11-30-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 30, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with John Cena coming to the ring. He wants the world to know that this is Friday Night Smackdown. (Yeah we already know that). He knows something is mysterious. He tells fans watching home not to adjust their sets. He is John Cena (This is starting out as the typical corny Cena promo). He’s not a Smackdown regular but just like the fans, he is excited about tonight’s main event. Tonight’s main event involves Mr. MITB Dolph Ziggler. There’s a reason he focuses on Dolph. That’s because Dolph is heavily focused on Cena, his business and pointing fingers at him. Tonight Cena points the finger directly back at Dolph. A man whose greatest accomplishment is being World Champion for only 2 minutes. Dolph’s biggest fear is losing his MITB case. Because when that goes so does his identity. It’s been shown that Dolph hides behind the power of Vickie Guerrero yet every week says he’s the show off and says he can run with biggest stars in WWE. That was put to the test on Monday Dolph faced Cena. Of course Dolph lost. For some reason Cena says, “5 day spoiler alert, he lost”. The reason Cena’s here is because Dolph isn’t in a match but a fight. Because in tonight’s main event Dolph has to survive a match with Sheamus. Then out come Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez. Del Rio tells Cena that he shouldn’t be worried about Dolph. Cena should be worried about Del Rio because this is his house and his show. Cena says that Del Rio is wrong. This is a WWE Broadcast, which means that the show belongs to the fans. Then Del Rio gets in the ring and says that Smackdown is his show. He calls Cena a stupid gringo. He reminds Cena that he is a former MITB winner and a former Royal Rumble winner. Then he reminds Cena that he is a former 2 time WWE Champion. Most importantly, the last time they were in the ring Del Rio destroyed him and beat him. Then Del Rio tells Cena to leave his show and his ring (then he snaps his fingers) right now. Cena says he remembers all of that. But he can’t go because he is interested in tonight’s main event. Also Cena figured he would have a match since he is there. He then tells Del Rio that he has match with him now. Then he punches Del Rio. This was a decent opening segment. Cena’s promo was typical Cena at times but I was ok with Del Rio’s promo. The good thing about this segment was that it led to a Cena-Dell Rio match next.

John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio. Cena gets the pin. This was a really good back and forth match, but of course Cena had to win. Afterwards Cena heads up the ramp to the stage. Then out comes Dolph and he hits Cena in the back of the head with the MITB case.

Kane & Daniel Bryan are backstage. They both stare at each other looking pissed off. Then Kofi comes by. He says that he knows Kane & Daniel aren’t going to magically start getting along especially after what happened on Raw. But tonight they have a 6 man tag against Wade Barrett & The Primetime Players. Kane & Daniel have to get on the same page. Kofi asks if they can do that. Daniel doesn’t see why not. His tag team partner is one of the most powerful destructive forces in WWE history. Daniel says that Kane can and will eviscerate anyone who stands in his way. Then Kane says that his partner is  one of the most dangerous submission specialists in WWE history who can and will make men who are twice his size squeal in pain & tap out. Then Kane says, “In other words, the world hasn’t even begun to see just how dangerous and lethal we can be. But they’re about to, starting tonight.” Then Kane says that the answer to Kofi’s question if they can get along is yes. Then they both repeatedly scream yes. This was a decent backstage bit.

Backstage Cena tells Booker about Dolph hitting him in the back. As soon as Dolph get out there for his match, “bam.” Booker tells Cena that he needs to calm down. Cena continues to flip out. Booker knows that Cena is upset. Booker says that he would be too. He needs Cena to do him a favor. Booker doesn’t need his show breaking down tonight. Booker needs Cena to let the Sheamus & Dolph match take place “dawg”. Booker then tells Cena that afterwards if Cena feels the need to handle his business, “Dawg, by all means you do that.” Booker tells Cena to let match take place for Booker. Cena’s ok with that. This was alright but I’m tired of Booker T saying that he can’t have “his show” break into chaos every week. I thought Cena showed more intensity here than usual.    

Great Khali vs. David Otunga. Khali gets the pin. This was terrible but thankfully quick. Afterwards Khali & Hornswoggle dance in the ring. That was corny.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett & The Primetime Players. Kane, Daniel & Kofi win when Daniel makes Darren tap. This was a good match.

Matt Striker interviews Sheamus. Striker asks Sheamus for thoughts on his match for tonight with Dolph. Sheamus says the good news for Dolph is that thanks to Booker T Cena will not be getting involved in the match. The bad news for Dolph is he has to face Sheamus. It gets worse too, because as far as Sheamus is concerned he’s not really facing Dolph tonight. Striker asks, “How so?” Sheamus says that because of the last couple of weeks of all the running away, attacking from behind, crying like a baby and pulling the referee in front of himself to save his title, every opponent that Sheamus has been in the ring with has looked like Big Show to him. That’s bad news for “Blondie” because that means Sheamus will fight harder, punch harder and hit harder than Dolph has ever experienced in his entire life. When he’s done with Dolph, Dolph will be begging for Cena to put him out of his misery. He knows that Dolph considers himself to be a bit of a show off. Tonight after the match Dolph can walk around and show off his head because Sheamus will kick it off his shoulders. I thought Sheamus was a bit too cheery here but it was ok. 

Time for the Raw Rebound.  

Damien Sandow comes out. He says that for the last several months he has attempted to enlighten the fans. “An attempt which has proven to be futile.” As the intellectual savior he pledges that he cannot & will not abandon the fans. However he will not be focusing on the masses. He has decided that he will be re directing his efforts and sharing his knowledge with the fans individually. The fans boo and he says, “Silence.” He will be selecting 1 member from the crowd to be his apprentice. He asks who is worth of such a position. Fans raise their hands. Sandow surveys the crowed and rags on most of them. He says to one fan that he has no idea how they even let him in the building. That was funny. Then he picks a “fan” who has on the new CM Punk t-shirt. He tells security to escort this person  in the yellow shirt to the ring. Sandow says that his efforts are refocused on individual bases but the fans can all learn something. Sandow suggests that the fans pay close attention. Then Sandow & the “fan” get in the ring. The “fan raises his arms and acts all psyched. Sandow tells him to stop that. Then Sandow tells him that he has the privilege of having the opportunity to become his apprentice. Sandow will ask him a series of 3 questions that the “fan” must answer correctly. First question, how many wheels on a tricycle? The guy says 3 and Sandow says, “very good.” Second question, how often doe the U.S. hold presidential elections? The guy says every 4 years. Sandow then says, “Smarter than you look.” Third question, what is the orbital velocity of one of Jupiter’s moons? The guy has no idea. Then Sandow calls him an ignoramus. The answer is 13.74 kilometers per second. Then he tells the guy that he has embarrassed himself, his family and the entire state of Louisiana. The fans boo and Sandow screams, “Silence.” Sandow then says that the “fan’s” public display of ignorance is surpassed only by his idiotic looking hair cut. Sandow tells him to leave his ring. The “fan” is dismissed. Sandow tells him to leave the ring, the building, the town, the state & the country. Then Sandow says, “Wait. Wait. You’re Welcome.” What was the point of this? Sandow was good as usual here but this whole segment was meaningless.

Tyson Kidd vs. Damien Sandow. Sandow gets the pin. This was a solid but short match.

They show a video package of John Cena being honored by the Make A Wish. I give the all the credit in the world for what he does for charity!

Matt Striker interviews Dolph Ziggler. Striker that it’s safe to say that tonight Dolph feels like he has something to prove after losing to Cena Monday. Dolph says that match was more like a handicap match. AJ got involved in his business. Then he says that The Golden Boy, Mr. Hustle, Loyalty & Respect John Cena didn’t seem to mind taking advantage of the situation yet some how Dolph is the bad guy in all of this. He is sure that tonight will be no different. This will be another handicap match for Dolph. Dolph says that he’s sure Cena respects Booker T so much that he will mind his own business. Cena is not to be trusted. Cena had a fling with AJ for over a month. Cena is the biggest lair in WWE history and lairs get what’s coming to them. A Money in the Bank briefcase shot to the back of their skull. Dolph then says that he is the show off. He is the show stealer. The sole survivor. He is so sick of being so sick and he is the best thing going in sports entertainment today. Dolph then says that when Sheamus looks across the ring, Sheamus thinks that he is looking at Big Show when he really will be looking at Dolph. Dolph says that when Sheamus is looking his way he will be looking at the next World Champion. Then he says, “Show (pause) off.” This was solid but a bit long.

The Usos vs. Jinder Mahal & Heath Slater. Mahal & Slater win when Mahal gets the pin. This was a decent but short match.

Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler. Sheamus wins by DQ when Big Show comes out. Sheamus had Dolph in the Cloverleaf but then Big Show came out. Sheamus & Show exchanged punches & the referee called for the bell. Afterwards the brawl continues. Big Show gets in the ring and punches Sheamus in the gut. Then Dolph stomps on Sheamus in the corner. Then John Cena storms to the ring and goes right after Big Show. Big Show shoves him into the turnbuckle. Then he was going to charge but Cena got out of the way. The Dolph ran into Cena & Cena gives Dolph an AA. Then Big Show goes to choke slam both Cena & Sheamus but they double suplex him. Dolph & Big Show walk up the ramp as Cena & Sheamus pose in the ring to end the show. This was a good match and it made sense not to have a clean finish. They finally had Dolph not do a clean job. The post match brawl was ok too. I wasn’t really into the faces running off the heels, but that’s what WWE does.

