These are the top five feuds of 2011

Here I am with the start of my end of year lists I promised to start… yesterday. Damn. Nevertheless, its here now. These are the top five feuds of 2011.

5. CM Punk vs Randy Orton

As we rang in the beginning of the year, Punk kicked Wade Barrett out of the Nexus and became its new leader. The initial segments showed some promise, with Punk being a vicious and unmerciful leader of the fallen group. While WWE was busy squandering the opportunity for something great to become of the ‘new Nexus,’ Punk entered a feud with Randy Orton. Storyline wise, the feud was executed brilliantly. For the first time in a long time, WWE acknowledged its past and set up the feud as Punk getting payback on Orton for costing him the World Heavyweight Championship back in 2008. In the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania, Orton destroyed the shredded remains of the Nexus, both in a storyline AND crowd reaction sense. Punk would have his payback however by going after Orton’s ‘wife’ and picking apart his leg with a steel pipe. During the feud, Punk established himself as the best heel in the company while the matches the two had were excellent, especially their Wrestlemania match. However, the feud was too one sided with Orton winning continuously, most likely due to Punk’s contract situation up in the air. A shame, because this feud could have been something really special.

4. Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett

Having stopped watching TNA more or less all together (bar one or two shows) since August, it comes as a surprise that this feud is included on my list. Honestly, the feud looked disastrous on paper. TNA’s booking was continuing its way down the toilet and my hopes for the company were at an all time low. When Angle and Jarrett began their feud, my hopes were dashed even further. Two men in their 40’s with ego’s the size of planets, this is exactly what is ruining TNA. However, this is Kurt Angle we’re talking about, one of the absolute best of his generation and still close to the top today. Jarrett isn’t exactly a slouch in the ring either. Infact, the series of matches they had together were impressive on more than one occasion. Couple that with some entertaining TV segments, some great mic work AND an appearance by Chyna, and you’ve got a surprise contender for feud of the year.

3. John Cena vs The Rock

Ok, the two haven’t actually had a one on one match together, yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the feuds of the year. I mean, fuck! After seven years, The Rock came back! Sure, he spewed a bunch of crap about never leaving, before disappearing for months at a time but still, it’s The Rock and how can you not be entertained by him? When Cena and The Rock set a date for a match a year in advance, many thought it would be executed poorly. However, both men have done a good job of keeping the feud alive both through social media and mentions on Television. We got a great return promo from The Rock as well as an old school rap from Cena and a better than anticipated return to the ring for Rocky at Survivor Series. With so many people talking about the feud, how can this not be included as one of the feuds of the year?

2. CM Punk vs WWE/John Cena

Lets set the record straight. I’m counting this feud from the ‘shoot’ promo Punk cut on the WWE to the title vs title match with Cena at Summerslam. When Punk cut the now legendary ‘shoot’ promo on the WWE, fans were abuzz with theories and speculation. It got everyone talking. Hell, it even got Punk on many end of the year lists for ‘making wrestling cool again.’ For a time, that was absolutely true as the WWE became edgy and unpredictable for those couple of months with Punk as the rebel champion. Reality and kayfabe blurred as both casual fans and smarks alike were clueless as to what would happen next. Amongst the hullabaloo, Punk and Cena had a genuine five star match at Money In The Bank and a great follow up rematch at Summerslam. After that, Triple H was re-introduced to TV and buried the Punk saga behind his bulbous snout. Nevertheless, ‘the summer of Punk’ was damn entertaining while it lasted.

1. Randy Orton vs Christian

A feud that lasted longer than a month? Holy crap! While I still don’t agree with how WWE handled Christian as World Heavyweight Champion (surely he deserved a longer reign) his series of matches and confrontations with Randy Orton were something special. Easily the best series of matches of the year, it felt like everytime they faced each other it just got better and better. What made the feud unique was that it was all about the world title. Two guys fighting over and over to either win or defend a championship that they want more than anything else in the world. Overall, a great feud and one that established Christian as a main event star while additionally adding some lost credibility to the world title. Bravo guys.

Honourable mentions: Mark Henry vs Big Show,  John Cena vs The Miz, Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes

Keep a look out for more end of year lists coming your way in the next few days.

Thanks for reading.

Let me know your feuds of the year!

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Lets Talk Wrestling: WWE TLC 2011 review and thoughts.

Its not often I get to do two blogs in two days. I’m on a roll baby! I think I'm going to continue this streak by beginning my end of year lists tomorrow. Check back for the feuds of 2011 list!.

TLC looked like a solid pay per view on paper and that’s exactly what we got. Lets break it down.

Zack Ryder vs Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship

The crowd was HOT for this one. To all the naysayers who doubted Zack Ryder’s ability to be involved with a top quality match, this should have put some of those doubts to ease. The WWE have something special in Zack Ryder. Ryder has become a bit of an ‘underdog’ character that more and more people seem to enjoy getting behind. Ryder easily got the second loudest pop of the night and as for consistent reaction throughout the match? I’d go as far as saying that it was on a par with CM Punk’s. You know what excites me even more about Zack Ryder? It’s the fact that he has made the United States title relevant, in a big way. Ziggler and Ryder’s feud has brought attention to the midcard title that was once again floundering in the wake of the WWE title. Kudos to both men for that. As for the match, I said yesterday that I would be a little disappointed if Ryder was booked as the ‘face in peril’ for the majority of the match. Someone in WWE must have read my blog as there was no such disappointment. Ziggler and Ryder had a nice back forth bout that was given just the perfect amount of time. Some near pinfalls towards the conclusion of the match kept the viewer second guessing themselves as both men seemed just milliseconds away from winning. In the end, it was the right call to allow the Ryder revolution to truly begin. One can only sit back and see how things unfold for Ryder on his ‘Road to Wrestlemania.’ Will he just be a flash in the pan or will he go on to reach new heights? As a broski, I can only hope for the latter. As for Ziggler, perhaps a Royal Rumble win is on his horizon?

Winner and NEW United States Champion - Zack Ryder

***

Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne) vs Epico & Primo /w Rosa Mendes for the WWE Tag Team Championship

In all honesty, a really solid tag team match. WWE have far from rejuvenated their tag team division as Triple H was rumoured to be interested in doing. What they have done is taken a step in the right direction in making the tag titles relevant again. Epico and Primo could become a solid pairing if they are given long enough to develop as a tag team while having Rosa as a manager adds a little something to their personality and marketed appearance. There was some nice, basic tag team wrestling that we don’t often see in modern day WWE from both teams. Sometimes its ‘going back to what brung ya’ that works the best. Also, SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!! For a large portion of the match Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler ACTUALLY called the match instead of talking about whatever other random bullshit pops into their heads. It was refreshing.

Winners and STILL Tag Team Champions – Air Boom

** ¼

Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett in a Tables Match.

Our first gimmick match of the night pitted the ‘Barrett Barrage’ against ‘The Viper.’ The two had a decent tables match with some nice spots. I could see the RKO off the top rope and then through the table coming a mile away but still, it looked gnarly. Barrett looked strong in victory and I highly doubt this will be the last PPV match between the pair. Both own a singles victory over one another, there just HAS to be a rubber match.

Winner – Randy Orton

** ½

Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly for the Divas Championship

Either this was announced or I chose subconsciously to ignore its existence in my prediction blog yesterday. Either way, the less said about this match the better. Kelly Kelly continues her streak of  not having a shred of worth. All she does is yell, she can’t even run the ropes and Beth Phoenix had to call the match so loudly it was clearly audible. Honestly, the only reason I want WWE to go back to TV-14 is so that Kelly Kelly can become an ‘exhibitionist’ again and not have to speak or wrestle. Just awful.

Winner and STILL Divas Champion

1/3^rd of a star.

Triple H vs Kevin Nash in piñata on a pole…. Sorry ‘Sledgehammer Ladder Match’…

Ok, I was ready to absolutely trash this match and predicted yesterday that it wouldn’t be pretty. Well, it certainly wasn’t an all time classic but it was fine for what it was. The two behemoths slugged it out in a physical match up that saw the ladder gimmick utilised to full effect. In what I thought was a smart move, Triple H worked over Kevin Nash’s which enabled Nash to sell the injury and compensate for his lack of pace at this stage in his career. However, this led to the match being TOO slow and lacklustre at times, bringing the overall quality down. The ending sequence was nicely put together. Nash held up ‘The Kliq’ sign before Triple H did a DX crotch chop and smashed Nash across the face with the sledgehammer, just as I predicted yesterday. A lot better than I imagined, but nothing you’re going to tell your grand kids about.

