TOP FIVE MOMENTS FROM WWE RAW (13/10/15)

How’s it going everybody? Thomas Robinson here with another top five moments from RAW. God, do I not want to talk about this week’s show. Luckily, I was able to pick out five moments which were at least positives on RAW. However, this show was so bad. Usually, WWE try to go all out for RAWs and PPVs in Chicago. However, it seemed like they didn’t try at all with this one. Usually in the situation where the show is so bad that the fans just take over, Chicago is usually great at doing that. However, they hardly cared for a lot of what went down. They didn’t even care enough to start chanting “CM Punk” until the last hour of the show. There was the chant of “Husky Harris” which got on my nerves during the Bray Wyatt segment but the show just lost steam after the first hour. After The New Day vs Orton and Ambrose and Cena vs Ziggler, hardly anything eventful happened. There was quick match after quick match up until the main event, which actually wasn’t that bad. Anyway, let’s run down the top five moments…
1. John Cena vs Dolph Ziggler

As with the majority of Cena’s US Open Challenge matches, this was another good one. A few weeks ago, I did a piece about whether they should do John Cena vs Dolph Ziggler in a feud. Initially, I feared that this feud was going to be about Nikki Bella (who both of them have dated in real-life). It turns out that it’s not the case and it might just be a singles feud for the US Championship. Of course, it might not last very long if John Cena is in fact taking time off. However, I have no problem with it if it helps Dolph Ziggler in the long run. Of course, the key term is… IF.

Even though he lost clean, I can’t say Dolph Ziggler was buried. True, Dolph gave Cena everything and Cena kicked out every time. However, I at least thought that Ziggler looked good when on the attack. Ziggler was mostly in control of the match and it could have been chalked up to just not being Ziggler’s day. I think Cena beating Ziggler after one Attitude Adjustment is a bit annoying. However, I think this finish sets things up nicely for Ziggler to potentially challenge for the belt again. I don’t have a problem with the match that much and I thought it was fine.

2. The New Day vs Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton

This makes the top five moments list mostly due to the New Day. Dean and Orton were fine in this match but the New Day just really stole the show. They were awesome as usual. They ripped both Dean and Orton. They talked about destroying Cena, Ziggler and the Dudleyz the week before. They said that they were the most dominating group in WWE. They said they were better than the Shield, the Authority, Legacy and Evolution. Great promo by the New Day.

The tag team match that followed was actually a decent TV tag team match. It was a match of one-upmanship with Dean and Orton arguing while working together. The New Day won after Orton got pushed into Dean. Not bad stuff from these four. Great work.

There’s one little gripe I’ve got with this. Other than John Cena facing Dolph Ziggler in the match that they were supposed to have last week, there was no fallout from the big ending of last week when the New Day dominated. The New Day mentioned it but it’s not like Cena, Ziggler or the Dudleyz were mad at the New Day or anything for kicking their arses. The Dudleyz had their match with the Ascension and Cena and Dolph had their deal. That was the only negative thing to take away.

3. The Rusev/Lana/Dolph Ziggler/Summer Rae storyline… IS OVER!

Thank the gods above that this storyline is over. It wasn’t doing any of the people involved any favours as I’ve mentioned before. It kind of seemed that they were done with it last week as Dolph challenged Cena in the US title open challenge. This week basically closed the book on the whole deal with Rusev and Lana’s engagement. That’s great but I just fear for the future of Rusev.

Rusev needed this feud to end but he sure got the wrong end of the stick with this feud ending. Rusev was beaten in three minutes by Ryback and Summer Rae humiliated him afterwards. There’s some reports going around that this is WWE’s way of punishing Rusev and Lana for their engagement as it broke kayfabe. I hadn’t seen or heard Dave Meltzer talk about it yet and I haven’t seen a lot of big wrestling news sites talk about it. Whether they were punishing him or not, this made Rusev look so bad. Rusev was probably the most integral part of the storyline and he got crushed in three minutes. Keep in mind, Rusev was one of the most protected superstars last year with his undefeated streak. Now, he’s jobbing out in three minutes. They could have easily done a finish where Summer tripped Rusev which lead to the finish and would lead into the break-up.

I’ll give the post-match segment credit. Summer Rae’s delivery was great. I think Summer is the one person in this storyline that has really excelled in her role. She’s the only one that understood her role and just shined. Rusev tried as hard as he could with it but he was just put in a hard position. However, all this storyline has done is simply wreck Rusev’s character. Rusev’s worse off now than when this storyline first started. Dolph Ziggler’s fine at the moment but only because WWE’s put him up against John Cena. However, where the hell does Rusev go from here?

This storyline… was a failure. This did nothing to elevate the careers of the people involved. Dolph Ziggler’s up against Cena but that has nothing to do with the storyline. If anything, this might have something to do with Total Divas more than anything. The storyline was also a failure in the logic of it all. This is what happens when you try to break up real life couples in a kayfabe world. Did these writers not remember what happened with Edge, Lita and Matt Hardy in 2005? To be fair, their real life problems actually helped elevate Hardy and Edge in the long run. My point is, the WWE tried to convince everyone that Ziggler and Lana were this legitimate couple that they should root for. Not only did this fool no one, it came crashing down when it was announced that Lana and Rusev got legitimately engaged.

When that happened, the WWE realised they had to pull the plug on it all. If Rusev and Lana are in the dog house for this engagement, then it’s a damn shame. You’re really going to give them heat for getting engaged and breaking kayfabe? It’s not their fault that WWE put them in this horrible storyline. It’s also not their obligation to postpone any real engagement plans until after this storyline wraps up just to satisfy WWE. I’m just thankful that it’s all over.

4. Kane vs Seth Rollins 

I will be honest, Kane was given WAY too many backstage segments this week on RAW. The segments just seemed like time wasters, with only three of them actually having any bearing on the main event of the show at all. I don’t blame the crowd that started chanting “CM Punk” at the end. They weren’t chanting his name because they were expecting him to be Seth’s mystery opponent. They were chanting it because these segments were boring.

Kane’s delivery during this segment has usually been good but he just showed up way more than he should have tonight. The match itself was actually not that bad. I’ve seen better lumberjack matches but I haven’t seen worse ones. The KO spot with Big Show and the brawl actually added to the match a bit. I am not a fan of the finish of Seth getting beat again because this segment ended the same way all the Kane/Rollins segments have ended in the last few weeks. Masked Kane destroys Seth and Seth gets hardly any momentum in. It was great at the start but now it’s just getting repetitive and boring.

I read a shocking statistic last week. I read a statistic that in his last 16 matches, Seth had lost 15 of them. For a WWE World Heavyweight Champion, that’s shocking. Did he win this week? No! He lost again! This is really not good enough. What is preventing Seth from WINNING A MATCH? This man is representing your company and yet he’s lost to the US Champion several times and is getting beat by almost everyone else. Unbelievable.

