The RAW Truth Review for 8/13/12

Can the WWE continue their streak of good wrestling on 3 hour RAWs? Will they give us one final good push heading into SummerSlam to make it feel like a big PPV? I guess we will have to wait and find out...

Hold On A Minute Playa...
RAW actually started with a match: C.M. Punk vs Big Show. After Big Show shoved Punk down early, Punk went to work with an array of punches and kicks before Show came back with a head butt. Punk tried fighting back after a Big Show slap but was taken down by a shoulder tackle. Punk tried fighting back again but ate a head butt and bodyslam. Punk moved out of the way of a back slam from Show in the corner and hit his high knee. Punk went for the bulldog but Show threw him away and hit a spear.

Does This SummerSlam Feel Like A Big Time PPV?

We are just over a week away from SummerSlam, and I hate to say it, I'm just not that excited. The WWE calls it the biggest party of the summer, and traditionally considered the second biggest PPV of the year. But while the event may still turn into a big party, it does not feel like a big time PPV. Sure, the WWE will make some great promo videos like they always do to make it feel big. But when you look at the card and break down the build, you come to realize that the card just doesn't have a big PPV feel to it.

Lets start with the Brock Lesnar/Triple H match. How long has this match been built for? Since May when Lesnar "broke" Triple H's arm. But the problem the WWE ran into was that they signed Lesnar to a limited date deal. They had to watch and carefully place when they had Lesnar appear. But you are telling me that they couldn't have had Lesnar show up at least once in June? While Paul Heyman being there helped out some, it didn't hide the fact that Lesnar wasn't there. Heyman needs to be there because Brock can't cut a promo for his life. But why not have Lesnar show up just once and maybe jump Hunter. While Heyman has been good on the mic, it turned into the same thing every time he appeared.

The RAW Truth Review for 8/6/12

Its Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night, at least off camera. Can't we just have 3 hours of HBK matches instead of a regular 3 hour RAW? It would probably end up being a better show.

I Didn't Invent the Time Machine for Financial Gain!
After a video recap of last week's show and pyro (with nothing starting on fire), A.J. came out. She announced Big Show vs Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan vs John Cena for later. C.M. Punk interrupted. Punk said he's man enough to admit when he makes a mistake. He said he was out there to apologize to A.J. because he lost his emotions last week. He said she does not deserve to be dis-respected just like he does't deserve to be dis-respected as WWE Champion. She accepted, and said she's bound to fall on her face sometimes like she did last week by making the Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam. He asked her to cancel the match. A.J. said the decision stands. He asked if this was revenge for rejecting her. Punk continued to make his plea until Cena interrupted.

The RAW Truth Review for 7/30/12

The first regular three hour RAW of the WWE Era. C.M. Punk will start the show, whenever that is. Apparently the RAW set started on fire and the building had to be evacuated. See, it is all proof that God doesn't want RAW to be three hours.

RAW: Now With Promos On Tables
After an extended recap of last week's show and video of the set fire from earlier, C.M. Punk came out to a decent response. C.M. Punk said that everyone talks about wanting a Wrestlemania Moment, but last week he had a RAW Moment. Before he explained his actions, C.M. Punk addressed how Jerry Lawler ended last week's RAW. He said Punk turned his back on the WWE Universe. Punk went to the announce table. He asked Lawler how he jumped to such a conclusion. Punk said The Rock is not the WWE Universe. He's one delusional movie star who showed him a lack of respect. Rock interrupted him, ignored him, and acted like he was just going to take the WWE Title from him. Then at the end of the night, Dwayne tried to make the show all about him. Then at the end of the show Punk put him in his place. And now what? Rock has stayed silent and the 1000th episode of RAW ended how every show should end, with the spotlight on the WWE Champion.

The RAW Truth Review for 7/16/12

One day after Money in the Bank, one week before the 1000th episode of RAW. I would expect tonight to be a set up for next week's show. John Cena has teased a major announcement. I will assume it will be about his Money in the Bank cash in. Stay tuned.

WWE Champ to Start? Shocking
C.M. Punk was out to start the show. He brought up his pipe bomb promo from Las Vegas last year. Punk said he's beaten everybody in front of him since then. Punk said a guy like him would have never been on the first episode of RAW. Big Show came out and interrupted. Big Show mocked C.M. Punk's story. He said Cena was in the right place at the right time when the handle on the briefcase broke, and if he had one, he would have cashed in the contract right now. Punk said Big Show did what he always did last night, leave a path of destruction and lose. Punk said that is why he has the respect of everyone and Big Show has none. Show laughed and said if Punk left today, they would be over him in a week. Show said they both know the WWE revolves around one man. Punk said he is the WWE Champion, and Big Show is an over paid, shell of a former giant. Show said after he beats Punk tonight, he could very well lose the WWE Championship to John Cena.

Best In The World: Looking At The Year of C.M. Punk

Whenever you start a job, there's one constant everyone will tell you. Your boss, your wife, your parents. Anyone. "Hard work pays off." Most of the time, people just aren't handed things on a silver platter. You have to bust your butt to get somewhere in today's world. It may take a long time, but if you stick to it you will get the recognition you deserve. You can't let people get you down. You screw up once? So what. Build on that mistake and let it help you in the future. People don't like quitters. They like hard workers.

When it comes to hard workers in the wrestling business, I can't think of anyone else that works harder than C.M. Punk. C.M. Punk fits the mold of everything I described in the first paragraph. He's a hard worker, He's busted his butt for years to get to the top spot in the WWE. Punk has had numerous detractors and people who said he could never be a main event talent, and he's proven each one of them wrong. It may have taken a long time, but C.M. Punk is finally one of the top stars in the wrestling industry. He's the perfect combination of everything you want in a wrestler. He can work in the ring and he can talk on the mic. And he loves the wrestling business. What else can you ask for?

