Ratings:
Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: ***
Santino Marella vs. Michael McGillicutty: *3/4
Zack Ryder vs. Tensai: **1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Again, Kidd and Gabriel start the show off in tag team action. Great way to utilize them, since it looks like they won't be pushed in singles action anytime soon. I'm glad Striker still hates Hawkins and Reks for what the team did to the teacher on NXT (although NXT is never referenced). Kidd endures a bunch of punishment here. Good tag team heel tactics from Hawkins/Reks. Nice elevated flatliner move from Reks after Gabriel got the hot tag. Interesting that Hawkins and Kidd stayed down for a bit after that hot tag. I love the tag finisher from Kidd and Gabriel. Really good match here.
Santino is still the U.S. champ, but he's really still champ because he doesn't defend the belt often. He's been losing his fair share of matches. I still facepalm at people backing away when Santino motions for the cobra. And who shakes hands with the left hand...you know there's something devious going down if that occurs. MM ironically taking a Bret Hart move with the second-rope elbow. Pretty slow match. Saito suplex really making a comeback thanks to MM and now Santino. Cobra wins it for Santino.
Tensai and Ryder in the main event this week. Obviously, Zack needs to do the ol' stick-and-move routine. Tensai with the methodical and power moves. Nerve holds may be effective, but man it's boring. Sakamoto now getting pushed around by Ryder. Tensai gets the win this week, so hey, WWE management is not totally frowning upon his abilities. Still though, to be brought in with all those vignettes and to really go nowhere is disappointing, to say the least. See Sin Cara and Kharma (the latter now released) for more examples.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
8/8/12 NXT
Ratings:
Michael McGillicutty vs. Justin Gabriel: **1/2
Kassius Ohno vs. CJ Parker: *1/2
Tamina Snuka & Paige vs. Kaitlyn & Caylee Turner: 1/2*
Jinder Mahal vs. Bo Dallas: *3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
We start off with the next Gold Rush tournament quarterfinal match to crown a new NXT champ. Gabriel and McGillicutty here. Fans saw a new side of Justin Gabriel, going a lot more to the ground game early, being more technical a superstar. The second half was vintage Gabriel. Awesome, in my opinion. He becomes a more well-rounded competitor and an even bigger threat. A bit more unpredictability never hurt anyone here. MM couldn't win with his dad's finisher, but gets it with his neckbreaker. The finish shows how one mistake can be the end of you.
Kassius Ohno back in action this week. Fear the beard! Ohno in control for most of the match, and rolling elbow wins it. Love that finisher.
Another video package for The Ascension. They will be in action again next week. I've got high hopes for this duo.
Divas tag team action on NXT, and we see the first match for Caylee Turner, the (real-life) younger sister of Alicia Fox. We've seen Paige before; WWE is pretty high on her to help be part of the next wave of divas to blaze a trail. Not sure who the faces really are anymore, aside from Tamina, and I'm not too concerned about that anyway. Funny how they push Kaitlyn and Tamina as two of the strongest divas in WWE, ignoring the likes of Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Not saying the former two divas are weak, but it just implies ignorance from the commentating team. Caylee with a couple of botches, but she'll get better. Paige rolls Caylee up for the win, and in an awkward spot, Kaitlyn just stands there on the apron thinking nothing of it. Come on, it's the little things that help make a match a bit more believable.
Bateman pulls a bit of the jealous/peeved card that Bo Dallas qualified, McGillicutty qualified, and he didn't. On top of all that, commentating team really praises Bo and pegs him the front-runner to win the Gold Rush tournament.
So naturally, it was obvious Bo would lose this match. I was just wondering if Bateman would interfere to cost him the victory (didn't happen). Bo and Jinder have family pedigrees in pro wrestling, so both have the genes to be in the business. Unfortunately, the crowd again was quiet and didn't seem to care much. Mahal got the win with a flatliner and a camel clutch.
Michael McGillicutty vs. Justin Gabriel: **1/2
Kassius Ohno vs. CJ Parker: *1/2
Tamina Snuka & Paige vs. Kaitlyn & Caylee Turner: 1/2*
Jinder Mahal vs. Bo Dallas: *3/4
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
We start off with the next Gold Rush tournament quarterfinal match to crown a new NXT champ. Gabriel and McGillicutty here. Fans saw a new side of Justin Gabriel, going a lot more to the ground game early, being more technical a superstar. The second half was vintage Gabriel. Awesome, in my opinion. He becomes a more well-rounded competitor and an even bigger threat. A bit more unpredictability never hurt anyone here. MM couldn't win with his dad's finisher, but gets it with his neckbreaker. The finish shows how one mistake can be the end of you.
