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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Cheers.

WWE Capitol Punishment review/thoughts.

(I apologise in advance, this isn’t very well written at all. But I think I make some valid points that are worth your time, so check it out!)

Capitol Punishment is here, fresh off the lowest bought PPV in a number of years. Looking at the card, from top to bottom it screams LOW NUMBERS! I mean when you have to push R-Truth to try and establish a new main eventer, something’s gone wrong.

May I just say that the Capitol Punishment set is pretty swank, I miss interesting PPV sets. Speaking of things I miss, the Spanish announce table is here! You just KNOW someone is going through that at some point during tonight’s proceedings.

We open up the show with Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship!

Ziggler and Kingston have faced each other numerous times before, however, they always put on a quality bout. This one was no different. It was a solid ‘hot opener’ with the crowd lapping up every believable near fall. The match effectively made both men look strong. Kofi looked strong in defeat and Ziggler looked like a legit force, with plenty of counters and kick outs. WWE seemed to experiment with a crane camera angle in this match that surveyed the action in the ring, which was, erm, new.

I found the ending a little dodgy, Ziggler picked up the win after the referee stopped the match while the Sleeper Hold was applied. It was almost MMA style, rather than the typical Pro – Wrestling style of letting the arm flop down 3 times. Perhaps maybe it was a botch? Who knows! I just hope that Dolph Ziggler is given a chance to rebuild the shattered US title and bring back some interest to the once prestigious championship. Ziggler and Zack Ryder have been involved a lot with each other, maybe its time to turn Ryder face and give him a shot at Ziggler! Dolph could turn on Zack Ryder and it could lead to Ryder finally getting some real television time. Time will tell.

***

Winner and new United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler.

The Miz vs Alex Riley

I tell you what, Alex Riley is getting over quickly. He received a nice pop, albeit from his hometown crowd. It was a classic Mentor vs Student match. The Miz dominated most of the action, inflicting punishment on Riley for betraying him. I have to give props to Miz for delivering the best Scorpion Death Drop I’ve seen in years. WWE is getting dangerously close to imprinting the John Cena formula onto Riley. We already have Cena and Orton who do the outdated ‘hulking up’ at the end of the match and winning in a matter of a few moves.

Furthermore, I found it a bit tragic that The Miz was beaten by… a DDT. A move that is no longer synonymous with being a finishing manoeuvre defeated a former WWE champion. It’s just a continuous burial of The Miz at the minute that shouldn’t be happening. While I understand the company obviously see something in Alex Riley, they could go about it in a better way and is a clear indication that the company have no idea how to build a face at the moment.

** ½

Winner: Alex Riley.

We are introduced to a Barack Obama impersonator, more on him later.

Big Show vs Alberto Del Rio

The giant is ANGRY! But before he gets a real chance to exert his anger, Mark Henry shows up. I’m not going to lie, I have been bored to tears by the Del Rio/Big Show feud. Nothing about it has interested me and its clear from the silent crowd reactions, I’m not the only one. It’s no secret that Mark Henry is one of my least favourite wrestlers in history. I shudder to think what its going to be like having to sit through a Big Show vs Mark Henry feud. Slow lumbering matches, dull promo’s … uck.

Hey, at least the Spanish announce table got smashed in. However, absolutely nothing happened in the match, which basically served as storyline advancement. This should have taken place on Raw or Smackdown NOT a PPV that people are paying $45 in the US. The WWE wonders why buyrates are down, take a fucking look at what you put out on a show maybe?

*

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Wade Barrett vs Ezekiel Jackson for the Intercontinental Championship

Barrett’s promo before the match was the most entertaining thing he’s had to do in weeks! One thing that can be said about Barrett is he is extremely adept at cutting promos. He had a go at American officials, the national debt and even the American education system. He said in a few years, everyone will be speaking Chinese. Excellent heel work. USA chants aplenty, despite the fact that neither Barrett OR Jackson are from the country. Just great.

Big Zeke eventually came up with the win. That isn’t the direction I would go in just yet. The fans just aren’t buying into Jackson. He has a great look, but he is awful on the mic and robotic in the ring. In time he could develop into something great, but he isn’t ready for a title run at the moment. We got some filler with an in-ring interview and my point about him being terrible on the mic is reinforced!

During the match we got quite a big ‘We want Ryder – woo woo woo’ chant going. PUSH HIM!