Winner – Triple H

**

Sheamus vs Jack Swagger

Not much to say about this, I guess they needed to fill some time. Swagger and Sheamus had an altercation earlier backstage that led to this match. Nothing really to invest in and ended up nothing more than a glorified squash match.

Winner – Sheamus

*

Mark Henry vs The Big Show in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Of course, it’s not this match itself that everyone is talking about its what happened after… we’ll get to that. Mark Henry and the Big Show’s actual match up ended rather abruptly. Each man took a few brutal chair shots and then … BOOM… Big Show hits the WMD and we have ourselves a new champion… or do we?

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion – The Big Show

*

As Show is celebrating, Mark Henry attacks him from behind with a chair. The ‘Daniel Bryan’ chants begin and his music hits followed by him bursting to the ring with a referee. Bryan cashes in his money in the bank briefcase, covers the Big Show and in the space of 2 minutes we have…

NEW World Heavyweight Champion – Daniel Bryan.

As someone who has watched Bryan Danielson in Ring of Honor work his ass off to produce some classic matches, seeing him reach the top of the ladder in WWE is a proud moment. Hell, his WWE career was once thrown into jeopardy when he was fired (or was he) for ‘going too far’ in the initial Nexus invasion. So for him to survive that and come back to eventually win the title is a great sight to see. If online reports are to be believed, Vince McMahon was the one who wanted the title put on Bryan due to legit leg and ankle injuries to Mark Henry. Other creative members were pushing to keep the title on Mark Henry but McMahon himself wanted Bryan to be the champion. Think about that, Daniel Bryan is backed by Vince McMahon… perhaps he isn’t to blame for the flip-flop booking he’s received in recent months. Regardless of how you feel about Bryan being champ, you can’t deny that it raises a ton of questions about the future of the World Heavyweight title. Will Bryan turn heel and start a feud with Big Show? Will Big Show turn heel? Or will Bryan’s reign be a short uneventful one? One can only hope WWE pushes Bryan as a strong champion and builds itself a new star in the process.

Booker T vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship

Despite being questionable due to multiple attacks backstage by Cody and an assault from behind as Booker was making his entrance, this match went ahead as planned. I knew Booker would ‘still have it’ in spite of not wrestling a REAL singles match since 2010. The difference between Kevin Nash and Booker T (since they both returned at the Royal Rumble) is that while Nash’s big reaction was reserved for that one event, Booker continues to get nice reactions in whatever he does. The crowd was solidly behind Booker who didn’t show any signs of ring rust. The win came for Cody when Booker was selling head injuries sustained from the earlier attacks. The ‘unfair’ win allows for the feud to continue, and I would have noooooo problem with that.

Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion – Cody Rhodes

** ¼

CM Punk vs The Miz vs Alberto Del Rio in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the WWE Championship

In what I was expecting to be the match of the night, I certainly wasn’t let down. The match contained some memorable spots including; CM Punk being handcuffed to a ladder and turnbuckle and getting out of both by breaking the ladder and unscrewing the turnbuckle, Del Rio hitting the enzuigiri on Punk causing him to go through a table on the outside and The Miz and Punk pushing Ricardo Rodriguez off a ladder through a table on the outside. In regards to the use of handcuffs on Punk, it made him look like an intelligent champion by using his quick wits to get out of the predicament he was put in. The Punk character is a bit of a smart mouth, so it was a unique way of getting that aspect of his character over in the match. All in all, a great way to end the PPV year.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion – CM Punk

*** ¾

It is worth noting that John Cena didn’t show up, which was unexpected. Honestly though, the card didn’t seem to miss him all that. Sure, the buyrate might reflect otherwise but I personally feel that WWE should realise having Cena in the main event of EVERY PPV is not a necessity.

On another note, if you know me personally you should know that I’m in seventh heaven right now. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder are all champions. That’s three of my so-cal ‘fav five’ right there. Cody Rhodes is one of my current favourites as well and Air Boom are certainly entertaining to watch in the ring. WWE is finally pushing a SET of champions that I can get behind. Its not often that happens.

For all those people who ever doubted CM Punk and Daniel Bryan… this ones for you.

@CMPunk Two Indy schmucks didn't do so bad, Eh?

 

Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts on TLC as well as the World Title situation on:

Facebook

Twitter:

@crapminitweets

or in the comments below.

Until next time, Lets Talk Wrestling.

TLC 2011 predictions/thoughts and a genius move by WWE?

I’ve been incredibly busy with Uni deadlines and various other things recently and as a result this blog has taken a back seat. This specific TLC blog has been written when I’ve been drunk and as part of my procrastination when writing an essay for Uni, so please excuse any dip in quality. Anyway, on with the predictions.

Booker T vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship

While commentators ‘handling their business’ is sure to come (traditionally) with a lot of moans and groans, as its Booker T I have no problem with this particular match up. Granted, Booker is getting on in age and hasn’t wrestled a REAL singles match since 2010, I still think this could be a nice little rub match for Cody Rhodes. As evidenced by the reaction at Madison Square Garden for the Survivor Series PPV, Rhodes is over with the adult demographic and Booker has the charisma to not only stir up nostalgia but genuine support from the TLC fans. Match of the night? Certainly not. However, a nice 10-12 minute bout? Absolutely. You’ve just got to hope WWE don’t book Booker to win because that would be a calamity on so many levels.

Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion – Cody Rhodes

Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett in a Tables Match

The first gimmick match of this predictions blog is a Tables match between two men who have been involved in quite the feud on Smackdown. Ever since Barrett began decimating opponents on his ‘Barrett Barrage,’ the English-born superstar has been thrust once again into the spotlight. This has only been enhanced by his feud with Randy Orton. Barrett owns a singles victory over Orton so traditional wrestling logic would indicate a win for Orton here. Its tough to call though as I predicate that the two will continue their feud past TLC.  One plausible scenario for the outcome of the match is that Barrett continues to be ‘inside Orton’s head’ and Orton ends up being his own downfall. This could happen as a result of Orton ‘snapping’ and putting himself through a table while attempting to put Barrett through. Something along them lines. As I say its tough to call but somehow, someway, I envision Barrett continuing his ‘barrage.’

Winner: Wade Barrett

Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder for the United States Championship

Fans have been clamouring for this one for weeks now and it finally goes down at

TLC. If you’re a reader of this blog you’ll know that I’m a big supporter of Zack Ryder and his self made transition from jobber on Superstars to one of the best selling merchandise guys and one the most over faces on the roster. In retrospect, although it would have been a great crowd reaction for Ryder to win the title at Madison Square Garden, WWE have built Zack Ryder up nicely in the weeks between Survivor Series and TLC. While most peoples gripes with Ryder come from his in-ring ability (go check his ECW and Superstars matches you slackers) this match should go some way to prove that he has what it takes. Of course, that’s if its booked correctly. If the official in charge of the match allows it to be a back and forth affair, this match has the potential to be the ‘show stealer.’ However, if Ryder is booked to be the ‘face in peril’ throughout most of the match, I’ll be disappointed. It would affect some of my enjoyment of the match but I’d still expect something decent from the two. As for the outcome, its time to pull the trigger on the singles title for Ryder and allow Ziggler to move on up the card. Woo Woo Woo, you know it.

Winner and NEW United States Champion – Zack Ryder

Triple H vs Kevin Nash in a Ladder Match.

Basically, this harkens back to the Vince Russo * blah blah * on a pole match from WCW (see piñata on a pole). Kevin Nash can barely walk, how can he climb a ladder? Honestly the feud between these two has been terrible, the concept is terrible and I’m not expecting a pretty match. The best-case scenario is that it ends quickly and doesn’t continue past TLC. Anyway, I see Triple H winning and using his favourite weapon of choice to mash Nash’s skull in.

