Unless you've been away from your phone, computer, Twitter etc. in the last few hours, you probably know by now that Jack Swagger was arrested last night after the Smackdown taping in Mississippi. He was arrested for DUI and marijuana possession. It should be noted that Swagger was under the influence of marijuana, not alcohol. That doesn't change the fact that what Swagger did was absolutely stupid for somebody in his position.
Swagger was put in possibly the biggest position of his WWE career. He had just won the Elimination Chamber match on Sunday to earn a World Title shot at Wrestlemania. To me, that is bigger than him winning the World Title in 2010. Swagger gets the chance to be in a Title match at Wrestlemania. If you would have told me Jack Swagger was going to be in a Title match at Mania two months ago, I would've assumed you were talking about the United States Title. I would have never guessed that Swagger was going to receive the push that he did.
Showing posts with label Mark Henry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Henry. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
WWE Elimination Chamber Review
We are less than one hour away from the WWE Elimination Chamber on PPV. I'm expecting a good show, at least from a wrestling standpoint. We should also get a clearer look at the Road to Wrestlemania after tonight's show. Follow along!
The Rhodes Scholars vs Brodus Clay and Tensai
After a brief exchange between Sandw and Clay, Rhodes and Tensai came in. Cody caught Brodus with a Goldust upper cut and tagged in Sandow. After Sandow worked him over Cody caught Tensai with a Disaster Kick. The heels took turns working over Tensai until he began coming back. Tensai tagged in Brodus. He hit a splash on Cody but Sandow stopped a suplex with a dropkick. Tensai came in to even the odds. They hit double splashes, with Clay pinning Cody to pick up the win.
WINNERS: Brodus Clay and Tensai
After the traditional opening video package, the World Title Match was announced to start the show.
World Heavyweight Championship: Alberto del Rio (c) vs Big Show
After both men got in some quick offense, Big Show got a couple of chest slaps in. Show hit a bodyslam then another slap in the corner. Del Rio ducked a Show charge in the corner, then grabbed Show's leg and hit it with a kick. Del Rio hit a kick to the head for two. Show countered an early cross armbreaker attempt and hit a Spear on Del Rio for two. Del Rio tried fighting back but walked right into a Big Show boot. Big Show hit a Vader Bomb. Show took his time getting to Del Rio, allowing Del Rio to apply the cross armbreaker. Show was able to get his foot on the ropes.
The Rhodes Scholars vs Brodus Clay and Tensai
After a brief exchange between Sandw and Clay, Rhodes and Tensai came in. Cody caught Brodus with a Goldust upper cut and tagged in Sandow. After Sandow worked him over Cody caught Tensai with a Disaster Kick. The heels took turns working over Tensai until he began coming back. Tensai tagged in Brodus. He hit a splash on Cody but Sandow stopped a suplex with a dropkick. Tensai came in to even the odds. They hit double splashes, with Clay pinning Cody to pick up the win.
WINNERS: Brodus Clay and Tensai
After the traditional opening video package, the World Title Match was announced to start the show.
World Heavyweight Championship: Alberto del Rio (c) vs Big Show
After both men got in some quick offense, Big Show got a couple of chest slaps in. Show hit a bodyslam then another slap in the corner. Del Rio ducked a Show charge in the corner, then grabbed Show's leg and hit it with a kick. Del Rio hit a kick to the head for two. Show countered an early cross armbreaker attempt and hit a Spear on Del Rio for two. Del Rio tried fighting back but walked right into a Big Show boot. Big Show hit a Vader Bomb. Show took his time getting to Del Rio, allowing Del Rio to apply the cross armbreaker. Show was able to get his foot on the ropes.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
The 2011 Top Rope Awards
You voted! (ok not may of you, but to those who did vote you know who you are) And now the results are in. It is time to look at the winners, or in some cases losers, in the 2nd annual 2011 Top Rope Awards. In addition to the awards I made public, I've also added some secondary awards to hand out.
2011 was a very up and down year for the WWE. It was up at the start and heading into Wrestlemania. It went back down until C.M. Punk began his main event push in the summer. Ever since SummerSlam it has been a very hot and cold time for the WWE. Hopefully the WWE can put together one solid year of booking, but that is about as likely as The Rock, Steve Austin, and Brock Lesnar all deciding at the same time that they want to come back to the WWE full time. There are some things I would like to see happen in the WWE in 2012, and that is something that can be saved for a later blog.
For now though, onto the Awards!
2011 was a very up and down year for the WWE. It was up at the start and heading into Wrestlemania. It went back down until C.M. Punk began his main event push in the summer. Ever since SummerSlam it has been a very hot and cold time for the WWE. Hopefully the WWE can put together one solid year of booking, but that is about as likely as The Rock, Steve Austin, and Brock Lesnar all deciding at the same time that they want to come back to the WWE full time. There are some things I would like to see happen in the WWE in 2012, and that is something that can be saved for a later blog.
For now though, onto the Awards!
Monday, November 21, 2011
WWE Survivor Series Review
Last night was a night we never thought we would see again. For the first time in 7 years, The Rock returned to a WWE ring. Was it worth it? Lets find out.
First let me say that I watched this show at a Buffalo Wild Wings. If you're a wrestling fan who wants to watch a wrestling show, then this is a fun place to go. The food and drinks are a bit expensive, but it was a fun atmosphere. There were people cheering during the entire event. People even had their laptops out during the show. Yours truly was not that nerdy and did not bring his trusty laptop with him. But if you have a Buffalo Wild Wings in your area, I would recommend giving it a try. Just be prepared to shell out about $30 or so for your food and drinks at the end of the night.
John Laurinaitis started the show by welcoming everyone to Survivor Series. I thought this would lead to more of a presence for Laurinaitis during the show, but it never happened.
Dolph Ziggler defeated John Morrison to retain the United States Championship: **1/4
In the face of loud Zack Ryder chants, these two put on a really fun opening match. I can't continue to praise Ziggler enough. Ziggler continues to improve every night in the ring. Morrison was no bum in this match either. The two hit on enough flashy offensive moves in this match to quell some of the Ryder chants at times. Vickie got tossed from ringside about half way through the match when the referee caught her putting Dolph Ziggler's foot on the rope after a John Morrison pin attempt. The end came with Morrison attempting Starship Pain, but Dolph put his knees up to block it. He then connected on the ZigZag to retain the U.S. Title. Afterwards, Zack Ryder came out and beatdown Dolph. I commend Ziggler and Morrison for putting on a good match when they knew the crowd really wanted Zack Ryder. Ziggler seems destined for a main event push once he loses the U.S. Title, and I for one would love to see a program with Ziggler and Punk. Morrison continues to be a useful mid-card talent who can pop a crowd with his offense. But his potential time at the top has come and gone.
Beth Phoenix defeated Eve to retain the Divas Championship: *
I didn't know why, but to me Eve seemed a bit off during the match. Almost as if she was on something. I especially noticed it during her ring entrance. But this match wasn't anything special, except for Beth hitting the GlamSlam from the top rope for the win. That was a fun spot. I don't know what happens with Beth next. Probably back to Kelly Kelly.
David Otunga told C.M. Punk that John Laurinaitis wanted Punk to apologize to Michael Cole for his attack from RAW. Punk said he'd think about doing it after he won the WWE Championship later.
Cut to The Rock backstage. He talked about his memories from Madison Square Garden, from watching his grandfather and father wrestle to his debut at MSG in 1996 when he one of the worst haircuts and goofiest outfits of all time. He said that night would go down in history as the beginning of an odyssey. He ran through all of his catchphrases and accomplishments before saying that most of all, on that night, he became the People's Champion. Rock ripped on Miz and Truth for a bit before turning his attention to John Cena. Rock said he was going to shove a bolt of lightning up John Cena's ovulating lady parts, which started a "Lady Parts" chant. Rock went on to sing "New York, New York" before finishing with his signature "If ya smelllll, what The Rock, is cookin!" Classic Rock promo to get the crowd hyped up for his appearance later. I think he did a better job here with this promo then he did with his promo at Wrestlemania. Rock continues to show that he can keep the crowd in the palm of his hand at basically play with them like puppets.
Team Barrett defeated Team Orton in a Traditional 5-on-5 Elimination Match: **1/2
I had high hopes for this match. I thought it would be a great wrestling match. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to my expectations as well. The match just never seemed to be able to get out of second gear. And of course, I'm sure just like everyone else, you thought Randy Orton was going to overcome the 3-on-1 odds and win the match. We all know Orton was going to eliminate the Mexican janitor Hunico. He did with a nice RKO. But surprisingly, Wade Barrett hit Wasteland on Orton after a distraction from Cody Rhodes to pick up the win. Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes were the sole survivors. This was a smart booking move by the WWE. They seem to be firmly behind Barrett now. That's a great sign. It was also great to see Cody Rhodes cheered by the MSG crowd. It's clear the fans like what he's doing and hopefully that leads to a bigger push for him down the line. It was nice to see Cody eliminate Mason Ryan. It may not have been the match of the night, but it was the smartest booking of the night. Another big story coming out of this match was the injury suffered to Sin Cara, who ruptured his patella tendon. That will keep him out a very long time, which means he will miss Wrestlemania. Another setback for Cara.
Backstage, John Laurinaitis told Alberto del Rio he needs to take his WWE Title match with C.M. Punk more seriously. ADR told him that he was, and he wasn't going to lose to someone who should be camped out on Wall Street. Laurnaitis began texting. I hope he has an unlimited plan.
Big Show defeated Mark Henry via DQ; Mark Henry retains the World Heavyweight Title: *1/4
Lots of slow movement in this match. Henry slammed Big Show through the ringside barricade, but Show got back in the ring before the 10 count. Show later super kicked Henry, which got a HBK chant going. Show then went to the top rope and hit an elbow drop, which got a "Randy Savage" chant going. Henry kicked out, then low blow kicked Henry for a DQ finish. After the match, Show put the chair on Henry's leg and jumped on it. I didn't get that. Are they writing off Henry? Why if so? And if you saw my tweet last night, you knew once again that I was upset with the finish. Big Show doesn't need to be protected still. You could argue the guy shouldn't even be wrestling anymore. Mark Henry's push continues to take a nose dive, and all of his mystique seems to be gone. Stupid booking with another memorable spot.
Backstage Barrett was interviewed before Miz and Truth interrupted him. Miz said that the problem is that the focus is everywhere but them. Well Miz, that's because you've been booked like shit. R-Truth said they should have billboards in Time Square. He said he talked to pigeons on the billboard today. And you know what they said? Nothing. Because pigeons don't talk. They crap, and tonight, crap gets got. That was pretty funny.
C.M. Punk defeated Alberto del Rio to Win the WWE Championship: ***1/2
The feud that I thought was the best built program heading into the PPV delivered with the best match of the night. Punk had his own personal ring announcer, Howard Finkel. The Fink got a good pop, as did Punk. The crowd was huge behind him. You could argue that the crowd was more behind him than Rock. This was a good wrestling match from start to finish. Del Rio worked over Punk's arm the majority of the match, and Punk did a good job selling it. Punk ducked out of the way of a Del Rio charge and ADR landed hard on the floor. ADR does that move a lot, and one of these days he's going to get hurt doing it. Punk fought back and went for a GTS, but ADR countered with knees to the back, then an enziguri to the head. Punk ducked a Del Rio charge then hit the Top Rope Elbow, which brought out another Randy Savage chant. Punk went for another GTS, but after a couple of back-and-forth counters, ADR locked in the Cross Armbreaker. Punk got his feet to the ropes. ADR shoved Punk into Ricardo on the apron. ADR rolled up Punk for two. Punk hit a kick to the head which got a two, then locked in the Anaconda Vice. Del Rio eventually tapped. C.M. Punk celebrated by jumping into the crowd.
I want to say the Title change happened to early. I want to say Alberto del Rio deserved a longer Title reign. But I can't. The MSG crowd made that moment 100x better. I said in my preview that I would prefer a long burn to Punk's next WWE Title win. Maybe win the Royal Rumble then go to Wrestlemania. But the WWE decided to pull the trigger while it was hot for C.M. Punk, and I can't fault them for that. Now lets see if Punk can get an extended Title reign out of it. It still seems like the WWE has a thing for hot-shotting the WWE Title. But they can't do that with Punk, not with the amount he is over. ADR never got over as WWE Champion. I think the WWE missed the boat on him early in 2011. Punk winning and celebrating with a hot crowd in MSG made the moment very memorable.
The Rock and John Cena defeated Miz and R-Truth: ***
As the crowd said during the match to The Rock, "You still got it." Rock dominated bot Miz and R-Truth early. Cena eventually tagged in, and the crowd chanted at him "You still suck." Ha. Miz and R-Truth eventually gained control over Cena for a bit. Cena fought back and eventually made the hot tag to The Rock. Rock took out Truth, then locked in the Sharpshooter on Miz. Truth broke it up, but Cena tacked him to the outside. Miz ran right into a Spinebuster, then ate a People's Elbow. Rock pinned Miz for the win.
I didn't go over the action much here because it was simple. Rock dominated early, tagged in Cena, Miz & R-Truth worked over Cena, Cena made the hot tag to Rock, then Rock got the win. I don't have a problem with that, but that is how it went down. Rock didn't miss a beat in the ring. He barely sold during the match. Had Miz and R-Truth been built up as credible threats, then maybe the crowd would have cared about the end result more. But it was a fun match regardless, and it was great to see Rock back in the ring. Afterwards, Rock hit a Rock Bottom on Cena. My only problem with this is that there was no real storyline advancement for Rock and Cena. They just tried to one up each other the whole time. With Rock about to disappear again, it will be interesting to see what happened with Cena.
OVERALL
I thought this was a good PPV. The opener was solid, the 5-on-5 was good, the WWE Title match was excellent, and the tag match was fun. Lots of solid action throughout. Some good storyline advancement and booking decisions with Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and C.M. Punk, but some questionable decisions as well with the likes of Big Show/Mark Henry, and no advancement in the Rock/Cena story. The MSG crowd was great and made the show feel that much more special. Overall, I'd give the show a 7.5.
2011 WWE PPV Rankings
1. Money in the Bank
2. SummerSlam
3. Elimination Chamber
4. Survivor Series
5. Extreme Rules
6. Wrestlemania 27
7. Hell in A Cell
8. Night of Champions
9. Royal Rumble
10. Capitol Punishment
11. Over the Limit
12. Vengeance
Where Do We Go From Here
The next PPV is Tables, Ladders, and Chairs in a little less than a month. I think it would look like this:
WWE Title Ladder Match: C.M. Punk vs Alberto del Rio
World Title Chairs Match: Mark Henry vs Big Show
Tables Match: John Cena vs Miz & R-Truth
U.S. Title Ladder Match: Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison vs Zack Ryder
Tag Team Table Match: Randy Orton & Sheamus vs Wade Barrett & Cody Rhodes
It is tough to predict this card, especially because you don't know what they are going to do with John Cena now that The Rock is gone for the next few months. My guess is that he sticks with Miz and R-Truth for another couple months, then tries to get the WWE Title back in an effort to make his match with Rock at Wrestlemania for the WWE Title.
