Ratings:
Ryback vs. Frank Venezia & Jared Wachtler: N/A (squash)
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian: ***
Kane vs. Daniel Bryan: **3/4
Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater: N/A
Titus O'Neil & Darren Young vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/2
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler: ***1/4
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Teddy Long says Foley is the GM tonight. Big Show interrupts, thanks to his ironclad contract. Show only cares about himself, not even Laurinaitis. Show predicts a lengthy title reign. Brodus Clay comes out and I guess we're having a fight. Brodus with some body shots, but Otunga takes out Brodus' left knee. "You can't wrestle!" chants at Big Show. Wow, they do that for someone other than Cena? WMD to Brodus. Otunga taunts Brodus and does a pathetic dance.
Ryback squashes two more opponents. Jared looks like a shorter, pudgier Kofi Kingston. Keep these jobbers off the mic. No, don't feed Ryback more. Feed him a storyline. At least he's now a Mastodon. Wasn't Vader the original Mastodon?
Vickie's officially running RAW and Smackdown next week. Meanwhile, Foley and Khali dance. Sounds about right.
Daniel Bryan relives the time HBK threw Marty Jannetty through the Barber Shop window. Then that IC title match between HBK and Jannetty on RAW. Yeah, the one that Meltzer absolutely loved (over four stars, I believe). YESYESYES. Really helped launch HBK's singles career and catapulted him to the Hall of Fame.
Christian with a new shirt, basically representing an element on the periodic table. He has control of Alberto early, then ADR targets Christian's shoulder. Real hot crowd on the Christian comeback. Didn't know ADR had a superkick in him. Ricardo plays interference, and cross armbreaker gets Alberto the submission win. Very good match. Big statement.
Cody Rhodes ambushes Christian after the match. Armbar from Cody. Christian's shoulder into the post.
Kane comes out for action. AJ is the special guest timekeeper?!?! Um, OK. Yeah, give the delusional chick a tiny hammer and a bell, that's real smart. Kane with the power moves, DB with the speed, kicks, and submission attempts. Not sure if DB slipping off the top was planned (probably not). DB gets Kane in the YES lock, Kane lunges twice for the ropes, which causes AJ to ring the bell prematurely. DB thinks he won, but ref says no. Kane with a chokeslam for three. Another great match. In a bizarre storyline, at least AJ's role made perfect sense to me. Kane with a smirk at the end for AJ.
Foley promo, complete with a cheap pop. Heath Slater comes out to protest what happened on RAW. Slater faces Ryder tonight. Yup, there's that Long Island connection between Ryder and Foley. Slater jobs again. I feel bad for him...you know, he's got some good moves in the ring, but really needs to get back in a tag team role.
Damien Sandow in a backstage skit this week. You're welcome.
AW leads his Primetime Players against the Usos. AW with a little interference to allow Titus to get the pin. Titus and D-Young getting pushed now, perhaps. Good for them. And to think, their tag team partnership started with an NXT rivalry.
Primo with the left hook to AW in the back, and we got a brawl! Woohoo! A tag team storyline?! In Vince's world these days? Never woulda thunk it.
Santino on the mic. We're gonna see some signs in the crowd. The signs are not that creative. He sees an I [heart] Santino" sign, and the lady -- complete with cobra sock/sleeve -- gets in the ring. Wow, the lady is bigger than Santino?! Vintage liplock! So Santino now has Khali's old job.
Time for Sheamus and Ziggler. Josh Mathews says Sheamus is not 6'4" and 272. So he can gain or lose a few pounds, and apparently shrunk a couple inches. Hard-hitting match as usual, very physical. Vickie gets involved, and Dolph takes over. Sheamus with the comeback, but wow, nice jumping DDT from Ziggler. Ziggler ate a huge Brogue Kick, and Sheamus gets the three. Another quality Ziggler match. The guy's seriously on fire.
I'm still disappointed that Vickie didn't side with Swagger, but perhaps there's a time to do that in the future. Eventually, Ziggler's gotta be turning face. Whether that's in a couple months or next year, I certainly see it happening. And hey, if Ziggler goes face, maybe Orton can finally get his wish and turn heel (given that the Viper doesn't get a third Wellness Policy violation).
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
6/21/12 Superstars
Ratings:
Hunico vs. Ezekiel Jackson: *1/4
Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: ***
Zack Ryder vs. Drew McIntyre: **1/2
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Big Zeke starts the show, still with that imposing physique. Zeke runs pretty fast for a big man, but dropped by a Camacho clothesline behind the ref's back. Hunico tweaks his knee at some point, but still hits his top-rope senton for the win.
Kidd and Gabriel again team up against Hawkins and Reks. Kidd and Gabriel already showing great double-team chemistry. Kidd gets to punt people in the face from the ring apron, and several people get to do dropkicks to the face, but Randy Orton can't punt people in the head? WTF. Gabriel with the hot tag and more kicks. I love the Kidd-Gabriel tag finisher. Exciting match, and the crowd really appreciated it. More of this, please.
Ryder faces McIntyre in the main event. Good use of the post and the outside to get physical. Ryder's back hit the edge of the apron, ouch. Methodical beatdown from McIntyre. Ryder on the comeback with his usual moves, leads to a couple of near falls. Crowd into this one. Rough Ryder from the second rope gets three. Nice finish. Ryder's parents in the stands, nice to see them supporting their son.
_________________
Before I forget, some additional thoughts on the new NXT:
(1) I like the smaller arena. I dunno why, other than I'd feel like I could sit closer to the action.
(2) Good use of the non-main event guys. It's no secret that NXT is really more the "D" show of all WWE shows, filled with new stars or established midcarders that are really there to boost the watchability of the product. It allows stars to get involved in some type of storyline and get more properly used, instead of showing up on RAW or Smackdown for a squash. Look at Kidd and McGillicutty. They work so well together and have had amazing matches on NXT. They'd get lost in the RAW or Smackdown shuffle.
(3) I have high hopes for guys like Bo Dallas and Seth Rollins. I've seen their work and they could easily be main eventing in the next couple of years. The same with Dean Ambrose, although he hasn't been featured yet (from what I saw) and might just shoot to the main roster (bypassing NXT).
(4) I feel bad for Derrick Bateman. It seems like all the guys around him have either gotten that "promotion" to RAW or Smackdown (i.e., Titus, D-Young), or got repackaged into that neat gimmick (i.e., Conor O'Brian). What the hell was Bateman's gimmick in the first place? Or what makes him stand out? Yeah, I don't know.
(5) The Ascension has one of the coolest entrances in pro wrestling today. I love the aggression in the ring. Conor O'Brian struck gold here. Better than being labeled a rat.
Hunico vs. Ezekiel Jackson: *1/4
Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: ***
Zack Ryder vs. Drew McIntyre: **1/2
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Big Zeke starts the show, still with that imposing physique. Zeke runs pretty fast for a big man, but dropped by a Camacho clothesline behind the ref's back. Hunico tweaks his knee at some point, but still hits his top-rope senton for the win.
Kidd and Gabriel again team up against Hawkins and Reks. Kidd and Gabriel already showing great double-team chemistry. Kidd gets to punt people in the face from the ring apron, and several people get to do dropkicks to the face, but Randy Orton can't punt people in the head? WTF. Gabriel with the hot tag and more kicks. I love the Kidd-Gabriel tag finisher. Exciting match, and the crowd really appreciated it. More of this, please.