** ½ stars.

Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Ezekiel Jackson

Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk

At this point this is probably the one millionth time they’ve faced each other and there should have been a stipulation to add some excitement and intrigue to the match. Noticeably, CM Punk is getting a bigger face reaction than Mysterio, he’s sort of turned into the opposite of Cena recently.

I honestly don’t think creative know what to do with Rey Mysterio at the moment. He feuded with Alberto Del Rio on Smackdown, then it continued on Raw. He then had a mini feud with R-Truth before re-igniting a feud with CM Punk. Mysterio is stuck in a rut at the moment and creative don’t have a clue.

As for the match, I would have like to have seen it be a bit more athletic. CM Punk can fly around as well but he relied on submission and it lulled the crowd for a large portion of the match. It did liven up, eventually and turned into a nice back and forth match with some decent near falls. The match ended with a very nice counter in the GTS for the Punk win. Either WWE is trying to appease him into signing a new contract or they’re letting him go out on top. It will be very interesting to hear what he has to say on Monday Night Raw.

***

Winner: CM Punk.

Randy Orton vs Christian

Not as good as their encounter at Over The Limit, which was the shining match of the PPV. It was still a decent match, again though its one that I feel like I’ve seen 20 times before at this point. There are no opponents for Christian if he wins the title as a heel, besides… Randy Orton. Daniel Bryan isn’t over enough anymore, Sin Cara is nowhere near ready and there isn’t anyone else on Smackdown big enough for a title shot. Smackdown is in dire straits at the minute, so I don’t see Christian regaining the title any time soon. I do think Christian will get another match however, because of his foot being under the bottom rope on the 3-count. Perhaps they’re leading to a triple threat match with Sheamus included at the next Pay Per View.

*** ½ stars

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton.

Shane McMahon’s music was playing! I marked out for a couple of seconds, however it turns out it may be the theme song for Money In The Bank. A little odd.

The Bella Twins and some bloke named Keith Stone are out for a cheap plug and we go to the same video package we had opening the PPV… err what the fuck was the point in that?

Jack Swagger vs Evan Bourne

We get a token bonus match and the crowd couldn’t have cared less. The two had a quite a bit of build together, so God knows why this wasn’t an advertised match. Infact, I’d argue they had more build than Kofi Kingston vs Dolph Ziggler. On the subject of Evan Bourne, he is just as flashy as Sin Cara and about 10 times better at the high flying style (in the WWE) push Evan if Sin Cara continues to fail! The match was half decent, but in the end, no one really cared.

**

Winner: Evan Bourne

Someone thought it would be a fantastic idea to have a Barack Obama impersonator come out and spout off some one liners that again, no one seemed to give a flying fuck about. Someone else thought it would be fanatastic for Booker T to call the ‘president’ homie all the while forgetting to take his headset off when making his way to the ring. We then got a Barackarooni. That’s one for Botchamania 178.

If you take all the video packages, the Obama segments, the cheap plug for Keystone and you have well over 30 minutes of filler. There is absolutely no business for that amount of filler being on a PAY PER VIEW. Along with the storyline advancement match between ADR and Big Show and your pretty much looking at daylight robbery from the paying customers. Stop treating them like shit, WWE.

John Cena vs R-Truth for the WWE title.

Speaking of Pay Per View buyrates, honestly, it makes you think where WWE would be without John Cena. They’d probably be pushing 30,000 buys for this PPV without him. So take that haters.

Anyway, the writers have gone back to the ‘Super Cena’ formula HARD. In his time last year without the WWE title, Cena’s matches weren’t the same old, same old, and he was allowed to break loose of the formula. Although, you can’t argue that the formula AT LEAST allows Cena and the WWE to put over new main eventers and I think it worked in adding to R-Truths rising star last night. The pace of the match added to Truth’s character with the slow dissection of the champion telling the story of Truth’s frustration. In the end however, Cenation prevailed. R-Truth was bested by a kid throwing water in his face, I suppose it was a unique touch. The crowd were electric throughout the match with the usual duelling Cena chants, it really helps add excitement to the match. Fairly decent, but not great.

** ½ stars

Winner and STILL WWE champion: John Cena.

Overall, Capitol Punishment far exceeded my expectations to be honest. I was expecting terrible things, but what we got was something decent. That isn't going to change the fact that the buyrate number for the show probably will set some record lows. I just hope WWE really step up their game on the road to Summerslam. The Money In The Bank pay per view should attract more buys, however, I’m looking for some big things to happen on tomorrow nights Monday Night Raw. We’ll see.

