Category: Written Reviews

Only 4 days later but here’s my thoughts on the Rumble & RAW! And thanks to the super-brah on the hard camera with our shart! It’s January 15th, 2015 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with 17,164 in attendance and about a million subscribers on the WWE Network, it’s the 2015 Royal Rumble!

Pre-Show MAAAAAIN event was The New Day vs Team CAT (Cesaro, Adam rose & Tyson kidd)

New Day depress me. They got “New! Day Sucks!” chants & boos by the end. However Team CAT need to be a thing. Tyson is wearing cat claw gloves, this gimmick has legs (4 of them!) They were also WAY more over in Philly (a renowned smark crowd) and Tyson picked up the win, making everyone very happy. Decent pre-show match, shame it wasn’t on the PPV.

Outlaws vs The Ascension

Whenever I see the Outlaws I think of how Triple H must love hiring his mates, even those that slammed him for years in TNA and shoot interviews. I bet Road Dogg just said we were trying to get heat and Aitch said ‘fair enough’. I don’t understand the backlash The Ascension got for cutting a kayfabe “we’re the best” promo (should they say they suck?) on their RAW debut but they’ve quickly turned into a jobber act in a matter of weeks, which is even faster than fellow NXT call-up Xavier Woods. To be honest, the Legion of Demolition would make great (intentional) comedy jobbers like Heath Slater. It was always a rib having two ‘decent’ sized newbs being booked like they’re the Road Warriors – they’ll have to learn their place, and they’re only large compared to some acts in NXT. In any case, the roster does need jobbers, these two can do those jobs, instead of making mid-carders lose to each other (like new IC champ Wade Barrett jobbing to NXT’s SIN CARA!)
Despite being trounced by old-timers on RAW, the Ascension controlled the majority of the match with coma-inducing headlocks that’d make Randy Orton proud. The Outlaws never really had a comeback and Conor & Viktor won with a kind of TOTAL ELIMINATION! Kronus aside, it was a bad match.

The Usos (c) vs. Miz and Mizdow

It’s come to my attention that Miz does not catch people who dive on the outside. What an asshole! That’s dangerous. Weirdly, Miz is actually the stunt-double of the team: Sandow fakes his bumps on the outside whilst Miz gets battered and actually takes bumps. Philly (and everyone else) loves Sandow so they held off his tags for a while but the Usos got the win, meaning Miz & Sandow should be out of the chase for hopefully more than a month. Fine but instantly forgettable, as PPV tag title matches generally are.

The Bellas vs. Paige and Natalya

LET ME HOLLA AT YA PLAYA! FOURTH TAG MATCH of the night. Nattie’s been on NXT as well tagging with Charlotte, and on RAW we have the similar ‘let’s team up out of respect’ angle with Paige. Also the two have been feeling the effects of LESBIAN POLLEN (mind games!) on Total Divas. The Bellas look nothing alike now, you can tell which one’s vegan, and which one eats meat (rarr!). Good job Cena. The Bellas do this rolling slam deeley to Nattie. V1 said The Hardyz used to do it, I said no, never. Is V1 or myself right? Similar to the Ascension match the heels were in control for the most part, couple of blown spots (although Nikki’s definitely improved), no hot tag, the heels just win after a nice Nigel forearm. Fart of a match.

WWE World Title Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

It ended up being a fantastic idea to add Seth to the match. Himself and Brock work REALLY, REALLY WELL as sneaky heel Seth would bump like a madman and Brock would hulk-smash his way through with effortless rag-doll German Suplexes. I don’t think I’ve heard the “John Cena Suuuucks” singing to his theme song on TV before but we had it. No time for Cena doing his standard spots (there’s literally nothing fresh or inventive he can do for me) like double-AAing the stooges and his shit punches comeback. Seth looked incredible bumping and working his ass off, punctuating with two high spots, elbow-dropping Lesnar through the announce table and performing a beautiful Phoenix Splash to Cena. Captain Crossfit, what a boss! Brock looked like an indestructible beast and scored an F5 for the win to retain. Man, I’d love to see Lesnar/Rollins at Mania. Guaranteed to deliver. The match was excellent, highly recommend you watch it.

