Your Home for Combat Sports
By TWI Staff
By Steve Ward
WWE Summerslam emanated this evening (yes, on a Saturday) from a sold out Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not only was the event moved to a Saturday, but also to the same night where Sin City would play host to the huge Manny Pacquiao and Yordenis Ugas showdown. Prior to the event, reports circulated that WWE was actually told to keep their event within three hours so that it would not coincide with the huge title fight, however, that didn’t even come close to happening as the show eclipsed four hours. The card this evening featured ten matches while it boasted seven title bouts in the mix and featured Roman Reigns defending his Universal Championship against a returning John Cena who was in search of his record 17th world title.
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship
AJ Styles & Omos (c) vs. Rated RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Matt Riddle)
Winners: RK-Bro via pinfall
Following weeks of failing to see eye to eye between Riddle and Orton, The Original Bro came to his rescue recently on RAW as his singles match with Omos quickly escalated into a handicap encounter hence earning The Viper‘s respect in the process. The reformation of this team proved to pay dividends for them this evening as this rather abrupt match ended with an RKO delivered to Styles to secure the pinfall victory and crown new champions.
Alexa Bliss vs. Eva Marie w/ Dou Drop
Winner: Alexa Bliss via pinfall
Since her uninspiring return to WWE, Eva Marie has found herself in the crosshairs of Alexa Bliss who has continued her Fiend-like role despite the recent departure of Bray Wyatt. Sadly, Alexa Bliss’ talents were not able to be utilized to their full extent in this bout with her given opposition. This was yet another match that arrived at a rapid conclusion as Bliss executed a strike to the jaw of Eva Marie to set up the pinfall.
United States Championship
Damian Priest vs. Sheamus (c)
Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall
Sheamus recently returned to action following a broken nose with a face mask in tow and immediately entered into a program with Damian Priest. This created a huge opportunity for the man once know as Punishment Martinez in his ROH days as he competed for his first title since becoming a member of RAW. What had the promise to be a sleeper match on the card quickly lost it’s momentum as Priest vaulted himself to the ring floor and landed badly on his hip. The bout finally picked up some momentum late as Priest withstood a Brogue Kick and the figure four leglock to deliver The Reckoning allowing him to solidify the victory and crown himself the new United States Champion.
Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos (c) vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio
Winners: The Usos via pinfall
After dropping the title to The Usos at Money In The Bank, The Mysterios earned another opportunity to regain them this evening. The Mysterios came up a little short this evening in their bid for a second tag team title reign as The Usos did their part to keep the bloodline intact prior to their cousin, Roman Reigns, title defense later in the evening.
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall
Bianca Belair was poised to defend her title in a Wrestlemania rematch with Sasha Banks, however, ring announcer Greg Hamilton stated that Banks was unable to compete and would be replaced by Carmella. After Carmella made her way to the ring, Belair proceeded to take the mic and belittled Carmella only to be interrupted by the return of “The Man” Becky Lynch! Becky Lynch quickly disposed of Carmella and challenged Belair for the title. Belair accepted the challenge and will be wondering what hit her until Friday Night Smackdown. Following the opening bell, Lynch extended her hand to Belair. Belair reciprocated only to be blindsided with a forearm to the face followed by The Manhandle Slam. The Man quickly pinned Belair to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion after a year and a half off for maternity leave.
Jinder Mahal vs. Drew McIntyre
Winner: Drew McIntyre
The rivalry between the former Three Man Band cohorts (yes, I went there) that erupted at Money In The Bank last month when Mahal, along with Shanky and Veer, cost McIntyre an opportunity at retrieving the briefcase. In a relative squash match, McIntyre made quick work of Mahal with a series of belly-to-belly suplexes followed by the Claymore Kick.
