The Raw Exposé: The Roman Reigns is Public Enemy #1 Edition (4-3-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It’s the night after WrestleMania which means only one thing: It’s the craziest show of the year when it comes surprise returns and/or debuts along with the unpredictable crowd being the star of the broadcast.

Mania was filled with twists and turns with the biggest shock coming at the end when The Undertaker seemingly retired from WWE after losing to Roman Reigns during the main event. He symbolically left his coat, gloves, and hat in the ring as he kissed his wife before disappearing underneath the stadium. It’s safe to assume that Roman Reigns is public enemy number one with the fans wanting his head on a silver platter.

Meanwhile, The Hardy Boyz continued their Expedition of Gold when they won the Raw Tag Team Championship in a Fatal Four Way Ladder Match. It was quite the moment that popped the crowd something fierce.

Brock Lesnar was crowned King of the Universe when he defeated Goldberg to win the Universal Championship. It was a smash mouth fight that was fun to watch, but the outcome was never in doubt as The Beast walked away with the Big Red Kryptonite Belt. With these storylines in play, how did the raucous international crowd respond to the Mania fallout? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

·       Raw got off to an insane start when the crowd showered Roman Reigns with monstrous boos and expletives that were too colorful to repeat here. The crowd roasted, toasted, and flambéed Reigns for a good five to six minutes until he finally got on the mic and proclaimed that the ring was his yard before heading to the back.

·       The fans were super pissed about Reigns retiring The Undertaker last night at WrestleMania and they vented in epic fashion. It should be interesting to see how the New Big Dog is received in cities outside of the Mania bubble.

·       The Hardy Boyz retained the Raw Tag Team Championship when Jeff Hardy took out Luke Gallows with the Swanton Bomb which allowed Matt Hardy to score the pin. The match was pretty good with the exception of Jeff’s execution of the Twist of Fate on Gallows. It was a little sloppy, but Matt made it look better on the second attempt which set up the finish. The action was solid and the fans were hot as they chanted “Delete!” “Obsolete!”, and “F*** That Owl!” for atmospheric effect.

·       Neville and Mustafa Ali had a very good match, but it was marred by the crowd playing an impromptu game of volleyball with a pair of beach balls. If you cancel out the extra noise, Ali had an impressive showing as he dropped Neville with a beautiful Springboard Spanish Fly from the top rope. Ali tried to finish Neville off with the Inverted 450 Splash, but Neville moved out of the way.

·       The King of the Cruiserweights climbed to the rope and was about to hit Ali with the Red Arrow, but decided to lock him in the Rings of Saturn for the submission win instead. The crowd popped for the big spots towards the end, but they were too busy entertaining themselves instead of paying attention to the action taking place in the ring. Sadly, that is one of the drawbacks to the night after WrestleMania.

·       Vince McMahon announced that there would be some kind of Superstar Shakeup next week. McMahon didn’t outright say that a draft was taking place, but we shall see how this news develops throughout the week.

·       In the meantime, Vince had to name a new General Manager since Mick Foley was fired and Stephanie McMahon is out of action due to Triple H accidently putting her through a table last night. Teddy Long came out and assumed he was the man for the job, but Vince quickly shut him down. 2017 WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle was named the new Raw GM as the fans erupted in “You Suck!” chants in the most endearing way possible.

·       Angle cut a quick promo about being glad to be back on Raw as the segment came to an end. Angle’s name popped up as Foley’s replacement dating back to his HOF announcement a few months ago. He has the right personality for the job and it should be interesting to see him interact with Stephane because they had a mutual attraction for each other during the height of the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

·       The Revival just made their debut on Raw. They are the perfect team to shake up the tag team division along with the Hardy Boyz. However, their talents might have been better utilized on SmackDown Live because that division also needs some much-needed TLC.

·       The Revival defeated The New Day when Dash and Dawson nailed Xavier Woods with the Shatter Machine for the win. It was a solid match that showcased The Revival’s prowess as a tag team.

·       Things took a heelish turn when Dash and Dawson attacked Kofi Kingston after the match was over. They double-teamed Kingston and took out his knee as the crowd booed them out of the building. This was a nice way to establish The Revival as heels who shouldn’t be cheered under any circumstances. Their debut was a success despite my mixed feelings about them being better off on SD Live.

·       Kurt Angle, Enzo Amore, and Big Cass had an entertaining backstage segment that featured several laugh-out-loud moments. Angle had a great line about not knowing where Enzo got his certification as a G from while Enzo asked a great life question about why Goofy was treated like a human while Pluto acted like a dog. That is quite the conundrum.

·       Enzo and Cass pleaded their case about wanting a shot at the Raw Tag Team Titles and Angle responded by booking them in a number one contenders match against Sheamus and Cesaro. Cass spelled out the word SAWFT and Angle mused that the spelling was incorrect as the crowd laughed in the background. This was classic Angle in the best possible way. His sense of humor is always on point.

·       After 30 weeks of hype videos, Emma is finally back! It’s about damn time.

·       Bayley, Dana Brooke, and Sasha Banks defeated Emma, Nia Jax, and Charlotte when Banks made Charlotte tap out to the Bank Statement. It was a solid match that illustrated the vicious streak of Emma when she yanked Bayley’s ponytail while The Raw Women’s Champion hung upside down in the corner. The match broke down into a parade of moves leading up to the finish.

·       Charlotte took out her frustration on Emma and Nia Jax after the match was over. Jax shoved Charlotte in the corner and nailed her with a big boot while Emma got out of dodge.

