RAW Review for 11/21/2011

Time For Change, Part 2?
RAW started with C.M. Punk. He told a story about how he said in 1st grade he wanted to be a professional wrestler when he grew up. He said it was a very special moment, him winning the WWE Title at MSG. And he did it on his own terms. Punk said the game of "hot potato" with the WWE Title was over. Punk sat Indian style, and said he wanted to be an agent of change again in the WWE. He asked where the ice cream bars are. He also said he wanted to mae Interim RAW GM John Laurinaitis "Former" RAW GM John Laurinaitis.

John Lauriniaitis came out to congratulate Punk, and said he doesn't understand why Punk has an issue with him. Punk called Laurinaitis a coward. He said Laurinaitis would smile to his face and still try to undermine him. He called Laurinaits a soul-sucking, middle management, douchebag stooge. Laurinaitis said he's actually upper management. Laurinaitis also said he can be just as cool as Punk. He announced Punk vs ADR for the WWE Title next week. This week, Punk is taking on Dolph Ziggler nice. Punk said Laurinaitis doesn't listen to the WWE Universe. They don't want Punk vs Ziggler, they want Ziggler vs Ryder. Laurinaitis said Ryder is facing Alberto del Rio tonight. Punk said this week he will beat Ziggler, then take care of Del Rio next week. And some time soon, someone will beat some sense into Laurinaitis. Fun opening segment. Punk was good on the mic and Laurinaitis was good in his role as the heel GM. These two have a good give and take with each other. Survey Says: 4/5

They played a clip from after Survivor Series of the MSG crowd chanting for Zack Ryder when The Rock was thanking the fans. Rock said he is a fan of Ryder too.

Woo Woo Whooped!
Ryder interrupted Ricardo's entrance of Del Rio. ADR worked over Ryder's arm. He charged Ryder in the corner but Ryder lifted his knees to the face of ADR. Ryder hit the kick in the corner. He went for the Rough Ryder but ADR countered by throwing Ryder into the turnbuckle. ADR locked in the cross armbreaker for the win. Short match. Kind of a let down for Ryder fans, but they needed to re-establish ADR as a threat. Survey Says: 2/5

Hey, What Was That YouTube Link?
Sheamus beat Jack Swagger in another short match. It was very similar to last week. Swagger tried to apply the ankle lock, but Sheamus countered out of it and connected with the Brogue Kick for the win. Survey Says: 2/5

I was more distracted in this match with a YouTube link that appeared in the WWE Twitter corner before the match. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/user/itbegins2012. Undertaker? Chris Jericho? STING? Let the speculation begin...

Kevin Nash came out on stage. Couldn't walk to the ring. Nash said MSG holds sweet memories to him. It should have been them taking on Rock and Cena last night. Nash said the Kliq isn't around anymore, and it is HHH's fault. Nash said he is the sole survivor of that group. Weird. Just a way to get Nash on TV I guess.

Cody Rhodes Is Evil Mwwahahahaha!
Cody Rhodes happened to be in the ring. He talked about being unhinged by Randy Orton and how he's not afraid to be him anymore. Cody said he's unbeatable. Santino came out for a match. Santino went for the Cobra and missed, allowing Cody to hit Cross Rhodes for the win. After the match, Cody confronted Booker T and told Booker he could hear him talking bad about him in the ring. Cody then threw a cup of water in the face of Booker. Looks like the start of Booker T's last in ring run. Survey Says: 2/5

Dolph Ziggler was interviewed. He said he was the only person last night to win two matches, and he is the new face of the WWE.

Now This IS Wrestling!
Punk/Ziggler time. The two exchanged headlock variations early as well as some mat submissions. The two did some rope counters before Ziggler slid to the outside. The two exchanged control on offense. Ziggler worked over Punk on the mat with some kicks and punches. Punk countered into a backslide for two, but Dolph came right back with a clothesline then back into a chinlock. Punk got out with a backdrop. Punk had Ziggler lined up for a knee into the corner, but Vickie distracted Punk by blowing a kiss. Punk went for the knee again, but missed and ended up on the outside heading into the commercial.

Dolph had control back from break, but Punk fought back with some punches and kicks, then a neckbreaker for two. He picked Ziggler up for the GTS, but Ziggler countered into a sleeper hold. Punk countered again into the GTS, but Ziggler countered into a pin attempt, but the referee saw Ziggler's feet on the ropes. Punk did the same thing except with his hands and the ref caught him as well. Punk hit the high knee in the corner then a bulldog for two. Punk went for the Macho Man Elbow, but Ziggler rolled away. Ziggler then connected with a nice drop kick for two. The two fought on top, Punk threw off Ziggler, then hit the elbow drop for two. Ziggler countered a GTS into a frontslam for two. Ziggler went for the ZigZag and missed. Punk hit the GTS for the win. It looked like Punk was suppose to catch Ziggler but missed. Very good match with arguably the two best workers in the WWE right now. Survey Says: 4/5

A Kane promo aired.

