WWE LFG “WIN OR GO HOME”- ONE WAY TO THE TOP OF THE HEAP

The End of the line is quickly approaching.

WWE and A&E‘s new reality show “WWE LFG (Legends and Future Greats)” has gone through its’ first rounds of playoffs. 16 competitors have trained under 4 living legends in the pro wrestling business. The prize is a WWE NXT contract. A literal lottery ticket for an up & coming talent.

Booker T, The Undertaker, Mickie James and Bubba Ray Dudley have given their knowledge to their teams. Some have embraced it. Others found struggles under the pressure.

Last week, everything was turned upside down when eliminations began. The coaches had team members pitted against each other. When the smoke cleared, here’s who advanced to the next round.

TEAMS * COACHES:

Booker T: Penina “P-Nasty” Tuilaepa and Jasper Troy

Mickie James: Dani Sekelsky and Chris Island

Bubba Ray Dudley: Zena Sterling and BJ Ray

Undertaker: Tyra Mae Steele and Shiloh Hill

POINT STANDING: Undertaker 8, BOOKER 7 Bubba 4, Mickey 3 (after 13 episodes)

THERE IS NO TIME TO SLOW DOWN NOW!

The mood is very off at the Performance Center. Shawn Michaels addresses the remaining superstars. His message is very clear. There is no room for failure now. Each coach carries that same mentality. Names are getting called out about who is taking the next steps forward.

Chris Island and Shiloh Hill face off in the center of the ring. Their promo battle begins. Knowing how their personalities have clashed previously, this one had some fire under it. Both wrestlers didn’t back down. Hill amped up the intensity. It brought something out of Island. Hopefully this comes to the ring.

Penina “P-Nasty” Tuilaepa and Zena Sterling are up next. Bubba is coaching Zena up with some ideas to help her. Booker is fully behind P-Nasty. Zena tries to go strong, but P-Nasty is in her element. This is coming off very one-sided. Zena plays it more subtle and follows Bubba’s plan. He’s egging her on and Booker is not hearing it. Suddenly, the promo turns into P-Nasty vs. Bubba. Talk about making a wrong choice. It is VERY heated!

Jasper Troy and BJ Ray follow that up. BJ has to be considered a favorite here. Bubba tells him to lean into this skill. Their battle is coming off very much in BJ’s favor. Jasper hits a big punchline which pops the judges. It gets countered with a wild line that shocks the judges. BJ takes a shot at Booker T which throws Troy off his game. There is no doubt, Ray won this one easily.

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Dani Sekelsky close out the promo battles. Knowing how Steele has won the competition points, Dani has a point to prove. Steele wastes no time pushing the pace on Dani. There is an abundance of confidence pouring of Steele. Dani brings up gold medals and Steele loses her cool. Steele announces “She’s a heel” as she mic drops the close. Dani is actually upset by this move.

Now it’s time for the matches!

RING THE BELL!

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Dani Sekelsky

Steele played the aggressive heel and focused her attack on Dani’s leg. It was a solid match, with Dani coming with a late surge. Sekelsky sneaks on the “Hells Gate” finisher to get the Tap out. The coaches are very high on the match. Their growth in the ring is enormous.

BJ Ray vs. Jasper Troy

The coaches hype up Troy’s entrance. Once the bell rings, there is a clear cut leader in this match. Troy is selling his arm while Ray is rushing every spot. This doesn’t go unnoticed. Booker and Bubba break down Ray’s struggles to tell a story with pacing. Troy gets the big win to the delight of the crowd.

Penina “P-Nasty” Tuilaepa vs. Zena Sterling

Very steady back and forth. Bubba is calling out P-Nasty needs to improve selling moves. This doesn’t deter Zena. She finally hits a slam on the 3rd try. This moves the crowd which is what the coaches strive for. In the end, P-Nasty gets the W with the big backdrop.

Chris Island vs. Shiloh Hill

This is the most personal feud in LFG and it showed here. Hill’s entrance needs work. There’s a lot of speed up and slow down. Match is very crisp. Hill takes way too long to stage the shoulder strike in the corner. It’s a face set-up and a heel shouldn’t do it. There may have been some extra force on some top rope drops. Hill wins with his twisting finisher.

WHO STOLE TONIGHT’S SHOW?

Before the vote, points are awarded. It’s very critical for the coaches at this stage. Who were the performers of the night?

First off is standout Female performer. Booker says Zena is doing everything right for performance of the night. Taker gives his vote to Tyra. Mickie leans to Dani. Bubba calls it down the middle and gives his vote to Zena. A big point for Team Bubba.

As for the Mens, Booker picks jasper Troy (which is no shocker from his coach). Taker gives his to Shiloh but puts over Island and Hill. There’s some tension boiling between both coaches as to who gets the votes. Mickie swoops in and says Island stole the show. After tearing into BJ, Bubba gets right into Troy’s face. He says how their match was sub-par to Island and Hill. In the end, Hill gets Bubba’s vote.

POINT STANDING: Undertaker 9, BOOKER 7 Bubba 5, Mickey 3 (after 14 episodes)

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO!

The coaches call their picks to go home.

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Dani Sekelsky – Booker says Dani should go home. Taker follows suit. Mickie doesn’t think Steele is TV ready yet. Bubba cast the final vote and Dani Sekelsky is gone from LFG

BJ Ray vs. Jasper Troy – Booker doesn’t waste a second and it’s BJ’s time to go. Taker says the same thing. Mickie says Jasper is ready to go & BJ is gone! Bubba has a sh*t eating grin on his face as he puts the nail in BJ’s coffin. It’s unanimous! BJ Ray is OUT of LFG!

They give BJ time to say goodbye. He puts over Mickie and Taker. Ray takes a shot at Booker’s bias towards Troy but that’s not the greatest shot taken. He legit tries talking sh*t to Bubba. As he leaves, he says Bubba had better not put hands on him. Bubba laughs at the idle threat as his biggest thorn is now gone.

Penina “P-Nasty” Tuilaepa vs. Zena Sterling – It’s a full vote sweep for Zena to stay. Penina “P-Nasty” Tuilaepa is gracious in leaving. The coaches say it was close but Zena has put the biggest work in.

Chris Island vs. Shiloh Hill – Taker and Bubba give their votes to Hill. Mickie makes a business choice and says Island isn’t there yet. Booker puts a nice spin on his future but in the end, Chris Island is out.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

• BJ Ray IS GONE! After all the drama, THIS is the only move they could have done. He can talk, but in-ring needs improvement. The time off with injury hurt his progression. If he really wants it, this is wherehe needs to focus in with his attitude.
• Steele finally letting loose on her heel persona is LONG overdue.
• Island And Hill brought out the personal side of things. Hill has an “it” factor but a few small things need to be cleaned up (entrance and timing)
• There is no way Booker votes for anyone other than Troy. Great finals matchup for both mens and womens
• NEXT WEEK: THE FINAL EPISODE OF SEASON ONE FROM MSG!

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