·       Jax dropped Charlotte with a vicious elbow to send the message that she wasn’t the woman to mess with.

·       Paul Heyman kicked off the third hour of Raw by telling a bedtime story about Goldberg being a hero in his village only for him to take a detour in Suplex City where he got his ass kicked by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Lesnar is the new Universal Champion and Heyman promised that Bill Goldberg would never show his face in a WWE ring again.

·       Heyman switched his attention to Lesnar’s possible new challengers for the Universal Title. Heyman name dropped Seth Rollins and The Hardy Boyz before setting his sights on Roman Reigns as the fans booed at the mere sound of Reigns’ name.

·       Since Lesnar and Reigns are the 2 in 23-2, it’s only fair that they duke it out to determine who the Top Dog really is. Realizing where the segment was going, the fans started up a “We Want Balor” chant. Heyman didn’t acknowledge it and continued his promo. He was about to make a major announcement when Braun Strowman made his way to the ring.

·       Strowman told Lesnar that once he took care of Reigns, he would have his attention. He gave Lesnar a light shove before telling The Beast that they would throw hands on his terms as he left the ring.

·       This is was a good segment, but the crowd was not very receptive towards another Lesnar-Reigns feud. It’s a hardcore post-Mania crowd that knew Finn Balor never lost the Universal Championship outright. Therefore, he should be first in line for a title shot. With WWE sidestepping the issue, it makes for a very awkward situation. 

·       Strowman facing off against Reigns is getting a bit tiresome because Reigns beat him decisively at Fastlane last month. Unless Strowman picks up a quality win soon, his monster push will become mute. Strowman vs. Lesnar is an intriguing matchup, but it will mean nothing if Strowman continues to rack up losses.

·       Chris Jericho cut a great backstage promo as he acknowledged the Beach Ball Mania chants from earlier tonight. He topped things off by putting the tip of Kevin Owens’ finger on the LIST.

·       The fun and games quickly came to an end when Owens attacked Jericho and power bombed him through a table thanks to an assist from Samoa Joe.

·       Angle informed Rollins that Jericho was in no condition to compete, but vowed to find a partner for Rollins. Something tells me that a certain Demon King is going to make a surprise appearance. Just a hunch...

·       Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Enzo and Big Cass to become the number one contender for the Raw Tag Team Titles. The match was decent, but it was rough in spots. The crowd added some levity by serenading Sheamus and Cesaro. It was cute and endearing, but it could’ve gotten ugly if Enzo and Cass picked up the win.

·       They were about to do just that when Sheamus nailed Cass with a Brogue Kick. This allowed Cesaro to nail Enzo with a flying European Uppercut for the win.

·       Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Hardy Boyz should be very good and the mere thought of Cesaro and Jeff Hardy being in the same ring together is the icing on the cake.

·       Jinder Mahal got the early jump on Sami Zayn, but it wasn’t enough to keep Zayn down as he nailed Mahal with the Helluva Kick for the win. The match was serviceable while it lasted.

·       It’s good to see you again, Finn.

·       Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor defeated Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe when Bálor pinned Owens with the Coup de Grace. The match was good, but it hit a lull when Rollins played the babyface in peril midway through the match. The crowd decided to do The Wave until Rollins made the hot tag to Bálor.

·       The action picked up from there with the finishing sequence coming off strong when Bálor tried to dropkick Owens in the corner only for Joe to catch Bálor in mid-charge. He locked Bálor in the Coquina Clutch, but Rollins made the save when he nailed Joe with a flying knee from the top rope.

·       This allowed Bálor to take out Owens with the running dropkick in the corner which led to the finish.

·       This was a nice comeback match for Bálor as he looked sharp and fought with an extra tinge of intensity throughout.

·       Balor not being in the Universal Championship picture is odd and I hope the big red elephant in the room is addressed sooner rather than later. Owens has a claim to the title as well which should create an interesting dynamic in the weeks and months to come.

·       Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was solid. The show had its share of surprises with Kurt Angle being named the new Raw General Manager along with Emma making her long-awaited return, The Revival putting the tag team division on notice, and Finn Balor’s homecoming during the main event.

·       As always, the broadcast hit a lull during the third hour with the fans starting to get a bit restless with the exception of Cesaro and Sheamus getting serenaded by the crowd during their tag team match. It’s remarkable that The Celtic Warrior went from being on the fast track towards nowhere this time last year to being a beloved babyface due to his partnership with Cesaro. It’ quite the career resurrection.

·       The rest of the show was fine with the crowd being vocal in key spots. Some of their chants had merit, but the beach ball fiasco was the lowlight of the show because it diluted a competitive cruiserweight match between Neville and Mustafa Ali.

·       The Superstar Shakeup appears to be a take on the NFL Free Agency Period. There will probably be some trades involved to strengthen both rosters heading into the spring and summer months. The Raw roster is bloated and they need to unload some talent to SmackDown. SmackDown can’t afford to part with too many stars, but we shall see who debuts on the blue brand tomorrow night as the fallout from WrestleMania continues. With another PPV looming on the horizon for the red brand, it’s time to unload some of the excess baggage and become a more efficient show from a creative standpoint. We shall see how it all plays out next week.

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 edition of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls! 

Geektified's WWE WrestleMania 33 Review 4.3.17

Geektified's WWE WrestleMania 33 Review 4.3.17

By Anton Ware

Official Results

-WWE WrestleMania 33 is LIVE from Orlando, Florida.

