RAW qualifying for a bank (21/6/2021)

 Post-PPV show so results, out of a kindness, go after the advert and the break...

Smackdown IN A CELL (18th June 2021)

 We discover that the PPV World title match between Roman Reigns and challenger Rey Mysterio will now take place on Smackdown.

Rey gives a solid promo about respecting family and hypocrisy. Reigns shows up and tries to get Rey to cancel the match, which Rey refuses to do. Quote Roman: "I tried to be diplomatic, now we're doing it my way..."

Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez beat Kevin Owens and Big "slumming it in this programme" E, when Azeez, who is very, very green, beat both semi main eventers up and pinned Owens with a distraction aide from Sami Zayn. So yes, once again Luigi Wins by Doing Absolutely Nothing. The former Dabbo Kato is very inexperienced and it showed.

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Interview: Only Connect contestant Stuart Wildig

 

As I get older, I’ve become a far bigger quiz/game show fan. I remember when I was a small child, I would sit next to Gran, as she indulged her Countdown addiction, and tried to play along. “Dog”, “Cat” were my usual offerings from the 9 letters on display, and weirdly for someone who became a writer, I found the numbers round far easier. In fact, I still do! Nowadays, its great fun watching Pointless or The Chase or The Answer Trap (it was great, recommission it, Channel 4!) alike and answering all the questions the poor contestant misses, knowing fine well there’s a difference between the living room sofa and the glare of the studio lights! I’ve even started getting Sarah into quiz shows (she loved The Wheel, which meant I had to tape and watch repeatedly a Michael McIntyre show) and she even helped vote in the last UK Gameshow Poll of the Year. Did you notice The Floor is Lava drew for 5th place in the new media category? That’s Sarah, as is the anonymous “wean” who tried to repeat all the courses in our house during lockdown.

Despite a lasting interest in the quiz show, I’ve never felt able to bite the bullet and apply to go on one, to put my chatter brain where my money would be, if I had any spare.

The Web Planet

I didn't think I would be this busy when I started this - busy, busy and sod all gets done! (Also this was delayed a fortnight by an infected finger. Who gets one of those? Apparently lots of people, its one of the most common ailments in the UK, but I was ignorant of this until I had to stop all writing for over a week and become an even grumpier sod than usual!)

Anyhow...

The Web Planet (episode 1)

If this feels like it was written differently, its because I have never seen this story before. Is it, as a friendly voice told me back when I was a kid, "a lot of ¤¤¤¤e" or, is it a hidden gem? As I wrote these words as way of preamble, I hadn't a clue. I knew about zarbi and the basic plot, and the reputation, but I had no idea how I'd react to actually seeing this...

Onwards!

The TARDIS is caught in a force field, and is being dragged down to a planet!

RAW 14/6/2021 - The Phantom Piper (Niven)

 We start the show as we ended the last, with some possessed demon girl laughing. Alexa Bliss gives everyone portents of doom about what's to come, which to be fair, she could give us every week and it'd be accurate about watching RAW.

Nikki Cross defeated Charlotte Flair by countout in another match where Charlotte dominated but then was distracted by Rhea Ripley so lost. The worrying thing is that I think this is the WWE trying to push Nikki Cross. They just suck at pushing faces now.

Smackdown 11/6/2021 Uso Ready for This

 Smackdown started with the traditional Roman Reigns looking angry backstage bit, then Jimmy Uso came out and did a standard promo about Reigns. All the while backstage Reigns continued to stir shit with Jey.

Euro 2020 Preview (with Jon Arnold, Gav Mills and Joao Reis)

Michael: It’s an actual football tournament. If you are reading this, well done on getting this far through the End of Days (TM tabloids). Euro 2020, in 2021, where the mighty Scotland and 22 other teams compete to determine who is going to lose in the final to France!

Jon: Here we are then, with the last of football’s great rush to make sure every single competition threatened by the pandemic actually happens.

Michael: Yeah, football, football, football, err, keep safe…

Jon: I suspect that if they’d cancelled the tournament there’d have been riots on the streets of Glasgow. Well, in one household I can think of anyway…

RAW 7th June 2021 (so you don't have to...)

 RAW started with a battle royal to determine the tag title number one contenders. Randy Orton and Matt Riddle, The Vikings, The New Day, Lince Dorado (just one man as Gran Metalik is injured and WWE recently fired Kalisto for some reason) and the former Retribution. AJ Styles does a Jericho 98 style run down of all their challengers, and then Miz shows up. Bah and humbug.

John Morrison decides he can win the battle royal by himself, and so enters it.

Dorado tries his best but is eliminated, Morrison is just one man and portrayed as a goof so goes, and Retribution are jobbers. You can see where this is going, and you'd actually be wrong, as The Vikings eliminated both New Day members and Randy Orton to win the match.

A good opening which showcased a dozen people, and had a surprising but worthy winner? What is this show and what has it done to RAW?

Smackdown (4th June 2021) - 3 title matches and an Otis

 Smackdown...

(contains spoilers obviously)

For a few weeks now I've been doing the "WWE so you don't have to" recaps on Facebook as one of the few wrestling fans in our circle still watching RAW and Smackdown. Stockholm syndrome, probably. Anyhow, with folk like Brian Zane quitting it, the straight cut on if the shows were any good (spoiler - RAW usually sucks, Smackdown is usually decent) is getting a bit lost, so here's my Smackdown review transported to the blog...

We open with our usual Roman Reigns promo. The Usos are out there and hyped. Reigns tells Jimmy he better win the tag title match as he called his win in advance.