Ratings:
Hunico vs. Yoshi Tatsu: ***1/2
Jinder Mahal vs. Alex Riley: *1/2
Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder: ***
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Reviews/Thoughts:
The show starts with Yoshi and Hunico. Hunico with a Spanish-English heel promo. Any "USA" chants wouldn't work, though (Yoshi's from Japan). Fast-paced in the early going, and it got more crowd reaction than most of the NXT stuff. Nice aggression from Hunico here. Big kicks from Yoshi -- has to sting. A great flow to this one overall. New moves from these two guys. Yoshi even did a Michinoku Driver II (the one TAKA used in WWE). Camacho with the crucial interference after Yoshi's huge kick; it sets up Hunico's Angle Slam-like move and a senton for three. Big props here, loved it.
Jinder and A-Ry face off this week. Not bad here. A-Ry does a decent job on the comeback. Jinder with the knee and camel clutch for the submission win.
Replay of Cena humiliating Michael Cole on RAW. Yeah, I'm with Punk. I'd rather watch a kickass match (i.e. Yoshi/Hunico from earlier in the show) than some non-wrestler get doused with BBQ sauce. It's a great sauce, at least.
Swagger and Ryder in the main event. I think I'm gonna get sick of Scott Stanford saying "Man oh man!" too much. Even Swagger does that running leap to the second rope and throw the guy off the top. Thank Kurt Angle for starting that in WWE (at least to my knowledge). Another excellent match with several near falls and counters. Swagger likely countered a Rough Ryder into a power bomb for three.
Some pretty long matches on this show, at least longer than the usual free TV stuff. I like it. Solid show this week.
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In related WWE news, I'm learning that AW's "All World" stable may be discontinued. It's a big blow not just for AW, but for all his "clients" (Primo, Epico, Rosa, and Mason Ryan). We should still remember that Primo and Epico have a tag title rematch they can use, but we'll see if WWE actually allows continuity on this and gives them the title shot.
Friday, June 8, 2012
6/6/12 NXT
Ratings:
Tyler Reks vs. Jey Uso: *
Percy Watson vs. JTG: *1/4
Tamina Snuka vs. Natalya: *1/2
Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater & Johnny Curtis: **
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Taped at the University of South Carolina. Wish they would tape more shows on university campuses on the West Coast. Regal on assignment this week, Striker doing color.
Reks starts the show against Jey Uso. Fairly standard here. Uso got caught on the top, Reks does his power finisher for three. Clean win was surprising, since I thought Hawkins would make a run-in of sorts.
Percy still gets zero freakin' reaction. JTG has a bit of swagger on his ring entrance, but crowd also largely indifferent. A couple of real nice moves from JTG in this one. These two have potential for a great match. Too many dead spots here, though. Fireman's carry into a flapjack wins it for Percy.
Two daughters of former WWE superstars face off. Natalya with new ring attire. To me, Tamina looks better with straight hair (much like what they did with Layla). Wavy is great, overly curly just doesn't cut it for me very much. Much longer match than I anticipated. Not bad here. Tamina hits the splash for three. Some good counters. There's potential here.
Tag match ends the show. Nice agile double-team offense from Gabriel and Kidd. Slater is sneakily agile; his usual in-ring moveset doesn't fully show what he really can do. Gabriel with the hot tag tonight, although either guy could get it if need be. Kidd and Gabriel with an impressive blockbuster-spinebuster combo for three. Makes me think of those Hart Foundation days with the Hart Attack finisher. Good stuff, loved the teamwork!
Tyler Reks vs. Jey Uso: *
Percy Watson vs. JTG: *1/4
Tamina Snuka vs. Natalya: *1/2
Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater & Johnny Curtis: **
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Taped at the University of South Carolina. Wish they would tape more shows on university campuses on the West Coast. Regal on assignment this week, Striker doing color.
Reks starts the show against Jey Uso. Fairly standard here. Uso got caught on the top, Reks does his power finisher for three. Clean win was surprising, since I thought Hawkins would make a run-in of sorts.
Percy still gets zero freakin' reaction. JTG has a bit of swagger on his ring entrance, but crowd also largely indifferent. A couple of real nice moves from JTG in this one. These two have potential for a great match. Too many dead spots here, though. Fireman's carry into a flapjack wins it for Percy.
Two daughters of former WWE superstars face off. Natalya with new ring attire. To me, Tamina looks better with straight hair (much like what they did with Layla). Wavy is great, overly curly just doesn't cut it for me very much. Much longer match than I anticipated. Not bad here. Tamina hits the splash for three. Some good counters. There's potential here.