RAW Women’s Championship
Nikki A.S.H. (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
Winner: Charlotte Flair via submission
After Charlotte defeated Ripley to regain her title at Money In The Bank last month, she promptly dropped it the following night on RAW to Nikki A.S.H. who cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase. With Flair and Ripley both laying claims to the title, we arrived at our triple threat encounter tonight. Charlotte again put her wrestling acumen on display as she overcame the odds to earn her 12th championship. With Ripley disposed of on the ring floor, Nikki and Flair found themselves alone in the ring. Nikki attempted a splash from the top rope only to have Flair side step her and quickly cinch in the Figure Eight to regain her title.
Edge vs. Seth Rollins
Winner: Edge via submission
Edge was out for revenge this evening following Rollins’ actions at Money In The Bank which cost him his match for the Universal Championship with Roman Reigns. Rollins awakened a beast within Edge after he referred to him as Edge-light which lead the Rated R Superstar to dive back into a dark place. Edge jumped into the time machine for his entrance this evening as he delved into the archive for the old Brood entrance theme and was raised through a flaming platform - all that was missing was Gangrel spitting “blood” into the air from a chalice. Rollins controlled much of the action in the early going until Edge began to turn the tables late. Edge executed a brutal spear after the prior one was thwarted with a reversal in the form of a Pedigree. Edge then blocked a curb stomp attempt and proceeded to smash Rollins head into the canvas several times before cinching in a move resembling the combination of a sleeper and a crossface to earn the submission victory.
WWE Championship
Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP
Winner: Bobby Lashley via no contest
Goldberg made his triumphant return to RAW the night after Money In The Bank to pose a challenge to WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley. Following Lashley’s acceptance the following week, things then became personal as MVP began to target Goldberg’s family - specifically his son at ringside. That brings us to our showdown tonight as the 54-year old Goldberg attempted to reclaim championship gold once again. Just minutes into the match MVP struck Goldberg in the knee with his cane as the referee was distracted which proved to be the deciding factor. Lashley proceeded to target the knee until the referee was forced to put an end to the match with Goldberg’s inability to put weight on his leg. After the bell was called for, Lashley attacked Goldberg with a steel chair until his son jumped the champion only to be the recipient of The Hurt Lock.
WWE Universal Championship
Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. John Cena
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall
This match came to fruition after John Cena confronted Roman Reigns in the ring following his victory at Money In The Bank and called out the Tribal Chief in search of his 17th world championship. Roman Reigns withstood multiple Attitude Adjustments, including one through the announce table, to finally put away Cena with a devastating spear to retain his title. As Reigns celebrated in the ring, he was interrupted by the unmistakable entrance music of Brock Lesnar! The capacity crowd unleashed a deafening roar as Brock made his way to the ring and stood toe to toe with The Tribal Chief. Paul Heyman appeared to soil himself as he implored Reigns to leave without conflict to which he obliged as the show came to a close.
By Milo Taibi
Native New Yorker and former US Marine Michael Polite-Coffie finds himself in an enviable position. At 35, he doesn’t appear to have a defined ceiling in boxing’s loaded- and lucrative- heavyweight division.
A member of Marshall Kaufman’s King's Promotions, the former NY Golden Gloves competitor has made the most of his recent appearances on Premier Boxing Champions. A five-round beatdown of Luis Eduardo Pena cemented Coffie’s arrival on the televised boxing scene. Michael followed this appearance with an injury TKO of the grizzled Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell.
In February of this year, Coffie made easy work of undefeated Philadelphia heavy Darmani Rock, despite entering the bout entrenched as an underdog. Following the banner victory, Coffie had already strategized his next move.
“I’d like to test myself against guys like a Gerald Washington, a Dominic Breazeale, a Charles Martin,” Coffie told Keith Idec of Boxing Scene. “I’d like to test myself against those kind of opponents. That would show me if I’m ready for the next step, which would be guys for the belt.”
On Saturday July 31st, Coffie’s wish will be granted in the form of an all-military clash with Gerald Washington. A veteran of the US Navy and former professional football player, Washington brings a wealth of in-ring experience despite entering the sport at a late age.
