Ross's Wrestling Ratings : WWE Weekly Roundup 27/08/2018

Another week of wrestling and more ratings to give. And next week I'll also have All In and the Mae Young Classic to look at. Yay for more work.

Finn Balor vs Baron Corbin : *1/2

Sasha Banks vs Dana Brooke : 3/4*

Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens (Intercontinental Championship) : ****

The B-Team vs The Revival : *1/2

Natalya vs Alicia Fox : 1/2*

Bobby Lashley vs The Ascension : DUD

Dean Ambrose vs Jinder Mahal : 1/2*

Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman vs Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre : *

Quick Thoughts:

Not much to this show outside of a great IC Title match.

It's full steam ahead for the build to Hell in a Cell and we have a couple of matches set for the show like Reigns vs Strowman being announced and Bliss vs Rousey for the women's title. It seems we also have a tag title rematch set for the show.

The Bar vs The Good Brothers vs The Colons : **1/4

Naomi vs Billie Kay : DUD

Daniel Bryan vs Andrade Cien Almas : **3/4

Charlotte vs Carmella (Smackdown Women's Championship) : **1/2

Quick Thoughts:

Fun show with the return of King Booker (hilarious) and more set up for Hell in a Cell matches like AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe (surprisingly not in the Cell) and Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton (surprisingly in the Cell).

Lynch vs Charlotte looks like it's gonna be amazing and even the mixed tag match is looking better and better.

Akira Tozawa vs The Brian Kendrick : **1/4

Hideo Itami vs Hammond Edgar : 1/2*

Kalisto vs Buddy Murphy : ***3/4

Quick Thoughts:

As usual 205 Live is one of the funnest wrestling shows of the week and I would highly recommend it. This show was only 50 minutes and it flew by.

Dakota Kai vs Aliyah : **1/4

Keith Lee vs Luke Menzies : *

Ricochet & Pete Dunne vs The Undisputed Era : ***1/4

Quick Thoughts:

As always NXT is a blast, giving us fun matches while setting up future ones. Gargano vs Dream sounds great next week. 

Top 3 Matches of the Week:

1) Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens
2) Kalisto vs Buddy Murphy
3) Ricochet & Pete Dunne vs The Undisputed Era

Ross's Wrestling Ratings: Hell in a Cell 2017

Thought I'd take a look at each HIAC show leading up to this year's edition. Once I'm done with the PPV shows I'll also rate every other Cell match there's ever been.



The New Day vs The Usos (Smackdown Tag Team Championship/ Hell in a Cell) : ****1/2

Rusev vs Randy Orton : **

AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin vs Tye Dillenger (United States Championship) : ***1/4

Natalya vs Charlotte (Smackdown Women's Championship) : **

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship) : **

Bobby Roode vs Dolph Ziggler : *

Shane McMahon vs Kevin Owens : (Falls Count Anywhere Hell in a Cell) : ***1/2


Quick Thoughts:

I can see why I didn't remember much about this show as it starts off with a bang and a WWE Match of the Year contender with the Tag Title cell match, but it totally takes a dive after that.

There's nothing worth seeing with Orton and Rusev putting on a match that would barely be Smackdown worthy and Baron Corbin drags down what could have been a great triple threat with his boring offense.

The Women's Title match had potential up to a crappy DQ finish making it seem more like a TV match.

Jinder Mahal's terrible reign continues and this really brought down Nakamura's worth quite a bit. Thankfully it didn't last much longer after this.

Roode's PPV debut was a complete misfire as the crowd didn't care and he doesn't have a character to get behind.

Thankfully Shane did save things a bit by being absolutely mental as usual but the match was a bit overlong for what it was going for.

Overall a pretty bleh show. Watch the first match then skip to the last match.

Ross's Game Reviews: P.T. (Silent Hills Teaser)

I was looking for a direction to take my horror game reviews and I thought I'd start by looking at some of my favourite series in the genre, starting with one that's very close to my heart: Silent Hill.

I know P.T. may seem like a strange place to start, but I wanted to do it while I still had it downloaded onto my PS4 (how much is it worth now?) and hopefully before it explodes cos it sounds like it's on the edge of breaking down. This teaser was released just over 4 years ago on unsuspecting players, so how does it hold up now? Let's take a look.

