#alexa play put you through me by arrows in action

[androgynouspenguinexpert]

babe wake up androgynouspenguinexpert posted another character analysis from the train during her finals week because she's banned herself from drawing anything new

its time to tackle vega, because he's cool.

all of the characters carry a unique narrative theme or motif - the importance of self worth for gavin, impostor syndrome for asher, consent and control for marcus, etc. vega's theme is one of, if not my favourite: nature vs nurture, learned behaviour, and the morality of necessary evil.

vega doesn't start out as a moustache-twirling villain, but he's certainly hurting people for selfish reasons. however - the line between right and wrong starts to blur even across vega's first few appearances. as he points out himself later, vega has essentially created a closed loop of suffering to feed from. yeah, he got someone roofied and kidnapped, which is bad, but he's limited his victims to two people. ivan and baby. there's even a case to be made about baby's safety - ivan is volatile and incredibly dangerous (breaking either glass or ceramic with his bare hands???), but we never see him physically harm baby other than restraining them.

vega's age (pin this) has granted him an incredible level of experience and therefore intellect. he's probably the smartest piece on the board right now, save maybe for brachium (but he's sort of on a board of his own anyway). vega knows exactly what he is. he feeds on suffering and agony, and there's nothing that can change that. equipped with this knowledge, vega has managed to streamline the production of agony without really getting his hands dirty, and basically guaranteed the survival of both people involved.

then in comes caelum. he accidentally discovers vega's operation, and immediately runs to freelancer for help. vega proceeds to kick the shit out of caelum for snitching, and almost kills him. again, this is bad. i'm definitely not defending vega's actions here - but think of it from his point of view: he's set up a way of passively producing agony and is minding his own business. a daemon who is 24 (at time of writing) stumbles across this, and immediately threatens to shut it down as well as get him arrested. that's like a toddler walking in on a meth lab and running to the cops. vega probably could drop everything and relocate to avoid the department, but that would take a lot more time and effort than just soccer kicking the toddler over a fence. so he tries, and fails, because gavin steps in. gavin being able to overpower vega - despite being potentially hundreds of thousands of years younger - speaks to the inefficiency of vega's agony system, and he's smart enough to be well aware of that. agony (in a relatively nice part of california, anyway) isn't really a renewable resource like lust or joy are. harming someone, whether physically or otherwise, enough to fuel vega for any significant amount of time would either permanently damage or kill that person. that's not sustainable.

and then vega gets arrested. the human government asks a being probably older than civilisation to pinkie promise he'll stay in a little concrete box for a while. vega explains later that he doesn't believe in unnecessary violence - unless he decides that it is necessary, i guess - so he probably went along with his arrest fairly peacefully. there's another analysis in here somewhere about where (or from whom...?) the department learned its containment methods, considering they haven't really figured out aria yet.

but anyway - vega gets tossed into maximum security. and even from behind the ward, he's finding subtle (and less subtle) ways to stir the pot, especially with his new department-assigned therapist (another quick aside that's too good for the tags; did anyone else find it super fucking funny that vega's first real friend on elegy is his therapist?). i think vega feels neutral about elegy, leaning ever so slightly towards liking it, but he knows what he is. a demon. vega never was, and never will be, human. that's why he never audibly speaks (which is a fantastic detail) - he's rejecting the most basic form of modern human communication. language. yes, he knows english, but he's probably never spoken a single word out loud. vega's fear of daemons growing away from their roots is also why he starts testing for cracks in the warden's façade - he's worried that daemons are starting to assimilate a little too much. they're losing their identity as a separate species, and losing sight of the sacrifices made during the cacophony. and he's right - the cacophony has entirely faded into myth. his suffering and loss has now been turned into a fable; a cautionary tale about dealing with forces beyond our control.

