eiy-lei

[eiy-lei]

Royal Rumble 2024:A Review (2/2)

Before you start reading, I'd recommend you check out part 1 of this review here:-

Now, onto the next match of the night.

Roman Reigns Vs LA Knight Vs AJ Styles Vs Randy Orton

This match was, to put it bluntly, extremely average unfortunately; it wasn't a bad match but considering the star power and stipulation I feel as though most people (myself included) expected more out of this match, it ended up being the weakest match on an already small card and didn't do much favors for anyone coming out of it.

However, there were some fun spots scattered throughout it, for example, this RKO shown above was absolutely amazing and for a split second, I really felt as though there was a chance for Orton to win it, alas that hope was quickly put to rest as for SOME reason, there was still a bloodline interference, defeating the purpose of the other participants in the fatal four way.

If you wanted to pull off a near fall, the producer of this match could've just made use of the stars already in it rather than recycle the same, uninteresting trope that recent Roman matches are notorious for.

On the topic of the match type, as nice as it was to see Styles and Knight in this position, they didn't do the match much favors in regards to improving the in-ring quality, Knight especially.

At the very least, AJ was involved in some note worthy spots such as a finisher fest leading to this stacked pinfall, other than though they didn't play much of a factor and I, at no point, was convinced that either of them could walk out the building as champion.

I'm not saying they're bad competitors, quite the contrary, it's just that they were both an ill-fit for this match, and it would've been better off just being Orton VS Reigns, and with how abruptly and anti-climactically the match ended, it further proves my point.

Overall, not a bad match, just an uninspiring one.

3/5 ***

Logan Paul Vs Kevin Owens

This match was my sign to stop underestimating Logan Paul because man he showed up and showed out; I should've stopped doubting his abilities a long time ago but for some reason I felt worried coming into this match, however those worries were soon washed away a few minutes into the match.

Of course, a lot of the credit goes towards Kevin Owens, who is one of the best performers of this generation and is usually able to bring a good match out of anybody but this match really broke all my expectations.

A fast paced, hard-hitting affair, the chemistry that these two have is incredible, whether it'd be in a stand-up brawl or high-flying action, Logan and Kevin were able to keep up with each other no matter where the match went, once they kicked it up a notch they never slowed down.

One more thing that also really impressed me was Logan's selling ability, for someone with less than 10 matches of experience (at the time of this match) he sold Kevin's offence like a seasoned veteran: natural, dynamic and in-character, with each facial expression adding to the pain that he felt, he did a marvelous job in playing a snarky, cowardly heel.

Of course I'd have to expect that by now, but it's always impressive no matter how many times I see it.

Lastly, the finish to this match was absolutely genius, it managed to both: solidify Logan as a lucky, conniving heel and protect Kevin Owens' integrity as a competitor in a way I haven't seen done in ages.

Overall, I was blown away and thoroughly enjoyed this match from start to finish.

4/5 ****

Men's Royal Rumble

I feel like this rumble did a lot of things right, was it better than the women's rumble? Not by a long shot but it was still a great viewing experience, that for a casual viewer, was sufficient enough, however for those within the IWC loop, this rumble was hurt by the burden of great expectations for surprise entrants.

As last year's rumble showed, surprise entrants aren't what make a rumble, the quality of the match does, with last year's match being very well done from beginning end, the same can be said of this match, very solid, however unlike last year, never reached that 2nd gear, Punk Vs Rhodes ending the match, to put it simply, just wasn't Rhodes Vs GUNTHER.

El Idolo makes a stunning return

The first thing this rumble did right was it's starting two entrants, with Jey entering at 1 and Jimmy entering 2nd, the first time the twins have faced off since Jey's move to raw all the way back at Payback.

An emotional reunion, the feels ran high right from the get-go, showing shades of what is to come at their eventual clash at mania.

Jimmy's performance in this match was a highlight throughout the rumble as he played the comedic heel very well; trying to form other alliances with other more ferocious heels, getting shut down violently each time.

Our first surprise entrant of the men's rumble came sooner than expected, with Andrade, fresh off of his AEW stint, making his return to the federation, decked out in his AEW presentation and name, which was surprising to me.