That's it for me this morning. RAW Review later tonight, NFL Review tomorrow.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
First let me say that I watched this show at a Buffalo Wild Wings. If you're a wrestling fan who wants to watch a wrestling show, then this is a fun place to go. The food and drinks are a bit expensive, but it was a fun atmosphere. There were people cheering during the entire event. People even had their laptops out during the show. Yours truly was not that nerdy and did not bring his trusty laptop with him. But if you have a Buffalo Wild Wings in your area, I would recommend giving it a try. Just be prepared to shell out about $30 or so for your food and drinks at the end of the night.
John Laurinaitis started the show by welcoming everyone to Survivor Series. I thought this would lead to more of a presence for Laurinaitis during the show, but it never happened.
Dolph Ziggler defeated John Morrison to retain the United States Championship: **1/4
In the face of loud Zack Ryder chants, these two put on a really fun opening match. I can't continue to praise Ziggler enough. Ziggler continues to improve every night in the ring. Morrison was no bum in this match either. The two hit on enough flashy offensive moves in this match to quell some of the Ryder chants at times. Vickie got tossed from ringside about half way through the match when the referee caught her putting Dolph Ziggler's foot on the rope after a John Morrison pin attempt. The end came with Morrison attempting Starship Pain, but Dolph put his knees up to block it. He then connected on the ZigZag to retain the U.S. Title. Afterwards, Zack Ryder came out and beatdown Dolph. I commend Ziggler and Morrison for putting on a good match when they knew the crowd really wanted Zack Ryder. Ziggler seems destined for a main event push once he loses the U.S. Title, and I for one would love to see a program with Ziggler and Punk. Morrison continues to be a useful mid-card talent who can pop a crowd with his offense. But his potential time at the top has come and gone.
Beth Phoenix defeated Eve to retain the Divas Championship: *
I didn't know why, but to me Eve seemed a bit off during the match. Almost as if she was on something. I especially noticed it during her ring entrance. But this match wasn't anything special, except for Beth hitting the GlamSlam from the top rope for the win. That was a fun spot. I don't know what happens with Beth next. Probably back to Kelly Kelly.
David Otunga told C.M. Punk that John Laurinaitis wanted Punk to apologize to Michael Cole for his attack from RAW. Punk said he'd think about doing it after he won the WWE Championship later.
Cut to The Rock backstage. He talked about his memories from Madison Square Garden, from watching his grandfather and father wrestle to his debut at MSG in 1996 when he one of the worst haircuts and goofiest outfits of all time. He said that night would go down in history as the beginning of an odyssey. He ran through all of his catchphrases and accomplishments before saying that most of all, on that night, he became the People's Champion. Rock ripped on Miz and Truth for a bit before turning his attention to John Cena. Rock said he was going to shove a bolt of lightning up John Cena's ovulating lady parts, which started a "Lady Parts" chant. Rock went on to sing "New York, New York" before finishing with his signature "If ya smelllll, what The Rock, is cookin!" Classic Rock promo to get the crowd hyped up for his appearance later. I think he did a better job here with this promo then he did with his promo at Wrestlemania. Rock continues to show that he can keep the crowd in the palm of his hand at basically play with them like puppets.
Team Barrett defeated Team Orton in a Traditional 5-on-5 Elimination Match: **1/2
I had high hopes for this match. I thought it would be a great wrestling match. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to my expectations as well. The match just never seemed to be able to get out of second gear. And of course, I'm sure just like everyone else, you thought Randy Orton was going to overcome the 3-on-1 odds and win the match. We all know Orton was going to eliminate the Mexican janitor Hunico. He did with a nice RKO. But surprisingly, Wade Barrett hit Wasteland on Orton after a distraction from Cody Rhodes to pick up the win. Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes were the sole survivors. This was a smart booking move by the WWE. They seem to be firmly behind Barrett now. That's a great sign. It was also great to see Cody Rhodes cheered by the MSG crowd. It's clear the fans like what he's doing and hopefully that leads to a bigger push for him down the line. It was nice to see Cody eliminate Mason Ryan. It may not have been the match of the night, but it was the smartest booking of the night. Another big story coming out of this match was the injury suffered to Sin Cara, who ruptured his patella tendon. That will keep him out a very long time, which means he will miss Wrestlemania. Another setback for Cara.
Backstage, John Laurinaitis told Alberto del Rio he needs to take his WWE Title match with C.M. Punk more seriously. ADR told him that he was, and he wasn't going to lose to someone who should be camped out on Wall Street. Laurnaitis began texting. I hope he has an unlimited plan.
Big Show defeated Mark Henry via DQ; Mark Henry retains the World Heavyweight Title: *1/4
Lots of slow movement in this match. Henry slammed Big Show through the ringside barricade, but Show got back in the ring before the 10 count. Show later super kicked Henry, which got a HBK chant going. Show then went to the top rope and hit an elbow drop, which got a "Randy Savage" chant going. Henry kicked out, then low blow kicked Henry for a DQ finish. After the match, Show put the chair on Henry's leg and jumped on it. I didn't get that. Are they writing off Henry? Why if so? And if you saw my tweet last night, you knew once again that I was upset with the finish. Big Show doesn't need to be protected still. You could argue the guy shouldn't even be wrestling anymore. Mark Henry's push continues to take a nose dive, and all of his mystique seems to be gone. Stupid booking with another memorable spot.
Backstage Barrett was interviewed before Miz and Truth interrupted him. Miz said that the problem is that the focus is everywhere but them. Well Miz, that's because you've been booked like shit. R-Truth said they should have billboards in Time Square. He said he talked to pigeons on the billboard today. And you know what they said? Nothing. Because pigeons don't talk. They crap, and tonight, crap gets got. That was pretty funny.
C.M. Punk defeated Alberto del Rio to Win the WWE Championship: ***1/2
The feud that I thought was the best built program heading into the PPV delivered with the best match of the night. Punk had his own personal ring announcer, Howard Finkel. The Fink got a good pop, as did Punk. The crowd was huge behind him. You could argue that the crowd was more behind him than Rock. This was a good wrestling match from start to finish. Del Rio worked over Punk's arm the majority of the match, and Punk did a good job selling it. Punk ducked out of the way of a Del Rio charge and ADR landed hard on the floor. ADR does that move a lot, and one of these days he's going to get hurt doing it. Punk fought back and went for a GTS, but ADR countered with knees to the back, then an enziguri to the head. Punk ducked a Del Rio charge then hit the Top Rope Elbow, which brought out another Randy Savage chant. Punk went for another GTS, but after a couple of back-and-forth counters, ADR locked in the Cross Armbreaker. Punk got his feet to the ropes. ADR shoved Punk into Ricardo on the apron. ADR rolled up Punk for two. Punk hit a kick to the head which got a two, then locked in the Anaconda Vice. Del Rio eventually tapped. C.M. Punk celebrated by jumping into the crowd.
I want to say the Title change happened to early. I want to say Alberto del Rio deserved a longer Title reign. But I can't. The MSG crowd made that moment 100x better. I said in my preview that I would prefer a long burn to Punk's next WWE Title win. Maybe win the Royal Rumble then go to Wrestlemania. But the WWE decided to pull the trigger while it was hot for C.M. Punk, and I can't fault them for that. Now lets see if Punk can get an extended Title reign out of it. It still seems like the WWE has a thing for hot-shotting the WWE Title. But they can't do that with Punk, not with the amount he is over. ADR never got over as WWE Champion. I think the WWE missed the boat on him early in 2011. Punk winning and celebrating with a hot crowd in MSG made the moment very memorable.
The Rock and John Cena defeated Miz and R-Truth: ***
As the crowd said during the match to The Rock, "You still got it." Rock dominated bot Miz and R-Truth early. Cena eventually tagged in, and the crowd chanted at him "You still suck." Ha. Miz and R-Truth eventually gained control over Cena for a bit. Cena fought back and eventually made the hot tag to The Rock. Rock took out Truth, then locked in the Sharpshooter on Miz. Truth broke it up, but Cena tacked him to the outside. Miz ran right into a Spinebuster, then ate a People's Elbow. Rock pinned Miz for the win.
I didn't go over the action much here because it was simple. Rock dominated early, tagged in Cena, Miz & R-Truth worked over Cena, Cena made the hot tag to Rock, then Rock got the win. I don't have a problem with that, but that is how it went down. Rock didn't miss a beat in the ring. He barely sold during the match. Had Miz and R-Truth been built up as credible threats, then maybe the crowd would have cared about the end result more. But it was a fun match regardless, and it was great to see Rock back in the ring. Afterwards, Rock hit a Rock Bottom on Cena. My only problem with this is that there was no real storyline advancement for Rock and Cena. They just tried to one up each other the whole time. With Rock about to disappear again, it will be interesting to see what happened with Cena.
OVERALL
I thought this was a good PPV. The opener was solid, the 5-on-5 was good, the WWE Title match was excellent, and the tag match was fun. Lots of solid action throughout. Some good storyline advancement and booking decisions with Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and C.M. Punk, but some questionable decisions as well with the likes of Big Show/Mark Henry, and no advancement in the Rock/Cena story. The MSG crowd was great and made the show feel that much more special. Overall, I'd give the show a 7.5.
2011 WWE PPV Rankings
1. Money in the Bank
2. SummerSlam
3. Elimination Chamber
4. Survivor Series
5. Extreme Rules
6. Wrestlemania 27
7. Hell in A Cell
8. Night of Champions
9. Royal Rumble
10. Capitol Punishment
11. Over the Limit
12. Vengeance
Where Do We Go From Here
The next PPV is Tables, Ladders, and Chairs in a little less than a month. I think it would look like this:
WWE Title Ladder Match: C.M. Punk vs Alberto del Rio
World Title Chairs Match: Mark Henry vs Big Show
Tables Match: John Cena vs Miz & R-Truth
U.S. Title Ladder Match: Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison vs Zack Ryder
Tag Team Table Match: Randy Orton & Sheamus vs Wade Barrett & Cody Rhodes
It is tough to predict this card, especially because you don't know what they are going to do with John Cena now that The Rock is gone for the next few months. My guess is that he sticks with Miz and R-Truth for another couple months, then tries to get the WWE Title back in an effort to make his match with Rock at Wrestlemania for the WWE Title.
That's it for me this morning. RAW Review later tonight, NFL Review tomorrow.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
Saturday, November 19, 2011
WWE Survivor Series Preview
Never before, never again. The Rock and John Cena team up for the first time ever this Sunday, and I don't even know if I care about it. I will explain that later in the match preview.
I think other than that, everything else has been built pretty well heading into the PPV. The WWE went full blown into the C.M. Punk/Alberto del Rio feud the last couple weeks. Thanks to the Super Show aspect to RAW, they have built the 5-on-5 match really well. Mark Henry and Big Show won't be able to top what happened at Vengeance, but at least there is intrigue to see if they can and what they will try. And of course there is the puzzling situation that is the U.S. Title match.
Survivor Series used to be fun because of the 5-on-5 matches, but those are a thing of the past. I would have much rather preferred three 4-on-4 elimination matches. More guys would get on the show and more solid action would take place. Three of those matches, a Divas match, and the WWE and World Title matches would be perfect. Hell, I think the Rock match could have been made a 4-on-4 match and it would have been built better. That way, you could get more people involved than just Cena, Miz, and R-Truth before having The Rock show up on the RAW before the PPV.
Lets get into the Preview!
Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix (c) vs Eve
A lot of this feud has been built through WWE.com. It is a smart idea for the WWE to get more attention to their web site, but I don't like the idea of doing it with the Divas. They don't attract that many viewers. But on the site, Beth and Natalya stole Eve's ring gear. But then Eve and Kelly Kelly, with the help of Alicia Fox, stole the Sister of Salvation's rental car. Isn't that grand theft auto? Shouldn't the three of them have been arrested? Eve won a Divas battle royal on Halloween to win this Title shot, I didn't even remember that until we were reminded on this past week's RAW. I don't think Eve is winning here. My guess is that Beth holds on to the Title until Kharma comes back. She might lose it once more for a month or so, but that won't happen here. Beth wins.
WINNER: Beth Phoenix
United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs John Morrison
So where's Zack Ryder? Interim RAW GM John Laurinaitis, as stated exclusively on WWE.com, has not acknowledged Ryder's petition for a U.S. Title Shot yet and instead announced that John Morrison would be getting a shot at Dolph Ziggler this Sunday. Morrison had been on a long losing streak until he beat Ziggler two weeks ago on RAW. By WWE logic, that means he gets a United States Title shot. Now don't get me wrong, I think these two can put on a great match. Ziggler is becoming great in the ring and Morrison is full of flash and potential. Ziggler has improved by leaps and bounds the last two months. He's a future star for the WWE as long as they don't screw it up, like they did with John Morrison. Of course Ziggler doesn't have the backstage problems Morrison has as far as we know.
Then of course there is the case of Zack Ryder. With Survivor Series being held in New York City, not far from Ryder's home of Long Island, you can expect there to be loud and long chants for Ryder. How these two put on a match without that being a distraction is beyond me. I don't know what the WWE was thinking when they booked this match, unless they plan on putting Ryder in the match before hand. I think they will end up doing that if they are smart. More props to Ziggler for pulling double duty on PPV again. He's that good that it isn't a problem. Like I said, I think Ryder ends up getting put in the match and wins the Title.
WINNER: Zack Ryder
Team Orton vs Team Barrett: 5-on-5 Elimination Match
Lots of young potential in this match, a couple veterans, and Mason Ryan. Should be a good 5-on-5 match. Of course I'm sure Mason Ryan wouldn't be in this match if Evan Bourne was still around. Thanks a lot, Evan. On the face side, Sheamus continues to get a big push on Smackdown as he continues his dominating performances. Mason Ryan is getting a push on RAW despite not having a lick of talent to speak of. Ryan is just so bad and awkward in the ring that the fans really don't get behind him, and you can bet the Madison Square Garden crowd will let him know it. We will see how long it takes before Sin Cara botches something. Kofi Kingston is just waiting for Evan Bourne to comeback so he can be relevant again. And Randy Orton has been very good since shifting away from the World Title picture, having two good matches with Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett.
On the heel side, Hunico looks like a Mexican gangster straight out of a prison movie. But he also comes off as a night janitor to me too. Don't know why. You wouldn't even think Jack Swagger was a former World Champ with the way he jobs nowadays. Dolph Ziggler is one of the best workers in the WWE right now. Cody Rhodes lost his mask and his awesome music, but he is much more focused after the beatdown he received from Randy Orton. And Wade Barrett is finally getting a proper push after he beat Randy Orton and Sheamus in recent weeks, even if it was with the help of some of his fellow heels.
So who wins? The faces looked strong on RAW and Smackdown. That usually means the heels come out on top at the PPV, but does the WWE want Orton or Sheamus to take the pinfall? Wade Barrett has been getting a strong push as well, so does the WWE want him losing? There are lots of questions and moving parts in this match. Lets get the simple out of the way: Kofi, Sin Cara, and Mason Ryan won't survive. Neither will Jack Swagger or Hunico. That leaves us with Orton/Sheamus vs Barrett/Rhodes/Ziggler. Rhodes gets dumped with an RKO. Vickie distracts Sheamus long enough to let Barrett hit Wasteland to eliminate Sheamus. Ziggler eats an RKO, then Barrett catches Orton with a roll-up for the win.
