Hey guys! Tom Robinson here. Yeah, made a little mistake in the last post. I stated that the last 3 categories I did were the last awards in the NoDQ.com awards. But as it turns out, there’s one more left! The worst storyline of the year!
The nominations are….
Dixie Carter as the heel boss – After AJ Styles berated TNA Owner Dixie Carter for ruining TNA, Dixie lost her cool and made AJ public enemy number one in her eyes. Dixie tried to go to all lengths to make sure AJ never won the TNA World Championship. She put in roadblocks, tried to get Hulk Hogan on her side, offered him incentives and even aligning herself with the Aces And Eights. After AJ won the title and walked out on her, Dixie began the hunt for HER champion that would take TNA to new heights. In a tournament to crown a champion, she found the champion that would join Team Dixie – Magnus.
Ryback the bully – After losing his feud with John Cena, Ryback began taking his anger out on these considerable smaller than him. Taking advantage of his size, he bullied around members of staff, interviewers and wrestlers all over WWE. This led to Ryback joining Paul Heyman in his feud with CM Punk saying that Punk had bullied Heyman and that he hated bullies.
Big Show taking orders from The Authority – With the new regime arriving, Big Show talked out against their actions in screwing Daniel Bryan out of the WWE Championship. In response, Big Show was made to pay. Firstly, the Authority booked him in a three on one handicap match with The Shield and forced Big Show to do nothing as Bryan was constantly on the receiving of beatings. It turned out that Big Show’s “ironclad” contract which was signed in 2012 by John Laurinaitis had many problems with it that made it not ironclad anymore, which may have been the dumbest attempt at tying up loose ends the WWE has ever done. Big Show eventually became Stephanie McMahon’s hitman and knocked out the likes of Daniel Bryan, The Miz and Dusty Rhodes at her command. At Battleground, Big Show had enough of the bossing around and got himself fired with KOs to Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton.
Bully Ray revealed as Aces and Eights president/Bully Ray’s marriage to Brooke Hogan – At the end of 2012, Austin Aries revealed that Bully Ray had started to date the daughter of Hulk Hogan, Brooke. This peeved off the Hulkster who didn’t trust Bully even after he saved him multiple times. This led to Bully being suspended and eventually to Bully proposing to Brooke. At the wedding in January, Hogan finally accepted Bully as a member of his finally and walked his daughter down the aisle. This led to Bully Ray being named number one contender for the TNA World Title at Lockdown. It was then that the bombshell was dropped that Bully Ray had been the leader of Aces And Eights all along.
Tito Ortiz and Rampage Jackson feuding in TNA – In June, Quinton “RAMPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGE” Jackson was introduced in TNA as part of TNA’s deal with the MMA organisation Bellator (a MMA company which they constantly plugged over and over again on Impact). Rampage had high ambitions in TNA and even joined up with the Main Event Mafia in the battle against Aces And Eights. What followed up was the August 1st reveal that Tito Ortiz had returned to TNA. Tito’s intention were unknown until the Steel Cage TNA World Title match between Bully Ray and Chris Sabin where Tito took out Rampage to prevent him from helping out Sabin.
Oh god. So many bad storylines. The thing I don’t get is why is the Bully Ray Reveal As Aces And Eights Leader storyline in this? I thought it was awesome. Especially when Bully Ray talked over the plan for Aces And Eights. Here it is below…
The Big Show storyline wasn’t that bad either. Stephanie McMahon was really good in this storyline “encouraging” Big Show to play ball. It was just when Big Show suddenly was overshadowing Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton that it became bad and was becoming too much to bear. I think this award is going to go to the “Ryback The Bully” storyline because it was just shocking having to watch these promos of him bullying people. From a business standpoint, you get why WWE did this. But after Ryback had just been feuding for the WWE Championship and against Chris Jericho, this made him look like a complete joke. Not to mention the execution of these segments were shocking.
Winner: Ryback The Bully
So there you have it. On the 1st of December 2013, I started the first of these posts going through the NoDQ.com awards and declaring my votes for each of them. And now on the 20th, all of these posts are done. Every vote of mine has been cast. But it’s up to you guys as to who wins these prestigious or not so prestigious awards like the one I just wrote about! To vote on these awards all you have to do is click on the link below and all of the awards for 2013 are up. Click on the links, cast your votes, and in early 2014 the results are revealed.
WRESTLING FANS, my name is Tom Robinson and I have the biggest smile on my face right now after the finish to Summerslam! In fact my face is sort of like this right now…
Because WWE did something pretty amazing last night that made up for every little thing that was wrong with Summerslam. It was actually a good PPV without this, but because of what happened at the end it’ll go down as one of the best PPVs in years. People will remember this Summerslam for a long time. Anyway, lets get down to it.
Bray Wyatt vs Kane – “Ring Of Fire” Match
To be honest, this never really provided much with all the expectation surrounding this match. It was too short of a match in my opinion. I think when you showcase match like this, people will expect someone to be put on fire. But no-one did. If WWE weren’t gonna have anyone put in flames, why bother with the “Ring Of Fire” stipulation. You might as well give the two like a street fight or something. Bray Wyatt won which is all well and dandy, but the post match beatdown on Kane seemed a little bland. I just hope that the WWE have something big planned for the Wyatts next.
Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow
Short but sweet match between the two, but they should have been given a lot more time I think. I mean Cody Rhodes was on fire tonight. That muscle buster he gave to Sandow looked really good, and a win like this puts Rhodes in a title contendership position. I think they’ve got Rhodes in mind for a shot at the World Champion after he did the “belt-around-waist” pose if you know what I mean. Good win for him, but it does damage Sandow’s credibility to have him lose to Rhodes like this. He needs to pick up some wins now Rhodes has beaten him.
Alberto Del Rio (c) vs Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship
Solid match. These two definitely put on a show and had a great finish too their match. The fans were into this and these two great opponents for one another. I don’t think it was as good as Del Rio vs Ziggler from Money In The Bank, but it was a good match nevertheless. I like the fact that Del Rio won by making Christian submit. Its good to have some heels winning matches legitimately nowadays rather than disqualifications or some other cheap finish. It gives Del Rio credibility points and that’s what the World Champion needs to establish himself as a top dog.
Natalya vs Brie Bella
Natalya won! I think that’s all you need to say. I hope this leads to her getting a Divas Title shot at AJ at Night Of Champions.
Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk in a No Disqualification Match – The Beast vs The Best
Definitely Brock’s best match since he returned in 2012. Just a straight up brawl between the two. A lot of people before hand wondered how CM Punk would cope against Lesnar considering their sizes, but it was pretty much an even playing-field. Punk was very innovative with his submission holds here. God, Triangle Holds, Anaconda Vices, FREAKING ARMBARS! I do think Lesnar got tired quick in this match like, but Punk made up for that and was on top form tonight. However, Lesnar picking up the win does hinder Punk a little. But I don’t think it’ll hinder him THAT much. I think Punk will probably hit it big and will likely be in the WWE Title frame soon. However, Punk could have done with that big win over Lesnar. But it was not to be for the best, as he was no match for the BEAST… who’s now the best. XD
Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn vs Big E Langston and AJ Lee
Before we get on to the match, I just wanna state that it seemed weird to have Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn to come out together while AJ and Big E came out separately. I mean Big E and AJ are an actually duo in WWE, this was probably a one-time pairing for Ziggler and Kaitlyn. Shouldn’t Big E and AJ come out together? Hmmm. To be honest, the finish to the match saved it from being TOO bad. Ziggler’s nice coutner of the Big Ending led to the Zig-Zag and the one, two, three. I wonder where Ziggler goes from here… back in the World Title frame or are him and Big E not through?
John Cena (c) vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship with Triple H as the Special Referee
Phenomenal match. While the “You Can’t Wrestle” chants to Cena were really pissing me off, these two put on a great show. And the reason them chants peed me off, is because Cena is actually a really good wrestler. It’s only in matches like with Bryan and Punk that he can truly demonstrate it. What was good about this was that Bryan had a lot more of the offence. Little cool part near the end where Bryan and Cena were slapping each other to get them hyped up. It was really symbolic because Bryan said to Cena a couple of weeks back that he wouldn’t slap Cena in the face because he’s not a wrestler. And slapping him here shows he respected his wrestling ability. But despite Cena’s efforts, it was BRYAN that won the match cleanly with the one, two, three! Great moment for Bryan. I though it was a weird way for the match to end off a front dropkick, but I’ll take it. These two put a serious contender for match of the year. All is well with the world right? HEHEHE….
Randy Orton AND Triple H Turn Heel
Just as the show was about to finish and the fireworks and the confetti was done, Randy Orton came out. It looked like he was about to cash in Money In The Bank, but Orton then though “Nah” and started walking away. But then… WHAM! Triple H hits Daniel Bryan with the Pedigree! You have no idea how much I marked out for that! And obviously, Orton cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase and became the NEW WWE Champion! HEEL DICTATORSHIPS ARE BACK!
Triple H turning heel was MUCH needed as was the Orton heel turn. And they did it on the same night! How great is that? And a Heel dictatorship with Triple H leading the charge has been long overdue in WWE. This is another Corporation for you guys! Yes, it sucked that Daniel Bryan got screwed over, but Triple H is heel. How can you not like that? Triple H is at his best when he is heel. Raw going forward is going to be great. This is a good turning point for the company. The Heels have come to take FULL control of WWE! Muahahahahaha! Let the good times roll!
Great PPV in general despite the short matches with Sandow/Rhodes and Kane/Wyatt. But epic battle between Punk and Lesnar, fantastic WWE Title match between Bryan and Cena, and a PHENOMENAL ENDING!
That was the summerslam review! I’m Tom Robinson! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Follow us at @ArmbarExpress on Twitter and go to https://www.facebook.com/ArmbarExpress to like the Facebook Page. My Twitter account is @TomRobinson5199 so gives us a follow there as well. And to mark the new heel regime in WWE, for the YouTube Video Of The Post I give you this piece of evil music! The Imperial March theme!
Morning wrestling fans, I’m “The Ultimate Warrior” Tom Robinson here with a review of WWE Payback. Yes, I watched it live last night! 1am to 4am. Shattered at the end of it, but it was certainty worth it. WWE put on a great show here. I think it was just better than Extreme Rules, and that’s saying a lot considering how good Extreme Rules was. Anyway, let’s get down to the REVIEW!