-Michael Cole, Bryan Saxton, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, David Otunga and JBL are your hosts.

-AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon: A good opener to the show. The story was Shane surprising everyone by holding his own against Styles with mat wrestling and strikes. Shane also brought his defense game as he countered Styles’ Springboard 450 (into a Triangle Choke) and Phenomenal Forearm (into a Floatover DDT). What would cost Shane the match (and many big matches before) was his risk-taking. Shane would go for his patented announce table elbow drop and a Shooting Star Press only to miss both maneuvers. Styles capitalized and this time successfully hit his Phenomenal Forearm for the pin and win.

-United States Championship: Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho: Best friends turned enemies as Chris Jericho was looking for revenge after Owens attacked on him during the “Festival of Friendship” and Owens wanting retribution for Jericho costing him the Universal Title. Lots of familiarity in this match as we got counters to show how well both men knew each other. So much so, that Owens even applied the Walls of Jericho on Y2J! In the end, it was Owens ruthlessness that got the best of Jericho as Owens powerbombed Jericho on the apron and rolled him back into the ring for the win! NEW CHAMPION!!

-RAW Women’s Championship Fatal Four Way Elimination Match: Nia Jax vs. Bayley vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks: A quick, uneventful contest between the mainstays of the RAW women’s division. Early in the match, Nia Jax dominated all three competitors. So much so, that Banks, Bayley, and Charlotte decided to team up and wear Jax down. They were successful as they eliminated Jax with a triple powerbomb and pin. The match turned into a Triple Threat affair that featured high flying action as Banks did a flip dive onto Bayley while Charlotte executed a Corkscrew Moonsault from the top rope onto the both ladies on the outside. Banks was eliminated after Charlotte slammed her head against an exposed middle turnbuckle. Charlotte worked over Bayley’s knee in preparation for the Figure 8 submission. She successfully applied it only for Bayley to break the hold. Bayley won the contest with a top-rope elbow drop.

-RAW Tag Team Title Ladder Match: Enzo and Cass vs. The Club vs. Cesaro and Sheamus vs. The Hardy Boyz: Before the match began, The New Day came out to announce that a fourth team would join the match. The New Day teased themselves as the new participants, but the returning Hardy Boyz came out to a THUNDEROUS reaction. This match didn’t feature anything new or creative. It was mostly a fatal 4-way tag match and ladders just so happened to be in the ring. That’s not a knock on the match (it was enjoyable), but if you were looking for the usual car-crash style ladder match, this wasn’t it. The highlight of the match was Matt Hardy hitting a Twist of Fate off the ladder onto Karl Anderson and Jeff executing a Swanton Bomb off a 20-foot ladder onto Cesaro and Sheamus. Matt retrieved the gold and we have NEW RAW Tag Team Champions!

-Mixed Tag Match: John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse: Al Roker is the special guest ring announcer and would like to be referred to as “Chocolate Thunder.” Alrighty then. This was a basic tag match. Nikki and Maryse would tease starting it off, but Maryse would have her husband go in and start with John Cena. Miz dominated Cena for a good portion of the match until Cena gained control. Nikki even got some offense on Miz as she hit a Suicide Dive on The A-Lister. Cena and Nikki hit stereo 5-Knuckle Shuffles and both of their finishers for the win. After the match, Cena would grab the mic and propose to Nikki. She says yes and they hug and kiss in the ring...for a while. I just hope they don’t do the wedding on an episode of Smackdown. Weddings on WWE programming NEVER end well.

-Non Sanctioned Match: HHH vs. Seth Rollins: HHH and Stephanie came out on a motorcycle with a police escort. HHH’s tan is on point, I must say. The match was all about Rollins’ knee injury and HHH exploiting the injury throughout the contest. Being the risk taker that he is, Rollins’ offense worked against him as a cross body to the outside and a sunset-flip powerbomb (the same move that injured him nearly two years ago) would do more harm than good. Even with two attempts of submitting Rollins with a reverse figure four leg lock, HHH still couldn’t put away his former pupil. The ending came when Stephanie McMahon (who had interfered in the match earlier) got on the apron and grabbed the sledgehammer from Rollins before he could attack Triple H with it. She distracted Rollins long enough, but Hunter accidentally knocked her off the apron and sent her crashing through a table at ringside (which Rollins set up earlier in the match). Rollins capitalized on the distraction by delivering a Pedigree to HHH for the win! This is the second year in a row that HHH has lost to a member of The Shield. Is HHH vs. Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania 34 next on the agenda?

-WWE Title Match: Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton: This match was just there from an in-ring standpoint. This was more about Wyatt playing mind games with Orton by having a light on the ring canvas projecting worms and parasites in order to throw Orton off his game. At certain points during the match, it seemed like it was working as Orton seemed taken aback by the battle he was having with Wyatt. Orton would overcome Wyatt’s mind games and hit his trademark RKO for the win and title. NEW CHAMPION!!

-WWE Universal Title Match: Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar: Short, but fun match. Lesnar comes out with guns blazing by delivering three German Suplexes. Goldberg recovered and hit three spears and a fourth on the outside through a barricade. Goldberg tossed Lesnar back in the ring and dropped him with the Jackhammer for a two count. A stunned Goldberg went for another Spear only for Lesnar to show amazing agility by leapfrogging over Goldberg which caused him to smash his head into the turnbuckle. From then on, it was pure domination as Lesnar hit seven more German Suplexes and an F5 for the win. NEW CHAMPION!!

