-4/29/12
-From Chicago, IL
-Match 1: Kane VS Randy Orton [Falls Count Anywhere]
-Fast start as they exchange strikes before Kane knocks Orton off the turnbuckles and to the floor with an uppercut. That gets two. It's Kane. In the ring. With the lead pipe, but Orton steals it, and uses it to take control. Into the crowd they go, where Orton slugs Kane down, then hits a knee to the face for two. Kane slams Orton on the exposed concrete for two. Yeah, you really want a top guy with recent back problems taking that kind of bump.
Kane follows that up with a low dropkick (!) for two. They make their way out to the staging area, where Orton hits a dropkick for two. RKO is blocked, and Kane hits a big boot for two. They head backstage to where guys who aren't booked on the show hang out to watch it. Ryder jumps Kane, who no-sells his punches, but that allows Orton to hit the 3.0 for two.
Kane fights back, and a cameraman goes down. Kane hits Orton in the head with a case for two. Back into the arena, where Orton takes control. Orton pounds on Kane in the corner (w/YES! chants accompaning every strike). Orton hits the snap powerslam, and grabs a chair from underneath the ring. Orton hits some fairly weak chairshots on Kane's back. They go back outside, where Orton preps the announce table. Orton hits the draping DDT off the table to the floor, for two.
Kane counters the RKO by shoving Orton into the ringpost, and gets two off that. Back in the ring, Orton crotches Kane on the top turnbuckle to block the flying clothesline. Orton hits his dad's finisher for two. Kane counters the RKO again, and hits a chokeslam for two. Kane goes for a tombstone, but Orton slides out and finishes with the RKO on a chair at 16:46. Good opener. Not techincally sound, but enough was happening where the near-seventeen minutes went by pretty quick.
-Johnny Ace & Eve toast to change, but Johnny is interrupted by a phone call from Triple H.
-Match 2: Brodus Clay (w/The Funkasaurettes & Hornswoggle) VS Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero & Jack Swagger)
-Crowd is pro-Ziggler. Ziggler goes for a single-leg, but Brodus shrugs him off. Dolph send Brodus outside, where he takes a clothesline from Swagger. Brodus fights back (drawing boos). Ziggler avoids a knee lift, and hits the famouser for two. Ziggler stops another comeback with a dropkick for two. Ziggler gets the sleeper, but Brodus fights him off.
Ziggler pounds away in the corner, but stupidly tries a suplex. Brodus throws him off, then drops an interfering Swagger. Brodus shrugs off another sleeper attempt, catches Ziggler with the headbutt to the stomach, and finishes with the big splash at 5:17. About three-times longer than the usual Brodus outing, but he did OK. Really hard to have a bad match with Ziggler who, in a just world, would be ruling Smackdown.
-On the pre-show, Teddy spins the wheel to assign the stipulation for the I-C title match. It lands on tables match. Cody blames Teddy for that.
-Match 3 for the Intercontinental Championship: Big Show [c] VS Cody Rhodes [Tables Match]
-Michael Coles lists HBK & Owen as people who, like Show, have won all five current WWE titles. Yes, I remember HBK & Owen's long and storied U.S. title reigns. Show chops Cody, then hits the BIGGEST. BACKDROP. EVER. Show sets up a table. Cody hits a chop block, but Show blocks a kick, and tosses Cody around some more. Show sets a table up in the corner, but Cody springs off it with the disaster kick. NICE!
Cody tries to fight back, but it doesn't go well. Show throws Cody into the ring. Cody dropkicks Show, who steps off the apron...through a table to lose the title at 4:36. Cody's reaction when the ref calls for the bell is tremendous. Match was Show beating the shit out of Cody before losing on a fluke.
-Show, ever the sportsman, spears Cody, then chokeslams him through a table. Crowd can't decide whether they want to boo Show, or they want to see him kill Cody. Show gorilla presses Cody over the top, through another table before leaving. Cody refuses help, drawing a mixed reaction for it.
-BUY EDGE'S DVD!
-Matt Striker interviews Daniel Bryan, who lists the advantages he has over Sheamus. Will Bryan regain the world title? YES! YES! YES! A.J. is shown stalking him in the background.
-Match 4 for the World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus [c] VS Daniel Bryan [2 out of 3 Falls]
-HUGE boos for Sheamus during his entrance.