Winner – Triple H

Mark Henry vs Big Show in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Mark Henry is honestly getting more interesting the longer his championship reign continues. To be honest, Henry should hold onto the belt. At this moment in time I find him more interesting than Big Show and also more consistent. Though to be fair, the two have to be given credit for making a horrible feud on paper one of the feuds of the year. The WWE’s dalliance with Daniel Bryan in the main event seemed to be a success to me. Crowds were reacting favourably and Daniel Bryan was getting some nice pops. However, Bryan seems to have been on the receiving end of a rapid de-push, so who’s to say. Either way, I think Henry will be facing Bryan or Sheamus at Wrestlemania with title in hand and therefore rumbles past the Big Show at TLC.

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion – Mark Henry

CM Punk vs The Miz vs Alberto Del Rio in a TLC match for the WWE Championship.

This match has the potential to be excellent. Three men who can work a decent match thrown together with the TLC gimmick has potential, right? I mean, there’s only one outcome I see with this match and that’s a Punk win. Having said that, the way the title is being passed around like the drunkest chick at a house party, one can’t help but have that little voice in the back of your mind. Nevertheless, I’ve got a feeling Punk is holding on to the title until Wrestlemania. As for the ‘Road to Wrestlemania,’ I’d expect a feud with The Miz for a couple of months. The WWE need to seriously re-build Miz’s character as it has been more than tarnished in recent months and a title feud with Punk could definitely go along way to making fans care about him again.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion - CM Punk

Well that just about does it for this TLC predictions blog. I hope you enjoyed it and let me know your pre….

Wait.

Wait a minute. Something doesn’t seem right.

No John Cena??

WWE are seemingly taking a huge gamble by not placing Cena on the card. As the face of the company and the biggest drawing superstar on the roster, it seems like a strange business decision to not have him on the card. John Cena has been in 11(!?) of this years PPV main events and it seems astonishing for him to not even be on the card. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll definitely show up somewhere but I’m interested to see if the buyrate dips at all. Indeed, it’ll be interesting to see how they handle CM Punk if the buyrate shows any major fluctuation.

Speaking of Cena, I came across this picture this morning. 

Wow. WWE have to be given credit where credit is due. They’ve finally capitalised on the anti-Cena mentality that is shared by a large proportion of their audience. Anti-Cena members of the WWE Universe have tended to be a bit retarded in my experience. OF COURSE they’re going to buy this t-shirt, pump money back into the WWE and keep Cena’s merch sales up. Genius on the part of WWE really. Additionally, if Cena does turn heel eventually (fingers crossed) the adoring members of the Cenation have a t-shirt to buy when their hero turns on them. BOOM. Money money, yeah yeah.

Until tomorrow with the TLC review, thanks for reading and let me know your predictions on Facebook, Twitter or below in the comments. Thank you.

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Survivor Series 2011 review, thoughts and a prediction for John Cena's future

Another pay per view, another review from yours truly. In spite of the current state of the Raw brand, WWE has managed to put on some top quality pay per view’s this year. 2011 has seen consistently solid PPV matches and in some cases (Money In The Bank + Summerslam) fantastic spectacles. It’s November and time for the last of the ‘big four’… lets see what we got.

Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison for the United States Championship

Speaking of consistency, Dolph Ziggler can do no wrong at the minute. He has seemingly upped his entire game in recent months. Subtle tweaks to his character and a bigger presence on the microphone have got people begging for him to get a shot at the upper echelon of the card once again. Ziggler’s in-ring work is always fun to watch, whoever the opponent. As far as the match is concerned, it was decent. It served its purpose as an opening bout. However, the question on everyone’s lips is - Why wasn’t Zack Ryder in the match?

For weeks, John Morrison has been booked to lose. On the other hand, Zack Ryder has pinned Ziggler on multiple occasions. As evidenced by the incredibly loud and constant ‘We Want Ryder’ chants, this match should be viewed as a sign of the company not knowing what the fans want. Granted, Madison Square Garden is one of the smarkiest arenas in the world and they’ll constantly go ‘against the grain.’ Despite that fact, it was extremely clear Ryder was the guy who should have got the title shot here. I mean did you HEAR that pop he got when he entered? By far one of the biggest pops this year, maybe even the last few years. Wake up and join the Ryder Revolution, Vinnie Mac.

Winner and STILL United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler

**

Beth Phoenix vs Eve in a lumberjill match for the pink sparkly butterfly belt

To be honest, I’m just waiting for the day that Natalya and Beth Phoenix start feuding. Then, and only then, can we hope for a good Divas match. To be fair though, Eve is a much sharper in ring competitor than Kelly Kelly who brings new meanings to the word ‘bimbo.’ Anywho, that top rope Glam Slam was pretty cool though, huh?

Winner and STILL pink sparkly butterfly champion: Beth Phoenix

* ½

In what can only be described as a moment of sheer horror, CM Punk and David Otunga are shown backstage discussing how Punk should apologise to Michael Cole for his attack on Raw. I swear to god, if they start a feud between Michael Cole and CM Punk, I may have to take a shit in an envelope and deliver it to WWE headquarters.

Backstage again and The Rock delivers a nice promo, discussing his history with MSG and Survivor Series. It harkened back to The Rock’s promos of old where it was just him and the camera, which was a nice touch.

Team Orton vs Team Barrett in a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag match.

A really solid, entertaining match that got a nice chunk of time to work with. One of the main talking points has to be Sin Cara’s seemingly botched suicide dive to the outside. The result? 6-9 months out due to surgery and rehab on a ruptured patella tendon. This is the guy who was the absolute top draw in Mexican wrestling for years. He caused a media stir when he jumped ship to the WWE. Hell, Mistico even had a comic book back in his home country. WWE spent week’s hyping him, I mean, REALLY hyping him. When he debut’s he botches his entrance, he frequently botches in his matches, he fails a wellness test and gets 30 days suspension and now blows the heavily rumoured ‘big money match’ with Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania. Holy fuck. I’d be extremely shocked if we ever saw him return to the company at this point.

After some nice action from Kofi Kingston and Cody Rhodes (who was over as all hell with the MSG Crowd) it came down to Randy Orton as the sole survivor of his team against Barrett and Cody Rhodes. In the end, the right team won. Having Orton win would have been a damn shame, because he doesn’t need it. Barrett and Rhodes, however, are on the verge of becoming legit main event players on the Smackdown roster and this win only solidifies their rise.

Winner’s: Team Barrett

***

Big Show vs Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship

A slow match which lost the crowd at various points. The last effort from these two far exceeded expectations but unfortunately the same can’t be said for this match. It’s a shame because this has been a nicely built up feud that has lasted longer than the lightening quick flash in the pan feuds we are used to seeing nowadays. There were two saving graces for the match. Firstly, that top rope elbow drop from Big Show was a sweet spot. Seeing that gargantuan flying through the air will be on his highlight reel for years to come. Kudos on that. Secondly, the ‘Daniel Bryan’ chants that filled the air from that amazing MSG crowd, once again letting the company KNOW what they want. Mark Henry was booked like a monster once again, kicking out of that elbow drop and a superkick from Big Show. My guess is he holds on to the title till Wrestlemania. As for the here and now, an inconclusive finish means that we’re probably going to see a rematch at TLC. I’m going to predict a table match, however, the incident with Big Show injuring Henry with the chair at the end might foreshadow a chair match… we’ll see.

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Mark Henry

* ¾

CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship

Very nice touch at the beginning of the match to allow Howard Finkel to be CM Punk’s special ring announcer. It’s a shame Michael Cole ruined it by talking and laughing over half of it though. Fucking idiot. The MSG crowd showed a ton of respect which made ‘The Fink’ come over all emotional. N’aww. CM Punk continues to be the most over name on the entire roster as he got a huge reaction and bellowing chants. What followed was a really good match. Punk put in some great work and meshed well with Del Rio to push him to one of his best matches in his time with WWE. It came as a pleasant surprise considering the slide Del Rio has been on recently.

The right man won. Del Rio’s character has become so stale in such a short amount of time that fans don’t care about him anymore. There is something missing in terms of his connection with the live crowd, for any wrestler that’s bad news, but for the WWE Champion that’s just unacceptable. What the company now have is an opportunity to make up for their fuck up with CM Punk earlier in the year when he was champion. Let Punk run amock, let him cause trouble, drop pipe bomb’s and deliver some good matches. That’s what the fan’s want and Punk can deliver. After all, he aims to make the WWE title ‘exciting again.’