Curtis Axel Gives His Father The Perfect Father’s Day Present With The Intercontinental Title
CURTIS AXEL AND PAUL HEYMAN: A “perfect” end for Curtis Axel
We kicked off the show with a decent triple threat Intercontinental Championship match. Chicago booed The Miz, sort of on the fence with Wade Barrett… but cheered the hell out of the son of the late “Mr Perfect” Curt Henning, Curtis Axel. It was a slick match with a really cool ending. And Chicago went wild when the inevitable happened – Axel became the new champion following his father’s footsteps. As Miz had Barrett in the figure four (still being booed), Axel covered Barrett for the pinfall while he was locked in the submission. A clever way to end the match. As much as I don’t like Wade Barrett losing the title, this was a great moment mostly due to the Chicago crowd going nuts, especially when Axel hit his father’s Perfect-Plex. Good opening to Payback
AJ Lee FINALLY wins the Divas Championship In The Best WWE Women’s match In Years
AJ LEE: Totally marked out when this happened. 🙂
AJ and Kaitlyn really did have something to prove. TNA unleashed the epic Last Knockout Standing match between Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell at Slammiversary a couple of weeks back, and WWE had to top that if WWE at all cared about their divas division. And I for one was really impressed with what AJ and Kaitlyn were able to pull off last night. For one it lasted a hell of a lot longer than most divas matches in WWE. Second, the match had great story-telling behind it. Remember, these two started in WWE together in 2010, been a tag team, slapped each other in the place a lot, break each other’s heart and finally have the one on one encounter. These two actually put on a decent show in Chicago. Was it on the par with Gail vs Taryn? No. But I wouldn’t be surprised if more matches will result in better quality in the ring. AJ is already a great women’s wrestler. Kaitlyn is improving and we could see that here. AJ winning is definetly something that should have happened ages ago. But, at least it’s finally happened and I actually marked out when it did.
I hope this feud continues on. I want to see what these two can REALLY do together. If WWE play it right, they can use these two to rebuild the women’s division into something worthwhile. I think this feud will continue because Kaitlyn’s starting to become the emotional wreck AJ was last year, when she cried after losing the title. To be honest, I thought the crying was a little over the top. In fact my exact thoughts at that time was….
US Champion Dean Ambrose Retains After Count Out Win Against Kane
DEAN AMBROSE: BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!
A little bit disappointing match with a disappointing an end. I’m not a big fan of matches ending in a count out, especially PPV matches. PPV Title matches should always have a legit winner by pinfall or submission. This match seemed pretty much like the match they had on RAW except the ending was different. I think if they’d given Ambrose and Kane a no dq match, things would have actually been a little bit better. I think they will do that eventually because of the DQ and Count Out endings in their last to matches.
The Whole F’Ing Show Comes Back At Money In The Bank!
This promo video is purely orgasmic. RVD back in the WWE. Back where he belongs is awesome. As much as I like TNA, Rob Van Dam wasn’t really a fit there. Him back in WWE was epic and the fans just chanted “RVD” the rest of the night in Chicago. Even if this is a short-term contract for Van Dam, the time he is back will be the time I will be most appreciative of. There are so many matches I want him to have while he’s here. Matches with CM Punk. Matches with Daniel Bryan. Matches with a lot of superstars. RVD is here and I am loving this. He has been one of my favourites since I started watching wrestling and it’s great to see him back.
Double Turn Shocker Sees A New World Champion!
ALBERTO DEL RIO: Another Del Rio title reign… can he really cut it as a World Champion?
And his name is….
Yeah, total shocker here. An incredibly one-sided match which Alberto Del Rio targetted Dolph Ziggler’s head saw Del Rio regain the World Title in a very hell way. Because of Ziggler’s recent concussion Del Rio delivered brutal kicks and brutal attacks to Ziggler and a superkick to the face was enough to pick up the win for Del Rio. Not exactly a fan of Ziggler’s title reign being cut short, but I’ll give WWE credit for the Double Turn. The crowd was rightly outraged and Del Rio gained a LOT of heat. Del Rio was gaining heat anyway against this pro-Ziggler crowd, but after the manner of his victory and the promo cut afterwards Del Rio was booed by all. Ziggler refusing to stop the match also gives him a lot of credibility as a face. But now we have a new champion in Del Rio and we had a double turn, with Dolph Ziggler turning face and Del Rio turning heel. It was kinda cool to see because double-turns are really rare nowadays. I’m not exactly sure I’m looking forward to Del Rio as champion again, but Ziggler as a face will be amazing to watch. I hope he gets the title back PRONTO.
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho III – The Return Of Punk
CHRIS JERICHO AND CM PUNK: Locking up in Chicago
For the third time in Pay-Per-View Chris Jericho and the returning CM Punk clashed and for the third time in pay-per-view they blew the roof off the place. Such true technical wrestling ability combined with the quickness and pure talent both Punk and Jericho provided. This match was easily the best in their trilogy with near-fall after near-fall and epic moment after epic moment. This will go down as one of the best matches of the year and these two were a delight in Chicago and Chicago loved every second of it. After an epic encounter, it was CM Punk who reigned supreme… again. I would’ve like for Jericho to get a victory over Punk for once but I’m sure Jericho’s going to get the win… eventually. But this was Punk’s night. I wonder what the future has in store for the Best In The World.
AGAIN! Randy Orton doesn’t turn heel! -.-
DANIEL BRYAN: Nice suplex off the top of the turn-buckle. He’ll be champion again. You wait and see!
Please turn him! That’s all I ask of you WWE. He should have done it at Mania but he didn’t. He should have done it here but he didn’t. His tag match with Daniel Bryan against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins wasn’t much special, but at least Randy Orton could have RKO’d Daniel again or something. Really disappointed. Speaking of disappointment…
Ryback vs John Cena – 3 STAGES OF HELL
JOHN CENA: Standing tall at the end of Payback
Yawn. Can’t believe I stayed up to watch this. Boring as hell. You know after their quality Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules, I was expecting a good match here. Instead we got a short and unproductive Lumberjack match. We got boring as tables match. And we had an ambulance match that made you want to kill yourself. -.- John Cena walked out the champion and that was an awful way for the feud to end. It ends just like every other one of Cena’s feuds with big guys end. Batista, The Great Khali, Kane and now Ryback all end in the same god damn way. Go watch the endings to them feuds. It’s the exact same thing over again. -.- At least John Cena vs Daniel Bryan is lined up for Money In The Bank. CANNOT wait for that. We might actually see one of the matches of the year in MITB.
Anyway, that was the Payback review. I’m Tom Robinson. And I’m going to leave you with this great song declaring my love for the great place known… as Chicago.
Hey there wrestling fans I am “The Fallen Angel” Tom Robinson and here are my predictions for this Sunday’s PPV – WWE Payback. To be honest, PPV has been poorly promoted. Only three matches have had proper promotion leading up to the event, with 5 of the matches being ann0unced on the last RAW before PPV. Even still, there are some great matches on the card. The Internet Wrestling Community’s God CM Punk makes his triumphant return in his hometown of Chicago. The in-ring return of Dolph Ziggler. And we’ve got 3 Stages Of Hell as the main event for Payback!
Sheamus vs Damien Sandow
Background: Typical Brute vs Intellectual feud. Intellectual Damien Sandow gives Brute Sheamus some intellectual challenges. Sheamus responds with violence. Match announced for Payback.
What I think should happen?: Damien Sandow wins.
What I think will happen?: Sheamus wins.
The Shield Vs The World – United States Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs Kane/Tag Team Championship: Seth Rollins (c) and Roman Reigns (c) vs Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton
Background: The Shield reigned supreme at Extreme Rules with each member of the team capturing gold. Dean Ambrose defeated Kofi Kingston to win the US title, and Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins won the tag titles from Kane and Daniel Bryan. The loss of the tag titles hit Daniel Bryan the hardest. Daniel started to wonder whether he was the weak-link of Team Hell-No and was determined to prove himself. This cause Daniel Bryan to snap and at times was even able to take out all 3 members of The Shield by himself. However on the 7th of June episode of SmackDown!, Kane was getting fed up with Daniel’s craziness and walked out on Daniel, splitting up Team Hell-No. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns was booked for the main event of that SmackDown! During the match Daniel Bryan inadvertently drop-kicked Randy Orton in the corner but recovered and looked like he was about to win the match for the team. However, after Dean Ambrose got involved, the match ended in a DQ. After saving Daniel from a beating post-match, Orton RKO’d Bryan in retaliation for the dropkick. Kane, Orton and Bryan eventually settled their differences last week on RAW, with Kane getting a DQ victory over Dean Ambrose, and Bryan beating Rollins. “Managing Supervisor” Vickie Guerrero would put Bryan and ORTON in a Tag Title match at Payback against Rollins and Reigns due to their DQ victory on SmackDown! Because of his DQ victory over Ambrose, Kane was given a US title match for the PPV.
What I think should happen?: ORTON TURNS HEEL! PLEASE! Turn him heel like right now! If the tag title match ends with Orton planting Bryan with an RKO and costing them the match, it’d be a quality way to get Bryan super-face and Orton super-heel. So I say, Rollins and Reigns win the tag title match. As for the US title match, I’m going with Ambrose. It’s good that Ambrose is getting some legit competition for the US Title.
What I think will happen?: The Sheild win both matches. There’s no way Kane is getting a US Title run. And there’s NOT A CHANCE IN HELL that Orton and Bryan will get a run at the tag titles.
Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (c) vs The Miz vs Curtis Axel – The Concussion Strikes Back!
Background: On the RAW after Extreme Rules, Wade Barrett and Fandango teamed up to take on The Miz and Chris Jericho in a tag team match. However, Fandango opted to dance than help Barrett out, who went on to lose the match for his team. A one on one match was booked on the next RAW with Fandango facing Wade Barrett in a non-title match. The Miz was voted in as the special referee and hit the Skull-Crushing finale on Barrett to help Fandango win. Post-match, Miz kicked Fandango’s ass (literally booted him in the backside) which prompted Miz vs Barrett vs Fandango to be booked for the IC title at Payback. HOWEVER the menace known as the concussion would strike again, as Fandango gained a concussion during a match with Zack Ryder on SmackDown! This meant he was OUT of the IC title match… and was replaced with Paul Heyman’s newest client Curtis Axel.
What I think should happen?: As much as I don’t want Wade Barrett to lose the IC title, it’d make no sense for Curtis Axel to not win it. I think with Paul Heyman on board, Axel can build up a really good title reign with Heyman being his mouthpiece. I will actually cry if The Miz wins the IC title. 😦
What I think will happen?: Axel will probably win, whether I like it or not.
