Cheap Pops - Wrestling News & Views - August 30, 2015

by Chris Delloiacono, Mike Maillaro and Jeff Ritter

This week!

• Kayfabe added to Oxford English Dictionary
• SummerSlam Results
• Lance Storm talks women’s wrestling
• NXT Results

Kayfabe added to Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary has published their annual list of pop culture words added to their dictionary, and kayfabe made the list!!   According to their website:

kayfabe

Probably not familiar to those outside the world of pro wrestling, the term kayfabe refers to ‘the fact or convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic’. The origin of the word is uncertain, although it is often said to have arisen in American travelling carnivals. The word has been interpreted by some as being an alteration of ‘be fake’ backwards, while the -ay- element is typical of the way words are formed in Pig Latin.

Mike: I absolutely loved this story when I saw it.  I have never actually used kayfabe out loud...mostly because I am not quite sure how to pronounce it.  OED says it’s “ˈkāˌfāb”  I doubt I will use it even now, but at least now I know.

Chris: I learned the term back in the '80s when I first subscribed to the Wrestling Observer.  It's one of those awesome pieces of the biz that doesn't mean too much anymore since Kayfabe was pretty much obliterated by Vince McMahon.  Long ago you could take a real beating for exposing the business, but not so much anymore.  It's a glorious term, though, and I'm glad it's now an official word!

Mike: Actually the “word” that really amused me that they added this year was “manic pixie dream girl.”  I have never heard of that one.  I can safely assure the reader that I will never use that one...well, unless I need to refer to Alexa Bliss...

Chris: Hey, evil Alexa ain't no pixie!  Well, in size she is, but at least she doesn't blow pixie dust anymore.

SUMMERSLAM RESULTS

- Sheamus def. Randy Orton with Brogue Kick

- New Day wins WWE Tag Titles in Fatal Four Way against Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, and Prime Time Players.  Titus hits the Clash of the Titus and Kofi steals the pin.

- Rusev and Dolph Ziggler ends in double count out.

- Neville and Stephen Amell def. Stardust and King Barrett with Red Arrow

- Triple Threat for the WWE Intercontinental Title: Ryback retains vs Big Show and The Miz.  Big Show hits WMD, and Ryback steals the pin.

- Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose def. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper via spear.

- Winner Takes All Match: Seth Rollins def John Cena with interference from Jon Stewart

- Elimination Match: Team PCB def Team Bella and Team BAD.  Becky Lynch hit a pump handle slam to finish this one.

- Kevin Owens def. Cesaro with Pop-up Power Bomb

- The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar with Hell's Gate submission.  Though Undertaker had tapped out earlier, but the ref did not see it (the time keeper had rung the bell, but the ref waved it off).

Mike: When I started typing this on Wednesday, I have not yet actually had the chance to watch most of Summer Slam.  Just been a hectic weekend.  I was surprised by how many screwy finishes there were on this one.  The tag title and intercontinental title match basically had the same finish (though to be fair, that is basically the same finish all triple threat or fatal four-ways have).  Double Count Out on the Ziggler/Rusev match.  And Seth Rollins beat John Cena...because of interference by Jon Stewart???  Now that is one unexpected heel turn.

I was reminded a little of the Attitude Era.  It seemed like many PPV’s had a lot of matches that had unsatisfying finishes.  It too often feels like they are setting up for the next PPV, instead of actually letting any feuds come to an end.

I did watch one match...and that was the Stephen Amell/Neville VS Stardust/King Barrett match.  I am a huge ARROW fan and I have been hyping this match for a while.  I am very happy this match lived up to my expectations.  Amell actually showed some great moves in the ring, sold a beating, and then did a great dive from the top turnbuckle to outside of the ring.  Definitely a great showing.  And the finish was clean, which was a rarity during this PPV.

One quick thing before I wrap up my comments.  For the Raw after Summerslam they seemed to pull out all the stops.  Sting showed up in the end.  Debut of a new member of the Wyatt Family.  And best of all, THE DUDLEYZ ARE BACK!!!   I will admit, I do have one slight concern about the Dudleyz returning.  Can they fit in a PG WWE?  I love the Dudleyz typically bring pure carnage to the ring.  In the PG era, they probably won’t be putting any women through table.  I am not promoting violence against women...but those were some memorable moments that won’t be replicated.

Chris: Got to admit, WWE did some things on Raw this week that actually have me excited.  I couldn't get into the build up for SummerSlam at all.  I just didn't care about much of anything they were doing.  It's pathetic that the Dudleyz and Sting are more exciting than most of the people on the main roster, but it's a fact.  The PPV matches themselves are usually good but there's nothing, or more specifically no one, to get excited about.  The last year has just been a group of people exchanging meaningless wins.

Here's hoping the old folks help fill out the card and the brass straighten out the booking.  

Mike: The sad part is that I think there are a lot of people in WWE to get excited about.  BUT, they are all being used terribly.  