Lets Talk Wrestling.

Leave me some feedback, and thanks a lot for reading.

Richard McMaster.

Bitter taste - Randy Savage and this weeks shows.

(Quite a long one this week, haven’t written a blog for a while and got a lot to get off my chest.)

This week was mired with the news of ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage passing away due to a massive heart attack while he was driving his vehicle causing him to lose control.

I’m not going to pretend to be Savage’s biggest fan, nor am I going to pretend I’ve seen every single one of his match’s, well, because I haven’t. I started watching wrestling in around 1995/1996. I was limited to WCW Nitro and Thunder, which Channel 5 showed, WWF Heat and Pay Per Views on Channel 4 and Smackdown, Bottom Line, Velocity and Afterburn on Sky at my friends’ house. I’ve watched some of his classic match’s; Wrestlemania 3 vs Ricky Steamboat, vs Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 5, vs The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 7… match’s like that. My biggest personal memories come from his time in WCW with the N.W.O, some of his hilarious promos and commentary and his very brief stint in TNA. With his peak being in the 80’s, fans who began watching during the Attitude Era and who were too young to have lived through the 80’s have little experience of what the Macho Man brought to the table. I can safely say he was a great performer and a great entertainer. Something I’ve always admired about Randy Savage is that unlike many other stars of the 80’s, he knew when to quit.

After departing from WWE in 1994, there have been rumours, whisper’s and hearsay’s regarding why he left. Savage is one of the men who are guaranteed a WWE Hall of Fame spot one day. Will it happen next year? Possibly. One thing’s for sure if Vince McMahon decides to put him in the Hall of Fame in 2012 people will say he is cashing in on his death. On the other hand, if he waits he’ll be called the scum of the earth.

Rest in Peace Randy Poffo.

Onto this week’s shows starting with Raw.

Another go home Raw before a PPV, another Raw with little in the way of in-ring action.

A rather random match between CM Punk and Kofi Kingston kicked off the ring action and Punk won. You’re telling me WWE couldn’t choose another opponent for Punk to go over rather than the UNITED STATES CHAMPION? They really do love making any other title except the WWE Title look like utter shit don’t they? The match also looked like it was put together by a five year old with Kofi gently falling to the mat apparently being enough to incapacitate him for Punk to deliver the GTS. Just dumb booking all round really.

I thought Kharma flicking Kelly Kelly on the swede was a quality touch. It echoed her vignette’s leading up to her debut and indicated that she has something bigger in store for the Barbie look alike. Remember when I said that Brie Bella was going to be a transitional champion? (Well I did look it up) Isn’t it just OBVIOUS that Kelly Kelly is going to come out victorious at Over the Limit? Honestly, if she doesn’t win, I’ll chew my left testicle off… God I hope she wins. Saying that however, I’d much rather see Kharma square off against Natalya, Beth Phoenix or re-ignite the great feud she had with Gail Kim in TNA.

We have another Rey Mysterio vs Alberto Del Rio match. I’ll be honest, despite the fact that they have the ability to put on a great match, I’m getting a little sick of seeing them square off. WWE could at least give us a few months off because it seems as if they’ve faced each other every other show since Del Rio’s debut. Give it a rest dammit!

It’s becoming a trend that the first hour of a Raw show has to be terrible the past few weeks and this week was no different, check out this tweet:

@crapminitweets Omg, this Raw. I don't think I can make it another hour without falling asleep. #tiredandthisrawsucks

It must have been bad, or maybe I was indeed just tired.

I noticed that someone needs to tell R-Truth that the magic stick that he holds in his hand when he talks PROJECTS his voice. There is no need to YELL and YELL as he talks into the microphone. Like I’ve said, WWE need to tone down the goofyness to R-Truth’s heel character, the way he talks just makes him seem like a retard… and he’ll never be a legit character in my eyes unless he can tone that down. I did like his new look however, I’m glad he lost that graffiti jacket.

King vs Cole contract signing. What can I say? This was a hot feud a few months ago and I was a big fan of the direction it was taking pre – Wrestlemania. After we were forced to watch Michael Cole try to wrestle and then WIN at Wrestlemania, it has gone completely down hill. While I’m a fan of Michael Cole as a heel commentator, I do NOT want to see him competing in matches. I can’t believe WWE haven’t learnt their lesson after the shambles of the Wrestlemania match, followed by clusterfuck of a ‘country whipping match.’ We’re now treated to a ‘Kiss My Foot Match.’ I don’t know about anyone else but I have a horrible feeling that due to the Athlete’s Foot angle Cole is going to win this match as well, continuing the feud. This feud needs to be put out of its misery.