Ryder faces McIntyre in the main event. Good use of the post and the outside to get physical. Ryder's back hit the edge of the apron, ouch. Methodical beatdown from McIntyre. Ryder on the comeback with his usual moves, leads to a couple of near falls. Crowd into this one. Rough Ryder from the second rope gets three. Nice finish. Ryder's parents in the stands, nice to see them supporting their son.
_________________
Before I forget, some additional thoughts on the new NXT:
(1) I like the smaller arena. I dunno why, other than I'd feel like I could sit closer to the action.
(2) Good use of the non-main event guys. It's no secret that NXT is really more the "D" show of all WWE shows, filled with new stars or established midcarders that are really there to boost the watchability of the product. It allows stars to get involved in some type of storyline and get more properly used, instead of showing up on RAW or Smackdown for a squash. Look at Kidd and McGillicutty. They work so well together and have had amazing matches on NXT. They'd get lost in the RAW or Smackdown shuffle.
(3) I have high hopes for guys like Bo Dallas and Seth Rollins. I've seen their work and they could easily be main eventing in the next couple of years. The same with Dean Ambrose, although he hasn't been featured yet (from what I saw) and might just shoot to the main roster (bypassing NXT).
(4) I feel bad for Derrick Bateman. It seems like all the guys around him have either gotten that "promotion" to RAW or Smackdown (i.e., Titus, D-Young), or got repackaged into that neat gimmick (i.e., Conor O'Brian). What the hell was Bateman's gimmick in the first place? Or what makes him stand out? Yeah, I don't know.
(5) The Ascension has one of the coolest entrances in pro wrestling today. I love the aggression in the ring. Conor O'Brian struck gold here. Better than being labeled a rat.
6/21/12 Impact
Ratings:
Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels: *1/2
Kurt Angle vs. Robbie E: N/A (squash)
Magnus vs. AJ Styles: *
Tara vs. Taeler Hendrix: 1/4*
D'Angelo Dinero vs. Bully Ray: *1/4
Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam: **1/4
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
It's Open Fight Night and Gut Check! We're gonna have our first female Gut Check contestant!
Hulk Hogan starts the show, a surefire way to get the crowd nuts from the start. We are going to find out Aries' decision right now: (A) hand over the X-Division title and face Roode for the World Title, or (B) keep the X-Division Title and bypass Roode for now.
Aries is torn on what to do, so he comes up with Option "C": every year, at Destination X, whomever the X-Division champ is can trade the belt in for a shot at the World Title, bringing more prestige to that X-Division belt. Wow, I LOVE that idea. LOVE IT. Hogan loves it, too.
Roode comes out to protest. Aries and Roode brawl. Anderson comes out?! Anderson says he's gonna win the BFG Series. He calls out Daniels on his open fight night. Aw, Daniels has to put down the appletini. Joseph Park again shown in the stands. Decent short match between the two. Anderson wins with a neckbreaker and then a Mic Check for three.
AJ Styles and Dixie Carter in the back. AJ now reluctant to share the truth and wants to find another way.
Brooke Hogan now has her own office. Must be great to be Hulk's daughter. She says "make your work your boyfriend." In a way, that's true. Actual relationships in this business typically don't last long, or probably exist with your co-workers. Anyway, Brooke has Velvet, Mickie, ODB, and Madison in her office. Brooke quickly eliminates Madison.
Two Robbies in the ring. He challenges any of the guys in the BFG Series. Oops, Kurt Angle accepts! Angle squashes Robbie. Bonus points for a submission win! 10 points for Angle.
Video package of our first female Gut Chck contestant, Taeler Hendrix. Great background story, overcoming her cancer diagnosis (diagnosed when she was 21). Good clips compiled from the indies. She's driven, and she would be a great addition to the Knockouts Division. Hoping she impresses.
Magnus wants to call someone out. Whoa, cutting the heel promo tonight. He calls out AJ Styles. Styles missing moves and being more indecisive than normal. Daniels and Kaz distract Styles, and Magnus hits a Michinoku Driver for three. Very short match, but good stuff during that time. That'd be 7 points for Magnus that go toward the BFG Series.
Gut Check time for Taeler Hendrix. She faces the most experienced Knockout, Tara. Great pairing here, like a professor mentoring the student. Hendrix with a couple of good moves, but nothing real special overall. Glad they kept the match short. Tara basically with the Widow's Peak for the win.
You know, you'd think Joseph Park's character would be smarter than to put up with Bully's antics. Coulda sued Bully multiple times by now, but instead plays the coward. Apparently, that's just way too easy.
Samoa Joe calls out James Storm. Storm eliminated Joe in that battle royal last week to get 20 points. Back and forth here. Joe decides to try for the submission win and get more points, but Storm catches Joe with the last Call for three. 7 more points for the Cowboy. Storm with the celebration. Joe comes in with a beer bottle, looking like he's gonna hit Storm. Instead, Joe just hands the bottle over. More celebration.
Brooke Hogan eliminates ODB next. No surprise there. Down to Velvet and Mickie to see who faces Tessmacher for the title.
Bully Ray is right, he's the most hated bully ever. He picks Pope because Bully thinks it'll be an easy 10 points for a submission win. Far from it. Pope looked good here. Sure enough, Abyss shows up in the crowd. Ref coulda easily called for the DQ when Abyss put his hands on Bully, but didn't. Pope gets a clothesline and a pin for 7 points. Abyss chases Bully to the back.
Hardy and RVD didn't get called out tonight. So Hulk says they will face each other in the main event tonight.
We get a lengthy clip of Montgomery Gentry's new music video. That's the one Velvet Sky is in, thanks to Brooke Hogan. You can go online for the full video.
Time for Tessmacher to defend her Knockouts title. Brooke Hogan makes her decision, and it's Mickie James tonight. Fair move, considering Velvet got to do the music video. Fairly competitive here, with Tessmacher scoring the win with a rollup. I'm more interested in Mickie's actions after the match, showing more angry emotion. Probably a heel turn waiting to happen. Would be great for the Knockouts Division to have her and Gail (two very experienced Knockouts) as heels to help the less experienced talent. TNA's trying to build Tessmacher up right now, and they still have a couple of veterans in Tara and Velvet on the face side anyway.
Main event time with RVD and Hardy. Again, 10-minute time limits for all BFG Series matches. Quick pace, very competitive. Hardy misses the Swanton, RVD breaks out a 450(!) and misses. Hardy DDT for two. Twist of Fate gets three for Hardy -- 7 points. Only maybe a bit over 4 minutes in match length, but very good.
BFG Series after this week has Storm well out in front with 27 points. Angle has 10. Anderson, Magnus, Hardy, and Pope each have 7. The others (Daniels, Joe, Styles, Robbie E, RVD, Bully) have 0 points.
Tag title match next week with Angle and Styles facing Daniels and Kaz.
Styles and Dixie to the ring, no music. Dixie with a more monotonous, nervous tone here. AJ then basically takes her aside to say they can just leave the building. They start to exit the ring, but some unknown woman comes out. She introduces herself as Claire Lynch. She's a recovering (drug?) addict that AJ and Dixie have apparently been secretly trying to help. Daniels is fuming that Claire is in the building spilling the beans. There's no AJ/Dixie affair.
I honestly thought Claire would be someone portraying AJ Styles' wife to keep the storyline going. They could have easily held off on this for several more weeks. But now what? The episode ended with that closure feel to it, instead of keeping the suspense up. This could mean AJ and Angle retain next week, but if this storyline is to continue (as I've read that it will), I'm hoping there's more twists to this one.
Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels: *1/2
Kurt Angle vs. Robbie E: N/A (squash)
Magnus vs. AJ Styles: *
Tara vs. Taeler Hendrix: 1/4*
D'Angelo Dinero vs. Bully Ray: *1/4
Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam: **1/4
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
It's Open Fight Night and Gut Check! We're gonna have our first female Gut Check contestant!
Hulk Hogan starts the show, a surefire way to get the crowd nuts from the start. We are going to find out Aries' decision right now: (A) hand over the X-Division title and face Roode for the World Title, or (B) keep the X-Division Title and bypass Roode for now.
Aries is torn on what to do, so he comes up with Option "C": every year, at Destination X, whomever the X-Division champ is can trade the belt in for a shot at the World Title, bringing more prestige to that X-Division belt. Wow, I LOVE that idea. LOVE IT. Hogan loves it, too.
Roode comes out to protest. Aries and Roode brawl. Anderson comes out?! Anderson says he's gonna win the BFG Series. He calls out Daniels on his open fight night. Aw, Daniels has to put down the appletini. Joseph Park again shown in the stands. Decent short match between the two. Anderson wins with a neckbreaker and then a Mic Check for three.
AJ Styles and Dixie Carter in the back. AJ now reluctant to share the truth and wants to find another way.
Brooke Hogan now has her own office. Must be great to be Hulk's daughter. She says "make your work your boyfriend." In a way, that's true. Actual relationships in this business typically don't last long, or probably exist with your co-workers. Anyway, Brooke has Velvet, Mickie, ODB, and Madison in her office. Brooke quickly eliminates Madison.
Two Robbies in the ring. He challenges any of the guys in the BFG Series. Oops, Kurt Angle accepts! Angle squashes Robbie. Bonus points for a submission win! 10 points for Angle.
Video package of our first female Gut Chck contestant, Taeler Hendrix. Great background story, overcoming her cancer diagnosis (diagnosed when she was 21). Good clips compiled from the indies. She's driven, and she would be a great addition to the Knockouts Division. Hoping she impresses.
Magnus wants to call someone out. Whoa, cutting the heel promo tonight. He calls out AJ Styles. Styles missing moves and being more indecisive than normal. Daniels and Kaz distract Styles, and Magnus hits a Michinoku Driver for three. Very short match, but good stuff during that time. That'd be 7 points for Magnus that go toward the BFG Series.
Gut Check time for Taeler Hendrix. She faces the most experienced Knockout, Tara. Great pairing here, like a professor mentoring the student. Hendrix with a couple of good moves, but nothing real special overall. Glad they kept the match short. Tara basically with the Widow's Peak for the win.
You know, you'd think Joseph Park's character would be smarter than to put up with Bully's antics. Coulda sued Bully multiple times by now, but instead plays the coward. Apparently, that's just way too easy.
Samoa Joe calls out James Storm. Storm eliminated Joe in that battle royal last week to get 20 points. Back and forth here. Joe decides to try for the submission win and get more points, but Storm catches Joe with the last Call for three. 7 more points for the Cowboy. Storm with the celebration. Joe comes in with a beer bottle, looking like he's gonna hit Storm. Instead, Joe just hands the bottle over. More celebration.
Brooke Hogan eliminates ODB next. No surprise there. Down to Velvet and Mickie to see who faces Tessmacher for the title.
Bully Ray is right, he's the most hated bully ever. He picks Pope because Bully thinks it'll be an easy 10 points for a submission win. Far from it. Pope looked good here. Sure enough, Abyss shows up in the crowd. Ref coulda easily called for the DQ when Abyss put his hands on Bully, but didn't. Pope gets a clothesline and a pin for 7 points. Abyss chases Bully to the back.
Hardy and RVD didn't get called out tonight. So Hulk says they will face each other in the main event tonight.
We get a lengthy clip of Montgomery Gentry's new music video. That's the one Velvet Sky is in, thanks to Brooke Hogan. You can go online for the full video.
Time for Tessmacher to defend her Knockouts title. Brooke Hogan makes her decision, and it's Mickie James tonight. Fair move, considering Velvet got to do the music video. Fairly competitive here, with Tessmacher scoring the win with a rollup. I'm more interested in Mickie's actions after the match, showing more angry emotion. Probably a heel turn waiting to happen. Would be great for the Knockouts Division to have her and Gail (two very experienced Knockouts) as heels to help the less experienced talent. TNA's trying to build Tessmacher up right now, and they still have a couple of veterans in Tara and Velvet on the face side anyway.
Main event time with RVD and Hardy. Again, 10-minute time limits for all BFG Series matches. Quick pace, very competitive. Hardy misses the Swanton, RVD breaks out a 450(!) and misses. Hardy DDT for two. Twist of Fate gets three for Hardy -- 7 points. Only maybe a bit over 4 minutes in match length, but very good.
BFG Series after this week has Storm well out in front with 27 points. Angle has 10. Anderson, Magnus, Hardy, and Pope each have 7. The others (Daniels, Joe, Styles, Robbie E, RVD, Bully) have 0 points.
Tag title match next week with Angle and Styles facing Daniels and Kaz.
Styles and Dixie to the ring, no music. Dixie with a more monotonous, nervous tone here. AJ then basically takes her aside to say they can just leave the building. They start to exit the ring, but some unknown woman comes out. She introduces herself as Claire Lynch. She's a recovering (drug?) addict that AJ and Dixie have apparently been secretly trying to help. Daniels is fuming that Claire is in the building spilling the beans. There's no AJ/Dixie affair.
I honestly thought Claire would be someone portraying AJ Styles' wife to keep the storyline going. They could have easily held off on this for several more weeks. But now what? The episode ended with that closure feel to it, instead of keeping the suspense up. This could mean AJ and Angle retain next week, but if this storyline is to continue (as I've read that it will), I'm hoping there's more twists to this one.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
6/20/12 NXT (Season 6 Premiere)
Ratings:
Bo Dallas vs. Rick Victor: *
Damien Sandow vs. Jason Jordan: N/A (no match)
Conor O'Brian & Kenneth Cameron vs. Mike Dalton & CJ Parker: N/A (squash)
Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty: ***1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
FINALLY, a new season of NXT, meaning fresh talent, storylines, and venue! Full Sail University in Orlando will be the permanent site for NXT for now. Nice video package to open the show and debut the new season.
Some female announcer introduces Jim Ross...and he has a goatee. Interim NXT GM is Dusty Rhodes. In the meantime, William Regal is the voiceover guy and color commentator for the show.
Video package on Bo Dallas. Huge pedigree, being a third-generation star. He'll be in the first match of the season. Guess they'll really be pushing this guy. His opponent gets mentioned as the last Hart Dungeon guy. Wait, what about Tyson Kidd? Bo's finisher is a spear. Pretty straightforward match. Bo knows how to win. I like it.
Video package on Seth Rollins. Yup, the guy formerly known as Tyler Black. We'll see him in action next week. Antonio Cesaro also on NXT next week. Probably a good move for both guys who might initially get lost in the shuffle on RAW or Smackdown.
Damien Sandow also appears this week. He faces Jason Jordan, one of the guys otherwise on the FCW roster. "What?" chants are awesome in a smaller building. Of course, Sandow refuses to fight. So much for that.
Great video package on a new tag team: The Ascension. Yes, that is the same Conor O'Brian that didn't make it on two prior seasons of NXT. The other guy is Kenneth Cameron. I really like the look of this tag team.
