Did anyone else not see the point in switching the match order at WWE’s No Mercy Pay-Per-View? Chris and Spaceman Frank talk abut the show, TNA’s latest financial troubles, multiple upcoming Hell in a Cell matches and more.
F*ck Mondays! Episode 25: Comic Con and Cuddling Clowns
We shoot on New York Comic Con and the crazy trailers shown at it. The boys also dispute cuddling for cash, a big upcoming UFC match and more.
Spaceman Frank’s WWE No Mercy Predictions
SmackDown Live continues to bring back old Pay-Per-View titles with their October PPV, No Mercy. An appropriate title considering that WWE is showing no mercy in their onslaught of content they put out every week. SmackDown is the clear winner so far in the brand split, as they have outshone Raw in every aspect (except the women’s division, but it’s close even there). With less time than Raw and a smaller roster, the blue brand has put out consistently better content, to the point where even the post-show interviews have become important.
This has helped my interest in No Mercy, but it’ll take a stellar effort from WWE to make it stand out over the deluge of content they produce. Spaceman Frank is here to short out the card and bring you my predictions for No Mercy 2016 (sponsored by the anti-euthanasia lobby).
Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin (Kickoff)
Both these guys do not have much momentum, leading them to fight for the new pre-show Time Waster Championship for SmackDown (Raw has Neville and Bo Dallas). Swagger got traded to SmackDown in the first draft of the New Era and has…existed on the show ever since. Corbin is not terrible and can keep his end of the bargain when it comes to feuds and wrestling, but he’s constantly had to deal with go-nowhere feuds. It would seem weird that Swagger would switch shows and lose, but Corbin’s the one who needs the win here. Corbin wins and goes on being a Lone Wolf character and career-wise.
Curt Hawkins vs. TBD
Hawkins has come back to the WWE to be make filler vignettes for SmackDown, but now it’s time for the veteran to get into the ring (on television anyway; he already lost a match at a live show). No clue what WWE’s plan is for the former Edge doppelganger, so I’m going out on a limb and saying Apollo Crews squashes him to give him something to do.
Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
Two women’s matches on a show?? And neither on the main event (LE GASP!)!!! Anywho, Carmella is a surprisingly good heel and has taken down Nikki Bella in convincing fashion. However, since this is so one-sided and Nikki Bella is Nikki Bella, Carmella is going to take the loss here. After all, it’s not like it’s called Total Carmella and we can see Big Cass obsessively keep his giant house clean as Enzo keeps walking around in his dirty Jordans (but maybe someday).
Heath Slater and Rhyno (c) vs. The Usos (WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match)
Speaking of surprisingly good heels, The Usos have been fantastic as vicious bad guys (perhaps a certain cousin of theirs should copy them so he could finally get over). This has deadened Slater and Rhyno’s momentum, as their feel-good story has stalled. Sure, they’re still entertaining, but it seems unlikely that the team will beat the Usos and their mean streak. Plus American Alpha is waiting in the wings to take a shot at the Usos again with the titles on the line this time. Then Rhyno betrays Slater leading to “Broken” Heath Slater.
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
Randy Orton got hit on the head, taking him to Spookytown and making him able to counter Wyatt’s madness with his own! Who will win this epic battle? Find out on the next episode of Goosebumps!
This match is finally happening, and while the build has not been terrible, it stands out among the more serious feuds on SmackDown. Erick Rowan is also out with a torn rotator cuff and with rumors pointing to Luke Harper heading to Raw, it will be telling to see how much faith the WWE has in a solo Bray Wyatt if he beats the Viper. However, an Orton win makes more sense since he would naturally slide into the main event scene that is red hot right now and could feud with any of the top three guys.