5. New tag teams?

The match itself was short and not that eventful, but the tag teams that were put together were actually not bad concepts. It was Cesaro and Neville teaming up against Sheamus and King Barrett. These two teams would actually make great additions to the tag team division but I highly doubt WWE will do anything with them. After all, they gave them a small amount this week. However, the concepts were good. I actually do have a good idea for a tag team for Cesaro which I’m planning an article for so stay tuned for that…

WWE Battleground 2015 Predictions

The Predictions… ARE BACK!

I love the theme by the way for this PPV. It’s definitely a tune and a half. There’s a number of huge matches in store for the WWE Universe this Sunday. Among the stars entering the battleground include the “New Face of Fear” Bray Wyatt, whose apparently stealing Meng and The Barbarian’s gimmicks! He will be taking on Roman Reigns in a match that was actually announced at the WWE’s last pay-per-view Money In The Bank. Also, we’ll see the third installment in a feud that has lit up the WWE and provided some of the matches of the year. The former NXT Champion Kevin Owens will challenge the United States Champion John Cena for the US Title, hoping to finally win the prize that is the title held by some of the all time greats of professional wrestling. And finally, returning to PPV for the first time since Wrestlemania 31 is the Beast Incarnate… BROCK LESNAR! He will be invoking his rematch clause for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship when he takes on the reigning, defending champion Seth Rollins. Will Rollins be able to conquer the former UFC Heavyweight Champion or will Seth be taking an extremely painful trip to Suplex City?

Let’s get down to the predictions….

R-Truth vs King Barrett for King Barrett’s King of the Ring Crown

Background: Bad News Barrett won the 2015 King of the Ring, joining such greats as Brock Lesnar, Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. However, his reign as King has been met with some mockery by the “Sun Tan Superman” R-Truth. R-Truth began portraying HIMSELF as a King, annoying Barrett who actually won the right to be King. The feud finally ends on the pre-show of Battleground as King Barrett’s King of the Ring crown is on the line. And we truly get to see who’s the true king of WWE?

What Should Happen?: I’m really hoping this feud ends after this match. Barrett’s reign as “King” hasn’t really gotten off to a great start and his feud with R-Truth isn’t helping matters. Barrett needs to wrap up this feud with a victory over Truth and move on to some serious competition.

What Will Happen? Barrett will get the win on the pre-show. I do like R-Truth but they can’t possibly be considering degrading Barrett’s KOTR win by having him lose his crown to Truth. However, I don’t see things getting much better from here on out for the Englishman.

“Prime Time Players” Titus O’Neil (c) and Darren Young (c) vs The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Background: The feud really began in the first ever tag team elimination chamber match. It came down to the Prime Time Players and all three members of the New Day. The Players gave it their all, but couldn’t overcome the three-on-two situation. The PTP finally got a fair two-on-two tag title match against the New Day at Money In The Bank (since Kofi Kingston was in the MITB ladder match) and capitalized to take home the gold. The New Day will be invoking their rematch clause and hoping to reclaim the tag titles at Battleground.

What Should Happen?: It’s a tough call either way you slice it. I do like the Prime Time Players and I’m glad they’re finally the tag team champions. It would be a really shame to have them lose the titles in their first title defense at Battleground. On the other hand, I see a HUGE amount of potential with the New Day. When they lost the tag titles, I was a little annoyed because it seemed that WWE was just trying to take advantage of Titus winning “Celebrity Dad of the Year” recently by putting the tag titles on him and Young. Them doing that I thought killed the momentum the New Day had been building up now as heels. I think the ones that have the more potential as champions is the New Day. So I’d like to see New Day win by disqualification which would lead to the group winning back the titles at Summerslam. At least then, the PTP would actually have somewhat of a credible tag reign.

What Will Happen?: I wouldn’t put it past WWE to hot-shot the tag titles once again. We’ve had four title changes already in 2015, so we really shouldn’t be surprised if they do it again. New Day wins.

Randy Orton vs Sheamus

Background: These two have been attacking each other for the last few weeks ever since Sheamus won the Money In The Bank briefcase… and the WWE have not ONE TIME explained to the viewers why! Other than the fact that these two were both in the MITB Ladder match, there shouldn’t really be a reason for these two to just start attacking each other. And if so, it’d be nice for the WWE to explain the reasons for it other than “THEY HATE EACH OTHER.”

What Should Happen?: I’m not really too bothered about the finish as you could make good points for both these gentleman. However, pushing their Money In The Bank holder should really be a top priority for the WWE. Sheamus wins… through shenanigans.

What Will Happen?: I really see Orton going over in this one. WWE, for some reason, have a weird obsession of jobbing out the Money In The Bank holders in their first PPV match after winning the thing. I remember them doing it with Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and Damien Sandow in the past. I see that happening here.

Roman Reigns vs Bray Wyatt

Background: Bray Wyatt cost Roman Reigns the Money In The Bank ladder match. This attack immediately caused WWE to announce Bray Wyatt vs Roman Reigns for their next PPV, Battleground. After some mind games from Bray Wyatt on RAW, the two are set to clash in St. Louis. Which will prevail? Fear or Justice?

What Should Happen?: In a perfect world, WWE wouldn’t even be putting on this match… at least not right now. The loser of this match is going to lose so much going forth that it’s unfair to both these gentlemen. I don’t want the WWE to feed Bray Wyatt to Roman Reigns but I also don’t want Roman Reigns to lose AGAIN either as the struggle towards the top for him will only get tougher. I think Bray Wyatt should get the win here but Roman HAS to win a rematch if they have one at Summerslam.

What Will Happen? Roman Reigns beats Bray Wyatt… CLEAN. It’s a sad reality but someone’s going over clean and it’ll probably be Roman Reigns. Bray Wyatt again loses credibility as a top star by jobbing out to Roman Reigns. They better have something GOOD planned for Bray at Summerslam. But for some reason, I don’t see that happening….

Kevin Owens vs John Cena III for the United States Championship

Background: Then-NXT Champion Kevin Owens confronted United States Champion John Cena on RAW back in May, telling him that they will one day fight… on his terms. Their match ended up taking place at Elimination Chamber, where Kevin Owens beat Cena cleanly in a huge shocker. The two would meet again at Money In The Bank, with Cena grabbing the win. Owens would attack Cena post-match, with a powerbomb on the apron similar to what he’s done to Sami Zayn and Neville in the past. After attacks to Cena’s friend Machine Gun Kelly and verbal attacks, Cena agreed to one final match for the United States title at Battleground. On RAW, Kevin Owens has done whatever it takes to make sure that HE is the one to take the title from John Cena. He’s jeopardized the efforts of Cesaro and Rusev to win the title on RAW and knows this is a must-win match, having lost the NXT title to Finn Balor at Beast in the East.

