1-30-12 Raw results and thoughts

 Coverage and thoughts on the January 30, 2012 episode of Raw

Before I start with my blog this week I wanted to talk a little bit about the Royal Rumble. In 1992 WWF booked the greatest Rumble of all time and it was the first major PPV I saw. 20 years later they had the worst Rumble ever last night! If you saw the show you know how awful it was. If you missed it, don’t bother with the replay or getting the DVD or even finding it on youtube. Man WWF/E is so not what it used to be.

Now onto Raw.

The show starts with Johnny Ace coming out and slapping the fans’ hands. Then he gets a mic and gets in the ring and says that he is looking forward to his performance with everyone tonight and says that it is ok to make mistakes as long as he doesn’t make the same mistake twice and feels confident that he will be the permanent GM of Raw and mentions that Triple H will evaluate him. Then he talks about what a great referee he was in the WWE Title match last night. Then he says that CM Punk will defend the WWE Title at the Elimination Chamber against, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, R-Truth & Chris Jericho. Then he says that Beth Phoenix will defend the Divas Title against Eve, Kofi Kingston will face The Miz, Randy Orton will return to Raw and face Dolph Ziggler and “a first” will happen and says that WWE Champion CM Punk will face World Champion Daniel Bryan. Before he can say more CM Punk comes out on the stage and sings the hey hey good bye song. He has Jerry Lawler and Justin Roberts sing too. Then he gets in the ring and says, “Goodbye clown shoes.” Then Ace says that Punk owes him an apology and that he is a man of his word. Punk says that Ace is a lair and a corporate patsy and that he came out to see him one more time before Triple H cans him. Then Punk rips on Ace again and says that he has been entertaining for all the wrong reasons and will be glad to see Triple H kick him out the front door. Ace says that he is honest, fair & creative and that he has taken Punk and the WWE Title to new heights. Then he says that he wants to put their differences aside. He offers his hand and Punk says that the only way he would accept if he wants Johnny to offer his hand to the best in the world is if he wants to go to sleep. Then Daniel Bryan comes to the ring and brags about still being World Champion. Then he says that no one cares about Punk’s and Ace’s problems and that he was busy winning a steel cage match against Show & Henry. Then he says that the fans don’t appreciate his accomplishments and then he tells Punk that he isn’t much of a challenge. Punk then says that all he is is the best wrestler in the world. Daniel says that he is more than just a wrestler; he is a role model and doesn’t eat meat. Then Punk asks what he eats and Daniel says that he will he take Punk’s pipe bomb where the sun doesn’t shine. Punk then says that how they give the fans in Kansas City the best wrestling match in the world. Then Sheamus comes to the ring and mentions that he won the Royal Rumble and says that both Champions will defend their Titles at the Elimination Chamber and Johnny Ace could be canned tonight. Then he mentions that he will be in the main event of WrestleMania and will be either the next WWE or World Champion. He wishes both guys good luck and then tells Ace some idiotic Irish tale saying that he hopes Triple H cans him tonight. This was a mixed bag segment. Punk cut a good promo as usual and Daniel Bryan’s was ok too. Johnny Ace was his usual boring self and Sheamus tells us another Irish tale. I hope they start booking Sheamus and the 2 Champions better but I’m not counting on it.

Josh Mathews is in the sky box with Wade Barrett as Barrett will be watching Orton’s match and Josh interviews him and he talks about throwing Orton down the stairs. (Note: Josh will be interviewing Barrett during the match). Mathews brings up Orton eliminating Barrett in the Rumble last night and Barrett says that he caught him off guard. Barrett says that he should have thrown Orton down more stairs and doesn’t regret his actions. Barrett talks about how he showed he was the better man when he threw Orton down the stairs and was going to move on but now Orton’s back and he has to deal with him.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. Orton gets the pin. The match was good but I don’t get why the had Barrett talking during it. I thought it detracted from the match a bit.

Johnny Ace is backstage and asks everyone how they’re doing and then runs into William Regal and he asks how he his son is doing. Regal reminds him that he has twin daughters. Then Ace bumps into Curt Hawkins and does the same. This was weird. I’m not a Johnny Ace fan and this week they’re making him the center piece of the show. This is going to be a long night.

Time for Brodus Clay and the funkettes to do their bit. This gimmick is awful! Tyler Reks will be the guy who gets squashed this week.

Brodus Clay vs. Tyler Reks. Brodus gets the pin. This was a squash.

CM Punk is backstage and Daniel Bryan comes in and Punk says that they’ve been friends for a long time and he tells Daniel that he’s not a role model. Then he says that they’re both underdogs who made it to the top. Then they talk about Daniel being a vegan and Punk being straight edge. Then Punks says that doesn’t claim to be a role model. Then he picks up his Title and says that he is just the best wrestler in the world. These are 2 of the best guys in WWE right now. I’m not sure why they had them talking about their lifestyles. They were good in their delivery though and I liked that Punk mentioned their history together.

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. World Champion Daniel Bryan. Bryan wins by DQ when Chris Jericho comes in. Then Jericho lays out Punk. This was a really fun back and forth match and Chris Jericho coming in was good too. Jericho giving Punk the Code Breaker was good also. It made sense to have Jericho come out if they’re going to have him feud with Punk and a way to not have either guy job clean.

They announce that Mike Tyson will be inducted into the celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame this year.

R-Truth comes out and they go to commercial. Back from commercial and R-Truth is on commentary.

Kofi Kingston comes out for his match with The Miz. Then Miz comes out but before the match Miz comes out with as mic and mentions Kofi’s hand stand. Then he mentions how he was number 1 in the Rumble and lasted 45 minutes. He then says that he will beat Kofi and the other guys in the Elimination Chamber match and will headline WrestleMania again.

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz. Kofi gets the pin. This was a decent match.

Johnny Ace and David Otunga are backstage and they talk about later. Ace asks if Otunga is after his job. Otunga says he’s happy being Ace’s lawyer and that everything will work out. This was typical Ace & Otunga. Thankfully it was short.

They show The Rock video that they showed last night. This was well done but I’m not sure why they had this or the Cena video on PPV. They should have just shown them on the weekly shows.

Eve Torres vs. Divas Champion Beth Phoenix for the Title. Beth gets the pin to retain the Title. This was a really short match. After wards Kane’s music and lighting come on and Kane comes on the Tron and says that Cena is looking past him and focusing on The Rock and that he can’t beat either one of them if Cena doesn’t embrace the hate. Then he says he will continue pounding on Ryder till Cena does and he will use Eve as a conduit. Then Kane’s pyro goes off and he is behind Eve. He gets in the ring but then Cena’s music plays and he comes out and he & Kane go at it. Cena picks up the steel steps and hits Kane in the head 3 times. Then Cena takes apart the announce table and then gets a mic and hits Kane with it. Then Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment on the table but Kane escapes going through the crowd. This was ok, but this storyline is so cartoonish I can’t get into it.

Johnny Ace is on his way to the ring for his evaluation next.

Time for Triple H to give Johnny Ace his evaluation. Johnny Ace comes to the ring and says that he has been looking forward to this moment and that he doesn’t dread this situation. As Ace talks the channel goes out for a bit! Then he talks about how he was all fives when it came to everything he’s done. Then Triple H’s music plays and he comes out and shakes Ace’s hand. He says that he’s been watching him since he took this role after backstabbing him and he calls Ace Spineless and gutless and that he isn’t any different than any other GM. Then he says that he used the GM role to try to make himself a star. Ace says that wasn’t what he was doing and Triple H brings up the WWE Title match at the Rumble. Then he mentions that he’s been on the show every week to make himself a star. Then he says that when he & Vince let personal decisions cloud their judgment they had to be replaced and the same is happening to him. Ace says that he will do anything to keep his job. Triple H says he can apologize to the fans. Then Ace says that Triple has shown him the error of his ways and he apologizes to the fans. Then Triple H asks the fans what they think and of course they boo him. Triple H says that’s not going to work. Then after throwing out some ideas Triple H says that he’s got something. Then he mentions what Vince used to do when he wanted to find out how loyal his employees are to him by having them become part of a certain club (why are we getting this?) Ace says that he doesn’t have to prove his loyalty. Triple H says he does. Then Ace gets on his knees and Triple H asks what’s wrong with him. Then he says that he came out to do what needs to be done. He mentions the personal decisions clouding judgment and that the board of directors told Triple H that he can come back and run Raw whenever he feels like it. Then as he’s about to wish Ace the best in his future endeavors The Undertaker’s gong hits, the lights go out, his music plays and he comes out on the stage and walks to the ring. Then he gets in the ring and he & Triple H have a stare down. Then Taker looks at the WrestleMania sign and does the throat slash to Triple H. It looks like they’ll be doing Taker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania this year too. Then he stares down Triple H again and Triple H pats him on the shoulder and walks out. Then Taker looks at the sign again and then his music plays as he stands in the ring and that ends the show. The Triple H-Johnny Ace promo made no sense in a lot of ways that I’m not even going to bother getting into here but The Undertaker coming out and facing off with Triple H was cool.

