3/1/13 Superstars

Brodus Clay & Tensai vs. Primo & Epico: Tensai comes out in a black singlet to match Brodus. New wrestling gear! Nice double suplex from Primo and Epico, but that does nothing to stop momentum early on. "Sweet T" from the fans, which Tensai will eventually grow to accept. Tensai takes too long on the ropes and finally the cousins can take over. Tensai suplexes both opponents and hot tag to Brodus. Tensai with the blind tag and it leads to a Primo sandwich. Double splash and it's over. *1/2

RAW recap of Vince/Heyman leading to Lesnar and HHH brawl. Then Shield promo on RAW where Sheamus then comes out and Orton gets to RKO Seth Rollins.

Kofi Kingston vs. David Otunga: I have to agree with Striker this time. I wish Kofi Kingston would actually get a fresh, angry heel makeover and perhaps get on the road to becoming a main eventer, but alas, he's the fun, high-flying dude that stays in midcard. Kofi uses his quickness to his advantage and mocks Otunga's posing. Otunga crowds Kofi for a bit and works on the left arm. Otrunga misses an elbow drop and Kofi on the comeback. Otunga tries to escape the ring to avoid Trouble in Paradise but Kofi flies onto Otunga, tosses him back in, then hits Trouble in Paradise for three. *3/4

Of course, the show ends with the amazing Cena/Punk match from RAW. Match of the year candidate for sure.

2/22/13 Superstars

Sin Cara vs. Drew McIntyre: Sin Cara's been banged up a lot, and then on the other side, we got three guys who love playing air guitar. Still don't understand the Sin Cara lights these days. Wheelbarrow roll-through looked botched. Heel tactics allow Drew to gain the upper hand. McIntyre honestly deserves better than this permanent midcard gimmick; you can see the talent this guy really has when he needs to pull off a counter or a big move. Sin Cara did his job to electrify the crowd with the lucha stuff. Slater and McIntyre catch Sin Cara and the ref lets the match continue. Yay for that! Jinder and Slater then have a beef with the ref, so the ref ejects both guys. Sin Cara with air guitar! So he does have a personality. Sin Cara dropkicks Drew to his knees. WTF, looks like a headscissors version of a DDT. Great whiplash effect, Drew's head slammed on the canvas! That's a kickass finisher. Sin Cara picks up the win. **3/4

Cena and Punk promo from RAW. Yeah, Cena and Punk square off next week and Cena's probably winning. Still no official word on Taker's status for WM 29, at least from what I've seen.

Then, we see a replay of the RAW segment introducing Brad Maddox as Vickie Guerrero's assistant and Vince challenging Paul Heyman to a fight on next week's show. Geez, coulda easily had two more matches in there, but nope, we gotta see this crap all over again just for people who might have missed RAW!

Naomi & Cameron vs. Natalya & Alicia Fox: WWE is finally letting Naomi shine by giving her more matches. Brodus still loves the Gangnam Style dance moves. Love the chain wrestling between Cameron and Natalya to start. Brodus with pompoms is just...weird. Natalya and Alicia isolate Cameron well, but that's so Naomi can get the hot tag. I'd consider paying to see a five or six-minute match between Naomi and Alicia Fox after seeing the 30 or so seconds they got at the end. Naomi with the springboard crossbody for the win. Agility FTW. Great stuff, especially for a divas match. **

Show ends with Rock's Championship Celebration (new WWE Title). Cena comes out to the stage and Punk KOs Cena from behind.

2/15/13 Superstars

WWE taped Superstars in Nashville, TN, this week. Titus O'Neil starts the show and gets the SEC college football hate by saying he's a proud Florida Gator. Even tries to get the fans to do the Gator Chomp.

Justin Gabriel vs. Titus O'Neil: A lot of SEC college football talk here. Striker points out that Gabriel is a Peyton Manning fan, and of course, Peyton went to the University of Tennessee for college. JG with the high-flying stuff to start, then Titus slows the action down. JG with another kick on the apron, setting up the win with the 450 splash. *3/4

Replay of the RAW match where Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback destroyed 3MB. Then there was the Shield promo on RAW. The lights went out, and this so-called all-star tandem sent Shield retreating again.