-FIRST FALL: Sheamus goes for the Brogue Kick right off the bat, but Bryan avoids it. Bryan tries for the YES lock, but Sheamus counters, and works on Bryan's arm. Chain wrestling for a bit. Sheamus catches Bryan in mid-air, and hits a Finlay roll. Sheamus catches Bryan with the Texas Cloverleaf, but Bryan makes it to the ropes. Bryan does his corner flip, and hits Sheamus with a flying clothesline. They go outside. Bryan dives off the apron, but gets caught, and Sheamus DRIVES Bryan into the barricade.
Sheamus goes up top, but Bryan shakes the ropes to knock Sheamus down. Big "Daniel Bryan/18 Seconds" dueling chants as Bryan works on Sheamus' leg. Bryan uses some of his old RoH tricks, stretching Sheamus in very uncomfortable positions. Sheamus hits some elbows to escape, but Bryan catches him with a knee to the gut, and a low dropkick for two. They exchange strikes, and Bryan gets a roll-up for two. Bryan chokes Sheamus in the ropes, and HE HAS 'TILL FIVE.
Bryan works the arm, but Sheamus fights back, getting boo'd for it. Sheamus hits the Irish Hand Granade, and follows up with a fallaway slam for two. Bryan manages to catch Sheamus with a kick to the head for two. Sheamus blocks a top rope hurricarana, and hits a flying shoulder block for two. Bryan low-bridges Sheamus, but Sheamus counters a suicide dive with a forearm. Sheamus goes for the Celtic Cross, but Bryan rolls out for two.
Sheamus fights out of two attempts at the YES lock, but rams his shoulder into the ringpost while trying to attack Bryan. Bryan goes after the injured shoulder, but doesn't stop kicking Sheamus after Sheamus grabs the ropes, and gets DQ'd for it at 14:27 to put Sheamus up 1-0. DQ's are EXTREME!
-SECOND FALL: Bryan quickly applies the YES lock. Sheamus fights it, but passes out at 16:37 to tie the match at 1.
-THIRD FALL: Bryan orchestrates the crowd into "YES/NO" chants while doctors examine Sheamus. Bryan runs right into a Brogue kick...for two. Bryan hits a buzzsaw kick for two. They fight on the second turnbuckle, leading to Bryan missing the diving headbutt. Sheamus turns the tide, hitting the Irish Curse, then finishing with the Brogue kick at 22:54 to retain the title. Match was really good, as these two have had great chemistry even when main event heel Sheamus was squashing mid card babyface Bryan. That is what WrestleMania should have been.
-Santino calls Khali over to watch Ryback squash two jobbers with him. The jobbers getting to cut promos before getting killed is a great gimmick.
-Match 5: Ryback VS 2 Jobbers [Handicap Match]
-What do you THINK happened? Ryback demolishes the jobbers as the crowd, catching on, chants "Goldberg". Ryback pins both jobbers at 1:50. Breaking his leg might actually be the best thing that could have happened to Ryback, as of the former Nexus, only Barrett & Otunga are non-jobbers, and most of the others aren't on the roster.
-CM Punk is happy to be in Chicago.
-Match 6 for the WWE Championship: CM Punk [c] VS Chris Jericho [Chicago Street Fight]
-Only Jericho would wear a lite brite jacket to a street fight. Punk whoops on Jericho to start. Kendo stick shot draws an "ECW" chant. Jericho uses the ref as a shield, and pokes Punk's eyes to turn the tide. Surprised more heels don't use the ref like that. Jericho exposes on of the turnbuckles. Punk fires back with chops, but misses the high knee. Jericho taunts Punk's sister, earning a slap to the face.
Punk goes nuts, slamming Jericho on the announce table covering, then setting up the Spanish announce table. Jericho counters a piledriver with a backdrop on the floor, then hits Punk in the back with a monitor. Punk counters a rear chinlock with a side suplex. Punk goes for the springboard clothesline, but slips, and Jericho lays waste to Punk with the kendo stick.
Jericho takes too long talking smack, and gets small packaged for two. Jericho hits an enziguiri to regain control, however. Jericho grabs a cold one and dumps it on Punk. Jericho stops to do it again, allowing Punk to fight back. Punk hits the high knee ---> bulldog combo. Punk crotches Jericho with the kendo stick, and calls for the GTS. They fight off each other's finisher, and Punk hits a snap powerslam for two.
Punk goes up top for the Savage elbow, but Jericho crotches him. Punk fights off a superplex, and hits the Savage elbow for two. Jericho fights out of the GTS, and hits his bulldog version. Punk blocks the Lionsault, but Jericho again avoids the GTS, then throws Punk head-first into a chair for two. Jericho hits a sloppy Code Breaker, and applies the Walls of Jericho.