WINNER: Team Barrett
World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry (c) vs Big Show
We all know what happened the last time these two guys faced each other. We've seen it on WWE TV numerous times by now. It was the WWE's way of protecting the Big Show and Mark Henry, even though I don't think Show needs to be protected at this point. No one will think less of Big Show if he loses a match. Henry refused to give Show a re-match at first, but Smackdown GM Teddy Long disagreed with Henry, and granted Show another World Title match.
These two have been exchanging promos and trash talking on Smackdowns in recent weeks. Mark Henry has pretty much had his way with Daniel Bryan over the last few weeks. I find it interesting that they are involving Bryan in this feud. I think they are trying to tease the idea of a Bryan cash in at Survivor Series with the New York crowd. I don't think it will happen, but it would not surprise me in the slightest if Bryan showed up at ringside during the match or after.
I think some of Mark Henry's mystique has vanished a bit in this program. Henry's dominant performances haven't seemed that good anymore. I really hope the WWE doesn't feel the need to protect Big Show again with some cop out finish. This match should end in one way and one way only. Mark Henry defeats Big Show after delivering his third World's Strongest Slam in the match and picks up the win. Henry moves on to a new opponent for TLC.
WINNER: Mark Henry
WWE Championship: Alberto del Rio (c) vs C.M. Punk
I think this is the best program the WWE has built heading into Sunday. They took something I wasn't really interested in at the start and made me actually care about it. So good job to them. The seeds for this feud were planted back at Survivor Series. After C.M. Punk won the WWE Championship, he was attacked by Kevin Nash. Alberto del Rio took advantage, cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, and won the WWE Title. Then at Hell in A Cell, Alberto del Rio attacked C.M. Punk with a lead pipe and pinned him to regain the WWE Title in a Triple Threat match that also involved John Cena.
On RAW a few weeks ago C.M. Punk told Del Rio that he never gave him his rematch for the WWE Title. After a couple of weeks of stalling by GM John Laurinaitis he finally told Punk he could hve his WWE Title match, if ADR agreed to it. After Punk slapped on the Anaconda Vice to ADR, he agreed. The next week saw Punk calling out ADR for being one dimensional. This lead to a couple of backstage beatdowns by ADR on Punk. Punk was pinned by ADR on RAW this past Monday.
Usually if someone takes the fall on the TV show before a PPV, that means he will win. But I don't necessarily know if that will be the case for Punk. The MSG crowd will definitely be behind Punk. He might get the second biggest pop of the night behind The Rock. The WWE seems poised to eventually give the Title to Punk as his merchandise sales are bringing in the WWE a pretty little penny. Punk's time will come, but I don't think the WWE will pull the trigger on him too quickly. Another Title change would just be meaningless. ADR has held the Title for barely over a month. He deserves an extended reign. C.M. Punk said his goal is to make the WWE Title mean something again. Punk can easily do that by not winning the Title and keep chasing after it, showing a desire to win it and bring it back to credibility. I think it would be great if the WWE could hold off until Wrestlemania for Punk's win, maybe even have him win the Royal Rumble. But I don't think they wait. But Punk doesn't win at Survivor Series. Del Rio retains with the help of some shenanigans by Ricardo Rodriguez and John Laurinaits.
WINNER: Alberto del Rio
John Cena & The Rock vs Miz & R-Truth
This is the selling point of the PPV. The Rock returns to action for the first time since 2004. It is also the same place where his last match took place, Madison Square Garden. And of course, The Rock is teaming with the one man that he can't stand. It is also the man he is facing at Wrestlemania 28, John Cena. RAW GM John Laurinaitis told Cena he could pick anyone to be his partner at Survivor Series, so Cena naturally decided to pick The Rock. Cena's logic for that is beyond stupid. He trusts the man he's facing at Wrestlemania next year? Dumb. The Rock accepted, saying that it is what the people want. Of course, it really has to do with the bling bling going into his pocket. But we can't mention that.
Everyone is talking about the dynamic of Cena and Rock teaming together. Can they co-exist? Will their egos get in each others way? Will one of them try to steal the spotlight? You could always throw out the possibility of a heel turn, but there's no way the MSG crowd boos Rock and cheers Cena. And Cena isn't turning heel. This past week's RAW ended with Rock getting the spotlight, hitting two successful Rock Bottoms before leaving the ring. Obviously, Cena would like to end the PPV on top. That "This Is Your Life" segment with Mick Foley was brutal and hard to watch. Not even Mick Foley could get the fans to cheer Cena. At this point I don't think Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera could get the MSG crowd to cheer Cena. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic duo performs.
Wait, what? You mean The Rock and John Cena are facing another tag team at Survivor Series? I thought they were just going to try and out perform each other with various flashy moves in the ring. You wouldn't know that the Miz and R-Truth are even involved in this match. Outside of one week, they have always ended up on their backs. John Cena did it single-handedly without The Rock, then The Rock did it with the help of John Cena. The WWE has completely screwed up the booking to this program. Miz and R-Truth should have gotten the better of Cena pretty much every week leading up to Survivor Series. Then, when The Rock showed up Monday, there should have been a mis-communication between Rock and Cena which caused Miz and R-Truth to gain the upper hand on them. That way, Miz and R-Truth look like threats heading into the PPV. But instead they are complete afterthoughts in the match, and pretty much have zero chance of winning. Why would fans care if they win? What would be the point now? Even if they won, they wouldn't "make a name for themselves" because they have already been booked so poorly.
This match ends simple. R-Truth eats an Attitude Adjustment from Cena after all four men enter end up in the ring at the same time. Rock connects with the People's Elbow then pins Truth for the win. After the match Miz tries to attack but meets the same fate. Then, Rock hits the Rock Bottom on John Cena, then another People' Elbow. The show ends with Rock standing tall in the ring, which is what the WWE exactly doesn't need at this point: someone who isn't a full time performer ending a PPV on top.
WINNERS: The Rock and John Cena
I will be watching the show at a Buffalo Wild Wings. No live Review for me, I probably will have a recap of the show up sometime Monday afternoon.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
Saturday, November 5, 2011
WWE Titles: Do They Even Mean Anything Anymore?
Remember back in the 1980s/1990s? When Hulk Hogan dominated the WWE Championship scene? Pretty much every single PPV involved Hulk Hogan either winning the WWE Title, retaining the WWE Title, or winning the WWE Title. After Hulk Hogan won the WWE Title in 1984, he held onto it until 1988. Hogan had two other long title reigns: 364 days between Wresltemania 5 and 6, and 248 days between Wrestlemania 7 and Survivor Series 1991. Even in the mid-1990s Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels had Title reigns of 200+ days. Nash's was almost a year long.
Of course things were different back in the 80s and 90s. Wrestling was perceived differently and storylines were much simpler. People wanted to see the top babyface on top of the promotion. Nowadays, certain fans cringe at the idea of John Cena having an extended title reign. It's part of the reason fans turned on John Cena in 2006 and 2007. Between the years of 2005 and 2007 Cena had three different title reigns of the following lengths: 280 days, 133 days, and 380 days. And the only reason Cena lost the WWE Title during his third reign is because he tore his pectoral muscle. I'm actually surprised Super Cena didn't magically heal that injury. The problem with faces being on top for extended periods of time nowadays is that having them win all the time becomes stagnant and the same. Plus the heels looks weak. Dominant heels have been missing from the WWE the last couple years, which is why Mark Henry has been such a breath of fresh air.
Now while extended Title reigns aren't a necessity, the amount of Title changes that have taken place in the WWE in recent years is quite disturbing. 13 Title changes in the last 20 months. 32 in the last 5 years. That's an average of a title change every 2 months. Compare that to the early 1990s, when where there were 8 Title changes between Wrestlemania 6 and 9. WWE Title changes seemed a lot bigger back then, and the fewer amount of reigns were a big part of the reason for it. It probably was the reason the fans never turned on Hulk Hogan when he regained the WWE Title after long absences from the Title picture.
In this day in age in the WWE, it seems like the Title is nothing more than a prop to carry around. Hell, the Title has changed hands 6 times in the last three months, including twice in the last month alone. Alberto del Rio had a 5 week Title reign, Rey Mysterio has a 90 minute Title reign. Then at the end of that 90 minute Title reign there were 2 WWE Champions at the end of the show. And of course we can't forget the World Title, which has had 7 different reigns this year alone. Hopefully Mark Henry has a bit longer reign to establish some credibility to the World Title, which will then make whoever wins it off of him a big star and the Title change a big deal.
And lets not even get into the secondary titles known as the Intercontinental and United States Championships. Those have pretty much become non-existent. Until Cody Rhodes brought back the old school Intercontinental Title, I probably couldn't even have told you who the IC Champion was. it was that non-existent. Dolph Ziggler has had the United States Title for a while now, but it's not even like it is there half the time. Back in the day, being the IC Champ in the WWE or the US Champion in WCW often meant you were one of the best, sometimes the second best worker in the Company. Now? It means you either get pinned in a Tag Title match on PPV, or get pinned in non-title matches like Cody at Vengeance or Dolph on RAW against Zack Ryder. I'm not even going to get into the Tag Team Titles.
And of course, the booking of certain Champions has been highly questionable in recent years. Rey Mysterio and Jack Swagger were both booked terribly during their first reigns. Rey constantly lost matches as did Swagger. And this week on RAW, Alberto del Rio lost clean to Big Show. If you read my review of RAW, you know that pissed me off tremendously. How are people suppose to believe them as a credible Champion if they are losing non-Title matches cleanly? It's a joke. Who cares about Big Show's mystique? He can take a loss.
So what am I getting at with all of this? The WWE has done a poor job of booking their Champions over the last few years. The constant Title changes as well as questionable booking of champions pretty much just makes the title belts look like props at times. Aside from John Cena, nobody really gets a strong Title reign anymore. The Miz had a long reign, but look at his PPV matches:
TLC: Won a Tables Match against Randy Orton after Alex Riley interfered
Royal Rumble: Beat Randy Orton after interference from C.M. Punk/Nexus
Elimination Chamber: Beat Jerry Lawler
Wrestlemania: Beat John Cena after a restart and interference from The Rock
Sure The Miz can talk some heat back onto him, but it is tough to take him seriously as a fan if he can't beat anyone without help. Up until the current reign of Mark Henry, heels were basically booked as wimps as Champions. They rarely if ever won a match clean, and of course they could never beat John Cena clean one-on-one. Heels have taken a turn for the worse in booking over the last few years. Hopefully that's something Mark Henry can correct with a long World Title reign.
The one thing I want to make clear here is that, face or heel, the WWE needs to bring credibility back to their Championships. Extended title reigns have become a thing of the past, but they need to become a thing of the present. Not only extended Title reigns, but Champions need to be booked strongly too. You can't have Cody Rhodes lose a match on a PPV, then a match on RAW and expect fans to take him as Intercontinental Champion seriously. The WWE feels that having the top Titles on faces brings in more money and ratings, but having a strong heel could do the exact same thing. Adult males get sick of seeing John Cena on top because he always wins. Did the WWE ever think that if Cena lost a couple times to a credible, dominant heel THEN won the WWE Title that some fans might actually like him. I'm a firm believer that long run, their is more money in a face chasing a heel champion than random heels chasing a face champion.
The WWE is facing an important period of time ahead. The Rock is going to be on TV more frequently in the coming weeks and months, which means they will have more viewers tuning in. With Rock/Cena more than likely not being for the WWE Title, it's an opportunity for two other workers to wrestle for that Title and make the match seem like a big deal. Imagine if Alberto del Rio held onto the WWE Title until Wrestlemania. If he was facing an underdog face, it could make that face an instant star. Same goes with Mark Henry. The WWE needs to show the viewers tuning in during the next few months that their Championships are more than prop belts. They need to establish a meaning to each Title and make fans give a damn about their Champions.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
Of course things were different back in the 80s and 90s. Wrestling was perceived differently and storylines were much simpler. People wanted to see the top babyface on top of the promotion. Nowadays, certain fans cringe at the idea of John Cena having an extended title reign. It's part of the reason fans turned on John Cena in 2006 and 2007. Between the years of 2005 and 2007 Cena had three different title reigns of the following lengths: 280 days, 133 days, and 380 days. And the only reason Cena lost the WWE Title during his third reign is because he tore his pectoral muscle. I'm actually surprised Super Cena didn't magically heal that injury. The problem with faces being on top for extended periods of time nowadays is that having them win all the time becomes stagnant and the same. Plus the heels looks weak. Dominant heels have been missing from the WWE the last couple years, which is why Mark Henry has been such a breath of fresh air.
Now while extended Title reigns aren't a necessity, the amount of Title changes that have taken place in the WWE in recent years is quite disturbing. 13 Title changes in the last 20 months. 32 in the last 5 years. That's an average of a title change every 2 months. Compare that to the early 1990s, when where there were 8 Title changes between Wrestlemania 6 and 9. WWE Title changes seemed a lot bigger back then, and the fewer amount of reigns were a big part of the reason for it. It probably was the reason the fans never turned on Hulk Hogan when he regained the WWE Title after long absences from the Title picture.
In this day in age in the WWE, it seems like the Title is nothing more than a prop to carry around. Hell, the Title has changed hands 6 times in the last three months, including twice in the last month alone. Alberto del Rio had a 5 week Title reign, Rey Mysterio has a 90 minute Title reign. Then at the end of that 90 minute Title reign there were 2 WWE Champions at the end of the show. And of course we can't forget the World Title, which has had 7 different reigns this year alone. Hopefully Mark Henry has a bit longer reign to establish some credibility to the World Title, which will then make whoever wins it off of him a big star and the Title change a big deal.
And lets not even get into the secondary titles known as the Intercontinental and United States Championships. Those have pretty much become non-existent. Until Cody Rhodes brought back the old school Intercontinental Title, I probably couldn't even have told you who the IC Champion was. it was that non-existent. Dolph Ziggler has had the United States Title for a while now, but it's not even like it is there half the time. Back in the day, being the IC Champ in the WWE or the US Champion in WCW often meant you were one of the best, sometimes the second best worker in the Company. Now? It means you either get pinned in a Tag Title match on PPV, or get pinned in non-title matches like Cody at Vengeance or Dolph on RAW against Zack Ryder. I'm not even going to get into the Tag Team Titles.
And of course, the booking of certain Champions has been highly questionable in recent years. Rey Mysterio and Jack Swagger were both booked terribly during their first reigns. Rey constantly lost matches as did Swagger. And this week on RAW, Alberto del Rio lost clean to Big Show. If you read my review of RAW, you know that pissed me off tremendously. How are people suppose to believe them as a credible Champion if they are losing non-Title matches cleanly? It's a joke. Who cares about Big Show's mystique? He can take a loss.
So what am I getting at with all of this? The WWE has done a poor job of booking their Champions over the last few years. The constant Title changes as well as questionable booking of champions pretty much just makes the title belts look like props at times. Aside from John Cena, nobody really gets a strong Title reign anymore. The Miz had a long reign, but look at his PPV matches:
TLC: Won a Tables Match against Randy Orton after Alex Riley interfered
Royal Rumble: Beat Randy Orton after interference from C.M. Punk/Nexus
Elimination Chamber: Beat Jerry Lawler
Wrestlemania: Beat John Cena after a restart and interference from The Rock
Sure The Miz can talk some heat back onto him, but it is tough to take him seriously as a fan if he can't beat anyone without help. Up until the current reign of Mark Henry, heels were basically booked as wimps as Champions. They rarely if ever won a match clean, and of course they could never beat John Cena clean one-on-one. Heels have taken a turn for the worse in booking over the last few years. Hopefully that's something Mark Henry can correct with a long World Title reign.