-Smackdown Women’s Title 6-Pack Challenge: Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James vs. Carmella vs. Naomi: The ladies would get the cooldown position on the show. Tornado rules as the match starts with everyone brawling. Like the Smackdown Women’s six-pack match from last year, everyone got to showcase their abilities. Highlights included Becky Lynch giving James Ellsworth a Bexploder and Natalya putting Naomi and Carmella in a double sharpshooter. The ending saw Naomi tap out Alexa Bliss with her modified Rings of Saturn for the win in her hometown. NEW CHAMPION!!

-Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker:  Jim Ross returned to commentate the main event. This match was a battle of supremacy. Who was WWE’s true judge, jury, and executioner? The old guard or the new guard? The match itself was nothing special. Both men tried to deliver a special match, but it just never kicked into high gear. Undertaker would hold his own in the first half, but as time went along the match favored Reigns due to him having youth, power, and conditioning on his side. Undertaker used his best offense against Reigns including The Last Ride and Hell’s Gate, but it wasn’t enough. Reigns showed frustration due to multiple Spears (including one through the announce table), chair shots, and Superman Punches not being enough to put The Deadman away.  As Undertaker struggled to get up due to all the punishment, Reigns used all his force and energy to deliver one last Spear to pin and defeat The Undertaker, making his WrestleMania record 23-2. After the match, Undertaker gets a standing ovation from the crowd.  He embraces the moment as everyone in the arena is to believe that they may have just seen Undertaker’s last match. We get highlights of the match and then return to Undertaker with his entrance coat and hat on. He goes to leave, but he comes back to the center of the ring to take off his jacket, hat, and gloves and places them in the middle of the ring before leaving for good. He kisses his wife (former WWE talent Michelle McCool) and while walking up the ramp, he looks at the WWE Universe one more time to embrace the moment. He throws up his fist and then the lights go out in the entire stadium to close the show. What a moment.

-END SCENE

Final Thoughts: This was a thumbs up PPV from WWE. Styles vs. McMahon, The Ladder Match and HHH vs. Rollins were all highlights of the show. A special nod goes out to Shane McMahon as he proved that he was a viable opponent for AJ Styles by pulling out all the stops to deliver what was arguably the best match on the show. Another thing that should be noted about this show, was the amount of title changes. Five titles changed hands (Smackdown Women’s, WWE Title, Universal Title, RAW Tag Titles and United States Title). That may be a record for most title changes on a WrestleMania show. With those changes comes the landscape of WWE being changed and possible new rivalries coming our way. Another big story is possibly last appearance of The Undertaker. An almost 27 year career is coming to a close. The Undertaker has been a part of multiple eras, battled every top star, and has been a part of WWE’s most unforgettable moments. He will go down as one the greatest of all time and last night’s closing segment shouldn’t be overlooked or underappreciated. We here at Geektified would like to thank The Undertaker for all the memories he's given us. He made his mark in professional wrestling as an icon and as one of the last of the “wild west” known as the Golden Era. May he enjoy the next chapter of his life and to WWE, we hope you have his Hall Of Fame ring in production as we speak!

Personal Enjoyment: 

From start to finish…

-What did you guys think of the show? Hit or miss? Let me know in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

-Anton

Geektified's NXT Takeover: Orlando Review 4.1.17

Geektified's NXT Takeover: Orlando Review 4.1.17

By Anton Ware

Official Results

-NXT Takeover is LIVE from Orlando, Florida.

-Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, and Tom Phillips are your hosts for this evening.

-Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong, No Way Jose and Ruby Riot vs. SaNitY: In a rivalry that started out between Tye Dillinger and Eric Young over Dillinger’s refusal to join SANitY has now turn into a multi -person dispute. Along with targeting Dillinger for weeks, SaNitY also attacked Roderick Strong and No Way Jose. The three eventually joined forces and included NXT’s newest female competitor, Ruby Riot to even the score against SANitY’s leading lady, Nikki Cross. SaNitY attacked No Way Jose during WrestleMania Axxess and put him out of action. Dillinger and company needed a replacement and recruited Kassius Ohno as their teammate. As one would expect with an eight-person tag, this started off calmly enough before breaking down into a free-for-all. SaNitY would get control of the match by beating down Roderick Strong until Tye Dillinger got the hot tag and cleaned house. Things broke down and bodies started to fly everywhere until it was down to Dillinger and Killian Dane where SaNitY would once again use the numbers game against Dillinger and get the win! Dillinger has yet to win a Takeover match.

-Challenge Match: Aleister Black vs. Andrade Cien Almas: This is Black’s NXT debut. He was previously spotted on the UK Championship Tournament in a non-related singles match against Neville. Vignettes aired for weeks hyping up his debut, but Almas wasn’t impressed and planned to make an example of out of Black by ruining his debut with a loss. Competitive matchup between the international standouts. We got chain wrestling early on with both men showing off their agility. Throughout the match, Almas would go for Black’s arm while Black would showcase his kickboxing background with kicks and strikes. At one point during the match, Almas hit a running knee in the corner followed by a snap suplex, but it wasn’t enough to put away Black. Black regained control and hit a devastating Roundhouse Kick for the win. 

