7-29-13 Raw results and thoughts

COVERAGE & THOUGHTS 0N THE JULY 29, 2013 EPISODE OF RAW The show starts with Vince McMahon & Brad Maddox coming to the ring. Vince says we’re gonna have fun tonight. Then he gives Brad the mic. Brad says he would like to apologize for his boneheaded decision to allow Cena to pick his opponent at SummerSlam. Vince says Brad referred to Daniel as a troll. Vince says a troll is an ugly dwarf. Brad might be onto something there. Vince then says that Brad said that Daniel is undersized, has psychological problems & didn’t have the aura of being WWE Champion. Vince wants to know how Brad really feels about Daniel. Cue Daniel’s music & he comes out. The fans chant Daniel Bryan. Daniel says with all due respect to Brad & Vince those words came out of Brad’s mouth but they were dictated by Vince. Vince says Daniel is cutting off the chairman of the board & that is a lack of respect. Daniel says that respect is a 2 way street. Despite giving everything Daniel has night after night, year after year for Vince’s company Vince hasn’t given him an ounce of respect. Vince asks Daniel if he respects Cena. Daniel respects Cena as a human being & a champion. He also respects that Cena picked to face him for SummerSlam. Vince says Cena didn’t mean a word he said. Vince says that Cena picked Daniel because Daniel is the hottest thing in WWE but Cena is lying & making Daniel look like a fool. He asks if Daniel & the fans are fools. Vince says Daniel can’t beat Cena. He can’t even beat Kane because he doesn’t have that intangible quality of ruthless aggression. Cena’s ripe for the picking but Daniel can’t beat him. Cena walks around here like he owns the place & thinks that he’s a better man than Vince. Vince owns the place. If he doesn’t want Cena to win does that mean that he wants to have an embarrassing troll win at SummerSlam? Vince says at SummerSlam Cena & Daniel will lock up & then there will be particles of both guys going through the air. Vince hopes that he himself wins at SummerSlam. Daniel says if Cena is lying to him he will have hell to pay. Here’s what Daniel likes about Vince. Vince is always honest & tells Daniel what he really thinks. But in Vince’s words it doesn’t matter what he thinks, it matters what the fans think. The fans chant yes. Daniel says it seems that the fans want a new champion at SummerSlam & his name is Daniel Bryan. Daniel wants Vince to listen to the fans & his own advice. Daniel asks the fans if they want a new WWE Champion. The fans chant yes & so does Daniel. This was terrible! Vince’s promo was absolutely horrific! How can he think that that by putting down Daniel & burying him that that is supposed to build him up!? Daniel was good here though!/Then out comes The Shield. Break time./Back from break &it’s time for the first match of the night./Mark Henry & The Usos vs. The Shield. The Shield wins when Ambrose pins Jimmy. This was a really good match. Then Henry throws The Shield around &then The Shield retreats over the barrier./They show a video from earlier in the day of Ryback showing up at the catering table. He thought someone said something about him. Ryback bullies him & asks if the guy’s hungry. Then he throws food in the guy’s face. Then Ryback says that he’s gonna put Cena through a table tonight & that he can put the guy through the table right now. Then he does. This was weak. Ryback as a heel doesn’t work./Time for a Wyatt family video package./Backstage we see Brad in the GM office. Kane comes in & asks where the Wyatts are. Brad says they’re not there but he can send them a message. If he wants to show them that he is a monster what better way to than against his former partner & friend Daniel Bryan. Thankfully this was a short backstage segment./Rob Van Dam vs. Fandango. RVD wins by count out when Fandango walks out. This was a decent match but I’m tired of Fandango walking out on his matches. Then Fandango gets the mic & says his name. Can they have him quit saying that too?/Backstage AJ tells Big E she beat Kaitlyn twice & complains about having to face her again. She says that a baby cries whenever Kaitlyn hits a spear. Then she asks Big E why he lets it happen every time. Before Big E can speak AJ says that Big E likes her & what she does in the ring & you never know what she will do next. Then she walks off. This was alright./Kaitlyn vs. Divas Champion AJ Lee. Kaitlyn gets the pin. This was a solid match. Then AJ goes into breakdown mode./Then out comes Dolph. He congratulates her on losing. Maybe her new friend Big E can be her shoulder to cry on tonight. Maybe she can return the favor later & be a shoulder for Big E to cry on. Dolph wants a match with Big E Right now. Dolph Ziggler vs. Big E Langston. Dolph wins by DQ when AJ comes in. AJ rakes Dolph’s eyes & pulls out some his hair. Dolph rolls outside the ring. AJ has another breakdown. Then Big E gets back in the ring & is pissed at AJ for costing him the match. Then Dolph gives Big E the Zig Zag./Backstage John Cena is on his cell phone & then Daniel Bryan comes in. Daniel asks if what Vince said before is true. Cena wouldn’t believe a word Vince says. Daniel says that good or bad Vince has always been honest with him. Cena asks Daniel if he is calling him a liar & then Cena walks off. This was a decent backstage segment./Christian vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Christian gets the pin. This was a good back & forth match./Time for a look back at the Cody-Sandow saga from Smackdown./Cody Rhodes vs. Wade Barrett. Cody gets the pin. This was also a solid match./Then out comes Sandow. He is pissed at Cody for throwing the MITB case into the water (Even though this was taped first). Sandow says he has filed a complaint with WWE management. During their time together he tried to bring Cody up to his level. He taught the unwashed masses & won MITB while Cody grew a mustache. Sandow is from a family of Scholars & Cody is from a family of clowns. Sandow suggests sending Cody back to the carnival./Kane vs. Daniel Bryan. Daniel gets the pin. This was a really good back & forth match. Afterwards Kane choke slams Daniel. Then Daniel walks up the ramp./Then Kane was signaling for his pyro but the Wyatt family Tron shows up & out they come. Bray sits in the rocking chair. Then the lights come back on & Harper & Rowan are in the ring. Kane goes after Bray but Harper & Rowan stop him. Kane fights them off for a bit but they get the upper hand. Rowan throws Kane into Harper & Harper gives Kane a devastating clothesline. Then Bray gets in & they hold Kane. Then Bray gives Kane Sister Abigail. Bray says he heard Kane likes to call himself a demon but he’s not. Bray wants to let Kane in on a little secret. He better be careful who he says stuff in front of because you never know who might be listening. Follow the buzzards. This was good. It looks like we’ll be getting Kane vs. Bray at SummerSlam, or maybe Taker will return & they’ll find a partner & face the Wyatt family in a 6 man./They show a video from earlier in the today with Natalya & the Bella Twins. Natalya talks about her match with Brie & then says that they were all winners with Total Divas. The Bellas says that every story needs an ugly ducking. This was idiotic./Natalya vs. Brie Bella. Brie gets the pin. During the match Nikki comes out with a duck caller. Then Brie rolls up Natalya for the pin. This was awful./ Backstage Paul Heyman tells Curtis Axel it is time to show the world the greatest IC Champion of all time. Curtis Axel will be in action next./Paul Heyman & Curtis Axel come to the ring. Heyman finds it very erotic that his client’s opponent is known as R-Truth because their truth is that Heyman is the most exclusive talent agent in sports entertainment & 1 of the greatest managers ever. Take Brock Lesnar. He will end the career of Heyman’s former best friend CM Punk. This is being called the best vs. the beast. Now take Axel. Being a Paul Heyman guy means you’re amongst the most elite circle of top tier talent in history. A fact perfectly personified by Curtis Axel. Axel says his dad won the IC Title in Texas but despite that he went on & became Mr. Perfect. As for him, he is already perfect than perfect./R-Truth vs. Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. The match goes to a no finish when Punk comes out & yanks Axel out of the ring./Then Punk goes after Heyman. Heyman looks to escape through the crowed but Punk stops him. Then Axel goes after Punk & Heyman manages to escape. The match was ok but I hate when a match just ends out of nowhere because of a run in./Backstage HHH asks Vince if he’s done pulling Brad’s strings. Vince says he’s using reverse psychology on Daniel. HHH says Vince can’t say that with a straight face. Vince wants someone like HHH who is 23 years younger to face Cena. Stephanie comes in. She says the fans chose Daniel just as much as Cena. She think they need to give Daniel Bryan a corporate makeover. Vince says good luck with that 1 & leaves. HHH tells Stephanie it’s worth a shot. This was painful! I’m WAY BEYOND TIRED of this McMahon family soap opera & I really hope to God that they don’t give Daniel a different gimmick!/WWE Champion John Cena vs. Ryback in a tables match. Cena wins. This match was really good./Then Daniel Bryan comes to ringside. He picks up the WWE Title & then gets in the ring. Daniel hints at handing the title back to Cena but yanks it away. Then Cena takes the belt. Cena &Daniel stare down as Daniel chants yes to end the show. This was good too. Their match at SummerSlam should be entertaining./I thought this was a solid show overall. The opening segment was terrible! Vince’s promo was really idiotic & Brad Maddox was useless here. I thought Daniel cut a good promo here though. I’m tired of the McMahon family saga! Vince saying that Daniel is too small, etc. is just stupid. The backstage segment with the McMahon family was awful too & I’m really hoping that they don’t mess with Daniel’s character. Hearing Stephanie saying that he needs a make over got me worried. I liked the Cena-Ryback tables match & the Cena-Daniel stare down at the end was well done. Daniel & Kane also had a good match & I liked the Wyatt family attacking Kane afterwards. Bray cut a good promo too. The 6 man tag was really good. I liked that they gave it a good amount of time. Natalya-Brie Bella wasn’t much & the finish with Nikki using the duck caller was idiotic. The R-Truth-Curtis Axel match was ok but I hated that the match just ended because CM Punk ran out. There was no decision & no bell. Why? I was ok with Punk going after Heyman & Axel preventing Punk from getting him though. Kaitlyn-AJ was solid too & so was Dolph-Big E. The Cody-Barrett match was solid too & Sandow’s promo afterwards was decent. I also liked the backstage bit with Cena & Daniel. They’re really doing a good job with the build to this match. RVD-Fandango was decent too but I’m tired Fandango walking out on his matches & getting counted out. Christian vs. Del Rio was also good. Overall I thought this was a solid episode of Raw.