Kassius Ohno back in action this week. Fear the beard! Ohno in control for most of the match, and rolling elbow wins it. Love that finisher.
Another video package for The Ascension. They will be in action again next week. I've got high hopes for this duo.
Divas tag team action on NXT, and we see the first match for Caylee Turner, the (real-life) younger sister of Alicia Fox. We've seen Paige before; WWE is pretty high on her to help be part of the next wave of divas to blaze a trail. Not sure who the faces really are anymore, aside from Tamina, and I'm not too concerned about that anyway. Funny how they push Kaitlyn and Tamina as two of the strongest divas in WWE, ignoring the likes of Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Not saying the former two divas are weak, but it just implies ignorance from the commentating team. Caylee with a couple of botches, but she'll get better. Paige rolls Caylee up for the win, and in an awkward spot, Kaitlyn just stands there on the apron thinking nothing of it. Come on, it's the little things that help make a match a bit more believable.
Bateman pulls a bit of the jealous/peeved card that Bo Dallas qualified, McGillicutty qualified, and he didn't. On top of all that, commentating team really praises Bo and pegs him the front-runner to win the Gold Rush tournament.
So naturally, it was obvious Bo would lose this match. I was just wondering if Bateman would interfere to cost him the victory (didn't happen). Bo and Jinder have family pedigrees in pro wrestling, so both have the genes to be in the business. Unfortunately, the crowd again was quiet and didn't seem to care much. Mahal got the win with a flatliner and a camel clutch.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
8/6/12 RAW
Ratings:
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio: **1/4
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian: *1/4
Big Show vs. Randy Orton: *3/4
Ryback vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: 1/2*
Primo & Epico vs. Titus O'Neil & Darren Young: ?
Damien Sandow vs. Brodus Clay: N/A
Kelly Kelly vs. Eve Torres: 1/2*
Alex Riley vs. Dolph Ziggler: *1/4
Kane vs. Miz: *
Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena: **3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Love the new WWE RAW openings. Still prefer the Smackdown theme song. It's Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night in San Antonio!
AJ skips to the ring in a white business suit. More matches! Big Show vs. Orton. Daniel Bryan vs. Cena. Punk comes out to apologize to AJ for last week, which AJ accepts. Now, back to heel Punk and his attempt to cancel the Triple Threat SummerSlam match. Lots of "NO" chants. AJ refuses to cancel the match. Cena comes out with all the split chants. Cena says gotta earn respect, not demand it. Punk with the Gray's Sports Almanac reference! Yes! AJ puts Punk in a match, opponent to be determined by fans (Miz, Kane, or Mysterio). Fans wanted HBK, but that's not happening. Match is next!
I love heel Punk right now. It's basically reverting to the character he was last year when delivering the pipebomb promos, but done in a more heelish fashion.
We get the poll results that apparently lasted all of five minutes. It's Mysterio with 47% of the vote, closer than what I woulda thought. But hell yes for this one. Cole still mentioning Punk with the 14th longest WWE Title reign in history, so I'm still thinking Punk weasels his way out of SummerSlam with the gold. Great match here, as Punk wins with the GTS.
Vignette promoting return of Wade Barrett soon. He's been out for months after dislocating his elbow in a match. Storyline here is that Barrett returned to his roots as a bare-knuckle fighter to get tougher. I guess that means he'll be getting a nice push on his return. He has excellent mic skills and was pegged to win MITB at WrestleMania when he got injured (so no MITB match happened at Mania). Will be great to see him back.
Alberto Del Rio wasn't scheduled for a match, then mentioned the word "crazy" around AJ, so ADR ends up in a match anyway -- against Christian. How nice that ADR had his wrestling gear under his suit. Boots were probably undone just to pretend he wasn't ready. Nice superkick from ADR; HBK would be proud. Ricardo with interference, ADR smacks Christian with his boot, and cross armbreaker ends it.
Sheamus then takes ADR's car on a joyride. I want that job!
Hour #2 starts with Orton and Show. Orton now back to a crew cut this week. Fairly average match to start. Orton kicks out of the chokeslam. Orton to outside. Show gets him back in. Chokeslam attempt blocked again, so Show tosses Orton outside again. RKO countered, and Big Show spear on the outside. Double countout because WWE doesn't want either to lose clean. Back in the ring, Orton hits the RKO anyway.
Reks and Hawkins are facing Ryback in another 2-on-1 handicap match. This time, Hawkins and Reks have to tag in, not face Ryback at the same time. Ryback nukes Hawkins this week. Ho-hum here. More of Ryback looking strong.
