Ratings:
The Miz vs. Alex Riley: *
R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger: *1/4
Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio: *3/4
Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler: **1/4
14-Diva Tag Match: -*
The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston: *1/4
Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth: **1/4
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
We're in Green Bay, and at least R-Truth will not say the wrong city in this state again!
Good opening to RAW with Vince and John Lauranaitis addressing the situation and not refer to Punk by name. A tournament to crown a new WWE champion? Cool. And apparently, you can only advance in the tournament if you win by pinfall or submission, according to Cole. I like that rule.
Good job by Miz to sell the knee injury in his match against Riley. Cole erroneously called the Riley's Cloverleaf on Miz a "Sharpshooter." And Cole is the one getting on Booker's case for getting moves wrong? Average match here.
They're hyping Morrison's inevitable return to the roster. Probably will compete against R-Truth at Summerfest...er, SummerSlam. Speaking of which, a decent (short) match between Truth and Swagger. Pretty sudden ending in my book, though.
Hey, Ricardo Rodriguez is back! Didn't help ADR any, though. Did you think Alberto would win the tournament? Come on, he's Mr. Money in the Bank. He doesn't need to win this. Better off that Kofi won. Anyway, Kingston vs. Miz in the semis.
Since R-Truth advanced, it was pretty obvious Rey would go over Ziggler. And of course, he did. Again, a decent match for what it was. Nice crowd reaction here.
What in the bloody hell was that Diva tag match? Only two divas were actually legitimately in the match, and the intros took longer than the actual match itself. And they still managed to botch stuff. Pathetic.
Miz went over Kofi, just as I expected. Miz did a respectable job on continuing to sell that knee injury.
The second semi was a formality for Rey (a face) to win here, since Miz (a heel) won the other semi. Best match of the night so far. Nice crowd reaction and good near falls.
I loved the final segment. Vince creates hype for next week (WWE Title match postponed till then) and also basically makes way for HHH to come in as an executive to replace Vince. Nice promo from Cena. Loved the indirect TNA/Hulk Hogan reference. Perhaps HHH will be a prominent figure on TV once again -- but in a Mr. McMahon-like capacity?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
7/17/11 Money in the Bank
Ratings/Analysis:
Daniel Bryan vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett vs. Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel (Smackdown MITB Ladder Match): Yup, figured this one would be first. Sin Cara should really be more in his element here, where spotfests are encouraged. Pre-match, I figured Cody Rhodes or Sheamus would be a contender here, with Sheamus also a threat. As a note, Sin Cara barely got over the top rope on his trampoline entrance. Not liking Gabriel's music right now, but maybe it will grow on me. Slater's rock band music is just generic as heck. Loved guys like Bryan, Gabriel, and Sin Cara flying like all heck. As expected, Cara really got his big-move moments in. And Cara is dead after getting the powerbomb through the ladder from Sheamus. Interesting moment with Barrett, Gabriel, and Slater working together. Doomsday Device on DB (from Kane and Sheamus) was pretty cool. Bryan was just amazing in this one. He so deserves this win. Didn't think WWE would pull the trigger on Daniel Bryan, but maybe this is foreshadowing that Christian will win the World Title later tonight? Anyway, crowd was extremely hot for this, great spots, great entertainment. Outstanding opener. ****1/4
Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Alex Riley (RAW MITB Ladder Match): Even before this match started, I figured someone like R-Truth or Miz would be the favorite. The dueling stepladders between Miz, Truth, and Swagger was a unique spot. Expect Rey, Kofi, and Bourne to really be spot monkeys in this one. Didn't expect Riley to fly, but man, that Air Bourne from the ladder was great. Miz really landed badly and might have legit blown that knee out. Double hurricanrana spot from Bourne and Rey was cool. Big Boomdrop from Kofi. 619 from Rey using the ladder (instead of the ropes). I don't think Swagger ever scaled a ladder that fast in his life. Miz is back! Wow, Rey was booed when he stopped Miz! OH ALBERTO UNMASKED REY! Woohoo! Alberto wins! ****
Christian vs. Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Title): Christian's heel turn has been done marvelously, and Orton is as over as ever. So if Orton is DQ'd or if there is "bad officiating," Christian wins the title. It would be interesting to see how "bad officiating" is determined, if it comes to that. Orton and Christian just gel so well in the ring together. Hell, when was the last time Orton did a jackknife pin? Christian hit that diving headbutt again, and it sucks that WWE will never mention Chris Benoit's name on the air again (I get that Benoit is a murderer, but that shouldn't take away from Benoit's greatness in the ring). Christian Killswtich got 2 and 9/10. The match was really getting good, but then Christian spit in Orton's face, Orton gets DQ'd. Glad that the DQ stipulation came into play, but it just seemed a bit abrupt to just go to that. I enjoyed Orton's beatdown of Christian post-match. The crowd just ate it up big time. Orton has that Austin-like attitude that I've wanted to see from him so badly. Overall, another great match, just not as good as their previous encounters. ***1/2
CM Punk vs. John Cena (WWE Title): Speaking of Austin-like, CM Punk is perhaps the epitome of today's Stone Cold character at this point in time. Probably one of the most intriguing storylines I've seen in the last few years. Hey, Punk came out in a new shirt! Interesting....
