WWE Greatest Royal Rumble: Titus Steals the Show

Jeezus that show was long.  WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble, in the new tradition of WrestleMania, ran an exhausting five hours, with a near 80-minute Rumble main event.  Had the show been a blowaway hit, the excessive running time (bloated with what were essentially propaganda segments designed to make everyone feel good about how far the Saudi kingdom has come, ya know, since women are allowed to drive now) could be overlooked.  But sadly most of the matches came off like house show bouts, with everyone sorta going through the motions.  There were a few standouts but nothing in the **** realm. 

The show opened, oddly, with John Cena vs. Triple H in a textbook house show match.  This moved very slowly in the first half and built to a couple false finishes, ultimately coming across like two aging wrestlers really taking it easy.  As an opening match designed to get the somewhat casual audience excited this was fine.  I wouldn't watch it again though.  Cena won after multiple AAs for the expected feelgood ending.

Somehow after 10+ years of doing the STF,
Cena still hasn't learned how to make it look painful.....

One of the minor standouts was the Cruiserweight Title match, as Cedric Alexander and Kalisto had an energetic little battle with some innovative spots.  Again, the talent in the division is quite good, they just need a true star to carry the ball.  Cedric is exceedingly capable between the ropes but I don't see him as a division centerpiece.  But this match was fun and served as the one real hit of the first five bouts.

The next three matches were house show-quality at best.  Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy defeated The Bar in a match that wasn't at all fitting of a tournament final.  It felt like Wyatt was the only guy who really got to do anything here.  How a Cesaro and Sheamus match can be totally forgettable is beyond me.  So Wyatt & Hardy will presumably hold the belts for a while until the inevitable break up.  Eh...

The worst match of the night, not surprisingly, was Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder.  If anyone needs further evidence of Jinder's suckitude, watch the spot where Jeff goes for a Whisper in the Wind, misses by a mile, and Jinder sells it anyway.  That Vince McMahon thought this guy was WWE Title-worthy still hurts my brain.  Reinstate this guy as Jobber to the Stars, dude.

And the other Tag Title match was predictably short, as Harper & Rowan beat the shit out of the Usos in roughly five minutes.  This was fine for what it was meant to be.  I assume The New Day are next to feud with the Bludgeons.

Parents' Night In #6: American Psycho (2000)

Join Kelly and Justin for some Christian Bale ogling, and booze.....

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NJPW Wrestling Hirokuni & Dontaku 2018 Preview & Predictions

Welcome to an unusual installment of NJPW Predictions here at Enuffa.com!

Well New Japan is in full-on saturation mode right now, with Wrestling Dontaku more or less being expanded to three full shows, plus a slew of Road To shows before and in between.  We're not going to try to predict every match on this tour, but we'll give you the highlights and pick the important matches.  So here we go....



Wrestling Hinokuni

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Evil & Sanada vs. Killer Elite Squad

These two teams had a goddamn helluva contest at WK12, with the LIJ fellas playing the babyfaces in peril role to perfection and KES playing absolute monsters.  I daresay this was my favorite HW Tag Title match in WrestleKingdom history.  This match should be excellent too.  I had hopes that Evil & Sanada would be the new division centerpiece but I feel like that hasn't happened exactly.  Seems like the company is reluctant to lose them as singles stars.  With that in mind I could see KES regaining the straps here.

Justin: KES
Landon: Evil and SANADA

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Minoru Suzuki vs. Tetsuya Naito

It's LIJ vs. SG again, as the sadistic bastard takes on everyone's favorite anti-hero.  Suzuki just won the belt in February and I'm honestly not sure if Naito is penciled in to challenge Okada again, so a title change here would seem strange to me.  But it could happen I suppose.  I'll still with the champ though.  Should be a fine main event.

Justin: Suzuki retains
Landon: Suzuki retains

WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another round of WWE Predictions here at Enuffa.com!  

Coming off the heels of what I consider one of the best WrestleManias of the past 10 or so years, WWE is venturing to Saudi Arabia for a special Network Event that is nearly as stacked as 'Mania, capped off with the biggest Royal Rumble in history.  It's felt to me like Triple H has had a much bigger hand in the booking in 2018, and while 'Mania included some major head-scratchers that clearly bore Vince's fingerprints, the company seems to be on a creative upswing.  Last week's roster shakeup created some pretty exciting prospective matchups for the spring and summer, and this show feels like the second half of a season finale before we get to the new stuff.