AW still gets to flap his gums even after last week's Kobe Bryant sexual assault reference. Primetime Players against Primo and Epico this week. AW's Mother Teresa reference to D-Young was a lot better, that's for sure. PTPs want out, but Kofi and Truth block all that. Epico hits the backstabber on D-Young and gets the win.
Didn't look like Rosa Mendes was at the show. From what I read, she's been involved in a domestic assault deal (she's the victim) with boyfriend Jackson Andrews.
Sandow vows to defeat Brodus. Sandow jumps Brodus on Clay's ring entrance, taking out Funkasaurus' left knee. No match.
DB with a new "NO! NO! NO!" shirt. DB faces Kane at SummerSlam. Dueling NO and YES.
Kelly Kelly is back after her time off, facing Eve. Not bad here, typical divas match. KK wins with a hurricanrana into a victory pin for three.
It's time for HBK and Appreciation Night to begin. Even Cole and Lawler with the silent claps to pay respects. Enter Lesnar for yet another one of his limited appearances -- this time, Heyman is with him. HBK will be in HHH's corner at SummerSlam. Lesnar is seriously sweating under the lights. HHH comes out to get some of Lesnar. Lesnar retreats. He'll see HHH at SummerSlam, but see HBK before then. Looks like a moment for Brock to take out Shawn somewhere.
Ziggler faces A-Ry with Jericho on commentary. Jericho as a face back to calling Cole "Mitchell." Ziggler's got one of the best dropkicks in pro wrestling today. Nice way to promote Tout and further the storyline between Jericho and Ziggler. And A-Ry wins! Yes!
AJ makes a match with Kane and Miz because they weren't picked to face DB and they should be on the show anyway. Crowd really not into this one a lot. Kane knocks Miz off in about 4 minutes.
Genius move to have DB get on the WWE Universe for chanting "YES." It'll get them to chant it more. And hey, those "NO!" shirts will sell well too!
Sheamus brings ADR's car back all smelly and smoky. Looks like Sheamus lost his lunch somewhere.
DB is now a NO man. The goat face is in full force!
Main event time with DB and Cena. Pretty good stuff again, as we've come to expect from a DB match. Nice guillotine choke from DB, countering AA. Benoit headbutt from DB hits, but only two. Yeah, I said Benoit headbutt (although I guess I coulda also said Dynamite Kid). Great end sequence, from STF, to NO lock, to guillotine to AA for a Cena win. Best match of the night, in my book.
Here comes Punk out. Cena pushes Punk aside to take Big Show on. Cena gets Show up for AA but Punk comes in so Show lands on Cena. More fuel to the fire. Punk with a message on the headset, but Show is standing tall this time. WMD to Punk, then one for Cena. Just a way to say don't count Show out for SummerSlam, but it's really not Show's time here. Focus should be on Punk keeping his title by any means, especially when Cole's been constantly bringing up how long Punk's title reign has lasted.
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio: **1/4
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian: *1/4
Big Show vs. Randy Orton: *3/4
Ryback vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: 1/2*
Primo & Epico vs. Titus O'Neil & Darren Young: ?
Damien Sandow vs. Brodus Clay: N/A
Kelly Kelly vs. Eve Torres: 1/2*
Alex Riley vs. Dolph Ziggler: *1/4
Kane vs. Miz: *
Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena: **3/4
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Love the new WWE RAW openings. Still prefer the Smackdown theme song. It's Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night in San Antonio!
AJ skips to the ring in a white business suit. More matches! Big Show vs. Orton. Daniel Bryan vs. Cena. Punk comes out to apologize to AJ for last week, which AJ accepts. Now, back to heel Punk and his attempt to cancel the Triple Threat SummerSlam match. Lots of "NO" chants. AJ refuses to cancel the match. Cena comes out with all the split chants. Cena says gotta earn respect, not demand it. Punk with the Gray's Sports Almanac reference! Yes! AJ puts Punk in a match, opponent to be determined by fans (Miz, Kane, or Mysterio). Fans wanted HBK, but that's not happening. Match is next!
I love heel Punk right now. It's basically reverting to the character he was last year when delivering the pipebomb promos, but done in a more heelish fashion.
We get the poll results that apparently lasted all of five minutes. It's Mysterio with 47% of the vote, closer than what I woulda thought. But hell yes for this one. Cole still mentioning Punk with the 14th longest WWE Title reign in history, so I'm still thinking Punk weasels his way out of SummerSlam with the gold. Great match here, as Punk wins with the GTS.
Vignette promoting return of Wade Barrett soon. He's been out for months after dislocating his elbow in a match. Storyline here is that Barrett returned to his roots as a bare-knuckle fighter to get tougher. I guess that means he'll be getting a nice push on his return. He has excellent mic skills and was pegged to win MITB at WrestleMania when he got injured (so no MITB match happened at Mania). Will be great to see him back.