I thought this was a solid show overall. The opening Cena-Del Rio segment was ok and it led right to the Cena-Del Rio match. That match was really good. Sheamus-Dolph was good too and the DQ finish made sense. I wasn’t into the faces cleaning house on the heels but that’s WWE for you. Sheamus’ promo was ok but I though he was too cheery for someone who is looking to beat a giant for the World Title. Dolph’s promo was decent but a bit long. Khali-Otunga was terrible but thankfully quick. The Kane-Daniel Bryan-Kofi Kingston backstage bit was decent too. I also liked the 6 man tag. Hat was really good. The Usos vs. Mahal & Slater was decent but short. The Damien Sandow segment was pointless but he was really good here. Tyson-Sandow was solid but kind of short. On the whole I thought this was a solid show this week.

11-29-12 Impact results and thoughts

 Coverage and thoughts on the November 29, 2012 episode of Impact

The show starts with Hulk Hogan coming to the ring. He says last week his world came together and almost self imploded. He runs the show but he’s a dad first. Last week Hulk the dad & Hulk the GM collided. He wants to know the truth right now. He tells Bully Ray to fess up, look him in the eye and tell him what’s going on “Brother.” Out comes Bully Ray. Hulk says Ray needs to lay it out straight. Ray says Hulk doesn’t trust him but he wants to know what’s going on. Ray says Hulk never trusted him, even when he earned it. Hulk tells Ray to cut the crap and asks what’s going on with him & Brooke. Ray asks if Hulk really wants answers as to who the number 1 guy in her life is. Then Brooke Hogan comes to the ring. Hulk asks Brooke what’s going on. Brooke says she’s not 18. Hulk wants the truth out of her. Brooke says it’s not what he thinks. Hulk says he never wants to see her with any wrestler, especially Ray. Then Aries shows up on the Tron and is in the GM office with the potential X Division Title contenders. Aries says there are 4 guys in Hulk’s office waiting to find who will challenge for the X Division Title tonight. Kid Kash, Zima Ion & Kenny King were in there too and Kash asks where Hogan is. Aries lies on the desk and says it isn’t comfortable. Then he asks Brooke how she does it. Then Hulk walks up the ramp. This was terrible. This Hulk-Brooke-Ray storyline is really idiotic! Aries was good but this segment was the usual Hogan stupidity.

Mickie James vs. Gail Kim. Mickie gets the pin. This was solid but I knew Mickie was going to win since she’s challenging for the Knockouts Title.

Backstage James Storm says that every choice he makes in his life he lives with it. Good or bad. But when someone brings his daughter into this that is what gets him pissed off. Then AJ comes in and tells Storm that’s not something to be bitter about. Not like someone who can’t get a title match for a year. Storm tells AJ to quit worrying about the past look to the future (what for, there’s no world title match in AJ’s future right now) and they need to focus on their tag match tonight. AJ walks off and Storm says he’s just trying to help him. This was a decent bit.

Hulk bursts into his office and gets in Aries’ face. Aries tells Hulk to calm down because he is the GM. Hulk says that he is also a dad. Hulk asks Kenny King why he should show him any respect since he hasn’t done anything in the business yet and finds Aries’ jokes funny. Kenny says he meant no disrespect. He says that since he came to TNA he was making waves and he talks about his match from Destination X. Then Hulk turns to Ion. Ion says that he is a natural choice because he is the former X Division Champion. Then Kid Kash that he started the X Division and is a former 2 time champion. Aries says that means Kash lost the title THREE times (If he only had the title twice then he lost it ONLY twice). Hulk eliminates Kenny from the title hunt. Then he kicks out everyone. Aries says that he was Hogan’s guy. Before he leaves he says, “Aries knows best.” This was idiotic. These segments are all over the place and nothing really happens.

Bobby Roode comes to the ring. He says that last week he made a statement. In 10 days he will be the next World Champion. Last week was also open fight night and Jeff Hardy got called out by a gut check rookie. The same rookie that Roode laid out with 1 move. The same kid that Jeff almost lost too. Roode is a real world champion. Jeff is a paper champion and he will prove it at Final Resolution. If you want to make a name for yourself in this company, don’t bother calling out Jeff Hardy. Call out the longest reigning TNA World Champion in history. Out comes Christian York. Roode tells him this is his time and tells York to get out of his ring. Then York slaps Roode. York says since Roode wanted someone to call him out, that’s what York just did. This was solid but I didn’t care for Roode calling York a rookie and a “kid”. The guy has been around 16 years and is over 30.

Christian York vs. Bobby Roode. Roode wins by submission. This was solid too. Afterwards Roode gets a chair and runs the referee off. Then out comes Jeff Hardy. He goes after Roode. He was going for a Twist of Fate but Roode escapes.

Aces & 8s are in the clubhouse. The VP says this is the holiday season and it’s time to be festive. Next week DOC faces Kurt Angle. Devon wants what was stolen from him. He never lost the TV Title. He wants Samoa Joe. If the VP gives Devon that, then they won’t attack anybody, but if not then all hell will break lose. These clubhouse segments are lame.

Bruce Pritchard, Al Snow & Taz discuss Wes Briscoe. They talk about his heritage. Bruce says that Wes made some mistakes in the ring. Taz mentions Wes was the first gut check guy to win his match. Taz also says for Angle to put the stamp of approval on him that means something to Taz. Bruce says that Angle isn’t deciding.

Bruce Pritchard is with some guy and he tells the guy to find Al Snow. Kurt Angle comes by and tells Bruce that Wes deserves a contract. D’Lo comes by and he & Bruce don’t know where Al is. This was idiotic.

Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian come to the ring. Kazarian says it’s ironic that AJ & Storm are a team tonight. He is sorry about AJ Styles’ luck. In 10 days AJ will hear these words that will haunt him for the rest of his miserable, red neck life. Then he announces Daniels as the winner “forever.”

James Storm & AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian. Storm & AJ win when Storm pins Daniels. This was a good match. AJ wasn’t too thrilled.

Back to the GM office. Aries says Hulk seems upset. Hulk comes in. Kash says he is 1 of the toughest guys in TNA. He’s beaten RVD & RVD has beaten him. Kash says that he has been X Division Champion twice & that he deserves 1 last shot, if that’s what it is. Then Ion arrogantly kisses up to Hulk. Aries says Hulk has to pick him. Hulk says the only person who hates Aries more than Hulk is RVD. So Hulk eliminates both Kash & Ion and gives Aries the title match. Kash says he’s tired of all this. Hulk tells Kash that his day is coming. This was awful. There’s not much else to say.

Samoa Joe says he heard Devon’s challenge. Joe says Devon abandoned the title because he couldn’t cut it as champion. Joe tells Devon to next week and he will be beat. This was good promo.

Joey Ryan comes out. He tells Christie to hit the bricks. He then introduces a man who proves that size matters. He is 1 half of the next world tag team champions. Out comes Matt Morgan.

Doug Williams vs. Matt Morgan. Morgan gets the pin. This was a squash.

Bruce Pritchard’s on the phone with Al Snow’s wife. D’Lo comes by and says he hasn’t found Al. Bruce says they’re screwed without Al. D’Lo says that he can be the third judge. Bruce agrees. This was ok. I’m not sure what they’re doing with this whole “Al Snow is missing” bit. That came from nowhere.

JB is in the ring. He brings out Wes Briscoe. Bruce mentions that Al isn’t there. They called him and his family. No one has heard from him. They will keep the fans informed. Taking Al’s place tonight is D’Lo. D’Lo is a house show gut check judge apparently. Then Bruce makes his decision first. He talks about Wes’ dad & uncle. He & Wes have a lot of history. Last week his gut check match wasn’t the best outing. Bruce says he knows what Wes can do and has a lot of potential and Bruce votes yes. Taz goes next. He says it means a lot that Angle has gone to bat for him. Taz says it wasn’t a great match. He says Wes is close but he votes no. Time for Wes to cut a 30 second promo for D’Lo. Wes thanks Bruce for the support and he respects Taz’s opinion. When he was a kid all he ever dreamed about was being in the ring. He’s doing this for his fans and his family. Especially his uncle Jack. All he’s asking for is a chance to prove himself. D’Lo thanks Taz & Bruce for letting him stand in for Al. He says Wes laid put some powerful words. His match with Garrett last week left him conflicted. Part of D’Lo doesn’t know if Wes is ready to be on the TNA roster. D’Lo says if his in ring work is good enough for Bruce then it’s good enough for him. D’Lo votes yes. Then out come Kurt Angle & Garrett Bischoff. They hug Wes.

Hulk is backstage. The camera guy asks why he made a double elimination. Hulk says he’s not himself right now. Then Ray comes by and asks if Aries offended Hulk, Brooke & him. Ray says yes to all 3. Ray says if he wanted Aries’ head kicked in why didn’t he come to Ray? Ray says that Hulk is confusing business with personal. Then Hulk tells Ray that’s what he’s doing. This was lame.

ODB mentions that she was looking for EY for weeks. Then they reunite last week and Aces & 8s attack him. She says Eric Young is in the hospital and walks off. This was alright.

Aries tells Hulk that facing RVD for the X Title was his plan all along. Hulk wishes Aries luck. He said other stuff too but they played something over it by mistake.

X Division Champion Rob Van Dam vs. Austin Aries for the Title. Aries gets the mic and says RVD is laying flat on his back all sweaty, breathing heavy and his hair’s a mess. He says that RVD looks like Brooke Hogan. Aries then says that he will look like the X Division Champion. Then out comes Bully Ray and the referee calls for the bell. Aries says Ray cost him the match. Then Hulk shows up on the stage. He stares down Ray. Ray says that Hulk still doesn’t trust him. This ends the show. The match was good but the finish was weak. The Hulk-Ray stare down was also lame.