What Should Happen? Owens wins. This feud has been excellent and has utilized others like Cesaro and Rusev really well. Needless to say, the United States Championship Open Challenge proved to be a great idea, as we’ve seen a number of high-quality US title matches from Cena including with the likes of Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn. However, the time is now at hand to crown Owens as the United States Champion. I’m really hoping for this feud to be followed up by Kevin Owens vs Cesaro for the title. Hopefully, I’ll get my wish.

What Will Happen? Owens wins. The NXT title being dropped by Owens in Japan now means Owens can focus on working the main roster full-time (well after the next NXT Takeover that is). Owens winning the US title and the feud elevates him tremendously. If there was ever a time for Cena to drop the title, it’s right now and WWE surely realize that.

Seth Rollins (c) vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Background: At Wrestlemania 31 Seth Rollins cashed in his Money In The Bank contract during Brock Lesnar’s WWE World title defense against Roman Reigns, making it a triple threat match. After pinning Reigns, Seth walked out the champion. Brock would respond by cashing in his rematch clause the next night on RAW. However, Seth backed out of the match which resulted in Brock Lesnar going on a rampage. This rampage caused Brock to be suspended by Stephanie McMahon. Brock returned the night after Money In The Bank, declared as the new number one contender for Seth’s title. Seth got the Authority back on his side and was able to beat down Lesnar in a four on one attack. Seth’s attempts of keeping them at his side included Apple watches, giving Kane a holiday and giving Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury a Cadillac car. However, Brock Lesnar responded by destroying the car on RAW and then beating up Noble and Mercury. After attacking Kane in this past week’s RAW, Seth Rollins has been left alone to fight Brock Lesnar at Battleground.

What Should Happen?: Not going to lie, I’m a huge Lesnar fan. I feel he should be champion once again now that he’ll be around for a few years. Either that or Sheamus cashes in on Lesnar right after he wins the title. Then again, I’d be worried about where this would leave Seth Rollins. If the rumored face turn and match with Triple H happens at Summerslam, and then Seth beats Triple H, that might recover him well from such a loss. Seth probably should win really to become the “diamond” and make himself a legitimate superstar in the WWE by beating Lesnar. However, Lesnar losing shouldn’t be taken lightly…

What Will Happen?: Seth Rollins retains the title. I can honestly see a DQ happening in this match and Seth retaining the title. Either that or somebody big interferes, costs Brock the match and leading to a big match for Brock at Summerslam. Either way, I really don’t see WWE doing another big title reign with Lesnar as it would be challenging for him schedule-wise to be able to defend the title. Unless he won this match at Battleground and then lost it at Summerslam, it’d be very awkward. Also, with the way Seth has been booked, I really don’t see Seth losing the belt this Sunday.

At that wraps up the predictions from me. It’ll be an interesting PPV to say the list. I’m expecting a few filler matches as well with the Intercontinental title match now being postponed. However, there’s a number of matches which I’m looking forward to. Let’s hope Battleground is a good one!

Wrestling Flashback – The John Cena vs Seth Rollins Feud

This next statement may cause eyebrows to be raised and angry comments being posted, but I do need to say something. John Cena… is a damn good wrestler.

The reason I started with that seemingly controversial comment is because this feud with Seth Rollins confirmed what I thought all along about John Cena. Cena is somebody that can step up and keep up with just about anybody on the roster. Even with the likes of Daniel Bryan, Cesaro and CM Punk, Cena’s been able to pull off some quality matches in the past with some of the best technical wrestlers in the business. You can chalk that down to wrestlers he’s in the ring with but it’s up to Cena to keep up to their speed and standards for the matches to be as effective as they are. That’s signs of a great worker.

Now that’s not to say Cena can have great matches with EVERYONE. Few people can. Hell, remember his feud with John Cena that I discussed in an old blog post?  If anything, the only person that I thought could do was Jericho until his feud with Bray Wyatt happened. But against some of the most advanced wrestlers in the biggest stages there is, no one puts in the work like Cena to make it as good as he can be.

This is probably coming off as a Cena love-fest right now! However, I just wanted to point this out before I run down his feud with Seth Rollins, probably the best worker in WWE right now. With the potential a top main event match like this could have, it really boggled my mind why when Rollins and Cena feud last year, they never had a one-on-one main event PPV match?

Yeah, they were opposing captains at Survivor Series, but that match was mostly about The Authority losing power more than anything. So the rivalry between Cena and Rollins wasn’t really focused on. However at TLC, the two eventually squared off in a tables match with Cena’s WWE World title shot on the line.

I was actually really looking forward to this match at the time. These two could have a very creative match and they certainty did. I remember during the TLC review, I said I liked the initial draw finish but now looking back, I really don’t. For those of you that don’t remember, let me break it down.

The match goes on and then there’s a ref bump… during a tables match.

While this ref is down, Cena put Seth through the table with an AA off the top I think. But the ref is down, so apparently nobody is able to call it. They fight for a bit and then they both go through the tables on the outside at the same time. THEN, two referees and the original referee began arguing about who went through first. The original ref says screw it and restarted the match. After a while and the likes of Big Show and Roman Reigns interfering, Cena wins the match.

Now let me just state that I liked the draw finish a great deal. But WHY didn’t one of the refs that came out to argue about the draw finish come out earlier to declare Cena the winner after he clearly put Rollins through the table initially?

Other than that, the match itself is good. Great work by Rollins. A very creative match. I would recommend that you’d go back and watch this match.

This feud continued for a while as Rollins made Cena bring back the Authority. I’ll admit, Cena is the best person to help Seth become more of a serious and menacing villain. Rollins had to battle the superhero John Cena mentally rather than physically by holding somebody like Edge hostage. And if you can’t remember what angle I’m on about, click on this link for more…

Seth then got added to the Brock Lesnar and John Cena match at the Royal Rumble, and deliver QUITE the match. This match was just all kinds of quality and was perhaps the only redeeming quality of this REALLY bad PPV. Excellent work and I… actually wanna go back and watch this match! I actually was not able to watch this live which really annoyed me! However, it’s still a top match whenever you watch it…

And that about wraps up this feud. I really wish this feud developed a bit more because it would have been more fitting and noteworthy if it ended at Wrestlemania or something. I’d love to see these two have one last blow-off match at the big dance. Cena going over also wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world as Seth would have cashed in Money In The Bank that night anyway!