I love the fact that he gets to keep his original presentation, as seems to be common with most Triple H hirings, however admittedly I was looking forward to hearing his old theme again.

Andrade had a solid performance in this match, getting out all of his greatest hits like his rolling elbow, running seated Meteora and La Sombra, while also setting up future feuds against the likes of Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio until his eventual elimination.

Although not as impactful as an appearance as Jordynne Grace or Jade Cargill, he was still a solid component of this rumble, making his return a successful one.

The Truth is reborn

A great part of this rumble is that similarly to last years, it provided a lot of shine onto the current, stacked roster of the federation; Cody Rhodes, Shinsuke Nakamura, Gunther, Dominik Mysterio, Ivar and a plethora of other stars all entered into this star studded affair, but one of the few names that really made a mark on this rumble was R-Truth.

The fact that R-Truth is essentially in his second prime right now is absolutely insane, with his popularity soaring to heights that haven't been seen since his heel run with the Miz as a part of Awesome Truth over a decade ago.

I'm glad that he's finally getting his flowers as a performer though as, at 52 years old with over 2 decades of experience, it's about time that he'd be treated with the same benevolence as other stars with the same tenure, with his comedic ability being second to none in the current roster.

As highlighted in the video above, where he gets tagged in by Dominik and performs the first ever hot tag in a rumble, which admittedly, had me burst out with laughter.

BREAKKER SPEARS THE COMPETITION (!!!)

However no star shined brighter in this match than Bron Breakker, making his Main Roster PLE debut as a representative of NXT.

As rumours have it, this was supposed to be Brock Lesnar's spot, mowing down the competition and eliminating every moving target in sight as Brock usually would, but as a result of his recent allegations, this spot was filled in by Bron, and goodness gracious did he take the ball and run with it.

Bron looked like a star in this rumble, for consistent viewers of NXT in the past 2 years this was nothing new, but for the wider broader audience, they got their first taste of the unmatched intensity of Bron Breakker.

Agility, power and sheer athleticism all rolled into a ball of charismatic muscle, this match showed that Bron had everything needed to be a top star, sure he didn't make it to the final four of the rumble but the impact of his performance was felt, punching a spear sized hole into the minds of fans across the world.

This match showed that this was simply the beginning of a dominant rumble competitor, and surefire winner in the rumbles yet to come.

From tearing Ivar in half to dog-walking Omos, Bron Breakker IS THAT GUY, and I can't wait for everyone else to find out just how special that man is.

Pat MacAfee, unlike other silly entrants in past rumbles, didn't provide any sort of memorable moment or spot whatsoever, making his entry feel like a waste of a spot.

Not much more to say, short and un-needed, just like his rumble appearance, which is a shame because we all know how capable MacAfee is in the ring.

Sami Zayn at no. 30 wasn't a bad choice whatsoever, it's just that due to the abundance of rumors of various free agents across the industry, his appearance at 30 got a lot of backlash; similar to Rey's appearance in the 2014 rumble, not hated, just not what most fans wanted.

Although, his appearance didn't exactly affect the rumble that much which adds a bit more salt to the wound as if his appearance did impact the ending result of the rumble perhaps the IWC wouldn't have been as judgmental of this decision, however due to this lack of influence, it felt as though Sami was an afterthought in the grand scheme of things, contrary to Liv in the woman's rumble.

Lastly, we of course, we need to talk about the final 2 of Cody Rhodes and CM Punk.

At the time of viewing, I really did enjoy the final two and I'm sure that for most casual viewers it was a great viewing experience; a back and forth between 2 of the hottest stars in the industry, both of which had completely different paths back to the federation.

However, I must admit that, as emotionally charged as it was, it just wasn't as good in ring wise in comparison to Gunther Vs Cody, where Gunther Vs Cody felt like Rhodes overcoming an unbeatable final boss, Punk Vs Cody just felt like a bartender fending off a drunken old man at a pub.

Unfortunately, it was a very sloppy affair, and sure I suppose the struggle could play into how emotional the encounter was, the sluggishness adding to the realism, but that doesn't excuse it from being worse than last year, not bad, just not what it could've been.

Overall, this match was still a joy to watch from beginning to end, despite there being some rather stagnant stages, it always managed to pick up steam whenever it needed to most.

