10-4-13 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the October 4, 2013 episode of Smackdown The show starts with Big Show coming to the ring. Lately he’s been ashamed of himself because he’s done some pretty bad things to really good people. In case you forgot what he’s talking about we’ll get treated to a recap. Big Show wants the fans to understand that he did those things because he had no alternative. HHH & Stephanie are holding this job over his head. When you’re a giant there’re not a lot of other job opportunities out there. He says that the fans can’t understand what it’s like to be forced to do things that you hate to do. Then he says that some of the fans have been in similar situations where they have a job & the boss tells them to do something that they don’t wanna do but you do anyway because you don’t wanna get canned. (Wait, first he says the fans can’t understand what this is like & then he says that they’ve been in the same spot? Whatever). He’s been trying to what’s best for his family (The usual kinda promo we’ve been getting from him lately). The things that he’s done disgust him & make him feel like a crazy person (or something along those lines). He can’t ask for the fans forgiveness because what he’s done is “unforgivable”. What he will ask for is a little understanding. He tells the male fans to understand that if Stephanie called their wives & supposedly had the wife say that he’s not the guy he used to be. He tells them to understand how that would make them feel. It makes you question if you’re still a man (This is really cheesy & that’s a kind way of saying it). Big Show is at his wits end (I think I might be too after hearing this crap for over a month). He doesn’t know what he’s gonna do. He has all this anger & frustration built up inside of him. This past Monday he went so far as to threaten to knock out HHH. But we all know that he would’ve he would’ve been fired right on the spot. Maybe that would’ve been for the best, but because of that threat he has to face The Shield tonight in a handicap match (How often are they gonna give us these Shield handicap matches? That’s way past old too)! But all of the frustration & rage that he’s had over the past few weeks, he will turn that lose on The Shield. The Shield won’t just be in the ring with a giant. They’ll be in the ring with a borderline lunatic giant. If he’s going down he will tale The Shield with him. Cue King of Kings & out comes HHH (I’m so tired of this crappy story)! HHH wants to get this straight. Big Show comes out here & pleads his case, saying he’s ashamed of himself for what he’s done (Vince & uncreative should be ashamed of themselves for having this crap on their shows). HHH is ashamed of Big Show too. Hunter’s ashamed of the man Big Show’s become (The man HHH made him become). Hunter’s also ashamed of the fact that Big Show’s a “locker room leader” Show finds it necessary to question Hunter’s authority in front of everybody. As far as Big Show’s pent up anger goes, that’s not on HHH, that’s on him. Big Show’s personal, financial & marital problems are on Big Show. The fact that Big Show can’t pay is mortgage & that his house is about to be reprocessed (Is Repo Man making a return?) is on Big Show too. (This idiotic story, that’s on Vince & uncreative)! HHH has considered Big Show a friend for the last 20 years. He isn’t sure why at this point, but HHH went out of his way to help Big Show. As of “this morning” Big Show no longer owes a dime to the bank on his mortgage. HHH takes a sheet of paper of his jacket, which happens to be Big Show’s mortgage. Big Show no longer owes the bank, he now owes HHH. Hunter doesn’t wanna see Big Show lose his house, or see his family in the street. He also doesn’t want Big Show to lose his job. But how does he show HHH appreciation for this? Big Show threatens to knock him out? Now Big Show’s problems are Hunter’s problems & his patience with Show is running thin. So Big Show had better get his emotions in check or HHH will be living in Big Show’s house (This is really beyond stupid)! As far as tonight goes, HHH & Stephanie are simply offering Big Show an opportunity because that is the American way. But after what Big Show just said about being a borderline lunatic giant, it doesn’t seem fair to put The Shield in harm’s way needlessly. So Triple H has changed tonight’s main event. Tonight Big Show will face The Shield & Randy Orton. 4 guys vs. a borderline lunatic giant seems fair. As far as Big Show’s personal threat to HHH goes there’s no harm done. He holds up the mortgage paper as he says this. This was the usual terrible long winded HHH promo that we’ve been subjected to over the last month & a half. This is way beyond idiotic & way beyond painful now! Rob Van Dam vs. Fandango. RVD wins by DQ. RVD was on the top rope & Summer Rae crotched him. Then Fandango beats on RVD. Then he looks under the ring for a weapon. Ricardo distracts him & RVD baseball slides Fandango. RVD throws Fandango back in the ring & gives him a springboard like DDT. Then RVD gets a trash can out from under the ring & gives Fandango a Van Terminator. The match was ok & so was the Van Terminator afterwards. R-Truth vs. Ryback (With Paul Heyman & Curtis Axel). Ryback gets the pin. This was a squash. Then Curtis Axel gets in the ring & clips Truth’s knee. Then he tells Truth that he is Curtis Axel & the IC Champion. Backstage Renee Young interviews Alberto Del Rio. She mentions that this Sunday he will defend the World Title against RVD. Then she mentions that this is the first hardcore rules match he’s been in (I think he’s been in these kind of matches before). She asks if Del Rio saw what RVD did to Fandango earlier. Del Rio saw what happened. RVD used a trash can. That’s exactly what Del Rio will use & after he beats RVD he will put him inside that trash can & send him back to the garbage dump where he belongs. Then Renee asks if he’s concerned about his match with Dolph tonight. Will that slow his momentum as he heads into Battleground? Del Rio finds that somewhat amusing. Then some guy comes by with a busted trash can. The guy tells him it’s a present from RVD. Del Rio throws it down & storms off. Renee then says that Del Rio will face Dolph next. This was a decent promo. Time for a Wyatt video package. Then they show the top 10 RVD moments video package that they showed Monday. Damien Sandow is on commentary. Dolph Ziggler vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a really awesome back & forth match. They show the Los Matadores video package. They’ll make their Smackdown debut next. I’m not sure why they had this video package since they already debuted Monday. Then they show the Real Americans video that Zeb Coulter narrates. They show Renee Young interviewing Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal from “earlier in the night.” Slater mentions what happened to them on Raw & complains about Los Matadores & their mascot bull. Jinder says the mascot cost them the match on Monday but tonight they know that Los Matadores have the bull in their corner (This whole thing is bull). Slater says they’ll get a cage or a rope. Whatever. This was pointless. Los Matadores vs. Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal. Los Matadores win when Jinder gets pinned. This was the same squash match they had Monday. I don’t know why they had this match twice in the same week. Then Heath & Jinder charge at Los Matadores but they get double back dropped over the top rope to the floor. Then the bull does a springboard dive on to the 2 man job squad. Backstage Renee Young interviews Paul Heyman, Curtis Axel & Ryback. She asks Heyman how he feels about Ryback’s & Axel’s chances as they head into Battleground. Heyman says that Axel’s opponent thinks that he is the truth but Heyman assures that R-Truth’s dream of becoming IC Champion is nothing short of fiction. Truth might take solace in the fact that he isn’t CM Punk. This Sunday Punk will suffer a hero’s fate. Punk will go down in a blaze of glory. Punk will fight with every last breath in his body against the impossible odds of facing a bigger, stronger, meaner & far more twisted guy than Punk could ever dream of being. Punk will finally be deterred from ever seeking revenge against Heyman at Heyman’s expense. At Battleground Punk will be shell shocked & then the hero will be looking up at the big bad beautiful Ryback & at Punk’s master, lord & owner Paul Heyman. This was the usual good promo we get from Heyman. Brie Bella vs. Aksana. Brie gets the pin. This was a short match & not much to it. Then out come Tamina & AJ. AJ tells Brie that she is feeling inspired. AJ has something very special in store for Brie. AT Battleground AJ will do to Brie exactly what Orton did to Brie’s tin can chewing fiancé. Then Daniel & Brie can disappear, get married & have the first ever baby born with a goat faced beard. When the Dr. sees that hideous atrocity that Brie brought into this world he won’t spank the baby, he will spank Brie. This was another good promo from AJ. I ‘m really hoping they keep the title on AJ Sunday. Kofi Kingston vs. Big E Langston. Kofi gets the pin. This was a short & pointless match. Big E is completely directionless right now (Like so many other guys are). Then out go the lights & on comes the Wyatt family Tron. They’re here. Bray comes out & Kofi’s on the ramp ready for him, but Harper & Rowan are behind Kofi. Bray says, “You are no hero, I said to the man. Just a façade. Yet another shining example of generation decayed. You don’t even know it but your laws have failed you. And on this Sabbath I promise you the first will fall. Follow the buzzards.” This was the same creepy kind of promo we get from Bray. I’m not sure what any of this has to do with Kofi though. Then for some reason they show a Big E Langston video package. Kofi Kingston will face Bray Wyatt at Battleground. Talk about a match with little to no build. Time for a look back at the Rhodes family-HHH & Stephanie segment from Monday. Big Show vs. Randy Orton & The Shield. Big Show wins by DQ. The 4 on mauling began. Ambrose had a chair in his hands but Big Show punched it & the referee called for the bell. Then Rollins comes off the top but Show grabs him & had him set up for the choke slam. Then Orton hits Show with a chair in the back. Show grabs his throat too. Then Reigns spears Show. Then The Shield pick up Show & Orton gives him an RKO. Then Orton is about to place Show’s head in a chair but out come The Usos. They go at it with Rollins & Reigns but then get tossed out of the ring. That brawl continues at ringside. In the ring Orton has the chair & places Show’s head inside it but then Daniel Bryan comes out & goes after Orton. Daniel has the upper hand but then Orton kicks him in the gut. Then he was going to ram Daniel face first into the turnbuckle but Daniel gets his foot up & sends Orton into the buckle face first. Then Daniel kicks him in the corner. Orton rakes his eyes & goes after Daniel but Daniel gets him in the yes lock. Then Ambrose comes back in the ring & breaks that up. Orton slides out of the ring & Daniel kicks Ambrose in the head. Then he & the fans do the yes chant & then Daniel gives Ambrose a running knee. Orton looks on from the ramp as Daniel chants yes to end the show. This was solid. The match was fine for what it was & I liked that they had Daniel get the better of Orton at the end. I’m hoping Daniel wins the title & doesn’t have it yanked from him by HHH again. This week’s show was decent but as far a final episode before a PPV it could’ve been better. The Big Show-HHH segment was long & painful, the 4 on 1 match was solid & I liked that Daniel was the guy standing at the end of the show. Ziggler-Del Rio was easily the best part of this week’s show. I have know idea why they just threw Truth vs. Axel & Kofi vs. Bray onto the PPV with very little build. Brie Bella-Aksana wasn’t much but AJ was great with her promo. Paul Heyman’s promo was awesome too like usual. RVD-Fandango was ok & Los Matadores predictably squashed Heath & Jinder again. The Matadores gimmick is cheesy. Overall I thought this was a decent show but it didn’t make me wanna see Battleground this Sunday.

