1) It has been torture to NOT look up results/spoilers. I know this thing was filmed a while ago, but I'm basing this solely off the first four episodes that have already "aired." Please do not spoil anything past that for me.
2) Most of the first round was fairly predictable. You could tell who they wanted to push by who got the longer/more detailed video package before the match even began. I went 14-for-16 in my picks. I was too much of a Jazzy Gabert mark to see that of course they were gonna push Kimber Lee and her Mae Young/Alligator Clutch connection. Ditto for me being a Santana Garrett mark (not that Viper isn't great, but I do miss her as a monster heel in WCPW. It seems weird to have her as a face/tweener.) I hope they mix it up a bit more and throw in some unpredictability/upsets as we advance through the tournament.
3) I think it's great how many different styles are represented. The first episode had a very MMA/strong style-based match with Shayna Baszler and Zeda, only to be followed in episode two by a very 80s-inspired match where I half expected Rachel Evers to hulk up.
4) It's very subtle, but I love love LOVE how (so far) none of the matches have left the ring. It adds an air of legitimacy to the event, more like an actual sporting contest a la boxing or MMA rather than some of the more ridiculous (and hard to suspend disbelief for) moments that pro wrestling can do. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place to go crashing through the barricades or leaping off of TitanTrons, but this isn't it.
5) Speaking of legitimacy, I also LOVE how they do a post-match "stand in the center of the ring, announce the winner, and raise her hand." Maybe also add a red corner/blue corner type thing if you're going to go that far with it. I do wish they didn't always place the winner on the left side of the screen during the hand-raiding thing, though. Again, it's subtle, but once you notice it, you can't UN-notice it.
6) The commentary is... rough. I read online that they actually RE-recorded what they had initially done live. If THIS is the better take, I'm legit terrified of what the live stuff was. JR is NOT on top of his game here, and Lita is not well suited for commentary. I get that she's the only female Hall of Famer they currently have under contract and so here she is, but man, she really needs someone to carry her on commentary, and for whatever reason, JR is not up to the task this time around. Would have LOVED to see Renee Young and Corey Graves on commentary for this one. Someone start a GoFundMe for a crowdfunded alternate commentary stream.
7) I hate everything about Lacey Evans's gimmick. Yes, she was a legit Marine, and hats off to her for that. I don't fault HER for any of this. But everything about her hype package (and JR on commentary) is wrong. "Drill Sergeant" is not a thing, they are Drill INSTRUCTORS (go ahead, call them drill sergeant and see what happens.) Female Drill Instructors don't train male recruits, so JR's little tangent about female empowerment is moot. There's no such thing as a Marine Corps SWAT team. Lacey Evans (well, Macey Estrella) was on a Special Reaction Team. That is not the same thing. It's like calling a Marine a soldier (again, go ahead and do that; I'll meet you at the hospital.) And why on earth is she dressed like a friggin sailor? STOP MIXING AND MATCHING BRANCHES! The military is not interchangeable! (Yes, I am super salty about all of this.) Again, none of this is HER fault, it's all on the writers/gimmick producers/backstage crew.
8) How fucking adorable is Kairi Sane? I get that they're trying to push her to the moon but man, it is WORKING. Again though, Jim Ross's commentary does her no favors. "Why is she dressed like a pirate? Because she likes boats." That'll do, JR. That'll do.
9) I think it's hilarious how the commentary introduces each episode with "another packed crowd here tonight!" when this was clearly all filmed on the same night and you can see all the same people (and signs) in the audience.