Big Show talked about Mark Henry taking the easy way out to protect his World Title. Show told Henry when he came back, he had something waiting for him. Show then made a fist. Whatever.

Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox were backstage playing WWE 12. Then Beth and Natalya showed up. They said their characters would beat up Kelly and Alicia's. Ok.

Lets Hope The Barrett Barrage Buries Orton!
Wade Barrett took on Kofi next. Barrett dominated for the most part and had Kofi set up for Wasteland, but Randy Orton came out. Barrett bailed out of the ring and stared at Orton as they went to commercial. Back from break Barrett had control over Kofi. He hit a nice tilt-a-whirl slam then a boot in the ropes for two. Kingston fought back. He hit a flying crossbody then the Boom Drop. Kofi hit his spin kick in the corner, but when Kofi went for a Springboard on the ropes, Barrett knocked him off. Barrett hit Wasteland while staring at Orton at ringside for the win. Fun match. I love Barrett's continued dominance. Survey Says: 3/

Only John Cena Could Make This Show Bad
John Cena came out and talked about the happenings of Survivor Series. Cena talked about how he is glad the WWE Universe is honest about their feelings on him. Cena said The Rock proved he never lost it. Miz and R-Truth interrupted. They asked Cena if he heard the people chanting against him last night. Miz said last night no one wanted to see him. Truth said Cena is going down at Wrestlemania. The Cenation is going to become the "See Ya Nation." Cena said no one cares about Miz and R-Truth. Cena said Miz thinks R-Truth is just a crazy idiot. Cena said R-Truth thinks Miz is a pompous stuck up wannabe. Cena left as Miz and Truth argued. They shoved each other. Miz said they should go get Cena. They went up the ramp, then Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale on R-Truth on the ramp. That segment seemed pointless, unless someone is going to vanish for 30 days. Cena buried both men anyways. Survey Says: 1.5/5

OVERALL
This was a very good show up until the last segment. Punk/Ziggler was great, and Barrett/Kofi was good as well. The action was good. The Punk/Laurinaitis interaction at the beginning was fun. Laurinaitis is good in his role as the heel authority figure. The continued push of young talent like Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes is great. Of course, there will be talk about that YouTube video that I linked above. I'm saying Chris Jericho. It seems to early for The Undertaker. The last segment just seemed pointless and a way to get John Cena on TV. It didn't do anything. I'm still giving the show a 7. It was an 8 before the Cena segment.

NFL Review/Picks up tomorrow.

And remember kids, if your 1st grade teacher laughs at you for wanting to be a pro wrestler, you have C.M. Punk's permission to knee them in the face.

Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka

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

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



RAW Thoughts for 11/14/2011

Jim Ross Dancing? Stop the Show, It Can't Get Any Better
RAW started with Michael Cole coming to the ring. He called J.R. a Thanksgiving Float and then welcomed J.R. to the ring. The first challenge? Arm wrestling. Michael Cole stalled. J.R. won with ease. Cole said he intentionally gave up because of J.R.'s BBQ breath. Next was a dance contest. Cole danced with a scarf, J.R. busted a pretty good move. J.R. up 2-0. Last competition? Who Weighs Less. Michael Cole, 200 lbs. J.R., 239 lbs. Michael Cole says that he won.

C.M. Punk interrupted. He said Cole's time is up. Punk said that the entire Michael Cole Challenge was a waste of time. Punk said Cole's 15 Minutes of Fame is up. Punk said it feels like Cole has been out there for almost 6 hours. Punk said he will do whatever it takes to make the show entertaining again. John Laurinaitis interrupted. He said he was disappointed in Punk interrupting the Challenge, as his 38 thousand Twitter followers wanted to see it. Punk said screw Ace's Twitter followers. Ace made a tag match: Punk/Big Show vs Del Rio/Mark Henry. Cole then demanded an apology from Punk. Punk promptly put him in the Anaconda Vice. That segment was good for Punk bringing the truth, and J.R.'s dancing. Survey Says: 3.5/5

Mick Foley was shown arriving. He promised to make tonight a night neither The Rock or John Cena would ever forget. He said it was great to be back in Boston. He said the cheap pop never gets old.

It's Team Botch vs Team Unmasked
A tag match! Surprise! Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara vs Cody Rhodes and Hunico. Kofi and Sin Cara did two dives over the top rope to send us into a break. Back from break Cody was working over Sin Cara. The heels worked over Sin Cara before Cara tagged in Kofi. Chaos erupted. Sin Cara dove onto Hunico on the outside, but inside Cody hit an awkward looking Cross Rhodes on Kofi for the win. Basic formula match. Just average. Survey Says: 2.5/5

The Rock was shown arriving backstage.

