Every week WWE Superstars is presented on the WWE Network, usually being added around 3 PM EST. I am a fan and watch the show religiously so why not share some thoughts and insight, especially for those who may not keep up with it and want to know what they’re missing, or conversely, those who do and want to see what others may think?
This week’s episode of Superstars, on paper, looks like another weaker episode. Last week wasn’t a bad show, but it certainly wasn’t a strong edition. This week looks to be quite similar. As always, Rich Brennan and Byron Saxton are the commentators and as I say every week, I quite enjoy them together. They make the matches feel important which for Superstars isn’t always easy. Let’s see how the show was:
Summer Rae vs. Alicia Fox
I really don’t enjoy Alicia Fox’s mannerisms. She is just so hokey and it comes off so unnatural. Meanwhile Summer is the complete opposite. I think as a character she is really overlooked. She is quite the mic worker and has really good facial expressions. So naturally when she had the mic and cut a brief promo before this match, I was happy. It also helps the match mean a little more and it helps the fans care more. Seems like a win/win to me.
Despite the praise I had for Summer, I do have to admit some of her and Alicia’s interactions felt hokey here as well. With that said, the in ring action early on was fun and probably the most entertaining Alicia has been. Summer is perfectly solid in the ring. Unfortunately, the heat here was pretty boring and Alicia isn’t likable as a babyface. In fact, I’m not sure if she even tried being one.
The finishing stretch was alright, with Alicia attempting to do a sunset flip in the corner but the pin didn’t look as good as it could have and Summer kind of got the rope late, so the cheating didn’t really even seem necessary. Which can be argued is still a good thing for her character, but either way it was kind of ugly. Not a good match. Not dreadful but not good. Summer getting a win is nice, and hopefully she keeps wrestling and keeps being used.
Winner: Summer Rae
After Summer Rae bails and celebrates we get a look at RAW and the big return of Shane McMahon. This was great and compelling TV. A lot of it doesn’t seem to make sense yet, but hopefully it gets cleared up in the coming weeks and equally as important, hopefully WWE can keep the momentum going.
We then saw the Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose angle from RAW as well, which I really enjoyed. I’m a huge Dean Ambrose guy and this was a feud I’ve wanted for a long time. I’m also interested in how they book Ambrose as a threat in the coming weeks. Perhaps he can get a little ultra violent?
Stardust then cut a promo from his little special room and it was good as always. Stardust is such a good talker even though he is consistently overlooked by both fans and the WWE themselves. It was also amusing that Stardust mocked Ryder for collecting action figures.
Stardust vs. Zack Ryder
These two just seem to keep wrestling. While it isn’t exciting by any means, at least the matches they put on are consistently quality. I’ve said it before but I’m ready for the Hype Bros to get called up. No, they aren’t tag team championship contenders, but Mojo has improved enough where they can work well as a Superstars/Main Event level tag team and as a result it’d offer some more fresh matches. Which I feel are desperately needed.
I thought the cut off here was awesome, though. It was minor and something most would overlook, but it just looked really good. It was 100% believable and perfect for this match. Oh and they did a double down which led to quite the finishing stretch. They had a lot of counters for each other which makes sense with all the matches they’ve had together as of late and they were fun spots.
Stardust eventually picked up the win but it needs to be said, these two just deliver together. Fun sequences, good stories being told, and both characters playing up their roles nicely. These matches need to be checked out. They are very, very fun.
Winner: Stardust
Stardust celebrates a bit before we take a quick look at the triple threat main event from Fastlane. You can see my thoughts on that match here. We then had this week’s WWE Trivia!
The show ends by showing Roman Reigns taking on Sheamus from RAW only to be interrupted by a vicious assault from Triple H. I absolutely loved this. I have been, and most likely will remain, critical of the decision to have Triple H and Roman Reigns headline Wrestlemania this year. However this is the kind of action we need. It was personal. It was bloody. The crowd was hot for it. Just excellent. Fair warning, even though they did make this black and white, it may still come across as too graphic for some younger viewers. Parental discretion is advised. Regardless, this was an excellent end of a really strong RAW and that wraps up Superstars for this week.
Match List
Summer Rae vs. Alicia Fox
Stardust vs. Zack Ryder
Closing Thoughts
Stardust and Zack Ryder together just isn’t exciting, but boy do they have good matches. While the WWE may drop the ball with them, they go out and remind people of how good they can be on nights like this. And ultimately, it is easy to be critical of WWE for repeating matches but Superstars is the E show of the company in terms of in-ring action, so the fact that the match delivered so well is enough for me. Hopefully we get a name or two next week, but I think this episode was perfectly decent, despite a less-than-good divas outing.
What did you think of the show? Make sure to leave your thoughts and feedback. As always, stick to the WWE Network Chronicle for the latest WWE Network news, polls, reviews, and rumors! Bookmark us, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter: @WWENetworkChron!