So let's get to the predictions.  None of us did well on our 'Mania picks, thanks to the aforementioned baffling wins and losses.  Dave is in the lead with 57% (8/14), while the rest of us have a measly 43% (6/14).  Yeesh....

Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander vs. Kalisto

Cedric is coming off his 'Mania pre-show win, and his first major defense is against the diminutive lucha.  As usual I give less than a shit about this division, but the match should be fun.  Have it go on first and get the crowd going.

Justin: Cedric retains since he just won the thing.
Dan: Ok
Landon: Cedric.  I need to start watching 205 Live again.  Apparently it's gotten awesome.
Dave: Sure, Cedric

Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos

Another new set of champs, The BB steamrolled The Usos and New Day three weeks ago and I expect them to do the same here.  This'll be another short contest I think, as Harper & Rowan continue their reign of terror.

Justin: BB
Dan: Yes
Landon: Bludgeon Brothers
Dave: BB

Music Review: A Perfect Circle - Eat the Elephant (2018)

It's strange that A Perfect Circle's previous album, a 2004 collection of cover songs (plus two originals) was called Emotive.  That title would be much more appropriate for their latest release, Eat the Elephant.  I've been a Maynard James Keenan fan for many years now but I can't recall any other recording in which he so plainly wears his heart on his sleeve.  This is a sparse, contemplative album where Keenan's vocals do the vast majority of the sorrowful heavy lifting.

The band seemingly strove to put the listener off-balance from the start, as the opening title track is a deeply expressive, touching piece about being overwhelmed by beginning a daunting task, wrestling with the idea that you just might not have it in you (such as recording a new Perfect Circle album after 14 years away, perhaps?).  This barebones tune instantly caught my ear by being so different from anything else APC has ever recorded (my first thought was "This reminds me of Bowie's "Blackstar"), and by the second listen it became my new choke-up song by dealing with an urgently relatable theme - "Where to begin eludes me/Without you to remind me."

From there the album covers multiple sociopolitical issues, starting with our obsession with electronics and instant gratification in "Disillusioned," a song that points out the irony of a society addicted to cellphones and social media as a way to stay connected, inadvertently resulting in our isolation behind anonymous screens.  "Time to put the silicon obsession down" indeed.

Disney's Star Wars is Light on Lightsabers (and Why That's Okay)

It's no secret that there is quite a vocal contingent of Star Wars fans taking a massive dump on everything Lucasfilm has done with the franchise since coming under the Disney umbrella.  We've seen and heard complaints ranging from "Not My Luke" to "SJW" to "Mary Sue" to "Man-hating" and everything in between.  It's become so virulent, actual valid criticisms of the films have been all but drowned out.  The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are not perfect films.  The former borrowed just a bit too much from A New Hope, while the latter attempted to tackle a few too many things at once and felt disorganized.  That said I enjoy both of them quite a lot and rank them 3rd and 4th in the series, respectively.  Rogue One was an interestingly different take on the Star Wars mythos, focusing on the war aspect and boasting some of the best space battles in the entire series, but for me failed to introduce any characters I really cared about and routinely strayed too far into Fan Service territory.

But I'm not here to debate the merits or flaws of these movies, I'm here today to talk about one of the funniest and most simpleminded complaints I've seen about Disney's Star Wars efforts thus far: "There's not enough lightsaber duels!"  Yes, I actually saw someone post this as a reason not to like the Disney Star Wars films.  Of the soon-to-be four films so far, only one has featured a traditional lightsaber duel.  Sweet mother of Jeebus, what has this fanbase come to?

This gripe is pure hilarity, something a third-grader would complain about.  Is the quality/quantity of lightsaber duels directly proportional to the quality of the overall film?  Let's look back at the original two movies, most unanimously considered the two best.  A New Hope features one awkwardly staged duel between an old man and a bodybuilder in a cumbersome mask.  The choreography is stilted, simplistic, and impeded by the fragility of the "blades" being used.  For the 1977 debut film the sabers were made of a reflective but delicate material that would break easily when Alec Guinness and David Prowse bashed them together.  So the first-ever Star Wars lightsaber fight was extremely limited and is generally considered the worst of all of them.  Yet A New Hope is one of the most beloved films of all time.  Is anyone really judging this movie based on the lightsaber duel?  Don't answer that, someone probably is...

