WWE Super Show-Down Recap

This PPV is 4 hours long and on a Saturday! Oof. Nevertheless, I’m a diehard wrestling fan and I intend to watch and recap every single second of it! The Super Show-Down has some great matches on the card so let’s see how it turns out! I’ll be recapping these as I watch, and as always remember the scores I give are just my personal opinion. I’m no wrestling guru just a guy that loves to watch!

The New Day (Champs) vs. The Bar – Smackdown Tag Team Championships

It’s so great to have The Bar back, I love watching Sheamus and Cesaro. New Day went with Kofi and Xavier Woods and these two put on the type of match they always do. Fast and high flying. Cesaro got to be the King of Swing again, and the Bar almost won when Cesaro used the rope to help his pin. Luckily Kofi and Woods managed to come out on top with the win. Although a little short for these two teams, it was a pretty solid start to the show. The New Day retains via pinfall 8.25/10.

Becky Lynch (Champ) vs. Charlotte Flair – Smackdown Women’s Championships

One of my favorite feuds in WWE. I think I said that last time… BUT I MEAN IT. Charlotte and Becky threw their entire movesets at each other and there were so many near falls. The back and forth was so great just when you thought one of them was going to win, the other would counter with something insane. These two seemed like they truly hated each other during this fight. Charlotte got Becky Lynch in the Figure Eight lock and just before Charlotte had the submission complete, Becky in an ingenious last ditch effort grabbed her title and beat Charlotte with it. The match ended in DQ but there was still carnage afterwards as Charlotte (bitter that Becky ended the match that way) attacked her on the ramp. Becky got the upper hand though and walked out with her title. Charlotte wins via DQ, Becky retains 8.75/10.

John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Elias

Four great wrestlers in a match that has absolutely no significance. Nevertheless, I loved it when Elias came out playing Thunderstruck on his guitar. He and Kevin Owens are top notch heels and I love watching them get a crowd riled up. They’re actually a really great tag team, I’d love to see them work together more and maybe get some tag opportunities. They don’t really have any significant storylines right now. For a match that hyped the return of John Cena though, he didn’t really get to do much. Elias and Owens kept Lashley in the ring and tore him apart. Cena of course did eventually go in and made short work of Elias and Owens. His new finisher move though where he crosses his arms and just punches his opponent is just silly I’m sorry. The match had no consequences but it was still fun to watch. John Cena & Bobby Lashley win via pinfall 7.5/10.

Naomi & Asuka vs. The IIconics 

Another match with no real meaning! The IIconics have homefield advantage but there was no question who was going to win this one. At least you think. This was a weird match though because both teams danced as much as they fought. At one point the IIconics posed like superheroes, Asuka basically told Billy Kae to kiss her ass it was… something. In a surprising turn of events the IIconics actually got the win! Usually WWE doesn’t care when someone’s in their hometown so I was pretty surprised to see the IIconics win. It was  a nice moment that both me and the people of Australia really liked! The IIconics win via pinfall 8/10.

AJ Styles (Champ) vs. Samoa Joe – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (No Disqualifications, No Count Outs)

Come on AJ, just let Samoa Joe have sex with your wife and have your championship! It’s the only way he’ll leave you alone! I love how messed up this storyline has gotten. Joe is such an entertaining bad guy. I was underwhelmed by their last fight especially with the ending, but I was excited for today thanks to the no DQ/Count Outs stipulation. This was a lot more quick paced than their last PPV encounter, Samoa Joe turned into a wrecking ball and Styles basically kicked the shit out of him for his counter strategy. It took awhile for the stipulation to come into play but when the chair and table arrived, things really started to pick up. Styles was literally coughing up blood at this point. The best part though came when Styles sacrificed himself to throw Samoa Joe into a table and then moved the referee away from checking on Joe. Styles yelled “He’s mine now” and put Joe through the ringer. It was by far the longest match of the night at this point, and while the fight was amazing, the ending wasn’t QUITE as epic as I had hoped Best match so far though! AJ Styles retains via tap out 9/10. 

Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad

Was there anyone in that arena or watching at home that thought the Riott Squad would actually win this match? Nikki and Brie fought the majority of the match and honestly the highlight of their time in the ring was when Liv Morgan got the opportunity to kick Brie in the face almost as revenge for the genuinely painful kicks Brie gave to her a few weeks ago (which knocked her out). When Ronda came in she was great as always. It amazes me how fast she has been learning and mastering the craft. She’s already one of the best wrestlers in the Women’s Division. The double arm bar at the end was pretty cool. Rousey & The Bella Twins win via tap out 6.75/10. 

