8-31-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 31, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Sheamus coming to the ring. Before he gets down to business he’d like to take the time to acknowledge when the greatest guy’s he’s had the honor of fighting. Triple H. He mentions that he had his very first WrestleMania match with Triple H and not surprisingly Triple H also gave him his first WrestleMania loss. He says that he doesn’t know what Triple H’s future holds be can say this. Triple H has Sheamus’ respect and the respect of the fans. Sheamus says that Triple H is an embodiment of a champion and that is kind of ironic because the guy he will defend the World Title against at Night of Champions, Alberto Del Rio isn’t. Then Damien Sandow’s music hits and he comes out. He says he’s here to help the masses. Specifically Sheamus. Sheamus says that’s great because he can use all the help he can get. Sandow says that seems to be as ignorant as he is enormous. Sandow says that Sheamus comes out and puts over Triple H and talks about him with such reverence. Then Sandow reminds everyone that it was Triple H who led his band of degenerates, DX in an assault against him at Raw 1000. Sheamus says, “How could I forget it.” Sheamus says it was great. Sandow says that’s a typical response from a hooligan. Sandow then says that each week Sheamus comes out and drags the unwashed masses further into their own ignorance. Sheamus says he wants to make sure Sandow’s talking about him. Sandow then says that Sheamus calls himself a proud Irishman. He that Sheamus does nothing more than bring disgrace, dishonor and promotes a stereotype. Then Sheamus cuts him off and says that Sandow thinks everyone wants to here him talk for 20 minutes but the reality is Sheamus and everyone in the building have a life. Sandow says that he is here to enrich it. Then Sheamus tells Sandow will do everyone a favor and shut up. Sheamus then says that if Sandow wants to continue enriching everyone’s lives with all this garbage then he can come into the ring and say it to his face. Sandow says there’s nothing more he would love to do then to walk in there and thrash Sheamus in a debate of philosophies he has deemed Sheamus unworthy of his time. Sandow says he can’t help that. That’s just the way it is. Therefore he has now saved Sheamus from the intellectual thrashing that he was about to receive. Sandow says that he will now take his leave. “You’re welcome.” Then Booker T comes out. He says that he came out because he actually agrees with Sandow. No one wants to see an intellectual thrashing but they do want to see a physical thrashing. Then Booker says that they might not be in Ireland but they are in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Then he books Sheamus vs. Sandow for tonight. “Now can you dig that sucka?” I thought this was a good opening promo to kick off the show.

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes. Rey gets the pin. This was a solid match. Afterwards Cody beats down Rey and goes to pull his mask off but then Sin Cara comes in to make the save. Then Rey gives Cody the 619. Then Sin Cara takes another one of his masks and puts it on Cody.

They reshow the first segment of Daniel Bryan attending anger management class. Do they have to remind us of this crap!?

Eve Torres comes out for commentary.

Kaitlyn vs. Natalya. Kaitlyn gets the pin. This was a decent match.

Matt Striker interviews Booker T. Striker mentions that the GM position has come under some scrutiny lately. Especially considering what happened on Raw. Then the reshow AJ-Vickie Guerrero segment from Monday. Then Booker says that he had high hopes for AJ but he thinks the pressure is getting to her. He says that she went a bit overboard when she booked the Jericho-Ziggler contract vs. contract match. Booker says that should never have been made. Then he says AJ attacking Vickie was uncalled for. Then he says that AJ is off her rocker. Then Vickie Guerrero comes by and says “That little psychotic AJ, all her friends have turned their backs on her.” Then Vickie says that she has gotten e-mail, tweets & TOUTS all week encouraging her to take action against that horrible assault that happened on Monday. She says that even the Smackdown GM agrees that AJ is crazy. Then she says that mentally deranged child’s reign of terror will come to an end. Vickie mentions that she spoke with the Board of Directors and they saw what happened and they assured Vickie that they will take action because if they don’t she will. This was a mixed bag segment. Vickie’s promo was good but this whole story with AJ being the crazy GM is too much. Now they have Booker saying that AJ booking the Jericho-Dolph match shouldn’t have happened was weird since the GM makes matches with similar stips almost all the time! Also AJ going after Vickie was uncalled for? That kinda stuff happens all the time too!

Time for the Raw rebound. They recap the Lawler-Punk match.

Then they reshow the second segment of the Daniel Bryan anger management.

World Champion Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow. Sheamus wins by count out when Sandow walks out. This was ok. Most of the match was Sandow rolling out of the ring trying to escape and Sheamus going after him and throwing him back in the ring. Then Sandow ran up the ramp and got counted out.

During the next match they show a TOUT from The Usos. They say that they should be tag team champions because they’re the only true team in WWE.

Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd vs. The Primetime Players. The Primetime Players win when Darren pins Gabriel. This was a solid match.

They reshow the third and final Kane-Daniel Bryan anger management segment.

Josh Mathews is in the ring to interview Alberto Del Rio. Ricardo comes out and introduces Del Rio. Josh mentions that Del Rio beat Orton last week to become the number one contender for the World Title. Del Rio says that he didn’t just defeat Orton. He made 1 of the toughest men in WWE history tap out. Then they reshow the end of the match. Del Rio then says that he is planning to the same with Sheamus at Night of Champions to become the new World Champion. Josh asks how does Del Rio account for the fact that Sheamus has beaten Del Rio every time they’ve been in a title match. Del Rio calls Josh a little weasel and reminds him that Kane through him at SummerSlam like a piece of trash. Then Del Rio says that’s nothing compared to what he will do to Josh right now. Then Kane’s pyro goes off and he come out. Josh gets out of the ring. So do Del Rio & Ricardo. Then Kane gets the mic and says that his anger management therapist has asked him to come to the ring and to apologize to Josh Mathews. Kane tells Josh that he is sorry for throwing him over a barrier at SummerSlam. Then he thanks Josh for playing a role in his recovery program. Then Teddy Long comes out. He tells Del Rio that he’d better hope that Kane is getting good praise in his anger management class. Then he tells Del Rio that he will face Kane right now. This segment was kinda week. This whole bit with Kane also having anger management issues is just as dumb as it is with Daniel Bryan.

Kane vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio gets the pin. This was a decent match too. Ricardo sort of ripped Kane. Then Kane pulled Ricardo by his hair onto the ring apron. Then he was going to choke slam him but Del Rio hit Kane with the back stabber for the 3 count. This was a solid match. Afterwards Kane goes after Josh Mathews. He screams to Josh that he’s sorry that he loses his temper. Then he throws Josh in the ring and choke slams him.

Back to the show. Michael Cole is on commentary by himself. They show Josh being helped to the back by a referee and a trainer.

Then they replay the Triple H promo from Raw.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. Orton gets the pin. This was a good match but they had Dolph lose again! I don’t get it. They have the guy with the Money in the Bank case job cleanly to a guy who’s going to be taking some ring time off to film a movie? This company can be mind boggling to say the least. Afterwards Vickie snatches the mic from Lillian and says, “And still your Money in the Bank winner Dolph Ziggler.” Dolph & Vickie then head up the ramp while Orton poses on the turnbuckle to end the show.

I thought this a decent show overall this week. I liked the Sheamus-Sandow promo at the start of the show and their match was decent too. Orton-Dolph was also good but they had Dolph do the clean job again! Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. The Primetime Players was also solid. I wasn’t really into the Booker T promo when he called AJ crazy. The AJ character is being overplayed (and she wasn’t even on the show). Kaitlyn-Natalya was decent too. Too bad Natalya is booked on the level she is. Josh Mathews interviewing Del Rio was ok. I thought Del Rio’s promo was decent. Kane coming out and apologizing to Josh and talking about his anger management was idiotic. This storyline with him and Daniel Bryan having issues with their tempers is dumb. Rey-Cody was solid too. Having Sin Cara come out with a mask and putting over Cody’s head was kinda odd but not too bad. So on the whole I thought this week’s show was alright.

8-30-12 Impact results and thoughts

          Coverage and thoughts on the August 30, 2012 episode of Impact

They started the show recapping what happened last week. They reshow Robbie winning the 3 way BFG Series match, the end of the Claire story and the Aces & 8s scenario. 

