Live Hell in a Cell 2011 Thoughts:

-Awesome Truth have front-row tickets, but are booted by Johnny Ace.

-Match 1: Christian VS Sheamus

-Really strong opener. Match picked up when Sheamus pulled himself from the mat to the top rope, and delivered a shoulder block from the top. Christian hit two spears, but Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick for the win.

-Match 2: Sin Cara VS Sin Cara

-1 def. 2 with an infrared. Match was interesting, and as close to an old WCW Cruiserweight match as you'll get in WWE.

-David Otunga tries to talk CM Punk into letting Otunga represent him. Punk doesn't like lawyers, and shoos his former New Nexus underling away.

-Match 3: WWE Tag Team Championship: Air Boom [c] VS WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger (w/Vickie Guerrero)

-Another good match. Heels control the majority of the match. Swagger tries to powerbomb Bourne off the second rope, but Bourne counters into a hurricarana for the pin.

-Match 4: Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry [c] VS Randy Orton

-Match was mostly a slow beatdown by Henry. Orton came back with a DDT on the steps. Orton hit the RKO, but Henry kicked out. Orton went for the punt, but Henry caught him with the World's Strongest Slam for the pin to retain. While I like the result, the match was weak sauce.

-Orton avoids the Pillmanizer, and Orton goes to town on Henry with a chair.

-Cody Rhodes comes out, and dumps the IC title belt in a paper bag, before revealing a new, old-school style title belt, to a big pop. He names some of the champions who wore that style of belt, and says he'll defend it any time, any place. Johnny Ace comes out to inform Cody that he will be defending the title right now, per the order of HHH...

-Match 5: Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes [c] VS John Morrison

-Match was decent. Not much heat, but more than Rhodes/DiBiase from Night of Champions. Morrison missed the flash kick, and Rhodes pinned him clean with La Mahistrol.

-HHH gets pissed at Ace for making matches (implying that the last match was NOT HHH's call). Ace cuts him off and lets him know that Miz & Truth are in the locker room. They run to catch them, but are too late, as cops take Miz & Truth away after they have apparently laid out Air Boom.

-Match 6: Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly [c] (w/Eve) VS Beth Phoenix (w/Natalya)

-Match was every match these two have had until the finish. Beth overpowers Kelly, who uses her quickness to stay alive. Natalya laid out Eve on the outside. Beth locked in a unique submission as Natalya got on the mic and yelled at Kelly. Once Kelly got to the ropes, Natalya hit Kelly with the mic, and Beth hit the Glam Slam for the pin and the title.

-Match 7: Hell in a Cell Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena [c] VS CM Punk VS Alberto Del Rio

-Was half-paying attention to the match and half-paying attention to the football game. Seemed to start out like a regular triple threat match. Punk got put through a table by ADR. Cena had ADR beat with the STF, but Ricardo Rodriguez unlocked the cage door to distract Cena and introduce a pipe. Cena gave Ricardo an AA on the floor outside the cage, but was then locked out of the cage by ADR. Punk fought off a cross-armbreaker and went for the GTS, but ADR KO'd Punk with the pipe and got the pin to regain the title.

-Cena slid back in as the cage was being raised after the match, but then Miz and R-Truth ran in to attack everyone, and the cage was lowered again. Pretty much the whole roster banged on the side of the cage in a neat visual (even though I'm not sure why the heels should give a shit). Eventually they got bolt cutters, and Miz & Truth were arrested. HHH attacked them, and had to be pulled away as the show ended really early.

-FINAL THOUGHTS: Pretty decent show overall. Not one of the top shows this year, but it wasn't bad, as WWE has been bringing it on PPV this year, even if the TV still sucks for the most part. Will be worth a DVD purchase.

Live Reaction: WWE SummerSlam 2011

-Unannounced 6 Man Tag: The Miz, R-Truth, & Alberto Del Rio VS Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, & Kofi Kingston

-Missed most of the match because the stream I was watching dropped out. Caught the end with Rey pinning Truth with a splash.

-John Laurenitis demands an apology from Punk for the kick on RAW. Punk gives him an insincere one. Stephanie McMahon enters to wish Punk luck. Punk doesn't buy it, and refuses to shake Steph's hand, stating that he knows where that hand has been.