A great rumble, that's overshadowed by the women's rumble that took place only 2 hours before it.

4/5 ****

Thank you for reading everyone (!!!) I know this post took longer to come up than expected but since it's mania season I've been wanting to get these reviews up before Mania.

Have a lovely mania week everyone, see you all next time, good eve-after-morning (!!!)

[eiy-lei]

Royal Rumble 2024:A review (1/2)

Overview

The 2024 Royal Rumble has just wrapped up and I'd like to state that firstly, I believe that social media really affected people's perception on the event as a result of the rumours flying around during this rumble season.

They really gave people unrealistic expectations of what was to come in the rumble, preventing most of the IWC (internet wrestling community) from actually enjoying the event as a whole, which was unfortunate, and I'll further elaborate on this in my discussion about the respective rumble matches.

I did enjoy the enjoy the show quite a lot though, as it was my first time watching a rumble PLE/PPV live.

Women's Royal Rumble

This match was absolutely incredible and was the most fun I've ever had watching a women's royal rumble as, bias aside (since this was my first live rumble experience after all), the match was a good showcase of WWEs women's roster.

On that note a big complaint of this match was the fact that they used mainly mid-card/tag team talent in the rumble which, to counterpoint, is how you showcase your women's division, as in most of the previous women's rumbles, they were over reliant on old talent, with them taking a majority of the slots which, had people complain about WWE not showcasing their women's division, and now that they did that the IWC switched up.

This is unfortunate but goes to show how fickle wrestling fans are, which is unavoidable, however this shouldn't result in this great rumble getting a bad rep, as the surprises were genuinely great choices and all played a significant role in the rumble.

One thing I will agree with though is that a majority of the newer wrestling themes aren't that recognizable at a glance to most wrestling fans as either they aren't on TV enough or are just genuinely unmemorable (Tegan Nox, Indi Hartwell, Candince LeRae and a few others unfortunately) and as a result, to the average viewer (which is the majority of the Royal Rumble watchers each year) won't recognize these wrestlers by the initial note of the song.

However, this has always been an issue in every royal rumble since it's conception and I don't think it's advisable to ignore that every generation of royal rumbles have had unrecognizable participants to most viewers.

I don't like using the New Generation as an example as I usually consider it an anomaly, but in this case it's warranted as in the 1994, 1995 and 1996 rumbles, the majority of it's entrants were jobbers or house show regulars, and to provide further evidence, the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2022 men and women's rumbles all suffer from this same problem but to an even greater extent, and the fact that people trust dirt sheets to determine their expectations and enjoyment of a rumble really is something I find questionable.

Excuse me for the rant, however I felt as though those issues must be discussed before we proceed any further, now onto the actual content within the rumble.

A returning Naomi brings the glow from no. 2

Naomi's return was electric. I figured she'd be returning after she lost at TNA Hard To Kill, however I didn't expect her to return so early into the match, let alone at no. 2. I'm so glad she did though as we got to witness her full length entrance, which admittedly, really set the tone for the match and provided the crowd in attendance with a high energy start to the event.

Natalya was a weird choice for no. 1 but I take no issue with it as thanks to this, it gave the crowd an opportunity to really appreciate and welcome Naomi back to the company, so in retrospect I think it was a smart choice to have someone neutral to the crowd like Natalya to enter alongside Naomi.

Naomi didn't just return, but she put on a record breaking performance (only to be broken on the same night by the eventual winner Bayley) and was showcased very well throughout the match, with the biggest highlight being her elimination of Becky Lynch, which shows that Triple H has big plans for her, and I'm excited to see where she goes from here.

Jordynne Grace knocks out the forbidden door

I'm so glad I didn't read the dirt sheets as Jordynne Grace coming in was quite possibly the biggest surprise out of any possible entrant, more so than a returning AJ Lee or Mercedes Mone/Sasha Banks.

Unlike Mickie James who previously did this same feat, Jordynne Grace has no prior relation the WWE and furthermore, is signed full-time to TNA while Mickie James wasn't, making her entrance even more ground breaking as this wasn't a deal between the WWE and the individual superstar, but a deal between WWE and TNA.