I found it fitting that -- at least on the video I saw -- there was also a short video package of Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio. Ricardo is a former Ascension member, at least before he transitioned to the main WWE roster.
Ascension's ring entrance is a dark, strobe light-filled mix of live entrance and clips from the entrance video. Suspenseful music. It's already become one of my favorite ring entrances. Dalton and Parker are their opponents. Lots of kicks and great tag teaming in the corner from Ascension. Parker gets nuked and the other guy doesn't even sniff official action. Downcast is the Ascension's tag team finisher.
Video package hyping Bray Wyatt. You may remember him as Husky Harris. I have no freakin' clue of what to think about that video package, other than he says monsters and Boogeymen are real. Somehow, it needed worms to really drive that point home.
Bateman and Curtis are still on NXT. The bathroom is Curtis' office, so is he supposed to be that much more like the Fonz now? Curtis and Bateman will main event NXT next week.
Because we apparently still can't get Kidd and McGillicutty off NXT, they main event the season premiere. Not that I'm fully complaining. Kidd with a bunch of exciting moves for the crowd. MM showing a few new moves, at least to me, and also getting the heel heat from the crowd. Great second half to the match, with several near falls. Note that MM locked that Sharpshooter in wrong. Perfect-plex countered, inside cradle...which man's shoulders are down? Doesn't matter. Kidd rollup, into the Dungeon Lock for the submission win. Awesome main event, one of the best matches these two have had to date.
Bo Dallas vs. Rick Victor: *
Damien Sandow vs. Jason Jordan: N/A (no match)
Conor O'Brian & Kenneth Cameron vs. Mike Dalton & CJ Parker: N/A (squash)
Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty: ***1/2
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
FINALLY, a new season of NXT, meaning fresh talent, storylines, and venue! Full Sail University in Orlando will be the permanent site for NXT for now. Nice video package to open the show and debut the new season.
Some female announcer introduces Jim Ross...and he has a goatee. Interim NXT GM is Dusty Rhodes. In the meantime, William Regal is the voiceover guy and color commentator for the show.
Video package on Bo Dallas. Huge pedigree, being a third-generation star. He'll be in the first match of the season. Guess they'll really be pushing this guy. His opponent gets mentioned as the last Hart Dungeon guy. Wait, what about Tyson Kidd? Bo's finisher is a spear. Pretty straightforward match. Bo knows how to win. I like it.
Video package on Seth Rollins. Yup, the guy formerly known as Tyler Black. We'll see him in action next week. Antonio Cesaro also on NXT next week. Probably a good move for both guys who might initially get lost in the shuffle on RAW or Smackdown.
Damien Sandow also appears this week. He faces Jason Jordan, one of the guys otherwise on the FCW roster. "What?" chants are awesome in a smaller building. Of course, Sandow refuses to fight. So much for that.
Great video package on a new tag team: The Ascension. Yes, that is the same Conor O'Brian that didn't make it on two prior seasons of NXT. The other guy is Kenneth Cameron. I really like the look of this tag team.
I found it fitting that -- at least on the video I saw -- there was also a short video package of Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio. Ricardo is a former Ascension member, at least before he transitioned to the main WWE roster.
Ascension's ring entrance is a dark, strobe light-filled mix of live entrance and clips from the entrance video. Suspenseful music. It's already become one of my favorite ring entrances. Dalton and Parker are their opponents. Lots of kicks and great tag teaming in the corner from Ascension. Parker gets nuked and the other guy doesn't even sniff official action. Downcast is the Ascension's tag team finisher.
Video package hyping Bray Wyatt. You may remember him as Husky Harris. I have no freakin' clue of what to think about that video package, other than he says monsters and Boogeymen are real. Somehow, it needed worms to really drive that point home.
Bateman and Curtis are still on NXT. The bathroom is Curtis' office, so is he supposed to be that much more like the Fonz now? Curtis and Bateman will main event NXT next week.
Because we apparently still can't get Kidd and McGillicutty off NXT, they main event the season premiere. Not that I'm fully complaining. Kidd with a bunch of exciting moves for the crowd. MM showing a few new moves, at least to me, and also getting the heel heat from the crowd. Great second half to the match, with several near falls. Note that MM locked that Sharpshooter in wrong. Perfect-plex countered, inside cradle...which man's shoulders are down? Doesn't matter. Kidd rollup, into the Dungeon Lock for the submission win. Awesome main event, one of the best matches these two have had to date.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
6/18/12 RAW
Ratings:
CM Punk & Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan & Kane: **3/4
Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger: **
Alberto Del Rio vs. Santino Marella: 1/2*
Primo & Epico vs. Titus O'Neil & Darren Young: 1/2*
John Cena vs.Big Show, David Otunga, & John Laurinaitis: *1/2
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Cyndi Lauper's gonna make an appearance. I dunno what to think about that.
But MICK FOLEY starts the show! Looks like Foley hasn't lost the cheap pop talent. Mick's also hosting RAW and Smackdown this week, as they rotate interim GMs. Huge tag match tonight with DB and Kane vs. Punk and Sheamus. It's next!
But wait, we have a Laurinatis farewell address now! Big Johnny is even more busted up now. Long Island sucks! Crowd boos. Laurinaitis books handicap match: Cena vs. Big Show, Otunga, and himself. Can he still do that? Guess so. Have a nice day!
Sheamus and Punk come out, then Kane and DB. Wondering if AJ comes out after what we saw at No Way Out. We see AJ and Kane from last Monday, and I'm still jealous of Kane. DB gets huge "YES" chants from the LI crowd. Sheamus continues that mat wrestling against DB. Cole mentions Punk's rather lengthy WWE title reign. Of course, Cena's had two reigns that lasted longer, as well as JBL. Sheamus with a hot tag, but Kane and DB take over again. Punk gets a hot tag and works on DB. DB superplex from the top. AJ comes out...IN KANE ATTIRE. A Kane costume never looked so good. Everyone's bewildered. Punk tags Sheamus. GTS into a Brogue Kick. DB pinned for three. Nice opener.
Who wants Vickie's admiration, respect, and affection? Ziggler or Swagger? I don't! This should hopefully be a good match.
Amateur wrestling stuff to start, no surprise. Ziggler tweaks his left knee a few minutes in, and Jack attacks that. Swagger panders to the crowd. Ankle lock from Swagger. Crowd continues to get behind Ziggler; he's really won the crowd over with his great matches. Ziggler really sold the ankle lock well. Zigzag out of nowhere gets three. Ziggler gets a kiss from Vickie. Good job, Dolph. Join the others in line who've experienced that one.
I feel bad for Swagger because he seriously needed the win more. Ziggler's fine on his own, and he can officially turn face at any time.
Lawler's favorite moment was the Vince McMahon and Austin bedpan incident. Also introduced Mr. Socko to the world.
Lesnar's music hits, but again, it's Heyman. No dropped lawsuits and no Lesnar/HHH at SummerSlam. That's it? Nope. HHH comes out. HHH shows the SummerSlam promo poster with Lesnar, front and center. All Lesnar has to do is step up and fight HHH. Money talks. No dice from Heyman. Lots of trash talking, and Heyman goes there with mentioning Stephanie. HHH eventually decks Heyman. Loved the segment. Great buildup.
Alberto appears to be cleared to compete again; he faces Santino here. Not much work here, Santino jobs to Alberto. Ricardo gets a shot in after the match.
Layla introduces Cyndi Lauper. Lauper comes out with Wendi Richter. Richter's put on a bit of weight. Crowd doesn't like this segment. Heath Slater time? He's gonna sing? Oh no.
