9-5-11 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 5, 2011 episode of Raw

 The show starts with CM Punk in the ring cutting a promo saying that he is different and outspoken. He mentions how being different makes him a target and that he will face R-Truth tonight, but he would rather kick Kevin Nash. He says that while he is different Nash is painfully the same. He mentions that he doesn’t buy the tension between HHH & Nash and Punk calls him out. After waiting a bit the nWo music plays and Nash comes out on the stage and says that he does whatever he wants. Punk says that he has more excuses than nick names and mentions all the gimmicks he’s had. Nash says that he leaves Punk lying every time they face off and that HHH did Punk a favor by taking Nash out of the match. Punk mentions that 1994 was the last time Nash had any meaning. Nash walks to the ring and Punk says he will keep fighting no matter how many times Nash takes him down. HHH’s music plays and he comes out and Punk says he’s not done talking. Nash says that Punk is a cancer and that HHH should get rid of him. HHH gets in the ring and says that he would, but he found out the truth because he called the Staples Center and showed him some security film or whatever and that someone went into his office right after Nash got the text to take out Punk. This makes ZERO sense! Nash says that he lied and he made WWE cool and exciting again (yeah right). Nash says that WWE isn’t big enough for him and Punk and that one of them has to go. HHH says that he doesn’t like Punk but he’s never lied to him and Nash gets all pissed thinking he’s gonna pick Punk over him. Nash asks if this is all about him pushing him last week and asks what he is going to do if he touches him and he shoves him and then HHH punches him. He then tells Nash that he is fired and walks out. Punk then wishes Nash good luck in his future endeavors. This was a really idiotic segment. Nash sent himself the text? Why would he have to text himself? None of this makes any sense! This is getting dumber every week!

Nash is in the back and gets in his car with Johnny Ace and they exit the building (for now).

WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. Jinder Mahal & Great Khali. Kofi & Bourne win when Bourne pins Mahal. This was a short match that was ok for what it was.

Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez arrive to the arena.

Eve Torres vs. Beth Phoenix to see who will challenge Kelly for the Diva’s Title. Kelly & Natalya are on commentary. Beth get the pin. This was also a short decent but short match. The commentary was painful. After the match Natalya attacks Kelly and she & Beth are standing in the ring while Eve & Kelly are laying on the floor.

Drew McIntyre & Christian are backstage and Drew says that he can see that Christian is a victim of injustice. Christian mentions that he deserves one more Title match. Alberto & Ricardo then show up and Del Rio says that he wants to talk to Christian Drew walks out & Alberto tells Christian that he expected to see him with the World Title and that is because of Cena. Christian says he gets what Alberto says and says that if he was going to take out Cena that it would be on his terms and not Del Rio’s. Alberto then mentions that Cena pinned Christian last Monday and that he lost to Randy Orton the next night and then says that they could be having this discussion with both of them as Champions.

The Miz & R-Truth come to the ring and say that there is a conspiracy and Miz says that HHH is in over his head as COO and is worried about his friends more than the most talented guys on the roster, so he will do his job for him. He says that they will challenge Kofi & Bourne at Night of Champions and Miz rags on their team name. Truth then says that Punk is about to get got.

CM Punk vs. R-Truth. Punk gets the pin. This was a good back and forth match. After the match HHH comes out Punk gets a mic and says that he doesn’t buy him punching Nash. HHH says that he doesn’t care and says that he changed that match at Night of Champions and says that he wants to hurt Punk bad after he insulted the McMahon family and made the match No DQ. He says that he might can him after the match. Punk says that he likes No DQ and he will agree to it if HHH agrees to resign as COO of WWE if Punk wins. HHH accepts. I don’t see HHH losing.

Curt Hawkins & Tyler Rex are backstage talking to Wade Barrett and Alberto & Ricardo come in and Hawkins & Rex walk out. Alberto says that Cena beat him in 5 minutes. Barrett says that Del Rio doesn’t need to bother with his pep talk and to watch what he does to Cena tonight.

David Otunga & Michael McGuillicutty are in the ring and Jerry Lawler comes out and says that he never said they weren’t good wrestlers, but that they have no personality and he then introduces his partner, Zack Ryder.

They then show a Zack Ryder video package focusing on his youtube videos.

Jerry Lawler & Zack Ryder vs. David Otunga & Michael McGuillicutty. Lawler & Ryder win when Ryder pins Otunga. This was a decent but short match.

Alberto is backstage talking to Dolph Ziggler and tells him that he heard that Vickie might dump him because he lost to Orton last week. Dolph says that he heard Del Rio is afraid of Cena. The Bellas come in and Del Rio says to give him a few minutes. He then tells Dolph that she is looking for Jack Swagger not to be a client but for him to fight for her.

World Champion Randy Orton vs. Heath Slater. Orton gets the pin. This was a squash.