Backstage, Santino was playing WWE 12. Then Zack Ryder showed up, they argued over who was better between Rock and Cena, traded some catch phrases, then Santino signed Zack Ryder's petition for a U.S. Title match.

Mason Ryan Is Getting Booed Badly at MSG
Vickie showed up. She said Christian is injured and won't be on Team Barrett. Dolph Ziggler interrupted and said it would be him replacing Christian, and that it should now be Team Ziggler because he is the best wrestler on the team and the United States Champion. He takes on Mason Ryan next. The match never amounted to anything. Ziggler got DQ'd after Vickie slapped Ryan. Morrison threw Ziggler back into the ring, where he ate a Master Lock PowerSlam.

Backstage, Mick Foley ran into Zack Ryder and signed his petition.

They Brought Foley Back For This?
Mick Foley entered. He said it's great to be back in the WWE. Foley said while he respects everyone opinion, he sees John Cena as one of the best performers in WWE History. He introduced Cena. Cena said he asked Rock to be his partner because he is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. Foley said Cena and his relationship is based on mutual respect. Foley said he thinks Cena is one of the best ever. Foley introduced A John Cena "This Is Your Life" video package. Foley introduced Cena's Little League Coach. He said Cena struck out looking in the Championship game. Next was Bull Buchanon, known as B-2 when he was Cena's rap partner. That's when Cena was cool. B-2 said Cena was the best partner ever. He then ripped on Cena for becoming a big star and letting his life go down hill. Cena's dad was ten introduced. He yelled at the fans for booing his son. Foley said he had 5 more people. Rock came out, he Rock Bottomed Foley, and left. I guess that is Rock's way of saying enough is enough. That segment really did nothing for me. It dragged. Only worth it for Bull. Survey Says: 2/5

The Great White vs The Great Fake Tan
More Team Orton vs Team Barrett, this time Sheamus vs Jack Swagger. Even action before they went to break. Swagger took out Sheamus's leg then power tackled him. Sheamus fought back with a clothesline then some axe handles. Swagger tried to apply the ankle lock but Sheamus kicked Swagger out of the ring. He hit the Irish Curse backbreaker, then the Brogue Kick for the win. Sheamus continues to rise, Jack Swagger continues to decline. Survey Says: 2/5

Backstage Zack Ryder tried to get the Bellas to sign his petition but they were distracted by Alberto del Rio. They wanted to hang with ADR, but he said he had an important meeting with John Laurinaitis.

They reshowed Kelly's Maxim stuff. Then she beat Natalya with a roll up.

Backstage, John Laurinaitis was on the phone with Brodus Clay. Ace said he didn't want Rock to over-shadow Clay, so they will hold his debut off another week. ADR showed up. He said he doesn't think Punk will make it to Survivor Series. Laurinaitis said Punk will cause more trouble if he is WWE Champion.

After recapping the Survivor Series card, ADR jumped Punk backstage.

Maybe Big Show and Mark Henry Should Just Wear Shirts All The Time
Tag match featuring the Survivor Series Title matches next. Punk tagged in Big Show, so ADR immediately tagged in Mark Henry. Henry won a couple early tests of strength. Show fought back, but Show couldn't bodyslam Henry. Henry tagged in Show and worked him over with some kicks. Henry tagged back in. Back from break the heels continued to work over Punk. ADR hit a til-a-whirl backbreaker then worked over Punk's arm. Punk fought back with some kicks to ADR then Henry. Punk went to the top, but Henry caught him and hit the World's Strongest Slam. Show knocked Henry out of the ring, but ADR snuck in and got the pin for the win. ADR applied the cross armbreaker after the match until Big Show scared him off. Another basic tag. I think they did a good job of selling ADR/Punk. Survey Says: 3/5

Santino came out and talked about how he almost won the Royal Rumble, and how he will return to Boston a Champion next time. He sucked up to Boston. Kevin Nash came out. He asked Santino to do his trombone dance, then Nash booted Santino. Nash complained about not getting a job again, then powerbombed Santino. Nash will probably do this until HHH comes back.

