WWE Elimination Chamber 2012 Review and Thoughts

Elimination Chamber is that little awkward spot between the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. For my money, the Rumble and Mania are always the two events I anticipate the most and thus the Chamber PPV goes a little un-noticed. It takes place 6 weeks before the Granddaddy of them all and is usually a place to develop or help further along existing feuds for Wrestlemania, which sometimes results in a disappointing event. Was this the case in 2012? Lets take a look!

Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship featuring – CM Punk (C), Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, The Miz and Chris Jericho

While I thought this match should have been the main event (the PPV is called Elimination Chamber after all) it served as the 'hot opener' and did so in unrelenting fashion. The Raw Chamber match had solid star power in comparison to the Smackdown counterpart and each unique superstar was utilised to maximise the amount of action that occurred throughout the match. Kofi Kingston and CM Punk kicked things off with some nice back and forth trading of pinfalls. The chamber structure allowed Kofi Kingston to shine and execute some nice variations to his high flying arsenal. R Truth took part for a brief moment and was the first to be eliminated after a quick flurry of offense. Dolph Ziggler bumped like a champion and had an opportunity to 'show off' by implementing the chamber into his shtick. The Miz, who has been floundering for weeks with his promo's and in ring technique, took a step on the road to redemption with a strong and convincing showing in the chamber match. Of course the big story is between CM Punk and Chris Jericho. When the two squared off, the crowd popped in anticipation of the two finally going one on one. However, WWE are saving this one till Wrestlemania as Punk eliminated Jericho in controversial fashion. A knockout kick sent Jericho tumbling to the floor, into a camera man and some sort of box, rendering him unable to compete. This was a nice way of getting Jericho out of the match and means that Punk doesn't hold a clean victory over Jericho heading into Wrestlemania. It is also a source of frustration for Jericho as he never lost the match and can be held over Punks head as a feud between the two heats up. A really good action packed chamber match.

****

Winner and STILL WWE Champion – CM Punk
 

Beth Phoenix (C) vs Tamina Snuka for the Divas Championship

Without a doubt, the playing up of Tamina as the daughter of Jimmy Snuka and the perception that she has become a legitimate threat in recent weeks helped this match. Hell, the fact that Kelly Kelly, Eve, Alicia Fox or The Bella Twins weren't involved helped this match. While not the greatest women's match ever, it was certainly better than any recent Divas ppv bout. Honestly, a decent match and the story of Beth avoiding Tamina's big blockbuster finish time after time before actually kicking out of the Superfly Splash was a nice touch. Sweet Dragon Sleeper by Phoenix too. I don't know where we go from here with the divas division because we've got to be getting Kharma vs Beth Phoenix at Wrestlemania. That's the best thing that can happen right now. Won't that render all this build for Tamina pointless though?

*3/4

Winner and STILL Divas Champion – Beth Phoenix

Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring – The Big Show, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Santino Marella, The Great Khali and Daniel Bryan (C)

Again, a really entertaining chamber match. The star power wasn’t as strong as the Raw chamber, but everyone involved made the absolute best of the situation and delivered a thoroughly enjoyable story. The Big Show looked like the monster he is and the ongoing feud with Daniel Bryan was furthered in the chamber. The unique moment went Show broke into Bryan’s pod from the top was a nice touch. Speaking of Bryan, he took some nasty looking bumps. Going through the (what Michael Cole was all too eager to tell us) ‘bullet proof’ Lexan, the powerbomb into the chamber and the door being rammed shut on his neck were particular highlights. The real star of the match, however, was someone no one even considered to be anywhere near the Elimination Chamber PPV, never mind a chamber match in itself. I have to give credit where its due and Santino was booked to look like an absolute fighter last night. Gone was the comedy jobber and instead we saw an underdog who absolutely refused to give up, despite being beaten down time after time. Sure, it’s a classic story but its classic for a reason… it works. The crowd were molten crazy for Santino the entire time match and reached fever pitch following his pinfall eliminations of both Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett. The final moments between Daniel Bryan and Santino are worth a re-watch. When Santino hit the Cobra on Daniel Bryan EVERYONE thought the impossible had been achieved. Moments later when Santino temporarily broke the Lebell Lock, that same thought crossed peoples minds once again. Eventually Santino tapped and Daniel Bryan heads to Wrestlemania as World Heavyweight Champion. Sit back and think a minute, though. A superstar who has become nothing more than a comedy jobber was booked to eliminate two men who are considered the future of the company. On top of that, Santino was one of the last two survivors and almost fought out of a deadly submission. That’s quite the push. Judging by crowd reaction last night, WWE would be foolish not to capitalise on Santino as he proved he could hang with upper level talent.

As for the post match, if this was indeed WWE signalling Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan is happening at Wrestlemania, I’d more than welcome it. A match between the two was bumped off last years card, this year they’d be co-headlining for the World Heavyweight Championship. Quite the story.

*** ¾

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion – Daniel Bryan

Jack Swagger (C) vs Justin Gabriel for the United States Championship

A throwaway match. Honestly, what is with not advertising matches anymore? Swagger and Gabriel are currently struggling to get on Raw and Smackdown and the United States Championship has once again become worthless. A three minute match has no business being on a Pay Per View.

½ a *

Winner and STILL United States Champion – Jack Swagger

John Cena vs Kane in an Ambulance Match

Apparently, WWE feels the need to cheapen their ‘Elimination Chamber’ PPV by having anything but a Chamber match as the main event. Honestly, when the feud started I was all for it. Cena and Kane had never really had a high profile one on one feud and there was a refreshing feeling about the whole thing. The fact that Kane was once again donning his mask was a bonus. However, WWE felt the need to turn one of their fastest rising stars in Zack Ryder into a human punching bag. Ryder has been saddled with a romance storyline with Eve and been made to look like a complete idiot. Racking up approximately 500 injuries in the process. I can’t help but feel WWE is playing a sick joke on Ryder. They’re sending the message that if they didn’t make him, he isn’t going to be the star he could potentially be. Ryder's involvement initially added something to the story, but has since become more comedic than anything else. Meh. Anyway, the match. It was a rather timid affair but one can blame that on the nature of a PG environment on a hardcore style match. There was no doubt who was going to win heading into Wrestlemania but, both men went out there, hit a few impact moves, told their story and ended it. Cena was never going to take part in anything too brutal considering the risk of injury and the disastrous consequences that would have for the yearlong hyped match with The Rock.

I’m still hoping Zack Ryder gets his Wrestlemania moment in a one on one match with Kane, hopefully minus half a storm trooper outfit.

** ½

Winner – John Cena

So there we have it, two very good chamber matches, a decent Divas match and an OK ambulance match. All in all, an enjoyable pay per view that looked less than friendly on paper. It also helped set up the two potential championship matches at Wrestlemania between CM Punk and Jericho and Sheamus and Daniel Bryan. Sweet. Two live shows to look forward to this week, Raw as usual and Smackdown on Tuesday night.

Thanks a lot for reading and till next time, Lets Talk Wrestling

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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

WE COMIN’ FOR YOU N***A!

Thanks a lot for reading :)

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