Tag match ends the show. Nice agile double-team offense from Gabriel and Kidd. Slater is sneakily agile; his usual in-ring moveset doesn't fully show what he really can do. Gabriel with the hot tag tonight, although either guy could get it if need be. Kidd and Gabriel with an impressive blockbuster-spinebuster combo for three. Makes me think of those Hart Foundation days with the Hart Attack finisher. Good stuff, loved the teamwork!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
6/4/12 RAW
Ratings:
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler: **1/4
Sin Cara vs. Hunico: *3/4
Ryback vs. Stan Stansky & Arthur Rosenberg: N/A (mega squash)
Kane vs. CM Punk: ***
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: *1/2
John Cena vs. Tensai: *1/4
John Cena vs. Michael Cole: N/A
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Cole in the ring to start the show; he interviews Cena. Well, more like attacking Cena. He calls Cena overrated? Where has he been the last few years, when people in the IWC were shouting that left and right? Show isn't here, and Laurinaitis has officially retired from singles competition. Cena can pick anyone else, so he naturally picks Cole. Cole tries to get out of his match, but not tonight. Oh yeah, this will be just lovely.
Oh good grief, now Ziggler gyrates on his way to the ring. Ziggler shows his agility and Sheamus shows his power. Vickie the usual wild card during the match. I wish Ziggler would actually defeat more people with that Rocker Dropper so people would actually believe he has a shot to finish someone with that. Not as good as their Smackdown match, but still very good. Ricardo and Alberto jump Sheamus on the stage. ADR putting a hurt on Sheamus before No Way Out. Naturally, Cole says Alberto made a statement.
Long has to fetch Eve and Johnny coffee, yet Otunga always seems to have coffee of his own. David coulda gotten his buddies some, too. But nope.
Vince McMahon on next week's RAW? It's supposedly three hours. Don't think we have a draft or anything. Maybe Vince is real desperate for ratings to get his ass back on TV? Reason is Laurinaitis job performance evaluation.
Sin Cara is on RAW. He faces Hunico (remember Sin Cara Negro?) again. They should know each other well. Camacho looks mesmerized seeing all that flying around. Very fast pace here. Camacho gets taken out, and Sin Cara again with that tilt-a-whirl finisher for three. A short, fun match.
They got a countdown for RAW's 1000th show. They showed Cena's jump to RAW in the June 2005 WWE Draft.
Ryback's now being pushed to the moon. He's on RAW to nuke two more scrawny indy guys. Those jobbers got on the mic for some real bad rap. At least they clearly rehearsed that a lot. Read that Vince wants to push Ryback like how WCW did Goldberg. Well, I'd rather have Ryback nuke some real WWE superstar talent, thanks. Eventually, "RY-BACK" and "FEED ME MORE" will be chanted in arenas and all over WWE-made shirts.
Punk and Kane next, rematch from Smackdown. Cole on the phone with Laurinaitis. Oh, it's Daniel Bryan! YESYESYES. I at least agree AJ has gone delusional -- and I love it. DB stays at ringside for the match, where "there must be a winner." Very good counters here, lengthy match. DB gets a couple kicks in, but I coulda sworn the ref may have seen the second blow. But this is WWE, and that doesn't matter. AJ comes down and distracts the ref. DB doesn't like it. Punk takes Bryan out and here we go with that one. Punk back in the ring, and Kane chokeslams Punk for three. Love it.
AJ gives a smile to Kane and the monster bolts. Huh? Well, at least it's consistent if AJ also likes crazy guys. Josh Mathews might not like aggressive women. I do...
Team BoomJimmys face the NXT security guys (Hawkins and Reks). Truth and Kingston still selling Big Show beatdown last week. Adrenaline must be masking any pain, right? BoomJimmys with the win here. Cole calls it gutsy. I hope AW pulls the trigger on that tag title rematch soon for Primo/Epico.
Another flashback for the 1000th RAW: HHH returning at Madison Square Garden after his first quad tear (January 2002).
Cena comes out for his match. Laurinaitis says it will be a No DQ match and will take place -- if Cena beats Tensai first. I still don't get why Tensai shoves Sakamoto (his worshiper). Cena tries a comeback and Sakamoto gets involved with kicks. Cole talks trash with Cena down. Cena gets the real comeback this time and pins Tensai with the AA. Poor Tensai. I really wanted him to come in and make an impact, but WWE basically pulled the plug on the push.
Now Cole has to face Cena. Cole tries to run away but Cena gets him in the stands. Cole plays the coward. Where's Tony Atlas when you need him? Cole grew a sack, and then got his ass kicked.
NO, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO STRIP COLE DOWN TO HIS UNDERWEAR?!?! I wish he wore dark brown. Lots of Big Show-like slaps. Apologies to Lawler, Jim Ross, and J.R.'s BBQ sauce. Oh, King has some BBQ sauce! Cole gets doused. Fire extinguisher.
Tensai's back for that two-handed sitdown chokeslam! Oh, right, we still have a match! Cole scampers for the cover -- and gets two. So much for any Tensai push now. Cole picks up the fire extinguisher. Does he know how to handle one of those? No matter. Cena AA for three.
Big Show was pretty much in a video package and stuff this week. He'll be back for the three-hour RAW anyway. Perhaps he'll even be on Smackdown.
BTW, I've had that BBQ sauce. It's amazing stuff.