The landscape of wrestling has changed quickly after Vince's resignation and I'm eagerly awaiting what this WWE x TNA relationship is going to bring to the table.

Now, about Jordynne Grace, she may have had no eliminations but man did she look phenomenal out there. They made her look really strong, as a champion from a rival promotion should, however they didn't have her overshadow the top women in the company, preventing the women of WWE from looking too weak, and instead, allowed Jordynne to go toe-to-toe with the top stars, most notably Bianca Belair, leading to an absolutely gnarly apron KOD elimination.

Overall, A+ performance from Jordynne Grace and I'm happy that they gave her a strong showing.

AURA

Jade Cargill's debut has been anticipated for months, as time went on the more concern grew about her star power waning once she actually arrived, with many questioning why she was M.I.A after the initial widespread promotion of her signing.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for those worries to be washed away as the moment Jade's music hit, she received a thunderous reaction from the crowd, the loudest of the night.

The moment Jade walked out onto the ramp, the whole complexion of the match changed; her poses, her music, her attire, they all contributed into making her presence felt throughout the arena, a storm had truly swept across Tropicana Field that night.

When mentioning Jade Cargill in this rumble you've got to mention how Nia Jax was built throughout the rumble and how without this narrative built around Nia, Jade's debut wouldn't have been as spectacular as it was.

Nia was an absolute wrecking ball in this rumble, the moment she came out every woman stopped in their tracks and had set their sights on getting her out. I loved how they tried to recreate last year's spot where they had everyone in the ring gather round to eliminate Nia, but rather than it succeeding like last time, Nia powers out and punishes everyone in the ring, which emphasizes just how much more of a threat Nia had become in the past year to the entire women's division.

So by having Jade not just throw around Nia like she's nothing, but eliminate her singlehandedly when the entire ring couldn't do it together was a star making moment for Jade and solidified her as the baddest woman on the entire roster, and a legitimate threat to every top star in the company.

The little detail of her flexing as she holds Nia in the fireman's carry is immaculate and an amazing way for her to show off just how powerful she is, and Becky Lynch's reaction the Nia's elimination really adds to the moment, with her standing in awe of Jade's power.

They also managed to set up a mania match between her and Belair by having the two face off while both carrying Liv and Becky respectively, which again, helped elevate Jade to a main event star in just her debut appearance,

With Jade lasting till the rumble's final 3 and playing a part in the ending sequence in her debut alone, really solidified her as a main event player going forward and is the best possible way they could've debuted her without her actually winning the rumble.

Jade Cargill get's an A+ for her performance in the royal rumble.

Liv Morgan returns from injury at no. 30

Liv was not a bad choice for no. 30, personally it would've been more fitting for Jade to have this spot but I'm not upset about how it turned out.

The backlash behind Liv's return is a result of the aforementioned expectations fans had going into this rumble in regards to returns, and it's unfortunate that a major return was hindered as a result, and it's not like Liv didn't do much either, she was in the final 3 of the rumble and eliminated Jade Cargill, setting up a potential program between the two, most likely at the elimination chamber.

The Role Model triumphs

Saving the best for last; leading up this rumble I only had one wish, for Bayley to finally get her moment. Bayley has always felt like the odd duckling of the four horsewomen.

She carried the women's division in the pandemic era, a part of the first ever women's PPV main event and Iron Woman match at NXT Takeover Respect against Sasha Banks in an all time classic, an amazing worker both on the mic and in the ring, and so much more.

Despite all of her achievements Bayley has always felt underappreciated, with her body of work often being overshadowed by her peers, even now she's carrying the Damage CTRL storyline and elevated the group to new heights.

So seeing her finally win the rumble, punching her ticket to mania and potentially (now that CM Punk is injured) main eventing Night 1 against IYO, I couldn't be happier for Bayley (and IYO of course but that's just personal bias)

When Damage CTRL was eliminated early on in the rumble, it set the stage for the ultimate underdog story for Bayley, leading to her eventually breaking Rhea Ripley's iron woman record from the year prior.

With all these factors in mind, Bayley's win ticked all the right boxes, with it feeling well deserved, hard fought and most importantly, continuing the long term story that's been established over the past few months, all of which point towards an eventual Bayley face turn.