7-26-13 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the July 26, 2013 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Randy Orton coming to the ring for his match with Damien Sandow. Then out comes Damien Sandow. He says good evening to the halfwits of Corpus Christi. Say hello to your uncrowned world champion. Then he demands SIELNECE! He is actually very grateful that the fans have taken time off from cow tipping & watching the bug zapper on the front porch to be enlightened. Behold the intellectual savior of MITB. Behold your uncrowned world champion. You’re welcome.

Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow. Orton gets the pin. Cody Rhodes came to ringside & took Sandow’s MITB case. That distracted Sandow & then Orton gave Sandow an RKO for the pin. This was a good match. Then Cody goes up the ramp with Sandow’s MITB case.

CM Punk comes to the ring. He says it is official. He got what he wanted. At SummerSlam it will be the best vs. the beast (that’s a great line). Ever since Monday people have been coming up to Punk saying that he fell right in to Paul Heyman’s trap. That’s exactly what Heyman thinks & that’s what he wants the fans to think & it kinda surprises Punk. Punk knows Heyman. For 8 years Heyman wasn’t just his best friend, he was also Punk’s mentor. Heyman taught Punk a lot about being the dirtiest player in the game. Heyman told Punk you don’t just exploit your enemy’s weakness, you target it & you hit over & over till there is nothing left.   That’s just what Punk will do to Lesnar at SummerSlam. Punk considers himself a little bit of an expert on exactly what Brock’s biggest weakness is because it also used to be Punk’s biggest weakness. Brock’s weakness is the fact that he trusts Paul Heyman. Punk says that will be Brock’s downfall. Then Punk says that Heyman’s biggest weakness has & always will be his ego. Punk’s not gonna pretend that Heyman never stuck his neck out for him when nobody else would. He isn’t gonna pretend that Heyman didn’t help him get to WWE but Punk has been beating himself up for weeks because he finally realizes that Heyman didn’t do it for Punk, Heyman did it for himself. Heyman saw a kid who would be successful no matter what & Heyman put his stamp of approval on Punk so that he could tell everybody that he made Punk. Last Monday Heyman called Punk a thoroughbred & that is all that Punk has ever been to Heyman. Punk was just another horse in the race. Heyman wanted 2 horses in the race. He always wanted the best vs. the beast & he somehow thought that he would manage to be in both corners. Punk then says that Heyman wanted everything & at SummerSlam Punk will take everything from him. Punk will handle everything that Brock has to dish out & then he will stand up & will look Brock in the eye & then he will kick him in the face over & over till Brock is an unrecognizable pile of failure. Then he has a little something lined up for his “best friend”. Then Fandango’s music plays & he & Summer Rae come out. Fandango gets in the ring & then Punk hits him in the head with the mic. Then he knees Fandango in the mid section a few times & then he gives him the GTS. Punk was great on the mic like always here. I’m not sure why they had Fandango come out but Punk giving him the GTS for cutting him off made sense.

Mark Henry & The Usos vs. Wade Barrett & The Primetime Players. Henry & The Usos win when Henry pins Titus. This was a decent match.

Vickie is in the GM office on her cell phone (They always have the GM on the phone at the start of these bits). She says that Long got what he deserved. Then Alberto Del Rio comes in. He congratulates Vickie on being the Smackdown GM. Vickie asks Del Rio what she can do for him. Del Rio says that Vickie has him in a match tonight with RVD so she owes him. She asks what makes him think that. Del Rio says that on Raw Brad Maddox let Cena pick his opponent for SummerSlam so he figures that since he is the World Champion he should be allowed to do the same. Vickie gives Del Rio a week to think about it. Then RVD comes in. He tells Del Rio that the answer is obvious. Rob Van Dam. Del Rio asks if RVD thinks that he can just return & face the World Champion. Del Rio says that RVD can earn it tonight. RVD likes the idea.

Then we see Damien Sandow. He asks where Cody is. Of course no one has seen him. Then he goes up to Sin Cara & asks if he’s seen Cody. He mentions that Cody has his MITB case. Cara nods & Sandow asks which way Cody went. Does Cara understand anything Sandow is saying? Cara nods & Sandow thanks him for wasting his time. Then he continues to walk around backstage & shouts if anybody has seen Cody.

Rob Van Dam vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio gets the pin. This was a short match. Del Rio was in the corner complaining in Spanish. The referee told him to speak English & asked Del Rio if he wanted to quit. RVD tried to pull Del Rio out of the corner. The referee stopped him & then Del Rio gave RVD a super kick for the out of nowhere pin. WINNER – ALBERTO DEL RIO.

Back to Sandow asking random people if they’ve seen Cody. They haven’t & Sandow says they’re useless. Then he runs into Booker T & Mark Henry. He knows that Mark is looking for The Shield but he is looking for his briefcase that Cody took. Sandow asks if Henry or Booker have seen Cody or his case. Booker says you’re kidding & Sandow says no. Booker asks Henry if he’s seen Cody. Henry tells Sandow that he hasn’t. Booker tells Sandow to take it easy. Then Mark says that Cody is a thief. Booker can’t stand a thief. Sandow says that Booker has to know what’s going on because he is the GM; at least he used to be. Then Booker does the “tell me you didn’t just say that” bit. Henry tells Booker to let it go. Then Sandow walks off. This was a decent bit.

AJ Lee & Big E Langston come to the ring. She is out here to clear the air. For everyone who thinks that she is a nudge away from a complete mental breakdown because of her former best friend Kaitlyn or because she recently had her good hearted caring noble actions misinterpreted & wound up having her heart ripped from her chest, thrown on the floor & stomped on to oblivion…by that heartless cold blooded selfish jerk son of a…Dolph Ziggler. If the fans think she’s on the verge of a breakdown after all that they’d me mistaken. She is fine because she has the Divas title. She is the Divas champion. She will forever be the savior of the Divas division & the title is never leaving her. To show the fans how fine she is she takes out a set of keys. They’re the keys to Dolph’s home. She remembers the day that he gave her this copy set. She was gonna use them to break in & burn everything to the ground but she is ready to let go of those. Then Dolph comes out. He asks AJ if thinks he hasn’t passed out thousands of those keys before. Dolph rode that crazy train long enough & the locks have changed a couple of times since AJ. Then AJ sarcastically goes, “awe puddin” (I guess she’s Harley Quinn now). Then she says that Dolph has always been pretty but has never been the smart 1 in their relationship. Then Big E brings in Dolph’s suitcase. Dolph asks if her “totally normal” plan has come to steeling from him. Dolph then says that everything in the ring right now is totally replaceable. Then she opens the suitcase & takes out a set of scissors. Dolph says she’s not supposed to run with scissors & shouldn’t have them in her mouth. Then she takes out what looks like his wallet. Then she says that it’s gonna be pretty hard to walk around without his driver’s license. Se cuts it up. Dolph says a day at the DMV would be like a picnic compared to anything with AJ including a real picnic. Dolph then asks if that’s all she has. Then she takes out his pas port & says it will be hard to go the overseas tours without that. Dolph says there’s a pass port agency that is 2 blocks from his house & the girl there knows his name & she owes him a favor. He was gonna say what but then says it isn’t PG. Dolph can replace the pass port too. Then AJ says that will be really hard for Dolph to get all the ladies without his cash. Dolph says that ripping up his money is just being wasteful. In this economy she shouldn’t be throwing money around like that. She throws the cash away & Dolph says that might be littering in Texas. Then AJ takes out a credit card, says that Dolph probably wants that & then cuts that up too. Dolph says who uses those & AJ is losing him here. Dolph has cash in his pocket right now & he doesn’t even have pockets (That was lame & this whole segment is terrible). Then the fans chant you’re a psycho at AJ. AJ says that she is fine. Dolph tells her those aren’t voices in her head (Randy Orton hears those) those are the real fans. Then she opens up another part of the bag & tosses some clothes out. Dolph says those were expensive & that AJ bought him those. Then she takes out a t-shirt & Dolph says he used that to clean his kneepad off at the end of the night. Then AJ screams & takes more stuff out of the bag & throws it. Dolph says it will take a long time to fold all of that stuff up. AJ is really losing it out here. A lot of bags look alike, that could be anybody’s stuff. AJ continues to flip out & Dolph tells her to keep throwing stuff around. She throws the bag out of the ring. Dolph says that no one even cares anymore (I agree with that. I stopped caring about this awhile ago). Then the fans give AJ another you’re a psycho chant & Dolph agrees. Then she shoves Big E & Dolph tells her to listen to the fans & that she has lost it. Then she rolls out of the ring. Dolph doesn’t know why she’s doing this. Then Dolph tells AJ to watch out. Then AJ turns around & gets a spear from Kaitlyn. Then Dolph gives Big E a famasser. This segment was long & painful! They had AJ throw stuff out of a bag all that time & Dolph taunting her & that lead to her getting a spear from Kaitlyn. Did they really have to go through all that crap to set up a spear & a famasser!? I guess we’ll be getting Dolph & Kaitlyn vs. Big E & AJ in a mixed tag at SummerSlam.   

Time for a look back at the start of the build to the Cena-Bryan SummerSlam match.

Tons of Funk vs. Luke Harper & Eric Rowan. Harper & Rowan win when Rowan pins Sweet T. This was a squash. Then Bray Wyatt gets in the. Harper & Rowan hold Sweet T. Bray tells Sweet T this is not his fault. Then Bray sets Sweet T up for his finisher, kisses him on the head & then gives him Sister Abigail.

Then Bray gets the mic & says that he suspects Kane will be looking for him. That’s alright because Bray has never been too hard to find. Actually if Kane needs him he will be right here with all of his fans. They’ve been waiting for Kane. Then Bray gets on his knees, kneels over Sweet T & says that always been waiting for Kane. Then Bray says to look to the sky & follow the buzzards. Good promo from Bray.