-Triple Threat Elimination Tag Team Title Match: Authors of Pain(c) vs. DIY vs. The Revival: At the Takeover: Toronto show in November, DIY defeated The Revival to win the NXT Tag Team Titles. At the Takeover: San Antonio show, The Authors of Pain defeated DIY to win their 1st NXT Tag Titles. So with both The Revival and DIY claiming a shot at the titles, NXT General Manager William Regal gave both teams a shot at the gold in this match. Great match! Each team brought a particular style to the contest. DIY used high-flying and strikes, The Revival brought their technical and trademark tag mechanics, and The Authors of Pain brought the power game. Lots of fun moments including AOP member Akam being powerbombed through a table by both opposing teams, DIY and The Revival teaming up to take out the AOP by switching tag partners and hitting both teams’ finishers, Scott Dawson superplexing Tomasso Ciampa onto the other participants at ringside, and Johnny Gargano and Scott Dawson using stereo submissions on Rezar to eliminate AOP (they were unsuccessful due to Akam recovering and breaking up the pin). The AOP regrouped and hit The Last Chapter clothesline to eliminate DIY. The Revival put up a good fight, but it wasn’t enough to keep the big men down as AOP hit The Collider for the pin and win. Awesome chemistry between the three teams!

-NXT Women’s Title Match: Asuka(c) vs. Ember Moon. Undefeated Streak vs. Undefeated Streak. No one in the NXT Women’s Division has yet to make either of these women submit or take a pin fall for the three count. Now they’ll go against each other to determine who the best woman in NXT is. This was a fast-paced chess match as both women seemed evenly matched and neither could get the upper hand for a long period of time. For every strike Asuka had, Ember Moon answered with one of her own. Moon one-upped Asuka throughout the match as her agility and aerial skills threw off the champion. Asuka’s survival instincts kicked in when she shoved the referee into Moon while she was setting up her Eclipse Stunner. Moon fell off the top rope which allowed Asuka to hit her patented knockout kick for the win to retain the title. Another great matchup and arguably Asuka’s best match to date. Moon’s undefeated streak is over while Asuka’s reign as NXT Women’s Champion hits the one year mark. 

-NXT Title Match: Bobby Roode(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: At Takeover: San Antonio, Roode defeated Nakamura to win his 1st NXT Championship. He would also injure Nakamura’s leg and put him out of action for several weeks. Nakamura returned to action and invoked his rematch clause which leads us to this matchup. Out of all the NXT Title matches, this was the weakest of the three. By no means was it a bad match, but it never kicked into high gear or had that big match urgency fans are accustomed to. This match was basically a repeat of their previous match with Roode doing his Glorious taunting and working over Nakamura’s knee and Nakamura himself working through the pain to deliver his trusted arsenal of knee strikes in order to hit The Kinshasa for the win. Roode applied The Figure Four Leg Lock and hit his Glorious DDT, but it wasn’t enough to put away Nakamura. Frustrated, Roode went outside and grabbed the ring bell. The referee caught him red-handed which allowed Nakamura to take advantage of the situation. However, the opening didn’t last long as Nakamura ran into a Spinebuster from Roode for a two count! Roode hit a Tornado Glorious DDT to finally put away Nakamura to retain the NXT Title.

-End Scene

-Final Thought: For a show that didn’t look intriguing on paper, this turned out to be a great showing for NXT. NXT stuck to their formula of a simple, paint-by-the-numbers show by showcasing quality action, quality commentary, and a big time presentation. The Women’s Title and Tag Title match are two matches one should hunt down and watch because they left you wanting more. Even with the lack of star power, NXT continues to be the brand that consistently delivers and it’ll be interesting to see what happens next leading up to the next Takeover special this summer. 

-What did you think of the show? Hit or miss? Let me know in the comment section. Thanks for reading!

-Anton

Comic Book Review: Kamandi Challenge #3

B: Jerry Montgomery
March 31, 2017

Kamandi Challenge #3
“Bug In Your Ear”

Written by: Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by: Amanda Connor

You were probably thinking to yourself the other day, “Jerry, just who or what is Kamandi and what is the challenge…and what does all this have to do with the DC multiverse?”. Well, as luck would have it, I’m about to tell you…

Kamandi, “The Last Boy on Earth” was created way back in the seventies by none other than the King himself. No, I’m not talking about Elvis. I’m talking about the one and only,  Jack “King” Kirby, artist and co-creator of such famous characters, such as Captain America, The Fantastic Four and the Hulk. These titles always enjoyed high sales and critical acclaim but in 1970, a disgruntled Kirby jumped ship from Marvel to DC. When the offices at DC failed to obtain the licensing agreement to publish The Planet of the Apes, Kirby was asked to create something similar. Using a similar story he created for Harvey Comics before Planet of the Apes was written and an unpublished comic strip he created in 1956, he came up with the concept of Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth. Kamandi was a young hero placed in a post-apocalyptic world after a planet-wide event destroyed the earth, known as “The Great Disaster”. In this world, humans have reverted to a savage state and intelligent animals now rule. Kamandi set out with the only other intelligent humans he has found to explore the world of Earth A.D. (After Disaster), in hopes of one day restoring civilization. The original run went 59 issues before being cancelled in 1978.

As for the connection to the rest of the DC universe,  it came in issue #29. Kamandi encounters a group of apes who worship Superman’s costume. They also tell him stories of how Superman tried to stop the Great Disaster but failed. Kamandi also met Batman in The Brave and the Bold in issues  #120 and #157 and Superman  in Superman #295, establishing that his costume in issue #29 was indeed, the real deal and that Earth A.D. was an alternate future for Earth-one. Kamandi also made an appearance  in Crisis and Infinite Crisis.