I wasn’t really into this week’s show. I thought there was way too much talking and not a lot of wrestling. Mickie-Gail & York-Roode were both solid. AJ & Storm vs. Daniels & Kazarian was good. Doug Williams-Matt Morgan was a squash. RVD-Aries was good but the finish was kind of flat. This whole bit with Hulk not trusting Ray is idiotic. The bits with Hogan and the X Division guys in the GM office were awful as usual. They really need to ditch the “Hulk decides who gets a title match on championship Thursday” bit. The gut check segment was decent. Devon saying that TV was stolen from him was kind of weird. Joe’s promo saying that Devon abandoned that title was good. This whole “Al Snow is missing and no one knows where he is” bit doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure what they’re doing there. So overall I thought this week’s show was not as strong as other Impacts.

11-26-12 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 26, 2012 episode of Raw

The show starts with Ryback vs. Titus O’Neil. Ryback gets the pin. This was ok. It was mostly a squash. Afterwards Ryback gets the mic. He says whether it’s CM Punk, the 3 guys in black or all 4 he will stand in the ring till he gets what he wants. Then he leads the fans in the feed me more chant.

Back to the show and Ryback is still in the ring. Then out come security. They face if with Ryback. One of them gets right in his face and Ryback chucks him over the top. Then he tells the others to do something. Then out comes Vickie Guerrero. She is a very understanding person. She knows he feels angry and embarrassed for being put through a table twice last wee. However, she will not allow him to touch security. Vickie says she has no choice…Ryback says Vickie has no choice. He wants to face Punk at TLC. Vickie gives him the match and asks him to leave the ring. He tells her to shut up. He wants Punk at TLC but he also wants Punk with tables, ladders and chairs. If Vickie doesn’t give him what he wants, there’s no amount of security that can stop him from tearing up the ring. Vickie says he can have the match but can he please leave the ring so the show can go on. Ryback stares down the other security guys and the bail. This was decent. Ryback’s promo was intense.

Rosa Mendes is backstage getting pissed at Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle says it was a joke. Who would want to kiss her? Rosa says that everybody wants to kiss her. Then Del Rio comes in tells Rosa not to let Hornswoggle deal with her because no woman would deal with him. Then he says if she’s looking for revenge he will be more than happy to help her. Then Khali comes by and tells Del Rio to leave Hornswoggle alone. Del Rio & Rosa leave and Khali helps Hornswoggle down from the stack of crates. This was ok. It was typical Khali-Hornswoggle comedy.

Great Khali vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was weak. Ricardo got on the apron but Khali scared him off. Then Hornswoggle bit Ricardo in the rear end. Rosa Mendes watched backstage.

Vickie is in the GM office and in comes CM Punk. He wants her to explain what she’s doing. He says that he beat Ryback twice already and doesn’t need to be in a TLC match. Heyman says Punk a legit gripe. Heyman tells Vickie that maybe she’s not thinking with a clear head because of the AJ scandal. Vickie says her head is clear. Punk says it isn’t. Heyman says she’s biased against Cena, but also against Punk. Vickie says that Ryback is getting a rematch because of what happened with Brad Maddox at the Cell PPV and because of what happened with “his guys”, Reigns, Rollins & Ambrose. Punk says he had nothing to do with those guys. Vickie tells him that tonight he will face the winner of the Raw fan poll. Kane or Daniel Bryan. Punk & Heyman leave. Punk is flipping and Heyman tries to calm him. This was decent.

They show an interview that Michael Cole conducted with Reigns, Rollins & Ambrose. He says he’s known them for awhile and has worked with them on NXT, but it does feel odd to be having this interview under these circumstances. 9 nights ago people…Ambrose tells Cole to ask what’s on his mind. Cole asks if they’re working for Punk. Ambrose says no. Then why are they there. Rollins says that’s the big question you need to ask. They’ve been in NXT and they saw everything. He mentions that people here have to answer Vickie & Booker T, they have to listen to the Board of Directors and the Board has to listen to the “WWE Universe”. He says this is a popularity contest. They saw things headed in the wrong direction and they righted those wrongs. Rollins says they’re a shield from injustice in WWE. Cole then says that what they’ve done has benefited Punk. Ambrose says Punk had to defend his title against 2 guys he beat already. If Ryback or Cena had been champion they would have done the same. He says that 365 days as champion is a milestone these days. Cole asks Reigns for comments. Reigns says when he wants to say something he will say it. Ambrose says their not mercenaries. They’re about honor and are a shield from injustice. Reigns says they’ve said enough. This interview’s over. This was good. I liked that they had Rollins take a jab at the “Universe” buzz word. I also liked Ambrose saying they’re not Nexus or the nWo.

They show a Fandango video.

Tamina says that if there’s 1 thing she doesn’t like it’s a woman who doesn’t know her place. She hopes AJ is watching because this will be a message not mess with Vickie.

Alicia Fox vs. Tamina Snuka. Tamina gets the pin. This was a squash.    

John Cena comes to the ring. He says Dolph got what was coming to him. Cena says he’s been in WWE for 10 years. He’s had WrestleMania moments with HBK, Triple H & The Rock. But he’s never been interrogated more when people ask him if AJ is a good kisser. Then out comes Vickie. She says that after Cena display of the disgusting lust scene confirms he & AJ are having a fling. Since it’s the holiday season she has gift for him & AJ. She got them matching bathrobes. It’s a token of her appreciation so the can bask in the honey moon phase while it last. She will enjoy watching them implode when the world comes crashing doesn’t on them. She says AJ costs Daniel the World Title at WrestleMania. AJ also proposed to Punk and Kane confirmed that AJ is unstable. Out comes AJ. Vickie asks if AJ will deny that she was acting like a love sick puppy. AJ says Vickie’s right. She knows she’s had a lot of guy issues but she’s trying to become a better person. This whole scandal was based on the face that she & Cena had a relationship while AJ was GM. Now that she’s not the GM she can date whoever she wants and do whatever she wants. Like this. She rubs Cena’s face. Then she slaps him in the rear and then she was going to kiss Cena and then Vickie tells AJ to move on. AJ says that being GM is the only way Vickie can land a man. AJ is not that love sick puppy now but there’s only 1 female dog in this ring. Vickie warns AJ. Then out comes Dolph. While this episode of Jerry Springer is entertaining, he has to break it up. Dolph says that the reality is that Cena can’t handle with the fact that he tackled him through the bathroom stall wall. Then he mentions Cena attacking him on Smackdown. He asks why Cena would do such a cowardly act. Dolph says that last week when Cena kissed AJ and shoved her tongue down his throat, Cena knows that AJ was thinking about Dolph. Cena says he knows he will walk up that ramp and shove the MITB case down Dolph’s throat. Vickie says this will be settled tonight when Cena faces Dolph.  This was terrible and this storyline continues to make no sense!

Wade Barrett is on commentary.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Tensai. Kofi gets the pin. This wasn’t much. Kofi dominated most of this. Afterwards Wade Barrett gets in the, holding the Intercontinental Title. Then he hands it to Kofi and walks up the ramp.

Daniel Bryan tells Kane no one likes Kane. People like Daniel. Daniel has proof. They show a map on the screen. He says the states in blue voted for Daniel and the red ones voted for Kane (there were no red). No states have voted for Kane. Then Daniel has a map of the world and says that he is winning everywhere. Then he says maybe Kane’s winning in hell. Kane grabs his throat and says how about he sends him there to find out. Then Josh Mathews comes in and it’s time to find out who will face Punk. It will be Kane. Daniels says no. Kane says it looks like Daniel’s polling was skewed. “Red rules.” (Even though there was light blue and dark blue on the screen). Josh tells Daniel that he will face Rey Mysterio right now. This was a typical Kane-Daniel Bryan segment. They’re both good in their roles.

Rey Mysterio vs. WWE Tag Team Champion Daniel Bryan. Rey gets the pin. This was a really good back and forth match!

Del Rio & Ricardo are backstage. Then Rosa comes in and thanks him for defending her honor. Del Rio says whatever she needs.

Josh Mathews interviews Dolph Ziggler. He asks if making his issues with Cena person has given Cena more incentive. Dolph says he is Mr. MITB, he was the sole survivor at Survivor Series & he beat Randy Orton. It couldn’t get any better for him. Then he says that Cena is busy dealing with a nutcase who craves attention. He can’t wait to see the look on AJ’s face when she sees what Dolph does to her “boyfriend.”

They reshow the AJ-Dolph bit that was followed by the Cena-Dolph brawl from last Monday. Then they show the end of the Orton-Dolph match from Smackdown, which was followed by Cena locking Dolph in the STF.

John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler. Cena gets the pin. This was a good match but they had Dolph lose cleanly to Super Cena! During the match Cena rolled out of the ring favoring his ankle. The referee & a medic checked on him. While that was happening Dolph goes expose one of the turn buckles. AJ comes out and stops him. Then Vickie comes out and yanks AJ off the apron. The referee gets distracted with those 2. Then Dolph takes a swing at Cena with the MITB case but Cena ducked and gave Dolph the AA for the win. After the match AJ gets in the ring & she & Cena kiss. I’m way tired of this idiotic storyline!