The RAW Truth Review for 7/2/12

Holla holla holla player. Teddy Long is the GM of this week's RAW, and wouldn't you know, he made a tag match for the main event tonight! At leasts it is a good one: Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan vs John Cena and C.M. Punk. Hopefully they at least get some time to actually wrestle. Oh, and Brock Lesnar responds to Triple H's SummerSlam challenge tonight. I expect a pre-recorded response from Lesnar.

A Book Of One Liners By Kane
After a recap of last week's events, John Cena came out. Cena thanked Big Show and Chris Jericho for the beatdown last week. He said anything can happen at Money in the Bank, and they showed him that last week. Cena said he stands by everything he said last week, that he will win the WWE Title Ladder Match and become WWE Champion. Suddenly, Daniel Bryan came out chanting YES. Bryan said Cena isn't relevant to him. Bryan said at MITB, he will become WWE Champion. Bryan said if Cena manages to win the WWE Title MITB contract, his relevance to him is that Cena will become the first person to win a MITB match and lose. Cena said he can think of at least one person who disagrees with him.

A Look at This Week's WWE News

Rather than my normal column on one specific piece of wrestling, I decided to take a look at all the on goings that have taken place in the WWE in the last week. There have been some newsworthy topics to talk about, so lets get right to it.

Chris Jericho Suspended 30 Days for Kicking Brazil Flag
This story is a little over a week old but I never really touched on it. Chris Jericho was suspended after kicking the Brazil flag on a recent tour of South America last weekend. Nobody knew the incident was illegal, so there really is no one to blame here. It is a traditional heel move by a wrestler so you can't fault Jericho. There were apparently police officers waiting to arrest Jericho after the match. I understand that each country has its own set of laws, but they do know that the WWE is only entertainment right? Jericho wasn't trying to make a political statement. It sucks that Jericho is gone now, especially with the way the roster is, but I understand why the WWE suspended Jericho from a P.R. standpoint. Especially with Linda McMahon running for Senate. We still don't exactly know when Jericho is leaving. I believe Jericho is advertised for live events through SummerSlam. That would be a good exit for him on the second biggest PPV of the year.

The WWE in 2012 So Far

I normally like to break down the WWE into three different parts of the year. The first part is January-April. That's the Wrestlemania build period and then the leftover month has rematches at Extreme Rules. May-August starts with the early summer lull that gets better when Money in the Bank comes around and the build to SummerSlam begins. After August you get the September-December period, where the WWE has to compete with football and try to keep their fans interest leading into the new year and Wrestlemania time. Since we've come to the end of the first trimester of the WWE year, then I think it is only right to look back and evaluate what has been right and wrong, and what lies ahead for the WWE in 2012.

The Brock Lesnar Fallout: One Week Later

The majority of the time, I try to keep my cool while writing. I don't like to over react to any one event. It's bad and makes me come off as rash and hostile, at least in my opinion. As a writer one needs to stay objective and observe things from the big picture rather than giving a split second reaction. Any time a writer reacts quickly and negatively it can come off as rash and unprofessional.

All of that is what I did last week after Brock Lesnar lost at Extreme Rules to John Cena. At the time, I was pissed and confused at the same time. Here is the guy you brought in to make you money. He was here to go up against the top guys and improve your ratings and PPV buys. And what happens in his first match back? He loses top John Cena. I was furious. What I thought had been a great PPV up until that point went down in my eyes after this result. I let it drag down my review of the show at the end. It went from being a 9 to a 7.

WWE SummerSlam Review

Hello everyone. Another great show from the WWE. When was the last time the WWE pulled off two good shows in a row?

Let me start by saying I watched most of the show with no volume. I was at a friend's house doing a fantasy football draft at the time. I only turned the volume up when there was somebody other than the announcers talking. I also occasionally turned it up to hear the crowd reactions. And from what I've read, it's a good thing I did this because apparently Cole & Booker T were just as unbearable as ever.

Anyway, on to the review!

Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, and Kofi Kingston defeated Miz, R-Truth, and Alberto del Rio: **
-One of the two matches I called in my preview. They really needed to get all 6 of these guys on the card somehow, and it was the best way possible to do it. I thought for sure John Morrison was going to take the fall here and continue his losing streak, but it was nice to see him come out on the winning end here. Rey Mysterio didn't do a lot of work here. With his knee still a bit banged up, they wanted to save him as much as possible for his WWE Championship match tomorrow night. Kofi Kingston looked good here again. He's been on his game the last few weeks. I really love that flying crossbody he does from the top rope. He gets some good air on it. Miz lacked the same intensity he had on RAW. R-Truth was just as crazy as ever. The finish came after Mysterio got the hot tag. He went for a double 619 on Miz & Truth but Del Rio blocked it. Kofi and Morrison then hit flying moves to the outside on Miz and Del Rio, then Rey hit the splash on Truth in the ring for the win. It was a fun match that served its purpose of getting the crowd into the show.

Backstage, C.M. Punk was with John Laurinaitis. Johnny wanted an apology from Punk, so Punk gave him a mock apology before he walked off. He turned around to see Stephanie McMahon. Steph wished him luck. Punk told her to run along and talk to her husband, and say hi to her dad too. Steph said she spoke to both of them. Steph said but she's just an idiot right? Punk said she said that, he just called her clueless. Stephanie extended her hand, but Punk told her to take it back because he knows where that hand has been. BURN.

Mark Henry defeated Sheamus via countout: **
Even though I thought Sheamus could have used the win here, this was one of the best possible finishes they could come up with. Both men looked strong early in the match. Sheamus hit a nice shoulder tackle from the ropes for a two. Sheamus missed his Brogue Kick, but reset and hit it the second time, knocking Henry to the floor. Henry regained control on the outside. He picked up Sheamus then smashed him into the ring post, and through the barricade at ringside. Henry went back into the ring as Sheamus crawled, trying to make it back before the ten count. He was unable to, which gave Henry the countout win.