However, Cena and Rollins still provided us a very interesting program in the few months that they were feuding! Hats off to them…

2013 NoDQ.com Awards – My Vote For… Worst Storyline Of The Year

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.

http://nodq.com/polls/

Here’s the link to all of my posts for the NoDQ.com awards…

Superstar Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-superstar-of-the-year/

Tag Team Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-tag-team-of-the-year/

Finisher Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-finisher-of-the-year/

Announcer Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-announcer-of-the-year/

Match Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-match-of-the-year/

PPV Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-ppv-of-the-year/

Breakout Star Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-breakout-star-of-the-year/

Catchphrase Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-catchphrase-of-the-year/

Faction Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-faction-of-the-year/

Comeback Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-comeback-of-the-year/

Headline Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-headline-of-the-year/

Female Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-female-of-the-year/

Theme Song Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-theme-song-of-the-year/

Babyface Of The Year/Heel Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-2013-babyfaceheel-of-the-year/

Feud Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-feud-of-the-year/

Worst Wrestler Of The Year/Worst Match Of The Year/Worst PPV Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-the-worst-of-the-worst/

 

WWE Night Of Champions 2013 Review – WWE Give Us The Worst Pay-Per-View Of The Year As Daniel Bryan Wins The WWE Title Off A Fast Count!

Wrestling fans, I am “Big Hungry” Tom Robinson here again. We’re coming off Night Of Champions with a lot of controversy coming off the main event and a lot of things to address because I really wasn’t impressed by last night’s event. Nothing really stood out for me, other than the main event. There was only one title change and all the matches seemed really flat to me, as did the fans for all but two of the matches. Let’s get to it…

An Impromptu Intercontinental Title match sees Curtis Axel FINALLY defeat Kofi Kingston

We start off the show with COO Triple H addressing the WWE universe and stating that the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton would have ZERO interference, making it a fair one on one encounter. This was interrupted by Paul Heyman and Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel, with Heyman making a last-minute plea to Triple H to cancel his and Axel’s handicap elimination match against CM Punk later on. Triple H started to mess with Heyman and Axel by questioning Heyman’s trust in Axel’s ability and refused to cancel the match. Curtis Axel then got the mic and suggests that Triple H is still holding a grudge over his defeat to Axel on May 20th 2013. Yes, Axel actually stated when his first victory over HHH took place. Axel’s talking got him into trouble as HHH would then put Axel in an IC Championship defence to start the show against the first person he sees when he goes to the back (which just so happens to be Kofi Kingston, the guy Axel has lost to a couple of times in the last few weeks. How convenient). Two things were really off about this segment I believe….

1. Triple H still having a grudge with Heyman and Axel sort of makes the new corporation seem sort of face if you will. It takes away the heat that the corparation has when he messes with fellow heel Paul Heyman.
2. I hated that the fans were chanting “BORING” during Axel’s promo. For god’s sake, give the guy a chance to talk. Yeah, Axel’s not the greatest talker but at least give him the chance at least without unleashing a “BORING” chant.

The match itself was really good in comparisons to their matches on RAW and SmackDown! over the last couple of weeks. Some really good near-falls during the match, including Axel kicking out of the S.O.S. Axel got the victory and gives himself confidence ahead of going up against CM Punk in the handicap match, which was actually upgraded to a No-DQ Elimination Handicap Match. Good way to start off the show.

 

Awkward Botch Ruins An Already Awkward Divas Title Match

Before AJ Lee’s Divas Title defence against Naomi, Natalya and Brie Bella in a fatal four way, Alicia Fox and Aksana both ended their alliance with AJ, with Layla possibly doing the same. This was like the shortest stable in WWE history! It lasted like 2 weeks and it could have actually been a decent stable if they didn’t lose their first match together last week on RAW. Anyway, it appears AJ will have no back-up against the 3 divas from “Total Divas” that she slandered on RAW 3 weeks ago.

To be honest, it was a decent effort by all 4 women. They tried to make the match as interesting as possible and you’ve got to commend them for that. All 4 women had their fair share of time to show their stuff. But to be honest, this never seemed to get the fans interested one bit. It felt so awkward and out of place. The only time the fans popped during this match was then Natalya locked in the double sharpshooter. Also, it didn’t help when the referee made a HUGE error near the end of the match…

Right, Natalya scoop-slammed Brie Bella onto Naomi who was taken out before. Anyway, Brie Bella’s laying on top of Naomi for about 20 seconds, Naomi’s shoulders were down, and the referee did NOTHING. He was supposed to make the count and all he and Natalya were doing was just staring at both women. Sure, it’s nice to stare at two women on top of one another but he should have made the god-damn count. Even the commentators were even yelling at him to make the count. It was one of the most awkward botches of the year in my opinion. Anyway, the one thing to take as a positive from this match was that AJ Lee retained the championship.

 

A disqualification sees RVD’s World Title Hopes Shattered By Alberto Del Rio

To be honest, this match was nowhere near as good as Del Rio’s recent title defences against Dolph Ziggler and Christian in recent pay-per-view, but it was at least a decent effort. The only thing that was off-putting about this match was the fact that it ended in a disqualification. When RVD got to the ropes after being locked-in the Cross-Armbrearker, Del Rio refused to break the hold and was disqualified. This hurts Del Rio’s credibility a bit as this is the second time in 3 PPV World Title defences that Del Rio’s retained the title on a disqualification. Del Rio should have made RVD tap out. Maybe their setting up a rematch at Battleground for all I know. At least I hope so because I think will a bit more time this match could be a lot more improved at Battleground.

 

The Miz and Fandango Are Given A Match On A PPV… why?

The Miz vs Fandango has been like the least appealing rivalry of the year and for some absurd reason they were given a PPV match. Really? I mean it’s bad enough that Fandango showed up to ANOTHER PPV but he has to go up against The Miz of all people? Two guys who I can’t stand right now and their match was such a bland match. I hope this is the end of their feud because the fact that I had to sit through that match just really wound me up. -.-

 

Ryback Helps Heyman Against CM Punk And Becomes The New “Paul Heyman Guy”

This match went exactly as I thought it would. Axel fights Punk. Punk beats Axel. Beats Up Heyman A Little Bit. Taken Out By A New “Paul Heyman Guy”. While I didn’t like the predictability of it all, I like the way it was executed. It was a really brutal exchange between Axel and Punk, with kendo sticks and chairs being used in the fray, as well as a table being set up. However, CM Punk would make Axel tap out, leaving Paul Heyman to Punk. After chasing him around a little bit, Punk finally got his hands on Heyman and beat the crap out of him with the kendo stick. He event handcuffed him and then unleashed a fury of kendo stick shots on Heyman. Just as Punk had finished the beatdown, Ryback made his way to the ring and speared Punk through the table. This proved to be enough to put Punk down for the count to three as Heyman picked up the victory over Punk.

I do feel that CM Punk should have took a lot more damage from Ryback before getting pinned. I think it should have been more than a spear through the table to put Punk away considering how resilient he was against Brock Lesnar during their feud. It seems a little bit unbelievable that Punk can take a beating from Lesnar and still keep fighting, but one spear through the table from Ryback and he’s done. However, this was a good way to introduce Ryback as the new “Paul Heyman Guy” though. Ryback does need Paul Heyman as his manager. Ryback’s bullying gimmick had to stop and with Heyman on board he could actually go places. But the question is, with Ryback supposedly on board, where does that leave Curtis Axel?