Kaitlyn vs. Natalya: Non-title match here. Natalya showboats a bunch again, but I'd consider it a huge demotion to be in a partnership with Khali. Natalya sits on Kaitlyn for a pin. Kaitlyn with the power kickout to send Natalya flying on her rear. A few counters on finishing moves, then Kaitlyn hits the spear for three. 3/4*

Show ends with Rock's promo at the end of RAW. Punk came out to crash the party, then Punk hits the GTS on Rock and walks off with Rock's title.

Again, not a show really worth watching. It was mostly devoted to refreshing people's minds on the bigger RAW storylines headlining the Elimination Chamber PPV this Sunday.

2/8/13 Superstars

Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater: Zack has a title belt (internet champ) on his trunks. Facepalm. Slater was a former boxer? Ryder with the comeback and Striker adds some big words to his commentary. 3MB gets involved but that turns into a comedy of errors. Ryder hits the Rough Ryder and gets three. *1/4

We then see CM Punk's promo on RAW and the Miz TV segment that ended with Lesnar nuking Miz.

Damien Sandow vs. Justin Gabriel: Sandow does what he can to slow down and ground the high-flying Gabriel. JG with the comeback but appears the tweak his knee on the springboard moonsault. Gabriel keeps the aerial assault going anyway. Sandow with a kick to the injured knee and then hits Terminus for three. *3/4

Show ends with the skit that ended RAW. Brad Maddox calls out Shield. Shield nukes Maddox. Cena and company send Shield retreating.

Straightforward episode of Superstars this week. Nothing special, to be honest.

2/1/13 Superstars

Usos vs. Primo & Epico: Another bros vs. cousins match. Puerto Rican cousins got new music. Epico's got the cornrows again. Usos had control for most of the match. Jey gets the hot tag for the Usos. Rosa tries to distract, but didn't matter. Superkick to Epico. Big splash from Jimmy Uso and it's over. *3/4

We then see Cena's match from RAW (facing Cody Rhodes), then the promo afterward when Cena says he will face the WWE champion at WM 29. And then Cena lovers probably enjoyed the Shield coming down to nuke the Royal Rumble winner.

Next was Rock's and Punk's promos on RAW. They'll be meeting again at the Elimination Chamber PPV.

Kofi Kingston vs. Michael McGillicutty: MM grounds Kofi early on. Kofi with the comeback. Trouble in Paradise ducked and Striker says MM is no average Joe. On that note, I'm still not liking that they couldn't just let the guy be Joe Hennig. Kofi with the pendulum kick to MM in the corner. MM tries to catch Kofi on the springboard but Kofi sends MM into the turnbuckle. High crossbody gets two. MM hits the saito suplex for two. SOS countered but Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise after about 4 minutes. Much more competitive than I thought it'd be. *3/4

The show ends with Heyman's performance evaluation from RAW and Brock Lesnar's return. And Vince now needs hip surgery.

1/25/13 Superstars

Great Khali vs Epico: Khali invades Superstars. Lovely. Rosa can salsa dance all day if she wants. Epico does what everyone does against Khali: go after the legs. Figure he can also look like a madman throwing blows. Khali just shoves Epico away a few times. Punjabi Plunge ends things in less than 3 minutes, but still felt like 30. This was painful to watch. I feel dumber just writing about it. -*

Primo on the mic. He calls Epico practically unbeatable (HAHA) and he wants a match with Khali.

Great Khali vs. Primo: This has to be my worst nightmare: Khali in back-to-back matches. It's the same damn offense from Khali, which a freakin' 10-year-old could pull off. Epico continues to play dead on the outside of the ring. Primo actually gets Khali down, but Khali hits his overhand chop and "quickly" covers for the win. I frankly never saw Khali move that fast from finisher to pin before. Unreal that this was the first 10+ minutes of Superstars. DUD

We see the awesome Punk promo from RAW addressing Rock and Royal Rumble. Then it's John Cena's weird promo from RAW that promoted the PPV, plus the brawl ending Monday's show.