Alberto Del Rio wasn't scheduled for a match, then mentioned the word "crazy" around AJ, so ADR ends up in a match anyway -- against Christian. How nice that ADR had his wrestling gear under his suit. Boots were probably undone just to pretend he wasn't ready. Nice superkick from ADR; HBK would be proud. Ricardo with interference, ADR smacks Christian with his boot, and cross armbreaker ends it.
Sheamus then takes ADR's car on a joyride. I want that job!
Hour #2 starts with Orton and Show. Orton now back to a crew cut this week. Fairly average match to start. Orton kicks out of the chokeslam. Orton to outside. Show gets him back in. Chokeslam attempt blocked again, so Show tosses Orton outside again. RKO countered, and Big Show spear on the outside. Double countout because WWE doesn't want either to lose clean. Back in the ring, Orton hits the RKO anyway.
Reks and Hawkins are facing Ryback in another 2-on-1 handicap match. This time, Hawkins and Reks have to tag in, not face Ryback at the same time. Ryback nukes Hawkins this week. Ho-hum here. More of Ryback looking strong.
AW still gets to flap his gums even after last week's Kobe Bryant sexual assault reference. Primetime Players against Primo and Epico this week. AW's Mother Teresa reference to D-Young was a lot better, that's for sure. PTPs want out, but Kofi and Truth block all that. Epico hits the backstabber on D-Young and gets the win.
Didn't look like Rosa Mendes was at the show. From what I read, she's been involved in a domestic assault deal (she's the victim) with boyfriend Jackson Andrews.
Sandow vows to defeat Brodus. Sandow jumps Brodus on Clay's ring entrance, taking out Funkasaurus' left knee. No match.
DB with a new "NO! NO! NO!" shirt. DB faces Kane at SummerSlam. Dueling NO and YES.
Kelly Kelly is back after her time off, facing Eve. Not bad here, typical divas match. KK wins with a hurricanrana into a victory pin for three.
It's time for HBK and Appreciation Night to begin. Even Cole and Lawler with the silent claps to pay respects. Enter Lesnar for yet another one of his limited appearances -- this time, Heyman is with him. HBK will be in HHH's corner at SummerSlam. Lesnar is seriously sweating under the lights. HHH comes out to get some of Lesnar. Lesnar retreats. He'll see HHH at SummerSlam, but see HBK before then. Looks like a moment for Brock to take out Shawn somewhere.
Ziggler faces A-Ry with Jericho on commentary. Jericho as a face back to calling Cole "Mitchell." Ziggler's got one of the best dropkicks in pro wrestling today. Nice way to promote Tout and further the storyline between Jericho and Ziggler. And A-Ry wins! Yes!
AJ makes a match with Kane and Miz because they weren't picked to face DB and they should be on the show anyway. Crowd really not into this one a lot. Kane knocks Miz off in about 4 minutes.
Genius move to have DB get on the WWE Universe for chanting "YES." It'll get them to chant it more. And hey, those "NO!" shirts will sell well too!
Sheamus brings ADR's car back all smelly and smoky. Looks like Sheamus lost his lunch somewhere.
DB is now a NO man. The goat face is in full force!
Main event time with DB and Cena. Pretty good stuff again, as we've come to expect from a DB match. Nice guillotine choke from DB, countering AA. Benoit headbutt from DB hits, but only two. Yeah, I said Benoit headbutt (although I guess I coulda also said Dynamite Kid). Great end sequence, from STF, to NO lock, to guillotine to AA for a Cena win. Best match of the night, in my book.
Here comes Punk out. Cena pushes Punk aside to take Big Show on. Cena gets Show up for AA but Punk comes in so Show lands on Cena. More fuel to the fire. Punk with a message on the headset, but Show is standing tall this time. WMD to Punk, then one for Cena. Just a way to say don't count Show out for SummerSlam, but it's really not Show's time here. Focus should be on Punk keeping his title by any means, especially when Cole's been constantly bringing up how long Punk's title reign has lasted.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
8/3/12 Smackdown
Ratings:
Sheamus vs. Tensai: **1/4
Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella: *
Miz, Daniel Bryan, & Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho, Christian, & Kane: **1/2
Ryback vs. Jinder Mahal: N/A
Darren Young vs. R-Truth: 3/4*
Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio: **
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Cole and Josh Mathews on commentary. Vince quickly starts the show and names Booker T the new Smackdown GM. Since Cole's been so high on AJ's performance, it only seems fitting he'll crap all over Booker's GM tenure. At least Cole's happy Booker's no longer on commentary and that Teddy Long's not the GM.