It's basically a Hammerstein Ballroom feel right now. HUGE "CM Punk!" chants even before the match started. Guess we know who's the crowd favorite in this one huh?
Really liked the chain wrestling at the start of the match. Basically, they're setting up for a long, epic match (they started around the top of the third hour, meaning they could probably get about 30-35 minutes). Chicago crowd chanting "You can't wrestle!" to Cena. Cena using all the rest holds really was a big change of pace from a "normal" Cena match. Good mind games to start as well. The split chants echoed throughout the arena for the entire match. I think I saw Colt Cabana in the first row there! Yup, "Colt Cabana!" chants throughout the arena!
Ha, Lawler basically said WWE was a sport when commentating on this match. Just did it once, but still.
Punk came off the top with a crossbody, which looked real awkward. Cena favored that right knee for a bit there. Cena suplexed Punk to the outside, which was also a sight to see. Punk pulled out the leg sweeps as well, which I hadn't seen too much lately.
Holy crap. AA into a GTS into an STF into an Anaconda Vice. That was awesome. Then back to an AA! And that was just two! Unbelievable. Counter after counter after counter. Another AA, and ANOTHER false finish! Over 30 minutes in! Cena is actually a bit frustrated...quite rare to see. GTS to Cena's ribs, and Cena fell out of the ring in a dead heap.
Vince comes out with John Lauranaitis! Vince wants the bell rung! Cena decks Lauranaitis! WTF? Punk with the GTS! New champ! ****3/4
Vince gets on the headset and wants Alberto Del Rio to cash in his MITB title shot! Punk decks ADR before he could cash it in and leaves through the crowd! Perfect way to end the PPV!
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Final Thoughts:
Six matches were advertised for the PPV, so I figured there might be one more "impromptu" match thrown in just in case. The Chicago crowd was pretty damn awesome, as usual.
I loved the MITB ladder matches. Two extremely entertaining matches with two very deserving winners. I'm especially ecstatic that WWE is pulling the trigger on Daniel Bryan. Alberto was already nearing that main event status anyway, but I had been concerned that Daniel Bryan would get lost in the shuffle like many others before him. Glad to see DB will get a title shot at some point.
Apparently, before the show began, the crowd was chanting "We want ice cream!" Awesome.
The main event and the post-match theatrics. Pure gold. Yes, we will be talking about this match for a very long time. The crowd was the loudest and most vocal I'd ever seen for a WWE match in years. It even topped the Taker/HBK encounters. My pretty crappy live analysis of this match was for a reason: I was too into the match to want to write up everything that happened. You just have to see the match to really appreciate it.
