Ratings:
Great Khali & Layla vs. Antonio Cesaro & Aksana: DUD
Cody Rhodes vs. Christian: **1/2
Dolph Ziggler vs. Alex Riley: *
Santino Marella, Sgt. Slaughter, & Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Drew McIntyre, Hunico, & Camacho: 1/2*
Ryback vs. Curt Hawkins: N/A (squash)
20-Man Battle Royal: **3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
It's the Great American Bash on a live Super Smackdown!
There's a party backstage to celebrate the Fourth of July. Natalya speaks English, Yoshi speaks Japanese, Hunico and Camacho with some Spanglish. Sounds good to me. Eve is pouting and sporting a maid outfit. I'm sure fantasies have been sparked all over the world. ROFL, Kane lights the grill. Awesome.
Alberto DelRio starts the show. Footage shown of him nuking Sin Cara on RAW. Heel promo to the fans that are apparently illegal. Show Alberto your papers! He singles out one planted fan. Out comes Sheamus and they brawl. Numbers game gives ADR the upper hand. ADR with the hood of the car multiple times to Sheamus.
Mixed tag with Antonio/Aksana vs. Khali/Layla, thanks to Teddy Long. Khali chops hard. Layla also slaps hard -- to Aksana's rear. Best part was how little Khali was involved. Layla with the Layout for three.
Foley's first WWE title win on the first RAW of 1999 was hella memorable. I remember marking out for that one big time. One of those times where Bischoff giving away taped RAW results bit WCW in the ass.
Cody gets another MITB match tonight, thanks to the Board of Directors. Long says Cody will face Christian. Great chemistry between these two. Lots of near falls and counters. Awesome finishing sequence ends with Cross Rhodes for three. Cody's going to MITB. Well deserved.
Slater's booed out of the area for doing his same crappy One Man Band song. Ryder plays Brodus' music and everyone dances. Yay?
Another MITB match. A-Ry only gets a mention in the ring. He faces Ziggler, so A-Ry's screwed here. Much more exciting than I thought it would be. A-Ry even got a few close near falls. Zigzag gets the win for Ziggler.
World Heavyweight MITB Ladder Match now has Kidd, Christian, Sandow, Tensai, Santino, Cody, and Ziggler. To me, Ziggler is the clear favorite here (Christian is a threat as well, but Ziggler's got the longer and brighter future), and Kidd is likely the dark horse. Not sure how many more will be added. Probably up to three more, I'd guess.
Cole interviews AJ. Good luck with that, Cole. But first a long video package to show what happened on RAW. Now I envy Punk for that liplock with AJ. Cole hits on AJ, which amused me to no end. Thank you Cole for keeping your shirt on. YES Daniel Bryan comes out (limping) to shoo Cole away. DB is all nice to AJ. Punk comes out gingerly also selling the injuries. Punk shoos Cole away again.
DAMMIT DANIEL BRYAN, you get a long freakin' makeout session with AJ. Green, jealous panda here. Very envious. Punk exits the ring. AJ stops Punk. OMGWTFBBQ PUNK GETS THE LIPLOCK NOW. Mega jealous envious green panda now.
Santino teams with two WWE legends who waved the U.S. flag a lot during their careers (Slaughter and Hacksaw). Didn't expect much out of this one anyway. Crowd was only in it for the legends and Santino. Cobra wins it (duh), and the faces celebrate.
Sandow is the party pooper here. Ryder and Sandow brawl. So the WWE locker room backs Ryder but don't want to help Ryder fight? Zack throws the punch -- and it goes on Eve. Hmm, Eve's all pink and wet. Don't get any dirty ideas.
Wait, Ryback gets a REAL wrestler to fight? Finally! Well, it's only Curt Hawkins, but it's still better than some unknown jobber. I wish he fought BOTH Hawkins and Reks, though. Reks wishes Hawkins well. Don't think Curt wanted to win this alleged coin toss. Very obvious "GOLD-BERG!" chants. Short squash match for Ryback. But hey, it's better than what we've seen the last few weeks.
Remember when all that real money fell from the rafters when Trump was on RAW five years ago? Wish I was there for that.
Jael de Pardo from SyFy's "Haunted Highway" in the front row behind the announcers. Pretty good looking, at least to me.
Long announces the Battle Royal for the main event. Winner is GM for next week's Smackdown. Seems like it. All the big names are in there, including Cena. Show gets his dominant spots. Punk basically eliminates himself and DB. Yay for Kane chokeslamming Show. Crowd goes nutso when Cena gets his SuperCena moment. Show takes Cena and Christian out. Ziggler sleeper on Show, but Kane boot knocks both Show and Ziggler out. Down to Kane and Ryder. How about that for some back story -- that Josh Mathews actually brings up! Nice way for Ryder to win. Should be an entertaining Smackdown next week.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
7/2/12 RAW
Ratings:
Christian, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, & Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes, David Otunga, Titus O'Neil, & Darren Young: *
Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio: N/A
Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero vs. Sheamus & AJ: *
Heath Slater vs. Doink: DUD
Big Show vs. Kane (No DQ): *1/4
Tyson Kidd vs. Tensai: N/A
CM Punk & John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan & Chris Jericho: **3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
We're in Laredo, TX. Teddy Long runs RAW and Smackdown this week. Tag match with four main eventers can't be bad, right?
Cena starts the show, since ratings are important. The ol' spiel about him getting the briefcase and becoming WWE champ. Daniel Bryan screams "YES!" all the way down. DB says he'll defeat Punk at MITB to become WWE champ. No music for Punk, either. More "YES!" stuff. Punk/Cena? Bryan/Cena? Sounds like a situation where I couldn't lose. Jericho has something to say about that, and hey, he gets entrance music! More vintage Jericho catchprhases. Daring people to tell Jericho he won't win MITB...dare to tell him "otherwise." Cue Kane pyros. Kane says otherwise. Amusing. Big Show comes out. Cena wants to fight, DB attacks, and all hell breaks loose. Show stands tall again. Good segment to again remind people that Show's a threat.
The Did You Know? deal just makes me feel old. Especially when they mention Justin Bieber wasn't even born yet when RAW premiered. Charlie Sheen on RAW's 1000th show.
Eight-man tag match starts the show so we can at least get these side feuds some airtime. Amused Santino used a stunner on his hot tag. AW pulls Titus and Darren out of the match, way to leave your teammates hangin'. Then Cody does the same, so Otunga's all alone. Sucks to be the guy with too much body oil. Brodus comes out to make sure Otunga doesn't go anywhere. Cobra gets three. Face team celebrates, and they squash Otunga like a bug. Yup, Brodus splashed the hell out of Otunga.
Stephanie McMahon picks an awesome moment where Vince is pretty much training like Rocky, even running in the snow, while Shane's on the megaphone barking orders. Ah, the good ol' days of real non-wrestling entertainment. "I hate Austin! I hate Austin!"
Alberto gets his World title match against Sheamus at MITB. Teddy Long's unveiling a surprise opponent for ADR tonight, though. Hey, it's Sin Cara! This should be good, I hope.
And so much for that. Sin Cara slides under the ring, right into an ADR knee. ADR with a lot of stomps. Cross armbreaker on the outside. Match didn't even start. What a shame.
DB gives AJ a fake rose. AJ bites the flower off. Mentally unstable!
Super Smackdown is LIVE on Tuesday, promoted as the Great American Bash. So that name basically goes from a big WCW PPV to a live TV show. At least it's still relevant, I guess.
Paul Heyman says Lesnar will announce his decision at the 1000th RAW on July 23. Great move for ratings. Great Heyman promo as always to build the match. You know Lesnar's accepting. It's just a matter of what stipulations get affixed to this.
