Cheap Pops - Wrestling News & Views - January 24, 2016

Cheap Pops - January 24, 2016

by Chris Delloiacono, Mike Maillaro and Jeff Ritter

This Week:

• Royal Rumble Predictions
• RIP Iron Mike Sharpe
• NXT House show review
• NXT Results

Royal Rumble Predictions

30-man Royal Rumble match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Mike: I am way tired of the “powerful authority figure constantly screwing over a baby face” storyline that we’ve basically gotten non-stop since WWF realized that Austin Vs Vince McMahon would be their biggest storyline in history.  It’s just been done to death and we’ve basically seen every imaginable scenario.  Well, except for one.  The babyface champ gets put in a Royal Rumble where he must defend the title.  Roman Reigns has been using the catchphrase “One Vs All” on his shirts for a while, but this time, he really does get to go one vs all, with 29 other men gunning for his WWE title.  I think this actually is a clever twist on the story, and it should make for some good storytelling if done well.

So who wins the title?  I think there is a relatively small list of guys who the WWE would be willing to put the title on, especially heading towards Wrestlemania.  Typically they seem to like having a heel with the title, so the face can challenge them at Wrestlemania.  So, I’m thinking that Reigns will probably not come out of the Rumble with the title.  And the best possible opponent for him to face at Mania would probably be Triple H.  So I think Trips comes in at 30 and takes the title.  Though Reigns will probably be in the Rumble early and last until well until the end.

That said, I am really hoping WWE surprises me.  Daniel Bryan or AJ Styles would be my preferred winner, but I think those are very unlikely.

Chris: Well geez, what can I say after that prediction.  Let me try…  Uh, uh...what you said.  Seriously, before I read your comments Triple H coming in at number 30 and winning the whole thing was my prediction.  WWE already announced that Reigns is going to be number one, so I’m pretty confident of the finish.  Roman vs. Hunter is the main event of Wrestlemania.  Book it!

Jeff: I don’t disagree with much of that,except for Hunter’s involvement. Nobody wants to see Preparation H show up for his annual wrestling appearance anymore. But I smell what THE ROCK is cookin’! Bring Dwayne in and have him win this sucker! Rock will do a better job putting Roman over at Wrestlemania than ol’ Helmsley would.

Mike: Rock vs Reigns actually would be an awesome match!  I back you on this, Jeff!

I honestly didn’t pay that much attention to Raw or Smackdown this week, so I didn’t know Roman was the number 1 entrant until Chris posted it (they also said it during a commercial during NXT).  That definitely goes right along with my prediction of Reigns being in early and eliminating a lot of people before getting taken out in the end.

Chris: I’m hopeful we will see Daniel Bryan return at the Rumble and maybe AJ Styles will debut.  Still, those gents are going to play second fiddle to the endless corporate nonsense with Roman and Triple H.  Not to mention, Brock Lesnar will destroy a ton of people but get eliminated because of the Wyatt Family.  The booking is being telegraphed so far in advance, it’s only left to the small details of how it plays out.  I’ll be shocked if something else occurs.

Mike’s Prediction: Triple H
Chris’s Prediction: Triple H
Jeff’s Prediction: The Rock

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kevin Owens    Last Man Standing match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Mike: These guys match up real well together.  I like a good gimmick match to end a feud, and Last Man Standing matches tend to be pretty brutal.  Both of these guys seem to have very little regard for their own bodies, so I expect this one could steal the show if it’s given some time.

With Reigns hovering around the title picture, I think Ambrose needs to be up there too.  To me, Ambrose is more natural as a heel, so I would love to see him feuding with Reigns, maybe as a catspaw for the Authority.  So, I think it’s pretty likely that Owens will regain the Intercontinental Title.  

Chris: This has been a solid feud, and I’m looking forward to these two guys really beating the tar out of each other.  I’m going to go opposite of you on this one, and go with Ambrose retaining because the belts can’t all be on heels.  I don’t know what the plans are going to be for either guy at ‘Mania.  I do know this particular match will be a fun one!  

Jeff: Ambrose is on my short list of guys on the current roster who could be truly great announcers, but I hate watching him work. Owens has made a believer out of me even though he’s still just a generic chubby indy worker.