The 25-time competitor has faced division stalwarts such as Deontay Wilder, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller and Adam Kownacki. While he’s had more defeats than successes when stepping up in class, Gerald boasts a July 2019 KO8 of Robert Helenius. It’s a stoppage that’s aged like a fine wine, as the Swede went on to score an "Upset Of The Year" contender of Adam Kownacki in March of 2020.
While Washington and Coffie are comparable in age, the former has considerably more miles on the boxing odometer. Coffie is undefeated through 12 bouts, while “El Gallo Negro” has been stopped four times...all from 2017-onward. Most recently, Washington turned in a sluggish performance against the tricky and hard-hitting southpaw Charles Martin.
Despite this, if Washington turns up in tip-top shape, he’ll be far and away the biggest test of Coffie’s young professional career. And perhaps after a right hand or two land, Coffie will wish his call-out had been answered by Martin or Dominic Breazeale.
Elsewhere on the undercard, New Jersey prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. will have his shot at redemption against Philly’s James Martin. In April, the 18-to-1 underdog Martin decisioned Mielnicki Jr. in stunning fashion on a televised card.
PBC prospect Joey Spencer will also be in action, taking on the 13-fight veteran Dan Karpency. Spencer, coming off a KO1 of Isiah Seldon, will no doubt look to be the first to finish Karpency.
Editor's Note: Michael Polite-Coffie will now face Jonathan Rice (13-6-1, 9 KOs) in the main event of Saturday's PBC boxing card. Gerald Washington was forced to withdraw from this fight after contracting COVID-19.
By Mike I.
By Steve Ward
With the exception of this year’s Wrestlemania back in April, WWE finally put an end to the Dystopian Era (defined by them as their time spent in the Thunderdome) this past Friday on Smackdown as fans were finally welcomed back - over a year after AEW had already done so. That brings us to tonight where WWE emanated from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX as they hosted Money in the Bank. WWE may actually be starting to feel some pressure from AEW as tonight’s card was one of their better, at least on paper, in recent memory. The event was headlined by two Money in the Bank ladder matches, as well as, Roman Reigns versus Edge for the Tribal Chief’s Universal Championship.
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Liv Morgan vs. Nikki A.S.H. vs. Natalya
vs. Tamina vs. Zelina Vega vs. Naomi vs. Asuka
Winner: Nikki A.S.H.
In one of the most landscape-defining matches WWE holds each year, eight women entered the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase suspended above the ring. For those unfamiliar with this match, the first participant to scale a ladder and retrieve the briefcase would earn the ability to challenge for any world title over the course of the next year. This bout seemed rather abrupt as far as these matches go historically and it was devoid of any significant death-defying spots. The closing moments saw Alexa Bliss taken down at ringside and subsequently buried with eight ladders by the other competitors. The remaining seven women then proceeded to stage three ladders in the center of the ring as all of them made their way to the top. As the infighting ensued, Nikki climbed the center ladder unnoticed and removed the briefcase without resistance.
RAW Tag Team Championship
A.J. Styles & Omos (c) vs. The Viking Raiders
Winners: A.J. Styles & Omos via pinfall
Following their decimation of The New Day back at Wrestlemania, A.J. Styles and Omos have maintained their reign over the RAW Tag Team Division. Their challengers this evening, The Viking Raiders, the former tag team champions still seeking to regain their footing following the return of Ivar from a lengthy injury absence. The Viking Raiders seemed poised to pull off the upset until they ran into the 7’3” Omos. Erik propelled himself off of the ropes thinking he would be able to mount some form of offense against the towering Omos…well he was mistaken as Omos grabbed him by the head, hoisted him up in the air, and slammed him to the canvas setting up the easy pinfall.
WWE World
Bobby Lashley w/ MVP vs. Kofi Kingston
Winner: Bobby Lashley via submission
Kofi Kingston was absolutely zero competition for the champion as he constantly found himself being tossed around the ring and manhandled like a rag doll. Lashley finally put an end to this one-sided affair as he cinched in the Hurt Lock for the submission victory.