Cena & Ryder are backstage being filmed for Ryder’s youtube video. He gives Cena sunglasses and Cena says what idiot would where those in doors and then he tells Ryder he is just messing with him. This segment was alright and thankfully very short.

John Cena comes to the ring and cuts a promo and says that Del Rio always avoids Cena. Ricardo then comes out and announces Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio come out and says that Cena doesn’t get it and that he’s trying to give him a fighting chance. He then mentions that he didn’t take Cena out like he did Mysterio because he wants to give him a fair fight. He then says that he wasn’t at Raw last week because he is trying to protect him. Wade Barrett, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler & Christian then come out and beat down Cena and then Alex Riley, Sheamus & John Morrison come out to even the odds and the faces clean house. Teddy Long then comes out and says that HHH gave him the authority to intervene if he has to and he makes an 8 man tag team elimination match. I don’t get why they have Cena & Sheamus teaming up like they never feuded before and having them be all buddy-buddy. I guess they want us to forget that too.

John Cena, Sheamus, John Morrison & Alex Riley vs. Wade Barrett, Christian, U.S. Champion Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger in an 8 Man Tag Team Elimination match. Swagger makes Morrison tap. Vickie Guerrero then comes out to watch. Swagger makes Riley tap. Sheamus pins Barrett. Sheamus & Christian run into the crowd, then onto the stage and get counted out and the refs broke up the brawl. Cena pins Dolph. Cena makes Swagger tap for the win. Winner – John Cena. This was a good match even if the finish was predictable. After the match Del Rio comes out but Cena gives him an Attitude Adjustment.

I thought that this was a weak “super show”. They opening segment with Punk, HHH & Nash was painful to watch. The Punk-Truth match was really good and so was the 8 man elimination tag. Overall though this was not one of the better Raw episodes.

Thoughts on WWE booking

Hey all, I lost power Sunday morning at 5 and didn't get my electricity back till Tuesday at 5 pm and was without cable till yesterday afternoon, so I couldn't watch Raw or Smackdown when they were on. I watched the shows on youtube last night and thought they were both mixed bags. There were good matches but the booking was idiotic. I mostly wanted to give my thoughts on the current CM Punk-HHH-Nash who dunnit story and a bit about the end of the "brand extension."

The two "brands" had been meaningless for a few years now since talents from one show were showing up on the other. My biggest worry about the shows being "unified" is that the undercard talents like Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Yoshi Tatsu, Trent Baretta, etc. get less time on the shows than they already are and go overboard focusing more on Cena-HHH-Nash and other guys at the top of the card.

I also ask everytime that WWE books something that starts out really enjoyable, my first questions are always when and how are they gonna drop the ball with this one? Of course I'm referring to the booking of CM Punk. They start the summer with him mentioning that his contract was up mid July, then he beats Cena for the Title on his final night in his home town. That was easily the best John Cena match I've ever seen and I match of the year candidate. Then HHH comes in and says he is the new COO of WWE and he "resigns" Punk and Punk & Cena were both WWE Champion and there was a lot of hype and fans were really into this storyline. Then comes the match at SummersSlam with HHH as the ref, which I thought was a bit much. The match was good and it looked like they were going to continue the Cena-Punk dispute over who the true Champion is. Nope, they have KEVIN NASH come out and power bomb Punk and Alberto Del Rio wins the Title and Punk is stuck in a program with HHH & Nash with this whole "who dunnit" crap and Cena is back to his old promos.

They announced Punk-Nash, a match that NO ONE wants to see, then they switch it to Punk-Triple H because Nash flunked a wellness test or whatever! Great WWE! I was expecting them to build to Punk-H, but they really rushed this one and we're still going to be stuck seeing Punk-Nash1 WHY!? The contract signing with the 2 was pointless as Punk mentioned in his promo. HHH is the COO and if he makes the match, they don't need a contract signing!

Punk was cutting great promos (and still is) and gave the product more of this edgy feeling to it and the fans were really into it, so of course WWE has to find a way to screw it up by taking Punk out of the Title picture and feuding with HHH & Kevin Nash and it looks like we're seeing the Triple H from 2002-2005 who goes out of his way to bury everyone!

They have this whole stupid storyline of Nash got sent a text to take out Punk, it wasn't from HHH, then Johnny Ace tells H that Nash got hit by car and Nash lied about that and they got this whole who dunnit crap going on and Punk of course saying that they're both in the whole thing. Why take one of the best wrestlers in the world today and do this to him? They should have him going for the WWE Title!

Like always, I had such high hopes for the Cena-Punk feud and they end it out of nowhere to stick Punk with Nash. They're doing this who dunnit storyline, I say WHO CARES!? This has been TNA stupid!!