Sheamus vs. U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro. Sheamus wins by count out. This was a really good match too. Big Show came out with a chair as the count out took place. Then Sheamus tells Show that if he brings the chair he’d better use it. He says that Show has been talking about retiring as World Champion. Sheamus will be happy to make Show’s retirement a reality. He will hit Show with 100 chair shots if he has to. If he gets his hands on a chair he will show him what barbaric is. Then Big Show breaks the chair. This was good too. They’re doing a solid job with the Sheamus-Big Show feud.

Damien Sandow comes out. He says for reasons of good form it is imperative to say again that his purpose is to save the fans from their own ignorance. He will further his crusade by beating the mouth breathing miscreant of an opponent. “You’re welcome.” He will face Zack Ryder.

Zack Ryder vs. Damien Sandow. Sandow gets the pin. This was a solid match.

Paul Heyman is standing outside Punk’s dressing room door. Josh Mathews asks him about Punk’s match with Kane. Heyman says that he should be asked about the fans’ decision to have Punk face Kane. Josh should be asking how Punk feels about surpassing Randy Savage now that he has been WWE Champion for 372 days. Josh should ask how much can CM Punk tolerate. This was good.

They replay the Michael Cole interview with Reigns, Rollins & Ambrose.

WWE Tag Team Champion Kane vs. WWE Champion CM Punk. Punk gets the pin. This was solid too. Afterwards The Shield hopped over the guardrail. They get in the ring and make like they’re gonna go after Punk. Then they attack Kane. Punk exits the ring. Then Daniel Bryan storms to the ring and The Shield beat him down too. Cue feed me more and Ryback comes out. Punk hops over the guardrail. The Shield attack Ryback but Ryback fights them off. Then Punk hit Ryback from behind. Then Ryback was going to power bomb Punk but then Ambrose spears Ryback. Then they give Ryback the triple power bomb. The Shield stand over Ryback as Punk looks on from outside the ring. Then The Shield go back over the guardrail while Punk stands in the ring with foot on Ryback’s chest and raising the belt. This ends the show. This was really good. They’ve been doing a good job with Reigns, Rollins & Ambrose so far. Having them be in the storyline with Punk could really get them over.

I thought this was a solid show overall. Ryback-Titus was a squash but I was ok with the Ryback-Vickie segment afterwards. Kane-Punk was solid and I liked The Shield coming in and going after Kane and then Daniel Bryan. The end with Punk standing over Ryback after The Shield laid him out was really good too. I also enjoyed Mysterio-Daniel. Sheamus-Cesaro was good too and I liked the bit with him & Big Show. Cena-Dolph was good but I hated that they had Dolph lose to Cena cleanly. Khali-Del Rio was weak. The Cena-AJ-Dolph-Vickie bit was terrible as usual. Who cares about this angle? Kofi-Tensai wasn’t much. Alicia-Tamina was a squash. Ryder-Sandow was also a solid match. The interview with Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns was also really good. I thought all 3 guys gave good promos. On the whole I thought this was a solid show.

11-23-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 23, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Miz TV. Miz welcomes everyone to the must most see talk show in WWE history. There’s a reason it’s must see. That’s because of him and also because he gets the biggest stars. Also because he asks the toughest questions and he gets the answers. Tonight he has a lot of questions for his guest tonight. So without further ado he asks everyone to welcome John Cena. Cena sits on the couch and says, “Miz TV I love what you’ve done with the place. It’s, well, awesome.” Miz tells Cena to make himself at home. Miz says that Cena is usually known for things in the ring. Like headlining WrestleMania with him. As of late Cena’s life has turned into a TMZ story. Miz goes into this spiel about the whole bit with Cena, AJ, Dolph & Vickie. He calls it a “he said she said” every week. But this past Monday night Cena had enough. Miz says that Cena did something shocking but it didn’t come without consequence. They replay Cena & AJ making out from Raw. (Man was that terrible)! Miz says it’s getting hot in here. He asks Cena how the kiss was. Cena stands up and Miz gets if he was “out of line.” Then Miz asks Cena how the knee is. Miz says that Cena will probably say that there’s nothing wrong, “but let’s take a look at what happened to you.” They replay Dolph coming in and attacking Cena, which was followed by Cena sliding out of the ring and injuring his knee. (The injury was legit). Cena tells Miz that was a heck of a clip but this is supposed to be Miz TV. A place where Miz asks the tough questions. Cena asks Miz where he’s been. Cena posted on his twitter that he hand an MRI. The MRI showed that he has a little problem with lateral movement. That means that his bad knee can’t do much. But aside from that he’s alright and he can still compete. Then Cena asks Miz if he actually has any tough questions. Miz says he believes that Cena is not telling the whole truth but that’s ok because Miz has from good authority that Cena is telling the truth about his “relationship” with AJ when she was Raw GM. Miz gets it. Cena & AJ didn’t “do it.” That’s fine. Miz then asks but how about now. Miz says that he saw the sparks fly. Miz asks Cena if he & AJ are more than just friends. Cena says that he got tired of everybody making a giant issue out of everything. Every single week he had to listen to Vickie & Dolph come out with these accusations, photos & video clips. He says that all Dolph & Vickie wanted to do was give somebody something to talk about. Cena says that he just ended it. He gave them what they wanted and there’s nothing more that Dolph & Vickie can do. (That doesn’t make any sense. Dolph & Vickie accuse Cena & AJ of having a fling. That wasn’t true, so Cena gave them what they wanted to shut them up? Huh? There was no fling with Cena & AJ but to stop Dolph & Vickie from making their lives hard Cena decided to make out with AJ? I’m not even going to try to figure out that!) Cena admits that he liked kissing AJ and AJ is good kisser. Miz says, “REALLY?” Then they go back and forth saying really for a bit. Miz says that is really fantastic. Miz gets that Cena liked it and clearly AJ liked it because she wanted a whole lot more. Miz asks Cena if the stress of this scandal has brought Cena & AJ together. Let’s assume Cena’s telling the truth about the past. But what about know. Are Cena & AJ now more than just friends? Cue AJ‘s music and she comes out skipping to the ring. (Why would she be skipping and all perky with everything that’s been happening?). She tells Cena he doesn’t have to answer that. Cena says it’s ok. AJ says it’s not fair. Then Miz cuts her off saying this is Miz TV and tough questions come with the territory. AJ says she know that Cena was doing that to prove a point to Vickie Guerrero. Cena says that he was but…Miz chime in again asking if Cena was going to admit that he has feelings for AJ. Miz asks if they’re in love. Miz then asks the fans if they think that. For some reason the fans cheer (maybe that was pumped in). Cena thinks Miz is an idiot (I think whoever came up with this idiotic storyline is an idiot). Cena asks Miz to allow him to have some time with AJ. Then Dolph’s music hits and he comes out. Dolph tells Miz that he’s got this one. Dolph tells Cena that it’s obvious to the entire world that Cena has feelings for AJ. A person would have to be an idiot to not see that (You’d also have to be an idiot to find this entertaining). Dolph’s heard Cena’s a great man but AJ is trouble. If it hadn’t been for her kissing Cena it wouldn’t have been so easy for Dolph to set him (or them) up. If it hadn’t been for AJ bursting into the guy’s locker room Cena might not have hurt his knee (even though he hurt it as he slid out of the ring before the brawl in the locker room took place). Dolph asks Cena how his knee is. Dolph says that if he were Cena he would have feelings for AJ. He would hate her guts. Dolph shows us why. Then they replay the bit from Raw where AJ barged into the guy’s locker room that was followed by the Cena-Dolph brawl. Then Dolph says that’s giving the fans something to talk about. Then out comes Vickie Guerrero. Vickie tells Cena that “his little girlfriend” needs to learn to control her impulses. Then Vickie tells AJ that she thinks Dolph was right. AJ is a pitiful, sad and weak woman. However, Dolph knows how to kiss someone who is authoritative, confident, decisive and passionate. Cena screams liar at Vickie. That’s because Dolph actually kissed Vickie but it still can’t be medically proven that Vickie’s a woman (To quote Miz, “Really”? That line was really stupid!). Vickie tells Cena that she is all woman. She says the relationship between her & Dolph is all professional. Dolph agrees. Dolph then says that if he did kiss AJ it would bring out the real woman in her. But that would never happen. Cena & AJ have gotten into something that they can’t possibly get their way out of. Dolph then says that Cena & AJ deserve each other because they are exactly alike. They’re both two weak losers. Then Cena tells Dolph that he & Vickie deserve each other because they’re the exact opposite. One enjoys eating a lot of nuts and the other is still looking to find his (That was also terrible). Cena then says, “Good day to you.” Why did they start off the show with this idiotic 16 and a half minute promo? This was horrendous! There’s not much else to say about that! I’m really tired of these shows starting off with worthless 15-20 minute promos!

Ryback vs. Darren Young. Ryback gets the pin. This was a meaningless squash. Titus O’Neil was on commentary. Afterwards Titus gets the mic and tells Ryback that Darren is worth millions of dollars. He asks Ryback what’s wrong with him. Then Titus gets in the ring. He says that he knows Ryback hears him talking to him. Then Titus blows his stupid whistle. Then Ryback kicks him in the gut and then gives him the marching Samoan Drop. That was also pointless.

Before the next match Antonio Cesaro says that judging by all the obese faces, bloaded bellies and greasy fingers that he sees in the crowed tonight, clearly they all enjoyed their Thanksgiving (even though this was taped 2 days before that). Another ridiculous U.S. Holiday that celebrates gorging yourselves and laziness. Luckily for the fans they have him as their United States Champion. This was lame. I’m tired of the old anti American heel gimmick.

R-Truth vs. U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro. Truth gets the pin. This was a decent but short match.