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler: **1/4
Sin Cara vs. Hunico: *3/4
Ryback vs. Stan Stansky & Arthur Rosenberg: N/A (mega squash)
Kane vs. CM Punk: ***
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: *1/2
John Cena vs. Tensai: *1/4
John Cena vs. Michael Cole: N/A
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Cole in the ring to start the show; he interviews Cena. Well, more like attacking Cena. He calls Cena overrated? Where has he been the last few years, when people in the IWC were shouting that left and right? Show isn't here, and Laurinaitis has officially retired from singles competition. Cena can pick anyone else, so he naturally picks Cole. Cole tries to get out of his match, but not tonight. Oh yeah, this will be just lovely.
Oh good grief, now Ziggler gyrates on his way to the ring. Ziggler shows his agility and Sheamus shows his power. Vickie the usual wild card during the match. I wish Ziggler would actually defeat more people with that Rocker Dropper so people would actually believe he has a shot to finish someone with that. Not as good as their Smackdown match, but still very good. Ricardo and Alberto jump Sheamus on the stage. ADR putting a hurt on Sheamus before No Way Out. Naturally, Cole says Alberto made a statement.
Long has to fetch Eve and Johnny coffee, yet Otunga always seems to have coffee of his own. David coulda gotten his buddies some, too. But nope.
Vince McMahon on next week's RAW? It's supposedly three hours. Don't think we have a draft or anything. Maybe Vince is real desperate for ratings to get his ass back on TV? Reason is Laurinaitis job performance evaluation.
Sin Cara is on RAW. He faces Hunico (remember Sin Cara Negro?) again. They should know each other well. Camacho looks mesmerized seeing all that flying around. Very fast pace here. Camacho gets taken out, and Sin Cara again with that tilt-a-whirl finisher for three. A short, fun match.
They got a countdown for RAW's 1000th show. They showed Cena's jump to RAW in the June 2005 WWE Draft.
Ryback's now being pushed to the moon. He's on RAW to nuke two more scrawny indy guys. Those jobbers got on the mic for some real bad rap. At least they clearly rehearsed that a lot. Read that Vince wants to push Ryback like how WCW did Goldberg. Well, I'd rather have Ryback nuke some real WWE superstar talent, thanks. Eventually, "RY-BACK" and "FEED ME MORE" will be chanted in arenas and all over WWE-made shirts.
Punk and Kane next, rematch from Smackdown. Cole on the phone with Laurinaitis. Oh, it's Daniel Bryan! YESYESYES. I at least agree AJ has gone delusional -- and I love it. DB stays at ringside for the match, where "there must be a winner." Very good counters here, lengthy match. DB gets a couple kicks in, but I coulda sworn the ref may have seen the second blow. But this is WWE, and that doesn't matter. AJ comes down and distracts the ref. DB doesn't like it. Punk takes Bryan out and here we go with that one. Punk back in the ring, and Kane chokeslams Punk for three. Love it.
AJ gives a smile to Kane and the monster bolts. Huh? Well, at least it's consistent if AJ also likes crazy guys. Josh Mathews might not like aggressive women. I do...
Team BoomJimmys face the NXT security guys (Hawkins and Reks). Truth and Kingston still selling Big Show beatdown last week. Adrenaline must be masking any pain, right? BoomJimmys with the win here. Cole calls it gutsy. I hope AW pulls the trigger on that tag title rematch soon for Primo/Epico.
Another flashback for the 1000th RAW: HHH returning at Madison Square Garden after his first quad tear (January 2002).
Cena comes out for his match. Laurinaitis says it will be a No DQ match and will take place -- if Cena beats Tensai first. I still don't get why Tensai shoves Sakamoto (his worshiper). Cena tries a comeback and Sakamoto gets involved with kicks. Cole talks trash with Cena down. Cena gets the real comeback this time and pins Tensai with the AA. Poor Tensai. I really wanted him to come in and make an impact, but WWE basically pulled the plug on the push.
Now Cole has to face Cena. Cole tries to run away but Cena gets him in the stands. Cole plays the coward. Where's Tony Atlas when you need him? Cole grew a sack, and then got his ass kicked.
NO, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO STRIP COLE DOWN TO HIS UNDERWEAR?!?! I wish he wore dark brown. Lots of Big Show-like slaps. Apologies to Lawler, Jim Ross, and J.R.'s BBQ sauce. Oh, King has some BBQ sauce! Cole gets doused. Fire extinguisher.
Tensai's back for that two-handed sitdown chokeslam! Oh, right, we still have a match! Cole scampers for the cover -- and gets two. So much for any Tensai push now. Cole picks up the fire extinguisher. Does he know how to handle one of those? No matter. Cena AA for three.
Big Show was pretty much in a video package and stuff this week. He'll be back for the three-hour RAW anyway. Perhaps he'll even be on Smackdown.
BTW, I've had that BBQ sauce. It's amazing stuff.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
6/1/12 Smackdown
Ratings:
Sin Cara vs. Heath Slater: 1/2*
Damien Sandow vs. Ezekiel Jackson: N/A (squash)
Ryback vs. Ryan Shelton & Chris Lyons: N/A (squash)
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler: ***
Zack Ryder & Santino Marella vs. Titus O'Neil & Darren Young: N/A
Cody Rhodes vs. Tyson Kidd: N/A (squash)
CM Punk vs. Kane (WWE Title): ***3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
WWE Title defended on Smackdown for the first time in four years. Has it really been that long? Smackdown's in Baton Rouge for this one.