8-26-11 Smackdown results & thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 26, 2011 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with tonight’s GM Bret Hart in the ring and he announces that Randy Orton will face Mark Henry for the World Title at the Super Smackdown show Tuesday. Christian then comes out and blames Edge for losing at SummerSlam and says that he is entitled to a rematch. Bret tells him to grow a set and to work his way back up the ladder. Christian then says that he is the only Canadian that is still relevant and he takes a legal letter out saying that he is first in line for a rematch and Bret makes it Orton vs. Christian for the Title in a steel cage. Mark Henry comes to the ring and talks about how he has in WWF/E for 15 years and he still gets disrespected and that he earned his Title match last week and says that if he doesn’t get it somebody’s gonna get hurt. He says that he wants the winner of next week’s cage match. Sheamus comes out and he tells a story about how his granddad had to castrate a bull when he got too vicious and he tells Henry not to make him do the same to him. Sheamus gets in the ring & clotheslines Henry out. They have a quick stare down then Henry walks out. This was a really fun opening segment.

They also announce that Randy Orton will face Ted DiBiase, Jr. tonight.

They show a Daniel Bryan video package recapping him winning MITB and being a submission specialist. This was a real good video.

Daniel Bryan vs. Christian. Christian gets the pin. This was a really great back and forth match.

Wade Barrett cuts a promo saying that he refuses to face a local Lance Storm student that he refers to as, “this dreg” and walks out.

Sin Cara vs. Heath Slater. Cara gets the pin. This was a short match. They had to re tape the match because Cara messed up a lot of spots which could be why the match was as short as it was.

Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, Jr. come out and Cody says that Randy Orton being World Champion is means he is the best at what he does, but what he does is different from what Cody does. Cody says that he makes miracles by resurrecting the meaning of the IC Title & Ted’s career. Then he says that he hopes Randy believes in miracles.

World Champion Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase, Jr. Orton gets the pin. This was a good match too. Ted is a really good worker. I don’t know why he hasn’t been booked better. After the match Cody attacks Ted and bags him. It looks like they turned Ted face, but the same way that Randy Orton was 7 years ago.

Divas Champion Kelly Kelly vs. Tamina. They show a promo from Natalya calling Kelly a real life Barbie doll, which she really is. She then says that she doesn’t play with dolls. Kelly gets the pin. This was ok for what it was.

Matt Striker interviews Jinder Mahal & Great Khali mentioning that he did not win the Battle Royal last week. Mahal says that Khali is the servant and has to let go of his ego. Then he says that Khali will dominate Zeke tonight. This was idiotic.

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Great Khali. Zeke wins by submission the rack. This match was a dud, but it was impressive seeing Zeke rack Khali.

Todd Grisham interviews Randy Orton about next week’s World Title match with Christian. Orton says that he’s beating Christian and took the Title back and now all that Christian has left is his pride and he will take that too. He then mentions Mark Henry and he says that his opponents should not underestimate him.

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry. Sheamus wins by count out after he brogue kicks Henry over the announce table. After the match they brawl and Henry gives Sheamus the World’s Strongest Slam onto the steel ring steps. This was really good too. Both the match and the post match brawl.

I thought that this week’s show was good on the whole. I enjoyed seeing Bret Hart and the opening segment with him & Christian was really good and so was the stuff with him & Mark Henry & the Sheamus-Henry encounter was fun also. I also really enjoyed the Daniel Bryan-Christian match. The Orton-DiBiase match was good too and Ted should be getting a push. The Sheamus-Henry match and post match brawl was also really good.

8-25-11 Impact results & thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 25, 2011 episode of Impact

The show starts with Kurt Angle coming to the ring and he calls out Crimson since Crimson called him out last Thursday. Crimson comes to the ring and gets a mic. Before he speaks, Angle says that last week that either Crimson showed some courage or he is a jackass. Angle then says that he feels Crimson wants to be famous and says that tonight he will end Crimson’s undefeated streak and his career. Crimson says that Angle wants Crimson’s respect and that if Angle wants to take out the young guys he can start with him tonight. Bully Ray, Gunner, Scott Steiner, the Jarretts & Abyss then come out and Ray asks Crimson if he knows who he is talking to and Ray puts over Angle’s accomplishments. Kurt then cuts Ray off and tells him to let him handle it by himself and that if any of Immortal runs in during his match there will be a problem. Angle then tells Crimson that it is time to make him famous. This was a typical TNA opening segment but not as long as others.

ODB, Jackie Moore & Velvet promo backstage talking about their match and Jackie saying that they have Velvet’s back. Not much to this.

Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan are in the office and Hogan & Bischoff chew out Flair and they say that Sting is crazy. Hogan says that he will get on the same page with Sting later tonight. This was painful! I’m really tired of these 3 morons!

ODB, Jackie Moore & Velvet Sky vs. Angelina Love, Rosita & Sarita. ODB, Jackie & Velvet win when Velvet pins Angelina. This match was ok for what it was. Angelina tries to goat ODB & Jackie into attacking Velvet during the match. Angelina had Velvet beat and she gave ODB & Jackie a chance to beat Velvet down, but they go after Angelina and Velvet then pins Angelina for the 3 count. After the match Rosita & Sarita yell at Angelina and she shoves them. I don’t get this! Just a few weeks ago ODB & Jackie were attacking Velvet every chance they got and now out of nowhere they’re teaming with her. WHAT!? Also Angelina is a face again after months of that dreck with Winter being a zombie? This company is nutty!