Now, fast forward to 2017. As part of DC’s Rebirth and to commemorate Jack Kirby’s 100th birthday, DC began a 12-part limited series entitled The Kamandi Challenge with each issue featuring a new creative team. That means twelve different teams writing the next chapter of the previous team, picking up the story from the last and guide the story the way they want. Issue #3 picks up from the last one as Kamandi is hurtling to certain doom, falling from a cliff into the Wild Human Sanctuary. He was chased there after escaping from the tiger people,  who were making Kamandi fight gladiator-style in their arena. The tiger people were also worshipping a nuclear warhead to make matters worse but turned out to be a Trojan horse for an armed gorilla,  prompting Kamandi’s escape. Fleeing to the Museum of War to obtain a weapon, he encounters a group of mutated crows robbing the place. It’s pretty crazy to see Harley Quinn’s hammer, Green Arrow’s bow and Superman’s cape all here contained within the museum. Kamandi is forced to run and ends up being pursued by Manhunters who kill his companions and well, send him flying over the cliff…

Like I was saying, issue #3 picks up from 2 as Kamandi is falling to earth but is saved by humanoid bats by a group of animals who believe he is a messenger from the gods, getting him safely to the ground. Now, they are ready for the messenger to deliver them to meet God, face to face. Once there though, Kamandi discovers that all is not as it seems with this community named, “The God Watchers”. During his stay here, he receives a clue to the identity of his parents and comes to realize that the Earth is fraught with danger at every turn and not all or who are what they seem. Aided by some newfound companions, Kamandi must travel onward to a new land in spite of warnings to not go there...to the island of the Jaguars of the Sun Cult. Even here, Kamandi must be on guard at all times. All I can say is that by the end of the issue, he’s  in store for some big, big trouble. How is he gonna get out of this one?

The Verdict: This title is a lot of fun and part of an exciting concept that allows a whole lot of creative talent to tackle one story. Jimmy Palmiotti does justice to the “King” with interesting characters and ideas that Jack Kirby would approve of. Artist Amanda Connor does a great job illustrating this post apocalyptic world and the strange beasts that now inhabit it. If you’re a fan of Thundarr the Barbarian, Planet of the Apes of any other number of similar future Earth, tales, you’ll like this title. In the early 70’s, it was easy to find stories of this kind due to the wars and pollution concerns going on at the time. So, in a retrospective way all around, you can get a piece of what popular themes of the time presented. Its my understanding that each creative team has no idea of how the next will continue the story and at the end, reveal how they would’ve steered and finished the tale. I appreciate the imagination going into this book and the friendly competition by each team to “do one better”, than the others.

Rebels Recap: Star Wars Rebels “Zero Hour Part One & Two”

Welcome back Rebels fans to the last recap for season 3 of Star Wars Rebels “Zero Hour Part One & Two” in a finale that was truly epic. The entire time I was watching it I was on the edge of my seat because I wasn’t sure our rebels would make out of this one. The odds were stacked against them as always, and their opponent seemed unstoppable but some way they prevailed.  In this season finale, there were victories and sacrifices on both sides and plenty of unanswered questions.  Which means there will be a season 4 of Star Wars Rebels. I was worried that the gap that they were filling was complete, but I’m relieved that there are more stories to be explored with our rebels.  So, without further a due let’s relieve this finale together and from this point on an SPOLIERT ALERT is in effect.

The episode begins with Grand Admiral Thrawn landing on Lothal to deliver some confidential news. In this opening scene, we see our first glimpse of the Imperial Death Troopers on Star Wars Rebels but who were first seen in Rouge One: A Star Wars Story.  We also see Agent Kallus lurking in the corners using a droid to gather information from this secret meeting. In the meeting, only Grand Admiral Thrawn, Governor Pryce, Konstantine, and Grand Moff Tarkin are in attendance.  They discuss the impending rebel attack on Lothal and create a plan to catch the Rebels off guard and plan to capture them and make an example out those who defy the Empire.

 

 

The time to liberate Lothal is coming to fruition with the rebels welcoming General Dodonna. He will help in the fight for Lothal along with his fighters.  The next scene shows Agent Kallus sending a warning out to the rebels but he is stopped by Grand Admiral Thrawn who we know knew that Kallus was Fulcrum. So, they fight in a cool hand to hand combat all the while Kallus managing to get the message to the rebels. Unfortunately, he is captured by Grand Admiral Thrawn, and he calls Kallus a rebel which he takes as a compliment. Grand Admiral Thrawn has now  discovered the location of the rebel base though the signal Kallus sent to warn them and the trail left by General Dodonna.

 

 

The rebels receive part of that message but can deduce that Grand Admiral Thrawn is on his way to Atollon aka Chopper Base.  This allows our rebels little time to prepare before Grand Admiral Thrawn shows up full force equipped with the Imperial Interdictor which can block ships from jumping to hyperspace. So, for rebels, there is no escape or least, not one that is easily obtained.  Grand Admiral Thrawn asks for the rebels to surrender and of course, they decline which leads to a space battle. Hera believes that if we can get one fighter through then, they can call reinforcements to help everyone else escape.

