The PWP Nation staff answers four burning questions of the week in professional wrestling.
With WWE SummerSlam right around the corner, weeks into the brand extension and TNA Impact Wrestling introducing a new president, PWP Nation decided to introduce a weekly staff roundtable to address all the latest news and hottest topics of the wrestling world every single week.
Here’s the staff for edition number one:
- Jay Alletto, Owner & Founder (@JayAlletto)
- Eron Ramadanov, Editor-in-Chief (@Eron_PWP)
- Zak Fellows, Senior Columnist (@ZakFellows)
- Derek Gifford, Contributor (@ItsGifford)
Let’s begin:
Question #1: Which match are you most and least looking forward too at WWE SummerSlam?
Jay Alletto: SummerSlam is an interesting card. I know the majority are looking forward to Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins, but I’m looking forward to Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton the most. Lesnar is always someone I go out of my way to watch. Once in a lifetime kind of guy and a match vs. Orton that has been rumored since 2012 should be awesome. The least is Miz vs. Crews. The creative is extremely weak behind this one.
Eron Ramadanov: I’m pretty excited for almost every match on the card. As far as what match I’m looking most forward too, it has to be the WWE Universal Championship match between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins. Those two are going to tare the house down and possibly steal the show. Balor and Rollins are two of the best in the business right now and I’m pretty excited to see if WWE is going to pull the trigger on Balor by making him the WWE Universal Champion right away. Also, keep an eye out for a possible double turn, especially if Anderson and Gallows lose earlier in the night. The fact that Seth Rollins is still a heel is baffling to me, so if I’m WWE, I go with a double turn here. SummerSlam has been known for classic heel turns the last several years, so why not add to it? As for the match I’m least looking forward too, it’s probably Sheamus and Cesaro. Honestly, this match feels like one of those matches I’ve seen on TV one hundred times… and now they’re going to have a best of seven series? Cool.
Zak Fellows: I am most looking forward to the United States Championship match between champion Rusev and challenger Roman Reigns. I have been a strong supporter of both men and their acts almost since their inception and I believe that their talent will be able to put together one of the more pleasant surprise matches on a show with, who fans would consider, more technically proficient wrestlers. Despite the fact that it will most likely satisfy, my interest was never inherently present with the prospect of Brock Lesnar Vs Randy Orton. I’m sure it will be perfectly fine but, like most Lesnar matches at this point, it exists in a bubble that will ultimately prove to have no affect and leave a noticeable lasting impression beyond the match being good. The other matches on the card make me interested in their outcomes and how it will influence the overall product… Lesnar/Orton does not.
Derek Gifford: The match at SummerSlam I’m most looking forward to has to be the Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins match for the WWE Universal Championship. It’s the first time we see them fight in WWE and it is for a brand new title. Plus, it’s Finn Balor and Seth Freakin’ Rollins! What’s not to be excited about? The match I’m least looking forward to is probably The Club vs. The New Day because I’m already bored of both tag teams and they’ve been at it multiple times before.
Question #2: On Monday morning, which show will be better: NXT Takeover or SummerSlam?
Jay Alletto: SummerSlam has a card the will exceed WrestleMania. Although NXT will rock the house and won the weekend last year, I think the lack of heat and star power up and down the card will hurt the show. I’ll go with SummerSlam.
Eron Ramadanov: Listen, I’ll admit it. I’m a huge NXT mark. But rightfully so! NXT Takeover: Brooklyn looks awesome, so come Monday morning, I think Takeover will be the better show for a few reasons: 1) it’s going to be shorter. As much as I’m excited for SummerSlam, I’m not really looking forward to the show being 4 hours and 20 minutes (WWE has been going over on all pay-per-views lately), whereas NXT Takeover will probably fall below 3 hours. 2) the build-up for the top matches on the NXT card have been fantastic. So, I’ll probably enjoy Takeover more, but SummerSlam will still be a fun show too.
Zak Fellows: NXT Takeover will be viewed upon as the stronger show regardless of how good SummerSlam is. Simply put, NXT has managed to build a more strong reliability in the most recent memory that people are more inclined to let down their guard and enjoy it even if it does sometimes borderline on being blindly loyal. And because Takeover will be shorter than SummerSlam it will mean easier time to process and enjoy for the fans. Let us not discount SummerSlam though: The card has stacked itself with talented wrestlers in matches that seemingly a majority of the fans are all interested in, Lesnar/Orton personally aside and I think we could be due for a strong weekend of wrestling.