Jessie Sorensen vs. Kid Kash. Kash gets the pin with a roll up and hooking the tights. After the match Christy interviews Kash and Kash says that he has whipped Jessie’s ass, just like he has with his son when he disrespects him and Kash calls Sorensen a prick. Jessie then gets in Kash’s face and Kash shoves him and then security breaks them up. This was good stuff.

Rob Van Dam vs. The Pope D’Angelo Dinero in a Bound For Glory Series match. RVD wins by submission. This was a good match. Matt Morgan was on commentary. After the match Joe comes out and attacks Dinero and then Devon limps to the ring because of Joe attacking him last week and his sons try to encourage him to help out Pope. Devon has his son give him a chair, he gets in the ring and Joe walks out. Devon then helps Pope up to his feet and then he walks out.

Robbie E is offering to team up with Rob Terry backstage. Terry says he will think about it. This was idiotic.

Bully Ray, Gunner & Scott Steiner are backstage getting ready for their match.

Rosita & Sarita find Angelina Love backstage and they double team her and Winter comes in and takes them both out. Hernandez & Anarquia then come in. This was stupid too.

Traci Brooks is in Eric Bischoff’s office asking if he thought about making her in charge of the Knockouts and he says that he is considering it and that he will make a big announcement next week (which they’re taping RIGHT NOW) in Huntsville. This was also a waste.

Time for an in ring Ric Flair & Hulk Hogan promo brother. Hogan says that the main problem that they have right now is that they have a problem and Hogan calls out Sting. Sting comes to the ring and Hogan tells him that he has gone way too far and that it needs to end tonight. Hogan tells Sting that he’s not in his right mind (neither is TNA in general) and says that this is a family show (OK Hulkster, whatever) and that they have all this craziness going on. (TNA has been nothing but craziness for more than a year now)! Sting laughs off what Hogan tells him and Hogan then says that they have learned from their mistakes (no they haven’t, they wouldn’t be taking up TV time with this crap if they had) and that he and Bischoff with run the company with “impeccable precision.” REALLY!? Hogan offers Sting his hand to end the madness and Sting says that he will accept on one condition and Hogan tells him anything that he wants to do. Sting then goes into crazy talk, and says how about milk and cookies, rainbows, unicorns and then he says that he wants flowers. This crazy Sting gimmick is really idiotic! Sting then hugs Hogan and then he kisses him. Flair then takes his jacket off and tells Sting that he is out of control. Sting then says that he won’t be able to go for the kill on Flair because he has too much respect for him and Flair tells Sting that he will kick his f’n ass. This makes zero sense. Sting then says that he will go through Flair and that he is looking at his calendar and is thinking that he should face Hogan at Bound For Glory. Flair tells Sting not to get ahead of himself and Sting cuts him off and says tata for now and he walks out. This was ridiculous! Why is TNA giving us rivalries from 15-20 years ago? This is 2011! No one wants to see Sting-Flair, Sting-Hogan, or even Hogan-Flair (which I hope they decide not to do, but I have a scary feeling that they might) at this stage in their careers!!

AJ Styles comes to the ring and he wants Christopher Daniels to come out. Daniels comes out and AJ criticizes Daniels for asking for the match (I’m not sure why) and AJ says to let it end here, but he wants to know why Daniels wants this rematch so much. Daniels says that at Destination X it was all about competition and that it was a great night (and it truly was) but he still lost. Daniels then asks himself if he even still has what it takes to be in TNA or if he should hang up his boots and walk away. He says that he wants the rematch with AJ to find that out and then says that he came back to TNA, became part of Fortune and even went through a table for AJ. Daniels says that he needs to know if it is time for him to walk away. Daniels then starts to break down and AJ says they will do it one more time and Daniels says that he will see him at No Surrender. AJ then mentions that he is going to be in finals of the Bound For Glory Series at No Surrender so they will have the match next week on Impact. AJ then says that right now he has to kick some Immortal butt. This was a good back and forth promo from both guys. The rematch should be really good.

AJ Styles & Beer Money vs. Bully Ray, Gunner & Scott Steiner in a Bound For Glory Series Falls Count Anywhere Match. Ray, Gunner & Steiner win when Ray pins AJ to get 7 more points. This was a really fun match. They brawled all over the Impact Zone. Abyss also was on the stage watching the whole match. After the match Ken Anderson comes out in a Humvee and he sent Steiner through a table and hit Gunner with a chain and busted him open. Ray was shouting at Anderson saying that he is crazy and Ray walked up the ramp and asked Abyss to do something but Abyss wouldn’t budge. Looks like they’re turning Abyss face too. They should ditch this Immortal stable.