 

The Shield Retain All Their Gold At Night Of Champions With Dolph Ziggler and The Prime Time Players Getting A Taste Of “Justice”

Yep. The Shield still have all the gold they won back at Extreme Rules in May. Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the US Championship and Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns defeated The Prime Time Players to retain the tag titles.

Let’s talk about the US Championship. It’s clear that Ziggler is still not sitting well with WWE right now just because the manner of his loss. No screwjob. No Shield-interference. He flat-out LOST to Dean Ambrose. It’s sad to see Ziggler being punished by WWE. I mean it’s not like the match was a great match anyway. It sort of felt like a TV match. It’s was OK, but it didn’t deserve to be on the card if it was going to be just… OK. If Ziggler was going to lose like we all knew he would, he should have at least had a great match with Ambrose which we know he’s capable of. But of course, when you’re in the WWE Dog House, the chances of you getting to look good goes right down the drain.

And the Tag Team Championship match. A very decent match and the fans were all over the Prime Time Players. Both guys looked strong against The Shield and I actually thought they’d beat The Shield near the end. But I think this might be just a prelude to their title win in weeks to come. I think after this match, the PTP look in a strong position to win the gold despite not winning in Detroit, Michigan.

So, up until this point, every champion has retained their championship. Only one champion remains to defend their title… WWE Champion Randy Orton…

 

Randy Orton Vs Daniel Bryan For The WWE Championship

It was not the greatest of main events. In my opinion, Daniel and Orton have had plenty of better matches than this one was. It was really slow paced and it ended abruptly (I’ll get on the ending in a bit). It was one of Orton’s better matches and it’s good to see Orton’s been developing his wrestling as of late. He’s had a couple of stellar matches in the last few months. But, of course the thing that annoyed me about the match was the result. Daniel Bryan won of the flying kick he used to win the title from Cena at Summerslam… oh and a FAST 3 COUNT BY SCOTT ARMSTRONG!

Really? The night ended with a fast count? I read somewhere after the match that the commentators were not meant to mention the fast count, but they should have said at least something about it, especially JBL. The Heel Commentator JBL would have PLENTY to say about a fast count. I mean yeah – if Daniel won of the fast count and Triple H came out and reversed the decision that night, it’d make sense. But we’ve got to wait until RAW to find out the fate of the WWE Championship? I

All I’ll say is this… if Daniel’s title win stands, then it was a daft way for it to go down, and his regaining of the title came WAY too soon. I mean what does that say of the heel regime when they don’t have the WWE Championship anymore? I hope Triple H reverses the decision of the match on RAW. Because a face winning the title of a FAST COUNT makes zero sense. And Orton would have gotten royally screwed if the result of the match stands. Let’s just hope for the best, because I am not happy with how that “title change” took place.

Overall it was a really under-whelming PPV. I think it was the worst PPV of the year so far. While the WWE, IC and Tag Team title matches were all decent matches as was Punk vs Axel and Heyman , the Divas match was EXTREMELY AWKWARD, the US Title match was such a disappointment and the World Title match ending made Del Rio look weaker as a champion. The crowd weren’t into half of the matches, and that’s worrying and really decreases how good a show is when the crowd isn’t into it? With Battleground only 3 weeks away and Hell In A Cell only 3 weeks after that, PPVs are coming in thick and fast and WWE are going to have a hard time building up each one. I just hope that RAW can recover a badly-delivered PPV.

That was the Night Of Champions review. I’m Tom Robinson!

RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE POST! Vegeta from the Dragonball Z series being the expert counter that he is! Hey, I told you it was random! XD Follow the @ArmbarExpress On TWITTER!

WWE Night Of Champions 2013 Predictions – Will Daniel Bryan Dethrone The Corporate Champion?

Wrestling fans, I’m “Dragon Dragon” himself Tom Robinson. I’m so good, I’m double the Dragon! XD

Night Of Champions PREDICTIONS! Which champions will retain their titles, and which contenders are going to walk out Detroit, Michigan a champion?

 

Pre-Show: The Prime Time Players vs The Real Americans vs The Usos vs 3MB vs Tons Of Funk in a tag team turmoil. Winners Face The Shield For The Titles On The PPV.

Background: On RAW, It was announced that with the tag team division heating up with the rise of the Prime Time Players and The Usos that a tag team turmoil will take place on the Night Of Champions Pre-Show to determine number one contenders to The Shield on the actually Pay-Per-View itself.

What Should Happen?: Either The Usos or The Prime Time Players Win. But if I had to pick out of them two, I’d say The Usos because their pre-show match with The Shield at Money In The Bank was an incredible tag team match and I really want to see The Usos finally get a run at the titles.

What Will Happen?: I’m going to say that the WWE are going to keep backing the Prime Time Players with this new push and have them challenge The Shield later on in the card.

 

“The Shield” Roman Reigns (c) and Seth Rollins (c) vs Whoever Wins The Tag Team Turmoil For The WWE Tag Team Championship

I’m going to just split this off for each possible outcome of the turmoil and judge each team’s chances of winning the titles if they get the shot and if they should win the titles. So…

3MB: To put this nicely…. there is no way in HELL of 3MB getting close to the tag team titles. So if by some divine intervention that they win the turmoil, 3MB will have literally a 1% chance of winning the tag team titles. Sorry guys. A 3MB Tag Team Title reign would be money though. XD

Tons Of Funk: Errrr… no. Tons Of Funk have jobbed to The Shield so much in the year that if they do get the title shots, I think they’ll just job to them again. Also, I really don’t think Tons Of Funk is in a remotely good position to be considered worthy to be champions. Way too far down the tag team food chain.

The All-Americans: Just for that huge spin on Santino Marrella on RAW this Monday, Antonio Cesaro deserves to win both the WWE Championship and The World Title never mind the Tag belts. I doubt that the All-Americans would win the titles if they won the turmoil, unless of course WWE are going to somehow turn them face and have them be a really pro-USA team or something. I’ll give them a 205 chance of winning the titles if they make it to the title shots. Do they deserve it? Hell yeah does Antonio Cesaro deserve it!….. oh and Jack Swagger deserves it too, I guess.

The Prime Time Players: With their new push due to Darren Young’s coming out, I wouldn’t be surprised if the PTP finally got the belts they should have had more than a year ago. Should they be champions if they do beat The Shield? It’s a good opportunity for WWE to capitalize on the Publicity. But if I do think there’s a team that should be given the belts, it should be…

The Usos: These guys NEED to get them belts. And their rematch with The Shield needs to happen. They’ve got a good thing going and it’d be a damn shame if the PTP’s push gets in the way of The Usos rise to the titles. I can see WWE giving the belts to The Usos if they do win the Turmoil like. But, that’s all down to if the WWE choose The Usos over the PTPs to win the tag team turmoil

 

Dean Ambrose (c) vs Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship

Background: Dolph Ziggler was one of the first to speak out against Triple H’s actions at Summerslam via Twitter. As punishment, the RAW after Summerslam he was booked in a 3 on 1 handicap match with The Shield. This match eventually led to Ziggler receiving more beatdowns by The Shield, specifically the United States Champion Dean Ambrose. This eventually led to Ziggler being booked in an United States Title match with Ambrose for Night Of Champions on the SmackDown! before the event.