Mixed tag with Sheamus/AJ against Dolph/Vickie. AJ's unbalanced, and I'm so cool with that. Sheamus lines up for the Brogue Kick, so Dolph tags Vickie in. Yay, AJ's now legal. Brogue Kick for Dolph anyway. One Shining Wizard later, AJ pins Vickie. Match served its purpose, I guess. AJ shouts "YES" all the way to the back.
Aw, Punk didn't see AJ's match. It's called multitasking, Punk!
Oh no. Slater's out again. He's not a clown. But Doink is! Oh shoot me. Doink gets basically zero reaction. The kids weren't born yet, doofus! Doink wrestles in his jacket. WAIT WTF SLATER WON?! Thank you for being a short match.
DDP WTF. He looks great, thanks to all that yoga. Nice handshake, some Self High Five, and a Diamond Cutter. Sounds about right.
No Holds Barred stuff with Hulk Hogan and Zeus. Hogan's still getting the WWE love, even if he's working for TNA.
Show and Kane in a No DQ match. So I guess now there's also no countout as the big guys brawl on the outside. Show brings a chair into the match. Show spears Kane into that chair, and Show likely injured his left shoulder there. Quick Big Show chokeslam ends it.
Eve's back after she was off filming stuff for TV. Teddy's got a name tag for her. She then goes to AJ. AJ's getting attention later. She's got mine.
DX invaded WCW that long ago? Alberto Del Rio remembers.
Tyson Kidd gets more airtime on RAW! Opponent tonight is that angry Tensai character. Tensai with some basic moves, then runs into the corner and meets the turnbuckles. Kidd with a rollup for three. Let's start Tensai beating the crap out of Sakamoto again. Tensai busted himself open a little in the process. Has it really been two years since Kidd won a match on RAW?
Jericho and DB in the back. Love how Jericho pokes fun a bit at DB's beard. Remember when Jericho had that beard thing going back in the day?YES! EEEEEEVVER AGAIN! YES! AGAIN!
Tensai ambushes Kidd in the locker room. They still have those rooms for WWE backstage segments?
Cole remembers that Pipebomb promo Punk did a year ago that changed Punk's career in WWE. Still love that promo to this day. Cena pretty much no-sells Jericho's shoulderblock, how surprising. WWE really likes to tout Jericho's undisputed title reign with beating Rock and Austin in one night. Mexican fans in the crowd with the "SI!" chants. Punk with the hot tag here and he goes to town on DB. Jericho and Cena fight to the back. Lots of DB kicks. This is wrestling! Huge Punk superplex gets two.
And it's AJ skipping around the ring! Neither guy cares, so AJ up on the apron. Double crossbody KO spot. in the ring. AJ looks under the ring and gets a table. Woohoo table! The unbalanced one knows how to set that table up, that's for sure. She eyes that table. Top rope! Yeah, go jump!
DB says no, don't jump. Fans are saying "SI!" and "YES!" Punk says don't jump. AJ with a liplock on Punk. Punk pushed into DB and the two guys both go through the table. AJ laughs. Lots of "YES!" and "SI!" chants again. Can I have Punk's spot next time this happens?
Christian, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, & Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes, David Otunga, Titus O'Neil, & Darren Young: *
Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio: N/A
Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero vs. Sheamus & AJ: *
Heath Slater vs. Doink: DUD
Big Show vs. Kane (No DQ): *1/4
Tyson Kidd vs. Tensai: N/A
CM Punk & John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan & Chris Jericho: **3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
We're in Laredo, TX. Teddy Long runs RAW and Smackdown this week. Tag match with four main eventers can't be bad, right?
Cena starts the show, since ratings are important. The ol' spiel about him getting the briefcase and becoming WWE champ. Daniel Bryan screams "YES!" all the way down. DB says he'll defeat Punk at MITB to become WWE champ. No music for Punk, either. More "YES!" stuff. Punk/Cena? Bryan/Cena? Sounds like a situation where I couldn't lose. Jericho has something to say about that, and hey, he gets entrance music! More vintage Jericho catchprhases. Daring people to tell Jericho he won't win MITB...dare to tell him "otherwise." Cue Kane pyros. Kane says otherwise. Amusing. Big Show comes out. Cena wants to fight, DB attacks, and all hell breaks loose. Show stands tall again. Good segment to again remind people that Show's a threat.
The Did You Know? deal just makes me feel old. Especially when they mention Justin Bieber wasn't even born yet when RAW premiered. Charlie Sheen on RAW's 1000th show.
Eight-man tag match starts the show so we can at least get these side feuds some airtime. Amused Santino used a stunner on his hot tag. AW pulls Titus and Darren out of the match, way to leave your teammates hangin'. Then Cody does the same, so Otunga's all alone. Sucks to be the guy with too much body oil. Brodus comes out to make sure Otunga doesn't go anywhere. Cobra gets three. Face team celebrates, and they squash Otunga like a bug. Yup, Brodus splashed the hell out of Otunga.
Stephanie McMahon picks an awesome moment where Vince is pretty much training like Rocky, even running in the snow, while Shane's on the megaphone barking orders. Ah, the good ol' days of real non-wrestling entertainment. "I hate Austin! I hate Austin!"
Alberto gets his World title match against Sheamus at MITB. Teddy Long's unveiling a surprise opponent for ADR tonight, though. Hey, it's Sin Cara! This should be good, I hope.
And so much for that. Sin Cara slides under the ring, right into an ADR knee. ADR with a lot of stomps. Cross armbreaker on the outside. Match didn't even start. What a shame.
DB gives AJ a fake rose. AJ bites the flower off. Mentally unstable!
Super Smackdown is LIVE on Tuesday, promoted as the Great American Bash. So that name basically goes from a big WCW PPV to a live TV show. At least it's still relevant, I guess.
Paul Heyman says Lesnar will announce his decision at the 1000th RAW on July 23. Great move for ratings. Great Heyman promo as always to build the match. You know Lesnar's accepting. It's just a matter of what stipulations get affixed to this.
Mixed tag with Sheamus/AJ against Dolph/Vickie. AJ's unbalanced, and I'm so cool with that. Sheamus lines up for the Brogue Kick, so Dolph tags Vickie in. Yay, AJ's now legal. Brogue Kick for Dolph anyway. One Shining Wizard later, AJ pins Vickie. Match served its purpose, I guess. AJ shouts "YES" all the way to the back.
Aw, Punk didn't see AJ's match. It's called multitasking, Punk!
Oh no. Slater's out again. He's not a clown. But Doink is! Oh shoot me. Doink gets basically zero reaction. The kids weren't born yet, doofus! Doink wrestles in his jacket. WAIT WTF SLATER WON?! Thank you for being a short match.
DDP WTF. He looks great, thanks to all that yoga. Nice handshake, some Self High Five, and a Diamond Cutter. Sounds about right.
No Holds Barred stuff with Hulk Hogan and Zeus. Hogan's still getting the WWE love, even if he's working for TNA.
Show and Kane in a No DQ match. So I guess now there's also no countout as the big guys brawl on the outside. Show brings a chair into the match. Show spears Kane into that chair, and Show likely injured his left shoulder there. Quick Big Show chokeslam ends it.
Eve's back after she was off filming stuff for TV. Teddy's got a name tag for her. She then goes to AJ. AJ's getting attention later. She's got mine.
DX invaded WCW that long ago? Alberto Del Rio remembers.
Tyson Kidd gets more airtime on RAW! Opponent tonight is that angry Tensai character. Tensai with some basic moves, then runs into the corner and meets the turnbuckles. Kidd with a rollup for three. Let's start Tensai beating the crap out of Sakamoto again. Tensai busted himself open a little in the process. Has it really been two years since Kidd won a match on RAW?