 

 

 

The successful pilot that was chosen was Ezra, and the plan is to create an opening for him to escape to get help. Kanan, on the other hand, thinks it’s a good idea to call on the Bendu for help against the Empire.  It’s no surprise that he refuses to fight and is furious that they brought war to the planet. The Bendu is like Switzerland he wants to remain neutral. But when Kanan makes a mistake by calling him a coward he then becomes a storm of rage, and Kanan quickly leaves for the base. Not knowing what he unleashed but he will very soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next scene was heart-wrenching because the only way to break the blockade was for Commander Sato to sacrifice himself and his ship.  Before the fight started Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered Konstantine, who is aboard the Imperial Interdictor to hold his position. But when Commander Sato along with two other crew members started heading for an opening Konstantine moved to intercept and was rammed by Commander Sato’s ship and destroyed.  This allowed Ezra to escape into hyperspace and make a call to Mon Mothma for help against the Empire.  Unfortunately, she believes this will put the rebel alliance at risk to reveal itself to the Empire.  So, Ezra then decides to go to Sabine for help and reinforcements.

 

Meanwhile Hera is forced to ground all fighters and uses Sabine’s shield generator which is pushed to the limit when the Empire starts to release rapid fire down on it.  Grand Admiral Thrawn leaves Governor Pyrce in charge of the fleet while he takes ground forces down to the planet.  Ezra reaches Krownest and asks Sabine for help, and they can’t spare many fighters because they too are at war with the Empire. But she will accompany Ezra, and a few other members of her clan came as well to help her rebel family.

 

 

 

The new plan now is to take down the last Imperial Interdictor so that the rest of the rebels can escape. But down on Chopper base, they are preparing for the upcoming ground assault. The shield is still active, but it does stop people or vehicles from walking right though, something that Zeb makes a point to say needs improvement.  Grand Admiral Thrawn has the rebels surrounded and once again calling for them to surrender, or he will shoot them starting with Kanan.  But before the threat can be completed a mystical storm interrupts them and the Bendu yells though to leave his planet now.

The Bendu starts to destroy everything and not just the Empire but the Rebels also. Grand Admiral Thrawn is taken back just long enough for our rebels to run to their ships.  Meanwhile, Ezra and Sabine arrive to take out the Imperial Interdictor by using a ground assault approach in space and succeed in taking down the ship. Governor Pyrce, on the other hand, seeming little overwhelmed orders Kallus be thrown out the airlock. Which wasn’t the smartest call because he easily takes down the two Stormtroopers and escapes into escape pod and signals a pick up from the Ghost crew.

 

 

The rebels that have survived this encounter can now escape, but Sabine must return to Krownest to continue helping her people against the Empire. Back on Chopper Base Grand Admiral Thrawn shoots down the Bendu and they surrounded him. The Bendu probably says one of my favorite lines this episode because he predicts Thrawn’s defeat which startled him. The Bendu says, “I see your defeat. Like many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace.” Grand Admiral Thrawn immediately goes to shoot Bendu in the head but he disappears and his laughter his heard echoing through planet.

 

 

The episode ends with Kanan and Ezra talking about the future for the rebellion.  We hear in the background that they are heading to Yavin which we know is where Rebel Alliances are in New Hope. Kanan says, “There’s a future for us, one where we’re all free. But it’s up to us to make it happen.” There are more questions to be answered through these characters driven stories that will be shared for the next season.  The thing I most excited to see next season is the fight going on at Mandalore and Sabine’s journey to becoming or finding the true leader.  Until next season rebel fans and may the force be with you always.

 

 

Photo Credit: Star Wars.com, tumblr.com, blogspot.com, purefandom.com, Disney, Lucasfilm

Created by: Jasmine Yard

 

 

The Geekcap Roundup

Supergirl "Distant Sun"

After a series of alien attacks, the DEO soon discover that a bounty has been placed on Supergirl, making the city a target for more attacks. By order of the president, J’onn orders Kara to lay low to prevent an intergalactic crisis, and Mon-El later accuses his parents of setting the bounty to have him leave Earth. Although they deny it, J’onn interrogates a telepathic alien who attacked Kara using Mon-El and discovers that Rhea did indeed place the bounty. Kara convinces Mon-El to speak with his mother to appeal to her better side in the Fortress of Solitude, but Rhea soon turns on them, using a kryptonite dagger to harm Kara. With this threat, Mon-El agrees to leave. Meanwhile, Alex and Maggie go through a rough patch after encountering Maggie’s ex Emily. When Alex confronts Emily on ignoring an invitation to meet with them, she reveals that Maggie had previously cheated on her during their relationship.

Rhea imprisons Mon-El as they plan to leave Earth. The DEO team then uses the Cadmus portal to enter the Daxamite ship and fight off Rhea. J’onn initially disguises himself as Kara to fight off the kryptonite, but Kara quickly enters the fray to save him. Winn secretly enters and releases Mon-El, but Kara is weakened in the fight. In seeing Mon-El show concern for Kara and J’onn, Lar Gand stops his wife and allows Mon-El to return to Earth, sensing his own happiness. Meanwhile, Alex and Maggie talk about Emily as Alex accepts the past so long as Maggie can begin to trust her. J’onn awaits his consequences for going against orders from the President who is revealed to be an alien in disguise. As the Daxamite ship begins to leave, Rhea kills Lar Gand for betraying her, vowing that she isn’t finished with Earth.