Mike’s Prediction: Owens
Chris’s Prediction: Ambrose
Jeff’s Prediction: Owens

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Kalisto      WWE United States Championship

Mike: I am real pleasantly surprised that they seem to be giving Kalisto a push.  He came into NXT real hyped, but they’ve basically just kept him in tag teams, which seemed like a strange choice to me.  I don’t know if he can really be the next Rey Mysterio, but I think there is a lot of room for a high-flyer with some decent mic skills.  And not everyone has to be a main eventer to have an impact on the wrestling world.  This seems like what they were grooming Sin Cara for, but he was never quite the right man for the job (I actually think the current Sin Cara probably could shoulder it better, but he’s injured).  That said, I don’t think Kalisto will be winning the title in this match.  If they want the US Title to have meaning, they probably need to keep it around someone who is a little higher on the card like Del Rio.  But, I could be completely wrong.  I hope I am!

Chris: I’m a fan of both of these guys.  The work they’re doing with Kalisto of late has elevated him quite a bit.  Del Rio isn’t the megastar WWE attempted to groom him as, but he’s a solid upper card guy.  I can see the same thing for Kalisto if they continue to book him strongly.  I imagine that Del Rio keeps the title, but I’d love to see the feud continue past the Rumble.  

Mike: What’s the next PPV anyway?  I can’t see them dragging this out to Mania, but there could be a great blow off match at the next PPV.  

Chris: Fast Lane is next.  Here's hoping these guys can give us a couple of special matches.

Jeff: So much “Meh.” So little time. Maybe they should scrap the undercard and just hold three Rumbles: one for Divas, one for tag teams where each team comes to the ring together, and one for singles, which could also include the tag competitors. Three simple set-ups for the three “main” titles at the grandaddy of ‘em all!

Mike’s Prediction: Del Rio
Chris’s Prediction: Del Rio
Jeff’s Prediction: Kalisto, just to be different

Charlotte (c) (with Ric Flair) vs. Becky Lynch    WWE Divas Championship

Chris: I like how strongly that Becky is being presented of late.  I thought she was bound to get lost in the shuffle of the Divas Revolution.  I don’t know if the injuries to Nikki Bella, Paige, and Sasha Banks opened the door for her, or if it was the plan all along, but the Lass Kicker has gotten a long run in the spotlight.  I don’t think she’s going to win the title here, though.  Charlotte seems to be the woman right now, so I see her holding the gold into Wrestlemania.  Still, I’m really excited for this match.  

Mike: It’s kind of weird.  If this was a match on NXT, I would totally mark out. But I am not sure I have the faith in the main roster to give this match the time it needs to be terrific.  I hate to sound paranoid, but it often feels like even the great women in WWE are being held back some, just so they don’t overshadow the guys.   I definitely see Charlotte holding on to the belt for a while too.  Probably until Sasha can snatch it away from her.

Jeff: Mike stole my thunder. This could main event NXT, but here it’ll be the match where everyone gets a refill of pizza and beer. I’m happy to see Becky get a chance to showcase herself, but we all know this ends with, “WOOOOOOOO!”

Chris’s Prediction: Charlotte
Mike’s Prediction: Charlotte
Jeff’s Prediction: Charlotte

The New Day  (c) vs. The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso)     WWE Tag Team Championship

Mike: I always think when someone returns from injury they should wait a little bit before putting a title on them. Just in case.  Look what happened with Daniel Bryan and the IC title.  I like The Usos, and I do think they could have a great feud with New Day...hell, they could have a great feud with just about any tag team I can think of.  But I think if the WWE wants them to be champs again, they probably should give it a few more weeks just to make sure everything’s completely cool.

Chris: New Day remains hot and they shouldn’t shift the straps to the Usos yet.  I’m down for a lot more of this feud, so I picture New Day retaining in screwjob fashion.

Jeff: It’ll be interesting to see what direction they take the Usos now that they’re back, but New Day, all the way, for the foreseeable future...until Bullet Club arrives!

