Tim and Tom talk about Stomping Grounds, Evolve, Seth Rollins on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, Raw, and Smackdown. Tom also talks about bullying someone at his High School Reunion.
WWE SMACKDOWN REVIEW
JUNE 25, 2019
We're supposed to not like him; that's not lost on me. I just feel like I dislike him even more, for unintentional things. Things like, not clearly knowing his lines, looking like he's going to have a cocaine-induced heart attack during his matches, etc.
I think I dislike him more for those things, combined with the idea that an actual wrestler could take that screen time; than I do for the story he's telling.
I think the better story though, if that's Dolph gripe, is that he goes after Joe. Dolph tries to be the thorn in Joe's side, as Joe prepares for his title shot.
The Miz gets a little better, seemingly each time I see him. Maybe him as a featured babyface isn't a bad idea.
I'm not sure why WWE feels the other way, but this happens nearly every episode so I guess I should learn to live with it.
Not sure if any long-time Spanish Announce Table fans caught the NWL logo in there?
Miz got a beating; so I guess we'll be continuing THIS Shane McMahon feud also. Although, I feel like there's a strong possibility that they're continuing this only to have Miz as a back-up in case Undertaker falls in the shower, or something like that, before Extreme Rules.
So, the Champion can disappear for weeks on end; and as soon as he gets back, he'll put the title on the line against someone who has been gone EVEN LONGER!
Seems to make a whole lot of sense, right?
This feels very relatable, and we without doubt, are headed to a point where Nikki starts to realize that what everyone has been saying about Alexa is true.
But for now, she is none the wiser, and it's making for one of the most intriguing storylines in the company right now.
At the very least, they are setting the stage for him to flip a switch and go crazy. In not sure what the direction in mind for Drake is, but I wouldn't mind seeing more of him somehow. He consistently finds a way to be entertaining.
As much as I joked about this angle; it would be unfair of me to not acknowledge how well Black has performed these promos. This is unique, and I like that.
Though, the question remains; whom is the one who knocks?
Dolph is done, and now it will be simply be Samoa Joe vs Kofi at Extreme Rules. Was this just a way to kill a week? I guess there worse ways to do that, so maybe I shouldn't complain.
I just think, in a time where the fans and wrestlers are telling you that your writing and booking is overly boring and repetitive; you gave us a 2 Out Of 3 Falls rematch of a match we just got 2 days prior.
Not terrible over all; things seemed to move quickly throughout the night, and we can see some new direction in a handful of stories.
How will things play out next week? Let us know what you think! Also, take some time to click some of the scrolling links throughout this article for many ways to connect to, and support, The Spanish Announce Table!
WWE RAW REVIEW
JUNE 24, 2019
So I want this storyline to work out, but I have some suggestions that I'm sure they won't take. (Mostly because there is no way in hell they are ever going to read this.)
I think there is so many subtleties that you can tell to make this storyline really intriguing. If you noticed, Baron Corbin mentiond later in the show that perhaps he and Lacey might be known as the next WWE power couple. I would have annouuncers and backstage interviewers start mentioning something similar.
At some point, I would have Lacey step in and assert to someone that they are in fact NOT a couple and that they are NOT dating. To which, Baron Corbin would be insulted by; not because he had romantic interests in Lacey, but more so because he is insulted that she is so adamant that they are NOT. His pride is hurt.
They can fight and argue about this, and then the sexual tension is on from there, they both start to try to show off to the other, and they both kinda like each other, kinda hate each other, and they both definitely don't want to admit to actually liking the other one.
You could even have Seth and Becky start fighting over it. As in, one of them is mad that they are not trying to show each other the same attention that Baron and Lacey do. Relationship storylines can be so great if you involve the real-life complex human emotions that we can all relate to.
There's a neat concept, huh; relatability?
It makes me care less about both storylines, not more. Why would I suddenly care more, when I have to split my attention? What is the reason for this? Is it just to fit as many people on the card as possible?