Like I said, this ending worked for both men. From what I could tell, it looked like the crowd was into Sheamus the whole time. It gives Sheamus some sympathy babyface heat because he looked strong in defeat. Henry continues to look dominant and appears to possibly be next in line for a World Title shot. These two worked their asses off to put on a good match and they delivered a respectable one. Couldn't have asked for anything else.

Ce-Lo Green performed. Bathroom break time for me.

Kelly Kelly defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the Divas Championship: *1/2
This was actually a very respectable Divas match. Kelly did her part here of bumping around for Beth. Beth dominated the match for the most part. Beth went for the Grand Slam to finish the match, but Kelly rolled her up to pick up the win in an upset. Beth sold frustration in the ring as Natalya tried to calm her down. Kelly left with the title and Eve. Like I said, not bad at all. Plus, now Beth can win the Divas Title when she comes back here to Buffalo for Night of Champions in September!

Backstage, R-Truth was talking to Jimmy Hart about conspiracies. Hart tried to convince Truth to let him be his manager. Truth said Jimmy could take him to the top. Then he flipped out about Jimmy and Little Jimmys. Truth turned to his opposite side and said "What are you looking at?" The camera revealed Ron Artest, or Meta World Peace.

Wade Barrett defeated Daniel Bryan: **3/4
This was probably Wade Barrett's best match since his bout with John Cena at last year's Hell in A Cell. Just great action from these two who certainly work well together. It really looked like a lot of Bryan's kicks came off stiff during the match. But Barrett was a bare knuckle brawler, so he can take it. Bryan hit a nice running knee to the jaw on the floor. Back in the ring, Bryan made a nice counter into the LaBell Lock, but Barrett made it to the ropes in time. Barrett crotched Bryan on the top rope, then hit a flying clothesline. He hit Wasteland in the ring for the win. Barrett picks up a big win on PPV, which will help to start to build his stock back up. Bryan could have used the win here, but they still have plenty of time to build him up to the main event level before Wrestlemania. I really hope these two go at it again. It'd be interesting to see what they could do if given another 5 minutes or so.

Before the World Title match, Christian introduced his surprise: Edge. Edge said when he left, he cracked the door open for Christian and Christian broke through. But even though it was unfair Christian had to defend the title five days after he won it, he started whining and continued to whine. Edge said while he did some bad things, he didn't whine and hide behind some lawyers. Edge said he didn't think his friend would become a whining, crying little bitch. He put the mic down and left. Christian sold shock and disappointment. Kind of weird to see Christian buried like that by Edge, and that Edge would agree to that.

Randy Orton defeated Christian in a No Holds Barred Match to win the World Title: ****1/2
Orton went for the RKO on the table early, but Christian got away and tried to escape through the crowd with the World Title. Orton caught him and they brawled a bit. Christian regained control and introduced a kendo stick into the match and used it on Orton. Orton hit a mid-air dropkick on Christian. Outside, Orton dropped Christian on the ring steps. Orton brought two tables out from underneath the ring and put one in the ring. Orton suplexed Christian onto the flat table in the ring for only a 2 count. Both men countered out of each other's finishers before going outside where Orton threw Christian into the steps. Then, on the Spanish announce table, Christian mocked Orton before going for the RKO. Orton, blocked it and hit the RKO himself, FINALLY breaking the table.

After a few minutes of selling, both men crawled into the ring. Christian hit the Unprettier but only scored a two count. Christian got two chairs and set up Orton for a Conchairto. Christian spit in Orton's face, but Orton moved out of the way of the chair shot. Christian went to the apron, but Orton jabbed him with the chair and he fell to the outside through a table set up there. Orton through the steps and other weapons into the ring. He powerslammed Christian through a table set up in the corner. Orton then gave his middle rope DDT to Christian on a trash can. Orton set-up for the RKO, bit Christian hit him with the kendo stick. Christian went for a Sunset flip from the middle ropes, but Orton RKO'd him on the steps to pick up the win. Similar finish to their first match but without the steps. Orton celebrated as Christian was carried off by officials.

I REALLY liked this match. On one viewing a piece, I liked this match better than Cena/Punk. Orton and Christian have a great chemistry together. It appeared that this may have been the last match in the series, and it's a shame because these two work well together. It also means that Christian's main event run has more than likely come to an end. Now I have nothing to back this up, but that's just the felling I got. Both of these men worked their asses off the last four months to keep this feud interesting. Christian got the best out of Orton just when it looked like Orton was back to his boring, stale old self. I do question the booking of this, however. I would have liked to see Christian retain here and carry the belt to Hell in A Cell, where these two would have the blow off. Plus, it's more fun and there's more money involved with faces chasing the heel for the title. Seeing Orton with the World Title again does nothing at this point. But it was a great match, in my opinion the best of the series.

Backstage a camera caught Stephanie McMahon and HHH having a conversation. HHH didn't like what he heard and walked away displeased.

They did a NFL Films type video package to recap the Cena/Punk/HHH/Vince McMahon angle. Awesome video package as usual from the WWE.

C.M. Punk defeated John Cena to become the Undisputed WWE Champion: ****
Punk came out first to a good set of cheers from the male audience. Cena got his usual mixed response, although I thought I heard more booing than cheering. I turned up the volume here to see what the responses for both men would be like. The two did some basic mat work only on. Cena went for his traditional shoulder tackles but Punk countered with a knee to the gut. Cena went for his sit down powerbomb but Punk countered with a knee to the head then another on the ropes. Punk went for a neck submission, but Cena countered into an STF attempt. Punk countered into the Anaconda Vice. Cena countered into an STF. Punk countered into an Anconda Vice. Cena countered into the STF, but Punk got to the ropes and to the outside. GREAT sequence. Punk dumped Cena to the outside, then Punk hit a suicide dive. Triple H got to 9, but stopped counting and threw both men back into the ring.