IT'S RODDY PIPER WOOHOO. He gives Lauper a gold record, because a long time ago, he hit Captain Lou over the head with one. A touching moment. Slater sings bad again. Piper with fingers to the eye. Lauper decks Slater with the gold record. Cool...
Primo and Epico want revenge because AW screwed them at No Way Out. AW with the intro for the Primetime Players. Backstabber to Darren, but Titus pulls him out of the ring. They bolt so the cousins get a countout win. Lame.
Jericho hyped to return next week. Woohoo!
Laurinaitis with his farewell address. To him, everyone is a loser. You'll see him next when he's inducted into the WWE HOF. So that means we're not seeing him again?
Show comes out and thanks Laurinaitis for that contract. Then Show ditches Johnny and Otunga. Oops.
Teddy Long at ringside. Cena comes out and goes to town on Otunga. Laurinaitis doesn't want in because he's injured. Otunga basically takes the beating, then gets the upper hand. Mixed chants from the NY crowd. Laurinaitis tags in and shows he's not really hurt...what a surprise. Otunga doesn't like it and ditches Laurinaitis. Nice knowing Big Johnny. Cena finishes Laurinaitis off with three AAs and an STF. Long loves it. Crowd goes home happy.
CM Punk & Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan & Kane: **3/4
Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger: **
Alberto Del Rio vs. Santino Marella: 1/2*
Primo & Epico vs. Titus O'Neil & Darren Young: 1/2*
John Cena vs.
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Cyndi Lauper's gonna make an appearance. I dunno what to think about that.
But MICK FOLEY starts the show! Looks like Foley hasn't lost the cheap pop talent. Mick's also hosting RAW and Smackdown this week, as they rotate interim GMs. Huge tag match tonight with DB and Kane vs. Punk and Sheamus. It's next!
But wait, we have a Laurinatis farewell address now! Big Johnny is even more busted up now. Long Island sucks! Crowd boos. Laurinaitis books handicap match: Cena vs. Big Show, Otunga, and himself. Can he still do that? Guess so. Have a nice day!
Sheamus and Punk come out, then Kane and DB. Wondering if AJ comes out after what we saw at No Way Out. We see AJ and Kane from last Monday, and I'm still jealous of Kane. DB gets huge "YES" chants from the LI crowd. Sheamus continues that mat wrestling against DB. Cole mentions Punk's rather lengthy WWE title reign. Of course, Cena's had two reigns that lasted longer, as well as JBL. Sheamus with a hot tag, but Kane and DB take over again. Punk gets a hot tag and works on DB. DB superplex from the top. AJ comes out...IN KANE ATTIRE. A Kane costume never looked so good. Everyone's bewildered. Punk tags Sheamus. GTS into a Brogue Kick. DB pinned for three. Nice opener.
Who wants Vickie's admiration, respect, and affection? Ziggler or Swagger? I don't! This should hopefully be a good match.
Amateur wrestling stuff to start, no surprise. Ziggler tweaks his left knee a few minutes in, and Jack attacks that. Swagger panders to the crowd. Ankle lock from Swagger. Crowd continues to get behind Ziggler; he's really won the crowd over with his great matches. Ziggler really sold the ankle lock well. Zigzag out of nowhere gets three. Ziggler gets a kiss from Vickie. Good job, Dolph. Join the others in line who've experienced that one.
I feel bad for Swagger because he seriously needed the win more. Ziggler's fine on his own, and he can officially turn face at any time.
Lawler's favorite moment was the Vince McMahon and Austin bedpan incident. Also introduced Mr. Socko to the world.
Lesnar's music hits, but again, it's Heyman. No dropped lawsuits and no Lesnar/HHH at SummerSlam. That's it? Nope. HHH comes out. HHH shows the SummerSlam promo poster with Lesnar, front and center. All Lesnar has to do is step up and fight HHH. Money talks. No dice from Heyman. Lots of trash talking, and Heyman goes there with mentioning Stephanie. HHH eventually decks Heyman. Loved the segment. Great buildup.
Alberto appears to be cleared to compete again; he faces Santino here. Not much work here, Santino jobs to Alberto. Ricardo gets a shot in after the match.
Layla introduces Cyndi Lauper. Lauper comes out with Wendi Richter. Richter's put on a bit of weight. Crowd doesn't like this segment. Heath Slater time? He's gonna sing? Oh no.
IT'S RODDY PIPER WOOHOO. He gives Lauper a gold record, because a long time ago, he hit Captain Lou over the head with one. A touching moment. Slater sings bad again. Piper with fingers to the eye. Lauper decks Slater with the gold record. Cool...
Primo and Epico want revenge because AW screwed them at No Way Out. AW with the intro for the Primetime Players. Backstabber to Darren, but Titus pulls him out of the ring. They bolt so the cousins get a countout win. Lame.
Jericho hyped to return next week. Woohoo!
Laurinaitis with his farewell address. To him, everyone is a loser. You'll see him next when he's inducted into the WWE HOF. So that means we're not seeing him again?
Show comes out and thanks Laurinaitis for that contract. Then Show ditches Johnny and Otunga. Oops.
Teddy Long at ringside. Cena comes out and goes to town on Otunga. Laurinaitis doesn't want in because he's injured. Otunga basically takes the beating, then gets the upper hand. Mixed chants from the NY crowd. Laurinaitis tags in and shows he's not really hurt...what a surprise. Otunga doesn't like it and ditches Laurinaitis. Nice knowing Big Johnny. Cena finishes Laurinaitis off with three AAs and an STF. Long loves it. Crowd goes home happy.
Monday, June 18, 2012
6/17/12 No Way Out
Ratings:
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Title): ***1/4
Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez (Tuxedo): *
Christian vs. Cody Rhodes (IC Title): ***1/2
Titus O'Neil & Darren Young vs. Primo & Epico vs. Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/2
Layla vs. Beth Phoenix (Divas Title): *
Sin Cara vs. Hunico: *1/2
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (WWE Title): ***3/4
Ryback vs. Dan Delaney & Rob Grymes: N/A (squash)
John Cena vs. Big Show (Cage): *3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
We start off in New Jersey with the World Heavyweight Championship! Sheamus the champ out first, then Ziggler. On paper, it already sounds great. Main event intros. Ziggler getting pumped in the corner...it's his time now! Ha, just adopt HHH's old theme already. Vickie with a kiss good luck. Kiss of death?
OH SNAP Brogue Kick attempt misses. Just as I thought, shades of WM. Ziggler tries the amateur wrestling, to no avail. Sheamus actually doing some takedowns at the start. Ziggler with a good job of wearing the champ down. Counter after counter, Ziggler nails a rocker dropper for two. Lawler says crowd chants "Let's go Sheamus!" but I'm positive it's "Let's go Ziggler!" Crowd has been very pro-Ziggler in this one. Sheamus skins the cat to the top, Ziggler meets him up there with a top-rope facebuster. Only two! Crowd really into it now. Ziggler holding his left knee. Zigzag countered into Irish Curse. Huge punches on the apron. Sleeper countered into White Noise! Brogue Kick gets three, champ retains. Very good opener, and it could have even been better.
Josh Mathews tries to get a word with Laurinaitis. Yeah, Josh originally tried out as a wrestler on the original Tough Enough series. Decent announcer, at least.