This is about as athletic as this fight gets....

The filmmakers learned from this sequence, and going forward used a much more durable material for the blades, adding the glowing laser effect completely in post-production.  Thus every subsequent duel was much more lively and energetic, and the actors were able to really whack the swords together and give the scene a sense of urgency.

Top Ten Things: Kazuchika Okada Matches

Welcome to an epic installment of Top Ten Things, here at Enuffa.com!  Why is this one epic, you ask?  Well because today I'm counting down the ten* greatest matches of the man pretty unanimously considered (by those familiar with his work) the best damn wrestler on the planet at this moment, the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada!

For those of you not acquainted with Okada, he is New Japan Pro Wrestling's "Ace."  Their top dog.  Their biggest box office attraction during one of the company's most lucrative periods since its formation in 1972.  At only 30 years old, Okada has already mastered literally every facet of the game (and sweet Jeezus, he may not have even peaked yet!), having been selected in 2012 as the heir apparent to Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW's previous top guy, who led their 2007-2015 resurgence).  Tanahashi is as responsible as anyone for helping Okada get where he is today, but even aside from their years-long feud, Okada has proven virtually incapable of having a bad match, more often than not turning in absolutely stellar performances both in terms of action and storytelling.  Kazuchika Okada is the complete package: great look, super charismatic, eminently athletic (I submit as Exhibit A his balletic dropkick), boasts compelling and diverse moveset, and wields one of the best-protected finishers in the business, the Rainmaker clothesline.  Some consider the Rainmaker too simple a finisher, but it's all in the way it's presented.  Nearly all of Okada's moves target the opponent's neck, weakening it throughout the match to soften it up for the killing stroke of the spine-bending short-arm lariat.  Sometimes it takes multiple Rainmakers to put an opponent away, but unless your name is Tanahashi, Naito or Omega, you're not kicking out after that move, ever.  Okada is the longest-reigning IWGP Champion of all-time (both in a single reign and cumulatively) and is well on his way to reaching a full two years in this, his fourth overall title run.  If you're a NJPW fan, consider yourself lucky to be alive in this moment, as we're witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime star.

But which Okada matches stand out from the rest?  Well I've managed to narrow it down to ten, with a couple asterisks.  I cheated a bit with the top two entries, as they each deal with a series of matches which would be both impossible to rank individually AND eat up the entire list.  So with that said, read on.....

10. Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin - G1 Climax 27 Day 4

One of the earliest great matches of the 2017 tournament, Okada vs. Elgin showcased both men at their best, each pummeling the other with their full movesets.  The contest became about Elgin's mindnumbing power against Okada's well-rounded offense and unparalleled grit.  After 25+ minutes, during which Elgin countered a Rainmaker into a gasp-inducing powerbomb, Okada finally nailed a Tombstone and multiple Rainmakers to take his second win of the tourney.  This was a main event in every sense of the word.

9. Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - G1 Climax 24 Final

The 2014 G1 Climax all came down to the co-leaders of the CHAOS stable, who waged an intense, action-packed 23-minute war for the right to main event WrestleKingdom 9.  Okada had recently dropped the IWGP Title to New Japan's newest star AJ Styles, and the story of this G1 was Okada's journey, clawing his way back into title contention.  In the closing moments Okada defiantly leveled his stablemate with repeated Rainmaker clotheslines, putting an exclamation point on his tournament win, and completing a masterful bit of storytelling.  They'd nearly equal this match a year later on the penultimate night of G1 25, but for me this bout is their definitive one.

8. Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji - King of Pro-Wrestling 2016

Perhaps one of the unexpected classic bouts of 2016 was this KOPW main event pitting the NJPW Ace vs. the NOAH Ace.  A rematch from their excellent G1 battle, this match exceeded that in my opinion, almost never letting up during its 28-minute runtime.  Marufuji was beyond aggressive, going after the IWGP Champion with no remorse, at one point hitting an absolutely sick-looking apron piledriver.  Some finisher stealing and several gripping near-falls later, Okada pulled through to retain after multiple Rainmakers, echoing his WrestleKingdom 10 match with Tanahashi.  This was the match that made me fully stand up and take notice of just how good Okada was becoming, foreshadowing the milestone year he was about to have in 2017.