ADR calls Sheamus a red-headed hooligan (well, as a kid Sheamus apparently was one). Booker quickly puts ADR in his place. Alberto's competing tonight against Orton. Sheamus faces Tensai now.
Did you really think Sheamus was losing this? It gives Tensai more reason to keep beating up Sakamoto. Mathews now says Sheamus is 6'4". Did Sheamus shrink a couple inches from all the fighting? This whole "international sensation" deal is backfiring on Sin Cara and Tensai, isn't it? Awkward spot with Tensai on the second rope just waiting to get hit. Sitdown powerbomb only got two on Sheamus, so you knew that was it for Tensai. Running Brogue Kick off the ropes scores three. Sakamoto subject to another beatdown later, I'm guessing.
Eve now sucking up to Booker T, predictable. Teddy Long gets a job and Eve doesn't. We all saw that one coming. Senior Advisor FTW!
Antonio says hello is five languages. I'm sure even I can do that one. Cobra strikes early, but Cesaro's foot under the bottom rope. Antonio hits Neutralizer and pins the U.S. champ. Not that has meant much lately.
While Daniel Bryan is the latest to go mentally unstable, we get a six-man tag. Crowd only chants "YES" even louder. Gotta love it. Oh, and DB's finisher is now the NO lock. What's next, the I DON'T KNOW lock? Great six-man tag. Jericho looks like he's gonna win, then Vickie distraction and DB rollup for three.
With Jinder Mahal being a big asset for the Indian population now that Khali is again sidelined after more surgery (something about a growth on his pituitary gland to prevent that disease that led to Andre's death), I'm not too sure if feeding him to Ryback is the best move. But then again, if it actually means more screen time for Mahal, then I don't think he'll mind very much. Just watch out for the stiff lariats.
More chicanery from Mahal, resorting to using a microphone to lose by DQ. Still no effect. Good way to build the feud (which is what I'm assuming is happening) while keeping Ryback strong. No rating here.
Primetime Players with AW are back on. AW got reprimanded for his Kobe Bryant sexual assault reference on RAW (and heat from the locker room), but I guess it didn't stop him too much otherwise. Darren Young in singles action against R-Truth. Numbers game catches up to Boom Jimmys. D-Young hits his gutbuster for three. Match was what...2-3 minutes?
Layla congratulates Booker on the GM job. Cody gets Sin Cara next week. So Booker, how about rejuvenating a divas division that coulda actually meant something by now? Can we get Sara Del Rey to the main roster pronto? How about more Beth Phoenix?
Orton now has more of a shaved mohawk look since returning on RAW. ADR with a few big shots on Orton, including a big kick right to the face in the corner. Ricardo causes the DQ when Orton tried to make the comeback. No RKO tonight...never mind, Sheamus throws ADR back into the ring, and there's your RKO.
Booker T with a nice job as a face GM. I guess AJ's more of a tweener GM for now, being rebellious on heel Punk but not necessarily making decisions favoring just "good guys" or only "bad guys."
Sheamus vs. Tensai: **1/4
Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella: *
Miz, Daniel Bryan, & Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho, Christian, & Kane: **1/2
Ryback vs. Jinder Mahal: N/A
Darren Young vs. R-Truth: 3/4*
Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio: **
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Cole and Josh Mathews on commentary. Vince quickly starts the show and names Booker T the new Smackdown GM. Since Cole's been so high on AJ's performance, it only seems fitting he'll crap all over Booker's GM tenure. At least Cole's happy Booker's no longer on commentary and that Teddy Long's not the GM.
ADR calls Sheamus a red-headed hooligan (well, as a kid Sheamus apparently was one). Booker quickly puts ADR in his place. Alberto's competing tonight against Orton. Sheamus faces Tensai now.
Did you really think Sheamus was losing this? It gives Tensai more reason to keep beating up Sakamoto. Mathews now says Sheamus is 6'4". Did Sheamus shrink a couple inches from all the fighting? This whole "international sensation" deal is backfiring on Sin Cara and Tensai, isn't it? Awkward spot with Tensai on the second rope just waiting to get hit. Sitdown powerbomb only got two on Sheamus, so you knew that was it for Tensai. Running Brogue Kick off the ropes scores three. Sakamoto subject to another beatdown later, I'm guessing.
Eve now sucking up to Booker T, predictable. Teddy Long gets a job and Eve doesn't. We all saw that one coming. Senior Advisor FTW!
Antonio says hello is five languages. I'm sure even I can do that one. Cobra strikes early, but Cesaro's foot under the bottom rope. Antonio hits Neutralizer and pins the U.S. champ. Not that has meant much lately.