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk

*** ¾

The Rock and John Cena vs The Miz and R-Truth

I haven’t been the biggest fan of The Rock’s return it has to be said. His promos (except his initial return) have all been repetitious, lethargic and legacy damaging. His promise that ‘he’ll never leave again’ before disappearing again for months was ridiculously hyperbolic. His stance for his feud with Cena is concerned mostly with the colour of shirts. Additionally, the WWE are so up Dwayne’s ass that they let him take up a shit load of time at Wrestlemania to do next to nothing. Despite the sour taste The Rock’s return has given me, I was still excited to see him return to in-ring action at Survivor Series.

One of my concerns heading into the match was possible ring rust for The Rock. Well, The Rock opened up a can of WD-40 on my ass (wrong superstar, I know, but it seemed relevant) and looked as sharp as ever. Sure, he only hit his signature moves more or less and Cena carried most of the work yet, The Rock didn’t look like someone who last performed 7 years ago.

I’m not going to review this match based on a glossy eyed view because The Rock returned to action. Sure, it was something special and memorable but the match itself was rather disappointing. Wrestling matches are so much better when they’re back and forth, but whoever booked the match wanted The Rock to look DOMINANT. Cena played the ‘face in peril’ role for such a large percentage of the match it brought the entire affair down. I can only remember The Rock taking three bumps. The clothesline shot on the outside leading into a barrier shot, and taking R-Truth’s finisher. The entire feud has been too lop-sided in The Rock’s favour, I feel. Rocky not only cleaned house and picked up the win, but laid Cena out once again with a rock bottom. With The Rock not scheduled to be on WWE programming for the foreseeable future, where is Cena’s chance for revenge? Are they really going to continue with such a lop-sided build for the match?…

Winner’s: The Rock and John Cena

***

When thinking about this, the cogs in my mind began creaking. It has been called for time and time again recently… but… what if all this is leading to a Cena heel turn? Think about. Cena’s reactions are heavy boo’s whenever The Rock is around… doubly so at MSG. It’s always a mixed reaction otherwise. Cena’s (legit) argument against The Rock is that he is constantly in WWE day in and day out, whereas The Rock trundles off to Hollywood and brings it ‘via satellite.’ Now, look at Cena’s new shirt ‘Rise Above Hate.’ What if Cena can no longer rise above it? What if Cena snaps? The fans would rather cheer for someone who breaks promises, who disappears for months than Cena who works his ass off for the WWE and does it all for the fans. WWE have always been scared to pull the trigger on a Cena heel turn because there was no other guy close to being the draw he is. Well, with CM Punks meteoric face turn, they now have another huge draw… maybe now is the time? It certainly won’t be difficult to pull off and will not only rejuvenate Cena’s character but will in turn freshen the landscape of WWE. You heard it from me first! ©

In all, Survivor Series was a good show. We have some memorable moments to take away from the 2011 edition and a lot to think about as we move towards the final PPV of the year Tables, Ladders and Chairs.

On an entirely unrelated note, I had a little (incredibly sad) fun while watching Smackdown a couple of week’s ago. We all must have noticed that Booker T is so bad at commentary that it’s funny! He has a few different phrases that he seems to repeat over and over… I took a tally.

Are you kidding me!?!? 111111

WHAT DA HALE !?!? 111

WAIT A MINUTE! 11111

YOU GOTTA LOVE IT 111

WITH THE GREATEST OF EASE 1 1

WOAHHHH 1111111

BEAUTIFUL 1111111

Oh my goodness 111111

Wow 111111111111

Let me tell you 111111111111111111111

BIZNISS 111

MAYYNNN 1111

Check this out 1111

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Lets Talk Wrestling - Attending live show's... what did I get from them?

Writer’s note – I’m writing this half drunk and late at night. I’ve had a lot of Uni work recently so haven’t had chance to type a blog recently… so here’s a short one.

WWE’s bi-annual tour of the UK rolled around almost two weeks ago now. I attended two shows. One was a house show, the other a tv taping. A few interesting things popped up.

CM Punk is OVER. When I say over, I’m talking chants for him all the way through the show regardless of what was happening in the ring. Obviously, it was apparent how over Punk was already BUT until you’ve attended a house show, you’re unable to scope just HOW much fans love him. A sea of shirts, chants galore, the stars have aligned for Punk. In addition, it seems WWE is pushing him as THE guy. Punk not only main evented the Manchester house show but closed the show as well. John Cena looked like the ‘right hand man’ to the Punk show… is this a new direction WWE are looking to take? With Cena’s feud with The Rock currently taking precedence, it seems perhaps not. What does the future hold? We play the waiting game.

Who else is over? Long Island Iced Z-Zack Ryder. Are you serious, bro? I am serious, bro. A myriad of ‘We Want Ryder’ chants, broski shirts and headbands selling out AND a main event Raw match in which he was more over than Cena? Wow. Zack Ryder is a true success story. When he was floating around in the ether, Ryder didn’t lay down. When it came to Z True Long Island Story, it was either get noticed or get fired. Ryder’s show put him on the map and not only is he now a top merchandise seller but, arguably, is the third biggest face on Raw. If WWE can stop the inconsistent booking of Ryder, they honestly have a star on their hands.

I’ve mentioned John Cena a few times in this blog already, but he’s worth mentioning again. Cena receives a mixed reception in the US but in the UK…shit, it seemed to be a significant swing towards absolute hatred. How do I know this? Well, for my university dissertation I’m writing on WWE and the media. While attending the shows, I was looking for emails to conduct some qualitative analysis with genuine wrestling fans. As I approached a female wrestling fan and explained my research to her, she declined my request for an email conversation. Why? She couldn’t stand John Cena. Excuse me, what? That was her genuine answer. She wouldn’t answer some questions because she disliked Cena… What in the blue hell? She claimed that Cena was destroying the show and moreover, his fans were ruining her enjoyment. Really? WWE and Cena have to be either stupid or genius to instill that much hatred in an apparent babyface. Do people really hate Cena that much? The guy works his ass off for the company and is a great performer. It seems people have smokescreen in front of their eyes when it comes to Cena. Is it cool to boo him? Maybe. Does he take a lot of time on Raw and get shoved down our throats? Sometimes. But is he the top draw and most recognisable name in the WWE? Yes, and WWE are going to continue to take advantage of that until he can no longer compete. WWE is a business and do you know what businesses want to do? Make money. Cena is money. He’s absolutely no different to Hogan, Austin and The Rock. They were shoved down our throats too. Honestly watch some old episodes of Raw and Smackdown. The Rock competed in multiple matches on Smackdown quite a few times. I guess I just don’t understand the gripe sometimes.

The show’s overall were good. I’ve always gone to TV tapings so to go to a house show was fun for a change. Nice lengthy matches and a lot more theatre is how I’d describe a house show. Unfortunately, the atmosphere seemed to be lacklustre this year… maybe its just the state of the product, I don’t know. Having never attended a Smackdown event, I think I’m definitely going to one next year! If you haven’t been to a live show, I highly recommend getting your ass to one because it’s great to see the tv stars you know and love live and in person. A guy sat behind me in Manchester described it as ‘enthralling.’ I think I’d agree.

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Thoughts on the current WWE Product

Grievance’s.

I hate to be a whinge, but this is going to be a blog mainly consisting of whinging. Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely justified (in my head at least), but its whinging none the less. The WWE product at the moment is a total mess. I don’t mean a keyfabe mess either, in the sense that the creative team have missed opportunity after opportunity and have so many flaws in their storylines… it’s beginning to grate.

Following Money In The Bank, CM Punk was absolutely red hot. Punk managed to get himself OVER with the audience NATURALLY, using his ‘pipe bomb’ promos and technical ability to put on a 5 star classic with John Cena and winning the WWE title in the process. WWE could have capitalised on his comments and contractual situation by injecting more of a rebellious streak into Punk. Punk could have showed up all over the place with the WWE title, Ring of Honor shows, indy shows and fans could have really bought into his title thievery. It would have been a fresh storyline that both members of the IWC and casual fans could have enjoyed. Remember when Punk showed up at comic-con and disturbed Triple H’s press conference? People went mad for that and rightly so, it was awesome… and new. CM Punk could have become a truly legitimate top drawing superstar. Money in the Bank buy rates were up from 2010 and that trend could have continued. How things turned out however, were vastly different. 