The actual show starts with Austin Aries coming to the ring. He says that he’s always been a man who gives credit where it’s do and last week Aces & 8s pulled out all the stops. He says people have been asking him if he will have give up the World Title. He says he isn’t medically cleared to wrestle tonight but he doesn’t need to be cleared a fight. Then he says that they busted his right hand, but he’s left handed. Then he says that he wants whoever’s behind this to step in the ring and fight him. He says he will sit in the ring till someone answers his challenge. Cue Hulk Hogan’s music and he & Sting come out. Hulk says he wants the champ to calm down. He says they come in peace and wants to let everyone know that he’s back as the GM. He thanks Sting for running the show. Now that Hulk is back things are going to go how he wants them too. He says that Aces & 8s messed with his family and the roster and if they want a blood bath, they’ll get one. Then he tells Aries that whatever he wants, he’s got it. Aries says he wants the same thing everyone wants and that is to get his hands on Aces & 8s. He says he wants to fight 1 of them tonight. Aces & 8s show up on the Tron. The guy says that Hulk & Sting are making their job really easy. He says Aces & 8s do stuff on their terms. Then he says they’ll be in the ring later on and Aries will find out what Aces & 8s is all about. This was a good opening segment. Aries cut a good promo as usual. Hogan’s promo was good too. This storyline with Aces & 8s has been really good.

They show ODB leaving Eric Young messages asking where he is. She says that she’s giving him till next week. That was supposedly last week, so EY has to show up tonight.

Rob Van Dam vs. James Storm in a Bound for Glory Series match. Storm gets the pin for 7 more points. This was a good match. Afterwards Christie interviews Storm at ringside. She congratulates him on making it to the final 4. Storm says he did exactly what he said he would do and that’s win back his World Title.

They show Madison Rayne backstage and she is on her way to the ring next.

Madison Rayne comes to the ring. She says that earlier this week she got a call from Brooke Hogan telling Madison that she will have a match tonight. Madison thinks she’s being granted her match for the Knockouts Title that someone cost her a few weeks ago (as she looks at Taryn Terrell). Then Madison says to bring the champ on out so she can regain the Title. Out come ODB. She says that she also got a call from Brooke Hogan and she told PDB that she was also in a match tonight. Madison says she’s not ready for this. Then she tells Taryn that she needs to do her job. Ring the bell so she can take care of the Trailer park trash. Then ODB spits her drink in Madison’s face.

ODB vs. Madison Rayne. ODB gets the pin. This was a squash.

Afterwards Eric Young makes his return. He comes to the ring in a suit and sunglasses. He also has the beer and fried chicken. The fans chant EY. ODB asks him where he’s been. He says he’s been in Hollywood and he’s got a successful show going. Then he mentions that he got the beer & chicken. ODB says she appreciates that but she wants to know where the guy she married is. Young says he will fix that. Then he rips of his suit while ODB has some chicken. Then he & ODB make out. This was typical Eric Young-ODB comedy.

They recap the end of the Claire crap from last week. (I’m glad that’s done).

AJ Styles says he’s glad it’s over. He says he will deal with Kazarian & Daniels, but for now he is going to concentrate on the BFG series and his series match with Samoa Joe.

They show Bruce Pritchard, Al Snow & Taz discussing Chris Lewie’s match. They also talk about his back story.

Hogan & Sting are in the office. Hulk says to have someone come in. Sting hopes to see some Hollywood. Then Sting has Kazarian & Daniels come in. Kazarian says they have iron clad contracts and Daniels says they’re the tag champs. Hogan says they’re what’s wrong with this business today. Hulk then tells them AJ Styles isn’t done with them yet. Then Hulk tells them that since they’re the tag champions they need to do their job. Hulk says they will defend their titles. So they need to be ready. This was a little bit hokey.   

AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe in a Bound for Glory Series match. Joe gets the pin for 7 more points. This was a really good back and forth match. AJ had Joe locked in an arm breaker and Joe turned it over to get the win.

They recap the opening promo from the start of the show.

Chris Lewie is backstage and he will face the Gut Check judges next.

Kurt Angle says that the winner of his match with Jeff Hardy makes it to the final 4 in the BFG Series. He says he will make it to the final and win the World Title.

JB is in the ring with Bruce Pritchard, Al Snow & Taz. Then Chris Lewie comes to the ring. JB asks him he feels he gave it his best effort. Chris says he does and will get better everyday. Taz goes first. Taz says that he respects anybody who tries to make a career in pro wrestling and that he has an interesting life. Then he says that Impact Wrestling is a little above his head right now. So Taz votes no. Pritchard’s turn. He says Gut Check is where you dig deep down in your gut. He also mentions Chris’ story. He tells Chris that he needs to wake up from the dream and he also votes no. Then JB says that since 2 judges already voted no he doesn’t get the contract. Then they show Joey Ryan in the front row with a megaphone. He calls the Gut Check a fraud. Then he throws a drink on Al. Al wants to go after him but Pritchard holds him back. Al hops over the guardrail anyway and goes after Joey Ryan.

Joseph Park is the GM office with Hulk & Sting. He says he’s been doing research on Aces & 8s. He asks Hulk to let him investigate. Hulk says if Joseph can help, he’s all for it. Then sting tells Joseph not to forget kayfabe (what is with this?)

Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle in a Bound for Glory Series match. Jeff gets the pin for 7 more points. This was a really good match too. Kurt Angle is out of the BFG Series.

Afterwards JB gets in the ring to introduce the final 5 in the BFG Series. Jeff Hardy, RVD, Samoa Joe, Bully Ray & James Storm. Jeff of course is already in the ring and the other 4 come out. JB says that next week 1 of the 5 will be eliminated and the final 4 will go onto to the No Surrender PPV. James Storm is already guaranteed to be in the final 4. Next week will be Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe & RVD vs. Bully Ray. This was a good bit.

Austin Aries comes to the ring. He says it’s time. He says if Aces & 8s are done having a good time, they can come on down and get their ass kicked. Cue Hulk’s music and he & Sting come out along other RVD, Bully Ray & James Storm. Hulk says that they’re there for support. At the end of the day they are 1. Hulk says he wants to see Aces & 8s faces. Aries tells them to come out and face them like men. They come out through the crowd. Hulk says that TNA’s finest is in the ring. Lets see what Aces & 8s finest can do. A big dude comes in and they go back and forth for a bit. Aries takes the guy down and then Aces & 8s and the other TNA guys hit the ring and a brawl breaks out. Then some guy comes in the ring, puts on a mask and hits Aries in the back of the head with a flap jack. Aries lies in the ring out cold to end the show. This was good too.

I thought this was a solid to good show overall this week. The Opening promo with Aries-Hulk & Sting was good and I enjoyed the end too. Bobby Roode wasn’t on the show. It’d make sense if they had him be the leader of Aces & 8s. The BFG Series matches were really good. I loved the Jeff-Angle & Joe-AJ matches. RVD-Storm was good too. The Knockouts match wasn’t much. It was more about Madison being pissed at Taryn. The Eric Young-ODB part of this segment was the typical kinda comedy they do. I was ok with the Gut Check segment. Joey Ryan at ringside was good. I’m not sure if they’re building to an Al Snow-Joey Ryan match. Having the final 5 BFG Series guys in the ring was cool too. On the whole I this week’s show was enjoyable.

8-27-12 Raw results and thoughts

      Coverage and thoughts on the August 27, 2012 episode of Raw

  They started the show recapping the end of Last Monday

 The actual show starts and Michael Cole reads a tweet from Jerry Lawler. Then Lawler gets in the ring. He says he has something that he has to get off his chest. He says that at Raw 1000 he made a comment about Punk that Punk thought was derogatory. Lawler says that when Punk told him to apologize last week it was out of respect for the WWE Title. Then he mentions that this week he wants Punk to apologize to him. Punk comes out. Punk says that Lawler wants him to apologize for doing hiss job. Then Punk mentions Lawler’s comment. Then Punk says that he beat the crap out of The Rock because he showed him no respect. He says he isn’t the bad guy and it’s because of Lawler’s lack of respect that he kicked him in the head. Punk then says that he is sorry that all to takes to get in the WWE Hall of Fame is to beat a bunch no ones in Memphis, get into a slap fight with an actor and acting like a 14 year old his entire career. Then Punk says he’s sorry that King’s jealousy kept him from becoming WWE Champion. He apologizes that Lawler couldn’t beat Cole at WrestleMania. Then Punk says he’s sorry about the man Lawler’s become. Punk then asks Lawler if he wants to fight him. Punk says Lawler’s just a commentator and he is the best in the world. Punk says he would embarrass Lawler. Lawler says he came out for an apology not to fight. Punk says that he can see it in Lawler’s eyes that he wants to fight. Punk says he will fight him and at the end of tonight he will leave embarrassed. Either because Punk will beat him within an inch of his life or because he chose not to fight Punk. Punk tells King the decision’s his. Then he walks up the ramp screaming RESPECT. Then Lawler tells Punk he will think about it. Then Lawler’s music plays and he goes back to the announce table. This was a good opening segment. I thought both guys were good here. Punk’s promo was good like usual and I thought Lawler did a good job here too.

