11-29-11 Live Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 29, 2011 episode of Live Smackdown

The show starts with the host Mick Foley coming out in the Santa costume. He mentions that he is a Christmas fanatic and what better way to kick off the holiday season than to have a live Smackdown, “Right here in Charlotte, NC.” He then talks about the World Title match and calls Daniel Bryan, “Tiny Tim” and Henry “The Ghost of Christmas Fear” He then mentions that there will be a street fight and also a battle Royal with the winner getting a gift from “Santa.” Then he talks about Michael Cole saying that while he has to be on the show, his contract doesn’t say anything about how what Foley can have him dressed as. Cole then comes out in a Rudolph costume. He then brings out Booker T who is also dressed as Santa. Josh Matthews is dressed as an elf. Booker comes in the ring and Foley says that he doesn’t want to leave anyone out and that Booker can do a spinarooni. They play the Dreidel song and Booker does his Spinarooni. Booker then says that the holiday spirit is here and he can dig that sucka. Cody Rhodes then comes out and says that he no longer has the protective mask and is seeing things more clearly and that he sees a lowly announcer taking up his TV time. Booker then says that has no beef with Cody but he tells him not to think he can’t handle business in the ring. Booker was gonna tell him something and Cody says that Booker is lying and that he does have a beef with him probably because he won’t be able to call himself a champion again. Foley then says that Booker is a legend and a 5 time WCW Champion. Foley then announces Booker T vs. Cody Rhodes for later tonight. Cody says he is looking forward to it. Foley asks if Booker is cool with that and Booker says that he is. Foley then brings out the Divas who are in the usual Christmas get up. This was a weird segment. Cody cut a great promo, but the rest of it was dumb.

The Divas are in the ring and Foley says that this is a missile toe match and that whoever climbs the poll will get to cash it in before Christmas.

Alicia Fox, AJ, Kaitlyn, Rosa Mendes, Aksana, Natalya, Tamina, Nikki Bella & Brie Bella in a Missile Toe on a Poll match. Brie Bella wins. This was fast. Foley says that the winner doesn’t get a Divas Title mach but a chance to kiss a superstar of their choice before Christmas. This was idiotic. I have no idea why they had this on here.

Justin Gabriel vs. Jinder Mahal. Before the match he does the heal ragging on the holidays bit and that all the fans are living a lie. Ted DiBiase, Jr. comes out with a Santa hat and bag and gives gifts to the fans. Gabriel then gets the pin. This was decent.

Mick Foley is backstage with The Usos and then Roddy Piper. Then he runs into Maxine & Hornswoggle. Dusty then comes in and after talking to Hornswoggle Dusty says there’re some weird people and Goldust comes in. Foley talks with the Usos and Piper talks to someone and then David Otunga comes in and says that Johnny Ace said that they should play public domain Christmas music. Then he says to shut down the party. Foley then says that since Otunga is on Smackdown he can book him in the street fight. Otunga asks who he will be facing and Foley tells him Randy Orton. This was the usual backstage holiday segment hokiness.

Matt Striker interviews Booker T and Booker says he doesn’t know what Cody’s problem is and then Cody comes from behind and attacks Booker hitting him with the Intercontinental Title.

WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Tyson Kidd. Kofi takes Cole’s Rudolph head piece off and puts it on himself and hits a High Cross Body for the pin. This was a solid match. Tyson is really talented and should be booked better.

They show Hornswoggle trying to get an ornament on a tree and Kaitlyn says he should  wish to be taller. Than they show Sheamus asking Teddy Long what the Battle Royal is for and Long says he doesn’t know. Aksana then comes in and hits on Teddy. She gets a missiletoe and “eats” it and then she and Teddy walk off. This was dumb too.

Randy Orton vs. David Otunga in a Miracle on

34^th Street

Fight. Wade Barrett comes out and kicks Orton and throws him in the ring. He then helps Otunga back in the ring and he got a near fall. Orton gets the pin. This was ok. Orton beat the crap out of Otunga for most of the match.

They show Mark Henry and Teddy Long backstage and Henry tells Long if it weren’t for him he wouldn’t be in a match and that he wouldn’t have a bad leg if it weren’t for Big Show. He then says that he will take care of Big Show. He then says that he will give Daniel Bryan the worst beating of his life. He then tells Long to get out of his face. Mark Henry cut another good monster heal promo.

Time for the “All I Want For Christmas” Battle Royal. * Sheamus eliminates Darren Young *Sheamus eliminates Jay Uso. * JTG is eliminated. *Zeke eliminates Curt Hawkins. * Sheamus eliminates Zeke. * Sheamus eliminates Johnny Curtis. * Kofi eliminates Jimmy Uso * Kofi is eliminated. * Yoshi Tatsu is eliminated. * Tyson eliminated Ted DiBiase, Jr. *Hornswoggle eliminates Tyson. * Jinder eliminates Gabriel. * Sheamus eliminates Titus. * Tyler Rex, Hunico, Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal attack Sheamus outside the ring and then they get Hornswoggle out from under the ring and throw him in. * Sheamus comes back in and Eliminates Rex. * Sheamus eliminates Hunico * Sheamus eliminates Jinder. * Sheamus eliminates Slater. * Sheamus & Hornswoggle are both on the apron after going over the top rope. Hornswoggle then pushes Sheamus off for the win. Winner – Hornswoggle. Afterwards Sheamus gets back in the ring and raises Hornswoggle’s hand and places him on his shoulder. This was goofy and the finish was dumb.

They show the Bella Twins with Ricardo, then Piper talking to Dusty about Cena. Then a guy in a Santa costume comes in and he asks Hornswoggle wants for Christmas and Sheamus says that Hornswoggle wants the ability to talk. Santa Foley says that he needs a holiday spirit Santa hug. He hugs him and then Hornswoggle talks and he and Vickie Guerrero go back and forth with the “excuse me” phrase. Foley then comes in asking where Hornswoggle learned to talk. Piper & Dusty walk off as they hear “Santa’s” voice. Foley then asks what he missed. This was kinda funny, but most of this was lame.

They show Daniel Bryan backstage and AJ comes by to wish him luck. Striker then comes in and Bryan talks about how he held the World Title last week and that tonight his dream will become reality. This was a good promo too. They have done a good job booking Daniel Bryan lately. I hope it continues.

Daniel Bryan vs. World Champion Mark Henry in a Steel Cage match for the Title. Henry gets the pin to retain the Title. This was a good match.

I thought this show was a mixed bag on the whole. The holiday segments were idiotic. The main event of course was the best part of the show. I enjoyed that Battle Royal too and Kofi & Tyson had a good match. The Foley segments were lame. There were some funny bits in there, but most of it was dumb. Overall I thought the show was a mixed bag.