Kofi Kingston vs. JTG: Holy crap, JTG's still employed! I actually can't remember the last time he won a match on TV. Then again, when was the last time JTG won, period? That includes house shows. At least JTG had a couple minutes on offense, but Kofi eventually wins with Trouble in Paradise after about 4:30. *

Show ends with Heyman's RAW promo while Punk watches from the skybox. Rock then did his promo and the Shield beat the Brahma Bull down.

Basically a show filled with video packages to promote Royal Rumble. You know Superstars was not made for watching matches when Khali works two matches on the same show. Holy crap, this made me lose brain cells. If you missed Superstars or want to watch it, don't. Please don't.

1/18/13 Superstars

Kofi Kingston vs. Michael McGillicutty: I can see promise in MM's in-ring work. Unfortunately, there's nothing else about him that makes me really care. He needs some type of gimmick, catchphrase, something. Pair him back up with a tag partner. He deserves better, and I consider MM one of the more underrated wrestlers on the roster. This was a drawn-out, formulaic match until the Kofi comeback that produced several counters and near falls. Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise and gets three. **1/4

We see several RAW 20th Anniversary Show moments, including the Cena/Ziggler cage match and Miz TV stuff with Flair pretty much giving Miz the figure-four to use. I wonder if Miz will end up using the move a lot more than AJ Styles did in TNA. Chances are good on that, considering Styles already has an expansive movesetand is just plain awesome (oops, sorry Miz).

Zack Ryder vs. JTG: This just may be the year that JTG gets future endeavored. How he's hung on for so long in the company after the Cryme Tyme breakup and Shad's release, I have no idea. It might be safe to say Ryder should have a better 2013 than all the crap he got sent through in 2012. The sad thing is I'd take JTG over Great Khali to work a match any day of the week -- and yet it's Khali that gets the gimmicks, the girls, and the screen time. JTG goes for his Mugshot finisher, but Ryder hits the Rough Ryder for three. *1/2

The show ends with more more RAW montage clips from the last 20 years (shown on RAW), the Rock concert, and the Rock/Punk brawl that ended Monday's show.

1/11/13 Superstars

Miz vs. Tensai: Miz comes out to a nice pop. Poor Tensai lost his push a while ago and probably just hopes now that he doesn't get cut from the roster. Frankly, Tensai might be better off back in Japan anyway. Miz gets Tensai reeling with a few kicks and hits the SCF on Tensai for three. *1/4

Highlights from RAW: Cena/Ziggler and Punk/Ryback TLC matches.

Brodus Clay & Zack Ryder vs. Primetime Players: Well, Zack Ryder gets to team with a big guy who thinks he's part dinosaur. Ryder got his Broski Boot on Titus, but D-Young clothesline stops that momentum. Good neckbreaker counter by Ryder and hot tag to Brodus. Rough Ryder to Titus. Big splash to D-Young for three. Simple match. *1/4

Superstars ends with the Rock/Punk promos that ended RAW. If you haven't watched it, please do. Otherwise, it was not really much of a show.

1/4/13 Superstars

Usos vs. Primetime Players: Tag team action starts the show. You'd think people wouldn't dare try to headbutt a Polynesian person by now. Usos get the crowd into the match early on. Didn't know Striker got invited to the Usos for the holidays. Lovely. Jimmy (the one with the completed sleeve tattoo on the left arm) gets the hot tag in this match. Titus makes a blind tag but opts to do the "Millions of Dollars" dance with the ref while blowing a whistle. Usos do the switcheroo behind the ref's back. Superkick and splash get three. **

Punk segment from RAW detailing his knee injury. Vince says Punk competes if he's medically cleared, but if not, Ryback faces Punk. We'd find out a couple days later that Punk is  medically cleared for the TLC WWE Title match against Ryback on the first RAW of 2013. Still don't like Punk facing Ryback again when most of us are already focusing on Punk and Rock at the Rumble. They could still do a last-minute swerve where Punk fakes an injury "setback" while training (or equivalent). Going back to what Vince said this past Monday, Heyman would then be left to face Ryback. I'd have no problem with a short squash like that. Having Ryback squash Heyman also makes a more logical segway if WWE opts for Ryback and Lesnar to square off at WM 29.