RAW Women’s Championship
Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (c)
Winner: Charlotte Flair via submission
After their championship encounter at last month’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view ended in Ripley getting herself disqualified, these two ladies again found themselves toe-to-toe with championship gold on the line. The Queen reclaimed her spot atop the Women’s Division this evening as she was in vintage form. The beginning of the end for Ripley began after Flair executed the Natural Selection from the top rope. Moments later, she trapped Ripley’s leg in between the steel ring stairs and ring post where she kicked the stairs to deliver a devastating blow to the champion’s knee. This opened the window for Flair to execute the Figure Eight as she captured the RAW Women’s Championship.
WWE Men’s Money in the Bank Match
John Morrison vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs.
Big E vs. Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Riddle vs. Kevin Owens
Winner: Big E
After the women’s match kicked off the show, it was now the men’s turn to determine who would walk away with an opportunity to challenge the champion of their choosing for the next year. Halfway through the match, Drew McIntyre appeared poised to capture the briefcase until Jinder Mahal, with Veer and Shanky in tow, made their way to the ring, ambushed Drew, and dragged him backstage. In the closing moments of the match, Seth Rollins ascended to the top of the ladder after he propelled Kevin Owens out of the ring breaking him, and a ladder, in half. As Rollins reached for the briefcase, Big E climbed up behind him and executed the Big Ending dropping him to the canvas. Big E then quickly climbed up the ladder to retrieve the briefcase.
WWE Universal Championship Match
Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman vs. Edge
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall
After Edge won the Royal Rumble, his championship opportunity turned into a triple threat affair as Daniel Bryan was inserted into the match - an action which essentially may have been the determining factor in his loss. Following several weeks away from Smackdown, Edge returned to challenge The Tribal Chief for his title in a singles match. Roman Reigns controlled much of the early portion of this bout as he attempted to slow Edge down with several submission holds as he imposed his will. This strategy worked well until Edge regained momentum with the Edgecution just moments before he speared Reigns through the ringside barrier.
The action then returned to the ring where Reigns managed to execute a Superman Punch that propelled Edge into referee Charles Robinson leaving no referee. With no referee present, Edge proceeded to cinch in a crossface with the use of a chair leg. The Usos attempted to put an end to this, however, their interference attempt was thwarted by the Mysterios. Next, Seth Rollins made his way into the ring and delivered a kick to the head of Edge which broke the crossface. Edge again overcame adversity and delivered a spear to Reigns, however, there was not referee to count the pinfall. A referee finally made his way to the ring but was only able to count to two.
As Edge sized up Reigns for another spear, Rollins again
climbed up to the ring apron which caused enough of a distraction for Roman to
recover and deliver a spear of his own to secure the retention of his title.
Following the match, Rollins and Edge engaged in another brawl that spilled
into the crowd leaving Reigns and Paul Heyman alone in the ring. As Reigns
proceeded to address the crowd, he was interrupted by the return of John Cena
clearly setting up their rumored showdown for Summerslam.
By Mike I.
Many people may claim to be the biggest
boxing fans, and still have never heard of these two great feather weights
Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler. Known as the folkloric moniker “Will o’ the Wisp,” Pep was involved in a situation
that became boxing folklore type of situation when he won a round of boxing
without throwing a single punch. It has been disputed throughout the years, and
probably always will be, seeing how Roy Jones Jr. in the fourth round of
his fight with Vinny Paz became the first fighter in (CompuBox) history to go
an entire round without being hit by his opponent. Pazienza was credited with
throwing five punches and landing zero. No matter the case, if there was ever a
boxer besides Jones who could have possibly went a whole round without getting
hit even once, it was Pep.