10-3-13 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the October 3, 2013 episode of Impact The show starts with AJ Styles coming to the ring. He appreciates what Hulk did but Dixie came out & showed her true colors. He knows exactly who Bully Ray is. Bully Ray is the guy he will beat at BFG for the world title. He hasn’t got a contract so he’s all in. AJ hasn’t seen the world title in over a year & is hungry to regain it. Ray might be the most dangerous guy in the building but AJ begs to differ. Then out comes Bully Ray. He says that lady is in AJ’s head. He says that AJ hopes to win the title. Ray mentions “hope” being the key word. If AJ was a true champion he would know that he can beat Ray. AJ needs to worry about him & not Dixie. Ray mentions what he did to Sting, Hulk, Anderson & Devon. Ray is sick of hearing the fans chant for AJ. After BFG they won’t be chanting that. AJ says Ray is no different than Dixie. They both bleed people for everything they’re worth & then kick them to the curb. Ray takes that as a compliment since they’re both ruthless millionaires. Ray then says that AJ better hope he wins or he will be sending AJ home without a contract & condemn him to live with his miserable wife & kids. Then AJ tells Ray to get ready for his match tonight. Ray says that he doesn’t have a match. Then AJ says that Hulk hates Ray as much as AJ because Ray does have a match. Joe is gonna kill Ray. Then AJ leaves the ring as Ray flips. This was a good opening segment. Both AJ & Ray cut great promos. They both said quite a bit & it was hard to keep up with everything. My apologies for missing some of what they said here. They announce that Magnus will face all 3 EGO guys in a gauntlet match. That doesn’t really make sense. Backstage we see AJ & Dixie. AJ says that Dixie doesn’t know what she’s in for. Dixie mentions that AJ is no longer under contract & he will be gone after he fulfills 1 last obligation at BFG. Then Dixie says we’ve heard enough of AJ tonight & is about to have security escort him out. AJ says not to bother because he doesn’t wanna breathe the same air that Dixie’s breathing. Whatever. These backstage segments annoy me & I detest this Dixie heel turn. Austin Aries is on commentary. Jeff Hardy & X Division Champion Manik vs. Chris Sabin & Kenny King. Jeff & Manik win when Jeff pins Kenny. This was a good back & forth match. Kenny’s cut from “last week” bled again. Then Sabin goes after Manik & Jeff. Then Aries takes his headset off & gets in the ring. He says that Sabin likes to be an opportunist. Then he suggests a 4 way match with him, Sabin, Jeff & Manik at BFG. Jeff has a better idea. He wants to do something he’s never done before. An Ultimate X match. Backstage we see Sting & Hulk. Sting says they haven’t been in this spot since Eric Bischoff was on his power trip. Then he asks what’s going on with Dixie. Hulk didn’t think anyone could be worse than Eric Bischoff but she is. Sting says no matter what he has Hulk’s back. Then some chick comes in with a gift for Hulk Dixie. It’s a watch. Hulk says that means let the games begin. OK I’m not sure what that means. Bischoff never gave him anything. This was weak. Then we see a backstage bit from last Thursday. Sting goes to check on Magnus after the beating he took. Magnus says he wants to face all 3 EGO guys next week. They’ll all pay individually. He wants Sting to keep out of his way. Time for Magnus to run the gauntlet. Magnus vs. Christopher Daniels. Magnus gets the pin. This was solid. Then Kazarian comes out. Magnus vs. Frankie Kazarian. Magnus wins by submission. This was solid too. Then out comes Bobby Roode. Kazarian clips Magnus’ knee. Magnus vs. Bobby Roode. Roode wins by submission. This was also solid. Magnus is upset that he lost. Then Sing comes out. He says that Magnus is making a public disgrace to himself (I don’t know why. He won 2 of the 3 matches). Sting then says that they can head to the back & talk about it. Magnus says no to that. Magnus has had enough. Sting, Angle & Joe see it in him but he doesn’t have it in him. When Sting, Kurt & Joe got the chance they took it. Sting says not to let it bother him. Magnus says you’re either in or you’re out. This is a result driven business & Magnus isn’t getting results. Then Sting mentions that he needed to have that big chance too & Ric Flair put him on the map. Magnus looked up to Sting. Magnus came 1 win away for Then Magnus asks Sting who will put him on the map. Sting says that he will at BFG. Then they shake hands. Backstage Austin Aries comes into Hulk’s office. Aries has some vitamins for him (That’s a bit funny) says they haven’t seen eye to eye but Aries appreciates Hulk giving him option C. There’re 2 Hulk Hogans. Red & yellow and Black & white. Hulk’s decision is black & white with not a lot of gray. Hulk gets it. Aries tells Hulk to enjoy the vitamins. Time for a Hulk Hogan in TNA video package. They show Hulk’s TNA debut. Then the show when he turned heel & then turned back to a baby face at BFG 2 years ago. Then they show when he became GM. That’s followed up with the start of Aces & 8s along with the Ray-Brooke Hogan crap. Then they show the end of last week’s show. Man they’re really making a major deal out of Hulk Hogan’s decision. Backstage camera guy asks Sabin why he won’t be at ringside for Velvet’s match. Velvet is TNA’s toughest knockout & can take care of herself. He needs to worry about Jeff, Aries & Manik. Thankfully this was short. Backstage we see EGO. They celebrate Roode beating Magnus. There’s no I in EGO. Magnus loses once again. Then Kazarian tells Roode that next week Roode will be inducted into the most prestigious Hall of Fame. Not the TNA 1. The EGO HOF. This will be a black tie ceremony. Then they all sing he’s off the chain. This was pretty funny. These 3 guys are a great. Next up was supposed to be Velvet Sky vs. Brooke Tessmacher to determine the number 1 contender for the Knockouts Title, but then Lei’d Tapa comes out & goes after Velvet. The beat down goes on for a bit & then Tapa gives Velvet a Samoan drop. This was a solid way to introduce Tapa. Brooke left before Tapa got in the ring. They show someone walking into the arena. They film the back of his head. It was Ethan. He’s coming. Whoever he is. Time for a Gunner & James Storm video package. They mention that they had faced each other before & that Storm saw something in him. Storm’s the “sinner’ & Gunner’s the “Saint.” Gunner’s been in the military. They’ve been tag champion since June & Gunner says they will continue to be tag team champions. Then Mike Tenay mentions that on the Spike TV BFG pre show there will be a 4 way tag match to see who challenges the champs for the title on the PPV. The teams are EY & Joseph Park, Daniels & Kazarian, Robbie E & Jessie and Hernandez & Chavo. Then they show a Kurt Angle video package. Samoa Joe vs. TNA World Champion Bully Ray. Joe wins by DQ. Joe winds up knocking out Earl Hebner after Ray sent Joe him into the corner (Where Earl just happened to be standing). Then Joe gets Ray in the Kokina Clutch. Ray taps but there’s no referee. Joe checks on Hebner. Then Ray hits Joe with his chain but Earl comes to, sees Ray using the chain & calls for the bell. WINNER BY DQ – SAMOA JOE. Then Ray shoves down Earl. Then he tosses Joe out of the ring & rams him face first into the announce table. Then Ray pulls back the floor mats & goes for a pile driver. Then AJ Styles comes out from the crowed & goes after Ray. Security goes after AJ but he escapes through the crowed, celebrating with the fans. This was a good match & I liked the post-match stuff too. Dixie Carter comes to the ring. She mentions that the fans haven’t been thrilled with her decisions. Then she says the fans don’t know any different. She has business with Hulk Hogan to take care of. Out comes Hulk. She asks Hulk if he wants to take his career to another level (The guy’s 60). The watch he has on she got him at Tiffany’s. Will Hulk ride the Dixie train or will he force her to make a decision she knows she’ll regret? Hulk thanks Dixie for the watch. He’s thought about everything he’s done in his career. He’s always dreamed about being part of a power couple. The Dixie-Hulk team would be amazing at how high they can get. However, that’s an offer for somebody else because Hulk quits. He leaves the ring & Dixie goes after him. Dixie holds Hulk’s leg as he tries to walk to the back. Then Hulk eventually leaves. Then Dixie says that Hulk is “fired.” That ends the show. Thankfully this wasn’t as long as I was worried it would be but it was still terrible. I thought this week’s show wasn’t as bad as last week’s overall. The opening promo with AJ & Ray was well done, the Joe-Ray match was good too & I liked that AJ Styles made the save for Joe. The Hulk-Dixie promo was awful. Having Dixie be the heel running the show is idiotic & she looked like a goof holding onto Hulk’s leg. I’m hoping that Hulk really is done with TNA. He hasn’t done anything for the company. The Magnus-EGO gauntlet match was solid but having Magnus face all 3 guys didn’t really make sense & neither did the Sting promo. Magnus has been doing pretty well & then he says that he “hasn’t got it” because he lost just 1 match? I liked the intro of Tapa too. The backstage bit with Daniels, Kazarian & Roode was funny. Those guys are the best act in the company. The Storm-Gunner video package & the Kurt Angle HOF 1 were both solid also. Jeff & Manik vs. Kenny & Sabin was good too & I liked that they set up an Ultimate X match for BFG. Aries was good here & I liked that Jeff upped the ante with the Ultimate X. Overall I thought this wasn’t a bad show.