We then see the 1-on-3 handicap match between Ryback and the Shield that never materialized. Orton and Sheamus came down to get their hands on the Shield.

Brodus Clay vs. Primo: Now the cousins are competing in singles action, even though the tag division has supposedly been rejuvenated. Poor Primo gets nuked here. I swear Brodus gets slower in the ring with each passing match. 1/2*

The show ends with the Ziggler and AJ Lee New Year's toast from RAW. Cena came out and it rained poo on the happy couple. Yeah, that stinks.

12/28/12 Superstars

This week's episode took a look back at what went down in 2012.

The show began with Big Show discussing his heel turn (Laurinaitis fired him and then re-hired him with that ironclad contract). Great move for Show's career, even if he's past his prime. Highlights of the Lumberjack match on RAW.

After that: Taker/HHH at WM 28. Amazing build and outstanding match. Easily one of the year's best matches. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Absolutely priceless HBK reaction when Taker kicked out of the Sweet Chin Music/Pedigree combo.

Next: Kane and Daniel Bryan anger management segments. Team Hell No is born. And I never woulda guessed "Hug it out!" would ever be chanted in WWE. One of the best comedic video packages ever.

RAW #1000 highlights follow. And next month, RAW celebrates 20 years! Unreal. Show of course ended with a nice Punk/Cena match and Punk's eventual heel turn. I think Punk's better as a heel anyway.

Speaking of which, Punk was the WWE champ for all of 2012. His reign is now over 400 days, the longest of the so-called "modern" era. Well deserved. I think it's a mistake to keep giving Ryback title shots when we know he's not gonna be winning the championship anytime soon. Everyone's already looking to Punk and Rock at the Royal Rumble.

I'm also unsure if the Punk/Ryback title match will (or should) take place on the first RAW of 2013. WWE could easily just say Punk's still not cleared to compete until the Royal Rumble and this title match is off for now. I understand WWE needing to stack the show, but that doesn't mean they have to necessarily go through with everything advertised. No match means no need for interference or creating another fluky way to have Punk retain. No, Ryback and Rock would not be a suitable alternative. A triple threat is not OK here. Besides, I don't mind Ryback getting his title shot later in 2013 anyway.

12/21/12 Superstars

No Superstars matches were taped this week due to time constraints. This week looked back at "RAW's Best Moments of 2012." Among the highlights are the Slammys, Rock concert vs. Cena rap, and Brock Lesnar's return.

12/13/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Jinder Mahal & Drew McIntyre vs. Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd: **1/4

Brodus Clay vs. Michael McGillicutty: *
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Reviews/Thoughts:
3MB starts the show against Gabriel and Kidd. Kidd has a lot of fun mocking 3MB. Gabriel with a nice moonsault to Jinder's arm. Good action throughout. Jinder takes advantage of the distractions and hits a full nelson slam on Kidd to get the three-count.

We get another recap of Punk's "health update" from RAW.

Another recap from RAW: AJ Lee vs. Vickie Guerrrero. Brad Maddox was the ref. You can probably figure out what happens from here.

Brodus faces McGillicutty. Whatever hair Brodus has left on his head is all curled up. Nice hair. Doesn't take long for Brodus to win this with the splash.

Superstars finishes with Cena/Show from RAW.

TLC PPV on Sunday.

12/6/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Tensai vs. Zack Ryder: *3/4

Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga: *1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Ryder and Tensai start the show. I shake my head why the announcers still build up Tensai as a big deal when he hasn't really done anything lately to get me on the bandwagon. Tensai with the methodical offense, then Ryder with the comeback. Variation of Broski Boot, then second-rope dropkick for two. Walks right into a two-handed chokeslam. Tensai running sention for three. Well, at least the big man won.