While Daniel Bryan is the latest to go mentally unstable, we get a six-man tag. Crowd only chants "YES" even louder. Gotta love it. Oh, and DB's finisher is now the NO lock. What's next, the I DON'T KNOW lock? Great six-man tag. Jericho looks like he's gonna win, then Vickie distraction and DB rollup for three.
With Jinder Mahal being a big asset for the Indian population now that Khali is again sidelined after more surgery (something about a growth on his pituitary gland to prevent that disease that led to Andre's death), I'm not too sure if feeding him to Ryback is the best move. But then again, if it actually means more screen time for Mahal, then I don't think he'll mind very much. Just watch out for the stiff lariats.
More chicanery from Mahal, resorting to using a microphone to lose by DQ. Still no effect. Good way to build the feud (which is what I'm assuming is happening) while keeping Ryback strong. No rating here.
Primetime Players with AW are back on. AW got reprimanded for his Kobe Bryant sexual assault reference on RAW (and heat from the locker room), but I guess it didn't stop him too much otherwise. Darren Young in singles action against R-Truth. Numbers game catches up to Boom Jimmys. D-Young hits his gutbuster for three. Match was what...2-3 minutes?
Layla congratulates Booker on the GM job. Cody gets Sin Cara next week. So Booker, how about rejuvenating a divas division that coulda actually meant something by now? Can we get Sara Del Rey to the main roster pronto? How about more Beth Phoenix?
Orton now has more of a shaved mohawk look since returning on RAW. ADR with a few big shots on Orton, including a big kick right to the face in the corner. Ricardo causes the DQ when Orton tried to make the comeback. No RKO tonight...never mind, Sheamus throws ADR back into the ring, and there's your RKO.
Booker T with a nice job as a face GM. I guess AJ's more of a tweener GM for now, being rebellious on heel Punk but not necessarily making decisions favoring just "good guys" or only "bad guys."
8/2/12 Impact
Ratings:
Austin Aries & Kenny King vs. Bobby Roode & Zema Ion: **3/4
Bully Ray vs. Robbie E: N/A (semi-squash)
Madison Rayne vs. Tara vs. Gail Kim vs. Mickie James: **1/2
Chavo Guerrero vs. Kid Kash: *3/4
James Storm vs. Kurt Angle: **
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
So that whole Aries/King vs. Roode/Ion match that was the main event? Yeah, the brawl begins at the beginning of the show. Crowd was nuts throughout the match. Roode stays scared of Aries once the match begins, but at least came in for offense on Kenny King. Typical heel tactics keep Aries at bay. Aries still got in to take Roode out. King hits his finisher on Ion for three.
Sting, James Storm, and Angle further the whole Aces and Eights storyline. From what I'm reading, the main guy behind everything is still supposed to be Jeff Jarrett, and Storm will just be the on-screen guy to blame everything on until then. If only the Nexus storyline went more like this and didn't lose all that momentum....
Who the hell keeps a damn martini glass in a locker?! Keep classy, Daniels.
Three big four-way BFG Series matches at Hardcore Justice. First, a Ladder match between Styles, Angle, Daniels, and Joe. Falls Count Anywhere match with Anderson, RVD, Pope, and Magnus. Finally, a Tables match between Hardy, Storm, Bully, and Robbie E.
BFG Series match between Robbie and Bully. Bully is now a Tweet machine. Whatever happened to the calfzilla thing? Bully with a quick win on Robbie.
Earl Hebner gives Madison Rayne gifts. Aww. Madison says Earl would never screw anyone...in the ring. DOUBLE LOL.
A great four-way Knockouts match between Madison, Tara, Gail, and Mickie. Tessmacher on commentary. Lots of counters, and the match flowed pretty well. Earl's questionable officiating took center stage at the critical moments, but he otherwise called it down the middle as usual. It's a great way to make things seem innocuous, yet so effective and sneaky. Even Tessmacher got fooled with the decision, but hey, the smarks in Internet land knew better. Mickie pinned last week, Tara pinned this week, Gail screwed at least twice during this match.
Knockouts tag titles haven't been defended in eons. Eric Young's debuting a fishing show. Why haven't they taken the titles off him and ODB yet? Then again, why are the titles still existing? With people like Velvet and Angelina Love now gone from TNA, the roster's taken a serious blow, and frankly, they're better off just having the Knockouts singles belt and nothing more.
Time for Chavo's first TNA match against Kid Kash. Can't go wrong with two veterans. Even Grandma Guerrero is in the house. Hernandez and Gunner are also out to watch. Not bad here. Three Amigos and Frog Splash win it.