Ryback vs. Jack Swagger. Ryback gets the pin. This was a short match. Swagger got in some offense before getting pinned.

Cole asks Lawler if he will face Punk later. Lawler says he is thinking about it.

Before the next match starts Vickie Guerrero comes and says that this match will end quickly because she has an important announcement to make.

Divas Champion Layla vs. Natalya. Layla gets the pin. This wasn’t much. It was a typical Divas match.

Afterwards Vickie gets in the ring and tells Layla that she’s done now. Vickie then says that last week AJ Lee decided to book Jericho vs. Dolph. She mentions the stip AJ added to the match. Vickie says that was unfair and that she is the only one who has the guts to stand up to AJ. Then Vickie says that she should be running Raw, not some mentally deranged child. Then AJ comes out and the fans chant yes. Then AJ slaps Vickie. Then she pounds on her and Vickie bails. AJ is in the ring with her whack job look on her face. What was the point of this segment? This was useless. Also I couldn’t believe that the fans were chanting yes when AJ came out!

Michael Cole says that will be showing clips of Triple H throughout the night (Really, though out the whole night of the show?). They show some DX clips.    

They show Daniel Bryan attending anger management classes. He says he doesn’t have anger management issues. Then some kid with a goat mask comes in and Daniel says no. He asks if the Doc set this up. Then he screams at the kid to take the mask off. The kid does and it turns out to be the doctor’s son. He is playing a goat in his school play. Then the doc tells his son that Daniel needs help. This was really idiotic!! Why are they having Daniel in these stupid anger management sessions!?

Cole again asks Lawler if he will face Punk. Lawler gets in the ring. He mention that that the Memphis no names were Jessie Ventura, Harley Race, etc. Lawler says he doesn’t know how long Punk would’ve lasted in Memphis. Then Lawler mentions the other comments Punk made. Lawler also says that he has a lot of respect for Andy Kaufman Lawler then says that you don’t get in the WWE Hall of Fame unless you stand up to some one when you’re challenged. Lawler says that he isn’t the best in the world but Punk isn’t either. Then Lawler says he’s never backed down from a challenge and isn’t going to start now. He accepts Punk’s challenge and headed to the back. I thought Lawler cut a good promo here.

John Cena vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz. Cena gets the pin. This was a solid match. No surprise Cena won though.

The show a graphic with the choice of stipulations that the fans can vote for. The options are Tables match, Steel cage and No DQ.

They show more Triple H clips.

Back to Daniel Bryan in anger management. Some guy complains about his boss getting the credit for everything he does. Daniel says his boss left him at the Alter on live TV. Then she put him against her boy toy monster Kane. He says it couldn’t be any worse. Then the doctor got a text message saying the final patient has arrived. Of course it’s Kane. Daniels screams no again and says this is what he has to put up with. This was just as awful as the first segment.

Heath Slater TOUT mentioning that he beat Sin Cara on Smackdown and that his winning streak will continue.

Santino Marella vs. Heath Slater. Santino gets the pin. Santino gets the “cobra” out. Then cue Aksana’s music. She comes out. The “cobra” gets distracted but Santino manages to hit Slater with it for the pin. This was really idiotic! This whole bit the “cobra” being real and having it be “smitten” with Aksana is painfully stupid!! Not funny in the least!!

Brodus Clay comes out and does his bit. Then out comes Sin Cara. This is a weird team.

Then Damien Sandow comes out. He says that he has experienced a miracle. He has finally found someone that he can have an intelligent conversation with. Out comes Cody Rhodes. Cody says that Brodus has the girth of most of the fans and Sin Cara has their hideous looks. Then he says that at least Sin Cara is considerate enough to wear a mask. For now.

Brodus Clay & Sin Cara vs. Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes. Brodus & Sin Cara win when Brodus pins Cody. This was a decent match. Afterwards Brodus does his bit and has kids come in the ring.

Back to Kane & Daniel Bryan at anger management. The doctor asks Kane if would feel more comfortable if he took his mask off. The guy asks Kane what makes him angry. Daniel says this is a bad idea. Kane talks about being locked in a basement and that he suffered emotional scars because Undertaker “killed” their parents. He mentions that he buried Taker alive twice. He brings up setting JR on fire, electrocuting Shane’s genitals, Katie Vick, etc. All the crappy segments he was booked in. He also says that he has an obsession with torturing Pete Rose. Then the doctor says that he wants the group to make a collage for the next session. Daniel protests. Then the guy who was complaining earlier thanks Kane for sharing his story. Kane grabs the guy by throat and tells him no problem. UGH! These bits are painful!!  

More Triple H clips.

WWE Tag Team Champion R-Truth vs. Daniel Bryan. Truth wins by count out Truth got the mic and tells “Little Jimmy” he knows they’re in Milwaukee (When they were there a few years ago Truth said Green Bay). Then he chanted yes. Then Daniel got the mic and screamed no as the fans screamed yes. That caused Daniel to get counted out. Then Daniel kicks the steel steps. Then he gets back in the ring and continues screaming no. This was awful too! What is with WWE!? The fans get behind Daniel Bryan but they aren’t supposed to because he’s a heel. So Vince takes the yes chant that got him over and has Daniel say that the fans are mocking him and they have him chant no! WWE once again takes a guy’s momentum from him!!

Triple H comes to the ring. His left arm is in a cast. The fans chant Triple H. Finally he says that everyone wants to know if he will retire. The fans chant no. He says that if there’s 1 thing he’s learned about WWE it’s never say never. He says he wanted to step in the ring and do stuff fans will never forget. He also says that he was hoping to retire before the business retired him. Then he says that everybody comes to a crossroad in their career. He says time is something you can’t fight. He never wanted to be the guy that was just hanging out, hung on too long, waiting for the nostalgia pop, or too crippled to hold up his own kids. Then he says that for the first time in his career he finds himself at that crossroad. He says that Brock has made him asks if he is done. He doesn’t know. He’s more tired than ever and broken again. He says he wants to come out to the ring and be the king of kings and the game. He says he wants to tell the fans that he will rise again and kick Brock’s ass because that what he does. He says that what he wants to do but he can’t because he doesn’t know if he can. He says that Lesnar made him look inside himself and ask if he is done. If he can’t comeback and beat Brock then maybe he answered his own question. He says that he can thank the fans. Every person that’s ever gotten in the ring put their health on the line. They pay the price for the fans entertainment. He says that every person stands backstage and right before their music hits they ask themselves if anyone will care when they walk through that curtain. Triple H says that he feels like the fans have cared every time he’s come out. He says that the fans got him through his career and he thanks the fans for letting him play the game. They all gave him a reaction an he will never forget that. He says that hopefully the fans will never forget him. The fans cheer and chant thank you Hunter. Then he does his pose with his good arm. Then he slaps a few fans hands as he walks up the ramp. I thought this was a good promo. I liked that he mentioned how every super star that gets in the ring and does this for a living sacrifice a lot to entertain the fans.  

The lights go out and Chris Jericho’s music hits and Dolph Ziggler comes out doing Jericho’s pose. Dolph says Y2J will not be seen because of him. He says he cost Jericho his WWE contract and now the fans will never ever see Jericho again.

World Champion Sheamus & Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio & Dolph Ziggler. Sheamus & Orton win when Sheamus pins Dolph. This was a solid match. Ricardo gave Dolph the MITB case but Orton gave Dolph a back breaker before he can use it. Then Sheamus hit Dolph with the Brogue Kick for the win.

Jerry Lawler is backstage and is talking to someone. Lawler says that he appreciates this someone being there for him. Then he says that the guy he has to fight Punk on his own. The cameras show that Lawler is talking to John Cena. He tells Cena not to get involved because then Punk will say that Lawler couldn’t beat him without Cena. Lawler says he isn’t doing this for Cena. He’s doing this for himself. Cena wishes Lawler good luck.