11-28-11 Raw results and thoughts

  Coverage and thoughts on the November 28, 2011 episode of Raw

The show starts with Roddy Piper coming out for the Piper’s Pit. Piper asks how a guy who never won the WWE Championship, never the biggest guy become a Hall of Famer. He says it was because of energy from the fans. He mentions that when the fans cheered him he did good things and when they booed him he did rotten things. He mentions that is was the fan’s energy that kept him going. He then says there’s a guy now who he’s not sure has the fan’s energy and he John Cena comes out to a mixed reaction. Piper does a word association with the fans. He mentions Austin, the fans cheer. Then Bret Hart, most cheered. Then The Rock, that got cheered. Finally he mentions Cena and he got the usual reaction and there was a “Cena” chant. Piper says he’s trying to help him out and before Cena can speak he lets the fans react. Piper says that when the fans were yelling to Rock to rock bottom Cena and after he did the fans became unglued. Cena says he’s been dealing with this his whole career. He says that he is loyal to his fans and he also knows that he can’t please everybody. He says that that is what makes WWE special because the fans can do what they want. Piper says Cena is the face of WWE and that the booing is getting louder and that Cena’s losing it and says that if he doesn’t start telling people what he thinks of them he will be the loser of the biggest WrestleMania in history. Cena says that Piper is going overboard and then mentions his reaction at WrestleMania 22, his MITB match with Punk and ECW One Night Stand. He says that the fans were excited to see The Rock and Rock had a great night. Cena then mentions that he met some fans before the show and mentions that the soldiers are having fun watching the show. Then he hands Piper something and he says that he believes in himself no matter how the fans react to him. Piper says that he came along way to have him on Piper’s Pit and that he is proud of Cena because when he passed the torch to Cena, he raised the bar (I’m not sure about that). Piper then gives him his Hall of Fame ring and calls Cena a future Hall of Famer. Then he mentions that he has to tell the fans what he thinks of them or he will lose at WrestleMania (which makes no sense at all) and then he slaps him and asks him if he feels the energy. Cena shakes Piper’s hand and walks out to the same mixed reaction. This was awful! It really felt like they were trying to tell the people who aren’t Cena fans to start cheering for him. This felt really forced.

They show John Morrison & Alex Riley talking backstage. Both of course were Miz’s partner.

 John Morrison vs. The Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Miz comes out and attacks Morrison’s leg with a pipe before the match starts. Referees and medics help Morrison up and he gets in the ring and the match starts. Miz wins when the referee stops the match after Morrison was unconscious on the stage after the Skull Crushing Finale. This was ok. It was mostly Miz clobbering Morrison. Afterwards the medics put Morrison on a stretcher and Miz gets in the ring with a mic as they take Morrison to the back. Miz then says that last week it was R-Truth and this week it was Morrison. He then says that we’ll see who it will be next week and that he is the only kind of star that can make this kind of impact/statement and that he can because he is awesome. This was a good heal promo from Miz. This has to be how they’re writing Morrison off the storylines since he’s leaving the company.  

Kelly Kelly & Alicia Fox vs. The Bella Twins. Beth Phoenix & Natalya come out and jog around the ring and then back up the stage. Kelly & Alicia win when Alicia gets the pin. This was quick and meaningless.

They show Johnny Ace backstage on his phone telling Brodus Clay he will see him next Monday. David Otunga then comes in and asks when he’s bring in Brodus and Ace says he’s going to keep putting it off to get Brodus angry. Del Rio comes in and they go back and forth and Del Rio says Survivor Series was a set back. CM Punk then comes in and rags on Ace calls Del Rio boring. Then he mentions that when he searched for Otunga Jennifer Hudson came up. Punk then says that the WWE Title isn’t going anywhere. Otunga then says that Punk will try to get himself DQ’d and Ace mentions that if he does he will lose the Title. This was idiotic too. Punk was the only good part of this segment.

Wade Barrett comes out to do commentary.

Randy Orton vs. U.S. Champion Dolph Ziggler. Before the match they show a Dolph promo saying that he admits that he’s a show off. He mentions how he took CM Punk to the limit last week and will beat Randy Orton tonight. Dolph gets the pin. This was a good back and forth match.

Michael Cole is in the ring to interview Daniel Bryan. Cole talks about the cage match tomorrow night. Bryan says that he earned the Title match by winning the 4 way. He says that everyone knows that Michael Cole is by far the worst announcer in WWE. He says that he hopes he earned Cole’s respect and Cole calls him a liar because he mentioned that he would cash in the case at WrestleMania. He then rags on Daniel AGAIN and they show the clip from Smackdown and Cole continues rambling. Cole then says that he found it funny that Bryan’s dreams were shattered. Then he says if he was the Smackdown GM he would strip him of the MITB case and suspend him and he says he hopes Mark Henry tears him apart. Daniel says that his plans changed when Henry tried to end his career and the case doesn’t guarantee anything and that he had an opportunity and he took it. Then he mentions that he has another opportunity tomorrow night and that being the World Champion means more to him than main eventing WrestleMania. Mark Henry then comes out and tells Daniel that he should be ashamed and so should Teddy Long for letting the match happen. Then he mentions the cage match and that Bryan can’t beat him. Bryan goes up the ramp and kicks Henry in the leg and walks to the back and says that he will see Henry tomorrow night. This was a mixed bag promo. Bryan & Henry cut good promos but Cole was his usual painful self.

Zack Ryder vs. Jack Swagger. Ryder gets the pin. This was a decent but short match.

Mick Foley comes out in a Santa costume. He then talks about tomorrow night’s Smackdown with a corny version of The Night Before Christmas. This was pointless.

CM Punk is backstage and Josh Mathews asks him how he feels about losing the Title if he gets DQ’d. Punk says that Johnny Ace is dealing from the bottom of the deck and he says that he can kiss his bottom. This was decent.

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the Title. Punk gets the pin to retain the Title. This was a real good back and forth match. After the match Punk gives Ricardo the GTS. Punk poses with the WWE Title to end the show.

I thought that this was a decent show on the whole. The opener with Cena & Piper was idiotic and the Mick Foley bit was pointless. Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry did a good job plugging tomorrow night’s title match, I thought Miz cut a great promo too. The Orton-Dolph match was great and the main event was fun also. Overall I thought this show was decent.

11-25-11 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 25, 2011 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Mark Henry coming to the ring on a crutch and he cuts a promo saying that he will fight through his leg injury. Big Show then comes out and tells Henry that he broke his leg just Henry broke Show’s in July. Henry calls Show the World’s largest loser and then Big Show Knocks him out with a KO punch. Daniel Bryan then comes out and cashes in the Money in the Bank case and pins Henry to win the World Title. However, Teddy Long comes out and mentions that Mark Henry wasn’t cleared to wrestle and Long gives the Title back to Henry. He then gives Daniel back his Money in the Bank case saying that he technically never cashed it in. Then he sets up a 4 Way match, Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes and the winner will get a World Title on the live Smackdown this Tuesday. This was a real fun way to start the show.