This PPV was just off-the-wall excellent. The divas match and the Henry/Show match were pretty pedestrian. But everything else was just MOTY quality or damn near close. Two big thumbs up for this one! ****1/4
Daniel Bryan vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett vs. Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel (Smackdown MITB Ladder Match): Yup, figured this one would be first. Sin Cara should really be more in his element here, where spotfests are encouraged. Pre-match, I figured Cody Rhodes or Sheamus would be a contender here, with Sheamus also a threat. As a note, Sin Cara barely got over the top rope on his trampoline entrance. Not liking Gabriel's music right now, but maybe it will grow on me. Slater's rock band music is just generic as heck. Loved guys like Bryan, Gabriel, and Sin Cara flying like all heck. As expected, Cara really got his big-move moments in. And Cara is dead after getting the powerbomb through the ladder from Sheamus. Interesting moment with Barrett, Gabriel, and Slater working together. Doomsday Device on DB (from Kane and Sheamus) was pretty cool. Bryan was just amazing in this one. He so deserves this win. Didn't think WWE would pull the trigger on Daniel Bryan, but maybe this is foreshadowing that Christian will win the World Title later tonight? Anyway, crowd was extremely hot for this, great spots, great entertainment. Outstanding opener. ****1/4
Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella (Divas Title): Seems more like a filler match on paper because, while Kelly is OK in the ring, the Bellas still don't impress me. Crowd was still probably exhausted from the opener as well. Pretty basic match here. 3/4*
Mark Henry vs. Big Show: I have to say that this feud was built up pretty respectably, but usually, two big men in a match spells disaster as far as wrestling ratings are concerned. Hard-hitting, fairly slow-paced match. Big Show coming off the second rope with a shoulder tackle was something I didn't expect. World's Strongest Slam only got two...interesting. So basically, Henry gets a second slam in, then two splashes to win. Um, OK, that was a yawner. Nice Vader Bomb from Henry to "injure" Big Show after the match. Show looked more mad than in pain. Gotta have that tough guy image anyway. *1/2
Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Alex Riley (RAW MITB Ladder Match): Even before this match started, I figured someone like R-Truth or Miz would be the favorite. The dueling stepladders between Miz, Truth, and Swagger was a unique spot. Expect Rey, Kofi, and Bourne to really be spot monkeys in this one. Didn't expect Riley to fly, but man, that Air Bourne from the ladder was great. Miz really landed badly and might have legit blown that knee out. Double hurricanrana spot from Bourne and Rey was cool. Big Boomdrop from Kofi. 619 from Rey using the ladder (instead of the ropes). I don't think Swagger ever scaled a ladder that fast in his life. Miz is back! Wow, Rey was booed when he stopped Miz! OH ALBERTO UNMASKED REY! Woohoo! Alberto wins! ****
Christian vs. Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Title): Christian's heel turn has been done marvelously, and Orton is as over as ever. So if Orton is DQ'd or if there is "bad officiating," Christian wins the title. It would be interesting to see how "bad officiating" is determined, if it comes to that. Orton and Christian just gel so well in the ring together. Hell, when was the last time Orton did a jackknife pin? Christian hit that diving headbutt again, and it sucks that WWE will never mention Chris Benoit's name on the air again (I get that Benoit is a murderer, but that shouldn't take away from Benoit's greatness in the ring). Christian Killswtich got 2 and 9/10. The match was really getting good, but then Christian spit in Orton's face, Orton gets DQ'd. Glad that the DQ stipulation came into play, but it just seemed a bit abrupt to just go to that. I enjoyed Orton's beatdown of Christian post-match. The crowd just ate it up big time. Orton has that Austin-like attitude that I've wanted to see from him so badly. Overall, another great match, just not as good as their previous encounters. ***1/2
CM Punk vs. John Cena (WWE Title): Speaking of Austin-like, CM Punk is perhaps the epitome of today's Stone Cold character at this point in time. Probably one of the most intriguing storylines I've seen in the last few years. Hey, Punk came out in a new shirt! Interesting....
It's basically a Hammerstein Ballroom feel right now. HUGE "CM Punk!" chants even before the match started. Guess we know who's the crowd favorite in this one huh?
Really liked the chain wrestling at the start of the match. Basically, they're setting up for a long, epic match (they started around the top of the third hour, meaning they could probably get about 30-35 minutes). Chicago crowd chanting "You can't wrestle!" to Cena. Cena using all the rest holds really was a big change of pace from a "normal" Cena match. Good mind games to start as well. The split chants echoed throughout the arena for the entire match. I think I saw Colt Cabana in the first row there! Yup, "Colt Cabana!" chants throughout the arena!
Ha, Lawler basically said WWE was a sport when commentating on this match. Just did it once, but still.
Punk came off the top with a crossbody, which looked real awkward. Cena favored that right knee for a bit there. Cena suplexed Punk to the outside, which was also a sight to see. Punk pulled out the leg sweeps as well, which I hadn't seen too much lately.