The Royal Rumble Match

• Who booked this shit? Not Pat Patterson, that’s who. #1 & #2 was The Awesome Truth, here you could see someone in an OSW t-shart!
• Bubba Ray Dudley was a surprise entrant (went down a treat in Philly). He looks to have put on a lot of the weight he lost in TNA. Without D-Von he did the Wazzup & 3D with Truth.
• Bray eliminated a good few (reports say they’re considering him as Undertaker’s Mania opponent) but his feud with Ambrose really hasn’t helped. We got to see The Boogeyman interact, such a strong gimmick I’m surprised WWE didn’t have a place for him. DDP made a surprise entrance as well, great to see him! Hit the Diamond cutter on a couple of mid-carders, awesome. Please bring wrestling gear next time!
• Daniel Bryan was #10 and got eliminated after #15. I watched this with the lads and that’s the point where we checked out of the match. Who cares now? December to Dismember booking; get the actual faces (RVD/Punk) out first so hopefully you’ll cheer for Vince’s babyface (Bobby Lashley), because that went down a treat. The crowd weren’t so angry/chanty as they were dismissive & apathetic I felt.
• Curtis Axel was attacked by the Vintner Erik Rowan and never entered the match. WHERE’S THE JUSTICE FOR CURTIS AXEL? (in kayfabe he never entered the match – you’d need to enter the match before it finishes, if that makes sense)
• Jaysus STATE OF YOUR ROSTER DEPTH MATE! The AMOUNT of jobbers in this match. It was like the 1997 Rumble where half of them were Mexicans. Expecting Latin Lover to come out.
• The crowd broke out of their funk for Mizdow, but of course WWE eliminate him in under 30 seconds and the crowd turn again.
• Kofi’s spot (he got a big cheer as we know he’ll do something amazing) was getting eliminated quickly and the rosebuds putting him back in. It was so weak we assumed there’d be another… but no, he just gets eliminated. Sigh!
• They didn’t book any big spots (just the aforementioned and Titus getting the Santino quick-elimination schtick which isn’t a thing) so it was a boring match, far inferior to even last year. Ok the crowd were far angrier last year, but that the match was decent enough until #30 Mysterio came out and told everyone Bryan’s not in the match.
• Further compounding things was that obvious winner Roman Reigns didn’t have a good match. Couple eliminations but nothing notable. I should mention the scenario in 2015 is NOWHERE similar to 2014, as in 2014, Shield member Roman was hidden & protected by Rollins & Ambrose, and was the last alternative to Boo-tista, whereas this year he’s the most-pushed babyface with awful comedy promos & delivery.
• Big Show and Kane were the slow, plodding dominant heels (to chants of Bullshit and We Want Refunds) who were the final four in 2000 as well. I’ve no interest in seeing them in 2015. It’s so demoralising seeing Show and Kane take out Ziggler, Ambrose & Bray. YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU LIKE! Things got so bad the crowd chanted for Rusev, the foreign heel (he was knocked out but not eliminated, we’d forgotten about him but the crowd could see him at the apron). Reigns wins it eliminating those 3 (a quick, non-interesting finish, he just turfed them out without a proper fight).
• WWE knew Reigns would be booed and trotted out the Rock to endorse him, because surely you can’t boo Reigns if the Rock’s there? Wrong. Wow. (Rock has a “what the fuck?” reaction to it, giffed below, it’s magic). They do have a post-PPV interview on the Network where they both fumble over their words.
All in all, one of the worst rumbles in years, not just because of the winner, but a poorly-constructed, boring match with little star power and an unappealing finish – WWE did Reigns no favours. No real iron man/lots-of-eliminations push, no 2-big babyfaces squaring off etc, and Bryan should’ve been there until the very end. The crowd could’ve been much more vicious. Bit of a disaster. I get Vince thinks the handsome superstar Reigns valiantly fought off the dominant corporate giants and gets the endorsement of his cousin & massive babyface superstar, but if he thinks that would work, he’s alarmingly out of touch.

#CancelWWENetwork

@OSWreview #CancelWWENetwork #1 Trend WORLDWIDE
Fuck
this
company pic.twitter.com/3ruXnXRVKS

— illixur (@illixur) January 26, 2015

Hilariously, #CancelWWENetwork was the #1 trend straight afterwards. I think it’s a great way to send your disapproval but I also think it’s hypocritical as maybe 1% of those tweeting it actually cancelled their subscription. Indirectly responding to it, WWE announced they cracked 1 million subscribers (which is legit as the free month, the Rumble hype and fallout did put them over the mark). They did lose subs but was far outweighed by what they gained. Probably worth noting that WWE will continue to do what WWE wants because it’s WWE’s company, despite doing what the fans want would make more business sense. It’s a really petty ego trip – a vain, selfish act, like continuing to make movies despite repeatedly losing millions on most films! That said the best thing to come out of wrestling are the snarky pictures that come out afterwards! Thanks for sending me your tweets, it’s awesome.

RAW AFTER THE RUMBLE

• With BLOODY JUNO (the snowstorm) cancelling RAW, they cobbled together a 3-hour show from WWE HQ, replaying the Rumble & title match from the prior night and doing sit-down interviews with their most prominent talents (Brock/Heyman, Seth, Bryan and also a skit with Dean). I didn’t mind them showing PPV matches on free TV because it’s a one-off and they were up against time getting an entirely new show together.
• It was a scrambling production, Michael Cole constantly tripping over his words (which is a rarity) and I’m assuming Vince, breathing heavily off-screen. Cole’s questions were really stupid (as all questions in WWE are, “when you hit the move, did you think you’d win?”)
• The crowd-less atmosphere gave promos the sense of gravitas. Reigns came off really well, quiet; absorbing the verbal jabs Heyman masterfully threw at him, admitting the crowd’s disapproval and wanting to fight Brock. This is probably Reigns at his best right now.
• Seth plays the loud-mouthed, cowardly dick heel to perfection. He decreed Brock will have to take his chair, and when confronted, swats it away and walks off. Amazing. I love how Brock was calm and polite (“excuse me, I believe you’re in my chair”), and thanked Cole for congratulating him on his title win. There’s no need to be angry, he is the best and it’s a fact.
• Bryan similarly addressed Reigns’ shortcomings (which was pretty much as shoot as you’ll get on WWE TV) but wasn’t incensed. It’s sad that he’ll be overlooked come Mania again, but he’s incredibly talented, so he’ll always be important. At Mania he’s pegged to wrestle either Ziggler (they were mentioning it on twitter) or V1’s favourite, vs Sheamus for a third time.
WWE lowered the boos in the Rumble repeat but I wouldn’t recommend re-watching it. But watch the title match again! The promos however were refreshingly candid and did wonders for the world title situation. A massive positive coming off a wave of online negativity over Reigns.