Going back to my earlier sentiment, WHY did Punk go over the United States Champion? He’s been thrusted into a tag title match with Mason Ryan? Ok then. Mason Ryan is so green it’s unreal so I can see Punk carrying the majority of the match. Do I see them winning the titles? It’s really give or take, it would at least give the Nexus something to do but then again, Punk is too good to be wallowing down in the mid card with Batistwo.

WWE decided to skip the opportunity to pull the trigger on a Jack Swagger face turn and instead had him face Cena as The Miz’s chosen opponent. We saw a bit of a return of the ‘SuperCena’ booking here as he was dominated for the vast majority of the match, hit two moves and won. It continued after being beaten down with a led pipe, before hulking up and dominating The Miz and Riley. Please don’t return to this style of booking for Cena, WWE. It’s enough that you’ve copy and pasted the formula for Randy Orton in recent months, we don’t need to superchamps.

I liked the Miz’s promo at the end however; he promised to do something never before seen and it gave intrigue to the match. At the very least, it made this viewer want to see what The Miz pulls out. Lets be serious though, Cena’s winning.

Raw was pretty ‘meh’ for the most part, nothing really happened. What about Smackdown?

We kick off with a nice match between Christian and Sheamus, some nice back and forth action before we get an interference from Mark Henry: Buzz kill. Henry waddles to the ring and both he and Sheamus beat on Christian. Randy Orton comes out and  just stands there on the stage while Sheamus and Mark Henry are attacking Christian. Can't argue with that strategy, I guess. He has a World Title defense against Christian this weekend, so he might as well let Christian take just a little bit more of a beating before he makes the save… nice touch I thought.

Ladies and gentleman, prepare yourself for more… BOOKER T COMMENTARY HATRED. That man on commentary Christ a-fucking-live. I wouldn’t be surprised if he causes a world wide rapture one day. After a two-count for Christian, Booker said that proves how bad Christian wants to win. Why? Because he didn't get the win? Because he went for the pin in the first place? As opposed to what, all of those wrestlers who don't want to win, so they refuse to go for pins? Booker, you're a fucking idiot, and I hope you permanently lose your voice soon.

Brie pins Natalya cleanly and Kharma doesn’t come out. Seriously? Whatsupwitdat?

Ezekiel Jackson, the man of five powerslam’s, is on the mic. It’s pretty clear from the way he’s talking that the ‘What?’ chants have been edited out in post – production. This guy is just terrible on the stick. We get a Corre vs Kane, Show and Zeke match whereby the faces win, but the match went on way too long, considering how.. well.. limited most of the guys in the match are. Nice that they gave Zeke a Torture Rack finisher, though, even if he's going to end up killing someone in the move one day.

Another example of dumb booking in preparation for Over The Limit came in the form of Chavo Guerrero vs Daniel Bryan. While I don't want to see Daniel Bryan squashed, and would have booked someone else in the match if I were in charge, does Bryan have a match at Over The Limit? Does Chavo Guerrero? Chavo should have been booked to look strong going into the pay-per-view. It's not rocket science, shit.

I absolutely LOVED the Cody Rhodes/Ted Dibiase segment and match. Cody Rhodes is the current WWE MVP in terms of character development. He is mastering his current character, but just needs that big win and main event push… we could see big things in the future for Mr Rhodes. His paper bag gimmick is priceless (pun intended) and his manipulation and utilisation of Ted Dibiase when addressing the Corpus Christi crowd was great. Dibiase as Cody Rhodes sidekick could be a good thing for both men.

The Great Khali’s entrance music hit. I fast-forwarded.

Booking Randy Orton vs Mark Henry is always a risk. Randy Orton works a slow and methodical style, Mark Henry is just slow. Christian comes out, and he's returning the favor to Orton, just standing there on the stage while Sheamus and Henry beat Orton up in the ring. Fair play. I think the big news coming out of the main event is Randy Ortons cheer leader leap celebration on the dance that ensued. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? Seriously, if you missed it, check it out.

 

Weird.

Smackdown trumped Raw for WWE show of the week this week for sure.

Impact. The first ‘Impact Wrestling’ show since their name change and a set change that makes the Impact Zone look like TNA: Smackdown. I warn you now, there’s going to be a couple of spoilers here if you haven’t watched the new Impact, read on regardless… as I’m sure you’re interested in whether watching it will be worth your time or not.