Both Teams at Ringside? I Wonder What Could Possibly Happen?
Next was Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett. Both men brought out their Survivor Series teams. After the break Barrett took control early. He hit a nice sidewalk slam. Some kicks in the corner from Barrett and then he applied a sleeper hold. Orton fought out with a backdrop then his normal Orton offense. He was setting up the RKO before Cody Rhodes jumped in. All 10 men jumped in. Orton hit an RKO on Hunico, then Mason Ryan tossed him onto the rest of the heels outside. Who would have thought that was going to happen? Survey Says: 2.5/5

FINALLY! Someone Points Out Cena's Fans Haven't Gone Through Puberty!
Rock came out and talked about everything he did today, but he was still excited to be in Boston. Rock said the only problem with Survivor Series is that it is in 6 days and not tonight. Rock said moments like this drive him. Rock said he ain't waiting six days until Survivor Series. He wants to give an ass whopping to Awesome Truth right now. They came out. Truth said RAW getting rocked is a joke, and every time they are on the show, RAW gets Awesome. Truth was ready to fight but Miz stopped him.

Cena came out again. Cena said you will have to excuse his partner because he has only brought it via satellite. Rock said you will have to excuse his partner, because he is not used to having people support him that have gone through puberty. Rock said Cena needs to stop worrying about rising above hate and worry about his foot going into Cena's lady parts. Miz told them to shut up. Truth told Rock and Cena to have a blast, and they will see them Sunday. Rock and Cena attacked. Rock Bottom to Truth. Cena had Miz up for an AA, but Rock pulled Miz off and Rock Bottomed Miz instead. Rock left as him and Cena stared at each other to close the show.

Ok, Rock was typical good Rock. But why do I want to buy the PPV Sunday when it is clear that Miz and R-Truth have not looked like a threat during this whole feud. I know Rock and Cena can't co-exist. I don't want to buy the PPV for that. It was a good end, but I would have much rather seen Miz and R-Truth end the show on top than Rock and Cena. Survey Says: 3/5

OVERALL
I thought this was a slightly above average episode of RAW. The action was ok. Nothing to right home about. The build to Survivor Series was just ok as well. I liked the Alberto del Rio/C.M. Punk stuff. They have built up Del Rio nicely in this feud. The faces pretty much looked dominant in the ten man build, and the big scuffle at the end is typical WWE. And as I said above, I would have much rather seen Miz and R-Truth end the show on top than Rock and Cena. Have a mis-communication between Rock and Cena end with Miz and Truth standing tall and looking like they have a chance on Sunday. I'm still watching Survivor Series on Sunday, but if I'm the WWE, I want people to think that Miz and R-Truth have a chance on Sunday. This didn't do that for me. I'm giving the show a 6.

And remember kids, your lady parts are valuable assets. A boot to them and forget about having children.

NFL Review tomorrow.

Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka

RAW Thoughts for 11/7/2011

Cena Opening Segment 24308705827829
Cena said it was a pumped crowd tonight. He said Rock's not there, but tonight he is teaming with a future Hall of Famer. Miz and R-Truth interrupted, and said that since Cena isn't teaming with them it can't be the case. Miz said the beat down last week will never happen again. Truth said he couldn't stand all the Little Jimmys laughing at him. Truth said Cena is getting a beat down at Survivor Series and tonight. Miz and R-Truth went in for a beat down before Zack Ryder made the save. I guess Ryder is Cena's partner. Almost a repeat of last week. Blah. Survey Says: 2/5

The Shaman of Jobbing
Ziggler/Morrison next. Lots of basic mat work early. Morrison hit a kick on Ziggler sending him to the outside, but Ziggler caught him with a quick clothesline. Back from break Ziggler was still in control. Ziggler hit a standing dropkick for two. Ziggler taunted Morrison a bit. Morrison tried to fight back a couple of times but Ziggler took care of them. Morrison finally countered a dropkick into a catapult to the turnbuckle. Morrison hit a twirling DDT for two. Ziggler countered a Starship Pain attempt into a sunset flip for two. Morrison hit a kick and had Ziggler pinned, but Vickie distracted the ref. Ziggler rolled up Morrison, but Morrison countered with a roll up for the win. Fun match. Maybe they will start a winning streak for Morrison? Doubt that. Survey Says: 3/5

Mason Ryan beat JTG with a Full Nelson Powerslam. He's not getting over WWE, no matter how hard you try. He just doesn't have it.

Michael Cole said no "Michael Cole Challenge" tonight. Jim Ross had too much of his BBQ Sauce at the airport, and when TSA took it he threw a fit and was detained.

Trying to Re-Establish Your WWE Champion
Alberto del Rio vs Kofi Kingston. ADR took it to Kofi early, selling frustration from last week. Kofi went for Trouble in Paradise but missed. ADR threw Kofi into the post. He locked in the cross arm breaker for the win. ADR reapplied it after the match. C.M. Punk came out, then they went to break? Weird.