And now, your awesome tweets!

https://twitter.com/RBOSull/status/559978687098286081/

@OSWreview…honest opinions on that PPV? pic.twitter.com/62H2875nE1

— HeelHardman (@RossHardman1) January 26, 2015

@OSWreview too many characters to retweet, here's the pic. I had a big Fucking Laugh! #ReignsRover ROFL!!! LMAO!! pic.twitter.com/UQXhqK3dmD

— Gronk The CaveMan (@CaveManBro) January 26, 2015

@OSWreview #RoyalRumble #CancelWWENetwork pic.twitter.com/YB4xgHhGlk

— David Hilliard (@stygianftw) January 26, 2015

To the guys at @OSWreview I know you love your Simpsons. pic.twitter.com/4uy2X7jYaS

— Garth👨🏼‍🏭🎮🇺🇸💡🙏🏻 (@spongebelt) January 26, 2015

https://twitter.com/ChiefShredder/status/559739649258954753/

@OSWreview Tonight, with no #RAW, double-double-E air true classic! pic.twitter.com/e61prOPbNq

— Al Sciarretti 🇺🇸 (@AlSciarretti) January 26, 2015

https://twitter.com/ImJasonShanahan/status/559807173119983616/

Thanks to wrestling-giffer for the gifs! If you missed it, OSW update on our next episodes & the STATE of YouTube etc here: OSWreview.com/updatejan29

2 Questions: Do you know anyone that cancelled the Network, and what did you think of the Rumble match overall, was it as bad as I thought?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]To set the scene, WWE fans rallied behind Daniel Bryan after losing his title in 8 seconds to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28. Since then, Bryan’s popularity soared into MEGA HOT territory, peaking coming into the Summer of 2013, where Bryan beat Cena (clean) for the WWE title. However Aitch immediately heel-turned on Bryan, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his MITB briefcase, therefore nullifying any great work Cena had done and placing the heat on themselves. They delayed giving Bryan his big run as champion and tried to quell the crowd rallying behind him, which only made things worse. “#HijackRAW” was a thing – fans destroyed segments by chanting “YES” and “Daniel Bryan” during any segment they saw fit, demanding Bryan be the top guy. Most hilariously during the go-home RAW for TLC (Orton vs Cena), Steph was praising Triple H and fans completely killed the segment chanting for Bryan. The WWE machine decided to not only delay Bryan’s run, but cancel it entirely, in favour of a returning Batista vs Orton main event of WrestleMania. Fast forward to the Rumble. They booked Bryan in a singles match with Bray Wyatt and said he’s definitely not competing in the Rumble. Although fans (including myself) knew this, we expected that to be an obvious swerve. They couldn’t really cast aside the freshest, most popular full-timer around, could they? Surely he’ll be #30, right?