Mike’s Prediction: New Day
Chris’s Prediction: New Day
Jeff’s Prediction: New Day (also, the Dudleys win the Kickoff Qualifier, which matters not one bit)

RIP "Iron" Mike Sharpe

WWE star "Iron" Mike Sharpe has passed away at the age of 64. WWE issued this statement on his passing:

WWE is saddened to learn that Michael Sharpe, known to WWE fans as “Iron” Mike Sharpe, has passed away at age 64.

Long before “Iron” Mike Tyson entered a boxing ring, self-proclaimed "Canada’s Greatest Athlete" "Iron” Mike Sharpe was battering opponents in a wrestling ring. A second-generation Superstar whose father and uncle both competed in sports-entertainment, Hamilton, Ontario’s Sharpe was a champion in his native country as well as several regional American territories in the United States.

Managed by WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano, Sharpe used the mysterious (and often loaded) black brace on his right forearm to defeat opponent after opponent while simultaneously berating them. Sharpe’s winning ways were enough to earn him a WWE Championship Match against Champion Bob Backlund in Philadelphia in April 1983, a mere four months after his WWE debut. Like so many others, Sharpe was unsuccessful in defeating Backlund.

Sharpe then regularly competed on and off for both WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Sharpe’s final WWE match occurred in 1995 against Billy & Bart, The Smoking Gunns.

Following his retirement, Sharpe had a school in Brick, N.J., where he trained many aspiring competitors. His students included former WWE Superstars Charlie Haas and Simon Dean (also known as ECW’s Nova), as well as WCW Superstar Crowbar.

WWE extends its condolences to Sharpe’s family, friends and fans.

Mike: It has been a lousy few weeks for celebrity deaths.  Iron Mike Sharpe was basically just a jobber in all the years I watched him wrestle, but unlike losing in most sports, it actually requires some real skill to be a jobber.  You have to make your opponent look good, still have some personality even though you probably won’t get much mic time, and work in a way where neither you or your opponent will get injured.  Mike Sharpe was in an “elite” class with guys like Brooklyn Brawler and Barry Horowitz. Man, they just don’t make jobbers like they used to.  

Chris: Let’s also remember that Iron Mike was the self professed “Canada’s Greatest Athlete”.  Sharpe had such fabulous charisma in the ring.  He came off as a credible opponent unlike most guys that spend their careers laying down for the guys moving up the card.  Whether it was the arm brace he wore every night, or the yelling and screaming he did throughout the match, you had to be invested in what he was doing.  That’s charisma.  That’s talent.  That’s the ability to make others better.  Without guys like Mike, the stars wouldn’t shine as brightly.

Jeff: If you’re over 65 and a celebrity of any kind, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news...2016 is not your year. Vince should sign the Grim Reaper to face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, and then immediately after he jobs to Mean Mark, vince struts down and gets in his boney face and yells, “YOU’RE FIRED!” Maybe then guys in the same category as Sharpe, Bowie, Rickman, Frey, etc., will have a sporting chance this year.

NXT Results - January 20, 2016

- Sami Zayn def. Adam Rose with Koji Clutch

- Johnny Gargano cuts a promo on Samoa Joe, who he’s fighting later tonight.  Calls Joe a schoolyard bully, but Johnny is not intimidated.  You beat a bully by walking up to him and punching him right in the mouth.

- Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are upset about not being nominated for NXT Tag Team of the Year.  They challenge Blake and Murphy for a match next week.  They also introduce their new name, American Alpha.

- Apollo Crews def. Tye Dillinger with toss power bomb.

- After the match, Apollo got on the mike.  He’s still annoyed that his match with Finn Balor ended in a DQ.  He wants a non-title match with Finn so they can finish what they started.

- Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss are backstage.  They seem offed that the American Alphas would challenge them to a match. They also mock their new name.  Alexa yells at Blake and Murphy for humiliating her in London. They are better than that!  Tonight, she’s teaming with Emma to take on Bayley and Carmella.

- Real short promo video for Vaudevillians, who seem to be taking on a much darker version of their gimmick.

- During a NXT show in Milwaukee, Sami Zayn was in the ring.  Kevin Owens came out to cut a promo.  Nice surprise!  Kind of wish they would have showed the promo and not just some still images of it.

- Baron Corbin def. Rich Swann with Deep Six.