Back from break, ADR questioned Punk's manhood. He called Punk a coward for getting his WWE Title match the way he did. ADR said no one cares about Punk just like no one cares about Liverpool. ADR said John Laurinaitis told him he could cancel his WWE Title match with Punk if he wanted to. Punk said he didn't know he had to ask ADR politely, so his bad. But Punk thought cheap shots were how stuff is done around here. Just like ADR did at SummerSlam with his MITB contract and at Hell in A Cell with a lead pipe. Punk called ADR one dimensional. Punk said at Survivor Series, he is going to make the WWE Title interesting again. ADR asked once more if he would cancel the match. Punk said no, so ADR attacked. Punk countered the ADR into the Anaconda Vice. Ricardo broke it up, then ate a GTS as ADR ran off. Well Punk contradicted himself a bit with the MITB cash in stuff, but he said it's the norm around here now so I guess it balances out. The crowd was massively behind Punk too. Good segment that added a new layer to the feud, with Punk calling ADR boring and one dimensional. Survey Says: 3/5

Jack Swagger got his win back from last week over Santino with the ankle lock. Just seemed like filler and a way to get these guys on TV, similar to the Swagger/Bourne stuff from earlier this year.

Kelly Kelly Like We've Never Seen Before? You Mean She Won't Sleep With Anyone?
King introduced Kelly Kelly, who will be on the cover of Maxim this month. Kelly said she did a lot of growing up (and sleeping around) since she came to the WWE. Beth Phoenix and Natalya came to the ring and mocked her. Kelly said she wouldn't interrupt them if they got on the cover of National Geographic. Nattie and Beth said they were going to make an example of Kelly, who isn't what a WWE Diva should be. Eve and Alicia Fox made the save. Then they revealed the cover. Not bad. Survey Says: 2/5

Kevin Nash: Best in the World (can't type that with a straight face)
John Laurinaitis introduced Kevin Nash. Nash said he doesn't own anyone an explanation except HHH. Nash said he should have buried HHH in 1995, but HBK told him to let him into their Kliq. Nash said he got the biggest pop at the Royal Rumble. Then he called HHH to put a match together, but got no response. Nash said he is still the best in the business, and he can be World Champ if he wanted to. Nash said he thought about what it would be like to hit HHH with the sledgehammer. He said he made a main event match with what he did. Nash said he showed everyone how to play the game. Nice closing line. Nash saying he was still the best in the business was funny. Nothing bad from Nash. Good set up. Survey Says: 2.5/5

John Laurinaitis was talking backstage with David Otunga. Laurinaitis said he's saving Brodus Clay's debut for America. C.M. Punk interrupted. David Otunga said he couldn't see a WWE Champion being someone who looks like they could work at a gas station. Punk said "Do you want regular or unleaded?" Then Punk attacked, but ADR stopped him and put Punk through a table of refreshments. Refs broke it up.

You Mean Ryder Didn't Get Pinned???
Tag main event next. Cena started the match for his team before a big "We Want Ryder" chant broke out. Cenag main event next. Cena started the match for his team before a big "We Want Ryder" chant broke out. Cena tagged in Ryder. He worked over R-Truth before throwing him to the outside heading to the break. Back from break Ryder tagged in Cena who was immediately worked over by Miz and R-Truth. Truth worked over Cena with some punches, then a sit down slam. Miz hit a high knee. Miz and Cena went for a double team move in the corner, but Cena moved and tagged in Ryder. Ryder and Cena hit matching knees in the corner. Ryder went for the Rough Ryder but Miz countered and Truth hit a punch. The heels worked over Ryder. Miz hit his corner clothesline. Ryder eventually made the tag to Cena who went into CENA MODE! Him and Ryder hit double five knuckle shuffles. Miz countered an Attitude Adjustment with a kick to the face. Miz pinned Cena, and Truth held down Cena's legs for the win. OK match, weak way to try to get Miz and R-Truth some heat back. Survey Says: 2.5/5

OVERALL
I thought this was a slightly above average RAW. The Morrison/Ziggler match was good. I liked everything involving C.M. Punk and Alberto del Rio. They did a good job of bringing a meaning to their feud which was lacking in the first couple of weeks. Punk was on his normal game. Kevin Nash was good for what he was. Hopefully his eventual match with HHH isn't terrible. Thank god The Rock is on next week, because I don't know how much more of this stuff I can take without him involving Cena. Rock needs to add a piece to this program with Miz and Truth that is sorely missing. I like Ryder but long run what he did tonight won't mean much. Good show though. Even the Divas stuff was passable. I'm giving it a 6.

And remember kids, becoming an Internet sensation gets you main events with John Cena. You've been warned.

NFL Week 9 Review up tomorrow.

Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka

RAW Thoughts for 10/31/2011

An UNHOLY Alliance Is Formed
Rock started the show. He said Cena and him represent a generation. Rock said last week Cena asked him from the heart to be his partner at Survivor Series. Rock gave Cena his answer from the heart, "Hell no." Rock said Cena wanted Team Fruit Loop to team with Team Bring It, and that wasn't going to happen. Rock then mentioned all of his Twitter followers who wanted to see Rock team with Cena. Rock said he also despises Miz and Truth, and Rock will do it for the people. He will team with Cena at Survivor Series. Rock said he will show Cena and all of his fans just what Rock is capable of at Wrestlemania next year. Basic Rock stuff. Nothing new, but Rock delivered in typical Rock fashion. Survey Says: 3.5/5

Ricardo Can Never Catch A Break
It's C.M. Punk vs Mark Henry. If Punk wins he get a WWE Title shot. Punk hit a couple kicks, then a springboard clothesline and Macho Man elbow for two. ADR and Ricardo came to ringside. Del Rio ordered Ricardo to attack Henry, which he did, causing a DQ win for Henry. No Title shot for Punk. After the match Punk attacked both, and threw Ricardo in the ring where he ate a World's Strongest Slam. Neither Punk or Henry was getting pinned, so a relatively smart finish to continue leader. Survey Says: 2.5/5

Justin Roberts introduced The Muppets. Miss Piggy said she was the Original Diva. Vickie and Jack Swagger interrupted. Vickie hated sharing the stage with livestock. Swagger ripped on Kermit. Miss Piggy called him Frankenstein. Kermit told Swagger they didn't want any trouble with him or his mother. Haha. Vickie freaked out as Santino's music hit. Santino said him and Swagger, and Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder had a match later. Kelly Kelly then walked out and gave Kermit a kiss, which angered Miss Piggy. That was fun. I always loved the Muppets.

Eve won a Divas costume Battle Royal.

Backstage Beaker had a new energy drink to give to Santino. Christian interrupted. Christian dumped out the drink which horrified Beaker. He said "Better luck next time nerd." Sheamus came in and asked if there was a problem. Christian walked away. Sheamus told Beaker he wouldn't make the Family Reunion this year, but to give Aunt Theresa his best. Sheamus then spiked Beaker's hair. Funny stuff. The one interaction I wanted to happen happened, and they even joked about them being related. Great!

Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes defeated Air Boom. Could action for the brief time they had. Barrett's Resurrection continues. We can only hope it leads to something. Maybe a Tag Title shot for Rhodes and Barrett in the future. Christian came out and attacked Air Boom after the match, but Sheamus made the save. Looks like a potential Survivor Series match. Sheamus/Air Boom/Zack Ryder/Santino vs Christian/Wade Barrett/Cody Rhodes/Dolph Ziggler/Jack Swagger.

Statler and Waldorf were shown. Waldorf said we've gone from the Stone Cold to someone born in the Stone Age.

Backstage, C.M. Punk asked John Laurinaitis what he was going to do about what happened in his match earlier. Laurinaitis said Punk will get his WWE Title Shot, so long as Alberto del Rio agrees to give him one.

A Brodus Clay promo aired. He re-debuts next week.

Way To Protect Your WWE Champion
I had a write up planned for this match, but then Big Show pinned Del Rio and it just pissed me off. The match was nothing to write home about, but having Show go over ADR clean is just ridiculous. Alberto del Rio is the WWE CHAMPION. I'm so sick of all this stuff about having to protect the Big Show because he has such a mystique. Guess what? He doesn't. I don't even know why he is around on a full time basis anymore. Sure he's a great company guy and great for PR, but it is no reason to put him over the WWE CHAMPION. It kills any momentum Del Rio built, and it is just ridiculous to see it happen. What a waste. Survey Says: 1/5

Afterwards C.M. Punk came out. He told ADR he was going to put him in the Anaconda Vice until ADR agreed to give him a WWE Title match at Survivor Series. ADR finally agreed after a few seconds in the hold.

GONZO and Fozzie were backstage. They talked about how big some of the wrestlers are. Gonzo said he could be a WWE Champion. Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, and Vickie walked in. They pulled Gonzo's arms out and wrapped them around his head. Fozzie said he's happy for his short stubby arms.

Santino was up next against Jack Swagger. Santino won when Beaker gave him the special Muppets drink, which he spit in Swagger's face and then rolled him up for the win. Animal was the time keeper. Only watchable because of the Muppets.

