WWE LFG “Legendary Teams” – Who steals the spotlight

WWE and A&E have teamed up to present a new series that’s more than it appears. “WWE Legends & Future Greats (LFG)” is a hybrid contest teaming 16 future superstars with 4 hall of fame mentors. Points are awarded to those who rise above the rest.

The winners will get a life-altering prize. They will each be offered a WWE NXT contract. Their mentors know the stakes involved. They will be awarded “The LFG championship”. This season’s mentors are Booker T, Mickie James, Bubba Ray Dudley and The Undertaker.

On episode one, viewers were introduced to the group of contestants. Viewers watched as they cut some promos and showed some in-ring potential.

The mentors deliberated and picked 4 to have the first matches. The first 4 were Tyra Mae Steele vs. Dani Sekelsky and Anthony Luke vs. Shiloh Hill. Winners were granted the right to pick their mentors. Steele won her match and selected The Undertaker. Luke defeated Hill and chose Booker T.

Now onto Episode 2:

This week opened up with a mixed tag match with the 4 first combatants. Hill and Sekelsky get some revenge with a win. From here, the show takes shape. The rest of contestants were selected in a very familiar way to WWE fans. The “Royal Rumble” number pit was used to crank the names of mentors. With the wheel spinning, the breakdown goes as the following:

Booker T: Anthony Luke, Penina Tuilaepa, Jasper Troy and Leigh Laurel

Mickie James: Dani Sekelsky, Chris Island, Troy Yearwood, and Sirena Linton

Bubba Ray Dudley: Zena Sterling, Drake Morreaux, Tatyanna Dumas and Brayden “BJ” Ray

Undertaker: Tyra Mae Steele, Shiloh Hill, Bayley Humphrey and Elijah Holyfield (son of Boxing Legend Evander)

Booker and Taker discussed BJ. Their blowup last week carries over here. Bubba demands respect. This should be the fireworks needed for the show. In testimonial, Bubba puts over BJ. He claims he has the most potential of them all. Only time will tell if they can make money or make headaches.

After a vignette on Holyfield, the teams break away to start practicing. The wealth of knowledge being given is tremendous. It’s little things the audience doesn’t pick up casually. Seeing the breakdown of how simple moves are structured will be a huge win for this show. Next up to get a vignette is Dumas. What follows next is a true look at the pressure of the show. After messing up some techniques, Dumas walks down her insecurities under the spotlight. With another vignette for Sterling, a big guest arrives.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE……

Shawn Michaels comes to the performance center to drop another bombshell. He announces that each team will have a representative to be in the first 4 matches (8 LFGs). Things become very dramatic on Bubba’s team as BJ attempts to politic his way into the match. After the breakdown of the mentors evaluations, the matches are booked: Dumas (Bubba) vs. Laurel (Booker T), Troy (Booker T) vs. Island (James), Yearwood (James) vs. Hill (Taker), Sterling (Bubba) vs. Tuilaepa (Booker T)

BJ isn’t happy he was overlooked and confronts Bubba. The mentor calls him out for burying his fellow teammates. This disrespect isn’t flying with Dudley. It is becoming quite the backstory amongst the in-ring work.

Sterling (Bubba) vs. Tuilaepa (Booker T) is the first match on this card. It was a decent match with room for improvement. Sterling steals the victory. In post, the mentors break down both wrestlers. Tuilaepa is broken down on her aggression. Sterling is more or less left with a sweaty fist pound.

Troy (Booker T) vs. Island (James) is next: It’s a hard hitting affair with Troy dominating the match. In a shocking move, Island pulls off the upset. In winning, there comes room to improve. Island is broken down on his comeback in the bout. Troy is heavily praised for his work which causes some friction.

Yearwood (James) vs. Hill (Taker) had some fireworks in its’ pre-bout announcement. The start carried big energy. They were given some honest feedback about how to capitalize on the crowd reaction. It’s key for anyone trying to feed off the crowd’s emotions

Last up is Dumas (Bubba) vs. Laurel (Booker T). Clearly, this was the match of the night. Very good all around with Laurel getting the win. The craziest thing is this is Laurel’s first match after starting 5 months prior?! Huge upside to build from. Dumas was heavily praised for her work as well.

AND THE POINTS GOES TO…..

In the aftermath: The coaches were split between Troy and Yearwood to get the point for the men’s competition. Shawn Michaels was the deciding factor and awarded Yearwood.

For the women’s match, Lauren was the unanimous winner for the coveted point.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

For episode 2, it was building up some stories and confidence. There are some early breakout candidates for who is stealing this show. A good deal of time has been given to BJ vs. Bubba. It gives fans some reality drama mixed in with the pro wrestling action. One thing is for certain: This competition is far from over.

Let me know your thoughts on “WWE LFG” airing Sunday Nights 8pm EST on A&E Networks in the comments below. Thanks for reading! CLICK HERE FOR MORE CONTENT FROM KEN