Pep faced off with Sandy Saddler, the perfect boxer to offset such a slickster Like Pep, with
an impressive record that included 104 knockouts in 145 fights. The “Tommy
Hearns of the featherweights,” standing at around 5’10 and always weighing in
for his fights at 126 pounds, the lanky and wiry Saddler was the worst nightmare
to any of the great featherweights of his day. These two men fought a total of
four bouts, match ups that were a sight to behold. Pep put his amazing speed
and ring generalship on display, while Saddler stalked and hunted his opponent
down with a vicious jab and that right hand “from hell.” They were not above
taking it to a dirty level in the ring either. Their fourth and final fight was
called “one of the dirtiest fights in history,” with both men not simply
hitting low, but stepping on feet and tripping and wrestling each other to the
ground.
If you want to see two
great little men show skill, guts, and put on just one hell of a show for you
in the ring, find some footage on those fights. I say that because if you want
to see the closest thing to that style match up, at least in my opinion, you
want to see Gervonta Davis, the newly crowned WBA junior welterweight champ, take
on the recent comeback star Vasyl Lomachenko.
Arguably, outside of
Manny Pacquiao, Davis seems to be the biggest puncher in all of boxing right
now. He just jumped two weights classes and KO’d a much naturally bigger man,
Mario Barrios, for the title. Davis has a punch to be reckoned with, and much
like Sandy Saddler, he is a force to be reckoned with. For a smaller fighter,
he has punching power and boxing ability, even though he lacks the
Hearns/Saddler frame. He still packs a great shot in the more compacted
container of 5’6, and in the weight classes under welterweight.
His potential opponent
Lomachenko is possibly the closest thing to Willie Pep in this generation.
Lomachenko just knocked out Masayoshi Nakatani in
their fight, much like Davis did to his opponent. Nakatani is a wiry boxer, like Saddler, and Lomachenko KO’d him.
Now the question must
asked, can Lomachenko beat a man with the power of Saddler? Davis clearly has
the power even though he does not have the frame. Lomachenko has the speed and
type of ring generalship Pep had. I say that because Pep would do bizarre
things in the ring and still get away with them because of his grace and speed.
These “bizarre things” included grabbing an opponent by the wrist (they had
gloves with the thumb free back then), and pulling the opponent towards him while
hitting him with the same hand right before dogging underneath and getting out
of the way of a counter punch.
In Pep’s folkloric cult classic fight that he won a round of boxing
without throwing a punch, Pep allegedly wound up behind his opponent, tapped
him on the shoulder, and said, “Here I am pal.”
If there is one guy
people could see having the same type of style, one in which a fighter makes
his opponent feel like he is surrounding him all by himself, it is Lomachenko. He
was given the moniker “the Matrix” for his ability to be in front of his
opponent, and then seem like he is just teleporting into another position
around them.
Also, like Pep was in
the fights with Saddler, Lomachenko will be the matador of a show down with
Davis. He has no power compared to Davis, like Pep had no power compared to
Saddler.
Although, I do not see
a matchup out there that would come closer to Pep vs. Saddler, Davis’ great jab
and boxing ability coupled with his unbelievable power against Lomachenko’s
speed and awkward, and unique style of swarming an opponent from all angles would
come close to these legendary fights.
Davis is the perfect
bull for the matador Lomachenko, as although he could KO him with one shot and
yet he will have to show his other great talents and boxing skills to land
against such an elusive and tricky opponent. Lomachenko it seems from his
recent victory that he learned from the Lopez fight about how to deal with a bigger
puncher. With Davis he would be learning how to deal with a huge puncher, who
also has amazing reflexes and style. This fight is interesting to see if Lomachenko,
like Pep, is great enough to learn during his fights and pull-out wins, rather
than just learning from a defeat.
If this matchup has
the potential that I think it does, we as fans would want to see Davis and
Lomachenko have four matchups just like Pep and Saddler did. Davis and
Lomachenko are the same quality of athletes as Pep and Saddler not only in style,
but in their willingness to want to be the best. So, even though styles make
fights, great competitors who bring more than talent to the table make even
better fights at times. Pep and Saddler sure did for their era, and I can only
hope Lomachenko and Davis do the same for modern times. The boxing world should
crave this fight the way a person who hasn’t eaten in days wants a four-course
meal.