Zack Ryder Only Wins Non-Title Matches! Woo Woo Woo!
Next was Ryder vs Ziggler. Ryder took Ziggler out with some arm drags. Ryder hit a missile drop kick on Ziggler than took him to the outside as we headed to the break. Back from break, Ziggler had Ryder in an arm lock. Ziggler hit an elbow drop. He went for a neckbreaker, but Ryder countered with a catapult into the ring post. Ryder worked over Ziggler with some punches, then a knee to Ziggler in the corner. Ryder hit a knee to the face for 3, but the referee missed Ziggler's foot under the rope. Match continues. Ryder chased Ziggler outside. Vicke grabbed Ryder's leg so Dolph connected with a kick. He went for the Zig Zag but Ryder held onto the rope. Ryder hit the Rough Ryder for the win. OK stuff. Survey Says: 2.5/5

They recapped the Nash/HHH on-goings from last week. HHH is still out 5 weeks. Apparently John Laurinaitis re-signed Kevin Nash, and he will be at RAW next week.

Michael Cole said Jim Ross didn't show up because of some stupid disease. Waldorf said the only thing worse than listening to Michael Cole talk is nothing.

Backstage Miss Piggy was rubbing John Morrison's abs. Miss Piggy asked him to dinner. He said he couldn't but he knew a friend who would. Enter Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle showed Miss Piggy his tattoo of her then gave her a kiss. She punched him in the gut. Kermit asked if Hornswoggle was ok. He left. Kermit said "And I thought our show was weird." Ha. Cody came in and but a bag on Kermit's head.

I Know What John Cena Did Last Summer
Main event time. Cena got the better of Miz early. Miz locked in a chin lock, then hit is corner clothesline. Miz locked in a sleeper hold. Cena back dropped Miz out of the hold. Traditional Cena offense. Miz countered an Attitude Adjustment into a reverse DDT. Miz went for a kick but missed. Cena went for the STF but Miz got out and hit his backbreaker/neckbreaker combo. Miz went for a Skull Crushing Finale, but Cena countered with a clothesline. Miz went for a superplex but Cena fought out. Cena hit his top rope leg drop for two. Miz countered another AA attempt with a DDT. Miz charged at Cena but Cena tossed him over the top and into the barricade. Someone in a Scream mask attacked Cena. Back in the ring, Cena locked in the STF and Miz tapped giving Cena the win. The masked guy came in after, but Cena AA'd him. Of course it was R-Truth. OK Match, happy ending for the fans and viewers. But Cena just took care of both his opponents at Survivor Series single-handily. Why does he need The Rock? Survey Says: 2/5

OVERALL
This was a blah RAW made better by the Muppets. Some decent wrestling, but all of the Muppets stuff was good to great, especially Statler and Waldorf as well as the Sheamus/Beaker interaction. The Rock was typical Rock. He was good but didn't bring anything new to the table. But there were also two booking decisions I hated on the show. One was Alberto del Rio losing clean to the Big Show. Stupid. I already ranted about that. The other was Cena taking out Miz and R-Truth. That essentially amde Miz and Truth look second fiddle to Cena, and of course nothing compared to The Rock. WWE has a lot of work to do to make Miz and Truth look like threats in time for the PPV. I'm giving this RAW a 5, mostly for The Muppets and the decent in ring action for the night.

NFL Review tomorrow.

And remember kids, the Muppets are everyone's friends. But don't mistake Gonzo for HHH, because Gonzo would never sleep with the boss's daughter.

Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka

RAW Thoughts for 10/24/2011

Nashism, Not At It's Finest?
After a recap of the happenings of Vengeance, HHH came out. No suit and tie. Jeans and a t-shirt. HHH said the business has been tough for him, but he's made some true friends in the business. He thought Kevin Nash was one of them, but money and business now seem more important to him. HHH said last night Nash tried to break his neck, but Nash really broke his heart. AWWWWW. HHH called Nash out to the ring, because he wants to take out his frustrations on him.

John Laurinaitis came out to try and calm down HHH. HHH told him to shut up and not walk through the ropes. HHH told him that he still works for him. And Laurinaitis job tonight is to find Nash, and give him the biggest contract he can. Because if he doesn't, HHH will go to his house and find Nash, and he will get arrested for what he will do to Nash. As HHH was walking to the back, Nash took a sledgehammer to the back of HHH. He shoved security that tried to stop him. HHH struggled to get up, then collapsed in the back. Eh, nothing special. Leads to Nash/HHH, which will be bad. Survey Says: 2.5/5

Back from break, they recapped the opening segment. They showed HHH being put in an ambulance. Nash stopped him, took HHH off the gurney, and hit HHH with the Sledgehammer in the face. Ouch.