Watched this last night, here’s my thoughts on it:
• Beforehand Flair (on the pre-show panel) predicts BATISTA (which gets boos). An incensed Flair shouts “learn to love it!” Ha!
• Punk (#1) was still with the company! Wears a Gracie Academy hoodie. Odd how he carved out a niche as the guy who does what he wants (ie nobody else, save Brock, could do that). He looks ABSOLUTELY KNACKERED (he’d walk out before RAW the next day, refusing plans to wrestle Aitch at Mania). His haircut and chops makes him look like SUCH a Pikey! Himself and Seth kick off, they’re great together, wish they had a singles PPV match.
• Cody (#4) pre-stardust with his cool woah-oh heel song. JBL’s got his cog notes and throws out “this guy won at this entry” facts every so often.
• Rusev’s main roster debut, pre-lana but has the song. Swagger goes right for him – i.e. they’ve been teasing Rusev Swagger since his first night out of NXT.
• Kofi (#8) gets big pop as the crowd know he’ll do something awesome. This time Rusev catches him on the outside and puts him on the barricade; Kofi does a running jump to the apron (awesome!) gets a huge cheer. He then hangs on by hooking both feet under the bottom rope, and twats Swagger with his own boot.
• Ambrose & Reigns enter via the regular entrance way, it’s weird.
• Kevin Nash’s dyed brown short hair & goatee show up to the nWo theme.
• Reigns murders everyone, people boo Ziggler’s exit, as he was well over in Pittsburgh. With 3 members (and Punk skulking in the corner), they dominate.
• WWE’s production truck allocated 10 seconds for Khali’s song (#16) but he was only halfway down the runway. He’s immediately thrown back out, his knees must’ve been really bad. Not complaining!
• Sheamo returns to take on the shield. Gets a loud cheer returning from a shoulder injury 5 months ago. I’ve been enjoying him not being on TV recently. Hopefully they do something different with him, “babyface bully” wasn’t great!
• #19 Fandango – fans immediately sing his song and do the finger dance. That’s what you get for being concussed Fandango, buried and repackaged with a new song people can’t hum.
• El Torito does a hold-the-midget-at-arm’s-length with Punk, he eliminated Fandango before being eliminated by Reigns – Fandango catches him on the outside and lays him down gently so he doesn’t take a bump. What a great guy.
• Cesaro swing: fans go out of time at the FORTH revolution and start cheering at 17.
• JBL at #24. Cole quips that this is the “JBL character’s first match” (as Bradshaw entered at least the 98 Rumble). I know he’s trying to make this a big deal but don’t call people characters. Otherwise they’d better count Isaac yankem and Fake Diesel amongst Kane’s appearances then too, ya bastards! JBL does a stupid “hold my coat” routine and gets eliminated immediately. I get he’s not wrestling but it just makes him look like a moron, JBL’s not an idiot character either. He gets “you still got it” chants, oh fuck off.
• During JBL’s entrance, Kane sneaking under the ring is caught on camera, a rare fuck up.
• Usos and Wyatts gets no crowd reaction, same with Big E. Ryback gets immediate Goldberg chants. When did those stop? I suppose he got de-pushed with Rybaxl so he stopped getting backlash from fans.
• Batista gets a pop and then a few seconds later, gets loud boos. The turnaround is ridiculous! Really funny.
• R-O-N Mastrio (#30) enters, Cole reams off his fact sheet (jaysus, he’s terrible for that) and immediately the fans cop Daniel Bryan’s not coming out. They loudy boo and chant for Bryan. I’ve never heard anything like it in a rumble. It’s relentless and gets louder for Rey’s spots, jeering him with a pop when he’s eliminated and back to hijacking the show.
• Reigns eliminates Seth, Dean and Cesaro for trying to eliminate him, breaking Kane’s record at 12.
• Kane does a run-in and takes out Punk to more boos. (Punk never gets praise for going 49:12 in this Rumble! He did Road Dogg in the corner for most of it though!). Pairing Punk and Kane. Now they’re pairing Bryan and Kane. Why can’t they pair someone shit with Kane?
• FINISH: Three guys left: Sheamus, reigns an Batista, as the crowd loudly boo. Anyone buy this on DVD – did they dub the audio? I’d forgotten how bad the boos were. They chant “no” instead of “brogue” to Sheamo beating his chest. Crowd eventually chant for Roman and Batista delivers a nasty stiff spear, OWW. Reigns is much softer. Fans boo Reigns’ elimination and BOOOOOOOOO, no! and daniel bryan chants. Besides Batista looking a little pissed, they still all did their spots (I imagine they thought they’d fix it in post.) I can’t recall any other WWE PPV quite like it. Batista/Big Show ECW Hammerstein they weren’t rallying behind anyone, just booing these lads. I watched it live in the Woolshed Pub first time around so I couldn’t hear much of the audio (beyond there were boos) and it wasn’t until 2nd viewing I heard just how vicious it was. It’s worse than I remember! That said, I’m so happy the crowd forced WWE’s hand to MAKE FANS HAPPY (why is this a fight?) but it tinged Bryan’s WM win with bitterness of how hard we had to work to get it.

Rumble 2015: Since Reigns is pegged to win it, and it’s in smark town Philly, he’ll get a bad reaction, but I think since Bryan’s in the Rumble, the pressure and focus is taken off him, so it won’t nearly be half as bad. Just brace yourself, tonight’s gonna be another #FuckyouBritain! I think we all gotta accept Cena and Reigns are gonna win, set those expectations low so we can’t be disappointed!

[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbaUMX2UJtM”][vc_column_text]

If you missed it, here’s my new Tough Enough S1 Eps 5-6-7 review and OSW update![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]We’re back with 3 more Tough Enough episodes!

Pilot review: OSWreview.com/tough-enough-pilot
Episodes 2-3-4 review: OSWreview.com/tough-enough-s1e2-3-4

To recap, Triple H’s speech causes Jason (the most ripped guy) to quit, Daryl’s clothes smell & he can’t wear his shorts with the big hole in it, Victoria & Bobbie Joe decide to quit together and Maven sandbags any house drama being positive and professional.

EPISODE 5 “Dispatching Darryl” featuring Pat Patterson[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]• More bumping! They show the trainees worst bumps, it’s hilarious. Later Daryl struggles with basic drills, and flinches/half-bumps on a hip-toss landing on his ear. Nasty. He’s a huge dude though, said to be 325lbs.
• PAT PATTERSON! PAYDAY! Ach, it’s a gimmick episode, to buy & make dinner for Pat.
• Daryl is a cheap-ass and argues ponying up $8 for dinner. This guy’s gold.
• We get an extended DVD extra of Pat’s anecdotes. Unfortunately they have unlevelated lower echoey audio, it’s annoying – and so bad it needed subtitles.
• Daryl loses a darts game and has to do push-ups.
• DVD extra: Tori brings the group to do yoga. It’s death. Tori speaks without confidence.
• Oddly they push Taylor not quitting since she’s nothing to go back to, but later she quips that (Tough Enough) was “so what I needed”
• After all the dropouts, this is their first cut – Daryl. Contestants are informed via hanging in their locker, which is a bit of a bitch move. Surely a confrontational atmos with the trainers would be good TV?
The DVD extras made the episode it’s worst yet. The gang have a little fun at Daryl’s expense, he was the most interesting guy there. Wonder how the show’ll do without him.