Sheamus promo at the start, then Otunga interrupts. Otunga orders Sheamus to apologize for nearly running over Big Johnny the other week. No dice with Sheamus. Alberto then arrives. Alberto gets to pick Sheamus' opponent later tonight. Brogue Kick to Otunga.
Sin Cara finally makes his in-ring return after a severe knee injury sustained last year. Modified flashy ring entrance, no trampoline over the top rope. He went under the bottom rope and did some springboard somersault in the ring. He's also in red tonight. More Sin Cara lights. Heath Slater jobbed, nothing new there. Yup, Sin Cara still flies like a luchador. Some tilt-a-whirl from Sin Cara ends things.
Damien Sandow gains a win over Ezekiel Jackson. Sandow didn't want to face another ignoramus, but the match started anyway. Zeke on a downward spiral here. I mean, when you have to team with Khali to get a win, that's pretty bad. At least Zeke got in offense at the start. Neckbreaker wins it for Sandow.
Ryback's next. Destroyed two more smallish jobbers. Jobbers, in LSU country, praised rival University of Alabama. Good stuff for Ryback to at least solidify himself as a face. I guess he'll ultimately get a feud. Not sure yet on who it should be against. Hopefully a good in-ring veteran. In the meantime, feed him more!
Alberto picks Ziggler to face Sheamus. Vickie out to introduce Ziggler, but Dolph is all business. He still shows off, though. Vintage handstand during a rest hold! Another great match with several near falls. Awesome top-rope facebuster from Ziggler. ZigZag countered into White Noise. Swagger provides ineffective interference. Swagger and Ziggler collide, Brogue Kick for three. More tension to get Ziggler away from the group and into a singles star.
Santino/Ryder vs. Titus/Darren didn't last very long...maybe a minute or so? Meh, not rating it. Oh, that's why. Big Show gets to nuke more guys. Tonight, Santino and Ryder get destroyed.
AJ and Daniel Bryan in the back. Yeah, Daniel Bryan is a lover!
Christian on commentary. Rhodes faces Tyson Kidd. Tyson in some long pants tonight. Merely another chance for Cody to be booked strong for No Way Out.
Main event intros for Punk and Kane. Lilian at least didn't botch things this time. Very physical match here. AJ comes out in the middle of the match, again with the Punk shirt and short shorts. Exciting second half...VERY exciting. Daniel Bryan interference even helped the crowd get more riled up. Kane looking for a chokeslam, but DB with a missile double dropkick, and the match is thrown out. Still tremendous. Woulda been at least four stars without the DQ ending.
Kane double chokeslam on DB and Punk to end the show. Oh, here's Big Johnny! It's official: triple threat match for the WWE title. Punk vs. Bryan vs. Kane. It's a nice way to mix things up during this main feud.
It would be interesting, actually, to put the title on Kane, then have Punk and Bryan continue to feud with AJ in the middle of all this....
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Lastly, I'd like to quickly address the suspensions of Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. Jericho got 30 days for kicking the Brazilian flag at a house show there (it's a felony in Brazil, so Chris was nearly arrested). Orton violated the Wellness Policy a second time, so he got 60 days.
This couldn't have come at a worse time for the WWE roster. Ironically, seeds were planted for Orton and Jericho to face each other over the summer, with Jericho then likely taking time off to tour with his band, Fozzy. Regardless, the roster is now that much more depleted of main event stars. It puts more pressure on guys like Sheamus and Alberto on Smackdown, while Punk and Bryan are likely leading the way on RAW.
The suspensions had to be given out. For Jericho, WWE finally got a show in Brazil, and with the cops storming the ring, WWE had to take immediate action. Orton is a repeat offender of the Wellness Policy. In fact, this is actually Randy's THIRD suspension, but the first one was disciplinary (bad behavior) and not Wellness Policy-related. With Linda McMahon running for office again, I'm sure there was no more need to give her opponents any more ammo.
I actually wonder now if Jericho will just take the time to tour with Fozzy earlier, then return during the latter part of summer. Orton's out until late July, and it looks like he will miss RAW's 1000th show.
This actually could be a blessing for the likes of Dolph Ziggler, who remain on that main event cusp.
Sin Cara vs. Heath Slater: 1/2*
Damien Sandow vs. Ezekiel Jackson: N/A (squash)
Ryback vs. Ryan Shelton & Chris Lyons: N/A (squash)
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler: ***
Zack Ryder & Santino Marella vs. Titus O'Neil & Darren Young: N/A
Cody Rhodes vs. Tyson Kidd: N/A (squash)
CM Punk vs. Kane (WWE Title): ***3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
WWE Title defended on Smackdown for the first time in four years. Has it really been that long? Smackdown's in Baton Rouge for this one.
Sheamus promo at the start, then Otunga interrupts. Otunga orders Sheamus to apologize for nearly running over Big Johnny the other week. No dice with Sheamus. Alberto then arrives. Alberto gets to pick Sheamus' opponent later tonight. Brogue Kick to Otunga.