Great White? Does That Make Randy Orton "The Great Orange?"
RAW's first match featured all Smackdown wrestlers. Cody Rhodes/Christian vs Randy Orton/Sheamus. Sheamus took out Christian on the outside with a shoulder tackle. But that allowed Cody to take advantage in the ring, and lock in a sleeper heading into a break. Back from break the heels were still in control. But Sheamus countered out of a Killswitch attempt by Christian and tagged in Randy Orton. Orton cleaned house. Backdrop on Christian, middle rope DDT. Cody distracted Orton, which allowed Christian to hit his corner kick. Tag to Cody. Cody worked on Orton and hit a nice dropkick before tagging Christian back in. Orton drop-kicked Christian off a high risk maneuver, then tagged in Sheamus. Eventually all four men ended up in the ring. Sheamus miss timed a Brogue Kick on Rhodes, so he made up for it with a Celtic Cross for the win. Good enough action. Still no RAW wrestlers though. Survey Says: 3/5

Backstage, Cena complained to Laurinaits about Miz/R-Truth. Cena wanted them in a match, and Ace agreed. Cena and a partner of his choosing vs Miz and R-Truth.

Dolph Ziggler beat Santino after Swagger distracted Santino. Swagger applied the ankle lock after, but Mason Ryan made the save. Nothing worth rating.

Backstage the Bellas were talking. Zack Ryder showed up, saying Laurinaitis picked him to be Cena's partner. Woo Woo Woo.

I Demand Better From My C.M. Punk Time
Alberto del Rio came out. He said he's done with John Cena, and he is moving onto a new challenger. But he said no one is good enough to beat him. C.M. Punk interrupted. He said ADR must be mistaken, because Punk beat him four weeks ago. He said it was in Grey's Sports Almanac. Punk said he never got his one-on-one rematch after Del Rio cashed in Money in the Bank on him. Punk asked ADR to put the WWE Title up against him. ADR said Punk didn't even win his match at Vengeance, so he's at the back of the line. Punk said maybe he will put ADR to sleep anyways. John Laurinaitis interrupted. He made Punk/ADR at Survivor Series, but he said Punk has to say he respects him first. Punk asked if Laurinaitis was Aretha Franklin. Punk mocked him, then went on a rant to talk about how Laurinaitis did so little in the business but got so far up the food chain. Laurinaitis didn't like it, so he told Punk he was going to take a week to decide. Punk said while he's deciding, think of this. He attempted a GTS on ADR, but Ricardo saved him. GTS to Ricardo instead. That just seemed like a segment to get those two on TV tonight. Survey Says: 2/5

Alicia Fox upset Natalya. WHYYYY?

Young Guys Getting Time? WHAT?
John Morrison vs Wade Barrett. One year ago this match would have been interesting. Now? No. Barrett threw Morrison against the barricade outside going into a commercial. Back from break, Morrison took a big boot from Barrett. Barrett worked over Morrison in the ropes, then booted him to the outside. Morrison fought back with some punches, then an elbow to the face, some clotheslines than a knee to the jaw, which got a two count. Barrett caught Morrison with a Black Hole Slam for two. Barrett went for Wasteland, but Morrison countered with a Side Russian leg sweep. Morrison missed Starship Pain. He went for a springboard kick, but Barrett couldn't catch him properly. Barrett grabbed him and hit Wasteland for the win. Fun little match. Hopefully a sign of things to come for Barrett. Survey Says: 2.5/5

Michael Cole showed some embarrassing pictures of Jim Ross. He challenged him to the "Michael Cole Challenge" next week. Cole said if he loses, Jim Ross can have his chair back, because he will quit.

The Only Man Who Can Save the WWE's Product Will Return
Zack Ryder was being interviewed, but Miz and R-Truth attacked him. Looks like a handicap match. Miz and R-Truth said Cena got what was coming to him at Vengeance. They said that it won't be over until Cena gets got, and that's the Truth. Cena got the better of Truth early, so he tagged in Miz. Miz was able to gain the upper hand on Cena. R-Truth tagged in, worked over Cena until Cena Scoop-Slammed him. Tag to Miz. Traditional Cena offense. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment, but R-Truth hit him with the Water Bottle causing a DQ. Miz and Truth beatdown, but Laurinaitis stopped it. He said at Survivor Series, Miz and Truth will face Cena and a partner of his choosing. Cena chose The Rock. Not very suspenseful because of the promos before the match. Survey Says: 2/5

OVERALL
Not a good episode of RAW. The best part of the show was the Smackdown tag match and the Barrett win. I want to be interested in Punk/Del Rio, but that first interaction did nothing for me. The first 30 minutes was dedicated to HHH/Nash, taking me back to 2003. An HHH/Nash match will not be good, even if it is No DQ. I thought the Rock/Cena match was suppose to be a 5-on-5 elimination match, but that doesn't appear to be the case right now. Boring show that did nothing for me. Giving it a 3, just like the PPV. The Muppets should at least be entertaining next week.

And remember kids, you can't die from a broken neck, but you can die from a broken heart.

NFL Week 7 Review up tomorrow.

Until next time,
Justin C
Follow Me on Twitter @JCWonka

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

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