This little snippet of uncertainty from IYO after Bayley's win further adds to the moment, as without a single word being said it speaks volumes of what is to come.

Overall, I believe that this rumble is the greatest women's royal rumble of all time, with it having the ideal amount of surprises, action and story telling befitting of an amazing royal rumble.

I proudly give this match a 5/5 *****

Thanks for reading gang, I'll be reviewing the rest of the matches in a subsequent post coming soon, til then, have a good eve-after-morning :)

(author's note:- one issue I did have with this rumble was the whole tilt-a-whirl head scissors spot with Maxinne, I like to be fair when evaluating her as she is really green in the ring and only really began training last year but unfortunately that whole spot was painful to watch. I hope she improves from that going forward).

[eiy-lei]

Royal Rumble 2023: A retrospect.

Overview:-

So recently I rewatched last year's Royal Rumble in preparation for this weekend's RR just to see how far we've come since then, and I must admit, this show has aged so well over this past year.

From establishing narrative threads for the upcoming year to solidifying the main event presence of Sami, Gunther and Cody, as well as (unbeknownst to us at the time) housing the final match of the late great Bray Wyatt, there is a lot to discuss about this event.

Men's Rumble:-

To keep it short and sweet, this match was STELLAR. It may have lacked the surprises that a royal rumble match is typically known for (spoiling Cody's return in advance wasn't a great idea and I stick by that + Booker T has been present in NXT, thus keeping close ties to WWE) however, what it lacked in shock value it delivered with star power and match quality.

Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Sheamus, Bobby Lashley, the aforementioned Cody Rhodes and, undeniably, the star of this match GUNTHER, really made this match into a showcase of the best the WWE had to offer.

With the storyline of the Banger Brothers (yes I am calling the that) intertwining with Gunther setting the stage for their eventual MOTY candidate at Wrestlemania, Bobby Lashley eliminating Lesnar which helped build their (in hindsight underwhelming) feud, and of course, the comeback of Cody, all leading up to an amazing mini match with Gunther, with such a quality final two not being seen since 2007 between Taker and Michaels.

As a result, this match ranks amongst my favourite rumbles of all time.

4.75/5 ****3/4

LA Knight Vs Bray Wyatt:-

This one is so unfortunate to write about, considering that this was Bray Wyatt's final match, however we must be honest with ourselves in that this just wasn't a good match.

I loved the neon aesthetic, a lot easier on the eyes than the red light the Fiend used to have, however it still made it difficult to watch the action in the match, and on the topic of action, this match was a glorified squash match, with Knight only really getting a single table bump before falling victim to Wyatt's final sister abigail.

The purpose of this match seemed to be that of an introduction into Wyatt's new character, acting more as a plot device than a match (which is further elaborated on in the next match on the card) however was never explored further due to Wyatt's untimely passing.

Thankfully, Wyatt's final match wasn't in vain, as Knight benefitted a lot from the exposure of this match, leading him onto greater things later in the year, and if Wyatt's last match were to be at any instance, at least it was a marquee match on a big 4 PLE. Rest in peace Wyatt, thank you for all that you have done for this business and the world of Pro Wrestling, your memory will live on in the hearts of the entire world wide wrestling community.

Sadly, 2.5/5 **1/2

Alexa Bliss Vs Bianca Belair:-

I'm a huge Alexa Bliss fan, not as big of a Bianca fan in recent years due to her going Super Cena, however her work rate is absolutely phenomenal, so going into this match I was really expecting something special, a lightning fast pace with some spooky shenanigans typical of a 2020s Alexa Bliss match, what we got instead however was...none of that.

The match progressed at a snail's pace with no particularly big spots to speak of. The commentary for this match was also quite awful, from Pat MacAfee not recognising anything Alexa was doing, to the lack of acknowledgement of certain signature moves like Bliss' insult to injury (which she didn't do completely for some reason??) and her Bliss DDT, which, I must emphasise, she has been using as a FINISHER for the past 5 years now alongside Twisted Bliss and her recently acquired Sister Abigail, and overall, her performance looked unfortunately sloppy.

Bianca's performance didn't really help either as admittedly, she was getting her behind handed to her throughout the match with only a few bright spots before she hit the KOD, 1, 2, 3.