Tuxedo match between Santino and Ricardo. Good grief. Ricardo with some fun music tonight. Cole really thinks Ricardo has the advantage because he wears a tux all the time?! Sleeve ripping, whole tux ripping, facewashing, etc. Santino plays bullfighter and Ricardo lands outside of the ring. Cobra sleeve thrown into the crowd. Aw. Santino's pants, socks, and shoes go. WTF, another cobra sock on Santino's right FOOT?! Stinky cobra! Kip up and a cobra! ROFL, Alberto Del Rio underwear! OK, that gets a star just for the entertainment.
AJ with a good luck kiss to Punk. Punk mentions that luck is for losers. What is up with these kisses tonight?!
IC Title match time. Yeah, the IC Title gets defended, while the U.S. Title doesn't. Guess we know which belt is more important. Cody works on Christian's left arm. Christian's head and shoulder into the post, ouch. Good counters here to show Cody "scouted" Christian well. Hurricanrana from Christian out of the corner nets two. Killswitch only got two?! That got a "YES" chant going. Well, that further cements the frog splash as the new true finisher, right? I'm sure that Killswitch will remain a secondary finisher, though. Frog splash countered, Disaster kick ducked twice, SPEAR for three! Another fine match in the first hour. I thought it was slightly better than the world title match.
#1 contenders Fatal Four Way for the tag titles. That rematch clause for Primo and Epico apparently expired, and I didn't realize there were 30-day expiration dates on those suckers. Crowd wasn't as into this as the previous matches. Some good tag-team moves from all four teams. Looks like Kidd and Gabriel were really in there for high-flying spots, if anything. Nice hurricanrana by Kidd on Primo to everyone on the floor! That finally got the crowd awake. Note AW preventing Epico from saving Primo at the end of the match. Primo, Epico, and Rosa don't like what happened (duh) and the cousins get assaulted for their troubles. Millions and millions and millions of dollars!
Money in the Bank next month. Not sure if there will be two MITB matches or just one.
Video package of HHH, Lesnar, and Heyman. Oh, apparently, Madusa was attending No Way Out. She posted ringside pics of the event and mentioned Heyman in another tweet.
HHH comes out to a nice pop. As expected, HHH calls Brock out to fight at SummerSlam. Given what's transpired lately behind the scenes, if all that's true, HHH goes over Lesnar at SummerSlam. It'll just be some no holds barred fight again, I guess. Blood likely happens, even though we're still supposed to be in the PG era.
AJ and Daniel Bryan. Another good luck kiss. Another kiss of death?
Divas title match next. Again, Layla is beautiful, but is not getting those face pops I want her to get. I think I heard "We want Kharma!" chants. Beth with a bunch of trash talking. Now Layla mocks Beth. Chasing around the ring. WTF. Vintage mind games. Good near falls in the second half of the match, I must say. Unfortunately, I feel like there was little flow to this one; most of the moves seemed thrown together for some reason. Layla hits her neckbreaker (out of nowhere!) for three. The crowd didn't seem to know it was over.
AJ with Kane. Good luck kiss for Kane. Kane with the makeout session on AJ. Damn you, Kane. Damn you. Vintage envy...
Well, they got probably the one guy Sin Cara could work very well with: Hunico. Of course, we get Sin Cara lighting; why they keep doing this, I have no clue. For some reason, I want to hear the Spanish guys announce this one. Nice power from Hunico helps ground Sin Cara. Sin Cara with that whirly-bird finisher for three. OK match.
WWE Title triple threat match next. Kane out first, then DB, then Punk. Lots of "YES" chants. Main event intros. HUGE Punk chant. Punk and Bryan with kicks to Kane. "Goat-faced" actually trended on Twitter, which was awesome. Kane works on Punk's ribs. DB on the top, Punk wants a superplex, and Kane pulls Punk down -- along with Punk's trunks so we almost get a full moon shot. Great DB spot with kicks to Punk and Kane. Then a Punk sequence with knees and neckbreakers. Just back and forth, everyone did their spots well. AJ on the apron, Punk pushes Kane into AJ. Punk with GTS for three. Match of the night here for me. Wish DB had a bit more say in the end of the match.
Good stuff on the next twist in this love "square." I'm now wondering if this allows a channel for Punk to turn heel if need be. Right now, it looks like they are showing that human side of Kane again to possibly turn him face. I like the heel Kane better. But I must also take note of AJ purportedly smiling at Punk as Kane carried her off. Yay crazy chicks!
Ryback squashes two more guys who make me never want to listen to the old WM theme ever again (Linda McMahon's theme at one point). Oh, and there were more "Goldberg" chants and a belly splash from Ryback. Now I hear Ryback will be squashing jobbers three at a time, possibly four at a time. Next!
Time for the cage match. Laurinaitis and Vince come down to watch at ringside. Show arrives to a chorus of boos, then Cena. Booker mentions Cena's best bet is to escape the cage. Show dominant early on Cena. WMD hits the cage. Cena tries to escape but Show yanks him down. It's a slow beatdown for several minutes. Cena with a few comebacks but Show manages to keep Cena in the cage and/or grounded. Show with a HUGE elbow drop that missed. I'm surprised the ring didn't break. Show goes for the door and is halfway out, but Cena channels SuperCena to pull Show back into the cage. Laurinaitis and Vince get involved with the cage door. Leads to a Show chokeslam...TWO?! Right, because it's SuperCena.
Armstrong the ref gets a WMD. Then Cena gets KO'd. Even the ref on the outside is out because Laurinaitis took out that ref. Show plays to the crowd. Show about to walk out of the cage, and Brodus Clay is there with a chair. So much for that. No way out for Big Show. Santino and A-Ry come down but get taken out. Same with Ryder. Then Kofi comes out and is successful. Cena's stirring. Show stops Cena, but AA out of nowhere! Show's trying to climb out the door. Cena goes over the top of the cage. Laurinaitis tries to stop Cena, but Brodus manhandles Laurinaitis. Show crawling out the door. Cena hits the floor before Show, so Cena wins. Exciting ending, I'll admit, but man, was this otherwise painful to watch.
Vince tells Laurinaitis he's fired. Cena with an AA for Laurinaitis through the Spanish table. Crowd goes home happy. Except Cena haters, who riot.
Typical Cole to suck up to Cena now that Laurinaitis is no longer the boss.
____________________
It was an above-average PPV. The two title matches were fantastic and lived up to any hype. Ziggler has amazing potential to help carry the company in the future. He's already helping big time now, but just wait until he gets his true main event runs. The WWE title match was the best match for me. Having AJ at the end makes perfect sense. It extends the whole storyline -- and who doesn't love crazy chicks?
I'm not surprised Cena won, but I'm wondering who runs RAW now. Possibly Foley? It could also be a good way to introduce Dean Ambrose to the main roster, since they've had those Twitter wars. Eve's been conspicuously absent (probably doing promotional work elsewhere) so it'll also be interesting to see what happens to her for on-camera work.
We'll likely see Eve, Otunga, and possibly Vickie Guerrero campaign to HHH or Vince to run RAW. Another logical pick is Teddy Long, but he's been GM of Smackdown already and it's basically returning to a form of square one. Again, I'd like Foley to be in the mix for GM. He'd be my top choice. ***
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Title): ***1/4
Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez (Tuxedo): *
Christian vs. Cody Rhodes (IC Title): ***1/2
Titus O'Neil & Darren Young vs. Primo & Epico vs. Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/2
Layla vs. Beth Phoenix (Divas Title): *
Sin Cara vs. Hunico: *1/2
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (WWE Title): ***3/4
Ryback vs. Dan Delaney & Rob Grymes: N/A (squash)
John Cena vs. Big Show (Cage): *3/4
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
We start off in New Jersey with the World Heavyweight Championship! Sheamus the champ out first, then Ziggler. On paper, it already sounds great. Main event intros. Ziggler getting pumped in the corner...it's his time now! Ha, just adopt HHH's old theme already. Vickie with a kiss good luck. Kiss of death?