Cedric Alexander (Champ) vs. Buddy Murphy – Cruiserweight Championship

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy are wrestlers like these two on a show that nobody watches!? This match was INCREDIBLE! Fast, hard hitting, and filled with unbelievable moves from both wrestlers. The crowd went absolutely bonkers for their hometown guy Buddy Murphy and it’s easy to see why. He’s absolutely incredible! There were so many “that has to be the end” moments but it just kept going! Cedric Alexander is an absolutely amazing talent, but I’m glad to see a new Cruiserweight Champion! Buddy Murphy wins the Cruiserweight Championship via pinfall 9.5/10.

The SHIELD vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, & Drew McIntyre

This match was fine. There wasn’t any too memorable about it though to e honest. These guys have definitely had better fights against each other. Drew McIntyre was the star in my opinion. He’s really come into his own as a heel I’ve really grown to like him as a bad guy as time has gone on. The big story here though was “will Dean turn on his SHIELD brothers?” After Roman punched him in the face on accident I thought there was a chance. I think it’s inevitable, but who knows when it’ll happen. There was some awesome camera work at the end though. Dean looked like he was going to get taken out by Braun but then off camera out of nowhere Roman speared him through the barricade. Then Drew McIntyre looked like he was going to finish off Dean instead, but the Rollins again off camera super kicked him out of commission. This all gave Ambrose the opportunity to pin Ziggler and get the win. Average fight with a great ending! The SHIELD wins via pinfall 7.75/10. 

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz – #1 Contender Match

 Miz came out guns blazing and hit Daniel Bryan with all of his own moves. They went back and forth and it looked like it was going to be a great match. But then it just kind of ended out of nowhere. There isn’t much to say about it. Daniel Bryan and Miz got wrapped up on the ring, the ref counted to three and Daniel Bryan stole a win out of nowhere. This match took a page out of the AJ Styles/Samoa Joe story line. Miz is claiming he was robbed, Daniel Bryan walked away with the win, and more than likely these two are going to fight again. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miz sabotaged Daniel Bryan’s match against AJ Styles at Crown Jewel. Daniel Bryan hasn’t had a genuinely good PPV match this year… and that streak continued today. Daniel Bryan wins via pinfall 6.5/10. 

Undertaker vs. Triple H

I’m going to get hate for this but this match was BORING. Everyone involved in this match (Kane and Shawn Michaels were at ringside) is just too old to be wrestling. Yes they are living legends, but their time is over. Triple H can still fight, but the rest just aren’t and that’s OK that’s life! If you’re going to have older superstars wrestle, make the match shorter! That’s what made Undertaker vs. Cena enjoyable at Wrestlemania. Undertaker went in, kicked his ass, then left in about 15 minutes. It was short, fast paced, and Undertaker did all the moves you wanted to see him do. This though just dragged because referees kept getting KO’d throughout the match. The ending wasn’t even that great. Shawn Michaels hit Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music and Triple H used the pedigree. Then it was over. Definitely the lowpoint of the PPV for me. Then after the match Undertaker attacked Triple H… meaning we haven’t seen the end of this unfortunately. Triple H wins via pinfall 5/10. 

This was a pretty uneven PPV that didn’t really feel like a PPV. Felt more like a somehow even longer episode of Monday Night RAW with some great matches sprinkled in there! The next PPV is only two weeks away but I’m super excited for Evolution! Final Score: 7.75/10

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Hell Fest

October is finally here! There are tons of reasons why October is my favorite month, but the most obvious is Halloween!!! Because Halloween is the best holiday of the year, I’m dedicating my posts each week to spooky movies! This week I’m writing about the new slasher film that just came out: Hell Fest? How was it? Eh let’s just say there’s some good, there’s some bad, and then there’s some downright ugly.

*****OBVIOUS SPOILERS FOR HELL FEST AHEAD*****

The Good

Hell Fest Itself

The absolute highlight of the film is the actual festival itself. Hell Fest looks like it would be a total blast of a park to go to… minus the fact that people get murdered whenever they get there. The setting allows for some really cool scare set ups. The scares may not really land (more on that later) but the different haunted houses were a lot of fun.