I thought that this week’s show wasn’t too memorable overall. Punk & Bryan had a good match and it made sense for Jericho to get involved since it looks like they will having him face Punk at WrestleMania. The Johnny Ace segments throughout the night were dull and the promo with him & Triple H was typical WWE nonsense but Taker coming out was a nice surprise. The Cena-Kane stuff is so beyond stupid it’s painful. As for the rest of the show I thought that Kofi & Miz had a good match and the Orton-Dolph match was decent too but I’m not sure why they had Josh Mathews interviewing Wade Barrett during the match from the sky box. On the whole I thought there were some good parts to the show but most of it was forgettable.

1-27-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 27, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Big Show coming to the ring and he is all upset about injuring AJ and says that after Sunday he is going to do some soul searching. Then Daniel Bryan comes out and he verbally rips on Show and tells him to do the honorable thing and retire. Then he slaps Show and tells him to split. Show gets ticked off and pushes Daniel into the corner and then gets in his face saying that what happened to AJ was not intentional but what he does to Daniel at the Rumble will be. Then he throws Bryan to the mat and then Mark Henry comes out and reminds both guys that the cage match at the Royal Rumble is a triple threat match and he doesn’t care about Show, Daniel or AJ. Then he gets in Bryan’s face saying that he snuck out of their match last week. Daniel says the lumberjacks were everywhere and that it wasn’t his fault. Then Teddy Long comes out and announces that Randy Orton will face Wade Barrett in one of tonight’s main events. Then he says that since Daniel Bryan faced Big Show to weeks ago and faced Mark Henry last week, this week Big Show will face Mark Henry. I thought this was a good opening segment and all 3 guys cut really good promos.

The show a Randy Orton video package to hype up his return.

Justin Gabriel vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Cody gets the pin. This was a solid back and forth match. I’m glad Gabriel has been given the chance to show his talent on Smackdown.

Teddy Long & Santino Marella are backstage and Santino talks about forming a team with Yoshi Tatsu. He calls the team name, “Santoshi.” Then Yoshi says he wants the team to be called “Yoshitino.” They bicker about that for a bit and then Drew McIntyre comes in and Long tells him that he’s about done. Then he tells him that he will face Sheamus next. This was typical Long-Santino comedy. I hope they don’t stick Yoshi with Santino. Yoshi is a really talented guy and shouldn’t be stuck in a comedy ace with Santino. Also the Drew McIntyre losing streak is getting old too. When are the going to have him finally win a few matches?

Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre. Sheamus gets the pin. This was a decent match. Sheamus dominated most of it. I don’t get why Drew is still a jobber.

They show the Royal Rumble video package.

Yoshi Tatsu & Santino Marella vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico. Primo & Epico win when Epico pins Santino. This was a short but ok match.

Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry are backstage and Bryan says that he respects Henry and knows Henry can beat Big Show. This was good too. Daniel Bryan did a good job of trying to get into Henry’s head about taking out Big Show and saying that Teddy Long favors Show which is why the Title match is a 3 way.

Wade Barrett comes to the ring and talks about Randy Orton’s return and says that Orton is spiritually broken. Then they show the clip of Orton going down the stairs. He talks some more saying how Orton is a shell of his former self and mentions how vicious he (Barrett) is and then Orton’s music plays and they show on the Tron backstage and then Orton comes out. He and Barrett go at it. Referees come in to break it up but that doesn’t work of course. Orton continues to pound on Barrett and then Teddy Long comes out and has some of the wrestlers try to break it up. Orton breaks free and goes back after Barrett and the other wrestlers come in to break it up again and Barrett bails and heads up the ramp. Then Orton gives the RKO to Hawkins, Rex, Trent & The Usos. This was a good segment too. Both guys are great in their roles. It’s too bad that they had the other wrestlers who are very talented get flattened.

They show clips from the 2006 Royal Rumble that Rey Mysterio won. That was a good one also. Rey was number 2 that year.

They show Daniel Bryan backstage with Kaitlyn and he says that she needs to do something for. Kaitlyn says that she will do anything for AJ. He tells that she needs to let Big Show know that Mark Henry is going to try to injure Big Show tonight and take him out of the World Title match Sunday. Then Kaitlyn asks if she is doing AJ a favor or if she’s doing him a favor. Daniel says that the favor is for both of them and then he says that AJ loves him. Kaitlyn says that she will talk to Big Show but she wants to know how much Daniel really cares about AJ. Daniel says that he likes to keep himself very private and the sooner she talks to Big Show the better. This segment was ok. I’m not sure what Daniel meant about being a private guy since we see everything but I think he’s been doing a good job getting inside people’s heads.

Ted DiBiase, Jr. vs. Hunico. Hunico gets the pin. After wards he Camacho go after Ted’s injured wrist. This was a short match and the post match attack was done to write Ted off the storylines for a bit so he can take some time off for his wrist to heal up.

They show Teddy Long & Aksana watching what happened with the stupid music playing. Then Teddy tells that he has to check on Ted. Before he can Natalya comes in and says that she wants a rematch with Tamina. Then Aksana says that Tamina squashed Natalya like a grape. Natalya gets in her face and then Teddy says that Natalya will face Aksana. They both go for the idea and Natalya says that she will make her cry. Then they play a breaking wind sound which was supposed to be from Natalya. She runs out and Long that he has to go check on Ted and Aksana goes with him. Then Santino Marella comes in and acts like a goofball saying that the smell in his mouth and he walks out. This was really idiotic! Why is Natalya being booked this way!?

Brodus Clay comes out for his match with Alex Riley. Alex tries to beat him in a dance off before the match.

Brodus Clay vs. Alex Riley. Brodus gets the pin. This was a squash.

They show Kaitlyn talking to Big Show backstage but there’s no audio.

Aksana vs. Natalya. Aksana gets the really quick pin. After wards Natalya gives Aksana the Sharpshooter but Tamina comes in and gives Natalya the Super Fly splash. Why is Natalya being booked this way? Now she’s losing to Aksana? COME ON! I don’t get why they had Natalya face the Tron as soon as the bell rang so Aksana can roll her up. Also I’m not sure why Natalya is the heal in this feud with Tamina since Tamina attacked her when they lost their tag match a few weeks ago. Shouldn’t Natalya be the baby face?

Big Show vs. Mark Henry. Big Show wins by count out. Daniel Bryan watched from ringside. After wards Daniel hits Big Show with a chair and then Show gets the chair and Daniel grabs his belt and backs off. Then Bryan tosses the belt to Show and then he kicks him and gets the chair. He beats Show with it and then he gets him in the ring and gets Show in the LeBell Lock. Big Show gets out of it and choke slams Daniel and then goes to hit him with the knockout punch but Daniel retreats. Show screams at Daniel while Daniel looks on terrified. Then after the replay Show is on the stage holding the chair and motioning to the fans that he will be the World Champion. That ends the show. This was good too I thought. The match wasn’t much and the finish happened during the break but the post match stuff with Show & Bryan was good. (Note: They had to end the match with the count out because Mark Henry got injured somehow during the match).    