Chris: That's exactly what I meant.  I'd love to see decent programs with Ziggler, Wyatt, Ambrose, Owens, Cesaro, etc.  Unfortunately, all these guys are interchangeable parts that are never allowed to do anything really special.  They're on the midcard mediocrity parade.  Rinse, recycle, repeat!  Over and over with nothing of value accomplished.

Lance Storm Talks Women’s Wrestling

Lance Storm recently posted one of his Q+A’s on his website and had some interesting things to say about the WWE “Diva Revolution.”

Q: I've heard two schools of thought on the divas revolution. One, that it's a dud and the same formula with different faces, and second, that it's a proverbial "slow burn" and it will get there in due time. Your thoughts?

A: Before I get into my thoughts on what they are doing let me first state that I am a big fan and supporter of women's wrestling and have a great deal of respect for many of the women involved in the "Divas revolution". For the most part I think the Divas Revolution is being screwed and unless they change the way it is being presented it will fail, or at least not succeed to the level it could or more importantly should. To fully understand why you have to look at how the women are presented in NXT and how that enabled them to get over to the level that they did, and then look at how they are being presented in WWE and consider if that will also allow them to get over to that same level.

In NXT they are women wrestlers, they are competing for the NXT Women's Championship; a title belt that looks credible (actually better than the Men's Title in my opinion) and therefore can be respected. We were never told that the women were going to be taken seriously or that they were going to have good matches and be respected. They were just presented on the show in a respectable light, allowed to focus on competing to be a champion, and given enough time to do a good job if they were able. The women worked hard, had good matches, were given good angles, and fans started to care, and they got over. It was in a sense Organic.

In WWE the women are "Divas" a term when used in any other industry is a derogatory term referring to stuck up bitchy women. They compete (occasionally) for the Diva's Title, which is a purple belt with a butterfly on it. At best this looks like a Barbie toy belt and at worst it's derogatory and offensive because of the female sexual euphemism for butterfly. The women in WWE need a new title belt to compete for and in all honesty it needs to be renamed the WWE Women's World Title.

Furthermore coming out and telling us there is a Diva's Revolution and the women are going to be good and important now, was a big mistake. Don't tell us it's going to be good, just let it be good and we will come to that conclusion all on our own, like we did with NXT. Also in NXT each woman was given her turn to be focused on and chase the title. This allowed us to get behind them and follow their journey and struggle, while keeping the focus on becoming Champion. In WWE we are getting 3 groups of 3, which makes it near impossible to focus on the women individually and form an attachment to any of them and it has completely removed the focus on the title and being a champion.

In NXT the women got over one at a time. Paige won the first NXT Women's Title Tournament in a really good match with Emma, which started the ball rolling. When Paige got called up, she was stripped of the title and another tournament was held. Charlotte won this tournament in an awesome match with Nattie, to set her up and get her over. Sasha was then pushed and focused on and she got over, with Becky in a secondary role. Baylee was used to get Charlotte and Sasha over while building her own underdog status. Becky then got the focus and the push and she got over huge even in losing her title challenge (an amazing accomplishment). The long slow build was then finally paid off with Baylee in Brooklyn and we all saw what a great reaction she got winning the title.

Since the start of the Diva's revolution on RAW the title has not been the focus at all. PCB are faces, Team BAD are heels, and Team Bella float back and forth. All are getting wins and losses, no one is moving forwards or backwards and no individual is getting focus on directly. We are constantly being told it's a new era, but to be honest we are just getting slightly longer, slightly better matches, with a few new faces.

When the crowd on RAW in Brooklyn turned on the women's match it wasn't the fault of the crowd nor the fault of the women, it was the way it was presented. In the promo to set up the match Nikki Bella actually said that wins and losses didn't matter and that these muti-diva matches are pointless. She said the only thing that mattered was the Diva's Title and how she will soon be the longest reigning Diva's Champ of all time. How can anyone be surprised or angry that the crowd gave up on the match that followed when they were flat out told before it started that it didn't matter? Furthermore how can we care about Nikki's long title reign when I doubt anyone even remember the last time she defended it?

I do remember both Sasha and Charlotte making Nikki tap out to win tag matches, a fact that wasn't focus on, nor did it earn them a title match. To get this thing over you have to completely overhaul the way in which it is presented, like they did in NXT. You must focus on each woman in turn with a constant focus on the Championship. Unfortunately because they also have to focus on and promote Total Divas, they have to focus on a large group of women, in particularly the Bellas, so this may be impossible. The Bellas have improved a ton over the last couple years and they are more than capable of having good matches, but in my opinion as long as they are being focused on, this will never feel new.

Mike: Totally agree with everything Lance Storm said.  But that isn’t any real surprise  I consider him my go to expert on any and all wrestling issues. Sometimes he does feel a little old-school with his opinions, but he doesn’t feel as out-of-touch as many retired wrestling figures do.  I have heard a lot of bizarre gloating from people who are saying that the NXT women have been proven to be no where near as good as NXT fans claim they are.  And that really rings hollow to me.  

I watched Sasha Vs Bayley on Saturday night last week, and it was just an incredible match.  But, put Sasha in the confines of the WWE system, and she’s not having anywhere near the same quality matches.  To me, the WWE and the way they view women’s wrestling is to blame for that, not Sasha who has proven herself time and time again to be able to steal the show.