The one thing I want to make clear here is that, face or heel, the WWE needs to bring credibility back to their Championships. Extended title reigns have become a thing of the past, but they need to become a thing of the present. Not only extended Title reigns, but Champions need to be booked strongly too. You can't have Cody Rhodes lose a match on a PPV, then a match on RAW and expect fans to take him as Intercontinental Champion seriously. The WWE feels that having the top Titles on faces brings in more money and ratings, but having a strong heel could do the exact same thing. Adult males get sick of seeing John Cena on top because he always wins. Did the WWE ever think that if Cena lost a couple times to a credible, dominant heel THEN won the WWE Title that some fans might actually like him. I'm a firm believer that long run, their is more money in a face chasing a heel champion than random heels chasing a face champion.
The WWE is facing an important period of time ahead. The Rock is going to be on TV more frequently in the coming weeks and months, which means they will have more viewers tuning in. With Rock/Cena more than likely not being for the WWE Title, it's an opportunity for two other workers to wrestle for that Title and make the match seem like a big deal. Imagine if Alberto del Rio held onto the WWE Title until Wrestlemania. If he was facing an underdog face, it could make that face an instant star. Same goes with Mark Henry. The WWE needs to show the viewers tuning in during the next few months that their Championships are more than prop belts. They need to establish a meaning to each Title and make fans give a damn about their Champions.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
Sunday, October 23, 2011
WWE Vengeance Review
Welcome to my Vengeance Report! Enjoy!
Air Boom defeated Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler to retain the Tag Titles: **3/4
The show opened with Vickie Guerrero yelling "EXCUSE ME!" She introduced Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler is wrestling two matches tonight: the tag title match, then against Zack Ryder immediately after. Dolph and Kofi started with some mat wrestling. Kofi hit a nice flip on Dolph, who went flying. Kofi and Evan Bourne exchanged some quick tags while working over Jack Swagger. Swagger ended up catching Kofi mid air for a powerslam. After the heels worked over Kofi, he finally made the tag to Evan Bourne who hit some flashy offense. He went for Air Bourne but Swagger blocked it with his knees. Time for the heels to work over Bourne. Bourne almost had the tag, but Ziggler distracted the ref and Swagger pulled Kofi off the apron. Swagger went for the Swagger Bomb, but Bourne got a boot to the jaw. Both men made tags. Kofi hit his flying crossbody on Ziggler for two. Kofi hit Trouble in Paradise and the SOS. Swagger broke it up. He applied the ankle lock on Kofi, but it was broken up. Kofi hit Ziggler with another Trouble in Paradise, then tagged in Bourne for Air Bourne and the win. Fun little match.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Zack Ryder to retain the United States Championship: *1/2
Zack Ryder came out almost immediately for his match. Ryder whipped Ziggler into the apron. Air Boom threw Ziggler back in the ring, which got them tossed. Ziggler regained control. Ziggler went for a move in the corner and missed. Ryder went for a knee and missed. Ryder finally hit the knee. He was lining up for the Rough Ryder, but Swagger pulled him down. Ryder kicked Swagger, but Ziggler hit a superkick on Ryder for win. Weird. I would have had either Ziggler win both or lose both. Nothing was really accomplished here. Match was ok.
Backstage HHH and Punk agreed they don't like each other, but they need to get the job done tonight.
Beth Phoenix defeated Eve to retain the Divas Championship: *1/4
Divas Title. They showed a backstage skermish involving the Divas from earlier where Kelly Kelly was bullied. Eve tied up Beth in the ropes with a a part of her outfit. On the outside, Beth powerdropped Eve onto the apron. Beth continued to work over Eve in the ring. Eve fought back with a knee, clothesline, then backflip drop. Eve locked in a weird submission, but Beth broke it up. Beth went for the GlamSlam, but Eve countered it into the ropes and a roll up for two. Eve caught Beth with a kick and went for the moonsault and missed. Beth hit the GlamSlam for the win. Alright Divas Match, could have been worse. Eve hit some nice moves for a change.
Backstage, Matt Striker interviewed Big Show. Striker asked Show if he was properly prepared, Show said he should ask Mark Henry that. Show said it took 3 seconds for Henry to end 15 years of pain. Show said it will take him 3 seconds to do the same to him.
Sheamus defeated Christian: **1/2
Christian slapped Sheamus to start and hit some punches in the corner. That angered Sheamus so he hit some punches of his own. Sheamus hit some hard forearms to the chest then a suplex for two. Christian was able to take the leg out from Sheamus and hit a neckbreaker. Christian locked in a modified chin lock. Christian went for a headbutt from the top but missed. Sheamus charged Christian on the apron, but Christian ducked and Sheamus went over the top. Christian got a couple near falls. Sheamus countered a corner kick by Christian. Sheamus went for the Celtic Croos but Christian countered with two kicks. Sheamus hit the Irish Curse backbreaker for two. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick, but Christian countered with a spear for two. Christian hit a nice top rope hurricarana. He went for the Spear, but Sheamus connected with the Brogue Kick for the win. Good match, but I didn't like Sheamus almost no selling the hurricarana.
Backstage, Miz and R-Truth told John Laurinaitis that he's done a great job as GM. Then they ripped on HHH, C.M. Punk, and the state of Texas.
Miz & R-Truth defeated HHH & C.M. Punk: **1/2
Punk and Miz started the match. After some brief action, Punk tagged in HHH while Miz immediately tagged in Truth. Back to Punk/miz, then Punk tagged HHH. They hit a double suplex. HHH locked in a Figure Four leg lock. HHH used Punk for leverage. HHH eventually stood alone in the ring after taking out Miz and Truth. But Truth and Miz regained control outside and took it to HHH back in the ring. Truth applied a headlock. Miz hit a couple knees, then went to a sleeper hold. Miz hit his combo backbreaker/neckbreaker for two. He tagged in R-Truth. Truth applied a head scissors. HHH countered the head scissors into a backdrop. Truth tagged in Miz, who ate an HHH clothesline. Miz tagged back in. HHH DDT'd him. HHH tagged in Punk. Punk worked over Miz. Truth tried to stop Punk on the turnbuckle, but HHH pulled himm of the apron. HHH pulled Truth off the apron and they brawled. Punk went for the GTS, but on the outside Kevin Nash started attacking HHH. Miz and R-Truth hit the "Little Jimmy Finale" with the ref distracted and picked up the win. Nash continued his assault in the ring, eventually hitting a Jacknife Powerbomb that looked really bad. The match was nothing to write home about. It furthered a story between Nash/HHH, but we don't know where it is going yet. I'd argue the tag opener was better.
Backstage, Alberto del Rio complained about never being in a Last Man Standing Match. Laurinaitis said that he was never in a Hell in A Cell match before either, and he walked out of that WWE Champion. ADR agreed and thanked Laurinaitis.
Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes: **1/2
Orton clotheslined Cody over the top early then went back into the ring where Cody took control. Cody worked over Orton with a barrage of moved before locking in a sleeper. Cody hit a nice dropkick for two. Cody was able to lock in a Boston Crab. Orton got out of it. Cody hit an Alabama Slam for two. Cody went for a moonsault from the top but Orton moved. Orton hit some clotheslines then a dropkick. Cody countered a gut wrench with a kick. Orton hit his shoulder back drop for two. Cody hit a head butt then a moonsault for two. Orton ran into one of Cody's "Baggers" trying to distract him, than Cody hit CrossRhodes for two. Cody mocked Orton's Viper moves for an RKO, but Orton countered with a dropkick. He hit his middle rope DDT. Cody called for the other bagger, but Orton disposed of him, then hit the RKO for the win. I liked the match, but didn't like the outcome. Cody could have kicked out of the RKO, or even won and it would have been better. Match was still good.
Mark Henry and Big Show went to a No Contest when THE RING EXPLODED! *3/4
They started with a couple power lock-ups. Show got Henry down with some punches in the corner. Show hit a superkick which took Henry to the outside. Henry took his Title and was ready to leave, but how stopped him. In the ring, Henry chop blocked show. Henry bodyslammed show then worked over Show's leg. Henry put show in a leg lock. Show tried to fight back. He went for a bodyslam but his leg gave out. The two charged at each other and double clotheslined each other. Show hit some punches, then a splash and bodyslam. Show hit a chokeslam, but Henry kicked out. Show went for the KO Punch, but Henry kicked him and hit the World's Strongest Slam, but only for two. Henry went to the top rope, but Big Show caught him with a top rope chokeslam for two. Show went to the top, but Henry blocked it and superplexed Show off the top, causing the RING TO EXPLODE. Doctors came out to check on both men. I don't know why the WWE feels the need to protect Big Show. Henry should have went over clean, just like he did with Orton. But instead it looks like we will get another rematch. Match was what you would expect between these two: slow, plodding, power moves only.
John Laurinaitis said that despite the ring, the WWE Title match would still happen.
Alberto del Rio defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match to retain the WWE Championship: ***1/2
Cena has a new shirt kids. BUY IT! ADR threw Ricardo into Cena. Cena went for an Attitude Adjustment but ADR kicked him. ADR threw Cena into the ringpost. Cena fought back in the ring with some punches, but ADR countered with a kick. ADR back dropped Cena. Cena went for an AA, but ADR countered with knees to the back. Cena fought back. Shoulder tackle, scoop slam, five knuckle shuffle. ADR escaped with a DDT. Cena hit a gut wrench. After a count Cena charged ADR, but ADR hit tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. ADR set Cena up underneath the turnbuckle, and ADR jumped on the turnbuckle right into Cena's ribs. Cena stirred back up and hit an AA. Cena up at 6, ADR 8. Cena went for another AA, but Ricardo stopped it. Cena kicked Ricardo, but ADR locked in a sleeper. Cena got back up at 8. He threw ADR into the barricade outside from in the ring. ADR back up at 7. ADR threw Cena into the steps outside. Cena up. Ricardo ate the ringpost to the nuts, then ADR landed on the ring post. Cena went to throw the steps into ADR but ADR moved. ADR used it for a weapon instead. Cena up at 8 as the two fought to the back.
Cena went to dump a large moving case on ADR but he moved. ADR bodyslammed Cena on it. ADR threw metal grates from the interview set on Cena, but Cena got up at 8. They fought back inside the arena. ADR threw Cena into the V from the set. ADR went to put through Cena through a table, but Cena countered. ADR up at 8. They fought back to ringside. ADR went for a kick, but he hit the ringpost instead. Cena AA'd ADR threw the Spanish announce table. Miz & R-Truth appeared and hit their finishers on Cena. Cena got up before 10. ADR hit Cena with the title belt, and he couldn't beat the ten count up. ADR wins. I actually thought this was a fun little brawl. ADR looked strong throughout it, even with the false finish where he should have lost. It transitions Cena into something other than the WWE Title picture, which is good for Survivor Series.
OVERALL
This was really a PPV that didn't need to happen. At times it felt like a glorified episode of RAW. The wrestling disappointed and was nothing more than average at best. The finish to the World Title match was memorable, the opener tag was good, and the LMS Match was as well, but everything else was forgettable. Miz/R-Truth vs HHH/Punk was a huge disappointment, and the Nash interference really did nothing except tease a possible HHH/Nash match which will not be good. I don't think that happens though. This is a big miss on the PPV scale. I'm giving the show a 3. That gives it an honor of being the worst PPV of the year,
1. Money in the Bank
2. SummerSlam
3. Elimination Chamber
4. Extreme Rules
5. Wrestlemania 27
6. Hell in A Cell
7. Night of Champions
8. Royal Rumble
9. Capitol Punishment
10. Over the Limit
11. Vengeance
Where We Go From Here
Survivor Series is in a month, so we will actually have a proper build to this PPV. We already know there will be a 5-on-5 match, so lets go with this:
The Rock, John Cena, HHH, Sheamus, Randy Orton vs Miz, R-Truth, Kevin Nash, Christian, Cody Rhodes
WWE Championship: Alberto del Rio vs C.M. Punk
World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry vs Big Show: Steel Cage Match
Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Zack Ryder, Mason Ryan, Daniel Bryan vs Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, The Usos
Some Divas Match
That's all from me tonight. NFL & RAW Reviews up Tuesday.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
Air Boom defeated Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler to retain the Tag Titles: **3/4
The show opened with Vickie Guerrero yelling "EXCUSE ME!" She introduced Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler is wrestling two matches tonight: the tag title match, then against Zack Ryder immediately after. Dolph and Kofi started with some mat wrestling. Kofi hit a nice flip on Dolph, who went flying. Kofi and Evan Bourne exchanged some quick tags while working over Jack Swagger. Swagger ended up catching Kofi mid air for a powerslam. After the heels worked over Kofi, he finally made the tag to Evan Bourne who hit some flashy offense. He went for Air Bourne but Swagger blocked it with his knees. Time for the heels to work over Bourne. Bourne almost had the tag, but Ziggler distracted the ref and Swagger pulled Kofi off the apron. Swagger went for the Swagger Bomb, but Bourne got a boot to the jaw. Both men made tags. Kofi hit his flying crossbody on Ziggler for two. Kofi hit Trouble in Paradise and the SOS. Swagger broke it up. He applied the ankle lock on Kofi, but it was broken up. Kofi hit Ziggler with another Trouble in Paradise, then tagged in Bourne for Air Bourne and the win. Fun little match.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Zack Ryder to retain the United States Championship: *1/2
Zack Ryder came out almost immediately for his match. Ryder whipped Ziggler into the apron. Air Boom threw Ziggler back in the ring, which got them tossed. Ziggler regained control. Ziggler went for a move in the corner and missed. Ryder went for a knee and missed. Ryder finally hit the knee. He was lining up for the Rough Ryder, but Swagger pulled him down. Ryder kicked Swagger, but Ziggler hit a superkick on Ryder for win. Weird. I would have had either Ziggler win both or lose both. Nothing was really accomplished here. Match was ok.
Backstage HHH and Punk agreed they don't like each other, but they need to get the job done tonight.
Beth Phoenix defeated Eve to retain the Divas Championship: *1/4
Divas Title. They showed a backstage skermish involving the Divas from earlier where Kelly Kelly was bullied. Eve tied up Beth in the ropes with a a part of her outfit. On the outside, Beth powerdropped Eve onto the apron. Beth continued to work over Eve in the ring. Eve fought back with a knee, clothesline, then backflip drop. Eve locked in a weird submission, but Beth broke it up. Beth went for the GlamSlam, but Eve countered it into the ropes and a roll up for two. Eve caught Beth with a kick and went for the moonsault and missed. Beth hit the GlamSlam for the win. Alright Divas Match, could have been worse. Eve hit some nice moves for a change.
Backstage, Matt Striker interviewed Big Show. Striker asked Show if he was properly prepared, Show said he should ask Mark Henry that. Show said it took 3 seconds for Henry to end 15 years of pain. Show said it will take him 3 seconds to do the same to him.