Kane comes out and Josh Mathews leaves. Then Kane sits in Josh’s seat for commentary but doesn’t speak. Why have him come out for commentary if he isn’t gonna say anything?   

Zack Ryder vs. David Otunga. Ryder gets the pin. This wasn’t much. Then Kane gets in the ring and grabs Ryder by the throat. Then he choke slams Otunga. This was pointless. I actually thought Kane was going to choke slam both guys.

Josh Mathews is in the ring and it is time to find out what stip the fans picked for the Lawler-Punk match. The match will be in a steel cage.

AJ Lee comes out. She says that regardless of the outcome of tonight’s cage match, Punk will defend the WWE Title at Night of Champions against her choice, John Cena. What was the point of letting Punk pick his opponent and then have AJ say he will face Cena?

Jerry Lawler vs. WWE Champion CM Punk in a steel cage match. Punk wins by submission. This was a solid match. Punk dominated most of this and Lawler got some offense in for a bit. Afterwards Punk gets the mic. Then he looks under the ring and empties a toolbox. Then he gets back in the cage and locks the door with a steel chain. Then Punk gets Lawler in a chin lock. says that Lawler has 1 arm but he knows Lawler’s mouth works just fine. He wants Lawler to say that he is the best in the world. Lawler says hell no. Punk pounds on Lawler and tells to him say it. Then John Cena comes out. He tells the ring crew to raise the cage. Punk knees King in the head and Cena screams to Punk that he’s gone over the line. Then he is the best wrestler in the world. Then they raise the cage and Punk heads up the ramp. Cena checks on Lawler to end the show. This was good. Punk was really good here. This was the “young heel dominates and the old baby face veteran mounts a bit of comeback” match.

I thought this week’s show was a mixed bag overall. The opening promo with Lawler & Punk was good and I liked their cage match too. I thought the match was booked well. The Kane-Daniel Bryan anger management segments were beyond idiotic!! The R-Truth-Daniel Bryan match wasn’t really much. It was just more of Daniel screaming no to the fans. Ryder-Otunga was filler and I knew Kane was gonna go after them. Thankfully AJ was only on the show twice this week and her segments were short. Layla-Natalya was ok but there wasn’t much to it. Sheamus & Orton vs. Del Rio & Dolph was solid. Dolph coming out to Jericho’s entrance music was good too. Triple H’s promo was decent too. Brodus & Sin Cara vs. Damien Sandow & Cody was decent also. Santino-Slater wasn’t much. It was more of a WWE not funny comedy bit. The bit with Santino & the “cobra” is idiotic too. I have no idea why they’re acting like the cobra’s real and it’s has eyes for Aksana. Just plain stupid! Ryback-Swagger wasn’t much either and Cena-Miz was decent but I knew Cena would win. On the whole I thought this week’s show was hit and miss at best.

8-24-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 24, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Randy Orton coming to the ring. He says that he thrives on confrontation. He mentions that Alberto Del Rio said that Orton should mind his own business and that Orton’s win over him was tainted. Orton says, “Too bad.” Then he says that he wants a World Title match and he challenges anyone who has a problem with that to come to the ring. Out comes Sheamus. Sheamus says that Del Rio has blown every chance he’s gotten at the World Title. Sheamus then mentions that both he & Orton beat Del Rio “Fair and square.” Sheamus says that he wants Orton to have a title match. Then Booker T comes to the ring. He asks the fans if they want the match to take place. Then Booker tells Orton that they have to talk about what happened Monday night. Then Del Rio & Ricardo come out. Del Rio complains about what happened to him at SummerSlam & Raw. He says that he wants a rematch for with Sheamus for the title. He calls Sheamus a cheater and says that Orton is a crazy animal. Del Rio then says that he should have been World Champion by now because everyone knows that Sheamus cheated. He then says tells Orton the only reason he beat him is because Sheamus cheated again. Then he says that he filed a protest and is still waiting for an answer. He says there is a conspiracy against him. Del Rio then tells Booker that he is just like Sheamus. He calls Booker a criminal and a cheater. Then Booker tells Orton that he will always be in line for a title shot, but the next guy in line was Del Rio. Till Del Rio came out and ran his mouth. Then Booker gives Del Rio a rematch with Orton and the winner will challenge Sheamus for the World Title at Night of Champions. This was a decent opening segment but this is the same way they set up the WWE Title match for SummerSlam. They’re doing the same stuff in only a month. I thought they all were decent to solid on the mic here though.

Michael Cole is doing commentary by himself and mentions that Josh Mathews isn’t there because of the Kane attack from SummerSlam. They reshow that.

Teddy Long is on commentary. Long tells Cole that there will be a guest commentator for every match this week.

Ryback comes to the ring and says that tonight Jinder Mahal will finally realize his place in the food chain. Then he and the fans chant, “Feed me more.”

Ryback vs. Jinder Mahal. Ryback gets the pin. This was a short match. It looks like that was it for this feud since Ryback got the clean win. What’s next for these guys?

Kaitlyn comes out to do commentary for the next match.

Divas Champion Layla vs. Alicia Fox. Layla gets the pin. This was a decent and short match. I was actually better than I expected. Afterwards Kaitlyn gets in the ring and she & Layla have a stare down. Then they shake hands and then they hug. Then Eve comes out and raises both their hands and they both look confused. I was ok with this.

They recap the John Cena-Jerry Lawler-CM Punk segment from the end of Raw.

They have a backstage segment with Dolph & Vickie. Dolph says that if anyone to talk about the best in the world, they’re talking about him. Vickie says that Dolph was the guy that sent Jericho packing (even though Jericho laid him out!) Dolph says that when it comes right down to it Jericho can’t win the big one (he beat Dolph at SummerSlam). Then Dolph asks what was up with AJ making him put the Money in the Bank case on the line. Then Vickie says that she will take care of AJ and Dolph should concentrate on being the future World Champion. Then Sheamus comes by. He says there’s no time like the present. Sheamus tells Dolph that if he is as good as he says he is then he should cash in the Money in the Bank case tonight. Dolph says that’s not gonna happen. Then Dolph says that when he does cash in it will be on his terms. Then he says that if Sheamus happens to be World Champion when he does Sheamus will never see it coming. Then Teddy Long comes by and tells Sheamus & Dolph that he will advise Booker to make them face each other later. Then Long says that if Dolph is as good as says he is than maybe he will cash, but then again maybe not. Dolph says that it sounds great to him & Vickie. The walk off and Vickie doesn’t look to thrilled. This segment was ok but I don’t get why they’re having the guy who has the Money in the Bank case facing the World Champion in a NON TITLE match!

Cody Rhodes is on commentary for the next match.

Sin Cara vs. Heath Slater. Slater gets the pin. The referee was distracted with Slater and then Cody Rhodes turned Sin Cara’s mask backwards. Then Heath Slater hit a Scorpion death Drop for the win. This was a decent match. Afterwards Cody gets in the ring and kicks Sin Cara for a bit. Then he goes to unmask him but referees come in.

Vickie Guerrero is on commentary for the Sheamus-Dolph match.

World Champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler. Sheamus wins by DQ when Dolph hits him with the Money in the Bank case. Sheamus was going for the Brogue kick. Dolph dropped to the mat. Then Vickie handed Dolph the case and then he hit Sheamus with it. Afterwards Dolph hit Sheamus again. Then Dolph hinted that he was going to cash in but the referee took too long and Sheamus recovered so Dolph bailed. I thought the match was good and the post match stuff was ok too.  

They show a Wade Barrett video package. These have been really good. I’m hoping they make him a credible heel when he returns!

Santino Marella comes to the ring. He says that he was U.S. Champion 166 days. Then he says that he’s finding himself becoming less American and doesn’t like that. Then he says that he couldn’t even remember how apple pie tastes, so he had one. But that isn’t the point. The point is that he feels like he let everyone down when he lost the U.S. Title to Cesaro. Then he says that fans have been asking him if he and “cobra” are still on the same page. He says, “Lets find out right now.” He pulls out the “cobra” and he talks to it and says that because it was “distracted” by Aksana it cost “them” the U.S. Title. UGH! Santino tells his puppet that he’s not mad at him. Then he says that it’s not about how often you fall but about how often you get back up. Then he says he would like to quote the famous Italian American actor Robert DiNero. He says a line that another actor said. Then he says he would like to quote the other famous Italian American Rocky Balboa. Then he says the line from the end of Rock 4. He sees that his puppet is all psyched and that’s the cobra he loves. I’m not loving this promo. He tells the “cobra” that he believes in it and that together they can once again become U.S. Champion. (Who writes this garbage?) Then out come the new U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro & Aksana. Cesaro says winner in the same 5 languages (I’m tired of that bit). Then Cesaro says that he is a winner. Then Santino heads up the stage and goes after Cesaro but Aksana distracts the “cobra” (I can’t make this crap up). Then Cesaro lays out Santino. This was really idiotic! Why are they acting like a cobra sock puppet is real when Santino himself said that it isn’t a real cobra!? This is just as stupid as invisible Little Jimmy!