Sheamus is backstage & Booker T comes up to him. Booker asks Sheamus where he thinks he’s going. Sheamus says that he’s going to the locker room. Booker tells him that he’s not. Booker says, “After Survivor Series? Man that thing just totally broke down. I mean you hit Big Show at least 30 times with that steel chair man. He’s banged up. He’s bruised up right now.” Sheamus tells Booker that Big Show deserved it. Sheamus asks Booker if he’s showing pity for Big Show. Then Booker brings up the parking lot brawl. Then he tells Sheamus that before he does something that he will regret for the rest of his life, he can’t let Sheamus compete tonight. Sheamus flips and tells Booker that he can’t do that to him. Then Booker says that at Survivor Series Big Show purposely got DQ’d. Sheamus deserves a rematch. Booker then tells Sheamus that he will face Big Show for the World Title in a Chairs match at TLC. Sheamus likes that idea and shakes Booker’s hand. Booker says Sheamus can thank him later but tonight he doesn’t need Sheamus messing up his show. Booker tells Sheamus to go up to his personal suite and take a few friends with him and have a few pints. Booker tells Sheamus to have a good time and watch the show. Sheamus says that sounds good and thanks Booker. Then Sheamus asks if Big Show isn’t competing tonight. Booker says that Big Show is competing. In a handicap match against Kane & Daniel Bryan. Sheamus smiles and says, “Cheers fella”. This was decent.

 Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a good match.

Kane & Daniel Bryan are in the locker room. Daniel tells Kane to stay out of his way. Kane asks Daniel what he is talking about. Daniel reminds Kane that long before he started teaming with him, Daniel beat Big Show for the World Title in 45 seconds. Kane asks Daniel if he thinks that will happen again. Daniel screams yes. Then Kane screams no. Then he reminds Daniel that years ago he & Big Show were tag team champions. Even back then Big Show was a whiney, oversized baby. Then Kane says that Daniel & Big Show have so much in common that Daniel should team with Big Show and they can call themselves Team No Show (That was kind of corny). Daniel asks Kane is this because he didn’t invite him to his house for Thanksgiving. Kane says maybe. Daniels tells Kane that he wouldn’t have liked it. He mentions Vegan turkey. Kane asks what the point of that is. Then Daniel says that if they win their match tonight Kane can come to his place for Christmas. Kane asks if he can beat up Santa. Daniels says, “Deal.” This was kind of funny.

WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. World Champion Big Show. Big Show wins when he pins Daniel. This was solid. Kane walked up the ramp after Daniel tagged himself in. Sheamus & William Regal watched from the Sky Box. Afterwards Kane goes back to the ring and stands over Daniel. Big Show holds the title over his head as Sheamus watches from the Sky Box. Then Big Show goes to punch Kane but Kane ducks and grabs Show’s throat, but then Show also grabs Kane’s. Then Daniel kicks Big Show in the left leg & Kane boots him. That sends Show down and he rolls out of the ring and walks up the ramp. Then Big Show gets the mic and asks Sheamus if he is looking at him “Fella”. Show says that at TLC they will have a chairs match. Then he asks Sheamus if Sheamus ever thought that a giant will have a chair in his hands this time “fella”. Sheamus says he’s ready. Then he says that Big Show can hit him with a chair 50 times and Sheamus will still knock him out.

Wade Barrett comes out for commentary.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Damien Sandow for the Title. Kofi gets the pin. This was a good match. Afterwards Wade Barrett gets a mic and stands on the announce table. He sarcastically congratulates Kofi on winning. Barrett says that Kofi got through that one by the skin of his teeth. Barrett then says that Kofi’s best isn’t going to be enough to beat him. The next time Kofi defends that title it will be the last because he will become the next victim of the great Barrett Barrage.

Time to recap the CM Punk celebration.

Josh Mathews mentions that this Monday Michael Cole will interview Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. Dolph gets the pin. This was mostly Orton dominating and Dolph got the fluke win. Orton was going for the RKO but Dolph rolled up Orton for the win. Afterwards Ricardo Rodriguez shows up and Orton gives him an RKO. Then Alberto Del Rio gets on the apron and Orton invites him to come in the ring, but Del Rio stood on the apron as Orton stared him down. Then they show Dolph on the stage & Cena comes out from behind & locks Dolph in the STF. Referees come in and try to break it up as Dolph screams in pain to end the show. I wasn’t really into this. First Orton pounds on Dolph the whole match and then Dolph gets the fluke win. Then Del Rio & Ricardo show up. Orton gives Ricardo an RKO and then Del Rio, just like all heels in WWE is too scared to face Orton. Then Dolph gets locked in the STF by Super Cena. Del Rio & Dolph really looked weak here. I’m not sure how much more they can get out of the Orton-Del Rio rivalry since Orton has beaten him cleanly every time they fought. I’m also hoping that they don’t have Cena beat Dolph for the Money in the Bank case. That would really be make Dolph look like a loser.

This week’s show was a mixed bag overall. The opening Miz TV segment was painful! Who cares about this Cena-AJ crap!? Orton-Dolph was all Orton till Dolph got the roll up at the end. Then having Del Rio be too afraid to face Orton & Cena locking Dolph in the STF made both heels look weak! Kofi-Sandow and Sin Cara-Del Rio were both good. Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show was solid. I thought the Kane-Daniel Bryan bit in the locker room was kind of funny. The Booker T-Sheamus bit was ok too. R-Truth-Cesaro was decent but kind of short. Ryback-Darren Young was a meaningless squash. Having Ryback flatten Titus O’Neil was pointless too. I get it. Ryback is a monster and The Primetime Players are jobbers. Overall I thought this was a mixed bag show this week.

11-22-12 Thanksgiving Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 22, 2012 taped Thanksgiving episode of Impact

The show starts with Jeremy Borash is in the ring with gut check contestant, Wes Briscoe. Time for Wes to have his gut check match. Out comes Garrett.

Wes Briscoe vs. Garrett Bischoff. Wes gets the pin. Kurt Angle came to ringside to watch the match. Afterwards Angle & Wes celebrate. Then Garrett shakes Wes’s hand. This was ok but both guys are green.

Al Snow is backstage with the other the gut check winners telling them tonight is open fight night for them. Tonight’s their (second) opportunity. This was ok but I’m not sure why Al said this was their opportunity when they had 1 when they were in gut check!

Angle, Garrett & Wes are backstage celebrating Wes’s win. Angle tells Wes he’s proud of him and says Wes will be part of the roster. This was kind of weak.

Joey Ryan comes to the ring. He mentions tonight being open fight night for the gut check winners. He didn’t need gut check to be a big star. Then he says that Hogan is trying to separate him & Matt Morgan. He says that Hernandez & Chavo are the tag champs and Hulk can’t separate whoever the tag champs are. Ryan says he & Morgan will win the belts. Then he calls out Chavo Guerrero.

Chavo Guerrero, Jr. vs. Joey Ryan. Chavo wins by DQ when Matt Morgan comes in & choke slams Chavo as Chavo was on the top rope. Then out comes Hernandez for the save & Morgan bails. This wasn’t much.

Backstage Austin Aries says that he can call out anyone he wants. The person he is calling out tonight is in the gut check. This was a solid promo.

Sam Shaw comes to the ring. He says it’s an honor & privilege to be a gut check winner. And being that it’s open fight night, he’s calling out the first gut check winner Alex Silva.

Sam Shaw vs. Alex Silva. Shaw gets the pin. This was decent. Shaw does have potential.

Eric Young & ODB go into Hulk’s office with the turkey costume. They want to issue the Turkey Suit challenge since that’s the TNA Thanksgiving tradition. Hulk says EY is the turkey and asks if ODB is the drum stick. Then he tells them to watch out for Aces & 8s. Then Hulk says wants to EY when he grows up. Whatever that meant. Thankfully this was short so it wasn’t too hokey. Hulk saying he wants to be EY when he grows made so sense though, but when does Hogan ever make sense?

Eric Young & ODB are backstage. They run into the Robbies. E says that Rob Terry’s life has been miserable since having to wear the turkey costume last year. Robbie E then says that he wants to be Young to call him out. Then in come Jessie & Tara. EY then says that he should issue the challenge to face both Robbie E & Jessie. This was lame.

Time for a video package recapping the Aces & 8s storyline.

Devon & Aces & 8s are in the clubhouse. Devon says they have a lot to be thankful for. DOC is now a full time guy. Then the VP throws the dart at the board. Devon says that this will truly be a Thanksgiving. This was ok for what it was.

Christian York comes to the ring. He says for 16 years he has travel roads just to get here and today he feels luckiest SOB in the world. Maybe he’s crazy but with luck on his side he’s calling out someone that he respects and admires. He calls out Jeff Hardy.

Christian York vs. TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy. Jeff gets the pin. This was a good match. Afterwards Jeff & York shake hands and hug. Jeff raises York’s Arm. Then Bobby Roode comes out and gives York a spine buster. Then he spears Jeff and pick up the belt. He tells Jeff that the World Title is coming back to where it belongs at Final Resolution. Then Roode raises the belt and says that the title is coming home. This was good.

Tayler Hendrix is backstage & Brooke Hogan comes by and gives her a motivation speech. This was ok.

Tayler Hendrix comes to the ring. She says she’s been working hard and wants to see how she measures up to the gold standard (Not Shelton Benjamin). Then she calls out Tara.

Tayler Hendrix vs. Knockouts Champion Tara. Tara gets the pin. This was decent too.