I thought that this was a mixed bag show overall and I liked how they had Daniel Bryan playing mind games with the other guys. I don’t know why the finish happened during the break. I hope Mark Henry will be alright Sunday. The rest of the show was hit and miss. The opening segment with Show, Henry & Bryan was good I thought they did a decent job building their match Sunday. Hopefully Mark Henry will be able to go. I liked the Justin Gabriel-Cody Rhodes match too. The rest of the show wasn’t too memorable. I hope they don’t have Yoshi & Santino as a regular tag team. The Natalya stuff was awful. I don’t know why she’s being booked like more of a jobber. Drew McIntyre also. When will they give these 2 decent pushes again? On the whole I thought this was a middle of the road show.

1-26-12 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 26, 2012 episode of Impact

The show starts with Jeff Hardy & Bully Ray brawling backstage and Bobby Roode pulls up in a truck and then he & Ray double team Jeff. Then James Storm comes in and helps Jeff out but Roode & Ray get the upper hand and then Sting comes in and chases Roode & Ray off. This was a really intense brawl and a good way to start the show.

Tara vs. Mickie James vs. Velvet Sky to determine the number one contender for the Knockouts Title. Tara wins when she pins Mickie. This was a good match. Afterwards Tara celebrates in the crowd with the fans (That wasn’t shown).

They show Gail Kim in the production truck saying she’s looking forward to facing Tara and that they have a lot of history but on Sunday they will see who the best woman is.

Sting, Jeff Hardy & James Storm come to the ring and Sting calls out Bully Ray & Bobby Roode. They come out through the crowd and the brawl picks up where it left off. Then Sting gets control and separates the other guys. That doesn’t last too long and they start brawling again. Then Sting breaks it up again and says that Storm & Hardy will face Ray & Roode tonight. The brawl starts again and Hardy & Storm get the advantage. Then Storm says that he wants the match to be a tables match and Sting okays it. This was good too. I like that they’re showing a lot of intensity.

Alex Shelly is backstage talking about his match with Zima Ion and says Ion isn’t X Division material. Then he mentions Austin Aries and says that he will face him at Against All Odds and how he will win the X Division Title because Aries isn’t in his class.

Eric Young is backstage and some guy walks by and Young tells him what a big fan of his he is. Then Winter & Angelina Love come in and Angelina says that there’s other stuff they can do in their time. Winter talks too and admires Young’s beard. Then Angelina goes to kick him low but Young had it protected. Then ODB comes in and runs them off and tells Eric they need to get ready for their tag match. This was typical Eric Young nonsense.

Alex Shelly vs. Zima Ion. Shelly gets the pin. This was good back and forth match.

AJ Styles talks about his problems with his fellow Fortune members and says that he & Kazarian will settle it tonight.

Tara talks about her match with Gail Kim and says that she will win the Knockouts Title.

Eric Bischoff walks into a gym and asks if Garrett is there. The guy says he is and then Eric finds him and asks where his trainer is. Commercial time. Back from commercial and they show the beginning of the segment with Eric walking into the gym saying no one wants to train Garrett. Then after Eric asks who Garrett’s trainer is he is all stunned and tells the cameraman to beat it. They never showed who the trainer is. This was terrible. I could care less about this storyline! I’m sure it will be Hulk Hogan who is training Garrett. Who cares?

Eric Young & ODB vs. Winter & Angelina Love. Young & ODB win ODB pins Angelina. After wards ODB kisses Young. This was a total comedy match. I wasn’t into it.

Bully Ray & Bobby Roode are backstage talking about their match with Jeff & Storm and they have some dissention.

They show a video package recapping the latest in Morgan & Crimson-Joe & Magnus feud showing what happened last week.

TNA Tag Team Champion Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe. Morgan gets the pin. After wards Magnus & Joe attack Morgan & Crimson. This was a solid match and the post match beat down was good too. This feud has actually been pretty good.

James Storm & Jeff Hardy are backstage and Storm says that they will beat Ray & Roode at their own game. Then Jeff says that they started the night off with a bang and they will end it with a boom. (ICP reference, Jeff left out pow. Bang Pow Boom was an ICP album).

AJ Styles comes to the ring and mentions that 2 weeks ago he asked why Kazarian walked out on him and that he still wants an answer. Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels come out. Kazarian starts to speak but then he gives Daniels the mic. Daniels says that this is the same old song that AJ has been singing for 10 years when things don’t go his way no matter who is in charge. Then he says that they aren’t playing any games and Kazarian doesn’t owe AJ any answers. AJ says that there are other ways to get answers. Daniels says that’s how he always handles things, with his fists, just like the dumb fans. AJ says that he is going to turn his back and tells Kazarian to clothesline him. Kazarian starts to come to the ring but then he stops. Then Daniels gets in the ring and AJ kicks him in the head. Then AJ says that Kazarian should get in the ring and shake his hand so that this can be over. Kazarian gets in the ring but Daniels gets the mic and tells Kazarian that he knows exactly Kazarian won’t shake AJ’s hand and tells him to get out of the ring. Then Daniels says that he is going to talk to Sting and ask for a match at Against All Odds to settle this once and for all. The match being AJ vs. Kazarian. Then Kazarian & Daniels go to the back. This was a good segment. Daniels cut a good promo.

Jeff Hardy & James Storm vs. Bully Ray & TNA World Champion Bobby Roode in a tables match. Jeff & Storm win when Storm elbow drops Roode through a table while Jeff holds down Roode. After wards Ray hits Jeff & Storm with a chair and then gets another table in the ring. Roode kicks Storm & Ray power bombs Jeff off the turnbuckles through a table. Roode walks out holding the belt & Ray stands over Jeff as paramedics come in and check on him. This ends the show. This was really good. They did a great job with this storyline tonight.

This week’s show was really good overall. I enjoyed the Sting-Hardy-Storm-Ray-Roode segments. The brawl at the start of the show was really well done and I liked the mid show brawl in the ring. Both segments had little talking and a lot of brawling. That’s what they should do. The main event match was really good too and I liked how they ended it this week. The other for the most part was good too. I thought Daniels cut a good promo in the segment with AJ & Kazarian. I thought they did a good job with the Magnus & Crimson-Joe & Magnus feud too. I also thought the 3 way knockouts match was good too and so was the Alex Shelly-Zima Ion match. The only parts I wasn’t into were Eric Young & ODB-Angelina Love & Winter and of the Bischoff and son saga. Thankfully they weren’t on the show too much tonight. I hope they keep it that way. The good outweighed the bad this week and I thought that this was a really good show.

1-23-12 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 23, 2012 episode of Raw

The show starts with CM Punk coming to the ring and he sits in the ring and talks about his title match with Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble and says that all 3 matches he beat Punk was because of this Sunday’s guest referee Johnny Ace. Then he says that Ace was a failure as a wrestler, an executive and a person. Then he said that he was shocked that Johnny Ace told the truth for once. They show the clip from the end of last week’s show. Punk then says that it will be hard for Ace to referee a match with broken arms. Then he calls Johnny Ace out and wants him to say what he said last week to Punk’s face. Punk then says that he will find Ace in the back. Then Cena comes out and says he’s tired of hearing Punk talk. Then he says that Johnny Ace will give Zack Ryder a rematch for the U.S. Title and give Cena a match with Kane. Then he says that Ace will resign as GM. Punk was about to say more but then Johnny Ace comes out and tells Punk and Cena that sometimes people say things they wish they hadn’t, but he stands by what he said last week and will not be intimidated by either of them. Punk says he can’t hear him and tells him to get in the ring. Ace doesn’t and then he apologizes to Cena for screwing up with Ryder last week. Then he says that Ryder is cleared to compete and he will face Kane in a falls count anywhere match tonight and that if Cena get involved in the match Ryder will never get another U.S. Title match. Then he says that Punk & Cena will be in a tag match next. Then Vickie Guerrero comes out and introduces Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger. Dolph tells Punk that he should be worried about him and not Johnny Ace because he will beat him at the Rumble. Then Swagger says that Cena is dead meet for attacking him last week. This was a good opening segment. Punk’s promo was great as usual. Cena’s was better then his usual promos and Johnny Ace wasn’t as bad as usual either.

WWE Champion CM Punk & John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler & U.S. Champion Jack Swagger. Dolph & Swagger win when Dolph pins Punk after Johnny Ace gets on the apron and distracts Punk. This was a good match.