Ropes can't cause a break, but a blast from a fire extinguisher does. Punk knocks Jericho onto the Spanish announce table, and hits the Shane McMahon elbow. That gets two. Punk applies the Anaconda Vice, but Jericho uses the kendo stick to escape. Punk grabs a chair, but Jericho hits a Code Breaker for two. Jericho goes for his own GTS, but Punk counters, catapults Jericho into the exposed turnbuckle, and finishes it himself with the GTS at 25:14. Great match that hit all the right notes. Perfect ending for this feud.
-Punk celebrates with friends and family. No Colt Cabana though.
-A new "Don't Try This at Home" spot.
-ON THE PRE-SHOW: Santino retains the U.S. title against the Miz.
-Beth tells the Bellas she's going to take the Divas title back. Eve says it won't happen because Beth isn't cleared. Nikki will still defend the title against a mystery opponent that is not Kharma.
-Match 7 for the WWE Divas' Championship: Nikki Bella [c] (w/Brie) VS ????
-Crowd wants Kharma, but it's not to be. Instead, it's Layla, making her first appearance since last year's Extreme Rules. Brie gets a cheap shot behind the ref's back, allowing Nikki to work on Layla's injured knee. Layla hits a cross-body, but stops to take care of Brie, and gets caught by Nikki. Bellas try Twin Magic, but Layla catches Brie with the Layout, and pins her to win the title at 2:30. Usual diva fare.
-Matt Striker asks Johnny Ace what he spoke about with Triple H. Johnny won't disclose, but Triple H will be at RAW.
-Match 8: Brock Lesnar VS John Cena [Extreme Rules Match]
-Dueling "Let's Go Cena!/Cena Sucks!" chants before the match. Cena brings back the chain from his Thuganomics days. Lesnar busts Cena open right off the bat with elbows to the head. Lesnar uses some UFC-style side mounted punches to work on the cut. Doctors take a look at Cena's wound. Cena charges, but gets mauled by Lesnar. Lesnar kicks Cena out of the ring.
Lesnar charges into a back elbow, but counters the AA with a couple rolling Germans. Cena fights out of a third, but flying shoulder block knocks Lesnar into the ref. Lesnar continues to maul Cena, and goes for a khimura. Lesnar works on the arm. Lesnar grabs the chain, but throws it down, rather than use it. Lesnar ties Cena's legs up with the chain, then hits a big running clothesline when Cena gets to his feet.
Lesnar uses the chain to lock Cena into an EXTREME tree of woe, and pounds away. Cena tries to fight back, but gets thrown into the steps. Lesnar, freak that he is, picks Charles Robinson up. By Charles' belt. WITH ONE HAND. Lesnar hits the F-5, but that takes Robinson out again. A second ref slides in, only gets two, and Lesnar kills the ref.
Lesnar muscles the steps into the ring, and taunts Cena while standing on them. Cena tries to fight back, but gets caught with the khimura. Cena muscles Brock into a spinebuster on the steps. Cena goes for the leg drop off the top, but Lesnar avoids it. Lesnar runs, and jumps off the steps to clobber Cena, sending them both flying, and Brock almost lands on his head. Lesnar may have hurt his leg, but he hops up, and LAUGHS.
Lesnar tries it again, but Cena punches him in the head with the chain, which opens Brock up. Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment on the steps for the pin at 17:38. This was AWESOME. Completely unlike anything we've seen in WWE before. Double juice? In an era where HELL IN A CELL has no blood? Modern day Sting VS Vader formula, which always rules? If you haven't, you need to see this match ASAP. Worth the DVD purchase on its own.
-Cena cuts a post-match promo implying that he's taking some time off. Which would be directly contradicted the next night on RAW.
-FINAL THOUGHTS: Man, Chicago has been lucky with the last two PPVs they've gotten. First last year's Money in the Bank and then this one. It was a three match show, and all three delivered in spades. I actually don't mind Cena going over, as it plays into the story of Brock being ridiculously arrogant, and thinking he'll just waltz over everyone in WWE. Brock used his physical gifts to demolish Cena, but lost because he spent more time taunting Cena than trying to finish him (well, that and a ref bump).
Showing posts with label WWE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWE. Show all posts
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
WWE Vengeance 2011
-Match 1 for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Air Boom [c] VS United States Champion Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger (w/Vickie Guerrero)
-Dolph has new USA-themed tights. Ziggler takes a KING-SIZED bump off a Kofi monkey flip. Bourne rolls Swagger up for two. Champs hit a double baseball slide on Swagger, and Bourne gets two. Swagger catches Kofi in mid-air and dumps him, allowing Ziggler to get a two count. King makes a really terrible joke about Vickie bathing in Oil of Olay. Bourne hits Swagger with a series of kicks and knees for two. Bourne goes for Air Bourne, but Swagger gets his knees up.