Former Best Friends Collide In Chicago – Divas Championship: Kaitlyn (c) vs AJ Lee
Background: The history between these two is well documented. AJ and Kaitlyn entered the WWE around the same time, entering NXT Season 3 and forming the “highly-successful” divas tag team The Chickbusters. At around the end of 2011, AJ and Kaitlyn’s relationship started to go sour with Kaitlyn taking a distaste towards AJ’s new boyfriend Daniel Bryan. After AJ and B-Bry’s break-up in April 2012, Kaitlyn attempted to console the heartbroken AJ. She instead got slapped in the face – two weeks in a row. AJ soon became an emotional wreck, engaging in relationships with the likes of Kane and CM Punk, and being heart-broken by both. Her reign as RAW General Manager also came to an end at October 2012 after accusations of fraternizing with WWE Superstar John Cena. After being re-instated as a wrestler, she soon took a more sinister approach to life and started a relationship with Dolph Ziggler at the end of 2012. In 2013 Kaitlyn would have enough of AJ’s craziness, and was attacked numerous times by AJ over the next couple of months. Just before Extreme Rules, AJ became the number one contender for the Divas Championship held by Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn and AJ would have a confrontation at Extreme Rules, which would result in Kaityln attacking AJ this time. AJ would then play with Kaitlyn’s heart in relation for Kaitlyn “not being there for her” during her emotional roller-coaster in 2012. She would have a “secret admirer” harrass Kaitlyn with messages of love. This would lead to this last Monday on RAW…
What I think should happen?: AJ Lee wins the title!
What I think will happen?: I think they’ll have AJ win the title. It’ll sort of provides shades of the “McMahon-Helmsley” era with boyfirend and girlfriend reigning as champions of their divisions. Speaking of which…
World Heavyweight Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Alberto Del Rio
Background: On the RAW after Wrestlemania 29, Ziggler cashed in Money In The Bank on Alberto Del Rio to win the World Title. Then Ziggler got a concussion and was unable to defend her championship at the Extreme Rules PPV. At Extreme Rules, Del Rio made Jack Swagger in an I Quit Match to become the number one contender for the world title. The World Title match between Ziggler and Del Rio was announced for Payback last week on RAW, when Ziggler made his return.
What I think should happen?: Dolph Ziggler retains.
What I think will happen?: CONCUSSION… err.. I mean Dolph Ziggler retains.
The Return Of Punk – “The Internet Wrestling Community’s God” CM Punk vs “Y2J” Chris Jericho
Background: 2 weeks after losing to The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29, CM Punk was supposed to address his loss on RAW. However, Punk was speechless and left the ring and said farewell to manager Paul Heyman. On the May 27th edition of the Highlight Reel, Chris Jericho asked Paul Heyman where CM Punk was. Heyman refused to answer that but did accept Jericho’s offer of a match between Jericho and Punk at Payback on Punk’s behalf.
What I think should happen?: I think there should be a double cross of some kind. I think CM Punk should have the momentum in his hometown crowd and then Heyman distracts Punk allowing Jericho to win. Something like that which sees Jericho FINALLY get a win over Punk, turns him heel and also doesn’t harm Punk. I’d like to see this scenario go down, but I don’t think it will.
What I think will happen?: CM Punk wins for the THIRD time in a row. I don’t think WWE want CM Punk losing to Jericho in Chicago in his comeback match.
The 3 Stages Of HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLL – WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs Ryback
Background: At Extreme Rules, Ryback and John Cena’s Last Man Standing match ended in a no contest when Ryback drove Cena through the stage “incapacitating” both men. The next night on RAW, Ryback challenged John Cena to an Ambulence match. In response, Cena proposed a match that has only ever appeared 3 times before in WWE history… the 3 stages OF HELL! The first fall would be a lumberjack match… 30 superstars surrounding the ring to pick up the scraps if one or both Ryback or Cena goes outside the ring. The second fall would be a tables match… whoever puts his opponent through a table wins. And the third and final fall if needd… well then the Ambulence match comes into place.
What I think should happen?: A little bit on the fence with this one. I don’t want Ryback to lose his 8th PPV match in a row (And yes, I am counting the no contest at Extreme Rules as a loss since he didn’t win the title). On the other hand, I wouldn’t want the championship to change hands 2 months into Cena’s reign. Also I want Cena to be champion for when Daniel Bryan fights for the title this summer. So it’s the case of character development vs championship presitge. And I’ve got to chose the championship prestige. Cena wins, but Ryback needs something big after his feud with Cena ends.
What I think will happen?: Cena wins.
Anyway, that’s the Payback predictions. I’m Tom Robinson. This is the Armbar Express. And let us all enjoy Payback!
BROCK LESNAR AND TRIPLE H: The Game brings the fight to Lesnar before the match even starts
Hey WWE Fans, I am “Macho Man” Thomas Robinson. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!
Reason I mentioned the Macho Man is because today marks two years since the “Macho Man” Randy Savage died and I’ve got to pay tribute to the man in some fashion. R.I.P. to Macho Man Randy Savage. What a legend he was, and a great worker and a tremendous talker. And he had so much charisma. And through controversy he built a legacy that will never be forgetten by the wrestling community.
Anyway, Extreme Rules took place last night, and it was a HELL of an event. Seriously enjoyed this event, and there was some great action, as well as some shocking moments match after match. This event really was EXTREME!
Chris Jericho gets revenge on Fandango
Chris Jericho FINALLY got a victory over Fandango in the opening match of the night. However, the match was sloppy. I mean, REALLY sloppy. There seemed to be some many botches in this match (mostly because of Fandango) that it’s hard to give the match any credit. Fandango even messed up a roll-up spot. The match looked so out of place and it was a shocking way to start the show. However, if there was 1 thing which saved the match from being a total disaster, it would have to be the ending. A nice sunset flip near the end by Fandango which built the foundations for the finish, which saw Chris Jericho hit the Codebreaker… IN MID-AIR. It looked quality, and it got the crowd buzzing. That ending may have saved this match from being a total dud.
The Shield Wins A Title #1: Dean Ambrose wins the US Championship
In a very slick match with a great spots during the match, Dean Ambrose gained The Shield their first title by capturing the US Championship from Kofi Kingston. Yes. And The Shield’s plans for dominating the WWE have started well. Dean Ambrose is definitely the best choice out of the 3 to go for the singles titles. Deano can go in the ring. His Double Underhook Suplex to Kofi off the top rope was something special. It’s the sort off stuff you see at Backyard Wrestling promotions and in the Indies. Something you really don’t see WWE do often is have a guy do that sort of move of the top rope, as they are so protective of their talent (no like that’s a bad thing obvious. You don’t want people get hurt). They won’t even let do CM Punk do the Pepsi Plunge (then again that might be due to Triple H not letting Punk do his finisher off the top rope, not necessarily because it’s dangerous). Regardless, it was a sweet match. Kinda wished it went on longer (it only lasted 6 minutes), but it was still decent.
The Celtic Warrior Topples The World’s Strongest Man In A Strap Match
Now I am not one that enjoys these sorts of match. Bull Rope matches, Strap matches, Samoan Strap matches. These matches always turn out to be dreadful in some way or form. Especially when you’ve got two big men like Mark Henry and Sheamus competing. And this match was BORING as hell. In my eyes, anyway. The fans were buzzing about this match for some reason, and were into it a lot. I’ll give the match credit in which the innovative ways to win the match were displayed. There were some innovative tactics used by both men. However, Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick, and tagged the 4th post for the win. I wasn’t that interested into the match, and I hate the rules of the match. I also don’t think Mark Henry should have lost in the manner that he did. But then again, Sheamus hasn’t had a PPV victory since Hell In A Cell, so a victory here gets momentum for him. As for Mark, I guess its back to square one.
Before we get on to the next fight, there was a hell of a cat-fight between AJ Lee and Kaitlyn in the back. Serious intensity in that scrap, and I seriously wonder why these two weren’t given a PPV match. This may turn out to be a really good feud for the Divas Title if WWE play their cards right. Sure, Kaitlyn is not a great wrestler, but the same can’t be said for AJ. Miss Lee is really good in the ring, and being real-life friends could help them click in the ring. The best of friends in WWE tend to have the best of rivalries. Take Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ rivalry from 2002 to 2004.
Alberto Del Rio makes Jack Swagger Utters The Words “I Quit” in a controversial I Quit Match To Become Next In Line for a World Title Shot
Before the match began, Zeb Colter (Jack Swagger’s manager) cut a stellar promo which the crowd ruined so badly with the WHAT chants. Seriously guys. Stone Cold Steve Austin is not even an active wrestler anymore. CUT OUT THE WHAT CHANTS! WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? They’ve gotten so old. This promo was followed by Lillian’s Garcia sounding sexy as hell speaking Spanish while introducing Ricardo Rodriguez (Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring-announcer).
The match between Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger lasted around the same amount of time as their Wrestlemania match and was a really fast paced match. And the pace of the match is always a key factor for me when I judge whether a match is good or not. However, I have a serious problem with the ending.
Firstly, when Jack Swagger locked in the Ankle Lock on Del Rio, Zeb Colter threw in Ricardo Rodriguez’s towel for Del Rio and the referee obviously thought that Ricardo threw it and ended the match. However, after a video replay the match was restarted. And afterwards, Del Rio slapped on the Cross-Armbreaker and Jack said “I Quit” way too quickly in my opinion.
The main problem I have though is the fact that the match can apparently end with someone’s manager throwing in the towel for them. I know that’s not how the match actually ended and I Quit matches have ended in towel throwings before, but I just think the rule is absurd. The ONLY way the match is supposed to end is with someone saying I QUIT. The match is called an I Quit match, not a “Whoever’s Manager Throws In A Towel Loses” Match. There should only be ONE WAY to win. And that is having your opponent say I QUIT. Regardless, the match was still a slick match despite that ending. I wish Del Rio and Swagger can get more than 10 minutes for once. These two are really good in the ring and they should be given at least 1 20 minute match, as they could produce something.
The Shield Wins A Title #2: Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns Wins The Tag Titles – BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD
BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD! In a pretty short tornado tag team match, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins gave The Shield their second piece of gold with a victory over Team Hell-No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) for the tag teams. It wasn’t a bad match, but it only lasted like 7 minutes. Compared to the epic matches The Shield have had before on PPVs this one felt under-whelming. This should have been given at least 15 minutes. And it’s was an anti-climatic way for the Tag Title reign of Daniel Bryan and Kane to end.
245 days as Tag Team Champions and it ended in a 7 minute match. They’ve done a great service as Tag Team Champions, but all good things must come to an end. Does this mean that they’ll split off into singles action? Maybe. I mean they are not dependent on one another. I mean Daniel Bryan is still incredibly over, and Kane’s popularity has rose again after putting the mask back on. If this is the end for Team Hell-No, it’s been great having them as a team. But all The Shield members now have gold! Superb. And things are now looking up for The Shield as they will continue to conquer the WWE. BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!