Holy crap. AA into a GTS into an STF into an Anaconda Vice. That was awesome. Then back to an AA! And that was just two! Unbelievable. Counter after counter after counter. Another AA, and ANOTHER false finish! Over 30 minutes in! Cena is actually a bit frustrated...quite rare to see. GTS to Cena's ribs, and Cena fell out of the ring in a dead heap.
Vince comes out with John Lauranaitis! Vince wants the bell rung! Cena decks Lauranaitis! WTF? Punk with the GTS! New champ! ****3/4
Vince gets on the headset and wants Alberto Del Rio to cash in his MITB title shot! Punk decks ADR before he could cash it in and leaves through the crowd! Perfect way to end the PPV!
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Final Thoughts:
Six matches were advertised for the PPV, so I figured there might be one more "impromptu" match thrown in just in case. The Chicago crowd was pretty damn awesome, as usual.
I loved the MITB ladder matches. Two extremely entertaining matches with two very deserving winners. I'm especially ecstatic that WWE is pulling the trigger on Daniel Bryan. Alberto was already nearing that main event status anyway, but I had been concerned that Daniel Bryan would get lost in the shuffle like many others before him. Glad to see DB will get a title shot at some point.
Apparently, before the show began, the crowd was chanting "We want ice cream!" Awesome.
The main event and the post-match theatrics. Pure gold. Yes, we will be talking about this match for a very long time. The crowd was the loudest and most vocal I'd ever seen for a WWE match in years. It even topped the Taker/HBK encounters. My pretty crappy live analysis of this match was for a reason: I was too into the match to want to write up everything that happened. You just have to see the match to really appreciate it.
This PPV was just off-the-wall excellent. The divas match and the Henry/Show match were pretty pedestrian. But everything else was just MOTY quality or damn near close. Two big thumbs up for this one! ****1/4
Friday, July 15, 2011
7/15/11 Smackdown
Ratings:
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Ted DiBiase (IC Title): *1/4
Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan: **1/2
Sin Cara vs. Sheamus: *1/2
Kelly Kelly vs. Rosa Mendes: DUD
Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater: *
Randy Orton vs. Kane: 1/4*
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Good opening segment with Orton and Christian. This storyline has really been done quite well.
Eden Stiles is a new ring announcer, apparently? She looks quite stunning. No surprise there.
IC Title match was OK. Pretty basic and formulaic match.
Rhodes and Bryan have another great match. I just wish Cole weren't so much of an ass on commentary.
Mahal and Khali bully some photographer. Yeah, real entertaining.
The Sin Cara/Sheamus match was just OK. Didn't seem like they had too much of a rhythm.
Face-off between Show and Henry was good for what it was. Lots of intensity, although I'm not so sure I'll be liking the match too much. Matches between two big men generally ends in disaster.
Divas match was a yawner. What are they calling that stinkface move from Kelly Kelly...a perfumeface? Who cares anyway.
Horrid Johnny Curtis segment.
Gabriel and Slater face off...former tag partners collide in WWE yet again. Not sure why Vince likes to split tag teams up so much. The best part of the match: Booker T mentioning "Booker T-bonics!" Slater's moonsault was kinda weird-looking.
I like how CM Punk has a look similar to Austin Aries. Just a random thought.
OK, who bet money out there that Christsian would come out during the Orton/Kane match? Yeah, I'm sure a lot of you did -- and you all woulda won too! Lame match because it was all about Christian getting on Orton's nerves.
Two days till the Money in the Bank PPV. Orton/Christian has been built up very well and should be the favorite for match of the night.
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Ted DiBiase (IC Title): *1/4
Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan: **1/2
Sin Cara vs. Sheamus: *1/2
Kelly Kelly vs. Rosa Mendes: DUD
Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater: *
Randy Orton vs. Kane: 1/4*
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Good opening segment with Orton and Christian. This storyline has really been done quite well.
Eden Stiles is a new ring announcer, apparently? She looks quite stunning. No surprise there.
IC Title match was OK. Pretty basic and formulaic match.
Rhodes and Bryan have another great match. I just wish Cole weren't so much of an ass on commentary.
Mahal and Khali bully some photographer. Yeah, real entertaining.