Sheamus defeated Christian: **1/2
Christian slapped Sheamus to start and hit some punches in the corner. That angered Sheamus so he hit some punches of his own. Sheamus hit some hard forearms to the chest then a suplex for two. Christian was able to take the leg out from Sheamus and hit a neckbreaker. Christian locked in a modified chin lock. Christian went for a headbutt from the top but missed. Sheamus charged Christian on the apron, but Christian ducked and Sheamus went over the top. Christian got a couple near falls. Sheamus countered a corner kick by Christian. Sheamus went for the Celtic Croos but Christian countered with two kicks. Sheamus hit the Irish Curse backbreaker for two. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick, but Christian countered with a spear for two. Christian hit a nice top rope hurricarana. He went for the Spear, but Sheamus connected with the Brogue Kick for the win. Good match, but I didn't like Sheamus almost no selling the hurricarana.
Backstage, Miz and R-Truth told John Laurinaitis that he's done a great job as GM. Then they ripped on HHH, C.M. Punk, and the state of Texas.
Miz & R-Truth defeated HHH & C.M. Punk: **1/2
Punk and Miz started the match. After some brief action, Punk tagged in HHH while Miz immediately tagged in Truth. Back to Punk/miz, then Punk tagged HHH. They hit a double suplex. HHH locked in a Figure Four leg lock. HHH used Punk for leverage. HHH eventually stood alone in the ring after taking out Miz and Truth. But Truth and Miz regained control outside and took it to HHH back in the ring. Truth applied a headlock. Miz hit a couple knees, then went to a sleeper hold. Miz hit his combo backbreaker/neckbreaker for two. He tagged in R-Truth. Truth applied a head scissors. HHH countered the head scissors into a backdrop. Truth tagged in Miz, who ate an HHH clothesline. Miz tagged back in. HHH DDT'd him. HHH tagged in Punk. Punk worked over Miz. Truth tried to stop Punk on the turnbuckle, but HHH pulled himm of the apron. HHH pulled Truth off the apron and they brawled. Punk went for the GTS, but on the outside Kevin Nash started attacking HHH. Miz and R-Truth hit the "Little Jimmy Finale" with the ref distracted and picked up the win. Nash continued his assault in the ring, eventually hitting a Jacknife Powerbomb that looked really bad. The match was nothing to write home about. It furthered a story between Nash/HHH, but we don't know where it is going yet. I'd argue the tag opener was better.
Backstage, Alberto del Rio complained about never being in a Last Man Standing Match. Laurinaitis said that he was never in a Hell in A Cell match before either, and he walked out of that WWE Champion. ADR agreed and thanked Laurinaitis.
Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes: **1/2
Orton clotheslined Cody over the top early then went back into the ring where Cody took control. Cody worked over Orton with a barrage of moved before locking in a sleeper. Cody hit a nice dropkick for two. Cody was able to lock in a Boston Crab. Orton got out of it. Cody hit an Alabama Slam for two. Cody went for a moonsault from the top but Orton moved. Orton hit some clotheslines then a dropkick. Cody countered a gut wrench with a kick. Orton hit his shoulder back drop for two. Cody hit a head butt then a moonsault for two. Orton ran into one of Cody's "Baggers" trying to distract him, than Cody hit CrossRhodes for two. Cody mocked Orton's Viper moves for an RKO, but Orton countered with a dropkick. He hit his middle rope DDT. Cody called for the other bagger, but Orton disposed of him, then hit the RKO for the win. I liked the match, but didn't like the outcome. Cody could have kicked out of the RKO, or even won and it would have been better. Match was still good.
Mark Henry and Big Show went to a No Contest when THE RING EXPLODED! *3/4
They started with a couple power lock-ups. Show got Henry down with some punches in the corner. Show hit a superkick which took Henry to the outside. Henry took his Title and was ready to leave, but how stopped him. In the ring, Henry chop blocked show. Henry bodyslammed show then worked over Show's leg. Henry put show in a leg lock. Show tried to fight back. He went for a bodyslam but his leg gave out. The two charged at each other and double clotheslined each other. Show hit some punches, then a splash and bodyslam. Show hit a chokeslam, but Henry kicked out. Show went for the KO Punch, but Henry kicked him and hit the World's Strongest Slam, but only for two. Henry went to the top rope, but Big Show caught him with a top rope chokeslam for two. Show went to the top, but Henry blocked it and superplexed Show off the top, causing the RING TO EXPLODE. Doctors came out to check on both men. I don't know why the WWE feels the need to protect Big Show. Henry should have went over clean, just like he did with Orton. But instead it looks like we will get another rematch. Match was what you would expect between these two: slow, plodding, power moves only.
John Laurinaitis said that despite the ring, the WWE Title match would still happen.
Alberto del Rio defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match to retain the WWE Championship: ***1/2
Cena has a new shirt kids. BUY IT! ADR threw Ricardo into Cena. Cena went for an Attitude Adjustment but ADR kicked him. ADR threw Cena into the ringpost. Cena fought back in the ring with some punches, but ADR countered with a kick. ADR back dropped Cena. Cena went for an AA, but ADR countered with knees to the back. Cena fought back. Shoulder tackle, scoop slam, five knuckle shuffle. ADR escaped with a DDT. Cena hit a gut wrench. After a count Cena charged ADR, but ADR hit tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. ADR set Cena up underneath the turnbuckle, and ADR jumped on the turnbuckle right into Cena's ribs. Cena stirred back up and hit an AA. Cena up at 6, ADR 8. Cena went for another AA, but Ricardo stopped it. Cena kicked Ricardo, but ADR locked in a sleeper. Cena got back up at 8. He threw ADR into the barricade outside from in the ring. ADR back up at 7. ADR threw Cena into the steps outside. Cena up. Ricardo ate the ringpost to the nuts, then ADR landed on the ring post. Cena went to throw the steps into ADR but ADR moved. ADR used it for a weapon instead. Cena up at 8 as the two fought to the back.
Cena went to dump a large moving case on ADR but he moved. ADR bodyslammed Cena on it. ADR threw metal grates from the interview set on Cena, but Cena got up at 8. They fought back inside the arena. ADR threw Cena into the V from the set. ADR went to put through Cena through a table, but Cena countered. ADR up at 8. They fought back to ringside. ADR went for a kick, but he hit the ringpost instead. Cena AA'd ADR threw the Spanish announce table. Miz & R-Truth appeared and hit their finishers on Cena. Cena got up before 10. ADR hit Cena with the title belt, and he couldn't beat the ten count up. ADR wins. I actually thought this was a fun little brawl. ADR looked strong throughout it, even with the false finish where he should have lost. It transitions Cena into something other than the WWE Title picture, which is good for Survivor Series.
OVERALL
This was really a PPV that didn't need to happen. At times it felt like a glorified episode of RAW. The wrestling disappointed and was nothing more than average at best. The finish to the World Title match was memorable, the opener tag was good, and the LMS Match was as well, but everything else was forgettable. Miz/R-Truth vs HHH/Punk was a huge disappointment, and the Nash interference really did nothing except tease a possible HHH/Nash match which will not be good. I don't think that happens though. This is a big miss on the PPV scale. I'm giving the show a 3. That gives it an honor of being the worst PPV of the year,
1. Money in the Bank
2. SummerSlam
3. Elimination Chamber
4. Extreme Rules
5. Wrestlemania 27
6. Hell in A Cell
7. Night of Champions
8. Royal Rumble
9. Capitol Punishment
10. Over the Limit
11. Vengeance
Where We Go From Here
Survivor Series is in a month, so we will actually have a proper build to this PPV. We already know there will be a 5-on-5 match, so lets go with this:
The Rock, John Cena, HHH, Sheamus, Randy Orton vs Miz, R-Truth, Kevin Nash, Christian, Cody Rhodes
WWE Championship: Alberto del Rio vs C.M. Punk
World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry vs Big Show: Steel Cage Match
Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Zack Ryder, Mason Ryan, Daniel Bryan vs Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, The Usos
Some Divas Match
That's all from me tonight. NFL & RAW Reviews up Tuesday.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
Thursday, October 20, 2011
WWE Vengeance Preview
I wouldn't give you the John Cena poster from Hell in A Cell, but I will totally give you this Mark Henry poster. Hope it gives you nightmares, or makes you watch the movie Predator. Either one works for me.
This Sunday the WWE presents us with Vengeance on PPV, their third PPV offering in the last five weeks. In my opinion, it's the weakest built of the three. Hell in A Cell came close, but at least they built that for two weeks. It seems like the WWE only put one week's worth of full focus into Vengeance. No match really stands out or appeals much to be except Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes. I'm only interested in HHH/Punk vs Miz/R-Truth to see if it leads to anything big, which it probably won't. Both Championship matches do nothing for me. It's the first time I haven't been interested in what Mark Henry is doing in months.
Now, even with my lack of interest in the show, there still should be some solid wrestling on it. Every match has some good potential, with the exception of the Divas and Henry/Big Show. But in order for me to buy a PPV, I want to believe that there will be solid wrestling, a compelling build, and something interesting or big possibly going down. Unfortunately, I think only the first of those three options will happen. I will find a way to watch it and write a review for it, but I'm not expecting much from a storyline perspective.
This PPV is also the perfect example of why the WWE has too many PPVs. Another WWE Title change here would just be ludicrous and de-value the title even more. I've always said that I would personally do 8 PPVs a year, but I understand that the WWE would want to do them once a month. But 3 PPVs in 6 weeks time is just ridiculous. It makes RAW seem more important. People don't think anything big will happen during the RAWs and Smackdowns in between these PPVs. Or, too much will be shoved into one show just like on the RAW where Triple H was forced out of control of RAW. PPV buys aren't getting any better. Why have more?
But enough of that rant, lets get into the PPV Preview.
***WARNING: SMACKDOWN SPOILERS AHEAD***
Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix (c) vs Eve
First let me say that I am thoroughly disappointed that we did not get Kelly/Beth IV at this PPV. I was really expecting a Best of 7 series with the conclusion being a 60 Minute Ironman Match. But unfortunately, that fantasy will not happen. Instead, Eve steps in and challenges Beth for the Divas Title this Sunday. I'm surprised there was no rematch for Kelly in all seriousness. Why all of the sudden jump to Eve? Kelly turning heel? Doubt it. And I doubt Eve wins the Title here either. No reason for Beth to lose it so quickly. Beth wins with the GlamSlam and continues her hopefully lengthy reign.
WINNER: Beth Phoenix
Christian vs Sheamus
There are still some lingering problems between these two, so Teddy Long made a match between these two for this Sunday on Friday's Smackdown. Sheamus came out on top at Hell in A Cell. Normally that means Christian should come out on top this time, but Sheamus is too hot of a character right now to have him lose any momentum. I think Sheamus is doing great as a face, and he may be in line for a mega push in the months to come and leading up to Wrestlemania. He's very over with the crowd and he is a great worker in the ring. Christian is the ring savy veteran who knows how to work in the ring with anyone he has a match with. Christian can absorb another loss and still get his heat back through some dastardly heel actions and on the mic as well. Sheamus will get a match with Mark Henry sooner rather than later, and I think it happens either at Survivor Series or TLC. Sheamus picks up another win here. Hopefully these two get a 15 minute match.
WINNER: Sheamus
United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Zack Ryder
Another match made on Smackdown this Friday, by Smackdown GM Teddy Long. Wait, why is Teddy Long making matches that involve two RAW Superstars? Where is John Laurinaitis to put a stop to this? Anyways, it's the biggest match in Ryder's career. People have been clamoring for him to get on TV for months, and now he finally has his opportunity. Ryder surprisingly squashed Jack Swagger on RAW, then came out on the winning end of his tag match on Smackdown. Ziggler, meanwhile, has been getting more time on the mic, which is a good thing. He's coming off as a cocky heel who is super full of himself, but can also back it up in the ring. Ziggler deserves a main event run, but I don't see that happening on RAW anytime soon with the amount of talent above him on the show. He's someone who should have never moved to RAW. I think Ziggler retains the Title here, mostly because the WWE loves toying with their Internet fans. Just when they think Ryder is in line for a push, they take it away from us and give it to Mason Ryan instead.
WINNER: Dolph Ziggler
Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes
This actually the match I'm looking forward too the most. I've loved the build for it, and I'm sure there are some people out there that haven't even recognized how good it has been. About a month ago Orton attacked Rhodes on an episode of Smackdown. He attacked Rhodes with the ring bell which left Rhodes with 9 staples in the back of his head. Ever since then Rhodes has been trying to get back at Orton. Two weeks ago Rhodes was finally able to extract his revenge, attacking Orton and putting a paper bag on his head. Then Rhodes cost Orton the World Heavyweight Title on an episode of Smackdown. The two brawled to the back on this past week's episode of RAW.
The reason I've loved the build to this so much is because Rhodes has looked like such a threat and a serious player throughout. He doesn't looked out-matched by Orton or out of place, he looks like he belongs out there with one of the WWE's big boys. Rhodes also scored big points with me by bringing back the old school Intercontinental Title. It's a shame that the Title isn't on the line here. I think that it would be a big boost to the Title's value having Orton fighting for it. Sure Orton doesn't need it, but it would make the IC Title seem more relevant than it has in years. That's only a minor thing to me though. As I said in the intro, I think this is the best built storyline on the show, and it is the match I'm looking forward to the most.
Now, having said all of that, I don't think I will like the outcome. I think it would be a huge boost to have Cody Rhodes win here, but I don't think that is happening. Rhodes is a future main event player no doubt, and his time will come. But Orton has lost rather cleanly the last two PPVs to Mark Henry, so in the WWE's eyes he needs to get his wins back. Orton wins with the RKO.
WINNER: Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry (c) vs Big Show
Well, the WWE has done it. They finally don't have me interested in something Mark Henry is doing. I know, or at least I hope, this is just a short term thing before the build to a decent program at Survivor Series. Henry has been continuing his dominant reign as World Champion, and now he gets to face the very first man he inducted into his Hall of Pain. Now Big Show is back, and he is out for revenge. And what better way to get revenge then by taking the World Title away from Henry. Big Show was a RAW wrestler, but he was just granted a World Title shot by Teddy Long right before he was about to injure Henry with a chair, the same way Henry did to him.
Luckily for us, however, we don't have to worry about Big Show winning the World Title here. At least I hope not. There's no reason to have Big Show be the person to take the World Title from Mark Henry. Show doesn't need it. The match itself won't be pretty either. Expect a lot of power moves here, and also a lot of slow moments. But in the end, Mark Henry ducks a KO Punch from show, then hits the World's Strongest Slam for the win. He hits another after the match through the Spanish announce table too. Mark Henry's World Title reign continues, as it should.
WINNER: MARK HENRY
C.M. Punk & HHH vs Miz & R-Truth
This match is a bit of a conundrum. I think it will be good from a wrestling standpoint, but storyline wise it is just a jumbled up mess. A month ago, HHH & C.M. Punk hated each other and were fighting on PPV. Now? They're partners against the two guys who interfered in their match at Night of Champions. It just seems like that the entire build of Punk/HHH at Night of Champions was an entire waste of time. But the WWE doesn't care about that because they already have your money. I thought Punk/HHH could have been built to something huge, maybe even at Wresltemania. But that is all a second thought now as they are now partners in this match.
Miz and R-Truth are back on PPV, albeit legally this time. At Hell in A Cell, the two caused havoc after the WWE Title match. They took out wrestlers, referees, and camera men before surrendering peacefully. But once John Laurinaitis took over RAW, he re-hired the two and now they are facing HHH/Punk at Vengeance. The Miz/R-Truth beatdown at the end of HIAC was cool and something different that we haven't seen in a while. But now? Miz and R-Truth are just back to normal superstars kissing up to John Laurinaitis just like normal heels do. In my opinion, their luster is gone.