Sin Cara finally makes his in-ring return after a severe knee injury sustained last year. Modified flashy ring entrance, no trampoline over the top rope. He went under the bottom rope and did some springboard somersault in the ring. He's also in red tonight. More Sin Cara lights. Heath Slater jobbed, nothing new there. Yup, Sin Cara still flies like a luchador. Some tilt-a-whirl from Sin Cara ends things.
Damien Sandow gains a win over Ezekiel Jackson. Sandow didn't want to face another ignoramus, but the match started anyway. Zeke on a downward spiral here. I mean, when you have to team with Khali to get a win, that's pretty bad. At least Zeke got in offense at the start. Neckbreaker wins it for Sandow.
Ryback's next. Destroyed two more smallish jobbers. Jobbers, in LSU country, praised rival University of Alabama. Good stuff for Ryback to at least solidify himself as a face. I guess he'll ultimately get a feud. Not sure yet on who it should be against. Hopefully a good in-ring veteran. In the meantime, feed him more!
Alberto picks Ziggler to face Sheamus. Vickie out to introduce Ziggler, but Dolph is all business. He still shows off, though. Vintage handstand during a rest hold! Another great match with several near falls. Awesome top-rope facebuster from Ziggler. ZigZag countered into White Noise. Swagger provides ineffective interference. Swagger and Ziggler collide, Brogue Kick for three. More tension to get Ziggler away from the group and into a singles star.
Santino/Ryder vs. Titus/Darren didn't last very long...maybe a minute or so? Meh, not rating it. Oh, that's why. Big Show gets to nuke more guys. Tonight, Santino and Ryder get destroyed.
AJ and Daniel Bryan in the back. Yeah, Daniel Bryan is a lover!
Christian on commentary. Rhodes faces Tyson Kidd. Tyson in some long pants tonight. Merely another chance for Cody to be booked strong for No Way Out.
Main event intros for Punk and Kane. Lilian at least didn't botch things this time. Very physical match here. AJ comes out in the middle of the match, again with the Punk shirt and short shorts. Exciting second half...VERY exciting. Daniel Bryan interference even helped the crowd get more riled up. Kane looking for a chokeslam, but DB with a missile double dropkick, and the match is thrown out. Still tremendous. Woulda been at least four stars without the DQ ending.
Kane double chokeslam on DB and Punk to end the show. Oh, here's Big Johnny! It's official: triple threat match for the WWE title. Punk vs. Bryan vs. Kane. It's a nice way to mix things up during this main feud.
It would be interesting, actually, to put the title on Kane, then have Punk and Bryan continue to feud with AJ in the middle of all this....
_________________
Lastly, I'd like to quickly address the suspensions of Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. Jericho got 30 days for kicking the Brazilian flag at a house show there (it's a felony in Brazil, so Chris was nearly arrested). Orton violated the Wellness Policy a second time, so he got 60 days.
This couldn't have come at a worse time for the WWE roster. Ironically, seeds were planted for Orton and Jericho to face each other over the summer, with Jericho then likely taking time off to tour with his band, Fozzy. Regardless, the roster is now that much more depleted of main event stars. It puts more pressure on guys like Sheamus and Alberto on Smackdown, while Punk and Bryan are likely leading the way on RAW.
The suspensions had to be given out. For Jericho, WWE finally got a show in Brazil, and with the cops storming the ring, WWE had to take immediate action. Orton is a repeat offender of the Wellness Policy. In fact, this is actually Randy's THIRD suspension, but the first one was disciplinary (bad behavior) and not Wellness Policy-related. With Linda McMahon running for office again, I'm sure there was no more need to give her opponents any more ammo.
I actually wonder now if Jericho will just take the time to tour with Fozzy earlier, then return during the latter part of summer. Orton's out until late July, and it looks like he will miss RAW's 1000th show.
This actually could be a blessing for the likes of Dolph Ziggler, who remain on that main event cusp.
Friday, June 1, 2012
5/31/12 Impact
Ratings:
Sting vs. Bobby Roode (Lumberjack): **3/4
Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin (X-Division Title): **1/4
Devon vs. Jeff Hardy (TV Title): *1/4
Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles: **1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Hot crowd tonight! New time slot, at 8 p.m. ET. We start it off with Roode and Sting in a Lumberjack match! mix of faces and heels. Doesn't take long for the match to get physical. Heel lumberjacks do their thing beating down Sting when they can. Vintage Sting no-selling and doing his comeback at random moments. Sting is not a young guy, but he still flies like a youthful dude. Sting with the clean win here. Scorpion Death Drop, followed by the Scorpion Death Lock. Love the hot crowd.
Note Chris Sabin was one of the lumberjacks. Alex Shelley is reportedly done with TNA, so the Guns are officially done as a TNA tag team (at least for the foreseeable future). He may get offers from WWE, but it's probably more likely that he heads to Japan.
Hulk Hogan comes out after the Sting win. Sting now faces Roode at Slammiversary for the World Title. Well, that was predictable, wasn't it?