Some fans may ask what
about a Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez rematch? Well, that is going to happen sooner than
later as Lomachenko said, “I want people to remember my name I fight for this,
I fight for legacy.”
Davis and Lomachenko
are the kind of guys who are throwbacks to when fighters were not just hungry for
fast fame and fortune, but proud about what they did over the course their
careers.
 |
| Willie Pep |
By Mike I.
Unless you are a very
casual boxing fan or a huge fan of Logan Paul’s, no one was shocked Floyd
Mayweather beat him easily in their recent bout. However, any hardcore boxing
enthusiast, loyal to boxing was shocked he didn’t knock him out in two or three
rounds.
It can be debated that
Floyd is getting older, or Paul was so much bigger and younger, despite being
completely out matched experience wise. No matter the circumstance, there is no
other reason Floyd did not destroy Paul other than he just carried him for
multiple rounds. Many could say there are all kinds of reasons for that, but in
the end, that seems to be what he happened in this bout.
There is literally
video of Mayweather hitting Paul and holding him up to keep him from hitting
the canvas. What may be the real reason that Floyd looked like a king cobra
playing with a little mouse instead of looking like a Jack Russell Terrier
viciously nipping away at an awkward and confused St. Bernard is simple: Paul was just no challenge for the greatness
of Floyd.
This bout looked more
like a glorified sparring session than a bout of any quality. Although it
looked like a sparring match with Paul, there was an actual sparring match
years ago with another Paul. That Paul is Paul Spadafora. Known as “The
Pittsburgh Kid,” his roots in the tough fight city of Pittsburgh was where Spadafora
became one of the purest boxers of Floyd’s time.
Spadafora is the one fighter
who would be a challenge for Floyd. Spadafora was one of the true greats of
Floyd’s time, and whipped him handily in a sparring session some time back.
That sparring session was recorded and the footage leaked on the internet. This
footage made the boxing world curious, as it was rumored the Floyd camp was
even interested in giving Paul a shot at him to set the record straight about
who the better fighter was.
Unfortunately,
Spadafora had multiple problems outside the ring, and to promoters and
matchmakers, the fight must have seemed like too much of a risk as the contest
never happened. Now Spadafora is in boxing exile.
For anyone saying, “Well
that was just a sparring session,” or, “Floyd was out of shape for that
session,” I respond with this: Floyd is never out of shape, and there was a rumor
that Floyd said this sparring session made him commit to never be out of shape
again. So, if there is nothing to fear now and he is always in shape, what does
he have to worry about now?
Some may ask why Floyd
would risk his undefeated record for a guy who blew his chance with Floyd years
ago because of his bad behavior outside of the ring. The simple answer is it is
not worth it. Yet, Floyd is a special athlete, and I think for him there can be
special rules in place for a potential matchup between Spadafora and Mayweather.
Seeing how Floyd breaks the rules all the time with these crossover fights, who
is to say what the rules need to be right?
My proposed rule for a decision in a potential showdown with Spadafora is if by some chance Floyd loses to Spadafora, the loss will be expunged from his record. This would make it worth Floyd’s time to even consider a guy who is a risk in more ways than one. I’m confident Floyd would have his hands full with Spadafora. The main thing that makes this interesting is the footage of Spadafora beating Mayweather up round after round in that sparring session years ago.
To be clear, I am not mad
that Floyd is making a mockery or circus out of boxing. Boxing has always been
a bit of a circus and has always had crazy circumstances around it. Jack
Dempsey, arguably one of the most famous boxers in history, went around the
country to bars and asked owners to let him fight the troublemakers in the bar simply
for a steak dinner and some whiskey in return. It is hard to think Floyd is
doing something to diminish the respectability of boxing. As Mike Tyson said
about the bout on Logan Paul’s podcast, “How low could boxing go? Boxing can
only go up. You can’t take it any lower.”