What Should Happen?: Dolph Ziggler shouldn’t really be competing for the US title anymore. It seems such a huge step down considering he was the World Champion in June. But I guess that’s what happens when you get in the proverbial WWE “Dog House”. Honestly, I’d rather not have Ziggler beat Ambrose to be honest, because once he gets a mid-card title again it’ll be hard for him to get back in the main title picture. Dean Ambrose wins.

What Will Happen?: Dean Ambrose wins, because Dolph Ziggler is in SERIOUS shit with WWE. Poor guy. 😦

 

CM Punk vs Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman in an Elimination Handicap Match

Background: After being double-crossed by Paul Heyman at Money In The Bank, CM Punk has been craving the chance to get his hands on Heyman. At Summerslam, he had to go through one of his clients Brock Lesnar in a No Disqualification match. Despite not being able to defeat Lesnar, he was able to lock in the Anaconda Vice on Heyman during the match. However, this was nowhere near good enough for Punk. While Heyman wanted to “take Punk back”, Punk wanted to get his hands on Heyman further. So Heyman set his other client, the Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. After a brutal brawl between Axel and Punk on the RAW after Summerslam, Punk vs Axel was made for the next week’s RAW. Due to a vote by the WWE Universe, if Punk was able to defeat Axel, Punk would be able to get Heyman in the ring post-match. Punk got the victory and seemed like he was finally going to get a little bit more than an Anaconda Vice on Heyman. However, Axel made sure that didn’t happen and with Heyman delivered a brutal beatdown with a kendo stick to Punk. An irate CM Punk confronted RAW General Manager Brad Maddox and demanded a shot at Heyman. Maddox granted Punk’s wish and made an Elimination Handicap match between CM Punk and the team of Heyman and Axel at Night Of Champions. With it being an elimination match, if Punk beat Axel first, he would have every right in the world to fight Heyman. With Curtis Axel suffering back-to-back defeats to Kofi Kingston in the weeks before NoC and Heyman being told that if he tried to get out of the match he’d be fired, the chances of Punk getting his hands on Heyman seems a very likely possibility.

What Should Happen?: I don’t care how much internet fans bum off CM Punk, Curtis Axel needs to beat Punk. WWE have done a really bad job at promoting this themselves. While Punk and Heyman have delivered wonders on the mic in the build up, the fact that Axel is being made out to be such a weak opponent for Punk is just ridiculous. Axel being the IC Champion should have been booked to look strong against Punk, like he did when they brawled on the RAW after Summerslam. If WWE are giving up Axel this early then it’s a damn shame. While it seems inevitable that WWE are going to introduce a new “Paul Heyman Guy”, what’s wrong with the old one? Give him a decent win for once. Axel beats Punk.

What Will Happen?: This is probably one of the most predictable matches of the god damn year. Punk’s going to be Axel. Heyman’s going to try to escape from Punk. Punk’s going to get some digs in. And then this new “Paul Heyman Guy” will help Heyman out. I’m guessing this guy will probably appear to attack Punk causing a disqualification, but either way Punk will end up the one being laid out at the end of it.

 

AJ Lee (c) vs Natalya vs Brie Bella vs Naomi in a fatal four way match for the Divas Championship

Background: 8 days after Summerslam, AJ Lee appeared after a divas match between Natalya and Brie Bella, two divas that have starred in the new “Total Divas” reality show. AJ delivered a scratching promo bad-mouthing the divas, accusing them off being interchangeable, useless women that weren’t good enough to be wrestlers so they were given a reality TV Show. AJ said that the majority of the divas on the show had to “suck up” to the right people to get to the WWE and that Natalya was only in WWE because of her association with the Hart family and her father being WWE legend, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. These comments infuriated the divas on the show so much that they attacked AJ when she appeared to watch the number one contendership divas title match between Natalya, Brie Bella and Naomi 2 weeks ago on RAW. With a number one contender not being crowned, Stephanie McMahon gave Brie, Natalya and Naomi a shot at the title in a fatal four way with AJ at Night Of Champions.

What Should Happen?: AJ Wins. If another result happens, I give up on the divas division. I could sort of accept Natalya as champion, but she’s still an incredibly bland diva despite having tremendous wrestling abilities. But AJ has the overness and the mic skills to be champion, and no-one is really worthy enough to be champion yet. Especially not Naomi or Brie Bella.

What Will Happen?: AJ Wins… somehow. AJ will likely be taken out the picture earlier on, but will come in later to steal the victory. While I think WWE will be tempted to put the belt on one of the “Total Divas” due to the series coming to an end, I still think with how heavily AJ’s been booked that she’ll be champion for a LONG time.

 

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs Rob Van Dam for the World Heavyweight Championship

Background: After Ricardo Rodriguez inadvertently cost World Champion Alberto Del Rio a non-title match with Rob Van Dam a month ago, Ricardo suffered a beatdown and a firing from his employer Del Rio. After a couple of weeks out, Ricardo returned and announced that he would be the new personal ring announcer of Rob Van Dam. A week later, RVD was given a non-title match with Del Rio. If RVD won, he would get a shot at the World Championship at Night Of Champions. And luckily for RVD… he did!

What Should Happen?: I stressed this on my article on Del Rio for WhatCulture, Del Rio needs to keep beating his competition in a clean and fair way to keep up the prestige of the title up and Del Rio’s legitimacy as champion up. While having Ricardo turn on RVD and join Del Rio again would be the sensible thing to do to get Ricardo of RVD’s case, a Del Rio clean, submission victory would be huge for him. So just like how Del Rio submitted Christian at Summerslam, Del Rio should do it again to RVD. Oh and one other thing… please keep RVD and Ricardo apart. Seriously, that partnership won’t be missed.

What Will Happen?: I’m guessing WWE will just ignore me and have Ricardo screw over RVD and help Del Rio retain the title. Yawn. But whatever the case, Rob Van Dam will probably not win the World Title.