Punk was rushed back and ended up losing the WWE title to Alberto Del Rio at Summerslam… who was the ref for that match? Triple H. Triple H seems to be the common denominator in all of MY personal problems (maybe other people’s too) with WWE at the moment. It seems the creative team couldn’t handle someone naturally getting over and the Triple H/Vince McMahon storyline has been pushed down our throats instead. Make no mistake, that’s what this whole storyline is about, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a HHH vs McMahon match at Wrestlemania 28. Add to that Triple H’s notorious reputation for being proudly jealous and selfish and using his position in the company to bury people to keep himself on top, Punk didn’t stand a chance. ‘But Punk has been in consecutive PPV main event’s’ I hear you say. Look at the record though, he’s lost since his win at Money In The Bank and on the way lost to an inactive wrestler in Triple H…if you can’t tell, I’m sick of Triple H.

WWE has completely dropped the ball by rushing storylines. Triple H and CM Punk was supposed to happen at Survivor Series but was bumped to (perhaps) get rid of some of CM Punk’ s momentum. By the way, I find it hilarious that Punk is now a top merchandise seller and WWE are looking to go ‘full steam ahead’ with a Punk push later this year… presumably when Triple H is off screen (trollolol). Kevin Nash, why the hell was time wasted on him? Alberto Del Rio’s push to the WWE title was rushed and resulted in absolutely no one caring and the roster merge has done nothing to help ratings or the product in general.

Lets evaluate the COO/walkout storyline. Firstly, the WWE superstars walkout and vote ‘no confidence’ in Triple H. Then guess what, they ALL appear on Smackdown… wait I thought they walked out until HHH stops running the company not JUST Raw. Apparently WWE quickly realised their mistake and had superstars directly mention RAW on Smackdown despite saying otherwise on the previous show. Good save… We then have Vince McMahon come out (wait, I thought he’d been relieved of his duties?) and tell Triple H he’s fired as COO and John Lauranitis has been hired as Raw GM. Ok. So who runs day-to-day operations now? Triple H wasn’t just Raw GM, he was Chief Operating Officer. It’s just an instance of WWE assuming it’s fans are retarded and don’t realise the holes in their story. Keyfabe is SUPPOSED to be portrayed as real; it just seems a little lazy and as if the creative team hasn’t thought thing’s through.

John Lauranitis. There’s no doubting the guy generates heat. He’s been disliked by the IWC for years regarding the talent decisions he has made as well as being a ‘yes man’ to Vince McMahon. Despite that, the dude really shouldn’t be on screen. His voice renders his promos emotionless and I don’t think his heat will last for long without Triple H around. 

Moving on from the HHH/McMahon story, another opportunity missed is Zack Ryder. Ryder had a nice video package shown on Raw a few week’s ago followed by two pins on the United States Champion including one with Hugh Jackman in his corner. Flash forward to two weeks later and Ryder hasn’t been seen. Seemingly, his push has been given to Mason Ryan instead… Once Zack Ryder had been on a win streak, the majority of the live crowd got behind him immediately and WWE should have jumped right onto that. Instead, Vince is fapping himself over Ryan’s size and physique rather than a genuinely entertaining and capable superstar. Mason Ryan is incredibly robotic and clumsy in the ring, has more tan on than the chicks in Oceana and isn’t even strong. You see, that’s the thing about guys on steroids, they look strong but aren’t. Watch him try to pick up Jack Swagger on Raw, he struggles and botches the move. That isn’t the first time I’ve seen him do it either. Ryder has broken into the top merchandise sellers pack and WWE should capitalise NOW.

CM Punk’s storyline, a potential money feud between Punk, Triple H and Kevin Nash, rushing Del Rio to the RAW main-event and taking Zack Ryder off television because you think you've found the next Dave Batista. WWE, show some patience and put thought into storylines for fuck sake!

Hell, weren’t The Miz and R-Truth meant to be ‘outsiders?’ They’ve now been rushed back and put into a tag match with Triple H and CM Punk who are now apparently best buds. What the fuck? Another opportunity missed.

To top it all off Jim Ross was ‘fired’ for the 987766778^th time… in Oklahoma.

*Cornette Face* Fuck this company.

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Night of Champions - review and thoughts!

I’ve been scratching my head so much after last night’s Night of Champions PPV that I fear I may have brought on premature balding. Regardless of my follicle situation, WWE’s last PPV of the summer brought up more questions than answers…Lets dive right in.

Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne (Air Boom) vs The Miz & R-Truth (Awesome-Truth) for the World Tag Team Championship.

A nice little opener this one. What struck me were the little things. The use of tag team psychology including the fake ‘clap’ tags and referee distractions are things we just never see in a WWE ring anymore. Just think back to Otunga & McGillicuty’s reign, Santino and Koslov’s reign even Big Show and Kane’s reign, never once did we see those little things that make tag team matches great. Despite the praise however, did the outcome really make sense? The Miz and Truth, storyline wise, can’t really claim a conspiracy against them if they get them selves intentionally disqualified. The story is clearly that The Miz and Truth flipped out because the ref missed a few things that ended up benefiting Air Boom, however an intentional DQ just makes you look stupid rather than victims of a ‘conspiracy.’ I found it rather odd that the FACE champions resorted to dirty tactics to overcome their challengers, surely a sneak victory may have been a better option playing into the ‘conspiracy’ storyline all the while giving your face champions a clean victory. As I say, some nice action but slightly dodgy action.

Winner’s and still World Tag Team Champions: Air Boom

** ½

Cody Rhodes vs Ted Dibiase for the Intercontinental Championship

Quite a slow match that never really had the opportunity to liven up. Reports have claimed that matches they’ve been having at live events have been garnering rave reviews… this can’t have been their best outing. Ted Dibiase just doesn’t connect with the fans whatsoever. Periodically, the crowd would start random chants ranging from ‘We Want Ryder’ to ‘Un-der-ta-ker’… with both men sitting at home, that sounds like a crowd that cares about Dibiase. With this being WWE’s latest attempt to push the million dollar son, one has to wonder, was this his last shot?

Winner and still Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes.

**

Dolph Ziggler vs Alex Riley vs Jack Swagger vs John Morrison for the United States Championship

See above. This match never really had the time to hit top gear. Aside from one showcase of incredible core strength from Morrison, it was pretty forgettable. I had to laugh at Ziggler screaming at Vickie ‘you just cost me the match!’ after she put Swagger’s foot on the rope. Of course, she actually saved the title for him… derp. Dolph stole the pin from Swagger for the win. This means we’re going to have a continuation of the whole Swagger/Vickie/Dolph storyline regarding Guerrero’s cliental that seems to have been going on for years with no advancement. Joy.

Winner and still United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler

Mark Henry vs Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship

Colour me every shade of shocked at the quality of this match. I have never been a fan of Mark Henry, but his recent booking has warmed me up to him (no homo). His hall of pain shtick and dominance has worked wonders for his character and it showed in this match. These guys told a great story with Orton constantly trying to put Henry down but failing because Henry was just too strong. The finish made Henry look like an absolute bad ass, with Orton spent and Henry scooping him up for the Worlds Strongest Slam for the 1,2,3.

The amount of cheers following the victory told its own story. In an era where WWE are too reliant on Cena and Orton carrying the company, a brand new and fresh champion is something to be celebrated. Can it last though? I can almost guarantee that Randy Orton will get his rematch in two weeks (!?!?) at the Hell in a Cell PPV. With the way things have been going with brand new champions recently, that aligns the stars for Orton to win back the title and thus wasting all that time spent building up Mark Henry as something special. I hope and pray that doesn’t happen and Henry enjoys a decent chance at finally breaking through as a legitimate main event player.

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Mark Henry

*** ¼

Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly for the Diva’s Championship

Pretty much a repeat of the Summerslam match. It’s worth noting how OVER Beth Phoenix was in her hometown and the ‘Kelly sucks’ chant was delicious … and true… in more ways than one. Nice top rope superplex that was unique for a diva’s match in recent times, so props on that, I guess.