Justin Gabriel vs. Hunico. Hunico gets the pin. This was a good back and forth match.

Kaitlyn & AJ vs. Natalya & Divas Champion Beth Phoenix. Alicia Fox is on commentary. Natalya & Beth win when Natalya makes AJ tap. This was fast. Beth never even tagged in. After the match Kaitlyn then looks disgusted and walks out and then Beth says it’s cry time for AJ. Natalya gives her the Sharpshooter and Alicia comes in and the heals walk out.

Teddy Long is on his phone in his office and Aksana comes in for the usual bit but then Mark Henry came in. Henry is upset that he has to defend the World Title next week. Long then says that next week’s Title match will be a Steel Cage match.

Thy show Zack Ryder and Sheamus backstage talking about how they will be teaming up tonight to face Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger. Then they do some comedy stuff.

Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger & Vickie Guerrero are in the ring and Vickie wants the fans to stand up and applaud Dolph Ziggler for winning 2 matches at Survivor Series. Dolph then heals the fans.

Sheamus & Zack Ryder vs. U.S. Champion Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger. Sheamus & Ryder win when Ryder pins Dolph. This was a good back and forth match.

They show Daniel Bryan & AJ backstage and Bryan talks about how great it was to hold the World Title only to have it taken. AJ then mentions that he has the MITB case and the 4 Way later. Wade Barrett then comes in says that Bryan won’t win tonight. Bryan then tells Barrett has never been champion either. Then he tells Barrett that he won’t be intimidated by Mark Henry or him. AJ wishes him good luck and says she to see the doc to get herself checked out.

Ted DiBiase, Jr. vs. Heath Slater. Before the match Jinder Mahal shows up on the Tron and says that Ted turned his back on his wealthy family. Ted eventually gets the pin. This was a solid match. I guess they’re setting up a Ted-Mahal rivalry.

Matt Striker interviews Cody Rhodes backstage and talks about throwing water at Booker T. Monday. Then he mentions that he will win the 4 Way. This was a good promo.

Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes in a Number One Contender 4 Way. Bryan wins when he makes Cody tap. This was a really good match. After the match Cody beats down Bryan and Orton makes the save and that end the show.

I liked the show overall. Smackdown usually is fun to watch. The opening segment was really good and I liked the Sheamus & Ryder-Dolph & Swagger match and the 4 Way was fun too. This was a real enjoyable show on the whole.

11-24-11 Thanksgiving Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 24, 2011 Thanksgiving episode of Impact

The show starts with Kurt Angle comes to the ring and talks about James Storm saying that he didn’t attack Storm from behind, but that Storm never saw him coming. James Storm comes out. They have words and Storm says that he wants to fight Angle right now. Angle then tells Storm that there are others who want to fight him. Jeff Jarrett, Bully Ray & Christopher Daniels (when did he become part of Immortal?) come out and surround Storm. Angle tells him to hit him now that Storm’s out numbered. Storm then says he told his daughter that Angle was the guy who gave her dad a concussion. Storm then mentions that she wanted him to respond to Angle and then Storm punches him. Ray, Jarrett & Daniels then come in and all 4 beat down Storm and then AJ Styles, Ken Anderson & Rob Van Dam come out to even the odds. Security comes to break it up. While Storm was being helped up the ramp, Bobby Roode comes out and Storm laid Roode out. This was a good opening segment.

They show Eric Young riding outside the building with Rudy Charles and they get the Turkey costume out.

They show a Mexican America promo with Sting from last week, which led to them losing the Tag Titles to Matt Morgan & Crimson and then they show the end of the match. I don’t get this.

TNA World Tag Team Champions Matt Morgan & Crimson vs. Mexican America for the Titles. Morgan & Crimson win when Crimson pins Anarquia. This was a pointless squash.

They show Robbie E, Rob Terry, Eric Young and referee Rudy Charles backstage and Rudy is holding a turkey costume. Robbie E tells Young that he will not get another rematch for the TV Title. They go back and forth for a bit and then they set up a loser wears the turkey costume match. Young then mentions that if he doesn’t face Young then Sting will strip him of the TV Title. This was idiotic.

Karen Jarrett then comes out for a promo with Gail Kim, Madison Rayne & Traci Brooks and she tells Velvet, Tessmacher, Tara, Winter, & Angelina to come out. Then she mentions that they will be in a Lingerie match later tonight. This was dumb too.

They show Christie Hemme interviewing Tara, Velvet & Brooke about their match and they feel insulted that they’re placed in this kind of match. This was dull.

They show Gail Kim backstage saying how great Karen is and then Mickie James comes in and wants to talk to Gail. They do the “talking with the door not all the way shut and the camera is filming inside the door bit.” Mickie and Gail go back and forth and Mickie calls Gail a hypocrite and Gail attacks her. This was crap too.

Velvet Sky, Brooke Tessmacher & Tara vs. Madison Rayne, Winter & Angelina Love in a Lingerie match. Velvet, Tara & Brooke win when Velvet pins Madison. Mickie James who was injured from Gail Kim’s attack (though she didn’t look it) came out during the match and prevented Madison from cheating. This was ok.

They show the Knockouts backstage and Karen says that she will provide the gear they’ll be wearing next week. I’m tired of this!

Jeff Hardy’s music plays and someone in a hoodie and wearing a mask comes out. He takes the mask off and it’s Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett then rags on Hardy. Hardy then comes out and attacks him but then Bully Ray & Christopher Daniels come out and beat down Hardy. The A.J, Anderson & RVD come out and fight them off. Security came in to break It up. Hardy was helped to the back.

Eric Young vs. TV Champion Robbie E. in a Loser wears a turkey costume match. Before the match Eric Young brings out Rudy Charles. Young gets the pin. Robbie E. uses a weapon to win but Rudy Charles finds out and restarts the match and Young got the pin. After the match Young gets the mic and says that Robbie looks knocked out and they will need someone else to wear the turkey costume. They have Rob Terry put on the costume and then he chases young to the back. This was stupid.

They show Eric Young & Rudy Charles backstage and they talk about how they’re going to train for next years turkey match. Rudy’s riding a bike and he hits the back of a production truck. This was more goofiness.

