'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Over the week, the WWE introduced four brand new shows to the WWE Network, making my job a bit easier in the process. To learn more about that, click here.
In short, the Club, Breezango, Xavier Woods, and Bo Dallas all got their own shows on the streaming service.
- Fashion Files: Cold Case Unit
- Xavier's Arcade Challenge
- WWE Kitchen SmackDown w/Bo Dallas
- Botch Club
Most fans skipped out on Raw and SmackDown during the holiday week, so it's possible you may have missed out on all the content on the Network, too. If that's the case, there's a lot to catch up on. Along with the weekly wrestling programs such as 205 Live, NXT and NXT UK, the Network padded out the week's schedule with great original content.
Trending
Starting off the list was one of the new additions to the Network.
#5 Fashion Files: Cold Case Unit
There are many unsolved mysteries in the world of the WWE. Who raised the briefcase out of Stone Cold Steve Austin's reach at King of the Ring 1999? Who was behind GTV? What was in Mr. McMahon's lockbox?
However, the Fashion Police took it upon themselves to tackle the most important mystery in the history of the WWE: Who threw that pie at Kevin Owens?
A food fight broke out on the July 4th, 2016 episode of Monday Night Raw. While superstars pelted one another with hot dogs, cake, and potato salad, Kevin Owens managed to avoid the altercation altogether by hiding under the table.
While he did avoid most of it, and the room was nearly cleared out, Owens managed to be hit by one last pie to the face from an unknown assailant. The only one who couldn't be responsible for the heinous act was Heath Slater, who was still unconscious following a chokeslam through a table by Big Show and Kane.
Breezango also claimed to have an airtight alibi at their own 2-man party at a local Chilli's restaurant. Luckily, Tyler Breeze and Fandango decided to finally tackle this two-year-old case.
The Suspects
- Rusev
- Cesaro
- Sheamus
And eventually...
- Everyone
I won't spoil here who the culprit was, or if Breezango ever actually solved the case. However, if you were a fan of the Fashion Files on SmackDown Live, you'll love this 13-minute premiere.
#4 Xavier's Arcade Challenge
Xavier Woods is a known gamer. The multiple-time Tag Team Champion launched his own YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown, and is currently only a few hundred thousand away from 2 million subscribers.
Woods' love of video games has even breached into his wrestling career, as he's made countless references via wrestling maneuvers and wrestling gear that he's worn to the ring. This week, the WWE gave him his own show on the Network, allowing him to do what he's always wanted to do since he was a child; beating 6 random people in NBA Jam on TV.
Xavier Woods takes the WWE Universe to Barcade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The general manager, Joe McFall, gives Woods a rundown of the franchise's history through New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Woods highlights the incredibly rare games like the Speed Racer arcade machine, along with the menu that's available there.
Finally, Woods tackles the arcade, facing his first challenger in Speed Racer. Woods narrowly defeats the New Day fan, Daryl, before moving onto Marvel vs Capcom 2, where he again reigned supreme over another fan. Woods goes on to play various competitors in other games while giving a brief history lesson on each title.
This might not be a show that catches the eye of most of the WWE fans, but for those of us that are into the history of video games, this is definitely a great 13-minute ride that I personally recommend.
#3 Hidden Gems
The WWE Network presented "12 Days of Hidden Gems" over the past few weeks, leading up to Christmas Day. One of those episodes was the entire event known as "AWA Nite of Champions II." This 1985 event filmed in East Rutherford, New Jersey is an incredible show featuring some of the greatest wrestling legends in the primes of their careers.
- Ron Bass vs JJ Dillon
- Little Tokyo vs Cowboy Lang
- Sherri Martel vs Debie Combs
- Carlos Colon vs Konga the Barbarian
- Buddy Roberts vs Paul Ellering
- NWA Tag Team Championship: Rock 'n Roll Express vs The Longriders
- Sgt. Slaughter vs Chris Markoff and Boris Zhukov
- NWA US Heavyweight Championship: Tully Blanchard vs Magnum TA
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Dusty Rhodes vs Ric Flair
- The Road Warriors vs Ivan Koloff and Krusher Kruschev
- AWA World Championship: Rick Martel vs Stan Hansen
Along with the show, the WWE Universe will get minutes of promos from the Rock 'n Roll Express, Tully Blanchard w/ Baby Doll, and The Road Warriors w/ Paul Ellering. Fans of old-school wrestling and the territory days will not be able to pass on an event that gives them JJ Dillon, Buddy Roberts, Carlos Colon, Sgt. Slaughter, The Rock 'n Roll Express, the Road Warriors, and an NWA World Heavyweight Championship match between Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair.