Jericho and DB in the back. Love how Jericho pokes fun a bit at DB's beard. Remember when Jericho had that beard thing going back in the day?YES! EEEEEEVVER AGAIN! YES! AGAIN!
Tensai ambushes Kidd in the locker room. They still have those rooms for WWE backstage segments?
Cole remembers that Pipebomb promo Punk did a year ago that changed Punk's career in WWE. Still love that promo to this day. Cena pretty much no-sells Jericho's shoulderblock, how surprising. WWE really likes to tout Jericho's undisputed title reign with beating Rock and Austin in one night. Mexican fans in the crowd with the "SI!" chants. Punk with the hot tag here and he goes to town on DB. Jericho and Cena fight to the back. Lots of DB kicks. This is wrestling! Huge Punk superplex gets two.
And it's AJ skipping around the ring! Neither guy cares, so AJ up on the apron. Double crossbody KO spot. in the ring. AJ looks under the ring and gets a table. Woohoo table! The unbalanced one knows how to set that table up, that's for sure. She eyes that table. Top rope! Yeah, go jump!
DB says no, don't jump. Fans are saying "SI!" and "YES!" Punk says don't jump. AJ with a liplock on Punk. Punk pushed into DB and the two guys both go through the table. AJ laughs. Lots of "YES!" and "SI!" chants again. Can I have Punk's spot next time this happens?
Saturday, June 30, 2012
6/29/12 Smackdown
Ratings:
Layla vs. AJ: 1/2*
Damien Sandow vs. Zack Ryder: *1/4
Tyson Kidd vs. Jack Swagger: *1/2
Christian & Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes & David Otunga: **1/4
Ryback vs. Dan Barone & Brendan Burke: N/A (Ry-squash)
Tensai vs. Justin Gabriel: 3/4*
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Title): ***3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Whoa, a divas match starts the show. AJ finally gets in-ring wrestling action. Oh, and Layla has Tiffany's old "Insatiable" entrance music now (I think she's had it all week). AJ eliminated Layla in the RAW battle royal, hence we have this match. Daniel "YESYESYES" Bryan with a ton of "YES" chants. AJ distracted, and Layla with a rollup for the win.
Dueling "YES" chants for DB and AJ, even throughout commercial. Vickie finally gets her rear out there. Talk about repeating annoying catchphrases. Basically, Vickie is the complete suckup to DB and to the Board of Directors. Oh look, AJ's the special guest ref in the WWE Title match! YESYESYES.
World Title will have participants selected by a series of qualifying matches. After all, Smackdown seems to have more of the wrestling stuff anyway. The World Title MITB match is open to anyone, while the WWE Title MITB match is only for former WWE champs. Gee, doesn't that place the WWE Title above the World Title? How lovely -- and predictable.
Zack Ryder and...Damien Sandow? This can't end well for Ryder because you don't want to kill Damien's momentum as a rising star. Sure enough, Damien with the victory. Doesn't mean he's winning MITB, but perhaps you can pencil him in as the dark horse candidate.
DB wants to speak with AJ. Kaitlyn says AJ's nowhere to be found and that the little girl's mentally unstable. Yup. And I dig the crazy chicks.
Tyson Kidd with only a mention in the ring. He faces Swagger for another MITB ladder match spot. Cole says it's a good opportunity for Kidd to break out and be out on his own, away from relying on that Hart legacy. I agree. Kidd has amazing talent, but eventually, he has to craft his own mark in WWE. Kidd will be able to do just that, pinning Swagger. Nice counter out of the ankle lock, and that Blockbuster from the top is money for Tyson. Again, I don't think Kidd will win it, but we need a guy to do some crazy aerial spots anyway.
Dolph and Vickie in the back. Vintage shouting about each wanting what they want (Dolph wants the title, Vickie wants to be permanent GM); it all culminates with a Vickie slap. Awkward tension afterward.
Tag team match next, with the members of the winning team both going to the MITB ladder match. Better match than I thought it would be. Should have expected that, since Christian was in it. Spear got three on Otunga. Santino and Christian both now in MITB. Christian for now is the likely favorite.
Daniel Bryan finds AJ. Want the doc's number for professional help? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Can I be the doctor?
Two more jobbers for Ryback where the combined weight is 353 lbs. Can't they actually get better guys for Ryback to squash? I mean, at least squash Jinder Mahal or Camacho or something. Ugh. At least I learned lately that the designer for Ryback's gear also does RVD's designs.
It's Teddy Long's turn to run RAW and Smackdown next week. First order of business: Antonio Cesaro and Aksana vs. Great Khali and Layla. Put that for Tuesday's Super Smackdown, Great American Bash Special.
MITB qualifier again. Gabriel faces Tensai. Oh man. Hard-hitting offense by Gabriel not enough. You mean Tensai will actually get a MITB shot? I've only heard negative feedback on Tensai's return, so he's doubtful to winning the whole thing.
Cody Rhodes files a "protest" in his match because he wasn't the one pinned. Maybe it'll become relevant and he gets in the ladder match somehow. He's agile enough for me to want him in there.
Triple threat title match ends the show. Action spills to the outside, where Del Rio and Ziggler team up to take out Sheamus. Then the ol' "heels turn on each other" spot allows Sheamus to do the comeback. Last half of the match was outstanding. Ziggler pushes ADR into Ricardo, then rolls up Alberto, but a beautiful Brogue Kick to Ziggler allows Sheamus to retain the title. Best match of the week. Each guy had a legit shot to win.
Layla vs. AJ: 1/2*
Damien Sandow vs. Zack Ryder: *1/4
Tyson Kidd vs. Jack Swagger: *1/2
Christian & Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes & David Otunga: **1/4
Ryback vs. Dan Barone & Brendan Burke: N/A (Ry-squash)
Tensai vs. Justin Gabriel: 3/4*
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Title): ***3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Whoa, a divas match starts the show. AJ finally gets in-ring wrestling action. Oh, and Layla has Tiffany's old "Insatiable" entrance music now (I think she's had it all week). AJ eliminated Layla in the RAW battle royal, hence we have this match. Daniel "YESYESYES" Bryan with a ton of "YES" chants. AJ distracted, and Layla with a rollup for the win.
Dueling "YES" chants for DB and AJ, even throughout commercial. Vickie finally gets her rear out there. Talk about repeating annoying catchphrases. Basically, Vickie is the complete suckup to DB and to the Board of Directors. Oh look, AJ's the special guest ref in the WWE Title match! YESYESYES.
World Title will have participants selected by a series of qualifying matches. After all, Smackdown seems to have more of the wrestling stuff anyway. The World Title MITB match is open to anyone, while the WWE Title MITB match is only for former WWE champs. Gee, doesn't that place the WWE Title above the World Title? How lovely -- and predictable.
Zack Ryder and...Damien Sandow? This can't end well for Ryder because you don't want to kill Damien's momentum as a rising star. Sure enough, Damien with the victory. Doesn't mean he's winning MITB, but perhaps you can pencil him in as the dark horse candidate.
DB wants to speak with AJ. Kaitlyn says AJ's nowhere to be found and that the little girl's mentally unstable. Yup. And I dig the crazy chicks.
Tyson Kidd with only a mention in the ring. He faces Swagger for another MITB ladder match spot. Cole says it's a good opportunity for Kidd to break out and be out on his own, away from relying on that Hart legacy. I agree. Kidd has amazing talent, but eventually, he has to craft his own mark in WWE. Kidd will be able to do just that, pinning Swagger. Nice counter out of the ankle lock, and that Blockbuster from the top is money for Tyson. Again, I don't think Kidd will win it, but we need a guy to do some crazy aerial spots anyway.