9-30-13 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 30, 2013 episode of Raw The show starts with CM Punk coming to the ring. Then they reshow the angle from last week. Then Punk says there’re a lot of people who say this thrives on unpredictability. He is as unpredictable as they come. But sometimes predictability works. Last week he was in his home town & it was predictable he would get beat up. It was also predictable that Heyman would brag about beating Punk. It was also predictable that he would go after Heyman. Then he mentions that last week he got jumped by Axel & Heyman. Punk’s ok with predictability. This story ends when he puts Axel to sleep, shows Ryback what happens to bullies & then finally gets to face Heyman 1 on 1. Then the fans chant Ryback sucks & Punk tells the fans not to be shy & to let the world know what they think. The story ends when he beats Heyman. It could end at Battleground, next Monday or right here tonight. Punk isn’t leaving the ring till he gets a fight. He doesn’t care if it’s Ryback, Axel or Heyman. The record books might say that Heyman beat Punk but everyone will know that Punk will put Heyman out of his misery. Then out comes Brad Maddox. Punk asks why Brad doesn’t have any entrance music (That was funny). Brad gets that Punk was embarrassed last week, but Punk’s looking for an ultimate showdown with Heyman & Ryback now & that’s not what’s best for business. Punk knows he gets to face Ryback at Battleground. Brad then says that as Raw GM he has the power to give Punk a match tonight if he wants 1. Punk says he’s looking for an outlet for his aggression. Cue Big E Langston’s music & out he comes (That was a nice surprise). He says if Punk wants aggression, he’s Punk’s guy. Then he attacks Punk. Punk gets out of the way when Big E goes for a charging shoulder block into the corner. Then Brad brings out a referee. Punk vs. Big E. will be next. This was a great way to start the show. Punk is always awesome on the mic & tonight was no different. I also liked that they had Big E Langston come out & be the guy that Punk faces next. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Big E. CM Punk vs. Big E Langston. Punk gets the pin. This was a solid match. They show a YouTube video on Kofi Kingston’s Trouble in Paradise finisher. Kofi Kingston vs. Fandango. Kofi gets the pin. This was a decent match. Then out go the lights, The Wyatt family Tron show up & they come out. Kofi has a chair as Bray sits in his rocking chair outside the ring. The keep the lights off. Then Bray says he has spent most of his life trying to understand why horrible things happen to him. He wondered if the nightmare would end but it never did. Now he knows what he must do. 1 by 1 they will all fall down. Follow the Buzzards. This was a decent promo. Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow will be on the Battleground kick off. These guys are on the preshow & they announce this match when the PPV only has 3 matches scheduled? Backstage we see The Bellas. They’re thrilled Brie is the number 1 contender for the Divas title. Then Orton comes in. He congratulates Brie on her engagement to Daniel. Orton asks when the big day is. He asks because it should be set sooner rather than later. Orton says that if it’s after Sunday there’s a good chance Daniel might not walk down the aisle because he won’t be able to walk. This was a decent backstage promo. Backstage Renee Young interviews Paul Heyman. She wants Heyman’s reactions from before. Heyman says it must be hard for everyone to watch a guy with such promise descend into madness. Punk’s obsessed with getting his hand on Heyman but that won’t happen. After Sunday Punk will no longer be bullying anybody. Punk’s a nobody that became a Heyman guy, then a Heyman guy who became WWE Champion & then forgot that “THEY” were the best in the world. Renee asks if there’s another Ryback-Axel trap set up. Heyman says him being alive is a trap. He has big night planned he tells Punk to get the manhood to make a move & try. This was the usual good promo we get from Heyman. Time for the video package on Los Matadores. They’re debuting next. Out come Los Matadores (Fernando & Diego) for their debut. They have a guy in a bull costume as their mascot. This gimmick isn’t lasting very long. Los Matadores vs. Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal. Los Matadores win when Slater gets pinned. This was a squash. HHH & Stephanie McMahon come to the ring. HHH wants to invite the Rhodes family to come to the ring. He guarantees their safety just like any other super star. Out come Dusty, Dustin (wearing Goldust face paint) & Cody. Stephanie welcomes them & says the fans are happy to have them there. Then Stephanie congratulates Cody on his wedding & also wants to make sure that Dusty gave Cody her present. Then HHH asks why they look angry. HHH gave Cody a chance to get his job back by beating Orton but he lost. Then they gave Dustin the same chance & he lost too. Then he mentions that Dusty makes this about Dusty. Is Dusty still bitter about not making it outside the Florida territory? Then he mentions that when Dusty was in WWE with the polka dots gear that didn’t work for him either. HHH mentions that Dusty told Stephanie to go to hell & he got knocked out for it. Stephanie says Dusty has the most important job in WWE. He trains talent at the performance center. Stephanie then says that they’d like to give Cody his job back & Dustin an opportunity to gain employment. That will happen if Dustin & Cody can beat Reigns & Rollins at Battleground. HHH says if they win they get their jobs back. But if they lose then Cody & Dustin will never work in WWE again. Not only that but Dusty will also join them on the unemployment line. Dusty says HHH is big on getting in people’s faces. Then Dusty gets in Hunter’s. Then Dusty says that he will be in his son’s corner & will be Hunter’s Huckleberry all night long (Whatever that meant). Stephanie then says it looks like Dusty’s looking for a fight. Be careful what he wishes for, he just might get it. Then out come The Shield & Reigns spears Dustin. Then they attack Dusty. Cody goes after them too but they end up giving him the triple power bomb. This was a solid segment & thankfully not that long. HHH & Stephanie were their usual selves on the mic here & Dusty cut a decent promo. The Shield attacking Dusty, Dustin & Cody was solid too. R-Truth vs. Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel. R-Truth gets the pin. CM Punk’s music plays during the match. That distracts Axel & then R-Truth hits him with his finisher for the pin. WINNER –R-TRUTH. This was a solid match but I’m tired of having someone’s music play & having that always distract someone in the match. Heyman’s reaction to Punk’s music was great though. Michael Cole mentions that Trish Stratus gave birth to a baby boy today. His name is Maximus. Congrats Trish! They show a video package on Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella. These are clips from Total Divas. They’re really making a big deal out of this marriage. Brie Bella vs. Alicia Fox. Brie gets the pin. This was alright. They showed AJ & Tamina watching backstage. Backstage we see Heyman & Axel. Axel is pacing. Heyman tells Axel that he is looking at this the wrong way. Then Heyman says Punk thinks he’s so cleaver but he’s out of their league. Then in comes Ryback. He says that no one has to be threatened by Punk’s presence. If Punk wants them why not give Punk what he wants. Heyman tells Ryback go find a snack. Then Heyman tells Axel that he has a whole new outlook on things since Ryback saved his life. Tonight Heyman will “propose” to Ryback. Backstage Renee Young interviews Big Show. He’s holding up as well as he can. Renee mentions the situations he’s been in & on Smackdown he looked like he was about to explode. Then they reshow the Big Show-HHH promo from Smackdown (which was terrible). Show says his financial situation is being held over his head. Everyone’s telling him to be a man & do the right thing. That’s easy to say when your neck’s not on the line. Show’s forced to choose the lesser of 2 evils. Big Show is that he wouldn’t choose evil & is a good man (even though he has been heel before). He is doing what is “right” for his family. He’s done everything he’s been asked to do. He knocked out a WWE Hall of Famer & a guy he idolized, Dusty Rhodes. He watched as The Shield attacked Dusty earlier but he couldn’t do anything about it. Now he can’t look Dusty in the eye. There’s only so much Show can take. Every sick weird thing they’ve made him do he’s done but he’s not going to take it anymore. He will find HHH & show him exactly how he feels. Renee asks what he’s saying. Show says he will knock HHH out. This was a really well done promo. Big Show was great here. Backstage R-Truth tells Brad he wants an IC Title match. Brad will take it under advisement. Then Big Show bursts in, roughs up Brad & asks where HHH is. Brad doesn’t know. Show tells Brad to find him because he will be waiting right there in the GM office. Zack Ryder vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a decent match but the everyone knew Del Rio was winning this. Then he kicks Ryder before leaving. Ryback & Paul Heyman come to the ring. Heyman says that not only was he man enough to pin Punk & prove he’s the best in the world but he’s an expert in political science. Since he “owns” Punk he knew it was his obligation to squash Punk’s attempted rebellion. Punk had to be put down by Heyman. Then Heyman gives us Exhibit A. They reshow Ryback & Axel-Punk brawl from last week. Then Heyman says Punk’s a man of commitment but his commitment has been to break Heyman’s face. The only reason Heyman’s face is on TV tonight is because of Ryback stopping Punk. Ryback says if there’s 1 thing he hates in this negative world it’s a bully. Punk took all the knowledge & friendship that Heyman gave him only to throw it back Heyman’s face. Ryback couldn’t let that stand. Heyman’s a genius & there’s nothing Ryback wouldn’t do for him. Heyman’s glad because 2013 is such a progressive year. It’s time people stop living in denial of their true feelings. Heyman doesn’t want them to be stigmatized in that super star-advocate stereo type. Heyman walks around like a man & feels free thanks to Ryback. Heyman wants to feel this way every day for the rest of his life. So in front of the entire world Heyman wants to…The fans chant something & Heyman yells at them for chiming in. Heyman says this needs to become an official commitment. Heyman wants to make an honest man out of Ryback. Then Heyman gets on 1 knee & holds his hand. Then he asks Ryback if he will….Become a Paul Heyman guy. Then Punk’s music plays & he jumps over the barricade but he fell over & hurt himself. Punk stands at ringside favoring his left leg. Then he tries to get in the ring but he can’t. Then a medic comes out to check on Punk. Then Heyman takes out a Kendo stick & canes Heyman. Then he gets in the ring to cane Ryback. Ryback blocks it but then Punk canes Axel him & then