Opinion
Mcleod: The Simple Storytelling Of Johnny Gargano vs Adam Cole
Adam Cole has embraced being an old school heel champion, and it’s opened up a world of possibilities for his feud with Johnny Gargano, according to Scott Mcleod.
Adam Cole has embraced being an old school heel champion, and it’s opened up a world of possibilities for his feud with Johnny Gargano, according to Scott Mcleod.
One of the great things about NXT is the ability to properly showcase the majority of it’s stars despite only being an hour a week. Even only getting a brief glimpse of someone gives all you really need. Two examples of this on NXT this week with a Matt Riddle training montage and the latest installment of Adam Cole’s BAY BAY Championship Celebration Tour.
Last weeks we saw Cole getting on a private jet to defend the title at download but this week was even better. We had Cole going to Gargano’s fathers pizza place where he hangs a picture of himself on the wall before telling the same trainees Gargano tried to inspire in the lead up to Takeover they should give up.
Considering that Gargano and Cole’s first match in New York was very much a last minute thing they’ve turned this it a good story. They did everything they could in the last couple weeks before to make this seem like a main event with men talking about why they deserve to be NXT champion.
Their 2 out of 3 falls match was of course amazing with them building until their third fall with kick outs galore. Cole had a legit claim to a rematch having pinned Gargano clean in the first fall and wanted the him to prove he could beat him in a straight one on one match.
I didn’t think the Takeover 25 match was as good but still a strong match. Given the talent of both men it would be difficult for them to have a bad match. The latter half was especially great with Cole teasing using the Undisputed Era only to take advantage of the leg giving out to pick up the title.
I love the difference in the way both men carry the title with Gargano being a man of the people going back home to try and inspire up incoming wrestlers. Whereas Cole is surrounded by a group and takes a private jet to his title defences. Very similar to when Ric Flair would take on the likes of Dusty Rhodes or Ricky Steamboat.
This something NXT does really well which is building great stories out of simple ideas. A problem I have with most main roster stories is that they go to over the top to find a reason for people to feud rather than two people just don’t like each other.
The main theme of Gargano and Cole’s feud is two men who want to be at the top of NXT and to do so they need to be NXT Champion. However they go about in completely opposite ways which is what puts them at odds and sets them apart from each other. While they both came up through the indies Gargano is proud to work for the title while Cole just expects to be champion.
I’ve gone from not being sure if they should have second match to now I need to see the rubber match after seeing what Cole did this week. Gargano losing the title so soon actually lends to the story as his character is strongest when he’s chasing a title.
What will happen next? Spoilers be damned, we’ll have to stay tuned to see!
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
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THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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