I would say no spoilers but there's not much to spoil here, and as always check out Chew Bubblegum and Kick Ass on Facebook and follow me for review updates on Twitter @rossd9711

So a little background first of all. This game was released simply under the name P.T. on the Playstation Store with players having no clue that it was a teaser for another entry in the acclaimed Silent Hill series, and you only found this out if you managed to finish the teaser which was no easy feat. I mean I can't even finish the damn thing.

It was later revealed that the new entry in the series would be directed by none other than the gaming legend that is Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series) and legendary filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, The Shape of Water) and to say that gamers were excited is an understatement.

Unfortunately after some backstage politics between Kojima and game company Konami (worst game company ever) the game was cancelled completely and this teaser was pulled from the Playstation Store and still remains off it til this day and I'm just lucky I saved it from when I first got my PS4.

The Silent Hill series still hasn't seen a revival and seems that it has now been deemed only suitable for a slot machine game. Seriously fuck Konami. They ruined Silent Hill and Metal Gear. Anyway onto the actual game before I start a rant.

There's not too much to say about the actual gameplay portion since this is only a teaser and can be finished within an hour if you know what you're doing. But holy hell they do pack a lot into that limited time.

There's no real story given either as you wake up as a man in an apartment building and have to walk down the same corridor over and over again with the environment only changing ever so slightly every time you reenter the hall. You're given snippets of a story from the radio as it constantly refers to a murder that has taken place, and you quickly realise that you're in the scene of the crime.

Things start slowly to build up the atmosphere, with the bathroom door opening by itself and then suddenly shutting closed with loud banging from the other side. At one point the door is only slightly open and you take a peak inside to see what's making the noises, only for a dark figure to appear right in front of your face to slam the door shut. If you can continue on from this point then you have proven a bit of bravery.

Then you reenter the hallway again and then SHE appears. Lisa. She stands there staring at you from the darkness making what can only be described as some of the most unsettling sounds in gaming. You have no choice but to walk towards her and then she disappears in the darkness, leaving only some cockroaches behind. Again if you can continue past this point then well done you.

There's also one point where you can enter the bathroom and come to find what I guess is a blood covered fetus in the sink. You can do nothing but look at it while an unknown presence attempts to enter the same room as you, leaving you feeling helpless.

This all comes to a head when you turn out around at one point in the hallway and receive one of the biggest jumpscares in gaming as Lisa decides to get up close and personal. Normally I'm ok with jumpscares as I usual just end up jumping a bit and laughing at myself, but this is one of the only ones to nearly make me audibly scream it was that terrifying. If you can get past this point then congrats because this is where a lot of people turned it off for good.

Past this point is where the game really starts to fuck with you as your flashlight will convey shadows in front of you where it looks like Lisa's twitching body is right behind you, and after that earlier jumpscare you'll be too terrified to even look back and see if she's there, haunting your every step. Even the music is diabolical and nightmare-inducing as if the whole experience wasn't anyway.

At points Lisa will begin to appear randomly and it's totally disturbing no matter how many times I see it and it will definitely stay with you even after you finish with it. Normally I would recommend a nighttime atmosphere for a horror game, but with this one that definitely isn't recommended as weird dreams and nightmares are almost guaranteed, and that's if you're not too afraid to go to sleep afterwards.

The puzzles that are presented are also pretty challenging and made even more difficult by feeling like you're being watched the whole time but I couldn't even make it to the end and apparently the ending puzzle is totally ridiculous in how challenging it is.

Given that this is just a teaser and not a proper game it is harder to rate based on that, but you can't argue with the quality here. The game looks fantastic (still better looking than a lot of current games) and as a general horror experience it's unparalleled. It's just a damn shame that it's so difficult to even play now due to Konami's fuckery.

But still since this is technically an official part of the Silent Hill series, I consider it a part of the history of that franchise and I have no doubt that the full game for this could have brought new life to not only the series, but to the horror genre as a whole.

Rating: 10/10

Ross's Wrestling Reviews: WWE Weekly Roundup 20/08/2018

I actually did it! For the first time in forever I watched all four main weekly WWE tv shows and every single match that took place has been rated. I had fun doing this so I'll definitely keep it up for now. I'm glad it doesn't really interfere with my other reviews too.

So how was the fallout after Summerslam? Let's take a look.