WWE WrestleMania 34: Best One in Over a Decade?

That there was a straaaaaange WrestleMania.  At times excellent, at times frustrating, this was a show full of contradictions.  The long and short of it is, WrestleMania 34 had a slew of good to very good matches, a refreshingly renewed focus on today's current full-timers, a variety of bouts that appealed to the different fan segments, and a few issues that prevented it from being an all-time great WrestleMania.

But man, it was really shaping up to be one of the best ever for a while.  The PPV Proper kicked off with a pretty stellar Triple Threat for the Intercontinental Title, with Finn Balor and Seth Rollins challenging The Miz.  These three worked a blistering pace, with high spots and reversals abound, and had the crowd on the edge of their seats the whole time.  Balor appeared to have the match won after a Coup de Grace on The Miz, when Rollins came out of nowhere with a Curb Stomp, knocking Balor into Miz's back, and following up with a second Curb Stomp on Miz himself for the win.  Just an excellent 15-minute-plus opener that got the crowd (who for the first half of the show was one of the better 'Mania audiences in recent memory) super-energized.

Second was the highly anticipated Smackdown Women's Title match pitting Charlotte against the Women's Rumble winner Asuka.  This was a fantastically worked match; both women looked stupendous and tough as nails.  Asuka at one point suplexed Charlotte off the apron to the floor, after which Charlotte repeated "I can't breathe" several times, and I'm not sure that wasn't legit.  Charlotte later hit a scary-looking Spanish Fly off the top rope, adding to her big move repertoire.  Asuka worked in some MMA-style submissions, countering a Charlotte moonsault into a triangle choke and later tying her up in a vicious-looking Zack Sabre-esque multi-limb hold.  Near the finish, Charlotte leveled Asuka with a spear (which looked better than any Roman's ever done), and after failing to get the three-count began crying in frustration.  She then slapped on the Figure-Eight, which Asuka fought for several moments before tapping out and taking her first-ever loss in WWE.  My initial reaction to this was "Dude. Bullshit."  Defeating Asuka before she was even made a main-roster champion seems a wee-bit counterproductive, as it may reduce her to "just one of the girls," and ruins the whole Streak vs. Streak match they could've booked against Ronda.  But evidently the plan for next year may be Charlotte vs. Ronda, which would have much more mainstream appeal.  If that's the plan, and they're considering main eventing WrestleMania 35 with it, then I'm okay with this.  If not, then I revert to my initial reaction.  Regardless, I daresay this was the best-ever women's match at a WrestleMania (It's between this and the triple threat from two years ago).

Next up was the US Title 4-way, with Randy Orton defending against Bobby Roode, Jinder Mahal, and Rusev, who was BY FAR the most over guy in the match.  This was a nine-minute sprint, with more or less nonstop action from the get-go.  Every guy got ample time to showcase his stuff, and the finish came down to Rusev about to tap out Jinder with the Accolade before Jinder's sidekick jumped on the apron and ate a Rusev kick, allowing Jinder to hit the Khallas for the win.  I guess we still have to justify Jinder's ill-advised 2017 push?  Whatever.  Maybe Rusev chases the US Title for a little while.  Just push the guy already, the fans LOVE him.

The History of NXT Takeover: New Orleans

NXT has outdone themselves this time.  TakeOver: New Orleans might possibly be the best show the upstart developmental brand has ever put on, a three-hour extravaganza with five incredible matches, not one of which could be realistically rated below ***1/2.  With four title bouts and one deeply personal grudge match as the headliner, this show was everything you could want out of a TakeOver special.

The festivities exploded right out of the gate with a violent but safe six-way ladder match for the new NXT North American Title.  Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, and the debuting EC3 and Ricochet put on one of the best multi-man schmozz bouts in recent memory, with multiple threads coming together to introduce this new championship in style.  Dain and Sullivan gave us a battle of the bulls multiple times throughout the match, Richochet showcased his unparalleled acrobatics, Velveteen Dream demonstrated that he's much tougher than his flamboyant character would indicate, EC3 took some crazy bumps (though he seemed absent for much of the bout), and Adam Cole played the opportunist to the hilt, swooping in at the last second to retrieve the title and become the inaugural North American Champ at the 31-minute mark.  This was a wild, brutal affair and set the tone for a rugged night of wrestling.