 

Randy Orton (c) vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship

Background: At Summerslam, Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena after a hard-long battle with COO Triple H as the special referee to win the WWE Championship for the first time in his career. But coming out to ruin the party was the WWE Championship Money In The Bank holder Randy Orton. Just as it seemed like he wasn’t going to bother cashing in the briefcase, Triple H stunned us all as he hit Daniel with the Pedigree – giving Randy the opening he needed. Taking advantage of opportunity, Orton cashed in and pinned Daniel to become the new WWE Champion. Triple H justified his actions the next night on RAW, stating that Randy Orton being Champion was “best for business” and that Daniel Bryan should not be the one to be the “face of the company”. An irate Daniel tried to ruin Randy’s coronation as WWE Champion, but was foiled by Triple H’s newly hired guns The Shield. Despite being considered nothing more than a B+ by the new corporation, Daniel was given his rematch clause at the title for Night Of Champions. However, the corporation has not made Daniel’s road to that event easy. The Shield has been constantly set on Bryan by Triple H, with just about every superstar in WWE being to scared of being fired to speak out against it or help Bryan out.  Despite the odds, Bryan stood tall at the end of this Monday’s RAW having beaten Dean Ambrose and laying out Randy Orton. But will he stand tall as champion at the end of Night Of Champions?

What Should Happen?: Orton wins. How bad would the corporation look if their champion would have lost the title within a month of winning it? Sorry Daniel, but he should wait a little longer before getting the gold. Orton needs to establish himself as THE guy in the WWE right now.

What Will Happen?: Orton retains. I don’t see someone turning heel to help Orton win. I just think Triple H is going to screw Daniel over somehow. I think it’ll be like when Mankind was screwed out of the title at Rock Bottom 1998. Daniel will make Orton pass out to a guillotine lock or something and then Triple H will come out and say “Since Orton didn’t get pinned or submit, Orton remains champion”. I know this corporation is not going to be exactly like the one in late 1998 and early 1999, but I do think some similar stuff will happen. Daniel’s getting screwed at Night Of Champions.

That was the Night Of Champions predictions. I am Tom Robinson. Follow me on Twitter. Follow @TomRobinson5199 and the official Armbar Express Twitter account @ArmbarExpress for blog updates and other wrestling news. Also, please read and share this new article I’ve had published for a website called WhatCulture! at this link. It’s an article by me which stresses why the Cruiserweight Division needs to be brought back to the WWE. If you click on my name at the top of that article, you’ll hopefully be able to see the other article’s I’ve uploaded on that site including one on why WWE are getting it right with Alberto Del Rio as World Champion at this link.

Random YouTube Video Of The Day! I’ve actually had a really hard week this week so I really needed to listen to a very inspiring speech  and I found one from the Rocky Balboa film which really did give me the drive to put all the shit that’s happened in the past and move forward. If you ever feel like you just wanna give up and need that drive to keep you going on watch this video. Anyway, I’ll see you later on in the week for the Night Of Champions review and possibly a RAW review. Keep connected with the @TomRobinson5199 and @ArmbarExpress Twitter accounts to keep up with all the projects I’ve got going on for the blog and for WhatCulture! Expect a lot of Social Media activity in the build up to my return to uni.

09/09/2013 RAW Review – Edge Returns And Speaks Out Against The Regime

‘Sup guys? I am the “One Man Gang” Tom Robinson with the RAW Review. A great RAW it was on Monday being held in Toronto, Canada, which is always a lively place especially for WWE. We had a lot to look forward too. Edge’s return, Goldust vs Randy Orton. Let’s get down to it!

The Returning Edge Speaks Out Against The New Regime… and his friends suffer the consequences

Great opening to the show. Edge made his return to his hometown Tornoto, Canada. Got a THUNDEROUS pop from these Canadian fans. The fans are always great when you come to Canada. It really is “Bizarro World” there. Edge justified the reaction and did some incredible work on the mic. I think when he comes back, he does help with the stories he’s put with. Here he’s helping the Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton feud. Before when he’s made these sporadic appearances, he’s help the rise of Team Hell-No, the Cena/Lesnar feud and even with Christian’s feud with Randy Orton. He’s definetly had the upper-hand in the verbal exchange with Triple H in the opening segment, and he decimated Randy Orton on the mic. He came up with a line to Orton which was something like “While my spine is in a really bad way, I least I have one”, which I thought was a great line. Anyway, after being torn apart by Edge on the mic, Triple H stated while he couldn’t really have The Shield attack Edge or put him in a match since he doesn’t work in WWE, he could go after his friends. And with that, Christian was on the receiving end of a Shield beatdown. Great opening, but again… Randy Orton seemed overshadowed by Edge, Triple H and Daniel Bryan. He only said like three sentences through-out the entire thing, and I’m sorry if I keep saying this every week but he needs more mic time.

Oh on a side note, I love how Tony Chimel has become Edge’s new personal ring announcer. Just whenever Edge returns, Chimel is brought in to unleash his patterned voice-break!  XD

Edge and Triple H have an intense backstage segment. Edge gets kicked out.

Edge and Triple H had a REALLY intense backstage segment after Christian got taken out. You can tell that the real venom Triple H had within him as heel came back because of the way he growled at Edge. Triple H could make brushing your teeth sound intense. That’s a quality that I’ve always admired him for. Yeah, at times I’m not his biggest fan, but I love him when he’s heel. You can sort of forget about how you feel about him personally when you see him as a heel just unleashing anger. Anyway, Edge got kicked out and obviously the Canadian fans booed. Both Edge and Hunter were awesome here.

Curtis Axel’s Disqualification Sees Paul Heyman’s Confidence “Slip” Away

Curtis Axel has a rematch with Kofi Kingston (who defeated Axel on SmackDown! in a poor booking decision in my opinion). It proved to be a short match as Curtis Axel gets disqualified early on for being too aggressive and ignoring the ref’s 5 count. This was followed up by Kingston hitting the Trouble In Paradise on Axel post-match, further unsettling Axel’s manager Paul Heyman. Since the handicap match between CM Punk and the team of Heyman and Axel at Night Of Champions is an elimination match, Axel getting disqualified could mean that Heyman would have to step in the ring with Punk. With his confidence in Axel dropping, Heyman dropped to the floor after apparently slipping on some water. Heyman tried to use this as an excuse to get out of the handicap match, until General Manager Brad Maddox had WWE’s Dr Samson check Heyman. After Heyman was cleared, Punk came out with kendo stick in hand and brutally beat Heyman’s personal doctor (which Heyman brought because he didn’t trust Canada’s doctors) with it. I’ve got two complaints…

1.  I get that Curtis Axel getting beat over and over and Heyman’s confidence dropping is supposed to make Axel look weak as hell in comparison to CM Punk. But, WWE have got to take into account that Curtis Axel still holds the very prestigious Intercontinental Championship. If Axel loses to a regular mid-carder like Kofi over and over, the title loses prestige. And considering the pay-per-view their handicap match is taking place is called “Night Of Champions”, he still needs to look strong against Punk and I don’t think WWE have got it right by making him look bad.
2. The fact that Brad Maddox and WWE doctors had to come out to clear the heel Paul Heyman to compete kind of takes away from the supposed evil empire of Triple H if there hindering the heels. Sure, Paul Heyman and Triple H have history blah blah blah, but it makes Brad Maddox almost seem like a face when he’s helping CM Punk. It takes away some of the evilness from the Triple H empire.