Bourne becomes the face-in-peril. Swagger hits a Vader Bomb for two. Zig Swag double team Bourne. Swagger goes for a second Vader Bomb, but Bourne counters, and makes the tag. Kofi cleans house, and hits a crossbody from the top (that Ziggler jumps into) for two. Kofi hits the Boomb Drop. Ziggler avoids the Trouble in Paradise, but takes the S.O.S. for two. Champions take Swagger out, then Trouble in Paradise leads to Air Bourne on Ziggler, and the champions retain. Good opener.
-Match 2 for the United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler [c] VS Zack Ryder
-Swagger & Vickie stay for Dolph, so Air Boom stays for Ryder. Ryder gets a hard Irish Whip for two. Ziggler is sent outside. Air Boom throw him back in, and the ref ejects them for that. Ryder hits a flapjack for two. Dolph works Ryder over as the commentary team ponder over who Zack beat to become the Internet Champion. Ziggler avoids one Woo Woo Woo kick, but not the second. Ryder avoids a Zig Zag and fights off Swagger, but then he walks into a superkick for the pin. Not bad. Crowds are starting to get behind Ryder.
-Backstage, Punk is talking to Ted DiBiase for some reason. HHH enters, and says he wasn't screwing with Punk last week when HHH had to leave the arena, and thus their tag match, due to immigration issues. They forgo the rah-rah speeches, and appear to be on the same page.
-Match 3 for the Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix [c] VS Eve
-There was a backstage fight earlier, so Kelly and Natalya are banned from ringside. Eve has a new crappy remix of her entrance theme. Eve comes off the top with a sunset flip for two. Eve uses Beth's outfit to handcuff her to the middle rope. That doesn't go anywhere. Beth hits a gutbuster for two. Beth locks in a bodyscissors and tries to get Eve to cry. Eve hits a front flip splash for two. Eve locks in a (very loose) triangle choke.
Eve counters the Glam Slam, and gets a schoolgirl for two. Eve hits a buzzsaw kick, but misses a moonsault, and Beth finishes with the Glam Slam. Really good for a Divas match.
-Matt Striker is backstage with the Big Show. Show plans on taking everything that Mark Henry has worked for away from him.
-Match 4: Christian VS Sheamus
-They pound on each other in the early going. Sheamus takes Christian out onto the apron and pounds on his chest, which Booker T dubs the "Irish Hand Grenade". Christian climbs on Sheamus' back, but gets dumped. They are really struggling to establish a flow here. Christian hits a missile dropkick. Sheamus blocks the upside-down corner kick and is supposed to stomp Christian down, but they blow the spot.
Christian avoids the Celtic Cross, but gets caught in mid-air and hit with the Irish Curse back breaker for two. Christian avoids the Brogue kick, and hits a spear for two. Christian hits a top rope hurricarana, but a spear is countered with the Brogue kick for the win. Match was quite disappointing, but the finish was nice.
-Johnny Ace is with David Otunga. Awesome Truth enter to suck up, which Ace notes they are good at. Ace leaves, and Miz & Truth argue over who sucks up better, before turning their conversation into a contrived and writer-y list of who sucks.
-Match 5: Awesome Truth VS HHH & CM Punk
-Truth does some break dancing, so HHH punches him and gives him a crotch chop. HHH chops blocks Miz, applies the figure 4, and gets some assistance from Punk. Punk locks in an armbar, and gets some help from HHH. Truth gets a cheap shot on Punk to turn the tide. HHH gets the tag, and cleans house. Awesome Truth work on HHH. There's an awkward pause in the commentary, then Lawler says younger children need earmuffs when Booker T talks, so I'm guessing he cursed, and it was caught by WWE censors.
Miz hits HHH with the Reality Check for two. Truth gets two off a big boot sandwich on HHH. HHH drops Truth with an electric chair. Miz charges into a huge clothesline from HHH. HHH avoids a scissors kick from Truth, and hits drops Truth with a spike DDT. Punk cleans house off a hot tag. Punk hits the Savage elbow (which Miz not-so-subtly rolls into position for), and calls for the GTS. Kevin Nash attacks HHH as he fights with Truth on the outside, allowing Awesome Truth to finish Punk with the Little Jimmy's Finale (skull crushing finale/downward spiral combo). Awesome Truth had to win here to get some momentum and credibility back. Match was decent.