Mickie James promo backstage mentioning that she lost the Knockouts Title at Hardcore Justice and that she is coming after Winter next week (Note: she regained the Title during tonight’s Impact taping).

More Eric Young looking for Scott Baio crap. They exchange words and Baio has a golf club and Young attacks him and gets the “win.” This was idiotic and I hope that this is finally done!

Crimson vs. TNA World Champion Kurt Angle. Crimson wins by DQ. Crimson had Angle pinned, and he kicked out at 2 and then Samoa Joe came out attacked Crimson and he & Kurt Angle had a quick stare down. Angle then left and Joe went after Crimson. Crimson fought back and Joe left the ring and he and Crimson had a stare down.

They talk about next week’s show that was being taped tonight.

Crimson is backstage saying that if Joe wants some he can come get some and then Joe shows up and attacks Crimson.

I thought that this show was a mixed bag. It had its ups and downs for sure. The whole Immortal stable is beyond old and I’m really tired of the Sting-Hogan-Flair crap! The stuff with Knockouts made no sense either. I liked Jessie Sorensen-Kid Kash, RVD-Pope the 6 man tag, & Crimson-Angle. The AJ-Daniels promo was also really good and I’m looking forward to seeing the match that they taped tonight for next week.

8-22-11 Raw results & thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 22, 2011 episode of Raw

The show starts with Ricardo Rodriguez introducing WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio comes to the ring and was about to speak when John Cena’s music hits and he comes out. He gets in the ring and they have a stare down. Cena then does Alberto’s gimmick and introduces himself to Del Rio and says that he is the guy who take the WWE off his waist and hurt him real bad. He says Alberto is a target and he caught a nice guy on a bad day. He says that he is not CM Punk and that he will whip hi ass after he wins the Title. CM Punk then comes out and plays to the crowd on the stage before going to the ring. Punk says that this feels like a repeat because Cena wants another Title match and mentions that he beat Cena twice and then Alberto cashed in the MITB case and won the Title, but if anyone is getting a Title match it’s going to be him (Punk). Alberto says this is his time because he is the WWE Champion. Punk tells him not to cut him off and that he doesn’t have a problem with Del Rio cashing in the case but he does have a problem and that everyone’s trying to screw him. He then mentions that they both had problems with Triple H in the past. He mentions that if Cena had won that the text would have said to take him out by name. Alberto mentions destiny and Punk says he is cashing in his opportunity for his rematch. Cena says that was doing the same. Cena and Punk then argue over who will face Alberto for the WWE Title and Alberto says he’s ignoring both of them and that he is celebrating this week, but not in Canada. He tells Punk that he took advantage of an opportunity at SummerSlam. Triple H then comes out and tells Del Rio that he is not out here to protect him and that he has a match next. He then tells Cena & Punk that in a month Del Rio will defend the Title at Night of Champions against the winner of tonight Cena-Punk match. This was a good opening segment. Punk’s promo was good as usual.

John Morrison vs. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio. Alberto wins by submission. This was a really good back and forth match. After the match Del Rio locks the arm breaker on Morrison.

Eve Torres vs. Nikki Bella. They show comments from Beth Phoenix & Natalya saying they don’t to be a typical, but they won’t tell us what they do want. Eve gets the pin. This was a typical divas match. After the match Kelly takes out Brie. Then Natalya & Beth come out on the stage and they have a stare down.

They show Kevin Nash in the back.

Vickie Guerrero comes out and introduces her Jack Swagger.

Alex Riley vs. Jack Swagger. Dolph Ziggler comes out and he tells Vickie that she doesn’t to manage a second wrestler. Vickie fell, Swagger checks on her and he & Ziggler bicker. Swagger then gets back in the ring and Riley gets the roll up for the pin. This was more idiocy.

They show Triple H backstage on his cell phone.

Triple H is in the ring talking about Nash costing Punk the Title at SummerSlam and that he and Nash have spoke and he wants Nash to come out to explain what happened. Kevin Nash comes out. H mentions that the text message did not come from him and that there’s no conspiracy. Nash said that he thought he was doing H a favor. He says that he was going to apologize to Punk but decides not to after Punk ragged on him last week. H says that Punk crossed the line, but Nash doesn’t work in WWE and Nash he doesn’t have to take any of Punk’s crap. H says that he can’t have Nash calling guys out since he doesn’t work in WWE and he asks Nash to go. Punk then comes out and wants to know who sent the text and tries to figure it out clue style and says that maybe it was Stephanie with the candle stick in the library. He then says that he doesn’t believe them and that stepping over lines is what he does and that Nash should know something about that because he is one too. Punk says that Nash got off easy last week, but he is kicking Nash’s ass tonight. H gets in the way and Punk says that H has had it out for him and he asks if he, Nash of Stephanie is pulling the strings. H says that if Punk crosses a line with him he will leave him lying. Punk says that he wouldn’t want H to take his nice suit off and fold it up and put it in his wife’s purse along with his b**lls. Nash then punches Punk. He & H walk out with Nash complaining. This was a mixed bag segment. Just like last week, I didn’t care for Nash’s promo and I wasn’t too crazy about Triple H’s either, but Punk’s promo was fun. I loved the clue bit! Something WWE doesn’t seem to have right now about where this storyline is headed. It seems like they’re doing what TNA is doing with ODB & Jackie with the whole “doesn’t work here” crap.