What a lackluster much with so MUCH potential, being made worse by the fact that they teased an angle with Bliss after the match relating to the Wyatt 6, however as you may know, nothing came out of it due to unfortunate circumstances and Bliss soon disappeared off of television as she got pregnant (congrats to Mama Bliss though I hope she's doing well) and as a result, this match was completely inconsequential.

1.5/5 *1/2

Women's Rumble:-

RHEA BLOODY RIPLEY! What an emphatic match; unlike the Men's match, this match had a mix of both surprises and match quality, with full time returns from Asuka under a "new" gimmick, Chelsea Green and Nia Jax, alongside a one off appearance from Michelle McCool.

Looking back at the returns, each returning superstar have made a significant impact throughout last year; Asuka, winning the EC, fighting Belair at WM39 and eventually winning the belt and joining Damage CTRL. Chelsea providing a breath of fresh air to the women's midcard and is most likely set for a massive push this year, and Nia Jax filling the role of a top monster heel in the women's division that can finally match up to Rhea. This Rumble was the start point for all of this.

The match itself was action packed from beginning to end, never a pause in the action. Rhea and Liv starting and ending the Rumble was an excellent choice and really helped elevate those 2 into main event caliber stars, especially by having them both gain the record for the longest lasting iron woman.

Damage CTRL's dominance was also a highlight of the match and really put them over as a threat to the division (more than their actual booking on TV has) and the way the whole match shifted once Nia Jax entered the ring was impeccable and really sold Nia as being the most dangerous individual in that ring.

Overall, not only was this match excellent in terms of match quality, the amount of stories and characters that were intertwined and established within the Rumble really make this match (arguably) the greatest Women's Rumble of all time and overall one of the best RRs of all time regardless of male or female.

5/5 *****

Roman Reigns Vs Kevin Owens:-

Ah yes, the yearly KO Royal Rumble title feud. Contrary to popular belief, I really enjoyed this match, not just for it's post-match segment, but for the actual content within the match itself.

Sure it wasn't the best match they've had (their last man standing match in RR 2021 being their best imo) but they delivered considering this match's overall purpose was to act as an angle for what was to come. The match was a back and forth affair until the end post low-blow, where Roman just began to torture KO leading to the finish and setting up beatdown yet to come.

I'd rate the match 3/5 *** but this isn't the end of this part of the post, as of course, this match is better remembered for what happened afterwards, the chair shot heard around the world.

Goodness, where do I start. The fact that a 15 minute mic-less segment could register so many emotions into the hearts of millions is astounding, however I'd expect nothing less from The Bloodline and Sami Zayn with how flawlessly executed the story has been up to this point, and I think it being mic-less added to the discomfort of the whole thing, with the crowd in a state of shocked silence as KO is chained and cut down by Solo and the Usos, with all Sami being able to do is watch.

Then, when that fateful moment arrived, when Sami struck Roman with a chair, a thunderous roar from the crowd echoed throughout the arena, reaching decibel levels unmatched since the Attitude Era.

As Roman slowly crumpled down onto his knees in the same fashion that he did when Seth struck him down the same way 9 years ago, it was set in stone, the bloodline had began to crumble.

The character work in this moment was brilliant, with Jimmy, who was the first person to accept Sami into the Bloodline, show no hesitation to attack him, with Solo following suite, while Jey, who Sami earned the trust of after initial discord between two, was left in state of disbelief, crying his eyes out, saying "Sami what are you doing man..." and soon exiting the ring, unable to attack the man he saw as a brother; to put it bluntly, this whole segment was poetry in motion.

It ends with the image of Sami and KO laying lifeless in the ring, bathed in the segments of the Ula Fala, officially starting the road to Wrestlemania and Sami and KOs quest for justice.

This segment is quite possibly one of the best (or even the greatest) segments of all time, and this really established the 2023 Royal Rumble as one of the greatest Royal Rumble PLEs/PPVs of all time.

Overall show rating: 8.5/10

Thank you for reading, peace out gang and see you on January 27/28 for the Royal Rumble!

[eiy-lei]

The reflections of Kieran. (2/3)

Good eve-after-morning gang :) This post is a continuation of my previous post about Arven, Nemona & Penny, so if you haven't checked that one out I'd recommend you read that first (!!!)