Don't miss out on this classic, or any other great Hidden Gems on the WWE Network.
#2 NXT UK
The UK stars brought the action to the WWE Network this week, as they always do. This week, we started off with NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint, who had an announcement to make to the live crowd. While it's been known for some time now, Saint officially announced NXT UK's first TakeOver event, NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
2018 Mae Young Classic winner Toni Storm challenged NXT UK Women's Champion Rhea Ripley for her title at the event. Johnny Saint made the match official, setting up the first title bout at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
Jordan Devlin faced off against Kenny Williams in the first match of the evening, and the devilish Devlin put away Williams quickly, continuing to dominate the NXT UK roster. Aside from his loss to WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, The Irish Ace has proven himself against all comers.
Devlin, after the match, said that he had somebody else in his sights and that they were an embarrassment to their country.
Eddie Dennis dominated Dan Maloney but was interrupted by Dave Mastiff, who he had recently suffered a loss to. The Bomber was attacked by Dennis backstage last week and took the opportunity to get some much-needed revenge this time around.
However, due to his interference, Dennis was awarded the victory. Maloney pleaded his case to Mastiff, only to be taken out by the big man.
We also saw an NXT UK Women's Championship match between Deonna Purrazzo and Rhea Ripley, who looked to send a message to her challenger at TakeOver: Blackpool.
As NXT UK moves towards their first TakeOver event, they'll continue to deliver some incredible matches to the Network. As is the case every week, NXT UK is a must watch.
#1 NXT: December 26th, 2018
Just like NXT UK, NXT avoided having a best of show that 205 Live opted for. Instead, we were given an NXT Tag Team Championship match, along with Fatal-4-Way Match to determine the next challenger for Shayna Baszler's NXT Women's Championship.
We opened the show with the Fatal-4-Way, which featured four stars who have yet to face off against Baszler. Mae Young Classic finalist Io Shirai looked to make her mark at the end of the year in order to start off 2019 on top.
Lacey Evans, soon to be called up to the main roster, attempted to cement her NXT run with a title reign before debuting on Raw or SmackDown Live next year.
Mia Yim, another signee from the Mae Young Classic, has had a great run thus far in NXT. Yim has quickly become a fan favorite of the NXT Universe. Shockingly enough, she already holds one loss on her record thanks to the final competitor in the match, NXT's Est. Bianca Belair.
Belair is perhaps the most beloved female competitor on NXT. Between her great entrance song and her undefeated streak, fans have gravitated towards her.
This match featured a great mix of styles. The high flying ability of Io Shirai was incredibly eye-catching, while Mia Yim's technical prowess and Bianca Belair's impressive strength helped keep her in the game, even against more experienced foes.
Lacey Evans proved just how maniacal, yet methodical, she could be here, proving just how great of a villain she could be. Evans took all the shortcuts possible here, attacking enemies from behind and using distractions to her advantage. This Fatal-4-Way was a great representation of what the future holds for the WWE's Women's division.
We got a break in between the two big matches with a bout between Mitch Taverna and the leader of the Forgotten Sons, Jaxson Ryker.
Ryker ran through his physically impressive foe here and was just too much force for Taverna to handle. A pop-up one-handed spinebuster took Taverna out early, allowing Ryker to play with him for a few minutes. The slingshot powerbomb finished Taverna, leaving Ryker successful yet again.
The main event between the Undisputed Era and Heavy Machinery was fantastic. Really, both of these teams are just incredible in their own rights. Heavy Machinery may not be technically superior to most teams they'll face on the main roster, but my God are they entertaining.
Though they were definitely the underdogs in terms of size, the striking prowess of Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong never put them in a disadvantageous situation. Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic were huge tanks that the Undisputed Era needed to chip away at, and that meant winning the battle mentally.
NXT ended the year right here, with an impressive fight between UE and Heavy Machinery. Heavy Machinery will be moving up to the main roster soon enough, and with a match like this, we saw why they were called up.