Who wins this match really depends on where this storyline is going. One would assume that the big 5-on-5 match at Survivor Series will be for who has power in the WWE, and one team will be Team HHH, probably lead by HHH/Rock/Cena. And if we are getting to a fight for power in the future, there is no reason for team HHH/Punk to win here. If the storyline wasn't so screwed up, this would be the obvious place for HHH or Punk to turn. But with everything that has happened, it wouldn't make any sense. But the WWE would find some way to justify it if it did. What really happens? Mis-communication between Punk and HHH. Punk gets poked in the eye and goes for a roundhouse kick, but R-Truth ducks so Punk takes out HHH by accident instead. Truth takes out Punk, then Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on HHH for the win.
WINNERS: Miz & R-Truth
WWE Championship: John Cena vs Alberto del Rio (c)- Last Man Standing Match
I would like to thank John Cena for the math lesson this past Monday on RAW. Who ever knew that counting to ten would be so boring! One way or another, this will be the end of this feud at Vengeance, at least the WWE Title portion of it. Cena is teaming up with The Rock at Survivor Series, so that means either he is going in WWE Champ or Alberto del Rio is retaining and moving on to someone else after Vengeance.
This program just hasn't interested me too much. And it isn't just Cena. I don't think Del Rio and him work well together. Del Rio' last WWE Title reign lasted only 5 weeks. If he loses here, that means it only lasted 3 weeks? Two reign totally 2 months isn't great. It is also demeaning to the WWE Title. Alberto del Rio is a great act. Having Ricardo by his side is just gravy. Del Rio deserves a longer reign as WWE Champ then his first one, so I really hope they don't end it here.
But of course we can't count out that John Cena guy. But having the WWE Title on John Cena going into Survivor Series would be pointless. Sure, it could make people think that Rock/Cena at Wrestlemania might be for the WWE Title. But that would be a waste of another match. That match is big enough by itself on its own, no need to have the WWE Title around. Same thing with Survivor Series. That 5-on-5 match will be big enough, let the WWE Title have its own match with Alberto del Rio.
The Last Man Standing Match stipulation obviously favors Cena. The only thing that can obviously effect Cena in these matches is an 8,000 WATT SURGE LIGHT! If Del Rio sees one of those, he should use it to his advantage. But since Cena needs 5 opponents at Survivor Series, lets say there is a good old fashion beatdown at the end of this match. Miz, R-Truth, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, and Jack Swagger come out to beatdown Cena. They all hit their finishers, and Cena stays down for the ten count. Del Rio retains the WWE Title.
WINNER: Alberto del Rio
That's a wrap from me. Hopefully, after Vengeance, the WWE rights the ship as we start the build to Survivor Series. It has the potential to be the biggest event of the year.
I will have a review of Vengeance up late Sunday after the PPV or Monday.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
Monday, October 3, 2011
RAW Thoughts for 10/3/2011
RAW is Already Ripping Off Monday Night Football
RAW started with no pyro. Instead it started with a Randy Orton entrance, with Drew McIntyre already in the ring. Orton took the action outside and threw McIntyre into the barricade. McIntyre gained control with a good boot to Orton. Orton fought back and threw Drew into the corner, but McIntyre countered again with a boot to the face. McIntyre went for a splash from the top but Orton caught him with a boot to the face. Regular Orton offense. Bodyslams then middle rope DDT. An RKO finished Drew off. Drew stirred up after the match then ate another RKO.
After the match, Mark Henry came out and showed off the World Title. Orton and Henry started to brawl. Security and John Laurinaitis tried to break it up. The brawl didn't stop til Orton dumped Henry over the barricade. With so many guys in the main event, why not start with the main Smackdown feud. Just basic reinforcement of the Smackdown storyline. About average. Poor Drew is officially a jobber. Survey Says: 2.5/5
John Morrison: Welcome to Jobbersville
Mark Henry was in the ring waiting for an apparent match, with John Morrison. They advertised Big Show's return Friday on Smackdown. Henry dominated early. John Morrison countered a World Strongest Slam with kicks and Starship Pain, but only for two. Henry eventually hit a World's Strongest Slam for the win. He hit another Slam after the match. After the match, Henry said he was done with Randy Orton. He then told Big Show that he's not afraid of him, and he will be waiting on Smackdown. More continued dominance for Henry. Nothing should change anytime soon. Survey Says: 2/5
Backstage, Vickie Guerrero was with David Otunga, Cody Rhodes, Alberto del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, and Christian complained to John Laurinaitis about unsafe work conditions. They were going out to the ring to complain. Laurinaitis texted someone.
Someone Call Clarence Mason!
In ring, Del Rio complained about the shenanigans from Hell in A Cell. Christian complained about the unsafe working conditions. Cody said all of this was about HHH's enormous ego. Dolph said they were taking actions into their own hands. Swagger says his family and friends are concerned for him. Vickie said she felt vulnerable as a woman in these conditions. Otunga talked about taking action before HHH interrupted. He asked what happened to this place, when everyone used to fight like men. HHH said he didn't care about their lawsuit or Miz and Truth's, he just can't wait to see those heels in the ring against the faces they face later tonight. It got the point across about their being unrest in the locker room, but it could have been done better. Everything was just done too much in unison for my liking. Survey Says: 2/5
This Tag Match Again?
Kelly flipped shit on Beth on the outside, throwing her into the announce table. Whatever. Survey Says: 1/5
Johnny Ace apologized for not doing his job yesterday to HHH. He said HHH needed to ask the RAW Locker Room for a vote of No Confidence. HHH grabbed Laurinaitis by the tie and told him to bring the locker room to the ring later, and make sure he is there too.
They showed a deleted scene from Fast Five starring The Rock.
In ring, Jinder Mahal cut a promo in his native language. Santino interrupted, they spoke jibberish, then Santino won a short match with The Cobra. Nice to see Santino back for some comic relief.
A Brodus Clay video package aired, then they recapped the Miz/R-Truth attack from Hell in A Cell. A YouTube video of a Truth and Miz apology was shown. They complained about HHH's attack on them, and how they are getting attorneys involved.
I'm Starting to Think We're in the Wild West
Twelve man next. C.M. Punk came out selling the effects of Hell in A Cell. John Cena came out next, not selling the effects of Hell in A Cell. I was a bit distracted during this because of a very gruesome injury during the Monday night game. I came back to see a standoff then a commercial. Back from break Kofi and Cody were dueling in the ring. The heels took turns working over Kofi. Kofi finally made the hot tag to Evan Bourne. Bourne hit a knee then Air Bourne on Swagger. Vicki put Swagger's leg on the ropes, which the ref caught. He tossed Vickie.
Back from break, the heels were now working over Evan Bourne. Bourne eventually hit a DDT on Del Rio. Bourne then tagged in Cena, who hit his usual offense on Del Rio. Cena went for the AA, but Del Rio countered with a knee drop to the arm. Swagger tagged in and hit a Swagger Bomb on Cena for a two count. He went for another one but Cena moved. Swagger tagged in Dolph, Cena tagged in Sheamus. Del Rio knocked Sheamus off the apron. Ziggler hit the leg drop on Sheamus, but he kicked out. Everyone hit a move on someone before Sheamus connected with the Brogue Kick on Ziggler for the win. Even though I missed the first half, that was a fun match. It was nice to see Sheamus, not Cena, get the win for his team. I think Sheamus is in line for a big push as a face. It was also nice to see such a long match on RAW for a change. No one really looked bad, and they hid the two worst guys in the match, Otunga and Mason Ryan, really well. A nice change of pace. Survey Says: 4/5
The Cheese Stands Alone
Time for Triple H's Vote of Confidence. Triple H said the job was more difficult then he thought it would be. He was given it. He said Miz & Truth should apologize for being a bunch of babies. Triple H admitted to being old school. He likes seeing people beat the hell out of each other. Wade Barrett spoke first. He talked about how the chaos sucks. HHH said Barrett only hates the chaos because he isn't leading it. Mike Chioda talked up for the refs. Beth spoke up for the Divas and talked about how they are worried something could happen. Jerry Lawler said he did agree things were getting out of control. But it wasn't HHH's fault, it was somebody elses. Someone behind the scenes. Lawler said HHH is in charge, and he's the reason for all of this. Everyone voted No Confidence. Everyone walked out: faces, heels, divas, refs, announcers, cameramen. Jim Ross was the last one to leave. HHH stood alone in the ring when John Laurinaitis walked onto the stage, then promptly walked away. It was a different ending. Obviously there is now a power struggle being foreshadowed. Who is going to replace HHH? More questions remain. It was a unique ending to RAW. Survey Says: 3.5/5
OVERALL
The first hour of RAW was very underwhelming and not newsworthy at all. The 12 man tag was a nice change of pace from the norm on RAW as it went on for over 20 minutes. There was good action in it too, and it was nice to see Sheamus pick up the win for his team rather than John Cena. The HHH angle was a good way to end the show to leave viewers wanting to tune in next week. It was a nice touch seeing the faces debate whether to stay, and Jim Ross reluctantly leave as well. The fact that they left the viewers with a hook for next week is a good thing. But absolutely zero push for their PPV in 3 weeks wasn't good. The 12 man and the final segment alone give this show a 6.
That's all from me tonight. NFL Week 4 Review tomorrow.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
RAW started with no pyro. Instead it started with a Randy Orton entrance, with Drew McIntyre already in the ring. Orton took the action outside and threw McIntyre into the barricade. McIntyre gained control with a good boot to Orton. Orton fought back and threw Drew into the corner, but McIntyre countered again with a boot to the face. McIntyre went for a splash from the top but Orton caught him with a boot to the face. Regular Orton offense. Bodyslams then middle rope DDT. An RKO finished Drew off. Drew stirred up after the match then ate another RKO.
After the match, Mark Henry came out and showed off the World Title. Orton and Henry started to brawl. Security and John Laurinaitis tried to break it up. The brawl didn't stop til Orton dumped Henry over the barricade. With so many guys in the main event, why not start with the main Smackdown feud. Just basic reinforcement of the Smackdown storyline. About average. Poor Drew is officially a jobber. Survey Says: 2.5/5
John Morrison: Welcome to Jobbersville
Mark Henry was in the ring waiting for an apparent match, with John Morrison. They advertised Big Show's return Friday on Smackdown. Henry dominated early. John Morrison countered a World Strongest Slam with kicks and Starship Pain, but only for two. Henry eventually hit a World's Strongest Slam for the win. He hit another Slam after the match. After the match, Henry said he was done with Randy Orton. He then told Big Show that he's not afraid of him, and he will be waiting on Smackdown. More continued dominance for Henry. Nothing should change anytime soon. Survey Says: 2/5
Backstage, Vickie Guerrero was with David Otunga, Cody Rhodes, Alberto del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, and Christian complained to John Laurinaitis about unsafe work conditions. They were going out to the ring to complain. Laurinaitis texted someone.
Someone Call Clarence Mason!
In ring, Del Rio complained about the shenanigans from Hell in A Cell. Christian complained about the unsafe working conditions. Cody said all of this was about HHH's enormous ego. Dolph said they were taking actions into their own hands. Swagger says his family and friends are concerned for him. Vickie said she felt vulnerable as a woman in these conditions. Otunga talked about taking action before HHH interrupted. He asked what happened to this place, when everyone used to fight like men. HHH said he didn't care about their lawsuit or Miz and Truth's, he just can't wait to see those heels in the ring against the faces they face later tonight. It got the point across about their being unrest in the locker room, but it could have been done better. Everything was just done too much in unison for my liking. Survey Says: 2/5
This Tag Match Again?
Kelly flipped shit on Beth on the outside, throwing her into the announce table. Whatever. Survey Says: 1/5
Johnny Ace apologized for not doing his job yesterday to HHH. He said HHH needed to ask the RAW Locker Room for a vote of No Confidence. HHH grabbed Laurinaitis by the tie and told him to bring the locker room to the ring later, and make sure he is there too.
They showed a deleted scene from Fast Five starring The Rock.
In ring, Jinder Mahal cut a promo in his native language. Santino interrupted, they spoke jibberish, then Santino won a short match with The Cobra. Nice to see Santino back for some comic relief.
A Brodus Clay video package aired, then they recapped the Miz/R-Truth attack from Hell in A Cell. A YouTube video of a Truth and Miz apology was shown. They complained about HHH's attack on them, and how they are getting attorneys involved.
I'm Starting to Think We're in the Wild West
Twelve man next. C.M. Punk came out selling the effects of Hell in A Cell. John Cena came out next, not selling the effects of Hell in A Cell. I was a bit distracted during this because of a very gruesome injury during the Monday night game. I came back to see a standoff then a commercial. Back from break Kofi and Cody were dueling in the ring. The heels took turns working over Kofi. Kofi finally made the hot tag to Evan Bourne. Bourne hit a knee then Air Bourne on Swagger. Vicki put Swagger's leg on the ropes, which the ref caught. He tossed Vickie.
Back from break, the heels were now working over Evan Bourne. Bourne eventually hit a DDT on Del Rio. Bourne then tagged in Cena, who hit his usual offense on Del Rio. Cena went for the AA, but Del Rio countered with a knee drop to the arm. Swagger tagged in and hit a Swagger Bomb on Cena for a two count. He went for another one but Cena moved. Swagger tagged in Dolph, Cena tagged in Sheamus. Del Rio knocked Sheamus off the apron. Ziggler hit the leg drop on Sheamus, but he kicked out. Everyone hit a move on someone before Sheamus connected with the Brogue Kick on Ziggler for the win. Even though I missed the first half, that was a fun match. It was nice to see Sheamus, not Cena, get the win for his team. I think Sheamus is in line for a big push as a face. It was also nice to see such a long match on RAW for a change. No one really looked bad, and they hid the two worst guys in the match, Otunga and Mason Ryan, really well. A nice change of pace. Survey Says: 4/5
The Cheese Stands Alone
Time for Triple H's Vote of Confidence. Triple H said the job was more difficult then he thought it would be. He was given it. He said Miz & Truth should apologize for being a bunch of babies. Triple H admitted to being old school. He likes seeing people beat the hell out of each other. Wade Barrett spoke first. He talked about how the chaos sucks. HHH said Barrett only hates the chaos because he isn't leading it. Mike Chioda talked up for the refs. Beth spoke up for the Divas and talked about how they are worried something could happen. Jerry Lawler said he did agree things were getting out of control. But it wasn't HHH's fault, it was somebody elses. Someone behind the scenes. Lawler said HHH is in charge, and he's the reason for all of this. Everyone voted No Confidence. Everyone walked out: faces, heels, divas, refs, announcers, cameramen. Jim Ross was the last one to leave. HHH stood alone in the ring when John Laurinaitis walked onto the stage, then promptly walked away. It was a different ending. Obviously there is now a power struggle being foreshadowed. Who is going to replace HHH? More questions remain. It was a unique ending to RAW. Survey Says: 3.5/5
OVERALL
The first hour of RAW was very underwhelming and not newsworthy at all. The 12 man tag was a nice change of pace from the norm on RAW as it went on for over 20 minutes. There was good action in it too, and it was nice to see Sheamus pick up the win for his team rather than John Cena. The HHH angle was a good way to end the show to leave viewers wanting to tune in next week. It was a nice touch seeing the faces debate whether to stay, and Jim Ross reluctantly leave as well. The fact that they left the viewers with a hook for next week is a good thing. But absolutely zero push for their PPV in 3 weeks wasn't good. The 12 man and the final segment alone give this show a 6.