-Nash destroys HHH, finishing with a fucked up jackknife powerbomb. Nash has been hitting the gym, as he looks pretty jacked.
-Ace has some words with Alberto Del Rio, and wishes him luck.
-Match 6: Randy Orton VS Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes (w/Baggers)
-Orton throws Cody off a bulldog attempt, and clotheslines him to the outside. Cody uses headbuts to turn the tide. Cody hits a clothesline for two. Orton hits a belly-to-back suplex, but Rhodes comes back with a dropkick for two. Rhodes locks in a Boston crab. Orton rolls out, and kicks himself free. Rhodes hits the Alabama Slam for two. A beautiful Cody moonsault misses. Rhodes fights out of a neckbreaker, and hits the Beautiful Disaster for two.
Rhodes fights off the elevated DDT, so Orton hits the 3.0 for two. Elevated neck breaker (LOVE that move) gets two for Orton. Rhodes hits a moonsault press for two. Rhodes misses a flying kneedrop, but a distraction from one of the baggers allows Rhodes to hit Cross Rhodes for two. Rhodes sets up for an RKO, but Orton counters with a dropkick and an elevated DDT. The second bagger gets wiped out, and Orton finishes with an RKO. Match was technically sound, but not any kind of big coming out party for Rhodes.
-Match 7 for the World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry [c] VS The Big Show
-Show manhandles Henry early. Henry tries to take a walk, but Show cuts him off. Henry slams Show, and goes to work on his injured leg. Show tries to slam Henry, but Show's leg gives out, and Henry falls on top for two. They clothesline each other to put both of them down. Show builds momentum, and bodyslams Henry. Chokeslam gets two. Show loads up the KO punch, but gets caught with the World's Strongest Slam for two. Henry goes up, but gets chokeslammed off the top...for two. Show goes up, but Henry superplexes him...and the ring implodes, a la Show/Lesnar. Crowd LOSES ITS COLLECTIVE SHIT for that. Match is a no-contest. Started slow, but picked up when they started throwing bombs, and didn't overstay its welcome. Cool finish that got both guys out of losing.
-Show & Henry are carried out. Johnny Ace says the main event will go on as planned.
-Match 8 for the WWE Championship: Alberto Del Rio [c] (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) VS John Cena-Last Man Standing
-Ring is still messed up from the previous match, and no attempt is made to fix it. Cena, in his new RISE ABOVE HATE t-shirt, makes a point to stand next to a guy with a WE HATE CENA shirt, and tosses the guy his hat. Cena is changing his look; he now is wearing camoflague jorts. Del Rio keeps kicking Cena down. King actually brings up Brock Lesnar, when talking about seeing an imploded ring before. The traditional dueling Cena chants pick up as Del Rio keeps the pressure on.
Del Rio hits three belly-to-back suplexes. Del Rio hits two snap suplexes, but Cena blocks a third, and hits a suplex of his own. Cena goes into his comeback with shoulderblocks, a blue thunder bomb, and the five knuckle shuffle. Cena goes for the AA, but Del Rio counters into a German suplex. Cena hits a gutwrench suplex. Del Rio puts the top of one of the collapsed ringposts on top of Cena's chest, and follows up with a running double stomp. Cena gets up at seven, and catches Del Rio with the AA.
Ricardo saves Del Rio from another AA. Del Rio takes advantage, locking in a sleeper. Cena gets up, and launches Del Rio from the ring, into the barricade. Cena hits a charging Del Rio with a drop toe hold onto a fallen ringpost, which teeter-totters into Ricardo's nuts. The fight their way to the back. Cena pushes a giant case over that probably would have legit killed Del Rio, had Del Rio not moved.
Del Rio buries Cena under the backstage set, but Cena still gets up at eight. Ricardo gets involved again, allowing Del Rio to throw Cena through a giant V at the entrance. Del Rio sets Cena on a table and starts climbing another set piece, but Cena yanks him down, through the table. Del Rio gets up at eight. Back at the ring, Cena ducks an enziguiri, and Del Rio kicks the ringpost. Cena props the ring steps up, and gives Del Rio an AA off the steps, through the spanish announce table.
That looks to finish, but Awesome Truth attack Cena, diverting the ref's attention. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale, and Truth hits the downard spiral. Del Rio gets up at seven, Cena at nine. Del Rio nails Cena with the title belt, and that is barely enough to keep Cena down for ten. Really strong main event. Cena is great at these last man standing matches, and the collapsed ring added a little something extra to it.