-Sheamus VS Mark Henry

-Really good match, probably the first time Henry actually delivered in a big spot. Sheamus hits the Brogue kick to send Henry to the outside. Henry snatches Sheamus and drives him through the barricade. Sheamus tries, but cannot make it back to the ring before he's counted out, so Henry wins. Good booking actually, keeping both guys strong. I usually don't like even Steven booking, but this was done well.

-Christian says that Randy Orton will not leave SummerSlam the World Heavyweight Champion, and that he has an insurance policy, before comparing himself to Harry Potter and Orton to COWBOYS AND ALIENS.

-Cee Lo Green performs the theme. I surf the internet until he's done.

-WWE Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly [c] (w/Eve) VS Beth Phoenix (w/Natalya)

-Really strong match. Kelly counters the Glam Slam with a rollup to retain.

-R-Truth has a heart-to-heart with Jimmy Hart. Hart tells Truth to get someone to watch his back and take him to the top. Truth thinks Hart is Little Jimmy and chases him off. Ron Artest is amused.

-Daniel Bryan VS Wade Barrett

-Great match. Barrett survives the guillotine choke and Labell Lock, then crotches Bryan on the top rope before delivering a huge clothesline and Wasteland to finish. Really hard hitting match that both guys needed. Hopefully this will give Barrett some of his lost momentum back, as it was probably his best match since Hell in a Cell PPV VS Cena last October.

-World Heavyweight Championship No Holds Barred Match: Christian [c] VS Randy Orton

-Match of the Year Candidate. Orton survived a killswitch. Christian tried for his springboard into a sunset flip, and Orton countered into an RKO on the ringsteps to win the title. Can't say enough good things about this. Proper blow off to the feud. Before the match, Christian called out Edge to be in his corner. Edge gave a little speech, and said he didn't expect Christian to turn into a whiny little bitch, then left.

-Undisputed WWE Championship: CM Punk VS John Cena (Special Guest Referee Triple H)

-Another great match. Punk wins after hitting a second GTS and getting the pin, despite Cena's foot being on the bottom rope.

-As Punk celebrates, KEVIN NASH comes out through the crowd and lays him out with a jackknife powerbomb. This leads to...

-WWE Championship: CM Punk [c] VS Alberto Del Rio

-...Del Rio rushing out to cash in. He hits a quck running enziguiri for the pin and the title.

-FINAL THOUGHTS: Absolutely AMAZING show from top-to-bottom. One of the best WWE PPVs EVER, and that's the second one in a row that I've been able to say that for. For all their deficiencies, WWE has BROUGHT IT on PPVs this year, with the exception of WrestleMania. Hopefully the streak continues next month, since I'll be there LIVE for Night of Champions in Buffalo.

Live Reactions: WWE Money in the Bank

-Match 1: Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Sin Cara VS Heath Slater VS Justin Gabriel VS Daniel Bryan VS Cody Rhodes VS Sheamus VS Kane VS Wade Barrett

-Match started out slow, but got hotter and hotter as it went on. Sheamus powerbombed Sin Cara outside through a ladder, and he was stretchered off. Lots of sequences where one guy would dominate. The former Corre members teamed up for a time. Bryan fights off Wasteland from Barrett off a ladder, and grabs the briefcase for the win. Good choice as Kane & Sheamus have already won world titles. Slater, Gabriel, and Sin Cara are nowhere near ready. Cody could be with some time, and Barrett will probably have his time without needing a Money in the Bank cash-in. Now Bryan can lose almost all of his matches before he cashes in, like Punk used to.

-Vince arrives with an attorney.

-Match 2: WWE Divas Championship: Kelly Kelly [c] (w/Eve Torres) VS Brie Bella (w/Nikki Bella)

-Kelly retains with the K2. Match was shockingly decent, actually.

-Match 3: Big Show VS Mark Henry

-Henry injured Show's leg by kicking the ring steps into it. Show actually came off the second rope with a
shoulderblock. Henry escapes a chokeslam and hits the World's Strongest Slam...for two. A second WSS and a couple splashes do get the pin for Henry. Henry then grabs a chair and does his own version of the Pillmanizer on Show, using a Vader Bomb instead of a stomp. Match didn't overstay its welcome, and really put Henry over strong. They may finally have something with him, if they want to keep it going.