Then Punk gets the mic and says that at some point he plans on beating the hell out of him. Then he says that he wants Ace to be something he hasn’t been. He says that for one night he wants him to be a WWE super star and challenges Ace to a match for tonight. Ace accepts. This was good I thought. Punk cut a good promo as usual but I know that they will do something to not have the match.

They show Chris Jericho walking backstage.

They have the Highlight Real set up in the ring and the lights go out and Chris Jericho comes out. He runs up the ramp and goes to the back and brings out a t-shirt gun and gets the fans all psyched but he put it down and grabs a camera and films the fans. Then he points to the JeriTron and they show a video package of his WWF/E run. Then he finally speaks and says that at the Royal Rumble it will be the end of the world as we know it. Then his music plays and the lights go out and his jacket lights up again. This was the same Jericho stuff they’ve had him do. I wasn’t really into it.

They show a Royal Rumble video package. This was well done.

They show Zack & Eve backstage and Mick Foley comes in and tells him that he’s fought Kane many times and he is just a man and Ryder can do this. Eve says that she says Zack doesn’t have to do this and shouldn’t be competing. Ryder says his back hurts but he has to do this. Then Cena comes in and Ryder tells him that he can handle this.

Zack Ryder vs. Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Kane choke slams Ryder through the stage. Then he goes after Eve but Cena comes out on the stage and Kane walks out through the crowd. Eve walks up the ramp and she, Cena and a medic check on Ryder. Eve cries and asks if Zack is ok. Cena & Eve watch as the medics get Ryder on a stretcher. This was ok for what it was. Kane dominated the whole match. I thought this choke slam was a more believable visual than 2 weeks ago. Back from commercial and the referees, medics and Cena get Ryder on the stretcher and wheeled into the ambulance. Cena tells Zack to hang in there and that he will handle this. Then Eve says that this is all Cena’s fault and that he’s done enough. Eve gets in that ambulance with Zack as they ride off. Then Josh Mathews comes in says Cena must being feeling awful about this. Cena knocks the mic out of his hand and has this enraged look on his face. It looks like Cena will be looking to get revenge on Kane at the Rumble. I thought they did a decent job here. Cena is letting the hate flow through him.

Sheamus vs. Jinder Mahal. Sheamus gets the pin. This was ok. Sheamus dominated the whole match. Wade Barrett was on commentary. After wards Sheamus asks Barrett to get in the ring. He hints it but gets off the apron. Then Sheamus gets the mic and says that he will win the Royal Rumble.

Josh Mathews interviews The Miz about his match with R-Truth. Miz says every person who has teamed with him has seen their career go south after turning on him. Then he says that he will win the rumble and headline WrestleMania for the second year in a row. He rants some more and then R-Truth comes in doing some goofy gimmick and says that Miz is the number one jackass. Then they scream at each other and then Johnny Ace and David Otunga come in and Ace says he’s trying to prepare for his match later and they’re distracting him. Then he says that he loser of the Truth-Miz match will be number 1 in the Royal Rumble match. I thought this was a mixed bag. Miz was good as usual on the mic. The R-Truth bit is hit and miss. Also I don’t know why they’re having this match on raw rather than a PPV.

William Regal comes out to do commentary and they show the bit with him and Brodus Clay from Smackdown.

Brodus Clay comes out doing his Flash Funk gimmick. This is idiotic! Heath Slater is this week’s victim.

Brodus Clay vs. Heath Slater. Brodus gets the pin. This was a squash. Regal is the greatest commentator today. I’m not sure why they had him come out only for this. His commentary on NXT is tremendous!

They show clips from the 2007 Royal Rumble that Undertaker won.

R-Truth vs. The Miz. Truth gets the pin. This was a good match. Miz will be number 1 in the Royal Rumble.

Jerry Lawler says that Zack Ryder has a broken back from the choke slam and they recap that segment.

Johnny Ace is in his office with a ninja robe and doing some ninja stuff and Otunga shows him a sheet of paper and Ace a puzzled look on his face.

They show CM Punk backstage as he heads to the ring for his match with Johnny Ace next.

CM Punk comes out for the match. Johnny Ace & David Otunga come out and Ace says that he has some bad news. He says that he got a fax from the board of directors. Otunga reads it and it says that the board is becoming concerned with how he is being Raw GM and they have decided that his status as GM will be under review. He will receive an evaluation next week on Raw and will be conducted by Triple H. Punk then says that what that means is that there is nothing to stop him from beating the crap out of him. Ace says that this is a wake up call and apologizes to Punk and the fans. Then he says that Mick Foley will be in the Rumble and says that he will call the title match right down the middle and only said that he would screw punk because he got upset. Punk says that he hopes Triple H fires him next week. Ace says that won’t happen and says that he has been there for 10 years. Then he says that the match won’t happen but he found a replacement in David Otunga. Then Otunga attacks Punk but Punk locks him in the Anaconda Vice and Otunga taps. Then Punk stares down Johnny Ace and Otunga tries to sneak up on him but Punk kicks him. Johnny Ace offers his hand. Punk shakes it and then gives Ace the GTS. Then Dolph Ziggler comes out and goes after Punk. Dolph stands over Punk to end the show. I knew they weren’t going to have the match. This segment was a mixed bag also. Johnny Ace’s promo was dull and so was Otunga reading the note. Punk was good as usual and I liked that they had him give Johnny Ace the GTS. Dolph Ziggler coming out at the end was good too.

I thought this was a mixed bag show overall. Punk was good with his promos as usual. Johnny Ace was not as good as last week but not as bad as usual either. The Ryder-Cena-Kane segment was decent. I prefer seeing Cena this way then having him cut those idiotic promos. The rest of the show wasn’t memorable. Also why were Cena& Punk teaming when they feuded over the WWE Title over the summer? On the whole I thought this was a middle of the road show.

1-20-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 20, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Daniel Bryan coming to the ring saying that what Big Show did last week was a sin and that Big Show faked being sorry about it. He says that Big Show is bitter because his Title reign was only 45 seconds and that because of what happened to AJ last week her career might be over. Then he says that AJ put herself in that position because she loves Daniel. He says just like Monday he will dedicate this match to AJ. He then says that he’s not intimidated by Mark Henry or Big Show. Then he says that Show should do the right thing and just quit. This was a great promo form Daniel Bryan. He is tremendous at being the heal and the fans were all over him.

They show Santino, Hornswoggle, Ezekiel Jackson & Alicia Fox in Teddy Long’s office playing the dice table. Then they show Long & Aksana standing by the roulette wheel and Long is acting like a befuddled moron again showing her the stips on the wheel and Aksana suggests a pillow fight (no way). Then Cody Rhodes comes in and says that his brother spun the wheel once and wound up a similar get up to what Aksana has. Then he says that he is probably the last hope for the Rhodes family. Cody spins the wheel and it lands on Player’s Choice meaning that Cody can pick anyone for his next match. Cody picks his opponent and Zeke thought he meant him and then the camera zoomed in on Santino but Cody picked Hornswoggle. This was goofy. They should do away with the roulette wheel. The shows are usually weaker when they do this gimmick.

Cody & Hornswoggle come out for their match and Cody shoves him down on the floor and kicks him around for a bit. Then Justin Gabriel comes out and takes Hornswoggle’s spot.

Justin Gabriel vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Cody gets the pin.

Mark Henry is backstage and he tells Long that last week he put AJ in harms way and he’s putting Daniel Bryan in harms way tonight. Then he tells Long to spin the wheel since this gimmick is his idea. Long spins the wheel to find what the stipulation will be in World Title match with Daniel Bryan. It lands on lumber jack. Then Henry that Daniel will be the inductee into his hall of pain. This was a good Mark Henry promo.

The Usos vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico in a Tornado match. Primo & Epico win. This was a good back and forth match. I liked that they had all 4 guys in there without the tags.

They show clips from last year’s Royal Rumble that Alberto Del Rio won.

More Teddy Long & Aksana idiocy and then Sheamus comes in and Aksana spins the wheel to find out what kind of match he will have tonight with Wade Barrett. It lands on a tables match. Sheamus says that’s ok with him.