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss (WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship)
Bliss is finally getting the proper championship push she never really got in NXT, and so far she has done a very good job. Sure, both her and Camella have been written to just beat down their foes every week, but Bliss has the better mic skills and has built this feud up right. I’m high on Bliss’ potential, but this is not her moment. She will get a shot to carry the belt and division, but now it’s Lynch’s time to establish the new belt with a solid run. Lynch wins and runs the gauntlet of new opponents every PPV to prove her mettle.
The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (Title vs. Career Intercontinental Championship Match)
This build to this feud has been perfect. SmackDown has two hot feuds going on surrounding their top belts, which is a testament to how well the show is doing post-brand split. The Miz is on a whole ‘nother level compared to his peers on the microphone and Ziggler has stepped up to make him the sympathetic babyface we saw flashes of (such as the conclusion of Survivor Series 2014). Do I think his in-ring career is over if he loses? Hell no. Do I think The Miz is going to lose? Hell no. The Awesome One wins and continues his never ending title reign.
AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship Match)
Oh Boy. This match has plenty of layers and with all three men firing on all cylinders it’s guaranteed this match will be the highlight of the show. Ambrose seemed to be sleeping through half his title reign, but he’s awake now and playing the tweener to a fantastic degree we haven’t seen since the PG era started. Cena has played his boy scout self, but this time he has his merit badge in Knifework as he cuts his opponents down with lethal precision on the mic. Styles has been in third place in terms of selling this feud with words, but since he’s the villainous champ he can coast on his amazing ring work instead. Much like Charlotte vs. Banks vs. Bayley at Clash of Champions, I think this is pretty even on who has the best chance to win. Therefore, I’m going with the champ AJ Styles to retain in what should be a stellar match.
Wishbone Ash At Daryl’s House
Every once in a while I check the listing for shows at Daryl’s House, a restaurant owned by Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates located in Pawling, NY. The place is known for great food and gets plenty of notable jazz,blues and classic rock acts. I noticed that Wishbone Ash were scheduled to play there in late September.
Seeing this as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see such an underrated band, my good buddy Birdman from Roargh and I knew we had to go. After school that day, I made the drive to Pawling. While we waited, we both ordered chili burgers, which were pretty amazing.
Wishbone Ash
For those who don’t know, Wishbone Ash are a pretty overlooked 70’s hard rock band that are most known for influencing Iron Maiden. We were able to see this as soon as we noticed their guitar playing is just like Dave Murray and Adrain Smith’s.
The sound was amazing and the vocalist showed us all he has a sense of humor. They played many great songs including “The King Has Come,” “You see Red” and “Blowing Wind.” The band encored with the track “Pheonix.” Wishbone Ash played for about an hour and 45 minutes but weren’t boring for a second. After the show we met the band, who were pretty chill guys and then headed home after experiencing a performance by one of classic rocks most overlooked acts.
Manopera! Episode 26: Clash Of Champions (and then some)
Our hosts break down Clash of Champions and speculate on where things can go for Cesaro, Sheamus, and the WWE Universal Championship picture.
To donate to Rico Constantino’s GoFundMePage, visit www.gofundme.com/ricoconstantino.
Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 41 – Holy Grail’s James-Paul Luna
Holy Grail’s monster frontman James-Paul Luna takes the time to chat with us about metal, Pokemon Go incidents and more in this killer podcast.
F*ck Mondays! Episode 24: The Passion Of The Pizza Girl
We air grievances on leaked Superman photos and crack the case on why our order got messed up thanks to Chris’s brother.
Spaceman Frank’s WWE Clash of Champions 2016 Predictions
After Smackdown Live got the first crack at a single brand Pay-Per-View, Raw gets its first event with Clash of Champions.
This almost throwback to the NWA/WCW PPV (which was Clash of THE Champions) promises to be interesting at the very least. Sure, we can all wonder what this PPV would have looked like if Finn Balor wasn’t injured, but all things considered, this is a strong card. As usual, the WWE has tempered expectations somewhat with their questionable booking, but I feel like that’s their strategy at this point. I can almost imagine Vince McMahon and Triple H plotting out hours of mediocre television just so when the PPV comes around, it just happens to be both better and shorter than Raw (aka a poor attempt to try to make fans happy). Anywho, here is Spaceman Frank’s Clash of Champions 2016 predictions.