Backstage Del Rio yells at Ricardo again.

The Primetime Players are on commentary for the next match.

WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Primo & Epico. Kofi & Truth win when Truth when he pins Primo. This was a decent match. The match turned into a brawl. Primo went for the back stabber on Truth but Truth held on to the ropes. Then Truth hit his finisher for the 3 count.

They show a video package of a Smackdown World Tour.

Backstage Matt Striker interviews Kofi & Truth. He asks them now they beat The Primetime Players and Primo & Epico who do they see as their next challengers. Kofi says that’s not up to them but he & Truth are willing to take on all comers. Then Truth says that “Little Jimmy” said that there’s a lot of talent in the locker room to deserve a title shot. Truth says they don’t worry about competition. Competition worries about them. Then the Primetime Players show on rag on “Little Jimmy.” Then Titus says that “Little Jimmy” isn’t real just like Kofi & Truth aren’t the real tag team champions. Then he says that they’ll the titles and you know what’s gonna happen after that. Then they do their millions of dollars bit. Then The Usos come in and say they deserve a tag title match. Then in come Primo & Epico. They say that beat the Primetime Players and one of the other teams and that they should get the next shot at the titles. Then in come Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd and then all 5 teams brawl. I thought this was decent. I haven’t seen the tag titles have this much meaning in awhile. This will probably be the only time they focus on those. The brawl was good though.

Booker’s in his office and talking on his phone saying that he’s got something taken care of. Then Teddy Long comes in and tells Booker that the referees broke up the tag team brawl. Then they discuss what to do about the tag title situation and try to decide who should challenge for the titles next. Then Eve comes in and with a win-loss record for each team. She also shows Booker that she has organized his schedule. Booker puts her over and she then she pretends she never saw Long standing there. This was decent.

They show a video package of Kane-Daniel Bryan storyline.  

They reshow the Paul Heyman-Brock Lesnar promo from Monday and they also show still shots of Lesnar breaking Triple H’s arm.

Then they replay the Shawn Michaels promo from Raw.

Sheamus is on commentary for the main event.

Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio in a World Title number 1 contenders match. Del Rio wins by submission. At least they didn’t have the match go to a no finish and have both guys face Sheamus at Night of Champions. Orton was going for an RKO but Del Rio held on to the ropes. Then he locked Orton in the cross arm breaker for the win. Then Ricardo gets in the ring to celebrate with Del Rio but Del Rio shoves him down. Del Rio takes Ricardo’s shoe off and throws at Sheamus. Then Sheamus gets in the ring and he & Del Rio brawl. Ricardo jumps on Sheamus and Sheamus throws him off. The Del Rio gives Sheamus a roundhouse kick. Then Ricardo gives Del Rio his other shoe and he hits Sheamus with it knocking him cold. Then as Del Rio & Ricardo are headed up the ramp Dolph comes out and goes to cash in the Money in the Bank case again but Orton gives him an RKO. Then Del Rio & Sheamus have a stare down while Orton looks on to end the show. They once again made Dolph look like a chump. There’re not too many heels that actually have any credibility in WWE these days! The match was good and I was ok with the post match stuff right up till Orton gave Dolph the RKO.

This week’s show had its ups and downs for sure. The opening segment that set up the Orton-Del Rio match was the same as how they set up Cena-Big Show. The Orton-Del Rio match was good and they had Del Rio win. I have a feeling though that Randy Orton will get in there some how. They made Dolph look like a loser AGAIN! I don’t why they feel the need to bury all the time! I was ok with the Booker-Teddy Long-Eve segment backstage. I’m hoping they don’t turn Long heel though since Booker was impressed with Eve’s abilities. Ryback-Jinder was meaningless and I’m guessing that’s the end of this feud since Ryback got the clean pin. The tag match was solid and I enjoyed the brawl backstage with all 5 tag teams. Layla-Alicia Fox was ok too. The Santino talking to his cobra bit was really idiotic! Him saying he doesn’t feel like an American was lame. I’m also tired of Cesaro saying a word in 5 languages too! Sheamus-Dolph was good too. I wasn’t really into having the guy with the Money in the Bank case face the World Champion in a non title match but the in ring action was good. Overall I thought this was a mediocre show.

8-23-12 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 23, 2012 episode of Impact

They start the show with Aces and 8s riding into the building.

The actual show starts with Sting, Kurt Angle, Austin Aries, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Ken Anderson, Robbie E, Rob Terry, Gunner, Devon & Bully Ray coming to the ring. Sting says he told security to leave the gate wide open for Aces & 8s. Sting says they’re ready to fight and there’s a list of victims and they’ll remember the victims. They show still shots of the stable attacking the Hogans, James Storm and The Pope. Sting says these men right here are set to fight and so are the victims. Sting says that there was 1 victim who has now had the cloud of doubt removed from him. That being James Storm. Storm comes to the ring. Storm says if was on the other side of the fence he would’ve believed the accusations too. Then Storm says how about they turn this wrestling show into an ass whipping show tonight. Sting says when Aces & 8s decided to intimidate Brooke they pissed of Hulk. Sting says that Hulk is here and asks Aces & 8s where they are. 2 Aces & 8s guys come in threw the crowd. Sting tells security to let them come in. They get in the ring and the TNA roster pounds on them. They unmask 1 of the guys and Sting says he knows there’re more. Sting puts the mic to the guy’s mouth. The guy says that he is patched in and that the TNA guys are all in for a long painful night. Then Sting hits him in the gut and Angle kicks him out of the ring. This was a good way to start the show.

Brooke Tessmacher comes to the ring. She thanks Brooke Hogan for righting the wrong from Hardcore Justice last week. She says tonight isn’t about the Knockouts Title. It’s personal. She says she looks in the mirror and asks if she can beat her mentor and best friend. She calls out Tara. Then out comes Taryn Terrell to referee the match. Is she going to be the referee for all the knockouts matches?

Knockouts Champion Brooke Tessmacher vs. Tara. Tara gets the pin. This was a solid match. Afterwards they hug.

They reshow Aces & 8s attacking The Pope from Hardcore Justice. Tenay says that Pope is sidelined with an injured shoulder.

Sting is the office with RVD, AJ Styles, Robbie E & Rob Terry. He mentions Pope being out of the BFG series and that RVD, AJ & Robbie E were each supposed to have singles matches with him. Then he tells them that they will be in a 3 way match and Rob Terry is barred from ringside.

Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles vs. Robbie E in a Bound for Glory Series match. Robbie E wins for 7 more points when he pins RVD. This was a good match. RVD gave AJ a 5 Star Frog Splash. Both RVD & AJ were laying on the mat. Then Robbie covered RVD for the pin.

Jeff Hardy comes to the ring. He says this will not be a BFG series match. He calls out Rob Terry.

Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Terry. Jeff gets the pin. This was a short match.

Kazarian & Daniels are backstage. Daniels says that AJ thinks all the answers will be revealed tonight but not all the questions have been asked.

Sting is backstage telling Aces & 8s he’s easy to find. He says he will deal them the dead man’s hand.

They recap the AJ-Claire idiocy!