-Show gets taken away. Crowd shows their sympathy by chanting "CM Punk".

-Vince is in the back with the attorney. Josh Matthews asks if he's re-signed Punk. He hasn't. Vince blames John Cena for demanding that tonight's match take place after Vince suspended Punk.

-Match 4: Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Alberto Del Rio VS Evan Bourne VS Alex Riley VS The Miz VS Rey Mysterio VS R-Truth VS Kofi Kingston VS Jack Swagger

-Everyone grabs a ladder on their way to the ring. Truth, who has a fear of hights grabs a step ladder. Miz grabs a step ladder too for some reason. Miz gets injured early. Bunch of spots. Highlight is everyone left on top of 4 ladders reaching for the briefcase at the same time. Miz comes back and almost wins it, but Mysterio powerbombs him off the ladder. Del Rio unmasks Rey, and grabs the briefcase for the win. Comparable to the opener.

-Match 5: World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton [c] VS Christian

-If the ref makes a bad call, or Orton gets DQ'd, Christian wins the title. Good match. Not as great as their first couple, but the matchup has been pretty played out. Orton kicked out of the Killswitch. Orton has everything going his way when Christian spits in his face. Orton responds by kicking Christian in the nuts, drawing the DQ and giving Christian the title! Orton freaks out and destroys Christian after the match, finishing him off with an RKO on the Spanish Announce Table. Randy leaves, but then comes back to give Christian another RKO on the SAT, to drive the point home. No cash in by Bryan, although it would be logical for him to do it.

-Match 6: WWE Championship: John Cena [c] VS CM Punk

-If Punk leaves the arena as WWE Champion, Cena is fired. Awesome match. They worked it as a straight babyface clash of the titans type of a match. Very slow early, as they had a lot of time to fill. Punk survived 2 Attitude Adjustments and several attempts at the STF. a couple of which got locked in. Punk hit a GTS to send Cena outside. Vince & John Laurinitis came out. Cena was about to get Punk in the STF again as Vince and Laurinitis signaled for the ref to ring the bell, but as soon as Cena saw that, he broke the hold and KO'd Laurinitis. Cena tells Vince that "we'll do it my way", but walks into a GTS for the pin, so Punk is the WWE champion.

-As Punk celebrates, Vince frantically calls for Alberto Del Rio to come out and cash in his briefcase. ADR rushes out, but Punk floors him before any match can start. Punk takes off through the crowd with the title as Vince stares in disbelief to close the show. No firing of Cena.

-FINAL THOUGHTS: An awesome show. The two ladder matches delivered what they promised. The undercard matches were decent, and the two world title matches delivered in terms of quality and in somewhat surprising results. The fall out should be interesting. Hopefully, they can keep the momentum going. Very much looking forward to Raw tomorrow night. Hopefully Christian keeps the title for longer than five days this time.

Live Reactions: TNA Destination X

-So this show is essentially a nostalgia show for the X-Division, even though it is still active in TNA. That would be like WWE having a nostalgia show filled with tag team matches.

-Match 1: Kazarian VS Samoa Joe
 
-Good opener. Crowd was 100% behind Joe. Match was a throwback to when Joe was the hottest thing in wrestling. Kazarian gets to the ropes to break the rear naked choke, and after Joe argues with sensitive Earl Hebner, Kazarian counters another attempt at the choke into a rollup for the pin.

-Christopher Daniels arrives.

-EARLIER TODAY: Suicide, Curry Man (which would actually explain why Daniels is just now showing up), and someone I don't recognize are doing an autograph signing. Eric Young interrupts to ask if any of them want to be his tag partner. Curry Man declines, but Stone Cold Shark Boy steps in to accept.

-Match 2: Open Challenge: Douglas Williams VS Mark Haskins
 
-Haskins looks like a John Morrison rip-off, when Morrison was still transitioning from Johnny Nitro, complete with jacket, sunglasses, and he even stops to do the same pose. Good technical wrestling for about half the match before they transitioned into more traditional wrestling spots. Haskins messes up before the finish, slipping off the ropes before going back up. He misses a shooting star, and Douglas rolls him up for the pin. They put Haskins over as a British prospect who impressed on a recent tour. I'd like to see more of him, but he needs a new look.