Ryback. Then Punk canes Axel some more. Punk chokes Axel with the cane & hits him with it again. Then he gives Axel the GTS. This was awesome! Heyman “proposing” to Ryback to become a Heyman guy was good. Punk faking the injury & then hitting Heyman, Ryback & Axel with the cane was really well done. I am curious if Axel will turn face since Heyman & Ryback left him to take the beating. Like all Heyman promos he said a lot & it was difficult to keep up with everything he said. My apologies if I missed anything. They show Big Show still waiting in the office for HHH. Dolph Ziggler & The Usos vs. The Shield. The Shield win when Reigns pins Dolph. This was a good match. Big Show’s still in Triple H’s office. He takes his jacket tie off & rolls up his sleeves. Break time. Back from break & Big Show’s still waiting. The cops come in. They ask “Mr. White” to come along. Then Stephanie comes in. She says that he’s been under a lot of stress. He’s had to knockout Daniel Bryan, The Miz & Dusty Rhodes. He’s trying to put food on the table for his family. Then she says that he also has a mortgage payment. Stephanie will vouch for him. Stephanie also spoke to Show’s wife & she said that he hasn’t been living up to her expectations. Stephanie & the cops leave as Big Show has a seat & worries. Then he looks at the Triple King of Kings poster & punches it off the wall. This was weak. Stephanie was awful here but Big Show was good selling his frustration. Backstage Renee Young interviews RVD. She says the world title match will be anything goes. RVD could talk about this but he’d rather show how he excels when it’s hardcore rules. They show some WWE & ECW clips of RVD’s spots. Then RVD says ADR is vicious & sadistic but he has no clue what hardcore rules means. When it’s hardcore there are no rules. This Sunday they’ll get hardcore for the world title. The perfect translation for hardcore is very simple, even ADR can understand it. It’s Rob Van Dam. Big Show will face The Shield on Smackdown in a 3 on 1 handicap match. Zeb Coulter, Jack Swagger & Antonio Cesaro are in the ring. Zeb says Mississippi is a third world country & a bit lower than Alabama on the ladder. Only real Americans can say what they say. We the People. I’m tired of this gimmick. Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro. Santino gets the pin. This was a decent but short match. Jerry Lawler is in the ring. In case anyone missed this earlier (like anyone could’ve missed this. They talked about enough times) he congratulates Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella on their engagement. King says we’ll get the full story on that when Total Divas returns in November but till let’s bring out the guy who popped the question Daniel Bryan. Then King brings out the guy who will face Daniel for the vacant WWE Title Randy Orton. King says this is supposed to be a verbal confrontation. King mentions that HHH made a controversial decision taking the title off of Daniel. Orton was upset at first but he realized that he should be glad the title is held up because it inspired him. He’s no longer the viper that the fans got behind. He’s the viper who beat the crap out of Miz in Miz’s home town. Orton will beat Daniel for the title because he is superior to a weak, B + goat faced troll. Daniel says Orton talks a great game. He says that Orton is very monotone & it sounds like he practices in front of a mirror. Then he asks Orton why HHH felt the need to inspire him. Is it because he wants to make money off of Orton or is it because HHH knows that Orton can’t reach his full potential without Hunter’s support. Daniel has never needed anyone to reach his potential. This Sunday he achieves more when he beats Orton & becomes WWE Champion. Cue the Yes chant. Then Orton screams no tells the fans to shut up. He knows Daniel is on a role. After all he’s marrying a Bella, but what could be wrong with Brie for settling for Daniel. One day Brie will realize she’s sleeping with a barn yard animal. Then Daniel attacks Orton. They go to the floor & Orton gets the upper hand. He rams Daniel’s shoulder into the post a few times. Then he sets him up on the barrier. He punches Daniel & sets Daniel up on the ring for the elevated DDT. Then out comes Brie Bella & Orton gives Daniel the DDT. Then Orton takes apart the announce table. Brie pleads with Orton to stop. Then Orton sets Daniel up on the table & gives him an RKO through it. Brie screams at Orton to stop as referees check on Daniel. Then Brie checks on Daniel too & Orton has the evil viper look on his face to end the show. This was really well done. Orton did a good job in being the psycho heel & there was a good amount of sympathy for Daniel. Brie coming out & begging Orton to stop was also good. I thought this was a solid show for the most part. They did a good job building to the few matches that they have on the PPV. The Punk promo at the start of the show, leading to his match with Big E was well done & the match was solid too. The Daniel-Orton face off was also well done. The Big Show stuff was a mixed bag. He cut a great promo but the bit with him & Stephanie & the cops in Hunter’s office was a weak. The Rhodes family-HHH & Stephanie segment was solid too & not too long. The 6 man tag was good too, Brie-Fox was alright, Kofi-Fandango was decent, Truth-Axel was solid, Santino-Cesaro was ok & Ryder-Del Rio was decent. The Ryback-Heyman in ring segment was good too & then Punk coming out, faking an injury & then hitting the heels with the cane was really well done. Overall I thought this was a solid show & they did a good job building to the few matches that will happen Sunday.

9-27-13 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 27, 2013 episode of Smackdown The show starts with HHH coming to the ring. He says that there has been a lot of disturbing being said about the last month. There’ve been words used like favoritism & abuse of power. It’s ridiculous to him that the WWE super stars can’t accept their own inadequacies, or their own failures. They would rather blame management for what is quite simply, their own failure. HHH & Stephanie are ok with that burden. It’s the burden they have everyday as the authority in this company. It’s a burden that they accept. They know that they can’t make everybody happy. So they do what’s “best for business” (Man I’m tired of hearing that) & even when they do what’s “best for business” like they did Monday night they still receive criticism from the fans & from the super stars. For example like when HHH gave the fans a match on Monday. An 11 on 3 handicap elimination match with their favorite super stars against The Shield. HHH supposed that’s bad on his part. Then they reshow the finish to that match. Then HHH says that if there were any problems in the locker room they were clearly settled there but somehow that wasn’t good enough. That “business” was not made to quell an uprising it was made because it is “best for business” (That match actually was really good). Quite simply HHH gave…Cue The Miz’s music & he comes out. He asks HHH if he really feels like he’s been fair & impartial. HHH says that Miz is question HHH fairness after all the opportunities he gave him. Miz is a classic example of what HHH was just talking about. Miz is a guy that’s given an opportunity that fails &he blames someone else. HHH gave Miz the opportunity he asked for. HHH put Miz in the ring with “the face of WWE.” HHH gave him the opportunity of a life time to get in the ring with Randy Orton & Miz choked. Then he asks the guys in the production truck “on such short notice” to reshow what happened when Miz faced Orton in his own hometown of Cleveland. The reshow Orton beating the crap out of Miz from that Raw. Then HHH says, “I suppose that’s management’s fault huh?” HHH gets that’s probably hard to swallow especially since it happened right in front of Miz’s parents, but HHH doesn’t how giving Miz that opportunity & Miz failing at it is on HHH himself. Then HHH says that this past Monday Miz wasn’t ready to compete & it’s Triple H’s job as COO to protect Miz even if it’s to protect Miz from himself. Miz would’ve gotten in the ring with Orton if HHH let him & God knows what Orton would have done to Miz. HHH did his job by protecting Miz. Miz couldn’t get in the ring so HHH gave him another opportunity. He gave Miz a plat form to say his piece & the freedom to speak his mind when he let him have his Miz TV segment. Now we get a look back at that opportunity that Miz squanders. They reshow Big Show knocking out Miz. Miz says that wasn’t opportunity. All HHH gave him was a set up. HHH “the good cop” told Miz to speak his mind only to have Stephanie “the bad cop” hijack his interview & have Big Show knock him out. He sarcastically thanks HHH for that “great opportunity.” The way HHH sees it is that Stephanie was justified in coming to the ring. HHH gave Miz the opportunity to speak his mind but what was it that Miz called Stephanie? He tells Miz to feel free to say it again. Miz says that he called her a castrating witch but he should’ve switched the W to a B. HHH says that Miz runs his mouth & can’t back up what he says. HHH again says that Stephanie was justified in what happened but HHH gets it. Tempers ran hot. Everybody was upset & HHH gets that. Especially after the beating that Miz took from Orton in front of his parents. HHH gets that maybe Miz said some things that he shouldn’t have & maybe Stephanie did some things that she shouldn’t have done. HHH can vouch for Stephanie & say that she regrets doing what she did to Miz. HHH then says that he wants to give Miz another opportunity tonight. If Miz wants to blame this on HHH & Stephanie, that’s ok. It’s all water under the bridge. Monday night Miz wasn’t healthy but it’s a whole week later (It’s a whole night later when they taped this & it’s a whole 4 days later when this airs. That’s not a whole week Hunter). Hunter’s sure that Miz is feeling ok tonight so HHH will give Miz the opportunity that he couldn’t have Monday. HHH is gonna give Miz Randy Orton tonight. HHH will give Miz his chance at retribution & his opportunity for revenge. That is if Miz wants it. Miz says he wants it. HHH is glad that he does. Then HHH just thought of something. He says that Cleveland isn’t too far from where they are. HHH asks if he should fly there & bring Miz’s parents over. He’s sure they’d love to see Miz redeem himself. Hunter will work on that in the back, but in the meantime why doesn’t Miz get into his ring gear because tonight his opportunity is knocking. Tonight it will be Orton 1 on 1 with Miz. “Go get him tiger.” This was the usual long 15 minute opening promo that we get on Smackdown. Miz was good here but I’m tired of HHH. R-Truth vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio gets the pin. This was mostly a squash. Then Del Rio locks the arm breaker on Truth. Then out come RVD & Ricardo. RVD gets in the ring & stomps on the champ. Then Ricardo gives RVD a chair. He rams Del Rio in the gut with it a couple times. Del Rio winds up in the corner & RVD chokes him with his foot. Then RVD hits the skateboard dropkick. This was ok. Backstage the show HHH & Vickie watching what just happened on a monitor. Vickie tells HHH that things are getting heated up between RVD & Del Rio (DUH) & that they should make their Battleground match a little more interesting. HHH likes the idea & he makes it a hardcore match. Anything goes. Right out of the old ECW hand book. HHH calls it the Battleground hardcore rules match. Vickie likes the idea & says that what’s “best for business.” Back to the ring & RVD poses with the World Title. Backstage we see The Primetime Players. They run into 2 production guys & to their millions of dollars dance. Titus says anybody can do it & the 2 production guys to that dance too. Darren & Titus aren’t impressed. Titus blows his whistle & gives those guys a penalty. Darren & Titus show them how it’s done. The production guys go for it again & this time PTP go for it. This was pointless. Why were the Primetime Players acting like heels if they’re the baby faces now? Who cares? They show a Real Americans video package. Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro& Zeb Coulter are in the ring. Zeb tells everyone to stand up & shout We the People. He cuts himself off & tells the fans there’s a new rule. No one can say We the People besides Real Americans. They’re tired of being mocked & they would appreciate it if the fans would mind their own business. Then Zeb says We the People. Then out come The Primetime Players. The Primetime Players vs. The Real Americans. The Real Americans win when Swagger makes Cesaro tap. This was a solid match. The Wyatt family makes their way to the ring. Then they show us the video package where Bray says there’s no such thing as a hero. I’m not sure why they showed that video again. Then out comes Zack Ryder. Harper &Rowan grab him & throw him in the ring. Zack Ryder vs. Bray Wyatt. Bray gets the pin. This was a decent but short match. Ryder got in some good offense before getting pinned. Dolph Ziggler (With RVD & Kofi Kingston) vs. U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose (With Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) for the Title. The match ends in a no finish when the 4 guys on the outside brawl. Rollins pulled Dolph’s foot RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE REFEREE & then the referee turned his back. Then the brawl began & the referee called for the bell. That was odd. Then Dolph & Ambrose continue to goat it in the ring while RVD & Kofi battle Reigns & Rollins on the outside. Then all 6 guys are in the ring. The brawl continues & The Shield rolls out of the ring. Then out comes HHH & says we’re not gonna have this kind of anarchy (the kind that usually happens). If all 6 guys wanna fight great. This is now gonna be a 6 man tag (That has also become very predictable). Dolph Ziggler, Rob Van Dam & Kofi Kingston vs. The Shield. The Shield wins when Ambrose pins Kofi. This was a good back & forth match. Backstage Renee Young interviews Big Show. Renee mentions that the past few weeks for Big Show have been difficult to say the least? How has he been holding up? Big Show says that every decision that he has made for the past 2 weeks has weighed on his conscious very heavily. He can’t sleep at night; people mock him on the streets. He is a wreck. But he needs to do what’s best for him & his family. He needs this job & having being held over his head… Then HHH comes by. He gets how difficult this is & Big Show doesn’t want this job & if it’s too difficult for him maybe they should just forget it (I wish they would). That’s not what Big Show’s saying HHH says that as a friend he will help Big Show find another job. Maybe as a doorman or a paper boy or maybe an airport baggage guy. HHH says it won’t be easy. A regular sized person can find a job just about anywhere (They’re going with this again) but Big Show is “special” & he needs this job. Big Show gets in Triple H’s face & HHH mimics Big Show’s crying, saying, “I didn’t upset you did I? (Man this is terrible). HHH continues this crap. Big Show rolls up his fist & HHH tells him to think about his family & tells Big Show that he’s gonna do absolutely nothing& like it. Big Show lowers his fist, gets in Hunter’s face & lets out a frustration shout. Then he leaves & HHH has a smirk on his face. This was more of the same “Big Show being blackmailed into doing what HHH & Stephanie tell him to do because he needs this job” crap! This has gotten way past old. In the Goldman Box AJ says that every Diva is against her. So what’s a champ to do? Find protection. She enlisted the help of the only other Diva who is as feared as she is. Tamina. Cameron (With Naomi) vs. Divas Champion AJ Lee (With Tamina Snuka). AJ gets the pin. At 1 point AJ got in Naomi’s face. Then Naomi got on the apron. Then Tamina yanked Naomi off & gave her a clothesline. This was a typical Divas match. It was short & there wasn’t much to this. Backstage we see Paul Heyman & Curtis Axel. Heyman is on his way to the ring next. Paul Heyman comes out on the stage. They reshow what happened at NOCV when he pinned Punk after Ryback laid him out. Then Heyman says the fans are really disappointing him. They react to that footage with shock & horror. Are they really surprised that Heyman pinned Punk? Heyman doesn’t wanna give away his secrets but he will throw 1 at the fans for free. Every single time the fans’ blood lust for his hide drives Punk to come up against him, Punk is going to fail & lose. Have the fans ever considered in this 1 particular circumstance, in this 1 given situation, this 1 unique period in time that they could possibly be wrong? Then Heyman talks about Monday when Punk when his hometown of Chicago & Punk said he knew Heyman was setting up a trap. That’s because it was a trap. When his scooter “failed” it was the fans that motivated Punk to pounce on him. Heyman doesn’t wanna find the fans guilty without sufficient evidence, so he presents exhibit B. They reshow the bit from Monday where Ryback press slammed Punk through a table. Heyman doesn’t wanna stand out there & take credit for that plan. Then he thanks Curtis Axel for helping him put the plan together. Then he thanks his hero Ryback for the damage that he did to Punk but most of all Heyman wants to thank the fans. It’s the fans’ worship of Punk that will drive him to come up against Heyman every…The fans boo. Heyman says they can boo that all they want, Heyman will prove it to them again. Punk has signed for a match against Ryback at Battleground. Do the fans really think that Punk stands a chance against Ryback? Do the fans think that Punk has any hope against Ryback? Do they think that Punk can beat Ryback at Battleground? Heyman says this is what it will come down to; Punk will face Ryback at Battleground & history will repeat itself. The only ones to blame will be the fans because at Battleground Punk will end up flat on his back looking up at the winner of the match; Ryback & Paul Heyman; The best in the world. This was the usual great promo that we get from Heyman! This storyline is easily the best 1 WWE has going right now. Santino Marella vs. Heath Slater. Santino gets the pin. Santino got his sock puppet cobra out & then Jinder takes out a snake charming flute & then Khali takes 1 out too. They both play their flutes & try to charm the sock puppet. Drew gets on the apron but Khali chops him to the floor. Then Jinder tried to make the cobra puppet attack Santino. Then Hornswoggle pulls Jinder off the apron & snaps Jinder’s flute. Then Slater drop kicks Santino to the mat. Then Khali gets back on the apron & plays his flute The cobra puppet “comes to life” & hits Slater & Santino got the pin. (I couldn’t make this up if I tried). WINNER – SANTINO MARELLA. This was totally pointless comedy & it wasn’t funny. Los Matadores are finally coming this Monday.Yay. They recap HHH & Stephanie screwing over the Rhodes family over the last month. Then they show Dustin & Cody attacking The Shield from this past Monday. Then they show a wwe.com interview that Michael Cole conducted with HHH. Hunter admits that he was angry. He’s had a couple days to think about it. He is gonna Cody, Dustin & Dusty be on Raw & they can stand in the ring & say whatever the want. HHH does have a very lucrative proposition for them that he thinks they will be interested in hearing about. What will that offer be? We’ll find out Monday. Then the show a Dustin & Cody video. Cody says their going to be at Raw this week & Dusty will be there too. Dustin says to HHH that if this business proposition is anything like the last 1 there will be hell to pay. Cody says they’ll see them Monday. The Miz vs. Randy Orton. Miz wins by DQ. Miz supposedly hurt himself at 1 point & was outside the ring. Then a medic came out to check on him. Orton pulled Miz back into the ring & continues beating on him. The referee tried to pull off but Orton shoved him. Then the referee called for the bell WINNER BY DQ – THE MIZ. Then Orton continues to pummel Miz & gets in the referee’s face. Then HHH comes out. He sees what Orton is trying to do, purposely getting himself disqualified so he can get out of this match. HHH won’t let Orton take Miz’s opportunity like that. HHH is restarting the match right now. No DQ & the match must be won by pin fall or submission. The Miz vs. Randy Orton in a No DQ match. Orton gets the pin. This was solid. As soon as the referee called for the bell to restart the match Orton attacked Miz on the floor. He threw Miz over the announce table & then over the time keeper wall. Then Miz got a chair & hit Orton a few times with that. Then Orton got the upper hand & gave Miz the elevated DDT off the barricade. Then Orton rolled Miz back into the ring. He stood over Miz, picked him up slowly & then gave him an RKO & got the pin. WINNER – RANDY ORTON. Then medics & referees come in to check on Miz as Orton poses on the turnbuckle to end the show. I thought this was a mixed bag show overall. The opening in ring promo with Miz &HHH was the usual long winded promo that we get at the start of almost every Smackdown. Miz-Orton was solid & they’re doing a decent job continuing to get Orton over as this psychotic heel. Dolph-Ambrose was decent too & I liked Dolph, RVD & Kofi vs. The Shield match. Paul Heyman cut his usual great promo! That was easily the highlight of the show for me. Cameron-AJ wasn’t really much; Santino-Slater was the not funny comedy that WWE likes to do. The whole bit with the flutes was beyond stupid. The Primetime Players-Real Americans match was solid too but I’m tired of the Zeb Coulter character. R-Truth-Del Rio was mostly a squash. Ryder-Wyatt was decent. Ryder got in some good offense before getting pinned. I’m way past tired of the whole “Big Show has to do what HHH & Stephanie tell him to do because he needs this job” angle. I thought they did a good job in hyping up the Rhodes family being on Raw. It should be interesting to see what they have to say Monday. Overall I thought this week’s show had its ups & downs for sure.