JB is in the ring. He says it’s time to reveal the results of AJ Styles’ paternity test. AJ comes to the ring. He says he’s sorry to his friends, fans who had to put up with this crap (boy is he right with that) and he’s sorry for his family. He says there’s a night he can’t remember but something happened with Claire. AJ says if he is the dad he will accept responsibility for the kid. However, if the kid’s not his he doesn’t want Daniels or Kazarian to say another word to him. Then JB introduces Claire Lynch but out come Daniels & Kazarian. Kazarian says that AJ is more concerned with protecting the AJ Styles brand then his family. Kazarian rambles on. Then he says that AJ has only been concerned about the phenomenal one, but starting now AJ needs to be concerned with the little one. Daniels says that Claire has come out in a vulnerable state and has asked AJ if he will do the right thing and he turned his back on her. Daniels says that Claire isn’t there. She’s in a Florida hospital. Daniels then says that he knows he and his fans wish her the speediest recovery. Daniels asks AJ if this was worth the aggravation he put Claire through. Then some woman comes to the ring. She’s Claire’s attorney and has been authorized to read the following statement. She reads that in January 2012 Claire was approached by Daniels & Kazarian to blackmail AJ. She says that Claire placed a sedative into AJ’s drink to knock him unconscious. She says that Claire hasn’t been pregnant. This was also part of the plan to screw up AJ’s life. Now she regrets it and hopes AJ and his family forgive her and that AJ is always the man everyone’s known him to be. Then AJ goes after Kazarian & Daniels and the bail. So the whole thing was a set up to blackmail AJ!? Terrible!! Most of what was said isn’t even worth recapping! This was absolutely painful!! Hopefully this is the end of this crap!!

They show a video package on Gut Check contestant Chris Lewie. He says that that wrestling was the first thing that he was proud to do in his life. He says that he was blessed to get the call from Al Snow to get the chance to be in TNA. He says that this is a fight and he is going to get the contract.

Aces & 8s are backstage and Sting shows up. Sting has a deck of cards and mentions a game of 52 pick up. Then he gets his bat. Then Sting & Hulk attack them. Hulk tells them if they ever look at his daughter again he’ll cut their hearts out and feed them to his dog. Then he Hulk growls. Sting says that Hollywood is back and it’s show time. This was really weird. Hogan growling was kinda funny though.

They have a video package on Alex Silva. He says that when he got the chance to be in TNA it didn’t feel real. Then he says that he will not stop till he achieves his goal. Good promo from Silva here.

JB is in the ring and says it’s time for Chris Lewie’s match. Out comes Gunner.

Chris Lewie vs. Gunner. Gunner gets the pin. This was a decent but short match. I’m not sure why they always have the Gut Check contestants lose.

ODB is on her phone asking Eric Young where he’s been. She says to bring her fried chicken.

Ken Anderson comes to the ring. He says that tonight is his final BFG Series match and that he’s saved the toughest and meanest guy for last. Bully Ray.

Ken Anderson vs. Bully Ray in a Bound for Glory Series match. Anderson gets the pin for 7 more points. This was a good match too. During the match the showed backstage and the TNA roster lay out more Aces & 8s guys.

The head Aces & 8s guy says that in about 3 and a half minutes Aces & 8s will deal out the dead man’s hand.

Sting and company make their way to the ring. Sting says that he’s calling them out. No more disappointments. “The victims are ready. Calling out Aces and 8s.” The fans chant for Hogan. Sting says maybe they should do an Aces & 8s chant. Then Aces & 8s come out and the brawl starts. The TNA guys beat the crap out of Aces & 8s. Some of them brawl into the crowed too. Then they show Hulk Hogan backstage. He & James Storm are beating down other Aces & 8s guys. There’s a lot happening here. Back in the ring Aries, Jeff Hardy & RVD are beating down more guys. Then a guy clotheslines Aries. Then Aces & 8s bring in a guardrail and a chair. They sit him in a corner and put the guardrail on the turnbuckle. Then they hold Aries to the guard rail and hit him in the arm with a chair. Then Bully Ray comes out and runs the Aces & 8s. guys off. Then Aces & 8s ride out of the building to end the show. This was really entertaining.

I thought this was a solid show overall this week. The opening segment was good and I enjoyed the brawl at the end. Most of the matches on the show were decent to good also. I liked the 3 Way and the Anderson-Ray matches the best. Tessmacher-Tara was solid too. The AJ-Kazarian-Daniels segment was painful. I’m hoping to God they end this!  Lewie-Gunner & Jeff Hardy-Rob Terry were both short. The backstage segment with Sting & Hogan attacking Aces & 8s was ok too but Hogan growling was weird and kinda funny. Overall I thought this was a solid to good show.

8-20-12 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 20, 2012 episode of Raw

 The show starts with Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman coming to the ring. Heyman says he understands how the fans feel because last night when Lesnar faced Triple H it was a most uncomfortable match to watch. Heyman says that he sat at the announcers table 11 years ago and saw Triple H tear his quad and Triple H finished that fight. He says that a torn quad couldn’t stop Triple H but Brock could. Heyman mentions that Brock made Triple H tap. He says that means Brock made Triple H quit on his own family, company, friends, fans and the fans. Heyman says that Brock made Triple H suffer and forced him to the canvas and left him a beaten battered shell of a former man. Heyman says he doesn’t feel sorry for Triple H and neither should the fans. Heyman says this was a fight that Triple H picked and told the referee that he wanted it to be a fight to the finish. Heyman says it wasn’t the finish Triple H was looking for. Then Heyman asks Scott Armstrong to come to the ring because Brock wanted to talk to him. Heyman says Armstrong is being paged by Lesnar. Armstrong comes out. Heyman says Lesnar would like to speak with him. Armstrong reluctantly gets in the ring. Heyman mentions that Triple H told Armstrong that the match was going to be a fight to the finish. Heyman says that last night Brock had 2 words for Triple H. Tap Out. Then Heyman says that Lesnar has 2 words for Armstrong. Lesnar pats the referee on the head and says, “Good job.” Heyman says that Brock Lesnar is the new king of kings and the conqueror of the WWE Universe. This means that the fans are now subjects to the new lord and master of WWE, Brock Lesnar. This was a really good way to start the show. Paul Heyman cut a great promo as always!

Time for a TOUT for CM Punk. He says that tonight he will pick his next opponent since he had to defend the WWE Title twice last night.

They showed wwe.com interview with Kofi. He talked what a great match they had. Then R-Truth come in and pours Gatorade on “Little Jimmy.”

WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (who came out with brawling buddies) and Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes, & The Primetime Players. Truth, Kofi & Cara win when Cara pins Cody. This was a solid match. Cody attempted to pull Sin Cara’s mask off again. That led to Cara pinning him.

Matt Striker interviews AJ Lee. Enter the returning David Otunga. He says that AJ might need some Harvard educated legal council. He says he will file a law suit in the blink of an eye if anyone calls her crazy. AJ gets the flipping out look from hearing “crazy.” AJ tells him to offer his services in the ring tonight against an opponent of her choosing. Then Striker mention Punk’s TOUT. AJ says she likes it and that Punk can chose whoever he wants. Pending her approval. She skips off. This wasn’t much. The AJ character is now in super overkill mode!

Ryback vs. Mike Spinner & Andy Tavares. Ryback wins by DQ when Jinder Mahal comes in. Jinder locks Ryback in the Camel Clutch but Ryback powers out and nails a sit out stunner. Jinder rolls out of the ring. Then Ryback picks up the 2 jobbers and gives them the marching double Samoan drop. Then Ryback & Jinder jaw jack. This was pointless.

Chris Jericho is backstage and Dolph Ziggler comes by. He says that Jericho finally won the big one and says they need a rematch tonight. Jericho says he knows how to win the big one, but does Dolph. AJ skips in and she grants the rematch. Then she says that if Jericho loses his contract is terminated and if Dolph loses, the Money in the Bank case goes to Jericho. This was strange. They’re once again saying that Dolph can’t win a match and they’re cramming the AJ character down the fans throats. They’re also giving us a rematch ON FREE TV the night after SummerSlam!!

Alberto Del Rio is walking backstage and knocks Ricardo’s phone out of his hand.

Alberto Del Rio comes to the ring. He says he should be standing in front of all the peasants as the new World Champion. He says that last night he got robbed by the referee & by Sheamus. Then they show a still shot of Del Rio’s foot on the rope. Del Rio says he’s not going to stand around and not do anything. He demands another World Title match with Sheamus right now. Cue AJ’s music and she comes out. She says that she has no authority over the World Title seen, but she can put him in a match right now. She says this match will give Booker T to consider as to whether Alberto will get a World Title rematch. She says to say hello to this man. Cue Randy Orton’s music and he comes out. This was awful! There is WAY too much AJ on this show! Also the referee for the World Title match admitted he messed up. So why does AJ have to book Del Rio in a match just so Booker T can decide if Del Rio gets another World Title match!?