Both men got back to their feet and exchanged punches and kicks. Cena hit a nice dropkick then the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Punk. He went for the Attitude Adjustment, but Punk countered into a roll up for 2. A couple of pin counters before Punk kicked Cena in the head for 2. Punk went for the GTS but Cena countered into a powerslam. Cena went to the top but Punk kneed him in the face. Punk hit a top rope bulldog for only a 2 count. Punk launced himself from the top but Cena locked in the STF. Punk got to the ropes. Cena went for the AA, Punk countered to a GTS attempt, then Cena countered to an AA and hit it, but only got a 2 again. Cena went for his top rope leg drop and missed, allowing Punk to hit the GTS but only for a 2. Punk then went to the top rope and hit a Macho Man elbow drop for a 2 count. Punk questioned HHH's count. Cena rolled up Punk for a 2. He hit Punk with punches. Punk eventually countered with a knee then a GTS for the 3, even though Cena's foot was clearly on the ropes after 1. Cena argued his case to Hunter who said he didn't see it. Punk celebrated on the announce table as Cena left in disgust. Punk worked his way back into the ring. HHH went to shake Punk's hand but he ignored it, so he raised Punk's hand instead.

Suddenly from out of nowhere, Kevin Nash was in the ring. He clotheslined Punk then hit his signature powerbomb before leaving. HHH failed to catch up to him. Alberto del Rio came out with a referee. He hit an enzuguria kick on Punk to score the 3 and leave WWE Champion as the PPV signed off with the announcers selling the chaos of what just happened.

Talk about chaos. Who would have thought Kevin Nash of all people would appear at the end of this show. Again, no idea where this angle is going. Both Cena and Punk have legitimate claims to rematches to the WWE Title. It probably leads to a triple threat, possibly a Fatal 4 Way with Rey Mysterio at Night of Champions. It delayed the inevitable HHH heel turn, which is a good thing because I now agree that doing that too early would kill this angle. It's building to a HHH/Punk match down the line, but that should be saved for a Wrestlemania type match. Of course what Kevin Nash's involvement is also remains to be seen. Did Del Rio hire him? Was it a plan  thought of by Stephanie McMahon and/or Vince? Did HHH really not know about it. So many questions remain.

Alberto del Rio leaving WWE Champ adds another piece to the puzzle. It follows the typical WWE tradition of having a mid-card heel who won MITB being thrust into the top spot rather than being built up: Miz, Jack Swagger, and Edge are all previous examples. Del Rio needs to make his case now to show he warrants the top spot. He's shown he can do it before, but he needs to get back to that point.

OVERALL
This was another great show as I said in the beginning. Two ****+ matches as your main events are good things. Both Christian/Orton and Punk/Cena have great chemistry together. The undercard was solid as well. I really enjoyed Bryan/Barrett and the story in the Mark Henry/Sheamus match. The opener got the crowd into the show, and hell, even the Divas Match was watchable. I could have done without the Ce-Lo Green performance and the commercials, but those are just minor complaints. I'm giving the show a solid 8.

SummerSlam falls at #2 on the PPV list of 2011.
1. Money in the Bank
2. SummerSlam
3. Elimination Chamber
4. Extreme Rules
5. Wrestlemania 27
6. Royal Rumble
7. Capitol Punishment
8. Over the Limit

Where Do We Go From Here?
Nobody should be bitching about Punk losing here. It was the best possible way for Punk to lose without losing any momentum. Punk will remain in the main event scene for some time and has a whole new can of worms to open up on Kevin Nash and Stephanie McMahon. And of course John Cena will be around the WWE Title scene too. The extent of Rey Mysterio's injury will determine if he is in the WWE Title picture.

On Smackdown, I would think this was the end of Orton/Christian. While I've also been liking Mark Henry's push, I'm kind of dreading a Henry/Orton match. But I don't think that happens yet. Night of Champions is usually all Title matches, so I expect a couple of multi-man matches there.

I guess this would be my predicted card:
WWE Title: Alberto del Rio vs C.M. Punk vs John Cena
World Title: Randy Orton vs Christian vs Sheamus vs Mark Henry
Intercontinental Title: Cody Rhodes vs Justin Gabriel
Smackdown MITB Briefcase on the Line: Daniel Bryan vs Wade Barrett
United States Title: Dolph Ziggler vs Alex Riley
Tag Team Title: McGillicutty & Otunga vs Miz & R-Truth vs Kofi & John Morrison vs Great Khali & Jinder Mahal
Divas Title: Kelly Kelly vs Beth Phoenix

I left Rey Mysterio off the card because I feel like they will do an injury angle with him to save him for the Mexico tour in October.

Again, I thought this was a great show that just like MITB left a lot of questions unanswered.

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

WWE SummerSlam Preview

Hello everyone. Welcome back for my SummerSlam Preview. SummerSlam (or SummerFest, that's never going to get old) is considered the culmination of the WWE's summer. But this year, it looks nowhere close to that. With only 4 matches announced so far, the card is left with a bit of uncertainty headed into the show. My guess is that at least 1, maybe two more matches take place on the show. I would say you can expect any combination of the following:

Alberto del Rio, Miz, R-Truth vs Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, John Morrison

United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler vs Alex Riley

Intercontinental Championship: Ezekiel Jackson vs Cody Rhodes

Daniel Bryan vs Wade Barrett

With the card as is, including a performance by C-Lo Green, this card is pretty much a one match show. Sure Randy Orton/Christian will be good, but you can bet your ass off that the WWE is hoping John Cena/C.M. Punk sells this PPV alone. There's not as much intrigue as their MITB match had but there is still enough there, especially now with Triple H as referee, that it might hook in a few more buys. It's a big gamble for the WWE because it shows that they want to rely strongly on their main eventers to sell a PPV, but it also weakens their mid-card in the process. They need to hope that this does not effect their business in the long run.