Coming into the DLC I didn't expect to like Kieran and Carmine as much as I did (considering how in the SwSh DLC there was little to no characterization for Klara and Avery aside from trainer cards and mid-battle text) however, I'm glad to say that gamefreak has surprised me, and really turned Kieran and Carmine into characters I've grown attached to.

Kieran of course, being the star of the DLC, showcased his evolution from a timid outcast with a strong admiration for Ogerpon, to being a power-hungry, desperate battle fanatic-- the complete opposite of everything that made him initially, his character growth within these 2 DLC installments mirrors that of Wally in the R/S/E & ORAS games.

On the topic of comparisons to Wally, at the start of their journeys they were nearly identical in portrayal (although by the time we meet Kieran he's already caught a pokemon, unlike Wally) and yet their road to strength couldn't be any more different.

Where Wally grows stronger through seeking courage, Kieran grows stronger through a relentless ambition for power; Wally grew stronger over the course of his journey while Kieran forced his growth, forced himself to become something he never was, a dictator.

Due to Kieran's path essentially, being a re-worked (and more fleshed out) version of Wally's story, I've found myself loving Kieran as a character, a love which was further supported by the ending of the indigo disk and the epilogue, in which Kieran had finally accepted himself and all his flaws.

In the epilogue, he carries himself with the same air of confidence that made him so fierce in the indigo disk, and yet, is not suffocating. He's been humbled and not afraid to show the silly side which characterized him in the teal mask, a perfect blend so to speak.

I hope this isn't the last we see of Kieran, as he's a major part as to why I love the SV cast, and based on what we've seen, he has a lot more to bring to the table.

Until next time gang,

Thanks for reading (!!!)

[eiy-lei]

Nemona, Arven & Penny: The Paldean Trio (1/3)

I'd like to use this post as a way to communicate just how much I love the SV cast, having played each game in the mainline series, I haven't had such a deep connection to a cast of characters in the series as much as I have with these rascals, the closest being PLA and the Alola games.

Nemona is the perfect "nice" rival as unlike the previous nice rivals, she's an already established trainer who's essentially there to test you throughout your journey as a means of creating a trainer that rivals herself.

Rather than being delusional whenever she loses (or just being a complete pushover) she congratulates you on your progress, with all this culminating in an all out battle at the end which really (unlike other final rival battles) feels earned as it was properly built up to throughout the story.

Overall, Nemona was the perfect blend of a kind individual and a fierce rival; to be it bluntly, she's Goku.

Arven and Penny are both tragic characters, both for different reasons, however in my eyes, they're a pair, this is due to the idea that they both represent 2 different forms of handling trauma, with Arven showing how trauma can make us a better person, whereas Penny represents how trauma can break us.

Despite this, by the end of the story, you can see how despite their differences, they both grow into stronger individuals who accept their flaws and as a result, act as a metaphor for how anyone, no matter what path they may take, will always have the ability to become a better person, and I think it's beautiful.

I have a lot to say about Kieran, Carmine, Team Star and the E4 but I'll save those for future posts, so for now,

Thank you for reading (!!!)

[eiy-lei]

MMA 2024 champion predictions, back again after having some horrible takes last year, let's see how we do this year:-

Heavyweight - Jones beats Stipe, Aspinall defends his interim against the winner of Almeida Vs Blaydes, Jones fights Aspinall as his retirement match and ultimately loses.

Light Heavyweight - Pereira defeats Jamahal Hill and Johnny Walker.

Middleweight - Du Plessis defeats Strickland, defeats the winner of Whittaker Vs Costa and defeats Chimaev.

Welterweight - Edwards loses to Belal, Belal defends (and defeats) Shavkhat Rakhmonov.

Lightweight - Islam beats Gaethje and fights either BSD or Oliveira (beats either of them).

Featherweight - Topuria defeats Volk and Max defeats Topuria.

Bantamweight - Cejudo defeats Merab, Chito beats O'malley, and Cejudo defeats Chito.

Flyweight - Pantoja defeats Albazi and loses to Moreno in the quadrilogy.

Women's Featherweight:-Is removed.