Next up was a Women's Title rematch, as Ember Moon faced Shayna Baszler once again.  Where their MMA-inspired first match felt unique but perhaps a little clunky, this bout blended the MMA and pro wrestling styles beautifully while still feeling like an animosity-laden fight.  Ember had done her homework, countering nearly every Baszler attack and going after her arm to try to render Baszler's submission repertoire useless; at one point Baszler slammed her dislocated shoulder into the ring post to pop it back into place.  This was an intense back-and-forth that included Ember hitting the Eclipse from the apron to the floor before Baszler eventually countered a second Eclipse in the ring, locking in her rear naked choke for an eventual pass-out title win.  This was one of the best NXT Women's matches in some time and the intimidating Baszler should make a very credible champion.

Parents' Night In #5: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Kelly and I spend our Easter Eve enjoying an old Easter Eve tradition, with booze!

Movie Review: A Quiet Place (2018)

by Mike Drinan
@mdrinan380

A Quiet Place is directed by John Krasinski and stars himself alongside his real life wife Emily Blunt. The film is about a family’s survival in a world that has been taken hostage by monsters that have an acute sensitivity to sound. Once they hear a sound they attack with lightning speed and are ferocious. Ladies and gents, this film is intense and so good. There are so many great things, it’s difficult to know where to begin. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here.

Let’s start with the characters. I’m not a big fan of the horror genre, which this film is classified as, mainly because I can’t stand the stupidity of the characters. You find yourself annoyed because they enter a room without turning on a light, or they hear crazy sounds or noises and they continue to walk toward them. Like, hey asshole, your friends are all missing and there’s weird shit happening, so why don’t you fucking leave! A Quiet Place separates itself because the characters are actually intelligent and very careful. Lee Abbott (Krasinski) has done his research on these monsters; their characteristics, strengths, habits. Along with his pregnant wife Evelyn (Blunt), they’ve transformed their house and living situation in order to protect themselves and their two kids. They speak in sign language, mainly because their oldest daughter, Regan, is deaf. They set up a lighting system that will tell you if there’s danger at the house or if it’s safe. They replaced board game pieces with pieces of cloth. They painted the wooden floor of their house where there are no creaks so you know where it’s safe to step. They even set up a soundproof room for when Evelyn gives birth and a soundproof wooden box with an oxygen mask if the baby is crying. Genius! These are the kind of characters you can root for and hope they survive. They’re not morons.

The story line is really well done and relatable. I won’t go into it because it will give some stuff away but Krasinski (who is also a co-writer on this film) really gives this family a good backstory that makes the audience understand some of the actions and feelings of the characters. Really adds a layer to the plot that isn’t too complex but heartfelt and damn near emotional.

THE POWER OF THE PIN: VILE VIBRATIONS

Why Shinsuke Nakamura’s shocking heel turn at WrestleMania 34 should lead to a high-voltage feud with AJ Styles, and will put a new charge into his WWE career

By Ryan K. Boman of TheGorillaPosition.com

With all the shock waves that were sent through the WWE Universe on Sunday Night, the epic heel turn of Shinsuke Nakamura should not to be lost in the current. It may very well be the spark of something big.

Nakamura, after coming up short against longtime friend and rival AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, turned on The Phenomenal One and made a stunning character move at WrestleMania... one that will likely send a charge through his career.

Upon entering WWE in 2016, The Artist had already been an established superstar in Japan, holding the IWGP Championship on three occasions and wrestling classic matches against the likes of Styles, Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi. His signing received much fanfare at the time, and had some fans believing that the 'E' had finally acknowledged - if not fully embraced - the concept of Strong Style.

Initial reactions were great, as Nakamura cultivated two successful championship reigns in NXT and quickly graduated to the main roster. Along with him, he brought one of the greatest custom theme songs ever. His quirky, mysterious and irreverent behavior made him like a charming guest in the WWE ring. Fans happily cheered along, as this aloof and eccentric Asian superstar danced with them to all the good vibrations they could handle.

Then, somewhere along the way, the power went out.

The flash and dash started to inexplicably fade, all while Nakamura continued to rack up victories and receive favorable booking. Things were fizzling, and it seemed like the audience was ready to get off the 'Shinsuke bandwagon'.