9-26-13 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 26, 2013 episode of Impact The show starts with Dixie coming into the building. Sting comes by & says since she has her phone she must have gotten his text. He asks why she turned heel on AJ. She tells Sting not to worry about the situation with her & AJ. She’s got this under control. Bully Ray & Brooke Tessmacher come to the ring. Ray says that he is rarely at a loss for words but Dixie shocked him last week. Ray had been wondering how he was gonna beat AJ Styles but now he no longer has to worry about that because Dixie’s inside AJ’s head. Ray doesn’t always see eye to eye with Dixie but she is right when she says that she made AJ. Then he asks the fans if they know who he is. Then Aces & 8s music plays & out come Knox, Wes Briscoe & Garrett Bischoff. Knox says they know who Ray’s supposed to be. Ray’s supposed to be president of Aces & 8s but all Ray’s been doing is taking care of Bully Ray business & not club business. Ray’s more worried about his ho than his bros. Ray tells Knox not to call Brooke a ho. Then the fans chant ho at Tessmacher & Ray tells them not to call her that. Then Knox says that he, Wes & Garrett will take care of club business. Ray tells them to stay in line. His patch says president & theirs should all say lackey. Everyone saw what Ray did to D’Lo, Anderson & Devon & he says Knox, Wes & Garrett need to ask why he wouldn’t do the same to them. If they wanna start making decisions without him, that’s fine because if they lose tonight 1 of them will be out of the club. This was a decent opening segment. Ray cut a good promo like usual & I’m hoping that Aces & 8s end is near. Backstage Joseph Park is about to shave. Then EY & ODB come in. They tell him that he might cut himself & Park bleeding is what makes him go nuts (DUH). EY tells Park not to shave before a match. Then ODB tells EY not to think about shaving because she loves his beard. Joseph Park, Eric Young & Knockouts Champion ODB vs. Robbie E, Jessie Godderz & Gail Kim. Park, EY & ODB win when ODB pins Jessie. This was mostly a comedy match. Backstage camera guy asks Aries what’s next for him now that the BFG Series is over. Aries asks if he means how he will stir the pot. He will head to the ring & tell everyone what he’s gonna do next. Backstage Jason Hervey asks Hulk Hogan about Dixie. Hulk says that he had to read the transcript a number of time to believe it (What he couldn’t watch a recording of the show). Everything’s out of control & he’s here to fix this crap. Austin Aries comes to the ring. The fans cheer him & that’s the kind of welcome he likes. A lot of people have been asking what’s next for him since he came up short in the BFG Series. It was last year at BFG when he & Jeff Hardy had their world title match. Aries says he is always the main event no matter where he is on the card. Aries’ future is looking just fine. Then Kenny King comes out. He says the mic allows him to say what’s on his mind. Aries is getting on his nerves. Aries tells him to say what he has to say. Kenny says that Aries talks about making headlines but Kenny was making the headlines last year. He talks about how the headlines read that he became X Division Champion. Then the title was stolen by Sabin. Then somebody decided to steel the title from him buy wearing the Manik costume. Aries says that was him. Kenny owes him 1. Kenny tells Aries that maybe he was generation next 10 years ago but Kenny himself is the future of pro wrestling. Aries says he sees a guy who’s the pits & full of bull. Aries has his gear on so if Kenny shuts his trap they can go at it. Kenny tells Aries what Hillary Clinton says in bed. Aries doesn’t want any of this. He’s not fighting Aries tonight. Then he punches Aries & bails. Aries says Kenny isn’t gonna sucker punch him & run because Aries is no sucker. Aries tells a referee to come out. Then he dives onto Kenny on the ramp. Austin Aries vs. Kenny King. Aries gets the pin. This was a good match. Kenny was busted open here. They show a Lei’d Tapa video. She’s coming soon. Backstage Sabin & Velvet bump into Aries. Sabin says it’s great to see Aries back in the X Division. The division that Sabin built on his own. Sabin says that his world title win was more memorable than Aries’. Aries says that Sabin got his ass kicked for 15 minutes before pulling out a hammer. Then Sabin says he will become X Division champion for the 8th time & be greater than the “greatest man that ever lived.” This was a decent backstage bit. Backstage we see Sting, Joe & Magnus. Magnus complains about EGO costing him the BFG Series. Joe says those guys will get theirs. Tonight they need to get something done. Magnus will get something done. Sting tells Magnus the formed MEM to get rid of Aces & 8s & they’re really close getting that done. Sting tells Magnus not to let EGO get to him because Magnus is better than that. Whatever. These factions are pointless. They show a video package recapping the AJ-Dixie bit from last Thursday. Hulk Hogan comes to the ring. He says he can tell he’s in Little Rock, AK brother. Hearing the roar of the crowed makes him feel powerful. We have a situation in TNA. He’s been there for close to 4 years. He’s always had his opinions about Dixie but she gave him the GM job, which means he’s in charge of how the shows run. Hulk’s seen bloodshed in the locker room & meeting have broken down but to air dirty laundry in public is something that should never happen (Even though it ALWAYS does). Then Hulk asks how many of the fans wanna see AJ stay with TNA. They cheer. Hulk wants AJ to hear the love & respect the fans have for him. The fans cheer again. Hulk will bring AJ & Dixie out there later & fix everything. This was a typical Hulk Hogan promo. He couldn’t get his words out toward the end of this. They show a video package hyping Kurt Angle’s return for his TNA Hall of Fame induction. That of course happens at BFG. “Ethan is coming.” Whoever this might be. Backstage camera guy asks AJ for his thoughts on Hulk’s comments. AJ heard what Hulk had to say. He will see Hulk in the ring later. X Division Champion “Manik” TJ Perkins vs. Chris Sabin for the Title. “Manik” TJ gets the pin. This was a decent match too. Afterwards Sabin stomps on TJ & Velvet doesn’t like what Sabin’s doing. Then Aries comes to the ring & Sabin puts Velvet in front of him & bails. Backstage Wes says the club is crumbling. Garrett says they got work to do tonight. Knox will fight for these colors. They can’t afford to lose another member. Garrett says they can’t afford to lose another brother. They’ll do this for the club. This was ok but Aces & 8s is way past stale now. Plus why would these guys wanna even keep their “cuts”? This makes no sense. Time for the Kurt Angle video package again. Backstage EGO can’t believe Angle will be in the TNA Hall of Fame. They’ve done more for TNA than he has. Daniels is sick of hearing about MEM. They’re losers but Magnus is a really good loser. Kazarian says it would really damage Magnus’ ego if he lost again. Daniels & Kazarian laugh like cliché TV/movie villains but Roode walks off. Sting, Magnus & Samoa Joe vs. Knox, Wes Briscoe & Garrett Bischoff. Sting, Joe & Magnus win when Joe makes Wes tap. So Wes Briscoe is out of Aces & 8s. Daniels, Kazarian & Roode came out during this & attacked Magnus. Trainers came & took Magnus to the back, so it became 3 on 2. The finish came when Joe locked the Kokina Clutch on Wes & Wes tapped. WINNERS – STING, JOE & MAGNUS. Then Ray & Tessmacher come to the ring. Ray says he told Wes if any of them lost it would be lights out. Wes lost, he tapped out. Wes is a disgrace to his colors. Ray tells Wes to hand over his “cut” right now. Wes hesitates & Ray tells him to hand it over again. Wes says no. Ray says after all he’s done for Wes, he’s gonna tell Ray no. Then tells Knox & Garrett to get that “cut” off of him right now. They hesitate. Ray doesn’t pay them to think. He tells them to take Wes’ “cut” right now. Then Ray knocks Wes down & asks the other 2 what happened to them. Then he pile drives Wes. Then he tells Knox & Garrett to take Wes’ vest off or he will pile drive him again. They take his vest off & Ray tells Knox to hand it over. Ray asks if Knox is gonna listen to the fans or to him. Knox shoves Ray away & he & Garrett pick up Wes. This was stupid. They gotta do away with Aces & 8s. Why would Knox & Garrett listen to Ray? This makes no sense to me. Hulk Hogan & AJ Styles are in the ring. Hulk wants to get down to business & bring out the BFG Series winner AJ Styles. Out comes AJ. Hulk loves that AJ will be challenging Ray for the TNA World Title. Hulk already signed the contract now it’s AJ’s turn. Hulk knows AJ’s focused & they’re all betting on AJ to bring the belt home. AJ says “I’m yours.” Then out comes Dixie. She tells Hulk that she’s been very clear about why she brought him to TNA. Hulk has taught her so much about the business & she’s grateful but Hulk’s just an employee. Hulk’s capable of doing more. Then she turns to AJ & says she will be begging on her knees in AJ’s dreams. Hulk might see some value but she doesn’t Then she rips up the contract. AJ says Dixie made the biggest mistake of her love. Dixie doesn’t mean to be rude but she wants AJ to get out of her ring. Dixie knows the fans aren’t happy with him. 99 % of the people have never had to live in Dixie’s world with all the tough decision she’s had to make. Then she rags on the fans that criticized her & says that they need her. This isn’t a popularity contest, this is business. Dixie says that what Hulk did wasn’t a mistake but he should’ve run it by her. She & Hulk know what it will take to make this company go to another level. There’re more tough decisions to be made. Will Hulk get in line & be on Team Dixie or be like AJ & watch from the sidelines? She gives him a week to think about it. She knows that he will make the right decision. Dixie walks to the back as Hulk stands in the ring looking unsure of what to do. That ends the show. This segment sucked!! Dixie as a heel is terrible & having her not wanting AJ to be part of the company is the SAME STORYLINE that WWE is doing!! I thought this week’s show was dragged. The Dixie heel turn & being like Stephanie is idiotic & the Aces & 8s is old too. Manik-Sabin was decent but I’m not into the Sabin heel turn either. I haven’t really got much to say about this week’s show. I just thought it was weak & painful at times.