Back to Vickie in the GM office. This time she’s texting. Then Sandow storms in& wants Vickie to tell him that she’s seen Cody. He’s looked all over this filthy arena & Cody is nowhere to be found. He stole Sandow’s briefcase. Vickie is aware of that. She hasn’t seen Cody. She tells him that everything will be fine. She’s contacted the cops & she tells Sandow to give it time. Sandow says that is unacceptable. He doesn’t have time. He will find his briefcase & he will find it tonight. Then he walks out of the office & screams off camera if anybody’s seen Cody. This was a decent bit.

Christian comes to the ring for his match. Then out come Zeb & Swagger. Zeb has a question for the fans. Where are they tonight? Coming to Corpus Christi he had to drive though Northern Mexico to get there & he ran into an inspection station. Like a good American he was perfectly willing to have his car searched but when they agent came to look he looked Zeb dead in the eyes & said, “No need to search you Mr. Coulter because you’re a Real American (dude) & I agree 100 % that we need to stop these people from sneaking across our boarders.” Zeb says that the guy said that we need more people in this country like Zeb & Swagger. Just as that guy told the truth, tonight Zeb will tell 2 truths. Zeb wants America back & Christian has overstayed his welcome just a little too much. Then he tells the fans to rise, place their hands over their hearts & say We The People. I am really tired of these anti foreigner promos! This gimmick has gotten way beyond old!

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

Then Damien Sandow’s music plays & he comes out. He wants all the fans to know that he is issuing a warrant the second the cops arrive. He demands that Cody be arrested for grand larceny. Then he demands that Vickie fire Cody because he is a thief. There’s nothing worse than a thief in the locker room. He pleads for someone to do something about this. Then Cody shows up on the Tron. He knows that Sandow is frantic & despondent & has been looking throughout the whole arena for his briefcase. Cody’s not in the arena. He is standing right in front of the Gulf of Mexico. If Sandow wants his case Cody will hand it to him. Sandow just has to come get it. Cody will wait right there. Then Sandow storms up the ramp to the back. Then we see Sandow backstage headed for the Gulf. Break time.

Back from break & Sandow storms out of the arena. He crosses the street & tells some nit wit to stop. Then he sees Cody by the water with the case & for some reason he pleads with Cody not to throw it in the water. Then Sandow heads over to where Cody is & tells Cody not to do anything stupid. Then Sandow finally gets to where Cody’s standing. Then Sandow says they’re best friends, they’re a tag team. Sandow then says that during their time as Team Rhodes Scholars Cody carried him. Cody was the leader. Cody asks if that is all. Sandow then says that Cody is smarter than he is. Sandow learned so much from Cody. Then he pleads with Cody to forgive him & says that Cody has better facial hair & is way more handsome than Sandow. Cody says that’s more like it & tells Sandow say that 1 more time. Sandow shouts it this time. Then Cody tells Sandow that he has earned this. Then he finally throws it into the water. Sandow screams as he sees his case floating. Cody then wishes “The Little Mermaid” luck & hopes that briefcase can float (which it is). Cody leaves & Sandow shouts for help because he can’t swim. Then Sandow jumps in the water & gets close to the case but it’s just out of his reach. Then after being in the water for a bit he finally climbs out. Sandow lies by the water all wet & breaks down to end the show. This was idiotic.

I thought this week’s show dragged on for the most part. I liked the Orton-Sandow match & Cody coming out & taking the case was ok too but the segment with Cody & Sandow at the end was stupid. Christian & Swagger had a solid match. Tons of Funk vs. Harper & Rowan was a squash & Bray’s post match promo was good. The 6 man tag was solid, the RVD-Del Rio match was a bit short & the finish came out of nowhere. The Dolph-AJ bit was long & painful! It looks like we’ll be getting a mixed tag for SummerSlam but that segment was beyond terrible! Punk cut a good promo as usual. I have no idea why they had Fandango come out & cut Punk off but Punk giving him the GTS was ok. Overall though I really thought that this week’s show dragged on too long.

7-25-13 Impact results and thoughts

 Coverage and thoughts on the July 25, 2013 episode of Impact

 The show starts with the Main Event Mafia coming to the ring. Sting says last wee MEM experienced the best night ever because they got to see Sabin beat Ray for the world title. MEM wins battle number 1 against Aces & 8s. Angle says the pain Aces & 8s caused will come back to haunt them. MEM is here tonight for a celebration. MEM was formed to destroy Aces & 8s & to make sure Ray loses the world title. The second was accomplished. The wrestler that accomplished this had the greatest match of his career. Angle brings out the TNW World Champion Chris Sabin. Sabin thanks MEM. If it wasn’t for them he might not be world champion right now. He can’t believe he’s standing there as world champion. It feels like a dream, but it’s a reality. Also the reality is that he has what everyone wants. Sabin made history when became champion last week & will make history next week. He challenges the winner of the Ultimate X match to champion vs. champion match next week. Out comes Bully Ray with a “lawyer.” He says this is his attorney. The lawyer says that he is the legal council for Ray. Because of the huge injustice that Ray has suffered they’ve been forced to file a law suit against Impact Wrestling. The guys in the ring can solve that by having Sabin hand the title over back to Ray. He tells them that he fights & wins for his client & he wins well. The clock is ticking & Sabin has till the end of this show to hand the title back over to Ray. This was a weird opening segment. Sting & Angle were good here & Sabin was too. Ray was good too but the lawyer guy’s promo was kinda odd.

Time for a video package on Greg Marisciulo (Trent Beretta.)

Backstage camera guy asks Hulk if TNA has any response to Ray’s legal actions. Hulks on the phone & then tells camera guy that comment on legal stuff. Who cares?

Time for a video package on Manik AKA TJ Perkins. They had him talk without the mask. Manik is his alter ego.

Greg Marisciulo vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Manik in an Ultimate X match to crown a new X Division Champion. Manik wins to become the new champion. This was a good match.

Backstage we Ray & Anderson. Ray says Hulk doesn’t know what to do. They got him right where they want him. He’s proud of the new VP. He didn’t vote but if he had he would’ve voted for Anderson. Being VP is important but what’s even more important is Anderson winning the BFG Series. He wants Anderson to do what he does best & get the job done. This was a decent backstage bit.

Hernandez vs. Ken Anderson in a Bound for Glory Series match. Anderson gets the pin for 7 more points. This was a solid match. Anderson now has 14 points in the Bound for Glory Series.

Backstage camera guy asks Dixie for her take on the Ray situation. We’ll know when she does & then she & her assistant walk off.

Then we see Joseph Park & Eric Young. EY shows Park his BFG series match where he bled & cost himself 10 points. Park doesn’t remember any of this. EY says he will help out Park with his “bleeding & not having any memory of going bonkers” issue. Whatever. This gimmick is old.

Velvet Sky comes to the ring. She says that she made a mistake by letting Mickie know that she was injured. She trusted Mickie & Mickie took advantage of her situation. She won’t make that mistake again because she will keep things closer to the vest than ever before. Then she says that she is here to see Gail & Mickie tear into each other. 

Knockouts Champion Mickie James vs. Gail Kim for the Title. Gail gets the pin. Gail got into a scuffle with referee ODB & then Mickie rolled up Gail for the pin. This was a solid match. Then ODB & Gail stare each other down & out comes Brooke Hogan. She thought Gail learned her lesson last time. Maybe she will learn this time. ODB is an active wrestler so Gail has that on her plate now. Whatever. Brooke is terrible. ODB vs. Gail could be good though.

Backstage we see Hulk & Dixie. Hulk doesn’t get how he got boxed in by Ray. Ray suckered everybody in. Dixie says when layers get involved these things happen. Dixie was next to Sabin backstage after he blew out his knee. Hulk says maybe they should do things the way Aces & 8s does. Dixie won’t play it that way. Sabin deserves to be champion but sometimes you have to make these decisions. Hulk mentions the politics (who knows politics better than the Hulkster) & asks Dixie if she wants him to tell Sabin. This was awful. Dixie let a number wrestlers go & then she puts herself on camera! What a mark!

Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels in a Bound for Glory series match. Daniels gets the pin for 7 more points. Ken Anderson came out & distracted Samoa Joe. That allowed Daniels to get the advantage. Then Daniels gave Samoa Joe 2 BMEs for the pin. This match was solid too.

Backstage Sting tells Angle they gotta be on the same page. Angle’s concern is the legal bit with Ray. Sting says Ray has nothing. Angle asks what if Ray gets it. Sting says Ray can be beaten, it happened last week. Angle says Ray’s vulnerable when he’s alone. Sting says the goal is still the same. Take out Aces & 8s. This was weak.

Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles in a Bound for Glory Series match. AJ wins by submission for 10 more points. This was a good back & forth match. Then Jeff offers his hand to AJ but AJ walks away. AJ now has 22 points in the BFG Series.

Backstage camera guy asks Hulk if he has made a decision. Hulk doesn’t wanna do this but he will do what needs to be done.