The Viper Slays The Giant With The Return Of The Punt Kick
This Extreme Rules match between Randy Orton and Big Show was really enjoyable. The match wasn’t too slow paced match, and it was a lot better than I thought it’d be. I thought it’d be a tad boring, but the fans were into it, I was into it. And Orton and Big Show put on a great match. I’m surprised, considering most of the matches I see Big Show in normally put me to sleep. And him vs Orton would be a match you’d normally don’t want to see. But this was good. A lot of weapon usage, including Kendo Sticks, Chairs and Ladders. And we saw the return of Randy Orton’s “Punt Kick” which I’m pretty sure was banned a couple of years ago. Randy Orton got a hell of a pop entering too. The hometown hero Orton got a hell of a reaction. It appears things went great at Extreme Rules all around for The Viper. Good match.
John Cena and Ryback Fight To A NO CONTEST in the Last Man Standing Match
The match between John Cena and Ryback was a lot better than I thought it’d be. Considering how limited these guys are in the ring, they put on one of the better last man standing matches I’ve seen as of late. There were some really good spots too. There was Ryback’s fall-away slam to Cena through the table laid on the turn-buckle, which I though looked sick. We had John Cena giving Ryback a powerbomb which impressed me greatly. I know he’s done powerbombs before, but this was delivered to a man that’s nearly 300lbs (that’s 20 stone). That was insane, and another tremendous feat of strength by Cena – love him or hate him.
We had 3 different tables spots during the match, and John Cena even speared Ryback through the barricade (which I think is being so over-done nowadays). The match ended when Ryback drove Cena through the wall of the stage, causing all kinds of explosions. The match was ended… via a no contest. WTF? Why did it end in a no contest? The referee should have at least counted them both down or something. Why did it end like this? It was a great last man standing match, don’t get me wrong, but surely it should have ended in a double count out at least. I guess they’ll be a rematch at Payback (yes, that’s the name of the next WWE PPV. Couldn’t have thought up of a better name than Payback?).
Brock Lesnar Defeats Triple H Inside The Cage To Win Their Year-Long War
The rubber match between Brock Lesnar and Triple H was an OK cage match. The match showed-off a lot of intensity, especially with the beginning when Triple H jumped Brock Lesnar during his entrance. When Triple H skips his own entrance, you know shits going to go down!
The match was REALLY slow-paced but it was a good for what it was. An all out battle between The Cerebal Assassin and The Beast at St. Louis. I was honestly surprised by how it ended. I was surprised that Brock Lesnar won via pinfall rather than escaping the cage. Sure, Paul Heyman being involved was as predictable as Brock Lesnar screaming like a gorilla. But I didn’t think Lesnar would win off the Paul Heyman assist. A low blow, a sledgehammer shot and an F5 was what it took to put Triple H away.And at Extreme Rules, nearly 1 year after the feud began, the feud ends with Lesnar.
The real question now is… what’s next for Lesnar? A rematch with John Cena? A confrontation with Heyman’s other client CM Punk? A rematch with The Great One? The possibilities are endless for Brock and what happens with him now will be surely interesting.
OVERALL, I enjoyed the PPV. A slow start, especially with Jericho and Fandango, but I loved a majority of the matches. The latter end of the card was great and the other matches had a lot of things going for them. Loved the WWE title match, loved Show vs Orton, and I love that Brock Lesnar won the war against Triple H. Now the Wrestlemania party is over and with Lesnar, Jericho and Triple H possibly gone for the time being after this, it’ll be interesting to see the direction of WWE. The Shield have titles, Ryback destroyed John Cena, Team Hell-No may be done, and several feuds coming to an end, WWE have the huge task of avoiding a repeat of last year’s really bad spell after Wrestlemania. So far its going OK, but with big time players gone, WWE need to be cautious.
Hey there WWE fans, I am “The Excellence Of Execution” Thomas Robinson here with my WWE Extreme Rules predicitions! The pay-per-view has a pretty decent card on actually. Although it’s suffered set-backs with Great Ones bailing, The Best In The World resting and the World Champion injured, WWE actually haven’t done THAT bad with the card. I mean sure it could be better, but WWE were really hindered by losing the star power of CM Punk, The Rock, Undertaker and Dolph Ziggler. Anyway, let’s run down the card.
THE SHIELD VS THE WORLD – United States Championship: Kofi Kingston (c) vs Dean Ambrose/ WWE Tag Team Championship: “Team Hell-No” Kane (c) and Daniel Bryan (c) vs “The Shield” Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns
Background: The Shield have been whooping all kinds of ass since debuting in November and gained huge momentum by being victorious at Wrestlemania, defeating Team Hell-No and Undertaker in London, and taking The Undertaker out. But now it was time for The Shield to focus on getting the gold, and The Shield targeted the United States Champion Kofi Kingston and WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan. Dean Ambrose has been given a US Title shot against Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules. Reigns and Rollins got a Tag Title Shot against Kane and D-Bry for the PPV.
What I think Should Happen?: The Shield win. BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!
What I think will happen?: The Shield win. Kingston was basically a transitional champion, and Team Hell-No have held the tag titles for long enough. BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!
SMACKDOWN’S CURSADE VS SMACKDOWN’S POWER TRIP – Strap Match: Sheamus vs Mark Henry/ Extreme Rules Match: Randy Orton vs Big Show
Background: At Wrestlemania 29, The Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus battled The Shield in a 6 man tag. However, the team of former world champions was not enough to take down the Shield. Upset with Randy Orton tagging himself in, Big Show angrily KO’d both Sheamus and Orton and left. The next night on RAW, Big Show interrupted the Randy Orton vs Sheamus match and attacked both his Wrestlemania partners. However, he specifically targeted his attacks Orton and delivered a huge beatdown on The Viper. On SmackDown!, Sheamus himself was attacked backstage by “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry, and was attacked again by Henry on the RAW afterwards. Henry and Big Show teamed up to defeat Sheamus and Orton (cleanly might I add) on SmackDown!. Sheamus then got his own back on Mark Henry, and attacked him backstage. It was eventually announced that both feuds would be settled at Extreme Rules, with Sheamus taking on Mark Henry in a strap match, and Big Show taking on Randy Orton in an Extreme Rules match.
What I think should happen?: I think the heels should get the victories. It’d make sense for Mark Henry to defeat Sheamus and continue his huge wave of momentum coming of the Elimination Chamber and his Wrestlemania victory over Ryback. To be honest, Big Show vs Randy Orton is that much of an interest to me. I just think that Randy Orton toppling the giant Big Show so easily at Extreme Rules just doesn’t seem right. Mark Henry and Big Show win.
What I think will happen?: I’m going to go for Mark Henry for the strap match, because I think they want him to keep up his momentum and challenge John Cena for the WWE Title after Ryback is done with Cena. As for the Orton/Big Show match, I think they’ll have Orton win. I don’t think they want Orton to lose too many high-profile matches, and I think they want him to go after Ziggler and the World Title, and losing to The Big Show might not help him in that sense. Mark Henry and Randy Orton win.
REMATCH OF THE DECADE – Chris Jericho vs Fandango
Background: Fandango, SOMEHOW, defeated Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 29 with the flukiest of victories. However, Fandango did gain another victory on the RAW after when the FANDANGO-REVOLUTION began, with the fans singing Fandango’s theme song during his match with Kofi Kingston. However, that match ended up with Chris Jericho laying out Fandango. Over the next couple of weeks, Chris Jericho would gain little spades of revenge, costing him his match with R-Truth via count out and constantly attacking him after matches. Jericho also faced Fandango in a dance-off last week on RAW. The two will settle their differences at Extreme Rules in an actual WRESTLING rematch. Will the Fandango Revolution continue or will the Ayatollah Of Rock ‘N’ Rolla finally defeat Fandango?
What I think should happen?: CHRIS JERICHO WINS! PLEASE!
What I think will happen?: Chris Jericho wins. As much as a 2nd win over Jericho would properly get Fandango over, Jericho needs a win before he gets back. And I don’t think a loss to Jericho will hurt the Fandango Revolution.
NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – I Quit Match: Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger
Background: The night after Wrestlemania 29, Dolph Ziggler cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase on Alberto Del Rio to become the World Heavyweight Champion. On SmackDown!, during Ziggler’s celebration speech, Del Rio and Del Rio’s opponent for Wrestlemania 29, Jack Swagger declared their interest in a World Title match. After Swagger prevented Del Rio from getting his rematch on RAW the next week, a triple threat was made between Ziggler, Del Rio and Swaggger for Extreme Rules with the title at stake. The match was made a ladder match by Del Rio the next week. HOWEVER, after Swagger attacked Ziggler with a ladder the FOLLOWING week, Ziggler was taken out of the injury with a legitimate concussion. So the decision was made to have Del Rio and Swagger face off in an I Quit Match at Extreme Rules, with the winner facing Ziggler once he’s back from injury.
What I think should happen?: Del Rio wins. And NO, the reason is not because Swagger should be punished for being dangerous in the ring, or for taking Ziggler out or for his marijuana business before Wrestlemania. I think Del Rio should win because it’d make a lot more sense for Del Rio to go up against Ziggler afterwards than Swagger.
What I think will happen?: Del Rio wins.
THE FINAL ENCOUNTER (I think) – Steel Cage Match: Triple H vs Brock Lesnar
Background: A 1-year old gets settled tonight at Extreme Rules inside the Steel Cage. More than a year ago, Triple H’s arm was broken by Triple H. Since then Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H at Summerslam, and Triple H returned the favour at Wrestlemania by defeating Lesnar and keeping his career in tact. Lesnar’s representative Paul Heyman proposed one FINAL match at Extreme Rules – Triple H vs Brock Lesnar – IN A STEEL CAGE MATCH. In London, Triple H replied with an emphatic Pedigree to Paul Heyman, accepting the match. 2 weeks later, Lesnar and Heyman invaded WWE headquarters. While there Brock assaulted employees, teased Rock/Brock II and trashed Triple H’s office. The two would have one final confrontation on RAW this week, scrapping in a steel cage.
What I thinks should happen?: Brock Lesnar wins. While I’m OK with Triple H winning the battle at Wrestlemania, Lesnar should be the one to win the war, especially if he wants to remain a dominant force in WWE. Triple H – do what’s best for the company.