Dolph and Vickie in the back. Vintage shouting about each wanting what they want (Dolph wants the title, Vickie wants to be permanent GM); it all culminates with a Vickie slap. Awkward tension afterward.
Tag team match next, with the members of the winning team both going to the MITB ladder match. Better match than I thought it would be. Should have expected that, since Christian was in it. Spear got three on Otunga. Santino and Christian both now in MITB. Christian for now is the likely favorite.
Daniel Bryan finds AJ. Want the doc's number for professional help? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Can I be the doctor?
Two more jobbers for Ryback where the combined weight is 353 lbs. Can't they actually get better guys for Ryback to squash? I mean, at least squash Jinder Mahal or Camacho or something. Ugh. At least I learned lately that the designer for Ryback's gear also does RVD's designs.
It's Teddy Long's turn to run RAW and Smackdown next week. First order of business: Antonio Cesaro and Aksana vs. Great Khali and Layla. Put that for Tuesday's Super Smackdown, Great American Bash Special.
MITB qualifier again. Gabriel faces Tensai. Oh man. Hard-hitting offense by Gabriel not enough. You mean Tensai will actually get a MITB shot? I've only heard negative feedback on Tensai's return, so he's doubtful to winning the whole thing.
Cody Rhodes files a "protest" in his match because he wasn't the one pinned. Maybe it'll become relevant and he gets in the ladder match somehow. He's agile enough for me to want him in there.
Triple threat title match ends the show. Action spills to the outside, where Del Rio and Ziggler team up to take out Sheamus. Then the ol' "heels turn on each other" spot allows Sheamus to do the comeback. Last half of the match was outstanding. Ziggler pushes ADR into Ricardo, then rolls up Alberto, but a beautiful Brogue Kick to Ziggler allows Sheamus to retain the title. Best match of the week. Each guy had a legit shot to win.
Friday, June 29, 2012
6/28/12 Impact
Ratings:
Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson: **1/2
Sonjay Dutt vs. Rubix: **3/4
Bully Ray vs. Samoa Joe: **1/2
Rashad Cameron vs. Mason Andrews: **3/4
Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. AJ Styles & Kurt Angle (Tag Team Titles): ***1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Video from last week, but basically the main thing is they let the world know there's no affair going on. The whole thing now...will Claire factor more into the storyline than what we currently see?
We start with a BFG Series match. Great job to start with RVD and Anderson to get the crowd pumped. Lots of quick pin attempts and mat wrestling to start. Love the unique submissions from RVD because submission wins get three more points than a pin. Nice counters and a good flow. Crowdin the front row kept throughout the match. Wow, a crucifix wins it for RVD...7 points. Shows RVD's leg strength a little more.
BFG Series matches also include house shows, so more people have points now. Storm is still in front for the moment.
Austin Aries promo. I'm still impressed that TNA put such a prestigious stipulation on that X-Division Title: relinquish the title at Destination X for a shot at the World Title. I honestly never would have thought of it, and didn't see it coming. It also helps build excellent hype for the PPV. Destination X will have a tournament to crown a new X-Division champ. Will include past stars. Love this move. Aries might have a mixed reputation backstage, but this is probably the best thing to happen to TNA in a while.
Roode interrupts the promo to intimidate Aries. They tease a fight, and Roode backs off. What this really should mean (and hopefully become reality) is that we'll finally have a new champion at Destination X. Aries should be the one to topple Roode. It would have tremendous long-term benefits for the X-Division Title and set a precedent for future X-Division champs to see it can be done. Think of it as TNA's version of Money in the Bank -- but this particular "briefcase" is defended throughout the year. Furthermore, an Aries win boosts his stock that much more, considering how long Roode's held the gold.
Backstage interview with Claire and Dixie to uncover more info. Typical "heel gets information and twists it to make others look bad" explanation. Kaz is pissed at Daniels, just 90 minutes or so before their rematch for the tag titles.
X-Division qualifying matches begin tonight. We see Sonjay Dutt and Rubix, who both basically wrestle on the indie circuit now. Rubix is a masked guy billed from the Bronx, so Taz is able to make some comments there. The match is predictably fast-paced, tons of counters and insane athleticism. Sonjay with the win, a top-rope backflip into a double-foot stomp for three. Sonjay moves on in the tournament. This is what I want to see more of. Call me a sucker for fast-paced, lucha-style matches, but this is highly entertaining, my friends. Good passionate promo from Sonjay after the match. Glad to see him back in TNA.
Bully Ray faces Samoa Joe. Good matchup here. Bully intimidation tactic doesn't work tonight. Hard hitting, as expected. Tenay finally mentions that you get MINUS 10 points if you get disqualified during a match. Remember that was RVD's problem last year when he feuded with Jerry Lynn. Lengthy match between Bully and Joe. Bully works on Joe's left arm. Bully's even got a Rock Bottom in him nowadays. Joseph park comes out, gets on the apron, and slaps Bully. Joe crawls back in for a chokeout submission win. 10 points for Joe.
Joseph Park issues a challenge to Bully Ray. They fight again in two weeks on Impact. Bully's probably accepting. Or they basically settle it at Destination X somehow. Either way works. The fans are buying into it, and you can really thank Bully Ray for getting so much heel heat that practically any face will benefit working against him.
Kaz basically goes to Hulk and throws Daniels under the proverbial bus. Doesn't work with Hogan.
Madison goes to Garett Bischoff. Madison apparently lets Garett know who the crush is. Garett wishes Madison well with that. Nice and cryptic.
Brooke Hogan shows Tessmacher promotional pictures with Direct Auto Insurance. The claws basically come out, but no physicality. Gail gets her title rematch next week.
More X-Division action with two guys I've really never seen before. Cameron looks like a shorter Kofi Kingston with the old Darren Young afro. Mason's style is aerial-MMA hybrid, which sounds awesome. Mason nearly undershoots Cameron on the corkscrew plancha. Pace slows down later, but still some nice moves. Love that both guys had a chance to really fly here. Mason with a sick vertical. Impressive body scissors hurricanrana from the top gets two. Cameron with a move like R-Truth's Little Jimmy finisher gets three. More of this, I say! Thank you, Philly 215.
It's Gut Check time to find out if Taeler Hendrix gets her Impact Wrestling contract. I missed the part about Taeler's cancer being a misdiagnosis last week. Pritchard is all "would you buy a PPV to watch Taeler?" Um, problem, Bruce. You have NO KNOCKOUT on the roster that has that type of storyline and clout working in tandem right now. The star power's there, but female storylines are still second fiddle to the men.
The way Borash announces, it feels like a damn game show. Let's go to the judges. The crowd is basically becoming like WWE, with fairly big "YES!" chants. Taz wastes no time in voting yes.
Oh snap, Joey Ryan sighting in the front row, right before Al Snow votes! Taz and Al confront Joey. Security escorts Joey out. Basically, it's another storyline brewing. TNA would be smart to keep Joey Ryan and his gimmick. This also gets Taeler a bit more nervous for the voting, so it works overall from that standpoint.
Anyway, Al votes no...to him, Taeler's not ready yet. Of course, it has to be a split vote so that the third guy is actually relevant. Taeler gets some promo time to"kick out" and impress Pritchard. Pritchard builds up the tension, then shows how she's much classier than Joey Ryan. Pritchard votes yes. Taeler's got a contract! Note that there was really no mention of the fan vote, which still (from what I heard) was largely in Taeler's favor anyway.
BFG Series standings: James Storm with 36, Samoa Joe with 27, and the rest have 10 points or fewer.