Bully Ray comes to the ring. He has been wronged & has suffered a major injustice. He is highly offended that everybody in the wrestling world can praise Sabin for he did to Ray. The guy hit Ray in the head with a hammer. What kind of man, athlete or wrestler would sink to such levels to hit someone in the head with a deadly object like a hammer? Sabin has no choice; Ray will sue him & everybody in TNA. Ray will do whatever it takes to right the wrong. He wants Sabin to walk out here & hand the world title over to him. Out comes Chris Sabin. Ray isn’t gonna say anything negative towards Sabin. Then the fans chant Sabin. Ray says Sabin is out there because Ray told him to & because Sabin is intimidated by him. Ray says that Sabin will do the right thing & hand the title over. Sabin wanted to see for himself what a cry baby he’s become. Sabin almost had his career ended but he never sat home & complained for 2 years. He got motivated to come back better than ever & now he is the world champion. The only way Ray is getting the belt is if it pries it from Sabin’s dead hands. Ray says he will get the title back by suing him. How can Sabin call himself a man after using a hammer? If Sabin won’t do the right thing he demands that Hulk comes out & gives him back the title. Out comes Hulk. Hulk’s been going back & forth with his lawyers looking at the contract. Hulk gets & he has a counter for Ray that comes with no negotiation. Then Hulk rips up the papers. Ray says Hulk can’t do that. Hulk says he is the law around here brother. Chris Sabin will remain TNA World Champion. Hulk then says that fair is fair, Ray does have a rematch. Hulk gets Ray wants no outside interference from MEM. Ray will get his rematch on 8-15 at the Impact themed “Hardcore Justice.” MEM & Aces & 8s won’t be involved because the title will be on the in a steel cage. Ray is all pissed as Sabin holds up the title to end the show. This was a good closing segment. Both Ray & Sabin were good on the mic.

I thought this was a solid show for the most part. The opening segment with MEM, Ray & the lawyer guy was a bit odd. Sting, Angle & Ray were good on the mic here but the lawyer guy, not so much. The closing segment was good. Ray & Sabin both cut good promos & even Hulk was ok here too. I wasn’t a fan of the Hulk-Dixie backstage bit or the backstage bit with Sting & Angle. The Hulk-Dixie one was just terrible & the Sting-Angle one felt weak. AJ Styles & Jeff Hardy had a good match & the Ultimate X match was good too. Velvet’s promo was good too. She’s really been entertaining to watch. The Mickie-Gail match was solid too. I liked Gail & ODB having their scuffle but Brooke Hogan was her usual awful self. Joe & Daniels also had a solid match & they mentioned that Daniels hadn’t pinned Joe before, so now he has. Anderson coming out to distract Joe was ok for what it was. I wasn’t into the Joseph Park-Eric Young backstage segment. Park not realizing he’s Abyss has gotten way beyond old. Hernandez & Anderson also had a solid match & the Anderson-Ray backstage bit before that was decent too. Overall I thought this was a solid show.

7-22-13 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the July 22, 2013 episode of Raw

They start the show with video packages of the Punk-Brock saga & Cena picking Daniel to be his SummerSlam opponent.

The actual show starts with a drum roll the lights off as & Justin Roberts introducing Brad Maddox. The lights come on & Brad is already in the ring. Brad says there’s no one more Texas than he is. Last week he made the outside the box decision to let Cena name his own SummerSlam opponent & tonight we will have the contract signing for that match (A contract signing again). Brad brings out Cena first. Brad tells Cena before they get to the contract…the fans are chanting yes & Cena says to let the fans talk. Then Brad says there’s a curiosity factor in why Cena picked Daniel. Cena picked Daniel because Brad let him pick anybody he wanted to face him at SummerSlam. Brad says Cena picked Daniel because he thinks he can beat him easily. Some would say Daniel is unstable. He has relationship issues. Cena says Brad looks uncertain. Then out comes Daniel Bryan. Daniel tells Brad it seems as if Brad was saying…then the fans chant Daniel Bryan. It seems to Daniel that Brad was trying to say that Daniel doesn’t deserve a title match but the fans disagree. Brad asks Daniel if he deserves to be WWE Champion. Cena says that he picked Daniel because Brad & the dumb asses that he works for are afraid to see God given talent even when it is right in front of them. Cena tells Brad to give the title to the Great Khali if it’s all about size. Then Cena says there were guys like Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio & Eddie Guerrero who proved that in ring ability makes for a great champion. Not just size & strength. Cena says the fans love Daniel but Cena picked him because Daniel has earned it. Being a WWE Champion is about always facing the best. Cena picked Daniel to compete in this match. He’s not handing Daniel the title. Cena signs the contract. Daniel is the best competition in WWE right now. Cena will prove at SummerSlam that even the best isn’t good enough. Then the fans chant Daniel Bryan again. Daniel signs & before he can say anything Brad says there you have it the match is official. Daniel says he has waited his whole career for this chance & he has proven he deserves the title. Brad says that Cena & some fans agree but not everyone does. Tonight Brad will give Daniel a chance to prove his critics wrong by having a series of matches tonight. Brad doesn’t think Daniel will prove himself worthy. He screams no & the fans shout yes. This was a typical contract signing segment. A lot of talking but I liked that they had Cena talk about how actual in ring ability should mean a lot more than being a big muscled guy to be champion. Daniel was good with his promo too.

Sheamus vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio gets the pin. This was a good back & forth match. Sheamus has a nasty looking bruise on his left leg. Sheamus was going for the White Noise but his leg gave out & Del Rio rolled him up for pin.

Backstage Renee Young interviews Booker T & Teddy Long. She says Booker returned to what he thought was going to be his position as GM, but that didn’t happen. Booker respects Vince’s decision, but he was a bit shocked at the whole situation. Long says that he filled in for Booker for 3 months. Long took a lot of abuse while Booker sat at home. Booker mentions that he had triceps surgery. Long says he was left holding the bag & Vickie had security kick him out of the building on Smackdown. Booker says that if Long keeps talking he will throw him out the building tonight (Booker’s not the GM). Long says that Booker’s resorting to physical tactics. Then Long says that if Vince didn’t pick him to be GM then maybe he was right to pick Vickie. This was meaningless. Both guys are no longer GM & they’re still having tension. It looks like Long is turning heel but now that that neither guy is GM of either show what is the point of this?

Christian vs. Titus O’Neil. Christian gets the pin. This was a decent match.

Backstage Josh Mathews interviews Ryback. Josh says based on what he did to Jericho & based on his other actions, some feel he enjoys intimidating others. Ryback does. He says that Josh represents all the fans, because they’re average. Ryback hates average. The law of the jungle is that the strong eat the weak. People like Josh deserve to be intimidated by a guy like Ryback. If he isn’t than Ryback will show him why he should be. Ryback gets in his face & Josh runs off. This was awful. Ryback is terrible on the mic & this whole bit with him enjoying intimidating people was dumb. This was the same guy who wanted his own match stopped because his leg couldn’t anymore! How are we supposed to take this guy seriously after this HUGE de push!?

Mark Henry comes to the ring. He says he’s proud to be a born & raised Texan. He’s proud he was raised in Silsbee, TX. He’s also proud of the effort that he put into his title match with Cena. What he’s not proud about is The Shield attacking him last week. Anybody who takes a whipping like he took is ready to give 1 too. If The Shield wants him he’s right there. Out comes The Shield. They surround the ring like usual as the fans chant Henry. The Shield gets in the ring, Mark goes after them but they get the upper hand. Cue The Usos music & they come out to even the odds. The Usos double team Reigns & he fights them off but then Henry throws down Reigns. Then Henry takes care of Rollins & Ambrose. Then The Usos double super kick Reigns into the corner & then Henry splashes him. Then Ambrose & Rollins pull Reigns out of the ring & they hop over the barrier. This was a good segment. Mark Henry & The Usos vs. The Shield should be interesting. It looks like that’s what we’re gonna see. 

Backstage we see Daniel Bryan. Cena comes in. Daniel asks if he’s there to wish him luck. Cena says how nervous Brad is. Cena doesn’t think he is making these decisions on his own. Daniel tells him not to worry. He will be ok on his own. He appreciates Cena picking him for SummerSlam. Cena wants Daniel to be able to make it to SummerSlam. Daniel doesn’t care who his opponents are or how many of them there will be. This is a chance for Daniel to prove that he belongs. Tonight he is going to fight & win. He tells Cena not get involved in his matches because if he does all the compliments he gave Daniel were a load of crap. Good backstage bit.      

Dolph Ziggler vs. Darren Young. Dolph gets the pin. This was a decent match but I knew Dolph would win.

Then Big E comes in. Dolph & Big E go at it. Then AJ comes out. Then Big E sends Dolph off the ropes but Dolph holds on. Then Dolph throws Big E out of the ring. Big E gets back in the ring but Dolph slides out & bails up the ramp as AJ flips.  

Time for Miz TV. Miz welcomes everyone. In less than a month he will be hosting SummerSlam. Before that there’s a new reality show coming this Sunday. Total Divas. They show a sneak peak for that. Who cares? (This has the potential to be the worst Miz TV in history)! Then the Divas are all in the ring. The Bellas, Eva Marie, someone I never heard of, Natalya, Naomi & Cameron. Miz is turning this over to Lawler. Miz tells Lawler to be a part of Miz TV. Lawler gets in the ring. He knows the Bella Twins, Naomi & Cameron. He & Natalya go way back, he introduces himself to the new chicks. Eva says she doesn’t like how he’s looking at her. Her name is Eva Marie & she’s here to make a name for herself. She slaps King. King turns it back over to Miz & leaves the ring. Then Miz tells everyone to tune in for the premiere of Total Divas. Thankfully this was short! It was still painful but I’m glad they kept it short!

Brad is in the GM office. HHH comes in. He says that Brad doesn’t think Daniel is big or strong enough to be championship material. He says that it sounds like someone is putting words in Brad’s mouth. HHH doesn’t care what the old man thinks. HHH thinks Daniel could be the future of the WWE. HHH didn’t override Brad bookings because Daniel is so driven he will overcome anything. There’re 2 trains leaving this station. 1 is the future; the other is a dead end. HHH leaves & then Stephanie comes in. She feels for Brad, but she has an idea. She hasn’t thought it through yet but she wants to make sure Brad is on board. Thankfully this was also short. I’m tired of this McMahon family saga.

Time for a Wyatt Family video package.

Time for Fandango. He & Summer Rae do their usual bit. Break time.