- Promo with Carmella and Bayley.  They are friends and teaming up tonight.  But Carmella is still the number one contender and will be coming for Bayley’s title.  Dash and Dawson come out to mock Carmella saying she never wins when it counts. Like Enzo and Big Cass.  All fluff and no stuff.  Bayley has to restrain Carmella to keep her from going after Dash and Dawson.

- Carmella/Bayley def. Emma/Alexa Bliss (w/ Dana Brooke) after Carmella gets a hot tag and makes Alexa tap out to get leglock chokehold.  

- Finn Balor accepts Apollo’s challenge.

- Samoa Joe def. Johnny Gargano with the Coquina Clutch

Mike: Tonight’s show was all about setting up next week’s Triple Threat Number One Contender’s match. We start with Sami Zayn getting the win over Adam Rose.  I feel bad whenever I watch Adam Rose.  It seems like the WWE just has no idea what to do with this pretty talented wrestler.  This wasn’t all that great a match, I’ve seen both of these guys do far better.  And it’s always hard for me to feel convinced when we see a former champ having trouble beating a perpetual jobber like Adam Rose.

Chris: Definitely wasn't much of a match, especially when you consider the combatants.  Still, I'm thrilled to see Sami on TV regularly.  I'm sure next week’s triple threat will be a lot more exciting.

Jeff: I didn’t need the WWE “let’s have everyone come out to the ring with their music and gab for 20 minutes” intros. This is NXT. Stop that crap. Announcers should be setting up the card. If anyone’s music plays, it better be because their match is about to start.

Mike: Watching Ty Dillinger Vs Apollo Crews, I really want to see Ty come out as number 10 in Sunday’s Royal Rumble.  Ty is becoming the top jobber in NXT.  I kind of miss CJ Parker, but Ty’s gimmick is so perfect for this role.  His cartwheels and flashing 10 signs at the crowd.  This guy would have fit so well in the WWF shows I watched as a kid on Saturday morning.  I also thought his suicide dive was a nice surprise.  You don’t see him do a lot of moves like that.  

And I love Apollo’s new finishing move. It just looks so wicked.  It was kind of cool seeing him developing that with Triple H on Breaking Ground.

I don’t know Rich Swann, but he seems to be a popular indy guy.  I am always glad to see NXT giving these guys more exposure.  Swann seemed to be ridiculously agile and fun to watch.  Corbin’s new finisher seems like a modified sidewalk slam...I prefer End of Days which is simple but devastating looking.

Jeff: I can’t understand how marks geek out for guys like Ty Dillinger. I want to see him destroyed in ways you can’t show on even subscription television every time he comes out. X-Pac heat. Apollo’s Power Bomb is OK, but it’s not terribly interesting. It needs a good name, and Apollo 13 is NOT it.

Mike: For me, I would make the argument that I like Ty for the same reasons I said I liked Brooklyn Brawler and Iron Mike Sharpe.  These are guys who do a great job of showing what other wrestlers can do. I look at him like a great character actor. His character isn’t someone who will ever main event a show, but he is a credible jobber and the WWE needs more of that.  I would rather see Samoa Joe beat on someone like Ty than waste competitors like Johnny Wrestling or the Sicilian Psychopath on him.

Chris: I didn't know Swann before the match, but he put on a great show making Corbin look good.  Just like Dillinger and Parker, guys like Swann are necessary to make the upper card guys look impressive.  Good on Corbin for giving Swann the chance go on the offensive, and actually selling quite a bit.  The finish was never in doubt, yet this was enjoyable.  I hope we see more of Swann in the future.

Jeff: Me too! I don’t know much about Swann either but NXT should be the place that long-time indy guys get a shot. Even though he did the job to Corbin (moonlighting as Abyss) he showed enough in his bumps alone to warrant a fair shake.

Mike: The divas tag match was decent.  Before the match, it seems like Emma and Alexa were teasing a feud.  I was kind of hoping to see that feud.  It’s real rare you get a heel vs heel feud.  They attacked Bayley before the match, and she was selling an injury through most of the match.  I was surprised that the crowd wasn’t much louder during the match trying to cheer her on. I thought Dana Brooke was great at ringside taunting Bayley.  Actually, all three of the heels did a great job making you hate them...and not in a “GO AWAY, EVA MARIE” way.

