“The WWE List” isn’t normally something that I would recommend viewer discretion for. However, this week’s edition definitely deserves a fair warning as it may not be suitable for younger viewers. WWE definitely thinks so, as it wasn’t played on the main channel and instead put up directly to video-on-demand.
As much as Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, and the rest of the WWE Divas from yesteryear may have played a part in that, I can’t help but feel this Triple H photo contributes to it in some way…
Some people don’t enjoy the show, but as a big fan of Countdown I definitely enjoy the “lite” version of the show. It isn’t as enjoyable, but it gives freedom with topics and I enjoy the production. Even the preview on the side of the screen is different and a nice touch, although I can understand why some find it distracting. Overall, this show just like the other episodes is not required viewing and I won’t say you’re missing out if you skip it, but it is an enjoyable thirty minutes and it’s worth a shot. Especially an episode focused on Stacy Keilber’s legs and Daniel Bryan’s beard.
Give it a chance.
Tough Enough airs on the USA Network every Tuesday, but immediately after is “Tough Talk” on the WWE Network. The show is fairly straight forward and just provides the judges more time to interact with the contestants while host The Miz interviews them. This week’s Tough Talk may have been the most important yet, as for the first time we had a mini-challenge of sorts between two of the aspiring WWE Superstars. Hulk Hogan questioned one of the lead would-be superstar’s ability to talk and because of it we had a fun battle of words. The loose structure of the show leads to a lot of entertaining moments and I personally believe it’s better than Tough Enough itself.
The Miz continues to be an excellent host. This was definitely the job he is fit to do. The judges all play their roles well, and Daniel Bryan accidentally calling Battleground “battlefield” was a great moment. Tough Enough being reality TV means that the show highlights some more than others and is edited to tell a certain story. Tough Talk helps tell more of that story along with other versions of the story. It’s a very good show and an extremely entertaining thirty minutes.
Watch it.
For those unaware, “Unfiltered” with Renee Young is a short-form series on the WWE Network. Short form means that it’s sub 15 minutes, and usually the short form content is under 10. This appeals to mobile users, more casual fans, etc. Plus, it helps fill gaps in the schedule nicely. The show is Renee Young channeling her best Jerry Seinfeld by imitating “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and it has a charm to it. The issue with the show? About half of the interviews aren’t in charming restaurants or having a drink, but instead on set with actors or actresses hyping up an upcoming movie. Some people still have interest in this, but the majority opinion seems to be that the celebrity episodes lose the appeal that the regular episodes have.
This episode unfortunately is one of those, as Renee is in California interviewing the cast of Marvel’s upcoming movie “Ant-Man”. The guests include Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, and T.I. and if you have interest in the film, then it’s worth a watch, otherwise there really isn’t much to see here. I enjoyed it fine for what it was, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.
Skip it (unless you’re looking forward to Ant-Man, like myself.)
Beyond The Ring is a series on the WWE Network that is essentially just prior DVD releases made available digitally. The series generally cuts down a DVD to 2-3 hours or when possible features only the documentary. With an impressive sixty-three different videos, it’s a solid collection although there are plenty of big ones still yet to be added. This addition was probably one that people have been asking for and at around three hours in length, they didn’t skimp on it.
Originally released back in June of 2005, “The Greatest Superstars of the 80’s” is just over a decade old. Mean Gene Okerlund introduces each legendary superstar focused on including the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Bob Orton Jr, Roddy Piper, and multiple others while Michael Cole narrates each video package. It comes with exclusive interviews and numerous wrestlers including Hogan himself, Paul Orndorff, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, John Cena, and plenty of others discuss the biggest stars and their biggest moments in the 1980’s.
Watch it.
This week’s edition of NXT is an important one as it features what is very likely the final match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks on NXT television. Beyond that NXT Women’s Championship match, we also see the NXT Tag Team Champions in non-title competition and the in-ring debut of Chad Gable. Lastly, we’re treated to an update on Sami Zayn.
The truth is, as popular as NXT is, the weekly show isn’t necessarily as good as hyped. They’re not bad by any stretch. They’re just well booked basic TV shows to build up to the big events. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it leaves a lot of shows fairly uninteresting outside of a match or two. This show definitely fits the bill as the first three matches were showcases for talent. The Sami Zayn interview was good and he’s always a highlight, but nothing important came out of it. Perhaps the most important parts of the show aside from the main event was the announcement that Eva Marie debuts in NXT next week and the Baron Corbin video package that helped build his character.
That’s right, the most interesting or newsworthy parts of the show prior to the main included Eva Marie and Baron Corbin. I told you it was mostly uninteresting. Thankfully, however, we had the main event. Sasha Banks is one of the best in the company, not just of the divas or females, and she delivered in spades. Of course, Charlotte is no slouch herself and the match was another really good one on their increasingly growing lists of really good matches. With the impact they made on RAW this week, this showcase was timed perfectly and if you’ve only seen them on RAW, you should definitely check this one out now, or go watch their past Takeover matches.
— Jason Jordan and Chad Gable vs. Steve Cutler and Elias Sampson
— Samoa Joe vs. Axle Tischer
— Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy (with Alexa Bliss) vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins
— NXT Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte
Watch it.
Those are your latest additions, as per our new WWE Network Updates page.
Also added up to the Network was RAW from June 15th of this year and the biggest highlight of the night had to be Kevin Owen’s second appearance on the show when he attacked MGK.
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One of the things to keep in my with the weekly NXT show is when it was filmed. Since they film four episodes at a time by the third or fourth show you can tell how tired the audience gets. Last night’s was the fourth episode in a taping. The crowd did come alive for the main event which was great.
The pattern I’ve noticed is that the first two episodes that get filmed are usually better than the last two that air.
*in my mind* not in my I need an edit function on here
That’s a great point. For example, Joe had a lukewarm reaction on this show (at best) but according to the taping results I’ve read, he was hot again at the latest show.
Viewer fatigue is definitely a factor.
Watch NXT this week for sure. Maybe watch it twice! Sasha Banks vs Charlotte is another classic. It’s 10x better than any WWE Divas match in years. I can’t wait to see those woman wrestle on the main roster. They are changing wrestling forever