Back from break & Damien Sandow is on commentary. Then out comes Cody Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes vs. Fandango. Cody gets the pin. During the match Sandow got on the ring apron. Cody looked at him, Fandango was going for a sneak attack but Cody threw Fandango into Sandow. Fandango went face first into the briefcase. Then Cody gave him the cross Rhodes for the pin. This match was solid. WINNER – CODY RHODES

CM Punk comes to the ring. He says last week he got his ass handed to him by Brock. Brock hit him with his best shot till he was a lying heap at ringside. Punk knew he was dealing with a genetically gifted freak athlete, but no matter how often he was f5d on the table he got up. Here he is a week later, feeling banged up but he’s still standing. Brock can beat Punk down but he can’t keep Punk down. Brock is a former NCAA, WWE & UFC champion. Brock has broken HHH, Cena & Taker. But Brock’s biggest strength has never been his speed, technique, power, or fighting skill. Brock’s biggest strength will always be fear. Punk has seen from guys in the back before. He says that he is not afraid of Brock. He’s not afraid of Heyman’s monster. Then Punk says that Heyman had a decision to make. It was the wrong 1 & Punk will make sure that he regrets it every day for the rest of his life. Punk is relentless. He will not stop till he leaves Brock a lying heap like Brock left him. This is Punk’s ring. He’s proven time after time. He’s proven it to Cena, Rock & Taker. He would’ve proven it to Brock last week if Heyman hadn’t stabbed him in the back for a second time. Punk promises Heyman there will not be a third time. He will get his hands on Heyman. But he’s not gonna pretend Brock isn’t the monster everyone says he is, but monsters are on this Earth to be slaughtered. Punk knows Brock’s not there tonight but he wants Brock at SummerSlam. He wants the best vs. the beast. Then Heyman shows up on the Tron. He says the best vs. the beast is a good marketing phrase. Punk asks if Heyman is in the building or he is on the Tron via satellite. If Heyman is there Punk will drag him out there & give him what he deserves. Heyman asks if Punk is playing hero to…they’re not people or animals, they’re Texans. Heyman is glad that he & Brock can deliver a message without having to be in Texas. Punk’s there being the hero. Heyman says show me a hero & I’ll show you a coward that ran out of options or a fool who doesn’t know when to stay down? Is Punk a coward or a fool? Punk will give Heyman & Brock that answer at SummerSlam. Heyman’s bothered. Punk’s bothered that Heyman’s not there. He will find him & kick his ass. Heyman says they were both WWE Champion for 434 days. Brock’s in the best shape of his life but Punk’s still banged up from MITB & the Brock attack from last week. If Punk wants a fight his challenge for SummerSlam is answered. Heyman tells Punk not to call this the best vs. the beast. Then he says that Punk knows as well as he does that the best is the beast. He is Heyman’s client & best friend, Brock Lesnar. The fans chant CM Punk. This was a really good segment. Punk & Heyman are both awesome promos & the Punk-Brock match at SummerSlam should be good. Like usual with Punk & Heyman they both said a lot & it’s always hard to keep up with what they say. My apologies if I missed anything.

Rob Van Dam vs. Wade Barrett. RVD gets the pin. This was a decent match but it was no surprise RVD won.

Daniel Bryan comes to the ring. Who will his first opponent be?

Out come Zeb, Swagger & Cesaro. Zeb says we’re in a city named after a famous Patriot, Steven Austin. Zeb says Steven was a guy who fought & died for Independence but for what? So the fans can chant yes like idiots? Shame on the fans for calling themselves Americans, but more shame on Daniel Bryan for taking the handout that Cena gave him. Tonight Daniel will find out what it is like to be in the ring with a “real American.” Then Swagger gets in the ring. I’m way beyond tired of this gimmick too.

Daniel Bryan vs. Jack Swagger. Daniel wins by submission. This was solid.

Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro. Daniel gets the pin. This was a great back & forth match. This is the best Cesaro’s looked since he debuted on the main roster. The fans also chanted this is awesome & it was.

We see Brad Maddox & Alex Riley in the GM office. Alex says Miz has been doing a great job. Brad says that he has so far, but let’s see how he does against his next opponent. I was shocked to see Alex Riley on TV. Break time.  

Back from break & Daniel Bryan’s third opponent is Ryback.

Daniel Bryan vs. Ryback. Daniel wins by DQ when Ryback power bombs him through a table. This was good too.

Then Ryback picks up Daniel but then out comes Cena. He & Ryback go at it in the ring & Cena clotheslines Ryback over the top rope to the floor. Cena says that after a half hour fight Ryback wants to put Daniel through a table? How about Ryback tries to do that to Cena. Cena vs. Ryback in a tables match. It looks like that match will be next week. Then Cena checks on Daniel.

Back to Brad & Vince comes in. He tells Vince he will make the Cena-Ryback tables match official. Vince says Daniel needs to face someone who will bring out the aggressive side of him (We saw his aggressive side tonight & many other times)! Brad says next week Daniel Bryan will face Kane.

Back to Daniel in the ring. Cena looks concerned as Daniel chants yes to end the show.

I thought this was a solid to good show for the most part. The opening segment was your typical contract signing but I thought Cena was decent on the mic here. Daniel of course was good here too. Daniel Bryan showed tonight (Like he does a lot of nights) that he is a machine! I thought his match with Swagger was solid & the match with Ryback was good, but his match with Cesaro was easily the greatest of the 3! Both guys showed that they can really go! I liked the Punk promo & then Heyman showing up on the Tron was good too. Both guys as usual cut good promos. I’m looking forward to Punk-Brock at SummerSlam. I wasn’t a fan of the McMahon family saga continuing. The segment with HHH & Brad was ok, the 1 with him & Stephanie wasn’t too bad, but the Vince one was terrible! Speaking of terrible I wasn’t into the Booker T-Teddy Long promo. The dissention between these 2 has been lame from the start & now that neither guy is a GM of either show it makes no sense to continue this. I also wasn’t a fan of Ryback’s promo with Josh Mathews. The Miz TV segment was painful but thankfully a lot shorter than I was afraid it would be. RVD-Barrett was decent, but it wasn’t surprising that RVD won. Cody-Fandango was a solid match & I wasn’t surprised that Sandow got involved. Christian-Titus & Dolph-Darren were both decent too. I liked Mark Henry’s promo. Having him call out The Shield was cool & I was glad to seethe Usos in there too. It looks like they’re setting up Mark Henry & The Usos vs. The Shield. That should be good. I liked the Wyatt family video package too. The Sheamus –Del Rio match was also good. I liked that Sheamus sold the leg injury. I also liked the backstage bit with Cena & Daniel. Overall I thought this was a good show.

7-19-13 Smackdown results and thoughts

    Coverage and thoughts on the July 19, 2013 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Teddy Long in the ring. He welcomes the fans to Smackdown. As most of the fans already know Vince has hired a new GM for Raw, Brad Maddox. Long doesn’t know too much about Brad’s qualifications but he does know that they have got to be better than Vickie’s. Vince knows what he’s doing (That’s up for debate) & he will be here tonight. Rumor has it that he is going to give Long a job evaluation (Why? Do they have to do the same stuff on Smackdown that they do on Raw?) just like the 1 that he gave Vickie (Which means it won’t end well for Long Playa). Then Long asks the fans if he’s been doing a good job. The fans cheer. Would the fans like to see him as permanent GM (Which he was for a good number of years)? The fans cheer that too. Long wants the fans to get ready because Smackdown is going to be the best Smackdown…Then Booker T’s music plays & he makes his return. He thanks for filling in for him. Long has done a good job. But Booker is back. If you’re ready to watch Booker do his GM duties, “Let me hear you say, ‘Now can you dig that sucka?’” Cue No Chance & Vince comes out. He shakes Long hand and then says, ‘Let’s hear if for Hall of Famer Booker T!” The fans cheer for Booker. Then he tells the fans to give a welcome for Teddy Long. Then Vince says that the reason he came out here was to make sure there no confusion or dissention between Booker & Long. Only 1 person can be in charge of Smackdown. It’s important for Vince to make that decision tonight. Then he asks Long becomes GM, how he would he impress everybody tonight? What kind of matches would he make? Long says how about right here tonight Curtis Axel faces Chris Jericho for the IC Title. (We saw that match twice last week). Then Vince asks Booker what he would do. Booker says that for him it would have to be Orton vs. Del Rio. Then the Raw theme plays & out comes Raw GM Brad Maddox. He wants a word with Vince before Vince makes his decision. Vince asks him what he’s doing on Smackdown. Brad says that Vince has made him the Raw GM. Brad thinks that Vince should make him the Smackdown GM too. Then Brad says that he was going to suggest both the matches that Long & Booker came up with. Also tonight marks the Smackdown return of Rob Van Dam. The fans chant RVD. Vince asks Brad if he’s sure that RVD is here tonight. Brad tells him you hear the people. Then Vince says that permanent Smackdown GM should be….Then they have a drum roll & Vince says that the Smackdown GM is…Vickie Guerrero. Out comes Vickie. Booker, Long & Brad all have dumbfounded & shocked looks on their faces. Vickie gets in the ring & hugs Vince. Then he gives Vickie the mic. She thanks Vince & says that the fans are the reason that she was voted out of a job on Raw (What difference does it make? Raw? Smackdown? It’s the same company!)Then she tells the fans that she hates each & every 1 of them (even though she had a petition for the fans to sign Monday, but like everything in WWE we’re supposed to forget that). Now she’s back (she never left) & she is back with power (that she “lost” for just a little more than a week). There is nothing that anyone can do in this ring (then she looks at Brad, Long & Booker) & there in nothing that the fans can do about it. She is Vickie Guerrero & she is the permanent Smackdown GM (Which she’s been before). This was totally meaningless! They really need to do away with the GM spot! The brand extension is dead & having 2 GMs now makes no sense. Plus Vickie has been the GM of BOTH shows many times before!

Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger. Dolph gets the pin. During this Cesaro gives Dolph an uppercut outside the ring. Then the referee sends both Cesaro & Coulter to the back. This was a decent but short match. They also show Big E & AJ watching backstage on a monitor. Then Dolph gets the mic & says that last Monday he dumped his girlfriend, AJ. He is sorry. He is sorry that he didn’t do it much sooner. Then they show AJ backstage going bonkers, throwing a few chairs around & having a breakdown. Big E helps her up & the slaps away on his chest. Then Big E hugs her as she cries. Then Big E makes like he about to plant 1 on her but then he kisses her on the forehead. Then he walks off & AJ looks puzzled.

Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins come out through the crowed. Then they reshow The Shield lying out Mark Henry from Raw. After that The Usos come out. They hit the ring & the 2 teams go at it before the bell. Then Dean Ambrose comes in & The Shield gets the upper hand. Then cue Mark Henry’s theme music & he storms to the ring. The Shield triple teams him but Henry throws them off of him. Then he punches & clotheslines them. He gets Reigns into the corner but then Rollins jumps on Henry’s back & locks in a sleeper. The triple team continues but then The Usos come back in the ring to help out Henry. The Shield bails as The Usos & Henry stand in the ring. This was a good brawl. Mark Henry & The Usos vs. The Shield could be interesting.

They reshow Cena picking Daniel Bryan to face him for the WWE Title at SummerSlam.

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett. Daniel wins by submission. This was a solid match but it was too short.

Backstage Vickie tells some guy that she is the Smackdown GM. Then Brad show up. He congratulates her & says that it’s funny how things come full circle. Brad is the Raw GM & Vickie is the Smackdown GM. He guesses they’re even now. Vickie gives Brad the evil eye & then says they should just shake on it. Naturally Vickie pulls her hand away & then slaps Brad. This was a decent & thankfully short backstage segment.

Time for Miz TV. Miz welcomes everyone to the “most must see talk show in WWE history.” Tonight his guest costs Punk the MITB ladder match & a chance at the WWE Title. He tells the fans to give a warm Miz TV welcome to Paul Heyman. Out comes Heyman. Then Brock laying out Punk from Monday. Miz has tons of questions to ask Heyman & Miz knows that Heyman will lie or bend the truth so Miz has nothing to say to him. He has nothing to ask Heyman. Heyman is beneath content. Miz tells Heyman that the floor is his & he can say whatever he wants. Heyman thanks Miz but he assures everybody that he is just an advocate. However, Brock Lesnar is a merciless emissary of suffering with his sights set squarely on Punk. Brock has no conscious however Heyman must confess…Then the fans chant for Punk. Heyman says that the fans don’t realize how painful this is for him because he still has love in his heart for his former best friend, so he offers this public plea to Punk. He tells Punk to stay down, go home, leave WWE fans behind, lick his wounds & don’t even think of getting back up again. If Punk ever shows his face here again Brock will take Punk’s actions as a spiteful act of provocation & Punk will be dealt with by the beast. The fans chant CM Punk. Then Miz says really a few times & says that Heyman is enjoying this. Now Miz gets why Heyman lies. That’s because when Heyman tells the truth & he shows his real self it’s even uglier than the liar that everyone has come to know & hate. Miz is revolted by Heyman’s face, his tone of voice & his frame of mind. Miz is also revolted by the fact that Heyman swore on his children & he still lied. Then Miz drops the mic & leaves the ring. Then as Miz is walking up the ramp Heyman gets the mic & tells Miz that before Miz leaves he would like to take the liberty of introducing Miz & the fans to the man that defeated Miz at the MITB PPV. Your reigning defending IC Champion Curtis Axel. Axel comes out. He & Miz have a quick stare down. Then Miz heads to the back & Axel heads to the ring. This was good. Heyman was good on the mic as always & even Miz was good here.

Chris Jericho vs. Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel for the Title. Axel gets the pin. This was a good match. Then as Axel & Heyman walk up the ramp Ryback’s music hits & he comes out. He gets in the ring. Jericho is still on the mat. Ryback kicks him around a bit. Then he picks him up & taunts him. Then Jericho fights back but Ryback gets the upper hand. Then he gives Jericho the marching muscle buster. Then as Jericho gets to his knees Ryback kicks him in the mid section. This was decent & it looks like the Jericho-Ryback feud will continue. I know that Jericho will be leaving soon so I’m sure he will do his best to put Ryback over.

They show a Damien Sandow video package.

Then Damien Sandow is in the ring with the briefcase. He mentions that Gandhi said, “The weak cannot forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.” With that said Damien would like to clarify something. This past Sunday in the MITB ladder match for the world title contract it was every man for himself. Everybody knew this & despite what everyone has been saying & chanting Sandow did not screw Cody. That begs the question why did his best friend do what he did to him Monday. They reshow the end of the Christian-Sandow match from Monday, followed by Cody coming & pounding on Sandow. The fans chant Cody. Then Sandow says that he is not going to react to this the same way that the slack jawed mouth breathers would. He is not going to condemn Cody & spit hateful rhetoric in his direction. Because that is what separates the intellectual savior from the unwashed masses. That is what separates knuckle dragging halfwits from a beacon of enlightenment like himself. Sandow demands “SIELENCE!” Then he says that he & Cody are both gentlemen. He & Cody are both civilized & most of all he & Cody are still best friends. Sandow would now like to give Cody the chance to come out here & explain himself so that they can get past this. Cody comes to the ring. Sandow then tells Cody that no explanation is necessary. Sandow just wants to look Cody in the eye & tell him man to man that he forgives Cody. He forgives Cody for acting out in anger & for Cody attacking him. He forgives Cody for everything. Sandow might have prevented Cody from becoming Mr. MITB but he would like to rectify that. He would like to offer Cody a metaphorical olive branch & bestow an honor upon Cody. That being the honor of being the protector of the case. What this means is that till Sandow decides to cash in the case Cody will be responsible directly for its protection & safety. Cody has earned this. He gives the case to Cody. Cody thanks him & then hits him in the head with it. Then he pounds on Sandow for a bit & then Sandow rolls out of the ring. Then Cody throws the case from the ring up the ramp. This was a good segment. Sandow is good as the intellectual heel & Cody hitting him with the case made sense too.

Rob Van Dam vs. Darren Young. RVD gets the pin. This was a decent match but the outcome was never in doubt.

Time for a look back at the Wyatt family flattening R-Truth from Raw.   

Vickie Guerrero is in the GM office on her cell phone. Next week she wants the office redecorated. Then in comes Teddy Long. Vickie says that she & Long have known each other for years. She’s mistreated him, he’s mistreated her. Vickie wants to let bygones be bygones. They’re both adults. Everyone has room to work together. Long asks if Vickie really means that. Then they look at each other for a bit & Vickie says no. Then she calls in security. She tells them that she wants Long out of her office, out of her building & out of her life. Security grabs Long & they take him out of there. Then Vickie screams that if Long ever wants to come back she will make him get a ticket. This was lame.

Randy Orton vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Orton gets the pin. This was a good match. Orton stands on the turnbuckle & holds up the case to end the show.

I thought this was a solid show for the most part. The opening segment was pointless & they need to do away with the GM bit. I like the Orton-Del Rio match even if Del Rio did lose cleanly. The Cody-Sandow segment was also good. Sandow was good on the mic & I think Cody as a baby face could be good. I also like the Usos & Mark Henry-Shield brawl. A 6 man with those guys could be interesting. Miz TV was actually good too. Heyman was great on the mic like always & I thought Miz was good here too. I also thought the Jericho-Axel match was good & Axel got the win this time. RVD-Darren Young was decent. Daniel Bryan-Wade Barrett was decent also but it felt too short. The Dolph-Swagger match was also decent but short & the AJ being “unstable” saga continues. Overall I thought this was a solid show this week.

7-18-13 Destination X Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the July 18, 2013 Destination X episode of Impact

They start the show with a number of X Division wrestlers who will be in Ultimate X qualifying matches tonight.

Then they show Chris Sabin in the locker room.

They show a Chris Sabin video package. This was really good. Bully Ray comes to the ring. He says enough is enough. All week long everywhere everyone’s talking about 1 little boy. Everybody wants to talk about Chris Sabin. The fans chant for Sabin. Ray says that the fans can chant his name from now to high Heaven, that kid hasn’t got a shot in hell at beating the world champion. The fans sound like they’re planning a parade for Sabin. What they should be doing is planning a funeral for him. Ray is the most hated man in pro wrestling & that just the way he wants it. Everything set. It’s a night for him to destroy Sabin & a night for Aces & 8s to destroy MEM. Then he says that he wants to talk to his “wife.” He tells Brooke to come out. Out comes Brooke Hogan. She doesn’t understand what else Mark wants from her. He tricked Hulk, Dixie & her. She’s sick of it & is moving on. He should move on too. Ray says he said this last week & he’s happy he has the chance to look her in the eyes tonight & tell her that she moves on when he says she moves on. Cue Hulk’s music & out he comes brother. Hulk says Ray is right, enough is enough. Ray’s gotten everything he wanted from TNA, but enough is enough. Hulk & Brooke go to leave & Ray tells them not to turn their backs on him. Brooke’s still Ray’s “wife”. He will never give her a divorce. He will never lose the world title & there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Then Kurt Angle & MEM show up on the Tron. He says that Ray will lose the title to Sabin tonight & there’s nothing he can do about it. This was a solid way to start the show. Ray was great as usual.

Backstage camera guy asks Bobby Roode if Destination X brings up bad memories. Roode says 1 word, fluke. He’s focusing on the future now. It’s no secret that he hasn’t got any points right now in the BFG Series but he will do what it takes world champion again. Good promo from Roode here.

Backstage we see Gail Kim tweeting & looking at a monitor. Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode in a BFG Series match. Aries gets the pin for 7 more points. This was a great back & forth match. They show that Aries now has 14 points in the BFG Series. Then Roode heads to the announce table & throws down a laptop, throws some chairs in the ring & 1 at the post.

Backstage we see Hernandez & Homicide catching up. Chavo shows up & he’s happy to see LAX back together. He wishes Homicide luck. Then Chavo says to Hernandez that he is winning the Xi Division Title & Hernandez is winning the BFG Series & the world title. That means at Destination X next year they will face each other (That isn’t likely to happen). This was a decent backstage bit.