I agree with Mr.
Tyson. Boxing can only go up, and one way for that to happen would be a fight
between Floyd and a respectable fighter who Roy Jones started fighting after a
comeback to the ring, Paul Spadafora. To paraphrase Mr. Tyson in that same
Logan Paul podcast interview, he said things like crossover matches can broaden
the public’s horizons about boxing, and it can show the sport as a skillful art
form.
Now that Floyd has
maybe done that with this last bout, maybe he could take it even one step further
and show people the real art boxing is and bring the guy who is the other true
pure boxer of his time to the main stage with him, so they can show the world
in style the real beauty of the craft. However, if he continues to literally
carry opponents like he did with Logan Paul, then I don’t see how he is showing
the public the beautiful side of boxing. Maybe that is just me though.
Another point for a
Mayweather vs. Spadafora fight is that it would be a dream come true Spadafora,
and Floyd would be giving the mainstream public and hardcore boxing fans alike
a great show. Spadafora, who has the potential to be a modern-day “Cinderella
Man” with a victory, has a history worth looking into. After losing his father
at a young age, having a mother who really wasn’t able to support him, and
having multiple alleged problems with drugs alcohol and with the law, Spadafora
was still one of the most talented, yet unrecognized fighters of Floyd’s time.
If there is one thing boxing fans love more than a great match up between two
greats, they love a great comeback story. That comeback story potential is
there for Spadafora, who is a walking, talking comeback story.
Boxing fans just want
to see the guy who may have quite literally whipped Floyd into shape for the
rest of his career, and they want to see how much of a fluke that really was. I
will tell you this: Even if it wasn’t a
fluke, Floyd adjusts in the middle of rounds and throughout fights. He has one
of the highest ring IQs of all-time, so no matter what, Spadafora will have the
fight of his life on his hands against Floyd.
In closing, I urge
Floyd to give boxing fans one last show in a fight against the one guy of his
era who needs a shot more than ever. That will give us the type of fight worth
paying the money people put out for the Logan Paul fight.
Paul Spadafora (Photo Courtesy of BoxRec)
By Steve Ward
WWE emanated, once again, from the Thunderdome within the confines of the Yuengling Center on the campus of the University of South Florida as they push on with their Dystopian Era. Thankfully the WWE has announced they are returning to the road next month with actual people in attendance but it still demonstrates questionable decisions on their part as AEW has successfully, and safely, hosted fans for over a year in nearby Jacksonville while progressing to full attendance with their pay per view last month. This has all occurred while Vince McMahon has been moving forward with budget cuts in the form of mass talent releases - including stars Braun Strowman and Aleister Black.
Now onto the evening’s card…while this show always brings a glimmer of hope to me that we will be treated to a Hell in a Cell match that will make a valiant attempt to pay homage to The Undertaker vs. Mankind from way back in 1998, I am sadly disappointed time and time again. Perhaps it’s the PG rating they’ve carried for several years now or even the talent they book for these matches who couldn’t lace the boots of the Dead Man or Foley. Nonetheless, this evening’s card only featured six bout and showcased two Hell in a Cell Matches with blatant omissions of some of their top tier stars such as Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and Roman Reigns.
Smackdown Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell Match
Bayley vs. Bianca Belair (c)
Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall
The main card kicked off this evening with the squared circle encompassed by the ominous Hell in a Cell structure as Bianca Belair defended her Smackdown Women’s Championship against former champion, Bayley. This match didn’t exactly have the effect that the bookers for the event intended, I would presume, as the fans lining the arena on the TV screens seemed mostly disengaged while the cell was barely used in this contest and fake crowd noise was clearly filtered in at the conclusion of the match after Belair mercifully finished Bayley off with the Kiss of Death (her version of the Death Valley Driver) onto a ladder.
Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
Winner: Seth Rollins
The next chapter in the rivalry between these two combatants, one that really built momentum with Cesaro’s huge victory over Rollins at Wrestlemania, was written this evening following weeks of endless ridicule directed at the Swiss Superman. This bout wasted no time getting off the ground as Rollins jumped Cesaro during his entrance and a brawl ensued that spilled down to the ring. Rollins appeared to be in dire straits late in this bout as Cesaro was beginning to systematically break him down with a series of submission holds - specifically the Sharpshooter and Crossface - after he executed the Cesaro Swing. As Cesaro was about to attempt to cinch in another Sharpshooter, Rollins rolled him up out of nowhere for the shocking pinfall victory.
Shayna Baszler w/ Nia Jax & Reginald vs. Alexa Bliss
Winner: Alexa Bliss via pinfall
Since “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt has been held off of TV for several weeks now, Alexa Bliss has assumed his role so to speak and has targeted The Queen of Spades recently leading to their showdown this evening. Under normal circumstances, this could have been a phenomenal match, however, WWE continues to push the envelope with the theatrics surrounding Alexa Bliss’ current character. After she used some “mind control” tactics on both Baszler and Jax, Bliss finally finished off Baszler with the Twisted Bliss for the win.
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Winner: Sami Zayn via pinfall
Is it just me or does it seem like every time WWE creative has no idea what to do with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, they book them in another program together? Well this appears to be the case once again as they‘ve found themselves embroiled in yet another feud. This match evolved after Zayn cost Owens his match with Apollo Crews’ muscle, Commander Azeez, on Friday Night Smackdown which left him at the receiving end of the Nigerian Nail. After selling his “throat injury” from Friday night and seemingly injuring his shoulder at the hands of Zayn this evening, Owens only real offense mounted was in the form of a Stunner on the arena floor. Aside from that, Zayn controlled the tempo of this entire bout before he finally solidified his victory with the Helluva Kick.
RAW Women’s Championship
Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (c)
Winner: Charlotte Flair via disqualification
Charlotte’s quest to ascend to the top of the Women’s Division once again continued this evening as she finally found her way into a singles bout with the reigning champion, Rhea Ripley. Charlotte tactfully targeted the knee of Ripley for the duration of the match by utilizing the steel ring stairs and a figure four leg lock seemingly positioning herself for an eventual attempt at the Figure Eight. This match met its abrupt end as the action spilled out of the ring where Ripley used the cover of the announcer’s table to strike Flair in the face leading to her disqualification. As we all know, this means Charlotte was awarded the match, however, the title cannot change hands in this situation.
WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match
Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP vs. Drew McIntyre
Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall
Another chapter…perhaps the final chapter…would be written into the rivalry between WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and former champ, Drew McIntyre, this evening. Not only was this bout contested in the ominous Hell in a Cell, but also held the stipulation where McIntyre would never be able to challenge for the title again as long as Lashley holds it in the event he were to lose. Late in the match, McIntyre turned the tide of the contest after an onslaught of kendo stick shots at the hands of Lashley with the use of a steel chair. Unfortunately for Drew, he inadvertently took out the referee with the aforementioned chair before he took out Lashley with a Future Shock DDT.
With no referee to count the pinfall, the second referee outside the cell needed to remove the padlock and enter the cage. McIntyre again attempted a pinfall only to be stopped this time by MVP who followed the new ref into the cell. After Drew laid waste to MVP, Lashley reemerged to cinch in the Hurt Lock on the arena floor only to have McIntyre break the hold by propelling Lashley and himself through a table. This reopened the door for McIntyre to continue his assault on the champion with a steel chair until Lashley stopped him in his tracks with a choke slam that propelled Drew from the ring apron through a table staged outside the ring. The match reached its conclusion as McIntyre was sizing Lashley up for the Claymore Kick only to have MVP grab his ankles allowing Lashley the opportunity to roll him up for the pinfall to retain his title.