next is the escape, which is both interesting and sick as hell. vega proves that he's not a fan of violence for the sake of violence by mincing some solitaires, tossing an unconscious warden over his shoulder, and escaping the detention facility. this is vega's first real selfless action. he definitely could have left the warden to the solitaires, but chooses to save them because of their compassion towards him. this shows a little of vega's internal struggle - he's never been around unconditional like, let alone love, because he doesn't need to. he needs to be unlikeable. manipulative. cutthroat. these are the things that keep him safe, but more importantly fed. we know from his imperium counterpart (who will eventually be getting a post of his own) that vega wants to be wanted. as much as he denies it and dodges the topic when it's brought up, vega is not intrigued by the warden because he can toy with them. he's drawn to them because they're willing to understand. they're hesitant, but for now they're giving vega the benefit of the doubt. he's never been given that before.

he also starts to wear down the warden's already fragile sense of morality with the kidnapped department officer. although his methods are very questionable, vega is correct again when he explains that he doesn't really have a choice. he won't hurt the guard, and the guard can't hurt him or the warden, but will keep spewing out hate that vega can feed on for the forseeable future. he's killing two birds with one stone as well - the warden is an inchoate. it's far easier for vega to track down (read: kidnap) one racist than to juggle the emotional intake of two people.

i don't think vega is just trying to break the warden out of their department mould for the sake of shenanigans, nor does he want to return to the glory days - vega knows that humanity and daemonkind are now inseperable after the imprisonment of the sovereigns.

he just doesn't want daemons - genuinely good people trying to make the best of a not fantastic situation - to lose sight of what they are. what they used to be. not anarchists, or pawns for the department. starchildren.

forgive me. i tend to wax poetic.

[geekade]

WILW: WWE PAYBACK 2017 - Predictions

So here we are with a rather strange PPV from WWE. You see after Wrestlemania, the WWE went through a #Superstarshakeup that moved some people around from Raw to Smackdown and vice-versa. Due to the shake up, PAYBACK will feature a couple of matches with Smackdown talent even though this show is being put on by the Raw brand. It's a bit weird to be sure and smacks of last minute booking decisions; never a good sign. That being said, there are a few standout matches on the card and hopefully the overall show will be good. Who will win and who will lose? Read on wrestling fans and find out.

Once upon a time Neville was one of the most over superstars on the roster. His finisher, the Red Arrow, got one of the biggest pops of the night every night. And then he got boring because WWE did nothing to move him forward. And then he got hurt. AND THEN he came back as a bad ass heel, the King of the Cruiserweights. (plus he had facial hair, so evil) Since his return he has been one of the highlights of the company. His heel work has been awesome and his match with Aries should honestly be the best match of the night. Aries also got hurt, albeit in NXT, and has been sitting on commentary for the last little bit. His return to in ring action has been welcome as he is one of the best wrestlers on the planet. 

Prediction: Neville

Much like Neville, Bayley has been floundering a bit since her call up from NXT. She is still one of the most over women on the roster but her matches overall have been lackluster. She has gone from main-eventing an NXT show to being in less than five minute affairs every week. Her run as champ has been largely forgetful. Thankfully though Alexa Bliss is here to save us and inject life into a stayed division. Bliss has been a revelation since turning heel in NXT and getting the call up to the main roster. Her work on Smackdown was great and the move to Raw has done nothing to slow her down. She is the perfect heel. She does all of the little things right. And for a character like Bayley, chasing the title against a true heel is just a more interesting story.

Prediction: Alexa Bliss

So the Hardys are going to lose the belts here. I'm almost positive. The word 'round the campfire is that WWE has settled with TNA for the rights to the "Broken" gimmick that made Matt and Jeff Hardy the talk of the wrestling town over the last year plus. Since returning and winning the belts at Wrestlemania, the Hardys have been teasing the gimmick with Matt doing most of the work with his mannerisms in the ring. Coming back on such a high and losing the belts at the next big show is a good enough reason to have the Hardys get re-broken. And make no mistake, Broken Matt and Brother Nero are where the money is with these two. Sheamus and Cesaro make sense to take the belts and have a decent run with them.