Backstage Mr. Anderson tells Knox that his vote against Doc made Doc turn in his “cut.” Tonight they know what they gotta do. Whatever. Thankfully it was short.

Homicide vs. Petey Williams vs. Sonjay Dutt in an Ultimate X qualifying match. Dutt wins when pins Homicide. This was a solid match but it felt a bit rushed.

Manik vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Kenny King in an Ultimate X qualifying match. Manik wins when he pins Kenny. This was a decent match.

Backstage Sting says that MEM is back together to get rid of Aces & 8s & take out Ray.

They show another Chris Sabin video package. This was really well put together too.

Backstage Hulk has advice for Sabin. Hulk gets what Sabin’s been through with the injuries. However, tonight’s Sabin’s time & Hulk tells Sabin to bring the title home.

The MEM come to the ring. Sting says they told Aces & 8s they’d bring the fight to them. MEM is made for this night because they’re looking for Aces & 8s. Angle says this fight will be more brutal than you can imagine. Aces & 8s has turned TNA upside down & tonight MEM will take the fight to them. The greatest ring of champions, fighters & wrestlers will prove it tonight. Magnus says Angle, Sting; Rampage & Joe are ready & so is he. Are the fans ready? The fans cheer. Magnus tells Aces & 8s to come on down & face the family. Anderson shows up on the Tron. He says they do things on their terms. He tells MEM to come fight them backstage. Joe says they’re gonna go backstage & beat them down right now. MEM head to the back. Cut to backstage & it turns out Aces & 8s had a trap set for MEM. They lock them in some room & Ray puts Angle in the back of a pick up.

Backstage we see Austin Aries tweeting while looking at a monitor.

Rubix (Jigsaw) vs. Rockstar Spud vs. Greg Marasciulo (Trent Beretta) in an Ultimate X qualifying match. Greg (Trent) wins when he pins Spud. This was a solid match too.

Backstage Ray says to someone that their planned worked & Angle had a look of terror. Then he tells whoever to take Angle to a spot they talked about earlier. They should do this mafia style & make Angle an offer that he can’t refuse.

Mickie James comes to the ring & then they go back to break (Why do they do that)? Back from break & Kurt Angle returns to the arena in the pickup. The he goes back into the building. Mickie is in the ring. There was a moment last week that will be glorified for Knockouts history. It set the bar for women in this industry across the globe. It show what hard work & determination would get you. She decides to share that footage with the fans. On the Tron they show Mickie James performing at some concert. In the video Mickie says that she made music city Mickie city. Mickie then says that she’s such a giver. That’s what being your heartbroken, history making, knockout of the century…Then Gail Kim comes out. Gail says Mickie is delusional if she thinks people are talking about her performance. What everyone’s talking about was Gail’s great ladder match with Taryn. Next week Gail will get that title back. Mickie says that she needs a certain amount of space & oxygen to compete & Gail’s too close. Mickie says the match last week was a 2 star match but her performance was 5 stars. Then Gail slaps Mickie & then they go at it. Referees come in & pull them apart. Mickie bails out of the ring. Gail looks to go after her but the referees hold her back. Then they go at it outside the ring & the referees try to pull them apart again. This was a good promo. Mickie is great as a heel & Gail was good here too.

Backstage Aries comes up to Sabin. He asks Sabin how he feels. He wants Sabin to know that the reason Sabin is in this position is because of him. He doesn’t mean option C. He means that he made Sabin up his game to a level that he probably never realized he could do. Aries finds out how great people can be. Aries has beaten Ray & he knows that Sabin can too. Then Aries mentions that Sabin has beaten him & the odds of Sabin winning the title are good. Aries is pulling for Sabin tonight. This was a really good backstage bit.

Backstage AJ Styles says the X Division reminds him of himself. He put it on the map. Next week he faces Jeff Hardy. Another great wrestler, fan favorite & hero. This is no place for heroes. AJ is taking his points. Good promo.

Chris Sabin vs. TNA World Champion Bully Ray for the Title. Sabin gets the pin to become the new champion. During the match Aces & 8s come out & then MEM come out to even the odds. Both factions stand at ringside. Then Sabin top rope dropkicks Ray & the referee goes down. Then MEM & Aces & 8s brawl around ringside & to the back. Ray gets a hammer & goes to hit Sabin with it but Sabin kicks him. Then Sabin gets the hammer but Ray kicks him. Then Ray goes for a power bomb but Sabin hits Ray with the hammer. Then he covers him for the pin & the world title. WINNER & NEW TNA WORLD CHAMPION – CHRIS SABIN. This was a really enjoyable match! Sabin poses on the turnbuckle with the belt to end the show. This was great! This was the “heel dominates most of the match & then the face makes the big comeback & pulls off the win” match & it was really well done! I am also glad that they put the world title on Sabin. The guy has really earned it!

I liked this week’s show. The opening segment was solid; Ray was good on the mic as usual. The Sabin-Ray match was really awesome. They told a great story & it is great that that they gave Sabin the world title! They did a great job building up the title match & putting Sabin over tonight! I enjoyed the video packages & the backstage segment with him & Aries was really good. AJ Styles cut a good short promo backstage too. The 3 way X Division matches were decent to solid but they need to do away with all the X Division matches being 3 ways. The matches were solid but at times they felt a bit rushed with everyone trying to get all their spots in. The Mickie-Gail promo/pull apart brawl was good too. Mickie is great as a cocky delusional heel & Gail is really good. The Aries-Roode match was also great. The MEM-Aces & 8s promo/backstage segment was decent too. This was a great show this week & I really enjoyed the focus on Chris Sabin. He has been in TNA for 10 years & has earned the world title.