Even his supposedly, star-making Royal Rumble win didn't give him much of a buzz. At least, not the kind that's normally worthy of a high-profile match under the mega-watt lights of WrestleMania.

Now suddenly, Nakamura leaves New Orleans with more attention than ever. His newfound attitude and fresh storyline will be wrapped around the WWE title on Smackdown Live over the course of the summer.

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another round of NXT Predictions, here at Enuffa.com!

Well WrestleMania weekend is upon us, and that means the yellow brand will be attempting to outdo their main roster counterparts once again.  Believe it or not, they actually have their work cut out for them this time, as WrestleMania is a stacked a show as they've put on in years.  But fortunately NXT has a loaded card in their own right this Saturday.  So let's take a look....

Dusty Classic Finals/NXT Tag Team Championship Triple Threat: Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly vs. Authors of Pain vs. Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne

Right off the bat we have a barnburner of a match.  The Dusty finals came down to AOP vs. Strong & Dunne, but William Regal added O'Reilly & Cole to the fray after they interfered in the scheduled final match.  So for some reason the tag champs got to circumvent the entire tourney to get to the finals?  Odd, but this match should be a lot of fun.  AOP has to be on the verge of a call-up so I don't see them winning.  Strong & Dunne could take this but I think the Undisputed Era will retain and take the trophy.  Cole is pulling double duty on this show so he has to win at least one of the two matches.

Justin: Cole & Kyle
Landon: O'Reilly & Cole

North American Championship Ladder Match: Adam Cole vs. EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet vs. Killian Dain vs. Lars Sullivan

It's a brand new belt for NXT, and the winner of this schmozz gets to take it home.  EC3 and Ricochet are newcomers (or returners in the case of EC3) making their debut in this match.  Can't wait to see how Ricochet fits in here.  The man is superhuman.  Anyway, I don't see Dain, Sullivan or Dream becoming the inaugural champ, Ricochet is brand new to WWE, and Cole is in two matches (not sure which goes on first).  I'm gonna go with EC3, who's already been in WWE before and has a huge cache from his TNA stint.

Justin: EC3
Landon: Ricochet

WWE WrestleMania 34 Preview & Predictions

Oh man.  Oh mama.  Oh doctor.  That's right, it's WRESTLEMANIA!  

We are just days away from the 34th annual Showcase of the Immortals, and man does this lineup smack the ever-lovin' goose shit out of the previous fifteen-or-so editions.  THIS is what a WrestleMania match lineup should look like folks.  Lots of variety, major bouts involving the current crop of stars, maybe a nostalgia act or two in special attraction matches, and some potential MOTY candidates.   It's about time they got one right.  Course they could fuck the whole thing up anyway, but for the first time in literally years they have a really stacked lineup to work with.  This 'Mania season has felt to me like Triple H and Steph had a much bigger hand in booking it than Vince did.  The last three PPVs have gone according to logic, and the focus has been overwhelmingly on the full-timers while Hunter, Steph and Shane are in matches designed to get newer people over.  I haven't been this jazzed about a WrestleMania show in a long time.  A long time.

So let's get to the picks.  It's a whole new season and we're all starting with a clean slate.  But first the 2017 results:

1. Justin - 90/120 (75%)
2. Landon - 79/108 (73%)
3. Dave - 62/86 (72%)
4. Dan - 75/120 (62.5%)

Pre-Show Cruiserweight Championship Finals: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

I haven't been following 205 Live so I have no idea what's been going on with this division.  The CW division needs a breakout star to build around.  Neville was that star for a while but got so fed up with the tiny box he was put in that he up and walked out.  He is supposedly in talks to return, so maybe they'll do something more with him.  Problem is the CW division is such a tiny niche in WWE programming that any potential breakout stars are, to a certain extent, wasted in that division.  They either need to figure out a balance or scrap this experiment.  I'm sure the match will be solid but they'll probably put it on so early the stadium will be half empty.  Gotta feel sorry for these guys.

Justin: No idea - let's go with Cedric.
Dan: I mean... I've never heard of either of these dudes. Ali
Landon: Alexander
Dave: Cedric.  Who cares?