Eric Young vs. Robbie E vs. Jessie in the Turkey costume match. EY wins when he pins Jessie. This was ok. So Jessie gets to dawn the turkey costume. During this ODB & Tara brawled in the ring and rolled over the referee. Then out come Aces & 8s. Devon his EY with a bat. Then they also handcuff ODB to the ring post and then DOC hits Young in the ankle with the hammer. Then Al Snow and security hit the ring and Aces & 8s bail. Then Young gets stretchered out.

Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian come to the ring. Daniels says last week he challenged AJ Styles to 1 last match at Final Resolution and a lot of people, mostly the idiot fans have been asking why would he call out AJ Styles? He says what kind of friend would he be if he wasn’t there for AJ? Then Kazarian rags on AJ and calls him out.

AJ Styles vs. Frankie Kazarian. AJ gets the pin. This was a solid match.

Austin Aries is backstage saying it’s time to stir things up a bit.

Austin Aries comes to the ring. He says that he’s been telling everybody all night that he has some big things that he wants to do right now. He feels like the playing field hasn’t been leveled for him. He knows the deck is stacked against him. He says there is 1 name that is holding him down. That name of course is Hogan. Then he calls out Brooke Hogan. He says that she is the princess Hogan and he is sick of the name Hogan. For 25 years it’s been Hogan. It’s the fans chanting Hogan and he’s sick of it. He then says that being a Hogan makes it hard to have a private life. Then he says that Brooke probably hoped that her name would be Brooke Trump or Brooke McMahon. Not Mrs. Brooke Bully Ray. He rags on Brooke some more about the Hogan name. Then Aries has film of Ray & Brooke shown from a few weeks ago of Ray & Brooke talking. Then he has the clip from last week when Ray was in Brooke’s office. Then Aries says that Brooke didn’t have to settle for the turkey when he would have given her the stuffing. Then out come Hulk & Ray and Aries bails. Rey gets in the ring. Hogan tells Aries he’s a dead man. Brooke tells her dad this isn’t what he thinks. Then she runs up the ramp as the fans chant Hogan to end the show. This was a mixed bag segment. Aries was good on the mic as usual but anything that involves Hulk or Brooke makes no sense. I have no idea what they’re doing with this Ray-Brooke story.

I was ok with this week’s show overall. The Wes Briscoe-Garrett Bischoff match was ok but both guys are green. The Aries promo at the end was good but I don’t know what they’re doing with Brooke Hogan & Ray. If this leads to a Ray-Aries match I’m good with that. AJ-Kazarian was solid. The Daniels-Kazarian promo before that was decent too. Christian York-Jeff Hardy was really good. That was the best part of the show. Hendrix-Tara was decent and so was Shaw-Silva. Shaw does have potential. EY-Robbie E-Jessie was ok for what it was. EY getting attacked by Aces & 8s was alright too. This might be Eric Young’s storyline exit from the company. Aces & 8s in the clubhouse was ok for what it was too. Chavo-Joey Ryan wasn’t much. It looks they’ll be having Morgan & Ryan challenge Hernandez & Chavo for the tag titles. On the whole I this was a decent show this week.

11-19-12 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 19, 2012 episode of Raw

 

The show starts with Ryback coming to the ring. He says that last night he was about to feast on the WWE Title but Punk found 3 guys take food from a starving man’s mouth. His hunger can’t be suppressed. Ryback is a predator and Punk the attackers are his prey. He tells them to come out and face him right now or he will tare the place apart till he finds them all. Then he leads the crowed in the feed me more chant. Out comes Vickie Guerrero. She tells Ryback he had 2 chances to win the title and he blew it. She wants to see him destroy people but if he causes chaos tonight he will be subject to a fine or suspension. Then Vickie says again that she enjoys watching him destroy people. Let’s see how big his appetite really is. Out comes Tensai. This was lame but thankfully short. We’ve seen Ryback-Tensai TWICE and they weren’t good.

Ryback vs. Tensai. Ryback gets the pin. This was a pointless squash.

Sheamus is backstage screaming at a referee.

They show a wwe.com exclusive interview with Wade Barrett. He says it doesn’t matter that he was eliminated in the 10 man last night because Dolph won. Then he says that he pinned Kofi in the match and should be Intercontinental Champion. The fact that Kofi Kingston is Intercontinental Champion is an embarrassment to WWE.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Wade Barrett. Barrett gets the pin. This was a good match.

Time for a Brad Maddox video package.

Paul Heyman is backstage with a CM Punk poster. He knocks on Punk’s door. Punk comes out. He says he thought it was Ryback. Punk likes the pic. Heyman says that there are no words that can describe what he thinks about Punk being the best in the World. Then he tonight he will throw Punk a celebration for the ages. Then Matt Striker comes in and asks for Punk’s thoughts on the finish of last night’s match and if it he has anything to do with Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns. Punk says he’s tired of people asking him these questions. Striker asks Punk about Ryback. Punk then screams, “What about Ryback?” Heyman says tonight Punk’s celebration will be so memorable they’ll show it on the 2000^th Raw. Heyman says that everyone is invited. Even Ryback. Punk asks to talk to Heyman in the dressing room. This was decent. Punk & Heyman were good here as usual.

Kaitlyn vs. Aksana. Kaitlyn gets the pin. This was weak.

R-Truth is on commentary.

Brodus Clay vs. U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro gets the pin. This was ok but I knew Cesaro would win. Brodus is on Jobber Island.

They show a video package of John Cena granting his 300^th Make A Wish. The guy really does do a lot and I give him all the credit in the world!

Vickie Guerrero is backstage with some guy and some girl. We’ll find out what more evidence Vickie has on the AJ scandal. I can’t take anymore of this!

Out comes Vickie Guerrero with her 2 guests. Vickie wants to set the record straight. She wouldn’t lay a hand on a WWE super star. AJ is trying to humiliate her. Some people respect authority, like Tamina. AJ has been making a fool of herself for weeks. AJ & Cena had the audacity of accusing Vickie of having an affair. Tonight Vickie has witnesses. First is a hotel waitress named Whitney Smith. Smith says AJ & Cena wanted a private table in the corner. Through the whole meal they were touchy feely and more crap. The guy’s name is Doug Brady. He’s a parking attendant. He saw Cena & AJ in a parked vehicle for close to an hour. They were parked close to a family and the dad came to him to tell him what he saw. Then out comes AJ. AJ doesn’t know who they are or much Vickie paid them. She’s tired of Vickie’s crap. If Vickie wants to fire her than go ahead. If she doesn’t she should shut the hell up. Vickie says AJ can’t admit the truth. Vickie says while AJ was lip locking with Cena, Mr. Brady took pics. Vickie says she will show a pic. No pic. Cue Cena’s music and he comes out. He says this all a load of crap (This storyline sure is that) and she’s trying to give people something to talk about. Then he says he will give them something to talk about. Then he says AJ he hopes she doesn’t mind. Then Cena kisses AJ. Then AJ kisses him really hard. Then they lock lips. As that’s happening Dolph comes out and hits Cena in the back. Then they go at it, Cena sets Dolph up for an AA but Dolph escapes. Cena runs after Dolph up the ramp. This was TERRIBLY PAINFULL!! HOWMUCH MORE OF THIS CRAP ARE WE GOING TO BE SUBJECTED TOO!? I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS ANGLE!

Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Orton wins 2 falls to 1. This was a good match but they had Del Rio lose to Orton again! * Orton wins the first fall by DQ. * Del Rio wins the second fall by submission. * Orton gets the pin in the third fall. In the third fall Ricardo tripped Orton and the referee sent Ricardo to the back. I would think this is the end of their feud since Orton won here in addition to all the other matches he beat Del Rio in.

John Cena’s is told that he might have a torn meniscus as his knee is being taped up. AJ asks if he’s ok and says that she is sorry. Apparently he injured his ankle as he left the ring when he chased Dolph up the ramp.

Before the next match Hornswoggle comes out with flowers.

Great Khali vs. Primo & Epico. Khali gets the quick pin. This was a meaningless squash. Hornswoggle went up to Rosa with the flowers and squired water out of them onto Rosa. Afterwards Khali & Hornswoggle celebrate in the ring. What was this for?

Backstage Heyman that Punk will be so happy but then he sees something on the list. Heyman screams that he wants balloons. Heyman was good but this was kind of weak.

The Miz vs. David Otunga. Miz gets the pin. This was all Miz.

Sheamus comes to the ring. He says before he knocks out Sandow he wants to get something off his chest. When the rivalry with him & Big Show first began it was about 2 warriors. Then Show made it personal when he attacked Regal. Then last night Show pulled the referee in front of him when Sheamus went for the Brogue kick. Through all this Show has shown what type of person he really is. Now matter how hard they fight Show always runs away. Sheamus says that after HIAC he had a smile on his face. He’s not smiling now. Sheamus tells Big Show to come to the ring so they can settle this. Out comes Big Show. Sheamus shows him the chair. Show says they have nothing to settle. Show mentions that at HIAC he was going to KO Sheamus. Show says that Sheamus beat him within an inch of his life last night. Sheamus says that the marks on the chair are symbols of the beating he gave Big Show. Then Big Show says Sheamus isn’t the World Champion. Show is and Sheamus doesn’t deserve the title. Sheamus is barbaric just like his Irish ancestors. Sheamus tells Show to get in the ring so he can show how barbaric he can be. Then out comes Damien Sandow. I don’t know why they had that segment before the match. Also didn’t Sheamus already show how barbaric he is when he beat the crap out of Big Show last night with the chair?

Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow. Sheamus gets the pin. This was a good match but I knew Sheamus was winning. Sandow got a good amount of offense in before getting pinned.