Prediction: Sheamus and Cesaro

Another one I think is pretty easy to call, Owens is keeping the belt. The break up of JERI-KO was one of the best storylines from the past year. It did everything right and ended with a nice little payoff. This match does nothing but spin some wheels until Owens is ready to start his feuds on Smackdown. Him moving brands is one of the best things from the shakeup. Smackdown now has Owens, AJ Styles, Nakamura, and Sami Zayn on the same roster. That's incredible and an opportunity to have some truly all-time matches. There is no way that WWE will screw this up. They can't. Owens has to win to keep the belt on Smackdown since Dean Ambrose took the IC title with him to Raw. Plus, Jericho needs to go on tour with his band so there's that.

Prediction: Kevin Owens

Joe finally makes his PPV debut against the man he injured in his Raw debut. Thankfully, Seth Rollins was able to heal up enough to make his Wrestlemania match against Triple H and become the Kingslayer. There are so many ways they could go with this match. Having Rollins win makes sense as he exacts a measure of revenge. Having Joe win makes sense since looks wise he is one of the few credible threats to Brock Lesnar and the Universal title, minus the actual in ring wins. Regardless this should be a dope match. Both guys are insanely good and are capable of match of the night performances. Really all I want is a clean match with no shenanigans. I doubt that's what we'll get though.

Prediction: Seth Rollins

The second of the interbrand matches and one for the WWE Championship and it's not the main event. (as of this writing anyway) Randy Orton of Smackdown beat Bray at Wrestlemania for the belt. It was a stupid, boring move that still makes no sense and does nothing to help Bray Wyatt become what he should be in WWE. With him moving to Raw there are plenty of fresh feuds for him to have and hopefully some solid character direction. Orton on the other hand continues to be a placeholder at this stage in his career. There is almost nothing interesting left to do with him. I'm hoping against hope that he keeps the belt and drops it to someone like Sami Zayn or Baron Corbin. Truthfully, I have no idea what to think here.

Prediction: Randy Orton

The breaker of streaks and ender of careers Roman Reigns will make his return after the absolutely amazing beating he suffered at the hands of Braun Strowman a few weeks ago. WWE has done an amazing job in building up Braun as an absolute monster. They have seemingly done everything right with this guy and are probably about to royally shit the bed. There is absolutely no way Braun should lose this match to Reigns considering that storyline wise he put him in the hospital four weeks ago. (he even flipped the fucking ambulance he was in) It was such a great moment. And yet, WWE have shown that they are not willing to let the Reigns story play out organically. Reigns is one of the most hated men in wrestling period. Not haha hate, not jk we really love you but are supposed to boo you hate, but real, honest to goodness hate. He literally got booed for ten minutes the night after Wrestlemania on Raw. (he did just retire the Undertaker but still) He's not a heel, he's a villain. And that's awesome. WWE should have villains. But those villains need to lose to stay relevant. If he continues to win, to play the underdog babyface who doesn't know he's a heel, fans will simply stop caring. They will stop watching. Because it's boring and forced. But they will. They will fuck it up. I'm sure of it.

Prediction: Roman goddamn Reigns even though I hope I'm wrong 

So there it is. It should be a good show. If nothing else, we should see the return of Broken Matt and that is nothing but a good thing. Make sure to follow me on twitter and instagram, @geekadedan, and let me know what you thought of PAYBACK. Check back next week for another edition of WILW Games. Until then...

[junker-town]

What we learned from Extreme Rules 2017

RAW has a new number one contender, new tag champs, a new Intercontinental champ, and yet, something was missing from Extreme Rules.

Extreme Rules did not get all that extreme. And that’s even just considering within the realm of what WWE’s PG-era programming allows in terms of being extreme. A match about trying not to get disqualified, a mixed tag match, really dumb cage match rules, and a submissions match that was basically a regular match except you couldn’t pin your opponent don’t really merit the “extreme” tag.

And the one match that should have been extreme given its emphasis on weapons — well, weapon — was a rush job that made sure RAW’s women got as little screen time as possible.