-FINAL THOUGHTS: Definition of "decent", even with the good main event. Nothing was blow-away awesome, and there were a couple disappointing matches, but nothing outright bad. It will be interesting to see the buyrate for this show, as it was the 3rd WWE pay-per-view in six weeks, and the build wasn't exactly strong.
-Dolph has new USA-themed tights. Ziggler takes a KING-SIZED bump off a Kofi monkey flip. Bourne rolls Swagger up for two. Champs hit a double baseball slide on Swagger, and Bourne gets two. Swagger catches Kofi in mid-air and dumps him, allowing Ziggler to get a two count. King makes a really terrible joke about Vickie bathing in Oil of Olay. Bourne hits Swagger with a series of kicks and knees for two. Bourne goes for Air Bourne, but Swagger gets his knees up.
Bourne becomes the face-in-peril. Swagger hits a Vader Bomb for two. Zig Swag double team Bourne. Swagger goes for a second Vader Bomb, but Bourne counters, and makes the tag. Kofi cleans house, and hits a crossbody from the top (that Ziggler jumps into) for two. Kofi hits the Boomb Drop. Ziggler avoids the Trouble in Paradise, but takes the S.O.S. for two. Champions take Swagger out, then Trouble in Paradise leads to Air Bourne on Ziggler, and the champions retain. Good opener.
-Match 2 for the United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler [c] VS Zack Ryder
-Swagger & Vickie stay for Dolph, so Air Boom stays for Ryder. Ryder gets a hard Irish Whip for two. Ziggler is sent outside. Air Boom throw him back in, and the ref ejects them for that. Ryder hits a flapjack for two. Dolph works Ryder over as the commentary team ponder over who Zack beat to become the Internet Champion. Ziggler avoids one Woo Woo Woo kick, but not the second. Ryder avoids a Zig Zag and fights off Swagger, but then he walks into a superkick for the pin. Not bad. Crowds are starting to get behind Ryder.
-Backstage, Punk is talking to Ted DiBiase for some reason. HHH enters, and says he wasn't screwing with Punk last week when HHH had to leave the arena, and thus their tag match, due to immigration issues. They forgo the rah-rah speeches, and appear to be on the same page.
-Match 3 for the Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix [c] VS Eve
-There was a backstage fight earlier, so Kelly and Natalya are banned from ringside. Eve has a new crappy remix of her entrance theme. Eve comes off the top with a sunset flip for two. Eve uses Beth's outfit to handcuff her to the middle rope. That doesn't go anywhere. Beth hits a gutbuster for two. Beth locks in a bodyscissors and tries to get Eve to cry. Eve hits a front flip splash for two. Eve locks in a (very loose) triangle choke.
Eve counters the Glam Slam, and gets a schoolgirl for two. Eve hits a buzzsaw kick, but misses a moonsault, and Beth finishes with the Glam Slam. Really good for a Divas match.
-Matt Striker is backstage with the Big Show. Show plans on taking everything that Mark Henry has worked for away from him.
-Match 4: Christian VS Sheamus
-They pound on each other in the early going. Sheamus takes Christian out onto the apron and pounds on his chest, which Booker T dubs the "Irish Hand Grenade". Christian climbs on Sheamus' back, but gets dumped. They are really struggling to establish a flow here. Christian hits a missile dropkick. Sheamus blocks the upside-down corner kick and is supposed to stomp Christian down, but they blow the spot.
Christian avoids the Celtic Cross, but gets caught in mid-air and hit with the Irish Curse back breaker for two. Christian avoids the Brogue kick, and hits a spear for two. Christian hits a top rope hurricarana, but a spear is countered with the Brogue kick for the win. Match was quite disappointing, but the finish was nice.
-Johnny Ace is with David Otunga. Awesome Truth enter to suck up, which Ace notes they are good at. Ace leaves, and Miz & Truth argue over who sucks up better, before turning their conversation into a contrived and writer-y list of who sucks.
-Match 5: Awesome Truth VS HHH & CM Punk
-Truth does some break dancing, so HHH punches him and gives him a crotch chop. HHH chops blocks Miz, applies the figure 4, and gets some assistance from Punk. Punk locks in an armbar, and gets some help from HHH. Truth gets a cheap shot on Punk to turn the tide. HHH gets the tag, and cleans house. Awesome Truth work on HHH. There's an awkward pause in the commentary, then Lawler says younger children need earmuffs when Booker T talks, so I'm guessing he cursed, and it was caught by WWE censors.