AJ Styles, Ken Anderson, Jeff Hardy & Rob Van Dam vs. Christopher Daniels, Bully Ray, Jeff Jarrett & TNA World Champion Bobby Roode in an 8 Man Tag Team Elimination match. The faces win. AJ & Hardy were the survivors. James Storm & Kurt Angle were at ringside. The match started 3 on 3 because Hardy didn’t come out at the start because of the attack from earlier and Roode was doing commentary. *Roode comes into the match & pins Anderson * Roode then hit a low blow on AJ and was eliminated by DQ. * Daniels pins RVD while holding the tights after Angle shoved RVD off the top rope. * Storm & Angle brawl to the back. * AJ was on his own but then Jeff Hardy came out. * Hardy pins Daniels. * Hardy pins Jarrett. * AJ pins Ray. After the match Bobby Roode came back out and attacked both AJ & Hardy and he shouts in AJ’s face to end the show.

I thought that this was kind of a throw away for the most part. The opening promo with James Storm & Kurt Angle was good and the main event was fun too, but the rest of the show wasn’t memorable.

20 years of wrestling

20 Years of Wrestling. How it all began

I first became a wrestling fan 20 years ago this month. Hard to believe that it has been so long. I’ve seen much in the industry over the years and I thought I would write about how I became a fan 20 years ago when I was 9. It all began when my cousins started watching it and my mom had gotten them both the old red WCW talking belt. I was really into that and wanted one too and my parents got me one a short while later. How I really got into wrestling started on Thanksgiving 1991 (which was the day after the Survivor Series). My cousins had brought a book they had gotten for me that had the top stars at the time. They also brought their collection of the old Hasbro figures and I really fell in love those right away! Those were the best figures that I ever saw by far.

Afterwards I had gotten into wrestling immediately. I would watch the Superstars and Wrestling Challenge shows every weekend and always enjoyed them. I also remember the first big event I saw and that was the 1992 Royal Rumble. I remember watching that show and of course being only 9 I was a Hulkamaniac and was hoping he would win. When he was eliminated and Ric Flair won it all to become WWF Champion I was so devastated. Then came WrestleMania 8, which was the first WrestleMania I saw. I remember the Randy Savage-Ric Flair match for the WWF Title and cheering for the Macho Man. When he won the Title I was so happy and I also felt very relieved that he won. I used to worry like crazy all the time when a favorite would have a big match. I had watched many shows as the years went on, from Superstars and Challenge to Saturday Night’s Main Event, to Raw (I actually first started watching Raw regularly in 1996 because I didn’t have cable before then) to the Pay Per View Events (which a friend of my dad’s would tape for me and I would watch a few days later).

My grandfather was also a wrestling fan and I would watch a lot of the WWF shows from the 80s and the part of the early 90s from before I became a fan. I would rent the VHS of the shows from Blockbuster for a long time. I went to my first live show on July 1, 1992 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains and I was in the 10^th row and couldn’t see everything but I was just excited to be there. The main event of that show was a 6 man tag that saw Ultimate Warrior & Legion of Doom vs. Papa Shango and The Nasty Boys. I don’t remember much of the match but the Warrior & LOD won. That night was also the night that Bob Backlund returned after being retired for a number of years (of course I had no idea who he was then).

I collected a lot of the Hasbro figures and was at a lot of shows at the County Center in 93-94 and I saw most of the stars from then. My folks and I also got on camera, which was really awesome! I remember being at Monday Night Raw in the fall of 93 and I sat 3 rows behind the announcers table. The commentators were Vince and either Shawn Michaels or Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Michaels did commentary with Vince for the first part of the taping and Heenan did the second part. That was the night that Gorilla Monsoon came out at the end of the show and dragged The Brain to the back of the building and kicked him and his belongings out the door. I was right behind the announce table and if I remember right, I was able to see what was going on by looking at the monitor.

Then I started watching WCW also in 1994 just before Hulk Hogan came in. When Hulk came in a lot of the other WWF stars at that time went there also and I watched them there. I remember the Monday Night Wars very well. I would flip back and forth between both Raw & Nitro, sometimes favoring one company over the other (usually in the early days it was WCW). I would also watch WCW Saturday Night at 6:05 and the Clash of the Champions events. There were a lot of great shows from WCW back then and I really enjoyed watching the cruiserweights the most. They always had the best matches on every show. I wasn’t a big fan of the nWo itself at the time, but looking back at it now that era for WCW was the peak of the company and it was very cool to watch.

I had heard about ECW when they had the ECW wrestlers come into WWF to help fight against the monster WCW and to help promote ECW’s first PPV (which I wasn’t aware of then). I didn’t get into ECW right away but one night in February of 99 my dad was flipping through the channels and saw one of my favorites, Sid Vicious on ECW and he taped it. I watched ECW for about a month and wasn’t really into it because it had that grittier atmosphere to it that I wasn’t used to.

I started watching ECW again when my dad once again saw them when they first started on TNN and mentioned that The Dudley Boys were there and were the Tag Champions. I came in right at the moment Raven came out through the crowd and giving the Dudleys DDTs. I had heard that Raven had left WCW and had gone back to ECW. I would watch ECW from September of 99 till it closed in 2001.

When ECW folded I was disappointed that the promotion that I was relatively new to closed up within a little over a year. Then of course 2 months later WCW was bought out by WWF and that whole event changed the face of the wrestling world. I remember I was graduating from High School when it happened and I would keep my teachers and classmates updated on what Vince had planned for WCW.

On September 26, 2002 I went to the Manhattan Center and saw a show from the short lived MLW, which was the first Indy show I had been to and also the first show I had been to since July 8, 1995. The show was tremendous! I saw a lot of new talent that I hadn’t seen before plus some of the old ECW guys and I was standing on the guardrail for most of the show. That night was the first time I actually got to meet a wrestler and that was The Sandman. He was signing autographs after the show and I got my picture taken with him. It was such a thrill to finally have met a wrestler.

Since then I have been to many shows over the years and I met a lot of wrestlers. I got their autographs and my picture taken with a lot of them too. I met guys like Roddy Piper, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and many others. I also got my picture taken with Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart at a show in Waterbury, CT on November 13, 2009. I waited in line for 2 hours, but it was all worth it! Getting to meet Bret was great! I also got the chance to get in the ring and have my picture taken, which was really exciting for me! Getting to actually be inside the ring was a dream come true for me!

I have had a lot of fun being a wrestling fan these last 20 years and I enjoy writing my recaps of the shows every week. As I write this I have never been to a PPV, but hope to get that chance someday. I hope you enjoyed reading about my 20 years of being a major wrestling fan as I have enjoyed taking the trip down memory lane.

