{"id":36094,"date":"2016-12-09T14:24:15","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T20:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=36094"},"modified":"2016-12-09T14:38:38","modified_gmt":"2016-12-09T20:38:38","slug":"best-worst-week-thru-122-heymans-tears-beckys-fire-205-live-james-storm-bar-fight-mother-styles-clashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/12\/09\/best-worst-week-thru-122-heymans-tears-beckys-fire-205-live-james-storm-bar-fight-mother-styles-clashes\/","title":{"rendered":"BEST AND WORST OF THE WEEK (Thru 12\/2): Heyman&#8217;s tears, Becky&#8217;s fire, 205 Live, James Storm, Bar Fight, Mother of All Styles Clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2582847055\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">Best and Worst of the Week seeks out the greatest, and the most groan-inducing things we saw over the past seven days in WWE and TNA. It can be tough to be a wrestling fan at times, but if we stick through it together, we\u2019ll all come out stronger in the end. We may even learn a few life lessons along the way. Or maybe, we\u2019ll all collectively lose our minds over the 5,000th Stephanie McMahon segment. We won\u2019t know unless we watch it all. Now ring the bell!<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Worst of the Week<\/h2>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">5. Kane Beats Harper:<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">By now, there was no reason to expect better for Luke Harper. Still, the way he&#8217;s been booked lately is basically reverse ridiculousness on WWE\u2019s part. Because not even two months ago did a pay-per-view main event end due to his interference. If they were going to do something bold like that, and end the night on a sour note, then they needed to push The Wyatt Family member as a big deal upon his return. Instead, they\u2019ve done nothing but job him out, which is absurd for a roster that is lacking credible wrestlers.<\/p>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">In Harper\u2019s time back, the only singles win he\u2019s picked up was against Apollo Crews&#8230;on Main Event. That means roughly 72 people saw it. More importantly is that he was asked to job to the 49-year-old Kane twice in the span of nine days. Curt Hawkins could have done the Kane jobs instead, and we\u2019d all have been better off for it.<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Also, the most ridiculous line of the week may belong to JBL, when he said that Harper \u201cused a lot of the speed and momentum of Kane against him.\u201d Kane\u2019s speed? Are we watching the same show here?<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">4. Roman Owns Owens<\/h3>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">I always find it frustrating when WWE is unable to protect just a few marquee matches. In theory, Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns should be one of the biggest matches the Raw brand can put together. Instead of coming up with any sort of way to keep the two apart before their pay-per-view main event, they went with the tired trope of having them wrestle on TV with the champ losing. WWE, there are other ways to book! It has been done!<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I just don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever be more excited for a match that you\u2019re supposed to pay for, after you have already seen it for free. Even with a title on the line, it just feels like a bit of a rerun. To make matters worse, Roman pinned Owens cleanly, which only continues to make the Universal Champ look increasingly ineffective.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Just think, WWE could reverse the roles of these two and make a lot of money. Or, they can cast them in the wrong slots, throw them out on the middle of an episode of Raw, and get absolutely nothing out of it!<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">3. The DCC Are Deleted<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Well, it was kind of fun while it lasted. Among TNA\u2019s many problems is that they don\u2019t know how to book their heels. They did a surprisingly stellar job through most of 2016 with Bobby Lashley, but no one else comes across as much of a threat. The initial introduction of the DCC showed some potential, but that\u2019s quickly been squandered away.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The trio of Bram, Eddie Kingston, and James Storm continued on their journey of being beaten up by Matt and Jeff Hardy this week. Since the tag division is so depleted on Impact, the group basically had to start at the top and then lose. There\u2019s nowhere else to go but down.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Adding to the silliness was the fact that Storm cut a promo with his mask on, and his voice distorted. Um&#8230; we uh&#8230; we already know it\u2019s Storm, so doesn\u2019t that kind of defeat the purpose? Hopefully the group can get on a bit of a roll, but the last few weeks have certainly damaged quite a bit of their initial potential.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-445480637\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">2. 205 Live<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Ouch. What a terrible environment this was. You\u2019re not going to be able to create a star by saying to the audience, \u201cPlease don\u2019t go home and put your kids to bed, instead stick around for another hour to watch all those people who are on Raw&#8230; you know, the ones who don\u2019t have defined personalities!\u201d Thus began the new world of &#8220;205 Live.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Now Rich Swann and Brian Kendrick delivered in the main event, and Jack Gallagher continues to shine, but the show\u2019s atmosphere is dreadful. Considering there\u2019s already five hours of first run TV to watch every week to keep up on WWE\u2019s narrative (six if you count NXT), 205 Live is going to have to go above and beyond every time out to justify its existence.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Maybe they can make this thing work, but by having the show take place in a half-empty arena after a mediocre episode of SmackDown means they have a huge uphill battle in front of them.<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">1. Going For A Pint<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There\u2019s nothing like a good old fashioned barroom brawl&#8230; that a couple of cameramen just happen to be at. On Raw, we witnessed Sheamus and Cesaro nearly break up their team, but through a Christmas miracle, some drunken locals made them stronger than ever.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This style of pre-recorded, heavily-edited footage works in Lucha Underground, as they keep their storytelling narrative consistent. TNA has experimented with it to various degrees of success, but in WWE, it just always feels way out of place. Looking past that, the entire brawl was painfully cheesy. For starters, Cesaro looks like a dope by having to order the same drink as James Bond. Being Bond is not a good gimmick! Did he even see <i>Spectre<\/i>? Then the fight itself was more comically bad than badass.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">For two guys who are supposed to be hard-hitting tough guys, they sure star in far too many segments better suited for The Disney Channel.