Special note: I totally see WWE putting a Braun Stowman squash match into the Kickoff. Raw PPV pre-shows should be the Nia and Braun show until the Royal Rumble at least. From there they can have a rivalry over who destroys their opponents faster until they get into a yelling match before making out. Greatest love story of 2016.
Alicia Fox vs. Nia Jax
This pre-show match is obviously going to end in Jax winning. The real question is how long this match will last bell to bell (I got three minutes). Jax is doing well squashing people, and Foxy is a good established name to feed to her. Who’s next on the Jax destruction tour? I predict Paige as punishment for her suspension/alleged temper tantrum.
Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Final Match in Best of Seven Series)
Who would’ve thought that Cesaro would have bounced back from 0-3? This feud has not been bad, but at this point the WWE Universe is ready to move on. After these guys have been brutalizing each other for weeks I really hope they get a championship program out of all this. I’d much rather see these guys bounce around the Universal Title picture then farting around the U.S. Championship as fodder for Rusev or Reigns. Cesaro wins to complete his underdog comeback story.
Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho
The last of the non-title matches on the show, this is the one I’m looking forward to the most. The Likable One feuding with his mortal enemy Kevin Owens’ new BFF Jericho makes sense, but it would have made much more sense if it happened at SummerSlam instead of here, but whatever. Jericho the character gets an A in my book, but Jericho the in-ring wrestler is about a C at this point of his career. As much as I like his character work I don’t enjoy his matches that much anymore. That being said, I can see this going at least another PPV, so Jericho gets the win here.
The New Day (c) vs. The Club (WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match)
The Club is superb since ditching their hand at lowball comedy and just beating people up (Where were these guys this whole time?). Leave comedy to The New Day and Enzo and Cass. I feel like The New Day have nothing left to prove as champs at this point, so dropping the belts to The Club is the right move. From there I would rather see the team members get individual pushes while remaining a faction. This will allow other tag teams to get into the title hunt and we can get some fresh matchups for singles championships. The Club win and start going on a tear.
Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns (United States Championship Match)
This one is tricky. On one hand Rusev is an excellent U.S. champ, but too often is the Bulgarian Brute fodder for main eventers and guys like Reigns. On the other hand, pretty much the only scenario I can see Reigns getting over is by winning the U.S. Championship and issuing weekly title challenges like John Cena did in 2015. That way he can slowly but surely build up respect with the audience by putting on good matches every week. It worked wonders for Cena so I can see it working for Reigns as well. Reigns wins and the WWE continues the Rehab Reigns campaign while Rusev goes mega heel and pledges allegiance to Donald Trump’s America (Book it Vince. You know you want to.).
T.J. Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick (WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match)
Things that have me worried about the cruiserweights after one week:
- No TJP on Raw.
- No subtitles for Gran Metalik’s spanish promo.
- A Fatal Four Way match where the divisions athleticism gets over more than the people involved.
I know that it will take time for a whole division to get over (as we’ve seen with the womens divisions), but this was a major misstep. I would much rather have the cruiserweights sprinkled in throughout the show taking on midcarders than just facing each other. The number one contender stipulation made sense, but everything else was pretty bad. Kendrick is the closest thing the division has to a heel, so he’s a good contender for the very likable T.J Perkins. That being said, the new champ wins here to build up a proper program for later.
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match)
I was fine with the Charlotte vs. Banks rematch, although I’m also fine with Bayley getting but into the title picture. It seems like an 11th hour Hail Mary to get extra attention for this match (or explain the double pin scenario that happened the week before), but I’m not going to complain that my girl Bayley gets into the title picture. I really see each lady having an equal chance here. Charlotte’s been a fine champ, but she’s been champ in some form for close to a year (with a slight gap during Banks’ brief run) and it may be time to freshen up the scene. Banks has the motivation to regain her title, but the WWE may feel as though she is injury prone at this point. Bayley could pretty much win at any point and people would be happy, but the smart money is to build to Bayley vs. Banks III. When Spaceman Frank can’t tell what’s going to happen, he gives it to the champion. Charlotte wins in a good match.