NXT Results - August 26, 2015

- Recap of NXT Takeover Brooklyn

- Enzo and Big Cass start the show.  Enzo is rocking a Yankees jacket and pinstripes on his pants.  Huge reaction from the Barclay Center crowd. Out comes their tag team partners, Zack Ryder and Mojo Rowley.

-Enzo, Big Cass, Zack Ryder, and Mojo Rowley def. Dawson, Wilder, Jason Jordan, and Chad Cable with the Enzo Launcher

-Regal talks about the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic starting next week.  Neville walks in and says he would like a spot in the tournament to honor Dusty.  Regal agrees.

-Recap of Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor at NXT Takeover Brooklyn.  After the match, Finn says that he proved Tokyo was not just a fluke.  Brooklyn saw a new side of Finn Balor and a new side of NXT.

- Promo video for Emma.

-Charlotte and Becky do a backstage interview talking about tonight’s fatal four way match. The best Team PCB member will win.

-Promo video for Becky Lynch

-Eva Marie def Carmella with Sliced Bread #2

-Recap of Liger Vs Breeze from Takeover.  Tyler cuts a promo afterwards teasing a rematch.  He also says he has a big idea he’s going to bring to Regal’s attention.

-Dana Brooke and Emma are backstage.  They promise to show Charlotte and Becky who’s the best.

-Another recap video for NXT Takeover Brooklyn.  I think it was the same one they started they show with.

-Promo video for Dana Brooke

-Recap for Sasha vs Bayley at NXT Takeover Brooklyn.  After the match, they talk to Bayley.  She’s still pretty overwhelmed.  She’s dreamed of being champ since she was a kid, but had no idea what it would really be like.  Her mother and family are there.  Bayley also talks about missing the other “Horsewomen” who have moved up to the main roster.

-Regal talks about the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.  Baron Corbin enters and says he doesn’t play well with others, but he wants in.  Regal partners him up with Rhyno to face the Ascension next week in the opening match of the tournament.

-Another Bull Dempsey “Bull Fit” training video.  

-Video of Owens after Takeover Brooklyn.  He looks so sad as he walks out.  He promises to break Cesaro at Summerslam.

-Elias Sampson debuts his new gimmick. He’s “The Drifter.”  He looks like a hipster and carries a guitar.   Out comes Bull Dempsey.  Bull def. Elias Sampson with an Earthquake Splash off the top rope.

-Recap of Baron Corbin vs Samoa Joe at Takeover.  After match, Joe talks about the awesome NXT crowd.  Calls Corbin a huge test that Joe was able to overcome.  This victory sends a message to everyone: “Samoa Joe is here!”

-Promo video for Nia Jax.  Debuting soon,

-Recap of Apollo Crews Vs Tye Dillinger at Takeover.  Afterwards, Apollo talks about how excited he was to debut on his 28th birthday.  He seemed almost as overwhelmed as Bailey.

-Recap of Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy.  Afterwards, Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss were upset.  Especially Alexa.  She wants Blue Pants! Next week, she’s sending Blue Pants back to the clearance rack.

-Recap of divas match at Summerslam.

-Promo video for Charlotte.

-Reminder that next week, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic starts.

-Emma wins fatal fourway over Charlotte, Beck, and Dana Brooke.  It seemed like there was a major botch at the end of this match.  Emma his the Emmamite Sandwich, and Becky didn’t kick out.  The ref made the three count, and everyone looked momentarily confused about what to do next.   The women all brawl, and it ends with Becky and Charlotte both locking on their submission moves.

Mike: I kept trying to watch this on Wednesday night, around 10 PM, and it kept crashing on me.  Real annoying.

I loved the opening match.  It was one of the longest non-main event matches in NXT in a long time.  Both sides got in a lot of offense.  Enzo and company were getting some loud pops the whole match.  I loved when Big Cass just launched Enzo over the top rope into all four opponents.  Poor Enzo’s best moves seem to be as a projectile.

During the Eva Marie match, it becomes clear that the crowd will always hate Eva Marie.  WWE definitely poisoned that well from day one, and it will never recover.  The crowd was taking a dump all over this match, far more than it deserved.  Eva is still slow paced and awkward in the ring, but she’s far from a total trainwreck.  

Bull Dempsey had his best match on NXT.  But “The Drifter” was an odd gimmick, and he seemed to only be capable of doing headlocks.  This was real bizarre.  Hope they tweak this quickly or Sampson will be heading out the door.

The main event was decent.  Emma is just not quite on the league of Charlotte and Becky Lynch.  And Dana Brooke was far below any of them.  Not saying she can’t improve, and matches like this will help.  But it was just glaringly obvious the different levels of where these women are currently.  I also give them a lot of credit for how they recovered from the botched finish.  Other than the momentary looks of confusion, they handled it professionally and managed to make it work for the most part.

This episode was a ton of recaps and promo videos.  Sort of felt like filler, but I did enjoy the matches on the show anyway.  Bayley’s interview after Takeover definitely got me emotional.