Vickie & Tamina are in the GM office. AJ comes in. Vickie introduces them. AJ plans on getting to know Tamina better in the near future. AJ brings up the crappy segment from before. Vickie asks if AJ is going to deny that she & Cena were playing tonsil hockey. AJ says that Cena’s hurt. What will Vickie do about it? Nothing. If she won’t then AJ will. This was lame.

AJ is backstage and Layla is telling her that it’s not worth it. They come to a door. Layla tells AJ not to go in there. AJ tells Layla to leave her alone. Layla walks off. AJ walks into the guy’s locker room. She goes to Dolph and asks who he thinks he is. Dolph says that AJ came from nothing and she will always be nothing. He says that she gloms on anyone who will show her attention. He says AJ is pathetic. Every time she loses a piece of her pride. Now she is a shell of a woman. He says she’s weak and pitiful. He says she’s just trash. Then AJ pounds on Dolph. Cena comes in and he & Dolph brawl. Dolph attacks Cena’s injured knee. A referee comes in and says to get the doc. This was terrible too. How can Vince think this is good story telling. It’s not! This is total crap! No one cares about this!

Josh Mathews says that Cena was rushed to the trainer’s room during the break. He says that after Dolph attacked the knee Cena is in much more pain. No duh Josh!

The Primetime Players are on commentary.

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan. The match goes to a no finish when The Primetime Players come in and beat down Kane. Sin Cara kicks Titus. Then Daniel sets up the Players for a double 619 by Mysterio. That’s followed Kane choke slamming Titus and Sin Cara hitting a springboard senton on Darren. The match was good but the finish (or no finish) was predictable since The Primetime Players were out there. They looked really weak too after getting beat down by both teams. Other than that I liked the match.

Punk & Heyman backstage. Heyman thanks Punk for all the sacrifices Punk has made to be champion for 365 days. Heyman wants this to be a major celebration that no one will forget. Punk’s celebration is next.

Michael Cole mentions that Cena might have a partially torn meniscus.  

Paul Heyman is in the ring. He tells the fans not to boo him. He’s her to honor a man that has successfully defended the WWE Title for 365 days and the fans have the nerve to boo him. He asks if the fans are upset that Punk retained the title or maybe because they mocked Lawler. Heyman says the fans wanted the attitude era but when he & Punk give him a taste of attitude they don’t like it. They have the nerve to chant ECW but they don’t like when things get extreme. WWE has never been able to handle the greatness of Punk raising the bar so high. This celebration stands head and shoulders above the rest for all time. This is a celebration of 365 glorious days of the reigning, defending champion and the best in the world. Heyman is honored and privileged to bring out CM Punk. Punk comes out. Punk & Heyman hug. Punk says that Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Bret Hart couldn’t do it. That means Punk is the best there is, was and ever will be. The Undertaker couldn’t do it. The Rock couldn’t either. Punk says he has been champion for 1 calendar year. Then the show a Punk video package on Punks year long WWE Title reign. Punk says tonight is a night of celebration. It’s about his place in history. He belongs at the top and is looking to the future. He has his goal set on July 15, 2018 when he surpasses Bruno Sammartino and becomes the longest reigning champion. Heyman says that he was a Bruno fan and that Bruno belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame and Punk is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Heyman says that neither Bruno nor Hogan could beat Punk. Another Heyman guy, Steve Austin could never on his best day beat Punk. AT the Royal Rumble it will be proven that not even The Rock can beat CM Punk. Punk thanks Heyman for setting this all up. He says that last night at Survivor Series was one of his best moments because everyone thought he would lose but he survived Survivor Series. Then out comes Ryback and then out come Rollins, Ambrose & Reigns. They go after Ryback but Ryback gets past them. Ryback gets in the ring and the 3 guys come in and beat down Ryback. Then they take apart the announce table and they powerbomb Ryback through it. Punk goes over to Ryback. He crouches over him, then he puts his foot on Ryback’s chest. He holds the belt over his head and shout, “Best in the world.” This ends the show. This was really good. Both Punk & Heyman were tremendous on the mic here. Having Rollins, Ambrose & Reigns being aligned with Punk & Heyman could really get them over.  

I thought this week’s show had its ups and downs overall. The opening bit with Ryback & Vickie was lame and the Ryback-Tensai match was a pointless quash. The CM Punk celebration was really good. I’m liking this new stable with Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns. If they’re booked right they could really get over being with Punk & Heyman. The rest of the show was hit and miss. I’m WAY beyond tired of the AJ-Cena-Vickie-Dolph angle. This whole storyline is idiotic. The in ring segment with Vickie, the “witnesses”, AJ, Dolph & Cena was really painful! AJ going into the guy’s locker room was lame too. The Cena-Dolph brawl was solid but this story made it far less interesting than it could have been. Clay-Cesaro was ok but I knew Cesaro was winning. Kaitlyn-Aksana was weak. Mysterio & Cara vs. Kane & Daniel was good but I knew the Primetime Players would get involved. Sheamus-Sandow was good. The Sheamus-Big Show promo was decent too but I’m not sure why it was before the match. Miz-Otunga wasn’t much. Miz dominated the whole match. Khali vs. Primo & Epico was a meaningless squash and the bit with Hornswoggle squirting the water out of the flowers on Rosa was lame too. Orton-Del Rio was good too and I’m guessing that’s the end of that feud since Orton won this match too. Kofi-Barrett was good too. So on the whole I thought this week’s show was a mixed bag with a really good ending.

11-16-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

  Coverage and thoughts on the November 16, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Sheamus in the parking garage waiting for Big Show to arrive.

The Miz comes to the ring for Miz TV. Since Miz is now a baby face the fans chant Miz is awesome (that might have been pumped in). Miz says it’s good to be home. He welcomes everyone to the most must see WWE talk show in history, Miz TV. In 2 days the 26^th annual Survivor Series will take place and Miz will now be on Team Foley because of the fans. He mentions that the fans picked him the Raw active vote on Raw. He asks if there was any doubt. There’s a Survivor Series poster in the ring and Miz mentions that he’s on it. He’s on the poster because he is a survivor. Not only is he a survivor, he has accomplished more than any other Survivor Series participant. He will not blindly fall in line under any team captain whether it’s Dolph or his guest the hardcore legend Mick Foley. Foley comes to the ring. Foley appreciates Miz having him on his show but he did have some reservations when he first put Miz on the ballot on Raw active. Then he plugs his new book and does the cheap pop town bit. The fans cheer. Miz tells Foley not to go for a cheap pop in Miz’s home town. Foley says, “You’re from right here in Cleveland, Ohio?” Foley says that even though he called his new book “A Most Mizerable Christmas” with a drawing that resembles Miz, if the book had been written by Dickens it might have been called, “A Tale of Two Mizzes.” Foley says that’s what Miz is to him. He says that Miz is a tale of 2 very different people and as they get closer to Survivor Series Foley wonders which Miz will show up to be on Team Foley. Will it be the WrestleMania main eventing, John Cena defeating, awesome inducing, self surviving WWE super star that Foley know Miz can be? Or will it be the vacation taking, chair sitting, make up wearing, week beard growing Miz who shows up on Smackdown & Raw from time to time? Foley asks which Tale of which Miz will it turn out to be. Miz says, “You need to ask that question, really?” Then Miz says really a few times. Then Miz tells Foley that he is the least of Foley’s problems. Miz doesn’t need Foley to give him a rah rah speech. What Foley needs to do is look at the rest of his team. Foley has tag team champions that don’t like each other. He has an Apex Predator that doesn’t play well with others. And he has a cheap shot artist that stole Miz’s Intercontinental Title. Foley’s glad they’re getting this out in the open because he would like the chance to have a team meeting right here on Miz’s show. Foley then brings out Kofi Kingston. Then out come Kane & Daniel Bryan. Finally Randy Orton comes out. Foley says that he wants to open up the lines of communication. Whoever feels the need to speak first they can begin talking. All the team mates look at each other. Kane & Daniel both say that they’ll start. Then they argue over who will speak first. Then Daniel says that he thinks that Kane is trying to apologize for his constant insinuation that Daniel is the weak link of their tag team. Kane then thanks Miz for being such a great tag team partner Monday night. Kane says that his back feels so strong from not having to carry somebody. He looks at Daniel. Daniel asks if Kane thinks that’s funny. Then Daniel says that without him Kane would be roaming basements and scaring kids. Kane then says that he roams basements and scares kids regardless. Then they each say they’re the tag team champions. Then Kofi jumps in and says they’re all supposed to be a team. Then Miz gives Kofi a really. He asks if Kofi will play peacekeeper. Miz mentions that last week he went to shake Kofi’s hand and Kofi kicked him in the face. Kofi tells Miz that if he doesn’t take 2 steps back he will do it again. Then Foley tells them to show some team unity. He says this isn’t going too well. Then Foley says that it’s hard to believe that the voice of reason on his team might be Orton. Orton asks Foley if he wants him to be the voice of reason. Orton tells Foley that he has spit in his face numerous times. Then Orton mentions that Foley threw him into a pile of thumbtacks long ago. But even though all that happened between them Orton likes Foley more than anyone who is standing in the ring right now. Orton then says that there isn’t a single member of this team that he actually does like or trust. Then Orton knocks over the PPV poster. Then out come Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez, Wade Barrett & Damian Sandow. (Cody Rhodes wan not there because he got legit injured in a match that was taped for Main Event. Him & Sandow against Kane & Daniel). Dolph tells his guys to take a good look in the ring. Team Foley is the definition of dysfunction. Dolph says that pretty sad even for Mick. Dolph says that Team Ziggler doesn’t have any egos. All they are are prime elite super stars that are all united behind 1 charismatic leader. Del Rio & Ricardo are talking and Dolph tells Del Rio this is 1 meeting. Then Dolph says that furthermore the last time…then he turns back to Del Rio and asks him what the problem is. Del Rio says that he doesn’t think that Dolph has what it takes to be the team leader. Dolph says, “That’s something you couldn’t have brought up backstage?” Then Del Rio says that there is only 1 person in this place who deserves to be the leader of this team and it isn’t Dolph. Dolph asks Del Rio if that wasn’t that he could have brought up before they came out. Del Rio tells Dolph not to talk to him like that because he is a former WWE Champion. Dolph says that he is a future champion and would rather be a future anything than former anything (I don’t think he wants to be future endeavored). Foley then sarcastically says that Dolph is showing them how to be united. Dolph tells Foley to shut up and to stay out of this. Foley tells Dolph that he is involved in this. He says that way back when he used to run this place he made some pretty good matches. Then Foley mentions that he asked Booker T if he can have he chance to make some pretty good matches right here in Cleveland, Ohio. Foley then says that Booker told him that he can with Team Ziggler’s blessing. Mick asks Dolph if it’s ok if he makes some matches tonight. Dolph tells him go ahead. Foley then says that it seems to him that Del Rio & Dolph need to learn how to get along before Survivor Series. Foley then says that what better way than to form a tag team here tonight and face 2 members of Team Foley who also need to learn how to get along. Foley says that Del Rio & Dolph will face Miz & Randy Orton. Dolph says that’s great. Dolph is glad that Miz quit Team Ziggler because he couldn’t cut it on that team anyway. Then Dolph says that they got someone who is way better than Miz. Wade Barrett. Barrett thanks Dolph and says that Dolph is making him blush. Then Barrett says that the way he sees it, Team Ziggler has replaced a quitter with a winner. Foley wants to see how Barrett does when he faces Kane. Then Daniel screams no. Then Sandow screams silence. Then he says that it is obvious that Team Foley is in complete disarray. They have a goat faced 1 word wonder running around with an anger problem. Sandow then says that Kane’s brutality is the very reason that Cody Rhodes is not there tonight. Then you have a braided neon mute who know claims he has the ability to fly. Kofi then says that Sandow calls himself a scholar so he expects him to say something smarter. Kofi says if Sandow wants to question his flying abilities then Kofi would be willing to show Sandow first hand. Then Foley tells Kofi that he just made his job real simple because the first match tonight will be Kofi vs. Sandow. That match starts now. This was good but it was also really long! I liked that they had the Team Foley members show friction with each other and not just do the “Hey they’re all baby faces now. Let’s forget about everything” bit. That said I thought everyone who spoke was good but this segment could have easily been way shorter. They didn’t need to take 15 minutes to set up the first match on the show.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Damien Sandow. Sandow gets the pin. This was a good match. During this they showed the back drop from Main Event that injured Cody.