9-23-13 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 23, 2013 episode of Raw The show starts with the guys who helped out Daniel Bryan on the stage. There’s also a microphone on the stage. Then out come HHH & Stephanie. Of course The Shield is also at ringside. HHH says there’s been speculation as to what will happen to the 10 guys on the stage. He asked them all to be there for 1 reason. Stephanie thanks them all for taking matters into their own hands & stepping up like men. HHH thanks them too & says he’s sure it had nothing to do with Daniel Bryan. Then RVD says that they were fighting for Daniel. Then he says that HHH would’ve done the same to any of them. HHH finds it hard to believe that they fought for Daniel. He thought that guys fight to be champions & not fight with champions. Then HHH asks Dolph if he was fighting for a guy who squandered a number of title shots or for himself. Then Stephanie asks R-Truth when the last time he had title match was (Never as far as I can remember). Or Zack Ryder. Stephanie says he should be the face of WWE (Like that’s gonna happen). She says that they should all be the face of WWE. Then she says that they never got title opportunities. HHH says that’s because of The Shield. He says that The Shield have been running rough shot ever since they came to WWE. They’ve beaten all 10 guys that are the stage. HHH can sense the frustration they’re feeling. The show of unity had nothing to with Daniel. It was because of their frustration with The Shield. So tonight HHH & Stephanie will let the 10 of them take their frustrations out on The Shield. They’ll face The Shield in a handicap elimination match. HHH then says that they will have a partner who hopefully will be a guy who cares as much about them as they do about him. There partner will be Daniel Bryan. Then Stephanie thanks the fans & says that they will get to pick who faces Randy Orton tonight. R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler or RVD. HHH then says that is what’s best for business. This was a typical HHH-Stephanie in ring segment. It felt predictable. Kofi Kingston vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a really good back & forth match. Backstage Renee Young interviews Miz. But first they reshow Randy Orton laying out Miz from last week. Then Renee Young asks for his reaction. Then HHH comes in & says he won’t let Miz face Orton, but he will let him host Miz TV. And his guest will be the guy who knocked out Dusty Rhodes, Big Show. The Primetime Players vs. Luke Harper & Eric Rowan. Harper & Rowan win when Harper pins Titus. This was a decent match. Then Bray gets in the ring, kicks Darren a couple times & then gives him Sister Abigail. Miz TV time. Miz says he’s banged up & pissed off. Last week Orton humiliated him in front of his friends, family & mom. It’s a lot easier to knock Miz down then to keep him down. This isn’t over, payback will come & it will be awesome. Then Miz mentions that he wasn’t the only guy to get medical attention. He mentions that Dusty was knocked out by his guest Big Show. Miz says he’s known show for almost 10 years. He respects Show as a man & as a man Miz asks Show how he could’ve knocked out Dusty. Show doesn’t speak. Miz gets that if Show hadn’t have knocked Dusty out HHH & Stephanie would’ve had The Shield attack him. Miz says they’re trying to break Show because he’s the biggest guy in the locker room. If they can break him they can break anyone. The other super stars have stepped up & it’s time for Show to do the same. Out comes Stephanie. She says there’s no need to berate Show & what he’s saying about HHH & herself is borderline slander. Miz tells her what to do with the legal crap. Stephanie then says Miz is living on his own cul-de-sac of disappointment. He took a beating from Orton in his home town last week. Then she says that he’s not a major player. He’s a utility player. When they need someone to do local plugging Miz is the guy. Last week in Miz’s hometown Stephanie saw the look in Miz’s mom’s eye go from hope to disappointment. Miz failed his friends, family & himself. Orton dismembered Miz & he couldn’t measure up, but Miz never learns. Then Stephanie tells Big Show to knock him out. The crowed cheers & Show knocks Miz out right away. This was pretty much the same “Stephanie tells Big Show to knock out someone” segment. Miz cut a good promo when he talked about Orton but the stuff with Big Show was average at best. Randy Orton comes to the ring. Time to find out who the fans voted for to be his opponent. King gets the mic to tell us. It will be RVD (Not surprising). Rob Van Dam vs. Randy Orton. The match goes to a double count out. Then Orton backdrops RVD into the barricade. Then Orton throws him into the steel steps. Then he punches RVD for a bit. That’s followed up with another throw into the steel steps. Then Orton throws him over the announce table. Then Orton rolls RVD in the ring, picks him up, sets him on the top rope & then gives RVD the elevated DDT from there. Orton has the insane sadistic look on his face as a medic checks on RVD. The match was decent & I thought they did a solid job getting Orton over as the sadistic heel that he used to be. Too bad RVD was the guy he beat down though. Los Matadores will be coming next Monday. They show RVD getting helped up by referees & the Dr. during the break & then Del Rio comes in & knocks RVD back down. Then he locks him in the arm breaker. Time to plug WWE’s new video game 2K14. Backstage we see The Bellas & Orton comes by. Orton asks if they saw what he just did. Brie says Orton tells Brie that what he did out there is only a fraction of what he will do her boyfriend to Daniel & she can always upgrade to a real man. Brie says that she is dating a real man. Orton says he’s a real man & the face of WWE. That’s something that Daniel will never be. This was ok. They show a clip of Triple H & Stephanie’s video that’s on the HHH DVD. MAN THEY’RE REALLY OVERDOING IT WITH THE HHH STUFF HERE! Then we see Stephanie in the GM office & then AJ comes in. Stephanie thought AJ might like to see what a real wedding looks like since her love life hasn’t been the greatest. Then AJ says that she’s not thrilled about tonight’s 10 Divas tag match. The Total Divas should disappear & her own partners might turn on her. Stephanie says AJ will be in the match or she might not be Divas champion. This was a bit weak but thankfully it was short. Santino Marella vs. Fandango. Fandango gets the pin. This was ok too. Summer Rae got on the apron & distracted Santino. Fandango took advantage & went up top but Santino came after him. Fandango knocked him back down to the mat. Then he hit the top rope leg drop for the pin WINNER – FANDANGO They announce that CM Punk will face Ryback at Battleground. CM Punk comes to the ring to a massive home town pop. The fans chant his name & he soaks in all the cheers. Then he says the fans ruined a perfectly good bad mood. He hasn’t smiled in 8 days but now he can’t help himself. He hasn’t smiled because he feels like he let everybody down at NOC. The fans chant his name & he says that’s a chant for another time. The record books will show that he lost to Heyman. Punk’s lost a lot of matches but this 1 bummed him out. He doesn’t know if he can do this anymore. Maybe he doesn’t deserve to perform in front of the greatest wrestling crowed in the world. But then he comes out to 1 hell of an ovation. Then he talks about the Chicago Blackhawks being behind against the Detroit Redwings. The Blackhawks didn’t feel like they let everyone down, the tied the series & took it to a game 7 overtime. That is the Chicago way. Maybe they lose sometimes but they pick themselves up. Punk’s proud of Chicago. If he let the fans down he’s sorry, but he will tie it up, go into overtime & win. Punk wants to fight. He doesn’t care if it’s Axel or Ryback. Then Heyman comes out singing his version of New York, New York. Heyman says who he is. Then Punk says this is the wrong time for that. Tonight they’re in Chicago & there’re 18,000 fans that will bail Punk out of jail when he gets his hands on Heyman. Heyman doesn’t need Punk to remind him about the beating he took in Detroit. Heyman’s been in physical therapy since NOC. Now he suffered a relapse. But he takes solace in the fact that he can say that he beat CM Punk. He doesn’t want Punk to feel sorry for himself about it. It’s not Punk’s fault that he’s from the second rate town of Chicago. Then he calls Punk the second best in the world. To prove his point Heyman presents exhibit A. They show a pic of Heyman pinning Punk from NOC. Heyman might be a walrus but he pinned Chicago’s biggest shark. Punk says Heyman needs to ask himself a question. When Punk jumps out of the ring & makes a move to get Heyman can Heyman’s 2 goons get to him faster than he can get to Heyman? Punk says when he gets Heyman he will rip his face off. Heyman says not only can he beat Punk, but he beat Punk with both hands behind his back. He bids the fans adieu. Then he tries to back up the ramp but the wheelchair’s busted. Punk goes after Heyman but Ryback & Axel come out & double team Punk. Punk fights back but Axel gets the upper hand. Axel then goes to Irish whip Punk into the Tron but Punk reverses it. Then Punk dives onto Ryback & punches him. Then Axel gets Punk from behind but Punk gets him. Then Ryback gets Punk, throws him into a piece of the stage, then he throws him on a box & press slams Punk through a table. Then Heyman gets up out of the wheel chair & jumps off the ramp. Then Heyman walks over to where Ryback is & gives him the mic. Ryback says this is what happens to bullies. This was great. The Punk-Heyman story is the best 1 WWE has going right now. Punk & Heyman were both great on the mic like they always & the Punk-Ryback & Axel brawl was really well done also. Back to the show & referees check on Punk & he eventually gets up & walks to the back. For some reason the Divas were coming out during this. Naomi, Cameron, The Bellas & Natalya vs. Divas Champion AJ Lee, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Layla & Tamina Snuka. The Total Divas win when Brie pins AJ. This was a typical Divas match. Not much to it. It looks like Brie will be challenging AJ. It should be Natalya who challenges AJ for the Divas title. This match was pointless. Backstage we see The Shield. Ambrose asks if they were thrown to the wolves in this 11 on 3 handicap elimination match or are they the hounds who hunt the wolves. This match is what is best for business. They have their backs against the wall. Rollins says whenever that happens they change the game & make locker room take notice. Ambrose says they win because they’re winners & studs & tonight they’ll do their jobs. Reigns tells us to believe. This was a solid promo. Daniel Bryan comes to the ring. The fans chant his name. Then he says the fans are awesome. He has something to talk about. He was stripped of the WWE Title last week because he was accused of conspiring with Scott Armstrong. He’s not the most intelligent human but you don’t need to fast count a man when he’s already knocked out. He says that it seems strange that HHH gave Armstrong a lot of money after he canned him. Daniel doesn’t know or care what happened at NOC. It doesn’t matter what version of Orton he faces, he will take back the WWE Title. No fast counts, no crooked referees & no excuses. He’s tired of Orton hiding behind his boss’s skirts but after Battleground there will be no more hiding. When all is said in done Orton will hear a word that will haunt him for the rest of his life. That word of course being YES! Then The Shield comes out. Then Goldust & Cody come out of the crowed & go after The Shield. Referees & security come in to pull Dustin & Cody off The Shield & take them to the back. That was great! Daniel cut a great promo & Dustin & Cody attacking The Shield was a great shocker. Daniel Bryan, RVD, The Usos, Kofi Kingston, The Primetime Players, R-Truth, Justin Gabriel, Zack Ryder & Dolph Ziggler vs. The Shield in an 11 on 3 handicap elimination match. * Ambrose pins RVD * Ambrose pins Kofi. * Reigns pins Titus * Reigns pins Gabriel * Reigns pins Ryder * Jay pins Reigns * Rollins pins Darren * Dolph pins Ambrose * Rollins pins Truth * Daniel pins Rollins WINNERS- DANIEL BRYAN, DOLPH ZIGGLER & THE USOS. This was a lot of fun to watch. Daniel, Dolph & The Usos surrounded Rollins & then get in the ring & beat him down. Ambrose comes out but Dolph clotheslines Ambrose & himself over the top rope. Rollins comes back out too but The Usos double super kick him. Then the Usos dive onto Ambrose & Reigns. Then Daniel gives Rollins a tope rope head butt followed by the running knee for the pin. Daniel celebrates & does the yes chant along with the fans to end the show. I thought this was a solid to good show for the most part. The opening segment with HHH & Stephanie and the other guys on the stage was the typical HHH-Stephanie-baby face talent opening bit, but thankfully HHH & Stephanie weren’t all over the show this week. I enjoyed Daniel Bryan’s promo and Dustin & Cody sneak attacking The Shield was really well done. I also liked the Punk-Heyman promo/the Punk-Ryback & Axel brawl too. Punk & Heyman were awesome on the mic like always & the 2 on 1 brawl was good too. The Stephanie, AJ bit backstage was ok & thankfully short. The10 Diva tag was pointless & I’d much rather see AJ & Natalya in a singles match than AJ & Brie. The Miz TV segment with Big Show & Stephanie was average. Miz cut a good promo when he talked about Orton attacking him but the whole “Big Show knocking out whoever Stephanie tells him to” bit is beyond stale. Kofi & Del Rio had a really good match. RVD-Orton was decent & Orton laying out RVD continued to get Orton over as the sadistic crazy guy. I just wish it wasn’t RVD that took the beating. The Primetime Players vs. Harper & Rowan was decent too. & The Shield promo was solid also. Overall I thought this was a solid to good show.