Notes

• The portal Kara uses comes from the episode “Supergirl Lives” which was also directed by Kevin Smith.
• Mon-El makes a reference to both Romeo & Juliet and Star Wars.
• President Marsdin is revealed to be a Durlan a shape-shifting alien similar to Chameleon Boy, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Photo Credit: DC/CW

The Flash "Abra Kadabra"

A new villain from the 64^th century named Abra Kadabra attacks Stagg Industries, forcing Gypsy to return to return him the Earth-19. When Kadabra attacks STAR Labs, Barry captures him, but the villain offers an ultimatum: if he is set free, he will reveal Savitar’s identity with his knowledge from the future. Gypsy allows Barry to interrogate Kadabra, but when Joe goes to speak with him to save Iris, Kadabra escapes and sets off an explosion against Joe, Caitlin, and Julian. The explosion leaves Caitlin forcibly wounded but, since they are unable to go to a hospital without revealing her status as a meta, Julian is forced to perform in-house surgery as Caitlin guides him. Upon Kadabra’s escape, Gypsy reveals that she previously had a partner who was murdered by the villain and theorizes that the technology that he is stealing will be used to make a time machine for him to return to the future.

Barry, Wally, and Cisco then chase Kadabra in wormholes throughout the city as he attempts to use his machine. Barry then phases through the machine to apprehend Kadabra and return him to Gypsy for custody in Earth-19. Before leaving, Kadabra warns Barry about how they remain enemies even in the future. While they still do not know the identity of Savitar, Barry reveals his new plan to Iris: to travel to the future to learn about Savitar himself. Though Caitlin’s surgery appears to go fine, she soon seizes up and eventually goes into cardiac arrest. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Julian removes her power inhibitor to restart her metahuman abilities. While her powers are able to heal her injuries, they cause her to lash against Julian and Cisco, turning her into Killer Frost.

Notes

• Stagg Industries is most known for the industry that created Metamorpho.
• Kadabra references DeVoe as an enemy of the Flash, possibly referencing Clifford DeVoe, the Thinker.

Photo Credit: DC/CW

Legends of Tomorrow "Doomworld"

In a world run by the Legion of Doom, Darhk acts as mayor for Star City with Merlyn maintaining his wealth and Thawne running STAR Labs. Jax, Stein, and Ray work for Thawne, Sara and Amaya hunt down vigilantes for Darhk, and Rip remains stuck on the Waverider baking cakes. Though the Legion are successful, Darhk and Merlyn remain distrustful of Thawne, especially as Mick shows signs of regret. Soon, Nate arrives and attempts to explain his theory of time scars to this reality, leading Mick to rescue him and reveal the truth. Together, they find Ray and use his recent invention to regain their memories of the previous reality. After being attacked by Sara and Amaya, the three are able to regain Sara and regroup on a plan to find the others. Meanwhile, Stein works on a device for Thawne that the villain plans to use to destroy the Spear of Destiny and maintain this reality.

To retrieve the Spear of Destiny, the team infiltrate the headquarters and attack, just as Darhk and Merlyn plan to take the Spear for themselves from Thawne. Unfortunately, Stein destroys Ray’s device out of distrust for Jax, preventing him from joining. Mick blasts the Spear from Thawne for a restored Amaya to use to fix reality. However, Snart then freezes and kills her with his gun, returning the Spear to Thawne. Thawne then destroys the Spear, allowing the others to live only to realize how fruitless their efforts have been. Regrouping, Sara suggests returning to 1916 to prevent the Spear from landing in the Legion’s hands, but they still have no idea where Rip or the Waverider could be. Fortunately, Rip puts out a distress signal on the fixed ship to find the others, revealing to be trapped miniaturized on Thawne’s desk in STAR Labs.

Notes

• Sara and Amaya hunt down a vigilante version of Felicity Smoak in the opening scene.
• The Legion of Doom headquarters resembles the same one used in the original Superfriends cartoon.
• The video game Ray plays is based on the Invasion! Crossover storyline.

Photo Credit: DC/CW

Arrow "Disbanded"

Oliver disbands the team, despite the others not accepting the news. Instead, Diggle and Felicity work to catch Chase with Felicity using Helix technology to find proof on his real identity as Prometheus. With the inability to stop Chase, Oliver is forced to watch him go free and breaks up with Susan, believing him to be toxic to people around him. In order to try and stop Chase’s killing spree, Oliver is forced to look for help from Anatoly and the Bratva. In exchange for stopping Chase, Oliver allows the group to steal diabetic drugs to create a new street drug in the city. Against Oliver’s wishes, Diggle and the team interfere with capturing Chase but fail to stop the villain. Five years ago in Russia, Oliver reveals his plan to return to Lian Yu to Anatoly, but Anatoly requests Oliver’s help in securing drugs for the Bratva, believing Oliver to be a good man by his side.

Diggle soon convinces Oliver to help them take down Chase the right way, believing that the team can help Oliver move on from the past. Unfortunately, Anatoly refuses to back down from their deal. Together, the team breaks into an industry building to find the Bratva, leading to Oliver and Anatoly at a standoff. Despite their past relationship, Oliver sets off an alarm, forcing both men to leave on separate sides. Felicity secures proof that Chase is Prometheus, leading Oliver to restart the team with a renewed sense of purpose. Diggle and Dinah then deliver the information to the SCPD which renegades on Chase’s protection deal and seeks out his arrest. Despite being wanted, Chase kills the US marshals who are after his arrest and heads back to Star City.

Notes

• The team breaks into Kord Industries named after Ted Kord, one of the figures behind the Blue Beetle. 

Photo Credit: DC/CW