Next week, James Storm faces Jeff Hardy. TNA will also conduct an interview with Chris Sabin. Video shown from that Ultimate X match a few weeks ago where he tore his left ACL. Second knee injury in two years. That's just extremely unfortunate. Wishing him well for a speedy recovery.
Tag title match is the main event. Still tension between Kaz and Daniels. Angle nukes Daniels in the ring. Angle tags AJ, and somehow it looks like AJ and Daniels botch that hurricanrana from the apron. AJ gets planted like a powerbomb, but Daniels flips over anyway to try and sell the move. AJ then pops right back up like nothing happened. But anyway, this is the usual wrestling clinic these four provide. Tenay and Taz miss Kaz decking Daniels while Daniels was trying to fight out of the German suplex barrage. Kaz with a nice TKO for a near fall. Fade to Black countered into ankle lock. More action from AJ. Ref bump. Daniels with the chair, Kaz takes it away. Bird flip to Daniels. Kaz tells AJ to finish Daniels off. Kaz sneaks back in and decks AJ with the chair. Ref thrown back in to count the pin, and we have new tag champs. Was Kaz's actions earlier on this episode all a ruse?
Daniels on the mic. Yes, we've seen Claire is pregnant. The daddy's AJ Styles? Claire sulks in her chair and starts crying, basically admitting guilt. Man, this is fit for Springer! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson: **1/2
Sonjay Dutt vs. Rubix: **3/4
Bully Ray vs. Samoa Joe: **1/2
Rashad Cameron vs. Mason Andrews: **3/4
Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. AJ Styles & Kurt Angle (Tag Team Titles): ***1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Video from last week, but basically the main thing is they let the world know there's no affair going on. The whole thing now...will Claire factor more into the storyline than what we currently see?
We start with a BFG Series match. Great job to start with RVD and Anderson to get the crowd pumped. Lots of quick pin attempts and mat wrestling to start. Love the unique submissions from RVD because submission wins get three more points than a pin. Nice counters and a good flow. Crowdin the front row kept throughout the match. Wow, a crucifix wins it for RVD...7 points. Shows RVD's leg strength a little more.
BFG Series matches also include house shows, so more people have points now. Storm is still in front for the moment.
Austin Aries promo. I'm still impressed that TNA put such a prestigious stipulation on that X-Division Title: relinquish the title at Destination X for a shot at the World Title. I honestly never would have thought of it, and didn't see it coming. It also helps build excellent hype for the PPV. Destination X will have a tournament to crown a new X-Division champ. Will include past stars. Love this move. Aries might have a mixed reputation backstage, but this is probably the best thing to happen to TNA in a while.
Roode interrupts the promo to intimidate Aries. They tease a fight, and Roode backs off. What this really should mean (and hopefully become reality) is that we'll finally have a new champion at Destination X. Aries should be the one to topple Roode. It would have tremendous long-term benefits for the X-Division Title and set a precedent for future X-Division champs to see it can be done. Think of it as TNA's version of Money in the Bank -- but this particular "briefcase" is defended throughout the year. Furthermore, an Aries win boosts his stock that much more, considering how long Roode's held the gold.
Backstage interview with Claire and Dixie to uncover more info. Typical "heel gets information and twists it to make others look bad" explanation. Kaz is pissed at Daniels, just 90 minutes or so before their rematch for the tag titles.
X-Division qualifying matches begin tonight. We see Sonjay Dutt and Rubix, who both basically wrestle on the indie circuit now. Rubix is a masked guy billed from the Bronx, so Taz is able to make some comments there. The match is predictably fast-paced, tons of counters and insane athleticism. Sonjay with the win, a top-rope backflip into a double-foot stomp for three. Sonjay moves on in the tournament. This is what I want to see more of. Call me a sucker for fast-paced, lucha-style matches, but this is highly entertaining, my friends. Good passionate promo from Sonjay after the match. Glad to see him back in TNA.
Bully Ray faces Samoa Joe. Good matchup here. Bully intimidation tactic doesn't work tonight. Hard hitting, as expected. Tenay finally mentions that you get MINUS 10 points if you get disqualified during a match. Remember that was RVD's problem last year when he feuded with Jerry Lynn. Lengthy match between Bully and Joe. Bully works on Joe's left arm. Bully's even got a Rock Bottom in him nowadays. Joseph park comes out, gets on the apron, and slaps Bully. Joe crawls back in for a chokeout submission win. 10 points for Joe.
Joseph Park issues a challenge to Bully Ray. They fight again in two weeks on Impact. Bully's probably accepting. Or they basically settle it at Destination X somehow. Either way works. The fans are buying into it, and you can really thank Bully Ray for getting so much heel heat that practically any face will benefit working against him.
Kaz basically goes to Hulk and throws Daniels under the proverbial bus. Doesn't work with Hogan.
Madison goes to Garett Bischoff. Madison apparently lets Garett know who the crush is. Garett wishes Madison well with that. Nice and cryptic.
Brooke Hogan shows Tessmacher promotional pictures with Direct Auto Insurance. The claws basically come out, but no physicality. Gail gets her title rematch next week.
More X-Division action with two guys I've really never seen before. Cameron looks like a shorter Kofi Kingston with the old Darren Young afro. Mason's style is aerial-MMA hybrid, which sounds awesome. Mason nearly undershoots Cameron on the corkscrew plancha. Pace slows down later, but still some nice moves. Love that both guys had a chance to really fly here. Mason with a sick vertical. Impressive body scissors hurricanrana from the top gets two. Cameron with a move like R-Truth's Little Jimmy finisher gets three. More of this, I say! Thank you, Philly 215.
It's Gut Check time to find out if Taeler Hendrix gets her Impact Wrestling contract. I missed the part about Taeler's cancer being a misdiagnosis last week. Pritchard is all "would you buy a PPV to watch Taeler?" Um, problem, Bruce. You have NO KNOCKOUT on the roster that has that type of storyline and clout working in tandem right now. The star power's there, but female storylines are still second fiddle to the men.
The way Borash announces, it feels like a damn game show. Let's go to the judges. The crowd is basically becoming like WWE, with fairly big "YES!" chants. Taz wastes no time in voting yes.
Oh snap, Joey Ryan sighting in the front row, right before Al Snow votes! Taz and Al confront Joey. Security escorts Joey out. Basically, it's another storyline brewing. TNA would be smart to keep Joey Ryan and his gimmick. This also gets Taeler a bit more nervous for the voting, so it works overall from that standpoint.
Anyway, Al votes no...to him, Taeler's not ready yet. Of course, it has to be a split vote so that the third guy is actually relevant. Taeler gets some promo time to"kick out" and impress Pritchard. Pritchard builds up the tension, then shows how she's much classier than Joey Ryan. Pritchard votes yes. Taeler's got a contract! Note that there was really no mention of the fan vote, which still (from what I heard) was largely in Taeler's favor anyway.
BFG Series standings: James Storm with 36, Samoa Joe with 27, and the rest have 10 points or fewer.
Next week, James Storm faces Jeff Hardy. TNA will also conduct an interview with Chris Sabin. Video shown from that Ultimate X match a few weeks ago where he tore his left ACL. Second knee injury in two years. That's just extremely unfortunate. Wishing him well for a speedy recovery.
Tag title match is the main event. Still tension between Kaz and Daniels. Angle nukes Daniels in the ring. Angle tags AJ, and somehow it looks like AJ and Daniels botch that hurricanrana from the apron. AJ gets planted like a powerbomb, but Daniels flips over anyway to try and sell the move. AJ then pops right back up like nothing happened. But anyway, this is the usual wrestling clinic these four provide. Tenay and Taz miss Kaz decking Daniels while Daniels was trying to fight out of the German suplex barrage. Kaz with a nice TKO for a near fall. Fade to Black countered into ankle lock. More action from AJ. Ref bump. Daniels with the chair, Kaz takes it away. Bird flip to Daniels. Kaz tells AJ to finish Daniels off. Kaz sneaks back in and decks AJ with the chair. Ref thrown back in to count the pin, and we have new tag champs. Was Kaz's actions earlier on this episode all a ruse?
