9 Match Star Ratings For WWE Stomping Grounds
This company is wild.
Or 'WWE Super ShowDown II', as it was essentially framed throughout the build.
And what a sh*tty build it was; promoted with a TV hook in pay-per-view clothing, the matches hardly sold it to an apathetic Tacoma public, either. Seth Rollins Vs. Baron Corbin, at the original Super ShowDown, made a tedious mockery of WWE's pious we-tell-stories mantra with its one-note, cop-out narrative. Roman Reigns Vs. Drew McIntyre, scripted quite well, was nonetheless a pretty uninspiring pairing.
Amid the greatest ever generation of global in-ring talent, Lacey Evans ranges from serviceable to disastrous. Shane McMahon said in January that "the whole automatic rematch thing is antiquated," and while it is no longer a formality in storylines, it certainly is an automatic impulse inherent to WWE. On the subject of Shane, his bizarre featured role catalysed another layer of the malaise from which WWE cannot escape.
Whole thing sucked.
"This pay-per-view may not be that boring, and the WWE Network direct debit doesn't impact the budget all that much," was the sales pitch - a reminder that competition isn't about to mobilise Vince McMahon into action.
So.
Was Stomping Grounds not that boring?
9. KICKOFF: Tony Nese Vs. Drew Gulak Vs. Akira Tozawa
A bloody lovely, worthy pro wrestling match that within literally seconds packed more depth in character than the show's risible main event.
The first thing Drew 'No Fly Zone' Gulak did was leave his feet via an awesome front dropkick to Tony Nese. Using wrestling moves and not godawful exposition to inform his character, this reinvented Gulak didn't care about the brand values - only his own pursuit of victory and whatever it took to get him there.
Tony Nese, in a totally nuts display of lightning agility, inspired several Renee Young-esque "Ooohs!" from the audience in his crisp exchanges with Akira Tozawa. Everything struck in this frenzied, über-creative sprint landed with such precision viciousness that's a miracle none of the three performers ended up with a hardway gash or a blackened eye. This was so, so well-worked. An arena full of cold bystanders were on their feet in purring admiration of its relentless awesomeness.
Nese played the powerhouse. Tozawa played the flier. Gulak played the crafty technician, and it all dovetailed impeccably, to unreal dramatic effect, in a series of perfectly-constructed and not at all contrived multi-man spots.
A tremendous match you need to make time for if you skipped it.
Star Rating: ****1/4