What I can’t fathom is the booking. Kelly has gone over Beth on multiple occasions now. If the so-cal ‘Divas of Doom’ are actually meant to be taken seriously, Beth had to get the win here. I mean, where do they go from here? Certainly in the world of keyfabe Beth doesn’t deserve another title shot, will they go with Natalya? I suppose they could have Natalya win and Beth become jealous, eventually splitting up the pair? Meh.

Winner and still Divas Champion: Kelly Kelly

*

John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship

I’m not upset with John Cena winning the WWE title, that’s not my issue. My issue is why did they give Del Rio a reign in the first place? He started the year with all the momentum in the world. He won the Rumble, he won Money in the Bank but after all that, he faded away. The booking of Alberto Del Rio has been very hit or miss, but this is ridiculous. I have mentioned it before in these blogs but I absolutely hate short title reigns. In recent times we’ve had the following reigns for the WWE title:

CM Punk: 28 days

Rey Mysterio: 1 hour

John Cena: 20 days

Alberto Del Rio: 35 days

And for the World Heavyweight title:

Christian: 2 days and then 28 days

Randy Orton: 35 days

That’s just shocking. With the title being flip flopped around it gives absolutely no time for a champion to establish themselves, especially in the case of Christian, Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk’s first WWE title reign. Fuck, no wonder WWE rely on Cena and Orton so much when other superstars aren’t allowed to prove their reliability.

Now I’m not upset that John Cena became champion again, because fans simply weren’t buying into Del Rio. They need to freshen up his character because his ‘destiny’ shtick is getting old. Who bets that he’ll claim it’s his ‘destiny’ to regain the title tonight on Raw? WWE booking 101. Decent enough match, but not as memorable as Cena’s previous two efforts.

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: John Cena

** ½

CM Punk vs Triple H – No Disqualification

Punk vs HHH was a decent brawl. We got a tour around the arena, some nifty little spots and the Spanish announce table took a beating for old times sake. Half way through however, what could have been an entertaining 1 on 1 encounter turned into an overbooked clusterfuck.

Here we go…

The Miz and R-Truth attacked CM Punk and Triple H, The Miz put CM Punk on top of Triple H, the referee counted to two, the referee attacked The Miz, The Miz attacked the referee, John Laurinaitis and a new referee came out, Triple H covered CM Punk, John Laurinaitis didn't let the ref count, CM Punk covered Triple H, R-Truth broke up the pin, The Miz and R-Truth randomly left, John Laurinaitis started texting, Kevin Nash came out and randomly attacked everyone, Triple H smacked Nash with the sledgehammer and then Triple H got the win.

Ho. Ly.

At face value it was extremely and unnecessarily convoluted. The abundance of interference reminded me of WCW in its dying days and modern day TNA. I don’t believe it should have gone down like that, not one bit. It left a sour taste of disappointment and anger. It was billed as ‘personal’… it should have been.

In storyline and keyfabe terms, it somewhat made sense. Awesome-Truth wanted to get noticed. They felt CM Punk and Triple H were in a conspiracy, so they attacked them both and tried to get Triple H out of the picture. When Triple H kicked out of the pin they forced upon him with Punk, they beat the ref down, as they did earlier in the night. I guess following their comments earlier in the night of "Triple H may not even be C.O.O after tonight," you could feel it coming.

Lauranitis seems to want HHH’s job, and it appeared as if he was revealed to have sent the original text to take Punk out. Did you notice that after H kicked out of the GTS pin, he had a phone out and was shown texting? Nash came down (after being texted by Johnny Ace) and attacked both men because he has a beef with both, but he really went out of his way to take out Triple H. However, Punk stopped that, and Nash lost his cool and rocked Punk, which led to the Triple H win.

It has been built up ever so intricately across recent Raw shows and the action earlier in the PPV. It was just so OVERbooked though and seemed to go on forever and brought the match’s momentum to a screeching halt.

Speaking of momentum (it seems to be a common theme) has CM Punk been buried? I’ve seen plenty of outrage over Punk’s loss and I both agree and disagree.

I mean, during the match Punk suffered shots from a steel chair, a jacknife powerbomb, a pay dirt from R-Truth and three pedigree’s. That means it took FIVE ‘finishing moves’ for HHH to defeat Punk. It may be stating the obvious, but Punk has been in the storylines that have consistently had the most time on television ever since his promo in July. On top of that he has main evented the past three pay per views. That sure as hell doesn’t seem like someone who’s ‘buried.’

On the other hand, instead of capitalising on Punk’s WWE title win and the potential of him being a ‘renegade’ champion, the WWE chose to put the spotlight on Triple H replacing Vince McMahon as the ‘authority figure’ of the WWE. Now we know that Triple H has buried people in the past by using his unique position to keep himself in the spotlight. I mean, HHH is 40 and wrestled one match this year, are fans really supposed to buy into him being able to beat CM Punk? The Triple H vs CM Punk match seemed hot-shotted and could have been built up better had they given it more time. Of course Punk was on the losing end so could Punk be HHH’s next victim? His momentum has certainly cooled, but with some decent booking to round off this storyline Punk could be the TOP WWE draw.

Winner: Triple H

** ½

Money in the Bank and Summerslam were fantastic, and I was hoping for a lot more from Night of Champions. The match quality was nowhere near the level it should have been and some of the booking decisions were questionable at best. Still, the CM Punk/HHH storyline is still must see just to find out what the hell is going to happen.

Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts.

Big shout to Laila K of Sonic Boom Six for recommending this blog to Barney on my last post, if you read this one, thanks alot and I hope you enjoyed it! 

Richard McMaster

Lets Talk Wrestling

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WWE Summerslam 2011 review and thoughts.

Off the back of my prediction’s posted yesterday, I couldn’t have been more wrong about the match outcomes. I did, however, predict the style of each match correctly AND Del Rio cashing in, I might add. I guess that’s something to drag about… Last month’s Money In The Bank PPV was an absolute blinder in terms of match quality and Summerslam was no different. Yet, as entertaining as the matches and segments were, a few contentious booking decisions had me (and others) shaking their head a little. Lets get on with the show…

Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston & John Morrison vs. R-Truth, The Miz & Alberto Del Rio

The writing was on the wall really. Each man involved had been feuding with each other, with the exception of Del Rio. In terms of storyline, Dolph Ziggler (feuding with Kofi Kingston, sorta) should have been the 3^rd heel. With Alberto Del Rio included, WWE would expect us to be lulled into thinking we weren’t going to see the Mexican Aristocrat appear again. Smart move really. In terms of the PPV, it made sense for these guys to be included. They’re the entire upper-midcard/cusp of the main event on Raw at the minute and not having them involved on the ‘second biggest show of the year’ would do little for interest and investment into the product’s superstars, especially heading into the dreaded ‘Monday Night Football’ season. The match was a solid ‘hot opener’ and had a good amount of athleticism and nice little spots. It served its purpose as the bout excited the crowd and kicked things off in flying fashion. The face team got the win after Mysterio hit the 619 and splash, which makes sense leading into his title shot on Raw.

Winners: Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston & John Morrison

** ½

First shocker of the night, Stephanie McMahon. A nice little segment ensued which ended with Stephanie wishing CM Punk good luck and offering him a handshake. His response? "I would, but I know where that hand's been." CM Punk is money.

Mark Henry vs. Sheamus

WWE had a bit of a conundrum heading into this match I feel. Both men are on the receiving ends of a push. Mark Henry has been booked to look like an unstoppable monster with destruction laying in his wake. Sheamus has JUST turned into a ‘badass’ face. Who needs legitimising more? To their credit, both men told a fantastic story in this match, with Sheamus trying to take down Henry but falling short each time. The two made sure to beat the living hell out of each other and some of the welts on Sheamus were visible and looked brutal. Essentially, neither competitor should have won cleanly with the possibility of derailing the loser’s momentum. In the end, Henry plowed Sheamus through the barricade and won on a count out. It made a lot of sense, with Sheamus proving too tough to pin and only in having received so much punishment could he be out for the count.

Winner: Mark Henry 

** ¾

Cee Lo Green comes out in a glittery bin bag. The divas dance. Alicia Fox has a sailor’s hat on. Yeah.