Bobby Lashley vs Baron Corbin : *1/2

Bayley / Sasha Banks / Ember Moon vs The Riott Squad : **

Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler : **

Curt Hawkins vs Elias : 1/4*

Titus Worldwide vs The Authors of Pain : *

Bo Dallas vs Scott Dawson : 1/4*

Curtis Axel vs Dash Wilder : 1/4*

Roman Reigns vs Finn Balor (Universal Championship) : ***3/4

Quick Thoughts: 

Yeah Raw wasn't too much to talk about and surprisingly there's no NXT call ups like we had last year. 

Surprisingly they seem to be setting a storyline for HHH vs Taker in Australia which is kind of cool and I hope it wasn't just a one off promo. 

Roman Reigns is getting a lot better both in the ring and on the mic and I'm starting to dig him a bit. 

Ronda Rousey's coronation was weird and didn't really set anything up but Ronda comes across as a freaking star and I can't wait to see what's next for her. 

And finally the Shield have returned and hopefully won't have too many roadblocks this time. I'm interested to see where they go with the Strowman cash in now that the Shield are watching Roman's back. 

BONUS MATCH!

Yeah I decided to watch the free match on NJPW World so I thought I'd rate it as a bonus. Check it out on their website if you fancy it. 

Prince Devitt vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (Lumberjack Deathmatch on 29/09/13) : ***3/4

Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton : *

Naomi vs Peyton Royce : *

Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vegas vs Rusev & Lana : **1/4

The New Day vs The Bludgeon Brothers (Smackdown Tag Team Chaampionship No DQ) : ***1/2

Quick thoughts : 

While there wasn't much to Hardy vs Orton, it was more angle than match and I'm really enjoying the storyline with the newly heel Orton and I can't wait to see where it goes. Hardy's swanton off the stage was awesome too. 

I loved Becky Lynch's heel promo and she did try her best to get the crowd to boo her but they weren't having any of it. The subsequent brawl with Charlotte was great and I can't wait for the match they'll most likely have in Hell in a Cell. 

Almas tapping out to Rusev wasn't something I liked though as I was hoping they would keep Almas strong, but unfortunately he just seems to be another NXT call up that won't get the attention he deserves. 

Samoa Joe is the greatest. That is all. 

New Day are five time champs and I'm cool with that and it's a shame that Rowan has his injury but it'll be interesting to see where the tag division goes next. 

Noam Dar vs TJP : **1/2

Lucha House Party vs Tony Nese & Buddy Murphy : ****

Quick thoughts:

205 Live is quickly becoming WWE's must see show along with NXT and this show was no exception with a stand out main event. 

We were supposed to get Tozawa vs Delaney but that was interrupted by Drew Gulak and his entourage to seemingly set up another title match. I approve. 

Bianca Belair vs Deonna Purrazzo : **1/4

Pete Dunne vs Zack Gibson (United Kingdom Championship) : ****

Quick thoughts:

This was never going to be much of a show as it was mainly highlights from Takeover, but even with that it shined. 

Pete Dunne gave another star performance and I have no idea why he's not a main eventer yet. 

After a backstage segment it seems like we might be poised for Dunne vs Ricochet and I am so excited for the prospect of it. It feels even closer now that it's been announced that next week we'll have The Undisputed Era vs Ricochet & Dunne.

Top 3 Matches of the Week: 

1. Pete Dunne vs Zack Gibson

2. Lucha House Party vs Nese & Murphy

3. Roman Reigns vs Finn Balor

Ross's Movie Reviews - Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation

It's finally over. No more Texas Chainsaw related movies until a new one is released. After this I think I'm done with sticking with one particular franchise unless absolutely necessary, and boy am I glad did I keep this one for last. Do my Chainsaw reviews end with a bang or a whimper? Let's take a look.

No major spoilers here and as usual, make sure to check out Chew Bubblegum and Kick Ass on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @rossd9711

Like the previous sequel, this one only really makes mention of the 1974 original movie as part of the opening credits and makes sure to leave out the last two movies.

We start with the end of a high school prom as some drama unfolds between some teens and four of them end up driving back home together, but after a nasty road collision, they end up in some mysterious woodland.

This all happens within the first five minutes of the movie and is as rushed as you can imagine as we don't get any time to meet our 'heroes' aside from the fact that the one called Barry who's a complete cock and I got so sick of him so quickly.

We also surprisingly have Renee Zellweger of all people in the main role which I believe is her first proper movie role that wasn't just aired on TV. God knows how she had a career after this though as her performance really wasn't that great. It might just be because compared to most of her cast mates she may as well have been Meryl Streep.