7-15-13 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the July 15, 2013 episode of Raw The show starts with the lights in the arena going out. There’s a drum roll & when the lights come back on Brad Maddox shows up. He says this is the first time Raw is live in Brooklyn & the start of the Maddox Era. His first decision is to have Dolph vs. Del Rio tonight. Vickie was great buy he is determined to be the greatest Raw GM of all time. Which is why…Cue Cena’s music & out comes the champ. Cena’s all smiles as usual. Then he says this is the Maddox era. This is the only time during the Maddox era that the person Brad is in the ring with is more hated than Brad. Cena says the fans have energy & are excited. Cena says to give Brad a chance, maybe he will be a good GM. Brad has always admired Cena. He admired Cena’s strength, courage, his will to win & the way he treats others less privileged than himself. Then Brad says that he will let Cena pick his own opponent for SummerSlam. Cena says that Brad is stupider than he looks. Cena says that he can face Doc Hendrix or Dutch Mantel. He can even wrestle Michael Cole if he wants to, but he won’t. He can wrestle 1 of the Bella twins. Then out comes Randy Orton. Orton tells Brad not to get too far ahead of himself. There’s a very good chance that come SummerSlam Cena might not be champion. Orton’s not cashing in MITB tonight. He isn’t making the same mistake Cena made last year. You have to take advantage of opportunities & not squander them. Orton believes in being straight up. Then Orton tells Cena that when he does cash in Cena won’t see it coming. Cue Fandango’s music hits & he & Summer Rae come out (I wasn’t expecting this). Orton says Fandango interrupted him. Fandango says Orton won’t be cashing the case in against Cena, he will be cashing it is against him. Fandango tells Cena there’s only 1 guy that the fans want to see face Cena & his name is Fan…Dan...Go. Then Orton punches Fandango to the mat & they go at it. Then Fandango kicks Orton to the floor. Orton gets back in the ring & takes down Fandango with a Thez Press & then throws him over the top rope to the floor. Then Brad says that right now Orton will face Fandango. This was a weird segment to start the show. Cena was all smiles as usual & totally no soled his match with Henry last night. I wasn’t into Brad’s promo & I really hope to God that he isn’t the GM very long. I wasn’t expecting Fandango to come out during this & I have no idea why he did. But we got a match out of this. I also don’t get why they announced Ziggler vs. Del Rio since that was on PPV last night. I have a feeling that match won’t happen. Randy Orton vs. Fandango. Orton gets the pin. This was a good match. Backstage we see Dolph. AJ comes up to him. She asks if Dolph will start talking to him. Dolph says it’s time to move on. AJ hugs him. Dolph says it’s time for him to move on from her. They’re done. Dolph walks off. Good & short backstage bit. Mark Henry is in the ring. He says that last night Cena came as advertised. Cena is 1 of the greatest WWE Champions of all time. Cena did something Henry thought would be impossible & that’s beat him. But Henry took Cena to his limits & Henry came close to winning the title. Then the fans chant you tapped out. Henry says he did tap out & says that Cena will make the fans tap out too. He’s not out here to make excuses or apologies. He knows that Cena has the choice to pick whoever he wants to face at SummerSlam & Henry wants to be that guy. He took Cena to his limits once & he will again. Then out comes The Shield. They stand on the floor & then get on the ring apron. Henry takes his jacket of & goes after them but they get the numbers game. Henry makes a comeback but Ambrose jumps on Henry’s back & locks in a sleeper. Henry still fights back & kicks Rollins away but then Reigns spears him. Then they pick up Henry & give him the triple power bomb. This was a good segment. Henry was good with his promo & I was a bit surprised to see The Shield come out. Could they be turning Henry face since The Shield attacked him? I have this feeling we might see Henry team with Cena (which would be illogical) & a third guy to face The Shield (and I hope if that’s where they’re going that the third man isn’t Randy Orton). Backstage we see Brad in the GM office on his cell phone with his mom. Then in comes Jericho. Jericho says this is a lot of pressure for a guy Brad’s age being GM but so far so good. Then Brad says the best way for Jericho to become champion is by impressing Cena tonight. What better way to do that than to face a former champion like RVD. The fans cheer loudly. Jericho says that sounds like a popular decision. Then he asks if Brad is saying it will be RVD vs. Y2J tonight on Raw. He tells Brad that if he keeps making decisions like this he has a good future ahead of him. This was a decent segment. Dolph Ziggler vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio for the Title. Dolph gives Del Rio a Fameasser from the second rope. Then he covers Del Rio & out of nowhere the bell rings. Not surprisingly it was AJ who rang the bell. Dolph gets distracted & then Del Rio kicks Dolph in the back of the head & covers him for the pin. WINNER & STILL WORLD CHAMPION- ALBERTO DEL RIO. Then AJ gets in the ring, slaps Dolph & goes after him. Then Big E comes in & clotheslines Dolph. Then he gives Dolph the big ending. Then AJ kisses the unconscious Dolph. This was a good match but they had this on last night’s PPV. The only reason they had this rematch was so AJ can officially turn on Dolph, which I was waiting for throughout the whole match. R-Truth comes to the ring. Then The Wyatt Family Tron comes on. They’re here. Then after the lights come back on Harper & Rowan double team Truth while Bray sits in his rocking chair & watches. Harper & Rowan roll Truth outside the ring. Then Bray gets in the ring. He says there’s no such thing as a hero. Not anymore. People have become addicted to the illusion of what a hero is & does. People think they need someone to pat them on the buck, tuck them in night, kiss them on the cheek & tell them everything’s alright. But everything is not alright. What if the man who made you is a liar? What if your own flesh & blood turned your back on you? Maybe Bray has been the answer all along. Truth gets on the apron & is holding a chair. He wants a piece of Bray. Bray says he’s right there. Truth gets in the ring & Bray tells him to hit him. Then Bray goes after Truth & then Harper & Rowan come back in & go after Truth too. Then Bray kisses Truth on top of the head & then gives him what he calls Sister Abigail. They’re not the truth they seek. He says to follow the buzzard. This was a good creepy Wyatt family segment. I wasn’t really sure what Bray was talking about but that might be the whole idea. Time for a video package on the new WWE Performance Center. Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro & Zeb Coulter come to the ring. Zeb says this is Brooklyn, the melting pot of America. Everywhere he goes on the Brooklyn streets all he hears is Spanish, Chinese, Italian & Yiddish, but where is the English? Last night 2 Real Americans were robbed. Americans have been robbed of their jobs because foreigners have been illegally sneaking across the boarder. Then he tells Cena to pick Swagger or Cesaro to face at SummerSlam. T hen King gets the mic & says we’ll find out who the fans picked to face Swagger & Cesaro. Tons of Funk, The Usos or The Primetime Players. No surprise here, the fans picked The Usos. The Usos vs. The “Real Americans.” The Usos win when Jay pins Cesaro. This was a decent but short match. Looks like Cesaro is still in Jobber Ville unfortunately. Damien Sandow comes to the ring holding up the MITB case. Then out comes Christian. Christian vs. Damien Sandow. Christian gets the pin. This was a solid match but a bit short & I was surprised Christian won. Then Sandow gets the mic & says he is still the intellectual savior of MITB. Then out comes Cody & he goes after Sandow. Then referees come in to hold Cody back as Sandow escapes through the crowed. They show a bit from earlier in the day. Vickie Guerrero has a mega phone & a sandwich board saying Vote for Vickie. She also has a petition that she tries to get fans to sign. Naomi vs. Brie Bella. Naomi gets the pin. This was mostly a squash. They show a wwe.com exclusive of Paul Heyman leaving the arena from last night. Camera guy asks Heyman why he cost Punk the MITB match. Heyman tells him to stay out of his personal life. CM Punk comes to the ring. The fans chant his name. Then Punk says he knows Heyman is in the building & he knows Brock is too. He also knows that he’s not waiting anymore. He tells Brock & Heyman to come on out. Out comes Heyman. Heyman says right now he is looking at an empty ring because in his world Punk doesn’t exist. Is Heyman lying? In 2005 WWE had no vision for Punk. Punk was a figment of Heyman’s imagination. He took Punk in, taught him & trained him. Then they reached the Holy grail together. They were both WWE Champion for 434 days. They came within an inch of breaking Taker’s streak at Mania. They were the best…in the world. Without Heyman Punk is not the best in the world. The fans can boo that all they want. Everyone’s been asking Heyman why he turned on Punk. Heyman says the truth is a tough pill to swallow. Heyman says that Punk failed him when he couldn’t beat Taker & went home for 5 months. Then he returned & thought he was better than Heyman. So Heyman lied & manipulated & played Punk. Punk never dumped Heyman, Heyman dumped Punk. Punk wanted to keep their relationship personal. Heyman says Punk has no family. He never speaks to his parents. He has no wife & no kids. All he has is the fans & their admiration & respect. The fans cheer loudly for Punk. Then Heyman says that all Punk wants, craves & needs in his life is the WWE Title. Punk took his best friend & Heyman took Punk’s chance at the WWE Title from Punk. Heyman says that he’s a lot worse personally than business wise. Heyman then says that Punk made him swear on his children but it was his children that made him see things clearly. Why doesn’t Punk listen to Heyman like Brock? Heyman says that he cost Punk because Punk can’t beat Brock. Punk asks Heyman if he’s done. Punk saw first hand last night that the truth does hurts. Maybe he should’ve seen it coming but he trusted Heyman & all he has to show for it is the staples in his head. Punk then says that Heyman knows that when Punk wants something he will not stop till he gets it. The truth is Punk will swear on Heyman’s children that he will get Heyman & everyone who conspired against him. Anytime someone gets between him & Heyman he will rip them apart. Then Punk says that the truth is that Heyman doesn’t have a future because Punk will burn everything around him till Heyman is the only 1 standing (or something like that). Punk then asks Heyman if he is lying. Heyman says Punk’s not lying. Then Heyman says that he will spell Punk’s future out for him. Cue Brock’s music & out he comes. As Punk stares at Brock, Heyman comes in & hits Punk from behind. Then Punk & Brock go at it outside the ring. Brock throws Punk over the announce table but Punk dives onto Brock. Brock catches him & rams him spine first into the ring post. Then Brock gives Punk an F5 on the announce table. Brock stands on the table as Heyman screams at Punk. After Heyman & Brock leave Punk struggles up as the fans chant his name. Medics check on Punk after he falls down again. This was really awesome! Punk & Heyman were both tremendous on the mic as usual. They are 2 of the best promo guys in the world! The Punk-Brock brawl was good too & Brock getting the upper hand made sense since this is the start of their feud. I’m really looking forward to their match at SummerSlam! Time for a Total Divas video package. I’m not watching this dreck! Backstage we see Cena. Khali shows up & I think he asks for Cena to pick him at SummerSlam. Cena says something to him in Punjabi. Khali is thrilled. Brad’s in the GM office & Stephanie is there. She was worried about Brad last night. Brad says he thinks everything’s going well. Stephanie wasn’t asking him. In comes HHH. He says that Brad is doing a good job so far. Then they ask Brad if he spoke to Vince. Brad says he couldn’t get a hold of him. HHH & Stephanie mention what a gamble it is letting Cena pick his own opponent for SummerSlam. They have an idea of who Cena will pick but if he doesn’t Vince might not be happy. HHH says Brad became GM because he was the only guy in the ring. They tell him it will work out great & HHH wishes him good luck in his future endeavors tonight. This was idiotic! I’m way past tired of this McMahon family saga! Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho. RVD gets the pin. This was REALLY AWESOME!! Lots of great back & forth action here. They announce that Paul Heyman will be on Miz TV this week on Smackdown. All the WWE super stars are on the stage. Except for Punk & Henry because of what happened to them earlier in the night. Out comes Cena. He gets in the ring & says it’s time to tell everyone who he has picked to defend his title against at SummerSlam. He can’t do that because he hasn’t made his decision yet. He has listened to everyone tell him why he should pick them. He wants to let the fans decide. A lot of time the fans are tough on Cena but that toughness is honesty that he respects. Cena wants to make a decision based on what the fans would like to see. Cena mention the other guys who are on the stage. Cena will say their names & the fans will decide what they think. First is Heath Slater. The fans don’t go for that. Cena asks how about any of 3MB? No way. How about Orton? That gets a mixed reaction. How about Khali? Nope. How do the fans feel about Del Rio? They boo him too. What about Jericho? That got some applause. Then Cena mentions RVD. The fans applaud that too. How about Fandango? Not a chance. How about Sheamus? It didn’t sound like the fans were interested in that. How about Ryback? Nope. Cena then asks if there is anybody that he is forgetting. He says we’re good & he’s made his decision. This guy deserves the chance. The fans chant Daniel Bryan. Cena respects the beard. This is a guy who deserves this match. Cena picks Daniel Bryan to face him at SummerSlam. Daniel Bryan heads to the ring doing the yes chant along with the fans. Daniel & the fans chant yes to end the show. This was a really good closing segment. I had a feeling Cena would pick Daniel since there had been talk of having them face each other at SummerSlam. I thought this was a really good show for the most part. The opening segment was a bit weird but it was solid & I liked the closing segment when Cena picked Daniel to face him at SummerSlam. Daniel is super over & their match should be good. I loved the RVD-Jericho match too! There was a lot of great back & forth action there! The Punk-Heyman promo followed by the Punk-Brock brawl was also really well done. I’m looking forward to Punk-Brock at SummerSlam too. Ziggler-Del Rio was good too but I was waiting the entire time for AJ to screw over Dolph & for Big E to lay him out. Christian-Sandow was solid but a bit short & I was surprised they had Christian win. I liked Cody coming in afterwards & going after Sandow too. I wasn’t into the HHH-Stephanie-Brad segment, but that was the only part of the show I didn’t go for. Naomi-Nikki Bella was decent & I liked that they didn’t do the twin magic bit. The Usos vs. The Real Americans was decent but short. I liked the Wyatt family coming out & lying out R-Truth also. Orton-Fandango was good too. I also liked Mark Henry’s promo & The Shield coming out & taking out Henry was good too. My only hope is that they don’t they don’t have Henry, Cena & Orton team up & face The Shield. Overall though I thought this was a good show.