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Universal Championship Match)
This simply cannot be a bad match. Say what you want about the build or KO’s booking since being champ, but all you need to do to get me excited about this match is say “Owens vs. Rollins for the belt.” The big question here is what Triple H will do, if he’ll do anything at all. Rollins is a great heel, but there’s only so much space at the top and Raw desperately needs a babyface at the top of the card. Can we see Rollins getting a couple of cruiserweights on his side and form a high-flying faction to take on a Kevin Owens lead authority as Mick Foley just tries to eat his feelings away before he is replaced by GM Big Show? Anyway, KO retains and we get more of the Kevin Owens show for the time being.
The Vault: Cattle Decapitation at the Loft 8/10/2015
Editor’s Note: In the wacky world of publishing, some stories don’t see the light of day. Whether they sit on the back burner until they become irrelevant, positions change hands or they just plain get cut, it’s just one of those things. Today, one of those unpublished articles will finally get its due as we traverse the archives of “The Vault.”
When seeing the lineup for this year’s (2015) Summer Slaughter tour, I was not impressed.
The only bands on the bill I would care to see were Obscura (who would later drop), Beyond Creation and Cattle Decapitation due to all three bands being early openers as well as having seen Obscura and Cattle Decap before. When I saw that Tainted Entertainment booked two of the only worthwhile bands at a venue not too far from me I knew I had to go. I bought a discount ticket off of Will from Necroptic Engorgement (one of the local openers) and the awaited my first time at the Loft all year.
Doomscenario
The first band on was the local powerviolence band Doomscenario. I had seen these guys before play a local show with local grindcore greats BillxNye. Like last time their set was short and sweet!
Declension
After Doomscenario were done I ran into my Connecticut buddy Rodey as well as two members from local thrash greats Prime Evil. Declension are a deathcore band from Albany, NY. I once had to sit through these guys two years ago when they opened for Dying Fetus and Exhumed. Like back then, the band wasn’t very impressive at all.
Necroptic Engorment
After being bored by Declension, Middletown’s Necroptic Engorment were set to go on. During this time I caught up with my Albany friends, John, Filip and Craig. Necroptic is one of my area’s most beloved local bands. They have opened for many great bands including Macabre, Cannibal Corpse, Malignancy and Gorguts and are cool guys too. I’ve seen them many times and never get bored once. These guys plays really crushing brutal death metal with tunes of energy.
Beyond Creation
While waiting in line for the doors to open, I was chatting with Will from Necroptic as well as the sound guy for these Montreal tech death masters. I hadn’t heard too many songs from this band, but what I had heard I really enjoyed. This set made me want to explore their discography a lot more. The band mixed ultra technicality with a lot of energy and weren’t boring for a minute.
Cattle Decapitation
Cattle Decapitation have always been one of my favorite bands ever since checking out their Humanure album due to the graphic artwork. The mix of extremity and brutality along with Travis Ryan’s over-the-top vocals drew me in fast. I had seen them once three years ago and they were long overdue for a second sighting. The band played a mixture of older and newer songs. Ryan did his typical over-the-top theatrics. The crowd was wild but not as wild as I expected. All in all I enjoyed seeing them again.
I recently saw that The Chance booked Cannibal Corpse with Cattle opening in October. For that story you can go here but as far as tonight is concerned, I had an awesome time and eventually went back to reality.
F*ck Mondays! Episode 23: Who Needs The Emmy’s?
Our hosts ramble about South Park, Stranger Things, gaming, Collin Kaepernick’s protest and more.
The Bonesaw 