAKSE

Cover by KRIS ANKA

Variant Covers by MARCO CHECCHETTO (SEP160943)

And TREVOR VON EEDEN (SEP160944)

Story Thus Far Variant by DAN PANOSIAN (SEP160945)

FOC – 11/07/16, On-Sale – 11/30/16

To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook.

Review: Batman #10

Review: Batman #10

Submitted by: Theresa Stier, Comic News Writer

5 November 2016

“I am Suicide: Part Two,” by Tom King and artist Mikel Janin, is a quick read and is narrated by Catwoman (even though she doesn't show up until the end of this comic). The reader learns a bit about Catwoman's life, when she was an orphan, and her relationship with Bruce Wayne. Bane is no longer....well Bane. He doesn't have the venom flowing through his veins, which makes him a little bit more on Bruce's level. However, Bane still ends up with the upper hand. It's going to be interesting to see how Batman is going to defeat Bane, considering Bane isn't truly the Bane that he has been up against in the past. Without the venom, he's weaker, but he's also going to be using different tactics now that he can't rely on the venom and “breaking Bruce's back.”

 

He's still plenty strong, but he now has more of a weakness. It's going to be interesting to see who has the upper hand in the next issue, especially if Catwoman is going to be helping Bruce out. Even though if you were asked who would win in a fight, Catwoman or Bane, you would probably pick Bane, Catwoman has plenty tricks up her sleeves and can be a valuable asset.

The Verdict: I enjoyed this comic, especially learning a bit of what Catwoman has felt in her past and her present. I'm also looking forward to the next comic, seeing another fight between Batman and Bane. 

Follow Theresa on Twitter @Smallville0628 and @Geektified for the latest comic reviews!