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix for the Diva’s Title

Honestly, one of the better divas matches on PPV in a long time. Kelly Kelly showed that she has a small amount of wrestling ability hidden away somewhere. I think the fact that she was working with someone skilled and strong in Beth Pheonix helped a lot. She could bust out some offence that some of the other divas just wouldn’t know how to handle. The finish? Lame. Does anyone really think that a stick like Kelly Kelly can beat Beth Phoenix? I was preparing for Beth and Natalya to take over the role that Kharma was beginning… the annihilation of the ‘bimbo’ divas. Much to my chagrin, I was wrong. Kelly Kelly walked out victorious with the pink, shiny butterfly belt in tow.

Winner and STILL Divas Champion: Kelly Kelly

* ¾

Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan

A really nice technical, back and forth match from these two. I thought the chemistry might have been lacking but both men put on the match of the night so far. Daniel Bryan showed once again that given a PPV opportunity he can deliver a really good midcard match. Barrett was impressive too and had his best match since his feud with Cena last year. I thought the match was booked perfectly, until the ending. I thought Daniel Bryan could use the victory more here. If his storyline aspirations really are to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase at Wrestlemania 28, the WWE are going to have to work hard to legitimise him. Either that or (as some have predicted) have him be the first man to lose his Money in the Bank briefcase cash in or the briefcase altogether. Barrett has main evented PPV’s and had WWE Title shots, he should have been booked to be the first person to put Bryan over. As it is however, at least Bryan looked very strong in defeat.

Winner: Wade Barrett

*** ¼

Christian vs. Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This was advertised as the ‘final match’ between the two but honestly, they could be on the next PPV for all I care. Four PPV match’s in a row and they can still deliver a fantastic spectacle. Christian and Randy Orton just ‘click.’ The little intricacies they throw into their matches and the air of unexpectedness is a sign of a great feud. To no one’s shock Edge came out, not to help Christian however, but to call him a ‘whiny bitch.’ That’s not very nice. Anywho, the match had it all, kendo sticks, garbage cans, Spanish announce tables and… blood! It’s a rare occasion we get one of these types of matches in the WWE nowadays and the audience ate it up. It was a nice mixture of wrestling and hardcore moments, seamlessly interchanging between the two. Christian pulled a few moves to suggest that he’s not out of it yet, the key moment coming at the very end with the RKO from the ropes onto the stairs. My only gripe with the match is that the WWE can’t have paid too much attention to that ratings plummet when Orton was champion and the ratings rise when Christian won back the title. Either that or… they just dislike Christian, hur hur. Christian deserves a lengthy title run to prove that he can be a long term main eventer, if he hasn’t done so already (did you hear that duelling Christian chant… Cena style?), and solidify that in the eyes of the WWE Universe. I really wouldn’t mind another match at Night of Champions but I think Mark Henry might be next in line.

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton

****

John Cena vs. CM Punk to become the Undisputed WWE Champion

Again, an excellent match between the two. The seemless transition and fluidity of moves was better than their Money in the Bank match and given more time to work with could have transcended to another 5 star quality match. The crowd, while not as uniquely vocal as the Chicago crowd were by no means dead. Far from it infact as the chanting was relentless and split, maybe slightly in favour of Punk about 55% - 45% … on my TV anyway. Cena played to the crowds reactions in perfect fashion. A moronic section started a ‘You can’t wrestle’ chant and you know what? Cena busted out chain wrestling, reversals and submissions time after time, causing them to sit down and shut up. The finish fell a little flat in my opinion, with Cena’s foot clearly on the rope and Triple H counting the 3 anyway. I felt the audience (and myself) were left thinking, ok… is that ACTUALLY it? I thought the match was going to be restarted and Punk get a legitimate win…

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk

**** ¼ 

Of course that’s not how it went down. Kevin Nash came through the crowd and delivered a jacknife powerbomb to Punk before Del Rio runs down the ramp and cashes in his Money in the Bank to become the new WWE Champion.

Now, I have a number of problems with Punk being the one to be cashed in on. CM Punk IS the hottest thing in wrestling right now and could in a few months be a bigger draw than John Cena. However, this has de-railed that momentum in my opinion. In fact, ever since Triple H’s arrival I feel he’s begun to cool off again. Maybe R-Truth’s conspiracy theories are right? Punk certainly shouldn’t be caught off guard and get destroyed by a 52 year old man, that’s for sure. Further, I just don’t think Alberto Del Rio is ready yet. If you’ve watched his promo’s and segments, the crowd have been silent during them as of late. He’s a talented in ring performer and a good character but the audience doesn’t seem to be buying into him at the moment. I feel the only reason he’s WWE champion (if reports are to be believed) is because of the upcoming tour and TV tapings in Mexico. Really? WWE, Really? You’re going to sacrifice potentially millions of dollars in favour of a champion of the same nationality as your TV tapings later in the year. Maybe it’s just sour grapes in my part because I’ve been a fan of Punk for so long. His World Title run’s were abysmal and de-railed due to his locker room disrespecting of The Undertaker one time, pathetic. I’ve seen a host of outcries from fans voicing the same opinion, so at least I’m not alone.

Nevertheless, I suspect Kevin Nash will return as a bodyguard/goon for Triple H and Alberto Del Rio (oh, the irony) and Triple H will (thank god) turn heel and maybe we’ll get an Austin/McMahon situation with Punk/HHH?

Summerslam poses a lot of intrigue heading into tonight’s Raw.

-         Why were Kevin Nash and Stephanie McMahon there?

-         Will Alberto Del Rio’s reign be short lived?

-         What’s next for Punk and Cena?

-         Did Triple H screw Cena?

So much intrigue... WWE has upped the excitement levels tenfold in recent weeks. Until next time, thanks for reading.

What were your thoughts on Summerslam? Leave me a comment below!

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WWE Summerslam 2011 Predictions.

WWE’s ‘second biggest PPV’ is upon us once again. This years event has had its fair share of critics due to only 5 feature matches being announced, including a Divas match. Summerslam has seemingly been built around one match and one storyline… the situation with the WWE championship and while that’s all well and good, it would have been nice to see a little more thought put into the rest of the card.

A saving grace however, is the fact that the card is intriguing. Each match is hard to predict as all the participants either need a win or deserve a win. Anyway, no more wasting time…

Daniel Bryan vs Wade Barrett

The intrigue starts. Having won the Money in the Bank, it was clear Daniel Bryan was going to need a solid couple of months in order to be built up in the average WWE fan’s eyes. Daniel Bryan was a tremendous independent wrestler and has had some fantastic matches in the WWE with the likes of Dolph Ziggler and The Miz. However, to be a contender for the World Championship, he’s going to need some legitimisation. Wade Barrett set the WWE on fire with the original Nexus invasion and his main event run with John Cena but his hot streak was doused with his draft to Smackdown and his ‘just there to fill the void’ run with The Corre. I would argue that both men need the win here and both men COULD come out with victory. However, I think Daniel Bryan needs it more and Wade Barrett is the one to begin his legitimisation. This has the potential to be a great ‘hot opener’ with the hopes of a solid, technical, back and forth match. After multiple near falls, I’d look for Daniel Bryan to get the win in an incredibly hard fought victory.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

It must really suck to be WWE’s midcard right now. I really do think that we’ll get a Cody Rhodes vs Ezekiel Jackson rematch OR a Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston – United States Title match thrown into the mix. The question is, why the hell weren’t they announced? Way to treat your titles, WWE.

Sheamus vs Mark Henry

This isn’t going to be pretty. It’s not going to be full of finesse and technique. What it is going to be is an out and out brawl between two monstrous men. What I like about this match is that Sheamus can actually move, unlike Henry’s previous PPV opponent The Big Show. This is another match where both men need the win. Sheamus has begun a fresh face turn and needs the win to solidify the turn. Mark Henry on the other hand has been booked to be a dominant monster heel who destroys everything in his path, a loss here could dent that. Personally, I think Sheamus gets the win whether it be by disqualification or by pinfall. Mark Henry will pull some sort of stunt after the match, either by beating down Sheamus or someone/something else to gain back some heat.

Winner: Sheamus

Kelly Kelly vs Beth Phoenix for the Diva’s Title.