It wasn’t all bad or middling, at least, even if the show was poorly titled. There were some real high points to Extreme Rules, which we’ll get to... now.

The Miz def. Dean Ambrose to become the Intercontinental Champion

Your mileage may vary, but this match worked for me even if the stipulation for it was not used in the way it was expected to be. The assumption was that Miz would constantly attempt to get Ambrose disqualified since a DQ would force Dean to drop the Intercontinental belt, which is not the usual setup in a championship match. Instead, Miz wrestled a hard-fought and mostly even match with Ambrose until he decided that doing it on his own wasn’t going to cut it: that’s when the shenanigans began.

This is actually highly consistent with Miz’s character. He says things that are often true and correct, or at least said in a way where you can see where he’s coming from. He’s often distorting the truth, though, by telling his version of events that paint him in a heroic light in his own mind, and rubbing as many people the wrong way in the process as possible. So, Miz not immediately trying to get Ambrose to DQ himself works here — holding it in reserve until he absolutely has to, then trying to use the stipulation to his advantage in a way where he can brag about it later while fudging his retelling of events, is far more Miz than presenting Ambrose with a chair or having Maryse immediately attack her own husband to earn a DQ would have been.

Plus, the ref didn’t buy Maryse slapping Miz toward the back-end of the match — he wasn’t going to fall for that at the time the bell rang, either. Miz used to tag with R-Truth, he knows what’s up.

What we learned: Miz is still a clever opponent who you’ll get in trouble against if you underestimate that brain of his. Ambrose let Miz take control of the match, getting thrown into the referee then spending his time begging to not get disqualified, which allowed Miz to sneak up behind him and hit the Skull-Crushing Finale. Miz gets to take credit for actually pinning Ambrose, and even though he leaned into the match’s stipulation to defeat Dean, he’s going to talk it up (and already has, on the post-show RAW Talk) as if he did this entirely on his own without any foul play to help him through it.

WWE.com

Sasha Banks and Rich Swann def. Alicia Fox and Noam Dar

This was fun for what it was, which sounds even more backhanded compliment-y when it gets the add-on of “and that’s more than you can say for most of this show.” Mixed tag matches are tough to pull off effectively, though, and they managed this feat. Alicia Fox and Noam Dar tagging each other with desperate hugs was wonderful each time it happened, as was Sasha dropping knees on Dar from the turnbuckle to the outside.

What we learned: It doesn’t look like WWE is going to pull Sasha Banks off 205 Live duty just yet, as she and Swann showed some real chemistry in the ring and on RAW Talk, to the point that Banks had to remind any writers watching that she’s married so that they don’t start shipping the pair. And as always, seeing Alicia Fox on screen reminded us that we never get to see Alicia Fox often enough. Give her some wins and a story on RAW, y’all.

Alexa Bliss defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Bayley

WWE has no idea what they’re doing with Bayley. Letting Alexa retain is just fine, but it’s not like Bayley looked good in defeat. Of course, Bliss didn’t get to look very good in victory, either, since this was a rush job that saw the kendo stick on a pole secured the first time either competitor went for it. No buildup, no drama, no oh-so-close attempts that would help to a payoff later. Nope, they just reached for it, dropped it into the ring, tried to be the first to pick it up, and then the match was over nearly as soon as it had begun.

Bayley looks like a hapless chump, but at least Alexa can get away from what has been a pretty toxic program for a couple of weeks now.

What we learned: See above with regard to WWE not having any idea what they’re doing with Bayley. Maybe RAW will remember they have Nia Jax around now, at least, since they’re only capable of showcasing a couple of women at a time.

Would it kill you to actually feature your women on television and on pay-per-view, RAW? Kate Foray’s RAW Breakdown is great for seeing this sort of thing, and since it’s Patreon-funded I won’t share exact figures with you, but just know that the RAW Women’s Championship got a single-digit percentage of a three-hour show’s in-ring time, and it was the only women’s match on the card.

