Right Hook Weekly Review (9/16/2024 to 9/20/2024)

It has been a couple of weeks since the last weekly review, but I got back on track with my review from last week’s shows, and here it is. As always, I’m tinkering with the right setup to do this and going to experiment with the simple approach of what was good and what was bad from every show.

Monday Night Raw (9/16/2024)

The Good Stuff

I’m thrilled that Raw is back to being 2 hours long. Bianca Belair vs. IYO SKY was an outstanding match and a definite show-stealer.

The Jey Uso and Bron Breakker segment was excellent! Both guys are big-time stars who delivered on the mic. I’m eagerly looking forward to their match next week.

Although I’m not ready for it, the breakup of the New Day will be memorable, even if it’s something we don’t want to see happen.

The Bad Stuff

The return of the QR code rabbit hole for the Wyatt Sicks is concerning. I hope it doesn’t go in the direction we fear, but we’ll have to see how it plays out.

This isn’t related to the show, but the irrational response to Joe Tessitore is annoying. He’s been on a few shows, and I think he’s doing a good job, especially if the presentation takes a more serious sports approach, which many of us have wanted for a while. Let’s chill out and be patient.

The fight between Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman was entertaining, giving off a “Peter vs. The Chicken” from Family Guy vibe, which is good for both stars. But is this turning Bronson Reed into a Vader-ish monster or hurting his momentum?

NXT (9/17/2024)

The Good Stuff

CM Punk’s significant part of the show, especially with his debut on the CW in Chicago, was great. Tyrese Haliburton is fantastic; you can tell he’s a real pro wrestling fan, as he just gets it.

Roxanne Perez was impressive in her segment with Punk. Her heel run has been exceptionally good. Guila is already a star and has an aura similar to Asuka when she arrived in NXT.

Punk’s guest refereeing for the NXT championship on the CW debut should be fun. Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page is the right main event for that show and for the phase NXT is going through.

The Bad Stuff:

The women’s tag match with Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Wendy Choo & Rosemary was okay, but Wendy Choo’s presentation was terrible and ruined everything. Her gimmick has evolved from a happy, goofy character to something current that sucks, bringing down everything involved with it, and it needs to be scrapped ASAP.

Tony D’Angelo’s walkout on his match with Alexander Hammerstone, who debuted last week to challenge Oba Femi for D’Angelo, was odd. I can’t wait for Hammerstone to rise to the top; he will be a main eventer quickly. The Tony D’Angelo situation was blah and not all that interesting.

AEW Dynamite (9/18/2024)

The Good Stuff

The segment with Moxley and Private Party was okay. It’s what I’ve wanted from him; even the hammer attack was fine, but I still have some doubt about how all this unfolds because, honestly, Moxley needs this to be genuinely positive and nothing like his previous attempt with this group.  

Nigel McGuinness’s interview was fine, but it would have been better without the technical difficulties. It did hurt the interview a little.

The Bad Stuff

Ricochet’s match was fun, but it also showed many of his flaws and reasons for not being elevated in WWE, like his promos and excessive flips. The match with Ospreay will certainly be exciting, but it shouldn’t be on free TV. I’m sure there is a method to this madness, though.

The Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy match was useless and exactly what turns viewers away, both at home and probably in the arena. Both guys have not added value to AEW since the pandemic and need to go away for an extended period of time.

Friday Night Smackdown (9/20/2024)

The Good Stuff

The Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes face-to-face in Atlanta was excellent! Their ties to the city were well done, especially showing Reigns’ playing days at Georgia Tech, something I’ve wanted to see for a while. It was a well-done segment and added to the upcoming tag match in Atlanta for Bad Blood.

The new Bloodline going through security to open the show was good. Jacob Fatu is a can’t-miss superstar, period. LA Knight vs. Andrade for the US title was a good opener, definitely the best match on the show, and it continued this series of matches between Andrade and Carmelo Hayes that have been so good.

Saturday Night’s Main Event commercial was awesome, with the original music and graphics. I can’t wait for that show in December. Tama Tonga finally got to talk, which was good, showcasing what more he could do. I hope we get a new Guerillas of Destiny with Jacob Fatu and eventually branch off from Solo. Aldis is the best GM/authority figure in wrestling, hands down.

The main event started with the new Bloodline taking out DIY, only for the Street Profits to come out and help Owens. I’m so happy the Profits are getting a shot in the main event; the fans are behind them and are a star tag team. The match was good, ending with a disqualification, where Cody came out to help Owens but still remained where KO stood with Rhodes to end the show.

The Bad Stuff

I feel so bad for DIY because they got no reaction, which is unfortunate because they are talented and can certainly help revive this tag team division, making it a meaningful part of the show again.

Sadly, the tornado tag was underwhelming and didn’t do much to make me care about the WWE women’s championship situation unless Stratton finally cashes in.

Chelsea Green is very entertaining, but that promo for the dumpster match with Michin was corny. Hopefully, they figure out the balance before it diminishes her potential because she can be a player in that women’s division for Smackdown.