EPISODE 6 “Tears Idle Tears”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]• The gang visit a tranny restaurant/night club. Maven dresses up and that’s it.
• Josh HATES watching wrestling with others; was annoyed someone criticised a bump taken. Gosh he’d hate me!
• Shadrick and Chris Ni (the Josh look-a-like) are faring poorly with bumps and arm drags. The show barely features those doing well (Maven, Chris, Nidia).
• It’s cut time, and Shad gets fired. Jackie takes his failure hard, crying twice over it.
Boring episode. The worst episode of the season, made to fill time.

EPISODE 7 “A No-Win-Ski Situation” with Kurt Angle[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]• Al Snow tells a trainee “You’re not impressing me by continuing to do these things when you’re actually injured”. Yeah, save it for the main roster!
• It’s KURT ANGLE! It’s hilarious to see Josh’s deer-in-headlights as he catches a glimpse of Kurt whilst doing jumping jacks.
• He gives a speech mostly as a DVD extra: He was told pro-wrestling was fake, a con to tarnish his gold medals. He mentioned being served & ripping up a 10-year multi-million dollar deal. (He did sign an 8-year deal). Angle’s very humble and talks about earning respect. He freely mentions not having paid the same dues as other superstars and rising quickly but the trainers say he paid his dues in other ways & still paid them. He doesn’t over-train; as not to wear yourself out before you get in the ring. He does half hour of intense cardio and an hour weight training almost every day; his training is geared for looks rather than strength.
• Pauline gets mailed a CT scan. Why I’ve no idea because she can’t interpret it. She looks like she’s reading a foreign treasure map.
• The gang go the Bahamas (real reality TV filler). Nowinski outs himself as a bit of a dick and a bully. He explains his annoyance at how goofy and unprofessional everyone else is outside the ring, especially Josh & his $1 wooden flute (which is quite hilarious hearing the noise from it)
• After visiting her doctor, Pauline is told she’s got a partially torn lateral ligament, partially broken the top of her femur and a knee sprain.
• The next day, Paulina withdraws. Lots of hugs and crying as she leaves, it’s a funny sight as she’s SO much taller than most of everyone.
Angle’s speech was a great listen but other than that, bust. Bring back Daryl!

That’s it! Tough Enough episodes 8-9-10 coming in a few days! Screengrabs from episodes 5-6-7:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_fade” interval=”10″ images=”2667,2668,2669,2670,2671,2672,2673,2674,2675,2676,2677,2678,2679,2680,2681,2682,2683,2684,2685,2686,2687,2688,2689,2690,2691,2692″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” img_size=”full”]tricker[/vc_gallery][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The current STATE of OSW:
• Q&A video dropped earlier this week! 3 parts, 2.5 hours, 1 video! I wish we were able to get to more questions, there were way over 500 asked. Unsure how we can remedy this!
• Q&A is up on iTunes and Android aswell!
• WANNA MEET US? I dunno why you would but we’re introducing RIC FLAIR in London on May 30th (Emirates Stadium)! He’s doing a spoken word tour, check the details out here! If you go please say hi so we can chat and have a pint! WOOO!
• The GOLDEN NOGGERS were recorded, the episode’ll be about 30-35 minutes, should be out in the next two weeks, will update you when it’s almost done.
• Also recorded, our ROYAL RUMBLE 2001 review! I’m hoping to get it finished within 2 weeks as well but I’ll let you know when editing is further on. Got some amazing stuff lined up for it, including a new Acceptable in the 80s theme song remix!
• T-Sharts are almost out of stock, if they’ve your size please pick one up if you want one! tshart.OSWreview.com
• I’m still trying to repair our current YouTube channel, Google have really dug their heels in. It was demolished due to the UK/Ire Network launch but the main problem is I can’t upload new episodes there (15-minute limit, and they’d get insta-blocked too). So for the foreseeable future our stuff will just be on the site – everything’s at OSWreview.com/episode-guide 🙂
• If you’re experiencing any playback problems, turn off HD and Ad Block (it’d help us out too!). If you still can’t get it to play please note what device & browser you’re using and tweet Jay! (@OSWreview)

– Jay[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]WOOT! TOUGH ENOUGH will return in 2015! Vinnie Mac tweeted it out on Thursday. Hopefully whoever wins fares better than Angry Andy Levine. Remember him? Of course you don’t. He was shit-canned after Vince blew up at him for mis-selling a stunner & slap. As well as his only talent is being tall. He’s the cousin of Dan Spivey and still works for WWC in Puerto Rico.

So why not catch up on some 2001 Tough Enough!

Casting Pilot Review here! OSWreview.com/tough-enough-pilot

EPISODE 2 “Welcome to the Jungle”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]• The first proper episode (the pilot was the casting session). The gang get start their training and their trainers, specifically drill sergeant Taz. Jason (the jakked guy) noted in an interview this year that during training, they all hated seeing Taz come to the house because he worked them so hard.
• Bump drills! Horrible horrible bump drills. Victoria keeps banging her head and her resolve to be a wrestler is bit shaken.
• Nowinski is best prepared being a fit ex-footballer with 3-6 months of wrestling training. Tori chastises him for explaining foot positions the non-WWF way.
• One of the guys has a Goldberg poster up, which Taz tears down saying “wrong company”.
• Bit of tussling in pig mud, where Jason and Paulina hurt her knee.
• Daryl’s already making excuses about being sick. Taz chews him out for being out of shape, it’s a little funny.
Decent, Taz &Daryl are the highlights of an easily digestible 22m.