Back from break and before the next match starts Sheamus comes out for commentary.

Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio. Orton gets the pin. This was a solid match. Ricardo got on the apron and Sheamus rand Ricardo off. Orton looked at Sheamus and then Del Rio gave Orton a back stabber. He went for the pin and Sheamus put Orton’s foot on the rope at 2. This distracted Del Rio and then Orton hit the RKO for pin. The match was solid but a little overbooked.

They show a wwe.com interview with CM Punk. He says that there was no controversy. The controversy is that he had to someone twice. He says that he mad Big Show tap out but then he had to beat him again. Punk says that AJ doesn’t want him to be champion. Then he says that he has been champion for 9 months and like it or not everyone needs to respect it.

They show a TOUT from Antonio Cesaro & Aksana celebrating his U.S. Title win.

They show a video package recapping the SummerSlam Fan Fest.

Brodus Clay comes to the ring and does his bit. Then they reshow Damien Sandow attacking Brodus’ leg from 2 weeks ago.

Brodus Clay vs. Damien Sandow. Sandow gets the pin. This wasn’t much. Brodus dominated most of the match. Then he missed a splash in the corner and Sandow rolled him up for the pin. Afterwards Brodus gave Sandow a T-Bone Suplex followed by a big splash. Then Brodus does his bit again. This was idiotic.

They show Shawn Michaels “at his ranch” with his arm in a cast. We’ll hear from him next.

Time to hear from Shawn Michaels. Cole asks for Shawn’s thoughts on Triple H’s career possibly being over. Michaels says he thinks he knows what’s going through Hunter’s head. Shawn says that you can prepare for the end of you’re a career. You can say the end is near. You can do everything that people say you should do, but there’s nothing that prepares you when that day just comes right at you. He says that it happens in front of thousands of people and millions on PPV. He says he knows what Hunter’s feeling and that last night could have been the end of a great career. Shawn says Hunter’s a man of honor and integrity. Something Brock & Heyman wouldn’t know about. He says that Triple H gave everything he had because that’s the kind of guy he is. Shawn then says that him being around was a distraction for Triple H. Then he mentions that he told Hunter that he knew where his heart was, but he didn’t tell him the truth. He says it isn’t easy to look your friend in the eye and tell them that you think it’s over and time has run its course. Shawn says Hunter has nothing to be ashamed of and is 1 of the greatest super stars to ever live. Shawn says that he will always respect and he and all the will always love him. Then Shawn says on behalf of the fans, “Thank you for a job well done.” This was a good promo. I thought Michaels did a good job here selling the possibility of Triple H’s career being over.

Time for David Otunga to have his return match. He will face Big Show.

Big Show vs. David Otunga. Big Show gets the pin. This was a squash.

They show a wwe.com interview with Big Show. He says that the title match was a handicap match. He says he got double teamed. Show asks when he is going to get a 1 on 1 match.

Kane & Zack Ryder vs. Daniel Bryan & Intercontinental Champion The Miz. The match ended in a no Daniel Bryan hopped over the barrier and ran away through the crowed. Miz left too. Then Kane choke slammed Ryder. Then Kane took the time keeper and threw him into the barrier. Then Kane got back in the ring and gave Ryder a Tombstone. 

Time for a wwe.com interview with John Cena. The guy asks him if Punk is the best in the world. Cena says that he hasn’t seen like this during his time in WWE. He doesn’t blame the referee and says that he will get Punk tomorrow.  

Matt Striker interviews CM Punk. Punk says he is still champion but now the next question is who will he face now. He thanks AJ for letting him pick his opponent. He picks John Cena. He says that he commands respect when he walks into a room and tonight he will demand respect from Cena.

Divas Battle Royal for a Divas Title match. Layla watches from ringside. In the Battle Royal are Eve Torres, Natalya, Tamina Snuka, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendez, Aksana & Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn wins. That was surprising. This was terrible. The Divas division is totally meaningless. I was surprised that they had Kaitlyn win however. Will WWE even if remember about this?

They show a Brock Lesnar TOUT. He says there’s nothing left for him to conquer. He says he’s leaving WWE and is never coming back.

They show a Wade Barrett video package.

Vickie Guerrero is backstage. She tells Dolph that he has to win for her. Dolph says he might never get another World Title match if he loses the Money in the Bank case. He says this is the biggest match of his life. Vickie keeps screaming that they have to win. Dolph says they will win. This was kind of weak.

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler. Dolph gets the pin. This was a really good match. I knew Dolph would win this since Jericho will be going on tour with his Fozzy band. Afterwards Jericho snatches the MITB case and hits Dolph with it. Then he gave Dolph a Code Breaker. Dolph wins and they STILL BURY HIM!! What is wrong with this company!?

CM Punk comes to the ring. He goes to the announce table and says he saw Lawler sitting there. He says that after defending his title at SummerSlam he was gonna talk about his next opponent and then he remembered that Lawler said that Punk turned his back on the fans. Punk tells Lawler to admit that isn’t true. Lawler says at the time he thought Punk did. Then Punk asks him to have the respect to apologize to him. Then John Cena comes out. Punk gets back in the ring. Punks says that Cena heard him earlier saying he was going to call him out but Cena had to come out and steel the spot light. Punk says that since WrestleMania he’s been taking a back seat to Cena, Triple H and Dwayne. He says he has out of respect. Then he says that respect is a 2 way street. He says he is the WWE Champion and that fans ask him why he isn’t in the main event. Punk says his match is always the main event and that he lets Cena go on last out of respect. Then Punk mentions last year’s MITB & SummerSlam and how he beat Cena at those shows. Then Punk mentions that he beat Cena last night (even though he pinned Big Show). Punk says that he will beat Cena again. He says that all the times Punk has beaten him it hasn’t matters. Punk says everywhere he goes he sees the C-Nation. Punk says Cena can challenge Punk for the title at Night of Champions if Cena admits that Punk is the best in the world. Cena says that Punk has been champion for 9 months, which means that’s how long he hasn’t been champion. Cena says that through all the ups and downs their relationship is built out of 1 word. Not champion but the word Punk has been mentioning, respect. Then Cena that his merchandise represents who he is. Cena says he isn’t going to call Punk the best in the world because he Cena has to believe that he is. He says he believes in the fans and wants the fans to believe in him. He mentions that he believed he’d beat Rock. Cena says that he champion for 380 days and never demanded anything from anyone. Cena says that Punk has been champion for 274 and all the fans remember is that Punk blew a kiss to Vince when he left town. Cena says he’s not her to stoke Punk’s ego. Cena says that Punk can pick whoever he wants to defend the title against but it won’t be him. Then Cena mentions that Night of Champions is in his hometown. Cena says that if Punk beats Cena in Cena’s hometown that will defy his existence. Cena tells Punk not to demand respect from the fans. Then he says if Punk doesn’t pick Cena to defend the title against at Night of Champions then Punk has no respect for himself or for the title. Then Cena walks up the ramp. Punk then turns to Lawler and tells him to come in the ring apologize to Punk. Lawler gets in the ring. Punk says Lawler went a bit too far and owes Punk an apology. Lawler says this is a misunderstanding but he apologizes. Punk says he’s not finished. He says if Cena won’t say Punk is the best in the world he wants Lawler to say it. Lawler says he has spent a lot of years at that announce table. Punk tells him to tell the fans what they know. Punk again tells Lawler to say that Punk is the best in the world. Lawler says he can’t say that. Then Punk gives him a roundhouse kick. Then Punk gets the belt and kneels over Lawler and looking at the fans to end the show. This was really long. I thought Punk’s promo was good and Cena was ok here too but this was a really long winded segment!

I thought this was really weak show overall. It just seemed to drag on. Paul Heyman’s promo at the start of the show great and I enjoyed the Jericho-Dolph match too. However I hated that they had Jericho lay out Dolph. Why do they feel the need to bury the guy!? The AJ character is really old too! Orton-Del Rio was solid but a little bit over booked. The 6 man tag was solid. The Divas battle Royal was crap. The Cena-Punk promo was decent but was too long. On the whole I thought the show was long and dragged on a lot.

8-17-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 17, 2012 episode of Smackdown

They started the show with a video package recapping the Sheamus-Alberto Del Rio feud.