Chris: Dana Brooke has been at her best the last month.  Sadly, it's because she hasn't been wrestling.  She just isn't compelling in the ring, but working the outside for Emma has seemed more in her wheelhouse.  Anyway, this match was so short and worthless.  What a waste.

Jeff: Yeah, this one didn’t do anything for me either, but I think they’re missing a great opportunity to make Alexa Bliss the big heel in the NXT Women’s division, if not the biggest heel manager in the WWE this side of Paul Heyman. She’s got a phenomenal sneer, a terrific “I’m prettier than you and you know it” look, two generic cronies to be her muscle, and if she could pull Nia Jax way from the Big Red Botch Machine she’d have a solid stable to help her earn some heat-getting heel victories. 2016 should be the year of Bliss (Alexa, call me)!

Mike: They really are trying to portray Samoa Joe as an unstoppable beast.  Johnny Gargano did a lot of moves, but none of them seemed to do any real damage to Samoa Joe.  That said, I think Sami Zayn is likely going to win next week’s number one contender match.

Chris: I don't get why they've fed Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa to Joe in the last few weeks.  Joe could just as easily squash a non-roster guy.  If you're going to put regulars in the ring, at least give the match a little more time.  This was a glorified squash like every other match tonight.  

Jeff: I think the creative types still don’t quite know how to market European stars like Cesaro, Neville, and Ciampa (or at least guys who sound like they’re European--Ciampa is from Boston, I think). Maybe they should try concentrating on their ring ability for once and not worry about catchphrases and assorted stupid gimmicks. I’m not saying Balor’s Demon gimmick is stupid, but it’s tailor made for WWE merchandising. He’s the new Rey Mysterio they’ve been looking for, except, you know, not Mexican.

Mike:  There were a lot of decent matches tonight, but the winner wasn’t in doubt in any of them.  NXT needs to have a few more surprise wins during their weekly shows. I would have loved to see Rich Swann get the win over Baron Corbin, or at least get some more time to show what he can do in the ring.

BUT WAIT!! THERE”S MORE!! I WAS LIVE IN CHICAGO FOR NXT!!

Jeff: My friend Rocket Mapache of Dynamo Pro Wrestling (pictured on the left) posted that he had one extra ticket for the NXT tour show in Chicago. I was like, “Heck yeah! I’ll go!” And go we went. We arrived at the venue, the Portage Theatre in the Nortside’s Six Corners neighborhood, at approximately 10:45 am, making great time from St. Louis. According to the tickets the show started at 1 pm and the doors would open at 11:30 am. Forty five minutes waiting outside in windy-ass Chicago in winter was something I hadn’t really even thought all the much about, but hey, it wouldn’t be that bad, right? Well, at 12:30 pm, we hadn’t moved an inch. Somewhere between 12:30 and 12:45 pm, with a line going back more than few blocks along the side street, one NXT Champion Finn Balor came out to greet the freezing fans. “Hello Chicago! We are extremely sorry about this, but we’ve had some issues this morning with the venue. We expect to be letting everyone in very shortly and on behalf of NXT I personally appreciate your patience. We’ll make it right with one hell of a show!” He then proceeded to shake hands, fistbump, high five, etc., every single person in line, from the door to beyond where we parked a couple blocks away. Class act, that Demon fella!

Soon after we’re finally let inside. We find our seats, and begin to put together some of the reasons why this venue was giving the NXT folks fits. The Portage Theatre is an old movie house now used for concerts. There isn’t any place in the venue big enough and level enough to hold a WWE sized wrestling ring. Maybe a smaller indy crew has worked here without difficulty, but the WWE rings are traditionally a tad larger, I believe.

As soon as we sat down we noticed that the ring had a noticeable tilt. The workers were going to be running up or down hill one way or looking like they should have had a V8 beverage in the other. The other big issue was that apparently the Portage had no %$#@ heat! You could feel the cold radiating through the hard cement floor just like you could through the sidewalk outside. The air was about 15-20 degrees with some light winds (for once Chicago wasn’t having gales) but inside it was only maybe 45 degrees? Not great for thawing out after a prolonged wait outside. My feet didn’t start to defrost until we were passing Springfield on the way home.