9-19-13 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 19, 2013 No Surrender part 2 episode of Impact They start the show with Magnus backstage. He says he left it all out there last week. He came up short. Then in comes Bobby Roode. He tells Magnus not to blame him, Kazarian & Daniels. He should blame himself. Then Daniels & Kazarian jump Magnus, they have a triple team & then referees & security jump in to break it up. The actual show starts with Magnus coming to the ring. He says that his ribs, knees & shoulder hurt all because of coming so close in the BFG series finals. He believes AJ is the best in the business & wishes him the best at BFG. Magnus has another issue to address. 3 guys decided to get involved in that match last week & now they just jumped him in the back. Magnus doesn’t have his family with him but he dares any 1 member of the Ego trio with the stones to come out & face him. Out comes Kazarian. Magnus beats him down in the corner & then Daniels comes in & hits Magnus from behind. Kaz & Daniels have a miscommunication & Magnus gets the upper hand but then Roode comes in & they stomp on Magnus. Then outcome Samoa Joe & Sting & the heel trio bails. Sting says if they wanna fight there will be a 6 man tag right here tonight. This was a good & short opening in ring segment. Backstage Sabin tells Manik that asking for a match with Jeff Hardy takes guts. Sabin’s proud of Manik. Sabin mentions that he cashed in the X Title to win the world title & that if Manik was X Champion at the time he could’ve done the same. Manik says he has to get ready for his match. Sabin & Velvet will watch from ringside (I think). This was lame. It looks like they’re turning Sabin heel & I’m not sure why. I’m also tired of TJ Perkins in that costume. Why bother with that if he’s always walking around backstage without the mask? Chris Sabin & Velvet Sky come out to watch the Jeff Hardy-Manik match. Jeff Hardy vs. X Division Champion Manik. Jeff gets the pin. This was a decent back & forth match. Then Jeff shakes Manik’s hand & raises his arm before heading to the back. Then Sabin gets in the ring & also raises Manik’s hand. Then he attacks him. Jeff comes back out & runs Sabin off. Velvet looks shocked at what Sabin did. The match was decent but the X Title doesn’t have any meaning. I still don’t get Sabin’s heel turn either. They show Dixie Carter arriving earlier in the day. All she says is, “There’s a lot going on.” More Sabin & Velvet backstage. He tells her to get her stuff together because they’re headed out. Then Camera guy asks Sabin why he attacked Manik. Sabin says no one respects him. He’s been a tag team, X Division & world Champion & the fans don’t respect him for it. He also says that Manik is the guy who is the most disrespectful after all Sabin has done for him. He will earn their respect. Sabin cut a decent promo but the heel turn came out of nowhere. ODB vs. Knockouts Champion Mickie James for the Title. ODB gets the pin to win the Title. This was a decent match too. Then EY comes in & hugs ODB. Joseph Park comes out too & has a drink. Then Robbie E & Jessie come out. Robbie asks what’s going on around this place “bro.” They hate to break up this weird celebration. It’s 1 thing for EY to be in the ring because he’s married to “that” but Park is a third wheel hamster loser. Park says how dare they & asks who they think they are trying to diminish the new Knockouts Champion. How dare they besmirch marriage & how dare they wear those outfits in St. Louis. If Park wasn’t wearing his suit he’d teach them as lesson. Robbie says it sound like he’s challenging them. Park never said that. EY tells them Park has a suit on but unfortunately EY does not. Then Robbie E gets in the ring Eric Young vs. Robbie E. EY gets the quick pin with a roll up. Then Robbie says he wasn’t challenging EY. He wanted Park. Robbie asks if Park’s scared of him. Park takes his glasses & jacket off. Break time. This whole bit was idiotic. Back from break & Park is in the ring. Back to break. I hate that they do this “Back to the show & right back to break” bit. Back from break & Joseph Park & it’s time for Robbie E’s second match. Joseph Park vs. Robbie E. Park also gets the quick pin. Then Robbie & Jessie attack Park. Then they give EY some tag team finisher. Then they go after Park & ram him into the steel steps. Then they get back in the ring & beat on EY. Then Park gets back in the ring & he’s bleeding. Then he goes bonkers & lays out Robbie & Jessie. Then Park “snaps out of it” & EY hugs him. This was pointless. I’m tired of this bit where Park flips after he bleeds & then “going back to normal”. Time for a video package recapping last week’s Anderson-Ray angle/match. Backstage Hulk asks Dixie what’s going on with AJ. Hulk says Dixie doesn’t have to do this alone. Dixie says she’s got this. Aces & 8s come to the ring. Ray says it sounds like everyone’s happy to see him. Of course the fans boo. He gets that the fans are proud of their world champion. They boo again. Then Ray asks where Anderson is & then says Anderson couldn’t make it. Then he asks the fans if they know who he is. He is Bully Ray, the world champion, president of Aces & 8s & there’s nothing anybody can do about it. Ray does need to thank somebody though. He couldn’t have defended his title if weren’t for someone special, someone he can trust & someone who has always stood by him. He says this to his guys & they’re all smiles. Then he says that the reason he continues to be world champion is because of Tessmacher. Without her he’d be nothing. She’s the wind beneath his wings. The way she came in the ring & drilled Anderson in the nuts for him, that’s the reason why he’s world champion. The other guys don’t look too thrilled. Ray asks what the problem is. Wes says they’ve done everything he’s asked & how can be blow them off for her. Ray tells them not to refer to Brooke as “her” again. That’s Ray’s Brooke & he tells Wes not to look at her. Garrett says Ray’s forgotten who’s been with him since day 1 & had his back night after night. Ever since Brooke came in Ray’s priorities have been out of whack. Ray appreciates Garret’s spirit. Then he pushes Garrett in the corner & tells him not to talk to him like that. He made Wes & Garrett. If they get out of line again he will smack them both in the face. Knox asks if Ray will slap him too. Then Knox says he’s been in this club for 1 year & a half. They’ve always helped him out to make sure he holds on to the title. Knox then says that the club is falling apart & for the last year it’s been Bully Ray business & not club business. Ray forgot the club rule, “Bros before hos.” Ray tells Knox if he calls Brooke a ho again he will knock his head off. Ray & Tessmacher leave the ring as Knox, Wes & Garrett stand in the ring. This segment was decent. Ray was good on the mic as always & had a feeling the other guys would lean towards a baby face turn. Backstage Sting says Kurt’s gone & Rampage is training. That’s ok because they’re MEM. Sting tells Magnus & Joe not to forget who they are. Joe says they’re MEM & they’ll get revenge. Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero come to the ring. Then out come Gunner & Storm. Before the match starts Chavo gets a mic & says as much as he wants to wipe their faces all over the mat, he’s injured & the doc hasn’t cleared him for this fight. So he & Hernandez won’t be beating the champs tonight. Gunner says it sounds like they’re scared. He tells Chavo to shut his mouth. He came looking for a fight & he challenges Hernandez. Storm tells them to fight while he has some beers at ringside. TNA World Tag Team Champion Gunner vs. Hernandez. Gunner gets the pin. This was ok. Backstage we see AJ Styles on his cell phone. Sting, Samoa Joe & Magnus vs. Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Bobby Roode. Daniels, Kazarian & Roode win when Roode pins Magnus after hitting him with Sting’s baseball bat. This was a good match. Sting had Daniels in the scorpion death lock. Roode came in the ring with Sting’s baseball bat. He was gonna hit Sting but Magnus jumped in the way & Roode hit him. Then Roode covered Magnus for the pin. WINNERS – DANIELS, KAZARIAN & ROODE AJ Styles comes to the ring. He’s been in TNA since day 1 busting his butt trying to make this an alternative for the fans. Then Dixie’s dad bought her a wrasslin company. No blood, sweat or experience in wrestling. Dixie broke up the chemistry that made TNA what it was. What happened to Jerry Lynn & Low KI? Dixie trade them in for big names to get a big pay day & not to anything. And for what? So Alex Shelly, Jay Lethal & Petey Williams couldn’t be there. That pisses AJ off. He’s not the only 1 as the fans cheer. AJ says Dixie’s biggest mistake is staring her right in the face. She gave him a chance to win the world title but hasn’t got a contract. But no contracted wrestler respects her anyway. AJ will win the world title for him, his band of brothers & the fans. He will make Dixie get on her knees & beg & then he will make her pay. Out comes Dixie. He tells her to say something. He expected a tweet. Dixie’s known AJ a long time & she knows for him to come out here & say everything he’s saying takes guts. Dixie’s accountable to the staff, the performers & the fans. She’s also accountable to AJ & she apologizes to him. She’s sorry for letting him think that he meant anything in the company. The phenomenal one stuff is an illusion that she created for all those 5 star matches he used to have. AJ’s nothing like he used be. The fans boo. Dixie says she’s thankful for them. She thanks them for letting her come to her ring & respond to all the crap she’s been getting. Without her dad’s paycheck AJ would still be in the trailer. Dixie built the house that AJ is in & she owns it. He’s lucky she let him be there. AJ tells Dixie to shove that mic where it belongs. Dixie has the lights in the arena turned off & this ends the show. This was awesome! Both AJ & Dixie were great on the mic here. I loved everything that AJ had to say about the X Division guys no longer being there to make room for “the big names.” Dixie’s heel promo was well done too. I’m not sure how this Dixie heel turn will be but her first heel promo was good. Great way to end this week’s show. I thought this was a decent to solid show overall. The opening MEM-EGO segment was good. Magnus cut a good promo & I liked the brawl. The 6 man tag they had later was great & I liked the finish. The AJ-Dixie promo was really well done. Both AJ & Dixie were great on the mic. Gunner-Hernandez was ok. Chavo’s promo was annoying though. ODB-Mickie was also decent but I wasn’t a fan of the Eric Young & Joseph Park-Robbie E & Jessie part. I have no idea why they turned Chris Sabin heel. That came out of the blue. Then bit with Him & TJ Perkins backstage was lame & Sabin’s promo later saying that TJ disrespected him made no sense. I did like the Jeff Hardy-Manik match though. The Aces & 8s in ring bit was decent. Ray was great on the mic as always & it looks like (I hope) we’re seeing the end of Aces & 8s. Overall I thought this was a decent to solid show with a great 6 man tag & a really awesome promo at the end.