11-21-11 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 21, 2011 episode of Raw

The show starts with WWE Champion CM Punk coming to the ring. He mentions that when he was in school his teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said a pro wrestler. He says he didn’t say sports entertainer. He mentions that he’s made his way up the ranks in WWE and winning the Title at Madison Square Garden was a special moment for him because he did it on his own terms. He says that now that he is Champion the hot potato game with the Title is over and now the belt will remain on his shoulder. He then says that this is the new face of WWE and he holds up the Title. Then he mentions that he’s going to make the Title interesting and he wants to know where the WWE ice cream bars are. Tremendous! He also mentions that he wants to make Johnny Ace the former GM. Ace then comes put and says they both want what’s best for the fans and he congratulates him on winning the belt. Punk says that Vince is a greedy soulless bastard and Johnny Ace is a guy who smiles to his face but also undermines him. He says that the fans ARE fans and NOT a universe. He tells him that he is a stooge. Ace says that he is upper management and that he can be just as creative as Punk. He then mentions that Alberto Del Rio will get his Title rematch on Raw next week. Punk says they should have the match right now and Ace says he has other plans for Punk and tells him that he will face Dolph Ziggler tonight. Punk says that isn’t creative, but it’s stupid and says that Ace doesn’t listen to his “Universe”. He says that aren’t looking to see Punk vs. Dolph, they’re looking to see Dolph vs. Zack Ryder. Ace says that Ryder will face Del Rio tonight. He then says that Ryder couldn’t beat Ziggler and neither could Punk. Punk then walks up the ramp and says that he will beat Dolph tonight and beat Del Rio next week. He then gets in Ace’s face and says that some day someone will beat some sense into Johnny Ace. This was a mixed bag segment. Punk was great on the mic as usual and everything he said was true. Ace’s promo of course was down right boring.

Zack Ryder vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a short match.

They show Sheamus walking backstage.

Sheamus vs. Jack Swagger. Sheamus gets the pin. This was a solid match.

Kevin Nash is walking backstage and his beard looks blacker than usual. Also Cole called him Big Daddy Cool. He’s not so cool these days.

Kevin Nash comes out on the ramp and talks about how he watched Survivor Series and says that the Garden means a lot to him and he mentions how he beat Bob Backlund for the Title in 8 seconds. He then talks about his friendship with his fellow clique members. He says that he & HHH should have faced Rock & Cena but that didn’t happen because he broke Hunter’s neck. He says that he is the real survivor of the clique. This sucked. Nash does his usual “inside”/old days promo. Thankfully it was short.

Cody Rhodes is in the ring and talks about being vulnerable to predators like Randy Orton. He then mentions that he is now unmasked and unbeatable. He does the psycho evil laugh and then Santino Marella comes out.

Santino Marella vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Cody gets the pin. This was a squash. After the match Cody gets in Booker T’s face and throws water at him and then walks off.

Josh Mathews interviews Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero. Josh says that Dolph was the only guy to have 2 matches and Dolph mentions that he won both. Josh says that Dolph was the first guy eliminated in the tag match and Vickie chimes in and says that he was on the winning team. Dolph then says that he doesn’t want to be a show off, but it is not about CM Punk and that he is the face of WWE. This was a good promo from Dolph. The guy is good and I think he should be booked better.

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. U.S. Champion Dolph Ziggler. Punk gets the pin in a really great back and forth match. This was tremendous!

Big Show comes out on the ramp and talks about his match with Mark Henry and that he proved that he was stronger, tougher and better than the world’s strongest man. He mentions that also proved that giants can fly. He mentions that Henry took the easy way out last night. Then he mentions that Henry was carted out of the arena. He mentions that when Henry comes back he has something waiting for him. He holds up his fist and says that Henry should bring the World Title with him. This was a good promo.

They show Kelly & Alicia Fox playing WWE 12 and Natalya and Beth come in and they say that the vid game versions of the divas don’t cry like the real ones do. This was meaningless.

They show a Wade Barrett promo mentioning that he won at Survivor Series and that the next stop is the World Title.

WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Wade Barrett. Randy Orton’s music plays and he comes out and this distracts Barrett and he rolls out of the ring as Orton comes to ringside. Barrett had Kofi up for Wasteland and just held Kofi when Orton came out. Why do they have the guy stop what he’s doing when someone comes out? Also why do they play Orton’s music when he comes out? That’s idiotic. Back from commercial and the match continues with Randy Orton watching at ringside. Barrett gets the pin. This was a good match. After the match Barrett gets the mic and tells Orton that in case he missed it, “the winner of the match, Wade Barrett.” Orton hints getting in the ring but doesn’t and he walks up the ramp. Then he turns around and looks at Barrett.

John Cena is backstage on his way to the ring.

John Cena is in the ring with a mic and says that history was made last night and that finally the world knows who Zack Ryder is and that CM Punk is WWE Champion. He then mentions that the fans asked if Rock & Cena could co exist as a team and he said yes because they won. He then talks about the major pop Rock got and the fans’ reaction to him. Then he talks about Rock asking him to come back in the ring after the match. He says that last night was not his night when he Rock Bottomed. He then says that WrestleMania will be exactly what it needs to be. Before he can say more The Miz & R-Truth come out and Miz says that Rock & Cena have the 2 biggest egos. He rags on Cena for saying how historic it all was and that forgot to mention that they fans were chanting, “don’t tag Cena.” He then tells Cena that no one wanted to see him last night. Truth then tells Cena to forget about what about needs to be and to think about what’s gonna be and mentions that Rock will beat him. Cena says he will beat them down if they mess with him. Then he goes back to talking about Rock and WrestleMania and then mentions that no one cares about Miz or Truth. He mentions that they’re not threatening and he tells each guy what the other one really thinks of them. Cena then used Truth’s line about not to boo him but to boo themselves. Cena’s music plays and he walks out. Miz & Truth then bicker and Miz tells him that Cena is trying to stir it up between them. Miz then says that the fans are all watching to see him. Truth tells him that Miz is about to cross the line. Miz then shoves Truth and then Truth punches him to the mat. Miz then tells Truth that Cena is to blame and that they should go after him. They head up the ramp and Miz gives Truth the Skull Crushing Finale on the stage. Miz then stands over Truth and then he walks to the back. They show Truth lying unconscious on the stage and a medic asks if he can hear him and that ends the show.

I thought that overall this was better than recent episodes of Raw. The Punk-Dolph match was easily the best part of the show. The closing segment had its ups and downs. Cena cut his usual kind of promo, but I thought the end with Miz turning on Truth was better than what we’ve seen in the last couple months. The opening segment was a mixed bag. Punk’s promo was great and Johnny Ace’s was dull. I thought the Kofi-Barrett match was good, but I don’t know why they had Orton come out during the match WITH HIS MUSIC PLAYING! The Nash promo was also dumb, but thankfully it was short and that was all we saw of him tonight. On the whole I thought that this show was more watchable than previous ones. Certainly better than last week’s.