What I think will happen?: Well firstly, someone will win by escaping the cage. And I think Lesnar will be the one that wins. I think they’ll have some finish in which Lesnar inadvertently escapes tthe cage, or Heyman will distract Triple H or something. I don’t think they want either man to lose in the cage.
SUPERMAN VS DOOMSDAY – WWE CHAMPIONSHIP: John Cena (c) vs Ryback in a Last Man Standing Match
Background: At Wrestlemania 29, John Cena defeated The Rock to win the WWE Championship. The next night, after a match with Mark Henry, Ryback saved Cena from a beatdown by Henry. He then delivered the meat-hook clothesline to Cena and dropped him with a Shell-Shocked, turning heel and declaring his interest for the WWE Title. Ryback justified his actions by stating that Cena never helped him in the battle against The Shield while he’s helped out Cena time after time. Cena then challenged Ryback to a fight the next week and in typical Cena-Villian style, he backed down and did nothing while The Shield attacked Cena. Cena returned the favour in London, but then saved Ryback at the last minute, and then dropped him with the Attitude Adjustment. Then Cena got “injured” while wrestling at a house show, when Ryback threw Kryptonite at him. XD However, the Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules was booked for the WWE Title, and the injured Cena suffered numerous attacks by Ryback in build up to the match.
What I think should happen?: I think Ryback should get the win, primarily because he can not afford a SEVENTH PPV defeat in a row. Yes, John Cena’s title reign has only just started, but Ryback needs to prove he’s not all show, and how irrelevant will he become if he can’t win the big matches.
What I think will happen?: John Cena wins. Ryback loses again. Superman saves the day. -.-
That’s the Extreme Rules Predictions done and dusted. I’m Tom Robinson, and I will be watching the PPV myself (not live because I have to be up early in the morning. :() and I hope the PPV delivers. 🙂
Evening Wrestling fans, I’m the “Show-Off” Thomas Robinson and I’m here to show of my GIANT BEAST…..
…of a blog.
Yes, an eventful week of wrestling, which I’m going to sum up in one blog, as it’s difficult for me to do 2 separate blogs for RAW and Impact Wrestling on top of uni work and other things. So, for the foreseeable future, I am going to start blogging about RAW and TNA on the same blog at the end of the week or something. And I’m also going to add SmackDown! to the picture if it’s any good and if I can be bothered. So let’s get to it…
RAW
What a RAW it was this week. Largely due to the awesomeness of the fans in New Jersey. I always say that the fans can make a show, and this is certainly the case here. This was one of the best crowds I have ever heard, and that is NOT an exaggeration. They weren’t shitting on matches all night, they were having fun instead. Like in the Sheamus vs Randy Orton match, rather than doing chants like “Same old shit” and “Boring” they were just having fun and chanting random wrestlers’ names. JBL, HBK, RVD, Randy Savage, Jerry Lawler, even Michael Cole and Mike Chioda got chants. ECW chants were at large too! They did a wave during the match! There were “Thank You Big Show” and “Cotton Candy” chants when The Big Show interfered in their match. It wasn’t that great of a match, but it’ll always live long in the memory because of the fans.
There were all sorts of chants that night, and obviously the part that stood out the most was when the fans started humming Fandango’s theme, thus starting the Fandango Revolution! The fans humming his theme was made a lot funnier when Michael Cole pointed it out, and JBL and Lawler caught on. XD Absolutely hilarious. And to be honest, I’m not that big of a Fandango fan, but if this gets him incredibly over in time, then I’ll have to change my tune about him! His theme got to 13th in the UK iTunes charts which I think is absolutely incredible.
But the show wasn’t great, JUST because of the fans. There were a lot of moments that made this show awesome. Wade Barrett regained the Intercontinental Championship against The Miz in a better and longer match they put on at Wrestlemania. I loved the “Wade Barrett’s Barmy Army” chant during the match. But why did Wade Barrett lose the belt at Mania in the first place if he was just going to win it back the next night? Seems like a strange move to me.
Undertaker’s promo on RAW was interrupted by The Shield, who looked like they were about to pounce, until Team-Hell No made the save, which could suggest a 6 man tag at Extreme Rules. I loved how Daniel Bryan joined Undertaker and Kane in the Brothers of Destruction pose on the top of the ramp. He’s the only man beside Taker or Kane to do it, and it just shows how far he’s come. I mean he did lose to Big E Langston on Raw that night, but still you get my point.
Dolph Ziggler FINALLY cashed in Money In The Bank and became the World Heavyweight Champion! He defeated Alberto Del Rio to win the World Title! While I’m glad he’s champion, I’m not happy with the timing. I personally think he should have ran down the clock, and waited until Money In The Bank 2013 to cash it in. But, what’s done is done, and Ziggler was definitely one of the highlights of the show on RAW.
Lastly, WWE Champion John Cena’s Wrestlemania Victory speech was interrupted by “Mr That’s What I Do” Mark Henry, who demanded a shot at the WWE Title. However, SmackDown! GM Booker T (who apparently has the say on Raw too) told him he had to earn his shot and booked him in a non-title match with Cena. We also got the fans singing Mark Henry’s theme song when he came out! The match ended in a count out, which then saw Henry attack Cena. But then IN COMES THE CALVARY! Ryback attacks Henry, and gets him out the ring. He then helps Cena up and begins the “Feed Me More” chants before clobbering Cena with a clothesline to the delight of the New Jersey fans! He then hit the Shell-Shocked on Cena, and held the WWE Championship high! I personally don’t think that this is a heel turn though. I think he’s just sending a message to Cena. And, it appears they will be doing John Cena vs Ryback at Extreme Rules! However, what saddens me about that is if John Cena beats Ryback, that’ll be SEVEN pay-per-view defeats in a row. How can Ryback be considered a big player in WWE with all these losses?
TNA Impact Wrestling
Another live edition of TNA, and I do prefer the live editions to the tapped editions. However, this crowd was rather disappointing to be frank. Especially after the crowds of the last couple of months on Impact, and the Raw Crowd on Monday too. But, it was still a rather interesting show of Impact. Just a couple of points to talk about…
To be honest, the 2 out of 3 falls match between the team of Bobby Roode and Austin Aires, and the team of Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez was kind of a let down too. I love how they had Aires and Roode ambush Chavo and Hernandez from behind to get an easy first fall, and then Chavo got a quick 2nd fall afterwards. It was something different, and I always appreciate different. However, I don’t appreciate Roode and Aires dropping the titles. I don’t understand this. TNA had something good going with that team, and they for some reason wanted them to drop the belts? And to all the teams they could have dropped them to, why this team? I’m not a fan of the team of Chavo and Hernandez, and I do hope this was put in place for a cheap pop. Roode and Aires need them titles more than Chavo and Hernandez.
Taryn Terrell defeated Gail Kim in a grudge match between the two knockouts, in a fair match. The inclusion of ODB was a very funny inclusion, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen her, so it’s good to see her again. I think Taryn still needs more work in the ring, but she did look fine in that attire – AND THAT’S A PLUS IN MY BOOKS!
There was another angle involving AJ Styles and James Storm, with James interrupting Hulk Hogan’s conversation with AJ. “Bad Influence” Christopher Daniels and Kazarian came down to the ring, and both of them cut a good promo, asking for AJ to join them rather than the TNA Frontline or Aces And Eights. It’s nice that TNA have brought in a neutrality feel to the war between TNA and Aces And Eights. AJ Styles vs James Storm was booked for next week. Not exactly sure if it’ll actually happen, but if it does than great. I’d love to see them get it on next week.
And finally, Bully Ray retained the TNA World Title in Full Metal May-HEEEEEEEEEEEEEMM! It was an OK match. In comparison with Bully and Jeff Hardy’s previous TLC matches, it was shit, but as a match in general it was OK. There were cool spots, with Jeff doing the Swanton from the turnbuckle onto the outside which was rather cool. Bully won by hitting Jeff in the head with hammer, that sent him crashing through the table. Bully has won this chapter of the battle with TNA, but next week should have some new developments. I think it’s safe to say Bully is done with Jeff.
SmackDown!
A couple of quick notes. Firstly, Ziggler getting interrupted 3 times in the same promo was funny too see. Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio came out to declare their interest in the World Title, before Chris Jericho came out and ripped on Ziggler and AJ, calling the latter crazy, which made her go crazy. Jericho vs Ziggler was made for the main event, with Fandango at ringside. Alright match, followed by Fandango beating down Jericho. I think WWE edited the crowd an awful lot here. From what I heard in the tapings, the Fandango theme sing-song was quite load at the SmackDown! taping. Hmmm.
And secondly, a Triple H promo was interrupted by the 3MB, who was about to jump Triple H in typical stable style. That was interrupted by The Shield, who took out 3MB, and went after Triple H themselves. HHH was saved by Team Hell-No. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with Team Hell-No and The Shield for Extreme Rules. Will they just do a tag match, or will they do a 6 man tag with Undertaker involved? I’d like to see the later, if Undertaker is OK to do it. But a Shield “free-bird” run as champions would be cool with more. Or Reigns and Rollins could hold the tag titles, and Dean Ambrose could go for the main title. One of them two scenarios is OK with me. Either way, I think Team Hell-No’s days as Tag Champs are coming to an end.
And that’s it for me. The Big Three Shows of the week, covered in one MEGA-BLOG for you all. This is Tom Robinson, and I’m going to leave with this…..
Evening Wrestling Fans, I am Tom Robinson and it is time to review… WRESTLEMANIA 29!
The Intercontinental Championship Changes Hands On The YouTube Pre-Show
Really? REALLY? Really?
The only match of the show I actually watched live was WAY too quick. Yeah, it had a lot of big moves in the match, but it was a shame that Wade Barrett and The Miz were only given a grand total of 4 minutes on a 60 minute pre-show, which played promo package after promo package and featured a stupid segment involving Snooki. Seriously, why does this gal get Wrestlemania time over guys like Antonio Cesaro? Anyway the match itself ended with The Miz locking in the Figure 4 Leg Lock and making Wade Barrett submit to regain the championship. This match was such a disappointment, and the result was disappointing too. The Miz had a run with the IC title not long ago. Why is he getting another? And why the heck does Wade Barrett, a man who’s great on the mic and in the ring, lose the IC title in this fashion. These two had a match on RAW a couple of weeks ago which was better than this. Also, remember the triple threat IC title match involving Chris Jericho about a month ago. That was a great 3 way battle. But this was downright disappointing to see.
The Shield Defeat The SmackDown! Crusade… AND NO-ONE TURNS HEEL
Ain’t nothing stopping The Shield. BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!
