Better late than never...welcome to your recap of the more-relevant-than it-used-to-be HuluPlus streaming WWE production known as Superstars!
The Usos defeat 3MB (Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal)
in approximately seven minutes via pinfall when Jimmy Uso pins Slater
Drew McIntyre is not dealing with a wrist injury - he's out scouting concert venues. I love you, Superstars kayfabe. While I'm musing on the Thursday night house band, has Heath had that pectoral lift surgery that Rocky got? If so, he's probably gonna need it again.
Typical warm-up of dueling group chants for the crowd before rope-running leads to the also typical great bump by Slater when he goes face first to the mat when Jinder takes out his legs while he's running the ropes. The good guys are in charge long enough for Jey to launch their aerial assault, but being forced to deal with an interfering West Virginian on the apron gives Jinder time to regroup and dodge a splash from Jimmy and let the heels get behind the wheel to take us to a break.
A quick thought on the Uso's offense. It's fun, and they do things that require them to work in unison, but they're not exactly tandem maneuvers. And certainly not ones that would make you say, "wow". The coolest one is the elbow drop where they clasp hands first. I'd love to see them figure out something big - finisher or signature move - that really requires them to work in unison.
The no-chest tatted brother takes the punishment for the middle third of the contest. Solid but unremarkable heelin' from 3MB end when Jimmy slips out of a back body drop to tag in his brother. Jey rolls over both bandmates and gets the crowd chanting before connecting with his pops' Rump Shaker before attempting a pin.
Mahal makes to get involved, but he's cleared out rather easily. The twins nail the former Nexus member with stereo superkicks and then end it with a Samoan Splash from Jimmy. The final move is a good example of Uso offense that looks like team work but isn't - Jey crouches in front of his brother so he came dive over him, but is not actually involved in the move at all.
Decent little match that actually builds to Night of Champions and the kick-off Tag Team Turmoil bout.
Match Footage below via WWE.com's Official YouTube Channel:
The Raw opening segment of Edge versus Hunter (co-starring the WWE champion and #1 contender) is aired, followed by CM Punk beating a physician with a stick.
Big E Langston defeats Zack Ryder
in approximately five minutes via pinfall
It's impossible to determine how much they manipulate audio on pre-taped shows like this one, but I think Ryder is still a lot more popular with live crowds than we on the internet realize. He's out to a loud pop here. E follows with basically his NXT entrance, and this feels like stage two of his redebut as a babyface.
Phase 1.2 may be color commentator Alex Riley's casual mention that he has "moved on" from his alliance with Divas champ AJ Lee. He works this match as the de facto heel, but Langston is in the monster face mold of Goldberg - he gets cheers for wrecking dudes, not making comebacks. He's in command of this one pretty much throughout, with occasional Ryder offense off of a counter. Usually by getting a knee or elbow up on a corner charge.
Great spot where the powerlifter catches the Long Islander when he attempts a crossbody to the outside, and Big spin slams him into the barricade. Much of the match from there focuses on the former United States champ's ribs, and Ryder is a hell of a salesperson. It's not hard to see why live crowds love him.
His comeback gets rolling when he rolls out from under a splash and then gets his knees up to meet a rampaging Langston at the turnbuckles. Missle dropkick, running forearm and Broski Boot gets two, but that's as good as it gets for ZR.
Because in the second great spot of the match, the youngster transitions an attempted Rough Ryder into a sick looking power bomb. The straps come down for the Big Ending, and the rebuilding of Big E is officially on.
This was so much like one of his non-squash matches in developmental, I was surprised that he didn't hit his finisher again and go for a five count.
Match Footage below via WWE.com's Official YouTube Channel:
The show ends by joining Bryan versus Dean Ambrose in progress and replaying all of the aftermath with The Big Show and the regime.
Another strong outing for the B-show earns it a B- grade. While short, the bouts were solid and felt like they mattered in the grand scheme of things. A nice appetizer for the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV).
Anybody else watch this week? What'd you think?