But either way, on to the Preview!



Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly (c) vs Beth Phoenix

C.M. Punk apparently has a lot of pull now, and this may be proof of it. His real life girlfriend, Beth Phoenix, is finally getting a program for the Divas Title. She turned heel two weeks ago on RAW, attacking Kelly Kelly after she won a Divas Battle Royal to become the #1 Contender to the Divas Title. She said the days of the barbie doll divas running around atop the Divas Division are over. This past week on RAW Beth beat Eve and told her the same thing. No more booty shaking, no more stink faces. Now come on Beth, can we at least still keep the booty shaking?

From a physical standpoint, it's obvious Kelly is no match for Beth. But there are also no other strong faces on the divas side for Beth to face at this point. Gail Kim has apparently asked for her release, and Natalya just turned heel on Smackdown. So it looks like we may be in for a month or so program with Beth and Kelly. Beth dominates Kelly the whole match, but Kelly sneaks in a role up at some point to pick up the upset victory. The two face again at Night of Champions.

WINNER: Kelly Kelly

Sheamus vs Mark Henry

I still give credit to the WWE for getting me interested in Mark Henry again. Now, I give them credit for getting me interested in Sheamus again. Henry tore through Kane and Big Show and seems to be an unstoppable force on Smackdown. The only problem was that Randy Orton and Christian are in a very long World Title program on Smackdown, so he can't be inserted into the Title picture quite yet.

Enter Sheamus. Sheamus was stuck with nothing on Smackdown until he was turned face. I like the move. I thought that the WWE had to turn either Sheamus or Wade Barrett face, as they were basically the same type of character. I originally would have picked Barrett, but now I'm kind of happy they picked Sheamus. The more I see of Barrett, the more I like him better as the cocky English heel. Sheamus also seems to be enjoying his face turn. It's added a bit of kick to his stale character.

This program started when Sheamus decided to stand up to Henry on Smackdown. GM Teddy Long couldn't find anyone to fight Henry until Sheamus decided to step up. Last week on Smackdown, Sheamus saved Kozlov from a post match beating from Henry (too bad he couldn't save him from his release). Both men look dominant headed into their match this Sunday. It's really tough to pick a winner here. Sheamus is a freshly turned  face and a loss here might kill his momentum. Henry is being pushed as a monster heel and a loss here might derail his push. I think Henry could take the loss here and would be less effected than Sheamus would be. I'm picking the Celtic Warrior here.

WINNER: Sheamus

World Heavyweight Championship: Christian (c) vs Randy Orton: No Holds Barred

So is this match the blow-off? I thought for sure it would be, but now I think we still might get another match out of these two. No Holds Barred means anything goes. I thought there might have been a ladder match here to finish this thing, but No Holds Barred fits the storyline better. Orton works best when he is in his crazy, out of control mode. He also is better when he's chasing title rather than holding it. It's also nice to see Christian holding the title for more than two days, or five in WWE TV Land.

The No Holds Barred stipulation was put into place by new WWE COO Triple H. Obviously, this type of match "favors" Orton. He snapped at MITB and showed his out of control side. But Christian got the better of Orton last week when he scored a pinfall victory over Orton in a tag match. Orton looked strong on the go home show of Smackdown this Friday, pinning the Great Khali. I don't know if the WWE wants to play hot and cold with their Championship titles again, so it will be interesting to see what happens here. As I said before, Orton is better when he is chasing the World Title, not holding it.

I think this program still has some legs to it, albeit not too much. It could be stretched to Hell in A Cell, as it would give the PPV a match that actually warrants the HIAC stipulation. No of course there is another PPV between SummerSlam and Hell in A Cell: Night of Champions. I would think maybe there would be a Championship Scramble Match at that PPV involving a handful of Smackdown stars. I think somehow, Christian picks up the win here. Edge hinted at making an appearance at SummerSlam, and he may very well appear here to help Christian pick up the win. If this program is still going to go on, Christian needs to win here. An Orton win does nothing to extend the program.

WINNER: Christian

Undisputed WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs C.M. Punk w/Triple H as Special Guest Referee

They should have just renamed this year's SummerSlam "Cena/Punk II" because this is the match the WWE is banking on selling this show. Now can they repeat the magic of their MITB match? No. That was a once in a lifetime match that will never be topped no matter how hard these two try. The Chicago crowd played a big part in that. The build played a big part in that. It's a bit disappointing that the WWE decided to do this match one month later, but if they were worried about PPV buys then this is the one match they know is guaranteed to deliver. You can't fault the WWE if they are using that mind set.

C.M. Punk has pretty much left off exactly where he was when he left MITB as WWE Champion. He might have lost a tad bit of steam, but that doesn't mean much yet. C.M. Punk remains one of the biggest boom or bust wrestlers the WWE has had in their hands in years. If handled properly, Punk could become the next big ant-authority megastar in the WWE. If handled poorly, he could get buried after having so much potential with him. Punk's return was great. I love "Cult of Personality" as his theme music. His return promo filled in any blanks and loopholes that his quick return might have brought up. It lead to a nice little exchange with Triple H. Then it lead to the obvious title unification match announcement at SummerSlam. This past Monday, C.M. Punk, John Cena, and Triple, hell even John Laurinaitis, pulled off an excellent contract signing. One of the best they've ever done. There were enough insider references that got the "oohs" from the adult male audience while also selling the actual match for the non-insider fan on Sunday. C.M. Punk planted the intrigue of a fix being involved to close the show with Triple H and John Cena standing together in the ring. It was a great sell job all around.