Nash and Triple H talk backstage and H says that he needs him to go and Nash says that H has changed.

Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Michael McGuillicutty & David Otunga for the Titles. Kofi & Bourne win to become the new Titles when Bourne pins Otunga. This was a decent match. The Tag Titles haven’t meant anything in years, but there’s been talk of WWE looking to bring in new Teams.

Josh Mathews interviews Kofi & Bourne and Kofi says it feels great to be the Tag Champions and Zack Ryder and other under card wrestlers pour Champaign on them.

Triple H is backstage and Johnny Ace tells him that Nash got hit by a car and is in the hospital. Triple H leaves Johnny Ace in charge since he needs to check on Nash. That means screw job guaranteed for the Cena-Punk match.

Santino Marella comes out for his match and gets attacked by The Miz & R-Truth. Truth says what happened to Santino will happen to “Little Jimmy” every time. He then talks about the conspiracy, saying that HHH, Stephanie, Cena, Nash & Punk are all in on it. He says that now that H is charge it’s no longer about The Truth or The Miz. Miz agrees about that conspiracy. He talks about how he main evented WrestleMania and beat Cena. He then mentions that he had to resort to picking a fight with Jared the Subway guy. Truth rags on the fans and Miz says that he is tired of seeing people lik Santino on Raw and that he & Truth haven’t been used right and they say that they will take the opportunity whenever they see it and that they will push back on any conspiracies. Truth & Miz then sing new lyrics to Truth’s music healing the fans. This was a good segment I thought. Miz & Truth healing fans was great.

Alberto Del Rio & Johnny Ace are at ringside for the Cena-Punk match.

John Cena vs. CM Punk to determine the number one contender for the WWE Title. Nash comes out and tells Punk this isn’t over yet. Punk gets distracted and Cena gets the pin. After the match Alberto attacks Cena. Johnny Ace gets in the ring in he and the referee pull Alberto off Cena but Del Rio goes back on the attack and they pull him off again. Alberto then hits Cena with the Title and throws him into the barrier. This was a really good back and forth match, but I was waiting for the screw job the whole time. I liked the match right up until the end.

I thought this was a mixed bag show. This whole Triple H-Kevin Nash-CM Punk-Johnny Ace screw job story line isn’t doing Punk any good. His promos have still been great, but why have him feud with Nash. This whole “who dunnit” is really idiotic. The match was really good till Nash came out, which I knew was going to happen. The rest of the show also had its ups and downs. The Morrison-Del Rio match was good, but I knew Del Rio was winning that. The Tag Title match was ok for what it was and it is nice to see Kofi & Bourne as the Champions, but those Titles haven’t meant anything in God knows how long. The Miz & R-Truth segment was good too. Cena-Alberto is officially set for Night of Champions, which I was expecting. I still don’t get why they took the Title off Punk! He had 2 great matches with Cena for the Title and they pull him out of the Title hunt to feud with Nash!

8-19-11 Smackdown results & thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 12, 2011 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Teddy Long bringing out World Champion Randy Orton. Orton talks about his match with Christian at SummerSlam and says that he beat him so brutally that he can’t even stand. He then talks about how he respected Christian but then after his complaining he began to despise him. Long announces a 20 man Battle Royal to see who will challenge Randy Orton for the World Title. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, Jr. then come out and Cody mentions how the former members of Legacy are in the ring and how he & Ted were flunkies in that stable and now Cody is IC Champion. Cody then mentions that he will be in the Battle Royal later and will be looking to win and become World Champion by beating Orton. He then says that Ted has a voice and he hands him the mic. Ted says that he & Cody know Orton better than anyone in WWE and that they haven’t forgotten about how Orton used them. Orton then gives Ted and RKO and Cody backs off. Orton walks out and then Cody gets in Teddy Long’s face saying that this is his show and figures that Long will do something about what just happened. He then says that the IC Title means that he demands Long do something. Long says that he will make Orton stand in a corner on one leg for 10 minutes and make him write 100 times that he won’t RKO Ted. Long then says that he demand that Cody defends the IC Title against Ezekiel Jackson next. This was solid opening segment to kick off the show.

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

Zack Ryder is in Teddy Long’s office and Long says that Alberto Del Rio will be the guest on Smackdown since he is the WWE Champion. The talent are on both shows all the time. Why bother saying he is a “guest?” Aksana then comes in and does the same bit she’s been doing for the last few weeks and Long gets all confused. This was idiotic.