I won't even mention the other two as there's nothing worth talking about.

And now we get to Leatherface. Oh poor Leatherface. I've made fun of some his appearances in the past for being too goofy but this is just absolute rock bottom for the poor guy. I mean the first time you see him he just looks like a guy wearing a cheap Halloween costume put together at the last second and just screams all the time. And it's not a scary or creepy scream, it's a fucking annoying scream that grates my ears everytime I hear it.

Not only that, but after he at least acts like a normal Leatherface for the first part of the film, for the rest of it he's just a total bitch and whines and can be put down by being shouted at! A low point for a horror icon indeed.

Even the fucked up family is just worse this time around and they tried to give it a weird organised cult feeling to spice it up a little but it just didn't work because it doesn't make sense. They even make their surname Slaughter. What lazy bullshit is that? The whole movie just comes across as bad student film quality and it makes me wonder who thought any of this was a good idea.

Although we do have one bright spot and his name is Matthew McConaughey. He plays the family leader Vilmer and is a cold blooded killer. Like Zellweger this is also his first proper movie role and he just absolutely kills it here. It feels like he's the only one here who gave a damn and really just goes for it with his performance.

He's absolutely nuts and just so believable that he ends up becoming the most memorable part of the movie by far.

Still though, one great performance can't excuse the rest of this as, similar to some of the other movies in the series, it just tries to copy what's already been done way better before and just fails in every way at it.

There's really no reason at all for this movie to exist and does for the Chainsaw franchise other than dragging it down further into an early grave.

Terrible movie and honestly one of the worst I've ever had to sit down and watch. Thank god it lasts less than 90 minutes.

Rating: 1/10

Ross's Wrestling Ratings: Summerslam 2018

Pre-Show:

Rusev & Lana vs Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega : **

Cedric Alexander vs Drew Gulak (Cruiserweight Championship) : ***

The B Team vs The Revival (Raw Tag Team Championship) : *1/2


Main Show:

Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler (Intercontinental Championship) : ****1/4

New Day vs The Bludgeon Brothers (Smackdown Tag Team Championship) : ***

Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens (for the MITB briefcase) : *

Becky Lynch vs Charlotte vs Carmella (Smackdown Women's Championship) : ***1/2

AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe (WWE Championship) : ****

Daniel Bryan vs The Miz : ****1/4

Finn Balor vs Baron Corbin : *

Jeff Hardy vs Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Championship) : **1/2

Ronda Rousey vs Alexa Bliss (Raw Women's Championship) : **

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship) :  ***


This show was surprisingly fun, and while not as good as Takeover, it was still one of the best Summerslam shows of the last ten years. No bad matches on the main show with three of them four or more stars and another three with three or more stars. It was an easy watch with a few short matches thrown in for good measure. Check it out.


I've decided that since I'm just doing star ratings for these and not full on reviews, I thought I would try and do a WWE roundup every week, most likely on Thursdays, and will be one post featuring star ratings from Raw, Smackdown, 205 Live and NXT.

I'll start including things like the Mae Young classic when that starts and continue to work on ratings for older shows and Network Collections. PPVs, Takeovers and other big shows will be kept separate. I'll also keep doing New Japan shows whenever they crop up and even 'All In' next week.

Ross's Wrestling Ratings: NXT Takeover Brooklyn IV

No spoilers here.

Shoutout to Chew Bubblegum and Kick Ass on Facebook and remember to follow me on Twitter @rossd9711

NXT Tag Team Championship - Undisputed Era vs Moustache Mountain : ***** 

(A fantastic end to a fantastic trilogy with many callbacks to previous encounters and some great drama)


EC3 vs Velveteen Dream : ***1/4

NXT North American Championship - Adam Cole vs Ricochet : ****1/4

NXT Women's Championship - Shayna Bazler vs Kairi Sane : ****

(The best NXT match so far for both women and the best since the days of Asuka's reign)


NXT Championship Last Man Standing match - Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano : *****

(I think I can safely say that this is the match to finally dethrone HHH/Jericho as the best Last Man Standing match ever. A vicious brawl that kept me hooked the whole way through)

For anyone curious I would also rate the other two Takeover matches between Ciampa and Gargano as five stars. 

Overall a must see show and I can't see anything outside of New Japan beating it for the best show of the year.

I'm also working on rating every match in the Jim Neidhart collection on the Network which should be finished soon.

Tune in tomorrow for ratings on Summerslam.