Miz hits HHH with the Reality Check for two. Truth gets two off a big boot sandwich on HHH. HHH drops Truth with an electric chair. Miz charges into a huge clothesline from HHH. HHH avoids a scissors kick from Truth, and hits drops Truth with a spike DDT. Punk cleans house off a hot tag. Punk hits the Savage elbow (which Miz not-so-subtly rolls into position for), and calls for the GTS. Kevin Nash attacks HHH as he fights with Truth on the outside, allowing Awesome Truth to finish Punk with the Little Jimmy's Finale (skull crushing finale/downward spiral combo). Awesome Truth had to win here to get some momentum and credibility back. Match was decent.
-Nash destroys HHH, finishing with a fucked up jackknife powerbomb. Nash has been hitting the gym, as he looks pretty jacked.
-Ace has some words with Alberto Del Rio, and wishes him luck.
-Match 6: Randy Orton VS Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes (w/Baggers)
-Orton throws Cody off a bulldog attempt, and clotheslines him to the outside. Cody uses headbuts to turn the tide. Cody hits a clothesline for two. Orton hits a belly-to-back suplex, but Rhodes comes back with a dropkick for two. Rhodes locks in a Boston crab. Orton rolls out, and kicks himself free. Rhodes hits the Alabama Slam for two. A beautiful Cody moonsault misses. Rhodes fights out of a neckbreaker, and hits the Beautiful Disaster for two.
Rhodes fights off the elevated DDT, so Orton hits the 3.0 for two. Elevated neck breaker (LOVE that move) gets two for Orton. Rhodes hits a moonsault press for two. Rhodes misses a flying kneedrop, but a distraction from one of the baggers allows Rhodes to hit Cross Rhodes for two. Rhodes sets up for an RKO, but Orton counters with a dropkick and an elevated DDT. The second bagger gets wiped out, and Orton finishes with an RKO. Match was technically sound, but not any kind of big coming out party for Rhodes.
-Match 7 for the World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry [c] VS The Big Show
-Show manhandles Henry early. Henry tries to take a walk, but Show cuts him off. Henry slams Show, and goes to work on his injured leg. Show tries to slam Henry, but Show's leg gives out, and Henry falls on top for two. They clothesline each other to put both of them down. Show builds momentum, and bodyslams Henry. Chokeslam gets two. Show loads up the KO punch, but gets caught with the World's Strongest Slam for two. Henry goes up, but gets chokeslammed off the top...for two. Show goes up, but Henry superplexes him...and the ring implodes, a la Show/Lesnar. Crowd LOSES ITS COLLECTIVE SHIT for that. Match is a no-contest. Started slow, but picked up when they started throwing bombs, and didn't overstay its welcome. Cool finish that got both guys out of losing.
-Show & Henry are carried out. Johnny Ace says the main event will go on as planned.
-Match 8 for the WWE Championship: Alberto Del Rio [c] (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) VS John Cena-Last Man Standing
-Ring is still messed up from the previous match, and no attempt is made to fix it. Cena, in his new RISE ABOVE HATE t-shirt, makes a point to stand next to a guy with a WE HATE CENA shirt, and tosses the guy his hat. Cena is changing his look; he now is wearing camoflague jorts. Del Rio keeps kicking Cena down. King actually brings up Brock Lesnar, when talking about seeing an imploded ring before. The traditional dueling Cena chants pick up as Del Rio keeps the pressure on.
Del Rio hits three belly-to-back suplexes. Del Rio hits two snap suplexes, but Cena blocks a third, and hits a suplex of his own. Cena goes into his comeback with shoulderblocks, a blue thunder bomb, and the five knuckle shuffle. Cena goes for the AA, but Del Rio counters into a German suplex. Cena hits a gutwrench suplex. Del Rio puts the top of one of the collapsed ringposts on top of Cena's chest, and follows up with a running double stomp. Cena gets up at seven, and catches Del Rio with the AA.
Ricardo saves Del Rio from another AA. Del Rio takes advantage, locking in a sleeper. Cena gets up, and launches Del Rio from the ring, into the barricade. Cena hits a charging Del Rio with a drop toe hold onto a fallen ringpost, which teeter-totters into Ricardo's nuts. The fight their way to the back. Cena pushes a giant case over that probably would have legit killed Del Rio, had Del Rio not moved.