Daniels on the mic. Yes, we've seen Claire is pregnant. The daddy's AJ Styles? Claire sulks in her chair and starts crying, basically admitting guilt. Man, this is fit for Springer! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
6/28/12 Superstars
Ratings:
Kofi Kingston vs. Michael McGillicutty: **1/2
Darren Young vs. Epico: *1/2
Hunico & Camacho vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/2
Kane vs. Heath Slater: 1/2*
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Kofi starts the show against McGillicutty. Kofi with his usual high-flying stuff to pump the crowd up. Was Scott Stanford dissing Brodus' dancing ability? Gasp! Turned into a pretty exciting match after the Kingston comeback spot. A few counters and near falls.
AW introduces the Primetime Players. Darren faces Epico tonight. Whoa, a tag team storyline! AW has one of those mics that goes around the ear like some singing dancer wears. He has his mic on the entire time. Epico does a trifecta of belly-to-back suplexes. AW with interference, Titus gets involved, and Darren's Gutcheck finisher gets three.
Camacho sees some rare in-ring time, tagging with Hunico here against the Usos. Nice finish from the Usos to get the win here. Basically one Uso elevates the opponent up, and that poor victim meets a superkick on the way down.
Kane vs. Heath Slater in the main event? Who the hell is WWE trying to kid here? Yup, Slater's gonna be on fire for sure. Slater's gotten noticed, all right -- noticed on how he's the man that will be jobbing to some former star or some current main eventer. At least Heath got some offense in. Chokeslam ends it. No AJ because Kane basically dumped her on RAW. Oh well.
Kofi Kingston vs. Michael McGillicutty: **1/2
Darren Young vs. Epico: *1/2
Hunico & Camacho vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/2
Kane vs. Heath Slater: 1/2*
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Kofi starts the show against McGillicutty. Kofi with his usual high-flying stuff to pump the crowd up. Was Scott Stanford dissing Brodus' dancing ability? Gasp! Turned into a pretty exciting match after the Kingston comeback spot. A few counters and near falls.
AW introduces the Primetime Players. Darren faces Epico tonight. Whoa, a tag team storyline! AW has one of those mics that goes around the ear like some singing dancer wears. He has his mic on the entire time. Epico does a trifecta of belly-to-back suplexes. AW with interference, Titus gets involved, and Darren's Gutcheck finisher gets three.
Camacho sees some rare in-ring time, tagging with Hunico here against the Usos. Nice finish from the Usos to get the win here. Basically one Uso elevates the opponent up, and that poor victim meets a superkick on the way down.
Kane vs. Heath Slater in the main event? Who the hell is WWE trying to kid here? Yup, Slater's gonna be on fire for sure. Slater's gotten noticed, all right -- noticed on how he's the man that will be jobbing to some former star or some current main eventer. At least Heath got some offense in. Chokeslam ends it. No AJ because Kane basically dumped her on RAW. Oh well.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
6/27/12 NXT
Ratings:
Seth Rollins vs. Jiro: 1/4*
Jinder Mahal vs. Jason Jordan: DUD
Leo Kruger vs. Aiden English: N/A (squash)
Conor O'Brian & Kenneth Cameron vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/4
Richie Steamboat vs. Rick Victor: *1/4
Antonio Cesaro vs. Dante Dash: N/A (squash)
Derrick Bateman vs. Johnny Curtis: *1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Byron Saxton on color this week, alongside the awesome play-by-play of Jim Ross.
Seth Rollins starts the show off, and I swear, he has the old CM Punk look and acts in a crazier way. He's one of the guys being hyped in video packages, so he's probably going over here. Rollins faces a Japanese jobber. Lots of chops. Rollins' finisher is basically stomping the guy in the back and the guy falls to the canvas. Blackout is the name. A little bonus rating for all those chops and kicks (otherwise, I'd just give it an N/A and move on).
I'd like to say that's at least a way to keep the "Tyler Black" name alive. I hope he still performs that Phoenix Splash and God's Last Gift in future matches.
Mediocre promo from Rollins after the match. Awkward moment on the stage between him and Jinder.
Promo from Jinder, but seems like Jason Jordan is the one to showcase here, since JJ is the newbie on TV. Jordan didn't wrestle last week because Sandow refused to compete. Jinder takes control early on and thwarts any Jordan offense. Camel Clutch wins it. So much for my theory. Not the best way to debut for Jordan. Crowd largely didn't care.
Video package on Leo Kruger. He's billed from South Africa, apparently treated like a god there, and an alpha male lion. Sounds like a heel persona to me. He's got some great moves, can't wait to see this next. Nice fanfare entrance music. Aiden English to job tonight, it appears. Basic stuff, Kruger finishes the job with a sleeper/choke and body scissors.
Richie Steamboat video package again. Looking forward to his NXT debut.
Usos relegated to NXT again. Oh, now William Regal is on color. Nice way to edit the episode and change color guys out of nowhere (sarcasm). They job to The Ascension, who I think has the coolest entrance this side of the Undertaker. Don't try to headbutt Samoans. Jim Ross with a great line: "a revolving door of disaster" in the corner. The NXT Universe is much smaller, unfortunately. Jimmy Uso with the hot tag, so at least it's not a total squash. Downcast (facebuster into a one-man flapjack) is the Ascension finisher getting three.
Saxton back on color for Richie Steamboat's NXT debut. Generic rock music entrance. Richie's got his father's arm drags perfected. Oh look, Ricky's conveniently in the front row! Match seemed to take forever; a lot of basic moves here. Double elbows in the corner like Matt Morgan did in TNA. Slingblade is Steamboat's finisher. Versatile, but I have a hard time believing that for a finisher. Then again, Ricky Steamboat "only" had a crossbody for a finisher, so we'll see how this one goes. Not bad here.
Antonio Cesaro video package. Aksana still with Antonio, so that hasn't changed. Dante Dash will job tonight. Impressive deadlift gutwrench from Antonio. Lots of physicality from AC. AC's finisher is called the Neutralizer. Thank you, J.R.
Bray Wyatt video again. His speeches remind me of Dusty Rhodes. When working dark matches, Wyatt played a heel. We'll see what his TV persona is like. He's still billed as "coming soon," so WWE apparently is investing highly on him.
Curtis and Bateman main event this show. Weird hit-and-run start from Curtis. Curtis targets Bateman's left knee. Bateman sold respectably well. Bateman with the short comeback and his modified DDT for the win. Ross says it's called the "DBD."
This was a largely forgettable show. Mostly debuts with squash matches, not much crowd excitement. Next week, Ross said NXT female competitors debut, as well as Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero).
Seth Rollins vs. Jiro: 1/4*
Jinder Mahal vs. Jason Jordan: DUD
Leo Kruger vs. Aiden English: N/A (squash)
Conor O'Brian & Kenneth Cameron vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/4
Richie Steamboat vs. Rick Victor: *1/4
Antonio Cesaro vs. Dante Dash: N/A (squash)
Derrick Bateman vs. Johnny Curtis: *1/2
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Byron Saxton on color this week, alongside the awesome play-by-play of Jim Ross.