Cesaro and Sheamus def. the Hardys to become RAW Tag Team Champions

Maybe we were all misunderstanding what “Extreme Rules” meant. We assumed that the rules would allow for extreme stipulations, but no, what the title refers to is how extremely strict the rules for these matches would be. Take this championship tag match between Sheamus and Cesaro and the Hardy Boyz: there are no pinfalls or submissions in this cage match for some reason, so it turns into a game of who can escape the cage first. And that is further complicated by WWE’s insistence on having a door to the cage, one that either pair could have easily just walked out of a number of times.

Wrestling is all about suspension of disbelief, but it’s the job of the writers to make sure fans can maintain said suspension. These kinds of cage matches make it nearly impossible, especially when rules change to fit a story instead of a story fitting within rules everyone already knows exist and can react to without mid-match explanations detailing why actually your assumptions are wrong.

This was some WCW-level problem creation, and the live audience must have been confused as hell once it turned out Jeff Hardy’s initial escape didn’t count since he came back in.

#RAW #TagTeamChampion @JEFFHARDYBRAND will go GREAT heights to save his brother! @MATTHARDYBRAND #ExtremeRules http://pic.twitter.com/tYoRpStoVa

— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2017

What we learned: And that’s all a shame because this foursome actually put on a physical and mostly entertaining match — it was just dragged down by the minds that devised it all in the writers’ room. Maybe we’ll end up getting a split of the Hardys out of it, though, and the pair will get some characters attached to them outside of pure nostalgia.

Neville defends WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries

Speaking of rules not being made clear from the start and changing to fit the story being told, Austin Aries caused Neville to submit on the outside of the ring, but it didn’t count because it didn’t happen inside the ring. So... it’s not an extreme match at all, really. It’s a match where there are no pinfalls and you can hit a guy with a chair if you want to since the only way to end the match is with a submission. Assuming the submission happens in the right place, anyway. There’s nothing more extreme than fine print, kids.

The match was actually pretty good in spite of this easily avoidable issue, with the only real complaint being that Neville targeted Aries’ knee throughout, but then ignored it entirely for the finish. The finish was pretty cool anyway, though, with Neville landing his Red Arrow finisher — one he’s only used when he absolutely has to as a heel as it’s a fan favorite move — on Aries’ back instead of his front, in order to help him lock in the most painful Rings of Saturn submission possible.

WWE.com

What we learned: This is likely the end of this feud, as Neville has won all three encounters and didn’t have to cheat his way to victory in this one like he did the last two times they matched up. Granted, that’s because there was no cheating in this submission match, but still.

Now we’ll have to wait and see who will rise up against Neville next, as Aries vs. Neville has propped up the cruiserweight division for months now. Will the next challenger be able to do the same?

Samoa Joe defeats Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Bray Wyatt to become No. 1 contender to the WWE Universal Championship

Don’t worry, this is a match where I have no complaints. Everyone was on top of their game here, with Bray Wyatt joining forces with Samoa Joe for a time to wreck the babyfaces, only for it to end up costing Bray in the end when he finally turned on Joe and paid for it. Everyone had their chance to star, with Finn Balor coming out looking the best as the guy who was capable of going toe-to-toe with Reigns, but also as the one looking good fighting off both Wyatt and Joe.

Samoa Joe would end up winning due to effective timing, which is how these kinds of matches work — Balor had this thing most likely won, but Joe was recovered at just the right moment to slap on his submission and cause Finn to pass out.

What we learned: Yoooooooo Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar is some dream match action that we are going to get to see next month. Joe is one of the few people you could believe WWE would allow to actually look game against Brock, and seeing Brock and Paul Heyman act bemused about Joe the Destroyer’s chances against the Beast Incarnate are going to be even funnier when Joe manages to get offense in against Lesnar.

It’s unclear what other feuds are spawning out of this match, if any, but it’s perfectly fine that the primary focus was on crowning a number one contender and dealing with next steps for everyone else until Monday’s show.