Pre-Show Andre the Giant Battle Royal

Sooooo glad this isn't going on the main show.  The only Andre Battle Royal I've truly enjoyed so far is the first one, which turned out to be an unexpected hit.  Since then it's been a pointless sideshow attraction designed to cram all the unused names on the PPV.  And none of the four winners really got much of a push afterwards.  Baron Corbin is the only one who can truly claim it helped his main roster career, and even that is debatable.  Only 14 names have been announced so far, and none of them seem like sure winners.  Of those 14 I'd probably pick Corbin to repeat.  At least that would be something on his resume: Two-time Andre Battle Royal winner.

Justin: Either Corbin or Mr. Surprise Entrant #6 (Maybe Dolph?)
Dan: Is Elias in this?  If so, him.
Landon: Karl Anderson
Dave: No idea, Dolph....

Pre-Show Women's Battle Royal

The women's division equivalent of the ABR.  But at least this one is historic for being the inaugural one.  It sucks they couldn't find time on the main show for a Sasha-Bayley match, as that would've been another potential show stealer.  But the focus of this match is clearly going to be on that feud.  This only has 13 names announced so far, and Sasha, Bayley and Becky have to be the favorites.

Justin: I could see Sasha and Bayley canceling each other out and paving the way for Becky to take it down.
Dan: Ruby Riott
Landon: Becky Lynch
Dave: Sasha

Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Usos vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers

This should be a fine car wreck of a match.  The BB have been pushed as the latest coming of the Road Warriors and I'm happy about that.  Harper especially is way too good to have been wasted for so long.  This is only going one way.  Harper and Rowan kill everything they see and become the dominant heel Tag Champs.

Justin: Bludgeon Brothers
Dan: BB
Landon: Bludgeon Brothers
Dave: Gotta be the Bludgeon Brothers

TV Review: Jesus Christ Superstar Live

NBC's special live broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar was a welcome change of pace from the recent slate of live Broadway network specials.  Instead of a full on-stage production with traditional sets designed to simulate the Broadway experience, JCS was a more of a stripped-down concert with minimalist, utilitarian sets and contemporary costumes, complete with each cast member being miked, but still interacting as they would in a stage play.  The backing band was also visible the whole time, often taking center stage during instrumental passages.

Musically the show was top-notch and a very worthy rendition of the classic rock opera.  The band was tight, and faithful to the original but still found room to add their own touches here and there, particularly during various guitar solos.  The strong foundation was there for the actors to build their performances.

But this show would stand or fall based on casting, and fortunately this cast was first-rate, from John Legend's soulful, strangely non-rock n' roll turn as Jesus (Legend's silky vocal style worked unexpectedly well in this context despite the band's stylistic adherence to the classic rock original) to Sara Bareilles's understated, melancholy performance as Mary Magdalene, to theater veteran Norm Lewis as the imposing, authoritative Caiaphas (Lewis has commanding stage presence and brings just the right sense of menace to the show's de facto villain), to Ben Daniels' effortlessly charismatic Pontius Pilate, to Alice Cooper's flashy, memorable cameo as King Herod, channeling his Billion Dollar Babies-era swagger. 

Probably the most important role in Jesus Christ Superstar though is Judas.  Judas is the glue that holds the story together, the catalyst for the events that play out, and in an odd way the character most relatable to the fallible, fragile audience.  If the actor playing Judas isn't up to the task, the whole show falls apart.  Brandon Victor Dixon was more than up to the task, delivering a muscular performance that prodigiously brought to life this conflicted, crucial role.  While his opening number felt perhaps a bit uncertain, Dixon settled into the character almost immediately after that, stealing the show in the second act, as Judas should.  Dixon has fittingly also played Aaron Burr in Hamilton, a role that for me echoes Judas and his relationship with the lead character.  Dixon admirably filled the enormous shoes of the great Carl Anderson, for me the absolute definitive Judas.

From top to bottom JCS Live was a visually and musically engaging spectacle; a mix of classic rock mixed with current pop and theater sensibilities, boasting a tremendously effective ensemble cast with two pretty stellar lead performances.  The commercial breaks were a tad distracting; frequent interruptions of a live performance just feels wrong.  But aside from that complaint this two-plus-hour show flew by and did Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece true justice.  Easy thumbs up from me.


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Parents' Night In #4: Ghostbusters (1984)

Watch and listen as Kelly and I drink some beers and talk the original Ghostbusters!

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