EPISODE 3 “Jason Crumbles” with Triple H[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]• Just like episode 2, Josh Matthews is always the first in the door to the training facility.
• Oh shit, it’s Triple H! More bumping drills: Aitch has to tell Daryl one of his nuts is hanging out as he’s got a big hole in his shorts. Died.
• This is the episode with THAT Triple H speech, it’s still excellent – heartfelt, stern and very real. About respecting the business; “you either want it or you don’t; and if you don’t, don’t waste our fuckin’ time.”
• In a DVD extra, we get quite the full speech, where H chews them out over that Goldberg poster; initially praising his athleticism but saying he can’t wrestle more than 4 minutes, had his fame handed to him and has no heart for wrestling (calling in sick when he can). The detraction is the obnoxious 90s freeform camerawork zooming and panning to get multiple shots in one swoop.
• Some fun 2001 technology – corded landlines and discmans. It might air in 2001 but the house was furnished in the 90s, brah!
• We get a lot of Nidia talking, it’s terrible – she ‘dissects’ her feelings towards Chris and gives us the idiot line “Big offered to take us out, so we had to suck it up and look pretty”. JAYSUS.
• It’s mentioned that Daryl is the oldest at 25. As a consequence of Triple H’s speech, Jason (the most ripped guy) quits.
This episode is a must-watch for the Triple H segment (and Daryl’s nut); nothing’s gonna top this episode.

EPISODE 4 “If You Can’t Stand the Heat” with Stephanie McMahon[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]• At Trax (The training facility), blonde Victoria looks dangerous in the ring, and Daryl’s clothes smell (he can’t wear his shorts with the big hole in it). Amazing. This guy makes for great TV.
• After the training session, everyone’s knees have nasty contusions.
• Victoria and Bobbie Jo decide to quit together. Wow, the women left have a 3 in 1 chance of winning. Tall Paulina keeps doubting her resolve, she’ll quit soon…So it’s really between Nidia and Taylor (whom we almost never see). Slam bloody dunk, Nidia!
• There’s a candle “fire” in the house which seemed like cheap heat. Ba dum tish!
• Stephanie McMahon takes the girls out for lunch. She gets over how important that everyone’s like family and how funny the roster is, especially Aitch. She’s really her father’s daughter! Steph came off very well here.
• Since Al Snow has a match on Smackdown, the team are treated to front row seats. Fucking stacked roster of 2001! Austin, Rock, Taker, Kane, HHH Benoit, Jericho (not to mention Angle, Hardyz etc).
• Maven responds to in-house drama in a very positive and professional manner, so the cameras don’t spend much time with him (i.e. you’ll go far in the show). If they focus on you, you’re gonna be out.
Apart from Daryl’s clothes smelling there wasn’t too much fun, it was a stop-gap to to weed out the quitters so now we can really begin.

That’s it! Tough Enough episodes 5-6-7 coming soon! Screengrabs from episodes 2-3-4:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_fade” interval=”10″ images=”2512,2513,2514,2515,2516,2517,2518,2519,2520,2521,2522,2523,2524,2525,2526,2527,2528,2529,2530,2531,2532,2533,2534,2535,2536,2537″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” img_size=”full”]tricker[/vc_gallery][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4DWg8OHSo0″][vc_column_text]The current STATE of OSW:
• Q&A video coming next week!
• Write-up reviews of the rest of Tough Enough Season 1
• Recording Royal Rumble 2001 review next week!
• Got a few more OSW t-sharts in stock! tshart.OSWreview.com
• Due to the Network launch, WWE are mass-blocking YouTube vids, they’ll be back but it’ll take some time to sort out, until then everything’s at OSWreview.com/episode-guide :)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]WWE will release Tough Enough S1 from 2001 on the WWE Network Monday afternoon. It’s the DVD version, containing extended footage and without end credits, apart from the finale, which is the TV version and missing Vince interviewing the finalists. Here\’s a review of the double-episode pilot!

From over 4,000 audition tapes, WWF invite 230 to try out at their New York restaurant. They judge their physique and conditioning, see how they deal with questions/prodding and their promo ability. This episode is the best and the worst of that. The judges call back 25 finalists, and choose their final 13 to be on the Tough Enough reality show.