First of all Impact Wrestling’s new tag line is ‘Wrestling Matters.’ Does it? Does it really? I’m going to do a bullet point list right here proving that this is utter bullshit.

-         Abyss defeats Kazarian for the X- Division Championship. A 300 pound man, is the X-Division champion. The X- Division put TNA on the map. It was a company that embraced smaller workers and made them the cornerstone of the company. The X-Division matches were amazing in the company’s early days. One can argue this is all just part of a storyline that brings the X-Division back to prominence after Hogan and Bischoff try to storyline destroy for a couple of months. However, if Hogan and Bischoff hadn’t destroyed it in the first place, this never would have had to happen. Further, this isn’t the way to go about it. Put some amazing X-Division matches on again. Bring Daniels, Samoa Joe and Styles back into the division and lets have some rematches from their past classics. Fuck me, a child could book this shit. The promo poster for Destination X has surfaced online recently. It features a six – sided ring and a tag line of ‘The future is the past.’  Lets hope it’s not a one time deal and TNA show us once again that the X-division is a cornerstone of the company.

-         Stop trying to ruin AJ Styles by having him take part in fucking pointless feuds. TNA has already ruined Samoa Joe. At one point, he was primed to be the next big thing in wrestling, and in one of the worst cases of not listening to your fans that I've ever seen, the company royally fucked up his push and ruined him. I don't think he'll ever reach legit main event status again, and it's a shame. TNA has tried to ruin AJ Styles on multiple occasions, but, as a sign of just how much the TNA fans love him, they continue rooting for him as if he were someone special. The company has him jobbing to Tommy Dreamer, for fuck's sake. Tommy Dreamer was a jobber in ECW, when he was in his 20s. Now he's 40 and we're supposed to believe he's going to be winning matches? Fuck outta here with that garbage. TNA tried to turn AJ Styles into Ric Flair Jr, and that certainly didn't work. They're always trying to do all these different things with AJ, instead of just letting him loose and having him work his ass off for people. It shows how lost and in their own little world the TNA writers are. They have no idea what they have in AJ Styles, and if they continue taking him for granted, he'll be on the WWE roster before you know it, and TNA fans will be out for blood at every Impact taping. Wise up, TNA.

-         Speaking of Samoa Joe, I have no idea what’s going on with him at the minute. One minute he’s face, one minute he’s heel and where the fuck did his feud with Crimson come from?

-         Matt Hardy and Eric Bischoff beat Generation Me, Bischoff gets the pin. I don’t even know where to begin here. Aren’t Gen Me supposed to be heel? Aren’t Gen Me supposed to be broken up? WHY is written all over this situation. Again, the X-Division are getting screwed in the storyline, but again there’s better ways to go about it then having Eric Fucking Bischoff go over one of the most promising young tag teams in the world. Uck.

-         Knockouts match is a main event. I like the job they’re doing with making Velvet Sky their top knockout. She’s over as hell! GOOD JOB! But, If I have to watch Angelina Love’s ugly, fucked up, botoxed to shit face blankly stare at people one more time. I’m going to punch the screen.

-         We have a main event of Rob Van Dam vs Kurt Angle GREAT MAIN EVENT… in 2001 maybe. PUSH your original talent. Fuck me.

-         We had nearly the same amount of talking we’ve had on Impact the past few months. Wrestling sure does matter TNA… Bullshit.

I desperately want TNA to succeed, don’t get me wrong. It's honestly not that difficult. There's so much talent on the TNA roster, and it's a crying shame that the current product is what it is. They have all the potential in the world to be pulling in Raw-like numbers if they really put their minds to it. If "wrestling matters", though, it would be nice if they actually tried to prove it, instead of just talking the talk and then giving us the same fucking routine that they've been giving us.

This blog has been bitter. This week’s wrestling shows have left nothing but a bitter taste in my mouth. We’ve come off the back of a very mediocre Raw, into another example of TNA promising change and delivering sweet fuck all, into a mediocre Smackdown. To add to that we’ve lost a wrestling great topping it all off with what could be a terribly Pay Per View in Over The Limit and it’s been a bit of an off week for Wrestling.

I really do dread to see Over The Limit’s buyrates…I hope I have something pleasant to write about. Now, if only I could find some ROH streams online… my sources have disappeared.

What were your thoughts on this week, leave me some feedback.

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