OH SNAP Brogue Kick attempt misses. Just as I thought, shades of WM. Ziggler tries the amateur wrestling, to no avail. Sheamus actually doing some takedowns at the start. Ziggler with a good job of wearing the champ down. Counter after counter, Ziggler nails a rocker dropper for two. Lawler says crowd chants "Let's go Sheamus!" but I'm positive it's "Let's go Ziggler!" Crowd has been very pro-Ziggler in this one. Sheamus skins the cat to the top, Ziggler meets him up there with a top-rope facebuster. Only two! Crowd really into it now. Ziggler holding his left knee. Zigzag countered into Irish Curse. Huge punches on the apron. Sleeper countered into White Noise! Brogue Kick gets three, champ retains. Very good opener, and it could have even been better.
Josh Mathews tries to get a word with Laurinaitis. Yeah, Josh originally tried out as a wrestler on the original Tough Enough series. Decent announcer, at least.
Tuxedo match between Santino and Ricardo. Good grief. Ricardo with some fun music tonight. Cole really thinks Ricardo has the advantage because he wears a tux all the time?! Sleeve ripping, whole tux ripping, facewashing, etc. Santino plays bullfighter and Ricardo lands outside of the ring. Cobra sleeve thrown into the crowd. Aw. Santino's pants, socks, and shoes go. WTF, another cobra sock on Santino's right FOOT?! Stinky cobra! Kip up and a cobra! ROFL, Alberto Del Rio underwear! OK, that gets a star just for the entertainment.
AJ with a good luck kiss to Punk. Punk mentions that luck is for losers. What is up with these kisses tonight?!
IC Title match time. Yeah, the IC Title gets defended, while the U.S. Title doesn't. Guess we know which belt is more important. Cody works on Christian's left arm. Christian's head and shoulder into the post, ouch. Good counters here to show Cody "scouted" Christian well. Hurricanrana from Christian out of the corner nets two. Killswitch only got two?! That got a "YES" chant going. Well, that further cements the frog splash as the new true finisher, right? I'm sure that Killswitch will remain a secondary finisher, though. Frog splash countered, Disaster kick ducked twice, SPEAR for three! Another fine match in the first hour. I thought it was slightly better than the world title match.
#1 contenders Fatal Four Way for the tag titles. That rematch clause for Primo and Epico apparently expired, and I didn't realize there were 30-day expiration dates on those suckers. Crowd wasn't as into this as the previous matches. Some good tag-team moves from all four teams. Looks like Kidd and Gabriel were really in there for high-flying spots, if anything. Nice hurricanrana by Kidd on Primo to everyone on the floor! That finally got the crowd awake. Note AW preventing Epico from saving Primo at the end of the match. Primo, Epico, and Rosa don't like what happened (duh) and the cousins get assaulted for their troubles. Millions and millions and millions of dollars!
Money in the Bank next month. Not sure if there will be two MITB matches or just one.
Video package of HHH, Lesnar, and Heyman. Oh, apparently, Madusa was attending No Way Out. She posted ringside pics of the event and mentioned Heyman in another tweet.
HHH comes out to a nice pop. As expected, HHH calls Brock out to fight at SummerSlam. Given what's transpired lately behind the scenes, if all that's true, HHH goes over Lesnar at SummerSlam. It'll just be some no holds barred fight again, I guess. Blood likely happens, even though we're still supposed to be in the PG era.
AJ and Daniel Bryan. Another good luck kiss. Another kiss of death?
Divas title match next. Again, Layla is beautiful, but is not getting those face pops I want her to get. I think I heard "We want Kharma!" chants. Beth with a bunch of trash talking. Now Layla mocks Beth. Chasing around the ring. WTF. Vintage mind games. Good near falls in the second half of the match, I must say. Unfortunately, I feel like there was little flow to this one; most of the moves seemed thrown together for some reason. Layla hits her neckbreaker (out of nowhere!) for three. The crowd didn't seem to know it was over.
AJ with Kane. Good luck kiss for Kane. Kane with the makeout session on AJ. Damn you, Kane. Damn you. Vintage envy...
Well, they got probably the one guy Sin Cara could work very well with: Hunico. Of course, we get Sin Cara lighting; why they keep doing this, I have no clue. For some reason, I want to hear the Spanish guys announce this one. Nice power from Hunico helps ground Sin Cara. Sin Cara with that whirly-bird finisher for three. OK match.
WWE Title triple threat match next. Kane out first, then DB, then Punk. Lots of "YES" chants. Main event intros. HUGE Punk chant. Punk and Bryan with kicks to Kane. "Goat-faced" actually trended on Twitter, which was awesome. Kane works on Punk's ribs. DB on the top, Punk wants a superplex, and Kane pulls Punk down -- along with Punk's trunks so we almost get a full moon shot. Great DB spot with kicks to Punk and Kane. Then a Punk sequence with knees and neckbreakers. Just back and forth, everyone did their spots well. AJ on the apron, Punk pushes Kane into AJ. Punk with GTS for three. Match of the night here for me. Wish DB had a bit more say in the end of the match.
Good stuff on the next twist in this love "square." I'm now wondering if this allows a channel for Punk to turn heel if need be. Right now, it looks like they are showing that human side of Kane again to possibly turn him face. I like the heel Kane better. But I must also take note of AJ purportedly smiling at Punk as Kane carried her off. Yay crazy chicks!
Ryback squashes two more guys who make me never want to listen to the old WM theme ever again (Linda McMahon's theme at one point). Oh, and there were more "Goldberg" chants and a belly splash from Ryback. Now I hear Ryback will be squashing jobbers three at a time, possibly four at a time. Next!
Time for the cage match. Laurinaitis and Vince come down to watch at ringside. Show arrives to a chorus of boos, then Cena. Booker mentions Cena's best bet is to escape the cage. Show dominant early on Cena. WMD hits the cage. Cena tries to escape but Show yanks him down. It's a slow beatdown for several minutes. Cena with a few comebacks but Show manages to keep Cena in the cage and/or grounded. Show with a HUGE elbow drop that missed. I'm surprised the ring didn't break. Show goes for the door and is halfway out, but Cena channels SuperCena to pull Show back into the cage. Laurinaitis and Vince get involved with the cage door. Leads to a Show chokeslam...TWO?! Right, because it's SuperCena.
Armstrong the ref gets a WMD. Then Cena gets KO'd. Even the ref on the outside is out because Laurinaitis took out that ref. Show plays to the crowd. Show about to walk out of the cage, and Brodus Clay is there with a chair. So much for that. No way out for Big Show. Santino and A-Ry come down but get taken out. Same with Ryder. Then Kofi comes out and is successful. Cena's stirring. Show stops Cena, but AA out of nowhere! Show's trying to climb out the door. Cena goes over the top of the cage. Laurinaitis tries to stop Cena, but Brodus manhandles Laurinaitis. Show crawling out the door. Cena hits the floor before Show, so Cena wins. Exciting ending, I'll admit, but man, was this otherwise painful to watch.
Vince tells Laurinaitis he's fired. Cena with an AA for Laurinaitis through the Spanish table. Crowd goes home happy. Except Cena haters, who riot.