Whatever the reason, they did it here again. And again, it made me not care about any of it. None of it mattered. Nothing mattered th the storylines, nothing mattered to the characters, nothing mattered.
So we got Miz TV with R Truth and Carmella, which was what you would expect it to be, until we got Drake Maverick involved. Drake Maverick is money; the more they can use him the better.
The 24/7 Title is being presented in a fairly fun way a the moment, but I'm really not sure how they handle the longevity of this thing.
I like that we were left with a crushed Drake Maverick. How will he respond to his life completely falling apart? This is how you create relatable characters that we care about.
How did they just witness that horrific match at Super Showdown, hear the public's response to it, and then IMMEDIATELY pair him with ROMAN REIGNS for a tag match?
It's starting to feel like WWE is tanking on purpose. I don't understand where the message keeps getting lost. This is going to suck. All of it. The build up, the match, the fallout; all of it!
I'm just not sure that a series of strogman challenges are what's going to get me to care about Monster vs Monster. This just feels easy, so I don't hate it, I just don't have much reason to get excited about it.
The WWE Universe is written so that we all are well aware that Braun Strowman is the strongest man in the history of ever, so there is no reason for me to believe that Bobby Lashley even stands a chance in any tests of stregth.
But, now Bobby Lashley has attacked Braun. Will they take the storyline into any more complex waters than that? Do they need to? I feel like they SHOULD, but I'm not sure there's much to do with this angle.
That said; we're risking burnout. I've seen that title on the likes of Drake Maverick, Jinder Mahal, EC3, and Heath Slater. All of these individuals could have very entertaining storylines, covering a few weeks as champion.
This would help keep things fresh. Instead it's the R-Truth title right now.
So, if you're paying attention, that means the guy that lost the U.S. Title the night before, is now going to be challenging for the World title.
I know they haven't actually said that yet on TV, but I think we can safely guess where this is going. I don't hate the idea of Samoa Joe challenging Kofi, though. I think that is, however, only because of how good Samoa Joe is.
This was definitely one of those times. I like that they are giving some extra love and attention to the U.S.Title.
A.J. Styles and Ricochet put together an amazing performance. I actually likened Ricochet to an early A.J. Styles in my
review of Stomping Grounds.
Besides, if the worst complaint is that I only got a really good match; then I'm certainly not in the worst possible situation I could be in.
I guess it's not atypical for the first show after PPV to not have a whole lot of intrigue, but I do feel like some small things throughout the night would help add some. Maybe we can pick it up a notch on Smackdown.
Until then, follow some of the scrolling links in the article; it will really help us out here at The Spanish Announce Table!
Stomped Out
A Review of WWE Stomping Grounds 2019
I know people haven't been super excited with this storyline against Lacey Evans, but after the match I do feel like it's good that it wasn't one of the regulars that we've already seen Becky Lynch wrestle about fifty times each.
Hopefully, this is Lacey's last shot for a while, and Becky can look strong with this win, moving forward; like a champion.
This was also good for Lacey Evans. It's believable that she's in the main event field, and can now go tell some credible storylines with some of the other upper-tier roster members.
⭐⭐⭐
3 out of 5 stars!
It is also, however, full of wrestlers with no real direction. I mean, I guess there is a storyline here, but not much of an interesting one.
In fairness, not everything can be an Emmy-worthy nail-biter, so I'll try to not complain. These four did well; which was expected from such veterans.
What's next? When the heels win in the fashion that Owens and Zayn did, we'd typically get a continuation of the storyline, which might not be terrible. Hopefully there can be something a little more unique to it, moving forward.
⭐⭐⭐
3 out of 5 stars!
I'm sure Ricochet won't do terrible as the champion, but he really reminds me of an early A.J. Styles. He's super athletic, very likeable; but he just doesn't really say anything that gets me to care about the outcomes of his matches.
Honestly, I'd prefer they left the title on Samoa Joe; I think he can tell better stories with it. I'm guessing there will be a rematch, maybe.