They show Sheamus in the parking garage.

Layla, Kaitlyn & Natalya vs. Divas Champion Eve Torres, Aksana & Alicia Fox. Layla, Kaitlyn & Natalya win when Kaitlyn pins Alicia. This was your typical divas match.

They announce Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal for the Survivor Series youtube pre show. What happened to the 8 man tag Gabriel & Kidd were supposed to be in?

Backstage Booker T comes up to Sheamus. Booker says he needs to talk to him. He knows that Sheamus is upset but he put Booker a really awkward position. Booker says that he heard that Big Show might not show up tonight just because Sheamus is standing there waiting for him. Sheamus says that he will move. Then Sheamus tells Booker that if he see Big Show to tell him that if he has any guts, Show will see Sheamus out in the ring. Then Booker says that in 48 hours Sheamus can tear Big Show limb from limb. He asks Sheamus to keep his cool tonight. Sheamus can’t promise anything. Booker’s serious “dawg.” Booker tells Sheamus that if things get out of hand there will be repercussions. Sheamus says Booker’s got that right “fella” and walks off. This was weak.

Randy Orton & The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio & Dolph Ziggler. Orton & Miz win when Miz pins Del Rio. This was a solid match. Afterwards Miz gets in Orton’s face about getting the pin. Then Miz poses on the turnbuckle for a bit. Then Orton gives him an RKO.

Sheamus comes in the ring. He says that Big Show crossed the line. Sheamus says that he was happy about his match with Big Show at hell in a cell (Why would he be? He lost the belt) because they pushed each other to the limit. They beat lumps out of each other and they had the fight of a life. Then Big Show had to attack him & William Regal from behind in a cowardly act. Big Show showed that he is a bully and nothing but a bleeding big coward. Sheamus is tired of all this talking & the running around. He says that even though they have match at Survivor Series, he doesn’t feel like waiting till then. As far as Sheamus is concerned the time for talking is over. It’s time to fight. Out comes Big Show. Big Show says that Sheamus doesn’t get it. Just like last week, Sheamus is out there running his mouth and calling Big Show out. Big Show then says that just like last week, nothing will happen. Nothing except maybe getting Regal knocked out again. Show then says that he is scared of Sheamus. He’s not scared of what Sheamus might do to him. He is scared of what he might do to Sheamus. Show tells Sheamus that rather than standing in the ring being all angry Sheamus should do the right thing and thank Big Show. Sheamus says that’s the best idea Big Show’s ever had. Sheamus will personally head up the ramp and thank him right now. Sheamus then leaves the ring but then Booker T comes out. He tells Sheamus to hold it right there. Sheamus heads up the ramp to go after Big Show but Booker T holds him back. Booker tells Sheamus that this is not Monday night where everything got totally out of control (Nope this is Friday night where everything gets out of control). Booker says this is Smackdown. This is his show. Booker tells Sheamus that in 2 days Sheamus gets Big Show. But for right now he has to ask Sheamus to leave the arena. Sheamus tells Booker that he respects him but he can’t do that. Sheamus goes after Show but Booker holds him back again. Then Big Show walks to the back as Sheamus screams at him. Then Booker says that Sheamus doesn’t want to this. Booker says that as Smackdown GM he is telling Sheamus to leave the building. Sheamus stands by ringside still and Booker keeps telling Sheamus that he doesn’t want to do this. Sheamus & Booker finally walk out. This was a mixed bag. I thought Sheamus cut a good promo and Big Show was ok here too. Having Booker T come and kick Sheamus out of the building was idiotic however. I also thought Booker saying that this isn’t Monday where everything gets out of control was funny since that’s what happens on both Raw & Smackdown every week.

Backstage Big Show tells Booker T that is the way to get it done. Show & Booker have known each other for 15 years (might actually be 16). Then Booker tells Big Show that he will be in the main event tonight. Then he tells Big Show that he will find out who he is facing when he gets to the ring. Big Show asks Booker if it will be Sheamus. Booker tells him it won’t be Sheamus but there is no one bigger than “The Show.”

Kane vs. Wade Barrett. Kane wins by DQ when Team Ziggler comes in. Then Mick Foley comes out and brings out his troupes. Orton has his own entrance and the brawl takes place. Orton gives an RKO to Sandow & to Dolph. Then Orton shakes Foley’s hand. Then Miz shows up on the stage. He & the other Team Foley guys have a stare down. This was decent. I was ok with the brawl but again Sandow & Dolph got buried.

R-Truth comes out for commentary for the next match.

Sin Cara vs. U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro gets the pin. This was solid. Afterwards R-Truth gets on the announce table and has a mic. With all due respect to “Little Jimmy” he wants to quote another Jimmy. Hacksaw “Jimmy” Duggan. He says USA. The fans chant USA and he says what. Then he chants USA. R-Truth’s gimmick is really tiring.

Great Khali vs. World Champion Big Show. Big Show gets the pin. This was weak. Afterwards Sheamus’ music plays and Big Show looks up the ramp. Then he looks around the rest of the arena. Then Big Show’s music plays. Then Big Show slides out of the ring and heads up the ramp. Big Show is in the parking garage and as he’s walking Matt Striker comes up to him. Show looks at Striker and then Striker runs off. Then Big Show opens a bus door and out comes Sheamus. He & Big Show brawl in the garage. Big Show throws Sheamus onto a windshield. Then referees come by to check on Sheamus. Then Sheamus jumps off the car roof and goes back after Big Show. Sheamus throws him face first into a car hood and then continues to pound on him. Then Booker T, referees & security come in and pull Sheamus off. Sheamus kicks and screams at Show that he will see him Sunday. Big Show lies on the garage floor, selling the beating to end the show. I thought this was good. They did a solid job building to their match this Sunday.

I thought this was a mixed bag show overall. The opening segment was good but way too long. The guys who had the mic cut decent promos but the teammates not getting along was predictable. They also didn’t need 15 minutes to set up Kofi-Sandow. That match was good however. The Backstage bit with Booker T & Sheamus was weak. Khali-Big Show wasn’t much but I thought the Sheamus-Big Show brawl at the end was good. The Sheamus-Big Show segment earlier in the show was a mixed bag. Sheamus & Big Show were both good but having Booker come out and kick Sheamus out of the building was weak. The 6 diva tag was ok. The Kane-Barrett/brawl was good but I was into Orton giving both Sandow & Dolph an RKO. Cara-Cesaro was a solid match. Orton & Miz vs. Del Rio & Dolph was solid but of course they had the team mates from both teams having tension and that was a bit too predictable. Overall I thought this week’s show was a mixed bag.