-Austin Aries says he'll win the Fatal 4 Way for a TNA/Impact Wrestling contract because the other three are good, but they're not great like him. Surprised they'd have him back after the issues they had with him "not being reliable" a few years ago.

-Match 3: Generation Me (Max & Jeremy Buck) VS TV Champion Eric Young & Shark Boy
 
-Least of the three matches so far. They actually explain that the Bucks reunited after their split due to the "threat to the X Division", which A.) makes no sense, as their gimmick is that they don't care about anyone (including each other) but themselves, and B.) this is the third of fourth time someone or a group has tried to end the X division, when all they have to do is let TNA booking take its course. Young & Shark Boy win after a stunner and wheelbarrow neckbreaker on Max.

-Zema Ion delivers his own backstage promo. It's the biggest match of his life, and he's honored to be in the ring with the other three. He knows he's the undercard, and he's there to prove that he deserves to be in TNA. I've seen a little bit of Ion in Pro Wrestling Ohio when I watched a bit of it last year. He's more impressive as the arrogant male model gimmick he was using there.
　
-Match 4: Ultimate X #1 Contender's Match: Alex Shelley VS Shannon Moore VS Robbie E VS Amazing Red
 
-Really disappointing, but considering at least two of the four really suck (Moore, Robbie), it's probably the best we could have gotten. A bunch of spots, everyone tries to get the X hanging above the ring, everyone gets knocked off the cables until Shelley is the last man left, and he grabs it to win. Nice to see the most talented man in the match win, which doesn't happen nearly as often as it should.

-Low Ki talks about having to fight to prove that he belongs in TNA, which is sad, considering he's come and gone a few times already.


-It should be noted that everyone keeps switching back-and-forth between calling the company TNA and calling it Impact Wrestling (where "Wrestling Matters"), so no one knows what the hell is going on with the rebranding.

-Match 5: Rob Van Dam VS Jerry Lynn
 
-Pretty strong match. Started out as pretty much a cut & paste version of their ECW matches, until Lynn said "fuck this" and started wrestling as a heel. Lynn eventually introduced a couple chairs. Lynn busted RVD open by dropping a leg on the back of his head, driving Rob's head into a chair. Wild swing misses, leading to a Van Daminator and Five Star Frog Splash to give RVD the win. Match suffered a bit because I didn't think for a second that RVD would lose.

-Match 6: Winner Gets a TNA/Impact Wrestling Contract: Austin Aries VS Zema Ion VS Low Ki VS Jack Evans
 
-Evans looks really stupid with his bad haircut and MMA gloves. Great match. I expected Aries/Ki.Evans to be able to work together because of their time in RoH and other indies, but Ion gave a good accounting of himself as well. Aries wins after Low Ki blocks Evans' 630 splash with his knees, only for Aries to give him a stiff kick to the head and a brainbuster for the pin. Aries is a great choice, but I agree with the crowd when they chant "sign them all!".

-Aries takes the contract and proclaims himself "the greatest man who ever lived".

-Match 7: X-Division Championship: Abyss [c] VS Brian Kendrick
 
-Match was slow, and boring, which is par for the course when Abyss isn't in a garbage match (and sometimes when he is). Earl gets bumped, Kendrick hits the Sliced Bread #2, but Immortal (Brother Ray, Gunner, and Scott Steiner) attacks. Almost the whole X-Division rushes out to fight them off, and Kendrick counters a chokeslam into a rollup for the pin and the title. Kendrick gets the confetti treatment, and this is the only context in which that'll happen for an X-Division title change.

-Match 8: AJ Styles VS Christopher Daniels
 
-Nothing technically wrong with this match, but I just couldn't get into it. Styles wins with the Spiral Tap, then they shake hands after teasing a Daniels turn.

-All in all, a really good PPV for TNA, which was aided greatly by not having their crappy (f0r the most part) heavyweights stink it up, with the exception of Abyss. Unfortunately, this show will be buried and forgotten by the company.