Madison with the hair straightener on her queen sash? Um, OK....
Bully Ray promo to call Joseph Park out. Hey, he's back in the crowd with popcorn! Can't he get something else to eat? Show him with a hot dog or something. Or a drink. Same damn thing all over again at the start. How does calling Abyss a coward trigger anger more than having your mother be called a coward? Bully wants Park in the ring, so here we go again. Good grief, Park sweats so freakin' much. At least Bully finally admits his guilt, playing the cowardly heel role perfectly. He and Joseph Park fight at Slammiversary.
X-Division Title match between Aries and Sabin. As stated before, Alex Shelley is no longer with TNA. Sabin is back in tights, with a new singles wrestler entrance video. This is wrestling. Yes, I want two hours of this. Lots of flying, fast-paced action. Wish they had at least 5-10 more minutes.
Now Taz is part of Gut Check with Bruce Pritchard and Al Snow. Guess Ric Flair really is expendable at this point. Does it matter anymore if he has two WWE HOF rings? Anyway, the panel weighs the pros and cons of Joey Ryan, also watching his match from last week.
Oh yeah, so what now happens with Alex Silva? You know, that first guy from Gut Check that actually got a contract. I'd like to actually see this Silva guy perform to show that TNA still remembers these guys. If TNA wants to push Gut Check as a life-changing event, they have to push the guys who actually earn the contract.
Brooke Hogan is now officially working with TNA to help the Knockouts division. Not sure what I think about that just yet. Yeah, her dad is extremely famous. Hopefully this turns out to be a good move. They got a good promotional photo of her, at least.
Dixie Carter comes out for a promo. The first TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee announced at Slammiversary. She erroneously said September 10...it's June 10. TNA will be live all summer. She announces Brooke Hogan as the new executive of the Knockouts division.
Honestly, from the moment Brooke's music hit, I didn't like it. Too happy-go-lucky. She needs just a bit more swagger in her step, more confidence. Look more professional. I'm not saying look like Eve Torres, but still, just have just a bit more authoritative presence. Those high-heel boots don't work for me, either.
Slammiversary countdown shows Christian's jump to TNA as "Christian Cage" back in November 2005. Credit this as the final piece to launch him into that main event slot that Vince McMahon previously had doubts on giving him.
Fans get to pick (via online vote) who faces Devon for the TV Title. Choices are Jeff Hardy, RVD, Mr. Anderson, or Robbie E. Fans voted for Hardy (40% of the vote), and Robbie's pissed. Nice crowd reaction, split chants. Both Robbies come in for the DQ. Match thrown out. Devon and Hardy team up to clean house. Sounds about right.
Not sure when James Storm returns to in-ring action. With this heartfelt video, Storm has to be the one to topple Roode. Roode will figure out a way to get past Sting. Sting doesn't need the title.
Gut Check time for Joey Ryan. When in character, Joey has no shortage of swagger and confidence. Pritchard votes no, Snow says yes. Of course, Taz has to be the deciding vote. Joey gets to make one last case. Still a lot of arrogance. Taz says no. No contract for Joey. Can't say I'm disappointed. Didn't really care for the guy that much.
Daniels and Styles end the show. They know each other so well, it's really a seamless match with a solid AJ win. Kaz and Daniels jump AJ post-match. Angle out for the save. Ankle lock to Kaz, but Daniels saves Kaz. High-low to Angle. They tie Angle to the ropes. AJ gets knocked out.
They now play some recorded phone conversation between Styles and Dixie. Dixie gets to the announce booth, gets on headset, and pleads to have the tape turned off. End show. Any conversation we heard was still vague and innocuous, enough to keep interested viewers talking.
Sting vs. Bobby Roode (Lumberjack): **3/4
Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin (X-Division Title): **1/4
Devon vs. Jeff Hardy (TV Title): *1/4
Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles: **1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Hot crowd tonight! New time slot, at 8 p.m. ET. We start it off with Roode and Sting in a Lumberjack match! mix of faces and heels. Doesn't take long for the match to get physical. Heel lumberjacks do their thing beating down Sting when they can. Vintage Sting no-selling and doing his comeback at random moments. Sting is not a young guy, but he still flies like a youthful dude. Sting with the clean win here. Scorpion Death Drop, followed by the Scorpion Death Lock. Love the hot crowd.
Note Chris Sabin was one of the lumberjacks. Alex Shelley is reportedly done with TNA, so the Guns are officially done as a TNA tag team (at least for the foreseeable future). He may get offers from WWE, but it's probably more likely that he heads to Japan.
Hulk Hogan comes out after the Sting win. Sting now faces Roode at Slammiversary for the World Title. Well, that was predictable, wasn't it?
Madison with the hair straightener on her queen sash? Um, OK....
Bully Ray promo to call Joseph Park out. Hey, he's back in the crowd with popcorn! Can't he get something else to eat? Show him with a hot dog or something. Or a drink. Same damn thing all over again at the start. How does calling Abyss a coward trigger anger more than having your mother be called a coward? Bully wants Park in the ring, so here we go again. Good grief, Park sweats so freakin' much. At least Bully finally admits his guilt, playing the cowardly heel role perfectly. He and Joseph Park fight at Slammiversary.