We see stuff from RAW with Punk and Miz, then the tag match pitting Cena/Sheamus vs. Show/Ziggler.

Otunga vs. Brodus. Natalya on commentary and Hornswoggle is the timekeeper. Khali is the world's largest ref. Nice to have Natalya share some info about the late Stu Hart. Don't ever compare Khali and Stu Hart again. Rosa attacks Hornswoggle with a bouquet of flowers. Natalya stops that. Brodus wins with the splash. Laughed when Khali didn't even bother to get down to count three. The most imposing three-count ever.

Superstars ends with lie detector test on RAW and Ryback's beatdown of Punk. No Punk at the PPV, we get a six-man TLC tag instead.

11/30/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Santino Marella vs. David Otunga: *3/4

Brodus Clay vs. JTG: 1/2*
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Santino and Otunga start the show. Not bad here. Match got a bit of time, some good counters. Santino with the vintage hulking up. Cobra hits and Santino wins.

AJ Scandal segment from RAW, plus the Cena/Ziggler match. Thought it was one of the best matches on the show. Who else is jealous of John Cena getting to work with AJ Lee? Dammit.

Oh, Kenneth Cameron (from Ascension) got released after his latest arrest, but diva Cameron (Brodus Clay dancer) basically gets a suspension from her brush with the law? Probably due to the severity of the crimes (Kenneth had alleged battery of law enforcement officer + disorderly intoxication), but still a shame. Ascension had one of the coolest ring entrances I've seen in a long time (not counting Undertaker).

I basically bring this up just because Brodus is in action. JTG is miraculously still employed. Took less than 2 minutes for Brodus to get the win. Ugh. Someone call JTG's mama. Or Brodus' mama.

Show ends with Kane/Punk from RAW. The Shield got its hands on Kane and then Ryback.

I'm still wondering why WWE had to give Ryback yet another title match when it should be fairly clear that Punk isn't losing the title to Ryback. Punk and Rock should be a much more attractive match, given what happened at the 1000th RAW and any tweets that have resulted from the two. There's speculation that the Shield will interfere and cost Ryback again. Couldn't they have Ryback face the Shield now and use the past few weeks to give someone else a title shot? Lack of depth on main eventers may have also left WWE with no other alternative.

11/22/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal vs. Santino Marella & Zack Ryder: *3/4

Justin Gabriel vs. Darren Young: **1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Team CoBro is back! Drew still just watching Slater and Jinder wrestle. Ryder goes flying over the top to give 3MB control. Santino the hot tag. Cobras for McIntyre and Jinder, but Slater hits his Smash Hit impaler DDT for three.

We see the AJ Scandal stuff from RAW again. Meh.

D-Young faces Gabriel this week. Kidd and Titus out to support their respective tag partners. Fun offense again from JG. D-Young smart to use the ring apron as a tag partner. Striker calls "Sean Payton" rule on D-Young only getting two on a rollup. Springboard thrust kick (a la RVD) and springboard moonsault get three for JG. Nice match.

Superstars ends with the Punk celebration segment from RAW.

11/15/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: **

Great Khali vs. JTG: DUD
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Slater and Jinder represent 3MB against the Usos. Feels like the standard tag match at the start. Jey isolated for several minutes. Jimmy (large tattoo on the left arm and shoulder) gets the hot tag. Lots of energy at the end. Good finish with Slater hitting the Smash Hit for three.

AJ scandal segment from RAW fills in some time.

Replay of the Falls Count Anywhere match between Orton and Del Rio on Smackdown. Great stuff here, fellas.

Khali and JTG on Superstars. Unreal that these two are still employed. At this rate, JTG's virtually assured of getting future endeavored soon. Nice oversell on the Khali slaps, though. Khali wins with the overhand shot to JTG's head.

Show ends with replaying Punk and Cena from RAW. Cena and Ryback both grab Punk's title as the champ looks on.