They show another video package about Justin Gabriel being back in Cape Town, South Africa. This was decent.

Justin Gabriel vs. Tyson Kidd. Gabriel gets the pin. This was a good back and forth match. These guys are really talented.

Matt Striker interviews Jinder Mahal & Great Khali backstage and Jinder was talking about how he wants Khali to protect him so he can win the Battle Royal. This was idiotic.

Alberto Del Rio comes to the ring and talks about how he achieved his destiny and mentions that it has been a year since he made his debut in Bakersfield and beat Rey Mysterio and that he beat him Monday in his first Title defense and says that he is on Smackdown because he is a real champion and issues an open challenge to anyone in the back to face him. Daniel Bryan comes out and asks if he’s so special how come he cashed in MITB like all the other MITB winners and he says that that is predictable. RVD announced when he was going to cash it in and is the only one to have so far. This was a good back and forth promo from these 2.

Daniel Bryan vs. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio. Alberto wins by submission. This was a really great match. After the match Alberto locks the Arm breaker on Bryan and Sin Cara 2 makes the save for Daniel.

Matt Striker interviews Mark Henry and asks how he feels about his chances are in the Battle Royal. Henry says that he should already be the number one contender. He then says that this is like a boat and that the other 19 will overboard and will sink. This was a good promo. 

Divas Champion Kelly Kelly & AJ vs. Alicia Fox & Natalya. Kelly & AJ win when Kelly pins Alicia. This was a typical Divas match. After the match Natalya & Alicia argue and Natalya puts her in the Sharpshooter.

20 Man Battle Royal. Mark Henry wins after he eliminates Cara 2. The final 4 guys were Henry, Cara 2, Sheamus & Wade Barrett. This was fun to watch. Battle Royals usually are entertaining. Afterwards Orton & Henry have a stare down to end the show.

I thought this was a good show overall and better than Raw. The opening segment with the former Legacy was good. I liked the Justin Gabriel-Tyson Kidd & Daniel Bryan-Alberto Del Rio matches a lot. Those were the best matches on the show. The Battle Royal was good too and hopefully they’ll put the Title on Mark Henry. The guy’s been pushed really well.

8-18-11 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 18, 2011 episode of Impact

The show starts with Sting coming out to the ring with a chair. He falls down the ramp and jokingly flops around. He then says that this proves he is crazy and that he was reenacting what happened to him last week. He says that everything was a blur. He then says that it was great to see the fire in Hogan’s eyes and that he and the fans want to see Hogan get back in the ring (no we don’t brother). He says that he wants to face Hogan and he has the fans chant his name. Ric Flair’s music then plays and he makes his Impact return and questions Sting calling Hogan the greatest ever. Flair then mentions that when Sting got the title of “Icon” it meant he is very special to the business. Flair calls Sting one of the greatest wrestling starts in the industry. He then says that he knows who Sting is and that Sting is a real icon. Flair than mentions that he has been asked when will he face Sting again and he says that he has that itch to be the greatest again (those days are long gone). Flair then says he wants to wrestle Sting one more time. Sting was about to speak but Flair cut him off and kept putting him over. He says that if he beats Sting, Sting will retire, but if Sting beats him, he will serve him Hogan’s rear end to him on a silver platter. This makes no sense! Sting then takes his coat off and asks the fans what they want. They cheer and Sting accepts Flair’s challenge. What is Ric Flair doing back and why are we going to see him and Sting in 2011?

Backstage Flair is in Hogan’s office and Hogan is mad at Flair. Flair tries to hug him and Hogan says that he beat down Sting last week and that he should be “dead.” Flair says that he has Sting’s number and Hogan says that he is finished with Sting. Flair then tells Hogan that will kick Sting’s ass and Hogan says that he needs to make sure Sting is not breathing by the end of the night and that he will never face Sting again and Flair blows him a kiss and walks out. I’m getting real tired of Hogan, Flair and this whole Immortal crap!

Bound For Glory Series Match – Devon vs. Scott Steiner. Steiner gets the pin with his feet on the ropes. This was really short. After the match Samoa Joe comes out and puts Devon in a leg vice and Devon’s sons hop over the guard rail and go face to face with Joe. Pope come out and gets between them and Joe walks out. Matt Morgan was doing commentary. There really wasn’t much to this.

Samoa Joe is backstage saying that he will do things his way now and that if he can’t win the BFG series he will take everybody down till the series is no more.

8 Man X-Division Gauntlet for an X Division Title match. The participants are 1. Robbie E (who still has Cookie with him) 2. Jessie Sorensen 3. Zema Ion 4. Mark Haskins 5. Kid Kash 6. Anthony Nese 7. Alex Shelly and 8. Austin Aries. This was in a series of singles matches. The eliminations were: 1. Haskins pinned Shelly. 2. Haskins pinned Robbie E. 3. Ion pinned Haskins 4. Sorensen pinned Ion 5. Sorensen pinned Nese 6. Sorensen pinned Kash 7. Aries pinned Sorensen. Winner & Number One Contender for the X Division Title – Austin Aries. This was a solid match given the amount of time they had. After the match Christie interviews Aries and he says that he will be the next X Division Champion. Brian Kendrick then come out and tried to shake Aries’ hand, Aries blew him off and they brawl for a bit before security breaks it up. This was good stuff.