[geektified]

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The Raw Exposé: The How To Destroy Bayley's Character in Five Easy Steps Edition (5-29-2017)

By: Keila Cash

  Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. This is the go-home show for Extreme Rules which happens to fall on Memorial Day this year. This is a double whammy for WWE because holiday shows traditionally pull low ratings. The company was smart enough to announce a Triple Threat Match featuring Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins a week in advance. Did the double main event save the show from falling into the abyss? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

  The opening segment of Raw was pretty blah, but the latest edition of Miz TV set up an impromptu Six Man Tag Team match featuring The Miz, Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose and The Hardy Boyz which took place after the commercial break.

  Dean Ambrose and The Hardy Boyz defeated The Miz, Sheamus, and Cesaro when Jeff Hardy pinned Miz with a Swanton Bomb. The match was solid as Miz isolated Ambrose from his team midway through the match. Jeff eventually made the hot tag and cleaned house.

  The ending featured a parade of finishes when Jeff nailed Sheamus with a Twist of Fate only for Cesaro to counter with a European Uppercut. Ambrose dropped The Swiss Superman with Dirty Deeds before taking out The Celtic Warrior with a tope on the outside. This allowed Matt to hit the Twist of Fate on Miz which set up the finish.

  The babyfaces gained momentum heading into Extreme Rules while the heels have to come with a new strategy to conquer their foes come Sunday.

  Someone has dirt on Kurt Angle and Corey Graves is acting as his crisis manager to keep the so-called “truth” at bay. What an interesting turn of events…

  Elias Samson defeated Zac Evans with a Swinging Neckbreaker. The match was short and inoffensive for the most part.

  The Triple Threat Match featuring Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and Bray Wyatt was very good as Joe squeaked out the win in nefarious fashion. The match started off slow, but things picked up after the commercial break. Bálor overcame a 2-on-1 beat down and made a gutsy babyface comeback when he ran wild on Joe and Wyatt. He nailed Joe with a running knee and laid out Wyatt with a dropkick into the barricade. Joe suffered a similar fate as the fans chanted “This Is Awesome.”

  During the closing moments of the match, Wyatt laid out Joe with Sister Abigail which allowed Bálor to capitalize by hitting Wyatt with a Slingblade followed by a running dropkick in the corner. He capped things off with the Coup De Grace, but Samoa Joe broke up the pin and tossed Bálor head first into the second turnbuckle which allowed him to pick up the win over Wyatt.

  All three men worked hard and put on a very good match for the Greensboro crowd. Bálor didn’t get pinned, but Wyatt was made to look like a chump once again after talking a big game prior to the Triple Threat bout. Somebody had to lose and I guess the Eater of Worlds was the odd man out. Does this telegraph a win for him come Sunday? We shall find out soon enough.

  Rich Swann defeated Noam Dar with the Phoenix Splash in a quick match. Sasha Banks provided the assist when she took out Alicia Fox at ringside. I figured Banks would win the battle because she was wearing tennis shoes while Fox wore high heel boots which prevented her from getting too physical. Friendly tip: Wear appropriate shoes when it comes to kicking ass. This is also known as the Trish Stratus Rule after the Hall of Famer made a surprise appearance at the Elimination Chamber PPV in 2011 and had a clumsy brawl with Laycool while wearing high heel boots.

  ***Jump the video ahead to 6:13 in order to see the Shoe Faux Pas***

      This concludes the fashion portion of The Raw Exposé. We now return to regularly scheduled blogging.

  Swann vs. Dar was a nice way to promote the Mixed Tag Team match featuring Swann and Banks vs. Dar and Fox at Extreme Rules on Sunday. My crystal ball was right on the money. Yay me!

  Big Cass was a bit defensive as he proclaimed his innocence to Corey Graves about not attacking Enzo Amore backstage last week. Hmm…

  Titus O’Neil picked up the win over Kalisto when he pinned him with a roll-up while grabbing a handful of tights. The match was pretty nondescript for the most part.