The Sin Cara/Sheamus match was just OK. Didn't seem like they had too much of a rhythm.
Face-off between Show and Henry was good for what it was. Lots of intensity, although I'm not so sure I'll be liking the match too much. Matches between two big men generally ends in disaster.
Divas match was a yawner. What are they calling that stinkface move from Kelly Kelly...a perfumeface? Who cares anyway.
Horrid Johnny Curtis segment.
Gabriel and Slater face off...former tag partners collide in WWE yet again. Not sure why Vince likes to split tag teams up so much. The best part of the match: Booker T mentioning "Booker T-bonics!" Slater's moonsault was kinda weird-looking.
I like how CM Punk has a look similar to Austin Aries. Just a random thought.
OK, who bet money out there that Christsian would come out during the Orton/Kane match? Yeah, I'm sure a lot of you did -- and you all woulda won too! Lame match because it was all about Christian getting on Orton's nerves.
Two days till the Money in the Bank PPV. Orton/Christian has been built up very well and should be the favorite for match of the night.
7/14/11 Impact
Ratings:
Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe vs. D'Angelo Dinero: **1/4
Austin Aries vs. Shannon Moore: **
Tara vs. Madison Rayne: *
Hernandez & Anarquia vs. Douglas Williams & Magnus: *1/2
Sting vs. Mr. Anderson (World Title): *3/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Immortal starts off the show in a celebratory mood, dressed to the nines. Anderson in a flashy suit of his own, because he's Mr. Anderson, apparently. Vintage Joker Sting! Evil clowns in the rafters!
BFG Series match between Roode, Dinero, and Joe -- three guys without any points in the series so far. Nice DDT from Pope on Roode. Kinda thought that was it for a sec because it is a free TV match. Very nice finish to that one. Joe basically pins himself as he had the choke on Roode. Joe pissed, but maybe it's part of something bigger for him.
Apparently the Jarretts are back from Mexico with a bunch of souvenirs. Loved Karen putting the sombreros on Steiner and Bully Ray. Margarita time!
Abyss taken out by one of the evil clowns.
Devon's sons with Pope again. Devon don't like it. More feuding between the two? We'll see.
Austin Aries is now officially on the roster by winning his match at Destination X. Pretty good short match here. Might have only been a few minutes, but it was fast-paced and entertaining.
Steiner now taken out by an evil clown.
Knockouts match was predictable. Of course it would be Poison inside that box.
Angle promo was good. He's #1 contender and he has a history with both Anderson and Sting, so he'd have no problem going through either of them to become champion.
Evil clown gets to Jeff Jarrett.
I'm not a fan of the Mexican America name. Very generic name (no impact or intimidation factor in the name) and their promos aren't that great. Anarquia is annoying and basically says the same crap. At least British Invasion came down for the fast start. That was just a very lame finish. How is dropping an elbow (in breaking up a pin) supposed to help reverse things and get a three-count? Am I really supposed to believe that in this day and age? Enough with the Rosita interference. Pathetic.
Next week: Shelley vs. Kendrick for the X-Division title, Mickie vs. Velvet for the Knockouts title, RVD vs. Scott Steiner in a BFG series match, and Styles/Joe/Morgan/Gunner in a BFG series ladder match (winner gets 10 points).
Gunner gets taken out by all four evil clowns. Well, who didn't see that one coming after all that's transpired tonight? And of course, it was Fortune posing as the evil clowns.
I like the World Title belt. Simple and clean look. Liked Anderson getting the Scorpion Death Lock on Sting. Looked like a botched slingshot into the ropes. Nice with the Sting Mic Check to Anderson. Of course we got a ref bump and Anderson taps (because there's no ref). Bully Ray was the one guy Fortune didn't take out (contrary to what Fortune probably thought), so he's the one to bail Anderson out. Oh wait! Another evil clown! Bully Ray is taken out! Sting gets the Scorpion Death Drop on Anderson to be champ again. And who was the clown? You guessed it, it was Angle! Again, logical and predictable.
I'll say this, though. I hate all these constant title changes. It cheapens the value of the title. It's the reason why people have groaned and complained with the belts in WWE changing hands so frequently. TNA (or Impact or whatever) needs to stop being like WWE. Go back to the X-Division roots. Have quality matches. That six-sided ring was great stuff. Instead, it's just another wrestling show to me.