Wes Brisco shows up with Kurt Angle. Brisco probably now a lock to be one of the Aces and Eights members, especially after Devon and Garett Bischoff show up to tell Angle they'll be down there during the match. Oh, and whatever happened to defending that TV each week? I miss that.
Claire Lynch baby shower by Kaz and Daniels. AJ Styles in Australia. Claire has the creepy look down pat. Crowd's pretty much not too interested right now. Do the right thing, AJ! God, I'm really not caring for this storyline right now....
Tweetfabe? That's a new one.
Storm and Angle in a BFG Series battle. 2nd and 3rd place square off in the main event. More matches next week. Sting, Aries, Devon, Garett, and Bully out there as promised. Your usual Kurt Angle match here. Angle holds Storm in the ankle lock for eons. Storm with a kick to the head, then Last Call on one leg for three. Wished the crowd actually cared more about the match, but I'm sure they were all waiting for Aces and Eights. Seven points for Storm.
No Aces and Eights tonight. Roode quick to explain Storm won so he didn't need any help. Frankly, while watching, it was the only good explanation I could think of myself. Crowd seemed to lose the fire and passion they had at the start of the show, though.
Austin Aries & Kenny King vs. Bobby Roode & Zema Ion: **3/4
Bully Ray vs. Robbie E: N/A (semi-squash)
Madison Rayne vs. Tara vs. Gail Kim vs. Mickie James: **1/2
Chavo Guerrero vs. Kid Kash: *3/4
James Storm vs. Kurt Angle: **
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Reviews/Thoughts:
So that whole Aries/King vs. Roode/Ion match that was the main event? Yeah, the brawl begins at the beginning of the show. Crowd was nuts throughout the match. Roode stays scared of Aries once the match begins, but at least came in for offense on Kenny King. Typical heel tactics keep Aries at bay. Aries still got in to take Roode out. King hits his finisher on Ion for three.
Sting, James Storm, and Angle further the whole Aces and Eights storyline. From what I'm reading, the main guy behind everything is still supposed to be Jeff Jarrett, and Storm will just be the on-screen guy to blame everything on until then. If only the Nexus storyline went more like this and didn't lose all that momentum....
Who the hell keeps a damn martini glass in a locker?! Keep classy, Daniels.
Three big four-way BFG Series matches at Hardcore Justice. First, a Ladder match between Styles, Angle, Daniels, and Joe. Falls Count Anywhere match with Anderson, RVD, Pope, and Magnus. Finally, a Tables match between Hardy, Storm, Bully, and Robbie E.
BFG Series match between Robbie and Bully. Bully is now a Tweet machine. Whatever happened to the calfzilla thing? Bully with a quick win on Robbie.
Earl Hebner gives Madison Rayne gifts. Aww. Madison says Earl would never screw anyone...in the ring. DOUBLE LOL.
A great four-way Knockouts match between Madison, Tara, Gail, and Mickie. Tessmacher on commentary. Lots of counters, and the match flowed pretty well. Earl's questionable officiating took center stage at the critical moments, but he otherwise called it down the middle as usual. It's a great way to make things seem innocuous, yet so effective and sneaky. Even Tessmacher got fooled with the decision, but hey, the smarks in Internet land knew better. Mickie pinned last week, Tara pinned this week, Gail screwed at least twice during this match.
Knockouts tag titles haven't been defended in eons. Eric Young's debuting a fishing show. Why haven't they taken the titles off him and ODB yet? Then again, why are the titles still existing? With people like Velvet and Angelina Love now gone from TNA, the roster's taken a serious blow, and frankly, they're better off just having the Knockouts singles belt and nothing more.
Time for Chavo's first TNA match against Kid Kash. Can't go wrong with two veterans. Even Grandma Guerrero is in the house. Hernandez and Gunner are also out to watch. Not bad here. Three Amigos and Frog Splash win it.
Wes Brisco shows up with Kurt Angle. Brisco probably now a lock to be one of the Aces and Eights members, especially after Devon and Garett Bischoff show up to tell Angle they'll be down there during the match. Oh, and whatever happened to defending that TV each week? I miss that.
Claire Lynch baby shower by Kaz and Daniels. AJ Styles in Australia. Claire has the creepy look down pat. Crowd's pretty much not too interested right now. Do the right thing, AJ! God, I'm really not caring for this storyline right now....
Tweetfabe? That's a new one.
Storm and Angle in a BFG Series battle. 2nd and 3rd place square off in the main event. More matches next week. Sting, Aries, Devon, Garett, and Bully out there as promised. Your usual Kurt Angle match here. Angle holds Storm in the ankle lock for eons. Storm with a kick to the head, then Last Call on one leg for three. Wished the crowd actually cared more about the match, but I'm sure they were all waiting for Aces and Eights. Seven points for Storm.