The actual show starts with Del Rio & Ricardo coming out. Del Rio says that he wants his World Title match back now. Del Rio says that peasant Sheamus took his car and it can’t be fixed. Del Rio says that Sheamus gets rewarded. He asks what kind of Champion Sheamus is because he complains and cries to Booker T so he can get out of the World Title match. Then he asks what kind of GM Booker T is for agreeing to Sheamus’ demands. Del Rio then says that he is the number 1 contender. He says he’s not leaving the till he gets his World Title match at SummerSlam reinstated. Then Booker T comes out. He says that ever since he became GM Alberto has been a thorn in his side. He asks Del Rio what his problem is. Del Rio says he doesn’t care. Sheamus messed with his property and he made Sheamus pay. Del Rio that’s what a real man does. Booker tells Del Rio that he’s not a man. He tells Del Rio that a man doesn’t hire 5 henchmen and dress them up like cops to beat down 1 guy. Booker says that Del Rio stepped across his boundaries. Booker says that’s not going down here on Smackdown. Del Rio then asks Booker who he thinks he is to take what is his. Del Rio says that he earned the right to be the number 1 contender a long time ago. Then Del Rio says that he spoke to his lawyers. Then out comes Chris Jericho. He tells Del Rio to shut up. He says that no one cares about Del Rio’s lawyers, his fancy cars, his shiny shoes, or his whining and complaining. Del Rio says something in Spanish. Then he asks Jericho who he thinks he is. Jericho responds by saying something to Del Rio in Spanish. Del Rio says that’s not funny and tells Jericho not to cross the line. Then Jericho translates what he said and that was that Del Rio’s breath smells like dog crap (Common, does every baby face have to talk like Cena?) Del Rio asks Jericho what he wants. Jericho says that he has a proposition of his own. He says that since Del Rio isn’t getting a title match at SummerSlam then maybe after Jericho beats Dolph at SummerSlam he will take Del Rio’s spot and challenge Sheamus and win the ultimate big one and become the next World Champion. Del Rio says that already saw 1 “gringo peasant” steel his car and that he won’t let another “gringo” steel his World Title match. Then Booker says that Sheamus will not be competing at SummerSlam. Then Booker says that Jericho & Del Rio will face each other tonight. This segment was decent.

Before the next match starts Cody Rhodes comes out with a mic and says that last week he attempted the unthinkable. He tried to unmask Sin Cara and expose the abomination that is his actual face. (Who hasn’t attempted to pull a guy’s mask off?). Cody says that tonight he needs to ask that all small children who are prone to nightmares and elderly people with heart conditions to avert their eyes. He says that this week he has that he has pulled through various eye witness actions actual accounts and he is now able to provide the fans with the help of professional artist this rendition of Sin Cara unmasked. They show some weird painting on the Tron. Then Cody says, “Ugly as sin.” This was a complete waste! Why do they feel the need to have a heel say that a face wrestler wears a mask because he’s ugly? That is really idiotic!

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes & Intercontinental Champion The Miz. Rey & Cara win when Rey pins Cody. This was a solid match. Cody once again tried to unmask Sin Cara and then Rey got Cody with a 619. Afterwards Miz took a swing at Rey with the Intercontinental Title. Rey got out of the way and Miz fell into the ropes. Then Rey gave Miz a 619 too. Then Rey posed with the Intercontinental Title.

Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins come to the ring for their match They come out in suits. Then they do some kind of stupid dancing and rip their suits off. This was idiotic!  

2 unnamed guys vs. Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins. Reks & Hawkins win when Reks pins one of the guys. This was a meaningless match. It felt like something from the old Superstars or Wrestling Challenge shows.

They show a video package recapping the WWE Title picture.

Eve is walking backstage and William Regal wishes her luck in her match with Kaitlyn. She says she doesn’t need luck. Regal there was time when he was in charge of Raw. He says he was the most powerful entity in WWE. He thought he was unstoppable. Then he wishes her luck again but to also remember that power can be very fleeting. Then some woman comes by and gives Regal trash bags to take out. Then Regal says to Eve that work’s work. This was ok. Regal’s promo was good but I wasn’t into the stagehand coming in and giving him the trash.

They show a Wade Barrett video package. These are really good.

Teddy Long is at ringside for the next match.

Kaitlyn vs. Eve Torres, the winner becomes Booker T’s assistant. Eve gets the pin. So a heel will be the assistant to a face GM. Afterwards Eve taunts Teddy Long. This was decent but short.

Booker T is in his office texting. Then Eve comes in. He congratulates her and shakes her hand. Then Eve says that she knows she’s Booker’s assistant but she has so many ideas that she wants to bring to the table and improve Smackdown. She says that she learned so much by being with Johnny Ace. Then Booker mentions that Teddy Long & Eve have some history. He asks if they’ll manage to get along. She says absolutely. The past is the past and she’s all about the future. She says that she & Long will be great together. Booker welcomes her aboard. This was ok. 

Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan. Orton gets the pin. Daniel had Orton in the No Lock, then Kane’s pyro went off and Daniel jumped out of the ring. Kane never came out. Then Daniel got back in the ring and Orton gave him an RKO for the 3 count. Afterwards Kane shows up on the stage. The match was good but the jobbed out Daniel again! First he loses cleanly to Cena to weeks in a row and now he gets pinned by Orton!

Santino Marella is on commentary.

Antonio Cesaro & Aksana come to the ring. Cesaro does his usual speaking in the same 5 languages bit. This week’s word was loser.

Zack Ryder vs. Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro gets the pin. This was a squash. Afterwards Cesaro smacks Santino. Santino goes after him and then Cesaro pushes Santino over the announce table.

They show a video package recapping the Triple H-Brock Lesnar feud.

Michael Cole mentions that Michaels has a broken arm and will not be at SummerSlam.

Ricardo does the introduction for Alberto Del Rio.

Chris Jericho is on his way to the ring and Dolph attacks him. Dolph screams that Jericho can’t win the big one and shouldn’t overlook him. Then Booker T comes in and tells Dolph to split. Booker & referees check on Jericho and then Booker calls for medics.

Back in the ring Del Rio says it looks like Jericho can’t compete tonight so the winner is and he has Ricardo announce him the winner by forfeit. Then Del Rio calls out Booker T so he can reinstate the World Title match for SummerSlam. Then Jericho comes out for the match.

Chris Jericho vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio gets the pin with assistance from Dolph. Jericho had Del Rio in the walls, but Del Rio shoved him into the ropes and Dolph yanked down the top rope. Then he threw Jericho back in the ring. Then Del Rio kicked Jericho in the head for the win. This was a good match.

Afterwards Del Rio locks Jericho in the cross arm breaker and Dolph trash talks Jericho. Then Sheamus come to the ring and Dolph bails. Then Sheamus pounds on Del Rio. Del Rio fights back a bit and kicks Sheamus in the arm. Then Del Rio picks Sheamus up but Sheamus fights back and they both fall to the floor. Then before Sheamus could get to Del Rio, Del Rio hopped over the ring barrier into the crowd.

Then Booker T comes out on the stage and asks Sheamus why he is out there. Sheamus tells Booker to reinstate the World Title match with Del Rio. Booker says that Sheamus is talking with his heart. Then he says that Sheamus’ arm is injured. Sheamus says his arm will have to have his arm ripped off his body and even that won’t stop him from competing. Sheamus again asks Booker to reinstate the match. Booker tells Sheamus that if he does the match will be for the World Title. Sheamus says that the only person who wants this match more than Del Rio is him. Then ha asks Booker one more time to reinstate the match. Booker reluctantly agrees. Then Del Rio comes back out and brawls with Sheamus some more. Del Rio & Ricardo watch from the crowd. Del Rio applauds while Sheamus stands in the ring to end the show. This was a solid build to the match.

I thought this was a solid show overall. SummerSlam is clearly going to be all about Triple H & Brock Lesnar but I thought they did a decent job building to the World Title & Jericho-Dolph matches. The opening segment was decent and I though the Jericho-Del Rio match was good too. Orton-Bryan was good too but I wasn’t into Daniel losing cleanly again. Rey & Cara vs. Cody & Miz was solid too. I’m not into the whole “Cody the heel is obsessed with unmasking Sin Cara” bit. Kaitlyn-Eve wasn’t much. Neither was Ryder-Cesaro. The new gimmick for Reks & Hawkins was idiotic. Regal’s promo backstage with Eve about how he used to be “the guy” in WWE was good but the part with the woman coming in with the trash was just that. On the whole a thought this was a decent show.