That's all from me tonight. NFL Week 4 Review tomorrow.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
WWE Hell in A Cell Review
I stayed up late to watch this last night before it got taken down from somewhere. Wanted to get this review in just for you guys!
During Chrisitan's entrance, Miz & Truth were shown sitting in the front row. They were promptly thrown out by John Laurinaitis.
Sheamus defeated Christian: **1/2
Sheamus dominated the match early before Sheamus tried going to the top, only for Christian to push him off the top rope. Christian ended up slapping Sheamus around a bit, which pissed off Sheamus and got him fighting back. Back and forth action. Sheamus countered a Celtic Cross attempt. Christian hit a nice tornado DDT from the corner. Sheams recovered and hit a flying shoulder tackle. Sheamus went for the Broge Kick but Christian went outside the ring. Christian hit a Spear outside the ring, but Sheamus made it back in before the count of 10. Christian hit a Spear inside the ring for a two. Christian went for a high risk move but missed. Sheamus countered a Killswitch attempt. Christian went for the Spear but ate the ringpost, allowing Shemaus to connect with the Brogue Kick for the win. OK opening match. Sheamus works much better with the crowd behind him. Right man went over too, as I think they will transition Sheamus into a World Title feud with Mark Henry as Randy Orton will move onto Cody Rhodes.
Backstage, Mark Henry was interviewed by Matt Striker. Henry told Striker to shut up. Henry said he knew what Striker was going to ask him: about Mark Henry never being in a Hell in A Cell match. Henry said it didn't matter, because Randy Orton will join the Hall of Pain.
Good Sin Cara defeated EVILLLLL Sin Cara: *1/2
Quick counters early on by Good Sin Cara, frustrating EVILLLLL Sin Cara. Dueling head scissors by both men. Good Sin Cara hit a Swanton to the outside. He went for a moonsault but missed. EVILLLLL Sin Cara applied a sleeper in the ring. EVILLLLL Sin Cara remained in control inside the ring. Good Sin Cara countered a Razor's Edge then hit a flying crossbody on the outside. Good Sin Cara connected with an armdrag from the top rope. Good Sin Cara countered a powerbomb attempt into a roll up for the win. It was ok. Crowd wasn't into it. But there were some flashy spots that were good.
Backstage David Otunga approached C.M. Punk. Punk pretty much told him to get lost.
Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bounre) defeated Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger to retain the World Tag Team Championships: **1/4
Bonus match here for the Tag Titles. After some early action between Kofi and Swagger the heels worked over Evan Bourne. Bourne made the hot tag to Kofi but Dolph and Swagger quickly regained some control with work behind the ref's back. Dolph and Swagger continued to make quick tags and worked over Kofi. Kofi finally hit a DDT on Swagger and tagged in Bourne. Bourne hit a handful of kicks on Dolph. Quick action. Swagger locked the ankle lock in on Bourne. Kofi broke it up. Dolph hit Kofi with the Zig Zag. Swagger tagged in. Swagger set Bourne up in the corner for a power bomb, but Bourne countered into a hurricarrana for the win, as Kofi grabbed Dolph's legs from the outside. Alright action. Crowd was more into this then Cara/Cara. Right team won. No reason for the Tag Champs to lose yet.
Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton to retain the World Heavyweight Championship: **1/2
Randy Orton took it to Mark Henry immediately. He countered a bulldog and pushed Henry into the Cell. Orton jumped from the apron, but Henry caught him and rammed him into two sides of the Cell and the ring post. Henry hit a powerslam in the ring, then another on the floor outside of the ring. Henry rammed Orton into the Cell again, then went to throw the steps into Orton against the Cell. Orton moved. Orton tried fighting back inside the ring, but Henry countered with a splash in the corner then a giant splash for a two count. Henry put Orton in a bear hug. Orton fought out but eventually found himself in another bear hug.
Henry went for the World's Strongest Slam on the steps, but Orton was able to counter by grabbing onto the Cell. Orton was then able to hit a DDT onto the steps on the outside. Back in the ring Orton hit a Lou Thesz press. Top rope drop kick into the second rope DDT by Orton. Orton set-up for and hit the RKO, but only got a 2. Orton lined up for the punt, but Henry immediately got up and hit the World's Strongest Slam for the win. After the match, Henry hit another World's Strongest Slam. He put a chair on Orton's ankle. Henry went for a splash but missed. Orton grabbed the chair and chased Henry up the ramp with it. Orton got some shots in before Henry ran off.
Nothing really too special with this Cell match. It really wasn't needed for this match, as it didn't do anything to settle the score between these two, as the Cell should. Henry retains, but Orton gets some of his heat back in the post match. I would expect another re-match at Vengeance, but Orton could use some time away from the Title scene after that. The actual match was ok. Nothing ground breaking. The basic match you would expect from Henry. But the match told a great story. It still established Henry as a monster.
Backstage, Alberto del Rio was interviewed. He said Cena and Punk don't know what they're getting into.
Cody Rhodes defeated John Morrison to retain the Intercontinental Championship: *3/4
Suddenly Cody Rhodes came out. He said people who didn't accept his paper bags should be figuratively euthanized. Cody then introduced the Classic IC Title belt. It was a bit different than the old one, but it was close enough. Cody said he would defend the Title night in and night out. John Laurinaitis interrupted. He said by orders of HHH, Cody had to defend the IC Title right now. John Morrison's music hit. Morrison went for a quick early pinfall. Cody escaped to the outside, but Morrison hit a drop kick through the ropes. Cody tried to hang on to the ringpost and get counted out, but Morrison kicked him in the back. Cody regained control inside the ring. Cody locked in a figure four a couple minutes later. Morrison fought back. He hit a reverse Rock Bottom for a two. Morrison went for Starship Pain but Cody grabbed his leg. Morrison went for a flying kick but missed, allowing Cody to roll him up for the win. OK stuff. Cody will hopefully continue to defend the Title. Morrison is stuck in jobber hell right now.
Backstage, John Laurinaitis told HHH that Miz & R-Truth were in the back. They were shown beating up Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne.
Beth Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly to win the Divas Championship: *1/4
Kelly 'hit" a Lou Thesz Press early, but it was all Beth after. She bulldoged Kelly into the corner. Kelly surprised Beth with a quick roll-up, but only for two. Beth then went for a power bomb, but countered into a pinfall for two again. Couple more counters. Kelly hit Beth with a top rope bulldog for two. Natalya tried to interfere, Eve tried to stop her, but ate the guardrail instead. Beth put Kelly in her submission finisher but got to the ropes. Natalya hit Kelly with the mic, then Beth hit the GlamSlam for the win. This should have happened in Buffalo two weeks ago. There was almost no reaction to Beth's win. It also would have been nice to see a clean win for Beth. Why should Kelly be protected?
Alberto del Rio defeated John Cena and C.M. Punk to win the WWE Championship: ***
Cena and Punk took turn working over Del Rio early in the match. With ADR on the outside, it left Cena and Punk to go at it. Both men teased finishers before Cena went to the outside. ADR tried to intervene. Cena went for the AA, But Punk dove through the ropes. Punk got a chair on the outside. Cena threw Punk to the the steps but Punk jumped on them and taunted Cena, but ADR pushed Punk into the cell. In the ring, ADR set a chair up in between the ropes. ADR went for the cross arm breaker, but Punk stopped him, then hit a DDT on Cena and ADR at the same time. Punk set a table up on the outside. He kneed Cena, but Cena countered and threw Punk into the Cell.
In the ring, Alberto del Rio hit a backbreaker onto a chair set up in the ring. ADR set Cena up in the Tree of Woe in the corner. ADR charged but Cena moved. Cena went for his top rope leg drop, but Punk grabbed the ropes and Cena fell off. ADR had Punk in a side headlock, but Cena broke it up. Cena and Punk exchanged kicks before ADR came in with a chair and used it on Cena and Punk. ADR then hit a seated Senton on Punk and Cena with a chair in between them. Punk then tossed Cena over the turnbuckle onto the steps. Cena hit the AA on Punk but ADR broke up the count. ADR went for the cross armbreaker on Cena but Punk broke it up. Punk hit the GTS on Cena, but ADR pulled Punk out of the ring during the pin and tossed him into the cell. ADR through Punk into the steps.
Cena surprised ADR with an inside cradle in the ring for two. Del Rio took care of Cena on the outside. In ring Punk took control. He connected with the Macho Man Elbow Drop. Cena came back in. Punk went for the Elbow drop on Cena, but ADR pushed Punk off onto the table setup outside. Cena locked in the AA, but Ricardo knocked down the ref and unlocked the Cell. Cena stopped him, but ADR hit Cena with the lead pipe key, then locked him out of the Cell. Brilliant! Punk and Cena exchanged near falls in the ring. Punk finally regained control with some knees and kicks. Del Rio regained control and hit Punk with the lead pipe. Punk tried the GTS, but ADR connected with the lead pipe for the win.
After the match, Miz & R-Truth came from underneath the ring and attacked everyone. The Cell was lowered as the entire roster came out to try and get in. Eventually bolt cutters were used to unlock the Cell. Miz and R-Truth were arrested, but HHH got some shots in on them before the show went off the air.
I'm really up in the air about all of this. The actual match itself was good. Punk sold well for Del Rio, and the finish was very creative with Cena being locked out of the Cell. Del Rio looked like a bad ass with the pipe and it was nice to see him win the WWE Title back. But you have to wonder what the point of Cena winning the Title last month was. The Title could have been kept on Del Rio, even through a DQ finish. I'm assuming we're getting some kind of match again between these three at Vengeance.
I really liked the Miz/R-Truth stuff. It is a great way to push them as top level threats and anti-authority figures with the entire roster trying to get into the Cell to stop them. Of course the question remains about who lowered the Cell to allow Truth & Miz to do their damage. I thought it was a strong ending to a show that was just average up until the end.
OVERALL
While I liked the end to the PPV and most of the action was decent, I still think it was a PPV that did not need to happen. All of this could have happened in a week or two. The World Title Match told a great story about Henry's dominance. The WWE Title Match was a good match with a solid ending getting all players involved. It was almost a throwback to the Attitude Era with the cops showing up to arrest Miz and Truth. The Sheamus/Christian opener was fun. It was also GREAT to see Cody Rhodes bring back the old school Intercontinental Title Belt. I thought it was a good enough PPV justifying me staying up until 3 a.m. to finish this. I'm giving it a 6.5.
OVERALL PPV RANKINGS
1. Money in the Bank
2. SummerSlam
3. Elimination Chamber
4. Extreme Rules
5. Wrestlemania 27
6. Hell in A Cell
7. Night of Champions
8. Royal Rumble
9. Capitol Punishment
10. Over the Limit
With another PPV in three weeks, I would expect another handful of re-matches at Vengeance. Henry/Orton may be No DQ. A WWE Title rematch may be something with a stipulation as well.
That's all for this Review. RAW & NFL Review up tomorrow.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
During Chrisitan's entrance, Miz & Truth were shown sitting in the front row. They were promptly thrown out by John Laurinaitis.
Sheamus defeated Christian: **1/2
Sheamus dominated the match early before Sheamus tried going to the top, only for Christian to push him off the top rope. Christian ended up slapping Sheamus around a bit, which pissed off Sheamus and got him fighting back. Back and forth action. Sheamus countered a Celtic Cross attempt. Christian hit a nice tornado DDT from the corner. Sheams recovered and hit a flying shoulder tackle. Sheamus went for the Broge Kick but Christian went outside the ring. Christian hit a Spear outside the ring, but Sheamus made it back in before the count of 10. Christian hit a Spear inside the ring for a two. Christian went for a high risk move but missed. Sheamus countered a Killswitch attempt. Christian went for the Spear but ate the ringpost, allowing Shemaus to connect with the Brogue Kick for the win. OK opening match. Sheamus works much better with the crowd behind him. Right man went over too, as I think they will transition Sheamus into a World Title feud with Mark Henry as Randy Orton will move onto Cody Rhodes.
Backstage, Mark Henry was interviewed by Matt Striker. Henry told Striker to shut up. Henry said he knew what Striker was going to ask him: about Mark Henry never being in a Hell in A Cell match. Henry said it didn't matter, because Randy Orton will join the Hall of Pain.
Good Sin Cara defeated EVILLLLL Sin Cara: *1/2
Quick counters early on by Good Sin Cara, frustrating EVILLLLL Sin Cara. Dueling head scissors by both men. Good Sin Cara hit a Swanton to the outside. He went for a moonsault but missed. EVILLLLL Sin Cara applied a sleeper in the ring. EVILLLLL Sin Cara remained in control inside the ring. Good Sin Cara countered a Razor's Edge then hit a flying crossbody on the outside. Good Sin Cara connected with an armdrag from the top rope. Good Sin Cara countered a powerbomb attempt into a roll up for the win. It was ok. Crowd wasn't into it. But there were some flashy spots that were good.
Backstage David Otunga approached C.M. Punk. Punk pretty much told him to get lost.
Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bounre) defeated Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger to retain the World Tag Team Championships: **1/4
Bonus match here for the Tag Titles. After some early action between Kofi and Swagger the heels worked over Evan Bourne. Bourne made the hot tag to Kofi but Dolph and Swagger quickly regained some control with work behind the ref's back. Dolph and Swagger continued to make quick tags and worked over Kofi. Kofi finally hit a DDT on Swagger and tagged in Bourne. Bourne hit a handful of kicks on Dolph. Quick action. Swagger locked the ankle lock in on Bourne. Kofi broke it up. Dolph hit Kofi with the Zig Zag. Swagger tagged in. Swagger set Bourne up in the corner for a power bomb, but Bourne countered into a hurricarrana for the win, as Kofi grabbed Dolph's legs from the outside. Alright action. Crowd was more into this then Cara/Cara. Right team won. No reason for the Tag Champs to lose yet.
Mark Henry defeated Randy Orton to retain the World Heavyweight Championship: **1/2
Randy Orton took it to Mark Henry immediately. He countered a bulldog and pushed Henry into the Cell. Orton jumped from the apron, but Henry caught him and rammed him into two sides of the Cell and the ring post. Henry hit a powerslam in the ring, then another on the floor outside of the ring. Henry rammed Orton into the Cell again, then went to throw the steps into Orton against the Cell. Orton moved. Orton tried fighting back inside the ring, but Henry countered with a splash in the corner then a giant splash for a two count. Henry put Orton in a bear hug. Orton fought out but eventually found himself in another bear hug.
Henry went for the World's Strongest Slam on the steps, but Orton was able to counter by grabbing onto the Cell. Orton was then able to hit a DDT onto the steps on the outside. Back in the ring Orton hit a Lou Thesz press. Top rope drop kick into the second rope DDT by Orton. Orton set-up for and hit the RKO, but only got a 2. Orton lined up for the punt, but Henry immediately got up and hit the World's Strongest Slam for the win. After the match, Henry hit another World's Strongest Slam. He put a chair on Orton's ankle. Henry went for a splash but missed. Orton grabbed the chair and chased Henry up the ramp with it. Orton got some shots in before Henry ran off.