Brodus Clay comes for a dance off contest with Vickie Guerrero. Brodus wins of course. Vickie tries to dance and William Regal comes and tells the fans not to rag on Vickie and they go up the ramp. Then Brodus challenges Regal to dance off. Regal starts dancing and Brodus gets Regal with a splash and dances around the ring. This was beyond stupid! Brodus Clay in this Flash Funk role is really idiotic. Also why is William Regal being used this way on Smackdown? The guy is the greatest commentator in WWE today and I don’t get why they booked him like this.

Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett in a Tables match. Barrett wins after Jinder Mahal comes out and distracts Sheamus. Then Jinder attacks Sheamus and goes to put Sheamus through a table in the corner but Sheamus comes to and puts Jinder through it.

They show the wheel being spun backstage for the Ted DiBiase Jr.-Hunico match and it lands on a flag match.

Ted DiBiase, Jr. vs. Hunico in a flag match. Ted wins when he grabs the U.S. flag. This was a decent match.

Backstage Teddy Long “fires” Drew McIntyre and then Santino asks for another match Drew’s since everyone said it was a fluke when Santino beat him 2 weeks ago. Long agrees and Drew spins the wheel and they will have a blindfold match and if Drew wins he keeps his job. This was typical Long-Santino Hokiness.

Santino Marella vs. Drew McIntyre in a blindfold match. Santino gets the pin. This was crap. I don’t get what they’re doing with McIntyre. The guy’s been a jobber for about a year and a half. Now they keep having him lose matches and getting “canned” every time he does, but then they have him fight to keep his job and they still have him lose.

World Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry in a Lumberjack match for the Title. The match goes to a no contest when the lumberjacks attack both guys and Daniel manages to escape and walks up the ramp with the belt. Henry also manages to get out of there while the lumberjacks all go at it. Then they show Teddy Long running up to Daniel Bryan backstage and Daniel complains that he had to face Big Show in a no DQ, no count out match last week and facing Mark Henry in a lumberjack match this week and the lumberjacks were trying to attack him. Long then tells him that at the Royal Rumble it will be Big Show vs. Mark Henry vs. Daniel Bryan in a steel cage match. Long walks off and Daniel is all worried. That ends the show. The match wasn’t much really. It was mostly Henry dominating and Bryan jaw jacking with the lumber jacks. The Rumble like brawl at the end was a cool visual though and I thought Daniel Bryan did a good job backstage in the bit with Teddy Long. (Note: Here’s what happened in the ring. Sheamus tosses guys over the top rope to show that he can win the Royal Rumble. Sheamus stands tall in the center of the ring.)

I thought that this was a middle of the road show overall. There was some good stuff on here and some not so good stuff too. I liked Daniel Bryan’s opening promo about Big Show might have ended AJ’s career and he continues to do a great job as this cocky heal. The matches weren’t too memorable. Ted & Hunico was ok for what it was. The Santino-McIntyre match was awful. I’m not sure why Drew is still a jobber. Also the Brodus Clay-Vickie Guerrero-William Regal segment was total crap. Gabriel & Cody had a decent match and I liked Usos-Primo & Epico tornado match. I thought that was the highlight of the show. The end was a mixed bag. The match wasn’t much but the lumberjacks brawling in the ring was decent. On the whole this was a mixed bag show.

1-19-12 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 19, 2012 episode of Impact

The show starts with James Storm coming to the ring and says that he is finally getting a World Title match and he says that he & Roode have been with TNA from the start and that at Genesis when he faced Kurt Angle, Storm was the better man. Then he was about to tell Roode, “Sorry about your damn luck.” but then Jeff Hardy comes out and says that he deserves another World Title match since Bully Ray screwed him last week. He says no one will get a Title match till he has his final encounter. Storm says that Roode screwed him over first. Then Bobby Roode comes out and asks if they can all get along. Roode says that he is glad they’re bickering over who gets a Title match first and then he reminds Storm that the number one contender Storm-Angle match was to face the winner of the Hardy-Roode World Title match. He then says that since there was no winner in the World Title match is no number one contender. Then he tells Jeff that he won’t get a Title match either. Then Sting comes out and he says that Roode found another loophole with Bully Ray causing the DQ and says that he was cleaver but they will fix that tonight. Then he says that Jeff Hardy will face James Storm to determine the number one contender. This was a good opening segment. I thought they all cut good promos. (Note: This segment was taped last Monday night and re taped the next night).

Angelina Love talks about Eric Young and she challenges him to a match. This was ok.

AJ Styles vs. Gunner. Gunner gets the pin when Kazarian & Daniels come out and Kazarian clotheslines AJ. After the match Gunner goes to DDT on the exposed floor but AJ escapes and hops over the guard rail. This was decent too. I thought this was good match but I’m still not sure what they’re doing with Kazarian.

Magnus & Samoa Joe are backstage and Magnus saying he is ready to take it to Crimson. Then Crimson & Matt Morgan comes in and Crimson says they can do this right now, but Morgan to handle it in the ring. This was decent too.

Bully Ray & Sting are backstage and Ray tells Sting that he hasn’t lost a match since becoming a singles wrestler and that he deserves a World Title match. Sting doesn’t grant it. Then Ray gets in his face some more. This was good too. Ray is really amazing as a heal. Easily the best in TNA.

TNA World Tag Team Champion Crimson vs. Magnus. Crimson gets the pin. This was a squash. Magnus got in the offense and Crimson made the come back. After wards Samoa Joe comes out and he & Magnus attack Crimson and then Matt Morgan comes out to even the odds. Joe & Magnus take out the champs. The post match attack was good stuff.

They show Eric Young being a goof ball. Then ODB comes in and gives him a pep talk. Young says he doesn’t fight women and ODB says that she challenged him. This was typical Eric Young nonsense.

They replay the Bischoff and son in ring promo from last week. Then they show a video of Garrett working out with Eric’s promo in there saying he can’t wait to get back to the Impact Zone and can’t wait to see the look on his dad’s face when he finds out who is training him. Ugh! I’m way tired of this crap!

They recap the Mickie James-Madison Rayne bit.

Madison is complaining to Gail Kim backstage and Gail says that she’ll help her out. This was dumb.

Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne in a steel cage match. Mickie gets the pin. This was a good back and forth match. Earl Hebner sent Gail Kim to the back before it started.

Austin Aries is backstage saying that he is so entertaining that people can’t help but want to know what he’s going to talk about. This was a good promo. The guy is really fun to watch.

They show Tara & Velvet Sky hugging Mickie and she says that she is looking to beat Gail Kim for the Knockouts Title. Then she mentions how Gail was so quick to walk to the back. Then she talks about an injury she’s been fighting threw. I wasn’t into this. I thought they went overboard with the “Mickie’s hardcore” bit.

Then Jeff Hardy talks about getting screwed out of the World Title and that he has to beat Storm and then hopefully will get his title match. This was ok. I’m not really a Hardy fan.

More Austin Aries. This was backstage from Genesis after his match and he says that he might retire as X Division Champion. This was good too.

Austin Aries come to the ring and apologizes for sounding like a broken record but there is no one who is in his league. He says that he has proven to the fans that hate him and the no ones that love him that he is the greatest wrestler who has ever lived. Then Alex Shelley makes his long awaited return and he mentions how when he recovered from his injury his partner Chris Sabin got hurt. He says that he wanted to wait for Sabin to heal up before he returned, but Sabin told him it was ok for him to return now. Then he mentions how a few months ago he and Aries faced each other that Aries had to cheat to beat him. Shelly & Aries then go back and forth on the mic for a bit and with great delivery. Then Aries tells Shelly to head to the back and find someone to face and earn a shot at the title, even though Aries has beaten them all. Shelly says that sounds good to him and Shelley says he will let Aries pick who his opponent. This was great! Shelly & Aries both cut tremendous promos! These guys are both really entertaining!

ODB is backstage saying that she wants Eric Young to rip Angelina in half. Then Winter attacks her from behind and they go at it and Winter hits ODB with a pipe and chokes her with a whip. This was a good brawl.