Seth Rollins starts the show off, and I swear, he has the old CM Punk look and acts in a crazier way. He's one of the guys being hyped in video packages, so he's probably going over here. Rollins faces a Japanese jobber. Lots of chops. Rollins' finisher is basically stomping the guy in the back and the guy falls to the canvas. Blackout is the name. A little bonus rating for all those chops and kicks (otherwise, I'd just give it an N/A and move on).
I'd like to say that's at least a way to keep the "Tyler Black" name alive. I hope he still performs that Phoenix Splash and God's Last Gift in future matches.
Mediocre promo from Rollins after the match. Awkward moment on the stage between him and Jinder.
Promo from Jinder, but seems like Jason Jordan is the one to showcase here, since JJ is the newbie on TV. Jordan didn't wrestle last week because Sandow refused to compete. Jinder takes control early on and thwarts any Jordan offense. Camel Clutch wins it. So much for my theory. Not the best way to debut for Jordan. Crowd largely didn't care.
Video package on Leo Kruger. He's billed from South Africa, apparently treated like a god there, and an alpha male lion. Sounds like a heel persona to me. He's got some great moves, can't wait to see this next. Nice fanfare entrance music. Aiden English to job tonight, it appears. Basic stuff, Kruger finishes the job with a sleeper/choke and body scissors.
Richie Steamboat video package again. Looking forward to his NXT debut.
Usos relegated to NXT again. Oh, now William Regal is on color. Nice way to edit the episode and change color guys out of nowhere (sarcasm). They job to The Ascension, who I think has the coolest entrance this side of the Undertaker. Don't try to headbutt Samoans. Jim Ross with a great line: "a revolving door of disaster" in the corner. The NXT Universe is much smaller, unfortunately. Jimmy Uso with the hot tag, so at least it's not a total squash. Downcast (facebuster into a one-man flapjack) is the Ascension finisher getting three.
Saxton back on color for Richie Steamboat's NXT debut. Generic rock music entrance. Richie's got his father's arm drags perfected. Oh look, Ricky's conveniently in the front row! Match seemed to take forever; a lot of basic moves here. Double elbows in the corner like Matt Morgan did in TNA. Slingblade is Steamboat's finisher. Versatile, but I have a hard time believing that for a finisher. Then again, Ricky Steamboat "only" had a crossbody for a finisher, so we'll see how this one goes. Not bad here.
Antonio Cesaro video package. Aksana still with Antonio, so that hasn't changed. Dante Dash will job tonight. Impressive deadlift gutwrench from Antonio. Lots of physicality from AC. AC's finisher is called the Neutralizer. Thank you, J.R.
Bray Wyatt video again. His speeches remind me of Dusty Rhodes. When working dark matches, Wyatt played a heel. We'll see what his TV persona is like. He's still billed as "coming soon," so WWE apparently is investing highly on him.
Curtis and Bateman main event this show. Weird hit-and-run start from Curtis. Curtis targets Bateman's left knee. Bateman sold respectably well. Bateman with the short comeback and his modified DDT for the win. Ross says it's called the "DBD."
This was a largely forgettable show. Mostly debuts with squash matches, not much crowd excitement. Next week, Ross said NXT female competitors debut, as well as Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero).
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
6/25/12 RAW
Ratings:
Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk vs. Kane (Elimination): **1/2
Big Show vs. Brodus Clay: 1/2*
Santino Marella vs. Jack Swagger (U.S. Title): *
Sycho Sid vs. Heath Slater: N/A (squash)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio (Contract on a Pole): *3/4
Divas Summertime Beach Battle Royal: DUD
John Cena vs. Chris Jericho: *1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
AJ appears to be talking to Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Punk, but she's practicing talking into a mirror about probably dumping all three of them. Cole thinks she's talking to herself. Yeah, she's crazy. Nice intro to the show. Meanwhile, Cena has a major announcement for later in the show.
Vickie Guerrero is the interim GM this week for RAW and Smackdown. Yes, you are excused. Nice heel heat.
Triple threat elimination match to start. And DB's in it! Yes yes yes! Crowd agrees. Twitter poll on who AJ should be with. I'd vote #AJALL. Punk and DB double-team Kane. Nice Punk curb stomp to DB after teasing a sharpshooter. Kane ready to chokeslam Punk but AJ comes out to skip around the ring. No Kane mask tonight. Still, it allows Punk to hit the GTS on Kane. Kane gone. DB with that KO Tajiri-like kick to Punk for three. YES!
Alberto with roses for Vickie. Ricardo apparently forgot the vase. Meanwhile, ADR and Dolph are in a World Title Contract on a Pole match to determine who faces Sheamus for the World Title on Smackdown. Ricardo's back with the vase, and Dolph sends that into next week.
Two huge guys in Show and Brodus battle. Brodus selling that injured left knee. Show nearly slips on the ropes, but delivers that Vader Bomb to the knee. Naomi and Cameron are concerned, as they should be. Brodus attempts a slam, Show falls on him, and Show gets the pin?! Um, OK. Odd finish, but whatever. Good job attacking and selling the knee. Brodus gets helped to the back, and Show KOs him with the WMD. Does this mean Brodus goes off TV and loses the dancers? That guy seriously needs to be a heel. The damn Funkasaurus gimmick was odd from the start, and it's not getting him anywhere right now. So what, feud with Show and ultimately lose? Show's being built as this dominant giant with the ironclad contract. Brodus wouldn't be going over here, not now.
Cena gets a video package for all those Make a Wish grants he's done (over 300). Bob Barker's guest host deal from RAW also shown -- which was probably one of the most enjoyable guest host RAW episodes ever.
Lesnar answers HHH's challenge next week. Of course Lesnar will eventually say yes. But with all the drama I read about concerning Lesnar, it's doubtful he wins. Maybe he's been training and looks even more jacked by the time SummerSlam comes around.
Kane has feelings he never thought were possible. Let's just ignore all those human transformations he's had over the years. Best line was Kane admitting that, even to him, AJ's mentally unstable. Basically Kane dumping AJ. AJ with a mixture of crying and laughing. What, no random Kaitlyn to attack?
Swagger doesn't even get a TV entrance anymore. Meanwhile, he jobs to Santino in a U.S. Title match in less than three minutes. Yeah, Santino finally defends the gold. Poor Swagger. He's got good moves and athleticism, but just doesn't have that "it" factor right now. #jobbingjack
Cena and Ryder throw a "People Power" T-shirt in the trash. Cena comes out to start hour #2. Some Star Wars stuff intermixed with WWE superstars. Have to admit, that was great. Before the historic announcement, here comes JERICHO to save us all. He grew his hair out just a little more, still short, though. Thank you. No mention of the Brazilian flag incident, just the European tour he went on with Fozzy.
Jericho with his vintage "just cut to the chase" statement for Cena. Cena says he's in the MITB ladder match to prevent Show from winning. Suitcase? Thought it was a briefcase. Fudgin'? Yeah, way to cater to the PG crowd. Jericho then enters himself in the MITB ladder match. Vickie comes out to say there are TWO MITB ladder matches at the PPV. Jericho pokes fun at himself with the "suspension" line.
MITB ladder match now only for former WWE and World champs. Vickie announces Kane, Big Show, Jericho, and Cena. Vickie books Jericho and Cena tonight, and I like it.
Time for another former RAW superstar to show his face to commemorate RAW's 1000th show. Two weeks ago, it's Vader. Last week, it was Cyndi Lauper, Wendi Richter, and Roddy Piper. Before Lilian announces the legend (apparently a former 2-time WWE champion?), Heath Slater gets to job again! Great job with the "rule the world" line to lead into the former star's entrance....
...AND HOLY CRAP IT'S SID! WOOHOO! Marked out there. I watched the WCW Sin PPV over 10 years ago where he had that horrific broken leg. Frankly, I don't want to watch that again. Slater at least remembered to attack that same leg Sid broke many moons ago. Doesn't matter, though. Powerbomb ended it quickly. As basic a match as you'd expect. Sid has clearly aged, so I doubt he's doing many more of these.