This 6 man tag team match was given 10 minutes, and in the 10 minutes put on a good show. There was a lot of cool spots in the match, and with a couple more minutes might have been a whole lot better. But there was problem. And no, The Shield winning is not a problem for me. I’m glad they won here. My problem was the fact that… NO ONE TURNED HEEL! What the heck? I was sat watching this match waiting for Randy Orton to RKO either Sheamus or Big Show, but DAMMIT, it never happened. Instead, Big Show KO’d Sheamus and Orton post-match, after Orton tagged himself into the match at the end, and got pinned. Dammit. Really wanted someone to turn heel. But the match was pretty decent. With a little more time, it could have been great.
Mark Henry Defeats Ryback.. Because He’s Fat
You’d think someone who has this sort of strength would not lose SIX Pay-Per-View matches in a row
This must have been the biggest monstrosity coming out of Wrestlemania. I wasn’t expecting this match to be like a Shawn Michaels/Undertaker classic or something, but by god this was boring. This was slow-paced as hell, and the ending was really stupid. After about 6 minutes of bearhugs and typical big man moves, Ryback hit his signature lariat clothesline, and was signalling for Shell-Shocked. He gets him up (which gets one of the best pops of the night) but Mark Henry falls on him, and pins him. Mark Henry pretty much won this match… because he’s fat. His fat allowed him to crush Ryback and pick up the win. An incredibly abrupt ending to the 8 minute match. What’s worse is that Henry went back in the ring to finish off Ryback, but Ryback somehow made a big comeback and hit the spinebuster. He would then, post-match, hit Henry with Shell-Shocked. If he was going to do a big move like that to Henry, why not have him do it in the match? Why did Ryback lose his 6TH PPV MATCH IN A ROW? 6? How is 6 PPV losses in a Raw supposed to legitimize as a contender. This was easily the worst booking decision on the night.
Team Hell-No Retain The WWE Tag Team Titles In A Great Match
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
This was a match I thoroughly enjoyed. And I enjoyed it because the fans were really into it. I love how the start of the match teased a repeat of last year’s World Title match, with Ziggler kissing AJ and then nearly losing at the very start of the match. It was an enjoyable to see. There were a couple of near falls (not as much as the main event had. XD) but in the end, Team Hell-No emerged victorious to the delight of the fans. Daniel Bryan got some really loud YES chants going, similar to last year. Good tag match. 🙂
FAG-DAN-GO beats Chris Jericho, despite being destroyed for about 95% of the match
The fact that this guy defeated Chris Jericho really upsets me. 😦
So, Chris Jericho. Gets a kick ass entrance with fireworks and stuff. Demonstrates his extensive arsenal of moves for the entire match (he is the man of 1,004 holds after all). He wrestles a guy who hardly does a damn thing in the ring… and loses? OK, they were trying to make it out to be this big upset and stuff, but this was plain ridiculous. Since when does Chris Jericho deserves to lose to this clown at Wrestlemania? To Fandango? I mean, if Fandango was going to beat Jericho on his debut, then shouldn’t he have done a lot more comprehensively than he did. He got one roll-up in at the end of the match and won. To be fair though, there were a lot of near falls in the match, and the fans were actually into it a lot. But the fact that it ended in one of the most abrupt of ways does not do Fandango that good. I mean yeah, he had a hell of an entrance with all them dancers and stuff, but that was such a flukey way to win, you can’t take him seriously. Jericho didn’t deserve to lose this.
Alberto Del Rio Retains The World Title In A Quick, But Good Encounter With Jack Swagger
No Money In The Bank Cash In Here, As Del Rio Walks Out Of Wrestlemania The Champion
Despite being only 10 minutes long, this match was actually OK in my book. There was a lot of good technical ability demonstrated by both guys and sometimes in WWE, you hardly see just a straight up wrestling match. Sure, there were manager spots and stuff, but it was a great match with a lot of cool reversals and a lot of skill showcased. Again, this match should have went on a little longer. If they have a rematch at Extreme Rules, I hope it nears 20 minutes, because I’m convinced after watching this match that they can do a lot more together. And by the way, they didn’t show Jack Swagger’s entrance, which was him apparently coming down in a camouflage vehicle. OK, of all the entrances you could have not shown in the pay-per-view, why one which features someone coming down in a car? I would have loved to seen that. Oh, and the attire Alberto Del Rio came down to the ring in looked absolutely shocking. He was dressed in a white robe, and looked daft as hell in it. XD
CM Punk vs Undertaker – My God. What A Match
This streak is NEVER going to be broken. Accept It! 21-0!
Match Of The Night is undoubtedly this one. The Phenom, The Undertaker. The Best In The World, CM Punk. With Undertaker’s streak on the line. Also, Living Colour playing Cult Of Personality while CM Punk was coming down to the ring was a real epic moment. Best entrance of the night. The match itself was a hell of a match. We saw a good opening, starting fast-paced and taking it to the announce table, setting up a spot for later. CM Punk started gaining moment, and even did Undertaker’s Old-School manoeuvre on the Deadman, which I thought was an amazing edition to the start of the match. The match featured a lot of great momentum swings in the match, like when CM Punk turned a punch from the Undertaker into a swinging neckbreaker, which I thought was really well done. There was spot after spot which made this match so memorable. Other than the announce table not breaking when CM Punk did his diving elbow to the Undertaker on the outside, this match was really well choreographed. I love the bit at the end, where CM Punk did a GTS to The Undertaker, which didn’t even phase Taker, who just delivered the tombstone immediately afterwards! XD What a badass! Just no-sells the shit out of the GTS. Except it worked so well. CM Punk would kick out of the Tombstone. The two traded blows, and both men tried their finishers. GTS attempt after Tombstone attempt. The reversals for each finish into the other finisher was SOOOOOO well done. Taker countered the GTS with a tombstone attempt. Punk countered the tombstone with a GTS attempt, and so on. Incredible. But in the end, The Undertaker performed the last rites, hitting the tombstone on Punk to go 21-0 at Wrestlemania. That match was really something special. I applaud both men for that one. I had doubts other whether this match would be any good considering the uniqueness of both men’s styles, but that didn’t effect them. They put on a hell of a show.
Triple H Slays Brock Lesnar To Keep His Career Alive And Increase His Ego Even More
Triple H, don’t EVER do this AGAIN
I want to state that this match was WAY better than their first match at Summerslam. There were a lot more interesting spots, and the involvement of Shawn Michaels and Paul Heyman gave it a breath of fresh air as soon as things started getting dull. There were a lot of big hits from both guys in the match, which looked decent. But, the match was really slow-paced, and I started losing interest in it, to be honest. But things did get interesting near the end. What was strange to see was Triple H doing the Kimura Lock to Brock. Really? I really don’t like wrestlers who have no experience in MMA at all, trying MMA-like moves in a pro-wrestling match. Why bother? It just looked stupid. I would have flipped if Lesnar tapped out to the Kimura. Thankfully he didn’t… but he did take a Pedigree on the steel steps, which was enough for Triple H to beat him. I think this match overall was decent, but sometimes there was a lot of slow-paced action, and sometimes it’s just painful to watch.
John Cena Gets Redemption… and the WWE Championship
John Cena has the Crossface locked in during the WWE Title Match
Yes, John Cena was victorious in his rematch with The Rock for the WWE Championship. Not exactly unexpected. It was obvious it was going to happen. But the match was still good in my eyes. I don’t think it was as good as their first match last year, but it was actually really entertaining. The first 10-15 minutes or so was basically headlocks and shoulder blocks and stuff. It also featured a lot of cool counters in the match and the fans were really into this match too. And as I’ve stated so many times before, the fan reactions have a big influence as to whether a match or an event is good. And they were really into this match. After the first 10-15 minutes we had about 1000 near-falls, including The Rock kicking out of 2 Attitude Adjustments and a Rock Bottom and John Cena kicking out of 3 Rock Bottoms and a people’s elbow. It eventually finished with Cena hitting one final Attitude Adjustment after 500 counters to reclaim the WWE Championship.
I don’t think this Wrestlemania will go down as one of the best Wrestlemanias in the world. This pay-per-view suffered from really bad time restraints. We had entrances cut, we had match lengths cut. We even had the 8 person tag match cut too. Amazingly, with a 4 hour show, they struggled badly with time. We didn’t have single backstage segment on the main show. I mean, it was really shocking to see both the World Title match and the 6 man tag match going less than 12 minutes. Shocking. But, this event still featured a lot of new cool moments this year, and the 3 main event matches that all got 20+ minutes were very good matches on the whole. Lesnar vs Triple H II was actually good. Rock vs Cena I was good. But in the end, one match in particular will stand out above the rest. Undertaker vs CM Punk was the best match of the night, and looks likely to be a serious contender for match of the year.
Guys. On Sunday, it’s event everyone is waiting for. It happens only once a year. It is shown all around the world. And it is the pinnacle of sports entertainment. Ladies and gentleman…. are you ready?
NO! I SAID…..
ARE YOU READY?
Then….. LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLETS GET READY TO PREDICT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTT!
…….Yeah.
WRESTLEMANIA 29 IS THIS SUNDAY! Sunday Night for the US. Monday Morning for the UK. And if I wasn’t back at University on Monday, I’d be watching this event LIVE! But I’m not. But when I do eventually watch it (thank you desirulez) it’ll be a slobberknocker of a show… I hope.
To be honest, looking at this year’s card is doesn’t look THAT appealing. But I’m a little excited because it is Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania is the show where the stars come out and the lights are on bright. The Rock! CM Punk! John Cena! Triple H! Undertaker! BROCK LESNAR! Chris Jericho! Shawn Michaels! Everyone is here! And it’s time to do some predictions!
The Battle Of The Dancers: “Y2J” Chris Jericho vs FAAAAAAAAANDAAAAAAAAAANGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Background: Out of the blue, we get promos hyping up the debut of a new superstar. And soon enough, the new guy arrived. I mean this guy was certainty hard to miss. Had some amazing gear on, a face that looks like it got hit with a frying pan, epic dance moves, and an beautiful dance partner at his side. His name was… well, that’s the thing. We thought his name was Fandango, but apparently, everyone was saying his name wrong. For a couple of weeks, he’d come out all dancing, but when Justin Roberts mispronounces his name, he’d go in a fit, and refuse to wrestle. He even gave The Great Khali a chance to say his name right. But errrmmm….
Right. Anyway, this would go on for a couple of weeks until Fandango met someone, who was actually a contestant in the American version of Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With The Stars. His name? Y2J Chris Jericho. Fandango then asked Jericho to pronounce his name. But Jericho took a lot more of a humorous approach to the name…
This obviously pissed off Fan-dangler, who would assault Jericho several times on RAW and SmackDown! Having had enough of the attacks, Jericho went to Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero, and set up Chris Jericho vs Fandango for WRESTLEMANIA!