Del Rio buries Cena under the backstage set, but Cena still gets up at eight. Ricardo gets involved again, allowing Del Rio to throw Cena through a giant V at the entrance. Del Rio sets Cena on a table and starts climbing another set piece, but Cena yanks him down, through the table. Del Rio gets up at eight. Back at the ring, Cena ducks an enziguiri, and Del Rio kicks the ringpost. Cena props the ring steps up, and gives Del Rio an AA off the steps, through the spanish announce table.
That looks to finish, but Awesome Truth attack Cena, diverting the ref's attention. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale, and Truth hits the downard spiral. Del Rio gets up at seven, Cena at nine. Del Rio nails Cena with the title belt, and that is barely enough to keep Cena down for ten. Really strong main event. Cena is great at these last man standing matches, and the collapsed ring added a little something extra to it.
-FINAL THOUGHTS: Definition of "decent", even with the good main event. Nothing was blow-away awesome, and there were a couple disappointing matches, but nothing outright bad. It will be interesting to see the buyrate for this show, as it was the 3rd WWE pay-per-view in six weeks, and the build wasn't exactly strong.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
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.
-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.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Work? Shoot? Worked-shoot? I don't care, this is still awesome...
TRANSCRIPT:
Punk: John Cena, while you lay there, hopefully as uncomfortably as you can be, I want you to listen to me. I want you to digest this because before I leave in three weeks with your WWE Championship, I have a lot of things I want to get off my chest. I don't hate you John. I don't even dislike you. I do like you, I like you a hell of a lot more than most people in the back. I hate this idea...that you're the best. Because you're not...I'm the best. I'm the best in the world.
There's one thing, you're better at than I am, and that's kissing Vince McMahon's ass. You're as good at kissing Vince's ass as Hulk Hogan was. I don't know if you're as good as “Dwayne” (The Rock) though, he's a pretty good ass kisser. Always was and still is. Oops, I'm breaking the fourth wall.
[Waives at the camera.]
I am the best wrestler in the world. I've been the best ever since day one when I walked into this company, and I've been vilified and hated ever since that day because...Paul Heyman saw something in me that no one wanted to admit. That's right, I'm a Paul Heyman guy. You know who else was a Paul Heyman guy? Brock Lesnar...and he split, just like I'm splittin' but the biggest difference between me and Brock is that I am going to leave with the WWE Championship.
[Long pause.]
I've grabbed so many of Vincent K. McMahon's imaginary brass rings that it's finally dawned on me that they are just that completely imaginary, and that the only thing that is real is me and that day in and day out for almost six years I have proved to everyone in the world that I am the best on this microphone, in that ring, and even on commentary, no one can touch me! And yet, no matter how many times I prove it, I'm not on your lovely little collector cups, I'm not on the cover of the program, I'm barely promoted. I'm not in any movies and I certainly don't get to be in any crappy show on the USA Network. I'm not on the poster of WrestleMania, I'm not in the signature that's produced at the start of the show.
I'm not on Conan O'Brien, I'm not on Jimmy Fallon, and the fact of the matter is I should be, and trust me, this isn't sour grapes, but the fact that Dwayne is in the main event at WrestleMania next year and I'm not makes me sick.
Oh hey, let me get something straight you people who are cheering me right now...you are just a big a part of me leaving as anything else. You're the ones sipping those collector cups right now, you're the ones buying those programs that my face isn't on the cover of, and then at five in the morning at the airport you shove it in my face, so you can try to get an autograph so you can sell it on e bay because you're too lazy to get a real job.
I'm leaving with the WWE Championship on July 17th and after that, who knows, maybe I'll go defend it in New Japan Pro Wrestling, maybe I'll go back to Ring of Honor. Hi Colt Cabana, how ya' doin'? The reason I'm leaving is you people because after I'm gone you're still going to pour money into this company. I'm just a poke on the wheel, the wheel is gonna' keep turning, and I understand that, but Vince McMahon is gonna' make money despite himself. He is a millionaire when he should be a billionaire. You know why he's not a billionaire? It's because he surrounds himself with gland-handling, non-sensical [word taken out] yes men like John Laurenitiis who are going to tell him everything he wants to hear, and I'd like to think, that maybe this company will be better after Vince McMahon's dead, but the fact isit's...it's going to get taken over by his idiotic daughter and doofus son-in-law, and the rest of his whole stupid family. Let me tell you a personal story about Vince McMahon. You know we've been doing this whole bullying campaign?
[Microphone is cut off, Punk yells at the camera while still being muted. I can make out him saying “I'm the best you got! I'm the best in the world!” until there's a sudden cut to black.]
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