7/14/11 Superstars
Ratings:
Zack Ryder vs. Santino Marella: *
Wade Barrett vs. Trent Barreta: *
Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso vs. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty: *3/4
Beth Phoenix vs. Maryse: *
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Ryder/Marella was just an average match here. Pretty short match of about four to five minutes.
Ho hum. Barrett/Barreta was again quite average. Same thing...another 4-5 minute match. Come on guys...entertain me!
There we go. A pretty decent tag match. Seems like the Usos have found their push ever since they started doing the haka before each of their matches. Hoping to see them get a tag title shot now.
We just hit the halfway point of Superstars and we're already starting the fourth match, a divas battle. Not bad for divas standards, but again, that means it was pretty much average. These guys and gals are not getting much time to impress me.
Punk/Vince contract negotiations from RAW are shown again. Loved this segment. Well, that explains the four brief matches. As for the actual Superstars show...this week was pretty lame.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
7/12/11 NXT
Ratings:
Derrick Bateman vs. Titus O'Neil vs. Darren Young (Elimination): **1/4
Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd: **3/4
______________
Statistics:
Here are the official NXT rookie's records as of 7/12/11:
Titus O'Neil: 10-6
Darren Young: 7-12
Derrick Bateman: 2-0
Conor O'Brian: 6-6 (eliminated)
Lucky Cannon: 6-6 (eliminated)
Jacob Novak: 2-5 (eliminated)
Byron Saxton: 2-8 (eliminated)
WWE Redemption Points:
Titus O'Neil: 25 (Talk the Talk; Keg Carry; Arm Wrestling, Power of the Punch, King of the Hill, Talk the Talk Part 2, Talk the Talk Part 3)
Darren Young: 7 (Obstacle Course; Battle of the Mic)
Derrick Bateman: 0
Jacob Novak: 6 (Pull Through; Know Your Pro) (eliminated)
Byron Saxton: 4 (Trivia) (eliminated)
Conor O'Brian: 3 (Tag Team Turmoil) (eliminated)
Lucky Cannon: 0 (eliminated)
This Week's Challenge:
None.
______________
Reviews/Thoughts:
Looks like we got a triple threat match to start things off (I'm not counting the average, short promos from the three NXT rookies). I laughed when the crowd was chanting for Daniel Bryan during the match when the rookies were competing. Very good match here, hard-hitting contest with a bunch of big moves.
Yoshi speaks decent English. Why can't Khali learn the language as well?
Hornswoggle/Titus segment was amusing. Green skittles, eh? And I have to admit, Kozlov was entertaining in his skit with JTG.
Another great match between Yoshi and Tyson. Keep these two feuding, that's all I'll say.
7/11/11 RAW
Ratings:
John Cena vs. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty: *1/4
Kelly Kelly vs. Melina: DUD
The Miz, Jack Swagger, & R-Truth vs. Kofi Kingston, Alex Riley, & Evan Bourne: **
Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre: N/A
_________________
Reviews/Thoughts:
We're in Boston! Loved it when Punk started the show with the megaphone in hand. Man, the fans really were going nuts for Punk. A live contract negotiation in the ring? A CM Punk Kiss My Ass club? Brilliant! Punk even brought up Cena getting "fired" a few months back when he was forced to join Nexus. Yeah, I loved this.
Not too often that you see a Cena match start off the show nowadays. Cena was doing a lot more wrestling in this match than in just about all of his previous matches. A bit of chain wrestling early on, which really went along with Punk saying he was the best wrestler in the world. Basically sent a message to Punk that Cena can do this too. Vintage Cena dropkick!
Big Show and Henry at MITB? Sure.
Vickie, Dolph, and Drew all making fun of Vince. Vince shows up behind Vickie. Vince makes a handicap match: Dolph & Drew vs. Big Show. Ahahahaha.
Bellas on commentary for the divas match. Yeah, that wasn't much of a match. Bellas make fun of Kelly, Kelly attacks one of the Bellas, both Bellas get the upper hand. Eve comes down and also gets taken out. Yup, sounds about right.
Basically almost all of the MITB participants cut their promos. Leads to a six-man tag. Alberto and Rey aren't in this match, apparently, for some reason. Tag match was OK for what it was.