The show started the way I hoped it would, with the announcement that this certain goofy looking dude from Jersey was named Enzo Amore, and he’s a bonafide stud and a certified G, and I can’t teach that. His friend was Big Cass, and I couldn’t teach him to be 7 feet tall either. Cass said that if we could stand outside for that long in cold-ass Chicago and still be as loud as we were for them, we are not anything like their opponents, who were, and he helped us by spelling it out for us, S-A-W-F-T...SAWFT! They then got their asses kicked by the NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Wilder, who in person really reminded me of when I had the pleasure to see Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard work in person. Obviously the tag champs held on to the straps.

Happy Birthday to Bull Dempsey, who received the present of a vicious armbar submission from Tomasso Ciampa.

Ty Dellinger thinks he’s a 10, but it only took 3 for The Drifter, Elias Samson, to earn the victory. I really, really want to like Samson. I liked his original look, and thought they should turn him into the mythical Samson. Think of all the Hair-vs-Hair matches! But no, they give him a leftover J-E-Double F J-A-Double R-E-Double T guitar and have him test drive various 80s finishers every time he goes out there. A couple of weeks ago he hit a very picturesque Macho Man Elbow Drop on his opponent. I wish he’d stick with that. Also, Why is he billed as being from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania if he’s The Drifter? Are drifters sort of, by default, homeless? They should bill him as being from “dusty roads of the American Dream” and get him some monster heat for the American Dream connection.

NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Alexa Bliss in a nice little match. I’m telling ya, Alexa Bliss could be a huge star if they do the right things with her. She may not be quite the natural in the ring that any of the Four Horsewomen are but she’s freaking Kurt Angle compared to Eva Marie.

After a short intermission where we found that the bathrooms were also slightly unlevel and yet they had the nerve to place a black man in the men’s room to hand you a paper towel after you wash your hands like this was a five-star luxury facility, Apollo Crews faced Baron Corbin. Crews is really fun to watch and a bit bigger in person than he appears on television--I don’t mean in terms of muscle but height. He always looks like he’s 5’7” on NXT TV to me. Crews picked up the win, but I can’t remember how at this point. It was a solid, back and forth match though. After a year of squashing jobbers on NXT, Corbin is showing he can actually wrestle a fairly decent match. Hopefully he won’t get promoted to the WWE and turn into the third member of The Ascension. I wonder if it’s fair to call it a promotion anymore? NXT is really a better show than Raw or Smackdown these days.

Eva Marie and Nia Jax beat Peyton Royce and Carmella, by which I mean Nia Jax beat Peyton Royce and Carmella. Eva Marie is the worst in-ring performer in history. Even worse than Scott Hall at his most intoxicated. She look like a porn star, and wrestles like Zach Gowen’s long lost leg. Unless Vince is planning to start an NC-17 “Divas Late Night” show to pick up the slack from his ol’ buddy Hugh Hefner’s decision to stop having naked women in Playboy, I see no reason for her to continue to draw a paycheck from his company. The faces were game here, but Nia Jax easily overpowered them. Royce, to me, is not one of the more interesting new ladies in NXT. Too bad Asuka wasn’t on the card. She’s ridiculously awesome to watch.

The Main Event: Finn Balor successfully defended the NXT Title against Sami Zayn in a  match that made me forget that my feet were still frozen for a much of it. Make no mistake, these two are going to be a hot feud at some point, no matter what Samoa Joe, Apollo Crews or Baron Corbin think they deserve. Ciampa is going to rise quickly with that armbar submission too, and would be a great addition to the NXT title mix.

Mike: Two quick things before we wrap up!  

• LUCHA UNDERGROUND RETURNS JANUARY 27!!!  Been waiting for this for months now!  They tape a long time in advance, and I’ve been avoiding spoilers!  So, we should be back covering Lucha Underground on a weekly basis, just like we do NXT.  My two favorite wrestling shows on TV.

• Pro Wrestling Syndicate was supposed to have a big show with Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling this weekend in New Jersey, but we got hit with a pretty nasty snow storm.  Thankfully, the PWS/GFW show has been rescheduled for next Saturday.  Though there might have to be some changes to the card depending on wrestler’s availability.  But Chris and I will still be attending the show, and we’ll be back next week will full coverage!