X-Division Title match between Aries and Sabin. As stated before, Alex Shelley is no longer with TNA. Sabin is back in tights, with a new singles wrestler entrance video. This is wrestling. Yes, I want two hours of this. Lots of flying, fast-paced action. Wish they had at least 5-10 more minutes.
Now Taz is part of Gut Check with Bruce Pritchard and Al Snow. Guess Ric Flair really is expendable at this point. Does it matter anymore if he has two WWE HOF rings? Anyway, the panel weighs the pros and cons of Joey Ryan, also watching his match from last week.
Oh yeah, so what now happens with Alex Silva? You know, that first guy from Gut Check that actually got a contract. I'd like to actually see this Silva guy perform to show that TNA still remembers these guys. If TNA wants to push Gut Check as a life-changing event, they have to push the guys who actually earn the contract.
Brooke Hogan is now officially working with TNA to help the Knockouts division. Not sure what I think about that just yet. Yeah, her dad is extremely famous. Hopefully this turns out to be a good move. They got a good promotional photo of her, at least.
Dixie Carter comes out for a promo. The first TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee announced at Slammiversary. She erroneously said September 10...it's June 10. TNA will be live all summer. She announces Brooke Hogan as the new executive of the Knockouts division.
Honestly, from the moment Brooke's music hit, I didn't like it. Too happy-go-lucky. She needs just a bit more swagger in her step, more confidence. Look more professional. I'm not saying look like Eve Torres, but still, just have just a bit more authoritative presence. Those high-heel boots don't work for me, either.
Slammiversary countdown shows Christian's jump to TNA as "Christian Cage" back in November 2005. Credit this as the final piece to launch him into that main event slot that Vince McMahon previously had doubts on giving him.
Fans get to pick (via online vote) who faces Devon for the TV Title. Choices are Jeff Hardy, RVD, Mr. Anderson, or Robbie E. Fans voted for Hardy (40% of the vote), and Robbie's pissed. Nice crowd reaction, split chants. Both Robbies come in for the DQ. Match thrown out. Devon and Hardy team up to clean house. Sounds about right.
Not sure when James Storm returns to in-ring action. With this heartfelt video, Storm has to be the one to topple Roode. Roode will figure out a way to get past Sting. Sting doesn't need the title.
Gut Check time for Joey Ryan. When in character, Joey has no shortage of swagger and confidence. Pritchard votes no, Snow says yes. Of course, Taz has to be the deciding vote. Joey gets to make one last case. Still a lot of arrogance. Taz says no. No contract for Joey. Can't say I'm disappointed. Didn't really care for the guy that much.
Daniels and Styles end the show. They know each other so well, it's really a seamless match with a solid AJ win. Kaz and Daniels jump AJ post-match. Angle out for the save. Ankle lock to Kaz, but Daniels saves Kaz. High-low to Angle. They tie Angle to the ropes. AJ gets knocked out.
They now play some recorded phone conversation between Styles and Dixie. Dixie gets to the announce booth, gets on headset, and pleads to have the tape turned off. End show. Any conversation we heard was still vague and innocuous, enough to keep interested viewers talking.
5/31/12 Superstars
Ratings:
Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox: *1/2
Tensai vs. Alex Riley: *
Jinder Mahal vs. Yoshi Tatsu: 1/2*
Christian vs. Drew McIntyre: ***3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Divas match starts the show. Less than a minute in, and they already got more crowd attention than the likes of Derrick Bateman and Percy Watson. Beth does Olympic strength training, perhaps I should get more into that. Fairly solid match here. Good job building momentum for Beth.
I seriously don't understand A-Ry's character. Sometimes, he plays a heel, other times, it's a face. I also don't know how WWE can classify Tensai's return to WWE as a flop when he's only been back for a few weeks. Tensai was also not used very well if they wanted to really build a huge force. They should have gone the Ryback route, having him squash a ton of opponents. Tensai pretty much dominated this one.
WWE had Tensai in a robe and headgear, then they made him more aggressive without that extra clothing. It's not the damn clothes. They clearly had no clue on how to book this guy. How hard is it? Feed the guy jobbers and make him look real strong.
Short match between Jinder and Yoshi. Nothing really of note here. Jinder gets another win with that camel clutch, but seriously, it doesn't mean anything if it's the same stuff over and over again (with no real push or storyline as a reward).
Christian has a Superstars match against McIntyre. What a match. Crowd wakes up, which isn't hard when Christian is in the ring. Very exciting match with multiple near falls. Drew had some very impressive counters of his own, making this one even more enjoyable. This is a match that really shows Drew's surprising strength. He doesn't have huge arms like a Mark Henry, John Cena, or Ryback, but just awesome to watch.
Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox: *1/2
Tensai vs. Alex Riley: *
Jinder Mahal vs. Yoshi Tatsu: 1/2*
Christian vs. Drew McIntyre: ***3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Divas match starts the show. Less than a minute in, and they already got more crowd attention than the likes of Derrick Bateman and Percy Watson. Beth does Olympic strength training, perhaps I should get more into that. Fairly solid match here. Good job building momentum for Beth.