Typical Cole to suck up to Cena now that Laurinaitis is no longer the boss.
____________________
It was an above-average PPV. The two title matches were fantastic and lived up to any hype. Ziggler has amazing potential to help carry the company in the future. He's already helping big time now, but just wait until he gets his true main event runs. The WWE title match was the best match for me. Having AJ at the end makes perfect sense. It extends the whole storyline -- and who doesn't love crazy chicks?
I'm not surprised Cena won, but I'm wondering who runs RAW now. Possibly Foley? It could also be a good way to introduce Dean Ambrose to the main roster, since they've had those Twitter wars. Eve's been conspicuously absent (probably doing promotional work elsewhere) so it'll also be interesting to see what happens to her for on-camera work.
We'll likely see Eve, Otunga, and possibly Vickie Guerrero campaign to HHH or Vince to run RAW. Another logical pick is Teddy Long, but he's been GM of Smackdown already and it's basically returning to a form of square one. Again, I'd like Foley to be in the mix for GM. He'd be my top choice. ***
Saturday, June 16, 2012
6/15/12 Smackdown
Ratings:
Daniel Bryan & Dolph Ziggler vs. CM Punk & Sheamus: **1/2
Brodus Clay vs. Heath Slater: N/A (squash)
Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox: N/A (squash)
Christian vs. Jack Swagger: *1/2
Ryback vs. Ari Cohen & Mike Testa: N/A (squash)
Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd: N/A (squash)
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
AJ starts the show. Huh?!?! A diva starts the show, and with a promo, no less. I hate Kane. I envy that guy like no other. That was a serious liplock AJ had on him. Before AJ can explain anything, Vickie interrupts. Booooo. Knew it was too good to be true. But hey, if Ziggler gets to talk and wrestle, I'm all for it. AJ calls Vickie a grandma. Punk comes out and cuts a great promo as always.YESYESYES, it's Daniel Bryan coming out, then Sheamus. We're gonna have the tag match now! AJ wants to kick Vickie's ass but Punk cuts AJ off. Aw, I wanted to see carnage.
Very good opening tag match. Ziggler got the much-needed win, even if it was by heel tactics. Sheamus is pissed and chases Ziggler through the crowd. AJ gets her hands on Vickie but the cougar gets away. Kane comes out and takes AJ away. Punk to the rescue? Kane nukes both DB and Punk in the ring. AJ looks on from the stage. I want to say she got turned on by that in her psychopathic mindset. Psychogasm? Sure, that's a good word.
Brodus in the ring on the mic. He wants competition. Instead, he gets Heath Slater, the guy who lost to Vader on Monday. Yeah, I'm perplexed as well. Slater's done in 23 seconds. Time to dance. Not so fast. Otunga takes Brodus' left knee out. I forgot they had a pre-show match at No Way Out. OK, now I remember. Meanwhile, Naomi and Cameron just stand around doing nothing. At least call for help or do something, please.
Layla on commentary while Beth fights Alicia. Beth nukes Alicia in under a minute. Vintage statement making!
Hornswoggle's favorite episode was when the muppets hosted RAW.
Laurinaitis "apologizes" to Vince and tells him to stay away from Big Show. Big Show with a good heel promo. Cole says Cena will be on Smackdown later tonight.
Christian faces Swagger in a routine match. Frog splash gets Christian another win and good momentum.
Ryback nukes two more smallish guys in about two minutes. Good grief. Too repetitive. At least I get to see Ryback and chant "GOLD-BERG!" all the time. I saw a "RY-BERG" sign! Awesome.
Video of Sandow's attack on Tyson Kidd last week, so Sandow and Kidd actually fight for real this week. Then again, it's more like a squash with a few cool spots.
Cena kicks in Laurinaitis' door, but no one there. How funny that they show one of those "Be a Star" anti-bullying videos right after. Facepalm. Cena calls Show out, but gets Laurinaitis instead. Big Show sent home to "protect Cena" and to ensure the match happens at No Way Out. If Cena loses at No Way Out, Laurinaitis fires Cena. Cena decks Laurinaitis with the mic. Doesn't matter, because the match must happen anyway.
Oh, I finally realized Cena's back to wearing those "jorts" again. Ugh.
Too many squashes for my liking on this episode. Not that great a show, aside from the opening match and post-match entertainment.
Daniel Bryan & Dolph Ziggler vs. CM Punk & Sheamus: **1/2
Brodus Clay vs. Heath Slater: N/A (squash)
Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox: N/A (squash)
Christian vs. Jack Swagger: *1/2
Ryback vs. Ari Cohen & Mike Testa: N/A (squash)
Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd: N/A (squash)
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Reviews/Thoughts:
AJ starts the show. Huh?!?! A diva starts the show, and with a promo, no less. I hate Kane. I envy that guy like no other. That was a serious liplock AJ had on him. Before AJ can explain anything, Vickie interrupts. Booooo. Knew it was too good to be true. But hey, if Ziggler gets to talk and wrestle, I'm all for it. AJ calls Vickie a grandma. Punk comes out and cuts a great promo as always.YESYESYES, it's Daniel Bryan coming out, then Sheamus. We're gonna have the tag match now! AJ wants to kick Vickie's ass but Punk cuts AJ off. Aw, I wanted to see carnage.
Very good opening tag match. Ziggler got the much-needed win, even if it was by heel tactics. Sheamus is pissed and chases Ziggler through the crowd. AJ gets her hands on Vickie but the cougar gets away. Kane comes out and takes AJ away. Punk to the rescue? Kane nukes both DB and Punk in the ring. AJ looks on from the stage. I want to say she got turned on by that in her psychopathic mindset. Psychogasm? Sure, that's a good word.
Brodus in the ring on the mic. He wants competition. Instead, he gets Heath Slater, the guy who lost to Vader on Monday. Yeah, I'm perplexed as well. Slater's done in 23 seconds. Time to dance. Not so fast. Otunga takes Brodus' left knee out. I forgot they had a pre-show match at No Way Out. OK, now I remember. Meanwhile, Naomi and Cameron just stand around doing nothing. At least call for help or do something, please.
Layla on commentary while Beth fights Alicia. Beth nukes Alicia in under a minute. Vintage statement making!
Hornswoggle's favorite episode was when the muppets hosted RAW.
Laurinaitis "apologizes" to Vince and tells him to stay away from Big Show. Big Show with a good heel promo. Cole says Cena will be on Smackdown later tonight.
Christian faces Swagger in a routine match. Frog splash gets Christian another win and good momentum.
Ryback nukes two more smallish guys in about two minutes. Good grief. Too repetitive. At least I get to see Ryback and chant "GOLD-BERG!" all the time. I saw a "RY-BERG" sign! Awesome.
Video of Sandow's attack on Tyson Kidd last week, so Sandow and Kidd actually fight for real this week. Then again, it's more like a squash with a few cool spots.
Cena kicks in Laurinaitis' door, but no one there. How funny that they show one of those "Be a Star" anti-bullying videos right after. Facepalm. Cena calls Show out, but gets Laurinaitis instead. Big Show sent home to "protect Cena" and to ensure the match happens at No Way Out. If Cena loses at No Way Out, Laurinaitis fires Cena. Cena decks Laurinaitis with the mic. Doesn't matter, because the match must happen anyway.
Oh, I finally realized Cena's back to wearing those "jorts" again. Ugh.
Too many squashes for my liking on this episode. Not that great a show, aside from the opening match and post-match entertainment.
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