Thoughts on the show:
• This casting premiere is a 44-minute (double episode), with 14 episodes total (the next 13 are recorded over 9 weeks), aired June-September 2001.
• At the 230-person tryout are Al Snow, Tazz, Jacquelline, Mick Foley, producer John “Big” Gaburick, Kevin Dunn, and MTV producers. Even if they could get people in and out in 2 minutes that’d take almost 8 hours. Foley is barely featured and is not a trainer (that’s Al Snow, Tazz, Jacqueline and Tori, from X-Pac and Tori’s Christmas Story)
• Hey look – it’s EVP of TV Production, Kevin Dunn! Or as Jim Cornette calls him, “you fucking Bucky-Beaver motherfucker”
• Al Snow runs down what they’re looking for: Charisma, determination, dedication, personality, energy and most importantly, physique.
• Despite that last one (which in WWE, IS the most important) some were joke auditions for the cameras (eg really overweight fellas).
• Tazz calls himself 5’9″, 240 lbs. That’s just garbage, lol – he’s like 5’4″. He says he’ll fight for guys perceived as too small, and intentionally riles the contestants up to see how they conduct themselves.
• Josh Matthews is the first audition tape seen and is shown waiting in line to register, pretty cool.
• There’s a jakked dude who’s “just recently fallen in love”. Really staged, his girlfriend says “I love you”, and candidly he tells WWF that “I love having emotions”. AMAZING. That’s something Always Sunny’s Dennis would say.
• #56 has crib-notes on her wrist, Rock-style. Amazing.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]• Maven – immediately earmarked for success. “He looks like a kid in a pro-wrestling school”, “he reminded me a lot of Kurt Angle.”
• Daryl. I remember this guy. He forgot to wash his ass during the show. Even though he’s out of shape, since he’s 6’7″ and a hefty dude, he makes the final cut. An MTV exec describes him as “really intelligent, that has a lot to say about what’s going on the world” which is hilarious bullshit, the best he could think of on the spot. They’ve high hopes for him.
• Kenneth from Rhode Island is a custodian, whose gimmick is “The Evil Custodian”. He kicks off his promo with “nobody likes the custodian” deadpan serious, which breaks the lads instantly.
• Chris Nowinski mentions Harvard and has a quick, very positive pow-wow with the lads, he’ll make the finals (and he does).
• Woah! It’s ODB! She calls herself One Dirty Bitch. She makes the 2nd round but ultimately not chosen.
• Nidia says she was a dancer for 2 months. From her explanation “the only ones to see you dance are those who pay. You go to the booth, do your little thing and get up”. Woah, you mean stripper (or at least, exotic dancer)
• When it comes down to the final 13, Kevin Dunn is seen giving a lot more input. Despite the front of the trainers, he’s the guy you really gotta impress.
• MTV exec says “(Guy/gal off the street) could be a wrestler”. It’s not an exclusive club, you can join a wrestling school! Only took WWE about 7 years after this but they did learn the best talent are already wrestlers, who’ve already shown the dedication by working the indies or overseas, who don’t need MTV to prod them into this career path.
• Everyone seems very high on 6’3″ Paulina. She seems nice and sounds just like Chyna.
• Along with ODB, 2 notable contestants didn’t make the final cut; Tara (not the wrestler, but a charming, tiny girl) and Jackie Gayda, who made TE 2.
• Finalist Tom refused to sign an MTV contract so last-minute was replaced by ex-footballer Greg Whitmoyer.
• They end the show with the finalists unpacking in the Tough Enough house in Stamford.
• Aitch was a noted critic of the show for exposing the business (eg showing how people bump) and he’d put the fear of God into them in episode 3, with an excellent speech about dedication to WWF.

Overall, it’s an easy watch and cool to go back to the height of WWF. MTV’s reality show production is quite 90’s and I’d consider Steve Austin’s 2011 reboot to be superior, but the novelty alone of watching regular people trying to become wrestlers is worth it.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_fade” interval=”10″ images=”2268,2269,2270,2271,2272,2273,2274,2275,2276,2277,2278,2279,2280,2281,2282,2283,2284,2285,2286,2287,2288,2289,2290,2291,2292,2293,2294,2295,2296,2297,2298,2300,2301″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” img_size=”full”][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]From over 4,000 audition tapes, WWF invite 230 to try out at their New York restaurant. They judge their physique and conditioning, see how they deal with questions/prodding and their promo ability. This episode is the best and the worst of that. The judges call back 25 finalists, and choose their final 13 to be on the Tough Enough reality show.

Thoughts on the show:
• This casting premiere is a 44-minute (double episode), with 14 episodes total (the next 13 are recorded over 9 weeks), aired June-September 2001.
• At the 230-person tryout are Al Snow, Tazz, Jacquelline, Mick Foley, producer John “Big” Gaburick, Kevin Dunn, and MTV producers. Even if they could get people in and out in 2 minutes that\’d take almost 8 hours. Foley is barely featured and is not a trainer (that\’s Al Snow, Tazz, Jacqueline and Tori, from X-Pac and Tori\’s Christmas Story)
• Hey look – it\’s EVP of TV Production, Kevin Dunn! Or as Jim Cornette calls him, “you fucking Bucky-Beaver motherfucker”
• Al Snow runs down what they\’re looking for: Charisma, determination, dedication, personality, energy and most importantly, physique.
• Despite that last one (which in WWE, IS the most important) some were joke auditions for the cameras (eg really overweight, windy fellas).
• Tazz calls himself 5\’9″, 240 lbs. That\’s just garbage, lol – he\’s like 5\’4″. He says he\’ll fight for guys perceived as too small, and intentionally riles the contestants up to see how they conduct themselves.
• Josh Matthews is the first audition tape seen and is shown waiting in line to register, pretty cool. He\’s also the first chosen as a finalist. He may be the smallest male contestant there.
• There\’s a jakked dude who\’s “just recently fallen in love”. Really staged, his girlfriend says “I love you”, and candidly he tells WWF that “I love having emotions”. AMAZING. That\’s something Always Sunny\’s Dennis would say.
• #56 has crib-notes on her wrist, Rock-style. Amazing.
• Maven – immediately earmarked for success. Al Snow comments he looks like a kid in a pro-wrestling school, Kevin Dunn remarks “he reminded me a lot of Kurt Angle.”
• Daryl. I remember this guy. He forgot to wash his ass during the show. Even though he\’s out of shape, since he\’s 6\’7″ and a hefty dude, he makes the final cut. An MTV exec describes him as “really intelligent, that has a lot to say about what\’s going on the world” which is hilarious bullshit, the best he could think of on the spot. They\’ve high hopes for him.
• Kenneth from Rhode Island is a custodian, whose gimmick is “The Evil Custodian”. He kicks off his promo with “nobody likes the custodian” which breaks the lads instantly.
• Chris Nowinski mentions Harvard and has a quick, very positive pow-wow with the lads, he\’ll make the finals (and he does).
• Woah! It\’s ODB! She calls herself One Dirty Bitch. She makes the 2nd round but ultimately not chosen.
• Nidia says she was a dancer for 2 months. From her explanation “the only ones to see you dance are those who pay. You go to the booth, do your little thing and get up”. Woah, you mean stripper.
• When it comes down to the final 13, Kevin Dunn is seen giving a lot more input. Despite the front of the trainers, he\’s the guy you really gotta impress.
• MTV exec says “(Guy/gal off the street) could be a wrestler”. It\’s not an exclusive club, you can join a wrestling school! Only took WWE about 7 years but they did learn the best talent are already wrestlers, who\’ve already shown the dedication by working the indies or overseas, who don\’t need MTV to prod them into this career path.
• Everyone seems very high on 6\’3″ Paulina. She seems nice and has a sounds just like Chyna.
• Along with ODB, 2 notable contestants didn\’t make the final cut; Tara (not the wrestler, but a charming, tiny girl, who upon seeing the other girls, stuffed her bra with toilet paper) and Jackie Gayda, who made Tough Enough 2.
• Finalist Tom refused to sign an MTV contract so last-minute was replaced by ex-footballer Greg Whitmoyer.
• They end the show with the finalists unpacking in the Tough Enough house in Stamford.
• Aitch was a noted critic of the show for exposing the business (showing how people bump) and he\’d put the fear of God into them in episode 3, with an excellent speech about dedication to WWF.

