I enjoyed the prologue to the show...I was kind of surprised to see it start with L1 & Sindicate but it all came together pretty quickly.
Opening with a live performance courtesy of the Undisputed Champion/'13 Survive & Conquer winner TMarv...very extravagant as I would expect.
I've grown to like seeing L1 as (what I believe he referred to himself as) the "brownie boy" for Terry and despite the introduction here and Terry Marvin brownnosery, it worked because L1 reminded us that he could still be dominant and #1 if he wanted to...at least in his mind, which is good enough for most people sine he's a 4x champ.
The TMarv speech that followed was emotional, as expected. Very realistic and it seemed heartfelt in spite of its abruptness.
Effective promo from A.C. Smith. Not a huge fan of the complete no-sell of Buckson's chances in the strap match. It only ended up working because of how BG has been built as this underdog, but still a quick and effective promo. Consistent shoots from Smith are helping his character tons.
Afterward was a match between Lively and Shadow. Short, and almost a squash but not quite. Shadow needed a win like this. Sucks that Lively couldn't RP.
I'm intrigued by the idea of Mark Mania vs Evan Envi after the next segment. I also like that people are incorporating the interviewers into the segments more. This helped promote a lot of things at once, and kept both Envi and West visible!
Great to see continuity from the wager thread!
I liked the L1/TMarv/VW segment...great tease at the end with Vannah and the belt. Sign of things to come?
Nice segment with CJ and Hannah that really built on what happens to the Undisputed Title with the sudden retirement of Marvin. I'm loving the continuity! It would've been nice to see CJ show a little bit more confusion in the segment, but it accomplished what it needed to.
Didn't know how I felt about a strap match with 2 giants being given away on Overdrive with no build but the writer somehow managed to make a hell of a story out of it and I found myself rooting for both men at different points. Huge win for Buckson and a very fun match to read.
West reacted to Noble in almost identical fashion to his exchange with Envi? Was this choreographed?
I always mark out for Noble though...can't wait to see what happens with Noble-Hart this week.
I almost missed the HoF induction! I thought it was someone's entrance video at first. But it was very well put together (be proud Jeff!!) and although I don't know who Cyrus is, congrats!
I feel like the altercation with Rebel, Jeff, and Raab was a little bit predictable, and I would've liked to see something different but it did get me excited for Asylum on Sunday. I assume this all but confirms Raab vs Jeff at Rasslemania. The promos and segments for that feud will be entertaining as hell!
Ha. Not much love for the interviewers tonight, huh? I didn't think Shadow was gonna say anything but then...wow, gigantic wall of text. This should've been broken up into like 4 or 5 little paragraphs to distinguish the points. It was a damn good monologue if you can sit there and read it all though.
Good match between Deli and Noble. I read the RPs for this match and loved them both. I thought Deli might've picked it up here with his refusal to tap out at the end, but I'm not disappointed with a Noble win. Always impressive!
The segment afterward with Chris Hart was good, and it's what I've come to expect from these characters, but jeesh was it dramatic!
It definitely reminded me of an MTV romance action drama at points....and reminded me that Noble vs Hart doesn't need the Overdrive Championship. I feel like the title would get thrown to the wayside and lost in the shuffle but I hope that's not the case if Noble does win the belt. I want to see how this feud ends... it's looking like another face turn for Noble and Hart filling the role that Noble has filled for the last few months. Not what I expected, but would still be fun to watch unfold.
Love the continuity with Rebel and the case.
Mania gave an interviewer some love!...and then got assaulted by Envi! This segment worked though. Mania was milder on the microphone than usual and Evan was less talkative than usual so something about this segment felt off, but not bad by any means. Great to read, just... something felt strange.
I laughed out loud with the Biggs, L1 and VW segment! Biggs works so well as a face especially with dumpster diving antics like this. He has an intriguing character that is so different from L1 that it makes their Rasslemania match seem inevitable. I liked the use (or attempted use) of Vannah White, the angle with the briefcase, and all the dialogue. One of my favorite segments of the night.
Main event really touched on the "RESPECT" thing which I loved. (sucker for continuity... can you tell?) Glad to see Mania sell the attack from earlier. It started off as a regular, competitive 6 man tag and I loved the TMarv vs Gates tease. Overall it was a great match with great action. There were some coding errors but nothing too distracting. Evan and L1 had great showings while Terry looked dominant throughout most parts, but it was fitting that he had to rely on his comrades to seal the deal in his departure...
...until we all looked like fools because the whole thing was a work.
Well played! The attack on Biggs, Mania and Gates after was the icing on the cake and really put Terry up there as a monster heel. Now I find myself hoping CJ kicks his ass at Rasslemania!
Great show.. felt right after S&C.
The TMarv speech that followed was emotional, as expected. Very realistic and it seemed heartfelt in spite of its abruptness.