11/8/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Jimmy Uso vs. Jinder Mahal: **1/2

Justin Gabriel vs. Tensai: *1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Jimmy Uso and Jinder Mahal start the show. Jey Uso and Heath Slater accompany their respective tag partners. Jinder's now a class clown after being the serious Hindi guy previously. Fairly standard stuff with a little action on the outside. Nice counters into pinning predicaments in the latter stages of the match. Superkick and superfly splash gets three for Jimmy.

Just learned earlier that Drew McIntyre's mother passed away recently, my condolences to him and his family.

Replay of the AJ Scandal segment from RAW.

Next up is Gabriel and Tensai. Crowd clearly pro-Gabriel. Gabriel chucked off the top to the floor, and he holds his left ankle. Tensai with the methodical beatdown, several different moves. JG beat down for a while, but somehow gets a rollup for the win. Yet again confirming Tensai is buried in midcard status, the hype of those vignettes just all for naught.

"Fandango" video to hype Johnny Curtis' new gimmick. Only one "o" in Fandango. Wondering why I devoted three sentences in this post to this.

Show ends with the Brad Maddox explanation and Vince saying Maddox can have a million-dollar contract if he defeats Ryback on RAW next Monday. Again, you'll probably see some fluke countout or DQ win for Maddox.

11/1/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso vs. Primo & Epico: **

Brodus Clay vs. Michael McGillicutty: *1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Usos and Primo/Epico start the show. Pretty much the extended version of your standard tag match. Superkicks becoming more the norm in WWE now that HBK's retired. Jey with the top-rope splash for three.

The usual Brodus entrance, but McGillicutty with new ring gear. Now, it's pants pulled up to the knees and a cap on his head. MM works on Brodus' left arm. Brodus' usual comeback moves (exploder suplex, headbutt, and a splash) get the three. Nothing special here that kept my attention.

The show ends with the main event segment from RAW. We learn the participants in the traditional Survivor Series match between Team Punk and Team Foley. Still interested to get Maddox's explanation (if any) for his actions at Hell in a Cell. Here, I was happy that Punk's on the cover of WWE '13.

Simple show this week, really.

10/25/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso vs. Titus O'Neil & Darren Young: *3/4

Jinder Mahal vs. Tyson Kidd: **
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Usos and Primetime Players start the show. At least I've learned to tell the Usos apart by their tribal tattoos. Usual heel tactics to keep Jey isolated. Jimmy with the hot tag and it's basically the beginning of the end for PTPs. Usos pick up the win with the top-rope splash.

New music for 3MB. Nice improvement. Hated that "one-man band" music, and Jinder's music was too generic. Jinder's growing his hair back out again and it looks good. Still getting a kick out of McIntyre's rockstar look. 3MB with the usual outside distractions to keep Jinder in control. Kidd brings an extra gear to his matches that keep me interested. Jinder with the Harley Race knee and Camel Clutch to end it.

Show ends with Punk and Sheamus lumberjack match from RAW. Mission accomplished to book Ryback extremely strong.

10/18/12 Superstars

Ratings:
Tensai vs. Michael McGillicutty: **1/2

Kaitlyn vs. Beth Phoenix: *1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Tensai and McGillicutty face off to start the show. Is MM a face or a heel these days? To me, just another guy on the roster. Just use "Joe Hennig" already; he already uses a few moves his late father utilized. MM should do just fine, just needs to work with the right people and get a good feud going. His stuff with Tyson Kidd was great. Tensai with the win via running senton splash.

We see a replay of Punk, Heyman, and Vince segment on RAW.

Kaitlyn takes on Beth Phoenix in a battle of strength. Kaitlyn still wearing the tape on the left boot. Match wasn't bad, but they botched the finish. Still, Kaitlyn's improved a lot since her NXT days. She's also showing me a bunch of moves that require at least some agility and quickness. I personally think a submission finisher would be great for her. Heck, even a spear would be fine with me.

Not much wrestling on this show. Superstars ended with the WWE Title contract signing from RAW. Cena endorses Ryback (since Cena probably won't be ready for HIAC). Ryback signs the contract and takes out Punk to a good pop. "Feed me more" has gotten super over with the crowd.