No Aces and Eights tonight. Roode quick to explain Storm won so he didn't need any help. Frankly, while watching, it was the only good explanation I could think of myself. Crowd seemed to lose the fire and passion they had at the start of the show, though.
8/2/12 Superstars
Ratings:
Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater: ***
Layla vs. Natalya: *
Cody Rhodes vs. Justin Gabriel: ***1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Kidd and Slater start things off this week. Nice to see Kidd get a nice pop from the crowd. Major props for the lengthy match. Back and forth things went. Both guys had chances to win. Crowd into it. No complaints.
Divas match next between Layla and Natalya. I keep forgetting Layla is still the Divas champ; shows just how much Vince cares about the title. Nattie plays an OK whiny heel. Match had some flow, but still scattered at times. Layla wins with a kick to the head.
Gabriel and Cody in the main event. Cody countered with a sick powerbomb on the floor, and Gabriel barely made it back in. JG growing his hair out, kinda looking like a smaller Mason Ryan now. Not sure why JG slapped his hand on the mat three times after (sorta) hitting that corkscrew on Cody...maybe just didn't like that he almost missed it? Impressive main event and an awesome Superstars.
Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater: ***
Layla vs. Natalya: *
Cody Rhodes vs. Justin Gabriel: ***1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Kidd and Slater start things off this week. Nice to see Kidd get a nice pop from the crowd. Major props for the lengthy match. Back and forth things went. Both guys had chances to win. Crowd into it. No complaints.
Divas match next between Layla and Natalya. I keep forgetting Layla is still the Divas champ; shows just how much Vince cares about the title. Nattie plays an OK whiny heel. Match had some flow, but still scattered at times. Layla wins with a kick to the head.
Gabriel and Cody in the main event. Cody countered with a sick powerbomb on the floor, and Gabriel barely made it back in. JG growing his hair out, kinda looking like a smaller Mason Ryan now. Not sure why JG slapped his hand on the mat three times after (sorta) hitting that corkscrew on Cody...maybe just didn't like that he almost missed it? Impressive main event and an awesome Superstars.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
8/1/12 NXT
Ratings:
Richie Steamboat vs. Leo Kruger: **
Big E Langston vs. Adam Mercer: N/A (squash)
Raquel Diaz vs. Audrey Marie: 1/4*
Hunico & Camacho vs. Jason Jordan & Mike Dalton: *
Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre: ***1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
We see interim GM Dusty Rhodes on camera. Eight-man Gold Rush tournament to determine first NXT champ. Richie Steamboat, Bo Dallas, Leo Kruger, Seth Rollins, Mike McGillicutty, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, and Justin Gabriel. Balance of real new guys and the guys who have floundered in midcard status for a while.
Tournament starts immediately with Steamboat and Kruger. Kruger with the typical heel antics to gain an advantage. Kruger had most of the offense in the match, yet Richie pulls out the win. Not bad, could even be better with a few more near falls. Richie faces the winner of Bo/Jinder. Other first-round matches in the tournament are Rollins/McIntyre and Gabriel/McGillicutty.
We finally see the debut of Big E Langston. Adam Mercer doing the jobbing tonight. Finisher is a version of a cutter, starting like he'll do a running powerslam but just dropping opponent front-first on the canvas to Langston's side.
Raquel Diaz is back to face another diva hopeful, Audrey Marie. Audrey with generic divas country-pop sounding music. Raquel talks a big arrogant game and likes to laugh and scream. Diaz ends it with a Gory Special. Some good spots, like Diaz bridging out of a pin. Looks like Paige will be a starting storyline for Diaz.
Hunico and Camacho getting some nice TV time, probably thanks to Hunico's good work in the ring. Didn't expect Jordan and Dalton to get the win here, but a nice feel-good victory.
We finally see that NXT title that will go to the winner of the Gold Rush Tournament. It's a one-of-a-kind belt, that's for sure. Personally, I'm more of a more traditional-looking belt. This one's too fancy for me.
Seth and Drew in a great main event. Note Jim Ross saying if there's a double countout or double DQ, both guys get eliminated; only winners advance. Drew brought back the ol' tactic of going under the ring, lure the opponent in, and slam his face and shoulder into the steel ring structure.
I still believe McIntyre is very underrated and really deserves more credit for the quality matches he puts on just about every week. He may not win all of them, but I'd put Drew just a notch below Ziggler in workrate (only because Ziggler really makes others look like a million bucks). Phoenix Splash doesn't hit (I've yet to see him hit that in WWE), but Blackout wins it.
The other quarterfinal matches will be next week, I believe. Looking forward to it.
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