There are just as many open roads for this match as there was from the MITB match. They may not be as good, but there are still possibilities abound. I think it's pretty clear that they are trying to build towards a C.M. Punk/HHH program and match down the line. I don't know when that match would happen. I doubt it is something they could stretch to Wrestlemania. Maybe Hell in A Cell? It would help pop a buyrate for that PPV for sure. But at the same time, you also don't want C.M. Punk to lose and in the process lose all of his heat. I think even a screwjob finish would do that for Punk. Now of course, a screwjob finish with Cena's involvement could lead to the long awaited John Cena heel turn, but I still think that's highly unlikely even though Cena hinted at that this past Monday. A Cena win, especially a clean one, without a VERY strong follow-up would just symbolize a return to status quo in the WWE and might lose more viewers than ever. Triple H just plays a better heel than he does face, and nobody really cares about a strong face authority figure. A heel authority figure adds more conflict to the problem. There's also Alberto del Rio lingering in the background with the MITB briefcase. He could throw a whole new wrench into the puzzle. And of course, Rey Mysterio is getting his rematch the next night on RAW in his hometown of San Diego.

So how do we book this? Expect this match to go about 25 minutes. With entrances and match ending shenanigans it should go a total of about 40 minutes. Expect a lot of near falls and false finishes. Punk gets a near fall after hitting the GTS and gets in Triple H's face about it. Cena uses the distraction to hit the Attitude Adjustment on Punk but he only gets a two count, and he questions Triple H's count. Triple H turns his back to Cena so Punk shoves Cena into Triple H. Hunter doesn't know this, so he decks Cena, allowing Punk to hit another GTS and pick up the win. Hunter sees the replay of what happened and is not happy, so he Pedigree's Punk. Out comes Alberto del Rio with his MITB Briefcase and he cashes in to win the WWE Championship. The show closes with Triple H raising Del Rio's hand as the victor with both C.M. Punk and John Cena looking on in disgust.

This may be the best route possible for them to go. It opens a new chapter in this whole saga. It adds a new player to the mix in Alberto del Rio. It doesn't necessarily turn Triple H heel yet but it drops hints that he might. And like I said, it gives both John Cena and C.M. Punk reasons to demand a rematch. I know I said Del Rio was going to walk out with the WWE Title at MITB, but for some reason I feel stronger about him winning here than I did at MITB.

Match Winner: C.M. Punk

Who Ends the PPV WWE Champion: Alberto del Rio

There ya have it. I'll have my review of the show up on Monday.

Until next time,
Justin C
Follow me on Twitter: @JCWonka

The Puzzling Case of Alberto del Rio

Something funny happened while I was watching RAW this past Monday. I was watching it while writing my review for The Oratory (a fun message board by the way) when something weird occurred. Back from a commercial, Justin Roberts was introducing Alberto del Rio's "Personal Ring Announcer" Ricardo Rodriguez. When this happened a funny thing popped into my head: I completely forgot that Alberto del Rio wasn't on the show yet. I almost completely forgot he was even on RAW.

Now there could be a variety of reasons for that. I was watching RAW on DVR in the morning so I may not have been fully functional like I would have on a Monday night. You could also add the fact that since July, C.M. Punk has been the best thing the WWE has had going for them in years. His ceiling is so high right now, and he's injecting a breath of fresh air into a boring stagnant product. While these may be small pieces of the puzzle, one large piece is the main reason for my forgetting of ADR not being on RAW yet: Alberto del Rio has been severely mis-handled and booked for the last handful of months.

Del Rio debuted with a bang in the summer of 2010 on Smackdown. He was instantly put into a feud with Rey Mysterio, he took out Christian and put him out of action for months, and didn't even get pinned for the first few months of his run on Smackdown. The WWE seemed to be very high on him. There were multiple times where he was considered to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The first time it was reported was at either the TLC PPV or the Royal Rumble. This would have been too early. Edge needed the Title more than Del Rio at that point because he was chasing it for so long. Plus, the story of Del Rio chasing his destiny against the Champ Edge would have been a better story than the heel Champ Del Rio being chased by Edge. They already had face John Cena chasing heel Miz on RAW. Don't need the repeat of the same story on Smackdown. So they held off, and gave Del Rio the biggest rub possible.

Del Rio won the BIGGEST ROYAL RUMBLE IN HISTORY!!! It was the first ever 40 man Royal Rumble. Del Rio's Destiny seemed to be coming to fruition. He was going to be in one of the main event matches at Wrestlemania. Now sure, the last 3 Royal Rumble winners hadn't won their Title matches at Wrestlemania, but Del Rio seemed like a different story. The last 3 Rumble winners were previous Champions, Del Rio had never won a World Title and was on the rise in the WWE. He was the best act going on Smackdown, and it seemed like a long title reign was in store for him. Wrestlemania came, and things didn't go as planned. Del Rio was in the opening match at Wrestlemania for the World Title. Winning the Royal Rumble and fighting for the World Title on the opening match at Wrestlemania? I'm sure that wasn't in ADR's destiny. And to top that, he lost to Edge. Out of everything that happened at Wrestlemania, this was the biggest shock to me, even more so than Miz beating John Cena. I thought for sure Del Rio was winning and in store for a long reign on Smackdown. It was weird to see Edge get a win that he didn't need. Once again, Del Rio's destiny was put on hold.

Then Edge was forced to retire due to a bad neck injury. The World Title was made vacant. Del Rio was automatically put into the Ladder Match to crown the new World Champ, and he ended up facing Christian at Extreme Rules. Christian won the match. Now this is kind of a double-edged sword for me. I was so happy to see Christian win the World Title. The man deserved it after all his work in the business. Sure it only lasted two days, but Christian is finally getting an extended main event program. But on the other hand, Del Rio could have also won the World Title and had a long program with Christian over the World Title. But once again, Destiny got caught in traffic.