11-18-11 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 18, 2011 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Mark Henry beating down Daniel Bryan backstage and then he takes him to the ring and gives him a couple of World’s Strongest Slams. Henry says that he will do the same to Big Show Sunday. This was a good opening segment. This is the best storyline in WWE right now.

Sin Cara vs. U.S. Champion Dolph Ziggler. Before the match Vickie Guerrero announces that Dolph will defend the U.S Title against John Morrison at Survivor Series as well as being in the 10 man tag. Dolph gets the pin. This was a solid match. Jack Swagger comes out near the end of the match and distracts Cara. Then Mason Ryan comes out and runs them off.

Mason Ryan vs. Jack Swagger. Ryan gets the pin. This was dull

Justin Gabriel & Alicia Fox are backstage and Zack Ryder comes in and asks them to sign his petition. Big Show then shows up to sign the petition. Then Ryder tells Show that Henry injured Daniel Bryan. Show goes to look for Henry.

They show Daniel Bryan backstage being looked at and AJ is with him. Big Show then comes in and says this wouldn’t have happened if he had been there. He then goes to find Henry.

Christian cuts a promo about mentioning his storyline neck injury from Big Show’s Choke Slam and his legit ankle injury that he got on the Europe tour. He then says that he will inspire Wade Barrett’s team Sunday. This was a good Christian promo.

Ted DiBiase, Jr. vs. Derek Bateman. Ted gets the pin. This was a squash.

Big Show is backstage looking for Mark Henry and he runs into Tyson Kidd and Jinder Mahal. They tell him that Mark Henry left. Mahal then says something in his language and Show punches him and Tyson walks away.

Big Show is in the ring and he talks about Mark Henry and the World Title match Sunday. They show the clip from Money In The Bank when Henry broke Show’s ankle. Show says that he is coming for Henry and the World Title Sunday. Good promo from Big Show.

WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Hunico. Kofi gets the pin. This was a good match.

They show an Ezekiel Jackson video package. This was put together well.

Kaitlyn & AJ vs. Natalya & Divas Champion Beth Phoenix. Natalya & Beth win when Natalya makes AJ tap. This was a decent match.

Randy Orton & Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett & Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Orton & Sheamus win by DQ when Christian comes to the ring and hits the faces with his crutch. Orton & Sheamus then run the heels off.

I thought this was a good show on the whole. Smackdown usually is. They did a good job in the final hype build for Survivor Series.

11-17-11 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 17, 2011 episode of Impact

The show starts with Bobby Roode coming to the ring and he talks about Fortune saying that he was always the leader and how they were like crap at the bottom of his shoe that he had to scrape off. James Storm then comes out on the entrance and rags on Roode saying he won’t stand in his shadow and says he’s gonna kick his ass all of the arena. Roode has security hold Storm back. Roode then says that he wasn’t the guy who attacked him. Storm says he’s gonna kick his ass anyway. Then he heads to the ring to get at Roode but security steps in front of him. AJ Styles then comes out through the crowd and he gets in the ring and stands behind Roode. Roode turns around and he & AJ brawl, security tries to break it up but of course that doesn’t happen. Back from commercial and AJ has a mic and he mentions how Roode screwed him & Storm and that he will take the World Title from Roode. Roode says that he beat AJ at Turning point. They start go at it again. Sting then comes out and says that the main event for Final Resolution will AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match for the World Title. Roode then leaves the ring and he tears a piece of the guardrail out of the way and he gets in Dixie Carter’s face. AJ then comes in to protect Dixie and then Roode attacks AJ from behind. Security then breaks it up and they chew out Roode for going after Dixie. This was a good segment. Roode is really good as a heel. I think they turned him way too soon, but he plays the role well.

James Storm and Samoa Joe are backstage and Storm asks him if he was the guy who attacked him last week. Joe says he wasn’t and then they brawl.

Sting runs up to Bobby Roode backstage and pushes him and tells him that they’re going to do things his way and Roode says that if he touches the World Champion he will sue him for everything he’s got.

Devon vs. TV Champion Robbie E for the Title. Robbie E gets the pin to retain the Title. During the match Eric Young came out and hit Rob Terry with a chair and Terry chases him to the back and then Devon’s sons hopped the guardrail to check on Pope and that distracts Devon and that allows Robbie E to get the pin. This was ok. After the match Devon’s sons push him away. What is it with this storyline? They ignore it for awhile and now they’re back to it this week.

Sting is backstage with Garrett Bischoff talking about Garrett’s match with Gunner last week. Crimson & Matt Morgan then come in and they talk about their match at Turning Point. Sting talks about the tag team division mentioning that without teams like The Motor City Machine Guns around & Team 3D no longer being a team and he says that Mexican America have said they’re leaving because there is no competition. Sting then says that Morgan & Crimson should team up and after a bit they agree to it and will challenge Mexican America for the tag titles later in the show.

Sting goes up to Ric Flair & Eric Bischoff backstage and he talks about rewriting Eric’s contract and Eric says that he never signed it. Sting then tells Eric that his son will become a bigger star than he is because Garrett can wrestle. Sting then says that Garrett will face Gunner later in the show and that he will be with Garrett at ringside. Sting walks out and Flair tells Eric that he has nothing to worry about because they will be at ringside with Gunner. This made no sense.

Jessie Sorensen & Brian Kendrick vs. Kid Kash & X Division Champion Austin Aries. Sorensen & Kendrick win when Sorensen pins Kash. During the match Kash & Aries bicker and Aries walks out. This was a solid match.

They show Karen Jarrett backstage with Gail Kim, Madison Rayne and Traci Brooks and she gives Gail the night and has Traci get Champaign. This was dull. Why is Karen still in charge of the Knockouts when she’s a heal and Sting who is a face runs the show?

They show Ken Anderson backstage playing some vid game and then James Storm comes in and asks if Anderson was the guy who attacked him. Anderson says that if he would attack Storm it wouldn’t be from behind. Storm then unplugs the TV.

Ten Knockout Gauntlet match to determine the number 1 contender for the Knockouts Title with Mickie James, Velvet Sky, Rosita, Brooke Tessmacher, Angelina Love, Tara, Winter, ODB, Madison Rayne & Sarita. Mickie James wins. * Velvet pins Rosita * Velvet pins Brooke * Angelina pins Velvet * Mickie pins Angelina * Mickie pins Sarita * Mickie pins Tara * Mickie pins Winter * Mickie pins ODB. ODB then attacks Mickie and gives her a TKO. * Mickie pins Madison. Madison thought that Mickie was knocked out and she took her time and Mickie recovered to get the pin. This was a decent match.