Overall, it\’s an easy watch and it\’s cool to go back to the height of WWF. MTV\’s reality show production is quite 90s but the novelty alone of watching regular people trying to become wrestlers is worth a watch.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SEASON 1 CONTESTANTS?
Josh Lomberger (Josh Matthews) did the best out of everyone, getting a long-time gig in WWE as a backstage reporter & commentator on their C-shows, now the lead announcer for TNA.
Jason Dayberry quit early on due to the rough road schedule. He\’s a pro bodybuilder now.
Bobbie Jo Anderson & Victoria Tabor quit together due to the physicality.
Maven Huffman won Tough Enough S1, and is best known for eliminating the Undertaker at the 2002 Rumble (which was an amazing, shocking spot). He was D-Von\’s best friend in the business and was released by WWE in 2005. He worked on the indies and was seen selling things on the Home Shopping Network. He\’s a NY bouncer now.
Taylor Matheny married Brian Kendrick, works as Make Up Artist in Hollywood.
Chris Nowinski quit wrestling after suffering post-concussion syndrome, and now is the exec director at the Sports Legacy Institute, a concussion research group.
Shadrick McGee was cut due to poor in-ring performance.
Chris Nifong was nicknamed “CK” (Career Killer”) after he injured Tori with a botched hip toss. He\’s now a graphic designer and screen printer.
Paulina Thomas was TNA\’s bodyguard for Disco Inferno for a 2 shows in 2002 and is now a Product & Market Manager in NY.
Nidia Guenard, the female winner of Tough Enough S1, best known for her Smackdown gig as Jamie Noble\’s trashy girlfriend. Now works in culinary arts.
Darryl Cross is now a web graphic designer in Iowa
Greg Whitmoyer didn\’t get a contract and worked for hardcore indie company CZW and a few 3PW dates.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_fade” onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self”]tricker[/vc_gallery][vc_column_text]WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SEASON 1 CONTESTANTS?
Josh Lomberger (Josh Matthews) did the best out of everyone, getting a long-time gig in WWE as a backstage reporter & commentator on their C-shows, now the lead announcer for TNA.
Jason Dayberry quit early on due to the rough road schedule. He’s a pro bodybuilder now.
Bobbie Jo Anderson & Victoria Tabor quit together due to the physicality.
Maven Huffman won Tough Enough S1, and is best known for eliminating the Undertaker at the 2002 Rumble (which was an amazing, shocking spot). He was D-Von’s best friend in the business and was released by WWE in 2005. He worked on the indies and was seen selling things on the Home Shopping Network. He’s a NY bouncer now.
Taylor Matheny married Brian Kendrick, works as Make Up Artist in Hollywood.
Chris Nowinski quit wrestling after suffering post-concussion syndrome, and now is the exec director at the Sports Legacy Institute, a concussion research group.
Shadrick McGee was cut due to poor in-ring performance.
Chris Nifong was nicknamed “CK” (Career Killer”) after he injured Tori with a botched hip toss. He’s now a graphic designer and screen printer.
Paulina Thomas was TNA’s bodyguard for Disco Inferno for a 2 shows in 2002 and is now a Product & Market Manager in NY.
Nidia Guenard, the female winner of Tough Enough S1, best known for her Smackdown gig as Jamie Noble’s trashy girlfriend. Now works in culinary arts.
Darryl Cross is now a web graphic designer in Iowa
Greg Whitmoyer didn’t get a contract and worked for hardcore indie company CZW and a few 3PW dates.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]