The Film’s Premise

Hell Fest is about a group of teens that go out to the festival for a night of frightful fun. After making it through their first haunted house, the main character Natalie notices that one of the “actors” has been stalking them all night. All of her friends insist that it’s part of the show, but soon they start disappearing one by one as the night goes on. Natalie and her friend Brooke try to tell security but they say they can’t arrest someone that’s “doing their job.” The one big plot point I thought of going into the movie was “If they start dying one by one, why don’t they just leave?” The film’s script actually answers that question in a way that’s both logical and believable. The premise of the film is what pulled me in to see it. How is the execution though? Well…

The Bad

It’s Just Not Scary

There isn’t a single part of the movie where I was on edge. There are some jump scares, but you can see them coming from a mile away. A majority of the scares in Hell Fest come from the characters walking through haunted houses which, as fun as they are, rely entirely on cheap jump scares. You won’t get scared but watching them go through the festival will make you want to go to a haunted house yourself. It was reminiscent of this year’s disasterpiece “The 15:17 to Paris” where half the film was literally just watching the characters on vacation. Except haunted houses are more fun to watch than watching three guys eat ice cream in Europe.

Forgettable Characters

The characters in Hell Fest are extremely one note. They fit all the cliches of the slasher film genre: The main girl is a “goody two shoes,” her best friend and the third girl are the “sluts,” two of the guys are “the jocks” and then there’s “the nerd that likes the goody two shoes” Some movies such as Cabin In The Woods and Scream purposefully have these stereotypes, but they serve a deeper purpose. This one just has these stereotypical horror characters and gives them no background so it’s hard to care when they start dying.

The Ugly 

Unoriginal Kills

For a movie with such a cool setting, I was expecting some great kills, but the movie plays it REALLY safe. With the exception to one, every other kill is just the person getting stabbed. Yes, that’s why it’s called a slasher I know, but there could’ve been so much more creativity! Jason stabbed someone through a bunk bed, Freddy Krueger eviscerated Johnny Depp, the killer in this film could’ve done SOMETHING creative to finish off at least ONE victim! The guillotine scene advertised doesn’t go the way you’d think, but that would’ve been something cool to remember the film for. The characters were surrounded by nightmarish things, there were so many possibilities to make the kills unique.

The Ending Is A Weird Mess

At the end of the film, Natalie and Brooke try to tell security about the killer but of course their pleas are ignored. The ladies then try to warn their remaining friends, but one of them volunteered to be a part of a “sacrifice show” (the guillotine scene in the previews). Their friend Taylor survives the guillotine because it’s not a real murder weapon (why the killer thought it was I don’t know). The killer though then chases after Taylor and murders her and her boyfriend in public FOR WHATEVER REASON. The killer is  stealthy and smart about his kills for the whole film but suddenly he drops that and decides to blow his cover. He then chases Natalie and Brooke who head for what they THINK is the exit. Turns out it’s not an exit, instead it’s the scariest most advertised haunted house in the whole festival! HOW DO YOU THINK THAT IS THE EXIT? DID THE GIANT SIGN THAT SAID “HELL” NOT GIVE IT AWAY!? The killer enters the house after them and finds the one prop that is an ACTUAL WEAPON. Seriously why would a haunted house have a real axe for a prop? Is that even legal!? Anyways, Brooke is nearly gutted until Natalie arrives and stabs the killer in the gut with the knife he had been using the whole film. The police finally make it into the house but similar to the original Halloween, the killer is nowhere to be found (gasp!). In the final scene though we see the killer return home, completely healed from the knife wound he just got. He goes into a room and we see the other masks and trophies he has from his past kills. He then walks into the living room and we see a little girl sleeping on the couch. His next victim? Nope! The girl wakes up and excitedly yells “Daddy!” and runs to hug him! The killer was just an ordinary with a normal life with no visible motivation for why he kills. Then the credits roll. I get what they were going for: anyone could have a dark side. Your neighbor could be a psycho killer, you never truly know people blah blah blah. The whole ending was just weirdly executed with a lot of inexplicable things happening. I don’t know why it’s so hard for a horror movie to have a good ending, but it’s something I’ve rarely seen over the years. Maybe this month I’ll do a list of my favorite horror movie endings!

It may sound like I hated this movie, but I didn’t. It has a lot of flaws and isn’t scary, but it definitely wasn’t the worst time I had at the movies this year. If you can see it on a discount day, I’d say it’s worth the $5 to check out. Then you’ll want to plan your own haunted house trip!