Eric Young vs. Angelina Love. Young wins by DQ when Angelina kicks him low. That was the match. Young locked up with the referee and other goofiness.  After wards Winter & Angelina attack Young and then ODB comes out. Winter & Angelina get the advantage on ODB and then Eric Young comes to and tosses Winter & Angelina out of the ring. Then Young kisses ODB. This was a typical comedy Eric Young bit.

James Storm says that he has been in TNA since day one and that it is his time for him to be World Champion and will not let Jeff Hardy get in his way. Then he says that he can be the TNA World Champion (he was for a bit). This was a good promo. James Storm is a good talker.

James Storm vs. Jeff Hardy in a number one contender match. The match goes to a no contest when Bully Ray comes out and hits Brian Hebner. Then he hits both Jeff & Storm with his chain and then Earl Hebner comes out and Ray punches him in the head. He spits Storm’s beer on him and continues attacking both guys with the chain and then referee Brian Stiffler comes out and Ray lays him out too. Then Sting comes out and hits Ray with his bat and chases him to the back. Then Roode gets in the ring and hit both Storm & Hardy with the belt. Then Roode got on the mic and says that with the power invested in him he declares this match a no contest and calls himself the most dominant champion in TNA history. Roode poses in the ring with the title and then walks up the ramp and holds up the Title to end the show. This was good too. I liked the match and I thought the post match attack was good.

I thought this was a good episode overall. The main event and post match attack were good and the best segment by far was the Alex Shelly-Austin Aries promo. The rest of the show had decent to good stuff for the most part but Shelly & Aries was the highlight of this week’s show!

1-16-12 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 16, 2012 episode of Raw

They start with a Martin Luther King video package. Very classy.

The show starts with Mick Foley coming to the ring and he says that when he came back to WWE he didn’t mind coming back as a non wrestler and mentions that he lived his dream of being in WWE and he mentions that he headlined WrestleMania 16 in the building they’re in tonight. Then he mentions that he would like to have his kids see him in the ring one more time. Then he says that he is going to be in the Royal Rumble. Then Vickie Guerrero & Dolph Ziggler come out and Vickie introduces Dolph as the next World Champion. Then they head to the ring and Dolph says that Foley is just showing up and taking a spot in the Rumble. Then he says that if this is one of Mick’s skits it’s funny but if it isn’t then the kids’ reactions would be, “dad’s in the rumble and just got thrown over the top.” Then Mick says that anything can happen. He says that he isn’t just in the Rumble to be in it but to win it. Dolph says that is what he works all year long to do. Then he mentions that he beat Cena last week and Punk 2 weeks in a row. Then he says that when he wins the WWE Title he can’t think of a better let down than having to defend the Title against Mick Foley at WrestleMania. Dolph then tells him that it’s over and to go home. Then CM Punk’s music plays and he comes out. He says that it’s great to see Mick and Dolph says that they love each other. Punk says that he & Mick are a lot alike because they don’t try for the cookie cutter look and that they don’t hide behind a woman. He also says that he & Foley earned everything they got unlike Dolph who has a biased guest referee for his match and he rips on Johnny Ace. Then he says that after their match he will still be WWE Champion because he is the best wrestler in the world. Then he says that it would be cool if it was Mick Foley he faced at Mania. Vickie and Punk go back and forth for a short bit and then Johnny Ace comes out and says that he will be a fair referee. Then he tells Mick that he is taking his request to be in the Royal Rumble under consideration. Then he says that he has thought long and hard about it and the answer is no. Then Vickie does the evil witch laugh, and that was the end of the segment. That was it? This segment was the same typical opening segment that they do on every show. Punk & Dolph both cut good promos but I’m not interested in another Foley comeback? How many has he had over the years? Johnny Ace was boring as usual too. I didn’t get the segment ending with Vickie just laughing that Ace said no about Foley being in the Rumble. That was kind of a weird way to end the segment.

They show Primo & Epico beating Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne for the Tag Titles yesterday.

Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico for the Titles. Primo & Epico get the pin to retain the Title when Primo pins Bourne. This was a solid match. Both teams were already in the ring when they came back from commercial and there were no ring introductions. Huh?

David Otunga comes in and says that “you know who” is waiting outside and Ace tells him to let him in. Then he says tonight’s match will be a 6 man tag. Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler & David Otunga against Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and this guy. The camera shows that it will be Chris Jericho. He’s all smiles and then the lights go out and jacket lights up. This wasn’t that good. I’m beyond tired of Johnny Ace & David Otunga. They’re way boring. We’ll see what they do with Jericho later.

They show Zack Ryder with Eve Torres backstage taped up and Josh Mathews asks he is cleared compete. He says he doesn’t know. Then Eve says that he shouldn’t be in the ring. Zack says he is going to the ring and Eve says she is going with him. This was a decent promo.

U.S. Champion Zack Ryder vs. Jack Swagger for the Title. Swagger gets the pin to win the Title. This was ok. Swagger dominated the match and worked over Ryder’s ribs.

They show Zack Ryder backstage being tended to by an EMT. Then Johnny Ace comes in and says that he slipped up and he forgot to tell him that the doctors said that he’s not medically cleared. Then Eve flips out on Johnny Ace for letting him compete injured.

Perez Hilton comes to the ring to ring announce the next match (never saw this guy)

Kelly Kelly & Alicia Fox vs. The Bella Twins. Kelly & Alicia win when Kelly gets the pin. This was mercifully short. These girls are awful. After wards The Bellas shove Hilton down and then Kelly and Alicia get in the Bellas faces. The Bellas walk out and Kelly & Eve celebrate with Perez. This was terrible.

The show clips from the 1992 Royal Rumble that Ric Flair won to win the WWF Title. This was the best Rumble ever and was the first major show I saw. This was great stuff!

R-Truth comes to the ring but before he can speak Wade Barrett comes out and says that his name will announced as the winner of the royal Rumble. Then he says that R-Truth is a delusional lunatic. Truth asks what Wade is upset about. Then he rambles on about Disney Land. Then he his Disney slide show on the tron. Then Barrett asks what this has to do with anything. Truth says that he met Pinocchio and that he told that Barrett was gonna win the Rumble and his nose grew (ugh!) Then he says that he doesn’t believe that Barrett will win the Rumble. Then The Miz comes out and attacks Truth. They double team him and then Sheamus comes out to even the odds. Then Teddy Long comes out and says that he is taking charge of the show tonight and he announces a 4 way over the top rope challenge with all 4 guys in the ring.

Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett vs. R-Truth vs. The Miz in an Over the Top Challenge. * Miz, Truth & Sheamus eliminate Barrett * Truth eliminates Sheamus & Miz. Winner- R-Truth. This was a decent match. After wards Sheamus gives Miz a Brogue kick.

John Cena storm into Johnny Ace’s office and says that Ace screwed Ryder out of the U.S. Title. Then they talk about Kane and Cena says that he will take care of him. Then Johnny Ace says that Cena will face Kane at the Royal Rumble and that he will face Jack Swagger next. I liked that they had Cena show more intensity here.

John Cena vs. U.S. Champion Jack Swagger. The match never starts because Cena attacks Swagger before the bell could ring. Cena beats the crap out of him outside the ring. Then Kane’s music and pyro hit and he shows up on the tron and tells Cena that he is getting it. Then he says that when the meet at the rumble Cena will have embraced the hate. I thought this was better than the usual Cena stuff. He just beat the crap out of Swagger and Kane’s promo was nice and short.

They have some woman over the speakers announce Brodus Clay. Time for Brodus Clay to call his momma. He comes out doing the Flash Funk gimmick. This gimmick is crap. JTG will be the guy who gets squashed this week.

Brodus Clay vs. JTG. Brodus gets the pin. This was a squash.

They recap the Daniel Bryan-Big Show match from Smackdown and AJ getting flattened.

Daniel Bryan comes out on the stage and says that Big Show is a cruel freak. Then he says that AJ has been traumatized and will never be the same. Then he says that Big Show purposely bumped into AJ and faked being upset. He says that if Big Show shows up on Smackdown he will make him pay. Then he talks about his World Title match with Mark Henry on Smackdown and that he is dedicating the match to AJ. Then he mentions how on Smackdown AJ told him that she loves him and this week he will show AJ how much. I thought Bryan cut a good promo here. I think he’s been doing a good a job in the heal role.