Ric Flair is backstage rambling about Sting. This was meaningless.

Sting is backstage waiting for Ric Flair.

ODB & Jackie are backstage talking about ODB’s match with Mickie James and that they will sign a TNA contract. This makes no sense.

Traci Brooks is in Bischoff’s office saying that she can help him out with the Knockouts and asks if should be in charge of the division again and Bischoff considers it. More idiocy, but at least it was easy to follow.

Mickie James vs. ODB. Mickie gets the pin with a DDT. This was a solid match and was longer than I expected. Jackie was with ODB at ringside and during the match had a few opportunities to go after Mickie but she decided not to and after the match Jackie shakes Mickie’s hand after hesitating for a bit. I don’t get this. ODB & Jackie come in “with out a contract”, have a beef with the “typical” Knockouts, then they get invited back and play by the rules and now they’re turning face? What is this?

Winter & Angelina Love are backstage talking about Winter winning the Knockouts Title and her match with Mickie James in 2 weeks. I’m beyond tired of this gimmick.

Bound For Glory Series Match – Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles. AJ wins by DQ when Jerry Lynn comes in. AJ had RVD pinned after the Pele and Lynn pulled the referee out of the ring before he could count 3. AJ gets ticked off at Lynn as he walks to the back and then RVD got in Jerry’s face and they had words. I’m not sure why they’re having Lynn get RVD DQ’d in these matches. I’m all for RVD vs. Jerry Lynn, but why does TNA feel the need to make the reason for it so dumb. Also why does a guy lose 10 points if he loses by DQ in this series? I don’t get this!

They show RVD & Lynn arguing in the back about Lynn getting him DQ’d. This is weak. RVD & Lynn don’t need this dumb storyline to have another match.

Ric Flair is backstage yapping and is looking for Sting and waiting for him to show himself. He rambles more while looking for Sting. They show stuff being thrown around and Flair keeps talking and Sting finally shows up but is barricaded by boxes and Gunner tries to sneak attack Sting, but Sting clobbers him and Flair tells Gunner that he’s out of Immortal. This was typical TNA nonsense.

More Eric Young idiocy looking for Scott Baio. End this crap already!!

Crimson comes out limping from Kurt Angle attacking his knee last Thursday. Crimson says that it has been a long week (It was only one day since last week’s show & this week’s were taped back to back nights). He mentions that he used to have a lot of respect for someone in the back, but there seem to be some issues that they have to talk about and Crimson calls out Kurt Angle. Angle comes out and gets a mic. Crimson mentions that last week Angle says that he was going to eliminate all the young talent in TNA and that Angle picked him first. He says that Angle didn’t get the job done because he is still here. Angle says that Crimson is a no one who is going nowhere and that he was brought in to make guys like Crimson and that with out Kurt Angle, Crimson is nothing but a green little b**ch. Angle says that he has been making people his whole career and has not gotten nothing but disrespect. Crimson says that no one has disrespected him and that all the young wrestlers have placed Angle on a pedestal and he mentions that it is an honor to face him. Kurt then says that Crimson can’t shine his gold metal and says that Crimson is going nowhere in this business. Crimson says that he is already somebody and that next week Kurt should face him in the ring so he can show him who Crimson is and why he is here now and says that he is real. This was a decent back and forth promo. It certainly was better than Angle’s promo from last Thursday. It looks like they’re building to Crimson vs. Kurt Angle at Bound For Glory.

Mexican America promo backstage mentioning that they will win the Tag Team Titles.

TNA World Tag Team Champions Beer Money vs. Mexican America for the Titles. The Jarretts are doing commentary. Mexican America win to become the new Champions. Rosita came in and tried to distract Beer Money and they looked to lay her out. Karen comes to the ring and distracted the champs. Jeff then came to the ring to save Karen and he gave Hernandez the AAA Title and he hit Roode with it while the referee was pre occupied with Rosita. Hernandez then got the pin on Roode to win the Titles. After the match the Mexican Flag lowers and the Jarretts & Mexican America celebrate the Title win to end the show. This was a good match, but it was overshadowed by the idiotic storyline.

I thought that this was a typical episode of Impact. There was decent to good wrestling and idiotic, weird booking. That TNA for you. The RVD-AJ Styles match was good, but the end was weak. The X-Division Gauntlet was solid too. The Sting-Flair stuff was brutal. I have no idea what they’re doing with the Knockouts and the Crimson-Kurt Angle feud certainly has begun as they will face each other next week.