Now while all of these things hurt Del Rio's momentum, there's one momentum in the last few months that I think hurt ADR's stock more than anything:

I was really curious about the move. It seemed like Del Rio was destined to be the top heel on Smackdown. There were already a boat load of other heels on RAW. Of course, at the time, I'm sure the WWE didn't anticipate C.M. Punk becoming the star he is now. There was literally no other top heels on Smackdown at the time. But the main reason for the move, however, was to build towards the eventual John Cena/Alberto del Rio match which was rumored to take place at SummerSlam. Then the C.M. Punk angle happened. But even before the Punk angle happened, the WWE almost killed all of Alberto del Rio's momentum. He came over to RAW and had nothing going for him at all the first two months. He wrestled Rey Mysterio a few times, which he did on Smackdown. He didn't have a match at Over the Limit. He was put in a quick program with Big Show. But it was a buzz kill of a feud, and there was more focus on Mark Henry/Big Show than there was on ADR/Big Show. But then it appeared that maybe ADR's Destiny was going to be fulfilled at Money in the Bank.

Not knowing where the C.M. Punk angle was going, I thought for sure ADR was cashing in and winning at MITB. Well that didn't happen. Punk kicked him in the head and that was it. Then two weeks later on RAW it appeared ADR was cashing in on Rey Mysterio, but Rey got the better of him again. Now what is Del Rio doing? Basically walking around with a briefcase, still without any direction. It looks like he is getting into another short feud with Kofi Kingston. But it just seems like all of Del Rio's heat has been shot down. He was at the top in March and April and now seems to be stuck in the middle of the pack. The briefcase may help a little, but it can only do so much until he cashes it in.

Alberto del Rio shouldn't have been at this point this summer. He shouldn't have had to win the RAW MITB Briefcase. In my opinion, he should have already been the World Heavyweight Champion. I would have never moved Del Rio to RAW in the first place. Or if I would have, I would've at least had a set plan in place for Del Rio, and a program or two to build up to his eventual title win, which is something the WWE failed to do. You can't just let a guy flounder around for a few months and then expect him to get all of his heat back when he steals the WWE Title with the MITB contract, whenever that happens. At this point, I think the initial reaction would be underwhelming to an ADR Title win. People would rather see C.M. Punk on top long term. The only thing that would be acceptable, in my opinion, would be ADR winning and then a program with Punk. But that's not happening with John Cena in the picture. I could also live with ADR being the lead of a new HHH Corporation type stable.

So what is the point I'm trying to make here? ADR should already be in a top position in the WWE. He should be the top guy on Smackdown. I know I love the Christian push, but ADR might have been better in that position. A program of Randy Orton chasing Del Rio for the World Title would have been good. The matches might not have been as good, but they may have been able to get a longer program out of it. Let ADR and Christian go at it until the start of the summer, then put Orton in the Title picture.

The WWE is doing their first set of television tapings in Mexico in mid-October. They want Del Rio to either be WWE Champ, or win the WWE Championship at the tour. Sure, that would be good for business in Mexico. But what happens when Del Rio returns to the States? ADR's heat isn't as strong as it once was, and the WWE is to blame for that. The WWE Universe wants more C.M. Punk now, not more Alberto del Rio. Can Del Rio be resurrected? Sure. But now he has to overcome the stigma that is C.M. Punk in order to get to the top, and unfortunately for him, the WWE Universe may not want that.

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

So C.M. Punk is Back Already. Now What?

Well, that happened much quicker than I expected.

Monday on RAW, John Cena won the "WWE Championship" from Rey Mysterio, the same "Championship" Rey won just two hours earlier. After the match, C.M. Punk came out and had a stare down with John Cena to close RAW. Punk came out to "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour. It's a great song and fits perfectly for everything Punk stands for now. It was also his theme during his "Summer of Punk" run in Ring of Honor. Again, as I said in my last piece, it is a great hook to attract viewers again next week.

First let me say that while it is great to see Punk back on TV, I do think it happened a tad bit too soon. I thought about him being off long term til Wrestlemania time, but that might have killed all the heat on Punk's character. I would have held him off til SummerSlam at least. I would have extended the Tournament over the course of last week and this week, then have the Finals at SummerSlam. Or, since John Cena didn't have a shot in the Tournament, have the winner be crowned "Champion" then face Cena at SummerSlam. While it may not have been an interesting match-up to the adults, John Cena vs Rey Mysterio would have drawn some interest and would be a fresh match-up. They had a good match on RAW, right at the *** level, and could have been better if given another 5 minutes. As far as Punk, you could simply have Triple H invite him to SummerSlam and there you have the intrigue of Punk showing up. Punk comes out after Cena wins with the belt, then you have Cena vs Punk at Night of Champions Now I will admit I would be a bit biased their because Night of Champions is in Buffalo, and I would get to see Punk/Cena 2 live in person. But I also think it would fit the storyline better.

But nonetheless, C.M. Punk appears back now and it looks like we are getting Punk/Cena 2 at SummerSlam. It seems a bit rushed yes, but it is the biggest $$$ match the WWE has right now. Like I said Cena/Rey might draw well on PPV but I don't think it would draw as much as a Cena/Punk rematch would. Those two put on a classic at Money in the Bank and people are interested to see what the two can do again. There's obviously also more backstory and a better storyline in place. Rey/Cena would have been nothing more than good guy vs good guy. In THAT story, no one would turn heel. But we'll get back to that later.

So now the question becomes: Where does this go next? I don't think any of us expected this story to unfold this quickly. We thought the WWE would crown a new "Champion" and that this guy would walk around with the Title until Punk returns in a few months. But everything has been accelerated. Why? Again, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the WWE has panicked due to the low ratings these past two weeks, and want to get Punk done ASAP. I really don't think that's the case, but we have to think about it. Vince is a stickler for the ratings and he may want to change things up again. Who knows. I think what is more likely is that the WWE realizes what a hot commodity Punk is right now. Punk is the hottest character they have had in years. He's being cheered heavily by the adult males in the audience, and he's even winning over some of the other demographics like the woman and teen audience. He clearly got a much louder reaction than Cena on RAW. And it just wasn't the adult males cheering. If Punk was off of TV for too long, he would lose some momentum. Sure he could get it back quickly, but that reaction was pretty strong last night. I don't know if it would have been the same two, three, or six months from now.