Nothing really too special with this Cell match. It really wasn't needed for this match, as it didn't do anything to settle the score between these two, as the Cell should. Henry retains, but Orton gets some of his heat back in the post match. I would expect another re-match at Vengeance, but Orton could use some time away from the Title scene after that. The actual match was ok. Nothing ground breaking. The basic match you would expect from Henry. But the match told a great story. It still established Henry as a monster.
Backstage, Alberto del Rio was interviewed. He said Cena and Punk don't know what they're getting into.
Cody Rhodes defeated John Morrison to retain the Intercontinental Championship: *3/4
Suddenly Cody Rhodes came out. He said people who didn't accept his paper bags should be figuratively euthanized. Cody then introduced the Classic IC Title belt. It was a bit different than the old one, but it was close enough. Cody said he would defend the Title night in and night out. John Laurinaitis interrupted. He said by orders of HHH, Cody had to defend the IC Title right now. John Morrison's music hit. Morrison went for a quick early pinfall. Cody escaped to the outside, but Morrison hit a drop kick through the ropes. Cody tried to hang on to the ringpost and get counted out, but Morrison kicked him in the back. Cody regained control inside the ring. Cody locked in a figure four a couple minutes later. Morrison fought back. He hit a reverse Rock Bottom for a two. Morrison went for Starship Pain but Cody grabbed his leg. Morrison went for a flying kick but missed, allowing Cody to roll him up for the win. OK stuff. Cody will hopefully continue to defend the Title. Morrison is stuck in jobber hell right now.
Backstage, John Laurinaitis told HHH that Miz & R-Truth were in the back. They were shown beating up Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne.
Beth Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly to win the Divas Championship: *1/4
Kelly 'hit" a Lou Thesz Press early, but it was all Beth after. She bulldoged Kelly into the corner. Kelly surprised Beth with a quick roll-up, but only for two. Beth then went for a power bomb, but countered into a pinfall for two again. Couple more counters. Kelly hit Beth with a top rope bulldog for two. Natalya tried to interfere, Eve tried to stop her, but ate the guardrail instead. Beth put Kelly in her submission finisher but got to the ropes. Natalya hit Kelly with the mic, then Beth hit the GlamSlam for the win. This should have happened in Buffalo two weeks ago. There was almost no reaction to Beth's win. It also would have been nice to see a clean win for Beth. Why should Kelly be protected?
Alberto del Rio defeated John Cena and C.M. Punk to win the WWE Championship: ***
Cena and Punk took turn working over Del Rio early in the match. With ADR on the outside, it left Cena and Punk to go at it. Both men teased finishers before Cena went to the outside. ADR tried to intervene. Cena went for the AA, But Punk dove through the ropes. Punk got a chair on the outside. Cena threw Punk to the the steps but Punk jumped on them and taunted Cena, but ADR pushed Punk into the cell. In the ring, ADR set a chair up in between the ropes. ADR went for the cross arm breaker, but Punk stopped him, then hit a DDT on Cena and ADR at the same time. Punk set a table up on the outside. He kneed Cena, but Cena countered and threw Punk into the Cell.
In the ring, Alberto del Rio hit a backbreaker onto a chair set up in the ring. ADR set Cena up in the Tree of Woe in the corner. ADR charged but Cena moved. Cena went for his top rope leg drop, but Punk grabbed the ropes and Cena fell off. ADR had Punk in a side headlock, but Cena broke it up. Cena and Punk exchanged kicks before ADR came in with a chair and used it on Cena and Punk. ADR then hit a seated Senton on Punk and Cena with a chair in between them. Punk then tossed Cena over the turnbuckle onto the steps. Cena hit the AA on Punk but ADR broke up the count. ADR went for the cross armbreaker on Cena but Punk broke it up. Punk hit the GTS on Cena, but ADR pulled Punk out of the ring during the pin and tossed him into the cell. ADR through Punk into the steps.
Cena surprised ADR with an inside cradle in the ring for two. Del Rio took care of Cena on the outside. In ring Punk took control. He connected with the Macho Man Elbow Drop. Cena came back in. Punk went for the Elbow drop on Cena, but ADR pushed Punk off onto the table setup outside. Cena locked in the AA, but Ricardo knocked down the ref and unlocked the Cell. Cena stopped him, but ADR hit Cena with the lead pipe key, then locked him out of the Cell. Brilliant! Punk and Cena exchanged near falls in the ring. Punk finally regained control with some knees and kicks. Del Rio regained control and hit Punk with the lead pipe. Punk tried the GTS, but ADR connected with the lead pipe for the win.
After the match, Miz & R-Truth came from underneath the ring and attacked everyone. The Cell was lowered as the entire roster came out to try and get in. Eventually bolt cutters were used to unlock the Cell. Miz and R-Truth were arrested, but HHH got some shots in on them before the show went off the air.
I'm really up in the air about all of this. The actual match itself was good. Punk sold well for Del Rio, and the finish was very creative with Cena being locked out of the Cell. Del Rio looked like a bad ass with the pipe and it was nice to see him win the WWE Title back. But you have to wonder what the point of Cena winning the Title last month was. The Title could have been kept on Del Rio, even through a DQ finish. I'm assuming we're getting some kind of match again between these three at Vengeance.
I really liked the Miz/R-Truth stuff. It is a great way to push them as top level threats and anti-authority figures with the entire roster trying to get into the Cell to stop them. Of course the question remains about who lowered the Cell to allow Truth & Miz to do their damage. I thought it was a strong ending to a show that was just average up until the end.
OVERALL
While I liked the end to the PPV and most of the action was decent, I still think it was a PPV that did not need to happen. All of this could have happened in a week or two. The World Title Match told a great story about Henry's dominance. The WWE Title Match was a good match with a solid ending getting all players involved. It was almost a throwback to the Attitude Era with the cops showing up to arrest Miz and Truth. The Sheamus/Christian opener was fun. It was also GREAT to see Cody Rhodes bring back the old school Intercontinental Title Belt. I thought it was a good enough PPV justifying me staying up until 3 a.m. to finish this. I'm giving it a 6.5.
OVERALL PPV RANKINGS
1. Money in the Bank
2. SummerSlam
3. Elimination Chamber
4. Extreme Rules
5. Wrestlemania 27
6. Hell in A Cell
7. Night of Champions
8. Royal Rumble
9. Capitol Punishment
10. Over the Limit
With another PPV in three weeks, I would expect another handful of re-matches at Vengeance. Henry/Orton may be No DQ. A WWE Title rematch may be something with a stipulation as well.
That's all for this Review. RAW & NFL Review up tomorrow.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
Thursday, September 29, 2011
WWE Hell in a Cell Preview
Hello everyone. After a couple of days off, it's time to jump back into everything with my Hell in a Cell Preview. It's the WWE's second PPV in the span of two weeks, which I still maintain is a dumb idea. You can't continue to charge $50 a PPV, have 3 in the span of 5 weeks, and think people will continue to buy them, especially with some of the stuff WWE has done in the last few weeks. I think the product has gone downhill a bit since before Night of Champions. Then, John Cena won and C.M. Punk lost. Back to status quo in the WWE.
Hell In A Cell doesn't have quite the buzz to it. Again, the Cell is being used just as a gimmick and not as a blow off to a hot feud like it should be. Sure the Cell might pop a few more buyrates, but it should be used as the final match to a long feud. Plus, just like SummerSlam, there are only 5 matches currently announced for the card. But unlike SummerSlam, there is no big time match that makes you want to buy this PPV. SummerSlam had Cena/Punk and Orton/Christian No Holds Barred. Those matches had some intrigue and were guaranteed to be good. Hell in a Cell doesn't have that added on to it. Plus, the WWE's top angle, their big Conspiracy Angle, is pretty much a non factor in this match. Although I guess it could play into the WWE Championship match.
But, with all of that being said, lets dive into the Preview for the show.
Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly (c) vs Beth Phoenix
So, is the third time the charm for Beth Phoenix? Beth failed to win the Title at SummerSlam, then failed again to win it in her hometown of Buffalo at Night of Champions. Now the WWE just seems to be spinning circles with Kelly/Eve and the Divas of Doom, or Destruction, or whatever they are being called now. The WWE apparently feels that Kelly is getting over as Champion, but that doesn't mean the WWE can't change things up every now and then. I really think Beth should have won the Title at NOC, but Kelly won the exact same way she did at SummerSlam, with a roll up during a GlamSlam attempt by Beth. Kelly tries to do the same thing here, but Beth kicks out of it. Kelly goes for her finisher, but Beth counters into a GlamSlam and FINALLY wins the Divas Championship. If for some reason she doesn't, expect Natalya to get the next shot. But I think Beth finally wins here.
WINNER: Beth Phoenix
*Smackdown Spoiler ALERT!!!*
EVILLLLL Sin Cara vs GOOD Sin Cara
EVILLLLL Sin Cara vs GOOD Sin Cara
This is a battle over? Yeah your guess is as good as mine. There have been two Sin Caras for the last couple of weeks on WWE TV. The original Sin Cara was suspended, so the WWE got developmental talent Hunico to portray Sin Cara until the original Sin Cara came back. Now they are both around and like pointing at each other and try to get the crowd on their side. The good Sin Cara has a bleach blond mohawk sticking out of his mask. But now, as evident on Smackdown, EVILLLLL Sin Cara is now wearing all black, just to show that he is EVILLLLL. This feud can't go on much longer with the two men just pointing at each other and interrupting each other on a constant basis. Neither man can really speak English, especially GOOD Sin Cara. Everyone keeps talking about a potential Mask vs Mask match when the WWE hits up Mexico in October. I could see that happening. And if that is the case, i think EVILLLLL Sin Cara wins here. There'd be no reason for GOOD Sin Cara to win then decide to put his mask on the line.
WINNER: EVILLLLL Sin Cara
There has been something brewing between these two for weeks now. Sheamus called out Christian a while ago for being a whiner and complainer. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm also starting to get bored with Christian as well. They need to move Christian away from the World Title picture for a bit. I think Christian getting involved with this potential new Lawsuit Angle is a good thing, especially if it A) Gets him away from the World Title picture and B) Exposes him more to the audience on RAW. Christian, just like EVERY wrestler (I'm looking at you John Cena), needs time away from the Title scene so when they get back into it they are fresh and not old and stale.
Who would have ever thought Sheamus would be this good as a face? I think this is some of his best work so far in his career. I liked his first WWE Title run, but this is probably right behind it. Sheamus seems to be enjoying himself more as a face as well. The crowd buys into him too, which is the most important thing. I think if the WWE wanted too, they could transition from Randy Orton to Sheamus in a World Title program. There's still some unfinished business between the two. They put on two quality big man matches at SummerSlam and on Smackdown, and I think they could do the same on PPV. If they want to put Randy Orton on Rock/Cena's team at Survivor Series, they could do Sheamus/Mark Henry for the World Title. I'm giving Sheamus the win here because of that.
WINNER: Sheamus
World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry (c) vs Randy Orton
I was quite surprised the WWE decided to pull the trigger on Mark Henry's World Title win at Night of Champions. With so many PPVs in the coming weeks, I thought for sure they would hold off until here at Hell in A Cell to give Henry the win. I was expecting a DQ finish at NOC. But I was quite pleasantly surprised to see Henry win. The WWE had to pull the trigger on the Henry Title win otherwise it would have been a complete waste of the whole summer for Henry, who is easily doing the best work of his 15 year career right now. Now it is up to the WWE to show continued faith in Mark Henry and allow him to continue to do what he is doing as World Champion. If the WWE gives Henry a monster run with the World Title, then whoever takes it off of him will become an instant star in the eyes of the fans. Smackdown also had one of its highest ratings this past week in quite sometime, which can easily be attributed to the run Mark Henry has had.
Now I have to admit, Randy Orton has been no slouch these last couple of months either. He had a great series of matches with Christian, and his match with Mark Henry at Night of Champions, while not a technical master piece, was good and told a great story. I've always maintained that Orton is at his best as a face when he is chasing the Title. He was very good in the month after Money in the Bank when he lost the World Title to Christian, and he was good again last week on Smackdown during his attack on Cody Rhodes. Orton finally got the better of Mark Henry on Smackdown this week, connecting with an RKO. It gives Orton fans a glimmer of hope heading into Sunday.
So who wins here? Mark Henry for multiple reasons. One: There is no reason for another quick Title change again. Two: A title loss here, even inside the Cell, would damage Mark Henry's push. Three: Just like Christian, Randy Orton could use some time away from the Title scene as well. I expect Orton to be involved with the Title match at Vengeance, but after that I would slowly transition Orton away from the Title scene, and put him in a program with Cody Rhodes, leading to their involvement with the Rock/Cena Elimination Match at Survivor Series. So Henry wins here again, after a World's Strongest Slam onto the steel steps.
WINNER: Mark Henry
WWE Championship: C.M. Punk vs John Cena (c) vs Alberto del Rio
A triple threat match? Inside a hell in a cell? Oh my! Again, this match doesn't need the cell. I can't begin to explain how much the WWE has ruined gimmick matches over the last few years. But alas, these three men do battle inside the Cell this Sunday for the WWE Championship. The main issue here is really between John Cena and Alberto del Rio. C.M. Punk is pretty much the third wheel in this match. They tried to make him fit in this week on RAW, but I don't think they did a good job. The whole "Conspiracy Angle" still needs to be fully played out, and C.M. Punk will be a key part of that when it does. For this PPV, however, Punk needed a spot on the card and this seemed like the only logical place for him.
The WWE has really been all over the place the last couple of months. C.M. Punk was the guy in July and August. Alberto del Rio was the guy in late August to Night of Champions, and now the focus is back on John Cena. Vince just can't make up his mind about who to keep on top. The ratings weren't great with Del Rio on top, but that can't all be put on Del Rio's shoulders. The WWE has done a poor job of booking him as Champion. And Del Rio couldn't get over because of that. Del Rio seemed to be a product of the "anti-Cena crowd." People didn't like Del Rio, they hated Cena. So they cheered against Cena, not for Del Rio. The opposite would be said about C.M. Punk. People cheered him AND booed Cena.
So who walks out with the WWE Championship? I would take C.M. Punk out almost immediately. When he wins the WWE Title back, in needs to be a major happening. It shouldn't happen in a Triple Threat Match and on a secondary PPV. Alberto del Rio deserves another run with the WWE Title, but I don't think the Title changes hands here. Cena just won the Championship two weeks ago, he probably isn't losing it again this quickly. But I wouldn't put it out of the question to see Del Rio win the Title in Mexico in a few weeks. Something major needs to happen with Del Rio there. If you are not going to have him walk in with the Title, you should probably have him walk out with it. Plus Del Rio ended RAW on top, which more than likely means he isn't winning. The WWE needed to build him up as a credible threat for the match, and they did a good job of it. John Cena walks out with the WWE Title here. There's no reason for Cena to lose it quickly, and quick Title changes make the Title seem worthless.
WINNER: John Cena
Well there you have it. There's a rumor that another match may be added, possibly Air Boom vs Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. I think Air Boom wins either way, causing more friction between Dolph & Swagger.
I won't be watching the PPV live. Blame work. I will try to watch it either late Sunday night or early Monday, then have a review up Monday afternoon.
NFL Picks Saturday morning.
Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka
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