Women's Bantamweight:-Pennington finally gets the title but loses to a Valentina moving up.

Women's Flyweight:-Grasso loses to Blanchfield and Blanchfield defeats the winner of Ribas/Namajunas but loses to Tatiana.

Women's Strawweight:-Weilli retains against Xiaonan and Andrade a 2nd time.

[eiy-lei]

UFC Awards 2023

With 2023 over I wanted to list down my picks for the best of different categories last year.

Men's fighter of the year:-Sean Strickland

Women's fighter of the year:-Loopy Godinez

Knockout of the year:-Josh Emmett KOs Bryce Mitchell or Holloway KOs TKZ

Submission of the year:-Da'mon Blackshear's Twister over Jose Johnson

Event of the year:-UFC 290

Male rookie of the year:-Diego Lopes

Female rookie of the year:-Victoria Dudakova

Breakout male fighter of the year:-Tatsuro Taira

Breakout female fighter of the year:-Loopy Godinez

Round of the year:-Dan Hooker Vs Jalin Turner RD2

Fight of the year:-Islam Makhachev Vs Alexander Volkanovski 1

Best Post fight interview of the year:-Robbie Lawler at UFC 290

Comeback of the year:-Edson Barboza Vs Sodiq Yusuff

[eiy-lei]

MMA 2023 champion predictions, lots of hot takes but bare with me here:-

Heavyweight - Francis Ngannou defends against Jones and then leaves the UFC. Gane and Blaydes fight for the vacant belt, Blaydes beats Gane and becomes the champion.

Light Heavyweight - Jamahal beats Glover but then loses to Jîri upon his return.

Middleweight - Adesanya wins the rematch with Pereira, Khamzat moves up to middleweight and beats Adesanya.

Welterweight - Usman beats Edwards in the rematch and then retires, Khamzat doesn't make 170 and moves up, so Belal and Colby fight for the vacant belt, I think Belal wins that fight.

Lightweight - Volk beats Islam and Beneil Dariush.

Featherweight - Volk beats the winner of Yair Vs Emmett and presumably Arnold Allen.

Bantamweight - Sterling loses to Cejudo, Cejudo beats Sean and Merab (I don't know where Chito fits into this unless they do Sean Vs Chito 2 ngl).

Flyweight - Moreno beats Figueiredo and Pantoja finally gets to fight for the belt, I think Moreno beats Pantoja this time around.

Women's Featherweight:-Nunes is alone in this division at this point, I don't see Norma Dumont or Macy Chiasson posing a threat to Nunes.

Women's Bantamweight:-Valentina Vs Nunes 3, I think Nunes wins this one, after Valentina's last performance I'm not too confident in her beating Nunes, Nunes could also fight Ketlen Vieira afterwards but that doesn't feel like a close fight (she definitely lost to Holly), I think Irene Aldana could pose a good threat though.

Women's Flyweight:-Valentina loses her belt to Manon Fiorot, Grasso could challenge afterwards but prove unsuccessful. I think the winner of Santos Vs Blanchfield could challenge for the belt and be champ by the end of this year.

Women's Strawweight:-Whether it'd be Lemos, Xiaonan or Namajunas for the third time, I think Zhang Weili beats all 3.

[eiy-lei]

A little bit late but now that 2022 is over I wanted to list down my picks for the best of different categories last year.

Men's fighter of the year:-Alexander Volkanovski

Women's fighter of the year:-Zhang Weili

Knockout of the year:-Roman Dolidze's KO on Phil Hawes or Khalil Rountree's TKO on Karl Roberson

Submission of the year:-Zhang Weili's submission over Carla Esparza

Event of the year:-UFC Paris

Male rookie of the year:-Jack Della Maddalena

Female rookie of the year:-Natalia Silva

Breakout male fighter of the year:-Ilia Topuria

Breakout female fighter of the year:-Amanda Lemos

Round of the year:-Dustin Poirier Vs Michael Chandler R1

Fight of the year:-Khamzat Chimaev Vs Gilbert Burns

Best Post fight interview of the year:-Luke Rockhold at UFC 278

Comeback of the year:-Gregory Rodrigues' comeback against Chidi Njokuani

Overall these are just my personal opinions and therefore are not factual, what do you guys think?