Time for the Contract on a Pole match to see who faces Sheamus on Smackdown. Nice show of agility and athleticism here. Nice second-rope Samoan drop from ADR. Interesting stuff with Ziggler pulling the clipboard down, and it's basically a mad scramble for "control" of that clipboard. Even Ricardo gets nuked trying to get to it. They fall out the other side of the ring, Sheamus comes out, and basically says he'll take both of them on for the title. Triple threat. So what the hell was the point of this match?! Grr.
Foley's "This is Your Life" segment from eons ago plays. Classic.
Divas have a summertime beach battle royal. They are all in bikinis. And Vickie is a part of it. I think many of our viewers went blind. I think Alicia Fox actually rolled out of the ring to eliminate herself. AJ, Layla, and Vickie were the last three. AJ wins. YESYESYES. Oh, and Punk guessed King Kong Bundy before in his segment with AJ. Brilliant!
Cena and Jericho in a short main event. Cena's been in the company 10 years (yes, really). Signature moves hit, with some counters. Big Show then comes out. Cena in the Walls of Jericho. Show legdrops Cena, so I guess Cena wins by DQ. Jericho hightails it. Show chokeslams Cena. Hey, Cole remembers the Colossal Clutch! Cena choked out to end the show.
Mostly forgettable second half of the show. Nice to see Big Show booked strong.
Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk vs. Kane (Elimination): **1/2
Big Show vs. Brodus Clay: 1/2*
Santino Marella vs. Jack Swagger (U.S. Title): *
Sycho Sid vs. Heath Slater: N/A (squash)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio (Contract on a Pole): *3/4
Divas Summertime Beach Battle Royal: DUD
John Cena vs. Chris Jericho: *1/2
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
AJ appears to be talking to Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Punk, but she's practicing talking into a mirror about probably dumping all three of them. Cole thinks she's talking to herself. Yeah, she's crazy. Nice intro to the show. Meanwhile, Cena has a major announcement for later in the show.
Vickie Guerrero is the interim GM this week for RAW and Smackdown. Yes, you are excused. Nice heel heat.
Triple threat elimination match to start. And DB's in it! Yes yes yes! Crowd agrees. Twitter poll on who AJ should be with. I'd vote #AJALL. Punk and DB double-team Kane. Nice Punk curb stomp to DB after teasing a sharpshooter. Kane ready to chokeslam Punk but AJ comes out to skip around the ring. No Kane mask tonight. Still, it allows Punk to hit the GTS on Kane. Kane gone. DB with that KO Tajiri-like kick to Punk for three. YES!
Alberto with roses for Vickie. Ricardo apparently forgot the vase. Meanwhile, ADR and Dolph are in a World Title Contract on a Pole match to determine who faces Sheamus for the World Title on Smackdown. Ricardo's back with the vase, and Dolph sends that into next week.
Two huge guys in Show and Brodus battle. Brodus selling that injured left knee. Show nearly slips on the ropes, but delivers that Vader Bomb to the knee. Naomi and Cameron are concerned, as they should be. Brodus attempts a slam, Show falls on him, and Show gets the pin?! Um, OK. Odd finish, but whatever. Good job attacking and selling the knee. Brodus gets helped to the back, and Show KOs him with the WMD. Does this mean Brodus goes off TV and loses the dancers? That guy seriously needs to be a heel. The damn Funkasaurus gimmick was odd from the start, and it's not getting him anywhere right now. So what, feud with Show and ultimately lose? Show's being built as this dominant giant with the ironclad contract. Brodus wouldn't be going over here, not now.
Cena gets a video package for all those Make a Wish grants he's done (over 300). Bob Barker's guest host deal from RAW also shown -- which was probably one of the most enjoyable guest host RAW episodes ever.
Lesnar answers HHH's challenge next week. Of course Lesnar will eventually say yes. But with all the drama I read about concerning Lesnar, it's doubtful he wins. Maybe he's been training and looks even more jacked by the time SummerSlam comes around.
Kane has feelings he never thought were possible. Let's just ignore all those human transformations he's had over the years. Best line was Kane admitting that, even to him, AJ's mentally unstable. Basically Kane dumping AJ. AJ with a mixture of crying and laughing. What, no random Kaitlyn to attack?
Swagger doesn't even get a TV entrance anymore. Meanwhile, he jobs to Santino in a U.S. Title match in less than three minutes. Yeah, Santino finally defends the gold. Poor Swagger. He's got good moves and athleticism, but just doesn't have that "it" factor right now. #jobbingjack
Cena and Ryder throw a "People Power" T-shirt in the trash. Cena comes out to start hour #2. Some Star Wars stuff intermixed with WWE superstars. Have to admit, that was great. Before the historic announcement, here comes JERICHO to save us all. He grew his hair out just a little more, still short, though. Thank you. No mention of the Brazilian flag incident, just the European tour he went on with Fozzy.
Jericho with his vintage "just cut to the chase" statement for Cena. Cena says he's in the MITB ladder match to prevent Show from winning. Suitcase? Thought it was a briefcase. Fudgin'? Yeah, way to cater to the PG crowd. Jericho then enters himself in the MITB ladder match. Vickie comes out to say there are TWO MITB ladder matches at the PPV. Jericho pokes fun at himself with the "suspension" line.
MITB ladder match now only for former WWE and World champs. Vickie announces Kane, Big Show, Jericho, and Cena. Vickie books Jericho and Cena tonight, and I like it.
Time for another former RAW superstar to show his face to commemorate RAW's 1000th show. Two weeks ago, it's Vader. Last week, it was Cyndi Lauper, Wendi Richter, and Roddy Piper. Before Lilian announces the legend (apparently a former 2-time WWE champion?), Heath Slater gets to job again! Great job with the "rule the world" line to lead into the former star's entrance....
...AND HOLY CRAP IT'S SID! WOOHOO! Marked out there. I watched the WCW Sin PPV over 10 years ago where he had that horrific broken leg. Frankly, I don't want to watch that again. Slater at least remembered to attack that same leg Sid broke many moons ago. Doesn't matter, though. Powerbomb ended it quickly. As basic a match as you'd expect. Sid has clearly aged, so I doubt he's doing many more of these.
Time for the Contract on a Pole match to see who faces Sheamus on Smackdown. Nice show of agility and athleticism here. Nice second-rope Samoan drop from ADR. Interesting stuff with Ziggler pulling the clipboard down, and it's basically a mad scramble for "control" of that clipboard. Even Ricardo gets nuked trying to get to it. They fall out the other side of the ring, Sheamus comes out, and basically says he'll take both of them on for the title. Triple threat. So what the hell was the point of this match?! Grr.
Foley's "This is Your Life" segment from eons ago plays. Classic.
Divas have a summertime beach battle royal. They are all in bikinis. And Vickie is a part of it. I think many of our viewers went blind. I think Alicia Fox actually rolled out of the ring to eliminate herself. AJ, Layla, and Vickie were the last three. AJ wins. YESYESYES. Oh, and Punk guessed King Kong Bundy before in his segment with AJ. Brilliant!
Cena and Jericho in a short main event. Cena's been in the company 10 years (yes, really). Signature moves hit, with some counters. Big Show then comes out. Cena in the Walls of Jericho. Show legdrops Cena, so I guess Cena wins by DQ. Jericho hightails it. Show chokeslams Cena. Hey, Cole remembers the Colossal Clutch! Cena choked out to end the show.
Mostly forgettable second half of the show. Nice to see Big Show booked strong.
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