Derek Gifford: Personally, for me, SummerSlam will blow NXT Takeover: Brooklyn out of the water this year, with the match card that SummerSlam has compared to the NXT card, it’s just better. But don’t get me wrong, the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn card is stacked also with Joe/Nakamura, the GLORIOUS Bobby Roode vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas, Bayley and Asuka in a monster rematch for the NXT Women’s Championship and another Match of the Year candidate in The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Brock/Orton, Ambrose/Ziggler just won’t do it for me I’m afraid, but that Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor match I am excited to see!
Question #3: Do you think Billy Corgan becoming TNA’s new President will make a difference in direction?
Jay Alletto: Absolutely. Billy is a student of the game and a true wrestling fan. I met him randomly at a PWS show in Jersey years ago and he was simply there hanging out watching the show. That was a true testament to how much he loves the business. Things are definitely going to change.
Eron Ramadanov: No, probably not. Corgan might be running things on the day-to-day basis, but Dixie Carter is still within the company and the creative team has remained the same. Honestly, TNA Wrestling has been that bad as of late. I’ve been watching more and more of the product and I actually enjoy it. Two big problems with the product right now is the atmosphere of the tapings and the lack of depth. Corgan won’t really make a big difference. The company needs money; unless Billy is going to pump in a ton of cash, I don’t see how the company will grow out of what they are currently.
Zak Fellows: It will make a difference in direction and approach in booking and decision making for the show but will it be a sustainable direction of quality? TNA has always had a problem of the shot caller making bad calls from Jeff Jarrett to Dixie Carter. To get rid of the stigma that TNA has managed to build up in alienating viewers and make it difficult for them to stick around, it will take a lot of work and time…assigning someone new to be the one who ultimately has final say is a good start but it is not an instant fix. People have started enjoying Impact Wrestling in recent weeks again but the same could be said about 2012 to 2013 and that did not end well for a lot of people at all did it?
Derek Gifford: I’m not really a TNA fan, so I wouldn’t really know what direction it could go in. I know Dixie was doing an alright job as the head of the company with Bobby Lashley winning nearly all the TNA Titles available but as I said before, I’m not really a TNA fan. If I had to guess, I would say that the company could lead to better things under better management, but we will have to wait and see, I can’t judge yet.
Question #4: As of this week, are you a RAW or SmackDown Guy?
Jay Alletto: I’m a SmackDown guy. No contest. Raw is so formulaic and is sticking to their laurels with the bad comedy & overly scripted promos. SmackDown has a completely fresh and different feel to it.
Eron Ramadanov: I’m a SmackDown guy, all the way. RAW has been good, but only a few weeks past the brand extension, it seems to be falling back into the pre-draft formula. SmackDown still feels fresh and important. Also, a huge boost for SmackDown is it’s only two hours long, instead of three! That’s a big bonus.
Zak Fellows: I’m a “what bits and pieces from each show can I find enjoyment out of” guy…a scavenger and assembler you could say. But seriously, I find stuff I like and stuff I don’t like with both shows, I like that Gallows and Anderson are clearly having fun in their feud with the New Day and I like that Eva Marie is acting like a classic coward heel. On the other hand, I don’t particularly enjoy Foley and Bryan being prominent, because I’m suffering Authority figure fatigue I guess, and I can’t say Ambrose/Ziggler thrills me…try as hard as you like with Ziggler you really can’t make me care at this point ha.
Derek Gifford: Am I a RAW or a Smackdown Guy? I’m going to have to say RAW, with them bringing back the Cruiserweight division and the potential that has to put over young talent like Cesaro or Sami Zayn, guys who might not be WWE World Heavyweight or Universal Champion material. Plus, Sasha Banks being the Women’s Champion on RAW; can’t get any better than that. SmackDown has been pretty good with the whole Ziggler/Ambrose thing with Bray Wyatt poking around, but RAW wins it for me right now.
Thanks for reading. Look out for next week’s edition where we’ll talk about WWE SummerSlam, NXT Takeover and more!
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