What I think should happen?: Normally in these situations when the newcomer would face the veteran, I’d back the newcomer. A victory over the well-established veteran would be a big boost for the newcomer. However, I’m not going to do that here. Chris Jericho should really get the victory here. I’d be really mad if Fandango won here. Firstly, because I’m a huge Chris Jericho fan. Secondly, especially on a stage like Wrestlemania, Chris Jericho shouldn’t really lose to someone like Fandango, someone who’s character is just getting started. Yeah, if Fandango was facing someone like R-Truth or a mid-carder, yeah. But this is Chris Jericho. I understand Chris Jericho wants to help put people over, but if they give Fandango the victory, then that means that they are putting so much effort into this guy over heels who need the push more, like Wade Barrett (Yes, I like using Wade Barrett as an example a lot. XD). Fandango needs to work his way up, and fight lower-cards first before facing someone like Chris Jericho. So I’m saying I want…. Chris Jericho to win.
What I think will happen?: Unfortunately, all the signs point to Fandango winning this. Since returning in 2012, Chris Jericho has put over a lot of wrestlers, and would probably want to help Fandango out to, and if it meant losing to him, he would. Also, WWE have an unhealthy obsession of having wrestlers rise through the rankings in WWE very quickly, and winning their debuts over main-event players. So I’m saying they’ll have…. Fandango win. -.-
“Team Hell-No” Kane and Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Background: Since winning the WWE Tag Team Titles, Kane and Daniel Bryan (otherwise known as Team Hell-No) have been a force to be reckoned with in the tag team division. Lately however, the team started having some problems. It started in the Royal Rumble match, where Daniel Bryan eliminated his own partner Kane. Daniel was then pushed over the top rope by Antonio Cesaro, and knocked into the arms of the eliminated Kane, who decided not to save his partner from being eliminated and let him drop to the floor. The two then suffered more problems in the World Title Number One Contendership Elimination Chamber match, when Daniel Bryan tried a roll-up on Kane, nearly eliminating him from the match. With this act of betrayal by Bryan, Kane and Bryan went after each other in the match. However, neither man were successful in winning the chamber. Daniel would then get involved in this argument with former girlfriend AJ Lee…
After flat out owning Miss AJ Lee, Daniel and Kane were both challenged to a match for the tag titles by the team of AJ’s boyfriend Dolph Ziggler and his and AJ’s bodyguard, Big E Langston. The two would accept, and the match would be scheduled for Wrestlemania.
What I think should happen?: Kane and Daniel Bryan. I’m sorry, but I don’t like the thought of Ziggler and Langston being tag champions. I think if D-Bry and Kane should lose the tag titles, it should be to a legitimate tag team, not some guy and his bodyguard. Also, there aren’t a lot of face tag teams around to face Ziggler and Langston for the titles. We have, the Usos and “Lords Of The Dance” Brodus Clay and Tensai. Oh by the way, I don’t think Dolph Ziggler will or should cash in Money In The Bank tonight either.
What I think will happen?: Ziggy and Big E win the titles. I think WWE believe that the Team Hell-No story has hit a slump, and I think they want to pull the plug on it. Also, a tag title reign buys Ziggler a couple of more months as Mr Money In The Bank, and I think they want him to go down to the wire as Mr Money In The Bank.
The Lords Of The Dance And The Funkadactyls vs Team Rhodes-Scholars and The Bella Twins
Background: Matt Bloom returned to WWE donning the name of Tensai the night after Wrestlemania 29. Under this name, Tensai started of in WWE well, getting countless victories and even knocked off John Cena on RAW in the UK. However, when John Cena cleanly beat him a short time later, it all went downhill from there. He began losing to everyone – CM Punk, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston. This losing streak eventually lead him losing to even Santino Marrella at the 2012 Slammys. Seeing Tensai constantly humiliated, Brodus Clay offered his help. Despite being hesitant at first, Tensai began to bond with Brodus and even started dancing down to the ring with him. The duo later became a tag team called Tons Of Fun (which is a little annoying, as I believe Lords Of The Dance is a lot more suitable name. -.-). The two even defeat Team Rhodes-Scholars at Elimination Chamber. Angered by the defeat, the two teams would begin a feud, and it wasn’t just the men getting physical. Brodus and Tensai’s Funkadactyls (Cameron and Namoi) started feuding with new girlfriends and newly-reinstated twins, Nikki and Brie Bella. Eventually, a 8 person tag was booked with Tons of Funk and their Funkadactyls facing Team Rhodes-Scholars and the Bella Twins.
What I think should happen?: Honestly, this match shouldn’t even take place. Intergender matches aren’t that great to watch. While I was impressed with the Bellas vs Funkadactyls match on RAW this Monday, there are a lot of great superstars not even on the card. Where the hell is Antonio Cesaro on the Wrestlemania card? -.- If I have to pick, I’d have to say I want Rhodes-Scholars and the Bellas to win.
What I think will happen?: Clay, Tensai, Cameron and Namoi win. This is simply a brief crowd pleaser. The faces will win, the faces will dance. End of.
Wade Barrett vs The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship
Background: These two began feuding when both Barrett and Miz appeared on Y2J’s Highlight Reel on RAW, and argued about their recent movie releases. Wade Barrett has Dead Man Down, and The Miz had the Marine 3 (I personally don’t want to see either of them films). These two would eventually be booked in a triple threat for the IC Title on RAW, alongside Chris Jericho. Barrett would retain the title, but after The Miz defeat Wade Barrett in a non-title match the next week, Miz was given the opportunity to fight for the title again, on the pre-show of Wrestlemania 29, against Wade Barrett.
What I think should happen?: Well first of all, why the hell is this match not on the main show? Why is the IC title match not on the main show? They are really bringing down the prestige of the belt. The IC Title should be defended on the grand-daddy of them all, and Barrett and Miz deserve more than this. But anyway, I want Barrett to retain. Miz had his run as IC Champion. The more Barrett wins, the better champion he is. Wade Barrett should win.
What I think will happen?: I think Barrett will indeed win. I don’t see Miz beating him here, especially on the pre-show. Yeah, titles have changed hands on the pre-show before, but if Miz were to win the title, they wouldn’t have him do it on a pre-show. Barrett will win this. No sweat. NEXT.
“The King Of Putting Himself Over” Triple H vs BRRRRRROOCK LLLLLEESNAR!
Background: The night after Wrestlemania 29, Brock Lesnar made his return to WWE after 8 long years, by sending out an emphatic statement to the WWE Universe..
While back, Brock Lesnar started making ridiculous demands from the WWE. He wanted his own private jet, he wanted a lot more money, and he wanted to show to be renamed – “Monday Night Raw: Starring Brock Lesnar”. Having enough of Lesnar holding up the WWE, the COO of WWE Triple H came out and told Lesnar that he wasn’t going to have any of his new requests, and pleaded with him to stay in WWE under the contract that Lesnar and WWE first agreed to which were “more than fair”. Upset with not getting what he wanted, Lesnar took out his frustrations on the COO, breaking his arm…
The next week, Paul Heyman, legal representative of Brock Lesnar and former head of ECW, came out on RAW and addressed the WWE universe on Lesnar’s behalf. He basically stated that Lesnar has quit WWE in protest of Triple H not letting him have the new additions to his contract. He would go on to state that Triple H would be sued for publicly breaching the agreement made with Lesnar (by tearing up the new contract before being attacked) and for an assault by Triple H on Heyman himself. At No Way Out, Triple H made a proposal – Triple H vs Brock Lesnar at Summerslam in exchange for dropping the lawsuits. Heyman initially rejected the match, but eventually accepted on RAW 1000, after some goading by Triple H’s wife, Stephanie McMahon (who stills looks as stunning as ever, may I add). At Summerslam, Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H. And guess how he did it?
Yep, he broke Triple H’s arm again, and the next night on RAW, declared himself as the conquer of WWE, and left… like a boss. He came back in late January, planting Vince McMahon with an F5. Apparently resigned by Vickie Guerrero, Lesnar would interfere in a fight between Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon on RAW, and was about to attack Vince again, before “The Game” Triple H came back and… basically kicked Brock Lesnar’s ass. Triple H challenged him to a rematch at Wrestlemania 29. Lesnar and Heyman agreed, but only they could pick two stipulations of their choosing and them stipulations would not be revealed until Triple H signed the contract. Despite not knowing the stipulations of the match, Triple H signed on the dotted line. Heyman would then reveal that the match at Wrestlemania would be… NO HOLDS BARRED (little bit anti-climatic like. I wanted it to be Hell In A Cell 😦 ). Heyman also revealed that if Triple H lost the match, HIS CAREER WOULD BE OVER! DUH, DUH, DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
What I think should happen?: Brock Lesnar kicks Triple H’s ass! But then again, if Triple H retired, then he’d give himself 5000 tribute shows and highlight videos, increasing his ego tenfold. Either way, I want the match to certainty be an improvement on their match at Summerslam, which was a bit of a let down.
What I think will happen?: Triple H wins. Puts himself over! Goes back into hiding. -.- Not exactly happy with having to admit that like. I know what’ll cheer me up!
🙂 What a voice! I could listen to him say BROCK LESNAR all day! XD
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose) vs SmackDown!’s Crusade (Big Show, Sheamus and Randy Orton)
Background: Since debuting back at Survivor Series, The Shield have been a force to be reckoned with in WWE. They’ve taken out Ryback about a 1000 times, won their last two matches at TLC and Elimination Chamber (and looked awesome while doing it), and have taken out nearly everyone in WWE. Randy Orton and Sheamus stood up and said “You know. We’re not going to take this any more” and accepted a challenge thrown down by The Shield to face them at Wrestlemania in a 3 on 3. They initially chose Ryback as their 3 partner, but he was taken out the match by Vickie Guerrero. Big Show would then start to form an alliance with Sheamo and Orton, and despite not exactly liking each other, the 3 began working together for the greater good of the WWE. Big Show then officially became their partner for the match at Wrestlemania.
What I think should happen?: Simple. The Shield win (BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!) and Randy Orton turns heel. Regardless of the match quality. Give me them two things WWE, and I will be satisfied.
What I think will happen?: The Shield will win (BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!) and someone turns heel (probably Randy Orton). Not exactly difficult to work this one out.
“The Best In The World” CM Punk vs The Undeeeerrrrrrrrrrtakeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr!