They show Bully Ray backstage ragging on someone and then James Storm comes in and accuses him of being the guy that took him out. Ray says that he has his hands full with Abyss, but he knows who it was that attacked Storm and Ray then asks him to be part of Immortal. Storm says no way. This was a good backstage segment. Bull Ray is easily the best heal in the company.

They show Jeff Hardy backstage.

They show Garrett Bischoff backstage saying that he will take it to Gunner.

Jeff Hardy come to the ring and says that it’s great to be on Impact and he thanks the fans for being there for him and he promises that he will always be there for the fans. He then mentions that he is looking for the World Title. Karen Jarrett then comes to the ring and Karen chews out Hardy and she questions his manhood and how Jeff Jarrett founded TNA. She then mentions how she was friends with Hardy’s wife Beth and she tries to get Him to slap her. Hardy says that he is more than human. Karen then tries to slap him but he blocks it. Jeff Jarrett then comes out but Hardy sees him come out. Karen then tries to low blow Hardy but he avoids it. Jarrett & Hardy then go at it for a bit and Jarrett bails. I wasn’t crazy about this.

They show Mexican America backstage saying it doesn’t matter who they face. This was stupid. I’m tired of this Mexican America team.

They show Ric Flair & Eric Bischoff backstage with Gunner and Flair tells him to take out Garrett.

Matt Morgan & Crimson vs. TNA World Tag Team Champions Mexican America for the Titles. Morgan & Crimson win to become the new Champions when Morgan pins Anarquia. This was a solid match.

They show James Storm backstage saying that he knows who jumped him and that after the next match he will meet him in the ring.

The show Sting & Garrett Bischoff backstage heading for the ring.

Garrett Bischoff vs. Gunner. Garrett gets the pin. This was a decent match.

They show James Storm backstage headed for the ring.

James Storm comes out and he wants to know who it was that attacked him backstage last week and he asks AJ Styles to come to the ring. AJ comes out and Storm mentions that is was convenient that AJ got 2 Title matches after Storm got the concussion. AJ gets upset that Storm would suspect him. Storm & AJ were about to go at it for a bit and then Frankie Kazarian comes out tells them this has to end. Kazarian gets AJ out of the ring and AJ heads up the ramp all upset. Storm then exits the ring and is about to head for the back and then Kurt Angle comes out from under the ring and he attacks Storm from behind and then they brawl up the stage. Angle then brings Storm back to the ring and gives him the Angle Slam. He then tells Storm that he was the guy who gave him a concussion last week. He tells Storm that when (or if) he wakes up he wants Storm to tell his daughter that Angle gave him the concussion. That ends the show.

On the whole I thought this was a decent show. There were some solid to good matches on this week. The Sorensen & Kendrick-Kash & Aries match was good and the other matches were decent too I thought. The opening segment was fine and I thought they did a good job with the closing segment. Overall I thought this was a better show.

11-14-11 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 14, 2011 3 Hour episode of Raw Gets Rocked

The show starts with Michael Cole coming out and says that Jim Ross is there to take the Michael Cole challenge. He then says JR is the closest thing WWE has a cartoon float and he introduces him. JR comes out and Cole says that if JR wins all 3 challenges then he will get to be the announcer again. The first challenge is an arm wrestling contest. Cole does a lot of stalling doing jumping jacks and other idiocy while the referee tells him to get started. The contest starts and JR won right away. Cole then gets the mic and says the referee started too fast, but then he says that he gave up because JR’s breath smells like BBQ sauce and he couldn’t breathe. He then says that he will let the fans decide on who wins the second contest, a dance off. Cole goes first and makes a jackass of himself and then he asks JR if he forfeits. JR tells the music guy to cue the music and does his bit. Cole says that JR showed him something and he asks the fans for their vote and of course JR won that too. JR is winning 2-0. Cole then says that it has come down to the moment of truth and that both their careers are on the line. The third and final contest is a who weighs less contest. Yes there’s a scale in the ring. Cole wins this one and declares himself the winner of the challenge. CM punk’s music plays and he comes out and Cole goes nuts saying this is his moment and Punk has no business being there and Punk says that Cole’s time is up. He says that it was painfully obvious that he wasn’t going to let JR have his job back and that the whole challenge was a waste and says that JR is a better announcer than Cole. Punk then tells Cole that wants him to split and that between Cole, Ace & Del Rio this show is becoming unbearable (The show has been just that for the past few months). He then says that when the fans here Cole’s voice they change the channel and that he feels like he’s been hearing Cole for 6 hours. He then mentions that when he’s WWE Champion he will do all he can to make the show entertaining. Johnny Ace comes out and says that on his twitter page fans wanted to see the challenge and continues talking and says that tonight Punk will team with Big Show to face Alberto Del Rio & Mark Henry. Cole then says the pipe bomb blew up in punk’s face and he then demands Punk apologize to him. Punk punches him and locks him in the Anaconda Vice. This was beyond painful! The whole segment was a big waste just like Punk said. His promo was good and a lot of it true but the rest of it was crap!

Matt Striker is in the parking lot saying that tonight will be the big return. A limo pulls in and Mick Foley comes out and says he wouldn’t miss Rock’s return. This was ok.

Back to the show and Jim Ross is on commentary filling in for Michael Cole.

They show a Cody Rhodes promo saying that after the street fight 2 weeks ago he emancipated him.

Sin Cara & WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes & Hunico. Cody & Hunico win when Cody pins Kofi. This was a good match.

They show The Rock backstage.

Santino Marella is playing “WWE 12” AS The Rock facing Cena. Zack Ryder then comes in and asks him to sign the petition for him to get a U.S. Title. Santino does his comedy bit and says Rock is better than Cena and Ryder says that Cena’s better. Ryder then says that Rock & Cena will beat Miz & Truth at Survivor Series. Santino does Ryder’s Woo and signs the petition. This was a decent comedy segment.

Vickie Guerrero comes out and mentions that Christian got an ankle injury during the European tour (which is legit) and that he is out of Survivor Series. She then blames Teddy Long for making him compete. She then says that she spoke to Johnny Ace and about to announce who the 5^th guy is and then Dolph Ziggler comes out and makes the announcement that he will be on Team Barrett Sunday. He then says that he is taking on something that is more Cyborg than man tonight when he faces Mason Ryan.

Back to the show and Michael Cole comes out with Johnny Ace and Cole’s arm is in a sling. Ace then kicks raw out and Cole returns to commentary (why).

Mason Ryan vs. U.S. Champion Dolph Ziggler. Ryan wins by DQ when Vickie slaps him. This was awful. Dolph & Vickie head for the back, but John Morrison then comes out and throws Dolph back into the ring and Mason lays him out.

They show Mick Foley backstage and Ryder asks him to sign the petition and he and Foley do the fist pump and Woo bit and Foley signs the petition. This was ok.