Of course, these two are really good in the ring, and they gave a lot of effort. However, like I mentioned earlier, there wasn't much in the story for me to care about the outcome.
If there had been a more intriguing reason behind this match, it might have pushed the performance from pretty good to great.
⭐⭐⭐ 3 out of 5 stars!
In all seriousness, I do really like the angry liberal gimmick, but I think it could be really huge if the focus was solely on Daniel Bryan. Then it would be in the spotlight of main event feuds, as opposed to this.
Don't get me wrong; this match was fine. The storyline; also fine. I like that Heavy Machinery is getting exposure and experience. I think they are a good tag team that can be a marketing goldmine if handled correctly.
So, if this match helped further them along, then it's not the worst thing for this to be an average performance.
⭐⭐⭐ 3 out of 5 stars!
Bayley is stacking up a track record of putting in big-time PPV matches. Is she going to earn the title of Big Match Bayley?
I really liked how this played out with Alexa using Nikki Cross as a human shield. Certainly this will lead to more of this story. I like the subtleties and their implications.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 out of 5 stars!
I don't know that I felt any different about this story than I did going in, and that's not a good thing.
I'm just not sure that whatever WWE sees in Roman , as far as a "top babyface" goes, but it is NOT coming through the TV screen.
He's not bad, he's not boring; he just doesn't really have the "all spotlights on me" charisma that WWE seems to believe he has.
This match is what you would think it would be. Two big athletes slamming hard. Not terrible, just not really exciting either.
⭐⭐⭐
3 out of 5 stars!
Maybe if they could find more ways to touch on Kofi's Royal Rumble history of unorthodox, athletic ways to stay in the game, then his title run night excite me a little more.
He's done nothing wrong, necessarily. I'm just not feeling a whole lot of real emotion, outside of "wow, I never thought I would achieve this", which gets old fast.
I'm not sure where they go with Kofi next, and I'm not sure I really believed that Dolph had a chance in hell of taking that title anyway; so I guess I'll just wait and see what happens.
⭐⭐⭐
3 out of 5 stars!
I don't know if this was all designed to highlight the relationship between Seth and Becky, but that feels weak as shit.
I don't care that they are dating, unless you're going to make something cool out of it. By the looks of it, WWE thinks what's cool is an apparent Seth and Becky vs Baron and Lacey match at Summer Slam. That is NOT cool!
But whatever, the match was fine, I guess. I just feel like this was all for pretty much nothing.
⭐⭐⭐
3 out of 5 stars!
Well, or all felt pretty average. Which, is what they all feel like lately.
Maybe RAW will pick things back up. Tune in to my next RAW review to see if they disappointed me there also!
Until next time, remember to check out the website, subscribe to the podcast, and buy some merch!
WWE SMACKDOWN REVIEW
JUNE 18, 2019
This took longer, had no real action, and not much to really say.
The match between Ziggler and Woods was decent. I like the angle of Dolph getting in a few extra superkicks at the end just to prove a point.
This leads me to believe he will be in a similar situation at Stomping Grounds, but he will try one time too many, and Kofi will get the better of him.
Baron Corbin is still trying to find his guest referee. Are we going to get more ruthless violence with chairs tonight? I hope so!
This was amazing! This felt so real I thought they were actually going to fight.
To pick a side; Alexa is right. She is better than Bayley, and Bayley peaked in NXT.
Crews is getting stomped out by Andrade again. Then there's Chad Gable creeping in the background, analyzing everything Crews does.
My initial inclination is to think that Gable will be some sort of wrestling "coach", but I'm not sure. I have a slight feeling there may be a little bit more to this.
They 2-for 1'd the B-Team here. They were used to help get Heavy Machinery over in their feud with The Planet's Champions, and Seth Rollins smacked them around with a chair.
I hope they get paid a little more for pulling double jobbing duty like that. At least let them be first in line at catering the next night, or something!
I like that Shane McMahon doesn't just please all the heels. It's more realistic this way. Nobody would like these guys in real life, especially their boss when they are being condescending to him.