World Champion Daniel Bryan, WWE Champion CM Punk & Chris Jericho vs. Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler & David Otunga. Jericho tags in and show boats again. Then he tags Daniel Bryan and walks out. Mark Henry goes after Daniel Bryan and they go to the back and then Mick Foley comes out and he tells the referee that Johnny Ace said that he is in the match.

CM Punk & Mick Foley vs. Henry, Dolph & Otunga. Punk & Foley win when Foley gives Otunga Mr. Socko.

Then Johnny Ace comes out and says that he never let Foley be in the match and that the decision is reversed and Henry, Dolph & Otunga win by DQ. Punk then rags on Ace again and says that they will lay their cards on the table. Then he says that when Ace wrestled he had the look but he sucked and that must have been for him since his brother was one half of the Road Warriors while he never made. He then says that Ace can’t stand that Punk’s achieved more in his career than Ace has in his entire life. Punk then says that Ace is jealous of the fact that Punk is the WWE Champion. Then he says that it doesn’t matter what Ace does to him at the rumble he will still be better than him. Then he says that if Ace screws him the fans will be talking about him because Punk will have kicked his pathetic ass. The fans chant CM Punk and Punk says that Ace is pathetic. Punk then walks up the ramp holding the title. Then Ace gets the mic and tells us who he is AGAIN and says that he won’t be intimidated by Punk. Then Foley tells Ace to admit that he intends to screw Punk and says that Ace is a kiss ass. Then Ace asks him who he thinks he is and then admits that he will screw Punk. Then he says that he is tired of being disrespected and pushed around. He says that he isn’t going to take it anymore and then he punches Foley. Ace walks out while Foley is still in the ring holding his head and that ends the show. This was good stuff. Punk a really amazing promo like he always does and Johnny Ace actually wasn’t too bad here either.

This week’s show was certainly better than last week’s! I wasn’t crazy about the opening segment but I thought the closing one was really well done. I also like Daniel Bryan’s promo. He’s been playing the tweener/heal role really well. I also liked Cena being more intense and he was only on for a short part of the show. Overall I thought this was a better show this week.

Live thoughts on the TNA White Plains house show

I was at the Westchester County Center in White Plains last night for a TNA shoe. I had a really fun time. They do a great job with the house shows. They're better than the TV. I sat in the balcony. I got nice view from there.

The show wasn't a sell out as there quite a few empty balcony seats. I'm not sure how many people were there, but it was a really good show and hopefully TNA will return to the County Center soon. I hadn't been in there since July 8, 1995 for a WWF house show and it was nice to see a show there again after all these years.

Don West was in the ring doing his sale pitch. He threw some merchandise to the fans. I managed to get a Lockdown 2010 DVD that he threw in my direction. That was cool.

The opener was X Division Champion Austin Aries retaining the Title against Jessie Sorensen & Alex Shelly. This was a good match. All 3 guys worked hard here. It was nice to Alex Shelly back after being out of action for quite a while.

The next match was Gail Kim retaining the Knockouts Title against Velvet Sky. This was solid too. Gail is good worker and Velvet has improved quite a bit. Hearl Hebner was the referee and hhe had on his, "damn right I did" referee shirt.

AJ Styles beat Christopher Daniels in a really good back and forth match. These guys are tremendous wrestlers and deserve to be in the World Title picture.

Then Bully Ray came out and told Earl Hebner to beat it and then he ripped on the fans. This was classic Buh Buh Ray Dudley heal stuff here. Tremendous. Then he challenged anyone in the back to match and Rob Van Dam came out.

Bully Ray beat RVD. Hebner was knocked out and RVD hit the Vandaminator on Ray, but Hebnerr was snoozing. Then Ray got his chain and hit RVD with it to get the win.

Then there was an intermission and Don West was in the ring doing his sales pitch again.

After intermission James Storm went over Kurt Angle in another really fun match. After wards they broke character and Storm wished Angle luck in the 2012 Olympic try outs. Good stuff here. Storm is a great talent both in the ring and on the mic.

The main event was Jeff Hardy pinning TNA World Champion Bobby Roode in a Non Title match. They brawled for a bit before the bell rang and there was some good stuff here too. Hardy was over big time with the fans. The match was good and Roode played to the fans as a heal really well.

The show was maybe 2 hours not counting the 20 minute intermission. I actually wound up going at the last minute. My friend called and I told him about the show and we got the tickets at the door. Glad I went to this. I really enjoyed the show. Hopefully TNA will be back in White Plains soon.

1-13-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 13, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with World Champion Daniel Bryan coming to the ring and he talks about how he is a fighting champion. Then Mark Henry comes out and tells him that he won’t get involved in the Big Show-Daniel Bryan match because he made a deal with Teddy Long that he will gets his rematch for the Title against the winner if doesn’t get involved in the match. This was a good back and forth segment. Daniel Bryan does a good job at playing tweener/heal and Mark Henry’s promo was really good too.

Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater. Gabriel gets the pin after Hornswoggle comes in and distracts Slater. This was a good back and forth match, but I didn’t care for the finish. I don’t why they played Hornswoggle’s music before he showed up.

Daniel Bryan & AJ are backstage and AJ tells him that she loves him. She walks out and Daniel’s in a bit of shock but thanks AJ.

They show the clips from the 1998 Royal Rumble. The second Rumble win in a row for Steve Austin.

Cody Rhodes comes to the ring and cuts a promo about he has been Intercontinental Champion for 5 months and has outshined Pedro Morales, Tito Santana, Booker T and his own brother Goldust. Then he says that his goal in 2012 to go beyond the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. He says that he is going to pull an Ultimate Warrior, meaning that he is going to be both the Intercontinental Champion the World Champion and that it starts in the Royal Rumble match. Then Ezekiel Jackson comes out for his match with Cody.

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Cody gets the pin. This was a solid match.

They show the Edge Hall of Fame video package.

Santino Marella is in Teddy Long’s office and now that he is the assistant to the GM he has a list of ideas. He goes on about nonsense and Long doesn’t go for any of it. The David Otunga comes in and says that Johnny Ace wants to know which Smackdown guys Teddy thinks should be in the rumble and he has a list, but Santino says he has an idea and says that he should face David Otunga to see who gets in the Rumble. Teddy agrees. They both leave and then there’s a knock on the door. Long thinks it’s Aksana but Drew McIntyre shows up behind him. Long tells him that if he loses tonight he will be “fired” and that his match is next. This was idiotic. I’m getting tired of Santino & Otunga.

Ted DiBiase, Jr. vs. Drew McIntyre. Ted gets the pin. This was a solid match Hunico & Camacho came out to do commentary. I’m not sure what they’re gonna with Drew now. The guy’s been a jobber for over a year and this whole story about Teddy signing him to Smackdown and then threatening to sack him if doesn’t win doesn’t make sense. Why “bring the guy to Smackdown” just to tell you’re gonna can him if he keeps losing?

Jinder Mahal comes out and says that he is glad that no one expects him to win the Royal Rumble (everyone know he won’t) and that he is the most dangerous when he is least expected.

Sheamus vs. Jinder Mahal. Sheamus gets the pin. This was a decent match.

Backstage Big Show is with referee for the World Title match and then AJ comes in to talk to Big Show about his match with Daniel Bryan saying that Daniel’s a good guy she doesn’t wan to see him get hurt. Big Show says that he doesn’t intend to hurt him. Then Bryan comes by and says that Big Show is trying to steel both his Title & his girl. Big Show says the World Title has Daniel Bryan. After Show walks off Daniel asks AJ if Show was trying to intimidate her and says that he won’t let that happen because he is her knight in shining armor. Then he asks her how much she loves him and they walk off camera. This was a good backstage bit. Daniel Bryan has done a good job in this role. Hopefully WWE won’t botch it up.

They show clips from the 2002 Royal Rumble that Triple H won after returning from his quad tear.

Santino Marella vs. David Otunga to qualify for the Royal Rumble. Otunga gets the pin.

They show the Four Horsemen Hall of Fame video package.