C.M. Punk is exactly what the WWE has been missing for quite sometime: An anti-authority figure who is not afraid to speak his mind and believe that what he is doing is right. Sure the Nexus was anti-authority, but they weren't great all-around performers like Punk was. Punk speaks his mind brilliantly on the mic and backs up his talk with his great performances in the ring. Punk is what his shirt says he is, "The Best in the World." I would be hard pressed to find someone better right now. In the WWE, there is absolutely nobody. Punk connects with the adult fanbase who is been craving for an anti-authority figure for years. John Cena doesn't do it for them. They're sick of the same old crap from the WWE night in and night out. Finally, it seems like we may be going down that path. One can hope. You have to be cautiously optimistic with the WWE, as they have a reputation for dropping the ball in the past. That's why we have to examine every scenario here.

All signs point to a John Cena vs C.M. Punk match at SummerSlam. Or so we think. At this point, we don't even know why C.M. Punk is back. You would assume he is re-signed, but we don't know that officially. Punk/Cena 2 is the biggest $$$ match the WWE can do right now, and it fits perfectly with the 2nd biggest PPV of the year. Can these two repeat the same magic they had at MITB? Probably not. The Chicago crowd helped that match a bit, I don't think the Los Angeles crowd will be as hot. But there's no reason they can't put on another **** match. They're quite capable of that.

You would also have to assume that if Punk is re-signed, Triple H had something to do with it. But Punk can't immediately side with him. The best part about Punk's character is that he is anti-authority. You don't want him joining up with the "Doofus Son-in-Law." Maybe in the beginning they could be buddy-buddy, but there needs to be a growing tension between the two building up. A Punk/HHH match also has the potential to be  very good. If anything, have Triple H say the only reason he re-signed Punk was to get the WWE Title back, and when he does Punk is gone. Then when it seems like no one can do it, Triple H decides to return himself to try and take out Punk. It'd be a great clash with Triple H weilding all his power to try and get the Title off of Punk. It could probably build to a boiling point at Royal Rumble perhaps. Then, if you really want to make things interesting, have HHH lose. Then, he says he has to bring back a guy he lost to last year but knows can get the job done, and that is The Undertaker. Then you have Punk/Taker at Wrestlemania. I don't think that part will actually happen, but it is fun to think about.

Then there's that other guy in the room: John Cena. I will be the first person to give Cena some credit. He's busted his ass the last two months, put on two really good matches (with Punk & Rey Mysterio), cut some good promos, and his facial reactions and expressions have been spot on, especially this week. Some people will tell you that they would like to see Cena turn heel. I'd be all for a heel turn, but at this point, what is the point. He's getting booed by a strong portion of the audience. That portion of the audience would probably cheer a Cena heel turn. The only way, in my opinion, they could pull a Cena heel turn off effectively is if they went the Stone Cold route a la Wrestlemania 17. Cena needs to be WWE Champ so badly that he resorts to everything possible to become Champ. Then finally, he sells out and sides with HHH, who helps him win the WWE Title back. It makes Punk stronger as well because now he has even more of a gripe about losing the WWE Title. Cena can than say that he gets booed yet guys who leave and comeback like Punk and The Rock get cheered, but he busts his ass in the ring night in and night out for nothing. That's the only way a Cena heel turn works.

Anyone who is bashing this angle right now is just too damn impatient. Do I think Punk was brought back a bit too soon? Absolutely. But we have NO IDEA where this angle is going. The same people who are bashing this now would be the same people 2 months from now who would be saying "WWE SUCKS WHERE IS C.M. PUNK?" The question you have to ask yourself is this: Would you rather have C.M. Punk on TV or not? I think everyone would gladly welcome Punk back with open arms. You also have to think that Punk wouldn't agree to come back unless they have something big in store for him. For Punk to go to wanting time off to what looks like back on the road full time means it will all be worth his while in the end. It looks like Punk will have his Indy buddies, most notably Colt Cabana, back on the road with him which will help. Punk knows the business and knows what is good for him, and he wouldn't have agreed to comeback if things didn't look bright down the line.

C.M. Punk just did a podcast with ESPN writer Bill Simmons. Hitting a couple of bulletpoints, Punk said that he re-signed the day of the Money in the Bank PPV. I find that a bit hard to believe. I would love to take Punk at his word, but all of this playing out as it has doesn't make me think that. This kind of stuff should be played out long term, not in the span of one week. Punk said he wants to make wrestling big time and cool again. It will be a tough climb to do that. Can he? It's possible. Punk comes off as genuine and sincere and sounds like he believes what he is saying. He's not corporate or dumb-downed for the TV audience. He's as real as they come. While Punk isn't a corporate, media friendly type, he can still be an attraction and draw money. Stone Cold wasn't the biggest media guy, but he was one of the biggest draws in WWE history.

I threw out a lot of ideas here and a lot of random thoughts. There really was only one central focus of this piece, and that is C.M. Punk. Punk has a lot of expectations to live up to. He's the hottest and most talked about wrestler in years. He has such a high ceiling. We know how great he is in the ring and on the mic, but now he has to be even better. I'm sure Vince and Company have put a lot of pressure on Punk to succeed. He needs to become a major draw the likes of which WWE hasn't seen in years. He needs to be the anti-authority figure John Cena isn't. He needs to continue to be himself, speak his mind, and kick ass.

I don't know where this angle is going. It's all about the unpredictability. All I know is C.M. Punk has given the WWE  a kick in the ass that it has badly needed for a year now. The more I see of C.M. Punk, the better it will be. I have faith, now I hope I'm not let down. But one thing is for sure: With C.M. Punk leading the charge, it is bound to be one hell of a ride.

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