Top 4 Matches of the Week (in WWE) 6/3/12-6/9/12

Every week I go through and review NXT, FCW, and Superstars. Every week I talk about the quality of matches on the show and how much I enjoy them. To show you where my idea for quality lies welcome to the first edition of Top 4 Matches of the Week (in WWE).

4. Smackdown – Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian

Dolph Ziggler and Christian have quite a few things in common, and being underutilized for their talents is a big one. You knew when they were going to meet up that this was going to be the most entertaining match of Smackdown. The problem is these men are made to bump crazily. Why is that a problem? While you get a few great moves from them because of their agility, they both have such crazy bumps there is a lot of time spent wondering, “Now what?” This doesn’t take away from the fact that these two men are incredible and this still is the only bigger show match to make it onto the top 4.

3. NXT – Tyler Reks vs. Jey Uso

Yes, I have a bias towards Tyler Reks, but his match with Jey Uso was the best on NXT that week. Jey is the better wrestler of the two and Reks is better than anyone gives him credit for. Plus, Reks gets the win.

2. Superstars – Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder

Swagger won! Swagger won!!

1. FCW – Jason Jordan vs. Leo Kruger

Yup, the two guys from the developmental show are the ones who ran away with best match of the week. The match itself had the best storytelling, the best in-ring work, and that little bit of comedy I like to see in matches, at least sometimes. Kruger and Jordan told a great story with facial expressions, gestures, and every twist in the ring. Thanks again, guys, for a match I’ll watch again and again!

Top 4 of NXT 5/9/12

To point out, when you actually take out commercials from this show it runs about 32 minutes long. In that amount of time there was 14 minutes and 42 seconds worth of wrestling. Sure, shorter matches, but a wider cover of matches to show ratio than a typical show. So, why didn’t the matches make the list? Well, plot kind of won out this time!

4. JTG’s New Look

Alicia Fox said that she could change JTG’s look, all she needed was a week. That was last week. This week were introduced to an updated Brooklyn JTG. While many people were torn, I think a lot of it was the fact that this was not the JTG that they have grown used to for the last… how many years? The look works, and JTG works it, without completely changing who he is. What do you think of the new look?

 

 

 

Might be a bad shot of JTG, but I love these glasses and you needed a close-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Maxine’s Smile

Maxine was told her attitude had to change, so the new Maxine also makes an appearance this show and freaks everyone out. She was weird enough that Curtis comments, “She’s a little too weird for me, and I like weird.” Maxine smiles so much through this show that even as Tamina goes to do the Superfly Splash on her, Maxine smiles right through it (though she does manage to roll out of the way, making her look less crazy, but still crazy). Maxine’s work on NXT is brilliant and this is just another plus for her.

2. Who is the Mystery Attacker?

I love seeing all of the ideas of who is attacking the men on NXT. At first it appeared it might be Kidd’s Curse, and they were going after his opponents, but this week it was poor Derrick, who was already in a bad place this week! Poor Derrick! My guess: Trent Barreta. I think he’s out to make sure Kidd doesn’t replace him as tag partner before he makes his triumphant return, which he will. What about you guys? Any guesses? I’d love to hear more theories.

1. Reks and Hawkins are the New Security Team

Oh, poor William Regal’s face when the eloquently spoken duo come out to announce they are the new security duo for NXT. Striker is none too happy either considering they were his secondary kidnappers! (Hard to forget the, “Why do you have chloroform” exchange with Johnny and Maxine!) Reks, as always, looks stylish and as if he belongs in a GQ magazine while Hawkins looks smart, but a little more laid back in his choice of suit. Later, Reks and Hawkins give Maxine and Johnny the key to allow them out of the handcuffs. Beautifully written, and these are the reasons I love NXT. This is the show with a storyline from beginning, middle, to end.

I look forward to next week!

What Are You Reading Wednesday: 5/9/12

Every Wednesday my book club gets together and discusses what books we are currently reading. It’s an off day, where we could have had time over the weekend to finish that reading, or really get into a new book. It’s also a usual day where  nothing too big is going on. I’d like to extend this so that I can discuss novels with anyone, everyone. Best way to find new novels are to discuss them!

I am about halfway through this book. My goal is to finish it by the weekend so that I can go and see the movie. I’m semi-obsessive that way. Excellent novel, but the problem with Nicholas Sparks is if you have read more than one, you probably get the formula and can predict what is going to happen. (The Last Song was so horribly predictable for me) It doesn’t make it any less amazing, and at halfway through I still can not be positive I am right about what I think is going to happen.

Again, about halfway through this novel, but it’s one of those I read to relax, so it’s going to go slower. End of the night I try to get 10-20 pages in of it. Intriguing and probably the first Grisham novel I’ve read since Runaway Jury, and I’m sure that was at least five years ago? With an average of 3 star rating on Amazon I’m wondering if something blows up in the story, because as of right now I would give it at least 4 stars.

This might be considered cheating slightly, since I have not technically started it, but I will have this finished by the end of today. Manga novels are easy to race through, even when absorbing every little detail, and boy to these have details. Okay, technically this isn’t manga, it’s manwha since it comes from Korea. Sorry for lying to you!

So tell me, what are you reading this Wednesday?