Brodus Clay vs. Tyson Kidd. Brodus gets the really quick pin. This match wasn’t even a minute. Brodus’ entrance was longer than the match. Poor Tyson. Nothing against Brodus but that gimmick is idiotic and Tyson Kidd continues to play the role of designated jobber.

Teddy Long is in his office getting into Brodus Clay’s (formerly Earnest Miller’s) theme music and then Aksana comes in. This was more of the same Teddy-Aksana idiocy.

They show clips of the 1995 Royal Rumble that Shawn Michaels won. He was the first guy in that year.

Tamina vs. Natalya. Tamina gets the pin. This was a decent but short match Just like Tyson Kidd, Natalya is the Divas jobber. Nothing against Tamina. I think she is good too and they should have these 2 in a longer match.

After the match Wade Barrett comes out and he talks about winning the Royal Rumble and then he challenges Sheamus to a match next week. This was a good promo.

Big Show vs. World Champion Daniel Bryan for the Title. The match is stopped when Big Show bumps into AJ and she gets stretchered out by the medics. As they were getting her on the stretcher the fans were chanting, “She’s ok.” I thought that was nice little touch. They wheel her up the ramp and Bryan & Show follow and Daniel screams at Show asking him how can he be so reckless and that she only weighs 95 pounds. After they go up the ramp and head to the back Daniel screams at Show some more and Show stands on the stage all upset about what happened. That ends the show. I thought this was good stuff. The match was good and the post match stuff was good too. Daniel Bryan & Big Show both had great reactions after the AJ bump.

I thought that this was a decent episode overall. The opening segment with Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry was good. They both cut good promos. I liked Cody Rhodes’ promo too. Him saying he is going to pull an Ultimate Warrior was a good line. His match with Zeke was solid also. I wasn’t into the Teddy Long-Santino-Otunga bit or the bit with Long & Aksana. Gabriel & Slater had a solid match but Hornswoggle suddenly lying on the mat as his music plays was dumb. The World Title match was good too and I thought Bryan & Show did a good job with their reactions after the AJ bump. On the whole I thought this was a decent show.

1-12-12 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 12, 2012 episode of Impact

The show starts with Bobby Roode coming to the ring and he talks about how great he is and he mentions that he’s beaten James Storm and AJ Styles and retained the Title against Jeff Hardy. Then he asks Jeff to come out so that he can shake his hand, but Sting comes out and says that he will defend the Title against Jeff Hardy again tonight. This was a mixed bag segment. Roode’s promo was good but I wasn’t crazy about the exchange with him and Sting.

They show Matt Morgan and he runs into Crimson and they plug Direct Auto insurance. Then they talk about their match with Robbie E & Rob Terry. I wasn’t crazy about this either. Why were they plugging Direct Auto on the show?

TNA World Tag Team Champions Matt Morgan & Crimson vs. TV Champion Robbie E & Rob Terry. Morgan & Crimson win Morgan pins Robbie E. This was pretty much a squash. I forgot Robbie E is the TV Champion. After wards Magnus & Samoa Joe come out and attack the Champs and hold up the Tag Titles. The post match beat down was good.

They show the returning Eric Bischoff walking backstage and we’ll hear what he has to say next. Oh joy! I haven’t missed seeing Easy E on my TV (and yes I purposely wrote it that way)!

They recap the Bischoff saga. Who cares about this!?

Eric Bischoff makes his return (boo) and he yaps about his son not being a wrestler. He says that Garrett grew up watching his dad reinvent the wrestling business and making it look easy. He goes on some more and says Garrett has no future of friends in the business and that he should give up his dreams because they’re going to get him hurt. Then Garrett comes out and says that he has friends and he is not going anywhere. Then he says that he is proud to be in this ring and learning from all the great wrestlers in TNA. Then he says that his won’t take that from him. He then mentions Gunner putting him out but he came and he would keep coming back. Then he says that he a new trainer and that Eric will be shocked to find out who it is. Garrett goes to leave and Eric stops him and then Garrett shoves him into the corner. This was awful! Who gives a crap about this Bischoff and Son story!?

They show Winter & Angelina Love backstage and Winter says that she doesn’t need a leader and that she is a former 2 time Knockouts Champion. Then Angelina says that she is a former 5 time Knockout Champion and that everyone should remember what she is about. This was dumb too.

Then show Eric Young & ODB backstage and they go back and forth about whether or not they’re together. This was idiotic!

ODB vs. Winter. ODB gets the pin. Eric Young is all thrilled. This was a comedy match. Angelina came in during the match but Eric Young came in and gave her an Airplane Spin.

AJ Styles comes to the ring and tell Frankie Kazarian to come out. Kazarian comes out and AJ asks why he walked out on him last week. Kazarian says that he can’t tell him why. Then Christopher Daniels comes out and says that he can. Then he tells AJ that Frankie sees him for what he is and that is a lost cause. Then he says that Kazarian is done carrying AJ and called him worthless. He was going after him but Kazarian stops him. Then Daniels & AJ brawl and Kazarian pulls Daniels out of the ring. I’m not sure where they’re going with this.

They show James Storm walking backstage.

They show Bully Ray & Bobby Roode backstage and Ray is saying that he is trending on twitter. Then Roode talks about Sting having him defend the Title against Jeff Hardy again. Ray says that he has Roode’s back and he also wants a Title shot. This was a good segment. Ray saying he was trending on twitter because of his match with Abyss was funny. Both these guys are really good heals.

James Storm comes to the ring and says that if he wants to call someone out he calls them out right away. Then he calls out Kurt Angle. Angle comes out and Storm knocks the mic out of his hand. Then he mentions how Angle takes the low road and does whatever it takes. Then he mentions that he beat Angle to win the TNA World Title in 30 seconds. Then he challenges him to a rematch. He gives Angle the mic and Angle says he’s not dressed to wrestle and that this his night off. He says that he was the better wrestler at Genesis and now he’s focusing on the World Title. Then Sting comes out and says that if Roode tries to get himself DQ’d tonight, he will lose the Title to Jeff. Then he tells Storm & Angle that they since they’re 1 and 1 they will have a rematch and the winner will challenge for the World Title. Angle says he’s not ready and Sting tells him to get his gear because their match is next. This was better than most of the stuff on the show. Storm cut a good promo as usual and Angle and Sting were ok in this too.

Angle’s music plays and he doesn’t come out. Then Earl Hebner calls for the bell and begins to count out Angle. Then Angle comes out getting his boots on and then he hits the ring.

James Storm vs. Kurt Angle. Storm gets the pin to become the number one contender for the World Title. This was a really good back and forth match. This is what they should’ve had at the PPV.

Jeff Hardy is backstage and talks about his rematch for the Title and that the enigma will end the selfish generation and he will win the title.

Madison Rayne comes up to Sting and she says that she wants Sting to name her VP of the Knockouts. Sting says to give her a reason why he should. Madison says that if there’s a job to she does it and Sting mentions how she helps out Gail Kim all the time and then he says that Madison will face Mickie James in a cage match next week. Madison flips. This was ok.

Jeff Hardy vs. TNA World Champion Bobby Roode for the Title. Jeff wins by DQ when Bully Ray comes in and pulls the referee out of the ring when Jeff had the pin. This was a really good back and forth match too and this should’ve been what we saw Sunday, but with a clear winner. After wards Jeff gives Ray a Pescado. Jeff is in the ring while Ray is on the outside telling him that he can’t beat Bobby Roode. That ends the show.

I thought this week’s show was a mixed bag. The opening segment with Sting and Roode was ok. Roode cut a good promo as usual and Sting was ok too. I’m tried of the goof ball Eric Young character and the ODB-Winter match was pointless. The whole bit with the Bischoffs was awful too and I could care less about this storyline. Bully Ray & Bobby Roode had a good backstage segment. The Storm-Angle match was really good and this is what they should’ve done Sunday. The same with Jeff Hardy-Bobby Roode match. They had a good match tonight that they should’ve had on Sunday with Roode going over. I don’t know why TNA builds these matches for their Pay Per Views and then give us flat endings and then they have the rematches on FREE TV! Overall I thought this was a middle of the road show.