Big Show will be on Burn Notice this Thursday. Looks good man. Speaking of which, his handicap match was really just to further his storyline with Mark Henry. That was a cool spot with Henry spearing Big Show off the stage. Henry, Show, and Drew all went overboard. Damn. Cameras stay on both Show and Henry, but at least a ref looks like he's checking on Drew.
Contract negotiation time. Loved that Vince called Punk "Phil" (Punk's real first name). God, this is so good I'd watch it over and over again. It does remind me a little of how Austin toyed with Vince during the Attitude era. I laughed pretty hard when Punk wanted the WWE ice cream bars back. That was just genius. Chaperone 2! Perfect knock on HHH. Great job on mentioning Rock. Punk mentioned all his friends that got a chance in WWE (Colt Cabana, Luke Gallows, etc.) that got a chance but got released by Vince. "We want ice cream" chants! Yes! This show may not have had good in-ring action, but the Punk promos were gold. "Colt Cabana" chants!
Cena came out and took his own shot at Rock while going after Punk. It just got better when Punk and Cena jawjacked back and forth. Punk was absolutely amazing, calling Cena the dynasty and the WWE's version of the New York Yankees. Of course, you gotta say that in Boston -- where Cena grew up. One of the best damn worked shoot storylines I've ever seen, period.
If Punk sticks around in WWE, it would be as an Austin-like babyface. I would so love to see that.
John Cena vs. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty: *1/4
Kelly Kelly vs. Melina: DUD
The Miz, Jack Swagger, & R-Truth vs. Kofi Kingston, Alex Riley, & Evan Bourne: **
Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre: N/A
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Reviews/Thoughts:
We're in Boston! Loved it when Punk started the show with the megaphone in hand. Man, the fans really were going nuts for Punk. A live contract negotiation in the ring? A CM Punk Kiss My Ass club? Brilliant! Punk even brought up Cena getting "fired" a few months back when he was forced to join Nexus. Yeah, I loved this.
Not too often that you see a Cena match start off the show nowadays. Cena was doing a lot more wrestling in this match than in just about all of his previous matches. A bit of chain wrestling early on, which really went along with Punk saying he was the best wrestler in the world. Basically sent a message to Punk that Cena can do this too. Vintage Cena dropkick!
Big Show and Henry at MITB? Sure.
Vickie, Dolph, and Drew all making fun of Vince. Vince shows up behind Vickie. Vince makes a handicap match: Dolph & Drew vs. Big Show. Ahahahaha.
Bellas on commentary for the divas match. Yeah, that wasn't much of a match. Bellas make fun of Kelly, Kelly attacks one of the Bellas, both Bellas get the upper hand. Eve comes down and also gets taken out. Yup, sounds about right.
Basically almost all of the MITB participants cut their promos. Leads to a six-man tag. Alberto and Rey aren't in this match, apparently, for some reason. Tag match was OK for what it was.
Big Show will be on Burn Notice this Thursday. Looks good man. Speaking of which, his handicap match was really just to further his storyline with Mark Henry. That was a cool spot with Henry spearing Big Show off the stage. Henry, Show, and Drew all went overboard. Damn. Cameras stay on both Show and Henry, but at least a ref looks like he's checking on Drew.
Contract negotiation time. Loved that Vince called Punk "Phil" (Punk's real first name). God, this is so good I'd watch it over and over again. It does remind me a little of how Austin toyed with Vince during the Attitude era. I laughed pretty hard when Punk wanted the WWE ice cream bars back. That was just genius. Chaperone 2! Perfect knock on HHH. Great job on mentioning Rock. Punk mentioned all his friends that got a chance in WWE (Colt Cabana, Luke Gallows, etc.) that got a chance but got released by Vince. "We want ice cream" chants! Yes! This show may not have had good in-ring action, but the Punk promos were gold. "Colt Cabana" chants!
Cena came out and took his own shot at Rock while going after Punk. It just got better when Punk and Cena jawjacked back and forth. Punk was absolutely amazing, calling Cena the dynasty and the WWE's version of the New York Yankees. Of course, you gotta say that in Boston -- where Cena grew up. One of the best damn worked shoot storylines I've ever seen, period.
If Punk sticks around in WWE, it would be as an Austin-like babyface. I would so love to see that.
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