And I know a third complaint from you guys would be that CM Punk has had little to no interaction with the Triple H regime yet which completely throws continuity out of the window. But then again, WWE booked themselves into that corner when they decided that the Paul Heyman/CM Punk feud would continue after Summerslam. Having Punk drift of from the feud to confront Triple H in the build to Night Of Champions is not good for his own match. I personally think CM Punk will get involved in the “Corporation 2.0” storyline or whatever you want to call it. I just think it’ll be either after Night Of Champions, unless him and Heyman have some more unfinished business after NoC. I don’t think they’ve forgot about Punk as far as the main storyline is concerned.

Booker T tells Big Show to stay professional

OK, I have no idea what Booker T’s role in WWE is supposed to be anymore now he’s been sacked as SmackDown! General Manager. Two weeks in a row on RAW, Booker T has acted as Yoda to superstars and told them to “stay professional”. Is he just supposed to keep doing this each week or has WWE actually got something for him in mind? Booker T needs something other than this. Put him back on commentary or something. These backstage segments are becoming a little tedious.

Dolph Ziggler’s run in the dog-house continues as he loses to Bray Wyatt

This is a grave period for Dolph Ziggler fans as he is in the proverbial “dog house” of WWE. This week, he went down to Bray Wyatt as he beat him with the Sister Abigail to win. It’s a shame that drops to this level only a couple of months after he lost the World Title. Now it seems like it’s going to be a LONG way back to the top for Ziggler. He tried talking himself out of it by defending the Corporation 2.0 storyline in this article. But I doubt he’ll be anywhere near the title picture in the near future, which is a shame.

AJ Lee decimates Jerry Lawler On Commentary

Yeah, my 2nd top highlight of the show was AJ Lee’s commentary during the 6 women’s tag team match between the team of Natalya, Brie Bella and Naomi from Total Divas and the team of Layla, Aksana and Alicia Fox who are a part of AJ’s new crew. The Total Divas won a very short and un-interesting women’s match. But the best part was the commentary. AJ was at ringside and she just ripped Jerry Lawler to shreds. Really feisty on commentary, She ripped Jerry by saying “I’m a little too old for you Jerry. I’m 26. I heard you like them young” which was a really good line. I put the link to the match and her commentary below. You really should watch/listen to this. Great way to hype up the Divas title match at Night Of Champions.

Alberto Del Rio makes quick work of R-Truth, Fandango distracts The Miz

Del Rio picked up a submission win over R-Truth in preparation to his World Title match against Rob Van Dam. Slapped on the cross-armbreaker, R-Truth tapped, game over. Fandango also distracted The Miz during his match with Damien Sandow, costing Miz the match after Sandow rolled him. This thing with Fandango constantly interrupting matches is really getting annoying, as is this feud. I swear, this feud between Miz and Fandango is so bland and dull as are the both of them. -.-

Santino Marrella Returns To RAW To Upset Antonio Cesaro

A very entertaining match here between Antonio Cesaro and the returning Santino. I loved that Santino was starting to look like a good grappler in the match. Of course he’s a good wrestler, I’ve known that for years. It’s just WWE never seem to let him showcase that talent, and he might be getting that chance to. Also… Antonio Cesaro did one of the greatest feats of strength I’ve ever seen him do, which was in fact my top highlight of the show. He did his giant swing on Santino… and swung him for about 30 seconds non-stop! It really was incredible. Here it is…

Unbelievable strength. And despite all of Cesaro’s swinging… he still lost. XD

Ryback lays out RVD after getting this disqualified

A short but sweet match saw Ryback get DQ’d and follow it up with a Shell-Shocked To Rob Van Dam. The booking for the end of the match seemed a little off. Why did they have Ryback destroy RVD and make him look weak before his World Title match with Del Rio? Especially considering that RVD bested Ryback in a battle royal a month or so ago. They must have something big for Ryback to have him attack the number one contender for the World Title a week before his match.

Randy Orton Dashes Goldust’s chance to get Cody Rhodes rehired

It was a really good match between these two. Mostly because of the build around it. While it wasn’t a technical classic of a match, there was a lot of emotion behind it. Goldust showed that he was still as slick as he’s always been in the ring. The fans were into it and I loved it when Goldust hit Randy with his brother Cody Rhodes’ finisher “Cross Rhodes”. However, Randy ultimately prevailed. It was a really good match with a lot of feel towards. That was added on in the backstage segment afterwards when Stephanie rubbed salt in wounds and called him a loser. She berated Goldust with such vindication. She really has that venom in her voice as well similar to her husband Triple H. Having her do a segment is always great to see.

Daniel Bryan Finally Gets The Upper Hand On Randy Orton

After weeks of the Corporation 2.0 getting the best of Daniel Bryan, Daniel finally got his own back firstly with a win over Dean Ambrose. It was a good match and he beat him clean and beat of the Shield as well. Post-match, The Shield attack Daniel with Big Show being forced to watch on. Then the WWE Champion Randy Orton came down to the ring claiming to have Triple H’s permission to tell Big Show what to do. He instructs Big Show to knock Bryan out just as he did last week, but Big Show refused. Randy said he’d pick him up for Show, but Bryan served up a flying knee to Orton. Bryan then posed with the WWE Title. It’s good that WWE finally give Daniel something to cheer about. It doesn’t make it seem that the Corporation 2.0 is over-whelming Daniel and that he’s actually got a chance. It was a good way to end RAW.

Overall, good RAW in Canada. Great match between Goldust and Randy Orton and some great promos being cut by all sorts of people. AJ Lee, Stephanie McMahon, Edge, Triple H and even Goldust all delivered goods on the mic in build up to the pay-per-view this Sunday. I’ve just got a question… why isn’t the US Champion Dean Ambrose on the card considering he himself is a champion and all titles are supposed to be defended at Night Of Champions?

That was this week’s RAW 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. Also, its great to see that my Alberto Del Rio article on WhatCulture is getting a lot of views. It’s got 1000+ views since it was published on September 1st which is awesome. I’ve got something else planned on that site so stay tuned. And also, today’s the 12 year “anniversary” of the September 11 attacks. Thoughts and prayers to those affected by them horrific attacks 12 years ago.

Random YouTube video of the POST! A video I’m made of Cesaro swinging Santino… with the sound being replaced by a very appropriate song. Let’s just say this song will spin you right round! XD Someone had to do it!

Summerslam 2013 Review – Heel Dictatorships Are Back In WWE with a NEW WWE Champion

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!

WWE Payback 2013 Predictions – Chicago Gets Rocked With Ambulences, Concussions And CM Punk’s Return

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!

WWE Extreme Rules 2013 Review – Things Go To The Extreme At WWE’s Battleground

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.