  Alexa Bliss tried her best, but her dynamic personality and mic skills couldn’t save Bayley: This Is Your Life. The segment died a thousand deaths times as the fans booed and chanted “Delete, Delete, Delete” throughout. The script was dreadful and the acting from Mrs. Flapper, Tracy, and Phil made things even worse. It was tough to watch and I felt bad for Bliss who tried to turn chicken shit into chicken salad.

  Bayley came out and got the jump on Bliss, but the Raw Women’s Champion turned the tables by hitting her in the back with a Kendo Stick. Bayley sold the shot beautifully which plays into their Kendo Stick on a Pole match at Extreme Rules. WWE is playing it smart by having Bayley get her revenge at the PPV instead of giving it away on free television. That’s the only saving grace from this horror of a segment.

  Enzo Amore was assaulted in another backstage attack. Big Cass blamed The Revival, but Kurt Angle shot down that theory because he told them to leave the building. Cass’ defensiveness makes him the prime suspect in my estimation.

  Austin Aries and Jack Gallagher defeated TJP and Neville when Aries made Neville tap out to The Last Chancery after the Cruiserweight Champion failed to hit the Red Arrow which led to the submission finish. The match was decent, but it was slotted in the 10:00 P.M. Lull Period of Death. Gallagher’s prolonged sell job didn’t help matters either, but it did lead up to an exciting finish once Aries made the hot tag.

  Roman Reigns defeated Seth Rollins with a Spear in an excellent main event match. Reigns and Rollins know each other very well and their in-ring chemistry was on full display as they worked their asses off to put on a show for the fans.

  The action was hard-hitting and physical throughout. Reigns targeted Rollins’ ribs when he hit the Drive By early on. Rollins did a nice job selling the injury as he tried to counter Reigns’ smash mouth offense. There were several great spots in the match including Reigns nailing Rollins with a Superman Punch in midair and Rollins dropping Reigns with a rare Turnbuckle Powerbomb only for Reigns to counter with another Superman Punch. That sequence popped the crowd as the drama ramped up down the stretch.

  Reigns was about to hit Rollins with another Drive By, but Rollins rammed Reigns into the steel steps instead.

  Rollins pulled off a beauty Frog Splash onto Reigns for a near fall. He went back to the top rope and tried to finish him off with the Phoenix Splash, but Reigns rolled out of the air which allowed Rollins to roll out of the move midflight.

  Reigns went for the Spear, but Rollins cut him off with a knee to the face. Reigns countered with a stiff right hand only for Rollins to respond with an Enzuigiri. Rollins went for his jumping high knee finisher when Reigns nailed him with a Spear for the win.

  Raw went off the air with Reigns posing on the top turnbuckle while Rollins was licking his wounds in the ring.

  Reigns vs. Rollins was one of the better television matches of the year. This matchup still has legs if WWE doesn’t run it into the ground by booking them in a series of matches without any sense of purpose. Tonight bucked that trend in the best possible way and I am looking forward to the Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules match on Sunday because it promises to be special if it’s booked properly.

  Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was decent. It’s very apparent that WWE tried to stretch time by having a super long opening segment that took up much of the first hour. With the roster not at full strength due to several wrestlers being on the shelf, killing time by any means necessary is the way to go these days.

  The first couple of hours zipped by until the disastrous Alexa Bliss-Bayley segment that kicked off the third hour. The Cruiserweight Tag Team match that followed didn’t help matters, but the main event saved the show from falling off a cliff.

  The Triple Threat Match featuring Finn Bálor, Samoa Joe, and Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins carried the show from a wrestling standpoint. Both bouts placed extra shine on the Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules Match in a strong way. This could be a Match of the Year Contender when it’s all said and done. The talent is good enough to pull it off, but the execution is key. We shall see how it all plays out soon enough.

  The rest of the Extreme Rules card looks solid as each match had a final hard sell heading into the PPV. Positioning and timing will tell the true story, but this event has the makings of being a very good show if everything falls into place. The last two brand exclusive PPVs have been disappointing. Let’s hope WWE can make reverse that trend come Sunday. Fingers crossed!

  On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!