Kudo’s go out to the WWE for their Phoenix and Natalya heel turns and for making me care just a little bit for a Diva’s match. Honestly, I hope Beth annihilates Kelly Kelly and ushers in a new era for the Diva’s where wrestling ability and technique counts for something. Sure the Diva’s may be great to look at, but once they’ve made their entrances, no one gives a crap. Beth Phoenix needs and deserves the win.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

Christian vs Randy Orton in a no holds barred match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This feud has been great. It reminds me of old school feuds, you know, where rivalries actually lasted longer than a couple of weeks! This will be the 4^th PPV they’ve had a one on one encounter and I’m expecting a similar level of quality from this match. It’s interesting to note that ever since Orton won the title from Christian, the Smackdown ratings (in the US) went down, down, down. However, since Christian won back the title, the ratings have risen to heights usually seen around the time of Wrestlemania. Coincidence? Maybe, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if Randy Orton won back the title once more. Again, this is hard to predict. Do WWE want to play it safe and put the title back around the waist of their supposed Smackdown golden boy, or, do they want to give Christian what he deserves? A title reign that lasts longer than a month! There is a lot of speculation surrounding Christian's comments to end this week's episode of Smackdown, where he said he just found something out, and all of a sudden went from being really worried about the match to being really confident about it. He then said that he has the "best thing going." Does this mean we’ll see Edge help out either Orton or Christian at Summerslam? I’m HOPING for a Christian win and a feud with Sheamus in the future. Fingers crossed.

Winner: Christian

CM Punk vs John Cena (w/ special referee Triple H) to become Undisputed WWE Champion.

This is the match everyone will be ordering the PPV for. CM Punk’s meteoric rise to well deserved prominence has (in my opinion) took the WWE by surprise. According to reports, their creative plans for the foreseeable future have been changed and re-drafted and Punk has become a huge face superstar. The Money in the Bank match the two had was a fantastic five-star match. Give them 35-40 minutes to work with once again. They have more than proved they have some great chemistry together and can put on a classic match. The only gripe I have with this match is the fact that Triple H is the special referee. Ever since his introduction as ‘Chief Operating Officer’ he’s been all over. Hogging up at least 20 minutes of Raw with his dull announcements, sometimes longer. Hogging Smackdown. It’s eerily reminiscent of his early 2000’s days. The match screams SCREWJOB. You can see it coming, but you don’t know who’s going to be on the receiving end. One outcome that CANNOT happen is John Cena winning cleanly, more or less destroying any momentum that CM Punk has built up. In a similar vein, I don’t think WWE will have CM Punk win cleanly over John Cena. This reinforces the screwjob theory, Triple H will get involved in someway and cost one of the two men the title. My prediction? Through hook or crook, CM Punk gets the win.

Winner: CM Punk.

Will Alberto Del Rio cash in? My gut feeling says yes.

I think the opening game of Man Utd’s premier league season affected the latter half of this blog’s coherence. Hopefully you got the gist though. As one of WWE’s ‘big four’ I’ve ordered this PPV live, I hope I won’t regret it like I did with WM 27.

Let me know your predictions in the comments, on facebook (www.facebook.com/richard.mcmaster3) or twitter www.twitter.com/crapminitweets

Thank You for reading and join me tomorrow for a full Summerslam review and thoughts.

Lets Talk Wrestling.

"I'm Here To Make This Shit Cool Again"

I’ve wanted to write on this subject ever since I heard CM Punk’s ESPN ‘BS Report’ interview with Bill Simmons. I came across another column writing about the same topic, so I feel inspired to put my spin on the situation on this humid English Summers day.

"I think a lot of people are embarrassed about pro wrestling and I don't think they should be. I wanna make this shit cool again."

When I heard CM Punk say that on the podcast, I immediately tweeted it because it resonated with me. I mean, how many times has someone you’re talking to discovered you like wrestling and their only response is “It’s fake?” Yeah, I’ve heard that one a lot too. It’s an answer usually backed up with absolutely zero knowledge of the craft or any desire to listen to what you have to say about it. However, how many times have you or other pro-wrestling fans covered up the fact that you like and follow the sport as if you’re an MI6 agent and you’re life depended on it? The answer to that is probably a whole bunch of times too. CM Punk summised how a lot of pro-wrestling fans feel in just that one sentence, embarrassed.

The column I was reading referenced the ‘Attitude Era’ and the ‘Monday Night Wars’ as primary examples of when people WEREN’T embarrassed about wrestling. Now, I’m not from the United States and I was only 8 or 9 years old when this occurred, however, I remember every single one of my school friends liking WWE and/or WCW and following them religiously. I remember wrestling merchandise being everywhere you looked, whether it be t-shirts, posters or trading cards the ‘Attitude Era’ boom was evident even over here in the UK. The WWE was so huge that it successfully put on special PPV’s exclusively in the UK, namely Rebellion from 1999 – 2002.

That’s when it ended however, ratings declined after Vince McMahon bought WCW both in the US AND over here. Wearing a wrestling t-shirt became un-cool again. Merchandise (especially in the PG era) is now designed and geared towards younger audiences, top sellers John Cena and Rey Mysterio especially. Wrestling changed once again. As I grew up, I was forced to stop watching wrestling partially, because my friends stopped watching. The only way I could see Raw and Smackdown was at a friend’s who had Sky Sports and after Channel 4 (can you believe WWE used to be on free tv!?) stopped showing Sunday Night Heat and Pay Per Views (another victim of post-attitude era) the only source I had was results on wwe.com. That was until I got Sky Sports myself and began watching again as HHH dominated every show to the point where I wanted to smash his big ass nose in myself. Anyway, I digress…

I was now one of only two people (that I can remember) watching wrestling regularly. Everyone around me now used that phrase “its so fake.” I didn’t give a flying fuck… and I still don’t. I’m PROUD of the fact that I love this craft, I love analysing it, I love getting frustrated with it and most importantly I love the fact I’m entertained by it.

What does that phrase even mean? “It’s fake.” Yes, its scripted, but the sacrifice, bumps and torture that these men put their bodies through almost every single night of the year is immense. You don’t like it because its not ‘real’ fighting? MMA fighters fight every couple of months… these guys are bumping their ass off 365 days a year with no rests or off-season. They work through injuries and only take time off when their injuries are near debilitating. Take a look at a guy like Hulk Hogan who has had around 9 back surgeries all because of the bump he took from delivering his patented leg drop night after night…”its fake” …please.

I’ve heard from people who read this blog and say they don’t comment on it because they have “a reputation to uphold.” Yet again, please. Why be so concerned with what other people have to say, especially when it's just something you're watching on television? All you’re doing is watching a product that you love. If a fan of rugby took the piss out of you for preferring football, what would you say? You’d say fuck off. It’s the same principle. If you’re entertained by it and enjoy it, tell people. I constantly see facebook updates about buses, work, and other ailments. Why not update your status with something that you love instead and tell people what you thought about a pro wrestling show?

That brings me back to CM Punk. I absolutely 100% unequivocally agree with him, I think a lot of people are embarrassed about pro-wrestling and bow to peer pressure regarding how ‘cool’ it is to like it. Come on people, if we were all made the same the world would truly be a horrible place to live. Treat wrestling like you treat you’re favourite sports team. If you have wrestling merchandise, don’t be afraid to wear it, show off your favourite superstars shirt! You know those ‘rainbow coloured’ tops that John Cena has? Yeah, I have the purple and red one and I don’t give a damn about wearing them in public because he is one of my favourite superstars in the WWE and I’m proud of that fact. I’m proud of wearing my old school Austin, Hogan, DX and Rock shirts… fuck, I’m even proud of wearing my TNA shirt, most of the time.

The best thing about pro-wrestling is that it’s FUN, and if CM Punk stays true to his word then this ‘pro-wrestling isn’t cool’ stigma may just be broken once more. Everyone will be seen in John Cena, Miz and CM Punk t-shirts and WWE will once again be one of the hottest topics at school, university and even the office water cooler. In the mean time however, be proud to be a supporter of the most entertaining craft on this planet, don’t hide it for the sake of giving a damn about what people think.

Richard McMaster

Leave me some feedback! The blog is called Lets TALK Wrestling after all, and hell, that’s what the column was all about!

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