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Best of the Week<\/h2>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">5. Pedigree On A Car<\/h3>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">Okay, so this isn\u2019t a huge hit here, but sometimes wrestlers just have to battle it out outside of the ring to mix things up. We\u2019ve seen Seth Rollins struggle to work as a face, and having him beat up one of the most beloved wrestlers on Raw likely isn\u2019t a great way to turn things around, but still, it was pretty entertaining.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">It seems in this era, WWE hasn\u2019t given us a lot of iconic visuals like the beer truck, or the cement truck, or really, any kind of motorized vehicle that Steve Austin somehow stole. While Rollins delivering a Pedigree on a car will likely be forgotten a week from now, it was an effective way to show his dominance and give him a bit of revenge. It was also a bit of a neat visual. A small step in the right direction for The Architect.<\/div>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">4. Styles Clash From Hell<\/h3>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">Well, that could have ended badly. It\u2019s pretty incredible that management let A.J. Styles and James Ellsworth attempt a Styles Clash off the ring steps onto the ground, as we could have seen a man die right on TV. That would have been quite the unhappy ending to a feel-good story.<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Recall that the two previously tried to coordinate a Clash, and Ellsworth nearly broke his neck in the process. Somehow they agreed not only try it again, but to have Styles jump in the air while doing it! Luckily for all involved this went smoothly. It also finally added some much needed drama to the Styles\/Dean Ambrose feud. Beats a fully grown man dressing up as The Mountie.<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">3. Becky Lynch Shows Some Fire<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This was a pretty strong week for women in professional wrestling. Both Raw and Impact featured women\u2019s title matches in the main event, and the bouts themselves were pretty solid. However, I\u2019m going to go with Becky Lynch finally showing a bit of fire while dropping her goofiness for a bit as the hit here.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4113270878\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">Lynch\u2019s promo on SmackDown started off poorly, as she seemed like the old, incredibly lame, babyface version of Sheamus by bringing up her Irish relatives. The segment ended strong, though, and Lynch\u2019s night continued to get better. Her backstage segment where she called Alexa a \u201cb&#8212;-\u201d finally made her seem like an actual pissed off competitor, and not a happy-go-lucky act.<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There\u2019s still a long ways to go to make her as valuable as Sasha Banks, Charlotte, or even Bayley, but if we see more of that side of her, she could eventually get to that next level.<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">2. Allie Strikes Back<\/h3>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">Allie has come out of nowhere to become the most endearing person in all of professional wrestling. We\u2019ve still only seen glimpses of her in the ring, but she\u2019s a testament that a strong character is enough to get someone over. She doesn\u2019t have to leap off a cage, or get thrown through a table; she just has to yell that, \u201chonesty is the best policy\u201d and the crowd will go along for the ride.<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">After being berated for months by Maria, Allie finally snapped and slapped her tormentor after being called a not very nice name! Unlike many wrestling angles, this one is still being drawn out effectively as Allie quickly got beat down. That means the journey continues, and we\u2019ll follow along as she gets her revenge one step at a time.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Unless you\u2019re really into the Hardy brothers wacky antics, this may be TNA\u2019s best storyline of the year<\/p>\n<h3 dir=\"ltr\">1. Paul Heyman\u2019s Tears<\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">If the Emmy Awards ever opens up a category for Best Performance on a Wrestling Program (which is long overdue!), this would be the segment to send the academy for Paul Heyman.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This hasn\u2019t been Heyman\u2019s best year ever from an acting standpoint, but you could blame quite a bit of that on his material. After suffering through one of the greatest embarrassments of his career in Minneapolis in Oct., he\u2019s come back with a vengeance by just full-out breaking down and crying.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On Monday\u2019s Raw, Heyman was pretty broken up about his Beast being slayed, and was delightful in expressing that crushing defeat throughout. His accusation that Michael Cole doesn\u2019t even care how his friend is doing was hilarious, and the segment only got better as it went along. Plus, with the broken ribs added into the narrative, it gives Lesnar a bit of an out for his one-sided loss. Well done all around.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"m_3656351903364518097gmail-docs-internal-guid-f587017c-c609-cfc4-bc51-60e636e664e3\">Take note here WWE, only ask someone on the roster to cry on-air if they are actually able to do so.<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ajT\" src=\"https:\/\/ssl.gstatic.com\/ui\/v1\/icons\/mail\/images\/cleardot.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"yj6qo ajU\">\n<div id=\":vr\" class=\"ajR\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Show trimmed content\">\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>(This is the debut of Andrew Sousek&#8217;s new &#8220;Best &amp; Worst of the Week&#8221; feature. It will run on a weekly basis right here at PWTorch every weekend.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2814049015\"><div id=\"pwtor-156620055\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Best and Worst of the Week seeks out the greatest, and the most groan-inducing things we saw over the past seven days in WWE and TNA. It can be tough to be a wrestling fan <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/12\/09\/best-worst-week-thru-122-heymans-tears-beckys-fire-205-live-james-storm-bar-fight-mother-styles-clashes\/\" title=\"BEST AND WORST OF THE WEEK (Thru 12\/2): Heyman&#8217;s tears, Becky&#8217;s fire, 205 Live, James Storm, Bar Fight, Mother of All Styles Clashes\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4380,52,27],"tags":[4171,4328,652,118,222,198,74],"class_list":["post-36094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-worst-of-the-week","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","tag-205-live","tag-allie","tag-becky-lynch","tag-james-storm","tag-kevin-owens","tag-paul-heyman","tag-roman-reigns"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/04\/HeymanPaulGG_3x2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36094"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36098,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36094\/revisions\/36098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}