Mick Foley comes to the ring and he talks about Rock & Cena teaming up at Survivor Series and hopes they team more than once and call themselves The Rock & Cena Connection. He says that he sees Cena as one of WWE’s greatest performers. He then has Cena come out. Cena music plays and he comes out (and gets booed in his home town of Boston). Cena says that he & Rock don’t need to be friends to be a tag team and that he asked Rock to be his partner because he is electrifying. Foley then says that his relationship with Cena is out of mutual respect. Cena says he respects Foley. Foley talks about how in 2006 Cena treated the locker with respect and that makes him a man. He then plugs his twitter and then says that the fans should show some appreciation for the great matches Cena’s had. That got booed. Foley then says that tonight he wants to be the thread that brings Cena & Rock together by doing a “John Cena, This is Your Life” segment. Cena’s not crazy about it, but they a show a Cena “life” video package. That got a mixed reaction. Foley then has Cena’s little league coach come out. The guy talks about how Cena struck in one of their ballgames. Cena says Foley is striking out with this bit (very true). He then has Bull Buchanan’s voice play of the speakers and they show a Cena rap from 2003. Bull Buchanan then comes out and says that Cena was the greatest tag team he ever had and that it was the greatest time of his life. He then puts over Cena and the crowd boos. He then mentions how he got released and divorced and that he lost all his money and his dog bit his arm. He then tells Cena that he ruined his life and walked out. Cena says that was worse than The Shock Master. Cena’s dad then comes out and talks like a ring announcer. He says that he wants to say something to the fans who chant Cena Sucks. He says that he doesn’t suck but the fans do (what really sucks is this segment). Cena than cuts his dad off and says this is awful (boy it sure is). Cena mentions that he never told the fans how to feel about him and that this whole segment wasn’t his life and that his life is being in the ring in front of the fans. He says that this segment is done. Foley then says that he’s bringing out more people and The Rock’s music hits and he comes out and Rock Bottoms Foley and walks to the back. Cena then checks on Foley. This was really idiotic!! I got nothing else to say about this!

Sheamus vs. Jack Swagger. Sheamus gets the pin. This was a solid match.

Zack Ryder is backstage with the Bellas asking him to sign his petition and Alberto and Ricardo come in and he says he has a meeting with Johnny Ace. The Bellas say that maybe they can hang out with him after Survivor Series. Ryder then tells them to hang out with him and they walk out. This was dumb.

They show a behind the scenes of Kelly Kelly’s Maxim photo shoot. BORING!

Kelly Kelly vs. Natalya. Kelly gets the quick pin. This was bad. Why do they always have Natalya lose?

Johnny Ace is backstage on the phone with Brodus Clay telling him that he will debut next week. Alberto & Ricardo come in and they talk about his match with Punk and Ace says that Punk can cause WWE a lot more trouble if he wins the WWE Title. Alberto says that Punk might not make it to Survivor Series and that he will be Champion longer than Ace will be GM. This was crap too! Brodus is better off not being on this show, but is this going to be a weekly bit?     

Matt Striker interviews The Miz & R-Truth and asks them a few questions and they don’t respond and then they walk out. That was fast.

CM Punk is backstage and Del Rio attacks him. This was ok.

CM Punk & Big Show vs. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio & World Champion Mark Henry. Del Rio & Henry win when Del Rio pins punk. This was a solid match.  After the match Del Rio locks the Arm Breaker on Punk.  Big Show comes back in the ring and runs Del Rio off. Alberto holds up the belt on the stage.

Santino Marella comes out and says that it was earlier this year in this building is where he came close to winning the Royal Rumble. He then says that next time he returns to Boston he will be a champion. Kevin Nash then comes out and they go back and forth for a bit and Nash boots him. He then mentions that he was also in the Rumble and that he got the biggest ovation of the night and that HHH didn’t have the sense to hire him. He then Power Bombs Santino. This was crap too.

Wade Barrett comes out and says that on Smackdown he showed that Orton is the past and he is the present and future. He mentions how he beat both Orton & Sheamus and that he will beat Orton again right now.

Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett. The match goes to a no contest when the other Survivor Series team mates come in. Orton gives Hunico an RKO and then Ryan press slams him out to the floor onto the others. The match was solid and the mini brawl was decent.

Time for The Rock. He comes out and does his usual posing on the turnbuckles. He talks about how he was sending tweets to his fans, training in the gym and filming a scene for a movie or whatever. He mentions that he says that he is now standing in the ring to say, “Finally The Rock has come back to Boston.” He then says that Survivor Series is in 6 days and not right now. He then tells Foley that he loves him, but there was no way he was going to let the segment from earlier continue. He says that right now is why he is the most electrifying man in entertainment. He then mentions his twitter and how his stuff gets trended more than anybody’s. He says that he came tonight to make sure Raw gets Rocked and that he is not waiting 6 days and that he will deliver an awesome ass whooping to Awesome Truth right now. The Miz & R-Truth then come out and Miz does his really bit and Truth says that if Rock thinks he’s doing anything to them that he’s the most delusional man in entertainment and that Raw gets Rocked is a joke. He then says that every time they’re on the show it gets and Miz says, “Awesome.” Miz says they don’t care about Rock’s day and that they want to leave him a bloody mess. Truth says they can do that right now. Miz says it won’t because they don’t care what Rock or the fans want. It is about what they want and that is to make history at Survivor Series. Miz then says that Sunday, “Rock gets beat.” Truth says, “And that’s the truth.” John Cena’s music plays and he comes out and rags on Rock for bringing messages by satellite. Rock then rags on Cena about rising above the hate. Cena then says that they’ll be a team Sunday and that if Rock’s ego gets in the way…Miz then says that he is sick of this being The Rock and Cena show. Then he says that after Survivor Series when they get done with them it will never be forgotten. Truth says that if Little Johnny & Little Rocky want to bicker for all the Little Jimmies they can have a blast and they will see them Sunday. Rock says that right now, “boots to asses” and Rock and Cena attack Truth & Miz. Rock gives Truth a Rock Bottom. Cena then goes for the AA on Miz but Rock yanked Miz off his shoulders and gave Miz a Rock Bottom. Rock then walks up the ramp and does Cena’s you can’t see me gesture and they have a stare down to end the show. This was just as bad as the rest of the show. Rock and Cena are teaming Sunday and the guys they’re facing get pushed to the background AGAIN! Why!?

This was a really painful show on the whole. They didn’t do much for the Survivor Series build up and there were so many idiotic segments! Raw got Rocked? I don’t think so; Raw continued its fall to Rock bottom (yes pun intended)! This show was complete dreck! There was nothing memorable on this show! It felt really long and dragged out!