I seriously don't understand A-Ry's character. Sometimes, he plays a heel, other times, it's a face. I also don't know how WWE can classify Tensai's return to WWE as a flop when he's only been back for a few weeks. Tensai was also not used very well if they wanted to really build a huge force. They should have gone the Ryback route, having him squash a ton of opponents. Tensai pretty much dominated this one.
WWE had Tensai in a robe and headgear, then they made him more aggressive without that extra clothing. It's not the damn clothes. They clearly had no clue on how to book this guy. How hard is it? Feed the guy jobbers and make him look real strong.
Short match between Jinder and Yoshi. Nothing really of note here. Jinder gets another win with that camel clutch, but seriously, it doesn't mean anything if it's the same stuff over and over again (with no real push or storyline as a reward).
Christian has a Superstars match against McIntyre. What a match. Crowd wakes up, which isn't hard when Christian is in the ring. Very exciting match with multiple near falls. Drew had some very impressive counters of his own, making this one even more enjoyable. This is a match that really shows Drew's surprising strength. He doesn't have huge arms like a Mark Henry, John Cena, or Ryback, but just awesome to watch.
5/30/12 NXT
Ratings:
Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: **
Kaitlyn vs. Tamina Snuka: -1/2*
Justin Gabriel, Percy Watson, & Derrick Bateman vs. Michael McGillicutty, JTG, & Johnny Curtis: *3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Hawkins and Reks start the show off in matching gear. A lot of pink and black. Nice Hart Foundation colors. I've watched the Usos do their Siva Tau entrance for a while now, and for me, the novelty has worn off. Wish they got more crowd reaction on their entrance. Usos are talented in the ring, though. They use the superkick too much, in my opinion. I appreciate their huge willingness to fly. Nice win for Hawkins and Reks.
ECW Unreleased: Volume 1 is coming out next Tuesday. Love it!
Kaitlyn and Tamina are friends, yet WWE decides to put them in a match. Maxine on commentary. Kaitlyn has now had this abnormally colored blonde hair for months. Not a fan of that. Two powerful divas in this match. Felt this was just a sloppy match overall. Horrible. Fans didn't care. Awkward looking ending. Good submission, but did Tamina mean to trip over Kaitlyn? And unfortunately, on the initial camera angle, you can't actually see Tamina tapping -- as WWE usually wants. You can see Tamina tapping on the replay, from a different camera angle.
Maxine is so muted down now. I liked crazy, unpredictable Maxine. It made her stand out that much more. Apparently now, they gave a similar gimmick to AJ.
Big Show video package from RAW. Excellent promo and destruction. I knew Show was better off heel....
Six-man tag ends the show. Best part was Regal mentioning something about transvestites during the heel entrances. Pretty lengthy here, which allowed all six to get good in-ring time. Pretty slow match, with Bateman's suicide dive being one of the only noteworthy moments. Gabriel didn't use a 450 splash. Instead, he now has a tornado DDT for a finisher. Less risky, so I like it.
Punk defends the WWE title against Kane on Smackdown! Awesome....
Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: **
Kaitlyn vs. Tamina Snuka: -1/2*
Justin Gabriel, Percy Watson, & Derrick Bateman vs. Michael McGillicutty, JTG, & Johnny Curtis: *3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Hawkins and Reks start the show off in matching gear. A lot of pink and black. Nice Hart Foundation colors. I've watched the Usos do their Siva Tau entrance for a while now, and for me, the novelty has worn off. Wish they got more crowd reaction on their entrance. Usos are talented in the ring, though. They use the superkick too much, in my opinion. I appreciate their huge willingness to fly. Nice win for Hawkins and Reks.
ECW Unreleased: Volume 1 is coming out next Tuesday. Love it!
Kaitlyn and Tamina are friends, yet WWE decides to put them in a match. Maxine on commentary. Kaitlyn has now had this abnormally colored blonde hair for months. Not a fan of that. Two powerful divas in this match. Felt this was just a sloppy match overall. Horrible. Fans didn't care. Awkward looking ending. Good submission, but did Tamina mean to trip over Kaitlyn? And unfortunately, on the initial camera angle, you can't actually see Tamina tapping -- as WWE usually wants. You can see Tamina tapping on the replay, from a different camera angle.
Maxine is so muted down now. I liked crazy, unpredictable Maxine. It made her stand out that much more. Apparently now, they gave a similar gimmick to AJ.
Big Show video package from RAW. Excellent promo and destruction. I knew Show was better off heel....
Six-man tag ends the show. Best part was Regal mentioning something about transvestites during the heel entrances. Pretty lengthy here, which allowed all six to get good in-ring time. Pretty slow match, with Bateman's suicide dive being one of the only noteworthy moments. Gabriel didn't use a 450 splash. Instead, he now has a tornado DDT for a finisher. Less risky, so I like it.
Punk defends the WWE title against Kane on Smackdown! Awesome....
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