Seriously, who is going to be the one that knocks?
Mixing in R Truth in the most random way was also a nice touch.
At least The IIconics can seemingly do no wrong. Their response to being made fun of was great.
The Champions won! But now, what will happen at Stomping Grounds? Will Brock Lesnar cash-in his Money In The Bank contract? If so, against which Champion?
Stay tuned for my review of Stomping Grounds when we might finally get these answers!
WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT SMACKDOWN?
Use #TweetTheTable on Twitter to share your thoughts and we'll read some of our favorites on the next episode of The Spanish Announce Table podcast.
WWE RAW REVIEW
JUNE 17, 2019
Will they succeed? Let's find out.
I like Seth Rollins' declaration that anyone considering the guest referee role will meet the chair.
I also want to reiterate how refreshing it was that this first segment was quick. The live crowds can really die out on the long promos, if they are not spectacular.
The TV audience needs to see the crowd having a blast, going crazy. We need to feel like we should have been there.
A Fatal 5-Way to be the #1 Contender for The United States Championship.
I liked that Miz and Ricochet were the featured guys at the end, and it was a real good match. I was certain it was going to be Miz that won.
Elias getting the Heath Slater treatment from all the match participants was also fun. The live crowd seemed to really enjoy it.
Next, we see Rollins continuing his assaults. WWE seems to be setting the tone that Seth Rollins is a take-no-bullshit badass. They're almost booking him like his girlfriend.
I think Daniel Bryan is one of the best heels in all of professional wrestling. I think they are not going hard enough into his angry liberal agenda.
The Viking Raiders; I'm ready for something a little more serious now.
I know the process is that we're supposed to watch them conquer lesser competition as they work their way up the roster. The problem with that in 2019, is that I already watched them conquer NXT.
Isn't NXT the minor leagues? Why does the big leagues have forgettable bums on it, then? It just feels like a waste of time.
I think it's safe to say, however, that he has set the bar at a place that I'm not sure anyone else is going to really reach.
This was awesome. I really like how this played out. Shane being a dick; Drew baiting Heath into a brutal attack; The Revival pocketing all the cash; it was all great.
A bit of a stretch to have EC3 unconscious for so long, but it was a fun use of him as a prop.
I'm not sure what happens to EC3 after this run of comic jobbing, but most don't end up in a good place.
Isn't he supposed to be 1% rich? Can't he buy a little more success than this? Why aren't we telling any stories around his money?
Baron Corbin seems to have lost some of the only friends he had left. I hope there is a big payoff at Stomping Grounds.
I hope Corbin's guest referee is a big surprise that helps Corbin beat Rollins for the title. I'm not sure who that would be.
Another fun thing could be that Corbin never does get anyone. Everyone who agrees, gets beat up. Finally Shane McMahon says he found a volunteer that is unafraid of Rollins and his chair; Mr. Money In The Bank Brock Lesnar.
Imagine the crazy match that could be told while two competitors have to worry about the special guest referee possibly cashing in his Money In The Bank contract. Especially when that referee is Brock Lesnar!
Feels like we're getting a rebirth of The Club. I actually think this is a good idea, provided it's pulled off right.
Do you agree? Share YOUR thoughts with us on Twitter using #TweetTheTable.
This wasn't bad. Roman finally had enough, so he took the fight to them.
I gotta say, though; I feel like Drew wins at Stomping Grounds
So is Bayley going to start getting an unfair reputation for not being what she seems?
Will we find out that the reputation might not be so "unfair? "
They continued to bok Seth Rollins to look strong, but it was very cool to end with him getting a chair shot to the back. That was very good storytelling throughout the night.
I thought this was a very good episode of RAW. There wasn't much time-wasting, there was themes that carried throughout the night, there was fun moments, and there was some vicious moments.
Hopefully this carries into Stomping Ground and the weeks that follow.
If you want to hear more of my thoughts, and the thoughts of Tom, check out the next episode of The Spanish Announce Table podcast, where we will talk about this show, and so much more!
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