Background: After losing the WWE Championship to The Rock at the Royal Rumble, losing the rematch at Elimination Chamber, and losing to John Cena on RAW 2 weeks after, “The Best In The World” CM Punk would choose to set his sets on one man – The Undertaker, who had just returned to the WWE in time for Wrestlemania. After defeating Sheamus, Big Show and Randy Orton in a fatal four way match on Old School RAW, CM Punk earned the right to face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. In order to gain the mental advantage on the Undertaker, CM Punk needed to make things personal. And as it just happened… Paul Bearer died in real life. So, in the ultimate act of disrespect, CM Punk interrupted Undertaker’s tribute to Bearer the next week. Punk would then steal Undertaker’s sacred urn and began teasing him with it. Punk wanted to win at Wrestlemania and break his undefeated streak, and would even accept a Disqualification or count out victory. So getting him pissed off before the event, could get him pissed off enough to get himself DQ’d. Punk has gotten the upper hand in the mind game department, but while Mind Games be enough to defeat the Phenom at Wrestlemania, and enter Punk into the realm of wrestling legends.
What I think should happen?: Undertaker wins and goes 21-0. The Streak should never die.
What I think will happen?: Undertaker wins and goes 21-0. The Streak will never die.
“The Real American” Jack Swagger vs “The Mexican Aristocrat” Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship
Background: Jack Swagger returned to WWE just after Royal Rumble, and declared his interest to be in the Elimination Chamber match for a shot at the World Title at Wrestlemania. With a couple of “impressive” victories (over jobbers like Santino and Zack Ryder) he was put in the chamber, and amazingly… he won it. He gained a shot at the World Title, and despite getting arrested for DUI, was still in the title match at Mania. Swagger joined forces with Zeb Colter, who both tried to show the WWE what it is to be a real American, and said the American Government were weak for letting in illegal immigrants into the country. He also said that the World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio is an inspiration for other illegal immigrants to cross the border to gain the amount of success he has. Del Rio was getting pissed off at these statements, and got even madder at Swagger, for “breaking” his close friend and personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez’s ankle.
What I think should happen?: Alberto Del Rio wins. Swagger doesn’t deserve to win. He doesn’t even deserve to be in the main event. How can WWE just look past Swagger’s DUI arrest and possession of weed? I will be seriously pissed off if the “Real American” Jack Swagger is given the World Title now. -.-
What I think will happen?: Alberto Del Rio wins. Personally, I don’t think WWE are done with this feud yet, and these two will go on to Extreme Rules and probably face each other in a submission match or something. And I think they’d have Del Rio walk into the rematch as champion.
Ryback vs Mark Henry – FEED ME MORE!!!!!!!!!! vs THAT’S WHAT I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Background: Mark Henry came out and confronted Ryback on Old School RAW after the latter gained a victory over Antonio Cesaro. Henry would then deliver THREE World’s Strongest Slams to Ryback on SmackDown!, which led to Vickie Guerrero pulling Ryback out of his scheduled 6 man tag team match against The Shield, and put him up against “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. Since then, a battle of one-upmanship began between the two. When Mark Henry defeated The Uso in a handicap match on RAW, later on in the show, Ryback defeated The 3 Man Band in a handicap match. Who will win the battle of the titans?
What I think should happen?: Personally, I don’t like the thought of Mark Henry losing at Wrestlemania this year. He’s actually been really good since his return and had a great display of dominance in the Elimination Chamber match, laying out everyone in the ring. He’s even found a great new catchphrase…
BUT, as much as I like Mark Henry right now, Ryback needs this win. He’s had FIVE PPV losses in a row! FIVE! For a man who’s supposed to be a big deal in WWE, he hasn’t shown much dominance in PPVs. A big victory over Mark Henry would really get the ball rolling on the Ryback project again. I’m going with Ryback.
What I think will happen?: Ryback will win. I think they want Ryback to have his “Wrestlemania Moment” and deliver shell-shocked to Mark Henry. FEED ME MORE!
Finally……
The Main Event (I think)
The Rock vs John Cena for the WWE Championship
Background: At Wrestlemania 28, The Rock defeated John Cena in the “Once In A Lifetime” match, and declared that he would regain the WWE Championship. And at Royal Rumble, he did. He defeated CM Punk to become WWE Champion for the first time in about 8 years. Coincidently enough, John Cena just so happened to win the Royal Rumble that night, and earn another chance to go one on one, with the great one. TWICE IN A LIFETIME!
What I think should happen?: I think the part-time WWE Champion The Rock needs to be dethroned as champion, even if John Cena is the one to do it. John Cena should win.
What I think will happen?: It’s not exactly rocket science… John Cena wins.
PHEW.
Anyway, I’ll see you later this week for my Wrestlemania 29. I don’t know when it’ll be, but it should be done this week if I have enough time to. BYE! And have fun watching WRESTLEMANIA!
CM PUNK: I know a picture of Undertaker should really be on here instead, but this photo just looks really cool.
RAW REVIEW… finally. I’m Tom Robinson, and I’m here with the Raw review from old school RAW. Did it top the last Old School Raw? And what implications were made for Wrestlemania?
Right, let’s get down to business…
Ryback vs Mark Henry At Wrestlemania 29?
First match of the night was Ryback taking on Antonio Cesaro. I know Ryback is supossed to be a dominant monster, but that match was WAY too one-sided. Being US Champion, Cesaro should have put up more of a fight, and I think he wasn’t utillized good enough in this match. Ryback won this WAY too quickly.
But that match was a great match in comparison to the next one. Mark Henry vs Zack Ryder. But before that took place, a staredown took place between Ryback and Mark Henry on the ramp. This potential match up is actually OK in my book. These two needed a big match at Wrestlemania, so why not have them face each other? Good call WWE. But of course, that means one of these two are gonna lose at Wrestlemania. If Mark Henry loses, then he loses his momentum. If Ryback loses, that’s a SIXTH PPV loss in a row. If anyone needs to win this match more…. it’s Ryback. Anyway, Mark Henry, the two move wonder made quick work of Ryder. Because… “THAT’S WHAT I DO!”
Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz w/Ric Flair
Ziggler and Miz were really slick in this match. This was a really entertaining match, and the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair was funny at ringside! He was stylin’ and proflin’ in style on Raw, even getting in his signature thrusts. XD But Miz needs to work on Stylin’ and Proflin’ though. XD Back to the match, a really good encounter, and Miz looked really good in this match, even winning, BY SUBMISSION! A great win for The Miz, which is funny because several online reports suggest that Miz is getting stick by Triple H backstage. Or maybe this win was put in place because Ric Flair was in the house, I don’t know. But either way, it was a great piece of wrestling. I just want to state for the record that The Marine 3 looks so god-damn awful. Sorry Miz, but I ain’t watching that. Hehe
Alberto Del Rio And Jack Swagger Battle For Momentum. NO Zeb Colter Promo!
Jack Swagger and World Champion Alberto Del Rio battled for momentum ahead of their clash at Wrestlemania. Swagger squashed 3 patriotic legends (Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter and Jim Duggan), and Del Rio knocked off Wade Barrett. Damn it, I wish they didn’t make Barrett look this bad. 😦 It was a shame that Zeb Colter didn’t get on the mic. He’s a great speaker.
The Rock And John Cena Segment
Urrgghhh, same old stuff from these two. John Cena was basically repeating what he said for about 12 months leading up to their first match. And The Rock was horrible on the mic in comparison to Cena (although the Lance Armstrong joke was pretty funny). I tried, but I just couldn’t get into this segment. But can you blame me?
Three Face Tag Teams Win Three Squash Matches. HAIL THE HEROES!
Team Hell-No defeated Prime Time Players, The Lords Of The Dance (Brodus Clay and Tensai) defeated 3MB and New Age Outlaws defeated Primo and Epico as the 3 face tag teams defeated the heels incredibly easy. While I’m disappointed at how boring some of the matches were, it’s great that 6 proper tag teams were in action on Raw. I think the tag team regeneration plan has certainly worked. 🙂
Fandango… Cuts A Promo
Moving on….
Triple H And The Shield Cut Intense Promos
Triple H cut a pretty cool promo on Brock Lesnar, challenging him to face him – again – at Wrestlemania. One thing I can praise Triple H for is that he’s a phenomenal promo-cutter. He adds so much intensity to his promos, which I really think should be in product more often. The more intensity in a rivalry, the more anticipated you are going to get. Great work, Hunter.
The Shield cut a promo too. The camera promo as they normally do. These two cut another great promo, talking about The Undertaker and comparing their streak in WWE to his. Why do I get the feeling that The Shield are going to interfere in Undertaker’s match at Wrestlemania? And speaking of the devil…
Undertaker vs CM Punk Is Set For Wrestlemania 29
The Undertaker Returned. He showed up at the start of the show which I was surprised as hell by. I thought Undertaker would have been left for the end of the show. But regardless, it was a chilling start to the show, despite Undertaker not saying a word.
CM Punk, Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus had a segment in which all 4 guys declared interest in scrapping with The Deadman at Wrestlemania. I’m sorry but Big Show saying that only a giant could end the streak was just plain ridiculous. Mark Henry, Giant Gonzalez, Big Show himself, A-Train, Batista, Psycho Sid, Big Bossman, King Kong Bundy, Diesel, Kane twice. It’s just not believable to think that Big Show would actually end the streak considering the streak is built on Undertaker defeating giants.
Anyway, CM Punk vs Sheamus vs Big Show vs Randy Orton was made for the main event to determine who faces Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29. And the match didn’t disappoint. I thought it was a pretty decent fatal four-way. Obviously, Punk won, setting up CM Punk vs Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
To be honest, this Old School Raw was a little bit of a let down in my opinion. Way worse than the first one they did in 2010. A lot of quick matches that you just couldn’t get into. However, Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz was a treat, and Triple H’s promo was rather good. But this Raw was a real disappointment. I wish the legends that were there were utilized a lot better, and I wish there was at least one surprise on tonight’s show. But at least The Undertaker has return… and it appears that it will be CM Punk that will face the Phenom.
Before I leave you guys, tragedy has struck the wrestling world as Paul Bearer, manager for The Undertaker, Kane and many more, died today. It’s a real shocker, as one of the greatest managers in wrestling history passes away and seeing Paul on TV was a treat. There was no other manager quite like him. He has that chilling vibe about him that made him such an interesting character to see. And he was no doubt a huge influence in The Undertaker’s rise in the WWF, as he made The Undertaker a lot more of a scary character with his presence. He had probably one of the best voices in the WWF, and people used to actually freeze with fear when they hear these immortal words…
He will be sorely missed by the world. May he rest in peace.
The Armbar Express 